《Toaru Majutsu no Index》 Volume 1, Prologue: The Tale of the Illusion Killer Boy. The_Imagine-Breaker. Volume 1, Prologue: The Tale of the Illusion Killer Boy. The_Imagine-Breaker. Ahh! Shit! Shit! God damn it! This is just too much misfortune!! Even as he realized his cries sounded rather strange, Kamijou Touma showed no sign of stopping his tremendous flight. As he ran through back alleys late at night, he glanced over his shoulder. There were eight of them. He ran frantically all over for almost 2 kilometers, but there were still eight of them. Of course, Kamijou Touma had no way to win in a fight against that many unless he happened to be a former foreign units cook or a cyber ninja that had survived to the present day. In a fight between high school students, anything beyond 1-on-3 was out of the question. That could be called impossible even before taking any skill he might have had into account. Kamijou kicked over a filthy plastic bucket and frightened off a black cat as he continued running. It was July 19th. The fault lay in that date. Because summer break would start the next day, he was in such high spirits that he grabbed a manga at the bookstore despite a glance at the cover telling him it was no good, entered a family restaurant to treat himself, for once, to a nice between-meals snack, found a middle school-aged girl surrounded by clearly drunk delinquents, and decided that some rescuing was in order. But, he had not expected more of their comrades to come swarming out of the bathroom. He had always thought that going to the bathroom in groups was something only girls did. I had to run out before the hellish goya and escargot lasagna I ordered even arrived. I didnt even get to eat anything, but Im being treated like a dine-and-dasher. What kind of misfortune is this!? Gyahh!! Kamijou scratched his head as he ran out from the back alley and into the moonlit street. Even if Academy City were as large as a third of Tokyo, he could see nothing but couples no matter where he looked. That was also surely because it was July 19th. It''s all July 19ths fault!, Kamijou, who was single, shouted in his heart. The three blades of the wind turbines located here and there throughout the area glittered in the pale moonlight and the lights of the city nightscape, making them look like the tears of rich bachelors. Kamijou tore through the couples as he ran through the city. He ran and glanced down at his right hand. The power that resided there would be of no help in the current situation. It would not let him defeat even a single delinquent, it would not raise his scores on tests, and it would not make him popular with girls. UuhSuch misfortune! If he escaped the group of delinquents, they possibly would have used their phones to call in reinforcements and bikes. In order to simply run down their stamina, Kamijou Touma had been letting them catch occasional glimpses of him as bait so that they would continue to run and wear themselves out. It was akin to letting boxers hit you to weaken them. Kamijous goal was only to save any possible victims. If he could lose them and have them give up without getting into a fistfight, he would win. Incidentally, Kamijou had confidence in his long distance running. On the other hand, his opponents damaged their bodies with alcohol, cigarettes and were wearing boots with almost no real functionality. On top of that, running full speed for long distances without pacing one''s self was impossible by its very nature. As Kamijou alternated and weaved in and out through roads and back alleys while seemingly simply clumsily running about in a panic, he saw one and then another of the delinquents drop out of the chase, leaning forward with their hands on their knees. He felt his plan was the perfect way of resolving the situation without any injuries. D-damn it. Why do I have to waste my youth on this stuff!? Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but couples full of dreams and happiness. Unable to stand it, Kamijou Touma felt as if he had somehow ended up on the short end of life. The date need only change and it would be summer break and yet he had neither love nor comedy to speak of. It made him feel like quite the loser. He then heard one of the delinquents shouting from behind him. Hey!! You fucking brat! Stop, you master runner!! It only angered Kamijou more to receive such a violent love call. Shut up! You should be thanking me for not turning around and knocking you and your monkey-level IQ out cold! Kamijou shouted back despite knowing it was just a waste of stamina. He really should thank me for going this far out of my way to keep him from getting injured, he thought. After another 2 kilometers of sweaty and teary running, he exited the urban area and came to a large river. A large metal bridge spanned the river, about 150 meters across and no cars could be seen on it. Not lit up, the plain metal bridge was wrapped in an eerie darkness much like a midnight sea. Kamijou glanced back as he darted across the bridge. He then stopped: at some point, he had escaped all of his pursuers. Sh-shit. Did I finally shake them? Kamijou desperately suppressed the urge to sit down right then and there and sighed as he stared up into the night sky. He had actually managed to resolve everything without having to punch anyone. He wanted to praise himself for that. Really now, what are you doing? Do you think protecting those delinquents makes you a good person? Are you some overzealous teacher? In an instant, Kamijous body froze over. Because the bridge had no lights, Kamijou had not noticed the girl standing about 5 meters ahead in the direction he had been running, a completely normal middle school girl wearing a gray pleated skirt, a short-sleeved blouse, and a summer sweater. Kamijou stared up into the sky and seriously considered collapsing onto his back. The girl before him was the same one from the family restaurant. Wait, so that''s why they stopped chasing me? Yeah. They annoyed me, so I roasted them. The zapping sound of bluish-white sparks echoed. Rather than a stun gun, as her shoulder-length brown hair swayed, sparks flew from it like an electrode. The moment a convenience store bag in the wind passed by her head, it was blown away by bluish-white sparks reminiscent of an interception device. Ugh, sighed Kamijou wearily. July 19th. That was why he had grabbed a manga at the bookstore despite a glance at the cover telling him it was no good, entered a family restaurant to treat himself, for once, to a nice between-meals snack, found a middle school-aged girl surrounded by clearly drunk delinquents, and decided that some rescuing was in order. However, Kamijou had not a single thought about rescuing the girl. Instead, had tried to rescue the boys who had carelessly approached her. Once again he sighed. The girl was always like that. He had seen her here and there sporadically for almost a month, but they had yet to learn each others names. In other words, they were by no means friends. This time, the girl would arrogantly arrogantly attack in an attempt to beat her opponent into a pulp and Kamijou would be the one to put up with it. Without a single exception, it went that way and he won every time. If he actually lost, the girl would likely be satisfied, but Kamijou was a terrible actor. He once tried to fake his defeat and she chased him like a demon for the rest of the night. What did I even do? I cannot allow anyone to be more powerful than me. That is enough of a reason. That was how it was with her. He felt that even a character in a fighting game would have a more detailed incentive. But youre treating me like an idiot, too. Im a Level 5. Do you really think I would go all out against a powerless Level 0? I do know how to handle the weak. In that city, the usual standard of a back alley delinquent being the strongest in a fight did not hold up. Those delinquents who could not keep up with the psychic powers development Curriculum were the Level 0s, the powerless. The truly strong in that city, the top-tier students, were espers. Yeah, about that, I do understand that you possess a talent that only 1 in 328,571 have. I really do. But if you want to live a long life, you should stop speaking to people so condescendingly. Shut up. If you couldnt bend a single spoon after having various crazy things done to you like have drugs injected directly into your blood vessels or have electrodes stabbed in through your ears and into the brain, what could it be but lack of talent? That was indeed the kind of place Academy City was. The other side of Academy City could be seen in how means of developing the brain had been calmly added into the Curriculum under the name of documentation methods or memorization methods. However, not all of the 2.3 million students living in Academy City had ceased to be human and became something like a manga protagonist. Just under 60% of the whole population were utterly useless Level 0s who could only bend a spoon after focusing their brain to the point of blood vessel bursts. If I need to bend a spoon, I can just use pliers, and if I need fire, I can just buy a cheap lighter. Also, what do I need telepathy for when I have a cell phone? Are psychic powers really that great? Those were the words of Kamijou who had been branded as useless by Academy Citys physical examination sensors. And everyones priorities are all messed up. Theyre all rejoicing over the byproduct we call psychic powers, but isnt our real objective something beyond that? In response, the girl who was one of Academy Citys seven Level 5s twisted the edges of her lips. Hahh? Oh, that. What was it again? Something like, Humans cannot calculate god, so we need to acquire a body that exceeds humanity before we can arrive at god''s answer, right? The girl gave a haughty laugh. Hah. Dont make me laugh. What is all this about the brain of god? Have you heard about the supposed military Sisters created based on an analysis of my DNA map? It seems to me these lucrative side effects are more important than that objective. After saying that, the girl suddenly stopped. In the silence, it felt as if the quality of the air was changing. For God''s sake, those are the words of the strong. Hah? The strong. The strong. The strong. Those are the fearless and cruel words of a manga protagonist who was born with his abilities and does not understand the pain of arriving there on his own. The river below the bridge began to make an unsettling amount of noise. A dark flame could be felt on the grit of her words that hinted at just how much of her humanity she had abandoned to arrive at the position of one of Academy Citys seven Level 5s. Kamijou denied all of it with just a few words. Not even once did he turn around. He did this by never losing. Wait, wait, wait, wait! Take a look at the results of the annual physical examination. Im a Level 0 and youre a Level 5. Ask anyone you find out on the streets, and theyll tell you whos stronger! Academy Citys powers development heavily used things such as pharmaceutics, neuroscience, and cerebral physiology. It was a purely scientific endeavor. After undergoing the Curriculum to a certain extent, one could bend a spoon even without talent. And yet Kamijou Touma could do nothing. According to Academy Citys instruments, he was truly powerless. Zero, you say, repeated the girl as if she was turning it over in her mouth. She stuck a hand in her skirt pocket and pulled out an arcade coin. Have you ever heard the term Railgun? Ahn? The idea behind it is the same as a linear motor train. It is a ship-borne weapon that uses powerful electromagnets to fire a metal projectile. The girl flicked the coin up into the air with her thumb. The coin rotated a few times before landing back onto her thumb. It refers to something like this. Just as she spoke, an orange spear of light suddenly and silently shot past Kamijous head. It was more like a laser than a spear. He could only tell it had originated from the girls thumb because the afterimage of light stretched back to it. Almost like thunder, the noise rumbled in with a slight delay. As a shockwave tore through the air around his ears, Kamijous sense of balance was partially destroyed. He staggered and glanced over his shoulder. The instant the orange light struck the road surface on the bridge, the asphalt was blown away like an airplane making an emergency landing on the ocean. Even after travelling a 30 meter path of utter destruction and stopping, the orange afterglow was still burning the air like an afterimage. Even a coin like this can be quite powerful when it''s fired at three times the speed of sound. Of course, the coin melts after 50 meters because of air friction. That bridge made of steel and concrete swayed like an unreliable suspension bridge. Failing metal bolts could be heard occasionally. !! Kamijou felt chilled like dry ice was stuffed into his blood vessels. He felt like all the moisture in his body had been turned to sweat and evaporated. Damn you. Dont tell me you used that to drive them away!! Dont be stupid. I match my methods to my opponent. I dont want to accidentally become a murderer. As she spoke, sparks flew from the girls brown hair like an electrode. This was enough for those Level 0s! Bluish-white sparks flew from the girls bangs like a horn and a spear-like line of lightning flew towards Kamijou. There was no way to evade. After all, he was against a bluish-white lightning spear shot from a Level 5s hair. It was an experience like watching a thundercloud fire a bolt at light speed and then try to dodge it. An explosive noise followed after a slight delay. Kamijou immediately held up his right hand to protect his face and the lightning spear struck it. It rampaged through Kamijous body and sparks scattered in every direction and into the bridge''s steel framework. Or so it had seemed. So, why are you completely unhurt? Her words seemed lighthearted enough, but the girl baring her canines was glaring at Kamijou. The high voltage current that had scattered into the surroundings had been powerful enough to burn the steel framework of the bridge, yet, Kamijous right hand had not been blown off by the direct hit. In fact, it lacked even a single burn. Kamijous right hand had erased the girls electrical strike that numbered a few hundred million volts. Honestly, what''s with you? That power of yours isnt listed in Academy Citys Bank. If Im a one in 328,571 genius, then youre a one in 2,300,000 disaster, the girl muttered in annoyance but Kamijou neglected to give even a single word in response. If I pick a fight with an exception like that, I might be able to raise my level, dont you think?" 1 But you always lose. He received a response in the form of more lightning that shot from her forehead, well over mach one at that. However, it scattered in every direction the instant it met Kamijous right hand. It was very much like a water balloon bursting. Imagine Breaker. Psychic powers ranged from the ones mocked on TV to the ones established with numerical formulas in Academy City. Anything using that kind of supernatural power, even if it were part of gods system, would be negated without question by that supernatural power of his. As it was supernatural in origin, even that girls Railgun ability was no exception. However, Kamijous Imagine Breaker only worked on the supernatural power itself. Simply, he could negate an espers fireball, but he was still vulnerable to the concrete shards broken by the fireball. Also, the effective range was only his right hand and wrist. If the fireball hit him anywhere else, he would be burned. And yet I really, really thought I was going to die there! Kyaahhh!! He thought frantically. Kamijou Toumas calm and composed expression stiffened awkwardly. Even with a right hand that could completely negate those light-speed lightning spears, it was sheer coincidence that they struck his right hand. His heart was pounding in his chest as he desperately tried to force a mature smile onto his face. I guess you could say that was either some misfortune or youre just unlucky. That was how Kamijou brought that day, July 19th, to an end. With just one comment, he seemed to be lamenting to everything in the world. You just really arent lucky at all. 1. Note: Genius and disaster are both pronounced tensai in Japanese. Volume 1, 1: The Magician Lands on the Tower. FAIR,_Occasionally_GIRL. Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Magician Lands on the Tower. FAIR,_Occasionally_GIRL. Part 1 "You Aquarii born between January 20th and February 18th have the greatest luck in love, work, and money! No matter how incredibly improbable things may get, only good things will happen, so how about you go play the lottery!? But no matter how popular you may be, dont try dating three or four girls at the same time?." ...Yknow, I knew it would be something like this, but still. It was July 20th, the first day of summer break. Kamijou Touma was at a loss for words in his Academy City dorm room that was ruled by a boiling heat due to a broken air conditioner. Apparently, lightning had struck during the night and had taken out 80% of the electrical appliances, meaning that the contents of his fridge had been wiped out. When he tried to eat the cup yakisoba he kept as emergency rations, he had spilled the noodles all over the sink. With no other option, he decided to eat out, but he stepped on and broke his ATM card while searching for his wallet. When he spitefully crawled back into bed to cry himself to sleep, he was woken by a love call on the phone from his homeroom teacher saying, Kamijou-chan, youre an idiot, so you need supplementary lessons? He had always felt that horoscopes given on TV like weather forecasts tended to be just that, forecasts, but he was unable to laugh it off when it was that false. I really do get it. But I cant fully grasp it without speaking to myself. The horoscope was perpetually wrong and Kamijou never encountered a true good luck charm. It was simply everyday life for Kamijou Touma. He had believed that his fantastic misfortune ran in the family, but his father had won fourth prize, about 100,000 yen, in a lottery and his mother had won a vending machine roulette again and again without end. At times he wondered whether he was not blood related to them, but he could not enter the "heir to the throne" route without activating the little sister flag, so that kind of pointless foreshadowing would actually be a problem. To sum it up, Kamijou Touma experienced nothing but misfortune to the extent that his life could in essence be called a running gag. But he had no intention of just lazing around because of bad luck. Kamijou did not rely on luck. In other words, he had a lot of drive. Now then. The immediate problems are my card and the fridge. Kamijou scratched his head and looked around his room. As long as he had his bankbook, he could get a new card easily enough. The real problem was the fridge or rather, breakfast. They called it supplementary lessons, but he was sure to be forced to take Methuselin pills and Elbrase powder for the sake of power development. Doing that on an empty stomach would not be a good idea. As he changed out of the T-shirt he wore instead of pajamas and into his summer uniform, Kamijou considered stopping by a convenience store on the way to school. Living up to his position as an idiotic student, Kamijou had pointlessly stayed up all night as summer break approached, so a grinding pain was running through his sleep-deprived mind. However, he forced himself to think positively. Well, I guess Im getting off easy if a single week will wrap up everything I missed in the four months worth of class I skipped this term, Kamijou thought. His mood rebounded to the extent that he suddenly muttered, The weather sure is nice. Maybe I should air out my futon. Kamijou then opened the screen door to the balcony, where he expected the futon to be nice and fluffy once he got back from his supplementary lessons. But on that seventh floor balcony, the wall of the neighboring building was less than two meters away. The sky is so blue, but my future is pitch black? His spirits dropped sharply. Forcing himself to say it cheerfully only had the opposite effect. Having no one around to act as the straight man only tormented him with a feeling of loneliness and he used both hands to grab the futon on his bed. All else fail, I at least have to get this nice and fluffy, he thought. While thinking, he felt something soft squish under his foot and looked down to find yakisoba bread still in its plastic wrapping. It had been in the aforementioned ruined refrigerator, so it had surely gone bad. I just hope it doesnt suddenly start raining this evening. Voicing a sudden bad premonition he had, Kamijou trudged out the opened screen door and to the balcony. He spotted a white futon already hanging there. ? Though it was a school dormitory, the layout was exactly like a one-room apartment so Kamijou lived alone. As such, no one besides Kamijou Touma would hang a futon over the railing of his rooms balcony. When he looked closer, he realized it was not a futon at all, but a girl wearing white clothes. Hahh!? The real futon fell from his hands. It was a mystery. In fact, it was nonsensical. As if she had exhaustedly collapsed across a metal rod, the girl had her waist pressed up against the balcony railing and her body bent such that her arms and legs were dangling straight down. Her age was about 14 or 15. She looked about a year or two younger than Kamijou. She must have been foreign because her skin was pure white and her hair was as well... No, silver. Her hair was rather long, so it completely covered her upside down head, hiding her face from view. Kamijou guessed it must go down to her waist normally. Her clothes... Wah, its a real sister The nun kind, not the sibling kind. Was habit the term for what she wore? It was that outfit you expected to see on a nun in a church. Her clothes looked a bit like a long dress that reached her ankles, and she wore a one-piece hood over her head that was a bit different from a hat. However, while normal nun habits were jet black, hers was pure white. Was it made of silk? Also, at all the important points of the outfit, embroideries made of golden thread were sown in. Kamijou could not believe just how much the impression given by the same design could change by altering the color scheme. What he saw reminded him of a nouveau riche teacup. The girls lovely fingertips twitched. Her head slowly rose from its hanging position. Her silk-like silver hair smoothly split to either side like a curtain and the girls face appeared from between the long, long hair. Wah, wah! The girls face was relatively cute. Her white skin and green eyes were a new experience for someone with zero overseas experience like Kamijou, and she somehow seemed like a doll to him. However, that was not what had left Kamijou so flustered. She was a foreigner and Kamijou Toumas English teacher had suggested he take up a lifelong policy of avoiding foreigners. If someone from some strange country suddenly started talking on and on to him, he would likely end up buying a down comforter without even realizing it. I The girls cute but slightly dried lips slowly moved. Kamijou thoughtlessly took a step or two back. With a squish, he stepped on the yakisoba bread once more. Im hungry. For an instant, Kamijou thought he was so dim witted that his mind had automatically substituted the foreign language he had heard with Japanese. Similar to how dim elementary school kids would give ridiculous lyrics to songs that they did not know the real lyrics to. Im hungry. Im hungry. " How many times do I have to tell you that Im hungry? The silver-haired girl seemed to get a little irate at how Kamijou stood there, frozen. No. That settles it. This cant be anything other than Japanese, he thought. Ah, umm he said as he stared at the girl draped over the balcony railing. What? Are you trying to say you collapsed from exhaustion or something? You could also say I have collapsed and am about to die. The girl could speak Japanese really well. It would be great if you could feed me enough food to fill me up. Kamijou looked down at the squished and likely spoiled yakisoba-pan still in its wrapper at his feet. He had no idea what was going on, but knew he would be better off not getting involved. In the hopes of happily sending the girl off to some distant place, he stuck the squished bread up to her mouth. He was sure she would run off once she caught a whiff of the sour smell, so he meant it as something similar to chazuke being offered to a guest one wanted to leave in Kyoto. Thank you. And its time to eat. Her mouth engulfed it along with the wrapping, Kamijous arm included. Once again, Kamijous day began with a scream and a taste of misfortune. Part 2 I suppose I need to start with an introduction. Actually, I would rather you started explaining why you were hanging there. My name is Index. That''s clearly a fake name! What do you mean Index!? What are you, a table of contents!? As you can see, I am from the church. This is important. Oh, but Im not from the Vatican. Im from the Anglican Church. I dont know what that means and you''re just going to ignore my questions!? Hmm, is Index lacking? Well then, my magic name is Dedicatus545. Hello? Hello? Just what kind of alien am I talking to? Kamijou did not understand so he dug his finger inside his ear, and Index chewed on her thumbnail. Was that a habit of hers? Kamijou wondered why they were politely sat there facing each other from across a glass table like it was a marriage interview. If he did not leave soon, he would be late for his supplementary lessons, but he could hardly leave this strange person in his room. To make matters worse, the mysterious silver-haired girl calling herself Index seemed to have taken a liking to the room to the point that she seemed willing to laze about on the floor. Had Kamijous misfortune called her here? He whole-heartedly hoped not. Anyways, it would be great if you could feed me enough food to fill me up. Why would I do that!? I dont want to raise your love meter. Id rather die than activate some weird flag and end up stuck on the Index route!! Um is that slang? Im sorry, but I have no idea what you''re saying. Typical of a foreigner, she had no knowledge of the Japanese otaku culture. But if I leave now, I''ll collapse three steps out the door. "...Dont give me that collapsing nonsense. I''ll gather my last remaining strength to leave a dying message: a picture of you. Wha-? And, if someone happens to save me, I''ll tell them I was imprisoned in this room and tormented to the point of collapse. I''ll let them know you forced your cosplaying preferences onto me. Dont you dare say that! So, you do know a thing or two about otaku culture, dont you!? ? She tilted her head to the side like a kitten seeing itself in the mirror for the first time. He regretted letting her get him agitated, feeling like he alone was somehow horribly cheated. Okay, lets do it! Kamijou thought. He noisily headed toward the kitchen. Only spoiled goods were left in the fridge so it would cost nothing to feed her. The boy figured it would be fine if the food were heated. He dumped everything into a frying pan and made something similar to stir-fried vegetables. Come to think of it, where did this girl come from? He wondered. Naturally, there were people out of country in Academy City. However, she did not have the characteristic scent of a resident. Nonetheless, it was also strange for someone to come in from outside. Academy City was treated like a city made up of hundreds of schools, but it was more accurate to consider it like a city-sized boarding school. It was large enough to cover a third of Tokyo, but was surrounded by something akin to the Great Wall of China; though not as strict as a prison, but was still not a place one could simply wander into. ...Or so it had seemed. In reality, three satellites launched for experiments by a technical college were constantly monitoring the city. Every individual going in or out of the city was completely scanned and if any suspicious person for whom the gate records did not match, either Anti-Skill or Judgment from different schools would immediately intervene. But... that zapper of a girl reigned in that thundercloud yesterday. That might have hidden Index from the satellites, he considered. So why were you hanging out to dry on my balcony? Kamijou asked the girl as he put soy sauce on the stir-fried vegetables-like dish he was making with purely ill intentions. I wasnt hanging out to dry. Then what were you doing? Were you blown over and landed there? ...Something like that. Kamijou meant it as a joke and stopped moving the frying pan as he turned around to face the girl. I fell. I was trying to jump from rooftop to rooftop. Rooftop? Kamijou looked up at the ceiling. Cheap student dorms lined the building level and even more of the same types of eight-story buildings were lined up. One glance out the balcony showed a gap of two meters between buildings. It was true that a running jump could get you from one rooftop to another. However... But thats eight stories high? One wrong step and youd be heading straight to hell. Yes, you dont even get a grave if you commit suicide, said Index cryptically. But I had no choice. I had no other means of escape. Escape? Kamijou frowned at that ominous word. Yes, said Index like a child. I was being chased. ... Kamijous hand shaking the hot frying pan stopped moving once more. I made my jump fine, but I was shot in the back in midair. The girl calling herself Index seemed to smile. I apologize. It seems I was caught on your balcony as I fell. She tossed an innocent smile in Kamijou Toumas direction without even a hint of self-deprecation or sarcasm. You were shot...? Yes? Oh, you dont need to worry about a wound. These clothes also function as a defensive barrier. What did she mean by a defensive barrier? Was it a bulletproof vest? The girl spun around as if to show off new clothes and certainly did not seem injured. Kamijou had to wonder whether she really had been shot. The concept that she was delusional or making it up seemed more realistic. But... The fact remained that she had indeed been hanging from his seventh story balcony. If, hypothetically, everything she was saying were true Who shot her? Kamijou deliberated. He thought about how determined one would have to be to jump between the rooftops of an eight-story building. He also considered how lucky she was to be caught on his seventh-story balcony and the hidden meaning behind the fact that she collapsed. She said she was being chased. His final thoughts wondered the meaning of the smile on Indexs face as she said those words. He knew not what circumstances Index was in and understood not what the few things she told him had meant. Most likely, he could only understand half of it if Index explained everything from start to finish and would still have no idea how to even begin to understand the latter half. Nonetheless, one truth remained. With a tightening in his chest, he finally accepted the fact that she had gotten caught on his seventh-story balcony when one wrong step could have sent her straight to the asphalt below. Food. Index poked her head from behind Kamijou. Despite her Japanese fluency, she must not have had much experience with chopsticks because she held them in a fist like a spoon while she excitedly stared into the frying pan. Her eyes were like a kittens taken from a cardboard box on a rainy day. ...Ah... Kamijou put the (former) food into the frying pan to make something like (poisonous) stir-fried vegetables. For some reason, the angel in Kamijou, whom usually came along with the devil Kamijou, was writhing horribly at the sight of the starving girl. Ahh! I-I know! If youre really that hungry, how about we go to a proper family restaurant rather than give you this horrible meal made by a man with leftovers!? We can even get it delivered! I cant wait that long. ...Ah ...kh! And it isnt horrible. You made this food for me without charging anything. It has to be good. For the first time, she gave a shining nun-like smile. As pain assaulted Kamijou like his stomach was being wrung like a wet cloth, Index scooped the contents of the frying pan out with her fist-held chopsticks and into her mouth. Munching. See? Its good. ...Oh, is it? Chomping. Its nice that you added that sour flavor to me help get my strength back. Geh! Its sour!? Chewing. Yeah, but thats fine. Thanks. Youre like a big brother or something. She gave a large grin as she ate with such a pure heart that she had a bean sprout stuck to her cheek. ...Gh ...Uuwhaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! With the speed of sound, Kamijou grabbed the frying pan while Index looked incredibly displeased. However, Kamijou swore in his heart that he would be the only one to fall down into hell. Are you hungry too? ...Hah? If not, Id rather you let me eat the rest. As Kamijou watched Index look at him with slightly upturned eyes while she chewed on the end of her chopsticks, Kamijou received a divine revelation. God told him to take responsibility and eat it himself. This had nothing to do with misfortune; he had completely brought it upon himself. Part 3 Kamijou Touma stuffed his mouth full of the fried garbage and grinned. Mhh, grunted the girl calling herself Index with a look of complaint on her face as she gnawed on a biscuit. The way she held the small biscuit in both hands made her seem a bit like a squirrel. Okay, you said you were being chased. Chased by whom? Having returned from his Nirvana, Kamijou once again asked about the biggest issue in her story. He was not about to follow a girl he had met less than 30 minutes ago down to the depths of hell. However, it was already likely too late for nothing itself to happen. So in the end, I have to go with foxs words, thought Kamijou, using a personal term for the sake of feigned kindness. He knew it would likely resolve nothing, but he still desired to comfort himself by feeling that he did something. Hmm she said with a slightly dry throat. Now who was it? Maybe it was the Rosicrucians or S.M., also known as Stella Matutina. I think it was a group like that, but I dont know their name yet. They arent the type to find meaning in names. They? Kamijou asked meekly. Apparently, she was being chased by a group or organization. Yes, said Index surprisingly calmly. A sorcerers society. Hah? Sorcerer? Hah? What!? Thats crazy!! Eh? Huh? W-Was my Japanese weird there? I mean magic. A magic cabal. Hearing so in English improved nothing. What? What? Are you talking about some dangerous cult? Like a cult that says not believing in its leader will result in divine punishment and then proceed to give you LSD and brainwash you? Thats bad in more ways than one. Are you making fun of me? Sorry, I just cant I cant accept magic. I may know all sorts of psychic powers like pyro-kinesis and clairvoyance, but I just cant accept magic. ? Index looked confused. She had likely expected a believer in only science to deny that any kind of strange thing could exist in the world. However, Kamijous right hand held a supernatural power. It was called Imagine Breaker and could negate even the systems of god seen in myths in a single stroke so long as it was a supernatural power beyond the ordinary. Psychic powers are pretty common here. Anyones brain can be developed and have the pathways open up by having esperin injected into their veins, electrodes attached to their neck, and certain rhythms played through headphones. It can all be explained scientifically, so its only natural to accept, right? I dont really get it. Its normal! Its completely normal, utterly normal. Is three times enough!? Then what about magic? Magic is normal. Index sulked like someone insulted her pet cat. Umm Well, take rock, paper, scissors for example. Wait, is rock paper scissors known worldwide? I think its from Japanese culture, but I do know it. Okay, if you played rock paper scissors ten times in a row and lost each time, would there be a reason behind that? Mh. There wouldnt, right? But its human nature to think there is, said Kamijou with little interest. Youd think thered be no way you would keep losing like that. You would assume there was some unseen rule, and once you start thinking like that, what happens when you factoring in things like horoscopes? You mean like, you cancers are unlucky, so you shouldnt compete in any competitions? Right, thats the occults true identity. Luck is just our dreaming for these invisible rules. While reality is just pathetic coincidence, our hearts mistake it as some great inevitability. Thats the occult. For a bit, Index frowned like a displeased cat, but then said, So you didnt just deny it without giving any thought. Right. And its because Ive given it such serious thought that I can see why those musty old stories are no good. I cant believe in some magician from a picture book. If we could raise the dead with the only cost being a bit of MP, no one would be developing these other powers. I simply cant believe in the supernatural that has no connection to real science. He felt that people only saw psychic powers as strange and mysterious because they were ignorant. The fact that those powers could be explained scientifically was common knowledge in that city. But magic exists, Index said as she pouted. Most likely, magic was like a pillar supporting her heart, similar to Kamijous Imagine Breaker. Well, whatever. So, why are they chasing you? Magic exists. Magic exists! It seemed she obstinately wanted him to acquiesce. Th-Then what is magic? Can you shoot fire from your hands without undergoing our psychic curriculum? If so, Id like to see it. I might believe you then. I have no magic power, so I cant do that. Kamijou felt like he had just met an esper failure that said they could not bend a spoon around a camera because it distracted them. All the while, a rather complex feeling filled his chest. He insisted that the occult did not exist and that magic was ridiculous, but he really knew nothing about the Imagine Breaker power that resided in his right hand. How did it work and what was going on that he could not see? Academy City was at the peak of the worlds powers development, but even its System Scan failed to analyze his power. Consequently, he was labeled Level 0. Also, that power had not appeared later due to a scientific timetable. It resided in his right hand from birth. He insisted the occult did not exist and yet he himself was a part of the supernatural that ignored the rules. Regardless, he refused to accept the ridiculous reasoning that magic could easily exist simply because there were strange things in the world. Magic exists. Kamijou sighed. Okay. For arguments sake, lets say that magic exists. For arguments sake? If it does, continued Kamijou, ignoring her. Why are they after you? Does it have something to do with how youre dressed? Kamijou was referring to the rather extravagant nun habit that Index wore, made of pure white silk and golden thread embroideries. In other words, Is this church related? Its because I am the Index. Hah? They are likely after the 103,000 grimoires that I have. Once again, I dont understand at all. Why do you seem to lose motivation every time I explain something? Are you the fickle type? Um, lets go back over this. Im not sure what these mentioned grimoires are, but imagine its a book, like a dictionary. Yes. The Book of Eibon, the Lemegeton, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Cultes des Goules, and the Book of the Dead are good examples. The Necronomicon is so famous there are all sorts of imitations and fakes, so it isnt very reliable. No, I dont really care about the contents. He wanted to add that it was because its all a bunch of nonsense anyways, but he held his tongue. He instead asked, So, where are these 100,000 books? He refused to back down on that point, one hundred thousand books were enough to fill an entire library. Do you mean you have a key to where theyre stored? No. Index shook her head. I have every single one of the 103,000 grimoires with me. Hah? Kamijou frowned. You arent going to say these are books idiots cant see, are you? You couldnt see them even if you werent an idiot. Thered be no point if anyone could see them. Indexs words were so removed from reality that Kamijou felt he was being mocked. He glanced around, but could not see a single musty old book that may have been a grimoire. All he saw scattered on the floor were game magazines, manga, and the summer homework he had tossed into a corner. Wahh. He had forced himself to listen up until then, but was at his limit. He began to wonder whether she was merely imagined being chased. If she had jumped from the eighth story rooftop, slipped on her own, and gotten caught on his balcony all due to a delusion, she was not someone he wanted involve himself with any longer. Believing in psychic powers but not in magic makes no sense, Index said with a pout. Are those psychic powers really all that great? It isnt right to make fun of people just because you have some kind of special power. Well, yeah. Kamijou gave a small sigh. I agree. Its not right. Its wrong to think of yourself as above others just because you can pull off some little trick. Kamijous gaze dropped to his right hand. No fire or lightning would come. It could not cause any beams of light or explosions, and no strange markings were going to appear on his wrist. However, his right hand could negate all kinds of supernatural powers, disregarding if the power were good or evil or even the systems of God seen in myths. Well, for the people who live in this city, the power they have is like a part of their personality, so you should probably be a bit forgiving as far as that goes. In fact, Im one of those espers, too. Is that so, idiot. Hmph. You can always just bend a spoon with your hand instead of messing around inside your head. Hmph, hmph. Whats so great about a guy who cast aside his natural shade to color himself artificially? Hmph. You dont mind if I shut that mouth of yours along with that ridiculous pride, do you? I-I wont give in to terrorism. Hmph, said Index like a displeased cat. A-anyway, you say youre an esper, but what can you do? Umm, well, if you put it that way Kamijou was a bit unsure of what to say. It was not often that Kamijou explained his right hand to others. Also, since it only reacted to supernatural powers, it could not be explained without knowledge of the supernatural or psychic. You see, its this right hand of mine. Oh, and in my case, it isnt doping; Ive had it from birth. I see. If I touch it with my right hand, any kind of supernatural power will be negated. That goes for A-bomb level fireballs, tactical railguns, or even the workings of God. Eh? Why does your face look like you just saw a good luck miracle stone in some magazine? But you dont even know the Gods name, but yet you just said you can negate His miracles. In surprise, Index dug her pinky into her ear while giving a scornful laugh. Kh. Th-This is really annoying. I kind of hate being made fun of by some kind of fake magical girl who claims magic exists but cant prove it. That mutterings of Kamijou Toumas soul seemed to upset Index. I-Im not a fake! Magic really exists! Then show me something, Halloween girl! You arent going to believe my Imagine Breaker until I destroy something with my right hand anyway. Cmon, fantasy head! Fine, I will! Index threw both her hands above her head in annoyance. Here! These clothes! Theyre the highest quality of defensive barrier called the Walking Church! Index spread her arms to show off the teacup-like nuns habit. The Walking Church? What? Youre not making any sense! Its not very nice to keep using these incomprehensible technical terms like Index and defensive barrier, yknow!? Explaining things means to tell them to someone who doesnt understand in a form simple enough to become understandable. Do you not get that!? Wha-? How dare you say that when you arent even making attempts to understand!? Index swung her arms around in anger. Fine, seeing is believing, right? Take a knife from the kitchen and stab me in the gut!! Stab you!? Is this going to end up as a news story that says it all started with a pointless argument or something? Ah, you dont believe me. Indexs shoulders rose and fell as she breathed heavily. These have the bare minimum of components required to make up a church: so, they are a church in the form of clothes. The way the cloth is woven, the way the threads are sewn, the way the embroideries decorate it Its all calculated. A knife wont even put a scratch on it. Yeah, right. What kind of idiot would just agree to stab you? Hed have to be an unprecedented kind of juvenile criminal. Will you ever stop mocking me? This is an accurate copy of the Shroud of Turin, the cloth worn by the Saint that was stabbed by the Lance of Longinus, so its strength is Pope-class. I guess you would say its something like a nuclear shelter. It turns aside or absorbs any attack, be it physical or magical. I told you I got caught on your balcony after getting shot, right? Well, I would have a giant hole in me if it wasnt for the Walking Church. Do you understand now? Shut up, idiot, Kamijou thought angrily. Kamijous appreciation gauge toward Index rapidly dropped and he stared at her clothes with scorn. Hmm. So if that really is a supernatural power, would it be torn to pieces if I touched it with my right hand? Yes, but only if your power is real. Heh heh heh. Perfect!! shouted Kamijou as he grabbed Indexs shoulder. As if he had grabbed a cloud, it strangely felt like the impact was absorbed by a soft sponge. Wait huh? Kamijou cooled his head and thought. What if everything Index was saying was true, as unlikely as that was, and this Walking Church really was sewn together with supernatural power? Would negating that supernatural power truly rip her clothes to pieces? Huuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Kamijou reflexively yelled out at the sudden premonition he had that he was about to suddenly go up a few steps on the stairway to adulthood. But ? Ehhhhhhh? ...Huh? Nothing happened. Nothing happened at all. Oh, jeez, dont make me worry like that, he thought with relief. Kamijou just could not stand it. See? What was all this about your Imagine Breaker? Nothing at all happened. Heh hen. Index put her hands on her hips and puffed her small chest in pride. But in the next instant, her clothes fell straight down like the gifts ribbon. The threads sewing her nuns habit together had cleanly come apart, turning it all into mere pieces of cloth. The hat-like one-piece hood must have been an isolated item because it alone remained. Having only her head covered made it seem all the more painful. The girl froze still with her hands on her hips and her small chest puffed out in pride. To sum it up, she was completely nude. Part 4 Apparently, the girl naming herself Index had a habit of biting people when angered. Oww You bit me all over. What are you, a camp mosquito? He received no response. Index was naked and wrapped in a blanket. She sat with her legs bent back to the sides while attempting, futilely, to return her clothes to their original form by applying safety pins into the pieces of the nuns habit. The sound effect ''dohhn'' seemed to dominate the room. It was not that a new Stand user had attacked. Um, princess? This may be presumptuous of me, but I have a button-down shirt and pants you can wear. She stared at him with snake-like eyes. Um, princess? What kind of character is this shes playing? He worriedly thought. What? she replied when he called out once more. I was completely the one at fault there. The only response he received was an alarm clock flying at him. Ee! Kamijou shrieked just as a giant pillow was thrown as well. To make matters ever more ridiculous, a video game system and small radio came went his way as well. How can you talk to me so normally after something like that!? Ahh, no! It was quite the life-changing event for this old man as well. But thats youth for you! Youre making fun of me Uuuuuuuuhhhhhh!! Okay... Im sorry, Im sorry! Dont bite that rented video like a handkerchief, you idiot! Kamijou Touma bowed down to the ground with both his hands straight forward like it was a part of some kind of joke. Deep down, Kamijou felt like a grip was crushing his heart after having seen a girl naked for the first time. However, Kamijou Touma was not the type to show it. Or so he had thought, but he would have been quite surprised at what he saw had he looked in a mirror. Finished. While triumphantly blowing air from her nose, Index spread out the pure white nuns habit that had somehow regained its original form from that hellish do-it-yourself job. Dozens of safety pins glittered across the nuns habit. Sweat. Um, are you going to wear that? Silence. Youre going to wear that iron maiden? Tears. In Japanese, we call it a bed of needles. Uuuuuuhhhhhh!! I get it! Kamijou apologized as he head-butted the floor with all his might. Meanwhile, Index stared at him like a bullied child and was about to bite through the televisions power cord. Was she a naughty cat? Ill wear it! Im a nun!! Though Kamijou was unsure whether that made sense, Index began to change by squirming inside the blanket wrapped around her, much like a caterpillar. Her head was the only thing visible and was as red as a bomb. Ahh, this reminds me of when we had to change at school for swimming. Why are you looking at me? At least look the other way. What does it matter? Compared to what happened before, just changing isnt all that arousing. Index suddenly stopped moving, but since Kamijou did not seem to notice, she gave up and started once more inside the blanket. She was so focused on what was going on inside that she did not notice when her hood-like hat slipped off of her head. The room took an awkward atmosphere like the inside of a silent elevator. Kamijous mind began to flee from reality, but the term supplementary lessons floated in. Wah! Thats right! I have supplementary lessons! Kamijou glanced at the clock on his cell phone. Um I have to go to school, what are you going to do? If youre going to stay here, I can give you a key. The option of simply kicking her out had disappeared from his mind. Since Indexs nun habit, the Walking Church, had reacted to Imagine Breaker, she clearly had some connection to the supernatural. That meant that not everything she had been telling him was a lie. It was possible that she had really fallen from the roof because she was chased by magicians. It was possible that she really would have to continue playing a deadly game of tag. It was possible that wizards from a picture book or something similarly crazy really were running amok in that city of science where established theories of espers and psychics existed. And, even if those were false, he did not want to just abandon Index. Thats okay. Ill leave. However, Index stood straight up and made a dramatic announcement. She then slipped past Kamijous side like a ghost and showed no sign of noticing that her hood fell. But, if he tried to pick it up, it would likely fall to pieces. U-umm Hm? No, its not that. Index turned around. If I stay, theyll likely come here. You dont want your room blown up, do you? That smoothly delivered response left him speechless. As Index slowly exited the front door, Kamijou frantically ran after her. He wanted to do something, so he checked his wallet and found he had only 320 yen left. He ran after Index to give her what little he had, but his small toe struck the door frame at the speed of sound as he tried to exit the front door. Bh myah! Myaahhh!! As Kamijou held his foot and let out that strange cry, Index turned around in shock. As Kamijou writhed around in great pain, his cell phone fell from his pocket. The moment he realized it, the LCD screen struck the hard floor and he heard the crack of a fatal blow. Uuuuhhhh! S-such misfortune. Id say that was clumsiness, not misfortune, said Index with a slight smile. But if this Imagine Breaker is real, it may be inevitable. What do you mean? This is related to the world of magic, so I doubt youll believe me, said Index with a giggle. But if the divine protection of God and the red string of fate actually exist, then wouldnt your right hand negate all of those? Index shook her safety pin-covered nuns habit and added, The power of this Walking Church was a blessing of God after all. Wait. What we call fortune and misfortune are just matters of probability and statistics. What youre talking about is completely! As he said that, Kamijous finger touched the doorknob and was shocked by static electricity. Wha-!? he cried out as his body twitched reflexively. The odd way his muscles moved caused a cramp in his right calf. !! The agony left him incapacitated for about 600 seconds. Um, sister? Yes? Please explain. There isnt much to explain, said Index as if it were obvious. If what you said about your right hand is true, then merely having it is enough to be continually negating the power of fortune. Do you mean what I think you mean? Just by touching the air, your right hand is giving you more and more misfortune?. Gyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!! S-such misfortuuuuuuuunnnneeeee!! Kamijou did not believe in the occult, but things were misfortune related matters were different. At any rate, Kamijou was the type of person for whom any venture he took never ended well. It was to the point that he felt that the entire universe conspired against him. Meanwhile, a pure white nun gazed upon him with the smile of Virgin Mary. In her eyes was what people called an inviting look. Wouldnt the real misfortune be having been born with that power?? The smiling nun brought tears to Kamijous eyes and he finally realized the conversation had gotten off track. W-wait, thats not it! Do you have somewhere to go once you leave? I dont know what situation youre in, but you can hide here if those magicians or whatever are nearby. If I stay here, the enemies will come. How can you be sure? If you just stay in my room and dont draw any attention to yourself, there shouldnt be a problem. Thats not true. Index pinched at the chest of her clothes. This Walking Church functions using magical power. The church seems to call it divine power, but its the same mana. Simply put, the enemy seems to be searching for the magic power in the Walking Church. Why do you wear tracking device clothes!? I told you, its defensive power is Pope-class, remember? Youre right hand tore it to pieces, though. You tore it to pieces, though. I said I was sorry, so dont look so tearfully. But, Imagine Breaker destroyed that Walking Church, right? So shouldnt the tracking device-like functionality be gone too? Even if it were, theyll know the Walking Church was destroyed. As I said before, its defensive power is Pope-class. Simply put, its like a fortress. If I were the enemy, I would make an appearance when that fortress was destroyed whatever the reason might be. Wait a second. Thats all the more reason I cant just let you go. I still dont believe in the occult, but if someones after you, I cant let you just leave. Index stared at him blankly. With just that look, she truly, truly seemed like nothing more than a normal girl. Then, will you follow me to the depths of hell? She smiled a heartbreaking smile that left Kamijou speechless for an instant. Index had used kind words to implicitly say, Do not come with me. Dont worry. Im not alone. If I can escape to the church, they will shelter me. Hmm. So where is this church? In London. Thats a long ways away! How far do you planning to run!? Hm? Oh, dont worry. I think there are a few branches in Japan, She replied as her nuns habit, which looked like the result of a bullied wife, fluttered. A church, hm? There might be one in the city. The term church brought to mind a giant wedding hall, but the examples in Japan were pretty shabby. First of all, the culture had little to do with Christianity. Also, a country with frequent earthquakes lacked historical buildings. The churches that Kamijou had seen out of train windows had all been small prefabricated buildings with crosses on top. He had a feeling he was mistaken to think that those were nouveau riche churches, though. Oh, but it cant just be any church. It has to be the British rendition I belong to. ? Um, there are any kinds of Christianity, said Index with a bitter smile. First, there is the distinction between the old style Catholics and the new style Protestants. Also, while I belong to the Catholics, there are various versions of them as well. For example: the Roman Catholic Church centered in the Vatican, the Russian Orthodox Church with its headquarters in Russia, and the Anglican Church with its core at St. Georges Cathedral. What happens if you accidentally go to the wrong church? They would turn me away, said Index with the same bitter smile. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church primarily exist within their respective countries. Anglican churches are rare in Japan. Things were looking gloomy. Was it possible Index had tried going to church after church before she collapsed from hunger? How had she felt as she fled and fled while being turned away at each church she went to? Dont worry. I just have to keep at it until I find a British church. For just an instant, Kamijou thought about the power in his right hand. Hey! If youre ever in any trouble, you can stop by here again. That was all he could say. He had the power to kill even God and yet that was all he could say. Sure. Ill stop by if Im hungry. Her sunflower-like smile was so perfect that Kamijou could say nothing in response. Then, a cleaning robot passed by, having gone out of its way to avoid Index. Hyah!? That perfect smile was blown away in an instant. Index jumped as if she had a cramp in her leg and then tripped backwards. With a horrible sounding thud, her head struck the wall behind her. !! S-some weird thing just showed up like its nothing! Index had tears in her eyes, but completely forgot to even hold the back of her head as she shouted out. Dont point at it and call it weird. Its just a cleaning robot. Kamijou sighed. Its size and shape were similar to a drum container (large trashcan). It had small tires on the bottom and a circular rotating mop similar to those on a street cleaner. It had cameras in order to avoid people and other obstacles. They were quite hated by girls in miniskirts. I see. I had heard Japan was a leading nation in technology, but I didnt know you had made mechanized Agathions. Hello? Kamijou was a bit frightened by how impressed Index seemed. This is Academy City. You can find those things all over the city. Academy City? Yes. Its a city made by buying up the entire western area of Tokyo where development had slowed. The name comes from how it has dozens of universities and hundreds of elementary, middle, and high schools in it. Kamijou sighed. Eighty percent of the residents are students; all the apartment buildings you see are dorms. He omitted the fact that it had a hidden face where powers and bodies were developed alongside the studying. Thats why this city is a bit odd. The city is overflowing with university experiments like the automated disposal of kitchen waste, the wind turbines that function well enough to be practical, and the cleaning robots like this one. Thanks to all that, our level of technological culture is about 20 years ahead of anywhere else. Hmm. Index carefully examined the cleaning robot. So are all the buildings here part of Academy City? Yup. I guess it might be best to leave the city if youre looking for an Anglican church. All the churches here are probably teaching institutions for theology or Jungian psychology. Hm. Index nodded and then finally brought a hand up to the back of her head where she had hit the wall. Hyah!? H-huh? My hood is gone!? Oh, you finally noticed? It fell off earlier. Hyah? By earlier, Kamijou had meant when she was changing in the blanket, but Index seemed to mistake it for when she had tripped backwards in shock because of the cleaning robot. She started looking around on the floor and a question mark appeared over her head. Oh, I know! That electric Agathion! Still mistaken, she made a dash after the cleaning robot and disappeared around a corner of the hallway. Ahh, whats going on? Kamijou look at the door to his room where Indexs hood was and then down the passageway. Index was nowhere to be seen. There had been no farewell, tearful or otherwise. From the looks of her, I get the feeling shell live on even if the world is destroyed, he analyzed. He had no proof of it, but nevertheless was the thought he had. Part 5 Okay, I have a handout for you. Follow along while we go through this supplementary lesson. Even after spending an entire term in that class, Kamijou still could not believe it. The homeroom teacher of Year 1 Class 7, Tsukuyomi Komoe, was a ridiculous teacher who was so short that only her head could be seen when she stood behind her desk. That little girl teacher was one of the schools seven mysteries: at 135 cm tall, there was a legend saying she was refused a roller coaster ride due to safety concerns, and looked to the world like a 12 year old who should be carrying a soprano recorder with a yellow hard hat and a red elementary school backpack. I wont stop you from talking amongst yourselves, but you need to listen to what I say. I put a lot of effort into making a quiz, so if you do poorly on it, you will be punished with the See Through lesson. Sensei, isnt that where you play poker with a blindfold on!? Thats part of the Curriculum for Clairvoyance! Ive heard you cant leave until you win 10 times in a row despite not being able to see your cards, so wouldnt we just be stuck here until morning!? protested Kamijou Touma. Oh, but Kamijou-chan, you dont have enough development credits, so youll be doing the See Through lesson regardless. Ugh, Kamijou was at a loss of words when faced with the salesman smile of a salary man teacher. Mhh. I see. Komoe-chan finds you so cute she just cant help herself, Kami-yan, said the blue-haired, ear-pierced 1, male, class representative who was sitting next to Kamijou. Do you sense malice coming from that teachers back as she enjoyably stretches up to reach the blackboard? What? Whats wrong with having such a cute teacher scold you for failing a quiz? Getting physically abused by a little kid like that gets you a ton of experience points, Kami-yan. I knew you were a lolicon, but youre a masochist, too!? You really are hopeless!! Ah hah! Its not that I like lolis! Its that I also like lolis!! Kamijou almost shouted out Youre omnivorous!?, but he was interrupted. You two over there! If you say a single word more, youll be stuck with Columbuss Egg. Just as one would expect, Columbuss Egg involved standing a raw egg upside down on a desk without anything supporting it. Those specializing in Psychokinesis could keep the egg from falling when they worked to the point of the blood vessels in their brain almost bursting. (It was actually an extremely difficult challenge because the egg would break if the Psychokinesis was too powerful.) As with the previous example, you would be stuck there until morning if you could not do it. Kamijou and Aogami Pierce stared at Tsukuyomi Komoe while forgetting to breathe. Okay? Her smile was quite frightening. While Komoe-sensei loved being called cute, she became incredibly irate when called small. However, she did not seem to mind being looked down on by the students. Part of it was just something inevitable within Academy City. The city was a veritable Neverland where over 80% of the population was students. The opposition to salary man teachers was harsh even compared to a normal school, and more importantly, the strength of a student was based on both their academic ability and their power. The teachers were the ones that developed the students, but the teachers themselves had no powers. Some, like the PE teachers and guidance counselors, seemed like they were from foreign units because they trained Level 3 monsters with their own fists. However, it would be cruel to expect that from a chemistry teacher like Komoe. Hey, Kami-yan. What? Would it turn you on to get lectured by Komoe-sensei? Im not you! Just shut up already, idiot! If we have to play with a raw egg even though we dont have Psychokinesis, well be spending our entire summer break here! If you get it, shut that fake Kansai dialect mouth of yours! Fake D-D-D-D-D-Dont call it fake! Im really from Osaka! Shut up. I know youre from a rice region. Im in a bad mood, so dont make me play the straight man right now. I-I-Im not from a rice region! Ah. A-ahhh! I sure do love takoyaki. Stop trying to force yourself into the Kansai role! Are you going to bring takoyaki for lunch just to fill this role? What are you talking about? Its not like someone from Osaka eats only takoyaki, right? Right? I think thats rightno, wait. But but yeah but huh? Which is it? Youre falling out of character, Mr. Fake Kansai, said Kamijou before sighing and looking out the window. He felt like he should be by Indexs side rather than dealing with that pointless supplementary lesson. The Walking Church nuns habit she wore had indeed reacted to Kamijous right hand, although, reacted was perhaps an understatement. But, that did not mean he had to believe. Most likely, the majority of what Index had said was a lie, and even if she were not, she may have just mistaken some natural phenomenon as the occult. Even so I guess the fish that gets away always seems huge, he pondered. Kamijou sighed again. If the alternative was being stuck at a desk in that sauna-like classroom with no air conditioning, charging into a fantasy of swords and magic may have been better. And he even had a cute, though difficult to say beautiful, heroine to go with it. Kamijou recalled the hood Index had forgotten in his room. In the end, he had not returned it. He did not see it as having been unable to return it. Even if Index had disappeared, he would likely have found her if he had seriously started looking for her. And even if he had not, he could still go out and run around the city looking for her with the hood in one hand. When he thought about it, he realized he had wanted some kind of connection. He had felt that she might come back to get it someday. Because, that white girl had shown him such a perfect smile He felt like she would disappear like an illusion if he did not leave some kind of connection. He was afraid. Oh, so thats it, he concluded. After going through those somewhat poetic thoughts, Kamijou finally realized something. When it came down to it, he did not hate the girl who was caught on his balcony. He had liked her enough that the thought of never seeing her again left him with a slight twinge of regret. Ah, damn it. He clicked his tongue. With how heavily she weighed on his mind, he wished he had stopped her from leaving. Come to think of it, what was it with those 103,000 grimoires that she mentioned? Index had said that the group, a magic cabal (something like a corporation?), after her seemed to be pursuing her because they wanted those 103,000 grimoires. And apparently, Index had been fleeing with those 103,000 grimoires in her possession. It was neither a key nor a map to the place where all those books were stored. When Kamijou had asked where all those books were, she had simply said, Right here. However, as far as Kamijou could see, she owned not a single book. Even if she did, Kamijous room was not large enough to house 100,000 books. What was that all about? Kamijou tilted his head to the side in puzzlement. Since Indexs Walking Church had reacted to Imagine Breaker, her words were not complete delusion. However Sensei? Kamijou-kuns staring out the window to look at the girls tennis teams fluttery skirts. Aogami Pierces forced Kansai dialect sent Kamijous focus in an about-face to the classroom. Komoe-sensei fell silent. She had seemed to go through shock because ''that'' Kamijou Touma-kun had not been focused on the lesson. She had the look of a 12 year old who had just found out the truth about Santa Claus. Just as that thought reached his mind, Kamijou Touma was pierced by the hostile gazes of his classmates who wished to protect the human rights of that child. While it was called a supplementary lesson, they had been stuck there until the time when all students were supposed to have left school. Such misfortune, Kamijou muttered as he gazed at a wind turbines three propellers, glittering in the sunset. Any kind of nightlife was forbidden, so the last bus and train in Academy City were set to leave once the students were out of school. Kamijou missed the last bus, so he was trudging along through the scorching shopping district that seemed to go on forever. A security robot passed by him as he did. It was also a drum on wheels and it functioned as something like a walking security camera. They were originally improved versions of robotic dogs, but children would gather around them and block their way. For that simple reason, the work robots were converted into drum container shapes. Ah, there you are, you bastard! Wait up wait! You! Im talking to you! Stop!! The summer heat had done Kamijou in and he just stared at the slowly moving security robot. He thought about how Index had run off after a cleaning robot and, finally, realized that a voice was calling him. He turned around to figure out what was going on. She was a middle school-aged girl with shoulder-length brown hair that glowed a flame-red in the sunset but her face was dyed even redder. She wore a gray pleated skirt, a short sleeve blouse, and a summer sweater At that point, he suddenly realized who she was. Oh, its you again, Biri Biri2 Middle Schooler. Dont call me Biri Biri! I have a name! Its Misaka Mikoto! Why dont you learn it already!? Youve been calling me Biri Biri since we first met! Since we first met? Kamijou thought back. Oh, right. When they first met, she was surrounded by delinquents just like the other day. As the children approached her, he had thought that they were after her wallet and stepped forward in an Urashima Tarou-esque move. However, for some reason, the girl was the one that became irritated, saying, Shut up! Dont get in the way of other peoples fights! Biri Biri! Kamijou had of course blocked her Biri Biri with his right hand and she had responded with, Huh? Why didnt that work? Then what about this? Huh? One thing had led to another, and things had ended up in their current relationship. Huh? What? Im not sad, so why am I crying, mom? Whats with the distant look in your eyes? Kamijou was exhausted from the supplementary lesson and he decided not to give much thought in how to deal with the Biri Biri girl. The girl staring at Kamijous face with a stunned expression is the Railgun girl from yesterday. Shes so frustrated over losing a single fight that she has come back to Kamijou again and again to challenge him to rematches. Whos that explanation for? Shes strong-willed and hates to lose, but is actually quite a lonely person and is in charge of taking care of the class pet. Dont tack strange things to the setting!! The girl, Misaka Mikoto, flailed her arms around and all focus on the street was drawn to her. It was not all that surprising, the completely normal summer uniform she wore was the uniform of Tokiwadai Middle School, one of the 5 most prestigious and elite schools in Academy City. For some reason, the explosively refined girls from Tokiwadai seemed to stand apart even in a station at rush hour and would strike as a surprise for anyone to see one sitting on the floor of a train messing around with their cell phone like any other person. So what do you want, Biri Biri? Actually, why are you wearing your uniform during summer break? Do you have supplementary lessons? Gh Sh-Shut up. Were you worried about the class bunny? I told you to stop with the animal stuff! Also, today Im going to make you twitch like frog legs with electrodes attached! So, get your will and inheritance in order! I dont think so. Why not!? Because, Im not in charge of my class pet. Why you Quit making fun of me!! The middle school girl stomped down on the tiles of the path. At that exact moment, a tremendous noise came from the cell phones of the people walking along the area. Additionally, the cable broadcast in the shopping district cut out and a horrible noise came from the security robot. The crackling sound of static electricity came from the middle school girls hair. That Level 5 girl, who used Railgun with nothing but her own body, smiled such that her canines were bared like a beasts. Hmph. How was that? Did that change your cowardly mind? Mgh! In a frantic attempt to cover her mouth, Kamijous hand covered Misaka Mikotos entire composed face. "Sh-Shut up." he whispered nearly inaudibly. "Please just shut your mouth! Everyones cell phones were fried and theyre looking none too pleased!! If they find out it was us, theyll make us pay, and I have no idea how much that cable broadcast costs!!" Due to his recent encounter with that silver-haired nun girl, Kamijou prayed with all his might to the God whom Kamijou normally only thought of around Christmas. His prayers must have made their way to heaven because no one approached Kamijou and Mikoto. Thank goodness, he said with lessening apprehension. Kamijou gave a sigh of relief as he continued to suffocate Mikoto. Message, message. Error No. 100231-YF. Offensive electromagnetic waves in violation of radio laws detected. System malfunction detected. As this is possible cyber terrorism, avoid using electronics. Imagine Breaker and Railgun hesitantly turned around. A drum container was on its side on the footpath spewing smoke as it spoke to itself nonsensically. In the next instant, the security robot began sounding a high-pitched alarm. Naturally, they ran away. They entered a back alley, kicked over a dirty plastic bucket, and scared off a black cat as they continued running. Come to think of it, I didnt do anything wrong, he unhappily thought. Why am I running away with her? Even while thinking that, he kept running. After all, he had heard on a talk show that those security robots cost 1.2 million yen each (approx. $15000). Uuhh S-Such misfortune. Why do I always get caught up in things related to her? What do you mean by that!? And, my name is Misaka Mikoto! The two finally come to a stop in a back, back, back alley. One of the lined-up buildings must have been demolished because a rectangular area opened up there. It seemed a good place for street basketball. Shut up, Biri Biri! Youre the one that destroyed all of my electronics with that lightning yesterday! What could you possibly want after that!? Its your fault for pissing me off! I dont even understand whats got you so mad! Ive havent laid a finger on you! Following that exchange, Mikoto attacked Kamijou with her full arsenal, but Kamijou negated the whole with his right hand. This time, her attacks did not end with Railgun. Her offenses ranged from twisting together collected iron sand to create a whip-like sword of steel to sending powerful electromagnetic waves to mess with internal organs to even finishing with a blast of real lightning from the sky. But, none was a match for Kamijou Touma. As long as it was supernatural, Kamijou Touma could negate it. You just keep coming at me and wearing yourself out! Dont use your powers too much and then blame me when you dont have the stamina to keep going, Biri Biri! ~ ~!! Mikoto began to grind her back teeth. Th-That didnt count. It cant count! You never attacked me so its a draw!! Sigh Fine, fine. Its your win. Punching you isnt going to fix my air conditioner. Gah! W-Wait a second! Take this seriously!! shouted Mikoto as she flailed her arm. Kamijou sighed. Are you sure you want me to take this seriously? Ah Mikoto trailed off. Kamijou lightly clenched his right fist and opened it again. A cold sweat began to pour from Misaka Mikotos entire body with his simple actions. She froze in place, unable to even take a step backwards. Mikoto did not know what Kamijous power truly was, so to her, Kamijou was truly an unknown horror that sealed all of her trumps without breaking a sweat. It was unsurprising. Kamijou Touma challenged Misaka Mikotos attacks for over two hours straight without receiving a scratch. It was only natural for her to wonder what would happen if he were serious. Kamijou sighed and averted his gaze. As if the strings holding her in place had snapped, Mikoto finally staggered a few steps back. What can I call this other than misfortune? Kamijou was shocked at how frightened she was. First my rooms electronics were done in, then a self-proclaimed magician in the morning, and now this Biri Biri esper in the evening. Magician? What? Kamijou thought for a moment. Yeah Thats what I want to know. Normally, Mikoto would have likely shouted, Are you making fun of me!? Is your head as messed up as that power!? and then Biri Birid. However, she could only jump in fright that day whenever he gave her a look. It was only a bluff to fool her, but the effectiveness caused him regret. What was all that magician nonsense, anyway? Kamijou wondered. Kamijou was reminded of what had happened that morning. The white nun had used the word readily enough, but now that he thought back, the term was definitely one removed from reality. I wonder why it didnt feel out place with Index around, he considered. Had there been some mysterious something that made magic seem more believable? ...Wait, what am I thinking? muttered Kamijou while completely ignoring the Biri Biri girl named Misaka Mikoto who was fearfully trembling like a puppy. He cut his ties with Index and whatever world she lived in. The world was a large place and it was unlikely he would run into her again in a meaningless coincidence. Thinking about magicians was entirely pointless. Despite that, he was unable to force the thought out of his mind. He still had the pure white hood she had forgotten in his room. That one remaining connection continued to irritatingly prick at the edges of his mind. Not even Kamijou Touma knew why he was thinking about so much of it. After all, he had the power to kill even God. Part 6 Those days, one could not buy even a large gyuudon with only 320 yen. Regular, hm? The girls who happily ate a bento the size of a light novel would likely not understand, but a sweating, growing boy saw the regular size as nothing more than a snack. After driving off the Biri Biri girl, Kamijou went to a gyuudon restaurant to eat his snack. With only 30 yen remaining (tax included), he approached his dorm building with the sun having already set. The place seemed deserted. It was the first day of summer break and so most people were presumably out enjoying themselves. The building looked like that of stereotypical one-room apartment housing. Pathways along one wall of the rectangular building had doors lined up. It being a male dorm, the metal railing lacked plastic sheets to prevent peering up at girls skirts. The front doors, and the balconies on the opposite sides of them, were built on the sides of the building going inwards as seen from the road. In other words, they were in the gaps between buildings. The entrance to the building was auto-locking, but the distance between buildings was only two meters. One could easily sneak in by jumping from roof to roof as Index had that morning. Kamijou went through the auto-locking entrance, passed by the storage room known as the dorm managers room and got on the elevator. It was out of enjoyable spite that the elevator was dirtier and more cramped than the a factory elevator for bringing goods in, but the R button, indicating the roof, was sealed via a small metal plate in order to prevent Romeos and Juliets from heading up to the rooftop night after night. With a microwave oven-like ding, the elevator stopped at the seventh floor. Kamijou pushed aside the door that clanked as it opened and exited into the passageway. He was on the seventh floor, but there was no wind and seemed even hotter and stuffier than before because of the neighboring building being so close. Hm? Kamijou finally realized something. Down the straight passageway and right in front of his door, three cleaning robots were gathered. Seeing three of them was rare. For one thing, he was nearly sure only five were ever deployed for that dorm. From the way they were trembling and moving back and forth, they seemed to be cleaning up quite the horrible mess. For an unknown reason, Kamijou felt an intense feeling of impending misfortune. Drum robots had enough power to cleanly rip up gum stuck to the floor. So, what was giving three of them such trouble? Kamijou shuddered at the thought that his neighbor Tsuchimikado Motoharu might have gotten drunk while acting like a delinquent in order to lose his virginity and had ended up vomiting in tremendous quantity, all the while using Kamijous door instead of a telephone pole. What happened? People had an unfortunate tendency to want to see horrible things. After taking a few more subconscious steps forward, he finally saw it. The mysterious girl named Index had collapsed from hunger. Ahh. She was not entirely visible because of the robots, but someone wearing a white nuns habit covered in glittering safety pins was clearly collapsed face down. Though the three drums were continuously ramming into her, Index was not moving. It made her seem all the more pitiful, like if she were being pecked at by city crows. For one, the cleaning robots were made to avoid people and other obstacles. Why did the machines fail to register her as human? I guess this is misfortune, too. Had Kamijou Touma seen his face in a mirror at the time, he would have been surprised to see a smile on his face. Deep down he was worried. Perhaps he did not believe her about the magicians, but it was possible some cult was chasing the girl. He was glad to see her in her usual, starved state. And even ignoring those worries, he was simply glad to see her again. Kamijou then remembered the one thing she had forgotten: the pure white hood he had not given back to her. He found it strange that he saw that hood like some kind of charm. Hey! What are you doing here? He called out to her and ran over. Why does just going over there make me feel like an elementary school kid who cant sleep the night before a trip? Why does each step I take forward make me feel like Im headed to the store on the release date of a major RPG? Such were his racing thoughts. Index had yet to notice him. Kamijou Touma forced down a smile at how Index-like that was. And then, he finally noticed that Index was lying in a pool of blood. Ah? The first thing he felt was confusion, not shock. He was unable to see it previously because of the group of cleaning robots in the way. As she lay face down, he could see a single horizontal line near the bottom of her back. The wound was from a blade, but was so straight it looked like someone had used a ruler and a box cutter. The end of her waist-length silver hair had been cleanly cut off and that silver hair was dyed red by the liquid flowing from the wound. For an instant, Kamijou failed to comprehend that it was human blood. The difference in reality between the instant before and the instant after sent his thoughts into chaos. Red red ketchup? Did Index use her last strength to suck up ketchup just before she collapsed from hunger? With that pleasant image in his mind, Kamijou almost smiled. He almost smiled, but he did not. There was no way he could. The three cleaning robots continued to move back and forth while making a clanking noise. They were cleaning the stain on the floor. They were cleaning the red substance spreading across the floor. They were cleaning the red substance flowing from Indexs body, like digging at a wound with a dirty rag: they were sucking out the blood inside Indexs body. Stop. Stop! Shit!! Kamijous eyes finally focused into reality. He frantically grabbed at the cleaning robots gathered around the seriously injured Index. He failed to do so because the robots were made necessarily heavy to prevent theft on top of relatively high horsepower. In reality, the cleaning robots were only cleaning the continuously spreading stain on the floor and never actually touched Indexs wound. Even so, Kamijou saw them as bugs swarming a festering wound. He was having difficulty moving aside even one of those heavy and powerful robots, much less three. While his focus was on one of them, the other two would head for the stain. He was supposed to have the power to kill even God. But, he was unable to move those toys out of the way. Index said nothing. Her pale purple lips were so still he was unsure whether she was breathing. Shit, shit!! Kamijou shouted out in confusion. What happened? What the hell happened!? God damn it! Who the hell did this to you!? Hm? That would be us magicians. A voice sounded from behind him, one that did not belong to Index. Kamijou spun his entire body around as if meaning to rush in and punch the person. A man was standing there who had come from the no, not from the elevator. It seemed he arrived from the emergency staircase next to the elevator. The white man was over two meters tall, but his face seemed younger than Kamijous. His age was likely 14 or 15, similar to Indexs age. His great height was characteristic of foreigners while his clothes were a pure black version of the habits worn by church priests. However, it was unlikely you would find anyone who would call that man a priest even if you searched all over the world. It may have been because he was standing upwind, but Kamijou could smell the horribly sweet perfume on him even though he was over 15 meters away. His shoulder-length blond hair had been dyed red like the sunset, silver rings glittered on all ten of his fingers like brass knuckle, poisonous earrings hung on his ears, a cell phone strap could be seen sticking out of his pocket, a lit cigarette moved at the edge of his mouth, and, as if for complete, he had a barcode-like tattoo underneath his right eye. One could not call him a priest and yet, neither a delinquent. In the passageway, the air around the man was clearly strange. It was as if the area were being ruled by completely different rules than the ones that Kamijou had been accustomed to at that point. That strange feeling spread throughout the area like icy tentacles. What Kamijou felt first was neither fear nor anger But confusion and unease. It was a desperate loneliness akin to have a wallet stolen in a foreign country with an unfamiliar language. The icy, tentacle-like feeling crept into his body and froze his heart. It was then that Kamijou realized something: This is a magician. This has become a different world where strange things like magicians exist. He could tell at first glance. He still did not believe in magicians But, he could tell that this was definitely a resident of a place that existed beyond the world he lived. Hm? Hm hm hm. She got her pretty good. The magician looked around and the cigarette in the corner of his mouth waggled as he spoke. I heard Kanzaki sliced her, but this is I thought there wasnt anything to worry about because there was no blood trail The magician looked at the cleaning robots gathered behind Kamijou Touma. Most likely, Index had been sliced elsewhere and had barely escaped there with her life before collapsing. She surely had left fresh blood as she went, but the cleaning robots had cleaned it all away. But why? Hm? You mean why she came back here? Who knows? Maybe she forgot something. Come to think of it, she had her hood when I shot her yesterday. Did she lose it somewhere? The magician standing in front of Kamijou had used the phrase came back. In other words, he had been following Indexs actions all day. And he knew that she had lost the hood to her Walking Church nuns habits. Index had said something about the magicians searching for the magic power of her Walking Church. That meant the magicians had been following Index by detecting the supernatural power in her Walking Church. They would have known the Walking Church was destroyed when the signal cut out Index had mentioned that too. But then, Index had to have known. She had known, but she still seemed to have relied on the defensive powers of the Walking Church. But why did she return? Why did she need to recover a portion of the destroyed and therefore useless Walking Church? Kamijous right hand had rendered the entire Walking Church useless so there was little point in recovering the hood. Then will you follow me to the depths of hell? Suddenly, it all clicked. Kamijou remembered; he had never touched the hood of the Walking Church that was left in his room. In other words, the hood still had magic power. She must have thought the magicians might detect it and headed there to retrieve it. And so, Index had braved the danger and came back. You idiot. There had been no need to do that. It was Kamijous clumsiness that had destroyed her Walking Church, and he had realized she had left her hood in his room yet left it there. And more importantly, Index lacked any obligation, duty, or right to protect Kamijou. Even so, she could not help heading back. Kamijou Touma was a complete stranger that she had met less than half an hour before. She could not help but risk her life and return to prevent him from getting involved in a magicians fight. You idiot!! Indexs unmoving back irritated him for some odd reason. Before, Index had told Kamijou that his misfortune was due to his right hand. Apparently, his right hand was subconsciously negating even the faint supernatural powers that were things like the divine protection of God and the red string of fate. Also, had Kamijou not carelessly touched her and destroyed her Walking Church nuns habit, there was have been no need to return. No. Those kinds of excuses dont matter, he considered His right hand and the destruction of her Walking Church were not the reason she had felt the need to return. Had Kamijou not wished for that one connection Had he only returned her fallen hood that instant Hm? Hm hm hm? Cmon, I cant have you looking at me like that. The cigarette in the corner of the magicians mouth moved as he spoke. It wasnt me that sliced her and I doubt Kanzaki meant to turn this into something bloody. The Walking Church is supposed to be an absolute defense, after all. Really, she shouldnt have been injured at all by that. Honestly, what twist of fate led that to be destroyed? Unless St. Georges Dragon has come again, I dont see how a Pope-class barrier could be broken. That last bit was spoken to his self and his smile disappeared as he said it. However, this lasted only an instant. The cigarette in the corner of his mouth twitched back up as if he had suddenly remembered to smile. Why? Kamijou asked despite not expecting an answer. Why? I dont believe in the magic from fairy tales and I dont really understand magicians or whatever you are. But arent there good and evil types of you? Arent there magicians that protect things and people? He knew very well that he had no right to be moralistic. When Index had left, Kamijou Touma had let her go and returned to his normal life. Yet he could not resist saying the words. You ganged up on this little girl, chased her all over the place, and then injured her this badly. Can you really say that youre justice with this reality staring you in the face!? Like I said, Kanzaki did this, not me. The magician paused for a second. Kamijous words had not hit home with him in the slightest. And whether shes injured or not, we have to retrieve her. Retrieve her? Kamijou did not understand what the magician meant. Hm? Oh, I see. You knew the word magician, so I assumed you were completely filled-in. I guess she was afraid of getting you involved. The magician exhaled cigarette smoke. Yeah, we need to retrieve her. Technically, it isnt her we need to retrieve though; its the 103,000 grimoires she has. There were those 103,000 grimoires again. I see, I see. This country isnt very religious, so I guess you dont understand, said the magician in a bored sounding voice despite the fact that he was smiling. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum is a list created by the church of all the evil books that will sully your soul just by reading them. Even if you were to announce that these dangerous books existed, people could still unknowingly acquire one, despite the fact that they dont know its title. Thus, she has become something of a crucible of poisonous books with 103,000 such books. Oh, but be careful. Reading just one of the books she has would make a vegetable out of someone from an irreligious nation like this. Disregarding his words, Index owned not a single book. The lines of her body were clearly visible in that habit and would be obvious if she were to hide any books under her clothes. No need to even mention that not a single person could walk around carrying 100,000 texts, an entire librarys worth of books. D-Dont be ridiculous! Just where exactly are these books!? Oh, theyre there, in her memory, the magician said as if it were obvious fact. Do you know what perfect memory is? It seems to be the ability to memorize anything you see in an instant and never forget even a single sentence or letter. Simply put, it makes you a human scanner. The magician smiled disinterestedly. It has nothing to do with our occult or your science fiction. Its a natural condition. She has been to the British Museum, the Louvre, the Vatican Library, the Pataliputra ruins, Chateau de Compigne, Mont Saint-Michel Monastery, and everywhere else that has grimoires that cannot be taken from where they are sealed. She stole them with her eyes and stores them as a grimoire library. He simply could not it. He could not believe that these grimoires existed or that she had a perfect memory. However, what mattered were not its truths but the fact that someone believed it was true and resulted in the slicing of a girls back. Well, she has no ability to refine magic power herself, so shes harmless. The cigarette in the corner of the magicians mouth moved up happily. But since that stopper was prepared, the church must have some concerns. Well, that has nothing to do with a magician like me. At any rate, those 103,000 grimoires are quite dangerous, so I came to shelter her before anyone who would use them comes to take her away. To shelter her? Kamijou Touma was utterly astonished. What had that man just said in the face of such a blood-red scene? Yeah, thats right. Shelter her. No matter how sensible and good hearted she may be, she cannot stand up to torture and drugs. The mere thought of handing a girl over to the likes of them hurts my heart, yknow? Kamijous body trembled. Not pure anger, Goosebumps covered his arm. The man before him only viewed himself as true; he lived ignoring his own mistakes. The put together sent a chill across Kamijous entire body like that of plunging into a bathtub filled to the brim with tens of thousands of slugs. The term mad cult oozed into his brain. The thought of magicians that hunted people based on groundless beliefs made him feel like the nerves of his brain were going to burst. Who the hell, do you think you are!? His right hand felt engulfed in heat as if responding to his anger. His two feet that had been planted to the ground shifted before he even thought about moving. His thick body, of flesh and blood, charged toward the magician like a bullet. He clenched his right fist so hard that he felt like he was smashing his fingers to pieces. His right hand was of no use. It would not help him defeat even a single delinquent, would not raise his scores on tests, and would not make him popular with girls. But his right hand could also be quite useful. After all, he could still use it to punch out the bastard standing before him. I would prefer to call myself as Stiyl Magnus, but I guess Ill have to go with Fortis931. The magician was completely motionless expect for the wagging of the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. After muttering something under his breath, he spoke to Kamijou as if introducing the pet black cat he was proud of. Thats my magic name. Not familiar with those? It seems we magicians cannot give our true name when we use magic. Its an old tradition, so I dont really understand why myself. They were 15 meters apart. Kamijou Touma filled half of that gap in just three steps. Fortis I guess in Japanese it would mean the strong. Well, the etymology doesnt really matter. Whats important is that I have given that name. For us magicians, it is less a magical name when spell casting and more like Even as Kamijou Touma took two more steps down the passageway, the magicians smile did not crumble. He seemed to be claiming that Kamijou was not an opponent even worth ridding his smile over. a name of bloodshed, I guess. The magician named Stiyl Magnus grabbed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it away to the side. The lit cigarette flew horizontally, over the metal railing, and hit the wall of the neighboring building. An orange line traced the cigarettes path as an afterimage and sparks flew when it hit the wall. Kenaz (Flames). The instant that Stiyl muttered, the orange line exploded. A sword of flames appeared in a straight line as if someone had turned on a fire hose loaded with gasoline. The paint gradually changed color like a picture being scorched by a lighter. He was not in contact with the fire but it still felt like his eyes were being burned just by watching it. Kamijou instinctually stopped running and brought his hands up to cover his face. Kamijou stopped so suddenly that it looked like his feet had been staked to the ground. A sudden question entered his mind. Imagine Breaker could negate any kind of supernatural power in one blow. Not even the Level 5 Biri Biri girls Railgun, which could destroy a nuclear shelter in one strike, was an exception to that. But the truth was Kamijou had yet to see any supernatural power whose nature was non-psychic. In other words, he had never tested it. He had never tested it on magic. Would his right hand really work on the strange power known as magic? Purisaz Naupiz Gebo (A gift of pain for the giant.) Past the hands covering his face, Kamijou could see the magician smiling. While smiling, Stiyl Magnus swung the blazing flame sword horizontally at Kamijou Touma. The instant it touched him, it lost shape and exploded in all directions like an erupting volcano. Heat waves, flashes of light, explosive noise, and black smoke burst in every direction. Maybe I overdid it. Stiyl scratched at his head in front of what looked like the aftermath of a bombing. Just to be sure, he looked around to see if anyone was coming out to see what was going on. It was the first day of summer break, so most of the residents of that boys dorm would be out. However, it would be bad if some friendless shut-in was in one of the rooms. He could not see ahead directly because a screen of flames and smoke. However, he did not need to check. That strike had created hellish flames of 3000 degrees Celsius. At temperatures above 2000 Celsius, the human body would melt before it burned which meant the boy likely looked similar to the metal railing that had melted like a sugar sculpture. It was probable that he was splattered across the dorm wall like a used piece of gum. Stiyl heaved a sigh as he reflected on how right he had been to get the boy away from Index. Things would have been a bit more difficult if the boy had used Indexs injured form as a shield. But he could not retrieve Index as things were. Stiyl sighed again. The wall of flames blocked him from heading to the other end of the passageway where Index was. If there was another emergency staircase on the other side of the passageway, he could manage. But, it would hardly be funny had Index been caught in the inferno while he took such a detour. Stiyl shook his head in annoyance and spoke as he peered into the smoke one last time as if he could see through it. Thank you. Excellent work but too bad. Well, at that level, you couldnt win even if you had a thousand tries. Are you so sure I cant win no matter how many times I try? For an instant, the magician froze in place at the voice coming from those hellish flames. With a roar, the wall of flames and smoke swirled and was blown away. It was as if a tornado3 had appeared in the center of the flames and smoke and blew them all away. Kamijou Touma stood there. The metal railing had been melted like a sugar sculpture, the paint on the floor and walls had peeled, the fluorescent lights had melted and dripped down in the intense heat, but the boy had remained unharmed in the middle of those unworldly flames and scorching heats. Honestly, what was I so afraid of? asked Kamijou rhetorically with the sides of his mouth twisted in disinterest. This is the same right hand that destroyed Indexs Walking Church. In reality, Kamijou knew nothing about what was called magic. He did not know how it worked or what went on where his eyes could not reach. Most likely, he would only understand half of it if it were explained to him from start to finish. Regardless, there was one thing even an idiot like him understood. In the end, it was just a supernatural power. The crimson flames he had blown away had not been completely extinguished. In a perfect circle around Kamijou, the scorching flames continued to burn. But Out of the way. With that one statement, Kamijou touched the 3000 degree magical flames with his right hand and the rest of the fire vanished. It was like the candles in a birthday cake had all been blown out at once. Kamijou Touma looked at the magician standing before him. The magician was as flustered as any normal human being facing an unexpected turn of events. In fact, he was a normal human being. If you punched him, he would feel pain, and if you cut him with a cheap knife, he would bleed red. He was a mere human being. Kamijous legs were no longer cramped with fear and his body was no longer frozen with nerves. His arms and legs moved like normal. He moved! Wha-? Meanwhile, Stiyl very nearly took a step backwards in shock of the incomprehensible phenomenon before him. From what had become of the surroundings, that attack could not have been a dud. But did that mean that boy was powerful enough to withstand 3000 degrees? No, if so, he would not have been be human. Kamijou Touma paid no heed to Stiyls confusion. He clenched his heated right fist as hard as a rock and took a step toward Stiyl who was swaying on his feet. Tch!! Stiyl swung his right hand horizontally. The flame sword that appeared followed suit and flew forcefully toward Kamijou. It exploded. Flames and smoke flew about. But after the flames and smoke were blown away, Kamijou Touma stood there just as before. Could he be using magic? Stiyl muttered under his breath, but he immediately rejected the idea. There could not be any magicians in that country that knew more about Christmas than magic and only knew Christmas as a day of dating and sex. Also, if Index, despite lacking magic power, were to join forces with a magician, she would have had no reason to run. That was how dangerous Indexs memories were. The 103,000 grimoires were on a completely different scope even in comparison to the possessing of a nuclear weapon. All living creatures eventually die, an apple dropped from above would fall down, and 1+1=2. You would be able to take those kinds of natural and unchangeable rules of the world, destroy them, rewrite them, and create new ones. You could make 1+1=3, make an apple dropped from below fall up, and make all dead creatures eventually be revived. Magicians called such being Magic Gods. Not the god of the demon plane4,but a magician who had thoroughly mastered magic to the point of entering the domain of God. Magic God. But, Stiyl could not feel any magic power in the boy in front of him. He would be able to tell at a glance if he was a magician. The boy did not have the scent of someone from the same world as him. Then, why? !! To hide the shuddering spreading through his body, Stiyl created another flame sword and attacked Kamijou. This time, it failed to even explode. Kamijou swatted at the flame sword with his right hand like flyswatter and the flame sword shattered like glass and disappeared into thin air. He shattered that 3000 degree flame sword with a right hand that had no magical reinforcements of any kind. Ah. Abruptly, truly abruptly, something floated up in the back of Stiyl Magnuss mind. Indexs Walking Church nuns habit was Pope-class and its barrier rivaled a London cathedral in its power. It was absolutely impossible to destroy it unless the legendary dragon of St. George appeared. But Indexs Walking Church had clearly been utterly destroyed since Kanzaki had sliced her. Who had done it? And how? By that point, Kamijou Touma had walked right up to Stiyl. With one more step, he would be close enough to punch the magician. M T W O T F F T O. (One of the five great elements from which the world is constructed.) I I G O I I O F. (The great flame of the beginning.) An unpleasant sweat began to drip from Stiyls entire body. This was because the creature before him in a summer uniform had taken the form of a humans. Stiyls spine trembled as he got the feeling that inside that boys skin was not flesh and blood but some strange oozing something. I I B O L A I I A O E. (It is a light of blessing that raises life and a light of judgment that punishes evil.) I I M H A I I B O D. (It is overflowing with calm blessings and with freezing misfortune that destroys cold darkness.) I I N F I I M S. (Its name is fire and its role is the sword.) I C R M M B G P! (Be manifested and become the power that eats into my body!) The torso of Stiyls priests habit swelled out and forces from within popped off the buttons. With the roar of flames sucking in oxygen, a giant mass of fire shot out from within his clothes. It was not merely a mass of flames. The crimson burning flames had something black and dripping like fuel oil at its core. It was in the form of a human. The thing was reminiscent of the seabirds dripping with black fuel oil after a tanker accident and it was eternally burning. Its name was Innocentius whose meaning meant I will surely kill you. The giant flame god who bore the meaning of certain death spread its arms and charged toward Kamijou Touma like a bullet. Out of the way. Kamijou used a backhanded blow with the annoyed attitude of someone brushing aside a spider web. Kamijou Touma blew away Stiyl Magnuss final trump card. As if he had stabbed a water balloon with a pin, the human-shaped fuel oil symbolizing the giant flame god burst into spray and scattered about the area. ? Kamijou Touma had no real reason for not taking his last step at that moment. It was simply that Stiyl was still smiling despite having his final trump card destroyed. That expression was enough to make him hesitate before carelessly taking that last step. The sound of a viscous liquid moving could be heard from all around. Wha-!? As Kamijou took a step back in surprise, the black spray returned from all directions, gathered in midair, and reformed into a human shape. If Kamijou had taken that last step, he would certainly have been enveloped by flames from all directions. Kamijous mind was thrown into disarray at the scene before his eyes. If his right hand could do what he was always saying it could, it could negate even the systems of god seen in myths in a single strike. If that had been the supernatural power known as magic, he should have been able to negate it with that one touch. And yet The oily fuel within the flames writhed, changed form, and now seemed to be holding a sword in both hands. No, it was not a sword but a giant cross, over two meters long, of the crucifying type. It lifted the cross up with both hands and aimed a downwards swing at Kamijous head like a pickaxe. !! Kamijou immediately held up his right hand to receive the blow. Disregarding his right hand, Kamijou was a simple high school student. He lacked the battle skills needed to see through the attack and evade. The cross and his right hand clashed. This time, it failed to even disappear. As if he were grasping a mass of rubber, Kamijou felt that he was going to be the one to lose that struggle. His opponent used both hands while he could only use his right hand. The flaming cross neared Kamijous face millimeter by millimeter. Despite his confusion, Kamijou just narrowly managed to realize one fact: that mass of flames known as Innocentius was definitely reacting to his Imagine Breaker. However, it was being revived soon after annihilation. Most likely, the lag between annihilation and revival was less than a tenth of a second. His right hand had been sealed. If he let go for even an instant, he would likely be turned to ash by Innocentius in that instant. Runes. Kamijou Touma heard something. Due to the danger in front of him, he could not turn around, but he certainly heard someones voice. Those twenty four characters used to indicate mysteries and secrets have been used as a magic language by Germanic tribes since the 2nd century and are found in the roots of Old English. However, Kamijou could not believe it was Indexs voice despite knowing it was. Wha-? Despite how beat up and bloody she was, how could she be speaking so calmly? He shakily thought. Attacking Innocentius will have no effect. Unless the rune engravings carved into the walls, floor, and ceiling are eliminated, it will revive as many times as necessary. Kamijou Touma supported his right wrist with his left hand and just barely managed to keep the cross from advancing any further. Kamijou timidly turned around. The girl was indeed collapsed there but Kamijou was unable to give that the name Index. Like a machine, her eyes were utterly lacking in emotion. With each word she spoke, more blood flowed from the wound on her back. She paid no heed and seemed to truly be nothing more than a system meant to explain magic. Youre Index, right? Yes. I am the grimoire library belonging to Necessarius, the 0th Parish of the Anglican Church. My proper name is Index Librorum Prohibitorum, but that can be abbreviated to Index. The way that grimoire library named Index was acting, Kamijou almost forgot about the giant flame god trying to kill him. He experienced such a chill coming from her. With my introduction complete, I will return to my explanation of rune magic. Simply put, it is like a reflection of the moon in a lake at night. No matter how many times you strike the lake surface with a sword, it has no meaning. If you want to strike the moon in the lake surface, you must first turn your sword on the real moon floating in the night sky. After hearing that explanation, Kamijou finally remembered the enemy in front of him. Did she mean that what stood before him was not the true form of the supernatural power? Was it something like a photograph and its negative? Would it continue to revive unless he destroyed a different supernatural power that was creating the giant flame god? Even then, Kamijou did not completely believe what Index was saying. No matter what was going on around him, the common understanding that magic did not exist refused to depart. But, with Innocentius sealing his right hand and preventing his movement, he could not test anything regardless. On top of that, it would have been difficult to ask Index to help him, given her bloody state. Ash to ash Kamijou looked up in shock. From beyond the giant flame god, a flame sword had appeared in Stiyls right hand. ...Dust to dust Another one. A bluish-white burning flame sword extended silently from his left hand. Squeamish Bloody Rood! With those power-filled words, he swung the two flame swords horizontally so that they would slice straight through the giant flame god from left and right like a giant pair of scissors. With his right hand sealed by Innocentius, Kamijou could block nothing else. Shit I need to run!! He desperately thought. Before Kamijou Touma could even shout out, the two flame swords struck the giant flame god and forces morphed into one enormous, exploding bomb. Part 7 When the flames and smoke cleared, the entire area looked like hell. The metal railings had warped like sugar sculptures and even the floor tiles had melted into something glue-like. The paint on the walls had peeled such that the concrete was visible. The boy was nowhere to be seen. However, Stiyl heard the footsteps of someone running along the passageway downstairs. Innocentius, he whispered and the flames spread out across the area returned to human form, went over the railing, and followed the footsteps. Internally, Stiyl was astonished. Nothing all that amazing had happened. Just before the explosion, in the instant Stiyl had sliced through the giant flame god with the two flame swords, Kamijou had let go with his right hand and jumped over the railing. As he fell, Kamijou had grabbed the railing one floor below and pulled himself up onto the passageway. He had no lifeline and had pulled it off with pure guts and courage, making the recklessness rather apparent. But Stiyl gave a gentle smile. Kamijou now knew the weakness of the runes thanks to the knowledge of Indexs 103,000 grimoires. As she had said, the rune magic Stiyl used was activated by carved engravings. That also meant that getting rid of the engravings would negate even the most powerful magic. So what? Stiyls expression showed no sign of concern. You cant do it. It is utterly impossible for you to completely get rid of the runes carved into this building. I! I really thought! I really thought I was going to die back there!! After jumping over the railing on the 7th floor with no lifeline, Kamijous heart was still pounding in his chest. As he ran along the straight passageway, he looked around. In some way, he doubted Indexs words. He had merely been trying to get away from Innocentius so that he could get some time to prepare himself. Damn it! What the hell is this!? But, Kamijou could not help but shout out when he saw what lay before him. He did not need to wonder where the runes were carved into the large dorm building. In fact, he had already found them. They were on the floor, on the doors, and on the fire extinguisher. Scraps of paper about the size of telephone cards were stuck all over the building like Hoichi the Earless. Based on Indexs advice (he did not like having to recall that doll-like face), he had guessed that the magic was something like a jamming signal called a barrier and the runes were like the antennae sending the signal. But could he even tear off every single one of the tens of thousands of antennae? With the roar of oxygen being absorbed, a human-shaped inferno dropped down onto the opposite side of the metal railing. Shit!! If he were to be caught again, tearing off the runes would have been impossible. Kamijou immediately made a dash for the emergency staircase to his side. As he jumped further and further down, he could see scraps of paper taped to the corners of the staircase and ceiling with strange symbols that must have been runes written on them. They had clearly been mass produced with a copy machine. Kamijou almost shouted out Hows a crappy copy like that supposed to work!? but he then recalled that the appendix of shoujo manga could be used for tarot divination and even the bible was mass produced at a print shop. Yknow the occult just isnt fair. He digressed. He felt like crying. Tens of thousands of those rune engravings were probably taped up all over the building. Could he find every single one of them? And, for all he knew, Stiyl was taping up new pieces of copy paper at that very moment. As if to cut off his train of thought, Innocentius dropped down from farther up the staircase. Shit! Kamijou gave up on heading further down the staircase and ran out into the passageway to the side. When the giant flame god struck the floor, flames scattered about the area and it charged into the passageway even as it bounced up from hitting the ground. The passageway was straight and Kamijou had no way to escape Innocentius when it came down to pure speed. ! Kamijou looked over to the entrance of the emergency staircase. According to the display, he was on the 2nd floor. With a roar, Innocentius charged straight forward in order to arrest Kamijous right hand. O-Owah!! Instead of using his right hand or running away along the passageway, Kamijou jumped over the second floor railing. It was only after he jumped that he realized that the ground below was asphalt and that a number of bicycles were stopped there. Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!! He just barely managed to land between two bicycles, but he still landed on hard asphalt. He tried to bend his knees to absorb the shock of impact, but he still heard an unpleasant noise come from his ankle. He had only jumped from the second story and it did not feel broken, but he had hurt his ankle a bit all the same. He heard the roar of flames absorbing oxygen coming from above. !? Kamijou scrambled along the ground, kicking bicycles over as he did so, but nothing more happened. ? Kamijou looked up with a puzzled look. Still making the roaring noise, Innocentius was clinging to the second story railing and staring at Kamijou, who was on the ground. It was almost like there was an invisible wall preventing it from following Kamijou. Apparently, the runes had only been placed on the dorm building. Kamijou had managed to escape Stiyls flames by leaving the building. Seeing that aspect of the runes made him feel like he now knew a bit about the invisible system of magic. He was not against a ridiculous opponent like the magicians in RPGs who could do anything by chanting a spell. Instead, his opponent acted based on set rules similar to the psychics that Kamijou knew. He sighed. Having been freed from any immediate threat to his life, strength left Kamijous body. He sat down on the ground without even thinking. He was not afraid. Instead, he was assaulted with a different feeling that was more like a languid exhaustion. He started to wonder if he could escape all danger if he just ran away. I know. The police, Kamijou muttered. Why had he not thought of it before? Academy Citys police were something like an anti-esper special unit. Kamijou could just notify them rather than risk his own life. Kamijou checked his pants pocket, but his cell phone had been crushed under his very own foot that morning. Kamijou looked out toward the road and searched for a pay phone. He was not doing it to run away. He was not doing it to run away. Then will you follow me to the depths of hell? And yet, those words still seemed to stab his chest. He was doing nothing wrong. He was doing nothing wrong, but In that very same situation, Index had gone back for Kamijou Touma. Kamijou could not fathom going down to hell with a stranger that he had known for less than half an hour. Damn it. Thats right. If I dont want to follow you to the depths of hell, Kamijou smiled, Then Ill just have to drag you back out. He thought it was about time he understood it. He knew not how magic worked, but he did not need to know the workings of what he could not see. He could, for example, send an email without knowing the circuit diagram of his cell phone. Huh. Once you understand that, its really not that big of a deal. He knew what he had to do, so now, he just needed to try it. Even if he failed, it was still much better than doing nothing. A metal railing warped and glowing orange fell down and Kamijou frantically rolled out of the way. He may have made up his mind, but he still had to do something about that Innocentius before he could save Index. The real problem was the tens of thousands of runes. But could he really tear off all of those scraps of paper taped to the building? Yknow, Im surprised the fire alarm hasnt gone off with all of this going on. It had just been an offhand comment, but Kamijou Touma froze in place once he said it. The fire alarm? The fire alarms installed around the building all went off at once. !? Amid that storm of roaring noise that sounded as loud as a bombing raid, Stiyl looked up at the ceiling. Without a seconds delay, the attached sprinklers sent out a typhoon-like manmade rain. Since having the firefighters called in would be a pain, Stiyl had written his orders for Innocentius such that it would not trigger the security sensors. This meant that Kamijou Touma had hit the fire alarm. Did he think doing so would put out Innocentiuss flames? The notion was almost laughably ridiculous, but the magician believed the blood vessels in his head would burst when he considered that he was getting soaked for such a foolish reason. Stiyl stared at the red fire alarm on the wall in annoyance. It was easy enough to set the alarm off, but he could not stop it himself. As it was summer break, most of the residents of the dorm were out, but the situation could turn bothersome should firefighters arrive. Hm. Stiyl looked around the area and then quickly picked up Index to leave. His goal was simply to recover Index, so there was no reason to get caught up in killing Kamijou. Given how long it would take for the firefighters to arrive, he could leave Innocentius on auto-chase and the boy would get a nice flaming embrace that would turn him into black charcoal or white ash. This doesnt mean the elevator is stopped, does it? Stiyl thought with irritation. He had heard that elevators were made to stop during emergencies. That would be quite depressing for Stiyl. He was on the 7th floor. Even if she were a girl, carrying an unconscious person down stairs was tiring. That was why Stiyl was initially relieved to hear the microwave oven-like ding come from behind him. Then he came to his senses. Who was it? Who was on the elevator? It was the evening of summer break and he had already checked to make sure all of the students had left the dorm, leaving it deserted. So who was it and why did they need the elevator? The doors of the elevator clanked as they opened up. A single footstep on the floor wet from the sprinklers reverberated through the passageway. Stiyl slowly turned around. He had no idea why his body was trembling on the inside. Kamijou Touma stood there. What? What happened to Innocentius? Stiyl questioned. Thoughts whirled around chaotically in Stiyls head. Innocentius was like a cutting edge missile loaded in a fighter. After it locked on, it could never be escaped. No matter where you ran or hid, it would use its 3000 degree flames to melt through walls or obstacles, even if they were made of steel, and continue its chase. It was not something that could be escaped just by running around a building. Yet he stood there. He stood there unfazed, unstoppable, unassailable, and most of all, an unequivocal natural enemy. Come to think of it, runes are supposed to be carved into the walls and the floor, right? said Kamijou as the cold manmade rain poured down on him. Really, youre damn amazing. To be honest, I wouldve had no way to win if you had carved them with a knife. Feel free to brag about this all you want. As he spoke, Kamijou Touma raised his right arm and pointed at above his head. He pointed at the ceiling at the sprinkler. You cant mean! Those 3000 degree flames couldnt be put out by this! Dont be stupid. Not the flames. How can you put those things all over peoples homes? Stiyl then recalled the tens of thousands of rune papers he had set up on the dorm. Paper was weak to water. Even kindergartners knew that. By spraying water all over the building with the sprinklers, it did not matter if there were tens of thousands of the runes. He did not need to run around the building. Instead, he could press a single button and destroy all of the scraps of paper. The muscles of the magicians face spasmed. Innocentius! The instant he shouted that, the elevator door behind Kamijou melted like a sugar sculpture and the giant flame god crawled out into the passageway. Each time the raindrops hit its body of flames, they evaporated with the sound of a beasts breathing. Ha ha ha. Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Amazing! You have the battle sense of a genius! But you lack experience. Copy paper is not the same as toilet paper. Just getting it a bit wet isnt going to completely dissolve it! The magician spread his arms while laughter exploded from his mouth and he shouted, Kill him! Innocentius swung its arm like a hammer. Out of the way. Kamijou Touma made that one statement. He did not turn around. His right hand touched the giant flame god with a backhand blow and Innocentius exploded into all directions with a laughably pathetic noise. Wha-!? Stiyl Magnuss heart truly did stop for an instant out of shock. After being blown away, Innocentius did not revive. Black, fuel oil-like chunks of flesh were splattered about the area and all the chunks could do were feeble squirms. Impossible How How! My runes havent been destroyed yet! What about the ink? It seemed to take 5 years for Kamijou Toumas voice to reach Stiyls ears. Even if the copy paper hasnt been destroyed, the water will make the ink come off. Kamijou spoke in a leisurely manner. Although, the water didnt seem to take out every last one. The squirming pieces of Innocentius disappeared into thin air one at a time as the manmade rain continued to flow from the sprinklers. It was as if the ink on the copy paper taped all over the building was coming off in the rain one by one, causing Innocentius to lose power bit by bit. The chunks of flesh disappeared one by one until finally the last one dissolved and disappeared. Innocentius Innocentius! The magicians words were like those of a man shouting into a phone receiver after being hung up on. Now then. That one statement was enough to make the magicians entire body flinch. Kamijou Touma took a step toward Stiyl Magnus. Innocentius the magician said but not a single thing in the world responded. Kamijou Touma took another step toward Stiyl Magnus. Innocentius Innocentius, Innocentius! the magician shouted but not a single thing in the world changed. Kamijou Touma finally started charging toward Stiyl Magnus like a bullet. A-Ash to ash, dust to dust, Squeamish Bloody Rood! the magician finally roared, but not even a sword of flames appeared, much less the giant flame god. Kamijou Touma drew near Stiyl Magnus and then continued even closer. He clenched his fist. He clenched his utterly normal right hand. He clenched his right hand that would be of no use unless in contact with the supernatural. He clenched his right hand that would not defeat even a single delinquent, not raise his test scores, and not make him popular with girls. However, his right hand could also be quite useful. After all, he could use it to punch out the bastard standing before him. Kamijou Toumas fist slammed into the magicians face. The magicians body rotated like a bamboo copter and the back of his head struck the metal railing. Notes 1. "Blue-haired pierced-eared" is "Aogami Pierce" in Japanese. That sounds like a name, so it is used as if it is his name from here on out. 2. Biri Biri is Japanese onomatopoeia for an electric shock. 3. Only notable due to the dragon imagery commonly associated with Imagine Breaker, but the Japanese word for tornado literally means "winding dragon". 4. Magic god is Majin(ħ) which could also mean demon god Volume 1, 2: The Illusionist Bestows Demise. The_7th-Egde. Volume 1, Chapter 2: The Illusionist Bestows Demise. The_7th-Egde. Part 1 It was night; the sirens of an ambulance and fire trucks rang from the main road and echoed by. The dorm had seemed mostly abandoned, but the triggering of the fire alarm and the subsequent sprinklers going off had changed matters. In no time at all, the empty dorm was filled with fire trucks and onlookers. Kamijou had used his right hand to destroy the tracking function of the hood in his room before taking it with him. Had he left it working and abandoned it in some arbitrary place, he could have fooled the pursuers, but she obstinately insisted that she take it with her. Kamijou Touma clicked his tongue in a back alley. He held Indexs bloody form in his arms as he could not let her wound touch the dirty ground. He could not hand Index over to an ambulance. Academy City fundamentally disliked outsiders. That was why walls surrounded the city and three satellites were constantly monitoring all activities. Even the drivers of the trucks that supplied convenience stores needed an exclusive ID to get in. For that reason, information about an outsider without an ID, like Index, would spread if she were hospitalized. Not to mention, her enemy was part of some organization. If she were attacked there, the damage would have spread to those around her. Also, she would be defenseless if she were attacked while recovering or in surgery. But I cant just leave her like this. Ill be fine. If you can just stop the bleeding Indexs voice was weak and showed no hint of the mechanical voice she donned while she explained runes. And, that was why Kamijou immediately knew that what she had said was wrong. Her wound was beyond something an amateur could solve by wrapping bandages. Kamijou was accustomed to fights and he performed first aid on himself for most of the wounds best kept secret. But, the wound on her back was bad enough to make even Kamijou lose his cool. There remained only one thing that they could rely on. He still did not believe in it, but he had nothing else left to believe in. Hey, hey! Can you hear me? Kamijou lightly slapped Indexs cheek. Is there anything that can heal wounds in those 103,000 grimoires of yours? Kamijous idea of magic was nothing more than the attack magic and recovery magic in RPGs. It was true that Index had said that she was naturally unable to process magic power by herself and therefore could not use magic; but, Kamijou could handle supernatural powers, so if Index would just tell him what to do Indexs breathing was shallow. However, this was more due to blood loss than pain. Her pale lips trembled. There is but Kamijous face lit up for an instant until the word but belatedly caught in his mind. You cant do it Index let out a small breath. Even if I taught you the spell your power would surely get in the way ow even if you perfectly imitated it. Kamijou looked down at his right hand in shock. Imagine Breaker. The power residing there had indeed completely negated Stiyls flames. And so there was a chance that it would negate Indexs recovery magic the same way. Shit! Not again Why is it always this right hands fault!? That just meant that he needed to call someone: such as Aogami Pierce or that Biri Biri girl Misaka Mikoto. The faces of a few tough people whom he would have no worries about getting involved in this kind of trouble floated up in his mind. ? Index fell silent for a bit. No That isnt what I meant. ? Not your right hand The problem is that youre an esper. In that broiling night, she shivered like on a snowy mountain in midwinter. Magic is not something to be used by talented people like you espers. Untalented people wanted to do what the talented people could do so they created certain spells and rituals which are known as magic. Kamijou was about ready to shout, This is no time for explanations! You dont get it? The circuitry is different between talented people and untalented people Talented people cannot use the systems createdfor the untalented people Wha-? Kamijou was left speechless. It was true that drugs and electrodes were used on espers like Kamijou to forcibly expand the circuitry of their brains in a way that made it different from a normal humans. It was true that their bodies were different from others. But he could not believe it. No, he did not want to believe it. 2.3 million students lived in Academy City and every single one of them had undergone the powers development Curriculum. Even if it were not visibly apparent, even if they could not bend a spoon with efforts so strenuous they burst the blood vessels in their brain, and even if they were the weakest of espers, they were indeed made differently from a normal person. In other words, the people who lived in that city could not use magic, the one thing that could save the girl. There was a way to save the person before who lay before him, and yet not a single person could. Damn it Kamijou bared his canines like a beast. How could this happen? How could this happen!? What the hell is this!? How is this fair!? Indexs trembling grew worse. What Kamijou found the most difficult to bear was the fact that she received punishment for his own inability. Talented my ass, he spat out. I cant even save the girl suffering before my eyes. However, he could come up with no other solution to the situation. The fact that the 2.3 million students living in the city could not use magic was the rule he needed to break down first. ? Kamijou suddenly noticed something off about his thought process. Students? Hey, any normal talentless person can use magic, right? Eh? Yes. And this isnt going to end up being useless because the person has no talent for magic, right? You dont need to worry about that As long as they prepare correctly and perform it correctly even a middle school student should be able to do it. Index thought for a bit. Although, if they get the steps wrong, the pathways in their brain and their neural circuitry could be fried But with the knowledge of my 103,000 grimoires, it will be fine. Do not worry. Kamijou smiled. Without thinking, he looked up as if to howl at the moon in the night sky. It was true that 2.3 million students lived in Academy City and that they had all been developed to have some kind of psychic power. However, the teachers that developed them were normal humans. I hope she isnt already asleep. The face of a certain teacher appeared in Kamijou Toumas mind. It was the face of Tsukuyomi Komoe, the 135 centimeter tall homeroom teacher of his class who a red randoseru would suit despite her being a teacher. Kamijou used a pay phone to get Komoe-senseis address from Aogami Pierce. (Kamijou had dropped and broken his phone that morning. Why Aogami Pierce knew Komoes address was a mystery. Kamijou suspected he was a stalker.) Kamijou then began to walk with Indexs limp form on his back. This is the place He arrived after 15 minutes of walking from that back alley. Utterly unbefitting of Komoe-senseis 12 year old appearance, it was a two story wooden apartment building that looked so old and worn down that Kamijou felt it must have weathered the bombing of Tokyo. Since the washing machine was sitting directly out in the passageway, it must have had nothing like a bath. Normally, Kamijou would joke about it for the next 10 minutes, but he did not even smile. After checking the nameplates on the first floors doors, he climbed up the run-down and rusty metal staircase and checked the doors there. When he reached the door furthest back on the second floor, he had finally found Tsukuyomi Komoe written in hiragana. Kamijou rang the doorbell twice and then kicked at the door with all his might. His foot striking the door made a tremendous noise. However, the door did not so much as budge. True to form, Kamijou had the misfortune to think he heard an unpleasant crack come from his big toe. ~ ~ ~!! Yes, yes, yeees! The anti-newspaper salesman door is the only sturdy thing here. Ill open it, okay? Why didnt I just wait? He reprimanded himself. As Kamijou had that teary-eyed thought, the door clicked open and a pajama wearing Komoe-senseis head poked out through the crack. Her relaxed expression made it clear that she could not see Indexs back wound from her position. Wah, Kamijou-chan. Did you start working part time as a newspaper salesman? What newspaper has its workers solicit people with a nun on their backs? remarked Kamijou with displeasure. Im in a bit of trouble, so Ill be coming in. Excuse me. W-Wait, wait, wait! Komoe-sensei frantically tried to block Kamijous way as he pushed her aside. I-I cant have you suddenly coming into my room. And it isnt just because my room is a horrible mess with empty beer cans littering the floor and cigarette butts piled up in the ash tray! Sensei. Yes? See if you can make the same joke after seeing what Im carrying on my back. I-I wasnt joking! Gyahhh!? So now you notice it! I didnt see you had such a bad wound on your back, Kamijou-chan! Komoe-sensei began to panic at the sudden sight of blood and Kamijou finally managed to push her aside and enter the room. It looked like a room belonging to a middle aged man who loved betting on horse races. The badly worn tatami mats had countless empty beer cans strewn across them and the silver ash tray had a veritable mountain of cigarette butts in it. In what seemed like some kind of joke, in the middle of the room there was even a tea table of the kind a stubborn father would flip over. I see. So you werent joking. I suppose it is hardly the time, but do you have a problem with girls who smoke? Kamijou felt that was hardly the problem as he stared at his homeroom teacher who appeared 12 and kicked some beer cans out of the way to clear an open spot. He was reluctant to sit on the worn tatami mat, but there was no time to worry about preparing a futon. He laid Index face down on the floor to ensure her wound did not touch the floor. The way her clothes were torn hid the actual wound from view, but a dark red liquid was flowing out like fuel oil. Sh-Shouldnt you call an ambulance? Th-The phone is over there. Komoe-sensei pointed toward a corner of the room with a trembling hand. For some reason, her phone was a black rotary dial phone. The mana in the blood is flowing out along with the blood. Kamijou and Komoe-sensei reflexively turned toward Index. Index was still sprawled out limply on the floor but her eyes were silently open even as her head lay on its side like a broken doll. Her eyes were colder than the pale moonlight and more precise than the gears of a clock. Her eyes were so perfectly serene that they looked inhuman. Warning: Chapter 2, Verse 6. The loss of the life force known as mana due to blood loss has exceeded a certain amount and Johns Pen is being forcibly awoken. If the current situation persists, my body will lose the bare minimum of necessary life force and expire in about 15 minutes according to the international standard minute defined by the clock tower in London. It would be best if you followed the instructions I am about to give in order to perform the most efficient treatment. Komoe-sensei stared at Index in shock. Kamijou could hardly blame her. Even though he had heard that voice once before, he simply could not get used to it. Now then Kamijou looked over at Komoe-sensei and thought. If he out and bluntly asked her to use magic, she would surely tell him it was hardly the time to be pretending to be a magical girl and that she was much too old for that kind of thing anyway. So, how was he supposed to convince her? Hmm. Sensei, sensei. Since its an emergency, Ill keep this short. I need to tell you a secret, so come over here. What? Kamijou waved his hand like he was calling over a small dog and Komoe-sensei approached with no caution whatsoever. Sorry, Kamijou apologized to Index under his breath. He lifted up her ripped clothes to reveal the horrible wound hidden beneath. Ee!? He could hardly blame Komoe-sensei for jumping in shock. The wound was so bad that it shocked even Kamijou. It was a horizontally straight line cut across her back. It was as if a cardboard box had been sliced using a ruler and box cutter. Beyond the red blood, pink muscle, and yellow fat, something hard and white that seemed to be her backbone was visible. If the wound were viewed as a red mouth, the lips around it had gone utterly pale like a person who had been in a pool. Gh Kamijou forced away some dizziness and carefully lowered the clothing that was wet with blood. Even when the clothes touched the wound, Indexs icy eyes did not move in the slightest. Sensei. Eh? Yes!? Im going to call an ambulance. In the mean time, you need to listen to what this girl has to say and do whatever she wants Just make sure she doesnt lose consciousness. As you can tell by her clothing, shes religious. Thanks. If she viewed it as nothing more than consoling the girl, she could continue to view magic as impossible. For that reason, Kamijou had changed the focus in Komoe-senseis mind from treating the wound to continuing the conversation by any means necessary. Komoe-sensei was nodding with an extremely serious expression and pale face. The one problem was that Kamijou had to kill time outside while it happened. If an ambulance arrived before the magic were complete, the consolation would end, meaning that he could not actually call an ambulance. But, that alone did not mean Kamijou had to leave. After all, he could just dial 117 with the rooms black phone and pretend to be calling an ambulance while actually speaking to a recording. The real problem lay elsewhere. Hey, Index, Kamijou spoke softly to Index as she remained collapsed on the floor. Is there anything I can do? There is not. The best option for you would be to leave. Her overly clear and concise wording made Kamijou clench his right fist so hard it was painful. There was nothing Kamijou could do and it was all because of his right hand that would negate the recovery magic simply by being present in the room. Then, sensei. Im gonna go look for a pay phone. Wait eh? Kamijou-chan, I have a phone he- Kamijou ignored Komoe-senseis words, opened the door, and left the room. He gritted his teeth at the fact that he could do nothing but leave. Kamijou ran through the city at night. As he ran, he clenched his right hand that could negate even the systems of God but could not protect a single person. After Kamijou Touma left the room, Index moved her pale lips. What is the current time in Japan Standard Time? Also, what is the date? It is 8:30 PM on July 20th You did not seem to reference a clock. Is the time accurate? I do not have a clock in my room, but my internal clock is accurate down to the second, so do not worry. You dont need to doubt me that much. I have heard that some jockeys have internal clocks accurate to a tenth of a second and you can regulate it with certain eating habits and rhythmic activities, explained Komoe-sensei in puzzlement. She may not have been an esper, but she indeed was a resident of Academy City. The concepts of common knowledge that were normal for medical and scientific fronts were different between those within the city and those without. Still lying face down on the floor, Index glanced out the window with only her eyes. From the location of the stars and angle of the moon the time matches the direction of Sirius with an error of 0.038. Now, to check once more: the current time in Japan Standard Time is July 20th 8:30 PM, is that correct? Yes. Well, technically it is now 53 seconds past that, but Ah, no!! Dont get up!! Komoe-sensei frantically tried to push Index back down as she tried to sit up, further damaging her already injured body, but Indexs gaze did not waver in the slightest. Her gaze was neither frightening nor piercing. All emotion had simply disappeared from her eyes as if a light switch had been turned off. There lacked any real presence in her eyes. It was like her soul was missing. It is no matter. It can be regenerated, said Index as she headed for the tea table in the center of the room. It is near the end of Cancer. The time is between eight and midnight. The direction is west. Under the protection of Undine, the role of the angel is the cherub The sound of Komoe-sensei gulping could be heard throughout the room. Unexpectedly, Index began to draw some kind of figure atop the small tea table with her bloody finger. Even those unfamiliar with a magic circle would recognize it as something religious. Komoe-sensei had already grown timid, but now something overwhelmed her to the point of muteness. After drawing a circle of blood that filled the tea table, Index drew a star-shaped symbol known as a pentagram. Characters in some strange language were written all around it. The words were likely the same as Indexs mutterings. She had asked about the constellations and time because the words written changed depending on the time and season. As Index crafted her magic, she showed none of the weakness of an injured one. Her extreme focus made it seem like her sense of pain had been temporarily cut off altogether. A silent chill ran down Komoe-senseis back as she heard the dripping of blood coming from the girls back. W-W-Wh-What is this? Magic. Index paused after that one word. I will now need your help and your body. If you do as I say, no one will meet any misfortune and you will avoid the target of anyones resentment. H-How can you say that so calmly!? Just lie down and wait for the ambulance! Umm bandages, bandages. With a wound this bad, I should bind the area around the artery to stop the flow of blood That level of treatment cannot completely close up my wound. I am not familiar with the term ambulance, but, is it capable of completely closing this wound in the next 15 minutes and supplying me with the needed level of mana? It was true that an ambulance would take 10 minutes to arrive even if they called at exactly that instant and would also take that long to take her back to the hospital and on top of that, the treatment would not start the second she arrived at the hospital. Komoe-sensei lacked the understanding of what an occult term like mana meant, but it was true that just closing the wound would not bring back her stamina. Even if the wound were closed at that exact instant with a needle and thread, would that pale girl be too weak to live long enough to recover her missing stamina? Please. inquired Index without the slightest change in her expression. A mix of fresh blood and saliva was dripping from the corner of her mouth. She had no intensity and there was nothing ghastly about her either. But, her calmness and composure were more frightening than either. How everything she did seemed to widen the wound made her seem like a broken machine continuing to run without realizing something was amiss. If I do anything that makes her resist, her situation could become even worse. Komoe-sensei conceded. Komoe-sensei sighed. Of course she did not believe in magic. However, Kamijou had asked her to keep the conversation going to make sure the girl did not lose consciousness. All she could do was try not to provoke the girl sitting before her and place her hopes in Kamijous calling an ambulance as quickly as possible if not sooner and in the splendid first aid of the EMTs in the ambulance. So what should I do? I am not a magical girl. I thank you for your cooperation. First take that that what is that black thing? ? Oh, that is a video game memory card. ??? Well, fine. At any rate, take that black thing and place it in the middle of the table. Technically, its a tea table Komoe-sensei did as she was told and placed the memory card in the middle of the tea table. She then took a mechanical pencil lead case, an empty box of chocolates, and two small paperback books and put them on the tea table as well. She also took two small figurines that came with her food, and lined them up next to each other. Komoe-sensei wondered what the point of it was but Index was still completely serious, despite looking about ready to collapse. All of her complaints disappeared before the gaze as sharp as a Japanese sword that emanated from that pale face. What is this? You called it magic, but isnt this just playing with dolls? Sure enough, the whole looked like a miniature version of the room. The memory card was the tea table, the two books standing up were the bookshelf and closet, and the two figurines were in the exact place of the two individuals in the room. When glass beads were scattered over the tea table, they seemed to stop in places that perfectly emulated the beer cans scattered across the floor. The substances do not matter. It is the same as how a magnifying glass magnifies regardless of whether the lens is made of glass or plastic As long as the form and role are the same, the ceremony is possible, muttered Index as she dripped with sweat. I just need you to accurately carry out my instructions. If you mistake the order, the pathways in your brain and your neural circuitry could be fried. ??? I am saying that failure will turn your body into mincemeat and kill you. Please be careful. Bh!? Komoe-sensei almost spat out, but Index continued without paying any heed. We will now create a temple for the angel to descend into. Follow my lead and chant. What Index said after that went beyond words and become nothing but sound. Without thinking about the meaning, Komoe-sensei attempted to copy just the tone into something like a hum or song. And Kyahh!? Suddenly, the figures on top of the tea table started to sing as well. Kyahh!? one of them screamed with the exact same timing. The figures were vibrating. Just as vibrations are transmitted along the string in a toy telephone and come out as a voice in the paper cup on the other end, the figure vibrated and reproduced Komoe-senseis voice. The reason Komoe-sensei did not panic and run from the room right then and there was likely because she lived in a city housing 2.3 million espers. A normal person would have thought they were out of their mind. Link complete. Indexs voice and the voice from the tea table made it sound double. The temple created on the table has been linked to this room. To put it simply, everything that happens in this room will happen on the table and everything that happens on the table will happen in this room. Index pushed the tea table lightly with her foot. In that instant, the entire apartment shook under Komoe-senseis feet as if from some great shock. She could feel the stuffy air of the room growing as clear as the air in a forest in the early morning. However, nothing akin to an angel was present. All that was present was what could only be described as an invisible presence. A feeling assaulted Komoe-senseis entire body like she was being watched by thousands of eyeballs from every direction. And then, Index suddenly shouted. Imagine! Imagine a golden angel with the body of a child! Imagine a beautiful angel with two wings! When carrying out magic, determining the field was important. For example, a pebble thrown into the sea creates a feeble ripple. However, a pebble dropped into a bucket makes quite a ripple. The concept was the same. To alter the world with magic, the field in which the alteration would take place had to be demarcated. A protector was a temporary god in a small demarcated world. If one properly imagined a protector, fixated its form, and freely controlled it, one could more easily cause mysterious things to happen in a limited field. Komoe-sensei did not receive any such explanation and was having a hard time imagining an angel. The term golden angel only made her think of that thing about one gold one or five silver ones. 1 As the image in Komoe-senseis mind lost coherence, the surrounding presence followed suit and lost its form. An unpleasant feeling ran down Komoe-senseis back like she was wrapped in the rotten mud from the bottom of a swamp. Just imagine it! This will not actually call in an angel. It is just a gathering of invisible mana. It will take form according to your will as the magic user! She must have truly been desperate because even the voice of that cool, mechanical Index grew as sharp as an icicle. Komoe-senseis eyes opened wide at that sudden change and she hurriedly began to mutter under her breath. A cute angel, a cute angel, a cute angel. Hazily, she frantically called up an image of the girl angel she had seen in a shoujo manga long ago. Whatever it was that felt like invisible mud hanging in the rooms air took form as if it had been shoved inside a human-shaped balloon or at least that was how it seemed to Komoe-sensei. She timidly opened her eyes to check. Huh? This will not actually call in an angel? She considered the idea. The instant that doubt entered her mind, the human-shaped water balloon burst and the invisible mud splattered across the room. Kyahh!! The fixation of its form has failed. Index looked around with her sharp gaze. If the temple is at least protected by a blue color Undine, it will be enough. Continue. Her words were positive enough, but Indexs eyes were not smiling in the slightest. Komoe-sensei flinched back like a child whose parents had just seen a failed test that she had tried to keep hidden. Chant. It will be over with just a bit more. The sharp order refused to let Komoe-sensei lose her composure despite her rising confusion and flagging thoughts. Index, Komoe-sensei, and the two figurines on the tea table sang. The back of Indexs figurine on the table began to melt. It was as if it were rubber being held up to a lighter. It melted, the surface lost its unevenness, it grew smooth, it cooled and hardened once more, and its form came back together. Komoe-sensei felt like her heart was freezing over. Currently, Index was sitting across the tea table from her. She did not have the courage to circle around and see what was happening to Indexs back. Indexs pale face was covered in oily sweat. Her glassy eyes still showed no sign of pain or suffering. Replenishment of mana and stabilization of condition confirmed. Returning Johns Pen to dormant mode. Like a switch had been flipped, a soft light returned to Indexs eyes. Like a fire being lit in a cooled fireplace, warmth filled the rooms atmosphere. The look in Indexs eyes was so kind and warm that Komoe-sensei could not help but feel that warmth. It was the look of a normal girl. Now, if the descended protector is returned and the temple destroyed, it will be over. Index smiled painfully. This is what magic is. Its the same as how apple and ringo2 mean the same thing. You dont need a glass wand when a plastic umbrella is just as clear. Its the same thing with tarot cards. As long as the design and numbers match, you can perform divinations with the cut outs from the back of a shoujo manga. Indexs sweating did not stop. Komoe-sensei grew even more afraid. She began to worry that what she had done had only made Indexs condition worse. Dont worry. Index looked about ready to collapse even then. Its like a cold. You need your own strength to get better. The wound itself has been closed up, so Ill be fine. As soon as she said that, Index collapsed to the side. The figurine fell over, too. The tea table shook slightly and the room linked to it was assaulted by a thundering tremble. Komoe-sensei was about to run around the tea table to Index, but Index began to sing. When Komoe-sensei followed along and sang one last song, the strange atmosphere returned to the normal and stuffy atmosphere of the apartment. Komoe-sensei cautiously shook the tea table but nothing happened. Thank goodness, she thought. As Komoe-sensei closed her eyes in relief, Index spoke. Komoe-sensei thought that anyone would be glad to have their deadly wound healed, but the nun said something else. Im glad I did not burden anyone with anything. Komoe-sensei stared at Index in surprise. If I had died here, he may have had to bear the burden. Index closed her as if to sleep and said nothing more. When that girls back was sliced, when she collapsed and when she had performed the strange ritual, she had never once thought about herself. She had been thinking about the person who had carried her there. Komoe-sensei could not think the same way. She had no one to think that way about. That was why she asked one thing. She was sure Index was already asleep and would not hear her; but that was exactly why she asked it, yet the girl answered with her eyes still closed. I dont know. She had never felt that way about anyone before and she did not know what the feeling was. But, when he recklessly angered for her while facing that magician, she had wanted him to run away even if she had to crawl to him and force him. When he had run away from Innocentius, she had thought she would cry when he had returned. She could not fathom it, but when she was with him, nothing ever went as she wanted and she felt pushed around. And yet, those unexpected things were enjoyable and made her so happy. She did not recognize what the feeling was, however. This time, Index fell into a deep sleep with a smile on her face, as if she were enjoying a pleasant dream. Part 2 After dawn came, her symptoms were like those of a cold. Index was bedridden with a high fever and a headache, though, she lacked a runny nose or a sore throat because it was not a genuine virus. It was simply a matter of regaining her missing stamina, so no matter how many immunity-strengthening cold medicines she took, the efforts would be futile. So why are you wearing only panties down below? Index, lying down, had a wet towel on her forehead; she apparently was unable to stand the hot dampness inside the futon and had one leg sticking out in Kamijous direction. She wore a pale green pajama top but her bright skin-colored thigh was sticking out up to its base. Due to her fever, the skin was a bit pink. The towel had grown lukewarm so Komoe-sensei stuck it into a basin of water and splashed it around while she glared at Kamijou. Kamijou-chan. I think those clothes were a bit too much. Those clothes likely referred to the safety-pin-covered white nuns habit. Kamijou agreed with her completely about it but Index looked like a displeased cat over having her familiar habit taken from her. The real question is how the pajamas of a beer-loving, heavy-smoking adult like you fit Index so perfectly. Just what is the age difference between you two anyway? Wha-? Komoe-sensei (age unknown) was at a loss for words, but Index went in to kick her while she was down. Please dont look down on me like that. These pajamas are actually a bit tight around the chest. What impossible! That cant be right. Now youre just making fun of me! protested Komoe-sensei. Actually, do you even have anything in the chest area for it to be tight around!? asked Kamijou. As the two ladies glared at him and Kamijous soul reflexively entered prostration mode. Right, right. By the way, Kamijou-chan, who exactly is this girl? My little sister. That is a blatant lie. With that silver hair and those green eyes, she is clearly a foreigner! Shes my stepsister. And youre a pervert? Im just kidding! Im well aware that a stepsister is bad manners but a real sister is against the rules! Kamijou-chan, she said, suddenly switching over to her instructor voice. Kamijou fell silent. It was not at all surprising that Komoe-sensei wanted to know what was going on. Not only had he brought a strange foreigner to her, but the girl had had a blade wound on her back that clearly smelled of bad news. Komoe-sensei was even forced to take part in some strange bit of magic. It would have been difficult to ask her to turn a blind eye. Sensei, can I ask one thing? What? Are you asking so you can tell the police or Academy Citys board of directors? Yes, Komoe-sensei immediately said with a nod. With no hesitation, she had told her student that she would sell them out. I do not know what kind of situation you two are in. Komoe-sensei smiled. But if it happened here in Academy City, it is our duty as teachers to resolve it. Taking responsibility for the children is the duty of the adults. Now that I know you are in some kind of trouble, I cannot sit idly by. That was what Tsukuyomi Komoe said, yet she had no power, no strength, and no duty to do so. She merely said it with the straightforwardness of a famous katana slicing straight through the proper place at the proper time. I just Kamijou said before he finished under his breath. Cant stand up to her. Kamijou had lived a long 15 or so years and yet had never seen someone else like that teacher: the type seen in dramas, not even seen in movies anymore. And so If you were a complete stranger, I wouldnt have hesitated to get you involved, but I owe you for that magic, so I cant let you get involved. Kamijous response was just as straightforward. He had already had enough of seeing people who were willing to protect others for nothing in return be hurt before his eyes. Komoe-sensei fell silent for a moment. Mhh. I am not going to let you get away with trying to trick me with some cool line. ? Sensei, whyd you get up and head for the door? I am giving this a stay of execution. I need to go to the supermarket for groceries. Kamijou-chan, you figure out exactly what it is you need to tell me in the mean time. And And? I might get so caught up in shopping that I forget. No cheating when I get back. Make sure you tell me, okay? Kamijou thought Komoe-sensei smiled as she spoke. With the sound of the apartment door opening and then closing, Kamijou and Index were left alone in the room. Shes trying to be kind, he realized. From the smile of a child plotting something on her face, Kamijou had a feeling Komoe-sensei would forgot everything once she returned from the supermarket. If he later decided to consult her about it, she would surely act furious and say Why didnt you tell me sooner!? I completely forgot! and happily agree to help. With a sigh, Kamijou turned toward Index who lay in the futon. Sorry. I know this is no time to be worried about appearances. Dont worry about it. This is for the best. Index shook her head. It would be wrong to get her any more involved. And she cant use any more magic. ? Kamijou frowned. Grimoires are dangerous. Written in them are aberrant and uncommon knowledge as well as twisted laws that break the common laws of this world. Whether theyre for good or evil, those things are toxic in this world. Merely learning the knowledge of a different world will destroy the brain of the one who learns it, explained Index. Kamijou tried to translate that in a way he understood. So is it like forcefully running a program that isnt compatible with a computers OS? My brain and spirit are protected by religious barriers and magicians who attempt to exceed being human must exceed the boundaries of their own common knowledge to arrive at the desired state of mind that can almost be likened to a type of insanity. However, for a normal person from a barely religious country like Japan, it could all be over after just casting one more spell. I-I see Kamijou somehow managed to stop the shock he had received from showing. Well, thats a shame. I was hoping she would be able to perform alchemy for me. You know alchemy, right? It can turn lead into gold. He of course omitted the fact that he knew this from an item mixing RPG with a young female alchemist as its protagonist. Well, there is a technique for that called Ars Magna, but preparing the tools with modern materials would cost um 7 trillion yen in this countrys currency. Well, that definitely isnt worth it, muttered Kamijou soullessly. Index smiled weakly and said, Yeah. Turning lead into gold accomplishes nothing more than make nobles happy. But wait. Now that I think about it, what does that do? How does it work? If youre turning lead into gold, are you rearranging the Pb atoms into Au? I dont really know, but its only a 14th century technique. Wait, do you mean what I think you mean? It might actually be changing the atomic arrangement!? You mean you could cause proton decay without a particle accelerator and nuclear fusion without a nuclear reactor!? Wait just a second. Im not even sure the seven Level 5s of Academy City could do that! ??? Wait, dont look so confused! Um um Ah. If youre wondering just how amazing that would be, that kind of thing would let us easily create atomic robots or mobile suits! What are those? With those three words she cast aside all of the dreams of men. As Kamijous head hung down limply, Index seemed to feel she had done something wrong. A-Anyway, the holy swords and magic wands used in ceremonies can be made with modern materials as substitutes, but there is a limit. This especially goes for sacred items related to God such as the Lance of Longinus, Josephs Holy Grail, or The_ROOD. Even after 1000 years, it seems no substitutes can be made ow As she talked on and on excitedly, she began to hold her temple like she had a hangover. Kamijou Touma looked at Indexs face as she lay in the futon. She had 103,000 grimoires in her head. Just reading one of them could drive you insane and yet she had put each and every letter of all those books in her head. How much pain had that process caused her? Yet she never once complained about her pain. Do you want to know? she asked while ignoring her own pain as if apologizing to Kamijou. Indexs usual cheerful tone had set a context that made that quiet voice stand out and seem to hold even more determination. Sensei, you idiot. He reprimanded her. Indexs situation was irrelevant to Kamijou. Whatever situation she had possibly been in, there was no way he could abandon her. As long as he could defeat her enemies and keep her safe, he saw no reason to dig into her old wounds. Do you want to know what my circumstances are? repeated the girl naming herself Index. Kamijou made up his mind and replied, That kinda makes me feel like a priest, yknow? In a way, it really did. He felt like a priest listening to the confessions of a sinner. Do you know why? Index asked. The Christian church was originally a single organization, but now there are the Catholics, the Protestants, the Roman Catholics, the Russian Orthodox, the Anglicans, the Nestorians, the Athanasians, the Gnostics, and more. Do you know why these splits occurred? Well Kamijou had at least skimmed through his history textbook, so he had an idea what the answer was. However, he hesitated to mention it in front of the genuine Index. Thats good enough. Index actually smiled. It was because politics were mixed in with the church. Sects split, opposed each other, and fought. In the end, even people who believed in the same God were each others enemies. Even as we believe in the same God, we each walk a different road of many scattered paths. Of course, peoples ideas on things naturally differed. Some wanted to make money with the word of God while others refused to allow that. Some felt they were loved by God more than anyone else in the world while others refused to accept that. After the sects stopped interacting with each other, we each underwent our own isolated development which gave us our individual characteristics. We changed in accordance to the situations or cultures of our countries. Index let out a small breath. The Roman Catholic Church manages and controls the world, the Russian Orthodox Church searches out and eliminates the occult and the Anglican Church I belong to Indexs words caught in her throat for a second. England is a country of magic, she said as if that was a bitter memory. So the Anglican Church is especially advanced in anti-magician culture and techniques as seen by witch hunts and the inquisition. In London alone were a number of public companies calling themselves magic cabals and there were 10 times that many shell corporations that really only existed on paper. Their trials and errors that had begun as a means of protecting the citizens from the evil magicians lurking in the city had developed too far in one direction and at some point became a culture of slaughter and execution. The Anglican Church has a special division, said Index as if she were confessing her own sins. It investigates magic and develops countermeasures with which to defeat magicians. It is known as Necessarius. She sounded exactly like a nun. If you do not know your enemy, you cannot defend against their attacks. However, understanding an impure enemy will make your own heart impure and touching an impure enemy will make your body impure. That is why Necessarius, the church of necessary evils, was created to draw all of those impurities into one place. And the most extreme case of this is The 103,000 grimoires. Yes. Index gave a small nod. Magic is something like an equation. If you skillfully reverse the calculations, you can counteract your opponents attack. That is why I had these 103,000 grimoires put into me. If you know magic from all around the world, you can neutralize magic from all around the world. Kamijou looked down at his right hand. He had thought his right hand was of no use. The power of his right hand would not let him defeat even a single delinquent, would not raise his scores on tests, and would not make him popular with girls, and so he had mainly just ignored it. But, this girl had gone through hell to achieve the same thing. But if these grimoires are so dangerous and you know where they are, why dont you just burn them without reading them? As long as there are people to read and learn from these grimoires, magicians will continue to appear without end, right? The actual books are less important than the contents. Even if you got rid of an Original, the magicians who knew the contents would pass that on to their followers, so it would be pointless. Although someone who does that is known as a sorcerer rather than a magician, explained Index. Is it something like data posted on the internet? Even if you delete the original data, copy after copy of the data will continue to exist. Kamijou analogized. Also, a grimoire is nothing more than a textbook. Index sounded as if she were in pain. Just reading one does not make you a magician. Magicians change it up to suit themselves and create a new type of magic. It was less like data and more like a constantly changing computer virus. To completely eliminate the virus, you had to be constantly analyzing the virus and creating new antivirus software. As I said before, grimoires are dangerous. Index narrowed her eyes. When disposing just a copy, an expert Inquisitioner must sew his eyes shut to prevent pollution of his brain, and even then it takes 5 years of baptisms to fully rid him of the poison. The human mind cannot handle an Original. The only option for the 103,000 Originals scattered about the world is to seal them. It was as if she were discussing what to do with a vast collection of leftover nuclear weapons. Actually, that was more or less what it was. Most likely, the very people who had written them had not expected this. Tch. But cant magic be used by any normal person excluding us espers? Then wouldnt this spread throughout the world in no time at all? Kamijou recalled Stiyls flames. What if everyone in the world could use that kind of power? The common knowledge of the world that built its foundation on science would crumble. You dont have to worry about that. The magic cabals do not recklessly let the grimoires get out to the general public. ? Why not? Wouldnt it be better for them to have more comrades to fight for them? That is exactly why. If every single person who had a gun were friends, there would be no war. Just because two people knew magic did not mean they were on the same side. It was because they knew the power of their trump cards that they did not want to recklessly create enemy magicians. The grimoires were treated like the plans of a new weapon. Hmm. I think I get it. Kamijou seemed deep in thought. So basically, they want to get their hands on the bomb in your head. She was a library with perfect copies of the worlds 103,000 Original grimoires in her head. To obtain her was to obtain all the magic in the world. Right. From her voice, it sounded like she was about to die. With the 103,000 grimoires, you would be able to twist everything in the world to your will without exception. That is what we call a Magic God. Not the god of the demon world, but someone who had thoroughly mastered magic to the point of entering the domain of god. A Magic God. Fuck that, Kamijou thought angrily. Without realizing, Kamijou had begun to grit his back teeth. He could tell from how Index acted that she did not choose to have those 103,000 grimoires put into her head. Kamijou recalled Stiyls flames. She lived like that for no reason other than to prevent as many victims as she could. Kamijou could not stand how the magicians were using those feelings to their advantage and could not stand how the church referred to her as impure. All of them were treating a human being like a thing and Index must have seen nothing but people who did that. The fact that she still put everyone above herself despite that was what Kamijou could stand the least. Sorry. Kamijou had no clue what it was that made him so angry. But, that one word made him truly snap. He lightly tapped Index on the forehead. Oh, come on. Why didnt you tell me about something this important? Index froze in place as Kamijou stared at that bedridden girl with his canines bared. Her eyes opened wide like she had done something horribly wrong and her lips frantically moved like she was trying to say something. But, I didnt think you would believe me and I didnt want to scare you. And um Index seemed about to burst into tears and her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke. Kamijou could barely hear her toward the end. Still, Kamijou heard her say I didnt want you to hate me. No, fuck that!! He literally heard a snapping noise. Dont look down on people and come up with your own estimation of them! Church secrets? 103,000 grimoires? Yeah, that stuff is amazing and incredible. And yes, it all seems so absurd that I still dont really believe it. But Kamijou paused for a beat. Is that it? Indexs eyes opened wide. Her small lips frantically moved as if to say something, but no words came out. Dont look down on me like that. Did you really think I would call you creepy or disgusting or something just because you memorized 103,000 grimoires!? Did you think I would abandon you and run off the instant magicians showed up? Fuck that. If that were all I was capable of, I wouldnt have taken you in the first place! As Kamijou spoke, he finally realized what it was he was so upset about. Kamijou had simply wanted to be of some help to Index. He did not want to see Index get hurt anymore. That was it. And yet, she refused to let Kamijou protect her while she put herself in harms way to protect him. Kamijou had wanted to hear her ask for help just once. It was frustrating for him. So very, very frustrating. Just trust me a little. Dont come up with your own estimations of people. That was all there was to it. Even if he did not have his right hand and were a normal person, it would have been no reason for Kamijou to back down. No such reason could exist. Index merely stared at Kamijous face in astonishment for a time. But then, tears welled up in her eyes. It was as if her eyes were made of ice and had begun to melt. Index clenched and sealed her lips to choke down the sobs, but her lips trembled as if she could no longer stand it. She drew the futon up to her mouth and bit onto it. If not for the blanket, the enlarged and growing tears in her eyes would have made her seem like she had bawled like a kindergartener. In all likelihood, the tears were not merely in response to the words Kamijou had spoken. Kamijou lacked enough conceit to think it was. He doubted his words had made that much of an impression on her. Most likely, something that had been building up within her had come flowing out with his words as the trigger. Just as he felt his heart break at the thought of no one ever having said those words to her before, Kamijou also felt that he had finally seen Indexs weakness which made him a bit happy. However, Kamijou was not the kind of pervert who enjoyed watching girls cry. In fact, it was incredibly awkward. If Komoe-sensei unknowingly entered at that moment, he was sure she would unhesitatingly tell him to die. U-Um Ysee. I have my right hand, so no magician is any match for me! But sob you said you have supplementary lessons during summer break. Did I say that? You definitely did. Apparently, the girl who had perfectly memorized 103,000 books had an excellent memory. Dont feel bad about throwing someones everyday life into disorder with something like this. My supplementary lessons arent that big a deal. School doesnt want to hold me back if they can help it, so if I ditch the supplementary lessons, I can just go to supplementary lessons for the supplementary lessons. I can put them off as long as I need to. If Komoe-sensei had heard that, that room would likely have turned into a battlefield, but he paid that no heed. With tears still in her eyes, Index looked up at Kamijou. Then why were you in such a rush to get to your supplementary lessons? Oh. Kamijou thought back. Sure enough, after he had stripped her nude by destroying her Walking Church with Imagine Breaker and that closed elevator-like silence had taken over, he had Because you had plans and because you had a normal life to live, I felt it was wrong to disturb all that O-Oh. Yeah I was in the way there. I was in the way Once she repeated herself with tears in her eyes, it was downright impossible to try to get out of it. Im fwowwy! Kamijou Touma apologized as he quickly entered prostration mode. Index slowly sat up in the futon like a sick person, grabbed Kamijous ears, and bit down on the top of his head like it was a giant onigiri. About 600 meters away on top of a multi-tenant building, Stiyl took his binoculars away from his eyes. The boy Index is with Ive looked into him. How is she? Without turning around, Stiyl replied to the girl who had spoken to him. Shes alive. But that must mean they have a magic user. The girl gave no response, but it seemed she was more relieved that no one had died than worried about a new enemy. The girl was 18, but she was about a head shorter than Stiyl who was only 14. But then, Stiyl was over 2 meters tall, so the girl was still tall when compared to the average Japanese height. Her waist-long black hair was tied in a ponytail and at her waist was a sheathed Japanese sword over two meters long. It was a type known as a command sword that was used in Shinto rain calling ceremonies. However, it was difficult to call her a Japanese beauty. She wore used jeans and a white shirt. For someone reason, the left leg of her jeans were completely cut off up to the base of her thigh, the extra cloth at the bottom of her T-shirt was tied off so her midriff was visible, she wore knee high boots, and her Japanese sword was hanging down in a leather holster like a pistol. She looked something like a sheriff from a Western who had traded their pistol for a Japanese sword. Just like Stiyl, the perfume-smelling priest, her outfit was hardly normal. So who exactly is this guy, Kanzaki? Thing about that I was unable to get much information on the boy. At the very least, it seems hes not a magician or supernaturally powered in some other way. What, are you trying to say hes just a normal high school student? Stiyl lit the cigarette he pulled out by staring at the tip. Just stop. I may not look it, but Im a magician that has fully analyzed the existing 24 runes and developed 6 new and powerful runes. This world isnt kind enough to let a powerless amateur drive back Innocentiuss flames of judgment. With Indexs assistance, he had put together a plan using that help almost immediately. Plus there was that strange right hand of his. If he were a normal person in Japan, than it truly was a country of mysteries. True. Kanzaki Kaori narrowed her eyes. The real issue is that someone with that much battle ability is categorized as nothing more than a hopeless student who is prone to getting into fights. Academy City had a hidden side where it was an institution that mass produced espers. Even if the organization under which Stiyl and Kanzaki operated was hiding Indexs presence, Stiyl and Kanzaki had contacted the organization known as the Five Elements Institution beforehand to get permission to enter the city. Even the magic group that was known as the greatest in the world could not remain hidden within the enemys field. Perhaps the information is being intentionally blocked. Also, Indexs wounds were magically healed. Kanzaki, do any other magical organizations exist in the Far East? They had decided that the boy must have had an organization other than the Five Elements Institution on his side. They mistakenly believed that this other organization was thoroughly eliminating all information on Kamijou. If theyre doing something in this city, the Five Elements Institutions informants must have picked up on them. Kanzaki closed her eyes. We have an unknown number of enemies and no chance of backup. This is a difficult development. It was all a misunderstanding. Kamijous Imagine Breaker had zero effect unless it was being used on supernatural powers. In other words, Academy Citys System Scan was unable to measure his power because it used machines to measure it. And so, Kamijou had the misfortune to be treated like a Level 0 despite possessing a top class right hand. In the worst case scenario, this could develop into a magical battle against an organization. Stiyl, I heard your runes have a fatal flaw when it comes to waterproofing. Ive already compensated for that. I laminated the runes. The same trick wont work on me again. Like a stage magician, he pulled out the runes that now looked almost like trading cards. This time, I will place the barrier 2 kilometers around the area rather than just on the building. It will take 164,000 cards and the preparations will take 60 hours to complete. Unlike in video games, real magic took a bit more than just the chanting of a spell. It may seem like it was all it took at first glance, on the contrary, quite a bit of preparation was necessary behind the scenes. Stiyls flames were the type of thing that had instructions along the lines of Take a silver wolfs fang that has soaked up 10 years of moonlight and For this reason, Stiyls speed was actually that of an expert. In short, magical battles were a matter of reading what was to come. When the battle started, you were essentially caught in the trap that was the enemys barrier. When defending, you had to determine what the enemys spell was, and find a way to turn it back at the enemy. When attacking, you had to predict what kinds of counterattacks would come and rearrange your spell accordingly. Unlike simple martial arts, you had to think 100-200 steps ahead amidst constantly changing surroundings. While savage terms like fighting were used, it was actually more of an intellectual battle. For that reason, an enemy force of unknown numbers put a magician at a serious disadvantage. She looks so happy, the rune magician suddenly said as he stared 600 meters ahead without using his binoculars. She looks so very, very happy. She always lives such a happy life. He sounded like he was spitting out some kind of thick liquid. How long do we have to keep ripping that to pieces? Kanzaki stared 600 meters ahead from behind Stiyl. Even without using binoculars or magic, she could see clearly with her 8.0 vision. Through the window, she could see the girl angrily biting down on the boys head while he flailed his arms around and struggled. It must be a complicated feeling, said Kanzaki like a machine. For someone like you who was once in that same position. Im used to it, replied the flame magician. He truly had experienced that feeling many times before. Part 3 Bathtime? Bathtime? sang Index as she walked next to Kamijou, holding a wash basin in both hands. As if to say she were done being sick, she had changed from pajamas into her safety-pin-covered nuns habit. Kamijou had no idea what kind of magic trick she used, but the bloody habit was perfectly clean. He had a feeling it would tear into pieces if place in the washing machine, so he wondered if she had taken it apart and washed each individual piece. Does it bother you that much? To be honest, I dont care about the smell. Are you the type that likes the smell of sweat? I didnt mean it like that!! After three days, she was finally well enough to head out and a bath was her first request. Komoe-senseis apartment lacked anything even remotely resembling a bath so their only options were to borrow the one in the managers room or head to the run down public bath nearby. And so, the young boy and girl were walking along a footpath at night with wash basins in hand. Just what era of Japanese culture are we living in? Komoe-sensei had commented with a smile as she explained the public bath system. She let Kamijou and Index stay in her apartment without asking for details on their situation. Kamijou agreed to freeload with her because he did not want to return to his dorm that was undoubtedly being watched by the enemy. Touma, Touma, said Index in a muffled voice because she was lightly biting the upper arm of his shirt. Due to her habit of biting people, it was nothing more than a gesture similar to grabbing at a persons clothes to draw their attention. What? Kamijou replied in exasperation. That morning, Index had realized she didnt know his name, so he had introduced himself to her. In the time since then, she had to have called his name about sixty thousand times. Nothing. I just like calling your name for no reason. Her expression was like that of a child going to an amusement park for the first time. Index seemed much attached to him. It was likely because of what had happened three days prior but Kamijou was less happy than he was unsure how to feel about the fact that no one had ever said something that basic to Index. Komoe said the Japanese public bath has coffee milk. Whats coffee milk? Is it like a cappuccino? Youre not gonna find anything that elegant in a public bath. Dont get your hopes up so much, said Kamijou. Hmm, but the giant bath might be a bit shocking to you. In England, the cramped baths like those at a hotel are most common, right? Hm? I dont really know. Index tilted her head to the side as if she really did not know. The first thing I remember is begin here in Japan. I dont really know how things are back in England. Hmm. So thats why you speak Japanese so fluently. If you were here since you were little, then youre practically Japanese yourself. However, the certainty that she would be safe if she escaped to the Anglican Church became less credibility. He had thought she would head home, but she would actually be heading to another country that she had never seen before. No, no. That isnt what I meant. Index shook her head, shaking her long silver hair back and forth. Apparently, I was born and raised in Londons St. Georges Cathedral. Apparently, I only came here about a year ago. Apparently? Kamijou frowned at that vague term. Yes. I have no memories from before about a year ago when I arrived. Index smiled. Just like a child heading to an amusement park for the first time in her life. It was the perfection of the smile that showed Kamijou the fear and pain behind it. When I first woke up in a back alley, I had no idea who I was. All I knew was that I had to run away. I couldnt remember what I ate for dinner the night before, but knowledge of things like magic, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and Necessarius were swirling around in my mind. It was so scary Then you dont even know why you lost your memories? Thats right, she replied. Kamijou knew nothing of psychology, but he knew from video games and dramas that there were two major causes of amnesia: receiving a major shock to the head or sealing a memory that your heart simply could not bear. God damn it Kamijou muttered as he looked up into the night sky. While he did feel anger towards the magicians who would do that to a girl like her, he was mostly overcome by a sense of powerlessness. He now knew why Index had covered for him and grown so oddly attached to him. It was simply that Kamijou just so happened to be the first person she had gotten to know after spending a year alone in the world without knowing anything. This displeased Kamijou. He had no idea why, but for some reason that answer truly angered him. Mh? Touma, are you angry? No, Im not. The question had caught him off guard, but Kamijou managed to feign ignorance. If I upset you in some way, I apologize. Touma, whats got you so mad? Is it puberty? I dont want to hear about puberty from someone with a childlike body of yours. Mh. What was that? I really do think youre mad. Or are you only pretending to be mad to trouble me? I dont like that side of you, Touma. Hey, dont say that when you never really liked me in the first place. Im not expecting that kind of wonderful love comedy-esque turn of events with you. Huh? Why are you staring up at me like that princess? Even when he tried to force it in the direction of a gag, Index gave no response. Odd. This is weird. Why is Index folding her arms, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, lightly biting her lower lip with a hurt-looking expression on her face? Kamijou intelligently considered. Touma. Yes? Kamijou responded, deciding he might as well respond since she called his name. He had a strong foreboding of misfortune. I hate you. In that instant, Kamijou gained a good amount of experience points for the rare experience of a girl biting down on the entirety of the top of his head. Part 4 Index headed on to the public bath alone. Meanwhile, Kamijou trudged on toward the public bath. He had tried running after Index at first but the angry white nun ran off like a stray cat whenever she saw him. Despite this, he would see Indexs back after walking a bit further as if she were waiting for him. After that, the cycle would repeat. She was truly like a capricious cat. Well, were headed to the same place, so well meet up again eventually. With that thought, Kamijou gave up trying to run after her. Not to mention that he sensed impending misfortune in the form of an arrest should someone see him (seemingly) chasing a weak and helpless young British nun down a dark pathway at night like a Namahage. A British nun, hm? Kamijou muttered under his breath as he walked down the dark pathway alone. He knew that Index would be brought to the Anglican Churchs headquarters in London if he took her to one of their churches in Japan. There would be nothing left for Kamijou to do. It would all surely end with something like, It may have just been a short time, but thank you. I will never forget you because of my perfect memory. Kamijou felt something sharply stabbing inside his chest, but he had no other ideas of what to do. If Index were not brought under the churchs protection, she would continue to be chased by magicians. Also, it was unrealistic to try to follow Index to England. They lived in different worlds, they stood different places, and they existed in different dimensions. Kamijou lived in the world of scientific ESP and she lived in the world of the magical occult. Like land and sea, their two worlds would never cross paths. That was all there was to it. That was all there was to it, but it still annoyed him like a fish bone stuck in his throat. Huh? Suddenly his vainly spinning thoughts cut off. Something was not right. Kamijou checked the time displayed on a department stores electronic billboard. It was exactly 8 PM. It would still be some time before most people would be asleep, and yet, a horrible silence had fallen over the area like that of a forests at night. A strange, out-of-place sensation hung over the area. Come to think of it, I havent seen anyone since we were walking together With a puzzled thought and a puzzled look, Kamijou walked further along. And when he came to a major road with three lanes in each direction, the out-of-place feeling shifted to a full-blown sense of things being blatantly wrong. There was no one there. No one entered or exited the major department stores that lined the road like drinks on a convenience store rack. The footpath that usually felt overly narrow now felt horribly wide and not a single car was driving along that runway of a road. All of the cars parked on the side of road were empty as if abandoned. It was like a farm road out in the country. This is because Stiyl carved the Opila rune for a people clearing field. A female voice suddenly entered his head like a Japanese sword stabbing into the core of his face. He had not noticed. She hid behind nothing and did not sneak behind him. She stood in the center of the wide runway-like road around 10 meters ahead of him, cutting off his path. It went beyond the point of not seeing or noticing her due to the dark. An instant before there truly was no one. But, in the time it took him to blink, the girl had appeared. All of the people around this area have had their focuses averted so that they avoid approaching here for whatever reason. Most are likely inside the buildings, so worry not. His body reacted before his mind could manage to. All of the blood in his body seemed to gather in his right hand. With rope-like pain was tightly binding his wrist, Kamijou instinctually sensed that the girl was dangerous. The girl wore a T-shirt and jeans with a leg boldly cut off, her clothes completely removed from normalcy. However, the two meter plus Japanese sword hanging from her waist like a pistol emanated a freezing bloodlust. The blade was hidden within a scabbard but the black scabbard appeared as full of history as the pillar of an old Japanese building, making it clear that the sword was real. The God Purifying Demon Destroyer3 An excellent true name. However, the girl herself showed no signs of nervousness. The relaxed way she spoke, like that of someone having a casual conversation, made it all the more frightening. Who are you? I am Kanzaki Kaori. I would prefer to not give my other name, if possible. Your other name? My magic name. He had expected it, to a certain extent, but Kamijou still took a step back. Magic name. That was the name of bloodshed that Stiyl offered before attacking Kamijou with magic. So what? Are you from that magic cabal or whatever, just like Stiyl? ? For a split second, Kanzaki frowned in doubt. Oh, did you hear that from Index? Kamijou gave no reply. A magic cabal, the organization chasing Index to acquire her 103,000 grimoires, a group striving to become Magic Gods, people who have so thoroughly mastered magic that they can twist everything in the world to their will. To be honest, Kanzaki closed one eye. I would like to take her into our care without having to give my magic name. Kamijou shuddered. Kamijou had a trump card, his right hand, and yet, the enemy standing before him sent a chill down his back. And if I refuse? Kamijou asked nevertheless. He had no reason to fall back. Then I will have no choice. Kanzaki closed her other eye. I will have to give my name until she has been brought into our care. An earthquake-like shock caused the ground under Kamijous feet to tremble. It was like a bomb had gone off. The night sky at the edge of his vision that should have been covered in the pale blue darkness was instead colored with a burning orange like that of the sunset. Giant flames were spreading a few hundred meters ahead. Index!! The enemy was an organization and Kamijou knew the name of a flame magician. Kamijou reflexively looked over in the direction of the exploding flames and in that instant, Kanzaki Kaoris slicing attack approached him. A distance of 10 meters lay between Kamijou and Kanzaki. Additionally, Kanzakis katana surpassed two meters long, so it looked impossible for her slender feminine arms to pull it from its scabbard, much less swing it around. But that was just how it looked. In the next instant, the air above Kamijous head was sliced apart like she wielded a giant laser. In shock, he froze in place and the blade of a wind turbine behind him to the right was silently sliced through diagonally as if it were made of butter. Please stop this, said a voice 10 meters before front of him. Ignoring my warnings will only lead to death. Kanzakis two meters plus sword was already in the scabbard. The strike was so quick Kamijou never saw the blade exposed in the air. He was unable to move. The only reason he was still standing was because Kanzaki had intentionally missed. The situation seemed so unreal that he had only just barely managed to realize that fact. His enemy was so absurdly powerful that his mind could not keep up. With a loud thud, the sliced wind turbine blade fell to the ground behind him. Though the wreckage of the blade fell so closely by, Kamijou was still unable to move. ! Kamijou gritted his teeth at the thought of how ridiculously sharp that blade must have been. Kanzaki opened one of her closed eyes and said, I will ask you again. She narrowed her eyes slightly. I would like to take her into our care without having to give my magic name. Kanzakis voice was unhesitant, her voice so cold she seemed to be saying that that level of destruction was not worth any surprise. Wh-What the hell are you saying? As if his feet were glued to the ground, he could move neither forwards nor backwards. His legs trembled like he had just finished running a full marathon and could feel his strength leaving them. I have no reason to surrender to- I will ask as many times as necessary. In an instant truly only an instant Kanzakis right hand blurred and disappeared like a bug in a video game. With a roar, something flew at Kamijou with frightening speed. !? Kamijou felt like giant lasers were being fired of every direction, like a giant tornado of wind blades. Kamijou Touma watched as that typhoon sliced the asphalt, the streetlights, and the trees lining the street at set intervals to pieces as if it were an industrial water jet cutter. A fist-sized piece of asphalt flew through the air and struck Kamijous right shoulder, which was enough to send him flying and almost knock him unconscious. Grasping his right shoulder, Kamijou looked around while moving only his eyes. One two three, four, five, six, seven. A total of seven linear sword slices continued for a few dozen meters across the flat ground. The cuts came in at many seemingly random angles and looked something like fingernail scratches on a steel door. He heard a click as her katana returned to its scabbard. I would like to take her into our care without having to give my magic name. With her right hand still on the hilt of her sword, Kanzaki simply spoke her words with no malice or anger. Seven strikes, but Kamijou was unable to see even a single one. She had performed seven iai strokes in that single instant. And, had she wanted to, any or all of those seven strikes could have been a deadly attack that sliced Kamijou in two. No. He had only heard the metallic sound of the sword being sheathed once. It was most likely the supernatural power known as magic. She possessed some magic that extended the range of her strikes by dozens of meters and gave her the swordsmanship to attack seven times with one draw. The speed of the Nanasen attack4that my Shichiten Shichitou5 creates is enough to kill you seven times over in the period of time known as an instant. People refer to this as an instant kill. Calling this a certain kill would not be far from the truth. Silently, Kamijou clenched his fist with enough force to crush his right hand. She had overwhelming speed, power, and range. Most likely, that slicing attack had something to do with the supernatural power known as magic. In that case, he just had to touch the actual attack itself. Keep dreaming, she said, cutting off his thoughts. I heard from Stiyl that your right hand can dispel magic for some reason. However, am I correct in thinking you cannot do so unless you touch it with that right hand of yours? Exactly. Kamijous right hand was of no use if he could not touch it. It was not just an issue of speed. Unlike Misaka Mikotos Biri Biri-ing and Railgun that shot in a straight line, he could not predict where Kanzaki Kaoris Nanasen would go due to its constant changing. If Kamijou tried to use Imagine Breaker, those seven slices would likely slice his arm to pieces right off the bat. I will ask as many times as it takes. Kanzakis right hand silently grabbed the hilt of Shichiten Shichitou at her waist. Kamijou felt a cold sweat on his cheek. If Kanzakis mood changed and she went in for the kill, Kamijou would certainly be sliced to pieces in an instant. Given how she had sliced the trees lining the road to pieces at a range of a few dozen meters, trying to run away or use something as a shield would be suicide. Kamijou calculated the distance between himself and Kanzaki. It was about 10 meters. If he ran as quickly as his physical body would let him, he could cover that distance in four steps. Move, Kamijou desperately commanded his legs that seemed attached to the ground with instant glue. Will you let us take her into our care before I give my magic name? Move!! He took one step forward as if ripping his feet off of the ground. One of Kanzakis eyebrows twitched up as Kamijou moved to take another explosive step forward like a bullet. Ohh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! He took his next step. If he could not run away, could not evade to the right or left, and could not use anything as a shield, the only option left was to head forward and open up a path for himself. I do not know what is driving you this far, but Kanzaki gave a sigh that held more pity than surprise. And then Nanasen. The small fragments of the destroyed asphalt and trees floated in the air like dust. With a roar of wind, that cloud of dust was sliced to pieces before Kamijous eyes. Ah Ohh!! He knew in his head that he could negate it if he touched it with his right hand, but his heart immediately chose to evade. He crouched down with such force it looked like he was swinging his head down and his heart froze as the seven waves passed overhead. He had not calculated it and there was no way he could have succeeded had he tried. He had only managed to evade due to pure luck and he proceeded to take another powerful step, the third of the four. No matter how strange of an attack Nanasen was, it was still an iai strike at its base. It was an ancient sword technique that let fly a single definitive attack that began with the action of sliding the sword from its scabbard, meaning that the time when the blade was out of its scabbard left the user defenseless and unable to use another iai strike. If he took that last step to reach Kanzaki, he would win. The final hope that the thought gave Kamijou was shattered to pieces with a small click. It was the much-too-short slightly metallic noise of the katana being returned to its scabbard. Nanasen. The roar came from directly in front of Kamijou at pointblank range. The seven strikes were on him before his bodys reflexes could even kick in. Dammit Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Kamijou stuck his right fist forward toward the slicing attacks in front of him, but the movement was more like a defensive attempt at catching a ball thrown at his face than an offensive attack. As long as it was a supernatural power, Kamijous right hand could negate it even if it were the power of God or of vampires. Due to the close proximity, the seven strikes were released simultaneously without spread, which meant he could blow away all seven of them with one strike of Imagine Breaker. As the strikes glowed blue in the moonlight, the skin of one finger on Kamijous fist lightly touched them. And was eaten into. Wha!? It did not disappear. Even with Imagine Breaker, those absurd strikes did not disappear. Kamijou immediately tried to pull his hand back but was too slow. After all, he had stuck his own hand into the oncoming strike of a Japanese sword. She narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight of him. In the next instant, the wet sound of flesh being sliced apart filled the area. Kamijou held his bloody right hand with his left and fell to his knees. He was honestly surprised to find all five of his fingers were still attached. This was of course not due to Kamijous fingers being tough or Kanzakis skill being poor. Kamijous body was not sliced to pieces due to the simple fact of her having held back, held back even more, and allowed him to live. Still on his knees, Kamijou looked up. Kanzaki stood with the blue moons perfect circle behind her. He could see things like red threads in front of her. It was akin to a spider web. It was only once Kamijous blood covered them like evening dew on a spider web that he could see the seven steel wires. I cant believe this Kamijou clenched his teeth. Are you even a magician? The ridiculously huge katana was nothing but a decoration. It was unsurprising that he was unable to see the instant she drew the sword. Kanzaki had never actually drawn it. She had only moved the sword slightly within the scabbard and then moved it back. That motion was to hide the hand manipulating the seven wires. Kamijous hand was relatively unharmed because Kanzaki had loosened the wires just before they severed his fingers. As I said, I heard about your ability from Stiyl. Kanzaki sounded disinterested. That was when I realized: your power is not of greater quantity, it is of a different type. It is the same as rock paper scissors. No matter how many times you use rock, you can never defeat my paper. Kamijou clenched his bloody fist. You seem mistaken about something. It seemed to pain Kanzaki to look at him. I am not disguising a lack of ability with a cheap trick. Shichiten Shichitou is not a mere decoration. Beyond Nanasen is the true Yuisen6. He clenched his bloody fist. And more importantly, I have not given my magic name yet. He clenched it. Please do not make me give it, boy. Kanzaki bit her lip. I dont wish to give it ever again. His clenched fist trembled. She was clearly different from Stiyl. She was not a simple one-trick pony. From the most basic of the basics to the most complex of the complexities, she was a kind completely differently from Kamijou. Like I can give up. Even so, Kamijou did not unclench his fist. He kept his right hand closed despite having no feeling in it. Index had not given up in her attempt to face Kamijou when sliced in the back by that magician. What did you say? I could not hear you. I said shut the hell up, you damn robot!! Kamijou clenched his bloody fist and tried to swing it at the face of the girl standing before him. But, the toe of Kanzakis boot jabbed into his solar plexus before he could. All the air in his lungs burst from his mouth and the Shichiten Shichitous black scabbard struck him on the side of the face like a baseball bat. His body spun like a tornado and he struck the ground shoulder-first. Before he could cry out in pain, Kamijou saw the bottom of a boot coming down to crush his head. In an attempt to evade, he immediately rolled to the side and Nanasen. As that term entered Kamijous ears, seven slicing attacks broke the asphalt around him to pieces. Kamijous entire body was pelted by an explosion of small fragments from every direction. Gh Ah!? Kamijou writhed in place as intense pain similar to being brutalized by five or six people assaulted him. Kanzaki approached him with her boots scraping on the ground. I need to get up He told himself. However, his legs were too tired to move. Surely that is enough. Her quiet voice actually sounded pained. There is no reason for you to go this far for her. Lasting even 30 seconds against one of the top 10 magicians in London is quite an achievement. She cannot blame you after going this far. Kamijous mind was hazy, but he managed to recall something. He recalled that Index would indeed not blame him no matter what he did. But He thought. He could not give up precisely because she continued to withstand it all without blaming others. He wanted to save the girl who smiled so perfectly with the otherwise heartbreaking expression. Kamijou forced his destroyed right hand into a fist like it was a dying bug. His body could still move. It moved when asked. Why? Kamijou whispered from his collapsed position on the ground. You look like you dont like this. You arent like that Stiyl guy; youre hesitating to kill your enemy. You could easily have killed me from the beginning if you wanted to, but you didnt. You still have enough of a normal humans way of thinking to hesitate about things like that, dont you? Kanzaki had asked again and again. She had asked to have it all ended before she had to give her magic name. The rune magician naming himself Stiyl Magnus had not shown the slightest bit of hesitation in that regard. Kanzaki Kaori fell silent, but Kamijous mind was too hazy from the pain to notice. Then surely you know, right? You know that chasing a girl around until she collapses from hunger and then slicing her back open with a sword is wrong, right? As he spoke the words as if he were coughing up blood, Kanzaki could only continue to listen. Did you know that she has no memories beyond about a year ago thanks to you? What the hell did you do to her while chasing her down to cause something like that? He received no response. Kamijou could not understand. He would have understood if this magician were trying to gain the 103,000 grimoires to become a Magic God that could (supposedly) bend the rules of the world in order to make some wishes like healing a child with an incurable disease or something for a dead lover come true. But she was not doing that. She was part of an organization. She was doing it because she had been told to, because it was her job, and because those were here orders. That was all it had taken for her to chase down a girl and slice her back open. Why? repeated Kamijou, his teeth clenched. Im a loser who couldnt save a single girl after risking my life to desperately fight you. Im a weakling who cant do anything but lie on the ground and watch you take her away. He sounded like he could burst into tears like a child at any moment. But youre different, arent you? He had no idea what he was saying. With your power, you could protect anyone or anything and save anything or anyone. He had no idea who he was speaking to. So why are you doing this? He spoke. He regretted. He regretted that he had thought he could protect everything he wanted with the little power he had. He regretted that someone with such overwhelming power was using it only to hunt down a small girl. He regretted that the situation seemed to be saying that he was worse than even someone like that. He regretted it all and he thought he would cry. Silence built atop silence, creating an even greater silence. Had Kamijous mind been clearer, he would have definitely been surprised. I Kanzaki was the one driven into a corner. With only a few words, he had driven one of the top 10 magicians in London into a corner. I really did not mean to slice her back open. I thought the barrier of her Walking Church habit was still functioning I only sliced her because I was absolutely sure it would not hurt her And yet Kamijou did not understand what Kanzaki was saying. I am not doing this because I want to, said Kanzaki. But she cannot live if I do not do this. She will die. Kanzaki sounded like a child, about to burst into tears. The organization I belong to is the same as hers. I am from Necessarius of the Anglican Church, she said as if coughing up blood. She is my colleague and my precious friend. Note: 1. This is a reference to Japanese candy known as Chocoballs. If you are lucky, the package will have either a gold angel or silver angel printed on it. One gold angel or five silver angels can be exchanged for a can of toys. 2. Ringo is Japanese for apple. 3. God Purifying Demon Destroyer (񛷤ӑħ) is pronounced Kamijou no Touma but uses different kanji than Toumas name (). 4. Nanasen means Seven Flashes. 5. Shichiten Shichitou means Seven Heavens Seven Swords. 5. Yuisen means "Single Flash". Volume 1, 3: The Grimoire Peacefully Smiles. "Forget_me_not." Volume 1, Chapter 3: The Grimoire Peacefully Smiles. "Forget_me_not." Part 1 He did not understand. He did not understand what she was saying. While Kamijou lay collapsed and bloody on the road, looking up at Kanzaki, he thought he had imagined what he had heard because of the surprise. After all, it made no sense. Index was trying to escape to the Anglican Church while being chased by magicians. How could those magicians be from that very same Anglican Church? Have you ever heard of a perfect memory? asked Kanzaki Kaori. Her voice was weak and she looked pained. At that moment, it was hard to believe she was one of the top 10 magicians in London. She looked like nothing more than an exhausted girl. Yes, thats the true identity of her 103,000 grimoires, right? Kamijou moved his split lips. Theyre all in her head. I find it hard to believe she can remember every single thing she sees even once, though. I mean, shes an idiot. She just doesnt look like that kind of genius. ...What does she look like to you? Just a girl. Kanzaki looked more exhausted than surprised and said, Do you think she could have escaped our pursuit for an entire year if she were just a girl? ... Stiyl has his flames and I have my Nanasen and Yuisen. She is up against magicians who name their magic names, but she cannot rely on a supernatural power like you or magic like me. She can only run away. Kanzaki gave a self-derisive smile. And Stiyl and I are only two opponents. Not even I would last a month against the entire organization of Necessarius. That was true. Kamijou finally learned the truth about Index. He was unable to escape for four days even with his Imagine Breaker that could smash the systems of God in a single strike. And yet, she... She is, without a doubt, a genius, declared Kanzaki. To the extent that using her ability in the wrong way could cause a disaster.[1] The reason why the higher ups in the church do not treat her normally is clear. They are afraid of her. Everyone is. That may be. Kamijou bit his bloody lip. But shes still human. Shes not a tool. I cant... let you call her that...! Yes. Kanzaki nodded. But her current traits are not that different from normal people like us. ...? Over 85 percent of Indexs brain is filled with the 103,000 grimoires. The remaining 15 percent is just barely managing to function enough for her to be the same as us. That was amazing and all, but there was something Kamijou wanted to know first. ...So what? What are you people doing? Youre part of the same church as Index, right? That Necessarius thing. Why are you chasing her around? Why was Index saying you were evil magicians from a magic cabal? Kamijou silently clenched his back teeth. Or are you trying to say Index was the one tricking me? He could not believe that. If she were simply trying to use Kamijou, he saw no reason why she would have risked her life and gotten her back sliced open to save him. And, even without the logical reasoning, he simply did not want to believe it. ...She was not lying, replied Kanzaki Kaori after slight hesitation. She sounded like she was holding her breath while her heart was being crushed. She remembers nothing. She remembers neither our Necessarius affiliation nor the reason for her being chased. Because she does not remember, she has to use her knowledge to fill in the gaps. It is only natural to assume magicians chasing the Index Librorum Prohibitorum are from a magic cabal after her 103,000 grimoires. Kamijou recalled something: Index had lost her memories from before about a year ago. But, wait. Wait a second. That doesnt make sense. Index has a perfect memory, right? So why did she forget? What made her lose her memories? She did not lose them. Kanzaki stopped even breathing. Technically, I erased them. Kamijou had no need to even ask how. Please do not make me give it, boy. I do not want to give it ever again. ...Why? He asked instead. Why!? I thought you were Indexs comrade! And that wasnt just something Index thought, I can tell from your face! You saw Index as a precious comrade, didnt you!? So why!? Kamijou recalled the smile Index had given him. It was the other side of the loneliness that had led to him to be the only person in the world that she knew. ...We had to do it. Why!? he shouted as if he were howling at the moon above his head. Because, otherwise, Index would have died. His breathing stopped. For no discernible reason, the heat of the midsummer night that he felt on his skin departed. All five of his senses grew thin like they were trying to escape reality. It felt as if... It felt as if he were a corpse. Like I said, 85 percent of her brain is taken up by the memories of the 103,000 grimoires. Kanzakis shoulders trembled slightly. She only has the remaining 15 percent for normal use. If she continues to amass memories like a normal person, her brain will quickly burst. No way... Denial. Rather than use logic or reason, Kamijous brain simply denied it. I mean... I mean... how could that be? You said she was the same as us with that 15 percent... Yes, but she is different than us in one way. She has a perfect memory. All feeling slowly left Kanzakis voice. Think back to what a perfect memory really is. ...Its the ability to never forget anything you see even once, right? And is the ability to forget really all that bad a thing? ... The specifications of the human brain are surprisingly limited. The only reason a human brain can keep functioning for 100 years is because unneeded memories are disposed of by the process of forgetting. For example, you dont remember what you ate for dinner a week ago, do you? Everyones brain undergoes this maintenance without them even realizing it. Otherwise, people would be unable to live. But, Kanzaki said with an icy voice, She cannot do this. ... She cannot forget anything: be it the number of leaves on the trees lining the road, the faces of each and every person during a rush hour, or the shape of each and every raindrop falling from the sky. All of those pointless garbage memories fill up her mind in no time. Kanzakis voice froze over. Having only 15 percent of her brain leftover is a fatal tragedy for her. Since she cannot forget on her own, her only way to live is to get another to force her to forget. Kamijous mind shattered to pieces. What... what kind of story is this? I thought this was the story of an uninteresting guy saving an unfortunate girl being chased by evil magicians, getting to know the girl, and finally feeling a slight twinge in his chest as he watches the girl leave in the end. He continued to analyzed the disparities. So I came to shelter her before anyone who would use them came to take her away. I would like to take her into our care without having to give my magic name. ...How long? Kamijou asked. Inquiring instead of denying, he seemingly accepted it somewhere deep down. How long until her brain bursts? Her memories are erased at precise one year intervals. Kanzaki sounded exhausted. The limit is three days from now. It cannot be done too soon or too late. If not done at that exact time, her memories cannot be erased. ...I hope she has yet to experience the powerful headaches that precede it. Kamijou was shocked. It was true Index had said she had lost her memories from over about a year ago. ...And the headaches. Kamijou had assumed Index had collapsed due to the recovery magic. After all, Index knew the most about magic out of any of them and had said as much. But, what if Index were mistaken? Kamijou considered. What if she were moving around in a state where her mind could be destroyed at any moment? Now do you understand? Kanzaki Kaori asked. She had no tears, as if refusing to allow herself to display such cheap expressions. We wish her no harm. In fact, there is no way to save her without us. So, will you hand her over before I must give my magic name? ... As Indexs face appeared in Kamijous minds eye, he gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. Also, if we erase her memories she will not remember you. You saw how she viewed us, did you not? No matter how she feels about you now, once she opens her eyes, you will be seen as nothing more than a natural enemy after her 103,000 grimoires. ... At that instant, Kamijou felt something was strange. Saving her will gain you nothing. ...What do you mean by that? The feeling exploded out in an instant like gasoline thrown on fire. To hell with that! What does remembering me have to do with it!? You dont seem to get it, so let me tell you something. Im Indexs comrade. I decided to stay on her side no matter what happens! Even if it isnt written in your precious bible, this will never change!! ... I thought something was off. If she only forgot, couldnt you just get rid of the misunderstandings by explaining it all to her? Why did you leave it at the status quo? Why did you chase her around like her enemy!? Why the hell did you just decide to abandon her!? Do you have any idea how she fee-... Shut up! You know nothing!! Kamijous anger was crushed by Kanzakis yell, assaulting him from above. What seemed to squeeze at Kamijous heart were, rather than the words she spoke, the raw feelings that were stripped bare. Dont act like you understand!! How do you think weve felt erasing her feelings all this time!? How could you possibly understand!? You spoke like Stiyl was some kind of sadistic murderer, but do you know how he felt seeing her with you!? Do you know how he suffered!? Do you know how hard it was for him to name himself her enemy!? What do you understand about Stiyls feelings as he continued to sully himself for the sake of his precious comrade!? Wha-...? Before he could raise his voice in shock at her sudden change of behavior, Kanzaki kicked his side like a soccer ball. The unrestrained strike sent Kamijous body into the air. After landing, he rolled two or three meters further. The taste of blood overflowed from his stomach up into his mouth. However, Kanzaki jumped straight up, the moon at her back, before Kamijou could even writhe about in intense pain. Like some kind of joke, she jumped three meters up into the air with just the strength of her legs. ...!? He heard a dull noise. The flat tip of Shichiten Shichitous scabbard had crushed Kamijous arm like high heels. But, he failed to even cry out in pain. The expression on Kanzakis face made it seem like she would shed tears of blood. Kamijou feared. He was not afraid of Nanasen or Yuisen or of the power of one the top 10 magicians in London. He feared the raw human emotions that assaulted him. We tried too! We tried everything we could! We spent spring trying, we spent summer trying, we spent fall trying, and we spent winter trying! We promised to make memories that she would never forget and we made journals and photo albums! The end of the scabbard rained down again and again like a sewing machine. His legs, his arms, his gut, his chest, his face. The blunt blows crushed his body again and again. ...But none of them worked. Kamijou heard the sound of her gritting teeth. Her hand stopped. Even when we showed her the journals and the photo albums, she just apologized. No matter what we did and no matter how many times we tried, even if we remade the memories from scratch, nothing worked. Everything returned to zero whether you were family, her friend, or her lover. She trembled so much that it seemed she could not take another step. We... could stand it no longer. We could not bear to see that smile of hers any longer. With Indexs personality, having to say farewell must have been as painful as dying. Having to experience such a thing over and over again would be like living in hell. Immediately after experiencing the misfortune that was the farewell, she would forget it all and tragically begin a run toward that same determined misfortune once more. That was why Kanzaki and Stiyl had chosen to lessen the misfortune as much as possible rather than give her the cruel fortune of knowing them. If Index never had the precious memories she had to lose, then the shock of losing her memories would lessen. That was why they abandoned their good friend and played the part of an enemy. They would blot out her memories to make that final hell as easy as possible for her. ... Somehow or other, Kamijou understood. They were expert magicians. They made the impossible possible. The entire time Index repeatedly lost her memories, they had to have searched for a way to keep her from losing her memories. They never succeeded. Even then, Index had certainly never blamed Stiyl or Kanzaki. She had surely given them that same smile like usual. Being forced to connect with her anew each time had led Kanzaki and Stiyl to blame themselves and see giving up as the only option. But that was... To hell with that! Kamijou gritted his teeth. That reasoning only takes you into account. You didnt give even a single thought about Index! Dont blame your cowardice on her!! For the past year, Index had continued to flee on her own without relying on anyone. Kamijou refused to accept that that was the best option. He would not let himself accept it. He did not want to. Then... what else are we supposed to do!? Kanzaki grabbed Shichiten Shichitous scabbard and swung it down forcefully at Kamijous face. Kamijou moved his battered right hand and grabbed the scabbard just before it struck his face. No longer did he feel fear or nervousness because of the magician. His body moved. It moved! If you were a little stronger... Kamijou gritted his teeth. If you had used fox words powerful enough to become reality...! If she were afraid of losing her memories of that year, you just have to give her even better memories the next year! If happiness, great enough to erase her fears of memory loss, awaited her, she wouldnt have to keep running! Thats all it would have taken!! He forcibly moved his left arm, now with a broken shoulder, and grabbed the scabbard with that hand too. He forced his battered body into a standing position. Blood flowed from various parts of his body. Are you seriously thinking of fighting in that state? ...Shut... up. What will you gain by fighting? Kanzaki seemed legitimately confused. Even if you did defeat me, Necessarius awaits behind me. I may have said I was one of the top 10 magicians in London, but there are those stronger than me. ...From the churchs point of view, I am nothing more than a subordinate sent out to this Far East island nation. It was likely true. If they were truly Indexs comrades, they would have opposed the churchs way of treating her like a tool. The fact that they did not meant that there was a gap of power preventing it. I said... shut up!! It did not matter. He forced his body to move despite the fact it trembled as if he were about to die and glared at Kanzaki standing before him. It was a simple gaze that held little power but was enough to make one of the top 10 magicians in London take a step back. That doesnt matter! Do you resign yourself to protecting people because you happen have strength!? Kamijou took a step forward with his battered legs. No, you dont, do you!? Dont lie! You worked to gain power because there was something you wanted to protect! He grabbed Kanzakis collar with his battered left hand. Why did you acquire power? He made a bloody fist with his battered right hand. Who did you want to protect!? Using that weak fist, he struck Kanzakis face. There lacked anything remotely resembling force behind the punch and the fist itself actually spurted blood like a tomato. Even so, Kanzaki stumbled back as if truly punched. She released Shichiten Shichitou which spiraled as it fell to the ground. Then what the hell are you doing here!? He looked down on Kanzaki, who had collapsed to the ground. If you have so much strength... if you have so much almighty power, then why are you so powerless? The ground shook, or so it seemed, under Kamijou. The next instant, he collapsed to the ground like the electricity powering his body had switched off. Get... up... The counterattack... is coming... He reprimanded himself. His vision was dyed in darkness. Kamijou, forcibly moving his body, had lost too much blood to see or recover. He moved in an attempt to defend against Kanzakis counterattack but the best he could manage was move one fingertip like a caterpillar. However, no counterattack came. Nothing. Part 2 The feverish heat and dryness in Kamijous throat awoke him. Touma? Around the time that he realized he was in Komoe-senseis apartment, he also realized Index was staring down at him as he lay in a futon. Surprisingly, he saw bright sunlight coming in through the window. That night, Kamijou had indeed lost to Kanzaki and lost consciousness before his enemy. He had no memory between then and waking up there. Simply put, he was too dissatisfied with what had happened to even be glad to be alive. Komoe-sensei was nowhere to be seen and must have been out somewhere. The only sign of her was some porridge sitting on the tea table next to Index. It may have been unfair to Index, but he doubted she could have cooked it given that she had asked for food after getting caught on his balcony and assumed Komoe-sensei had made the porridge. Honestly... Youre treating me like Im sick. Kamijou tried to move. Ow, ow. What the hell? Since the suns up, I must have been out all night. What time is it? It wasnt just all night, replied Index, whose words seemed to catch a bit in her throat. ? Kamijou raised an eyebrow and Index said, Its been three days. Three days... Wait, what!? Why was I asleep for so long!? I dont know!! Index suddenly shouted. Kamijous breath caught in his throat at that shout that had seemed like a burst of anger. I dont know, I dont know, I dont know! I really didnt know anything! I was so focused on losing the flame magician that was at your house that I never gave any thought to the possibility that you would have to fight another magician! Her angry words were not aimed at Kamijou. Her voice tore into herself and Kamijou was so overwhelmed he could not interject. Touma, Komoe said you were collapsed in the middle of the road. She was the one that carried you back to the apartment. I was so delighted back then. I had no idea you were on the verge of death while I did nothing but delight by the thought that we had gotten away from that stupid magician! Indexs words suddenly cut off. What followed was a slight gap just long enough for her to slowly breathe in and prepare for the main point of her rant. ...I couldnt save you, Touma. Unmoving and biting her lower lip, Indexs small shoulders trembled as she sat. Even so, Index shed no tears for herself. Her heart would not allow even the slightest bit of sentiment or sympathy. Kamijou realized he could offer no words of consolation to someone who had sworn not to show any tears for even herself. Instead, he considered something else. Three days. They could have attacked any number of times had they wanted to. In fact, it would have been unsurprising if they had retrieved Index three days ago when Kamijou had collapsed. Then why? In his minds eye, Kamijou had a puzzled look. He could not tell what their enemy was thinking. He also felt that the term three days held some deeper meaning. With the sensation of bugs swarming his back, Kamijou suddenly recalled something. The time limit! ? Touma, what is it? Index merely looked at Kamijou in puzzlement. If she knew him, the magicians had yet to erase her memories. Also, from how she was acting, the symptoms had not begun either. Kamijou felt relieved but also wanted to kill himself for wasting the final, precious three days. However, he hid it all away in his chest, not wanting Index to know. ...Damn it. I cant move. What the hell? Why am I completely wrapped in bandages? Does it hurt? Does it hurt? If it did, Id be writhing around. Whats with the bandages all over me? Dont you think you went a bit overboard? ... Index said nothing and then tears welled up in her eyes as if she were unable to bear it any longer. It stabbed into Kamijous heart more than anything she could have shouted at him. He then realized that not feeling any pain was actually a bad thing. Komoe-sensei could not use recovery magic anymore. He was pretty sure Index had said that. It would have been faster if he could have healed his wounds at the cost of some MP like in an RPG, but it seemed the world was not that kind. Kamijou looked at his right hand. His utterly destroyed right hand was wrapped in bandages. Come to think of it, an esper thats been through the Curriculum cant use magic, right? What a pain. ...Right. The pathways are different between a normal person and an esper, said the girl in an unsure tone. It does seem those bandages will heal the wound... but your science sure is inconvenient. Our magic would be faster. That may be so, but Ill be fine without using anything like magic. ...What do you mean by anything like? Index pouted her lips grumpily at Kamijous comment. Touma, do you still not believe in magic? Youre as stubborn as someone with unrequited love. I didnt mean it like that. Kamijou shook his head with it still pressed against the pillow. If at all possible, I dont want to see that face of yours when you talk about magic. Kamijou recalled the look on her face when she gave her explanation of rune magic in the passageway of his dorm. Her eyes were as cold as the pale full moon and as precise as the gears of a clock. Her words were more proper than that of a bus tour guides and yet, lacking more humanity than a bank ATM. It was the existence known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the grimoire library. Even so, he could not believe she was the same as the girl sitting before him. Or rather, he did not want to believe it. ? Touma, do you dislike explanations? Hah...? Wait, do you not remember? You were talking about runes in front of Stiyl like some kind of puppet. To be honest, I didnt really like it. ...Um... Oh, I see. I... awakened again. Awakened? The way she stated it had it seem as if that puppet-like form were her true self. It was like the kind girl before him was a fake form. Yes, but please dont say too much about what Im like when I awaken. Kamijou was unable to ask why. Before he could say anything, Index said, Speaking when you arent conscious is something like talking in your sleep. Its embarrassing. Also, she said. It seems I become more and more like a cold machine and that scares me. Index smiled. She smiled as if she were actually about to collapse but wanted to avoid worrying anyone. It was an expression that no machine could make. It was the smile of a human being. ...Sorry. Kamijou simply apologized. He regretted thinking for even a moment that she was anything other than human. Its fine, you idiot. Her comment that made it unclear if it were fine or not was accompanied by a small smile. Are you hungry? We have porridge, fruit, and snacks, a full course staple for the sick. How am I supposed to eat with my hand-... He trailed off when he realized Index held chopsticks in her right fist. ...Um, Index-san? Hm? Its too late to start worrying about it now. If I didnt feed you like this, you would have starved to death the past three days. ...Okay, fine. Just give me some time to think, God. Why? Are you not hungry? Index put down the chopsticks. Do you need me to wash you? ... ... ... ...Um? An indescribable feeling crept through Kamijous body. Huh? What is this terribly bad feeling? What is this horrible uneasiness thats making me think seeing a video of the past three days would make me die of embarrassment? ...Okay, I doubt you meant any harm by it but just go sit over there, Index. ? Index fell silent before saying, But I am sitting down. ... Index surely had the best of intentions as she sat there with a towel but Kamijou found himself unable to attach the term innocent to it. What is it? Oh... Kamijou had fallen silent and now he tried to change the subject. I was thinking about how you look from here in this futon. Do I look weird? I am a nun; I can nurse people. He did not, in fact, believe she appeared odd. Her pure white nuns habit and motherly behavior made her seem like an actual nun (a fact he insultingly found surprising). And, more importantly... The way she looked at him with those teary eyes and flushed cheeks from having cried, she seemed quite... But for some reason, he just could not bear to speak that aloud, so instead he said, Oh, its nothing. I noticed that your nose hairs are silver too, is all. ... ... ... Indexs smile instantly froze in place. Touma, Touma. Do you know whats in my right hand? Well, the porridge... No, wait! Dont offer it to gravity! In the next instant, Kamijou Touma met the misfortune of having his vision filled with the white porridge and its bowl. Part 3 Kamijou and Index learned firsthand that porridge was difficult to get out of futon and pajamas. Index battled with the goopy grains of rice with slight tears in her eyes when a knock at the door drew her attention. Is that Komoe? ...Are you not going to apologize? He had not been burned since the porridge had already cooled by the time it was dumped on him, but Kamijou had still once again passed out when the carbohydrates struck him because he had expected the porridge to be scorching hot. Huh? What are you doing in front of my house? asked a voice on the other side of the door. It seemed Komoe-sensei had spotted whoever had knocked on the door as she returned from wherever she had been. Then who is it? Kamijou thought with a puzzled look. Kamijou-chan, Im not sure whats going on, but it seems we have visitors. The door clicked open and Kamijous shoulders jumped in surprise. Standing behind Komoe-sensei were two familiar magicians. They had appeared somewhat relieved to see Index sitting like normal. Kamijou frowned in suspicion. Naturally, with any thought at all, they were there to retrieve Index. However, they could have done retrieved her three days prior when Kamijou had collapsed. There was little reason for them to let her roam freely until the day of her treatment. Instead, they could have confined her somewhere until it was time. ...So why did they wait until now to come? Kamijou analyzed suspiciously. His muscles naturally tensed up as he recalled the powers of the magicians flames and sword. However, Kamijou no longer had reason to simply fight Stiyl and Kanzaki. They were not Evil Magic Cabal Forces A; they were from Indexs church to take her into their care. He worried for Index. In the end, he had nothing he could do but work with them and hand her over to the church. But, that was simply from Kamijous point of view. The magicians lacked any reason to cooperate with Kamijou. Simply put, there was no reason why they couldnt just decapitate Kamijou right then and there and take Index away with them. Stiyl seemed to enjoy the fact that Kamijou stiffened up upon seeing them, and he said, Heh. It looks like we wont have to worry about you escaping with those injuries. At that point, Kamijou finally realized what the enemy was trying to do. On her own, Index could escape the magicians. After all, she had eluded the church for almost a year on her own. Even if they captured her and locked her up somewhere, she might be able to easily escape if she were alone. With only a few days until the time limit, they might be unable to catch up to her again if she truly began to flee again. If they imprisoned her somewhere, she might escape and it was possible she could escape even in the middle of the ceremony. However, the same could not be said if she were burdened with an injured person like Kamijou. That was why the magicians had not killed Kamijou and why they had allowed him to return to Index. They wanted Index to refuse to give up on him so that he would function as a convenient shackle. They had overlooked him solely so that they could more safely and surely take Index into their care. Leave, magicians. And now, Index stood between the magicians and Kamijou. She stood up and spread her arms. She somewhat looked like a sin-bearing cross. It was all going exactly as the magicians had planned. Index gave up on escape because of the shackles that were Kamijou. ... Stiyl and Kanzaki both twitched slightly. It was as if they could not bear to watch it despite how things progressed exactly as they expected. Kamijou wondered what expression was on Indexs face. Her back was facing him, so he could not see but those great magicians froze in place. Komoe-sensei was not the direct target of her feelings, but she still averted her gaze. Kamijou wondered what they felt. He wondered how it must feel to be looked at like that by someone you would go so far as to kill for. ...Stop, Index. They arent our enem-... Leave!! Index was not listening. Please... Ill go wherever you want and Ill do whatever you want. Just please, I beg of you... Senses of feminine cries were mixed in at the heart of the hostile tone she had worked up. Just dont hurt Touma anymore. Just how much damage did that do to those magicians who had once been her greatest comrades? For an instant just an instant extremely pained smiles appeared on the two magicians faces as if they had abandoned something. But then, their eyes froze over like a switch was flipped. These were not the gazes of people looking at their comrade; they were the chilling gazes of magicians, holding their convictions to lessen the misfortune of the parting as much as possible rather than give her the cruel fortune of getting to know them. The gazes held their feelings for her that were so strong they chose to abandon their comradeship and become her enemy. Their convictions would not be break. Because they lacked the will to tell her the truth, they could only watch on as the worst possible scenario played out. The time limit will come in another 12 hours and 38 minutes, announced Stiyl in the tone of a magician. Index must not have understood what he meant by the time limit. We simply wanted to see if her shackles would function or not so that we dont need to worry about her running off when the time comes. They were more effective than even we expected. If you dont want to have that toy taken from you, give up any hope of escape. Understand? It had to be an act. They had to want to celebrate in tearful joy that Index was okay. They had to want to rub her head and place their forehead against hers to check her temperature. That was how important she was to them. All of the horrible things Stiyl had said about Index were simply to perfect that act. He had to actually want to spread his own arms and act as Indexs shield and Kamijou could not imagine how much mental strength it would take to do what he was doing. Index gave no response. The two magicians said nothing more and merely left the room. Why did it turn into this...? Kamijou lamented and gritted his teeth. Are you okay? Finally, Index lowered her raised arms and slowly turned back towards Kamijou. He instinctually closed his eyes, unable to bear to look. He could not bear to look at Indexs face covered in tears and uplifted by relief. If I make a deal with them... He heard a voice in the darkness. I can keep your life from being destroyed anymore, Touma. I wont let them intrude on your life anymore, so dont worry. ... Kamijou could not respond. He merely thought in the darkness of his closed eyes. ...Can I let go of our memories together? Part 4 Night came. Index was asleep next to the futon. Because they had been asleep since before the sun had set, the rooms lights were not on. It seemed Komoe-sensei had headed for the public bath leaving the two of them alone in the room. Kamijou wasnt entirely sure that was the case because he had fallen asleep as well due to his poor condition. It was nighttime by the time he had awakened. Komoe-senseis room had no clock so he knew not what time it was. The air felt especially cold as the term time limit crept into his mind. Index must have been incredibly nervous the previous three days because she had fallen asleep, assaulted by weariness, with her mouth hanging open, looking like a child who had exhausted herself nursing her sick mother. It seemed Index had completely abandoned her original goal of merely getting to an Anglican church. If Kamijou forced himself to stand up in his beaten up state in an attempt to take her to a church, she would probably have resist him. He felt slightly embarrassed as she occasionally muttered his name in her sleep. Indexs defenseless kitten-like face gave Kamijou a complex feeling. No matter how much determination she showed, in the end, it was all going to end up exactly as the church desired. Whether Index made it safely to a church or was captured by the magicians partway there, she would still end up captured by Necessarius and have her memories erased. Suddenly, the phone rang. The phone in Komoe-senseis room was a black rotary phone that could have been called an antique. Kamijou slowly looked over at the phone giving off an old-fashioned ring that sounded like an alarm clock. He felt that he should answer the phone but also did not know if it were right to answer Komoe-senseis phone without her permission. Nevertheless, he grabbed the receiver. He did not truly care so much about answering the phone but would feel guilty if the noisy ringing awoke Index. Its me... You can tell who I am, right? The voice coming from the receiver was a polite, female voice. Even over the phone, he could tell she was trying to keep her voice soft as if speaking in secret. Kanzaki...? No, it would be better if we did not learn each others names. Is she... Is Index there? Shes asleep, but... Wait, how do you know this number? We knew the address, so it wasnt difficult to look up. Kanzakis voice was not calm. If shes asleep, thats perfect. Listen to what I have to say. ? Kamijou frowned suspiciously. As I mentioned before, the time limit is tonight, midnight. We have put together a schedule to end everything by that time. Kamijous heart froze. He knew that there was no other way to save Index. He knew it but when the end was thrust before him like that, he felt cornered. But... Kamijous breathing grew shallow. Why are you telling me this? Just stop. If you tell me this, I might end up wanting to resist you even if it gets me killed. ...The voice from the receiver fell silent. It was not complete silence, though. He could hear suppressed breathing mixed in. It was a very human silence. ...Then, do you need time for your farewells? Wha...? I will be honest with you. When we first had to erase her memories, we spent the three days prior solely focused on creating memories. On the final night, we did nothing but cling to her, sobbing. I believe you have the right to that same opportunity. Dont fuck with me. Kamijou thought he was going to crush the receiver in his grip. Thats the same thing as giving up! Youre just telling me to give up the right to try!! Youre just telling me to give up the right to desperately challenge this!! ... If you dont understand, let me tell you one thing: I havent given up yet. In fact, I wont be able to give up no matter what! If I fail 100 times, Ill get back up 100 times. If I fail 1000 times, Ill crawl to my feet 1000 times! Thats all there is to it! Ill do what you couldnt!! This is neither a conversation nor a negotiation. It is merely a message and an order. Whatever you intend to do, we will recover her at the appointed time. If you try to stop us, we will destroy you. The magicians voice was as smooth as the voice of a bank receptionist. You might be trying to negotiate with me, counting on the human kindness left within me, but that is exactly why I am giving you this strict order. Kanzakis voice was as cold as a Japanese sword drawn in the nights air. You will say farewell to her and leave before we arrive. Your role is nothing more than to act as shackles for her. The fate of chains that have lost their purpose is to be cut. The magicians words were not simple words of hostility or scorn. She sounded as if she were trying to stop a wounded person from struggling and hurting themselves further. F... Fuck that. Her tone strangely irritated Kamijou and he snapped back at her. Everyone is shoving their own incompetences onto me. You two are magicians, right? I thought magicians made the impossible possible!? But look at you! Can you really do nothing about this with magic!? Can you really stand before Index and proudly tell her you tried every last option!? ...Nothing can be done about this with magic. I wouldnt be proud of it, but I find it impossible to lie to that girl, said Kanzaki as she gritted her teeth. If we could do anything, we would have done it long ago. No one would want to use this cruel ultimatum if they did not have to. ...What? It seems you cannot even give up if you do not understand the situation. I dont think this is a good use of your last moments with her, but I will give you a helping hand of despair. The magician spoke smoothly as if she were reading from the bible. Her perfect memory is not a type of psychic power nor is it a type of magic. It is a natural part of her. It is the same as poor eyesight or allergies. It is not a type of curse that can be broken. ... We are magicians. With any circumstances created by magic, there is a danger of it being dispelled by magic. I thought it was an anti-occult defense system created by a magic specialist? Cant you do something with Indexs 103,000 grimoires!? She said that controlling those would give you the power of God, but if it cant even heal one girls head, it doesnt sound so great to me! Oh, youre referring to a Magic God. The church is extremely afraid of Index rebelling. That is why they put a collar on her so that the maintenance only the church can perform must be carried out once a year by erasing her memories. Did you really think they would leave any possibility of her removing that collar herself? Kanzaki spoke quietly. There is likely a bias in her 103,000 grimoires. For instance, she was probably disallowed from memorizing any grimoires that dealt with manipulating memories. I would be willing to bet that the church has put up some security like that. God damn it, Kamijou cursed under his breath. ...You said 80 percent of Indexs brain is taken up by the information in the 103,000 grimoires, right? Yes. It is apparently actually 85 percent, but it is impossible for us magicians to destroy those grimoires. An Original grimoire cannot even be destroyed by an inquisitioner, after all, meaning that we can only hollow out the remaining 15 percent, her memories, to increase the empty space in her head. ...Then, what about us on the science side? ... She fell silent. Kamijou wondered if it were possible. The magicians knew their field, magic, backward and forwards, and they could not do it. If they were not going to give up, it was only natural to move to a different field. For example, there was science. And, if they were going there, it made sense to have someone to act as an arbitrator. It was the same as having a local help someone out when one had to walk through an unfamiliar country and negotiate with various peoples. ...There was a time when I believed the same thing. Kamijou had not expected her to say so. To be honest, I simply did not know what to do. The world of magic that I had believed in absolutely was unable to save a single girl. I understand the feeling of trying to grasp at straws. ... Kamijou had a premonition what would come next. It just does not feel right to hand her over to science. He had expected it, but actually hearing it still felt like being stabbed in the brain. I know that you people cannot do something that we cannot. Your crude methods of filling her body with some unknown drug and chopping her up with a scalpel will do nothing but unnecessarily shorten her life. I do not want to see her be violated by machines. Okay, thats it. How the hell can you say that when youve never even tried it? I have a question for you. You keep talking about destroying memories, but do you really know what memory loss is exactly? No response came. She must really not know much about science, he thought. Kamijou pulled some Curriculum textbooks that were on the ground towards himself with his foot. It was a recipe for powers development including a mix of neuroscience, rare psychology, and reactionary drugs. How can you talk on about a perfect memory and losing memories when you dont even know what it is? There are many different kinds of memory loss. He began to flip through the pages. Theres aging... I guess like senility. And apparently you can lose your memories from getting drunk with alcohol. Theres a brain disease called Alzheimers and theres TIA where blood stops flowing to your brain and your memories disappear. Memory loss is also a side effect of general anesthetics like halothane, isoflurane, and fentanyl, of derivatives of barbituric acid, and of drugs like benzodiazepine. ??? Benzo... What? Kanzakis voice was surprisingly weak, but Kamijou had no duty to explain it all to her, so he ignored her. Simply put, there are tons of ways to medically eliminate someones memories. It means that there are methods you people cant use that can get rid of her 103,000 grimoires, you idiot. Kanzakis breathing froze. However, these methods did not remove the memories. Instead, they damaged the brain cells. An old man with dementia could not remember more just because he lost some memories. But, Kamijou left that part out. Even if it were just a bluff, he had to stop the magicians from forcibly erasing her memories. And, this is Academy City. There are plenty of espers that can manipulate peoples minds with powers like Psychometry or Marionette. Not to mention that there are research facilities all over the place. Its way too soon to give up hope. Apparently, theres even a Level 5 at Tokiwadai who can remove peoples memories just by touching them. That was where the last ray of hope truly lay. No voice came from the receiver. Kamijou continued on to truly defeat Kanzaki who was starting to show signs of hesitation. Well? What will you do, magician? Are you still going to get in my way? Are you going to give up on trying when someones life hangs in the balance? ...Those words are much too cheap to convince an enemy, Kanzaki said with a slight tone of self derision. We have a practiced and genuine method of saving her life. I cannot trust in this untested gamble of yours. Do you really think you can change that with some reckless statements? Kamijou remained silent for a moment. He tried to come up with a rebuttal, but he could come up with nothing. He had no choice but to accept it. ...True enough. In the end, we just cant understand each other. He had no choice but to accept that she was his enemy despite the fact that there was a possibly she could have understood. After all she was once in the same situation. Yes. If people who wished for the same thing would always become allies, the world would be completely filled with peace, she said. Kamijous grip on the receiver strengthened slightly. That beaten up right hand was his sole weapon and it could negate even the systems created by God. ...Then, you are my arch enemy and I will defeat you, he said. Given the differences in our physical abilities, the result is immensely clear. Do you still intend to call this hand? Perfect. I raise. I just have to invite you into circumstances where Im guaranteed to win. Kamijou bared his canines at the receiver. Stiyl had definitely not been weaker than Kamijou. Kamijou had only won because Stiyl had lost to the sprinkler system. In short, differences in strength could be made up with strategy. Just so you know: the next time that girl collapses, you should consider it too late. Kanzakis words were as sharp as the tip of a sword. We will be there at midnight. You dont have much time left, but make your final useless struggles good ones. Youre not gonna see me cry, magician. Im gonna save her and steal all your scenes. Stay there and wait for us, she said and hung up. Kamijou silently put down the receiver and looked up at the ceiling as if he were staring up at the moon in the night sky. Damn it! He swung his right fist down on the tatami mat as if punching an opponent he had pinned down. His wounded right hand did not hurt even in the slightest. His head was in such chaos that his pain was blown away. He had acted quite full of himself on the phone, but he was neither a brain surgeon nor a professor of neuroscience. Something might have been capable if done scientifically, but that normal high school student had no idea what that something might have been. Even so, he could not simply stop. He felt an intense impatience and unease as if he were stranded in a desert with only the horizon in every direction and subsequently told to walk back to town. Once the time limit came, the magicians would mercilessly destroy Indexs memories. They were likely already lying in wait near the apartment, planning to capture her if they tried to escape. He had no idea why the magicians did not attack then and there. It could have been out of sympathy for Kamijou. Perhaps they did not want to move Index right before the time limit. He had no idea which it was or even if it were something else. He looked at Indexs face as she lay curled up, asleep on the tatami mats. He then stood tall, completely fired up. Academy City had more than 1000 research facilities both large and small but a first year student like Kamijou had no connections with any of them. He was going to have to contact Komoe-sensei. Whether anything could be done in less than a day was a valid question. Indexs time limit was drawing near, but Kamijou had a secret plan for it: if her brain were to burst if she continued to add more memories, couldnt he buy her some time by putting her to sleep that so she would not gain more memories? A Romeo and Juliet-like drug that put one in a state of apparent death sounded very unrealistic, but he did not have to go that far. Basically, he just had to put her to sleep with some laughing gas, a general anesthetic used for surgeries. There were no worries about her dreaming while she slept, creating memories that way. Kamijou had learned a bit about the system of sleep in the powers development lessons. He was nearly sure that people only dreamed in a state of light sleep. Once one entered a state of deep sleep, your brain rested to the point that it even forgot that it had dreamed. Therefore, Kamijou needed two things. The first was to contact Komoe-sensei and acquire help from a research facility that dealt in either neuroscience or perhaps esper powers related to the mind. The second was to slip past the magicians and get Index out of there or to create circumstances in which he could defeat the two magicians. Kamijou decided to start with calling Komoe-sensei. But, when he thought about it, he did not actually know her cell number. Wow, Im an idiot... he said, almost wanting to kill himself, as he looked around the room. He saw nothing out of the ordinary besides the cramped 4.5 tatami room that looked like an unknown type of labyrinth. With the lights off, the room was as dark as the nights sea and the books and knocked over beer cans littering the floor appeared like they had something hiding behind them. When he thought about all the drawers in the dresser and cabinet, he felt like his consciousness was going to slip away. Trying to find a cell phone number that may not even have been there seemed like an insane task. It seemed like a task akin to finding a battery thrown out the day before which was now in a landfill. Even so, he could not stop. Kamijou started turning over everything in the area searching for a memo or something that would have her cell phone number written on it. Every minute and every second mattered, so searching for something that may have not been there was hardly a sane thing to be doing. Every time his heart beat, it irritated him and every time he breathed, more impatience burned within him. At first glance, it may have appeared like he was just throwing around everything near him in anger. He checked deep into the cabinet and he pulled out all the books on the shelf. While Kamijou was rampaging around, Index continued to sleep curled up on the ground which made it seem like time had stopped for her. Seeing her in her complete cat in the kotatsu mode, he strangely felt like hitting her but, at that same time, a scrap of paper stuck in a notebook, which seemed to be for a household account book, fluttered to the ground at his feet. It was Komoe-senseis itemized cell phone bill. Kamijou immediately grabbed the scrap of paper and found an 11 digit number written on it. It seemed she had spent an entire 142,500 yen on the cell phone the previous month. She must have gotten stuck with some terrible phone. Normally, he would have rolled around laughing for around three days at the discovery, but it was hardly the time. Needing to make a call, he headed for the black phone. He had a feeling it had taken quite a bit of time finding the phone number. He had no idea if a few hours had passed or if it had only been a few minutes. Kamijous heart felt so cornered that his sense of time was thrown off that much. He called the number and Komoe-sensei answered after the third ring as if she had timed it. About to foam at the mouth, Kamijou yelled an explanation that was hard for even him to understand because his mind simply could not sort out what he wanted to say. ...Hm? My major is in Pyrokinesis, so I dont have many connections in Mind Hound related things. You could probably use the Takizawa Institution or the Todai University Hospital, but their equipment is second-rate. Calling in a guest esper who excels at that field would be a safe bet. I know Yotsuba-san in Judgment is a Level 4 Telepath and she would likely be willing to help. He had not given her much of an explanation, but Komoe-sensei still rattled off an answer. Kamijou decidedly realized that he should have consulted with her from the beginning. But, Kamijou-chan. Even if these researching teachers are terrible people whove flipped day and night, they probably wouldnt like being called by a student at this hour. How about we just prepare a bed in a facility for now? What? ...No, sensei. Im sorry, but this is urgent. Cant we just wake them now? But, Komoe-sensei responded sounding slightly irritated, Its already 12. Kamijou suddenly froze in place. The room had no clock but even if it had one, Kamijou would have lacked the courage to check the time. His gaze zeroed in on Index. She was curled up, fast asleep on the tatami mats, but her arms and legs that were sprawled about werent moving. They werent moving at all. ...In... dex? Kamijou called out timidly. Index did not move. Like someone with a fever, she had fallen deeply asleep, completely unresponsive. A voice came from the receiver but Kamijou dropped it before he could gather what was being said. A terrible sweat had started on his palms. A terrible feeling weighed in his gut as if a bowling ball were dropped there. He heard footsteps in the passageway leading to the apartment. We will be there at midnight. You dont have much time left, but make your final useless struggles good ones. The instant Kamijou recalled those words the apartment door was kicked open from the outside. Pale moonlight fell into the room like the sunlight shining through the leaves into a forest thicket. With the perfect full moon to their backs, the two magicians stood in the doorway. At that moment, the hands of all clocks across Japan indicated it was precisely midnight. That meant that a certain girls time limit was up. That was what it meant. Notes 1. Just like in the prologue, this is playing off the fact that genius and disaster are both pronounced the same in Japanese. Volume 1, 4: The Exorcist Chooses the End. (N)Ever_Say_Good_bye. Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Exorcist Chooses the End. (N)Ever_Say_Good_bye. With moonlight at their backs, the two magicians stepped through the door, still wearing their outdoor shoes. Stiyl and Kanzaki had returned but Index did not stand in their way this time. She did not shout at them to leave. She was covered in sweat like she was suffering from a fever and her breathing was so shallow it sounded like one could blow it out like a candle flame. A headache. A headache so great it felt like even the slight sound of accumulating snow would split her head open. ... Kamijou and the magicians exchanged no words. Still in his outdoor shoes, Stiyl pushed Kamijou aside as the boy stood there dumbfounded. The shove had held little force but Kamijou was could not hold his ground. He fell on his backside atop the old tatami mats as if all strength had left his body. Stiyl neglected to even look in Kamijous direction. He knelt down next to Index, whose limbs were sprawled out limply. The magician then muttered something under his breath. His shoulders were trembling. He was a perfect representation of human angers felt when a persons precious was hurt before them. Based on Crowleys Moonchild, we will use the method of capturing an angel to create a chain of events that will summon, capture, and have a fairy work for our ends. Having gathered his resolve, Stiyl stood up. When he turned, his expression was void of the slightest hint of humanity. His face was the face of a magician who abandoned his humanity to save a certain girl. Kanzaki, give me your help. We need to destroy her memories. Kamijou felt like those words stabbed into the most fragile part of his heart. Ah... He knew that robbing Index of her memories was only meant to save her. And, Kamijou had once told Kanzaki that they should not hesitate to destroy her memories if they were truly acting solely for Indexs sake. No matter how many times she lost her memories, they just had to give her even better memories the next time. That way she could look forward to the coming year even if she must lose her memories. But... Wasnt that just a compromise to be made after exhausting every other option? Kamijou thought. ... Without realizing it, Kamijou had begun clenching his fist hard enough to crack his nails. Could he do it? Could he just give up? Any number of research facilities dealing with a humans memories and mind existed in Academy City. Could he really give up here when there might be a happier way to save Index in one of those facilities? Using old fashioned magic would destroy the memories that she cared about the most. Was it really okay to continue to rely on the worlds easiest, and the worlds cruelest, method. No, that was irrelevant. All the boring reasoning and rationalization no longer mattered. Could he... Could Kamijou Touma bear to have the week he spent with Index reverted to a blank slate like someone deleted the save data for a video game? ...Wait. Kamijou Touma raised his head. He directly and honestly raised his head with the intention of opposing the magicians who were acting to save Index. Wait, please wait! Just a bit longer! Just a bit! There are 2.3 million espers in Academy City and there are over 1000 research institutions running it all. Theres Psychometry, Marionette, Telekinesis, and Materialize! We have tons of espers who can manipulate minds and labs that develop the mind! If we get their help, we might not have to rely on this horrible method! ... Stiyl Magnus said nothing. Even so, Kamijou continued to shout at the flame magician. You dont want to us this method either, right!? Deep down in your heart, youre praying that there is some other way, right!? Then just wait a bit longer. I will make sure to find an ending where everyone is smiling and everyone is happy! So...!! ... Stiyl Magnus said nothing. Kamijou had no idea why he was going so far. He had only met Index a week before. He had lived for 16 years before then without knowing her and there was no reason why he would be unable to live a normal life without her from then on. There was no reason why, yet he knew he could not. He did not know why. He was uneven sure if he even needed a reason why. He just knew it hurt. It hurt to think that her words, her smile, and her mannerisms would never be directed towards him again. It hurt to think that the memories of that week would be easily wiped clean by someone else as if a reset button were being pressed. Just considering the possibility caused great pain in the most precious and kindest part of his heart. ... Silence filled the room like that of an elevators. Rather than a silence where was capable of making noise, the odd silence there was filled with only the faint sound of breathing, the people there merely remaining silent. Kamijou raised his head. With great caution, he looked at the magician. Is that all you want to say, you self-righteous failure? And... That was all the rune magician Stiyl Magnus said. It was not that he had not listened to what Kamijou said. His ears had heard every single one of Kamijous words, had processed them, and had comprehended their meaning as well as the feelings hidden below the surface. And yet, Stiyl Magnus did not move so much as an eyebrow. Kamijous words had not hit home with him in the slightest. Out of the way, said Stiyl. Kamijou had no idea how the muscles on his face were moving. Without so much as a sigh, Stiyl said to Kamijou, Look. He pointed. Before Kamijou could look over in the direction Stiyl was pointing, he grabbed Kamijous hair. Look!! Ah... Kamijou''s voice froze over. Before his eyes, he saw Index who looked like her breathing could stop at any moment. Can you say the same thing in front of her? Stiyls voice trembled. Can you say the same thing while she is mere seconds away from death!? Can you say the same thing while she is in too much pain to even open her eyes!? Can you tell her to wait because you have some things youd like to try out!!? ... Indexs fingers stirred. It was unclear if she were barely conscious or if she were moving subconsciously, but she desperately moved her hand that seemed as heavy as lead and tried to touch Kamijous face. It was as if she were desperately trying to protect Kamijou as the magician grabbed his hair. It was as if she thought her own intense pain was meaningless. If you can, then you are not human! Anyone who could see her like this and still inject her with some untested drug, let some strange doctor mess with her body, and fill her body with drugs cant possibly be human! Stiyls shout stabbed through Kamijous eardrums and into his brain. Answer me, esper. Are you still human or are you a monster who has abandoned his humanity!? ... Kamijou could not answer. Stiyl went in for one last blow like stabbing a sword into the heart of a deceased. He pulled a necklace with a small cross on it from his pocket. This tool is needed to destroy her memories. Stiyl waved the cross in front of Kamijous face. As you might guess, its a magical item. If you touch it with your right hand, it should lose all power just like my Innocentius. The cross swayed back and forth in front of Kamijou like a five yen coin being used for a cheap bit of hypnotism. But can you negate it, esper? As if he had frozen in place, Kamijou stared up at Stiyl. When that girl is suffering before your very eyes, can you take this from her!? If you believe so much in your own power, then negate it, oh mutant who thinks hes a hero! Kamijou stared. He looked at the cross swaying before his eyes. He looked at the abominable cross that could rob people of their memories. As Stiyl had said, he could stop the deletion of Indexs memories if he took that from him. It was nothing difficult. He just had to reach out his hand and lightly touch it with the tips of his fingers. That was all. It should have been so easy. Kamijou clenched his trembling right hand until it was as hard as rock. But he could not do it. For the moment, magic was the one safe and surefire way to save Index. How could he take that from the girl who was suffering and putting up with it all? He simply could not. Our preparations will be complete at 0:15 at the earliest. We will destroy her memories using the power of Leo, Stiyl said to Kamijou in disinterest. 0:15... He likely had less than 10 minutes left. ...!! He wanted to shout out and tell them to stop. He wanted to yell out and tell them to wait. However, Kamijou would not be the one who would suffer as a result. The cost of Kamijous selfishness would all come back to Index. Just accept it. My name is Index. Just accept it already. Anyway, it would be great if you could feed me enough food to fill me up. Just accept that you, Kamijou Touma, have neither the power nor the right to save Index! Kamijou could not shout and could not cry out. He could only stare up at the ceiling, grit his back teeth, and let tears he could not hold back fall from his eyes. ...Hey, magician, Kamijou muttered blankly as he continued to stare up at the ceiling and lean against the bookshelf. How do you think I should say farewell to her in the end? We dont have time for this nonsense. I see, replied Kamijou blankly. Kamijou would have remained frozen in place there, but Stiyl did not let up. Leave this place, monster. The magician looked at Kamijou. Your right hand negated my flames. I still dont understand how it works and we cant have it interfering with the spell we are going to use. I see, replied Kamijou emptily. Kamijou gave a small, corpse-like smile. It was the same with that wound on her back. Why is there never anything I can do? How should I know? Stiyls eyes seemed to say. I can destroy even the systems of God with this right hand. Kamijou seemed to crumble. So why cant I save just one suffering girl? He smiled. He did not curse fate and he did not blame it on misfortune. He simply reflected on his own powerlessness. Kanzaki looked at him with a pained expression and said, We still have 10 minutes until we perform the ceremony at 0:15. Stiyl looked at Kanzaki as if he could not believe what he was seeing. But, Kanzaki only smiled when she looked at Stiyl. On the night we first swore to erase her memories, we spent the whole night crying by her side. Isnt that right, Stiyl? ... Stiyl fell silent for a moment as if his breath had caught in his throat. B-But we have no idea what hell do. What if he attempts a double suicide while we arent looking? If he were willing to do that, dont you think he would have touched the cross right away? You only used the real cross rather than a fake because you were already sure he was human, right? But... Whatever we do, we cannot perform the ceremony until the time is right. If he has any regrets left, he might try to stop us mid-ceremony, Stiyl. Stiyl gritted his teeth. He held himself back like he was on the verge of lunging and ripping out Kamijous throat like a beast. You have 10 minutes. Okay!? He then spun around and left the apartment. Kanzaki silently followed Stiyl from the room, but a heartbreaking smile could be seen in her eyes. The door closed. Only Kamijou and Index remained in the room. The 10 minutes had been gained at the risk of not Kamijous life, but Indexs. And yet, Kamijou knew not what he was supposed to do. Ah... Kh. Fh... A few odd noises escaped Indexs lips as she lay limply sprawled out. Kamijou jumped in shock. Index opened her eyes slightly. She seemed to wonder why she was in the futon, worrying about where Kamijou was when he should have been in the futon. She had completely forgotten about herself. ... Kamijou gritted his teeth. At that moment, standing before her was more frightening than fighting those magicians. But, running away was not an option. Touma? Kamijou approached the futon and Index breathed a sigh of relief. The look on her sweat-covered face was one of relief, from the bottom of her heart. ...Im sorry, said Kamijou as he hung his head down to meet Indexs gaze. ...? Touma, theres some kind of magic circle in this room. Index had been unconscious, so she did not know that it was drawn by the two magicians. She tilted her head to the side in a girlish sign of puzzlement as she looked at the symbols drawn on the wall near the futon. ... For an instant, Kamijou clenched his back teeth. It was for just an instant. Before anyone could have noticed, his expression returned to normal. ...Its for recovery magic. We cant leave your headaches this bad, now can we? ? Magic... Whos casting it? At that instant, a certain possibility entered Indexs mind. !? Index forced her unmoving body to move and attempted to spring up. When her face twisted in pain, Kamijou grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the futon. Touma! Have the magicians come back!? Touma, you need to get out of here!! Index looked at Kamijou with an expression of disbelief. She knew just how dangerous magicians were and was wholeheartedly worried for Kamijou. ...Its okay, Index. Touma! Its over. ...Its already over. Touma, said Index quietly and then, all strength left her body. Kamijou had no idea what kind of expression was on his face. ...Im sorry, said Kamijou. I will get stronger. I will never lose again. I will get strong enough to kick the asses of every last person who would treat you like this... Even crying would have been cowardly. Inviting her sympathy was unthinkable. ...Just wait. Next time, I will make sure to truly save you. How did he appear in Indexs eyes? How did he sound in Indexs ears? I understand. Ill wait. Because she knew not the situation, to Index, it had to seem like Kamijou had lost to the enemy and sold Index out for his own safety. Yet, she smiled. Her smile was battered. Her smile was perfect. Her smile looked like it would crumble at any moment. Even so, she smiled. Kamijou could not understand. He could no longer understand how she could be that trusting of people. That was when he made up his mind. Once your headaches get better, lets take out these magicians and win your freedom, he said. Id like to go to the beach after that, but well have to wait until my supplementary lessons are over, Would you like to transfer to my school once summer break is over? he asked. Id like to make all sorts of memories, Index said. You will, promised Kamijou. He continued forward with the lie. It mattered not what was true or false. He no longer needed that kind of cold, cruel, and proper justice that could not comfort even a single girl. The boy by the name of Kamijou Touma needed neither justice nor evil. False words were more than enough for him, which why Kamijou Touma shed not a single tear. Not even one. ... With a light noise, Indexs hand lost all strength and fell atop the futon. Having passed out once more, Index looked like a corpse. But... Kamijou softly bit his lip as he looked at Indexs feverish face. What kind of horrible ending is this? He tasted blood where he was biting his lip. He knew that what was happening was wrong and hated how powerless he was to stop it. Yes. Kamijou could do nothing. He could neither deal with the 103,000 grimoires taking up 85 percent of Indexs brain nor protect the memories filling up the 15 percent left over. ...Huh? As hopeless thoughts raced through his mind, Kamijou suddenly felt that something was off. 85 percent? Kamijou looked back at Indexs feverish face. 85 percent. Yes, that was what Kanzaki had said. 85 percent of Indexs brain was filled with the 103,000 grimoires she had memorized. The pressure that was put on her brain meant she that could fit only a years worth of memories in the remaining 15 percent. If she added any more memories than that, her brain would burst. But wait a second. How could 15 percent only hold a years worth of memories? He analyzed. Kamijou had no idea how rare a condition a perfect memory was. However, he was rather sure it was not so rare that Index was the only person in the world with it. And, the others with perfect memories did not use some ridiculous method like magic to erase their memories. If it were true that 15 percent of the brain could only hold a years worth of memories... ...That means theyd die at about 6 or seven years old. If the condition were some kind of incurable disease like that, wouldnt it be more prolific? Also... Where had Kanzaki gotten those figures, 85 percent and 15 percent? Who had told her that? Was the information about 85 percent of the brain even accurate? ...They were tricked. What if Kanzaki truthfully knew nothing about neuroscience? What if she had simply accepted what her superiors in the church had told her? Kamijou had a bad premonition. He rushed over to the black phone in the corner of the room. Komoe-sensei was out somewhere. He had searched all over the room and found her cell phone number not too long before, so that was not an issue. The mechanical ringing sound, which had a way of truly aggravating people, continued for briefly. Kamijou had a feeling that something was mistaken in Kanzakis description of a perfect memory. What if that mistake were intentionally planted by the church? They might have had hid some secret. With a staticky noise, the phone connected. Sensei!! Kamijou shouted almost entirely by reflex. Ohh, is that you, Kamijou-chan~? You shouldnt be using my phone~ ...You sound happy. Yes~... I am at a public bath right now~. Ive got a coffee milk in one hand and Im testing out a new massage chair~. Yes~. ... Kamijou thought he would to crush the receiver in his grip but Indexs situation was direr at the moment. Sensei, please just listen quietly to what I have to say. The truth is... Kamijou asked about perfect memories. What were they? Did a years worth of memories really use up 15 percent of the brain? In other words, was it a condition that set ones lifespan at only 6 or seven years? Of course not~. Komoe-sensei cut it all down in one short sentence. It is true that a perfect memory makes you unable to forget garbage memories like the flyer for a sale from last year at a supermarket~. But it isnt like the brain can burst from that~. Theyll just take their 100 years worth of memories to their grave~. The human brain can hold up to 140 years worth of memories, after all~. Kamijous heart skipped a beat. B-But what if they were learning things at a tremendous rate? Like what if they used their memory to memorize all the books in a library? Would their brain burst then? Sigh... Kamijou-chan, I can see why you fail all your development lessons~, said Komoe-sensei happily. Listen up, Kamijou-chan~. People dont have just one type of memory. Things like language and knowledge fall under semantic memories, things like habits falls under procedural memories, and what we most often think of as memories fall under episodic memories~. There are all sorts of types~. All sorts~. Um, sensei... I dont really understand what you mean. Basically~. Komoe-sensei loved to explain things so she was delighted. Each type of memory goes into different containers~. Think of it like burnable trash and unburnable trash~. If you get hit on the head and get amnesia, you dont just start talking gibberish and crawling around on the ground, right~? So... Yes~. No matter how many library books the person memorized, that would only increase the amount of semantic memory~. According to neuroscience, it is absolutely impossible for that to overwhelm the persons episodic memory~. Kamijou felt like he had received that supposed hit on the head. The receiver slipped from his hand. The fallen receiver struck the hook, ending the call, but Kamijou no longer had the time to care. The church had lied to Kanzaki. Indexs perfect memory was not a danger to her life. But... why? Kamijou muttered in stunned shock. Yes, why? Why would the church lie and falsely state that Index would die in a year? Also, Indexs suffering before Kamijous eyes certainly did not seem like a lie. If it were not being caused by her perfect memory, then why was she suffering? ...Ha. After thinking that far, Kamijou suddenly laughed out loud. Yes. The church had put a collar on Index. ...A collar that force her to require maintenance from the church every year to survive. A collar that insured that Index would not use the 103,000 grimoires she controlled to betray them. What if Index did not need the techniques and spells of the church to survive? What if she could perfectly well live on her own without the help of the church? In that case, the church would never be able to leave Index be. If she could just run off and disappear with 103,000 grimoires, they would feel the need to put a collar on her. To repeat, the church had placed a collar on Index. That made things simple. There had originally been nothing wrong with Indexs head, but the church had done something to it. ...Ha ha. For example, what if they had done something similar to filling the bottom of a 10 liter bucket with cement so that only a liter of water could fit? They had done something to Indexs mind so that her brain would burst after only a years worth of memories. That way, Index had to rely on the techniques and spells of the church. That way, Indexs comrades would have to choke back their tears and obey the church. They wove a devilish program that took even human kindness and sympathy into account. ...But that doesnt matter. Yes, it really did not matter. What mattered and what he had to worry about was just one thing: the identity of the churchs security was causing Indexs suffering. Academy City, which monopolized espers like Kamijou, was the cutting edge of science. What was it that Necessarius controlled for magicians that was the cutting edge in its own way? Yes, the supernatural power known as magic. And, Kamijou Toumas right hand could negate it with a touch even if it were the systems of God. In that clockless room, Kamijou wondered what the time was. He likely had little time left until the ceremony began. He looked over to the apartment door. If he told the truth to the magicians on the other side of that door, would they believe him? The answer was no. Kamijou was just a high school student. He had no medical license in neuroscience and his relationship with the magicians might as well have been called enemies. He doubted they would believe him. Kamijou lowered his gaze. He looked at Index, sprawled out on the futon. She was completely soaked in an unpleasant sweat and her silver hair looked like a bucket of water had been dumped on her. Her face was feverishly red and her eyebrows occasionally moved in pain. CWhen that girl is suffering before your very eyes, can you take this from her!? If you believe so much in your own power, then negate it, oh mutant who thinks hes a hero! Kamijou gave a slight smile at the words that Stiyl had beaten him back with before. The world had changed enough that he could smile at it. I dont just think Im a hero. Still smiling, he removed the white bandages thoroughly wrapped around his right hand. It was as if he removed a seal from the hand. I will be the hero. He spoke, he smiled, and he pressed his battered right hand against Indexs forehead. While he said it could negate even the systems of God, he had thought that it was a useless right hand that would not let him defeat even a single delinquent, would not raise his scores on tests, and would not make him popular with girls. But, there was one thing it could do. If it could save the girl who suffered before his very eyes, it held a most wonderful power. ... ... ...? ... ...Huh? Nothing happened. Nothing at all happened. There were no lights or noises, but had the magic the church implemented been negated? No, Index still grimaced as if in pain. It certainly seemed like nothing had happened. Kamijou looked puzzled and touched her on the cheek and the back of the head, but nothing happened. Nothing changed. Nothing changed, but he did remember something. Kamijou had already touched Index a few times. For instance, he had touched her all over when he carried her from the dorm building after he punched out Stiyl. When Index had revealed her identity from within the futon, Kamijou had lightly struck her on the forehead. But of course nothing had happened. Kamijou looked puzzled. He did not think he was wrong. Also, he doubted there was some supernatural power that his right hand could not negate. In that case... In that case, was there some part of Index he had not touched? ... ... ... ... ...Ah. His mind immediately reached a very inappropriate place, but he forced it back on track. However, he could think of nowhere besides there. If it were magic that was afflicting Index and there was no magic Kamijous right hand could not negate, then he could only think that his right hand had yet to touch it. But then, where was it? Kamijou looked down at Indexs feverish face. Since the magic had to do with memories, would the magic be located on her head or somewhere near her head? If there were a magic circle carved into the inside of her skull, even Kamijou would have to simply give up. If it were inside her body, he could not arbitrarily touch it with his finger that was covered in germs, but... ...Oh. Kamijou looked at Indexs face once more. Her eyebrows were moving in pain, her eyes were held tightly shut, and her nose was covered in mud-like sweat. Ignoring it all, Kamijou lowered his gaze to her cute lips taking shallow breaths. Kamijou slipped his right thumb and forefinger between those lips and forced her mouth open. ...The back of her throat. Due to the protection of the skull, the back of the throat was closer to her brain than the back of her head. Also, people would almost never see it and it was unlikely someone would touch it. At the back of her dark red throat was a single eerie mark like something from TV horoscopes. The mark was carved in pure black. ... Kamijou narrowed his eyes once, gathered his resolve, and proceeded to shove his hand into the girls mouth. Her mouth wriggled like it was a different creature altogether as his fingers slipped inside. The oddly warm saliva wrapped around his fingers. The unsettling feeling of her tongue made Kamijou hesitate for an instant but he then pressed his fingers in the rest of the way to jab at the back of Indexs throat. It appeared to Kamijou that Index shuddered violently with a powerful urge to vomit. Then, he felt a slight shock in his right index finger as if from static electricity. In the same instant, his right hand was forcefully blown backwards. Gah...!? A great number of blood droplets dripped onto the futon and tatami mats. It had felt like his wrist had been shot at by a handgun and he instinctively looked down at his right hand. The wounds Kanzaki had given him had reopened and fresh blood was audibly dripping down onto the tatami mats. As he held his hand up before his face, he noticed something beyond it. As Index lay limply in the futon, her eyes silently opened and they glowed red. The color was different from her irises. Glowing blood red magic circles floated in her eyes. Not good...!! He panicked. An instinctual chill ran down Kamijous spine; he lacked the time to even hold his destroyed right hand up. Her eyes glowed a frightening red and something exploded. With a tremendous shock, Kamijous body struck the bookcase. The wooden planks making up the bookcase were smashed apart and the books thundered down to the floor. An intense pain rushed through Kamijous body as if all of his joints had been smashed to pieces along with the bookcase. Trembling, Kamijou just barely managed to stand back up, his legs threatening to collapse beneath him. The metallic taste of blood mixed in with the saliva in his mouth. Warning: Chapter 3, Verse 2. All barriers for Index Librorum Prohibitorums collar from first to third have been breached. Preparing to regenerate... failed. The collar cannot self-regenerate. Switching priorities to the elimination of the intruder in order to protect the 103,000 archived grimoires. Kamijou looked at what lay before him. Index slowly stood up in such an unsettling manner that she seemed like a boneless, joint-less sack filled with jelly. The crimson magic circles in her eyes pierced Kamijou. While they were technically eyes, Kamijou found it difficult to think of them as such. They held no human light and no feminine warmth. Kamijou had seen those eyes before. When the girls back had been sliced open by Kanzaki, collapsing her in front of the student dorm, she had spoken about runes like a machine. These were the eyes she had at that time. I have no magic power, so I cant use it. ...Come to think of it, there was one thing I forgot to ask you, Kamijou muttered under his breath as he clenched his battered right fist. If youre not an esper, why is it you have no magic power? The answer to that question was likely right before him. The church had prepared multiple layers of security. If someone found out about the secret of her perfect memory and tried to remove the collar, Index would automatically use her 103,000 grimoires to use the powerful magic held within in order to literally keep the person who knew the truth from saying anything ever again. All of Indexs magic power was put into running that auto defense system. Using the 103,000 archived grimoires to determine the magic spell used to damage the barrier... failed. The specified magic cannot be determined. Putting together an anti-intruder local weapon to expose the composition of the spell. Index tilted her head like a corpse puppet. The magic expected to be most effective on the specific intruder has been formulated. Proceeding to activate the special magic: St. Georges Sanctuary to destroy the intruder. With a tremendous noise, the two magic circles in Indexs eyes grew simultaneously. Two magic circles over two meters across were now positioned in front of Indexs face. Each one was fixed in place with its center over one of her eyes and the magic circles would move through the air when she slightly moved her head. .. Index sang something that was beyond human comprehension. For an instant, the two magic circles centered on her eyes glowed before exploding. More specifically, it seemed like an explosion of high voltage electricity occurred in a point in space between Indexs eyes and lightning scattered in every direction. However, rather than bluish-white electricity, the lightning was pitch black. Though an unscientific description, space itself had seemingly cracked open. Centered at the point where the two magic circles crossed, pitch black special cracks spread out in every directions to the edges of the room. It was like a window that was shot by a bullet. It almost seemed like a type of barrier preventing anyone from approaching Index. Something seemingly pulsating swelled up from within the cracks. A beast-like scent wafted in from the slight opening created by the pitch black cracks. Ah. Kamijou suddenly knew. This was based on neither theory nor logic. Nor was it based on reason or sense. Perhaps his basic instincts were shouting it at him; he knew not what exactly the thing within the cracks was. However, he knew that seeing viewing it directly and honestly would be enough to destroy the being that was Kamijou Touma. Ah. Kamijou trembled. The cracks spread and spread and spread and spread. Even though he knew that whatever within approached, he could not move. He trembled, he trembled some more, and he truly did tremble. After all... He just had to defeat whatever that was. He and he alone had the hand that could save Index. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! And, that was why he trembled with delight. Was he afraid? Of course not. After all, he had been waiting for this moment for so long. While he said it could negate even the systems of God, his hand was so useless it would not let him defeat even a single delinquent, would not raise his scores on tests, and would not make him popular with girls. When a girls back had been sliced open due to him, when he had been forced to leave the apartment so as not to interfere with the recovery magic, and when the wire-wielding samurai girl had beaten him within an inch of his life, he had cursed his own powerlessness while wishing all the while that he could save that girl! It was not that he particularly wanted to become the hero of this story. It was just that he held the power in his right hand to negate and tear this too cruel a story to pieces! He was only four meters away. If he touched that girl just once more, he could bring it all to an end! That was why Kamijou ran toward the cracks and toward Index who stood beyond them. He clenched his right fist. He clenched it so he that could negate the never-ending and horribly, horribly boring ending to that cruel story. At the same time, the cracks spread all at once and opened. It looked as painful as a virgins hymen being forcibly ripped open. The giant cracks opened wide enough to reach the edges of the room and the thing inside peered out. A pillar of light shot out from within the cracks. It looked something like a laser beam about a meter across. The light was so pure a white it looked like it had been melted by the sun. The instant it shot out at him, Kamijou thrust his battered right hand out in front of his face. The sound of the impact was like a piece of meat being pressed against a hot metal sheet. However, there was no pain... and no heat. As if it were a pillar of water coming from a fire hose being repelled by a clear wall, the pillar of light scattered in every direction when it struck Kamijous right hand. Even so, the pillar of light itself was not completely negated. Just like with Stiyls Innocentius, it seemed to have no end no matter how often he negated it. His feet planted on the tatami mats were slowly pushed backwards and his right hand felt like it would be blown away by the great pressure. No... That isnt... what this is...!! Kamijou thought with desperation. Kamijou grabbed his right wrist with his empty left hand. He felt a stinging pain in the palm of his right hand. The magic was eating into it. His right was not negating it quickly enough and the pillar of light was approaching millimeter by millimeter. This isnt just a large mass! Each individual piece of light is something different!! He frantically realized. It was possible Index was using her 103,000 grimoires to use 103,000 different types of magic at the same time. Each individual grimoire held instant death and she was using them all at once. Suddenly, Kamijou heard some noise from the other side of the apartment. Did they only now notice somethings wrong? Rebuked Kamijou. The door swung open and the two magicians charged in. Dammit, what are you doing!? You''re still struggling in...!? Stiyl began to shout but his breath caught in his throat, as if punched in the back. The sight of the pillar of light and of Index who had fired it had him look like his heart had stopped. Kanzaki, who had seemed so superior and powerful before, looked utterly taken aback by the scene displayed before her. D-Dragon Breath? It cant be. Just how is she using magic!? Kamijou did not turn around. While it was true he was hardly in a situation where he could turn around, it had more to do with him not wanting to take his eyes off of Index. Hey, do you know what this pillar of light is!? He shouted at them without turning around. Whats it called? What is it!? Whats its weakness!? What should I do? Explain each and every step from start to finish!! ...But... but... what is...? God, you piss me off! Isnt it obvious!? If Index is using magic, it means the church was lying when they told you Index couldnt use magic! Kamijou shouted while blowing away the pillar of light. Oh, and that whole thing about Index having to have her memories erased every year? That was another lie! The church was the one limiting her, so if I negate this thing, you wont have to erase her memories anymore!! Kamijous feet slowly but surely slid backwards. The power behind the pillar of light nightmarishly doubled as if to rip up his toes that were digging into the tatami mat. Calm down! Calm down and think about this rationally! Do you really think the people who created the cruel system behind Index would kindly tell their subordinates the whole truth of the situation!? Look at the reality in front of you! Ask Index herself if you like!! The two magicians stared blankly at Index who stood beyond the cracks. St. Georges Sanctuary is showing no effect against the intruder. Switching to another spell and continuing destruction of the intruder in order to protect the collar. It was clearly not the Index the two magicians knew but clearly an Index the church had not told them about. ... For an instant just an instant Stiyl gritted his teeth so hard it seemed they would crack. ...Fortis931. Tens of thousands of cards flew from within his pitch black clothes. Cards carved with flame runes spiraled around like a typhoon and in no time at all had covered the walls, ceiling, and floor without gap. It was just like Hoichi the Earless. However, he did not act in order to save Kamijou. In an effort to save the girl named Index, Stiyl pressed his hand against Kamijous back. I do not need any vague possibilities. As long as I can erase her memories, I can save her life for now. I will kill anyone to accomplish that. I will destroy anything! That is what I decided long ago. Kamijous feet that had been sliding further and further back suddenly stopped. An unbelievable power caused the tatami mats his toes were digging into to creak horribly. For now? Kamijou did not turn around. To hell with that. I dont care about anything like that! I dont need reasons or logic! Just answer me one thing, magicians!! Kamijou sucked in a breath before continuing. Do you want to save Index or not? The magicians stopped breathing. Youve been waiting for this the whole time, havent you? Youve been waiting for a solution where Index doesnt have to lose her memories and you dont have to make an enemy of her, right!? This is that kind of wonderful, wonderful happy ending that everyone wants where everyone is happy! An unpleasant noise came from his right wrist as he continued to force it against the pillar of light. Even so, Kamijou did not give up. Youve always longed for this turn of events, havent you!? You arent filling in until the hero shows up! You arent buying time until the main character can appear! Theres no one else! Theres nothing else! Didnt you swear to save that girl with your own two hands!? A crack ran down the fingernail of his right index finger and red blood flowed out. Even so, Kamijou did not give up. Youve always, always wanted to be the heroes, right!? You wanted to become the kind of magicians you find in picture books and movies that risk their lives to save the girl, right!? Then this isnt anywhere near over!! It hasnt even begun!! Dont fall into despair just because the prologue dragged on a bit too long!! The magicians voices were silenced. Kamijou would not give up. What did he look like in the magicians eyes? If you stretch out your hand, you can reach it! Just do it already, magicians! An odd cracking noise was heard from Kamijous right pinky. When he realized the finger was bent broken at an unnatural angle, the pillar of light attacked with tremendous force and finally knocked Kamijous right hand away. His hand was knocked a good ways backwards. Kamijous face was completely defenseless and the pillar of light rushed towards it at a dreadful speed. ...Salavare000!! The instant before the pillar of light struck his face, he heard Kanzaki yell. It was not Japanese. He had never heard the word before. However, he had heard a similar word... no, a similar name once before. It had been during his confrontation with Stiyl at the dorm. He had said it was the name he must give when he used magic. His magic name. Kanzakis approximately two meter long Japanese sword sliced through the air. Her Nanasen attack utilizing seven wires flew towards Index at a speed that seemed to slice through sound itself. But, she did not aim for Index. The wires tore through the fragile tatami mat at Indexs feet. Having lost her footing, Index fell backwards. The magic circles linked to her eyes moved and the pillar of light that was supposed to be aimed at Kamijou missed its target considerably. As if it were a giant sword being swung around, the pillar of light sliced through the wall and ceiling of the apartment. It even sliced through the pitch black clouds floating in the night sky. In fact, it could have even sliced through a satellite outside the atmosphere. Not even a splinter remained where the walls and ceiling had been sliced. Instead, the portions that had been destroyed had become feathers of light that were as pure a white as the pillar of light. They floated down. Kamijou had no idea what effects they might have had, but a few dozen of those feathers of light came floating down like winter snow on that summer night. Those are the same as Dragon Breath, the strike of the legendary dragon of St. George! Whatever power they may have, I highly doubt the human body will react well to them! Having heard Kanzakis warning and having been freed from the bonds of the pillar of light, Kamijou ran towards Index as she lay collapsed on the ground. But before he could, Index turned her head. Like a giant sword being swung, the pillar of light was swung back down, slicing back through the night sky. Kamijou was going to be caught by it again! Innocentius! As Kamijou prepared himself, a spiral of flame appeared in front of him. The giant flame took on the form of a person and then spread out its arms to act as a shield against the pillar of light. It was truly like a cross protecting man from sin. Go, esper! shouted Stiyl. Her time limit has already passed! If you want to do this, dont even waste a second!! Kamijou did not respond with words or even turn around. Before he could, he ran around the colliding flame and light towards Index. He did it because Stiyl wanted him to. He did it because he had heard Stiyls words and understood the meaning held in them and the feelings hidden behind them. Kamijou ran. He ran!! Warning: Chapter 6, Verse 13. New enemy confirmed. Changing combat considerations. Beginning scan of the battlefield... done. Focusing on the destruction of the most difficult enemy, Kamijou Touma. Index swung her head around, pillar of light and all. However, Innocentius moved to protect Kamijou at the same time. The light and flames continued to eat into each other in an extended conflict of destruction and regeneration. Kamijou ran straight for the now defenseless Index. Four more meters. Three more meters. Two more meters! One more meter!! Nooo!! Above you!! Kanzaki yelled with a voice that seemed to tear through everything. Kamijou had just reached the point where he could reach the magic circles in front of Indexs face if he stretched out his hand. Without stopping his feet, he looked up at the ceiling. The feathers of light... The few dozen shining feathers that had been created when Indexs pillar of light had destroyed the wall and ceiling were slowly floating down like snowflakes. They had just floated down far enough to be about to reach Kamijous head. Despite knowing nothing about magic, Kamijou could still tell that having even one of those feathers touch him would have had extremely undesirable results. He also knew that he could easily negate them by using his right hand. But... Warning: Chapter 22, Verse 1. Analysis of the flame magic spell has succeeded. It is confirmed to be a distorted Christian motif described with runes. Adding in anti-Christian spells... Spell 1, Spell 2, Spell 3. Twelve seconds until the complete activation of the spell named Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani. The pillar of lights color turned from pure white to crimson. Innocentiuss regeneration speed visibly slowed and the pillar of light pushed forward. Using his right hand to take out each and every one of the dozens of feathers of light would most likely take too much time. There was also a danger of Index managing to stand back up and, most importantly, Innocentius clearly wouldnt last that long. The dozens of feathers of light floated above the single controlled girl at his feet whose every feeling was being used. It was a simple question of who to save and who to let fall. The answer was obvious. Kamijou Touma had not been swinging his right hand around for his own sake. He had been fighting the magicians in order to save a certain girl. God, if this world, this story, is moving ahead according to the system you created... Kamijou spread open the five fingers of his clenched fist almost as if he were going to wash his palm. ...then I first need to destroy that illusion!! Kamijou swung his right hand down. He swung it down on the black cracks and the magic circles that had produced those cracks. Kamijous right hand easily tore them apart. It was so simple that it made him want to laugh at how much suffering they had caused. He broke through them as easily as the paper of a goldfish scoop once wet. ...Warning: Final... Chapter, Verse Zero.... The collar has received fatal... damage... Regeneration... impossible... gone. The voice coming from Indexs mouth ended altogether. The pillar of light and magic circles disappeared, and it was almost as if the cracks that had been running all across the room had been erased with an eraser. At that moment, one of the feathers of light fell down on Kamijou Toumas head. He thought he heard someone shout. He knew not whether it was Stiyl, Kanzaki, himself, or even Index who might have woken up. As if he had been hit in the head by a hammer, all strength left his entire body, down to the very last finger. Kamijou fell down and covered Index who was still collapsed on the floor. It was like he protected her body from the falling feather of light. The dozens of feathers of light floated down like snowflakes towards every part of Kamijous body. Even so, Kamijou Touma smiled. He smiled and he never moved those fingertips again. On that night, Kamijou Touma died. Volume 1, Afterword Volume 1, Afterword Nice to meet you. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Right about now, Im starting to feel incredibly embarrassed about referring to myself with a penname. To people who have done things online: its a bit like revealing your handle to the world for the first time. Come to think of it, this book got its start online. The magicians in RPGs and such that can create balls of fire or revive the dead at the cost of some MP are quite convenient, because the term magic lets them do whatever they want. But (for the sake of argument) lets assume magic actually existed. What kinds of people used magic throughout history? What kinds of rules exist behind the term "magic"? This all started when I typed magician and actually exist into a search engine in an attempt to answer those questions. It came up with things like how to control a black cat with silver vine powder and voodoo witch doctors used fugu poison to create zombies that had a state of apparent death. I got interested when I realized that the workings of the occult seemed an awful lot like science. Dengeki Bunkos light novels treat magic like it''s normal, so I thought that a novel that went deeper into the idea of magic might be a new idea. ...Really, this is a work that was more about my personal interest rather than an idea marketed to a certain type of reader (that is, I didnt try to come up with some catchy topic). My bowed head will never be raised when in front of my editor Miki-san and my illustrator Haimura Kiyotaka-san who both stuck with me on this. I am truly thankful. And to you readers who picked this book up, I am very grateful that you stuck with my long, drawn-out writing style for this long. I hope that Kamijou Touma and Index will live just a little longer in your hearts. And I pray that I will get to make a 2nd volume. For today, I lay down my pen. ...Its actually still December 26, 2003. -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 2, Prologue: The Same Usual Every Day. The_Beginning_of_The_End. Volume 2, Prologue: The Same Usual Every Day. The_Beginning_of_The_End. To understand a person, one must simply examine their bookshelf. ...A pile of manga. The date was August 8th. Kamijou Touma looked around the room and found that he could not find a single book that was not manga on not only on his bookshelf but throughout the house. Thus, in order to save face, Kamijou Touma had decided to head to the train station of Academy City and purchase some reference books. ...He went there. To think that one reference book costs 3,600 yen (a. $43.58)... muttered Kamijou Touma as if he had recently lost terribly in a great battle. And, according to the shop attendant, every reference book was sold at half price until yesterday in order to promote the summer exams. Such misfortune. It truly was unfortunate. However, this was the essence of Kamijou Touma''s everyday''s life. Additionally, he was popular simply because his friends felt that "with him around, hell absorb our bad luck like a lightning rod. The problem was the precariousness of the situation. It was imperative that he avoided the label, "someone with only manga on his bookshelf". Of course, his thought processes were abnormal. An ordinary person would disregard unscientific claims like to understand a person, one must simply examine their bookshelf. It was because Kamijou Touma had lost his memory. Naturally, everything was not forgotten. He still knew how to read traffic lights and operate his cell phone. He lost his memories; knowledge was intact. Though he knew how to use a cell phone, his brain would wonder Eh? Where I did I put my phone? or Hold on, since when did I have a phone? His apparent "knowledge" was like a dictionary. For example, one might know that apples were the fruit of the Rosaceous deciduous tree which bloom in spring with a round shape. But, to decide if it were tasty, one had to eat an apple. His brain lacked the diary-like memory of I ate a delicious apple on month X, day Y. He was told that the reason was because the experience memory (memories) part of his brain, rather than the meaningful memory (information) part, was destroyed. However, this was not the main issue. Kamijou Touma wanted to know what sort of person he was before he "lost his memory"; even if it meant that he had to adhere to some baseless claim like one must simply examine their bookshelf. But, it did not mean that Kamijous expression was that of pain. After all, Kamijou was not alone in the world and was not thrown into some unknown environment. He had food, clothes and friends he could call companions. Touma! Returning home on a summer day, a girl beside the half-dead Kamijou cried out angrily in the face of the sudden shopping spree. Kamijou had gone out on this assault and spend more than 1000 yen (a. $12.11). Around 13 or 14 years old, one could tell that she was foreign. She had waist-length silver hair, skin as white as snow emerald green eyes. Despite all of that, the plainly obvious foreignness of hers was the outfit. She wore a Christian nuns habit that was uniquely white and with gold lacings. It seemed like the gold-outlined cups that upstarts enjoyed using. Her name was Index. Of course, it was a fake name but Index was what everyone had called her. Kamijou met her in the hospital. Or rather, from Kamijou''s perspective, he met her at the hospital but it appeared that he had already met her prior to his memory loss. Though Kamijou recalled nothing related to the girl no matter how he tried, he avoided saying it aloud. The day he first met her, she cried tears of happiness to see him on the bed. However, her tears were shed not for the current Kamijou but the Kamijou prior. He could not bear to break the joy in the girls heart. In order to protect her warmth, Kamijou Touma formed a fa?ade as the Kamijou Touma before his memory loss. It was a complicated feeling, as if Kamijou Touma were two people. However, the girl called Index, seemed ignorant of Kamijous inner conflict (though, to be fair to her, he avoided her realization). Shorter than Kamijou by a head, she looked up and started unhappily at him. Touma, what could we have done with 3,600 yen? ...Don''t ask. What could we have done? The girl asked again. Just as Kamijou stuffed his ears and shut his eyes, shouting "DON''T SAY IT!" to escape from reality, he suddenly realized that the girl walking beside him was looking elsewhere. With curiosity, Kamijou followed her gaze and found that the shop sign of an ice cream shop was spinning before him. It was August 8th, a considerably hot summer afternoon, and because of the heat waves floating up, Indexs long-sleeved habit should have been hot... ...I understand your feelings, but isn''t spending 3,600 yen a bit much? Hmph. She seemed unhappy with his words and turned to look at Kamijou. Touma, I didnt say Im hot or about to get heatstroke. Of course I never thought about spending someone elses money to satisfy myself so I didnt think about eating ice cream at all. ...Okay, okay. I know nuns dont tell lies but you dont have to sweat and give me those abandoned puppy-dog eyes, right? Cant you just tell me that you want to eat ice cream in an air-conditioned room? The weathers so hot but youre still wearing that nuns habit, something that doesnt consider the impact of the weather. You might get heatstroke like that. Though he sounded quite generous, it was just his saving face. The amount of money in his wallet would not change. Of course, it did not mean that he could not even buy ice cream, but if he did, he would be short money to get a ride back home. Academy City was one-third the size of Tokyo, and for Kamijou (who had just recovered from considerable injuries) and the physically weak Index, it was not a place they could trek with ease. Though the term weak girls may have been sexist, girls that could walk one-third the length of Tokyo were few. Index seemed unhappy somehow and began to get angrier. She frowned, Touma, this clothing is a materialization of Gods protection. I never even thought about how hard it is to wear, how hot it is, how its troublesome or how there should be a summer or winter version. "...Right..." Righteousness and kindness were two different things and Kamijou Touma understood that cruel reality. There was something off however. Why were there safety pins all over a habit with such extravagant designs? "And besides, I''m still a nun-in-training. Besides cigarettes and wine, Im forbidden from having any luxury items... even coffee, red tea, fruits, sweets, iced items..." "Oh, I see. At first, I thought about saying that eating ice cream is a good way to relieve the summer heat." When people adhered to religious principles, it was impossible to change their minds. Kamijou again stared at the signboard of the ice cream shop. "If that''s the case, okay. It''s not like we need to eat it" Before Kamijou could finish speaking, a hand suddenly grabbed him at mach one. Kamijou, unable to resist the powerful force exerted by the girl''s fingers, was forced to turn his head around. "It''s... it''s true that I''m still in training, and that I''m forbidden from having any excessive stuff." "Then, no way." "But since I''m still in training, it means that I can''t completely follow a Saint''s standards, right? So, in this situation, maybe therell be a case where some ice cream accidentally went into my mouth. Isn''t that right, Touma?" "..." Though Kamijou badly desired to lecture her, the force exerted by the girl''s fingers became stronger, seemingly conveying to him to say nothing more. However, the na?ve Index knew not that silence could be worse than a rebuttal. ...At that moment... "Yo, sorry to disturb y''all from this important conversation, but who''s that gal, Kami-yan?" ...A mysterious fake Kansai accent sounded from behind. Looking back, it was a weirdo whose voice was even stranger. 180 centimeters tall, blue-haired, ear-pierced... he was too odd to be a weirdo. Did the "Kamijou with his memories" really have such a friend? Kamijou could not help but ask. He felt like he was lecturing others as he cursed himself. Even if I don''t know what relationship I have with this guy (I did lose my memories), I should at least choose my friends better! "Hm, what''s up, Kami-yan? Why are you looking at me like a stranger? Did the summer heat cause ya to lose ya memories?" "What...?" Kamijou was shocked. Aogami Pierce, however, raised his hand and waved it about. "I''m just joking, man~. This memory loss thing is a special privilege only to those unbelievable wave-emitting girlsDenpa Otomeright?"[1] Then, Aogami Pierce put his hand on Kamijou''s shoulder (though it was ridiculously hot). "...Yo, Kami-yan, who''s that gal? How do ya know such a small girl? Is she ya cousin...? Doesn''t look like it. Her silver hair doesn''t look inherited from ya gene pool!" The big issue with Aogami was that his whispers failed at being whispers. Kamijou broke into cold sweat, worried whether the girl beside him would go ballistic because of the word "small"... but luckily, it seemed that it would not be the case. "...From the way I see it, this gal must only be asking directions from ya, right? But with ya English still country-isolated, it must be pretty hard for ya... Hold on, is that gal from an English-speaking country?" Kamijou knew not what he was talking about and for Index perhaps she was rather used to having others calling her "small". She seemed unmindful, only glaring viciously at the sun that burned down, perhaps so hot that she did not want to speak. "...Speaking of which, Kami-yan, I don''t know where ya met this gal, but don''t get relaxed by this. After all, ya gained sixteen years of trust and good-man performances, so ya should know that a "simple meeting with a gal" isn''t possible. Isn''t it like that in romantic comedies? The one with the crush is always like a young mother! Haha~ if such an event happens, all hope is gone! It''s really pitiful to think about." Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the events of his life were not an old-fashioned dramas case. The, Aogami Pierce spoke again, "Hold on, is that a cross-dressing trap? Isn''t ''her'' chest a little too small?" Immediately, Kamijou seemed to hear the girl''s blood vessels explode. Kamijou forced himself suppress a blood-curdling cry. It seemed that while the girl could endure being called young, being called a boy was out of the question. Kamijou seemed to hear her barely maintain her smile as she gnashed her teeth. Such misfortune...! Just as Kamijou wanted to shout... "Oi, Kami-yan. How could great men like us be good friends with a 3D gal? There''ll definitely be a Bad End. I can see it: just as Kami-yan takes off the final piece of clothing from the gal and goes into the R18 moment, ya finally find out the truth and roll off the bed in shock." "...You''re joking, right? Don''t tell me you actually feel that way!" "Eh? Is she really a gal? How uninteresting!" Aogami Pierce said with a gleeful expression. "So ya encounter must be abnormal, right? Kami-yan, though ya always been a good guy nobody loved, ya can''t just kidnap a gal, you know? Such foolhardiness will get flamed on those image boards when ya leave them there." "Idiot... stop joking! Who''d do such a thing!?" ...But in reality, Kamijou did not know how they met. "This person here is just a freeloader! Everything was done through negotiations with both sides, sergeant-dono!" "''Freeloader''? ''Freeloader''? Kami-yan, ya just added a ''just'' to an extremely precious ''freeloader gal''? Kami-yan! Ya like an elementary school kid who just ate too many snacks and forgot the essence of rice!" "Shut up! How can I express it except with a ''just''!? Since when do romantic scenes happen that often in real life!? Do you know how Kamijou''s finances are in a crisis because of this person right here!? Even Zashiki-warashi''s better than her...!" As Kamijou shouting continued, he realized something. Naturally, the girl Index was nearby and heard all of it. "...Ah." Kamijou turned back with an expression of terror. Index smiled. She revealed a Virgin Mary-like smile but her face was as green as honey dew. Terrible. Not knowing what "the Kamijou Touma with memories" would do, he was unaware whether he once knew how to quell her. If I did know, then this amnesia is really a pity, Kamijou thought. "Touma." Index spoke, revealing a perfect smile. It''s all over, Kamijou thought, unable to respond. "I''m a nun affiliated with the English Anglicans. Repent now or forever hold your peace." The nun drew a cross in front of her chest, and clasped her hands together. Because the smile was too impeccable, one could tell that it was a guise. Kamijou unknowingly desired to clutch his head and cry out. This was a bombnoan unexploded mortar. If I handle this carelessly, it may explode, and this will be the end of my life! Kamijou''s instincts told him thus. What should I do what should I do? Ah! That''s it, ice cream! Use ice cream to distract her! Now extremely confused, Kamijou forgot how to speak and could only crazily point in the direction of the ice cream shop near them. Index peered in the direction of his finger and stopped. She then revealed puzzled look. Just as Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that he managed to divert her attention, he suddenly noticed something. There was a piece of paper on the automatic door which read: "To our customers, Due to interior renovations, we will be suspending our business for the time being. We apologize for any inconveniences." His mind recalled a Bad End and Kamijou slowly turned his head towards the girl beside him. The girl''s smile instantly vanished. "Such misfortune!" Kamijou shouted and the savage beast Index pounced. In the end they compromised and agreed to buy shakes from a cheap fast food restaurant. Of course, Index was not completely satisfied so Kamijou tried to incentivize her with the pretense of "enjoying the food in an air-conditioned room". However, the shop was actually completely crammed in the afternoon. "..." Holding the tray with both hands, Index looked unhappy once again and remained silent. There were three shakes on the tray: one vanilla, one chocolate, and one strawberry. Though Kamijou truly wanted to shout "Are you that thirsty?" he dared not to retort out of fear that his life would be at risk. Such misfortune, Kamijou thought. Index, whose mood somewhat improved after getting three shakes for herself, was now facing a tough situation: the shop was completely filled with customers. But, the temperature was so hot that staying outside was not an option. They had finally managed to enter a shop with air conditioning so who would want to go back to the streets and stand under the sun? The nearby female high school students seemed to fail to realize Kamijou''s despair as they continued to talk about extremely ordinary topics. "Hey, hey! I heard that Anzai used telepathy during the last exam! Is it true?" "I heard that they even organized a teachers'' meeting because of that, so it must be true. But, I also heard that everyone at the meeting agreed that esper powers are a part of the Curriculum, so it isnt considered cheating." "UU, THAT''S DESPICABLE! NYAAA!! THEN I WANT TO USE MY POWER AS WELL!" "...Isn''t your power pyrokinesis?" "Can''t I just set fire to the teacher''s back and force him to spill the answers?" ...Perhaps to most, such a conversation would have been too out of the ordinary. But, as it was Academy City, such things were very common parts of their everyday lives. As the 2.3 million citizens of the city had some sort of power, it could have been called a large-scale "power development group". In fact, Kamijou was an esper. He was the boy called the "Imagine Breaker". He possessed a right hand that could "negate any supernatural power, even one of God''s miracles". "...Touma, I really want to sit down." said Index in an emotionless tone. Scary. The nuns expression conveyed to him that if he did not comply, she would again leap and bite him. "AFFIRMATIVE!" Kamijou shouted and rushed to a shop attendant who was sweeping the floor. The shop attendant merely revealed a cruel, professional smile and pointed to a corner by the window. Sit together? Kamijou looked over at where the finger''s pointing. "Uuu!?" In the shop that was like a rush hour train station, there was a four-seater table in the corner. A huge space appeared in the middle of the crowd like a huge hole. Over there, on that table, sat a sleeping miko. Jellyfish-like shiny black hair was scattered, covering the miko''s face. This... What''s with this scenario? Kamijou cried out in his heart. Not right, something''s not right. Kamijou''s misfortune radar warned him. Don''t get involved with her, don''t get involved with her, you''ll definitely meet misfortune! When it happens, it won''t be something solved by amnesia! Of course, Kamijou Touma, as an unlucky person, did not seek misfortune. He closed his eyes and made his decision....Alright, let''s go home! I''d rather get bitten by Index than get involved with such a person. Having made this conclusion, Kamijou turned back to find that both Index and Aogami had already disappeared. "...?" Kamijou looked around. "...Ack!" As expected, under the suggestion of the shop attendant, Index had already sat opposite that mysterious miko. The girl truly lacked awareness for danger. Or was she a philanthropist? As for Aogami Pierce, who sat beside them, his eyes were gleaming. Are you really that attracted to nuns and mikos? He honestly and truly wanted to run away. But he could not. If he turned his back on Index and ran away, Index might have leaped at him like a lion and swallow him whole. Seeing Aogami Pierce, whose eyes glittered, Kamijou felt that it was too dangerous to leave the girl alone. But most importantly, Index, who had some strawberry shake in her mouth, waved at him happily. Kamijou felt that he should preserve that happy expression. Though he though as such, there was a mysterious miko sleeping. Kamijou carefully approached the table. The same moment, the miko''s shoulders jerked. "Sp" Her mouth moved. The miko''s mouth moved. Kamijou had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. Why? Having lost his memories, Kamijou definitely remembered nothing but somehow had a feeling that he already had a similar experience. He gulped down his saliva, waiting for the miko to speak. "Spent all my money and ruined myself." Notes 1. ǥŮ or Denpa Otome goes for "wave girl". "Denpa" is a term to coin someone who has a really strange or eccentric behaviour without any apparent reason, hence "the wave made me do it"; you might recognize the word as it is also the name of a novel, where the titular character is actually quite weird. Volume 2, 1: A Tower of Glass. The_Tower_of_BABEL. Volume 2, Chapter 1: A Tower of Glass. The_Tower_of_BABEL. Part 1 It was a windowless room. There were no doors, stairs, lifts, or corridors. As a part of the building, the room had no functionality. There was no way to enter the building except via a level 4 espers teleportation ability. It could have been said to be the most impenetrable stronghold. It was a tower formed from the materials known the deflect impacts and more defensible than an air-raid shelter. In such a tower stood a magician whose name was Stiyl Magnus. Stiyl, a well-versed runic magician, especially in fire magic, was also an Anglican priest. A fourteen year old versed in magic and fully capable of killing other magicians could have been said to be a rarity. Truthfully, he should not have been there. Instead of the building, he should not have been in the city entirely. He was a member of the Christian sect Necessarius while Academy City was a purely scientific body that rejected the supernatural and instead produced espers via drugs, body manipulation and hypnotism. As of then, his presence was as unnatural as shuffling a tarot card into a poker deck. However, there was reason for his presence however unnatural it was. He was acting as a liaison for the Anglican Church in order to negotiate with Academy City on equal footing. However, as far as representatives go, he was a flawed one. He was a man who would kill with no hesitation and could order flames to swallow a human being without a thought. "..." Despite it all, he was still fazed by the scene before him. The area was too large to be described as in-doors and there was supposedly no lighting. However, the room was filled with starry lights because of the numerous flashing screens and buttons. Equips of all sizes, thousands of cables and tubes were gathered at the center of the room like blood vessels on the floor. An enormous cylinder was centered in the room. It was four meters in diameter and over ten meters in height. The cylindrical container of reinforced glass was filled with a red liquid. The color was said to represent a weakly alkaline recovery fluid. Of course, to magician Stiyl, the scientific were not in his field of expertise and would not understand even after an explanation. A human wearing a green surgical cloak floated upside down. No word beside human could have described him. The silver-haired human appeared like a man but somehow feminine, like an adult but somehow childlike, like a saint but somehow criminal. Had he obtained all of the possibilities that a "human" can only dream of? Or did he give up on all the possibilities that a "human" had? Whichever it was, the only word that could describe him was human. "Everyone who comes here observes me and has a response similar to yours. The "human" in the cylinder spoke. He sounded like a man but somehow feminine, like an adult but somehow childlike, like a saint but somehow criminal. "...Why let a human do it when machines can as well?" It was how that "human" existed. His own life was maintained by machines and so it was meaningless for him to act as he did. This "human" who seemed like he had extended his lifespan to 1700 years was now before Stiyl. Stiyl felt fear. He feared not the scientific technology of Academy City that could operate lives for humans but the way the human existed. As he had the option of machinery, he could have abandoned his body of flesh without a thought and offer himself to the machines. It was terrifying to meet a human twisted enough to live that way. "I suppose you want to know why I called you here..." The General Director of Academy City, the "human" Aleister who floated upside-down, spoke with a stern tone. "The situation has become complicated as of now." Hearing Aleister say this, Stiyl inadvertently frowned. He could not imagine that the human before him would show weakness with a statement like the situation has become complicated as of now. "It''s regarding Deep Blood, am I correct?" Stiyl, who normally neglected honorifics, used them with Aleister. Of course, rather than his status as "liaison for the Anglican Church," he also he knew that if Aleister detected hostility, he would be cut into pieces. It was not an overall issue of hostility; even if it were misunderstanding or misconception, if Aleister decided it, Stiyls life would end. It was because they were in the enemys base, the command center for 2.3 million espers. "Fuu." Noticing Stiyl''s trembling, Aleister spoke. "It wouldn''t be a problem if this were an esper-only issue, because it would be one of the espers I ''had''. As long as it''s a citizen in this city that creates a commotion, there are about 70,632 ways to handle it and clean up..." "..." The words invoked no particular feeling from Stiyl. He was uninterested in Academy City procedure and lacked understanding of how the Science side operated. "...The complications are because a magician has taken part in this when he should have not. Thus, Stiyl pondered it. Deep Blood: The Blood-Sucking Killer. The name came not from Academy City databases but the Great English Library. From the wording, one could imagine that its purpose was to kill "something which may or may not have existed. None knew what sort of ability it was or whether or not it was even genuine. All that was known was that a girl possessed the power. In particular, the girl with "Deep Blood" was being held prisoner by a magician. The situation was that simple. Fu. Because the enemy is an outsider to this city, it has become troublesome. Aleister remained inverted and spoke. "Of course, it would be trivial to send out 2.3 million espers to crush one or two magicians. But, this isn''t the main issue. If we did that, it would mean that the Science side defeated magicians." Academy City and Necessarius each had its own world, a sphere of influence. Powers and the supernatural... it was because each monopolized technologies that they could keep their positions. If Academy City, which controlled espers, declared that they had defeated a magician, those on the Magic side would not remain silent. For example, if the latest fighter jets crash-landed in enemy territory, the wreckage could reveal the secret technology. It seems itd difficult for you to send in reinforcements. Stiyl said calmly. Espers and magicians coordinating... may have been too precarious. It was already problematic to decide between the two who would lead because of the excuse of checking the others battle abilities in order to spy on the technology. Considering this, Stiyl formed a question. Two weeks ago, he entered Academy City, and had a battle with an esper. Why was the battle allowed so silently? Perhaps, beyond Stiyls knowledge, the two had made an agreement. Or perhaps because he was a Level 0, he held little importance. The situation at the moment, however, was different. Most of the espers and magicians involved were considered important people. "I see. So that''s why you specifically asked me, an ''exception'', to be here." Stiyl''s expression did not change but seemingly had confirmed something. Essentially, Stiyl Magnus was an exception. There would have been problems if espers from the Science side defeated magicians from the Magic side. However, there would be no issue if Stiyl, a member of the Magic side, defeated a magician. Additionally, Stiyls superior also felt it important that the magician be defeated by a magician for the sake of cleaning house. "This is the blueprint of the ''battlefield'' in question." It was unknown what technology was used to form an image in the darkness. The hologram seemed like computer graphics and the image of a building seemed ordinary enough. Then, a positional diagram of the "battlefield" appeared. The words Misawa Cram School were written on the corner of the diagram. "Through the initial building blueprints and various satellite images, we have analyzed the interior layout." Aleister''s voice lacked cadence and tone. "However, we know not the magic equipment inside. Regardless, we have no understanding of magic." "..." "This ''Misawa Cram School'' is somewhat unique. Aleister began to explain. Incidentally, Academy City was an educational enterprise consisting of hundreds of schools of different sizes. Also, the Curriculum included the paranormal, such as esper development. It was said that Misawa Cram School catered to all of the levels of society in the country and was set up as a school in Academy City to learn the secrets of esper development exclusive to the city. It had the makings of a large corporate spy incident. However, Misawa Cram School, which knew nothing about power development, gave off a strange impression. Perhaps it was a science cult that used the exclusivity of the scientific knowledge as a reason they were chosen by God, creating a new religion. Misawa Cram School had even begun to go out of control and rejected the main branchs orders and did something extreme: they imprisoned the Deep Blood in accordance to the religion. "But why must they imprison Deep Blood? Are their teachings like 16th century fanatics to achieve immortality?" "No. Misawa Cram School lacks true existence. Essentially, they simply desire a unique esper whose power cannot be duplicated. Anyone would do. "?" "Levels in Academy City are decided by aptitude and power. Thus, they wanted to take the Deep Blood and examine her. As long as they could use the slogan ''we duplicated a super rare ability'', students lamenting that they have ordinary abilities or Level 2s or 3s will be attracted by it... Such idiocy. They cannot change their developed power even with a brain transplant." However, it sounded strange. Even if having a rare ability were a cultural unique in Academy City, how could anyone believe that Deep Blood, from the Magic side, existed in a scientific environment? Just as Stiyl''s considered it, Aleister casually stated the answer. "Furthermore, objects are more valuable if rare. As long as such basic logic exists, there will be points of contention. There are many espers with unknown truths behind their powers beside Imagine Breaker. Some espers possess such tremendous power that none have seen them in a serious state. It if it were just that Deep Blood was imprisoned, the situation would be simple. However, as Aleister had said, conflicts in the city had 70,632 solutions. This was not the issue. Before the situation was settled, a magician came from the outer world and invaded Misawa. He aimed for Misawa. Instead of destroying it he usurped it, transforming it into such a complicated situation. "..." Stiyl silently stared at the diagram of Misawa. He could not see any objects modified by magic. A tension like charging into complete darkness enveloped Stiyl. Though an uncomfortable sensation, it was one he was accustomed to. It was a battle of life or death, nil or one. He was rather unhappy that he was to battle alone in a city housing 2.3 million espers. "Not quite." Seemingly reading Stiyl''s mind, Aleister spoke. Perhaps there was a machine that could analyze a persons mind with temperatures or blood flows. "I do possess an esper who is a magicians natural enemy." Stiyl immediately froze. Imagine Breaker: the boy who fought a life or death battle against Stiyl two weeks priors. All supernatural powers, regardless whether magic, ESP, or a Godly miracle were negated upon contact with his right hand. Such a power was considered an exception among exceptions. "But, didn''t you say that you can''t use any espers to beat a magician?" "You need not worry about it." Aleister spoke in a tone as if he had memorized it, "Firstly, as a level 0 he carries no valuable information. If I were to allow working with you, there is no fear of an information leak." "..." "Secondly, his lacks the intelligence to analyze Magic side technology and duplicate it accordingly. Thus, even if he were to go with you, your technology would not be stolen by us." That old fox... for the first time, Stiyl harbored tangible hatred for Aleister. What is this ''human'' in front of me thinking about? Stiyl did not understand. No matter what, Imagine Breaker definitely should not have been classified as Level 0. He experienced it first hand in battle. It was true that the functionality of Imagine Breaker was not something that could be understood with an examination or two and he most certainly could not duplicate it and return it to the Church. However, it should have been the same case for Academy City. Or rather, Stiyl hope it was the same. If Academy City had a way to duplicate Imagine Breaker, the Churchs existence would have been jeopardized. Even weapons with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of year could be destroyed by contact with his hand. However, Aleister did not seem to treasure the precious Imagine Breaker at all. It was as if he were giving a Saint a number of trials. He was like a heavy hammer striking a piece of scorching metal into the shape of a powerful sword. "..." And, more importantly, the boy had the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires beside him. Was using him a sound measure? His inner thoughts conflicted with his words. Though Stiyl harbored such suspicions, he suppressed them from appearing on his face. Careful not to show it, because of the girls involvement, Stiyl did not want to raise unneeded problems. "...Deep Blood." Stiyl muttered. His expression was like that of a scholar perplexed by something found that was unexplainable. "Does Deep Blood really exist? If it does that means--" Stiyl could not continue. Deep Blood. If there were Deep Blood, then the species to be killed must have existed. In other words, if the existence of Deep Blood were to be believed, then the other something had to exist as fact. "Hm, the occult is not a scientists specialty. But, you magiciansincluding your world have to admit that some truly supernatural exists, right? Of course. Stiyl cursed in his heart. The magical energy that magicians used could have been described as similar to gasoline. In other words, using their lifespan and life-force, the crude oil, was refined via breathing, blood flowing, and thinking into gasoline for simpler use. Thus, magicians were not omnipotent. No matter how they sought for high-leveled magic, the amount of gasoline was finite. However, the certain creature had no such a limitation. That certain creature had the ridiculous characteristic of immortality, meaning that they possessed infinite magic power. Even if the Earths resources were to eventually run dry, the magical power of the creatures would continue on. Cain''s descendants: the vampires. They were, for certain, not the feeble creatures depicted in fiction that could be dealt with by a cross or sunlight. In fact, one was enough to initiate a nuclear-level global calamity. "Hm." In the huge container, the still inverted stared with dullness at Stiyl. "Speaking of which, do you know what do we mean by esper powers?" "...No." Stiyl could not possibly understand neither did he believe Aleister would tell him. It was because if the moment came that Stiyl knew the enemys secrets, he would no longer have the option to escape alive. "In fact, esper powers are but a difference in perspective." Aleister spoke casually. "Have you heard of ''Schr?dinger''s Cat''? It is the most famous animal abuse case in the world." "...?" "I shall gloss over the details. Overall, it roughly experimented that ''reality is seen differently from human to human''. Of course, the micro and macro physical laws are different, so this cannot explain it all. The rules of this world can be seen as a microscopic (micro) and telescopic (macro). As for which were micros and which were macros, it was said that those were also within Aleister''s range of research. "...I don''t really get what you mean." "It is alright, there is no need for you to. If you did, I would have to kill you immediately." Aleister nonchalantly told him. "...Speaking of which, it is I who truly does not understand. Is there really a Deep Blood? And what is the difference? It is just like the cat in the box." Aleister stated that espers changed the world like how litmus papers changed colors in different acidities. The purpose was not to marvel at the change in color from red to blue but to wonder why it had changed and whether one could manipulate such a rule. Though Aleister controlled 2.3 million espers, they were not enough to declare on the entire world. Espers are not an aim but a means. Stiyl trembled. The human before him truly believed that machines could replace all human actions. To this human, which parts were mechanical? To this human, which parts were human? "That is right." The human spoke, the being that appeared like a man but somehow feminine, like an adult but somehow childlike, like a saint but somehow criminal formed an expression which could have been considered a smile and continued. "...If Deep Blood proves the existence of vampires, whose existence does Imagine Breaker prove?" Part 2 In his heart, Kamijou Touma shouted: What the heck! On the second floor of the fast food restaurant, a no-smoking zone was packed. At completely full four-seating table, Kamijou, Index and Aogami Pierce sat there. Hm, it was okay up here but "Spent all my money and ruined myself." why is there a miko in this crude shop lying on a table and saying such insanity?! Her age was similar to that of Kamijous and her waist length her seem like a textbook example of a miko "..." "..." The heavy presence was like they were in an elevator. What should I do? Kamijou wondered. At that moment, he noticed Index and Aogami Pierce staring at him. "...Wha-What''s up?" "...Kami-yan, when someone talks to ya, ya should oblige and reply, right?" "...That''s right, that''s right! Touma, you can''t just back out after seeing the appearance. You must follow God''s teachings and reach out, amen!" "...Oi, are you kidding!? We should at least settle this by rock, paper, scissors to make it fair! Oi, Index! You think Ill lose, huh!? Oi! Whyre you making a cross over your chest!?" In the end, the trio had decided to play rock, paper, scissors to determine the martyr. Rock, rock ...and scissors. Kamijou lost. Overall, Kamijou Touma was simply unlucky. "Erm, excuse me?" Kamijou, the only one who chose scissors, in confusion, could only speak to the miko. Her shoulders jerked. Ah... Erm... What did you mean by spent all your money and ruined yourself? Well, its better to have a normal conversation, Kamijou thought. The miko did say it herself and was likely hoping for others to ask her why. As I had a lot of free coupons and a hamburger costs 580 yen (a. $7.04) Uh huh. Kamijou, as a result of his amnesia, had forgotten how a hamburger tasted. However, he knew that hamburgers were simply a meat patty with rotten lettuce, an impoverished persons vile friend. "I went ahead and ordered 30 of them." "You ordered too many, stupid girl." As Kamijou retorted on reflex, he had noticed the miko was unmoving. Because of her silence, one could tell that she gave off an aura of emotional hurt. It was an uncomfortable atmosphere. He had not expected for her to respond so seriously. Truly, the atmosphere was uncomfortable. Ah! I didnt mean it like that! I didnt finish! I actually wanted to say stupid girl, why did you order so many? I just meant to make the conversation go smoothly. I might be blunt, but its a proof of my friendless, I dont have bad intentions! OI! THE NUN AND BLUE-HAIRED DUDE OVER THERE, WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT?!? JUST WAIT TILL WE TALK OUTSIDE!! Unable to withstand the pressure, Kamijou began to shout madly. Meal of frustration. The stationary miko that was approximately half-dead finally spoke. "Ha?" "Train fare back home: 400 yen." Facing such suspicious words from the miko, Kamijou could only swallow his saliva. He had no memories of riding a train but he knew that riding a train or bus in Academy City was extremely pricey. What does 400 yen for a train ride have to do with a frustration meal? My total fortune: 300 yen. ...And youre telling me because? "Overspending... lack of planning..." "..." "...So I''m having a frustration meal." Kamijou had barely managed to swallow the words you idiot that were rising from his throat. After careful consideration, he spoke. But, why dont you use that 300 yen for the train ride? If you cant pay for one, you can just walk the 100 yen difference. And if you cant do that, why dont you just borrow 100 yen from someone? "...That idea''s good." "Why are you staring at me like that? Whats with the expectant look? Kamijou frantically backed away from the miko as much as possible. He had already spent 3600 yen on a reference book (meaninglessly at that) and had even bought three shakes to calm down Index. So, even if it were 100 yen, it was a heavy burden to bear. On that topic... The miko, who had lifted her face up, was unexpectedly beautiful. She was differed slightly from the foreign Index; she had skin as white as the Japanese that contrasted with her black hair and eyes. Though her eyes lacked emotion, they also lacked aggression. Even if she did not want someone around, she emanated a comforting feeling. It was an encompassing nature. "..." Index scowled and glared at Kamijou. Th-Thats impossible! Kami-yans actually talking to a gal... to actually be talking to a girl he just met, its impossible! Aogami Pierce grumbled angrily, truly attempting to ruin Kamijous reputation. "SHUT UP! YOU, TWO-DIMENSIONAL ALIEN! CLIENT, GET BACK TO THE BACK OF THE GYM LATER! AND, YOU MIKO, FIND A WAY TO GET 100 YEN BY YOURSELF AND GO HOME! TRANSMISSION COMPLETE!" "What? It''s not over yet Kami-yan! Ya were a good man for 16 years, how did ya get so many unique girls like a nun and a miko within 2 weeks!? Is this a gal game?" Aogami Pierce cried out in confusion and Kamijou truly desired to reward him with a punch. However, as they sat diagonally, he could not do so. Just examining the positions of their seats was enough to see how misfortunate Kamijou was. "100 yen please." The miko lifted her head and stared with a complicatedly pained expression. She continued. Will you lend to me? "Nope. No money here." "..." The miko pondered for a while and spoke. "...So stingy. Won''t even let me borrow a mere 100 yen." "...Who''s the idiot who doesn''t even have a stupid 100 yen!?" Kamijou inadvertently retorted back. "Kami-yan! How can ya respond like that so naturally!? As a good man, shouldn''t ya stutter in front of a beauty!?" Aogami Pierce shouted out with a Hellish voice. "...Beauty." The miko''s eyes waved, causing one to wonder what she was thinking about. "Lend me 100 yen since I''m beautiful." "Shut up! You terrible woman! A woman who uses her looks to get money can''t be called a beauty! And you know what? I just bought three shakes so I don''t have any money left!" "That''s-That''s great Kami-yan! Ya still think that a beauty''s heart must be kind and pure, it seems like ya haven''t left the 2-D world!" "...Hold on Touma. You''re saying that you''d give her 100 yen if you didn''t help me buy shakes? Humph!" The stares and cries of outrage began to surface and they far surpassed Kamijou''s computing abilities. Kamijou grabbed his head, wondering which point he should settle first. At that point, Index, slurping the shake with a straw, was glaring at the miko with hostility. Humph. Seeing as youre wearing red pants, I suppose you make divinations, right? So divining mikos will also sell their faces, right? Ive even heard that the term miko was a secretive way of calling someone a whore in the Heian period, right? Kamijou jumped and shouted at the words while Aogami Pierces voice raised pitch for some unknown reason shouting, Hahaha, a nun and miko are going at it! As Kamijou prepared to force Aogami Pierce to remain silent, the miko spoke. Im not a miko. What? The black-haired girl who looked exactly like a miko, whose picture could have been used in an encyclopedia entry on mikos, caused the present company to stare at her. Eh... If youre not a miko, what are you? Kamijou asked, having somehow become the groups representative. "I''m a spell caster." "..." Completely silent. The sounds of the shops cable broadcast seemed distant. For some reason, despite his amnesia, Kamijou felt that he had experienced it before. But, of more importance, why was Index trembling? Kamijou cried in his heart. BAM! Index slammed the table with both hands. Before the shakes on the tray could even jump up, Index roared. "What kind of spell caster? Kabbalah? Knoch? Hermes? McCue''s idol or Modern Astrology? Don''t just give us something that vague and tell us your specialty, school, magic name and order name, idiot!" "???" "You dare to call yourself this even without knowing all of these? Since you''re a divination miko, you should at least pretend to be an oriental-style astrologist or something!" "Alright. I''ll be that." "You''ll be that!? Did you really just say that!?!" Index continued to slam her hands and Kamijou sighed while he looked around him. Though the shop was rather noisy, Indexs flailing was too much. He had to quiet her soon. Alright. Alright. We understand that this miko isnt a miko but a spell caster. But so what? Calm down. Touma! Your attitude is completely different from when you first met me! Index glared at Kamijou as if to bite him but the reality was that Kamijou had truly forgotten. Of course, simply telling her sorry, I lost my memories was not an option. If she thinks shes a spell caster, leave her be. Since shes not trying to harm or trick anyone, ignore it. ...Uu. When I wanted to prove that magic was real, my clothes were stripped. Ha? Nothing! I said and thought about nothing! Index angrily looked away and, underneath the table, Kamijous foot was repeatedly stomped. It seemed there could have been only one culprit Ah. Index, who had turned her head aside, seemed to notice something. Kamijou wondered whether the shop attendants would chase them out for their riotousness. At that moment, Nh... people? As he felt that something was amiss, Kamijou realized that the table the four of them sat at was surrounded by about ten people. "..." Why didn''t we notice? Kamijou wondered. It was perhaps the same distance as the space between customers and attendants waiting for orders. The group of ten looked over in that direction, seemingly desiring to surround the table. It was incredible that no one had noticed. Also, though shop was crowded, no one had noticed the anomaly. Essentially, these individuals could erase their presences like professional assassins. "..." All of them, in their 20s and 30s, were dressed in the same Western suit If they were squeezed together in a train station, they could cause those around them to not remember their faces and names. However, their expressions lacked emotions completely. And, because of that, they contrasted from their surroundings. Emotionless expressions...? Kamijou wondered where had seen the expression before and looked back around the table. ...The anonymous miko... Her expression was still deadpan even with ten men surrounding the teenagers. 100 yen more. She spoke as she silently stood. Her attitude was as casual as meeting someone for a planned arrangement, showing her unwariness of them. One of them backed away and made a path while another respectfully handed over a 100 yen coin to the palm of the miko without a word. Eh? Ah? So you know these people? Oblivious of the situation, Kamijou spoke. "..." She looked around herself, seemingly pondering something. Nn. Theyre cram school teachers. A nonchalant tone. The miko walked down to the first floor and the ten men silently followed behind like bodyguards or even shadows. The familiar buzzing and wired music seemed far away as the volume softened. When everyone had left, Aogami Pierce finally spoke. Hold on, why did cram school teachers bring her back? Theyre not elementary school disciplinary officers. Part 3 Later, it was evening. In order to erase the memory of the mysterious miko and the suit-clad men, Kamijou and company played energetically and dispersed home after 5:00 like elementary school students afterschool. Aogami Pierce said bye-bye like an elementary school child and disappeared into the evening streets. He lived in a bakery instead of a student dormitory. It was said that he stayed there because the uniform looked like a maid outfit. On the road in front of the department store station, Kamijou and Index were alone. Kamijou sighed. As the idea that they were alone appeared in his mind, a numbing tension spread through his body. There was no need to mention why. Whats the matter Touma? Facing a question with such an innocent smile, he could only answer that it was nothing. He carefully maneuvered to avoid being found out and sighed. It was because they lived together. On top of that, secretly, in a boys dorm. Most important of all, she was such a little girl. It was several days since he had returned from the hospital. And, every day, she slept beside Kamijou as if it were normal. Also, her sleeping habits were terrible; perhaps it was because of her dislike of the heat that she would reveal her feet or bellybutton from her pajamas. All said and done, he could only choose to lock himself in the bathroom and, because of it, Kamijou Touma was recently sleep deprived. ...Am I so bad I could end up on the tabloids? He muttered. How would the Kamijou Touma with his memories have viewed the situation? He continued to mutter. In fact, the concept of living together was proposed by the Kamijou with his memories. What were you doing, Kamijou of the past! He roared in his heart. Walking half the distance, Index suddenly stopped, seemingly having seen something. Eh? Feeling depressed, Kamijou stared where Indexs gaze was directed. At the base of ta windmill turbine sat a corrugated paper box with a cat purring inside. "Touma! Ca "No way!" Kamijou interrupted Index before she could finish. "No. We can''t." "Why why why why why? Why can''t we raise Sphinx?" "Because we''re not allowed to have pets in student dormitories, and I don''t have any money. And don''t go ahead and name the cat so quickly! And what? Sphinx? THAT''S A JAPANESE CALICO CAT, WHY A FOREIGN NAME?" "Why don''t you keep a cat! Do as you are told!" (Note: This was spoken in English) "??? "...Humph! Don''t think a few English words can convince me!" "I DON''T CARE! WANNA WANNA WANNA WANNA WANNA WANNA WANNA WANNA!!!" "WHAT''S WITH THIS SHOUTING ATTACK!? IT''S USELESS AGAINST ME! AND LOOK, YOUR CAT RAN INTO THE ALLEY!" "IT''S ALL TOUMA''S FAULT! AND YOU''RE BLAMING ME!?!" In the summer sunset, the two shouted at each other. Kamijou casually thought how did the Kamijou Touma then treat her? Maybe it was like this? If it were the case, it would be great for him. But... it was somewhat lonely. After all, the girl was not looking at this Kamijou. What made her completely at ease was the Kamijou of old. It was painful... But, Kamijou still intended to struggle on. Humph! I heard that the Shamisen was made from cat skins? Why must the people of this country always be so cruel to cats? ...Idiot, dont criticize other countries cultures! You English folks also love to gather together and chase down foxes, right!? WHAT DID YOU SAY?! FOX HUNTING IS REPRESENTATIVE OF ENGLISH TRADITION AND PRIDE! Halfway finished shouting, Index noticed something and moved away. Na? What? Where did the cat disappear to? Kamijou said as he looked around, but did not see any sign of the cat. "...That''s strange. Touma. I seem to sense that mana is being gathered." Index stared at Kamijou and muttered. "...The attribute is earth, color is green. This ritual... uses a medium to introduce mana and acts through conscious intervention..." She seemed to mutter her thoughts. Kamijou knew not what she spoke of and only stared at her. As he did so, she finally spoke. Oi, Index! It looks like someone just set up a magical array around here. Ill go check it, go home first, Touma! Just like that, Index vanished into the alley. "She told me to go back, but..." Quite the mysterious girl, he thought. Regardless, he could not simply leave her behind and leave first. Anyways, a girl just ran down a dangerous alley. The chances of encountering something bad is as high in a third rate RPGs storyline. Misfortune reared its head again and Kamijou sighed. He raised his foot to follow her into the alley. But, at the same instant, a voice came from behind him. Its been a while, Kamijou Touma. His foot, about to step into the alley, stopped. The words Its been a while were essential taboo for Kamijou. He remembered information like the Japanese language or first grade mathematics but he had no memories. He remembered nothing, not even the trivial from when he bought a game to the important like how he scored on his end-of term exams. As he could not remember names and faces, hearing something like Its been a while caused him to only give his most sincere false smile. It was to protect her happiness. He had decided he must never let others realize his amnesia. With such a conviction, he turned to look behind him. Ah. Seeing the man standing there, Kamijou had no impressions. He was more of a teenager than a man but for a man over two meters tall, the term teenager could have been a stretch. He wore a black priests robe and, like Index, he lacked the pale white skin of the Japanese. Though he was a priest, the smell of cologne was overwhelming. His long hair was dyed red, his ears were pierced, every one of his fingers was decorated by rings and under his right eye was a barcode tattoo. This fallen impression he gave was like that of a renegade monk or even a heretic. How could such a thing exist? And, he did not desire to leave any impressions. Humph. Not even a hello even though we havent met for a while? Hm, thats fine too. Thats how our relationship should be. We cant just act like comrades after working together once. The cologne priest spoke earnestly. Who is this guy... Kamijou could not voice this. Besides the existence of such a suspicious priest, Kamijou was even more suspiciously curious why he had known such a person. Additionally, one more thing bothered him. Index had run off somewhere and there was little time to bother with the dark priest. "Ah, don''t worry about Index, I just used Opila runes. She probably just detected the magic flow and went to take a look." Kamijou was stunned. Runic magic: a magical language that the Germanic people adopted in the 2nd century A.D. Essentially, they were words of power such as kenaz, flames. With kenaz on paper, flames would form over. ...Whats going on? He could not voice his concerns. Rather than the priests speaking of runic magic, it was because such ridiculous knowledge flowed naturally from Kamijous mind. It was certainly abnormal. It was like running a rusted locomotive into the middle of a clear river, like a large gaping hole in a logical world. It had mixed into a world where green meant go and text messages cost money. The thing called magic had weaved into everyday life. What kind of world did the Kamijou Touma of the past live in? For the first time, Kamijou feared his past self. The scented priest seemed to see something in Kamijous eyes and closed one eye and smiled. Kamijou knew not what was going on and neither was he in the mood to speak to others. He could only ambiguously smile and suppress the nebulous feeling. As Kamijou smiles, the red-haired priest pulled out what appeared to be a card and spoke. Dont smile with everything. Are you ready to die? (English) He smiled like melting wax, the face extending sideways. A chill. The knowledge that Kamijou still had told him that there was danger. Without time to think, he raised his right hand. Quickly raising his right hand before his own eyes, as if he were blocking light shining into eyes, and, at the same instant, the priests right hand burst out flames. As if he were hosing out gasoline, a fiery-red sword of flames formed. There was no delay. No hesitation, no mercythe sword was swung great force, downwards at Kamijou. The instant the sword and hand came in contact, the former exploded like a ball of gas the flames scattered. The flames absorbed oxygen and released a terrifying sound as a 3000 degree flaming Hell formed a vortex that invaded all nearby. With a boom, the flames did not completely stop. It shined but, without a moments notice, vanished as if broken. "Ha... hah..." Kamijou did not lower in a panic his right hand that protected his face. He continued to breathe heavily. Imagine Breaker: the mysterious power hidden in Kamijous right hand. No matter what the super natural power, even one of Gods miracles, would vanish completely on contact. "Hah... hah...!" Seeing the stiff, trembling and immobile Kamijou, the priest finally smiled. Yes. Yes. Thats the face I want. The relationship between Kamijou Touma and Stiyl Magnus should be like this. Dont make me repeat myself: our relationship isnt such that could call each other comrade after working together once. The priests smile ruptured and melted. Kamijou, on the other hand, could not respond. It was not that he feared the abnormal power within him, neither did he fear the priest called Stiyl Magnus. If it were a question of fears, there was but one issue. What bothered him was that he could actually respond in time to block the attack, a flame sword at that without a thought. In other words, his knowledge feared him. It was truly frightening. "Wha... are you" Kamijou frantically took two, three steps because the knowledge leftover from the previous Kamijou Touma was telling him that an enemy was there. There was no time for him to fight the enemy within. As of then, the most important issue was the enemy without. Perhaps, as a result of the knowledge imprinted in his mind, Kamijou growled and entered a fighting stance of no particular style. He was in fact quite surprised he was accustomed to fighting. Facing Kamijou, the pseudo-priest magician chuckled. Hn? I want to tell you a little secret. What nonsense are you spouting? As Kamijou thought as such, Stiyl extracted an envelope. It seemed like it contained much information. Is he really going to tell me some secrets? Kamijou frowned. This guy just made a huge explosion on this one direction, 3-lane road as wide as a runway. Now hes trying to tell me a secret...? ...? Considering it, Kamijou realized something. There was a large explosion and yet the surroundings were not involved in the commotion. ...!? No. It was then that Kamijou realized the truth. Rather than a lack of commotion, there was a lack of people. On the said road as wide as a runway, there were department stores lined up on either side. But, giving it thought, there were no people, no cars, only Kamijou and Stiyl. The windmill turbines rattled, causing echoes through the empty street like a laughing skeleton. From far away, the ringing of a siren was heard in the empty crossing. "I said it before," Perhaps to break the silence of the night cost, Stiyl chuckled. I used Opila runes. Ehwaz. Stiyl said and flicked the large fan-mail like envelope with his index finger. It spun like a Frisbee and slowly landed in Kamijous hands. There were mysterious words on it that seemed to seal the documents inside. As Stiyl muttered, the words began to glow. The seal opened down the middle as if cut by a knife. "Have you heard of Misawa Cram School, the prep school?" Stiyl asked as if singing. A large amount of information appeared on every scrap of paper and, like a magic carpet, only the necessary information flew out of the envelope and floated around Kamijou. Lacking memories, Kamijou could only scan the name through his own knowledge. However, he still had no impression of the name Misawa. It had seemed his past self lacked interest in college entrance exams. Its said to be the prep school with the largest market in the nation. Stiyl spoke with melancholy. A prep school, as the name may have implied, that was tuition based. Repeat students who failed their college entrance exams gathered there to study. However, the promotion prep class in Academy City has another meaning. It was to provide to those individuals who already had the potential to enter college but chose to spend a year to study. A piece of paper floated in front of Kamijou. It seemed that Misawa Cram School provided not only promotion classes but pre-exam express services to those students yet to take an exam. "...So, why are you telling me about prep classes? Is there a discount offered when you introduce it to friends?" Kamijou asked Stiyl with an obvious look of distrust. Kamijou could not imagine any sort of relationship the cologne reeking priest had with a preparatory school. Its like this, Stiyl nonchalantly began. A girl is imprisoned in Misawa and its my job to save her. Completely stunned, Kamijou stared at Stiyl. Instead of the frightening word imprisoned, it was because he suspected that the man was serious. Of course, even if Stiyl were mad, it was nothing to Kamijou. However, as the man could use flames like weapons, it would have been dangerous for him to go berserk. Hm, I thought that you would understand if I showed you the information. Stiyl lifted his index finger up and the envelope in Kamijous hands released printing paper that continued to fly around Kamijou like snowflakes. One particular piece was a positional diagram of Misawa Cram School. However, the picture of the diagram contained errors in regards to the measures when one compared the infrared and ultrasonic scans. Naturally, it was an unknown place that consumed much electricity. A Misawa Cram School electricity bill... Even after investigating the electrical consumption of each room, the sum did not tally up. There seemed to have been a room where something was consuming large sums of electricity. A personnel entry and exit list of Misawa Cram School... The teachers and students seemed to take in a myriad of foods. Some investigators acted as garbage men and checked the trash but the numbers there did not tally either. Misawa seemed to provide food for other people inside the building. The final sheet of paper... was a reported sighting one month prior of a girl walking into the Misawa building. According to a caretaker of the student dormitory, the girl was never again seen at the dorms. As of now, it would seem that Misawa Cram School has become a phony religious cult devoted to scientific worship. Stiyl said smoothly. Scientific worship...? Kamijou frowned in surprise. "You''re, talking about those things, right? Gimmicks like how God''s real identity is that of a UFO or with an extraction of a Saint''s DNA, they could make clones, right...?" The concept that science and religion are unrelated was rather shallow. In the Western world, there were many doctors and scientists who were also Christians. However, if such a relationship were forced, it was fact that atrocities would occur. It was common for those individuals to have the most advanced technology in producing explosives and poisonous gases. Academy City, the leading entity of scientific technology and coincidentally learning and education, would normally act extremely carefully when dealing with science and religion mixing. The places whose purposes were educational could become brainwashing institutions. I dont know what theyre teaching. But, to be honest, its pointless no matter what kind of fanatical religious group that Misawa Cram School becomes because its already been dissolved. ...? To put it more bluntly... Stiyl continued, appearing to have not a care at all. Misawa Cram School was taken over. The half-baked science phony-religious group was consumed by a real magicianno, an alchemist of the Zurich school to be precise. "An authentic one...?" "Yeah, I know it sounds suspicious... hold on." "What?" "...Since when were you so docile? Are you just listening to me and letting the words come out the other end? Did you not understand at all? Kamijou was shocked. Stiyl was incorrect. He was truly listening to Stiyl and was trying to understand and respond to the unfamiliar terms. But, it was because of that that Stiyl felt something was amiss. It was like someone had realized that the Kamijou Touma of now was different from the Kamijou Touma of the past. Dont realize it. Dont realize it...! The Kamijou of the present did not know the magicians relationship with Index. But, no matter how distant they may have been, Kamijou did not want others to know about his amnesia. Kamijou saw it. In the patients room, he saw the white nuns habit wearing girl cry. The tears of happiness were shed for the boy that was the Kamijou with his memories. He could not topple her mental support... ever. So, Kamijou had decided to fool the entire world. Even himself. What, are you giving me this crap just because Im listening attentively? You arent a masochist are you? You the type that wants others to interrupt what you say all the time? But, of that moment, Kamijou did not know how different he acted from the previous Kamijou. It was like walking with a map. Even if he knew he was going the wrong direction, looking around and finding desert everywhere would not tell him the correct path to take. For a time, Stiyl stared with suspicion at his face. Fine, whatever. Its not a problem that this conversations going well anyways. Stiyl finally ended his digression. The point is the reason why the alchemist took over Misawa Cram School. Of course, the simple reason is that he probably feels it convenient to use Misawa as a base. Most of the students may not have realized that the principal of the prep school has changed. Stiyl lightly exhaled and continued. The most important reason why is because Deep Blood is imprisoned in Misawa Cram. Deep Blood? Kamijou had never heard of the name before and neither did he possess any knowledge of it. However, the name itself already sounded terrifying. Originally, Misawa Cram seemed like they imprisoned her to be a miko. In actuality, their idea wasnt wrong. Its a viable method to use a miko as a sacrifice to summon higher class beings. ... But Deep Blood was already a target for the alchemist. Misawa Cram had simply taken her first. No, perhaps for him, it couldnt have been helped. His original plan should have been to abduct Deep Blood without any notice and proceed to escape Academy City. However, because Misawa blew it out of proportion, his plans was ruined. So... he forcefully took what he wanted from Misawa? He was like a master thief who formulated various preparations to steal something from an art gallery only to find terrorists occupying the building. The thief then would proceed to steal the painting he desired from the destructive maniacs who did not understand the value of the artwork and then finds police flooding the gallery. Unable to do a thing, the master thief would build a barricade at the entrance and hide inside. Yeah. For the alchemist, its his greatest wish to be able to get Deep Blood... or, more accurately its the wish of for the entirety of magicians. Or maybe even the wish of the entire world. ??? Kamijou appeared puzzled. Its an ability that kills a certain creature. No, not only that. It offers the only possibility of capturing the creature alive to prove it exists. Kamijou still did not understand. Well, if I have to use Christian terminology, this creature is called Cains descendant. Stiyl chuckled and spoke in a whisper. Basically, theyre vampires. He had finally said it. Are you kidding me? Upon hearing such a word, it was Kamijous first response. Vampires... Kamijou did not know where the legend originated from but, according to the depictions in games and manga: vampires fear crosses and sunlight, vampires die when hammered with a stake, vampires reduce to dust upon death, and those bitten by vampires become vampires. He only knew those facts. And, for some reason, the information that Kamijou knew were from mangas and games (and fighting games at that). In reality, the Cross was useless. ...Those that can consider it a joke are considered lucky. Stiyl gnashed his teeth and looked away. As of then, the adept flame manipulator magician seemed to fear something. Humph. If theres a specialist that can kill vampires, its obvious that the vampires to be killed must exist too. Its like how villains exist for the sakes of the heroes of justice. Its a vicious cycle. But, one thing I can confirm is that... well, if possible I dont want to admit it. ...What do you mean? Do these fictional vampires actually exist? Kamijou was still denying it in his heart. But, the man before him was as stern as ever, unable to brush it off. Nobody has ever seen a vampire Stiyl Magnus seemed like the embodiment of self confidence as he continued in a chant-like tone. because everyone who did, died. ... Of course, Im not going to just believe it so easily. The troublesome thing is that no one has seen a vampire before but Deep Bloods very existence proves vampires existences. Nobody knows how strong they are, how many there are, where they are... No one knows, no one knows, no one knows... How can we deal with something we know nothing about? Stiyl continued to rant on but Kamijou, who still had not accepted the term vampire, could understand nothing. In the end, he could only think that they were dealing with hidden terrorists all over the world. But on the other hand, it''s because no one knows about the truth behind them that there''re all sorts of unknown possibility. Stiyl sneered cynically. Kamijou Touma, have you heard of the ''Kabbalah?... I suppose you haven''t, right? ...Do you think youll hurt my pride like that? Whatever. Anyways, the ''Kabbalah'' represents the ''soul level'' of God: Angels, humans, et cetera. Simply put, humans can climb the ranks with training. But, at some point, theyll hit a wall they cant climb. ...You''re treating me like an idiot, aren''t you? What are you trying to say? Is your pride hurt? What I''m trying to say is... there are some disciplines that humans can''t reach no matter how much they try. But, humans do want to continue their ascent no matter what. Magicians became magicians because they want to surpass human limits. If so, what must humans do to surpass this limit? His expression seemed like he would rip his sneer apart. Its simple. They just need to borrow the power from something that isnt human. Kamijou could not speak. So-called vampires are immortal. You could rip their hearts out or stab them with a magic sword and they can continue to live like a magic tool. Stiyl easily continued. The authenticity is unimportant. Scholars are those who would try anything with even just a tiny possibility. In other words, whether the vampires existed was irrelevant. What was important was that some believed that they did and raised issues over it. If someone blew something up, another would have to deal with it. This was the situational crux. So... no one knows if vampires exist or not, right? It was a common occurrence to find a number of people fighting in action movies over some ancient treasure whose existence was questionable. However, it was ridiculous for such a thing to occur in real life. Confirming such an unknown existence is our job. Stiyl chuckled cynically. Thus, Misawa Cram and the alchemist were serious. They really wanted to face off against a vampire and needed the ace called Deep Blood. ... Oh yeah. Do you know about Deep Bloods past? Its rumored that the girl used to live in a mountain village in Kyoto. But, one day, everyone in the village died. The last villager who reported on the case mightve been in a state of disarray, fearing a monster would kill him. When the rescue arrived, all they found was an empty village caked in a white snow-like ash and a girl, absent mindedly standing there. Ashes... It was rumored that vampires turned to ashes upon death. It''s true that vampires are an unknown sort of existence. Deep Blood is a power that can ''kill vampires''. But if, Deep Blood wanted to kill vampires, Deep Blood has to meet vampires. As for those who want to find vampires no matter the cost, the easiest way is to catch Deep Blood. However, since Deep Blood is powerful enough to kill even vampires, how can they subdue Deep Blood? Thats the question. It was a completely supernatural discussion. Kamijous instinct told him it was dangerous to listen in. If he continued to listen, his common senses would become twisted. Kamijou had a premonition that, if it kept up, it may turn into an irreversible situation. To end the conversation, Kamijou explicitly raised a suspicion. Alright. Youve told me these secrets. What do you want to say now? Nn. Thats right. Were short on time so lets end this quickly. Stiyl nodded twice and continued. ...Basically, I have to charge into Misawa Cram and save Deep Blood. Kamijou nodded in response. Dont nod away like that. Youre going with me. ... What? What did you just say? That was an accurate description of the situation. Also, the conversation was a discussion of our battle plan. Do you still remember everything? The papers are engraved with flame runes and are due to burn up after you see them. Itll be bad if you forget. Hold...! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Kamijou thought. The person before him named Stiyl whose power was most suited for killing was merciless. If he was entering some enemy alchemists stronghold, it would be unsurprising to see him tangled in a dangerous development. Also... one more thing. Stiyl continued. I believe you dont have the right to refuse. If you disobey, well take away Index from you. For some reason, the words carved deeply into Kamijou. His past knowledge was afraid. The remnants of the past Kamijou seemed to fear something. The mission that Necessarius gave you is for you to act as a shackle. You are a shackle thats preventing the chained Index from betraying the organization. But, if you dont do as the Church wishes, you arent functioning as a shackle. Stiyl sighed. Speaking of which, itd be good for me if you Church felt you were useless. Id really thank you if you could do it. Since broken shackles are useless, I could just take that child back. It was a threat. If he disobeyed, Index would be taken away. ... He was trembling. His heart was beating as if a wooden stake were being hammered in. Kamijou Touma had no memories and the one the girl met was the previous Kamijou Touma. It no longer had anything to do with him. The reason for his rapid heartbeat was likely because of the remnants of the last Kamijou. But... for some reason, ...Are you serious? Why did he believe with such conviction that his anxiety was a correct response? Kamijou wondered. It was true that Index had first met Kamijou when he had his memories and the trusts and smiles she had were not directed at the current him. Even so, it was alright. He had once seen the girl in the white room cry as she saw a battered and fatigued Kamijou. In order to prevent her tears... Even if he had to deceive the entire world, even himself, it was alright. Kamijou swore to adhere to his own lies! ...Humph. Stiyl detachedly looked away. His expression was the inexplicable one of an actor whose role was stolen. If you want to settle things with me, wait till we deal with the alchemist hidden within Misawa Cram. Also, I forgot to mention, Deep Bloods name is Himegami Aisa. Heres a photo. Its best you take a look. Itd be bad if you didnt know the face of the person youre going to save. A photo slipped out of the envelope, one that seemed powered by Stiyl''s runes as well as it danced in the air and stopped in front of Kamijou. Kamijou looked at the photo... What does the esper with this terrifying Deep Blood look like? But, in the photo, he saw the face of the girl from the restaurant. Eh...? Kamijou froze. Perhaps the photo on a student report book or some I.D. card was enlarged because the face of Himegami Aisa was the same as the mikos. Kamijou recalled Stiyls words. Originally, Misawa Cram seemed like they imprisoned her to be a miko. He recalled the girls previous words. ...I''m not a miko. Then the magicians. ...A girl is imprisoned in Misawa and its my job to save her. Himegami Aisas. ...Theyre cram school teachers. But why? He wondered. According to Stiyl''s explanation, Himegami Aisa was imprisoned in Misawa Cram. IF the miko''s really Deep Blood, how can she enter a fast food restaurant to eat hamburgers? ...Train fare back home: 400 yen. Did she escape? Kamijou considered. The only possible reason why the imprisoned Himegami Aisa would be outside is because she escaped Misawa. ...My total fortune: 300 yen. If that were the case, it explains why she had so little cash with her. Besides, if she escaped without much money, shed have less if she took trains and buses. But, why was she at a fast food restaurant? He wondered. Since she escaped, how was she there? ...Spent all my money and ruined myself. Ah! Suddenly, Kamijou finally remembered what she had said. What if she couldnt run any further because she ran out of funds? Its because she couldnt go any further? And so, the girl had one final wish? The girl needed 100 yen. If she had 100 yen, could she have escaped Misawa Cram School? Who was the idiot who refused her? ...Spent all my money and ruined myself. Damn it... Additionally, Himegami conceded when she was surrounded by the cram school teachers. Obviously, she must have desired to resist. How could she be willing to return after escaping Misawa Cram School? Any other person would have chosen to run. If escaping on her own were impossible, then she would have asked others for help. But, asking another would involve end up involving them. Damn it...! Extremely unhappy about the circumstances, he was so frustrated he could not think. He was in outrage that Misawa Cram treated the girl as nonhuman and imprisoned her. He was revolting against the alchemist that snatched her and was infuriated by Stiyl who claimed that Deep Blood was the ace, the vampire deterrent. But, the one thing that vexed Kamijou the most was the fact that Himegami Aisa had sacrificed herself for Kamijous sake. It was wrong. If Kamijou had handed over 100 yen, he could have changed her fate. However, the girl was actually willing to sacrifice her efforts in escaping Misawa to save the boy who returned her to despair. It was fundamentally wrong. Though Kamijou did not know what type of new religion it was, he could not imagine how a captive girl would be treated. Naturally, he did not want to imagine at all. Kamijou was supposed to adopt the pain. On what grounds can you even... Kamijou bit his lips and the taste of blood was felt on his canines. TAKE AWAY ANOTHER PERSONS MISFORTUNE!?! In reality, this was the root of Kamijous frustration, a fact that made his mind boil. Kamijou lacked memories. However, Himegami considered her treatment as a tool as acceptable. She ignored her own pains to help others and thought it a form of happiness. In the past, Kamijou felt he had met such a girl before. Why was the memory absent? Kamijou vexed himself. He had to save her? What should he have said? Kamijou Touma was going to be unable to relieve his angers unless he punched the selfish and stubborn Himegami Aisa. Between the Lines 1 ...The girl stood in the center of a sea of ashes... One of the 13 Knight Squads of England, the 1st Lancer Squadron, was assigned the mission of gathering enemy information before any others. That time, the enemy territory was a mountain village located in Kyoto. They had to decipher why the mana flow had become abnormally large and eliminate any threats. Thus was their aim. ...It had been over six hours since they had lost contact with the village... ...It had been over three hours since the investigating police had disappeared... As every member of the squad could have guessed, the village was in ruins. It was not a rare occurrence for them. England did, after all, possess the flesh and blood sacrificial altar that could search for every spiritual tool in the world. Compared to the raging soul of some ancient emperor residing in age-old treasure, the mission was riskless. In fact, they were only equipped with cast armor and cross-shaped spears that were not enough mass-produced holy spears. Though the cast armor were simply defenses possessing magical power that increased the bearers mobility by 20-fold, they were still first class spiritual tools that their superiors saw as more than enough. But, there was one thing that everyone was mindful of. The last survivor who had called had said something along the lines of Help... methats not human... thats Of course, nobody had believed him. The church superiors did not believe it and had not afforded the knights proper equipment. But, the battle-hardened Knights of England felt some irritating sensation. Though many records existed in the English National Library, none had actually seen it before let alone capture one. As this creature seemed to somehow exist, it was a mystery as to why so many refused to admit they existed. If they admitted that the certain creatures existed, the world would have been destroyed. The terrifying fact about them was not the power they wielded. If the power were unmatchable, humans could always improvise with something besides brute force, such as tools and weapons to succeed. The terrifying fact about them was not their immortality. If they could not kill the enemy, they could use other means for victory. For example, they could freeze them beneath the Antarctic ice or cut up the immortal flesh into 200 pieces and place them in bottles. These were not issues. The issue at hand was the rumored mana stores the certain creature possessed. Mana was the magic worlds gasoline. It involved the refining of raw fuel like lifespan and lifeforce into something simpler to use. To humans, who from the very beginning had shortened lifespans, the power of the mana depended on the adept or inept refining methods. However, it was different for the creature. In essence, their original fuel, lifespan and lifeforce, could not simply be compared to a humans. Or rather, more accurately, their lifeforce was infinite so of course, the amount of magic they could use was on a completely different level. How could a handgun with limited ammunition combat an unlimited missile raid? Thus, the members of the company laughed at their insecurities but still could not rid them completely. Like that, they passed through the mountains and reached the age-forgotten village. As they encountered the scene, their hearts felt crushed. Around, ash was everywhere. The seemingly age-abandoned Eastern wasteland was caked by a layer of white ash. The roofs of the huts, the earth in the fields, and the narrow channels were covered in ash. Were the ashes... the remains of the creature? But, that was not the truly shocking part. If they were real corpses, the number of dead was not limited to 10 or 20. By looking at the amount of ash, the members of the squadron were in disbelief. In the middle of it all, a girl stood. Around 5 or 6 years old, she was an Eastern black-haired girl. But, seeing the cute face of hers, the knights specializing in the elimination of radicals could not stop their hearts from beating wildly. Among that scene of dancing ash, where the remnants of the certain creature were present, the girl was unharmed. The wind began to blow and the ashes rose. The ash that covered the entire wasteland scattered about except the area around the girl, as if she were in a Holy Sanctuary. It was as if the dead ashes still feared and avoided her presence. I... The girl spoke. ...I... killed so many again. It was like she was describing her everyday life. Volume 2, 2: The Witch-Hunter Moves Along With the Flames. By_The_Holy_Rood... Volume 2, Chapter 2: The Witch-Hunter Moves Along With the Flames. By_The_Holy_Rood... Part 1 Kamijou stared at the expression of the girl named Index. His knowledge was complaining. She possessed an eidetic memory and forgot nothing and because of this was capable of memorizing 103,000 grimoires. However, this ability was at time a double edged sword: she also could not forget something she would want to forget. The meaningless memories from a three year old department store brochure to everyones face during rush hour were ingrained in her mind, inerasable. Magic was necessary to erase her memories every year. If the wiping were to not take place, an overwhelming burden on her brain would have killed her. But, as of then, she, beside Kamijou, gave carefree smiles. According to her, the savior from her predicament was Kamijou himself. However, he remembered not what he was thinking or what had done. Then, Kamijou began to think. He had parted goodbyes with Stiyl and returned Index to the dorm. Next, Kamijou needed to return to the battlefield called Misawa Cram School. Of course, simply bringing Index along was unthinkable, making it preferable to not tell her about Misawa Cram at all. Though, if he did not produce some reason to leave the house, she may have raised suspicions and perhaps even desire to go as well. Touma? His palms were sweaty. A precarious situation, he had to avoid allowing Index to go. I said Touma! As such, what he had to do was obvious. Kamijou, to hide his insecurities, launched a barrage of verbal assaults. IM GOING OFF TO THAT SUPER HIGH-TECH PRIMARY CULTURE INSTITUTE! EH? YOU WANT TO GO TOO? I DONT THINK SO! YOURE NOT GOOD WITH MACHINES AND CANT USE THE SUPER-MAGENETIC BRAIN DETECTOR! YOULL GET LOCKED IN BY THE DOORS AUTO-LOCK! SINCE ITS A LEVEL 4 SAFETY LEVEL, IF THE SYSTEM DATABASE HAS NO DATA ON YOU, YOULL GET ELECTROCUTED! BIRI BIRI NEGATIVELY CHARGED IONS OF LIGHT! As expected, under bombardment by technobabble, Indexs head released steam. It was to be expected. Index, who lacked general knowledge of the modern world, was the type to double-take at a train station vending machine saying welcome. Then, Ill let you know before I go. Dinners in the fridge. Just microwave it and you can eat it. Dont put the spoon in the microwave or youll start a fire. And, dont you dare open the freezer to cool yourself. Eh? Ah, uu I cant really use the microwave. One might suspect how another could misuse a microwave oven. However, Index had once microwaved a convenience store bentos sauce package, which exploded. She also attempted to heat up a half-boiled egg, which also exploded. It seemed that how she used the microwave oven was irrelevant, it would explode anyways. Perhaps she believed that using it was a confident way to cause an explosion. Looks like she isnt suspicious. Kamijou analyzed. He watched Index stare at the microwave oven with narrowed eyes, apparently determined to succeed. He heaved a sigh of relief. Then, Kamijou realized it. Oi! Whats hidden in your clothes? More like, your stomach! Eh? She froze. Then, she turned to Kamijou and spoke. No-Nothing at all!? I swear to God that nuns dont lie! The moment she finished, the abnormally large stomach let out a Mi, cats cry. OII! SO MUCH FOR FAITH. YOU BROKE YOUR OATH! GET THAT CAT OUT OF YOUR CLOTHES STOMACH! Perhaps because of this discussion with Stiyl and his general nervousness that he did not notice. The cat was likely the reason that Index lagged so long in the alley rather than searching for the runes source. Uu! To-Touma! This piece of clothing is called the Walking Church, right? So what? A church should unconditionally extend its hand to any lost sheet. So, I will protect Sphinx, lost in the streets. Amen. Kamijous lips felt somewhat numb. ...So, you mean youll raise the cat inside your cloths, right? I get it! The cat-box sand and toilet will be shoved in your sleeves, right? "..." "..." "Whatever! I''ve decided that Sphinx will be protected by the Church!" Oi! To the person who thinks before she acts! At least consider the one being taken care o! Its alright as long as I treat it as family! I DONT WANT TO BE TREATED A DAD BY THE CAT! Though he did not want to, Kamijou truly considered dumping the cat on the way to Misawa Cram School. Well Actually, he did want to. But, if he did so, Index would seek the cat and follow Kamijou the entire way. IDIOT! TOUMA IS AN IDIOT! ILL RAISE THIS CHILD! Say that when you earn money yourself. Actually, Touma doesnt need to feel bad. I just said idiot out of frustration and I dont really think youre an idiot! "Are you speaking alien?" If Kamijou agreed to it, Index would follow his lead. What can I say but Such misfortune. Kamijou sighed. Calculating the funds needed to raise the cat, it seemed necessary to reduce the number of meals each day. Why did Index choose that time to adopt a cat? Fine. Hm? Touma? What did you say? Cant be helped. Lets adopt it. It was fine. It seemed that those kinds of words caused Index to cry tears of joy, an expression of Indexs worth seeing. Ahh! Father in Heaven! Your warm light of love has finally reached the heartless, cruel, cold-blooded and snake-eyed heart in Touma! Thank you for saving this stray cats innocent soul; I wont forget this for the rest of my life. Even as Kamijou Touma thought such things, he could not explain something. Part 2 Upon leaving the dormitory room, he met Stiyl, whom he had parted goodbye to sometime previously. He was scattering card-like objects around the area. What are you doing? Cant you tell? Im placing a barrier here to build a temple. Stiyl said as he worked. Before we leave for Misawa Cram, who knows who will come here with a stupid reason and kidnap Index? Even if we can only do so much, we can feel a little more optimistic if we leave Innocentius here. If something happens, it can help her buy time to escape. Innocentius. Though Kamijou lacked memories, his information database informed him that Innocentius was a humanoid, ultimate weapon consisting of 3000 Celsius flames with an automatic tracking ability. Its only weakness was It can only be used in the boundary that has runes and will disappear if the runes are destroyed. Ill tell you this, Upon his words, Stiyls ears twitched. I lost to you last time because of the location, not because Im weaker than you. If you hadnt set of the sprinklers "Eh? Did we fight before?" Kamijou, with only knowledge instead of memories, knew how to defeat Innocentius but knew not where the information came from. Ku So you mean to say that that incident was too pointless to remember? Apparently misunderstanding, Stiyl continued. Then, fine. I wont squabble with you over it. Once Im done here, the boundary will be complete. And, well be able to head to Misawa Cram how troublesome. I have to set up a boundary to repel magicians but weak enough that that child wont notice. Stiyl continued to mutter, seemingly quite happy. As such, Kamijou somewhat realized a fact. Do you like Index? Eh? EH!? Stiyl blushed as if his heart had stopped. Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you saying such ridiculous things all of a sudden?! She-Shes a target of protection, not for romance! Kamijou chuckled and ended the conversation because he felt that if he delved deeper, he would dig his own grave. The main point was not whether the current Kamijou Touma liked Index or not but that the current Kamijous feelings must have been the same as the previous Kamijou. The current him knew not how the pre-amnesia Kamijou Touma thought of Index or how the interactions went. If Kamijou were to say something contradictory, Stiyl would have realized his masquerade. Its like theres two of me Kamijou sighed deeply in his heart. It was inaccurate to say there were two Kamijous. Kamijou felt that a false him invaded the real ones body and assumed his personality, putting the current him in an awkward situation. Before we charge into Misawa Cram, lets talk about our enemy. Stiyl said, perhaps preventing Kamijou from questioning further. They exited the student dormitory to walk onto the night street. Kamijou listened to Stiyl speak. The enemys name is Aureolus Izzard. He introduced the name. Speaking of Aureolus, theres a person youd think of hm? Are you shocked hes so famous? Dont worry, hes just a descent and not as strong as the legend. "Who is this Aureolus??" "...Oh yeah, you don''t know about the magic world. But, you have heard of Paracelsus, right?" "???" "Ku...! He''s the most famous alchemist in the world!" Stiyl said impatiently. So Is this guy really amazing? Kamijou asked while walking down the evening streets. The August sunset burned and the multitude of windows, windmills, turbines, everything, were dyed an orange-red. Kamijou thought it looked exactly like a faded photograph, perhaps assisted by the unrealistic aspects of their conversation. He shouldnt be strong But, whats worrying is the fact he must have some secret weapon to subjugate Deep Blood. The worst case scenario is one where hes used Deep Blood to capture the certain creature. Rather than Aureolus Izzard himself, Stiyl seemed to mind the creature. However, Kamijou could not comprehend. Even if the conditions were unique, treating the enemys abilities as secondary was incomprehensible. Oi. Thats not right, is it? I dont know how powerful vampires are but shouldnt our primary concern be the enemy leader? Its like fighting in a fire. Well be hurt badly if were only concerned with the flames. Hm? Oh, you dont have to worry about it. Aureolus name may be familiar but his descendants arent as powerful as him. And, in the magic world, theres no such thing as an alchemist. Stiyl spoke nonchalantly. Divination, alchemy, summoning these sound like your worlds language, mathematics and history. Japanese language arts teachers wouldnt try to abolish mathematics, right? This so-called-magic is the study of learning a part of everything and choosing a world most suited for the user. Stiyl also added that the reason Aureolus Izzard became an alchemist was because he was untalented at other roles. And, also, alchemy isnt a refined knowledge. Though Stiyl stated all of these, Kamijou understood none of it. His knowledge was like a historical calendar. It was because, for Kamijou, alchemy was only a fraudulent gimmick widespread in the 16th century. The purpose of alchemy, to his knowledge, was to fool royalty with scams. Alchemyespecially of the late Zurich branchcan be said to be a sub-branch of the Hermes school. Normally speaking, the main purposes were to turn lead into gold, create an immortality elixir, and so on. Stiyl sounded unmotivated, perhaps because it was out of his scope of expertise. But, these were all experiments. Theyre like what youd call a scientist, always looking for foundations or rules. Scientists dont care about what they get from the test tube because it wasnt their aim. The same theory applies here. Alchemists werent actually focused on creating something but pursuing knowledge. Is it like how Einstein was only researching the Theory of Relativity? The atomic bomb was just a by-product? If one examined it from this angle, scientists were the arrogant type, never considering the effects their creations have on society. Yeah. But, besides researching the formula and principle, they have a final goal. Stiyl paused. Its like a simulation of the world within his brain. If you can understand the all the laws of the world, you could imagine the world in your brain. Of course, if even a single law were to be wrong, the simulated world in the brain would be flawed. ? What? What do you mean? Are you talking about abilities similar to esper powers? On the primitive islands of the South Pacific like Fiji and Melanesia it was said that: to be leader, one had to be able to predict the next days weather with just a glance up at the sky. Though such weather forecast ability seemed esper-like, it was just a result of calculating wind currents, cloud shapes, temperatures and humiditys in the brain. The island leaders never realized that their brains were calculating. Instead, they believed they listened to the voice of the wind to predict the weather. Stiyls meaning was similar to such an example. While it was true that a leaders mind had simulated the next days weather, the imaginary world would have been miles away from reality if there were the tiniest error in their supposedly-perfect formulas. Hold on. What could an ability like that do? Are they trying to make some algorithm that predicts the future for them like a weather report? No. He responded easily. What if they could bring something imaginary into the real world? It was a shocking declaration. For example, there are spells that involve ectoplasm and spells that use telesma to summon Angels. In the magic world, it isnt uncommon to see someone drag their brains thoughts into reality. Stiyl folded his arms. Thus, its important to have an ability that lets the brain accurately imagine the real world. Basically, with this power, they could operate the world. Any and all celestial beings or devils would bow before them. Oi Oi Of course, its hard to do. The flow of the river, the clouds, the humans, the blood there are an infinite number of laws in a world. If someone screwed something up, he wouldnt create an accurate world. One distortion in the world is like a distorted pair of wings. Even if theyre summoned, theyd be vanquished. Thats like a computers processor. Kamijou rationalized. No matter how perfect the process is, if someone forgets to input an extra line, therell be an error and the program wont execute. On the other hand, if he really somehow did it, wouldnt no one be able to go against him? If he could alter the entire world, how could the world win? Perhaps, deep within him, Kamijou refused to believe it. He was right. Humans could not defeat everything in the world. It did not mean that gods or devils were strong or weak; it was not that. Instead, everything in the world also included the people living there, such as Kamijou himself. The simplest example: a mysterious could make real anything it reflected. No matter how strong Kamijou was, if an opponent created an identical Kamijou, the battle between identical Kamijous would result in simultaneous deaths. I said it before, just relax. Alchemy isnt a refined knowledge. In contrast, Stiyl did not seem anxious. Let me put it this way: If I wanted you to explain everything in the world, including every grain of sand on the beach or stars in the sky, how long would it take you?!? I dont think you could finish in one two hundred years? Thats the situation. In reality, the incantations existed for a long time but the human life is so short no one finished chanting it. Stiyl continued easily. Though they tried all sorts of things like removing unnecessary parts to shorten it or breaking it up to allow each generation and descendant speak 10 lines and so on. Even under these cases, there was not a single case of success. A completed incantation would have lacked any excessive points. When each generation passed down the incantation, the incantations became gradually erroneous like a game of telephone. However Stiyl stopped there and seemed to finally show some hostility. If the alchemists were living things with no lifespan limits, they could recite and complete the very long incantation. Perhaps because of this, the certain creature is such a rather large threat to magicians. Maybe this is why the aim of the enemy is to get a vampire. Kamijou thought. To scientists, it was painful when they knew an answer but did not know why. If an alchemists body of flesh could not fulfill it, could they not just seek a creature that surpassed a humans limits? Its true that this alchemy is still pretty threatening. But, right now, Aureolus Izzard shouldnt be able to do it. The most he can do now is create a few things and turn this Misawa Cram into a fortress and set up numerous traps to prevent outsiders from entering. ? Kamijou felt that something was off. Why is Stiyl so confident? Oi. Do you know this Izzard guy? Of course I do. We were from Church organizations after all. Stiyl said smoothly. Im an Anglican and hes a Roman Catholic We did meet each other, though our sects differ. Though, of course, we arent friends. For Kamijou, it was difficult to associate the terms Church and magician together. Necessarius, the organization that Stiyl and Index were affiliated with, purpose was to consume magical knowledge and counter magicians. But, they were radicals among the radicals. Even if the Anglicans possessed such an organization would the Roman Catholics, of a different sect, have been similar? Noticing Kamijous question, Stiyl frowned. Necessarius is an exception amongst exceptions. There cant possibly be similar institutions. Stiyl sighed. But, even if were exceptions, his job as a secret recorder was a unique example among unique. He basically wrote grimoires in place of the Church. Even thought they were grimoires, the purpose was the complete opposite. It was like a guide to teach things like which lines in the Bible could be used to counter spells witches use. Stiyl stretched his arm and shook it about. Of course, it isnt rare to see members of the Church write grimoires as guides. The ones Pope Honorius III and King James I wrote are really famous. I see. So thats why you said Aureoulus Izzards power isnt really that much. That''s right. He might be knowledgeable about these things, but he can''t fight. Hes like a quiet social club member that isnt in a sports club. However, he''s still a tough opponent. Its because he''s one of the few secret recorders of the Roman Catholics and possessed much influence. The Roman Catholics are planning to determinedly fight him and punish him as a heretic. No, thats not what I meant. Im saying that Aureolus is a name worth mentioning with the top religious people and kings, right? Are you jealous of him? I can consider that a taunt, right? Im up for it if you want to fight but dont mistake me as an enemy right now. Kamijou stared forward. Weve arrived at the battlefield. The pair stopped. Under the seemingly flaming sunset, the building awaited them. Part 3 "I gotta say" Kamijou looked up at the building and muttered. The building could only have been described as strange. The building itself was rectangular and rather standard. However, there were four 12-story buildings on each corner of the junction, forming a ta (). Additionally, the linked pathways were overhead, as if forming a suspended bridge above the road as they linked the buildings. A building like that violates the Land Area Planning Adjustment Project, right? Kamijou looked up at the suspended corridors. Simply put, the jurisdiction of the sky was under the lands owners. In other words, the space above the roads should have been public areas. Never mind. Its not important. Kamijou muttered and again stared at the Misawa Crams Academy City branch. Examining the building, it was implausible for people to associate it with the term religious science that was outside of normal understanding. It truly seemed like an ordinary cram school: there were students walking in and out on occasion. It was nothing abnormal. Anyways, our initial target is the 5th level of the South Building beside the restaurant. Apparently theres a secret room there. Stiyl said conversationally. The diagram was incinerated after Kamijou read it which possibly meant that Stiyl had memorized the entire map. A secret room? Yeah. It should be some trick illusion or distortion that makes people ignorant of its existence. The buildings interior is like a kids toy block, there are many crevices. Stiyl stared at the building. I found 17 secret rooms just looking at the diagram. And the closest one is the one beside the restaurant on the South Buildings 5th floor. Ohh. But, it doesnt look like those booby-trapped ninja houses. Kamijou muttered. Yeah, sure doesnt look like it. Stiyl responded viciously. Eh? Kamijou turned his head and found Stiyl staring at the building that seemed to penetrate the sky and earth. After a time, he shook his head and sighed. Nothing. In fact, as an expert, I cant find any abnormalities Nothing at all even analyzing as an expert. Though Stiyl said it, he seemed stressed. The expression on his face was like that of a doctor who found something wrong on an X-ray but still could not identify the source of the illness. "..." It was suspicious, much too suspicious. Though he knew not what was going on, it was much too suspicious. Stiyl had only said that he could not find anything. He had never said that the building was safe. Inside the building, there could have been numerous mines that they simply did not know about and perhaps there was truly nothing. They could confirm nothing and in essence were entering blind. Rhetorically speaking, was it safe to enter a building that a magical expert could not vouch for? Of course we shouldnt. Stiyl answered concisely. But entering is the only option, right? Our aim is to save people, not kill them. Id be really grateful if I could just burn this building to the ground from out here. His words had to have been more than half serious. Hold on What do you mean we can only go in? Are we going to go in through the front door? No tactics? Like no way to avoid being detected or beating the enemy safely? What. Dont tell me you have some ideas? ACK! Are you kidding me!? Are you really going to charge like that? How is that any different from charging into a building occupied by terrorists?! Even if its just a dumb trick, cant you just throw in bait!? Hm. Using a knife to carve the rune AnsuzGebo can hide a persons presence. THEN DO IT! HURRY UP AND DO IT! Listen to me! He answered with an irritated tone. Even if we get rid of our presence or become invisible, Ill leave a mana signal saying Stiyl Magnus just used magic. ...What? You have no concept of how mana works at all. Seems like Ill have to explain it to you. Stiyl sighed. For example, what if theres a map that only has red colors on it? "Psychologically, I think it''s a bad omen." Shut up and dont butt in. The red color indicates Aureolus magic in the entire building. What if I colored this map blue? I dont really understand but youll basically be a walking transmitter, right? Thats kind of right, but its more than that. Stiyl continued as Kamijou was about to ask why. Your Imagine Breaker is like an eraser than removes the red color. If ones painting is being eating up, anyone would realize that somethings wrong. I wouldnt be detected as long as I didnt use magic but your ability is always active. Alright. So that means were walking transmitters so theres no point in tactics and might as well enter a building filled with terrorists. Should we ring the doorbell first? And thats why we need your power. If you dont want to be full of holes like a beehive, use your right hand and be a shield. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE ITS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!? ITS BECAUSE YOURE USELESS THAT I HAVE TO DO THIS! Ahahah. No need to be so nervous. Its just an alchemists magic. Your right hand managed to block the Saint Georges Dragon Breath. It should be able to handle it. And, its useless to rely on me. I sent Innocentius to protect that child and right now I can only use a flame sword. WAAAAAAAHH!! YOU REALLY DONT THINK THINGS THROUGH!! Kamijou watched the exit; the automatic doors were not abnormal. Incidentally, Kamijou did not want to enter. It was to be expected. What person would want to invade a booby-trapped battlefield housing an expectant enemy? What was more, it was the central stronghold for a fanatical religion that none knew the truth about. However, because of these things, they had to enter. If men trembled before the sight of such a place, how could they allow a girl to remain inside simply because she is called Deep Blood? Lets go. The magician Stiyl Magnus said. Without another word, Kamijou approached the automatic doors. Upon entering through the class doors, they found the scene to be extremely normal. Much of the glass that built the hall brought in extra sunlight. The hall itself was extremely wide and approximately three stories high. Near the elevator, a non-renovated staircase was placed for the sake of emergency exits. Perhaps as a result of being evening, it was break time for ordinary schools. The length of time should have been as long as an afternoon excursion and there were a modicum of student heading out to purchase dinners. Kamijou and Stiyl were not attracting any real attention, possibly because the manager had not memorized every students appearance. And, even if they were discovered to be outsiders, considering it was an entrance hall, others would have believed they were there to consolidate the administration process. Forget about me, does this guy even look like a student? Kamijou sighed. Though one could call the man a teenager, he was still a priest that reeked of cologne, had hair dyed red, wore earrings and rings and was quite the ridiculous height. Who he was aside, looking around, they could find nothing amiss. Those around them walked about seemed quite normal. Eh? Thus, the only abnormality was rather obvious. Of the four elevators, between the two on the right, there was a human-shaped robot lyingor rather placedthere. Its limbs were severely twisted and it was like a pile of scrap metal that reminded one of serious traffic accidents. In terms of type, it was similar to a suit of Western armor. However, the figure was as exceedingly modernistic as a fighter jet with an intrinsic design and a texture that reflected a silver light, dissimilar from ordinary metal plate. An 80 centimeter long bow was dropped nearby, presumably equipment for the machine. On the objects right wrist was the word Parsifal that perhaps represented its name. At first glance, one could tell that the robot could not fulfill its original purpose. The supposed limbs were severely twisted while a slick tar-like black oil oozed from the dysfunctional limbs. The rusty smell in the air caused Kamijou to frown. What in the world is that? First of all, where did this robot come from? The security robots and cleaning robots in Academy City look like large metal cylinders. Kamijou had never heard of such humanoid machines in Academy City that simultaneously lacked mobility. Second of all, why did this thing break down? Though Kamijou knew not how functional the machine was originally, it was akin to the aftermath of a traffic collision. There would have been no need for such force, correct? What had occurred in that cram schools hall? And, finally: Why hasnt anyone noticed yet? The humans there ignored its very existence as if not even worth gossiping over. Rather than a sensation of deliberate ignorance, the machine was like a pebble on the road, unworthy of notice. It was as if the damaged robot had snuck into their daily life. What? Theres nothing here. Anyways, either we find Himegami or crush Izzard. Hurry up. Stiyl said with ease. Ah oh. Kamijou at last managed to tear his gaze from the machine because none beside him paid it any notice, giving him the impression he witnessed a phantom. But it was not a phantom. It truly existed before Kamijous gaze. What? Are you interested by that thing? Oh well, thats true, it might be something rare for you. Stiyl had seemed to finally notice Kamijous interest in the machine. We-Well yeah eh. Hold on. Robots are something from the science side, right? As Kamijou spoke, Stiyl proceeded to frown. What are you talking about? Thats just a corpse. It was an indisputably shocking reply. What? Kamijou could not comprehend. A casters incantations and a Heavenly Bow duplicate. This here should be one of the 13 Knights of the Roman Catholic Church. Theyre probably here to execute the heretic but it looks like they were crushed. Really. Knights were an English specialty and these guys that just love to copy ended up like this. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth. Tch. Speaking of which, that man in formalin is too sneaky. There was already another church helping out and he still made us enter separately. Was he deliberately trying to make us fail? Its true that the ones here to settle this mess are elites of the church and itd be good if he could get even one of them killed Stiyl continued to mutter angrily. Kamijou, however, unaware of the circumstances, ignored it. Kamijou chose to clearly stare at the something lying on the floor. The limbs were twisted, it was a pile of scrap metal like the wreckage of a collision, the silvery metal body was crushed and reddish-black oil oozed out. The remains of a machine. No. What if it were not reddish-black oil but something less black and more red? No. What if they were not machinery but a human clad in armor? Why are you so surprised? Stiyl said, as if it were a pedestrian sight. This is a battlefield. Whats so strange about seeing a corpse or two on the way? Kamijou was speechless. He already knew. He should have known. It was a field of combat where humans killed humans. The enemy had already prepared traps for intruders like Kamijou and simply waited for them to enter. Even then, Kamijou and Stiyl had no intentions of negotiation with the vicious enemy. Yes, they should have known. Even so, Kamijou could not overlook it. Damn it! Kamijou dashed toward the corpse. He did not know what he could have done, possibly bandage a few places, the amateur Kamijou knew not even the correct emergency procedurals. Not only was the armor severely damaged to the point of questionable life signs, Kamijou could not think of a way to extricate a person out of the twisted armor. Even so, without clear proof, the human being inside the metal may have been alive. If that were the case, it was possible to save the person if he acted quickly. Kamijou spent a mere ten seconds to run from one end of the hall to the other. Because the fatalitys face was completely encased by the helmet, Kamijou could not see the expression. He could only hear slight air flow through the gap in the block of metal that was a helmet. Hes still breathing! As Kamijou felt relieved, he realized that he could not move the body carelessly and considered calling for an ambulance until he heard the sound of metal doors sliding apart. A number of like-aged teenagers exited the elevator and failed to notice the flayed body. It was as if they saw a normal scene, just continuing to walk as they discussed trivialities like the food in that restaurant is so expensive and so bad I got sick of it, how about we get something to eat from a convenience store. You guys! They should be saving the injured. Kamijou understood this fact and was unable to maintain his silence. He inadvertently attempted to grab the shoulder of a nearby student. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HURRY UP AND CALL AN AMBUL However, Kamijou stopped. Kamijous hand was forcefully dragged forward. No. Dragged was inadequate. The force he felt was like attempting to grab the drivers side door of a moving truck. The magnitude of the propulsion was completely different. WHA! His arm was nearly dislocated. The true shock was that the student had not acted at all. Kamijous hand on that shoulder felt like a balloon tied to a car. What was more, the person seemed completely ignorant Kamijous roar let alone his hand. Before them, Kamijou was like the twisted suit of armor. Whats going on? Kamijou recalled the sensation his hand experienced. While he expected the texture of soft fabric clothing, his hand felt like it passed through extremely hard glue. Forget the students shoulder, Kamijou could not reach the clothing. Its a boundary like the two sides of a coin. The students are on the front of the coin and cant detect those of us on the back of the coin. We, the intruders on the back, cant interfere with the people on the front who are ignorant. Look. Stiyl spoke like he was chanting and raised a finger to point at a girl walking out of the elevator. Kamijous eyes followed the girls back. She stepped into the blood but her shoes were not stained and left no bloody footprints. The pool of blood acted like one large sheet of hardened plastic. Hm. Stiyl carelessly pinched the chewed cigarette in his mouth and pressed the burning red tip to the plastic elevator button. Despite his action, the plastic button was not burnt, let alone melted. I see. So, the entire building is a part of the front? I guess thats right since this is suitable as a fortress against magic. Kamijou Touma, it would seem that with our power alone we may be unable to open a single door, even automatic ones. Were stuck. ... A boundary. If it were a supernatural power, even if a term alien to Kamijou, a resident of the science side, was this not an opportunity for Kamijou Touma to rise? Kamijou clenched his fists tightly. Imagine Breaker. If a supernatural power came in contact with that right hand, it would have been negated, even a miracle of God. It was a unique power among unique powers. Kamijou clenched his fist and raised it high into the air. He then proceeded to slam his fist forcefully against the floor, wanting to smash the boundary into pieces. Yes, he hammered it down but there was only a dull noise. WOAH! AHHHHHHHHH!!!! What are you doing? Seeing Kamijou roll about on the floor, Stiyl, overwhelmed, sighed. Thiss probably like my Innocentius. If we dont destroy the core of the magic, we cant break this boundary. And, most likely the core is placed outside the boundary or the people inside would be locked in. Hmm. Weve got some trouble now. Kamijou seemed truly unaware of what to do. Damn it. So, what should we do? Weve got an injured person here and we cant call a doctor or take him outside We dont have to do anything. Hes dead. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? CHECK HIS BREATHING! HES STILL ALIVE! Yeah. Hes definitely alive if we go by heartbeat. But, his fractured ribs punctured his lungs, his livers crushed, his pulse is faint he cant be saved in this situation. His name might as well be corpse. It was unknown whether Stiyl determined the facts through rune magic, but his words were as cold-hearted as a doctor declaring that a patient acquired a terminal illness. !!! Whats with the expression? You knew from the start, right? Even if hes breathing, he cant be saved. Suddenly, Kamijou lifted Stiyl up at his chest with both of his hands. He could not comprehend. Kamijou could not comprehend. How could the person before him remain so calm? How could he say such words in front of a dying person? MOVE ASIDE! THIS PERSON DOESN''T HAVE MUCH!! Stiyl calmly pushed Kamijou aside. We dont have much time. Ill let you cast, what you think is pity, on the dead. Its a priests job to send the dead to heaven. You, amateur, step aside. Kamijou, releasing his hands, finally noticed. Stiyl, whose back then faced Kamijou, stared at the knight who was borderline from death. Stiyl was Hes angry? It was difficult to imagine, given his typical mockery, but Kamijou was not mistaken. At that moment, Stiyl Magnus was not a magician while his back seemed to emanate static electricity, seemingly deflecting everything that came in contact. Yes. This was the back of Stiyl Magnus, the priest. Stiyl did not enact some obscure, special ritual. He spoke unintelligible, at least to Kamijou, foreign words. The words came from the priest, not the magician. Kamijou did not know the significance of the action but the formerly immobile knight trembled and raised his right hand, stretching it out at Stiyl as if to catch something in the air. The Knight spoke as well. Stiyl nodded his head, Kamijou was as unknowing as always, and the knights body seemed to relax, losing tension. It was like he had handed over what he had wanted to with no worries left, he relaxed with relief. The knights hand dropped. The metallic right hand landed on the floor, resounding like a knell. Still in his priestly persona, Stiyl Magnus drew the cross before his chest. At the point of death, there was no difference between an Anglican and a Roman Catholic. The last rites were still the last rights. It was then that Kamijou finally realized. It was a true battlefield. Lets go! He spoke once more as a magician rather than a priest. It would seem we have one more reason to fight. Part 4 He was feeling terrible. Their initial goal was to seek the gaps in the building, the secret rooms. The nearest secret room was on the fifth floor of the South Block building so they began to climb stairs. Why do I feel like shit? Kamijou wondered as he climbed the narrow emergency staircase. Initially, he believed it was because of the knight and then because the staircase was narrow and dark. However, there was a physical reason additional to the psychological. My legs Kamijou looked down at his legs that were showing unnatural fatigue. The front and back of the coin meant that magicians who knew of the back could not interfere with the citizens of the front. These were the rules of the game that Stiyl had outlined. But, the entire building was a part of the front. The result of this part of the game meant that stepping on the floor would recoil against the foot. To analogize, it was the difference between punching flesh and punching concrete. As they walked on a ridiculously hard floor, the fatigue accumulated 2-3 times faster. We can only pray that the enemy is in the same situation Stiyl seemed irate that they were fatigued so quickly. Though his build was rather large, it seemed that he had not done much physical training and was unaccustomed to strenuous physical activity. Che if I had known, we should have taken the elevator. Were on the back of the coin, how can we press a button on the front of the coin? If you can do it, teach me. "..." Even if we did enter the lift, if students on the front used it, wed be crushed if a lot of them walked in. The individuals on the back could not interfere with those on the front. For example, if a car from the back collided into a person from the front, the car would have been wrecked while the human would escape unscathed. If the lift were crammed with people, they would be like raw eggs in a fully occupied train: crushed. Ugh, this is just getting more and more depressing. Kamijou lowered his head dejectedly. He was already tired and with the dark and murky thoughts swimming in his mind, he began to want to give up. Think happy thoughts. Hurry up and think of something happy Kamijous heart was in urgent need of rest. Oh yeah, wherere phones? What? You discussed the fronts and backs of the coin right? Will phones work? Kamijou asked as he took out his phone. He said the words himself and realized they were excuses. Because too many abnormal things occurred around him, he had to do something normal or he felt he may have gone crazy. As for whom to call, Kamijou needed not a moment to consider: his room. Meaning, he would call the girl who was waiting in his room. As he was about to call, he considered something. Wait. Wouldnt the enemy detect the signal and attack us? Who knows? But, our existence might already be discovered. We did enter from the front door. Then why werent we attacked? God knows. Maybe its because theyre so overconfident or maybe because they intend to destroy us in one go. That alchemist is that kind of person. Right now, hes probably preparing all sorts of ways to counterattack. Really? Why in the world does your God exist? However, since their whereabouts were likely exposed, there was no need to dilly dally. Kamijou decided to brazenly make the call. Three rings. So it wont work? Six rings. Looks like Ill have to give up. Nine rings. HURRY UP AND PICK UP! Despite his impatience, Kamijou did not want to hang up. During his wait, he had another thought. What if this doesnt have to do with the coin stuff? What if Index doesnt want to pick up? Or what if it isnt that she wont but she cant? Dont tell me Something happened to Index? Ind!? As a mysterious chill rose up in Kamijous stomach, he was met with a voice, Indexs extremely nervous voice to be exact. Erm. Hello! This is Index Librorexcuse me, Im sorry. This is Kamijou speaking. Hello? Hello? Oi. Tell me Kamijou lethargically asked as if he had just trialed the wrong method of dieting. is this is first time youve answered a phone call? Uweeh!? Th-This voice is Toumas. Eh? Do all voices sound the same in phones? He then heard the sound of knocking. It was likely a puzzled Index with a tilted head, knocking the receiver against the floor. INDEX! STOP HITTING THE MACHINE WHEN YOU THINK ITS BROKEN! THATS WHAT A GRANNY WOULD DO TO FIX SOMETHING! Thats weird. The only person whod say such stupid things is Touma. OI!!! Kamijou retorted silently. It was expected considering it was her first time responding to a phone call (though it seemed she had seen others answer before, judging from her initial hello). Apparently she paced frantically in front of the phone but as it continued to ring she was forced to answer. The magic expert who commanded the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires apparently understood nothing of science, a fact that amused Kamijou. However, Kamijou remembered something from his knowledge base that said that Index lacked most of her memories save but a years worth. Considering that such a comical deficiency was caused by memory loss was actually quite heartbreaking. Niyai? Touma? Why did you deliberately use such a troublesome, exaggerated, excessive and unfriendly thing like a phone? Did something serious happen? Ah nothing It seemed to Index telephones were an abnormal existence. Ah. Is it because one of the two lasagnas in the refrigerator was for Touma!? You ate it? Oh well Ah! Before Kamijou could continued, Index exclaimed. Ah! There was pudding in the refrigerator! YOU ATE IT!?! THAT WAS MY PUDDING!!! But there was only one! CANT YOU THINK ABOUT THE MASTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD!? IT WAS BLACK HONEY PUDDING! ONE OF THEM COSTS 700 YEN!!! Kamijou grieved. Ugh O-Oh well. Never mind. I went off on a tangent. Since the call connected, never mind. ? Touma were you looking for me or something? Argh. Im just testing if I can reach you. Im hanging up. ?? Right about now, Index is probably tilting her head in confusion, right? Kamijou thought and continued. Ah. Oh yeah. Did you know, Index? For every minute you use a phone, your lifespan is shorted by a day? WAAHHH! The phone line cut off. It seemed the receiver was dropped onto the floor. Such a simple-minded person. He spoke to himself, having taken his pudding-induced revenge, and hung up the phone. However, it seemed the magician wished to say something. Wh-What? Nothing. Stiyl sighed. Its just that I think youre too relaxed. Thiss a battlefield and yet youre nonchalantly chatting away with a girl. I dont really care if you die because of carelessness. In fact, Id be dancing in joy, but, please dont drag me down. Are you jealous? Ku Ugh Stiyl silently seemed like he would burst 60% of his blood vessels. Kamijou began to understand how to handle the person before him. Yeah, thats right. Stiyls words induced surprising shock for Kamijou, though he knew not why he was so affected. Dont be mistaken. Im not considering that child a target of romance. Without looking at Kamijous face, Stiyl continued. You should know that up until now, the child had her memories erased in one year intervals or die. Then, you can understand how many people were once in your position. Many have wanted to be her father, some, her older brother, others her good friend, and some even her teacher. Stiyl elaborated. Its like that, just that simple. I failed in the past and you succeeded. Thiss the only difference between you and me. Stiyl stared at Kamijous face and looked like he was facing an impossible future. However, Id be lying if I said that I didnt care. He said with a sigh. Besides, she didnt really abandon me, just forgot. If she recovered her memories, shed coming running at me to hug me. Kamijou had no response. If there was a person, a really important person, that lost her memory and unknowingly, someone just stepped in and accompanied her, how would I feel? Could I remain calm? Kamijou mused to himself. No, this isnt just a problem of someone else being beside her. Would he not have felt betrayed by this important girl? However, the man before him still believed in himself, still following through with his belief. So strong. Kamijou looked back at his phone and considered the meaningless five minute conversation. A person had actually given up everything he had in order to protect the person important to him, knowing there was no going back. Such were peoples hearts. These hearts were crushed under the current Kamijous feet. What right did he of the moment have to keep the girl for himself? I dont know. If it were her only wish to maintain the status quo, Kamijou would have protected it until the end. However, Index had merely forgotten. How could a girl who was unaware of the other possibilities be expected to make a decision? I dont know. But, if Kamijou Touma really saved Index Yes, if it were the case, he had to take up the burden of protecting her. It was like enthusiastically giving a cat food but not taking it home, despite knowing it would die of hunger. Instead of giving the cat the hope that this person might keep me, it would have been better to give it despair from the beginning. However The one who saved her wasnt the current me. His thoughts came full circle. Who Index needs is the Kamijou Touma of before. Part 5 After climbing to the fifth floor, Kamijou and Stiyl arrived at a corridor. Stiyl had completely memorized the diagram of Misawa Cram School, which was why they had gone to that floor. Using the parameters of the diagram and actual measurements taken through infrared and ultrasonic means, he had derived error spaces. Halfway through the middle of the straight corridor, Stiyl lightly knocked on a normal-looking wall. Even if were right here, if we cant open it, we have to give up, right? Yeah. Even if it were a normal room rather than secret, for Kamijou and Stiyl, as residents as the back, could not open the door. If they wanted to enter, they could slip in once a student of the front opened the door. However, if a secret room, students may not go in and out. But its best to check out the situation. No matter how strong the boundary is, the caster is Aureolus. We can just force him to remove the boundary by threateningor killinghim. Kamijou inadvertently stared at the other. It was a battlefield, and Aureolus was the enemy to defeat. Kamijou understood this. Considering the imprisoned Himegami Aisa and the knight killed by Aureolus, one could imagine the precariousness of the situation. However, even so, Kamijou could not say something like kill Aureolus because his actions taken on the knight was also self defense. He had said kill him instead of beat or stop, there was no ambiguity. They headed down the wall nearest to the secret room and they arrived at the student cafeteria. It seemed they were mixing the people into the wide room to dilute the secret rooms existence. It applied an allusion and there were no doors for secret room visible from the cafeteria entrance. To prevent themselves from being caught in the crowded entrance, Kamijou and Stiyl entered the cafeteria. The individuals on the back could not interfere with the people on the front. Boys fought for the few available seats and the girls carried trays of food and chatted away as they walked. People rushed about like bulls. Unlike a corridor, the movements in the wide cafeteria were unpredictable. Kamijou and Stiyl were carefully avoiding the crowd. Since it was evening, many students were in the cafeteria. It was actually quite the refreshing experience for Kamijou to have others ignore his presence, a feeling unknown when moving in traffic jams. Those experienced in such matters would realize that surrounding people consciously avoid one another to prevent collision. The secret room contained a counter and behind it a small kitchen. The large freezer and utensils made the kitchen feel even more cramped, causing others to be ignorant of the spaces actual size. Hm. Its my first time actually seeing a science religion but it doesnt look like much. It thought theyd at least put up the picture of some bishop. Its true it doesnt look that dangerous. Kamijou looked around. In the realm of science, there were indicators of a religions fanaticism. For example, there include the level of acquiring funds from believers, the expansion level of indoctrinating new believers, the absolutism level where believers accept all orders even at risk of self-destruction, the dangerous item level where poisonous gases or explosives are produced, and so on. Religions that scored higher were deemed as decidedly more dangerous. From a scientific viewpoint, Misawa Cram was unlike truly dangerous religions. As members were students, acquiring significant funds was unlikely and as a cram school, creating chemical weapons was not a feasible idea. No. This really is a dangerous science cult. Kamijou said disdainfully. Though the students were gathered in a cafeteria, the atmosphere was as heavy as an elevator. Its to be expected, Kamijou thought. Everyone here might be talking happily but the conversations arent. They had little else to discuss aside from things that belittled others like how many I beat the last practice exam, how many points my score went up, or I dont understand how therere trash who wont study for the sakes of self-gratification. Kamijou examined an extremely ordinary cram school poster on the cafeteria wall. On it were two extreme sentences, If you study hard now, youll get into a great school and assure yourself a great future. and If you dont study now, youll end up at the bottom and meet misfortune. This is just like chain mail. He thought. Chain mails were prank mails that promised good fortune or unhappiness with things like If you send this mail to 7 persons within 7 days youll be happy forever. If you dont youll be unlucky. Such threatening intents were no different from radical religions. Hmph. This schools motto is something like extremely smart shall be those that study here, right? Well. These teachers must be brainwashing the kids with things like this is something thatll definitely be tested. Im telling you, those that didnt study here over the summer are inferior, huh? How infuriating. Kamijou muttered with true disgust. He was unhappy that he could actually somewhat empathize for them. Exams tend to be involved in superstitions. Regardless of their sedulousness, students tended to attempt unscientific foods that increased concentration or would even bring to the exam hall talismans for becoming the top scorer. It was a deficiency called insecurity. The religion of Misawa Cram exploited this gap and stabbed into it with a knife. Hm. Seems like youve been interested by the fanatical gas, eh? But, dont forget our aim. We need to find the secret entrance. Oh. Okay, okay! I got it! Kamijou took a deep, calming breath and turned to examine the entire cafeteria. Immediately, approximately 80 students turned to stare at him. Initially, Kamijou was under the impression that his loudly speaking resulted in attracting their attention. Well. This doesnt look good Is this the first safety? Despite Stiyls voiced seriousness, Kamijou could not react. Ah? Eh? Dont you understand the situation? The people on the front shouldnt be able to see those on the back. I see so theres an alarm like this around the secret room? Kamijou peered around. Close to 80 students were without question staring at them. Their individual humanness had disappeared and was replaced with a blank, glass-like stare. Do-Dont tell me It was true. The students were residents of the back of the coin. a magician! As Kamijou shouted out without meaning, Stiyl had abandoned Kamijou and back away. The wings of the seraph shines brightly and the bright light is a pure white color that reveals all sins One of the students near the front began to mutter ambiguities. The pure white color is proof of purity, the mark is the result of ones actions An additional voice overlapped with the first. The result is the future, the future is time is uniform A second, third, fourth, fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth eleventh twelfth thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen Uniformity is all, all is created by the past, the past is the cause, cause is one. One is sin, sin are humans. Humans fear, fear is guilt. Guilt resides within oneself. If in oneself there is something one despises, the wings of the seraph shall reveal your sins and purge it from within! An 80-person chorus, or perhaps a pugilistic verbal maelstrom created by the thousands within the building, echoed unceasingly. Hovering in front of each students forehead was a ping-pong ball sized blue-white glow. Perhaps the orbs were beginning to gather as they floated and even stuck to the floor below Kamijou, coming from the lower floor. And then, like explosives or the sizzling of a strong acid, the orbs emitted smoke. Touching even one would have caused burns. Oi! Strongest shield Imagine Breaker! Its time for you to step up! What? Oi! Peering back, the uncountable orbs were closing in, blocking Kamijous line of vision. Uwah! With so many HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BLOCK THEM ALL?! With a mad dash to the exit, Kamijou chased Stiyls back and overtook him. Stiyl, who had thought Kamijou would act as a shield, felt some panic and escaped behind Kamijou out of the cafeteria. Wh-Why are you running away?! Youre the shield! Your right hand blocked Dragon Breath! Instead of using your right hand youre running away with your back exposed!? Are you crazy!? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? I DONT WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM SOMEONE USING ME AS A SHIELD! THIS IS A CASE QUANTITY NOT QUALITY! HOW CAN I NEGATE ALL OF THAT WITH ONE RIGHT HAND!! To analogize, it was like fighting something with four limbs. Even if one flawlessly guarded against two limbs, the other two could still strike. An individuals power was unlikely to make that of a groups. With a boom, a large number of the orbs filed out of the entrance and flooded out the floodgates that were the cafeteria entrance. Kamijou and Stiyl could only run down the corridor. Tch. Speaking of which this might be a replica, but to be able to replicate the Gregorian Chant means I underestimated Aureolus Izzard. Whats this Grego whatever? Once, it was the ultimate weapon A grand spell that required 3,333 praying monks gathered in a cathedral. It was like running sunlight through a magnifying glass to increase output. Stiyl grit his teeth. Though thiss a replica with only 2,000 students, as the saying goes in this country, pile up sand and you can build a tower. Its power cant be underestimated. Kamijou was stunned. Though his understanding was limited, did it not mean they were not facing 2,000 opponents? It was a battlefield and he was in the midst of an enemy camp, this much he could understand, but the concept of fighting 2,000 individuals was despairing. Then theres no way we can beat this head on! Even if this place is huge, well still get caught playing hide-and-seek with 2,000 people! Not quite, Stiyl said, still facing forward. The emphasis is in the core. The Gregorian Chant requires the simultaneous controlling of 2,000 people or it fails. If we can find the core of the 2,000 people and destroy it, well end the Gregorian Chant. The two of them ran down the long corridor and finally arrived near the staircase. At the same moment, they noticed a large number of blue-white orbs deluging in. They were pincered. The stairs! Move it! Kamijou and Stiyl frantically ducked under the stairs beside them. Kamijou intended to inquire whether they should go up and down the stairs, but he realized something was amiss. You Youve been looking so calm for a while. Do you have some secret plan? It was true. For someone who had barely escaped the jaws of death, Stiyl seemed much too calm. Hm. I do have a plan. Ive just been wondering whether I should use it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? IF YOU HAVE ONE, HURRY UP AND USE IT! With an oh, Stiyl happily looked at Kamijous face. In face of the abnormal smile, Kamijou inadvertently held his breath and became more alert. Don. Stiyl pushed Kamijou down the stairs. What Before he could even react, he had lost his balance and had tumbled down the stairs. The numerous stabs of pain surrounded him and it was impossible to even cry out, for if he did, he would have likely bit his tongue. Bad luck, scarecrow. Stiyls joyful voice was audible from above. Dazed, Kamijou could see him running away in the opposite direction, upstairs. Then, the flood approached and split both ways, and rushed at Kamijou like flowing water. That bastard! Kamijou dragged his pained body and ran downwards. Stiyls words passed through his thoughts. They were in Aureolus stronghold, a place filled with mana. Like an entirely red picture, if any blue (in this case Stiyls) paint was added, the enemy would soon realize something was amiss. On the other hand, if Stiyl avoided using magic, he would go unnoticed. However, it was different for Kamijou. His Imagine Breaker endlessly erased the red color. Stiyl had the option to use or not to use, but Kamijou was like a perpetual transmitter. All in all, Kamijou was brought there to be a convenient decoy to abandon. He had thought Stiyls lack of planning was irrational but in truth this reasoning lied at the heart. Damn it! Eh. Hold on, somethings not right. Kamijous heart rang an alarm but he knew not why. As the current Kamijou could think of no reason, it must have been the pre-amnesia Kamijou warning him. As his thoughts raced, a fresh set of footsteps interrupted him, coming from below and blocking his escape route. ! The deluging orbs continued to converge onto Kamijou, but he could not possibly stop. So, instead he dashed and peered downstairs. There was a girl, one whom he had never met and whose uniform was unfamiliar, awaiting Kamijou. She was perhaps a candidate, one or two years older than Kamijou, with black braids and rounded spectacles. In all honestly it did not seem that she could fight, let alone use magic. The flames punish sin; purgatory governs the flames. Purgatory was created to burn sinners, the only violence God recognizes. What came out of her cute lips caused Kamijou unhappiness. Each time she spoke, the blue-white orb in front of her grew in size. It seemed the front and back of the coin had flipped. The girl should have been a student on the front but became a magician on the back. This was perhaps true for every Misawa Cram student. Though in truth, Kamijou could have easily knocked the girl down. I can win this! Kamijou clenched his right fist, and, though he could not definitively defeat 2,000 individuals, one or two of the orbs were no threat. Kamijou clenched his fist tighter as if to confirm the existence of Imagine Breaker. Then, with a crack! the girls face exploded as if fire crackers were planted beneath her skin. What? Simultaneous to Kamijous shock, the girls fingers, nose, under the cloths released miniature explosions, one after the other. The explosions were small enough that they only burned holes a few centimeters wide on her skin. Violence is the affirmation of death. Affirmation is recognition. Re cog ni Each time the girl spoke a single word, her body cracked further. Her lips eventually began to crack as well and blood flowed out of her mouth, showing her innards were severely damaged. Despite the damage, she continued to speak. In reality, it was more like she could not talk. She seemed like a frog being controlled by a machine, her leg muscles twitched against her will from the continuous electrocution. Dont tell me Anxiety rose up in Kamijous stomach and his knowledge was informing him, though he knew not where the ridiculous information came from. Espers cant use magic. Though espers and magicians were similar in their abilities to utilize supernatural powers, the applications were different. The circuits in espers were different from those of ordinary humans; even if they attempted to imitate a magician, they would be unsuccessful. That in mind, they were in Academy City. All students there had undertaken some esper development curriculum. With this assumption, what would have happened if espers unable to use magic did? Stop it Kamijou muttered, forgetting his personal situation. The circuitry was incompatible, his brain told him this. Though Kamijou himself knew little magic basis, the feeling may have been like a generator meant to run on batteries being run through an alternating current. Though the current might flow and the circuit might work, such an unreasonable method would burn out the circuit. STOP IT! YOU CAN TELL YOUR OWN BODY IS IN TROUBLE!! He had forgotten to even clench his fist. At that moment, though it felt like there was a gun pointed at his head, he dashed down the stairs without a thought. tion. Re st with in. Within refers to the world. Connect your inner self with the outside world. The girl suddenly let out a deep sound and went silent. The bridge between her eyebrows exploded and the blue-white orb she casted disappeared, leaving behind a fresh red wound. Her last sound seemed to betray the fatality of the wound while the girl swayed about and tumbled forward on the stairs. Kamijous mind was informing him A human body is heavy. Even a girl of petite size can be truly heavy if carried around like luggage. If youre burdened with several extra kilograms, evading the flood of orbs will be impossible. Kamijous mind was informing him This girls even an enemy. There will be no merits to saving her, you might even be attacked. If you consider life as the largest priority, leave this enemy behind and escape. Kamijous mind was informing him Most importantly, a severely wounded casualty like her cant possibly be saved. Not only are her wounds obviously fatal, shes been poisoned by a religious science. Hearing the voices in his mind caused Kamijou to gnash his teeth. STOP MESSING AROUND! Kamijou still decided to rush down the stairs and reached his hand out to save the girl that was ready to collapse. It was true that the girl was heavy and it was also true that it was already difficult for him to make an escape and it was again true that with extra luggage, he could not possibly outrun the tidal wave of orbs. The girl was an enemy, a physically and emotionally wounded one at that, and Kamijou understood it. Even so, there was no reason to abandon a wounded girl and let her be devoured by the coming deluge of orbs. Even if he searched the entire world, he would never find a reason to justify such an action. Most likely, the girl had not intended for it to happen. She believed she was just joining an ordinary cram school but upon enrollment was soon manipulated by the science religion. Unknowingly, she became a pawn. Kamijou remember the knight who had died in front of the lift. Most people could not have possibly left the injured there alone, even if an enemy. Guu Damn it! Don! The girl collapsed onto Kamijous chest and she seemed even lighter than expected, even if this were only true from the perspective of people. As luggage, she could have been considered extremely heavy and, as this happened halfway down the stairs, Kamijou almost fell down as he attempted to maintain his balance. Carrying the bloodied girl, Kamijou intended to continue his run down the stairs and he checked behind himself. The flood had already appeared before him. Kamijou began to frantically swat at orbs with his right hand while he rushed down the final steps with the girl cradled in his left arm. An unconscious person was quite a bit heavier than he had expected, as if he were swimming with a metal ball weighing him down. He wanted to jump, but his body was grounded by the extra weight. That slight lag allowed the thousands of balls to form a swirling vortex around him. !! Kamijou reflexively shut his eyes and began to think. With the girl under his protection in mind, he could block a few orbs with his body, but it was impossible with thousands chasing them. Kamijous body would be eaten away by the balls like metal in acid devoured by uncountable worms ? Nothing had happened. For some time, nothing happened. There was a strange sensation of stopped time and Kamijou did not dare open his eyes recklessly. He was in some fantasy world that would have broken if he opened his eyes and time would flow again. Regardless, it was imperative he did open his eyes. With a fearful sensation, like for someone disarming a bomb, Kamijou carefully opened his eyes. Ah? He could see, but he could not understand. It was like time stopped. The phenomenon he was witnessing could only have been explained by time stopping. The vortex of orbs that was about to swallow him had stopped as if it were a still image. After a moment, the seemingly impatient orbs began to move. However, instead of swallowing Kamijou whole, they slowly deliberately dropped to the ground like apples from a tree. Upon ground contact, they submerged. Then, a new set of footsteps was heard. Kamijou did not understand. Even so, he sought the footsteps that he heard coming from below and stared down. The stairs were linked to the entrance of a corridor where the shining sunset gleamed into the dark emergency staircase. From there, Deep Blood Himegami Aisa observed upward, as if in the bottom of a well. Part 6 Stiyl watched as an expended flaming sword vanished. Card runes scattered into the air like sakura petals. There was an ordinary corridor a floor above Kamijous location, where Stiyl knew the core of the Gregorian Chant was. He was a magician. To him, the detection of mana flow was a specialty and such a feat was simple. Though the energy harnessed by each individual student was miniscule, the power to control 2,000 people from a single point made the cores location obvious. I see. So this is considered hidden, huh? muttered Stiyl with a cigarette in his mouth. Hiding oneself on the front of the coin was an absolute defense against those on the back. The individuals on the back could do nothing to the front, even if it were just the removal of a Christmas wrapper. By putting the core inside of an ordinary wall, it was perfectly defended. Even if an enemy magician were to find the location, if it were impenetrable, the core was safe. First I have to wrap the core in the wall itself. Stiyl uninterestedly puffed smoke while he created formless flames. If there were slight distortions in walls or windows that created gaps of barely one millimeter, he could force flames in with the intense 3000 Celsius heat. The knowledge contained on the front was unsuited for the back. If Aureolus desired a perfect defense, his best option was to place the core into a plastic bag and tie it. At any rate, without seeing the core, Stiyl destroyed it and it seemed he managed to end the Gregorian Chant. Speaking of which Stiyl shook his cigarette. Looking at this bloody trail, it seems like even the alchemist has fallen so far since we met. A real bloody road should be made with ones own blood, right? An esper and magicians physical makeup were different. If espers even attempted magic, the unstable mana would rip apart the blood vessels and nerves in the body. In fact, there were numerous collapsed students on the corridor, even the area around his very feet. Some were still trembling while others were immobile. Searching the rooms would likely have resulted in hellish sights ten times worse than what he saw. On top of the sights, an unknown, thick smell of rust floated about. Even Stiyl was amazed at his own bitterness; perhaps he still harbored some human feelings. That guy really seems to believe in me. Recalling that esper boy, Stiyl seemed unable to bear it any longer. Then, he heard the clear sound of footsteps approaching him from another direction. The steps were confident, had an unsuppressed volume, and seemed to fully express their killing intent, prepared to deliver the killing blow. If an illustration were needed, it was like daring to knock on an enemys door while fully intending to attack. Absolute confidence. It was a declaration of war with the firm belief of success, a preemptive declaration of victory. The owner of the footsteps spoke. Naturally, by using the pseudo-Gregorian Chant, I knew I could lure you to the core, no matter where you were hiding. The footsteps prolonging, he continued. Certainly, there should be two intruders wheres the other one? Was that familiar of your swallowed by the Gregorian Chant? Id be really happy if that happened. Stiyl said. But, that guys lifell be longer than youd think. Also, hes not something cute like a familiar. Stiyl chucked and turned to face the owner of the footsteps, his eyes no longer smiling by the end of the turn. The footsteps came from a pair of Italian leather shoes. The long legs and two meter tall build were wrapped in an expensive, white western suit. His name was Aureolus, and 18 year old male. He had dyed green hair to signify his control of one of the five elements, earth, while the slicked hairstyle made the Caucasian male all the more unique. If others were dressed so ridiculously, perhaps they would have been ridiculed. But, for the middle-aged-looking man, his cloths were appropriate. What now? What do you intend to do by luring me here when you arent a fighter? You should know that you alone cant stop me. Or rather, how many magic tools do you have on you, you antique salesman? ... The words seemed taboo for Aureolus. For alchemists to step up and fight on the frontlines, it was imperative that they equip themselves with weapons and spiritual tools. Aureolus would have had to use tens, even hundreds, of magic tools to simply be on par with Stiyl. Idiot. Cant you tell that I dont have any on me? I guess so. But, this entire building itself is like a sacred city, one large magic tool. Even if you dont use any tools to protect yourself, the surrounding environment will automatically help you. Hm The problem is, why did you come out? If you stayed put, the sacred city would have fought for you. And, even if youre out here, youre still just relying on the power of the sacred city. Why are you here? Or rather, what can you do here? You bastard! Like a snake slithering out of its hole, a cold knife shot out of Aureolus right sleeve with a swoosh. A dart? Stiyl frowned. Though it seemed like a dart, it was the size of a dagger. As Stiyl began to believe it was throwing weapon Transmute!! Immediately, the huge dart flew out like a bullet at Stiyls eye with a golden chain attached at the end. Stiyl bent his body downwards and the snake-like golden dart flew overhead. A second golden chain flew out of Aureolus sleeve, ripped through the air and grazed Stiyls face. Tch. With the sound of a fruit being sliced open, the tip of the dart stabbed into the back of a fallen student. Stiyl wondered what to say. ? BAM! As if piercing a balloon, the students body burst into bits and fluids. It was as if someone had used a powerful acid to dissolve the body but something was strange. It was not an ordinary liquid but a shiny gold It was pure gold that melted from the intense heat. With a swish, the chain curled and the dart was back into Aureolus sleeve. Why are you so shocked? Aureolus again raised his right hand. Im an alchemist and, I suppose, you know how I got this name. Stiyl was speechless. The representative magic called alchemy, which was theorized to be able to convert lead into pure gold, truly existed. However, if such a project were to be carried out using modern materials, it would have taken seven trillion yen and a total of three years, a spell with quite the hefty price. However, Aureolus had actually managed to achieve the magic in less than a second. It was impossibly fast, an unsurpassable record. Anyone whos touched by my Instant Alchemy Limen Magna, will be forcefully transmuted into pure gold. It cant be defended from nor avoided. Now, show me your ace, your Innocentius. Im truly interested to see whether the shapeless flames can turn into gold. The golden dagger lunged out of his sleeve like a snake. But, Stiyl did not speak. He seemed incredulous of the situation and completely rooted to his location. Hm. Inevitable. Its to be expected you would be shocked after seeing my Limen Magna. But, dont get killed too easily, Im not satisfied yet. That attitude of your from five seconds ago cant be compensated even if you died 10,000 times. So, why must you do something so meaningless? With surprise, Stiyl Magnus muttered like a child who saw a ghost. What? The alchemist was shocked. Whats so surprising about what Im saying? The point of magic is to experiment, not get results, right? Even if an expert can make a magic drug in five seconds, whats the difference if the drugs effects are the same? Acting like he had seen something truly idiotic, Stiyl sighed. Its the same with what you did. Limen Magna? How stupid. How is this any different from dumping acid on someone? Just I know youre trying really hard, but its too much of an overkill to use Innocentius for this. Besides, hes watching a house and I have no need for him here. JUST SHUT UP!!! In an attempt to block out the mockery, Aureolus released another Limen Magna from his right sleeve. The dart flew out with the alchemists rage and, as the strike was much too quick, formed afterimages of several golden lasers. A barrage of ten in one second, the flesh and blood body of the magician Stiyl could not match the velocities. In the end, six of the ten stabbed through the head and abdomen like a sewing machine. And, whats with this? Havent you realized youre just a magic tool? The runic cards owned by Stiyl danced about in the air. His upper body was pierced into the shape of a honeycomb and there was even a hole through his head the width of an arm. However, Stiyl Magnus extremely bored and unenthusiastic voice still continued. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? Extremely stunned, Aureolus continued to fire Limen Magna and Stiyls tatter upper body was continually pierced and his formerly unharmed lower body was also gaining holes. Using basic materials and Germanic Cross to materialize a soul it really does like something a Roman Catholic priest would do. But, Im just looking for the real Aureolus Izzard. Will the fake Aureolus please step aside? Stiyl said, while his body swayed in the air. He gradually became transparent, seemingly about to disappear at any moment, but he continued to remain standing. What are you talking about!? These words defy basic premises! Obviously I created Limen Magna. Where else would this power come from? Of course it came from the real Aureolus Izzard. I believe youre beginning to realize something wrong, right? Alright, let me ask you a question. Fake Aureolus, why did you start to learn alchemy? Is there even a need to ask? Aureolus said, raising Limen Magna. The only aim of alchemy is to seek truth. I specialize in humans. Seeing how high I can go while maintaining a humane concept is the answer I seek." For example, by consuming a poisonous plant hallucinogen, it was capable to accelerate the speed of assimilating and reciting incantations, even if it caused physical damage. Another example was the possibility to hibernate for thousands of years by entering the frozen mass of the South Pole. But, what Aureolus sought was not a breakthrough that sacrificed ones own humanity, but how high humans could climb while maintaining their form and pride. Such was his goal of Aureolus, the descendant of the so-called famous magician-doctor Paracelsus, as an alchemist, which was also his greatest pride. If thats the case, why do you want a vampire, something said to surpass human understanding? The words of the magician crushed his beliefs. Hmph. See? You dont understand. You dont understand anything. You dont know what Aureolus Izzard is doing and you dont know what Aureolus Izzard is thinking of doing. Youre just a fake with basic ideas in your mind that cant even understand why Aureolus Izzard would go against his fundamental beliefs to do this. If he truly knew nothing, how could he have been the true Aureolus Izzard? The magician that should have been physically ravaged spoke with more arrogance than the alchemist Also, about that Limen Magna of yours, since magic exists for research, how could Aureolus Izzard be proud to say he completed such a spell? Only a child would be happy to be cured after taking flu medicine, right? Ugh Ah There were too many arguments for Aureolus to counter. However, Aureolus could not prevent from listening because Stiyls words were like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, placing themselves in the deficiencies of the alchemists heart. He truly could not ignore him. Ill say it as many times as you like. Youre a fake. Im looking for the real Aureolus Izzard, not you. Though itd be easy to destroy one or two of your security functions, Im not too willing since your face is so familiar. Get as from here as you can. The fake Aureolus could take no more. It was not an issue of being a fake. The point was that he had spent immeasurable effort to create that one and only spell, how could it have originated from another person? The fake Aureolus decided to use his full power to crush the enemy before him, raising his blade. Also, you should understand this one clearly. How could the real Aureolus Izzard lose so easily? said a voice from behind the alchemist. In a moment, a warm, oven-like atmosphere brushed past the alchemists face. Then, in a formerly empty place, Stiyl Magnus appeared. A mirage?! The fake Aureolus began to back away. The so-called mirage was a phenomenon caused by thermal expansion that caused light to refract. Thus, it was possible for Stiyl to seemingly melt into the air or cause himself to appear somewhere like a movie projection. Such a fake image was what was repeatedly speared by Limen Magna. The true Stiyl had hidden himself in the air and crept behind Aureolus. Aureolus thoroughly perceived Stiyls tactic in but a moment. It was with such mirages that Stiyl avoided Limen Magna. However, the illusions that were speared seemed to cause mental falsehoods for the alchemist and the moments where the illusion and body overlapped were the most precarious. If Stiyl stopped to think, he would have been filled with holes. As the false Aureolus dragged his thought back to reality, a sword of flames appeared in Stiyls right hand, which swung vertically and hacked his left hand and leg off. The cuts were extremely smooth, like a hot knife slicing butter. The parts sliced by 3000 Celsius flames did not even bleed. Uuah Ah What dominated the alchemists mind was not the bodily pain. Also, you should understand this one clearly. How could the real Aureolus Izzard lose so easily? Stiyls words echoed in his mind and shook it. It was true, Aureolus Izzard was certainly invincible and overwhelming, never knowing either failure or retreat. He could only have been called a perfect saint. But what was his currently sorry state? As of then, was he no different from a frightened cat that used all sorts of gimmicks for protection and trembled before attacks? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The fake Aureolus finally lost all sanity. Despite his lack of an arm and a leg, the fake alchemist still fired Limen Magna. Stiyl, still wary of the golden dart, raised his flaming sword. However, Limen Magna flew off in a completely different direction, stabbing the students gathered on the floor and causing the entire floor to overflow with molten gold. Then, Aureolus stabbed Limen Magna into the molten gold, perhaps having the ability to manipulate pure gold like how a magnet attracts iron sand, splattering gold all over. Of course, this included the area around Stiyl Magnus, who responded with casual blocking and a flame-sword explosion. Though the numerous droplets of gold were not blockable, the storm repelled them. Stiyl then created a new sword and sliced apart the smoke surrounding him. He saw no signs of the fake Aureolus, who had possibly escaped during the explosion, and hesitated whether to chase after him, but decided otherwise. The five meter corridor before him was covered in high temperature, lava-like molten gold that would result in burns if the distance was not jumped. It seemed he could only make a detour, but, lucky for him, Misawa Cram School consisted of four buildings and each was linked through an overhead corridor. Theres nowhere I cant go if I dont mind some detours. Stiyl pondered. Part 7 It looks bad but the injuries arent serious. Treatment will do. calmly said Deep Blood Himegami Aisa. Kamijou had dragged the Misawa student, the girl with braids, onto the corridor. BU-BUT SHES COVERED IN BLOOD! Kamijou placed the girl on the floor and could not help but roar at Deep Bloods words. The unknown schools summer uniform was dyed a fresh red and her face, hands and other visible skin were damaged, looking like a layer of plastic was wrapped over them. Only her damaged skin caused damage to the capillaries. Had her arteries ruptured, it would have been worse. The blood would have gushed like a fountain. How do you Youre not a doctor. And even if you were, youd need to thoroughly examine this. How can you make a prognosis just like that? Kamijou thought. Im well informed about blood flow than other people. Kamijou was stunned and automatically recalled the name of Himegami Aisas ability. Help me! Kamijous reaction went unnoticed, likely because she began emergency treatment and proceeded to undress the wounded girl in front of the boy. Uwah! Hold on Dont overreact. Its disrespectful to the injured. Though Kamijou was panicked for whatever reason, considering it, it was wrong to think that it was a girls naked body. It was similar to how quickly a doctor would be fired if they were excited because of a patients naked body. Himegami then, like a doctor or paramedic, used a handkerchief to stop the bleeding and, since it would not suffice for the bleeding wrists, used Kamijous belt to tie her wrists. The ruptured abdominal muscles were then stitched together with the injured girls hair and needles from a sewing box. Kamijou could do little but follow Himegamis directions and lift the arms higher than her heart or use the handkerchief to press the wounds. Doing such things caused his hands to stain red and, considering it was because of attempts to save a life rather than hurt, caused a rather remarkable feeling for Kamijou. Anyways, shes alright. Himegami, whose miko outfit was stained with blood, spoke with little impact. We managed to stop her blood loss. Itll take 15 minutes for the blood to clot but once it does, the wounds will be patched up. However, the sterilizations incomplete. Though there wont be any danger for the next couple hours, itd be best to send her to a hospital just to be safe. Kamijou stared at the injured individual on the floor. She was about Kamijous age but her wounds were so sever it was a difficult fact to imagine. Psychology, it was unlikely she was faring any better. It was true that he should have been happy that they saved a life, but, the fact that she had lost everything bothered Kamijou. We did what we could. Now we can only leave it to Academy Citys technology. He said, still staring. As the wounds were internally caused, her damaged skin stuck to her flesh like damaged plastic sheets. Itll only take plastic surgery. She just needs the skin from her arm. Himegami Aisa noted with an according knowledge of modern medicine. ... However, Kamijou still found it unbelievable that the arm could have been used as a replacement for facial dermis. "Speaking of which, you were amazing just now. Are you a certain doctor that operates without a license?" [1] [2] Im not a doctor. Himegami continued before Kamijou could ask what she was. Im a spellcaster. Kamijou recalled that she had previously said something similar. Eh? On what basis are you a spellcaster? I have a magic wand. OOi! Hold on! Thats a police baton! New material. STOP MESSING AROUND. Kamijou, who was loudly criticizing such ridiculousness, finally realized that he could only do so because the injured person before him was safe. He collapsed onto the floor, the current activities allowing Kamijous tension to be seemingly released. It was an easing feeling in an out-of-the-way, unknown place where many people were killed. It would have even been unsurprising to find someone in tears. Even if they managed to save one or two people, it would have been insignificant compared to the hellish sight. However, saving a person was still something to be happy with. If she needs a hospital Regardless of anything else, he could not leave an injured person there. No matter how they intended to deal with Misawa Cram School and Aureolus Izzard, finding an ambulance took first priority. Im going back. We cant leave a wounded person here and itll be better to let the ambulance wait at the entrance. Mm. Thats true. Since its not just one person, we can save travel time by calling the ambulance here. Dont say it like it doesnt involve you. ? Himegami stared at Kamijou with inexplicability. Perhaps because of her long-term imprisonment, her mind had not considered running away. Eh I meant you dont have to be locked up in here. Lets get out of here. In fact, we came here to save you. Himegami, unresponsive and frozen, revealed a frozen look of surprise. What is it? Did I say something weird? Himegami responded softly. Why? Why, what? Do I need a reason to save others? Himegami, shocked once more, remained stiff with what seemed like a blush, which was perhaps just Kamijous imagination. But I Himegami Aisa seemed like she had wanted to say something. However, she was then interrupted by the sound of something being dragged which was followed by the sound of heavy breathing. Kamijou had heard no one speak but still felt the negative feelings of hatred and anger, as if an echo of his mind. Damn it! Damn it! Exactly why am I so injured! Hes supposed to be material but hes dragging me down Kuku huhu... dragging me down? Dragging me down? Thats interesting, isnt it Aureolus Izzard! You dont even have a leg for others to pull! Kuku! Kukuku! You bastards looked down on me! In the end IM GOING TO MELT ALL OF YOU! said an abnormally loud male voice, sounding like crashing echoes. With an extremely loud swoosh and the sound of dragging, the man escaped down the stairs and into the corridor. Kamijou was stunned by the green-haired foreigner in a white suit. His left arm and leg were sliced off at the joints and slanted golden sticks were attached the damage parts, serving as crutches. It should have been painful but the man seemed unperturbed. His sweaty, exaggerated face perhaps betrayed the anger, hatred, ecstasy and insanity that served as anesthetic for the man. Additionally, in each hand, his normal right hand and prosthetic left, were the collars of bloodied boys and girls, three on each for a total of six. Wh-Whats going on? The man stared at Kamijou with bloodshot eyes. Kid, whatre you doing here? Only magicians are allow here! Are you an intruder? A friend of that flame magician? He was approximately three meters away and continued to allow his saliva to fly. However, Kamijou stood his ground. You those people. Of course these are just materials! Alchemy requires materials! Whyre you looking at them? Thats weird! Aureolus Izzard and his Limen Magna stand before you and youre looking at the materials!? I should be perfect!! Why are you unmoved!?! What do I lack!? The name Aureolus Izzard shocked Kamijou, finally caused him to back away. However, Himegami Aisa, beside him, maintained her expression. Poor thing If you hadnt realized the truth, you could have continued to be Aureolus Izzard. Ku!? Damn you!! With Aureolus growl flew a large golden dart from the right sleeve, which quickly spun around the alchemist, the golden chain making some sort of boundary. The dart pierced through the bloody students that Aureolus had dragged with him. The six students immediately melted into something gold. It was no ordinary fluid. The mercury-like metallic substances hissing and the noisy beast-like breathing of the steam proved that the fluid was molten metal. Wha DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOURE DOING YOU BASTARD?! Seeing this, Kamijou Touma worried for the melted students, ignoring the murderous technique itself. Aureolus faced Kamijou, seething with anger. Of course. ACCEPT YOUR FATE! Aureolus cried out and the golden dart and chain spun around the alchemist with increasing velocity. Even the surrounding golden dirt flew in mid air like a tornado. It seemed like a wall, yet like a tsunami and yet like a meteor crashing into the sea. It raised waves around Aureolus that extended to the ceiling. During this, from the corner of his eye, he saw Himegami move. She wordlessly bent down and lifted the injured girl before backing away. Staggering slightly but visibly not anxious, she clearly knew she had to back away and get clear of the attack range. Luckily, the fluid formed by the spike was different from water. Rather, it was more like sticky, melted chocolate. Even if it were to crash like a tsunami, splash damage would not have been a factor. Kamijou followed the burdened Himegamis lead and backed away. Then, a hole appeared in the golden tsunami from whence a golden dart lunged with terrifying speed. !? Though he would have dodged it, as he was backing off, he could not find proper balance in such short notice. Instead, he chose to use right hand to grab the attack that approached. The sound of ripping muscles was heard from his hand. The golden dart was not so easily caught; it retreated and returned to the golden storm. The cut palm felt hot, as if scalded by a metal plate. After a moment, the golden tsunami began to rise. Kamijou jumped backwards and then rolled, avoiding the molten hot attack. The golden sea separated Kamijou and Aureolus a distance of three meters. Ku. Damn it. I have no feeling in my right hand! Kamijou grit his teeth at the difficulty of clenching his right hands five fingers. The right hand that could negate any miracle had no power to block a small knife. WhatWhats going on? After the gold tsunami subsided, Aureolus reappeared, seeming to be more anxious, perhaps even confused, than Kamijou. The golden dart in his hand began to disintegrate like sand. Kamijous right hand, Imagine Breaker, began its effect. The dart was something imbued with super natural power, which was destroyed upon contact with his hand. The wound on Kamijous hand was caused by the blade just before destruction. Just what exactly is up with your range hand? Certainly it wont change? Without question, my Limen Magna is alchemys pinnacle! Its a miracle that even two schools, Bohemia and Vienna, abandoned thinking it impossible! This is unbelievable! Exactly what did you use to negate my theory!? Limen Magna? Kamijou felt his wound pulsate with his heartbeat. He automatically frowned and analyzed. By change does he mean that molten metal? Ha. How satisfying! Haha! THIS IS SATISFYING. YOURE TRULY FASCINATING, BOY! WHATS YOUR BODYS SECRET? LET ME, A MAGIC DOCTOR, DISSECT YOU AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS!!! Aureolus swung his right hand vertically and revealed a new dart that was pointed at the spot between Kamijous eyebrows, exacting the killing intent held in his eyes. Hes coming!? The dart nearly reached his forehead. Kamijou had frantically used his right hand to block his face, swatting the dart aside, causing a sharp, cut-like pain in his own hand. Tch! Aureolus attempted to use his chain to counter, but Kamijous right hand shattered it like glass before he could catch it. Another dart appeared from his right sleeve. Just as Kamijou prepared to dodge, golden darts fired out like machine guns from Aureolus suit. It was fast. The firing, the damaging and preparation for the next each lasted less than a fifth of a second. The level was no longer something a human could handle. However, Kamijou could not simply run away or even turn his back on others. The smallest mistake would have allowed for a dart to lance his chest or other vitals. Luckily, the dart, though fast, had a relatively simple trajectory. It continued to fire in straight lines which were much easier to predict than the straights and hooks of a boxer. Ku! Ahh!! Though Kamijou knew he ran the risk of cutting his hand, he could only choose to deflect with Imagine Breaker. Considering the darts ability to transform, he would have been melted into gold if he had blocked with anything else. Thus, after some time, the remains of darts and chains surrounded him. HAHA! HAHAHAHA! SUCH AN INTERESTING HUMAN SPECIMEN! ITS NOT EVEN USING A CHANT TO ABSORB THE MAGIC OR A LANCE OF LONGINUS GOD SLAYER! IT USES ITS BARE HAND TO DESTROY MY LIMEN MAGNA! Though he was continuously unable to kill his enemy, Aureolus seemed quite ecstatic. He was like an adventurer exploring some mysterious place that none had reached prior. ITS NOT ENOUGH! HAHA! BOY! THIS ISNT ENOUGH TO TEST YOUR LIMITS! The speeds of the golden darts destruction and regeneration more than doubled, continuously ripping the air and flying at Kamijou. Kamijous hand was already stained in blood, unable to even clench into a fist. Da-Damn it! MY FINGERS MIGHT GET SLICED! As Kamijou experienced the frightening thought invade his body, a dart unexpectedly missed and whizzed past the slowly moving Kamijou The enemy missed was much too optimistic a thought. Standing behind Kamijou was Himegami Aisa and the injured girl! "HIME!" Kamijou turned his head around and attempted to yell. However, facing where the dart originated, the action was too slow. It was aimed for the area between her eyes. Perhaps Aureolus extreme mental confusion caused him to not consider showing any mercy for the Deep Blood he had labored to obtain. Before them was the shocked look of Himegami Aisas face. Kamijou attempted to shout but the sound of a dart piercing flesh was heard. In fact, there was a shocked cry whose origin Kamijou was unsure of. He could not tell because the scene before him was much too pitiful and much too unexpected. The golden dart had not pierced Himegami Aisa. Instead, the thoroughly injured girl that she was carrying, a girl who could not possibly lift a finger, had actually moved her hand to protect Himegami. The dart deeply pierced into her soft hand but the girl did not show a look of pain. Instead, she used her other hand to gently push Himegamis chest, swaying her and forcing her one step away from the girl. She seemed to mutter something with an extremely weak voice. She went unheard but she smiled. Rather than a smile for her, it was one for the consoling of others. Then, the anonymous girl was simply transmuted into flowing gold. For an instant, Kamijou seemed to shout something. He knew not what he shouted but he had nearly ruptured his throat. The alchemist also seemed taken aback and, likely due to luck (or a lack of it), the golden chain stopped winding. Kamijou grabbed the chain, not with his sure-kill right hand but instead his left. His instincts told him that only the dart could carry out Limen Magna because, if the chains could, Aureolus would have swung the chain rather than fire the dart because of the extended lateral range. Ugh! Aureolus naturally attempted to pull the chain back but was held straight like a rope in tug-of-war as Kamijou used his foot to hold it in place. Aureolus himself was the one pulled. And in front of him was the fiery liquid gold he had created! GUOAHHHHHHHH!! Upon stepping into the golden fluid, Aureolus attempted to escape, but could not. The golden chain had become a bind, restricting his movements. Aureolus roared and released the chain hidden within his suit, managing to eventually drag himself out of the gold. Although the contact was only two seconds, his foot was smoking. Perhaps understanding he could no longer bind him with the chain, Kamijous bloodied hand abandoned it. Should he run? Or should he attack? As Aureolus hesitated, he witnessed something unbelievable. Kamijou bent over in an attempt to maximize his jumping distance and jump over the golden stream in order to attack the opposite alchemist. In truth, the abandonment of the chain had nothing to do with locking Aureolus in place. As for the leaping distance, anyone could have told him it was impossible. The gold stream between them was three meters wide, which was possible with a running start, but impossible starting at rest. Even so, Kamijous eyes lacked hesitation. It was as if he were saying that even if he were to fail and jumped into the burning gold, then he just had to beat the enemy before him before he was burned. The intense, unrestrained emotions caused Aureolus his fear. The next instant, Kamijou jumped without hesitation. It had seemed like a suicidal jump but it was not toward Aureolus. Instead, his foot landed on a slightly protruded platform window in the corridor that allowed in the shining sunset; Kamijou flew at him! ! Kamijou had already jumped before Aureolus could prepare an attack, and from a position much higher than both Aureolus and the floor. The alchemists survival instincts told him to respond quickly and use a dart to shoot Kamijou out of the air. However, as he rushed to raise Limen Magna, he realized that Kamijou Touma was overhead. If he used Limen Magna, the fiery gold would have rained down. Apparently, I didnt foresee this! Actions, pride and a burning foot were all abandoned by Aureolus as he frantically rolled to flee Kamijous attack. In comparison to the shame of losing to an ordinary person, a non-magician, unendurable damage was a greater fear. All the alchemist could do was crash about as he ran away on his battered legs, into the darkness. Part 8 The fake Aureolus continued to tread the corridors long, seemingly endless distance. After he was grabbed by the boy, he had lost all of his power, which was over all trivial. The golden dart was merely a materialized tool. Limen Magnas actual identity was the entire fortress called Misawa Cram School. Even if the tools mana supply were cut off, as long as the main body was supplied with mana and the shape was recreated, it was reusable. Though, this was not the reason for the fakes escape. The power in the boys right hand had seemed limitless. No matter how much mana was placed from the main body into each dart, the right hand still eroded it. If such a cycle had continued, the body would have eventually been depleted of mana, a possible crisis that sent chills down Aureolus spine. "Ku, damn" The fake Aureolus still planned the next step. Even if Limen Magna itself were ineffective, both Stiyl and the boy had to carefully avoid the molten gold. In other words, if theres so much gold they cant dodge, theyll be powerless. Ha. I have 1982 pieces of material in here and naturally, itll be more than enough to be rid of them. The area of question was large, but it was still a building. If he chose to pour enormous amounts of gold from the top level like water bursting from a dam, he could have easily flooded the levels below. Just imagining it, just imagining it consume his unhappy feelings was enjoyable for the alchemist. "HAHA! DESTROY DESTROY! DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY! THAT''S RIGHT! I CAN''T DIE! THERE''S STILL DEEP BLOOD AND ALL SORTS OF RESEARCH MATERIALS THAT''RE INCOMPLETE! HOW COULD I DIE! NO, THERERE MORE! THERE ARE STILL 50,000 HUMAN SPECIMENS IN THE WORLD WORTH RESEARCHING! HAHA! ITS JUST A PITY THAT THE BOY MUST DIE BEFORE I GET TO UNDERSTAND THE SECRETS OF HIS BODY!" Fortunately, the alchemist had placed the cram school students on the back of the coin and now he simply had to gather these materials. Once done, all that remained was the trivial matter of piercing Limen Magna through them. Giving it consideration, Stiyl had destroyed the core of the Gregorian Chant replica, the tool that allowed him to manipulate the students actions. Regardless of anything, these guys are against me Anger ripped the air like a burning blade but the sounds of footsteps behind him were even sharper. !? Aureolus back seemed to visibly shrink as he heard the footsteps. When afraid, ordinary people would typically choose to run away. It was a normal response. People would choose to run rather than endure irritating and painful events. If possible, they would ignore it. However, the footsteps disallowed the alchemist even the ability to act on primitive instincts associated with normality. The footsteps contained killing intent, bringing with them despair. If he had turned away, he believed, he would have chopped into 100 pieces. Thus, Aureolus could only seek its source. His heart told him to crazily run away without looking and his mind was already unable to endure the pain. However, like a puppet, the alchemist could only look on. There, ten meters way, Kamijou Touma stood like a savage beast that had escaped a laboratory. Wh-Whats going He did not understand. He was supposed to be perfect. How could someone have pushed him so far? But, Kamijou Touma truly stood there. Have you had enough fun? Kamijous muttering caused Aureolus to frown. It was the voice of one standing in the midst of icy cold rain. Onlookers would have been confused as to who had pushed whom into despair. Kamijou had seen Hell. He saw people die before him and he understood that somewhere, he knew not where, many had died. But, he had managed to save just one injured girl. The alchemist before him had taken away his hearts one saving grace. Kamijou spoke not of this for if he had the time to speak, the efforts were better spent elsewhere. His eyes glared at his enemy a look filled with the iron inferno of murder. Ugh... Aureolus disorderedly raised Limen Magna out of pure fear, which gave Kamijou even more determination. Wordlessly, his feet dashed, or rather exploded, with all his might towards the alchemist. Consumed by fear and anxiety, Aureolus fired the dart at Kamijous face to keep him from approaching. In response, Kamijou crouched like a spider and easily dodged, even taking an additional step at the same time. !? The alchemists nervousness rose. However, even if his restlessness caused Limen Magna to be less effective, he could still prepare six in a single second. He recovered the dart and once again fired at the boys face. Having already bent down, Kamijou had nowhere to go. He used his right fist to land an uppercut into the alchemists abdomen, shattering the dart and chain in the same stroke. The perfect counterattack had seemingly predicted the darts path. Crouching down was a ploy. If there were no retreat options coupled with a large opening, the enemy would predictably attack. Thus, the straightforward trajectory was much too simple compared to the rule-less alleyway brawls. With a distance of ten meters, just dodging the first dart would not have covered the distance. Kamijou had devised this tactic as a way to dodge second attack. And if he could do it Wait! With a stunned, twisted expression, Aureolus roared in an attempt to fire a third. However, before it could happen, Kamijous fist had found its way to the alchemists face. Then, without slowing down, despite the one-head difference in height, Kamijou smashed his forehead into Aureolus jaw. Having taken two direct strikes to the head, Aureolus stumbled to the floor. He attempted to roll away but Kamijou did not allow. He stamped heavily onto the gold prosthetic and maneuvered his foot to remove it. With the sound of crushing fruit, the wound, which was given makeshift treatment, ripped. GYYYYAAAAAAAAH!!! Aureolus screamed in pain and shot another Limen Magna at Kamijou, who was about to sit on the alchemist. Despite the risk, Kamijou used his left hand to grab the golden chain in order to keep it intact. It seemed he had not considered that the slightest mistake would have turned him into gold. He twisted his left hand and tied the golden chain to his arm. Once Limen Magna was completely sealed, Kamijou looked down upon the alchemist. Idiotic if this keeps up Ill be killed. Aureolus'' better judgment had him cut the golden chain linked to the inside of his suit. Having previously balanced his balance with the chains resistance, Kamijou swayed. Utilizing this opportunity, Aureolus rolled away and escaped Kamijous clutches. The alchemist cried in his own heart. Rather than the Limen Magna he so believed in be destroyed, he had abandoned it of his own will, questioning his entire belief system. He had believed that he could save his life if he abandoned everything, which would have been for nothing if it failed. However, Aureolus could not walk, let alone run, with his prosthetic leg ripped out. Kamijou raised the golden chain and whipped the crawling Aureolus. The heavy hit caused the air to leave his lungs, causing him to roll about on the floor in pain. Kamijou silently closed in on the alchemist and stepped on his back, proceeding to wrap the chain around its former masters neck. He could have then hanged him by pulling on the chain. What he could not do was break the neck because Kamijou was right-handed, not left. The boy was not acting on emotion, simply because he could not. His mind was infuriated and blank, reality having little hold. Igyasp-spareme. The words seemed to douse Kamijous brain in cold water, clearing him of his anger. It was an unreasonable request. How many had he killed? Considering how many, there was only one option. Even in superhero movies with special effects that were shown to children, none would have hesitated to kill such a person. But, Aureolus was inhuman. He knew he could not run, but he continued to stretch his arms to struggle. Kamijou began to recall the knight, abandoned in the hall, the students who still continued incanting the Gregorian Chant, damaging their own bodies, and the anonymous girl who was morphed into gold because she protected Himegami. He knew there was only one option. Kamijou wordlessly tugged at the golden chain but in the end chose to let go. Aureolus crawled away on the floor, only capable of escaping the boy who had caused his downfall, wondering what misfortunes befell him. He was relieved to be living. He was still human, how could Kamijou have killed him? The fake Aureolus no longer even knew what floor it was. Though he managed to tumble down a few floors, he no longer had the strength to crawl. His body no longer had the energy. His back rested against the wall of the dark emergency staircase while he stared at his remaining hand. Since he was punched by the boy, he felt like the strength that supported him was being taken away. The sense of powerlessness told him that a certain mana source was cut off. It was then that the fake Aureolus realized. He was not human. If the existence that provided him energy ceased to exist, he could not even stand. He was like Limen Magna, a tool amongst numerous substitutes. "Ahh" The alchemist sighed as the feeling in his fingers gradually faded. He somehow felt satisfied. What is this? Whether its Limen Magna or this body, magic is negated on contact. What is that boys right hand? Thinking of such things, the alchemist was like a teenager looking through a telescope, his eyes sparkling with the thirst for knowledge. The greatest question in his heart appeared: How much humanity can you maintain while you raise existence and pride? Aureolus seemed to find his answer. Though the boys abnormal power was a part of it, it was the fact that, though he had such power, he still grew angered and saddened like a human. Considering it, his tragic fate seemed meaningless. A scholar who found his final answer had no reason to live on and think. Footsteps He weakly looked up the stairs and found Stiyl standing there. Naturally I can see that you havent gotten tired of killing me? said the self-mocking alchemist. Even if you leave me alone, Ill certainly die anyways. Why do you still want to kill me? Yeah. Its true I have no interest in killing you. Besides, that child didnt interact with you. Stiyl responded with disinterest. Speaking of which, a member of the 13 Knights was killed. I suppose you didnt do that, right? The fake Aureolus continued to lean and continued to stare up. His weapon was Limen Magna. Though he could not turn anything and everything into gold, it could not have possibly forced the enchanted knights armor into that dented shape. Hmph, speaking of that Certainly, I never killed any of them. What? Inevitably, I lost. You can go ahead and think of the reason. Aureolus said with a smirk. Speaking of which, since youre not interested in me, whyre you here? Naturally, cant I die alone? Its the complete opposite you idiot. Im here to send you off. Could you endure dying by yourself like this? For some time, the alchemist stared blankly at Stiyl. Then, he smiled. It was a rarity for the man, but he smiled. Though a fake, he was a scholar and, as of then, was extremely satisfied that he had managed to obtain the answer to humanitys highest limit. There was still some time until he died, less than ten minutes. He was a scholar. In the remaining time, he would think of a new question to ponder, perhaps a research topic waiting for him. However, the alchemist lacked the time to ponder. For a scholar, it was Hell to have doubts that were not researchable before death. It was an unavoidably unhappy feeling of regret. It was also why Stiyl spoke. Before you find that sweet question and ponder hard, let me send you off while your goals are complete. Hmph. Aureolus smiled. I cant tell if youre an angel or the devil. Those two are similar beings that only differ from whom they take their orders from. Stiyl slowly walked down the stairs. I prove why my name is the strongest. Fortis931. Stiyls black coat writhed and numerous runic carts scattered about like sakura petals. Magic name, huh? muttered Aureolus as Stiyl walked down the stairs. What was his magic name? The alchemist began to recall. Oh. I remember. My honor is for the worldHonos628. Having finally remember his name and purpose, the alchemists eyes narrowed. Do I need to make a final prayer for you as a priest, alchemist? Down the stairs, Stiyl Magnus spoke as he arrived before the man. Stop dragging this out. Youre just a magician. The moment the fake Aureolus replied, Stiyls flames entered him through the mouth, quickly consuming the inside of his body. The flames burst out from every opening and the abdomen shattered, splitting him in two. Copious flames continued to burst out and Aureolus upper body shot out like a rocket. Part 9 In a certain student dormitory, or rather, a certain student dormitorys bathtub, the girl named Index, watching over the house, was exchanging looks with the stray cat named Sphinx. The calico cat seemed an indoor cat, lacking a cute personality. It did not chase after thrown balls of yarn, nested under tables even after being called and snatched peoples food while they ate. The final point was significant to Index, who had a voracious appetite, and to Kamijou Touma, who cooked for her. It seemed imperative that she train it. Having decided to abandon the loving treatment, she now battled the bubble covered calico cat. As a side note, Index read through Kamijous elaborate explanation of how to operate the bathrooms automatic hot water supply and had gingerly figured it out. But, where did Touma go? A few questions rested in her mind. The first was from during the conversation. It was not because Kamijou had said that he had wanted to test whether the phone would work but rather when Kamijou had so easily forgiven that she had eaten his pudding. Speaking of which, it was the same for the shampoo-bubble covered cat whose fur was standing up. To put it simply, Kamijou did not do what he did not want to do. Even if he knew there was no other way, if he truly did not want to do it, he would pursue an alternative. It was truly odd that Kamijou had not pursued those two things that he disagreed with. Having decided, Index nodded her head. She exited the bathroom and donned her habit, the Walking Church. At the corridor, before she even opened the door, she realized that even if she wanted to question Kamijou, she had to know where he was. Of course, calling was not an option. In all honesty, Index knew not how to operate the phone and since Kamijous residence phone had a faxing function, there were so many buttons that Index did not know where to begin. Would she give up? As Index considered returning to the room, she noticed what appeared to be a tarot card stuck on the wall. It was the runic imprint that the magician Stiyl Magnus utilized. " Index stared at the card with distrust. Something was happening. Kamijou had surely gone alone to deal with something. Index recalled that a few days ago, she had met the feeling-less teenager. Despair and anxiety caused Index restlessness. Run. She could only run. Luckily, with the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires, she understood the workings of Stiyls magic. The runes required the magician to continuously provide mana to maintain it. For example, when a soul is lost, a thin string-like something would link the soul and body. Though Index could not use magic, she could trace the mana to prevent from getting lost. And, like that, Index ran off for the battlefield while neglecting to even lock the door. She did not know that that action would bring about the worst consequences. Notes 1. Black Jack Volume 2, 3: The Master Has Shut Off the World Like a God. DEUS_EX_MACHINA. Volume 2, Chapter 3: The Master Has Shut Off the World Like a God. DEUS_EX_MACHINA. Part 1 Stiyl Magnus journeyed for the top floor of the North block. Perhaps Kamijou, whom Stiyl had used as bait, was attracting many more enemies than he had predicted as Stiyl faced essentially no resistance. He hid himself completely, checked every secret entrance, and formed a grasp of the buildings situation. It seemed Deep Blood Himegami Aisa was not imprisoned inside. Having checked the dust and mana traces left behind at the entrance, it seemed that whether it the front or back of the coin, no one had entered. There was no one, no subordinates, no soldiers or not even Aureolus himself, an environment that would not monitor an escaping prisoner. If such an event occurred, it would have become much more complicated, meaning that Himegami Aisa was not in fact imprisoned but willingly assisting Aureolus Izzard. If it were so, it seemed Stiyl had to face the terrifying and unknown power called Deep Blood. ...Damn it. Why are espers so hard to handle. Having such thoughts, Stiyls mind wandered to the boy that was used as bait. If the boy died, it would have meant little to Stiyl. From the beginning, Stiyl had told him that they were not allies and clearly stated the boy was a shield. However, when the boy was pushed down, he had seemed so betrayed. It was the expression of someone backstabbed. "..." He had attacked him with a flame sword on their first meeting and had even dragged him to that deadly battlefield. Why did the boy see him as a comrade? Stiyl was uneasy. Though just a small irritant, it caused Stiyl some uneasiness. ...Damn it. Why are espers so hard to handle! Stiyl began to dash down the narrow emergency staircase. Considering he had used him as bait, such an action was futile. However, Stiyl could not appease his conscience unless he did something with some impact. The remains of Stiyls humanity argued back. I dont understand. Why are you so anxious? inquired an icy voice behind Stiyl. ... Stiyl slowed turned his head. He knew what would have happened if he let an enemy sneak behind him. Behind Stiyl Magnus stood... Hm. So its over here? As orange sunset melded with purple night, Index arrived before Misawa Cram School, whose normalness made it seem strange. Index had tracked the owner of the runes stuck to the student dormitory. However, it seemed the mana trail disappeared once it entered the building. To be blunt, it was an obviously abnormal building that feigned normality. Its intentions were clear. Like how individuals had mana, the world had power. Christians called the existence Gods Blessings. The creation of the Golden Dawn organization mapped the blueprint of Western magic called Telesma. In terms of contemporary language, the most similar were the geography and astronomy of Feng Shui. As the name would suggest, a pulse formed from the forces and flows of the entire world that formed blood vessels extending everywhere. It was similar to how mana formed from human life force, similar to gasoline refined from crude oil. Similarly, the energy spread out over the planet was not too powerful (at least relatively. The lifespan of planetary objects could not be compared to that of a humans and thus the power was much larger than human mana.). Through a temple or shrine, it was possible to convert this power into a planetary energy, generating huge sums of energy. The power filled the world like air and ordinary people (magicians included as well) could not feel it. Only specially trained magicians or Feng Shui masters could see the force. However, there was no such energy in the four buildings before Index. Though the power of the world was normally undetectable like basic air, if a vacuum formed, breathing became impossible. Similarly, Index felt an incomparable strangeness. It was like some tower of death was sliced into cubes, becoming the largest tombstone in the world. It was much too extreme, even if for the sake of trapping mana inside. Though Kamijous right hand was capable of destroying the worlds power, it was not a large problem. If the power returned to the soil like falling leaves, it rejoined the cycle of life in the form of destruction, perfectly natural. Before Index realized the Walking Churchs destruction, she had not realized how harmonious the hand was with nature. However, the magic tower differed. It was like a city of stone and steel formed after cutting down a forest through forced methods. It was an ugly representation of urbanization. Had the rune magician not realized? It was perhaps because the rune magician was a walking refinery of vast amounts of mana. Similar to how people react to eating foods with strong tastes, slight changes in flavor went undetected. In contrast, Index, who could not refine mana, clearly felt the slight change. This isnt a boundary preventing enemies from invading but a boundary to prevent escape. Hm... Its like an Egyptian pyramid... muttered the white nun and walked through the automatic doors. Index had no reason to head back. In face of such an abnormal existence, she had ever more reason to bring the boy home. The moment she stepped inside, she felt the difference in the atmosphere. It felt like she had walked from under the scorching sun into a shop with a hyperactive air conditioner. The lively and peaceful street had become a cold-blooded battlefield with the ominous presence of permeating death. It was not a false impression for, deep inside the expansive room, at a wall near the lifts was a dead knight donned with Roman Catholic tools. Index cautiously approached the knight and observed him. The knights tool, the enchanted suit Surgical Armor was imbued with magic that absorbed physical strikes. As the emphasis was focused on physical defense, the equipment was frailer against magic attacks. However, the enchanted armor was forcefully destroyed by a powerful physical attack. Someone had ignored the defensive attribute. ...Either someone doesnt know anything about magic or hes just really crazy. Of course, examining the building that was similar to a pharaohs tomb, the former was impossible. In which case, the situation was troublesome. Those capable of destroying the enchanted Roman Catholic armor with pure physical force were either those capable of summoning archangels or metal golem specialists. Then, she heard the sound of something clashing. Index looked back and found, beside the elevator, the entrance to an emergency staircase. There seemed to have been the sound of dragging and heavy breathing. Whos... Before she could finish her question, the thing climbed out of the emergency staircase. It could not have been called human or object. It was no longer human. Its lower half was ripped, its left arm blown to smithereens, and its faces right side blown off. Even its remaining left side was charred. Such a thing could not have been called human. The half of its remaining face was still moving. Unbelievably, it seemed the head tilted with thought. As Index began to think of something unimportant, it used a hand to support itself in preparation to leap. "...!" Without a word, it leaped. Index could only frantically backtrack and trip and tumble over the remains of the knight. The thing seemingly lost its target and seemed to be positioned to land on Index. Be crushed! A stern mans voice was heard in the icy expanse. The wall near the elevator ripped apart like paper and a mans hand emerged from within. The large hand grasped like it was catching a ball and found the charred head of the thing. Then, before Index lying on the floor, the things body shattered as the man had declared. Like gathered ash being crushed, with a pak! three cracks appeared on the things body, beginning to break into pieces. It then exploded into something like snow-flakes that disappeared before touching Indexs face. Open! The voice was heard once more and the immobile elevator doors ripped open from the inside. The twisted elevator that should not have opened, did. It was an ultimate magic that forced the users surroundings to morph according to his words. Dont tell me... Facing the puzzled, mumbling Index, a tall, lean man exited the lift, appearing careless. His green hair was combed back and he wore a white Italian suit and high class leather shoes. Hm. Its been a while, but I dont think you remember me. Inevitably, you cant remember the name Aureolus Izzard. But, to me, this might be somewhat lucky. Said the man who had numerous mosquito-bite like marks on his head. It was acupuncture, an Asian healing technique that seemed out of place with Westerners. In truth, this was false pretense. For example the founder of Golden Dawn, a Western magic organization, loved Buddhist concepts. But, even if you dont remember, I shall say what I need to. Its been a while Index. It seems youve forgotten me but Im quite happy to see you havent changed. He said as he reached his hand out, blocking Indexs eyes. It was the hand of a human or perhaps a monster that crushed the charred creature. Index could not move as she responded. Do-Dont tell me... the Golden Ars Magna? The man responded with a soft smile. Part 2 Lets go home. Kamijou said. Unable to get past the flowing gold, Kamijou could only make a detour through the four buildings and return to Himegami. I beat that guy called Aureolus. I didnt kill him but hes done. He cant fight, hes wounded and his hearts broken. So, go home. There was nothing left to protect. The students that took part in the Gregorian Chant could not be saved and he ended up dueling the alchemist. There lacked any reason for Kamijou to remain there. He himself desired to escape that battlefield filled with death and return home. He wanted to go home and he wanted to have dinner with Index. It would be alright so long as he escaped Misawa Cram School. If I could just see her, I could return to the normal world. Before Im stuck here, before I get used to a world of murder and death... If I cant go back its over. He realized blankly and ever so clearly. A devil appeared in Kamijous fragile heart. First, according to Stiyl, Index had to have her memory wiped every year. Second, according to Stiyl, Index found a new partner every year. Finally, according to Stiyl, Index was completely ignorant. Easily imaginable, the Index who smiled years past was not the Index that Kamijou knew. There were too many around Index that needed her. He had not explicitly said it, but Stiyl did imply it when he had said this does not mean we have given up and are leaving her to you. ... A sudden feeling of grogginess forced Kamijou to support himself with his hand. He felt that if he treated that child just like any other person, he would be unable to return to his ordinary life. ...Such an ugly and possessive thought. In such critical circumstances, thoughts of self defeat could easily become self-sacrifice or other suicidal actions. Kamijou took a deep breath and calmed himself, forcing himself not to think in such a way. He had realized that if such thoughts continued, his mind would have crumbled. Anyways... Id better get Himegami out of here. Kamijou sighed with a thought. That Aureolus Izzard was a fake. Himegami Aisa said matter-of-factly. What? He was just a clone. Ive seen the real one before so I can tell. The real one wouldnt kill so indiscriminately. Each word she spoke etched into Kamijous thoughts. It was true. Analyzing carefully, something was wrong. The alchemist had certainly used Misawa Cram School as a fortress but had for some reason self destructed the students with the Gregorian Chant? If it were the case, would he not have broken his disguise? Even with such analysis, Kamijou was unwilling to believe reality. He could not calmly think because what remained of his sanity was the fact that he would finally go home. He could not simply accept that he had to step back into the battlefield. Hold on! Hold it right there...! What do you mean? I just beat Aureolus Izzard! Like I said, he was a fake. She responded quickly. The real body has many needles to stab with. The ones without needles are definitely fake, not to mention the real one isnt that weak. Kamijou could not admit to it and neither did he want to. His thoughts were focused on going home and he was wholly unwilling to accept another enemys existence. The real one is only interested in what he wants. I dont think hed stop you if you went home. Himegamis calming tone finally soothed Kamijous rampaging mood. However, something she said seemed strange. Hold on. Youre coming with me arent you? Since he wants you, why would he let us go? Why? Why, what? The question isnt why cant he let us go. Its why should I go with you? What? Kamijou, confused, could say little more. Even if they defeated all enemies, Himegami did not intend to escape from Misawa Cram. Dont be mistaken. Im here of my own accord. I dont plan to escape from here. On the contrary, my goal can only be achieved here. Without that alchemist, its possible it might never be fulfilled. Rather than sound lost, Himegami may have even sounded like Aureolus friend. Whats going on? There are psychological cases where imprisoned or monitored hostages have felt mysterious sympathy for criminals. Is Himegami like that? No matter what your aims, the guy doesnt consider you an ally, right? And if you are one, why are you imprisoned here? I was imprisoned before he took command of Misawa Cram. She said with resolve. Do you really want to know how I was treated here? Do you want to know why there are so many secret rooms? I dont think you could handle the truth. "..." Ever since the alchemist came, the secret rooms were never used again. Im just staying here. I dont feel the need to go outside. If I did randomly go out, Id attract them. Kamijou remembered what Stiyl had told him prior to their invasion. Though it seemed like an ordinary building, it possessed a perfectly disguised barrier. Deep Blood: a legend of even the magic world. A girl was said to possess the ability to instantly kill vampires. Perhaps... What do you mean? Dont tell me you hide here to avoid conflicts with them? ...My blood has the power to attract them with a sweet scent and also kill them. Lure them, kill them. Im like a carnivorous plant: colorful and deadly. Such is my nature. Kamijous eyes widened. Even when Stiyl simply mentioned vampires, he was filled with fear and disgust and now, he knew Himegami Aisa truly had the powerful ability to kill vampires. However, Himegamis words sounded lonely. It was as if she were standing in the cold rain. "Do you know what vampires are like?" Kamijou could not possibly answer. All he could think of were evil vampires in fiction who attacked humans. In fact, the term vampire itself seemed unrealistic. I dont. Theyre no different from us. They cry, smile, get angry, get happy, laugh for others, and act for others. All of these peoplewithout exceptionare killed. Himegami replied with words that only those who had seen Hell could say. She sounded like her heart bled. Her happy memories had been shattered. Academy City researches powers. I thought I could come here to analyze the secrets of my powers. If I knew its source I could get rid of it. However, I couldnt find a way to be rid of it. Himegami said. I dont want to kill anyone. Id decided that Id rather kill myself than kill other people. Such was the reason that the girl titled Deep Blood agonized alone. But that... Please dont try to convince me otherwise. Its not so bad. Aureolus said that he could create a simply boundary that takes the appearance of clothes, called the Walking Church. If I put it on, I can go outside without the fear of luring them. "..." I have my goals and Aureolus has his. We need each other to fulfill them. So, its okay. Aureolus will fulfill his end of the bargain and keep me safe. Ill explain it to Aureolus for you if you want to leave this battlefield. Kamijou could not consent. He did not understand the burden she bore. He did not know how to save her. He did not know what to do. Tell me something. He asked because he did not know. If you dont want to attract vampires, why were you eating outside when we first met? Simple. Aureolus needs me because he wants a vampire. If I stay inside this boundary, I cant attract one. Isnt that the opposite of what you want? Dont you want to stop hurting vampires? If you do, why would you accept that ord Yes. But, Aureolus promised me he wouldnt hurt it after he captured one. He just wants their help. ...What? I thought you had worked hard just to escape Misawa Cram. Even if I had intended to escape, why are you here? Im here to save you of course. Do I need any other reason? Himegamis eyes widened at his argument. It was like she had gotten a birthday present even she had forgotten what day it was. Unbelievable. But dont worry, I wasnt imprisoned. You can relax and go home, no problem. She smiled. Aureolus said he wants to save someone and cant do it by himself. Thats why he needs a vampire and also why I agreed to help. Thiss the first time I agreed to use this power to save, not kill. ... Were her words true? Even if Himegami were not lying, it was unknown whether Aureolus was noble. After all, Aureolus was a murderer and mastermind who had created that battlefield of carnage. Her words contradicted the situation. And, even if Aureolus Izzard was as she said... ...This wont do. ?" If in fact Aureolus Izzard is as you say, that he isnt a monster, that hes still barely human, you cant let him keep doing these terrible things. Though I think people can be saved when they fall, if Aureolus continues like this, hell reach a point of no return. She remained silent. In truth, she had already realized. Aureolus desires had begun to diverge from reality. Simply looking at the battlefield itself showed that the truth differed substantially from not hurting anyone. On exactly what basis do you refute my ideas? said a male voice that interrupted Kamijou. A mysterious ringing permeated their conversation, forcing both silent. It was like a whisper to the ear, though the owner of the voice had transferred the vibrations not through air but through something metaphysical. The footsteps clacked behind Himegami in a corridor 30 meters away. No one should have been there. No one should have been there. But, in the blink of an eye, Kamijou witnessed a man appear before him. Surely there were no places to hide. Not to mention, the man had never hid. You... Kamijou began to distrust his very own eyes. The man that suddenly appeared was the Aureolus Izzard that Kamijou had beaten down. His limbs were intact and he had not a single scratch. Did he use some special power to heal? Kamijou considered it but deemed it illogical. Regardless of physical healing, ones personality would remain constant. Like a twin brother with a completely different persona, the person before him was identical but possessed a wholly different atmosphere. Not to mention the pressure... He was thirty meters away but Kamijou felt an overwhelming sensation as if the enemy had already stabbed his ribs. Despair. The only suitable description of that man was power. Dangerous! His instinct warned him. This person is dangerous! Hes someone that definitely cant be beaten while in this building. Because of the warning, Kamijou took a step forward to protect Himegami. From the beginning, sacrificing someone to save himself was never an option. Calm down. Dont interfere. I will go there now. Before Kamijou could take even a step forward, Aureolus Izzard had covered the entire 30 meter distance between them. What...? With Aureolus sudden appearance, Kamijous mind froze with incomprehension. Rather than fast, he had appeared out of nowhere like a scene change in movies. Naturally, youre wondering what happened. However, I have no obligation to answer. The alchemist said with calm. Himegamis blood is very important so I cant hand her over. Im here to reclaim her. The word reclaim swirled in Kamijous confused mind. You bastard! How could he run away? He had to close the two meter distance between them and rescue the imprisoned Himegami from the mastermind Aureolus. He rushed forward. In any case... You, The alchemist calmly began. shall not touch me. The change was drastic. Initially, nothing changed, which was the source of the strangeness. Kamijou had rushed at Aureolus with maximum force. However, the distance did not lessen, as if he were chasing the setting sun on the horizon. Run and run and run but the two meters did not disappear. Like a corridor expanding into infinity, Aureolus and Himegami seemed to retreat from him. With a sense of anxiousness, Kamijou remembered the existence of Imagine Breaker in his right hand. Any supernatural power would be negated, even one of Gods miracles. But how exactly am I supposed to use this effectively!? Tell me exactly, said Aureolus emotionlessly. Why I cant turn back? Kamijou, chilled, stopped. He dared not approach the alchemist, his body warning him of the danger of approaching. Aureolus stared at Kamijou without feeling like a toy insect staring with pins. Without warning, Aureolus procured from his white suit a thin needle as thin as hair that smelled faintly of antiseptic. Aureolus stabbed the needle into his neck as if to hypnotize himself. Kamijou backed away from this declaration of Kamijous death. However, Aureolus removed then needle and tossed it aside. Unfortunately, youre an uninteresting boy. Then, Kamijou shockingly realized that, regardless of his efforts, he could not retreat from Aureolus. In a mysterious predicament, Kamijou could move neither forward nor backward. His heart nearly burst with his inability to act as Aureolus silently reached his hand to grab something far away from Kamijous heart, as if to dig it out. Diss began the stern alchemist. Hold on a minute! Himegami had suddenly appeared between them and interrupted the alchemist. Kamijou was amazed that Himegami had dared to actually stand between them to protect him from the true alchemist with overwhelming power. Idiot...! Dont! Kamijou hurriedly reached a hand out to push her away but could not move approach even a single centimeter. Like a child confronting an assailer with a machinegun, Kamijou trembled from the fear danger. Then, Kamijou remembered her title: Deep Blood. Her legendary, mysterious power killed the vampires that even Stiyl so feared. With her power, as the strongest ace, they could perhaps turn around the situation. Dont tell me... Please tell me she has a chance. If she doesnt... she shouldnt be doing this... Aureolus glanced at the thinking Kamijou with disinterest. He seemed to lack a regard for his trump, Deep Blood. Obviously, at this point, you might harbor a sense of hope, which is expected. However, Deep Blood is no match for me. Aureolus said coldly. Naturally, you might wonder how the name Deep Blood came to be. Hm. Yes. She certainly has the power to kill vampires... but have you ever wondered, considering its so powerful, why its limited to vampires? Why dont they call her Overkill Annihilator? ...Dont tell me... With his final hope snatched, Kamijous thought processes simplified. Essentially, Deep Blood is an ability exclusively effective on vampires. The truth is none so extravagant. Its simply a unique type of blood. Her sweet-smelling blood lures vampires to her and when they consume but a drop of her blood, they disintegrate. The terrifying thing is the fact that it lures each and every vampire. They drink her blood knowing they will die. Its only effective against Cains descendants, vampires; not humans. Aureolus elaborated as he obtained another needle, stabbing this one as well into his neck. What was its effect? The rather emotionless alchemist seemed somewhat excited. Hm? Are you going to retort by attacking me? How are you any different from me? In the end, youre just like me. You need Deep Blood. His words carved their way into Kamijous heart. Kamijou knew the despair but he also wanted to struggle until the willpower in his heart disappeared. Thats not true. This person didnt know the definition of Deep Blood or even what vampires are like. He came here to save a stranger he met this morning. We havent even been formally introduced but he wouldnt leave me behind. The person who said this to Aureolus was Himegami, not Kamijou. She widely spread her arms, becoming a shield and warding away the verbal attacks. "Aureolus Izzard, what is it that you want?" Himegamis words caused Aureolus eyebrows to twitch. Are you going to get ordinary people, neither magicians nor alchemists, involved and kill them so regularly? Is this going to satisfy you? Is this your goal? ... If its such a meaningless objective, then I shall quit. I know I cant defeat you, but I have the right to decide whether to bite my own tongue and end my life. Her eyes never broke the honest expression of patience. It was almost difficult to discern who the king of the fortress was. Once again, he pulled out a needle and stabbed his neck. Essentially, we dont have time to waste on such things. He said with casualness. Therere too many things to deal with. Dealing with Index is much more troublesome than the intruder. Its simple to defeat others but its not something I handle well. Aureolus nonchalant words had nearly caused Kamijou to stop breathing. Hold on. Hold on. Index? Dont tell me... she came here?! The infinite distance between them prevented Kamijou from grabbing Aureolus and changing the dire situation. The hand that the alchemist had lowered was raised again and Himegami, with a defiant look, stepped toward Aureolus. Dont worry, I wont kill him. He said easily as he removed the needle. Young man: as for what happened here... Damn it! What kind of sick joke is this!? I cant back away now! The alchemist, apparently seeing through Kamijous heart, smiled. ...Forget everything. Part 3 The sun had set. ...? Kamijou rose from the seat and looked around himself. Seat? He found that he was inside a student bus that apparently did not go in the direction of Kamijous dormitory. The final stop on the bus wrote 17th District: Before Misawa Cram School. Typically speaking, the final busses stopped running at 6:30. It was possibly a cram school bus considering it was rare for buses to travel at midnight. Misawa Cram? Kamijous head tilted. Was that the name of the cram school? Kamijou pondered it but found no answer. He himself could not have been a cram school student; Kamijou Touma could not write his holiday assignments let alone prepare for exams. The term memory loss sent chills down Kamijous spine. He had thought that it was simply memory loss of previous experiences, but, as things stood, it may have been much worse than he had expected. ...Better check it out at the hospital. While muttering to himself, Kamijou decided to first get off the bus for he knew not where it was headed. After exiting at the nearest stop, Kamijou found that he was unfamiliar with the surrounding scenery. He physically felt relatively balanced and was wide awake. At first glance, he seemed very healthy but it seemed safer to do a check-up at a hospital considering he had lost several hours of memories. If I go to the hospital Ill need my health insurance card. Better go home first. Are hospitals still open right now? Do I need to call for emergency services? Wait, how am I going to explain this to Index? Wouldnt she be suspicious if I wanted to go to the hospital all of a sudden? Would she be angry that she hasnt eaten dinner this whole time...? His mind swirling about, Kamijou walked to his dormitory since there were no buses at that time going in that direction. Such misfortune. He felt like something was calling out to him. ...? Kamijou bent his head with puzzlement. It was strange. Why did he feel like he had forgotten something important? It was like forgetting to turn off the stove before going on holiday, that sort of irresolvable danger. Whats going on? Kamijou thought about the Misawa Cram School that he had never been to and muttered. Nevermind. If I cant remember, its probably not important. With that conclusion, he continued forward. As of that moment, the most important thing was to calm down Index, who would likely be angry and starving. It seemed his only option was the 700 yen black honey pudding. I really shouldntve bought that 3600 yen reference book. Kamijou sighed and scratched his head with his right hand... ...His right hand that could negate any supernatural power, even a Godly miracle... PAKIN! With the sound of his skull shattering, the entire days memories rushed into his mind. ...! Kamijou erratically looked around and only found a scene cloaked in the nights darkness. Considering the stations distance, he could no longer see Misawa Cram School from where he was. How long had it been? He could not find Stiyl, Himegami or Aureolus andof course Index. Aureolus had said forget everything and Kamijou had truly forgotten everything. He forgot the Misawa Cram School that became a battlefield, Himegami being taken away by Aureolus and also what the alchemist said about Index. "DAMN IT!" The last few hours were completely lost. Even alone, Stiyls probably okay in there, right? With him coming to mind, Kamijou began to run towards Misawa Cram School. During his run, Kamijou, whose mind was in disarray, had noticed that he had not met anyone else along the way; in fact no one else was on the road aside from him. Even if it were afterhours, it was downtown Academy City. It was unnatural to not have met a single person. ...Whats going on? By the time Kamijou had noticed the abnormality, he was already within visible sight of Misawa Cram School. An absence of people was something Kamijou had experienced before due to the Opila runes that Stiyl had utilized the previous evening. However, this time, rather than an absence of people, Kamijou was surprised to find people surrounding Misawa Cram School. Kamijou stopped and did a double take. Somewhat far away, he saw a few people, whose genders were indiscernible, donned in skin-tight silver armor. The lack of people made it seem all the more suspicious. From Kamijous angle he saw three individuals. If they were surrounding the four buildings, there must have been more of their comrades. ...What? Who are these weird guys...? People from the Church? Mindful of these people, Kamijou decided to approach one of them. Perhaps the situation had changed while Kamijou had lost his memory like an idiot. Oi. What are you people doing? Are you members of the Church? Kamijou remembered the knight who had died near the elevator. The people wore armor similar to that of the fallen knight. One of them responded, shocked to hear the term Church. Im a member of the 13 Knights of the Roman Catholics, Lancelot Vittorio Cassera. He said rather impatiently. Oh, so youre a survivor of that battlefield? We saw you walk from over here. Youre really lucky. If you dont want to die, get back. Kamijou wondered what nonsense he was spouting as he examined the entire suit of armor. We dont wish to cause unnecessary damage. Well have the Gregorian Sacred Song Corp use the Gregorian Chant to carry out a Holy Incantation Bombardment. This is a means we decided after much deliberation in order to keep collateral damage to a minimum. The knights words were surprising. The Gregorian Chant was the spell that the Misawa Cram School students had used. According to Stiyl, the spell was of Roman Catholic origin. It was intended to be the ultimate weapon of the Roman Catholics. By utilizing 3333 monks gathered outside of a cathedral and having them chant the long spell, it intensified the power of the spell like sunlight into a magnifying glass. Stiyls words once again floated in his mind. The replica already had such power, how much did the real one have? Bombard?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? HOW POWERFUL IS THIS THING!? HOW MANY PEOPLE INSIDE WILL GET INVOLVED!? ARE YOU GOING TO BLOW UP THE ENTIRE BUILDING!? Certainly. This holy spell gathers 3333 at the greatest holy location in the world. The Vatican Church can accurately turn anything in this world to dust. Not to mention, if we leave that heretics tower intact, itd be an insult to our pride. WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING!? THERE ARE STILL COUNTLESS INNOCENT STUDENTS INSIDE! AND STIYL AND HIMEGAMI ARE STILL INSIDE! EVEN AUREOLUS! Aureolus, the man that wanted to simply wanted to summon a vampire to save someones life. EXACTLY HOW BIG WILL THE BLAST RADIUS BE WHEN THAT HUGE BUILDING BLOWS UP?!? RUBBLE WILL FLY LIKE CANNONBALLS FOR 600 METERS!! The end justifies the means! The bloodshed of today will be the foundation of tomorrow! Kamijou could not remain calm as his anger boiled at those words. His last comment had contradicted what he had said before. For the sake of relieving unnecessary suffering, Kamijou was told to run away. Yet somehow, the knight nonsensically felt no remorse for the lives of the people within Misawa Cram. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? YOUR COMRADES IN THERE TOO! said Kamijou, invoking the knight that died beside the elevator. Percival has been martyred in enemy territory. His life will be avenged for the better tomorrow. The dying, armored knight was unintelligible and filled with fury, seemingly having lost his ability to think calmly. Damn it! Wait a minute! One hour, no, 30 minutes will be enough! We have no reason to listen your opinion! Begin the attack now! The armored man calling himself Lancelot raised his large sword into the sky. Giving off a red glow, Kamijou thought it looked like an antenna. Before Kamijou could stop him, the antenna was swung down. Revelation 8:7, So began the coordinated ritual. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down onto the earth!" Perhaps due to the result of magic, a horn was heard from the glowing sword, a howling, echoing noise was heard through the night. All voices vanished. The clouds floating in the night sky promptly scattered and from far away were lightning. An enormous pillar of light descended from the heavens. However, the pillar was red. Like thousands of flaming arrows moving in close proximity, the pillar was spear striking one of the four Misawa Cram buildings. The red lotus pierced roof to basement, crushing the tower to half of its original height like a squashed aluminum can. The glass shattered and interior decorations flew about in chaos. However, there was more. The tower that was hit directly dragged the two neighboring towers by the overhead corridors, leaving the last unaffected tower like a tombstone. The act of madness left Kamijou in bewilderment. The buildings were twisted, cracks formed along the walls and people fell through the gaps like dust being patted from pants. Numerous pieces of falling debris utterly devastated the surroundings like a meteor shower. The only possible upside was the lack of people that the Opila rune had caused. Kamijou grit his teeth at the thought that many students and teachers, Stiyl, Himegami, Aureolus and perhaps even Index were still inside. YOU BASTARDS!! Kamijou exploded like a cannon, but not at the armored person. There was no time to bother with him; Kamijous destination was the site of bombardment. A storm of dust prevented Kamijou from making any progress. He could not open his eyes let alone see. Even so, he continued forward. In the back of his mind, he hoped it was all a joke. Then, something changed. ? Initially, Kamijou was under the impression that the dust began to scatter. The immense dust flew forward as if carried by a strong wind... to the wreckage called Misawa Cram School. !? Dust was just part of it. The previously falling rubble began to float in midair and the crumbling walls flipped erect. The debris moved together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and completely reformed the smooth towers that looked freshly renovated. It was like watching a show in rewind. The collapsed towers were upright and the falling people were reabsorbed through the cracks. Most of the damage was repaired and soon, all four Misawa Cram towers were reformed as if nothing had happened. Even the neighboring buildings crushed by rubble reverted to what they were prior. One would have wonder if Kamijous memories were being manipulated. Wait. Reverting things back to normal... Dont tell me...! Kamijou looked up at the sky. The red lotus Divine spear that was fired from the sky had reappeared. Any onlooker could have realized where the spear was aimed: eye for an eye. Ah... ahh... Kamijou turned to look at the moaning armored man. His knees had given way and he collapsed onto the ground. It seemed he truly knew how powerful the real Gregorian Chant was. Whats going on? Kamijou returned his gaze to the night sky. Even the seven Level 5s of Academy City could not possibly create such a miracle. Is that the enemys... Thats that guys real power...!! Aureolus Izzard. In face of such a terrifying enemy, how would Kamijou fight him? Kamijou stood idly by with a numbed mind. DAMN IT! Kamijou abandoned his fears and dashed off to Misawa Cram School. Once he had arrived in front of the automatic doors, he hesitated to go in. With fear and trepidation, Kamijou entered the doors and returned to the battlefield. The cram schools interior was unchanged and, because of it, Kamijou felt goose bumps. Not to mention, the students were unharmed as they continued to listen to the teachers lectures. The students were fine despite the Gregorian Chant and the transmuting Limen Magna. Passing through a certain classroom on a corridor, Kamijou saw something surprising and stopped. That girl...! Sitting a seat in the very back of the wide classroom was a girl that Kamijou recognized. She had braided hair and glasses... she was the girl who was turn to gold by Aureolus Limen Magna when she protected Himegami. She was there. It was like nothing had happened. She lived in that ordinary world. ...! The peaceful scene struck fear in Kamijou. Under the guidance of the alchemists magic, life and death, fortune and misfortune, normal and abnormal were all reshuffled. Kamijou did not know where to go. Arriving at a straight corridor, he finally found a familiar face. What? Why are you so panicky? There stood the person who had betrayed him, used him as bait and could still shamelessly smile. There stood Stiyl Magnus, a person Kamijou truly loathed but was perplexedly relieved to see. Hm. If youre still here, I guess were still in Japan, right? No wonder Ive been seeing so many Asians this whole time. Speaking of which, what is this mysterious boundary? Kekkai? I seem to be somewhat familiar with it. Stiyl ignored Kamijou as he continued to mutter. Apparently, his memories were wiped like Kamijous. It seemed he had even forgotten the objective they had for Misawa Cram School, implying his memories were erased even more extensively that Kamijous. He could return Stiyls memories if he touched Stiyls head with his right hand, but Kamijou was worried whether doing so would erase Stiyls revival post-bombardment. His right hand was ineffective against Aureolus order that he shall not touch, but, if it involved Stiyls life, the effect may have been undesirable. Oi! What block were you in? What? Just tell me! Should be North Block. Why? Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. Only the North block was untouched after the Gregorian bombardment, meaning Stiyl had no need to be revived. Once confirmed, Kamijou knew what to do. Oi! Stiyl! Let me teach you a charm that erases your doubts. ...Oriental Charms are Kanzakis specialty. Just do as I say. Its simple. Close your eyes and stick your tongue out! With a look of suspicion, he followed Kamijous instructions. "HERE''S A SOUVENIR FOR ACTUALLY USING ME AS BAIT AND ESCAPING BY YOURSELF, YOU BASTARD!" declared Kamijou. "...Eh?" Kamijou slammed an uppercut against Stiyls chin using his right hand. Memories returned and a tongue was bitten, proceeded by rolling on the floor. Part 4 Aureolus Izzard stood on the highest floor of the Northern-most block. It was a floor called Principals office, a large space that encompassed the entire level. As a cram school, it was more like a directors room than a principals office. Aureolus was looking out the window, ignoring the glamorous room and luxurious decorations inside. Though, the night scenery below was not his interest. Instead, he was looking at the face reflected on the window. ...The road taken was quite long. With one sentencejust a single sentencelike Revert back to normal the entire building stood back up like a living creature. He had witnessed the event without even batting an eyebrow. He looked at the mirrored face and sunk into deep thought. In the past, he was not like that. Though he was more of the stoic type, he was still a human that expressed his emotions. In the current time, he had an emotionless calm that he ignored since he had no time to be bothered with it. Its acceptable even if Ive become like this. Even if he were aware of the change since the very beginning, he had no time to relax. He had an entire world to fight for the sake of achieving his goals. Aureolus Izzard had done everything to save the single girl on the black ebony table behind him. Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Index. Three years had passed since he had met the girl who did not know her own given name. While involved with the Roman Catholics, he was a secret secretary. Though a member of the Church, he was tasked with writing grimoires, making his situation a unique one amongst unique. He was to decode modern witchcraft, discover ways to counter them, and record the results. He had believed, through his actions, he could protect innocents hurt by witches. In fact, the grimoires that Aureolus had written had helped many people. However, the Roman Catholic Church had used those grimoires as trump cards. Pagan cults and even other Christian sects like the Anglicans and Orthodoxies had no knowledge of the existence of these trump cards. Such individuals were even warned that they should convert to Catholicism if they wished to be protected from witches. Though the alchemist had devised ways to defend against the witches, many were not benefited, some even harmed. It was much too unreasonable, as if they were patients who could have been operated upon but were abandoned. Aureolus could not endure. He had originally believed that his trump card was created to save others. Eventually, he had decided to smuggle the books he had written. He escaped to England, a country of magic seriously rampant with witches. Aureolus carefully disguised himself and successfully made contact with the Anglicans using underground methods. It was there that he met the girl that could not be saved. At first glance, he knew. He whom he had given the task of saving the entire world knew that he could save the girl before him. The girl possessed 103,000 grimoires from across the globe, each capable of driving an ordinary person insane. However, the keeper herself smiled on, despite knowing being saved was impossible. Saving her was impossible. A human being memorizing 103,000 grimoires would result in her physical intoxication because of the grimoires logics and the mind being corroded by the actual knowledge. It was the realization that caused the alchemist to see the limits of his knowledge. The girl perpetually facing misfortune always smiled for others. If he could not accomplish saving even her, how could even discuss saving the entire world? At some point when he had lost count of how many grimoires he had written, he began to wonder why he had not given up and continued to write. It was then he had realized. Even if saving her were impossible, he struggled, using the excuse of providing her with grimoires to visit her. It was an ordinary story. An alchemist desired to save a girl but in the end was saved by the girl. His realization that he could not save her brought about the end: he could no longer hold a pen, his faith and confidence in his writing ability gone. Unable to save... unable to save... The alchemist at that time could save no one. However, to save her at no matter the cost, he chose to walk, even fall down, a path of darkness for that one reason. If Aureolus could obtain the power to save everything, he decided he would utilize it for the girl before him. Thus, Aureolus rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church, Christianity and even the entire world. Despite those actions he had failed. Depleting the knowledge taken from the Hermes and Zurich schools he still failed. He had believed he could simply understand the human anatomy and cure any disease. He had believed that understanding the brain could cure any emotional scar. But of course, he was wrong. If it were impossible through faith or technology, what was wrong with relying on Cains descendants, whose powers surpassed human understanding? For achieving his goal, he was willing to betray and manipulate anyone and anything. This included Deep Blood. And, like that, the alchemist strayed from righteousness. His initial desire to save others had become a pitiful shadow. ... Aureolus Izzard had not realized. The girl titled Deep Blood watched him silently from behind with the desire to save others. Aureolus had not realized. The savior had not arrived. Aureolus Izzard reflected the Gregorian Chant? How is that possible? said the shocked Stiyl as Kamijou told them during their game of tag. Incidentally, Stiyl was playing with a flaming sword. Its true! It was like I was watching the rewind of a video! The damaged towers reverted back to how they were! said Kamijou, running down the corridor. Stiyl had apparently explored further into the building than Kamijou had but, before he could discover the alchemists hiding place, he had wavered. If thats the case... dont tell me... but modern alchemy cant possibly do that much... muttered Stiyl as he exhaled smoke. He even used chants like you shall not touch me and forget everything. Is magic really so omnipotent that anything you want appears!? ...How is this possible? Magics a form of knowledge with strict rules and logic. If there were such a ridiculous spell, who would want to honestly research magic? Then what did I see? Everything he said somehow happened. Everything he said... is such an irritating term. Reminds me of Ars Magna. Focused on the noted term, Kamijou remembered the discussion where Stiyl mentioned the final, unachieved aim of alchemy, where one could project ones thoughts onto the world. Then, wait. Has that guy already mastered the most powerful spell in alchemy? THAT''S IMPOSSIBLE! yelled Stiyl with a rare, violent tone. I said it before. Ars Magna isnt something achievable by humans. The incantation exists, sure, but it cant be completed with one, no, two hundred years of continuous incantation. You cant shorten the incantation and the later generations cant pick it up. Like a game of telephone it gets more and more twisted. Humans with limited lifespan just cant possibly have that kind of magic! Stiyls refutation was logical for those who understood magic, but, Stiyl himself trembled as if he had seen something unbelievable. Youre right. Kamijou pondered from a different point of view. If could really do anything he wanted, we wouldnt be alive. He wouldntve used the False Sacred Song Corps to use the Gregorian Chant or that fake Aureolus. Wouldnt he have just said die? In fact, vampires and Deep Blood would have been unnecessary. If it were necessary, he could have just created a vampire. If the alchemists desires were projectable onto reality, why was there a need for vampires? Speaking of which, whats his aim? Id heard he wanted to save someone but he ended up mercilessly killing a lot of people. Right now, even Index is involved... Did the stress of blowing this out of proportion get to him? What? That child too? I heard him talk about her but I never actually saw her. Maybe he was delusional or something. Kamijou said with an easygoing demeanor, Maybe consolation for himself? Stiyls expression had become more serious. Apparently bitter, he spat his cigarette away. Tch! I see whats going on. He isolated himself for three years to study alchemy and hasnt kept track of current events. Said Stiyl has he stuffed a new cigarette. I know what he wants. Its Index. What? Confused, to his understanding, the situation had no relevance to Index. Listen, Kamijou Touma. Index has had her memories erased every year. Every year, her relationship changed and found a new partner each time. So... What about it? This year, its you. Two years ago it was me and, Stiyl continued vengefully. three years ago it was Aureolus Izzard. They were teacher and student. Shock. The fate for every companion was the same. They tried to save her from having her memory wiped but absolutely failed. He said with disdain. It was of course the same for him. And, it would seem he didnt accept it. What do you mean? Simple. We companions werent abandoned by her, she simply forgot us. If that so, then all they needed to do was cure Index and salvage her memory. Wouldnt she go back to them? Kamijous heart felt a pain like a hammering stake. He did not know what affected him so much. It was a good thing that Index was healed but still there was an inexplicable and invisible impact. He remembered the smile. That smile that she showed to others carried a heavy burden for Kamijou. But it wont happen. Stiyl smiled. Just like how erasing someones memories is already a huge sin, changing memories is as well. He must know this or hes completely lost his senses. Stiyl voice was much too soft. As Kamijou turned around to face Stiyl and hear more clearly, Stiyl simply exhaled smoke and calmly shook his head. Its nothing. Im saying that guy cant save that child. Its that simple. Why? Kamijou failed to make the connection, his mind focused on the idea of his omnipotence. If he could take away peoples memories or revive the dead, what could he possibly not do? The reasons simple. Its you. ? Havent you saved her already? How could someone be saved twice? Its that simple, nothing more to it. The boy drew the connections. Aureolus Izzard was Indexs former partner three years prior. Since he had lost Index, he had lost contact and did not know the current situation. Which meant that Aureolus... Were here. Look, he even deliberately left the door open for us. How nice. Stiyl looked forward. In the highest floor of Misawa Cram Schools North tower, the enormous doors leading into the principals office were open. They were inviting Kamijou and Stiyl. Part 5 The space was quite wide. The room was once owned by the former-principal, incidentally also the founder of the cult, of Misawa Cram School. Though the room was luxurious, it lacked class and represented the cults twisted desires. It was like the annoying experience of entering a restaurant adorned properly but showed no care for the clients. Himegami was shocked to see Kamijou enter the room but Aureolus, by contrast, had no reaction as if expecting his entrance. The emptiness a severe one that was reminiscent of old, faded, yellowish photographs. This was not planned by the alchemist. Perhaps to him, there was nothing in the world he could not do, and, because of it, little seemed real. Like an esper capable of altering the minds of others, when he saw others smile, he felt no happiness. When he saw the perfect smile, it was as significant to him as the flick of a finger. The logic was similar. For someone capable of creating anything, his actual creations held little value. Even the environment lacked the atmosphere of a battlefield. Anywhere Aureolus Izzard appeared became a futile battlefield. Obviously, I can see that youve deduced my goal. He began calmly. If thats the case, why do you intend to stop me? Wasnt your rune magic meant to save Index? The alchemist glanced before him. On the luxurious table lied the sleeping silver-haired girl. Kamijou tried to dash forward but was stopped by Stiyls long arm. Simply put, this method cant save that child. I dont want to watch an operation doomed to fail. This child isnt that worthless. This isnt true. Its just your envy, but I understand. Because we were comrades who had the same dream be crushed, you are unhappy that Ive surpassed you. However, I dont consider it enjoyable and I never will. Stiyl frowned at the way Aureolus said it so naturally without even a hint of sarcasm. In the past, Indexs brain was overloaded with so much information that her memories were erased each and every year. It was a fate the human body could not defy. He said sternly. However, by using a power above humanity, I can solve the problem. When I had reached this conclusion, I found it unbelievable that no one had suggested we borrow the power of vampires. ... Vampires are immortal and store infinite amounts of memories in their brains that are similar to humans. Id never heard of a vampires brain being overloaded by information. said the alchemist. Essentially, vampires possess this attribute: no matter how long they live their existences are maintained. Hmph. I see. So you intend to interact with vampires and ask them to teach their method? Stiyl shook his cigarette with his mouth. For the sake of safety, let me ask. If this method cant be used on people, what do you intend to do? Basically, if a humans body cannot do it, Ill place the Forbidden Library in something not human. Aureolus said without hesitation. The alchemists plan meant that he would... Turn her into a vampire? Tch! What Christian in this world would be happy to become a descendant of Cain? Thiss a common mistake people have. When you want to save someone, the most important thing is to consider their thoughts and perspective, right? Its something I only learned recently. ...Absolutely ridiculous. That kind of mindset is just feigned kindness. This child once told me at that final moment that she did not want to forget me. Even if she defied the teachings, even if she willingly sacrificed her life, she wanted to keep her memories. She told me these things while she couldnt even move. She didnt even realize she was cryingwhile smiling! Aureolus grit his teeth. Kamijou did not know what he was thinking or remembering. It would seem you dont intend to change your mind no matter what. If thats the case, though a bit cruel, Ill have to use my trump card. Stiyl suddenly turned to Kamijou. Oi! Current partner! Tell him! Tell this train wreck what fatal flaw his plan has. ...What? Aureolus finally turned to look at Kamijou. Kamijou had a difficulty figuring out which part of Stiyls comments angered the alchemist. Just what time period are you from? With a perplexed expression, the alchemist stared at Kamijou. And thats what is. Index has already been saved. Not by you, not by but by the current partner. This guy did what you couldnt achieve. Stiyl smirked with cruelty. This happened only a week ago. Ah its predictable that you wouldnt know. You were away from that child for three years so of course you wouldnt know shed been saved. Thats impossible... Yeah. I can understand you dont believe it. I even witnessed it myself but couldnt believe it. No, I didnt want to believe it myself. This is a declaration for me: that child will never come back to me again. PREPOSTEROUS! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD THERE BE ANY OTHER WAY TO SAVE INDEX?! A PERSON THAT POSSESSES A HUMAN BODY! THIS GUY ISNT EVEN A MAGICIAN OR ALCHEMIST. JUST WHAT COULD HE POSSIBLY DO? About that, since it involves Necessarius... no, since it concerns the pride of the Anglican Church, Id rather not tell the story. I can only tell you this, Stiyl exhaled the smoke with cruelty. That guys right hand has an ability called Imagine Breaker. Basically, its a terrifying ability that shouldnt belong to an ordinary person. Shocked and unable to calm down, the alchemist stared at Kamijou. ...Hold on a minute. This means... Thats right. Its been tough for you. Id heard youd betrayed the Catholic Church and hid underground for three years? It looks like it was a waste of time. Hm. I can understand the pain of getting nothing back in return. However, this child is currently living a happy life with her partner as youd wished. Ha... It was the decisive sentence. The foundations supporting Aureolus Izzard crumbled. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! He began his maniacal laughter. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ...This guys insane. Kamijou thought numbly but surely. Unexpectedly, the eyes began to follow something. In front of them all, on the large table, the girl moved. The sleep Index began to regain some consciousness after Aureolus mad laughter. She was perhaps the last barrier for Aureolus mental sanity. She widened her eyes slightly and softly spoke like a person holding thread in their hand. ...Touma? The person she saw was not the Aureolus Izzard before her. She cared not who, when, where or how she was brought there. She cared not for her current state or what happened during her unconsciousness. She smiled. She smiled happily. In her line of sight was Kamijou Touma. Ah. Kamijou automatically backed off. He was glad to see her with such an attitude. Kamijou felt it irreplaceable as she acted like a kitten opening its eyes, only caring about Kamijous expression. This scene brought about a sharp coldness. Behind Index, the alchemist who was supposed to be the main character was forgotten by the girl he had sought to protect. His face stiffened as if he had witnessed the end of the world. Kamijou could not face the reality. Aureolus Izzard was once the male protagonist. He had betrayed the Catholic Church, renounced his beliefs and became an alchemist, all to save the girl in front of him. He faced the worst outcome. Even Kamijou Touma, if he had taken one wrong step, would have faced a similar fate. The pure, holy girl before them was beloved by people all over the world. Because she was a holy girl, she could only love a male protagonist. That simple purity, bordering on cruelty, caused the most pain. I should be perfect!! Why are you unmoved!?! What do I lack!? Kamijou remember the defeated clone. It was not a shallowly crafted replica. The dummy itself truly portrayed the character Aureolus Izzard. Ugh! Aureolus Izzard was speechless. He smiled a frozen, twisted smile as if hed barfed air. Right above Index, Aureolus raised his hand. It seemed like the blade of a guillotine but Indexs gaze had not left Kamijou, causing the alchemist even more rage as he placed more force in his arm. Index! Kamijou considered running to her but because of his anxiousness could not decide with which foot to step first. The alchemist laughed maniacally and Kamijou, the current protagonist, raised his right hand. It was too late. He had not made it in time. The alchemists arm was... never swung down. Kamijou stopped. Ugh... Above Indexs head, the arm, which was raising what seemed to be a guillotine, trembled. Ugh... UGGHHH! He was immobile. He had lost everything. He had become an alchemist and even betrayed his old allies to save a single girl. But, the girl was already saved by a stranger whom he did not know and Index ignored the man who had sacrificed everything for her. If Kamijou were in that position, could he have still relied on Index? Could he convince himself that it was not betrayal? Aureolus Izzard could not bring himself to hurt her. For the alchemist, she was that important. ... Kamijou did not move. He had no memories and, despite the fact that others told him that he had saved her, did not remember how he did or what he was thinking when he had. Like that, Kamijou Touma gained the trust of others by saving someone from whence he had no memories. In face of the alchemist, Kamijou wondered whether he had a right to keep her with him. Aureolus turned and glared sharply at Kamijou. The alchemist had the power to sentence anyone to death with a single sentence. Kamijou knew it was a glare of death but, deep deep inside, understood his feelings. It was impossible for Aureolus to calm down. He could not bring himself to kill Index and, having lost all direct, went on a rampage. Who would become the scapegoat? Logically, the outcome was predictable. SLAM TO THE GROUND, INTRUDERS!! Like an explosion, an angry roar was heard. Immediately, Kamijou felt the weight of uncountable hands push him to the ground as if he were a bank robber being crushed to the floor after having his gun taken away. As the term intruder included Stiyl, Kamijou saw the red-haired magician be flattened to the floor from the corner of his eye. Uuh... Ugh... The sensation of having his intestines flipped around almost caused Kamijou to puke. He began to move his right hand, which felt like it was being attracted by a strong magnetic field, forcefully to his chest, inch by inch. If he could contact his body perhaps it would have released him like when he recovered his memories. HA! HAHA! HAHAHAHA! I WONT KILL YOU SO EASILY! LET ME ENJOY THIS A LITTLE LONGER! I WONT DO ANYTHING TO INDEX, BUT I WONT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN MY SANITY IF I DONT TAKE IT OUT YOU TWO! He pulled out a needle as thin as hair and aimed with trembling at his body. Then, he stabbed it like pressing button in his body. He then tossed aside the needle like a poisonous bug nibbling at his flesh. The actions were signals and declarations of the commencing attack. Aureolus again glared at Kamijou. Stop it! Himegami Aisa moved between them with the same posture she had when she shielded Kamijou prior. However, this time there was a decisive difference: Aureolus valued not Himegami Aisa but Deep Blood. Since his aim was to save Index, if it were impossible, there would have been no reason to keep a useless method! "Hime--" Kamijou began but could say nothing to save her. The image of her back radiated her worry and, not just for Kamijou, but Aureolus and his crumbling sanity. Not explicitly said, but Kamijou could tell that she wanted to calm Aureolus down before he went down the road of destruction. Who could have simply said the cruel reality? Out of the way, woman! It was the greatest failure. Kamijou saw the serious eyes that raged like gun barrels. Kamijou moved, or rather tried to move, his hand. If he did not move in, Himegami would surely die. Slowly, bit by bit, inch by inch, he dragged the right hand bound to the floor. He used his very teeth to touch his ace, his right hand, like he was going to eat his index finger. BANG! With the sound of bones breaking, his body regained freedom. This is my chance! Kamijou frantically stood up to move Himegami aside and silence Aureolus. Die. As Aureolus Izzard speak, time seemed to stop. Assassinated, strangled, poisoned, shot, beheaded, slaughtered, hacked, beaten up, burned, nipped, crushed, ganged up, frozen, drowned. No one knew with what method Himegami was to die. With no wounds, no bleeding and no illness, she simply died. Like a consumed battery, she was expended. If souls existed, hers was extracted from her flesh, leaving behind an empty shell. Himegami did not even cry out. Looking like she would cry, she held back her tears. Her preparation had prevented any surprise or shock. She wore an expression of regret from her inability to prevent the predetermined. Himegami Aisa knew the result of blocking Aureolus. Even so, with a speck of hope, she still attempted it. The girl no one needed was viewed as a simple object until the very end. Like how the alchemist had never understood how to be a protagonist, Himegami Aisa had failed to become a heroine till the bitter end. Like an unappreciated background, she was dead and worthless. Such was the fate of Deep Blood Himegami Aisa. In face of such a scene, who could have remained silent? Whose life... Kamijous eyes ignored the alchemists existence and ran toward Himegami Aisa who was falling onto the floor. There was no reason. He simply felt that if he allowed her to reach the ground, her death would have become permanent. ARE YOU MESSING WITH, YOU BASTARD! The instant before she reached the ground, Kamijou managed to catch her with both arms. She was quite light, so light it seemed like something important was stolen from her. She felt unbelievably soft in his arms. But, with his right carrying her, he felt a weak but definite heart beat. What? My Ars Magna imbued with Gold has been dispelled by your right hand? The alchemists expression froze. IMPOSSIBLE! HIMEGAMI AISAS DEATH WAS ALREADY DECIDED! DOES YOUR RIGHT HAND POSSESS SOME SORT OF HOLY VATICAN SECRET ART!? "..." Kamijou did not reply. It was enough and his questions were unimportant. Like when he touched his head and regained his days memories, why he could negate the order to die was unimportant. It was important that Kamijou would definitely not forgive the alchemist. He would pity him and understand him. Even if Aureolus could not bring himself to kill her after she hurt him, the mans actions were absolutely unforgivable. The situation had changed. Sure, Kamijou had witnessed as the alchemists most important person betrayed him, as his most important person was taken away and as his anger exploded and had refused to scold himself. Before someone that he truly cared for, how could he simply vent his anger for self-satisfaction? Kamijou wholeheartedly disagreed. The current him did not understand the old Kamijou Touma: what memories he had, the past he lived, his plans for the future, what he liked, what he hated, what he protected in the past and what he wanted to protect in future were all lost. But, surely, there one thing he knew. Kamijou Touma would never have approved of the alchemists, no mans, actions. The two Kamijou Toumas who were walking their own paths had finally reached a common understanding, an intersection. Alright, Aureolus Izzard. If you think you can do anything you want... Kamijou Touma gently placed Himegami Aisa onto the floor and stood up. He made no sound but anger seethed around him like static electricity. Without any restraint, he declared. THEN I''LL DESTROY THAT FUCKED UP ILLUSION OF YOURS!! The words belonged to no one else. It was the voice of the Imagine Breaker, Kamijou Touma. Between the Lines 2 Thats why I wanted to be a spellcaster. It was a story of ten years past. On a certain night, a mountain village in Kyoto was attacked by a vampire. It had happened so suddenly, without warning, without a trace. A once ordinary village that had no need for a police station had become living hell overnight. The defending young people were killed one by one until it was difficult to tell who was or was not a vampire. The former companions eventually were consumed in the chaos of murdering each other. Before the sun rose, there were two types of life: the dead and the vampires. How? Why did I survive for so long? The girl thought in her young heart. Vampires were everywhere, the familiar aunts and uncles who had once said goodbye to her at night. The farmer uncle who had once told her that its late, hurry up and go home, bit into her neck. The moment it happened, he turned to dust. Yuzu, who had once told her well play together tomorrow, bit into her neck. The moment it happened, she turned to dust. Her mother, who had once told her to run away, bit into her neck. The moment it happened, she turned to dust. Thus, the vampires realized. Like vampires bane, if they bit her neck, they died. Irrelevant of her desires, the girls blood was acid. If their mouths made contact with her blood, they melted and perished. Even so, they continued to do it while the girl gently stared as the once familiar vampires became dust scattering in the wind. What could she have said? Im sorry. said every vampire. Some had said they had not wanted to become vampires while others said they had not wanted others to become like them. They believed that by reducing to ashes, they could have been redeemed. Eventually, the village was caked by ash. It was peaceful. With a lack of people, it was peaceful. Even the first vampire, the instigator of the tragedy, was unaccounted for. It was unknown whether the vampire had bitten her and joined the ashes. She realized. The instigator was a victim as well. The girl, whose ability killed them in one stroke, likely instilled fear in that vampire. Trembling each and every day with nowhere to go, he had chosen to kill a girl without the necessary power. Having exhausted all options, the vampire had considered converting the entire village to bolster the strike. However, an entire village of vampires was decimated by that one girl. So, I wanted to be a spellcaster. I want to save those that cant be saved. I want to save the abandoned. Whether victims or sinners, dead or not, I want to pull them out of Hell. The only magicians who can defy logic exist in picture books. No matter what, she had to become a spellcaster. She dreamed of the day she became one. Her mind was set on becoming one. Therefore, the day that she met the alchemist, was the day that the impossible dream found a possibility. That night, with comfortable excitement, she could not sleep. However, in present time, the alchemist stood before her. "Out of the way, woman!" Her sought after dream was horribly shattered by the twisted mouth. Die. At the moment of death, she knew not what she was even thinking, unable to maintain her own consciousness. Under that hazy circumstance of disorientation, her mind was dragged into a dark abyss. But it was then that she heard a boys roar that came from neither the magician nor alchemist. It was the voice of that ordinary boy. ARE YOU MESSING WITH, YOU BASTARD!! The boy was angered. Angered not because of what the alchemist did but because of the girls death. To the girl, he looked stunning. And, for some reason, she thought that the unattainable dream was standing right there. Volume 2, 4: The Deadly Seven. Deadly_Sins. Volume 2, Chapter 4: The Deadly Seven. Deadly_Sins. Part 1 The two faced each other in the faded and expansive area. ... Kamijou ignored the weakly breathing Himegami Aisa because of a lack of time. She had expended all of her energy and had even risked her life to stop him. Thus, if he truly wanted to be considerate, it was imperative that he quickly stop the alchemist in front of him. The distance was ten meters. Facing a man who could turn words into reality, it was a distance long enough to cause despair. "..." Kamijou still stepped forward. There was no reason to stop walking and no reason to turn back. Rather fighting be his only option, it was what Kamijou wanted to do. "..." There was no need for words or signals. The battle between the esper and alchemist began. The goal was simple: defeat him. "Phew!" Kamijou exhaled slightly and explosively charged at Aureolus. The alchemist simply took out one of his needles and stabbed his neck. A distance of only ten meters was closable in four steps. Four steps was all Kamijou needed. Suffocate. The moment he took his first step, he lost all momentum. His neck felt like it was tied by steel wires and automatically bent down. Feeling like he was just poisoned, Kamijou used his right hand to grab the throat. This was the same method he had used to retake his stolen memories and return Himegami her life after being ordered to die. But this time, Kamijou did not regain his breathing. It felt like something deep in his throat was obstructing his breathing. Calm down! Calm down! Kamijou released his right hand from his neck and heard his throat release a strange noise. What did he order? Use a rope to tie the neck? No, wait! It was more ambiguous... he told me to suffocate! Kamijou proceeded to stuff one of his fingers into his mouth as if trying to forcibly vomit something he had eaten. As the finger reached deep into his throat, with the urge to vomit came a PAH! He heard the sound of shattering glass and could breathe once more. The entire event lasted a mere five seconds. But, against Aureolus, who could turn any sentence into a weapon, they were five seconds of toying. Aureolus once again stabbed his neck and nonchalantly extricated it. Be electrocuted. The moment he finished speaking, blue-white sparks surrounded Kamijou from all directions. Before Kamijous body could even freeze, the electric vortex burned the air and rushed for Kamijou. ...! Kamijou raised his hand. It was a response he had not planned but the lone right hand still took the role of a lightning rod, absorbing the electricity. The sparks that interacted with the hand trembled like a snake that devoured poison, and then silently vanished. I can dispel it... For Kamijou, excitement surpassed tension as his heart began to race. His opponent, however, narrowed his eyes and stabbed his neck once more. Be strangled and be crushed. For a moment, the floor rippled like the surface of water and numerous ropes flew about, painfully choking Kamijous neck. At the same time, a rusted car fell down from the twisting ceiling. I can dispel it! Kamijou simply waved his right hand and the tied ropes broke like soaked paper bags while the rusted car morphed into a coarse, sugar-like powder, disappearing into the air. Aureolus removed the needle like he was scratching off a poisonous bug. I can dispel it! That should be enough! My right hand dispels this guys attacks! If he attacks verbally, it means therell be an attack. Its nothing if I deal with it calmly! As Aureolus was the type to state his commands, it meant his attacks were predictable. It was like a card game that tested human responses. Like if one heard the word electrocuted, he could guess what attack it would become. It took less than a second to predict the attack. In normal brawling, there was no second of reprieve. Boxers had 0.3 seconds before a punch landed and, though each attack was terrifyingly powerful, the speed of Aureolus commands was like that of ordinary punches. With such things in mind, the fear of not knowing what attack will come was gone, like the worry of a delinquent bringing a knife to childrens fights. Aureolus noted Kamijous reason for confidence and frowned. I see. Truly, that right hand can dispel my Ars Magna Imbued Gold without exception. The alchemist was still confident, causing the boy some puzzlement. However, that would mean that the negation effect wont occur as long as it doesnt touch your right hand, hm? Kamijous body went numb. Form a pistol in my hand. Load with magic bullets. Application is firing. One will suffice. The alchemist seemed rather excited as he stabbed his neck. As Aureolus gently waved his hand, a sword appeared. At first impression, it was a Western sword that a fairy tale prince would use, but was slightly different. Where the hilt should have been was a pirates musket pistol. It was a sort of gun with a strange projectile. The attack approaching, Kamijou tensed. "Begin to fire at a speed that surpasses human motion recognition. Seemingly desiring to rip apart the air, he swung the Western sword horizontally, which came with the sound of exploding gunpowder. The next instant, Kamijou felt something barely brush past his face and, after that, blue-white bullets struck the wall behind him and exploded. ...! It was actually none to extravagant: the muskets trigger was pulled. However, how could the human eye see a magic bullet that ripped through the very air? Kamijou had raised his hand but did not react. The destructiveness of bullets was easier to understand, making him more nervous than esper powers or magic normally would. The speed was completely different from that of the fake Aureolus Limen Magna. It was irrelevant to magic or esper powers. A magic bullet could not be endured by human flesh, becoming a sort of killing blow. Aureolus revealed a satisfied expression and removed the needle. Mass produce the previous process. Simulation firing with ten Hidden Rifle Imperceptible Rifles. With those words, ten muskets appeared in his hands, five in each in a metallic fan-like array. If those guns were fired, Kamijou Touma would inevitably fail to avoid or dodge. Ive got to... run! Kamijou had decided to run before the firing. Though he knew it was a pointless struggle, he actively tried to flee. Then, he realized that behind Kamijou, at his feet, Himegami was still barely breathing. Even further behind, Stiyl was immobile. IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU STOPPING!? yelled Stiyl with shock. Preparations complete. Ten hidden rifles: fire simultaneously. With his command, ten blazing, blue-white bullets struck Kamijou. Kamijous body was covered with what felt like fists wearing brass knuckles. The word fire failed to describe the speed. The high-speed sniping was untraceable while even editing a recording of it. "Ugh... argh...!" Luckily, the magic bullets were not fatal. Hit all over by the old-style bullets, blood spilled everywhere. He was shot back, bounced off the floor like a rubber ball and finally stopped once he had crashed into something, specifically Stiyls body. In the end, the distance had widened by seven meters. Though he was in so much pain he thought his bones were broken, he could still move. Of course, this was not luck. The alchemist had already warned that he would not kill him so easily. Apparently happy with the outcome, Aureolus raised a hand at Kamijou. ...Tch. What kind of joke was that? Its almost like you can actually distort reality with your words. Before Aureolus could speak, Stiyl cut in, causing him to divert his attention that way. Hmph. Ars Magna is the pinnacle of alchemy. It might be hard to obtain, but, if I continue to pursue it, naturally it will become obtainable. Thats not possible! Though Ars Magnas theory is complete, the incantation is way too long. It cant be completed with one or two hundred years! The incantation cant be shortened and passing it on becomes a telephone game of error in the ritual! said Stiyl while giving Kamijou a look. Kamijou nodded with understanding. Since Aureolus method of attack was to turn his words into reality, they just needed to divert his attention and safely take away his intention to attack. Stiyl continued to distract Aureolus while giving Kamijou hints. While Im buying time for you, think of some ways to counter this!! This is actually a trifle. Aureolus, ignorant of it all, continued. Hmph. Its true I couldnt complete the ritual in one or two hundred years. But thats just one person chanting it, right? From father to son, son to grandson, such a method would result in error like a game of telephone... thats the logic, but theres no need to pass it down, right? ...What? Stiyl frowned slightly Then, Index dejectedly spoke. Its the Gregorian Chant. By manipulating 2,000 people to make them chant simultaneously, the chant will complete at least 2000 times faster. A ritual that takes 400 years would be completed in less than 7 days. Rather than passed down, it was chanted at once. Kamijou stared at her face. At first, he thought she had derived it from the 103,000 grimoires but he realized that, in a world where no one had managed to complete Ars Magna, there was no book to reference. She had deduced it from the current information. In fact, I thought there would be a multiplication effect in the spell that would cause it to drastically increase. But, I only managed to increase it by 120 fold, so it was overall unsuccessful. Kamijou gathered his thoughts that were slipping away and examined his surroundings. He could still move his body and he was seven meters from Aureolus, not too far. If he could dodge his attack, he could attack him. 120 fold... you finished it in only half a day? Stiyl spoke with extreme seriousness. But this is the home of espers. If these people used the Gregorian Chant with their bodies, theyd explode and die! Kamijou looked around but found nothing usable as a weapon. He rummaged through I pocked and felt something hard and cold but nothing suitable as a weapon. Two shots. If Kamijou could dodge two of Aureolus commands, he could close the distance. Havent you noticed? Aureolus titled his head. Cant I just repair spoiled goods like a collapsed building? For a moment, Kamijou stopped to stare at Aureolus. Ah, didnt I tell you? Today wasnt the first time those students died. He said carelessly. YOU BASTARD! Kamijous mind blurred from the anger. Its true. Im not stupid enough to ignore my own sins... Yes, I brought failure upon myself. Even so, I still believed there was someone I needed to save. In the end, I ended up with this unexpected outcome. Aureolus removed a needle and tossed it aside like drawn poison. YOU BASTARD! Kamijou had stood before Aureolus had given the order. Kamijou grabbed the object in his pocket as Aureolus prepared to give the next command to kill the standing Kamijou. Before he could speak, the boy threw the phone at Aureolus. ...? For a moment, he was truly stunned, which Kamijou utilized to begin his run. A cell phone could not defeat an Alchemist, but it was a distraction to buy time and close the distance. Predictably, it was distracting. Abort the throw. Turn it into a pointlessly thrown pebble! In that short time, Kamijou approached, fully capable of defending against Aureolus next command. There was chance to turn it around! Bring a pistol into my hand. Used for shooting. Finish according to preparations! On the other hand, if Kamijou failed to evade, it was over. Aureolus fired ten musket-swords. SLASH! The empty weapons dropped onto the floor, sounding like a secret code as the weapons reappeared in the alchemists hands. Kamijous face twitched tensely as Aureolus was about to say the crucial word. INNOCENTIUS! Stiyls roar interrupted. Stunned, the boy turned to Stiyl. Thats impossible, right? Isnt that thing summoned with the runes all over the dorm? Besides, Innocentius was stationed in the student dorm to protect Index. It was apparently a hoax, a hoax meant to slightly extend Kamijous lifespan. Aureolus burning, cannon-like eyes glared at Stiyl. Float into the sky, Father from London. Aureolus said it quietly, as if preparing for an execution. Once he had finished, Stiyls body floated into the air like gravity was forgotten everywhere below the ceiling. Kamijou automatically stopped. Imagine Breaker was capable of negating the command but, a simpleton would have known they were much too far away. YOU IDIOT! ITS EASY FOR YOU TO BEAT AUREOLUS! THAT GUYS WEAKNESS IS THE NEEDLE! YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT MEDICAL STUFF! growled Stiyl to have the frozen Kamijou move. Aureolus glowered at Stiyl with razor sharp eyes. Explode from the inside, rune magician. With a mysterious and uncomfortable noise, as commanded, the rune magician had expanded like a balloon and then exploded. Blood, flesh, bones and internal organs splattered the area. Flesh and blood stained the ceiling, making a large oval shape. The entire room, covered in the human body, was like one large museum created from the magicians flesh. ...! The truly terrifying thing was the fact that the blood vessels were intact, the heart undamaged. Like the map of a train, the visible heart pumped blood through the long blood vessels into the internal organs and back into the heart. He was alive. Even like that, Stiyl Magnus was alive. Pala pala... Rune cards scattered like sakura petals from possibly the magicians pockets. Thump! Index, who was sitting blankly on the table, had fainted at the cruel image. Da-Damn it! Kamijou hurriedly tried to think of a way to prevent the horrifying situation from paralyzing him and tried to hold back the voice wanting to cry out. Stiyl had never asked Kamijou to save him. He knew this would become the result but still told Kamijou the important words. It was imperative that Kamijou thoroughly analyzed the enormous clue. YOU IDIOT! ITS EASY FOR YOU TO BEAT AUREOLUS! THAT GUYS WEAKNESS IS THE NEEDLE! YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT MEDICAL STUFF! Kamijou began to decipher his words. Needles... medical stuff? Aureolus had repeatedly used needles to stab his neck. Stabbing needles into his own neck... was that the reference? Academy City used various drugs as a part of the esper development program which meant it had vast pharmaceutical and medicinal knowledge unknown to the outside world. Like remember English words during a vocabulary test, Kamijous mind pieced together its understanding of acupuncture. From the standpoint of regulating breathing through Asian medicine and factors, acupuncture therapys purpose was the stimulation of the nerves to reduce pain or control internal organ functions. In a time period lacking anesthesia, it was an important part of treatment that was like magic. But... what about it? Kamijou tilted his head and continued to analyze. The fact that modern operations abandoned acupuncture meant that it was ineffective in humans and did not have truly desired effects on the mind and body like anesthetics. The most it could accomplish was stimulate endorphin secretion to feel happier and more excited, and relieve some anxiety. Anxiety? Change the contents. Stop shooting the hidden rifle. Use the bayonet to eliminate the intruders. Kamijou stood idly by as he forgot to run forward. With Aureolus words, he recovered. The muskets bayonets in the alchemists hands aimed at Kamijou were spinning, signs of death. Despite the imminent danger, Kamijous suspicions were not ignorable. With one suspicion came a chain reaction creating more suspicions. Thats right. Its too weird. In Himegami and Stiyls case the alchemist had said die and explode to kill them. If he could truly do anything, was it not simpler to command that Kamijou lose the ability in his right hand? Thats right! Somethings not right! If he could do anything, why did he need vampires and Deep Blood? If he could create anything, could he not create vampires with his own power? Thats right. Theres something wrong with this! Also, if Aureolus Izzard could do anything he desired, why did Index ignore him? What if Aureolus Izzards ultimate Ars Magna did not alter reality through his words but through his thought? Do-Dont tell me... I see... It was no wonder Stiyl had told him that it was a simple matter for Kamijou to defeat the alchemist. Because Aureolus understood the powers of Stiyl, Index and Himegami, they could not defeat him. But, Kamijou was an exception. Having met for the first time today, Aureolus had no grasp on the strangers strength. IMPOSSIBLE! HIMEGAMI AISAS DEATH WAS ALREADY DECIDED! DOES YOUR RIGHT HAND POSSESS SOME SORT OF HOLY VATICAN SECRET ART!? Anxious was certainly nervous at the time. For an omnipotent being to have anxiety in his heart... I understand. So its like that. Kamijou muttered lightly. It was unimpressive and even simple after understanding the truth. Hmph. It seems the source of your confidence is that mysterious right hand of yours. Aureolus calmly stared at the spacey Kamijou, stabbing his neck with another needle. If thats the case, Ill start by cutting off your right hand. Hidden rifle: rotate-fire your blade! Soundless, Aureolus swung his right hand, sending the bayonet spinning at Kamijou with the terrifying speed of an electric fan. He himself barely saw the trajectory of the blade and what actually flew over. One moment, the musket-sword rested in the alchemists hand. One moment, it had severed Kamijous arm and stabbed into the back wall. It felt like a hot knife had sliced through butter as Kamijous right arm was sliced neatly down his shoulder. His right arm rotated in midair. It was painless and heatless. Kamijou stared absentmindedly at his detached arm. My right hands been sliced off? Kamijou stared at the spinning arm. An omnipotent person who can crush my heart heard with a single sentence... His mind had not been distorted from pain or fear as his thoughts reached the ultimate question. ...chose to slice off my right hand? He combined his suspicions to formulate his answer. Hes definitely someone who can do what he wants... Eventually, fresh blood gushed out of severed joint. But cant do anything to the power of my right hand? He still felt no pain and no heat. He could only slice off my right arm to take away Imagine Breaker? The arm spun in the air until it hit something hard, dropping to the floor. Eventually, he found the answer from the various suspicions. He knew what he had to do and the rest was simply. Kamijou heard his mind flip a switch. Part 2 KUKUKUKUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Faced with such an unexpected response, Aureolus backed away. The boy with one arm was absolutely sneering. Is he crazy from pain and fear!? No, thats not right... His smile was one of confidence, a very natural smile that indicated his belief of victory. To remain normal in that critical situation was most abnormal What... Whats going on? Aureolus was more dissatisfied than afraid. Though he did not know what thoughts ran through the boys head, the victor was already decided. In which case, there was no reason to feel unhappy. Deciding to end his life, he impatiently tossed aside a needle and began his commands. Hidden rifle appears in my hand. Load with magic bullets. One will suffice. Swinging his right hand, and as commanded, a Western sword with a rapid-fire musket pistol appeared in his hand. Rather satisfied with his perfect magic, he continued. Application is crushing. Following the original rifle concept, fire the blade to crush preys head into pieces! Aureolus squeezed the trigger and the magic bullet loaded with gunpowder flew toward the eyeball of the maniacally laughing boy. Though a low-velocity projectile, it would still pierce the brain if it hit the eyeball. Still, it was not a velocity that humans could dodge and not a defendable force. The boy could do little more but stare and watch as his brain was splattered like a tomato. ...But nothing happened. "What?" Aureolus began to distrust his very own eyes as the blue magic bullet aimed precisely at the boys eye had somehow grazed the stagnant boy, hitting the wall behind him. Did I miscalculate the distance? No... Aureolus commanded once more. Repeat the previous command. Application is strafe firing. Simultaneously fire ten hidden rifles! The discussed ten rifles appeared out of thin air and fired bullets like a bouquet of flowers. However, the ten accurately aimed bullets all proceeded to fly past the boy, leaving him unharmed. A MISSFIRE!? HOW COULD THAT!? Stunned, Aureolus stared at the boy who had escaped death twice. The bleeding shoulder gushed unbelievable amounts of fresh bled from the sliced joint, splattering blood onto his face, covering it with blood. The boy still spoke. As if the vilest parts of his body were gushing from the sliced arm, the boy continued to smile. In response, the offender decided to give the command for a third attempt at killing his enemy. But he didnt do anything. He evaded Ars Magna twice!? He stopped his actions as he felt doubt. He knew the abilities of his spell the best and he knew they were not attacks evadable through luck. Dont tell me hes planning something I didnt foresee!? In his heart, the boy seemed to laugh as he stuck his tongue out, licking the blood on his lips like sauce. Even a fallen vampire would not have reveled in its own blood! WHATSGOINGON? Aureolus could not stop the anxiety bubbling from within. WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS GUY? HE CAN STILL FIGHT WITH THAT BODY? WITHOUT A RIGHT ARM? IMPOSSIBLE! TOTALLY ILLOGICAL! THIS GUY WILL DIE FROM THE INTENSE BLOOD LOSS! ITS ALRIGHT. THERES NO PROBLEM! THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM! THERES NO PROBLEM BUT! It was the moment that anxiety had formed in his heart... The boy had lost his right hand, and with it, his powers. That pitiable image seemed to mutter, sneer and laugh as it stared at the alchemist. Ku... ah... Ugh. Damn you... YOU WONT SURVIVE BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF MY ARS MAGNA! DEPLOY A COUNTLESS NUMBER OF GUILLOTINES TO QUICKLY DISMANTLE THAT BODY! As he had finished speaking, numerous, enormous guillotines appeared on the ceiling space above the boys head like the cracking of the surface. Each was a blade of execution weighing over 100 kilograms. Before those murderous tools of gravity, Kamijou simply sneered, intending to neither evade nor defend. ITS ALRIGHT! HE CANT GET AWAY FROM THIS! IT WILL HIT! HELL DIE AS HES MASSACRED! I GAVE THE ORDER! I GAVE AN ORDER I GAVE AN ORDER I GAVE AN ORDER! IT SHOULD BE ALRIGHT! THERES NO NEED TO WORRY! Aureolus repeated consolations in his heart over and over and over again. As long as events unfolded as he had commanded, the boy would die. Though he would surely die, doubts continued to creep into heart as if his silent wish was to remove his hearts anxieties. As Aureolus had wished, an infinite number of enormous guillotines appeared above him... as the boy sneered. His expression seemed to say that he knew Aureolus weaknesses. Ku. DAMN IT! WHY!? The alchemist had no hesitation as he glared at Kamijou like he wanted to pierce him through. DIE! BOY" Before his roaring command had completed, doubts crept into his mind. Can I really kill him with just that word? With trembling hands, he tried to take the needle out of his neck but caused numerous unused needles to drop onto the floor, something he had no time to worry about. Aureolus Izzard trembled as he stared at Kamijou. The formerly piercing gaze became as blunt as a rusted blade. Unbelievably, his control over his legs seemed limited as he stumbled away, stepping on something, crushing some of the numerous needles dropped onto the floor. Ars Magna turned a persons wishes into reality. But, once Aureolus believed that he could not win, could not defeat someone, those also became reality, becoming a double-edged sword. It was the reason why he could not create vampires and needed Deep Blood for his goals. The doubts in his heart that he could not create this were why he could not form them in reality. Each and every order was like a bullet. If he were to simply think, numerous random thoughts would have mixed in. Thus, the ambiguousness of the order would have prevented its occurrence. Gathering his concentration, he could fire his command like a bullet. And, like when learning English words, reciting out loud simplified the process. Ars Magna was not a spell that turned anything spoken into reality but a spell that turned imagination into reality. Aureolus Izzard had lost control of his verbal ability. Before, he converted ambiguous thoughts into words and automatically created reality. It was like a handgun that fired without human interface. In order to prevent such a situation, he had prepared a countermeasure. DAMN IT. WHERE ARE MY NEEDLES? WHY DID THEY LAND ON THE FLOOR!? I USED NEED THEM TO EASE MY ANXIETY! WITHOUT THEM! In shock, Aureolus held his breath. IF I DONT HAVE THEM WHAT WILL HAPPEN? STOP? NO! STOP THINKING! IF I CONTINUE TO THINKING THEYLL BECOME PERMANENT! The more he considered running away, the further his thoughts divulged. It was a known fact that he could not stop. If he did stop, it meant he had consented to his own powerlessness. Like a rolling snowball, Aureolus doubts went out of control and lost all meaning. The boy before him said nothing. He said nothing and only silently walked, causing Aureolus even more anxiousness. He could not stop the boy and did not know what to order to do so. Aureolus Izzard could do nothing but wait until the boy closed in like a scarecrow. Somehow, the boy was already there. They faced each other with Index and the table between then. It was an event of irony. At that point, the alchemist was like prey frozen by the gaze of a snake. THATS RIGHT! STIYL. INDEX. HIMEGAMI AISA. I KNOW ALL OF THEM. I KNEW THEIR POWERS AND THE FACT THEY WERENT A MATCH FOR MY ARS MAGNA. ONLY THIS BOY IS DIFFERENT!! I MET THE BOY FOR THE FIRST TIME AND DONT KNOW HIS POWER! I DONT KNOW IF ARS MAGNA GOLDEN ALCHEMY IS EFFECTIVE ON HIM!!! OI! Suddenly hearing the boys voice, Aureolus trembled like a child being lectured. YOU DIDNT THINK THAT YOU COULD GET RID OF MY IMAGINE BREAK BY JUST CUTTING OFF MY RIGHT HAND, DID YA!?! Kamijou bared his fangs while his eyes seemed to glow reddish gold. He had spoken from the bottom of his heart. WA-WAIT! STOP THINKING! DONANXIETYNOW I NEED! Unable to reign in his thoughts, the alchemist could only pray. Then, an abnormal change began on Kamijous right shoulder that was releasing blood like a fountain. The blood loss increased and an object formed as if the blood were being splattered all over a transparent glass statue. And unbelievable object began to take shape. What formed on his shoulder was not a humans arm. It was a head, a savage, two meter long head seen only in ancient legends, the head of a large and almighty King Dragon. What should have been a transparent head was dyed with blood. The boy raised it and swung it, slowing opening the jaws containing rows of saw-like teeth. It seemed like it was revealing the right hands true identity. Its teeth were bared. At first glance, nothing seemed to happen. However, in the unseen world, it changed while the alchemists once dominant presence disappeared. It was as if the role of the protagonist was forcibly ripped away. WHA Aureolus looked up and found that the repulsive human constellation observatory consisting of Stiyl Magnus flesh and blood began to gather together from all over the room. It was like the command to explode was repealed. DONT TELL ME HES REVIVING!? LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO HIMEGAMI!? THE PEOPLE DESTROYED CAN As Aureolus considered the idea, Stiyl reformed and landed onto the floor, completely unharmed. In turn, Aureolus felt like his spine were being stabbed by an icy pillar. Naturally, the magicians revival was caused by Aureolus anxieties. HOLD ON... THIS IS JUST... MY... ANXIETIES... CALM DOWN... AS LONG AS I... CONTROL MY ANXIETY... I CAN DEFINITELY... MAKE THIS RIDICULOUS MONSTER... DISAPPEAR! Attempting to reign in the sensation crushing his heart, Aureolus attempted his final resistance. It was surely a monster that Aureolus had created and, so long as he had calmed himself down, the mystical beast residing in the boy would surely have disappeared. But, the transparent King Dragon glared silently at the alchemist with both eyes. And, like that, Aureolus vision faded from the sheer horror. IM... POSSIBLE... I CANT... WIN... Simultaneous to those thoughts, the King Dragons mouth widened until its maximum, completely swallowing the alchemist head first. Volume 2, Epilogue: Deep Blood of Corruption. Devil_or_God. Volume 2, Epilogue: Deep Blood of Corruption. Devil_or_God. I really think your injuries are really interesting every time. In a pure white hospital room, a middle-aged-looking doctor with a face like a frogs spoke to Kamijou. ... Kamijou knew not what to say as he lied on the table, lowering his head to look at the arm held in plaster. The severed limb was repaired neatly for likely the best. The cells near the sliced area were undamaged and, after a day of emergency treatment, the arm itself was successfully reattached. A pinky sliced off by a delinquent can be reattached, was the type of information that Kamijou had. However, no one had imagined that such a major reassembly of the arm was possible. However, with such disgusting information in his mind, Kamijou truly did not understand what kind of person he was before he had lost his memories. As a side note, youve been hospitalized twice in ten days and, naturally, youve become a topic of discussion among the nurses. Dont tell me you have a fetish for nurses? ...What are you talking about? Would I have ended up on the emergency room table for something like that? Really? A pity, I thought Id found a compatriot. Kamijou stared wordlessly at the frog-faced doctor. Did he become a doctor for that kind of reason? If it were the case, Kamijou wanted to change doctors and press the emergency call button. Hm? Please dont be mistaken though. I prefer to do it than be done in. Also, I prefer the delivery platform from the operation table. SHUT UP! NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN TO THE SPECIFICS! AND STOP DEMONSTRATING IT TO ME, THATS DISGUSTING! WHY ISNT A NURSE TAKING CARE OF ME!? Like that, Kamijou actually pressed the emergency call button. The doctor gave a look of despair saying, Im going then, and walked out of the patients room. What the heck? Why did it look like he thought it was a pity? Immediately after he left, another person, Stiyl Magnus, a man who seemed out of place in Japanese culture, walked in. Though I dont want to get close to you or be friends with you at all, I came here out of courtesy. Let me ask you something... Why are you strutting around as if nothing happened? Tell me why. Stiyl unhappily puffed his cheeks and chose not to say anything. Between the two of them, Kamijou was the one less tactful about injuries. Though, he was somewhat justified as Stiyl had his flesh and bones broken and scattered yet at the moment not even a blood vessel was harmed. His organs had splattered the room but he had survived as his blood still circulated. Few could have such precious experiences. I actually wanted to more or less thank you for this one. But, when I thought about it, theres no need. All you did was let Aureolus self-destruct. Hmph. This is all thanks to this Kamijou Toumas perfect acting skills! It was true that Kamijou Touma had lacked the ability to defeat Aureolus Izzard. His magic turned ones thoughts into reality and, as such, he had needed to ensure that he believed... that Aureolus Izzard could not possibly defeat Kamijou Touma. To achieve it, Kamijou Touma had bluffed. In fact, the boy had forgotten the fact he had lost his right arm. Though he was supposed to act somewhat properly, in reality, his mind had numbed from the intense pain and shock. According to some suicidal individuals, excessive blood loss brought about a kind of high, which explained his slasher smile. Of course, the truth was undetectable. Considering his need to act, he raised it up to eleven. Speaking of which, its pretty unbelievable that you survived. I got my arm cut off but you became a human constellation exhibit. It feels like well appreciate the value of life again... Oi. Why do you look like youre about to laugh? Nothing. By your attitude, I was just thinking you didnt realize I was secretly helping you. Stiyl smirked with apparent condescension. After you lost your arm, you managed to dodge Aureolus bullets without dodging, remember? How do you think that happened? ...Ah? Your acting did fool Aureolus but he wouldnt have believed you right away, right? After you lost your arm and started your bluff, the main reason why he was fooled by it was because you dodged his attacks twice, right? Erm... Kamijou stared back like a fool. You still dont understand after I said so much? Basically, the reason why he missed the first two times wasnt because of your acting but because I used my magic to create an optical illusion around Aureolus. What...? Kamijou looked at him with surprised. Whats so surprising about that? I specialize in fire magic. Using heated air to create mirages and manipulate light refraction to create optical errors is not outside my area of ability. Ho-Hold on! Im not surprised about that! Werent you blown to pieces and splattered all over the ceiling? How were you able to cast magic in human constellation mode? Human constellation is an interesting description... but, this is none to strange, is it? I was alive the whole time so of course I could refine life force to create magic. Its a good thing my rune cards were scattered all over the floor when I exploded! Kamijou looked at him with confusion. For an incident involving vampires and Deep Blood, Stiyl was the most frightening one. You dont have to worry about it. I suppose you know the sin you committed during this incident, right? Im here today to discuss the developments for Misawa Cram. Sin. Kamijou turned to look at the right hand covered in plaster that had once housed a King Dragon. Though it was a self-destructive illusion induced by Aureolus own anxieties, the one who had forced the alchemist down the path to self-destruction was none other than Kamijou. Stiyl sighed. No need for that expression. What Aureolus imagined was a mental image of the King Dragon, not physical. It was an illusion. Though you couldnt physically touch it, it was something could devour stuff like souls. ??? It means you didnt harm Aureolus physically but he is mentally broken. ...Is that something worth bragging about? Of course it is. In terms of the conclusion, we stripped his memories and that settled it. In this battle involving such a powerful magician, the final casualty count was that one member of the 13 Knights by the lift. In the 2,000 years of recorded magic history, this is the third time such a happy ending occurred. Is this really something to be happy about? Kamijou wondered. He then wondered if the Gregorian Chant of the Roman Catholics was safe. Perhaps Stiyl, who had once gotten his memories wiped, could not remember. Speaking of which, where did the memory-less Aureolus Izzard go? Is he in this hospital? Oh, is there a need to ask? I killed him. He said so matter-of-factly that Kamijou suspected whether he had heard it incorrectly. Whats with the expression? Listen. Aureolus Izzard first betrayed the Catholic Church and became an alchemist. Then, he imprisoned Deep Blood and turned Misawa Cram into his fortress. He basically rebelled against the entirety of Academy City and the Christian sects that were wiped out trying to hunt him. Hes someone with a huge bounty on his head. Of course, Necessarius, which mostly carries out witch-hunts and includes me and Index, had a mission to kill him. Stiyl seemed impatient in the room that forbade smoking. Look. Going against so many world organizations, could a memory-less Aureolus Izzard fight them? Simply put, without memories or anything to protect, did he have the will to rebel against the entire world? ... Aureolus definitely would have died that simply. The enemies would have killed him with even crueler methods and, most importantly, Aureolus Izzard is the only magician in history to successfully cast Ars Magna. Of course, many organizations would interrogate him severely for this spell. And, worst of all, without his memories, giving a testimony would be impossible. Stiyl said reluctantly. So he only had to options. One was death and the other was an even more painful Hell. In my opinion, Id have chosen the former without hesitation. However, Kamijou still could not accept it. I still can''t accept it. I just can''t. Even if it were the only option, we cant just treat killing someone as okay. If we didnt care about human lives, why did we charge into Misawa Cram? Certainly, the Kamijous motivation to fight was driven from the numerous things that he disagreed with. Deep Blood was treated as a tool, the students were sacrificial materials for the Gregorian Chant and Limen Magna while Aureolus had eventually even killed Himegami in a fit of rage. Because of the blatant disregard for human life, Kamijou had approached the battlefield rather than retreat. If, at the end, they accepted a persons death as a good thing, the guilt that Kamijous fists had caused would have consumed him. ... Even if Aureolus Izzard were someone unforgivable, he was not atrociously bad. At that time, despite the fact he could do anything, Index had never returned to him. Even if there were a possibility of rejection, he was unwilling to give her to command, proving the sliver of humanity in him. Thiss why I say youre too na?ve. Stiyl Magnus looked away and spoke calmly. When I said I killed him, I didnt necessarily say I took his life away, right? Stunned, Kamijou stared at Stiyl''s face. Stiyl spoke with a disinterested tone while avoiding Kamijous gaze. Listen, Aureolus Izzard lost his memories. If I reshaped his face, wouldnt it mean his appearance and personality were completely different? It would no longer be Aureolus Izzard. Wouldnt it mean that he was dead to the world? Are you actually a good guy? What do you mean by that? I''m an Anglican priest after all. And, considering I specialize in flames, it wouldnt be hard for me to burn a face and turn it into a different one. ...YOU''RE ACTUALLY A GREAT GUY! Hm? I''m really surprised by that response... HOLD ON! WHAT ARE YOU HUGGING ME FOR!? STOP TREADING YOUR TOES ON MY HEAD!! As Kamijou and Stiyl tugged at each other in the hospital room, the door opened and Index walked in without knocking. Touma! Theyre selling honey-flavored chips in the shops! Its so interesting I wanna buy it! But I dont have money! ...Eh? She froze. She saw the struggling magician and the truly touched Kamijou Touma as he tried to touch the magicians head. The three of them stopped. The world stopped. "Touma... Erm... sorry for interrupting you." "Ho-Hold on a minute! What are you doing? Whyre you looking away!? OI! DONT GO AWAY WITHOUT RESPONDING!! GYYYAAAAHHH!! Kamijou cried out as he tried to pull Index as she tried to leave the room. In that situation, he couldnt say to the young girl, Sorry Index, Im interested in you but it would go against social norms. Kamijou wondered with confusion how he would settle the matter. "..." Stiyl Magnus stares at the two of them as they argued with each other rather happily. As if seeing them in their natural environment, Stiyl Magnus continued to watch. He felt neither envy nor hate because he had chosen that path for the sake of protecting Indexs smiles. With satisfaction, he looked at the face of the girl he desired to protect. "Fu. Well, the next mission awaits me. I should be off now." He said with casual satisfaction. Index carefully watched Stiyls face as she hurriedly hid behind Kamijous back. She looked like a sneaking private investigator as she peeked at the magicians face from behind the boy. Stiyl thought little of it and raised his foot as he prepared to leave the room. Such were the consequences of his chosen path. "Erm." As he took a step out of the room, she spoke up. Stiyl turned, expecting to find an Index angry at him for dragging Kamijou Touma into the Misawa Cram School incident. There was no reason for her not to scold him. "First, I should start off by thanking you. Thank you." Instead, Index said thank you. "If Touma knew that the building was going to be like that, Touma would have run in even alone. So, it''s great that you were around. And... eh? What''s wrong?" "It''s nothing." Stiyl chuckled. Then with no more words, Stiyl turned his back and silently exited. Which incidentally, Touma thought was the first time he had seen him smile. "Touma!" Kamijous gaze turned from the door to Index. She seemed rather unhappy that his focus was off of her as she puffed her cheeks and looked at Kamijous eyes. Seeing her like that, Kamijou inadvertently smiled. The battlefield Misawa Cram was cruel but I still managed to survive. Kamijou Touma had a realistic experience as he remembered a doubt he had left on the battlefield. The King Dragons head had emerged from the severed right arm. It was supposed to be a monster created by Aureolus fear of Kamijou. That was the logical analysis. But, in that situation, had Aureolus Izzard truly imagined that there was a transparent King Dragons head living exploding out of Kamijous right shoulder? The likelihood was low but what if, just what if, that monster was unrelated to Aureolus powers? ... Impossible. However, Kamijou remembered Himegami Aisa, the Deep Blood, who had a power only effective on vampires. Considering that her power capable of killing vampires had caused so many incidents to revolve around her, how valuable was Imagine Breaker, Kamijous right hand, that negated even miracles? In essence the basic question: What is Imagine Breaker? "Touma! Honeydew-flavored potato chips!" Index''s words returned Kamijou to reality. "A-Ahhh. Okay okay... If it''s honeydew-flavored, it should be sweet, right?" Kamijou tried to match Indexs discussion with an ambiguous response. Perhaps the status quo was fine. No matter how unexplainable that power was, so long as he could use it to protect the girl before him, there was little else to ask for. So, lets keep things like this. Like this... "Touma, Touma. Wasn''t there a girl called Himegami Aisa?" While walking down the corridor that led to the shops, Index suddenly asked. "Ah, that wave loving girl Denpa Kei who liked to pretend to be a spellcaster [1] What''s about her? Hm? Index, what''s up? You mentioned her, so why do you look so unhappy?" "...Touma, you fought for Aisa this time, right? Not for me, but for Aisa!" "What?" Surprised, Kamijou tilted his neck. For some reason, Index, who had said the ridiculous words, seemed rather irritated as she deliberately puffed up her cheeks in front of Kamijou. "Nothing! It''s nothing!" Index muttered some words and continued. "Ah. Also, it seems Aisas staying in this hospital. I just spoke with her." Kamijou reacted passively. Oh. Oh yeah, what will happen to Himegami? She doesnt want to attract vampires again but the Misawa Cram boundary shouldnt exist anymore. Though it was apparently possible to replace it with a Walking Church like the one Index wore, the Aureolus Izzard that had promised to make one no longer existed. I talked to her for a while and decided to keep her in the Church. For some reason, I know what happens next. Can I say it out loud first? "GAH! Id actually prepared this for a long time and Touma still wants to say the ending? You really don''t know how a script goes! Shakespeare might stab you with a knife! "Stop laughing while you talk about stabbing!" Kamijou sighed and stated the answer that anyone could have predicted. "In conclusion, the Walking Church is a type of Church, right?" Notes 1. 늲ϵ or Denpa Kei is similar to the term "Denpa Onna" used in the prologue, "kei" goes for someone who is an incredible fanatic of something, for example "Akiba-Kei" refers to someone "who is in love with Akiba products (an otaku)"; in this case Denpa Kei means that Aisa loves to act strangely (denpa) with no apparent reason at all Volume 2, Afterword Volume 2, Afterword To the readers who read the first volume, it''s been a while. To the brave souls who read from the second volume, nice to meet you. I''m Kazuma Kamachi. It''s now time for the afterword. According to some readers, the first thing they read is the afterword. In other words, the afterword is the second synopsis. Anyway, please read the afterword, and if you like it, you may bring it to the counter to buy it. However, please let me warn the readers who like to read the afterword first: the following content does include some plot spoilers, so, to the readers who haven''t read the main content, it is best that you dont read this first. The following content of the afterword is written to those readers who read the afterword at the end and the brave souls who don''t care about whether they know the content beforehand. The main theme of this volume is BAD END. To be blunt, Aureolus Izzard is a failed version of Kamijou Touma. When I was writing, I thought that if Kamijou Touma failed in the first volume, he would have become such a person. The reason I created Himegami was also to create a tragic girl who could never be the heroine. As the story went on, the murderous atmosphere became extremely intense. However, what''s different is that in the first volume, even if they were enemies, at least they would listen to the main character before fighting. However, in this volume, even the second heroine didnt like to listen too much, let alone the Big Bad. As for magic, the story revolves around the key term Ars Magna. Even though in the story, I made it to be the real essence of an alchemist, it was actually made up by me. In fact, it was said that the Bosnian sect of Alchemy (who created the concept of turning lead into gold) appeared in the late Roman period, but Ars Magna was created in the 17th century, so the time difference between them was quite large. The 17th century was the time when alchemy was widespread, and was also the time when fake magicians used it to fool nobility out of their money. In other words, Ars Magna was like a new religion that rode the wave of alchemy. In fact, the goal of Ars Magna wasn''t to create gold or make an immortal elixir. The concept was "Humans are incomplete gods. In other words, through training and becoming complete, humans could become gods. It really fit the mold of a new religion. From the term God that''s used now, one can find that such alchemy was mixed into Christian culture. In the story itself, the spell Aureolus used to turn his imagination into reality was closer to the Zurich alchemist sect. This sect mixed in some psychiatric views of Jung, and the goal was to do alchemy in the mind, which really sounded ambiguous. Also, there''s another alchemist sect called Vienna, but this sect included some sexual magic rituals that were quite erotic and shouldn''t be included in Dengeki Bunko (laughs). One reason why alchemist sects were so abundant was said to be because the nature of alchemy itself was a mystery. But in fact, perhaps the commonly accepted reason was that alchemists lied to the rich saying they could turn lead into gold, but failed and had to offer all sorts of excuses to appease their anger. After writing so much, in the end, what did I want to say? What I wanted to say was that after researching so much into alchemy, I really used very little information. In order to increase Index''s role, I even wanted to add a kitchen alchemy trick plot. But, I guess I decided against including such a minor subplot. Finally, I want to thank the related personnel in this story. Miki-san, who''s in charge of editing, is someone really intimidating who forced me to write a story within 17 days. He still followed me through until the end of this story that has loopholes all over it, and I''m really grateful for him. As for Haimura-san, the illustrator, actually, Ive never met him. A comrade Ive never met, though that sounds cool, I really want to meet him and thank him. Anyway, let me rehearse it on paper. Thank you, Haimura-san. And to the readers who bought this book, thank you for your support. I hope that we can meet next time. At this point, let me put my pen down. Misaka Mikoto didn''t even have a chance to appear in this volume (tears). ~Kazuma Kamachi Volume 3, Prologue: Radio Noise. Level2 Volume 3, Prologue: Radio Noise. Level2 The wind blew powerfully. Dusk had set in while a lone girl, sprawled on the roof of a building to conceal her body, squinted slightly. She was equipped with a rifle that was ridiculously large for her size, a length of 184 centimeters that easily surpassed her height. The Metal Eater MX. It was a Barrett M82A1 anti-tank rifle that was legendary for having destroyed a tank from 2,000 meters away during the Gulf War. Production models lacked fully automatic firing because of the excessively powerful recoil, but the gun she held was a prototype model that retained the rapid-fire setting. Though it was a brutal rifle capable of crushing a cheap helmet into pieces with simply the recoil, the slender girl seemed accustomed to wielding it. For someone with her physique it was impossible to forcibly suppress the recoil so the kickback had to be forcibly diverted into the ground. But rather than years or practice, the girls simply had fourteen days of data inputted via the training equipment known as Testament. Upon completion, she had learned the Metal Eaters recoil strength and had derived the calculations necessary to compensate the recoil with optimum efficiency. Silencing her breathing, the girl gazed at her 600-meter away target through the cold scope. Insects gathered underneath a convenience store light while a fifteen or sixteen year old boy walked out onto the street. His physique was thin and wiry and his hair as white as the girls delicate skin. He looked like he would snap if a person grabbed him. However, he would have been better described as the sharp point of a knife. Each and every one of the boys official battles recorded in the databases was a victory. Even more, he had never been hurt, never defended himself, and never evadednot a single time. The boy was like a thin and fragile but highly polished saber designed exclusively for offense without a consideration for defense. Although the girl knew not her target''s true name, his code name was Accelerator. Within Academy City, there were only seven individuals ranked Level 5 and, even within that list, the boys name stood at the very top. The crosswinds are strong... Correcting alignment three clicks to the left. The girl muttered under her breath while she turned a screw on the side of the rifles scope. The girls target was the boy swinging his convenience store bag with boredom on his way home. She was surely unable to defeat him by opposing him head onno one could possibly have defeated Accelerator without an underhanded method. If head on were impossible, she would not do so. For espers, using their abilities was like moving their limbs. Aside from Level 0s that lacked any significant power, the structures of powers were roughly classified into two categories: active and passive. Active powers were abilities that the users deliberately controlled while passive ones activated reflexively as the user sensed danger. Thus, if a surprise attack connected before the enemy noticed he was in danger, any sort of ability user was defeated. Academy Citys Judgment had once implemented the tactic by firing rubber bullets from a distance in order to stop rampaging ability users. However, those rubber bullets knocked people unconscious while the girl was ending a life with steel, piercing ammunition. Wind eddies... vortices from three directions. Correcting alignment one click to the right, the girl muttered quietly as she further fine-tuned the scope. Without corrections, the lead bullets would have swerved off target by unexpected winds. Furthermore, considering the city was plagued with buildings, the wind did not per say blow in one direction. Wind eddies, flowing from various directions, collided together and formed vortices dispersing wind in every direction. To miss was not an option. Her opponent was the strongest Level 5 and if she were detected after her initiative missed, her defeat at that point would have been certain regardless of the distance between them or how far she fled. The girl placed her finger to the trigger. She had no hesitation. Despite the fact that the target before her was a living human boy and with the pull a trigger a.50 caliber anti-tank bullet would fire from the rifle at a sky-ripping velocity of 3070 kilometers per hour (852.8 m/s). Though she knew that the boys upper body would have morphed into shreds of flesh at a speed faster than sound itself, she held no hesitation. Imposed upon those slender shoulders was but one task: annihilate the strongest Level 5 esper, Accelerator, by sniping him. ... She listened to sounds of the wind as they flowed and swirled into colliding vortexes that formed fixed directions for only moments at a time. For a time period lasting less than two seconds, the complex wind eddies stabilized. She pulled the trigger. A thunderous roar ripped through the sky like the explosion of a fireworks factory. Despite the fact that she was sniping, the girl continued to fire on full-automatic. She tenaciously absorbed the recoil capable of toppling over large adults and, within a single second, twelve shots were fired with consistently pinpoint accuracy. The ignored her emptied magazine and observed the fate of the boy through the scope. Since the wind flows were stable, it was impossible to miss. All twelve bullets would pierce the boys back; that slender, wire-like physique would shatter and burst into tiny chunks. That should have been the case. But, the next instant, the Metal Eater in the girl''s hands exploded. The rounds that connected directly... rebounded. Almost like a video playing in reverse, the shells ballistics redirected, plunging perfectly back into the muzzle of the anti-tank rifle like a Kendama game, bursting the Metal Eater into tiny fragments. The girl lacked the visual acuity to detect the incoming bullets. The extent of her knowledge ended at the fact that the rifle way destroyed by some impact. Her body was pierced by the countless fragments of metal while her right shoulder, which was pressed against the Metal Eaters stock, was severed by something passing through it. Somehow, Accelerator himself, after taking the rifles shots, was unharmed. In the end, the sniping had failed; Accelerator had detected it. That fact alone was enough for the girl to make her next decision. The girl, with her tattered body, ignored her intense pain that felt like boiling water was poured over her head as she fled toward the buildings flight of emergency stairs. In that moment of time where the firing failed, the girl had lost her 1-in-10,000 chance of victory. Thus, her retreat, rather than to reassess the situation, was her only course of action to prolong her lifespan by a moment, a second. The reverberation of footsteps was absent in the dusk. The hunter closed the distance between himself and the dying girl with total silence. The hunter versus the hunted... The curtain was raised for a murder drama where the two roles were reversible in moments. Volume 3, 1: Imagine Breaker. Level0(and_More) Volume 3, Chapter 1: Imagine Breaker. Level0(and_More) Part 1 August 20, 6:10 PM. It was twilight at midsummer, and Kamijou Touma was walking home alone, worn out from his extra classes. Even though there was a reason for it, he still found that going back to school for extra classes during summer vacation was threatening his sanity. Since those so-called "summer classes" usually started on the very first day of summer vacation, Kamijou probably was supposed to go to those classes from July 19th to July 28th as well. Or at least, that was only the most likely case. Kamijou had no memories of events prior to July 28th, so he felt like he was being punished for lessons that he did not skip himself. What was up with that? Kamijou stood motionlessly in front of a lone juice vending machine that stood along a path with a shocked expression. (No way, come on, please.) He didn''t want to give up on it so soon. Kamijou Touma was sure he had inserted a 2,000-yen bill into the vending machine. Yet why did the vending machine not respond in the slightest? Well, he knew very well that 2,000-yen bills were rare nowadays, but that was his hard-earned 2,000 yen. For a machine to take from him such a large amount of money and not respond... what machine empire was rebelling at the moment!? As Kamijou frantically jiggled the money return lever in vain, his heart screamed. (Such misfortune!) He knew without a doubt that if he, in a fit of rage, shook or kicked the vending machine, the alarm would go off. Even in Academy City, a city opposed to the supernatural that had been built in western Tokyo, a skeptic who saw Kamijou could only possibly think "So there really are such supernaturally unlucky people in this world, huh." Kamijou was that luckless. Crestfallen, Kamijou heard footsteps of a pair of loafers from behind him. "Hold it... Don''t stand so idiotically in front of the vending machine. If you''re not buying anything, then get out of the way, move it. I need to rehydrate or else I won''t be able to function anymore." Just as Kamijou heard the sudden voice from behind him, he was gently pushed aside by a girl''s soft hand on his arm. Living in a city full of students, that would probably happen now and then, but even so the unlikely contact surprised Kamijou. (What, what?) When Kamijou turned his head around, he saw a middle school girl. She had shoulder-length light-brown hair, good looks that didn''t need make-up, a short-sleeved white blouse with a summer sweater, a gray pleated skirt... he guessed that it was the famous Tokiwadai Middle School uniform. But calling her "Ojou-sama" in front of her would be somewhat awkward. Complaining about the summer heat, she somehow resembled a shell-shocked salaryman getting off a fully-loaded train rather than a refined young lady. (...Who is this person?) Was she an acquaintance of his, or an overly familiar stranger? Kamijou was a bit worried. With memory loss, discerning acquaintances from strangers was the hardest thing of all. He didn''t know just how far to step into someone''s territory. Kamijou''s instinct told him that she was an acquaintance. Maybe, if she wasn''t a stranger, he should just tread lightly. (Ehh, let''s just get this over with...) Kamijou gave up. "...Then, who are you, girl?" "It''s me, my name''s Misaka Mikoto! Try to remember, you total blockhead!!" The instant the girl shouted, she unleashed a pale spark from her light-brown bangs. (Shit, she has no sense of humor?) The instant Kamijou instinctively put himself on guard, a pale lightning bolt jumped out from the girl''s forehead, and quickly rushed at Kamijou. Though he couldn''t possibly have reacted fast enough by eyesight alone, Kamijou''s body instinctively moved even before he was hit. It was as if his body, having been repeatedly attacked by lightning, knew from experience exactly how to respond. As if shaking off a winged insect in front of his eyes, Kamijou swung his right hand horizontally like a backfist. That alone totally repelled and dissipated the lightning bolt, which approached a billion volts, like it was a mere column of water. Imagine Breaker. No matter if he was facing espers, magicians, anyone wielding unknown powers, or even divine miracles, anything supernatural was negated when his right hand touched it. That was the Imagine Breaker''s special power. "???" Kamijou looked at the scowling middle school girl, who he thought should be arrested for attempted homicide. His body had moved on instinct and avoided the attack as if he had previous experience with this phenomenon. Against the flame sword unleashed by the person called Stiyl Magnus, Kamijou had also survived on instinct. But then... Kamijou lost his memory. However, despite losing his memories, his knowledge remained, and that was strange. Sometime before, Stiyl must have tried to strike him with the sword, though he couldn''t remember it anymore. That was probably why his body was able to move on its own. (If that''s true, then she, too, must be an acquaintance...? That''s right, my acquaintance. Dammit, are these people only my acquaintances!?) "What are you crying there for?" asked Misaka, her hand on her hip. "If you have no use for the machine, then move it. I''m gonna bust it up." "Ah..." Kamijou looked back and forth between the machine and the girl called Misaka Mikoto. While he thought that not warning somebody that the machine gulps down money would be unforgivable, the girl had assaulted him. Wait, no, it would be worse to see her lower her head burst out in murderous rage... that would be scary. "That vending machine somehow keeps on eating bills." "I know that already," Mikoto replied. "You know it eats bills, yet you''re still gonna pay? Is that machine an offertory box or something?" "You''re such an idiot. There''s a trick for this machine, an underhanded one that will have it spit out juice for free." "..." He had a bad feelinga really bad feeling. That "underhanded trick"... He thought about this trick that she has been using every day. He also thought about his feeding 2,000-yen bills into the machine. It couldn''t be that this vending machine was broken! "Legendary amongst Tokiwadai Middle School students, a granny-like oblique kick at a 45-degree angle will restart any malfunctioning machine!" "Choi-sa!" With that yell, she sent a skirt-level kick into the side of the machine. *Bang!* A painful clatter of something falling reverberated inside the machine, and then a can popped out. "You know, since it''s worn down, the springs holding the juices have loosened. You can''t choose which juice comes out, thoughHey, what''s the matter?" "Nothing," Kamijou monotoned. Underneath her skirt were gym shorts. He felt that some of his dreams had just been destroyed. "This Tokiwadai legend, does every young lady from Tokiwadai do it?" "Most of the girls can''t do that! Most girls wouldn''t even dream of doing it..." "..." Kamijou thought. "That''s not what I mean! I''m asking if you brats have been joining forces daily to destroy vending machines with that technique!" "It''s fine, isn''t it!? What are you angry for? We didn''t directly harm you, did we?" "..." "Eh? Oh, speaking of which, you look like you keep losing money against this machine" Stopping midway, Mikoto went silent. "...By any chance, did you already buy something?" "..." "Hey, did you drink something? Did you really get something? Hey, answer truthfully, or I''ll shake you down; is it that you''re dumbfounded because you''ve been robbed blind by this vending machine?" "...And if I answer that question?" "Of course, I''d send a cell phone pic of your stupid face to the entire worldI''m kidding! Just kidding! Don''t drag your feet like that, you look really scary!" Kamijou sighed, letting out all his tension from his body. No matter how angry he''d get, he''d never get the 2,000 yen back. He had meant to use the money to buy fireworks for that freeloader of a white-clothed nun waiting in his dorm room. In fact, he should have saved it instead of buying anything with it, but it was no use worrying about it now. (I guess now I should act like the loser I am) thought Kamijou as he drooped his shoulders and turned away from Mikoto. While looking at Kamijou''s slouched back, Mikoto gave off a disinterested sigh with her hands on her hips. "You, hold it! Tell me, how much money did you put in it?" "...Shan''t say, can''t say, won''t say." Kamijou looked at her. He may have just met her, but he already realized that telling her "I lost 2,000 yen" wouldn''t lead to her saying "Well, that''s too bad!" It would be more like a "Gahahawahahah!!!" like a commanders from the Sengoku era. Mikoto took on a more serious look for a bit, as if she felt a sense of responsibility for losing him the money. "I won''t laugh, I promise. While you''re at it, I''ll take back your lost money!" (What''s with her being this kind!?) thought Kamijou. This wouldn''t have happened in the beginning had Mikoto not kicked the vending machine; Kamijou hadn''t thought of this in the first place. He was a bit scared, though, of being labeled "The Idiot Who Lost 2,000 Yen to a Machine", but Mikoto''s words of "I won''t laugh, I really won''t laugh, I really, really won''t laugh" assured him it was alright to confess. "...2,000 yen." "2,000 yen? You put in so much?" Mikoto asked. "Wait, ''2,000 yen''? Did you mean a 2,000-yen bill? Wow, I wanna see, I really wanna see it! A not-yet-destroyed 2,000-yen bill! Heheheh, ahahahahahahaha! So that''s the vending machine''s bug! Not even convenience stores accept 2,000-yen bills anymore, hahahahahahaha!" Watching Mikoto heat up to ridiculous levels, he shouted at wit''s end, "Liar!!!" He shouldn''t have told her about that 2,000-yen bill. He should have exchanged it earlier. Who knows, he even might have, just for a moment, gotten a nice smile from the department store clerk, though more likely just an "Ooh." "Hohoh. Well, then, let''s hope that it''ll spit that 2,000-yen bill back out. I won''t accept it if this piece of junk spits out two 1,000-yen bills." While standing in front of the vending machine, Mikoto slowly placed her right palm over the coin slot. Suddenly, Kamijou thought of a question. "Hey, you, how are you going to get the money back from this machine?" "''How'', you say?" Mikoto gave him a blank look, and then, "Like this..." A pale lightning-like spark jumped from her right palm and instantly struck the vending machine. *Bam!* The heavy vending machine shook from side to side like a sumo wrestler. Black smoke from the machine''s inner workings billowed out through the seams like those clouds of smoke seen in manga. Kamijou paled. "Huh...? That''s strange, I didn''t want to strike it that hard. Ah, lots of juice cans came out somehow. Hey, your 2,000-yen bill didn''t come out, but at least 2,000 yen''s worth of juice came out; is this okay-? Hey, why are you running away!? Oi!" Kamijou didn''t dare turn around. He ran at full speed to get even just one millimetre farther away from the vending machine. Kamijou could usually tell when misfortune would strike; he''d get a feeling about a second before whenever something was about to go wrong. But not this time. (Sh, shit!! Somehow, I didn''t expect this, but I should have at least noticed it sooner...!!!) Usually, even kicking the vending machine would only yield a silent alarm, but instead it screamed out at full power, as if letting out all of its pent-up energy. Part 2 He couldn''t remember why he was running. All he knew for sure was that he had been running for about ten minutes. By the time he noticed, Kamijou was already sitting in a bus stop in the business district. As he sat there dead tired, he gazed up at the August sky lit by the flaming-colored sunset. A blimp floated in the orange-dyed sky, the X-Vision display attached to its belly showing the Academy City news: "Mizuho Organization Withdrawing from Muscular Dystrophy Pathological Research." "Don''t go off into some kind of happy dreamland, and carry some juice. Wasn''t this originally meant for you?" sighed Mikoto as she sat down beside him, tossing can after can into his lap. She looked peacefully at the wind turbines turning round and round nearby. She was probably feeling a bit down from messing up with controlling her power. "...I''m scared that the moment I accept the juice, I''ll become an accomplice. What should I say, don''t throw it at meOw! Hot! Why is this hot shiruko[1] mixed in?" "When there''s a malfunction, so you can''t even choose what juice will come out!" "Do you feel clear malice in black soy bean cider and soy milk?" "Huh? That''s nothing. You should be thankful. We''re lucky that the two juices from hell, guarana green juice and strawberry oden, didn''t even come up." To put it another way, Academy City is also "Experiment City". With numerous universities and research labs sending out test models of their products, the streets overflowed with experimental items like garbage disposal automatons and autonomously running security robots. That meant that the product line-up in both convenience stores and vending machines were different, but... "...In spite of this, it''s a fact that students still pay with the same money, so I''d like to ask why the bigwigs don''t know about this." "Fine, fine; even a small step towards achieving your dream means that you''re full of ambition. Ah, I want that plum cider," said Mikoto as she took a can from Kamijou''s arm without warning. "You know, even if it''s only one can, you shouldn''t always be running away. Even if I happen to be really strong, can''t you just think of me as some weakling and look down on me? Try to see it that way and call me Mikoto-san, okay?" "...What''s with this girl, saying such nonsense while acting so proud?" "What?" Misaka looked at Kamijou, sporting a bad drunkard''s look. "...Hm, maybe I shouldn''t say that. But as long as the weak whimper, the strong will swagger... that''s what I believe. Why are you different? There are only seven Level 5s in Academy City, so why were you chased all over town by street rogues on the level of an unleashed chihuahua?" "???" Despite all of Mikoto''s confidence in her words, Kamijou couldn''t remember anything like that. If that were the case, were Mikoto''s words wrong, or did she know some of Kamijou''s unknown past? Unable to ask either question, Kamijou let it slide. "You, you shouldn''t have shown off the fact that you defeated me, Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun. But since you did, you shouldn''t have apologized publicly in front of me. But now you did that, right? From then on, everyone will always remember it. They''ll say, ''Ah, that Misaka Mikoto, wasn''t she defeated by a boy who looks like he''s been chased by a chihuahua?''" said Misaka as she downed the plum cider. "Because you defeated me, you should take responsibility as the winner. I, one of only seven known Level 5s in Academy City, was defeated by such a boy... I could stick to that and announce it openly, you know." "What the hell is that? This isn''t the Edo period with its Bushido spirit..." But once he began to say that, a single phrase stuck in his mind made him uncomfortable. (You defeated me?) (While I have no memory of it, exactly what did I do that would make a girl tell me ''you should take responsibility''!!) "Uh, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." "Why are you groaning like that?" Mikoto asked, exasperated. "Then again, you must be irritated, too. After all, it seemed like it was pulled from some shounen manga." Mikoto folded her arms angrily and sighed, though Kamijou didn''t see it. "I never intended to actually hit you, but you guarded perfectly against all attacks as if expecting them to hit you badly... such great technique. Putting aside my being snobbish and annoyed, the fact that it has an effect is unforgivable." "...Uhhhhh... huh?" Again taking notice of Mikoto''s words, Kamijou groaned. (She never expected to hit me? Does that mean our power relationship is like that of a parent laughing while he''s calming down his child who is recklessly flailing his hands?) Even though he was facing an electromaster, he never once surrendered to this girl? ... ...Too bad, Kamijou Touma. "Somehow, you''re the kind of person who loses confidence under pressure," said Mikoto disinterestedly. "Hey, enough already, drink it up. If you were a kouhai who was presented with Mikoto-sensei''s personal gift, you would have swooned in delight." "''Swoon''? As if anyone would gratefully accept this barely-hygienic juice! This isn''t a shoujo manga; there''s no way we''re in a girls'' school-type romanceI think." "No. It would be lovely if it were a shoujo manga." For some reason, Mikoto averts her eyes. "It would be more varied, you knowrather, it''d be muddled?" "Onee-sama?" A girl''s bell-like voice unexpectedly resounded. Mikoto''s face looked as if she had been hit from behind with ice. Onee-sama? Onee-sama!! "Guh" went Kamijou''s as he was muted by the shock. (What the hell...!?) Turning around as quickly as he could, he saw a girlprobably a freshman middle schoolerstanding a short distance away, wearing the same uniform as Mikoto. That twin-tailed brunette, with both hands together in front of her and eyes sparkling, "Well, Onee-sama! Well, well, well, Onee-sama! Just when I was wondering why you''re no longer into summer classes, this turns out to be the reason, eh!?" As Kamijou looks at the girl beside her, Mikoto has her hands on her head, greatly troubled. But for a powerless Kamijou, he feels that Mikoto''s heart is mysteriously telling him to forget the tsukkomi routine. As Mikoto''s piercing her head with her hands to ease her headache, she begins talking to the mysterious girl. "Weeell, I want to make sure, but I was wondering whether you''re saying ''because of this'' or ''because of him''." "Of course I''m referring to you secretly meeting with that gentleman over there, right?" A spark emerged from Mikoto''s hair, but the twin-tailed girl didn''t seem to mind. Dumbstruck, Kamijou watched as the sweetly smiling girl approached the bench at a frightening speed. (Oh, shit, it''s coming here!) But before Kamijou could move away, she strongly grabbed Kamijou''s hand with both of her own. "Nice to meet you, sir. I am Onee-sama''s squire; call me Shirai Kuroko." "Wha?" Kamijou looked down at the hand she was holding, worrying about his reaction. "By the way, is this degree of nervousness a warning sign of flirtatious tendencies?" "Pfft!" Kamijou burst into laughter. Mikoto who was sitting beside him slowly stood up, and... "WHY YOU! This weirdo is not my boyfriend!" Accompanying the words of an injured heart, a lightning bolt leapt from Mikoto''s bangs. Shirai Kuroko let go of Kamijou''s hand and stepped back, the bolt hitting nothing as she vanished into thin air. "Tch, and she had to use teleportation at such a bad time. If this rumor ever spreads, I won''t acknowledge it, dammit!" Mikoto furiously attacked the empty space with her explosive lightning attacks, looking hell-bent on giving somebody a good electrical shock. Dammit, how am I supposed to calm her down? pondered Kamijou, when suddenly a voice came from behind the bench. "Onee-sama?" (Again!!!) Kamijou turned around... And saw standing behind the bench another Misaka Mikoto. "Wha?" From what he could tell, the girl behind him looked no different from "Misaka Mikoto". Shoulder-length light-brown hair, good looks and features, a white short-sleeved blouse, a summer sweater, and a pleated skirt. From features and uniform to accessories, there could be no doubt about it: "Misaka Mikoto" was standing there. But... Kamijou returned his gaze to the girl sitting beside him. Shoulder-length light-brown hair, good looks and features, a white short-sleeved blouse, a summer sweater, and a pleated skirt. While not unexpected, he was looking at a seated "Misaka Mikoto." There were differences, though. The girl standing behind the bench had what looked like night-vision goggles on her forehead like unused swimming goggles, and her eyes seemed emotionless. Her unfocused gaze fixedly followed the back of the seated Mikoto''s head. "...Eh? They''ve multiplied!? It''s Misaka number two!" Kamijou startledly looked back and forth between the two "Misaka Mikoto"s. Compared to the also surprised face of the one sitting beside him, the one standing behind the bench was staring back expressionlessly. "So," murmured Kamijou as he looked back, "who might you be?" "Imouto, says Misaka in a flash." "..." (That''s one strange way of saying it,) Kamijou thought to himself. There were too many people around Kamijou who talked strangely for him to even tell if they were strange or not. "You, Misaka, refer to yourself as ''Misaka'' when talking about yourself? I don''t refer to Misaka as ''Misaka'' since we don''t use our formal names. Wouldn''t it cause chaos even at home if you call yourself ''Misaka''?" "But Misaka''s name is still Misaka, answers Misaka immediately." "..." There''s no way Misaka would call herself "Misaka"; there must be an unwritten rule for this. Kamijou looked to Mikoto sitting beside him for assistance, but he was surprised once more; Mikoto was glaring at her silent sister. "I, I see, Imouto. But you two sure look identicalidentical as in same height and weight, right?" Mikoto kept glaring at Imouto. "Our genetic makeup is the same, answers Misaka. Moreover, inquiring about a girl''s body weight is rude, says Misaka while speaking her mind." Mikoto was still glaring at Imouto. "..." (What a strange person,) thought Kamijou. "Then I guess you must be twins. Hmmm, it''s the first time I''ve seen identical twins, but you two really do look identical. Well, what are you going to do, Futago-chan? Return to Nee-chan?" Mikoto had been continuously, continuously glaring at Imouto for some time. "How overly naive of this shallow rascal, so Misaka will answer your question so that you may catch on. Misaka came to see and confirm the one with the same power detected within a 600-metre radius of Misaka..." If they were identical twins, then their similar powers manifesting was plenty enough to think about. And though he thought about it... Kamijou was especially scared of Mikoto''s gaze. (Oh, shit, she''s the type who hates her family being seen by her friends on parents'' day,) Kamijou thought. "...And in this place, I find a destroyed vending machine and you two carrying large quantities of juice. I never would have thought Onee-sama would take part in petty thievery, as Misaka would say with a tut-tut," Misaka-imouto continued while standing at attention. "Just what method will make Onee-sama change her ways? as Misaka would ask in a just-to-be-sure police interview." Because of the strange accusal, Kamijou had no choice but to continue. "Hey, she''s the culprit, and I''m only an eyewitness, you know." "Lies only prove crime, as Misaka would answer. From the measurement results of the outcome made on the front of the vending machine by the electric shock, it is established that the more recent fingerprints belong to you, as Misaka would thrust the evidence at you." "Lies! I didn''t expect an electric shock until then!" "That''s a lie, as Misaka would frankly answer." "..." "..." Please help me! As Kamijou looked at Misaka-imouto, he continued to pull on the shoulder of Mikoto as she sat beside him. But Mikoto didnt react at all. (That''s weird,) Kamijou thought. (We''ve met Imouto for only about ten minutes, but Mikoto''s the type who would continue speaking automatically on her own initiative. Does Mikoto probably have something unspeakable about her?) "...?" Kamijou casually turned to the Mikoto sitting beside him. Then... "...You! Just why are you loitering around here!?" Without warning, the previously silent Mikoto raised her voice in explosive anger. "Uwaaah!" went Kamijou, taken by surprise by the deafening scream from the side. (This high-pitched scream unique to girls is piercing my eardrums; it feels like the pain I''d get after eating large amounts of shaved ice!) Mikoto only shouted once before resuming her silence. It''s as if she''s waiting for Misaka-imouto''s view. Just like after lightning strikes, empty silence enveloped them. The blimp floated through the night sky. In the X-Vision attached to its side, today''s news of "New Virus [HDC. Cerberus] Rampages Through Network" was repeatedly reported, its voice-over strangely making noise. Within that state, as Misaka-imouto stood at attention and looked absently at Mikoto''s eyes, "One question or the other... training, as Misaka would briefly answer." "''Training''." Mikoto cut her breath short as if she were struck from behind, and turned her eyes away. She murmured something, but it didn''t reach Kamijou''s ears. "??? If it''s training, is Imouto-san entering Judgement?" If a student''s status is "vacant" and "in training", the first thing to come to mind would probably be "Judgement". As one looking at Mikoto''s power would understand, such a faculty would be far better at killing than a lowly knife. For the 2.3 million students under Academy City, there are special organizations that deal with the inevitable berserk esper. There are two positions that take down berserk espers: the users of next-generation weapons, the teachers'' corps called Anti-Skill, and the students chosen from every school called Judgement. Both Anti-Skill and Judgement are originally ranked no higher than teachers and students, respectively. Accordingly, to join their professional ranks, one must sign nine contracts, pass thirteen different types of aptitude tests, and complete four months of training. Mikoto clapped her hands in front of her and averted her eyes from Kamijou. "Ah, aaah, Judgement? Ah ah that, that. You''ve been doing this because of that, lots of problems, eh, the lot of themor, should I say, worn out?" She said in a lovely, yet suspicious tone of voice. "Hey. Somehow, you''re talking as if you''re suddenly dismissing information like it''s only from a crank call." "Heh, I''m not dismissing it; I''m merely stating it clearly, properly, exactly." Mikoto then looked at her own imouto. "We''ve got lots of talking to do, lots of it. Hey, Imouto, can you come with me for a bit?" "Ha? No, even Misaka has a schedule to stick to and" "Enough already." Mikoto looked at Imouto dead-on. "Get over here." That strange, flat voice... Kamijou somehow sensed it. Mikoto had no reason to do something special. She only saw her imouto''s face and had said only a word with a laugh. But that single word. Hed taken into that point, that swirl of suspicious feelings going through Kamijou''s heart. Mikoto looked at Kamijou. At that point, she was already back to being the ordinary noisy middle school girl. "Well, then, we''re going this way. You have to mind your dorm curfew, too, you know!" Mikoto left a sitting Kamijou behind and wrapped her arms around her imouto''s shoulder. The two ordinary-looking girls then began to walk onward down the wide avenue lane. Kamijou instinctively began to follow after Mikotobut stopped himself. Sitting back down on the bench, he mindlessly muttered while gazing at the blimp floating through the night sky, "How complicated..." he softly breathed. "What kind of family are they, I wonder...?" Part 3 There was a problem, though. "Ah, yes, right, right, what am I going to do with this much juice?" Kamijou dazedly looked at the large pile of nineteen juice cans (Mikoto only consumed one can of plum cider), but in the end, he had no choice but to carry them all back; that''s an estimated 350 g * 19 = 6.65 kg mass of garbage or something. As Kamijou did that useless calculation, he felt himself slip further into sadness. His state of mind was the same as that of an acrophobic inadvertently looking below a suspension bridge. With that, Kamijou Touma began to head back unsteadily through the crimson twilight with his hands full of juice. The residential road leading to the student dorm was narrow, too narrow for even cars to go through; but, just when he thinks that "cars probably won''t go through here", he was almost sent flying by a car suddenly backing out from a garage. But no matter the bad luck of Kamijou, he had yet to experience the misfortune of dying with a smile by being run over just five minutes from the dorms. "Returning home is an adventure in itself," said Kamijou as he lifted up the cans again. The cold juice cans would considerably lose their coolness while they remained in Kamijou''s arms. But in this shitty hot Japanese summer, how was it that he could not help but feel driven to the verge of frostbite!? Kamijou''s heart grieved. And, as Kamijou was thinking of that, he noticed a tennis ball suddenly rolling in front of his foot. (Someone playing must have neglected it,) Kamijou thought. "Hey, hey." Kamijou, aware of the danger of stepping on the tennis ball, stopped his raised foot and moved it a bit horizontally to avoid the ball. (Hey, that''s dangerous; what''ll I do if I step on it and fall?) As he thought of that... A sudden gust of wind appeared. As if the rolling ball were calculating, it slid into the gap between the ground and Kamijou''s foot. "Hiii! Hey, hey, wait!" With his entire weight already on his foot, it was too late to stop. Kamijou, having stepped on the ball full force, flopped onto his back. Thanks to the large pile of juice cans, he couldnt balance well. Kamijou, his back totally flattened, coughed up air, squirmed, and rolled. Bad luck, and even the air didn''t tell him that. The juice cans that should have been in his hands rolled and scattered about with a clattering sound as a sprawled Kamijou breathed deeply. (Well, I think I won''t care if the juice cans are somewhat dented,) he thought. "Sh, shit. Dammit, just what the hell have I done...?" "Ze-ha," as he said that, he finally got himself up. As he gazed at the nineteen juice cans scattered about, he became desperate. (I still have to walk while carrying a little over 6 kg of baggage,) a reeling Kamijou felt as if he were speared; having said that, there''s no way around it. In the end, only a lonesome person would have to pick them up. And as Kamijou, shoulders hunched, picked up the juice cans, a shadow fell over him. (...Clouds?) (Oh?) And Kamijou instinctively raised his gaze upward. Misaka Mikoto was standing in front of him. (Uoo!?) Feeling the pressure of a middle school girl looking down silently at him from above, Kamijou instinctively stepped back. "Y-youeh? I thought you were off carrying your imouto somewhere else? Now what? If you want more juice, you''re gonna be taking two or three of them this time, though." "..." Mikoto did not respond to Kamijou''s words. (Something''s weird,) Kamijou thought. Then he remembered, Mikoto said something along with an unintentional flash of lightning. Should he win, the winner has a responsibility to fulfill, she had said. I would make sure I stick to it and announce it openly, she also said. And how about it? After all, the Kamijou Touma in question had stepped on a tennis ball, flipped over on the road, scattered his carried juice all over the ground, and had to gather them alone and with hunched shoulders. (Gah! Dammit, she approached me way too closely, her skirtspeaking of which, it was short pants a while ago; why did she change into panties!?) He thought anyone would be angry at the one looking at them even when chaos is in progress. Mikoto was already looking down at Kamijou with her expressionless eyes. "If it''s important, help is in order, as Misaka would propose with a sigh." "???" Far from being a sigh, even by breathing suspiciously quietly, Mikoto made Kamijou doubtfully look at her; at that point, he finally noticed the pair of NV goggles hanging from Mikoto''s hand. "Ah, right, it''s the Imouto-type. You, you really look like Mikoto." "...Mikoto, is it? as Misaka would ask back. Aah, you mean Onee-sama, is it?" "Who else?" (As always, she''s setting her own pace,) Kamijou thought. "...Ah, right, it''s Imouto. Indeed, it''s from the short pants; you must have done a class change." "Short...?" "Nah, just talking to myself! Wh-what should I saythat''s it! What are those tough military goggles for?" "Misaka doesn''t have the skill to follow Onee-sama''s different electric or magnetic fluxes, so this device is important for visualizing them, as Misaka would explain thoroughly." "..." (Don''t think that anything becomes polite when you use honorifics,) Kamijou''s heart grumbled. "Temperature and humidity were high, so I took off the equipment, but when necessity is felt, it will be put back on, as Misaka would suggest." As Misaka Imouto muttered alone, she hung the goggles back onto her forehead. "Hm, eh? But you, weren''t you carried off by your sister a while ago?" "Misaka came from that direction, as indicated." Misaka Imouto pointed at the direction of the street. Somehow, it was an entirely different direction. "?" Kamijou bent his head. "But apart from that, what will you do with the scattered juices? as Misaka would ask. At this rate, you run counter to the road traffic rules and you may be fined no lower than 150,000 yenor possibly more." "...That would be bad. I''m picking them up fast and going for it." Even Kamijou knew that this different Misaka Imouto didn''t speak in a disagreeable or sarcastic manner, but "quickly destroy the surrounding troubles" was, for some reason or another, becoming irritating. And, as Kamijou was silently picking up the juice cans one by one, "If necessary, Misaka, too, will lend a hand, as Misaka would propose." "Hah? It''s alright, I can do this. Generally, your help is not required anytimeI think." But at that moment, a light truck came through the residential area. The truck stopped rudely in front of Kamijou, and really honked at him with ill humor. "" Misaka Imouto started to gather up the scattered cans silently. Having an unknown girl clean up after his clumsiness made Kamijou feel ashamed, but he couldnt say anything with the truck honking at him to hurry up. It couldn''t be helped, so they each picked up an equal half of the pile. Nonetheless, Kamijou whispered something after collecting. "Sorry, I guess I''ll have to indulge you with some dessert from the convenience store, sorry about that!!" As Kamijou said that, the instant he saw Misaka Imouto''s figure again, his breath involuntarily stopped. The defenseless, squatting Misaka Imouto wasnt worried about her short skirt. He was secretly peeking at something white and blue in-between her legs. As Misaka Imouto squat, she looked up at Kamijou expressionlessly. "...What is it? as Misaka would ask for confirmation." "Hi...!! No, well, it''s nothing, you know? Nothing to see, you know?" "In comparison, your dilating pupils, restless respiratory action, abnormal pulse, and the like are detected, as Misaka would show her objective assessment. In conclusion, aren''t you under mental strain? as Mi" "No, it''s nothing! It''s really nothing! I''m really sorry!" "??" Whatever is he apologizing for? With that impression, Misaka Imouto vaguely nodded her head. As the light truck''s horn depressingly blared, Kamijou, urging himself on, hastily picked up the juice cans. With the recovery completed, the truck violently pressed forward, apparently very angry. Incidentally, as the truck ran past, Misaka Imouto''s short skirt flutters, but the girl didn''t even bother to push her skirt down. (Somehow, I feel like I know how to differentiate between the sisters.) Kamijou sighed. Mikoto, even with shorts beneath her skirt, probably wouldn''t have let that pass by. "Well, then, to what place will these juice cans be transported to? as Misaka with hands full of juice cans would ask." "Ah? It''s alright, I can carry them myself." "Well, then, to what place will these juice cans be transported to? as Misaka would demand." "I told you it''s okay, it''s okay; no need for you to carry them..." "Make it quick." She sharpened her voice. Kamijou gave up and let Misaka Imouto carry the load. Luckily, the student dorms were only five minutes away. The identical buildings all stood in a dreary location, but since the building winds all converged in the same direction, it was also the spot of Academy City''s number one wind farm. The buildings stood a little over two meters apart. Slipping under the back alley-like opening, Kamijou and Misaka Imouto passed through the emergency entrance and headed for the dorm elevators. And, just ahead of Kamijou, a cleaning robot came upone with tires and a rotating mop attached to a drum eighty centimeters long and forty centimeters in diameter. Up to this point in Academy City, even the mysterious was harmless, but it was a little different from here on. Atop the cleaning robot, a maid about thirteen or fourteen years old was sitting seiza-style. "Whee, Kamijou Touma!" Her name was Tsuchimikado Maika, and was Kamijou''s neighbor. She, as a sister''s promise to Tsuchimikado Motoharu, went to a home economics (maid) school and was now wearing a maid outfit as her uniform. Something disagreeable and a change of pace made her escape from the girls'' dorm and come there as a runaway girl. But even with his memory lost, for Kamijou to constantly encounter her in this place, it appeared that there was nothing he could do to stop her from slipping into the boy''s dorm constantly. "The air con''s damaged today, so I''ll be coming over. Also, I think my brother will be making noise tonight, so please pardon us." "...I see, home economics school must be dreadful; they don''t even have summer vacation." "Yes. ''A true maid never rests,'' my school precepts say. Not even on Saturdays and Sundays can a maid apprentice rest, and had I not taken a guerrilla weekly leave for two days, I''d be down and out." "Will it be the ice age when maids with truant habits are in demand?" "But of course; maids that complete the course are in greater demand than drop-outs, they say. By the way, Kamijou Touma, did those spoils of war in your hands come from the lottery?" "I paid for them all (maybe). The cans may be dirtied up a little bit, but take one if you want." "If there''s green tea, I''m taking it" "...Then milk with powdered green tea would be fine for you." "Thank you," as Tsuchimikado Maika stretched out her tiny hand and grabbed the milk tea from Kamijou''s hand. Then, the cleaning robot changed course, leaving Kamijou and Imouto behind. Maika waved her hand vigorously to say bye "Finally, trick number one for hiding a runaway girl: never leave the girl behind in your room during daytime. Make them loiter around peacefully in the city; then, at nighttime, recovery by baiting them is the easiest option. Leave her behind 24/7, and the sounds of someone living in your room will escape just like that and the neighbors might just notice. I mean, isn''t that sister making too much slapstick noise?" The cleaning robot with the sitting girl went somewhere else. "Do you have preferences for confining other people? as Misaka would inquire a little seriously." "It''s nothing serious; it''s only hiding a freeloader." Kamijou said clearly. He clearly said it... but no doubt about it, what will the law nut say? Kamijou was clearly hoping it would not be underage kidnapping- or worse. (If a yokozuna gets on here, the cables would snap.) A worried Kamijou got on the dilapidated elevator with Misaka Imouto, and ascended to the seventh floor. *Kinkon* went the cheap electronic sound as the elevator arrived at the seventh floor. As Kamijou''s dormitory was rectangular in shape, there was no way to go but straight ahead when leaving the elevator. Just ahead, in the vicinity of Kamijou''s room''s door, were mysteriously new metal handrails. Kamijou could recall no matter how much he tried, but some idiot had apparently used fire to blow them off. Here and there, if one looked closely, the walls and floor, too, were mysteriously new. And, in front of Kamijou''s home''s door, Index and Himegami Aisa were facing them, both of them squatting, hands stretched, and playing with a calico cat. Interposed between the two of them, the calico cat was being stroked by four hands and was pleasantly rolling along the floor. "...Hey, what are you doing, the two of you? Hey! What''s the matter, have you been locked out even though you don''t need a key?" As Kamijou raised his voice, the two looked up at him. "Ah, it''s Touma. Well, fleas got onto Sphinx, so we''re picking themeh, what! Touma brought an unknown girl again!" It was Index, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, who shouted that. A girl with a 100% false name, she was wrapped in a plainly extravagant porcelain-white gold-embroidered nun''s habit. Somewhere, there was a certain world where someone called "Index" existed, but for Kamijou, she was insensitively treated as a "girl who became a freeloader without me realizing it". "Perhaps that is his fate: to raise other people''s flags, and go down their story routes." (! ) It was Himegami Aisa, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, who said that. She had long, black hair and the appearance of a normal miko, but hanging from her neck was a, strangely floating, huge silver crucifix. It was no surprise, as that was the barrier created to seal Himegami''s power, Deep Blood. Kamijou remembered Index''s words a while ago about the crucifix. "Touma, Touma, didn''t I tell you not to touch Aisa''s Celtic cross? That''s the cross from the Walking Church that can generate and preserve only a minimal barrier. Well, if it were an ordinary church, I wonder if this would be the equivalent of the cross high up on its spire?" "Hah. Then that means if my right hand touches it, it''d be gone." "...Yes. Just like what happened with my habit..." "Ha? I can''t hear you, what is it?" "It''s nothing! I didn''t say anything, so forget about it!" After that, Kamijou was chomped on and bitten by a somewhat furious blushing Index. The point was, that crucifix must not be touched at all costs, probably. Incidentally for Himegami, because that crucifix had sealed her powers, she had been judged as a Level 0 from a private elite school, and was urged to drop out. Even Kamijou could enroll in that private school; their minimum requirement was being a Level 2. An athletic scholar dealing with a debilitating injury would probably have understood Himegami''s circumstances easily. Right now, if the crucifix were removed, Deep Blood would probably manifest again; that made Himegami vow never to do so. With those circumstances, Himegami had been automatically expelled from the girls'' dormitory. However, if she left Academy City, she might be a targeted by magi out for her power. To an aimless Himegami, it was unbelievable that Kamijou''s advisor, Komoe-sensei, had picked her up, and turned her into a freeloader. For them to easily meet fortuitously in this wide town, there were reasons, too; the truth was that there were certain locations where runaway girls spontaneously went. Komoe-sensei, a specialist in social, environmental, behavioral, and communicational psychology among other things, had a knack for going around to such places, finding runaway girls, and taking them in. Acting on good intuition at the area around the flag, and then triggering the shock of transfer students at the opening of summer vacation... Kamijou was feeling bad about something. And that Himegami glanced at Kamijou''s pile of juice cans. "What''s with that pile of goods you have there? Are you a weakling that cannot drink tap water?" (?) "That''s not it at all. Generally, juice will not make you sick," Kamijou sighs. "Here, Index, you''re in charge of the stuff." "Uh-huh. I like juice, but I hate ''pull tabs''. Touma, open a can for me, will you?" Since she was only barely familiar with modern civilization, Index probably couldnt open the pull tab. It wasnt that she didn''t know how or have the power to do it; it was more like, "If I overdo it, I might somehow break a nail or two, so it''s scary." As a pull-tab-phobic Index gave her can back to Kamijou, her gaze landed on Misaka Imouto. "Huh? Really, there must be a reason why Touma''s encounter rate with girls is way too high. Anyhow, I don''t think I wanna listen to it. Well, then, who are the parents of this child?" "This is only my personal opinion: I only see a poor, unlucky girl being pursued by some mysterious organization." "You''re noisy, pipe down; not one person should mistreat the people around me for any reason," Kamijou said as he carried the juice. "...Let''s overlook that one for now. Didn''t you say something? What do you mean by ''fleas attaching to the calico cat''?" "Yeah," Index nodded tiredly. "When I woke up one morning, I found Sphinx with fleas all over. I think I''m certain Touma''s futon is in bad shape." "''I think'', my ass! Didn''t I tell you brats ''no cats on the futon''? Even fallen cat hair will make it bad-! Wait a minute, so this is why I''m itchy all over! Aaaaagh!" Kamijou screamed. "And that''s why you left the room; it''s turned into a hotbed for fleas! That''s why you brats are here, dammit!" Kamijou''s eyes landed on the doorknob, but he hesitated to open it. Ignoring the hesitant Kamijou, Index put her hands into her sleeves, and began to rummage for something. "...Eh, Index, why are you pulling out a green leaf from your pocket?" "It''s called a sage plant! I found it unexpectedly outside, didn''t you know?" "..." In Academy City, drug use is the norm for esper development. Medicinal knowledge has long been chronicled. Sage plant: of the "Labiatae" family, perennials, native in the Mediterranean region. Used for medicine, the leaves are called Salvia leaves, and they are also cultivated as spices or ornamental plants... where they are found. "Then what are you pulling out that medicinal herb for? You gonna chew it for HP recovery?" "''Ecchi-pi''?" Index tilted her head. "I really don''t understand Touma''s strange language, but sage plants have purifying effects, you know. I''m going to use these to drive away the fleas like magic." "...I''ve got a very bad feeling about this. That herb, are you going to feed it to the cat, or is it for the fleas?" "Uh, nah. Burn up the leaf, then place Sphinx near the smoke to drive away the fleas." "..." "As always, lighting a fire inside the room would be suicide." "..." Kamijou was looking dead-serious at the straightforward-answering Index. (Well, I know that fleas hate smoke, I know that, but...) And, as Himegami was unexpectedly flapping her hands, "Don''t remain silent; this is where you interject. At this rate, the cat would end up thoroughly broiled." Himegami''s words brought Kamijou back from his thoughts. "...Ah! Yes, that''s right, that''s right. Didn''t you know, Index, that fire is one of the things cats fear the most? If you smoke the cat to get rid of the fleas, the cat would end up dead, too!" (I''m so glad that Himegami''s normal at least,) Kamijou thought, feeling thoroughly relieved. She suddenly thrust her hands into the sleeves of her miko outfit and started rummaging around. "...W-wait, Himegami. What did you just pull out from your sleeves?" "Hm? If you ask me what, I must reply ''magic spray''." No matter how he looked at it, it could only be pesticide. "Errr. What are you going to do with that?" "I am merely going to point the magic spray at the pests, and spray them." "...I told you, fleas are living animals, and cats are, too, so don''t bring out that Academy City trial product that will kill cockroaches in two seconds! Are you two the sort who would spray pesticide on their own faces the instant a mosquito lands on them!?" "...?" Watching the two of them stare in confusion at each other, Kamijou would have been seriously clutching his head if his arms hadn''t already been preoccupied. The thing that really bothered him was the course of action these two thought to take just because they had been seriously worried about the cat. Just then, the previously silent Misaka Imouto suddenly opened her mouth. "If discussion is in order, how efficient is it to first put down the juices? as a burdened Misaka would suggest." "Hm? Ah, right, just put them down on the floor. Sorry, and you can take one from the pile as gratitude." "It is not important, as Misaka would reply. Well, then, it doesn''t matter if I put them down here on the floor, but please just make sure that they don''t fall seven floors down, as Misaka would warn of impending tasks ahead." Index and Himegami suddenly stopped in response to Misaka Imouto''s well-mannered top-class sommelier acting; they must be shocked at being compared to as troublemakers. "...Uwaah. Touma, Touma. She looks like she''s a Royal Guards'' Lady (Queen of Honor) from Windsor Castle." "...More like from medieval times. Possibly made to follow the maid robot project." Misaka-imouto didnt even raise her eyebrows at their words. "Well, then, how to deal with that cat" "Uwaah, nice follow-through... Forget it, you know of something?" "Even if you know them, using an over-the-counter anti-flea medicine is honestly recommended, as Misaka would suggest. There should be an anti-flea powder that can be sprinkled onto the cat." "...Well, it''s a medicine, alright. Won''t it be harmful in the end?" Academy City students including a timetable (curriculum) for administering medicine... what the hell are they saying? Even with this opinion, whatever you think of it, the kitty is less than a year old. Resistance against such medicines, whether they''re "harmful" or "harmless", varies greatly with age. But Misaka Imouto didn''t appear especially worried. (Well, she''s been expressionless from the beginning.) "There is no such thing as harmless medicine, as Misaka would reply promptly. In comparing damage against fleas to damage from the medicine, the former should be more serious, as Misaka would add a supplementary explanation." "..." "Damage from fleas or ticks would not only be merely dermatitis, as Misaka would add. At worst, there''s a possibility that it would be a trigger for a severe life-threatening allergic diathesis, as Misaka would worry." (Uh-huh,) as Kamijou became silent. Well, surely they say that abuse of antibiotics (cold medicine) leads to lowered immunity, yet when they hit 40C, they have no choice but to drink them. That, he could understand well... but looking at the purring and rolling calico cat, he couldn''t accept anything unreasonable. Well, of course, something had to be done quickly to the purring cat to make the fleas drop off. "(Is there something that can be done without resorting to drugs?)" Kamijou mutters softly as he folds his arms, deep in thoughtand with that, Misaka Imouto suddenly begins to speak. "In short, taking off the fleas from the cat''s body without resorting to drugs is better, as Misaka would confirmof course, without also resorting to either smoke or pesticides." "...Well, just because even those two have some evil intention or two doesn''t mean that they''re serious about it, I think." "Or is it rather that there is no help without malice? as Misaka would answer in amazement." As always, Misaka Imouto would answer with no expression whatsoever. "Anyway, you should be supervising the two of them, as Misaka would advise. If you do not separate the girls from the cat as soon as possible, I think container destruction should be applied at this very moment, as Misaka would add in advance." "...You''re legally treating an animal''s life as a container? Come on." (As if it''s okay to legislate new laws,) Kamijou half-thought. "And then we''re back to square one. Well, then, smoke and pesticides... since those options are rejected as a matter of course, how will Misaka Imouto drive away the fleas?" *Piku*, both Sister and Miko''s shoulders moved at the same time. "Hooo. Touma only just met a girl much later than me, and yet he relies on her more than me, hohoho." "This is it. This is a plan to make former characters disappear rapidly. Fufufu. We''re not going to be rescued." "..." Kamijou was already ignoring them. Looking at a stiff Kamijou, Misaka Imouto expressionlessly muttered, "Repeating the question, pesticides and smoke are forbidden, and any method that doesn''t rely on drugs and can make the fleas drop off is fine, right? as Misaka would confirm with finality." "That''s right, but how?" "With this, as Misaka would immediately reply." Misaka Imouto went up to the curling-up cat and placed her palm on it. In an instant, a *pachin*-like sound of static electricity being unleashed exploded from Misaka Imouto''s palm. The fleas'' corpses fell off the cat''s fur like dust being shaken off. Sphinx, with its fur hair standing up, struggled noisily; Himegami grabbed it by its scruff before it could dive seven stories down. "The pests are killed by a specific frequency, as Misaka would inform. This type of insect repellent equipment is commonly sold at major discount houses, so it should have no safety issues." Misaka looked at the doorway for a moment. "While indoors, using a fog-type pesticide would be easier for pest extermination, as Misaka would advise in advance." (In any case, work''s over,) thought Misaka Imouto as she turned around and departed without even hearing a word of gratitude. Index, her eyes following the retreating figure, slowly murmured, "Touma, Touma, that one for sure is a perfect cool beauty, I think." Taking the opportunity, Touma, too, murmured, "I agree; it''s an unreasonable order, but it''s a request, so please follow that one''s example, even for a little bit." Notes 1. Sweet red bean soup Volume 3, 2: Radio Noise. Level2(Product_Model) Volume 3, Chapter 2: Radio Noise. Level2(Product_Model) Part 1 The next day was tutoring as well. It seemed sorrowful, watching a student sitting in the middle of the classroom on an evening. At first, Kamijou thought, Come on, is this an elementary school of a depopulated town? but as it went on for three to four days and then five to six days, the brightness of his soul had disappeared, and tutoring only left him feeling sick of it. But that tutoring would be over in two days, today included. Kamijou could have felt hopeless that Summer break finally starts on August 22!? but he was happy to be getting out of tutoring at all. Kamijou stared at the teacher''s desk in front of him. There stood a twelve-year-old-looking female teacher with a height of 135 cm, Tsukuyomi Komoe, showing only her face. She was talking with her paper placed on the desk, but Kamijou wondered why she had put it on the desk. It would have been far easier to read if she had just held the paper in her hands. So for the ESP card experiment, the card''s material is changing from vinyl resin to ABS resin, a needed condition reinstituted by America in 1992. This is a trick in which the fingerprints on the card make it possible to figure out what the flipped-down card is... Hey, Kamijou-chan, are you listening? ...Yes, Komoe-sensei. I am listening, but what does this have to do with powers? Kamijou was a Level 0. By the check of a peerless machine, he was told that no matter how much effort he put in, he wouldnt be able to even twist a single spoon, but it didn''t make sense that he was getting tutored because he was weak. It looked like Komoe-sensei seemed to know about the contradiction, as she said, You can''t give up just because you don''t have any power. If you give up, things you can achieve won''t get achieved. So, by learning the basic basics of power, I think that you can find the way of finding your very own skill. Sensei.? Yes? ...Well, you seem to be working very hard, but things that can''t get achieved won''t be achieved. Kamijou-chan! I can''t say that effort will always lead to success, but people that never try will never succeed! Even the third place out of 2,300,000 people, Misaka Mikoto from Tokiwadai Middle School, was once a Level 1, but she worked hard and got all the way up to Level 5! So, Kamijou-chan should work hard, too! ...Elite? That? She''s the kind of girl who kicks vending machines! ? Kamijou-chan, you know her? Not really. Well, going back to the topic, seeing some TV show like that and saying ''Look at that high schooler: they have the same age as you, but look how active that person is! Compared to that, look at yourself, don''t you think you''re worthless?'' I''m not the kind of person that gets motivated by those kind of speeches! Arrrggghhh... Don''t go ''arrrggghhh'' on me! That troubles me! Okay? Then why do you look so happy when you''re troubled? Oh, um... Well, that''s because... Um... It''s because I... like you...? Buowahh! ...Teaching you. ...Oh. Okay, teaching. Ah, that scared me... Oh, wait! Come on! I had just let the conversation go a different way, and then it immediately gets put back on the path again! Ahaha. You are 100 years too early to fight me with words. Now, Kamijou-chan, open up your textbook to page 82 and read about the Psychometer''s mind-protection power used in criminal investigation. Like this, today''s tutoring time went by. Part 2 And thus, the days extra lessons ended. It was 6:40 PM. Kamijou had missed the last train that left at the time all students were supposed to have left school, so he was leisurely walking through a shopping district. In order to prevent students from spending all night out, the last trains and buses in Academy City all left at 6:30 PM. The idea was that people would not go out late at night if the transportation system was stopped. (Im not sure if I should be glad its only one more day or be complaining that theres still another day. At any rate, this has gone on way too long. Dammit. Once its all over, Im going to the beach!) Kamijou thought to himself as he returned home that evening. It didnt look like the wind was blowing, but the blades of the wind turbines were definitely turning. Mh? Kamijou spotted a familiar-looking back amid the crowd. It belonged to a brown-haired girl wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform. It was Misaka Mikoto. Kamijou had no real reason to avoid her, so he jogged a bit to catch up with her. Hey. Are you on the way home from some extra lessons, too? Ahn? was Mikotos unfeminine response. Oh, its you. Im pretty tired and I want to preserve the strength I have left, so dont make me biri biri you. So what do you want? Nothing really. We just happened to be on the same road, so I just thought we could walk together. Oh? Mikotos eyes narrowed a bit. You just thought you could walk with a Tokiwadai lady? Heh. Do you have any idea how much effort guys put into taking that position? ...Its pretty bad to be referring to yourself as a Tokiwadai lady. I was joking, you idiot. Mikoto stuck her tongue out a bit. What you learn at your school is more important than where you go to school, anyway. Im sure youre old enough to know at least that much. Hmm. Well, everyone has their own field they specialize in. By the way, is your little sister not with you? I wanted to thank her for carrying the drinks yesterday. Mikotos eyebrows twitched slightly. It was only a few millimetres, but those few millimetres seemed odd to Kamijou. My little sister...? Did you meet her after that? Yeah... (Crap.) Kamijou recalled that Mikoto had grabbed Misaka Imoutos hand and forcibly pulled her away from him. Should he have kept it a secret that they met after that? Mikoto narrowed her eyes slightly. Are you that interested in this little sister? No. I just wanted to thank her for carrying the drinks yester-... So you choose the little sister despite us being visually identical? Or can you not choose and you want both of us together? I said no! Where the hell did you get that kind of knowledge!! Kamijou and Mikoto walked along a main street continuing their argument in that vein. Many different wind turbines stood along the street. Kamijou looked up at the spinning blades and then noticed a blimp floating in the evening sky. The exhibition screen on the side was displaying the days news. Apparently, three research facilities related to muscular dystrophy had been evacuated over a two week period and there was concern over the intense cold coming to the entire city. The conversation trailed off because Kamijous focus turned to the blimp. A blimp may sound old-fashioned, but it used solar power to heat carbon dioxide with a heater for lift and to spin a large motor for thrust, so it was an ecological craft that did not need fuel. Because of the effort that must have gone into developing the thing, Kamijou wondered if the worlds supply of oil was about to run out. The concept didnt particularly bother him. I hate those blimps, Mikoto muttered. Ahn? Why? Kamijou asked as he looked back up toward the blimp. He was pretty sure he had heard that the blimps had been sent out because Academy Citys board of directors had said the students needed to be more aware of current events. ...Because people follow the policies decided on by a machine, said Mikoto quietly in response as if she were spitting out something that annoyed her greatly. Kamijou turned his gaze back to Mikoto in surprise. There was nothing odd about her face. There was nothing odd at all. It was as if a crumbling clay mask had been remade while he wasnt looking. Whats with you? Whats that thing called? Um...Tree Diagram, was it? Hah, are you the kind of person that cant stand it when a machine beats a human at chess? Simply put, Tree Diagram was the worlds smartest super computer. It was the ultimate simulator created under the pretext of being a perfect weather forecaster. Weather forecasting may sound familiar, but that was a field where things could only be forecasted. They could not be declared as fact. Because the movements of each of the air particles that created weather were incredibly complex and intertwined with the butterfly effect and chaos theory, one could say that there was an 80% chance of rain the next day, but one could not say that it would definitely rain at 9:10:00 AM. That started to enter into the realm of quantum mechanics. However, Tree Diagram had moved weather forecasting to weather predicting. It did not do anything complicated. Basically, if it could perfectly predict the movements of every particle in the air around the world, there was only one answer it could come up with. Tree Diagram had ridiculous enough specs to do that, but some people theorized that its use for weather forecasting was just a front and it actually had some other true use. Incidentally, there was one irregular aspect of Tree Diagrams weather forecasts. It calculated the weather forecast for an entire month all at once. There was no real problem with that because it was still accurate, but it still seemed like unnecessary effort. After all, next months weather was much, much more likely to be off than tomorrows weather. If the goal was accurate weather forecasts, it would be better to redo the calculations each day. Yet the Tree Diagram used the more difficult method. It was rumored that the leftover time was used for research simulations. Drug reactions, physiological reactions, electrical reactions, and all sorts of other things could be calculated by Tree Diagram and a couple of tests could confirm the answer given. Being able to create a new drug like that almost sounded crazy. According to the rumor, there were researchers that did not know how to use a test tube and who did not like touching lab rats. A super computer with that much power had plenty of enemies. Human supremacists who hated machines could try to blow it up in a terrorist attack at any time and AI supremacists who hated people might try to sneak into the storage area for Tree Diagram to steal the technology. In order to protect it from external enemies, Tree Diagram was currently kept in a place where human hands could not reach it. Basically, the satellite launched by Academy City was Tree Diagram. The fact that Academy City could privately use the kind of rocket technology that was usually only allowed by national agencies showed just how much influence Academy City had in the world. (Well, the fact they allowed it also shows how valuable it was.) Kamijou stared blankly up at the evening sky. Tree Diagram was orbiting outside the atmosphere even then and it was possible it would continue calculating even if the world ended. Its a steel brain watching down on mankind from above, but it cant turn on us or anything. This isnt some cheap SF movie. Its just like a bank ATM. It operates according to the buttons you press. No matter how powerful a supercomputer it was, Tree Diagram could only operate based on the commands people gave it. It was the same as how ATMs did not ruin peoples lives because machines were revolting. They did it because they were not being used properly. ... Mikoto did not respond and looked up into the evening sky again. Kamijou couldnt tell if she was looking at the blimp or if her gaze went even further into the distance than that. Tree Diagram...The worlds most powerful super computer that was launched aboard Academy Citys satellite, Orihime I, in order to analyze weather data. It has been determined that no one else will catch up to its level in another 25 years, Mikoto muttered almost under her breath as if she were reading from an Academy City pamphlet. They say that, but does such a ridiculous absolute simulator really exist? Hah? Kamijou looked back toward Mikotos face, but... Just kidding! Ah, I think I started to become a poet or something. Ah ha ha ha ha!! Mikoto suddenly chopped Kamijou for no reason. Standing before him was indeed the lively, smart-assed, and selfish Misaka Mikoto. Ow! What the hell was that for!? You really dont have any dreams, do you? Doesnt a friendship drama between a human and a high-level SF computer with a human heart sound like it would have some romance to it!? Listen, dammit... Or what about a maid battle robot? I said listen! And theres no romance or any kind of friendship drama-like stuff to that thing! And are you really a lady!? I thought a lady read romance novels with a cup of tea in hand!? Hahn? Stop that, please. What age is that idol of an image from? Im human too, so I read manga at the convenience store every Monday and Wednesday. Buy it! Thats just being a nuisance! Well, I have to go this way, Mikoto said ignoring Kamijous yell. Mikotos spirits had been changing from instant to instant, but she then left. Kamijou blankly watched her leave with a puzzled look on his face. ...I dont understand her. Is this what you call the characteristics of puberty? Or does she just hate me? Part 3 But in that case, he couldnt make sense of the scene before him. (...Thats Mikoto, isnt it? Whats she doing?) After heading down the road a bit after Mikoto left, he saw Mikoto crouching by the side of the road. She was next to a cardboard box sitting at the base of a wind turbine. Just as Kamijous brain sent out warning signals because the scene was familiar, he saw a black cat sticking up from the cardboard box. Mikoto was trying to feed the cat by bringing a sweet bun close to it, but the frightened cat pressed its ears back on its head and balled up as if someone were swinging his fist down toward it. (??? Does she hate me so much that she purposefully went down that other road to get away from me? But then why is she ahead of me now? Why would she circle around ahead of me?) Kamijous head was full of questions, but then he noticed something. At Mikotos feet as she crouched was a pair of NV goggles. That wasnt Mikoto. That was Misaka Imouto who looked just like her. ...Without the goggles, you really cant tell them apart, Kamijou muttered. Misaka Imouto suddenly stopped moving while staring emotionlessly at the black cat. Without saying a word, she turned just her head like a lighthouse to look at Kamijou. Hey. Thanks for carrying those drinks and taking care of those fleas yesterday. ...Misaka did not do that in order to be thanked, replies Misaka. A slight bit of annoyance was mixed in with her expressionlessness as Misaka Imouto took the goggles from the ground and put them on her forehead. She also drew in the hand holding the sweet bun. Misaka only removed her goggles because she had heard that cats hated shining things like lenses, explains Misaka. Should she apologize for making you mistake her for onee-sama? As she spoke, Misaka Imouto for some reason expressionlessly hid the sweet bun behind her back. Despite having been frightened before, the black cat was mewing in dissatisfaction. Kamijou looked puzzled. If I needed an apology for something like that, I think Id end up asking everyone in the world for an apology. Kamijou sighed. But if the cat hates lenses, why did you put the goggles back on? Did you want to maintain a sense of individuality? It was hard to tell because of her lack of any expression and the calm with which she acted, but for some Kamijou felt like she had frantically put the goggles back on once she knew someone was looking. ...No, not really, replies Misaka. She replied immediately, but her words were somehow vague. Kamijou looked puzzled once more. It was true that taking off her goggles to not scare a cat on the road side and crouching down while holding out a sweet bun for it seemed out of character for the expressionless and emotionless Misaka Imouto, but there was no real reason to hide it. Then you can just give the sweet bun to the cat. It likes it, right? No...That is not it. Misaka Imouto froze. Either way, it is impossible for Misaka to feed this cat, concludes Misaka. Misaka has a fatal defect, says Misaka in an additional explanation. A defect? Dont say it like that. No, it is the appropriate term. Misakas body is constantly forming a weak magnetic field, explains Misaka. The human body cannot detect it, but it seems other animals can. ??? It is said that the strange movements of animals that act as an omen of an earthquake are the animals reactions to changes in the earths magnetic field caused by changes in the earths crust, says Misaka giving an easy-to-understand example. ...Hm. The animals dont like it and run away, right? So does your magnetic field make animals hate you, Misaka Imouto? Misaka Imouto looked ever so slightly annoyed. They do not hate Misaka. They merely have a slight dislike of her, says Misaka correcting you. ... Kamijou felt a little sorry for her, so he decided against joking around anymore. Animals didnt like Misaka Imouto just because of the magnetic field emitted from her body and she stared at the frightened cat with expressionless eyes. Kamijou felt bad for interrupting her, so he decided to leave. Wait, says Misaka requesting that you stop. Oh! You sensed that just from my presence! Listen. There is a black cat here, says Misaka as she points toward the cardboard box. How can you leave without giving anything to this hungry cat? asks Misaka? ...Why do I have to give the cat some food just because youve grown fond of it!? And youre the one with a sweet bun in your hand! No, not that. There is an abandoned cat here, so why did you not think of taking it in? asks Misaka a second time. Do you know how animals are treated when they are taken in by the health centres? asks Misaka as an example. First they put the animal within a clear polycarbonate case and inject 20 milliliters of a nerve gas called ASD10 inside... Wahh! Kamijou yelled cutting off Misaka Imoutos words. Hearing that while the frightened black cat looked him in the eye was incredibly awkward. You take it in! You found it and youre the one that was feeding it! ...It is impossible for Misaka to raise this cat, honestly replies Misaka. Misaka lives in an environment that is slightly different from yours, says Misaka giving a reason. Kamijou guessed that her dorms rules must be pretty strict, but then he recalled that his own dorms rules did not allow pets. Kamijou was the type who had no intention of following rules he couldnt see the reason behind, so it seemed odd to him that Misaka Imouto would give up on the cat for a reason like that. Misaka Imouto crouched down and simply stared the black cat in the eye. Her expressionless eyes followed the black cat despite knowing that it would never take a liking to her. ...Ahh. Kamijou stood still. He had been worried about this when he had taken in the first cat. He had been worried that one cat would lead to taking in a second and the second would lead to third and a fourth. Of course, Kamijous finances were not well off enough to create an animal kingdom. Kamijou wanted to refuse the black cat, but he had a feeling Misaka Imouto would stay there all night staring at the cat and then get into a fight with the people from the health centre if he left the cat there. D-dammit! This is just like with that three-colored cat!! Misaka does not understand what you are saying, but are you intending to take in this black cat? asks Misaka. If you do not take it in, the health centre workers will-... Yes, I get it, I get. Quit staring up at me with those expressionless eyes and talking about the health centre! (You and I certainly do live lives of misfortune, dont we?) As Kamijou addressed the frightened cat in his mind, he picked it up from the cardboard box. Thats right! A name! This is your cat, so take responsibility and give it a name! ...It is Misakas? Yeah, its yours. Kamijou looked down at the cat in his arms and the cat timidly returned his gaze. Misaka Imouto looked up at the evening sky for a bit with her usual expressionless face. Dog. Hah? Misaka is naming this black cat Dog. ...Dog even though it is a cat. Heh heh. Misaka Imoutos expression was that of someone remembering a funny joke, but it looked a bit scary. ...No, um...Please give it a more serious and dignified name that fits the type of animal it is. Then Tokugawa Ieyasu, says Misaka after reconsidering. Thats too dignified! Wait, are you the kind of character that pretends to think about things but doesnt think at all! Then what about Schr?dinger? Hell no! Even if it was just an example, some professor who would happily come up with a story about sticking a cat in a box and spraying poison gas inside couldnt have liked cats! In the end, they decided to name the cat later. However, Kamijou had a bad feeling that they would be unable to agree on a name later either and she would end up literally nicknaming the cat Later. Part 4 The orange sky had turned to purple. Kamijou walked along a main road while looking down at the black cat in his arms. If they were really going to raise an animal, they needed to know how. (Well, I know how to well enough. Index on the other hand...) Kamijou sighed as he walked along the street as it started to look more like night. If it was just a cruel prank, you just had to get rid of that cruelty, but Index was acting completely out of the goodness of her heart, so doing that would have the reverse effect. As she was doing it out of the goodness of her heart, she would feel it was the right thing to do and would not hesitate to continue. If he didnt hurry to a bookstore and buy a book on raising cats, that smiling pure-white nun might end up with the nickname Death End. This is a different route from yesterday, points out Misaka, Misaka Imouto said while walking next to him. Every time she glanced over at the black cat in Kamijous arms, she looked like she was barely holding herself back. It seemed she really, really wanted to pet the cat, but she was giving its feelings of dislike toward her magnetic field priority and holding back. Oh, Im just dropping by somewhere on the way home. Theres a book I kind of want. Are you headed for a bookstore? asks Misaka. Geographically, taking a right at that last intersection would have been the shortest route, says Misaka as she turns around. No, I dont want a new book. Im headed to that used bookstore up ahead. How you raise a cat doesnt change. Only 100 yen a book is ideal. Kamijou had no way of knowing, but knowledge and information related to living beings would change from time to time. Lets use baseball training as an example. A ten year old book would tell someone to throw and throw and just use some guts to bear with the pain in order to pitch faster. However, that person would actually destroy their shoulder if they did that. Do you want a book on raising a cat? asks Misaka to make sure. Its not so much the book but the knowledge within. You saw those girls in the nuns habit and the shrine maiden outfit, right? ... Misaka Imouto looked at Kamijous face with her emotionless eyes. To repeat, carelessly handling a cats life falls under the crime of property damage, warns Misaka. Ah...Eh? What, are you mad? Misaka is not angry. This is not a situation where everything is fine as long as you are not directly involved, cautions Misaka. If you leave those two alone knowing what they will do, you are responsible as well, says Misaka giving her objective opinion. ...Sorry. Are you mad, Misaka Imouto? Misaka is not angry. And not everything is okay just because it is not legally restricted, says Misaka as she admonishes you. Just think using common sense and... Ah, Ive had enough of this. Kamijou said as if it were a type of magic spell. But dont worry. Index and Himegami were only doing that because they thought it would be good for the cat. They wont do anything clearly bad for the cat like beating or abusing it. From what Misaka saw yesterday, that statement has close to zero credibility, responds Misaka. And how do you plan to deal with the situation if the book has incorrect information in it? Misaka knows how to deal with cats, so you should get her advice on how to-... Ahhh! Kamijou didnt let her finish. I said not to worry! Index and Himegami were only doing what they thought was good for the cat! They wont do anything clearly bad for the cat! Like beating it! Or abusing it! ...Misaka thinks you are just saying the same thing again verbatim just with more energy behind it, says Misaka expressing her thoughts. That is not Misakas main point. She is saying that you should get her to-... Abhah! Kamijou became completely nonsensical. Bi said bot to borry! Bindex and Bimegami were bonly doing what they bhought was bood bor the bat! Bey wont bo anything blearly bad bor the bat! Bike beating bit! Bor abusing bit! ...(anger) Pant pant...! Ah, heres the bookstore. They were standing in front of a large used bookstore that belonged to a chain. Kamijou looked down at the black cat in his arms and thought for a bit. Mh. Come to think of it, Im probably not supposed to enter the store holding a cat. ...That was an extremely expository statement, but please do not leave it with Misaka, says Misaka in a preemptive denial. ...Because your magnetic field will make the cat dislike you? Well, if you can overcome that obstacle, true friendship will blossom. Take this! Ultimate Cat Bomb! Kamijou lightly tossed the cat toward Misaka Imouto who was standing next him (on the assumption she would catch it). Of course, it was clear the cats reflexes would allow it to land nicely even if no one caught it. However, Misaka Imouto reflexively reached out for it (just as Kamijou had predicted). It was the sad habit of one who loved animals. Misaka Imouto was about to complain, but Kamijou had already entered the used bookstore. ...Really. What is wrong with him to think it is okay to throw a kitten? asks Misaka as she mutters to herself. Misaka Imouto was now alone on a twilight-colored street of Academy City. The black cat reacted to the electromagnetic waves emitted by her body and looked up to her with trembling eyes. She thought of lowering the cat to the ground, but it had not yet recognized Kamijou or her as its owner. If she let go of it there, she had a feeling it would simply run away. Even if it was only a kitten, there was no way for a human to catch up on foot to a cat that was truly trying to flee. The first thing an owner had to do was to feed the cat and give it a place to sleep, so the cat would feel secure and not feel the need to run away. ...And yet he threw it, says Misaka with a sigh. She spoke with a completely expressionless face. Luckily, the cat she was holding did not stick out its claws or struggle. This was more due to cowardice than obedience. It was true that she had wanted to touch the cat, but she sighed again at the fact that resisting was better than seeing it so frightened. And then she noticed something. It was summer break, so on that evening in Academy City, the street was filled with boys and girls wearing casual clothes. As Misaka Imouto was wearing a school uniform, she stood out quite a bit. However, she did not stand out nearly as much as the boy she had spotted. The boys hair and skin were dreadfully white. They were white, but they were the opposite of the image of purity white often gave. This white was a very dirty white. That rotten white was accentuated by the fact that his clothes were all black. And there were his eyes. Those eyes were red like fresh blood, crimson like burning flames, and scarlet like the depths of hell. He was amid a distant crowd, but the boys presence was simply too vivid. The special boy was not doing anything in particular. The exceptional boy really was not doing much of anything. Yet the mere fact that hellish boy was standing on that peaceful street was abnormal. He was Accelerator. He was the strongest Level 5 in Academy City...no, probably in the entire world. He stared at Misaka Imouto and silently smiled. ... Misaka Imouto silently lowered the black cat to the ground. It would be killed. If it stayed with her, that black cat would get caught up in the conflict and would be killed. She knew that, but the cat refused to leave her side. As it trembled, it merely looked up at her face mewing. Accelerator continued to look at Misaka Imouto and smile. That distant white smile was warped, twisted, and perverted. The white was incandescent, dirtied, and insane. A single image passed through Misaka Imoutos mind. It was the image of a girls right arm being torn off late at night due to her Metal Eater exploding. In that instant, Misaka Imoutos everyday life ended. In that instant, her hell began. Part 5 A great number of boys and girls flooded into the air conditioned store. The chain of used bookstores it belonged to advertised the fact that its prices were cheap and that reading things in the store was okay. Most of the people in the store were there because they wanted to read a certain manga but not enough to buy it. ... Kamijou stood blankly amid it all. There was indeed a book called How to Raise Cats on the bookshelf in front of him. The spine of the book was faded and it was cheaper because of it, so he had no complaints there. But Kamijou couldnt get over the fact that a book titled How to Cook Delicious Beef was in the shelf right next to How to Raise Cats. ...Well, it is true that both books are about animals I guess. When he moved his gaze even further to the side he spotted a book called New! The Scientific Cows of the Farm Buildings. There were a few buildings in Academy City that had no windows. They were referred to as agriculture buildings and were used to grow hydroponic vegetables and raise animals for meat. Inside the buildings were vegetables that were bathed in ultraviolet light, breathed carbon dioxide that had been through air purifiers, and spread their roots in water that had all sorts of nutrients mixed in. Apparently people from outside of Academy City found all that to be creepy. They seemed to think eating things that were created scientifically was bad for you. (...Its the opposite. How can you eat vegetables that were grown in dirt that could have had industrial waste and who knows what else mixed in?) That difference in values was one of the walls between those within Academy City and those without, but Kamijou simply pulled How to Raise Cats from the shelf without thinking on it any further. A girl ran through an alley that ran behind the used book store. One of her shoes came off. The girl felt that running with only one shoe would be difficult, so she pulled off the other one and continued to run. With her shoulder-length brown hair, short-sleeved white blouse, summer sweater, and pleated skirt, she reminded one of a Tokiwadai Middle School student at first glance. And someone more familiar with a certain Tokiwadai student would be reminded of the name Misaka Mikoto. However, there were two things that did not match the title of middle school student. The first was the military goggles on her forehead. The second was the assault rifle she held in her right hand. The assault rifle was made of laminated plastic instead of steel. As it was shaped in a functional aesthetic type of way like something one would see on a fighter aircraft, it looked like a toy gun from some kind of SF world. And that appearance was not necessarily wrong. The rifle, the F2000R Toy Soldier, detected the target with infrared rays and used electronic control to adjust the trajectory in real time to give the bullet the best odds of hitting. The shooter did not have to think about the wind direction or the expected evasion patterns of the target. If one aimed the barrel the way the thinking machine told them to, anyone could become an expert marksman. On top of that, it had special rubber wrapped around it to absorb shock and used carbon dioxide to reduce the recoil from firing as much as possible. While the Metal Eater antitank rifle was a monster that only a large adult could wield, the F2000R with its low recoil that was said to not even crack an egg was also a monster in that it could easily be wielded by a 2nd grader. However, the girl had no way of dealing with her current situation even with that monster in hand. Her raging pulse, exceedingly irregular breathing, and flickering, chaotic thoughts all clearly showed that she was the one being hunted. A form approached from behind. A white boy was heading for her from not even 10 metres away. Ha ha! Whats with those fleeing hips? Why are you shaking your ass like that!? Youre just asking for it!! That narrow alley was straight and lacking any kind of cover to avoid a bullet with, yet the unarmed hunter was overflowing with crazed passion. Without stopping her flight, the girl twisted her body around to look behind her. She aimed the barrel of the F2000R at the white boy named Accelerator who seemed to freeze the summer heat. She did not hesitate to pull the trigger. The rifle silently absorbed both the shock and the sound of the gunshot, so only the tiniest of an explosive noise left the barrel as if only a cheap firecracker had been set off. Nevertheless, 5.56 mm bullets accurately shot toward the boys vital points. Or so she had thought. ...!? The girls body froze due to shock. The 5.56 mm bullets held the destructive force to fly out the other side if they were shot into the side of a car, but they were repelled in every direction the instant they hit the boys body. It was as if she had fired a cheap handgun at the front of a tank. With the sound of flesh being crushed, a red hole had been opened in the girls right shoulder. One of the repelled bullet had pierced her shoulder. ...E...Gh! The girl staggered. She immediately reached for the wall, but her legs got tangled together and her head struck the dirty wall. From there, she slid down to the ground. Cmon, how about a riddle to kill some time? Heres your question: What is it that the power of Accelerator does!? The girl heard a crazed laugh. When she looked up, she saw the boys leg coming down with all his weight behind it to crush her skull. ! She immediately rolled along the dirty ground and evaded the downward swinging foot. She then held the F2000R up and pulled the trigger. She fired at what could almost be called pointblank range. The bullet seemed to be absorbed in toward the white boys eye, but the instant it touched his soft eyeball, it was repelled to the side. The white boy did not even blink. His expression changed to a smile that made his dirty-white face look hideously burned. He swung up his white hand. He swung up that hand that had an unknown effect. ...! The girl immediately threw the F2000R at the boys face as the rifle was now empty. She did not think that it would act as a fatal blow, but she hoped it would provide an instantaneous opening she could use to escape. However, the boy did not move even slightly. The instant the rifle struck the boys face, the F2000R broke to pieces. It was as if the gun had been chomped on by giant invisible fangs. The girl did not have time to be frozen in shock. She twisted her body and managed to roll a step away from the boy. She swung around her left hand as she could still move that one and gathered power there. She released a lightning spear from it. The spear of purple electricity moved forward at the speed of light and held enough destructive force to knock someone unconscious. She did not think that it would act as a fatal blow. As long as it distracted him long enough for her to get away, that was enough. However, the lightning spear she had fired at the boy rebounded and struck her in her own chest. Gah...!? The girl was knocked back to the ground with a shock that felt like she had been struck in the chest with a hammer. Her breathing stopped and every muscle in her body moved irregularly. The girls trembling lips managed to put together a single word. Re...flection...!? Sorry, thats not entirely wrong, but it still doesnt get to the essence of what I can do! The girl somehow tried to distance herself from the boy, but her body would not do what she told it to due to the electrical attack she herself had fired. The answer is vector conversion! Motion, heat, electricity. I can alter any kind of vector that touches my skin. I have it set to reflect by default, though! The girl looked up at the boys face in shock. The 2.3 million espers in Academy City were indeed special humans, but not many of them could defeat even a handgun with their power. And if they could defeat a handgun, you would use a machine gun. If they could defeat a machine gun, you would use a tank, a fighter aircraft, a battleship with submarines, or as a last resort, even a nuclear missile. There were no espers who could defeat something like that. In fact, it would just be a lot easier to buy a handgun rather than controlling the brain and altering the arrangement of genes in order to create a power that could fight against a gun. It just seemed absurd to create a huge psychic powers development institution that slipped past international law in order to create something on the level of a cheap weapon that could be bought in American supermarkets for about 30,000 yen. That was why Academy Citys goal was not to create espers. The espers were nothing more than a type of litmus paper. It seemed what was truly important was why espers had been born and what mechanism brought them about. Yet the boy before her eyes was different. That boy could alter all vectors be they motion, heat, or electricity, so he would not be injured even if he were directly hit by that last resort of a nuclear missile. He would just reflect the shockwave that would blow everything way, the heat that would scorch everything, and the neutrons and radiation that would kill everything. He was Accelerator, Academy Citys strongest Level 5. The word monster came to the girls mind. The creature before her eyes that had a human form held the power to singlehandedly make an enemy of the entire world and survive. The boy crouched down next to the girl. My Level 5 power lets me control every kind of vector. That boy seemed so different, but he spoke as if it was nothing. If I use it, I can even do this. The boy stuck his slender index finger into the dark-red hole in the girls right shoulder. It was like the action of a child squashing a bug on the road. ...!! There was a sound like a red fruit being squished and the girls body stiffened in intense pain. Now, its time for the question for the consolation round, Accelerator said mockingly. Im touching your blood. Im touching the flow of your blood. Now, if I reverse that vector...If I reverse the vector of your blood, what will happen to your body? A correct answer gets you a nice peaceful sleep! A blank expression appeared on the girls face as if she did not understand what was going on. An instant later, unimaginable pain assaulted her entire body. Huh? Kamijou said upon leaving the used bookstore with a paper bag in one hand. Misaka Imouto was nowhere to be found. (Maybe she got mad that I forced her to take the cat, so she left.) The cat alone was sitting there on the ground. Kamijou picked up the cat as it laid its ears back and trembled a bit. He looked around the area again, but everything about the street tinted in the colors of twilight seemed normal. A lot of boys and girls wearing private clothes were walking along the street as they returned to their dorms after an exhausting day of fun. (...?) As Kamijou casually looked around, he felt something from that normal scenery. He spun back around and looked at the alley between the used book store and the multi-tenant building next to it. Something about it drew his attention. (What is it? Whats wrong with that alley?) Kamijou looked closer. A tile walkway headed along in front of the entrance to the alley and a wind turbine spun nearby. The entrance must not have gotten cleaned often because quite a few leaves and a single girls shoe were gathered there. The tiling of the pathway ended right at the alley entrance and the ground in the alley was made of incredibly makeshift-looking asphalt. ...A single girls shoe? ...? Still holding the black cat, Kamijou approached the entrance to the alley. A bad feeling crawled up within him like a centipede. There was definitely just one girls shoe there. It was a small brown loafer that looked like something that would be required by a school. The shoe was clean and had no dirt on it, so it couldnt have been there for long. Kamijou stared into the alley. The sun was already sinking below the horizon, so its light did not reach the gap between the buildings. The darkness made it look like the entrance to a cave and he could not see anything within by just peering in. ... Kamijou took one step into the alley. With that one step, it felt as if the temperature had lowered 2 or 3 degrees. A feeling of having stepped into some unknown place slowly rose from his foot up to his body. Kamijou continued on. There he found the other shoe lying on the dirty ground of the alley. He continued further on. The bad feeling grew. He tried to keep his pace slow, but his legs continued to accelerate. Kamijou didnt even know why he was hurrying, but his breathing and pulse were picking up pace as if they were falling down a hill. Then Kamijou realized there were marks like part of the wall had been scraped off. It was as if someone had scraped along the concrete with a metal stake. And it was not just one or two marks. Both walls were covered with those marks like someone had been recklessly swinging a metal rod about. Kamijou stepped on something. It was a metal similar in color to gold...or more accurately, copper. It was a metal cylinder about the size of a battery. Kamijou thought it looked like the empty ammunition cartridges he had only ever seen in movies. There was a faint smell of smoke remaining as if someone had shot off a firework. (What...?) Kamijou almost spoke out subconsciously, but he suppressed it. For some reason, he tried to walk silently as he headed further in. With each step, he felt like the air was getting dirtier. As he continued on, he saw something lying on the ground further ahead in the darkness. No, it was someone collapsed on the ground. He could see the legs from where he was. He could see two legs, but he could not see the upper half of the body as if it had been eaten by the darkness. Something was scattered around about the legs. It was plastic-looking shards and springs. It was almost like the remains of some sort of toy. Misaka...? Kamijou did not know why her name came out first. He headed closer as if he were cutting through the darkness obscuring his view. And there she was. Misaka Imoutos corpse was lying on the ground. Part 6 She was lying face up as if she were staring up at the rectangular visible portion of the purple sky. There was a sea of blood. The sea of blood was so large that it made one wonder if a single human body really held that much blood. It wasnt just on the ground. Both walls were painted red up to eye-level. It looked like someone had wrung out a human body to get every last drop of blood out. In the centre of that explosion of red lay a girl. The arms and legs extending out from the short-sleeves and the skirt were torn up. It was most likely the same on her skin within her clothes that he could not see. Her school uniform had been dyed so red that its original colors could no longer be seen, but the clothes themselves were not torn at all. Her body seemed to have been torn apart from the inside along the paths of the blood vessels as if someone had passed narrow wires through all of them and then forcibly torn the wires out. Her torn-up arms were reminiscent of a diagram of a dissected frog. The torn-up girl had nothing that could actually be called a face. Instead, she had what looked like an open flower or a peeled boiled egg. It was a dark-red cavity with pink muscles and soft yellow fat inside. Uuh...Ahh... Upon seeing the red and purple scene before him, Kamijou took a step back. He must have started squeezing with his arms because the black cat started mewing like it could not breathe. Ah...Gh... Kamijou had seen a type of hell within the Misawa Cram School, but the corpses he had seen there had not had a flesh-and-blood feeling to them because they had either been encased in armor or transformed into melted gold. But this was different. He felt the urge to vomit as if he had stuck a finger down his throat. He screamed in his heart not to vomit. He used nice logic in thinking that he was looking at Misaka Imouto and he shouldnt vomit upon seeing her, but then he suddenly noticed her skirt in the edge of his vision. Something was sticking out from within her skirt, from between her legs. The soft and squishy object with a pink surface and a hint of purple was... Ugehh! In that instant, Kamijou could no longer hold back and his body doubled over. A sour flavor filled his mouth and then the contents of his stomach shot from his mouth. Kamijou vomited. He was looking at the person who he had been smiling and speaking with just 10 minutes before. That strange truth felt like it was going to blow away the gears turning in his head. With a disgusting sound, the vomit fell to the ground. It spread out and mixed with the edge of the sea of blood creating an odd marble pattern. Blood. Finally, Kamijou realized that the blood had not dried at all. Blood took about 15 minutes to coagulate, so the person who had done that to her may still have been nearby. The person who had done that to her. Kamijou paled at his own thoughts. It clearly did not look like an accident or a suicide. He started to feel dizzy. The only other possibility was something he did not want to think about. And then he heard a noise further down the alley. !? Ordinarily, one would assume it was a stray cat or something, but the sea of blood had already sent the situation beyond the ordinary. Kamijous legs naturally brought him back. Something scary was ahead in the darkness, but even more, he simply could not even think about stepping over Misaka Imouto. Kamijou took a few steps back and then noticed something hard in his pocket. It was his cell phone. He thought about calling for help, but he also thought the danger would come before help could arrive. Even if he called for help, he had to get out of there first, so he turned his back on Misaka Imouto and ran back through the alley. The alley was completely straight, but the ground felt like it was shaking and he kept running into the walls. As he ran, he hit the buttons of his cell phone, but his fingers were trembling so much he didnt know what buttons he was hitting. It might have been 110, it might have been 119, or it might have been 117 or 177. At any rate, he pressed them. He heard it ring a few times and then he heard a slight click. (It finally connected!) Just when Kamijou got excited, he started hearing a cold electronic dial tone. Kamijou removed the cell phone from his ear and looked at the screen. It said it had no signal. He felt like throwing the phone against the wall. (Cell phones are surprisingly inconvenient.) He had tried to use the cell phone to call for help, but it didnt get a signal in that narrow alleyway. He had no choice, so he left the alley and dialed 119 again in front of the used book store. He wasnt even sure what he said. He had merely yelled something that didnt explain the situation at all and the rare number of 119 was contained within his call history. Normal life continued on that main street and Kamijou doubted anyone would believe him if he told them a girls destroyed corpse lay inside that alley. ... Kamijou lowered his gaze to the cell phone in his hand. He should probably let Mikoto know what had happened, but he didnt know her number. Not even being able to do that left Kamijou feeling incredibly powerless. The cat within Kamijous hands yawned. He had called 119, but it was the police who had come. His internal clock was not working properly, so he had no idea how much time had passed since he had called. He had a feeling it had been more than an hour, but he also had a feeling it had only been 10 seconds. Looking at his phone, it had apparently been half an hour. At first, Kamijou had thought his phone was broken, but he looked up and saw that the purple of evening had changed to the blue of night. He stared blankly up at the shining stars. ... Kamijou silently watched the police who had arrived. However, they were technically Anti-Skill not police. They were not espers. They were something like soldiers armed with next-generation weapons. They must have been thinking that it was possible it had been a murder committed by an out-of-control esper because a windowless station wagon pulled up and around 10 Anti-Skill members got out. They wore black helmets and suits made of special fibers which made them look a bit like some kind of robot. They also held a strange kind of rifle in their hands. Their equipment seemed to boast that they were putting priority on capturing the criminal rather than on protecting the civilians. ...Hey! Hey, you! As Kamijou stared at them blankly, one of the Anti-Skill members suddenly called out to him. He was confused at first. He had only called, so they should not have known what he looked like. But then he noticed that they were calling out to all the people in the area. Oh, I was the one that called in. But I was calling for an ambulance not the police. I see. The police are contacted as a matter of course in issues like this. We probably just arrived first. The Anti-Skill man looked at Kamijou. Is that the alley? And it would help if you could explain what you saw in there. Kamijou closed his eyes. It felt like the scene he had witnessed in that back alley was stuck to the underside of his eyelids. ...A person was dead, he said. It irritated him that his own voice was surprisingly calm. It was like her body had been torn up. ...I dont know what kind of weapon was used. It might have been some kind of power. Something swelled up within him with each word he spoke. It was an unpleasant feeling like all his paralyzed senses were returning. She was an acquaintance of mine. I only met her two days ago, but I know what she looks like well enough to identify her from a photo. Ah, no. Why am I so calm? My thoughts should be more scattered, so why am I so...! Thats enough, said the man shaking his head. Im sure you made the best choice. Thats why we are here. You were able to do something. ...But I ran away. You still did something to help, the Anti-Skill man said. Kamijou knew that the man was only saying that to console him, but it still managed to hold him in check. Kamijou just barely managed to stop before he reached definite destruction. We normally like to bring the person who discovered the crime scene along with us, but what will you do? We wont force you. A chill ran down Kamijous back. That scene of blood, flesh, and guts was stuck on the underside of his eyelids and his fingertips seemed to go numb. Yet... ...Ill go, Kamijou said slowly as he held the cat. He didnt know why, but he did not want to run away anymore. As he thought about seeing it again, Kamijous body started to tremble. He trembled, but he had to go back into that alley. What had happened in the darkness there? He had to find out. Kamijou led the way into the back alley as the armed Anti-Skill group acted as a shield for him. (...Huh?) However, something seemed off the instant he stepped into the alley. The shoe was gone. When he had first entered the alley, he had seen a girls loafer lying in the entrance. And there had been another shoe a bit further into the alley. Kamijou spun around. The shoe at the entrance was definitely there. However, the other shoe that was supposed to be further into the alley was gone. (...?) Kamijou felt something heavy within his gut, but the Anti-Skill group continued on. Next, they should have come across the scrapes on the wall and the empty cartridges. Yes, they should have. However, the cartridges were gone. As if someone had cleaned up the alley, not a single one could be found on the dirty ground. The scrapes on the wall had been scraped off. The scrapes themselves couldnt be erased, but it looked like someone had desperately tried to hide them by making their source impossible to identify. (...Wait a second.) Kamijou had a bad feeling. He felt a pressure in his stomach. He wanted to stop and think for a second, but the Anti-Skill group continued on. He felt as if bugs were crawling about under his skin. The missing shoe, the missing cartridges, and the obscured scrapes on the wall. Those words seemed all over the place, but they seemed to lead toward a single meaning as if their combination created some kind of chemical reaction. Kamijou wanted to stand still, but he could not. As if he were being dragged by an invisible rope attached to the Anti-Skill group, he headed forward. And they finally arrived. Kamijous breathing stopped. They had arrived at the murder scene where Misaka Imouto had been lying dead in a pool of blood. However, the corpse was nowhere to be found. Part 7 It wasnt just the body. The red blood that had been covering the ground as well as both walls was as cleanly gone as a stain that had been wiped off of some glass. None of the flesh or hair that had been scattered about remained. The area did not even smell like blood. The stink of flesh was gone as well. It was as if there had never been a body there and thus nothing had occurred there at all. Eh? At first, Kamijou only let out that surprised voice. He stood in place and the Anti-Skill group ahead of him turned around. What is it? Did you notice something? No, its not that. Kamijou pointed toward the ground. It was here. This is where the body was. And where it should still be. What? The Anti-Skill members looked at the ground, but there was not a single drop of blood much less a body there. There werent even any damp traces of something having been wiped away. The Anti-Skill members exchanged glances. An unpleasant atmosphere hung in the air. Some of their shoulders relaxed and some were clearly staring at Kamijou. Wait a second! There really was a dead body here! Okay, one of them said while looking at Kamijou. Even if you really did see what you think you did, are you sure it was here? Your memories could be a bit confused and you mistook this for the actual place. His words were kind, but they had no seriousness to them like a soda that had lost its carbonation. Kamijou heard the words as those used to pacify an unmanageable drunk. He was at a loss for words because he couldnt figure out what had happened. Had it really all been an illusion? If it had been an illusion, then why had Misaka Imouto disappeared from in front of the used bookstore? Kamijou pulled out his cell phone. The quickest way to figure out if it had been an illusion or reality would be to contact Misaka Imouto. If the phone connected, he would know she was alive. However, Kamijou did not know Misaka Imoutos cell phone number. As he could not even make a simple phone call, the only thing left was to try to figure it out on his own. ... Kamijou was frozen in that spot. The scene before his eyes seemed so ordinary that he started to doubt his own memories. And Kamijou was actually glad to doubt his memories. If he had been seeing some sort of illusion, then his report to the police would have been nothing but nonsense. Misaka Imouto would be walking around in some completely different place and would appear before him after remembering about the cat. That future was clearly the more desirable one. (...Dammit. What is going on?) He would prefer it if Misaka Imouto was not dead, but he hesitated to just write off the reality he had seen as an illusion. That odd contradiction ate into his heart. What the hell is going on!? Kamijou could not stand it any longer, so he pushed past the Anti-Skill group and ran further into the alley. He heard a voice calling out telling him to stop, but he doubted they would come after him. Those Anti-Skill members were probably thinking he had called in that report as a prank. The black cat in his arms mewed. Kamijou ran along the narrow alleyway, but he had no idea what he was searching for. He knew he was searching for something, but he had no idea what that something was. It may have looked like he was just running to get rid of the strange gloom that had come over him. As he continued to run down the dark and rotten back alley, he approached a T-intersection. The path split off to the right and left. The right path was a narrow path continuing into the darkness, but he could see the glow of streetlights coming from the left path. Most likely, it connected to a main street. It looked a bit like the exit of a tunnel. Emotionally, Kamijou wanted to head for the exit to the left. However, leaving that back alley felt like giving up, so Kamijou headed for the darkness to the right. That part of the alley was a little wider than before so the word path fit it better than gap. Because of the extra space, polyethylene buckets, unused bicycles, and other items were scattered about. A tipped over case of beer bottles, a cardboard box that seemed to have soaked up water, and other sources of liquid led to all sorts of liquids flowing across the ground, mixing together, and forming a sticky liquid. Footprints could be seen in that sticky liquid leading further down the path. Kamijou followed the footprints with his eyes and stared into the darkness. He heard something moving in that darkness. Someone was there. He thought his heart would be crushed by the shock. The cat struggled in pain. He may nervously have started squeezing it in his hands again. Whos there!? Kamijou yelled. The person in the darkness turned around in response to his voice. Surprisingly, the person was shorter than Kamijou and appeared to be a girl. However, the body bag-like object she was carrying over her shoulder was quite ominous indeed. Yes, it was a body bag, a bag used to contain a human who was at least unconscious. The body bag was bent into an upside down V-shape over the persons shoulder and Kamijou felt like he could see a limp girls silhouette in it. (What is that...?) That silhouette left Kamijou speechless. It looked less like a living human was stuffed inside and more like the parts of a dismantled mannequin had been thrown inside. While the overall silhouette was collapsed, what were clearly wrists, ankles, and other body parts could be seen pressing against the fabric from the inside. And then Kamijou saw. He saw the person who he had not been able to see properly due to the darkness. He saw the person holding the body bag that clearly had a person stuffed inside. Kamijou saw her. With the darkness cleared away, he saw the person standing there. It was Misaka Imouto. Wha-...? Kamijou froze up in front of that ridiculous sight. The friendly mew the black cat in his arms gave seemed strange. That was clearly Misaka Imouto. She had the shoulder-length brown hair and the military goggles on her forehead. She wore the short-sleeved white blouse, summer sweater, and pleated skirt. She stood there as if she had been remade in a mold. Kamijou did not understand. He simply did not understand, but... Misaka apologizes. She intended to return there after she was finished working, says Misaka as she starts with an apology. That gaze, that behavior, that atmosphere, that manner of speaking...It was clearly her. Hey, wait a second. Youre Misaka Imouto, right? So was what he had seen a very real-seeming illusion after all? Kamijou felt dissatisfied in some way, but Misaka Imouto was standing before him the same as she had always been. He lost strength in his legs and collapsed to the ground. Dammit. What the hell is going on? he spat out. Oh, sorry. This may sound really weird to you, but I seriously thought something bad had happened to you. But it seems youre all right. Im glad. There are some parts of what you said that Misaka is having trouble understanding... (Well, Im not sure how she was supposed to understand that.) Kamijou didnt know why he had seen that illusion, but he didnt particularly care as long as Misaka Imouto was fine. ...but Misaka is indeed dead, reports Misaka. Kamijous breathing froze. Misaka Imouto was right in front of him, but Kamijou belatedly started to wonder what the body bag she was carrying over her shoulder was. The silhouette within was like a broken mannequin. The construction seemed off and the joints were all pointing in odd directions. He looked toward it wondering what was inside. As he did, something jumped into the centre of his vision. It was an object sticking out from the zipper of the body bag. The brown object was sticking out from the gap next to the zipper like it was a weed. It was hair. Kamijou was utterly shocked. A strange chill ran across his entire body. (Is she carrying around a realistic life-sized doll or something?) But that brown hair was much too familiar. The color, the gloss, and everything else about it was exactly the same as the hair belonging to the girl holding the body bag. Wait, wait. What are you carrying? Whats inside that body bag? ...? You do not know? asks Misaka in return. As you entered the testing site, Misaka assumed you were related to the experiment, but...yes, it is true that you do not look like someone related to the experiment, responds Misaka based on her intuition. (Experiment...?) Kamijou fell silent as he had no clue what Misaka Imouto was talking about. Just to make sure, Misaka will check using the passcode, says Misaka as she does as she says. ZXC741ASD852QWE963, says Misaka testing you. What? What are you talking about? As you were unable to decode that passcode, you do not seem to be related to the experiment, says Misaka having received logical proof backing up her intuitive assumption. Misaka Imoutos words sounded like some kind of alien language to Kamijou. He looked at her doubtfully. This body bag contains a Sister, responds Misaka. The voice that had answered Kamijous question had clearly been Misaka Imoutos. However, the voice as well as a footstep had come from behind Misaka Imouto. The voice had sounded like it was coming from a ways down the alleyway. This was not mistake in Kamijous senses. With the sound of more footsteps, someone approached from behind Misaka Imouto. Misaka apologizes for leaving the black cat behind, states Misaka. The person who had appeared from the darkness was a girl who looked exactly like Misaka Imouto. (What? She looks just like Misaka Imouto...so is that Mikoto?) However, she did not want to get an animal involved in unnecessary conflict, says Misaka explaining her actions. However, that other girls footsteps were not the only ones. Misaka wishes to apologize to you for the same reason, says Misaka as she lowers her head. There were two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...a seemingly endless number of footsteps. It seems the experiment caused you unnecessary worry, says Misaka as-... But you do not need to worry... So you were the one who called the police... That was the appropriate decision... Is the cat oaky, asks Misa-... Every Misaka here is Misaka, says... But what would you have done if Misaka had been the murderer? The details are classified, so Misaka cannot explain, but there was no trouble here, responds Misaka. ...Ah? Kamijou naturally stepped back as Misaka after Misaka appeared from behind the first. His back ran into something. He turned around and found more Misakas with identical expressionless faces. What...? Kamijou was left speechless at the sight and he tried to sort through everything that had happened. Had what he had seen not been an illusion but actually the corpse of one of those identical Misakas? From the fact that Misaka Imouto was carrying the body, they seemed to be concealing it. It was true that the blood could have been dried up in about a minute with a coagulant and heat from a dryer. Then they could clean it up as easily as tempura oil that had been hardened with a chemical. And the fingerprints and luminol reaction could be easily erased with chemicals. But Kamijou found something to be odd. From the very start, it was odd that there were so many people who looked exactly the same. Monozygotic twins, often known as identical twins, were siblings with the same structure at a genetic level, but they were not actually as identical as they were often represented as being in dramas and novels. Lets take a hypothetical man named Tanaka-san. Tanaka-san would clearly have very different ratios of muscle and fat depending on if he trained every day in order to become a baseball player or if he just ate sweets all day long doing nothing in particular. With differences in sleep, exercise, eating habits, and stress, peoples living patterns would change their physique even if they were the same at birth. And it was not normal for two people to maintain the exact same sleep, exercise, and eating patterns after living for 10 or 15 years. The girls before his eyes were too identical. They looked exactly like the girl named Misaka Mikoto. It was like their sleep times had been measured with clocks, their exercise amounts had been measured with measuring devices, and their food portions had been measured with scales. Yes, it was as if everything had been precisely measured in order to match Misaka Mikoto. It was as if they had been created by someone. .................................................. Kamijou spun around looking at the area and then looked back at the body bag. It seemed they knew him. It seemed they knew of the black cat. But then Kamijou had to wonder who the girl he had thought was Misaka Imouto had been. Was she with them or were there still more Misakas? Or was the Misaka Imouto he had been in contact the one inside the body bag? Do not worry, responds Misaka. The Misaka holding the body bag spoke to Kamijou who was frozen in shock. The Misaka you were in contact with previously today was Serial Number 10032. In other words, this Misaka, responds Misaka. She pointed toward herself with her free hand. The Misakas use their power to manipulate electricity to link their brain waves. The other Misakas merely share #10032s memories, explains Misaka. Linking brain waves sounded unbelievable at first, but it was possible if they were twins. Brain waves differed from person to person like fingerprints and voice prints. Having someone elses brain waves flow into your brain would just destroy your brain cells, but if two people who were identical on the genetic level did it... But Kamijou didnt particularly care about that. Who are you? he asked. The Misakas are the Sisters, cellular clones created as mass-produced military models of the Original, one of the seven Level 5s of Academy City, answers Misaka. What are you doing? he asked. Merely an experiment, answers Misaka. Misaka apologizes again for getting you involved in this particular experiment, says Misaka as she lowers her head. What-...? he started to ask, but then he closed his mouth. The girls standing before him were simply too different and too remote. Kamijou was all alone as he leaned against the alley wall while holding the black cat. The group of Misakas had disappeared as if they were melting into the darkness. They were likely taking the corpse to eliminate every bit of evidence. And the experiments would continue. He didnt know what they were, but those Misakas were being killed and then taken off somewhere without him knowing. The term cellular clone brought the urge to vomit back to him. The spine of the book he had spotted in the used bookstore floated up in the back of his mind. New! The Scientific Cows of the Farm Buildings. He was reminded of those beings that lived within the windowless buildings, breathed air-conditioned air, drank nutrients, and were raised solely to be eaten. He envisioned them having their guts cut open, their innards dragged out, their flesh sliced up, and then being packed up and distributed to supermarkets and butcher shops throughout the city. He tasted sour stomach acid coming from deep in his throat. He doubted he would be able to eat meat for a while. However, there were pragmatists who did not care about things like that. The people behind the experiment were killing people in the same way that cows were killed, gutted, chopped up, and packed up, so they would likely continue the experiments without caring. Kamijou did not know what exactly the experiments entailed and he doubted he would understand something that repulsive even if it were explained to him. However, he could say one thing for sure. Allowing that experiment to continue would lead to more people being killed. (...An experiment?) That term caught in Kamijous mind. Misaka Imouto had called it an experiment, so was there a research facility behind it? If that were so, the use of the technical term cellular clone made sense. A cellular clone was not made like a normal baby. They were created from DNA extracted from a hair or a drop of blood. Suddenly, Kamijou froze. A hair. To create a cellular clone, DNA was needed. It could be a single hair or a single drop of blood, but raw material like that was needed. Misaka Imouto had said that they were mass-produced military models of Misaka Mikoto. (It couldnt be...) Kamijou stopped breathing. He looked up at the rectangle of sky he could see as a thought of despair entered his mind. (Does Misaka Mikoto know about this?) Part 8 Dinner that night was yakiniku. Komoe-sensei who looked 12 years old stood in the kitchen looking at a Luxurious Yakiniku Set she had bought on a special sale at the supermarket for 12000 yen. She had bought it partially because she had more people to feed dinner to and partially because it was a rank up from the 8000 yen Wonderful Yakiniku Set she had bought previously. It was not that unusual for Komoe-sensei to be serving multiple people for dinner. She was an educator to the core, so she had a habit of taking in girls who had run away from home and giving them a place to stay until they found what they wanted to do. (Its been a month since Izanami-chan left to go train to be a baker. The calm has been nice, but thats a long time to be alone...) Komoe-sensei pulled multiple cans of beer from the fridge in order to compare their flavor. She wasnt sure which season yakiniku was reminiscent of. After all, she lived in a time when any kind of food could be gotten year round. However, that female teacher who looked 12 but could taste the differences between beers always ate yakiniku in the summertime. She had also decided to leave the cooking of the meat to the person staying with her who was paying zero rent. Her role that night was just to drink beer and eat meat, so she was feeling rather like royalty. Her temporary roommate, Himegami Aisa, had finished setting up the iron griddle on the tea table in the centre of the room and she sat in the lotus position in order to kill the worldly desire that went by the name of hunger. The lotus position may sound ostentatious, but she was really just sitting cross legged and wondering how long she had to wait to eat. Komoe-sensei was the type of person that seasoned the meat before cooking it. Peoples tastes varied, but Komoe-sensei loved to put tare on the meat before cooking it and then put more tare on after it cooked. Of course, cooking meat with tare on it filled the room with the smell of smoke, but she did not mind. That room (for some reason) already had strange scribbles drawn all over the tatami mats and the walls, had the tatami sliced up by something like a sword, had blood stains left all over the place, had burn marks on the walls, and finally had its walls and ceiling destroyed by what seemed like a beam weapon. It had been patched up with plywood, but she could pretty much kiss her security deposit goodbye. (...Uuh. Tomorrow Im going to make sure to get Kamijou-chan to tell me what happened.) Komoe-sensei sighed, but she brought a large plate of meat over to the tea table to get her spirits up. Himegami must have been the type that put a large amount of tare on the meat and ate it with rice because she already had the rice cooker nearby. Okay, now heat up the iron griddle. You lost the game of rock-paper-scissors, Himegami-chan, so you need to take those saibashi and begin your forced labor. Now cook up some yakiniku for me! Okay. But first I will tell you a scary story from Academy City. ...I am not the type to cry when told about the seven mysteries of Academy City. In fact, I have the disgrace of often being considered to be one of them. However, the urban legends in Academy City were not the more occult type involving ghosts. They tended to be more along the lines of hidden bits of ridiculous science like UFOs. A lot of the urban legends in Academy City had to do with the Imaginary Number District Five Elements Institution also known as Primary Knowledge. For example, there was the urban legend that Academy City started as a single laboratory. It said that the laboratory extended to include the company houses for the personnel, health facilities, and related laboratories until it reached the point of being a giant city. However, no one knew where this supposed first laboratory was in the city. There were of course plenty of rumors regarding that first laboratory. Some said it had been destroyed decades ago without anyone knowing what it was. Some said it was hidden deep underground. Some said it was seen every day but no one realized it because it had been disguised as an ordinary-looking school. Some said that a special power or imaginary technology had been used to warp space around it in order to hide it. They may be referred to as the seven mysteries, but there were hundreds of variations on the rumors and there was not a single bit of substantiating evidence. It was something that supposedly existed, but no one noticed it. The Imaginary Number District Five Elements Institution was said to be the district that did not fit any of the numbers for the 23 districts of Academy City. And many different rumors of imaginary technology had been derived from this invisible laboratory known as the Imaginary Number District. There was the supposed AI that controlled all of the ethics, militaries, and economies of the world via the internet. There was the supposed Clone Dolly workshop that stored the DNA of great men and saints from around the world and had analyzed their genetics to the point that they could create as many geniuses as needed at the push of a button. There was the idea that the silicorandom synapses used in Tree Diagrams processing engine could only be made with imaginary technology from the Imaginary Number District and thus could not be remade. There was the supposed Hound Dog unit that was secretly working to search for the Imaginary Number District and would abduct anyone who got close to solving the mystery in order to torture them for information. (There is also the idea that research on eternal youth has been completed in the Imaginary Number District and I am one of the samples. ...Saying that is just going too far. Its a violation of my human rights.) Komoe-sensei sighed as she held a beer in one hand. Across the tea table from Komoe-sensei was Himegami who was waving both her hands around. Okay. Now for my scary story. Oh, cmon. Just hurry it up, hurry it up. Okay. Heres one. The scorched parts of yakiniku contains polynuclear aromatic carbons. That is a carcinogen. Wait, that kind of real scary story isnt summer-like at all! You need not worry about it now. I am sure you have eaten plenty of them already without knowing it. Thats just too much! Is this a plan to ruin my appetite so you can hog all the meat, Himegami-chan!? As Komoe-sensei was being toyed with in a bout of psychological warfare, the doorbell rang. Mh. It looks like I have a guest. Its probably just a circular notice, so go politely deal with it, Himegami-chan. As you do, sensei will be here cooking and eating the meat. Himegami silently stood up while looking at Komoe-sensei who was clearly in a bad mood. She headed for the door, but then suddenly spun around. That beer can is made of aluminum which is a toxic metal. If you drink a lot, the toxin will build up within your body. That is one of the reasons that the Roman Empire collapsed. They used too much metal tableware. Heh heh. Komoe-sensei completely lost her appetite and she looked like she was about to cry. Also... ...Theres more? I am in charge of cooking the meat today. You only need to eat the meat, Komoe-sensei. Himegami stood in front of the door and bent over to look out the peephole. Newspaper solicitors in the area were rather extreme, so in the worst case, there was no choice but to open the door just a bit with the chain lock still connected and take the magic wand known as an electronic gas gun from next to the door to stick it through the gap and respond with a full auto blast. (Note: Those were banned from sale in 1993 due to having too much destructive force. They are also known as Head Crushers.) However, no one could be seen on the other side of the peephole. ? Himegami grabbed the gas gun just to be safe and slowly opened the door to see if someone was playing a prank. As the door opened, it made a noise like it had struck something and stopped. Himegami looked down to see if someone had left a block on the ground. A pure-white nun was collapsed there. The door had struck her head. A three-colored cat was balled up next to her happily waving its tail around. I...Im hungry. The collapsed person with an unknown residence and no job said something, but Himegami closed the door. Huh? Who was it? asked Komoe-sensei. No one, Himegami replied with complete calm. However, someone started banging on the door with their last bit of strength. As she had no choice, Himegami opened the door again. The white nun held out Sphinx in her arms as if to say at least take the cat. Himegami felt too sorry for her, so she let Index in the room. I-I waited and waited but Touma never came home. I thought I was going to starve to death, the limp white nun said. She was already sitting at the tea table and had grabbed a pair of saibashi in her fist. Himegami felt that it was a type of talent to feel that at home about having others feed you like that. The cat was sitting in Indexs lap with its mouth open and pointing up toward the ceiling. It seemed to be a tactic to snatch the bits of food that Index dropped. Despite the sudden guest, the 12000 yen Luxurious Yakiniku Set had plenty in it. Index did not even know how to hold chopsticks properly and Komoe-sensei liked to help out others, so the teacher took the initiative and started cooking the meat. Youre asking what psychic powers are? Komoe-sensei responded while flipping over the meat on the iron griddle. Index nodded slightly while staring at the half-cooked meat. Simply put, it is based on Schr?dingers theories, but you may not be familiar with them. Komoe-sensei tried to use the saibashi to get the other two to eat some carrots instead of just eating meat, but they ignored it. Schr?dinger? Yes. Schr?dinger is the name of a teacher of quantum mechanics. He left behind the story of Schr?dingers cat. The story may sound rather cruel to those who love pets, so I think Ill change it a bit. Komoe-sensei put vegetables on top of the meat that had finished cooking and placed them on Indexs small plate. Index immediately took off the vegetables and gave them to the cat, but the cat rejected them with a cat punch. There is a box here, said Komoe-sensei as she grabbed a box for chocolates from the floor with her other hand. Now what do you think is inside, Sister-chan? Mh. Chocolates of course. Touma has the same kind in his house. But this box has hard candy inside. Why would you put that inside...? Now then, Sister-chan. What is inside this box? You just said it has hard candy inside! Yes, but you dont know unless you open it up. I could have been lying. ... So there are now two possibilities: the possibility that chocolates are inside or the possibility that hard candies are inside. Of course, only one of those can be true. However, when were just talking about possibilities, both possibilities are jumbled together. Komoe-sensei lightly waved the box for chocolates around. Those two possibilities appear as a single result once the box is opened to check on what the contents are. Originally, the contents had a 50% chance of being chocolates and a 50% chance of being hard candies, but once you look it changes to a 100% chance of being chocolates. Komoe-sensei opened the box and small chocolates were inside. Now then, she said closing the box again. Assuming the two possibilities were 50% chocolates and 50% hard candies, what do you think is inside this box, Sister-chan? ??? I dont really get it, but I saw chocolates in there just now. Yes. A normal person will choose the 50% chance of chocolates at this point. Komoe-sensei waved the box around again. But what would happen if there was a person who could choose the 50% chance of hard candies? Mhh? Then the contents of the box would become hard cand-... Index trailed off and seemed to have realized something. A strange phenomenon outside of the normal would occur. That is the true identity of psychic powers. There are many possibilities in this reality. Among them are the possibility that fire can come from ones hand and the possibility of reading someones mind. Because those 1% possibilities differ from the 99% possibility of the natural thing happening, they can be referred to as supernatural powers. Komoe-sensei spun around the saibashi. However, this is also why supernatural powers are not almighty. For instance, in our example there was a 50% possibility of chocolates and a 50% possibility of hard candies, so there was a 0% possibility of gum being inside. These powers cannot be used in places or conditions that have no possibility in the first place. ??? When we refer to espers, we refer to someone whose ability to view the reality of the 50% chocolates vs. 50% hard candies differs from that of normal people. RPSK Syndrome, commonly referred to as a poltergeist, is caused by children who are no longer able to properly view reality due to trauma or excessive stress. The Ganzfeld experiment used in powers development purposefully seals off the senses in order cut one off from the proper reality. Komoe-sensei continued to spin the saibashi around. Espers who are cut off from the proper reality gain a personal reality that differs from ours. As a result, they can distort a micro world using different laws. In other words they gain the power to destroy things without touching them or to see one year into the future by closing their eyes. Komoe-senseis words seemed like an otherworldly language, so Index did not understand. The development we carry out is to artificially create personal realities. Simply put, we use things like drugs and suggestions to help cause certain types of damage in the brain. Index felt a stab in her chest at the word damage. A certain boy was always saying that he had no power. And he did so casually as if it was to be expected. But all that effort had been put in behind it all. Index felt that she could not save him from that. It wasnt the fact that the boy had gained nothing after all that. It was the fact that he had gained nothing but accepted it with a smile like it was to be accepted. She simply could not save him from that. Actually, Kamijou-chans type is very important. ...? You know about Toumas power? Well, Kamijou has been quite naughty ever since he came to the school. A lot has happened. Yes, a lot. Hee hee. Hee hee hee hee. As Komoe-sensei put her hands to her cheeks and wiggled her body around, Index and Himegami froze in place. In their hearts they had one thought: Again, you bastard? But I personally feel that Kamijou-chan and all the other Level 0s need to be researched, too. Komoe-sensei alone did not notice that the atmosphere of the room had changed. With powers development, a single curriculum should be able to awaken powers in anyone. Yet there are people in whom powers do not awaken. That must mean there is still a set of laws there we do not understand and that could be the key that leads to System. System? That is the term for one who is not a god yet reaches the will of the heavens. Our goal is something beyond Level 5. We humans do not understand the truth of this world. However, that makes things simple. If someone who has a status above that of a human appeared, that person would be able to understand gods response. ... Indexs movements stopped. She recognized what she had just heard. Kabbalah had the concept of the Sephirot tree. It was a diagram with 10 levels that divided up the positions of humans, angels, and god. And on that Sephirot tree, the crucial position of god was nowhere to be found. Ain Soph Aur, Ain Soph, Ain. 000, 00, 0. As gods territory could not be understood by humans and the concept could not be expressed by humans, it was not shown on the Sephirot tree. However, a religious system had appeared to take advantage of that. Their doctrine stated that, if humans could not understand, they merely had to gain bodies that surpassed those of humans. They claimed that humans were gods in the process of being purified, so they could gain the bodies of gods and freely use the techniques of god by training themselves. They were the first mavericks of the Christian Church and they were even considered dangerous by the Apostle John. It was known as Gnosticism. Ars Magna, Himegami muttered while touching the large cross at her chest. The man who had once used alchemy to reach Ars Magna had likely belonged to that ideology. After all, Ars Magna of alchemy was not the technique of turning lead to gold. It was the technique of sublimating a human soul that had been dulled like lead into an angels soul that was like gold. Gnosticism was popular among those who strayed from the proper path in the occult because it involved usurping the power of god. Regardless of the differences in how they thought, humans all wanted to reach the same place. Or... The sky had completely turned to the blue of night. (...Oh, I wonder if Index is okay.) Kamijou recalled the white nun who was (supposed to be) waiting back at his dorm room. (I cant exactly expect her to have the skills to cook, so she might be rolling around the ground out of hunger right now.) He thought of calling her, but he quickly changed his mind. He recalled that Index had ended up getting wrapped up the battle at Misawa Cram School the previous week because he had called her. ... Kamijou stopped thinking about Index and focused on the task at hand. He was heading for the Tokiwadai Middle School dorm in order to find Misaka Mikoto. The bus stops in Academy City often used the names of school facilities such as District 12 Takasaki University or District 22 Shizuna High School Pool. That was not too surprising as all the busses in Academy City were school busses. Luckily, there was a bus stop called District 7 Tokiwadai Middle School Dormitory. Normally, all of the busses would have stopped running by that time, but that line had special buses that ran at night for students that went to cram schools or summer courses. It was one of the many perks of a private school. So this is the place. Kamijou got off the bus with the black cat in one hand and looked up at the building. Normal concrete buildings were lined up around it, but that three-story building alone was made of stone. The Western-looking building was just stuck in the middle of everything else and it had an odd sense of history to it like a foreign dormitory had been moved from its original country and placed there. It had no garden or lawn. Just like the other buildings, it was standing right next to the sidewalk. With such an impressive building, it almost made Kamijou laugh to see laundry hanging from the windows like in a normal dorm. The cat must have caught sight of the laundry flapping in the wind because it started moving its head in unison with it. Kamijou headed for the main entrance, but it was locked up more tightly than he had expected. At first glance it appeared to be double doors made of wood, but it was probably actually made of a special carbon fiber material. It probably wouldnt budge if a truck slammed into it. The door knob seemed to be a sensor and he could see a red light inside the keyhole that was made to look old. Kamijou guessed offhand that it detected ones fingerprint, checked ones bodily electricity and pulse pattern from ones skin, and maybe even checked ones DNA code from the oil on ones fingers. A number of mailboxes were lined up next to the door. They were not much different from the newspaper box for a nice apartment. From the names on the mailboxes, Mikoto seemed to be in Room 208. He had no option left but to use the intercom. Just like at a nice apartment building, it was set up so calculator-like buttons could be used to punch in the number of the room and it would connect directly to that room. Contacting Mikotos room would be easy enough. He just had to enter 208 into the intercom. But Kamijou hesitated to do so. It was almost impossible that Mikoto had nothing at all to do with that experiment. After all, her cells would be needed to create those cellular clones known as the Sisters. What was he supposed to say upon seeing her? He was afraid to hear from Mikoto herself about that repulsive experiment that had no problem killing people. He was afraid to see Mikotos face as she spoke of that hidden truth. The cat mewed uneasily. Kamijou recalled the face of Mikoto, the girl he had met in front of the vending machine and who was certainly not shy. Had that been an act in order to hide that truth? Or was she actually so messed up that she could be cooperating with that repulsive experiment and knew the Sisters were dying, but was still able to smile like that? Either way, that was not the image of Misaka Mikoto that Kamijou had built up in his head. The instant he pressed the buttons for the intercom, that image would be shattered. Kamijou realized that he was afraid of having that image destroyed. He had no real reason. It was just because walking back from school with Mikoto had been so comfortable. ... Kamijous finger trembled as he thought about pressing the buttons regardless. Once he pressed those buttons, there was no turning back. He couldnt erase the fact he had pressed them. Afterwards, the experiment Kamijou didnt know about would surely come avalanching down on him like a roller coaster that had made it up to the top of the first hill. Kamijou didnt know what to do. He still did not know what the best option was when he pressed the buttons for the intercom. He heard the slight click of the plastic buttons being pressed. With a bit of static over the speaker, an entrance to a world of the abnormal opened. Oh, um... He did not know what to say. Yet he had to say something. ...This is Kamijou. Is that Misaka? The words that left his mouth sounded horribly trite. The few seconds of silence as he waited for a response seemed extremely heavy to Kamijou. He heard some noise over the intercom. It was the sound of someone on the other side breathing. Most likely, Mikoto was on the other side of the intercom. She would be relaxed because she thought Kamijou did not know anything of the experiment. After a slight, ever so slight pause... Oh, Kamijou-san, did you say? responded a much slower voice that was clearly not Mikotos. Oh, crap. Did I get the wrong room number? No, no, you didnt. Do you have business with onee-sama? I am her roommate. The voice sounded familiar, and Kamijou remembered why after thinking for a second. She was the Shirai Kuroko girl that had called Mikoto onee-sama the previous evening. Oh, I see. Well, from your response, Im guessing Misaka is not back yet... Correct. But she should be back soon. That entrance functions both as security and to enforce the curfew, said the slow voice over the intercom. If you have business with onee-sama, I suggest you come inside. Otherwise, you might just barely miss her. He heard the sound of the intercom cutting off followed by the sound of the entrance unlocking. From the multiple metallic noises, it seemed multiple types of locks were used. The cat looked surprised by the fairly brutal noise. (Should I...really go in there?) Kamijou looked unsure, but he really did need to speak with Mikoto, so he took her roommate up on her offer. He passed through the main entrance to find a giant hall. The interior looked like a place nobles would live in. The walls and ceiling were mostly white and a red carpet covered the floor. He thought it might just have been nouveau riche tastes, but he also had a feeling that an intruder would greatly stand out with that coloration. He wasnt sure if the residents were merely well-behaved or if the building had good soundproofing, but the area was wrapped in a calm silence like a shrine or a temple. Kamijou ignored the corridors stretching off to the left and right of the entrance hall and headed for the staircase in the centre of the hall that led to the second and third floors. According the mailboxes, Mikotos room was Room 208. Kamijou guessed that it was somewhere on the second floor. He climbed the stairs and walked down the second floor passageway on the left. He found Room 208 almost right away. The number was displayed on the wooden door in gold numbering. The cat stared at its reflection in the polished door and Kamijou felt it was like the door to a hotel room. However, there was not an intercom on the door inside like in a hotel. Kamijou lightly knocked on the door and a voice responded. Come in. It isnt locked, so you can open it yourself. He opened the door and the inside was like a hotel room as well. There was a door to what was likely a unit bathroom immediately inside and there were two beds, a side table, and a small refrigerator further in. There was nothing like a closet, so it seemed all personal items were kept in the giant suitcases next to the beds. Despite being in her room, Shirai Kuroko still had her hair up in pigtails. She was still wearing summer clothes, so she looked a tad unnatural sitting on the bed. Shirai must not have been very interested in animals because she did not look at the black cat in Kamijous arms. (But yknow...) Kamijou looked around the room again. Even if her roommate had given him permission, he still felt awkward being in a girls room when she wasnt there. Seeing how he was acting, Shirai Kuroko laughed a bit. Sorry. This room is really only to sleep in, so it is not really made to entertain guests. Please just sit on the other bed while you wait for onee-sama. ...No, I cant sit on her bed without permission. Do not worry. That is my bed. Then what the hell are you doing rolling around on someone elses bed!? Are you some kind of pervert!? Mh. You cannot just call people perverts like that. Everyone has things they could never tell people about but that they consider to be perfectly fine in their hearts. You know, like putting a girl you likes recorder in your mouth or stealing the saddle to her bike. I dont do things like that! How can you pervert such pure feelings like that!? First Mikoto and now you! Is this the true face of the high class lady!? Despite Kamijous exclamation, Kuroko merely puffed out her cheeks as if she refused to accept what he was saying. (Wow. Mikotos school life must be like a battlefield.) Kamijou leaned up against the wall. I assumed you were her underclassman because you called her onee-sama, but I guess youre actually a classmate. The cat started struggling because it wanted to check out the small space under the bed, but Kamijou did not allow it to escape his arms. No, no. I am most certainly onee-samas underclassman. I merely had her previous roommate leave...in a completely legal way of course. Kamijous face stiffened in fright and Kuroko continued to speak. ...Onee-sama has a lot of enemies. I suppose that is the fate of those with great power, but dont you think it would just be too tough for her to have a traitor sleeping in the same room as her? ... Kamijou fell silent and the cat stopped struggling and looked up at his face. So, Kuroko said while looking at Kamijou, are you the gentleman that has been having frequent disputes with onee-sama? ? As Kamijou had no memories, he wasnt really sure. It seemed Mikoto was some kind of an acquaintance of his from before, but he didnt know what kind of relationship it had been. Kuroko glanced over at Kamijous curious look and she sighed. ...If not, thats fine, but I was just hoping to get a look at the person who has been supporting onee-sama. Supporting? Yes. She may not be aware of it, but everyone can tell that she happily mentions this gentleman at meals, during baths, and while going to sleep. Kuroko sighed again. ...And yet she has someone who wants to be her ally right here. Her face makes it look like that is the one place for her in this world. Whoever it is has left quite an impression on her. Kamijou looked on with a puzzled expression as Kuroko started to get slightly contrary. ...? But is that really the kind of person she is? It seemed to me like she was always standing in the centre being the leader. That is exactly why. Onee-sama usually acts as the leader, so she can stand in the centre of everyone, but she cannot intermingle with everyone. She stands at the top and defeats her enemies, but she cannot avoid making more enemies at the same time. What is most important to onee-sama is someone she can feel on the same level as. Thats how I see it at least. ... Kamijou recalled the Mikoto he had met in the evening. She had been selfish and hot-tempered, she hadnt listened to what he tried to tell her, and she had started biri biri-ing the instant something happened. However, he had a feeling her shoulders had been quite relaxed. It was as if she were stretching after having a constant great weight removed from those shoulders. The afterschool walk with Kamijou had been a safe zone for Mikoto. Her smile had been believably honest and almost too defenseless. But... Was that really true? Was being next to Kamijou the only time Mikoto smiled? Was there no possibility that she was simply an abnormal person who could easily smile and talk casually with Kamijou despite seeing the Sisters killed before her eyes? Kamijou thought about it for a bit and felt the urge to vomit. (Why cant I just trust in her?) Im sure onee-sama ended up acting like that without realizing it, said Shirai Kuroko as she slightly narrowed her eyes. Her voice sounded like she was dreaming of a position she herself could never reach. When she does realize it, she most likely gets embarrassed and becomes more aggressive than is necessary. Kamijous breathing stopped for an instant. He had just thought of Mikoto as scary and then he felt he himself was pathetic for finding her scary. However, he still could not stop himself from feeling that way about her. If his guesses were correct, then Mikoto knew about the experiment and knew the Sisters were being cruelly killed and yet she was still cooperating with it. And she had walked next to him smiling despite knowing all that. A strange metaphor appeared in the back of his mind. He envisioned her chowing down on food that was on the same table as smashed up organs. Kamijou did not want to think of Mikoto as being that kind of person. He hesitated to ask her about the experiment. However, he could not just leave Misaka Imouto in that situation either. Because of all that, Kamijou no longer knew what to do. And just as he was thinking through all that, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway outside the door. The black cat looked up. A sticky sweat appeared on Kamijous palm. (Is Mikoto back!?) That was supposed to be what Kamijou wanted, but for some reason he was assaulted by intense nervousness and unease. His heart beat with odd strength and irregularity. Kuroko listened for an instant and then jumped up from the bed. Oh, no. That sounds like the dorm supervisor making her rounds! ...Hah? Kamijou was taken aback by that unexpected comment and Kuroko waved her arms about. Wh-what do we do? This will get very bad if the dorm supervisor finds out about you. You seem awfully sure. Can you tell just from the footsteps? She is dangerous enough that you need to be able to tell its her just from her footsteps. Anyway, she is an evil existence that checks on peoples rooms without warning, so you need to hide under the bed. Kuroko suddenly started pushing on Kamijous head to force him under Mikotos bed. The cat mewed in dissatisfaction. Ow! Wait, dammit! Im not gonna fit in that space! It is not normal for a gentleman to be in Tokiwadais dorm! Ahh, this is a pain, so Ill just teleport y-...huh? Why wont my power work on you!? Oh, thats probably my right handImagine Breaker. It-....ow! Listen, damn you! Eventually, Kamijou and the cat were stuffed under the bed like luggage being stuffed into a cars trunk. Surprisingly, the area below the bed had been cleaned nicely, so there was no dust. (But they wear their shoes inside here, so theres really nothing different about this than pressing my cheek up against the ground outside!) Not only was the area under the bed cramped, but something was already there. Kamijou was being pushed into a large stuffed bear about as tall as he was. Just as Kamijou was considering pushing the bear out of the way, he heard the door open without even a single knock. He heard a low female voice. Shirai. It is time for dinner, so get down to the dining room. ...Where is Misaka? I have received no notification of her being away and roommates are responsible too when someone breaks curfew, so I hope you do not mind receiving a demerit. Apparently, it really was the dorm supervisor. He was in a rather hopeless situation, but he was somehow relieved. He was relieved that it had not been Misaka Mikoto that had entered the room. He then heard Kuroko speaking. Oh, I believe she had rather urgent business, so she did not have time to submit a notification. I believe in onee-sama, so I cannot accept a demerit. It seemed the dorm supervisor pushed Kuroko out of the room. Kamijou waited tensely under the bed for a bit. He could not tell what was going on while under the bed and it would not be too surprising if the dorm supervisor came back, so he couldnt just casually crawl out from under the bed. (Hoo...Itll probably be difficult to leave the dorm with things like this.) Kamijou sighed and then looked over at the stuffed bear under the bed with him. At first he thought it seemed fancier than he would have thought Mikoto would like, but when he looked closer, he saw one of its eyes was covered with an eye patch, it had bandages wrapped around its entire body, and it had stitches like with Frankenstein. It was more funky than fancy. The black cat in his arms glared at it. Suddenly, the cat started punching at the bear with its front paws. Despite being in the desperate situation of being underneath a bed in a girls dorm, Kamijou couldnt help but find the cat punches to be cute. Suddenly, he heard a terrible ripping noise. Obwah! D-dont bring out your claws, you idiot! Fgyah! the cat yelled as Kamijou pulled the cat away. He then ran his hand over the ripped fabric. He felt something hard inside the stuffed bear. It was like something was inside the bear. Looking closer, he could see that a few of the stiches had been remade into zippers. It had quite a few small pockets in it. He stroked the bear to check and felt something like a small bottle inside. There might have been perfume hidden inside and the cat had been unable to stand the smell. It seemed Mikoto used the bear to hide the objects that were against school rules. It was almost like someone running drugs. Given the size of the stuffed bear, Mikoto must have had a lot of things she didnt want people finding. Kamijou sighed and took his hand off of the bear. Huh? He then noticed something. The bear had a thick collar around its neck that looked a bit like a belt and it said Killbear. That was likely the bears name, but that didnt really matter. Looking from above, a zipper around the neck could be seen hidden by the collar. It was made so it could not be opened with the tight collar in the way. Also, the collar had a large padlock on it that doubled as part of the decoration. That zipper was clearly used differently from the others. Most likely, what was in there was the thing Mikoto least wanted anyone to see. Kamijou didnt want to pry, but the zipper was still half open. It seemed there was paper inside. The corner of a piece of paper was sticking out of the half open zipper. That was all. There was nothing else to it. Kamijou felt he could easily ignore it. It wasnt right to dig down into others secrets. It wasnt right, but the paper had the following written in typed lettering. Test Number 07-15-2005071112-A. Using the Radio Noise Sisters to Shift the Level 5 Accelerator to Kamijou was in utter shock. Only the corner of the paper was sticking out from the zipper, so he could not read the rest. He closed his eyes. Most likely, there would be no going back once he read that. He was at his last chance to turn back. The cat let out a menacing hiss to express its dislike of the perfume. ... Kamijou thought for an instant and then opened his eyes. If he could just pretend he had not seen that, he would not have been there in the first place. To get the paper out, he would have to completely open the half-open zipper. However, the thick collar with the padlock was in the way. Normally, that would have been a major problem, but this was a stuffed animal. Kamijou merely tightly squeezed the stuffed bears neck. The soft stuffing easily changed shape and a space opened up between the collar and the bear. Kamijou stuck his fingers in that space and opened the zipper. He found a report of almost 20 pages inside. From the date and file name written on the edges of the paper it seemed to be a printout of a file. Using the Radio Noise Sisters to Shift the Level 5 Accelerator to Level 6. That was the name of the name of the report. (Level...6?) Kamijou was confused. He had thought the highest level was 5. He crawled out from under the bed and started looking over the report. The report never once mentioned the names of the laboratories or people involved. It was as if it had been made so no real evidence would remain even if the report were leaked out by some mistake. The report was very technically written, so there were a lot of words that were not in Japanese. Kamijou used his knowledge to its fullest in order to somehow transform it into something he could understand. Academy City has seven Level 5s. However, the predictive calculations of Tree Diagram have established that there is a single one of them who is capable of reaching the as yet unseen Level 6. The other Level 5s are either growing in a different direction or their bodily balance would be lost by an increase in dosage. There was a list of 7 esper names with various types of graphs, but Kamijou skipped past them. The sole person who is able to reach Level 6 is known as Accelerator. Accelerator. Kamijou frowned at that unfamiliar word. There was a supplementary explanation in a foreign language, but Kamijou skipped past it as he could not read it. Accelerator is in reality Academy Citys strongest Level 5. According to Tree Diagrams calculations, he would reach Level 6 after 250 years of undergoing the regular Curriculum. Kamijou read the next line in shock. As reference data, it stated that a few ways of having a person remain active for 250 years were given in a different report. We searched for a method that does not require using those 250 year methods. As a result, Tree Diagram led us to a different method than the usual Curriculum. It is based on the fact that use of powers in actual battle quickens the growth process. There have been many reports of those with Telekinesis or Pyrokinesis gaining increased accuracy, so we are going to take advantage of this. By preparing special battlefields and having the battles proceed according to specific scenarios, we can control the direction of the growth gained in the battles. Kamijous hand froze. Battle. He felt like that word clicked together with the corpse of the Sister lying in that back alley. According to the calculations carried out by Tree Diagrams simulator, it was determined that preparing 128 types of battlefields and having him kill Railgun 128 times would allow Accelerator to shift to Level 6. Kamijou recognized the word Railgun. CYou should be more proud of the fact that you defeated me, Misaka Mikoto of the Railgun. Kamijou figured it must be referring to her, but he felt like the way it referred to her was not quite appropriate for someone who was supposedly cooperating with their experiment. Kill. Kamijous hands started trembling. His breathing grew erratic and he leaned up against the wall because he felt like the floor was shaking. However, we cannot of course prepare 128 Railguns as she is also a Level 5. That is when our attention turned to the Sisters project meant to mass produce Level 5s that we had been carrying out at the same time. His heart was beating oddly. He could tell that his body temperature had left his fingertips. The mewing of the black cat shook his brain like a church bell. Of course, there is a difference in specs between the original Railgun and the mass produced Sisters. The power of the mass produced model is largely estimated to be around Level 3. Kamijous heart told him there was something definitively wrong about what was written there. According to Tree Diagrams recalculation based on those criteria, it was determined that preparing 20,000 battlefields and 20,000 Sisters would produce the same result as described above. However, they were going ahead and doing things that were wrong based on that wrongness. The 20,000 types of battlefields and battle scenarios are explained in a different report. Kamijou wondered what was written in that other report. Twenty thousand ways of dying. By going down the list of the Sisters numbers, you could see when, where, and how they would all die. It was simply too repulsive. What Kamijou found most repulsive was not the ones carrying out the killing. It was the fact that the ones being killed were continuing to follow through with the scenario. C...It is impossible for Misaka to raise this cat, honestly replies Misaka. Misaka lives in an environment that is slightly different from yours, says Misaka giving a reason. What had she been thinking then? What had she been thinking as she looked at the cat and what had she been feeling when she gave it to Kamijou? The method of creating the Sisters was carried out the same as in the original project. A zygote is prepared from the cells taken from Railguns hair and growth is accelerated by administering Zid-02, Riz-13, and Hel-03. She was in such a hopeless situation. What had that girl been thinking that lead to her not asking for help? As a result, they obtain physically 14-year-old bodies the same as Railgun in about 14 days. As the clones were created from the already deteriorating cells and had their growth accelerated with drugs, it is highly likely that they will have shorter lifespans than Railgun. However, it is estimated to not be extreme enough to affect their specs during the experiment. Had the girl been in despair? Had she been in despair because she had determined that she could not be saved no matter what she chose or how things proceeded? The real problem does not lie in the hardware of their bodies. It lies in the software of their personalities. The basic information in the brain such as language, motion, and ethics take form from the ages of 0-6. However, the Sisters only have 144 hours for that due to their abnormal growth rate. It is difficult to teach them by standard methods. As such, we have used Testaments to install all of that basic information. Or... Had she believed that her dying at someone elses hands was part of everyday life? Had she not been in despair, not given up, and merely believed that was the normal environment for her? The first 9802 experiments will be performed inside, but the remaining 10198 experiments must be performed outdoors due to the requirements for the battlefield. Due to issues regarding the disposal of bodies, we have narrowed the battlefields down to a single district of Academy City. (Fuck that.) Kamijou crushed the report in his hands. Damn them... Kamijou couldnt stand it. He gritted his teeth. No matter how hard you searched for a reason why it was okay to kill 20,000 people for a single elite esper, you would never find it. However, this insane report still existed within Kamijous hands. The reality before his eyes was so cruel that he wouldnt have been able to stand it even if it had been fiction. ...God damn them! A certain girl had been created just so she could be killed. She was a mass of flesh that had been born by taking a nucleus from someones cell and implanting it in an unharmed ovum which was then mixed together with a few chemicals in a test tube. That girl who looked 14 had spent her entire life imprisoned in a cold laboratory where she was referred to by a number instead of a name. So what? Even if Misaka Imouto had only been created to be killed, even if she had been created from the nucleus of someones cell being implanted in an ovum, and even if she had always lived in a cold laboratory referred to by a number instead of a name... She was still the person who had reached out to pick up the drinks Kamijou had dropped. She was still the person who had gotten the fleas off of the three-colored cat. It hadnt appeared on her face, but Misaka Imouto had seemed somehow happy with the black cat. Those things may not have seemed too special. To normal people, those things meant nothing. They did them without really thinking about it and they looked like nothing other than that. However, that also meant that Misaka Imouto was a human who could do normal things like normal people. She was not something that could be referred to as an experimental animal. ...Why dont you realize that? Kamijou gritted his teeth. The cat mewed and it resounded throughout the room that held a silence like a graveyard. Since the report had been hidden there and since Misaka Imouto was a clone created from Mikotos cells, Mikoto definitely had something to do with the experiment. Kamijou could not understand how someone could go along with that bloody experiment that could only be accomplished by killing 20,000 people. He tightly clenched his fist without meaning to. Huh? He then noticed something else. The report was a printout of a file. At the top left of the copy paper, the date and file name were written. In and of itself, that was not a problem. However, there were two barcodes along with those things. They were like the barcodes on the back of a book and there was one right above another. ... Academy City had various types of network terminals and they all had different security ranks. For instance, a cell phone was Rank D, a computer in a library or at home was Rank C, the information terminals that teachers used were Rank B, the specialized terminals in research facilities were Rank A, and the secret terminals used by the board of directors were Rank S. They connected to the same network, but a Rank D terminal could not access Rank C information. This did not create a kind of ruling class or anything. It was simply that the ones managing the network did not want students to be able to access data on final exams or health examinations. (Wait a second. These barcodes are...) Kamijou looked at the barcodes at the top left of the report. He was pretty sure that the top barcode was the terminal ID and the lower barcode was the data ID. Similar to the barcodes on a box of sweets, it was a bunch of black and white stripes with numbers lined up below. The top one, the terminal ID, was 415872-C. The bottom one, the data ID, was 385671-A. (Thats odd.) The terminal rank was C, but the data rank was A. That should have been impossible. If Mikoto had obtained that report via a proper route, she could have just used a Rank A terminal in the laboratory. That meant she had not obtained the information via a proper route. Hacking. No, he thought it was actually called cracking when information was being spied on rather than destroyed. He didnt really know too much about that kind of thing, but it didnt really matter. What was important was that Mikoto had not obtained the report via a proper route. In other words, Mikoto may not have been cooperating with the experiment. ... Kamijou looked back over the report. As he flipped through the pages, he suddenly felt a piece of paper that was thicker than the others. To find out why it felt different, Kamijou pulled that piece of paper out from the report. It was a map. The map displayed all of Academy City. It was folded up, but when spread out it was as big as a bookshelf. It had been stuffed in the middle of the report and was made of extremely thin paper, so Kamijou had not noticed it until then. The map included the location of the back alleys and buildings making it rather detailed. And there were Xs written in red marker in various places on the map. ...? Those marks seemed quite ominous, but the map did not give the names of buildings. Kamijou pulled out his cell phone. It had GPS functionality just like a car navigation device. Kamijou looked at the Xs on the map and looked up their coordinates on his cell phone. When he magnified it, the name of the buildings came up on the map displayed on his cell phone. Kanasaki University Muscular Dystrophy Research Institution. (Muscular dystrophy?) Kamijou was confused. Muscular dystrophy was a type of incurable disease. Simply put, it was a disease that left you unable to send signals to your muscles and the muscles grew weaker and weaker as they could not be moved. But what connection did a muscular dystrophy research institution have to do with that report? Still confused, Kamijou checked the names of the other buildings with Xs on them. Mizuho Organization Pathology Analysis Laboratory. Higuchi Pharmaceutical Seventh Pharmaceutics Research Center. Kamijou was not very familiar with the names of laboratories, but he then remembered something. He recalled the news scrolling by on the blimps exhibition display. It had said that 3 research institutions had been evacuated over a two week period. The cat mewed in dissatisfaction. What was it Mikoto had said upon seeing that news? CI hate those blimps. Kamijous breath caught in his throat. There was the map stuck in the middle of the report, the Xs in red marker, and the laboratories all looking into the same disease. If you put together the report, the experiment, and the map, it seemed like it showed the laboratories that were working on that experiment. However, what did the word evacuate mean? And what did the red Xs on the map mean? Kamijou felt dizzy. He did not know why. However, he suddenly had a single question in his mind. It was fairly late at night, so why had Misaka Mikoto not returned to her dorm yet? Where was she and what was she doing? It might have been nothing. She might have steam coming from her head as she got lost in playing a fighting game in an arcade. However, something seemed ominous. The laboratories had been evacuated and there were red Xs on that map as if following them. It was almost as if the buildings had been crushed from the map by those Xs. And the marks were not black, they were not blue, they were not circles, and they were not squares. They were red Xs. What did that mean? Kamijou had determined that the report had not been obtained via a proper route. Due to that, he had guessed that Mikoto may not be cooperating with the experiment. What if Mikoto had refused to cooperate with the researchers? What if the experiment had continued anyway against her will and she later found out? What action would she take then? And if she were taking action to stop the experiment... I see... If she were taking action for the sake of Misaka Imouto...no, all of the Sisters... So thats it. He did not know exactly what Mikoto was trying to do, but there was one thing he could say for sure. Misaka Mikoto did not think that the experiment was nothing. He didnt know what reason she had to put on a smile before him to hide that truth, but Misaka Mikoto did not think that experiment was nothing. Kamijou Touma could certainly be Misaka Mikotos ally. He had a feeling that waiting around there would not help anything. No, even if that were the best course of action, he could not stand to wait around there doing nothing for even a second longer. Kamijou grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and burst out of the room. He gave no thought to the possibility of being spotted. Not caring if anyone saw him, he ran down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the main entrance. Part 9 It must have taken him quite some time to read the report because the sky was completely covered in the darkness of night. Kamijou ran through a shopping district at night. The cat in his arms let out a sick-sounding mew at being shaken around. Currently, Kamijou had no basis for his actions. He had no idea what Mikoto was doing, he had no idea where Mikoto was, and he had no idea if he should be worried about that. However, the vague situation that lack of knowledge gave him made him feel all the more uneasy. He ran on without knowing anything. It was like he was immersing himself in the action to rid himself of that unease. He had no particular goal, but he had to search. That contradiction caused him to hurry even more. He had no choice but to blindly run around searching for Mikoto. But he was also relieved. He was relieved that he could actually worry about Mikoto again. Kamijou ran on through a crowd. The blades of the distant wind turbines moved around slowly. Just as he started to think that he didnt feel any wind, he suddenly stopped. The blades were spinning despite there being no wind. A single turbine was slowly spinning about 100 metres away. He found it odd and then a likely explanation came to his mind. The power generator was actually a motor. The motor had an interesting property. The central coil that was supposed to spin when electricity was used would create electricity upon being spun manually. And the motors would rotate when supplied with specific electromagnetic waves. That was how Academy Citys latest microwave generators worked. If the blades, and therefore motor, were spinning without any wind, then it must be reacting to invisible electromagnetic waves. (If I head for that...) Kamijou adjusted his grip on the cat and cut back and forth through the crowd. The boys and girls in the crowd focused on Kamijou who was disrupting the flow of the crowd, but he did not care. He did not have time to care. At first the wind turbine had been only slightly shaking making it hard to tell if it was actually spinning or not. However, as Kamijou ran along the street cutting around corners in order to reach that turbine, the movements of the blades grew bit by bit. And past that slowly moving turbine was one moving slightly faster. And beyond that one was one moving faster yet again. It was as if he were approaching the centre of some invisible explosion. Kamijou continued to run. He ran to the outskirts of that lightless city as if drawn in by those windmills spinning in the windless night. Volume 3, 3: Railgun. Level5. Volume 3, Chapter 3: Railgun. Level5. Part 1 The sky had turned to the black of the sea at night. The moon was in a crescent shape. The narrow moon looked like a sneering mouth and its light was much too weak. The street lights did not reach an iron bridge a ways from the centre of the city. With the black of the river running below as well, the area seemed to have sunken into darkness. Misaka Mikoto had her hands on the handrail as she vacantly stared at the distant lights of the city. Bluish-white sparks crackled around her. The term electrical attack had a frightening ring to it, but it was a kind light to her. She could not forget the night on which she first became able to use her power. She had crawled under her blanket and sent out small sparks all night long. She had seen them as sparkling stars. She had seriously thought that she might be able to create a starry sky one day when she was older and stronger. That was how she had been before she grew up. Now, she did not feel she had the right to have dreams. ... She clenched her fists and then opened them again. With just that motion, Mikotos eyes narrowed slightly in a smile. That simple action was one that everyone took for granted. However, there were people in the world who could not take that simple action. ...Muscular dystrophy, hm? were the words that came from her small lips. Muscular dystrophy was an incurable disease of unknown cause where ones muscles slowly become unusable. As the muscles became unusable, the strength of the muscles fell. Eventually, that loss of muscular strength spread throughout the entire body and even the freedom of the heart and lungs was lost. Of course, Mikoto did not have muscular dystrophy. Nor did she have someone close to her who suffered from it. But she had thought that life would be a tough one. They had done nothing wrong, but they were born with a body that would not move as they wanted it to, they had to watch helplessly as their body grew weaker and weaker, and they finally became unable to get up off of a bed. No matter much they tried to reach out their hand asking for help, no one would come to grab that hand. She had felt that life was just too much. A researcher had asked her if she wanted to try to help those people The researcher had said that those with muscular dystrophy might be able to be saved using her power. The man in the lab coat had then tried to shake her hand. Muscular dystrophy was a disease that made ones muscles not move as you wanted them to. And the brains instructions were sent to the muscles with electrical signals. If someone had the power to manipulate their own bodily electricity, they might be able to send signals to the muscles via a different way than the usual nerve route. She might be able to bring a saving light to those people who were being swallowed up bit by bit by unease and fear as they helplessly saw their bodies getting weaker and weaker. ... A certain young child had believed those words without a shred of doubt. She had thought that, if her Electromaster power could be studied, it could be transplanted into others and save all those suffering from muscular dystrophy. That was how Misaka Mikotos DNA map had been officially recorded into Academy Citys Bank. However, recently there had been a rumor spreading throughout Academy City that her DNA map had been used to create military Sisters. It wasnt that rare an occurrence. Mikoto was one of the seven Level 5s and a scholarship student at the prestigious powers development school of Tokiwadai Middle School. There had been countless baseless rumors like that about her. That was why she had not believed the rumor. Or perhaps she had simply not wanted to believe it. However, that girls wish had been shattered in a way she had never expected. ... A mass production line had already been created for the Radio Noise Sisters that had been created for military use. An inexhaustible supply could be created at the press of a button. And the Sisters that had been created did not even get to live the life of a weapon. Instead, their sole purpose in life was to be killed as experimental animals. They were like frogs to be dissected. Why...did it end up like this? Mikoto muttered with trembling lips. The reason was obvious. It was because she had carelessly shared her DNA map when she was little. She did not know if that man in the lab coat had been lying from the start or if the proper research had been changed partway through. There had once been a little girl who had wished to save some troubled people. But that girls wish had resulted in 20,000 people being killed. ... That was why that girl wished to stop it. Even if it cost her her life, she had to stop that insane experiment. She did not think she was being cool by betting her life. She did not especially want to die. In fact, her body was trembling, her fingertips had gone pale and cold, and she could not gather her thoughts properly as if there was static scattered throughout the back of her head. If she could, she wanted to yell out for help. But she could not allow herself to do that. The face of a certain boy floated up in the back of her mind. That older boy had an unknown power that had allowed him to easily deal with one of Academy Citys Level 5s yet he was branded a Level 0. That boy was strong enough that, without bluffing, he could honestly write off that unfair treatment as not mattering. That strong boy held great power yet was not proud and he treated both strong and weak equally and without discrimination. She suddenly recalled that she had fought with that boy on that same iron bridge just a few weeks before. That boy had acted foolishly in an attempt to get some delinquents to chase after him. He had not even known those delinquents, but he had been trying to distance them from Mikoto who was quick to start a fight. If Mikoto had known everything about the experiment hidden in the underside of the city at that time, and had she called to that boy for help, would he have stood up for her? She was sure he would have. She had a feeling that boy could do what she could not. But she also felt it would be cowardly to ask him to help her. It was Mikotos fault that around 10,000 Sisters had been killed and the remaining 10,000 were still standing on the verge of death. Could someone who had committed such a great crime C could a monster whose hands were soaked in blood, flesh, bone, fat, and guts C really ask for help? She did not think so. ...Help me. That was why Mikoto let out that voice in that place where it would reach no one. Her frightened, wounded, and tattered voice merely disappeared into the darkness. Help me... That cry that would reach no one spilled uncontrollably from her mouth. And then she heard the mewing of a kitten. Mikoto looked down. Instead of darkness, she saw a kitten sitting at her feet that had black fur that held gentle warmth. The black cat looked up at her and mewed with that young face that looked like the face of a pure unblemished child. She wondered where the cat had come from. And then she heard a footstep. ... Mikoto looked up. With no street lights, the only light was the pale moonlight from the wire-thin crescent moon. This left that iron bridge covered in darkness as if it represented the environment surrounding her. ...What are you doing? That boy appeared as if he were tearing through that darkness. He appeared like a hero rushing over in response to the cries of a girl being swallowed up by the darkness. Part 2 Mikoto stood alone on the iron bridge staring vacantly into the night. When Kamijou saw her at a distance, he honestly thought it would crush his heart. She looked so exhausted that she seemed weak, fragile, and about to disappear. It was even more painful because of how lively she usually was. For that reason, Kamijou hesitated to call out to her. But he had to call out to her. ...What are you doing? After he spoke, Mikoto looked at him. The Mikoto before him was the usual lively, smart-assed, and selfish Misaka Mikoto. Hmn. Im free to do whatever I want wherever I want. After all, Im the Level 5 Railgun. The kinds of delinquents who I might run into at night dont even come close to being a danger to me. And you have no right to say anything to me about this. However, Kamijou felt like he could see past that mask because it was simply too perfect. He couldnt look at that mask anymore. ...Stop this, he said. Mikotos expression disappeared for just an instant, but it was back in the very next instant. Stop what? Dont tell me youre stupid enough to try to keep me, the Mikoto-chan who kicks vending machines for drinks, from going out at night. Misaka Mikoto responded with her suspiciously normal behavior. Just stop this. I know about Misaka Imouto, I know about the Sisters, I know about the experiment, and I know about Accelerator. So lets cut the crap. Kamijou pulled out a pile of papers. It was that insane report printed on over 20 pieces of copy paper. ..................................... In that instant, the normal Misaka Mikoto was smashed to pieces. She probably had no idea how the muscles in her face were moving as her cheeks seemed to convulse. Kamijou felt a stab of pain in his chest. He had likely destroyed something that she had been trying to protect at all costs. Even so, he tried to continue on. Ahh, why did you do something like this? she said as if trying to get in his way. If you have that report, you must have gone into my room without permission. To even search through the stuffed bear, you must be even more persistent than someones sister-in-law. Yknow, you may think I should be thankful that youve gone so far into this that you cant see anything else around you, but normally youd be executed for something like that. Mikoto was speaking casually with a smile like usual. That smile that looked like she was freed of something pained Kamijou even further. So can I ask you one thing? Mikotos bright voice sounded mostly forced. What is it? Kamijou responded almost reflexively. After seeing that, were you worried about me? Or could you not forgive me? she said in her oddly bright voice. Kamijou was oddly irritated by the way she seemed to be assuming he had come to blame her and assuming that there was no one in the world who would worry for her. ...Of course I was worried about you. Mikoto looked slightly surprised at his almost crushingly low voice. Well, I suppose at least having someone who will say that even if its a lie is better than nothing. Mikoto smiled. Her eyes looked like she had given up on something and was now looking at some distant dream. ...I wasnt lying. The words came mostly reflexively from Kamijous mouth. What? Mikoto frowned. I said I wasnt lying! Kamijous yell made Mikoto jump even more than it did the cowardly black cat. For some reason, Kamijou simply could not allow Mikoto to have that look on her face. That was why he continued forward. I apologize for going to your room without permission. I did get permission from your roommate, but I suppose that isnt good enough. Anyway, you can just biri biri me to your hearts content later. So what are you doing? I doubt you got this report through any proper means. And theres this map in there with it. Theyre all laboratories researching a certain disease, but whats with the red Xs written over them? They almost look like... Kamijou fell silent. They almost look like kill marks? Mikoto responded quietly while looking at Kamijou. Her voice was shockingly lacking in emotion. Her transparent voice was enough to give a chill to anyone who knew her well enough. The cat at Mikotos feet looked up at her in dissatisfaction. Thats pretty much it. Of course, I didnt just go in and blow them up with my Railgun. Mikoto almost seemed to be singing. There are pieces of equipment in those labs that cost hundreds of millions of yen, right? I just used my power over the network to thoroughly destroy them. Without working equipment, the labs cant function, so they close and the project becomes permanently frozen. She had been almost happily singing, but then she stopped for an instant. ...Or that was how it was supposed to go. How it was supposed to go? Yes. It was easy enough to destroy one or two labs, but the experiment was then picked up by another lab. No matter how many times I destroyed the lab or got in the way, the experiment continued on and continued on. The idea of the never before-seen Level 6 must truly sound wonderful to those researchers. The girls voice sounded truly exhausted. She seemed to have the despair of one who had lived for a thousand years and seen all the darkness of mankind. ...Those girls have no problem referring to themselves as experimental animals, Mikoto said. Experimental animals. Do you know how rats or guinea pigs are treated? She seemed to be gritting her teeth. I was curious, so I looked into it, but its horrible. While still alive and without being given any anesthetic, they have holes opened up in their skulls with saws and then have data taken on what happens when drugs are directly applied to their brains. Each and every day, records are kept on how many milliliters of the drug it takes before they cough of blood and die in agony. If they might run low on supplies, they just put the males and females together to breed and if they have leftovers after the experiment is over, they just toss them as is into a furnace. Mikotos throat moved as if she were suppressing the urge to vomit. Those girls fully understand what an experimental animal is. They know, but they are still calmly able to say thats what they are. Mikoto bit her lip because she simply couldnt stand that. She bit down so hard that red blood flowed out because she couldnt stand it but she couldnt find a way to stop it. But you have this report, right? If you hand this over to Anti-Skill, wont the board of directors or someone do something to stop it? Isnt the cloning of humans against international law? With the Curriculum that involved injecting drugs into kids and the development of rockets using original technology, Academy City did some crazy things, but they still managed to follow the law even if just barely. Given that, an experiment that clearly violated law like that one involving 20,000 clones used as experimental subjects to be killed would be unthinkable. If that information leaked out, the forces opposed to Academy City would use it to crush the city. Yet Mikoto held an expression that seemed to say What are you talking about? That experiment may be wrong on a human level, but it is right on a scientific level. Even if it breaks the law and leads to the loss of their humanity, it is still an experiment that should be carried out. The hell it is! How can you say something that stupid!? Yes, it is stupid. But dont you find it odd? This city is constantly under surveillance from a satellite. No matter how hard you try to hide, you cant escape that eye in the sky. Kamijou was left speechless. In other words, the board of directors that led Academy City was... Theyre in on it. And of course, that includes the police of this city, Anti-Skill and Judgement. They hold the law of this city in their hands, so reporting it will only get you captured, said Mikoto as she looked down to the cat at her feet. She gritted her teeth as if bearing with something. ...This is wrong, Kamijou said as if coughing up blood. Rules were meant to bind people in order to protect people. If they were turning a blind eye to people being killed and binding those who stood up to save those people, the rules were completely backwards. Mikoto smiled slightly as she looked at Kamijou. She looked like an exhausted adult smiling at a child who understood nothing. Yes, it is wrong. Its wrong to try to rely on anyone else. I caused this problem, so I need to take responsibility and save those girls myself. ... Kamijou fell silent. Mikoto slightly bent her small lips. If you think about it, its quite simple. This experiment is meant to make Accelerator stronger. In that case, its so simple. If they lose Accelerator, the experiment will fall apart. Mikoto was saying that she would kill Accelerator herself. Even if she stained her own hands with the crime of murder, she would save the remaining 10,000 Sisters. Youre lying, was Kamijous simple reply. Mikoto looked surprised and Kamijou continued. I already told you to cut the crap. You cant defeat Accelerator. After all, you would have done that first if you could. You start biri biri-ing me just because you get a little mad, so I doubt you would keep quiet after all this. ... Destroying labs or informing the board of directors just seemed too roundabout for you. Youre the type who goes and gets into a fight with someone you dont like. You arent the type to search for evidence and then go tell the teacher. Kamijou took a breath. Since you didnt do things that way, it means you wanted to but you couldnt. Maybe theres just too much of a difference in strength between you and Accelerator so you dont stand a chance against him. Even without that reasoning, Kamijou doubted Mikoto could kill Accelerator. Misaka Mikoto was standing up because she couldnt allow the Sisters to die. Someone like that would not consider it okay to kill someone else in order to stop someone from dying. Thats how I know. If you arent trying to solve this in a straight fight then it means the other guy is better than you. So why didnt you ask for help? If you knew you couldnt solve this on your own, you could have just asked someone else to help you, right? Mikoto fell silent for a bit at Kamijous words. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard on that iron bridge at night. The only sound in the silence was the cat mewing longingly. ...If he kills 128 Railguns, Accelerator can shift to Level 6, Mikoto muttered in the darkness. Kamijou frowned. However, we cannot prepare 128 Railguns. Mikoto sounded like she was reciting those words in isolation. So we prepared 20,000 Sisters, the deteriorated copies of Railgun. Mikotos tongue glided along as she seemed to be speaking of some enjoyable dream. What if I did not have that much value? Kamijous breath caught in his throat. What if I could make the researchers think that he would not reach Level 6 even if he killed 128 of me? She smiled as she spoke. According to Tree Diagram, if Accelerator and I were to fight, I would be killed after 185 moves even if I focused on fleeing. But what if the battle ended sooner than that? What if I lost on the very first move and could do nothing but pathetically turn tail and attempt to flee? As she said that, she smiled as if she were truly enjoying herself. When the researchers saw that, Im sure they would think that Tree Diagrams calculations were wonderful, but that it was still wrong. A battered smile appeared on her face. ... Kamijou gritted his teeth. Even if the laboratory in which the experiment was being carried out was destroyed, it would not matter as the experiment would just be picked up by another laboratory. To stop them, they would have to be convinced that the experiment itself was meaningless and not worth continuing. That was why Mikoto intended to take on Accelerator and purposefully lose. Even if it was a bluff or an act, she intended to make the researchers think the simulation on which the experiment was based was false. She planned to do so even if it cost her her life. But... What meaning does that have? Even if you fool the researchers once, theyll just recalculate everything with Tree Diagram and start the experiment back up when they get the same result! The cat trembled in fright at Kamijous shout. But Mikotos voice was soft enough to pacify the cat. Dont worry. That wont happen. Tree Diagram was shot down by some unknown attack from the ground about 2 weeks ago. The higher ups seem to be hiding that fact to protect their reputation, but they cant recalculate it. Kamijou had no memories and Mikoto had not been there, but a white nun had used a dragon attack to slice the satellite in two. Ha. Its actually kind of funny. Everyone talking about the forecasted calculations is acting based on data Tree Diagram calculated out months ago. Kamijou recalled what Mikoto had said in the evening. CI hate those blimps. C...Because people follow the policies decided on by a machine. But that also means this is my only chance. Right now while Tree Diagram cannot be used to recalculate anything, all those third rate people just have to accept what it said because they cant analyze what parts of all that data are correct and what parts are wrong. That is why they will have no choice but to stop the entire experiment if a mistake appears in a portion of the data. Its just like a program being forcibly terminated when a strange bug occurs. That was all that girl could do. She was throwing her life aside to save someone. She could not be a proper hero and defeat the enemy or stand in front of someone to protect them. She was doing the one thing she could do. She could only cast aside her own life in order to make the researchers think their correct answer was incorrect. ... Kamijou gritted his teeth. Even with that bluff, there was no guarantee that it would work. If the researchers realized that Mikoto was acting, it was all over. It was even possible that they would continue with the experiment despite determining that the calculations were wrong. Even so, that was all she could do. The only other option for her was to pray to god that the experiment would be stopped. I see, Kamijou said. He wasnt quite sure what emotion he was feeling. So youre planning to die. Yes, Mikoto nodded. You truly believe that your death will save the remaining 10,000 Sisters. Yes, Mikoto nodded. Mikoto took one step to face Kamijou. Now that you know that, get out of the way. I am about to go face Accelerator. Ive already stolen the data on the locations of the 20,000 battlefields, so I can head to the battlefield before the Sister begins fighting and end all the fighting. So get out of the way. ... Kamijou gritted his teeth. That may truly have been the only way left of stopping the experiment and saving the Sisters. There were problems in the world that could not be solved through fighting. Imagine Breaker and Railgun were nothing more than extensions of childish fights. They were simply powerless before the power of the type of organization that made up the society of adults. If she wanted to stop that experiment, to stand up to the society of adults, her death may have been the only way. Kamijou continued to grit his teeth. He recalled Misaka Imouto in the back of his mind. She had freely gathered the scattered drinks and gotten the fleas off of the cat, but she was so defenseless and had been bothered by the fact that she made cats hate her. She had done nothing wrong, but she would still be killed. That fact made him grit his teeth even harder. I wont get out of the way. Mikoto looked at Kamijou in what looked like utter shock. You...wont get out of the way? Thats right, he said as he stood there. After hearing what Mikoto had said, he could not move out of her way. However, Mikoto could not accept that. Her lips trembled in anger and she had an expression of disbelief on her face. What are you saying? Do you know what youre saying? If I dont die, 10,000 Sisters will die. Or are you saying you have another way? Dont tell me you dont care about their deaths just because theyre deteriorated copies... The cat could not understand human language, but it trembled upon hearing Mikotos words. Of course Kamijou understood. He did not think it was okay for 10,000 Sisters to die. Nor did he have any other plan. He also understood that 10,000 Sisters truly would be killed like lab rats if Mikoto did not die. Just as Mikoto had said, he had no idea what he was saying. ...Even so, I wont let you. Kamijou did not know the details of Mikotos situation, but she was willing to cast aside her own life to save the Sisters. He did not want to see a peace created by having a girl who cared more about others than herself being killed all alone like that. ... For an instant, just an instant, a surprised look appeared on Mikotos face. That look was quickly replaced with anger. I see. So youre going to stop me. So you dont care about the lives of 10,000 Sisters. Tension ran through the air. The cat at Mikotos feet placed its ears against its head in fear. I dont want to see those girls hurt, so I want to protect them myself. ...If you are going to stop me from doing so, then I will take you out here. This is your final warning. Get out of the way. Kamijou merely shook his head. The edges of Mikotos lips bent upward. Ha. So youre going to stop me by force? Fine, then I wont hold back either. I still dont know what power you have, but I cant allow myself to lose here, so you had better clench your fist as if your life depended on it. Bluish-white sparks flew from Mikotos shoulder. Because it does. You truly will die otherwise. The sparks poured out and connected to the railing of the bridge where they vanished. The cat moved away from Mikoto because of the noise of the sparks. There were only 7 metres between Kamijou and Mikoto. That distance was too great for Kamijou to reach her in one step, but it was well within the range of Mikotos electrical attacks that moved at the speed of light. It was obvious at a glance who had the advantage and who had the disadvantage given the distance. Words would likely no longer reach the girl before his eyes. As such, there was only one way to stop her. ... Kamijou stuck his right hand out horizontally. He opened up his clenched fist. It was as if he were removing a seal on his right hand. Mikotos eyes narrowed slightly. Kamijou gritted his teeth so hard he thought his jaw would shatter and... He did not remake a fist with his right hand. Wait, what are you doing? Mikoto said as Kamijou continued to remain motionless. He did not respond. Mikoto grew enraged as if she could not allow him to act that way. ...I told you to fight, didnt I!? I told you that you have to use force if youre going to stop me! Are you an idiot!? Even if you stand there without resisting, Ill still take you out! Mikotos hate-filled words were fired from her mouth like bullets. Kamijou said only one thing in response. ...I wont. ...? What are you saying...? Mikoto frowned slightly. I wont fight. She froze in astonishment at his words. She stared at him like she was looking at something she simply could not believe. Are you an idiot!? Hah! You really are an idiot! This is the only path for me left, so I will take you out even if I do trust you! What kind of lukewarm world do you think we live in? This is not the normal life you know. This is an abnormal hell colored in blood, flesh, bone, fat, and guts where 10,000 people have already been killed. That kind of peaceful view isnt going to cut it. Even so, I will not fight!! Mikoto disparaged him as if hell had opened its mouth, but Kamijous shout silenced her. Kamijou held up his left hand horizontally to match his right hand. He expressed his lack of any intention of fighting as if he were a cross blocking the way. Dammit. Im telling you to fight... Mikotos shoulders trembled. The sparks electrifying her entire body were no longer contained within and more and more bluish-white snakes of electricity started arcing from her and into the railing or the ground. Even so, Kamijou did not clench his fist. He didnt want to. Kamijou stood before her because he was worried for her safety. He wanted to stop her because she was trying to head somewhere dangerous all alone. He stood there because that battered girl was not asking for help even in the very end and he did not want to see her wishing for a lonely death and because he did not want to see her hurt any more. Even so, he could not turn his fist toward her. Kamijou could not punch Mikoto. Bluish-white electricity scattered from her entire body. ...Im telling you to fight!! In that instant, an electric spear appeared from Mikotos bangs. The largest voltage of the lightning created in nature was 1 billion volts. Mikoto could rival that. That sublime spear of purple electricity that contained 1 billion volts glowed a bluish-white. The electrical spear decomposed the oxygen turning it to ozone as it flew the 7 metres to Kamijou in an instant. With a great noise, the electrical spear soared just past Kamijous face. I really will hit you next time. Mikoto gritted her teeth. If you intend to fight, then clench your fist! If you dont intend to fight, then get out of the way! Dont stomp on my wish if you dont intend to follow through! With an incredible roar, sparks flew from Mikotos bangs. An electrical spear flew straight for Kamijou Toumas heart. Mikotos attack seemed to be urging him to clench his fist. Even so, Kamijou did not clench his right hand. He did not want to swing his fist at the girl before his eyes. And that electrical spear struck Kamijou directly in the heart. Part 3 Kamijous body was knocked to the ground like he had been hit by a shell. His momentum kept him rolling for a few metres. As he lay face down on the ground with his arms and legs roughly sticking at, he looked somewhat like a broken doll. Eh? The one most shocked by the scene was Mikoto, not Kamijou. Mikoto did not know what Kamijous power was, but in their fights up to that point, not one of her attacks had hit him. As his unknown power had negated her attacks again and again, her attacks had escalated and escalated to the point that she had seen him as an invincible existence that could easily handle any attack. That was why she had fired that lightning spear. She had thought that boy would easily negate an attack like that. In a twisted way, she had trusted him. But... (This has to be a mistake...) Mikoto looked at the boy who lay atop the bridge. Mikoto knew very well what would happen to a human who received an electrical current of one billion volts. That boy would not stand back up. She knew that. She had done it. She knew that. And yet... An instant later, she saw a movement coming from that boy who should never have stood up again. Gritting his teeth, the boy mustered all his strength and stood back up. Why...? Mikoto said. Her lightning attack had not been negated by Kamijous power. It had clearly struck him. Yet that boy stood back up without relying on any power and using only his own body. And even after receiving that one billion volt attack, the boy did not clench his fist. That was why Mikoto had muttered why in shock. ...I dont know. Kamijou gritted his teeth. I dont know why I dont want to fight. I dont have some other idea! But I still dont want to see you get hurt! Not even I know what Im saying! But I cant help it! I dont want to turn my fist on you! Wha-...? Mikoto was at a loss for words. The boy yelled as if he were about to cough up blood as he desperately kept his feet planted on the ground because his body seemed about to collapse. Even if there is no other way!! Even if I dont know what else to do! I still cant let that happen! Why do you have to die!? Why does anyone have to be killed!? I just cant understand! That boy surely realized that his words would not reach Mikoto. Even so, he yelled. He likely had no real reason. He understood her reasons, but he still had something he refused to give up on. ... For an instant, just an instant, Mikoto bit her lip. A certain girl had once muttered help so that no one would hear her. That boy had appeared as if in response to her cry. She was sure that boy would be able to carry out any miracle if she cried for help. But I cant let that happen, Misaka Mikoto muttered under her breath. It was her own fault that over 10,000 Sisters had been killed. She absolutely could not allow herself to rely on others to save them. Shut up, Mikoto said moving her trembling lips. I no longer have the right to have people say that to me. Even if there was some happy world that everyone wanted and in which everyone could smile, there would be no place for me there! So get out of the way! Sparks flew from Mikotos bangs. She was sure that the boy would either give up and clench his fist, or move out of her way that time. But he would not clench his fist no matter what. At that point, she could no longer control the lightning spear as it pierced the boys chest. There was a tremendous roar. But the boy did not die. He did not even collapse to the ground. He gathered all his strength in his legs and continued to stand in her way despite being so battered. ...Im sure...youve realized it, too. You cant save anyone this way. Even if you die...and save the 10,000 Sisters...do you really think they will thank you for saving them that way? Are the Sisters you want to save really that small minded? Shut up! Just shut up and fight! Im not the good person you think I am! Why cant you realize that even as I fire these one billion volt lightning spears into you!? As if to threaten him, Mikoto fired another electrical spear. But Kamijou did not clench his right hand. The spear struck him directly in the chest. Even so, Kamijou did not fall. Even after receiving an attack like that, he would not fall. I have killed over 10,000 people! There is no reason for a villain like that to live in this world! Why are you standing up for a villain like that!? You arent a villain, Kamijou said. Mikoto frowned doubtfully. Why am I still alive? Eh? You said these attacks had one billion volts. A normal human cannot survive voltages that high. Dont you find it odd? Or are you subconsciously holding back? Holding back? Mikoto had a bewildered look on her face. Of course not. I was trying to kill you. I knew you werent resisting...I knew you wouldnt resist...and yet...! And yet you couldnt kill me. ... Mikoto fell silent. He was right. Normally, a human would not survive voltages as high as one billion volts. But there was an exception. For instance, commercial stun guns had voltages of two or three hundred thousand volts, but a human would not die from being hit by one. On the other hand, 100 volt household outlets could electrocute someone. That was not caused by the voltage. It was due to the difference in amperage. The amount of electrical power was equal to the voltage multiplied by the amperage, so one would not be electrocuted even with extremely high voltages as long as the amperage was low. In other words, Mikotos lightning spears had extremely high voltage but extremely low amperage. It was as if her attacks were just for show and did not possess any real substance like a fake sword for a play. However, Mikoto had not intended to hold back. She had meant to fire her spears at full blast. That was why she merely stared at Kamijou without knowing why it had happened. As she trembled like the frightened kitten, Kamijou looked her in the eye. For you, saving the Sisters with your life may have been your final hope, the battered boy said. But in the end, you are still the kind of good person who cannot kill the guy who is trying to steal that final remaining hope from you. As he spoke, he seemed completely exhausted but he also smiled happily. Ah...uuh... Mikoto muttered in confusion as she looked at Kamijou. Her eyes wavered like a small child who was lost. Misaka Mikoto did not want Kamijou Touma to get any more involved in the experiment. That was why she had so easily spoken of its repulsive contents when he had brought it up. She had wanted Kamijou to despair upon hearing about it. She had fired her electrical attacks on him despite his lack of resistance because she had wanted him to give up because he believed his words could not get through to her. If Kamijou were to lose hope in her, he would not follow her and end up getting involved in that experiment that was nothing more than a spiral of death. Stop this. Mikoto grabbed her head with both hands. Even so, Kamijou had told her to stop. No matter what terrible things she said to him or how cruelly she attacked him, he did not care. At that rate, the boy would get involved. He would cross the point of no return and get involved with that abnormal world of spiraling blood and dirt. My death is the only way left to save those girls! So just accept it! If I die, I can save everyone! Isnt that wonderful!? If you agree, then get out of the way! Mikoto covered her ears with her hands and clenched her eyes shut as she yelled. Even so, she felt like she could hear the boy saying he would not get out of the way. ...Youll die, Mikoto said with her eyes still shut. Theres no saving you from here on! If you get hit by this next attack, theres no way youll survive! So get out of the way if you dont want to die! The sound of the purple sparks flowing from Mikotos body grew heavier and sharper. As if some kind of weapon had been activated, the pitch rose and rose. ... Even so, the boy did not move a single step. It was as if he were saying that an attack like that was not a reason to fall back. Mikoto bit her lip. A bluff would not work on that boy. If she did not actually fire a deadly attack, she could not get him to give up. If he knew she was not bluffing, that boy would have to fight. Even so, she heard him yelling that he would not get out of the way. Mikoto finally could not stand it any longer and she yelled out. A great flash seemed to pierce through her tightly closed eyelids. A great roar burst through her hands covering her ears. That was not a decorative high voltage attack that had low amperage. She fired a true lightning spear that was just like the real thing. Amid that lightless and soundless flash, the sound of a direct hit resounded out like a fireworks factory exploding. Even so, the boy did not clench his right hand even in the very end. In the end, that was all there was to it. Part 4 Mikoto timidly opened her eyes and saw the boy lying on the ground a few metres away. He was motionlessly lying face down and thin smoke was floating up from his clothes in places like incense. Just like how video game consoles grew hot after using them for long periods of time, objects gained heat referred to as Joule heat when electricity was passed through them. The great amount of Joule heat created by the high voltage current had given the boy light burns in various places. However, the boy did not writhe around in pain due to the burns. Ah... Mikoto suddenly realized that it was over. That time, the boy would not get up again. That had not been a fake attack. The true high voltage current had likely stopped the boys heart. She heard the black cat mewing. Mikoto unsteadily turned around and saw the utterly frightened kitten sitting a little bit away. Its fur was not standing on end and its fangs and claws were not bared. Its young eyes seemed to be asking her why she had done that. Ahh... Mikoto suddenly realized something upon seeing that black cat. In the end, what Mikoto had done to that boy was no different from suddenly attacking that cute cat that immediately trusted people and rubbed its nose up against them. That boy had actually had a few different options. After reading the report, he could have hidden it and returned to a lie of a normal life. Even if he chose to stop Mikoto, he could have hidden the fact that he had read the report so she would not be suspicious of him and then waited for her to turn her back on him so he could strike her on the back of the head to knock her out. But that boy had not done either of those things. He had revealed that he had gone into her room without permission and read the report and he had told her he did not want her to fight. He had revealed everything and still tried to stop Mikoto head on. What he had done was like playing poker with his entire hand exposed to the other players. It was like announcing beforehand that he was going to play scissors first in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Why had he done something so dangerous? If he had betrayed Mikotos trust and suddenly attacked her from behind, it could have all ended safely. ... The answer to that was obvious. Mikoto had trusted that boy. At the very least, she had seen the area around him as a type of safe zone because he knew nothing of the experiment. He had been like a cat curled up asleep in a sunbeam. That boy had not been able to stab Mikoto in the back. Even if that was the safest and most reliable course of action, he had not wanted to. She had pointed a gun at that boy, but he had still not wanted any harm to befall her. He believed that it could be resolved by talking it out rather than resorting to violence. But she had pulled the trigger before his words could reach her. ... Mikoto gritted her teeth. There was nothing left to stop her. A thin string within Mikoto that was something like resignation snapped, she felt as if she had been freed of something. She felt like she had been given a freedom that held definitive destruction within it like a balloon flying off into the sky after its string broke. Kamijous finger moved. !? Mikoto froze up upon seeing that. As he lay face down, Kamijous right hand twitched. His finger moved slowly as if softly caressing the ground. That was not the action of one wanting revenge upon the person who had done that to him. Nor was it the action of one filled with fear and wanting to flee the area as soon as possible. From the very start, the boy had said that he would not fight and that he did not want to fight. That persistence was nothing more than a desire to reach out a saving hand to a girl who had cried out for help. ...Why? Mikoto muttered. Just reading the report did not tell him everything about her situation. He did not know that she had handed over her DNA map to help with a muscular dystrophy treatment, that the map had ended up being used for a military purpose at some point, or that her desire to save people had led to 20,000 people being faced with death. That boy had no way of knowing about those things. But he stood up for Mikoto despite not knowing those things. He stood up for her. But... Stop, Mikoto said like a child about to cry as she shook her head. If he stood up again, she would have to take him out in order to save the Sisters. Of course, she could hold back, but it was already strange that the boy was still moving. Even a slight almost playful strike could stop his heart. Stop. That was why she said that. She did not want the boy to stand back up. If he was alive, then he should just pass out there. If he did, Mikoto could head to where Accelerator was without having to kill the boy. If that boy would give up on her, she would not have to hurt anyone again. If that boy would lose hope in her, he would be freed from that pain. Yet the boys finger moved. He could no longer move his body properly, but he mustered up every last ounce of strength in his body to move that one finger. Ahh. Mikoto slowly held her hand out toward the boy. She was sure she could no longer stop him. Even if she ripped off his arms and legs and even if she crushed his eyes and ears, he would never give up as long as his heart was still beating. That meant she had no choice but to do it. If that boy would prevent her from saving the Sisters, she had to eliminate him before she could continue. Mikoto slowly steadied the aim of her hand. However, she could not shoot a lighting spear. Her body was frozen, but heat burst from her tear glands. She couldnt do it. She could not shoot that boy. She did not know why. She did not know what the right answer was. But she just did not want to. She did not want the boy before her eyes to die. Just thinking of that possibility sent a shock through her chest that made her want to go on a rampage. Help me. Those words that she could not allow anyone to hear no matter what came from her mouth. It was like she was praying to the god that she was not sure existed. Her tear glands were supposed to have rusted over long ago, but now transparent rust fell from them. Part 5 Kamijous vision flickered in and out. He was still lying atop the iron bridge and he could see Mikoto standing blankly on the other end of his vision. Her electrical attacks had stopped. Mikoto stood still as tears overflowed from her eyes like a child. (Think...) He thought as if he were desperately trying to hold her heart in his arms as it was about to break. The girl before his eyes had not said that she wanted to die or that she might as well die. She had said that she had no choice but to die. That was all. She did not wish for death. She merely had no other option available to her. If you were given three options and forced to choose one but they all merely said suicide, you would have no choice but to choose suicide. It was horribly wrong to force that choice on that girl and then force all the responsibility for her choice on her as well. (So think...) If all three options said suicide, then you just had to prepare a fourth option. If there were an option that said Id rather live, the girl who had no choice but to die would surely choose that new option. (I need to think up a fourth option...) He needed to come up with a dreamlike option where Misaka Mikoto did not have to die and the experiment would still be stopped. An option where no one had to lose anything and the Sisters would be saved. That girl had said something. She had not said it with words, but she had definitely said it. She had said that she truly wanted to live, but she had no path left but to die. (If I cant find one, then Ill just have to make on...) If Accelerator killed Railgun 128 times, he would shift to Level 6. They could not prepare 128 Railguns. As such, they had prepared the Sisters, deteriorated copies of Railgun. Killing 20,000 Sisters would produce the same result. The experiment was based on predictive calculations by Tree Diagram. Destroying the laboratories just led to another research institution picking up the experiment. To stop the experiment, the researchers had to be convinced that the experiment would not produce any results. (Huh...?) Kamijou felt an odd out-of-place feeling. But in the next instant, his consciousness that had been battered by the high voltage shock quickly sank into darkness. Volume 3, 4: Accelerator. Level5(Extend). Volume 3, Chapter 4: Accelerator. Level5(Extend). Part 1 As the night grew deeper, the cold grew sharper. Despite it being the middle of summer, she felt a chill like a cold blade being pressed up against her stomach. Serial Number 10032 aka Misaka Imouto left a shopping district and walked with an accurate, machine-like pace toward a section of a silent industrial area. As she walked along the empty street lined with street lights, Misaka Imouto mentally went over the contents of the experiment about to begin. The absolute coordinates of the area to be used were X-228561, Y-568714. The start time was at exactly 8:30 PM Japanese Standard Time. The specimen to be used was #10032. The purpose was to find a way to fight so that the usage of reflection would not apply. ... Misaka Imouto ran mentally through the scenario in which she was to be killed, but no tragic expression appeared on her face. There was no fear, no hatred, and not even resignation on her face. Her face truly was expressionless. If someone had seen that, they would sense the same danger as watching a clockwork doll heading for the edge of a cliff. Misaka Imouto was not a deviant that did not know the value of a living beings life. If someone had been about to die before her, she would have immediately searched for options she could take and then taken action on the most suitable one. However, she could not apply that concept to herself. As if it were information being written on a hard disk, her empty heart had been installed by a Testament onto her physical body that could be remade as many times as needed at the push of a button using the proper equipment. The value of her life was 180,000 yen. She was like a high performance personal computer. In fact, she was the type that would get thrown into the bargain box. (...That is why there is one thing Misaka does not understand, thinks Misaka.) Misaka Imouto had that thought as she walked down the dark street. When that boy had run into multiple Misakas in that back alley, he had been so shocked he had stopped breathing. It had been like a reality he could not stand was being thrust before his eyes. It had been like he did not want to accept that reality even if it was thrust before his eyes. Misaka Imouto recalled what that boy had said. CWho are you? Those words had not been a question he asked her. CWhat are you doing? It had seemed more like he had asked the question because he wanted her to deny something. Misaka Imoutos face remained expressionless. (Did he really want to deny it that badly?) Had he really wanted to deny the reality of the 20,000 Sisters, and the world in which their hearts stopping was all according to plan, that badly? (...Misaka does not understand. Misaka cannot understand, thinks Misaka as she addressed her questions related to the boys mental state.) Misaka Imouto concluded that there was no point in thinking about things there was no way she could understand. It was as if she were saying there was no real problem in not understanding why a frog would swim in a ditch. But then... Why had she recalled that boys face? If there was truly no value in it, she would not have thought of him. There was no reason to recall the shape and color of the gum that was stuck to the station platform a week before. She was supposed to be assembling information in her head for the upcoming experiment. If she failed, it would cause problems for a lot of people, so why had her thoughts drifted to that boys face when he had nothing to do with the experiment? ... Misaka Imouto could not understand. And she had concluded that there was no point in thinking about things there was no way she could understand. Misaka Imouto could not even understand something as trivial and pointless as that. The girl headed alone to her own place of execution while still understanding none of it. Her precise footsteps sounded like the ticking of a time bomb. Part 2 Kamijou was lying on his side atop the windless iron bridge. He slowly opened his eyes. Most likely, it had not been long since he had been hit by that high voltage current and lost consciousness. It had probably only been 10 or 20 seconds, but his sprawled out arms and legs were oddly cold. The proper circulation of blood had been obstructed. The electric shock may have made the beating of his heart irregular or his heart may have actually stopped once or twice while he was unconscious. Without moving his head, Kamijou blankly stared at his limbs that looked like they belonged to a doll that had been thrown into a corner of the room by a child who had gotten tired of it. ... He tried to move his fingers and his index finger slowly moved like a dying insect. He managed to move his eyelids and blink. He was sucking in and blowing out terribly shallow breaths and he could hear the faint beating of his heart coming from within his body. Thank goodness, he mouthed. He could still move his body. That meant he could stand back up. What are you doing? said a girls voice from very close by above his head. Kamijou suddenly realized that there was an oddly soft feeling on his cheek as he lay on his side. It seemed his head was lying in Mikotos lap. Youre that beaten up, youre lying on the filthy ground, and your heart may have even stopped for a short time. So... Her voice was trembling. That was not the voice of one of Academy Citys seven Level 5s, of a Tokiwadai lady, or of Railgun. It was the voice of a normal girl who could not stop trembling in the darkness. ...How can you smile like that? Transparent drops of liquid fell on Kamijous cheek from above. They were warm like a spring rain. ... Thank goodness, he mouthed again without actually speaking. He was glad that he could be Mikotos ally. His eyes narrowed slightly in happiness. The black cat mewed next to his ear. Its rough tongue touched Kamijous hand as if to kindly lick his wounds. Ive figured it out, he said while still lying there. Mikoto did not respond. He only heard a rubbing sound as if she were wiping at her eyes with her fingertips. ...Ive figured out how to stop the experiment. He heard a slight sound from Mikotos throat as if her breath had caught there in surprise. If you think about it, its quite simple. The entire experiment was just the researchers following the scenario created by Tree Diagram. That was why Mikoto had been thinking of stopping the experiment by making the researchers think that scenario would not work. If something that simple could stop the experiment, then it was quite simple indeed. ...Im sure Tree Diagram took the fact that Accelerator is the strongest in Academy City into account for its calculations. If the experiment could be stopped by having them believe in a bluff, then... Then its simple. We just have to make the researchers think that this Accelerator they insist is the strongest is actually really absurdly weak. What if Accelerator, supposedly Academy Citys strongest esper, were to easily lose in a simple street fight? Even if the simulations said he was Academy Citys strongest, would the researchers really continue to believe Accelerator was the strongest after seeing something as pathetic as that? Wouldnt that make the researchers think the machines predictions were wrong? Thats not possible, Mikoto replied. The experiment cant be stopped so simply. Im a Level 5 just like him. If another Level 5 defeats him, Im sure theyll just accept it as within the accepted margin of error. They wont think that Accelerator is actually weak. Mikoto sounded like she was gritting her teeth and like she was oozing blood. And we cant beat him even if we ganged up on him. Mikoto seemed to be reflecting on her own powerlessness. Ive only directly met this Accelerator once, but that was enough. I hacked into the Bank and did a search on his power and it gave me goose bumps. For him, a fight is not something he might win or lose. When he fights, it is a completely one-sided slaughter. ... Kamijou knew she was right. Tree Diagram had already determined that she would be killed in 185 moves if she were to fight Accelerator. That was surely an accurate answer. Even if Misaka Mikoto used everything at her disposal and tried her very best, she could not defeat Accelerator. That was why that strong and usually impulsive girl had not tried to take him out in a fight, and had instead been cornered in a situation where her death was the only way to stop the experiment and save the Sisters. Kamijou knew that Misaka Mikoto could not defeat Accelerator. That just means I have to fight. Mikotos breath caught in her throat because Kamijous words had shocked her to the bottom of her heart. But that was the only way. Even if another Level 5 defeated Accelerator, the researchers would not be convinced that he was actually weak. But what if Academy Citys strongest were defeated by one of Academy Citys weakest, a Level 0? Of course, it may have looked like Kamijou was a strong esper who had merely flown under the radar, but Academy Citys System Scan had thoroughly checked him over and he still could not get rid of being branded a Level 0. That was just what Kamijou Toumas Imagine Breaker was. If Accelerator were easily defeated by someone who was seen as a Level 0 no matter how much one checked him over, what would those researchers think of their supposed strongest? ... Now that he knew what he had to do, the rest was easy. Kamijou tried to lift his head from Mikotos thighs and stand up, but his body would not move as he wanted it to. He felt a slight scraping feeling and his head slid from her thighs down to the hard ground. Even so, he gritted his teeth and moved his trembling fingers like caterpillars. He slowly, slowly got his fingers gripped on the uneven asphalt and then gathered all his strength to lift himself up from the ground like he was lifting a barbell. He expended so much effort into just getting up on one knee that he felt like he had shortened his lifespan by 5 years. Mikoto let out a trembling voice upon seeing Kamijou gritting his teeth. What are you doing? She spoke like she was seeing something she could not believe. You cant. Youre only saying that because you dont know what Accelerators power is! Its crazy to even think of taking on that kind of overpowered villain that you would see in a manga. Hes the kind of person who would just cackle at the fact that every army in the world was after him! ... Kamijou did not respond. He merely remained silent and gathered strength in his legs in order to stand up from being on one knee. Accelerators power is the ability to freely control all kinds of vectors such as motion, heat, and electricity as long as they are touching his skin. You cant find an opening in an overpowered ability like that even if you know what the ability is! Mikoto seemed to be yelling out at the unfairness of reality. All of his attacks will reach you, but none of yours will reach him. In fact, everything you fire at him is reflected right back at you. No human can stand up to an absolute one-way road like that! ... Kamijou did not respond. He poured all his strength into his trembling knees and tried to stand up. Hes just different. Its best to think of him as a being on a different dimension from espers like us. You cant win when you take on someone who is cheating from the start. And youre already so beaten up! You cant defeat a monster like that in your state! Mikoto begged him as she was about to burst into tears. She begged him to not stand back up. ... Even so, Kamijou did not respond. He moved his body that was even then about to collapse and slowly, slowly stood up. Why? Mikoto asked in the voice of a child who was lost. ... Kamijou did not know. He did not know how strong Accelerator was. He did not know what he could do with his body that battered. But Imagine Breaker resided in his right hand. And a reason to clench his right fist existed within his chest. He would not rely on anyone else and he would not hope for anything else. If he could use that hand to rescue a girl who had been cornered in a dead end by that Accelerator, then he felt it was a wonderful thing. So Kamijou stood up. He stood upon the ground on his own two feet. Misaka, you said you were about to head to where Accelerator is, right? Kamijou looked at Mikotos face. He had a feeling that he had not seen her eyes in a long time and they were currently red from crying. Tell me, Misaka. Where is he about to start the experiment? Part 3 Misaka Imouto had arrived at a train switchyard. Similar to a transit bus garage, it was a place where many trains were serviced and where they were kept after the last train ran. An area about the size of a schools grounds was covered in the same gravel as a train track and over 10 rails were lined up next to each other. Lined up at the end of the tracks were garages with large shutters over them making them look like rental storage areas at a port. Surrounding the entire switchyard were large numbers of metal containers used on freight trains. The containers were piled up like building blocks and they rivaled three story buildings in height. The disorderly piles made the area around the switchyard seem like a three-dimensional maze. The containers were like mountains and the switchyard itself was like the basin between the mountains. The switchyard was not a popular place. As all students had to be back from school by the time the last train left, the switchyard was quickly abandoned. The electric lights used for work were turned off and there were no houses nearby so that left no illumination. Even though 2.3 million people lived in that city, that area was wrapped in such darkness that the usually invisible stars were visible in the night sky. Standing in the middle of that vacant darkness was Academy Citys strongest esper, Accelerator. His form seemed to be one with the surrounding darkness, so Misaka Imouto felt like she was being thrown into a giant organ belonging to Accelerator by entering that switchyard. The white boy smiled in the black darkness. His eerie whiteness gave her the feeling that her eyeballs had been thrown into boiling water. So its 8:25... I take it youre the next doll to be targeted in the experiment? Accelerators voice sounded like a white darkness spewing forth from that smile that split across his face. But Misaka Imoutos expression did not change even slightly. Yes, Misaka is Serial Number 10032, responds Misaka. However, shouldnt you check using the passcode to ensure that Misaka is part of the experiment? suggests Misaka. ...Tch. Youre fucking insane, Accelerator spat out. Well, I may have no right to say this as someone forcing you to take part in this experiment to make me stronger, but you sure are calm. Dont you feel anything about this situation? It is difficult to understand what you mean when you use vague terms such as anything, replies Misaka. The experiment begins in 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Are you prepared? asks Misaka to make sure. Accelerators eyes narrowed. He chewed on something in his mouth with a look like he was fed up with something. It was like he was chewing on a piece of gum that had lost its sweetness. ? Are you eating something? asks Misaka. Yeah, a finger, Accelerator said casually as he spat the object in his mouth out to the side. The piece of meat was all chewed up and had saliva all over it, but the general shape of a girls narrow fingertip could just barely still be seen. Since I had the chance, I thought Id borrow it, but human flesh isnt all that great. Id heard that fingers didnt have much fat and that it tasted a bit sour, but its not even that. You bite into it and you can feel all these narrow bundles being torn apart. Its fucking horrible. I guess we just didnt evolve to be eaten like pigs or cows. Accelerator wiped his lips with his arm as if to wipe away the flavor in his mouth. But Misaka Imoutos expression did not change even slightly upon hearing that. Normally, pork or beef has the blood removed and the flavor improved with salt and other spices, advises Misaka. Is the distinction between raw meat and cooked meat due to the changes in the proteins created by heating bringing an error into your testing? asks Misaka giving her view on the situation. Is that so? said Accelerator sounding fed up with the entire thing. Misaka Imouto did not understand why Accelerator had asked that question. It was true that she had been shocked upon seeing him in front of the used bookstore, but that had been because of the black cat at her feet. She was only afraid of having an unrelated life taken by the experiment. Dammit, after 10,000 times, this is getting really fucking old. I was hoping to kill some time, but no. Theres just no having a conversation with any of you, Accelerator said leisurely. I cant understand why you would throw away your lives like that. To me, my own life takes top priority and I think of my own body as the best. Thats why theres no limit to the amount of power I want and thats why I can just laugh scornfully as I kill hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of you. There are parts of what you said that Misaka does not understand, replies Misaka. You are already Academy Citys strongest Level 5, are you not? If you are already at a point where no one else can reach you, there should be no need to head even higher, predicts Misaka. The strongest, hm? Accelerator sounded bored as he responded. Strongest? Strongest!? Strongest!!? True enough. I am the strongest esper in this city and therefore the strongest esper in the entire world. But, Accelerator sounded bored from the very depths of his heart, in the end, I am only the strongest. How does everyone else know that Im the strongest esper in Academy City? Its because theyve fought me and lost. In other words, my strength is only at the level where they try to pick a fight with me because it sounds like fun. His red eyes completely changed to those of a pleasant smile. Thats not enough. Thats nowhere near enough. Level 5 C strongest C is boring. Im after something beyond that. I want absolute strength that makes the thought of taking me on sound like a fucking joke and doesnt even allow anyone to even think about fighting me. I yearn for that invincibility known as Level 6. As that boy spoke of his own dream, he slowly stretched his hands out horizontally to both sides. The right hand of suffering and the left hand of poison. The boy smiled with his hands held out horizontally. Both were like poisonous snakes that could kill with just a touch. He looked like a cross emitting darkness. So are you ready? Its time to die, you overproduced failure. The white boy smiled mockingly, but Misaka Imoutos expression did not change even slightly. She merely spoke unconcernedly like a doll with a clock in it. 8:29 PM and 45 seconds, 46 seconds, 47 seconds...Experiment #10032 will begin shortly. Test Subject Accelerator, please wait at the designated spot, informs Misaka. And the unavoidable experiment began at 8:30 PM. Part 4 Kamijou left the black cat with Mikoto and then ran through the nighttime city. On the west end of Academy City was a large industrial area. Apparently, a train switchyard there was the location for the 10032nd experiment. ... He recognized the number 10032. That was the serial number Misaka Imouto had mentioned in the back alley. A great impatience assaulted Kamijous chest. He had to get to that switchyard as quickly as possible, but the buses and trains had already been returned to their garages. With most of the transportation facilities shut down, Kamijou had no choice but to run on his own two feet. He knew he did not have much stamina left, but he was in too much of a hurry to keep a slower pace to preserve that stamina. Instead, he gritted his teeth and ran full speed through a shopping district. He moved his battered body and ran despite the fact that doing so was shaving away the little stamina he had left. Leaving the shopping district, he entered a residential area and the lights and hustle and bustle of the city seemed to grow more distant. As he ran further, the student dorms started growing sparse, too. After cutting past some small trees that had been artificially planted, he reached the industrial area. Academy City had an industrial area so that items made from the research carried out in the city could also be produced within the city. However, the area was not filled with factories that looked like slightly dirty rented storage areas in a downtown area. Instead, the area was lined with windowless industrial buildings. The area was oddly organized and had no sense of being lived in. It was a little reminiscent of an area of a city filled with offices. There was no one there. The factories were surely structured to run 24 hours a day, but no sound could be heard because of their perfect sound proofing. The scenery looked like a dead city to Kamijou and he felt a chill in that midsummer night. As she remained alone on the iron bridge, Mikoto held the frightened black cat in her arms. She recalled that the electromagnetic waves subconsciously emitted by her body made cats dislike her, but she didnt particularly care at that moment. ...Is he an idiot? she muttered in the darkness. She had wanted to stop Kamijou. She had at least wanted to head with him to the area for the experiment. But Kamijou had forbidden it. What was important was that the Level 0 Imagine Breaker singlehandedly defeated the Level 5 Accelerator. If Mikoto, another Level 5, were helping Kamijou, it would be determined that Accelerator was defeated by a group of people that included a Level 5. If you want to save Misaka Imouto, leave this to me, the boy had said. I will return with her, he had promised. Mikoto looked at the end of the bridge where the boy had disappeared. Logically, she knew that she could not do anything by heading there. In fact, there was a chance she would destroy the solution that the boy had finally obtained. Because of that, staying there was the proper choice. She knew that. Anyone could figure that out logically. But... Something beyond logic did not want to understand it. Mikoto gritted her teeth. ...Do you really think I can do that!? In the end, Mikoto chased after Kamijou while still holding the black cat. She simply could not sit idly by. Part 5 At 8:30 PM, the switchyard became a battlefield. Bluish-white flashes of light as if from a camera flash lit up the dark switchyard. Misaka Imouto and Accelerators feet kicked up the gravel. The distance between them was less than 10 metres. Hah. What!? Are you just walking around casually without a plan? If you like pain that much, Ill make you cry so much you might as well take a cough drop now! With his arms still spread out, Accelerator bent over and closed in on Misaka Imouto like he was a carnivorous beast. He did not need to think about defense. In fact, he did not even need to think about attacking. For someone who could reflect all kinds of attacks and therefore could kill his opponent just by touching them, a fight was nothing more than thinking of the fastest and most definite way of touching his opponent. As he could reflect all kinds of attacks, there was no way of stopping his legs from bringing him closer. Misaka Imouto was faced with that unreasonable amount of violence that was like driving a tank into the middle of a group of demonstrators. Ah!? was Accelerators dissatisfied cry. Misaka Imouto took steps back to put some distance between her and Accelerator as if she were fleeing from his advance. Misaka Imouto paid close attention to the situation around her and continued to flee back sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left. The carnivorous beast that was Accelerator chased after her with a look of pure boredom in his eyes. Cmon, cmon, cmon! Thats pathetic! What the hell are you hoping for?! No matter how much time you buy yourself, there isnt gonna be a miracle! Misaka Imouto was not listening. She did nothing but put distance between her and her enemy while keeping that enemy in her range of vision. Accelerator felt like the blood vessels in his head were going to burst, but then he noticed that the girl was electrifying the surrounding air. Oh, come the hell on! Surely you know thats fucking useless! And Im not going to play along with your pathetic attempts at resisting much longer! Accelerator laughed mockingly. He could reflect any attack that was thrown at him and Misaka Imouto was purposefully not firing the electricity at him out of fear of that. The sparks were flying around him, but no actual attack came his way. Whats with her? Accelerator gritted his teeth, but then he noticed that he was short of breath. At first he thought he had used up too much oxygen by talking while running around, but it was too odd for that. A sharp stench sent off alarm bells in his head. Tonight is a windless night. Misaka Imoutos voice reverberated throughout the still air of the switchyard. As such, Misaka may have a chance of winning, calls out Misaka. Accelerator checked on his surroundings again. Misaka Imouto continued to run away, she was firing electrical attacks around him, he was oddly out of breath, and he could reflect any direct attack. (Ohhh, I see. Ozone, huh?) The oxygen in the air could be broken apart with electricity. Oxygen molecules were normally formed from two oxygen atoms, but once the two oxygen atoms broke apart, they had a disposition toward connecting together in threes as ozone. Oxygen and ozone were two different things. Breathing it in would not satisfy ones lungs. And as was obvious from its use in sterilization, it was toxic. No attack would reach Accelerator, but that did not change the fact that he was a human that breathed in oxygen and breathed out carbon dioxide. If all the oxygen were removed from his surroundings, he would suffer from oxygen deprivation. Misaka Imouto did not need to approach Accelerator. In fact, it was imperative that she kept her distance from him so that his attacks could not hit her while she continued to rob him of his oxygen. Good, good, excellent!! I take it back, you are a worthy enemy after all! Ha ha!! Now this is an excellent change of pace! After killing 10,000 of you, youve finally come up with a good idea! Accelerator chased after her while laughing out of enjoyment. Despite the fact that he was being cornered, he was still enjoying himself from the bottom of his heart. But!! Theres one weak point! Misaka Imoutos shoulders shook out of surprise. Your plan fails if I catch up to you!! Accelerators foot suddenly caused the gravel behind him to explode. He had altered the vector for the motion of his foot. As if a rocket were firing from the bottom of his foot, he shot 7 metres forward like a bullet in one step. Misaka Imouto tried to jump further back, but Accelerator heartlessly flew forward many times faster than she could move. If you dont try to avoid this with everything you have, you really will die! As he yelled he struck with his left hand. The strike was gentle like he was stroking her cheek....and yet a cracking noise came from Misaka Imoutos neck upon receiving the attack. Her vision spun around as her entire body spun like a bamboo copter before landing on the gravel. His attack did all that, but he had actually been holding back. If Accelerator had seriously been trying to kill her, her body would have exploded the instant he touched her skin. Now for a question. How many times have you been killed!? As Accelerator gave a broken-looking smile, he looked like a darkness hanging over her. The smile splitting across his face filled her vision. Something like a jeer came from his mouth that was opened so wide that drool was about to spill out. Accelerator had regained his utter advantage. Misaka Imouto was balled up on the ground, but the tip of his shoe weaved through the gaps in her defenses and stabbed into her. His fist flew and struck her on the back. With each strike, he was holding back enough that her body would not be destroyed. She was thrust into a spiral of intense pain as if she had been thrown into drum that was being repeatedly hit with a metal bat from the outside. Ghfh...!? Misaka Imouto was having trouble even remaining balled up and she finally lost to the force of a kick to the gut. She collapsed face up on the ground. Her forehead must have been cut because she could not see out of one eye due to flowing blood. She could see Accelerator breathing erratically in her blurry vision. He wiped away the drool that was flowing down from the smile splitting across his face. Even after all that, Misaka Imouto did not resent Accelerator. It was not that she wanted to but could not. She merely saw no value in her own life. Once the experiment in which her 180,000 yen life was being used was over, her body would be retrieved and disposed of, like a frog that had been dissected. That was all there was to it. That was all there was supposed to be to it. And yet Accelerator suddenly stopped moving as if he had realized something. He slowly turned his head and looked at something over his shoulder. (What...?) From Misaka Imoutos position face up on the ground, Accelerators body blocked her view of whatever he was looking at. But Accelerator froze up. The entire experiment existed in order to elevate him from strongest to invincible, but he seemed to have forgotten all about that. ...Hey. What happens to the experiment if this happens? Accelerator muttered while frozen in place. Misaka Imouto felt that was an odd thing to ask the person he had been in the process of killing, but Accelerator still did not move from that spot. Misaka Imouto crawled along the gravel so she could see what Accelerator was looking at. Someone was standing in a gap between the piles of containers circling the switchyard. Standing there was a normal person who had nothing to do with the experiment. Standing there was Kamijou Touma. Accelerator did not know what the procedure was when a normal person entered the experiment. He looked like he didnt know what to do about the high school boy who had suddenly appeared. ...Get away from her, said Kamijou as if stabbing at Accelerator. His entire body was wrapped in such anger that it looked like static electricity would scatter about if someone touched him. Get the hell away from Misaka Imouto. Can you not hear me? Accelerator frowned at Kamijous words. He then turned back toward Misaka Imouto. He turned his somewhat critical red gaze on her. Hey, Misakas the name of your original, right? If he knows that, then he must know you. Cmon now, dont bring unrelated people to the experimental grounds. Accelerators expression made it clear that Kamijou had ruined his fun. ...I mean fucking come on. What am I supposed to do now? I guess the standard thing would be to silence the person who knows about this secret experiment, but that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Hes not some disposable doll. Hes just a normal-... Shut the hell up and get away from her, you lowly thug!! Kamijous lightning-like rage cut off Accelerators words. Accelerator looked over at him as if he were looking at something he truly could not believe. It was like he was a child who had never once been yelled at before. Who are you? Do you know who youre talking to here? Not only am I one of the seven Level 5s, but Im the one who stands at the top of them all. And you call me a lowly thug? What the fuck? Do you think youre a god or something? Dont make me laugh. His low, quiet voice was accompanied by killer intent leaking into the air around him like static electricity. That massive killer intent felt like billions of eyeballs staring at Kamijou from the darkness of the night. ... Even so, the boy continued to glare at Accelerator. His incandescent gaze silently said that he did not care in the slightest if his opponent was the strongest or the best or the greatest or whatever. ...Heh. Now this is interesting. Accelerators red eyes froze over. Strongest and invincible were different. When someone was invincible the victor was clear before the battle began, but when someone was the strongest, their strength was only discovered once the fight began. In other words, the fact that Accelerator was the strongest meant he was only at a level where people would still try to pick a fight with him. ...You truly are interesting. Accelerators gaze had moved from Misaka Imouto to Kamijou. He was setting the experiment aside and giving 100 times more priority to crushing Kamijous gaze. A crazed crimson heat resided within the white boys eyes. His smile was thin and wide. It split across his face like a piece of melted cheese stretched out to the left and right. ... Even so, Kamijou did not take a single step back. Instead, he took a step forward. What are you-...? Misaka Imouto was in complete shock. That boy was going to fight Accelerator. He had no weapon and he was going to fight that person who could singlehandedly crush an entire army smiling the entire time. That boy had spoken to Accelerator. He had told Accelerator to get away from her. In other words, the reason that boy was on that battlefield was... The reason that boy was risking his life in that fight was... ...What are you doing, asks Misaka? Misaka Imouto said in a trembling voice. CI-I see, so youre the little sister. But you really do look alike. Both your height and weight look the same. It did not matter how many times Misaka Imouto died in that experiment because her life had no value. CHey. Thanks for carrying those drinks and taking care of those fleas yesterday. But he had nothing to do with the experiment and he could not be mass produced. CThats right! A name! This is your cat, so take responsibility and give it a name! An original who there was only one of in the world was going to get hurt due to the experiment. (What is this...?) Misaka Imouto felt some sort of pain within herself. No matter how much she thought, she could not determine the source of the pain. (Misaka has questions about her own mental state.) Even so, Kamijou did not respond. He took one more step toward the battlefield. Misaka Imouto switched out her thinking and spoke in order to stop him. What are you doing? asks Misaka for a second time. Misaka is an imitation that can be remade as many times as needed while you are irreplaceable, so what are you doing? asks Misaka for a third time. There was no inconsistency in her logic. There was no disturbance in her tone of voice. Her words had been extremely exact as if she were running according to a program, so she concluded that her mental state was all green. Yet her heart was beating at a terribly fast pace. Her breathing was unbelievably shallow and she could not suck in the proper amount of oxygen. Misaka Imouto wanted to stop that boy from entering the experimental grounds. Misaka Imouto wanted to stop that boy from clashing with Accelerator. However, her useless battered body would not move as she wanted it to. That was why she continued to try to stop the boy with her words as she lay atop the gravel. She did not realize that those very words were doing nothing more than drawing the boy to the battlefield faster. Misaka can be automatically produced at the press of a button as long as the proper machinery and chemicals are prepared, explains Misaka. Misaka has an artificially made body and a borrowed mind. Her value is 180,000 yen and there are 9968 more in reserve, so stopping the experiment just for her is... ...Shut up, the boy muttered cutting off Misaka Imouto. What? she replied. I said shut up. None of that matters. You have an artificially constructed body? You have a borrowed mind? You can be automatically produced at the press of a button as long as the proper machinery and chemicals are prepared? Your value is 180,000 yen? Well, I dont care about that! None of that matters! the boy yelled into the night sky as the conflagration of his rage burned. And yet his voice was distressed like he was being hit by cold rain. Im standing here to save you! Im not here for anyone else. Im fighting to save you! So the fact that you have an artificially constructed body, have a borrowed mind, can be automatically produced at the press of a button, have a 180,000 yen value, or any other insignificant shit does not matter! Misaka Imouto did not understand. She did not understand what the boy was trying to say. There had not been a single lie in what she had said. She was a being that could be automatically produced at the press of a button. If one was lost, one could be made to replace it. If 20,000 were lost, 20,000 could be made to replace them. That was all she was. There is only one of you in the world! Why cant you figure out something that simple!? But for some reason the boys yell reached her. It was not that she believed what he was saying. Misaka Imouto still felt that there was no problem no matter how many of her lives were lost. However, there was still one person who was yelling that he did not want to lose that tiny existence. That boy certainly had no power. There was no way he possessed anything making him worthy of being referred to as Academy Citys strongest. Dont go off and die. I still have plenty more to tell you. Even so, Misaka Imouto felt that boy was strong. Im going to save you now, so just stay quiet and watch. She felt that way of living made him stronger than anyone else. Part 6 Accelerator may have been the strongest, but he was not invincible. Kamijous Imagine Breaker could destroy any kind of supernatural power even if it was one of gods miracles. Even if Accelerators reflection was a perfect defense that could reject even a nuclear explosion, Kamijou knew it should not be able to defend against his right hand. Accelerator was the strongest and therefore he could stand up to the entire world at once. However, his power was not absolute enough to be able to defend against Imagine Breaker. A chance for victory lay in that slight error. ... Kamijou looked around the area. For about 100 metres around him, the ground was covered in nothing but gravel and steel rails. Kamijou Touma and Accelerator were both standing on that level surface with nowhere to hide. They were about 10 metres apart. That distance could be filled in three or four steps if one of them started running. Kamijou stopped breathing. He slightly lowered his entire body like a spring and... Ooohhhhhhh! He explosively started running toward Accelerator. However, Accelerator did not move from that spot. In fact, he did not even clench either fist. He kept his arms dangling at his sides, he did not use his legs to shift his centre of gravity, and a smile split across his face. Accelerator slightly tapped the heel of his foot on the gravel as if he were tapping his foot to a rhythm. In that instant, the gravel below his feet exploded like he had stepped on a landmine. A large amount of gravel scattered in every direction and at close range it was reminiscent of a shotgun blast. ...! By the time Kamijou realized what was going on, it was too late. He immediately brought his arms up to cover his face and over a dozen small stones of various sizes struck Kamijous body. Just when he thought his feet had been knocked from the ground due to the large shock, his entire body was forcefully blown back. He rolled along the ground before finally coming to a stop a few metres back. ...Too slow, said an unpleasant voice that sounded like pieces of rusted metal being scraped together. The intense pain had disoriented Kamijou and he merely looked blankly in the direction of the voice completely forgetting to stand back up. Thats nowhere near enough. That speed of yours is just 100 years too sloooooowwwww! Accelerator stepped on the ground again. He must have converted the vector of that shock in some way because a steel rail lying at his feet stood up on end like there had been a spring under it. Accelerator used a backhanded blow like he was brushing a spider web away and knocked the rail flying. His action had been nothing more than the slight strike one would use on an unreasonable child, but a great noise like a church bell resounded throughout the switchyard. The steel rail bent into a shallow V-shape and flew straight for Kamijou like a bullet. !! Kamijou frantically rolled and jumped away from its path. Immediately afterwards, the crushed piece of steel pierced into the ground like a holy sword in the exact spot Kamijou had been lying in before. Kamijou thought he had just barely managed to avoid it, but the mass of steel weighed hundreds of kilograms. When it struck the ground, it sent a large amount of gravel flying into the air. It was like a meteorite striking the sea. Countless small stones stabbed into his body. The shock this gave to his chest forced all of the oxygen from his lungs. Gh...Ah...! Accelerator fired a second and third steel rail at Kamijou who was rolling on the ground. Those masses of steel flying through the air were as unavoidable for a human as handgun bullets. A direct hit from one would be certain death and even barely avoiding one would lead to damage from the gravel scattered by the hit, which would slowly but surely add up and lead to death. All Kamijou could do was continue to roll along the ground, try to read the direction the gravel would be sent, and then jump in the same direction to reduce the damage as much as possible. He could not approach. He avoided 10 or 20 of those steel bullets and was struck by the scattered gravel each time, but he was gradually heading away from the centre of the switchyard and to the outer part. Even then, Kamijou felt the battle was in a stalemate. It was true he was the only one receiving any attacks, but he believed that Accelerator would not deliver a decisive blow. But the sound of the air being sliced cut off his thoughts. ...? Kamijou thought a rail was headed his way, so he immediately jumped backwards. He had done so to reduce the shock from the scattered gravel even just a little bit, but the steel bullet did not come. Kamijou suspiciously frowned while keeping on his guard. The steel rail flew past over Kamijous head and stabbed into the ground behind him. !? Kamijou had jumped backwards to reduce the damage he took. The gravel sprayed at him at close range from the opposite direction than he had expected. It was like running into a truck that was moving at 100 kph while moving at 100 kph yourself. His own actions had doubled the damage that stabbed into his back. His breathing stopped as if he had been struck with a bat in the back and he pathetically collapsed onto the ground. The sound of objects slicing through the night sky continued. Kamijou looked up and saw multiple steel rails flying toward him. (Wha-...?) Kamijou immediately tried to roll out of the way, but the rails landed on all sides of him simultaneously. As if he were being beaten by 5 or 6 people, gravel assaulted him from all sides. He could not defend against or evade that. Having lost all options, Kamijou could only sit there dumbfounded as over 100 small rocks stabbed at him. His body was knocked about making him look like a shrimp that had been brought onto land. Gh...gheah...! Ahh...aahhh...! Even so, Kamijou managed to grab one of the steel rails sticking into the ground nearby in order to stand up. His legs were still shaking from the damage leftover from Mikotos lightning attacks and his mouth was filled with the taste of blood. He was just barely managing to hold on to his consciousness when he saw it. In the distance ahead of him, he saw Accelerator slightly lowering his entire body like a spring. Ah hah! See!? Youre slow, so slow, so very slow! Can you become a fox and bring some enjoyment to your hunter or are you nothing but a pig to be eaten, you lowly thug!? At that time, there were about 30 metres between Accelerator and Kamijou. Despite this, Accelerator brought that distance to zero in only two steps. The gravel at his feet exploded as if from a rocket and Accelerator charged toward Kamijou with tremendous speed as he moved almost like a rock skipping on the water. Tension sank into Kamijous stomach. He immediately tried to stick out his fist, but Accelerators foot struck the ground first. The steel rail lying at his feet stood up as if a spring lay beneath it. The bolt in the railroad tie popped off like a shirt button. Before Kamijou could respond in surprise, the rising rail struck him in the chin like an uppercut. Ghah...! His body shot up and a space of 20 cm opened up between his feet and the ground. Accelerator watched that with a satisfied look and opened up his right hand like it was a demons claw and aimed it for Kamijous airborne body. That was the very same hand that had sent steel rails flying like bullets with just a soft stroke. ...!! Kamijou saw Accelerators right hand moving in toward him like a poisonous snake and immediately struck out with his right hand despite still being in midair. In a small piece of fortune, Kamijous right hand somehow managed to brush away Accelerators hand. That was all he did, but Accelerator looked up at Kamijou as if he had seen something truly unbelievable. As if trying to shake something off, Accelerator forcefully stomped on the ground. That stomp turned the gravel into a dangerous weapon and it struck Kamijou all over as he floated in midair. He stopped breathing and fell to the ground like a corpse. After rolling for a few metres with his arms and legs sprawled out, he stopped because his back had struck something. ...? It was the side of a container. It was part of the piles of containers that surrounded the switchyard. Accelerator and Misaka Imouto had been in the centre of the switchyard, so Kamijou must have travelled a few dozen metres while evading the various attacks. The containers were piled up five or six tall and the piles were about as tall as a three story building. For an instant, Kamijou glanced at the wall of the container his back was to, but... Oh, so you have time to look away!? If you want to die that badly, Ill turn you into such a lovely piece of art that youll end up with a Guinness World Record!! There was a crazed laugh. Kamijou frantically turned back around just in time to see Accelerator sink down and then jump up from the gravel a few metres away. It should have just been a normal vertical jump, but his slender body shot 4 metres up into the air. He aimed his feet for Kamijous head. Kamijou immediately rolled to the side to avoid the strike and Accelerators jump kick struck the metal side of the container Kamijou had been leaning on. A great noise like a church bell resounded throughout the area. Suddenly, the pile of containers collapsed. It was like when a pile of building blocks had the bottommost block pulled out. The instant Accelerators jump kick crushed the bottommost container like it was made of paper, the containers it had been supporting wobbled and suddenly collapsed. When one collapsed, it brought the one next to it down with it causing the entire pile of containers to collapse like a house of cards. Kamijou gulped down air and looked above. A number of containers had been thrown into the air like giant dice and were about to rain down on him. ! He immediately jumped up to his feet. Just when he was about to jump to the side in an attempt to avoid the containers falling toward his head, he saw something in the edge of his vision. He saw Accelerator lowering down like his entire body was a spring. He then shot forward like a bullet in order to pursue Kamijou who was trying to flee the containers. Accelerator could reflect any kind of impact, so he did not need to worry about avoiding the rain of containers even though each of them weighed more than a ton. But that was not so for Kamijou. If he tried to avoid the containers, he could not avoid Accelerators pursuit. If he tried to counterattack Accelerator with his right hand, he would be crushed by the containers. ...! Kamijou immediately kicked up the gravel at his feet toward Accelerators approaching eyes. Of course, that would not stop Accelerator. Hah hah! Did you really think that would work? If youre gonna try that, at least make sure you go all the way...like this!! Accelerator manipulated the vectors of the gravel that struck his body so that it was reflected back at Kamijou at double the speed. Kamijou immediately crossed his arms to protect his face and chest. In the next instant, that shotgun blast of small stones struck Kamijous body. His body flew back a few metres as if he had been shot by a shell. In doing so, he evaded the rain of containers. In doing so, he managed to get some space between himself and Accelerator. Ah? Accelerator gave that sound of slight admiration and the containers struck the ground an instant later. A large amount of gravel flew up into the air and a cloud of sand obstructed Kamijous vision. Suddenly, countless containers came rolling through that cloud of dust as if to crush Kamijou. The containers rampaged around on unpredictable paths like living beings similar to dice dancing around in a giant cup. (Shit...!) Kamijou desperately jumped out of the way of the containers. They finally stopped moving, but the cloud of dust continued to rob Kamijou of his vision. No, it was not a cloud of dust. It seemed the containers had held flour. The cloud of powder was like a white mist as it hazily obstructed Kamijous view. That white curtain surrounded Kamijou in all directions. He did not know when or from where Accelerator would slice through that curtain and attack him. Kamijou felt a hopeless tension like he had been thrown blindfolded into a cage with a carnivorous beast. But instead, he heard a voice coming from in front of him beyond the white curtain. It was as if Accelerator were showing off his location. Heh. It looks like these containers held flour, but this nice windless night might be making this a very dangerous situation. Kamijou looked questioningly in the direction of the voice. There are stories of explosions in mines, right? Those dont happen because someone didnt use their explosives properly. The voice sounded like it was grinning and enjoying itself. They were caused by the fine dust from the stones filling the air in the mine. A lot like now. Kamijou jumped out of shock. He figured out what Accelerator was trying to do, so he moved his battered body in an attempt to get out of there. If there is powder floating in the air, it can be ignited. The combustion rate of oxygen is ridiculously fast, so it seems all the air in the place becomes one giant bomb. Kamijou was no longer listening. He was merely running as fast as he could without looking aside. He had turned his back on Accelerator and was trying to escape that giant space filled with that powder. He ran and ran and continued to run. Accelerators voice then pierced into Kamijous back. Surely youve at least heard of a dust explosion. Immediately afterwards, all sound was blown away. The area with a 30 metre radius in which the flour had been scattered became a giant bomb. The entire area became wrapped in flames and heat as if gasoline vaporized into the air had been ignited. Kamijou had just barely managed to escape the curtain of flour when it happened. The shock wave struck his back and knocked him down to the gravel, but he managed to avoid being enveloped in the flames themselves. However, a dust explosion was different from a normal explosion because it used the oxygen in the air as fuel. The explosion instantly stole all the oxygen in the area which lowered the air pressure dramatically. Fortunately, it had occurred outside rather than in a sealed area, so a vacuum was not created. But the sudden change in air pressure internally squeezed on his organs to the very limit. If it had actually been a vacuum, his body would likely have burst open from the inside. Gah...Ahh...! Kamijou moved his battered body and just barely managed to stand up as the sea of flames lit the switchyard up as if it were the middle of the day. He turned around toward the pile of containers he had fled from. Accelerator was walking there. He was calmly walking through the crimson purgatory he himself had created. God damn it. Im sure you just experienced it yourself, but the lack of oxygen was tough on me, too. Fuck, I thought I was gonna die. You should be glad. I think youre the first in the world to make me, Accelerator, think he was gonna die. His voice was light, like he was just having a casual conversation. Heh heh. I guess I cant use my tagline about being fine even in a nuclear explosion anymore, can I? Well, I can just bring an oxygen tank with me. They make ones about the size of a can of hairspray, right? Do you know how much one of those costs? Accelerators cheerfulness while within that hell of flames scared Kamijou. ...! Kamijou immediately tried to put himself on guard, but the damage had permeated his legs making them tremble uncontrollably. ...Well? What are you even trying to do? Amid the flames, Accelerator tilted his head to the side like a child. All your frantic efforts havent gotten you a single step closer to me. And what the hell do you even think you can do if you were somehow able to get near me? Accelerator refreshingly spread his arms open amid the hellfire. I can manipulate every vector that touches my body. That includes the flow of your blood, yknow? In other words, the instant you touch me, every blood vessel and organ in your body will explode. Do you really understand that? ... Kamijous trembling legs froze up. Even though his right hand could penetrate Accelerators reflection, what could he really do? He could only touch Accelerator with his right hand. That meant he was basically boxing with one hand sealed off. And even if he could strike Accelerators face with his right hand, if Accelerator managed to grab his arm before he could pull it back... Accelerator laughed in a friendly manner as Kamijou stood frozen in place. Well, dont worry about it too much. You put up a nice effort. Its actually a miracle that youre even breathing after facing me. Itd be rather selfish to want more than that, dont you think? He laughed in a friendly manner despite being in the middle of a deadly fight. Fuck. You are lucky that your potential was so low. Youre so weak that I couldnt use my reflection on you properly. You really did find a weak point in me. Judgement acts so thoughtlessly with their powers and Anti-Skill brings out all their high-tech weapons, so its all over after I reflect the first shot. Accelerator clapped his hands in applause within the sea of flames. He truly sounded like he was thanking his opponent from the bottom of his heart. You made a good effort. You made a really good effort. ...So its about time you had a rest! Accelerators body sank down slightly amid the flames. With a roar, the white boy shot like a bullet toward Kamijou blowing away even the flames as he went. There were a few dozen metres between them, but he brought that to zero in two or three steps. Accelerator made his way right up to Kamijou with motions like a rock skipping on the water. ...! Tension crawled up from Kamijous stomach to the top of his throat. The right hand of suffering and the left hand of poison. Those hands could convert any vector that they touched and were therefore hands of darkness that could bring death to any living thing. Just by touching the skin, they could cause a human heart to burst from the inside by reversing the flow of the blood via the capillaries and reversing the flow of the bodily electricity via the surface of the skin. Accelerator brought both hands together. His hands were pressed together at the wrist like he was wearing handcuffs and he thrust them toward Kamijous face. Kamijou immediately tried to move back, but his trembling legs would not move properly. Those hands that could crush ones soul approached before Kamijous eyes. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Kamijou reflexively shut his eyes and swung his right hand up prepared for the worst. As he had cut off his own vision, he had no idea where he was aiming his fist. With a dull sensation, his right hand punched Accelerator in the face. Eh? The first one to express his surprise at that result was Kamijou, not Accelerator. He had truly not expected to hit and he had not expected his battered fist to actually do any damage even if it did hit. However, Accelerator was knocked away and was now squirming around atop the gravel. Ah? Ow... Ha ha... What the fuck? Oh, wow. Ha ha ha. Dammit. Excellent, excellent. That was great! That was wonderful! Now youve done it! The white boy laughed insanely as he crouched on the ground like a demon about to grow wings. But Kamijou was not listening. When he thought about it, it had been odd from the beginning. Why had he not realized it after fighting with Accelerator that long? There was an overwhelming handicap between Kamijou and Accelerator. Accelerator could kill people just by touching them. On the other hand, Kamijou would die instantly if he touched Accelerator with any part of his body besides his right hand. And on top of that, Kamijou could not move his legs properly due to the damage he had taken from Mikotos lightning attacks. He had such a great handicap, and yet... (Could it be...?) Accelerator charged toward Kamijou. His right hand that could kill with a touch was aimed straight for Kamijous face. (Could it be that hes...?) Kamijou avoided it just by swinging his head to the side. He had no military training or anything, but he was easily able to evade it. (Is he...?) Kamijou clenched his right fist. He moved in toward Accelerator to counter Accelerators missed attack. (Is he actually...really freaking weak?) Gbah!? Kamijous fist plowed into Accelerators face. He moved his hand back and forth in complex trajectories like someone swinging a knife around, but Accelerator never once grazed his skin. Kamijou slipped past Accelerators poisonous snake-like arms and attacked Accelerators face with his fist again and again. Dammit, what!? Whats with those weird movements!? Youre not an eel, so quit wriggling around like that and stay put! Accelerator tried to grab the fist that was stabbing in at his face, but the smooth serpentine movements of Kamijous hand prevented him from doing so. Hah. Youve never lost. Kamijou danced around with precise footing. And that is why youre weak! You defeat all of your enemies in a single strike and you can easily reflect any attack. Theres no way you would actually know how to fightbrawl! That summarized the gap between them. Acelerators fights had no chance of loss on his part. They were just one-sided slaughters. Because his ability was simply too powerful, he had never needed to learn how to fight. Accelerators stance was sloppy. He did not clench his fist. His fingers were spread out like he was just asking to have them jammed and he gave no thought to his footing or his centre of gravity. However, Accelerators ability was so powerful that he did not need to worry about that kind of thing. If you could kill any enemy in a single strike, there was no reason to train in techniques to defeat your enemy well. If you could reflect any attack, there was no reason to put any effort into predicting and evading or defending against your opponents attacks. Simply put, techniques and effort were things that weak people used to supplement their power. But that strength was not Accelerators strength. It was the strength of his esper ability. So what if there was a right hand that could seal off that ability? Accelerator was not someone who there was absolutely no way of defeating. He was not invincible. He was merely exceedingly difficult to defeat. He was merely the strongest. A chance for Kamijous victory lay in that slight gap between invincible and strongest. Tch. Shut the fuck up, you third rate!!! Accelerators foot lightly tapped the ground. Like there was a spring beneath it, a steel rail lying at Accelerators feet stood up. If he knocked it away, the mass of steel would fly straight into Kamijous body. But Kamijou did not let him. In order to stop that attack that he had predicted was coming, Kamijous right fist slammed into Accelerators face. Accelerator was forcefully knocked to the ground and he manipulated the vectors of the gravel knocked up by his own body to send a blast of small stones at Kamijous upper body. But it did not hit. Kamijou had predicted that attack too, and he had managed to avoid it by crouching down like he was about to start crawling along the ground. Kamijou was not especially good at fighting. In a fight against delinquents, he could win with 1 on 1, he was in danger with 1 on 2, and he would unhesitatingly run away with 1 on 3. That was the extent of his skill. But even so, Accelerator could not reach him. The punches Kamijou was throwing did not have his weight behind them. They were diversionary punches that put more strength into pulling back than in the punch itself. In boxing, they would be called jabs. But even so, Accelerator was being hit strongly. Accelerator had never once lost which also meant that he had never once been in a proper fight. Because his power was the strongest, he had never had a chance to use his athletic abilities normally. Kamijou could not utterly crush even a delinquent in a fight, but he could easily beat the hell out of a sheltered boy who had never been in a fight. ...! Kh. Hah! Interesting. What is with that right hand!? Accelerator yelled recklessly with his arms stretched out after having received that fist to his face again and again. One of them was the strongest who had never lost once in his life. The other was the weakest who would never give up no matter how many times he lost. Who was the stronger one? The answer was Kamijou. If he lost 100 times, he would stand back up 100 times. If he lost 1000 times, he would crawl back to his feet 1000 times. And each of those losses was converted into strength that was now poured into his right fist that slammed into Accelerators face. Accelerator had always been able to reflect any kind of attack, so even though he now thought of the attack before his eyes as dangerous, that thought did not lead to any actions to avoid it. Despite the fist striking him, he recklessly swung his arms about in an attempt to chase after Kamijou who was keeping away. He looked just like a child being teased by an adult. Accelerator knew that better than anyone and he could not stand it. The pride of Academy Citys strongest shook the gap between it and reality and a creaking sound could be heard. An unknown pain that felt like it was crushing his nose further affected Accelerators concentration. Fuck. Fuck! Fuuuuuucccckkkk!! As Accelerator roared, the ground at his feet exploded. His body flew toward Kamijou like a bullet. He had manipulated the shock of his heel hitting the ground. He had used the scattered kinetic energy to double or triple his movement speed. But... What the hell!? Why the hell cant I hit you!? Even with that carnivorous beast-like speed, he could not reach Kamijou. Even if he was faster, his attacks were still easily avoided as long as they could be predicted. It was the same as how a sharp knife was a deadly weapon, but it posed no threat if it was being held by a kindergartener. The fight was more or less over. The damage from Kamijous light hits had piled up and Academy Citys strongest esper legs gave out. In the instant that strength left Accelerators knees, Kamijou struck his face with a serious punch. It was a strike like someone using a golf club to hit a golf ball with everything they had. For that killer strike, he rotated his hips to put his weight into it and knocked Accelerators body to the ground where it rolled a bit. Pant...pant...!? Accelerator lifted his upper body and looked forward. When he saw Kamijou Touma slowly approaching, he starting using his hands to drag himself backwards. He hurt. Accelerator automatically reflected all attacks, so that was an unknown sensation for him. To him, his senses on his skin were just sensors to send pleasure from his skin to his brain. His undeveloped pain sensitivity had almost no resistance to pain, so the intense signals felt like they were burning him. ...The Sisters were living with everything they had. Kamijou tightly clenched his right hand. They gathered all their strength and lived. They worked with everything they had. Kamijou gritted his teeth. Why do people like that need to act as your prey!? Ee! Acelerator froze in place. But Kamijou did not stop. No! Accelerator shook his head. He did not know what it was to lose. He had never once lost in his life, so he did not have the slightest bit of resistance to losing. He had never even had to think of the possibility of losing before. But even so, Kamijou did not stop. The night wind blew on Kamijous bangs making them wave like a nameless flower blooming in a graveyard. (...Wind?) Accelerator finally realized something as he was being cornered by Kamijou who looked like some kind of evil spirit. The wind. Ku. Accelerator laughed. Kamijou stopped moving. Accelerator guessed Kamijou had sensed some kind of danger, but he did not care. It was too late even if he had realized it. Kuka. Accelerators power allowed him to change the vectors of anything he touched. Motion, heat, electricity. Whatever kind of power it was, he could freely control it as long as it had a vector. Kukaki. That meant that, if he could grasp the vector of the wind flowing through the atmosphere, he could bring the motion of the giant wind flowing throughout the entire world into his hands! Kukakikekokakakikukekikikokakakikukokokukekekekokikukakukekekokakukekikakokekikikukukukikikakikukokukukekukakikukokekukekukikukikokikakaka!! Accelerator lifted his hands above his head like he was trying to grab the invisible moon. With a roar, the flow of the wind started to swirl around. The look on the other boys face changed, but it was too late. A large atmospheric swirl that looked like a hole had opened in the earth had taken a spherical form above Accelerators head. Gravel in the area was swept up with it and that giant swirl of destruction with a radius of a few dozen metres gave its joyous birth cry. Accelerator laughed and yelled kill. That sphere of destruction created from the worlds atmosphere sliced through the air. It became a spear of wind flying at 120 m/s. At that speed, wind could easily lift up a car. That spear of wind very easily blew away the boy like he had been struck by the hand of an invisible giant. Part 7 The wind died, sound died, and the atmosphere died. Accelerator looked out over the disaster he had created. The gravel covering the ground in the switchyard had been swept up in the wind leaving the earthen ground visible in places. The boy was blown away twenty metres where his back struck the pole to a broken wind turbine. He then slid down to the ground. Falling to the gravel would probably have been a better outcome for him, but either way his fate was the same. Hitting something at 120 m/s was not much different from getting into a car accident without hitting the brakes. Kamijou lay unmoving on the ground below the turbine with his arms and legs sprawled out. It was unclear whether he was alive or not. ...Hm. Accelerator had only just thought up that method and it had caused more destruction than he had imagined. But it was still incomplete. Unlike his automatic reflection, he had to think about the original vector and the altered vector when he was altering vectors under his own will. Wind, the flow of the atmosphere, required complex calculations that involved chaos theory, so it could not be completely predicted without the use of Tree Diagram. He doubted that the flow of the entire worlds atmosphere could be calculated in a single humans head. He had only managed to manipulate the wind within Academy City and that had still been imperfect. However, it had still produced that much destruction. He no longer needed Level 6. If he could calculate the flow of the wind more perfectly and more accurately, he already held the power to destroy the world in his hands. He held the world in his hands. That feeling rushed all over Accelerators body. The feeling of victory felt even more fresh within his chest because he had been driven to the edge of defeat just before. He was sure once more that there was nothing in the world that could defeat him. A nuclear bomb or that unknown right hand would do him no harm. Heh...! Accelerator finally started to laugh. Whats with you!? Whats with you!? Whats with you!!? After all that tough talk, thats all you could do!? Im gonna fire another one, so how about you show me the return of the badass loser!? As Accelerator yelled, he spread his hands above his head like he was trying to embrace the night sky. Compress the air. Compress, compress. Hahn, I see. Excellent. I just thought of something really fucking nice. Cmon, stand up, weakest. This wont be worth it unless you play along! Kamijou did not respond. Countless steel rails were stuck into the gravel like crosses and a deathly wind blew through that graveyard like area. Only the violent wind and the crazed laughter could be heard. The black cat gave a displeased mew at Mikotos feet. In that instant, Misaka Mikoto set foot inside the switchyard. She had been watching Kamijous fight from the beginning. She had wanted to charge between him and Accelerator countless times, but doing so would make his plan fail. Mikoto had only been able to silently watch as Kamijou became more and more battered. But she had reached her limit. If she let that boy fight on his own any longer, he would truly die. Stop this, Accelerator! Mikoto stuck out her arm at a distance of a few dozen metres. A coin lay on the thumb of her clenched fist. Purple electricity was overflowing from her entire body. With just a light flick of her thumb, Misaka Mikoto could fire the Railgun she was named for at three times the speed of sound. But Accelerator did not even glance over at the Railgun. He continued to increase the power of the raging wind as if telling her to go ahead and do it. Any attack she fired would just bounce back and damage her. Any powerful attack he received would just be sent right back at the one who fired it. ... Mikotos fingers trembled. If the Railgun was sent back at her, her body would be smashed to pieces at three times the speed of sound. If she and Accelerator were to fight, she would be slaughtered in 185 moves. That result given by a machine could not be changed and it stabbed into Mikotos heart like a shard of ice. Even so, Mikoto lifted her head. It was not that she wanted to protect someone because she could defeat her enemy. She had to fight that enemy she could not defeat because she had someone she wanted to protect. ...-op, Misaka. Suddenly Mikoto realized someone was calling her name. The voice was so very weak, but it belonged to a boy she knew very well. ...Stop, Misaka! Kamijou Toumas sorrowful cry caused Mikotos hand to freeze. In Kamijous plan, he had to defeat Accelerator in order to fool the researchers. Once Mikoto interfered, that plan would fail. If Mikoto did not interfere, the mass of raging wind would crush Kamijous body. If Mikoto did interfere, Kamijou would be allowing 10,000 Sisters to be killed. ... Even so, Mikoto could not just sit and watch. She did not feel that she was abandoning the Sisters to their deaths. She had another plan. If she purposefully lost to Accelerator, it would fool the researchers and the experiment would be stopped. Mikoto did not want to die. But no matter how much they struggled, she had never had any other option. ...Im sorry. That was why she apologized to Kamijou in the end. Whatever she chose, Kamijou could no longer be saved. If he was crushed by that swirling wind, he would of course die, but if he either had to watch the Sisters die or Mikoto alone died to stop it, he would be unable to withstand that truth. Kamijou Touma wanted for everyone to go home with a smile and without losing anyone or anything. That dream would be shattered that night in that switchyard. So Im sorry, Mikoto apologized even if it was selfish. But I know I want you to live. Stop!! Kamijou yelled. He was so battered that he could no longer even stand up, but he still desperately stretched out an arm that would never reach her in an attempt to stop Mikoto. Mikoto gave a small smile. The boy was not aware that his cries were what allowed Mikoto to fight without fear of death. ......................... Mikoto stuck her right hand out toward that enemy she could not defeat who was known as Accelerator. She only needed to create the magnetic rails and flick the coin to pass the point of no return. She would not be able to do any damage to Accelerator because he could reflect any attack, but she would still be able to put a stop to the death that was approaching before her eyes. (Why did it end up like this? Why couldnt it have ended in some different way? Why couldnt it have ended in the most wonderful way where everyone heads home in the end with a smile and without losing anyone or anything?) As Mikotos thoughts floated up into the air, Accelerator sneered as he spread his arms wide up into the night sky. In the next instant, the wind flowing through the city focused on one point. It was a point 100 metres above Accelerators head. When the raging wind gathered there, a bright white light appeared as if from welding. It was plasma. Compressing the air created heat. Internal combustion engines used that fact. By compressing the citys air with a ridiculous compression ratio, it had turned into a mass of heat exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius. This forcibly caused the atoms in the nearby air to split into cations and electrons which turned them to plasma. That point of light swallowed up the surrounding air and instantaneously grew to have a radius of 20 metres. The surrounding darkness was annihilated by the pure white light. The heat of 10,000 degrees caused a burning pain on Mikotos skin. ...! A chill ran down Mikotos back that seemed to freeze her spine. That was not an attack that humanity could defend against. That mass of heat could dig up a nuclear shelter from the ground, so there was no way a flesh-and-blood body could do anything about it. Misaka Mikoto was certainly Academy Citys strongest in the category of Electromasters. Plasma was created from the atoms separating into cations and electrons, so she may have been able to return the plasma to the original atoms by putting the electrons back together with the cations. But how would that help? Even if she did manage to return the plasma to its original state, Accelerator would just gather the wind again to recreate the plasma. To seal Accelerators attack, electricity did not cut it. One needed the ability to control wind like he could. But Mikoto could not control wind with her electricity techniques. Mikoto gritted her teeth at the uselessness of her power in that situation. She realized the simple fact that Accelerator could be stopped as long as the wind could be manipulated. Ah. Mikotos mouth fell open stupidly. The wind turbines were spinning making a sound like the laughter of skulls. Accelerator was making that plasma by compressing the wind he gathered from throughout the city. The scale was much too small for him to be gathering it from throughout the world, so his ability must have had limits. For example, when he was controlling rather than just reflecting, he might have to calculate out the original vector for the wind as well as the altered vector. In that case, his calculations could be interrupted by something causing a disturbance in the wind throughout the city. Academy City had wind turbines spread throughout the city. There were probably more than 10,000 of them. And the wind turbines could be made to spin by using a certain electromagnetic wave. Each individual propeller could only produce a small amount of wind, but more than 10,000 of them spinning at once was a different story. Accelerator may lose control of the wind as a result. But it would mean nothing if a Level 5 like Mikoto manipulated the turbines. If Mikoto directly interfered in the battle, the experiment would not end. If she were to maintain the condition of her own power not interfering, then it was a job that the one and only Misaka Imouto could do. The level of power between Misaka Imouto and Mikoto was too different. Misaka Imoutos Radio Noise power was a deteriorated version of Mikotos and it was only Level 2 at best. She could not make very many turbines move. But there were 10,000 Sisters within the city. And unlike Accelerator who was calculating the flow of the wind in just his own brain, the 10,000 Sisters had their brain waves linked, so they could predict the flow of the wind using parallel calculations. It was just like how Tree Diagram used high performance parallel processors. Mikoto ran over to Misaka Imouto who was still lying atop the gravel. Misaka Imoutos entire body was battered and she did not seem to possess even the strength to stand up on her own legs. Mikoto did not like having to ask this of the girl when she was already in that state, but she had no choice. Please, wake up. I know how ridiculous and terrible it is for me to ask this of you, but please wake up! She had no choice but to ask. Theres something I want you to do. No, theres something that only you can do! It was necessary for everyone to go home with a smile and without having lost anyone or anything. Just this once, please listen to what I have to say! I cannot protect everyone. No matter how much I struggle, I just cant do it! So I beg you! It was necessary to reach that happiest end that everyone wanted and where everyone was smiling. Please protect his dream with your power! Misaka Imouto heard the Originals cry within her intermittent consciousness. She indeed thought it was a ridiculous request. She did not know the situation, so she assumed it would be better for the Original, the stronger esper, to use her power rather than cracking the whip and forcing Misaka Imouto to do it even as her heart was on the verge of stopping. But she did not complain. The Originals words were as unreasonable as they were violent, but for some reason, Misaka Imouto saw her as a small child crying and asking for help. ... Misaka Imouto saw no value in her own life. Her body could be created at the press of a button and her empty heart had been given to her according to a program. She truly believed that a life worth 180,000 yen could simply be replaced if it died. But she did not want to die. While her own life had no value, she now knew there were people who would be sad if they lost the tiny existence that she was, so she could no longer die. And if that tiny existence could save that crying girl, then she felt that was a wonderful thing. She had something she had to do. She had found something she had to protect. Theres something I want you to do. No, theres something that only you can do! (Misaka cannot understand the meaning of your words...) Misaka Imouto slowly gathered strength in her limbs. (...but those words have left an impression on her for some reason, thinks Misaka expressing her frank feelings.) Because there was someone who was saying those things, Misaka Imouto was able to stand up once more. Part 8 With a roar of wind, the sphere of plasma floating above lost its form. Wha-...? Accelerator looked up. That plasma had been created from all the wind flowing through the city being condensed into one point. The flow of that wind had clearly shaken for an instant. That had caused an error in the compression ratio which caused the plasma to be shaken as well. Accelerator thought he might have made an error in his calculations of the wind, so he rebuilt those new equations. Unlike simple reflection, he had to calculate both, the vector before alteration and the vector after alteration which was a pain in the ass. But Accelerator managed to perfectly revise that huge set of equations in less than 10 seconds. His brain had developed to the point that something of that level was no problem. In Academy City, power development was part of the teaching method, so Academy Citys strongest espers were also Academy Citys greatest honor students. But the movement of the wind flowing through the city suddenly changed as if escaping from the supposedly perfect equations he had built up in his head. It was not a mere coincidence. It was as if the wind itself had a will and was slipping through the gaps of his equations. The mass of compressed air above his head scattered and the plasma disappeared as if it were dissolving into the air. (What? What the fuck happened!? There was no mistake in my equations. Those irregular eel-like movements were clearly not natural movements of the air!) He wondered if he had gotten really unlucky and an actual wind user was using his power somewhere in the city, but that did not make sense as the irregular flow of the wind covered the entire city. If there was a wind user with the processing power needed to outdo Accelerators ability and equations, that person would definitely be designated a Level 5. However, no one like that existed in the seven Level 5s Accelerator knew of. Accelerator started panicking wondering what had happened, but then he heard a dry clattering sound. It was the sound of a wind turbine spinning. (Wait. Ive heard that those power generator motors can be made to spin with microwaves!) Accelerator turned around toward the Sister he thought he had defeated, but he did not find a dying girl there. What he found there was his enemy. He found an enemy standing on her legs that seemed about to collapse, not raising a single complaint about the intense pain running across her entire body, and silently glaring at him. (Damn you...!) Accelerators red eyes changed to a deadly crimson. Even if his control of the plasma and the wind had been stolen, a Sister could not stand up to Accelerator. That right hand was the sole thing in the world that could penetrate his perfect defenses. Ill kill you! A smile split across his face as he took a step toward the Sister. Misaka Mikoto cut in between the two of them. ...Do you really think Ill let you? Mikotos voice sounded tiny amid the raging wind, but for some reason her quiet voice seemed to pierce into Accelerators eardrums. Hah. Dont get carried away. At your lower rank, you cant reach me. You cant even slow me down. Its like with vision tests where they only test up to 2.0. The only reason Im stuck at the same level as you is because Academy Citys levels dont go higher than 5. Mikoto did not respond. She likely understood that fact better than anyone and she stood there because she did not want to run away despite understanding that. Accelerator would see her as in the way and decide to kill her first. Suddenly, a noise came from behind Accelerator. ... Accelerator timidly turned around. An unbelievable sight spread out before his eyes there. The boy who had been blown away by 120 m/s winds and slammed into the pole of a wind turbine was slowly standing up. The boy had countless injuries and it looked like blood was spurting out whenever he put even a slight amount of strength into a muscle. He had almost no strength left, his legs were trembling, and his arms were hanging down like the branches of a willow tree. Even so, the boy did not collapse. He would certainly not collapse. ...................................................! Accelerators throat grew as dry as a desert. Normally, one would think that boy could no longer fight. Someone with that much damage would be destroyed by Accelerator in a single strike. Even if Accelerator did not want to directly fight the boy, he could always just kill Mikoto and the Sister so he could regain his control over the wind and the plasma. Accelerator was standing much closer to the girls than the boy was. His reason told him that he could easily win if he dealt with everything calmly. But something beyond that told him it was incredibly dangerous to turn his back on that boy. Danger signals were fired from every part of his body. A normal person would have been able to understand those signals as fear of pain. Youre amazing! Accelerator clenched his fist. Youre really fucking amazing! Kamijou moved his battered body to take a step forward. With just that slight movement, it felt like all of his blood was evaporating. It felt like just thinking slightly would blow his consciousness away. Even so, Kamijou continued forward. With his dim consciousness, Kamijou did not completely understand the situation. He did not know why that wind had blown, he did not know why the plasma had disappeared, and he did not know why he had survived. Even his mind was so battered that those important things had been knocked from his awareness. Even so, he saw the situation before him. He saw Accelerator about to kill Misaka Imouto. He saw Mikoto standing between them to act as a shield for Misaka Imouto. That was enough. That was more than enough reason for him to stand up. Youre amazing! He heard Accelerators voice. Youre really fucking amazing! As Accelerator howled up at the night sky, he ran forward clenching his fist in order to crush Kamijou Touma. He did the same alteration of the vectors of the force of his foot as he kicked the ground as before so that he flew forward like a bullet. Kamijou was thankful. If his opponent was coming for him, he didnt have to walk any further. With Kamijous battered body, he would likely collapse before making it to Accelerator. Kamijou Touma had no power. He did not even have the slight bit of strength left needed to walk on his own two feet, to form words with his own tongue, or to think with his own mind. Even so, Kamijou clenched his right fist. He clenched it. He looked up. Accelerator had almost reached him as he shot forward like a bullet. The right hand of suffering and the left hand of poison. Both of Accelerators hand could kill with just a touch and they were headed for Kamijous face. For an instant, time stopped. Kamijou mustered up every last ounce of strength remaining in his body and sank down as if he were swinging his head down. The right hand of suffering fruitlessly passed above his head and the left hand of poison was knocked aside by Kamijous right hand. Grit your teeth, strongestweakest! Kamijou said to Accelerator whose heart had frozen at having his doubly surefire attack suppressed. Kamijou gave a ferocious, beast-like smile while they were at such extreme close range that they were almost touching. My weakeststrongest is going to resound a little!! An instant later, Kamijou Toumas right fist plowed into Accelerators face. His slender white body ways forcefully knocked to the gravel-covered ground where he rolled around with his arms and legs roughly strewn about. Volume 3, Epilogue: Only One. ID_Not_Found. Volume 3, Epilogue: Only One. ID_Not_Found. When Kamijou awoke, he was in a dark hospital room. Perhaps due to anesthesia, he felt an odd feeling in the area of his lips. He moved only his eyes to look around. He was in a standard private room and it seemed to be the middle of the night. Only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard in the silent hospital room. From the fact that a change of clothes or fruits from visitors were not lying around, it seemed it had not been long since he had been brought to the hospital. The only other things in the room were a chair next to the bed and Misaka Imouto who sat within the chair. What!? Kamijou tried to jump up without thinking, but his anesthetized body did not move. Misaka Imouto had bandages wrapped around her body in places. He also heard the mewing of the black cat. Kamijou couldnt see it from his location, but it must have been curled up beneath the bed. Also, Misaka Imouto had her hands wrapped around Kamijous hand. It really didnt matter, but Misaka Imouto had drawn her hands up to her chest, so Kamijous hand had been brought to the border of touching a certain bulge. M-M-M-M-M-Misaka-san? Wait, this is odd. Why is such a happy event occurring? I dont remember activating any flags in this direction! Kamijous shout must have surprised the black cat beneath the bed because it let out a frightened mew. ...Your conversations are as incoherent as ever, but just so you know, you were the one who grabbed Misakas hand, says Misaka using the modern kana usage to make herself easier to understand. No way! I refuse to believe that Im so desperate that my hand moved to a girls chest while I was under general anesthesia! Kamijou of course wanted to yell and hold his head in his hands, but his body would not move. Misaka Imouto stared questioningly at Kamijous crazed behavior with her expressionless eyes. All you did was grab Misakas hand, says Misaka in an supplementary explanation. It was Misaka who brought your hand to this position, so that was not your fault, responds Misaka. ...Princess, why would you do something such as that? Misaka was merely measuring your brainwaves and heart rate from the flow of your bodily electricity, responds Misaka immediately. There was no sexual meaning to it. Se-!? Kamijou thought his breathing was going to stop when he suddenly realized something. (Huh? Does that mean Im touching it? My hand is touching it? But I cant feel anything because of the anesthesia! Ahh, dammit! I cant move even a finger! God damn iiiiiiiiitttttt!) D-dammit...What misfortune...!! Misaka does not see any irregularity in your speech centre, says Misaka expressing a matter of worry. Misaka Imouto was as expressionless as ever. The black cat mewed sleepily from beneath the bed. Kamijou gave up on his pointless efforts and looked back at Misaka Imoutos face. Well, at least we both managed to return home after that. Kamijou had said that lightly, but he truly meant it. He had to mean it because what would he have been risking his life fighting for otherwise? About that, replies Misaka. Misaka Imouto was petting the cat. Misaka still cannot return to the same world as you, says Misaka honestly. Kamijous body started to tremble. Was that experiment still continuing? No, it is not that. The experiment seems to be headed to its end since Accelerators defeat, thoroughly reports Misaka. Misaka Imouto fell silent for an instant. The problem for Misaka is her own body, explains Misaka. Your body? Yes. Misakas body is a clone body created from the OriginalsOnee-sama cells and it was rapidly grown with the use of various chemicals, explains Misaka. Cellular clones have shorter life spans to begin with and that rapid growth only made it shorter, says Misaka hoping you will understand. ... Kamijou was left speechless. That was just too much. They had all finally worked together to free her from that hell and now they could not be together no matter what they chose because of the girls short lifespan. The girl had fought without complaining even once, but in the end, she had nothing left no matter how hard she struggled. So it is necessary for Misaka to temporarily stay in a research facility in order to be adjusted...Are you listening? asks Misaka as she glares at you. Hah? Adjusted? Yes. By adjusting the hormone balance that brought on the accelerated growth and by adjusting the nucleus division rate, Misakas life span can be recovered to a certain extent, replies Misaka. ...Hello? By any chance, did you just assume the story was over here? questions Misaka. Will this adjustment thing heal you? ...You seem to be implying that Misaka would not be healed, says Misaka in a displeased manner. The cat below the bed mewed. Misaka will be going. Misaka Imouto picked up the slightly frightened black cat and headed for the door. Ah, wait. Youre going already? Do not worry. Misaka Imouto did not turn back around. You will see Misaka soon, announces Misaka. I see, said Kamijou as he closed his eyes. That was fine. If they made any kind of special promise, it would give him the feeling he would never see her again. Instead, he was just going to see her soon and he truly believed that. That more casual parting was much better. The story was not over. There was enough still to come that he would remember that day as being nothing special. In the darkness of his closed eyes, he heard the sound of the door closing. He was then assaulted by a drug-induced sleepiness. Even so, Kamijou smiled as he dreamed of the time he would see her again. The next time he opened his eyes, day had come. Oh, are you awake? Misaka Mikoto had said that. Her face was thickly covered with weariness, but she still smiled. Here, I brought you some cookies. I chose some pretty expensive ones from the basement of a department store, so they might be kind of good. Tell me what you thought of them later. If they arent any good, Ill never go back to that store. Mh. If youre gonna go with cookies, homemade is best. ...What kind of character do you think I am? No, no. Im talking about having a clumsy character clumsily doing her best to make some misshapen cookies. Well, you probably just dont understand. Again: what kind of character do you think I am!? Time passed as Kamijou and Mikoto argued back and forth. It made Kamijou happy to be able to spend that usual time while being in that usual world. Oh, right. Misaka Imouto came by last night. Kamijou told Mikoto what had happened the night before. He told her that Misaka Imouto was staying at another research institution to heal her body and that she had promised to come back to Kamijou someday. I see. That was all Mikoto said. Her eyes narrowed as if she was watching over something precious to her, but there were some shadows floating in her eyes. Mikoto had managed to stop the experiment. And she had managed to save the lives of almost 10,000 Sisters. But she had not managed to save the lives of the other Sisters. Due to the DNA map she had carelessly shared, 20,000 Sisters had been born solely to be killed. That truth would weigh on her back for the rest of her life. Even if no one else blamed her for it and everyone in the world forgave her for it, she would still carry that around with her for the rest of her life. But, Kamijou muttered and Mikoto silently looked over at him. Her eyes were like those of a child left alone in a strange city, but Kamijou was not looking at them. If you hadnt shared your DNA map, the Sisters would never have been born in the first place. There may have been a lot wrong with that experiment, but I think the birth of the Sisters is something you should be proud of. Mikoto remained silent for a bit. Finally, she poke in a voice that sounded like a child who was about to cry. ...Even though over 10,000 Sisters were killed due to me? Even so, Kamijou responded. Saying painful things were painful and that difficult things were difficult was something that anyone could do, but they could not do them if they had never been born. Im sure the Sisters do not resent you. There were a lot of twisted aspects to that experiment, but Im sure theyre thankful that they were born. Mikotos breath caught in her throat. Seeing her face, a small smile appeared on Kamijous anesthetized face. So its okay for you to smile. The Sisters dont want you alone to be down like this. The Sisters you wanted to protect are not so small-minded that they would be satisfied with having their pain forced onto someone else, right? When he awoke again, it was three oclock. That was the time for snacks. However, Kamijou did not get a chance to eat the cookies he got from Mikoto. This was because Index was staring at him from extremely close range from atop the bed. Touma, dont you have something to say? ........................................................Um, good morning? The instant he made that joke, she bit down on his entire head. His body twitched around on the bed like he was being shot with a stun gun. Index was fully in kill mode and a cry escaped Kamijous lips like that of a cat having its tail stepped on. Wait! Wait!! My injuries this time arent something to joke about! And werent you worried at all about your landlord!? I was worried! Index yelled. Kamijous breathe caught in his throat when he heard her yell like a stubborn child. ...I was worried, Index said once more. She stopped biting Kamijous head and wrapped her arms around his head like it was a pillow. Kamijou thought for a bit. What if their situations had been reversed? What if Index had been doing such absurd things without him knowing and she had ended up in the hospital? How much would he blame himself for remaining peacefully carefree without her discussing any of it with him? Im sorry, Kamijou said. Its fine, Index said as she let go of his head and smiled. There was a definite difference between Kamijou and Index. She was the kind of person who did not simply get angry. She was also able to smile. And Touma, once again, once again, once again, you kept the problem all to yourself. If you dont discuss these things with me, Im gonna have to give you a serious lecture. Ah ha ha, laughed Kamijou so he did not have to give an actual response. He had to hide the fact that he had lost his memories. Hoo. Well, discussing it any more wont help anything. So what were you fighting for, Touma? Hm? Kamijou said to check what Index had said before responding. For myself. And so, his usual everyday life began again on that day. Kamijou Touma walked down the usual path without turning back to the past. If the dream of the future he had dreamt involving Misaka Imouto ended up actually happening, that was great. And if it didnt, that was fine, too. All that mattered was that the future was so happy for Misaka Imouto that it surprised her. Volume 3, Afterword Volume 3, Afterword To those who have been buying each book from Volume 1: welcome back. To those who took this chance to buy all 3 books: welcome & thank you very much. This is Kamachi Kazuma. ...Yes, this book is called A Certain Magical Index. Those of you who have finished reading can have a nice laugh now. Im sure youre wondering what is with this magnificent (and pointless) trick. Those of you who started by reading the afterword just need to read the actual book. That will answer your questions. But before you throw the book at the wall, let me make some excuses. There are a few parts of this book that touch on magic. Of course, one of those is the scene with Index in it, but there are actually other sections that give explanations regarding magical systems. I guess you could say the theme this time was the technique of everyday magic where there is magic but is never referred to with the word magic. This technique is primarily used in fairy tales and the like, but I tried using it this time. As the author, I would like it if you have all your friends read the book and then have discussions over where the magic talk was hidden. To be honest, Im a rule junky that loves these kinds of hidden rules that have nothing to do with the main topic but still exist to the side. A real life example is the decoding of ISBN codes. There should be the letters ISBN followed by a number on the back of this book. Most people know that the number refers to the name of the book, but I dont think very many people think seriously about what the number means. If you go look, A Certain Magical Index (1) is 4-8402-2658-X. With just that, you cant figure anything out, but lets compare it to another book. Suzuki Suzu-senseis Umibe no Usagi is 4-8402-2631-8. Oh. The 4-8402-26 is the same. And Minase Hazuki-senseis Kekkaishi no Fugue that debuted the same month as my series is 4-8402-2659-8. It is only one number off from my 4-8402-2658-X. In that case, you might think the 4-8402-26 refers to Dengeki Bunko and the numbers afterwards are the order of release. However, Hayama Tooru-senseis 9S (1) is 4-8402-2461-7. Oh? The previous assumption would say that should have been 26. If we look further, we find that Takahata Kyouichirou-senseis HHO (01-03) is 4-8402-2414-5. Thats 24 again. Those two books with 24 were released in 2003 and the others with 26 were released in 2004. In that case, those two digits seem to indicate the year. The fact that it moved from 24 to 26 in one year is most likely because the next 2 digits refers to the number of titles released in that year. Dengeki Bunko releases about 10 books a month, so they release 100-200 titles a year. Im guessing the number jumped from 24 to 26 because 25 was used as a cushion for when the number of released titles reached three digits. Ive written this all out fairly confidently, but thats probably not the correct answer. In fact, its highly likely that Ive made a major mistake. But thats fine because Im in this to enjoy imagining different rules rather than to find the correct answer. If you read all this and got interested enough to look at the back cover, then I suggest you look into the number known as the JAN code. It seems that is hiding a certain set of rules behind it too, so it would be perfect to kill some time. Now a rule that currently has my interest is the spines of Dengeki Bunko books. It seems they are color coded by author, but what is the rule behind the color coding? 1. It is a definite choice based on color psychology. 2. The colors are simply put in rotation based on the order the authors make their debuts. 3. It is based on the whim of the editors. When I thought about it, I ended up choosing number 2, but what do you all think? I give my great thanks to my editor Miki-san and my illustrator Haimura Kiyotaka-san. It is definitely those two who gave color to this book that is so full of holes its like a bee hive. On my own, Im like a small bird without any wings, so I hope we can continue to get along. And I give my greatest thanks to you who have picked up this book. It is most certainly due to you that I stand here now. I now pray that this book will always stay in a corner of your bookshelf. I also hope that it remains in your precious memories. And I lay my pen down for now. 20,000 Sisters...Did I end up breaking a record for the most new characters? -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 4, Prologue: Parallel World in Real World. Volume 4, Prologue: Parallel World in Real World. Today was August 28th, and the sky was clear. High school student Kamijou Touma was awakened from his slumber by a girl''s voice yelling, "Oniichan~!" "What was that shrilly voice just now?" Kamijou, still half-asleep, slowly opened his eyes. The blanket that should have been covering his body was crumpled at his side. The source of the voice was beyond the door. His glance sideways revealed a six-tatami-mat-sized Japanese room. Worn-out tatami mats stretched out along the floor. On the ceiling was a fluorescent lamp covered with an old square covering for electric lamps. The wooden door was layered with specks of dirt and had a simple lock, the type that looked like one commonly used at toilets. A discolored yellow electric fan ventilated the room instead of an air conditioner. He breathed in deeply, and smelled the scent of the sea. This was not the room in his apartment, nor was it a place in Academy City. This was a guestroom on the second floor of a beach lodge named Wadatsumi, located somewhere in a certain sea coast within the Kanagawa Prefecture. Kamijou''s parents and Index each had a separate room. "Ah, yeah, we''re already outside." Kamijou concluded with a half-functioning brain. The Academy City where Kamijou normally lived in lay in the western part of Tokyo. Therefore, those people who were used to living inland might love the idea of going to the seaside (though they could still enjoy the waters if they go to the fishery schools, but not much). As a countermeasure against abduction of students (samples) by a possible agent or spy, leaving the premises of Academy City was strictly prohibited. To leave, the student must first write up and turn in three written applications. After signing all of them, their blood has to be checked for authenticity of identity using a micro machine, and lastly, they need to have a guarantor to obtain a complete pass. However... (I''m here right now.) Kamijou stroked his right hand. The mark made by the mosquito needle that was used to draw his blood was barely noticeable even when touched. Normally, the student was the one who''d beg the teachers for permission to leave, which somehow went like this: "Sensei, please allow me to leave~" However, it was a special case this time; the teachers actually ordered Kamijou to leave, like this: "Get out of the city, idiot!!" Last week, Kamijou had defeated the most powerful Level 5. The rumor regarding the denouement of battle had spread like wildfire despite the sparsity of students during summer break. With that, one might think that Kamijou''s position had improvedbut in reality, it had been the reverse. "I see! If we defeat that Level 0, we can have Academy City''s title of the strongest esper!" Because of that rumor, the town delinquents had gathered, and had gone after Kamijou, starting the game of survival hunt. The higher-ups, frazzled by this rumor, had contacted Kamijou, and said, "Hey, Kamijou Touma-kun, we''ll handle the matters here by manipulating information, so in order to not cause any unnecessary uproar, can you go someplace else until the dust is settled?" (They said that, but they were clearly showing their contempt by sending me here to a rundown lodge.) Kamijou let out a big yawn. Even though it was summer, due to the outbreak of large jellyfish apparently inhabiting the waters near the shore, the number of customers visiting the place was close to zero this year. Putting that aside, leaving Academy City required accompaniment by a guarantorin this case, his parents. Never mind if they were cute girls or sexy older women, but why would someone spend their precious vacation time with their parents at this age? For Kamijou, everything would be fine if things were just this simple. The upshot of defeating the strongest Level 5 had forced a big project to be terminated. Some of the higher-ups might have borne a grudge against Kamijou. Fortunately, thanks to the recent rumors, they could not take action immediately; the reason was that if they even thought of doing so now, it would be disclosed to the public immediately. However, the still half-asleep Kamijou didn''t feel even a fragment of uneasiness. (Uhhh, I''m still sleepy... Is everyone up now?) He absentmindedly recalled the sister in white that was supposed to be sleeping in a room across his own. (Maybe she''s still enjoying herself in dreamland,) he thought. The sister in white would probably be filed under the "cute" category. Still, imagining himself shouting deep inside, "Thank you very much for the nice summer!" with tears of joy after seeing her childlike body in a swimsuit would be abnormally ridiculous. He had been surprised at the sight of Index, who nervously came out of the fitting room after trying out the swimsuit they had bought in the supermarketnot to mention that he''d also been surprised at the number of zeroes written on the price tag. For your information, the white sister had no plans to tag along in the first place; she was supposed to stay in Academy City. Kamijou had planned to leave herand her catin Komoe-sensei''s custody. The swimsuit that they had bought was originally prepared for use in the school pool. After reflecting upon it, it had naturally been the best choice. However, that white sister was not one of the students enrolled in the city; in other words, she was an outsider. That airheaded sister might be spotted and caught by Anti-Skill. That said, Kamijou still had no way to make her a pass to leave the city. But the sister in white had not cared one bit about that fact. Kamijou had given up when he had seen a crying Index after she had been told to stay home. As a result, he had tried smuggling the sister out of the city. To put it simply, they had just needed to call a taxi, let Index hide in the rear seat or compartment, and wait until they got past the gate. Kamijou could not believe that he had considered carrying out that cheap method. However, things didn''t really go his way; they had been stopped at the gate. It seemed that an infrared seeker and a MRI scanner were used to monitor the vehicles passing through. (Oh, no, we''re gonna be caught,) Kamijou had thought on tenterhooks. However, they had not actually been arrested; it appeared that Index had been registered as a guest with a guest ID. Both Kamijou and Index had not known about that. (I wonder who registered Index?) The registration of a person required three things: fingerprints, a voiceprint, and retina patterns of that person. Well, voice and retina patterns could easily be forged by using a high resolution video camera, and even fingerprints could be duplicated by using either aluminum or carbon powder. But why bother going through all those things? Kamijou had felt dubious, but it hadn''t manifested on his face. He could not possibly do something that would cast suspicion on them. Kamijou had just tilted his head as he had watched the guards restrain Index who had been putting up a struggle against the injection of a nanodevice (a transmission device) into her body (which actually does not hurt at all, thanks to the mosquito needle). They had finally passed the gate after that. (Uwaa, I''m sleepy~) He covered his head with a blanket as he drowsily recalled the events. He decided to resume his sleep. His nocturnal habit from summer vacation probably hadn''t left him yet. As his consciousness was about to fade into nothingness, he heard the voice again. "Oniiiii-chaaan, waaake uuup!!" The energetic call of a girl which came from the hall outside the room penetrated the barrier of the door, and reached Kamijou''s ear. Kamijou thought that maybe there was a useless brother and a reliable sister also staying in the lodge. (Wait, what the hell is with that enticing combination!? Why do only weird girls like Index or Himegami Aisa flock to my place and not a girl like that?) Kamijou thought stupidlyand then remembered the fact about the large jellyfish outbreak that was driving away the customers. There were supposed to be no customers besides them today. Then, a loud bang echoed across the room, accompanied by the sudden opening of the door. (What!? What''s happening!?) Before Kamijou could bring his face out from the blanket, he heard light footsteps approaching. "How long are you going to sleep, Oniichan? C''mon, get up! Get up! Get up!!" The voice of a cute girl reached him along with the feeling of a body pressing on his stomach. "Gwahh!?" Kamijou cried as he felt the shock from the conventional pro-wrestling technique usually seen in manga or dating sims. Kamijou coughed violently inside the blanket. This was weird; Kamijou Touma didn''t have a younger sister. A soft sensation ran down his stomach, which was partitioned by just a flimsy blanket. Just thinking about which part of the girl was touching his stomach would be enough to make any healthy boy excited, but unfortunately for Kamijou, he was feeling too annoyed at something else to realize that. Kamijou''s stomach screamed "Kyaah!" in surprise before rolling onto the floor. "Dammit, who is it that''s trying to disrupt my sleep?" When he lowered his gaze to confirm the identity of the nuisance... He found the culprit to be Misaka Mikoto. "Ouch~ Hey, is that how you treat your sister who especially went over to your room to wake you up?" The girl, who was wearing a red camisole, landed cutely on her back, and pouted her face in a manner that didn''t suit the Misaka he knew. "Wh?" He wanted to say, "What are you doing here?" Anyway, his drowsiness disappeared instantly. Misaka Mikoto: an ace student of the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School, she was one of the seven existing Level 5s in the city. Although capable of discharging high-voltage electricityand with a cranky temperament to bootshe was also a crybaby. During a certain incident, Misaka owed Kamijou a debt, and every time he tried to bring that topic up, she would peremptorily assault Kamijou with sparks. And of course, she was neither Kamijou''s genuine younger sister nor stepsister. Due to his inability to comprehend the situation, Kamijou asked Misaka, "What? Ehh!? Were you also forced out of the city after the Sisters incident? ...Wait, is this some kind of exile island for the congregation of expelled students?" "Haahhh!? What are you talking about? Is me hanging around you really that weird?" "Can you stop that disgusting act of fawning? It''s been giving me goosebumps for a while now! You''re not supposed to be a sister character... You''re a tsundere! You should just stick to your proper character." "I don''t understand what you''re talking about." Kamijou felt more goosebumps at Mikoto''s apparent nonchalance. After a moment of being dumbstruck, Kamijou''s brain began to fire up. Hypothesis : The authorities ordered Mikoto to pull Kamijou''s leg with this canned joke. Hypothesis : Mikoto decided to play the sister role (stepsister setting: on) upon Kamijou as an act of repayment. Hypothesis : One of Misaka''s clones for some reason or other had a glitch. (I''m sure it''s ; there''s no way it''s . I know that Misaka''s clones are sister characters. If that''s the reason, that would be niceno, there''s no way I''d have a fantastic flag like that. But what if... what if it''s ?) ... ...Ohhh. "Ha!?" Kamijou returned to reality after a few seconds of reverie. Shaking off the fantasy that summer had showed him, he shouted, "Idiot! Don''t make fun of a high school student!! Do you think a middle schooler like you can bewitch me with that technique!?" "Oniichan, you''ve been hyper ever since this morning." "Dammit, stop lumping me into the ''happy to be called Oniichan'' category! First of all, why are you calling me Oniichan!? And is that coming from a true incest setting or a false one!? Goddammit, I can see where this is going!! It''s probably the latter, right? With a plot twist revealing that they were actually blood-related in the end stopping the possibility of the route! I''m pretty sure it is!" "Haah, I wonder what language you''re speaking in? That double dutch? Anyway, who cares about whatever I call you? I''m calling you Oniichan because you''re my Oniichan." "No, I''m not! Why are you my younger sister!?" "Hmm?" Mikoto poked her cheek with her own index finger as a sign of puzzling countenance. "Does me being your younger sister necessarily require a reason?" Mikoto heaved herself up from the floor. "C''mon, now. If you have that much energy, then get up. Afterward, come down to the first floor for breakfast," Mikoto said nonchalantly, and left the room. "What''s happening here?" Kamijou muttered while gazing at the exit of the room. (...Ummm. In the end, what was that all about?) Unable to grasp what was happening, Kamijou changed into his casual clothes, and left the room. Outside his room was a short rectangular hallway. Abutting its lengths were three doors belonging to guestroomssix in total. The wooden floor was black like that of an ancient temple, and particles of dust and sand were scattered randomly on the surface of the floor, which would cause anyone walking on it barefoot to feel disgusted. The stairs were located at the end of the hall. That was Kamijou''s destination when he heard the door open behind him. "Morning, Touma. Hmm? Your hair''s disheveled at the back of your head." It was the voice of his father. Kamijou Touya. His age was somewhere around thirty. This middle-aged man, with a beard in the form of stubble, somewhat resembled Touma. His occupation in the exporting business had him leave the country thrice every month. His appearance was probably influenced by his job, as he looked intrepid yet somewhat intellectual. Kamijou, who had lost his memory, did not remember the face of his father, so he had no way of attesting whether or not that person really was his father. In contrast, his father approached him without reserve. To a high schooler, a college student who was two or three years older than them was already "a different person living in an unknown realm with a different lifestyle". Much more to a person with a significant age gap, Kamijou had no idea how to behave in front of him. "Un~ Morning... eh?" As he turned to greet his father, Kamijou''s face lit up in astonishment. "What''s the problem, Touma?" Kamijou''s father, Kamijou Touya was knitting his eyebrows. But let us put that Kamijou Touya aside first... Kamijou cast his glance to the source of the anomaly, who was standing beside Touya. "Index, what''s with that appearance?" Yes, the girl standing beside Touya was a silver-haired foreign girl with green eyes. If you asked Touma to describe Index, he would just simply say, "She''s a girl in sister dress." However, Index was not wearing her usual outfit today. Even though it was hot, she was wearing a flimsy half-sleeved one-piece dress that stretched down to her ankles. Draped around her shoulder was a cardigan, and on her head was a big white hat (tsubahiro). Let''s be frank: she did not look like a healthy girl at all. He was about to ask her which sickly character she was or which country she was from when he suddenly remembered vaguely that his mother, Kamijou Shiina, had the same kind of attire yesterday. Shiina''s hobby was paragliding. One time, in a park near their old house where a public exhibition was being held, she had sat on a swing-shaped parachute with a motor engine on her back that ran the propeller. There was a report at that time stating that local people had witnessed the sight of a flying wife in the sky. "Where did you get hold of that dress?" Touya, confounded at Kamijou''s odd question, asked instead, "Touma, is there a problem with your mom''s dress?" Kamijou eyed Touya with a "What!?" expression. Touya turned his face to the girl beside him, and confirmed, "Yeah, it''s your mom." Kamijou returned his gaze to the girl. No matter how you look at it, she had the appearance of an airheaded foreign girl of fourteen years or less. "Eh? Wait, Father, don''t tell me you see this girl as Mom?" "Is there anyone you''re seeing besides that?" "Wait, just wait a minute! I''m having a hard time comprehending this jokeif it really is a joke. If you''re intending to continue performing this joke up until the end, I have no idea how to respond." "Touma, tell me which part of your mom has a problem." "Everything! Firstly, her appearance doesn''t even look like that of a mother at all!" Kamijou pinched the cloth that the fourteen-year-old girl was wearing. "My, my, Touma-san, are you saying you don''t like my sense of fashion?" "Stop that, Touma, you''re making Mom sad with that (worried)." "No! I mean no matter how you look at it, she''s younger than me! Even if this is a theatrical play intended for elementary students, she can''t even pass as a high school girl that''s already a mother!" "My, my, Touma-san, are you saying I appear younger than my age?" "Stop that, Touma, you''re making Mom happy with that (jealous)." "Aahh, geez!" Kamijou cried while burying his face between his palms. Kamijou knew it. The first time he had seen Touya and Shiina was a month ago in a hospital, after he had been hospitalized for a head injury. At first, he had doubted them when they had told Kamijou that they were both almost the same age. Kamijou knew that his mother looked like an elder sister in her twenties. But no matter how young his mother looked, Kamijou would not be convinced that his mother was a fourteen-year-old girl. "Why are you suddenly burying your face between your palms, Touma? Are you already experiencing puberty-related problems? In that case, I have a souvenir here that I bought during my business trip. It''s an amulet to ward off trouble." "No thanks. I don''t believe in amulets or any other superstitious stuff. I''m pretty sure it''s just an ordinary product mass-produced in a factory somewhere... Eh, what''s up with that palm-sized stone statue? It has the shape of male genitalia no matter how you look at it." "Ahaha, I think so, too, but it somehow looks like an occult amulet." "What protection does it provide? If I try keeping this thing as a replacement for a cell phone strap, not only will people think that I''m a freak, but I''ll also be arrested!" "What, Touma? A souvenir from abroad doesn''t suit your taste? In that case, here''s one that I bought from Akita." "What is it this time...? Uhh, it''s shaped like male genitalia again! This time, it''s crafted from wood. Are you an elementary student who likes dirty jokes!?" "Mmmu. Come to think of it, my co-workers had roared with laughter when I brought this to the office on the day of my return." "Why are you pretending that you have unknowingly ventured to the realm of sexual harassment, you idiot father!?" Because of Kamijou''s sudden unexpected behavior, Touya made a perplexed face and asked, "By the way, Touma. The lady with you, is it alright not to wake her up?" "I''m already telling you, she''s there beside you! Never mind that; tell me where Mother is!" "My, my, Touma-san, you prefer to treat me not as a ''mother'' but as a ''lady''?" "I''ll slap you with a paper fan if you say anything more than that!!" At that moment, the door beside Kamijou opened. "Look, Touma, you woke up your friend with your commotion." "Index?" Kamijou turned to look at the direction of the door. The person that appeared from the room, clad in sister suit, was a blue-haired guy with an earring pierced in one ear. A tall man with a height of 180 centimeters. He was wearing Index''s sister suit, though he appeared to have not donned it forcibly. Kamijou didn''t know where he got the clothes, but it appeared to have the exact design in an extra-large size fitting his tall body. The tall man said in a sonorous voice, "Fwaahhh, hmm? Touma, you''re full of energy early this morning. Did something happen?" ...Ah. The big man was acting in a cute manner. "I know it''s late, but good morning, Touma. Anyway, the sea! I thought Japan''s sea was concrete fortified with oil floating on water, but it''s actually pretty. Mmmphhh, okay, I''m ready to play!" "Ahhh..." The big man inadvertently peeked at Kamijou''s face from below. "Hmm? What''s wrong, Touma, suddenly looking petrified? Ah, don''t tell me you''re already fantasizing about my swimsu-" "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Finally unable to withstand it, Kamijou grabbed the blue-haired man together with the door, and... *Bam!* The sound of the big man being thrown inside the room, followed by the violent slam of the door closing, reverberated through the hallway. "T-Touma! Sit there in the corner. I''ll preach to you not to treat girls in a brutal manner!" "My, my, Touma-san, I didn''t know that you have a violent passion towards girls." Touma ignored the apparently flurried Touya and the fragile-looking Index and started reflecting. (Calm down and think, Kamijou Touma. This must be a wide-scale prank. I don''t know what Aogami Pierce is doing here outside the city, but if I keep making reactions like this, then that''s exactly like falling to their plan.) Ignoring his parents, who were worried about the man claiming to be Index, Kamijou made his way down to the first floor. He thought, (I don''t have time to play along with your prank.) But in reality, he was just too hungry and had no energy left to keep up with them. Kamijou descended the narrow wooden stairs. The first floor of the Wadatsumi lodge was built from wood and spanned a large area. Due to the absence of a door or a wall in the entrance and exit of the lodge, the sea breeze directly blew through it. The self-proclaimed "younger sister", Misaka Mikoto (aka Biri Biri) was sitting at one of the tables (or was it a low tea table?) that were interspersed around the middle of the room. She was idly reading through magazines. Under the table, her feet, extending from her short camisole, were kicking back and forth. Her face clearly displayed extreme boredom. There was a TV nearby, but it was turned off. Kamijou put on an annoyed face. "Hey, Biri Biri, why are you sitting there as if it''s natural for you to be there?" "What, Oniichan? Are you still mad about earlier? It doesn''t matter, does it? Whether I hug you, cling to you, or flirt with you?" "..." It seemed that she was intending to keep up this fawning act to the end. "Uuu... I feel like a fool for going through all this trouble to leave the city." Kamijou sighed heavily out of mental exhaustion. Mikoto sighed, tooout of boredom, thoughclosed the magazines, laid herself on the floor, and started rolling around. "Ah, by the way, Oniichan, can I watch TV?" "W-what is it, all of a sudden?" "Mmmu, I can''t find the remote anywhere. This TV has a ''This is for public use, so don''t monopolize it, shorty brat'' aura to it, so that''s why I''m hesitating to turn it on myself without permission, Oniichan." "..." Kamijou clutched his head at Mikoto''s persistent sister act. "And why would the arrogant and self-centred Mikoto-sensei restrain herself from using the TV?" "Mikoto? Who''s that?" The Level 5 seemed to feign ignorance. "Anyway, I''m not really restraining myself; it''s just that the owner of this lodge is scary. Oniichan, go ask him for permission to use the TV." "...Correction, even if you change your character, you''re still arrogant." Even though he said that, Kamijou had a habit of watching TV during mornings, so he found himself uneasy if didn''t watch it. (Where''s the owner?) Kamijou scanned the place nearby. There was no one at the counter. Kamijou tilted his head as he pondered about the inattentiveness of the staff when he suddenly smelled a burnt-like aroma of soy sauce wafting in from the exit. (???) Kamijou directed his attention to the exit. A slender and tall man was grilling something a small distance away from it. "Ah, that''s the owner. C''mon, ask him about the TV!" Mikoto said as she flapped her feet under the table. Kamijou found it odd. True, the owner of this lodge was a tall and gruff man, and he may look intimidating at first glance. But was his hair originally shoulder-length- and on top of that, red in color? Kamijou walked towards the man, creating creaks from the wooden floor with his footsteps. "Excuse me." The red-haired man turned to face Kamijou. Kamijou saw the face of the person that was wearing a T-shirt coupled with half pants and that had a towel hanging on his neck... ...Which turned out to be the magician Stiyl Magnus. "What the hell...!?" Kamijou''s head finally reached maximum confusion. The Stiyl Magnus that he knew was a red-haired Englishman two metres in height who could manipulate fire at his will to scorch his enemy to death without any compunction. "Oh, you''re up early. The sea is still cold, thoughor maybe you didn''t get any sleep because of the heat yesterday?" But the magician that he used to know, fanning as he was grilling the corn, instead said that. "Oops, this isn''t grilled yet, so I can''t serve it to customers. Hey, Maou! Come over here and serve our guest breakfast from whatever food that''s available!" The magician wearing beach sandals ordered one of the staff. (What''s happening? What''s going on around here?) Kamijou finally realized something was amiss. That war freak and pro-in-atrocity magician would never participate in this cheesy prank. Kamijou''s mind temporarily froze upon witnessing the shocking phenomenon before his eyes, but he came back to himself when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. "Dad! You shouldn''t say that in front of customers!" (Who is it this time?) Kamijou thought. When he turned around, he saw a tanned version of Misaka Mikoto that was wearing dark-purple shorts and an apron standing there. "What? You have two roles? Ah, no, this one is Misaka Imouto, the clone one." "Dad, this is a customer, so I should refrain from reacting, right?" Her face twitched, trying hard to keep her smile from collapsing. That Misaka Imouto, who was constantly impassive even in the face of death, was unbelievably making an expression of emotion. (No way! What the hell is she wearing? That''s what people call a "naked apron" style! Looking from this side... Uwahh, her tits! For a mere prank, would they normally go this far?) This time, the original Misaka Mikoto''s voice rushed in from inside the lodge. "Oniiiii-chaaan! Have you asked about the TV? I''m turning it on now~!" Kamijou peeked inside the house, and saw Mikoto, who was on all fours in front of the TV, turning on the switch. It was probably set up so that a lot of guests could hear it, as the volume was so high that even Kamijou, who was a significant distance away from the TV, could hear it clearly. "This is Komori reporting live. A jailbreak occurred on Shinfuuchuu prison today at dawn. A prisoner convicted of murder, Hino Jinsaku is currently on the loose, and his whereabouts are still unknown. All middle schools in proximity have been issued urgent orders to cancel all club activities." The reporter''s name was Komori. Yet the voice that''s coming from the TV sounded like Kamijou''s advising teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe. "Don''t tell me...!?" Kamijou hurriedly dashed to the front of the TV. Then, he saw it: a girl with a height of 135 centimetres and the physique of a twelve-year-old girl gripping a microphone and reading the report. (What is Komoe-sensei doing there? Is this also a part of their prank? If that''s the case, then this must be recorded beforehand? No, this is too real for a prank. Then, a radio wave jacking? For what reason? For the prank? That''s weird, the scale is just too big to be a prank so early in the morning.) Brushing aside Mikoto, Kamijou stood in front of the TV, and pushed the little button below the bottom of the screen to change the channel. "Oniichan, what are you doing!? I''m eagerly waiting to watch ''Fade in Morning''!" Kamijou ignored Mikoto who was suing for the rights of the TV. He repeatedly switched channels. Every program in the channel was weird in its own way: the supposed popular sexy newscaster was an old man, and the president of a certain country who was delivering a speech was a delinquent high school girl. Anyway, everything was mixed up and did not make any sense. But what struck Kamijou as the queerest was the live report. Behind the reporter who was sedately reading the news (this one looks like a truck driver) was a preschool child gripping a large hose, a group of old hags wearing sailor uniforms fiddling with their cell phones, and a Prime Minister that Kamijou frequently saw in the news playing a guitar. The site of the live report was in front of the train station. Behind the newscaster were throngs of people, and all of them were somewhat mismatched. (Hey, hey. It''s the same no matter what channel I tune in to!) Even if that was a grand-scale joke intended for April Fools, the stupendous number of extras participating would cost a large sum of money. Moreover, the fact that a Prime Minister was also there proved that the entire story was very ridiculous. It was obviously not a prank. (But if this is not a prank, then what is it? Index proclaims herself as my mom, Aogami Pierce is Index, and even Stiyl is the owner of this lodge!) It was as if everyone, be it inside or outside, had switched places. If that was so, then what could be the explanation? Kamijou grabbed his head with both hands. Trying hard to come up with a plausible scientific explanation seemed to be impossible. Volume 4, 1: Hex Suspect of the Magician World. Volume 4, Chapter 1: Hex Suspect of the Magician World. Part 1 Even if the reality before your eyes was inexplicable, time would still flow unremittingly. Putting aside Kamijou, who was at a loss at what was happening, Touya, Index, and Mikoto decided to play at the beach. They ordered Kamijou to change into his swimming trunks, secure a place in the beach, and stand under a beach umbrella. Under the beach umbrella and sitting cross-legged above the leisure sheet was Kamijou, alone. (Is it alright to be wasting my time like this? I don''t understand what''s happening, but the world''s in deep crisis right now. That said, I don''t know of a means to deal with it.) Due to the large jellyfish outbreak, there were no other people besides Kamijou at the beach today. A strident music song played lonesomely from the speaker, fastened from one of the trees that stood interspersed throughout the beach. Being like this, it seemed like the world was at peace; however, the TV program that he had seen earlier reminded him that it was not. No matter what channel you tuned in to, all you''d see were mismatched people. If all the channels were like that, it would mean that this commotion was occurring not only on this beach, but throughout Japanno, in the worst case scenario, probably the whole world. (...U-n. Maybe I''m just seeing a hallucination?) (If there was trouble occurring throughout the whole world, then that scale would be simpler. If "being mismatched" was normal for other people, even if you certainly thought you were right, you''d rethink that maybe the fault''s within you,) the easy-to-be-influenced Kamijou thought. Kamijou, sitting cross-legged, heard footsteps made from the crunching of sand approaching from behind. "Hey, Touma! Good work on securing the place; well, we''re the only people today, so I guess it wouldn''t make a difference even if you didn''t. Wahahaha," laughed the big man. Kamijou was petrified. "Hoo~ What is it, Touma? You like my swimming trunks that much?" Kamijou totally ignored Touya, and directed his gaze to the girl beside him. He looked at Index who was supposed to be his mother, Shiina. (H-hey, wait, what''s with that ungodly swimsuit!?) Index was wearing a black bikini unbefitting her small figure. A bikini usually comprises of string and cloth; however, in Index''s case, the string was made up of a transparent nylon. Therefore, the cloth seems like it was taped to the part it was concealing when seen from afar. Frankly, anyone who saw it would say that it was an adult swimsuit. (Kuhh... Is this what you call the realm of gap and unbalance!? No, wait. This isn''t the time to be glad. How did that Index, with zero pocket money, get her hands on that swimsuit?) Index palmed her cheek with one hand as she gazed at the face of the perplexed Kamijou. "My, my, Touma-san. Your face states that you have a problem with my swimsuit." "That''s beyond the problem! Where did you get that swimsuit? It''s different from what you used yesterday!" "My, my. I just prepared two or three different swimsuits beforehand." "Ahahaha," laughed Touya. "Yep, Mom still has her sex appeal active. Good to know it''s worth giving this to Mom as a present even though it cost me a lot to buy it." Kamijou''s eyes gleamed the instant he heard that. "Confounded father! What do you think you''re doing bribing people!? More importantly, how did you know Index''s three sizes!? Don''t tell me you two went to the supermarket together without my knowledge!" "My, my, Touma-san. If you keep pushing your thumbs against your dad''s carotid artery, it won''t be long until he meets his maker." "This lolicon is after your body, so don''t stop me, Index!! Gaaaah!" Kamijou roared with a vehemence that could even spit fire from his mouth. "Shit, I knew it was weird that Mom looked younger than her age. Confess already, she''s just twenty years old, right? In that case, how old was Mom when I was born!? Answer me, you pedo father!!" "Bwrghgh. C-calm down, Touma. Here, have this souvenir that I bought from Ireland. It''s an amulet to preserve family welfare." "What''s this naked figure of a woman!? Are you implicitly telling me that you''re dying to do that kind of thing!?" "N-no. It''s their goddess of fertility named Sheela na Gig, I thiGgggahh!!" Misaka Mikoto walked towards Kamijou, who was one step away from making a wrong decision in life. "Are~ What''s the fuss about, Oniichan? Ah, don''t tell me there''s an event revealing that you were not actually blood-related?" "You, too, stop that forceful inclusion of ''stepfamily setting''! By the way, what''s with that attire? We''re not in a school pool anymore, so why are you in a school swimsuit?" "Eh? Is it weird?" "Kuh. So you''re playing the cute sister character to the end, eh?" Kamijou, cast off his hands from Touya''s neck, slumped his body like an unmotivated octopus before breathing out a sigh. Touya, coughing violently while grasping his neck, looked at his son... "Uhh, It''s my careless mistake... I didn''t know Touma had this mother complex..." "My my. I didn''t know that the Oedipus Complex, Freud-sensei''s psychology theory that boys unconsciously hated their fathers, was real." "This is bad. The side effect of living a solitary dormitory life for years has probably caused Touma to develop a strong desire for family love." "Why is everyone like this...?" Kamijou said, gnashing his teeth. "On top of making a completely amateur diagnostic, they label people as mother-cons! Everyone, line up in that corner! I''ll bury all your bodies with the hole that I dug using this mini-spade!" "Kyaaahh!" the three happily screamed as they scampered to the sea. "I won''t let you escape!" Kamijou pursued them with a mini-spade in one handwhen he suddenly realized that he was forgetting something. Kamijou then heard the crunching of sand from behind. That''s right; Aogami Pierce was also here for some reason. Kamijou froze upon remembering that. If memory served him right, Index had worn a white one-piece swimsuit yesterday. Today, Aogami Pierce was wearing the same sister suit that Index had worn. Therefore, the dress that Aogami Pierce would wear when at the beach would be... (W-wait. That''s stupid... What on earth is this answer that you''d arrive at from this syllogism?) "Touma, Touma! I''m late, sorry for waiting." Horrifying. This cute manly voice was indeed too horrifying. (Don''t turn around,) Kamijou thought. He would probably lose a precious something after witnessing Aogami Pierce. Yet, as if facing a terrifying reality, he slowly swivelled his head around like a rusted robot. In his view was... A devil in a one-piece swimsuit. "......Hahhh!?" When Kamijou regained his senses, the sun was already positioned at the highest point in the sky. In his hand was a mini-spade, and near his feet was the head of a swooned Aogami Pierce sticking out of the sand. "Did I do this? I wonder what I''ve done..." Judging from the angle of Aogami Pierce''s neck, he was buried perpendicularly in a pit. Kamijou mulled over the issue, but he didn''t consider exhuming his friend; he was sure that he would lose something precious after seeing his getup. (That''s right, where''s Fatheh, what the hell is he doing enjoying himself while playing beach volleyball with Index and Mikoto!? Moreover, his eyes are filled with seriousness, and he''s directly aiming for Index! D-damn! My long-awaited summer vacation is ruined because of him!) (Anyway, I have to bury that useless lolicon father at all costs!) Kamijou, with a mini-spade in one hand, ran towards the direction of the three. On the way, he had a feeling that he was overlooking something more important... "Unyaaa-! Kami-yan, I finally found you!" ...when a weird voice rushed in. If one asked what was weird, the origin of the cat-style-like speech was not a girl but a man. (W-what? That voice just now sounds familiar. Could it be...!?) Kamijou stopped his feet and turned around. His gaze reflected the image of a big man with a height of 180 centimetres running towards Kamijou''s location. "T-Tsuchimikado?" Tsuchimikado Motoharu: Kamijou''s next-door neighbor, and his classmate (he thought so, but because of his memory loss, he couldn''t say for sure). His long arms were distinctivethey could even reach his knees when straightened outand he had a tall height and spiky blond hair. He was wearing an aloha shirt and half pants. Light blue sunglasses covered his eyes. Dangling on his neck was a gold chain that matched the outfit of delinquents. Kamijou knew that he didn''t have one bit of delinquency in him and was just wearing it because he wanted to become popular with girls. He had a stepsister named Tsuchimikado Maika, who was frequently seen in a maid outfit, that turned Tsuchimikado into a besotted and doting brother whenever they were together. "Hey, wait a minute! What are you doing here outside the city? How did you leave Academy City? Is Maika with you!?" "If possible, I''d like you to not call my sister so casually, but... there''s not much time left, Kami-yan. I have one thing to ask: do you see me as ''Tsuchimikado Motoharu''?" Kamijou couldn''t comprehend the point of Tsuchimikado''s question. "Haah!? What are you talking about? Putting aside that nonsense question, how did you get he?" "Then that means... No, that''s not possible..." Tsuchimikado mumbled to himself. "Well, whatever. Anyway, Kami-yan, you must get out of here ASAP. It''s dangerous. What''s dangerous, you ask? Soon, an irate nee-chin who went ballistic will come at you at any moment!" "Hah? Nee-chin? Hey, don''t tell me you did something?" "Quit asking and just listen to your neighbor''s advice!" Tsuchimikado was probably in a state of confusion, as he couldn''t convey his intention properly to Kamijou. Kamijou just sloped his head to one side. Seeing his reaction, Tsuchimikado flusteredly badgered Kamijou to a degree that made his blue sunglasses slip off. "Eeii! Kami-yan, did you notice something peculiar when you woke up this morning!?" "Hmm? Yeah, everyone was somewhat strange, as if their insides (identities) and outsides (appearances) were swapped. Huh? Why do you know this?" Kamijou glanced at the seaside where the three are playing beach volleyball. "Just like I said! Nee-chin thinks you''re the culprit who cast this ''swap'' magic!" "Ha?" (Culprit?) Kamijou who was completely in the dark continued tilting his head. Then... "I finally found you, Kamijou Touma!" A girl''s animosity-filled voice rushed in from his side. Tsuchimikado faced the sky in despondency. Kamijou turned to the direction of the voice. A girl with a height of 170 centimetres, too tall for her gender, was standing there. Her long hair was ponytailed in the back with a length that reached her hips. She had a nicely shaped body. One could easily associate her white skin with that of a princess, but mysteriously, unlike the conventional princesses, there was not one bit of transience or fragileness present in her. The reason must have been because of her clothing style. She wore a half-sleeve T-shirt on upper body with the lower part of the T-shirt rolled up and tied exposing her navel. On her lower body was an overused jeans... but one lateral half was cut deliberately, exposing one of her white legs. Boots like those from wild wild west movies adorned her feet. An extra belt tilted on top of the other one that was fastened around the waist, had a holster to hold a handgun. But the thing that was supposed to be in there was not a gun, instead, a Japanese sword. One could tell at first glance that this sword, somewhere around two metres in length, was an extraordinary one. Combining it with her pony-tailed jet-black hair, she resembled a samurai during warring state period. That Bakumatsu [1] swordgirl was glaring at Kamijou. With rage in her face, she unreluctantly edged up to Kamijou''s. What was scary was that this girl had been repeatedly touching and letting go of her sword. "Kamijou Touma! I know you are the one behind this swap magic... this Angel Fall! In the count of three, turn everything back to normal or else...!" The girl was already before Kamijou''s eyes. Her irate words had the subtext that she would even beat Kamijou before she could finish counting. Kamijou was fazed. Being approached by an angry person with a huge sword, anyone would be scared. "Eh? What is this person saying? Tsuchimikado, is this the ''nee-chin'' you''re talking about? ...Hey, don''t run away by yourself, bastard!" Tsuchimikado, who was furtively distancing himself while Kamijou was focused at the girl, froze at Kamijou''s shout, then turned around. His sunglasses light blue lens glittered. Kamijou gazed at the seaside. The distance between Index and others and Kamijou was more or less a hundred metres away. Yet, Kamijou felt for a moment that other side was a distant paradise that he wouldn''t be able reach even if he spent an eternity. Kamijou felt the desire to flee there, but doubled back on that thought. There wouldn''t be any difference. A different problem would be waiting for him there. The girl in front of him had probably calmed down and said, "Ah, I see. That''s right. I apologize. It seemed my rage clouded my judgement. For the record, let me ask you: who do you see me?" (Who, you ask...?) Kamijou sloped his head at the strangeness of the question. From the way she had asked, she assumed that her appearance might look like a different person. Well, first of all, Kamijou, who had suffered memory loss after a certain incident didn''t even remember that girl. Throwing a question like this to him, he had no answer but to tilt head. The Samurai girl seemed to have sensed something from Kamijou''s reaction. She said in an impatient voice, "...Geez, Putting up a lame act. You called me ''nee-chin'' a while ago. My name isn''t nee-chin. I am Kanzaki Kaori, an Anglican magician from Necessarius. I am aware that it was a short term encounter but don''t tell me you''ve already forgotten about me." Kamijou was shocked at Kanzaki''s words, in two ways. First, that queer Samurai girl, a mix-of-Japanese-and-English existence was actually his acquaintance. Second, that she revealed her identity as an Anglican magician. The Anglican Church''s organisation Necessarius was a group that specialised in dealing with magicians, and Index and Stiyl Magnus were both members. Speaking of which, though Kanzakis weird outfit didnt fit current society, she did have the same job as Index and Stiyl (though mentioning this may be rather rude). But if that was true, then there was another suspicion within Kamijous heart. Why was Tsuchimikado related to this real magician? At that moment, Tsuchimikado sighed, and said, Oi oi, Kanzaki nee-chin, you dont have to be so combative. What are you saying, Tsuchimikado? Im just trying to solve the current problem. To me, you lack the sense of being a magician. Hearing that, Kamijou gasped. Oi, what did you say? What about being a magician? Kamijou stared at his neighbour Tsuchimikado in disbelief. In response, Tsuchimikado let out a sinister smile. Thats right. Im a member of Necessarius too. Tsuchimikado said casually. It took a while for Kamijou to realise the meaning of what Tsuchimikado had said. The blue sunglasses were glittering. The sunlight reflected from it became a weird colour. Wait...wait a second...youre saying that youre a magician? Yeah. Tsuchimikado straightforwardly nodded his head. Did you think that there arent any magicians inside Academy City? Its the complete opposite. Academy City is the enemy of the world of churches, so it isnt strange to have one or two spies planted inside, right? Besides me, there seems to be many others. ...But... What Tsuchimikado said didnt make sense. But to hear Tsuchimikado that he knew from his normal everyday life say such logical things made Kamijou feel extremely unusual. Why do you think I could get to the ''outside'' of Academy City? Dont you find it strange? Actually, thirteen hours ago, I was in Windsor Castle in England, together with Kanzaki nee-chin. Of course, I didnt write a permit, I didnt get nanomachines injected in me. I used a technique of getting out by the back door. ... Even if he heard it from the person himself, Kamijou couldnt believe that this was true. To Kamijou, Tsuchimikado Motoharu was just his hostel neighbour in his everyday life. Purposely dressing up like a hooligan to be popular with the girls, frantically running over to Kamijous room for help when his non-blood-related sister Maika just got summer flu. Anyway, he seemed like an ordinary guy, and shouldnt be related to that abnormal world called magic. Thus, Kamijou unconsciously racked through his brain for an excuse. Wait...hold on! You did go through the lessons and training of Academy City, right? I heard that espers cant use magic! So Thats right. Thus, to sneak into the enemys territory, I, Tsuchimikado, was forced to give up on magic and the title as the Onmyoji professor of the highest order. But in the end, I got a Level 0 ability that I couldnt use at all, what a loss! The dorm neighbour let out a sinister smile. But in this world, in order to earn the trust of others, some spies can hide their names for at least fifty years! If I couldnt endure such a sacrifice, Im too na?ve. But you... Kamijou wanted to ask something else, but couldnt continue on. Seeing Kamijou look so surprised, Tsuchimikado let out a self-mocking smile and said, Thats right. This is Tsuchimikados real identity. A tool that reports every single action that Academy City does to the Anglican Church. Basically, Im a spy. A spy. The word that didnt have any surreal sense, the word that could only be heard in a movie. At this moment, Kanzaki completely ignored Kamijous shock and asked Tsuchimikado dully. Let me ask you again, Tsuchimikado. Is it really alright for you to reveal your real identity like this? No problems. Besides, the higher-ups knew about it, they just didnt take action. Right now, my situation is as if theyre playing me in their palms. Through the blue shades, Tsuchimikados eyes narrowed. Since I havent met any harm up till now, it means that the information I got isnt enough for them to kill me...its true that we wont be able to fight them once they know the truth about the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. Besides, its just a job, and I dont want to lose my life because of it. Its about time to retreat, theres some danger in probing further. Besides, we wont be able to do any damage to Aleister. Really, Academy Citys dark side is not fun to deal with. ... Tsuchimikados words made Kamijou tremble. Kamijou didnt hear any explosive inside story. Actually, he didnt understand anything at all. However, since Kamijou couldnt understand Tsuchimikados words, it showed that Tsuchimikado and Kamijou werent people of the same world. ...So this means...that youre a real magician? A somewhat unique, rather one-of-a-kind magician. A spy. Even if he knew this, the impression that Kamijou had of Tsuchimikado Motoharu wasnt broken at all. To Kamijou, Tsuchimikado was still his dorm neighbour, a good brother to his little sister Maika, a bad good guy that provided shelter for his little sister when she snuck out of the girls dormitory. Even if the man himself had just said his real identity, it didnt affect Kamijous impression of him; that showed how much he had integrated into Academy City, and that was truly the most terrifying point. Hm, lets not talk about this first. Tsuchimikado briskly changed the topic. Right now, the main point is how we should handle the substitution in roles? Kami-yan, you should have noticed this scenario, right? Hold on...hearing you say that, I suppose youre clear about whats going on? Ah, its not really that. Right now, we know only one thing, that the substitution in roles isnt the main aim here, its just a side-effect nya. Side-effect? For what? Kamijou frowned. He could understand the meaning of substitution in roles. Everyone wasnt right when he woke up that morning, he saw some strange things when he turned on the TV. But what did he mean by side-effect and main aim? Using those terms made it seem like it was all man-made. Seeing Kamijou look suspicious, Kanzaki couldnt help but sigh. Tsuchimikado, it seems really hard for anyone to understand if the person hasnt heard of the Kabbalah tree theory. I know. But if so, wouldnt your original theory be wrong? Tsuchimikado laughed and said, How can a magical amateur like Kamijou Touma cause such a large spell that changes the inside and outer appearance like Angel Fall? Shocked by Tsuchimikados words, Kamijou stared intently at him. What? What has this got to do with me? Kamijou questioned Tsuchimikado, but the one who responded was Kanzaki, who didnt look convinced. ...Theres a boy, for some reason, there were a lot of things that commonly happened around him. Right now, with that boy as centre, something else occurred. The entire world is affected by this, and the only one not affected by this is this boy in the middle of the commotion. In this situation, we suspect that this boy is the culprit, isnt it unreasonable? Oi...oioi! Hold on! Youre saying it really strangely! What something happened again? By your explanation, are all these man-made? Do you think that these are natural disasters? Kamijou inadvertently remained silent. Tsuchimikado forced a smile and said, Oi, Kami-yan, dont be so silent! Or youll be blamed for this! Tsuchimikado, who did you say will be blamed for this? Right now, the only people in the entire world who arent affected by Angel Fall is Hold up! Whats that Angel Fall which you talked of so many times? Kamijou picked out a term from Kanzakis words, and the two magicians turned over to look at Kamijou. AhAngel Fall is...its rather troublesome to explain it. Kanzaki, Ill leave it to you nya Tsuchimikado, dont be so old-fashioned when you talk. Kanzaki looked bored as she sighed, and said, Basically, this substitution in roles phenomenon is a human-made event caused by someone using magic. Human-made event? Kanzaki silently nodded her head. Kamijou looked like he didnt understand, and Kanzaki continued, Right now, the entire world is affected by some magic, creating this phenomenon. Even the records of the library of England have nothing regarding this. As the specific spell and construct of the spell is still a mystery, we went according to the features of the phenomenon and temporarily called this spell Angel Fall. ...You didnt know how it was made, but you knew whats going on? How far away. Such a conversation content made the noises of Index and everyone else playing seem so far away. Its like a mysterious giant beast attacking a city. Tsuchimikado smiled as he explained. Even after the guards investigated for at least half a day, they couldnt find out the real identity of the beast. They just know that they have to stop it to prevent the damage from becoming more widespread. Kami-yan, youre just restrained by common knowledge and your own perspective. You just need to imagine it as gaming rules, and it should be rather easy for you to understand it. Your example here made me unable to understand it at all. Hearing Tsuchimikados words, Kanzaki looked completely perplexed as she tilted her head and said it. (To think that this woman could do such a cutesy action.) Kamijou thought rather rudely. Lets explain it a little further. This spell called Angel Fall includes the ideas of the Kabbalah. Have you heard of it? ...No impression. Actually, Kamijou seemed to have heard of it before, but since he didnt really remember, he denied it. Thinking about it, the magician Stiyl seemed to have said it before during the battle against the alchemist. The so-called Tree of Life is basically a hierarchy of identities, separating God, angels, humans and souls into ten levels on a pyramid; this is the basic concept. Its based on the picture drawn out to show that God reigns supreme over everything. Well, simply put, this picture shows that humans can only reach a certain level, and beyond is Gods territory, so it cant be invaded. The number of humans and angels were already decided, thus in ordinary circumstances, humans are definitely unable to be promoted to become angels. In contrast, angels are never to be demoted to be humans. Because every single realm is already filled up. Following off what Tsuchimikado said, Kanzaki continued, But this spell called Angel Fall is just as what the name implies, it can force an angel thats in the heavens to become a human. And the human realm is like a cup full of water, if a drop of angel is to fall inwhat will happen to the cup of water? Ah...eh... Kamijou looked rather awkward as he said, An...angel...? Yes. Strictly speaking, its not heavens messenger, but Gods messenger. Are there any questions? Kanzaki answered seriously. Hm... Kamijous mind stopped thinking. Mikoto and company were having fun playing with the beach ball, and the sounds reached the ears of the completely silent Kamijou. As there were only the few of them on the wide coast, the sounds brought a bit of loneliness. It was not like Kamijou didnt understand, but trying to click with those people who were from the magic world with scientific knowledge was impossible. Basically, Kamijou once got involved with a case involving vampires, and nearly lost his life. The problem is...an angel? Wouldnt it be too far-fetched? (If anyone were to hear that the problem thats happening on Earth now is caused by an angel! and yet could respond with this is bad, what should we do?, it was likely that they had lost all hope on their own lives, right?) Kamijou seriously thought. ...What angel? This is truly hard to believe. In this age, space shuttles can break through the atmosphere, and theres no sign of a heaven... Mm, the high and low relationship of heaven and hell isnt of height. Then what is it? Heres an example. Human eyes cant see infrared rays, and human ears cant detect high frequency sounds. You can understand this right, Kami-yan? Ah? Mn. The high and low refers to this, anything thats above or below what humans can detect. They cant feel it if its too high or if its too low. So even if God is to appear beside Kami-yan, you should be unable to detect it. Tsuchimikado delightedly smiled. Yeah. The low is referring to hell of the devil. Whats opposite Infrared rays are ultraviolet rays, and low frequency in contrast to high frequency; in other words, an inversion. Though both waves are different, both are still waves. In other words, even if theres an angel standing beside a demon, they wont be able to detect each other unless they interfere with each other in the area between heaven and hell called the human realm. Tsuchimikado... Kanzakis tone sounded rather stern. She didnt seem to like Tsuchimikado using infrared and high frequency as examples. But once objects are lit by infrared rays, they will grow hot. Glass will vibrate when theres a high frequency sound. This is called a Divine Retribution or a miracle. So on first glance, the heaven that doesnt react will sometimes affect the human realm. Of course, there may be opposite effects. Kamijou still didnt understand. Tsuchimikado continued, Oh yes, Kami-yan. In religions that worship idols like Buddhism and Christianity, the power of God or power of angels do actually exist around us. ... Kamijou looked suspicious. Im not lying to you. Heres an example. Wouldnt there be a cross at the top of the roof of a church? These crosses have a special power, but are these crosses the ones used to kill the saints? The answer is obviously no. Tsuchimikado continued to wave his hand and said, The crosses on the top of the churches are all fake, but even a fake can have power. As long as the shape and purpose is similar, it can obtain a small portion of the real one. This is the Idol Theory. Basically, adding a metal sword and light magic together will create a light magic blade. This Idol Theory rule applies to angels as well. As long as one uses some special skills, the power of an angel can be placed on an item. For example, an angels sculpture on the tip of a sword can cause the blade to be infused with angelic power. Carving an angels name onto a protective magic array will grant the defensive power of an angel...of course, the amount of power a substitute can get is extremely little. Only in the Old Testament of the Bible did an angel truly descend on earth. These are to be made under one assumption, that angels exist. ...This is really unbelievable. Even though Kamijou was still suspicious, he didnt dare try to act snobbish. Besides, these guys were experts, and they were serious, not joking at all. When he faced off against the alchemist, Kamijou really had a hard time because he didnt listen to Stiyls explanation seriously; thus, he learnt his lesson. Sorry, I just want to confirm this...is this really not a prank? I dont understand what you mean. Kanzaki coughed a bit, and continued. Anyway, Angel Fall is a spell that forcefully pulls an angel down from above, and this will affect the four worldsin other words, the original world, the world of creation, the formed world and the physical world. ...Eh, Tsuchimikado-sensei, may I know what language this Missy is speaking? Ill explain this. Like what you see, Kami-yan, everyones inside and outside have switched. This is like a musical chairs game, once the game starts, the chairs and the people sitting on the chairs will change completely. But in this game, not everyone will get a chair eventually. The only one left without a seat will be squeezed into the skyto sit on the chair that the angel originally vacated. A substitution of roles. What resulted were the scenes that Kamijou saw at the seaside and on the television. Kamijou finally understood that part. Tsuchimikado casually chuckled and said, However, the theory isnt important at all. We just need to know that something strange happened and that we have to stop it. ...Stop it? Is there a way? Yeah. It seems like this spell called Angel Fall is still incomplete. If we want to stop it, nows the time. Even if its your right hand, it cant revive someone whos been burned to ash, right? Same logic, it will be too late if the spell is complete. ... Your right hand. Though it may not seem important, but how did Tsuchimikado know about the Imagine Breaker? Seeing Kamijou look so suspicious, Tsuchimikado paused momentarily, before continuing. Oi oi, do I need to explain this as well? The battle for the Index, the invasion of Misawa Cram School, the termination of the Level 6 project, I knew about all these events. I was even the one in charge of investigating for two of those events. Tsuchimikado casually said such shocking things before returning back to topic as per normal. Though the real spell is a mystery, Angel Fall is a global spell. Its too much for a magician to try and carry it out, so the culprit should have carried out a ritual centre like barrier or magic array. Tsuchimikado then said with an enthusiastic tone, Thus, there are two ways to prevent Angel Fall. One is to beat the caster, and the second is to destroy the ritual centre. Of course, theres a time limit, but we dont know how much time do we have, which makes this thrilling. In the end, Kamijou was still confused. Anyway, because of a certain someone, everyones inside got switched...thats what he meant, right? At this moment, any ordinary person would have shouted isnt this too ridiculous? But Kamijou himself was living in a city with 2.3 million espers, and had fought against magicians before. Thus, he knew that there were many things that cant be brought through with just a simple this is too illogical. Thus, Kamijou started to be bothered. It seemed like everyones actions looked so strange because of the substitution in roles. Kamijou recalled what had happened that morning. It was extremely disastrous ever since he woke up this morning, Misaka Mikoto actually became his little sister Wait...hold on! This is too weird! Why do I have an extra little sister? I dont have a little sister at all! If all those strange phenomenon were caused by the substitution in roles (though it sounds ridiculous), how did Mikoto become Kamijous little sister? Kanzaki casually continued. Well, who knows? But since theres a substitution in roles, it means that there should be someone that originally exist. Or maybe you really do have a little sister in this world; just that you dont know of. What? So I found out about my familys big secret due to this? Kamijou was shocked severely, but still managed to make a little joke. Unfortunately, he was not really convinced. Speaking of which, whats the culprits intention to blow it up like this? I can guess two reasons. One is to capture the angel who falls to earth as a slave, the other is to take the original position of the angel. No matter what the reason is, if it succeeds, itll be something big within the Kabbalah world. The members of the Golden Dawn should be panicking like crazy now. If it were to be used for malicean angels power can destroy the entire Vatican. This isnt a joke, the criminals aim cant just be for something casual. Excuse me... Completely being ignored, Kamijou carefully opened his mouth and said, Can we get back on topic? What should I do now? What do you guys intend to do to me by coming all the way here? Ah, about this... Tsuchimikados tone seemed to indicate that this wasnt important at all. Weve just said it before. According to the results of the investigation, this strange phenomenon seems to be caused by you at the centre, Kami-yan. However, youre unaffected even though youre at the centre... ...What? Kamijou was stunned and his eyes widened. So youre suspected as the culprit. Its like a hacker spreading a virus worldwide, the hacker wont let his own computer be hacked, right? Wait...hold on! If you say so, arent you guys still the same? Kanzaki and I were lucky. I said before that Angel Fall started because it spread from you. Kanzaki nee-chin and I just so happened to be in London when the spell was activated. ...So this meant that everyone in London is okay? As if. The power of Angel Fall is tremendous. We just so happened to be inside Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle has a stronghold-level defensive barrier, and its defensive capability is definitely not less than the white Walking Church. Besides us, it seems like the people inside the deepest parts of Westminster Abbey and Southwark Cathedral are alright. Tsuchimikado chuckled. Under the double protection of the distance and the barrier, we managed to escape. However, most of the magicians got hit by the poison of Angel Fall, there are very few people who realised this. Oh...though I dont really understand whats going on, isnt this a silver lining in the cloud? Not just that. Nee-chin was okay, but I wasnt inside the deepest part at that time. If I didnt set up a barrier for myself during the 300 seconds when the outside barrier was activated, even I would be affected. ...Eh? But you just said that you cant use magic... Even now, Kamijou was still rather confused about this thing called magic. However, Kamijou did witness the students of Misawa Cram School who were manipulated by the alchemist use magic, and their bodies exploded due to the rejection. Anyway, espers cant use magic. Tsuchimikado seemed to understand what Kamijou meant, as he smirked slightly and said, Thats right. This is why there are some parts of me that are absolutely terrible now. Ill definitely die the next time I use magic. A gust blew by, lifting up Tsuchimikados flowery shirt. Kamijou saw that underneath the shirtthere was a large black bloody patch on him. It seemed like his body had gotten corroded by something unknown. Even so, I havent completely escaped the control of Angel Fall. Tsuchimikado chuckled, and continued, Besides us and you, to others, Im switched now. My current appearance is of an idol superstar named Hitotsui Hajime. A few days ago, this person was exposed by the tabloids to have an affair with another famous female star. Thus, right now, if any of those rabid girls is to see me, theyll come chasing after me with metal bats. This is truly a unique life experience. Tsuchimikado then pointed at his sunglasses and said, So I have no choice but to disguise myself. Erm...this means that... Kamijou carefully asked Tsuchimikado, So youre that handsome idol to those substituted people? Thats the case. Tsuchimikado said casually. Arent you all too popular now! Im in a mess here and yet youre so popular out there! Well, this life is rather tiring as well. Besides, if I want to destroy this Angel Fall, I cant let myself be dragged down by the crowd. ...Well, at least youre being professional here. Kamijou turned to Kanzaki and said, That onee-san got switched in other peoples eyes as well, right? ... Kanzaki remained silent, her shoulders trembling slightly. (Eh? Dont tell me I tripped on her land mine?) Kamijou wondered. ...iyl. What? Kamijou was shocked. Kanzaki then continued in a flat tone, My appearance right now is that of Stiyl Magnus. Thats right, to them, Im now one over two metre tall man with long red hair. Once I enter a bathroom or a changing room, someone will call the police, Ill be mistaken to be a pervert while taking the train. Yes, I was shocked. For a moment, I thought that the whole world was against me. Kamijou thought, so a humans emotions arent necessarily expressed in facial expressions or tone. Such a monotone that doesnt have any emotions in it can actually be that terrifying. Kamijou could be certain. That onee-san really seemed to be angry. With an emotionless puppet-like expression, Kanzaki forcefully placed her hands onto Kamijous shoulders. Did you really not do anything? You were the culprit, right? To be honest, I wont be angry. An angel being controlled by a magician, this is one huge event thats unheard of. Do you know how dangerous that is? I had enough, I should immediately settle this. Do you know how terrible it is to be treated as a big and tall Englishman with a sissys voice? Uu...oooiii! Stop...shaking...stop shaking me! Without showing any expression, Kanzaki shook Kamijous shoulders back and forth with a terrifying force that exceeded human logic. Kamijou was terrified that his neck would snap. Do you understand now? Being at the centre of this strange phenomenon, youll be viewed by every other magician in the world who escaped this as the culprit; youll be hunted by them. STOP WATCHING THE SHOW FROM THE SIDELINES! HURRY...UP AND TELL HER TO STOP SHAKING ME! Kamijou shouted, feeling like he was about to throw up. U...uuugh...THINK ABOUT IT, YOU GUYS! ANGEL FALL IS A MAGIC SPELL, AND IM AN ESPER, HOW CAN I CAST MAGIC!? The hands of Kanzaki that were shaking Kamijou violently froze instantly. Without moving, Kanzaki looked into Kamijous eyes, and like ice in a cup melting, she frowned slightly, revealing a puzzled expression. If so, this means that were completely clueless here. We have no idea what the culprit intends to use the angel for, but we have to quickly prevent Angel Fall. Am I going to continue living on as a foreign juggernaut whos very fluent in Japanese but talks like a lady...? Hearing Kanzaki say this, though this incident wasnt Kamijous fault, he did feel a sense of guilt and sadness. What was that feeling? It was like seeing a neighbours perfect nee-chan suddenly crying. It was completely different from the feeling that Index gave of wanting to protect her. Originally feeling casual, Tsuchimikado seemed to have that feeling as well. He said, All right, all right. If so, I guess that we have to start over our investigations again. ...Oh yeah... Kanzaki looked at Tsuchimikado and said, Tsuchimikado, youre an esper as well, but you did use magic before...so its likely that... Kanzakis tone was rather calm, but Kamijou felt goosebumps on his back, and quickly clarified, Hold...hold on hold on! The problem is that I have no knowledge of magic at all! Thats right, but you do have the Index with you, right? Thats right, thats a blind spot, Tsuchimikado said in a casual tone, sounding rather impressed. And after which, he found Kamijou glaring at him and felt somewhat embarrassed, so he quickly rounded off, But Kanzaki nee-chin, if espers use magic, itll greatly damage their bodies. At the very least, there will be bleeding, and in serious cases, a massive body explosionit was mentioned in the report of the Misawa incident, right? You can see that Kami-yans body is rather healthy here. Mn, then lets confirm it. After saying that, Kanzaki naturally reached her hand out and tapped Kamijous stomach lightly. WAH! WHAT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? Why are you jumping up out of a sudden? Im just checking to see if there are any wounds. Seeing your overreaction, there are some parts inside that are damaged and cant be seen by the human eye, right? NO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WONT JUMP AT THIS! THIS IS A NATURAL REACTION, STOP TOUCHING ME LIKE THAT, FOR GOODNEES SAKE! Thats too suspicious. Youre afraid of being checked, right? If youre innocent, you wont be mindful of being checked no matter the means, right? Kamijou stared at the shallow beach. If Index and the rest were to see him being molested by a nee-chin, it would be over. He wouldnt be able to wash his sins away even if he were to jump into a river. ...(To indicate that anyone who refuses to be checked is the culprit. Kanzaki nee-chin really is one of the radical juries of the Anglican Church''s Necessarius.) Rather understanding of the workings of the magic world, Tsuchimikado seemed to be rather impressed. Of course, Kamijou wouldnt know about such things. Ugh...all...all right! My innocence can be proven if I dont have any external wounds or internal bleeding, right...OOOOIII! STOP...DONT TOUCH ANY STRANGE PLACES!! ??? Anyway, please dont move. Kanzakis slender fingers moved underneath Kamijous armpits, chest and other areas slowly. Though Kanzaki gave an icy impression, her fingers were unexpectedly warm. Facing this predicament, Kamijou started to sweat profusely. The sweat-stained fingers of Kanzaki felt like someone licking Kamijous body with their tongue. (Hold...hold on...! Not good...ooiii!! If...if she continues to touch me like this...Ill develop some weird interests in the future...!) ... Kanzaki moving fingers suddenly stopped. She silently looked down. Kamijou Toumas beach pants. Thats right. Since Kamijou Touma was a healthy high school student, there was a reaction to Kanzaki Kaoris reckless palpation, and the centre of that reaction was hidden inside the centre of the beach pants. Wait...wait a second! Miss Kanzaki! This isnt some! This is an effective factor! Its an irresistible accident! Im sorry, Im wrong! Its my fault, please dont serve me up with that Japanese sword! Kamijou frantically tried to explain after being stunned for a while. However, Kanzaki didnt seem to be thinking about that. Like a stone statue, she remained silent for a while, and finally said, ...Youre right. If were to start checking, we have to be thorough, even inside the pants. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? WHO WILL ALLOW THAT...AHHH, YOULL VIEW ME AS THE CULPRIT IF I SAY NO, RIGHT!? BUT I WONT AGREE TO IT NO MATTER WHAT! DONT I HAVE A RIGHT TO PROTEST AS A HEALTHY YOUNG BOY!? Hm. Kanzaki moved her eyes up from the beach pants. Alright, maybe my method isnt working. Since Im of the opposite gender, it must be painful to be checked here like this. That...thats right! Just like this! We can still talk if you calm down! So, being of the same gender, Tsuchimikado, please do the honours. Wait...Tsuchimikado? Like that palpation just now? Inside the beach pants? No...NOOOO!! I DONT WANT IT!! Really? Then Ill do it then. Why...WHY IS IT IF ITS NOT A, THEN ITS B!? WHY ARE THERE ONLY A AND B AS OPTIONS!? HOLD...HOLD ON! MISS KANZAKI! WHY ARE YOU WEARING SURGICAL GLOVES!? HOLD...HOLD ON! WAIT...AHHHHH! Option C, raising a toy shovel and shouting : Ill kill you. Embarrassed and angry, Kamijous tears were about to come out as he increased his distance from the strange neighbour and the nee-chin with the Japanese nodachi. Using his hands to hold down the beach pants that he barely managed to defend, he stared at those two like a wounded beast. The two magicians felt rather awkward as well. S-see? I was right, right? Kami-yan wasnt switched not because he was the culprit, but because the effects of Angel Fall got negated by the Imagine Breaker. Hm, but if so, this is a bit problematic. We have already lost track of our goal. If Angel Fall is complete, it will cause devastation on a mythical scale; but we dont have a single clue... Its not that we dont have a clue at all. At least we know that the Angel Fall started with Kami-yan at the centre, so the culprit should be near him! The problem is that we dont know whether the culprit actually interacted with Kamijou Touma. Thats rather troublesome. My pulse will explode if I use magic again. Ah, thats right, how about we get Kami-yan to help us track this culprit? Your suggestion is rather illogical. Are you going to ask your guests to help you build your house when you dont have enough workers? Thats alright, isnt it? We will protect Kami-yan from being attacked by the culprit, and Kami-yan will destroy the location of the Angel Fall spell. Well still need him though. What do you think, Kami-yan? Kamijou didnt answer. He was silently writing a few words with his fingers: Im going to sue you. Part 2 After 8PM, the real night of summer descended. Kamijous family was gathered at the first level of the seaside resort, sitting around the round table. Even though it was Kamijous family, the roles had switched. As Kamijous friend, Kanzaki Kaori naturally blended into that crew of strange characters. Of course, to the rest, she was a rough red-haired foreign delinquent. Kamijou was feeling rather insecure. Since they didnt know when Angel Fall would be complete, how could she be sitting down there so casually? But to Kanzaki, since the phenomenon was centred around Kamijou, it seemed like protecting Kamijou was also one of her priorities. However, Tsuchimikado hadnt joined in. Right now, he should be playing with sea roaches along the barrier reefs. To the others, he was an idol who just got into trouble; and as a professional spy, Tsuchimikado most likely wouldnt want to get caught up with having to handle people. So right now, everyone who was sitting around the round table were ordinary civilians (on the surface). Everyone was hungry, but there was no sign of the shopkeeper. Turning on the television, they only saw Komoe-sensei reporting the depressing news that the serial killer Hino Jinsaku had escaped from prison, and still had not been found. They were unable to use that as a topic for conversation. Even though he didnt know what to say, Touya still tried to talk to Kanzaki. Hello, Im Toumas father. I didnt know that Touma has foreign friends; its really the age of globalisation. Ah, let me give you an Egyptian talisman as a greeting gift. Its a scarab from Egypt. Its said that once you have it, you wont get lost in the desert. Touya pulled out a grounded pepper-sized bottle, and Kamijou was stunned before he shouted out. There was a dried dead insect stored inside. Isnt this a dung beetle? Dont put such a thing on the dinner table, stupid dad! No. Kanzaki said calmly. In Egypt, the scarab represents transmigration. It is a representative gift of Egyptian culture, like the Eye of Horus and the Ankh (key of life). Erm...yeah...thats right! Touma, Dads not too sure, but you shouldnt be so quick to deny other countries cultures like that. What...am I the only one? Am I the only one who feels that one shouldnt put a dried dead insect like that onto the dining table? Kamijou was hit greatly, but at that moment, Mikoto, who was sitting beside Kamijou, tugged his shirt and said, ...No, Im on onii-chans side. Its scary to use that kind of thing as a mobile phone keychain. It may also tremble when the phone vibrates. I really want to thank you for your honest opinion, but hearing that act-cutesy voice of yours really irritates me. What!? Mikoto puffed her cheeks, but Kamijou completely ignored her. At that moment, Kamijou remembered something. Kamijous family shouldnt have a little sister. To everyone, who was Mikoto? Thus, Kamijou moved his position to secretly ask Index, who was taking the role of his mother. (Oi oi, let me ask you, whos that imouto? Im really curious...) Ara ara, so does Touma like girls who are like that little sister? Seeing his that his mothers brain was short-circuited, Kamijou raised his fist and knocked her head slightly as if he was knocking a faulty television. Ara ara, you really dont take care of a girls feelings. Thats Toumas cousin, Otohime. (...Cousin)? Ara ara, has Touma forgotten about her already? Then you dont remember uncle and aunt Tatsugami already? You probably never met them ever since you graduated from kindergarten and entered Academy City. However, you did take an afternoon nap together with Otohime in the same bed. But...but no one was here yesterday? She just came in this morning. As they talked, footsteps could be heard from the entrance leading to the seaside. The owner was back. Sorry sorry, I didnt have time to say hello to you people. The loudspeaker on the seaside was broken, and it took a while to repair it. The one closest to the owner, Kanzaki, turned around and said, Please dont mind, the loudspeaker can be used to report any incoming tsunami and assist in relief work, its most important to handle this since it involves human safety...Sti...Stiyl? Whats going on? Stiyl? Is that a common slang? The tall and huge man with long red hair said suspiciously. Youre about to eat dinner, already, right? Theres not much variety here, but the advantage here is that were fast! No...erm...(I was too careless...I forgot that Stiyls here in Japan to hunt people down!) It seemed like Stiyl was completely controlled by Angel Fall. Thinking of which, all the magicians in the world should be the same now, and besides, there were very few magicians who detected that anomaly, like Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki. Kanzaki muttered to herself, but the surrounding people didnt seem to notice it. Everyone was focused on choosing their main course from the few options of ramen, fried soba noodles and curry. After the tall and huge boss took everyones order, he took huge steps into the shop. At that moment, Index placed her hand on her face as she stared at Kanzaki, and said, Ara ara, your Japanese is really fluent. Auntys really impressed. Eh? Kanzaki shoulders trembled slightly. Ah...its...its nothing, thanks for your compliments. Though Kanzaki and Index were both members of the Anglican Church, for some reason, both of them were estranged from each other. Being talked to suddenly, Kanzaki was rather troubled. Of course, the rest (including Kamijou, who had lost his memory) didnt know about that. Ara ara, humble and polite. Seeing you being so burly, aunty thought that youll be a pretty rough person. Being only slightly taller than an average Japanese, Kanzakis shoulders trembled slightly. However, the people surrounding her didnt seem to realise it. Mikoto then said, However, your choice of words is rather weird, it feels a bit feminine. Youre so burly, it should be better for you to use a more masculine way of speaking. Also, your movements feel a bit like a girl. Having trained more than an ordinary woman, Kanzakis facial muscles trembled slightly. She muttered slightly, Only...only a little? At that moment, Kamijou sensed that something was wrong, but Touya added on, Alright, alright, dont say it. Isnt language all about being able to convey the correct meaning? I believe he would say this should be because the one who first taught him Japanese was a woman. Also, its not important whether hes burly or not, right? Kanzakis entire body was already trembling slightly. Kamijou tried to use his body language to tell Kanzaki, (Kanzaki! Kanzaki! Everyones not talking about you! Theyre just treating you as Stiyl Magnus! Theyre definitely not telling you that youre tall and burly, no matter what, youre a brave and stout man!) The next second, Kanzaki slowly stood up. Kamijou didnt recognise that it was his words that were the most hurting. Kanzaki grabbed Kamijous collar and said slightly, ...(I see, so thats what you think?) After saying it, she dragged Kamijou away from the round table. (Hold...hold on! Where are you pulling me to? Are you going to execute me? Ah...it should be the bathroom over there...dont tell me...I heard of an interrogation method thats popular in American jails, thats to splash cold water on the criminals and make them lose heat..!) Kanzaki didnt reply. Like a corpse, Kamijou was dragged further away. Part 3 Kanzaki didnt drag Kamijou to some strange place, just into the interior of the shop. It seemed that Kanzaki didnt have a specific destination in mind. Arriving at a place with no one around, she told Kamijou off before turning her eyes to the sliding shoji doors. Oh yeah, this resort has a bathhouse. Its hard for me to say it, but with all these going on nowadays, I didnt have time to bath. That was right, a seaside resort had a bathhouse. It was like building a simple toilet on the seaside, the purpose was to allow the visitors to wash away the seawater on their skin. Kamijou turned back to look at the corridor he had passed through, and said, However...do you really have time to bath? If Angel Falls completed, wouldnt it be too late? Youre right... Kanzaki hesitated for a while, and then continued. ...I know I shouldnt have any personal feelings, but Im really not used to seeing that child smile at me. I dont have that right at all. Kanzaki said bitterly. She seemed to be running away from something. ... Kamijou remained silent. At the time when he attacked the Misawa Cram School, Stiyl had said that same thing with the same expression when he was talking about Index. That should be a wound that must not be opened again. Thus, Kamijou decided not to pursue further. Ah...anyway, why did you drag me all the way here to the bathhouse? Are you going to discuss tactics with me? ... Kanzaki shook her head slightly. No, I have a simple request; I just need you to keep watch over here. This bathhouse should be public like an onsen or a public bathhouse, right? Kamijou remained silent. Of course, in this little seaside resort, the bathhouse wouldnt be sorted into men and ladies. There was only one bathhouse, and when a man entered, it would be a mans bathhouse; when a woman entered, it would become a ladies bathhouse. To everyone, Kanzaki was now Stiyl Magnus, so even when they saw Kanzakis figure through the shoji doors, the other men may think Ah, its a man bathing! and would rush in, especially that resort boss. ...Are you thinking that this may be interesting? Youre thinking too much! I dont want to risk my life with someone whos wielding a nodachi! Kanzaki stared suspiciously at Kamijou before saying Then Ill leave it to you. She then walked into the bathhouse, shut the shoji door and took off her clothes. One could see Kanzakis silhouette through the shoji door, and because it was impossible to see clearly, it would make anyone excited. Kamijou frantically shook his head to control his desire and turned his back around, gently sighing. Hi! Kami-yan! What are you doing here? Tsuchimikado suddenly walked in pompously from the other side. Since the blue sunglasses on his face were a disguise, he couldnt take them off even though it was nighttime. Oi, arent others seeing you as some bastard idol who created quite the news recently? Relax, its alright that nobody saw me. This is how Tsuchimikado does things. Tsuchimikado said casually. To Kamijou, that guys attitude wasnt any different from usual. ...Sorry, Kami-yan. Sorry about what? Kamijou asked, only to see Tsuchimikado looking extremely serious. Actually, those dangers that Kami-yan went through, I knew all about them. The attack on the alchemists fortress, the slaughter of twenty thousand clones and so on...I knew all about them, yet I didnt help you out, so Id like to apologise to you. ... Besides, being powerless to help is completely different from being unable to help. Im really sorry. Dont mind these small matters. Tsuchimikado revealed a tired look, but Kamijou was rather casual in his response. Tsuchimikado was rather surprised regarding Kamijous attitude, but Kamijou didnt say anything more, because he felt that there was no need to explain further. No matter what, Tsuchimikado was still Tsuchimikado, that fact wouldnt change at all. To Kamijou, Tsuchimikado was still his dorm neighbour and classmate. Hm. Tsuchimikado chuckled. Alright, enough nonsense. Well end the depressing stuff here. Lets get down to business! Business? Thats right! Its the most exciting summer festival activity! The peeping on Kanzaki nee-chins naked body contest! What? Are you serious? ...Looky look, Kami-yan! The mobile phones nowadays have camera functions! Are you even listening to me? I cant just joke around with that Bakumatsu swordswoman! Once she finds out, Ill be slashed in half by that whatsoever family secret move! ...But on the other hand, youll peep if theres no danger, right? ... ...Kanzaki nee-chin will definitely look great when she takes off her clothes! (Great!?) Kamijou inadvertently lost his breath. He shook his head frantically, and said, Bu...but...is this alright? Arent you Kanzakis comrade? You shouldnt betray her, right? Kamijou tried his best to stop Tsuchimikado, only to see Tsuchimikados blue sunglasses flash. Ha! Youre too na?ve! Im the spy of the Anglican Church''s Necessarius, Tsuchimikado Motoharu! Known as the backstabber! The resident of the liar village is yours truly! Wah! I dont want to suffer together with this sort of person! Kamijou continued to protest, and Tsuchimikado said impatiently, Cheh, such a boring guy. Kanzaki nee-chin nearly wanted to take your life, so its no wonder that youre afraid of her. However, shes not really that scary! Kanzaki nee-chins really cute! C-cute...? Yeah. You know, I came to Academy City after I finished middle school, and before that, I was in London all the time. At that time, I was one of the few who spoke both English and Japanese at the same time, and Kanzaki nee-chin, who just joined the Anglican Church at that time, understood only Japanese at that time. It was really interesting to see her so nervous and mime when she was questioned by the English! Tsuchimikado knocked on the wall slightly. At that time, I was the only Japanese person in Necessarius, so once she got an English letter, nee-chin would often look to me for help with a puzzled look on her face, she was so attractive at that time! ...Really unbelievable, to think that you could be relied on in some instances. Forget about that, lets peep! Cute nee-chin! And youre holding a camera phone, arent you a little too much? Kami-yan, you should be more honest with your lust! And why are you so enthusiastic? You should be tackling those girls whore younger than you, right? Arent you called the siscon-sergeant? Oi, stop using that nickname! Do you have any proof!? No normal person would really love a little sister whos not blood related, right? WAH! Who...who LOVED the little sister! Who told you that!? Even if the law doesnt forbid it, you cant just do anything you want, right? Do...do...do anything? What do you mean by that? Eh? Why are you so nervous? Hold on, Tsuchimikado...dont tell me you really have feelings for your little sister... STOP IT! STOP TRAPPING ME WITH THESE WORDS! ONE MORE WORD, AND ILL KILL YOU!! Tsuchimikado forcefully clinched Kamijous neck, intending to make him shut up. At that moment, the floor let out a light cracking sound, and Tsuchimikado hastily retreated through the shadows like a ninja, disappearing without a trace. (Ah, if we were to be seen just now, itll make the headlines Idol grabbed a boys collar.) Kamijou casually thought as he turned towards where the footsteps came from. Hi! Onii-chan, what are you doing here? It was Index and Mikoto. No, they were his mom and cousin, it was just that they assumed Index and Mikotos appearance. Eh? You finished eating already? Ara ara, its not that, Touma. Itll take a while before dinners done, so were here to bathe. At this moment, Mikoto turned to look at the shoji screen. ...Onii-chan, is anyone inside? Ah, ya...thats why Im standing guard here. Stand guard? What do you mean by that? Isnt it onii-chans friend inside? You two can bath together! Eh? Mikotos words confused Kamijou. About five seconds later, he finally realised what she had meant. Thats right. To them, Kanzaki was now Stiyl Magnus. Hold...hold on a minute! I never said that I wanted to bath! Besides, does the law say that friends have to bath with each other? I can go in when he comes out! If we have to wait for two rounds, the dinner will soon come and go cold! Since you two are both guys, theres no problem! Hurry up and go bath! WAHH! Hold...hold on...reallyAAAHHHH!! Alright, alright, hurry up and go in! Without any hesitance, both of them slid the door open and mercilessly tossed Kamijou Touma into the changing room. Inside. Right in front of Kamijous eyes. An indescribable Kanzaki was standing there. If she was someone who took quite some time to bathe, maybe there wouldnt have been a tragedy when Kamijou got thrown into the changing room, since there was a door separating the bathroom and the changing room. Just at that moment, Kanzaki walked out of the bathroom, completely naked as she reached back with both hands to tie her wet hair while holding a ribbon in her mouth. Maintaining that position, she looked like she was frozen. PA! At that moment, the door slammed shut behind Kamijou. ... ... The silence in the sealed room exerted a heavy pressure. If Kanzaki were to cry or go into a rage, Kamijou would have known what was to come next, but she didnt show any expression at all, not even attempting to hide. She just reached out for the thin black nodachi that was leaning on the corner of the wall. Kanzakis eyes looked as shiny as obsidian; they were trying to say something. (Any last words?) Is Even if he made an apology or an excuse, he would die either way. Now all confused, Kamijou let out these words, Is this a new-style katana comedy action film? The next second, the black nodachi swung without hesitation. Part 4 It was 10PM. Kanzaki was standing on the balcony on the second level of the resort. The night at the seaside was like the night in a desert, as the beach didnt retain heat very well. Tsuchimikado climbed up the pillar on the balcony. To others, he was a star who was exposed in a scandal, so he couldnt appear normally. Tsuchimikado was currently staring at Kanzaki, who was letting the night wind stroke her. Whats up? Your face sure is red. Are you still thinking about what happened just now? ...Do you think I would? Sigh...actually, you want to, right? Theres a thrill on being seenI...I was joking! Kanzaki nee-chin, as a swordswoman, can your temper not be that violent? I understand. Kanzaki answered impatiently. Then, she sighed gently. However, it seems that the boy really has nothing to do with Angel Fall. If hes really a magician, his personality wouldnt be so na?ve. He has no reason to do this. But if were to think like that, the people around Kami-yan are like him. These people wouldnt even know what to do with an angel even if they captured one. Those words werent implying that they looked down on Kamijou, but that it was a different problem. Even if they got (what was said to be) the incredible power of an angel, it would be useless if they didnt have any knowledge of magic. Though Japans household appliances were brilliant, they were useless if they were taken overseas only for the plugs to be different. Thus, it wasnt a discussion of superiority. But if so, there were no other suspicious people. Nobody knew what they should do. Both of them couldnt find the crux in their thoughts at all, and they could only focus on other stuff. Speaking of which, is it alright to put that child in Kamijou Toumas hands? Its been less than a day...no, just half a day, and that happened. To make the mistake of entering a ladies bathroom, thats not something that even a third grader would do. Maybe he and that child had something...even worse... Hm...however, Kami-yan should be able to control himself, right? Hes not the type wholl attack when girls are sleeping. Tsuchimikado folded his arms in front of his chest and said, And hes not an expert, you understand? Hes not an expert. Hes not like us who can get rid of the guilt of killing by a lofty reason. He wont push his own sin to anyone else; hell always move forward with the guilt. Dont you think thats enough reason to be confident in him? ...Well... Besides, Kami-yan was the saviour of Index, and we couldnt even thank him enough. How can we pick on his shortcomings? I know, I understand what youre saying. Thats right, when Index was at the brink of death, the one who saved her was Kamijou Touma. Not Kanzaki Kaori, not Stiyl Magnus, but Kamijou Touma. Normally, she should be thanking him. No, using such a term would be too light. She should repay him with all she had. Even the crane and the tortoise knew how to do that. ...But I really cant find a chance to do that. In truth, ever since what happened during the Index incident, Kanzaki was too busy with her job. Because of that and the circumstances, she never once thanked Kamijou, which made her feel guilty. In the end, he actually did such a stupid thing, and its really awkward for me to thank him now... Aiya, Kanzaki nee-chin, he just saw you naked, is that enough reason for you not to thank him now? Uu... Kanzaki was speechless. Aiyaya, so Kanzaki nee-chins level of repayment is just this? Uuu... Kanzaki gritted her teeth as she stared at Tsuchimikado. At that moment, Kamijou Touma was standing alone at the first level of the Wadatsumi resort as he pondered about something. Though the lights were on, there was nobody else around. The girls could be heard laughing, maybe Index and the rest were playing poker cards or something. The TV was on and airing the nightly news. The nightly news wasnt any different from the afternoon news, but had some unnecessary descriptions to buffer the load. Dear viewersthe criminal Hino Jinsaku who had escaped from the Shinfuchuu prison is still at large. Hinos modus operandi is rather unique. Hes called a ritual killer, and so there are a lot of people who worship him and even imitate him. This time, the police think that these people may be helping him... Through the image displayed on the screen, Kamijou blankly watched Komoe-sensei report the news. ...Besides that, Hino Jinsaku had a history of being a psychiatric patient in a hospital, and admitted before the trial that he has a split personality, so whether he should be responsible for the murders is still up for debate... Hino Jinsaku. To Kamijou, who had lost his memory, he had no impression on that killer before he was apprehended. However, whenever there was a serious case of homicide, his name would always be mentioned, and even now, there would occasionally be a photo of him on TV programmes or weekly magazines. It was known that he was responsible for many infamous murder cases. It wasnt good for the mood to continue watching such news, so Kamijou continued to switch the programmes to a variety programme that was introducing a diet food that allowed people to slim down fast. While watching the news, Kamijou continued to think of what he saw on the news. (Split personality...thats right, the summer remedial did mention about espers with split personality...) Kamijou casually watched the TV as he thought. In this so-called split personality, the line between personality A and personality B wasn''t always clear. In some cases, there could be instances of both personalities appearing at the same time, like for example, the left and right hands were respectively commanded by different personalities, or when personality A was thinking, personality B was moving the hands. The above knowledge was what Kamijou had learned from the summer remedial a week ago. Komoe-sensei had said that there was a lot of data regarding those with split personalities, because there was a time where it was popular to research on people with split personalities to see whether they could have two different abilities. ...Ugh... Remembering the content of the lessons, Kamijou, who hated studying, lazily laid his head onto the table. A lot of things had happened today, and Kamijous mind started to make some adjustments. A spell called Angel Fall was activated. It was said that this spell was aimed at controlling an angel with a strong power. And the side effect was that everyones personality and appearance got switched. The effect lasted throughout everywhere in the world. Angel Fall wasnt complete, so they had to destroy it now. Once Angel Fall was complete, it would be all over. If they wanted to destroy Angel Fall, they had to beat the caster or destroy the place of ritual. Kamijou Touma was located at the centre of that phenomenon, so he was seen as the caster. A few magicians who noticed the phenomenon may come to assassinate Kamijou. So Kamijou had to find the real culprit before Angel Fall was complete and either beat the caster or destroy the place of ritual. ...Hm... Lonely, Kamijou lay on the table and pondered. For a person who was about to be assassinated, such an action was way too defenseless. (Theres no tension at all...) That was right, this time, Kamijou wasnt sneaking into a killers building like the Misawa Cram School, nor would he be slowed down and let twenty thousand people get killed. Though the world was in a dire situation, to Kamijou, he was feeling that this was somewhat comical and unreal. (And I have two experts from the magic world this time.) Though to Kamijou, Tsuchimikado was still just a neighbour. Since those two (seemed to be) experts in this, Kamijou felt somewhat safe now that they were with him. Actually, Kamijou didnt notice that he was using the reason of being an amateur to push the responsibility to Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado, the experts. Besides, Kamijou was just an ordinary high school student. The owner of the stare was now staring at the completely defenceless boy. And this owner of the stare was hiding underneath the Wadatsumi resort. The resort had a seventy centimetre tall space below the floor to prevent sand and moisture from entering. In terms of structure, it was like the platform of a shrine. ''The owner of the stare'' was staring at the boy from through the wooden planks. "...Angel-sama, Angel-sama." The frail and skinny middle-aged man had a shrill voice like an elementary school student before the voice breaks. The voice echoed throughout the darkness, bringing a sense of madness. "...Angel-sama, Angel-sama, please listen to me!" One could slightly hear the sound of something like nails scratching wildly on the floor. In truth, ''the owner of the stare'' had nowhere to go. He didn''t come to that place willingly. He wanted to find his comrades, but the police''s movements were faster than what he had expected, causing him to be trapped there. "Angel-sama, please listen to me, Angel-sama!" However, the ''owner of the stare'' didn''t have the fearful and anxious look of a fugitive. His right hand was holding onto a uniquely shaped knife, and his left hand was holding a thoroughly scarred wooden board the size of a notebook. Krekrekre...the sharp edge of the blade continued to scratch the wooden board. The ''owner of the stare'' spoke with a glare. "Angel-sama, how can I escape the police pursuit and find my other friends?" Krekrekre...as if responding to his own question, the right hand moved on it own, with a will that was completely unrelated to the ''owner of the stare''. The ''owner of the stare'' continued to stare at the sharp edge of the blade. The scars on the wooden board were all carvings made by the knife. These were the instructions of the Angel-sama. "Angel-sama, do you mean that you''ll help me if I again offer sacrifices?" Krekrekre...the ''owner of the stare'' would always follow the directions given by the words. The Angel-sama was always right. As long as he followed the directions the Angel-sama, he wouldn''t be wrong. But sometimes, the Angel-sama would give requests that were somewhat uncomfortable. Under the orders of the Angel-sama, the ''owner of the stare'' had already killed 28 people. "Angel-sama, Angel-sama. How about I choose this boy as a sacrifice?" Krekrekre...the knife carved three letters on the wooden board. YES. The ''owner of the stare''s'' expression darkened. He was going to kill again. How irritating. He hated it, he really didn''t want to kill. But I have to do it. This is the Angel-sama''s orders, it''s not my fault. "Angel-sama, I''ll believe you again." The ''owner of the stare'' said that as it licked its thick and short tongue on the uniquely shaped knife. This ''owner of the stare'' was the death convict, Hino Jinsaku. He used the knife to cut an extremely thick electric cable. In a moment, all the lights went out. "No electricity?" Kamijou frowned in the darkness. As the entrance to the resort was open, the moonlight shined in from outside, so it wasnt completely dark. The moment the power went out, people would unconsciously turn to the electric appliances that lost electricity. While Kamijou casually turned to look at the ceiling lamp that had suddenly turned dark zzz... There was a light cutting sound coming from the wooden floor below Kamijou''s feet. Feeling suspicious, Kamijou stood up and looked down at the floor around his feet. At that moment... PA! A crescent shaped blade pierced through the floor below his feet. "...!" Kamijou felt his throat becoming parched all of a sudden. Just two seconds ago, if Kamijou''s consciousness hadnt been attracted by the darkened light, and if he hadn''t stood up, he would have been...thinking about this, uncomfortable sweat oozed out every single inch of Kamijou''s body. A short knife blade. This crescent-shaped thirty-centimetre-long blade was sharp on the inside, and not on the outside. Thus, instead of calling it a dagger, it was more like a sickle or a claw. Krekrekre, the blade swayed back and forth before gradually sinking into the floor. He had to get out of there. However, Kamijou couldn''t move. His mind was blank, as if there was a mysterious drug in his blood. His heart was about to burst due to the sudden pumping. Kamijou barely glimpsed, the hole in the floor that was left behind by the blade. Kamijou seemed to see something. Looking through the hole on the floor and into the darkness, Kamijou saw something bloodshot, like a marsh, something that looked like it was peeking through a keyhole... A crazy looking eyeball. "Ee..." Kamijou inadvertently let out a terrified sound as he took one step backwards. Immediately, the blade that chased Kamijou pierced out near Kamijou''s sole. Kamijou lost his balance and tumbled onto the floor. The blade again sunk as it prepared to make another strike. (Calm down! Calm down!) Kamijou muttered what sounded like a curse, but that caused his body to freeze up more. With his mind almost completely frozen, Kamijou started to think hard. He definitely mustn''t fall onto the floor. That would be too dangerous. Since the enemy was attacking from below the floor, he just needed to jump onto the table. Just as Kamijou thought about that, as he intended to climb up PA! The entire floor split open and a hand reached out from the floor to grab Kamijou''s foot. "UWA...AAAHHHHH!!!" The sudden shock caused Kamijou''s heart to nearly pop out of his mouth. Kamijou tried to drag his foot away, but he couldn''t get rid of the hand that was holding onto it. That wasn''t because the hand was particularly forceful, but because Kamijou''s foot seemed numb and didn''t follow his commands at all. (Calm down! Don''t panic! Don''t be scared! I don''t know who the enemy is, but it''s definitely not a monster I never saw before! Piercing a knife through the floor and punching through the floor with a fist, these are things that humans can do! So if I calm down...) Thinking about that, Kamijou''s eyes suddenly saw something. The hand that was holding onto his ankle. Some fingernails were cracked, some were torn out; some were stained with blackish-red blocks. The fingers were bluish-black, and there was a large scar on the back of the hand. The blood spots continued to peel, and the disgusting black pieces of meat flipped out from the wounds. It looked like a rotten fruit that was excreting some transparent fluid. Like a corpse''s hand that got infected by some mysterious killer virus. "Ah...ah...ugh..." Kamijou''s breathing started to hasten, and his heart started to beat irregularly. Every single thing his attacker did wasn''t something that a human couldn''t do. It was nothing compared to Accelerator or the alchemist. From a passer-by''s view, the person may wonder why Kamijou was breathing so hard and his pulse remained extremely messed up. However, there was an easy to understand reason. For example, if there was a live cockroach in a plastic bag; even if one knew that there was a plastic bag, they wouldn''t dare touch the cockroach directly, let alone bite it to death. It was the same logic. Thus, even though logic told us that it was nothing, the fear and trembling wouldn''t stop. That attacker specialized in using psychological fear and irritation to cause the prey to be immobile. "Ah...ahh...ugh...UGH...!" Kamijou continued to tug at his leg, trying to shake off the hand that was grabbing onto his ankle. However, his body felt like it got hit with anesthetic. Kamijou couldn''t get rid of the black-coloured fear rooted deep within his heart. Kamijou tumbled onto the floor as a foot of his was grabbed. The sound of wood being cut by a blade could be heard near his chest. On the other hand. The owner of another stare was lying in ambush 150 metres away on the dim beach, looking at what was going on in the Wadatsumi resort. It was a red nun. She was about thirteen years old, with wavy blond hair. Her white skin seemed to reflect the bright moonlight. Though the girl looked cute, her attire was rather weird. She was only wearing a shirt underneath her haori. Actually, the shirt wasn''t any different from formfitting underwear, as it revealed the girl''s pretty figure fully. Also, the girl was bound by black straps and metal braces, and they seemed to form a bondage outfit. There was an extremely thick ring around her neck, with a rein around it. The leather strap on her waist was full of tools like pincers, hammers, an L-shaped crowbar, and saws. Those tools weren''t used for carpentry, they were witch tribunal tools that specialised in cutting flesh, scraping bones and breaking bodies. Looking closer, these tools were slightly modified to be different from ordinary carpentry tools. The girl with interrogation tools all over her remained expressionless. She lowered her head. Her hair covered most of her face, only revealing her small lips showing a slight sigh. The girl was listening closely. There seemed to be quite a few people on the second floor of the Wadatsumi resort. They seemed to feel that something was not right, but it would take them about six seconds to get down to the first floor. Six seconds. The blade of the attacker from below the floor would have pierced through the victim''s heart. The girl, her expression hidden behind her hair, again sighed. She then got up. Without any preparatory moves, the girl''s little body quickly moved forward, reducing the distance of 150 metres to 0; the time taken was far less than six seconds. Fifty metres per second. It was about as fast as a crossbow. No, maybe even faster. At that moment... The red nun entered Kamijou''s vision at an alarming rate. As it was too fast, Kamijou didn''t even realise that it was a girl. The red girl lowered her body, almost sticking onto the ground as she continued to run. She drew the L-shaped crowbar and aimed at the hand that was grabbing onto Kamijou''s foot and swung hard at it like a baseball bat. The bone, and the entire wrist got fractured. "Uo...ah...GYAAHHH!!" A cry of agony could be heard from below the floor. The hand that was grabbing onto Kamijou''s ankle snuck down and escaped. From the sound of a body rubbing against the floor, the attacker seemed like he was trying to get some distance. "..." The red nun threw the crowbar away and pulled out the hammer. She then raised the hammer and slammed it hard onto the floor, forming a seventy centimetre wide hole. Her blond hair fluttered about as the girl threw the hammer away and pulled out a pincer as she jumped into the hole. After a second of silence... BAM! A terrifying sound could be heard from underneath the floor. Something seemed to have been knocked hard, and it was followed by a sound like a beast trying to break out of a sturdy cage. Kamijou could roughly hear the battle going on below. BOOM! A hole suddenly opened on the floor five metres in front of him. A black figure leaps out of the floor like a dolphin. That black figure wasn''t that of the red nun. A skinny and bony middle-aged man tumbled around on the floor and hurriedly stood up. His skin colour was extremely unhealthy looking; it was obvious at first glance that his insides were damaged. The rice-coloured workclothes were stained with sweat, dirt, blood and fats. His right hand was holding onto a sickle that looked like a metal claw; and his left wrist was fractured, with bluish-black clotting underneath it. A red liquid flowed down his lips, and a incisor and canine of his were already forcefully pulled out. "GuuAAHHHHHH!!" The middle-aged man was like a wounded beast and he raised the curved knife to hack at Kamijou. (Ugh...!) Kamijou reflexively looked around for a weapon that could be used to block the curved knife. He frantically reached into his pockets and searched around, and his fingers felt something hard. Pulling it out to look, it was just a mobile phone. This thing couldn''t possibly block a knife, Kamijou cursed. Suddenly, he thought of something. He flicked the foldable phone open and shined the screen at the face of that person who was attacking. PA! The strong light instantly lit up the surrounding darkness. "GYAAHHH!!" Having lost his sight, the middle-aged man stopped what he was doing. Kamijou tried to escape, but his feet weren''t listening. He could only roll on the floor and get the distance from the attacker. The middle-aged man raised the curved knife, yet he didn''t come pursuing. His body wavered about, muttering in his mouth. "Angel-sama...Angel-sama..." On the workclothes, near the chest, there seemed to be something reflecting the moonlight. Looking closely, it was a nametag. "ANGEL-SAMA! ANGEL-SAMA! ANGEL-SAMA!!" On the plastic nametag that was sewn onto the clothes, there were a few words on it. Prisoner number 710687 Hino Jinsaku. "Angel-sama, what''s going on? Angel-sama, I followed your orders, why did I get this outcome!? Angel-sama, I gave up 28 lives for you!!" The man in prisoner clothes let out a confused, maniacal cry of despair. At that moment, Kamijou suddenly remembered the news content he saw on the TV the entire day. "Dear viewers, I''m the live reporter Komori. The death row convict that escaped from the Shinfuchuu Prison at midnight this morning is still not found. The nearby middle schools have suspended all club activities. Right now, the atmosphere is very tense..." (However...) Kamijou saw this psychotic person that was shouting and rambling about. That person was definitely the criminal. It was not hard to tell from his clothes that he was the Hino Jinsaku that had escaped from jail. However, why didn''t Hino Jinsaku switch his appearance with others? Under the effects of Angel Fall, wouldn''t everyone''s appearance be switched? And who was that ''Angel-sama'' that Hino Jinsaku was shouting about? What was the final goal of the Angel Fall spell? (Don''t tell me...this guy...) Kamijou wanted to open his mouth and ask, but at that moment, Hino Jinsaku suddenly raised the knife. "ANSWER ME, ANGEL-SAMA! WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT? ANGEL-SAMA! YOU HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, TELL ME THE TRUTH!!" The knife landed. But not at Kamijou. Hino swung the knife at his own body. The blade violently moved about, creating a sound of things being ripped apart. The workclothes were torn by this blade that was swaying about, and the shirt was stained in sweat got shredded as well, instantly becoming red. The large number of wounds seemed erratic, but they lined up in words like a child using a knife to carve a table wildly. GO ESCAPE There was no other way to express it, just a line of alphabets. However, on seeing that ''instruction'', Hino Jinsaku''s bloody face showed a smile of despair. Then, the floor between Kamijou and Hino was shattered. The red nun jumped up, holding a pincer that had something white between it; it looked like a human incisor. The red nun gripped the pincer forcefully, causing the white thing to shatter. On seeing the red nun, Hino Jinsaku, who lost an incisor unnaturally was terrified as he backed away. He then pulled a wet cloth out as he wiped the blood stains of the curved knife, before throwing it at the girl. The red nun swayed her head slightly, easily dodging the curved knife. Having lost its target, the knife flew at Kamijou''s face. "Eh?" After letting out a puzzled sound, Kamijou suddenly realised how foolish he was. At that moment, the knife was still approaching Kamijou quickly, and the speed could be compared to a hammer swinging down on a nail. "WAHH!" Kamijou frantically rolled away and dodged it, but the knife still grazed his face. Just a light cut. But at that moment, Kamijou lost his balance. He collapsed onto the ground, unable to get up. He was sweating profusely, and felt like vomiting. (Poi...son? Damn it...what did he apply on that...?) The action of rubbing the knife with the cloth was to apply poison. It was said that among some minority tribes in Africa, they would apply poisonous caterpillar fluids on the tips of the spears before hunting. Maybe this was a similar poison. Kamijou''s body had developed a rather decent resistance due to Academy City''s training, but he couldn''t prevent the power of the poison from taking effect. Kamijou''s vision became blurry, and then darker. With an unbelievable laughter, Kamijou felt that Hino Jinsaku had already escaped the seaside resort. The red nun wanted to give chase, but after hesitating, she decided to dash towards Kamijou. At that moment, Kamijou lost consciousness. Part 5 He didnt know whether it was a minute or an hour. Like a patient with fever, he woke up due to thirst. Behind him was the solid floor, and as he looked around, there was the vestiges of wreckage all around. It seemed like Kamijou hadnt been taken someplace else. This place seemed to be the first level of the Wadatsumi resort. Most probably, he had been out for only a short while. Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki were kneeling beside him. After such a large commotion, Mikoto and Index still hadnt come downstairs. Normally, they would have woken up even if they were asleep. In other words, that meant that Kanzaki or someone else used something similar to the Opila rune that Stiyl had used, Kamijou pondered. Then, Kamijou noticed Misaka Imouto wearing a T-shirt, shorts and apron among the magicians. She was trembling as she looked around to see the damage to the shop. Right now, her identity should be that of a shop attendant there. I set up an empty area spell, but the shop workers are unexpectedly sleeping at the first level. Good thing that the boss is settling some stuff on the second floor. Hearing Kanzaki say that, Misaka Imouto trembled. Her expression was like someone who just witnessed a crime syndicate committing a crime, looking extremely terrified as she didnt know how she would be dealt with. Kanzaki stroked the nodachis blade as she said, For your own safety, let me warn you. You must not talk about what happened today. If you think that this nodachi is a fake, you can just ignore it. Kanzaki sounded really scary, but Kamijou noticed that Tsuchimikado, who was beside him, was about to burst into laughter...so she wasnt serious? Then, Kamijou noticed that slightly far away in the shadows was a red nun. (Who is that?) Kamijou felt puzzled. Thinking back, she did save him, but who is she? Ah, shes not an enemy. Kanzaki noticed Kamijous gaze as she said, Shes a member of Annihilatus. Kanzakis words had some strange language mixed in it, and Kamijou didnt understand. Tsuchimikado seemed to understand his worries and said, If the Anglican Church can be said to specialize in hunting witches, then the Russian Orthodox Church specialises in hunting ghosts, like will-owisp, spectres and pregnant spirits...all sorts of things that shouldnt exist are within their perimeters. Kamijou again turned to look at the blond girl who was hidden in the shadows. Seeing other people talk about herself, the red nun still remained still. Maybe this communication breakdown in the magic world wasn''t rare, as Kanzaki then explained, "Her name is Misha Kreutzev. She sucked out the poison from your wound, so you should thank her." Sucked the poison out of the woundon hearing that, Kamijou''s ears inadvertently turn red. The wound was on the face, and though it was just healing, Kamijou couldn''t help but sweat. "Is...is that so..." Kamijou said with a hoarse voice, "Thanks, I would have been killed if you didn''t step in..." The smile that Kamijou barely forced out instantly froze. Misha, who was originally standing slightly far away, instantly closed in to Kamijou. She used her right hand to draw out the saw that was hanging at her waist, and before Kamijou could even blink, she used the saw teeth to hold down Kamijou''s neck. Nobody could react in time, let alone Kamijou, even Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki couldn''t stop her even though they were standing nearby. Kamijou could feel an icy feeling on his neck. Kamijou lifted up his head and looked at Misha Kreutzev, who was holding onto the saw. Through the long bangs, he could see that her eyes had no hint of hesitation, and her irises were much colder than the saw. Misha asked with a flat robotic-like tone, "My first question: Were you the one who cast Angel Fall?" Kamijou was so scared he couldn''t say anything. Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki also look stunned as they stared at Misha. "Hold...hold on a minute! Misha Kreutzev. Didn''t you assume that Kamijou Touma wasn''t the culprit behind Angel Fall before you protected him and drew the poison out of him?" In regards to Kanzaki''s questions, Misha turned her eyes and said to Kanzaki. "My first answer: I came here to prevent Angel Fall. I couldn''t get the answer from this boy, so I''m asking him now." With the saw placed against his neck, Kamijou stared at Misha''s face. Misha also turned her eyes away from Kanzaki''s face and onto Kamijou''s face, as if seeing Kamijou''s eyes. "Repeating my first question again: Were you the one who cast Angel Fall?" "...No." "My second question: Can you prove it?" Misha said what seemed to be pre-prepared questions. Maybe she expected that Kamijou could be lying. "I don''t have any proof, but I don''t understand magic at all." Misha slightly tilted her head to a side, seemingly expressing the suspicion in her heart. Kanzaki sighed, and said, "As a member of Necessarius of the Anglican Church, I can explain this." Then, Kanzaki started to explain to Misha that since Kamijou had no knowledge of magic at all, he couldn''t possibly be the one who triggered Angel Fall. And if an esper used magic, the burden would be too great on the body, but Kamijou didn''t look like he had any wounds on him. Perhaps Kamijou hadn''t been affected by Angel Fall because of his right hand''s Imagine Breaker ability. With that power, any supernatural power would be erased with just a single touch. Misha continued to pay attention to every single word and she nodded several times. Finally, she stared at Kamijou; or more accurately, his right hand. Maybe the Imagine Breaker had piqued her interest." "Values, 40, 9, 30, 7. Total is 86." BOOM! A water pillar spurted out from the floor behind Misha. Most likely, a water pipe had burst. "Respond. Mem '' tet '' lamed '' zayin (Oh water, form as a holy snake, and strike through like a sword)." After Misha said that, the water pillar curved its head down like a snake, and then like a mythical Hydra or a Yamata dragon, it formed several snakes. Before Kamijou''s mind could even process the danger, the water snakes came attacking like spears. TUMP TUMP TUMP! One after another, water pillars continued to shoot out from the floor surrounding Kamijou. And one of those pillars came at Kamijou''s face directly. "WAH!" Kamijou frantically used his right hand to block the water pillar. The water pillar that got blocked exploded like a balloon that was filled with water, and the water splattered all over the place. However, it seemed like Kamijou was protected by an invisible shield, as there was not a single drop of water on him. Misha carefully looked at the water that had splattered onto the floor. "Correct answer. The Anglican''s view matches the result of the experiment just now. This answer is enough to remove the suspicion. Boy, I apologize for scaring you because of a wrong answer." "Instead of that, you already attacked me, right? And who in the world doesn''t look into the eyes when she apologises?" "My third question: Since you''re not the culprit, who''s the one who cast Angel Fall? It''s a fact that the phenomenon is centred around here, do you have any thoughts of who may be the one?" "You aren''t listening to me! Seems like you aren''t reflecting about it at all!" Kamijou lay on the floor and saw the large hole in it. At that moment, Misaka Imouto, who didn''t understand what was going on at all, could only tremble as she secretly talked to Kamijou. Maybe she had finally calmed down somewhat. "Can...can I ask you...what kind of special effects movie are you filming? And...wasn''t the one who escaped just now Hino Jinsaku? Are you guys the undercover cops who often appear on TV?" "For your own safety, I suggest that you don''t interfere with our affairs." Misaka Imouto''s question was shot down completely by Kanzaki. But Misaka Imouto''s words caused Kamijou to realise something. "Hold...hold on! That guy is Hino Jinsaku to you?" "Who else? Anyway, who do we claim the damages from? Hino, the police, or the broadcasting agency?" In a shock, Kamijou didn''t know what to say. For example, on the second floor, there was Aogami Pierce in nun robes. To everyone, that guy was Index, but to Kamijou, he was Aogami Pierce. That was the difference between the inside and the appearance. But to both Kamijou and Misaka Imouto, he was still Hino Jinsaku. Inside and appearance were the same? That meant... "That guy...didn''t get switched?" Kamijou explained that to the magicians, and everyone looked somewhat grim. "My fourth question: Is it the one who just escaped?" Misha looked in the direction where Hino Jinsaku escaped. Just as Misha intended to dash out, Kanzaki grabbed her shoulder. "Hold on, since we''re aiming for the same thing, why don''t we act together?" "My fifth question: What benefits does this have to me?" "Let me ask you then? Do you specialize in hunting humans? Are these tools on you famous interrogation tools of the tower of London? We locals don''t use such things; an ordinary axe is still better than a gold or silver one." Kanzaki continued. "You people at the Russian Orthodox Church should specialize in exorcism, right? Hunting humans isn''t a strong point of yours, and we of the Anglican Church are good in these. With us helping you out, it shouldn''t be a bad thing to you." "...Good answer. Thank you for your proposal." Misha stretched her small hand out. Kanzaki was stunned for a moment, before realizing that she wanted to shake hands, and then smiled as she reached her own hand out to shake hands. While both of them were talking, Kamijou, who was beside them, asked, "Alright, what should we do now? Do we go chase after him?" "Your enthusiasm is good, and I really want Tsuchimikado to learn from you. But right now, your job is to recover. While you recover, it''s best that we guard you. We don''t know what Hino wants, and it''s not like he won''t attack in the middle of the night while you''re asleep." Hearing Kanzaki''s words, Misha said, My sixth question: Since the priority of the people that require protection is smaller, should I head out alone to hunt the suspect?" "We don''t know how strong the enemy is, so it''s not a good thing to scatter our strength. In the worst case scenario, he may have obtained the power of an angel." Misha didn''t seem satisfied with that answer, but she didn''t say anything else. Maybe she already regretted agreeing to work together. However, Kanzaki ignored her and continued, "First, we have to discuss the plan with Kreutzev, and next, we have to repair the damages. Once these are done, we''ll protect your safety...Tsuchimikado, why do you look so unwilling?" Kanzaki''s words made Kamijou feel that something was amiss. Because if that was the case, they couldn''t sleep. For the sake of Kamijou sleeping, they had to work hard, which Kamijou couldn''t accept. Even though he was injured, that was because Kamijou hadn''t paid enough attention, so he couldn''t give an excuse. Even though he thought that way, Kamijou didn''t say anything, as his throat was dry and painful, as if it was burning. At that moment, Kanzaki actually looked at Kamijou tenderly, which was completely different from her usual expression. "We''ll discuss the details with Kreutzev, and I''ll tell you that later. Right now, you really need to rest. If we let ordinary civilians get hurt, it''ll be really shameful on our part." "Ya. How sad will it be if an ordinary civilian dies while the expert lives?" Tsuchimikado said in a rare lonely tone. Maybe those people felt like they had their own responsibilities. Kamijou sighed. (Hm? Go...go back to my room?) Kamijou suddenly felt that something was not right. "Ah...AHHHHHHHHHHHH! DAMN IT! INDEX!" An idea suddenly flashed through Kamijou''s mind, and then he jumped up, contrary to the expectations for an injured person. Abandoning the speechless people, Kamijou frantically dashed up the stairs to the second level. The handrails of the stairs had some mysterious words carved in with a knife, but once Kamijou''s right hand grabbed the handrail, he seemed to hear the sound of glass breaking. Maybe the ''empty area'' spell got destroyed, but Kamijou didn''t have time to care about that at all. He wasn''t going for his room, and not Mikoto''s room. Kamijou tugged hard at Kamijou Touya''s room. Even if the room was locked, he intended to force the door open. BAM! With a shocking force, the door was forced open. The lights in the room were turned off, and there were two futons on the floor. Kamijou Touya was just about to attack Index, who was sleeping in the futon. Of course, to Touya, the person in front of him was his wife Shiina, so he wouldn''t feel guilty about it. But to Kamijou, his almost 35-year-old father was currently attacking a probably less than 14-year-old Index. That scene couldn''t even be described as weird; it was already a nightmare. "STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Kamijou completely ignored the dizziness caused by the poison left inside him as he leapt between the two futons. Touya was shocked. And as for Index, who was acting as his mother, she was still sleeping deeply even with this commotion. "...(T-Touma! How can you rush in at this most awkward moment?)" "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! WE''RE SLEEPING TOGETHER, THREE OF US! SURE-KILL, PARENT AND CHILD RELATIONSHIP BATTLE!" Just like that, the midnight battle began. Kanzaki''s care for the injured wasn''t effective at all, because Kamijou Touma wasn''t able to sleep during the entire night. Notes 1. The Bakumatsu was the late Tokugawa Shogunate, also known as the time when the elite Shinsengumi existed. Volume 4, 2: The Detectives of This World at War Volume 4, Chapter 2: The Detectives of This World at War Part 1 The next day. In the cool and refreshing morning, Index, who was now Kamijou''s mother, woke up from her dreamland to see the father and son with black rings around their eyes, as they continued to stare off against each other. "Good morning. Ara ara, two men continued to talk for the entire night? I''m so envious, it feels like some field trip or some sabbatical." It was true that on seeing the current depressing energy that permeated the atmosphere, one might have thought that it could rival ''a real gathering of a guys'' room real-life experience during the night of a school excursion'' (with 80% and above having plump and swollen faces while they continue to bluff each other). However, because of Kamijou''s lost memory, he couldn''t recall such an experience. Anyway, as Kamijou had fought valiantly against his tired body for the entire night, he was too tired to be able to reply to Index. (Ha...haa. Damn it, at least I managed to hold on...it''s morning now, don''t worry...) As Kamijou was thinking this, he was attacked by the sleep monster and collapsed onto the futon. With this comfortable feeling of victory, he entered dreamland. "Here, okaa-san! Touma''s already asleep, we should have a passionate kiss once in a while in the morning, right?" "Ara ara, can''t be helped. Thinking about this so early in the morning, I really don''t know what you two were talking about last night." Touya seemed to treat Index as Snow White and he hoped to give her a wake-up kiss. Just as the couple''s lips were about to meet, Kamijou''s eyes suddenly widened. "A terrifying tongue-biting uppercut!" Before their lips met, Touya was hit by an uppercut to the chin from Kamijou and his face flew upwards while the like landed on the futon. Kamijou hadn''t actually used a lot of force, but Touya was already rather tired since he hadn''t slept. It should be alright now, right? Feeling relieved, Kamijou again collapsed. However... Kamijou''s enemy wasn''t just Touya. "ONNIIIIIIII--CHAN!! THE ALARM-CLOCK-REPLACEMENT-ATTACK IS HERE!" Being attacked suddenly by Mikoto (who seemed really happy), Kamijou felt all the weight of her body pressed down on his chest and his body cramps inwards. His mind instantly woke up (it takes about 15 minutes for a person to start sleeping). (Uoohh...ack...ackack! Wha...what''s going on?" "Hahahahaha!!!" "STOP LAUGHING ON ME! HURRY UP AND GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION!" "Captain! It''s an imouto''s basic skill to have a special wrestling move that can replace an alarm clock''s functions!!" "STOP FOOLING AROUND! ARE YOU TRYING TO ACT CUTE? I''VE HAD ENOUGH! I''M GOING TO TIE YOU UP AND STUFF YOU INTO THE GYM STOREROOM!" At this moment, Aogami Piece, who was acting the role of Index, came into the room. "Ah! Touma''s already playing an interesting game so early in the morning! I wanna play! I wanna play!" "HOLD...HOLD UP YOU MUSCULAR HULK! YOU''LL KILL SOMEONE WITH THAT SQUASH ATTACK!" "Why? Why is Touma pushing me away? I wanna play, I wanna play! I must play!" "Ah...hold...hold on! I''M SORRY, IT''S MY FAULT! I CAN AT MOST GIVE YOU 2000 YEN, PLEASE LET ME OFF...GYYAAAH!!!!" The impact Kamijou took nearly caused his insides to explode. "Uu...uuggghh...ha....hoho...I''m going to start killing! I''M GOING TO SMASH YOUR STUPID BRAINS LIKE A WATERMELON!!!" Just like that, the second day of the Angel Fall phenomenon opened with a bang. Part 2 Noon. Kamijou''s family (including the nun who was freeloading at Kamijou''s house) were all playing at the beach, leaving Kamijou alone in the resort on the excuse of summer illness. The moment everyone left, Kanzaki, Tsuchimikado and Misha stepped into the Wadatsumi resort. As Tsuchimikado''s appearance was that of an idol who had recently created trouble, it would have been troublesome if the boss saw him, so they held the meeting in Kamijou''s room. On a side note, the reason why Kamijou hadn''t done anything all morning was because Kamijou really was unable to move due to morning illness. This tragedy was due to a lack of sleep, insufficient intake of water and the hot weather. Misha seemed to have searched for Hino alone in the morning, but she couldn''t find anything. Kamijou felt rather self-loathing that he had become everyone''s baggage. "Really...what were you thinking for the entire night?" Right now, Kamijou looked like a plant that had withered because someone forgot to water it. With Kanzaki raging and worried as she lectured him, Kamijou felt even more depressed. At that moment, Tsuchimikado, who was wearing blue sunglasses, grimaced and said, "Okay, okay Kanzaki nee-chin, there''s no need to make the patient feel worse." "You''re too naive, Tsuchimikado. When you have to scold, you have to scold heavily, or he may end up repeating that again! I always see him getting into trouble. We can deal with it!" Kanzaki sounded like she was lecturing a child who had just played with fire, and these words hit Kamijou the hardest. Unable to stand this any longer, Tsuchimikado put his mouth near Kanzaki''s ear and whispered to her like a couple. "...(Nee-chin, is it really alright to pressure Kami-yan like that? Kami-yan did drag his poisoned body along to protect the Index that you care for the most!)" "Uuu..." Kanzaki was stunned. "...(You should be thanking him, right? Why are you angry at him instead? Besides, you haven''t thanked him for what happened the last time.)" "Uuu..." Kanzaki''s entire body froze. Standing slightly further away while looking at Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado, Misha sighed. Though she didn''t say anything, Misha must have been feeling that this was rather funny. Since she normally lowered her head, and her face was often covered with her bangs, it was hard to see her expression. Kamijou had a feeling that if that meaningless conversation kept going, the hastily-assembled group would break up. Starting to worry, he decided to take up the role of the leader for the meeting. "Speaking of which, the culprit behind Angel Fall is Hino Jinsaku, right?" Hino Jinsaku was the man who had attacked Kamijou from below the floor yesterday. "According to the eyewitness report I got from Misaka Imouto, that person wasn''t changed." Kanzaki looked at Kamijou and said, "I didn''t see Hino Jinsaku directly, so I didn''t dare to conclude this. But if he really wasn''t switched, he''s most likely the suspect." "...In other words, we just need to capture Hino Jinsaku...but..." Looking rather bothered, Tsuchimikado stroked his sunglasses. It was not that easy to capture Hino Jinsaku. He hadn''t left any trails behind, so it was impossible to tell where he escaped to. "Since Hino''s a magician, can''t we just track his magic trail?" "My first answer: We couldn''t trace the trail of magic that Hino used last night. It''s likely that he may have used some masking method to prevent being traced." "The most important angel also didn''t leave any trails. If an angel-like magical energy is left alone, the huge amount of energy can even cause the ground to distort, so he must be using some other method to hide the power of the angel." "Hiding...is it really that simple?" In regards to Kamijou''s question, Kanzaki pondered for a moment, before continuing. "According to records in the Old Testament, angels did hide their identities to enter ordinary people''s cities and have meals with ordinary people. Also, there was a story that an archangel walked into a river to save an infant from drowning. Maybe we have to assume that angels have extremely skilled techniques in hiding their powers." On hearing Kanzaki''s words, Misha nodded her head slowly. Though her bangs obscured any expression, Misha seemed satisfied. This response was similar to what Index often did; seems like nuns love to talk about things in the Bible. "Anyway, all we can do right now is to compile all our information." Tsuchimikado said this, and then turned on the old TV in the corner of the room. On the news, Komoe-sensei was still holding onto the microphone as she reported the news. "...It''s been past a whole day since Hino Jinsaku escaped from jail. Right now, we have professor Ono Raizen of Miwa University''s criminologist department. who''ll give us an in-depth analysis. Professor Ono, please." Saying ''thank you'' with a heavy tone, Professor Ono looked like a third grader. The show looked like some children''s education show when both of them appeared on screen. Professor Ono said, "Hino Jinsaku''s modus operandi is extremely rare in the history of crime. He did kill 28 innocent victims, but he insisted that this wasn''t voluntary. He said that he was just following orders from an ''Angel-sama''. To be honest, this feels somewhat similar to the ritual killings of the religious crimes in Europe and America. The elementary school kid dressed in Western clothes continued to rattle on. Kamijou nodded his head. "That''s right, Hino did mention yesterday of an Angel-sama. This analyst should be talking about the ''Hino before he was switched'', and this can prove the one ''before he got switched'' is the same as ''the one after switching''. "My first question: Let me confirm this again, is this Hino Jinsaku the culprit behind Angel Fall?" Hearing Misha''s question, Kamijou nodded his head again. Unlike Kamijou, Hino didn''t have the power of the Imagine Breaker, but he never got switched. Therefore, Hino Jinsaku was the most likely suspect. "But who is the Angel-sama?" "As for that, while I was repairing the floor yesterday, I found this underneath the floor." Tsuchimikado pulled out a thin block of wood that was about the size of a notebook. The wood block was scarred thoroughly on the surface, as if someone had used a nail to scar it, and there didn''t seem to be any place without a scar. "What''s carved onto it seems to be alphabets, and because there were so many alphabets carved onto it, they seem so packed together." Tsuchimikado sighed. "This is somewhat similar to an oracle or a John''s Pen mode. Hino may just be following orders of the ''right hand that was naturally carving out words'', like some Kokkuri-san or Planchette." (...Kokkuri-san?) Kamijou felt that something wasn''t right, but he didn''t say this out loud, since they were the experts here. "We can tell that this ritual killing that the Angel-sama commanded took 28 lives away...what kind of ritual is that?" "...Maybe that''s Angel Fall?" Kamijou couldn''t understand the talk about some world-level magic spell and huge ritual arena, but it was really spine-chilling to hear 28 live sacrifices. It really sounded like those black magic spells to worship demons. "But if that''s the case, things got a lot more complicated. Assuming that Angel Fall really was casted by Hino, the one who commanded him was this Angel-sama. Why would an angel deliberately cast such a spell like Angel Fall." Tsuchimikado folded his arms and pondered. At this moment, Kamijou answered without hesitation. "...Maybe the most simple reason is that the angel wanted to descend into the mortal realm?" "Um, Kami-yan, your explanation here has a huge flaw. The angels have no personalities. Angels are messengers of heaven, and their real appearances are like humanoid balloons with lots of abnormal power within them. In Idol Theory, a fake cross can obtain power, and the angels are the same. In theory, an angel''s power can be divided into 100 and invoked into swords and armour. Also, without God''s commands, angels themselves won''t automatically create miracles on their own, help good people or defeat evil. Angels are basically like remote controlled cars in this regard. "...So angels are like these?" "Ya. In the Final Judgement described in the New Testament, God will judge the humanity of mankind at the end of the world. Sending good people into heaven and bad people into hell. Before that, angels can''t deliberately save or kill people as it may change history." Tsuchimikado continued, "Oh ya, like what I just mentioned, angels are like remote-controlled cars of God. If one of the cars couldn''t receive the commands because of some failure, or if the command received was wrong, it will become what we call a demon." Tsuchimikado''s words really surprised Kamijou. The angels and demons that often appeared in video games were completely different things. In his own impression, angels were just some random dumb blond beauties (with wings attached) that loved to watch from the heavens. Of course, this impression came from movies and manga. "..." At this moment, Kamijou didn''t think again as he said, "Maybe the angel wanted a heart?" "Since it doesn''t have a heart, how can it desire one? Though angels look like they have their own will and can move about on their own, that''s just a false impression. They''re like stringed puppets, they can''t move when the strings controlling them are snapped." Said Tsuchimikado, scratching his head. "As for the reason behind this, we just have to ask Hino after we catch him. Right now, let''s thoroughly discuss what the enemy has." After Tsuchimikado finished speaking, Misha just glanced at him slightly. However, she did not add on. It seemed like she wasn''t used to initiating a conversation, only asking questions or giving answers. Thus, only Kanzaki could continue. "First point, did Hino Jinsaku control an angel?" "From what we discussed, I think we can exclude that. Besides, if Hino did completely control an angel, why didn''t he use the power when he was in such a critical situation?" Tsuchimikado thought for a moment, and then continued, "Maybe Hino isn''t able to command the angel fully, as if there were some static on a radio signal. Also, it seems like Hino had to follow the angel''s orders, so in that critical situation, I don''t think that Hino was able to get the angel to help him." Now that he mentioned it, Hino, who was desperate, bemoaned why Angel-sama wouldn''t help him out. "But on the other hand, if the angel got his orders, it is still likely that it will accept Hino''s command when he''s in danger, right?" Hearing Kanzaki say that, the eyes hidden under Tsuchimikado''s shades revealed a haughty expression. "Well, it''s not a bad thing to think of the worst case scenarios. But...hoho...if we really want to go against an ''Angel'', the history of Mankind will most likely meet an end." Even though Tsuchimikado had said that, Kamijou couldn''t really imagine it. What was an angel? How would the world look like when humanity is destroyed? "Next, we''ll analyse his allies'' support. Is there a likelihood that Hino may be under the charge of a certain group or organisation?" "That''s a really low probability. If Hino really has comrades, he wouldn''t be alone when the ''Angel-sama'' commanded him to carry out the ''sneak attack''. Of course, it''s a different case if his comrades are working on other things." "Hm...it''s unlikely that he has an accomplice. If so, where is Hino going to heal himself? According to Kreutzev, Hino has two teeth pulled out, and his left wrist is fractured." "He''ll definitely be arrested if he stupidly decides to walk into a hospital. Even if he wants to find a private doctor, he shouldn''t have any money with him when he just escaped from jail. If so, either he''s going to rob a cash truck or he''s preparing to cast a recovery spell." "Either way, we can''t guarantee it. Also, I want to know how he got the knife and the poison. Maybe he hid it some place, or maybe he got them when he attacked someone. He may also have funds, or not. Or maybe he has accomplices who gave him the weapons. Since we''re not criminologists, overly guessing here will give us more wrong information." Kanzaki sighed and stopped talking. Once someone became quiet, the entire conversation was interrupted. The atmosphere seemed rather heavy. Only the sound of the TV continued to echo about without any feelings. At that moment, the originally calm voice from the TV set sounded rather panicky. Turning around to look, Kamijou saw the huge words ''breaking news'' flashed on the TV. The baffling analyst was shoved aside, and Komoe-sensei looked shocked as she saw the sudden news report that was shoved into her hands. "Ah, we have the latest news on the Hino Jinsaku jailbreak! Hino''s in a house in Kanegawa-ken, and the police assault squads have already arrived at the scene, surrounding the house! Reporting from the...can you hear me? Reporting from the scene is reporter Kugimiya..." Everyone was now staring intently at the TV; even Misha Kreutzev was silently peering over. The screen changed. Two-storey tall houses were located on the sides of this commonly seen residential street scene. The originally quiet street was now bustling with interested onlookers, policemen were blocking the civilians, and assault squad members were dressed up as if they were ready to go to war. The entire place was buzzing, but the policemen and assault squad members were converted into old grandpas and kindergarten children, so it looked really unnerving. A man who looked like a vegetable seller held onto the microphone and said, "Dear viewers, as you''re seeing now, all the people, including us reporters are stopped just six hundred metres away from the house that Hino Jinsaku took refuge in. The civilians here seem to be residents who received the advice to escape to safety. According to reliable sources, Hino Jinsaku pulled all the curtains and the windows up after he escaped, so nobody outside could see what''s going on." Tsuchimikado lowered his voice and cursed. The eyes behind the blue sunglasses revealed his anxiety. It was unknown whether he was worried that things would be more difficult due to the situation escalating, or whether he was worried about the residents in the house. "We don''t know what the situation is in the residence. We don''t know whether there are hostages, and we don''t know what sort of weapon Hino Jinsaku has, so the assault squads aren''t attacking...ah, something''s happening. A car just entered a restricted area. Is that the police''s negotiator?" The screen changed to the bird-eye''s view from a helicopter. The red roofed house should be where Hino Jinsaku was hiding. "Idiot..." Kamijou couldn''t help but curse. Lifting the helicopter above the residence would only cause unnecessary disturbance to Hino Jinsaku, and it was likely that he was watching the TV. It was a good thing that it was just an enlarged image; if they showed a bird-eye''s view of the surroundings, it would basically be telling Hino of the assault squad''s location. (...Eh?) Suddenly, that image caused Kamijou to feel something strange. However, the image was unnaturally switched back to the studio; maybe it got restricted. Komoe-sensei looked helpless as she read the news, and the content was basically about the crimes Hino committed and a reminder to the surrounding residents not to leave their homes. "Alright, things just got messy. If Hino lands into the police''s hands, it''ll be hard for us to make him remove the Angel Fall spell. If possible, we should take Hino away before the police, but what should we do?" "Tsuchimikado! You know what will happen if he has a hostage!?" It was rare to see Kanzaki so agitated, but Tsuchimikado merely replied casually. "Hm, no matter what we do, we have to get to the scene of the crime. But where is it? Kanegawa-ken." At that moment, Kamijou timidly raised his hand as he requested to speak. Kanzaki said in an impatient tone, "What do you want to say? If you want to go there, I refuse. I''m different from Stiyl, I don''t intend to bring you to the scene." "It''s not that, I just noticed from the aerial footage..." "What?" "Ah...well...that...I may be mistaken...and even if it''s true..." "Hurry up and say it, stop beating around the bush." "Um...my mom has an interest in paragliding...ah, there are many kinds of paragliders; one type uses a motor. I don''t really know, but it''s basically sitting on a chair that looks like a swing and flying with a huge propeller on the back. My mom sent me lots of photos when I was hospitalised; I don''t know what''s so fun about it, but these were shot in the air near my house..." "Aerial shots? So what..." Before she could finish, Kanzaki suddenly understood. Kamijou nodded and said, "I find that red roof familiar...I often see that in the aerial shots near my house." Part 3 Pain will cause people to lose their cool when they make decisions. The escaped convict Hino Jinsaku silently cursed as he grabbed the left hand that was like a rotten fruit. Though it was not yet noon, all the windows and blinds were pulled up, so light couldn''t enter. The electricity seemed to have been cut off by the assault squad outside. In this late August summer season, sealing all the windows up without turning on the air conditioning and letting the hot air gather wasn''t any different from a greenhouse. Though he knew that he was thinking too much, the room was really too hot, making him worry that his wounds would rot because of the heat. On the way there, he had managed to pick up some metal wires and a wooden stick to hold his wrist together. However, the teeth that had been pulled out couldn''t be treated medically now. The wound brought out a mysterious scalding and numbing pain. This heat and pain caused Hino Jinsaku to sweat heavily, and he muttered to himself in the darkness. "Angel-sama, Angel-sama..." He continued to mutter as he considered the current situation. After Hino became the infamous mysterious killer who killed 28 people through ritual-like killings, there were a lot a people who appeared on the internet, either worshipers or con-artists. Among them was a college student who created a website to support the serial killer Hino Jinsaku, and that person lived in an apartment nearby. After he escaped from prison, Hino had wanted to use that hiding place and the funds he provided... It was impossible to watch the television when the house had no electricity, so he couldn''t tell what was going on outside. However, the residents nearby seemed to have been ordered to evacuate. If that was the case, the helper who was living nearby would have been chased outside the perimeter. "Angel-sama, Angel-sama..." What should I do now? Hino started to think. Right now, the assault squads didn''t seem like they intended to attack, maybe because they still didn''t know what was the situation inside the house. But if they found out that there were no hostages inside the house, they would immediately charge in. He couldn''t let the assault squad figure out his bluff, so the trick was to maintain the secrecy. Being a specialist in psychological attack, Hino understood that the most savage and rowdy criminals weren''t the hardest to handle, but the ones who were so silent they''re scary. What should he do? How can he escape? He still had a curved knife in his hand, but that alone wasn''t going to break through. "Angel-sama, Angel-sama..." At that moment, Hino''s right hand started to move on its own. The edge of the blade stabbed Hino''s abdomen in a shallow manner, and carved out words. The red oracle, carved onto his flesh, silently answered his question. CALL AN AMBULANCE. I see, there was still this trick. Hino really felt impressed about it. As expected, the Angel-sama''s words definitely wouldn''t be wrong. Though I once got arrested by the police and got sentenced to death, Angel-sama will help me fulfil my desire to live on. Angel-sama will bless me a wonderful future. Since I know what to do, let''s get into action. Without even intending to wrap his wounds on the abdomen, Hino Jinsaku immediately got ready for the preparation. Part 4 Kamijou Touma had lost his memory. Thus, Kamijou didn''t even know where his old house was. Using the excuse of going to the toilet, Kamijou left Tsuchimikado and company. He recalled the aerial footage he saw on the TV and used the GPS function of the phone to find an approximate location. Luckily, the aerial footage had managed to capture a large shopping centre, which was located mainly in the Kyushuu region. There was only one in Kanagawa-ken, so Kamijou managed to get the location immediately. However, the GPS image wouldn''t be able to show the family name. Kamijou could only find the approximate location and then search through the commotion. After confirming the location, Kamijou walked out of the toilet and onto the beach. Ignoring the people playing on the beach, he headed to the umbrella that was slightly further away. How careless of them to have left all their luggage bags here. Kamijou felt somewhat guilty as he searched through his father''s wallet and pulled out his old house keys; and then he returned back to the Wadatsumi. Kanzaki was waiting at the first level of the Wadatsumi. "Alright, where''s your old house?" "Hm, it''ll take twenty minutes to get there. The easiest way is to take a taxi over." "...Let me ask you again, are you really going to go there? You don''t have to accompany us, you know." "...Let me answer you again, that''s my house. If I leave it to you guys, you guys will mess it up, and my house will vanish from the map." Even though he said that, Kamijou was partly worried about Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado. Though Misha had sent Hino Jinsaku retreating yesterday through overwhelming force, it didn''t mean that he could relax. "Since Hino''s a magician, my right hand can at least be of some use here. As for that, I suppose we all understood that when you guys tried to pull my beach pants down." Kanzaki was inadvertently silent. At this moment, Tsuchimikado and Misha were there. Though Kamijou didn''t know who Misha got switched with, Tsuchimikado was a troublemaking idol now, so it would be troublesome if he met the resort boss. "Hi, Kami-yan! If you''re ready, hurry up and lets go! You''re the only one who knows where your house is, we need you to lead us." Misha remained silent. The weather was so hot, yet she wasn''t sweating at all. "Ah, as for that, it takes twenty minutes to get to my house by car, so we better take a cab." "Eh?" Tsuchimikado sounded rather unhappy as he said, "Seems like I have to hide before the taxi arrives. It''ll be bad if the boss who looks like Stiyl sees me." After saying that, Tsuchimikado left the resort like a ninja. "Tsuchimikado!" Kanzaki shouted as she followed. Maybe Tsuchimikado''s attitude of wanting to drag Kamijou down made her unhappy. Kamijou remained stunned for a while, then he pulled out his mobile phone to hail a taxi. After ending the phone call, he wondered, (Oh yeah, who''s paying for it? I don''t want to! But if we have to play janken, I''ll lose...) Thinking about that, Kamijou suddenly felt that someone was behind him. Misha Kreutzev was still standing there. "WAHH!" Having thought that Misha would have disappeared, Kamijou shrieked. "My first question: Why are you so panicky?" "Nothing..." Kamijou didn''t know how to explain it. Misha''s method of asking was very suitable for information exchange, but it was not suited to chit-chat at all. The taxi would take five to ten minutes to arrive. Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki had disappeared, so there was nobody else to talk to. However, Kamijou was reluctant to leave Misha alone, so he could only stay here. This awkward silence was like taking a lift. And Misha was basically wearing what was similar to underwear with a coat over it. While both of them were alone, Kamijou even felt embarrassed to look at her. (This...this is too intense...damn it...I can''t even smile at all...) Thirty seconds into the silence, and Kamijou was unable to take it. Kamijou preferred to have ''a cheerful dinner table gathering''. He looked around to find something they could talk about, and then searched his pockets. He touched something hard, and pulled it out; it was chewing gum. "You...you want some?" Kamijou carefully asked, but Misha remained unmoving. "My second question: From your question, this should be a form of food, right?" "It can be eaten, but it can''t be swallowed." Misha suspiciously tilted her head. Kamijou again passed the chewing gum to Misha, who moved her hand slowly. She nudged the edge of the chewing gum with one finger, not touching Kamijou''s fingers at all. Her movements were rather uncommon; it was like a shop attendant passing the change to the customer. It seemed like Misha had never seen chewing gum before, and she stared at the paper wrapped object for quite a while before peeling it carefully. She then brought the chewing gum to her nose and sniffed it like a small animal, before sticking her tongue out and licking the chewing gum gently. (Uu...seems like I''m not trusted at all...she''s actually testing for poison...) Even though his face was smiling, Kamijou was crying deep inside. Misha finally put the chewing gum into her mouth. After taking the first chew, she stopped. Maybe the feeling of the chewing gum was something she never experienced? Misha maintained this position before her small mouth started to move again. It seemed like she was rather satisfied. "My personal opinion: Hm, sweet foods are good. I often say that sweets are a source of longevity, it reminds me of God''s grace." Though her expression was hidden by her bangs, her lips seemed to be smiling. At that moment, Kamijou was finally released from the heavy atmosphere. Seeing Misha chew the gum like a child, he heaved a sigh of relief. However, Misha''s throat rolled with a ''glup''. "WAH! WHY DID YOU SWALLOW IT?" "My third question: Why are you so panicky? Is this a chewing type cigarette that can''t be swallowed?" Seeing Kamijou shout on reflex, Misha just looked puzzled as she tilted her head. She then reached her hand out with an of-course attitude, meaning ''I want another one''. (Is this really alright?) Kamijou wondered if he should teach her the correct way to consume chewing gum. (Never mind, it''s something that can be put into the mouth and chewed. It shouldn''t be poisonous...) Kamijou then took out another piece of chewing gum and passed it to Misha, and she pinched the chewing gum as she received it. Kamijou though didn''t know that the main component of chewing gum was synthetic rubber. Part 5 After a while, the taxi arrived. Kamijou and company boarded it and headed to the perimeter. The driver (because of the appearance switch, the person holding the steering wheel was a female high school student) said that the police had already sealed the road off, and the taxi could only go halfway. Kamijou and company indicated that it was alright. Kanzaki''s nodachi was about two metres long, and extended from the back end to the front seats in the cramped car. Though the driver looked really bothered, since it was a nodachi, she didn''t care to complain about it. The four of them disembarked some place far away from where the onlookers were gathered. While disembarking, the driver saw Tsuchimikado''s face. "You''re an idol--right? My daughter really likes you!" The taxi driver then happily opened his notebook, and Tsuchimikado smiled as he gave a huge autograph. The taxi left. If the reports on the TV were true, the perimeter net around the scene should be six hundred metres in radius. "Speaking of which, wouldn''t that be too exaggerating? Why must they set up such a large net when the police don''t even have enough manpower? Can''t they just shrink it?" Kamijou''s reply to this question was easy, but it gave him an uncomfortable feeling. "Maybe the higher-ups have allowed them to fire? This is to prevent the civilians from being hit by stray bullets." However, even if it was a bank robbery, the police wouldn''t have set up such a large road blockage. Maybe to the police, today''s incident wouldn''t be settled by one or two shots. It may end up as a large scale mechanical and explosive battle. Such high level alert was only seen in Europe and America, when explosives were involved, and this was a rarity in Japan. Besides, there was only one convict. Maybe Hino Jinsaku was a rather unique criminal to the police. As Kamijou wondered about that, Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado started to discuss the actions they should take next. "Hm, the media''s helicopter is gone. Maybe they got warned by the police." "The reporters on the ground are also sealed off by the barricade. Those wolf-like guys can actually listen. That''s weird, maybe someone''s pressuring them from above." Tsuchimikado said that as he readjusted the tilted pair of blue shades. It seemed like he was really after those gossiping reporters. "Are you saying someone in the Japanese police has realized that Hino Jinsaku used Angel Fall? But I thought that report from earlier this year determined a 0th Investigation Department that specializes in spiritual matters was a groundless rumor." "I''m not talking about that dimension. Those people are just afraid of someone capturing the image of the 0.22 caliber rounds the police use when they blow Hino''s brains out. Political figures require a much better image than idols. It''s complicated." Kanzaki revealed an irritated look as she looked at the no entry area. Misha continued to chew on her chewing gum. After looking at those three experts, Kamijou said, "Now what? There''s still the crowd and the police out there. How are we going to go back to my house? Do we have to go by the sewers?" "The police must have considered that Hino may escape by the sewers. Anyway, let''s get to your house first." Tsuchimikado said that as a matter of fact, and Kamijou was inadvertently stunned. "How?" "You''re asking how? Of course we''re going by the front." Tsuchimikado said that as he pointed to the concrete wall of a nearby residence. The police had already sealed off all the roads nearby. But on the other hand, there wouldn''t be any police on ''those places that aren''t roads''. The nearby residents had evacuated, and the gardens of the residences were blocked by the shrubs and the walls, forming a space that couldn''t be seen from the road. Tsuchimikado and company casually passed by the residences, and Kamijou followed. They jumped past the hedges and climbed over the walls to get from one residence to another. Of course, this alone wasn''t enough to escape the police''s eyes. Though the police were watching the roads, it didn''t mean that they would ignore the gardens of the civilians, car shades and the like. If Kamijou and company were to be seen by them, they would definitely be arrested. That''s right, if they were spotted. But Tsuchimikado and company were able to use various opportunities, like when a policeman just so happened to be talking to another one nearby, or one who was focused on the wireless broadcast, or those who just saw a stray cat leap out of a dark corner, or one who was staring at the sky for no reason...they continued to use these chances to quickly slip by the police. And they never got stopped. The moment they slipped through just so happened to be the time the police revealed an opening, as if everything was timed. Basically, the outcome was that Tsuchimikado and company were running all the way without stopping as they slipped through the perimeter. And they even brought the amateur Kamijou along. At that moment, Kamijou was reminded of some video gamesthe spy games where one had to slip through and hide in those buildings that were occupied by terrorists, or a ninja who had to get through those Japanese style buildings that had guards roaming around, or something similar. Kamijou seemed to be under the illusion that he was seeing a record being smashed or something. But reality was a little different from the games. The stages of the games were designed to be broken through. A perimeter in real life however was designed to prevent people from entering. It sounded like nothing much, but the difference between them was huge. Seeing such amazing prowess, Kamijou realised that Tsuchimikado, who he felt was close to him, was actually an expert, and that made him extremely bitter. Tsuchimikado, who was humming as he easily passed the perimeter, seemed a bit further away from Kamijou now. After passing through the six hundred metre radius police perimeter, they hadn''t met a single soul for a while. But after running inside, they found some people who were armed with armoured clothes and transparent shields. They were the assault forces members, but there were some people who were switched into grandpas and grandmas, so they didn''t really look reliable. At that moment, Tsuchimikado stopped and hid behind a car on the road. The rest followed suit. "Alright, it''s now difficult to sneak it. The forces surrounding Kami-yan''s house are all watching with binoculars, so it''s impossible to go in without being discovered." "Impossible...? Then how?" Kamijou was shocked that they came all the way there, only to be out of ideas. "Yah, though magic spells that can interfere with consciousness will cause the assault forces to sleep or be unconscious, this will end up with no one responding to the wireless communication. The police outside may suspect that something''s wrong." Kanzaki paused. She was considering what was just said. "How about we use spells that don''t change their judgement?" Kamijou didn''t understand it at all, and Misha silently stared at Kanzaki. "Basically, we just need to let the assault forces think that another house is Kamijou Touma''s house. With this, no matter what happens inside Kamijou Touma''s house, the assault forces will report that everything''s clear." Shua! A gust of wind could be heard. Numerous steel wires appeared beside Kanzaki. If it wasn''t for the reflected sunlight, the naked eye would definitely have been unable to see them. "Boundary of Forbidden Wiresa summoning circle that originates from South East Asia. It''s meant to summon a god that protects houses." "How can you reveal my methods in front of them so thoroughly, Tsuchimikado?" Kanzaki sighed, and said, "If we have to use it on all the assault forces, it seems like we need a one-hundred-metre radius web. The work will take about twenty minutes, so find a place to hide first." "Roger that~" Tsuchimikado stroked the blue shades with his fingertips as he casually replied. "Also, Kamijou Touma, don''t touch these wires. The Boundary of Forbidden Wires uses a three-dimensional magic array formed by the wires to replace a two-dimensional one. The wires are the core of the boundary, so the magic may be dissipated if your right hand touches it." "I got it, I won''t be so stupid to touch the wires when my fingers can be cut off. My right hand just got sliced off a while back, and I don''t want to have another limb separated. No matter how unfortunate I am, I don''t have to be that pitiful, do I?" Suddenly, the expression on Kanzaki''s face disappeared. "Eh? But Kami-yan, wasn''t it ''the good thing among all the bad things'' when your hand got cut during the Misawa Cram School battle?" Tsuchimikado and Kamijou didn''t notice the slight change on Kanzaki''s face. "Who will be happy with getting a hand sliced off!? Meeting someone like that damned pedophile of an alchemist is already my misfortune." Crack! Kanzaki turned away from Kamijou. Kamijou felt a chill down his back as he inadvertently turned to look at Kanzaki. This was a subconscious act, similar to what humans would do when endangered. Kanzaki''s back was emotionless now. "Wha...what? Are you unhappy?" "Nothing." Kanzaki answered. Kanzaki left Kamijou as she went to set up the Boundary of Forbidden Wires. While leaving, she didn''t even look back. She dashed into an empty area and started to set up the wires one by one. What was different in an ordinary city as compared to Academy City was that there were telephone poles on the road, which made it easy to hide the wires and support them. Kanzaki used the poles and cables to form a one-hundred-metre radius three-dimensional magic array that created a unique wavelength of magic to cause the assault forces to be wrong in their judgement. The Boundary of Forbidden Wires looked like a Chinese wok, but Kamijou may have thought that it looked like a saucer-shaped antenna. Kamijou. Hearing him say the word ''misfortune'', Kanzaki frowned. (It''s not his fault. I shouldn''t have taken it out on him.) Logically she knew that, but a certain illogical emotion made Kanzaki not want to remain there. Kanzaki had a bad memory about the word ''misfortune''. If possible, she would not like to hear that again. Afraid of the dusty memory being opened up again, Kanzaki chose to run. Faster, stronger, concentrate. The act of concentrating caused her to not think of those things she was afraid of. After Kanzaki ran away, Kamijou, who was hiding in the shade of the car, sighed. He was shocked that the magicians were so lazy they didn''t have a plan, even though they were so powerful. Basically, if Kanzaki just so happened to be unable to use that ''so-so boundary'', what did they intend to do? Were they going to stand around and laze? Even if they were those special forces ''who specialise in eliminating'' in the movies, there would be some scenes where they were seen planning with the layouts before charging into a building occupied by terrorists. Speaking of which, the last time he fought the alchemist with the rune magician during the Misawa Cram School incident, there hadn''t seemed to be any plan. Kamijou complained about this to Tsuchimikado, but Tsuchimikado''s response was "Of course". "Kami-yan, we magicians are experts, but we aren''t like those trained special forces. We aren''t like soldiers who are trained to be organised in killing, and we aren''t trained to have teamwork. We''re amateurs in battle." "What?" Kamijou frowned. To Kamijou, the words ''battling amateurs'' certainly didn''t match these magicians. "Are you kidding me? Those people like Stiyl and Aureolus can just laugh and beat up a type-90 tank from the front! Those battle maniacs, those destructive monsters, how can they be amateurs?" Misha silently reached her hand out to Kamijou, and Kamijou again passed a chewing gum to her. Like a cashier handing money to the customer, Misha received the chewing gum without touching Kamijou''s hand. Through the blue shades, Tsuchimikado saw that action between Kamijou and Misha. "That''s like being a middle schooler with a nuke launch button in the hand. Though we have amazing magic abilities, that isn''t the result of military training." Tsuchimikado chuckled. "Or else you would have felt weird right, Kami-yan? If magicians were trained professionally, why would they harbour so many personal feelings in battle? Knowing the shocking truth and being stunned in front of the enemy, treating the enemy''s words as true, pitying the enemy, wanting to fight the enemy one on onethe battles between magicians have too many unnecessary elements." If they really were a group of cold-blooded killing machines who were trained, they wouldn''t listen to the enemy, wouldn''t pity them, wouldn''t want to face the enemy head on, or even enter the enemy''s line of sight. Even if they knew the shocking truth, they would choose to beat the enemy down. Once they got an order to kill, even if the enemy grabbed a child to use as a human shield, they would still pierce the enemy''s heart together with the child. That was a real professional fighter. "Basically, magicians are kids. Kids with knives, kids who are crying and trembling, for they were once betrayed by the world." Tsuchimikado sighed. "Magicians are like this. They have wishes, and once prayed to God, but never got a response. Having lost it, they could only toss their bodies into this underground world called magic." Kamijou couldn''t say anything. Tsuchimikado was a magician; even though he was looking rather casual, the person in front of him was a magician. That teenager who had a smile on his face almost every time must probably have a blank spot within him. Misha, who was silently chewing the chewing gum, must be the same as well. "The term ''magician''especially the modern magicians that were established in the tenth century, will carve their wishes onto their souls. This is the magic name. Carving the reason why they want to learn magic or give up their entire lives for the one goal by writing it out it Latin. Like for me, I''m Fallere825, Kanzaki nee-chin''s Salvare000. The numbers behind are used to prevent others from repeating the word, so this is like an email authentication." "...Thi" How much must one be prepared to give up? Kamijou wondered. Even if he himself didn''t have much of a real goal, Kamijou knew that it was a tough thing to talk about one''s own dreams in front of others. Besides, everyone would be afraid of getting their dreams rejected. Many wanted to be idols or sportspeople, and gave up their dreams after their parents and teachers rubbished them. That was because the impact of having a dream denied was huge. Weren''t those aspiring magicians afraid? Why could they make such a realisation of not giving up even when many people would doubt them? "To people like us, the term ''group'' isn''t too significant. We just so happen to gather because we have similar goals. Whether it''s Kanzaki nee-chin or Stiyl, once the group becomes an obstacle to their goal in life, they can betray the organisation easily. However, because of the hostage that''s Index, they won''t leave so easily." Though the term ''hostage'' shocked Kamijou, he just sighed. The magician''s definition of an expert was completely different from that of a special forces soldier, and right now, Kamijou could somewhat understand it. The magicians were different from those people who could go against their own will for money and kill. Magicians didn''t listen to orders, and didn''t want money, but they wouldn''t go against their own beliefsthose who pushed this naive thought to the extreme were called experts among magicians. (...If so...) Kamijou looked at where Kanzaki left. No one was there. It was just a wide, empty street. Kanzaki hadn''t looked happy when she left. (Did I say something that hurt her beliefs as an expert?) Seeing Kamijou being so insecure, Tsuchimikado smiled. "Ah, Kanzaki nee-chin must be unhappy because she heard the word ''misfortune'' nya." "Misfortune...? Did I just say that?" Kamijou tilted his head and recalled. He turned to Misha, who didn''t say anything as she continued to chew on the chewing gum silently. "To Kami-yan, ''fukou da'' became a catchphrase already, right? In fact, Kanzaki nee-chin is bothered by her own misfortune." "...''fukou''?" Kamijou looked like he didn''t understand, and Tsuchimikado nodded. "In Japan, there''s a secret Christian sect called the Amakusa. Nee-chin was designated to be the Priestess of this group before she was born. Also, she''s one of the Saints who''s blessed with the Stigma from God, and it''s said that there''s only about twenty of them." Tsuchimikado smiled. But it was now different from the casual ones before. "She has the talent of succeeding no matter whether she works hard or not, she doesn''t even need to do anything in order to earn the hearts of the people. Every day, she will have an unexpected surprise. Even if she''s to be assassinated, she can survive because of luck. The bullet will deviate for no reason. Even if a bomb explodes beside her, she can survive without so much of a scratch." Tsuchimikado''s words sounded like a lullaby, "--So Kanzaki nee-chin couldn''t forgive her own fortune. No, she''s probably cursing her curse." "...What? Is there really any need to be troubled?" As for Kamijou who was always filled with misfortune, this was truly a position worth envying. "Who knows, maybe you should experience it to understand it." Tsuchimikado smiled. But he didn''t look happy at all. "But Kami-yan, how''s the feeling when someone is lucky? When there''s only one winning lottery ticket and someone will always draw it, doesn''t that mean that other people won''t be able to ever win it?" "...Ah..." "She''s had the Priestess position ever since she was born, but others who wanted the position couldn''t fulfil their dreams. She had the ability to succeed when others despaired after trying so hard. She managed to be the centre of attention without doing anything, but other people at the centre are forced out. Her wishes will always come true, she will always have a surprise everyday, but there are people behind her who can''t fulfill it, and can only choose to give up all hope. She can survive so many assassinations without any reason at all, but the weak will protect her and die in front of her. Many who admired her have died blocking bullets for her, taking the explosions, and so on." "..." "If nee-chin was a bad person, she wouldn''t even need to worry. However, she couldn''t forgive herself for taking up all the fortune. It''s because she loves the people around her that she can''t forgive herself for being the lucky person who brings misfortune to others." Tsuchimikado sighed. He looked up at the sky and said, "In the end, nee-chin couldn''t take it anymore. She couldn''t stand seeing the people she cared for dying because she brought misfortune to them, who ended up telling her even before dying that being able to see her was their greatest fortune." Kamijou didn''t know what to say. Kanzaki was now affiliated with the Anglican Church, which meant that she had left the Amakusa. Even though she had been born with the highest position and was admired by everyone, she had chosen to leave everything to prevent the people who believed in her from suffering the misfortune. In order to protect the people around her, she could only suppress her feelings of wanting to be with them and choose to be alone. In the end, the people who could be with her Were those as strong as Necessarius, a unique organisation that wouldn''t be affected by luck or no luck. What kind of feeling was that? Kamijou wondered. Kamijou really regretted causing Kanzaki to recall all of that; he really regretted talking about his misfortune in front of her so casually. At that moment, Tsuchimikado noticed it, and said, "But Kami-yan, you don''t really have to mind about this. Nee-chin wanted this. She got hurt by her own heart, what does it have to do with you?" Tsuchimikado waved his hand. "She''s just throwing a kid''s tantrum, you don''t have to worry." Though Tsuchimikado was chuckling as he said that, Kamijou''s melancholy wasn''t eased. A short silence. There wasn''t a single sound on the streets, only the occasional sound of dogs barking, similar to that of a dog''s bark at midnight. At that moment, the sound of a train moving far away could be heard. After a while, Kamijou looked around on that empty street. "Speaking of which, why is Kanzaki so slow? Nee-chin has the ability to break through tanks from the front even if she got caught. However, though nee-chin''s one of the ten strongest magicians in London, her magic isn''t cautious. She''s not the best in setting up boundaries, so maybe she ended up spending more time." "...Oh ya, I''m still not used to the fact that you''re a magician. Does that mean that you''re a priest, and will wear priest robes?" "Undercover policemen don''t wear uniforms. I''m not too familiar with clerical work, and my Bible is all dusty. My basis of magic isn''t Kabbalah, but a mix of Taoism and a Japanese Onmyodo." "...Onmyodo...that feels Japanese." "Yeah, but Kabbalah and Onmyodo are rather similar." Tsuchimikado nodded twice, and continued, "Like for example, the symbols that represent the 5 elements; both East and West use the Pentacle. Also, everything is designated by a colour and a position, and when setting a magic array, there will be four guardian deities set at the four positions, but in the Western world, they''re called the four archangels, and in the East, they''re the four gods nya." "Oh..." To Kamijou, those were things of the unknown, so he just said, "Unbelievable." "There''s nothing unbelievable, these aren''t coincidences. The one who established Onmyodo was Abe no Seimei during the Heian period, and during that time, there were a lot of foreign stuff brought in through the Silk Road, and I suppose Onmyodo was affected to an extent. Even that Onmyodo classic Kinugyokutosh was passed here from China. If you''re interested, you can ask Index for this book if you want." Tsuchimikado then said in a self-mocking tone. "But I specialise in feng shui. There''s a difference in reading the landscape through Eastern and Western means." "Fengshui? Like Kobayashi-sensei?" Kamijou had seen a job called ''feng shui master'' in RPGs. So that was his job, right? "Ah, Kami-yan let me make this clear, the world originally doesn''t have a profession called a fengshui master. In China, the one who''s supposed to do this is the Taoise priest, and of course, here in Japan, it''s the Onmyoji''s job." Tsuchimikado lifted his fingers and started to count. "The feng shui''s job is just one of it. Feng shui master, divination master, alchemist, curse specialist, prayer master, waterclock master; these are jobs that are derived from Taoism and Onmyodo." "Oh...it''s like how a part of Shaolin martial arts got passed to Okinawa and ended up being karate?" "It''s a similar feeling. The way in Taoism is to exert air into other objects, and by the same principle, using it on the ground and earth will form feng shui. In a scientific point of view, it''s the Gaia theory. Basically, it''s a theory of treating the earth as a life form." Tsuchimikado then pondered for a while, and added on. "And among which, I specialise in the black arts. Basically, it''s ''creating a water road'' nya." "Creating a water road?" "Exactly what it says, creating a water road. By using the water to create a large magic array to protect a castle or a city. It''s not rare to see water roads formed as magic arrays. Though it''s unrelated to feng shui, the water capital of Italy is one. It''s said that at the end of World War II, the Japanese intended to link all the air-raid shelters to create a large water road array, too bad it failed nya." Tsuchimikado seemed to recall the past. "I used to specialise in setting traps by using water roads. Actually, that''s what an Onmyoji does, to secretly summon a god far away where people can''t see it, or to conceal myself by using the surrounding magic arrays the enemy set up. The Heian period people feared Onmyodo, not because how strong it was, but because it''s a despicable, heinous, cunning, shameless taboo that''s used to corner people from the darkness." As they continued to talk, they saw Kanzaki moving among the shadows quickly and returning back to Kamijou and the rest. She looked calm, almost without any emotion. "The Boundary of Forbidden Wires is activated. The assault forces surrounding Kamijou''s house should be treating an empty house three hundred metres away as Kamijou''s house and shifted their perimeter." "Okay, then we can mess up Kami-yan''s house without anyone looking nya." Tsuchimikado casually said that as he stepped out. Misha and Kanzaki followed him, with only Kamijou left stunned. Kanzaki turned around and asked, "Let''s go. Or do you intend to stay here and let us handle Hino?" "Ah...oh..." Kamijou replied and frantically followed Kanzaki, who was waiting for him. He chased up to Tsuchimikado''s back. While running, he wondered, should I apologise to her for making her remember something this unpleasant? (...No, she''ll end up remembering that again.) Since it was not a good memory, it was best not to make her remember. Kamijou shook his head. Kanzaki stared at Kamijou in a puzzled manner, and in order to avoid Kanzaki''s gaze, Kamijou hastened his steps. Part 6 The Kamijou nameplate was stuck on the concrete wall near the entrance--swinging together with the mailbox and the doorbell. Kamijou and company were hiding behind the hedge opposite the Kamijou''s house. It was an ordinary looking two storey wooden house. But in this hot summer, all the windows were shut, and the thick curtains were pulled up. One could tell that something was not right. Though he had lost his memory, Kamijou should more or less have a feeling a nostalgia, and on seeing this house that was full of evil energy, he could only talk of those tragic cases like family violence or girls being imprisoned. And in truth, it wasn''t like anyone could say that this feeling wasn''t right. In this huge house that rejected sunlight, there was truly a convict who was on death row, having killed 28 people on the excuse of demon worship and sacrificed them, and caused the world to be involved in the crisis called Angel Fall. From behind the hedge, Kanzaki peered over from the curtain that was blocking the window at the second level, and whispered, "Hm, we can''t tell where Hino is from here. If Stiyl were here, maybe he could use the heat source to detect Hino''s location." Kanzaki''s tone seemed to indicate a sense of pity, "But since the windows are shut tight, I suppose Hino can''t tell that we''re already nearby. If we want to strike, we have to do it fast. Where''s Kamijou''s house keys?" "Over here nya!" For some reason, Tsuchimikado actually pulled out a silver key from his pocket. Kamijou frantically searched his own pocket, and found the key missing. It seemed like Tsuchimikado had nabbed Kamijou''s key, but the time when and method with which he did it was still a mystery. Kanzaki seemed to be irritated by this meaningless act Tsuchimikado made, and she said, "Alright, we''ll set up a diversion. Tsuchimikado, go by the front, and make as much noise as you can. Once Kreutzev and I hear you, we''ll sneak in from another direction." "Got it. Misha should have no problems with this, right?" Tsuchimikado asked Misha, who only responded with a "My first response: Definite". She then pulled out a saw, and without anyone''s assistance, she jumped up to the porch above the first level and hid at a small window next to the second level. While Kamijou was still reeling from shock, he saw Kanzaki jump up in front of her. Without any assistance, she actually jumped over Misha, who was on the first level porch, and silently landed on the second level roof. She then moved to the other side of the roof, the part that was facing the yard. That was too ridiculous, completely illogical. That was like a child asking how to run faster and an adult answering seriously with ''put an engine on your body''. It was too illogical that even common sense was denied. After Kanzaki and Misha left with a to-be-expected look, Tsuchimikado walked out from the hedge. Being left behind, Kamijou asked Tsuchimikado, "A...oi! What about me?" "Kanzaki nee-chin didn''t mention you, so that means you better stay here, nya?" Tsuchimikado turned around and continued, "You just saw it, Kami-yan. There are 3 magicians that have superhuman physical abilities, so don''t worry." "Bu...but...two of them are girls." Hearing Kamijou''s words, Tsuchimikado cackled like a hyena as he stared through the blue shades at Kamijou. "Please, Kami-yan, Kanzaki nee-chin is a Saint with the Stigma. Can that weapon who has the power of a Saint be considered a girl?" "...Saint weapon?" "That''s right, Kami-yan. Didn''t I explain the Idol Theory to you yesterday? Though the crosses on the roofs of churches are fake, as long as the shape is the same, they can obtain a certain amount of power." Tsuchimikado explained this really quickly while noticing Kanzaki and Misha''s movements. "The same theory can be applied to duplicate items of God. Humans are created in God''s image, so it''s possible to infuse humans with God''s blessing. Of course, only a few people have the privilege to be humans similar to God. Someone like Kanzaki nee-chin, who''s naturally born with the blessing of God, has the proof of a Saint: the Stigma. Once she releases the power of the Stigma, she can, for a short while, gain power that far exceeds a human. Right now, Kanzaki nee-chin can take down an entire city on her own, you know?" Tsuchimikado said his goodbyes to Kamijou and hid beside the main door, inserting the silver key into the keyhole. Being left alone behind the hedge, Kamijou started to wonder. Was it really good to leave everything to them? It was true that those magicians were fighting experts. Recalling the overwhelming power Misha had displayed yesterday in defeating Hino Jinsaku, he felt that there was nothing much to worry about. However... Did those people really realise how hard it was to fight in the darkness? In an indoor battle in the darkness, the most terrifying thing wasn''t attacks that came from the enemy, but to have their own people kill each other. Two figures who met each other face to face in the darkness or that popped out from a corner may end up attacking each other accidentally, and that was the scariest thing. Though Kamijou wasn''t an expert in night fighting, when he was fighting on the alleys, he knew that if he had to fight when he couldn''t escape, he had to choose an empty space, for there may be an ambush in the dark corners. And Hino Jinsaku would definitely understand that. He should know how to let the enemies fight against each other in the darkness. Maybe the sneak attack last night caused Kamijou to overestimate Hino''s abilities, but he had deliberately pulled up the curtains to create a dark space. It was a logical guess that his aim was to let his enemies kill each other. (Cheh...if that''s the case, the stronger the companions, the worse it is!) Kamijou frantically dashed to the entrance, where Tsuchimikado was. He nearly knocked into a short artificial bird nest near the door as he rushed over. "Wait for me, Tsuchimikado!" Tsuchimikado cursed, but there was no time to argue. He softly, but firmly said to Kamijou, "...I''m going in. Kami-yan, follow me from behind. But don''t think that it''s a safe zone. Most importantly, watch your back." Kamijou also knew that there wasn''t going to be a safe zone. He wanted to bicker back like a child, but he saw that Tsuchimikado had already turned the key in the keyhole. With a short inhale, Tsuchimikado forcefully slammed the door open. BAM! The loud cannon-like opening of the door echoed throughout the empty residence. (Uu...!) Looking into the door, Kamijou nearly shouted out. Hot air flowed out from the dark interior of the door, and the sealed space of hot air had a strange stench in it. It was like putting a rotting crab into a sink, and causing the water in the sink to let out such a stench as it stimulated Kamijou''s nose and eyes. From within the darkness ''zz--'', the sound of a tire letting out air could be heard. The wide open rectangular door looked like some mysterious sink. At that moment, Tsuchimikado didn''t intend to do any meaningless deal. He silently headed forward, and Kamijou followed Tsuchimikado from behind as he entered that man-made darkness. The door was like a spring as it closed from behind Kamijou. The hot air surrounded Kamijou, as if he had entered a beast''s lair. Though the curtains and windows blocked out the light, it was not completely dark. There were small gaps in between the thick curtains. If he had used tape to seal all the windows and curtains up, maybe Hino could have created complete darkness. But he hadn''t. (However...) It was because it was not a complete darkness, but a dark space that had some light, that one would have a bad feeling about it. Because they could see the silhouette, an ordinary umbrella could be seen as a squatting person. If someone suddenly appeared from behind a wall, it was likely that they would attack before they could even identify the person. The nekotama on the shoe shelf and the red mailbox shaped decoration formed a scary black figure, and the wooden sword gift that was stabbed at the umbrella rack looked like an arm that had been severed. If they opened the floor on the corridor, there may have been a rotting corpse underneath. If they pulled the wallpaper down, they may have seen an old coffin hammered in. There were huge South American masks, Moai statues and other religious decorations all over the place. Those should be what Touya had bought when he went overseas. Upon entering the room, there was a glass door on the right side, and the front lead to the second level. There were also two doors beside the stairs. One of them had a lock, it should be the toilet, right? (Where''s Kanzaki and Misha...?) Kamijou looked up; there was no sound at all. Of course, if he could hear their voices here, it would be meaningless for them to sneak in. Tsuchimikado continued to walk on. He headed toward the toilet, opened the door silently, and peered inside. He then closed the door; seemed like Hino wasn''t inside. Tsuchimikado then opened the door beside the toilet, and this time, Kamijou followed him. On opening the door, the ripping sound that was like a balloon losing air got even louder, and the stench that irritated the nose got even stronger. It was the changing room. They could somewhat see the silhouette of the washing machines, clothes dryer and face-washing sink. There was a frosted glass sliding door beside, and it was not hard to imagine that it linked to the bathroom. Tsuchimikado pulled the frosted glass door open and looked inside. The bathroom seemed to have become a warm and humid place. There was a plastic turtle on the ground, and it was likely something that could float in a bathtub. The entire place didn''t look like a bathroom, but rather, a basement for imprisoning children. Tsuchimikado looked into the empty bathtub. Kamijou turned back to look at the changing room. The mirror at the washing sink was pitch black like a sea at night. There was hair wax, T-shaped shavers and Western chess-shaped glass bottles arranged on it. Seems like Touya chose all those overseas gifts based on personal liking? Tsuchimikado pushed Kamijou aside and headed to the other end of the changing room. That place seemed to be the kitchen. (...Hold on...) Kamijou had a bad feeling about this. A strange stench was carried by the air flowing out of the kitchen. The sharp stench that was getting stronger as they headed to the kitchen was... "...(Tsuchimikado! Hurry up and get away!)" Kamijou thought that he had held his voice low, but unexpectedly, his voice in the darkness was extremely loud. The unexpected volume caused Kamijou''s heart to beat unnaturally. But Tsuchimikado didn''t say anything and he gave Kamijou a look "What''s up?" "...(It''s gas! This is the smell of gas! That guy turned on the gas valve!)" Hearing Kamijou say that, Tsuchimikado seemed shocked and his shoulders trembled. Maybe Hino had already discovered that Kamijou and company wanted to enter and had already escaped. He may have intended to set fire from the outside and blow up Kamijou and company (or maybe Hino thought that the intruders were assault forces). Kamijou took one step back after another and tried to leave the kitchen. At that moment, Tsuchimikado may have felt that it was dangerous to stay there, and he took a step out to where Kamijou was. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye. Behind Tsuchimikadoin the kitchen, a skinny figure silently appeared behind him. "Tsu...!" Just as Kamijou wanted to shout, that person raised the sickle and hacked down at Tsuchimikado with a terrifying arc. Who could have expected that? In this house that was filled with gas, the person who turned the gas on had actually hidden in the most dangerous place. Having been caught in this psychological blind spot, Tsuchimikado still hadn''t realised the death presence behind him. The sickle stabbed down towards Tsuchimikado''s head-- "!" --In the nick of time, Kamijou managed to knock Tsuchimikado aside. Even though the changing room was extremely narrow, a metre to the side was all they needed to touch the wall, the distance was more than enough to evade the knife. The blade swept through the darkness, and Kamijou, who knocked Tsuchimikado aside, felt a sharp burning pain on the wrist. He had gotten hit, but the wound was shallow. Kamijou ignored it as he stared straight ahead. Hino Jinsaku raised the sickle back up again and attacked Kamijou''s face from the front. Facing the silver knife that was coming down, Kamijou intended to grab something beside him and block that strike. But on reaching out his right hand, he didn''t manage to grab anything, and a nightmarish thought suddenly appeared in Kamijou''s mind. Even thought it hadn''t completely filled the place, the gas there was thick enough. If he used something hard to block a blade, the sparks that flew off could explode the entire changing room! "You...bastard!" Standing besides him, Tsuchimikado frantically kicked Hino''s sickle (or rather, the hand that was holding it) and prevented it from stabbing Kamijou''s neck. The sickle flew out and landed on the washing machine. Kamijou was terrified, but it was a good thing that no sparks flew out. Great chance. Kamijou intended to slam into Hino''s abdomen and render him immobile. But at that moment, Hino opened the mouth with saliva and blood all over it. "GYAHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed like a beast. Seeing Hino''s open mouth that was filled with saliva, Kamijou hesitated due to fear. At that moment, Hino suddenly charged past Kamijou, grabbed the sickle on the washing machine and dashed out of the room. "DON''T YOU RUN AWAY!" Tsuchimikado shouted as he pursued Hino from behind. At that moment, Kamijou finally got free from the momentary freeze. He hesitated for a while, wondering whether he should follow Tsuchimikado, but finally decided to run into the kitchen. The smell of gas in the kitchen was too terrifying. It was thick enough that static electricity on the slightest rubbing of clothes could cause an explosion. The microwave oven that had three tiger toys on it, the metallic fridge that had a wooden badge on it, the basin with multicolored glass bottles placed there...there were metallic objects and electrical appliances that could trigger a spark all over, and that caused Kamijou to tremble. (Anyway...got to shut the gas! I don''t want to get blown up in my own house!) In the darkness, Kamijou found the gas stove, which had an aluminium hood covering it. Looking closer, he could see that the gas pipe had been pulled out. Kamijou carefully reached his hand out, as if cutting the red wire on a bomb, and gently twisted the gas valve shut. The terrifying ripping sound stopped. No explosion, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. He then opened the back door, and the summer sunlight shone in, causing Kamijou''s eyes to feel irritated, as he was used to the darkness. His skin may have felt the poisonous gas flow away. The outdoor summer air that he had always thought to be harmful to his own body never felt so good. At that moment... The sound of a man''s hoarse voice and frantic footsteps could be heard. Kamijou turned back to look. The fighting sounds seemed to come from the darkness deep inside the living room. It must be Hino and Tsuchimikado. Footsteps could clearly be heard from the second level; it seemed like Kanzaki and Misha felt that there was no need to keep their footsteps'' volume down. Kamijou frantically dashed out of the kitchen and into the living room. The living room was wide. There was a large television set at the wall, and there was a short table suitably far away. The floor had a thin-furred carpet. There was a cupboard at the wall opposite the television, and there was excess space beside it that was used to hold an old jukebox. Tsuchimikado and Hino were standing between the television and the short table. Hino was waving the sickle crazily, while Tsuchimikado was not blocking as he completely dodged and waited for a chance to fight back. There was an ashtray, a metallic tabletop clock and other items beside Tsuchimikado that he could use to block, but it seemed like Tsuchimikado didn''t dare to randomly create sparks for fear of igniting the gas. (Don''t tell me...that''s part of his plan...) Kamijou again realised the terror Hino was capable of. Using the act of skimming on the verge of death to psychologically limit the enemy''s attacks. He had never seen such a method of fighting before. In that situation, Kamijou was unable to help at all. If he was to randomly grab a weapon and charge, he may end up crashing and igniting the gas. If he didn''t use any weapons, Kamijou wasn''t confident that he could dodge that serial killer Hino''s knife which seemed to have a mind of its own. Tsuchimikado seemed to notice what Kamijou was thinking. "DON''T COME OVER, KAMI-YAN!" The moment Tsuchimikado shouted that, Hino''s attention was diverted onto Kamijou. But at that moment, while Hino was distracted, Tsuchimikado charged in at Hino. So this was Tsuchimikado''s plan. "!" Completely shocked, Hino frantically tried to wave the knife, but it was too late. Almost sticking to Hino, Tsuchimikado twisted his abdomen and swung his arm with all his weight. However, he was not using his fists to punch like an ordinary fighter, but an elbow at Hino''s chest. This hit that was infused with all of a person''s weight could break ribs and pierce through a heart. It was a complete killer blow. And Hino Jinsaku. Facing that hammer-like blow that was about to hit his unguarded chest. Hino actually used his fractured left arm to block it. GUH!! The sound of teeth biting a rotten fruit could be heard. Kamijou couldn''t help but close his eyes and he turned his head away in reflex. Some warm fluids spurted onto his face. Kamijou started to wonder if Hino Jinsaku was crazy. This serious sense of disgust overwhelmed Kamijou. An irritating feeling climbed up his fingers. "GYAH!!" Kamijou heard Hino cry out in delight. That was Hino''s psychological tactic. Even though he understood that, he would still turn away on reflex. Hino intended to use that to seal Tsuchimikado''s movements. Ah! The sound of the sickle swing ripped through the air. "TSUCHIMIKADO!" Unable to face this terrifying image, Kamijou shouted out. BAM! What rang out wasn''t the knife hitting, but the impact of an elbow. "Eh?" Puzzled, Kamijou inadvertently opened his eyes. Tsuchimikado wasn''t afraid at all. He didn''t turn his head away, he wasn''t stiff. he stared at the enemy straight in the face and slammed the hammer-like elbow straight into the enemy''s face. "What?" Tsuchimikado casually retorted. Tsuchimikado was grinning, and not sadistically or psychotically. He was just smiling normally and naturally like a child. Psychological attacks didn''t work on him. They had no effect on him at all. Having suffered an elbow strike, Hino''s body felt like it had been slammed by a metal bat. He didn''t touch the floor as he flew two metres away. Having been seriously injured, Hino continued to roll on the floor until he hit the cupboard. "Alright, time to ask him some questions nya." Tsuchimikado bared his fangs and grins. The eyes behind the blue shades were grinning like a beast. Hino seemed to be conscious, but he didn''t have any ability to fight back now. His body had already lost all balance, and his limbs could merely tremble. He looked like a dead bug now. This unexpected ending caused Kamijou to almost stop thinking. At that moment, Kanzaki and Misha finally descended down to the first level. "Are you alright, Tsuchimikado?" After saying that, Kanzaki frowned. "...What''s this smell?" "Ah..." Kamijou remembered that gas was heavier than air, so Kanzaki and Misha, who were on the second level, didn''t smell it. After Kamijou explained about the gas, Kanzaki looked somewhat nervous. "We''ll take care of the interrogation of Hino Jinsaku, can you please open the windows?" On first glance, Kanzaki''s proposal seemed logical, but Kamijou still asked, "Oi, why don''t we bring him away from here first?" "I intend to interrogate him here until we get the information we need. I don''t want to give him any chance to get away." "Oh." Though Kamijou didn''t really agree with this, he still nodded his head. But since they agreed to do so, they should scatter the gas out of the house. It would be terrible if Hino gave up and tried to blow the place up. Kamijou walked around every single corner and opened all the windows. The whole house was filled with foreign exotic gifts. That strange habit really dumbfounded Kamijou, but now was not the time to worry about it. After opening all the windows, Kamijou returned back to the living room. All the curtains and windows were open, and this wasn''t a dark hellish place, but an ordinary living room. "...I don''t know..." The moment he walked into the living room, he saw the limp Hino lying beside the cupboard, saying, "What are you saying...what Angel Fall...I don''t know...Angel-sama, I don''t understand what these people are talking about. Please tell me...it''s weird...it''s weird...why did it end up like this..." Hino continued to mutter to himself softly, as if he was playing a record that was extended due to the heat. It was like he was talking to himself, yet as if he was trying to attract the other magician''s attention. Tsuchimikado revealed a happy yet mysterious smile. "Alright, we''ll begin with our inquisition. Remember, if you want to surrender, tell us Angel Fall''s ritual place. Which part should I start with? How about I dislocate the elbow joints, right? Your arms can go long when your joints are broken, but lets go with a centimetre at a time." That casual tone Tsuchimikado was using made Kamijou feel numb. Misha was holding onto the chisel and the saw as she stood beside Tsuchimikado. They were supposed to be tools for carpentry, but the moment the timing and location changed, they became such terrifying weapons. But Hino''s attitude didn''t change. His weak and limp limbs didn''t move at all, as Hino continued to mutter, "I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know, I don''t know..." The flat monotone crept Kamijou out. At that moment, the index finger that was lying limp on the floor suddenly started to crawl like a caterpillar. The finger was moving on its own, as if the wrist muscles got hit with an electrical current. The finger continued to write what seemed to be words, but as there was no ink, he couldn''t form words. Hino looked happy as he stroked the carpet with the finger. "Ahh, Angel-sama, Angel-sama..." The mouth full of saliva continued to utter that mysterious chant. Kamijou inadvertently asked, "Angel-sama?" "Yes, Angel-sama...always lives within me, Angel-sama...will always answer my problems, Angel-sama, definitely won''t be wrong, Angel-sama, I will earn happiness by serving you always..." Hino continued to say this as his hand trembled, as if his hand got spasms. And Kanzaki was starting to worry about Hino''s hand. "That''s right, Angel-sama will always be right, so I turned the gas on, Angel-sama said, that if I can use the ambulance, I can use the chance to escape..." Kamijou saw the words Hino Jinsaku carved into his own abdomen through his own knife: CALL AN AMBULANCE. "...It translates to ''Call an ambulance'', nya? Looking down at where Kamijou was looking, Tsuchimikado commented as he stared at Hino''s abdomen. I see, Kamijou thought. The people who were supposed to rush into the house wasn''t Kamijou and company, but the assault forces. The assault forces who were wearing full armour and helmets. Hino Jinsaku originally intended to hide in the bathroom or someplace where it was safer, and once the assault team entered, he would blow the gas up and grab their equipment. He would then act as an injured person and let them lift him onto the ambulance...and then use that chance to get away. But as for the Angel-sama that Hino had been talking about, Kamijou felt that something was not right. Hino continued to write on the floor with such strong force that his fingers seemed like they were about to break. Feeling wary, Kanzaki said in a loud voice, "Stop what you''re doing, Hino Jinsaku. This isn''t an idle threat, I''ll draw the sword if you don''t listen." Kanzaki''s voice was as cold as the blade, but Hino''s hand continued to move. Continue, continue, he continued to write on the floor. "U...Uwah...I, I can''t stop! Angel-sama couldn''t stop!" But Hino himself seemed to be afraid of Kanzaki. Hino looked like he was about to cry, and yet about to laugh. Only the right hand was writing like a monster. (...?) Kamijou suddenly had a weird feeling. He seemed to have seen this before, no, heard of this before. No, it was during lessons. During the summer remedials, Komoe-sensei had mentioned it during lessons. What he remembered, was research about whether a person''s body could have two different powers "That''s right, split personalities!" Assuming that a person''s consciousness was a network; if this person didn''t want to remember a memory he couldn''t endure and sealed off a part of the network, it was called Schizophrenia. And if the sealed part decided to split up and work as an independent network, it was called a dissociative identity disorderwhich was also commonly known as a split personality disorder. The TV programmes had mentioned it before. Hino Jinsaku was once diagnosed with split personality disorder, and there was even a mass debate about whether he should be prosecuted. The split personality need not be like those depicted in manga or movies, where personality A and personality B were separate. Sometimes, the two personalities could interfere with one another. For example, there was one case of a patient with dual personalities telling the doctor that when he faces the mirror, he would find the mirror talking back to himself. But after the doctor''s investigation, the result was that the patient was just talking to himself. In other words, personality A didn''t realise that his mouth was being controlled by personality B. Maybe Hino''s right hand was the same thing? If Hino was a split personality patient, his right hand would have another personality controlling it. "That''s right, Angel Fall''s side effect is to switch the inside and the appearance, right?" Kamijou asked Kanzaki. "What about people with split personalities? Do they count as having a appearance and two insides?" "Eh?" Kanzaki stared at Kamijou. "What I mean is," Kamijou stared at Kanzaki''s eyes and said, "Is there a possibility that Hino Jinsaku''s ''personality A'' and ''personality B'' got switched?" On hearing this, everyone was stunned. "If it''s just the two personalities with the appearance of Hino Jinsaku changing with each other, he should still be Hino Jinsaku to others, right?" Kamijou pondered for a while, and then continued. "If that''s really the case, Hino Jinsaku really got affected by Angel Fall, and is not the real culprit." Speechless. The magicians all remained stiff as they heard Kamijou''s declaration. "What''s the answer? Do people with split personalities count as having two insides? Or are they two personalities in the same inside?" "..." Kanzaki couldn''t answer, and could only turn to Tsuchimikado and Misha. However, nobody could tell her the answer. Ever since Angel Fall occurred, nobody ever considered the special case of a split personality patient. At this moment, the person who broke the silence was actually Hino Jinsaku. "STOP, STOP, STOP BLABBERING! YOU...WHY ARE YOU SAYING THE SAME THING AS THAT WEIRD DOCTOR!? ANGEL-SAMA REALLY EXISTS! ANGEL-SAMA REALLY EXISTS! WHY DON''T YOU UNDERSTAND THIS!?" To Hino, having the existence of Angel-sama denied seemed to be much more painful than getting his own life taken away. Besides, Hino would even kill without hesitation for this Angel-sama. But his words couldn''t prove anything. Those words ended up making Kanzaki and the rest even more confused. "Did...did a doctor tell you that? Your Angel-sama was once diagnosed as just a simple split personality!?" "UUU...!!!" Hearing that question, Hino trembled. "DON''T, DON''T BE LIKE THIS! DON''T LOOK AT ME LIKE THIS!! THAT DOCTOR DOESN''T KNOW ANYTHING!!! HE DOESN''T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!" Hino continued to tremble like a child, and Kamijou inadvertently turned to look away. Though it was a killer in front of him, Kamijou had a weird sense of guilt within him. "Seems like I''m right." Kamijou sighed heavily and said, "Hino Jinsaku is a patient with split personality. He wasn''t switched, but has his personality A and personality B switched about." Kamijou bitterly grimaced as he made this conclusion. "In other words, Hino Jinsaku isn''t the culprit who triggered Angel Fall." Part 7 Everyone was stunned. Hino, who was unrelated to the entire case, lost consciousness either due to the pain or because his Angel-sama was believed to be false. Now, all their trails in tracking down the culprit of Angel Fall were dead-ends. They had wasted so much time. They didn''t know how to handle this, and they didn''t know how much time they could use to grasp around. "If Hino''s not the culprit behind Angel Fall, who is?" "How would I know...?" Kamijou also didn''t know what to say. They had no clues at all. Not knowing what to do, Kamijou and company could only stand around. At that moment... "Eh?" Not daring to look at Kanzaki, Kamijou managed to catch a glimpse that something was not right. However, he didn''t know what that feeling was. Kamijou looked at the cupboard Hino was lying at and walked over. The things in the cupboard were plentiful. Touya, who often went overseas to work, seemed to have placed his stash of all the meaningless items here. The only non-collectible item here was a photo frame. Though Kamijou had lost his memory, he seemed to have moved into Academy City after he graduated from kindergarten, so the people in the photo should be the young Kamijou and his young parents. "This is..." The switched phenomenon wasn''t just limited to the bodies, even the photos were the same. Aogami Pierce could fit in perfectly into Index''s nun robes because of this. The clothes, shoes sizes, fingerprints, bioinfo, photos, film, everything related to that person would be switched. The photo in this frame had become weird because of Angel Fall. Kamijou had managed to use his Imagine Breaker ability to escape the effects, so the image of Kamijou still remained as his young self, but the photo of his mother had become Index, and the photo of his father The photo of his father. "...Hang on." Kamijou muttered. Looking at where Kamijou''s looking, the other magicians seemed to realise this. What about Touya? Why wasn''t Kamijou Touya switched? The topic they had just talked about seemed to be a distant memory. The only one not affected by it is this boy in the middle of the commotion. In this situation, isnt it reasonable to suspect that this boy is the culprit? This suspicious point started to help Kamijou remember the numerous suspicious points. According to the results of the investigation, this strange phenomenon seems to be caused by you at the center, Kami-yan. However, youre unaffected even though youre at the center. The numerous suspicious points headed towards the same direction and formed a problem. Kanzaki and I were lucky. Under the double protection of the distance and the barrier, we managed to escape. Yeah, Kamijou thought. Even if they were magicians, even most of the experts of the magical world couldn''t escape Angel Fall. "Don''t tell me...dad..." Kamijou let out those words, which made Kanzaki frown. "What are you saying? Are you telling me that the person wasn''t switched and remained the same?" Kamijou didn''t know how to answer that question. But on thinking through it, Kanzaki''s question was logical. Since Angel Fall changed all the photos and records, even if they wanted to find the information of person A after it happened, they would only find the information of person B that was switched. So even if Kamijou Touya''s information wasn''t switched, Kanzaki and the rest would have thought that this was another person that got switched. At that moment, Misha, who was standing beside Kamijou, sighed coldly. "My first response: Found the answer. Target defined. Just need to confirm the correctness of this answer... My personal opinion: I think that''s a no-brainer." After saying that, she leapt out of the open adjacent window, into the yard, and vanished without a trace. "WAIT! MISHA KREUTZEV! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?" Kanzaki frantically shouted, but Misha had already disappeared. The target. Kamijou just saw Kamijou Touya''s photo and said that. "...Tsuchimikado." Kamijou took a deep breath, and asked, "In this Angel Fall, is it really rare to see someone like me not affected?" "It''s not just rare, it''s just you only." Tsuchimikado peered through the blue shades. "Even with me who set up the magic array, or like nee-chin who just so happened to be in the deepest part of St. George Cathedral or Mont Saint-Michel Monastery, we couldn''t get away from the effects of Angel Fall completely. It''s like me knowing that I''m Tsuchimikado Motoharu, but other people view me as Hitotsui Hajime." That''s right, that was why they had thought Kamijou Touma was the culprit behind Angel Fall. Everyone in the world should have been affected by Angel Fall, but only one person hadn''t been affected by this huge magic at all. This was the answer. The person who wasn''t affected by Angel Fall was the culprit. Kamijou again stared at the photo frame on the cupboard. There was a family photo of three. Kamijou Shiina was switched as Index, no problems. Kamijou Touma wasn''t switched because of the Imagine Breaker. That was no problem as well. However... Kamijou Touya wasn''t switched. Of course, Touya didn''t have the Imagine Breaker ability like Kamijou. if everyone in the world had to be affected by Angel Fall, and this Angel Fall was magic that affected everyone, it would be like a computer virus, only the creator was exempt. "Damn it..." Kamijou Touma didn''t want to admit it. But this was the only possibility. "DAMN IT!" The culprit was Kamijou Touya. And Kamijou Touma hated himself for finding out. Part 8 Angel Fall was a large scale spell that required a boundary or a magic array. Thus, once they broke that magic array, they could stop Angel Fall. "...Go back, Kami-yan." But Tsuchimikado told Kamijou to return without even checking the house for a magic array. "I''ll check this place. Kami-yan, head back with nee-chin to protect Touya-san." (Protect?) Kamijou didn''t understand, so he frowned. Those people were affiliated with the Anglican Church. Up till now, their reason for working together with Kamijou was just to prevent Angel Fall from activating. Right now, since they knew that the culprit was Kamijou''s relative, why would they choose to help Kamijou?" Facing Kamijou''s doubt, Tsuchimikado just grimaced. "Don''t look down on us, Kami-yan. Our goal is just to prevent Angel Fall from activating. Of course, it''s best that we don''t kill anyone nya." Changing his tone, Tsuchimikado then grumbled. "That Misha''s too hasty, not everything can be settled by killing nya." Settling this by killing. Those words spooked Kamijou. Misha wouldn''t hold back when attacking the enemy. Not only did she break Hino Jinsaku''s wrist, even Kamijou, who had been suspected, had a saw put to his neck. Did she really intend to do the same thing to Kamijou Touya? Even though she didn''t know why Touya must activate Angel Fall? Must she really swing the hammer or crowbar at Kamijou Touma''s father without holding back? "Damn it. What kind of a joke is this..." She definitely wouldn''t hesitate. Misha Kreutzev. She had come there for that purpose. She had originally intended to kill the culprit behind the activation of Angel Fall to solve this problem. "...What kind of sick joke is this, DAMN IT!!!!" Kamijou roared. But the person who should be taking this rage wasn''t there. Volume 4, 3: The Descent of the Angel that Harms This World Volume 4, Chapter 3: The Descent of the Angel that Harms This World Part 1 On the taxi ride back, Kamijou didn''t utter a single word to Kanzaki. Right now, he was thinking about Misha. Comparing running to taking a car, there was no contest. Kamijou and Kanzaki should be faster than Misha in returning to the resort. However, Misha might hitch a ride on the way back. "..." Kamijou tiredly closed his eyes. While closing his eyelids, Kamijou seemed to see the photo that had been switched and became so weird. It seemed like that wasn''t the only photo that had been switched. The photo album that was hidden in a certain corner should be the same. Of course, that went for all the photo albums in the world. Even if it was a faded eight centimeter film that was filmed during elementary school. Even if it was a greeting card with a photo of a baby on it. Even if it was a couple who tried to squeeze into the small image and kept their bodies tightly together as they took the photo from a camera. Those should be important memories to everyone. They were memories that couldn''t be stained or twisted. (Why must you do this...damn dad...) Kamijou sighed heavily. It seemed like even the sighing voice was forcing Kamijou to focus. The sky was already dyed orange when Kamijou and Kanzaki returned to the Wadatsumi resort. The colour looked like fresh blood or flames to Kamijou, and he shuddered. Misha...she''s not here yet, right? Since Touya was the culprit, someone would come to take his life. And it wasn''t the fangs of the devil, but an ally of justice. Even so, being worried about Touya, Kamijou rushed into the resort frantically. No matter whether it was good or evil, those came secondary. Kamijou was simply worried for his father. However, that thought landed him on the evil side, which really caused Kamijou to hate it. "Eh? Onii-chan, where did you go?" On entering the house, he saw Mikoto lying in front of the electrical fan and licking the ice popsicle while watching the television. (Lucky...) Kamijou thought. At least that meant that Misha, who knew the truth, didn''t take someone as a hostage. Mikoto, who was lying on the floor, didn''t seem like she intended to get up. She puffed her cheeks and said to Kamijou, "Onii-chan! You disappeared all of a sudden! Everyone was so worried about you! Everyone stopped playing and went to look for you! Since you wanted to go out, you should have told someone or left a note" "Dad? Where''s he?" Having her words interrupted suddenly, Mikoto widened her eyes in shock. Kamijou didn''t know how he looked like now, but he knew that his voice sounded like he was about to cry at any moment. "He should be at the seaside? I don''t know the exact location, everyone went to look for you. Ah, I''m not lazing around, I''m in charge of contact. Onii-chan, you better say sorry to everyone. Really." Oh. Kamijou nodded his head. Then, Kamijou was about to face his own father. Maybe he should have apologized about this. "It''s my job now. You just need to stay here." Kanzaki said with a cautious tone, "I''ll protect Touya-shi and the rest, so..." "I refuse." Kamijou immediately refused Kanzaki''s orders. He sounded like he was standing in the middle of an icy cold rain. "I want to do with this myself. I have to deal with this myself." "But" Kanzaki sounded rather perplexed. Maybe it was her gentle side, as she didn''t want Kamijou to take on his own relative. But that angered Kamijou. "NO BUTS!! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? KAMIJOU TOUYA IS MY FATHER! MY DAD! THE ONLY DAD IN THE WORLD THAT CAN NEVER BE REPLACED!!!" Kamijou suddenly roared, which caused Mikoto to jerk her shoulders and stare at Kamijou. Kanzaki didn''t say anything. "Therefore..." Kamijou muttered to himself. Even if he didn''t know what to do, even if he couldn''t find an answer. "That''s why I want to deal with this personally. I won''t let you interfere, I won''t let you people hurt my dad. He''s my dad" Kamijou Touma still made this declaration. Even if his body was fatigued. "I must save Kamijou Touya." Part 2 Kamijou Touya was walking on the beach, dyed red by the sunset. His face looked tired, and sweat flowed down his entire body. He had been running around, looking for the missing Kamijou, but even though he was extremely tired now, he wouldn''t allow himself to rest. Dragging his tired legs, he continued to walk on the beach. He didn''t look like a magician at all. He didn''t look like a fighting expert at all. "...Dad." Kamijou called out to Touya. That moment Touya''s tired expression turned around, it became one of relief and delight. A completely normal expression. An expression of an ordinary father who had just found his lost son. "Touma!" After five seconds, Kamijou Touya barely managed to make an angry look. "Where did you go!? If you wanted to go out, why didn''t you tell us!? Your mother was worried about you! Didn''t you say that you got summer heatstroke? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you feel like vomiting?" Less than a second in, the angry lecture had become concern for Kamijou. That was to be expected. Touya wasn''t angry at Kamijou because he hated him. Fathers always get angry at their children because they were worried. Kamijou gritted his teeth. If possible, Kamijou really didn''t want to force Touya to say it aloud. Kamijou didn''t want to ask Touya whether he was the culprit behind Angel Fall. Kamijou just wanted to pretend that nothing had happened, follow Touya back to the resort and continue chatting away as per usual. But he couldn''t do it. The Angel Fall incident had to be settled. Even if he had to go up against Touya, even if he wanted to stop Touya''s dream from happening, even if he would be hated by his own father, even if he couldn''t talk to Touya like family members do, it was alright. Kamijou had already decided. He would definitely save Kamijou Touya. Kamijou didn''t know what Touya''s aim was, but he didn''t want his father to enter the bloody world of magic. Kamijou knew what a magician was, and he knew how terrifying those people were. Kamijou didn''t want to imagine numerous magicians, including Misha, coming to hunt Touya down. So, this had to be settled before Misha arrived. Angel Fall must be removed. "...Why?" Thus, Kamijou spoke up. Kamijou was extremely careful not to let his voice tremble, and not to let himself cry. Seeing Kamijou like this, Touya frowned. "Why must you step into the magic world? Aren''t you a person from the normal world? Why must you touch that stupid magic? What were you doing, damned dad!" Hearing Kamijou say that, Touya''s smile froze. "What are you saying, Touma, the important thing now is" "Stop acting dumb! I''m asking you why did you do those things that only magicians will do!" Like a cut string, the expression disappeared from Touya''s face. It was not the expression of a magician sensing danger. It was the expression of a father when his son found out something he shouldn''t have done. "...Before I answer this, let me ask a question. Touma, you don''t have to tell me where you went. Let me ask you, is your body alright? Are you hurting anywhere?" Facing the dual-layered sunset on the sky and the sea, as if the world was burning, Touya asked Kamijou that. Kamijou was shocked that he still asked such an unimportant question at this critical moment. Just like a father. "Seeing you like this, you should be alright, right?" Kamijou Touya heaved a sigh of relief. Alright, where should we begin? Kamijou remained silent. He couldnt think of what to say. He couldnt possibly be expected to say something. However, Kamijou didnt look away from his father, not even once. Like a toy without a battery, Touyas face lost all expression. To Kamijou, the man in front of him seemed to have aged by ten years. I myself felt...that it was a stupid thing to use that method to achieve my wish. Touya finally started to explain. Hey, Touma. You may not remember it because you were sent to Academy City right after you graduated from kindergarten, Touya seemed to recall something. But do you still remember when we were together, what the people around us called you? ...? Kamijou frowned. Having lost his memory, he couldnt even remember anything in July of this year. Touya was about to say something before holding it back. After pausing for a while, he said, They called you a god of pestilence. Touya said that with a devastated expression that looked as if he wanted to kill himself by biting his tongue. As a father, he actually had to say that fact to his own son. Touya revealed a regretful expression. Do you understand, Touma? Ever since you were born, you held misfortune. That is why you were called that. But do you understand, Touma? That was not just teasing by children who had no real ill will. Touya gritted his teeth. Even most adults called you that. There was no real reason for it. Just because you held misfortune, they called you that. Kamijou couldnt help but hold his breath. It was impossible to see the expression on Touyas face. No delight, no happiness, nothing could be seen at all. The children believed that just by having you around, others gained misfortune. Because they believed that, they would throw rocks at you just because they saw you. And the adults did not stop them. When they saw your injuries, it did not make them sad. It instead made them sneer at you. They would urge the kids to hurt you even worse. Touya continued on with the blank expression. Kamijou couldnt tell what he was feeling. Maybe Touya was deliberately trying not to show any expression. Behind his mask was an insuppressible agitation that couldnt be held back. That emotion definitely couldnt be shown in front of his own son. Maybe one could tell his determination here. The children believed that when you left, their misfortune would also leave. Because they believed that, they would avoid you. Even the adults believed that. Do you remember, Touma? A man buried in debt once chased you around with a knife trying to stab you. When the TV stations heard about it, they used a paranormal show as an excuse to show your face on TV without permission and treat you like a monster. The world, now dyed orange, looked like a blazing inferno of hell. The man standing in the middle of the flames chose to keep this icy feeling that didnt have any emotions in it. That is why I sent you to Academy City. I was scared. I wasnt scared of the whole fortune and misfortune thing. I was scared of the reality that people would act violently towards you as if it was the natural thing to do just because they believed in that. Touya started to cry painfully without any expression. I was afraid that superstition would kill you one day, Touma. So I sent you to a world without superstition. Thus, Touya himself had cut the bond between family members. As long as he could protect his own son, it was alright even if they couldnt live together. But even in that forefront of science, you were still treated as having misfortune. I could tell just from reading the letters you sent. It did seem the malicious violence was gone, but that was not enough for me. Touya smiled. I wanted to destroy your misfortune itself. However, that was clearly a wish that could not be granted with the methods of even the forefront of science. Even though he knew that it was a wish that couldnt be granted. Kamijou Touya wouldnt give up. Only one path remained to me. I reached out to the occult. Then, Kamijou Touya stopped talking and remained silent. Kamijou started to think. Touya said that he had activated Angel Fall to remove the misfortune from Kamijou. But what did he intend to summon an angel for? Did he simply wish to talk directly to God and hope that God would hear his prayer? Why did he get so many people involved, switching all the inside and outside of all the people in the world for...? Upon thinking about it, Kamijou understood. The switch of the inside. In other words, Kamijou Touma''s title of an unfortunate man would end up with somebody else. It was not important whether the angel would descend. Kamijou Touya only wished to switch the inside and outside. "...You bastard." But that method had its pros and cons. As the identity of Kamijou Touma would be switched with others, Kamijou Touma wouldn''t think that Touya was his father. Not only that, a stranger would become Kamijou Touma, and walk around in his own family as the son. Even so, Kamijou Touya was willing to make that sacrifice for his own son. Even if he had to get the entire world involved. Even if his own son would never ever call him dad again. Even if the entire family wouldn''t be able to gather happily again. Kamijou Touya had chosen to protect his own son. Even if he became a sinner, he would protect his son from the pain of that invisible misfortune. "YOU BASTARD!!!" Kamijou couldn''t help but roar. Touya revealed a surprised look, but that made it even more unbearable for Kamijou. "That''s right, I''m unlucky!" Kamijou said with disdain. "Just this summer vacation alone, I almost died a few times, and I even just had my entire right arm sliced off! If I have to compare it to everyone in class, I suppose only my summer was this unfortunate!" Kamijou paused, and then continued. "But have I said that I regretted this!? Did I say that I didn''t want this unfortunate summer vacation!? Stop joking around!! My summer vacation is unfortunate, but so what!? Is that little thing enough to make me regret!?" That was right. The one who had saved Himegami Aisa from Misawa Cram School was Kamijou Touma. That was right. The one who had saved Misaka Imouto from the experiment was Kamijou Touma. Also... The one who had protected that radiant smile of that white nun should also be... Even if he only got involved because of others, even though they were just cases of misfortune, Kamijou had the right to brag about it. On the other hand, if Kamijou was too lucky and hadn''t gotten involved in all that, just thinking of the aftermath was enough to make his break out in cold sweat. "If I hadn''t been so unlucky it''s true that I could live longer, and I wouldn''t have to face the gates of death several times." Kamijou glared at Touya and said, "But can that be considered fortune? Living a normal everyday life so casually, and yet not finding out that others are suffering, drenched in blood as they cry for help. Casually living, is this really fortune?" "That''s why, don''t stop me!" "I don''t want to be that lucky guy. Instead of living a carefree life and not knowing about the pain of the people around me, I''d rather be unfortunate and get involved in the pain of those people." Kamijou Touma said. "Don''t think that I''m an unlucky person. I''m the luckiest person in the world!" Kamijou''s face was showing a smile. A ferocious, savage, rough and inelegant smile. But it was the best and strongest smile. With such a smile, Kamijou had made such a declaration. "..." Touya. Kamijou Touya couldn''t say anything. In this orange world, the waves could be heard, and Touya laughed. He continued to laugh, laugh, laugh and laugh. "Haha" Then, Kamijou Touya revealed a slight real smile "What the heck." Touya just said in a half-joking tone. "So you were always that fortunate, Touma." Kamijou nodded his head without hesitation. Touya finally looked like he was free of his burden. "I''m such an idiot, I only knew how to make things worse. I nearly took my son''s happiness away." After feeling relieved, Touya started to mock himself. "But actually, I didn''t do anything. I was an idiot. What can I do, going around collecting those memorabilia? I definitely understood that those strange cosmic forces are all superstitions." "Eh?" His father''s words made him frown. But Touya didn''t notice his son''s bewilderment. "Those lucky charms that the gift shops sell were said to what, protect the family, excel in academics, these are all exotic crafts. If I could remove that misfortune of yours like that, your misfortune isn''t worth bragging about. I won''t go about buying that stuff, and instead just get some snacks. Your mom will be happy as well." "Hold, hold on a minute." Kamijou was stunned for a second, and then continued. "Didn''t you trigger Angel Fall? Where''s the ritual site? Since your aim of removing my misfortune is gone, you should be able to remove Angel Fall right?" However, Kamijou''s words only puzzled Touya. "Angel Fall? What''s that? Some modern lingo? Or is that a singer''s name?" "...Hold, wait a minute!" Kamijou seriously stared at Touya''s face and asked, "Do you know where mom is?" "Why are you asking that all of a sudden, Touma? She may have went back to the resort, right?" Kamijou was stunned. His father''s face didn''t look like he was lying. Touya really thought that Index was his wife. But that didn''t make sense. If Kamijou Touya really triggered Angel Fall, he shouldn''t be affected. (Wait, think fast! What did I miss out? The situation now is too weird. Dad''s explanation seems like he just bought a lot of charms for his son.) But there was no time to think. Kamijou''s thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps on the beach. Kamijou lifted his head up. "...Misha Kreutzev!" When did she appear? On that beach without any hiding spots, a girl wearing red clothes and a red cloak suddenly appeared. Seeing this blond girl that had black straps and even a ring around her. Misha didn''t respond to Kamijou''s shout. The girl just faced Touya silently. They were about a hundred metres away from each. Kamijou recalled the attack last night, and his spine started to freeze in fear. The terrifying Hino Jinsaku had been sent packing like a stray cat by the overwhelming power of Misha. One hundred metres wasn''t a distance to Misha. But Kamijou still believed that everyone could talk it out. He still believed so. He casually walked forward, stood in front of Touya, and then said, "Hold on, Misha. Something''s not right. My dad wasn''t switched by anyone, but he didn''t notice that the people around him got switched. This means that he got affected by Angel Fall, but I don''t know why--!?" Before he could finish, Kamijou''s throat dried up. His body was trembling. From the petite body of Misha Kreutzev, there seemed to be something spraying out. Kamijou''s feet were just nailed to the floor. His stomach could feel a tremendous pressure, his breathing was erratic, and his heartbeat was getting faster. There was a sense of pain deep within his brain that was like fireworks, and he stopped thinking. Did Misha''s pores let out poisonous gas? Of course not. Misha didn''t do anything, but that was enough to force Kamijou to be unable to move. Killing intent. The killing intent alone was enough to turn Kamijou to stone. The tremendous pressure that was released made him feel like the surrounding gravity was increased by ten times. Slowly, Misha raised her slender hand and reached for the belt strap on her waist. She drew out the L-shaped crowbar. Seeing that blunt tip, Kamijou could feel that Touya was so fearful he forgot how to breathe. The blunt and heavy tip looked even scarier than a sharp blade. "Hold itMisha...listen to me!" Kamijou still tried to talk to Misha, but Misha didn''t respond. A gust of wind blew by, and Misha''s bangs started to wave. Behind the bangs, the eyes that looked like lightning were completely emotionless. If Hino Jinsaku''s eyes could be said to be wild and agitated, Misha''s eyes were the complete opposite. They were no longer a human''s eyes. A human couldn''t possibly have those eyes that covered all emotional sense. It seemed like those eyeballs were two glass balls or crystals. Misha Kreutzev didn''t say anything. She just stretched the L-shaped crowbar aside, glancing at Kamijou as if she were watching him. He was numb. Kamijou didn''t say anything now. The petite girl in red clothes in front of him didn''t look like a human anymore. It was as though she was something with human skin over it. Slowly, Misha raised the L-shaped crowbar as if she was holding an axe. The interrogation tool had fractured Hino Jinsaku''s wrist in one hit. Could Kamijou dodge and protect Touya at the same time? Kamijou''s body started to tremble, and his palms started to give off disgusting sweat. But he wouldn''t back away. Kamijou clenched his trembling right hand tight. Suddenly, Kanzaki''s growl came from somewhere. "Move aside! Kamijou Touma!" The sound of wind being cut could be heard. An invisible slash passed between Kamijou and Misha, forming a wall of sand. Misha, who had been holding the crowbar and intending to launch the attack, was instantly distracted. At that moment, Kanzaki appeared between the two of them. Standing beside Kanzaki, who was giving off killing intent, was Tsuchimikado, who came back. "It''s been tough on you, Kami-yan. Good work. Since you managed to talk it out, back down, it''s our job next." Though it was unknown what Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado did, they seemed to be remaining vigilant. On seeing Tsuchimikado, Touya''s jaw dropped. This was to be expected. Because of Angel Fall, to Touya, Tsuchimikado was an idol who had just made the headlines because of a scandal. But there was no time to explain this misunderstanding to him. Though Kamijou was shocked, he was still staring at Misha, who was acting strangely. "Oi Tsuchimikado! What''s with her?" "Hei, thinking about it, it''s really strange!" Tsuchimikado smirked and said, "We thought that people from other religious sects wouldn''t tell us their real names, so we never asked. But thinking about it, she shouldn''t be calling herself Misha. At that moment, we should have realised that something''s up nya." "?" "This name: Misha." Kanzaki carefully glared at Misha and said, "It''s a male''s name in Russia. It''s illogical to use that name as an alias." Misha herself didn''t rebut this. She just narrowed her eyes and pointed the tip of the crowbar from Touya to Kanzaki. "What...?" "We asked the Russian Orthodox, and they said that there''s only a Sasha Kreutzev. It seems like she''s Sasha before she got switched." Kamijou stared at Misha. That was right. Under Angel Fall''s influence, she should have switched with someone. But the problem is, who was this girl in Kreutzev''s body?" "There are beings that can exist as male and females, Kami-yan. They have no gender. In legend, they either remain neutral or have features of both genders. To them, the ''name'' is the reason why God created them, so they can''t exchange names with others." Hearing Tsuchimikado''s words, Kamijou frowned, "Have you forgotten, Kami-yan? What''s the name of this grand spell?" At that moment, Misha widened her eyes. BOOM! An earth-shattering boom could be heard. The sunset sky that was dyed orange instantly became a starry night sky. "Wha..." Kamijou inadvertently looked up at the sky. Touya stopped breathing. Night. It was as if something switched off the lights, and the evening sky suddenly became pitch black night. The unlucky symbol of the full moon hung over them. That was strange, no matter what, today should have been a crescent moon. "W-what''s going on?" "Can''t you tell? She turned the evening into night." Kanzaki said it casually, but Kamijou was astounded. It was easy to say that she changed the evening sky to night, but that meant that the person in front of them could control the relative positions of the earth to the sun. No, even the orbit of the moon was switched. That meant that the moon and other planets were under control. Controlling celestial bodies. Maybe that terrifying ability was so terrifying that people couldn''t experience it personally, but this was a power that could destroy the world. For example, if the world''s axis were tilted by ten degrees, a fourth of all life on earth would be destroyed. And if the world stopped spinning, the world would be instantly destroyed. The people standing on the world may not feel it, but actually, the world was spinning at a terrifying speed of 1666 kilometres an hour. If it suddenly stopped, it would be like making an emergency brake. The terrifying force could flip all the things on the surface of the Earth. That meant... That at anytime, at any place, once Misha decided it, the world would be at it''s end. "Hold, hold on a minute! Can magic do such scary things?" "For a human, of course not." With a sharp and icy look, Kanzaki''s voice sounded like a blade. "Summoning the night to strengthen its own element and putting the moon as the main part. Oh, I see. The element of water, the controller of blue, the guardian of the moon, the keeper of the back. The one who buried the fallen city of Gomorrah under a rain of fire in the Old Testament, the one who foretold the news of the birth of the Son of God to the virgin in the New Testament." At that moment, Kamijou finally remembered. Angel Fall. Since it was named as such, it naturally meant that something descended into this world. "Your name is Power of God, the twin-winged archangel aligned to the left side of God, right?" The breaker of God (Kanzaki) said that, but the servant of God didn''t reply. An invisible shell-like thing started to crack, and the invisible skin was molting. ''That thing'' completely awakened. Part 3 The angel didn''t do anything. Kanzaki stood in front of Kamijou and Touya, and she reached for the nodachi at her waist. "An angel''s power is neither good or evil. Those who were directed by God to save mortals will be praised as angels. Once they fall onto the corrupted earth, they will become terrifying demons." Kanzaki said in a curse-like voice. "It''s as according to what the Old Testament described. Do you really want to return to heaven? Power of God?" Kamijou stared dumbstruck at Mishano, the angel called Power of God. Maybe her reason of preventing Angel Fall was even simpler than anyone here. Angel Fall was a spell that caused an angel to fall into the mortal world. An angel that got pulled down would definitely want to go back. Power of God didn''t say anything. There was no need to talk. She raised the L-shaped crowbar high as if it was a lit fuse. Kamijou felt a chill, as if his heart was speared by an ice pillar. The moon above him was even whiter, even brighter. The bright moon created a halo around it, as if a camera lens was forced near the sun. With the full moon at the centre, the halo instantly expanded outwards. The interior of the halo formed all sorts of bright lines that looked like all sorts of complicated codes. A magic array. And that magic array wasn''t just big. Looking closer, all the bright points that formed the lines were magic arrays themselves. It was like flocks of fish swimming together in the ocean, or ants crawling in single file on the land. Billions and billions of magic arrays were neatly arranged to form one huge array. (How can, there be...such a terrifying scene.) Looking up at the array of stars in the night, Kamijou was unable to say anything. The stars in the night sky looked weak and fantastical, but it was just an illusion. Things that were further away seemed smallerthis was something that even an elementary school child could understand. Even one who stayed in Japan should have seen the fighter jets of the Self Defense Forces, or the ones stationed at the American bases, create contrails, but had anyone seen an engine spurt out fire? That was the case right now. The contrails released by a fighter jet would disappear after a certain distance. And as for the artificial lights visible in the stratosphere, most likely, only the lights from the rocket boosters of the satellites could be seen. Even though Kamijou didn''t understand anything about magic, he could understand this. Those magic arrays weren''t a trivial thing. Kamijou could feel it, his body was trembling. Looking up at the night sky, a drop of sweat appeared on Kanzaki''s face. "Are you serious? Power of God! You intend to use an Old Testament spell just to kill one person? Are you trying to destroy this world!?" Kanzaki''s tone and what she said were too shocking. Kamijou inadvertently panicked and asked, "What? Oi, what does that angel intend to do...?" "That''s a torrent of fire arrows that once destroyed a civilisation. If that spell activates, humanity will cease to exist." The seriousness of this situation far exceeded his understanding, and Kamijou was unable to comprehend what was going on. But the words ''fire'' and ''torrent'' remained etched in him. (Rain of fire arrows? Fall down? Don''t tell me, those lights in the sky, these billions of bright spots that aren''t any different from rocket fuel will land onto the surface!?) Kamijou remained rigid as he looked at the night sky. The simplest thing he could think of was that the billions of bright spots were missiles aimed at the world. If all those missiles landed on the earth, it would far surpass a carpet bombing. Even if one missile was assigned to every person, there would still be many remaining. Kamijou wasn''t clear how large the attack range was. Maybe it was a city, or maybe a country. If any place that could see the night sky was part of the range, half the world would be reduced to ash. Kanzaki looked like her heart could stop at any time. "Without God''s orders, angels shouldn''t be able to kill. Have you forgotten about that, Power of God? According to the New Testament, the Final Judgement of judging the souls has been decided. Killing people randomly will cause it to be affected, you should be clear about this! This is what you told humanity!" Kamijou had heard those words from Tsuchimikado before. At the end of the world, God would descend down to the mortal world and decide everyone''s fate, whether they were going to heaven or to hell. If a person who shouldn''t be killed was dead, his children wouldn''t be born. If that happened, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren wouldn''t be born. That was why those who could control time and space were those supremacists who could control history. The angels who escaped from the history of humanity also had the power to change humanity''s future. The supremacists. The angel didn''t respond to Kanzaki''s earnest plea to not kill humans. No anger, no frenzy, no mockery, no sneering, nor any guilt. It wasn''t moving at all. Seeing that, goosebumps appeared on Kamijou. They couldn''t talk to that angel called Power of God. Ever since Angel Fall occurred, perhaps she was like a train that had gone off track. The angel had only one command to itself, and that was to return to heaven. It was already unable to think of what would happen to the world. It just wanted to return to its correct position. It was like an organ transplant. If an organ that was not suitable was transplanted, the body would reject it, even though it knew that it would die. It had been willing to work together with Kamijou and company just to find out who the person was. After an all-out bombardment, it would be unable to tell whether its target was dead from the pile of corpses and rubble. Thus, it had to remember the target''s face. Kamijou gritted his teeth and looked up. Kamijou''s right hand could neutralise any supernatural power, even if it was God''s miracle. However, the magic array was located too far away. Even a fighter jet couldn''t reach that altitude. Thus, Kamijou turned to glare at the Power of God. If he wanted to destroy those magic arrays, the only way was to beat the caster down. Like Angel Fall, the spell was still incomplete. "Damn it..." But faced with that simple answer, Kamijou couldn''t help but grit his teeth. If he did that, how would it be different from what that angel did? "DAMN IT!!" Power of God was just staring at Kamijou expressionlessly. Its eyes were like someone standing high above, looking down at insects rolling around in the dirt. The archangel that could destroy the world without raising a finger didn''t say anything. Its eyes didn''t have any look of danger, not even a look a pity. Because there was no need to pity a bug that was going to be crushed to death. "WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS! AT LEAST SAY SOMETHING! LISTEN UP, I''M ANGRY, I''M REALLY ANGRY!! THERE''S NO ROOM FOR NEGOTIATION, REMOVE THIS SPELL RIGHT NOW!!!" Kamijou roared at the girl who was shorter than him, but his voice was trembling. At that moment, Touya was shocked that his own son was still scolding. Kamijou recalled the speed, the power, the distance control and the battle skills that Misha had used to send Hino retreating in front of his eyes. Even if it was pretending, it still had that power, a godlike power. If they fought, Kamijou would only be played with in its hands. Besides, right now, its victory was just right in front. Because it didn''t need to disguise itself anymore. "..." A lot of sweat flowed down Kamijou''s body. In order to protect Touya, Kamijou took a step forward. This may have looked courageous, but it was merely suicidal. The difference in power between a human and the Power of God couldn''t be closed down. It was like using martial arts to take on a nuclear missile. "Kamijou Touma." At that moment, Kanzaki Kaori silently turned her head back and looked at Kamijou Touma. "I''ll take care of the Power of God, hurry up and take Touya-shi away from here." For a moment, Kamijou was unable to understand what Kanzaki meant. Because she had said it so casually. In this situation where it was not much different from using martial arts to take on a nuclear missile. Kanzaki wasn''t hesitating, bothered, tolerant, fearful, anxious, She stood before Kamijou, facing the angel that was like a death god. "W-why...?" Thus, Kamijou could only choose to ask that. Facing this question Kamijou barely managed to make out, Kanzaki said without turning her head back, "No reason. There''s something I should do here, which is why I''m standing here. It''s just that simple." Kanzaki then said in an uninterested tone, "The Sweep? How meaningless, really meaningless. If you do that, I won''t be able to achieve my aim." Kanzaki stepped forward. Kamijou was unable to stop her, nor was he able to catch up to her. Though they were less than a meter away from each other, it made Kamijou feel like he wouldn''t be able to catch up with her for all of humanity. It wasn''t because the enemy was strong, not because of the fear within him, not because of the sharpness, weight, speed, cold or heat. But because of the nature. With her back facing Kamijou as she faced the Power of God, Kanzaki gave off a presence of nature that indicated that she had the right to do this. The Breaker of God said, "The following battle will far exceed a human''s limits. When escaping, be careful not to get caught in the shockwave." Facing the word ''escaping'', Kamijou was unable to understand. At this point, where could they run off to? Could they actually run off to Mars? Kanzaki didn''t turn back as she continued to say to the puzzled Kamijou, "Think about it, the Power of God just needs to cast the Sweep to easily end everything here. Why is it silently waiting there for us to take action?" Now that Kanzaki said it, Kamijou finally realised it. Since it had the power of the Sweep, why didn''t it take action quickly? To the Power of God, there should be no reason to hesitate, as she had only one goal. Why didn''t it quickly summon the Sweep? "It''s not that it''s not activating it, but that it can''t. Even if it''s the Power of God, it will take quite some time to activate such a large spell. This isn''t weird. When it activated the God''s Purge that destroyed an entire civilisation, it took quite some preparation time." Kanzaki said. "...About thirty minutes. Fufu, wouldn''t that be too short to send all the animals up the Ark?" Kamijou was speechless. Only thirty minutes left. Thirty minutes later, the Sweep spell would send billions of burning fire arrows down on half the world like billions of missiles. Of course, Kamijou''s Imagine Breaker wasn''t going to save the entire world. But on the other hand... If they could beat the Power of God within those thirty minutes. "If that''s the case, that''s even more reason for me not to run away! I want to fight! Against this enemy from the magic world, my right hand should more or less be of some help!" "Don''t be stupid, if we professionals let amateurs get hurt protecting us, we don''t even have the right to commit seppuku." Kanzaki sounded rather casual. "WHY ARE YOU STILL SO CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF!? THAT THING WON''T SHOW ANY MERCY! THAT NONSENSE YOU GUYS SPOUTED ABOUT ANGELS UNABLE TO KILL HUMANS ISN''T RELIABLE AT ALL!!" Kamijou sounded like someone who was trying to prevent a lunatic from jumping off a building. "HOW CAN I LEAVE SUCH AN OPPONENT TO YOU! I WANT TO FIGHT! HOW CAN I RUN AWAY EVEN AT THIS POINT!!" "Listen to me." But Kanzaki seemed abnormally calm, "This thing in front of us is already past an ordinary person''s realm. It''s stupid to fight against it, let alone beat it." Kamijou held his breath as he stared at Kanzaki. "But don''t be mistaken. I don''t want to lose my life like that. I may not be able to beat it, but I don''t think that I''ll lose. Maybe I can divert it away and hold it off." Kanzaki said silently. "Kamijou Touma, while I hold her off, please take Touya-shi away to remove Angel Fall." "Wait, what did you say?" "Have you forgotten what''s the goal of the Power of God? The reason why it activated the Sweep was just to remove Angel Fall. In other words, if we remove Angel Fall before it activates the Sweep, there''s no need for it to cast the spell, right? The last sentence didn''t seem to be directed at Kamijou, but at the archangel. The unmoving angel didn''t respond to her. It was because to the Power of God, all that wasn''t important. Thirty minutes later, the Sweep would kill the caster of Angel Fall, Touya, and end everything. Even if Kamijou and the rest used another way to remove Angel Fall, it wouldn''t be of any disadvantage to the angel. Thus, Power of God just silently let Touya escape from its eyes. Its attitude was like saying, no point arguing with you since the outcome will be the same. It had an Astro in Hand spell that was even scarier than the Sweep, it was just wondering which method was more suitable to settle the problem right now. Kamijou glanced at Touya. It was true that leaving him with the Power of God here was too dangerous. "But what about yourself? Is it really alright to go against that Power of God..." "Who knows, but this is the best choice. With your ability, you can''t contain it. You have to seriously do your job well and try to destroy Angel Fall. Your hard work will increase my chances of survival." Kanzaki stared at the Power of God and stepped forward. "And I don''t wish to cause ordinary civilians to die because of battle between magicians. I definitely can''t allow Kamijou Touya to die, even if I have to sacrifice my life." "...Can you really do that?" "Yeah. Though it''s a little disrespectful for me to say this, I decide to trust you for now. Just like the time when you saved that child in front of me, this time, please save me." Kanzaki didn''t say any more. Kamijou wanted to say something, but he didn''t know what to say. It would be a waste of time to stop Kanzaki. Every meaningless action would decrease Kanzaki''s survival rate. Kamijou gritted his teeth. "THEN I''LL LEAVE IT TO YOU, KANZAKI! I''LL TRUST YOU THIS TIME!" Kamijou shouted as he grabbed Touya''s wrist, who still didn''t understand what was going on, and pulled him to the resort. "Oi! Hold up a minute! What''s going on!?" Touya shouted, but Kamijou ignored him. Power of God turned away from Kanzaki and stared at Kamijou and Touya. Kanzaki moved her body and again blocked the Power of God''s line of sight. "Your opponent is me. One of an angel''s responsibilities is to act as a messenger between God and humanity, so you have to listen to me, right?" At this moment, Kanzaki actually smiled. "Speaking of which, did he really just say that he decided to trust me? Stiyl said that he nearly went crazy during the Misawa Cram School'' battle so this feeling isn''t exaggerated. But this is the best way to say it. Because of that, my chances of survival have really increased." After saying that, Kanzaki grabbed onto the hilt of the Shichiten Shichitou. The Power of God that was staring at Kanzaki silently suddenly muttered in an alien language. "qSTUPIDrw" With a loud boom, a huge explosion occurred behind the angel. Her back let out something that looked like wings. They weren''t wings that were as elegant as a swan''s, but the screen of ice wings like a peacock. Numerous sharp wings that looked that they were carved out from ice extended outwards like a hill of swords. At the same time, the sea behind Power of God let out an irregular tide, and numerous huge sea serpents or sea dragons formed from several tons of seawater rush out and gathered behind the angel. The back fused with the seawater, forming a huge wing of water. The huge water wing of blades opened up behind the Power of God, and each of them were about fifty to seventy metres in length. They looked like walls that nobody could climb up, and like a wall of sharp crystals that could cut anyone''s fingers on the slightest touch. The numerous ice wings stabbed up at the sky. Finally, a drop of water appeared above the Power of God. The drop of water drew a small circle, forming a halo in the air. The colour was like the surface of the sky at night, bringing the azure blue presence with black shadows and death. Each wing was thoroughly infused with the Power of God, and each attack could flatten mountains and carve valleys like Divine Judgement. Even if it was on the battlefield as per normal, Kanzaki, who often caused enemies to back away in fear, was now stiff with tension. If it were anyone else, the killing intent released would have caused the person to faint. "I really got quite a bad job now." Kanzaki said as she lowered herself. At that moment, Kanzaki realised something. "Tsuchimikado? Where are you? Tsuchimikado?" He was gone. It was unknown when Tsuchimikado disappeared from the battlefield. Even in that situation, Tsuchimikado still insisted on his philosophy of betrayal, causing Kanzaki to be dumbfounded. "Oh well, he''s like this anyway. Even if I ignore him, he''ll find a way to survive through his own way. Right now, I need to make a path to survival through my own way. While using Yuisen, please allow me to declare my magic name." Then, Kanzaki Kaori let it out from her mouth. The other name that she had carved on her body, heart, and soul. "Salvare000 Be the salvation of those who cannot be saved." Part 4 At this moment, Tsuchimikado was running alone in the darkness. (Damn it, things just got out of hand! I should have destroyed ''that'' earlier if possible!) It was like he was running away from the battlefield, from the war. (But I should forget about my past mistakes! A human has to think positively! Alright, now that the bothersome Kanzaki''s being held up, I can finally move out!) As if he was running to a new battlefield, as if he was a fly flying to a fire. (Fufufu! The time of betrayal I expect the most is finally here! Sorry Kami-yan! It seems like we need to sacrifice at least someone to settle this!) Fallere825 The Backstabbing Blade Tsuchimikado Motoharu continued to run in the darkness cackling happily. Part 5 Kanzaki Kaori and the Power of God were facing off ten metres away from each other. But for a believer of Christianity, this could only be described as stupid. It was not that Kanzaki was too weak or the archangel was too strong; it was not that kind of simple dimensional question, but an even more basic and simpler paradox. Basically, all the religions in human history had a rule. It was the decree that they couldn''t go against God. It would be different if it were the pagans who believed in different gods, but the Christians believed that they couldn''t go against the Christian angels. On thinking about it, that was something obvious. In other words. Since Kanzaki was affiliated to the church, she wouldn''t be able to beat the Power of God. In terms of janken, the believers were scissors, and angels were rock. It was obvious to see who would win. So Kanzaki''s action was really comical. But the angel girl didn''t say anything, or even show a smile of pity. Power of God raised one of its water wings. Though they were about ten metres away from each other, it didn''t matter to the seventy-metre-long water wing; instead, it may have been too close. The water wings that were infused with Telesma from tip to tip could each send out a Judgement that could wreck a city. Once it sent that, this beach would vanish completely, forming a crate like cover, like how in legend, God shaped the earth. Power of God didn''t hesitate. Even though it knew the devastation this would cause on a human. The archangel that controlled the colour blue raised the seventy meter water wing in the air without hesitation. Such a scene gave a look that a tower was collapsing. The air that was ripped became a fist of air as it scattered about, until the wind itself collapsed due to the water wing. The water wing came swinging down at Kanzaki Kaori with shocking speed. It was all over. Everything should have been over. BAM! With a clear sound, the water wing was sliced in half by a horizontal flash. Who could have predicted such a scene? Power of God was stunned, and Kanzaki merely took a deep breath in response. The over two-metre-long nodachi that was hanging from Kanzaki Kaori''s waist. The moment she drew the sword, the seventy-metre-long water wing was sliced easily like a bamboo tube. Also, the remains of the sliced water wing immediately scattered into powder like an explosion and vanished into the darkness of the night sky. Kanzaki didn''t say anything. The long blade of the nodachi had already been sheathed silently into the black sheath. The bangs of the Power of God trembled slightly. The glass-ball-like eyes behind the bangs rolled about, seemingly looking for Kanzaki''s weakness. Power of God raised another water wing from its back, as if it were an experiment. This time, the water wing swung over, and the storm it whipped up seems like it would flatten everything. But the same thing happened again. ZZSSTT!! Kanzaki Kaori''s slash easily sliced that fifty-metre-long water wing in half. And Kanzaki''s body hadn''t wavered from the speed of the unsheathing nodachi or the weight. The moment the blade was drawn, it was sheathed back silently. Ten metres away, Kanzaki Kaori calmly stroked her hilt. The angel stopped. It seemed to be thinking of a new tactic to deal with this prey. "I think that" Kanzaki taunted, "you don''t have to be shocked about this level of counterattack. Seems like you underestimated this being called Kanzaki Kaori." Power of God didn''t respond. What replaced it were two water wings that crossed each other like pliers. BOOM! The two water wings struck at Kanzaki with a boom. But Kanzaki flipped her body like a tornado, slashing the two water wings in half at the same time with one strike. "..." The bangs swayed about in the air, the eyes behind them rolled about, seemingly confirming something. It wasn''t just one or two, four water wings had been sliced. It was obvious that this wasn''t a random coincidence. But if so, this formed a paradox, Christians couldn''t possibly oppose Christian angels. On the other hand, Kanzaki looked rather casual. "You believe that I''m just a simple Christian, and that''s the beginning of your mistakes." Kanzaki confidently explained. "My spells belong to the Amakusa Church. That''s a Japanese Christianity sect that got persecuted during the Edo period and created out of the necessity to maintain our belief." In that cruel era, when merely holding a cross or a statue of the Virgin Mary resulted in painful executions, the believers could only use the wooden plates Shintoism and Buddhism to use as cover, and ended up mixing with other religions until they couldn''t even tell which parts were Shintoism''s, which parts were Buddhism''s, and which parts were Christianity''s. Thus, they ended up creating a new religion. The multi-religious aspects Christian system, the Amakusa. In other words, since Christian spells couldn''t beat an angel, instead of using Christian spells, she should use Buddhism or Shintoism spells or any spells from religions that didn''t have any angels to attack the angel. If Christian spells wouldn''t work, she''d use Buddhist spells. If Buddhist spells wouldn''t work, she''d use Shinto spells. If Shinto spells wouldn''t work, she''d use Christian spells. The Amakusa could use other sorts of spells to make up for the religions'' weaknesses. So the fact that the Christians couldn''t beat angels didn''t exist for Kanzaki. Power of God looked frozen. Three water wings came swinging over the left and right. But the water wings were still easily sliced by Kanzaki''s nodachi flash. "And Japan''s Shintoism is one that has many gods. It has the belief that all things on earth have a divine attachment of many gods to it; any tool that doesn''t have any value will become a part of God''s will after a long time. There are many gods that are created by human means, like the dog gods, monkey gods and serpent gods that protect the house. Perhaps among all the religions, Shintoism has the most gods." Kanzaki deliberately stroked the Shichiten Shichitou. "Thus, it may be hard for an angel with only one god to imagine. Shintoism has many gods, and there are even interaction spells between humans and gods, human spells that are meant to take on Christian spells. In many Japanese folklore, there''s a lot of stories about using an ordinary nodachi to kill an evil god who lost its mind or request for a girl as a sacrifice. Shintoism has a tabooone mustn''t harm gods. Think about it, why is there such a rule?" Kanzaki Kaori said that casually. She was declaring to the angel that this wouldn''t be a one-sided battle. "..." Power of God stared at the enemy silently. Absorbing new seawater, the sliced water wings were restored to their old shape and size. But for Kanzaki, she didn''t need any preparations. She just needed to use her fingers to lightly stroke the hilt of the nodachi at her waist. Using the unique breathing to refine the magic energy within her, she could turn herself into the Breaker of God. Silence. After a tenth of a second of silence that an ordinary human couldn''t feel. The Power of God and the Breaker of God started their duel with their lives on their line. BOOM! A roar could be heard. The archangel sent a fifty-metre-long water wing sliding down from above, and it was sliced in half by Kanzaki, who was 10m in front of it. But the Power of God didn''t mind. No matter how many water wings were cut, it could repair them. This time, the water wing swung over from the left, trying to use the time Kanzaki was undefended while she was sheathing her nodachi. After Kanzaki sliced this attack, the next attack from the right was aimed at Kanzaki''s back. The Power of God and Kanzaki were about ten metres away from each other. The angel seemed like it wanted to maintain that distance and continued to attack Kanzaki with the water wings to prevent Kanzaki from getting close. Kanzaki spun her body and turned her head around, slicing the water wing behind her with one slash. Seeing this, three water wings of the messenger of God attacked from the air, each with a slight time interval between them. Even though there was a time interval, the difference was measured by a hundredth of a second. An ordinary person couldn''t really sense that somewhat godlike speed. A human needed 0.18 seconds to process the command from the brain to the fingers, but Kanzaki in the Breaker of God mode could enter superhuman territory for a fixed duration, thus such logic didn''t apply to her. Her blood vessels, muscles, nerves, organs and bones had obtained the God Breaker ability under the spell. ZAN! The first water wing of the trio was slashed by Kanzaki''s Battojutsu technique. Before the next hundredth of a second arrived, Kanzaki had already sheathed the Shichiten Shichitou and prepared for the next attack. Too easy, Kanzaki smiled in that time, but at that moment... The second water wing actually exploded by itself. Numerous blades that looked small broken pieces of glass were fired at Kanzaki. "What...?" Just as Kanzaki was trying to deal with the torrent of blades, the third water wing rushed over at a speed faster than the torrent of blades. "...Ugh!" Kanzaki was barely able to slash that unexpected third wing, but Kanzaki didn''t have enough time to sheath the nodachi. If she sheathed it, she wouldn''t be able to deal with the torrent of blades that were coming at her. Kanzaki gave up on the Iaido and used the drawn nodachi to deal with the torrent of blades. But it was impossible to block all the thousands of the blades with a nodachi. Seventeen of the blades landed around Kanzaki (Though being able to knock them all away was already an unbelievable skill on its own). The boom caused a shockwave like explosion, and the sand surrounding her to whipped up. Her vision was completely taken away by the wall of sand, like a storm in a desert. At that moment, the water wings attacked from the left, right, and front right direction, ripping through the sand wall like paper doors. At that moment, the trend for the battle was set. Kanzaki and the Power of God were ten metres away from each other. In other words, Kanzaki couldn''t attack the Power of God, but the Power of God could attack Kanzaki. And under the quick attacks of the angel, Kanzaki didn''t even have time to put her drawn nodachi back into the sheath. She couldn''t use her Battojutsu, so Kanzaki could only swing her nodachi desperately. Anyone could tell that Kanzaki was at the disadvantage there. Kanzaki gritted her teeth. She was one of the ten strongest magicians in London. In Kanzaki''s lifetime, the number of times she had lost in a one on one matchup could be counted with less than the number of fingers on both hands. And also, the ''one on one'' didn''t just mean human vs. human. Sometimes, it had been human vs. beast kings or even human vs. weapons. But such a record seemed like it was going to be tested heavily today. The record that could be counted with only the fingers on both hands seemed like it was not going to be enough. However... There was a huge question mark over whether the battle against that angel, who surpassed all logic, should count. DOGAGAGAGAZAZAZAZA! Every second, there would be four or five water wings sliced apart in sparks. The just-hardened nodachi seemed to lose its sharpness as they continued to be sliced. The angel didn''t want to give Kanzaki any time to rest. It continued to swing the water wings at a terrifying speed, intending to let the battle become a battle of attrition and wear Kanzaki down. Kanzaki didn''t even have a hundredth of a second to rest. The numerous water wings seemed like creatures with a life of their own as they attacked Kanzaki with all sorts of angles, directions, speed and time intervals. At that moment, there seemed to be something shining in Kanzaki''s hand under the moonlight. Hiiun! With the sound of the air being ripped, seven steel wires shot out. Nanasen. Of course, facing the water wings that were thoroughly infused with Telesma, mere steel wires wouldn''t work. Even though they were steel wires of global historical value, made from a swordsmith named Hidarimoji, they would be easily cut like a spiderweb. But the moment the steel wires were cut, the speed of the water wings would decrease. Even though the feeble resistance would only cause the water wings to slow down by a tenth of a second. However... In this battle, that instant was enough to give another four or five blows. "lkCHE!" Power of God rolled its eyeballs. It got careless and cut the steel wires, causing the water wings to slow down. Of course, Kanzaki Kaori wouldn''t let that tenth of a second gap off. She raised her nodachi horizontally and quickly dashed forward But at that moment, Kanzaki''s legs lost their balance. (...?) The angel used that time to readjust its attacks and swung out three consecutive water wings attacks, but Kanzaki still managed to slice them with terrifying speed and accuracy. But at that moment, Power of God realised something. Kanzaki Kaori was sweating as if she had a fever. Even though the God Breaker ability existed, it didn''t mean that anyone could use it. Besides the issue of talent, the more important point was the huge burden this spell exerted on the human body. Actually, Kanzaki didn''t really have a soft spot for Battojutsu. It was just that if the spells she used couldn''t decide the victor immediately, the huge burden would wreck her body. The angel continued to attack mercilessly with the water wings as it stared at Kanzaki''s face. Kanzaki was definitely moving far more than a normal human could, but not only was her face not turning red, it looked extremely pale as if it had been soaked in ice water. The hand that was holding onto the hilt of the nodachi was trembling. The price of overworking had already started to wear Kanzaki''s body down. Power of God continued to swing the water wings as the effects of this battle of attrition were finally showing. If it kept the battle going, Kanzaki would wear herself out. Under the fast and slow attacks of the Power of God, Kanzaki''s body finally started to waver. The blue angel ordered the water wings behind it, intending to deal Kanzaki the final blow. But Kanzaki stared at the Power of God with such sharpness in her eyes. "...TOO SLOW!" What was supposed to be the last water wing released by the angel was hacked in half by Kanzaki. The continuous movements that were beyond an ordinary human body''s capabilities caused Kanzaki''s body temperature to rise abnormally, her blood flow was pulsating crazily, she was severely lacking oxygen, and her muscles and bones were creaking. That pain went beyond the fever; it could be said to be worse than taking poison. But Kanzaki didn''t stop. With such savage and suicidal intent, she continued to hack at the water wings one by one, not letting up. Kanzaki Kaori was holding off the angel''s attacks, getting closer to death. Every move she took, she could clearly feel her body being eroded. Every time she swung the Shichiten Shichitou, the overwork would rip her joints and twitch her blood vessels. The organs that were unable to get enough oxygen were prompting Kanzaki''s brain in pain. There was no way to know how long Kanzaki could last. If an artery burst because of overwork, Kanzaki would die. "But" Kanzaki gritted her teeth, ripping the two water wings that attacked in a tornado like manner. She said with a bloody mouth, "So what?" Kanzaki continued to swing the nodachi like a storm, slashing numerous water wings. She definitely couldn''t let the Power of God get through. The Kamijou father and son were trying to prevent the Sweep from activating. If Kanzaki fell, they would be attacked by the Power of God. She definitely couldn''t let the Power of God get through! She slashed the water wings from outside and endured the corroding of her body. Even if she was scarred thoroughly, Kanzaki still gritted her teeth and held onto the nodachi, making numerous slashes every second when it was supposed to be impossible; she was slashing the water wings multiple times within a single second and preparing for the next attack. The smell of blood and her gradually hazing consciousness caused Kanzaki to remember a distant memory. At the time, Kanzaki had still been the Priestess of the Amakusa. For a twelve-year-old, such a position and respect had been too much for her. But Kanzaki had always wondered. One of the priests would always read a scripture of the Bible. But there was one chapter that Kanzaki never understood. Heaven and Hell. It was said that when humans die, God would decide whether a person should be sentenced to Heaven or Hell. So humans had to do a lot of good things in order to prepare for Heaven. However... If God had the power to save everyone, why did he need a Hell? If God could save everyone without exception, why didn''t he do so? Couldn''t he just guide those who went down the wrong path? If he really had a pair of divine hands, why couldn''t he just let everyone have happiness and let everyone smile happily? Why was it that only a few people could earn that happiness? Why must the people who weren''t chosen be sent to Hell? Kanzaki had always been one of the chosen ones. However, that ended up causing the people around her miss out on getting chosen. When a plane Kanzaki had taken crashed, Kanzaki was the only survivor. When Kanzaki was hunted by an assassin, the bullet missed, but hit someone else beside her. When Kanzaki''s room was blown up, many people had covered Kanzaki to block the impact, one of them a child less than ten years old. The people who never got chosen until the end still smiled when they saw Kanzaki. "Ahh, that''s great." "It''s okay if you''re alright." They said that as they squeezed out their last ounces of breath, reaching out their hands to pat the young crying Kanzaki on the head to comfort her. And then closed their eyes with that peaceful expression, and the comforting hands gradually lost their strength. All that was Kanzaki''s fault. When God assigned happiness, he would mess up. So people like Kanzaki who weren''t strong would be cared for, and numerous people would suffer for her. Thus Kanzaki didn''t want to use her power for people who were chosen like her. That was because those who were chosen could live on with their own power, and that power shouldn''t be hoarded among those chosen. If Kanzaki''s power was taken from those who weren''t chosen, she should return it to them. Because those who helped others, would always be the people who weren''t chosen and were mercilessly abandoned. So Kanzaki couldn''t kill. Even if she had such tremendous power, she couldn''t kill. There was once a time when Kanzaki had fought against a boy because of a certain situation. Anyone could have predicted the outcome of a fight between an expert and an amateur. It had been decided in mere seconds. However, the battered boy asked Kanzaki why she didn''t kill him. The answer was simple, it was not that she hadn''t wanted to, but that she couldn''t. It was because those that Kanzaki wanted to protect were people who provided help to others like how the boy was beaten up. So Kanzaki had made up her mind. She would focus her only belief into her blade and use it to force open her own path. God, if you''re only willing to save the people you chose... Then I''ll save the people who weren''t. "Ha, AAAHHH!!" Kanzaki exhaled, and the Shichiten Shichitou swung out, slicing two water wings. The retracted blade lashed out again and attacked a third water wing. After defending against numerous attacks, Kanzaki was gradually beginning to feel that this battle would not last for long. Kanzaki would most likely lose. Even though she had managed to obtain the God Breaker body through the Amakusa spell, she couldn''t possibly remain unharmed through the vicious attacks of the water wings. But Kanzaki wouldn''t give up her life for naught. The moment her body got worn down, the water wings of the Power of God would slow down. If she used that chance and her remaining strength to infuse the God Breaker power into the Shichiten Shichitou and threw it at Sasha Kreutzev, maybe she could kill the archangel inside Sasha Kreutzev. Kanzaki''s face ached in pain. But that wasn''t because her defeat could be easily predicted. But because Kanzaki didn''t want to kill the Power of God as well. She just wanted to hold off the archangel. The Shichiten Shichitou Battojutsu Yuisen was different from the wire spell Nanasen, which was used to trick the enemy; she couldn''t hold back. Thinking that her nodachi may accidentally hurt the Power of God, Kanzaki felt the strength gradually seep away from her fingertips. But Kanzaki knew that she couldn''t stop her blade. If she didn''t go all out, Kanzaki would be ripped apart by the Power of God in an instant. Once Kanzaki lost, the Kamijou father and son would die. If she wanted to save their lives, she couldn''t relent in her attacks. But if this kept up, Kanzaki would still have to choose to kill the Power of God. And that was one of the reasons why Kanzaki had wanted Kamijou to get away from the battlefield as much as possible. If the amateur Kamijou went up against the Power of God, the chances of him dying immediately would be more than 99%. However, Kamijou''s right hand had the Imagine Breaker that could erase any supernatural power. If he actually managed to touch the Power of God that was formed entirely by supernatural power, it was likely that the Power of God would be erased. All those who weren''t chosen were among those Kanzaki wanted to save. Viewing it from another perspective, the archangel in front of her didn''t want to be put in that situation. When Angel Fall had been activated, among all the angels, only it had been affected, which was was obviously another misfortune. So... (...If I want to settle this and prevent anyone from getting hurt or dying, I can only hope that Kamijou Touma can remove Angel Fall. I beg of you, Kamijou Touma, before this stupid battle lasts any longer) Kanzaki gave a painful expression as she continued to swing the Shichiten Shichitou. Even when she was about to die, Kanzaki still prayed for the Power of God who was forcing her to her death. Kanzaki was praying deep inside like a terrified child. (I beg of you, please save this angel, Kamijou Touma!) Volume 4, 4: The Last Magician of This One World Volume 4, Chapter 4: The Last Magician of This One World While Kanzaki and Power of God were having their one hundredth out of this world fight, Kamijou and Touya finally dashed into the seaside resort. But that didn''t mean they were safe. No matter where they ran to in the world, that Sweep spell the Power of God could use would instantly kill them. The Power of God was an enemy that surpassed all understanding. Unable to understand anything, Touya waved his arms and breathed heavily as he asked, "T-Touma! Wait up, let me rest! What was that? What just happened? I seemed to have seen that guy on TV before. Are we filming now?" It was obvious that Touya would feel weird about this without an explanation. But at this critical moment, the culprit behind this still looked like he didn''t understand, angering Kamijou. Just as Kamijou was about to start scolding, he noticed something weird. There seemed to be someone in the shadows behind the round table. It was Misaka Mikoto. "Wha...? Oi, are you all right? What happened?" Kamijou rushed up to Mikoto and asked her, but Mikoto didn''t respond. The final countdown needed about thirty minutes before activating. Had the Sweep started to activate? At that moment, Kamijou noticed that something was amiss. Kamijou''s nose seemed to detect some light mysterious smell. Understanding what it was, he immediately held his breath. CHCl3. Chloroform. "Ku...ah..." The chemical he had inhaled entered his brain, causing Kamijou''s consciousness to become blurry. But as it wasn''t much, he barely managed to stay conscious. "Oi! Touma, what''s with you? Oi!" Touya asked worriedly. Kamijou raised a hand and waved it, indicating that he was alright. Who would do such a thing? Chloroform was the most toxic among Trihalomethanes, and may even cause cancer. Mikoto couldn''t possibly inhale this thing. (Who is it...?) Kamijou suddenly started to worry about Index, who wasn''t there. Even though he knew that time was short, Kamijou still couldn''t help but run up to the second level. Up the stairs, through the corridor, he slammed Touya''s bedroom door open. Kamijou saw Index collapsed on the floor as well. But this time, Kamijou didn''t try to get down and detect CHCl3. The moment he saw Index''s rhythmic breathing, Kamijou concluded that Index was drugged. With them sleeping like that, they wouldn''t wake up just from shaking them. (The question is, who did it?) He didn''t know who did it, or for what reason; Kamijou could only keep his guard up meaninglessly. At that moment, Touya finally caught up. On seeing Indexno, to Touya, she was his wife Shiinaon the floor, his face went pale. "T-Touma! Why did it end up like this? What''s going on?" "I want to ask this question!" Kamijou remembered something he had to do. "Listen, dad. If this keeps up, everyone will lose their lives. If we want to stop that, we have to remove Angel Fall. Since you activated it, you have to remove it!" "Touma, now''s not the time for jokes" "I KNOW! NOW''S NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES! YOU DON''T KNOW HOW TO REMOVE IT? THEN ALRIGHT! JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU ACTIVATED ANGEL FALL! I''LL HANDLE THE REST!" But Touya still stared at Kamijou with a puzzled expression. He didn''t seem to understand what Kamijou was saying. "Touma, what''s this Angel Fall? Is that an expression?" Now that Touya asked that, Kamijou looked puzzled. Touya didn''t look like he was lying. He really didn''t seem to have anything with magic. Had he mistaken something? Kamijou wondered. "Forget about it, Kami-yan. He really doesn''t understand anything." A voice suddenly rang from the entrance of the room. Kamijou and Touya turned around, and they were shocked to see the person in front of them. Tsuchimikado Motoharu. To Touya, he should have been some television idol. This man that suddenly appeared confused Touya. "Ah, I knocked them out. We shouldn''t get ordinary civilians involved anyway." Tsuchimikado did not sound any different from usual. The image of the Tsuchimikado he knew through his everyday life started to crack. "Ahh, from what I can tell from Kami-yan''s expression, you still don''t know the truth? Can''t be helped, you''re still an amateur in magic." The cracks were starting to extend out, cracking like glass. What was standing in front of him wasn''t the Tsuchimikado Motoharu that Kamijou Touma was so familiar with. He was mysterious and unknown. A magician. "Wait, wait a second, Tsuchimikado! You did notice that something''s wrong with my dad, right? I''m thinking that maybe someone else caused Angel Fall" "Nope, the culprit''s Touya, that can''t be wrong. It''s just that he didn''t realize it because he didn''t intentionally activate Angel Fall." Hearing Tsuchimikado say that, Touya was enraged. "W-what culprit? We just met for the first time. It''s disrespectful for you to say that! Are all actors like you!?" Kamijou looked puzzled at Touya''s reaction. If he really had activated Angel Fall, then why was he affected by it...? "That, that''s right, Tsuchimikado! My dad''s just an ordinary person unlike you magicians. How can he activate such a complicated global-scale spell? And you did say before that such a large spell needs a huge magic array or ritual site, but you couldn''t even find" "At your house. It''s at your house, Kami-yan. Haven''t you realized that?" Hearing Tsuchimikado say that, Kamijou was dumbstruck. He couldn''t understand what Tsuchimikado meant. "I said before, my specialty is feng shui. And feng shui is about using the space and household furniture in the house to create a circuit of magic." "W-what?" "Basically, it''s about arranging the space and household furniture to form a magic array." Kamijou didn''t understand what Tsuchimikado was saying. He was lost. "Oi, oi, what are you saying? Isn''t that too ridiculous? How can such an ordinary house be some mysterious ritual site? What changing room space is able to create a magic array...that''s too ridiculous!" "That''s not an ordinary house. Aren''t there are lot of charms, exotic crafts and religious gifts? Though each are mass-produced items that don''t have too much meaning in them, and their power is weak, don''t look down on these counterfeits. Once you place them in the correct feng shui and Onmyodo positions, there will be a multiplying effect." For some reason, Tsuchimikado seemed really happy. "For example, isn''t there are a Cypress shrub beside the main door?" "How would I know?" "There is one. There''s also a nest on the tree. That''s mistletoe, and it means to let birds rest. In Shintoism, the shrine entrances will always set up mistletoe. There''s a huge significance to this, do you understand, Kami-yan?" "W-what?" "That''s the Torii. As the name suggests, it''s the resting place of birds. Torii are places to let spirit birds, the messenger of Gods, rest. And speaking of cypress Torii, one will think of the Ise Grand Shrine. Explain it, why is there such a coincidence?" Tsuchimikado said happily. "Also, the main door facing south has a red mailbox. South is represented by the colour red. There''s a tortoise guardian beast toy in the bathroom, which represents water. The fridge and microwave in the kitchen have tiger toys on them; the guardian beast of metal is the Byakko. Though all these aren''t anything much, that house has at least three thousand charms. If such a large amount gather together, the house will form a shrine." Even hearing Tsuchimikado''s words, Kamijou was still unable to believe it. To Kamijou, these were all twisted logic on Tsuchimikado''s side. "Hm, I guess it''s because the Kamijou couple came to the seaside and left the house empty that the ritual site is incomplete, huh?" Tsuchimikado stared at Touya with an enthusiastic yet cold-blooded smile. "Really, it seems like Touya''s a lot scarier than your right hand. In terms of probability, that''s too perfect. My feeling right now is like seeing a complete diamond. But is this perfect coincidence something lucky or unlucky?" "S-stop joking about! Anyone can tell that your words are too far-fetched!" "I know, it''s really too far-fetchedwhich was why I didn''t dare to destroy it easily." For the first time, the carefree attitude disappeared from Tsuchimikado''s face. Just as Kamijou was feeling puzzled, Tsuchimikado said, "Kami-yan, it''s true that what I just said was too far-fetched, really twisted, but Angel Fall was really activated. The term ''miracle'' should be referring to such things. Kami-yan, do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in a one in ten thousand coincidence?" "STOP SPOUTING NONSENSE! HOW CAN THERE BE SUCH A THING! I DON''T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MAGIC, BUT HOW CAN ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS AND INTRICATE MACHINES CONNECT UNKNOWINGLY!?" "But it''s a fact that Angel Fall activated. Let''s think about this, Kami-yan. There''s a way to cause a miracle to happen 100% of the time." Wha, what...? Kamijou''s mind went blank. Tsuchimikado chuckled as he said to Kamijou, "The Kamijou residence has a lot of souvenirs. The reason why these souvenirs were placed like that wasn''t because he wanted to create Angel Fall. To the amateur Touya, this is just a coincidence, a result of setting things up like this. This Angel Fall magic array was just created by the numerous souvenirs out of coincidence." Tsuchimikado then said, "But even if Angel Fall doesn''t activate, another huge magic spell will be activated. By slightly changing the location of the souvenirs, the magic array''s circuit will merely be switched." Tsuchimikado flipped his hand about and said, "So that magic array won''t fail. No matter how he placed the souvenirs, a large magic spell will still be activated." It was just that they just so happened to activate Angel Fall this time. Even if the spell that was activated wasn''t Angel Fall, another calamity would still occur. "Kami-yan, do you know why I didn''t say all of this in your house? It''s because that magic array''s in a stable state and can''t be changed. Angel Fall is one of the less dangerous spells. That magic array may change into Great Earthquake, Abnormal Reverse World, Eternal Coldsuch terrifying spells can easily cause a country to disappear from the map...or may even become some unique magic array that even I don''t understand. Forget about an amateur like you not understanding, that''s something not even a magiciana feng shui master like me, Tsuchimikado could understand. We definitely can''t allow this magic array to activate. Once it does, it''s all over." If Kamijou touched a souvenir and caused Angel Fall to be removed. Another huge spell may instantly occur. "Now that I think back about it, that was close. Kamijou Touma, Kanzaki Kaori, Misha Kreutzev, Hino Jinsaku and me, Tsuchimikado Motoharuif anyone of us touched one of the souvenirs in Kami-yan''s house, Angel Fall may be changed into another huge spell." Kamijou finally recalled; this was the reason why Tsuchimikado had wanted everyone to leave Kamijou''s house. But Kamijou was still thinking of excuses to deny it in his heart. "B-but, oh yeah, my dad''s just an ordinary person, an ordinary company worker. You need magic power to activate magic, right? My dad doesn''t know how to control magic power!" "There''s no need for it. I said it before, Kami-yan, the so-called feng shui are spells that use the energy of the earth, and these are unrelated to human magic." Tsuchimikado raised his index finger and shook it. "Assume that the energy of the earth is a generator, Kamijou Touya is a transformer, and the souvenir magic array is a circuit. Touya''s an important accomplice." Perhaps the reason Touya was only half-affected by the Angel Fall was because of this. Touya was one of the culprits behind Angel Fall, not the main culprit, but an accomplice. Angel Fall wasn''t activated through human hands. The main culprit behind Angel Fall was the devilish-luck-like coincidence of feng shui''s mechanisms. "Damn it," Kamijou cursed softly. Tsuchimikado completely ignored Kamijou''s response and continued. "That house is like a train that has numerous changing tracks. Randomly destroying a souvenir will cause Angel Fall to be changed into another magic array," Tsuchimikado rattled on, "So if we want to destroy Angel Fall, we definitely can''t move the souvenirs one by one. We have to destroy it all. I actually wanted to get you away from the magic array, kidnap that uncle, then talk with Kreutzev before getting Kanzaki''s help to get back to your old house and destroy the magic array...guess I was too naive. The schedule was so packed that an accident wrecked the entire plan." "Damn it," Kamijou cursed again. "What''s going on? Why did it end up like that? Dad doesn''t know anything about magic, so why did it end up like that" "There''s no reason." Tsuchimikado casually replied to Kamijou, who was full of despair, and said, "There''s no reason, no cause, no logic, no theory, no cause and effect, no aim, no meaning, no value. Nothing at all. Kami-yan, you should understand this well." Hearing Tsuchimikado say that, Kamijou was still unable to understand, and could only look puzzled like a child. Tsuchimikado however brought a cruel smile and said, "It''s just bad luck." Kamijou couldn''t understand that at all. After a while, his frozen brain, like ice melting in a cup, started to think. Because of bad luck. Because of misfortune. Was that the conclusion? Hino Jinsaku got involved unnecessarily, Power of God created such havoc, half the earth would be burned thirty minutes later, Kamijou Touya was treated as the culprit behind this, all that was explained with such a simple sentence? "...You, YOU''RE KIDDING ME!?" Kamijou shook his head. He didn''t know what expression to show. But anyway, Angel Fall must be removed. What bad luck? What misfortune? The situation couldn''t be treated as if it had never happened just because it was so stupid. Even if Angel Fall''s magic array was at Kamijou''s old house, there was no other way. Even though he didn''t know what magic array would form, he could only hurry up, go back and destroy the magic arrayanyway, they had to prevent the Power of God from activating the Sweep! "Never mind, it''s too late," At that moment, Tsuchimikado coldly said that. "Have you forgotten how far your house is from here? No matter how much we dash, we won''t be able to make it." "Then what do we do? I don''t know whether we can succeed, but at least we can try, right? Do you have any better ideas?" "I do." Tsuchimikado smiled sinisterly as he replied without any hesitation. His face was giving a look saying ''why can''t you even think of such a simple method'' and he stepped into the room. "A certain someone here just needs to sacrifice himself." Kamijou''s body went cold. Even though he didn''t know what that meant, Kamijou instinctively stepped in front of Touya. Though Touya didn''t understand what was going on, he seemed to notice that he was in danger. Seeing Kamijou, Tsuchimikado laughed. He said, "Great, really great. Kanzaki''s accompanying that stupid angel. She definitely wouldn''t allow anyone to be killed in front of her. I would be stopped if I proposed this. Saying that, Tsuchimikado stepped forward. Kamijou felt a tremendous pressure in his stomach, and inadvertently pushed Touya back with his back. "You should understand, Kami-yan. In this situation, we need someone to sacrifice himself if we want to end this. Don''t worry, only one person will be needed, I can assure you that. So Kami-yan, you don''t have to worry at all, but someone will have to, Kami-yan." Tsuchimikado smiled as he waved his arms. His arms were rather long, matching his height. "Truly, I''m in a fix, since I can''t use magic now. Even with this body, I still need to accept orders from the church, and it''s really difficult, don''t you think so, Kami-yan? Tsuchimikado said that with a really interested tone. At that moment, Kamijou finally remembered how Tsuchimikado often called himself. A liar, a spy. "Damn it, what kind of sick joke is this!?" Kamijou gritted his teeth and said, "Don''t belittle me! I won''t allow you to kill for this reason! No way will I allow it!" "Fu, Kami-yan, you don''t have to be too mindful? Besides, you''re not the one who''s dying anyway, it has nothing to do with you." Tsuchimikado''s words seemed to be mocking Kamijou. Kamijou''s own father was about to be killed right in front of him, how could he just leave it as it was? "Damn it, get out of the way! Tsuchimikado! Don''t get in my way! Can''t we just run back to my old house and use my right hand to destroy the magic array?" "Seems like you still don''t understand. Unless one hit can kill the entire spell, or we kill the caster who''s providing the power, it won''t work. Besides, no matter how much we try, we can''t possibly get back to your house in time." "HOW YOU DO KNOW WITHOUT TRYING!" "Do you think this traitor will be willing to use such an unreliable method?" Kamijou was almost about to grind his teeth to bits. Tsuchimikado didn''t want to try a method with only questionable reliability; right from the start, he had chosen the simplest and most evil method. It was useless to try and talk to that sort of person. No matter what, he wouldn''t be able to convince that person. Kamijou clenched his right fist and stepped forward. Seeing Kamijou like that, Tsuchimikado Motoharu smiled with a pitiful expression. "Forget about it, Kami-yan. This will only get you injured for naught." "STOP MESSING AROUND! I CAN''T WASTE A SINGLE SECOND! I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ONE HIT!" Kamijou definitely wouldn''t dare underestimate those beings called magicians. He had seen the power of Stiyl and Aureolus Izzard, and so he understood how terrifying magicians could be. But right now, Tsuchimikado couldn''t use magic. Having gone through the esper development program in Academy City, he shouldn''t have been able to use magic again. "Kami-yan, do you think that I, an expert, will lose to an amateur just because I can''t use magic?" But Tsuchimikado was still rather carefree. "Let me ask you again, Kami-yan. Even if you know that there''s no other way, are you still going to try and stop me?" Kamijou gritted his teeth tightly. In the corner of his eyes, Kamijou saw Touya looking rather nervous. Touya shouldn''t have been able to understand the conversation between Kamijou and Tsuchimikado, but perhaps he could feel that the situation was getting tense, and that it was all related to him. Seeing Touya''s expression, Tsuchimikado revealed a cruel smile. "Ah, it should be painful that you don''t understand your own position right? Though you won''t understand the details even after I tell you, I can tell you the conclusion." Kamijou was stunned. "Sto" Kamijou frantically tried to prevent Tsuchimikado from continuing, but it was too late. "Basically, in less than thirty minutes, a lot of people will die. And this is your fault, Kamijou Touya." "SHUT UP!!!" Kamijou roared. But that roar ended up affecting Kamijou Touya even more. Tsuchimikado happily stared at the father and son pair. Very happily. "Okay, Kami-yan, what do you intend to do? Are you going to stop me, or not?" If they didn''t remove Angel Fall soon, Power of God''s magic would raze half the earth. To Kanzaki, who was holding off Power of God, the longer it went on, the more dangerous it was. If there was no other way... If they couldn''t find any other way even if they searched throughout the entire world. "...Do you still need to ask?" Kamijou decided. "I WILL STOP YOU!" Kamijou roared like a beast. "I DON''T AGREE WITH THIS! IF SUCH A CRUEL RULE THAT NEEDS TO SACRIFICE OTHERS REALLY EXIST, I WILL KILL OFF THIS RIDICULOUS ILLUSION!" "Really?" Tsuchimikado chuckled. For a moment, Tsuchimikado was smiling like a child. "Then how about this, Kami-yan." The smile instantly vanished. Both of them were about three metres away from each other, each within attacking range. Tsuchimikado casually said, "Ten seconds, If you can last for ten seconds, I''ll give you a pat." BAM! Tsuchimikado let out a stomp underneath his foot. But it wasn''t the sole landing on the floor. But the foot. Kamijou Touma''s foot had been stomped on by Tsuchimikado. The loud stomping sound was actually a cheap blow. "Ka...AHHH!" Kamijou felt that his foot got nailed and inadvertently tried to back off, but his foot was held in place, and he couldn''t move. Kamijou''s body swayed, unable to do anything, and his eyes looked down at the foot that had been stomped on. But that was a fatal mistake. The moment Kamijou looked down, Tsuchimikado smashed his head down from the blind spot above, and the hard forehead slammed into Kamijou''s undefended skullcap. GONG! With the sound of this intense hit, Kamijou''s feet lost balance. It was like he had been hit by a concrete block or a glass ashtray. But Tsuchimikado didn''t stop. Tsuchimikado right hand started to move. Kamijou could roughly see Tsuchimikado''s right hand take a large swing. In boxing terms, it was a hook. The sure-kill boxing technique moved in a horizontal manner as it aimed at Kamijou''s temple. With his foot stepped on, Kamijou couldn''t back away, and his dazed brain couldn''t see the attack clearly enough to dodge. Thus, he could only try to use his hand to block the side of his head. Shu! The punch missed. (...?) This less-than-a-second blank stunned Kamijou. Both of them were so close that their noses could touch, so there was really no need to swing a missed punch. Why didn''t Tsuchimikado''s fist hit at such a distance? It wasn''t that he didn''t hit, but that he had deliberately missed. Kamijou got the answer in less than a second. Tsuchimikado''s punch passed the side of Kamijou''s head and aimed at the back of his head. It was as if his hook was aimed at hugging the neck. The back of the head. Even if it was karate or boxing, it was illegal to hit here as there could be aftershocks. BOOM!!! A huge impact. "Gy...aa, a!?" The hit caused all the strength in Kamijou''s body to vanish and his body tumbled down. The second punch that Tsuchimikado sent out fizzed past his head from above. But Kamijou was unable to make use of this chance. Kamijou couldn''t take the savage illegal attack and collapsed onto the floor. His wrists were moving irregularly. His rattled brain gave him a feeling of vertigo. It seemed like the moment his abdomen relaxed, something would flow out from his stomach. If he compared the alchemist and Accelerator''s attacks to slamming the entire body onto a huge metal plate, then Tsuchimikado''s attacks were like nails that smashed into the main ''vital spots'' on the skeleton. Front back left right up down far near. Though he was facing Tsuchimikado, Kamijou felt that he was being stared at by numerous people around him. "You can''t even last three seconds?" Looking down at Kamijou, Tsuchimikado sneered. That was the difference between Kamijou and Tsuchimikado. Even though an expert may slip up and reveal an opening when fighting against an amateur, the difference in ability between an expert and an amateur wouldn''t change because of a little slip up. An ace pitcher of a pee-wee club wouldn''t become a real professional opponent. The main fighter of a judo club in middle school wouldn''t be able to beat an Olympic gold medalist. "...uu, ahh...tsu!!" Kamijou frantically tried to get even. Even though he could barely move his fingers, he was still trying to stand up. "It''s useless, Kami-yan. Because of how the human body is constructed, there are some parts that can''t be strengthened no matter how much training you make. For more information, please read the Kaitai Shinsho." In other words, those were vital spots. "Kami-yan, AIDS can''t be healed through willpower, the Ebola virus won''t be healed through patience, everyone knows that, right? It''s the same logic, right now, you can''t stand up, it''s not a mental issue but an anatomical issue." Cheap blows. Even though numerous people in the past had confirmed its effectiveness, their destructiveness was so powerful that most people abstained from using them out of consciousness. However, these had become Tsuchimikado Motoharu''s favourite weapons. Even if he was criticized as being despicable and dirty, Tsuchimikado wouldn''t even frown. Tsuchimikado fought on the battlefield with his life on the line. To Tsuchimikado, defeat would mean that everything he had been protecting would be lost. "u" Kamijou looked up at that strong opponent who was looking down at him. But Tsuchimikado showed a gentle smile that shouldn''t be used in this situation at Kamijou. "Kami-yan, right now, I don''t have anything, nothing at all. The magic I originally had was wasted, my half-ready esper abilities are stuck at a useless Level 0. In order to sneak into Academy City, I was a magician no longer. I lost all my fighting abilities." Tsuchimikado said, "But the enemy won''t be waiting for me." He then continued. "So I have to win no matter the means." In that calm tone, Kamijou could feel a slight chill and shuddered. The talent that he was born with didn''t exist anymore, and no matter how much he worked, he wouldn''t get any results. The only strength Tsuchimikado had was that desire to win. Burning and refining his fists on the purgatory-like battlefield, training in the hellish-like death-matches. With the price of numerous scars, he had managed to obtain the foul techniques of fighting for his life even when an inch away from death. Despicable was nothing. Tsuchimikado Motoharu would even defy human nature in order to win. "ku..." What caused Tsuchimikado to thirst for victory so much? Even if he didn''t ask the person himself, Kamijou could guess. It was most likely because there was something that Tsuchimikado wanted to protect. There was something that Tsuchimikado must protect no matter what, even if he had to roll in the dirt, taste blood, lie to others and betray the entire world. Any disadvantage wouldn''t cause Tsuchimikado to hesitate, none. "...ah" Staring at the lost Kamijou, Tsuchimikado said slowly, "Can you win Kami-yan?" He sounded like he was lecturing a disobedient child. "Do you think you can beat someone like me? This isn''t a shallow question of an expert against an amateur. Can the Kamijou Touma who casually lived his everyday life beat me, Tsuchimikado Motoharu?" Kamijou couldn''t answer. He couldn''t. "Lie down, amateur." Tsuchimikado said nonchalantly. Tsuchimikado stepped over the defeated Kamijou and moved forward at Touya. (D-damn it...!!!) Kamijou glared at Tsuchimikado''s back as he gritted his teeth and tried to get up. However, his wrist trembled as he moved, and he couldn''t support his own weight. Also, there was a mistaken feeling that if he used too much force, his wounds would open and he''d start losing blood. Even so, he still had to stand up. He had to! "That''s enough." Kamijou suddenly heard someone talk at him. It was not Tsuchimikado''s voice. But an even gentler voice that had a force hidden in it. It was his father''s voice. "That''s enough, don''t stand up any more, Touma. You shouldn''t be hurt because of this." "Oh, seems like Kami-yan''s father is really understanding." Kamijou couldn''t see Tsuchimikado''s expression, but he felt that he was grinning. However, facing Tsuchimikado, Kamijou Touya wasn''t terrified at all. "I don''t understand what''s going on, but you can do anything to me. However, don''t do anything to Touma, he''s unrelated to this. No, even if he is, I won''t allow you to do anything to Touma." "...Heh?" Tsuchimikado let out an enthusiastic smile. Touya should have been afraid. He was just a member of the working class, an amateur among amateurs. Forget about fighting at an expert level, even a fight in an alley should have terrified him. "Let me say this again, don''t do anything to Touma. I won''t allow it, never. If you do that, I won''t forgive you, ever. Listen up, ever." But Touya actually manned up and said such things to a real magician. There was no reason to explain it. The only reason was that Touya felt that this was the attitude a father should have. "How amusing. Do you think you can beat me on rage alone?" "I don''t think so." Touya mocked himself as he chuckled. "I''m just an ordinary middle-aged man. My lungs and liver were already damaged by smoke and alcohol, and because I lack exercise, I''m getting all sorts of problems all over my body and this really troubles me." But Touya continued to glare at the magician. He never looked away nor turned his eyes; he just glared at him straight in the face. "But I definitely won''t forgive you. Even if I can''t beat you, even if I lose countless times, I won''t forgive you. Because I''m an amateur, I don''t have what I''m going up against, and I have no place to negotiate. Decades, centuries, no matter what, I will pursue you. Even if I die and turn into bone, I won''t forgive you. Listen, if you don''t understand, let me tell you something." Kamijou Touya said as he stepped forward, looking like he was taunting. In order to be of equal standing as the magician Tsuchimikado Motoharu. "I''m Kamijou Touma''s father. I''m proud to be his father." Kamijou heard those words. He started to think. Kamijou Touya was just a guy who bought weird souvenirs and still flirted with his mother (Index during these two days) even at this age; he didn''t look reliable. For the things that happened to Kamijou, like his memory loss or anything related to the magic world, he wouldn''t be able to help. To be honest, in terms of arm strength, that man still couldn''t beat an ordinary middle school student, so there was no point in hoping that he could perform in a battle. But Kamijou Touya was Kamijou''s father. Who could be stronger and more reliable than a father? "...Ch!" So how could Kamijou just sit by and watch this? How could he watch and let his father be killed by a magician just like that? (...I, definitely won''t.) Kamijou''s lips were moving. The silent muttering echoed in Kamijou''s heart. His fingers were moving as well. (...Allow you to do that.) Kamijou gritted his teeth, forcing his muscles that were like cut wires and not following orders. The fingers grabbed the floor, gradually increasing in power. (I DEFINITELY WON''T ALLOW YOU TO DO THAT!!) A cracking sound could be heard within Kamijou''s body. But he didn''t mind. Besides, his body didn''t feel as much pain now. He crouched down, barely forcing his upper body up. "Stop it! Touma!" Touya said it. Kamijou Touya, who could declare war without flinching even when he was up against a real magician, was about to cry on seeing the battered Kamijou. "You don''t need to worry about dad. From what you two said just now, dad knows that he did too many unforgivable things. So Touma, you don''t have to stand up again." Hearing Touya''s painful words made Kamijou even more determined not to give up. Like a puppet with a gear loose, Kamijou swayed about randomly, causing Touya to be unable to look on again. "That''s enough. Even if you risk your life to save me, nobody will benefit. So Touma, please don''t stand up. Please, just like that" "What...kind of a joke is that." Kamijou interrupted Touya. Facing the surprised Touya, Kamijou gritted his teeth and said, "THE ONE WHO WILL BE SAVED IS HERE. I''M HAPPY IF YOU CAN LIVE ON!!!" The time within Touya''s body stopped. The expression disappeared off his face. Wasn''t that a simple logic? No matter what, Kamijou Touma always wished for Kamijou Touya to live on. Because Touya hadn''t done anything wrong. Of course, if he hadn''t meant ill, he didn''t need to be responsible for his own actions, Kamijou understood that. Right now, there was no time to settle the responsibilities, he understood that as well. But Touya really hadn''t done anything wrong. His own child was unfortunate. There was no reason, he had never done anything wrong, but he had been born with constant misfortune. As his father, Touya had bought some charms to save his child. It was just that. Kamijou Touya had just wanted to save his own son. It was just that simple. It was just that simple! Why had Touya''s intentions ended up creating Angel Fall, ended up with him being the culprit, and unfortunately ended up with him being hunted? Misfortune. Misfortune Misfortune Misfortune Misfortune!!! "Ku" Such a stupid meaningless word that demanded Touya die because of it; how could anyone accept it? No, no matter the reason, Kamijou wouldn''t accept it. Even though Kamijou''s legs were medically unable to move, he still continued to force strength into his legs, with a determination to get up even if he became a zombie. Kamijou''s eyes were glaring at the magician who was looking down at him. "--Listen to me, if you don''t understand, let me tell you something." "--I''m Kamijou Touya''s son. I''m proud to be his son!" "Wo...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Just like that, Kamijou Touma roared as he stood up. Just that action alone made Kamijou''s muscles, bones, organs and blood vessels cry out in agony. But so what? Those things weren''t enough reason to stop Kamijou Touma. Like a wounded beast, Kamijou glared at the enemy in front of him. The enemy in front of him. He was no longer feeling fear nor despair. Kamijou wanted to beat down the enemy in front of him. "I didn''t hit your vitals...? No, it''s because you stepped forward the moment after you took the blow to the head. Your courage ended up causing you lesser damage." Tsuchimikado said to Kamijou with a slightly surprised look, but Kamijou didn''t reply. Seeing Kamijou''s expression, Tsuchimikado smirked. "Oh, your eyes are finally showing something. Now I can finally go all out. Alright, this Tsuchimikado Motoharu recognizes Kamijou Touma as an enemy." Tsuchimikado casually said that as he faced Kamijou head on. As Touya was blocking them, Tsuchimikado pushed him apart. And just as Touya was trying to block Tsuchimikado... "GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY DAD! OR ELSE I''LL KILL YOU!!!" Touya was more shocked by his own teammate Touma shouting at him rather than the enemy Tsuchimikado''s actions, and stopped. In that narrow room, Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were calculating their attack ranges. In Kamijou''s current situation, Tsuchimikado just needed to use some stalling tactics and let Kamijou die off, but it didn''t seem like that was what he intended to do. He must beat the enemy. He must beat the enemy at this moment. Right now, the smile disappeared off Tsuchimikado''s face as though he was being respectful to the enemy. His long arms went into a boxing pose, swaying about slightly and looking like he was going to go all out. For a battle between an expert and an amateur, this may have been too cruel, too merciless, but Kamijou smiled. To Kamijou, it meant that Tsuchimikado was willing to go all out. Kamijou clenched his limp fists and silently raised them. A second of blank. Kamijou''s and Tsuchimikado''s fists tapped each other. At that moment, the fight restarted. BAM! Tsuchimikado immediately dashed up at Kamijou. This time, Kamijou took a step back, and so didn''t get his foot stepped on. But the momentum Tsuchimikado had from charging wasn''t changed. In such a short distance, where their noses could touch each other, Tsuchimikado swung his fist. The right hook took a huge semicircleit looked ordinary, but it was another attack to the back of the head! "...!!" But Kamijou immediately brought his left hand to the back of his head to protect it. If the brain that maintains the balance got hit, one hit would be enough to knock someone out. That really was a killer technique. But unexpectedly, Kamijou''s defending left hand didn''t take any impact. Looking closely, Tsuchimikado took back the right hand that had swung halfway and launched into another attack. (A feint?) A move that could merely beat an opponent couldn''t be called a killer technique. A real killer technique was one that made enemies fear its name alone, one worthy of the title ''sure-kill''. But the moment Kamijou realised it, it was too late. At such a short distance, Kamijou had pulled a hand back, meaning that he had left the entire body unprotected, open to the enemy. In contrast, Tsuchimikado didn''t have any unnecessary moves. Tsuchimikado wasn''t clenching his left hand. The open hand cut an arc with amazing speed and smacked into Kamijou''s ear. PA! The impact passed through the ear into the eardrum and the three semicircular canals. Kamijou''s legs weakened as they lost their sense of balance. "Ge...kuAh...!?" Just as Kamijou''s kneecap bent down, at the moment he was about to kneel down, Tsuchimikado''s right arm attacked again. It was not a fist, but a hammer-like elbow. Kamijou managed to see it, but his limp and tired limbs were unable to accept his commands. The hard hit wasn''t aimed at the face or the chest, but at Kamijou''s neck. DON!!! Kamijou was unable to breathe at all. It was amazing that his windpipe didn''t snap. He knelt down. Even though he was trying to support himself, his body wasn''t able to muster any strength. "...G-gyahh!!" But Kamijou still clenched his fist. Even though his body was about to collapse, he bit his lip and swung a right punch at Tsuchimikado''s face. The decisive punch was focused onto Tsuchimikado''s face. But what he got was only a light sound. That was Kamijou''s remaining strength. Even if he was left alone, Kamijou would collapse. However, Tsuchimikado used his kneecap to kick up at Kamijou''s chest. The hit of a raging bull knocked Kamijou up. His body, floating in the air, was unable to maintain balance and then collapsed down onto the floor. Tsuchimikado said happily, "Ten seconds. Very impressive, Kami-yan." Kamijou didn''t respond. He couldn''t move even a single finger now. He couldn''t even tremble. No, the fact that he could stand up just now was already unbelievable. After Tsuchimikado''s kneecap attack, he felt like a patient who had some anesthesia and got his chest cut open in an operation. It was amazing that he was still alive. But Kamijou still didn''t give up as he glared at Tsuchimikado, who was looking down at him. "...( )...!!" Touya shouted as he came running over. He bent down to Kamijou''s face, seemingly shouting something, but Kamijou was unable to hear it. Kamijou only knew that Touya looked like he was about to cry anytime. Such an idiot, Kamijou thought. What Touya should have been worrying about right now was his own life. (I don''t want to lose him.) Kamijou thought that from the bottom of his heart. He didn''t want to lose his father. He definitely didn''t want to lose that stupid father who knew that he was about to die and yet was only thinking about his son. But he couldn''t even move a single finger. Touya seemed to be shouting something as he clenched his fist and charged at Tsuchimikado. Even when he saw that scene, Kamijou was still unable to clench his fist, let alone move. Tsuchimikado looked like he was trying to chase a bug in front of him away as he smacked the side of Touya''s face, sending him collapsing to the side. It looked like a light hitbut that wasn''t the case. Tsuchimikado''s palm hit directly onto Touya''s ear, directly hitting the eardrum and the three semicircular valves, knocking him out. Being hit on the side, Touya was unable to move again. Unable to move. "...!" Kamijou, collapsed on the floor, glared at Tsuchimikado who stared back at him. Tsuchimikado then said, "Kami-yan, it''s time to give up. Time''s up. Even if you drive a Ferrari back, we won''t be able to get back to your house in time. There''s no way to remove Angel Fall other than to sacrifice someone. You understand this, right? Even so, you still wouldn''t accept my method?" Kamijou, who shouldn''t have been able to hear anything now, clearly heard Tsuchimikado''s voice. So Kamijou replied, "...Of course!" Though he didn''t know whether Tsuchimikado could hear it, he still continued. "...Why must we accept such a method! I won''t accept any method unless everyone can smile happily and live on peacefully!" "Is that so?" Tsuchimikado asked. Then, Tsuchimikado stopped talking to Kamijou. "Establish the Altar. The paper snow will now remove the corruption on the eight-sided Altar (Ladies and gentlemen, behold a magic full of tricks and mysteries!)" Tsuchimikado pulled out a camera film roll container, opened the contents inside and scattered them around. One-centimetre squared papers flew out of that camera film roll container. "Designate the boundary. The four sides of the seal protected, treasures to be obtained from the four earths (Today''s stage is over here! Let me begin with the cumbersome preparation!)" The surrounding air started to feel cold. The atmosphere changed completely. The hot tropical night seemed to become a spring deep inside a forest. "The folded paper will be the basis of this spell that''s to be supported by the spirits (And now, allow me to introduce my comrades of the magic brigade!)" Tsuchimikado continued to mutter as he pulled out four camera film roll containers. Each of them contain miniature folded animals, tortoise, tiger, bird and dragon, and he tossed them to the four corners of the room. "Commanding the four beasts. Black of the North, White of the West, Red of the South, Blue of the East! (Work faster, you idiots! Genbu, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryuu!)" The four walls seemed to respond to Tsuchimikado''s command as they let out a dim glow. Black, White, Red, Blue. With the film roll containers at the centre, the folded colours at the walls became even brighter. "Offering the Altar. Summoning the force to stabilize the Altar (The pistol is complete, now it''s time to load the bullet!)" (This is magic,) Kamijou thought. He could have used his fists to kill, but Tsuchimikado chose to use magic. It was as if he was trying to brag to Kamijou. "At the early hours of 1-3, the wicked and wild witch with the nail will provide the motivation (This bullet shall be one so ridiculously powerful and violent!)" (Wait, something''s not right.) Kamijou felt that something was not right, and inadvertently looked up at Tsuchimikado. "Using this boundary to replace the scarecrow (A seal will be formed on the pistol!) Tsuchimikado was grinning. He was grinning really happily. "Using thy God to replace the nail (A Shikigami will be cast on the bullet!)" But even though he was grinning, Tsuchimikado''s mouth was bleeding. Tsuchimikado didn''t have any intention of stopping. "Using thy fist to replace the hammer (Your hand will pull the trigger!)" Espers couldn''t use magic. Tsuchimikado had said so before. Besides, to counter Angel Fall, Tsuchimikado had already used a spell once, and his body had barely been able to take the damage. If he used magic again, he would really die. If so, why did he want to use magic? If he wanted to kill the amateur Touya, he could have just used his fists. "I said it before, Kami-yan." Tsuchimikado chuckled. "There''re only two ways to get rid of Angel Fall. One is to kill the caster, the other is to destroy the magic array." (Don''t tell me,) Kamijou wondered. There was no need to use magic to kill the caster Touya. If so, the method Tsuchimikado wanted to use was... "Kanzaki''s too kind," Tsuchimikado stuttered and said, "If I were to use this method, I would definitely be stopped by her. She''s just like that." It was as if numerous blades were slicing Tsuchimikado''s body, and blood gushed out from numerous wounds. That was right, Tsuchimikado had said so before. If they wanted to settle this, they would have to sacrifice someone''s life. However... Tsuchimikado had never said that he wanted to kill Kamijou Touya. His body instantly became thoroughly scarred, but he still smiled. He was the one who understood the most what happened when espers used magic. It was because he understood this that he had to learn all sorts of betrayals and cheap tricks. "...Stop it." Kamijou inadvertently muttered. But Tsuchimikado said, "Ku, fufu. I knew that you''d do that. It''s because I knew that you''d say that that I made you unable to move. Kami-yan, you''re really like Kanzaki. If you knew of what I intended to do, you would have tried your best to stop me, right? If it wasn''t, there''s no point for me to protect you." Tsuchimikado grinned like a child. How could there be such a foolish man in the world? At first, Kamijou thought that Tsuchimikado had some goal for him to get stronger, but as it turned out, there wasn''t. He just wanted to protect the school life he so enjoyed even though he knew that he was a spy. "Don''t worry, Kami-yan. This little Angel Fall ritual area will definitely be blown up with my super long distance magic cannon. Though the water got controlled by the Power of God, which meant that I couldn''t use my favourite black spellit''s good to use the red spell once in a while." Tsuchimikado casually said. "Sorry to beat you up so badly, Kami-yan. I wanted to use chloroform to knock you out, but it would take a few minutes to knock you out if I used a chloroformed handkerchief to cover your nose. If I used that on you, you wouldn''t sit by and wait during those few minutes. I had no aces left, so I could only go tough on you. My magic definitely can''t fail, not by your right handImagine Breaker...the chances aren''t great, but it''s not impossible, isn''t it?" Tsuchimikado narrowed his eyes. "Kami-yan, it''s easy for a person to die, really easy. I understand that clearly. So I can''t leave any chanceseven if the chances of failing are 1% out of 100%, I have to eliminate it. Because human life is so weak." So this spell must not have even a chance of failing. It must succeed. "Kami-yan, you didn''t have to worry about anything," Tsuchimikado said. However... The thoroughly wounded Tsuchimikado Motoharu used magic again, and that meant... "Hahaha. ''I don''t agree with this! If such a cruel rule that needs to sacrifice others really exist, I will kill off this ridiculous illusion''. Such nice words. Though I didn''t say it, I''m touched by it." Tsuchimikado suddenly remembered and said that to Kamijou. The silent smile on his face was like a patient who was about to die. "S-stop it, you idiot..." Kamijou tried to reach his hand out, but he couldn''t even move his fingers by half a centimetre. Even though he was trying to stop Tsuchimikado, who was right in front of him, he was helpless. Tsuchimikado looked at Kamijou and said, "I can''t lend my ear to that wish." Tsuchimikado finally sent some parting words to his close friend. "Have you forgotten, Kami-yan? I''m a liar who works in my own way." Just like that... In front of Kamijou Touma''s eyes... Tsuchimikado continued on in a tone that was no different from before and finished the chant. The glaring white light spread around, and a force broke through the roof and entered the night sky. The loud boom sounded like a beast''s roar as it ripped through the night sky and headed towards the target. That place was Kamijou''s house. Could that last hit end everything? The multiple damages in Kamijou''s body started to take effect. He started to lose consciousness. However, Kamijou did hear something fall. He saw Tsuchimikado collapse onto the floor as if he was a puppet someone got sick of playing with. The night sky with the full moon over it was now the sunset with a burning sky. The night that was summoned by the Power of God''s magic reverted back to the evening. The girl who was collapsed beside the boy, Index, who was knocked out by the CHCl3, started to change in appearance. A moment later, Index took on another woman''s appearance. Kamijou Shiina, the boy''s mother. The role switch effect had ended. Angel Fall was removed. "Tsu, chi, mikado?" The boy, who had been beaten badly, called out his friend''s name before losing consciousness. But he didn''t get a response. Tsuchimikado was lying on the floor, and red fluid started to seep out from the gap between the face and the floor. His body sunk silently into the pool of blood. He was not moving at all. Volume 4, Epilogue: The Sinners of This Everyday World Who Breached the Trust Volume 4, Epilogue: The Sinners of This Everyday World Who Breached the Trust The moment Kamijou woke up, he found himself in the hospital. From the looks of the surrounding facilities, it should be a hospital in Academy City. Kamijou thought that this was be expected. He was an esper, and he had all sorts of esper development drugs injected into him. If someone randomly drew blood from him, some ridiculous corporate information may have been revealed, so of course he couldn''t be sent into an ordinary hospital. Kamijou was lying on the hospital bed and looking outside. It was just past noon, and the August sunlight was too bright. Under the clear sky, there was a visiting family and an old man letting the nurse push him on the wheelchair. The news broadcaster nee-san in the television was reporting Hino Jinsaku''s recapture. There was a piece of notepad paper on the table. There was only one line of words, written in ball-point pen: ''Welcome back, Kamijou Touma'' with a small frog sticker on it. (My main doctor''s that guy again?) Kamijou wondered. He then relaxed his body on the bed and closed his eyes silently. (I''m back to my own world.) Am I really back in my own world? Don''t kid around. The effects of Angel Fall really had vanished, and everyone on the streets all over the world should have reverted back to normal. Everyone may not have realized that they ended up in some abnormal world. Perhaps it was the effects of the magic being cut off that everyone''s memories, including those of the angel''s Sweep spell, had been changed. But some things would never be restored. A boy had known that he would die, and yet had grinned at Kamijou. "...What was that for, damn it!" Kamijou muttered alone in the patient''s room Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He thought that he managed to protect Kamijou''s world. But could a world with a person less be considered a normal world? "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, DAMN IT!!" In this everyday world that was lacking, Kamijou roared. He roared out at the world that was unable to be gotten back. At that moment... "Long time no see nya, Kami-yan! You still okay?" An unbelievable thing happened. Tsuchimikado Motoharu actually walked in. "Eh? Hold on? W-wait a minute! What''s this? Some prepared body that''s made through cloning?" "Fu, this Tsuchimikado won''t even bother playing with some easy thing." Mocking and grinning, the boy was thoroughly bandaged. When Angel Fall activated, Tsuchimikado had become a super idol named Hitotsui Hajime... why was it that when Angel Fall had been removed, the wounds and memories hadn''t returned to Hitotsui Hajime? Was it because Tsuchimikado used the weird magic to block off half the effects of Angel Fall that he was treated as an exception? No, that wasn''t the main point. A more basic problem was, why was Tsuchimikado still alive? Kamijou tried to throw a pillow at Tsuchimikado. "Ah, damn it, I really hit him! Didn''t pass through him! If that''s the case, did I create an illusion in my mind to escape from reality?" "I''m not an illusion or a ghost! I''m a living Tsuchimikado!" "Why? Didn''t you say that since an esper''s body is different, you''ll die if you use magic?" "Ahh, that was a lie." "Eh!?" "Haven''t you forgotten? Tsuchimikado-san is a liar who likes to lie." Tsuchimikado raised his hand and used it to fan himself. "My esper ability is the Level 0 Auto-Rebirth. Actually, it''s alright if I play with another four or five spells. But if I say it out honestly, the church will keep asking me to use magic until I die. I didn''t want to let myself end up so tired, sorry?" "UUWWAAAAHHH!!!" The next moment, Kamijou inadvertently grabbed his own blanket and tossed it at Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado stepped aside and easily dodged it. "Hello, Kami-yan, this should be a touching scene, right?" "SHUT UP! YOU''RE A REAL BASTARD! LET ME ASK YOU, IF THAT WAS THE CASE, WHY DID YOU BEAT ME UP UNTIL THE END!?" "Well, if I want to act, I better act till the end. And even if I said that I won''t die, wouldn''t you still stop me? You''ll definitely choose to run back to your house and use your Imagine Breaker to destroy the ritual site as it won''t hurt anyone. I don''t want your right hand destroying my spell while it''s ongoing nya." Kamijou remained silent. On seeing that Kamijou didn''t argue back, Tsuchimikado tried to force the issue to end. "This will be the end of our touching reunion, Kami-yan. To be honest, that was a close shave" "I NEARLY DIED AT YOUR HANDS! AND AREN''T YOU ALL JUMPY NOW!?" "Oh yeah, no need to worry about Kanzaki nee-chin. She''s rather weak, but at least she can use that ridiculously long katana to peel an apple as recuperating exercise." "Are you even listening to me? Alright, I''m happy that she''s okay now!" "But there''s still one thing left." Tsuchimikado wasn''t listening to Kamijou. "Who''s going to be responsible for this incident?" "..." Kamijou remained silent. Whether or not it was deliberate, the culprit behind the Angel Fall incident was Touya. Because of that, the entire world had sunk into chaos, causing the magicians all over the world to get red eyes looking for the culprit, Hino Jinsaku getting involved accidentally and getting hurt, and worst of all, Kanzaki had even been forced to fight a real angel. Maybe Touya didn''t have to be responsible for this. Then the question was, who? When the magician Aureolus Izzard had created a series of commotions in Academy City, he had managed to create the ultimate magic Ars Magna that nobody else in the world managed to develop. But because of that, he had been targeted by numerous secret organisations eyeing the Ars Magna, and so he had to have his face reconstructed and live on as another man. Kamijou understood that clearly. Must the same thing happen with Angel Fall? If that was the case, Touya''s future would be... "...Since I''m a spy sent from the Anglican Church into Academy City, as for my stand, once the church asks me, I have a duty to answer," Tsuchimikado revealed a troubled look, and then said, "But that''s really troublesome. Tsuchimikado-san is basically someone who likes to lie, so he''ll just make up a story nya!" "Oi!" Kamijou couldn''t help but retort. "Is it really alright to leave things like this?" "Don''t worry don''t worry! The Anglican Church are witch hunters and radical interrogators, so if they find out that I lied, I will be tortured. But as a spy, I''ll just ignore that." Tsuchimikado raised his index finger and shook it. "Ah, that''s right, Kami-yan. I also lied to you about this. I once said that I was a spy in Academy City, but actually, it''s the other way around. My real identity is a double agent on the Anglican Church''s interior intelligence. So it''s basically nothing to me when I lie to them." "Wha...t?" "But that''s also a lie. Actually, besides the Anglican Church and Academy City, I was also requested by many other organisations. So I''m not just a double agent, but a multi agent ny-a." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!? AREN''T YOU JUST A BLABBERMOUTH!?" So he was similar to some information broker? Kamijou tilted his head and wondered. "The reason I came here is also to share some information with you. How about it? Let''s choose something Japanese. How about the existence of the Tachikawa-ryu remnants ny-a?"[1] "WA--YOU''RE REALLY UNRELIABLE!! I DON''T WANT TO SHARE SECRETS WITH YOU AT ALL!" Kamijou grabbed his head as he shouted half-seriously. "Hahaha!" Tsuchimikado casually laughed. "Although this Tsuchimikado-san can do any kind of betrayals, I can differentiate what''s corporate and what''s private, and I won''t use those private issues, so you can relax, Kami-yan." "..." Kamijou stared at Tsuchimikado with a suspecting look. Then, he sighed tiredly. "Alright. Since you saw my dad''s face, I have no other choice but to thank you. Either way, I have to thank you for being my dad''s saviour." "Ah, don''t need to say it so nicely. I had to blow Kami-yan''s house up in order to remove Angel Fall nya" "Eh? "W-wait a sec, Tsuchimikado. What did you just say?" "Ah? My Shikigami blew your house up into smithereens. That house has all sorts of god-related souvenirs all over the place, of course I had to blow the entire house up if I want to destroy it all." "WHAT THE HECK!! ARE MY PARENTS HOMELESS NOW!? WE HAVEN''T PAID THE INSTALLMENTS FOR THAT HOUSE!" "Ah, that''s right." Tsuchimikado wasn''t listening. "There''s also another thing, Kami-yan. During Angel Fall, after the switched people''s memories returned, they will revert back onto that person''s body. In other words, if Mr. A got switched into Mr. B, all the memories Mr. B had when he thought he was Mr. A will come back to Mr. B. You have to remember this, maybe it might be beneficial to you. But me and Kanzaki nee-chin cast magic, so we should be considered exceptions." "DON''T CHANGE THE SUBJECT! WHAT ABOUT MY HOUSE!?" With Kamijou shouting, Tsuchimikado cackled a few times before walking out of the room. "SUCH AN UNRELIABLE GUY!" Kamijou shouted, but he couldn''t get out of bed due to the severe injuries. Unable to do anything, Kamijou could only widen his mouth and stare at the door. At that moment, someone floated in like a ghost. It was the silver-haired white foreign girl Index. Index was giving off an ominous presence that was completely different from usual, making Kamijou forget about Tsuchimikado as he stared at Index. As she lowered her head, her bangs covered her face, so it was impossible to see her expression. "I-Index, what''s wrong? You got heatstroke? Really, why are you wearing long sleeved nun habits in the hot summer? You really underestimated Japan''s" "...I got bullied." Index muttered, interrupting Kamijou. (What?) On hearing Index''s words, Kamijou inadvertently frowned. "I GOT BULLIED BY TOUMA!" WHAT!? Kamijou was shocked by this shocking declaration from Index. Kamijou didn''t remember doing any domestic abuse. Index glared at Kamijou with a teary expression. "It''s rare for us to go to the beach, and I was really looking forward to it! In the end, after going there, Touma completely ignored me, and when I tried to attract Touma''s attention, I got mercilessly attacked by Touma. And after I just called Touma from behind, I got buried by Touma in the sand up to my head! What''s going on!" The girl''s cry made Kamijou wonder what was going on. Ah. Suddenly, Kamijou thought of something he shouldn''t have thought of. "When Angel Fall was activated, after the switched people''s memories returned, they will revert back onto that person''s body." If that was the case... If so, when Angel Fall had been activated, Aogami Pierce was Index. "If Mr. A got switched into Mr. B, all the memories Mr. B had when he thought he was Mr. A will come back to Mr. B." What did that mean? Would Aogami Pierce as Index return to Index''s memories? Kamijou had slammed the door hard in front of Aogami Pierce in the nun habit, and he did remember burying a swimsuit-clad Aogami Pierce into the sand. If that was the case... (Don''t tell me...) Kamijou stared at Index. Index, who was crying and angry, bared her fangs as she closed in. "Ah, that, hold on, please wait, Index-san! There''s a complicated reason for this! What you didn''t know, was our world was in a terrible crisis!!" "No need to find excuses! You Oedipus complex boy! Always staring at your own mother, why is that attitude so different from me!!" Saku-n! The sword of lecture stabbed viciously onto Kamijou''s forehead. Note: On a side note, when Angel Fall was activated, Index=Mother "There''s really a good reason for thiswhy did this happen? I tried so hard! I definitely did so much for you! Why did it end up like this!?" Kamijou''s explanation became a cry for mercy midway through, but Index wasn''t showing any compassion on her face. She opened her mouth. "I won''t forgive you! I''ll bite Touma''s skull out!" Just like that, with misfortune and cries of agony, Kamijou''s daily life continued once again. Notes 1. The Tachikawa-ryu were one of the old secret sects that were hunted down and eliminated during the Edo period. Volume 4, Afterword Volume 4, Afterword To the readers who continued to buy each book in this series, it''s been a while. To the rich readers who bought all four books at one go. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. Unknowingly, it''s already the 4th volume. Though it''s been only a year since I started out when I think through this calmly, four volumes should be enough to call this a ''series''. This makes me really understand that the value of a year can''t be underestimated. Thinking back about it, I already devoted 1 hundredth of my life to writing ''Toaru Majutsu''. With this title alone, I even thought what sort of occult was involved. The readers who read this volume should have discovered that the main topic is ''summoning spells''. Actually, there are all sorts of ''summoning spells''. There are those necromancers that can spirit dead souls into their bodies to those talismans that can input the power of Mercury. There are all sorts of summoning methods. Speaking of summoning Angels and Demons, I would always think of praying in front of a magic array, but in Christianity (according to legend anyway), it''s a lot more simpler. According to the Christian saying, there''s an Angel and a Devil in everyone''s heart, so there''s no real need to specially summon them in the first place. In manga, they often had a situation ''when someone is hungry, a little Angel and a little Devil will appear near the top of the head and spin around arguing''; so that is actually based on actual documents. Haimura Kiyotaka-san, who''s in charge of the illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of the project; I really like to thank you two for helping me for so long, and I''m sorry for bothering you two. The pros of this book were created by the two of you. I really look forward to working with you two in the future. Finally, I''ll like to thank the readers. It''s thanks to the readers support that this series can rival a weekly manga series in release. While saying this, I like to ask for the readers support in the future. Right now, I like to thank everyone twice. I hope that when you close this book. I hope that the illusion of the next volume will open in your heart. For today, let me put my pen down. -Summer holidays are too long. This doesn''t feel like a school life story. Kamachi Kazuma. Volume 5, Prologue: Night of Opening. Good_Bye_Yesterday. Volume 5, Prologue: Night of Opening. Good_Bye_Yesterday. August 31, 12:00 AM. A nosebleed. It was late at night. Kamijou was holding his nose in the bathtub, which had been drained of it''s hot water and wiped clean of every drop of water. The reason for the nosebleed was likely having eaten too many peanuts. Just to be safe, he put away the cellphone he was using at the corner of the tub. The bathroom was Kamijous private room, and also his bedroom. Even though he lived in a student dormitory, in the next room, there was another girl who called herself Index. That resident was the biggest problem for the healthy high school student Kamijou Touma. As a countermeasure against the girl who became a resident there without a care, Kamijou locked himself in the bathroom at night to prevent himself from doing something that shouldnt be done. What was mentionable was that Kamijou had no idea why he was living together with a girl, as he had lost his memories. To Kamijou, they were living together for some unknown reason. Normally speaking, in that situation, the one that used a lock was the girl... but whenever Index got to the point where she was in a deep sleep, she would open the lock, and go to Kamijous side, so there was no point in telling her to lock up. (Uu... tissue, tissue.) Kamijou held his nose and opened the door. Index should have been asleep by now. All the lights were off. In the weak moonlight, he could only see the outlines of things. From somewhere far offprobably outside the dormscame the sounds of fighting, though it was not very clear when it reached Kamijous room. Kamijous attention drifted outside briefly, and then moved back into the room. The room was very messy. Magazines and manga that were read halfway through were spread all over the floor. The books on the shelves were messily arranged. A dozen wires were plugged into a TV, connecting it to several gaming consoles. On a small glass-surfaced table was a laptop, and on top of that was a plastic bottle containing a half-finished drink. A bed was next to the wall, and the box of tissues should have been somewhere close to the bed... Kamijou recalled the furniture arrangement and moved across the floor. When he got to the side of the bed, Kamijous foot crushed something. It felt like a cardboard box. After picking it up, he found it to be a flattened tissue box. ...Unlucky to the power of twenty. Ah, forget it; even if the tissues flat, its still usable. Even though it would be kind of gross putting tissue that had been stepped on into his nose, he didnt have any other tissues available. Kamijou sighed, took out a tissue from the flattened box, and, after rolling it up, put it into his nose. At that moment, light came in through the window. Kamijous dormitory was only two meters away from the next one; if they turned their lights on, even Kamijous room would be lit up. Though the curtains were pulled over the window, they couldn''t block all of the light coming in. The artificial light dimly lit up the room, turning the place where only silhouettes could be seen into one where the color and texture of things could be discerned. The scene that Kamijou saw gave him some slight breathing problems. The first thing that came to mind was the slight breathing sounds. Following the breathing sounds, he saw the girl sleeping peacefully on the bed. The girl had an age of about fourteen or fifteen, long silver hair, and white skin. She was tiny in stature and light in weight, but her body temperature seemed to be higher than a normal persons. Even though nothing like cosmetics were applied, her skin still gave off a sweet and light aromaone of her personal traits. This girl who was wearing only a loose shirt and sleeping soundly was called Index. He didnt know if it was because she was feeling a bit hot, but the blanket had been kicked off the bed. The girl was sleeping on her side with bent limbs, and she looked like a baby asleep in a mothers lap. The bed wasnt big to begin with, but for some reason, she was only sleeping in one corner of it. The remaining space was almost like it had been specially left for someone. (Uu... its obvious who that space is for.) Kamijous face blushed in the darkness, but he shook his head. Indexs casual actions stemmed from her trust in Kamijoumaybe slightly different to actual romantic feelings for Kamijou. The impression she gave people was that of a pure child, without an ounce of adultness in her. And the one that she trusted wasnt the Kamijou standing here now. Kamijou Touma lost his memories, but Index didnt know this. In other words, the one she trusted was the Kamijou Touma "before the memory loss", and not the Kamijou Touma "standing here right now". And so, Kamijou told himself to not misunderstand, that those things didnt exist for his sake. Her defenseless way of sleeping, the thought of wanting to sleep in the same bed as him, the lips that faintly opened with her breath, the small chest that heaved slightly whenever she breathed, the soft snow-white legs that poked out of her loose shirt... (...Uh... how to say this, yes, I know, this is a bit...) Kamijou was sweating slightly, and stiffened up. At this time, the regular sound of Indexs light snoring stopped. She started to twist and turn on the bed, and her breathing became more focused. And then, the eyes that were closed opened. Mm... mm... Touma? Index said while rubbing her eyes. Ah, sorry, did I wake you? I woke up because it got too bright. Ah, the ones on the other side turned on their lights. Turning on the lights at this time of night, they really dont think of other people" Halfway through the sentence, Index suddenly stopped. Just as Kamijou was getting puzzled, he saw Index starting to check if her clothes were messed up. Then, she held her shoulders while sitting on the bed, staring at Kamijou with a suspicious look. Uh, Touma, I have to ask you. What are you doing here? What do you mean ''what am I doing here''? Im just here to try and stop my nosebleed Halfway through, Kamijou finally realized the current situation. Index, who had been asleep, was covered only by a loose shirt, and with her legs daringly left out in the open, now found Kamijou with tissues in his nose and other traces of having a nosebleed. First question: To a girl that just woke up, what would this situation mean? Kamijou felt sweat unnaturally coming out of his palms. He had a very bad feeling about this. The eyes of the girl on the bed started to show signs of anger, which seemed to prove the bad feelings accuracy. That was right, he shouldn''t misunderstand, her being defenseless was only because of her trust in Kamijou Touma, and not because she was willing to give everything to Kamijou. Going into someone elses bed while half-asleep was on a completely different level compared to giving ones body to someone else while fully aware of things. Ah... Oi, oi, Index ojou-sama, dont misunderstand. The old clich that a nosebleeds means excitement only appears in things like manga. It cant possibly happen in real life, thats only a kind of expression" Touma. Index cut off Toumas mumble. Indexs face had a first-class expression of danger that looked like something between crying and being angry, and she asked, Can you swear to our Father in Heaven that you didnt have any thoughts when you saw me sleeping? Index stared at Kamijou. Uu... Kamijou panicked slightly inside. To be honest, Kamijou almost couldnt handle it when he had seen Indexs sleeping expression. Indexs sleeping expression had been extremely cute, and her pure-white legs had made Kamijou swallow his drool. But facing this girl who could explode at any time, he couldn''t possibly say those things. The girl had a bad habit, and that was biting people. When she was in a good mood, she would bite lightly on the arms; when in a bad mood, she would bite viciously on the head. Though Kamijou hadnt seen her do the same thing to anyone else aside from him, no matter what, that bad habit had been giving Kamijou a lot of problems. A few of his clothes were already full of holes, and he now had to worry about scalp problems at a young age. Touma, can you swear? Index asked again, as if to double-check. As part of the group that was against bad habits like biting peoples heads, Kamijou could only pretend in an offhandedly manner and said, Ha! What are you saying, little lady? Your sleeping expression cant possibly let people have those kinds of thoughts at all Before he could finish, Index brutally rushed in and tackled Kamijou to the ground, then sat on him and began gnawing at Kamijous head madly. ''Cant possibly let people have those kinds of thoughts at all''?! Im still a girl, and you have none of those kinds of thoughts at all!? I still have my pride as a girl! The girl said with a fiery aura of anger and tears welling up in her eyes. That attack style of hers, speaking while biting down, made Kamijou feel even more pain. Ah! So thats what you meant! I got it wrong! Sorry, Index ojou-sama! Actually, after I, Kamijou Touma, saw your sleeping expression, my heart is pounding madly! Changing your answer now is too late! No matter what I choose, Id get bitten right? Dammit! Not even the Railgun Mikoto is this violent! At this moment, one of Indexs eyebrows twitched. ...Touma, whos this ''Railgun Mikoto''? Ah The bad feeling just intensified. A relative of the deity Izanagi. So? It has a Japanese air to it right?[1] Liar! Youre definitely lying! I may not know what a railgun is, but I can tell that its not something from traditional Japanese culture! Whatever, I forgot how to write the deity Izanagi in kanji anyway! Whats wrong with a deity that can use railgun in Japanese folklore anywayOuch! Ouch! With the ferocious girl straddled on him, Kamijou wanted to escape as soon as possible, but his center of gravity was being restricted and he couldnt move away. Even though the right hand that was the Imagine Breaker had the power to negate any other supernatural power, it was completely useless for that situation, so Kamijou was currently a literal Level 0 esper. Kamijou could only move his head freely. Upon doing so, the tissue that was in his nose flew out of it. A red liquid shot out from his nose in a torrent. Maybe it was because she had seen blood that Index finally calmed down. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, and she didnt quite know how to handle it. T-Touma, your nose really is bleeding, how did this happen? Ah? Its nothing much, probably just that I ate too many peanuts. ...I actually lost to peanuts. The silver-haired, green-eyed sister sat on top of Kamijou, and depressingly lowered her head. After carefully thinking about it, a girl wearing only a shirt and sitting on top of a guy wasnt something that happened in everyday life. Kamijou could feel something very soft on his stomach, but Index was so far gone in her anguish to care about it right now. Uu... Touma is actually the kind of guy that gets excited over peanuts. But dont worry, I can still accept Touma being this kind of person. Oi, can you please not twist things around like that? Kamijou sighed and said, Anyway, please get off me, I want to stop my nosebleed. Or just give me new tissues; I dont want to put the used tissues back into my nose. Tissue, tissue... Touma, where is it? Index looked left and right but seemed to not see the box of tissues next to her. She sat on top of Kamijou and, tilting her head slightly, thought for a moment. After a while, she seemed to think of something, and said, Touma, Touma, this is paper, too. Are you kidding me!? Sticking copy paper that hard into my nose will definitely hurt the inside of it. Just move off me, Index, Ill get the tissues" Halfway through, the sound was suddenly cut off from Kamijous mouth. Wearing a shocked expression, he stared at the words on the paper that Index had passed over. Ah... eh? Wait, what does it say on here? Eh? Let me have a look... It says Summer Vacation Homework Math Problems. Touma, cant you read that well? Kamijous thought process completely froze. That was right, homework. Summer vacation homework. This summer vacation had been very dramatic and fantasy-like for Kamijou to the point where it had been like a show. But of all his memories, not one of them had been dealing with the biggest obstacle: "summer vacation homework"... With a thud, Kamijou, who still had the girl on top of him, turned his head around. In his sideways view, looking at the clock and calendar on the wall, he could clearly see the time and date. August 31st, 12:25 in the morning. There was roughly 24 hours left until the end of summer vacation. ...Haha, everyone must now think Id say such misfortune, right? But once someone reaches the limit of being unlucky, not even something like that can be said. Haha... hahaha... Touma, why is your tone of speech a bit weird? And who are you talking to? References 1. Izanagi is also known as Izanagi-no-mikoto; Touma is trying to pass it off as something like "Railgun-mikoto". Volume 5, 1: A Certain Scientific One-Way Road. Last_Order. Volume 5, Chapter 1: A Certain Scientific One-Way Road. Last_Order. Part 1 August 31, 12:00AM. In an alley during midnight, the roars, shrieks, cries and sounds of things being devastated could be heard. It was a long narrow straight alley, with both sides blocked by concrete walls. The buildings on both sides should be student dormitories. In the alley, seven youths were panting heavily, and three were already down on the ground, bleeding. The seven youths were holding onto things like switchblades, batons, and tear gas canisters. Though those were all devastating weapons, the people holding them didn''t seem to be proficient enough to use them, giving one the feeling that they just took them out from a plastic bag or something. Since those things were weapons, no, maybe it was because amateurs were wielding them that those things were extremely dangerous. The seven youths surrounded the one boy. Their eyes were bloodshot. However, the boy who was being surrounded didn''t do anything. To the boy, the seven armed people surrounding him didn''t seem to exist in his sight. He just looked up at the night sky that was cut into a long strip as he stood around looking like he was pondering about something. The boy seemed to have come back from a convenience store, as he was holding onto a plastic bag with a shop brand on it. The plastic bag was swaying about, and there were more than ten cans of something like coffee in that fully filled bag. The impression that the boy gave was white, white, white. But what gave a larger impression was the title of being the strongest Level 5 in Academy City. The boy named Accelerator casually thought. What was the significance of him fighting against that Level 0? HAAAHH!! Another delinquent rolled onto the floor, crying in pain. One of the delinquents surrounding Accelerator thrust a knife at his back, but Accelerator didn''t even give a look back. The delinquent exerted all his weight onto the sharp point of the knife as he attacked at that seemingly defenseless, weak back. He had taken part in the experiment that had used the twenty thousand Sisters to evolve himself into a Level 6, and this was the result. How did this defeat change the world? BAM! The sound of a bone breaking could be heard from behind Accelerator. Of course, that devastation didn''t come from Accelerator''s body. The delinquent who charged at his back with a knife had his wrist broken. The redirection ability that was exerted onto the blade of the knife had caused the slender wrist holding it to break, as it had been unable to withstand that force. AAAHHHHH!!! Another delinquent''s cry could be heard. The delinquent grabbed his hand as he rolled about on the dirty ground. It looked almost comical. Seemed like from that moment, the boy was no longer considered the strongest in Academy City. He was one of the seven Level 5s in Academy City, with the ability to redirect all sorts of vectors, whether they be kinetic energy on the skin, heat energy, electrical energy or anything else, and that hadn''t changed at all. Their comrade''s voice seemed to have become a trigger and the six remaining youths charged forward. But was there really anyone amongst them who thought that they could win? Their eyes were bloodshot. But that seemed to be due to extreme nervousness, insecurity, fear and anxiousness. Ever since that battle, Accelerator had been attacked from all directions, whether day or night. The legend that he was the strongest in Academy City was broken, that was what everyone who attacked him believed. Amongst the roars, the knives and batons started to swing, but Accelerator ignored them. He lazily let his arms drop, not doing anything, just waiting for the enemy to defeat themselves. All the forces of the savage youths attacks would be redirected and concentrated on their complicated but weak wrist bones. But like the rest, those people seemed to realise something. The moment they had failed the first time, they realised that the legend of Academy City''s strongest still existed. The sounds of the savage youths breaking their bones could be heard. They let out cries of agony and rolled onto the floor, but Accelerator continued to ignore them. At that moment, one of the youths used a psychic power at Accelerator. Why had he waited until now to use it? Maybe he realised that it was too dangerous to use normal physical attacks, or maybe his own remaining bit of conscience had caused him not to use it until the end. But the number of attacks never decreased. No matter how many times he beat the enemies, no matter how many times he proved his power, he couldn''t break the label those idiots had stuck on him. Accelerator didn''t know what kind of power it was that the savage youth just let out, but naturally it was redirected; it was just that simple. The youth who had his attack redirected seemed shocked, and the next second, he took the full brunt of the attack he had been so confident in and rolled away on the ground. However, since he was not dead, it seemed like he was somewhere around a Level 2. Accelerator pondered. After that battle with the Sisters and the Railgun, how had Accelerator changed? Had Accelerator gotten weaker, or stronger? Or rather, that nameless Level 0, had he gotten weaker, or stronger? Hm? Accelerator suddenly noticed the commotion surrounding him had disappeared. At that moment, he turned his eyes away from the long stretch of the night sky and looked around. The people who had stubbornly surrounded Accelerator had defeated themselves, and they were lying peacefully on the dirty ground. With the blood splatters, maybe the word ''sleeping'' was too much of an understatement, but at least no one had died. To have fought Accelerator head on and still be able to remain alive could be considered a miracle in itself. Looking back, the ten youths who had attacked Accelerator were on the ground, but Accelerator hadn''t done anything, let alone fight. To him, the scenario was such that he just went to a convenience store to buy canned coffee and wanted to go homethat was how it was to him. He didn''t intend to deal the finishing blow to them as well. He could kill those he could kill tomorrow, and those he could kill tomorrow, he could kill them one year later. It was stupid to be serious with those people. This was different from that experiment, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn''t be able to reach the end. How was swimming endlessly different from drowning? Eh...that''s not right. If it were the old me, I wouldn''t have let off those people who challenged me so easily. I really have changed, but how? What''s the situation now? What happened? Accelerator tilted his head and pondered. After experiencing battles where he won and lost, a one-sided victory was no longer able to satisfy himsuch a conclusion was way too idealistic. Anyone who could recall being beaten up happily was most definitely a masochist. Hm... Accelerator folded his arms in front of his chest. The canned coffee in the bag started to sway about. There were more than ten of them, and they were all of the same brand. Whenever he found a coffee brand he liked, Accelerator would continue to drink it until he got sick of it less than a week later. The he''d switch brands and continue the pattern. (What''s going on? Why am I so unmotivated?) He again looked up at the long stretch of the night sky. At this moment, around seven or eight levels above him, he heard an angry girl''s shouts. CANT POSSIBLY...AT ALL!? IM STILL A GIRL...THOSE KINDS OF THOUGHTS...I STILL HAVE... PRIDE AS A GIRL!! As it was midnight, that voice could be heard very loudly. What the heck, a lovers'' squabble? Accelerator thus redirected that excessive noise, the air vibrations away from his ears. If he had done that a few seconds later, he would have heard the familiar painful cry of that Level 0. The redirection ability could be done unconsciously through some simple calculations. He just needed to calculate the minimum required forces (gravity, air pressure, light, oxygen, heat, sound wavelength, etc.) and redirect everything else. If he really redirected all forces, he would be tossed out of the atmosphere because gravity was redirected. After Accelerator re-calibrated the noise that was transmitted to him, he walked out of the alley and arrived at the road. He continued to look up at the sky; there was no need to look forward because he didn''t need to notice any obstacles. With the redirection ability of his, his body wouldn''t be hurt at all. But it was because of this that Accelerator failed to notice something. Someone was following Accelerator closely from behind, shouting their vocal chords out. Ah? Accelerator continued to walk forward as he turned to look behind. It was a strange person. First, their attire was very weird. The person was completely covered in a dirty towel. The light blue towel, which looked like the cloak of a mysterious organization, covered this person''s body and face completely. Of course, Accelerator couldn''t tell what the person was wearing inside. Also, the person was extremely short. Accelerator couldn''t be considered tall, but this person was only as tall as his stomach. This person looked like they were a ten-year-old boy or girl. Considering the average age for a vagrant, this person was a little too young. However, 80% of the city inhabitants were students, so it was not completely true that there were no vagrants around. The little towel monster seemed to be shouting something at Accelerator. !....., ..................!? But since their voice was redirected, Accelerator couldn''t hear anything. He casually looked up at the sky and tried to shut the redirection down. A high-pitched yet calm sounding voice of a girl reached Accelerator''s ears. Ara ara, it''s somewhat refreshing too even though Misaka is ignored. Speaking of which, if it was deliberate, why are you walking so naturally? Is this person someone really dense? ponders Misaka as Misaka tilts her head. This girl was standing only about ten centimetres from Accelerator. Anyone who understood Accelerator and saw this would have desperately pulled the girl away from him, or would have abandoned the girl''s life, thinking that it was useless to try to save her now. That boy could kill people with just a single finger. The girl, who was only ten centimetres away from him, was no different from someone who put her head into a lion''s mouth. But even after a few moments, there was no bloodbath. The girl was still standing around carefully. Accelerator frowned slightly. His power was able to change the vector of anything he touched, which in other words meant that he wouldn''t hurt anyone no matter how close they were, as long as they didn''t touch him. Redirection was merely redirection, it could only hurt people with ill intent. Anyone who didn''t mean ill wouldn''t be hurt. ...How boring. Though he''s muttering, the distance between us continue to increase. Can''t this person see Misaka? Or did he treat Misaka as a pixie? Hello, Misaka is here! exclaims Misaka as Misaka tries her best to emphasize her existence but was completely ignored!? Accelerator tilted his stiff neck left and right as he headed towards his house. The girl who was being ignored seemed somewhat panicky as she exclaimed, Hello! Misaka is hereeh? Does this person treat Misaka as something invisible? says Misaka as Misaka tilts her head and tries to fulfill the Misaka style...hm? How many Misaka did Misaka just say? wonders Misaka as Misaka''s brain is all confused now. Hold on...did you just call yourself Misaka? Accelerator suddenly stopped. The girl in the towel seemed rather happy as she walked forward in small steps. However, Accelerator couldn''t see her expression, so he couldn''t confirm her feeling. Oohh! This person finally acknowledged Misaka''s existence, says Misaka as Misaka''s feeling proud of it. So the saying ''I think, therefore I am'' is a lie, since there''s somebody else acknowledging Misaka''s own existence besides Misaka''s own view, says Misaka as Misaka completely denies her half-understanding of the saying ''I think, therefore I am''.[1] That''s enough, shut up and take off that towel that''s covering you entirely. Show me your face. Eh? Eh...erm...erm...isn''t it too bold for a girl to take off her clothes in the middle of the streets? This is a little too crazythatsays Misaka as Misaka confirms it again, are you for real? ... Wah, he''s not saying anything at all! This person is looking extremely serious! Please don''t take off this towel because what''s underneath isn''t suitable to be seen woahhhh... The girl was no longer speaking calmly at the last moment, but it was too late. The towel that was covering her head was pulled down and away. Accelerator first saw her face. She had a similar face as the Radio Noise Sisters Accelerator was familiar with. However, the Sisters were all designated at fourteen years old, and this girl looked about ten. The girl seemed shocked as her eyes widened. This expression was also completely different from the Sisters. Then, her shoulders. The girl''s clothes had a rather exposed design. Her body was also like a ten year old, as her collarbones were extremely slender, looking like they would break anytime. He then saw her exposed chest. And then her exposed abdomen. And finally her exposed legs. Ah? What''s this?What''s the situation now? Holding onto the towel, Accelerator inadvertently froze. If anyone who was familiar with him saw this, they would have frozen for a moment and then started rolling on the floor laughing. Basically, the girl wasn''t wearing anything underneath. Maybe the girl couldn''t grasp the situation quickly as she was unable to react, and she stood around blankly. Basically, there was a completely naked girl in front of Accelerator. Part 2 August 31st 12:25AM. The girl cried as she demanded her towel back, and Accelerator finally threw the dirty towel back to her. The girl grabbed the towel and immediately wrapped herself up in the towel discreetly. She then started to mention the request nobody had asked to hear. Misaka''s serial number is 20001, the last Sister that was created, says Misaka as Misaka explains everything. Misaka''s code name is the easy-to-understand Last Order, and Misaka was used in the experiment, says Misaka as Misaka grumbles. Oh. Accelerator completely ignored her as he continued to increase the distance between them. Last Order finally caught up to him and said, But like everyone knows, the experiment ended midway through, and Misaka didn''t even finish her body adjustments, says Misaka as Misaka continues to explain. The Misaka that was created midway through and thrown out of the incubator looks a lot smaller than a normal Misaka, so says Misaka as Misaka...are you listening? And what do you want me to do? Accelerator asked as he walked on. According to reports, the Sisters had been sent to other organizations after the experiment had ended, but since there were almost ten thousand of them, it was likely that a few Sisters may have been ignored. If so, she was wandering on the streets because of management lapses and had no place to go? At that moment, the homeless girl with a ten-year-old appearance dragged her towel and said, You''re a key person to the experiment, so you should have some sort of link with the researchers. If possible, I hope that you can help me contact these researchers, says Misaka as Misaka thinks. Right now, Misaka''s body and personality is incomplete, so she''s really unstable. If possible, Misaka hopes that Misaka can enter the incubator again and complete the process, explains Misaka as Misaka puts two hands together, tilts her head and gives a cute look as she begs you. Find someone else. WAH! A QUICK REFUSAL! exclaims Misaka as Misaka gives up. But Misaka has no other people to rely on, so Misaka will never give up. ... Accelerator sighed. (What''s with her?) He was a killing monster. He had killed over ten thousand Sister clones that had been created from Misaka Mikoto''s genes. The Sisters could share a common memory through their brains, so this ''Last Order'' should have been aware of that. Maybe Last Order didn''t have any neural link functions because she was incomplete? Besides, there was another suspicious point. The Sisters personalities were of a learning type, but Last Order''s personality was a whole lot different from the Sisters. However, looking at the Sisters personalities, it was hard to tell which were incomplete. Accelerator was feeling irritated by the girl in front of him who was trying to act all familiar with him, thinking that since the Sisters in the experiment had nothing to do with his safety, the girl in front of him should be like them. Part 3 August 31st 12:51AM Through an alley off the road and down a few narrow lanes, they finally arrived at a five-storey student dorm. The surrounding buildings were more than ten levels tall, and in contrast, this student dormitory had a dark and damp feeling. It seemed like the damp air had sunk deeply into the concrete of the entire building. Wah! Your place is really good, says Misaka as Misaka can''t help but praise. Are you mocking me? It''s a good thing to have your own room and a place that belongs to you, explains Misaka as Misaka''s eyes widen. The barefooted brat that continued to follow Accelerator, Last Order, didn''t have any ill intent on her face. Accelerator ignored her as he walked into the building and climbed the concrete stairs that were in disrepair. At that moment, there was the sound of a towel being dragged. Accelerator, while climbing up the stairs and without turning back, said, Oi, how long are you going to follow me... Sorry to bother you! says Misaka as Misaka takes the first move. ... Thank you for your hospitality! says Misaka as Misaka hopes for three meals and snacks and nap time! Anyway, she probably wished that Accelerator would provide her with lodging and food before they contacted the researchers of the experiment. Sigh... Accelerator shook his head as he sighed. Choose, take the stairs down or be chucked off the handrail. WAH! Misaka is an idiot for thinking that you softened your stance! says Misaka as Misaka uses her fist to knock her head gently. But if Misaka leaves you now, Misaka may be unable to contact you. And it''s dangerous for a girl to live on the streets, so Misaka can''t back away, says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain what she meant. After reaching the third level, Accelerator moved away from the stairs and arrived at the corridor. At that moment, Last Order ran in front of Accelerator and turned to face him, stretching her arms out to block him. Which is your room? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to ask. None of your business. Which room? Which room? asks Misaka as Misaka completely ignores other people and continues to ask you who has zero communication skills. ...Seems like you''re an idiot who won''t shut up until you meet the coffin, huh? Hearing Accelerator mock her, Last Order didn''t reply. However, she was not lacking words, but deliberately shutting her mouth to create a small space in the conversation, causing both sides to remain silent. After a while, Last Order finally said something. She narrowed her eyes and said, calmly and slowly, Electromagnetic sounds detected. Wavelength at 3100 Hertz. Detecting situation, at this moment, there are five people armed with unknown dangerous objects, says Misaka as Misaka honestly reports. That may be your room, says Misaka as Misaka gives a warning. ...What? Accelerator narrowed his eyes. Like what had happened in the alley, Accelerator had been attacked by countless delinquents. There was still a possibility that the enemy may be lying in ambush in his room. Hurry up and say it, hurry up and say it, what number is your room? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to ask. Accelerator pondered for a while, and said, Room 304. Ah, seems like that''s the one, says Misaka as Misaka points her finger at the door. Misaka will go look! Excuse me! says Misaka as Misaka doesn''t forget her manners. Last Order continued to rattle off as she walked towards room 304. She had just said that there were intruders, and yet she didn''t look wary at all. She reached her hand out to grab the handle in front of her, and opened the door. The electric lock seemed to be opened by her ability. Last Order seemed rather satisfied with her skills as she happily entered the room. Accelerator glanced at her, and then ignored her as he headed to his own room door. After a while, from the room behind Accelerator, there was the sound of the TV airing a late night show, the angry growls of the room''s owner and Last Order sounding rather calm as she apologized. After that, Accelerator heard the sound of a loud ''BAM'' as the door closed, and Last Order took huge strides as she caught up to Accelerator. That completely looked like someone else''s room, says Misaka as Misaka remains extremely angry. So you''re someone who likes to play such pranks, protests Misaka as Misaka''s eyes wells up with tears. But it seems like you aren''t listening to Misaka at all, right? Shut up. It''s not easy to trick me. What 3100 MHz? That''s a microwave unit, right? Uu...the microwaves can also be used on radar and many communication signals, so your reply is meaningless, says Misaka as Misaka tries her luck as she retorts. As for whether that was a lie, Last Order didn''t deny it. Accelerator snorted impatiently. How can my room be room 304? Can''t you tell from the door sign? Misaka also doesn''t know your real name, says Misaka as Misaka tries to retort. Same here. Ah, we actually had a common idea, that''s a miracle, says Misaka as Misaka tries to use this to ask, what is your room number? asks Misaka as Misaka opens her mouth to ask. Room 307. Yay! Last Order sounded rather calm as she forcefully opened the door. Ten seconds later, she found that she had walked into someone else''s room again, and could only lower her head dejectedly as she followed behind Accelerator. Uu, why must you be such a meanie? asks Misaka as Misaka remains dejected. Even if your room is messy, Misaka won''t mind at all, says Misaka as Misaka explains. Accelerator ignored her as he walked to his own room, room 311. But then he stopped. Something was not right. Oi oi, what''s going on? First, the door was missing. Looking inside the ajar door, the room was in complete disarray. There were not just a large number of footprints on the floor, everything in the room was thoroughly decimated. The wallpaper and floor were peeled, the shoe shelf was shattered, there were burn marks left in the kitchen, indicating that someone had set fire to it, the TV was hacked in half, the bed was broken, the cotton in the sofa was ripped out. It seemed like the room had been attacked while Accelerator went out. Since the attackers found that their target wasn''t at home, they had vented their frustrations on the room, causing it to become like this. Wah! Seems like something big and bad happened, says Misaka as Misaka is rendered speechless. Hearing Last Order say that no-brainer, Accelerator smirked. Seems like your lie became true. Seeing the scene in front of him, for a moment, just a moment, Accelerator inadvertently stopped breathing. Basically, this was his limit. Though his power could defend himself thoroughly, he couldn''t protect anything else. ...Such stupidity. Accelerator didn''t even take off his shoes as he walked into his own house. His soles seemed to crush some plastic scrap of a household appliance. Accelerator didn''t really feel anything about his home becoming like this, as he walked towards the sofa with cotton spilled out all over it and lay down. Eh...eh...eh...about...this...is there no need to notify Anti-Skill or Judgment? asks Misaka as Misaka nags. So what if we notify them? Accelerator sighed. Maybe the culprits who did this would be caught, but that wouldn''t prevent Accelerator from being attacked. Tomorrow, two days later, more people would come looking for him. Then what do you intend to do? You can stay if you don''t mind living with the remains of the TV and the fridge, but to be honest, this isn''t much different from lying down in a slum to sleep. He casually concluded that about his own home. And there are many broken pieces of glass here, I don''t think your feet can handle stepping on them, right? Ha, may be safer to sleep on the roads than here. Um...but Misaka still wishes to bother you, says Misaka as Misaka makes this request. Ah? Why? Because I hope to have someone accompany me, says Misaka as Misaka answered without thinking. ... Accelerator just remained silent and didn''t say anything else. He looked dumbfounded as he stared at the ceiling. Then I''ll be intruding! Ah, that table actually remained unscathed despite all this, says Misaka as Misaka points at the table. Misaka decides to sleep on that table...ah...em...for safety reasons, attacking Misaka when Misaka is sleeping is unacceptable, says Misaka as Misaka... Just sleep. Ah! Though Misaka got assured of safety, Misaka still feels some agony, says Misaka as Misaka says this. Accelerator shut his eyes. In the darkness, he could hear Last Order treading about. Maybe she wasn''t used to the dusty air in the room, as Last Order coughed a few times. Last Order felt abnormally tired. Thinking about it, he finally concluded. (What the heck) In that gentle darkness, Accelerator was like a child who couldn''t resist the sleep monster as he casually thought. (Thinking about it, how many years has it been since I last heard this kind of innocent voice?) He pondered. Part 4 August 31st 11:35AM The light that shone into the room caused Accelerator to wake up. This student dormitory was surrounded by tall buildings, so the amount of sunlight his room could receive in a day was limited. It was about noon now, Accelerator pondered. At this moment, he found a face staring at him. A curious-looking Last Order. Ohh! So y''all people will become direct when y''all sleepsays Misaka as Misaka tries to talk in a fake Kyoto-ben. Hm, you always looked like that, so you look very different from a kid when you sleep. But this is especially charismatic, says Misaka as Misaka ... Accelerator sleepily reflected all the voices around his ears. reveals a SMILE WOOAAHHH!!? EXCLAIMS MISAKA AS MISAKA''S VOICE GOT LOUDER!!! It was as if someone just stood right beside her and roared into a loudspeaker and Last Order inadvertently fell back. She covered her ears and shook her head about as she continued to try and talk to Accelerator with much enthusiasm. ... Accelerator slowly reached his arms out and rubbed his eyes, slowly and weakly. He stared blankly at Last Order for a while, and then said, Blanket, blanket. Eh? Are you dazed? asks Misaka as Misaka...KYAAAHHH! HOLD IT, DON''T TAKE THIS TOWEL! MISAKA SAID BEFORE THAT THIS IS MISAKA''S TREASURE...! I''m so sleepy. Having grabbed a sleeping item, Accelerator snuggled under the towel like a bedworm as he again sunk into dreamland. Part 5 August 31st 2:05PM. Hungry, Accelerator woke up. Looking up at the clock that was swaying about, he found that it was already past 2. It was already past lunchtime, and just as Accelerator intended to get up and look for something to eat, he found a dirty towel wrapped around his body. W-what is...so you''re still around...? Why are you wrapped in a tablecloth and looking so depressed? ...You were sleeping as if you were dead, Misaka couldn''t wake you up no matter what Misaka did, says Misaka as Misaka feels really depressed about her own uselessness. Last Order was using a tattered tablecloth to wrap around her body as she sat down weakly on the floor. She looked like a pitiful person who wasted her entire fortune on lottery tickets, yet didn''t win at all. Accelerator''s redirection wouldn''t be interrupted even when sleeping. Sometimes, he would even redirect the sound to sleep better, and then nothing would wake Accelerator. Uu...uuu...Misaka tried to ask that you return the towel to Misaka. That blue towel lived together with Misaka, it''s Misaka''s good companion, and nothing can replace it, says Misaka as Misaka tries to let out a crying attack. Of course, Accelerator didn''t want the dirty and tattered cloth. He tossed it onto Last Order''s head, who was sitting on the floor, and then casually glanced at the kitchen. Accelerator wasn''t in the habit of cooking his own food, but there should be some frozen food in the freezer. However, looking through the entrance to the kitchen, Accelerator, who was sitting on the sofa, gave up and lay down. The freezer had already been tossed out, and the packaging of the frozen food was damaged and scattered all over the floor. At that moment, Last Order, who switched from the tablecloth to the towel, seemed to recover and she said, Good morning, though the time should be good afternoon, says Misaka as Misaka lowers her volume to say hello. Misaka is hungry, so if you can cook some food for Misaka, Misaka''s happiness index will increase by thirty points... Go and sleep. Wah, the intimacy value and calories intake are both zero, says Misaka as Misaka raises her arms high. But this isn''t to cheer but to surrender, I hope you can understand, says Misaka as Misaka earnestly and politely adds on. It''s morning now, MORNING, MORNING! ...What morning, it''s already 2PM now. Having just woken up, Accelerator had to open his eyes. He was hungry, but what made it harder for him to sleep was this Last Order in front of him. Though he could redirect the sound, it was like putting on an eye patch when bugs were flying around, the uncomfortable feeling couldn''t be removed. Accelerator got off the sofa and stood up, intending to get rid of the kid as soon as he filled her slightly hungry stomach. Thus, he headed to the door. Eh? Isn''t the kitchen over there? asks Misaka as Misaka points at the correct direction. Why must I cook for you? Do I look like someone who''ll do something like that? Eh? But Misaka was really looking forward to seeing Accelerator unexpectedly put on an apron and put on a domestic man side, says Misaka as Misaka is really disappointed. Ah? Wait up, you didn''t even reply to what I said! Are you completely ignoring Misaka now? says Misaka as Misaka can''t help but start to snivel, but you still continue to ignore Misaka. Accelerator wordlessly left the door as Last Order continued to rattle on and follow him. Part 6 Aug 31st 2:35pm On August 31st, there was almost no one on the roads. As 80% of the population were students, most of the people were holed up in their dorms, frantically trying to wrestle with their holiday homework. However, Accelerator and Last Order didn''t have those issues to deal with. He brought the young girl down the almost empty streets. The girl was dragging the light blue towel along as she walked beside the white haired boy. Is your hair colour natural? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to ask. Last Order asked Accelerator that just as they approached a certain restaurant-chain shop. What? Your hair, Misaka points her finger at the hair. A normal person''s hair can''t be purely white, says Misaka as Misaka raises her suspicions. And your red eyes don''t seem normal in a biological sense, says Misaka as Misaka tilts her head, feeling extremely puzzled. Though he could just ignore her question, she may continue to rattle on if he did that, so Accelerator decided to answer her question. After eating, he could just send that girl to the researchers or leave her on the streets. Thinking that he only needed to endure for a little longer, he could at least endure that trivial thing. This isn''t natural. Maybe this is a side effect of my powers. I don''t really understand it though. Whether it''s my skin, hair or eyes, all the pigments on my body exist to protect my body from UV rays, but my powers can redirect any unwanted UV rays, so my body itself doesn''t need pigments. Even Accelerator was feeling rather surprised that he could be so talkative. He often said some mocking words in the experiment; seemed like he could really be quite talkative. Oh, I see. So Misaka finds that Accelerator can still be talked with, says Misaka as Misaka is somewhat surprised. What in the world do you mean by that? Speaking of which, it''s not a good thing to have powers that are too strong. The outside influence is too little, it seems to cause a loss of balance in the hormones, causing me to have this androgynous appearance. So are you a guy or a girl? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to uncover the truth. Can''t you tell? As Accelerator said that, he started to feel disbelief in regards to his own actions. Looking at his past thought process now, the conversation he was having with Last Order was already an anomaly in itself. Of course, Accelerator was a member of this society, and he was not so savage that he would kill everyone he met, but he never had the experience of talking to the Sisters so successfully. Normally, a conversation in the experiment often went like this: Yes, Misaka is Serial Number 10032, responds Misaka. However, shouldnt you check using the passcode to ensure that Misaka is part of the experiment? suggests Misaka. It is difficult to understand what you mean when you use vague terms such as anything, replies Misaka. The experiment begins in three minutes and twenty seconds. Are you prepared? asks Misaka to make sure. That couldn''t be a conversation with an ordinary person. It was like they were emotionless robots who were just answering the questions. And Accelerator himself just said this: Dammit, after ten thousand times, this is getting really fucking old. I was hoping to kill some time, but no. Theres just no having a conversation with any of you. From the beginning, he never felt that he could communicate successfully with the Sisters. Even up to the end, he really never managed to do so. However... It seemed like that battle did really change him, Accelerator thought. The problem was, what changed? Why? What did it change? Hello? Hello hello hello? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to say hello to you. Your eyes are blank, are you thinking of anything? asks Misaka as Misaka stares intently at your face. AH? I''m just wondering whether you could enter the restaurant with just a towel around you. ...Uuu, if Misaka''s the only one left outside, what should Misaka do? asks Misaka as Misaka feels extremely worried. GO sleep. Wah! That almost became your catchphrase, exclaims Misaka as Misaka starts to feel like she should give up. Last Order raised her arms and swung them around wildly while remaining expressionless, and Accelerator ignored her as he lifted his head up to look at the afternoon sky. He finally managed to communicate. Something invisible was changing. Part 7 Welcome, is it just the two of you? In the end, the waitress smiled as she invited the towel girl in. Of course, there was a somewhat stiff look on her smiling face. It seemed like this person was a part-time worker, and she couldn''t handle something that wasn''t mentioned in the manual. Accelerator and Last Order chose to sit near the window. In Academy City, 80% of the population were students, and normally, August 31st was a day where people were normally stuck in their houses finishing up their holiday homework. There might have been crowds during lunchtime, but it was already past lunchtime now. Accelerator casually looked outside a window. At that moment, he saw a white-cloaked person keeping his body down as he walked on the road. Ah? The moment the man noticed Accelerator looking at him, he acted like he had gotten an electric shock, and he scurried into a parked sports-car in the parking lot. That guy...isn''t that Amai Ao? Accelerator muttered. Last Order looked puzzled as she lifted her eyes away from the menu. Amai Ao was a researcher who was about thirty years old. He was a long-term assistant in the Level 6 research. The experiment that had been calculated and simulated through a supercomputer was deemed to be flawed, and was now in temporary limbo. The researchers of the experiment should be going through the vast amount of information now, trying to find out where the problem occurred... That guy...what''s he doing here...? What are you looking at? What are you thinking of? What are you talking about? asks Misaka as Misaka tries to inquire. Stop spouting nonsense. Think of it, what is the most important thing to you now? Eh? Eating, replies Misaka as Misaka doesn''t even think about it. Ah, are you saying that Misaka can order anything today no matter what? says Misaka as Misaka feels really excited about it. Hm, I don''t really care about it all of a sudden. What happened to the initial idea of contacting the researchers? Accelerator couldn''t help but lament. Right now, Amai''s sports-car had already vanished onto the roads, and Last Order hadn''t noticed this at all as she rubbed below her eyes, her body swaying about. Uuu...no matter what I do recently, Misaka feels rather tired. Not my problem. Accelerator randomly ordered some food from the waitress who served some plain water, only to find that Last Order, who was sitting directly opposite him, was staring at him strangely. Ah...says Misaka as Misaka is carefully trying to choose how Misaka should say it...what should I say...so you can order food and pay like an ordinary person. This really makes Misaka feel touched. What? Hm, Misaka originally felt that you''re the kind that will kick the restaurant door down, finish up a king''s meal and then break the windows to casually escape, trembles Misaka as Misaka says this honestly. Oh, so you''re talking about that. Accelerator nodded away lethargically. It''s not that I can''t do that, but now that the experiment is halted, I don''t have any groups supporting me from behind, and I''ll warrant too much unwanted attention if I exaggerate my movements. Misaka already feels weird when you say it, says Misaka as Misaka can''t help but butt in. Including Anti-Skill and Judgment, nobody can beat you, says Misaka as Misaka honestly says her thoughts. Speaking of which, it''s really unbelievable that you would follow the orders of the researchers in the experiment, says Misaka as Misaka tilts her head. I say... Accelerator sighed, and then continued. Do I need to explain it? Okay, let''s assume that I create a ruckus in this restaurant. Okay, let''s assume that I ate a king''s meal. Now, who''s my first enemy? Eh, should be the worker, says Misaka as Misaka tries to answer. That''s right, so I killed the worker instantly. Just an instant. Who''s next? The boss? I only need a moment just to kill him. Anti-Skill next? Or Judgment? Those people are easier to handle; the more powerful the enemy''s equipment, the stronger the redirection. Then...what next? It''ll become something that Academy City can''t handle, so they will ask for help from outside? But that''s nothing, just some police, assault squads or armored squads. Thus, Japan couldn''t handle it, foreign forces, special forces, assassination squads appear, and they couldn''t handle me. Will it be an air raid? Will it end up with nuclear missiles all over the place? Accelerator then continued. How does that benefit me? Even if he won in a world war with nuclear missiles flying everywhere, if all the humans in the world died, Accelerator could only live on like a primitive person. If he wanted to live like a human, he had to live among humans. That was the problem for a person with the power to destroy. Accelerator thought, maybe it was the same feeling as a president with his hand on a nuclear missile launch button. UU...do you normally talk like a machine gun? asks Misaka as Misaka is surprised. Same as you. No no, according to the information that was forced into my head, the world should have some sort of place like school, says Misaka as Misaka tilts her head and ponders. Can someone like you who has zero communication skills mix around in a class? says Misaka as Misaka again tries to ask. Oh, that isn''t a problem, I don''t have classmates anyway. ? I''m a student in a special class, even though I don''t know if it''s a good thing or a bad thing, Accelerator casually said. Ever since the power development course had caused his ability to awaken, he was drafted into a special class. He was the only one in the class. He didn''t need to attend a sports meet, nor did he need to attend a culture festival. Though there were almost two thousand students in his school, the cramped class he attended had only a table. Accelerator wasn''t really unhappy about it. A long time ago, a researcher said this to Accelerator: because you''re the strongest Level 5, this class is a special class for you to evolve into a Level 6. At that moment, Accelerator wondered: What will change when I''m no longer just the strongest? Will anything change after I evolve into an invincible person? Are you lonely? asks Misaka as Misaka wonders. Ah? Misaka is definitely unable to understand the loneliness of a strong person, and other people will definitely be unable to understand that, says Misaka as Misaka guesses, so Such a ridiculous question. What if I say yes? Are you going to pat my head and comfort me? Accelerator casually said that, and after he finished, what was left was an icy silence. Accelerator was a killer who massacred more than ten thousand people, this was a fact that wouldn''t change. Since he already made it till here, what ''nobody can understand his loneliness'', what darkness, what comforting words, these didn''t hold any meaning. Besides, his motive for participating in the experiment was probably that he wanted to find a way to vent his stress. Was that so? Accelerator frowned and tried to recall, was that really so? If that were the case, it would have been too illogical, Accelerator thought. Something was not right, but Accelerator couldn''t understand what was wrong. He recalled the events related to that experiment, and finally remembered the reason why he felt that something was wrong. Dammit, after ten thousand times, this is getting really fucking old. I was hoping to kill some time, but no. Theres just no having a conversation with any of you. Yes, that was where it felt wrong. If he really wanted to vent, if he really had wanted to massacre the Sisters like a punching bag, why had he tried to communicate with the Sisters? In that experiment, the one who had continued to do such unnecessary things was Accelerator. Though he hadn''t been able to get through to them, it didn''t mean that the Sisters weren''t following their orders. The Sisters had just been flawlessly carrying out the experiment that was predicted, simulated and planned by the supercomputer. If one viewed it from an experimental standpoint, Accelerator, who had gone against the rules to talk to the Sisters, was the one who had gone out of hand. In fact, during the experiment, no matter whether it was the Sisters or the researchers, none of them had talked with others. If so, why had Accelerator done such a needless thing? This was where it was illogical. If Accelerator and the Sisters'' relationship was just to kill and to vent stress, why had he tried to talk to them? The reason one communicated with others was because they normally wanted to become friends with someone. Accelerator thought that this wasn''t logical. He was the one who had mocked, hurt, and massacred the Sisters. Ah, it''s here, finally here, Misaka points at the waitress with her finger. Wah, says Misaka as Misaka''s food is here. The waitress placed the food in front of Last Order; Accelerator''s food seemed like it needed a longer time to prepare. Ohh, this is the first time Misaka''s eating such a hot meal, says Misaka as Misaka feels really excited. This is great, the entire plate is giving off hot air, says Misaka as Misaka continues to stare at it. It had been several days since the experiment had been interrupted. If Last Order had left the research facility immediately after the experiment ended, during this time, her life... ...Whatever. Accelerator casually said, not bothered at all. He turned away from Last Order, who was in front of him, to outside the window. After a while, he couldn''t hear Last Order eating at all. Accelerator started to feel puzzled and turned back to look. He saw Last Order sitting upright in front of the piping hot dish, looking back at his face, and not looking like she was intending to eat anytime soon. However, Last Order was just faking her calmness; anyone could see that she was ready to gobble up the food. What are you doing? Didn''t you say that this is the first time you''re eating hot food? But it''s Misaka''s first time to be eating with someone, says Misaka as Misaka answers. Misaka recalls that everyone should say ''itadakimasu'' before everyone starts eating, and Misaka wants to try that, says Misaka as Misaka tries to mention what she wishes for. Fifteen minutes later, Accelerator''s food arrived. The food in front of Last Order was no longer giving off hot air. But the girl was still smiling. Smiling really happily. Part 8 August 31st 3:43pm. It had been a while since they walked into the restaurant, but Accelerator and Last Order finally started to eat. Last Order couldn''t even use the spoon and chopsticks well, let alone a fork and knife. For some reason, she stabbed the fork into the rice, tilting her head as she wondered. Accelerator ordered meat, but as the meat was tough, and as the small metal board that was used to hold the meat didn''t seem to fit the wooden plate holding it, it started to move about, and he couldn''t cut the meat properly. He paused for a while, and then reached his hand out to grab the metal board properly, terrifying the waitress who just so happened to be walking by. Accelerator could reflect all the heat, and so he wouldn''t be scalded at all. To everyone else who was watching, it was an incredible scene. Delicious delicious, says Misaka as Misaka gives this conclusion. This is just frozen food; who knows how many weeks they stuffed those things in the storage. But delicious food is still delicious, says Misaka as Misaka feels really contented. ...I say. Accelerator released the sizzling hot metal plate. I wanted to say something since yesterday. Do you have a screw loose or something? Don''t you remember what I did to you people? Don''t you feel painful, unbearable, tormented, and spiteful about this? Right before the experiment ended, when that Level 0 had rushed into the depot, the Sister (that Level 0 called her Misaka Imouto) had glared at Accelerator, seemingly giving him an antagonistic look. Maybe the Sisters finally got that personality at that moment. And maybe that was just something that occurred in that Misaka Imouto. Hm...Misaka can use brainwaves to connect all 9969 Misaka''s personalities together. Ah? So what? The connected brainwaves will form a mental network, says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain. Like how humans can have a collective consciousness or something like that? Hm...it''s a little different, says Misaka as Misaka denies it. The brainwaves linking the Misaka units are like brain cells that have nerves being touched suddenly, says Misaka as Misaka gives an example. More accurately, the Misaka Network is like a huge computer that can control all the Misaka''s, says Misaka as Misaka explains. Accelerator remained silent. During this time, Last Order continued to explain. The death of a Misaka unit won''t cause the Misaka Network to vanish, says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain. Using the human brain as an example, a Misaka is a brain cell. The brainwaves link is the nerves that link all the brain cells. When a brain cell vanish, the data of the memories and experience will vanish, which of course is a pity, but this doesn''t mean that the Misaka Network will completely vanish, unless every Misaka is eliminated... Accelerator suddenly felt disgusted, as if he was being stared at by a large spider. Of course, that didn''t mean that Accelerator was afraid of the person in front of him. He could kill this Last Order instantly. There were only ten thousand Sisters; if he was willing to spend the time, he could kill them all. But that was another thing altogether. The fear lay deeper. That girl, who was trying her best to savagely fight against the food in front of her, now seemed like an alien that was of a completely different build from a human... At least that was what Misaka thought, but Misaka seemed to change Misaka''s mind. ? Misaka learned something new, and that''s a Misaka''s value, says Misaka as Misaka is confident. It''s not just Misaka as a whole, every Misaka unit''s life is valuable. Nobody can replace a Misaka. If someone dies, someone will be crying, says Misaka as Misaka proudly declares what Misaka learnt. So Misaka won''t die, Misaka won''t let another Misaka die, says Misaka as Misaka thinks. The girl said. She was staring at Accelerator with an ordinary and human look. That was a declaration. A declaration that she would not forgive Accelerator for whatever he did. A vengeful declaration that Last Order would never forget about this. Ha... Accelerator inadvertently let his back sink into the chair. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. That was the first time he actually felt like this. He did have a vague feeling about it in the past, but he had never heard the person involved complain about it. Thus, this was the first time Accelerator felt such pain. And it wasn''t until everything had ended, that he found out that the Sisters he had treated as toys were humans who could bring pain to others like this. Accelerator opened his mouth and moved his lips, but he was unable to say anything. He couldn''t say a word. "But Misaka is really grateful to you, says Misaka as Misaka explains. If it''s not for you, the experiment wouldn''t have started. The bottlenecked Radio Noise plan wouldn''t have so much attention on it, says Misaka as Misaka continues. You''re a saviour and a killer, you''re Eros and Thanatos, you''re life and deathsays Misaka as Misaka is grateful, because you helped give life to the Misakas who didn''t have any life." Last Order said that. With a gentle voice that accepted Accelerator. However, that made it even more unbearable. For some reason, he couldn''t stand it. What is this? Accelerator muttered. This is completely illogical. Giving life to people and killing them, what kind of credit do I get? What are you thinking, why are you thanking me? No matter what, I voluntarily became a killing monster that enjoyed killing you people. You''re lying, says Misaka as Misaka concludes. You didn''t want to join in the experiment, says Misaka as Misaka makes the hypothesis. That made Accelerator even more confused. At this moment, it wouldn''t have been strange if Last Order was crying and shouting. But she chose to speak to Accelerator, and that was completely illogical. That inexplicable situation caused Accelerator to feel frustrated. Hold on, are you trying to casually rewrite your memories just to prove your point? No matter what you do, you can''t possibly have this conclusion. Do I look like I was forced to do that? Since I continued to follow the directives of the experiment, it means that I don''t give a damn about your lives, it''s just that simple. Accelerator sounded like he was lecturing Last Order. Why must he try so hard to lower himself? Accelerator started to wonder. It''s not that, says Misaka as Misaka tries to retort. If that were the case, why did you try to talk to Misaka throughout the experiment? asks Misaka as Misaka inquires. Last Order didn''t sound panicky, remaining as calm as ever. She sounded just like a gentle elder sister. Remember what you did, the situation you went through, says Misaka as Misaka tries to beg. You tried to talk to Misaka a few times, why is it so? says Misaka as Misaka asks a question that has such a clear answer. Accelerator sunk into silence. He didn''t even know the reason why he had wanted to talk to the Sisters. Ha ha! Whats with those fleeing hips? Why are you shaking your ass like that!? Youre just asking for it!! Well, I may have no right to say this as someone forcing you to take part in this experiment to make me stronger, but you sure are calm. Dont you feel anything about this situation? Dammit, after ten thousand times, this is getting really fucking old. I was hoping to kill some time, but no. Theres just no having a conversation with any of you. Hah. What!? Are you just walking around casually without a plan? If you like pain that much, Ill make you cry so much you might as well take a cough drop now! Now for a question. How many times have you been killed!? Think about it calmly, you words aren''t too natural, says Misaka as Misaka analyses further. The basis behind talking between people is to understand others and to make others understand oneselfwhich also means forming a relationship with others. In this experiment that only emphasises killing, if you wanted to just let the experiment succeed, there''s no need to have a conversation, says Misaka as Misaka makes her point. ...Ah? Those rough words don''t sound like what one will say when someone wants to create a relationship with others. That''s right, and that is the second point, says Misaka as Misaka raises two fingers. What you said are crude words that thoroughly despise Misaka, and those don''t relate to building a relationship with others, says Misaka as Misaka continues on. Last Order finally said the most important point. But maybe you said those words because you wished to be refused? Ah? Accelerator was stunned. Before the battles in the experiment started...you always said those words, says Misaka as Misaka recalls. It''s as if you wanted to make Misaka afraid, to make Misaka unwilling to battle, says Misaka as Misaka depicts. What? Accelerator gasped. But the Misakas couldn''t understand what you were trying to say at all. Not even once, says Misaka as Misaka feels really regretful about it. If, just if that day, what would you do if Misaka said that she didn''t want to fight? says Misaka as Misaka asks in regards to a choice that can''t possibly be taken back again. ... At that moment, Accelerator felt like even his heart stopped. That''s right, if... On that day, at that time, if the Sisters had said that they didn''t want to continue the experiment, didn''t want to be killed, what would Accelerator have done? Could he have done anything? Of course he could. There were no such problems. The experiment was aimed to evolve Accelerator into a Level 6, so Accelerator himself was the main cog in the experiment. He just needed to say something like ''I don''t want to cooperate'', and they would stop the experiment. Nobody could replace him. Even if the researchers tried to force him by capturing him, they would be wasting their time. Because he was the strongest esper in Academy City. Because he was invincible, he could be called the strongest in Academy City. If... Just if, if he took action right at the beginning of the experiment. At the initial stage, when no Sister had been sacrificed. If twenty thousand Sisters had stood in front of him, looking fearful as they begged him not to do this... What would he have done? That was his wish. That was why he had continued, and continued, and continued to ask. But no matter what, he couldn''t get a response. In the long run, the way he had questioned became even more radical, until he had lost all sense and became a bloodthirsty murderer. He had wanted someone to stop him. He had wanted someone to have a reason to stand up against him. Accelerator always wondered, after that experiment, after that battle at the depot, after that fight he had against that Level 0, what had changed? That question had troubled him for a long time, but maybe he could get the answer here. He recalled that fight at the depot, that Level 0 who overcame all odds. In regards to that, he must have exaggerated it as much as he could. But even so, Accelerator still wondered. What was he thinking about? About what? "...Damn it." Just like that, he closed his eyes and lifted his head as he said that. He just said that. Right now, no sugar-coated words were going to convert him into a good guy. That had already been proven in the fight at the depot. At that moment, the Sisters who had been saved by the Level 0 had already understood that they should refuse to sacrifice themselves for the experiment, but Accelerator continued to insist on killing them. That was a cold, hard fact that wouldn''t change. Last Order remained silent. Accelerators wondered what expression was she showing now. Right now, he continued to close his eyes, close his eyes, close his eyes...after a while, he suddenly realised that something was not right. It had been so long, and yet Last Order hadn''t said anything. Accelerator opened his eyes suspiciously. At this moment, he heard a heavy ''dong'' sound. Last Order collapsed onto the table. Her head didn''t hit the table though, as a spoon was stuck between the table and her neck. Anyone could tell that she hadn''t collapsed just because she wanted to sleep or was feeling tired. She didn''t even have an ounce of strength in her. Though she was trying to suppress her breathing volume, she was panting as loud as a dog. It was as if she had a fever. "Oi." "Ah...haa." Last Order had a thoroughly tired voice. "Misaka wanted to contact the researchers before Misaka became like this, says Misaka as Misaka is dizzy and lets out a bitter smile." "..." "Misaka''s serial number is 20,001, which is the last number, says Misaka as Misaka adds on. Misaka''s body is still incomplete, so Misaka shouldn''t be outside the incubator, says Misaka as Misaka sighs. But since Misaka managed to hang on, Misaka thought that it would be alright, but now..." Last Order was talking very slowly now, maybe because her consciousness was wavering. It was possible that if she lost consciousness, then she wouldn''t be able to wake up again. "Oi." "Hm? What is it what is it? asks Misaka as Misaka wonders." Last Order responded three seconds later. Even so, the girl was still smiling. Accelerator''s face gradually lost all expression, as if he had lost all emotions. In that situation, he couldn''t do anything. Even with the strongest power in Academy City, Accelerator was just the strongest esper in the city. His power couldn''t save others. Even if someone asked him for help, he could only hide inside a power that was like a nuclear shelter. That was his power. He couldn''t protect others, he couldn''t save others, he could only live on alone, watching everything get destroyed silently. It was like this when his room was ransacked, and it was now like this when the girl collapsed in front of him. "..." Accelerator silently stood up. Last Order remained sprawled on the table, only looking at him. "Eh? Where are you going? asks Misaka as Misaka questions. You haven''t finished eating." "Not hungry." "Oh...Misaka wanted to try saying ''Gochisou-sama'', says Misaka as Misaka sighs." "Really? That''s a pity." With a cold expression, Accelerator took the bill to the counter. Leaving Last Order alone. Part 9 August 31st 4:11 pm. Accelerator was walking alone on the road. He was still thinking about Last Order, who he left at the restaurant. But in that situation, there was nothing he could do to help. He was not some omnipotent saviour, and he was not a detective in a novel. He had never lived a life where he could take care of any problem that came at him, and he couldn''t solve every problem that happened just by thinking for a few seconds. He couldn''t do anything. That was why he chose to leave, and not do anything. Just like that. Accelerator walked onto the road as he thought. Besides, no matter what, his personality wasn''t suited to help others. The world he existed in wasn''t like that. That Level 0 who fought against Accelerator at the depot should be suited for something like that. Ohh, this is the first time Misaka''s eating such a hot meal, says Misaka as Misaka feels really excited. This is great, the entire plate is giving off hot air, says Misaka as Misaka continues to stare at it. Besides, what could he do now? Did he have the right to do anything? He was the one who had dragged the Sisters into hell; he was also the one who caused the experiment to be abandoned and caused Last Order to be thrown out of the research facility. No matter what he did, what he chose, he would always end up hurting others. Such a person helping others would defy all logic. But it''s Misaka''s first time to be eating with someone, says Misaka as Misaka answers. Misaka as Misaka recalls that everyone should say ''itadakimasu'' before everyone starts eating, and Misaka wants to try that, says Misaka as Misaka tries to mention what she wishes for. He continued to walk on the road, through the zebra crossing, past the convenience store, into an alley near a shopping mall, through the alley, past a student dorm, and he continued to walk on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on. "Oh...Misaka wanted to try saying ''Gochisou-sama'', says Misaka as Misaka sighs." Suddenly, he stopped. Accelerator lifted his head up. In front of him was a research facility. The research facility that had started the experiment and mass-produced the Sisters. If this was the place, at least there should be incubators left for espers that were produced. Maybe he could adjust Last Order''s incomplete body through those incubators. He couldn''t do anything to help at that place, which was why he had chosen to leave that place. He came here to find something he could do. Accelerator stepped into the research facility. He knew that for someone like him to do such a thing was illogical. But even so, he wanted to save that girl. August 31, 5:15 PM. END Notes 1. "I think, therefore I am" is a saying by French philosopher and writer Rene Descartes which claims that someone wondering whether or not he exists is, in and of itself, proof that he does exist. Volume 5, 2: A Certain Ojou’s Railgun. Doubt_Lovers. Volume 5, Chapter 2: A Certain Ojou''s Railgun. Doubt_Lovers. Part 1 August 31, 8:00 AM. Within the psychic powers development institution Academy City, which had 2.3 million students, was Tokiwadai Middle School, a famous girls'' school ranked among the top five schools in the city. Focusing on only raising elite students, the student numbers did not even reach two hundred. In the school, there were currently two Level 5 espers and forty-seven Level 4 espers. Also worthy of note was that one of the entry requirements for Tokiwadai Middle School was "Level 3 esper or above". Even during summer vacation, the morning life didnt change in the Tokiwadai dorms: wake up at seven in the morning, clean up to the level of "it doesnt look too bad" within thirty minutes, roll call in the dining hall at seven-thirty, and finish breakfast by eight oclock. What was notable was the reason the dorms let students have until eight to finish breakfast: Tokiwadai Middle School encouraged students to take the school bus. The deadline before being late was 8:20 AM, so if one didnt take the bus, they would have to sprint full-speed to school. Today was August 31st; because it was still summer vacation, after 8 AM and aside from dinner, curfew, and lights-out time, students had leisure time. All across the world, students were now hurrying to finish their summer homework, but at Tokiwadai Middle School, that feeling of anxiety couldn''t be felt in the slightest. Misaka Mikoto, one of the Level 5 espers, was sitting in the majestic and also ridiculously spacious dining room, spreading her arms out and yawning widely. Even though it was summer vacation, she was still in uniform. According to Tokiwadais school rules, the dorms were still part of the school, so students were forbidden from wearing casual clothing inside the dorms. Mikoto had shoulder-length hair, a stubborn look, and a mouth that, once she started talking, wouldnt stop for twenty minutes, all of which were traits far from the "Ojou-sama" stereotype. Then again, those werent traits that belonged solely to Mikoto. The other female students around her had finished breakfast and were still sitting and chatting with each other; and, as a whole, they gave the same impression. Even though they had special circumstances, they were still middle school students in Japan. The classical Ojou-samas described in manga and novels with a hobby of equestrian riding and a specialty of the piano were extremely rare (on the other hand, those kind of people do still exist). (Manga, manga... Oh, right, today''s Monday.) Mikoto suddenly remembered something, and stood up from her chair. Every Monday and Wednesday was when Mikoto stood at a corner store and read manga magazines. Though, she didnt know that her reading them left a lot of high school students able to buy only magazines with the edges messed up. Normally, she went to the corner store and read manga only after school, but it was summer vacation, so she could go and do it right now. Mikoto wanted to know who the culprit was in a manga that had a closed-room murder, so she hurried and left early. Just when Mikoto was about to head off, a girl in a maid outfit who was gathering the cutlery realised her intentions. This girl was a middle school student for some home economics school who was working in the Tokiwadai Middle School girls'' dorm for the purpose of gaining work experience. Practical work for the home economics school varied widely, and those that could get in to the Tokiwadai girls dorms were supposedly the finest of the finest. Misaka, Misaka! Are you going to the corner store or the book shop? Todays not the 10th, and its a Monday, so its the corner store. And Tsuchimikado, your role here is that of a practicing maid, after all; shouldn''t you not be talking to me so familiarly?[1] Misaka, Misaka! If youre going to the corner store, then buy a kinda strange manga for methe kind of shoujo manga thats not R-18, but still has lurid descriptions. Ah, I remember, your interest is BL[2], right? And Tsuchimikado, your role here is that of a practicing maid, after all; shouldn''t you not be making your patrons run errands for you? Misaka, Misaka! Men pushing down other men isnt my hobby, but that of the head chef. I like the kind of manga where the brother and sister get into a messy relationship. Wouldnt that count as seinen manga and not shoujo, then? And, Tsuchimikado, your role here is that of a practicing maid, after all; shouldn''t you not be admitting that you like your own brother? Misaka sighed, and walked out of the dining hall, past the excessively long corridor, and towards the main door. She came across no one else as most of the students were staying in the dining hall and chatting after eating breakfast. Misaka went to the entrance hall, and opened the huge front doors. From the student dorms and heading outside, the view changed from an old western-style building to the street in a near-future fashion. There were no power lines; replacing them were wind power generator propellers at the end of every corner. Barrel-shaped security robots that automatically patrolled the streets came and went everywhere. A zeppelin with giant screens on its belly floated across the sky. The views of that "city" were different from those of a normal city, but for the residents there, it was already very familiar, and they could no longer tell the difference between the two. Right across the student dorms that looked like a western-style stone building was an "open 24 hours" general store. The difference between the two made Mikoto smile slightly. Just when Mikoto was about to take a step onto the road... suddenly a mans voice came from the side. Ah, arent you Misaka-san? Good morning. Where would you be going? Eh, I remember that youre not in any clubs, right? If you dont mind, would you care to walk together with me for a while? Uu! Mikoto instantly stiffened, tried to hide the look of "met up with somebody extremely troublesome" on her face, and turned towards the direction of the voice. In front of her was someone a year older than Mikoto, a tall and slim man. Though slightly thin, he had the body build of a sportsman. His hair was smooth and fine and, unlike a Japanese person, his skin was very white. A man that started exercising from the basics. That meant that even if he was holding a tennis racket or typing on a laptop keyboard, it would look fitting for himreally very advantageous. The sweat that came out of him almost seemed to sparkle, and his face nearly always had a warm smile... he was that kind of person. Unabara Mitsuki. He was one of the people that Mikoto found hard to handle, and also the grandson of the director of Tokiwadai Middle School. In Academy City, where the main goal was psychic powers development, the power of that position was like that of the ruling family of a major corporation. Tokiwadai Middle School was a girls'' school, so Unabara Mitsuki couldnt enter the school grounds or the dorms, but he was free to roam around everywhere else. The reason Mikoto labeled him as a troublesome person wasnt because he was someone that liked to show off his influence, though. Hmm, even though youre not in a club, focusing on personal hobbies isnt bad. Misaka-san, what kind of sports do you like? If youre interested in tennis, equestrian riding, squash, or golf, you can tell me; in these areas, I may be able to give some pointers... eh? Are you alright? Are you feeling well? Ah... Its... its nothing. From Unabaras tone, he really seemed to be worried; Mikoto couldnt help but give a small sigh. Unabara Mitsuki understood clearly what kind of enormous influence he could bring about, yet he never flaunted it. He always deliberately matched Mikotos values, talking to Mikoto as an equal. To Mikoto, the kind of "mature" personality that gauged the situation between the two made her feel rather uncomfortable. But since the other party was using a "mature" way to get close to her, she couldnt just deal with him the same way she does with the usual high school student and fire off a bolt of electricity as a response, because that would have made her feel like an immature child. What made Mikoto feel like Unabara was hard to handle was that, whenever she met him, she always had to be careful and prudent. It didnt feel like a meeting between friends, but rather like fawning to a senpai at a school club. (Then again, this guy wasn''t so bothersome a week ago, but recently, he comes to me on a daily basis... They say summer changes men... What a disagreeable way to change.) Thinking about it carefully, in the past, they were only at a level where they would greet each other if they walked past each other. They might have stood together and chatted, but they wouldnt have interfered with each others plans. Now was different; he had become very aggressivealmost like he was tracking Mikotos every move... Misaka-san? Uu... After Unabara called out, Mikoto had involuntarily shrunk back her upper body slightly. While Mikoto was deep in thought, Unabara had closed in, and bent down to stare up at Mikotos face. Dont be so deep in thought; where were you going to go? Ah... Uh... (Honestly, Im one that laughs out loud while reading manga even if Im in the store, so I try not to have people I know around me when I go read manga, but if its Shirai Kuroko, that idiot, it wouldnt really matter.)" What? Ah, nothing! Nothing, nothing! I didnt just accidentally say what I was thinking out loud. So there isnt anything that urgently needs to be done? Ah, if so, theres a restaurant around here whose seafood is quite delicious; do I have the pleasure of inviting you to there? (At this time, right after breakfast?) Mikoto thought, but she didnt let it show on her face. Ah... but... but... Thank you for your invitation, but I have some private business to take care of... Then take care of it now. Ill come with you, too. Uu... ah... I do have some things to do, but... ...? Unabara involuntarily frowned and said, Is it somewhere thats inconvenient for me to go? Ah, thats right, thats right! Mikoto clapped and said, I... I''m (uh...) right, right, going to the lingerie section of the department store now; boys would be uncomfortable there, right? Dont worry, I wouldnt mind. Without the slightest hesitation, Unabara unthinkingly answered with a dazzling smile. (The excuse got broken so easily?!) the Mikoto in her heart cried out in anguish. (Uu, uu, what to do, what to do? Ah, right, Ill just pretend I already have a date with some other guy! In that case, no matter what he says, he cant really stick to me like this. Even though its old-fashioned, fine, Ill just grab a guy, say something like "Sorry, did you wait long?", and improvise something to fake it through. Even though itll give that unlucky guy some trouble, Ill treat him to a canned drink later, and that''ll do!) Mikoto looked around, trying to find a guy to play along with her act. However, today just had to be August 31st. In Academy City where 80% of the residents were students, today was a day to stay at home and rush to complete the rest of the remaining summer homework. In other words, there wasnt anyone in sight. (Uwah... Is there no hope left?) the Mikoto in her heart once again cried out in anguish. At that instant, almost like a gift from the heavens, three boys walked out from a corner and towards them. Part 2 August 31, 8:25 AM. Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Aogami Pierce. The two that had met up this morning seemed to be classmates of Kamijou Touma; the key word being "seem", because Kamijou had lost his memories, and had no recollection of going to class. For the Kamijou now, he shouldnt have had the time to wander around on the streets. Before today, August 31st, his summer homework had been a complete blank. The him right now could be said to be in a state in which every second was of the utmost importance. Kamijou, in the depths of homework hell, had reasoned that it would be a long-term battle that would last to tomorrow morning, so he had gone to the corner store buy some canned coffee. But today, the brand he normally bought had just gotten sold out, with not a single can left. Just when Kamijou had been thinking about which bastard had taken all the stickers that could be traded in for free stuff for himself, he got caught by Aogami and Tsuchimikado. The two classmates who had already finished all their homework wanted to play hard on the last day of summer vacation and make some good memories. Aaaaaaaaah! Todays already the last day of summer vacation, Kami-yan! Sigh, and this year, there''s been no encounters with any girls that fell from the sky, no finding of a catgirl in a cardboard box on a rainy day, nor even a meeting with a beautiful fiance behind our doors that we never knew was engaged to us. Its been an incredibly normal summer vacation, the kind that novels describe with only one line: That high school student had a summer vacation. Aogami Pierce, being a pessimist, said that in a fake Kansai accent. Ah, I so want to be in love! Even though were in a co-ed school, I still want the new semester to be like one of those enviable love comedies where senpai, kouhai, teacher, students, class rep, childhood friends, and dorm manager are all girls who have no experience with boys! Being an optimist, Tsuchimikado Motoharu said that in a peculiar tone. Facing the two and their completely unrealistic views, Kamijou held his head with his hands, and cried out in anguish. Oi, oi, you two, dont tell me you guys knew that I, Kamijou Touma, am putting my life on the line rushing to do my summer homework, and came to disturb me because of that? Please dont disturb me today! If you guys are my friends, then help me with my summer homework! Isnt this good, Kami-yan? If you dont finish your homework, then you can get Komoe-senseis special personal tutoring. Ah, then why did I finish my summer homework? Of course its to get praised by Komoe-sensei. No, no, I''ve followed Kami-yans example, and have an ulterior motive, too! Even if we help Kami-yan, its not like itll get me into a love comedy, right? If the math problems can make a mysterious beauty fall from the sky, Ill definitely help! Facing the two classmates who obviously viewed someone elses misfortune as a joke, Kamijou involuntarily revealed a dark smile. You two, you have no right to call yourselves friends! What''s this ''beauty that falls from the sky''? Do the girls you like all belong to an aviators'' group or something!? Hearing Kamijou so loudly objecting, Tsuchimikado said, as if muttering to himself, No, no, no, in this day and age, girls who fall from the sky end up on verandas, you know. Kamijou didnt understand his reply though, since he had lost his memories. Aogami Pierce on the other side even started to state loudly, Ha, youre too na?ve, Kami-yan. I have a wide range of acceptance when it comes to women: not just heroines that fall from the sky, but also step sisters both younger and older, step mothers, step daughters, twins, widows, upperclassmen, underclassmen, classmates, female teachers, childhood friends, rich girls, blonde hair, black hair, brown hair, silver hair, long hair, semi-long hair, short hair, bobs, drill hair, straight hair, pigtails, ponytails, braided hair, wavy hair, messy hair, ahoges, sailor uniforms, blazer uniforms, PE uniforms, judo uniforms, archery uniforms, kindergarten teachers, nurses, maids, policewomen, shrine maidens, nuns, military officers, secretaries, lolis, shotas, tsunderes, cheerleaders, stewardesses, waitresses, white gothic, black gothic, china dresses, weak albinos, crazy day dreamers, girls with multiple personalities, dominatrices, princesses, kneesocks, garterbelts, crossdressing beauties, glasses, eyepatches, bandages, school swimsuits, one piece swimsuits, bikini swimsuits, slingshot swimsuits, ridiculous swimsuits, non-human girls, ghosts, animal ears, etc.- any female is within my area of acceptance. At least one of them isnt a female, right? Kamijou said with his last ounce of strength; he couldnt take much more of this. Then, Tsuchimikado, with a peculiar smile on his face, asked, Then again, what kind of girls does Kami-yan like? ...Dorm manager oneesans[3]- even temporary ones will do. Were in a boys'' dorm; even the managers an old geezer, you know?! Shut up! Even I know thats impossible in reality! Im an only child, so of course Id admire oneesan-type girls! Get off my case, you two! Hm, so you like manager oneesans'', huh? Does that mean you have no feelings for imouto[4]-type girls, then? Seriously, basic characters like imouto-types are the best ones. Tsuchimikado, who had an actual younger stepsister, nodded enthusiastically. At that point, both Kamijou and Aogami Pierce looked at him with pity. Kamijou, as the representative for his friends, stated, I say, as your friend, for the stepsibling relationship between the two of you to last, theres something you need to know. Wh... What? Your younger stepsister is someone that calls anyone she meets Oniichan[5]. WHAT did you say?! Tsuchimikado raged, and lifted both hands up high. Im... impossible! My younger sister, no matter the time, place, or reason, would never call any man other than me Oniichan! Really? The day before yesterday, in front of the station at the underground department store, I treated her to a meal at a restaurant there, and she said to me Thank you, Oniichan. Yesterday, I met her on that street back there, and she said to me Good afternoon, Oniichan, too. Along with the sound of something being snapped, Tsuchimikado''s mouth made a sound as if something was being bitten apart. Ill kill you both! How dare you try to get your hands on my younger sister! Like that, the fiery fist of an older brother struck at Kamijou and Aogami Pierce. Part 3 August 31, 8:35 AM. In the ten whole minutes between her first seeing the three and now, Misaka Mikoto had been frozen solid. In that time, the three of them had continued to play out a crazy brawl worthy of something from the last fifteen minutes of a Hollywood movie. Unabara at times would carefully wave his hands in front of Mikotos eyes while saying Hellooo?. But Mikoto didnt notice, her lips were stuck on saying the "S" of "Sorry, did you wait long?", gaping at the chaos between the three of them. (Wait, wait, wait! Are those the only people that can act as a couple with me? Would Unabara really believe that one of them could be my boyfriend...? Uwaa, theyre actually talking about real-life younger stepsister issues!) Mikoto finally unfroze, and held her head in despair. At her side, Unabara asked Are you alright?, and Mikoto quickly turned around and squeezed out a smile before starting to look around again. No, apart from those three, there wasnt anyone else in sight. And even those three in their fighting were gradually moving away from where Mikoto was. If she didnt ditch Unabara now, shed be stuck with him for the whole day. There was no other choice. Even though they were still fighting a red-hot battle which didnt look like they were just playing or messing around, Mikoto still decided to choose one of those three. So, who to choose? (The first one, with blue hair and piercings... No way! This guy spouts jargon that even someone that reads a lot of manga like me cant understand, and seems to use two-dimensional logic on three-dimensional girls!) Mikoto shook her head wildly. (Then the second one, with blonde hair and sunglasses... Not this guy either! From what they just said, this guys a dangerous character that has issues with a real-life younger stepsister!) Mikoto shook her head even more, to the point where she was starting to get dizzy. (Then the third one... eh? Is this guy... N-no way! Definitely not this guy! Ah, but... if I dont choose him, then Id have to choose the blue-haired one or the guy in sunglasses... Uu... This... Uwaaaaaaaaaa!) Ah, wait up! Where are you going, Misaka-san? From behind came Unabaras voice, but there was no time for him now. Distance from the target was about twenty meters. The boy was focused on the final battle and had yet to notice the incoming attack. Part 4 August 31, 8:40 AM. Sorry, did you wait long? A girls voice from behind made Kamijou and the other two stop their battle right before the climax, with their faces showing impatience from the interruption. Of course none of them had promised to meet up with a girl, so they were all bitterly thinking, (Oh, is there a pretty boy idol around here or something? Either way, it has nothing to do with us, bastard!) But after thinking about it, today was August 31st, and there was nobody else around here... ? Just as Kamijou tilted his head in uncertainty... I asked you if you waited long; did you not hear me!? Kamijous back, around the level of his waist, was slammed by a girl charging at full speed. After a loud boom, Kamijou and the girl both went rolling along the footpath. D-dammit, who the hell did this to me... eh? Why does it have to be you, Misaka? ...(What do you mean by why does it have to be me!? Ah... no, anyway, please play along!) Mikotos whisper made Kamijous eyes spread wide open, and he said something like Ah?. On the other hand, Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikados reply was... What? K-Kami-yan got hugged by a Tokiwadai student! After a miko, a nun, and Komoe-sensei, theres another new Kamijou legend!? ...Kami-yan, just how many hidden female characters do you have in your route?[6] The two''s comments made Mikoto shake in anger. But she didnt reply; her actions were completely different from her usual demeanour. As a Level 5 Electromaster, she normally would send off many bolts of electricity when she got mad, regardless of where she was. Ah, uh... Misaka-sama, whats going on? ...(Shh! Dont talk... Oh, dammit! The distance is too far, so he didnt hear the talking over here. So these three weren''t actually that loud? Fine...) Mikoto stared off somewhere, and softly clenched her fists. A puzzled Kamijou followed her line of sight. Standing further down the footpath and looking slightly lonely was a cool-type boy. He didnt know how to react to Mikotos sudden and mysterious act, and had frozen. Get off already! said Kamijou; he looked impatient on the outside, but his heart was pounding furiously. After a deep breath, Mikoto yelled, Ahaha! Sorry Im late! Did you wait long? To pay you back, Ill treat you to something, so please forgive me! ...Wha? Mikoto was speaking loudly. Kamijou, was speechless. For Tsuchimikado and Aogami Pierce, time stopped. And the cool-type boy embarrassingly shifted his gaze away. Suddenly, *Bang*, all the windows of the Tokiwadai Girls'' Middle School Dorm opened simultaneously. Ah... Mikotos smile froze. The students standing next to the windows were whispering excitedly to each other. The girl with twin ponytails, Shirai Kuroko, was in a state of shock, her mouth opening and closing but with nothing coming out. After a while, a mature womans silhouette showed up in one of the windowsapparently the dorms highest manager. The mature woman seemed to be saying something, though her voice was too quiet and far away for Kamijou and Mikoto to hear her. But the two could imagine what the frightful statement was: Interesting, you dare to rendezvous in front of the dorm with a boy. Thats some courage, Misaka. Ah... ahaha! Mikotos face was scarily contorted. Ahahahaha! Uhuhuhuhu! Mikoto let out a strangled laughter, grabbed Kamijous hand, and left the scene at a speed that was literally equal to that of flight. Kamijou, who had no idea what was going on, was dragged further and further away. Part 5 August 31, 9:45 AM. Just like that, Kamijou and Mikoto had run through the streets for an hour. Wait a sec! Isnt this setting a bit strange!? Why did we have to run nonstop for an hour? Shut up! Be quiet! Give me some time to think this through! Mikoto cried out as she shook her head vigorously. Kamijou looked around. They were apparently on a side road, tall buildings all around them, with another smaller building seeming to be another student dorm. Mikoto took several deep breaths before finally calming down. Whoo... Sorry, I kind of lost control back there. Lets find some place to sit, and Ill tell you the current situation. Ah? What current situation? Hey, did you just drag me into something troublesome again? Ah, its almost 10; the stores are about to open now, right? Though we just had breakfast, how about we go for a hotdog? Wait, wait! Dont just ignore my question! Did you drag me into something troublesome again? I havent finished my summer homework yet! Not to mention you gave me so much trouble; do you think you can buy me off with one hotdog? Hmm? Mikoto put her index finger to her chin and said, Then thatll do. What? Well go for the most expensive hotdog in the world; that way, you wont have any objections, right? Uh, that wasnt the point... Ahh, youre not even listening to me! Kamijou didnt even have time to complain before being dragged off by Mikoto. Part 6 August 31, 10:15 AM. One for 2000. After seeing the price, Kamijou was speechless. Standing in a converted caravan, the vendor smiled half-heartedly after seeing the look on Kamijous face; he probably saw that look on his customers faces a lot. Two thousand yen... Just what do they put in it that makes it this expensive? If they told you, could they keep the business going? Ah, two hotdogs, please, said Mikoto. While ordering the food, Kamijou looked at the movements of the vendor. The bread and the ingredients didnt differ much from normal ones, and he couldnt see anything especially strange added in. To be brutally honest, if the hotdogs here were to be compared to another vendors, there probably wouldnt be any difference. The slightly small hotdog couldnt even be called a proper mealat most, it was a small snack. (Something like this can actually cost two thousand yen?) Kamijou thought while feeling fatigued, not knowing what to say. Mikoto took the two hotdogs, and paid for the both of them. Ah, hey... The money... Dont be so shocked, alright? Even hotdogs have difference in quality. Some vendors in Los Angeles actually have movie stars go to them in limos. Why are you scared half to death by the difference in price? Thats not what I mean. Ill pay for my own share. Ah? Dont mind the small change; besides, taking out your wallet can be troublesome, right? Mikoto said that lightly, so the short-in-cash student Kamijou could only laugh hollowly. Apparently, Misaka Mikoto, who attended Tokiwadai Middle School, was an authentic ojousama after all. The hotdog seller, when choosing where to set up shop, probably had considered "places to eat" as there were benches nearby. The trees near the footpath stood against the sunlight like shields and the shade looked cool enough... but in reality, it was still hot; the heat wave of the Kanto district should not be looked down upon. Faint sounds of construction could be heard from afar. Here, take it. Kamijou took the hotdog out of Mikoto''s hand, carefully observed it, and then took a bite. Though he was somewhat unhappy about the situation, it was still fairly delicious. What made him even more unhappy, however, was that he couldnt really taste the difference between this one and one from any other store. Mikoto bit into the hotdog, carefully making sure that the mustard didnt get on her nose, and started explaining the events to Kamijou. Unabara Mitsuki, that cool-type guy, had been sticking to her, and she had difficulty getting rid of him. She had been subjected to his invitations every single day for the past week, and to get rid of him, she needed someone to pretend to be her boyfriendand the only choice available was Kamijou. Kamijou looked around, and of course didnt see Unabara anywhere. After all, he couldnt be hiding behind trees twenty-four hours a day, spying... Though, now that we''ve lost that Unabara, there should be no need to act now, right? Even if we act in a place where he cant see us, itd be meaningless. With Kamijous summer homework piled sky-high, he really didnt have time to get into other peoples problems today. Hmm... though weve only lost him temporarily for now, Id definitely be stuck with him next time, so I better use this chance to make sure hell never come bothering me again. ...Oi. So if I be with you for the whole day today, let as many people see us as possibleeven better if Unabara sees us a few timesjust so the impression would be more reinforced. If we can make Unabara stay away from me, then itll be all good... What, why are you holding your head like that? Nothing. Kamijou held his head, and sighed. In other words, Mikoto was asking Kamijou to pretend to be her boyfriend for the day. Kamijou was very worried though, since if the plan succeeded, he would become "a total bastard that goes after middle school students." Though, since Kamijou was living together with Index at this point, he really didnt have to put up a self-righteous fa?ade like thatbut at least he didnt know how old Index was. Even a female teacher could look only twelve; a womans age was unfathomable. And most importantly, he still had his summer homework to do. Due to those various reasons, Kamijou really wanted to refuse to help Mikoto, but he noticed that Mikotos eyes were starting to show some impatience, and that somewhat alarmed Kamijou. If she really got annoyed over that, he wouldn''t only not have time to do his homework, but would also be forced into a 24-hour Ironman endurance battle (though for some reason, Kamijou was only worried about the fight dragging on and not the possibility that he would lose). Seeing Kamijou keeping silent, Mikoto felt discontented, and said, Oi, if you have any questions or thoughts, then say them already. Thoughts, huh...? Do you want to rub the mustard off your nose first? What?! Mikoto blushed bright-red. She wrapped up the hotdog with a paper towel, put it on the bench, turned away from Kamijou, and took out her handkerchief, hastily trying to rub the mustard off the tip of her nose. Uu~~?! Then Mikoto held her nose, and kicked her legs furiously. Apparently, she had rubbed too quickly and accidentally got mustard inside. Ah... are you alright? Kamijou imitated Mikoto, wrapping up his hotdog in the same way and putting it down on the bench, before using his now-free hands to search his pockets, looking for tissues or handkerchiefs. At that point, Mikoto strained a smile, and said, Im... Im alright. Actually, nothing happened. It looked like she wanted to hide at all costs the fact that she made a mess of herself with the mustard. Mikoto turned back to Kamijou, trying to fake as if nothing were out of the ordinary, but the mustard was still apparently affecting her nose. She was not only blushing, but her lips were also tightly pressed, as if she were suppressing the urge to let tears flow. Even her eyebrows were quivering. Get... get on with it already, any questions or thoughts? Eh, are you really alright? Then again, this is so like you, crying over something this small. You actually cry a lot, dont you...? Shut up! I said nothing happened, so nothing happened! Oi, dont put up a resigned face and approach me with that tissue! Mikoto shot vicious look at Kamijou, so he hurriedly retrieved his hands. (Fine, if she wants me to forget this, Ill just pretend this never happened.) Eh? Kamijou involuntarily let out a slight sound. In the small space between Kamijou and Mikoto were two tidily wrapped hotdogs. Needless to say, they were their hotdogs, but which one belonging to who couldnt be distinguished. Mikoto also noticed. Eh... Do you remember which one was yours? I forgot; its probably the one on the right. Kamijou went for one without much thought. However, Mikoto grabbed Kamijous wrist with surprising speed. Kamijou stopped and looked over at Mikoto. Wait... wait a minute, let me check. What? Mikoto grabbed the one in Kamijous hand and compared the two of them. She peeled the paper towel away and looked carefully at the bitten parts. To Kamijou''s eyes, there wasnt much difference between the two. Both hotdogs were half-eaten, so there was no difference in size. The ingredients for both were the same too. Then again, it was the exact same hotdog; Kamijou didnt understand why it should matter which one was which. Did you figure it out? ... Did you figure it out? ... Did you Ahh, I dont know! Fine, as you said, you take the right and Ill take the left! Seriously, you should at least care about this a little, idiot! Kamijou took the hotdog from a babbling Mikoto, tilting his head in puzzlement. Sigh, I dont know what you are so uptight about; didnt we order the same thing? He then bit into the hotdog as if nothing was wrong. Of course, there wasnt any change in the taste either. Mikoto, who until a moment ago was still making a fuss, suddenly became quiet. For some reason, even her movements froze up. Whats wrong? Nothing, Mikoto answered. Then after staring at her hotdog for a while, she finally nibbled into it like a small animal. Her face seemed to blush slightly. ...Back to the original topic, I need your help to act with me to fool Unabara. Do you have any questions or thoughts? I say, just what is wrong with you? You suddenly became so timid, does that means getting mustard on the nose actually has this kind of power? Shut up! It wasnt because of that reason... Wait, just what am I saying!? Anyway, say any question or thoughts you have already! Mikoto, with a red face, leaned over and shouted, their faces almost touching. Kamijou hurriedly leaned backwards. Uwaa! Uh... Uh... my thoughts are are you kidding me!?, and my question is ''just what do we have to do to act like a couple?'' Eh? What do you mean doing what...? What I mean is, what do we have to do so that we appear as a couple to everyone? ... ... Neither Mikoto and Kamijou had any idea what to do next. It wasn''t just by doing an activity that two people became a couple. A true couple, no matter what they were doing, would always appear as a true couple; the inexperienced duo here had no idea how to portray that. Part 7 August 31, 10:45 AM. In the end, Kamijou and Mikoto decided to sit there and chat. However, most students were focused on finishing their summer homework, so the place was empty of people. The only one that could see the two of them talking was probably the hotdog vendor. The "let as many people see us as possible" part of the plan was failing miserably from what Kamijou could see. So yeah, after the experiment, theres less than ten Sisters left in Academy City; the rest of them got sent off to ''outside'' facilities to adjust their bodies. What? Sent to outside facilities, is that alright? If the people outside examine the Sisters, wouldnt the contents of the psychic powers development program be leaked out? Some of the other companies and research facilities outside are also on the side of Academy City. Academy City cant survive by itself; things such as allocating resources, obtaining various information, dealing with legal issues... there are plenty of links that aren''t seen on the surface. Oh, so I guess that means they should be doing alright. Thats good, thats good. At this point, Mikoto went silent for a moment, as if displeased with something, with a somewhat unhappy look on her face. Kamijou didnt know the reason for that, but he followed suit and also fell silent. Wait, this doesnt seem like what couples talk about, right? Hmm, youre right. Research facilities, Academy Citys influences, body adjustments, the things were talking about are pretty weird. ...(I meant we shouldnt be talking about other girls.) What? Kamijou didnt quite hear her, but Mikoto only replied with a Nothing. Mikoto snuck a glance at Kamijou, only to see Kamijou take out a pile of folded paper from his pockets with a bored look on his face. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a paper on old Japanese. Kamijou then took out an automatic pencil and started doing the questions. ...Oi, do you understand the situation right now? How do we look like a couple right now? Just studying and leaving the girl at the side, do you think this is male-dominant medieval Europe or something? Sigh, alright, alright, the Irewa Mikotos so moe~[7] So by Irewa, you mean you never took me as a human?! Uwaa! Alright, treat this as a study session between couples, then! Honestly speaking, I havent even finished one section of my summer homework, this next 24-hour period is like a homework hell for me! Whats summer homework? ...Eh, Misaka Mikoto ojou-sama, you dont know what summer homework is? Ah... come to think of it, I think Ive heard of it before; its something for students so that they wont slack off during the holidays and end up doing worse in their studies, right? Though even without these things, people shouldnt slack off or get worse in their studies, right? Kamijou was speechless. Tokiwadai Middle School actually didnt have a thing like summer homework? Uu, thats not fair, why does Tokiwadai have such freedom? How should I know? Mikoto shrugged off all responsibility with that one sentence. What kind of stuff do you get for summer homework? Eh? You can have a look if you want, but these are questions for a high school student; a middle school student like you wont understand it. Just let me see already! Kamijou offhandedly looked to the side at Mikoto before hurriedly leaning back from her. Mikoto, who had leaned over to try and see his homework, was almost touching him cheek-to-cheek. Oh, is this for old Japanese? Though it looks like it''s only simple revision. Mikoto didnt seem to realise this. She then took the pencil from Kamijou and started writing down the answers, almost completely leaning on Kamijou while doing so. Kamijou could smell a slight faint scent of shampoo from her. (Uwaa... Not... Not good! I dont know why, but this isnt good!) No matter which part of his body he moved, hed end up in contact with Mikotos body. Kamijou stiffened up to the point where he couldnt move. After a while, he finally noticed something. ...Eh? How come you know how to do this? How come you dont? Mikoto answered as if it was only natural, without any negative overtones in her comment. Kamijou had a sudden urge to run away from her. Mikoto put her hands on Kamijous shoulders, smiled gently and said, Dont worry, everyone has something they''re not good at. Ah, right, Ill finish these questions for you in return for dragging you into this. As a high school student, Im getting tutored by a middle school student... Ah... ahaha, uwa, youre looking really sad about it. Do you want a drink to change the pace? Ill go get some, and after that, we can keep going with the homework. Ah? If were going to buy some drinks, shouldnt I be the one that goes? Let me go walk around a bit to change the pacenot to mention I still owe you two thousand yen. If I said Ill go, then Ill go; if these small matters get refused, it gets kind of awkward, right? Mikoto smiled half-heartedly while getting up from the bench, and ran off, leaving Kamijou alone. It didnt look like there were vending machines nearby, so maybe she was going to the nearest general store or something. (Were basically just eating and drinking constantly, huh...?) Kamijou looked in the direction Mikoto had ran off to before lowering his head and staring at the old Japanese homework again. To be honest, in Kamijous eyes, the Japanese on the paper looked no different from English. ...Sigh... Kamijou shook his head tiredly, and moved his gaze away from the paper. All of a sudden, a small dog ran past Kamijou, and on its collar was a leash. Apparently, it had just ran away from its owner. Kamijou was slightly surprised, looking at the escaping dog. At this point, a cool-type boy ran across Kamijous view and went chasing after the dog. Kamijou still remembered that face; that person was Unabara Mitsuki. Not long after, he caught up with the dog, and held onto the leash. A few moments later, a boy who looked to be still in primary school caught up to Unabara. Apparently, this boy was the dog''s owner. Unabara handed the leash over to the boy, and also said a few things to him. This sight was almost like the clich where one returned a balloon that was stuck in a tree to a child. (That was so cool, so elegant. So these people actually exist. In terms of rarity, it should be as rare as a girl that runs away from home and ends up sitting on the swings at a park while crying.) Kamijou thought, half-amazed and half-impressed. Truth be told, he was also one of those extremely rare people, the kind who saved girls being harassed from delinquents. Kamijou and Unabaras eyes met. Unabara apparently remembered Kamijous face, too. After showing a slight amount of surprise, he smiled something that appeared similar to a grimace. Hello, may I ask what your name is? Ah? Im Kamijou Touma. Youre Unabara Mitsuki right? Eh? I am Unabara Mitsuki, indeed, but how did you know my name? Unabara showed an astonished look. He didnt know that Kamijou had already heard about him from Mikoto. Truth be told, Kamijou, who was busy with his homework, had been dragged into this mess because of him. Does Unabara Mitsuki have any business with me, Kamijou Touma? Ah, no, there isnt really anything urgent. Unabara seemed a bit unbalanced, and said, Uh, if you dont mind, can you tell me what your relationship with Misaka-san is? Does it bother you? ...Yes; when a guy appears next to a girl I like, it obviously bothers me. Ooh... Kamijou had a better opinion of Unabara after that. That man was indeed really likable. Surprisingly, he was someone who spoke his mind. Kamijou respected that kind of person. (Hmm...) Kamijou thought a bit more, as he only just got asked by Mikoto to act out a scenario to make Unabara completely give up. What kind of answer do you want to hear: the answer thats expected or the answer thats unexpected? No answer you give would change what I have decided, Unabara said without any hesitation. From this, Unabaras resolve could be seen. He planned to increase his own worth in Misakas eyes to gain the advantage rather than defeat his opponent. Maybe this perspective held some amount of stubbornness and recklessness, but Unabara amazingly did not give off the negative feelings normally associated with that kind of act; maybe this was because he didnt act hostilely to Kamijou or hold resentment towards Mikoto. Part 8 August 31, 11:02 AM. After chatting with each other for a bit, Kamijou discovered that Unabara Mitsukis personality wasnt that bad. Kamijou had originally thought he was just another rich guy since he was the grandson of the director of Tokiwadai Middle School, so he must be one of those unlikable upper-class people- though Kamijou turned out to be mistaken on that. So I feel Misaka-san should be clearer when saying whether she likes or dislikes someone. Ah, the answer to that question is (3). Its (3)... (3)... Is it? But I feel shes fairly direct when it comes to her feelings. Once, I forgot her name before, and I got attacked by her thunderbolts because of that. I think for her being direct here, it probably involved a certain amount of shyness and acting. To be honest, I dont think I ever heard what she truly thinks, not even once. Ah, the answer to that question should be (4); (2) is probably a trap. Thanks. Hmm, after you said that, it seems to be the case. Yeah, its like that. She doesnt say what she thinks clearly, so someone like me is forced to go chasing after her continuously. Im being direct, so why cant she be direct as well and give me a clear-cut answer? Ah, that questions (1). Ah, its not (4)? Though you sure are brave. What you''re doing right now is like getting a pistol while not knowing how many bullets are in it and playing Russian roulette with it. Even though there are only two outcomes, its not like the chances are exactly 50% each way. I understand. Im afraid that if I hear refusal from her mouth, I myself wouldnt know how sad I would be. But... But? ...I still cant. I cant do something that I know would make her cry, and still forcibly take possession of her. If I cant let her obtain happiness, then there would be no point. Kamijou suddenly wanted to root for him in his endeavour, but unfortunately, he already knew the outcome. (Ahh, youth.) Kamijou sighed. To be blunt, Kamijou couldn''t help at all when it comes to a thing like this. And after hearing the words from the bottom of Unabaras heart, Kamijou didnt know whether he should still put on the act to try and fool him. Suddenly, from the side came the sounds of footsteps. Kamijou turned and looked. Mikoto, who was holding two plastic bottled drinks, was standing right in front of him, staring with a shocked expression. Hmm? Whats wrong with you...? Before Kamijou finished asking, Mikoto strode out towards him, gesturing for him to stand up with her chin, as if to drag him away from Unabara. Come with me for a moment! Ah... Oi! Kamijou looked over at Unabara. Unabara seemed to be hurt from Mikotos actions, but he still maintained his smile. His expression became forced, though. Mikoto looked at Unabara and said, Sorry, I have some business with this guy today. Ah, is that so? Yeah, sorry. Goodbye. Mikoto said that with a smile. To Kamijou who understood her to some extent, Mikotos actions were unnatural to say the least. Unabara also seemed to notice, and didnt try to argue with her. Then, Mikoto turned and walked away. Kamijou was troubled as to which side he should stay with, not knowing who to choose. Unabara smiled and said, Please stay with her. Part 9 August 31, 11:20 AM. After wordlessly walking for a while and ending up at a deserted side street, Mikoto finally stopped. Kamijou almost walked into her at her sudden stop. She turned forcibly and, with an expression filled with amazement and anger, said, What the hell is wrong with you? Dont you know the reason why you have to act along? If you and Unabara became friends, wouldnt it all have been meaningless? ... Listen, right now, youre now my... my... lover! All this is for Unabara Mitsuki to no longer come harassing me! Could you please not forget this basic goal? ... What, why arent you saying anything? I cant, Kamijou honestly said. Because that guys serious. He already knows that doing so would only get him hurt in the end, yet he still honestly came out and stated his feelings for you. And he already decided that even if hes hurt because of it, he wont end up resenting you. I cant trick someone like him, nor do I want to. What...? Mikoto seemed surprised, looking stunned at Kamijou. Kamijou didnt realize Mikoto was slightly trembling. On the other hand, I want to ask you: what dont you like about Unabara Mitsuki? Does he have some sort of serious flaw? Of course, if you dont like him, its not right to force you to go out with him, either, though I do want to know the reason behind this. ... Mikoto stared at Kamijou, as if she wanted to say something. But her lips were tightly pressed; not a word was able to be emitted from themeven her breathing seemed to stop. Kamijou and Mikoto prolonged the silence. After some time, Mikoto finally said, You... ? ...Mm, nothing. Mid-sentence, Mikoto seemed to change her mind and didnt continue. She put up a smile that said there was nothing wrong, but her eyes showed a bit of lonelinessat least that was the feeling Kamijou got. Part 10 August 31, 11:45 AM. In the side street, there were only Mikoto and the boy. From the words that had come out of the boys mouth, even from what was seen on the surface, what the impact of those words do to Mikoto was clear. She didnt know what "that feeling" that pulsed through her heart was. But, she subconsciously felt that "that feeling" shouldnt be shownno, it could even be said that there was a force inside her that absolutely could not let "that feeling" out. On the other hand, this also meant "that feeling" was so powerful that if she was not careful, it would erupt from inside her. Mikoto was trying with all her might to suppress "that feeling", which was running around inside her like steam in a kettle. It was unbelievable. Even though she knew "that feeling" shouldnt be shown, suppressing it was making Mikoto feel painful beyond her belief. Did that mean that deep down, Mikoto wanted to let out "that feeling"? No, that was not it either. Just thinking about the aftermath of letting "that feeling" out made her blush bright red. In such complicated confusion, Mikoto didnt even know what "that feeling" was. Mikoto herself didnt know what was going on, and could only suppress all thoughts before they left her mouth. Mikoto now dimly realized something. Mikoto had always thought she was someone special. She believed that her distance with this boy was closer than that of anyone else around him. If the boy had had a list with the names of a thousand people and, while he was browsing through it, came across the name "Misaka", he should have been slightly interested in that instant and looked at that name a bit longer. However, in reality, that was not the case. It was such a small realization, but it gave Mikotos heart a large shock. Why something this small hurt her so much, Mikoto didnt knownor did she have a way to solve it. If possible, she really wanted to run away. Mikoto wanted to run away from this inexplicable pain so much. But Mikoto couldnt do that. She didnt know why, but she couldnt turn her back on him; she couldnt leave the boy and not come back. That would be very painful. Compared to the pain now, it would be a lot more painful. (...Ahh, Im such an idiot.) Mikoto sighed in her heart. The boy seemed to not notice the internal struggle of Mikoto, only asking with a puzzled voice, What are you smiling about? Part 11 August 31, 12:00 PM. Kamijou and Mikoto walked to the main road, discussing what to do next about Unabara. Alright, what do you plan to do now? Do you want to continue the act? Or do you want to give it up? ...Sigh, what do you think we should do? Im planning to withdraw from the act. Theres really no point in continuing. And anyway, Unabaras not the kind of person you think he is, right? Even if hes rejected, he wouldnt be angry at you. Maybe so, but recently he changed; its like hes a different person... Anyway, why are you helping him? What happened? Nothing much, just asked him for some help on my homework. Mikoto frowned, so Kamijou passed the old Japanese homework over for her to have a look. After Unabaras help, most of them were correctly answered. But after Mikoto took a look, her expression became serious. Indeed... the answers are correct. Hmm? What are you trying to say? Was he this smart? From what I remember, he shouldnt be this good. What? But he got the correct answer, didnt he? Mm... His grades at school are indeed top of the class... but his ability is Level 4 Telekinesis, a kind of unseen power that can control objects from a distance. Does that have anything to do with his grades? Of course it does. Mikoto crossed her arms and said, According to that nosy Shirai Kurokos behind-the-scenes investigations, he actually got his grades through cheating. His method is to put a thin layer of his ability on the computer screen for the exam, feel the minute heat and radiation, and reverse-engineer the correct answer... Simply put, its like a stethoscope. So, his grades and his knowledge have no connection. Uwaa... Kamijou was speechless. He had heard of a special kind of machine that could measure the slight magnetic field released to decode the electronic flow of information. But for a human to be able to achieve the same thing really surprised Kamijou. How come you can just stand there and say it like its nothing special? Its not that rare, is it? As an Electromaster myself, I can do similar thingsfor example, stealing information from a credit card''s magnetic strip." Looking at Mikoto saying it as if it was nothing special, the Level 0 Kamijou Touma could only choose to keep silent. Part 12 August 31, 12:12 PM. Lunchtime. Maybe it was because he already had a hotdog that Kamijou didnt feel that hungry. But he just remembered that Index was left alone in the student dorms. The kitchen had some food, like bread, that didnt need to be cooked before being eaten, so she shouldnt starve. But knowing Index, she would probably not do anything and just wait for Kamijou to get back. Alright, so the act stops here. To repay you, Ill treat you to something. What do you want to eat? You still want to eat? No, thanks, Im not that hungry. Its to repay you, so just accept it already. Ah, the extra-large sized hells fried rice thats free if you can finish it in an hour! Do you want to try? Youre just messing with me now, arent you? As it was now time for food, many students came out looking for a place to eat, and the place started to get bustling. Kamijou followed Mikoto in the crowd, being careful not to lose her, and said, Wait, if we end the act now, how are you going to deal with Unabara? Ill handle that myself. I might get in some trouble with the director, but... Forget it, that''s my problem. Mikotos tone seemed to show that she was resigned to whatever would come after that. Kamijou decided not to press the issue any further. The two of them went to various places looking for a place to eat lunch, but all the restaurants were full. In the end, the two decided to buy some cheap hamburgers and just eat them outside. But even with this compromise, all the fast food retailers had long queues; it looked like they would be lining up for a while. Ill go stand in the queue, you just go stay somewhere for a while. Ill decide what to eat; theres no problem, right? Ah? We can just line up together, right? Dont worry. Im the one that dragged you into this, so I should be doing some of the more boring stuff. After that, Mikoto went off and joined the queue. Maybe it was because this shop was exceptionally popular that many more came soon afterward, and Mikoto disappeared into the crowd. If he tried to force his way into the crowd to join Mikoto, it would probably be rude to the others around them, so Kamijou gave up on trying to go in and stayed outside by himself. (Uu, in the direct sunlight of summer, its probably worse out here than inside. Ahh, come to think of it, what am I going to do about my summer homework?) Kamijou looked up and stared at the sun with an expression like a slowly drying potted plant. At this time, a familiar face showed up next to him. Unabara Mitsuki. Eh? What are you doing here? And by yourself? Did you finish what you two were doing already? Hmm? Ah, Misakas in there. Kamijou pointed inside. Do you want to go and talk to her? She should be calm enough now to be able to talk to you. No, dont bother; just then, she still seemed unhappy. Unabara said that with a troubled look on his face. Part 13 August 31, 12:15 PM. At the takeaway, it was as crowded as a train carriage during rush hour. Mikoto in the crowd looked tiredly at the ceiling. (Summer, the crowd, the heat... Uu... The air conditioner is on, so why is it still so hot!?) Looking at the unmoving line, Mikoto considered whether to change to another shop. But looking back, there was also a wall of people behind her. If she tried to go out now, she would also cause trouble for people. Mikoto dryly laughed a few times. At that moment, someone pushed forcibly into the crowd from the back, amid the annoyance and displeasure of the people who moved aside like the tides parting. Then, the crowd in front of her parted aside. From the crowd, someone she was very familiar with fell onto the ground. Eh? Hey, why are you-? Run! He cut off Mikotos sentence. Covered in sweat, his right hand, for some reason, was covered with bandages. The boy with bloodshot eyes yelled crazily. Part 14 August 31, 12:15 PM- the exact same time. Ah, thanks for helping me with my homework, said Kamijou, who was standing on the hot summer sidewalk waiting for Mikoto. In comparison, Unabara, in the same position, still managed to give off a cool atmosphere, smiled, and said, Its nothing; I only did what I could with all my power. (...With all my power?) Kamijou felt that something wasnt quite right. Unabara also felt a slight pause in the conversation and asked, Whats wrong? Mm... I want to ask you something. Go ahead. Are your grades good? Unabara paused slightly before saying, Ah, sorry, did I get something wrong on the homework? T-Thats not it... How could he ask Didnt you get your grades by cheating? in front of him? Kamijou hurriedly looked for some way to change the topic... Suddenly, his mouth stopped moving. Whats wrong? Unabara asked, slightly confused, but Kamijou didnt answer. Actually, nothing was wrong with Unabara; what Kamijou was looking at was behind Unabara. Behind Unabara Mitsuki. The fast food shop Mikoto was lined up in, due to it being lunchtime, was packed with people; plus, the students walking by made it seem even more crowded. In this view full of people... Kamijou saw another Unabara Mitsuki. The man whose face, height, clothes, and everything else looked exactly like that of "Unabara" was soaked with sweat and has bloodshot eyes as he rushed into the fast food shop. Seconds later, Unabara seemed to notice where Kamijou was looking and turned around to look at the fast food shop. But that man had already pushed himself into the crowd. Kamijou was very suspicious. Was it only someone who looked a lot like Unabara...? If its like that, then its too similar. Even though they felt slightly different, they looked exactly the same on the outside... yes, just like Mikoto and Misaka Imouto. Hey, do you have any siblings? No, Im an only child. Why do you ask? Uh... I just saw someone who looked a lot like you entering that shop. Kamijou pointed at the shop, and Unabara turned back and looked once more. Mm... I didnt see, so I dont quite understand whats going on. You only got a glance at him, right? Could it be that its only the hair and clothes that looked the same? Anyway, I dont have siblings. After that was said, it seemed to be right. Kamijou hadnt looked that close, so he was really not sure on the details. Now Unabara seemed a bit anxious, taking a look at Kamijou before looking back at the direction of the fast food shop. Excuse me, but did that person really look like me that much? Eh? Ah, mm. Not just like you, but almost... exactly the same, though its probably just someone that looks a lot like you; dont be so worried. That person who looked a lot like me went into the shop, and Misaka-sans in the shop, too, right? Im a bit worried. Unabara had a troubled expression on his face as he looked at the entrance to the fast food shop. Among the espers in this city, some supposedly have the Metamorphose ability. Just like its name, it can make somebodys face or body similar to someone elses, though its apparently impossible to change it at the genetic level. Looking at the slightly nervous Unabara, Kamijou thought that maybe he was just worrying too much, though maybe it was natural for him to be that way, since he liked Misaka. Hmm, it doesnt matter if its someone that looks similar; we can just go in and check, right? Even though I think it may just be nothing, its good to clear things up as fast as possible. Kamijou walked towards the fast food shop, but Unabara instead took a step back. Ah, no... I just made Misaka-san mad; if I really am just worrying too much and see Misaka-san like this, Ill be troubled. Why do you have a lonely smile when you say things like that? You just care about her, right? Caring about her and being nosy are two different things. Sorry, if possible, can you go in and have a look if theres anything wrong? Alright, I get it, though even if this isnt something I should intrude in, I feel that you dont have to be so timid at this point. Just in this past week, she has already refused several of your invitations, but you didnt give up, right? Uh, I dont get what you are saying. Ah, I meant... All this week, I was at a club practice. I know she was avoiding me, so I thought that maybe I should let both sides cool off a bit first. Todays the last day of summer vacation, and I wanted to see Misaka-san after I havent seen her for a while, so I came to look for her. Kamijou was surprised. According to Mikoto, "Unabara Mitsuki" had been harassing her all this weekbut "Unabara Mitsuki" himself said he had been at club activities. If that was the case, then who was it that had been going to Mikoto all this time? Unabara didnt seem to know this. Kamijou didnt want to cause more unease for him, so he just ran past him and headed for the fast food shop. But after running halfway there, Kamijou thought of something. If Unabara cheated to get his grades, then how had he gotten the answers to his homework so easily? As Kamijou questioned this, from behind suddenly came Unabaras voice. "It looks like nothing ever goes as planned... When you lie to deceive someone." With a *Don!*, the center of Kamijous back was hit by a strong impact. A few seconds later, Kamijou realized it was from a fist. Just like when a plastic bag full of air is suddenly stepped on, the air inside his lungs was pushed out of his body, not to mention yelling in painhe couldnt even breathe. Kamijou turned his head around, looked behind him, and saw Unabara Mitsuki with a cold stare looking back. Kamijou didnt understand what was going on; due to the lack of air, his head blanked out for a moment. Unabara put his hand behind him and took out something similar to a knife. As Unabara stabbed forward with his knife, Kamijou also stepped forward hurriedly. Kamijou felt the knife almost slash across his back, and started sweating. But he still forced himself to breathe and opened some distance between himself and Unabara to prevent a fatal blow. In such a large crowd, everything below the chest was blocked from sight by other people, so rather than covering Kamijous mouth and stabbing him, this was less obvious. If Unabara killed Kamijou this way, he could still blend into the crowd without anyone noticing his acts. This wasnt a suicidal attack that took the opponent down with him, but an assassination technique that put ones own safety first. An act of violence carried out in broad daylight amongst a crowd of people. But there were no screams or disturbances; from this, one could see how skilled Unabara was. (Could it be...?) Kamijou felt himself losing his balance. He tried to stabilize himself, but his stumbling feet couldnt stop. As if using "Unabara" as the center of a circle, Kamijou moved continuously. (Could it be... that this one is the fake...?) "Unabara Mitsuki" smiled slightly, as if seeing through Kamijous thought from his eyes. Kamijou looked at "Unabara Mitsukis" hand, and saw him holding a knife made of black stone. It didnt look like it was made by cutting, but instead by chipping the rock itself. Because it didnt look like a weapon, people around it didnt panic when they saw the stone knife. Kamijou kept trying to focus, blinded by the pain in his head, and asked, ...Dammit... Why... are you doing this...? Youre asking me why? Because now is the crucial period of infiltrating... even if I explain it, you wouldnt understand the importance of it, right? Then again, the real deal actually escaped. Guess this half-assed way of just imprisoning him was a mistake; I shouldve just killed him in the first place. Ah, just so you know, Im not his brother or someone that looks similar to him. Apart from sciences Metamorphose ability, there are other ways of changing ones image into someone elses. "Unabara Mitsuki" said that before pointing his stone knife at the sky. Boom! Something invisible flew past Kamijous cheek. Something like an invisible laser had been shot from the knife''s edge, hitting an illegally parked car behind Kamijou. Almost like it had been branded, a complicated seal appeared on the door of the car. From the seal, something invisible was spreading out. Just like an evil look at somebody else, it couldnt be seen, but it could be felt. It seemed that this phenomenon couldnt be explained by sciencealmost as if it symbolized the existence of a power outside science. That was magic. After a seconds pause, a huge clatter was heard. The cars doors, glass, frame, wheels... every part was disassembled. Not "destroyed" by a rough cutting or pulling, but "disassembled" like a toy model being returned to the state it was in before being built. Kamijous face went white after seeing that. If that incomprehensible attack hit the human body, what would happen... could easily be imagined. A disturbance spread among the crowd like a wave, but nobody screamed, nor did they panic. From their eyes, it was only an "unordinary phenomenon", and nobody thought of it as an "attack". "Unabara Mitsuki" didnt even look at his surroundings. Once again, he raised his knife. ?! Kamijou started to sweat profusely on his back. Unabaras attack was fearsome. Though Kamijous right hand had the ability to destroy any supernatural power, but to be able to predict this kind of attack where it couldnt be seen by the eyes was just as hard as trying to see and dodge bullets. Mikotos electricity attacks may have been similar in attack style, but after all, the electricity attack could be blocked by extending out his right hand and using it as a lightning rod to attract the attack and then negate it. But that wouldnt work against Unabaras mysterious attacks. And the most frightening thing was that the accuracy of the attack was very low. Kamijou was only five meters away from Unabara, without any defenses, and the attack still hadnt hit him. It had low accuracy, but its power was enough to destroy a car in one blow. There were plenty of passersby who were surprised by the car being disassembled, but nobody thought that it was an attack on someone. Unabara didnt care about dragging somebody else into this mess. If that magician was allowed to rampage in this situation, a lot of people would be hit by stray shots. Dammit! Kamijou risked the danger of turning his back to Unabara in order to find a deserted place. He dashed into a side street, running frantically down the twisting and turning path. The sounds of the invisible-weapon-wielding "enemy''s" footsteps could be heard closing in step by step. Part 15 August 31, 12:24 PM. (Dammit! What the hell is going on? Why would a magician appear here?! What is he after?!) Kamijou cursed in his head while running through the side streets. First, he needed information on the enemys attack traits. Kamijou took out his cell phone while running. Fortunately for him, the enemys attack didnt have rapid-fire or much accuracy. But even so, being in a situation where the enemys attack was continuously fired from behind still made Kamijou feel pressured. The fingers holding the phone shivered involuntarily. The ringing started. Once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times, eight times, nine times. Ah, uh, Hello! This is the Kamijou residence, yes! Too slow! Kamijou shouted meaninglessly, and after hearing that, the girl on the other side also started to get mad. Ah, is this voice Touma? Toumas the one thats slow! When can we eat lunch? Or should I go to Komoes house for help? If you dont clearly say beforehand, Im not going to know what to do! Sorry, Index! We can talk about food later! I have something important to ask you right now! What do you mean later?! Why does Touma always-? Enough already, are you alright over there? Some magician showed up, and I dont know what they are after, but they could be coming after you again! Tsuchimikado, that guy... he might be back at the dorms by now! Oi, Index! Go next door right now and take a look! That guy is on our side! Touma... are you... being chased right now? Index seemed to understand the situation, and her voice became quiet. Thats right! Im running madly for my life right now! If possible, please give me some advice thatll let me turn the current situation around! ...Whats the magicians traits? Things like clothes, weapons, the way of speaking, or the way they act. Kamijou then mentioned everything he knew about "Unabara Mitsuki" to Index, including how he had changed into somebody elses appearance and the stone knife he wielded. After three seconds of short silence, Index replied, The black stone knife is obsidian, right? A spear made by using a mirror to reflect starlight... that should be the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. Tlah... what? Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. Its the name for the Aztec god of Venus and disasters; supposedly, his Spear can kill anyone that is under the light of Venus. Kamijou froze. No matter what that legend was, it was way too preposterous. If that stone knife had that kind of power, humankind wouldve been gone from the world by now. What Venus... Index, you can skip the introduction. Anyway, what do I do now? I want to quickly A loud *Boom* cut off Kamijous whining. The mysterious attack went past Kamijous side and hit an air conditioner. Kamijou involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat all over, and swiftly turned a corner. Touma! If you dont listen carefully, the one in trouble is going to be you! Sorry! Index-sama! I wont complain to things experts say again! Please tell me some suggestions now! Immediately! Mm, first, that Spear is made from the light of Venus, remember that. Kamijou couldnt help but look up. In the sky between the buildings... Venus couldnt be seen. But that didnt mean "Venus didnt exist"just that "the sunlight was too bright to be able to see Venus". But thats unreasonable, right? Everybody in the world is under the light of Venus. If the power of the Spear is as you say, no one can escape its power and humans would be extinct now, right? Yeah, thats why its classed as god-level magicbut thats also its flaw, as humans cant completely control magic used by gods. What does that mean? Simply put, humans can only use a replica of the Spear. If the real Spear was used, all humans would die. I think the theory behind the replica should be using the obsidian knife as a mirror? The light of Venus from the sky gets reflected by the mirror and reaches the enemy as the Spear. On the other hand, if you dont get hit by the light, then you can avoid the attack by the Spear. If properly handled, Toumas right hand can block the attack, too; the main point is how to find the unseen path of attack." Light that cant be seen... basically, a laser weapon roughly the size of a pistol? Whats a laser? He could imagine Index tilting her head in puzzlement on the other side of the phone. Maybe its because he was splitting his concentration that Kamijou kicked a bicycle accidentally. Kamijou tilted forward, and barely avoided falling down onto the ground. *Boom!*, behind him came a frightening sound. Kamijou looked back, and the fallen bicycle had already been disassembled by the unseen attack into frames and wheels. It seemed like the accuracy of the magicians Spear wasnt really that high. Kamijou saw the magician behind him raising the knife once more and quickly turned a corner. Dammit, that guys actually shooting something like that... At least look at the surroundings, you idiot! Mm... the spell technique is like a blueprint; magic itself is only a phenomenon. As long as the technique isnt leaked out, even if the magic is seen, it wouldnt matter. Even if people without magic knowledge witness the phenomenon, they cant reverse-engineer the blueprint. Uh... that wasnt what I was trying to say. Kamijou sighed, and turned down an even narrower side path. Even though every second counted right now, there were still questions left to ask. Dammit, so that means how this guy turned into Unabara is also a kind of Aztec magic? Thats right, the Aztec priests have a technique that skins a sacrifice alive and allows them to wear their skin; this magic should be derived from that technique. Kamijou gasped. Even though he knew that the situation right now was dangerous, Kamijou was still shocked enough to almost stop running. What... did you say about the skin? Cut it off with a knife and wear it, though if its just for changing appearances, theres no need to go that far; just cutting off fifteen centimeters of the skin from the forearm and turning it into a charm is enough to give a certain amount of transformation effect. A horrible feeling started creeping from Kamijous fingertips. The pursuer behind him now felt even more frightening. Thats way too scary, actually skinning people to change appearances. Magicians really are all lunatics! Oi, Touma, what youre saying is job discriminationC! With no time to hear her babbling on, Kamijou turned off the phone. The small side street was a lot shorter than Kamijou had expected, and he was now back on the main road. Kamijou hurriedly ran towards the side street across the road. Behind him came a few more frightening sounds of the "Spear" disassembling something. (Should I run into a building? No, if the outer walls are gone, Ill be buried alive! Not knowing the attack range is a problem. If I run into an underground street, I might still be buried alive!) As Kamijou ran, he tried to understand the situation. The reason the magician was after him probably had something to do with Index, right? She was a library of grimoires, with 103,000 of them in her memory. The possibility of magicians from all over the world coming after her wasnt exactly low. Though if that was the case, there was still something hard to understand. Why had that magician transformed into Unabara Mitsuki? Unabara was Mikotos friend, and had no direct connection with Kamijou and Index. If he wanted to assassinate Kamijou, then shouldnt he have transformed into someone closer to Kamijou...? Kamijou rushed to turn another corner. Dammit! Kamijou cursed. The path in front of him was blocked due to the building next to it being under construction. Spades, bags of cement, and building machinery filled the narrow path; it was impossible to pass. On top of the half-constructed building was a crane, moving materials overhead. Even so, Kamijou still headed towards the working site, and turned around to look. The "enemys" footsteps were closing in from the corner behind him. There was nowhere to run. (What now? What now?!) In that instant Kamijou looked around, Unabara Mitsuki stepped out from around the corner. As soon as he saw Kamijou, he raised his black stone knife. The distance between the two was only five meters. But Kamijou didnt choose to swing his fist at "Unabara Mitsuki", instead grabbing a spade next to him. During this time, "Unabara Mitsuki" waved his black knife in the light, adjusting the angles bit by bit. Kamijou felt sweat covering his palms, and swung the spade down hard. But his target wasnt "Unabara"; it was the cement bag next to him. With a swish, the spade stabbed through the bag. Kamijou continued the swing, and spreads the cement dust around them. "Unabaras" view, surroundings, and the sky were swallowed by the gray dust. "Unabara" ignored it and swung the knife. At this point, he noticed something. The Spear didnt activate. The link between Venus and the mirror was blocked by the cement dust. In this situation, the Spear made by the light of Venus couldn''t be used. *Swish!* Something heavy flew past "Unabara Mitsukis" cheek. He lowered himself, thinking it was probably the spade. Oooooooooohhhh!! Kamijous fist pierced through the gray curtain and reached for him. "Unabara" reflexively bent down and avoided the fist. There wasnt any reasonjust instinct. Sweating, "Unabara" raised the obsidian knife, which was now only a normal weapon, and tried to slash it across Kamijous face. But "Unabara" hadnt stabilized himself beforehand, so the attack wasnt very powerful. The tip of Kamijous foot swung with the sound of the wind, and impacted the stomach of the bent-down "Unabara". "Unabara" jumped back, trying to minimize the damage. He noticed that battling in the cement dust was disadvantageous for him, and decided to move back. "Unabara" continued to move back another few steps, but Kamijou, moving faster, caught up to him instantly. From the structure of the human legs, their speed going forward was obviously faster than moving back. Kamijou was about to swing his fist once more, so "Unabara" hurriedly raised his obsidian knife to try and counter it. *Whoosh!* At that instant, a sudden gust blew through the small alley. The gray mist that covered everything was suddenly gone. The sky, partially blocked by the surrounding buildings, was once again visible. The grace of the light of Venus once again descended onto "Unabara". Unabara raised his knife and corrected the angle. Kamijou, who was closing in, now showed surprise. Hmph! Accept your fate! The angles set, connecting Venus, mirror, and the target. Focus the mana, chant the incantation, and the starlight would turn into a spear that couldnt be seen, and would pierce directly through the enemy! The symbol of Venus and disasters, the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. Kamijou, in his panic, raised his right hand... But was unable to determine the unseen path of attack. Theoretically, this blow would move through the gap in the right hands defense and pierce the heart. But nothing happened. What...? "Unabara Mitsuki" involuntarily said that. To release the Spear, several conditions had to be met simultaneouslybut the strike just then should have met those conditions; there was no reason for failure. The Spear should have been released, gone straight through Kamijous heart, and split his body cleanly like meat at the butchers. "Unabara" looked at his obsidian knife with an expression like examining a torch that had ran out of power. "Unabara" was astonished. The obsidian knife in his hand had a layer of rough gray dust sticking to its surface. Just like a blackboard duster thick with chalk dust, its original color couldnt even be seen. The role of the obsidian knife was to be a mirror, aiming to adjust and reflect the light of Venus that descended from the sky. If the mirror was no longer reflective, it couldnt connect the target with the light of Venus. Pah! The sounds of Kamijous footsteps rang out. He was now right in front of "Unabara". ?! If "Unabara" had discarded the obsidian knife and changed his tactics, then he might still have had a chance to win. But "Unabara" couldnt help but try and wipe off the dust on the obsidian knife. It wasnt hard to understand. Comparing an equal chance of winning or losing by hand-to-hand combat with the sure-kill magic, anyone would choose the latter option. "Unabara" lost to the temptation of "just wiping off the dust with a single sweep". The result was that he couldnt react to the Kamijou''s attack in time. A *Don!* sound bursts out. "Unabara" was smashed into the ground, and the obsidian knife that he clung to until the last second finally left his hands. Part 16 August 31, 12:36 PM. Kamijou looked at the "Unabara Mitsuki" that was now fallen to the ground. After "Unabaras" face had been punched, the surface of his whole face had turned to dust accompanied by the sound of glass cracking. Underneath it was a magicians face, looking younger than the real Unabara, and also with a darker skin tone. There were still pieces of Unabaras skin left on his face, making it look surrealalmost like skin that had been burnt black by the sun being ripped off unceremoniously. Alright, now speak honestly, Kamijou said while panting. Why did you transform into Unabara Mitsuki? Ha, even if I dont say it clearly, cant you understand it? Understand it, my ass. Transforming into Unabara wouldnt help in attacking me, right? Why did you go after Unabara? Just to get close to Misaka? Is it because shes my friend, so youd finish her off as well? ... Answer me. Ive heard that your transforming technique is by peeling off Unabaras skin; did you plan to do the same thing to Misaka? Misaka has nothing to do with the Magic side; why do you magicians want to drag her into this? Kamijou seemed to be agitated, but Unabaras tone was somewhat calm. Plain and emotionless, the words flowed slowly from his mouth. Unabara should have been erased. His voice wasnt cold like ice, but rather more like lukewarm water where emotion wasnt fluctuating. But at the point of death, he used his esper ability... Telekinesis. He changed every particle in his body into a solid block, going into a false deathmaybe cryogenic stasis is a better term. Stabbing his heart was like stabbing a frozen slab of meat; no damage could be done. Not even the Spear could take him apart. I had no other ideas, so I could only tie him up and lock him in the room... It looked like this magician had done a lot of research on Academy City to be using scientific jargon such as Telekinesis and cryogenic stasis. But what surprised Kamijou more was the overly plain voice. It sounded like forcing an old cassette to play that had nearly fallen apart. Unabara seemed a bit satisfied looking at Kamijous face, and his voice gradually gained emotion. You ask what my aim in coming here is? I didnt think that this would be your first question in this situation. Unabara seemed to laugh at Kamijou from the bottom of his heart, and continued to speak. Looks like you have no idea how dangerous your actions are. What are you saying? You dont just have the 103,000 grimoires of Index Librorum Prohibitorum in your possession; you also have magicians of the Anglican Church, Tokiwadais Level 5 esper, the trump card against vampires, and all sorts of other people gathered to your side. The magician said in a tone like he was laughing at himself. The Magic side and the Science side were originally two worlds that could not coexist, but you are building an organization that incorporates both worlds. The Kamijou Faction can now almost be called a separate entity. The organization that I belong to is afraid that a new organization like yours will destroy the worlds balance of power. Organization. Like Academy City, the Christian Churches, a Magic Cabal, or some other major country? Thats why I was sent here, though my mission in the beginning wasnt to transform into Unabara or to eliminate anyone. Ive only been in this city for a month, and transforming into Unabara was also only a week ago. The original mission was just surveillance. All I needed to do was to make sure that the Kamijou Faction had no influence to the balance of power, report to my superiors that theres no problem, and finish the mission. The magician clenched his teeth. But you are too dangerous! From the bits and pieces Ive gathered, in just this summer vacation period, youve already destroyed several organizations! Not only so, this faction of yours cant be bought off by money or controlled by brute force. The movements of the Kamijou Faction depend solely on your own emotions and whims! With such a huge unstable power, how can those above possibly leave you alone?! Wait... that that means... Thats right. My target isnt just the person known as Kamijou Touma, but all members in the Kamijou Faction. At this point, even if only you are killed, the bonds between the various members cant be dissolved. The aim of "transforming" into a friend was this. "Transform" into one of Kamijous friends, do some bad things, and lower the trust between members. When there was no further use, "transform" into another friend and do the same things, using such methods to make the faction collapse from the inside. Even if the fact that "someone is disguised" was discovered, it wouldnt matter; as long as "whos been replaced" was not known, it would only drive each member apart, to the point where they no longer trusted each other. Internal collapse. Such methods employed by spies had brought down countless dynasties throughout history. Even regimes that looked robust could fall abruptly. A kind king could suddenly turn into a tyrant, manipulated by aides in the shadows. Because of the efficiency of the method and also its cruelty, myths about foxes and demons had been born in some countries. I was going to leave you last, but I guess it cant be helped. As the mask of Unabara Mitsuki has been found out, Ill have to borrow your face next! After that sentence, the magician literally flew towards the obsidian knife on the ground, swiftly wiped off the cement dust, and turned from the ground to release the Spear. But maybe the position of shooting was too forced that the place the Spear ended up shooting at was nowhere near Kamijou. The magician clucked, stood up, and raised the obsidian knife once more. But now Kamijou was right in front of the magician. Che! The magician wanted to release the Spear, but Kamijous fist was faster. Kamijous right hand impacted the obsidian knife. Maybe Imagine Breaker had worked, as the obsidian knife turned to powder with a sound like glass breaking. Did you think I would just wait for you? Thats stup-! Kamijous words were cut off before he could finish. The roar of metal clashing together came from above him. Kamijou looked up involuntarily, and saw the steel beams falling from the half-finished building. Apparently, the Spear that missed had hit the building next to them. That building hadnt been filled up with concrete yet, so it looked like a giant metal cube. The power of the Spear was to disassemble the physical form, so the steel beams had been released from the nuts and bolts holding them together and were starting to rain down onto both Kamijou and the magician. ?! Kamijou and the magician both moved backwards. A metal rod weighing several hundred kilograms stabbed between the two, almost like a holy sword. Seconds later, the whole building that was under construction started to fall like an avalanche. Using common sense, they should have been running for their lives. But if they ran, the chance of capturing the magician would be gone, and the magician once more would turn into someone else and harm someone close to Kamijou. Kamijou and the magician came into eye contact. The magician looked into Kamijous eyes, and showed a peculiar smile. (Dammit! My life is so unlucky!) Kamijou cursed inside, staring at the magician who also didnt plan to escape. Even though its a clich line... I thought we couldve been friends. The workers who had been doing the construction were now escaping and roaring in anger. All the sounds from the workers were coming from ground level; apparently, nobody had been working on the building at the time. It looked like there shouldnt be anyone that wouldnt be able to make it out. That thought has never crossed my mind. The magician answered without hesitation. A metal rod stabbed into the ground next to him, but there was no change in his expression. Its a shame, really such a shame. Kamijou sighed and said, So the thoughts about Misaka that came from your mouth are also false. Only this point makes me feel that this is such a shame... because now, this gives me a reason to beat you to a pulp. This sentence froze the air. A silence colder than darkness enveloped their surroundings. ...? The magician seemed to have said something in a soft voice. Before Kamijou even had time to frown, he repeated it once more. Cant a fake have those kinds of thoughts? The magician grinded his teeth and said, A fake cant wish for peace? Does a fake not even have the right to have the thought of wanting to protect Misaka-san? Ah...? The frightening sound of the collapsing building was now tossed to the back of Kamijous mind as he stared at the magicians face. Thats right, I didnt want to do this. The magician continued his words without care of the building that could fall any moment. I didnt even want to harm Unabara. Nobody being hurt in the end is the best conclusion, right? I like this city. From the time I came here a month ago, even though I cant become a resident of this world, I still deeply loved this world that Misaka-san lives in. The magician continued on. But I have to do this. Because the results are out, the Kamijou Faction has been judged by those above as a dangerous force. Can you understand what I felt when I turned into Unabara? To be forced to destroy the world that Misaka-san exists in, can you understand what I feel? The magician now showed raw emotions on his contorted face. You couldnt possibly know! Because you ruined everything! If you were milder in your actions so that I could report back theres no problem, I couldve left here in peace! That way, I wouldnt have had to attack Unabara or trick Misaka-san! Thats right, I am your enemy now. But who did you think made things turn out this way?! An invisible killing intent radiated from the magician. As if in reply to his roar, the topmost floor of the building started falling with a *Boom*. Kamijou looked into the magicians eyes. As for the collapsing building, he didnt even glance at it. He said, Do you truly like Misaka? As a spy that was planning to use Misaka, these words came from his mouth. "Yeah," the magician said. The topmost floor of the building turned into countless steel beams, falling down to the ground one by one. You want to protect the world that Misaka lives in? Even as the spy that had been planning to use Misaka, these words had come from his mouth. "Yeah," the magician said. The countless steel beams smashed into the floors beneath them, resulting in more sections breaking apart. But now, that is a dream that cant come true. Now, I am your enemy. I dont want to do this, but I have to. I have no other choice, no other path to choose. Or do you want me to be like a hero in the movies, fight against the whole organization by myself, and lose my life for nothing? I cant do that. Im not you; I cant be a hero such as yourself. The magician said that, and incredibly showed a plain and weak smile. So thats it. Kamijou Touma finally understood. Those were the thoughts of that magician. That man hadn''t wanted to become his enemy, but was forced to. That man was forced to destroy what he valued most in this world with his own hands. Such tragedy was what had twisted his heart. There was a man named Tsuchimikado Motoharu. When he had first called himself a spy, his casual demeanour really made an impression on Kamijoubut the truth wasnt that simple. Tsuchimikado had paid a large price, risking the danger of going against his orders in exchange for his freedom. The magician in front of him now wasnt willing to take that risk. It was because he knew clearly how much of a coward he himself was, that it was harder to quench his anger. He hated Kamijou who had destroyed his dream, but he hated himself more for not being able to protect his dream. Those were the thoughts of that magician. That man had poured all his twisted thoughts out, and was standing in front of Kamijou to block him. Kamijou thought that if so, then he must also fight with all his strength. Kamijou could live his life freely, with nobody to restrain his movements, and could protect whatever he wanted to protect at any time. The Kamijou like this had to bring a lot more pain to the magician. In the magicians eyes, Kamijou radiated so much dazzling light that he couldnt look at him directly. Hmph, so the only choice left for you is to choose to kill her with your own hands? Even so, Kamijou still decided to fight with all his strength. Against someone who spoke his thoughts, Kamijou couldnt just deal with him half-heartedly. Apparently, Ill have to kill that fantasy of yours first. The avalanche at the top of the building was almost like a giants hand crushing the whole structure. Steel beams fell down like raindrops, but neither Kamijou nor the magician looked up or tried to retreat. They only clenched their fists and charged, attempting to shrink the distance between the two to zero in as little time as possible! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Kamijous fist impacted the magicians face. The magician from the start didnt seem to plan on dodging; he unhesitatingly grabbed Kamijous chest with both hands, and slammed Kamijou into a wall. With a dull sound, the air inside Kamijous lungs was forced out. The magician pushed Kamijou into the wall before using both his hands to strangle him. Kamijou aimed for the magicians stomach and kicked out. Maybe the magician had been relying on magic too much and hadnt trained his body as he doubled over after the kick. Suddenly, a huge sound erupted from the steel beam stabbing down next to Kamijou. What was more, another steel beam struck that beam, resulting in a sound like a churchs bell ringing next to Kamijous ears. Uu...?! Kamijous body slightly shook involuntarily. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh! The magician, who was also shaking, instead tackled Kamijou. Kamijou fell over, and due to the loud noise that hit his brain, his movements had become sluggish. On the other hand, though the magician was moving about like a drunkard, he could still aim precisely, and went to position himself above Kamijou. Kamijou tried desperately to escape the magician that was trying to subdue him. Ah! At that time, Kamijou saw it. A rain of steel beams was falling down, and one of them would pierce through both Kamijou and the magician immediately. It was less than twenty meters above them. There were only a few seconds before impact. The magician was staring at Kamijou beneath him, and didnt realize the existence of the beam about to come down on top of him. Dodge it, you idiot! Kamijou kicked the magician, who was about to hold him down, in the stomach, and then slapped him once across the face. The magicians body rolled towards Kamijous left side, to a lying position... and then he realized the situation. Then, Kamijou and the magician glanced at each other. Facing the rain of steel beams, the magician didnt seem like wanting to dodge it. He only smileda slight, lonely smile. He understood clearly that even if he won this battle, he wouldnt get anything from it. Kamijou had no duty to save the magician. Kamijou wouldnt have been blamed by anyone if he left the enemy for dead. But... A fake cant wish for peace? Even so... Does a fake not even have the right to have the thought of wanting to protect Misaka-san? (Ah, dammit! This guy is just too devious!) Kamijou tried to grab the hand of the magician who was still on the ground. The magician showed a shocked expression, and it made Kamijou even more annoyed. Kamijou knew it was already too late, but he still clenched his teeth. A large number of steel beams dropped down from the sky, shaking the whole place. Part 17 August 31, 12:47 PM. A large amount of dust obstructed the visibility at the scene. The people around there had heard the noise, but no one was curious enough to come and see what was going on. If ordinary people wanted to come and look, then they would want to look from a safe place. In a situation like this where nobody knew where was safe, nobody was reckless enough to come close. ...Haha. In the middle of all the commotion, Kamijou smiled half-heartedly. Kamijou ended up sitting on the floor, with a steel beam planted between his legs. Not only that, there were countless steel beams surrounding Kamijoua lot like a small cottage seriously flawed in design and with a roof full of holes. The steel beams had a delicate balance, as if they would crumble if blown by a breeze. But anyway, Kamijou had escaped the fate of being buried alive. (Am I just lucky...? That cant be; my lucks one of the worst there is. If thats the case... oh, yeah, that Level 5 esper; if she uses the power to control electricity, controlling magnetism shouldnt be a problem for her.) That was right, it wasnt good luck at all. The path of the beams had been aligned to pierce through Kamijou. Apparently, some sort of power had changed their path slightly before they fell on Kamijou. Kamijou, who was afraid that the roof would collapse any moment, looked around. He saw the magician lying between two of the steel beams that held the roof together. One of the magicians hands was stuck in the gap between two steel beams. Though the magicians hand hadnt been crushed, but was instead stuck in a natural gap, it was like a super-heavy handcuff had been put on him. The magician was incredulous at the fact that he was still alive, and was stunned for a few moments. After a while, he finally said, Did I lose? I dont know, I didnt create this situation. Kamijou said that while scratching his head. But the magician shook his head. No matter the reason, he couldnt even move an inch; fighting on in this situation was impossible. Guess its my loss. The magician smiled slightly. That way, my part in all this comes to an end. I dont have to kill Misaka-san, or kill anyone else now, right? ... Kamijou didnt answer; he just looked at the magician. Carefully thinking back, maybe in his heart, the magician had always been conflicted. Even though he had been serious about trying to kill Kamijou, his heart had been clouded and that may have held him back unconsciouslybecause once he emerged victorious in this battle, hed have to kill Mikoto with his own hands. If he had used the Spear as his first attack, Kamijou wouldnt have had time to dodge and would have died then and there. When chasing Kamijou in the straight streets, after carefully thinking about it, he probably had several chances to accurately hit Kamijou in the back. That magician didnt want to hurt Misaka Mikoto. He didnt want to destroy the world that Misaka Mikoto lived in. But his selfish wish was hard to make come true. If it did, then his own life would be in danger, so he needed an excuse. Something like "I tried my best, but due to obstacles, I failed to complete the objective". The enemy organization treated the "group led by the amateur Kamijou" as a very dangerous group, so even though Kamijou was an amateur in combat, but his position, almost like the boss of an organization, definitely qualified for the "I tried my best" excuse. I think... the magician said, The attacks wont just stop here. One failure by a small fry like me wont be enough to convince the above to give up. Instead, this will make them even more sure that the judgement of Kamijou Faction is very dangerous is correct. My allies might appear next to you or Misaka-san; in the worst-case scenario, I might get the same order again. Kamijou silently listened to the magicians words. Can I ask you to protect her? The magician asked. No matter where, no matter when, no matter who your opponent is, no matter how many times, as long as something like this happens, youll have to be a hero and go to her side to protect her. Can you promise me this? It was what he dreamed of but could never bring into reality. It was his dearest wish, but he didnt have a choice other than to give the opportunity to someone else. And then... Kamijou only said one sentence. And then nodded. Thats the worst possible answer, the magician lying on the ground said lightly while smiling. Part 18 August 31, 12:37 PM. Misaka Mikoto held the hamburger-filled paper bag in her arms, leaned her back on the wall around the corner from the two, and listened to their conversation. Mikoto didnt hear everything in their conversation, though. When Mikoto found out that there were two Unabara Mitsukis and one of them had started fighting with Kamijou, she had chased after the two of them. Then she had seen Unabaras face fall off like a mask, showing a completely different face; and after that, the half-finished building had collapsed, incomprehensible things coming one after another. Also, Mikoto was pretty far away from the two, so she could only hear parts of their conversation. Mikoto, who had spent much effort a moment ago to change the path of the steel beams, might have been the one out of the three of them whose emotions were most in turmoil. But even so, Mikoto still understood vaguely. Mikoto understood the reason they were fighting. Why they had fought. And for whom they had fought. Mikoto shook her head vigorously. (I... I cant misunderstand! I must be getting the wrong idea! His words definitely dont have those meanings to it! Hes that kind of person; its not like hes treating me as someone special!) But her head that was shaking vigorously to deny this still stopped moving involuntarily. Even though she knew she shouldnt get the wrong idea, her head still stopped. (Uu...) Mikoto leaned her head on the wall behind her. She knew that she was blushing bright red without having to look in a mirror. (Its really unforgivable,) Mikoto thought. After hearing that kind of conversation in this situation, what kind of expression was she going to have when she walked out of here? Especially the last sentence Kamijou had said. (...I know Im misunderstanding, but the way you said it is too easy for it to be mistaken otherwise, you big idiot!) Mikoto sighed. She didnt know how long it would take for the blush on her face to finally subside. August 31, 1:04 PM. END References 1. In the original text, Tsuchimikado Maika is using speech between equals/commoners to talk with Mikoto. 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoi 3. Older sisters 4. Younger sister 5. Oniisan = older brother. -san is usually replaced by -chan to show endearment. 6. A reference to gal games. 7. Irewa (?) is a term used in Japanese fandom used to describe plants, animals, or non-living things as a human, mostly as kawaii girls Volume 5, 3: A Certain Misaka’s Final Signal. Tender_or_Sugary. Volume 5, Chapter 3: A Certain Misaka''s Final Signal. Tender_or_Sugary. Part 1 August 31, 5:20 PM. The research facility Accelerator was entering was rather large. There were 3 giant warehouse-like buildings in front of him. These buildings were the development facilities of the Sisters, the 20,000 Sisters who had been used in the experiment had all been nurtured here. There was a pile of metal platforms in the buildings, and there were numerous cylindrical plastic capsules that were stacked all the way to the ceiling. The place looked like a library shelf that was stacked with books. Beside the 3 huge buildings, there was a building that was called a research centre. It was a 2-storey rectangular metal and concrete building, and it was a lot smaller than the nurturing facility. It was hard to imagine that it was the core of the research centre. Accelerator was standing in front of the research centre. There was a visual scanning machine at the door, but Accelerator ignored it. His ID pass should have been ineffective now. Accelerator knocked on the door lightly, and the ''impact'' gathered at the door, breaking the metal lock precisely. Creak... With this light sound, the door slowly opened, like in some sort of old Western style building. The inside looked more like a computer simulation room than a research centre. A machine was arranged all over the walls and looked like it used a large cooler. It was said to be the latest quantum computer, but nobody could tell that it was just some outdated experimental-use tool. At least it didn''t seem like it could replace the ''Tree Diagram''s'' functions. The numerous screens let out a mysterious light in this windowless room. Large amounts of information continued to be printed out from the printers, and the papers covered the floor. The only thing one could hear was the bellowing of a cooling fan. Though this room didn''t look like it was meant for research, it wasn''t that much different. If this was used for an evolution experiment on artificial life or for testing a plane model''s air resistance, maybe it was to be expected for them to have such a facility. A woman was sitting in the middle of the research lab. Before the ''experiment'' ended, there had been 20+ researchers crammed into this room, but everyone had already disappeared. That woman seemed to have understood this, which was why she was not sitting on a chair, but on a table. She was holding papers of information from the printer, and marking them with a red pen. There was no need for courtesy in this room anymore. Hm? Ah, you came back, Accelerator. Your ID''s still effective for 90 days, so you didn''t need to destroy the door. The woman hadn''t noticed that Accelerator had walked into the room, but only lifted up her head and noticed Accelerator once her focus on the information was interrupted. Yoshikawa Kikyou. She was already over 25 years old, but she didn''t have any makeup on. She was wearing a faded old pair of jeans and a T-shirt that was worn out after it had been washed too many times. Only the white lab coat that was draped over the T-shirt was as fresh and white as a new shirt. Accelerator stared at the papers in Yoshikawa''s hand, and then to the thick stack of papers that were being printed out from the source. A large number of papers were scattered all over the floor. Right now, the ''experiment'' was paused; as this ''experiment'' had been planned through the ''Tree Diagram'' simulations, right now, people found that the simulations were wrong. But the ''experiment'' was merely paused and not ceased. They could restart the ''experiment'' once they found the ''error'' in the simulations and corrected it. However, Accelerator didn''t think that they would find that ''error''. The ''Tree Diagram''s'' method of simulation wasn''t especially complicated, but the calculations were really too big. The ''1 X 10 = 10'' function that humans used would be calculated as ''1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10'' by the machine. To the machine, this may be easier, but to the one who calculated wrongly, this was a nightmare. It was likely that they would need several decades just to look through these vast numbers. Such a hardworking person. Is it really interesting to read all these? Not at all. If possible, I really want to ask for your help. Your calculations and analytical ability are rather reliable. It shouldn''t be good if I know of the contents of the plan, right? The main aim of the ''experiment'' was to have 20,000 battles, and let Accelerator go through the plan and eliminate the 20,000 enemies. The skills of an esper could increase through battle, and the final aim of the ''experiment'' was to use a controlled growth and let Accelerator level up from a Level 5 to a Level 6. In that situation, if Accelerator knew too much, maybe the battles wouldn''t go on according to the ''plan''. Thus, Accelerator had been warned not to touch the data of the ''experiment'' if it wasn''t necessary. At this moment, Yoshikawa Kikyou looked up from the pile of data and said, Don''t worry, I''m not checking the simulation figures of the ''Tree Diagram''. What? Do you have enough time to toss the large figures aside and handle everything else? Or have you abandoned the ''experiment''? I suppose when the figures are analyzed completely, you may be at the end of a long life. So as for your question, my answer is a ''yes''. At least for me, the data here is more important than the ''experiment''. Yoshikawa sounded rather anxious, But Accelerator didn''t care at all. Right now, what he wanted was an incubator that could let Last Order develop her incomplete body, all the associated equipment, and the knowledge of how to use them. He looked around. The folders, notebooks, discs, data reports and the like were all scattered on the floor. It was like a hurricane had just struck, nobody knew what was what anymore. Oi, where''s the instruction manual to the Sisters adjustments? Physically and mentally...I want to learn how to install the nurturing and learning mechanisms. Also, lend me a working adjustment equipment. Don''t ask me why, treat it as a favour because you didn''t pay me after the ''experiment'' got paused. Hearing Accelerator say this, Yoshikawa seemed rather shocked. Hold on, how did you know about this? Even I only knew of this 3 hours ago. What? Isn''t it about this? Yoshikawa said as she waved the pile of printed papers in her hand. It was the learning mechanism simulation script. The Sisters were Misaka Mikoto''s clones, made through unique nurturing tools, which needed approximately 14 days. The Sisters couldn''t just ''learn'' a personality as the time was too short. Thus, their personalities and knowledge were from so-called learning mechanismsbasically, it was a brainwashing machine that introduced electrical flow into the brain; it was somewhat like inserting data into a hard disk. In other words, what Yoshikawa was holding was equivalent to that of the Sisters ''Soul Diagram''. What are your researching this for? Can''t you tell? I''m eliminating errors. Yoshikawa used the red pen to make marks on the paper and said, I only knew of this 3 hours ago, so I haven''t finished yet. Accelerator frowned. After a while, Yoshikawa''s red pen suddenly stopped. Right now, I''m picking out errors in the personality files. No, it''s more like a human command code, or maybe I should call it a virus. ...Hold on, what are you saying now? Though not all the Sisters personality files were destroyed, if a Sister loses control, the virus may be spread to the other Sisters, so this is really dangerous. Yoshikawa shook her head, and said, That''s right, I haven''t mentioned it to you before. The Sisters have a very unique unit called ''Last Order''. Last Order. Accelerator had a bad feeling about this, as if an electrical surge occurred in the back of his brain. What did you say...that brat is? You just called her ''brat'', seems like you met her before...so this means that the child never left this city? Yoshikawa twirled the red pen and said, Alright, I''ll spill out all the information regarding Last Order and the current situation to you. You may have heard about some of these. These things are important, so listen carefully. After saying this, Yoshikawa got off the table and sat on the chair. She pointed at a chair for Accelerator to sit down, but Accelerator ignored it. Accelerator didn''t like Yoshikawa''s style of doing things; it was as if she was a teacher in an ordinary world. In fact, that child wasn''t created for the ''experiment''. Do you know that? What did you say? I thought that those were inferior clones of the Railgun that were meant for me to kill them. That''s right, but do you remember how many battles are required for the ''experiment''? 20,000, isn''t it? I always wondered why the number is so exact After saying this, Accelerator suddenly noticed the problem. That''s right. That child''s serial number is 20,001. Seems like you know this; the child isn''t a unit that''s to be used in the ''experiment''. Basically, she''s a failsafe. Yoshikawa sighed, and then said, Think about it. We created 20,000 espers. What if they revolt against us? We don''t even have 20 workers, can we even handle them? So that brat is your trump card? What is she? Some artificial Level 5? We couldn''t create that thing, and even if we did so, it''s meaningless. Wouldn''t it be useless if an artificial Level 5 joins in the revolt as well? Since she''s a failsafe, we had to have a system of more trustworthiness to allow us researchers with zero attack to handle them. ? Have you heard of the Misaka Network? Accelerator frowned. If he remembered correctly, it referred to the phenomenon of linking all the Sisters through brainwaves. The Misaka Network itself had a large hive mind that could control every single ''Misaka''. Last Order is the opposite of the other Sisters. We just need to insert a special code in her to take control of the Misaka Network. In other words, it means that if an emergency occurs, we can handle 20,000 Misaka''s by giving a stop signal to prevent them from betraying us. So it''s like...a breathing keyboard? Accelerator wondered. Though it was cruel, it was basically how the researchers here did things. Even if it was the other Sisters, they were basically human-shaped targets that were abandoned. It was no wonder that Last Order felt somewhat different from the others. So her body and mind were deliberately maintained at an immature stage. So what''s with the error on that brat? You just called it a virus, didn''t you? After the ''experiment'' ended, Last Order was still secretly kept within this incubator. A week ago, we suddenly detected that her brainwaves became abnormal, but once we hurried down and opened the warehouse, that child was gone. It was damaged from the inside. Yoshikawa stroked the printed pages with her fingertips. At that moment, we didn''t really know what was going on, so we just treated it as if she went berserk due to reasons unknown. The workers inside are in charge of looking for her. What? You haven''t sought out Anti-Skill or Judgement yet? We couldn''t. Although we''ve gotten permission from the higher-ups, the ''experiment'' still isn''t something we can openly declare. So you just let her continue to run till today? An entire week? Don''t you people lack a sense of danger? Isn''t that brat the one controlling 10,000 Sisters? It''s because we were overconfident in our system that we were too careless. We never expected for her to escape. Besides, that child shouldn''t be able to survive outside the incubator, and we really underestimated the seriousness of this situation...really, that child actually managed to live past 7 days, and that''s already unexpected. We shouldn''t have made her that sturdy...maybe it''s because we unknowingly put all our feelings into her? Hearing this, Accelerator smirked. Yoshikawa didn''t seem to notice his expression. Thinking about it, this should be a self-defense mechanism on the child''s part. Someone inserted some malicious process into Last Order''s brain and caused her to leave the facility to protect herself. I suppose that child probably didn''t know why she had to leave. Even Yoshikawa herself had only realised this 3 hours ago. At first, Yoshikawa had wanted to call up all the researchers and come up with a countermeasure, but she hadn''t been able to get even one. It seemed like the researchers didn''t want to admit the fact that they had been involved in this project. But that brat doesn''t seem like she intended to escape. She even came to me for help and wanted me to contact the researchers. What did you say? Hold on, when did you last see her? How many hours ago? Also, why did she ask you? Didn''t I say that already? She pestered me. To be honest, no matter how much she begs or cries in front of me, do you think that I would automatically talk to her? ...What''s going on? Yoshikawa put her hand on her forehead as she wondered and sunk into deep thought. Maybe it was because her brain was spinning so fast that her face looked as immobile as a statue. That malicious process you just talked about isah, I know it''s something bad even without asking. Seeing how you''re talking about this, that brat should be the administrator of all the Sisters. Accelerator recalled the conversation at the restaurant. The relationship between the brainwaves link and the ''Misaka'' unit is like a sudden nerve touch and a brain cell. That''s right. I printed out all her personality files in order to find the reason why she escaped and the destination. But looking closely, there are codes jumbled up all over the place. I managed to find a few, but these malicious codes have some fake codes scattered all around, so it''s really hard to remove them. And as for these malicious codes... What''s in it? I haven''t analyzed it completely, so I can''t be sure, but if I go by my hypothesis, the symptoms indicate that they will end up attacking any human without discrimination. Yoshikawa paused, and then continued, I found the virus activation time, 01 September 00 hour 00 minute 00 second. When it''s time, the virus will start to activate the system, and it will be complete 10 minutes later. The virus will be spread to the Sisters through the Misaka Network and cause them to go berserk. At that point, nobody can stop them. Though those children can''t go up against you, they can easily wield a Metal Eater. Also, they have 10,000, so the number can''t be underestimated. ...Oi, this means... That''s right, it''s exactly what you think. Yoshikawa said with a stiff voice. She was not calm; her thoughts had already ceased. Accelerator was now grasping the meaning behind Yoshikawa''s words. Right now, about 10,000 Sisters had been sent ''outside'' Academy Cityall over the world to have body adjustments. Considering the time and distance, it was impossible to use all the espers in Academy City and defense forces Anti-Skill or Judgement to stop them. The Sisters that went berserk and attacked others would most likely have to be dealt with by the people of the outside world. And it would be impossible to cover up a terrorist attack that involved 10,000 espers attacking at the same time. Then, if they found out that these espers who had launched the terrorist attacks were clones, there would be a lot more problems. Even if a few of the Sisters were able to escape by a miracle, they would be mercilessly dealt with on the basis of being a dangerous threat. As all the organizations all over the world ''outside'' Academy City were helping them in the adjustments, this would drastically decrease their impression of Academy City. This was a scandal of 10,000 clones revolting. If such a thing ended up causing Academy City to lose the support of the outside world, no matter how big Academy City was, it wouldn''t be able to survive on its own. As for what would happen next, nobody could guess. Maybe Academy City would dissolve, and the researchers who lost their jobs would bring this unknown technology to all the military institutes in other countries. Or maybe Academy City would be afraid that it would be dissolved and start a worldwide invasion with their latest weapons and espers. No matter the outcome, it would cause a severe tip in the balance of world power and create a worldwide terror. In the worst case scenario, it could lead to war, and not simply a war between Academy City and the rest of world. It wouldn''t be just a small shift, but a worldwide loss of balance. It would cause all the minor differences in the countries, races, religions, and thoughts to be a decisive trigger for a war and the map would be tattered, like a whole puzzle dropped onto the floor. The end of the world. Accelerator understood what these words meant. Because he also had ''the power to destroy the world'', he understood it better than others. No matter how the world was destroyed, Accelerator may have been able to survive. Even if the centre of the world was distorted, he could still remain unharmed on a street when the walls crumble around him. But that was a world of nothing. No convenience store, no electricity, not even a can of coffee. He could only hunt or pick fruits, put it over a fire and live a primitive life. No, if they used a nuclear missile, maybe even plants and animals would be extinct. If that happens, he could only eat dirt to survive. At that point, he would regret that he was too strong and couldn''t die. The limit of being too powerful was that he would become the lowest tier in the food chain. Humans created civilizations. If there weren''t any humans, civilizations wouldn''t exist. That was how the so-called zen was achieved. Ha! How interesting, way too interesting! To think that I will get involved with the end of the world. I''ve always thought that that was my mission. Accelerator sneered and said, Oh yeah, it''s not too late to send out Anti-Skill and Judgement now, right? Though this city is big, it''s still a sealed one. They''ll definitely find Last Order through a human wave tactic throughout every single inch of land. Besides, that brat isn''t wary at all. She just followed me onto the streets and went to eat. I said it before. We can''t call the cops. Think of what we did. Though the higher-ups did agree to our ''experiment'', it doesn''t mean that we can reveal the ''experiment'' so openly. And also-- "Also what?" "In the end, this method won''t be able to save the Sisters. If Last Order is caught and brought by people not involved in this, the fact that ''20,000 Sisters may potentially go berserk'' will be exposed. This reason will be more than enough to let them get punished." "But you can''t even catch that brat, right?" "I can''t talk back about that. Though that child doesn''t have the instincts to run for her life, but her basic movements are based on the ''experimental extermination plan'' in the Misaka Network. That child is basically living a street urchin''s life, not using money and ID at all, so she won''t leave any trace behind. There are blind spots on the satellite cameras as well, and if she can avoid the security robots'' cameras, she won''t be caught. Oh yeah, how long has it been since you last separated from the child? Have the other organizations realised this? In this situation, it will be troublesome if she gets kidnapped." Her words seemed to imply that Yoshikawa was concerned about her own welfare, but she also did sound like she was really worried for Last Order''s safety. On seeing Yoshikawa like this, Accelerator slid his tongue ''tch''. Among the researchers, she was one of the most naive. It was impossible to identify one Sister from another since they have the same genes, but she had still insisted on remembering every Sister''s face. She had also tried to give each Sister an individual name other than their serial number. But in the end, she was just naive, not kind. If she were kind, she would have stepped up to argue against the ''experiment''. That was right, like that boy and girl. Yoshikawa didn''t seem to notice Accelerator staring at her. "However, it seems like this subconscious command to ''escape'' is only against us ''researchers''. It seems like she''s not wary against you...yes, if we can use that, maybe we have a chance of salvaging this." The last sentences seemed to be some random muttering to herself, but it had reached Accelerator''s ears clearly, causing him to frown. He didn''t want to become a pawn of the researchers, so he immediately diverted the question. "Oh yeah, you just said that it''s a virus? Not an error? Is this some trigger set up by a secret agent sent by a warmonger? Or is this some smart move set up by a failing war factory that wants to pump itself back?" "Amai Ao." Yoshikawa just simply answered this question from Accelerator Accelerator frowned. He did see that person when he went to eat at the restaurant with Last Order. But if the culprit was really Amai Ao, why would he still appear in Academy City? It had been a week since the incident happened, and logically, he should be ''outside'' Academy City... At this moment, Yoshikawa continued, "After that incident, he''s the only researcher who''s still missing. We only received an email from him stating that he wanted to take a vacation." "Just because of that?" Accelerator looked around the entire room. Most likely, only the weirdest of the weirdos would continue to come to work at a company that wouldn''t pay money. Accelerators felt that it was not shocking for Amai to run to other organizations to promote himself or become a cashier at a convenience store, since pretty much everyone else was doing the same thing. Seeing the suspicion in Accelerator''s eyes, Yoshikawa explained, "He was the superintendent of the Radio Noise project that got bottlenecked, and joined us in the ''experiment'' by deciding to use the Sisters as the experimental substitutes. His speciality is the writing of the Testament''s personality files. Basically, he''s the one that understands the Sisters'' personalities best. In terms of the structure, there''s basically no one that can sneak new codes into those children''s brains. Besides, before he left, someone witnessed him installing a Testament. But for some reason, he deleted the user history." "Hasn''t he revealed too much already? And why is he so kind to set the activation day as today? If he really wanted the end of the world, why can''t he just let the virus activate once he installs it? Is there a need for him to wait for a week?" "I suppose you shouldn''t ask me, but him, right? But if I have to make a guess," Yoshikawa sighed, "Perhaps he''s waiting for the Sisters to mix into the environments of the ''outside'' as they wait for their adjustments. In order to create a natural scenario of them ''going berserk after being peaceful'', he has to allow the thought of ''the Sisters are reliable'' sink into the people around them." Accelerator remained silent for a while. He then decided on what to do next. "Alright, what do you want to do next? How do we prevent the virus from activating in the brat''s brain?" "I''m researching on that now." Yoshikawa looked really anxious, causing Accelerator to bend down. With a Testament, they could modify Last Order''s brain at will. The problem was that there was not much time till the virus activated. She had to find a way to override the virus, find Last Order and insert the code into her brain--to be honest, there''s less than 50% chance of that happening. If so, what should they do? The answer was simple. If they couldn''t find a way to solve this before the last moments, they could only ''eliminate'' the infected unit to prevent the rest from getting infected. When that happens, the 9,969 Sisters ''outside'' wouldn''t be affected by the virus and would continue to live ordinary lives. They would just need to sacrifice one. As something was wrong, they could chuck her into the dustbin and erase her. "...That''s why I''m trying not to let that happen. Of course, you can help as well." Yoshikawa seemed to understand what Accelerator was thinking in his silence. "Who the hell do you think you''re talking to? I''m the guy who killed 10,000 of that brat''s companions. How can a bad guy like me save others? I can only kill, I can''t save others." "My answer is that, we''re the ones who arranged for that ''experiment''. It''s true that you killed more than 10,000 Sisters. But if we could have found a way ''not to kill the Sisters and still upgrade you to a Level 6'', I believe you wouldn''t have killed them. "Do you think that I will trust you just because of those words?" "I can''t stop you if you don''t want to do it. You can use the remaining time to do your own things, but you better pray that she dies before the virus activates." "..." Accelerator stared at Yoshikawa. Without changing her expression, she continued to sit in front of Accelerator. She maintained a straight face and continued, "I alone can''t catch that child. That child has the movement characteristic of ''running away from the researchers without knowing it'', and she can detect the weak electromagnetic waves that we researchers give off. Even if we don''t appear in front of her, she will run away when she senses it. On the other hand, if we can overcome that, we might be able to get close to her...but the problem is that I can''t track her down while decoding the virus. But with you here, the situation is different. If we work together, we may be able to salvage this." "...Damn you." Accelerator narrowed his eyes slightly and sunk into silence. This woman was just that irritating. Anyway, she was too naive. She lacked the strength to take up large responsibilities, so her naivety would never grow into kindness. Compared to the reason that ''10,000 Sisters would revolt'', the seriousness of which could never be fully realized, the reason that ''Last Order would die'' was simple and easy to feel, and therefore much more likely to affect Accelerator. Accelerator was inadvertently amazed by Yoshikawa''s psychological tactic. However, though his aim was to bring peace, the method couldn''t be called ''kind''. Yoshikawa held up 2 envelopes, each large enough to hold a large notebook. "You can help me in 2 ways. The first way is to get Amai Ao out from his hiding place in Academy City and force him to explain the workings of the virus. The other way is to protect Last Order while the virus is still dormant in her. You can choose one. But perhaps you''re better at destroying than protecting." The envelopes slid across the table and stopped in front of Accelerator. Both of them weren''t sealed, and their contents spilled out. --A few photos slid out of the left envelope. They seemed to be taken from a highway speed camera. Among the photos, Amai was sitting in the driver seat of a low framed sports car. There was also a map with red markings all over it. It seem like Yoshikawa had used all sorts of security facilities to investigate all of Amai Ao''s possible hiding spots and movements. She had so much information, yet she couldn''t capture him. Either it was because there was not enough manpower, or maybe Amai was too quick in changing hiding places. --What dropped out from the other envelope on the right was a disk and super-light notepad-sized computer. There was a label on the disk, with the words ''serial 20,001 personality info/before infection'' written on it. Maybe too much paper would be used up if she tried to print it. This envelope contained all of Last Order''s personality files. One could predict where she was going to run to through her interests, habits, thoughts, initiatives and actions, track her down and ambush her. However, with how she had looked in the restaurant, Last Order shouldn''t be able to move on her own. "Oi, you just said that you couldn''t capture Last Order on your own, right?" "Yeah. She seems to be moving according to the hiding guideline of the ''experiment'' without knowing it. Besides, I''m alone in this, and I can''t do all of these." "But wasn''t Amai the one who created these personality files? Since he''s a qualified expert, he should be rather skilled in them, right?" "Knowledge and skills can''t be mentioned together. It seemed like he did try to hide himself, but his methods weren''t refined enough, so I managed to get a trace of him. But the Sisters are different. They can process all the knowledge in their brains as skills, so Last Order''s whereabouts are harder to trace than Amai''s. Besides, money flow is another reason. Amai will leave a record once he buys something, but that child can completely disappear on the streets. It should be obvious which one is easier to track down." "..." It was obvious which one was more suited for Accelerator. Accelerator''s power was more suited to destroying than protecting others. No, perhaps this wasn''t of a technical or theoretical problem now. Ah, it''s here, finally here, Misaka points at the waitress with her finger. Wah, Misaka as Misaka''s food is here. He couldn''t protect others. He didn''t know how to protect others. He couldn''t even imagine himself saving others through his power. Ohh, this is the first time Misaka''s eating such a hot meal, Misaka as Misaka feels really excited. This is great, the entire plate is giving off hot air, Misaka as Misaka continues to stare at it. This was no longer of reasoning, but concepts. His power couldn''t save anyone. The world he belonged to wouldn''t allow him to save anyone. But it''s Misaka''s first time to be eating with someone, Misaka as Misaka answers. Misaka as Misaka recalls that everyone should say ''itadakimasu'' before everyone starts eating, and Misaka wants to try that, Misaka as Misaka tries to mention what she wishes for. If he just used his power to save someone for once, the common knowledge about him would collapse. ''Accelerator'' would no longer exist. The Accelerator who saved others wouldn''t be Accelerator at all. One could even say that he got replaced by someone else. Yeah, that''s right. Anyone can tell which side I will choose. Accelerator continued to mutter to himself. He was not that boy or that girl. There were many others who were more suited to be a saviour than him. And unexpectedly, the seats over there were taken, there was no way in. His power wasn''t suited to save others. His power was only suited to kill others. Accelerator''s mind immediately thought of a certain person''s face. Humph, laugh at me now, damned brat. I can only choose this side! Then, he needed to make a decision. He had to abandon one of the envelopes. Accelerator seemed to give up on struggling as he picked up one. He took the right one. The one that had the personality files disks and the notepad-sized computer. He decided to save that man-made girl called Last Order. From that moment on, Accelerator was no longer Accelerator. He stepped up to protect others. He took action to help others. He was going all out to save others. The term ''unsuitable'' didn''t even describe him now. Anyone who understood him and saw this would think that something was wrong with him, or even declare that ''the Accelerator who says this is definitely a fake''. His choice was this unbelievable. One could even say that he had lost all reason to exist as Accelerator. The boy who was no longer anyone weakly mocked himself, If you want to laugh, go ahead. Seems like at this point, I should hope for redemption. Alright, then I''ll laugh for you then. Yoshikawa stared at the boy as she said this, Seem like it''s really worth celebrating that you still have such feelings remaining in you. Go ahead and prove that your power can be used to save those precious to you. Accelerator didn''t answer. He took the envelope with the disk inside and turned to head out the door. That''s why I hate this na?ve woman, he muttered. Then, he said to Yoshikawa. Since I agreed to help you researchers, you have to prepare a satisfying reward for me. No problems. I''ll take care of that child''s body adjustments. Yoshikawa Kikyou answered. Without saying anything further, the boy left the research facility. Part 2 August 31st 6:00pm. In the empty research lab, Yoshikawa Kikyou heaved a sigh of relief. Accelerator appearing there at this critical moment could be said to be a miracle in itself. In fact, if he hadn''t appeared, Academy City would have inevitably ended up being dissolved. Since Accelerator had chosen to save Last Order, the objective that Yoshikawa had was to ''fish out Amai and force him to explain the way to remove the virus''. However, she chose to stay there. Instead of going about running when she was not used to it, she might as well try to decode it herself. However, The virus code had numerous traces in the vast personality files, and it was not an easy thing to find them all. Besides, if she accidentally deleted the normal processes, problems would occur. If it was just a memory code, then it would just be a loss of memory. However, if it was a nerve code type that was damaged, then Last Order would lose her life. ...Ho. Yoshikawa picked her face up from the stack of research papers. Though she had said it easily in front of Accelerator, it was not an easy thing to readjust Last Order''s body. The problem wasn''t the technique, but Yoshikawa herself. The ''experiment'' of the research group was just in stasis, not terminated permanently. In other words, they had to prepare to start the ''experiment'' when it happened again. For the researchers, letting Last Order, the core controller of the Sisters, go free was not allowed. Once she did this selfish act, she would have to bear the responsibility. Yoshikawa was just na?ve, not kind. For example, when the ''experiment'' had been at it''s end, the 10,000 Sisters had joined forces to manipulate the electric wind turbines all over Academy City and stop Accelerator''s attack. If she had used Last Order to send a stop signal through the Misaka Network, she could have prevented the Sisters from taking action. But she hadn''t done so. However, it was not because she hoped they would continue to live on, Yoshikawa merely didn''t have a reason to stop them. Her motivation wasn''t of ''kindness'', she was just afraid that if she stepped up to interfere with the Sisters in the experiment, she would cause irreversible damage to the experiment itself. In other words, she was just naively thinking for herself. However. Yoshikawa Kikyou made up her mind. Accelerator had given up his reason to exist in order to save others. That must have been quite the shock to him. ''Saving others with one''s own power'' may have been a simple thing, but that was the goal that he had already given up on. He originally intended to mock himself for ''only knowing how to kill others'' and find a haven for himself by treating himself as a guy that was too late to be saved. If the Accelerator now knew that he could have used his own power to protect others. He would be really regretful about this. Because the deaths of those people who he had defeated in the past were too meaningless. He would regret not being able to save those people earlier. But now, Accelerator had decided to face this truth and save a girl. Yoshikawa didn''t dare to trample on his intentions. Even if he realised it, it was too late; even if he couldn''t turn back now, Yoshikawa couldn''t trample on his feelings. In the end, I''m just na?ve, not kind. She muttered to herself. That was right, if she was really a kind person, she wouldn''t have asked Accelerator for help and caused Accelerator so much pain. A really kind person wouldn''t rely on Accelerator, but would have chosen to settle this alone. Even so, that would cause her to sink into a deeper problem. But Yoshikawa really hated the na?ve her. In her lifetime, she really wished to be kind for once. Seems like it''s time for me to eliminate myself. Yoshikawa sighed again. She took the pile of data papers and started to prepare the readjustments of Last Order''s body. This risky act of saving others wasn''t something the na?ve yet unkind her would do. In fact, she would always feel pity for stray cats who were drenched in the rain, but she never took them back. She hated herself for this. Just once, she hoped to do something she never ever did. Part 3 August 31st 6:15pm He recalled something that happened a long, long time back. This person called Accelerator used to have a normal name. 2 Japanese characters for his family name, 3 Japanese characters for his own name. It was a very Japanese name, a very ordinary name. He hadn''t always been the strongest in Academy City. At first, everyone thought that he was just stronger than those around him. However, when it rained, it poured. And to him, the greatest calamity was that his power was a lot stronger than what he had thought. The youths of the same age who rushed at him had their bones fractured on a single touch. The teachers came to stop him, and their bones got broken as well. The adults came over to surround him, and they were eliminated as well. In the end, Anti-Skill and Judgement, as if they were facing off against a bank robber, launched attack after attack at this boy who was only 10 years old with all sorts of powers and new-age weapons. However, these people were eliminated as well. And he only felt fear. Fearing that he would be violently treated, he frantically waved his hands about. For a 10 year old child, this was a response that was to be expected. However, it ended up like this. The unmanned and windowless assault helicopters flew about in the air, and the armoured Anti-Skill reinforcements that looked like robots held their ground in order to protect their wounded comrades. It was like a scene in a monster movie shown on the television, except that he was the ugly monster that everyone so feared. Thus he realised it. His young heart realised it. If he used his fingertip to touch, others will get hurt; if he felt irritated about something, people may die. This commotion would snowball until he ended up fighting against Academy City, the world, and then everything would be destroyed. In order to prevent ''elimination'', he had to seal his ''feelings'' in his heart and not show them. Bad emotions were dangerous, and good emotions could bring jealously and bring about attacks. The way to prevent hurting others was to prevent himself from being moved by anything. If he felt irritated, others may die, so he couldn''t let his feelings show. Only when he was like an ice person could he prevent himself from losing control of his powers and endangering others. But at that moment, the young child made a grave mistake. It was because his method made him so cold that he became someone ''who doesn''t care about whether others are dead or alive'', a person who wouldn''t grumble no matter how others treated him, a person who seemed uninterested in other people''s lives. Without realising this mistake, he chose his own path. Just like that, he barely managed to prevent ''elimination''. He, who lost interest in others, ended up surrendering fairly easily, resulting in him to be locked in a cell called the special class. However, a gear in a person''s heart couldn''t be stopped easily. As he continued to waver about without having any determination like a squid, he managed to come up with a solution. Since he couldn''t quarrel with others easily, he should just create an environment where there wouldn''t be quarrels. He just needed to be extremely strong and make others think that fighting with him was a stupid thing to do. He needed to be not just the ''strongest'', but ''invincible''. Maybe this would prevent others from getting him, and prevent himself from feeling fearful. He would be recognized by others. That was what his weary heart yearned for. He never realised that such a thought would end up hurting so many people in the days ahead. Such stupidity... After walking out of the research facility, Accelerator ignored the personality files disk and ran off to the restaurant where he had left Last Order. Though it had been a few hours, he felt that Last Order shouldn''t be able to move. He was running madly on the street. The fragments of his memory that still remained there stubbornly continued to run. That was right. He was recognized. Even though he didn''t become ''invincible'', even though he was not the ''strongest''. That girl recognized him. It was true that this may be too late. Maybe it was too late to want to change anything now. However, he did get recognition. The girl treated him like a human, with a normal, fearless, equal standing attitude. No matter what, he didn''t want to lose a certain feeling in his heart. And this feeling of not wanting to lose anything delighted him all the more. It seemed like something was starting to change. It seemed like something was hoping that it would change. Even if he knew that it was too late, he didn''t care. Part 4 August 31, 6:32pm Accelerator was running on the street. It took him quite some time to walk from the restaurant to the research facility. And since he had spent quite a while talking to Yoshikawa Kikyou, the sky was now getting darker. As he was running, Accelerator noticed all the sounds around him. For some reason, there were many Anti-Skill members around. Listening to them closely, it seemed like an intruder had forced his way through Academy City''s safety net. (Is this person related to Amai Ao? If so, did someone ''outside'' request him to insert the virus into Last Order? Is that Amai really intending to escape ''outside''?) Running at a speed faster than an ordinary car, Accelerator continued to think. (No, if that intruder''s aim is to help Amai escape, he shouldn''t have created such a large commotion and caused Academy City to be on their guard. So it seems like they''re completely unrelated, it''s really dangerous to make such a conclusion.) No matter what the truth was. Right now, it was more important to look for Last Order than to find Amai Ao. As for that intruder, since he didn''t know whether he was related, it was better to leave it as it was. Thinking about this, he saw the restaurant where he had separated from Last Order. (Damn it, I should have brought that brat over to the research facility!) The reason why he hadn''t done so was because he hadn''t known how they would treat Last Order. He had been afraid that she would get ''punished'' by the research facility, which was why he had left her at the restaurant. However, he had ended up complicating things. However, it was useless to start cursing now. He didn''t know whether Last Order was still in the shop or whether she had been taken out. Accelerator dashed towards the restaurant. Suddenly, there was a ruckus. The glass windows of the restaurant shattered in front of him. Ah? Accelerator inadvertently stopped in his tracks. This restaurant window was facing the road. On the road, there was a 2m tall and burly man who looks like a sumo wrestler. This burly man, who was dressed in black Western clothes, slowly entered the shop with the glass-shattered window. There seemed to be an argument in the shop. After a while, a set of footsteps rang out from within the shop, through the glass-shattered window and onto the road. However, there was just footsteps, and he couldn''t see anyone. It was as if he was seeing an invisible man, as the shoe-shaped imprints crushed the glass fragments and let out sounds. This invisible man ran off in a completely different direction from Accelerator. On the way, he crashed into a black long-haired girl in a miko outfit. The contents of the stuff in that mysterious girl''s arms spilled out, and it seemed to be cat food. As the bag was open, the invisible man got cat food scattered all over him. Just as Accelerator was feeling weird about this person, a boy jumped through the shattered window and onto the road. A person he was very familiar with. It''s...it''s that guy! Accelerator widened his eyes in shock. That boy was the Level 0 who had beat Accelerator down with a punch in order to save the Sisters and force the experiment to be frozen. The boy dashed down in the direction where the invisible man had gone. However, to a bystander, the boy was running for his life instead of being chased. For some reason, it seemed like the man who was the shop owner and waitresses were chasing him from behind. (What''s going on? That restaurant had such a commotion...is it because of that brat? Cheh, can''t tell at all. That idiot may end up treading into such waters.) Accelerator hesitated for a while, not knowing whether he should pursue him. He finally choose to walk into the restaurant first. There was not much time left, and he couldn''t mess around. Also, with his ''speed'', he could still catch up to him after collecting information. He walked into the restaurant. The restaurant now looked completely different compared to when he had been there in the afternoon. The windows facing the road were all shattered. A table seemed to have been sliced into pieces as if by a laser and had tumbled onto the floor. Having seen this commotion, the customers in the restaurant didn''t seem like they could recover, as they were standing far away from the sliced up table, chattering with each other as if they were watching a small fire. Accelerator looked around the place. The shop wasn''t big, but he didn''t see the familiar figure of Last Order. (Oi, don''t tell me she really got taken away? That brat shouldn''t be able to go out on her own in that condition.) Looking around, he exchanged glances with a waitress. She was a petite girl that did not look much different from a Middle Schooler. At first, she just stared blankly at Accelerator. Maybe she was so shocked that she forgot that it was business as usual. After about 3 seconds, the girl finally recovered and walked towards Accelerator. The waitress looks rather pale as she smiled. Wel, welcome. Is it just one person? No smoking is allowed-- I''m not here to eat, I''m here to look for someone. She should still be here. Eh? A ten-year-old brat who''s not wearing clothes and has only a light blue dirty towel over her. She came with me to your shop here. Do you have any recollection of her? If there was a need to discuss who could leave the biggest impression, there''s nothing that leaves a deeper impression than Last Order''s get-up. That was why Accelerator didn''t specify much. He thought that it should be enough. But the petite waitress seemed rather fearful. Eh, ah...I''m sorry, I don''t remember. Do you remember which table she was sitting at? ...Are you kidding me? Is that get-up common in this age? The waitress who bowed politely and apologized looked like she was about to cry. It seemed like she really didn''t remember. (Cheh, is it because of this commotion?) Accelerator muttered. It had been several hours since he was here eating lunch with Last Order, and they just had a huge commotion here, so it was possible to forget about ''a stranger wearing really weird clothes'' due to shock. Having suddenly lost his clue, Accelerator looked impatient. The petite waitress seemed afraid as she frantically hid inside the shop. (Now what? Should I check the CCTV?) Normally speaking, this kind of image record should be left to the security company; the shop wouldn''t have the original records. But if he had hacking skills, he could retrieve the records from outside... (Nope, this can''t be compared to the outside.) Accelerator shook his head. He didn''t have any skill in hacking at all. And besides, in Academy City where there were all sorts of research facilities and classified information, it was impossible to leave this to an ordinary security company. Normally speaking, the security system in Academy City should be flawless. Only a very rare breed of exceptional hackers could hack in through ''loopholes'' that the starters of the system hadn''t even discovered. Thinking about this, Accelerator saw 2-3 staff workers walking out. That petite waitress was hiding behind them. Maybe they think that I''m obstructing them from work, Accelerator thought. However, there was no time to properly explain it to them. Accelerator''s eyes let out a dangerous gleam. But unexpectedly, a 30-year-old male worker revealed a friendly smile and said, Are you a relative of that girl with the towel? Ah? That girl who came to our shop at 3pm didn''t seem to be feeling well. Accelerator let the male worker''s words roll in his mind. At that time, Last Order''s incomplete body had caused a malfunction and created multiple fever like symptoms. She shouldn''t have be able to go out with her own power. Around 4 plus, we saw her lying on the table and felt that something''s not right. The waiter tried to talk to her, but found that she lost consciousness. We thought that it was serious, so we called for an ambulance. So that brat''s in the hospital now? No. Before the ambulance came, a white-cloaked man came in saying that he''s a relative of the girl. He said that the girl''s illness occurs periodically, and is not in any danger. So we handed the girl over to him. A white-cloaked man. Accelerator grit his teeth. Maybe these clues weren''t enough to make a conclusion, but... If you want to find that girl, why don''t you try contacting that man? Do you know who he is? --I can guess that with just a kneecap. He said nonchalantly. There was only one person who fulfilled that condition, Amai Ao. Accelerator saw him messing around at lunch. Besides, how could that Last Order have any ''relatives''? Part 5 August 31st 7:02pm After Accelerator walked out of the restaurant, he decided to call Yoshikawa with his phone. What did you say? Last Order was taken away by Amai? I heard that as well, but I''m not too certain myself. What do you think about this? The virus will activate even if she''s left alone, right? Why did that guy take the brat away? Dwelling on it more, it was weird that Amai Ao was in Academy City. Since he had hid himself in fear of being suspected, logically speaking, he should have tried to escape out of Academy City. No matter how strong Anti-Skill and Judgement were, they couldn''t control the world ''outside''. Their job scope was merely limited to this city. On technical skill alone, Amai''s a really talented researcher. There should be many organizations ''outside'' willing to take the risk and hide him, right? Yeah, I don''t know why too. Maybe those are just some simple reasons. Both of them remained silent for a while. The sound of the keyboard being typed on could be heard from the other side of the phone. After a while, Accelerator asked, I heard that Amai took Last Order at around 4. Do you think he''s still in Academy City? It''s 7pm now, almost 3 hours have passed. If it were normal circumstances, it''d be hard to tell, but our luck this time seems to be good. Why? Accelerator concentrated on the phone. Yoshikawa seemed to be focused on something, as the sound of the keyboard being typed on could be heard. Some unknown individual from ''outside'' broke through the city''s security, and forced his way into the city. Also, there was a huge battle at a fast food restaurant, so the alert level was set to orange this afternoon. It''s now at red alert. You should have heard of the 2nd level of alert, right? Orange alert meant that ''there may be terrorists who''ve invaded'', while red indicated ''a terrorist has been confirmed to have invaded''. No matter what it was, once the alert was given, Academy City would seal its exits to the outside completely. Even the convenience store owners would be having a headache as they couldn''t get their supplies. If it was at orange alert in the afternoon, Amai, who had taken Last Order at 4pm wouldn''t be able to leave the city. Accelerator didn''t know which idiot had invaded the city, but it seemed like he had to thank the guy. Since that guy''s still in the city, where will he be? At this moment, Yoshikawa continued to type on the keyboard. It''s not easy to find him. However, he should be avoiding the crowds. A grown man with a naked girl wrapped in a towel will be too eyecatching. Right now, Amai Ao definitely won''t want to become the center of attention. Accelerator thought that this was logical, but there was a problem. Today was August 31st, so most of the students were locked up in their houses finishing their summer vacation homework. The entire city was as empty as a ghost city. Can you hack into the security robots or satellite image system? Doesn''t the other envelope have the data of the city''s security search for Amai Ao''s hiding? The mechanical security system isn''t as convenient as what they say. Think about it, our numerous ''experiments'' were conducted under such strict regulations, right? ... So the security system can only be used to track information. I managed to track him through the money flow. Do you know? The paper notes now all have IC chips? Ah, I heard of it. It''s said that there were too many coloured counterfeit notes, so they installed chips to identify them, right? There''s actually another reason for the chips. By recording the personal information of the notes, one can identify his monetary flow. Yoshikawa continued to type on the keyboard as she said, In this age, if you use a credit card or cash to buy something more than 1,000yen, your personal particulars will get stolen. But on the other hand, if it were that child, who lived an urchin''s life and didn''t use money at all, it''s impossible to track her down. Alright, let me change the question. How did Amai escape in the past? Basically, he drives his car around. It seems like he would park his car at the park or the dump and sleep in the car. But as for showering, food and oil, he needs to use money, so he can''t completely hide himself. Answered Yoshikawa casually, while continuing to type on the keyboard. Doesn''t he have some housing facility like a hotel or something? Did he go to a friend''s house, before? I suppose he doesn''t have anyone that can be considered a friend. ...Seems like he''s trash like me. When the research centre of the Radio Noise project was forced to close down, as it was a private research organization, he got saddled with debt. Like a chairman of a company that closed down, once he''s poor, friends aren''t friends any longer. ''Tch'', Accelerator pondered for a while, and then continued, He should be unable to leave this city now, right? If he doesn''t dare to be questioned, I suppose he won''t even escape a school district. Alright, if that''s the case-- Yoshikawa answered in surprise, Hold on, that''s weird. Amai Ao hasn''t returned back there for a while. Normally speaking, he should be thinking about that place first-- The first place he thinks of will be the most dangerous place, so he definitely won''t dare to go there. But once humans are forced into a tight corner, their way of thinking will become even simpler. Accelerator revealed a cunning smile and headed down the road. The place he was heading to was the place of a certain research centre. The research organisation that had developed the Radio Noise project based on the Level 5 Railgun. Part 6 August 31st 7:27pm. A sports car was parked at a certain research facility. The air-conditioning in the cramped car was blasted to the maximum, but Amai Ao''s hands were still sweating. His sweaty hand was pressing down on his aching stomach. At first, he had intended to enter the facility. As the building of the abandoned research facility was still left as intended, there were many places to hide the car, and it should be easy to hide from the satellite cameras. But right now, Amai was unable to undo the heavy lock and chain of surrounding the entrance. The problem was that he couldn''t leave this place. Once he moved the car, he may be interrogated. And if he left the car, he would be carrying the basically-naked Last Order around, and it would be even more likely that he would be stopped. DAMN IT! Amai had made the wrong move, and now he was really regretting it. He should have escaped ''out'' of Academy City immediately after Last Order had the virus inserted into her brain. The force opposing Academy City was waiting for him ''outside''. And all he had to do was to follow their instructions and flee overseas. With his expertise on esper development, any country or research facility would have been more than willing to take him in. But unexpectedly, Last Order had actually escaped after the virus was inserted into her. At that moment, Amai Ao''s ''plan'' was ruined. Last Order''s body adjustments were still incomplete, so she couldn''t possibly live outside for long. If worst came to worst, Last Order would really die before the virus was activated. But if that happened, the Sisters all over the world wouldn''t be infected by the virus. If that happened, it would mean that the mission had failed. The ''opposing forces'' would definitely not forgive that. At that moment, they wouldn''t just simply no longer help Amai escape, they may even give the order to kill him. Amai had to capture and bring Last Order back, and even ironically, he had to protect her life. But with the current situation, without an incubator with him, he wouldn''t be able to fulfill his objective. For the entire week, Amai had been like an ant in hot water as he went out searching for Last Order. Finally, he managed to find her with that savage Accelerator. It was a good thing that Accelerator had left and he was able to take Last Order away, but he had ended up in this situation. ... Amai Ao turned to look at the front passenger seat. Last Order, whose body was still undeveloped, was sitting on the seat. She was sweating profusely, and her breathing was weak. One couldn''t possibly hear it if they didn''t strain their ears. There were many electrodes stuck on Last Order''s face. The wires that extended out from the electrodes were connected to a notepad-sized computer that was placed near her thighs. The screen was showing Last Order''s pulse, temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate and many other values. Those figures and images weren''t things that an ordinary person could read, but if someone who understood them were to see them, that person would be shocked. With such values, anyone could stop breathing at any time. (Why am I so unlucky!? Why at this time...!) Amai Ao had a reason to escape. He had been the person in charge of the Radio Noise project. That plan had been based on Tokiwadai''s Railgun, but the clones that were created had low level capability, so they couldn''t match the Railgun. The plan had been halted, the research centre was forced to shut down. Faced with a hefty debt, Amai had managed to meet a saviour. It was the Level 6 shift project for Accelerator. However, even that plan had been nearly terminated completely. Amai was unable to repay his debts. There was no other place in Academy City that would keep him. What he had was an overwhelming debt that was enough to buy a submarine. The Radio Noise research group and the Level 6 shift research group weren''t different. Both were privatized firms, and had forced him deep into despair. If he wanted to live, he had to abandon his debt and run. Thus, he had linked up with a mysterious dangerous group. Under such a situation, if he angered them, he would definitely die. Amai Ao wasn''t so optimistic that he thought that he could survive being between Academy City and an opposing force. (Damn it! Damn it! Why must I end up in this situation!) Amai''s hand slammed onto the dashboard of the cramped sports car. He had finally managed to catch the escaped Last Order today, but unfortunately for him, the alert level went to orange, and then to red, giving him no chance to leave Academy City. And right now, Last Order''s condition was a lot worse than he had thought. If this kept up, she could really die before the virus activated. (Please, I beg of you! Just a little longer! Hang on until the virus activates!) Amai knew of a few places where he could get Last Order''s body adjustments done. But as the alert level had become red, there were checkpoints all over the city. He would be unable to pass through the checkpoints with a naked girl wrapped in a blue towel. Besides, this girl was an artificial clone that didn''t have an ID. He couldn''t even pass the next road, let alone get ''out'' of Academy City. Right now, Amai Ao could only tremble in the narrow car and leave his fate to the virus which may be unable to activate. Suddenly, there seemed to be something that flashed across the glass. !? Amai''s eyes instinctively left the dashboard. But it was a crow that was unrelated to Anti-Skill or the researchers. A black crow flew from right to left. Ah... However, Amai widened his eyes. There was nobody in front. Looking over, it was an empty street. There shouldn''t have been anything that could make Amai feel afraid. From a 3rd person''s view, maybe one would think that Amai was seeing an illusion out of fear. Ahh... But Amai was not looking in front. He was looking at the rear-view mirror. On seeing that small mirror that shows the back, Amai''s face went pale. His eyeballs continued to move. He was sweating like it was raining, as if there was a layer covering his skin. His fingers continued to tremble. In the rear view mirror, there was a boy. The boy was slowly closing in on the yellow sports car, one step at a time. A corrupted, psychotic, crazy Level 5 esper. ...UWAAAHH!! A strange voice came out from Amai''s throat. In fact, Amai didn''t know what Accelerator was doing over here. But no matter what Accelerator was planning, it was dangerous. Accelerator was closing in on Amai''s sports car without hesitation. Amai stared at Last Order, who was in the passenger seat. Right now, Last Order was as weak as a snow crystal. He didn''t know what Accelerator was trying to do, but if he handed Last Order over to that monster, that wish would be crushed within a second. He definitely couldn''t hand Last Order over to him. If so, he could only take on that monster. (The problem is, how?) He had a pistol in his pocket, but that thing wasn''t going to stop that monster. Trying to use a body of flesh to fight that guy was like racing a Lamborghini car or a type-90 Kyu-maru tank in a marathon If that was the case, he could only run. Amai gripped onto the car key tightly. His hand continued to tremble, and even the act of putting the key into the keyhole was tough for him. He grimaced as he couldn''t find the keyhole. Chk, the key was finally inserted in. He twisted the key hard. The engine roared loudly. As he was too nervous, the brakes failed, and the sports car dashed forward as if it had been kicked in the back. Part 7 Accelerator saw Amai''s car rush away from him. His obviously shocked look was revealing his mysterious smile. (That brat...is in the car''s passenger compartment. I thought she would be in the luggage compartment, but then again, if she dies, Amai would be really bothered by it.) Accelerator casually thought as he crouched his body slightly. BOOM! He stamped onto the ground. Accelerator immediately jumped up about 10m into the air, and easily jumped past Amai''s sports car before landing right in front of it. The man in the driver''s seat who saw this immediately froze. He frantically turned the steering wheel around, but it was already too late. The cheap domestic sports car that had its gas pedal floored slammed right into Accelerator. The sound of the metal being crushed was like 1,000 times the sound of a can being crushed. But Accelerator hadn''t budged at all. Not even a strand of hair was moved. The thing that got crushed was the car, as the force of the sports car was ''directed downwards''. The 4 tires had burst, and the rims were crushed into an oval shape. The height of the chassis was crushed to zero, and the car had dug several centimeters into the ground. Maybe the car body was wrecked too much as the windows on both the left and right sides had cracks in them. Amai, who was in the driver''s seat, revealed a smile. The sports car got damaged to such an extent, yet he was actually able to remain unharmed even when sitting inside. He may feel that this was unbelievable, as even the safety airbag hadn''t popped out. This perfect control of power clearly demonstrated the difference in ability between Accelerator and Amai. U,uuuAAHHH, DA, DAMN IT!!! Amai cried out as he continued to floor the gas pedal, but the rims of the wheels were already distorted and buried deep into the asphalt. In this situation, the car couldn''t possibly move forward. After 10 seconds, Amai finally realized this. He then intended to carry Last Order away, so he started to force the car door open. Calm down, you middle-aged guy. Isn''t that a little too ugly? THOMP! Accelerator stomped down on the bumper lightly. It was unknown how the impact was changed as the driver seat door was quickly shut. This act of shutting the door was like snapping a large trap on some prey. Amai was trapped by the door as he tried to get out. The air in his lungs was forced out, and he slid down onto the floor, unable to move. Ah, sorry for using such a crude way to beat you. But at least it''s better than giving your life away, right? Amai didn''t answer, and Accelerator wasn''t hoping that he would. He looked at the seat beside the driver''s seat. The impact had caused the entire driver''s seat to get distorted, but in contrast, over there the girl was sleeping calmly and soundly. You really can make things difficult for others, you damned brat. Having the load off his shoulders, Accelerator just said this and pulled out his phone. Yoshikawa? Yeah, I got the brat. She''s safe. There was still more than 4 hours left before the virus activated. Part 8 August 31 8:03pm Accelerator opened the side door of the passenger seat. Wrapped in the towel, Last Order didn''t respond at all. Her limbs sunk weakly onto the floor, and were completely stained in uncomfortable sweat. Just as Accelerator was about to carry Last Order out, he suddenly realised a problem. Oi, the brat has some things that look like electrodes. I shouldn''t take them off, right? Hm? Can you please describe that clearly? On hearing Accelerator''s description, Yoshikawa said, That should be our equipment for checking the Sisters'' conditions. It just shows the respiratory rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, physical and mental conditions. It''s okay to take the electrodes off. A cable linked the electrodes to a notebook computer. There were several images on the screen. Besides that, there was a percentage display value that had the words ''BC functioning value'' beside it. What''s this? Accelerator asked. Oh, that''s Last Order''s brain functioning rate. Brain Cell is called BC for short. Accelerator was shocked. It was not easy to monitor a person''s brain functioning perfectly. One really couldn''t tell that such a small computer had such a large function. However, the Sisters were electromasters, so maybe they used their abilities to make up for the lack of ability? Either way, it was not a technology that Accelerator could understand. Oi, is there anything that can erase the virus from this brat''s brain? It''ll take some time to take her back. Impossible. That''s just a detection device. If you want to enter it, you have to have an incubator and a Testament. Oh. Accelerator pondered for a while, and suddenly realised something. For some reason, there was noise coming from the other side of the phone. Oi, aren''t you at the research centre? You just realised it? I''m driving over to you now. There''s an incubator and a Testament, so that should be much more time efficient than you going back to the research facility. Maybe she will want to run away when she sees me, but with your movement ability, you should be able to stop her from going. So you just wait over there. Yoshikawa said. Of course, a huge quantum computer won''t be able to fit into a car, but a DNA computer can fit it perfectly, so I brought one as well. The function may be a bit inferior, but at such capacity, it should be enough. ...Oi, since you can use a machine to analyze, why did you use a red pen to make markings? That''s just unnecessary work, right? Machines are extremely dull, or too rigid. Sometimes, they might even create problems. Have you heard of video games? When the games are being debugged, they still need humans to actually play them. We calculate the data through a machine, correct it through human means, put it back into a machine to see if there are any more errors...and we continue to use such a method. Accelerator reached his hand out, taking off the last electrode from Last Order''s face and randomly asked, So you analyzed the code already? About 80%. After I analyze it, I still need to write a code to override the virus, so we don''t have much time. But I believe that we can make it, Yoshikawa said confidently. Accelerator frowned slightly, as such a style wasn''t like her.. However, this made Accelerator heave a sigh of relief, as the situation seemed like it was all alright now. (How irritating. How much trouble must you create for me, you damned brat?) This was the first time Accelerator actually experienced what it felt like to ''wait for someone''. Every second seemed to be dragging on meaninglessly. This feeling couldn''t be considered comfortable. He stamped hard onto the asphalt floor lightly, and just like that, it created a crack. Mi,saka-- Suddenly, the girl''s mouth moved. Like a thirsty person asking for water, her lips were trembling. Misaka...as, Misaka is--- Her eyes were shut, and only her lips were moving. The girl was moving crazily as if she was trying to say something. Accelerator didn''t know whether he should listen to her words carefully. Besides, since the expert Yoshikawa hadn''t arrived yet, Accelerator didn''t know what he could do to ease her pain. Misa,kaas Misaka is Misa! Ka! Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS AJSNIOVJIOZXCHJJ23RIOHYWERIOSDHA FJKHUQEHYIRHKOSDHIOUCH89WEHYUIH!! Ah? Seeing Last Order shout out, Accelerator gasped. This didn''t look right at all. The girl''s petite body was quivering in front of Accelerator like a fish on land. She continued to bend back. It was unknown whether her bones or muscles were cracking, but the girl''s face did look like she was in pain. She was looking excited as if she was singing a carol. There was one difference. The girl''s tightly shut eyes were giving out tears. This point alone clearly indicated that it was not of joy. But of tremendous pain. The computer screen was showing a chaotic image. Windows of warning signs continued to pop out like rain on the windows, covering almost the entire screen. The unknown beeping sound continued to ring. DAMN IT! OI, YOSHIKAWA! WHAT THE HELL''S GOING ON HERE? IS THIS SOME SORT OF SYMPTOM? Calm down, explain clearly! I can''t tell what you''re saying. Oh yea, do you have a camera function in your phone? It''s best that you have an image capture camera-- Yoshikawa stopped talking halfway through, maybe gasping because she was in shock. The phone wasn''t cut, as Accelerator could hear her mutter. She seems to be muttering things like ''impossible, how can this be''. Oi, what''s going on!? Is there any emergency function? Calm down. Can you let me listen to what that child''s saying? HURRY UP AND EXPL--! HURRY!! Yoshikawa started to sound serious, making Accelerator feel that something was wrong. But even if he didn''t do anything, Last Order''s cries could be heard through the phone. hiuashihcvjnxnuinweiniondfnizdNIncion whsioahjisdisjad8qwyrionjdklnckljiojdosfjljkl;sdjfi0jdsj!! The girl''s cries weren''t of any country''s language now. On hearing the girl''s cries through the phone, Yoshikawa was so shocked that she couldn''t breathe. ...I see. WHAT? WHAT''S GOING ON? Accelerator was obviously anxious. Yoshikawa answered him clearly, This is a virus code that was encrypted. That virus seems like it''s about to be activated. On hearing this, Accelerator nearly froze. The virus should be activated at midnight on 00 hour 00 minute 00 second. It was just past 8, and time wise, there should have been 4 hours left... There was only one possible reason. That was a fake signal. The enemy Amai Ao had deliberately installed a fake activation code. The information that the enemy gave out shouldn''t have been considered real at all. Accelerator had wondered before why Amai Ao would be so kind as to indicate the time for the virus to activate. A simple game like trap, yet so terrifying. Maybe Amai hadn''t expected that this trap would work. Setting this trap up must have been an extra bonus within his capability rather than an insurance. Accelerator started to wonder what would happen when the virus activated. Once the time starts, the virus will start to activate. It will be complete 10 minutes later, and then it will spread through the Misaka Network to all the Sisters and cause the Sisters to go berserk. What would happen to the girl in his hands? The boy recalled. I haven''t analyzed it completely, so I can''t be sure, but if I go by my hypothesis, the symptoms indicate that they will end up attacking any humans without discrimination. Accelerator was unable to do anything. Last Order continued to shout and cry. Numerous warning windows buried the notepad-sized computer screen. He could barely see the ''BC operation rate'' from between the gaps of the windowswhich was the brain cell functioning rate. The values continued to increase. 70%, 83%, 95%...even though the values exceeded 100%, they continued to increase. That small body of Last Order arched backwards as if electrocuted. Then, even the ''BC functioning rate'' window was blocked by the warning signals. It was as if Last Order''s personality files were overwritten by some mysterious virus. It seemed like Yoshikawa was trying to say something through the phone, but Accelerator was not listening. It was too late. Yoshikawa hadn''t finished analyzing the virus, and hadn''t found a way to debug it. Also, there was fake information present in the code she had analyzed. Even if she managed to debug it, she couldn''t be certain that she was correct. Besides, it was impossible to ask her to move back to the facility where all the equipment was. Amai, who had created the virus, should be clear about how it worked, but there was no time to interrogate him and write a code to debug it. A mysterious feeling etched into Accelerator''s mind, but before he could understand what that feeling was, his thoughts were interrupted by Yoshikawa''s calm voice. Listen to me, Accelerator, it''s still too early to sigh now. You still need to do something. ...Something? Can we still save her? It will take some time before the virus spreads out. Before that, the current virus will be converted into a ''superior code'' that they can''t disobey, rather than it appearing there right from the start. This is because if that''s the case, the virus code would be obvious in the normal personality files. There''s only 10 minutes, I suppose you should be able to guess it, but you can only do one thing eliminate the girl. Kill the child, and protect this world. Yoshikawa''s words didn''t have any intention of saving Last Order right from the beginning. What she said as her justification was something higher than that. Protect the world. If he wanted to prevent all the Sisters in the world from going berserk, he had to kill this girl personally. The girl who was struggling and rolling about, unable to make even a cry of help. Accelerator mocked himself. His power that could only kill would actually work at this moment. And not even the minimum damage was allowed; he had to kill the girl. If this dragged on longer, the command code that was input into Last Order''s brain would break her. There was only one way to prevent that, and that was to take her life before it happened. Damn it. No matter what he chose, she wouldn''t be saved. "At least smile to let her rest in peace", Yoshikawa Kikyou said. DAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN IIIITTTTTTTTT!!! Accelerator grit his teeth. There was a sense of sharp pain deep within his chest. This pain was completely different from the time when he was beaten up by the Level 0. This couldn''t even be compared. This was the pain of losing. Right now, Accelerator finally experienced it. He finally experienced the weight of the girl in his heart. Accelerator finally experienced this pain he had inflicted 10,000 times on others. It was too late for him to experience it. No matter what he did, it was too late now. Accelerator roared out, but it was useless. With his power, he wouldn''t be able to delete the virus in Last Order''s brain. He never had such a useful ability. Though he was said to have the strongest power, it was just the manipulation of ''vectors'' like kinetic energy, heat, electricity and all sorts of energy and redirecting them. In application, he could only kill. He had such power, yet he could only think to use it to touch the enemy''s skin and reverse the enemy''s blood and electrical flow to form an explosion-- (...?) Thinking till here, an idea suddenly flashed in Accelerator''s brain. He reminisced what he just thought. Reverse the electrical flow in a human? (Hold on, what attracts me to that so much?) That phrase continued to appear in Accelerator''s mind. The time in his body instantly slowed down. (There''s less than 10 minutes left, so I can''t call for help. I have a disk and a notepad-sized computer with me here. The disk has the personality files before infection. The Testament is needed. The Level 5 ''Accelerator'' can manipulate it. It uses electrical flow to control the information in the brain to control the electrical signals. To debug, I have to look through the huge personality files and find a way to find the code and delete it. If I can''t find a solution, I have to kill Last Order.) Accelerator tried to think quickly. The rows of excessive words were gradually removed, forming meaningful sentences. While focusing on his thoughts, the short few seconds seemed to become an eternity. (If I don''t want to kill her, I have to delete the virus. I need to do two things. First is to find the virus codes from that massive personality file in Last Order. The second thing is to manipulate the electric signals in Last Order''s brain and accurately delete the virus codes.) In Academy City, where the school curriculum included esper development, the strongest esper in Academy City also had the strongest brain. Having accurately calculated all the air particle flow in the entire city before, Accelerator used all his thoughts to find a way to solve this. (The disk has the personality files ''before infection''. If I compare it to the one ''after infection'' and find the differencehold on, what attracted my attention here? Let''s recall from those abusive words of mine. What am I able to do best? What can I easily think of?) Thinking about this, Accelerator''s shoulders jerked as if they had been electrocuted. Human electrical reversal. If Accelerator''s power could redirect any energy ''vector''. If he could let the blood and electrical flow in a body reverse on contact with the skin. He looked up. It took a mere 10 seconds to think about this. Oi, if I can control the electrical flow in the brain, I should be able to correct that brat''s personality file without a Testament, right? What are you-- Speaking halfway, Yoshikawa seemed to realise something. The Testament controlled the electrical flow in a human, forcing in personality and knowledge. ...Are you intending to become a Testament yourself? Impossible, though your power is to redirect any ''vector'', controlling a brain signal is unheard of...! Why not? I did use skin contact to reverse the blood and electrical flow in a human body in the ''experiment''. Since I can ''redirect'', ''manipulation'' shouldn''t be hard right? Of course, Accelerator had never actually manipulated the brain signals of others before, so he didn''t have confidence that it would work. But this was the only way left. If possible, he hoped to use the Testament. If he could prepare an anti-virus code, it would be perfect. The problem was that the current situation wasn''t that perfect. If he didn''t want to give up, he could only make use of what he had here to break through the difficulty. Through his own hands. It was okay even though it was not perfect, he just needed to save her life. That''s impossible. Even if you can you use your power to manipulate Last Order''s brain, the anti-virus process isn''t complete, and you can''t even delete it completely. ... It was true. Yoshikawa still hadn''t finished analysing the virus. And since Yoshikawa hadn''t detected the fake parts in the virus, it seemed like the research results wouldn''t be completely correct. Listen, even I made the decision to kill her. I know the workings of that child better than you by at least 100 times, and even I feel that there''s no other way other than to kill her. Do you know what that means? Yoshikawa said in an icy voice, Your ability alone isn''t going to erase the virus from Last Order''s brain at all. If you fail, you''ll sacrifice 10,000 Sisters. And if the situation gets out of hand, Academy City will be forced into a war with the rest of the world. In order to prevent that, we have to give up on Last Order. Yoshikawa sounded like she was lecturing Accelerator, but she was delivering the final ultimatum. Of course, it''s a different case altogether if you can immediately write an anti-virus code. Can you do that? The virus will activate in a few minutes, can you do that? Of course. Accelerator replied without hesitation. Hearing this, Yoshikawa Kikyou nearly stopped breathing. Accelerator turned his eyes to Last Order, who was lying limp on the passenger seat, and then looked into the envelope. The envelope had a disk that had the label ''serial 20,001 personality info/before infection'' on it. It had the personality files before infection. In other words, if he compared Last Order''s brain now to this personality file and found the excess parts, he could erase the virus code. Once that was complete, he just needed to overwrite the corrupted data with the normal one to correct it. It was like using a hammer to smash an uneven metal floor to flatten it. This act of smashing the protruding virus back in was what they called neutralizing a virus. Damn it...of course I can do it. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!? Yoshikawa seemed to be saying something through the phone, but Accelerator was no longer listening. He wanted to shut the phone off, but the phone slipped and dropped onto the floor. He didn''t intend to pick it up at all. Accelerator smirked. He already knew the flaw to this method. He had the ''personality data before infection''. In other words, if this personality file was the base, it would ''overwrite most of the excessive information'', and all the memory ''after infection'' would be cleaned off. It was like painting a new image over a completed painting. Including that meeting. Including that conversation. Including that smile. Everything would be lost, and he would have to overcome that pain. ...So what? It''s better for that brat to forget about everything. Thinking back, that was the case. The walk back down the alley and destruction of his room at midnight were proof that as long as she remained together with Accelerator, she would have the danger of being attacked by unknown people. Though Last Order wasn''t afraid to accept Accelerator, it was all the more reason that he couldn''t let such a person exist in the same life as him. She had to go back. Back away from this monstrous, bloody and cruel world. Back into the warm and sunny world. Lonely and weak, he laughed at himself, then inserted the disk into the notepad-sized computer. A large amount of data appeared in front of him. He quickly scanned through the data that was scrolling at waterfall-like speed, reading all the data. It took him 52 seconds to finish reading, 48 seconds to close his eyes to remember, and 65 seconds to compare what he had memorized to the data on the screen. The preparations were complete. He was ready to put an end to this. Clak. He crushed the notepad-sized computer. The fragments of the girl''s internal design fell from his hands. ... He shut off the ''redirection on his hand'', using his fingers to touch the girl''s forehead. The girl''s skin felt slightly hot, as if she had a cold. He extracted the electrical flow of the human and continued to touch the ''direction'' as if he was touching the insides of the girl with his hand. Through the ''direction'' of the electrical flow in the person, he managed to grasp it. Finally, the girl''s internal workings were in Accelerator''s mind completely. The girl''s thought process that appeared in his brain was ever so warm. One that made people want to hug, and not lose it. However, He had to do this. You damned brat. Since I helped out so much, I won''t allow you do die by yourself. After saying that, he smiled. If there had been a mirror in front of him, even he himself might have been shocked. It was a gentle smile. Accelerator''s hand was trembling. Using the power that could only kill to save others was like tying a spoon on a tank cannon barrel to feed a baby weaned food; it was extremely difficult. ...How interesting. Don''t die of shock. He said this. He was inserting the ''power'' and changing the ''direction''; the ''war'' had begun. The virus would activate at 8:13pm. There were still 52 seconds till the final moment. Part 9 August 31 8:12pm 08 seconds. hjknasdpsjdofjkoxcvkliwenijosdmklmxc''mpml;dsm process 9jpnasidi load 9w..aea path A to w. Red wavelength of process 08 to process 72 is replaced by path C into A8 area D sealing process 56 through S wave blue changed to red... The meaningless language that Last Order was uttering was gradually changing into Japanese. Accelerator was sweating. There was a feeling that his brain was being burned. His vision was gradually becoming narrower. As all his calculation ability was gathered on one point, ''redirection'' wouldn''t work, and the uncomfortable sweat was sticking onto him. Right now, he was comparing the ''infected'' Last Order''s personality files with the one ''before infection''. The ''difference'' between both of them was the virus codes. Though some of it included Last Order''s memories of her interactions with Accelerator, Accelerator was unable to tell which were virus codes and which were memories. The calculation of the amount of data required to be overwritten was complete. The total was 357,081. He could only delete all these processes to destroy the virus. The BC value of Last Order was flashing on the screen, giving off numerous warning windows at a shocking speed. Part 10 August 31 8:12pm 14 seconds. Turning the process 21 from red to orange and then through path D to A7, C5, F10 split zones area D seal removing and inserting process 32 into special authoritative process 89 till 112, and gather at path A, processes below 113 taken by path G through point D4... After understanding all the abnormal ''codes'' in Last Order''s brain, Accelerator sent a command to all the codes. There was only one line, ''overwrite''. Zzzzzzz... He could feel a mass amount of signals moving, and it was a feeling like the tide subsiding. Last Order''s body was bouncing about. Her fingers were twitching, as if she was being manipulated by some invisible strings. Accelerator couldn''t tell whether they were viruses or memories, as the ''potentially malicious'' processes were being deleted one line after another, like words from a black ballpoint pen being removed with white correction fluid. The remaining unrepaired processes totaled 173,542. The warning windows that were popping up on the notebook screen started appearing less, and less, and less frequently...until finally, there weren''t any more windows popping up. The reverse flow then caused all the warning windows to disappear one after another, as if it were a tape put on rewind. Part 11 August 31, 8:12pm 34 seconds Processes through path K are converted through yellow wavelength as V2, H5, Y0 and split through process 201, process 202 to 205 wavelengths are registered under red paths G and linked to C, D, H, I, split into points F7, R2, Z0... I can do it, Accelerator started to feel confident. The virus that was preparing to start up was returning back. If this kept up, he would just barely erase the virus in time. The codes left totaled 59,802. Thinking of these processes that were about to be erased, Accelerator revealed a lonely smile. Besides the virus, what else was he deleting? The electrical signal was beating through his hand. As if it was trying to make the final struggle before it was erased. The warning screens on the display continued to disappear. The data that was being overwritten was getting faster. The gaps between the windows were becoming wider. Last Order''s forehead continued to shudder and sweat. However, she was not shaking as much now, and it seemed like her body condition was improving. Part 12 August 31, 8:12pm 45 seconds At this moment. The strange voice of a person reached Accelerator''s ears, who was removing the virus. He looked up, and saw that Amai Ao, who had been knocked unconscious by the clamping of the car door, was actually standing there. If it were just like that, it would be nothing. But he was pointing a shiny black pistol at him. Don''t...you dare stop...me.... With bloodshot eyes, Amai Ao groaned. The remaining processes left were 23,891. Accelerator still couldn''t let off. If the remaining processes caused any errors, Last Order''s brain could be wrecked. There were only a few warning windows on the screen. To Accelerator, it represented Last Order''s health status. He couldn''t leave any window open. Part 13 August 31, 8:12pm 45 seconds The two of them were only about 4m away from each other. The bullet couldn''t possibly miss. Ugh!? Right now, Accelerator was concentrating all his power on Last Order''s brain signal, so he didn''t even have time to ''redirect''. If he decided to multitask in his ''redirecting'', he wouldn''t be able to accurately manipulate the electrical signals that were as fine as the microbits in an electron microscope image, and Last Order''s brain would be wrecked. There were only 7,001 process codes left. There were only 9 windows. The assignment wasn''t complete, and time gradually started to slow down. Amai definitely didn''t understand what Accelerator was doing now. But to Amai, the fact that this monster called Accelerator was touching Last Order, who mustn''t die was enough to make him panic. Don''t...you stop me! Bubbles foamed out of Amai Ao''s mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot. Right now, he seemed to be unable to tell that it was stupid to aim a gun at Accelerator. But right now, Accelerator didn''t have enough power to ''redirect''. In this situation, he was unable to do anything. Once that little bullet was fired, it would take Accelerator''s life away. Get that hand away from Last Order''s head! His basic instincts were telling him. Restart the ''redirection''! It continued to tell him. It was true that he would definitely be saved. Not even a nuclear missile could scratch him, let alone a pistol. Part 14 August 31, 8:12pm 58 seconds However, he was still unable to take his hand away from Last Order''s head. It was impossible. There were only 102 processes and one warning window left. Don''t...stoGYAAHH!! Amai Ao screamed, trembling as he held the pistol aimed at Accelerator. There was no way for him to dodge it. Accelerator could only remain stunned as he stared at the finger placed on the trigger. The clear and crisp sound of the gun firing rang out. Before the sound reached his ears, a strong hammer-like impact hit Accelerator''s forehead. The strong force that his head took caused him to arch backwards. His neck let out a terrifying sound. His body was unable to withstand the impact as it floated into the air. But he still didn''t let go. Nor would he ever let go. Error: Break code No.000,001 to No. 357,081 superintendent codes are terminated due to incorrect processing. Serial no. 20,001 will restart as per normal. With the last electronic sound, the last warning window disappeared. Hearing the familiar talking sound of that girl, Accelerator understood that he managed to overwrite the dangerous process with that hand of his. His hand was gradually losing strength. The body that was forced upwards by the power of the bullet impact slowly left the warm girl. While in mid air, Accelerator stretched his hand out. But his fingers were unable to touch the girl. No matter how much he prayed, he wouldn''t be able to fulfill any wish. No matter how much he desperately tried to look, all of it would slip between his fingers. (Really, to think that up till now, my thinking was still so naive--) His vision got blurry due to the speed, but there was no chance of recovering before it turned black. He landed hard on the ground as if he had just fell into Hell. His blurry consciousness started to erode, and his thoughts started to spiral into darkness. (--I actually thought that I could start anew if I just saved someone...) Part 15 August 31, 8:13pm ...Did I get him? Why? Ha, haha, why...why am I still alive? Amai Ao was holding onto the semi-automatic pistol that was giving off white smoke, and sank into a daze. The bullet hit the center of Accelerator''s forehead, and he flew back by 1m, his head facing up as he landed on the ground. His forehead was cracked apart and fresh blood oozed out. For some reason, Accelerator hadn''t used the ''redirection''. If so, since his head was hit by the military grade 9mm bullet, he couldn''t possibly have survived. Also, what Amai had used wasn''t any ordinary bullet, but an experimental type from Academy City. An impact bullet. This unique bullet was able to use the air resistance on the bullet through the unique ''groove'' on the bullet and create a ''shockwave gun''. The ''gun'' would follow the bullet from behind and strike it. Creating a ''groove'' on the bullet would increase the damage of the bullet by 5 to 10 times. The ''groove'' that was created on the lead bullet would melt due to the air resistance. Even if the bullet head was taken by the enemy, they wouldn''t be able to understand the trick behind it. It could be said to be killing two birds with one stone. It was the unique bullet they were enthusiastically studying to take on espers if they revolted. The wound on Accelerator''s head was caused by 2 consecutive impacts, once from the bullet and once from the air gun. He should be dead now. Ah! Last Order! My virus! Amai Ao looked away from the corpse collapsed on the road and turned to look at the girl that had lost consciousness in the passenger seat. It would be over if the virus hadn''t activated. He would be the hunted target of both Academy City and the opposing force. The girl lay weakly in the chair, her lips unable to move. Her small mouth started to speak, Error: Break code No.000,001 to No. 357,081 superintendent codes are terminated due to incorrect processing. Serial no. 20,001 will restart as per normal. Amai felt as though all the water in his body spurt out as sweat. If the virus had activated, Last Order''s heart should have automatically stopped and she should have died after she sent out the command to ''use weapons and esper abilities to kill all the humans that got in contact with you'' to all the 10,000 Sisters. This was to prevent others from retracting the order. But Last Order was still alive. The virus hadn''t activated. Amai Ao was clear about what that meant. Though he knew it, he was still unable to accept it. 2 steps, 3 steps, Amai staggered backwards. Ha,ah,haha, uha...ha, AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Amai Ao cried out in despair, raising the pistol at the person who made his own life a living hell. The girl who was asleep in the passenger seat. Amai pointed the pistol at her slightly beating chest as his finger was placed on her chest. Once this finger pulled back slightly, the unique bullet impact head would break that petite body into pieces. He didn''t care where he would fire or how many bullets would he shoot, he just wanted to use up all the bullets. Thus, he squeezed the trigger. The explosion of the pistol could be heard. But the bullet didn''t pierce through the girl. --Do you think I''ll let you do that? You damned bastard!? The corpse climbed up again. Fresh blood continued to pour out from the wound on his forehead. The boy reached his hand out and blocked the barrel of Amai''s pistol. The bullet that had been ''redirected'' accurately flew back into the pistol, causing it to explode from within. The hand that was holding onto the pistol was wrecked. (Damn it! Wasn''t he hit by the special bullet? Why is he still alive?) The ''impact bullet head'' was a modern weapon that used the special grooves carved onto the bullet and air resistance, creating a shockwave gun. Nobody that got hit directly in the head by that bullet would be able to survive. But Amai made a mistake. As this unique bullet converted the air resistance into a shockwave gun, the bullet speed would be burned by the air resistance, so the bullet would move forward like an open parachute. The shockwave that was created followed the bullet, but it would be slightly slower. Though it was just a marginal error of 0.4 seconds, Accelerator had managed to finish the final treatment on Last Order and restart his ''redirection'' at the last second. Although the bullet with depleted speed managed to hit Accelerator on the head, he had blocked the remaining fatal impact. But Amai Ao didn''t know about that. The scene in front of him was like a nightmare. Amai''s remaining working hand, the left one, pulled out another pistol. However, he had never trained to hold a pistol with the weaker left hand, let alone shoot with it. He couldn''t even prevent the weight of the pistol from causing him to tremble. Besides, Accelerator was a monster who had still managed to stand up even with a bullet in his head, so it was normal for his left hand to be trembling. Accelerator was standing in front of Amai Ao. He seemed to be protecting the delicate Last Order behind him, not caring about the blood that flowed down his forehead, not caring about his trembling legs, not caring that his eyes couldn''t see the target clearly. He just glared at Amai''s gun. Seeing Accelerator like this, the researcher in a white lab coat laughed. Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, he still laughed as he gave up hope. Ha! What are you know? Can someone like you actually change something? ...I know. It''s really stupid for scum like me to save others. I''m too na?ve that even I think that it''s funny. If he saved others, he might be saved. At first glance, it was a noble idea, but basically, it was just a thought that was thought just for himself. Those that used others'' lives for their own benefit couldn''t be called kind people. Such people had no right to be saved. Basically, this world was full of people that were a lost cause. The na?ve yet unkind Yoshikawa Kikyou, the man who had shot at the people who protected him without hesitation, Amai Ao, and the person who insisted that human life was precious after killing 10,000 people, Accelerator. The people who lived on this corrupted world still wanted to ask for help from others, and that was unforgivable. Those who tried to save others were the dumber lot in the world. Accelerator understood this clearly. It was because he was a person of this world that he could understand it. However, He said this as if he was trying to deny everything. This kid here is innocent. Accelerator smiled. Fresh blood continued to gush out of the wound on his forehead, but he still smiled and said Even if we''re the worst scum, trash that has no right to ask others for help-- Some of the blood seeped into Accelerator''s left eye. His vision was becoming red. Even so, he exerted all his strength into his legs that could buckle at any moment. But that''s still no reason not to save this brat, right? DOES IT MEAN THAT WE CAN TRAMPLE ON WHAT THIS BRAT HAS JUST BECAUSE WE''RE SCUM!? His vision bloodied, Accelerator shouted. He knew that it was hypocritical of himself, and how thick-skinned it was. Every word he had said could be used right back at him. But he still shouted. Did it mean that those without the right to save shouldn''t save others? Should the hand of a girl that was extended out be scoffed away? What did the girl do? What did she do to be rejected just like that? Damn it, isn''t...that simple? He muttered, seemingly to himself. Last Order had to be saved. Unlike Accelerator and Amai, she still had a chance to be saved. It didn''t matter who saved her. That wasn''t the problem. Someone had to give a helping hand to her, no matter who it was, or she would really die. It was just that simple. Accelerator could roughly understand it. He could roughly understand the Level 0''s feelings when he had gone in to stop that ''experiment''. No reason, no aim, he just stepped up to save the injured Sisters. On first glance, that person seemed to be a natural hero, one who lived in a world different from him, but this wasn''t the case. There was no such thing as a lead character in this world, there weren''t those heroes who were conveniently available for use. Nobody could get help by shutting their mouths, and they may not get help even if they asked for it. But if one didn''t want to lose something important, not because of such a laughable reason that ''nobody helped even after we waited for so long'', that person had to be the hero. No matter how forced that was, how overconfident and how shameless he was, He had to use his own hands to protect the things most precious to him. The world was merciless; there weren''t naturally born heroes. So the bystanders had to step up, And put up a performance worthy of a hero. THAT''S RIGHT, I KILLED OVER 10,000 OF THE SISTERS, BUT THIS DOESN''T MEAN THAT I SHOULD JUST LEAVE THE REMAINING 10,000 TO DIE. I KNOW THAT THESE WORDS ARE HYPOCRITICAL, I KNOW THAT I HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY SUCH WORDS, BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A SCUMBAG WE ARE, NO MATTER HOW MANY EXCUSES WE PUT FORWARD, THOSE CAN''T BE THE REASONS TO KILL THIS BRAT!!!" Accelerator''s legs buckled. The blood continued to ooze out of his wound. But he couldn''t collapse now. Definitely not. ...Gy...AAHHH!! Accelerator crouched his body down and jumped at the speed of a bullet at Amai. It seemed like Accelerator had an overwhelming advantage, but the one in danger was himself. He definitely couldn''t let the battle drag on. If he didn''t end it in one hit, Accelerator would lose consciousness. And also, even though he knew that he had to settle it quickly, he didn''t have enough power to use stronger attacks. It couldn''t be helped; Accelerator could only choose the simplest way of attack, and that was to close in to the shortest distance. Amai seemed to know this, as he decided to only defend and not attack. Facing Accelerator, who jumped forward at the speed of a cannon, he knew that he would be caught if he backtracked. With this in mind, he jumped sideways. At that moment, the devil''s claw glided past where he had been. Accelerator turned his eyes to the left. No, he tried to move over, but his legs buckled and lost balance. Accelerator tried to stand firm, but his legs weren''t obeying. The pain of the wound on his forehead suddenly got worse, and the next moment, he lost all sense of pain. He heard the sound of collapsing, and at that moment, he realised that he was on the ground. The horizontal world of vision showed a girl''s figure. The girl that he had tried so hard to protect. He seemed to be thinking about something, but his consciousness was swallowed by the vast darkness. Part 16 August 31, 8:38pm For quite some time, Amai Ao couldn''t believe that he was still alive. He stared at Accelerator, who had been collapsed on the street for a long time, before stretching his hand out to wipe the sweat off his forehead. (I''m, still alive...haha, I actually survived...) He laughed weakly, and then prodded the collapsed Accelerator''s head with his finger. (...There''s no ''redirection''. Though it''s really inappropriate to kill this monster personally, if I let him stand up again, I won''t be able to escape next time.) Amai Ao aimed the pistol at Accelerator''s head. BAM! The crisp gunshot sound could be heard. The killing sound didn''t sound much different from a pop being pulled. ... Amai Ao frowned. The gunshot hadn''t come from his pistol. Amai felt a sizzling hot feeling from his waist that seemed like someone had opened a hole and poured molten lead into it. He could only turn around slowly, because he was unable to do anything else. Slightly further away was a used antique car. It was so old that one may have questioned the owner''s taste as it opened. A woman in a white lab coat got out. The woman was holding onto a pistol that was not much different from a toy, as it could only hold 2 bullets. The pistol in the woman''s hand was smoking. Yoshikawa...Kikyou. Amai squeezed out his voice with all his strength. The lab coat wearing woman didn''t respond. Part 17 August 31 8:53pm. Amai collapsed onto the ground. He shook his head to recover his vision that was flickering out all of a sudden, before finally recovering. It seemed like he had passed out, but Amai didn''t know how long he had been passed out for, a few seconds, a few minutes or many minutes. A woman in a white lab coat was standing in front of him. Yoshikawa Kikyou. Her back was facing Amai as her antique car''s luggage compartment was open. She seemed to be operating on some machine. There was a device in the car that Amai was extremely familiar with. It was an incubator. (Ugh...) Amai twisted his trembling neck and turned to look at his own car. Last Order, who had been in the passenger seat, was long gone. It seemed like she had been placed in the cylindrical incubator, but his view was blocked by Yoshikawa who was working, so Amai couldn''t tell. He tried to stand up, but his body couldn''t follow what he wanted. He tried raising the Italian military pistol with a trembling hand. At that moment, Yoshikawa turned around. The work seemed to be over as she closed the luggage compartment up, and aimed her pistol at Amai. Yoshikawa seemed to be smiling, as she raised her pistol and slowly walked towards Amai. "I''m sorry, it seems like I''m too naive. Not kind, but naive. I didn''t have the guts to shoot at your vitals, but I didn''t dare to let you escape. I ended up increasing your pain. Perhaps this naive method was the most cruel choice." "How did you, find me here...?" "The GPS function of the mobile phone. It''s quite the old technology, isn''t it? Haven''t you realised it? That child''s phone is still on the line." Yoshikawa stared at Accelerator with a motherly look and said, "I could roughly hear what happened around here through the phone. But at least there''s no commotion ''outside''." Amai''s hand was trembling even more. The numbness spread to his fingers as if he had buried his hand in snow for a long time. The finger that was on the trigger continued to tremble, and the metal parts of the pistol could be heard rattling against each other lightly. "Ah, don''t worry about that child. I know of a doctor who''s really good. Though that doctor looks like a frog and doesn''t look to be really amazing, but he has the nickname ''Heaven Canceller'', and I believe that he can cure that child." The sound of an ambulance from afar was becoming closer. Maybe she had called for an ambulance before she shot, and even designated the hospital. Yoshikawa looked at the pistol that could fire at anytime, not stopping as she walked forward. It seemed like she practically ignored her own safety. She had come there to protect these children. Ever since the ''experiment'' had failed, everyone wanted to push the responsibility to others, but she seemed to have forgotten about protecting herself. Facing the pistol that could fire at anytime, she didn''t feel fear at all. She had only one goal, and that was to return the children that were involved in the ''experiment'' to the world they should be in. Was it really just being naive? Couldn''t this be considered kindness?" "...Why?" Amai squeezed his voice out, "I don''t understand. This isn''t like you. You can''t possibly do this. You always measure up the probability of chance and risks. Is the chance presented by this act enough to topple that balance in your heart?" "If I have to answer, I''ll say that I hate to use this method of thought. I don''t want to see myself succeed like this. But ever since I was little, I''ve had a wish. Even if it''s just once, I just wanted to do something really kind and not just naive." Yoshikawa Kikyou gave a lonely smile as she walked forward. Both of them were less than 3m apart from each other. "Actually, I never wanted to be a researcher." Yoshikawa added on, mocking herself, "Unbelievable, isn''t it?" Hearing this, Amai Ao was extremely surprised, for he knew that Yoshikawa was really talented. "I wanted to be a school teacher. But I didn''t want to have that kind of inflexible position of being a lecturer or a professor. I wanted to remember every single student''s face, and for every student to come to me if they had any problems. I wanted to run around for a student, not asking for any favours in return. To always smile and act strong, yet cry out loud during a graduation ceremony and get ridiculed by my students. I just wanted to be a kind teacher. Of course, I understand that someone naive yet unkind like me has no right to teach others anything, so I''ve already given up on that." Yoshikawa smiled. Both of them were only 1m away. At that moment, Yoshikawa knelt on one leg. She wanted to make herself reach Amai''s level, who was sitting down on the ground, making sure that their eyes were at the same height, as if she was talking to a child. "However, I thought, I won''t be able to give it up completely. Just once, I want to do something really kind, and not just naive. Like a teacher, I want to run about for a child." Yoshikawa said firmly, "That''s simply it." Both of their pistols were pressed at each other''s chest. Actually, she knew that Accelerator was unable to return to the ordinary world. The fact that he had killed 10,000 Sisters remained, and that may not have been all there was to it. Although he had tremendous power, the wielder of that power had an unstable heart. If he was not careful, he could end up causing much more damage to humanity. But Yoshikawa Kikyou still earnestly prayed. The strongest esper whose real name no one remembered bet his own life to save a girl, and was even willing to take a bullet to the head. The boy knew that he wouldn''t be able to live together with that girl, knowing that that girl who was living under the sunlight wouldn''t have any reason to be with him, but he never gave up. No matter what, the boy wouldn''t give the girl up. Until the end, the boy chose the kind option, and not to protect himself. He knew that it was too late, but the boy had finally realised that he could have a choice. The boy understood the significance of protecting others with his own hands. Yoshikawa wanted to protect that kindness in the boy''s heart. Yoshikawa was unable to accept that the results of that kind action would be such a cruel ending. "It''s over, Amai Ao." The two people put their fingers on the triggers of the pistols that were pressed onto each other''s chest. "You should be afraid of dying alone. If you want to drag someone down, bring me along. No matter what, I won''t allow you to do anything to those children. This is my once in a lifetime request of kindness." "Humph." Amai chuckled. Since Academy City and the opposing force wouldn''t accept him, he had no hope for the future. "It seems like ''kindness'' doesn''t fit you." He happily muttered. The force of their fingers were exerted on the triggers. "Right now, you can be called ''strong''." The two shots hit each other''s chest. The bullets pierced through their bodies and flew out from Amai and Yoshikawa''s backs. August 31 8:57pm. END Volume 5, 4: A Certain Freeloading Forbidden Index. Arrow_Made_of_AZUSA. Volume 5, Chapter 4: A Certain Freeloading Forbidden Index. Arrow_Made_of_AZUSA. Part 1 August 31, 3:15pm. Academy City. The esper development city that was developed in Western Tokyo. It took up one third the size of Tokyo, and had a population of 2.3 million people. 80% of the residents were students. The ''powers'' of the students could be classified into 6 levels, from Level 0 to Level 5. In this city, the ''powers'' weren''t some abnormal spiritual power or anything. The ''powers'' here had a scientific basis, and after a certain level of training, anyone could obtain one. In a corner of this extremely conspicuous city, there was a student dormitory. The ordinary High School student Kamijou Touma was staying in this student dormitory, surrounded by summer vacation homework and grasping his head alone in agony. SAVE ME! DAMN IT! WHAT IS THIS FACTORIZATION ABOUT!? A MATHS PROBLEM HAS 2 ANSWERS!? WHAT NONSENSE!? Kamijou cried out in agony as he bent his body back as if he was trying to escape from the maths problems on the short glass table. He was a weirdo who would start to mutter to himself once he met difficulty. But even if he managed to deal with the ''mathematics'', there was the book review assignment of ''modern Japanese'' and ''English assignments'' waiting for him, which caused Kamijou''s mind to almost sink into distress. (Uu...) Kamijou lay on the floor and stared at his own right hand. The Imagine Breakerthe power that was hidden in Kamijou''s right hand. Any ''supernatural power'', no matter whether it was an electrical shot of 1 billion volts or flames more than 3,000 degrees Celsius would be erased by his right hand and vanish without a trace. But such a great ability wasn''t of any use in completing a summer assignment. Right now, it was August 31, 3:15pm 00 seconds. This is a disaster...Kamijou said half-seriously with tears in his heart. It could only be said that when it rains, it pours. He had gone out this morning to the convenience store to buy canned coffee, only to find out that they were sold out. And then he had been held up by Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado, and then he was forced by Mikoto to act as her lover, and then he was attacked and chased all over the city by that Aztec magician, who was disguised as Unabara Mitsuki. He hadn''t made any progress in his homework at all. As he turned around to look, he could see a girl who was staring intently at the television and a stupid cat who was burying itself into the bag of potato chips and wolfing the food in large gulps. Both of them seemed to be mocking him. The girl''s name was Index. It was an abbreviation of the ridiculously long name ''Index Librorum Prohibitorum''. The girl had white skin, silver hair, green eyes and foreigner''s features; and she was also wearing a really glamorous white nun habit that had gold embroidery on it, making it look like a teacup. She was completely in a 19th century Victorian atmosphere. Actually, he didn''t know what a Victorian style was, he just randomly said it. One could tell from her appearance that she was not a resident of Academy City, the leader of the science world. And her position right now was of the complete opposite; she was of the magical world that was full of mystics. She was a little different from a magical girl one would commonly think of, but that was not the only troublesome thing. It was because she was the only person in the world who had obtained all forms of magical knowledge in the entire world through ''a certain method''. The authentic magical girl was now staring at the television and nodding her head away. On a side note, what was on the television was a magical girl cartoon that was airing (summer vacation rerun). I see, so this Magical Powered Kanamin normally dresses like a student. No wonder even the Albigensian Crusaders of the Roman Catholic Church couldn''t even get a trace of her. But what''s that staff that gives out rainbow light...ah! It must be a wand that''s the 5th cursed tool ''Lotus Wand'' that includes the 5 elements and remade with modern materials! Ohh, as expected of Japan! Such impressive Japanese magic. You''re wrong, that''s just the mental food of otakus that Japan is so proud of. Kamijou wanted to say something to the magical girl (the authentic one) who was staring at the television intently, but he thought that he should ignore it. Right now, he should focus on his homework. I say, I won''t stop you from watching the television or talking, but you should at least lower the volume of the TV and speak softer! Right now, a tiny distraction for me is fatal enough! What! Index unhappily turned her head back and said, It''s because Touma won''t play with me that I could only watch the TV. And where did you go at noon? What was that phone call about? Don''t tell me that Touma''s acting like usual and went to fight with a magician secretly without telling me? Ah, no, don''t worry don''t worry, there wasn''t any fight this time. We settled it through diplomatic means. Hm, the Aztecs really have a gentlemanly attitude. Then which unfortunate girl did Touma help this time? Stop entering your own world! Since when did this ''I fight...save an unfortunate girl'' formula appear? Kamijou shouted, only to see Index looking extremely tired and sighing. Oh well, no point talking about the past. But Touma, I was neglected for an entire morning, so I could only enter the TV world to escape from reality. Alright, then let''s play the holiday homework game. I''ll take maths, you''ll take English. ..I don''t want to play such a stupid game. Index sighed again and said, Oh yeah, Touma, thank you for your manga. I placed the ones I borrowed over there. ThereOI! Kamijou was speechless. The manga that should have been placed on the bookshelf were scattered all over the floor as if they had met an earthquake. Wh-why!? Why did you find more things for me to do in this situation!? Since you took them to read, you should put them back into their places, right? Don''t worry, I remember where to put each book. Index casually said as she continued to watch the television. Kamijou lowered his shoulders and sighed. The environment of the entire place was really to let one see ''where the items are''. To someone who could remember ''where the things should be put'' flawlessly, it was meaningless to put the manga back in order. Index was a library of magician books; 103,000 magical grimoires from all over the world like ''The Golden Bough'', The ''Book of M'', the ''Book of Hermes'', the ''Secret Teachings'' and the ''Tetrabiblos'' were memorized in her brain. To her, even if the room was messed up, she could instantly remember the location of every single book. But is this the attitude you should show after borrowing from others? Eh? But it''s easier to look for stuff like this. Index didn''t look happy as she said, Besides, Touma, you don''t consider where you should put your stuff when you arrange your room, so that''s why you can''t find your ball-point pen so often. If you don''t believe me, let me ask you, Touma, where''s your Ancient Literature assignment? Eh? Kamijou sat up and looked on the glass table. It was not that. The large stack of Ancient Literature assignment that he had finally finished and stapled had disappeared. Ah? Wait a minute! Where did that Ancient Literature assignment I just finished go to? In this situation, the stuff will appear in unexpected places. STOP STANDING AROUND WITH A GENTLE SMILE WHILE WATCHING THE SHOW! PLEASE HELP ME LOOK FOR IT! Kamijou''s cry of agony rang throughout the student dormitory. Logically speaking, it should have been in the room. But for some reason, Kamijou had a feeling that he wouldn''t be reunited with his Ancient Literature assignment. Part 2 August 31, 4:00pm. There was almost nobody on the streets on August 31. As 80% of the population were students, and today was the last day of summer vacation, most of the residents were in their dormitories, frantically trying to finish the summer vacation assignments that they hadn''t completed. Only the wind turbines, that had replaced the electric cables, were spinning in a lonely manner. A man was silently walking on this hot summer empty street. This man who was standing on the empty street didn''t look normal. In the hot late August under the blazing sun, the man was wearing a black Western suit, and even his tie was black. The man was rather burly, and his thick muscles were still obvious even when they were under a shirt. In such hot weather, he was not sweating at all, keeping his eyes closed as if it was cool. He looked like some yakuza member or someone who had just attended a yakuza funeral. However, the burly man had something on his right wrist that was unrelated to a yakuza funeral. A Japanese-style armour that had a black Japanese bow on it that looked like an Arbalest. Through that complicated design, he could pull the bow with one hand and shoot the arrow. The mysterious man''s name was Yamisaka Ouma. He was not bound by the rules of Science. In other words, he was a magician. Index Librorum Prohibitorum. The burly man said a string of Latin fluently. It was a name any magician would have heard of. The girl who had 103,000 magical grimoires in her head. Any magician knew that by obtaining such knowledge, they could change the rules of the world and fulfill every single wish. Thus, there were magicians all over the world who wanted that girl for themselves. Hm, still far away. Yamisaka muttered to himself, not hesitating as he walked on. He had quite the battle just to enter this city. Not only was Academy City surrounded by walls, but there were also Anti-Skill members who specialized in preventing intruders from entering. Yamisaka hadn''t killed those Anti-Skill members, but the wounded Anti-Skill members could suffer from some after-effects. He understood this clearly, but he never stopped in his tracks. Since he had come this far, if he gave up now, it would be too rude to the people he had hurt. Since he wanted to do this, he had to make sure he finished it. Yamisaka Ouma continued to walk down the street with heat waves all over it. He had only one aim, a certain room of a certain student dormitory. Part 3 August 31, 5:05pm. Just when it was about time for dinner, they finally found the missing Ancient Literature homework. Index, who found it, laughed and said, Ohhoho, to think that it was hidden in the pile of manga. Aren''t I great, Touma? Shouldn''t you be saying something to me? DIDN''T YOU MESS UP THOSE MANGA? MESSING THEM UP IS STILL A BAD THING! ARRANGE THAT PILE OF MANGA ONTO THE BOOKSHELF! AND THEN APOLOGIZE TO ME! It had nothing to do with manga. Sphynx took it away. On a side note, Sphynx was a calico cat Kamijou was raising. Of course, it was not the mysterious beast that would kill people who couldn''t think fast. As for the culprit cat, it was attracted by a 3-minute cooking show on the television, and was pawing at the television. Kamijou sighed seriously. Right now, it was about 5pm. There was less than 7 hours before the date changed. Even if he rushed through an all-nighter, there was less than 15 hours left till school started. Could he really finish all the maths questions, English assignment and Modern Literature? It was really a waste to spend so much time looking for the Ancient Literature assignment, Kamijou thought in despair. But on the other side, Index, who couldn''t get Kamijou''s praise, seemed to be unhappy as well. Touma, Touma! I helped out, so I should be able to get a reward, right? I want to eat delicious stuff! Make what they''re cooking for today''s dinner! ... Kamijou stared silently at the television. Maybe it was because it was summer vacation, the 3-minute cooking show was introducing how to make a tofu hamburger to make children happy. Kamijou then slowly turned his neck around and stared at Index. His lips made a mysterious smile. ...Are you complaining of having such a long life? Why are you so rash? Touma, you should be hungry, which is why you''re getting angry so easily. Don''t you want to eat that? Of course I want to, but haven''t I been emphasizing it for so long, that I don''t have time to do that? Your brain will become rigid if you give yourself too much pressure. You should occasionally rest once in a while. Uuu! Those completely kind words are making me hate my itchy mouth... Okay okay, Touma, stop grasping your head and wailing about. Eh? Where did your maths problems go off to? Eh? Touma stared at the short glass table. It wasn''t there. Part 4 August 31, 5:30pm. Yamisaka Ouma was standing in front of the student dormitory and he looked up at the 7th level. However, his eyes were tightly shut, so one might wonder what significance this action had. It''s here. After Yamisaka muttered to himself, he activated the mechanism of the armour on his right hand. The bow on the armour was activated through the automatic mechanism. But this black Japanese-styled bow had no arrow. Fuuma no Gen. Yamisaka let go of the bow string without any hesitation. With a ripping sound, the sharp sound of the thin string being snapped echoed throughout the silence so clearly that one might have been shocked. BOOM! A ferocious roar of wind whipped up beside Yamisaka. A large mass of air formed up in the size of a beach ball in front of him, but it was transparent and colourless, so the naked eye couldn''t see it. Yamisaka jumped up on both legs and landed on the mass of air. Chi! His legs effortlessly crushed the mass of air, flattening it. BAM! With the loud sound of the air expanding, Yamisaka''s body jumped up with shocking momentum. His body flew up vertically, scaling several metres of the student dormitory wall. Once he reached the targeted levelKamijou Touma''s room on the 7th level, he grabbed onto the parapet of the balcony to prevent himself from flying further up. He then stood on the parapet and pulled his bow. Shouda no Gen. BOOM! With the sound of the bow string being plucked, a transparent metal-like ball smashed the thin glass windows to smithereens. The scattering of the broken glass sounded like some high-pitched scream. The numerous pieces of glass scattered into the room like a torrent. Someone may have ended up severely hurt if the person had stood near the window, but Yamisaka didn''t care about that. He stepped into the room, preparing to take Index away. However, No one''s here? Yamisaka was shocked that no one was in the room. In order to confirm that, he checked the bathroom as well, but there was really no one around. It seemed like they had just gone out. Yamisaka tilted his head, and looked dejected as he walked back to the balcony. The shattered glass windows were scattered everywhere, but the magician didn''t care at all about that. Hm. Yamisaka awkwardly scratched his head, and then muttered, Souma no Gen. The string resonated like a sonar. The soft sound of the string gradually became louder as it swept through the entire city, giving Yamisaka Index''s current location. Part 5 August 31, 6:00pm. ...I have a bad feeling about this. Kamijou Touma muttered to himself in the air-conditioned fast food chain restaurant. What was with this chill? Kamijou was extremely puzzled by it. He had locked the door, so there shouldn''t have been thieves about... Even though it was the 31st of August today, a lot of people were still coming out to the streets to eat. The fighters were in convenience stores, fast food restaurants and yakiniku restaurants, resting and preparing for war. They intended to finish their food before returning back to their study tables and continuing their long fights with their summer vacation homework. There was less than 6 hours before summer vacation ended. Touma, Touma! Can I choose anything? Can I choose anything from here? Index was sitting opposite Kamijou, looking at the extremely large menu. Her eyes were glowing like a child waiting for Santa Claus. On a side note, this restaurant chain had a shocking rule in that it allowed customers to bring their pets in, so the stupid cat was cuddled up on Index''s lap. Kamijou sighed. Kamijou had merely come to this restaurant with the intention of improving his mood (and save time on cooking). In other words, he intended to sit there and finish the summer vacation homework he hadn''t completedbut it seemed like the girl in front of him didn''t understand his feelings. Kamijou stared at the writing pad he had bought from the convenience store, and shook his head. He had originally intended to settle his Literature homework in one go, but it seemed like things weren''t looking so good. Touma! Touma, Touma! Can I choose anything? What do you want? Then I''m ordering! The most expensive one! ... Kamijou smiled and said, I understand. 2,000 yen worth of raw eggs? TOUMA! The girl cried out in protest. In the end, Kamijou ordered coffee, Index ordered Set Meal A, and the stupid Cat ordered ''Cat Special Meal C''. The most terrifying thing about this shop that allowed pets in was that they actually provided food for pets. There were also Dog Special Meals and Tortoise Special Meals. It would take some time for the food to be served. Kamijou took out his writing pad and mechanical pencil and started to write his Book Review. However... Touma, Touma, what Book Review are you writing? I''m writing about ''Momotarou'' this year. ...Eh... Hold on you foreign girl, you don''t understand anything about Momotarou, right? Momotarou''s a famous worldwide fairy tale that Japan is so proud of! It''s most suited for writing a Book Review during a summer vacation! Really, Touma, it seems like you really hate to read books. It''s even more normal than having to memorise every single word of 103,000 books. Index''s temple trembled. Then, she revealed a sweet smile that seemed like cheese just melted and said, Touma, Touma. What? Have you heard of the truth behind the Japanese fairy tales? Please don''t start on it! I''m just writing about a Momotarou book review! If I write some messed-up report, the Momotarou book review won''t be a Momotarou book review! And how did you know about the dark truth behind Momotarou? Sigh, you''re too na?ve, Touma. ''Momotarou'' is a real magic grimoire. The original is kept among the 103,000 magical grimoires. What? In Japanese culture, many ordinary lullabies or fairy tales are magic grimoires that are camouflaged. For example, in the story Momotarou, there''s actually no such person as ''Momotarou who was born from a peach''. Eh... Kamijou''s mind went blank. This was bad, Index was in explanation mode, but he couldn''t waste any time if he wanted to complete his homework. Ever since long ago, the river has been treated as the boundary between Life and Death. Floating on the river or crossing it indicates that one controls the power of Life and Death. Touma, If you can think of the boat that sends the dead through the River Styx, you can understand this. Sorry, sorry! Time out, time out! The correct interpretation of the story is that the peach that flowed down the River is a forbidden fruit that lets people surpasses Life and Death. In Eastern culture, there is mention of a fruit of Immortality. Of course, it''s the peach that the Queen Mother is protecting. The original Momotarou wasn''t ''born out of the peach'', but the grandpa and granny ate the fruit and became young. One can tell from this that this story is about the creation of an elixir of Immortality... Stop! Stop! End of the out-of-point magic theatre! Please look forward to Index-sensei''s lesson next time! Please let me finish my homework, will you? Index gave an unhappy ''humph'', but Kamijou didn''t care as he picked up the mechanical pencil and started to write. The writing of the essay was a lot slower than what he had expected. It seemed like writing this sort of thing wasn''t any different from writing a letter of reflection. Kamijou thought as he had barely managed to write three pieces of paper. Ho... After working so hard, Kamijou relaxed and exhaled. At this moment, as if it was pre-meditated, the waitress walked over and served the food. Sorry to keep you waiting. Here''s the coffee, Set Meal A and Cat Special meal C. Oh, it''s finally here. Kamijou moved to clear up the writing paper off the table. Suddenly, the waitress tripped without warning. Ah... Shocked, Kamijou could only watch as the tray of food landed on the table. The pile of food formed a hill on it. The hamburger steak that was the recommendation of the day was separated from the mini hot metal plate, and the metal plate landed directly on Kamijou''s thigh. Kamijou jumped up to let the metal plate drop, looking half-serious as he stared at the culprit, looking like he was about to cry. The waitress collapsed onto the floor, letting out a pitiful ''uu...'' sound. Everyone, if it were you, will you forgive this clumsy huge-breasted waitress? HOW CAN I FORGIVE HER! YOU DAMNED COW, I''M GOING TO LET YOU TAKE MY HELLISH ATTACK! Calm down, Touma! Calm...eh? Touma, where''s your assignment? ... It wasn''t there. Kamijou could only pray that the assignment wasn''t in that pile of hot food. Part 6 August 31, 6:32pm. Souma no Gen. Yamisaka continued to release the Seeking Demon''s Bow String. The resonance ripped through the air, telling Yamisaka Ouma that the target was rather near. ...It''s there. Yamisaka closed his eyes tightly and walked towards a restaurant. At the window facing the road, there were a boy and girl sitting. The time has come to step onto the battlefield. Yamisaka activated the complicated mechanism and pulled the bow with only one hand. The horn for battle has been blown, Danma no Gen. His bow was aimed at an innocent boy on the other side of the glass. Part 7 August 31 6:35pm. Kamijou Touma was completely worn out. The assignment that he managed to dig out from the pile of food was now all soggy, and he couldn''t even see the words on it. How could he hand in such a thing? At this moment, Kamijou was like a marathon runner who had just used up all his strength. And Index could only remain stone-faced as she said, Bu, but Touma, the words are still visible. You can just rewrite it on new writing paper, aren''t you feeling lucky that you don''t have to rewrite everything again? Yeah. Kamijou responded like he had just lost his soul. In fact, just rewriting these three pieces of paper was a tough job. Damn it...if I could only just use a computer to type it out. Kamijou looked down at the (barely) cleaned table and muttered to himself. It was a painful thing to write such a long essay, and writing each word down with a mechanical pencil made it even worse. It was alright if it were some normal notes, but his hand would hurt if he wrote quite a few pages. Ahhh... Kamijou casually looked out of the window. He had thought that the window would show his tired face, but on looking closer, he found that something was not right. There was a burly man in a black suit near the glass window, staring at him and Index. No, more accurately, the burly man''s eyes were shut. At first, Kamijou thought that the burly man was using the glass window as a mirror to comb his hair. However, how could there be anyone in the world who wouldn''t open his eyes when facing a mirror? (What''s this guy doing?) Kamijou wondered. At this moment, the burly man at the window seemed to be muttering something. His attitude was as gentle as if he had just seen an old friend he hadn''t met for decades. However, The burly man pointed what looks like a bow attached on his right hand at Kamijou, !? Just as Kamijou stood up from the chair, the bow fired, The bow was definitely not loaded, but the next moment, the huge glass window between the burly man and Kamijou was shattered by some mysterious force. Also, it was not just one steel wire-like force as the glass was shattered into pieces. Blades of air that could cut even sound. The numerous blades swung about wildly, cutting the table into numerous pieces and gliding past Index''s nose-tip. However, the glass that was shattered didn''t fly back, but landed directly on the floor. Before that stupid cat on Index''s lap stood up, the storm of blades came attacking Kamijou. The customers nearby stood up, ready to shout out. These people could respond so quickly to such a ridiculous power because it was a city of espers. But no one shouted out. DONG! The blades of air that came at Kamijou were negated by his right hand. Imagine Breaker. That was the power that was hidden in Kamijou Touma''s right hand. Any ''supernatural power'', no matter whether it was esper or magic, would vanish on contact with his right hand. Seeing the mysterious power of Kamijou''s right hand, the people nearby held their breaths in shock and almost forgot to shout out. Kamijou, who had been attacked by numerous blades, was actually unharmed. A storm whipped up. It seemed to be the devastation caused by the blades or air, which didn''t seem to be vacuum, but air coagulated together. Also, the blades of air weren''t fired out one shot at a time, but gathered in something similar to a small tornado. The moment Kamijou''s right hand touched it, the entire mini-tornado was negated completely. Kamijou bared his fangs and glared out of the broken window. Toma no GenI''m here. But the burly man who should have been standing outside the window was now standing behind Kamijou from who knew when. Kamijou''s body froze up, unable to move. The burly man with his eyes tightly shut seemed to be rather satisfied with that response, and sighed as he said, Though I''m rather surprised by this outcome, it''s a good thing to avoid having to kill recklessly. Surrender to me quickly. If you do so, I won''t hurt you. Once I get the thing I want, I''ll leave quickly AAHHHHH!! LOOK WHAT YOU''VE DONE! MY BOOK REVIEW BECAME A PILE OF SCRAPS!!! Kamijou''s roar interrupted the burly man''s voice. The burly man revealed a puzzled look on his face. He probably never expected this. Most likely, he probably wished that everyone would be more serious in this situation. But Kamijou didn''t care about that. Kamijou stared at the rippedno, the essay assignment that had been shredded thoroughly with teary eyes, and said, YOU! IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU DID THAT, BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT! GIVE ME BACK A BOOK REVIEW! THE TOPIC IS MOMOTAROU, THREE PIECES OF PAPER! THE CONTENT MUST BE GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THE LITERATURE AWARD FOR SCIENCE!! Who cares about you? ...Alright, this Kamijou-sama today is a little angry right now, you know? Kamijou sneered, but it seemed the burly man had disappeared into thin air. Wha, at? He looked around. The burly man appeared behind Index. Let''s deal with this fast. No time to play with kids. The burly man grabbed Index''s from behind. It was just a slight touch, yet Index''s body went stiff as if she had been electrocuted, not moving at all. The stupid cat frantically ran away, pulling away from the burly man. What''s that guy trying to do? Kamijou wondered. The burly man seemed to be targeting Index. It was true that Index was a rather special person. Her brain had 103,000 magic grimoires, and she was basically a walking treasure trove. But in Academy City, where Science was everything, she should have been useless to espers. If that was the case, this man who wanted to get Index was... You''re, a magician? Another ''supernatural power'', completely different from esper powers. Magicians. That''s right. The anonymous man clearly confirmed Kamijou''s suspicions. I really don''t know what you''re doing here, you dangerous guy, using invisible blades to cut people up and then sexually harassing a girl from behind? Don''t you know there''s a law called the Youth lifestyle protection guidelines? You pedophile! You''re asking what I think about this? But the burly man just casually smiled. Since she''s the Index with 103,000 grimoires, my aim should be obvious, right? The burly man holding Index suddenly vanished into thin air without any warning. Toma no Gen. Only these words could be heard beside him. Is this...similar to teleportation? Ah damn it! You never denied that you''re a pedophile! You''re just doing that for your own personal interest! Like a drowning person wanting to grasp some straw, Kamijou grabbed at where the burly man had been standing. His right hand missed, but his left hand seemed to grab something soft in what was appeared to be empty air. KYAAAH!! There wasn''t supposed to be anything there, yet he could hear Index scream, To, TOOOOOOOUUUUUUMMMMMAAA! WHERE ARE YOU GRABBING!!? Ah? Kamijou grabbed again at something soft in what was supposed to be empty space. It seemed like there was still something in the space that didn''t look like it had anything. It seemed that the burly man had used some skill to hide himself, and he just couldn''t see him. The man let out a ''tch'' sound in the end. Kamijou believed that he got it right. Index and that burly man hadn''t left the scene through teleportation. They were still there, it was just that he couldn''t see them. In other words, the burly man and Index were still standing in that space that ''didn''t look like anything was still there''. In other words. What was this soft thing Kamijou Touma was grabbing onto? ...Ah? Kamijou''s mind instantly went blank. At this moment, a burly man''s hand suddenly appeared from the air near him as though it had just appeared from a screen. The burly man''s right wrist had a bow on it. Danma no Gen. On hearing the burly man mutter, Kamijou instinctively let go of his hand from what was not supposed to be there. A blade of air sliced through where he had been and hacked at the floor like a guillotine. Damn it, I got checkmated there! Kamijou frantically swung his hand, but he couldn''t find anything They got away. Damn it! Kamijou grabbed the neck of the stupid cat. Kamijou was really worried about Index. Her brain contained 103,000 grimoires, so she was basically a walking magical library. With those grimoires, it was said that one could distort the rules of the whole world and accomplish whatever they wanted. If that man wanted the grimoires, he might harm her in order to obtain the knowledge. (This is ridiculous--) Kamijou grit his teeth and thought, (--It''s just because she memorised those 103,000 grimoires, so what? It''s ridiculous that she got treated violently because of that!) Kamijou clicked his tongue and turned around, ready to run out. But he saw the smiling waitress (with a cold expression in her eyes) standing right in front of him. And that waitress seemed to have switched from the clumsy busty girl to a hi-mobility fighter girl. Please wait a minute, mister. Ah? Kamijou again inspected his surroundings. The huge glass windows was opened like butter, and the restaurant table had been cut up into pieces. Kamijou didn''t know how much all these cost, but he knew that they were even more expensive than ordinary furniture. ...Ah... Kamijou''s lips curled. The muscular shopkeeper walked out from inside the shop with a smile on his face. Part 8 August 31 7:30pm. DAMN IT! THAT BASTARD! I''LL MURDER THAT PEDOPHILE!! Kamijou grabbed the stupid cat and ran around in the dark alleys. Of course, he ran away from the restaurant. The muscular shopkeeper, smiling waitress and a few of those brave and kind customers had chased him around for about an hour, causing him to sneak here and duck there up till now, and he still didn''t know whether he had managed to shake them all. Summer vacation homework wasn''t important now, this commotion would get him expelled. Fufu...fufufu, fufufufufufufu!! Running around in the dark alleys, Kamijou let out a dangerous smirk. Right now, Kamijou''s rage was at its limit. There was already so little time left, and just when he was rushing through his homework, he actually got disturbed by a real pedophile, causing him to get blamed and also possibly end up being expelled. It was no wonder he was infuriated. (Speaking of which, is she going to be alright?) Kamijou sighed. Though Index was affiliated to the witchhunting section Necessarius of the Anglican Church, Kamijou was suspicious whether or not that pint-sized girl had any combat abilities. Kamijou really wanted to get Index back from that pervert, but he couldn''t find a clue. (Alright, now what?) Just as Kamijou was tilting his head and racking his brain, the cat in his arms suddenly jumped out and landed on the floor. Without looking back at Kamijou, it ran forward. Ah, oi! Wait a minute! Just as Kamijou was really bothered by this, he suddenly remembered something. It''s said that cats have an acute sense of smell. No wait, that''s not right, the ones with acute sense of smell are dogs, right? No wait, it should still be more alert than humans. No wait, he only heard of police dogs and no police cats, right? Damn it, is it sensitive or not!? Full of question marks in his mind, Kamijou decided to run behind the calico cat and try it out. Perhaps it could hear or sniff out Index''s position. The stupid cat was moving really fast. Kamijou could only squeeze out all his strength as he followed the cat, trying not to lose it. He continued to run, and run, and run. Finally, the place the stupid cat arrived at it... ...Oi, isn''t this the back door of a hotel? The hotel was actually more of a multi purpose building. There were department stores, restaurants, guest rooms, indoor play parks and spas; it could be said to have everything. But basically, it was still an international hotel enterprise. Kamijou looked up at the wall of the ''hotel'', and had a bad feeling about this. Did that pedophile really bring Index to such a place? If that were the case, this would be a real unrivalled pervert. Thinking about this, Kamijou''s face went green. At this moment, Kamijou glanced, and saw the stupid cat looking for something. ? Kamijou casually looked over. The stupid cat climbed up a plastic bin, and used his front feet to open the lid cleanly and buried his entire face into the bin and searching. Kamijou again looked up at this building. It was a rather large hotel. Basically, Academy City used an exclusion policy, so many people may think that the city didn''t need any hotels, but actually, there were some hotels set up for student activities. And in order to boost Academy City''s image, these hotels were ridiculously posh (of course, besides these, there practically wouldn''t be any guests living here. So to make up for the losses, they could only set up secondary enterprises like department stores or indoor play parks). Of course, the restaurants in this building were highly rated. The trash thrown from the restaurant should have been a lot more classy than normal... You bastard--! You don''t know how to be grateful to your master!? Index even brought you back! Kamijou roared at the cat, but the stupid cat merely purred. The conclusion was: A stupid cat is just a stupid cat. Part 9 August 31 8:15pm. In fact, Yamisaka Ouma was standing on the roof of the hotel the stupid cat wouldn''t budge from. He was sitting on the floor with his back leaning on the water tower. Index was tied up and lying on her side. Yamisaka looked up at the sky and clicked his tongue. According to the information he had, there may be satellites monitoring the inside and surroundings of Academy City, but up till now, he hadn''t even gotten a single disturbance, let alone disruption. The security system in Academy City couldn''t be this inept; it seemed that they were just waiting for now. (...Doesn''t matter anyway, I''ll just break through their trap after I get what I want.) Yamisaka already knew that it would end up like this, so he didn''t feel surprised. He sighed and opened his tightly shut eyes. Right now, if there had been anyone nearby, they would have been so shocked that they would forget to breathe. He didn''t have any terrifying expression, nor does he have any unique prosthetic eyes. His eyes were so normal. Those eyes didn''t match the image of a self-proclaimed magician fighter in a black suit. It was a pair of pure eyes that could only be suited for a boy who hadn''t seen the dark side of the world. Yamisaka took out a photo from his suit. The person in the photo was a woman who was unrelated to Yamisaka. She was older than Yamisaka by 2 or 3 years, and she was at an age where she could no longer be called a girl. She was extremely skinny, and had white skin, and she gave the impression that she would faint if she stood under a hot summer sun for more than 30 minutes. In fact, this impression wasn''t wrong. She had already been ill when he had first met her. Also, what she had wasn''t an ordinary illness, but a cursed disease that the medical world couldn''t figure out. In terms of Eastern context, it was like some voodoo spell that was cast using a mirror and a sword, and in Western context, it was a magic that was ''similar to a curse''. However, it didn''t matter what they called it; basically, this woman was in a condition where there was no cure for her, and she could die any second. But the dying woman didn''t ask Yamisaka to save her. That woman couldn''t do anything, and could only reveal a tired smile. Yamisaka and that woman weren''t related. They weren''t relatives nor friends. Both of them would occasionally talk to each other in the garden of the hospital, and that woman didn''t even realise that Yamisaka''s a magician. Yamisaka didn''t even have any need to step up for that woman. There was no reason for him to risk his life. But to Yamisaka, up till then, he had always thought that magicians were all-powerful. It was because he hadn''t wanted to face any setbacks that he swore to be a magician. Yamisaka didn''t care whether that woman was dead or alive. But if he couldn''t even save a dying woman, could he call himself ''all-powerful''? Could he still boast that he ''wouldn''t meet any setbacks'' again? He wouldn''t be stopped by such a simple thing. He wouldn''t let such a simple thing force him to give up on his goal. It was just that. It was just a simple idea. ...Humph. Yamisaka placed the photo back into his Western suit. He then closed his eyes as if he was shutting off all human emotions. He lifted his head up. To Yamisaka, whose 5 senses had been enhanced, closing one or two of his five senses wouldn''t be a hindrance to him. Index was right in front of him. The girl who was presumably all tied up should be still lying on the concrete surface, but she got right up, sitting down cross-legged and giving an unhappy look. Hm, that was surprising. You managed to undo two knots within such a short time. Rope binding spells aren''t my speciality, but it''s not easy for a lesser demon to escape from my ropes. Though the ropes that were intertwined on Index were as thin as cables, they were authentic Shimenawa (literally: enclosing ropes). In other words, she was locked in a very small boundary. Facing such a perilous situation, Index didn''t show any fear on hear face. Thus the rope is a culture of torture that the Japanese came up with, such an erratic manner of tying isn''t going to force me to say anything. The girl said casually. Rope binding. Though it looked ordinary, it was a cruel method of torture that was so powerful it could kill. For example, when one tied a convict''s wrists up and left him for two days, the convict would see the palms start to swell because of the lack of blood flow. At that point, the psychological torture could be a lot worse than the physical torture. Index glared at Yamisaka. In fact, the girl who kept the 103,000 grimoires in her head was already used to this kind of crisis. So her body had some sort of resistance. For example, she could adjust her breathing to let her enter a state of anemia to decrease the pain. But the effect was still limited. If her blood flow was sealed up and she saw her hands and feet start to rot, she didn''t believe that she could maintain her sanity. Of course, nobody has this belief. Although Index had another defence system that even she didn''t know of, unfortunately, this system had been destroyed by that boy''s right hand. At that moment, Yamisaka sighed. I see. As expected of an Anglican Church member of the branch that specializes in hunting witches and torture. You won''t submit even if you turn into ash? ...Turn into ash...That''s a lousy way of hinting. No, I don''t have that idea at all. In fact, I don''t intend to torture you. If you don''t intend to torture me, why did you tie me up so tightly? Such a method of tying me is pressing down on my blood vessels and lungs. If you don''t intend to kill me, you could have just tied my thumbs slightly so that I can''t move. I see. As expected of an expert. Yamisaka casually replied, and he reached his hand out to undo a few of Index''s knots according to her directions. Such an action shocked Index. As an enemy, he was really too nice. But Yamisaka merely said casually, I said it before, I''m not here to torture you. But he added on, But I do want to take away a grimoire from your head. Index glared angrily at Yamisaka. It was her responsibility to protect the 103,000 grimoires in her head. Alright. Facing the girl''s stare, Yamisaka looked rather carefree and said, It''ll take some time to prepare. I have to prepare a boundary to increase the effects first. Part 10 August 31, 9:21pm. He had wasted a lot of time with the distraction the stupid cat had made. Kamijou grabbed the stupid cat''s neck as he continued to sprint wildly in the night street. As it was past dinner time, the students who had been outside had disappeared like a low tide. The only sounds that could be heard on this empty street came from a cable broadcast and a row of television sets in the front of an electronics shop. In a customer-less convenience store, a man who looked like a student was just standing about at the cashier. (This is bad. It''s been so long, things have probably gotten bad by now.) Kamijou exhaled, hoping that he could ease his anxiety. The burly man who took Index away probably didn''t want to kill her...probably. If that was the case, he shouldn''t cause any harm to her. But that didn''t mean that the situation was looking good. Right now, the most troublesome thing was that Kamijou didn''t even have any clues. No matter how he continued to run forward, he had a feeling that he was running further and further away. No matter what he did, it would just add on to his anxiety. (And the problem is that I can''t stand around at the same place! Damn it, is my method of running to make up for the lack of information not enough!?) That white nun really gives so many problems! Kamijou cursed as he turned around the corner with such momentum. A girl who was coming around the corner nearly knocked into him. AHHH!! Wha, what are you doing here!? The girl who didn''t sound like a girl had shoulder length tea-coloured hair and a look that didn''t want to admit defeat. She had a grey pleated skirt, a short-sleeved shirt and a thin summer jacket. I finally found you! Why did you leave me behind and run off with that fake Unabara!? What happened to you during the day? It seems like you got involved in the tower collapse incident. Are you hurt? Really, if you''re alright, you should have called me to tell me that you''re alright...eh? Don''t you know my mobile phone number? Misaka Mikoto. An elite student in the famed esper development school Tokiwadai Middle School, and one of the 7 Level 5 espers in Academy City. She was a girl with the electromaster ability, and the electric shocks she released from her bangs could reach 1 billion volts. Kamijou and her were more rivals than friends, but right now, Kamijou didn''t have time to bother with her as he turned around the corner. Completely ignored, Mikoto shouted, E, EH!? OI, WAIT UP! WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME!? Kamijou heard Mikoto shout at him, but he ignored her. He continued to run. OI! THAT''S TOO MUCH ALREADY!! Kamijou decided to ignore her completely. There was no reason for her to get involved in this. You, better pay attentionalways making people angry... Pa! Kamijou could hear sparks from behind. Shocked, he turned back to see Mikoto''s bangs let out blueish-white sparks. Like what was just described, Mikoto''s shocks could reach 1 billion volts. If the title ''Railgun'' wasn''t legendary enough, perhaps a natural electric shock could be understood more easily. Kamijou stretched his right hand out. Any supernatural power, whether esper or magic could be negated by this right hand on contact. Though Kamijou knew that his right hand could negate Mikoto''s railgun, he still found it terrifying. Besides, if he didn''t negate it completely, the aftermath couldn''t even be imagined. PAM! Mikoto''s bangs let out some blueish-white electrical flashes. BOOM! The sparks instantly ripped through the air. !? But the sparks weren''t aimed at Kamijou, instead they hit a nearby cleaning robot which just so happened to be cleaning up some chewing gum on the ground. In a moment, the sound generator of the cleaning robot started to explode from inside. BAM! The shockwave-like impact destroyed the sound generator, causing the glass doors of the nearby department stores to tremble. Of course Kamijou, who was just within the vicinity of this ear-deafening power, was severely affected. The shockwave went through his ears and into his body, robbing him of his balance and causing him to stumble about. He could only stop and shake his head that was in chaos thoroughly. Even the stupid cat in Kamijou''s hand went from a cute ''nyanya'' cry of complaint to an agitated ''KYAKYA!'' that was like a scream. And this time, Mikoto seemed to be satisfied that Kamijou stopped and said, Humph you finally stopped. Really, almost knocking into me, and you didn''t even say sorry. Really, you...eh? What''s wrong? Why do you look like you''re about to cry!? I''M REALLY IN A HURRY, YOU KNOW!! I HAVE TO SETTLE MY HOMEWORK AND A KIDNAPPING AND A RESTAURANT INCIDENT WHERE I ENDED UP EATING A FREE MEAL!!! PLEASE TRY AND UNDERSTAND FOR NOW, WILL YOU!!? Almost giving up, Kamijou roared, causing Mikoto to be taken aback. But he didn''t care, and continued, WHAT IS IT? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT WITH ME!? IF THERE IS, PLEASE ANSWER WITHIN 40 SECONDS AFTER THE BEEP! BEEP!! Eh? Ah? What.? It''s nothing, it''s just that I''m a little angry that you ignored me. It''s nothing much...nothing much at all... EXCUSE ME!!! Kamijou turned around and sprinted away from Mikoto. If he calmly analysed this, he could have gotten hints that she seemed to have feelings for him, but right now, Kamijou didn''t have time to calmly analyse. Ah...wait! YOU''RE GOING OFF LIKE THIS? OI!! Kamijou heard Mikoto shouting at him, but he ignored it. And he continued to run. Part 11 August 31, 9:52pm. Index didn''t seem to be able to understand what was going on. At first, she had thought that the magician in front of her was an enemy, but he had tied Index up without any intention of hurting her. Right now, he was using some thin shimenawa to set up a boundary around her (it seemed like he was just being humble when he had said that rope binding wasn''t one of his specialities), ignoring Index completely, and only noticing in passing not to let Index escape. To a girl, it was disrespectful to be tied up and left aside, but from a prisoner''s point of view, this was already a treatment of the highest class. Torture in witchhunting was like squeezing out orange juice. Basically, it was about squeezing out the body (orange) and getting the information (juice). As for the orange that was squeezed, nobody would care about them. Those who would feel pity for the oranges wouldn''t think of imprisoning others right from the beginning. Of course, there were only a few individuals who could execute torture among the Anglican Church. People like Index, who never had any combat training, they couldn''t even hurt others. In fact, most of the inquisitors who attended a ''witch trial'' were either hypnotised or forced to drink potions to hide their insecurities. Only a few among the few could interrogate people with a completely clear mind. Index stared at the magician who was setting up the boundary in front of him. It seemed like he was a person who couldn''t squeeze an orange out. Was he weak-hearted? Or was it because... Part 12 August 31, 10:07pm. Huff! Huff! Kamijou tried to get away from Misaka Mikoto as he ran about like a headless fly, but right now, he still couldn''t find Index. Ahh, damn it! There''s only 2 hours before the day ends! What do I do with my assignments? IF I DON''T SETTLE THIS QUICKLY, I''LL KILL THAT DAMNED PEDOPHILE!!! Kamijou shouted out what sounded like some dangerous muttering to himself (or rather, shouting to himself), glaring viciously as he continued to run about in the darkness. But his shouting was just to hold back that insecurity that was rising within him. It had been several hours since Index had been taken away. (It''s too much to do this alone. Should I just ask security for help?) The security system in Academy City was different from ordinary policemen; they were made up of Anti-Skill and Judgement who specialised in taking on espers. Anti-Skill members consisted of teachers with modern age weapons, and Judgement members were chosen espers among the students. Even if the enemy hid himself to avoid detection, a mind reader could tell where the enemy went from what he had left behind at the scene of the crime. Besides, if he wanted to take Index back, it was safer to overcome the enemy with human-wave tactics. (But...) Kamijou grit his teeth. Index was a resident of the magic world, and not Academy City. She was like an illegal immigrant. If he asked them for help, there would most likely be other troublesome matters in the future. (What should I do?) Kamijou was in a fix. At that moment, an Anti-Skill member who was standing in front walked over at him. Kamijou wondered, ''do I look so panicky?'' Just as Kamijou was still undecided on whether he should discuss this with Anti-Skill, the male Anti-Skill member walked up to him. Before Kamijou could say anything, the Anti-Skill member spoke up, Were you the one who destroyed the glass of the restaurant in the 7th district? Eh? The shopkeeper reported the incident to us, and we let the mind reader extract the image of the person from his memory. Hold on, I seem to have seen you before. Oh, during the day, there was a tower collapse in the 7th district, and someone spotted you at the scene. Because of that, the 2nd level orange warning was issued. Don''t tell me the 1st level red warning after that was related to you... ...Eh. Kamijou carried a stiff smile and turned around. And then ran away for his dear life. Though he had let Tsuchimikado handle that magician who couldn''t go anywhere, it was unknown whether Tsuchimikado took care of him properly. As Kamijou thought of this, he started to flee from the scene at an amazing speed. Ah, oi! You! Stop right there! Who would listen to you? Kamijou sprinted down the road at a speed a star sprinter could be proud of. Can I shake that guy off? Did I shake him off? Hahaha, you slow Anti-Skill! Just as Kamijou was indulging in the delight of victory, a gunshot rang out behind him. Looking back, the Anti-Skill member had whipped out a.22 handgun that was smoking from the barrel. The first shot was a close one. That took guts. ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!? YOU DAMNED ANTI-SKILL, WHAT ARE YOU TREATING HUMAN LIFE AS!! Don''t worry, I respect the human rights of youths. That was a rubber bullet. So it wasn''t a blank...I''ll get a few bones broken if I get hit by them...: Kamijou cried out as he snuck into another alley. What time it was, whether he had finished his homework, those weren''t important anymore. Was Index safe? Part 13 August 31, 10:52pm. There were numerous ropes set up on the ropes. Looking from afar, it was like the many flags of different countries at an Olympics. With the water tower as the peak, the ropes extended out in all directions out to the railings on the edges of the tower. There were numerous talismans stuck onto the ropes, each made from washi paper and written in ink. Index, who was tied up and sitting on the floor, said in surprise, "Is that...a Kagura stage?" As what the name implies, a Kagura was a choreography that was meant to entertain the gods. "It''s not really something that impressive. It''s just a Bon Odori at most." It was basically a fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism, Yamisaka described. Now that he mentioned it, the water tower did look like a peak, and the ropes that extended down from the peak looked like rows of lanterns (but the bon odoris Index knew of was from the illustrations of books, and the habit of setting a peak and rows of lanterns were only a recent culture). Of course, a choreography couldn''t be compared to a mere dance. But in terms of the functions, the origin of a Bon Odori was to act as a dance to calm the souls of the dead--a Kagura and a Bon Odori were similar in this spiritual aspect. In a Bon Odori, people would prepare a special place. Everyone would then go around according to a specific guideline...this was to help interact with the spiritual world better. The Western demon worship spell ''Roshtein''s Corridor'' and the modern urban horror legend ''Squared Mountain Hut'' were developed in different settings under the same concept. (But why did he set up such a place? Is he trying to put something on me--it hurts!) Her butt seemed to have squashed something. Moving her body away to look, it was a mobile phone. Though Kamijou had given Index a free mobile phone, Index didn''t know how to use it. Right now, the phone''s screen was flashing for some reason. In order to avoid angering Yamisaka, Index moved the hand tied behind her back and grabbed the phone before hiding it well. It seemed that she had pressed a few buttons while doing so, but Index didn''t care. Luckily, Yamisaka didn''t seem to notice it. Yamisaka raised the bow on his right wrist and boasted, "Don''t worry. I just set up the boundary to increase this thing''s effectiveness. This bow was originally meant to be used for a Bon Odori." Index looked around and then compared what she saw to the knowledge in her head, and said, "...Azusayumi?" "That''s really impressive, that magic library in your brain even encompasses Japanese magic." An azusayumi--a ritual instrument in Japanese Shintoism. The purpose wasn''t to shoot arrows, but to use the pulling of the bow to make sounds. It was said that the impact could shake demons up. It was originally an instrument in a Kagura, and the aim was for the miko playing it to lead the dancers and make them more enthusiastic and the ritual more smooth flowing. "Originally, this bow''s power could only correct spiritual damage." Yamisaka pointed at the roof and said, "But if I can fulfil a set condition like this--I can read the target''s thoughts. That''s right, even the 103,000 grimoires you''re trying so hard to protect won''t be a secret any longer." Index was shocked. The next moment, with the numerous intertwined ropes as centre, the entire space let out a dim glow. Yamisaka tweaked the mechanism and pulled the bow of the azusayumi. "NO, YOU CANT!" Index shrieked like a child, "THESE GRIMOIRES AREN''T LIKE WHAT YOU THOUGHT! ANY ORDINARY PERSON WILL GO CRAZY ON SEEING IT! EVEN A MAGICIAN CAN''T TAKE THE BURDEN OF OVER 30 BOOKS! YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ANYONE OTHER THAN ME READ THE MORE THAN 100,000 GRIMOIRES!!" Her tone seemed to indicate that she was worried about the enemy, but Yamisaka Ouma merely smiled. He smiled silently and said, "Don''t worry. I know." Part 14 August 31, 11:10pm. Just as Kamijou was running about in the dark alleys while trying to shake off the Anti-Skill member, he heard ''that voice''. Index and that pervert''s voices could be heard from the mobile phone. Index''s free phone was always turned off, but now it had switched on somehow on its own, but the voice sounded like the phone was covered by cloth, and it didn''t sound like the conversation was intended for Kamijou. The feeling was like he was eavesdropping on other people''s conversation. Click. He could hear some strange sound from the roof of a tower far away, and it was starting to glow like there was a huge pillar of light that was headed to the sky. (That is...? Damn it, isn''t that the hotel from just now? Why did I tire myself out by running like that?) Of course, there was no proof that Index was there. But since there were no other clues, he couldn''t ignore any abnormal places. Kamijou then turned his head around and ran over there. Part 15 August 31, 11:20pm. The moment the ritual started, there was a supernatural phenomenon. In this huge boundary that was surrounded by light, Yamisaka continued to pull the bow, yet his body was trembling like he had the flu. Disgusting sweat flowed down his body, and the focus of his eyes started to waver. Right now, what Yamisaka was doing was to basically look into Index''s inner world. There was no mistake in the spell and method; the spell itself wasn''t dangerous at all, there were no side effects. But Yamisaka''s life was trickling bit by bit. The 103,000 grimoires that were hidden in that girl''s heart were that vicious. "--,----!!" Yamisaka Ouma was having a severe migraine and couldn''t say anything. It was as though his skull was being hammered. In fact, Yamisaka didn''t intend to obtain the full knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires. It was impossible to download such a large number of grimoires into his head. However, he just needed one. The name of that grimoire was ''baopuzi''. In Chinese culture, it was a grimoire that was said to teach people how to be a ''deity'' and live an immortal life. It should have a record of what was called ''alchemy''; in other words, it had a method of creating an immortal elixir that could heal any disease or curse. He just needed this book. He didn''t want to see a counterfeit or a copy with a wrong explanation, but rather, he wanted a grimoire that was very close to the original and was high in purity. He just needed that one grimoire. "---!!!" However, he had never expected it to be so devastating. At this point, Yamisaka finally realised why it had been heavily modified into ''counterfeits'' or ''copies'' with so little purity. It was because the toxicity of the original was too great. If they hadn''t lowered or removed the purity, no ordinary person could even read it. Yamisaka stared at the girl who was screaming, telling him to stop. It was unbelievable that this girl had actually managed to read all 103,000 grimoires, when reading just one page alone was enough to cause a huge migraine in his head. This wasn''t something that any human could do. The girl who had achieved such an amazing feat was actually the most abnormal person. "---!!!" Each time he pulled the bow, the toxic grimoires started to flow into his mind page by page. Each page of poison started to flow in like milk mixing into coffee, fusing with Yamisaka''s soul and corroding it. But Yamisaka still continued to grit his teeth and pull the bow. Up till now in his life, he had always thought that magicians were all powerful. It had been because he didn''t want to meet any more setbacks that he had sworn to be a magician. Thus, he wouldn''t be stopped by such a thing. That woman who was dying. That woman who didn''t even have the strength to ask for help. That weak woman who could only smile as she gradually stepped towards death. If he couldn''t even save such an ordinary woman, how could he shamelessly declare about being ''all-powerful'', what ''not wanting to suffer any setbacks''? How could he let such an ordinary woman suffer and leave a black mark on his record? Thus, Yamisaka continued to pull the bow. Even if blood continued to flow out of his eyes and ears, he wanted that grimoire. Letting himself get scarred and suffer the sin of wanting to fulfill his desire. It was definitely not because of that ordinary woman. It was definitely not because of that ordinary woman at all! Part 16 August 31, 11:20pm. Kamijou pushed open the back door of the tower, rushed in and dashed up the stairs. "...That''s not right." Running up the stairs, Kamijou heard Index''s voice from the mobile phone. "I understand. That azusayumi--because the power was increased too much, your thoughts entered my mind, so I understand." The girl sounded really anguished, and it seemed that she would start to cry at anytime. The girl seemed to be gradually understanding the heart that was getting destroyed. "You just liked that woman. So you would risk your life to save her. But to save her, you have to hurt others, you have to commit a sin. And you didn''t want to let that woman bear that responsibility. Because of you, I committed this sin, if it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t have committed this sin. YOU DIDN''T WANT TO SAY THAT NO MATTER WHAT!" Index shouted in order to stop him. "IT''S JUST THAT SIMPLE! SO, SO THAT''S WHY YOU CAN''T DESTROY YOURSELF! IF YOU DESTROY YOURSELF, EVEN IF YOU UNDO THE CURSE ON THAT WOMAN, YOU''LL LET HER LIVE A LIFE OF GUILT!!" Kamijou continued to run, gritting his teeth. "IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SAVE THAT WOMAN, EVEN IF YOU''RE THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD WHO WANTS TO SAVE HER, EVEN IF YOU DON''T WANT TO GIVE UP, IF YOU CAN''T GIVE UP ON A PERSON WHO''S CURSED TO DIE, THAT''S ALL THE MORE REASON WHY YOU SHOULDN''T RELY ON THIS CORRUPTED GRIMOIRE!" I see. Kamijou understood everything. Reaching the highest level, Kamijou continued to dash up to the end of the stairs, where the door leading to the roof was. It was too much of a hassle to grab the handle of the door and open it. Kamijou just kicked it down. Part 17 August 31, 11:47pm. The moment he entered the roof, Kamijou''s right hand seemed to touch something. It was actually one of the ropes used for the boundary. The boundary seemed to vanish on contact with Kamijou''s fingertips like a gust. Then, the destruction started to spread out like a fuse being lit. At that moment, the collapse started to spread from one rope to another. After a while, the light that was scattered from the entire place vanished. Looking again, the scene had reverted back to what was supposed to be a hotel roof. The stupid cat cleanly slipped out of Kamijou''s arms and down to the floor. The stupid cat left Kamijou, most likely unaware that the situation was dangerous as it moved towards the girl who was sitting over there without any sense of danger. That girl Index...for some reason, she was messily tied up. But at least she didn''t look hurt, and her clothes didn''t seem tattered. Kamijou looked away. He was staring at the man who was standing some distance away from Index. That pervert--correction, that magician. That burly man had blood vessels pulsating all over his skin. His sweating made him appear as if he had just gotten drenched. Tear-like blood started to drip from his tightly shut eyes--one of them, at least, as it flowed across his face. The anonymous magician asked Kamijou, "...Is this wrong?" The magician activated the bow and said, "Is it wrong even though I risked my life in order to protect someone?" Silence permeated throughout the air. The night wind blew between both of them. A cold, spine-chilling, hard wind. "Of course...it''s wrong." Kamijou answered. "You should understand how sad it is for someone important to die. Seeing that person struggling painfully yet unable to do anything or help; you should understand that feeling clearly." Kamijou knew that feeling. In the past, he had made another person in that white hospital room experience that pain, so he understood. "At that moment, you''ll start to panic, feel anguished, sad, heartbroken, afraid, trembling, wail, cry...so that''s why you shouldn''t do that. You can''t let others experience that feeling." The anonymous magician didn''t answer; he merely raised his bow silently. He definitely knew what was right and what was wrong. But whatever the case was, the anonymous magician didn''t want to give up. Because he was afraid. The most important person to him was about to die in front of him, and that, was the scariest thing to him in this world. "Danma no Gen." The name of a spell that could create blades of compressed air. On hearing that voice, Kamijou moved forward. He clenched his right fist to stop this magician that was too gentle and weak-hearted. But Kamijou''s fist didn''t hit that magician. Because before the bow got pulled, the magician''s body tumbled and collapsed. The anonymous magician was unable to stand up. Red fluid started to flow between the floor and his body. Kamijou''s expression changed as he rushed to the unconscious magician. Perhaps since he felt that there was someone beside him, the magician started to speak. The voice accompanied the presence of blood as it came out through the bloody red lips. "So useless. All I did was read a grimoire...and I ended up like this." He sounded really tired, "It seems like someone weak like me must be daydreaming about even getting an original. Haha, what in the world. My life''s full of setbacks. This is the third time I''ve given up in my life." "..." "But I still couldn''t give up." The magician smiled as he faced the moon floating in the sky, "Just this, no matter what, I still can''t give up." His lip movements were gradually becoming slower, until he almost stopped completely. Index gasped, and Kamijou heard it. Kamijou bit his lips hard, and then said. Charge. The stupid cat received the order and jumped at the magician face, scratching it hard. "GYAAHHHHHH!!!" "STOP GETTING DEPRESSED IN YOUR OWN TRAGIC ENDING, ALRIGHT!? YOU IDIOT!!" Kamijou looked down at the magician who was looking rather energetic all of a sudden as he rolled on the floor. He sighed and said, "This can be considered revenge for my summer vacation homework. It''s because of you that I definitely can''t finish my homework. I''ll end up being called out to stand in the corridor as punishment because I decided to help you. It''s not too bad to reward you with a cat punch, right?" The magician''s mouth opened and closed as he tried to say something, but Kamijou ignored it and continued to talk on at will, "Alright, where''s that ''precious person'' of yours?" "Gya, uu...what did you say?" "I say, there''s no need to use the Index to solve this, right?" Kamijou scratched his head lightly and said, "For example, this right hand of mine is called the Imagine Breaker. Any ''supernatural power'', no matter esper or magic will disappear without a trace on contact with my right hand. Of course, even some ridiculous power like curses aren''t exempt." Kamijou reached out his right hand, looking like he was about to shake hands with the magician. The magician''s expression froze. "Ah...?" "Though I''m not a magician, and I don''t know what sort of gimmick curses are, as long as this right hand is here, any problem can be settled, right?" "Tha, ah...that''s impossible." "There''s nothing impossible. Didn''t you see it once? Those wind blades you created were destroyed by my right hand. Listen up, I''ll tell you this. This may sound illogical, but this right hand does possess such a power." The unknown magician was stunned. He blankly listened to every single word Kamijou said. Seeing this 180 degrees transformation, he obviously didn''t know how to respond. This magician had originally given up in despair; he thought that hope wouldn''t descend again. But on the other side, Kamijou nonchalantly scratched his head and said, "Alright. Perhaps you''re tired, but I have to ask you to let me. If I don''t come back by 7 tomorrow, I won''t be able to make it to the opening ceremony tomorrow...hold on. Are there still trains at this hour? Ah, also, did you just say that it was a ''curse''? Like those tricks bad magicians in those graphic novels love to play with? If so, do we have to get rid of the bad magicians? How troublesome!" Kamijou continued to nag on alone, and the magician could only listen silently. Finally, he said. Afraid that the hope he finally grabbed would disappear again, he stuttered as he asked, "Ah...don''t tell me, that''s true." "Such nonsense. Because of you, I''ve given up on my summer vacation homework. If I don''t show something for it, it''s really wasted." Kamijou impatiently said, "So you have to bear responsibility. I want you to lead me even if I have to drag you. I don''t care about the 1st level red alert, I''ll definitely save that person who''s most important to you. No matter what, at least you better give me a reason as to why I forgot to finish my assignments." Time for the magician seemed to stop. Kamijou smirked and laughed, "So I need your help. Nobody else can do. Only your power can help me. No matter what, I have to ask you for help. Don''t you want to save her? With your own hands?" Uu, ah... Kamijou''s words made the magician''s face wince. His face was covered with tears like ice that was melting. Kamijou sighed and thought casually "Alright, seems like I can only give up on my homework...give up...hold on, hey, can I go get my vacation homework before I leave?" September 1, 0:00am. END Volume 5, Epilogue: Night of Ending. Welcome_to_Tomorrow. Volume 5, Epilogue: Night of Ending. Welcome_to_Tomorrow. September 01, 0:00AM (Timeover). "Operation''s over. Good work, everyone." These words caused Yoshikawa Kikyou to wake up. She didn''t know what time it was or where she was. She just knew that she was lying on a bed, and could see a blue-tiled floor and walls. Only the ceiling was white in colour. The walls near the ceiling had a row of glass windows, and it looked like the corridor. From a place she couldn''t see, she could hear the clanking sound of metal. A long fibre fabric was hanging over her head like a guillotine, so she couldn''t look below her head. She could only move her neck about; she couldn''t even feel her other body parts, let alone move them. At this moment, a person looked over at Yoshikawa''s face. It was a middle-aged man with his hair kept inside a green surgical cap, and his mouth and nose kept in a huge mask of the same colour. This frog-faced middle aged man looked down at Yoshikawa, as if he was looking at his childhood friend who had just woken up from a nap. Yoshikawa finally realized where she was, and clicked her tongue ''Tch''. "That''s too much. You only used a local anesthetic for a heart operation." "The lesser the burden, the better, isn''t it?" The local anesthetic was originally used for minor operations like removing the appendix. During the operation, the patient would remain conscious, and some patients would even request a small mirror to see the wounds of their operation. However, they couldn''t possibly use local anesthetic for heavy operations like a heart surgery. This wasn''t because of whether or not there were disadvantages, but rather, it was impossible. It was like using the toes to hold a scalpel to operate. Yet this doctor did it, and the operation went well. Yoshikawa couldn''t even imagine how he had done it. Perhaps he had developed a new operation technique. Heaven Canceler. No serious wounds or diseases were a match for this doctor. He could choose to use any means to heal his patients. The medical world ''outside'', and even the management of Academy City wouldn''t agree to the new skills and theories he proposed. He had only one belief, and that was to never give up on the patient. He carried this one belief and made a path for himself. Some said that his skills could even distort God''s rules. It was said that he had once created some mysterious life support device that could overcome the problems of aging and life limit of a person through some mysterious theory. No one knew what he had felt after he achieved this research, but ever since that, there hadn''t been any news about him continuing with any life-related research. Right now, the only experimental device in the world was said to be placed in a windowless building. "...So this means I was saved?" "Of course. Who do you think did the operation?" This doctor would never mention the hard work in front of patients and would always say things so casually. "But really, that was a close shave. No matter how good I am, I still can''t heal a dead person. If you want to thank someone, then thank that boy." "That boy...did he do something? Hold on, I should have been shot with a military pistol through my heart, why am I still alive?" "More accurately, what was shot through wasn''t the heart but the coronary artery. Either way, if you weren''t healed immediately, you would have died immediately." The coronary artery. The largest artery in the human body. It was certain death once it broke. It was like using a knife to cut the carotid. "If so, then how..." "Hm. That boy seems to have the ability to manipulate blood flow. He let your blood flow through the broken artery without losing even a single drop of blood. Thanks to him, you were able to survive being sent all the way here, and I could temporarily use an artificial artery to connect your artery and push you into the operation room. Ahh, you should really thank that boy. He definitely lost consciousness, yet he was still able to exert his power onto you until you were sent into the operation room." "..." Yoshikawa remained stunned as she listened to the doctor. "It''s been past three hours since you were sent in here. That boy''s injury doesn''t look so good, and it was a headache for the other doctors to try and take out the fragments of the bullet that are lodged in the front of his frontal lobe. I''m about to go over and help right now. Do you have any message to pass to me?" "...Local anesthetic won''t be used in that boy''s operation, right?" She knew that this was impossible, but she still asked on instinct. "Is he still alright?" "Un? The front of his frontal lobe seems to be damaged, and it will affect his verbal and calculation abilities." "Calculation ability..." This was critical damage to Accelerator, as he had to first calculate the ''direction before redirection'' and ''direction after redirection'' before he could use his ability. Even if he could unconsciously use the ''redirection'' ability, it was because he unknowingly calculated the simplest formula. He wouldn''t be able to use his ability, even the most basic ''redirection''. "Don''t worry, he''ll be alright." The doctor seemed to understand what Yoshikawa was thinking and said, "My policy is to make the impossible possible. I''ll definitely let him be able to use his verbal and calculation abilities. Definitely." The last word was the only word that was spoken in a different half-joking tone with a higher pitch at the end. Yoshikawa held her breath. The doctor then said with a casual tone, "However, I have to get other people''s agreement first. Since you created those troublesome things, I''ll just use them. I just need to connect 10,000 brains and make up a person''s verbal and calculation abilities. That should be simple, right?" 10,000. The Sisters. Last Order. "Tha, that''s right! What about that child!?" "Ah. You''re talking about that girl in the glass container? No need to worry about her. Luckily, we have a girl who''s in a similar condition to her. Her serial number seem to be 10,032, named Misaka Imouto." "Hold, hold on, there''s...an incubator here?" "If it''s something the patient needs, I can get one. Also, I talked to her before. It''s said that these 10,000 clones can form a network to do calculations. I intend to use that thing to make up for the lost parts in that boy''s brain. Don''t worry, that''s different from bringing someone who lost his memories to me. It''s not hard to replace a lost ability." Though the doctor said it rather casually, there was a sad look on his face. A loss of memory. Even that doctor couldn''t recover the memories of the High School student who was admitted in late July. Perhaps that was the first time he had felt the emotions of defeat. "However, that network is created under the same brainwave wavelength. If Accelerator''s to be forced into it with that different wavelength of his, his brain will be burned." "If that''s the case, I just need to make a transformer that can let both sides of the wavelengths match. As for the design, I''ll create an electrode collar that''s connected inside." The doctor said it rather casually, but this would take a lot of skill and calculations. Even though he knew that it would be expensive, the doctor never hesitated, and would never charge people money. He was just that kind of person. "Alright, I really have to go now. What do you intend to do now?" "What do you mean by that?" "I really don''t want to add on to your troubles, but I have to tell you this. The ''higher-ups'' seem to have heard of this incident. The research facility will be dissolved, and the ''experiment'' won''t just be in stasis, but completely terminated. In other words, you are fired. Good thing it''s not a privatized firm, so you don''t need to bear the debts, and the shooting incident can be considered self-defence. But causing a research facility to collapse completely will be a bad thing for your reputation. It''s unlikely that you can ever be a researcher again." "...I don''t know. Do I have another way out?" "Of course you do." The doctor said casually, "There are many paths you can choose." Hearing these words, Yoshikawa looked like she was reminiscing the past. One of the paths she could choose was that of a school teacher. One not na?ve, but kind. She would teach Accelerator and Last Order, those children who couldn''t even spell the word ''common'' in common sense, and let them learn every normal thing. Perhaps that was a path she could choose. That was a very attractive path. That made Yoshikawa smile. "Hey." Yoshikawa Kikyou called out to the doctor who was about to walk out of the operation room. "What is it?" "You must save that child. I won''t forgive you if you fail." "Who do you think you''re talking to? That''s my battlefield, and no matter what, I will return from the battlefield with that patient who has always been fighting alone, healed." The doctor walked out of the operation room. Yoshikawa closed her eyes. A few people in surgical clothes were clearing up things beside her, but Yoshikawa wasn''t mindful about it. She focused on her inside world, looking like she was asleep. Then, she remembered what the boy had said. The boy said, "Who the hell do you think you''re talking to? I''m the guy who killed 10,000 of that brat''s companions. How can a bad guy like me save others? I can only kill, I can''t save others." "I see." Yoshikawa smiled and said, "If he has the heart for it, he can still do it." Volume 5, Afterword Volume 5, Afterword To the readers who bought each book from the first volume on, it''s been a while. To the brave souls who bought all five books at one go, nice to meet you. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. This volume is a collection of short stories. In terms of structure, this volume has the content posted on Dengeki HP (heavily modified) and three new stories. The time flow in the story itself is already slow, and this volume is the slowest of them all. Overall, I spent 5 volumes writing about summer. In this story, there''s no specific magic keyword or female protagonist that the story revolves around; it''s revolved around the day August 31st in Academy City. Since it''s a collection of short stories, I have to do somethings that I can''t normally do. So I let a certain character become a protagonist and added some hidden themes that link the story together (for example, making Misaka an urban legend among bystanders), and I had fun with it. Actually, there''s a lot of stories that are suitable for this collection of short stories. For example, Index and Stiyl''s past, Kamijou and Aogami Pierce and Komoe-sensei''s past, Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko''s past. But for this volume, I''ll leave it as secrets. If there''s a chance in the future, I''ll tell these stories next time. Haimura-san, who''s in charge of the illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of the project; thank you for taking care of me for so long. I''ll like to thank both of you in this volume. I''m really grateful for it. Finally, I like to thank the readers. This immature Kamachi is able to write 5 volumes thanks to everyone''s support. I''m really grateful for it. Then, as I remain grateful that this book has earned your affection, I hope that it can add on some entertainment in your life. At this point, allow me to set my pen aside. Oh yes. Right now, the oldest female protagonist is Komoe-sensei...is that really alright? Kamachi Kazuma. Volume 6, Prologue: On the Front Side of the Stage Volume 6, Prologue: On the Front Side of the Stage There was a windowless building in Academy City. There was no door, window, corridor or even a staircase, it didnt even function like a building. There was no way to get inside except to use a Level 4 teleport ability. There was a large glass cylinder in the middle of this sealed chamber. The cylinder was 4m in diameter and 10m in length. It was made from strengthened glass, and there was red fluid inside it. There were mechanical installations all over the spacious room, as tens of thousands of cables and tubes were scattered all over the floor and attached to the cylinder in the centre. As there were no windows, this room was always in darkness, but there were many signals and screens on the mechanical installations surrounding the cylinder, glowing like a cluster of stars in the night. In this cylinder that was filled with red fluid, there was a person in a green surgical gown floating upside-down. The General Director of Academy City, the human Aleister Crowley. This person looked like a man, yet also a woman; like an adult, yet also a child; like a saint, yet also a criminal. This human let the machines handle all its life functions, and had lived an estimated 170 years. His entire body, including his own brain, was now in a hibernating state, most of its thinking process was assisted by the machines around it. (...Its about time.) The moment Aleister thought this, as if it were rehearsed, two human figures suddenly appeared in front of the cylinder. One was a petite esper with a teleport ability, and the other was a man who had been teleported in by the girl, and these two were holding hands. The girl with the teleport ability didnt say anything. She just nodded her head and again vanished into thin air. The tall guy was the only one left in the darkness. This tall guy had messy blond hair, and was wearing blue sunglasses to block his eyes. He was wearing a flower shirt and shorts; his appearance didnt match the location. Tsuchimikado Motoharu. The secret agent in charge of spying on the English Anglicans and Academy City. The securitys too loose, what are you planning now? As a spy, Tsuchimikado said this to his employer Aleister in an impatient tone. Though Tsuchimikado was a spy, he was not Aleisters immediate subordinate. Tsuchimikados tone was extremely crude and violent, and anyone who knew his normal personality would be shocked and terrified by it. Facing this Tsuchimikados who was not intending to hide the unhappiness in his heart, Aleister just said casually, No problems. Im completely aware of the intruder''s whereabouts. This is a perfect opportunity. Once I change the process slightly, I can do away with the plans 2082 to 3277 Let me remind you first. Tsuchimikado interrupted Aleister. He slammed the report hard onto the glass cylinder. There was a photo attached to the report; it was a photo taken secretly, and the woman on it was the intruder. She was over 25 years old, had blond hair and brown skin that was inherited from foreign blood, her hair was all messy, maybe due to the way it was maintained; it looked like a cheap wig for a play. If it was seen from the back, it would look like a full lion''s mane. The pitch black clothing had frills all over the edges; it was completely of a gothic style. However, the fabric of the dress was tattered all over the place, and the lace was slightly yellowish. It seemed like the clothing wasnt deliberately worn for the occasion, but was worn as a usual wear. Sherry Cromwell. This person isnt some roaming magician, but one of the English Anglicans Neccessarius. Shes not going to be easy to handle like Aureolus. Tsuchimikado seemed to be as impatient as an old smoker who was forced to quit smoking as he said, The English Anglicans are also an organisation that was set up by humans, so they naturally have all sorts of people down there. No, in terms of the structure, among all of Christianity, theres unlikely to be any national religion with a large divide thats as complicated as the English Anglicans. I believe you should be aware of this. People with similar beliefs fighting with each other, now thats a great workplace. Yeah. Tsuchimikado sighed, and said, However, because of that, therere all sorts of sects and beliefs within the English Anglicans, and not all of them have a positive view on Academy City. Some of them even intend to make the entire world as Englands colony and set every flag in the world as Englands. I cant tell how effective that deal you signed with our princess is. There were still people who disagreed with the deal such as the highest authorities of the English Anglicans and Academy City. They felt that it was extremely risky for the treasure trove of knowledgeIndex to be in Academy City, since information could be divulged. However, besides Necessarius, the Knights of England shouldnt have noticed that the safety seal on Index had been removed. Even so, there were several amongst the Knights of England who had inherited the invasive spirit of the crusaders and viewed Academy City as an eyesore. If it wasnt for Tsuchimikado manipulating the information from behind the scenes, these people would have already attacked Academy City. Hidden inside the Church, I can definitely manipulate their thoughts to a certain extent, but the effects limited. I cant do anything about the different sects, and even if Im to try and affect them, the thoughts and information that I manipulate will end up being distorted somewhere. Tsuchimikado paused, and then continued, I was already extremely busy over what happened to Aureolus. A magician has to be judged by another magician, you know this rule better than I do. Academy City has science, and the Church has the occult; as both sides deal with their own specialities, a balance could be achieved. If a magician got defeated by someone from Academy City, the occult skills that they so worried about defending for a long time will be stolen, and a huge crack will appear between both sides. Kamijou Touma, this boy had fought against several magicians during the past month, but among them, they had a deal regarding Stiyl and Kanzaki, and magicians like Aureolus werent affiliated to the Church, so there isnt too much commotion. However, this time, the seriousness was completely different in terms of definition. The one who had invaded Academy City was a magician who had spells unique only to the English Anglicans, and she hadnt done it with an agreement. Though it was tough to tell whether this was of a sects will or a persons own actions, they couldn''t just beat her even if she was acting on her own. Sherry Cromwell had attained the highest honour of emblems restoration and interpretation at the Royal Arts Academy. The so-called emblems referred to the patterns of grimoire codes hidden inside the paintings. For example, there was a painting of a boat on a sea looking outwards, and the suns gradually setting. To an ordinary viewer, this was just an ordinary view of the sea. But if one converted the seawater in the picture to salt, turned the sun to gold and mixed and matched it up, the message this pictures aim was to detail the magic of using gold and salt to allow humans to swim in the sea like fish. Things like pigments, thickness, sunset times and location of the boat...any specific details could be converted into something that had a certain meaning to it. Thus, many times, the interpretations of the emblems were discovered to be wrong hundreds of years later. Thus, it could be seen that it was really hard to be a real emblem expert. If Index was the keeper of knowledge, then Sherrys expertise was in decoding skills, to seal or interpret them. If she landed into other powers hands, the other party would understand the complicated ways of decoding that the English Anglicans had protected for so long. If they were to beat Sherry down carelessly, it would create a crack in the relations between the English Anglicans and Academy City. If they sent Sherry for this purpose, they would definitely use this chance to widen the divide. However, Tsuchimikado did not say what the outcome would be. Or more likely, he couldnt say. Those words continued to rage inside Tsuchimikado even though he couldnt say it. The worst case scenario was that there would be a large scale war between the science side and the magic side. Tsuchimikado glared at Aleister. Its true that the flame wont spread if we dont do anything stupid this time, but some people underneath the water may have to die in order to extinguish this flame. What is your mind thinking? If you exerted full power on security, its way easy to prevent her from entering. Tsuchimikado clicked his tongue and continued, Anyway, I decided to take down Sherry. At least therell be less commotion when a magician takes down another magician. However, I wont be able to continue as a spy anymore. Ill definitely attract loads of attention when I do such things. Really, a spy should hide in the blind spots of others. How can I go on being spied on everyday... You dont have to. Aleister interrupted Tsuchimikado, rendering Tsuchimikado speechless. Tsuchimikado couldnt even understand what Aleister had meant. Ill say this again. You dont have to take action. ...Are you serious? Tsuchimikado was suspecting whether the person in front of him was crazy. Theres a low possibility, but its not completely zero. Moving about under the surface like this is like walking on tightropes! If were not careful, we may end up starting a war! If the blueprints of a large number of destructive weapons were to land into other countries hands, that alone would be enough to warrant excuse for a war. If the magicians of the Church were to be imprisoned within Academy City, it would have the same meaning as well. Truly, unless they did a really stupid thing, this shouldnt be enough to start a war. But on the other hand, if they did something too stupid, it would start a war. This wouldnt just be a war between countries, but rather, a war between two worlds, science and magic that exceeded even countries. The representative of science, Academy City and the representative of magic, the Church had nothing to overwhelm each other. In other words, once a war started, it would become a quagmire. What are you really planning, Aleister? Do you really like to let Kamijou Touma fight against magicians? That right hands definitely a fatal ace against magic, but you arent stupid enough to think that that right hand is enough to destroy the entire Church, right? Itll shorten plans 2082 to 3277, thats all. On hearing this, Tsuchimikado even forgot to breathe. The so-called plan, or process. When Aleister mentioned this, there could be only one meaning. The way to control the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution? Tsuchimikado said viciously. Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. When Academy City was first built, it had been called the first research organisation. However, nobody knew where it was or can even dared to confirm whether it existed, as if it was the city of shimmers. It was said that the organisation had the fictional technology that todays engineering was unable to match, and continued to control all power in Academy City from behind the scenes. The outside Church and magicians all thought that the Five Element Institution referred to a building, but that wasnt true. Of course, they couldnt reveal the truth. No matter what, they could never let the outside world know that the thing, which had a strong influence on Academy City, was still hidden. Nobody could control it, and nobody even knew the reason why it existed. As the ruler of Academy City, even if Aleister had to use all sorts of means, he had to find a way to control the Five Elements Institution. No, maybe Aleister knew of the way, but he lacked materials, most importantly, the key for it to work. Maybe one way of describing the process was Accelerator and the Level 6 Shift. Like that experiment, once they triggered certain events or problems in a particular manner, a key would be created. And a certain boy was right at the centre of this process Kamijou Touma. Tsuchimikado hypothesised that Aleister had intended to implement Kamijou Touma into his process right from the start, and that the Index and the magic battle against the alchemist were just unexpected blips. However, every time an accident occurred, Aleister would again revise his plan and fix the error, using that to shorten that already large process. This time, it may be the same for Sherry Cromwell. Actually, even if he didnt intervene, the process would be completed one day. Its all for such a trivial thing? Looking at the armed forces and influence, it cant be seen as trivial. Like a wild horse that can rip through the entire world, isnt it better to leash it for safety concerns? Aleister chuckled. No feelings could be detected in his smile. He looked like he was happy, and yet mocking, depressed, yet delighted. All sorts of emotions were mixed together. How could there be such a ridiculous thing? Tsuchimikado clicked his tongue and pondered. If possible, Tsuchimikado wanted to ignore Aleisters orders and beat Sherry himself, but he just couldnt do it. In fact, Tsuchimikado couldnt leave this building with just his own ability, because there werent any exits, doors, windows, corridors or stairs. All the air required for living could be produced inside the building, so there was no need for air vents. And even if anyone was to forcefully attack, the building could remain unscathed even from a nuclear strike. For a comparison, the situation could be said to be worse than being locked in a gold vault or inside a nuclear bomb shelter. In terms of bleakness, it was like a person being trapped in a spaceship outside the atmosphere without a single spacesuit. Theres no way to contact the outside...oi, Aleister! Use your cable communicator to call that teleporter esper back in, or else Ill pluck out all the cables here! As you wish, if you think thatll de-stress you. Tsuchimikado let out a bitter look. Truthfully, he had already somewhat guessed that all the pipes, cables and machines were just a feint. If just these machines alone were enough to keep Aleister living, there wouldnt have been a need to build such a large building. It was likely that the huge cylinder was just a bluff as well, the figure inside may just have been a hologram. Tsuchimikado leaned his back on the wall of the cylinder Aleister was floating in and inadvertently asked, Do you really believe that you can avoid a war? The one who should have belief is you. Youre the one in charge of the work behind the scenes. Dont worry too much, if you work hard enough, well end this underground conflict without anyone losing their lives. Damn it. Tsuchimikado cursed. In the end, he ended up with the oddjob. Volume 6, 1: Opening Ceremony. Baby_Queen. Volume 6, Chapter 1: Opening Ceremony. Baby_Queen. Part 1 The morning of September 1. Though Academy City, which covers 1/3 of Tokyo, was scorched by the sun, it was still covered by the cool air. There were very few pedestrians; only a Middle schooler bringing a dog for a walk and a University student jogging around. The wind turbines that were set everywhere were slowly moving, continuing to move this icy wind that seemed to come from deep within a forest. However, In this cooling scene, Kamijou Touma was dragging his tired body on the road. So...so tired...this shouldn''t be a day that an ordinary High school student should be having... This High school students T-shirt and pants were all drenched, as if he had just ran a marathon. Because the clothes had absorbed the moisture, they seemed twice as heavy. If there was a need to mention the reason, we would have to go back to one day before, the 31st of August. Last night, Kamijou had met a man named Yamisaka Ouma. In order to save a woman he knew, both of them had left Academy City. One thing that had to be mentioned was that leaving here could be used interchangeably as forcing a way out. Academy City was surrounded by high walls, and they were tightly guarded by Anti-Skill. No one could get out without a permit. In fact, if not for Yamisakas help, Kamijou himself wouldnt have been able to get out. That magician had the nifty Confusing Demons bow string that could let them think that he had an exit permit. However, everyones mental barrier differed in strength, and the effect would differ. Sometimes, they had to force their way out as well. ...So ridiculous. It took my half my life just to break through the security perimeter, and yet it became another intense battle later. These creatures called magicians, why are they always merciless to outsiders? If I have to write a diary, yesterdays exploits will be enough to fill one entire book up. Before everything was over, he had to forcefully break through a second time with Ouma as an escort to get back into Academy City. (...Ah, can finally see the dorm now. Oh, now Im finally back to the ordinary daily life.) Truthfully, he had only left the dorm for less than one day, and yet Kamijou felt that it had been months since he was last there. However, as Kamijou didnt have any memories of what happened before August, he was rather unclear about what it felt like to leave home for months. Kamijou dragged his tired and sleepy body as he shakily stumbled into the student dormitory. He took the lift and then arrived in front of his room. (Uu...I really feel like sleeping..) Kamijou inadvertently gritted his teeth and yawned. If possible, he really wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep for 2-3 days, but unfortunately, today was the 1st of September, the school opening day. To Kamijou, who had lost his memories during the summer break, besides a few exceptions, he didnt really have any memory of most of his classmates. So to his other classmates, today may have been an ordinary day, but to Kamijou, it was not much different from being a transfer student. It would have been a bit too crazy for a transfer student to skip school on the first day. (I dont really want to let anyone know...that I lost my memory. Besides, I wont be having lessons today. Ill just spend the day resting in school and pay attention to how I interact with others.) The extremely unlucky Kamijou sighed with a sleepy feeling as he opened the door. Just at this moment, a girls shrill voice could be heard within the room. TOUMA!! The voice had anger within it, but nothing else happened. The girl didnt rush at Kamijou, who was standing at the door. For a moment, Kamijou revealed a surprised look...and then he remembered. Just as Kamijou was trying to make his almost-sleeping brain work, the owner of the voice finally moved herself from within the room. The foreign girl with waist-length silver hair and white skin was wearing snowy white nun robes with gold embroidery. It did look rather extravagant, but for some reason, the seams were patched with safety pins. This girl with a childish demeanour was called Index. ...However, right now, Index was all tied up in ropes. Unable to move her limbs at all, Index continued to twist her body around the room like a caterpillar. A calico cat skillfully sat on Indexs head and casually yawned, giving one the impression that the following guilty era had arrived. WAH! I forgot all about this! Were you like this all that time? Touma! You left me and ran off like that. Is this what youll say when you came back!? Index said as she revealed her fangs. As explained just now, Kamijou had met a man named Yamisaka Ouma last night. In order to save his friend, both of them had fought together for the entire night. For them to do such dangerous things, they obviously couldnt bring the weak (?) Index along. But after Index had heard both their explanations, she started kicking, hammering and biting. In this situation, Yamisaka could only use what could be said to be a rope binding spell to tie Index up and force her to wait quietly at home. It happens again, it happens again! Touma went off to fight by himself again...! Touma, anyway, just get these ropes off me! These shimenawa[1] form a mini-barrier. Touma just needs to use his right hand to destroy it! Toumas right hand. Within this right hand lay the power of something called the Imagine Breaker. As long as it was a supernatural power, whether esper or magic, everything would be erased with the single touch of the right hand. However, the weakness was that the power of the Imagine Breaker only existed on the right hand itself. However...youre going to create quite the commotion once I undo the ropes. Index had a nasty habit of biting people when she was angry. Seeing her like this, releasing her would be like removing the collar of a vicious starving dog. To Kamijou, going to school on the first day with bite marks from a girl wasnt a good thing... At this moment, Indexs expression suddenly softened. Basically, it was as if she was tricking a lost kid. Touma, if you release me right now, I wont get angry. Why dont you try it now? ...Really? You wont get angry? No. You wont start biting me when the ropes are released? No no. Index revealed a Virgin Mary-like smile. Kamijou bent over and lightly touched the ropes on Index, who was on the floor, with his index finger. Immediately, as if a spell had been cast, the numerous ropes unravelled off Index. The next moment, Index, who was released, immediately pounced onto Kamijou without any hesitation. WAH! The girl bit onto Kamijous head viciously, as if a primitive just saw a huge slab of meat. TOUMAS A BIG IDIOT!! GYYYAAHHH!!? Kamijou cried out in despair, but it was too late. Kamijou could only jump about painfully through the room. The right hand with the Imagine Breaker could dispel any magic or esper power, but it was completely useless against the ferocious beast Index. You...you lied! You said that you wouldnt be angry! IT HURTS!! Of course I would be angry! Really, you knew that youre going to fight against magicians, and yet you left me at home! Even if Touma has an inexplicable power, youre still an amateur when it comes to fighting magicians! What would you do if something happened? Kamijou stared at Indexs face, who was close in. Though she looked rather angry, her eyes looked like they would tear up any second. Index suddenly reached her hands out and hugged Kamijou tightly as if it were a memento. ...Really, what should I do? Being hugged in her chest, Kamijou heard the voice from above. The long silver hair let out a faint scent. The girls body was trembling. Seems like she had been worried for the entire night when Kamijou hadnt been at home. Sorry. Kamijou just said that. He couldnt say anything else. Kamijou thought that he couldnt let people who cared about him so much feel even more uncomfortable. Kamijou honestly wished not to hurt Index any further. In fact, Index didnt know that Kamijou Touma had lost his memories. She would be even sadder once she knew of it, so Kamijou chose not to tell her. Part 2 Kamijou swayed about with his extremely sleepy head as he made breakfast for two. That said, it was just toast, bacon and eggs and vegetable salad and milk, four items. On seeing breakfast, Index (and the calico cat) rushed towards the glass table. Kamijou however just bit into the toast as he moved through the room, dumping all the things he needed for the opening ceremony into his school bag. ...Mm...slippers...stationery...got to hand in my holiday homework, right? Its today alright...sigh, never finished it in the end...and...a contact directory? Why dont they use emails? Maybe it was to prevent hackers, Kamijou casually thought of an answer as he tossed the contact directory that was made from a thick piece of paper into his bag. At that moment, Index, who was sitting in front of the glass table alone, stared at Kamijou unhappily. Touma, are you really going to school? Hm? Kamijou casually tossed the bag that was full of stuff onto the floor, finished off the remainder of his breakfast and placed his own cutlery back onto a rack. Ah...yeah. Once school term starts, youll have to be alone at home. Humph...well...Touma...Im not saying that Im afraid of being lonely. Truthfully, Kamijou himself felt that it was dangerous to leave her alone at home like this, but he didnt dare to say that. Of course, Kamijou didnt forbid Index from leaving the room. However, it seemed rather dangerous to leave Index on the streets like that when she didnt know of the common sense of Academy City. It had been almost a month since Index had arrived in Academy City, but she didnt look like she had adapted to this city. It seemed like he couldnt just verbally teach her the common trivia. Based on past experiences, the fastest way was for Kamijou to continue to move with Index, but the problem was that he couldnt possibly let Index transfer into his own school. The magic side and the science side didnt really have good relations, Kamijou understood that. As an important person of the magic side, if Index was to have the same lessons as Kamijou and become an esper on the science side, there was going to be trouble. As for that, I really have to think it through. Sorry Index, please stay at home for today. Just put the cutlery into the basin and rinse it with water. Kamijou said hurriedly as he looked at his watch. Kamijou decided to head into the bathroom that had become his bedroom to brush his teeth, wash his face and then change into summer uniform. He really wanted to take a shower, but unfortunately, there was no time. After roughly finishing up, Kamijou opened the bathroom door, only to see Index waiting in front of the door. Index stared at Kamijou with some rather deep thoughts. Touma, will you come back earlier today? Mm, okay. Once I come back, well go out to play. On hearing this, Index smiled happily. Though Kamijou was happy to see Index smile so happily, he was feeling rather complicated. Right now, Indexs interactions with the outside world were all through Kamijou. Maybe it would be good to build Indexs relationships through Kamijous friends. On one hand, this really was something lonely. But regarding this, Kamijou couldnt really chip in to help out, since if he wanted to settle the problem, Index would have to build human relations on her own and not through Kamijou. Alright, Im going. Unable to help at all, Kamijou could only leave the problem aside for now. Mm, be careful on the way. Index said to Kamijou and smiled. Less than 5 minutes after Kamijou had left the house, Index started to feel bored. Though she had been asked to watch the house a few times, it didnt mean that Index was unhappy. For her lively personality, it was not hard to imagine how uncomfortable it was for her to do this. The TV was switched on, but Index was not looking at it, instead lying on the floor as she played with the calico cat. After a while, Index stopped. (So bored. I really want to go outside. I want to go find Touma.) Index was filled with the impulse, but she immediately shook her head. She couldnt cause trouble for others just because of her own selfish reasons. It was easy to think of it the other way, what if Index was ordered to be recalled back to St. George Cathedral and Kamijou Touma came chasing because he got bored... Though she may have been happy, she would feel troubled. For the magic expert Index, she definitely didnt want to expose her image at her workplace to Kamijou. It was rather embarrassing to show others ones other side. The same thing applied, if Index was to look for Kamijou, Kamijou may have been bothered. Thinking about it, Index didnt dare to chase after Kamijou. (Touma also said before that hell bring me out to play when he comes back.) Index again played with the calico cat and rolled on the floor. Though boring, I should endure, Index thought. At this moment, she stopped again. ...Eh? Touma, wheres my lunch? Index turned pale as she muttered to herself. She didnt have any culinary skills, and the snacks, like biscuits and stuff, had been ripped and eaten by the calico cat a long time ago, and they hadnt stocked up. What...what do I do now? This seems like the greatest calamity that I never had before. Muttering to herself, she inadvertently gazed at the door. On the outside of the door lay the wide world with Kamijou Touma. Part 3 On the other hand, Kamijou was dashing down the morning streets as he headed towards the school. A vandalizing prank had been done on the rail track in the city. The train had actually stopped because someone placed a stone on the track. In order to encourage students to take the school bus that was really expensive, Kamijous school forbade students from taking the train. On the surface, it seemed like it was to prevent students from creating trouble after school and prevent them from being harassed by perverts, but the real reason was to earn money by forcing the students to take the bus. But in reality, the bus had only ? the speed of the train, and yet the bus fare was 3 times that of the trains. Anyone would want to take the train. Ever since he had taken the bus once during summer vacation, Kamijou had decided to secretly take the train to school as well. But because of this ridiculous school rule, even if he was to show the certificate that proved that the train had a mishap, they wouldnt erase the record of being late. (Damn it...Im already so tired and sleepy, and now theres one entire morning of misfortune. Though Im not the only unlucky one this time, I cant feel happy even though I know this.) While Kamijou was thinking of this with that sleepy head of his, someone dashed past Kamijou at an amazing speed. A middle-school-aged looking girl. She had shoulder length tea-coloured hair and was wearing a short-sleeved blouse with a summer woolen jacket over it. The top matched the grey pleated skirt, and there seemed to be shorts underneath them. Truly a I dont care whether my skirt flips attitude, completely different from an ojous image. ...Ah, so its you, Biri Biri. Kamijou, who was sleep-deprived and thus unable to think, finally understood who the person in front of him was. Kamijou continued to run as he flicked his heavy eyelids and said, ...Morning, as expected of the young to have so much energy early in the morning. Hearing this voice, the Biri Biri Misaka Mikoto unhappily slowed down and ran beside Kamijou, giving him an unhappy look. Mikoto glared angrily at Kamijou, who was beside her, and said, How can you still talk to me so casually? Werent you ignoring me com, com, com, com, completely yesterday? Arent you the least apologetic? Kamijou rubbed his sleepy eyes and processed Mikotos words in his mind. Speaking of which, on the 31st of August, which was last night, when Index had been taken away by Ouma, he seemed to have met Mikoto on the way, but as the situation had been really urgent, he had ignored her. Kamijou and Mikoto continued to run really fast on the morning streets. Kamijou said, Hm? What? You were looking for me yesterday? For what? No...nothing, its not really urgent... ??? Kamijou blinked his tired eyes and said, Ah, can I ask an unrelated question? If theres nothing, why did you call me? YOU...YOURE TOO NOISY! STOP GETTING NOSEY! Never mind, well change topics! Do you normally take this road? Since when does anyone mention that she wants to change topics...Kamijou thought, but he didnt say it out loud. ...Nope. The train stopped today, so I came by this road. But then again, theres only two stops, so its sort of a running distance. Oh yeah. Why are you looking so listless? Are you afraid of early risers? Running beside him, Mikoto revealed a puzzled look. Kamijou ignored her stare and said, A lot of things happened yesterday, and Im really tired. As for you, why are you so energetic today? Is this the power of youth? Yesterday, on the 31st of August, Mikoto had gotten involved in a little trouble as well. However, the one who had been victimised the most was Kamijou, who got involved in it... Wha...what, is the date...act really tiring to you? Mm? Its not just that...I got involved in something else as well. Oh. Mikoto slightly heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing that she didnt give Kamijou a whole lot of trouble, Mikoto thought. Just as Mikoto was feeling relaxed, she pondered, and said, Eh? Something else? Oi...dont tell me you did something with other girls? Are you an idiot!? Most likely, only youll casually request others to do such an awkward thing. WHAT...!? As he was sleep-deprived, Kamijous tone was rather flat, but on hearing that, Mikoto blushed. Who...whos casual about it! I...I was bothered by it for a long time as well! I couldnt think of any other way, so I could only drag you along! ...Ah. Okay okay, I understand. Oi, are you seriously listening? Dont you dare listlessly ignore what I say just like that! Just like that, with both of them having rather bad feelings, they continued to bicker all the way to school. Part 4 After saying goodbye to Mikoto, Kamijou continued to run on, and finally saw his school. (Seems like...I wont be late. Ah, good thing I took part in summer remedial.) He roughly remembered all the paths from the dorm to the school and the location map during summer remedial. Because of that, Kamijou didnt need to take a map out and do some suspicious stuff and loiter around. (Therere two buildings, the front one is the new one and the back is the old one. My classrooms on the third level of the new one, its the second room from the right, and the shoe cupboards are on the right side of the staircase. Good!) In order to act like he hadnt lost his memory, Kamijou collected the information in his head and passed through the school gate like every other student. The school had a flat campus, which was rather rare in Tokyo. The school wasnt big, there was a school compound at both the front and the back, and there was a corridor in the middle linking them together, making it look like a . There was also a semicircle roofed sports hall on the left, and a swimming pool on the right. In this city that had 2.3 million students, there were all sorts of schools. Some had their swimming pools on the roofs, some had their gyms dug underground in a bunker, it was not strange to see all sorts of weird constructs. But in this school, the layout was so ordinary it didnt have any characteristics. The students passing by Kamijou were also wearing model like uniforms, completely ordinary. (Thats okay either way. Its too troublesome to make it too special. Tokiwadai Middle Schools uniform should be rather terrible.) Kamijou pondered wildly as he rushed towards the school entrance. He was almost late already, and yet this was the time when most of the students entered school. On the way, while rushing through the staff carpark, Kamijou suddenly heard a sharp honk. Turning back to look, a car looked like it was about to reverse and park, only to stop halfway through and honk, scaring a white cat that was in the middle of it away. It was a round-model small car that was bright green in colour. However, the car itself sure was too small. There was no passenger seat, instead, it looked like it was a one-seater. (Woohh! That car is great! As light as a sheep, and theres no need to worry about getting drenched by the rain! How about I get one? I cant buy a car, but a bicycle...wait, never mind. If its my vehicle, if I park it in front of a train station, itll definitely be stolen. Already used to misfortune, Kamijou could already imagine the car being stolen, and could only sigh. Then, Kamijou noticed that the elementary student-looking Komoe-sensei was in the drivers seat, her hand was holding onto the steering wheel. OI! DONT TELL ME YOUR LEGS ARE LONG ENOUGH TO REACH THE BRAKES! I...I can still drive even if I cant reach it! Komoe-sensei deliberately opened the door and retorted. Looking closely, the steering wheel of that small car was somewhat unique. There were buttons on the left and right sides, as if it was a joystick for a racing car game. Maybe the car utilised technology for the disabled, allowing the driver to accelerate and break through the buttons. Komoe-senseis actions were unexpectedly steady as she easily parked the car. She pulled out what seemed to be a pile of folders with information inside them. Really. To say such words the first time we meet when you came back from summer vacation, sensei doesnt remember teaching you these words (...Anyone who sees this will be worried about you...) Kamijou muttered as he turned away. What did you say, Kamijou? Are you thinking of running behind sensei and throwing sensei into the sky? IM NOT! YOURE BEING TOO SUSPICIOUS HERE! Kamijou and Komoe-sensei continued to talk loudly as they headed towards the school. Maybe there was still work to do before opening ceremony, as Komoe-sensei rushed forward in small steps. But every time the students greeted Komoe-sensei, she would politely stop and reply good morning, thus, even though Kamijou was merely walking fast, he was still able to catch up to Komoe-sensei easily. Oh yeah, whats that pile of papers? Dont tell me its a mini-test? Kamijou, whatever bad things sensei experienced as a student body, sensei will never let you experience. Okay okay, dont be so slow, hurry up. Komoe-sensei prompted Kamijou, These arent schoolwork, but a university friend of mine asked me to help read through some theses. University...well yeah, you do have a teachers license. Kamijou? Komoe-sensei looked puzzled as she tilted her head, staring at Kamijou, who was muttering to himself. Kamijou again stared at the pile of papers, and then said, Whats on them? Something not too difficult. Its AIM research, and its rather related to you. On hearing this, Kamijou wondered, what was AIM? He had never heard of it before. Komoe-sensei seemed to be rather mindful about the time as she started to speed up. However, she still continued to maintain her teaching spirit as she said, When you grow older, youll understand that this AIM is An Involuntary Movement...which also means no awareness. And the AIM dispersal field means the same thing. Its like body temperature, an energy field that naturally radiates out from an esper. Oh, like how Misakas body will let out weak magnetic fields, right...? Ah, youre talking about Misaka-san...eh? Misaka? Hold on, eh? No way? Komoe-sensei was stunned for a moment. She then continued, Anyway, AIM dispersal fields will differ according to the espers power. For example, a pryokinesis user generates heat, a telekinesis user generates pressure; these powers will generate from the espers bodies and scatter around. But as theyre rather weak, its impossible to detect them without a powerful machine. Komoe-sensei saw that Kamijou, who was moving very fast, was ahead of her, and immediately chased up. I see, so if theres an esper that can detect that AIM whatsoever thing, the esper can detect whether therere other espers around, right? Such an esper can go hm? Theres powers nearby like a manga! Hahaha, thats right. If its even more powerful, it may even use the AIM dispersal field to detect how strong and what type of ability the power is. At this moment, the esper may end up saying hm, this guy battle ability is over 70,000. Therere all sorts of people with varied weird interests studying these things. Kamijou and Komoe-sensei dashed towards the school as they continued to talk, but immediately separated. The staff members had their own entrance. After Komoe-sensei was gone, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief. (...Lets go.) He decided as he headed towards the school entrance. To Kamijou, who had lost his memories, a school life of deceptions would now begin. Kamijou had come to school for remedial lessons before, so he knew where his shoe locker and classroom were. Like an ordinary student, he placed his shoes in his locker, put on his slippers, walked up the stairs, into the corridor and arrived in front of his classroom. But here was the tough problem. When Kamijou was having remedial for the first time (about the time when he first met Misaka Imouto, actually, it was already a remedial of a remedial), there were only him and Komoe-sensei, so Kamijou had sat at the table in front of the podium, but that was not his original place. In other words, having lost his memory, Kamijou didnt remember where he should be sitting. (What should I do now...?) Kamijou was slightly troubled by this, but it would be rather suspicious of him to loiter around outside the classroom. Though he couldn''t think of anything, he still reached his hand out to pull the door open. (Wah...) Kamijou cursed as he walked into the classroom. There were less than half the number of students present, and they were all not sitting at their own place. If all the students had been sitting at their own place, the last one left would definitely have been Kamijous. But of course, things werent going to be that simple. Just at this moment, Aogami Pierce, who had arrived at school earlier today, saw Kamijou stunned at the door. The 180cm high school student walked towards Kamijou and said, Hm? Whats up Kami-yan? Did you walk here only to remember that you forgot to bring your homework? If thats the case, its really funny and pitiful. After Aogami Pierce said this, everyone in the class turned to look at Kamijou. And the class got louder. Ah? What? Kamijou forgot to bring his homework? Eh, Kamijou, did you really forget to bring your homework? BANZAI! SENSEIS EYES WILL BE ATTRACTED BY KAMIJOUS MISFORTUNE! OUR DAMAGES WILL BE REDUCED TO THE MINIMUM! BANZAI!! Seeing the entire class cheer like that, Kamijou inadvertently let out an impatient look. Though his own father was really bothered that his son was treated like this, to Kamijou himself, this was just a common thing in the daily life of a manga. Oi, dont tell me you guys didnt do your homework? Komoe-sensei will cry! Kamijou couldnt help but press against his temple. He knew that he wouldnt be able to make it, and right now, he was too stupid to even rush through his homework. At this moment, Aogami Pierce thievishly said, Dont worry, that sensei loves problematic students more than good students. Komoe-sensei seemed really happy when she saw that 2/3 of the class needed to take the summer remedial. ...Dont tell me she went to a bar alone to cry? Ahhaha, what nonsense are you spouting, Kami-yan? I deliberately left my finished homework at home so that Komoe-sensei would scold me! I DARE SAY THAT SHELL CRY! ARE YOU GUYS LITTLE KIDS WHO SPECIALISE IN BULLYING YOUR CRUSH!? Kamijou couldnt help but shout, but such a thing was abnormally normal in this classroom. Everyone started to return to their own conversations. Being finally able to stop crossing paths with a bunch of weirdos, Kamijou really wanted to sit at his own place, and he could take a slight nap during morning assembly, but he just didnt know where his seat was. (What should I do now? I cant just honestly ask wheres my place right?) Kamijou pondered for a while, and then said to Aogami Pierce, Cuse me, but can you help me get my notebook? Its in my drawer. Whats up Kami-yan? Forgot to bring it back before summer break? On hearing Kamijous words, Aogami Pierce obediently headed towards a table at the back of the classroom that was near the window. (I see, so thats my place.) Kamijou saw Aogami Pierce peek at the drawer of the table and thought, Oi, Kami-yan! Wheres that notebook? Ah? Eh? I didnt put it in the drawer? Kamijou casually replied to the puzzled looking Aogami Pierce and finally sat at his own place. Aogami Pierce also sat at the neighbouring seat, and both of them started to chit-chat. In the end, after that so-called scholar launched that electric brain, he started to promote some manga brain. What an idiot. If reading manga can change the brain, wouldnt power development become way too easy? But its cool to change every power development textbook into manga. Ah, but those manga that are used as teaching materials are normally rather boring. They seem to have so much lesson content. Damn you! Whats exciting are the things behind these useless things! Havent you realised that those kids-rated cartoons and special effects films have such devastating destruction? Do I need to punch you to wake you up? Why are you so excited? Ill feel strange if those teaching materials can actually turn one into a Level 5 esper. Like usual, Kamijou continued to discuss useless things with Aogami Pierce, and slowly found himself merging into this space. It had been a month since he had lost his memory, and the Kamijou sitting there was no longer the blank-slate-state Kamijou. It was as if the ''he'' who had lost his memory was overlapping with the ''he'' before he had lost his memory. Kamijou now had memories that he could discuss with others. But that was just for Kamijou. To that white nun, it was likely that none of the problems were solved. Kamijou didnt remember meeting with Index, but from the way their conversations went, it seemed like Kamijou and Index had only met recently. Most likely, the amount of time he had spent with Index after losing his memories was more than the time before that. But that didnt mean anything. In the short time before he had lost his memories, Index had trusted Kamijou. To her, the memories in that short moment were treasures that she definitely didnt want to lose. Right now, Index and Kamijou were rather close, but Index didnt know something. That was, Kamijou had lost his memory, and no longer held those precious memories of being with her. Kami-yan? Oi, Kami-yan? Hearing Aogami Pierces voice, Kamijou finally recovered. Ah, oh, sorry. I didnt sleep last night, so Im a little dazed. Kamijou tried to motivate himself and returned back to the fake everyday life. Part 5 Okay okaymorning assemblys about to starttheres not much time till the opening ceremony, so we have to hurry up! Almost everyone was at their seats when Komoe-sensei walked into the class. Eh? Sensei, wheres Tsuchimikado? Sensei didnt hear him report sick, maybe he overslept. Komoe-sensei tilted her head as she answered Kamijou. Ahbefore I take attendance, sensei has something to announce to everyone. A transfer student will be joining us today Mystified, everyone stared at Komoe-sensei. This transfer student is a girlcongratulations, you perverted wolvesdont be too disappointed, kitties WOOOHHHH!!! The mood in the class started to boil. Among them, only one person, Kamijou was getting a bad premonition for some reason. Impossible. In this life of Kamijou Touma that was full of misfortune, there couldnt possibly be something like an ordinary pretty female transfer student. (...Is this some sort of a set-up to hide some terrible truth?) Considering Komoe-senseis relations with others, the person most likely to be the transfer student was Himegami Aisa, but the world was so big, anything could happen. Maybe Misaka Mikoto would falsify her age and transfer in, maybe Kanzaki Kaori would come rushing in, or maybe it would be the Suzushina Yuriko who was really Accelerator, or maybe it would be the almost 10,000 imoutos all squeezing in here and increasing the student population by more than 10 times, or maybe it would be an Angel with hidden wings having descended into the human realm. Damn...damn it! Im actually getting interested in this! Kamijou? Why are you holding your head and muttering to yourself? Komoe-sensei tilted her head as she asked, and then said, Anyway, Ill let her present herself! The detailed self-introduction will have to leave till after the opening ceremony is overwill the transfer student please enter The moment Komoe-sensei finished saying, the classroom door opened. Whos the student? Kamijou stared suspiciously... He saw a white nun carrying a calico cat. WHAT...! Such an unexpected development caused Kamijous mind to go blank. Everyone in class also didnt seem to understand what was going on, because Index was definitely not wearing an ordinary uniform. Things like whats that church school uniform? were whispered throughout the classroom. However, Index remained unmoved. Ah, Touma, so this is Toumas school, right? Ill have to thank Maika later for bringing me here. With these words from Index, everyone turned at Kamijou. Everyones eyes seemed to be telling him: you again. ...Ah, eh? For some reason, even Komoe-sensei, who was intending to introduce the transfer school, was stunned when she saw Index at the door. Hold...hold on a sec, Komoe-sensei. Whats going on? Kamijou inadvertently asked Komoe-sensei, but it seemed like Komoe-sensei herself was rather shocked by this sudden development, and only managed to recover after hearing Kamijous voice. Sister-san! How did you get in? Youre not the transfer student, go out, go out! Ah, but I want to look for Touma. My lunch... Index seemed like she wanted to say something else, but Komoe-sensei tried to force her out by pushing her back out. Kamijou stood up instinctively. Ah...oi, Index Kamijou, please dont get involved in this! Oh! Kamijou wanted to chase up, but Komoe-sensei shouted to stop Kamijou. She was not angry, but she did look like a child who would cry any second soon as she pushed Indexs back. Kamijou could only stand about blankly as he saw both of them leave the classroom. The person who replaced them was a long black-haired girl. The real transfer student is me, Himegami Aisa. Seeing the familiar face, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief as he collapsed onto the table. Thank...thank goodness. Good thing that its ordinary Himegami, and shes wearing an ordinary low-profile uniform, not a miko outfit. Thank goodness... I do feel some evil intent in your words. On hearing Kamijou utter the word ordinary here and there, Himegami seemed rather unhappy. Part 6 Having been chased out of the classroom, Index puffed her cheeks as she walked along the classroom. She was holding 2,000 yen. That was what Komoe-sensei had stuffed into Indexs hands after saying why did you come here? Go home! Dont follow strangers! Here, use this to take a taxi back!. (...Touma actually showed such an expression.) On remembering the scene just now, Indexs jaw dropped. It had been a month since she had started living together with Kamijou, but that was the first time that Kamijou had actually given such a painful look the moment he saw her. Obviously, he had rejected her. Just as Index was wondering what to do with this lonely feeling, she got hungry again. When it rains, it pours, Index thought as she bit her lip unhappily. At this moment, she passed by a canteen. The aroma of fried vegetables and food floated in, causing the calico cat that Index was carrying to purr. Index stopped. ...Im hungry. As she recalled, as Kamijou had been in quite the rush this morning, the breakfast that he had made was a little subpar. In terms of satisfaction, the grade was only about 40%. Like a zombie, Index crept into the canteen. Though the canteen was large, the set-up was rather simple. There were about 100 sets of 1 round table and 4 metal chairs. There was a counter at one corner of a wall, and the kitchen seemed to be behind. The sound of food being fried could be heard from the kitchen, and there were three coupon vending machines near the other wall. (Mm, I did read it up in a manga before. If I put money into that thing, there will be a food coupon.) Index compared the image in front of her with the knowledge in her brain and made this conclusion. Right now, besides The Kinugyokutosh (The Moon and The Rabbit), The Book of Creation, and the Book of the Law, the library in Indexs brain had stockpiled a few shounen manga. Stiyl and the rest would definitely faint if they were to know of this, but for Index, who was able to store her memory appropriately, this didnt seem to be a major problem. Index was standing in front of the vending machine. She pulled the crumpled piece of 2,000 yen note flat and inserted it into the machine. (See, I can do it. Touma always said that I cant catch up to the times, said that Im old fashioned. This sort of thing wont stump me. Now, all I need to do is just to press the button.) Index felt slightly proud, and just as she reached her hand out and intended to press the button... She stopped. Because there wasn''t a single button on the coupon vending machine. (Ah? Eh? This...whats going on? Where should I press?) There seemed to be some table lamp strip on the vending machine, and there was a liquid crystal display on the front, each showing the prices. Other than those, there was nothing else. There were no other options to choose from. In fact, this coupon vending machine was similar to the ticket vending machine at a train station; both used touch screen display. However, Index didnt know that. (Ah...eh? Ah...uuu, yeah, thats right, got to get back the money first. Ah...eh? How do I get the money back? Wheres the button?) The cancel button was also at the edge of the display, but that had already become a psychologically blind spot to Index. Ever since she had seen the calico cat claw at a cooking show on the TV screen to no avail, Index didnt think that reaching out to touch it was a meaningful thing to do. Index grabbed the vending machine and shook it as she peeked into the coin outlet, but this action obviously wouldnt do anything. Uu...uuuuuuuu...I became as unfortunate as Touma... Index collapsed weakly in despair. She was like the High School baseball players who lost in the Koshien Finals as she sighed in despair. Only the calico cat didnt understand the situation as it casually yawned. At this moment, footsteps could be heard from behind. Just as Index was feeling rather intrigued, someone tapped her shoulder. The opening ceremony was held in the sports hall. The students were all exiting the classrooms and heading to the sports hall, causing the entire corridor to be crowded like a train station during a vacation. At this moment however, Kamijou didnt move along together with his classmates. The reason was simple, because he was worried about leaving Index alone. Damn it...though I have no right to say this, she gets into trouble very easily! Besides that, there was also another problem. Since Index had photographic memory, if she were to see the esper development programme, the magic side may have ended up getting information on the science sides secret intel, but of course, Kamijou hadnt thought that much. Anyway, he had to find Index. Kamijou kept his sleepy mind active as he ran along the corridor. The one who had tapped Index on the shoulder was a girl who she had never met before. She was taller than Index, but shorter than Kamijou. Her hair was black with a light tinge of tea, but it seemed like she didnt dye her hair; instead it seemed to be a natural colour. Her hair was long, about waist-length. However, there was a small bunch of hair that split at the ears, with a rubber band holding. She had a knowledgeable look with those spectacles on her, but they seemed to slide down for some reason. Index stared at the chest of the person. Unfortunately, based on this protrusion from the inside, the girl beat Index by quite a margin. (Who is she?) Though Index didnt have the right to say that to someone else, this girl was wearing a different uniform from the people at Kamijous school. The female students here all wore white short-sleeved sailor blouses with a deep blue skirt. However, this girl was wearing a short-sleeved collar shirt and a long blue skirt. The red tie that seemed to be used by the men looked rather eye-catching over the white and blue clothing, but this was also obviously different from this schools uniform. Index exchanged looks with that girl. A pair of tiny animal-like eyes could be seen behind the spectacles that dropped down slightly. That...you need to press that button. Eh? That...button on the screen... The girl said softly as she pointed at the coupon vending machine with her finger. After a while, Index recovered as she saw the liquid crystal display that was attached to the vending machine. Right now, Index was showing a look of a child who was lost in a country where she didnt know the language. Button? But theres no buttons on it? Eh... The girl seemed to be rather puzzled. What I meant is that...you just need to touch the screen...dont you know? Ah, uu...please dont look like youre about to cry. Youre lying. I know that there wont be any change even if I touch the people in the TV. ... The girl silently walked towards the vending machine and pressed the cancel button on the corner of the screen. With a crack rotor spinning sound, the vending machine spat out the 2,000 yen it had just swallowed. Index was stunned by this. How...how did it become like this? That...thats why I said that you just need to touch the screen... A...amazing! Is this TV connected to the inside? Eh...this isnt the TV... Amazing, this is amazing! Do it again! Do it again! Facing this sudden shout, the calico cat purred in protest. For some reason, Index was so abnormally excited that she forgot that she was hungry, as she reinserted the 2,000 yen note that was had just been spit out back into the vending machine, staring at it like a girl watching a magician. The girl revealed a reluctant look as she again pressed the cancel button. The 2,000 yen note was ejected again. Such a simple thing, and Index was already giving a look of admiration. Then...then what about this? Whats this filter condition search thing? Eh...you just need to insert the keywords here, and itll list all the things that doesnt include the keywords...for example, those who are allergic to eggs just need to type in the word egg, and this thing here will list out all the things that dont include eggs... Then whats this? Whats this information search? Exactly as what it says...it can use numbers to search for nutritional values like Vitamin C or Iron...for example, if youre looking for less than 150 kcal...itll come up with a diet meal. The girl continued to explain the unnecessary details, yet Index was as excited as a child, as if she was some kindergartener who dreamed of being an astronomer hearing the introduction of a spaceship. The girl again continued to get praised, revealing a look of whether she should be happy or not. After explaining everything, Index smiled at the girl, and said, Thank you. Whats your name? ...Mm, Kazakiri Hyouka. In the end, Index and Kazakiri didnt order anything, instead merely taking up the chairs of the canteen as they started to talk. Though they were talking, it was mainly just Kazakiri hearing Index complain. Index was concentrating too much about complaining and forgot that she was hungry. In the end, I called Toumas name, but Touma didnt answer me, and he even looked away. Really, its Touma who forgot about making lunch... Kazakiri stared at Index, and then at the calico cat Index was carrying. Uu...mm...but basically, outsiders are prohibited from entering school...if youre seen by the teachers, it may be troublesome... But Hyouka, didnt you do the same thing? I...Im alright, because Im a transfer student...even though I dont have a uniform... Then I want to be a transfer student too. ...Eh... Kazakiri Hyouka frowned, giving a look of not knowing what to say. Anyway, I want to floor Touma up pretty good. I dont want to go home like this, and if I dont ask about lunch, I might really have a hunger crisis. But...your attire is too eye-catching... Hm? Index noticed the clothing on her. Pure white nun robes with gold laces, it was as eye-catching as one huge princess robe, but Index was too used to it that she didnt notice it. If youre caught...that person will be rather bothered, right... Then what should I do? If it was someone with a tougher personality that didnt have a good choice of words, the likely words would be hurry up and go home. However, Kazakiri Hyouka could only frantically roll her eyes and say, ...Eh, the infirmary may have extra uniforms...but they may be ordinary P.E. attire instead of standard uniforms... P.E. uniform? We wont get discovered if we wear them? Facing this na?ve problem, Kazakiri Hyouka revealed a bothered look. If one was to consider through common sense, no matter what, it was less conspicuous than the nun robes Index was wearing. However, today was the opening ceremony, and there wouldnt be any lessons, so it was too eye-catching for them to wear P.E. attire. Also, no school would allow pets to be brought in. However, she couldnt think of any better idea...after thinking about it for a while, Kazakiri said, ...Nn, definitely...should be...possibly...maybe...unlikely? Unable to respond properly, Kazakiri finally gave an ambiguous answer. Index and Kazakiri walked down an empty corridor. Oh...thats right, how does a P.E. attire look like? Eh...how should I describe it...theyre clothes meant for sports. The materials are specially selected, and are rather elastic, so theyre rather comfortable, and dust wont stick on it easily... A...amazing! Is this the hi-tech stuff that Touma talked of? ...Eh... Amazing! Oh yeah, Hyouka should wear it too! Itll be great! ......Eh...that... Being weak in personality, Kazakiri was unable to imagine the wild imagination of the petite Index as she could only let herself be dragged away by Index, the corner of her eyes behind the spectacles secretly shedding a tear. At this moment, Kamijou was still looking for Index. Right now, the crowded corridors just a while back were completely empty. Kamijou continued to run throughout the corridors as he secretly sighed. The opening ceremony should be starting soon. (...Damn it! And I was so close to mixing into the class! Oh well, at least the opening ceremony is just about listening to what that principal has to say...how does that principal look like anyway? Oh well, better go find Index first.) Kamijou looked around in all directions as he continued to run. At that moment, he could hear a familiar voice. (Hm? This voice isENEMY PLANE DETECTED! THE MODEL IS A STUPID NUN!) He stopped and pricked his ears. It was the sound of a girl happily chirping about. There was no one nearby, but the voice was extremely clear. Kamijou turned to where the voice came from and frowned. The sign on the door said infirmary. Kamijous mouth inadvertently twitched. (Da...damn it! I dragged my sleep-deprived brain all around to look for you, and youre actually fooling around on the bed of the infirmary? Thats too much!) Kamijou placed his hand on the infirmary door and pulled it open. Oi! Index! What are you doing inside the infirmary? Youll only get one disease called the 10,000 year 5 month illness! Pa! Kamijou pulled opens the door of the infirmary hard. Feeling extremely motivated, Kamijou decided to lecture Index good today. But like a manga scene, what he saw was girls who were changing clothes, two of them. One of them was the nun he was familiar with, but for some reason, she was not wearing the nun habit, but short-sleeved gym shirt and shorts...and she was only wearing the shorts halfway through. She was bending her back, with both hands on the sides of the shorts. She stopped what she was doing, her mouth was twitching. The other was a girl he had never met before, she was wearing some other schools summer uniform. The girl had long hair, but a small bundle of it was tied up in a rubber band and extended out to the side. Maybe it was deliberate or second nature, but the spectacles of the girl slid down slightly. However...the main point was that the girls shirt was unbuttoned. She was holding onto a short-sleeved shirt, and she was completely frozen to the spot. Only those small animal-like eyes behind her spectacles looked like they were about to tear up anytime soon. The two girls who were unable to register the current situation stared blankly at Kamijou. Only the calico cat was unable to register the danger as it washed its face with its front paw. Facing this almost certain death situation, Kamijou could only shout, .....................EH, I GOT INTO THE WRONG ROOM!!! The next moment, both girls faces were blushing. Kamijou sincerely hoped that the reason they were blushing was because they were embarrassed, but that wasnt the case. The next moment, the angry scream and the sound of something breaking roared into the skies. Part 7 Right now, Kamijou Touma was extremely angry. He should be the one who was grumbling, but for some reason, he had witnessed two girls changing clothes, which meant he should apologize. However, because of this alone, he got scolded by Index and even got bitten on to such an extent that there were bite marks on his head, and Kamijou really couldnt explain why this had happened. However, Kamijou still brought the two girls who had changed back into their own clothes to the canteen. Kamijou and Index ended up quarrelling with each other, while the stranger just stared at both of them and looked like she didnt know what to do. The calico cat curled itself up, not caring about what was going on. Sleep-deprived and unhappy, Kamijou said in a deep voice, Oh yea, whos she, Index? Once Kamijou asked, the girl jerked her shoulders for some reason. In contrast, Index continued to remain unhappy as she said, I dont know, but shes a friend. You dont know? How can you not know who she is? I dont know, but Hyoukas a friend! While both of them were shouting, the girl called Hyouka was trembling like an animal. She then inhaled deeply and said cautiously, O...okay, okay..., wanting to help them settle their dispute. My...my name is...Kazakiri Hyouka...whats yours? Hm? Mm, Kamijou Touma. Kamijou just answered, but for some reason, Kazakiris shoulders jerked again. Seeing this, Index grumbled, Touma! Stop scaring Hyouka! Dont worry...Hyouka, Toumas hot-blooded, indecisive, and a rare specimen of one wholl help every girl he sees, but hes a good guy. ...Ah...eh...I dont know how to dont worry in this situation... Hearing Kazakiris solemn thoughts, Kamijous lips turned slightly numb. Probably seeing that Kazakiri was nervous, in order to calm her down Index said, Here, Hyouka. Ill lend you Sphinx. Carry it, and you wont be so stiff. Erm...is Sphinx...the name of this cat? The calico cat lay on the round table without any restraint as it revealed its stomach, making a here, Missy, Ill let you pat my chest gentlemanly gesture and raising its front paw to do a banzai pose. Kazakiri was a little hesitant from the start, as she only dared to let her hand swim slightly in the air before stroking the soft abdomen of the cat gently. Then, Kazakiri said, Ah...how warm. Kazakiris face unknowingly revealed a smile, and on the other hand, the calico cat trembled as if someone had grabbed its paw, as it was gritting its teeth, enduring it and saying Dont...dont worry, Missy...this...wont stump me...haa!. As for Kamijou, he was completely ignored. Mm...mm. do you want to hug Sphinx? Though there might be a bit of fur, its comfortable to hug it. Uu...erm...eh, like this? Kazakiri imitated Index as she carried the calico cat slightly and stuck into at her chest. It wasnt any different from what Index did. But the calico cats head was buried within Kazakiris chest. Kamijou, who was staring coldly at this, immediately blushed and turned his head away from the completely defenceless Kazakiri. The calico cat also tried to struggle, as if saying, Uu...oo, M...Missy! Even I can suffocate! Kazakiri also started to panic, and the calico cat jumped out from it. It landed onto the round table and shook its head. However, the two girls didnt seem to understand why the calico cat would do such a thing. Eh...an animals five senses are sharper than a humans...maybe my smell is different from yours... Dont feel bad Hyouka. If thats the case, you just need to build a relationship with Index...Touma? Why did you turn your head away? Nothing. Kamijou replied. Kamijou turned to look at the calico cat who was the only other being that knew the truth. The calico cat merely purred twice, as if telling Kamijou, Therere some things in this world thats better off left unsaid. Feeling rather awkward, Kamijou tried to change the topic, but he was afraid that Kazakiri may have been fearful of men, so he directed it at Index. Oh ya, why did you come to school? Uu, yeah, Touma. Lunch, lunch. You went out without preparing anything. I may have died if I remained at home. Todays the opening ceremony, I would be back before lunch! How...how would I know if you didnt say that? How do you not know? Thats common knowledge! This is Toumas common knowledge, not mine! Then do you know, Touma? In English rituals, if you want to activate an Idol creation spell by using the Telesma thats infused into a Cross, the interior positioning of the Church is directly related to the casters position! In fact, the defensive magic array is used to protect the body from getting involved in the aftermath of the main spell, and it has a strict rule of thumb. Once the position is change, the secondary defensive spell may be unable to work normally. Touma, do you know the Golden ratio? Say it, thats common knowledge. O...okay okay... Just like that, Kamijou continued to argue with Index, and Kazakiri Hyouka had to interrupt them every 20 seconds. And on the other hand, Komoe-sensei was infuriated. (WhereisKamijou--? To skip lessons on the first day of school, he actually has quite some guts. Hoho...hohoho...hohohohoho...) Having realised that Kamijou wasnt inside the gym, Komoe-sensei revealed a dark smile that was rarely seen as she started to look for Kamijou... (Uu...however, maybe hes feeling unwell or injured, so he had to absent himself...is Kamijou alright?) Burning inside as she was looking for the student who had skipped class, Komoe-sensei was thinking about this seemed like she was still a gentle teacher. At this moment, Komoe-sensei heard a conversation near the canteen. All the staff and students should be gathered at the gym. Dont tell me... Komoe-sensei carried a suspicious feeling as she approached. It was Kamijou Touma. And there were two girls beside him. Though they were quarrelling, there was a weird jolly vibe. (Ha...haaa...) Having worried for nothing, Komoe-senseis anger broke the limit. She let all the air enter her lungs before shouting, KA...KAMIJOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? Komoe-sensei shout caused the calico cat that was curled up on the round table to jump up in shock and nearly fall off the table. Kamijou and company stopped talking as well as they turned their heads over. The female teacher who was 135cm tall and looked like she was 12 stormed into the canteen. Maybe it was because she was too angry and the blood was rushing up that even her ears were all red. Ah...eh? Komoe-sensei? Why are you here? Isnt it the opening ceremony now... Are you even allowed to say that, Kamijou? Sensei was worried that you werent in the gym and came out to look for you! And yet youre here having quite the sweet school life! If youre going to continue flirting over here, sensei will have to lecture you on the basis of impure opposite gender interaction! What flirting...sensei, cant you see that were arguing here? Arguing with a casual look on your face is called flirting! And... and why is it that Kamijou always has a girl appear beside him? Does Kamijou have some sort of weird AIM dispersal field? Wha...what do these two things have to do with each other? Do we have to talk about it right now? Just like that, Kamijou started to quarrel with Komoe-sensei 5 minutes later, the conversation was getting weird. Tsuchimikado never came to school and yet Sister-san came to school, senseis already having a headache over that, so please stop creating so many problems! Sensei really cant stand your casual attitude towards girls! What has Tsuchimikado and Index got to do with this? And this Kamijou is a hardcore man, in gaming terms, what happens to make are all events that wont benefit me! Ka...Kamijou! Youre living such a romantic school life and you dare call yourself hardcore? Ten minutes later, and the conversation got even weirder. Why is it that when it comes to girls, Kamijous movements and thinking ability will improve by multi-fold times? Sensei hopes that you can use that on your studies! Hold...hold on a minute. Are you thinking that Im a guy who likes to do weird things in order to get girls close to me, sensei? ...Actually, its the opposite. Its that you betting on your own life will cause girls to become closer to you. Havent you realised that, Touma? Damn it! Even Index is saying this...? 15 minutes later, and the conversation was completely out of point. An...anyway, sensei will lecture Kamijou thoroughly in the counselling room! Touma, Touma, you still have to apologize to me. Ahhh...thats enough! Im already having a headache due to sleep-deprivity, so stop saying such ridiculous things with such high decibels! Oi, Kazakiri, help me talk them out of it! Youre the only kind one here...eh? Kamijou looked puzzled; Index and Komoe-sensei turned their eyes over. Kazakiri Hyouka, who should have been sitting at the same table, was now completely gone. The place she had been was now an empty metal chair. ...Ah...dont tell me she couldnt take it any longer and left? Kamijou asked, but obviously, he couldnt get an answer. Part 8 Having been chased out of the school, Index leaned her back on the metal fence near the school as she waited for Kamijou. The calico cat in her arms looked rather tired. ...Eh...that was really scary. I was shocked. A soft voice came from behind her. Index turned her head around to see Kazakiri Hyouka, who had vanished because she couldnt stand it, was now standing right in front of her. Thats common. Why didnt you talk with us just now, Hyouka? Really...? But that teacher looked really angry. Komoe wasnt really angry. Why are you so mindful, Hyouka? Because...you looked rather sad... After Kazakiri said that, Index remained silent. After a while, Index said, ...Toumas angry. ? I quarreled with him quite a few times, but this time seems to be different. Touma didnt listen to me at all. He was angry, not smiling at me... Hearing what she herself said, Index''s face crumpled. Index was very lively when she was quarreling, but she seemed really depressed. Does Touma hate me now...? Index lowered her head and muttered. (Or...) Index didnt want to say the next words. (Or maybe Touma hated me right from the beginning, and I only just realized that.) Index bit her lip slightly. Maybe the arms were exerting extra force as they carry the calico cat, as the calico cat was meowing in protest. On seeing this, Kazakiri smiled lightly. ...Thats not the case. To quarrel... is a proof of good friendship. Why? Quarreling will hurt others. Ill be hurt if I hear someone say something bad about me. Friends with good feelings wont say anything that will hurt others. Friends who are able to quarrel... Kazakiri said calmly, Are friends... who can be together even when they quarrel. A friendship wont end because of a quarrel. That person... because he believes in you, he wont break off with you just because of a quarrel... thus, he could quarrel with you without holding back. Really? Thats true... if not, do you think that its better not to quarrel? Because if you dont want to quarrel... you have to hold in your feelings, and you have to laugh even when you dont want to... and its over once you quarrel... you just have to give up on this friend and go make another one. Do you want this thin ice-like relationship...? On hearing that, Index revealed an unwilling look. On seeing Indexs expression, Kazakiri smiled. I dont want it to be like this. I want to be with Touma forever. Index said. Mn... since you can think of this... you dont have to worry about your relationship... at least he would be angry about you. It should be alright. Kazakiri Hyouka said to Index. However, she added on something else, ...But he''s also the kind of guy who speaks to you with a straight face even when you''re naked... Kamijou was finally freed from Komoe-senseis lecture. The corridors, classroomsnobody was around. The opening ceremony had ended together with the assembly, and everyone had gone home. There were the voices of people talking, probably of those taking part in extra-curriculum activities. The canteen continued to operate even on opening day, most likely for these people. Until now, he still hadnt met Tsuchimikado. Who knew whether he really came to school today? (...Ugh...so tired...) Being sleep-deprived and fatigued, Kamijou was as tired as a piece of cooked vegetable leaf. The time seemed to be past noon, and he was hungry. Kamijou returned back to the empty classroom to collect his school bag and walked towards the entrance of the school compound. He took off his slips and changed back into his shoes. While walking through the school, he passed by the soccer players who were warming up. At this moment, he could see Index and Kazakiri Hyouka standing near the school gate. Oi Kamijou shouted at them as he headed towards the exit. Oh, its Touma... Hm? Whats wrong? Why do you look so depressed? What...no...nothing... Oh? Good that everythings alright. Where are we going to eat? Dont choose a place thats too expensive. On hearing Kamijous words, Index revealed an intrigued look. Touma, arent we eating at home today? Its a hassle to eat at home, and dont you want to go play after we eat? ... What? I told you this morning, right? Did you forget? I...I didnt forget... Index blushed as she hugged the calico cat tightly. The calico cat purred twice impatiently as it started to struggle. Kazakiri chuckled. Oh ya, does Hyouka want to come along? Eh...can I? Why not? Touma will agree, right? Yeah. Kamijou replied quickly, without a second delay. Kazakiri looked surprised. Erm...thanks... She said softly as she stared at Indexs face. Mm, since were going to play for the entire day, we need money. Sorry, but I need to go to a convenience store to get money. Wait for me here. After saying that, Kamijou headed towards a convenience store that was near the school and operated the ATM that was near the door. All the students in Academy City had a scholarship they could claim, and the money would be automatically banked into their accounts like a salary. On first glance, it was a system that was worth being envious over, but basically, it could be considered a contract for esper development. The more prestigious the school, or the higher the Level of the esper, the greater the reward. In contrast, the esper would have to take part in more research. As for ordinary Level 0 school students like Kamijou, the reward they could get was rather limited. (...Though its a human experiment, its not really that scary.) Kamijou randomly thought as he stuffed the money into his wallet and walked out of the convenience store. At this moment, he heard someone, Oi oi, that boy over there! Arent you too careless? Hearing the female voice, Kamijou turned his head around, only to see a rather glamorous looking woman in a green sports jacket standing there. Her long hair was tied behind her head, but this careless feeling added to the intriguing sexy feeling. Looking closely, the woman had an armband on her; it seemed like Anti-Skill. It was rare to see such female Anti-Skill member, and the reason was simple. Though there were equal job opportunities for both men and women in Japan, the ratio between men and women in a defense force was still unequal. It was the same logic. She looked at Kamijou, and said in an exasperated tone, Dont carry your wallet around near an ATM so openly. Wouldnt people be tempted to rob you? Eh? Ah? Oh... sorry. Kamijou didnt seem to understand the situation, but he felt he might as well apologize. The woman in the sports jacket seemed satisfied though as she said, Mm, nn, be mindful of it next time, boy. The woman gave Kamijou a smile and then disappeared. Kamijou inadvertently scratched his head. Though Anti-Skill members were trained fighters, their real professions were teachers. Though by law, civil servants werent allowed to have a secondary job, the rule didnt apply well to Anti-Skill. That wasnt because it was an exception, but because Anti-Skill did not earn any extra money. Simply put, Anti-Skill personnel werent much different from those who helped to patrol the night streets voluntarily, but they were more professional. Anti-Skill had to take part in dangerous activities, and the reward they got was just some Anti-Skill privileges. But even so, Anti-Skills work was rather popular. That was because Anti-Skill members could use their identities as teachers to gain convenience when lecturing students, and once they were officially Anti-Skill, they would be extremely respected by students. (Speaking of which, shes been walking around here. Dont tell me shes a teacher from our school...? Damn it, I just spoke to her as if I just met her. But seeing her attitude...seems like she doesnt know me...) Thinking about this, Kamijou felt that someone was tugging at his shirt. Turning around, he saw Himegami standing in front of him. Eh? Himegami? What are you doing here? Arent you going home? ...Youre really cold to a transfer student. Ah... Speaking of which, today was the big dayHimegamis first day after transferring schools, but because Index had appeared out of nowhere, he had forgotten all about it. So Im really a woman with such a faint existence. Ah, no way, dont feel so distressed. Its just that theres not enough sunlight around you... With a DANG sound effect, Himegami collapsed into despair. After a while, she lifted her head up and said, Leaving this aside... (Leaving this aside...? Shes really as unpredictable as ever...) I overheard some things. Is that bespectacled girl called Kazakiri Hyouka? Hm? Kamijou turned his head around. Index and Kazakiri were standing near the school gate that was far away, and both of them seemed to be chatting happily, but Kamijou couldnt hear them. Kamijou again looked at Himegami. Ah, yes, her name is Kazakiri Hyouka. Is she your friend? ... On hearing Kamijous words, Himegami turned to look at Kazakiri, who was far away. She seemed to be staring, yet observing, however, she was not looking at her with kind eyes. Oi, whats with you? Let me confirm this again. Is her name really Kazakiri Hyouka? Hm... she herself said this, and Index also said this. Of course, I didnt see her ID, but theres no reason to suspect her, right? Kazakiri... Hyouka... Himegami again muttered this name. Do you know the High School I previously attended? Eh...dont know. Kirigaoka Girls Academy. Its a star school that can rival Tokiwadai Middle School in terms of esper development. Tokiwadai specialises in following the orthodox method of developing high-Levelled espers, while Kirigaoka specialises in developing espers with powers that are strange, unique and hard to replicate. Oh... Kamijou replied. It was true that Himegamis Deep Blood ability was an esper power that was of not much use in science. If so, Kamijous right hand may have been heavily noted in Kirigaoka Girls Academy. However, Kamijou did not have any intention of studying in a girls school. I once saw the name Kazakiri Hyouka at Kirigaoka. Himegami seemed to add extra emphasis on Kazakiris name. So shes a transfer student like you? For some reason, Himegami didnt reply. Feeling slightly intrigued, Kamijou asked, Since Kazakiri was from Kirigaoka, it means that she has some amazing ability like you, right? Even so, Kamijou wasnt feeling surprised. He already knows of the strongest electromaster, and his own power is pretty unique. However... I dont know. ? Nobody knows what Kazakiri Hyoukas power is. Himegami paused, and then continued, When the school unveils the score rankings, her name is always at the top. Oh... so shes that smart. No, this has nothing to do with being smart. Kirigaokas rankings are purely based on how rare the power is. In other words, Kazakiris power is just extremely rare, but it remains to be seen whether its useful. Himegami paused again, and then continued, Also, nobody even knows which year and which class Kazakiri is. Everyone in Kirigaoka knows of this name Kazakiri Hyouka, but nobody saw her before. However, her name will always appear when the results are out. ...Whats going on? Its all a mystery. I once asked a teacher out of curiosity, and the teacher secretly told me that the teachers call Kazakiri Hyouka the Counter Stop. Himegami didnt stop. But this isnt the point. The teacher told me that the most important thing isnt the Counter Stop name, but something else. She then continued, Its said that Kazakiri Hyoukas the key to the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. Kamijou frowned. Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. It was the first research facility in Academy City and no one knew where it was now. It was said that there were many latest Imaginary technology that couldnt be used, and the rumours went that it was secretly controlling Academy City from behind the scenes, the mastermind. The mysterious organization that should exist, yet no one knew its exact location. That feeling gave a strange vibe like a certain girl. The teacher told me that theres a special lab thats used to analyse Kazakiri Hyoukas ability. Its rare to have a research lab set up just to research on one persons ability, so its said that the research lab isnt meant to investigate the Counter Stop, but the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. Himegami pondered for a while, and then continued, However, that teacher had never seen Kazakiri Hyouka before. Theres a research lab, and her name will appear when the results are out, but even among the teachers, only a few know of her true identity. But... this seems to be a little too... Nn, I dont know how much of it is true, so Ill just give an advice. However, its better to be careful. After saying finish, Himegami seemed like she finished what she had wanted to do and she turned to leave. Ah, hold on. Were going out, so do you want to join us? Himegami turned her head around, and her expressionless face seemed to show some surprise. ...Komoe... that idiot. Eh? Nothing. Someone asked me to do something, so I cant come along. Himegami said coldly, then turned her back to Kamijou and walked away. Kamijou looked stunned as he saw the back of the depressed Himegami. Suddenly, Himegami seemed to remember something as she stopped and turned to Kamijou. She asked, Oh yeah, why did that Kazakiri Hyouka come to our school? Eh? Index seemed to say... shes a transfer student. Oh. After a while, Himegami said, But the records indicate that Im the only transfer student. Kamijou was speechless. Himegami left for real this time after saying anyway, please be careful, and Kamijou turned his eyes from Himegami to the two girls near the school gate. Kazakiri Hyouka, who was chatting happily with Index, looked like an ordinary person no matter what. She didnt seem like someone who would be involved with that mysterious Imaginary Number District. (Really, I dont know... whether thats purely a rumor, or a fact...) Kamijou scratched his head as he walked towards them. Index and Kazakiri smiled as they invited Kamijou back. The cat meowed. There didnt seem to be anything strange. At least not yet. Between the lines 1 There were many Middle school and High school students at the road in front of the train station. As every school had an opening ceremony today, all the students who were released had gone out to the streets to play in the afternoon, and a certain corner of a train station in front of a large department store was exceptionally squeezed. Shirai Kuroko was amongst this packed crowd. She was about as tall as an ordinary Middle school girl, and her tea-coloured hair was tied into two ponytails. She couldnt be considered pretty, but she could be considered cute. She was wearing the Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, and she had an armband on her right arm. The armband had the word Judgement. Judgement was a security group that specialised in taking down espers; it was a group that was similar to a police riot force. All Judgement members were espers, and in contrast to Judgement, the security forces of teachers that were equipped with the latest weapons were called Anti-Skill. The security was divided into two systems in order to let both sides check on each other and prevent internal corruption. Besides these people were basically just students and teachers, and nobody could guarantee that there wouldnt be people who would abuse their authority like bad cops. (...Really, why cant they just separate the entertainment facilities a little further? Didnt the creator of this city have any psychological sense of transport and environment?) As a fellow student, Shirai grumbled, her mind seemingly forgetting the land prices and customer gathering effect. Like many others, Shirai hated to be in crowded places. Though it was nearing the end of summer, the weather was still hot. There was a special reason why she would come to this hot and crowded place in front of the train station. (Found her...) Shirai was staring at a person 10m in front of her. She took out her phone and compared the person with the photo on the phone. The foreign looking woman seemed to not notice Shirais presence as she brazenly walked through the crowd, seemingly forgetting that she was being pursued. Before 7am this morning, there were two unknown intruders in Academy City at different parts of the walls. As one of them was under the jurisdiction of Anti-Skill, as a Judgement member, Shirai wasnt really clear about it. All she knew was that it was a student who was registered under Academy City. Maybe it was a corporate spy? Shirai was in charge of chasing after someone else. The photo on the handphone screen was an enlarged image of what the surveillance camera caught. The blond woman actually attacked from the entrance of Academy City, forcing her way in and causing 15 people to be wounded, 3 severely injured. At the moment, Academy City had already launched a special alert status, which was also known as red alert. It had already sealed off access from outside, and all the Judgement members had requested leave and were now looking for the intruder. Just like that, Shirai Kuroko had not even attended the opening ceremony as she continued to patrol the streets for several hours... (At this point, according to standard protocol, I should request for backup, evacuate the people and then carry out the arrest. But itll be too time-wasting; Ill probably lose the best chance to arrest her.) Shirai muttered as she continued to keep her eyes on the target, who continued to move forward. Though the securitys divided into two systems, normally speaking, the ones at the frontlines werent Judgement members, but Anti-Skill. That was logical, since Judgement members were all students. Shirais orders were just to find the intruder, and the rest of the work was to be done by Anti-Skill. However... (I cant let Anti-Skill handle this. Seeing the current situation right now, therere already so many injured people. Better for those without abilities to fall back.) Shirai thoughts were based on the self-belief of being a Level 4. To her, those teachers who needed to strap themselves with lots of weapons were really weak. Shirai didnt wish to let Anti-Skill get work that they couldnt take. If Anti-Skill, who came to help her, were injured, she would have nightmares at night. If so, she might as well go fight herself. She reached her hand into her pocket. What she took out was something similar to a mini-handgun, but the barrels more than 3cm. It was a special gun that fired signal-type bullets. (Really dont want to use this...Ill have to write a report when I use it.) Shirai raised the gun and pointed it at the sky. She then squeezed the trigger. With a comical BAM sound, a lipstick-size metal cylinder slowly rose 7m in the air. Then, with a sudden boom, the glaring flash scattered from the metal container. All the pedestrians were terrified by the sudden burst of light as they covered their eyes with their hands and rooted to the ground. But at that moment, everyones actions were rather swift. Once the shrieks and roars subsided, everyone immediately moved towards the nearby buildings, even the university students and the teachers abandoned their cars and headed into the buildings. Every resident of this city would know this. This was an evacuation order that the security forces would let out. It meant there will be a battle here, so please dont be involved in the gunfight thatll start within 30 seconds. The originally busy road in front of the train station was now completely empty. Only Shirai Kuroko and the woman were left. The woman who was in the middle of that flash didnt run or shriek, instead merely stood around casually. They were about 10m away from each other. Shirai stared at that woman. One could tell that she was a suspicious woman. She was wearing a black-based robe that had white laces and butterfly knots all over the place; maybe it could be considered a gothic outfit. It should fit a blond haired green-eyed girl really well. That woman had blond hair, but her skin was really rough. She should be more than 25 years old, and it seemed like she hardly took care of her hair, as it popped up like a lions mane. Her skin was brown, but it didnt match the sunlight. Her robe looked rather old; not only was the cloth tattered, the white laces were now yellowish. Basically, she couldnt be considered a beauty, but there was some wildness to her. She looked like a woman who had the illusion of a luxurious gothic lifestyle completely destroyed. Please dont move, my name is Shirai Kuroko, and Im a security member tasked with protecting this city. Youre under arrest. I believe I dont need to explain further, right? However, the blond Godiva hair woman didnt respond to Shirais words. The decadent, emotionless woman just moved her neck slightly and looked around. It seemed like the disappeared citizens were much more interesting to her than Shirai. After 5 seconds, she finally turned to look at Shirai. Ending search...you really added quite some trouble for me. The womans voice had some contempt in it, and it seemed like she hadnt expected to see an opponent at all. Shirai couldnt even twitch her eyebrow before the woman quickly reached for something in the tattered sleeve of that old black gothic robe At that moment, Shirai Kuroko was already right in front of the woman. The 10m distance between both of them was erased by Shirai. The casual expression on the womans face was now mixed with a little surprise. However, Shirai didnt intend to explain further, because there was no need to. This was the Level 4 ability instant teleport. Shirai Kuroko reached her hand out and grabbed the womans wrist that was covered by the tattered lace. Then, the woman unknowingly landed on the ground. There was no pain, no impact, and more importantly, no memory of falling. Basically, Shirai just used her teleport ability to teleport the woman to the ground the moment she touched the woman, but to the woman who didnt know what was going on, this may have seemed like some mysterious judo technique. The woman seemed tired even as she dodged. Just as she rolled on the floor and intend to stand up... I told you DONKA DONKA DONKA! The hi-speed impact of a sewing machine needle-impact-like sound could be heard. Looking closely, the womans robe and all the excessive cloth on the dress were pierced through with 12 needles, and the woman was stuck on the ground. Not to move. Dont you understand Japanese? Shirai said silently. That was also an attack that used the teleport ability. The needles that were hidden underneath her skirt were instantly teleported to the targeted location. They not only had the rapid-firing power of a machine gun, as they were moving from space to space, they wouldnt be blocked by anything, and there was no need to worry about anyone getting hit by the shots. It could be considered a dangerous way to attack. However, Even after seeing such power, the woman remains unmoved. Only... The mouth on the mask-like face slowly and silently extended to both sides, forming a long smile that reminded one of a Kuchisake-onna. What...? Instead, it was Shirai Kuroko who was surprised as she frowned. Suddenly, a huge explosion occurred behind her. ..Whats going on...? Though Shirai was shocked, she didnt have time to look back. The entire asphalt road rolled up, causing Shirai to be tossed high into the air. Shirai finally managed to look behind after landing on her back. A giant arm. It was just like a long-necked dragon that probed out of the water. There was a long arm grown out of the road that was longer than 2m. This arm was shaped like a humans, but the materials were asphalt, bicycles, road signs, anything that was around. It was like something that was shaped from clay, a mechanical arm that was attached to heavy machinery when a demolition work was under way. Shirai frantically tried to escape from the place, only to find that her ankle was stuck into something. The ground and the arm rose up, causing the fragments of asphalt to gather together, and Shirais ankle just so happened to be stuck in it. (...Ah...uu...to think that this outsiders... an esper...?) The force on her ankle got bigger as Shirais expression inadvertently worsened. Turning back to look, the woman who was pegged onto the ground seemed to be holding some white-chalk like thing as she wrote something strange on the ground. Those werent signals that research labs use, but they looked like some random magic codes. Maybe it was like a handphone that used short and simple buttons to replace long codes; and maybe she prepared some special codes to hypnotise her and hijack my powers. Shirai, who didnt know anything about magic, could only use what she knew to analyse the situation in front of her. (This...isnt good...got to hurry up and stand up...!) Shirai tried to regain her composure, only to find out something. The arm that extended from the ground had a raised portion, and Shirais ankle was stuck in it. The lump was shaped in a circle, and it looked like a human head. Her ankle seemed to be bitten by the teeth of the asphalt road. (Damn...it...) Shirais ability was called instant teleport. It was not limited to 3 dimension rules, so she could move about freely within space. However, there was a weakness to this ability. Though the phrase to teleport within space sounded simple, the theory behind it was to get away from the 3 dimensions, find her position in the 11th dimension, and then calculate the vectors to teleport. Such calculations complexity couldnt be compared to the simple commands that ordinary espers would have, like fire a fireball, fire electric strikes. So once she was in pain, anxious or confused, or when she was unable to remain calm, she would lose her calculating ability and thus wouldnt be able to use her teleport ability. The teeth on the asphalt road brought a clattering sound as it occupied a smaller area, and Shirai was already screaming in pain. (Ah...ack...uu...!) She just needed to teleport away in order to escape, but she was unable to think properly due to nervousness. Looking closely, the woman on the ground was revealing a slight smile as she merely scribbled on the floor with her wrist moving the white chalk. The giant arm seemed like it was being controlled as its movements were slowly changing. It seemed like it was changing angles to squash a worm on the floor. Shirai understood this, but she was unable to move. The sharp pain and the fear of death affected her calculation ability, causing her method of teleporting away to be rendered useless. It was like having a key to a nuclear shelter, only to lose the key. The woman waved the white chalk in the air, drawing curvy lines on it, and the five fingers of the arm tightened. The teeth that were biting on Shirais ankle exerted even more force, causing her to close her eyes in pain. PAPAPAPAPAPAPA!! She closed her eyes, and could only hear a spine-chilling ridiculously-loud noise. But that was not the sound of Shirais ankle being bitten off. It was also not the huge arm that was made of rubble slamming down. But the sound of the arm being sliced off. (Ah...ah...?) This sudden strike caused Shirai to open her eyes in shock. The arm was sliced off horizontally. Before she could even look clearly, the teeth thats holding Shirais ankle down got destroyed, releasing Shirai. Shirais body inadvertently rolled back after regaining her freedom. The cut parts instantly collapsed upon impact and scattered in all directions, forming back the original shape. BOUM...! The sound of bees buzzing about that was magnified several hundred times echoed through her ears. Looking closely, something that looked like a black whip and yet like a long sword extended about 10m in the air. This was the thing that was making the bee buzzing sound. Looking closely, it was formed by iron sand. The large amount of iron sand was being manipulated by magnetism as it vibrated. Basically, it was a hi-speed chainsaw. Zzz! With an air-ripping sound, the iron sand returned to the owner. (Hold on...manipulation...magnetism...? Dont tell me...!) Shirai Kuroko coughed violently as she tried to take in more oxygen and turned her head around. The one standing in front of her was... Misaka Mikoto. Ding, a soft metal sound could be heard. It was actually the sound of Mikoto flicking a coin with her thumb. The coin slowly, slowly, flipped above Mikoto. Mikoto said, Though I dont know why youre fighting The sliced off arm stood upright, forming a large pile of rubbish. However, this tower seemed like it had its own will as it collapsed falling, aiming at Shirai Kuroko. But at that moment, the coin returned back to Mikotos thumb. BUT I WONT ALLOW YOU TO HURT MY FRIEND! At that moment, The one hit from Mikoto, also known as the Railgun, caused the coin to travel at 3 times the speed of sound. It heated up due to the friction with air, forming an orange laser as it hit the 2-staged tower. The large impact destroyed the main tower, and the head was also affected as it exploded to smithereens. BOOM! The terrifying explosion could be heard after a delay. The surrounding area was covered with smoke, but the strong wind pressure that was created scattered the dust away. This was the after-effect of the Railgun compressing the air. (Am...amazing...) Though Shirai was still wary of the surroundings, she was focused on something else. (The strong winds created by the shockwave already far surpasses what a wind esper can do. Onee-samas abilitys too terrifying, too stunning!) On the other side, Mikoto slowly walked towards Kuroko, as if the danger was over. Ah, Kuroko. No need to be so jumpy now. That large arm was a diversion. It wasnt the Railguns power that caused the explosion; the arm self-destructed. See, that stupid woman ran away when the smokes flying about. Mikoto slightly stuck her tongue out as she stretched her arm out and pointed a finger. Shirai turned back to look. The woman whose robe had been pegged down by the metal needles had already disappeared. Pieces of black robes remained on the ground, and they looked like the remains of cement. Oh ya, whos she? Since youre chasing her, it means that its part of Judgements work, right? Mm, yeah. Seems like shes an intruder...onee-sama... At this moment, Shirais legs wobbled as she held onto Mikoto. Hold on, oi! Whats with you having this kind of weird fantasy even at this moment... Mikoto remained stunned for a while before thinking of pushing Shirai away. However, she did not do so. Shirai was gently grabbing onto the thin summer vest. Mikoto could already tell from this small area that Shirais body was trembling slightly. Really cant be helped with you. Mikoto sighed softly as she wondered... If at this moment, if she was the one trembling, what would that boy say? Kuroko, you really like to take things into your own hands. How can you take down that kind of enemy? The Law never stipulates that you have to fight your enemy alone, you know. Mikoto understood that the words themselves didnt have any meaning to it. The significance was in the actions and the feelings she was trying to convey. Just look to me for help if you can. Once you see that somethings wrong, just contact me and dont wait till things get out of hand. Dont think that this will cause much trouble to me. The more dire the situation when you ask me for help, the more it proves that you trust me. I wont refuse at all. Mikoto pat Shirais head gently. At that moment, the kouhai who had leaped into Mikotos arms said, ...Fufufu...such a rare opportunity. To approach onee-sama in this situation, I can enjoy this wonderful chest...fufu...fufufufufu...! WHA? AH...EH? HOLD ON...I...IM SERIOUSLY COMFORTING YOU HERE! YOURE TREMBLING DUE TO EXCITEMENT!! KUROKO!!? Mikoto blushed as she shouted, but it was too late. Shirai Kuroko wrapped her arms around Mikotos back, pressing her face into her beloved onee-samas chest as she rubbed into it. References 1. lengths of braided rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion Volume 6, 2: After School. Break_Time. Volume 6, Chapter 2: After School. Break_Time. Part 1 Ohh! Touma, is this the famous underground world? Its not an underground world, its an underground street. Index said this in an excited manner, and the sleep deprived Kamijou slowly made a snarky comment. There were many underground streets in Academy City. With the train station at centre, there were many underground levels linking to many department stores; it was just like a maze. The crowd there wasnt as packed as the road in front of the station, but there were a lot of students moving about. Like the security robots and the wind generators, the underground street was one of Academy Citys experiments. As Japan had limited land and was earthquake prone, it had a natural desire for the world''s greatest underground construction technology. Academy City was used as an experimental site for this, so various areas around Academy City had been dug up. There was no special reason as to why they would choose this video arcade, it was just that Index had never been into the underground. Anyway, lets go eat. What do you want to eat, Index? Dont choose those that are too expensive or have a long waiting queue. Its alright not to go to those shops. Its alright if its cheap, delicious, plentiful, and not many people know about it. ...Its already tough to find such a shop. What about you, Kazakiri? Kamijou said this as he turned to Kazakiri. For some reason, Kazakiris shoulders jerked; and she hid behind Index. (What did I do now?) Kamijou wondered to himself. ...Ah...no...Im...sorry...Im not...afraid... Kazakiri stood behind Index as she said cautiously, ...Its just that...you saw me naked just now... What? Kamijou couldnt hear the last sentence. Ah...eh...its nothing...its just...its just that you definitely saw me naked...so why arent you mindful...eh... Kazakiri was muttering to herself, and Kamijou couldnt understand a single bit. Kamijou thought, since she promised to come along, Kazakiri shouldnt have found Kamijou irritating or been afraid of him or something, but what was with this stranger-like vigilance? Index looked like she understood Kazakiri as she coldly said to Kamijou, Really, Toumas expression is too scary. What? Whats so scary about it? It looks just like a beast! The eyes of one eyeing a weak girl! Silently telling her with that dont see me as being friendly, theres no prey thatll escape from me expression! Its really scary! Then arent those some strange ideas that you instilled in her that made her all scared? Kazakiri shoulders seemed to react to Kamijous shout as they trembled again. She hid behind Index, trembling as she said timidly, ...That...that... Look, Touma! Your shouting made Hyouka even more afraid! Ahh...alright, alright! I understand, treat me like a beast! Since Im a beast, Ill show you a beast! LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT AN EVIL KAMIJOU IS REALLY LIKE!! ...Well...Im not...afraid...its just that I want to propose...lunch... Kazakiri said in a barely audible voice. The duo who was arguing and almost giving up immediately shut up on hearing her, turning towards her at the same time. Kazakiri Hyouka pointed a finger. Following where she was pointing, they saw a restaurant. Part 2 School canteen? Yes, a school canteen. Like the time when they had entered the underground street, Kamijou explained it to a thoroughly confused Index. The Kamijou trio walked into what looked like an ordinary popular chain restaurant. They were seated at a 4-seater table, Kamijou and Index were facing each other, and Kazakiri was sitting beside Index. On a side note, the calico cat was resting on Indexs lap. They had originally thought that it would be illegal for them to bring pets in, but unexpectedly, cats were acceptable. Looking closely, the company that owned the restaurant was the same as the one that operated the chain of restaurants that allowed pets in. Therere too many schools here in Academy City, so one can already form a restaurant by choosing the best from all the canteens. Even though its a school canteen, it does have diet value. Once you arrive here, youll be able to tell what the other schools are eating. Oh, but Touma, whats the meaning of a diet lunch in a school canteen? asked Index, as she stared at the huge drawing board-like menu with a taunting look. Truthfully, as Kamijou had lost his memory, he didnt remember what a diet lunch for compulsory education was. However, there were still some remains of knowledge inside him, so he roughly knew what that was. Basically, thats just food that can only be obtained from school. So...so cool! Is this the so-called limited edition? ...Ah, whatever, Im too lazy to explain. Thats right, its really rare! Erm...since you ignored it...because youre too lazy...I dont think that its really... Kamijou was too lazy to retort since he was sleep deprived, and Kazakiri could only mutter two sentences back, but these words didnt seem to reach Indexs ears. Indexs face was blocked by the huge menu like a father who only read newspapers. Then, Index peeked her eyes out from above the menu and said to Kamijou, Touma, I can choose anything? Ahdont choose one thats too expensive. Kamijou said casually, but deep inside, he was not really nervous. That was because all the dishes in the shop were either those that originated from school canteens or diet lunches, so logically, they shouldnt be too expensive. PA! Index slammed the menu onto the table, pointed at a photo in an angle such that Kamijou was able to see it, and said, I want this. Hm? Which one? Kamijou looked at where Indexs slender white finger was pointing. On the menu, it read: Tokiwadai Middle School Diet Meal4,000 yen Without saying anything else, Kamijou closed the menu and knocked Index on the head with the corner of the menu. It hurts! Why did you suddenly hit me!? Didnt I say that you cant choose those that are too expensive? Are you intending to ignore me like that? That electric Middle-schooler was actually eating such delicious food? Kamijou inadvertently wondered. He gingerly opened the menu again and took a look. The photographs of dishes looked like a deluxe meal that could only be eaten in a highly decorated restaurant, seemingly shining. ...Ah...then...I want this... Sitting beside Kamijou and Index, who ware making a ruckus, Kazakiri Hyouka pointed her finger at a certain dish on the same page. The photo of this diet lunch looked ordinary, a simple French loaf and milk. Kamijou was looking somewhat touched, maybe because there was finally an example for Index to learn from. Watch and learn, Index, this is a good students answer. Wah, Hyoukas tastes are so bland. I prefer to eat something fancy. Facing Index, who was still arguing, Kamijou sighed. When you choose food, you should go by taste and not appearance, Index. Also, DONT TRY TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOMMEND KAZAKIRI THE TOKIWADAI MIDDLE SCHOOL DIET MEAL, IDIOT! KAZAKIRIS ALL DEJECTED BECAUSE SHE GOT LABELED AS BLAND AND WONDERING WHETHER SHE SHOULD CHANGE ORDERS NOW! Kamijou couldnt help but shout out. On hearing this, Kazakiri seemed like she got shocked as she quickly grabbed the huge menu and blocked her face. It seemed like her relationship value with Kamijou just got so little that it was impossible to drop any further. It seemed like trying to get it back was harder than trying to ascend into Heaven. After a while, the trios serving of meals was served. The contents included paper-carton milk, French loaves (one can choose to spread margarine), meat and potato stew, salad, fried chicken, and cup-sized yoghurt for dessert. According to the waitress who was dressed like a diet lunch server, the characteristics of the diet lunch was that it mixed both Japanese and Western cuisines, ignoring international diversity. The price was slightly higher than an original diet lunch because the ingredients used were different even though the dishes were the same, and they couldnt mass produce to lower the cost. Alright, everyone, lets tuck in. Oh yeah, Kazakiri, why did you choose this? Is it because you like yogurt? The dishes of this shop were sorted by schools, so besides the contents of the dishes, there were other reasons why these were chosen. For example, one wanted to get into a school but couldnt make it, and so they wanted to eat the food that the school offered. However, Kazakiri didnt seem to have these thoughts. She shook her head and said, ...That...thats...because I havent eaten...this kind of meal before... Oh? Your school never provided you with meals ever since young? Erm...yeah. For some reason, Kazakiri looked guilty, and right now, Kamijou was thinking... (She never had a diet lunch, so that means that she had bentos for lunch all the while? In other words, its not that she made her own bento, but that her dorm provides bentos? Im so envious, I want a bento for lunch as well. No need to fight with others over food, I can eat in a refined manner. Hai, that dorm of mine doesnt provide breakfast nor bentos for lunch. Hold on, dont I have someone whos eating free meals at home? If I ask Index to make a bento...nonono, dont even think about that, how can that girl even cook when she cant even use a microwave?) Hehhehhehhehhehheh... Kamijou showed a sinister smile, releasing negative energy at the same time. ...Erm...may I know...why...are your eyes so terrifying... Hyouka, this is Toumas old habit. Just forgive him with regards to this, please? Part 3 A lady in black dress was walking on a street. Her name was Sherry Cromwell. She was a member of the English Anglican anti-magic group Necessarius, and was also well versed in Kabbalah idols. She smiled as she walked through the crowd. She had originally thought that the tattered and frilly dress of hers would attract a lot of attention, but unexpectedly, the students didnt really react much. In this city, it seemed like age factors were a lot more obvious than clothing. As 80% of the population here were students, it was rare to find anyone above 25, and a Gothic girl like her being here wasnt rare. Originally as dirt Sherry walked along and recited, seemingly muttering to herself. She pulled out something similar to white chalk from her tattered sleeve. It was an oil pastel that was meant to draw a magic array, made from Holy salt and oil. God shaped the Earth, gave Life to it, and named them humans Sherry sang as she held onto the oil pastel and drew on the vending machines beside her at a sword-draw speed, forming lines that looked like words and yet looked like lines. And the mortals learnt the secrets from the mouths of the Fallen Angels The road guardrail, trees on the pedestrian pathways, cleaning robots and pillars of the wind generators...Sherrys oil pastel covered them all. But the mortals couldnt understand the Holy language, and the Fallen Angels couldnt pass their words correctly After drawing nearly 72 markings, she raised the oil pastel and drew in the air. With this, the life created by human hands will end up as mulch puppetsthe time has around, the stone golem with the stench of dirt, Ellis, be loyal to me till the end! Finally, Sherry clapped once. The next moment. The cracking sound similar to that of a pus bag being burst echoed throughout. It was not once or twice, but numerous. As the sound was rather soft, the students chatter and footsteps drowned it out, and so no one could hear it. However, there truly was a change. The beverage vending machines, road guardrail, trees on the pedestrian pathways, cleaning robots and pillars of the wind generators...ping-pong ball-sized objects bulged out like bubbles from a swamp from all the places that Sherry had drawn on. Her magic wasnt limited to materials, anything in her hand could be used as a weapon. A crack formed on the ping-pong balls surface, forming a horizontal crack. Like a peeled grape, what appeared from the cracks were white muddy eyeballs. Sherry took out a black piece of paper that was as big as a postcard. Automatic library. The target is this, right...Kaza...kiri...how do I pronounce this? Are the standard text of this country all pictures? The white oil pastel danced, quickly writing the words on the black piece of paper. Sherry didnt really know how to read kanji, and could only process the words in her brain into a picture, and copy the words onto the paper. Then, Sherry flicked a finger, and the postcard-sized black paper flew out, landing on the ground like a Frisbee. The words on the paper read: Kazakiri Hyouka. The black paper with white wording looked like a reverse-coloured pencil written piece of paper, causing the numerous eyeballs to be absorbed over. The eyeballs gobbled up the piece of paper, ripped it and absorbed it into their mud-like bodies. Several seconds later, the black piece of paper disappeared. The numerous eyeballs that ate up the scraps of paper scattered away like a crowd of cockroaches, moving in all directions. Some moved along the floor, some dove underground, all the eyeballs were moving. Dont make me wait too long, Ellis. Sherry smiled as she said this, and disappeared into the crowd. Part 4 After finishing their meal, the Kamijou trio walked out of the shop. Index recalled the taste of eating a diet lunch for once and tilted her head as she said, Its not unpalatable, but not really good. Mm, how should I describe it? My chest feels a bit weird, there seems to remain a bit of dissatisfaction... These are dishes that were designed for everyday, its more important that people dont get sick of eating it instead of whether its delicious. If ones to eat a deluxe meal everyday, anyone will want to puke after one week already, right? Index placed her thumb under her chin and looked up. She pondered for a while and then said, If its a deluxe meal, its also good to eat till I puke. ...I understand, I understand. Kamijou answered in self-defeat. It was now 1 plus in the afternoon, and right now, the surface should be a scorching hell. It was thanks to the air-conditioning that the underground street was at a temperature suitable for humans. He definitely didnt want to leave the underground before the sun set. Kazakiri Hyouka noticed their looks, and cautiously asked, ...Erm...excuse me...then...wherere we going to play next...? There was not a hint of respect in the tone, so it seemed like she was talking to Index. I dont know either. Touma, is there somewhere nice to play? To Index, just being in the underground street was already something new to her. Since she didnt feel a sense of dissatisfaction, she decided to give Kamijou the lead. Mm...if its the underground street, theres only the video arcade. Most of the gaming lands in Academy City were gathered underground, most likely to prevent noise from spreading outside. Kamijou thought this as he headed outside, and just so passed through the entrance of a video arcade. The electronic sounds rushed out of the shop like a flood, stunning Index. WAH! WAH! Whats that? They have so many TVs inside! Oh, that isnt a TV...alright, that is. Ill lose if I go serious. Thats a TV, a TV. Erm...I have to say...this close-one-eye method is a little... Basically, the video arcade shops in Academy City could be classified under two types. External shop and internal shop. The game consoles of the external shops were imported from outside Academy City, and the internal shops specialised in games developed by Academy City. Academy Citys technology was 20, 30 years more advanced than the outside world, this was apparent from the gaming consoles. However, since the companies from the outside world couldnt match Academy Citys advanced technology (since the technology was not released to the outside world), it was easy to have inadequate software when Academy City released their latest games. Kamijou and company were seeing an internal shop. It was more like an indoor playground than a video arcade. The shop included large sensor pads that were developed through the latest technology, it was basically not much different from a science exhibition. So...so cool! Its all shining everywhere, and theres DING DING noises all over the place! To...Touma! I want to go in! I want to try that walala thing! Being prompted by Index, the trio walked into the shop. The moment they passed the automatic door, the level of the noises increased by 2, 3 times. There were many unique large-scale gaming platforms inside the shop. Besides the high-resolution screens and the virtual-reality games that utilized 3D goggles, there were other weird games like rail shooters that tested the scaredy-catness of a person through pulse and brainwaves. What do you want to play, Index? Kamijou casually asked, but he didnt get a response. Feeling puzzled, he turned around, only to see Index completely stoned, her eyes emitting a glow of happiness. Ah, damn it... Kamijou inadvertently muttered. That abnormally excited look was like the time when she had first seen the calico cat. Index forcefully turned her head around and said to Kamijou, All of them! I want to play all of them! Touma, Touma! That first! Unable to wait any longer, Index tugged forcefully at Kamijous wrist as she moved forward. The target was similar to those bumper cars in the oval stadiums, it was just that the bumper cars were replaced with walking robots that had two legs below the chair. In this scenario, Index was invincible. Kamijou was worried about his wallet as he sighed deeply. Coincidentally turning around to look, Kazakiri gave a smile of compassion and pity. Part 5 HAHA! Hm, this Kamijou Touma. To think that Tsukuyomi-senseis class actually has such interesting students, Im so envious! My class has only elite students, its so boring! After class in the empty teachers restroom, Yomikawa Aiho laughed heartily. Leaving her black hair tied behind her head, Yomikawa Aiho had the sexy allure of a mature adult. Just wearing a strict looking grey suit made her look like an English teacher in an A film. It was too bad that her subject was P.E. that she was always wearing a green sports jacket. In all sorts of way, there was always an imperfection. Yomikawa placed both hands on her hips and lifted her chest that was bigger than Komoe-sensei, and said, Speaking of which, to actually bring a girl from outside, that sure looks interesting! Those brats in my class wouldnt even think of doing such a thing. If I could have such a person, I''d love that person without any reservations. On a side note, she was a member of Anti-Skill, and her love more or less encompassed violence that an old generation PE teacher would execute. Even though her philosophy was not to use weapons against students, even if they were Level 4, when there was a berserking esper, she would recklessly mobilize all sorts of special material helmet or enhanced transparent plastic riot shield that riot forces use and slam it hard. As she herself said, This is a tool of defence, so its alright. Because of that, her nickname was the woman who uses a comical way to solve a tragedy. On hearing this, Komoe-sensei, who promoted peace, stared at the violent teacher in front of her soullessly, and said, What, someone outside comes running into our school, shouldnt Anti-Skill bear some responsibility? What would happen if it were dangerous people who came in instead of those children? And dont you dare do anything bad to Kamijou! Itll be troublesome if you continue to hit him on the head and make him so idiotic that its irreparable. Ah, alright, alright, I was only joking. Either way, I know the difference between a good fool and a bad fool. Really, your personality hasnt changed at all, always speaking up for your own students. I...Im not speaking up for my own students! I just feel that, as a teacher, since the parents have sent their precious children to me...! Alright alright, dont cry already. Seems like youre going to cry out a mess at their graduation ceremony. Uuu...uuuuu! What...what has it got to do with crying! My tears always come out every year, I cant do anything about it! Haha! Here, here. Yomikawa patted Komoe-senseis head, and Komoe-sensei swung her arms forcefully to push Yomikawas hand away. Oh yes, sensei. Didnt you mention that there were two outsiders who came in? On hearing Yomikawas words, Komoe-sensei was stunned for a while. Recently, many schools had installed surveillance cameras near school grounds. If there were any suspicious people around, it was rather normal for them to be investigated. However, Komoe-sensei had already reported to the other teachers in the teachers restroom that there was no need to investigate Index further. That white nun had had quite a few meetings with Komoe-sensei, so she was not considered an outsider, and there was something awkward about saying it out. Whats the problem? Nothing, I just want to check, is it really two people? ??? Just as Komoe-sensei was wondering about this puzzling question and tilting her head, a knocking on the door could be heard, followed by the door opening. Yomikawa closed one eye and said, This is a bit problematic, so please keep it from the students for now. Ill talk about the details next time. Mm, just so happened to have not enough time now. Ah, you have something to deal with now? Oh, this is to be kept a secret from the students. Well, its Anti-Skill work. Later on, well be heading out to hunt a huge prey. For this, Ive got to take a walk underground. Bye bye. After saying that, Yomikawa exited the room, passing by the female student who entered the teachers restroom. Komoe-sensei was puzzled as she recalled this for a while, and then turned over to focus on the student. I brought the thing back. Ah, Himegami! Sorry to bother you. In the empty restroom, Komoe-sensei, who was sitting on the chair, waved her arms happily. It was the opening ceremony today, and so school was dismissed at noon. Right now, the only ones in school were the students involved in club programmes and teachers in charge of providing consultation. Komoe-sensei was an exception, she was staying behind in school to help her friend finish a report. (Only the school has the teaching staffs specialized access use Level B connection, how troublesome. If my house had connection, it would be a lot more convenient for me to work.) There were different levels of networking in Academy City, and the amount of information each level could get was different. To someone who wished to work from home, it wasnt something that she would be rather happy about. Im really sorryI shouldnt be asking students to do this, but sensei really cant get away Its alright. But its this book right? I found a large number of specialized books in the room, and they all looked the same, so I couldnt be certain. Mm, mm, its this book alright. Komoe-sensei received the thick leather cover book that Himegami brought over and placed her hand on her face as she dawdled. The cover had large gold words AIM dispersal fields and their possibilities on it. AIM...what is that? Hahaha, you asked the same question that Kamijou asked. Komoe-sensei said happily, An AIM dispersal field refers to the weak energy that an esper involuntarily produces in all aspects. Himegami remained silent. Involuntarily giving off an energy, Himegamis presence that attracts vampires was probably considered one of those. Komoe-sensei didnt notice the delicately frozen expression on Himegamis face as she leaned back onto her chair. Ah...Himegami, Im sorry for what happened today. Sensei wanted to lecture that Kamijou who skipped through the opening ceremony and had to get another teacher to host the homeroom lesson. You must have felt uneasy with being tossed into a place full of classmates that youre unfamiliar with, right? Theres no problem, no need to worry at all. Oh yeah, what did Kamijou Touma do? Speaking of which, Himegami, sensei must say this to you. To sensei, if Kamijou just went off to look for that nun, at least it can be excused, but to think that he would bring another girl into the school as well, and even talk with her in the canteen. On hearing the phrase another girl, Himegamis eyes became sharp. The image of the girl who was standing together with Index at the school gate appeared in her mind. Excuse me, how does the girl look like? Youre mindful of it? Oh hoho. Himegami responded with silence, and Komoe-senseis smile inadvertently froze. She then said, Erm...mm, the biggest features are the spectacles that always slide down and the long handful of hair popping out from beside her ears. Also, her uniforms different from ours; its a short-sleeved blouse with a red tie to match the dark blue skirt. She seems like a fine girl, always facing everything around her carefully, its this sort of a feeling. After hearing this, Himegami sunk into deep thoughts alone. Whats that girls name? Komoe-sensei? Ah, what is it? Do we have a student called Kazakiri Hyouka here? Part 6 They had already spent 8,000 yen just by making a round of the shops. Ho...ah, so interesting. Im satisfied already, Touma. ...Ah, Mr Kamijous all satisfied as well. Oi, calico cat, well eat bread crusts for our meals from today onwards, is that alright? Kamijou said wearily. Like a snake, the calico cat let out a woah! Meow! threatening cry as he refused this proposal. Touma, Touma, what will we play next? ...Let me rest for a while. Touma, how about another round? PLEASE DONT! ILL GO BANKRUPT FOR SURE! Kamijou cried out in agony. At this moment, as if grabbing the opportune time, Kamijous cellphone let out a voice breaking hoarse ringing. It was not because the features werent adequate, but because he had mistreated it badly in the past, causing the speakers to have some problems. However, to this Kamijou who passed through such a joyous summer, it was a miracle that the cellphone still worked. Kamijou picked up his phone and looked, it seemed to be a phone call instead of a message. The screen displayed a number that he had never seen before. He turned his back on Index and Kazakiri and pressed the button on the cellphone. Seeing this, the acutely sharp Kazakiri said, ...How about...we go get a drink? Hm? Then lets get Touma along... Well buy his at the same time... After saying that, Kazakiri grabbed Indexs hand and left Kamijou. Kamijou raised his empty hand, gently gave a thank you hand signal, and used his other hand to agilely reach inside his wallet, take out some spare change and toss it at Kazakiri. Kazakiri was somewhat shocked by this as she frantically reached out to receive it. After seeing both of them leave, Kamijou focused on his cellphone. Unexpectedly, even though he specially created a space when Index and Kazakiri werent around, the noise within the cellphone was rather serious, he couldnt hear clearly at all. ...pssstt...hello...hello...bsssstttt...hear...bsssttt...this is Hime...bssttt... And also, this was the inside of a video arcade, there were electronic sounds overpowering everything else. ...bsssttt...wheres...bsssstt...Ka...Hyouka...? Bsssttt...I heard...bsssttt...incredi...bsssttt...bbbsssssssttttt! Hua! The call suddenly cut off. He could barely hear that it was the voice of a female, but he couldnt hear the contents. Though the voice seemed somewhat familiar, there was too much excessive noise, so he couldnt tell. Cant be helped. This is an underground street... There were cellphone communication centers in the underground, but once he was too far away from it, he wouldnt be able to receive the signal. Whats going on? Feeling puzzled, Kamijou folded his cellphone back together and put it back into his pocket. Toumas not scary at all. Inside the vending machine and smoking area deep inside the arcade, Index said this. Kazakiri Hyouka stared back at her through the spectacles, and replied, ...Eh? So Hyouka doesnt need to be so afraid. Touma wont do anything bad to you. Ah...mm. Kazakiri slightly lowered her head and said, ...Its not...that Im...afraid or hate him...no... ??? ...I dont really understand myself...its like...I dont dare to touch...a woolen sweater with lots of static electricity gathered on it... Oh... Index blankly nodded her head. In all truthfulness, she didnt understand what static electricity was. Seeing Index reveal such a puzzled look, Kazakiri said, ...Maybe this is because...this is...my first time talking to a guy... After that, both of them remained silent for a while. After a while, Kazakiri changed the topic and said, Speaking of which...those games were really interesting...I saw you being quite happy... You too, Hyouka. Do you come here often? No...this is my first time as well. Kazakiri forced a smile, pulled out some 100-yen coins and placed them on her palm. What...do you want to buy? Uu...I dont want to touch a vending machine again. Ive no idea of how to use that thing properly. You do it, Hyouka. Index puffed her cheeks as she said this, and Kazakiri forced a smile. Seemed like the incident involving the school canteens coupon vending machine had affected her really badly. ...This is my first time...I dont know whats nicer...Ill press, you choose. Eh, Hyouka, you never drank before? Index casually asked. Index didnt have any knowledge regarding modern times at all, so she didnt understand what was wrong with it. And Kazakiri Hyouka again said in a tone that was no different from before, Mm, todays my first time. Part 7 Who in the world called? Kamijou pondered over that question for quite a while. However, he suddenly remembered, even after so long, Index and Kazakiri werent back yet? (Dont tell me...they got lost?) Based on common knowledge, the possibility wasnt great, but thinking about it calmly, common sense didnt really apply to Index and Kazakiri. For assurance, Kamijou decided to look for both of them. Oi! Index! Kazakiri! Kamijou looked around and headed inside the shop. All the gaming platforms inside the arcade were rather huge, almost as big as a car, and these would form plenty of blind spots when arranged. He peered into the gaps between the large gaming platforms as he moved around. Even though he would occasionally be stared at by students who were queuing up, he ignored them as he continued to look. Soon, he arrived at a rest area. There were three vending machines there. (Eh? Didnt Kazakiri say that she wanted to buy some drinks...? Did she miss it along the way?) Kamijou brought a slightly puzzled look as he looked around. At that moment, 5 girls dressed in bunny suits passed by Kamijou. What? This scene shocked Kamijou. The bunny girls casually walked into the shop, and after a while, they were all gathered at a rather old sticker photo taker, smiling as they took the photo. (???That...what was that? Does this shop provide this clothing service?) Looking closely, the bunny suits that the girls were wearing had many butterfly knots and shoulder decorations. Though he hadnt seen it before, it should be of some anime figurine. From the original concept of design and the large amount of skin exposed, it seemed to be a certain female character from a shoujo anime. Anyway, the most important thing was that they were happy. Thinking about this, Kamijou wanted to look away. Index and Kazakiri didnt seem to be around here either. Kamijou thus turned around and decided to check the exit or counter, however... Suddenly, he could hear the familiar female voices. ...Erm...well...may I check again...are we really wearing this...? We have to, we have to! WAH, so cool! They have Magical Powered Kanamin clothing! Are you...really going...to wear that? Those were definitely Index and Kazakiris voices. Where? Where were they? Kamijou frantically moved his head as he looked around. The voices seemed to come from the other side of the three vending machines. Kamijou frowned as he moved to the rear of the vending machines. There was a changing room surrounded by a curtain behind the vending machines. The bar hanging the curtain was tilted, and the cloth was a little dirty, it seemed like this wasnt a well-maintained facility. The voice came from inside. But this is too small, I cant wear it. Are all these clothes for babies to wear? Ah, about that...if you adjust the slider near the waist...you should be able to change the size. Eh? Ah...WAHH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? THE CLOTHES JUST EXPANDED! Eh...it shouldnt be made by some shape memory alloy...but air. The fibers used to make the cloth are tube-like, so letting air in will cause the fibers to expand, allowing easy adjustments to the sizing...that should be the way how this works... (Eh, hold on, I seem to have seen something similar before.) Kamijous basic instincts caused him to search his memory. There seemed to have been something similar in the schools infirmary. Yes, very similar. When he had gone to look for Index who went missing for so long, he had opened the door to look; only to see her exposed. Kamijou arrived in front of the changing room and stood in front of the curtain. The people inside should be Index and Kazakiri alright, but he was a little worried that he may get the wrong person. Kamijou carefully asked, Are you inside, Index? The next moment, there were short prompting sounds of YAH! and AHH!; it was as if someone had poured ice inside their clothes. To...Totototototouma! Why are you outside? Erm...ah...if you open it now, Ill be very troubled...really troubled! The voices sounded anxious. Even though they were separated by a curtain, any girl would be anxious about suddenly hearing a guys voice while they were changing. Even Kazakiri, who was only as audible as a mosquito, was screaming. Seemed like she was completely naked now. OK, this Kamijou wont repeat the same mistake he made at the infirmary! I will definitely not pull the curtain aside, and will not trip inside. I get it, I get it, anyway, Mr Kamijou will leave this place for now. Ah, mm, okay, see you later, Touma. ...Erm...if possible...please dont look at me...even after I changed clothes... On hearing their voices, Kamijou slowly backed away, maintaining a distance of about 3m from the curtain. There was no anomaly. The curtain of the changing room was like a bronze wall protecting Index and Kazakiri. Very good, very good, nothing happened. Just as Kamijou relaxed and was about to turn away... PA! Without warning, the curtain suddenly collapsed. Eh...? As the slanted bar had been roughly abused for a long time, the curtain wasnt hooked tightly. Like a deluxe shopping item that was covered finally being revealed, the entire changing room was exposed. The next moment, all the voices inside Kamijous head vanished. The two girls froze. Index was wearing the Magical Powered Kanamin clothing that she had seen broadcasted yesterday. The white-based clothing looked fluffy. The problem though was that her skirt wasnt buttoned, and there were some parts that were exposed, only that they couldnt be written here. Kazakiri Hyouka was even worse off. She had chosen the clothing of the female antagonist (who would end up joining the protagonist midway through the series)...no, thinking about it, it was most likely a forced choice. The most problematic thing was that it was no different from a blank bikini, a sexy armour that didnt look like it had any defensive capabilities (though there was a detachable skirt underneath, the front of the skirt was split in half, so it had no significance other than being a decoration). As there was a need to show lots of skin, it seemed like she couldnt wear any underwear underneath. At that moment, she hadnt yet buttoned her breastplate up, and she was frozen like that while bending herself down until her bottom armour was pulled to a delicate position. After several seconds of eternal silence, time finally started again. Index bared her fangs, her eyes letting out killing intent. In contrast, Kazakiri was blushing and trembling, her eyes looking like she was about to cry. Erm, hold...hold on a minute! This is preposterous! Alright, lets calm down and analyse this. I was 3m away from the changing room, so my hand cant touch it, and I dont have an esper ability to pull down the curtain, so this isnt my fault...sort of...right... Touma, youre looking here when the curtain dropped, right? It...it wouldnt be so bad...if...you had looked away. Kazakiri still was giving an embarrassed look even when tears were forming in her eyes, this was interesting. Kamijou thought as he tried to escape from reality. Erm, in other words, are we still doing that, Miss Index? Index nodded her head as she buttoned up, and said, Its useless to talk further, Touma. At the far end of his consciousness, there were the sounds of girls laughing. A photo taker...Hyouka, Hyouka! How do you use this machine? Erm...you slot the coin in...and press the button, itll start taking in 5 minutes... Oo...Hyouka, why do you look so down? Is there anything bothering you? Erm...well...do we really have to take this? I...eh...ah, please wait! Dont press the button! I...Im still... Were taking it! Dont move, Hyouka, or your face will be all weird! Ah...uuu...please listen to me... And on the other side, in a dark corner 3m away from this joyous scene, Kamijou was sprawled on the floor like a torn rag cloth. Part 8 Having changed back into their usual clothing, Index and Kazakiris moods were completely different. Index was jumping around in excitement after seeing the huge poster, and Kazakiri was in complete despair, with the depressive sound effect of a New Years Eve bell. Being seen naked and having an embarrassing photo taken, that double whammy was quite a hit to her. Here, Hyouka, each one takes half. Index didnt care about Kazakiris response as she folded the group of 16 photo stickers in half along the fold crease, and handed 8 of them to Kazakiri. To Kazakiri, the photos of her were so embarrassing that she wanted to slam her head against the wall and die. However, she also wanted to treasure the photos that she took together with her friend like a precious gift; her face revealing a complicated expression. It sure feels like a day passed by really quickly. Index stared at the half portion of photo stickers that she had, and lamented, Is this school life? Hm...so good. No no no. School is never fun. School is boring classes and hellish exams." Truthfully, having lost his memory, Kamijou didnt remember anything, but he still managed to say it in a convincing manner. Index showed a delighted look to Kamijou, and said, Being able to think that such a life is boring is already a blessing. ...Youre right. After thinking for a while, Kamijou nodded his head. The world that Index originally lived in was completely different from the world that Kamijou lived in, this was undeniable. Though it was unknown whether that world had school education, any future planning like getting into a good school and getting a good job in a good company was probably just daydreaming. To her, an ordinary school life was like a treasure that she could never ever get. Among it contained a peaceful world without war, and the warm times that were criticised as boring. If they continued to stay inside the playground, the coins would continue to disappear at an amazingly fast rate, so Kamijou and the rest decided to move out first. It had been a while since they had walked into the shop, but the warmth of the underground street didnt look like it was going to subside anytime soon. However, there was gradually an increase in number of students wearing plainclothes as compared to uniforms as they were walking on the path. Seemed like they went back to their dorms before coming back out to play. There was no sunlight in the underground street, and the lights were always set at a certain brightness, so they could only use that to experience the passing of time. In order to prevent themselves from blocking other peoples path, Kamijou leaned against the wall as he talked to Index and Kazakiri. At that moment, a high school student-looking girl ran past them. The girl was wearing a Judgement armband. ...hm? Kamijou casually looked away, only to find the Judgement member stopping and glaring at him. Kamijou was shocked as the girl angrily stormed forward at him in large steps. Then, the girl mightily stood right in front of Kamijou, and said, Hey, how many times have I told you already? Why are you still standing around casually? Hurry up and escape! HURRY! Suddenly being scolded, not just Kamijou, even Index and Kazakiri were shocked. (Eh...hold on, did she talk to me just now?) The first thing that this stranger said to him made Kamijou all confused. On seeing this, the Judgement member frowned and said, Telepathy! Couldnt you hear it!? The girl was so nervous that her face was becoming red with anxiety. Index and Kazakiri let out a WAH! and KYAH! at the same time. Both of them frantically looked around, saying, Ah...thats strange...I seemed to have heard...it came from nowhere... Uu...I seemed to have heard a voice in my mind... Index and Kazakiri let out an incredulous look, with Kamijou being the only one with no response at all. Ah...telepathy, its that ability to talk to others from far away, right? Komoe-sensei seemed to have said it before during remedial that there are many types of information transfer abilities, like reading body currents, hearing low frequency sounds from outside a domain...but this is like a wired telephone, isnt it? Kamijou raised his right hand and placed it in front of Index, and Index revealed a surprised look. Seemed like the telepathy ability was cut off, so Index couldnt hear the voice in her mind. A wired call. Like what the name implied, it manipulated air vibration to create a frequency, an invisible wire. That was also one of the information transfer abilities. The wire was like an acoustic tube, able to pass the vibrations created by the sound, and passing it out through a connected circuit in mid-air, ending up with the ones standing at the exit being the only ones able to hear it. As the wire was invisible, Kamijou didnt understand the path, but it was likely that Kamijous right hand touched the telepathy wire between him and the girl, so only Kamijou couldnt hear it. Speaking of which, is the research on telepathy still ongoing? Didnt I hear that with the prevalence of handphones, its becoming obsolete together with pagers? ...You. The Judgement girl was popping blue veins out of her forehead, and said, Why cant my voice reach you? Never mind, Ill just say it to you then. The girl stepped towards Kamijou. Eh? Right now, therere terrorists in this underground street. A red alert was issued from above, and the arrest operation shall start in...902 seconds. At that time, well lower the separation wall and seal off the entire underground street, and therell be a gunfight. Thus, I was ordered to instruct everyone to escape as soon as possible, do you understand me now? On hearing that, Kamijou couldnt help but be shocked. Index didnt understand what a red alert was at all, and though Kazakiri did, she was revealing a look of utter disbelief, and both of them could only stand around blankly after hearing the Judgement members words. If the terrorist knows of the arrest operation, the terrorist may try to escape, so we cant broadcast it outside, and can only use my telepathy. You people also need to remain natural as you escape, dont make too much noise. Oh...giving telepathy to people other than the terrorist? Eh? So that means you people know how the terrorist looks? As an ordinary civilian, you dont have to worry about this. The warrant we have has a photo, so theres no need to worry. The Judgement member pulled out a foldable mobile phone and flipped it open. The screen displayed a photo, and thinking logically, one would assume that it was the photo of the terrorist. Kamijou got close as he tried to take a look, but the girl had already folded the photo back with one hand. Alright, alright, since you understand, hurry up and leave. Theres about 800 seconds till the sealing of the underground street. The Judgement girl said these words before leaving. Kamijou again looked around. The students who heard the voice were obviously looking panicky, but they still followed the instructions of moving towards the exit in a natural way. However, to an outsider, it was like they were taking a stroll, doing an evacuation drill as if it was just practice. Oi oi, this is troublesome...lets get out of here first, Index. There was no need to attract trouble. Kamijou decided to take Index and Kazakiri along and quickly leave the place. However... (...Ah, hold on, this is bad.) While arriving in front of the staircase exit of a certain department store, Kamijou inadvertently stopped in his tracks. The two girls stared at Kamijou suspiciously. There were 4, 5 fully-armed male Anti-Skill member standing near the exit. They were all clad in black, wearing safety helmets and goggles on their heads, looking like robots. Each of them was holding a rifle that Kamijou had never seen before. Index wasnt a resident of this city. Even though it was unknown who had issued her temporary ID, her real identity was still of an illegal immigrant. If she was investigated...she may be arrested. Normally, they wouldnt be so mindful, there was no problem for Index to walk around like an ordinary person. However, it was now an emergency, Anti-Skill had set up a checkpoint, and any suspicious personnel would be thoroughly investigated. If so, they may discover that Index was an outsider. Truthfully, during events like the Olympics or the World Cup, due to the heightened security, even drunks who werent affecting the operations of the event would be arrested. Right now, the security situation with Index was similar to that. Though he didnt know who was the terrorist who had snuck in, because of this, Kamijou and company were in a dilemma now. If they were to casually approach the exit, they may be arrested by Anti-Skill, but if they were to stay in the underground street, they may end up involved in a gunfight. (Sigh, looks like we can only move in head on. Being arrested by Anti-Skill and getting involved in a gunfight, at least the formers a bit better. Damn it, its irritating to have to make such a rough decision.) Though there was an element of danger to this, Kamijou decided to leave first. However, he was unable to finish this idea. An anomaly in this everyday life blocked his exit. Found you. They could hear a womans voice. The problem came from within the wall thats empty. Kamijou turned around, and was momentarily stunned. At approximately his eyes height, there was tea-coloured mud that was as big as a palm. It looked like chewing gum that had been spit on the wall. And right in the middle of the mud was a human eyeball. The eyeball acted like a camera lens, moving continuously. On seeing the eyeball, Kazakiri was stunned. Maybe it was because she couldnt believe what she had just seen, she just treated it like a fake eyeball that was made of glass. Truthfully, Kamijou was almost the same. The back of his brain felt numb, making him unable to process the information in front of him. Only Index didnt seem to be surprised, as she inspected the eyeball calmly. The surface of the mud trembled slightly like ripples, making a sound. Hoho...hohoho...hohohohoho. The Index, Imagine Breaker, key to the Imaginary District. Which should I choose? I can choose anyone of them? Hoho, how troublesome. Too many options can also be quite a bother. The womans voice was rather bewitching, yet ridiculously heavy, such that it made one think of a songstress who''s vocal cords were damaged from smoking. But that dispirited tone suddenly changed drastically. Never mind, I just need to kill you all anyway. It became an overly rough voice even if it was from a pub in the suburbs. Kamijou was unable to tell where the mysterious invader was, and he had no idea whether the mysterious block of mud was of esper power or magic. But Index said without hesitation, A human image thats made from dirtthis spell thats interpreted from the Kabbalah is similar to those that we English Anglicans use, especially the Jewish guardian stone golem that was forced to be a guardian Angel of England. Facing Indexs sudden change, Kamijou was unable to respond quickly. Even though he was about to ask her for an explanation, he didnt understand anything at all. So, Kamijou decided to ask this first. Stone golem...you mean this eyeball? He inadvertently pointed towards the mud and eyeball that was on the wall. Though he wanted to puke at such a disgusting thing, at least it was not life-threatening. Besides, in Kamijous mind, a stone golem was one of those huge stupid stone puppets that appeared in games. However, Index continued to stare at the eyeball, and said, It was said that God created humans through dirt. The stone golem is the end product of this theory. This magician must have created a stone golem that focuses on the eyeballs in order to search and monitor. Normally, the caster can only create one such stone golem, but if theres only one eyeball, the composition to create a stone golem will drastically decrease, allowing the caster to create even more of it. After Index finished, the eyeball started to shake the surface and let out a bewitching laugh. Kamijou didnt understand the secret behind this, but at least he managed to understand that the mud and eyeball were like a remote control, there was someone controlling it. If so...this magician is the terrorist? Hoho. The mud laughed. A terrorist? A terrorist!? Hoho, this so-called terrorist, are you talking about someone who does this? PAM! With this sound, the mud and eyeball exploded, melted into the wall and disappeared. The next moment, BOOM! The entire underground street trembled violently. What...? Kamijou felt like he was sitting on a boat in the midst of a storm as he started to tumble around. From the corner of his vision, he saw Kazakiri holding tightly onto Index, who almost fell down. The tremendous tremor again struck the underground street as if it had been hit by a direct cannon hit. The centre of the attack seemed to be far away, but it instantly spread throughout the entire underground. Copious amounts of dust scattered down from the ceiling. After the lights flicker twice, all the lights disappeared at the same time. Several seconds later, the emergency red lights were lit, vaguely illuminating the surroundings. The crowd that had been slowly walking towards the exit as if it were an evacuation drill instantly collapsed into chaos. The sound of wild bull-like footsteps could be heard. After that, a low, heavy sound echoed throughout. Anti-Skill lowered the separation wall a lot sooner than expected. It was unknown why the separation wall was abnormally thick, maybe it was used to prevent flooding in the underground street during a flood, or maybe it was meant to be an air-raid shelter. The steel doors descended down from the ceiling, slowly sealing the exit. The rear end of the escaping crowd got cut off, and the separation wall touched the floor just like that. The students that were nearly crushed and the students that didnt manage to escape were in a frenzy as they continued to hit the thick and heavy steel wall. Some of them rushed over to the Anti-Skill personnel who were at the checkpoint. They were shut in. The crowd was squeezed in at the narrow exit, forming a human wall, so Kamijou and company were unable to get near. If this situation was already anticipated by the enemy, it seemed like the enemy had already confirmed Kamijou and companys location, the layout and the crowd flow. Had the enemy collected all this information through the mud eyeballs scattered all over the place? Come on, let the party begin From the corroded mud, a womans voice could be heard. It was like a pre-mortem cry made by the destroyed eye, yet also sounds like a broken trumpet. continue to scream in this foul smelling grave of dirt. Again, a larger impact shook the entire underground street. Part 9 Not giving up, Kamijou tried to look for another exit, but it was useless. The stairs and lift were sealed off by the wall, and the air vents werent large enough for people to pass through. The temperature underground started to rise, maybe because the air-conditioning system wasnt working any longer. Under the shining emergency red lights, the entire underground seemed like it had become an oven. He knew that it was a psychological effect, but there was the feeling of air becoming less. The uneasy feeling of being buried in a large space continued to build up within his heart. Kamijou stared at the far end of the dark corridor, gritted his teeth, and said, ...The one who attacked us seems to be clear about our appearances, seems like we can only fight back. Index, go find a place to hide with Kazakiri. The enemy knew where they were. Though the enclosed space was spacious, once the enemy did a thorough search, they would be found out no matter where they hid. The enemys objective was to kill all three of them, and there was no way to escape. There was only one thing to do. (Before the enemy can attack Kazakiri, I have to take the initiative and fight back. Damn it, if I knew how many enemies there are, at least I could come up with some sort of strategy...) Just as Kamijou was thinking about this, Index, who was carrying the calico cat, puffed her cheeks and said, Touma, you should go ahead and hide with Hyouka. Since the enemys a magician, I should handle this. Idiot, youre so skinny and frail, how can you fight? If you punch someone with your fist, the one likely to be injured is your own fist. Enough talk, hurry up and go hide with Kazakiri. Humph, Touma. Did you think that those past lucky breaks of yours were of your own ability? Even if you have an inexplicable power, youre still an amateur to magic. Since youre an amateur, you should go and hide with Hyouka. HA! What nonsense are you spouting!? This Kamijou is the incarnate of misfortune, theres no such thing as being lucky in my dictionary...uu, I made myself unhappy by saying that. At that moment, Kazakiri timidly asked the boy who was wallowing in extreme self-inferiority, ...Excuse me...I dont know whats going on...but...is there an option involving me helping out...? None. Kamijou and Index immediately responded in unison. Kazakiri lowered her head dejectedly. At that moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard nearby. ... Kamijou rushed forward, intending to protect Index and Kazakiri, and Index rushed forward to protect Kamijou and Kazakiriin the end, both Kamijou and Index crashed into each other and fell to the ground. Only Kazakiri was left standing , not hurt at all, timidly putting both hands in front of her and not daring to do anything. The footsteps were approaching closer, and the calico cat that was almost being flattened in Indexs chest purred, struggling by moving its front paws. Clack, clack, clack...the footsteps echoed like an old mechanical clock. From the other side of the corner, there was the voice of a girl. Eh? There seems to be a cat meowing. Arent you not interested in animals, Kuroko? Onee-samas unexpectedly interested in them though. I...Im not... Ho, you cant fool my eyes. Onee-sama will go off to feed the stray cats that gather behind the dorm. The problem is that onee-samas body always gives off weak static electricity, causing the stray cats to run away, leaving onee-sama alone with the can of cat food in her hand. How did you...? Kuroko! Were you tailing me!? The two girls who had appeared from around the corner saw Kamijou and Index on the floor, and stopped. These two peopleMisaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko were definitely not enemies. I got worried over nothing...Kamijou thought as he relaxed his body, his entire body collapsed onto the floor. Mikoto stared at him with an intrigued look, and asked, Why are you here? Why are you tripped by a girl in this situation? ...Ara ara, so daring, in broad daylight. Shirai coldly remarked. For some reason, Mikoto started to let out sparks from her fringe. On seeing the two girls, Index still had no intention of getting up from Kamijou, and said, Touma, whore these two classless women? Do you know them? Whats their relationship with you? That short hair looks like that ice queen I met the last time, are they the same person? What... On hearing this, Shirai was utterly speechless. In response to Index, who was clearly taunting them, Mikoto revealed a seemingly friendly but dangerous smile. (Ah...speaking of which, Index did meet Misaka Imouto before.) Trying to escape from reality, Kamijou thought. (Eh? But why is it that the atmosphere between these peoples rather explosive?) After a long while, Kamijou dared to drag his thoughts back to reality. Index and Mikoto exchanged looks. From the looks of things, are you Toumas friend? Sort of...? Hold on, then youre also...? ...Eh, dont tell me Toumas your saviour? Ah...dont tell me youre another I didnt ask to be saved but he saved me anyway''? ... Both of them remained silent for a while, and then sighed. Kamijou was happily thinking that the tense atmosphere between those two had been resolved, only to hear them shout at the same time, TOUMA (YOU)!! WHAT ELSE WERE YOU DOING BEHIND MY BACK!? They had actually turned from being enemies to having a common enemy. WAAAHH!! Kamijou quickly closed his originally opened heart. Seeing Kamijou bombed from two sides, Kazakiri couldnt help but cover her wide open mouth. Though she felt that Kamijou was rather pitiful, she didnt dare to enter the battlefield. Kazakiri guiltily looked around for a while before finally spotting Shirai Kuroko, who was one step away from them. She decided to muster up courage and ask the only neutral party to mediate; but on closer look, Shirai Kuroko seemed to be muttering to herself. (...Really, what saviour? I already noticed that somethings amiss, that day this boy came to onee-samas room, something definitely happened. However, does this mean that onee-sama, who doesnt tell me anything, would tell all her secrets to him? Hoho, really interesting, hohohohoho.) Hearing this terrifyingly calm muttering, the spectacles on Kazakiris face slid down even lower. So the twin pigtailed girl wasnt a neutral, but a third party. Isolated, Kazakiri could only stand aside, not knowing what to do. To her, barging into this complicated conflict was thoroughly impossible. After a long lecture, Kamijou was finally let off as he crawled up from below Index. After that, he gave a brief explanation to Mikoto and Shirai. Of course, they wouldnt believe anything about magic, so he avoided it. Oo...Im a little confused here, but anyway, you got involved in something troublesome again? Its a terrorist this time? Hm...Kuroko, speaking of terrorist, is it possibly related to that crazy woman in that gothic dress? Mikoto asked Shirai in helplessness. Yeah. According to the features of the sounds, there should be a relationship, right? However, I didnt think that there would be an esper who would attack Academy City from the outside...of course, its not impossible for natural espers to exist, however... Maybe there are other esper development groups other than Academy City. However, in regards to the rumours of espers outside, these are as baseless as government conspiracies. It seemed like since Shirai and Mikoto didnt know about the existence of magic, they tried to explain the current scenario through espers. From the corner of his eye, Kamijou glanced at Index, who was giving an unhappy expression. In order to prevent this from getting complicated, he immediately reached his hand out to prevent her from talking. Shirai sighed, the Judgement armband on her arm swayed slightly. Really, we actually let a terrorist enter. Looks like Ive to motivate myself. I heard that there were two groups of intruders today. One group alone created quite the commotion, Im really worried about what the second group will do. Hm? On hearing Shirai Kurokos words, Kamijou felt that something was not right. What now, Kuroko? Are there other factors that are causing problems? Yeah. According to the information that I got from Anti-Skill, there are two groups of intruders. As the paths they took were completely different, its likely that theyre not the same group of people. However, we cant confirm that right now. Hm...? Shirai Kurokos words caused Kamijou to start sweating. Index was the first to realise that something was wrong with Kamijou as she reached out both hands to tug at Kamijous shirt, asking, Touma, why is your body trembling? Whats wrong? Mikoto smiled slightly at Index, Hoho...maybe he finds you to be too irritating? IM NOT IRRITATING! Index shouted, but Kamijou ignored them, saying to everyone, Erm...everyone...please dont get angry...but the other group of intruders...may be me. Everyone present stared at Kamijou in surprise. Kamijou skillfully avoided all the stares and said, Erm, it was like this, I met a foolish man called Yamisaka yesterday. In order to save his friend, I went out of Academy City and only came back this morning. In the end...erm...what? Misaka, Shirai, why are you two giving me that I got it, I got it, your old habits at it again expression? Kamijous basic instincts told him to quickly change the topic as he managed to quickly think of something and said, Oh yeah, why are you two here? Im a member of Judgement, Im here to help the people whore trapped here. Dont look at me like that, I do have the instant teleport ability. Oh, then Mikoto? Me? Ah, its nothing... ? S...so what!? Why bother about why Im here!? For some reason, Mikoto blushed as she shouted, making Kamijou confused. Standing beside Kamijou, Shirai closed one eye as she didnt even hide the slight dissatisfaction on her face, muttering to herself, ...(Hai, onee-sama was working with me, but just so happened to spot you on the guard rooms red alert surveillance camera, and came running over because she was worried. Of course its embarrassing for her to say that.) Kamijou turned towards Shirai, who in turn turned her head away and ignored him. Not understanding what games these two were playing, Kamijou started to seriously consider Shirais teleport ability. Truly, as long as they used that ability, it was not hard to escape from the sealed underground street. As a member of Judgement, I cant just leave the terrorist alone. Shirai glared at the far end of the dim passage, and then said, However, human safety is more important. If Anti-Skill''s decision to lower the wall is correct, it means that we dont have much time left. Theres going to be a large scale battle here, I have to let everyone escape first. There were numerous students still stuck behind the wall, unable to escape. They knew that they were just wasting their effort, but they were still trying to push the steel wall aside. I understand, Shirai. Ill go buy some time before you save those people whore trapped. You just need to bring those people out. After saying that, Kamijou was slapped by Shirai, Mikoto and Index from three directions, all at the same time. Mikoto and Index stared at each other bitterly, the meaning seemed to have been we have the same idea in regards to such a useless thing. Only Kazakiri wanted to say something, but didnt dare to, the hand that she had raised didnt seem to know where it should go. After that, Mikoto seemed to be representing everyone as she said, You''re the one who should leave. Arent you people the enemys targets? How can we leave the people in most danger on the battlefield? ...The problem is... Kamijou scratched his head, and said, My right hand can negate all supernatural powers, including Shirais. Speaking of that...that day when you came over to the girls dorm, I did fail once. Recalling this, Shirai muttered to herself. At that moment, Mikotos eyes became sharp. Kamijou panicked as he took a step back. Because of several circumstances, Kamijou had once entered Mikotos room. An...anyway, Shirais power isnt going to take me out of here. If so, I can only stay behind and fight the enemy. On hearing that, Index grabbed onto Kamijous wrist, and said, Then Im staying too! This time, Index was slapped by Kamijou, Mikoto, Shirai and Kazakiri at the same time. Even the frail Kazakiri mustered up courage as she closed her eyes and aimed at the back of Indexs back before attacking. Shirai then placed both hands on her hips and said, My power does have its limits...I can at most get two people out. If the kids heavier than what I expected, its another case altogether. Humph! Do you have any right to call me that when youre the one who most looks like a kid!? What...what did you say? As a piece of washboard, you dare to be so cheeky...! Seeing the agitated Shirai Kuroko, Mikoto sighed, and said, Alright alright, is there any point in arguing about this? To me, youre all kids. To a high school student, everyone was a kid, including Mikoto. However, Kamijou didnt say that, only showing a slight smile. This was Kamijou Toumas gentle side. However, Kamijou didnt realise that Kazakiri, who was standing slightly further away, was now giving a babysitter watching over a bunch of immature brats look at everyone else, including Kamijou. However, since you can send only two people at one go...bring Index and Kazakiri away first. Touma, youre saying that you want to stay behind with this shorthair? Index said in a rather calm tone. She was revealing her fangs, looking like she was ready to strike anytime and bite Kamijous head. ...Erm...then Mikoto and Kazakiri. Ho, so youre saying that youre going to stay with the brat? Hoho... This time, Mikotos tea-coloured hair started to float in the air due to the static electricity. Bluish-white sparks continued to be emitted in this darkness. AAHHH! DAMN IT! THEN INDEX AND MIKOTO! Kamijou grabbed onto his head with both hands as he shouted. Shirai sighed and said, Alright, Ill bring onee-sama and that brat away, Ill be going with them. What? Wouldnt it be tiring for you to teleport here and there? Why cant you just stay here and teleport them one by one? With me around, its easier to make minor adjustments. If Im to randomly teleport them out, what would happen if theyre buried inside a building? I dont want to end up creating a weird human pillar[1]alright, lets go. As if she was rounding it off, Shirai placed both hands on Index and Mikotos shoulders, who were glaring at each other. The next moment. Shua! A sound similar to that of a bird opening its wings could be heard, as Index, Mikoto and Shirai disappeared into thin air just like that. Before they vanished, Kamijou seemed to hear Mikoto shout EH!? WAIT, KUROKO! I WANT TO STAY! Kamijou thought, maybe Mikoto was uneasy about leaving her kouhai Shirai alone to stay inside the battlefield and carry out her duty. Kamijou and Kazakiri unknowingly stared towards the surface. Had they arrived at the surface safely? Sent those two away first...sorry to leave you for last. ...Ah, its okay...its okay for me to be last...as for you... Kazakiri was interrupted before she could finish. BOOM! The entire ground trembled again. But unlike before, the impact seemed to be closer. Along the dim passage, they seemed to hear sounds like the explosive sounds of gunfire, roars and screams. (The big bads about to arrive...why cant he wait a while longer!) The enemy had already used the eyeballs to scan through the entire underground street, and right now, it was obvious for the enemy to come at where Kamijou and Kazakiri were. On hearing the sounds of fighting far away, the students who were gathered beside the wall sank into commotion once again. Even with special abilities, they were just ordinary students. In order to get away as far as possible from the danger, they started to stick together and run forward. However, due to the emergency red light being too weak, one person tripped, followed by the rest in a domino-like effect. Kamijou glared at the far end of the passage. There was no time to slowly think. If there was a battle in this place with numerous people gathered, there would be victims. Though Kamijous right hand could erase all supernatural powers, he couldnt protect so many people at once. (Since a battles inevitable...) Kamijou made a quick decision Sorry, Kazakiri, wait for Shirai to pick you up here. Eh? Then...what about you...? Before Kazakiri could finish, another tremor occurred underground. It was extremely close this time. The air leading inside seemed to be completely compressed as he could feel some wind coming at him. The interrupting sounds of gunfire and roars seemed even clearer now. The enemy was now within close proximity. Kamijou was not looking at Kazakiri at all, only staring at the darkness in front of him as he said, Ill go over...and stop that thing! After saying that, without waiting for Kazakiris response, Kamijou dashed into the darkness. Kamijou was completely clueless about the enemys speciality and strength; he was trembling at the sound of battle. But if the enemy reached here, numerous lives would be lost, including Kazakiri Hyouka. Kamijou definitely couldnt allow that to happen. Clenching his right fist, Kamijou sprinted madly into the darkness. References 1. In Ancient Japanese tradition, when there was difficulty in the development of a bridge, embankment or fortification, the people would carry out this ritual of burying people alive in it to appease the gods Volume 6, 3: Closure. Battle_Cry. Volume 6, Chapter 3: Closure. Battle_Cry. Part 1 In this battlefield full of gunshots and smoke, Sherry Cromwell continued to walk about elegantly. A stone golem was standing in front of her like a large shield. After the stone golem mixed all the rubble, signage and pillars, it started to shape up like clay, its height reaching 4m tall. As it was really too tall, the head of the stone golem had to remain tilted. She waved the white oil pastel in the air. The lines that were drawn formed commands, telling the stone golem to move forward. There was a group of Anti-Skill personnel dressed in black armour standing in front of Sherry. They had placed coffee shop tables, sofas and other things on the path to create a road block, and were poking their heads from the road block as they continued to shoot at the stone golem. In order to give no space when they reloaded, they were grouped in trios. When one group was reloading, another group would come in; it was like Oda Nobunagas musket corps. (They barely pass off as decent, but theres no style.) Sherry dully made this evaluation. As the underground street was already so narrow, the stone golemEllis was blocking the entire path, acting like a wall. Not one bullet hit Sherry, who was right behind it. Several hundred bullets hit Ellis, but none did any fatal damage. The bullets dug holes deep into Ellis hands and legs, but Ellis could absorb the tiles from the nearby walls to repair its damage parts. DING! The slight sound of metal colliding could be heard. An Anti-Skill member ran out of patience and pulled the safety pin off a grenade. In order to cause damage to Sherry, who was behind the stone golem, he wanted to toss it between the legs of the golem. ELLIS! Though before he could, Sherry raised her oil pastel and drew another line. The stone golem raised its leg and stamped onto the ground. With a huge boom, the floor of the entire underground street flipped up heavily like a boat among giant waves. At this moment, the Anti-Skill member wanted to toss the grenade out, but with this sudden tremor, the grenade that was without the safety pin rolled out of his hand and dropped beside his feet. A growl. And then, an explosion. Blood was splattered all over the place. This model of grenade didnt seem to rely on the explosiveness, but used shrapnel to injure. Thus, the road block wasnt blown away. There was the smell of blood beside the road block. Luckily, the people jumped out of the road block to escape the storm of sharp shrapnel and save their lives. Most of the Anti-Skill members let go of their rifles due to the impact of the explosion. Shua! The oil pastel ripped the air like a sword being drawn out. A black shadow appeared above the Anti-Skill members. Ellis raised its arm that was like heavy construction machinery. The Anti-Skill members frantically pulled out their pre-prepared handguns, but it was too late. Such weak weapons were not going to stop the stone golem. Part 2 This is a battlefield. Passing a corner in the underground street, Kamijou inadvertently covered his mouth. This was a real battlefield. No one was battling in front of him, and there were no gunshots or growls. All he saw were injured, battered people who were ripped apart and were leaning on the pillars and walls. It wasnt the frontline, but a place similar to a hospital. The warriors who had lost and retreated from battle were treating their wounds in an impromptu manner. These were all Anti-Skill members, numbering almost 20 of them. Every single one of them was injured badly, and it was hard to imagine what kind of monster they were facing. Band-aids and bandages were useless here. The treatment here was like using thread and needle to patch a large hole on a rag sack. (To be able to beat Anti-Skill down like this. What kind of magician is he...) Kamijou was flabbergasted. Even though he was an amateur who didnt know the details, at least he knew that there was the science side and the magic side in the world. Before today, he thought that both sides were equal. However, the current reality right now was like this. Up till now, Kamijou had faced off against numerous magicians that couldnt be underestimated, so he wouldnt underestimate a magicians capability. However, right now, he was seeing the science side that he was living in being beaten badly, and was rather shocked by it. The people in charge of security in Academy City were as weak as the armies in those monster movies. But even so, they didnt intend to retreat. The people who could still move were trying to move the tables and chairs near the shops, intending to create a road block. No, the ones who couldnt move were the important ones. At this moment, Kamijou had already confirmed that they couldnt move. These people werent just betting on their own lives. They had the determination of finishing this even if they died. (Why...) Kamijou was speechless. These people may have been trained, but their occupations were only teaching staff... or school teachers. No one forced them to do this, and their salary wasnt exceptionally high. On a whole, they had no need to risk their lives and do battle. They werent official policemen who had passed the National Security Test. Nobody would blame them even if they were to run away and try to protect their own lives. But they were not doing this... At this moment, an Anti-Skill member who was sitting against the wall spotted Kamijou, who was rooted at the corner. What was surprising was that this Anti-Skill member was a woman. She was taping up her injured comrades wrist, but on seeing Kamijou, she was stunned. OI, THAT BOY OVER THERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOIN HERE!? The angry shout caused several Anti-Skill members to turn around. Kamijou didnt respond. The woman who shouted scowled impatiently and said, Damn it, are you that brat from Tsukuyomi-senseis class? Whats wrong? You got locked up? Thats why I said not to let down the sealing wall! Boy, you ran to the wrong direction! Go to exit Ag, the Judgement members backups will be waiting over there! Though its impossible to escape there, at least its safer over there! Put on this helmet, at least its better than nothing! Tsukuyomi was Komoe-senseis name. In other words, this Anti-Skill woman had heard from Komoe-sensei regarding Kamijou. The female Anti-Skill member angrily took off her gear and roughly threw it at Kamijou. Kamijou frantically reached his hands out to catch the safety helmet that was passed over like a basketball. Kamijou again looked around. Then, he roughly knew why these people wouldnt retreat. Kamijou then walked further in. WHERE ARE YOU GOING? DAMN IT, I CANT MOVE MY BODY! SOMEONE GO GRAB THAT DAMNED CIVILIAN! The female Anti-Skill member reached her hand out, but she was rather far from Kamijou. On hearing that, several Anti-Skill personnel rushed up to stop Kamijou, but since they were injured, they couldnt do it. Their remaining strength was such that they were unable to stop a High school student who was not even trained at all. Even so, they were still not running away. They were not officially policemen. No matter how much professional training they had, they were still school teachers. Their actions were like patrolmen who were standing by at the roads from school in the evening to ensure the students safety. But because of this, they were clear about it. Nobody had forced them to do this, so once they lost to the fear within them, they would immediately succumb. And if they succumbed, what kind of people would be hurt? From the start, the system that Anti-Skill and Judgement used was that they didnt accept recommendations and requisitions, but volunteers. If so, the answer was simple. These people chose to gather here because they wanted to protect the children, they werent requested to. (Damn it...) Kamijou couldnt help but let this out. He tossed aside the injured Anti-Skill member who had stepped up to stop him and continued to move forward. Inside this dark passage that was right ahead, there were many idiots like these. And from how things were going, it seemed like the situation was rather disparaging. He tightly clenched his right hand. Without looking away, he stared forward and dashed forward. Even though fighting against this enemy was a suicidal act, if the enemy was a magician, there may have been a chance of turning the situation around if they used the final trump card, his right hand. Kamijou thought. Continuing to run down the passage, Kamijou suddenly realised something. (No...sound?) There should be a shootout in the path deep inside, but yet it was so quiet it was terrifying. No gunfire, no footsteps, no shouts, nothing. There was not even a single tremor on the floor. A heavy bad premonition struck Kamijous abdomen heavily. And like bacteria on a mildew, it was gradually corroding Kamijous body. (Dont tell me...) Under the red light, he dashed towards the other side of the dim passage. Hehe, good afternoon. Hehohohoho... The heavy voice of a woman speaking echoed throughout the dark space. There was a woman with messy hair wearing a black robe, her skin as tan as chocolate, standing right in the middle of the passage. The skirt of her dress was extremely long, such that even her ankles couldnt be seen. Maybe it was because that she had dragged it for a long time that the edges of her skirt were dirty and worn out, heavily tattered. A stone golem stood beside her as if it was her shield. This was a huge puppet made by steel wires, chairs, tiles, dirt, lights and other things being crushed, mashed and shaped together by a powerful force. And surrounding them... The things that were supposed to be materials for the road block were crushed into pieces and scattered all over the place. As if they had been shot by a cannonball, 7 or 8 Anti-Skill members were lying on the floor together with the shrapnel. They seemed to be breathing, as their limbs were still trembling. Hoho, seems like you people have equipment that can absorb quite a lot of impact, to be able to survive a direct attack from Ellis...but because of that, I can play to my hearts content. There was some cruelty in that smile. Kamijou didnt know what the direct hit from Ellis meant, but he could roughly guess that it was the attack that the stone golem had released. Just seeing the road block that had been blown to pieces, one could imagine how shocking the power was. Why... Kamijou wanted to ask why must you do such a thing, but was unable to say it. In contrast, the blond lady didnt seem to feel anything, just saying casually, Oh, so youre that Imagine Breaker? Isnt the key to the Imaginary District with you? That...how do you pronounce that? Ka...Kazakiri whatsoever. Really, Japanese names are too complicated. With an impatient look on her face, the lady played with her blond hair. Anything, whoever it is will do. Besides, its not like I have to kill that brat. What? Kamijou couldnt help but suspect that he had heard that wrong. He could vaguely tell that this woman was after him and Kazakiri, so he was stunned when he saw the woman have such a casual attitude. Dont you understand? Basically saying, it doesnt matter even if the one I want to kill is you. The woman raised her oil pastel and quickly drew a horizontal line. The stone golem responded and stamped hard on the floor. The strong tremor caused Kamijou to lose his balance. The stone golem again stamped onto the floor, and Kamijou finally fell to the floor. It was unknown how the woman was still standing upright. It was like she was isolated from the image, as she was the only one who couldnt feel the impact. The grounds my strength. In front of Ellis, nobody can stand upright. Fall, be hopeless as you lie on the ground! You defeated dogs, can you still bite me now? The blond woman let out a declaration of victory, and Kamijou, who was lying on the floor, could only glare at her. Truly, in this situation, it was a curb stomp battle. The Anti-Skill members who were wielding guns were unable to effectively attack, and if their guns were pointed in the wrong direction, there was the possibility of them hitting their own men. Kamijou tried to stand up, and the woman again drew another line with the oil pastel. The stone golem stamped again, causing the ground to tremble again. Kamijou had the Imagine Breaker ability, and he only needed just one finger to destroy the stone golem, but he couldnt move at all. You...you woman... Not you woman, my names Sherry Cromwell, remember this. However...its useless to say my name to you, since youll die here. Its useless even if Im to say that Im from the English Anglicans. WHAT? Kamijou frowned. English Anglicans. Wasnt that the organisation that Index was affiliated to? On seeing Kamijou, Sherry revealed a slight sneer. I need a spark to ignite a war, so I have to let more people know about it. Im a member of the English Anglicans, got it?ELLIS! Sherry flipped her wrist and used the oil pastel to draw a circle. The stone golem called Ellis started to move, standing firmly on the floor, and raised that terrifyingly huge fist. Though it was not a punch that was going to be made without preparation, it was still a punch that could crush a road block. Kamijou wanted to get away, but the tremor on the ground caused him to be unable to move, and he could only wave his right hand wildly. MOVE ASIDE, BOY! Suddenly, an angry shout could be heard from beside him. An injured Anti-Skill member who was lying on the floor was holding tightly onto a rifle. Before Kamijou could move, the little muzzle started to emit sparks. Gunfire and flashes coved the entire underground street. The bullets that ripped the air continuously collided with Ellis legs in order to force the stone golem down. However... WAH! A stream of strong wind pressure fizzed past Kamijous face, forcing him to make that sound. Ellis, who was covering the entire passage, was made of steel and concrete. When one fires at this several ton wall, the bullets would naturally bounce off like a ping-pong ball. Anti-Skill was aiming to protect Kamijous life from Ellis, and truthfully, Ellis feet had stopped. As Anti-Skill was focusing their fire on Ellis legs, Ellis couldnt stamp onto the floor. If it did lift its legs carelessly, the bullets may have hit Sherry, who was behind. However, as the bullets were still bouncing off Ellis, they ended up bouncing off in different directions. In the end, Kamijou could only remain on the floor and not move. Anti-Skill was concentrating on firing, and Kamijou was worried about whether he would be hit by stray bullets as he covered his head with both hands. (Damn it, if I can just touch it...!) Kamijou and the golem were less than 3m apart, but carelessly moving forward to touch Ellis was a dangerous thing to do. It was obvious to say that the closer he was to Ellis, the more likely he would be hit by stray bullets. The only chance would be when they reload. The Anti-Skill rifles were unable to beat the stone golem, and the rifles couldnt possibly have unlimited ammo. After a while, the bullets would be used up. During the few seconds when they reloaded, the flying bullets would vanish. The only chance would be at that moment, when he would rush at Ellis. Kamijou tightened his body, getting ready to move forward at any second. Clack. Suddenly, some gentle footsteps rang behind Kamijou. As the gunfire continued to reach his ears, that gentle footstep, for some reason, Kamijou had a deep impression of it. In order to avoid being hit by bullets, he continued to remain prone on the ground, only moving his neck to look behind. The emergency red lights were very weak, and so he couldnt see the entire underground street clearly. The entire passage was pitch black except for the emergency lights that barely showed the way out. The footsteps came from the darkness. Those footsteps werent of one who was trained, nor did they have the presence of a new enemy. It was like someone was trembling as this person entered a haunted house, or a child who went back to school late at night to take back something that was left behind; it sounded rather timid. A bad premonition rose up Kamijous chest. And this premonition came true. Erm...that... He could hear a girls voice. Under the dim red lights, the owner of the voice gradually appeared. It was the girl that Kamijou was familiar with. A long skirt covering her thighs, straight-haired with a rubber band tied beside her ear, and a pair of thin-framed spectaclesit was Kazakiri Hyouka. She was standing right in the middle of the passage, slowly walking over. DAMN IT! WHY WERENT YOU WAITING FOR SHIRAI! The shout that wasnt any softer than the gunfire echoes throughout the underground street. Kamijou wanted to dash forward at the completely defenseless Kazakiri, who was standing over there, but he couldnt move due to the flying bullets. However, Kazakiri seemed like she didnt understand the situation as she said, ...Erm...because... DONT SAY ANYTHING, HURRY UP AND GET DOWN! ...Eh? On hearing Kamijous shout, Kazakiri was stunned. PAM! After that, her head got blown backwards. Ah? Kamijou inadvertently let out this sound of disbelief. Of course, a humans eyes couldnt see bullets that were flying about. However, anyone could guess what happened. Some of the rifles bullets that had hit Ellis bounced off and hit Kazakiris face. Some skin and muscle was blown off, and her spectacles were blown away. However, Kamijou was unable to believe the truth that appeared in front of him. No, it was that he didnt want to believe. His mind was blank due to the confusion. It was unknown when the gunfire ceased. The Anti-Skill members just stared at the girl that was hit. Seeing her target come forward like this and self-destruct in such an unexpected manner, Sherry frowned slightly as well. At this moment, Kazakiris body arched backwards. Like a puppet that didnt respond. They could hear that her face got partly destroyed. A thing that resembled a shell dropped onto the floor with a bit of long hair. The bullets seemed to have hit the right side of her face, and the shape of her head was destroyed completely. The broken spectacles landed on the floor, and the ripped off ear still had the edge of the spectacle frame on it. Ka...KAZAKIRI!! Kamijou frantically stood up and dashed towards Kazakiri. As he was too panicky, his feet were as slumber as a drunk. But after getting to Kazakiri, Kamijou suddenly stopped. His face was full of shock and surprise. However, it was not because the scene was too devastating. Kazakiris injuries were definitely grave, the right half of her head had been blown off. She didnt seem like she had got hit by bullets, but rather, like there had been a bomb in her brain, the wound was so frighteningly big. Such overwhelming destruction was far more than what a person could imagine in everyday life. It made Kamijou feel such a lack of realism, such that even he was about to laugh. But that wasnt the biggest problem. The biggest problem that Kamijou was facing now could make anyone forget about the above. Kamijou carefully inspected Kazakiris wound. It was truly a huge wound that had caused half her head to blow off. However, the wound was hollow. There was no flesh, no bone, no brain, nothing at all. There was not even a drop of blood from Kazakiri Hyoukas wound. It was just like a fake human that was made of papier-mach, or a 3D puppet that was made from multiple angles. The realistic looking skin looked merely like layers of light purple plastic when one looked from the inside of the hole. At the middle of the large hole in her head, there was a small magnet-like thing floating. There a triangular column showing the skin colour, the base was an equilateral triangle with less than 2cm on each side, the height was less than 5cm. The little column remains fixed there, spinning continuously. The sides of the triangular column had many rectangular things on it, each 1mm long and 2mm wide. Like a super-mini piano keyboard, as if there were invisible fingers playing it, the rectangular keys on the sides of the triangular column continued to move back and forth. (What...is this...) Kamijou was completely confused. The scene in front of him was too far away from reality; nobody could associate the feeling of it looks painful or it looks unbearable with it. Was this an esper power as well? Did Kazakiris counter stop create this kind of phenomenon as well? For a basic esper power, Kazakiris current appearance was too abnormal. Even if there were only 7 Level 5 espers in Academy City like the Railgun and Accelerator, their bodies were still made of flesh. However, this Kazakiri was far different from a human. Uuu... Just as Kamijou was wondering what to do, Kazakiri let out a little moan. Maybe it was because she had regained consciousness that the triangular column in the middle of her head started to spin rapidly, and the keys on the side were played even faster, like a firing pin on a sewing machine. (No...) At this moment, Kamijou was dragged back to reality, his entire body was feeling chilly all of a sudden. (This seems to be the opposite...) It wasnt the triangular column responding to Kazakiris actions, but rather, Kazakiri was responding to the triangular columns movement, creating her mannerism and expression. Even Sherry forgot to attack as well as she could only stare blankly at this phenomenon. The keys on the side of the triangular pillar continued to be hit, ringing like a torrential rain. The triangular pillar started to spin rapidly like a computer trackball rolling. It was unknown what kind of processes were changed to cause this girl with a wide hole in her head to gradually look up. Left with only an eye, Kazakiri blankly stared at Kamijou. As if she had just woken up, there was not even a sign of pain or dizziness. While on the floor, she slowly sat up. Eh...? Glasses...wheres my glasses...? She reached her hand out and touched the part where the spectacles should have been at...and seemed to feel that something was not right. First, her fingers shrank back as if she had touched scalding water. Next, she gingerly scraped her face with her fingers. Whats...going on? Her fingers slowly stroked the edge of the opening. N...no... Her eyes gazed at the glass window of the coffee shop beside her. Most likely, she saw her face off the reflection in the glass window, as her face that was blown apart lost all colour of blood. The only eyeball left was trembling nonstop, showing her inner anxiety and insecurity. No...what...is this? NO...! Unable to control her own feelings any further, Kazakiri swung her hair away and shrieked. Kamijou felt like he had lost his breath. Kazakiri seemed to have lost her sense of balance, as she shakily stood up, seemingly trying to get away from her reflection in the mirror. Or maybe her thoughts were too messed up that she actually ran towards the stone golemEllis. Sherry recovered on seeing this and drew a horizontal line with the stone golem. The stone golem waved its concrete arm. As if shooing a fly away, the stone golem swung its fist and hit Kazakiris arm and abdomen. Kazakiri, who was running forward, ended up flying away without landing on the ground, flying for about 3m. Her fragile body collided viciously with the pillar, and then bounced off like a ping pong ball, forming a [ with the pillar at centre, and landed behind Ellis, beside Sherrys feet. Pa! A vicious landing sound could be heard. Looking closely, Kazakiri, who was hit by Ellis punch had her left arm ripped off, her flank was completely distorted like a box of candy being stomped on. Ah... Even so Even so, Kazakiri Hyoukas body was still wriggling. Ah...ah...ahh, aHH, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! This high-pitched scream that came from the nearby thoroughly battered body shocked Sherry. For the first time, she turned her attention to Kazakiri and raised her oil pastel. However, Kazakiri completely ignored Sherry, having lost all ability to see the current situation clearly. The moment she saw that her left arm that was ripped off was completely empty, she started to wave her limbs, as if slapping away a bug that landed on her, and escaped into the pitch black world of the passageway. Ellis! Sherry shouted lightly and tapped the surface of the oil pastel lightly with her fingertip. Ellis raised its fist and hit a nearby pillar. BOOM! The entire underground street continued to shake, and the ceiling clattered. The next moment, the materials of the ceiling collapsed on the Anti-Skill group who were holding rifles. Humph, now this is interesting. Lets go, Ellis. Lets go capture that poor and funny little fox. Not looking at Kamijou and Anti-Skill who were buried alive one bit, Sherry raised the oil pastel in her hand and made one round with it, controlling Ellis and headed off into the darkness. It seemed like she was aiming to follow Kazakiri. (Kazakiri...) Kamijou just stood there in shock, unable to move for a while. The scene just now was etched deeply into his mind. Part 3 Shirai Kuroko was stunned. After sending that irritating nun and her onee-sama back to the surface, she went down to the underground street for a look...Kamijou Touma and the girl with little presence had already disappeared. (How troublesome...should I start looking around here?) Luckily, she could no longer hear the sounds of a battle. But as for when a battle would arise, nobody knew. And also, there were several civilians here. In terms of threat level, Kamijou and Kazakiri were in most danger since they were targeted, but the people here may have been hit by debris, and she couldnt leave them alone like this. In comparison to the people who were directly involved in this, it seemed more important to rescue these outsiders. After pondering for a while, Shirai decided to save these people in front of her first. (The value of life is the same for everyone. I know that onee-sama is worried and wants me to find them, but it doesnt seem right to leave these people here like this.) Shirai sighed and walked towards the students who were locked underground and terrified. The material that dropped from the ceiling was unexpectedly light, and the Anti-Skill members who were buried alive werent too heavily damaged. The Anti-Skill members lying around were injured, but at least no one was killed as they start to stitch or bandage their wounds. Kamijou helped Anti-Skill move the materials off them, and ignored Anti-Skill''s attempts to stop him as he ran off where Kazakiri and Sherry had gone. There were many department stores there, and each of them were linked to one another, and each basement level of the department stores were also linked to one another, creating a complex map that was like a spider web, completely different from the straight path from a while back. (Damn it, whats going on...) Kamijou was definitely mindful that Sherry called herself one of the English Anglicans, but what bothered him even more was Kazakiri Hyouka. Originally, she hadnt seemed to realise that her body was abnormal. The moment she had seen herself in the mirror, she had screamed as if she had seen a monster. To Kamijou, Kazakiri seemed to have just found out about the secret regarding her own body, and was now confused. (...If so, this means that its not Kazakiris esper ability? Or rather thats her power that shes unaware of? Damn it, Im all confused now. Is it alright now that shes like this now? But even if I want to heal her...damn it, what should I do?) Thinking about this, Kamijou inadvertently stopped. That mysterious appearance of Kazakiri appeared in his mind. Even if he wanted to save her, he didnt know how to. He couldnt even get an answer for such a basic question. (Should I stop Sherry or find that escaped Kazakiri? Damn it, what should I do?) After being troubled for quite a while, Kamijou pulled out his phone. Anyway, there were too many things he didnt understand about Kazakiri Hyouka. If Kamijou wanted to ask someone with even more knowledge than him regarding esper power from the science side, there was only one best candidate. Tsukuyomi Komoe. Kamijou thought, she should be able to do something. However, the phone couldnt get any reception. Thinking about it, when he was at the playground, he couldnt hear the contents of the conversation properly. (Anyway, I got to get near a base station first.) Kamijou looked around, and then walked forward. After walking for a while, he saw a sports shop. There seemed to be something like an antenna on the side wall. Kamijou moved to a position below the antenna, and the phone could finally get reception. After just two rings, Komoe-sensei picked up the phone. Ah! Kamijou? Good! Good! I finally contacted you! Kamijou, where are you right now? Youre looking for me, sensei? Himegami tried to call you, but it seemed like there was bad reception. Kamijou tilted his head as he recalled. So that call was made by Himegami. Kamijou, Kamijou. Sensei got something to say to you... Sorry, sensei, Im in a rush here as well. Can you hear me out first? Eh...? Senseis going to say something important...alright, what do you want to say? Komoe-sensei didnt insist and let aside instantly. Deep down, Kamijou earnestly said his thanks. Kamijou basically explained Kazakiris situation to Komoe-sensei. Of course, he purposely left out her name and the gunfight, just asking, Is there a power that will create these symptoms? But Komoe-sensei pondered for a while, and then said, ...Kamijou, youre talking about Kazakiri Hyouka, right? Spot on with just one sentence. On hearing this, Kamijou was speechless. Komoe-sensei seemed to feel relaxed as she said, Mm, to be honest, what sensei wants to say is regarding her. Eh? Sensei checked up on Kazakiri? Why? Kamijou, sensei will tell you that the school has a so-called security system. Besides, since theres an esper development program inside the school, and that theres an increase in trend of strange crimes recently, its natural to investigate an outsider whos not a transfer student and yet appeared here, right? Komoe-sensei also mentioned that since that nun had interacted with Komoe-sensei several times, the nun wasnt investigated. At this moment, Kamijou remembered those words that Himegami said at noon near the school gate. But the records indicate that I should be the only transfer student. Next, regarding Kamijous question...there is such an esper. Like for example, those with body change ability can change their bodies according to their will. So this means that Kazakiri is... No, body change is an extremely rare ability, there are only three people with this ability in Academy City. And Kazakiri Hyouka is not one of these three. Komoe-senseis voice became slightly stiff. Also, therere some things about Kazakiri Hyouka that cant be explained with the body change ability. What do you mean? Deep inside his heart, Kamijou had a bad feeling about this. Whether it was correct or not, Kamijou couldnt tell. Kamijou, sensei just said that the school has a security system. There are many things similar to surveillance cameras around the school. Komoe-sensei paused for a while, then continued, However, none of the cameras caught sight of Kazakiri Hyouka. We contacted Anti-Skill and checked the satellite images, and yet we couldnt spot any suspicious people...at that time, that Kazakiri Hyouka that appeared beside you, when did she get inside the school? What...? Did you see her leave the canteen when she disappeared? Sensei didnt see it. Its like she vanished into thin air... Wait...wait a second! Does that mean that Kazakiri is an esper who has both body change and teleport abilities at the same time? Kamijou, having too many abilities will cause too much burden to the brain, its confirmed that it cant happen. But senseis next hypothesis may be even more unbelievable than having multiple abilities. For some reason, Kamijou was afraid to continue listening. But he couldnt avoid the problem. Kamijou swallowed his saliva and asked, Komoe-sensei, whats your guess? Senseis guess is... Komoe-sensei slowly said, It has a lot to do with the AIM dispersal field On hearing that, Kamijou didnt have much of a deep impression on it. AIM...its that energy that espers unconsciously let out, right? Thats right. If I want to add on, its that the AIM dispersal field is extremely weak, such that a machine is required to detect it, and the energy released by each esper is different. Then what does that have to do with Kazakiri? Is it that the energy that Kazakiri unconsciously lets out will create such a shocking phenomenon? Komoe-sensei didnt answer Kamijous question, and continued, Didnt sensei say it this morning? In order to carry out research for her classmates from my college days, sensei was carrying out research regarding AIM. At this moment, there was the sound of paper being ruffled, Revealing the contents of other peoples theses is prohibited, but sensei believes that your mouth is sealed tight...the contents of this research thesis is regarding the additional effects of multiple AIM dispersal fields gathering at the same place. The more Kamijou listened, the more he was unable to understand what Komoe-sensei was trying to say. Did these things really have anything to do with Kazakiri Hyouka? Was she just grumbling or having a conversation? Just as Kamijou was thinking about this, Komoe-sensei said, Kamijou, if you use a machine to test a human, you can get many values, right? Eh? The generation of heat, heat lost, heat absorbed; The reflection of light, refraction, absorption; The creation of electric flow within humans and the creation of electric fields; the amount of oxygen used up, the amount of carbon dioxide released; and more basically, weight and mass...sensei believes that its impossible to list them alleven if the machines used are different, we can measure tens of thousands of values. And so what? Kamijou noticed the surrounding darkness and prompted Komoe-sensei to continue on. This is just senseis guess... Komoe-sensei paused for a while, then continued, If we look at it from the other way, if we gather all these human values, wouldnt we form a human? What...? Kamijou was utterly shocked, unable to say anything. There are all sorts of esper in Academy City. Every esper will subconsciously let out a weak energy. Even though the energy everyone lets out is weak, if they are all gathered, it may create a complete significance. Its like any English alphabets like B or P; on their own, they have no meaning on their own, but if we are to arrange many of them together, we can create significant words like select and start. Sensei feels that this is the basis for forming Kazakiri Hyouka. Kazakiri Hyouka is like numerous English alphabets stringed together to form a command code thats entered into a computer. Every student in the city provides a letter, and these letters will form a code, which in turn forms a process. Komoe-sensei said. On first glance, it seemed like Kazakiri Hyouka vanished into thin air. But what if that was not the case? What if Kazakiri Hyouka had never existed right from the beginning? If we reversed the thoughts. What if it was not because there was someone around that there was a body temperature, but that because there was a body temperature that one assumed that there was someone around? Pyrokinesis brings body temperature, telekinesis brings touch, sonicwave energy brings sound. All sorts of AIM dispersal fields form numerous numbers and alphabets, forming a code and creating a process, perfectly creating a human shape on this world. Wait...wait a second! Thats ridiculous! What values to form a human...didnt you say it before, sensei? There are tens of thousands of them! Yes, but Academy City has 2.3 millions espers, right? Like the pyrokinesis espers being in charge of body temperature unknowingly, the electrogenerators unknowingly being in charge of the electric flow within humans. All these add up to form the process called Kazakiri Hyouka. Komoe-sensei said this without any hesitation, rather confident of it. Kamijou gasped. Starting from the fingertips, he was gradually losing heat. He even forgot that he was right in the middle of a battlefield, where the enemy could be lurking anywhere. Truly, if one could use telekinesis to create the energy required to flick a finger, perhaps it was possible to create the sense of touch of a skins tension. By manipulating the vibrations in the air, sound could be created. By manipulating the refraction of light, one could see shape. Himegami said that she often heard of people saying that they witnessed an incomplete Kazakiri Hyouka. At that time, maybe Kazakiri Hyouka was like a phantom that existed on a different plane. In terms of coding, its like a command that cant be executed due to the lack of a few letters. Thus, it cant be captured with sight or smell. The senses cant capture it, but there is that feeling. The Kazakiri Hyouka research lab that was said to exist in Kirigaoka was originally set up to thoroughly investigate this phantom that doesnt really seem to exist, right? If not, its an AIM dispersal field research facility. A phantom that seemed like it didnt really exist. Kamijou recalled the hole on Kazakiris head and inadvertently shuddered. After that, he remembered something. But Kazakiri herself doesnt seem to notice this. She always thought of herself as a human, so when she noticed that her body was abnormal, she ran away in fright. If Kazakiri wasnt human right from the beginning, wouldnt this be abnormal? Whats unreasonable? What...? Sensei is asking, if she thought that she was human right from the beginning, why would she need to suspect whether shes a human? This How is it possible? Kamijou was dumbstruck. According to Komoe-senseis guess, Kazakiri Hyouka may be something created by the AIM dispersal fields generated by the 2.3 million espers in Academy City... In other words, it had absolutely nothing to do with her will. Even her own thoughts were an illusion created from the outside world. In conclusion, Kazakiri Hyouka isnt human, but a physical phenomenon created by the AIM dispersal fields. Komoe-senseis words spun Kamijou all around. Damn it...how can there be such a thing...thats too much. Too much? Kamijou, your thinking here is wrong. ...What? Sensei, are you trying to tell me that its stupid to have feelings about a natural phenomenon? On the contrary, Kamijou, if youre going to continue to say this, sensei will have to lecture you. For some reason, Komoe-sensei seemed to be angry. Kamijou, sensei will tell you this. If this guess is accurate, Kazakiri Hyouka is not a human. Even if she has everything that a human needs, she cant be called a human. No matter how much she tries, her nature is such that shes a non-existent illusion that will disappear on the slightest touch. Komoe-sensei paused for a while, and then continued, But why a human? Komoe-sensei sounded rather emphatic. Sensei never talked to Kazakiri Hyouka, so she has no right to express her thoughts, but in your eyes, how do you view Kazakiri Hyouka? Do you also think that Kazakiri Hyouka is just an illusion that has no life, feelings, basically just a thing appearing in front of you? ... No, that wasn''t it. Kamijou recalled. Kazakiri looked rather happy when she was with Index. Kazakiri, who was often scared by Kamijous words, seemed like she had her own intentions, and could act according to her own thoughts. Do you think that Kazakiri Hyouka isnt something thats important, that its alright even if shes to vanish? A human, not a human; a real, a fake; are you going to use these to form prejudices against her? No, of course not. Kamijou concluded. Kazakiri had looked rather painful. She was just a simple, lonely girl, who saw the truth that she had never known before, was unable to accept this cruel truth, was all confused and could only run into the darkness. Kamijou gritted his teeth. He couldnt just do nothing. Even if she was just an illusion that would disappear once his right hand touched her. There was no reason on Earth to decide she should just vanish. Hoho, thats the way. Sensei likes those honest sheep the most. Hearing Komoe-senseis laugh, Kamijou slightly heaved a sigh of relief, and then thought of another question. The thing regarding the friend whom Komoe-sensei was helping in regards to the research on AIM dispersal fields. Sensei, I want to ask something. Does that friend of sensei want to research on the truth regarding Kazakiri? Senseis not too sure about this. Sensei only knows that that friend is researching the interference caused by multiple AIM dispersal fields. As for whether the person found out about Kazakiri Hyouka, sensei doesnt know. However, at least sensei hasnt heard of any research relating to Kazakiri Hyouka. The hypothesis just now was just made based on the information senseis friend provided. ... Hm? Whats wrong? Why arent you saying anything? Dont worry, sensei wont tell this to her friend. Even if she says this, it wont affect the completion of the thesis. But, even though I cant determine the value, this should be something important to a researcher, right? If senseis friend is to find out about Kazakiri, the friend wont remain silent for long... Hahaha, thats true. If the hypothesis is true, Kazakiri Hyoukas existence will be a huge discovery in the AIM field. The one who found it may end up leaving their name in the history books. But if so, Kazakiri Hyouka will be locked into the icy room. Kamijou, do you think that sensei wants this to happen? This... If you really think so, sensei will really be disappointed. Kamijou, who do you think this Komoe-sensei is? Even though Im so simple that it borders on naivety, but as a teacher, this is the biggest pillar of support in my heart. Senseis job scope doesnt involve selling out her students important friends to increase her reputation. Komoe-sensei used the words important friend. How much significance that held, Kamijou finally understood. Hoho, dont make Kazakiri Hyouka cry due to sadness. After saying that, Komoe-sensei hung up the phone. Kamijou Touma lowered his head and stared at the handphone for a while, then folded it and slipped it into his pocket. He was clear on what he should do. His mind understood where he should go. However... Kamijou couldnt help but grit his teeth. He couldnt handle that stone golem by himself. The difference in strength was too great. Once that thing stamped and created a giant shockwave, Kamijou would be unable to stand up and have to prowl onto the ground. (Hurry up! Calm down, quickly find an answer! Damn it, if I fail, Kazakiri will suffer!) Kamijou understood that it was not that easy to find a way to settle things, but he forced himself not to stop. He was thinking about any possibilities now. A surprise attack. (No, the impact of that stamp will spread out in all directions with that stone golem at center. Even if Im to get behind, I cant avoid the attack!) A weapon. (That wont do as well. Is there any weapon that can blow that several-ton stone golem? A knife or a metal rod cant even do anything to it! Anti-Skill may have rockets or something like that, but an ordinary high school student cant possibly use that!) Kamijou Touma was starting to panic, scratching his head wildly. If he couldnt think of any good ideas, it didnt matter even if he was to scratch all his hair off. With every passing second, the sweat of anxiety continued to increase. That uncomfortable feeling made Kamijou want to let out a beast like roar. Suddenly, from the mirror image on the glass window beside him, Kamijou saw someone standing behind him. !? Kamijou turned his head around at a wind breaking speed. Standing in front of him was... Ha... Kamijou inadvertently laughed. No, he was just letting out all the air that was accumulated in his lungs, naturally laughing it out. Ignoring his will, his face moved. For a while, his face was just holding an expression of disbelief. After a while, he was finally able to show a smile. I see The boy smiled. Im so stupid. Isnt this something that anyone can think of, Kamijou Touma? With a smile full of self-confidence, the boy made up his mind. The final trump card to fight against that stone golem was right in front of him. Part 4 Up till now, Kazakiri Hyouka had felt a burning sensation of pain. Ugh...gueeh! Half of her face, the left wrist, the left abdomen felt like it was dipped inside molten metal as the sensation of pain occurred. Forget about running, Kazakiri couldnt even stand up, and could only lay prone on the cold floor. In order to distract herself, she started to move her legs wildly, rolling on the floor. She took signals of pain that any ordinary human would die from, but she couldnt even escape by dying; it was like a living Hell. But the pain didnt last long. Ah...? A terrifying change occurred. With squishy sounds like jelly being crushed, the wounds started to heal. Like a fast rewind the holes started to heal at a rate no human could possibly achieve. The pain that would make anyone go crazy subsided like a decrease in temperature. Those had definitely been fatal wounds. She shouldnt be alive at all. Not just the skin, even the spectacles that had been blown apart and the edges of her clothes were starting to regain shape. Ah...ahhh...! With the sense of pain gradually disappearing, her originally blank mind started to process thoughts. Regarding the fact that her body was hollow inside. Regarding the fact that her body was abnormal. Like an originally sealed memory being released, covering all her knowledge. Ahh...uu! Ky...uu...UUGH...UUGG!! AGH...UGH..MM...GYAA..GYAA...UU...UU...EE...GYYAAAHH!! UUU....UUUUU...KY...AAAHHH!! Her thoughts were all messed up such that she couldnt compose a sentence, but the huge pressure inside Kazakiri Hyouka made her unable to hold back her cries. At this moment, seemingly in response to the cry of despair within Kazakiris heart, another despair appeared. A tremor shook the entire underground street. Kazakiri fell off as if she was sitting on a berserk horses back, as her body floated up in the air while her eyes were fixated on the other side of the darkness. Standing there was an ugly monster made of iron and concrete. Behind the monster was a blond lady who was even scarier. The woman was smiling. As if reminding Kazakiri that only humans could have such a distorted smile. Ugh...AAHHH...!! Kazakiri remembered the pain when she had gotten hit by the giant stone golems huge arm, and instinctively tried to escape. But due to fear, her feet wouldnt oblige. The woman didnt say anything to Kazakiri. She silently raised the oil pastel that looked like white chalk and used it to draw. The stone golem swung a fist at Kazakiris back. Kazakiri frantically sprawled onto the floor. However, her long hair that was swaying in the air still got hit by the stone golem, and Kazakiri felt a sharp pain, as if her scalp had been ripped off. Her body shot out like a cannonball. Kuu...! POW! Kazakiris body let out a terrifying sound. Rolling on the floor with such a terrifying force, Kazakiris entire body felt like it had been grinded by a large grindstone. Ah...ahh...ahhh...! The fragments of skin and hair that were forcefully ripped off formed a straight line that was several metres long. Chichi...a strange sound could be heard from Kazakiris face. Touching her own face, Kazakiri was face was trembling strangely. The fragments of skin that had peeled off on the floor again returned back to their original position. How can there be such a laughable thing? The blond lady finally spoke, looking as if she had just seen something really awkward, and said, I thought the key to the Imaginary District was something that had 3 heads and 6 arms, to think that its actually such a thing! HAHA...HAHAHA! To create such a thing as a gem of science, it really makes people wonder! While the woman laughed, Kazakiris body started to recover. Her face started to let out sounds of water being compressed, and reverted back to its original shape within a few seconds. Ugh...ahh! Kazakiri started to feel fearful and irritation at her own body. In contrast, Sherry said happily, Hoho...but if so, killing you will be a lot more troublesome. Hm, how about we try this? Lets turn you into a pile of minced meat, and see if you can recover? Wh...wh...yy...? Hm? Why...must you...do such an unreasonable thing? Oh, no particular reason. Such a cruel sentence made Kazakiri Hyouka speechless. Theres no real reason for it to be you. Its alright even if its not you. However, the fastest method is for me to take you out. That''s the reason. How? Simple? Before Kazakiris mind could process the shock, the woman had already waved the oil pastel, and the stone golem Ellis swung its fist at Kazakiri, who was on the floor. Kazakiri frantically rolled backwards, and Ellis fist crushed the ground; the shrapnel pierced into Kazakiris entire body. Kazakiris body bounced up due to the impact. With the huge horrific sound, a certain part of her body got distorted. The abnormal pain caused Kazakiris mind to go blank, but as she rolled on the floor, Kazakiris body started to recover. Though her body rolled all the way to the cross junction, she continued to breathe. And neither was she dead. But the woman intending to kill her didnt change her expression, not even a tinge of disappointment was on her face. It was as if Kazakiris life or death was insignificant to her. Seeing her life being belittled like this, Kazakiris eyes watered due to the humiliation. Also, she was angry at her own weakness; she was definitely unhappy, but she couldnt do anything about it. Seeing Kazakiris expression, the blond lady delightedly said, Oi oi, whats with that expression of yours? Dont tell me youre still afraid of death? Eh? Oi oi oi oi! Whats with that justified look of yours? Havent you realised? You were beaten up so badly and you arent dead, how can you possibly be human? ... Whats with that pale look of yours? Are you trying to gain sympathy? Dont be foolish, even if youre to disappear, what will this world lose? Heres an example, watch! The blond lady used her thumb to tap the side of the oil pastel. The next moment, the stone golem swung its fist horizontally. Its arm smashed into the wall and broke. What I did to you was like this. Ah... Even if a monster has its limbs broken, who will sympathise with you? Dont you understand? Why must we show feelings to those that dont have life? Must I make this thing to be such that it can shed tears? Wouldnt I become like a pervert who delights in taking off a dolls clothes? AH...UWAAHH! In front of the despairing Kazakiri, the damaged arm of the stone golem started to regrow as it absorbed the surrounding glass and materials, reverting back to its original state. That look actually looked similar to her right now. That was Kazakiri Hyoukas true nature. The real, ugly nature of her''s once the human skin was peeled off. Do you understand now? Right now, youre a monster like Ellis. You cant escape. Where do you want to run to? Is there a place that accepts such a monster like you? Do you understand now? Hurry up, why do you still not understand? Theres no place to accommodate you. The woman slowly waved the oil pastel in her hand, and the stone golem slowly moved towards Kazakiri. Kazakiri continued to remain dumbstruck in a fallen position. She couldnt move. Not because of her injuries, since they had already healed a long time ago. Not because of her psychological fear, since it was telling her to run away. However, Where could she run to? Kazakiri remembered. Todays the first day she went to school. Thus she thought that she was a transfer student. Todays the first day she had a nutritious meal Thus she said that she wanted to check out the school canteen. Todays the first day she spoke to a boy. Thus she thought that she was afraid of the boy because of that. Todays the first day she used the vending machine. She had knowledge on how to use a vending machine, but she never drank from it before. In the past, how did she manage to find an excuse to explain this anomaly? The first time, the first time, the first time, the first time, the first time. These were all first times, no exceptions. Then what was she doing in the past? Why didnt her heart raise such a suspicion? It was as if she thought that she didnt exist in the past. Right now, Kazakiri discovered that the me right now was just a bubble of illusion floating among the mist. Even if she was to look away, it was meaningless. Even if she didnt look at her wounds, the pain wouldnt subside. No matter how hard she tried, it was too late. Kazakiri couldnt escape, couldnt hide. There was no wonderland on the world that could warmly receive this ugly monster that didnt have any self-awareness. Inside the pocket of her skirt was the photograph that Kazakiri had taken together with that white girl. But the girl in the photo, Index, didnt know. She didnt know that Kazakiri Hyoukas real identity was such a monster. Once she knew the real identity beneath the human skin, At that moment, the girl would not smile back at her. Not only that, she would prefer to think that she didnt smile at her. This was because the Kazakiri Hyouka that was smiling in the photo doesnt exist anymore. What remained was an ugly monster with a fake human exterior. Tears gathered in Kazakiris eyes. She really wanted a warm world, wanted to smile with a certain someone, even if for a minute, a second; if she could just get this short moment of light, it was alright no matter how much she lowered her head to beg. But in the end... Nobody would grant this request. Dont cry, you monster. The blond lady mockingly waved the oil pastel. Seeing you cry makes me sick. That gigantic arm of the stone golem that could even break through thick wood closed in. Ahh... Kazakiri pondered while in despair. Though she didnt want to die. Instead of saying that nobody wanted her, it was more like once anyone saw her, they would completely treat her as a monster. Thus, it may be better to die here. Kazakiri closed her eyes tightly. Curling her body tight, waiting for the imminent Hell of pain. The pain didnt come. After a while, there was still no sound. But this strange silence wrapped around Kazakiri Hyoukas body, warmly and gently. It was like she returned to a warm house with a roof while it was pouring outside. Kazakiri Hyouka gingerly opened her eyes. There seemed to be a familiar figure in front of her. However, her tears blocked her vision, and she could only see a blurry image. The figure seemed to be that of a boy. Kazakiri was standing in the middle of the cross junction. Standing in front of Kazakiri and facing the stone golem, the boy seemed to have cut in from the underground street beside her. The side of the face seem to enter her vision in a blurry manner. The stone golem stopped moving. The boy casually reached out his right hand and grabbed the stone golems giant arm. The palm was like a powerful fist that could even crush a battletank. Such a simple action caused the stone golem to be unable to moveeven letting out a cracking sound. Ellis? The voice of a woman could be heard from afar. Ellis, why arent you responding? ELLIS? DAMN IT, WHATS GOING ON!? For the first time, the woman sounded panicky. However, the boy didnt even look at her. The boy just stared directly at Kazakiri Hyoukas face. Seems like I was late. The boys voice caused Kazakiris shoulders to tremble slightly. Even though she couldnt see clearly due to the tears, the voice was ever so familiar. Truthfully, Kazakiri had only met a few people. Such a powerful voice. Such a warm voice. Such a reliable voice. And most importantly, Such a gentle voice. The boy said to Kazakiri, However, its alright. Dont cry, its so ugly. Whats the point of crying over such a trivial matter? Like a child, Kazakiri Hyouka reached her hand out to wipe her eyes. The cover of tears was removed. The boy was in front of her. Kamijou Touma was in front of her. Revealing an expression that was like an intimate friend. The stone golem behind him started to crack before it crumbled. The wall of despair that no one could cross seemed to be broken. ELLIS...STOP STANDING OVER THERE BLANKLY, ELLIS! A roar that was full of anger and fear. The blond lady gripped tightly onto the white oil pastel, almost breaking it. She raised it and started to doodle on the wall as if she was drawing out a sword, muttering hastily at the same time. The concrete wall collapsed like dried dirt. And within a few seconds, it was as if an invisible hand molded a stone golem with a head on top. The woman looked rather anxious, but she hadnt lost her cool yet. This was an ace that could regenerate no matter how many times it was destroyed. Also, this was the biggest advantage to the blond lady. The stone golem could be used as a shield, as a bait, as a strikeforce or to self-destruct. Kamijou turned his head around. In order to protect this girl that was being bullied, he stood in front of the ugly stone golem. Seeing the situation, Kazakiri was terrified, whereas the blond lady was laughing. Ho...haha! WAHAHAHA! IS THIS A JOKE? OI, WHAT CAUSED YOU TO GROW UP TO BECOME LIKE THIS? HAHAHA! BE HAPPY, MONSTER! THIS WORLD ISNT SO BAD TO YOU! AT LEAST THERES STILL AN IDIOT HERE!! The deepness of the voice caused Kazakiris shoulders to tremble violently. That was right. The boy came here to protect her. Though that was something worth taking comfort from, she couldnt just let the boy get involved in this battle between monsters. Kazakiri Hyouka didnt want to see the boy that worked so hard to create this warm world for her to fall over here. However, no matter how terrified Kazakiri was, the boy was unmoved even as he was facing the stone golem. The boy said, Its not just me. What? The woman was shocked. At that moment, BOOM! A bright light appeared. The white rays of light almost blinded her eyes as Kazakiri inadvertently used her hands to cover them. Kazakiri was sitting in the middle of the cross junction, and the light came from the 3 lanes other than the one the blond lady was standing in. The dazzling lights even caused Kazakiri to have a migraine, but she barely managed to squint her eyes and look around. It was as intense as a cars headlamp. The light actually came from the searchlights attached onto rifles. And it was not just one or two; right now, there were about 30, 40 people gathered here. Anti-Skill. None of them were unscathed. Some of them had bandages on their abdomens and heads, some were dragging their injured arms and legs, and all of them looked like patients that should be lying on the hospital beds. But they were not afraid at all. Not caring for their own safety, not uttering anything even with so much pain, they came back to this battlefield where they were extremely likely to die. These people werent mighty men like those main characters in an action movie, as there were women among them. The female Anti-Skill member wielding the transparent shield didnt seem to be fazed by her own injuries as she revealed a confident smile. Her eyes seemed to be saying, Dont worry, its alright. ...Why...? Kazakiri Hyouka asked in surprise. Though she couldnt be certain about how much these people knew about her, at least they should know that she wasnt an ordinary human. These people should have witnessed her face being hit by the stray bullets and immediately standing up after she got hit by the stone golem. Thus, Kazakiri asked this. Why? Why didnt they just shoot that terrorist together with her? Why did they purposely come all the way over here just to protect her? Kazakiri Hyouka was unable to understand at all. But the boy responded without any hesitation, Dont be silly. Is there a need for a reason? Facing this monster called Kazakiri, the boy didnt look away from her even once. The expression was exactly the same as when they were in the arcade. Among all these lights, he said, Like usual, without any pretense, This isnt anything strange. I just spoke to them. In this place that was full of light, he said, I told them...please save my friend. For a moment, Kazakiri Hyouka was unable to understand what this sentence meant. For Kazakiri Hyouka wasnt a human, but a monster; her body was hollow, there was nothing underneath her skin. She had been hit by gunfire, blown away by the stone golem, and yet she wasnt dead. Any doctor or scholar would drop their jaws if they saw this. Didnt these people care at all? Were they willing to accept the unknown body that Kazakiri herself despaired over? Maybe it was because it was Academy City. 80% of the population here were students, and each had their own powers. Everyone knew that each person is different, so they were more accepting Kazakiri Hyouka who was different from others. Can I continue to remain here? Are they willing to smile and accept me? The boy said to the perplexed Kazakiri, Wipe your tears clean and watch clearly. You should be proud of yourself since not one person here wants you dead. Kazakiri lifted her head up. The world that was surrounded in darkness was already gone. Watch. Well prove to you that this world you live in isnt so bad! Kazakiri understood. Even though that blond lady caused the underground to be surrounded in darkness, These people here would use light to fight the darkness, In order to save the hand within the darkness that was waiting to be saved. The boy then said, Well also let you know that your resting place wont be destroyed so easily! Part 5 ELLIS! Hiding behind the stone golem, Sherry shouted in an angry, almost trembling voice, KILL THEM ALL! USE THESE PEOPLES CORPSES AS YOUR BODYS MATERIALS! She shouted this as she waved her oil pastel. Numerous overlapping lines form the direction that the golem moved in. NOT SO FAST! FORMATION B! PROTECT THE CIVILIANS FIRST! With an Anti-Skill member shouting, everyone started to fire. The Anti-Skill members formed up in pairs; the front person held a transparent shield and the ones behind started to fire. The shields werent mean to block Ellis, but to block the stray bullets. Gunfire that almost broke their eardrums echoed throughout, and Kamijou and Kazakiri were pulled aside by a female Anti-Skill member. She used the transparent shield in her hand to protect them. Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa! The shield in front of them let out such a cry. Seeing this, Kamijou was flabbergasted. Even the deflected bullets that hit Ellis had such power. Maybe because Kazakiri had been hit by a stray bullet before, she was trembling hard like a child afraid of thunder. Kamijou saw the stone golem in front of him. Elliss leg got concentrated fire that was like cannon fire which looked like the sun magnified with a mirror. It tried to take a step forward, as though it was trying to move through a strong wind. However, it was not able to take that step. As Elliss body was as big as a wall, the impact area was wide like an open sail waving in a storm. The concrete and glass thats mixed inside Ellis body continued to be hit, but Ellis just absorbed the surrounding floor and wall, and even the bullets hitting it, quickly allowing it to recover. Cheh! On the other side of the screen of gunfire, Sherry let out an angry growl. The one similar to God, Medicine of God, Power of God, Fire of God! The four elements that represent the four worlds will allocate the right power on the right direction, and bring forth the correct lead! The oil pastel quickly drew a distorted Cross in the air. Chi chi...Ellis body started to cackle. This was Ellis cry. The stone golem didnt have a mouth for it to speak, but the sound of pain echoed throughout the body. It continued to try and obey this impossible order, as if cracked gears were forced to spin and more gears were forced in. The stone golems huge body let out cackling and terrifying sounds. Even so, Ellis continued to move. With that terrifying cackling sound, it finally took a step forward. BOOM! A heavy sound slightly trembled the ground. On seeing this, Sherry was delighted, continuing to wave the oil pastel. Ah...ah...what to do... In the explosion of gunpowder, Kazakiri couldnt help but ask. Though the situation isnt too good, its still within what I expected. Itll be best if I can push her back or maintain her balance, it seems like things arent going to go as I wanted. Kamijous words made Kazakiri doubt her own ears. Then, the female Anti-Skill member wielding the transparent shield in her hand said, Are you sure youre going to do this, boy? No one will blame you if you back away, you know. I have to go up, you know. You just saw it, that huge piece of trash got destroyed when my right hand touched it. My right hand has such a power. Its true that Tsukuyomi-sensei told me this before... Kazakiri felt that strength was disappearing from her fingertips. What were they saying? Kazakiri wondered. They seemed to be ready to carry out some shocking plan, and yet she herself didnt know anything. If I dont do anything now, that thing will come over anytime. Besides, bullets cant be fired forever, and you cant possibly continue to hold that shield for much longer. Theres only one chance. If you fail, we wont be able to save you, well shoot. At that moment, youll become bullet target like that stone golem. On hearing the Anti-Skill womans words, Kazakiri was shocked. ...Wait...hold on...may I know...what youre trying to do...? Do you need to ask? Kamijou replied without hesitation, ...Were here to stop that monster. THUNK! The heavy footsteps of the stone golem could be heard again. The sound was a lot more forceful than before. Sherry and Ellis were now starting to get used to the force of the barrage. No...this...is too dangerous... Too bad my power can only be activated when my right hand touches it. If I could just release a long ranged attack like a railgun, itd be a lot easier. BOOM! The earth shook again. Like the traveler moving against the North wind, the stone golem continued to move forward. Both sides were within 10m of each other. Im about to give the order, and Im going to confirm it with you again. Boy, are you ready? ...Yes. It was likely that they had already discussed what they should do before coming here. Thus, the boy just needed to respond with a single sentence, and didnt need to say anything more. Still trying to act cool, eh, boy? Sigh, Tsukuyomi-sensei really taught her students well. The female Anti-Skill member smiled slightly, and then pulled out a mini-wireless telephone. Alright, then Ill play with you then. However, you must succeed, and come back alive. Well try and coordinate with you. On hearing this, Kamijous lips curled up. At that moment, Kazakiri discovered that the boy was trying his best to hold himself from trembling. On the countTHREE! The female Anti-Skill member gave some command to the wireless radio. Kazakiri felt goosebumps down her body. Was this boy really thinking of rushing outside of the shield arrays and at the stone golem? In this rain of bullets, even the people firing the guns wouldnt be able to tell where the bullets would fly to. Once he was hit, he was dead. It was not possible for him not to be afraid. TWO! Originally crouched on the floor, Kamijou slightly lifted his upper body. Wait...no! This...youll definitely die...this...no...I...! Dont stop me, Kazakiri. Facing Kazakiri, who was all in a disarray and distraught, Kamijou, who was supposed to be in the most danger said calmly, The reason youre afraid of me should be because of this right hand, right? No matter good or evil, as long as its a supernatural power, it will be removed by this right hand, even you. Kamijou then said, So dont try and reach your hand out to stop me. Kazakiri felt deeply shocked by it, almost unable to breathe. Sherry also seemed to sense that Anti-Skill was trying to do something, waving her oil pastel even more frantically. Ellis despite getting hit hard by the concentrated fire, started stepping forward with more force. But at that moment, Kamijou didnt even look at Sherry. He just focused on the girl in front of him. Understanding the power in Kamijous right hand and why she would deliberately avoid this boy, Kazakiri couldnt hide the shock on her face. Looking straight at Kazakiri, Kamijou said, However, dont be too mindful. Even if you cant touch me, youre still my friend. And also, dont think about dying so easily. Ill come back alive, I will. Ah...come back...alive...? Yeah. Well then bring Index along, and go out to play again. After saying that, he smiled. After that, he turned to look in front. The voices of Anti-Skill seemed to cut off the last contact between Kamijou and Kazakiri. ZERO! In an instant. Anti-Skill stopped shooting. Even Sherry didnt expect this. Since the bullets were the last line of defense that was protecting Anti-Skill, once they stopped firing, everyone would become victims of Ellis fist the next instant. Normally speaking, nobody would do such a suicidal thing. But this was effective. For Ellis heavy body suddenly tripped forward. It was forcing its way forward as if it was resisting the North wind, only for the wind to suddenly stop. The excessive force generated on its body caused Ellis to lose balance and fall forward. Kamijou jumped over the transparent shield and charged forward. There was about 7m between him and Ellis. DAMN IT!! GET RID OF HIM, ELLIS!! Seeing Kamijou dash forward like a rocket, Sherry frantically waved her oil pastel. Obediently following the order, Ellis raised its fist. However, its body was in an unstable state. If it tried to punch in this state, it would definitely trip. If so, Kamijou didnt need to do anything, and without her shield to protect her, Sherry would immediately be shot by the Anti-Skill bullets. Kamijou just needed to get down and avoid the bullet fire. Even so, Ellis still raised its fist. Even so, Ellis still raised its fist. As expected, the body that was already about to fall lost balance even more, and Ellis fell forward, face down. The stone golem was about 4m tall, and since the distance between the stone golem to Kamijou was about 7m, Kamijou would definitely not be crushed. Kamijou gripped his fist hard, intending to catch the moment Ellis landed on the floor. VOOM! Ellis swung its fist. But even as it fell down, Ellis wasnt aiming its fist at Kamijou, but the floor. What...? With Ellis fist as centre, there was a spiderweb-like crack of radius 8m on the floor. The entire place acted like a cushion as it moved about, and Kamijous body was tossed high up into the air. The walls, ceiling, pillars and every single corner let out a terrifying clattering sound, echoing throughout the underground street. Then, Kamijou, who fell onto the ground, saw the giant stone golem Ellis use the impact caused by punching onto the floor to stand upright like a spring. Sherry waved her right hand. Ellis giant fist was raised high again, as if it was trying to crush a bug on the floor. Damn it... Kamijou heard the slight sound of metal colliding with each other, and it seemed Anti-Skill was raising their weapons. However, they werent firing yet. Once the torrent of bullets arrived, Kamijou would definitely be dead. (Damn it, how can there be such a dumb thing! Hurry, think of how Im going to get out of this...!) Raising its fist, Ellis was just nicely positioned above Kamijou. In this situation, even if Kamijou used his right hand and destroyed Ellis fist, several tons of rubble would collapse and crush him to death. Even if he was to try and escape, due to the time left, he could only take one more step. Ellis was already over 4m tall, and the arms length was about 2m. No matter whether he was to try and jump aside, left or right, or even roll backwards, he wouldnt be able to avoid the attack. (Damn it, damn it! Isnt there any way...!) Ellis fist carried all the force of its weight as it headed down from directly above Kamijou. Kamijou at least understood that using his right hand to block it would be suicidal. He focused all his attention on his legs, strongly determined to jump over at it. Not left, right nor backwards, but forward. Ellis was over 4m tall. In other words, the blind spots close to its chest was a lot bigger than a human. There was already an almost 2m tall hole between its legs. Normally, if anyone was to try and sneak in between Ellis feet, Ellis would definitely kick the person out. However, Ellis was swinging its fist down. While its entire body was unstable as the whole weight was focused on the fist, Ellis had to stand firm and maintain balance. In fact, Kamijou, who was used to fighting, understands clearly that even though a forceful hit was powerful and looked cool, it had the flaw of being easily counterattacked. Due to the center of gravity, once it let out this hit, it wouldnt be able to evade. Ellis couldnt move its legs by an inch before it finished swinging its fist. Trying to maintain balance like a human caused Ellis downfall. Kamijou bent down, staying in a position close to the ground before jumping forward. Like an arrow released from the bow, he shot out between Ellis legs. Then, Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta! Ellis body emitted a lot of sparks. The Anti-Skill members who had raised their guns again squeezed the trigger. Ellis movements were again restrained. And what was ironic was that Kamijou, who was standing behind Ellis, wouldnt be hit by the gunfire. Kamijou slowly stood up, reaching his right hand out as he wanted to touch Ellis back. But thinking about it, he didnt do so. He looked away from Ellis and turned his head behind. Sherry Cromwell was just in front of him. Ah...ELLIS... Full of fear and tension, Sherry shouted, but she was clear that if she was to move Ellis carelessly, Anti-Skill''s rifle bullets would hit her. Also, Sherry was unable to escape from the narrow space behind Ellis. The oil pastel in her hand was waving unnaturally. Unlike the clear actions she did before, she didnt know what she should command Ellis to do. Right now, Sherry had no one to turn to. Her strongest weapon was right in front of her, yet it couldnt move, even helping Kamijou block the enemys bullets. Good. Kamijou said. He raised his right hand up and swung one huge round, as if he was trying to check the flexibility of his shoulder. Ah... Facing this situation of despair, Sherry inadvertently revealed a distorted smile. Haha, what the Hell. This means I have no way to escape now, is it? Theres no need to. With gunfire ringing throughout, Kamijou closed an eye. You just need to sleep quietly. With a punch, Kamijou Touma sent Sherry Cromwell flying far without mercy. Sherrys tender flesh was like paper floating in the air as it continued to roll on the floor. Part 6 The gunfire hadnt ceased. Since Sherry was beaten down, Ellis couldnt move; but Anti-Skill hadnt given Ellis the decisive blow, so of course they didnt dare to stop their attacks. Kamijou turned his eyes from Sherry, who was knocked 5m away, and turned to look at Ellis. (Speaking of which, if Im to suddenly destroy this...wont the bullets hit me?) Kamijou gingerly reached his right hand out to Ellis... Ho...hohoho... Suddenly, he could hear a girls laughter. Kamijou turned behind and looked at Sherry. She was smiling, she was lying on the floor and smiling. But she was still holding onto the white oil pastel. Shua! She swung the oil pastel quickly on the floor as if she was drawing a sword, drawing some mysterious lines that looked like a picture or symbol. Ah...damnit, youre thinking of creating of creating a second one? Kamijou dashed forward, intending to stop her. Hoho...hohoho...hohohohoho. Thats impossible. Since Ellis exists, I cant create a second Ellis. If I could create more than one Ellis, why do you think I didnt create an army of Ellises? Even if Im to barely create a second one, I cant maintain its shape, itll collapse like rotten mud. Sherry then laughed in a sinister way. But as long as I can use it properly, I can create such a effect. In an instant, with the lines that Sherry drew on the floor as centre, an area of radius 2m collapsed. Sherry got carried into the hole and disappeared as if she had been swallowed by the hole. Damn it! Kamijou frantically dashed forward, but there was only a hole there. The hole was extremely deep, it was hard to tell how many metres deep it was. However, it seemed like there was air flow inside it. (Damn it, this is an underground passage...) Kamijou said. At that moment, Ellis, which wasnt moving, suddenly collapsed. Since both golems couldnt exist at the same time, it was likely that Sherry destroyed the old golem to create a new golem. With the destruction of the old Ellis, the gunfire ceased. (However, it somehow doesnt feel right.) Seeing the inside of the dark hole, doubts lurked within Kamijous heart. Sherry Cromwell''s persistence to her target was too little. This was a lot different from the other magicians he had met up till now. If it had been those magicians from before, they would not escape that easily with the target Kazakiri Hyouka there (and Kamijou himself was a target as well). (Think! What am I so worried!?) Kamijou carefully recalled every word that Sherry had said before, his face looking serious as he lowered his head. After a while, he suddenly looked up. Oh, isnt the key to the Imaginary district with you? That...that...how do you pronounce that? Really, Japanese names are so complex. That was right. Thinking back, Sherrys interest in Kazakiri wasnt that high from the start. I need a spark to ignite a war, so I have to let more people know about it. Im a member of the English Anglicans, got it?ELLIS! If Sherry had another motive, and killing Kazakiri was just one way to achieve the it... Anyhow, its alright whoever it is. Its not like I have to kill that brat. If Kazakiri could be replaced by someone else... Hoho...hohoho...hohohohoho. Index, Imagine Breaker, the key to the Imaginary District, who shall I choose? Can I choose anyone? Hoho, what a hassle. Its problematic if there are too many options. Sherry Cromwell didnt escape. She went off to find a new target. Also... She had only 3 targets, two of them, Kamijou and Kazakiri were here, protected by Anti-Skill. The only one not there and not protected by Anti-Skill was DAMN IT...INDEX!!!! Between the lines 2 The footsteps echoed inside the underground streets. These werent the footsteps of a human. These were the footsteps of the 4m tall monster that was made of concrete and railroad tracks, the stone golem Ellis. Cradled in Ellis arms, Sherry was waving her oil pastel, controlling Ellis feet. Where should she go, she was rather clear of it. Before creating the second Ellis, Sherry had already used several mud eyes to grasp the targets location. But in order to create the second Ellis, she had already destroyed those eyeballs. The face that took a punch was all numb. At first, the feet that were hidden underneath Sherrys skirt werent touching the ground, but floating several centimeters in the air. Because of this, Sherry wasnt affected by the shockwaves created by Ellis. But after she got punched by that boy, even though the levitation spell absorbed the impact from the punch, the spell itself was destroyed. Thus, right now, Sherry could only let Ellis carry her away. Sherry looked around, muttering. It was so irritating to the eyes. This underground space that was formed by concrete; this stinky, dusty and dirty air was really an eyesore. The one who created this thing was really an eyesore. The force that was enough to create this was really an eyesore. Sherry hated this city. She hated the water of this city, the wind in this city, the land in this city, the fire in this city, everything and anything about this city. She wished for everyone in this city to disappear, to disappear from history; to disappear from human memory, to disappear from this world. The face that got hit by the boy started to feel hot. This city itself was the biggest reason for disaster, Sherry grumbled. Ellis. Sherry said. Originally, Ellis wasnt the name of this golem. But the name of an esper who died at the age of 20. Volume 6, 4: Stop Sign. Beast_Body,_Human_Heart. Volume 6, Chapter 4: Stop Sign. Beast_Body,_Human_Heart. Part 1 Compared to the dark underground, the scorching heat on the white surface was unbearable while they were under the bright white glare of the sun. Index and Misaka Mikoto were on the street. Shirai Kuroko was busy saving the students trapped underground. Kamijou and company hadnt arrived back yet, and it was a bit cruel to go home first. However, both of them didnt really have anything to talk about. Under the blue sky that was raining sunlight down, both of them could only maintain this intricate silence. Ah, really. This is all Kurokos fault... Deep inside, Mikoto was cursing her kouhai who was not around. With the power of the Railgun, it was not impossible to destroy the walls in the underground streets, but she feared that this would allow the terrorist to escape, so she didnt dare to take action. Maybe it couldnt endure the intense heat, as the calico cat struggled in Indexs arms. After a while, Index muttered, ...Its so hot. Yeah. Mikoto nodded her head in agreement. But whats with your clothes anyway? Wearing long sleeves even in such hot weather...ah, are you afraid of your skin getting sunburned? I seem to have seen on the television before that people with skin with less pigment would get their skin all red and painful once their skin touch sunlight. Im not really mindful, and right now, these clothes are really airy. Hm? Wha...your clothes are all full of safety pins! Why are you wearing such hot clothing? Ugh...that brings up some old scars, so please dont pursue this issue any further. Index interrupted the conversation, and so, the conversation was stopped again. But Mikoto, who tried to start the conversation once, was unable to hold on for long, and said, But they sure are slow. ...Hm. What to do. That magician seemed to be targeting Hyouka, and her spells have some indications of the London style. I hope shes okay... !? The rare term called magician made Mikoto suspicious. When Shirai Kuroko had teleported Index to the surface, Index didnt say any thanks, but had quarrelled with Shirai Kuroko, saying such words like why did you bring me in first, hurry up and send me back inside. At that time, Index did seem to mention this strange term called magician. After thinking about it for a while, Mikoto decided not to pursue further. From Indexs clothing, it was obvious that she was a religious person. Maybe to the people without any scientific knowledge, powers were just like magic. Hyouka...is that the girl who was with you? Mm. Ah, but this time it wasnt Touma who found her first, I found her first. ...not this time huh? Ho ho. Mikoto turned her head around and revealed a sinister smile. The innocent Index completely did not realise it at all, she just continued to hug Sphinx, shake her body left and right, and said, Uu, Im a little worried here. Whether its because a girl is in such a dangerous place, or its because Toumas alone with a girl, its still worrying. ...For some reason, I feel that we both agree on this point. Mikoto remained silent for a while, before continuing, Speaking of which, arent you worried about that guys safety? In a short instant, Index stopped what she was doing. Hm? Touma? Theres no need to worry about him. No matter what happens, Touma will always come back. Index said this, but there was a huge contradiction within it. If she was really not worried, why would she be waiting around in the hot sun? (Sigh. Who wouldnt be worried in this situation?) Mikoto reflected on those words, causing the conversation to cease as she thought (Did she just say come back?) When she said come back, who did she mean he would come back to? There was no need to question about it. Maybe this silver-haired girl didnt mean much when she said it. However, this caused quite a shock to Mikoto because it implied that this thinking was due to the common understanding they had in their daily lives together, so there wasnt much need to think about it. Mikoto played with her fringe and thought, (Why do I feel so uncomfortable about hearing this?) The feeling created within Mikoto made her frown inadvertently. At this moment, the calico cat suddenly meowed loudly and struggled out of Indexs arms. Index let out a shout, and Mikoto inadvertently turned over to look, and saw the calico cat struggle out of Indexs arms and land on the floor. Seemed like the cat couldnt endure the heat as it ran away. Index wanted to chase after the little escapee, but stopped halfway through. She frantically watched the cat run away, before looking back at Mikoto. Maybe she wanted to chase after the calico cat, but she was in a fix because she didnt dare to leave the scene. No problem. Ill stay here, you go get the cat back. My bodys nature causes cats to get irritated around me easily, so I cant help you chase after it. Thanks, if you were willing to help out, Id be grate...hey, Sphinx! Index nodded at Mikoto thankfully before rushing towards the calico cat that had moved into the back alley behind a convenience store, soon disappearing behind it. So that cat was called Sphinx? Mikoto was speechless in regards to that strange name. Suddenly, Mikoto felt the manhole beside her clattering slightly. Eh? Mikoto sounded puzzled as she let out an intrigued sound. After that, the neighbouring juice vending machines started to sway about slightly as well. There was obviously no wind, yet the leaves were rustling. This was some intriguing tremor. It didnt feel like an earthquake, but more like a huge monster walking. Mikoto wondered if the calico cat had used its sharp animal instincts to detect the tremor and thus ran away. Part 2 Stunned, Kazakiri Hyouka was sitting inside the dark subway. The flashing lights that were engraved in her eyes and the gunshots that nearly broke her eardrums had ceased. In order to prevent Sherry from escaping to the surface, Anti-Skill was using wireless radio to coordinate all over the place. Suddenly, Kazakiri sensed that some people were quarrelling. Looking back, it was actually Kamijou quarrelling with a female Anti-Skill member. To be honest, Kamijou was so agitated that he wanted to punch her. Damn it! That womans no longer in the underground streets, so why cant you remove the perimeter underground? How many times must I explain it to you? The one in charge of the underground streets is someone different from us. We have already sent a request, but itll take some times before the orders reach, so theres no way we can remove it so quickly! DAMN IT! Kamijou cursed as he kicked against a wall. Seeing that, Kazakiris shoulders trembled. Kamijou didnt look all right; the direct threat of Sherry wasnt around, why was Kamijou looking so anxious? The female Anti-Skill member who Kamijou was arguing with picked up the wireless radio. She got away from Kamijou and used some technical terms and heated words to argue with another person on the radio. Kazakiri saw Kamijou standing alone, and like a magnet attracted to him, she walked towards him. Though she felt that he was scary, she felt that the him right now was like a child who would cry anytime soon, and couldnt bear to leave him alone like that. ...Ah...erm...just now, thank you... Hm? Its not something you need to give thanks for. Oh yeah, is your body alright? Ah...mm...I guess its alright...erm...excuse me...but did something happen? On hearing these words, Kamijou remained silent. He was most likely hesitating whether he should say it or not. Finally, he slowly said it. He wasnt deliberately choosing his words, but slowly vomiting out all the emotion that was built up within him. Sherry Cromwell...that dirty looking gothic-clothed woman didnt escape, she went off to look for the next target, Index. Eh...? Seems like she didnt come here to kill me nor you. As long as the conditions are met, she will kill anyone. And Index is one of us. Kazakiri gasped. Thinking back about it, that blond lady had mentioned it before. There were many Anti-Skill members beside Kazakiri and Kamijou, but right now, Index was unguarded. If anyone could be chosen, of course the logical answer was to choose the unguarded one. I tried to negotiate with Anti-Skill, but the lock on the underground streets cant be removed. Damn it, if that thick wall wont open, I cant get out at all! ...But...but...even so...why cant you just tell them? There are many Anti-Skill members out there...so you just need to ask them to help protect Index... No way. Without hesitation, Kamijou denied what seemed like a logical proposal. Wh...why? Index isnt a citizen of this city. If Anti-Skill sees her, they wont even protect her, she might even get arrested...of course thats just likelihood. Kamijou suppressed his voice as he said, Though she has a temporary ID, since its red alert now, I cant guarantee that its effective now. In this situation, its not unreasonable even if ones asked to show a drivers license, credit card or other forms of identification. Saying all the way till here, he let his jaw drop. This is bad. To be honest, she doesnt have a meaningful form of identification. Forget about a credit card, insurance certificate or ID, she doesnt even have any records of age, blood type or even birthday. Besides, anyone can tell that this name called Index is a fake name. Anti-Skill is looking for suspicious people from the outside world, how can they let off this unknown person? At that moment, Kazakiri finally realised the reason Kamijou was acting so panicky. Though there were many citizens in this city, compared to Kazakiri Hyouka, Indexs companions were overwhelmingly less. Bu...but...I cant be counted as a citizen of this city... Your situation is different from Index. Though its true that you dont have an Academy City pass, thats all it is. Though your real identity isnt that much different from normal humans, you may not be a dangerous person. However, Index is different. Basically, she belongs to a different group from Academy City. And just this alone is enough to designate her as dangerous person. After saying that, Kamijou suddenly moved forward. Kazakiri followed him from behind. Kamijou was heading towards the large hole that the blond lady had escaped from. Seems like we can only escape from here. Damn it, if the wall nearby can open, I can easily cut them off and dont have to lose the initiative by playing catch up from behind! Kazakiri stared at the huge hole. It was pitched black, there was no light at all, so it was impossible to see the bottom. Who knew how many metres deep the hole was, could anyone really jump in? One couldnt even grasp the timing to reduce the impact. Wai...wait a minute...you really...intend to go down alone...? Kazakiri felt that even if they wanted to take some risks, they should contact Anti-Skill first. As her own body had gotten damaged a few times, Kazakiri understood the terror that blond lady brought. No matter what, it was not an enemy an ordinary high school student could take on without a plan. Thinking of which, Kamijou should be clear about this. The reason why he had been able to win just now was because of Anti-Skill''s help. If it were one on one, it was likely that even a tank alone was not going to beat that stone figure. That was a real monster. But even so, Kamijou did not waver. Even if he hid an enemy to Academy City on purpose, for whatever reason, one thing that was obvious was that Kamijou would continue to protect that girl. Kazakiri also understood that feeling. To Kazakiri, Index was the first precious friend that she had ever made. Just thinking of the possibility of losing that friend, or that friend getting hurt, it made her tremble. However... That didnt mean that the boy could just go ahead on a suicide-like run. Kamijou definitely wouldnt want to lose Index, and Kazakiri herself definitely wouldnt want to lose these two people. They had to protect Index from that monster. She couldnt let Kamijou Touma fight against it. Was there a way to settle these two contradicting things? Kazakiri pondered for a while, before pausing. There was a way. ...Dont worry...even if you dont go...theres a way to save her. On hearing this, Kamijou frowned in shock. Kazakiri then explained, Let a monster...handle another monster... Kamijou gasped. Kazakiri herself however revealed a smile. Even though...I dont think I can beat that monster...at least I can become bait...once I get attacked by the monster, I can create a chance for her to escape...since Im a monster as well. I can only...offer such help... Kamijou was shocked on hearing such words. Afterwards, his expression changed from shock into anger. WHY ARE YOU SAYING SUCH WORDS LISTEN, IF YOU WANT ME TO PUT IT PLAINLY FOR YOU TO HEAR, ILL EXPLAIN IT TO YOU CLEARLY: YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER! WHY DO YOU THINK WE CAME ALL THE WAY HERE, PLEASE, THINK ABOUT IT, WHY CANT YOU UNDERSTAND IT!? The tone was extremely sincere, there was no pretense in it. Kazakiri was extremely touched by his rage over her own negativity. DO YOU THINK ILL BE HAPPY IF YOU DID SUCH A THING? DO I LOOK LIKE SOMEONE LIKE THAT? DO YOU THINK THAT WHEN THAT MONSTER BEAT YOU DOWN, THAT INDEX WILL RUN AWAY? STOP JOKING AROUND! EVEN IF YOU ABANDON US, WE WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU! NO WAY WILL WE DO THAT! But Kamijou himself didnt realise it. The stone golem that Anti-Skill and Kamijou were fighting in order to protect Hyouka was a monster like Kazakiri Hyouka. That monster had been attacked by cannon fire, and finally crumbled on the floor, scattered all over. They had seen the remains of the monster, yet they never felt any pity. In the end, those things that werent human end up like that. ...However, never mind...Ill be the monster... Looking straight at Kamijou, Kazakiri said, For I am something intangible...I wont die no matter how many times I get beaten down...for I am a monster, I have power to fight against that stone golem... At that moment, Kazakiri paused, then continued, I can...use my own power to protect those important to me...so, Im glad that Im a monster. With a gentle smile, Kazakiri Hyouka walked towards the edge of the huge hole that Sherry Cromwell had made and jumped down. Kamijou shouted out loud, frantically trying to grab Hyouka, however, he froze halfway through. Maybe it was because he hadnt thought through it, but that was the right hand that Kamijou was so used to using. The absolute hand that would erase any monster the moment he touched. Deep inside, Kamijou was somewhat aware of it. Kazakiris body continued to descend with the effects of gravity. Midway through, she smiled at Kamijou as if saying to Kamijou while he was rebuking himself over pulling his arm back: ''this isnt your fault''. The monster descended into the darkness. She could finally find shelter at the end of the world as she continued to sink down into the darkness. Part 3 The moment she landed inside the dark hole, Kazakiri Hyoukas feet let out a terrifying sound. It was an underground rail track, and the depth of the hole was a lot deeper than expected, and because of the tracks on the floor, the floor was extremely uneven, so it was hard to cushion the impact. If Kazakiri were just a normal human, the bones in her ankles would have been crushed and she would be rolling on the floor in pain. That was right, if she were a normal human. But even though Kazakiris feet had let out such a terrifying sound, even though she felt some pain, the pain disappeared after 5 seconds. She tried to tap her toes as if she was trying on new shoes. The injuries were already healed, and an incredible strength filled her up as if the spinning gears were finally connected to each other. That gear that she once lacked should be called her real identity. Kazakiri ran within the darkness. It wasnt a place that was originally designed for humans to walk in, so it was a lot darker than the underground streets, and dirty. There was a row of concrete pillars dividing the path into two, one going up and one going down. Following the lights that looked like they would be extinguished at any time, she continued to move forward. She was aware of where she should head towards. There was a set of visible footprints on the floor, like those imprinted on a snowy land. Those were likely left behind by that heavyweight stone golem. As if she was trying to rip the polluted air apart, Kazakiri continued to run forward. Every time she saw a rare source of light illuminating the place, the fragments of her memories appeared within her mind. She wasnt a human. On a certain day 10 years ago. When Kazakiri Hyouka had finally gained consciousness, she was already standing in the middle of the city. The city didnt mean Academy City. But in terms of coordinates, the location was completely identical to Academy City. It was a place built by the AIM dispersal field released by the 2.3 million espers within Academy City, the invisible ''City of Shimmers''. ''The City of Shimmers'' had no shadows, no weight, no air flow, it was extremely thin, there was no sense of existence. Once the wind blows, the towers, trees on the road and pedestrians would be blown away like the flame on a candle wick, and let out a grey visual signal that looked like a bug that mistook the camouflage colour. If there was anyone who could visualise an AIM dispersal field, the person would find that the ''City of Shimmers'' completely overlapped Academy City. The things that the AIM dispersal field created didn''t just include Kazakiri Hyouka. It included buildings, streets, trees, vehicles, crowds, everything. Kazakiri Hyouka was just someone created by the AIM dispersal field, residing within the city created by it. Her memories were like fragments peeling off, recovering, bit by bit. At the same time, the bonds restraining her were being released, one by one. Even now, she didn''t know why she stood there within the ''City of Shimmers''. Sometimes, Kazakiri Hyouka would find herself standing on the road as if she had just woke up from a daydream. Looking at the things she had on her, she knew her personal particulars like her name, address, telephone number. Other than that, there was no way to understand the current situation. The passers-by around her wouldn''t tell her anything. In truth, these passers-by were rather mysterious. Basically, these people''s looks would change according to the setting, like when the shop attendant of a convenience store was about to wipe a glass window, the shop attendant would instantly change into a cleaner. And after wiping the window, the cleaner would change into a child taking an ice cream to the cashier. After that, the child would change into a housewife taking out her purse. Maybe it was because the ''humans'' she knew of had become ''monsters''. Like a limiter being removed, or rather, she could use all her power, all her strength rose up within her. Everyone in the city was like that. The appearances, personalities and memories would change according to the setting. In truth, when Kazakiri had walked up to the mailman to talk to him, the mailman had changed into a traffic policeman. Even if it was an office woman or a female high school student, they would become middle-aged policemen. Also, everyone''s replies were rather blank. Seeing these people that would change ''just to answer Kazakiri Hyouka''s question'', Kazakiri started to feel afraid. It was as if her actions would affect these people''s flesh and souls. BOOM! Every step she took, there would be a shockwave spreading on the floor. It was no longer a weight a human should have, and the muscles controlling this weight had already exceeded what the ordinary human could do. In the beginning, Kazakiri didnt understand why she was the only one without any changes, but after a while, she slightly understood the reason. The people in this city would change their appearance in order to do their duty. On the other hand, if they didnt do their duty, they wouldnt do anything, and the entire city would stop functioning. And Kazakiri''s identity was that of a source. For example, when she walked into a convenience store, intending to buy a bottled beverage, the convenience store attendant would start to work, the beverage would start to run, the electric generator would run, allowing the ice box to create ice, the factory producing the beverage would start, and the bottle recycling company would start to work. The people in this city were all gears, they could only link together with the power of the source, Kazakiri, before finally causing this huge intricate machinery called the city to run. Kazakiri herself wasnt the master of this system, just a source. In other words, she was also a part of this system. Kazakiri Hyouka was scared. Because these people werent puppets without life, but humans who really had lives. No matter whether she went forward or backwards, she would completely change other peoples lives. Understanding this, Kazakiri couldnt move at all. To her, the duty entrusted to her was too heavy. BAM! Her head collided against a pillar in the subway. However, she was unscathed. In contrast, the concrete pillar let out a cracking sound before collapsing. Because of fear, she had wanted to escape from the City of Shimmers. But if she took any action, it was likely that she would get others involved as well. Thus, Kazakiri could only stand around like a phantom, using her eyes to observe that same city that she couldnt touchAcademy City. The people in Academy City couldnt sense her presence. Even if she was to stand in front of the students in Academy City and reach her hand out, she would pass through them. No matter how close the smiles of these students were, Kazakiri was unable to join in with the students. Kazakiri understood that. However, she still continued to try and talk to the people of Academy City. Once she could escape into the outside of this same place, Academy City, she wouldnt affect the people in the City of Shimmers. So even though she knew that she couldnt do it, she still tried all sorts of means to do it. Even though she wouldnt get a reply, even though no one would realise it. Even though it may end up in sadness. Because of that, when she had managed to touch the shoulder of the white nun in that school successfully, she had been surprised. In this originally hollow body, there seemed to be something rising up within her. Right now, she wouldnt lose to a train on the railroad tracks in terms of speed. In this place that she didnt know of, who knew how many coincidences overlapped to allow her to interact happily with others. To her, this was already the most precious thing to her, even if she had to seal her memories of being a monster. But right now, Kazakiri Hyouka had released this precious thing. In order to protect something even more important that she couldnt lose. Kazakiri Hyouka dashed down the tracks like a bullet. Anyone would be scared if they saw her run at this speed. Of course, fighting against that monster was something really scary. It wasnt a prediction, but a real experience. The pain of her arms and legs being cut off, her body felt like a rag cloth being twisted. She couldnt die even if she wanted to, the sense of weakness she felt when she rolled about on the dirty ground. But more importantly, Kazakiri was afraid of the fear that her good friend Index would have when she saw her as a monster. (Its alright even if its like this...) Kazakiri didnt stop at all, her eyes looking in front. The first and last moment when she had spent time together with Kamijou and Index after school made Kazakiri feel really happy. So happy that she wanted to cry. If possible, she wanted to continue staying in that world forever. Just thinking about the fact that she wouldnt be able to stay with them together again made the warmth in her fingers disappear. She had finally managed to leave the City of Shimmers, and right now, it seemed meaningless. (...I...) But, because she was afraid of losing it, she wanted to protect those important to her. Even though she knew that she wouldnt be able to see the smiles on her friends faces, Kazakiri Hyouka still wanted to protect their world. (I must...!) She abandoned her identity as a human, turned into a monster, and continued to run within the darkness. Inside that hollow body, there seemed to be something invisible rising within her. I must go, Kazakiri Hyouka made this determination. I must go protect my most important friends. Part 4 The calico cat tried its best to run away, and Index tried her best to pursue. Running into the dark corner of the back alley behind the convenience store, the cat was scared into scampering all around on seeing Index chase after it. Ducking underneath the cars that were parked on the roads, jumping past metal fences, running from one alley to another. Finally, the cat ran into an abandoned pile of debris. "Got you!" At that moment, Index grabbed the calico cat''s neck. Maybe it was because it was facing a girl that was panting yet growling, or maybe it was animal instincts that the cat continued to struggle in her arms as it again tried to get away. Actually, if it hadn''t been for Index shouting as she chased after it, the cat probably wouldn''t have ran so far. The calico cat continued to meow loudly in Index''s arms, as if saying ''it''s so hot, please don''t hold me so tightly''. Index however continued to hug the cat tightly as she looked around. It was truly a wasteland. In terms of location, it should be similar to the insides of an alley. There were many rather short buildings that were used for business, but these buildings seemed to be fated for demolition, the signboards were taken down, the glass windows were all gone, and even the doors were gone, leaving behind a huge gaping hole. Looking inside the hole, all the decorations were all stripped bare, leaving behind the bare pillars. Seemed like the owner of the land here intended to remove all the buildings and build some major facility here. Not intending to give up, the calico cat continued to swing its short, plump legs about as it tried to escape into the debris. Index puffed her cheeks angrily and said, "Humph, if you''re not going to be obedient, I''m going to make you suffer a bit!" Index blew some air into the calico cat''s ear, and the cat seemed like it hated this feeling as it shrieked and trembled. In an instant, it even reached its claws out in reflex, but maybe it was feeling a bit merciful as the calico cat retracted its claws. "Come on, let''s go find that short-haired girl, shall we?" Index said, and the calico cat purred in an unwilling manner. At that moment, The calico cat suddenly lifted its head and then again started to struggle, trying to get away from Index''s wrists. And this time, it struggled with a lot more force. Index panicked, wondering if she had used too much force, but after using several methods, the calico cat still didn''t calm down at all. Suddenly, Index felt something land on her head. "!?" Lifting her hands up and touching her head, it was actually powdered concrete. Looking up, the powder came from the eroded walls of the abandoned buildings. Afterward, the manhole covers started to tremble, letting out a rattling sound. "...The floor seems to be shaking, no?" Index felt extremely suspicious, but she suddenly remembered that that London-style magic may be hidden underground, in other words, beside her feet. Like a living thing, the ground instantly rumbled. "!?" Index frantically jumped back, and at that moment, the place where she had been standing exploded. A gigantic monster''s arm reached up from the epicenter of the explosion. The height alone was about 2m, and it looked like a dinosaur with a really long neck, blocking Index. A large amount of debris scattered from the ground. A block of asphalt that was larger than Index''s head fizzed past her head. She frantically ducked, hugging the cat at her abdomen. Numerous pieces of debris zipped past her, like a swarm of bees flying by, and barely missed hitting her head. Pa pa pa pa pa! The debris splattered onto the building behind her like a torrent of rain, making a terrifying sound. Index did not look back, but straight forward. In front of her, a huge stone golem slowly climbed out of the ground, like an undead climbing out from a grave. She couldn''t see the caster, so most likely, it was being controlled from afar. Index silently narrowed her eyes. The vast amount of knowledge of the magical Index of sector zero of the English Anglicans ''Necessarius'' subconsciously appeared in her mind. After a little tidying up of information, she already understood the identity of the enemy in front of her. (The basis is of Kabbalah. The main use is to defend and remove any enemy presence. The birth year was from the 16th Century, according to Gershom Scholem''s explanation, the nature is of tangibility and formlessness) (Gershom Scholem, formerly known as Gerhard Scholem, 1897-1982, a Palestinian thinker who was born in Germany, and later converted to Israeli in 1948, He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern, academic study of Kabbalah, becoming the first Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.) Speaking of stone golems, many people would imagine them as being made of stone or dirt, stupid and slow monsters. But in truth, that was not the case. In the ideology of the Kabbalah, humans were created by God through dirt. And the poor copies that humans made with their own hands were stone golems. In other words, stone golems were ''clones that weren''t created properly'', so their nature was similar to those wooden puppets in fairy tales. (The original spell was improved by combining with English Anglicans spells; Linguistic system changed from Hebrew to English, and all the body parts are made to react to the Cross. It''s more like cloning an Angel than a human.) However, this stone golem didn''t have the structure of an ordinary human. Seemed like the caster wanted to create something of an even higher existence than a human, that was an Angel that looked like a human from the outside. The head, right arm, left arm, legs were all created in the image of a Cross, each side assigned with the power of the four Archangels, or maybe the caster wanted to create an even stronger dirt Angel. The only good thing was that there was a limit to human abilities, so even with human hands, it was impossible to create a perfect Angel. It was like trying to create a perfect Angel of Water, it was impossible for humans to accomplish this. But even an incomplete Angel was still a dangerous thing. BOOM! The footsteps of the stone golem rumbled the ground. Index hugged the calico cat tightly and took a step back. There was no chance of winning if one was to fight straight from the front. Normally speaking, this kind of stone golem would have a secret code as a safety feature. By stroking it a bit with a finger, the stone golem functions would cease, preventing the stone golem from going rampant. But the enemy was no amateur, this weakness would definitely not be located at a place where others could touch. Most likely, the secret code should be within the body, surrounded by the exoskeleton of the stone golem. Index was unable to use magic, and didnt have any superpowers. She didnt have any inexplicable powers at all, her arms were weaker than ordinary humans. Facing this girl who only had a vast amount of knowledge in her mind, the stone golem raised its arm without mercy. BOOM! Forget about the air, the fist that could crush even space swung over. The girl took a slight breath. T T T Lturn to the left. She then said this. Immediately, the fist of the stone golem that was swinging down suddenly curled left like a snake. The stone golems fist swept past an empty space. Index glanced from the corner of her eyes and took a step forward, standing beside the stone golem. The stone golem quickly turned, its fist was swung horizontally. C F ATurn upwards. But the strike changed trajectory as well, passing above Indexs head. Just as the stone golem wanted to swing its fist again, P I O B T L LTurn the left foot to the left. The stone golems leg suddenly ignored its balance and stepped backwards, and due to the fist that was raised high, the stone golem lost balance and slammed hard backwards. Index took another 2, 3 light steps back. The language she was speaking in was a quick Kabbalah reading method, it was a unique pronunciation method of only using the first alphabet, with the aim of turning it into a code and making it quicker to read. Though Index had a vast amount of knowledge, she didnt have any ability to create magic, so she couldnt use magic. But to anyone who was seeing this right now, it was likely that they wouldnt view her as any different from other real magicians. The stone golem stood up and ran over to close the distance to Index, its fist swinging over like a cannonball. The girl muttered, and just like that, the stone golems fist again changed trajectory, sweeping in a completely different direction. It was as if the orders Index was giving were interfering with the stone golems actions. In other words, it was interfering with the orders the casters giving, a forced enchanting. Spell Intercept. The logic behind it was simple, the caster would think of a magic command code, so by letting the casters mind become confused, the casters control of magic would be obstructed. It was like a person counting down in his mind, if someone spouted some random numbers, he would be affected. Index couldnt use magic. But she could try to let the opposing magician self-destruct. Though the caster of the spell wasnt around, according to Indexs analysis of the spell structure, she felt that the stone golem was not automated, but controlled from a distance. In other words, the caster was using the five senses of the stone golem to observe every single action Index made. If so, there was a chance. C R B B F T T N A T W I T O DAlter to the right, cross both legs, turn neck and hip in opposite directions. The stone golem continued to swing its fist, and Index shouted commands even more quickly. Like a drunkard that was blindfolded, the stone golems fist continued to say hello to unrelated areas. (Just evading alone...isnt going to be enough!) Index took off all the safety pins on the skirt of her nun robes. The nun habit became a high-cut cheongsam, her entire thigh was revealed, but there was no time to care about that. She was holding onto a safety pin, staring intently at the stone golem. It was a bit plain to use such a weapon against a huge stone golem. (Reverse-engineering self-regeneration formula, time period is approximately 3 seconds. If I want to make use of it...there!) Index tossed the safety pin at the stone golem without any hesitation. The safety pin was rather slow, and forget about a stone armour, it couldnt even prick a humans skin. The safety pin arced and bounced onto the stone golems leg. After that, it was sucked into the stone golems body like a magnetic attraction. In an instant. Like a wedge that was hammered into a joint, the right ankle of the giant stone golem was somewhat stifled. It was somewhat similar to the Spell Intercept. The stone golem had the ability to use anything around it to assimilate into itself and repair any wounds. On the other hand, if things that were unnecessary or even harmful to the structure were thrown to it, the self-repair system would have an error. An example would be leaving a fractured wrist alone and not doing anything to it, leaving it in a weird shape. 103,000 magical grimoires lay in slumber within Index. But just knowledge alone was meaningless, the most important thing was to apply it and find the most suitable solution within the shortest time. Maybe I can win, Index thought as she started to back away. Her Spell Intercept wasnt one universal solution, it was completely useless against completely unknown spells like an alchemists premium gold spell or equipment like Yamisaka Oumas bow of asuza that could replace spell enchantments. However, there was no such problem with this golem. The Spell Intercept could definitely interfere with the stone golems actions, and by skillfully using the safety pins, they could damage the stone golem. Index thought that as long as she continued to interfere, maybe there was a chance to destroy the entire structure and cause the stone golem to crumble. YAHH...! The sudden shock caused Index to tumble onto the ground. She unintentionally let her jaw drop. Even if she could interfere with the enemys actions, she couldnt avoid such an attack that shook the entire ground. The stone golem dragged its stone leg and slowly walked towards Index, who was sprawled onto the ground. C Rright...! Index shouted halfway through, but the stone golem raised its two fists and let them clash against each other. BAM! The huge impact rattled Indexs ears. Her words were cut off midway through, and the calico cat in her arms purred in agony due to the deafening pain. The stone golem again raised its fist. Index hugged the calico cat and rolled onto the floor, trying to pull her distance away and shouted, M B F P A D C O GLet both legs be positioned in parallel and lose balance! The stone golem heard Indexs voice, and only shook its head slightly. After that, it looked like it just switched off, ignoring Indexs commands. (No...! Long distance manipulation has been switched to automated mode...!) If there was no caster, Indexs Spell Intercept wouldnt work. Her orders could only work on humans, it couldnt work on inorganic matter that didnt have any thought process. The stone golems giant fist sliced the air as it cut through. Index was already unable to stop its attack. The blunt sound of flesh being slammed hard onto the concrete floor could be heard. Part 5 Kamijou finally managed to move through the hole and into the underground passage. It would have taken too much time if he had needed to find something that could be used as rope. He let go of the thick fire hose and continued to run through the dark passage. (Damn it! These guys always like to make things difficult for me! Its already so difficult and yet theyre making things even more difficult!) Ellis footprints could be seen everywhere on the concrete floor. Looking down through the dark passage, he couldnt see Kazakiri Hyouka, nor could he hear any footsteps. After thinking of the last smile that Kazakiri had left behind, Kamijou tightly gripped his own fist. A hand that slays. A dream bubble like girl that would disappear on being touched. (Cant let it end like this. I cant let it end on such a stupid note!) Though Kazakiri had said that she voluntarily became a monster, that wasnt the case. She really wasnt human, but she shouldnt be considered a monster. Was it because Kazakiri wasnt human that she couldnt even shout for help? Was she limited in tears such that she could only endure this pain silently? (It...shouldnt be like this!) Kamijou gritted his teeth as he moved forward. There were rectangular concrete pillars on the underground train track, separating the uplink and the downlink. No matter how much he ran, Kamijou would always see the same thing, making him feel extremely frustrated. Suddenly, the pillar besides him collapsed. It was like a giants hand pushing a block down; and it was obviously not a natural phenomenon. Cheh...! Kamijou saw the pillar fall towards him and hastily jumped sideways. A terrifying collision sound could be heard, and the dust scattered from the concrete. As expected, you wont be finished off just like that... A voice could be heard through the darkness. Kamijou coughed as he turns his head around. Dressed dirtily and dragging her feet, Sherry Cromwell was standing in front of him. Both of them were about 10m from each other. Kamijou frowned. Sherry, who signified violence, had disappeared. Ho...hoho...hohohoho. I let Ellis go on first. Now, Ellis may have found his target, huh? Maybe he might have turned it into rubble. You...you bastard...! Kamijou lowered his body and clenched his fist. Sherry could control Ellis without the need for chalk. However, it felt like a dual-screen broadcast on a television, it was rather draining mentally. Once she saw Kamijous reaction, Sherry smiled. Thats right, thats the way. Ill play with you here and wont let you find Ellis. On hearing these words, Kamijou finally understood Sherrys intentions. She wanted to restrain Kamijou here, the only person who had a way to beat Ellis. Kazakiri Hyouka should have passed through this place, but there was no sign of her. Maybe Sherry had purposely let her off. Kazakiri should be one of the targets, but Sherry gave up rather well, intending to focus on Index alone. Also, it seemed that to Sherry, Kamijou was the only opponent for her. As she didnt have time to care about others, the magician let Kazakiri go. Kamijou remembered what Sherry had said. I need something that will cause a war to start, so I have to let a lot more people know. Im from the English Anglicans, understand thatELLIS!! Since Sherry wanted to create such a huge commotion in Academy City, it was a hassle to ask her who the English Anglicans wanted to fight with. However, was that really what the English Anglicans were thinking? At least, Tsuchimikado, Kanzaki and Stiyl shouldnt have had this intention. ...What are you planning to do? I dont know whats really going on, but isnt there a balance between the magic and science sides? Why are you challenging us on purpose? Whats the meaning behind this? Hearing Kamijous question, Sherry just smiled. She laughed mockingly, I dont know if you have heard of how espers bodies will corrode if they try to use magic? What? That answer didnt match the question and made Kamijou frown. Dont you find it strange? Why does everyone know about this? Sherrys words pierced Kamijou bit by bit. Because we tried it before. About 20 years ago, the English Anglicans and Academy City each had a certain group of people that wanted to work together. We gathered all our technology and knowledge in one place to try and combine powers and magic to create a new form of spellcaster, and in the end... Without listening to the end, Kamijou could guess the outcome. Once the espers tried to use magic, their bodies would self-destruct. The Misawa Cram School students and Tsuchimikado were the best examples. Then what happened after they tried...? Sort of annihilated. The higher-ups of the English Anglicans realised that we were in contact with the science side, so they started to hunt us down. Just the fact that we were exchanging knowledge and technology was enough to be a reason for us to be hunted down. Kamijou remained silent. Trying to let science work together with magic, or trying to prevent science from working with magic, these werent meant to hurt others. Ellis was my friend. Sherry muttered. At that time, Ellis was one of the espers that Academy City sent in. Kamijou frowned. Ellis was also the name of that stone golem. If so, what was Sherry feeling while she called the stone golem Ellis? Most likely, only Sherry knew this feeling. Ellis was covered in blood after he cast a spell that I taught him. After that, the knights rushed in with the intention of annihilating us. In order to help me escape, Ellis got hammered down by the knights. The dark subway was as silent as a chapel. Sherry said slowly, We have to maintain a clear distance from you people, otherwise, forget about arguments and conflicts, just wanting to understand each other would cause misfortune. If the magicians and scientists cant live together, the same tragedy will occur once again. Thus, there had to be a war. Damn it, this is too unreasonable. You want to start a war to protect both sides? No, in fact, you really dont want to start a war, right? You would have completed your objective even if you dont seriously start a war. Cant you just make both sides feel that seems like a war is starting or dangers right at our doorstep? You smart-alec brat, what do you know? Stop looking at me with that expression. Though Sherry denied it, Kamijou firmly believed in his idea. To avoid having both magicians and scientists have a decisive conflict against each other, even her oxymoronic request could be achieved without the need to trigger a war. Both sides just needed to grasp each others taboos and not try to understand each other. At least what he could be sure of was that two groups that had no common point wouldnt be able to create either love or hatred. With this, not only would they not stand off against each other. It could also prevent the friction caused by trying to work with each other. Magicians and scientists should be far away from one anothermaybe Sherrys theory was correct, and whatever Kamijous argument may be, it may come off as selfish and stubborn. However, Kamijou was unable to accept Sherrys view no matter what. Because if that really happened, he would be separated from Index. No, in order to create the spark, she would be killed. Though it may have sounded stupid and self-centered. Kamijou was unable to let go of this no matter what. No matter what. Sherry Cromwell pulled out a piece of white oil pastel from her tattered robe. Wary, Kamijou watched every single action that her fingers did, feeling suspicious in the meantime. If what Sherry said was true, she should be unable to create 2 stone golems. And after sealing off Ellis, Kamijou was able to punch Sherry away, which showed that Sherry had no spells that were stronger than Ellis. Suddenly, Sherry shook her messy hair and said in delight, Hoho, cant believe that you didnt figure it out. Good thing this place is dark. What? Kamijou inadvertently asked back. Sherry slightly swayed the oil pastel in her hand. Right now, she was unable to create any stone golems, and even if she was to write texts on the floor or the walls, it would only cause the place to collapse. Oh my? Dont you find it strange? Its so dark here, so why would I choose to appear here and even talk with you for a long time? Normally speaking, wouldnt it be more effective for me to carry out an ambush by hiding in the darkness and waiting for you to move through? Kamijou was shocked and speechless. Right now, the only thing Sherry could do was to bring down the wall beside her hand. Both of them were about 10m from each other, so it should be safe. Oh yes, about this place. Now why would I choose this place? Theres only one road here, and you cant possibility miss it. Now why would I specially wait for you here? But if that theory was correct, how had she caused the pillar beside Kamijou to collapse a while back? Basically, this is it! Watch this! Shua! Sherry swung the oil pastel along horizontally at a speed as if she was cutting the air. Suddenly, the entire underground road let out a dim glow. (This is...?) Kamijou was shocked. Actually, the walls, ceiling, all the places that could be seen had markings that Sherry had drawn with her oil pastel, including the areas behind Kamijou and Sherry. Though it didnt extend out to the entire subway, at least the markings covered about 100m in distance. There were numerous magic arrays even on the floor, like raindrops from a ceiling. (Oh no...this magic array, dont tell me its Ellis...!) Kamijou couldnt help but tremble. Looking closely, all the magic arrays that covered the road were of similar shapes, they looked like tiles. According to Sherry, she couldnt create 2 stone golems at the same time. If that was the case, there couldnt possibility be a new Ellis appearing here. But what was Sherry planning? To run all the way here... If the magic array to create a stone golem failed, it seemed like it would cause the floor to collapse. Right now, the magic arrays covered the entire road, and that meant... (Damn it...does she intend to cause the entire tunnel to collapse?) It was said that to demolish and blow up a building, they wouldnt use a huge explosive, but would set up many small ones all over the building before triggering them all. These magic arrays had a similar effect. How many magic arrays were there? Assuming that every magic array was about 1m in diameter, just arranging them all, there would be 100 of them. The walls and ceiling were all crammed with magic arrays, and who knew how many there were. If they were all independent spells, it was impossible to negate all the magic arrays just by touching one or two of them. So Sherry had stayed here with the intention of preparing this. By setting up this trap, she didnt even need to get near Kamijou, she could just cause the surrounding area to collapse with a single order. The earth is my companion. The darkness surrounded by the earth is my stronghold. Sherry Cromwell said in a singing like manner. Since Sherry had drawn so many magic arrays, once the order was executed, she should be caught up in the collapse as well. but she would most definitely have created many escape routes. Maybe the rubble would avoid her and create an oval-shaped safe zone. Maybe the way the place would collapse would be well-planned, just nicely creating an exit to the surface. Cheh...! Kamijou slackened his jaw. Right now, it was too late to escape behind or run towards Sherry. Since the enemy had already set up a trap, she would not be so nice so as to prepare an escape route. Seemed like even Kamijous anxiousness was within Sherrys expectations. She just shouted out confidently, COLLAPSE LIKE A MUD PUPPET!! In response to the shout, the magic arrays nearby let out even more light. The entire path was like a snakes stomach, moving along slowly and disgustingly. (Damn it...what to do...?) He would definitely die if he was unable to escape. The magic arrays that covered the entire place couldnt be erased one by one with his right hand. Besides, he couldnt even touch those magic arrays on the ceiling. Even if he was to negate the magic arrays on the walls and floor, if he couldnt even prevent the most dangerous partthe ceiling from collapsing, he would still be buried alive anyway. Thinking about this, Kamijou suddenly stopped. The magic array on the floor? SWALLOW THE FOOL IN FRONT OF ME! BURY HIM INTO THE MUD! I WANT TO USE HIS FLESH AND BLOOD TO CREATE YOUR BODY! Sherry shouted as if she was pressing down the final trigger. The walls and ceiling started to crack, like a balloon expanding from within. In truth, it was because the vulnerable ceiling was unable to withstand the overwhelming weight of the gravel. Ugh! Kamijou rushed forward while the cracking balloon-like ceiling looked like it was about to break. He had only one goalwhere the caster, Sherry was standing. It was likely the only safe zone, but no matter what, it was impossible for Kamijou to get there with his feet alone. Thus, my targets not there! Kamijou clenched his fist, bending down as he continued to run, staying close to the ground. He had only one target, not Sherry Cromwell, but a certain magic array that was extremely close to him. Kamijou remembered what Index had been grumbling about in the canteen. Hey, Touma, do you know? During English rituals, when one wants to cast an original spell on a Cross-like idol thats infused with Telesma, the inside of the Chapel and the position of the caster are very important! In fact, the caster will create a defensive barrier to prevent the body from being damaged. The set-up and positioning are important, once they deviate from the original position, the secondary defensive spell will be affected by the main spell and will be unable to work. Touma, do you know the golden ratio? Say it, its common knowledge. (That magic array is the only one without any significance!) That was right, the magic arrays on the walls and ceilings were meant to cause the subway to collapse, burying Kamijou alive. This could be understood. But why would there be a need for a magic array on the floor? Even if the floor was destroyed, it couldnt bury Kamijou alive. (If so, that magic array is the only one with a different purpose!) Understanding Kamijous intention, Sherry Cromwells expression changed as she frantically waved her oil pastel to give a command to the surrounding walls and ceiling. However, it was too late. Kamijou avoided the collapsing wall, passed through the tilted pillar, aimed at the magic array on the floor and raised his right hand. After that, he hit it without hesitation. Like water stains after a block of ice was broken, the magic array vanished without a trace. Another pivotal spell to Sherrys plans had vanished. If that magic array was meant to create a safe zone in this collapsing situation and protect her own life, if it disappeared now, she wouldnt dare to command a collapse. Cheh! Sherry hastily raised her oil pastel and waved it in the air. The ceiling that looked like it would collapse at anytime let out a creaking sound and was tightly secured. PA! At that moment, a strong and forceful footstep could be heard. Sherry panicked and frantically turned her eyes from the ceiling to the front. Like water bouncing off rock, Kamijou had leapt off the ground and was already in front Sherry. Sherry quickly waved the oil pastel. However, Kamijous fist was a lot faster, easily hitting Sherrys face. Sherrys body swayed along with her hair and robes, rolling on the subway track a few meters before finally stopping. After spending so much time to prepare all the traps, they were useless; this caused her to look extremely anxious and nervous. ...Ugh, damn it! Sherry stumbled one to two steps back and cursed to herself. The oil pastel in her hand was trembling slightly as well, the force of her fingers was about to break the oil pastel in half. Dont stop me! I must create the spark to this war! Why cant you tell that this is the most dangerous situation!? Academy Citys security has even been getting loose nowadays, and the English Anglicans allowed that Index to go out of hand! The situation now is like what happened to Ellis! We caused quite a tragedy, and this time, it involves the whole of Academy City and the English Anglicans! I suppose you know what the outcome will be!! Sherrys voice bounced a few times through the dark underground before reaching Kamijous ears from all angles. Her motivation was the death of a friend. Because of that, Sherry felt that when scientists and magicians got too close, tragedy would be the only result. Forget about disputes and conflicts, sometimes, just the thought of wanting to improve friendship would bring about the opposite effect. In Sherrys view, for the science side and magic side to not have any further conflicts, the only way was for both to be involved in their own territory, completely isolated from each other, and to chase away everyone from the other camp. In order to do this, Sherry wanted to create a spark for war. This was to prevent both sides from trying to understand each other. This was because Sherry knew that the kind way of thinking would only cause the situation to worsen and create tragedies. Sherry didnt really want to create a war. As long as she could create a spark, her objective would be achieved. Thinking about this, Kamijou sighed with disdain. How ridiculous. Can you justify your actions? What did Kazakiri do? What feud does Index have with you? Youre going about proclaiming that you dont want conflicts, BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU GOING TO KILL? Kamijou roared, releasing all of the pent up negative feelings inside him. As he couldnt agree with it, he roared, YOU WANT TO GET ANGRY, OKAY, NO ONE WILL STOP YOU. BUT YOURE TAKING IT OUT ON THE WRONG TARGET!! WHO WILL LEARN FROM THIS!? YOU''RE UNHAPPY, I UNDERSTAND THAT! I BELIEVE I WONT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS! BUT IF YOURE GOING TO POINT THE FINGER AT ANYONE, YOURE GOING TO END UP CREATING THE CONFLICT THAT YOU DONT WANT TO SEE THE MOST!! Ellis death could be attributed to the minority group of scientists and magicians who had worked together, and the English Anglicans who had viewed these people as a dangerous group of radicals. After understanding all this, what were Sherrys thoughts? Was she going to take revenge for her friend? Or was she going to swear that she wouldnt allow the tragedy to repeat itself. ...I dont know. Sherry Cromwell bit her teeth hard as she said, "DAMN IT! I REALLY HATE EVERYTHING! I WANT TO KILL EVERYONE WHO KILLED ELLIS! I WANT TO BURY ALL THE SCIENTISTS AND MAGICIANS TOGETHER! NOT ONLY THAT, I DON''T WANT THE MAGICIANS AND ESPERS TO FIGHT EACH OTHER! MY MIND''S BEEN A COMPLETE MESS SINCE THE BEGINNING!!" This contradicting roar echoed throughout the dark passage. She seemed to have heard of it herself, and continued on in a self-loathing tone, "THIS ISN''T MY ONLY BELIEF! EVERYTHING FEELS LOGICAL, THAT''S WHY I''M IN PAIN!! I DON''T JUST LIVE FOR JUST ONE RULE! I CAN''T LIVE LIKE A MECHANICAL PUPPET! YOU WANT TO MOCK ME, FINE GO AHEAD! THE NUMBER OF THINGS I BELIEVE IN ARE AS MANY AS THE STARS, EVEN IF ONE OR TWO ARE GONE, IT WON''T BOTHER ME A SINGLE BIT!!" However, Kamijou Touma just responded, "Why haven''t you realised it yet?" "...What?" "Your words are really contradicting. You believe that your heart is having so many contradictions, that you can accept all sorts of ideas, that your belief will waver...maybe you''re thinking that way. But you''re wrong. Actually, you had only one belief right from the beginning." Kamijou said it, the only answer that Sherry herself hadn''t thought of, "Anyway, you just don''t want to lose your friend, right?" That was right, the ''beliefs'' that Sherry Cromwell had were as many as the stars in the sky, and the contents were contradicting each other. But the basic source was the same. All her beliefs came from what happened to her friend, and all her thoughts had been bred and derived from there. Even though her beliefs were as many as the stars, the thoughts for her friend hadn''t changed a single bit. "Stand on one side and think carefully! If you can''t, then think about it some more! Didn''t you use those dirt ''eyes'' to spy on us? What do you think? Do Index and I look unhappy together? Its alright even if we dont separate from each other completely! Even if we dont do anything, we can remain happy together forever! Wasnt Kamijous and Indexs relationship what Sherry had always wanted? Why must she break such a relationship? Kamijou would definitely not say those words, for Sherry had only one wish, and that wish couldnt be fulfilled anymore. There was no substitute for the wish, and if someone had tried to tell Kamijou to replace his relationship with Index with someone else, Kamijou would definitely sock that guy good. Thus, Kamijou didnt mean this. What Kamijou Touma was trying to say was, We dont need your help! So stop taking away my important friend! Sherry Cromwells shoulders jerked. She knew that her wish couldnt be fulfilled any more, but she should remember how important that wish was. As it had been taken away, she understood the pain behind it even more. Sherrys face distorted due to sadness. Kamijous words were very simple, it was not hard to understand. Though they were rather immature words, they touched Sherrys heart, for she had let out a similar shout before. ILL SACRIFICE EVERYTHING TO MY LOST FRIEND!! But right now, her angry roar rejected Kamijous idea. She shouted her sorcery name. She should be able to understand Kamijou''s feelings. However, Sherry Cromwell had numerous beliefs , and among them were things that she didn''t want to understand. No, she did this, perhaps because she could understand Kamijou''s thinking. The person right in front of her had everything that she had lost, and obviously, Sherry wanted to personally drag this person down to Hell. For such a belief to exist even among the numerous number of them wasn''t strange. SHUA! She waved the oil pastel in her hand. Lines appeared on the walls beside Sherry, and the walls collapsed like paper clay. A large amount of dust flew about instantly blocking both people''s sight. Seeing this grey-screen fog like dust heading towards him, Kamijou inadvertently felt like retreating. But at that moment, Sherry broke past the dusty fog and arrived in front of Kamijou. She grabbed the oil pastel and dashed at Kamijou like a bullet. Kamijou was shocked. Anything that touched that oil pastel, no matter steel or dirt, everything would be material for Ellis. Maybe even human flesh. "DIE, ESPER!" She cursed like a devil and yet looked like a child about to cry. (Ah, I see.) In reflex, Kamijou gripped his right hand and thought of something. Most likely, this wasn''t her ultimate attack. If this attack could definitely kill Kamijou, she would have done it right from the beginning. And when Ellis had been held down by Anti-Skill, she hadn''t gotten hit by Kamijou so easily, let alone set so many traps in this subway. Sherry Cromwell''s beliefs were as many as the stars in the sky. She had said that every single one of them sounded logical, thus it was extremely painful. In other words... "You hope that someone can stop your belief?" BAM! Kamijou''s fist crushed the soft oil pastel into bits. The fist didn''t slow down a single bit, and even though it slightly deviated, it headed towards Sherry Cromwell''s face. PAM!! Sherry''s body slammed onto the floor of the subway, letting out a terrifying sound. Kamijou slowly walked towards Sherry, who was lying beside a pillar. Seemed like she was unconscious now. (Well...has Ellis finally stopped?) Kamijou didn''t dare to find out himself. Even if he was to wake Sherry up and question her, it was unlikely that she would tell the truth. Whether her answer was a ''YES'' or a ''NO'', it wouldn''t ease Kamijou''s insecurity. (Damn it! Looks like I have to check it out myself!) For added security, Kamijou decided to pick up some waste electric cables and tie Sherry''s hands and legs up. After tying Sherry''s hands and legs, Kamijou ran down the path. After running inside for a while, there was a heavy vibration within the darkness. There was no need to ask where Ellis had gone. "..." 10 seconds later, Sherry Cromwell slightly opened her eyes. In truth, she wasn''t unconscious. Sherry was wondering, why hadn''t she been killed? Since she knew that she had no right to complain even if she was killed, Sherry had done a frontal attack that was no different from suicide. Right now, though she was rather contented, she didn''t know which belief would appear next, since there were still as many as there were stars. She might break away from these bonds and start hunting down those people again. As she more or less understood what the boy had meant, she had some thoughts of not wanting to hurt others. But on the other hand, a completely contradictory thought appeared in her mind. Having her hands tied up behind her, Sherry shook her body to cause the oil pastel to fall out from her clothes. (Ellis...) Sherry lied on the floor, using the hand behind her to pick up the oil pastel. At that moment, Sherry thought of something. Right now, Ellis was in automatic mode, and wouldn''t accept her orders. In other words, even the most basic order of ''self-destruct'' would be ignored. Unless they destroyed the ''secret code'' safety mechanism or destroy more than 90% of Ellis'' body, Ellis wouldn''t be stopped. Angry and regretful, Sherry waved her last oil pastel. She couldn''t create 2 Ellis at the same time. In other words, as long as the current Ellis wasn''t destroyed, Sherry was unable to create a new one. And this meant that for Sherry, who was now tied up, there was no way to escape. (Ellis...) Unable to move, Sherry Cromwell gave a meaningless command to Ellis. Was this order to destroy the target? Or to abort the mission? These two thoughts appeared in her heart at the same time. Part 6 The stone golem shook its head. Indexs Spell Intercept had failed. The stone golem raised its fist. The terrifying sound of the flesh being smashed echoed throughout the wasteland. But it wasnt Indexs flesh being splattered, and the calico cat was unharmed. Of course, it was not the stone golem breaking either; a monster made from stone wouldnt make such a sound. It was Kazakiri Hyouka. This girl had jumped over Indexs head from behind, sending a flying kick at the abdomen of the stone golem. The power and speed were abnormal, like a meteor strike. BOOM!! An explosion could be heard. Like an iron ball sent flying, the stone golem was lifted up into the air and made 3 flips before falling face first down on the ground. This strike alone caused the stone golem to fly back 7 metres. In contrast, after Kazakiri used all her strength to hit the stone golem, she silently stopped in the air. Like a light feather, she slowly descended to the ground. PAM!! The heavy vibrations could be felt. The moment Kazakiri Hyouka let her leg that hadnt been used to kick land, with the leg at centre, there were cracks extending out to 2 metres radius. It was as if a large hammer had been used to slam the ground. This gave anyone a wrong impression that Kazakiri was now 10 times heavier. Hyou...ka...? Index wanted to shout at Kazakiri, whose back was facing her, but on seeing what was going on, she gasped. The right leg that Kazakiri had used to kick had completely disappeared from the knee and below. That one hit had been able to send a several ton giant stone golem flying far away, and the recoil far exceeded what a normal human could withstand. At first, that was what Index assumed. But on seeing the cut side of the right leg, she saw that it was actually a hole there. The wound was like a transparent pillar, with the paint peeled off, it was very unnatural. (...That...whats going on?) Index hugged the calico cat and pondered. The Jumping Zombie Spell (Chiyoushijiyutsu), Necronomicon, The Hand of Glory (Hasodoobugerrowari), Vetala Sorcery (Weetarajiyujiyutsu), the Elixir (Erikushirunado)...in Indexs mind, there were numerous spells and knowledge regarding the manipulation of the dead. Some spells only required a bit of touch-up on the corpse, and after that, it would be easy to manipulate them freely. But, even Index couldnt explain what was in front of her. Could humans really change into something like this? PAM! She could hear the sound of a large bed sheet being flapped in mid-air. After that, Kazakiris broken leg was now as good as ever. It was like a spring was attached onto her leg, and her new leg seemed to bounce back up from the ground, at a shocking speed. Hurry, run. Kazakiri Hyouka didnt turn her head back. Her back faced Index as she said, Hurry up and run...its...still dangerous here. This voice truly came from the Kazakiri Hyouka that Index was familiar with. Thus, Index was puzzled and didnt dare to say anything. She couldnt tell whether she could let her guard down, because she couldnt tell whether this girl was the real Kazakiri Hyouka, this one may be a fake that really resembled the real one. At this moment, the stone golem on the floor made a creaking sound. The stone golem seemed like it wanted to stand up, but Kazakiris hit had caused a lot of damage to its structure. In terms of human anatomy, it was like the waist was immobilised. The stone golem let out a mysterious sound, it was the sound of the joints shaking... PAM! A sound similar to bones breaking could be heard. The result of trying to stand upit caused even more damage to the insides of the body. CRA CLARCK CRACK CRACK CRACK! The stone golem moaned. Strictly speaking, the golem didnt have any vocal chords, thus, it was a dissonance of sounds caused by the joints trying to move. The stone statue couldnt stand up properly, and could only use its limbs to support itself. It looked up, looking like it was about to shout out at the sky. Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind. With the stone golem that was continuing to let out this sudden voice, a tornado-like storm whipped up, and the large chunks of wind seemed to swallow all the rubble. However, this wasnt one that carried everything up into the air and forced them all over the place. In terms of its nature, it was like a whirlpool that was trying to pull in any nearby ships into the abyss of the sea. The wind wasnt blowing outwards, but inwards. Pebbles, empty cans, abandoned bicycles, windows without panes...all of them were absorbed onto the stone golem. After that, they got crushed by an invisible force, becoming a part of the stone golems body. (Oh no...that hit just now made the stone golem lose control of its regeneration ability...?) Index tightly hugged onto the calico cat that was about to fly out of her hands, her entire body trembling. The one hit by Kazakiri Hyouka seemed to cause fatal damage to the stone golem, even damaging the core hidden inside the stone golems body. But the wound could no longer be repaired. Thus, the command to continue fixing it until the wound heals would continue to be executed. The parts that were unable to be repaired would just suck up excess stuff. In the end, the stone golem would continue to snowball and get bigger. The body which had originally been close to 4m tall was now 2 times as wide in less than 30 seconds. The posture it took by lifting itself off the ground looked no different from a roof covering Index and Kazakiri. The neighbouring structures started to make noises. Index heard these huge structures making terrible noises like trees in a storm, her pale skin inadvertently turning paler. If this kept up the surrounding buildings around the duo would be blown apart. Once they were engulfed by this catastrophe, they would have no chances of surviving. Besides, the tornado was at the capacity such that it was able to destroy any buildings. No matter how Index tried to hold on, her feet would still leave the ground and she would be swallowed by the body of the stone golem. Index knew that they had to get away, and fast. Right now, that stone golem was in the condition that it didnt need a controller, thus the Spell Intercept wouldnt work. Since the stone golem''s regeneration system was malfunctioning, and it would continue to run without being able to repair itself, safety pins alone werent going to seal its movements. Index didnt like it, but since she was unable to perform any magic, she was unable to do anything despite the vast amount of knowledge that she had. Index was unable to restrain the stone golem any more. As far as she knew, the only one who could settle this situation was the boy with the strongest right hand. HYOUKA, RUN!! Even though Index was unable to confirm that the girl in front of her was the Kazakiri Hyouka who had played with her after school, she still shouted at her. At this moment, the outer wall of destroyed buildings was approaching. Right now, the giant hammer-like mass of dirt was being affected by the tornado as well, flying about in mid-air. Index hurriedly hugged the calico cat and squatted down. The pile of dirt passed above Indexs head , colliding on the asphalt road. The fragments pulled from the road were also being absorbed into the stone golem. Anyone carelessly lifting their head up would be caught by the flying blocks of stones in the air, let alone escaping. In such a moment of despair, Kazakiri Hyouka still stood around as if it was nothing. The giant slab of rock that was even larger than Kazakiris body brushed her cheeks, but she didnt even recoil her neck. Like an old man staring at the waves of a sea, she was unmoved by it. Kazakiri Hyouka didnt turn her head back, just saying silently. You...better run. Then what about you? Index held the calico cat down to prevent it being blown away as she asked. I... The girl pondered for a while, before saying, I have to...stop that monster. As if it got angered by Kazakiri Hyoukas voice, the stone golem that was supporting itself on its limbs raised its right arm. Due to the increase in mass, its movements were slower, but like an avalanche that was about to collapse, the stored energy was waiting to be released in an instant. Once the punch was sent, it would definitely crush the duo and the surrounding buildings to dust. There was no way to defend against that strength that far exceeded a human''s. No way, Hyouka! Run! That isnt an enemy that a human can take on! You have to think of some other way even if you want to fight it. The stone block didnt move its fist, seemingly aiming at its target silently. Hyouka, that thing isnt human! Facing that thing head-on isnt a smart thing to do! You will definitely die! Hyouka! Index shouted, and at that moment, Kazakiri slowly turned her head around. She was supposed to be locked on by this cannon-like fist, yet Kazakiri didnt look concerned as she turned around. ...Dont worry. Kazakiri said. She looked like she was going to cry anytime, yet she revealed a smile. Because Im not human as well. Index couldnt help but gasp. Kazakiri Hyouka stared at Indexs expression, barely able to force a smile out, and said a last sentence. Im sorry, for tricking you for so long. The stone golem behind Kazakiri sent its fist over. BOOM! The air got compressed, and it was not much different from a meteorite falling. Index couldnt help but cringe, still shouting Hyoukas name. Kazakiri Hyouka didnt reply. She turned around to face the stone golem, raising her slender arms to each side, using herself as a shield to protect Index. The fist of the stone golem was right in front of her. This huge hit wasnt like a bullet or a cannon, but an entire wall slamming over. The difference in strength between Kazakiri and the stone golem was astounding. It was like using a twig to block a mudslide. KABOOM! Kazakiri Hyoukas slender arms blocked the fist of that stone golem called Ellis front straight up front. Her hands, legs, chest, abdomen, back, head...all of the body parts were injured severely, her entire body was in pain as she looked like her limbs were going to break apart. Her arms were shorter by at least 5cm, and the compression of the arms caused Kazakiris originally slender arms to wrinkle. It was like there were protrusions under her skin. Ah...ah... Kazakiri Hyouka could hear the sound of the girl behind her, who was unable to say anything. Kazakiri wanted to tell her not to worry, but she couldnt even turn back and smile. She couldnt say anything, nor do anything. Her body let out some cracking sounds, and a sharp pain spread from inside her hands to her arms, as if a nail file was used to rub against teeth. Like a landslide, the power that could make anyone despair exerted itself on Kazakiris body. The power of the stone golems fist was absorbed by Kazakiri, breaking her fingers. She supported herself off the ground as she was pushed backwards on the asphalt road. The calves that were holding up against an unfathomable amount of pressure let out a terrifying sound, like branches of a tree about to be broken from the weight of snow on them. The sudden sensation of pain echoed through Kazakiris body, her calves felt like someone had been using a hammer to hit them. The stone golem seemed like it wanted to thoroughly destroy this little resistance in front of it, as it increased the force. AH..AAAHHHHHHH!!! Kazakiri shouted as she exerted more strength, her limbs expanding rapidly. This wasnt a phenomenon caused by exerting the strength in the muscles, but more like a balloon, as the limbs that were being pressed down expanded, again reverting back to their original shape. Kazakiris vision was becoming blurry, as if a wound that was almost healed was being ripped open again. The stone monster again exerted more strength with its fist. The external force that was trying to crush the flesh and the internal force that was trying to let the flesh regain its shape collided with each other, and the girls body was stuck between these two forces, making creaking sounds like they were dragging on an old wooden floor. Kazakiri gritted her teeth, not willing to let her hands separate from the stone golems fist. She definitely couldnt let go. She had to protect the girl behind her. That white girl wasnt a monster like her, she didnt have the strength to block the giant fist. A monster, had to be stopped by another monster. (But...) However, no matter how much she tried, Kazakiri Hyouka wouldnt get any redemption. Even if she saved Index, the price would be that Kazakiri Hyouka would be defeated by the stone golem. She didn''t have enough experience to know whether her severely damaged body could recover. Besides, if her body was like the pillars or bicycles, Kazakiris body would become a part of the stone golem. It was hard to imagine what Kazakiri Hyouka would become. And even if a miracle occurred, and both of them survived, Index already knew that Kazakiri wasnt a human. (But...) During that time when they had first met in the cafeteria, During that time when they had spent together in the underground street, It would never come back again. (But, I cant just do nothing...!!) Kazakiri exerted all her strength and stood firm. Her hands, legs, waist, back...every single part was being squashed and expanding over and over again. Her body that was being abused let out a scary sound that was like fingernails scratching a blackboard, echoing again and again. Uuu...AHHHHHH...!! The white nun behind her let out a voice of shock. MEOW! MEEOOWW!! And even the calico cat was letting out a terrified voice. To Index and the calico cat, what did Kazakiri Hyouka look like? Kazakiri inadvertently bit her teeth tight. The Kazakiri Hyouka that had walked beside them so naturally, what was she like now? But, it seemed that Kazakiri didn''t mind some wounds ripping apart as she exerted even more strength. Because they were friends. Even though the white nun may not treat Kazakiri as a friend after this, to Kazakiri Hyouka, she still hoped that the white girl would continue to be her friend, until the very end. A sound echoed throughout. The stone golem again let out another sound. Under the strong sensation of the pain of the body being ripped, Kazakiri Hyouka saw it. The impatient stone golem raised its other arm. But Kazakiris hands were both blocking the stone golems right fist. (Ugh...!) Kazakiri gritted her teeth. At this point, even if she had to sacrifice her body, she had to buy time for that girl to escape. Kazakiri made her final determination. The stone golems other fist was raised in mid-air, as if it was aiming at its target. One more second before she would be destroyed. Kazakiri inadvertently closed her eyes. Kaza...KAZAKIRI...! The familiar voice of a teenager called out. The voice came from behind. And with this roar, she could hear the sound of footsteps dashing at full speed. With the current situation, Kazakiri couldnt look back. But even if she didnt look back, she could understand what expression the boy would show, what he was thinking, and how fast he was running in her direction. Even though that boy had seen her like this, he still preferred to call her Kazakiri. Not a monster, but Kazakiri. While Kazakiri Hyouka was still stunned, the boys black shadow immediately dashed past her with a javelin-like speed. At the same time, the stone golem swung its other fist over. The boy had no doubts, no hesitation, no fear. He only had one trump card. He gripped his right fist as hard as a rock. BAM! The two fists collided with each other. Blood flowed out of the boys fist. But that wasnt because of the strength of the stone golem, but because the boy had used all his strength to hit the hard and rough surface of the rock. The cannon-like hit of the stone golem had lost all its power the moment it had touched the boys fist. No, more accurately, it was the moment when the boys fist had touched the transparent membrane which surrounded the stone golems fist like a magnetic field. The mountain-like force pressing down on Kazakiri instantly vanished. At the same time, the large and fat stone golem started to crumble. After that, the golem broke up into pieces, completely falling apart. Right now, due to the gray dust that was even thicker than it had been in the underground street, everyones vision was blocked. (Its over...) In the world where the visibility was blocked by the gray screen, Kazakiri Hyouka smiled to herself, alone. (The harmonious...illusion at present is over...) With a sound like a rubber bullet bouncing off, Kazakiris limbs rapidly expanded, regaining their original shape. With a lonely smile, she decided to disappear before the dust settled. The danger was over. Thus, nobody needed Kazakiri Hyouka. She was like a nuclear weapon after a war ended. With such great power, in a peaceful world, even if she didnt do anything, she would terrify others. And that white girl that Kazakiri had wanted to protect shouldnt reveal a fearful look. Good thing their vision was blocked, Kazakiri thought. And right now, Kazakiri didnt have the courage to look back at Indexs expression. Part 7 Kamijou was standing at a corner of the ruins. The moment the dust scattered, Kazakiri Hyouka was gone. However, despite there not being any rain, there were 2 or 3 drops of water on the ground. Mikoto and Shirai had heard the commotion and immediately rushed over. They said that Anti-Skill and Judgement members would arrive soon, and it was best to run away before things got sticky. Thus, Mikoto and Shirai grabbed Index, who wanted to stay there with Kamijou, and used instant teleportation to get away. Shirais instant teleportation seemed to have some sort of limit in terms of distance, so they should probably be a distance of about 100m. Due to the ability of Kamijous right hand, he could only run away on his own. As for Sherry, Anti-Skill would most likely take care of her. Seeing past cases, Sherrys name wouldnt even appear in the paper. AH...so troublesome. Kamijou sighed. Before the Anti-Skill and Judgment members arrived, he had something that he must finish. He looked up and seemed to confirm something before walking up to one of the abandoned buildings. The windows and interior decorations had all been removed from the buildings, and the gray concrete was exposed. There were phrases and directions written all over the walls and floor with red chalk. Maybe they were meant for demolishing procedures. The red sunset passed through the windows that didn''t have any glass in them, piercing through the dusty space like a laser. Kamijou headed up the stairs that had the rails removed. Up, up, up, up, up, all the way to the highest level. The door leading to the roof was also removed. He walked onto the roof that was dyed red by the sunset. The place seemed like it used to be a garden. The soil in the flowerbed had dried up and blown away, the plants had already withered and died, and their remains that had become tea colored were swaying in the air. And in a corner of this ex-wonderland that was now like a graveyard, Kazakiri Hyouka was sitting on a chair, her back leaning on the metal handle that was meant to prevent falling. Her head was lowered, so one couldnt see her expression. Her limbs that had been crushed were now restored, and it looked like she didnt have any visible wounds on her. But she didnt even say a word, just silently lowering her head. Kamijou narrowed his eyes. If Kazakiri Hyoukas aim was to get away from Index, or rather, to get away from humans, she could only go here. In order to get away from Index, yet unable to go anywhere, she could only stay in the ruins. The lonely girl saw Kamijou on the roof, yet still didnt say anything. Only the sounds of water dropping could be heard between them. Kazakiri, who had lowered her head, held a large billboard with both hands. The transparent water droplets continued to drip on it. Because...I was so happy... Kazakiri seemed to notice Kamijous look as she finally looked up, and gently smiled. Because...I used all my strength...to protect important friends. Not anyone else, but me...so...Im very happy. Im so happy, thus I cried...really... ... Why...why must you show that expression? Please...smile, praise me a bit...also, if possible, be a bit jealous of me, so that it can be perfect...I...I took away your role of being the knight...ahhaha, what am I saying... Kazakiri Hyouka smiled, but Kamijou Touma didnt. He couldnt smile. Facing this sad expression, how could he smile? Uu... Kazakiri bit her lips, and the smile gradually vanished. I knew this...right from the beginning. Kazakiri muttered, ...Its a natural thing...everyone can guess it...a monster like me revealing my identity...anyone can guess the outcome...if I had continue to hide it, maybe it wouldnt have been discovered...but I foolishly revealed the truth...but I dont want...I dont want to let others see me like this... Saying all of this, Kazakiri couldnt continue. Her throat continued to let out a choking voice. ...But I had no choice. She tried her best to move her trembling lips, and said the words. In order to save...the first person who ever treated me as a friend...I had no choice... She must have made this realization right from the beginning. As a monster, once the truth was revealed, she would lose her most precious thing. Because this worst-case prediction clearly appeared in her mind, Kazakiri hoped with all her heart. Hoping that this prediction would not come true.. She wouldnt think of how low that probability was, but would desire a miracle from God. But the result was Why...must I lose it... She slowly and shakily moved her back from the railing, and stood up. Why...must I make others frightened? She let out tears and buried her face into Kamijous chest. The sorrow hidden beneath the smile was all released from close range. I...I...I just cant stand seeing my friend getting hurt, so I stepped forward...because I have strength, I can protect those important...so I couldnt leave it as it was...that''s just...THATS JUST HOW IT IS! The girls slender and delicate hands were beating on Kamijous chest. The obscure voice continued to come from the face that was buried in the chest. IM SO SAD...SO UNSATISFIED ...IT HURTS SO MUCH...! WHY MUST IT END UP LIKE THIS...! DID I...DO SOMETHING WRONG? I WANTED TO PROTECT OTHERS...AM I WRONG IN THINKING THAT WAY? The torn and heartbroken voice pierced Kamijous eardrums. She knew that it was useless, but she couldnt control herself, and shouted. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE TOGETHER! WANTED...TO BE FRIENDS FOREVER! I THOUGHT...WELL BE BEST FRIENDS! WHY...DID IT END UP LIKE THIS? WHILE THE PERSON I WANTED TO PROTECT WAS STARING AT ME IN SURPRISE, CAN YOU UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS? UP TILL NOW...I CANT UNDERSTAND IT MYSELF! The girl continued to vent her unarranged thoughts. The pain inside made her unable to maintain her silence. CA...CANT A MONSTER HAVE A HEART THAT WANTS TO PROTECT OTHERS? IF I WERE A HUMAN...WOULD THIS NOT HAPPEN...? BUT...WHAT COULD I DO? EVEN IF IM AFRAID, EVEN IF IM HATED...I CANT JUST SIT BY AND DO NOTHING...! ... Kamijou Touma could only silently listen. Seeing the girl in front of him tremble and unable to make any sound even while crying, he couldnt even stroke her head. Because this illusion was too fragile, as it would vanish after just a slight touch. Imagine Breaker. The boy that had been given this title couldnt even hug Kazakiri Hyouka. Thus, he could only say, Are you hurt? ...Uu... Sad? UUU...!! Kazakiri no longer hit Kamijous chest, just grabbing onto his shirt like a child. She wanted to suppress this choking sound, albeit unsuccessfully as it came out between her tightly sealed lips. Since you have these feelings, youre not a monster. Maybe it sounds old, but I can assure you that youre human. Kamijou paused, and continued, Besides, your story isnt over. Eh? Kazakiri looked up, her face revealed an astonished look. Footsteps could be heard from behind Kamijou. So she came, Kamijou thought as he revealed a smile. Misaka Mikoto had just said that as they were afraid that a certain girl would be arrested by Anti-Skill or Judgement, they should first take her away. But that girl had insisted on following Kamijou till the end and wouldnt leave. Kamijou saw all these. If that girl had already guessed where Kazakiri Hyouka would be hiding, And that she couldnt come here immediately because she was forcefully taken away by Mikoto and Shirai, And until the end, the girl would be worried about Kazakiri... Index would definitely come here. ...Eh? Kazakiri Hyouka, who had buried her face in Kamijous chest, let out an astonished sound once she saw the person appearing behind Kamijou. Kamijou slowly turned his head around. At the entrance on the roof that didnt have a door, stood a girl in pure white nun habit. Some of the safety pins on the skirt were gone, and it now looked like a high-cut Chinese dress. The girl continued to pant, her body full of sweat; it was easy to tell that she had run all the way back, not even resting once. On seeing Kazakiri Hyouka, that girl---Index ran over without any hesitation. No fear, no contempt. It was like a lost child in a theme park finally finding mom. Kazakiri Hyouka blankly stared, even forgetting to blink. Wh...why? Isnt this...very strange? Kazakiri trembled as if her body was cold. This...is...so strange...Im not human...why would she...show this expression to a monster? Why is...she seeing...me like a friend? Kamijou Touma casually sighed. Its true that your body is different from ordinary people, you can do things that no ordinary person can do. From Kamijous tone, it seemed like he was complaining why must you ask such a simple question? But this doesnt change the fact that youre her friend. This sentence made Kazakiri Hyouka cry, and her legs weakened as she knelt onto the floor. Index leapt towards Hyouka, and both of them collapsed on the roof of the building. Kazakiri staggered and wrapped her arms behind Index, hugging her. Seeing the two of them, Kamijou chuckled. Volume 6, Epilogue: On the Other Side of the Stage. Volume 6, Epilogue: On the Other Side of the Stage. Doctor, look, Im not staying in the hospital this time. Aint I great? This should be some sort of development, right? Inside the doctors consultation room, Kamijou delightedly said this to the frog-faced doctor. At that moment, Tsukuyomi Komoe and Himegami Aisa reached their arms out from each side and smacked him on the head. Kamijou! You really dont think anything of causing trouble to others! Causing so much trouble for Anti-Skill...really! Ill ask you where you went later, so prepare to explain yourself! Didnt I tell you several times to be careful about this person called Kazakiri Hyouka? You cant control yourself whenever you see a woman, looks like we have to thoroughly correct you. ...Doctor, those two behind me are really scary. Can you just let me stay in the hospital? Until those two calm down, I need to hide. If possible, send me to the ICU, and dont allow any visitors. The moment Kamijou said this to the frog-faced doctor, the duo behind smacked Kamijous head even faster. Right now, the sun had set, and it was past visiting time. But even though Kamijou was jumping all around, he was still an emergency patient. After getting involved in a gunfight, and the subway collapse, it was proper procedure to do a thorough check. This instruction was certainly reasonable. On a side note, Index and Kazakiri were waiting in the waiting room. Shirai Kuroko herself was said to be unable to sleep tonight as she has to clear everything up. The frog-faced doctor sure looked helpless on seeing that he had to meet a patient after working hours. He said to Kamijou, I really cant stand you, how can you still smile after this situation? Did too much fatigue cause you to be so hyperactive? Anyway, I must remind you that one more step, your hand would end up with complex fractures." ...What? You seemed surprised, dont you? But this is really very likely. The human hand can do many intricate things, but as there are too many joints, it cant withstand impact. If its just a simple attack, a hammer would be a lot safer than a fist. On hearing these words, Kamijou remembered that he did feel some pain in his right hand, and shuddered. The doctors words were really destructive. The frog-faced doctor skillfully used a threat to let the patients comfort level decrease, and quickly bandaged Kamijous hand. Kamijou remained silent, Komoe-sensei and Himegami werent saying anything as well. After a while, on seeing Kamijous bandaged hand, Komoe-sensei slowly said, There are many suspicious points about this. Suspicious points? Yes. Though I wont understand these points even if I say them out loud, its uncomfortable for me to keep it to myself, so sensei will point them out. Komoe-sensei revealed a smile with deep meaning, raised her index finger, and said, First, why would Kazakiri Hyouka appear around Kamijou? The entire citys filled with AIM dispersion field, so logically, she could be anywhere in this city. Why would she appear next to Kamijou several times? Of course, this isnt a coincidence. After that, Komoe-sensei raised her middle finger. Second, Himegami said that Kazakiri Hyouka is the key to the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution, what does this mean? However, since these words were said by the teachers at Kirigaoka Girls'' Academy, maybe they''re just a baseless rumour. After that, she raised her ring finger. Lastly, the third point. Why was the terrorist able to accurately find Kazakiri Hyoukas location when she just appeared only for today? Even for us in Academy City, we didnt even sense Kazakiri Hyoukas presence, so this information may be leaked from the administrators of Academy City. Of course, this may be just a coincidence, and maybe related. Finally, Komoe-sensei opened her five fingers wide, placing her two palms together, and said, However, why did so many coincidences occur at the same time? Maybe this is the most suspicious point. The entire consultation room was silent. There was too little information for them to derive an answer. At that moment, the frog-faced doctor turned away and looked outside the window. Though one couldnt see it from the hospital, far away in that direction, there was a windowless building. Are you happy now? Inside a certain room of that building that didnt have any doors, windows, corridors, stairs and air ducts, Tsuchimikado Motoharu looked away from the image that was floating in mid-air as he said viciously. Aleister, who was floating upside-down inside the giant glass cylinder, revealed a slight smile and didnt answer, Tsuchimikado seemed like he couldnt endure the silence, and said, Using people as chess pieces, getting the key to the Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution, and you just completed one more part of your plan. Really, to me, youre the real monster. Imaginary Number District - Five Elements Institution. Nobody could guess that it was just the AIM dispersal field. Nobody knows that the natural energy scattered by the 2.3 million students in Academy City is the Imaginary Number District. As long as power users existed in the city, there would be an AIM dispersal field, and thus there would be a Five Elements Institution. No one even knew whether the Five Elements Institution was harmful or not. It wasnt a large energy corporation that produced energy like nuclear power. If a strong force appeared in Academy City, anyone could feel that something was not right. The truth of the Five Elements Institution, or the AIM dispersal field, was a tiny energy that can only be felt through machines. However, the Five Elements Institution was as unstable as water at 0 degrees Celsius and in vacuum state. Under vacuum state, when the pressures really low, as the freezing point drops, water wont freeze even when its 0 degrees Celsius. However, by using something like a stick to stir it, the vacuum state water would freeze. It was the same with the Five Elements Institution. Normally, this little energy could only be detected by a machine, but by giving a certain amount of impact, the power would increase. In this incident, Kazakiri Hyoukas power greatly increased later on, because of the impact. It was unknown though whether this impact came from the stone golems attack, or if there was another catch to it. But now, the question was C how big was this certain level of impact? Nobody knew. Maybe one could just stretch a finger and snap it to cause a huge explosion, or maybe one didnt need to mind about it. Besides, the power would instantly increase was just a predicted outcome. What kind of power, how large the scale, no one knew. Maybe it might end up with Academy City disappearing from the world map, or maybe it was nothing at all. The specifics couldnt be defined, the results couldnt be judged. Thus, Academy City wouldnt so easily try to remove the Five Elements Institution. If so, why wouldnt they just control it instead of erasing it? And the key among this was Kazakiri Hyouka? You actually let a part of the Imaginary Number District materialize by letting it be self-aware as a human? Thats crazy. A boy had a right hand called the Imagine Breaker. This right hand was the only threat to the Imaginary District. As it felt the threat, it started to be self-aware. Appetite, sleep; the basic desires that were naturally derived from human functions were all signals about wanting to live and I dont want to die. In other words, things that didnt know life and death wouldnt develop personalities or self-awareness right from the start. Looking at it another way, If one used the Imagine Breaker to instill a concept of death, one could cause an illusion that didnt have self-awareness to be self-aware. Aleister, who had been silent up till now, finally said, This is a tactic to help control the Imaginary District even more easily. Instead of letting it be in a selfless state of not knowing what to do, I guess I should let it be able to think, make it easier to predict some of the actions, and even use it for negotiations or coercion. If youre creating someone whos friendly to you that you can predict, theres no problem. But how would you be able to handle this if its a villain that no one can imagine? Villains are easier to control than good people. The difference between these two is only in the method used to handle them. Tsuchimikado cursed. It was true that Aleister viewed humans differently from normal humans. Is there really any meaning to doing all this just to get to that Imaginary Number District? Tsuchimikado couldnt help but ask, Thats right, the Imaginary Number District is a huge threat to Academy City. However, the threat doesnt just exist on the inside. You may have done this today, and it would slowly cause this world to lose it''s stability. Without knowing why, a legitimate member of the English Anglicans got beaten by Anti-Skill, so St. George Cathedral wont just keep quiet about it. Are you thinking that you can use this city to beat all the magicians in the world? Hearing Tsuchimikados threatening voice, the blank expression on Aleisters face remained unchanged. By getting hold of that, magicians arent something to be worth fearing. What did you say? On hearing these words from Aleister, Tsuchimikado couldnt help but frown. The Imaginary Number District, the Five Element Institution, these things werent going to assure anyone that it was safe in this city, it was just for the internal affairs of Academy City. The AIM dispersal field only formed around power users. Thinking about this, Tsuchimikado suddenly had a bad premonition creep up his back. (Hold on...) He again tried to summarize the collection of AIM dispersal field, which was all the features of the Imaginary Number District-Five Element Institution. This thing was like an infrared or high frequency sound, even though it existed, it couldnt be seen or heard. It was something that existed on a different plane from humans, using a certain force that had gathered to form a new type of life. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was rather clear about this. What this thing would be called in magic terms. (Dont tell me...an Angel?) No, the residents of the Imaginary Districtlike Kazakiri Hyouka, were Angels. And the city that she was staying in was... Aleister...are you thinking of creating an artificial Heaven? What do you say? Aleister just coldly gave him this response. "An artificial Heaven...no, if its created only with the power of science, it cant be called terms like Heaven or demon realm. This is a new world, not existing in the classics like Kabala, Buddhism, Christianity, Shintoism or Hinduism." And once this new world was created, it meant all of magic would be erased. For example, assuming that the buoyancy and lift values of the world were drastically increased. In this situation, according to the picture that a kindergarten child draws, the plane would never fly, but even by following an experts design to create a plane, one couldnt fly as well. However in reality, the plane would still glide on the runway as it tried to fly. What would happen though was that the plane would instantly lose balance once it left the ground, and crash. Once the new world appeared, the magic environment would drastically change, and it would have a similar meaning. Once a magician tried to use magic, the body would explode. The temples and churches that were supported by magic would lose the support, and collapse. The same phenomenon would occur to any religion. Thinking closely, one would know that any religion had a certain set of rules. Of course, there wasnt just one. Buddhism has Buddhist laws, Christianity has Christian laws. These laws are like all sorts of colors that are newly drawn on this large picture called the world. All the religions have only one common point, and thats a certain set of laws. So what would happen if a new world was inserted where the law exists? The law and order that was originally there would be jumbled up. The magicians would explode and kill themselves no matter what kind of magic they used. No matter how good a violinist was, he couldnt use a violin with messed-up strings to play. It was the same with the messed-up laws. Right now, the key to the Imaginary District wasnt complete yet. Once finished, no magician would be able to use magic in Academy City. And Academy City itself was a miniature version of the world. Once the power development reached a global scale, all humans would be able to use powers, and the entire world would be engulfed under the AIM dispersal field. The Imaginary District that only existed within Academy City would spread to the entire world. No. The preparations were already complete. The working power users SISTERs that Kamijou had saved, totalling about 10,000 people, were now scattered all over the world to all the agencies that were co-operating with Academy City. Why must they be patched up outside? This puzzled Tsuchimikado, and now here was the answer. That ridiculous experiment that Accelerator underwent wasnt really some Level 6 evolution, but to scatter the cloned power users all over the world. In order to allow these SISTERs to be deported outside, they came up with the destruction plan of power users, and then abolished this Level 6 project. Using these 2 fake actions, they deported the SISTERs all over the world. This tactic should be considered a success, as right now, all the churches and forces, including the English Anglicans, had not detected the real reason why the SISTERs had been deported outside. No, even if they did, they wont understand the seriousness of it. At most they would think that Academy City was trying to clean up the mess of its internal problems. These power users were like an antenna of the Imaginary District, covering the entire world. After that, as long as they could get hold of this incomplete Imaginary District and let the new world activate. All the magicians would lose control of their powers and self-destruct due to the new world. But to power users, the AIM dispersal field wasnt harmful at all. If so, the results of the war between the magic side and the science side would be very obvious. No, that couldnt be considered a war. It was like blasting out the brains of an enemy who had surrendered. Thinking about this, Tsuchimikado shook his head. Was this really Aleisters final goal? Maybe, maybe not. This person may be smiling and thinking that this level of events was just a stepping stone to help him achieve his other goals, but maybe he was not thinking of that either. It was hard to tell. This person, Aleister, who looked like a man, and like a woman; an adult, and a child; a Saint, and a convict, had all the possibilities of humanity. Thus, nobody could guess what he was thinking. It was not an exaggeration to say that he may be thinking of what the whole of humanity was thinking now. Tsuchimikado shuddered, but like a defeated dog, he tried to be brave as he said, Humph, if the English Anglicans know about it, they will declare war. Right now, I really pity Sherry Cromwell. From what I see from your huge conspiracy, she isnt simply playing the role of a villain, but a character that stood up to fight against the evil power in order to protect her own world. Dont be so paranoid. Im not intending to fight against the Church. Besides, to create that Artificial Heaven that you thought of, I have to really understand how the real Heaven works. Thats the magic sides business; its not something that I can understand while standing on the science side. Are you treating me as if I was born yesterday? In this world, who understands magic more than you do? Tsuchimikado curled his lips as he said, The magician, Aleister Crowley... During the 20th century, there existed a magician who was hailed as the greatest in history. Everyone agreed that he was the most outstanding magician in the world, and also the biggest embarrassment to magic. Nobody else in history had performed an act which insulted the magic world to the extent that he had. That was to give up that magic power he had developed to start all over again and analyze science and technology. Why Aleister would give up everything he had when he stood at the pinnacle of the magicians, nobody knew. But this was the biggest insult to the magic world. For the strongest magician in the world to give up magic and go to the science side. What Aleister had done was like being the leader of the magic society, and without any compromise, surrendering to science. Thus, Aleister Crowley became the enemy of all magicians in the world. The people who were trying to kill him werent just the English Anglicans that specialized in hunting down witches, but also people who were even the least involved with magic. Stiyl and Aleister had met before, but Stiyl hadnt seen through to Aleisters real identity, and there was a reason behind this. While the English Anglicans were hunting down Aleister Crowley, they had been said to be gathering information about him for a long time. However, the information was just false information that Aleister himself leaked. Since the original information was wrong, no matter whether one used magical or scientific means to track down Aleister, they couldnt possibly find any connections to the real Aleister Crowley. In other words, to the English Anglicans, Aleister just so happened to be a common name, or maybe even a false name. This level of patience and guts made Tsuchimikados jaw drop. Even if he himself could do this, he wouldnt risk it. Or maybe it just showed the difference in power between Aleister and Tsuchimikado. Just treat this as me not going to admit defeat to you, Im going to give you some advice, Aleister. Hm, Im all ears. Have you heard of the words hard luck[1]? It means misfortune, right? Theres another meaning to this. Thats no matter how many times one meets a hellish fate, the person is lucky enough to overcome it safely. Tsuchimikado chuckled, and continued, I dont understand whats on your mind. Even if you explain it to me further, I most likely wont be able to understand. But, once you make use of that Imagine Breaker, I hope youre prepared. If youre going to treat him half-heartedly, that right hand will rip your illusion apart. After Tsuchimikado said that, the teleporter entered the room as if she timed it perfectly. After that, Tsuchimikado was taken away by this girl who was shorter than him by 30cm. In this empty room, the man hanging upside down muttered to himself. Hm, all the illusions that I believed in were destroyed a long time ago. Index and Kazakiri Hyouka were sitting side by side on the sofa in the hospital waiting room. Basically, they didnt allow pets inside the hospital, so the calico cat was guarding the house. The white nun who was normally with the calico cat seemed impatient, not knowing where to put her hands. Kazakiri carefully said to Index, Erm...that...skirt...arent you going to repair it? Index was stunned, so she looked down at her lower body. She had taken off those safety pins in order to fight against the stone golems, and now her skirt was all split apart. Now it looked like a high-cut cheongsam. That...looks outrageous...no sense of defensiveness at all, so dangerous... After so many things happened, I didnt really have time to repair it. Hyouka, does it look weird? It...it was...very weird...it was weird right from the beginning...its even weirder now... Its weirder now? Index narrowed her eyes, as if she just heard Kazakiris true words. At that moment, something strange happened. Kazakiri Hyouka revealed a bitter smile with a profound meaning behind it, and suddenly, she started to sway like the fog. It was as if there was an illusion, that if she was not careful, Kazakiris body would disappear into mid-air. Index gasped. Kazakiris outline was starting to sway, but never once did it cuts off. Hyo...Hyouka...this... Mm...its a bit troublesome... Kazakiri smiled, and said, My body...is like a block of powers concentrated in one, so...no matter how I try, I can only exist in an unstable state. And I cant remain forever... Kazakiri confessed. However, Index thought of another possibility. Imagine Breaker. The killer hand that erased all supernatural powers, without caring whether it was good or evil. No, its not that. Kazakiri seemed like she saw through what Index was thinking according to her expression. That persons power...didnt affect me...if it had, I would have most likely disappeared into thin air. So, this isnt his fault... Kazakiri Hyouka gently said, but her voice was fluctuating sometimes being high, and sometimes low. ...Dont worry, I wont be destroyed that easily...my body has the power of 2.3 million people...my lifespan is numerous times that of yours... Kazakiri Hyouka smiled. Index added on the knowledge in her brain to Kazakiris words, thinking that it was alright. But for some reason, Index still felt a heavy sense of insecurity. Kazakiris outline continued to sway unnaturally, without a single sound. Maybe it was an illusion, but the swaying seemed large, as if fog was scattering. Ah...yes...regarding something...I dont know whether its important to you... What? Regarding that persons power...Im...not too sure... After pausing for a while, Kazakiri Hyouka said this. Kamijou Toumas right hand couldnt be explained through supernatural powers. Index was shocked as her entire body froze. Wait...hold on, Hyouka, its not possible, right? That kind of right hand doesnt exist in magic! That strange power doesnt exist in the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires that I have in my head! If thats not an esper power, I cant explain it! Ma...magic? I dont know...what that is... Kazakiri smiled, However, I can confirm that thats not an esper power...my body is formed through...all the esper powers in Academy City...if that person is an esper, the moment his weak energy enters my body, it would have erased my body in an instant. Index recalled how the boy had said that his power wasnt derived from inside Academy City. That it wasnt man-made, but an innate ability. If so, what was that power? Index sunk into deep thought. Since it was a not magic nor esper power, it was another form of power. Its time...for me to go... Kazakiri said as she stood up from the sofa. Everything that was on Indexs mind instantly vanished. She quickly looked up, feeling very insecure. She said she was going back, but where? If one was to think of it normally, it basically meant night time, it was time to go home. However, for baseless reasons, Index felt that there was a deeper meaning behind it. Indexs expression was like that of an abandoned child. Kazakiri gently smiled and said to her, Dont worry...its alright. Even when my body vanishes, Im not dead...I just cant be seen, cant be touched...even if you cant feel it, Ill always stay with you... Index wondered: why would she say such things right now? It was as if they wouldnt see each other again. Even though there was no proof. Kazakiri Hyouka didnt say anything like a farewell. HYOUKA! Index couldnt help but shout at Kazakiri, who had turned her back. Kazakiri slowly turned around. Yes? Can...can we go out and play tomorrow? Index said with a teary expression. Kazakiri Hyouka smiled. She replied, Sure. Notes 1. the novels gave it as hard luck in English Volume 6, Afterword Volume 6, Afterword To the readers who took the huge risk to buy 6 books at one go, nice to meet you. To the readers who read each book one by one, it''s been a while. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. It''s the 6th volume already. The protagonist, heroine, antagonist, ending, and the story behind the stage; there''s a lot of descriptions here that are slightly different from the previous volumes. As for what changed, I''ll like the readers to understand it as they read it. The key magic term here is ''golem''. This gimmick is like a slime; it''s something that appears often in games, thus it gives a feeling that it isn''t glamourous, that it shouldn''t be considered a final stage boss. However, in History (or what were seen to have existed), the golems were amazing things. It was said that the magic required to create a golem uses the blueprint of how God created Humanity, and only those who fully understood that Kabbalah can use it. In other words, it''s like the Philosopher Stone, basically meaning that ''one can be considered the strongest if the person can create one''. All the golems have a safety feature on it, and once the caster doesn''t need it, the caster can easily turn it back into dirt. This is likely how the self-destruct mechanism of the huge robots came about. Haimura-san, who''s in charge of the illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of the project; I really like to thank you two for not abandoning this Kamachi even when you''re busy. Finally, I''ll like to thank the readers who bought these books. It''s thanks to everyone that this Kamachi can earn a living. Then now, let me be secretly happy that you liked this series. And let me secretly hope that you won''t abandon this series. At this point, let me put my pen down. -In the end, did the Imagine Breaker protect the girl''s illusion? Volume 7, Prologue: Begin Action. The_Page_is_Opened. Volume 7, Prologue: Begin Action. The_Page_is_Opened. St. George Cathedral. Although it was called a cathedral, it was but one of the many churches in the heart of London. Even though it was not considered small, there was a world of difference when it was compared to Westminster Abbey or St. Pauls Cathedral. Of course, it could not be compared to the Cathedral of Canterbury, the origin of Puritanism in Britain, either. In fact, the number of buildings in London that bore the name "St. George" was great. Besides the church, there were also department stores, restaurants, clothing shops, and schools. There could be several of those buildings downtown. Not only that, but there could also be more than ten churches named "St. George Cathedral". The relationship between "St. George" and Britons could be seen even from the Union Jack. This St. George Cathedral was the former base of "Necessarius". That was no glamorous distinction, however. The duty of "Necessarius" was to eliminate all sorts of magic associations in Britain and any magicians associated with them. In order to achieve that objective, "Necessarius" had to use magic, which was regarded by its members as filthy. Because of that, they had been viewed rather poorly by the Purists, and had even been chased out of Canterbury, the headquarters of the Anglicans, into this "St. George Cathedral". But afterward, there had been some unexpected changes. Originally considered a peripheral organisation, "Necessarius" was making numerous contributions behind the scenes. These actions had allowed "Necessarius" to build its profile and power within the English Anglican Church. Today, although it looked like the Anglican Church was run by the Cathedral of Canterbury, the actual decision-making power had, in fact, been transferred to St. George Cathedral. Thus, this cathedral, located slightly away from the centre of London, was now the nucleus of the large English Anglican Church. A red-haired priest, Stiyl Magnus, walked down the streets of London in the early morning, feeling extremely puzzled. There was nothing strange about the street itself. Stone apartments more than 300 years old lay on both sides of the street. Office workers, with cellphones in their hands, rushed down the old street. An old double-decker bus moved slowly forward, and workers on the street were busy dismantling a similarly old phone booth. An integration of new and old history...there was nothing unusual happening. Nothing was wrong with the weather, either. There were no clouds in the sky this morning, but the weather changed every four hours or so; thus, there were many people carrying their umbrellas around. It was a hot day, and as London was known for its foggy weather, this aspect of summer--the ever-changing weather--was something that could not be taken lightly. The increasing moisture caused by the intermittent rainfall, together with the foehn and summer heat wave, resulted in amazingly high temperatures, so these rather enjoyable-looking tourist attractions had their own shortcomings as well. As for someone like Stiyl, who had already considered the shortcomings when he first chose to stay in this city, he did not mind it. What made Stiyl insecure was the girl beside him. "Archbishop..." "Hmm? I purposely deigned to wear such simple attire today; please refrain from addressing me by that lofty title." Dressed in a beige robe, the girl, who looked eighteen, spoke calmly in Japanese. In truth, according to regulations, a clergymans attire could only have white, red, black, green, or purple, with threads of gold for decoration, so this girl was secretly breaking the rules. Unfortunately, it seemed she believed that, as long as she put those clothes on, she would not be noticed in the crowd. Yet, because of her crystal-white skin, clear blue eyes, and shining golden hair--one would not be surprised if she were sold in a gem shop--no matter the circumstances, she stood out completely from the surrounding crowd. Her hair was shockingly long; it extended all the way to her ankles, then folded up and went behind her head, through the large silver hairpin that was holding it in place, and down again to her waist. In other words, its length was almost two and a half times her height. The world-famous din droned on in Lambeth, London, this morning, but around her, the voices felt like they had been suppressed, as if the people were in a solemn church where noise was not tolerated. This was the Archbishop of Sector Zero of the Puritan church, "Necessarius". Laura Stuart. The king was the highest-ranking leader of the Anglican Church. Archbishop Laura was considered the courier of the king, and her responsibility was to take over for the busy king and control the English Anglicans. The Anglican Church was like an age-old string instrument. Besides the "owner", there was also the "caretaker". Take a violin, for example; no matter how good a violin was, if it was not used for a while, the strings would relax and the sound post would become decrepit, making it sound unpleasant. Lauras job was to perform in place of the owner so that the violin could be maintained in a perfect state. But, like the situation between the Cathedral of Canterbury and St. George Cathedral, the name and actual power had now been reversed. The real power now lay with Laura. The Archbishop, who had such a large amount of power, now freely walked the streets in the early morning without even a single bodyguard near her. Stiyl and Laura were now headed toward St. George Cathedral. At first, Laura had suggested that Stiyl meet her at the cathedral at this time. She was supposed to have waited at the cathedral, and Stiyl was supposed to have gone there. "I possess my own residence, and I am not always bound to that old church all year long." Laura continued onward, not making any noise. "Is it not enjoyable to traverse and converse?" Around them, the office workers were hurrying around. Since this place was close to Waterloo Station, the largest station in London, it was not unusual to them for a nun or priest to be here. The number of churches in London was equal to the number of parks, after all, even though the number could not be compared to that of Rome. "Anyway, Im okay with it. But didn''t you call me to the cathedral because you wanted to talk about something that outsiders aren''t supposed to hear?" "Such a narrow-minded man; why brood too much about these minor things? Can you not appreciate this time with me? Even though a Father who hears a womans repentance gains a feeling of ''relief'', why does he not open his heart?" "..." Stiyl frowned and asked, "Can I ask a question?" "Do you have to be so cautious? Fire away." "Why does your Japanese sound so stupid?"[1] "...?" The Archbishop of the Anglican Church looked like someone who had been told that her shirt was buttoned wrong. She initially froze, and then her movements stopped completely. She then blushed while saying, "Ah...eh...? Is...is it aberrant? Is ''Japanese'' not supposed to sound like this?" "Pardon me, but I don''t really understand what youre trying to say. Youre trying to speak the ancient language, but it just doesnt feel right." The people around them, clad in Western clothing, were probably unable to understand Japanese, but Laura felt that the commotion around her had now become laughter. "Ah...ehm...I learned my Japanese from many sources, such as literature and television programs. I even asked a real Japanese person for aid before..." "Eh, may I know who that ''real Japanese person'' was?" "Uh...that guy named Tsuchimikado Motoharu..." "Please dont consider that dangerous guy, who lustfully lets his own stepsister wear a maid uniform, an ideal Japanese person. Asia is not that fascinating, you know." "To...to believe there was such a thing...I must quickly amend my Japanese...oh, no!" "Whats wrong?" "It is...it is difficult to alter something that I am so accustomed to!" "...dont tell me you used such a stupid way of speaking to negotiate with the representatives from Academy City." Lauras shoulders jumped as she said, "Do not...do not worry, do not worry...no problem, no problem..." Her voice trembled, however, as sweat appeared on her face, her eyes swimming around. Stiyl sighed, his breath full of cigarette smoke. "Anyway, let''s talk when we reach the cathedral." The two rounded the corner. Kanzaki Kaori secretly frequented the Japanese restaurant located there. "Do...do we really have to talk about this!? I cannot possibly communicate with my Japanese!" "Enough; lets talk about the ''proper business'', and not about this trivial stuff. If you arent confident in your Japanese, we can still talk using English." "Riridiculous! Who said that I was not confident!? It is...it is just that...my physical condition today is rather hindering!" Laura said, at a loss. "And regarding the proper business...before we start..." From under the robe over her chest, Laura pulled out something that looked like two pieces of notebook paper, as well as a black magic marker. As one who specialised in using runes, Stiyl immediately knew what she was going to use it for. "Chiu chiu chiu~" Laura tried to imitate the strange sound made by the magic marker as she drew on the paper. During several important ceremonies, when Archbishop Laura stood in front of the crowd, she looked too noble to even be mortal--but now, the Archbishop was like a girl randomly doodling on her notebook in the middle of a lesson. If possible, I wish she could maintain that noble image. Stiyl thought, dangling his cigarette and frowning. He really did not like that sound. Chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu chiu~ "...excuse me, may I ask what youre doing?" Stiyl asked, gritting his teeth and trembling slightly. Although his temple had gone blue, Stiyl decided to remain patient. "Just a little precaution. Here." Laura drew the same image on each piece of paper and gave one of them to Stiyl. "Ah ah can you hear me?" Stiyl felt that the voice just came from his mind. He turned to look at Laura, whose small mouth was not moving in the slightest. "...is it a talisman for communication?" "Our thoughts can be conveyed to each other without the prerequisite of speech." "Hm." Stiyl looked at the card. It seemed like Laura had created these talismans because of his suggestion to not allow the people around them to eavesdrop. "Why does that voice in your heart speak so stupidly as well!?" "Eh? Wait...wait a minute, Stiyl! Im now speaking in English!" Although she was not making any sound, Laura looked panicked, scaring the cat sprawling in front of the not-yet-open restaurant. Stiyl sighed. The authority and magnanimity that an Archbishop should have were now all gone. "Then there might be an error when the message is exchanged. Although its weird, it doesnt affect our conversation. Lets get down to proper business." "Ah...uu...ahem ahem, okay, lets start." It seemed like Laura wanted to say something more, but she swallowed it and went to the main issue. "Stiyl, have you heard of ''The Book of the Law''?" "Its a spellbook. If I remember correctly, the author is Edward Alexander." Edward Alexander--also known as Crowley. Some said that he was the most decorated magician of the 20th century, and some said that he was the worst magician of the 20th century. As his actions and demeanor exceeded everyones imaginations and common sense, he had been chased out of several countries. He had managed to provoke the creative desire of several artists, but had also managed to increase the hostility towards him from all magicians. A truly legendary man. According to history, he died on December 1st, 1947. Some even felt that the world had been relieved when he had died. All of this showed the number of controversies and problems that he had caused. When such a powerful magician died, there would naturally be people who would declare themselves his disciples or heirs. Up until today, the magic system that they had created continued to cause headaches for the organisation that was still specifically targeting Crowley--and as was the case with other legends, the rumours that he was still alive continued to roam about. "If I remember correctly, however, isn''t the original ''Book of the Law'' still being kept inside the library of the Vatican in Rome?" In order to allow the girl called Index to memorise the 103,000 magical texts, Stiyl had accompanied her around the world to protect her. Although he had not seen the contents, Stiyl was still able to remember where the one hundred most famous texts were. "You''re right. From 1920 to 1932, Crowley carried out his activities on the island of Sicily, in Italy. It is believed that ''The Book of the Law'' first appeared then." Laura spoke as if she was reciting what she had memorised from a history textbook. "Stiyl, do you know what makes this book special?" "..." The characteristics of the book. "If we first ignore the reliability of this work, there are several legends about it. Some believe that Crowley summoned the guardian angel Aiwass, learned the ''Angelic Technique'' that no human is able to use, and recorded it in ''The Book of the Law''. Some believe that when ''The Book of the Law'' is opened, the Christian age will end, and humanity will proceed to a brand new age... In the former sense, an angel who doesnt think is unable to teach humanity anything, but were rather concerned with the latters views. However..." According to the English Anglican Church, it was assumed to be a magical book containing many powerful spells. But on hearing that, one would wonder: why was it an "assumption"? Index should have memorised "The Book of the Law" already. So the reason was... "I believe you know that nobody can understand that book? Although all magical books are written in codes, this book is still an exception. Even Index has given up on reading it, and Sherry Cromwell, who specialises in interpreting these codes, has failed to do so." That was right; no one was able to interpret "The Book of the Law". According to what Index had said, based on our current limited knowledge, nobody could interpret it; thus, she could only memorise all the undeciphered codes of "The Book of the Law". At that moment, Laura smiled happily, saying, "Then, if someone who can decipher ''The Book of the Law'' were to appear, what do you think the consequences would be?" "What are you talking about...!?" Stunned, Stiyl stared at Laura. She did not look like she was joking. "There is a Roman Catholic nun by the name of Orsola Aquinas. She only knows how to decipher it, however; she has yet to read its contents." "What''s going on?" "Orsola seems to have found a way to decode it by reading the incomplete copies. Right now, she only has the index page, the preface, and several other pages." The original copy of "The Book of the Law" was now being kept under strict security, so ordinary people should not be able to get their hands on it easily. Except for people like Index, it was dangerous for anyone else to read the original. Right now... the Roman Catholic Church is lacking in manpower due to a power struggle. They might try to use ''The Book of the Law'' to regain a foothold. Those people probably view it as a blueprint of some new weapon..." According to reports, the three thousand people who formed the Gregorian Chant had been defeated by an alchemist, and although the Roman Catholic Church was still the largest Christian sect in the world, their power had weakened. In order to protect their place at the pinnacle of the Christian sects, it was possible that they would use the knowledge in "The Book of the Law" to design something to replace the Gregorian Chant and so cover the loss in their fighting power. That would not be surprising. "No, they will not use ''The Book of the Law'' to build up their fighting capability. At least in the short term, the Roman Catholic Church will not attack anyone for ''The Book of the Law''. You do not have to worry about that." "Why?" "Hoho, it is a secret! I am not leaking it out." Seeing Laura speak with such confidence, Stiyl could not help but frown and think of the possibilities. Had the English Anglican Church signed an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church, thereby banning the use of "The Book of the Law"? ...If so, why would the Roman Catholic Church use Orsola to decode "The Book of the Law"? "Looking at your expression, it seems like you are still not reassured. Really, did I not tell you not to worry?" "But then..." "Okay, okay, stop nagging. Even if the Roman Catholic Church wanted to use ''The Book of the Law'' for whatever purpose, they could not do it now." Before Stiyl could even ask why, Laura continued on. "Because ''The Book of the Law'' has been stolen by Orsola Aquinas." "What did you say...by whom!?" Stiyl could not help but shout. The office workers around them, who had been heading toward the train station, turned around to look at him. "The work I want you to do after this will be your mission. The organisation that committed this criminal act should be the Amakusa Catholics in Japan." "Amakusa..." It was a Christian sect in Japan. Stiyls colleague, Kanzaki Kaori, used to be the leader of that sect. Stiyl himself, however, did not consider it to be a Christian sect; the Amakusa Catholic Church was infused with too many aspects of Shintoism and Buddhism, to the point that the basis of the Christian faith was long gone now. "The Amakusa Catholics are a lot smaller than the other religious factions in Rome, Britain, Russia, and other countries. The reason why it is still able to exist is Kanzaki. Now, after having lost Kanzaki, their pillar of support, it is not unthinkable of them to steal ''The Book of the Law'' in order to gain new power. After all, ''The Book of the Law'' is capable of destroying the balance of the Christian religion." If Orsola Aquinas and "The Book of the Law" were to fall into the hands of the Amakusa Catholics, they could use it anytime--in fact, it would be weird if they did not use it at all. "But!" Stiyl exclaimed rudely, "Isnt ''The Book of the Law'' hidden in the depths of the Vatican library? A small organisation like these power-hungry Amakusa Catholics cant possibly have the capability to get inside! I was protecting Index as I entered the Vatican library, so Im positive that there are no blind spots down there! The only thing that can describe the security is an iron wall!" "Actually, ''The Book of the Law'' is not inside the Vatican library." "What?" Stiyls expression was blank. A horse carriage used for sightseeing passed by Stiyl as the horse neighed, the license plate hanging behind the carriage. "In order to organise an international exhibition, the Roman Catholic Church sent ''The Book of the Law'' to a Japanese museum. It is like the Laterano Church in Rome, where it is believed that the ''Son of God'' bled while walking up the ''Holy Path''. You know why those things are being shown to the common people, do you not?" Every few years, the Church would showcase important historical or biblical items to the public. The reason was simple: these were the tools to attract donations and believers. After losing their largest fighting force, the three-thousand-strong Gregorian Chant, the Roman Catholic Church must have been trying to strengthen itself through as many ways as possible, including the development of new spells and training of its members. It was most effective to recruit these new believers in places where there were few Christians; because of that, Japan was the perfect target. But because there were few believers there, the support that the Church could give to agents in Japan was much less. It seemed like the Amakusa Catholics had timed this well. "That''s stupid...bringing out such a dangerous thing to show it to the world, and even losing it in the process--the Roman Catholic Church has really disgraced us Christians." "Hoho, I believe the Roman Catholics have a deeper understanding of that than us. Even if they had a geographical advantage, for an item of the Roman Catholic Church to be stolen by a small sect in the Far East, I guess it means that the Roman Catholics have been discredited." "Haiz, does this mean that they''re asking us for help?" "No, those guys want to settle this their own way. I worked really hard to get this information. To them, that kind of secrecy may be a sort of saving grace, but I really want to scold those guys and tell them to stop dreaming." "Hm? Does this mean that we aren''t getting the ''Book of the Law'' and Orsola back for the sake of the Roman Catholics?" "They are not spilling the beans, but if Orsola Aquinas can really decipher the ''Book of the Law'', we are involved in this one way or another." "...youre trying to do them a favor? Do you think that those ''noble clergymen'' even understand the act of repaying a good deed?" Stiyl said with disdain. In Stiyls impression, possibly because they had once controlled Europe entirely, the Roman Catholics--besides the believers who knew nothing about magic, of course--were rather arrogant, especially those stubborn hard-liner priests and bishops. Forget about going against them; even if one tried to help them, they would snobbishly say, "Were not so pitiful as to need to accept any assistance." "I have no intention of helping those guys who corrupt the Church and cause it to splinter. We have a much bigger problem." "What?" "Kanzaki Kaori is missing." After Laura spoke succinctly, Stiyl immediately turned around. Kanzaki had originally been the leader of the Amakusa sect. Now, although she had already left the Amakusa, she still cared for them. Once she knew that they had caused such a problem and were now in conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian sect in the world with two billion believers, how would she respond? Kanzaki was a Saint, one of less than twenty people in the world that possessed the Stigma. The power that she had was almost equivalent to a nuclear bomb. If she left the control of the English Anglican Church and directly attacked the Roman Catholics, what consequences would there be...? "Knowing her, she will do anything. It would be okay if it were an ordinary person, but with her power..." Laura sighed heavily. "I hope that you can clean up the mess before Kanzaki does something seriously bad; that is your main priority. I do not care what you do, whether it is saving ''The Book of the Law'' or Orsola, telling the Amakusa to surrender, or forcing the Amakusa or Kanzaki to surrender." "Youre telling me to beat Kanzaki?" "If there is such a need." Laura said clearly and forcefully, "Once the rest of our members are done with their missions, I will be sending them to Japan and Rome. I hope that you can do this on your own, however. Go to Academy City first." As if spitting his doubts out, Stiyl blew the white smoke of the cigarette out of his mouth. He was not worried about having to do this alone, the magician Stiyl just was not suited to working in a team. Besides his character flaws, the flame magic he used was a huge problem; if he was not careful and used his full power, the comrades around him might end up getting swallowed by flames and smoke. His Innocentius became stronger the more runes there were. It may be unreliable, but its power could not be belittled. The 3,000-degree-Celsius fire could move about freely. To pursue its enemies, it could even melt iron easily. To enemies, it was like a god of death. Besides that boy''s right hand, there was almost no way to stop Innocentius. Using that terrifying magic, Stiyl had destroyed several magical societies on his own. So, working alone was not a problem. "Isnt this a problem on the Churchs side? Why bring in the Science side?" "Index." Laura said a persons--no, a tools name. "Since it concerns a magic book, especially the original ''Book of the Law'', we need all the technical knowledge we can get. I have discussed it with Academy City, so you can bring ''that'' around- but there is one condition, and that is to bring the guardian along." "..." "What now? Its rare to work together with ''that''; why are you so unhappy?" "Nothing." Stiyl seemed to have suppressed many feelings within him, as the expression on his face suddenly vanished. "...that guardian, is it the Imagine Breaker?" "That is right. You should be able to make use of him. Oh, do not kill him though, since he is borrowed property." "Bringing people from Academy City into a battle between magicians, wouldn''t there be a problem?" "Regarding that, we can settle it with a few tricks. Of course, the conditions that the other party has given us are unavoidable, and I do not have the time to negotiate with them." "I...see." Stiyl could not understand what the leaders of Academy City were thinking, nor could he understand what Laura, who was standing right beside him, was thinking. Maybe they had carried out a few deals under the table. Anyway, these were not things that a minion like Stiyl should interfere in. "Oh, Stiyl, bring this along." Laura pulled out a small cross-shaped necklace from the sleeve of her simple robe and tossed it to Stiyl. Stiyl caught the symbol of belief with one hand and asked, "A tool? Although it doesn''t seem to be enhanced by any magic." "Just a little present for Orsola Aquinas. If you meet her, immediately find the opportunity to give it to her." Stiyl did not understand what that meant, and Laura had no intention of explaining. This was a "Dont ask, just do as I say" scenario. At that moment, the two stopped. Having walked for ten minutes from the extremely large London train station, a church that did not seem to have the right to be called a "cathedral" was in front of them. St. George Cathedral. A dark holy city filled with a terrible history of witch hunting, religious trials, and even the famous Frenchwoman Joan of Arc. Walking in front of Stiyl, Laura grabbed the handle of the heavy door. "Okay." Laura pushed the two heavy doors aside and invited the priest in. She did not use her rune card this time, instead opening her small, peach-like mouth and speaking in a clear voice, "Regarding the details, we will talk about them inside." Notes 1. In the original text, the author purposely uses something that sounds like old Japanese for Lauras dialogue. Volume 7, 1: Academy City. Science_Worship. Volume 7, Chapter 1: Academy City. Science_Worship. Part 1 "So the second semester is rather hectic. There are so many activities during this time that we cant count them all: Daihaseisai, Ichihanaransai, hiking, training, school excursions, Art Appreciation Day, Social Learning Day, Cleaning Day, end-of-term exams, tuition, and the dreaded after-class remedials! To prepare for all those festivals, everyone will be very busy."[1] September 8th. In the afternoon, Tsuchimikado Maika spoke casually while moving down the corridor. She was about as old as Index and maybe a bit smaller than her, but she always wore a maid uniform. What was more amazing was that she normally sat on a cylindrical cleaning machine. Whenever the cleaning machine tried to move according to its instructions, Maika would put a mop in front of it so that it could only shake about gently. But Im bored now. What should I do? Touma doesn''t even care about me or play with me! Shaking her body about and protesting at Maika, Index rattled on. Her silver hair swayed together with her white nun cap. The calico cat in her slender arms raised its front paws and swung them around, seemingly attracted to the shiny gold embroidery on her cap. Index understood that Kamijou seemed busy recently. But in Academy City, Kamijou was the only one who talked to her. Of course, Kamijou Touma had not confined Index to his room in the dormitory; Index had the spare key to the room, and when Kamijou was at school, Index would spend her time walking around. (But she was powerless when it came to the automatic ticket gates; any fingerprint, pulse, or human nervous flow identifiers; or anything related to electronics, and would run away from them). Academy City was different from any other city. Academy City had been built soon after the development of west Tokyo, and eighty percent of its population was composed of students. When Kamijou went to school, Himegami and Komoe were also at school. So, even if Index wanted to find someone to talk to, the streets would be empty; though, after spending a week exploring, Index had found that the young lady at the clothes shop would talk to her when she was not arranging the goods. Index felt, however, that her objective was not to talk to just her. Only Tsuchimikado Maika could be considered an exception. In Academy City, where everyone had to act according to schedule, only she was not constrained by it. No matter if it was morning or afternoon, Index would occasionally find her on the streets. She could be found everywhere: convenience stores, department stores, parks, bakeries, station buildings, student dormitories, streets, schools... The robot continued to try and move forward, and as Maika smacked it with her hand, she said, "Kamijou Touma has his own things to do...you cant give him too much trouble. Anyway, its not like he''s intentionally left you behind. Studying is a really tiring thing." "Uhm...I understand...but why doesn''t Maika need to go to school?" "Hoho, because Im an exception; a maid doing practical work is a very normal thing!" The home economics school that Tsuchimikado Maika attended was not just any weird school that still produced maids in this age. The maids from that school were specially trained to assist their masters. From cleaning up chewing gum on the streets to having a meeting with the leaders of the world, nothing could stump them. So, Maika had to go everywhere to do all sorts of practical work. Not all the school''s students could go out and do such work like Maika, however; that was a special privilege that was earned after the school had tested the student and had felt that "although she is an apprentice maid, she is capable enough to not disgrace the schools name". Index, who did not understand the toil and tears behind all that, tilted her cute little head and said, "As long as Im a maid, I can go wherever I want, anytime? Not confined by school? I would even able to go to Toumas school?" "No, a maid isnt really like that" "Then I want to be a maid! I can then go and play with Touma!" "Although it sounds touching, the life of a maid is really tough, especially for someone like you, who cant do housework and waits for a boy to prepare your lunch in the morning. Being a maid would be really tough for you." "Then let Touma be the maid! Then I can call Touma to play with me!" "That really sounds so touching that someone could cry, but for Kamijou Toumas sake, I advise you not to tell him that." "Uuuuuuu..." The bored girl beat her cheeks, rapidly swinging her body about. "Hm, Im sorry; whether its you or him, neither of you will have the time to be maids." A voice suddenly came from behind the pure-white girl. "Eh?" Indexs mind instantly went blank. Maika, who was facing Index, saw the figure behind her. Besides panic, there was a look of fear on her face. Who was it...? Before the nun could turn and ask, a large hand covered her mouth like tape. Part 2 An ordinary high school student, Kamijou Touma, walked slowly down the street in the evening. Some cylindrical cleaning machines passed by him. The windmills, which had replaced transmission towers, spun their blades like they were chasing away the crows in the city. There were many hot-air balloons floating in the orange sky, but the things hanging below them were not ordinary billboards, but the latest ultra-thin screens. Like an electronic billboard with vertical marquees, the text read from bottom to top: "Be prepared! Lets work hard for Daihaseisai! CDiscipline Council" Daihaseisai was basically a sports carnival. But, as Academy City had several million students and all the schools were participating, the scale of the event was extremely large. All the students were espers, and the management committee of Academy City used the excuse of "collecting data when there was mutual interference between different powers" to encourage the students to use their powers during Daihaseisai. Thus, intensive battles between different espers could be expected. For example, during soccer or dodgeball matches, it was common to see vanishing balls, fireballs, and iceballs. Daihaseisai lasted one week, and during that time, Academy City was open to the public; even television cameras were allowed. It was said that the viewer ratings for the esper showdowns--which could not be seen during normal sports matches--were rather high. Because of that, the discipline committee was putting all its effort into preparing for Daihaseisai. Also, Academy City hoped to use the few days that it was open to the public to improve its image. Of course, Academy City did not forget about terrorists, as guards would be deployed at several important power development facilities, preventing such people from entering these secret areas. This... this is so tiring... That was what Kamijou had learned this past week. Due to certain circumstances, Kamijou had lost his memories, and had thus forgotten everything about Daihaseisai. According to what Touma had heard, though, this activity would be extremely dangerous for him. The design of Daihaseisai was not just "no restraint of powers", but rather "if you do not use your powers, youre going to be friends with the medical squad". In other words, even in a war horse game, there may be fireballs, lightning strikes, and flying knives. Kamijou looked at his hand. That hand had the Imagine Breaker ability. No matter if they were magical or psychic powers, once they touched that hand, they would disappear without a trace. But a power like that was not going to help Kamijou survive in a war zone between several espers. ...Why must I be exhausted in preparing for this event that will send me to hell...? Today, Kamijou had set up a tent in the campus set aside for visitors. Just after finishing, a female PE teacher had come with a wry smile and had said, Sorry, we won''t be using this tent. Touma had then taken it down. When he had finally finished, a female teacher who looked like a primary school student had angrily run over and had shouted, Ah! What are you doing, Kamijou!? Havent you heard the news? We still need this tent! In any case, "Such misfortune" was not enough to describe Kamijou''s life today. After meaninglessly toiling for a long time, Kamijou finally started dragging his tired body back to the student dormitory. Oh, yeah, there didnt seem to be anything left in the fridge. The supermarket was just in front of him, but Touma was penniless and would have to go back to his dorm to get money first. The thought of having to go out again after returning home made Kamijou extremely frustrated. The soles of his cheap basketball shoes were rather hard, making his legs extremely tired as he walked. When he finally approached the student dormitory, Kamijou heard a girls shout from above. Ah...Ka...Ka-ka...Kamijou Touma, Kamijou Touma! Hm? Kamijou looked up and saw Tsuchimikado Maika sticking her head out and waving her right arm from the seventh floor. She was still sitting on top of the cleaning robot, so what she was doing seemed rather dangerous. She had grabbed a mop and had laid it on the ground, however, to prevent the robot from advancing. It...its terrible! Why did you turn off your phone!? ? Kamijou heard that and pulled his cellphone--with a GPS function--out of his pocket. Sure enough, the power was off. After turning on the cellphone, he saw several messages from Tsuchimikado Maika. Though her expression was pale, Maika slowly continued to speak. Although suspicious, Kamijou still ran to the elevator. Kamijou arrived at his room on the seventh floor. Maika removed the mop and the cleaning robot slowly moved towards the elevator. For some reason, the calico cat that would normally be with Index was now sitting alone in the corridor. The cleaning robot arrived in front of Kamijou, and Maika again prevented it from moving forward by putting the mop in front of it. Its an emergency! The silver-haired nun has been taken away! What? Kamijou could not help but shout. Maikas face looked pale as she continued on. Its a kidnapping, abduction! The culprit said that if I call the guards, hed kill her, so I didnt do anything... Im sorry, Kamijou Touma! The silver-haired girl she was talking about should be Index. Maika did not look like she was joking. Moreover, there were too many possible reasons why Index would be kidnapped. She was a magical library with 103,000 magical texts memorised in her head. All the magicians in the world wanted the knowledge in her brain, and on August 31st, she had already been kidnapped once because of that reason. Wait a minute, what''s going on? Could you explain? Asked by Kamijou, Maika stuttered as she explained the details. Two hours ago, Maika had come to the student dormitory for practical work. While sweeping the floor, she had caught sight of a bored Index in the corridor of the seventh floor, and had gone to talk to her. In the middle of their chat, someone had suddenly covered Indexs mouth from behind and abducted her. When the kidnapper left, he gave me an envelope. There''s something written on the letter inside... Maika handed over a long, rectangular envelope normally used for sending advertisements. Her voice was trembling, likely not just due to fear, but probably because she was also blaming herself for her uselessness. Kamijou lowered his head, looking at the letter, and said, You dont have to blame yourself; its better than doing something and making the situation worse. Although it was intended to console Maika, that statement made her even more distressed. It could not be helped, since in an ordinary school life, there were very few chances to feel this kind of burning tension. Oh, yeah, what does that bastard look like? Maika looked up, thought for a while, and said, Uhm... His height was above 1.8 meters; he was white, but his Japanese was still very fluent; and I couldn''t tell what country he was from just from his appearance... Uh huh. He was wearing priests robes. Hm? But he had a strong perfume smell. His hair was dyed red and reached his shoulders. There was a silver ring on each of his fingers, and a tattoo that looked like a bar code under his right eye. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and he wore earrings... ...Oi, Im rather familiar with that bastardly British priest. Maika revealed a look of suspicion. Kamijou opened the envelope and found a letter inside. On the letter were neat rows of words, which seemed to have been written with a mechanical pencil. It looked like a ruler had been used to make them neat. "Kamijou Touma: if you want her alive, go to the abandoned theater Gloaming House outside Academy City at seven tonight. Alone." ...therere still people nowadays who''d use a ruler to disguise their handwriting? In this age, it was naive to believe that using a ruler disguised someone''s handwriting. Based on the technology of the laser that read the information on a CDs surface, investigators have developed a way to identify the different characteristics of when a persons fingers slightly trembled using the grooves in the text. Not to mention, many people in Academy City were mind-readers. This guy might have done everything properly, but to Kamijou, it was just a lame joke. What on earth is that idiot doing? Dont tell me he came to play with us just because its summer holidays now? According to Maikas testimony, the culprit who had abducted Index was her colleague, Stiyl Magnus. But that guy would never do anything to endanger her; on the contrary, that guy would rush into enemy territory to protect her. The tension vanished in an instant. Kamijou could not help but feel sympathy for the distressed Maika. Erm... Maika, dont worry. The culprit should be a friend of Index''s and mine, so dont worry... The cul...culprit is a friend? Then isnt the motive twisted love? Ah, erm...it isnt really that sort of thing...though its true that this twisted love may exist... Seeing Maikas face become even paler, Kamijou sighed. When he flipped the envelope upside down, a stack of papers fell out. Opening and looking at them, Kamijou realised that they were exit permits and other related documents. All the blanks had been filled in. Kamijou could not help but think, How did they do all these? Its true that one can easily leave Academy City with these documents, but to request for all these would require a serious examination... The strong contrast between the stupidity of the threatening letter and the well-preparedness of the required documents stunned Kamijou. What on Earth is that priest thinking? Part 3 The abandoned "Gloaming House" was located about three kilometers away from Academy City. Business had stopped just three weeks ago, which was why the building still did not look damaged. Furthermore, all the interior equipment had been removed, so it seemed rather empty inside right now, and, as no one had swept the area since then, everything was covered in dust. It could not be considered a ruin, though. The place could be reopened if one cleaned it up and reinstalled the equipment. It looked like a "hibernating" building. Maybe the owner was not planning to take down the building for now and was looking for a new buyer. Index was waiting on the empty stage. The hall was large, about as big as a sports hall, and the auditorium and the stage were joined together. There were no windows, and the lighting had been removed, so the only source of light was the setting sun outside the five opened doors. Index knelt on the dim stage, frowning and showing her displeasure. Despicable man. I cant deny that, nor will I do so. Until he controlled his emotions, Stiyl Magnus looked a bit fearful facing the girls hostile glare. In the dim area, the flaming tip of his cigarette twitched up and down. The white smoke swayed in the air before it grazed the "No Smoking" sign and disappeared. You should be able to understand all this, right? I wont ask you if I need to repeat myself, since with your memory, repeating the same thing over again is meaningless. ...an official order from the English Anglican Church. Index remembered the explanation she had been given when she had first arrived here. There was finally someone who could decode The Book of the Law, which no one had been able to decode before. That persons name was Orsola Aquinas. It was feared that once someone successfully decoded The Book of the Law, the Angelic Technique could then be used. When Orsola had come to Japan, the book had been stolen, and the culprits were believed to be the Amakusa Catholics. Thus, the Roman Catholics had begun a series of actions to get back The Book of the Law and Orsola. Kanzaki Kaori, the former leader of the Amakusa Catholics, now a member of the English Anglicans, was missing, and she might possibly do something she should not. On the surface, the English Puritans seemed to be on the side of the Roman Catholics, but in actuality, they wanted to defuse this situation before Kanzaki Kaori could do anything troublesome. Such a formal job, and you want to get Touma involved? To be honest, I dont see the need to get him involved, either; these are orders from the higher-ups, however. Stiyl twitched his cigarette and said, Besides, our position is rather awkward, too. If we were to ask Kamijou Touma, who belongs to Academy City, directly, people may view it as the Science side interfering with internal affairs on the Magic side. If this affair had happened within Academy City, we could use the excuse of self-defence for Kamijou Touma, but such an excuse wont work now. So, in order to get him to participate, we needed to give him a motive. That was why Stiyl had kidnapped Index. In other words, the reason Kamijou left Academy City would be "to rescue Index", and that would not be related to Orsola or The Book of the Law. But while doing so, he would "just so happen" to meet the Amakusa Catholics, and in order to protect Index, he would have to fight them: that was the excuse that Stiyl had planned for Kamijou. Although she was from the Magic side, Index could stay in Academy City temporarily due to a certain deal made between Academy City and the English Anglicans. Thus, for Kamijou Touma, a resident of Academy City, to rescue Index, the guest, was not a strange thing. I understand everything up to now, but I cant accept it. Really? Thats right; theres no need to beat around the bush to do this. Just a little Please help me! will be enough to get Touma to come to my rescue. No matter how dangerous the place is, he''ll always come. That''s why I dont want his help. ...really. Stiyl smiled faintly. Like a father listening to a girl talking about her favorite boyfriend, Stiyl revealed a slight smile. Okay, what will you do next? The Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas are now in the Amakusa Catholics'' hands, right? If so, are you going to rush into the enemys base? The girl asked rather seriously. Now that Kamijou was involved, she wanted to get accurate information to try to decrease the level of danger that Kamijou Touma would face. No, the situation has changed. Distressed, Stiyl blew out white smoke as he said, Eleven minutes ago, in order to rescue Orsola, the Roman Catholics began a fierce battle with the escaping Amakusa Catholics. Index squinted her eyes. The method of communication was most likely the smoke from that cigarette. Several times, Index had found that the long trails of smoke had magic in them, and though there was no wind, the white smoke quivered unnaturally. No matter the age, smoke signals have always been used as a tool of long-distance communication. Stored in Indexs memory were many ways to utilise smoke signals. There is no need for me to be here if the battle was successful, right? Thats right. It wasnt a complete victory, however; it seems to have been an intense battle. Luckily, no one was killed. But The Book of the Law is still missing, and Orsola was reported to have escaped amidst the chaos. When you say that she has escaped, does that mean that she hasnt met up with the Roman Catholics? Thats right. Shes still missing, so she might end up in the hands of the Amakusa Catholics again. ...that doesnt sound good. If a hostage tried to escape, the kidnapper would naturally respond with violence. If a hostage who had escaped once were to be recaptured, the kidnapper would use whatever cruel means necessary to make the hostage not think of escaping again. It seemed that, in this situation, time was of the essence. Right now, the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa Catholics must have been trying to find and recover the escaped Orsola. Too bad I cant change the contents of the letter, or else I''d tell Kamijou Touma to get here faster. If possible, I''d like to meet him before my co-combatant from the Roman Catholic Church arrives... Right after Stiyl had finished speaking, a figure appeared in the wide-open entrance of the hall. ...too bad; it seems like we cant wait for him. We have to go. The figure belonged to the co-combatant. Part 4 It seems like Ive been out quite often...if possible, I''d like to do some good sightseeing. Now outside Academy City, Kamijou muttered to himself as he proceeded through the perimeter wall. The height of the wall was more than five meters; the thickness, around three meters. Come to think of it, during the preparation of Daihaseisai, the security''s been rather lax. Kamijou turned back and looked at the entrance of Academy City from a distance. For Daihaseisai, a festival with an attendance of 2.3 million people, the preparations needed were quite vast, not to mention that there would be many outsiders from different industries coming to Academy City. The security in Academy City was normally rather tight, but the situation now forced them to let down their guard. With the documents that Kamijou had, the guard inspection had become even more relaxed. To cut a long story short, after Kamijou had handed the calico cat over to Tsuchimikado Maika, he had left Academy City. Looking at his watch, he noticed that it was now just past 6 PM; there was still nearly one hour until the time indicated in the letter. Kamijou had to put in a lot of effort to find the location of the Gloaming House, since the GPS map on the phone had not indicated any abandoned buildings. It was at that point that Kamijou had realised refreshing information too fast had its own downsides. Kamijou had then thought of an alternative plan, and had therefore gone to a convenience store to buy one of those faded, slower-updating Tokyo tourist handbooks. But upon searching his pockets, he had realised that he had not brought his wallet along. Thinking about it, he had immediately rushed out of Academy City after talking to Maika, and so had forgotten to get his wallet. Out of ideas, Kamijou could only endure the stare of the store clerk as he memorised the map into his head. Erm...after walking through that lane, past that road...Ugh! I''m forgetting just about everything! How I really envy Indexs brain... Kamijou let his thoughts run wild as he walked toward a bus stop. There was still one kilometer left to the designated location. Tired after the day at school, Kamijou really wanted to just sit on a bus and enjoy the air conditioning while it took him to his destination. Too bad he did not even have a yen on him. Damn it...*sigh*...I dont care if I can ride a bus or not; all I want is a place where theres an air conditioner. The bus stop was rather small. There was only a large plastic umbrella over two long benches, both of which were so old that they were covered in cracks. At that moment, Kamijou found someone standing at the bus stop. She seemed like a foreigner, and was about as tall as Kamijou. Her eyes were fixed on the timetable. She stared at it for a long time, however, and it seemed like she was having trouble. Her attire, a black nuns robe that she still wore in such hot weather, was rather unique. Naturally, the sleeves and the dress were long. Looking closer, Kamijou noticed long silver zippers around the elbows and about 20 cm above the knees. It seemed like the sleeves and skirt of the nuns robe were detachable, though she had not done that. Her hands were covered with thin white gloves, and her hair could not be seen, for it was not only covered by a nuns cap, like what Index wore, but also a scarf. Since her hair could be covered just like that, it would seem she had short hair. Kamijou looked at her out of the corner of his eye and thought: Uh, its a nun...could she be a killer nun who''s related to Index? That thought might have been considered a severe prejudice to all the nuns in the world, but Kamijou had suffered during the summer thanks to people like Stiyl and Tsuchimikado. Now, whenever Kamijou saw a girl in nuns'' clothing, he would naturally be cautious. Im sorry... The nun suddenly started talking to Kamijou, speaking in rather polite Japanese. Sorry to take your time, but may I ask: can I take this bus to get to Academy City? Not only was she courteous, but there was also a sense of awkwardness. Kamijou stopped and looked at the nun. The attire that covered her entire body made her large breasts and slim waist stand out even more; some may even have suspected that she was emphasizing them on purpose. Anyway, she was a weird one. No way, theres no bus that goes to Academy City. Eh? Theres no transport link between Academy City and the outside world, so one cant take a bus or tram there. Only the taxis that are registered by Academy City can go in there, but walking is a lot less expensive. I see, so thats why you chose to walk out of Academy City. The nun spoke nonchalantly. Kamijou looked up. It was not possible to see the entrance to Academy City from here. He looked back at the nun, who pulled out something from her sleeve. Looking closely, he saw it was actually a cheap-looking mini-telescope that was used in theaters. I used this to watch you leave Academy City, she said as she smiled. At that moment, a bus arrived. Like the bus stop, it looked rather dilapidated. The automatic doors of the bus opened, releasing a sound like a soft drink bottle being opened. Kamijou did not intend to take the bus, so he walked away from the bus stop. He turned to the nun and said, In any case, taking the bus is not going to bring you to Academy City. If you have an entry permit, you just need to walk to the entrance. It takes only about seven to eight minutes to get there. Many thanks. Im grateful that you would take some time off your busy schedule to guide me. The nun dressed in black gave a brilliant smile, bowed to Kamijou, and then -got on the bus. ...Oi! Didnt I tell you that you cant take the bus just five seconds ago?! Ah, ya. You did say that, alright. The nun grabbed the hem of her dress with both hands and hastily got off the bus now parked on the road. Kamijou then went on: I just told you. There''s no transport link between Academy City and the outside world, so one cant take a bus or a tram there. If you want to get there, you just have to walk there, do you understand? You did say that. Im sorry to bother you so many times. The nun smiled bitterly, nodding to show her appreciation. She then climbed the steps of the bus and got on. Hey! You arent smiling just to let my words fall on deaf ears, are you? Eh? No, I never had that intention. The nun again rushed down from the bus. The bus driver showed a look of irritation, closed the doors, and rudely drove off. Kamijou felt worried when he saw that the nun still looked confused. This lady would most likely get lost within ten minutes if no one was looking out for her. The nun did not seem to sense Kamijous worries, however, and said, Aiya. Why do you look so frustrated? Would you like some candy? Im not really frustrated...what flavor is this candy? Orange? Kamijou instinctively took the orange-red candy. He was too embarrassed to throw it away, so he put it into his mouth. After sucking on it for a while... So bitter! What is this? Its definitely not orange! ...erm, it seems to be astringent persimmon flavor. Im not sure about the details, but I heard that it can quench thirst. ...oh, thats because it can easily stimulate the secretion of saliva. But the weather is so hot now that all the water content in the body would evaporate, so it makes no sense to produce saliva. Ara, you want to replenish your body fluids? Why didnt you say so earlier? I have some tea here. Although I really want to ask why you would put a thermoflask into the sleeve of your robe, never mind. I just so happen to be thirsty. What kind of tea is that? Barley tea. Oh, I want it; can I have some? Kamijou said happily. Drinking ice-cold barley tea in the summer is the best, Kamijou thought. He accepted the thermoflask''s cap, which was now filled with barley tea. ----so hot! Why is this barley tea scalding hot? Eh? I heard that drinking hot drinks during hot weather is part of your countrys culture... An old granny! Youre an old granny, right? No wonder I felt that your mannerisms were too weird; your thought process is like that of an old granny! Kamijou roared while the nun gave a friendly smile. At this point, he could not just pour away the barley tea in the cap. Kamijou trembled as he poured that barley tea, hot as lava, into his throat. ...er...thanks. Oh, yeah, Miss Nun, may I ask you something? Are you going to Academy City? Erm, I just said this, but to enter Academy City, one must have an entry permit issued by the city. Do you have one? Entry permit...? Of course, the nun revealed a surprised look. Needless to say, without an entry permit, one could not get through the entrance gate. After Kamijou explained the entire situation to the nun, she gave a troubled look. She placed her hand on her head and said, May I know how can I get this permit? ...Im sorry, its impossible for any ordinary person to get one. Only a close relative of a student or an industry worker who''s delivering goods and materials can get one, and they have to be vetted first. Oh...if so, then Ill have to give up. The nun drooped her shoulders, looking rather sad. But her giving up so easily made it seem like it was not really important to her to get inside Academy City. Its not that I dont want to help, but I cant help her out now... A sense of guilt crept into Kamijous mind. The nun said to Kamijou, Then I shall say goodbye here, before walking toward Academy City. Stop right there! Didnt I tell you that you cant go into Academy City without an entry permit...are you listening!? The nun revealed a look of realisation, stopped, and then turned around. She had been smiling happily a while ago, but now she looked rather disappointed, as if a cloud of haze hovered over her. Kamijou saw the troubled look on the nuns face and did not know what to do. While the magicians without permits had been able to get past the wall easily and whenever they wanted to, the nun in front of him did not seem to have that sort of ability. Thinking about it for a while, Kamijou could not come up with anything that would help the nun. No matter the situation, one had to have an entry permit to get into Academy City. He had no time to dilly-dally at a place like this since he has to deal with Index first. He had to get to the designated location at the designated time, no matter what. Oh, yeah, why do you want to get into Academy City? Erm... The nun tilted her head slightly and said, Actually, Im being hunted right now. Upon hearing that, Kamijou felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped by several degrees. Being hunted...? Yes. Its a bit complicated, but right now, Im trying my best to escape. I heard that even with the power of many churches, they cant enter Academy City, so I wanted to escape to Academy City and hide there. The church...hey, dont tell me you have something to do with the magicians...? The nun was somewhat surprised on hearing that. She said, Do you know about the existence of magicians? Looking at your reaction, I guess Im right. Kamijou sighed and continued, But if youre really being hunted, even escaping into Academy City won''t be completely safe. Academy City has been invaded by magicians constantly. After seeing what had happened to Index firsthand, Kamijou understood that the magicians would never give up just because the target had escaped into Academy City. Then what should I do...? The nun looked like she was going to cry. Kamijou obviously understood how scary the magicians were, so he did not want to abandon her. ...can you read the bus route map? Buses are such old news now--like several hundred years ago! Where did this route map come out from!? Werent we talking about how to get to Academy City!? Kamijou exclaimed. The nun again revealed a stunned look. Kamijou was really in a fix thanks to this nun. If this nun was really being hunted by the magicians, then he could not just leave her alone, but Kamijou had something really urgent that he needed to take care of right now. Now that Index had been "kidnapped", he was worried. Even though this kidnapping sounded like a hoax, he could not just ignore it. Kamijou, who unwillingly had to make a choice between these two, pulled his hair roughly, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, he thought of a good idea. Wait, wait, wait... if I bring this nun along while I''m looking for Index, wouldnt that solve the problem? It really was a good idea--except that it had been clearly written in the letter that he had to "go there alone". Part 5 Stiyl and Index walked out of the theater hall of the Gloaming House and arrived at the lobby, which seemed to be where the ticket booth had originally been. A girl in black nun robes was walking in front of them. She seemed to be a year or two younger than Index. Her hair was slightly reddish and was tied into many pencil-thin braids. The sleeves of her robe nearly covered her fingers, but her skirt was so short that her thighs were exposed. Looking closely, there seemed to be something that looked like a zipper on the lower edge of her skirt. It seemed like the skirt was part of a detachable dress, but only the lower half had been removed. She appeared extremely thin, as her slim waist was even slimmer than Index''s, who was rather thin herself. She was about as tall as Index, but she wore soft wooden sandals with soles about 30 cm thick; as she walked, they made a sound like horseshoes tapping on the ground. These sandals were called "chopines", and had been very fashionable in Italy during the 17th century. She was a nun from the Roman Catholic Church. Her name was Agnese Sanctis. The situation is extremely chaotic right now; theres so much information that we cant handle it all. We have no idea where Orsola is right now. Also, The Book of the Law is still missing. That''s really bothering us. None of the people present were Japanese; Agnese, however, was speaking in fluent Japanese. Just now, we ambushed the Amakusa Catholics as they were deporting Orsola. Although some of us managed to save her, she got taken away by them again before the rest could meet up with her. Then we got her back, but then another group of Amakusa Catholics captured her again...and this went on and on and on. Because the area in which we trapped them was too big, it ended up that each group had too few people despite our large numbers, and the Amakusa Catholics got an opportunity. Just as both sides were fighting to get Orsola, she disappeared. Agneses Japanese was mixed with polite honorifics and rude words. If she learned her Japanese while doing her mission in Japan, then it seems like the Japanese people that she talked to were mostly detectives or policemen, Stiyl thought. He saw Agnese turn around to look at him. Her short skirt lifted slightly, revealing even more of her snow-white thighs. What, got a problem? Ah, Im sorry, its not that I dont speak English, but my English has a very heavy Italian accent. I dont really mind if Im talking to people of other countries, but I dont dare show my inferior English to you British. Stiyl did not seem to mind, as he shook the cigarette in his mouth and said, You dont have to worry about those trivial issues; we can even talk in Italian. Please dont speak Italian. If I were to hear anyone speak Italian with such a strong British accent, I''d probably laugh so much that I wouldn''t be able to focus on my work. In this situation, its better to use another language that we can communicate with, like Japanese. No one will argue if we use a language that neither of us are comfortable with. Agneses thick sandals continued to make that horseshoe-tapping sound. It sounds like she has a point, but if she were to follow this logic, how would she communicate if she were to meet a Japanese person? Stiyl unnecessarily thought for her. Also, if she isnt going to use the native language to speak with the people of a country, what would be the point of learning their language? Up until now, Index had remained silent. Stiyl stole a glance at Index, who was still unhappy as she curled her lips, not saying a single word. He then turned back to Agnese and said, Then, does that mean that the Amakusa Catholics, who stole The Book of the Law and Orsola from you guys, are a threatening force? You were trying to say, The largest Christian sect in the world, the Roman Catholics, are useless despite looking so strong, right? To be honest, we cant argue against that. Just by looking at the numbers and armaments, we clearly have the upper hand, but they have the geographical advantage, especially since Japan is their territory. Were really angry over being overwhelmed by a much smaller organisation, but I have to admit, they''re really strong. ...so it seems that they wont just surrender quietly. Stiyls voice hinted at a sense of disappointment. Forcing an opponent to surrender after showing them a disparity in power would be the fastest and most peaceful way to resolve this situation. But now that the enemy had enough ability to reject any negotiations, it seemed that a long fight would be inevitable. The longer the battle against the Amakusa Catholics, the more likely the chance that Kanzaki would intervene. This meant that, in order to complete the mission, Stiyl would have to give up all forms of compassion and take the Amakusa Catholics out quickly before Kanzaki could realise what was going on. The objective of the Roman Catholics was to retrieve The Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas, not to destroy the Amakusa Catholics. Once they completed their objective, the Roman Catholics would pull out immediately. Now, they just had to try and make the Amakusa Catholics lose their will to fight. Im quite unfamiliar with Christian history in Japan. Do you know what kind of techniques they use? Maybe I can make use of how the enemy fights to prepare some searching or defensive types of magical arrays or talismans. Although Stiyl had often fought alongside Kanzaki, who had originally been a member of the Amakusa Catholics, he had no intention to analyse the techniques she had used; that was because Kanzaki was a Saint, one of less than twenty people in the world who possessed the Stigma. Even if he were to do the analysis correctly, an ordinary man like Stiyl would not be able to use the techniques anyway. It was like how no one would use a 50-cm ruler to measure the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Agnese seemed to find it difficult to answer the question that the priest had raised. To be honest...we haven''t yet gathered enough information regarding the techniques that the Amakusa Catholics use. Since theyre derived from Saint Franciscos[2] Society of Jesus, they should be a branch of the Roman Catholic Church. But they''ve been so greatly influenced by Japan and China that theyre now completely different from the Roman Catholic Church. Hearing that, Stiyl did not blame Agnese. These people were able to sense that the Amakusa style was mixed with some aspects of Buddhism and Shintoism after fighting them for just two days, which showed that their analytical abilities were rather strong. Stiyl turned to look at Index, wanting to seek her advice. Now was the right time for Index, who had knowledge exceeding ten thousand times that of a normal person, to fulfill her role. The pure-white nun remained calm and composed as she said, The Amakusas speciality is secrecy, since theyre Christians whose nature is to deceive others; they hide the teachings of Christianity inside Shintoism and Buddhism completely, and use rituals and techniques as part of their greetings, diet, and behavior in their everyday lives. They cover all their tracks so that others wont even notice their existence. Thus, they dont use any spells or magical arrays. They use pots, pans, kitchen knives, bathrooms, quilts, showers, humming...any thing or action that looks rather ordinary to activate their magic. Because of that, no matter how skilled the magician is, they''d be fooled once they entered the ceremonial area of the Amakusa, since, to them, it just looks like an ordinary kitchen or bathroom. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth and said, So, this is a group of experts highly skilled in the Idol Theory. Hm, seems like their specialty would be long-range sniping and not close-range combat. Hopefully, they dont have a large technique like the Gregorian Chant. No. Theyve been studying other countries cultures ever since the Edo period, and have fused sword techniques of all ages to create their own unique style. Theyre able to use any weapon with ease, whether it be a Japanese sword or a Western broadsword. ...theyre well-versed in both literature and martial arts? That''s really troublesome. Stiyl felt vexed. Agnese, who had unknowingly been left out of the conversation, angrily kicked the floor with her soles. With every kick, her extremely short miniskirt would flip up slightly, making a rather funny "pop" sound in the process. Dangling the cigarette in his mouth, the priest turned to look at Agnese. Can you tell me where well be looking for The Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas? We cant just idle around and do nothing. Tell me, where do we start? Ah, well do the searching. Suddenly involved in the conversation again, Agnese was obviously flustered. She quickly straightened herself. Human wave tactics are our specialty. We have about 250 of our members here, so it wouldn''t even matter if we were to add one or two more; it wouldn''t make much of a difference. Also, you use a different command system, so it would likely cause more confusion than good. ...then why bring me here? Stiyl frowned as he asked. Agnese smiled and said, Simple: theres a place we cant search, and we need your help. Which place? Japan doesnt have a church thats directly governed by the English Anglicans. The only place were allowed to search is the British embassy. No, Im talking about Academy City. Agnese raised her hand as she said, Once Orsola escapes to Academy City, the Amakusa wont be able to catch her. That isnt impossible, is it? No, it might be harder to capture her. So, I had hoped to use you guys to get in touch with Academy City. The Roman Catholic Church has no connections within Academy City, so its a bit bothersome for us." I see... but since its for that sort of reason, you should have told me earlier; that way, it would''ve saved a lot of hassle. Index, who was temporarily staying in Academy City, understood that there was a certain level of relationship between Academy City and the English Anglicans. Of course, the significance of this diplomatic relationship was not large, but if the Roman Catholics, who did not have any diplomatic relations, were to contact Academy City through the English Anglicans, who did have some link with them, there would be less of a disturbance. ...anyway, if Orsola were to escape to Academy City, the situation would get rather complicated. That''s just a possibility, though. Hopefully, Orsola will not panic so much that she loses her common sense. In any case, how long would it take for you guys to contact Academy City, and confirm whether Orsola is in there or not? Its impossible to settle all those things with just a phone call; I''d have to call St. George Cathedral first, and then communicate with Academy City through them...even if its an emergency situation, itd take about seven to ten minutes. If we wanted permission to enter Academy City, itd be even more troublesome. Technically, we could still sneak in, but being in official positions, we''d be better off not doing that. Anyway, please try and confirm it as fast as possible- Halfway through her sentence, Agnese suddenly froze. Following her line of sight, Stiyl realised that she was looking at the entrance on the other side of the lobby. Made of five glass doors that opened outward, the theater entrance was rather big. What? Whats going on-? Even Stiyl froze after halfway through his question. Hm? On the other side of the windowpanes, there was an open patch of ground covered with asphalt: the parking lot. Although the theater was extremely big, the open area was tiny. Tenacious weeds had grown and emerged from the cracks in the hard asphalt. There was nothing else in the empty area..except for two shadows on the empty, abandoned lot. The two shadows belonged to two people. Ah, its Touma. Index said the name of the rather familiar-looking boy. Or... Orsola Aquinas? Agnese said the name of the black-robed nun beside the boy. The two people, whose names had been called, did not see the magicians that were inside the Gloaming House. Part 6 Let us rewind time a little bit. Although it was now evening and the air was cool, the fatigue brought by walking three kilometers in the summer seemed to had far exceeded Kamijous imagination. Come... come to think of it, todays Physical Education lesson and several other things have tired me out... Kamijou, who had left his wallet in the dormitory, could only walk on. Notably, the slightly older nun, dressed in black and walking beside him, was also penniless. God knew how she was going to take the bus. Anyway, Kamijou, who had already walked three kilometers in this hot September, arrived at the entrance of the Gloaming House, sweaty and tired. May I ask... Sister, the weathers so hot, and youre wearing a long-sleeved black robe. How can you smile so happily and not even sweat at all? Ah, this? Compared to spiritual suffering, physical pain is almost nothing. ...Youre one heavily abused sister. Excuse me, how long will it take us to reach the bus stop? Could you stop asking about the bus already!? Didnt I tell you that Im bringing you to the English Anglicans? Dont tell me that the words Ive just spoken went in one ear and came out the other again! Ah, excuse me, youre sweating a lot. Damn it! Talking to you is so hard when you keep changing the topic! Dont move. Ill wipe it off for you. Eh? What? Wait a... The nun suddenly pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped Kamijous face. Although it was just a handkerchief, it was decorated with some high-quality lace on the edges. It felt warm and had a slight aroma of roses. Kamijou wanted to escape, but he was restrained by the nun, who was using her unimaginable strength to hold his head. Okay, Im done. The nun revealed her vibrant smile as she looked at Kamijou. ...Um, thanks. Kamijou dragged his tired body into the abandoned Gloaming House. The Gloaming House looked very large from afar, but the parking lot in front was rather small; one might suspect that it was for the employees only. Maybe it was because a bus stop and a multi-story parking lot were already next to it. The entire place was surrounded by metal plates and iron bars about two meters tall, and the entrance used by employees seemed to have been forcefully opened; one could see a very thick chain and a large lock on the floor. There were no large pieces of machinery in the tiny parking lot. None of the building''s walls had been vandalised, and the glass was not broken. Perhaps there was already a buyer, and someone came over to maintain this building because of that. Going closer, one could observe that the Gloaming House was larger than a stadium, and square-shaped. The designers might have wanted to imitate a certain famous theater, or maybe they had been too lazy to design anything fancy. Its so hot outside, so they should be inside, right? Kamijou looked past the entrance of the Gloaming House. It was a rather large entrance, with five glass doors facing outwards. It had not been sealed with anything like planks, so it looked like a case of suspension of business rather than a dump. Just as Kamijou thought that, one of the doors opened. Eh? Kamijou could not help but shout. Two of the three people walking out of the building were familiar to him. They were Index and Stiyl. The last one was a girl who looked even younger than Index, one whom Kamijou had never met before. She was wearing a black nun robe, similar to that of the nun he had met at the bus stop. This girl, however, had removed the part of her skirt below the zipper, so the skirt was now a tiny mini-skirt. Looking downward, he realised that she was wearing wooden sandals with 30-cm-thick soles. The moment Index saw Kamijou, she asked, Hey, Touma, where did you meet that nun? ...youre asking that the moment we meet? Honestly, I have some questions for that evil priest beside you. Why did you have to go to such great lengths to play this kidnapping game with me? I want to know: Why do I have to walk three kilometers on such a hot day!? I really want to know why! Kamijou bellowed. Stiyl showed an impatient look, saying, So, you just realised that I tricked you? I called you here to help us find a certain person; Index was the bait to lure you out. Oh, yeah, this is the person in charge right now: Agnese Sanctis of the Roman Catholic Church. Stiyl nonchalantly pointed his cigarette at the girl wearing thick-soled sandals. The girl gave a deep bow and said, He... hello. She might have done her research and found out that the Japanese habitually bowed to others, but her bowing so low made her look like a hotel receptionist. Kamijou felt panicky about talking to a stranger now. Although his heart was filled with rage, he could not just vent his frustrations on a person he had just met for the first time. It seemed like Stiyl wanted to seize the opportunity, now that Kamijou was so panicky, as he said, So sorry. I have no time to listen to your stupid problems. I just said that the reason I called you here was to help me find a person. Even though there are 250 people looking for her right now, there''s still no news as of yet. This mission''s rather urgent, as it concerns a persons life, so I hope that you can give us your fullest attention." ''No time to listen to my stupid problems?'' You called me all the way here, you bastard, and you give me that smug look!? Damn it, what''s going on? How does it concern a persons life? Tell me everything! And, to be honest, what kind of searching ability does an outsider of the magic world like me have?! Is it alright to leave such an important task to a high school student!? Hm, well, you dont have to worry so much. You just need to hand over the nun beside you. What? Kamijou''s eyes widened. Irritated, Stiyl blew the smoke from the cigarette out of his mouth and said, The sister beside you is the person were looking for. Her name is Orsola Aquinas. Thanks for your help, Kamijou Touma; you can go back now. ...oi, oi. Using a kidnapping as an excuse to lure me out, forcing me to use these documents that came from who-knows-where to leave Academy City, then making me walk three kilometers under the big, hot sun when the temperature''s around forty degrees Celsius... and now youre telling me to go back? Kamijou muttered. Didnt I thank you already? What, do you expect me to treat you to some shaved ice? Kamijou Touma lowered his head, gritting his teeth. Index stood near him, her face looking pale, not knowing what to do. Pow! Something near Kamijous temple broke, creating this sound. Up until now, I thought that, even though our personalities dont match, at least I could make a friend. Really! That''s what I thought at first! But now I''ve changed my mind! Stop saying all that nonsense and hand Orsola over to Agnese. Dont tell me you want me to alleviate that loneliness? Such a pity; I cant do it, and neither do I want to. Thats too gross. Even the words he had said in anger had been coldly dismissed. Kamijou Touma looked like he had used up all his energy as he collapsed onto the ground. Ahhh... huuuuu! I have no more energy to cook dinner today! Index, our dinner tonight will be a simple takeaway pork bento. No way! Touma! The girl with a huge appetite shouted desperately. Kamijou ignored her as he spoke to the nun dressed in black, Orsola Aquinas, ...oh, yeah, didnt you say that you were being hunted? Does that situation have to do with those people looking for you? Anyway, now that youre reunited with your comrades, you should be fine, right? For some reason, after hearing Kamijous words, Orsola trembled. It seemed like she wanted to suppress her shock, but had failed to. Upon seeing that, Kamijou felt suspicious. Orsola was not looking at Kamijou, but at Stiyl and the rest. At that point, Stiyl closed one eye and said slowly, Mm, you dont have to feel insecure. Once the mission is over, the English Anglicans will pull back. Of course, for someone of a different sect, like you, to be wary of us is alright. To an outsider like Kamijou, these people were either "church members" or "residents of the magic world". But in fact, these people were divided into different sects, like Roman and English. They could even turn on each other. Just as Kamijou thought about that, a loud yet deep voice rang out. No way. It won''t be so easy to take Orsola back. The voice came from above Kamijou. Everyone looked upward saw a softball-sized paper balloon floating about seven meters above them. The thin paper surface of the balloon continued to vibrate as a mans voice came out of it. Orsola Aquinas, I believe that you yourself know this well. Instead of returning to the Roman Catholics, how about you join us instead, and enjoy a much more meaningful life? The next instant. Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound could be heard as the blade of a longsword sprung out of the ground between Kamijou and Orsola. Since everyones attention had been preoccupied with the object above them, the sudden change below their feet shocked them. Then, the same sound could be heard another two times, and two more blades came out from the ground. The three blades surrounded Orsola. The swords were like the fins revealed by sharks swimming near the surface of the water. With Orsola at the centre, the three blades cut an equilateral triangle about two meters on each side. AAAAHH Orsola, who felt her feet losing support, cried out, 30% out of fear and 70% from confusion. Before her voice could properly convert to a scream, her body, together with the triangular piece of asphalt, fell down into a deep abyss. Amakusa! Agnese shouted as she stretched her hand out, but it was already too late; Orsolas body had been swallowed by the darkness. Kamijou rushed to the side of the triangular hole and regretfully covered his mouth. Sewers...? The paper balloon above them resounded with a slightly delighted, yet clear and powerful voice. I knew that if I were to follow the commander of the Roman Catholics, no matter where Orsola Aquinas would run to or who she''d be captured by, she''d eventually be brought here. After hiding underground for so long, my efforts have finally paid off! Kamijou did not understand the situation in the least. He did not know who was in the sewers, or why Orsola had been taken away. But he knew one thing. This guy had suddenly appeared and used sharp swords to steal a person away. By listening to what that guy had said, this was not a sudden event, but rather a premeditated plan, so he must have been waiting for this chance all this time. Damn it! Kamijou looked down the triangular hole. It was too dark inside to estimate the depth, though it did not look so deep. Kamijou decided to jump into the hole. Wait! Dont go! Touma! Just as Index frantically shouted, Several swords suddenly flashed in the darkness. The numerous swords flashing in the darkness reflected the weak sunlight, and the dim orange light faintly showed the figures of the people in the sewers. It was like a scene in which bandits wield rusted axes and knives, hide in the tall grass along the road, hold their breaths, and patiently wait for their prey. The thick killing intent gathered to form a hot wind, which spewed out of the hole into Kamijous face. Kamijous body went numb instantly; he could not move. Stiyl stepped beside Kamijou, pulled out four talismans with runes on them, and threw them onto the ground around him. My hand, bring fire, shape it into a blade, and bring forth thy judgement! Stiyl shouted, and, with his fingers, pointed the cigarette upward. The trail of cigarette smoke changed into orange lines, which converged into a flaming sword. The newly created strong glow now lit the sewer clearly. Stiyl grabbed the flaming sword and swung it downwards...but halfway through, he stopped. Under the glow of the flames, there was no one in the sewer. The black figures in the sewer seemed to have vanished like the darkness. Neither the figures that had wielded the sharp swords nor Orsola, who had fallen into the hole could be seen. Like ligiidae scattering from the banks of a sea cave, they had dispersed, leaving nothing behind. The paper balloon floating above them descended slowly. It floated into the triangular hole, and no one bothered to stop it. Damn it, whats going on? Kamijou said bitterly. Hey, you''d better give me a proper explanation! If I explain it to you, then who''d be the one to explain it to me? Stiyl Magnus said in disdain. Between the Lines 1 Meanwhile... On an artificial coast, the setting sun finally disappeared as night approached. This shore was located several hundred meters away from a beach, and a cliff about ten meters tall was nearby. In order to protect the base of the cliff from erosion, the ground had been strewn with wavestones. After the sun had completely set, the sea became a deep black color. As if waiting for nighttime to arrive, a hand quickly stretched out from the black sea. It was a hand covered by a gauntlet. The heavy gauntlet-covered hand grabbed onto a wavestone, and then, a figure in a full set of Western armour left the sea. From top to bottom, every inch of the figure''s skin was covered by metal armour, making it look inhuman. Once the first one landed, twenty other knights also followed suit, appearing in the sea and climbing up the wavestones. Each of the gauntlets the knights were wearing had the words "United Kingdom" engraved on it. That meant England. These knights had swum all the way here; it was not an analogy or a figurative way of speech, but rather a fact. They had started from England and swum past the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, across the Indian Ocean, and into Japan. They had used a sea current manipulation spell handed down by St. Blaise; simply put, it was a high-speed swimming spell that allowed a human to swim around the world in only three days. The spell was not cast on the armour, however, but rather on the user''s body; every knight had used his own body to activate the magic spell. Right now, the armour that the knights wore did not have any magical capabilities; that was because the power of the knights was too strong, and so any magical effects would make the armour cumbersome instead. All these knights were far stronger than what any artifact could possibly make them, so if any of them were to wear magical armour, their strong powers would very likely just destroy it. The organisation these knights belonged to did not have a special name; they were just called the "Knights of England". In the past, the British had used names like "Rod Knights" and "Dual-axe Knights", but those names had been abandoned seven years ago--not because the knights today had lost their original expertise, but because they had mastered every technique, thus allowing them to enter a whole new realm of power. The knights wanted this power because of the internal worries in England, which were also the reason why the Knights of England had been formed originally. The command system in England rested on three equal powers: The British Royal Family, composed of the Queen and her committee. The Knights of England, made up of its leader and his fellow knights. The Anglicans, formed of the Archbishop and her believers. The relationship between these three was as follows: The British Royal Family controlled the Knights of England through direct orders; The Knights of England made use of the Anglicans through political items; And the Anglicans manipulated the British Royal Family through holy advice. The trinity formed by those three powers created a sense of unparalleled beauty. If one side were to act on its own, the other two would create a large commotion through several means, and prevent the first side from acting. The reason Britain had the most complicated Christian culture in the world was not just that, however. Britain, also known as the United Kingdom, was made of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Up until today, some places still used their own currency. On the one hand, even if two countries belonged to the same Anglican sect, there could still be quarrels amongst them, such as between England and Wales. On the other hand, even if two people each belonged to the Anglicans and the Knights, if they were both Scottish, they may secretly smuggle some money or information out. The decoder Sherry Cromwell had betrayed the Anglicans not just because she had had her own motives; her culture had also influenced her passively. Three sects, four cultures. The interconnected relations between each side were what made Britain so complicated, and the mission of the Knights of England was to maintain this status quo; however, the United Kingdom had turned this to rubble. Because of that, the Knights and the Anglicans held some grudges against each other. The Knights could not accept that the English Anglicans, the Anglican sect, could have power equivalent to the Knights. The original purpose of the English Anglicans had been to counter the Roman Catholics. Britain had not wanted other countries to meddle in its politics, but the influence of the Roman Catholics had been widespread throughout the world. Had Britain not listened to the Roman Catholics, they would have been be charged with disobeying the teachings of Christianity. So, Britain had created the English Anglicans, an independent Christian sect, within its country. With that, Britain had been able to declare to the world that "Were following the orders of the English Anglicans," and so did not have to be ordered around by the Roman Catholics anymore. In other words, the English Anglicans had originally been just a political tool. If the British Royal Family and the Knights of England were described as large gears, then the English Anglicans could be described as a lubricant. But today, the English Anglicans had gained enough power to be of equal standing with the Royal Family and the Knights. The Knights did not want to be restricted by a tool. So, the Knights would only listen to orders from their leader or the Queen. As for orders issued by the leader of the English Anglicans, the Knights were normally apathetic about them, and sometimes even disobeyed them. The Knights had their own ideas regarding the order from the Archbishop, which had been to assist the recovery of The Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas. They just needed to kill off all the Amakusa. The Knights had no reason to follow the orders of someone they did not recognise--the Archbishop--and sacrifice their lives for her. They also did not care about the relationship between the English Anglicans, the Roman Catholics, and the Amakusa Catholics. Even if the Amakusa were to disappear from this world, there would not be any loss in terms of their country''s welfare. With the abilities the Knights possessed, killing off the Amakusa would be too easy. The techniques of the Knights, inherited from the crusaders who had attacked the Middle East in the tenth century, had buried who-knows-how-many believers of other religions since ancient times. Their power was great enough to even wipe an island off the map. Destroying a weak sect in the far East, the Amakusa, would not even take a day. Even if the Amakusa had a hostage like Orsola, they could not care less. The English Anglicans were not even interested in The Book of the Law, since its contents had been ingrained in Indexs brain. Whether Orsola lived or died, the outcome would not affect Britain. The Roman Catholics may try to put pressure on Britain, but was it not the Archbishops job to pacify the Roman Catholics? The Archbishop had already warned the Knights to be wary of Kanzaki Kaori, the former leader of the Amakusa Catholics, but they had not taken it to heart. If Kanzaki were to attack in a fit of rage because of the destruction of the Amakusa, the Knights would just send her into oblivion, too. That had been the knights'' original plan. But such a plan was completely decimated within three seconds. Just as the knights climbed out of the sea and onto the rocks, An explosion shook their area. The explosion blasted every wavestone, each weighing more than one ton, into the air, like a volcanic eruption. The knights, who had originally been standing on the wavestones, flipped in the air to regain their balance. They then searched the ground for a suitable landing spot. A lady stood at the centre of the explosion that had launched the twenty-one knights and numerous pieces of rock. She had black hair, tied into a ponytail behind her head, and snow-white skin covering her thick muscles. She wore a short-sleeved T-shirt with a knot tied at the bottom, a pair of jeans with one leg cut off, and top-boots. A belt ran around her waist, and under that belt hung a Japanese sword more than two meters long--Seven Heavens Seven Swords. Kanzaki Kaori. She did not utter a single word as she attacked the twenty-one knights in the sky. Now that the knights were in the sky, they could not move their bodies freely. Kanzakis way of attack was rather simple: strike each of the Knights in turn with her Japanese sword. Kanzaki did not unsheathe the sword, and simply swung it together with its sheath. But she was as fast as lightning. In actuality, the knights were only in the air for one second, but they got the feeling that their bodies were stuck in the air. Since Kanzaki was truly too fast, it was as if time had stopped and only she was moving. If one were to see it through the normal flow of time, they would see something like an invisible whirlwind in the midst of an explosion. After being hit by the sword, a few crashed to the ground, some buried in the cliff and others beside it, the rest skipping across the water''s surface like thrown rocks. After attacking the twenty-one Knights, Kanzaki landed steadily on a wavestone. The moist night wind began to gently stroke her hair as knights came falling from the sky, and bell-like percussive sounds reverberated along the entire coast as they landed in the sea. I didnt use my full strength, so this sort of attack probably won''t cause any deaths. It''s a good thing you''re all wearing sturdy equipment; it let me attack without any worry. You... Kanzakis calm voice, however, became the biggest mockery to the knights. One of the knights tried to stand up, but his body could not move; even budging a finger was difficult for him. So, the knight could only use his mouth, the single part of his body that he could still move. Do you know who we are? Such an action from you is the same as declaring war on the United Kingdom! Im also a citizen of the United Kingdom. This has nothing to do with the Roman Catholics or the Russian Orthodox Church. This is an internal conflict within the English Anglicans, so I believe that it wont bring too much trouble for the people above... Huh? Before Kanzaki could finish speaking, she realised that the knight who had been speaking a while ago had now fainted. Some of them fell into the sea...but then, they havent removed their swimming spells, so they probably wont die. Kanzaki muttered as she faced the dark, peaceful surface of the sea. You say all that with a worried expression, yet theres not even a sense of spirit in it. !? Kanzaki looked mystified by the familiar voice. She turned around and saw a teenager with messy blond hair, blue shades, an aloha shirt, and shorts. Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Once Kanzaki noticed where he was standing, she was shocked. Kanzakis senses were rather acute, and logically, no one should be able to get near her without being discovered. But right now, the distance between the two of them was merely ten meters, and yet Kanzaki could not sense any presence from Tsuchimikado. So, you came to stop me? Kanzaki grabbed the sword handle. But the eyes behind Tsuchimikados sunglasses were still smiling. Dont bother, Kanzaki. You cant beat me. Facing such a critical situation, Tsuchimikado remained calm and collected. He did not have any weapons on him, and he was not assuming a battle pose, either. Youre strong, but you dont kill. Im an esper now, and if I were to cast magic on you, I might die. In other words, no matter who wins, death is the only option for me. Let me ask you: do you have the resolve to kill Tsuchimikado, who doesnt want his own life? Kanzaki gritted her teeth. Her magic was supposed to save people, not kill them. A battle where lives would be lost no matter which side won was meaningless to her; one might say that she would avoid it at all costs. Her fingers, now touching the swords handle, started to tremble slightly. At that moment, Tsuchimikado suddenly revealed a smile like that of an innocent child and said, You dont have to stare at me like that, nee-chin. My order isnt to stop you, but to resolve the situation before you get into trouble. Also, I have another job to do. Job...? Thats right. My order is to steal the original Book of the Law while the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa are fighting each other furiously. Kanzaki squinted her eyes and asked, Is this an order from the Anglican Church or Academy City? I cant comment on that. But if you think, you''ll find the answer. Think about it: between the Magic side and the Science side, which would want the magic book more? And which side am I working for? Hearing Tsuchimikados words, Kanzaki remained silent. A mysterious atmosphere surrounded those two; the warm air flowing between them had been frozen. Several seconds later, Kanzaki looked away from him. ...Im leaving. If you want to give a report to the higher-ups, go ahead. I dont mind. I understand. Ah, Ill take some time to clean up this place; it''d be troublesome if we were to let these guys be captured by the police. Thank you. Kanzaki bowed to Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado then went on. Oh, yeah, nee-chin; what do you want to do now after coming all the way back from England? Kanzaki, whose head was still lowered, froze. After ten whole seconds, Kanzaki raised her head. Yeah... Kanzaki forced a stiff smile, showing her anger and sorrow, and said, ...what did I come here for? References 1. The curriculum in Japan for primary and secondary school education has three semesters. A school year starts in April, and the second semester starts in September, after summer vacation. 2. Francisco de Jaso y Azpilicueta was the first Christian missionary to preach to the Japanese. Volume 7, 2: Roman Orthodox Church. The_Roman_Catholic_Church. Volume 7, Chapter 2: Roman Orthodox Church. The_Roman_Catholic_Church. Part 1 The sun set as night arrived. The night did not bring about peace, however. Agnese, who was dressed in black robes, continued to issue orders through hand signals and foreign language to the other nuns wearing the same monastic clothes. At the same time, she was holding a quill pen and writing rapidly in a small notebook. Its like a telephone, Index had explained. When one wrote words into that notebook, similar words would appear in other notebooks. Rather than a telephone, why not call it an e-mail? Kamijou secretly thought. Some among this black organisation--official nuns from the Roman Catholic Church--had jumped into the sewer through the triangular hole that Orsola''s kidnappers had cut open. Others had opened up their maps and used red ink and quill pens to draw lines on the map. Kamijou could not tell whether they were analysing the enemys escape route or setting up positions to monitor and surround them. It was a noisy and chaotic night. Kamijou, Index, and Stiyl could only stand around and watch from afar. Kamijou could not speak any foreign languages--he did not even know what language the nuns were speaking--so he could not take part in the conversation. As for Index and Stiyl, they had chosen to watch from afar, trying to not cause any confusion among the Roman Catholic nuns, who followed a different command structure altogether. Enduring his ever-growing hunger, Kamijou said, Oi, what did Index and I come here to do? Arent the people from the Roman Catholic Church supposed to do this mission? If we can only foolishly stand around, whats the point of coming all the way here? About that, our reinforcements should''ve arrived by now. I dont know why those Knights havent arrived yet." Stiyl lamented, puffing out white smoke. Also, well definitely be useful in this situation--no, more accurately, shell definitely be useful. The "she" that Stiyl mentioned probably referred to Index. She? Thats right, since this concerns a magic book: the original copy of The Book of the Law. For his own interests, Stiyl brought the conversation to a close; it seemed like he did not intend to explain further. So, Index continued from where Stiyl left off, making a simple explanation. The Book of the Law was rumoured to be a magic book written in codes that no one in the entire world could decipher, so the contents of the book were rather precious. Once someone could interpret it, they would be able to gain tremendous power. And now, there was finally a girl who had found a way to decode it. But the Amakusa Catholics had stolen both the Book of the Law from the Roman Catholics and the girl who knew how to decode it, Orsola Aquinas. The girl that Kamijou had met on the road was Orsola. She had escaped in the midst of the confusion in the battle between the Amakusa and the Roman Catholics. As for The Book of the Law, it was still missing, but it may have ended up in the hands of the Amakusa. Amakusa...? Kamijou felt that he heard that name before. He decided to leave that aside for now, however, and asked, Nobody can interpret it? Not even Index? No way. I tried, but it''s different from ordinary types of codes. But is this magic book that nobody can decode really that valuable? Since no one can decode it, can it possibly be just gibberish? Maybe. Index replied honestly. By not refuting that claim, however, Index made herself seem like an adult trying to cajole children, like an expert not sharing her views with a layman. Stiyl spat out the cigarette that he had finished smoking, put it out by stepping on it, and said, Its said that the spells recorded in The Book of the Law are too powerful. Once used, the world supported by the Christian Church will be doomed. No matter how truthful that legend is, it''s best if we can keep this book sealed forever. One sect even believes that whoever reads the book will be able to use the Angelic spell, a spell that far exceeds human limits, freely." On hearing that, Kamijou froze up. An...gel...? Hm? For an atheist like you, it might be hard to imagine what an angel looks like. Stiyl laughed. He was wrong, however. Kamijou understood what an angel was. He still remembered what the angel with the so-called "Gods Power" had done. That night, the sky above the seaside had instantly been covered by a large vortex of magic spells. One single word from the angel would have been enough to turn half the Earth to ash. Also, out of all the spells that the angel possessed, that had only been the tip of the iceberg. Such a powerful magic could be controlled freely by humans? But...since no one''s been able to decipher The Book of the Law, how would they know if it''s just a bluff? Kamijou swallowed his saliva as he asked, disturbed. Index nodded her head like an innocent boy and replied, Mm. Touma, it''s undeniable, however, that The Book of the Law has a tremendous amount of power. The person who wrote the Book of the Law was rumoured to be the most powerful magician ever; that man was even qualified to be recorded in the New Testament. He was active about seventy years ago, but the evolution of magicians during the past seventy years has surpassed the progress gained throughout the history of the past several thousand years. Of all the magicians in the world today, about 20% of them are his followers, and almost 50% of all magicians are affected by him to some extent. Since Index looked rather serious, Kamijou could not interrupt. I feel that the name The Book of the Law isnt just for show. Even if the power of this book were to be even larger and scarier than that of legend, I wouldnt be surprised. A group of nuns clad in black robes ran past them, making loud footsteps. Who...is that he you''re referring to? Edward Alexander, also known as Crowley. Hes now buried in a cemetery in a certain town in Britain. Stiyl lit another cigarette and continued on, Anyway, according to history, this guy was the scum of humanity. During one of his trips, in order to carry out a magical experiment, he used his wife, who had been accompanying him around the world, as a medium to contact the guardian angel, Aiwass. And when his daughter Lilith died, he remained unmoved, continuing on with his research on theories of magick. In order to carry out the experiment, he even used a group of girls as old as his daughter as sacrifices...still, he did manage to define a so-called different world--a different but overlapping one similar to Heaven or Hell--and open new grounds in the field of magical rituals. Just by those points alone, his contributions cannot be denied. At that moment, the wind changed direction. Stiyl moved away, not wanting Index to breathe in the secondhand smoke. The secondhand smoke floated in Kamijous direction instead, making him cough really badly. Seeing that, Stiyl revealed an evil smile, puffing out white smoke even harder, like a wild beast. Anyway, there are too many legends about this guy. Its the same with The Book of the Law; rumour has it that every time he had been in a situation where there had been no way out, he''d use The Book of the Law to carry out divinations, and decide on what to do next according to its contents. In other words, this was a magic book that could decide the fate of the strongest magician in the world. Its almost equivalent to mastering all of modern Western history. So, one shouldnt view The Book of the Law too lightly. Stiyl seemed rather irritated as he twisted his mouth. The three Roman Catholic nuns who had run past them just now sprinted back again. One of the nuns smelled the tobacco smoke and subtly frowned. Her hands were holding a large 1-meter diameter wooden gear. It was either a weapon or something else entirely... If its such a scary book, why not destroy it as soon as possible? Since its a book, wouldnt burning it do the job? A magic book cannot be burned, especially the special class of original magic books. Using small amounts of energy released by nature or lifeforce as power, the words, paragraphs, and chapters convert into a magical code, like an automatically powered magic spell. So, the most we can do is seal it. Index revealed a smile which seemed to have profound meaning, and said, If its an original manuscript written from my memory, however, such a phenomenon wont occur. An ''auto-powered magic array has to be activated by the weak magical energy released by humans. The magic that an author possesses is like an engines starter. A magician writing a magic book will unconsciously input some magic into the paper along with the text. No matter what type of stationery or material is used, this phenomenon will always occur; thus, its unavoidable. Shes unable to use lifeforce to create magic, however, so this problem wont occur. She can be considered the ideal candidate as the keeper of the Magical Library...it seems like everything was planned, and that really makes me feel unhappy." Oh...so that''s how it is? Index? Erm...hm...? Whats a starter? And whats an engine? Stiyls explanation, however, puzzled Index. After that, Stiyl impatiently explained to Index what an engine and a starter was--and for some reason, he looked rather happy. Kamijou watched Stiyl and Index have their conversation, and his heart felt even heavier. At the beginning, Kamijou had thought that this was not a big deal. Up until now, he had thought that rescuing the abducted Orsola would be enough. But looking at things now, the situation was not that simple. Kamijou had seen how capable an angel was. He had seen firsthand the "Gods Power" that Misha Kreutzev had used, the power that could turn half the Earth into ash. And Kamijou understood this group known as "magicians". The magicians he had met before did not even know the meaning of the word "mercy". In order to get whatever they wanted, these people would give their all. This group of magicians...if they were to use The Book of the Law and obtain the angels magic, what would they do? Damn it... Index had said that the original copy of a magic book could not be burned, Since it was like an automatic magic array. But Kamijous right hand had an inconceivable power. If he were to use the power of his Imagine Breaker, maybe he could... Oh, man! It looks like I cant back out midway through! Part 2 After giving orders in a foreign language, Agnese returned to where Kamijou and the rest were, her mini-skirt shaking about and her sandals, with their extremely thick soles, making a tapping sound like that of horseshoes. This girl, who was younger than Index, made Kamijou feel rather perturbed. After seeing some inexplicably young nuns from the English Anglican and the Russian Orthodox Church, Kamijou understood that there was no such thing as an age/authority hierarchy in the Magic world (Mishas inner and outer appearances were completely different, however). Moreover, this girl had been shouting and directing orders at several subordinates in a foreign language, not to mention given out those same orders to others through different methods of communication. To Kamijou, though, the biggest problem was not the high position and great power that this little girl had, but rather her foreign language. At the moment, Kamijou thought, Since I cant speak a foreign language, Ill have to have a showdown using the most hot-blooded high-speed body language instead! Agnese gazed into Kamijous eyes, as if she was going to use a foreign language to engage in a foreign cultural exchange with him. Kamijou got ready as well, preparing to show off his most dramatic actions. Ah...erm...I really want to start explaining the current situation; may I ask if you guys are prepared? ... Such strange Japanese. The surprise that Kamijou felt could not be described by pen or ink. No matter how mindful someone was of their own unique culture and characteristics, they should not be speaking this sort of Japanese. Seeing the Roman Catholic nun in front of him all frozen up, her legs shaking and her face flushed red, Kamijou now understood that being nervous when talking to a foreigner for the first time was a universal quasi-truth. It...it makes me nervous to show my lousy Japanese in...in front of a Japanese person. Ah, can you speak any other languages? Its best if we can speak some language thats far away from our cultures, like Albanian or Berber... Since she was nervous, she spoke really fast. Index stood next to her and told her, in a foreign language, something like, "Calm down, calm down, take a deep breath." In another corner, Stiyls face was rather gray as he lowered his head, muttering, Never mind, dont mind me; I was just thinking of another person who speaks weird Japanese. Agnese placed her hand on her almost flat chest, took a few deep breaths, and just barely regained control over her emotions. Her two feet, clad in those sandals with 30-cm-thick soles, were staggering about like those of a drunk because of nervousness. But in order to do her mission, she straightened herself up and said, Im sorry. Now let me repeat myself: we should discuss the current situation and the actions were going to take later--AHHHHHHHHH! Agnese, who had ignored the fact that she stood on unstable platforms, tried to straighten her back and hold her head high, but fell backward before she managed to finish what she wanted to say. WAAAHHH!! she screamed as she swung her arms wildly. In her confusion, she grabbed onto Kamijous arm. Whoa! In the end, even Kamijou was pulled to the ground. The sudden action made him unable to react in time to protect himself, and his entire body fell flat onto the asphalt. It hurt so much that he wanted to writhe on the floor. Suddenly, Kamijou realised that there was a piece of floating fabric covering his head. It was Agneses skirt. Kamijou looked up, and several centimeters in front of him was an entirely delightful scene of paradise. WAAAAA...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Panicking, Kamijou tried to move his head away. At the same moment, Agnese also sensed something amiss; gave a loud, piercing AHHHHHH!!!; and pressed her skirt down tightly with both hands. Of course, it was a defensive action under a desperate situation, but such an action only caused Kamijous head to be stuck under her skirt, making him unable to move. Kamijou heard Index shouting at him as his entire range of vision was blocked by Agnese''s skirt and thighs. Tou...Tou-Tou-Tou-Tou-Touma! This sort of prank is really too much! Please dont get too aroused while were doing a mission; now hurry and stand up. Stiyl raised his leg to his waist before kicking Kamijou, finally freeing him from the terrifying prison formed from Agneses skirt and thighs. Stiyl seemed to have enjoyed the kick a little too much, however, and it seemed that he had felt compelled to do that after hearing Index cry out. Having been kicked, Kamijou coughed as he shook his head. At that moment, Kamijou and Agnese, who had fallen onto the asphalt, stared at each other. Agnese was trembling all over, her face flushed red, and tears were forming in her eyes. When Kamijou saw that, he became desperately pale. Sor...sorry... Never...never mind...I fell down myself. Maybe it was because I was too nervous that I lost my balance...Um, can you stand up? Agnese used her feet, with those 30-cm-thick-soled sandals, to support herself, and stood up steadily. She then stretched her hand out to Kamijou, who was lying on the ground. Kamijou looked like he had just seen a glimmer of light in the midst of some dark clouds and reached his hand out, grabbing Agneses hand. Index was rather unhappy with how the whole scene went. After calming down, Agneses body was still rather stiff, but she was no longer nervous when she spoke. Okay, now Ill start on The Book of the Law, Orsola Aquinas, the Amakusas actions, and our future course of action. Maybe it was because she was afraid to fall down again, but Agnese, who was trembling terribly, could not help but stretch her hand out again, wanting to hold onto Kamijous shirt--but she stopped halfway through. No matter what, grabbing onto a boy whom she was unfamiliar with was inappropriate, and also, the boy had just clearly seen quite a scenery under her skirt. Agnese groped the air before gently grasping onto a corner of Indexs nun robe. Right now, we can confirm that Orsola Aquinas has fallen into the hands of the Amakusa. As for The Book of the Law, Im afraid that they may have taken that as well. The enemy were facing, the Amakusa Catholics, probably has slightly less than fifty people. They used the sewer to escape earlier, but its unlikely that theyll stay there throughout the night. In other words, theres not even a single clear clue? Index asked. The way Agnese was pinning herself close to her seemed to be making her uncomfortable. Yes. Although we tried to use some of the remaining traces of magic to find out the Amakusas whereabouts, we weren''t successful. As expected of the Amakusa Catholics, a sect that specialises in enhancing stealth. Agneses body swayed as she pointed to the equilateral triangle-shaped hole. But we have another group setting up a perimeter. Maybe we might get something. A perimeter...how large is it, anyway? Kamijou tilted his head as he asked. Index looked at him, her eyes seemingly telling him to save her by pulling away Agnese. He pretended to not notice. With this place as the centre, the perimeter has a radius of about ten kilometers, enclosing 132 roads and forty-three sewers. With our manpower, setting such a perimeter isnt a difficult thing, Agnese said as she clung onto Index. Anyway, once the Amakusa try to bring The Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas back to their base, they''ll be detected by our network. According to the information we''ve gathered, the Amakusa''s base is located in Kyushu...though, unfortunately, were unable to confirm the accuracy of that report. If they aren''t trying to get past us, but are asking Orsola the way to decode The Book of the Law on the spot instead, the situation will be even tougher to handle. You dont have to worry about that. I believe that Orsola isn''t so stupid that she''s unable to resist the magic spells that allow people to read minds. If they were to try and use force, this place wouldnt be ideal for them. Stiyl blew out some white smoke and continued, The number of nearby enemies is too large for them, so they cant carry out their work peacefully. Interrogating Orsola, getting the method to decode The Book of the Law, and then printing out manuals on how to decode it; all that work can''t be completed in one day. If they want to break through her hearts defence and force her to sell out information without pushing her toward suicide, the best method of interrogation would be to exhaust her or to prevent her from sleeping without directly interacting with her; that would take at least a week, however. Not letting her sleep for one or two days isnt even a form of interrogation. They''ll only make her sanity begin to deteriorate by forcing her to stay awake for at least 120 hours. Stiyl said that nonchalantly, but Kamijou got goosebumps just from hearing it. Putting this expert in witch hunting and religious trials aside, Kamijou was afraid of what Orsola''s kidnappers would do to her. Also, from what he had heard from Agnese, there were almost fifty members of the Amakusa. The Amakusa Catholics. At that point, however, Kamijou thought of something; he had heard Kanzaki Kaori and Tsuchimikado Motoharu mention this "Amakusa" group before. What he had heard was that Kanzaki had originally been the leader of that group, and had left them in order to protect them. In the past, Kanzaki had really wanted to protect this group of people--but now they dared to do this sort of thing for their own selfish purposes? That shouldnt be the case... Dont tell me that these guys have changed? After Kanzaki Kaori had left them, had these guys whom she had been protecting fallen? Whats wrong, Touma? Index asked suspiciously, tilting her head to one side, knocking into Agnese, who was clinging onto her. Nothing. Oh, yeah, what do we do now? Those guys from the Amakusa will be immediately found by the perimeter, right? Ah, yeah, thats right. Agnese still seemed to be nervous, as her entire face was almost touching Indexs. She continued, Basically, you guys just need to be the backup...there''s still some danger of them using the spells from The Book of the Law, however, even though the possibly may be small, so itd best if an expert of the magic book were to settle this Ahhhh! This is unbearable! Its really hot! Index swung her arms around. After a while, she said to Kamijou, Will the Amakusa be found that easily, though? Touma? If you ask me, then who can I ask? Speaking of which, if forty to fifty guys of a mysterious organisation were to walk onto the streets, wouldn''t it be rather striking? Touma, didn''t you know that the Amakusa don''t have a fixed attire? Theyre a group of people highly specialised in hiding their whereabouts and covering their own tracks. Even if they were to walk onto the streets, outsiders wouldn''t see them as different from ordinary folks. ... Whats wrong, Touma? Why are you staring at me so suspiciously? Nothing, Kamijou replied. None of the people around him were dressed normally. What Index had said about them not being different from ordinary folks did not seem convincing to him. Anyway, the Amakusa specialise in hiding and escaping. After stealing The Book of the Law and kidnapping Orsola Aquinas, theyll expect the Roman Catholics to hit back full force. If this was a planned operation, then they might have rehearsed this part. Agnese, who was still clinging onto Index, looked puzzled as she said, But...but even then, no matter what, they cant possibly escape our perimeter... Its possible. Theres a type of magic for that. Index replied without hesitation. At that, Agnese sucked in a deep breath. There''s a spell that can only be used in Japan. Basically speaking, there are special places called portals all over Japan. One can use this map magic to travel from portal to portal. Are you talking about the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu that Ino Tadataka created? Stiyl seemed to have thought of something, giving an ugly expression as he muttered. Kamijou was extremely confused now. He asked, Whos this Ino Tadataka? Is he another famous magician? Once that question was asked, everyone turned and gazed at Kamijou coldly. Erm, Touma, he was the person to create the first map of Japan using modern surveying techniques. Its even recorded in ordinary history timelines. Seems like you have no clue at all about history. I bet youve even forgotten who the previous five prime ministers were? ...even an Italian like me knows. Kamijou, completely embarrassed now, was bombarded and pulverised by the voices around him. Anyway, this Japanese map created in the Edo period has a special structure. Everyone should be clear about the Idol Theory, right? That''s, except for...Touma. There were supposed to be only a few people who understood that magical term, but it seemed to be common knowledge among all the people around him. Kamijou felt that he was in a situation where he was struggling alone. For Toumas sake, Ill give a brief explanation. The Idol Theory is a form of basic knowledge that allows us to put the power of God and angels to good use. According to this theory, if one were to build a duplicate of the cross on which Christ was crucified and put it on the roof of a church, some of the holy power from those actual cross-wielders will be replicated. The power of the duplicate is not even 0.000000000001% of the original''s--even the greatest legendary duplicate, Holy Manger, contains only a small fraction of that power--but if someone obtained even 1% of the original''s power, they could match even the twelve apostles. All over the world, from the ones on churches to the ones hanging on nuns necks, there were a lot of crosses. But even with the power split away into so many duplicates, the power of the original is almost limitless. Maybe its like how the sun provides solar power for electricity, Kamijou guessed wildly. And, according to our hypothesis, this Idol Theory can be reversed; in other words, not only will the original cause some effect on the Idol, but also vice-versa. Hypothesis...? Do you mean that its still unconfirmed? There are some exceptions that cannot be explained, so right now, its just a hypothesis. But using this hypothesis, people have claimed that theyll receive divine judgement if they treat the Bible badly; that''s not unreasonable, however. In the Bible, there are many instances where several idols from different anti-Christian Greek religions were struck down and destroyed by lightning. Stepping on Fumie in Japan was a method designed to affect the original badly by stepping on the duplicate." [1] Index frowned as she said that. As a treasure house of knowledge, she did not seem to like saying uncertain words like "what if" or "according". Ino Tadataka used the Idol Theory in the opposite manner. He understood that the real one and the idol would affect each other, so he plotted 47 portals on the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu that originally didnt exist on the Japanese islands. Thus, these entrances that allow people to come and go as they please appeared in modern Japan. Kamijous mind tried hard to arrange this extremely strange information Index had told him. The Japanese islands and the intricate map of Japan that the guy called Ino Tadataka had made could actually affect each other. Once one randomly drew a teleportation entrance on that map, such a entrance would appear on that real island as well. In other words, everything that they drew on the map would become real? Hey, thats too scary, isnt it? If one were to use an eraser to erase that map, wouldnt every Japanese person and city disappear as well? Its not like that, Touma. Listen to me: the condition for being an idol is being a duplicate; as long as theres even a slight difference in the levels of magic used between the idol and the original, the idol will lose its purpose. So, the Idol Theory cant be used to solve everything. Once the original image is changed, the theory cannot be used. Index solemnly explained. There had been a group of magicians in the past who had tried to use a stone sculpture that looked like the Son of God to control the Son of God in the heavens, but it ended up in failure. Looking at it another way, this was where Ino Tadakata was really impressive. He added some things to the duplicates that the original itself didn''t have, and yet he was still able to maintain a perfect balance between the duplicates and the original. In the entire history of Magic, he was the only one who managed to accomplish that. If he were a sculptor, he might even have been able to control the Son of God or an angel...though, of course, just being able to manipulate the map of Japan was pretty impressive. ...do the Amakusa know how to use this magic that employs the Japanese map? The answer should be affirmative. Ino Tadakata, who lived in the Edo period, was very interested in the cultures of other countries. His clan even intended to sell the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu to Siebold. [2] When Christians were persecuted, he might have obtained some knowledge through the Dutch. [3] If he had met the Amakusa secretly in the interest of knowledge, it wouldnt be strange. Putting aside the minor details, the Amakusa basically had a magic spell that allowed them to teleport themselves all over Japan. So, breaking through the perimeter would be easy work for them. After hearing Indexs explanation, Agnese was stunned. Kamijou organised the information that he had just heard and said, Then, what do we do? The Amakusa might have escaped through a portal, right? Since there are a limited number of portals, shouldn''t we just check all of those in one go? Its impossible. Actually, people later said that they could only find 23 of the portals on the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu. But a manual from the time of when black ships arrived[4] clearly stated that there were 47 portals. The location of more than half of the portals could not be identified. Thus, they could not determine the whereabouts of the Amakusa. Besides using the special teleportation magic of the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu, the base of the Amakusa is famous for being a well-hidden secret. That''s understandable, since outsiders can''t even determine their escape routes. Just now, Agnese said that their main base was reported to be in Kyushu, but it''s almost impossible to verify that. There are too many places that are suspected to be their main base. As for where the real one actually is, nobody knows. These reports could be all false, or those places could all have the capacity to be a main base. Agnese looked pale. Her hands, which had been clinging onto Indexs body, were now grabbing Indexs shoulders. She exclaimed, Then...what should we do? Since you knew about this, why didnt you tell me? We cant determine the location of the portal, and we cant find their main base! In this situation, if they were to get into the portal, itd be all over! If we take action before they enter the portal, theres still a chance that we can intercept them! Why do you still look so calm? Because theres no need to panic. Index calmly replied. When Agnese heard that, she was stunned. The Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu is measured and mapped out using the location of the stars. So, the location of the stars is extremely important, as that''s the condition for using this special magic. Basically, theres a limited time frame; if the time isnt right, the special teleportation magic cannot be used. Index gazed at the stars, her silver hair swaying in the air. Judging by the location of the stars right now...the time now is approximately 7:30 PM. The only time in which they can use the special teleportation magic is a short period after the date changes, which means that theres around four and a half hours to go. Also, the location of the portal which they can use to teleport is fixed. Among the 23 portals that the descendants could find, only one is located within our vicinity...of course, they might use other portals that we dont know of, Index said rather confidently. Every time this kind of situation occurred, Kamijou felt that he and Index were not really living in the same world. Where will that portal appear? Touma, do you have that thing that can allow us to see a map? Lend it to me, lend it to me. Kamijou thought, She must be referring to the GPS function, and handed her his phone. Index accepted the phone, but she looked like she did not know what to do with it, so Kamijou had to use it for her. Index continued to give him directions like "a bit right" or "move down a bit", and finally pointed her slender white finger to a point on the map. Its here. Part 3 Our scouts have reported two suspicious characters there. Theyre likely from the Amakusa, but we havent tipped them off yet. After hearing Indexs explanation a while ago, Agnese had given the orders, and within 15 minutes, she had gotten a report from her subordinates. Its really easy to do things when there are so many people, Kamijou thought. The Angel Fall incident had been a whole lot more troublesome, even though this situation was just as chaotic. Theres no sign of the main force of the Amakusa, The Book of the Law, or Orsola, however. Of course not. It''d be very obvious if they were all there at the same time. And its still business mode over there. Although Kamijou did not know what time it was exactly, he guessed it was not even 8 PM right now. If the Amakusa wanted to use the map magic created by Ino Tadataka to escape, they had to head toward the portal''s location. Kamijou and the rest intended to attack the Amakusa before they could reach the portal and take back The Book of the Law and Orsola. Since they might use other portals that we do not know of, or not use any special teleportation magic at all, I cant gather all my people into one group before we find the main force of the Amakusa. If we dont maintain the perimeter and search for them within the area, well probably let them escape. That place is where theyre most likely to appear, though." Agnese said worriedly. Index did not seem to mind and said, Youve done the right thing. Besides, even I dont have any concrete evidence. Because of those reasons, the number of people that can be deployed is only 74, including me. Right now, were readying our weapons and equipment. With that amount of manpower, if we meet the main force of the Amakusa, we won''t have a sure chance of winning. I''m sorry, but you guys will have to take care of yourselves. Up until now, there had only been less than 50 people in the Amakusa, and yet they had been able to fight it out against the Roman Catholics for such a long time. So, Agnese was not just saying that to be humble. Stiyl lit another cigarette and said, You dont have to worry; we''re sorry that theres been no notice from the Knights who had agreed to arrive. So we wont burden you guys. Oh, yeah, how long will it take for the preparations to be complete before we leave? Besides the weapons and equipment, we still need to bless everyone here by pouring holy water and reading Bible scriptures... Agnese thought for a while before saying, Around 3 hours...well likely finish by 11 PM at the latest. If we count the time it takes for us to travel...that means that we only have 30 minutes to settle this? Ah, well; at least we may end up arriving there before the Amakusas main force; so far, weve just been waiting around aimlessly. Just like that, the time of the operation was set to 11 PM. Agnese clapped twice, and after giving orders in a foreign language, all the nuns in black went into action. The 74-strong group of nuns split into smaller groups of 2 to 4 people. Each group then proceeded to do its own job. For someone who was used to seeing lone striders like Stiyl, Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki--or to put it crudely, magicians who were stubborn and lonely--the orderliness of the Roman Catholics surprised Kamijou. Agnese and the nuns participating in the "Retrieval of The Book of the Law and Orsola Operation" went into their preparations for war, and those who had already finished their own preparations took turns to eat or sleep. Kamijou was intrigued, not understanding how these people could still sleep before a battle. But Agnese told him that, once the battle was at a stalemate, nobody would even dare wish for a good nap on a comfy bed, so they could only dare rest up for 10 to 20 minutes to replenish their energy. To the nuns, this was already basic knowledge. Seems like this is a specialised group of people who are really used to fighting for a long time. Kamijou thought, his mind running wildly. Since Kamijou, Index, and Stiyl had nothing else to do, they had time to enjoy their dinner and take a little nap. Kamijou thought, Maybe this is the hospitality that Agnese shows to her guests. Remarkably, they had to take their dinner and sleep inside a tent. This was supposed to be the capital of Japan, and yet they were setting up their own tent. That was really unexpected. Come to think of it, if these 70+ people wearing such strange clothes and preparing for war were to gather in a multi-chain restaurant or a hotel, then that would be an even more amazing sight. Now that I think about it, were starting at 11...will I be able to make it school tomorrow? AH! Wait! The due date for submitting the summer holiday homework should be approaching soon, right? Kamijou hastily looked toward the direction of Academy City, not knowing what to do. Due to several complicated reasons, Kamijou had not completed his summer homework. So, Komoe-sensei had given Kamijou a "punishment assignment"--which she had made specially for Kamijou--and the last day to submit this assignment was tomorrow. AHHHHHHHH! Kamijou turned gray as he screamed within his heart. To be honest, Kamijou had thought that he could complete it. Up until now, the hard-working Kamijou had to block Indexs "Play with me!" attacks and fend off the calico cat, Sphinxs, "Give me food!" attacks in order to do his homework. So, unfortunately, his abilities alone had not been enough. But yesterday, he had begged Misaka Mikoto to teach him how to solve those questions, and although Mikoto had grumbled, she had still stayed with Kamijou for many hours; thus, the rate at which he had been solving those questions had gone up, and there had been hope that he would be able to complete it today. But now, that bubble of hope had burst. Oh man! Oh man! Ill be scolded! What to do? What am I going to do? Its not just Komoe-sensei--even Mikoto will be angry! Ahhhhhh! I havent said this for quite a while, but...such misfortune! Kamijous entire body trembled as he tilted his head slightly upward, looking up at the night sky. He continued to tell himself that the transparent liquid flowing down from the corners of his eyes was just sweat. Kamijou dejectedly walked towards a corner of the campsite, got a piece of bread and a bowl of soup--the latter of which he could not identify--and ate as he looked around. Small semi-circular tents were set up everywhere in the abandoned parking lot of the Gloaming House. Yet, no matter what anyone thought, there was no way this area could accommodate everyone. It seemed like some of them would be sleeping inside the building. Besides, all the Roman Catholic nuns were be busy preparing, so it was likely that more than half of them would not have time to sleep. Seeing these people being so busy, Kamijou felt embarrassed and did not dare sleep. According to Stiyl, however, people who had nothing to do and kept moving around would only cause them more trouble. Come to think of it, wouldnt the police notice a group of people living in a dump? Or did they use something like a spell that turns away passersby? Kamijou went from the campsite to his own tent, snuggled his body under the futon, and thought about all these things. Stiyl was sleeping just beside him, and Index seemed to be sleeping in another tent. In order to protect Index, Stiyl had actually intended to sleep with Index in the same tent, but that idea was rejected. Later, Kamijou had seen a disappointed Stiyl mutter to himself, If Kanzaki, who is of the same gender, were around, it''d have been alright... as he placed rune cards near her tent. It was said that Innocentius became stronger the more rune cards there were, and Stiyl appeared to be grumbling because there was a limited amount of space inside the small tent where he could stick them. Unable to sleep, Kamijou rolled around in the tent. It was not because he was not tired or overly nervous because of the upcoming battle, but because he could not sleep on his own when there were so many people busy working outside. Even more, once he thought about how they were dressed, he could only think about Orsola, who was dressed in the same nun robes. ...I should just go help them. As Kamijou got out from under the futon, Stiyls irritated voice rang out beside him. Do whatever suits you, but please dont use your mysterious right hand to destroy their artifacts...If theyre broken, you''ll have to pay for them yourself; itll be none of the English Anglican''s business. After listening to that seemingly sarcastic reminder, Kamijou got out of the tent. The summer night was extremely hot. The nuns ran around, busy doing their own things. Some of them carried a lot of silver candlesticks; some of them, stacks of old Bibles; and some of them, large wooden wheels that seemed to be used for horse carriages. Kamijou wondered, What use do those things have? Is there something that I can help with...Eh? Kamijou suddenly realised that something was strange, and stopped. Beside the tent he had just walked out from, the zipper to the entrance of Index''s rune-card-filled tent was open, and there was no one inside. Now where did she run off to--WA! Seeing that Indexs tent was empty, Kamijou moved toward it--and noticed that the feeling of ground below his feet was gone. Actually, he got careless, and had already stepped into the equilateral triangular hole made by the Amakusa. Oh, no...! Im about to fall in--! Swish! Before Kamijou could fall entirely into the sewer, a nun grabbed Kamijous waving hand in the nick of time. The nun pulled Kamijou out and started telling him off in a foreign language, but Kamijou did not understand what she was saying. Oh, man, have I already started giving them trouble? A dejected Kamijou turned around again to look at the triangular hole which he had nearly fallen into, and observed it carefully. The Amakusa had been lurking in the sewers since a while ago, and had launched a sneak attack from below. Up until now, Kamijou had thought that this place could be considered the Roman Catholics base, and no matter how one moved around, there should not be any danger. Thinking about it carefully, though, danger could still be nearby. The Amakusa could have set up something that could destroy the Roman Catholic command base before they had escaped, making their escape a lot easier. Even if they were to launch a stealth attack, they wouldn''t attack a layman like me, right? No matter how hard I think, theyd choose an important place to attack, such as the command post. The problem was that Kamijou was unable to distinguish the important tents from the unimportant ones. He saw one in front of him that was a lot bigger than the rest. Kamijou casually thought, That tent looks like the most likely to be attacked. Suddenly, an extremely loud crashing sound came from within that large tent. Then, a girls scream was heard. ...!? Kamijou felt the water content in his throat evaporating. Those wild thoughts that he had a while ago now came running back into his mind. The Amakusa could launch a direct attack from below. The more important the tent was to Agnese and the rest, the more likely it would be attacked. No way; dont tell me it came true... Damn it! Luckily, that tent was rather close to Kamijou. He clenched his fist as hard as stone and rushed forward. Although there were many nuns around, they were too shocked by this unexpected situation to respond. Kamijou ran to the entrance of the tent and pulled the zipper. Amakusa! Just as Kamijou shouted, a heavy object suddenly flew out of the tent and crashed into Kamijous belly. It was a heavy and warm object that brought with it some humidity. WAAAHHH...! An indescribable feeling flowed through Kamijous entire body, his fine hairs standing still. Kamijou quickly raised his fist and was about to swing it down... Before realising that it was Agnese Sanctis, now entirely naked, who was clinging to his waist. ...Eh? A loud voice boomed inside Kamijous head, and then his mind went blank. Agnese, who was completely naked, was wet, her skin dripping and moist. White steam continued to rise from her slightly pink and soft skin, and while clinging onto Kamijou, she continued to tremble. She buried her face into Kamijous stomach, shutting her eyes and muttering some foreign language. It seemed like she was confused. Kamijou did not understand a single thing that Agnese was saying. Agnese pointed her finger at something, so Kamijou turned to look in that direction. A small slug was in one corner of the large tent. Agnese pointed to that small slug while speaking in that foreign language that no one could understand. Wait...wait, wait, Agnese! Let me go first, and put on some clothes! Also, I can only understand Japanese! Kamijou blushed as he shouted. Once Agnese heard that, her trembling stopped. She lifted her head in fear. And saw Kamijou. The next moment... Agnese fainted, and fell backwards. WAH! The ground was hard asphalt. Kamijou quickly grabbed Agnese, who was about to hit the ground. An amazing sensation passed through Kamijous shirt, making him feel strange. Agnese was a lot slimmer than Index overall, so she was a bit skinny, but that made her soft parts more pronounced. Ugh...!? Kamijou, who was still hugging Agnese, looked up, and trembled. Actually, there was a large golden basin in the middle of the tent, and above it, hanging from the roof, was a metal can. Attached to the bottom of the metal can was something that looked like a shower nozzle, and a tap above it. It seemed like this was a simple set-up for a shower, and by turning the tap, hot water from the metal can would flow out from the nozzle. And right now, hot water was flowing out of it. Within that large, golden basin in the middle of the tent, drenched in hot water, was a silver-haired, emerald-eyed nun. ...Touma. The nun spoke in a very low voice. Of course she was not wearing anything. Whether it was her wet hair, her flat chest, or her little belly button that was now filled with water, they were all in full view. Her skin was originally white, but after she had washed it with hot water, it was rather reddish. Wait... wait, wait, wait a minute! I thought that the Amakusa attacked, and was worried, so I rushed in, so I hope you can carefully re-evaluate this... Sniff ...? ''Sniff?'' Startled, Kamijou observed Indexs every movement. Sniff sniff... Sniff sniff... SHE...SHE-SHE-SHE-SHE-SHE-SHE-SHES CRYING!? This completely unexpected situation made Kamijou tremble mysteriously. Large teardrops continued to flow from the corners of Indexs eyes, and she used her hands to wipe them away. Suddenly, Kamijou found many people looking at him coldly. Over 100 nuns were labeling Kamijou as "a guy who would make a young and naked girl cry--and even our superior is naked and has fainted beside him". Kamijou went pale. Wait...please...please calm down, Index-hime! This isnt like you! You arent like this normally! See, Kamijous head is here, right? Come bite it, quickly, bite it... Eh? Wait...wait! Why do you look so serious all of a sudden? I...Im just joking! Please dont give me that expression, like youre going to chew on a thick slab of beef--WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Didnt I tell you not to cause them trouble? Hm? Why are you holding your head and crying? Stiyl, who was lying inside the tent, coldly asked Kamijou, who was bare able to drag his body back into the tent. As the tents entrance was zipped up, Stiyl figured out that there had been a commotion, but he did not know that it had something to do with Index. If he were to know about it, the next scene would probably be one where a crazed priest wielding a flame sword chased after Kamijou. Kamijou was told by Agnese, who had voiced her displeasure, Were about to discuss battle tactics; please LEAVE. Of course he did not want to cause anymore trouble. Kamijou stroked his scalp and snuggled into his futon. As long as he could get some time, whether it was five minutes or ten minutes, he should quickly rest and get some sleep. It was said that this was common knowledge for all magicians. Kamijou could not sleep before the pain went away, though. Hey, Stiyl. What? Im rather annoyed right now. If theres anything, we can talk later. I''d like to ask you something. Their ability to handle danger is so lousy. So what if its The Book of the Law? Theyre already panicking like this over just a magic book. This is really unthinkable. Compared to this, that girl who possesses 103,000 magical books in her brain... Who knows how many magicians have coveted her... Which girl do you like? EH? Hearing Kamijou ask that question, Stiyl sucked in a breath of cold air, his body trembling slightly. During nights in training or camp, that question would always be raised. That seemed to be something unique only to Japan. Answer quickly; I still have other questions to ask. The lady I respect is Elizabeth the First, and the lady I admire is St. Martha; its said that she subdued a dragon with a prayer full of love and compassion, and that''s really admirable. Any other questions? The Amakusa Catholics...isnt that the organisation which Kanzaki was serving? ... Stiyl squinted his eyes, and remained silent. He stretched his hand, wanting to get a cigarette, but realised that smoking while lying on the ground was not good, and pulled his hand back. Who told you? Kanzaki most likely wouldnt say where shes from. Did Tsuchimikado tell you? Yeah. It was when you became the owner of the seaside resort. [5] Stiyl looked like he did not understand. Kamijou did not bother explaining and continued, In other words, the Amakusas are Kanzakis compatriots, right? Kamijou paused at this point, obviously looking perplexed. ...Should we continue to take action? Like that time against the Misawa Cram School? Kamijou and Stiyl had once fought on the same side before. That battle could only be described as appalling. Many people had been injured, and some had even lost their lives. From that moment on, Kamijou had vaguely understood what a battle between different magical organisations was all about. In the real magical world, not a single hint of innocence was allowed. Thus, magic specialists like Index and Stiyl were born. But, Since these people knew how cruel a battle between magicians was, would that not create a sense of compassion? Of course. Stiyl answered without hesitation, however. Isnt it obvious? Ill do anything to protect that kid. Even if Im not ordered by my superiors to do so, or even ordered not to, its the same to me. I can kill anyone, whether its burning them alive, or burning their corpses to ash--whether its in front of that kid or somewhere where she cant see me, Stiyl said in a self-depreciative manner. Dont get the wrong idea, Kamijou Touma. That Im lying right here, right now...its all for that kid. Once you have no more value to that young child, Ill burn you to a crisp anytime. ... Kamijou could not help but swallow his saliva. This was the sole conviction that Stiyl Magnus had. Being one of the English Anglicans, becoming an extremely strong battle magician, being ordered to bring back The Book of the Law and Orsola...all his actions were based on this conviction. A long time ago, I swore, ''DSleep well; even if you forget everything, Ill remember it forever. Ill live for you, and die for you.'' That made Kamijou tremble. But Stiyls words were filled with passion. Kamijou pondered carefully on how to answer. If he was not careful, it would be disrespectful to Stiyl. But even so, why must you get Index involved in this? The one who planned this wasnt me. If possible, I would not have gotten her involved either. Stiyl said calmly. But I cant settle this on my own. If I do, that child will be seen as useless by my superiors. As of right now, if we cant make them see the value that Index has, its likely that shell be brought back to London. Right now, to her, not being able to live in Academy City would be much more painful than anything else. Stiyls voice was filled with frustration and reluctance. They were both members of the English Anglican Church. As for Stiyl, he must be hoping to bring Index back to Britain. But Stiyl Magnus replied with such reluctance. Lets sleep; theres only 2 hours left before the operation starts. Well get nightmares if we continue talking. After saying that, the rune spellcaster shut his mouth and eyes. In a few hours, it was going to be a battle for keeps. In such an intense atmosphere, Kamijou had thought that he would not be able to sleep, and he did not expect himself to, after getting under his blanket and closing his eyes. Maybe it was because the preparations for Daihaseisai had taken more out of him than he had expected, but Kamijou soon fell asleep. Uh...ah...? Sensing something heavy pressing against him, Kamijou woke up. At that moment, a message inside Kamijou told him: something as heavy as a human was pressing on him, the blanket had risen for some reason, and his body felt some warm and soft skin. In addition, there was subtle breathing coming from under the blanket. WaiWait, wait...oh, no, no way! Oh, man, I forgot that the tent doesnt have a lock! In his dormitory, Kamijou would normally hide inside the bathroom, lock the door, and sleep inside the dry bathtub. The reason was simple: if he did not do this, Index would snuggle into Kamijous futon while she was still dazed and sleepy. Because of that, Kamijou was grateful that the bathtub was large enough for him. Besides this sin-Index snuggling into his futon-which would cause a severe adverse emotional impact on the young and healthy Kamijou Touma, the more important thing right now was that Stiyl slept beside him--and he had been rather stern when he gave that relentless speech before he slept. If this continued, Kamijou would likely die in Stiyls hands later. Drenched in sweat, Kamijou suddenly noticed that the tender flesh of the girl was constantly rubbing against him. The rubbing of different body parts together made Kamijous heart stop beating. ...Wooo...whoooaaa! Wait a second, wait a second! Index! Coming from the side is enough, but isnt it too much to press onto my body!? Kamijou hastily whispered--or so Kamijou thought, but it was actually very loud--voicing his objection. Hm...Touma, what are you saying...? Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the entrance of the tent; it was Index, half-asleep and dazed and her eyes half-open as she unzipped the entrance to the tent, preparing to enter Kamijous futon. Eh? A large question mark appeared inside Kamijous head. Umum... Papa...Io non posso mangiare alcuno pi qualsiasi pi lungo... The face that was revealed from inside the futon was that of Agnese Sanctis. Agnese, who was still sleeping soundly, did not realise that she was less than 5 cm away from Kamijous lips. No way...Another person who snuggles into other peoples futons when shes sleepy and dazed? Didnt this girl order me to leave their bathing area a while ago? Kamijou panicked as he pulled away from the approaching pair of peach-like lips. He then tried to crawl away while under Agneses body. The moment Kamijou tugged at the futon, however, it was lifted open. Wa! Kamijou was stunned. Agnese, whose entire body was revealed from within the futon, wore only a white laced bra and a pair of panties with small bow ties on both sides. Maybe she was used to sleeping like this, as her nun''s robes were neatly stacked and placed in one corner of the tent. Stunned, Index stared at Kamijou and Agnese. ...Papa? Wait! Index, Ive no idea whats going on! I dont have an inkling of why I''m being called that by a young girl! Because of the previous incident involving Agnese, which ended up with him having bite marks all over his head, Kamijou was frightened, and trembled, trying to explain his actions. Index observed Kamijous frightened expression closely, and said, Whoa...this...should probably be a dream... Eh? Um, even if its Touma, he cant possibly have so little integrity. So, this must be a dream. Mm-hmm. Yeah...yes, yes! Its a dream, its a dream! How can a real man like Kamijou Touma, wholl forever treat nuns nicely, do such a shameless thing!? Kamijou continued to misguide Index, who was sleepy, like a hypnotist. Hm, ya, since its a dream, there should be no problem. Its alright no matter how hard I bite. Since its a dream, its alright if I take this opportunity to vent all my daily dissatisfaction. Mm-hmm. EH? AH...what? Wait, Index! Youre wrong! This is a real and authentic... Kamijou frantically tried to correct himself, but it was too late. Index bit his head with all her strength. The scream of the healthy high school boy, Kamijou Touma, made Agnese, clad only in her underwear and lying beside him, wake up in shock. As for Stiyl Magnus who was sleeping in the same tent and was annoyed, he simply took a glance at Kamijou and the rest, turned over to the other side, and continued his sleep. Part 4 11 PM. It was nighttime now. The substitute Supreme Pontiff, Tatemiya Saiji, together with 47 members of the main force, were gathered around the portal of the special teleportation magic, the Thumbnail Tour. The place was not some mysterious forest or mountain, however; they were at a large snack-themed amusement park called Parallel Sweets Wonderland. This snack-themed amusement park had been built and financed by 4 large snack manufacturers, and it was as large as an electrical plant. Inside the park were 75 stores from 38 different countries. Throughout the park were several donut-like watercourses, linked to each other like the 5 rings on the Olympic logo. Outside the watercourses, there stood several snack shops similar to those of hawkers, but their products were top-quality. Inside of the circular watercourses was a square where many snack manufacturers could showcase their products and carry out activities. As it was almost the end of summer, it seemed like they were promoting ice products and frozen deserts. Although the locations of the portals that Ino Tadataka had set did not change, the city developed and changed everyday. Some portals were located within certain rooms in certain condominiums, or even a large gold vault in a certain bank; it was now impossible to use those for teleportation. In comparison, this portal was the most accessible. The Amakusa members who had infiltrated Parallel Sweets Wonderland were holding hands as they prepared for the Thumbnail Tour. As conditions for its use, the Thumbnail Tour could only be used at midnight, and the ritual to prepare it had to be completed beforehand. As the timeframe in which the Thumbnail portal could be used was only 5 minutes long, it would be too late if they waited until midnight to begin the ritual. The ritual had to be activated exactly at midnight, however, so if necessary, they could finish it first and then activate it at midnight. None of the preparations for the ritual required any weird magic arrays or spell chanting. Aside from having infiltrated a theme park that was not open for service, these people were not really that strange. There were young people gathered in groups of 4 to 5, talking together; some occasionally took out French fries and hamburgers from paper wrappers to eat; some were holding discussions in front of the theme parks introductory board; and others were standing and flipping through travel guidebooks. Their actions seemed quite normal. Their attire was much more commonplace than those worn by Index or Stiyl: one girl wore a cutie top and a pair of short jeans, a boy had donned a mixed-colored shirt and baggy black pants, a lady wore an outfit with her overcoat slung over her shoulders, and so on. The only noticeable thing was that around 10 people were carrying sports bags, musical instrument cases, surfboards, and all other sorts of bulky luggage; these were the people responsible for transporting weapons. Only people of the same trade would be able to understand that every detail of their attire and actions was carefully planned. There was a magical meaning behind everything. The number of males and females, the age difference, the color combinations of the clothes, the act of having 4 to 5 people gathering together, the content of the discussion, the religious ritual that "eating" represents, the ingredients used for the hamburgers, what "eating meals" meant in magical terms, the page numbers where they stopped, the act of reading, adding up all the page numbers together... All these were classified as "codes" or "logos". Every action by the organisation created a spell and a magic array. Like this, the spells of the Amakusa used things from everyday life that had originated from several abandoned religious rituals, choreographed over and over so people could not tell that they used magic. This trait originated from the Bakumou era, when they were forced to hide to avoid persecution. Its about time... Tatemiya Saiji stood alone, far away from everyone, and swung the sword in his hand horizontally. The metal streetlights lost their light, breaking in half and leaving behind diagonal cuts. Please observe carefully, for this is the Christian sect that is infused with many different religious values: the Amakusa Catholics. He lifted his hands and muttered softly, looking at the night sky. Part 5 It''s like an abandoned ruin covered by the night sky. That was what Kamijou thought when he looked at Parallel Sweets Wonderland, 200 meters in front of him, where the special teleportation portal was. All the lights inside had been turned off, and what was originally a bright and vibrant theme park was now pitch-black. Although it had originally been designed to excite and delight people, right now, it was having the opposite effect. The warm, moist, and yet uncomfortable wind blew all of Kamijous sweat away. Kamijou turned his eyes away from Parallel Sweets Wonderland and looked beside him. Several nuns dressed in black robes were gathered in the large parking lot of a department store. It was another strange scene. Then, Kamijou turned to look at Index. Index continued to write on her palm using her thumb, likely simulating how everything would go in her mind. It seemed like she was unwilling to let Kamijou get involved in this battle between spellcasters. As there were fewer members of the Roman Catholics than available involved in this, the danger was much greater; Index was now a lot more anxious than she had been a few hours ago. On the other hand, Stiyl stood behind Index, smoking a cigarette like usual. Of course, he was most likely thinking about ways to protect Index. Agnese walked towards Kamijou and company, her thick-soled sandals continuing to make that tapping sound. Right now, she seemed like a completely different person. The look that she had revealed when she had been bathing or when she had been sleepy inside Kamijous futon, of her seemingly going to cry anytime, seemed to befit her age. But right now, when she was working, she was like a person who had forgotten all emotions. That sense of nervousness that had caused her legs to tremble so badly that she seemed about to fall was now all gone. We''ve found the Amakusas main forces at Parallel Sweets Wonderland, but theres no sign of The Book of the Law or Orsola. Although the probability is low, this may be a diversion by the enemy. So, I cant remove the perimeter or recall our patrol squads. Right now, we can only use the manpower we have with us. Agnese said firmly, as if it was a foregone conclusion. Kamijou repeated her words in his head, and said, Not knowing who has custody of The Book of the Law, or even where Orsola is in this area, is a huge bother to us. Is there any way we can save her? If we spend too much time looking for her, wont the Amakusa escape with her in tow or even use her as a hostage? Once the enemy is really pressured, theyll take a hostage to shield themselves. To Touma, this was almost like a golden rule. Touma thought about Orsola. She was a girl who lacked common knowledge, ignored what other people said, and would get lost if no one kept an eye on her. No matter what, Kamijou did not want to see her being threatened by the enemy with sharp blades or guns. Agnese said without hesitation, however, If they move out of Parallel Sweets Wonderland, our perimeter will pick them up. As for the hostage...I''m guessing the Amakusa wont use her as a hostage. Why? Kamijou asked, puzzled. The Amakusas main objective is to find a way to read The Book of the Law with Orsolas help. If they use her as a hostage and kill her in the process, all their plans will have gone to waste. Since they want to use the power of The Book of the Law, theyll want to ensure Orsola''s safety through any means. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth, and said, My guess is that, because they lost Kanzaki, the Amakusa want to use The Book of the Law to replenish their fighting strength. And since theyre using such tough means, I''m guessing that theyre really hard-pressed. In other words, if they fail in their attempt to steal The Book of the Law, they wont be able to make a comeback next time. So, theyll pay extra attention to Orsolas safety. ...in other words, this means that we have to save Orsola before the Amakusa destroy everything indiscriminately? Kamijou felt that this was truly a dilemma. If they pressured the Amakusa too much before they found Orsola, the Amakusa would probably kill her in the process; if they took it too easy, there would be less time to look for her. Also, the difference in battle strength between them meant that there was no room for mistakes. Agnese seemed to understand the slight dilemma, and said, For now, Id like to divide our numbers into two groups. 80% of our main force will act as bait, and attack the Amakusa head-on. During that time, please act as guerrillas and investigate the interior of Parallel Sweets Wonderland. Once you find The Book of the Law and Orsola, take them back. Agnese tapped the soles of her sandals on the ground, and said, They can only use the special teleportation magic before 12:05 AM. If we cant retrieve her by this time, well treat the situation as if Orsola is not in this area; at that moment, please leave this place. Once we defeat the Amakusa, well perform a thorough search in this area. In other words, if Orsola was not found before that time, but was actually still in the compound, she would be facing grave danger. Looking at Parallel Sweets Wonderland, it appeared that trying to find someone was not going to be easy. According to Agneses information, there were 75 stores inside the compound. Kamijou nervously swallowed his saliva. At that moment, Index said, We also cant just leave the portal of the special teleportation magic unattended. If we dont destroy it, the Amakusa might take Orsola away and escape through the portal. Although Touma can easily destroy an already-opened portal, the portal only opens at midnight. If we are going to try to stop this magic, we have to destroy all the tools used for the ritual. The problem, however, is that the Amakusa are best at disguising things; trying to find those things wont be easy. Finding The Book of the Law and Orsola, destroying the portal...seems like our schedule is rather packed. Stiyl said as he spat the cigarette onto the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it. Agnese saw that everyone had finished their mental preparations and raised one hand. The nuns behind her, numbering more than 70, raised their weapons, and the ice-cold clang of metal echoed throughout the night sky. These people carried all sorts of weapons: simple ones, like swords and spears; ones that could barely be called weapons, like silver rods and giant crosses; and even stranger ones for purposes unknown, like gears as tall as humans and torches. Agnese also received a silver rod from a nun beside her. ..this is unforgivable. Agnese Sanctis placed the silver rod against her shoulder and said viciously, looking at the darkness in front of her, The promotion of Christianity was originally to save humanity, and yet these guys are using their power for such a meaningless purpose. Once they use violence for such a trivial matter, others will use even more meaningless violence to stop them. Why cant they understand such a simple chain reaction? ... This was truly a simple truth. To outsiders, it was reasonable; to insiders, easy to understand. Of course, Kamijou himself agreed wholeheartedly with it. Maybe Im a bit disrespectful...but I dont have a good impression of any magicians--it''s not just the Amakusa, but especially those modern Western magic societies that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century that twist Christianity or use backdoor tricks. The most notable examples are those who falsely use magic arrays with Archangels'' names like Demigods and Power of God. Even if we ignored the 20th century, the alchemists who signed agreements with royalty during the witch-hunting era used such high-sounding rhetoric like These are teachings of Christianity and not witchcraft, so Im a loyal servant of God. Agnese tapped her sandals again and said, Those people love to memorise the Bible from beginning to end, sieve through every word of God, and find loopholes in it. That''s what they call Anti-God Black Art. They arent scary outside enemies, but rather despicable thieves from within. Magicians are like the politicians wholl exploit any loophole within the law, and then cause the downfall of a country. While we''re following orders and queuing up to buy bread, these magicians will blatantly cut in line and cause all sorts of ridiculous problems. What I mean isn''t that the magicians shouldn''t have their bread, but that their act of cutting queue has to be condemned." Now that Agnese was talking about Christianity, Kamijou had nothing to say. What Agnese wanted to emphasize was that she could not forgive the Amakusa for destroying (at least, that was what Agnese felt) the order that everyone followed. Stiyl Magnus, who was a real magician and had stood nearby and listened to Agneses emotional speech, only revealed a delirious smile and a nonchalant look. As for Index, she looked as if she did not know what to do. Necessarius is composed entirely of magicians; these words must be rather harsh to them. Thinking about it, women really are creatures wholl change really fast. Agnese was shaking nervously a while ago, and now shes completely changed. This is unbelievable. Kamijou looked around, trying to find something else to talk about, and ended up looking at the Roman Catholic nuns around him. To be honest, even though you humbly say that you cant gather all your people, its remarkable that you can gather this amount with just one order. Kamijou said in a surprised and admiring tone. Once Agnese heard that, she smiled and replied, Our specialty is our numbers; we have compatriots in 110 countries throughout the world, and even in Japan, there are many of our Church Ministries. Also, were building a new house of God called the Church of Orsola. If I remember correctly, its located near here. Once its complete, itll be the largest Church in Japan. Its about the size of a baseball stadium." A soft sound came from the soles of Agneses sandals. Church of Orsola? Yes. Orsola once went to 3 pagan countries to preach Christianity to them, and her contributions were great, so the superiors specially allowed a Church to be built in her name. Doesnt she speak Japanese really well? Now that Agnese mentioned it, that seemed to be the case. But there were a large number of foreigners around Kamijou who spoke Japanese so fluently, so he had not paid it too much attention. Of course, to Kamijou, who could only speak Japanese, that was a good thing. After the Church is built, well be sending invitations. Before that, however, lets settle the problem in front of us. Agnese revealed a smile full of self-confidence. She carried the seemingly heavy silver rod over her shoulders, and stamped her heels on the ground, creating a dangling sound. The 30-cm-thick soles bounced off, leaving behind a pair of ordinary sandals; it seemed like the soles worked like the zippers on the nuns robes, and one could choose to remove them at any time. "...since it''s easier to walk like that, why don''t you normally just take them off?" Shut up; its called a sense of beauty. Wearing thick-soled sandals is my own style. Part 6 11:27 PM. Kamijou, Index, and Stiyl had arrived at the metal fence near the workers entrance to Parallel Sweets Wonderland. Although they were not on the battlefield yet, Kamijou felt jumpy, as if the air were filled with static electricity. The enemy could be monitoring their actions from within the darkness on the other side of the wired fence. Even though the enemy was only hiding in a corner of the compound, the entire area seemed to be one large stomach of theirs. Such a scary place... A girl left alone here must be really uncomfortable. She might be surrounded by several vicious sword- and spear-wielding criminals, too. Deep inside, Kamijou cursed. If he had known that this would be the outcome, he would have brought Orsola to Academy City from the very start. Right now, Kamijou was really regretting it. Hey, Stiyl... What? Do you think that we can finish everything within the time limit? Destroying the portal, finding The Book of the Law, rescuing Orsola, everything? After hearing Kamijous question, Stiyl became silent. Index looked nervous as she turned back and forth, staring at these two. ...to be honest, its gonna be difficult. After a while, Stiyl said again, We have no idea where the Book of the Law or Orsola are inside this area. Also, we know something that the Roman Catholics dont. Kamijou looked suspicious and puzzled. After this incident happened, Kanzaki Kaori, who was originally supposed to be in England, went missing. Im afraid that shes going to help her former subordinates... by engaging in some drastic actions. So, if we want to utterly defeat the Amakusa, that Saint will probably attack us. Stunned and tense, Kamijou felt his throat go dry. The magician Kanzaki Kaori had managed to contain a real Angel during the Angel Fall incident. Although Kamijou had not witnessed her entire battle against the Angel, it was not hard to imagine how scary she was as an opponent. He also felt that all the predictions that Stiyl was making about Kanzaki were rather reasonable. So, I''ll advise you not to think of executing this plan perfectly. There are too many flaws in this plan, and too many risks. Our last line of defence is to prevent the Book of the Law from being decoded successfully. If that''s the case... Kamijou looked at Stiyls and Indexs faces, and said, Should we put Orsola''s safety as our top priority? Ive no disagreements with that. Without the decoder, the Book of the Law would be useless even if they did have it. Also, the contents of the Book of the Law is ingrained within Index''s head; the original has no value to us. Since the Book of the Law belongs to the Roman Catholics, even if we lost it, it wouldnt hurt the English Anglicans one bit. I also feel that this is a good idea. In any case, even if we disagree, Touma will take action on his own, right? Our numbers are few, so we have to work together. The two magicians of the English Anglican Church, Index and Stiyl, had no disagreements. As experts, it was expected that they knew things that Kamijou did not, but right now, they were using an idea that he, a layman, came up with. Um, thanks, guys. The two heard that and were somewhat stunned. Index already had a lot of different expressions, so it was normal, but Stiyl looked somewhat embarrassed. Stiyl covered his mouth and said, Please dont say disgusting things thatll lower our morale before we attack. The battle will begin at 11:30 PM, and we have to go in at the same time. Seems like its about time... Touma, when we go in, please be careful, alright? Stay behind me and follow my instructions, and you wont get hurt. Hm, what are you saying? My right hand is an iron wall against magicians! You should be the one staying behind me, and give me advice when necessary. ... ... Having different opinions, Kamijou and Index were now silent. ...were about to begin our invasion; can you guys please get serious? Stiyl, who was coldly staring at the two regarding their argument, said softly. At that moment... BOOM! An explosion erupted at the visitors entrance, far away. Looking at the flames that were rising into the sky, Kamijou was flabbergasted as he said, ...oi, do we have to make such a ruckus when attacking? If we dont do that, well lose to the enemy in terms of momentum. Touma, dont get careless. They havent created any unrest yet. Seems like someone used a spell that repels passersby and creates a fixed image. However, theres no sign of any of the Roman Catholics characteristics or habits...it seems like the Amakusa''s. Having such an ability...this is really bad news for us. No matter what they said, it was time for action. Index stuck the tip of her nose onto the wire fence, silently observing the compound. After confirming that there were no magical traps set, the trio climbed over the fence and into the dark compound. The lights in the compound were off, so this place formed a mass of darkness within the entire city. One might even have felt that the stars in the sky were especially bright. The trio entered the tour route from the outside; through the gap between the shaved ice store and the almond jelly store, both of which were as large as jeeps; and got onto the tour route. The tour route was a large circular road. Right in the middle was a watercourse, and the surface of the water was about 3 meters below them, the pool so deep that they could not see the bottom. Several small stores, like roadside ones, were arranged around the watercourse, each with only a bar and no space for the customers to eat inside. On the inside of the watercourse was a square with many tables and chairs. It seemed like the management hoped to divert the customers there. ... If it were during the day, one ought to have been able to create some wonderful memories here. But right now, this place was as if it had come from a world in another dimension. There was not even any light, and all the stores were now barred by ice-cold shutters; it was as if no one in the entire compound welcomed Kamijou and company. Like someone who holds a flashlight below his chin and casts shadows over his face, there was a sense of fear and suspense here that could not be described. Even Index, a gluttonous girl who would love coming to this kind of place to eat, was now extremely tense as she stared into the darkness. Touma, Touma, there isnt much time left; we have to find Orsola first, and fast. Ya, theres only 30 minutes left. If we can find the exact location of the portal, we could still stick around and wait, but we cant expect too much right now. Stiyl said. Maybe it was because he was afraid of giving his location away that he was not smoking. There were sounds of growls, shrieks, screams, things being destroyed, and explosions; it seemed like the battle between the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa had already begun. Right, I got it. After Kamijou had finished saying that, he heard metal clanking against metal. The sound seemed to come from above him. Kamijou casually looked up, and... Four youths came crashing in from the roof of the shaved ice store. They were wielding weapons that resembled Western swords. !? Kamijou frantically pushed Index aside, and Stiyl grabbed Indexs collar, pulling her beside him. The swords carried the moon''s reflection as they swung downwards, quickly smashing the place where Index had just been. A boy and three girls. The four of them were about as old as Kamijou. Their attires were not as eye-catching as a nuns robes; instead, they were ordinary clothes that one could find on the streets. That, however, made the Western swords they were wielding even more sinister-looking. Stiyl said reluctantly, A Hand-and-a-half sword, a bastard sword, a boar spear sword, a dress sword...seems like the people of this country really like Western culture! Kamijou felt that he had seen those names before, in several fantasy RPGs. The lengths of the four swords ranged between 1 and 2 m, and their designs were rather unique; one of them even had a small, circular-shaped thing that was like a bulbous plant on the tip of its thin blade. Kamijou really had no idea what that would be for. Damn it, hasn''t the main diversionary force attracted all the enemies yet? The four teenagers landed on the ground, separating Kamijou from Index and Stiyl. As the road was narrow, Kamijou could not get past the four easily and regroup with both Index and Stiyl. Stiyl placed a rune on the ground, summoning a flame sword, then pulled something out from his torso, saying, This is for you. Dont lose it if you dont want to die. Kamijou hurriedly caught it. It was actually a silver cross necklace. This is... Kamijou looked up. Before he could even ask, Whats this for?, an Amakusa girl wordlessly raised a pair of thin swords as long as brooms--probably the dress sword--as she charged towards Kamijou. Wa!? Kamijou frantically jumped back, dodging the blow. The girl again stepped forward, swinging her sword. Kamijou could not react in time, and for a moment, did not know what to do. Luckily, he tripped and fell backwards, managing to dodge the strike. Danger! Touma!! Kamijou heard Index scream as the girls dress sword swung downward like a guillotine. Using his falling momentum to roll backwards, he barely dodged the blow. Up until now, the enemy had not used any magic. In this situation, the Imagine Breaker was useless. If he were to use his right hand to block, it would be cut in half. Index! Kamijou frantically shouted, but the four enemies were standing in the middle of the road, and so Kamijou was unable to get to Index. Stiyl raised his flame sword, standing in front of Index. Two of the enemies, both of whom were wielding longswords, charged forward, as if they wanted to run Stiyl and Index through. DONG! There was a heavy collision sound. !? Hearing that, Kamijou was scared nearly to death. But once he looked at it calmly, he noticed that Stiyl was not even bleeding. What was more, the two enemies who had charged at him simply went through his body. A mirage. Stiyls afterimage left behind a mocking smile and faded into nothing. The smile did not seem to be directed at the Amakusa, their enemies, but rather at Kamijou. The duo then disappeared into thin air. Right now, the four Amakusa were staring at Kamijou, who was the only one left at the scene. Oi...wait a minute...if youre going to escape, at least discuss a signal and a rendezvous point! Damn it, Im the scapegoat again? This isnt the first time! I remember the same thing happening when we were fighting the alchemist! Kamijou, who had been left behind, quickly turned around and scampered away. The enemy did not seem to know how to react upon seeing that. Kamijou looked back as he ran and saw 3 of them running off in different directions. It seemed like they were chasing after the escaped Index. There was only one enemy left. Only the girl who had raised her sword and swung at Kamijou continued to pursue him. She was really fast. Even though she was wielding a large and heavy Western sword, she moved as fast as a bird. Oh, no...! Ill be caught if I just run straight! Kamijou quickly left the circular tour route and dove into a space between two stores that was not even 70 cm wide. The space could not be considered an "alley", but was rather a "gap". While running through the tiny gap, Kamijou suddenly tumbled forward. The shop here seemed to be undergoing renovation, as a signboard had been placed next to the wall and toolboxes had been scattered on the ground. He had tripped on these. Wa...! Why do they leave these things around and not pack them away nicely!? If he were to continue running like this, his back would be hacked down by the girl sooner or later. Kamijou looked at the overturned toolboxes, hoping to find something that could be used as a weapon, but he immediately realised that it would not work. Even if he were to swing a hammer wildly, he could not possibly beat a real sword. Even if he were to randomly grab and throw some stuff, they would likely be cut in half by the enemy. ...they would be cut in half? If so...! At that moment, the girl wielding the dress sword slid against the ground with her soles, arriving at the entrance of the shop like a drifting car. Kamijou frantically grabbed something that was like a toothpaste tube and threw it behind him. The girl did not even look at the tube-like thing as she raised her sword, slicing it in half. The girl then raised her sword again, rushing into the gap. !! Kamijou quickly stood up, crossing his hands over his head. The girls blade did not pause as she cut the air, swinging down onto Kamijous head. In terms of power, it was definitely enough to cut Kamijous hands and body in half. Thunk! Unexpectedly, the sound created as the blade hit his wrists was dull. There was not even a scratch on Kamijous skin. The toothpaste tube-like thing actually contained grease used for machinery. Such a highly viscous substance would stick on the blade like blood or fat and greatly reduce its sharpness. If the girl were using a heavy sword like a Japanese one, even if it was not sharp enough, it would still have had enough weight to break Kamijous wrists. It was too bad, however, that the girl was using a ceremonial sword that had belonged to ancient royalty. Although it was decorated with gold, silver, and all sorts of gems, the blade was long and thin, so it lacked destructive power. !? The girl frantically raised her dress sword once more. Too late!! Kamijou had already swung his arms to the side, flinging the blade away, and slammed into the girl''s waist viciously. With his entire weight pressing against her, the blow bowled her over backwards. Kamijou was kind enough to protect the girls head with his hand, however, so the back of her head did not hit the ground full-force. The collision knocked out all the air within the girls lungs, and she could not move. It was like someone who completely lost her body balance and got tossed by a judo throw; it was expected that she would faint. ...ouch, it hurts. After confirming that the girl was not hurt, Kamijou sat on the ground with one buttock, looking up. Above him was a night sky cut into a square by the four walls of the building. Such a scene was rather common in an alley. In Academy City, street-fighting in the alleys was very different from what Japan normally saw or imagined. That was because many students, as long as they could manipulate their powers well enough, were far scarier than guns. Besides that, several delinquents wielded special weapons that were not inferior to esper powers. Maybe it was because Kamijou was used to those things that he was able to react accordingly when facing off against a sword user. Kamijou sat down and adjusted his breathing, studying the dress sword that the girl had held originally. Although the blade was thin, it was heavier than expected, maybe because of its centre of gravity. After thinking about it, Kamijou felt that he could not use the sword, since he did not know any sword techniques, and therefore could not possibly beat an enemy with it. Also, if he were to hit an enemy with it, the enemy would definitely bleed; just thinking about it made him shiver. Although its sharpness had decreased by a lot, Kamijou was not willing to take this thing and recklessly swing it around. Thinking about it, though, if he were to leave the sword here, then when the Amakusa girl wakes up, it was likely that she would come chasing after him again. So, Kamijou could only drag that heavy sword away from her position. Damn it, what happened to Index and Stiyl? And wheres Orsola? Should I meet up with them? Or should I find Orsola on my own? This was the consequence of not setting up a rendezvous point. Now that he thought about it, Kamijou had not expected to be working separately from them from the very beginning. After thinking about his next strategy, he dragged the heavy sword back to the circular road. Suddenly, a figure came crashing into his side. !? When that figure rushed out of the shadows, Kamijou had not sensed it at all. Crashed into like that, he lost his balance and quickly threw his longsword away, trying to prevent himself from being stabbed accidentally as he fell. Right now, the situation could be said to have been completely reversed. Kamijou was the one who had been knocked onto the ground, but he had braced himself, so the damage he had received was not as bad as what the girl had suffered. To prevent the enemy from jumping him, he raised his fist, preparing to fight back. ...eh? Kamijou relaxed his fist immediately, however, because there was something strange about the enemy in front of him. The enemy wore a black nuns cap and robes. It was already very hot, and yet this nun''s clothes covered her entirely from head to toe. Not only that, but her hand had also been tied to her back with white duct tape, each of her hands holding onto the opposite elbow. Even her mouth had been gagged with duct tape. Looking closer, he noticed that the duct tape seemed similar to fabric, and that distorted kanji-like text were inked on top. Anyone could tell that this was Orsola Aquinas. At that moment, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief, and his entire body crashed onto the ground. Mmmm! Mmmmmmmm! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! The moment Orsola, who was gagged up by that weird talisman, saw Kamijou, she tried to talk. What? Since you specially came all the way to Japan, you want to meet a real sumo wrestler? Youre really like an old granny! Not all Japanese are sumo wrestlers! Mmm! Ah? Wait...Im only jok! Before Kamijou could finish speaking, an angry headbutt met his chest. Both he and Orsola went crashing onto the ground. At first, Kamijou could only cough and gasp for breath, but after a while, he realised that his hands were touching something soft. Actually, his hand was placed on Orsolas voluptuous and ample breast, the heartbeat and warmth traveling through his hands, but Orsola did not seem to realise it. Eh? WAAA! Kamijou immediately went red. Quickly climbing up from under Orsolas body, he used his right thumb to gently remove the talisman taped onto Orsolas mouth. Now that she felt someone touch her lips indirectly through the talisman, Orsola revealed a stunned expression, but upon feeling the talisman fall on its own naturally, she was even more shocked. May...may I ask...are you the mister who I met at the bus stop? Why... Of course Im here to save you! Ahhh, save the details for later; anyway, we have to get out of here! Kamijou looked around him, and after confirming that no one was around, retrieved the sword he had just thrown aside. Orsola did not seem to be aware of what was going on, as she muttered seemingly to herself, and not to Kamijou, Eh? Eh? May I ask...youre really...trying to save me? It does not concern...The Book of the Law? Im too lazy to bother with that kind of thing. You think that Ill run all the way here just for an ancient book? Do I look that carefree? Kamijou shook his head as he shouted. Orsola seemed scared and shocked as she jerked back. Ah...um...really...thank you for your grace and kindness. ...you dont need to thank me. Oh, yeah, why are you here? Where are those Amakusa? The...the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa seem to be having a big fight. I escaped during this mess...now that I think about it, the Amakusa dont seem to be good at confinement and imprisonment. Kamijou picked up the dress sword and went behind Orsola, breaking the seal on her wrists. Orsola massaged her hands that were just freed, and asked, Thank...thank you. However...may I ask...how did you do it...? Hm...? This is my special ability...Im not going to explain it to you; the development process of esper powers on the Science side will probably confuse you badly. Come to think about it, why are you still here strolling around? Why didnt you think of escaping right away? Its not that I didnt wish to escape, but that I couldn''t; the two sides were fighting really hard at the entrance. Also, my hands were tied, so I couldn''t get over the fence. And just when I was looking for another entrance...! Before Orsola could finish speaking, Kamijou suddenly grabbed her arm and ran back to the gap between the shops. Orsola saw the Amakusa girl, who had fainted and was lying on the ground, and nearly screamed. ...quiet! Kamijou whispered as he covered Orsolas mouth with his right hand. He then ran to the end of the gap, and upon arriving there, pressed his body against the wall. Several footsteps could be heard from the circular road outside, before becoming softer and softer. These people did not seem to be looking for Index and Stiyl, but rather for the escaped Orsola. Each of them wielded either a sword or an axe, and were giving the others orders. They looked really scary. After confirming the footsteps to be far away, Kamijou leaned his back onto the wall and slowly sat down. Orsola followed suit, gracefully sitting down beside him. Part 7 It appeared that the place where Kamijou and Orsola were sitting was a blind spot to the Amakusa. They were at the back of a shop, and there were shrubs growing around them, so if they kept low, it would be impossible for them to be seen from afar. Because the safety area was small, however, Kamijou and Orsola were unable to move. Those youths from the Amakusa were running around, as their footsteps continued to echo from the tour routes nearby. Anyone who heard those footsteps could understand that the duo would be found if they moved out. Kamijou worried about Index and Stiyls safety. As Orsola was beside him, for them to stay inside Parallel Sweets Wonderland and not escape was dangerous and meaningless. Kamijou was unable to contact them, however, and he could not take the risk of leaving his hiding place to go look for them. I heard that the special magical teleportation portal can only be activated from midnight to 12:05 AM; in other words, as long as I hide here, the Amakusas plan wont work either way. But is that a good idea...? Kamijou took out his phone, wanting to check the time on the display, but he was afraid of the screen''s light giving away his location in the darkness, so he stopped halfway through. He thought, it would be great if I could contact them by phone. It was too bad Indexs phone had been taken by that Calico cat, and he did not know Stiyls number. Kamijou sat down, stretching his legs forward, and accidentally touched the blade of the dress sword. The sound and touch relieved Kamijou of his thoughts and awareness, and he realised at that moment that he was breathing heavily. He wiped his forehead with his hand, and found that he was sweating abnormally heavily. Maybe it was because he was overly nervous that even a short amount of exercise made him sweat like he had just ran a marathon. Eh? Orsola seemed to realise that, as she grabbed a laced handkerchief from her sleeves. Kamijou had a bad premonition about it and shifted his butt backwards. No...theres no need for that, no need! A little sweat is nothing; dont dirty your handkerchief! Come to think of it, something similar happened at the station...GwuaaaaHHHH! Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Orsola mercilessly pressed the handkerchief, filled with a flowery aroma, onto his face. If you dont wipe the sweat off, you may catch a summer cold! Ah, yes, didn''t something similar happen near the bus stop? Didnt I tell you the same thing a while back? Just eight seconds ago! You really are an old granny that doesnt listen to other peoples words! This is unbearable...really unbearable! Stop pressing against my mouth and nose! Kamijou, in a slight state of asphyxia, tried to gather enough strength to escape from Orsolas handkerchief attack, but it was useless. While Orsola continued to wipe Kamijous face to her hearts content, she revealed a dazzling smile, and asked, May I ask, are you from Academy City? Cough cough...ugh...hm? Yeah, thats right. Since youre from Academy City, why did you appear here of all places? Your actions should be somewhat related to the Roman Catholics, right? But from what I know, theres no Church in Academy City, right? Orsolas tone was somewhat skeptical. But Kamijou''s attitude was rather melancholic. Oh, Im special. Theres a friend of mine among the English Anglicans. I was roped into helping in this case for some reason, and I''m not even clear about whats going on. When Orsola heard that, her shoulders jerked. It was like she was reacting to some major report. Hm? Are you worried? If Im not wrong, youre from the Roman Catholic Church, right? Is the relationship between the Roman Catholics and the English Anglicans that bad? No, its not that. Orsola silently thought for a while, and then continued, May I confirm it again? Youre here to help on request from the English Anglicans, right? Yeah. Kamijou casually nodded his head. Orsola muttered a Mmmmm... sound, and did not respond for a while. After a few minutes, Orsola suddenly opened her mouth and said, Ah, youre sweating quite a bit. Enough, I beg you! Stop wiping my sweat away! In other words, youre here on the English Anglicans'' instructions and not the Roman Catholics'', right? Ugh...our conversation jumps from one topic to another? Eh...its not really that formal. Ah, let me clarify first, I cant help you do anything for the English Anglicans, since Im a resident of Academy City. I...see. For some unknown reason, Orsola let out a laugh, as if she had been relieved of a burden. That''s the case, alright. Someone like you shouldnt get involved with our side. ...you think so? Hm...so, carrying this thing around is useless. Kamijou said as he looked at the cross that Stiyl had thrown to him before he had left. Although he had no idea what effect this thing had, the moment he had caught it with his right hand, that effect would have been nullified. Ah, is that the cross that English Anglican friend of yours gave you? How do you know? There are many different shapes and designs for a cross, such as a Latin Cross, a Celtic Cross, a Maltese Cross, a Saint Andrews Cross, a Patriarchal Cross, and a Papal Cross. Oh, I see. However, this thing in my hand is useless to me. It feels weird for an atheist to be holding this. Why dont I give it to you? Kamijou had said that casually, yet when Orsola heard it, she looked so happy that she was about to jump. Ah, is that true? Yeah. Although I dont know why Stiyl would give this thing to me, theres probably not too much significance. Also, that guy knows that I cant use magic...he really likes to tease people; maybe its a joke. Oh, yeah, this cross should be useless now, since, even though Im clueless about magic, I''ve already touched it with my right hand. Kamijou handed the cross over to Orsola as he said this. Orsola grabbed his hand in a handshake, however, and wrapped her other hand around his, saying, May I ask you something? Eh? Wha...what? Orsolas hand was even softer than Kamijou had expected, making his voice tremble. I hope that you can help me put this necklace on. Ah? Oh...okay. Kamijou replied. For his convenience, Orsola closed her eyes and raised her chin to allow Kamijou to put the Cross around her neck. It really looked like she wished for Kamijou to kiss her. Kamijou freaked out and frantically looked down, only to see Orsolas chest. Her already ample chest now looked much larger thanks to her posture. WAAAAAAA! Kamijou was so scared that he did not know what to do. Hm? What? Noth...nothing! Really nothing! Oh? Orsola gave him a skeptical look with her eyes still shut. Kamijou hastily unfastened the necklace. Orsolas neck was covered entirely by white cloth, so Kamijou hung the necklace around her neck. It was not until that moment that he realised he should have hung it from behind her; trying to hang it from the front was like wrapping his hands around her and hugging her. That made him extremely nervous. Kamijous fingertips touched the back of Orsolas neck, his hands trembling continuously and not following his commands. It took him quite a while to hang the necklace around her neck. Orsola looked rather satisfied as she continued to touch the Cross on her chest. Kamijou casually looked where her hand was pointing, but his eyes were attracted by her huge breasts, so he quickly looked away. Once there was an embarrassing thought within his head, it lingered on for quite some time. Kamijou could not stand the silence any longer, and so decided to come up with something to talk about. Oh, yeah, I heard that you know how to read The Book of the Law. Its not exactly reading. I would call it deciphering... Orsola said this slowly, but halfway through, she thought of something, and immediately turned around rigidly. Ah, please dont misunderstand. Im not asking you how to decipher it. Im just curious: why do you want to analyze The Book of the Law? Isnt the book supposed to be dangerous? Orsola stared at Kamijou for quite some time, then finally relaxed. She said, On a certain level of significance, its to gain power. She shook her head slightly, and continued, Do you know what kind of thing an original magic book is? That one cant destroy an original through any means? Um. I''ve heard of this before. The reason seems to be because the words, paragraphs, and chapters will form some sort of spell array, right? Yes. A magic book'' is actually a blueprint. A magic book that records lightning magic is also a mechanism that creates lightning. Even if an original-class magic book doesnt rely on human magic, as long as theres a little natural energy or life force nearby, that power will be magnified exponentially, creating a semi-permanent defensive mechanism." Orsola thought for a while, and said, With our spells now, we cant destroy any magic books. The most we can do is seal them and not allow others to read them. She then continued, Being unable to do so now, however, doesnt mean that it cant be done in the future. Since the original is also a magic book, if someone added in a few specific words or paragraphs, theyd be able to make it ineffective. Its like operating switches to change a train''s path; we can use it on the magic book itself in order to destroy its magic array. In other words, its to allow the original to self-destruct. Finally, she said firmly, The power of a magic book isnt going to give anyone happiness, and itll only bring about war. So, Ive been analysing this book, hoping to destroy the original. Stunned, Kamijou stared at Orsola. He had originally thought that the reason why Orsola was trying to decipher "The Book of the Law" was to gain power, but it was actually the opposite. The reason why Orsola was analysing "The Book of the Law" was to make its tremendous power disappear. Now that he understood that, Kamijou heaved a sigh of relief deep inside. Dong! There was a heavy sound from outside. The sound came from the other side of the shop, in the direction of the circular tour road; at that moment, something came flying in from above and into Kamijous sight. It seemed like a person. A priest that had red hair and was wearing a black coat. Sti... yl...? Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Stiyl had already landed heavily onto the ground as his back crashed into the shrub that was originally covering Kamijou and Orsola. His clothes were torn badly by a sharp sword, blood flowing out profusely from his wounds. That sound just now came out from the other side of the shop, but he fell here? Dont tell me he actually flew over from there! Kamijou conjured a horrific image in his head. Stiyl, who was on the ground, shouted, Damn it! Kamijou... Touma... what are you doing? Hurry up and run! Eh? Kamijou was stunned. At that moment, something that looked alive pierced through a wall two stores away from him. !? Before he could understand what was going on, the wall of the store completely collapsed. A silhouette appeared from behind the wall like a killer whale emerging from water. The construct which had lost its support quickly collapsed behind him as the shoulder-wide planks fell beside this silhouette. But this guy was unfazed by it, even revealing a slight smile. He was a male around 25 years old, with a tall and skinny figure, but he was wearing a large T-shirt and jeans that even a sumo wrestler could wear. The T-shirt was white in color, with two red stripes forming a cross on the left side of his chest. His hair was waxed extremely messily, as if it was deliberate. The highlight however should be his hair. His hair was really so black that it was likely that he had used a black hair dye to dye it. It was not only black, it gave off a mysterious shine like a carapace. He was wearing basketball shoes with shoelaces so frightening long it measured about 1m. As it was so long, even if he were to accidentally step on it, it was unlikely that hed trip. There was a rope made of either leather or another similar material hanging around his neck, with four to five mini fans about 10cm big hanging on the rope around his neck. Nobody could guess the intentions behind his get-up. Of course, the most unbelievable thing as what he was holding. A Flamberge. A 17th century dual-handed sword that originated from France and was about 180cm long. The unique characteristic about this blade was that the blade was as curvy as a flame. It was said that the current design was meant to increase its destructive power. Stiyls magic emphasized numbers to gain strength. As long as the place was filled entirely with rune cards, he was able to use powerful magic. In other words, this battle was rather disadvantageous to him. He had no time to set the field up as he had to fight while moving. Also, he was protecting Index, and there was no other way out except to use his own body as a shield. Dont bother about these unimportant things, Stiyl said in a tone that felt like he was going to vomit blood anytime. ......Very good, looks like you found Orsola Aquinas. Youre the same as always, I dont know whether to call it a blessing or a misfortune......anyway, hurry up and run away! Dont think of beating him, its our victory as long as we escape! Stiyl attempted to support his body with his heavily trembling legs, and was unable to succeed. Tatemiya Saiji happily looked at Stiyl, and then turned to look at Orsola, saying, Oh yeah, why am I meeting you here again? Didnt I tell you so many times? Orsola Aquinas, we dont intend to harm you any further. His tone sounded frivolous, as if he didnt even want anyone to agree with him. Orsola looked at the collapsed store, and the injured Stiyl, and the Flamberge in Tatemiyas hand. The first time you said that to me, it was really full of hope. But now, I cant trust the peace that you bring through violence. Too bad. Even if you return to the Roman Catholics, whats the point? Tatemiya gently waved his hand wielding the Flamberge, as if he was trying to confirm that nothing strange was on his shoulder. ...... Kamijou silently stood in front of Orsola. He did not have a weapon in his hand. Even if he was to swing an unfamiliar weapon around wildly, he couldnt possibly beat the opponent in front of him. He might as well not use a weapon which was heavy and unfamiliar to him. Tatemiya stared at Kamijous face, followed by the ceremonial sword that lay beside his feet. No combat stance, no artifacts, and no hidden magic code on your clothes. Youre really unarmed. Hm, although I dont feel like fighting against an amateur......seems like I have no choice. That sword, did you get it from Uragami? Tatemiya scowled, his expression looked severely distorted, deliberately giving off a sense of invisible pressure. Kamijou had never heard of the person called Uragami. If youre referring to your subordinate, shes lying down there. I protected the back of her head, so it shouldnt be life-threatening. There was now no sense of frivolity in Tatemiyas tone now. Seeing this reaction, Kamijou could already see Tatemiyas character. He was not a monster, he was an ordinary man who would rage when his comrade was bullied. Since youre someone wholl fight for others, can you please put your blade away? I dont really want to fight with someone like you. Im thinking the same thing, but the problem cant be solved that easily. Although our main enemies are the Roman Catholics, since you British Puritans have joined in, I cant just ignore this. Moresoever, I cant let Orsola be taken away by you guys. Tatemiya raised the sword that was almost 2 metre long above his head easily, swinging it wildly like a cheerleader captain waving her baton. Anyway, you have become an attack target of mine now. Ill see less blood if you are willing to kneel down and surrender. Tatemiya laughed, though he looked regretful. Although he said it like this, he had predicted how the enemy would respond. Of course, Kamijou was rather scared. He was aware of what kind of person a Real Magician was. And among them, those magicians that dont over rely on magic were the hardest to take on. For someone like the alchemist, Aureolus Izzard, as he already had a powerful magic move, he wouldnt prepare for a second move. But for someone like Tsuchimikado Motoharu, he wouldnt rely on his spells too much, so he would always use different techniques. Tatemiya Saiji was obviously the latter. Even if he didnt use magic, he could use the Flamberge in his hand to hack Kamijous head in an instant. Just seeing that he had been able to beat Stiyl without a single scratch (Of course, another reason is that Stiyl is distracted, having to protect Index) showed that he was really good. Fighting with him was almost futile. Kamijous entire body started to tremble. It was like a rather fast child racing with an Olympic sprinter. Should he surrender? Since the enemy in front of him couldnt be beaten with abilities, Kamijou was unable to think of anything that could reverse the situation. The problem was...... (If I surrender, whatll happen to Stiyl?) Stiyl bent his body, gasping heavily for breath, and glared at Tatemiya. The reason why he had decided to take part in this was because he thought that it would be beneficial to Index. So, he would never give up. The reality of despair and Kamijous advice were not going to stop this man, Stiyl Magnus. But if he didnt give up, the outcome could be easily seen. (If I surrender, whatll happen to Index?) Index looked like she was going to rush in anytime and get between Kamijou and Tatemiya. Once Kamijou started fighting with Tatemiya, the option of surrender would disappear. If so, she would try her best to create a chance for the outsider to the magical world, Kamijou to escape. Even if she was unable to fight, even if both sides had their special abilities, even if Kamijou didnt wish for her to do that. Finally...... (If I surrender, whatll happen to Orsola?) The Roman Catholic nun looked worriedly at Kamijous face, and turned to Tatemiyas face. Since Tatemiya wanted the knowledge, spells and power of the Book of the Law, he would probably not kill Orsola straight away. On the contrary, he would protect her so that she wouldnt get caught in the crossfire. But, once Tatemiya Saiji got Orsola, he would bring her back to the Amakusas main base. Over there, if Orsola refused to co-operate and tell them how to read the Book of the Law, one could guess what the outcome would be. And what Tatemiya Saiji and the Amakusa wanted was only how to read the Book of the Law, and not Orsola Aquinas herself. Once they achieved their objective, it was unthinkable what they would do to Orsola. (Its not exactly reading it. I would call it deciphering it......) -What she wanted hadn''t ever been the power of the Book of the Law. (On a certain level of significance, its to gain some power. ) -To prevent something like this from happening, she was trying her very best. (We can use it on the magic book itself to destroy the magic array. In other words, its to allow the original to self-destruct.) -But there were people who would mock and trample on her hard work, or even use her accomplishments for their own gain. This man was smiling as he stood in front of Kamijou. (The power of a magic book isnt going to give anyone happiness, and itll only bring about war. So Ive been analysing this book, hoping to destroy the original.) Kamijou stretched his leg, kicked the ceremonial sword aside, and stepped forward. No matter how sad or how awkward, the only one who could stop Tatemiya now was Kamijou. Even so, was there any reason for Kamijou to release his fist? ......Dont look down on me. Kamijou murmured. The fist which as already as hard as rock was now even tighter. When Tatemiya Saiji saw this, he sighed, as if he was trying to find regret from deep within the bottom of his heart. Seeing your eyes, that glare makes me feel so sad, really sad. Although the result has been settled, your outspoken personality makes me not want to kill you. Tatemiya gently waved the wavy longsword, the Flamberge. However, since its already settled, this day next year will be your death anniversary! Just as Tatemiya said that, Kamijou heard a loud explosion. Tatemiya stamped onto the ground with his sole, filled with energy like that of an explosion. Kamijou was so nervous that his entire body froze, and his opponent had already taken the first step. Just one step and the tip of Tatemiyas sword would touch Kamijou. Tatemiya raised the long sword high, and the light that was reflected from his blade made Kamijou unable to move, as he felt like a frog paralysed upon seeing a snake staring at him. He thought of raising his hands to protect himself. But that wouldnt be able to block the longsword. (Wu......ugh......! Dont......dont be afraid! Hurry up and move!) Kamijou continued to give orders to his stiff body, and finally managed to take the first step. It was not backwards, or sideways, but forward. Seeing Kamijou coming forward from slightly to the right, Tatemiya was somewhat intrigued, not understanding why an amateur would run into his attack range. Ho! Saiji breathed out some air and swung the sword down like a lightning strike. This critical blow could cut Kamijou in half, who was rushing in like a cannonball. ......! Next, Kamijou used his entire body strength and jumped, not slightly to the right, but straight on towards Tatemiyas right arm. Sweat shed off into the air and was cut in half by the longsword. As this jump was completely different from what Kamijou would normally do, the impact to his ankle was rather great. Kamijou did not land successfully and lost his balance, slamming into the wall of the store beside him. Ha! Tatemiya turned his body around, swinging the sword that had landed onto the ground. But upon seeing Kamijou leaning against the wall, he revealed a smile full of self-confidence. (Heres a chance!) Kamijou lowered his body as much as he could. When the enemy lowered his sword, if he were to dodge sideways, the enemy would normally cut laterally as a follow up. Because if he raised his sword and attacked again, his movements would be slower. Kamijou got as low to the ground as possible and rushed in front of Tatemiya Saiji. There was no need to think of attacks other than a horizontal cut. If Tatemiya insisted on doing a vertical cut, he wouldnt be able to react to Kamijous movements, who would land a punch on him before the sword landed. Of course, as Kamijou expected, Tatemiya Saiji raised his sword and cut horizontally. It grazed the top of Kamijous head, entangling his heart in fear. WOO...OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Kamijou shouted loudly, clenched his fist, and dashed in front of Tatemiya. Even Orsola, who was on the same side as him, was scared and stunned by his momentum. Even Tatemiya, who used his entire strength to swing this two-handed sword, couldnt dodge Kamijous punch. At that moment, Tatemiya Saiji disappeared. Tatemiya, who was supposed to be in front of Kamijou, instantly backed away about 1m; and the sword, which had been swung horizontally, was now raised above his head for some reason. It was like time was reversed and everything had restarted. It was like an illusion that deliberately lured Kamijou in. Ah......? Kamijou felt a chill all over his body, and quickly rolled to the side. DONG! The vertical strike split the ground like paper. Maybe it was because of too much friction, the dirt that flew looked orange, like magma. That seriously didnt look like something that could occur according to the laws of physics. (Magic......? If so......!) Kamijou clenched his fist tightly. If that blade was made of magic, he could destroy it with his right hand. He made up his mind and swung his right fist towards the blade that was flying over. No......Dont! Touma! Hearing Indexs voice, Kamijou quickly retracted his fist. In order to protect Kamijou, who was now wide open, the young girl rushed forward without hesitation into Kamijous vision. (No way......that isnt magic?) Those actions that Tatemiya had just used...... Moving backwards in a way that eyes couldnt see, splitting the ground with a single strike. Dont tell me those were just simple sword techniques? Kamijou felt a chill inside him. No! Dont come over! Index! Kamijous shout was unable to extinguish the girls determination. Tatemiyas sword came swinging down again, and it was almost like sound could be cut. Kamijou, who originally believed that his right fist could neutralise the attack, didnt come up with a plan B. Thinking about it now would be too late. Kamijou could only stare widely and watch the blade come flying towards him. O original flame, turn thy into light, blade of gentle protection and divine judgement! Stiyl suddenly shouted, creating a huge explosion. It was an explosion caused by a fire absorbing too much oxygen. The Flame Sword in Stiyl''s hands pierced through the night and successfully attracted Tatemiyas attention. Damn it! Taking advantage when Tatemiya turned to look right, Kamijou jumped away in the opposite direction, trying to pull away from Tatemiya. But, he failed. When Kamijou made the first move, Tatemiya, who was looking in the opposite direction, was somehow able to catch up like a shadow. Tatemiyas feet werent moving at all, and it was like he was skating on ice, his movements werent natural at all. (Ma......gic......?) Kamijou felt his back go numb. When Tatemiya turned around, the large sword came swinging around like a tornado sweeping across. He frantically bent down to avoid this strike. DONG! A heavy impact hit Kamijous waist, who should have avoided successfully. Looking closer, a transparent snowball as big as a soccerball was buried into Kamijous body. When he looked at it, the snowball vanished, as if someone coloured it with watercolour. Because of the blow from the snowball, Kamijou was knocked to the ground, and continued to roll. -Let''s go back in time for a moment, to when Kamijou and Tatemiya just met each other. When the boy was about to be sliced by that sword, Index rushed forward without hesitation. (That is......Amakusa......) Index trembled as she ran. Besides being fearful, she was impressed. The magic that the Amakusa used wasnt really special on its own. At least not as grand, unique and powerful as Stiyls Innocentius or Aureolus'' Alchemy. However, the Amakusa in turn used this point against them. Kanzakis Nanasen was probably the best example. If there was one word that could describe the Amakusas basic fighting style, it was disguise. Most of the attacks that looked like magic were just simple illusions, but among these illusions, there was a real magical fatal blow. Index continued to run. Kamijou and Tatemiya seemed to be standing abnormally far away from her. Defending against magical attacks was a lot different from defending against non-magical attacks. Once you messed up, you would be in for some suffering. Indexs Spell Intercept could seal off an enemys magic. As a magicians needed to think to create magic, by using words or action that would disrupt the magician who was chanting the spell, the magic would go out of control. It was like challenging someone to a tongue twister; saying something different in his ear would make a person mess it up. But, the Spell Intercept wouldnt work on the Amakusa. The spells, talismans and magic arrays that they used were too special. Their spells were made up of several religious significances in everyday business and interactions. Especially for an enemy like Tatemiya, whose magic was composed of 10 or 20 Actions that had some magical meaning behind it. The time taken for every single action didnt last for a single second. With Indexs voice and technique, it was impossible to use Spell Intercept to prevent the actions in one second. Just after opening his mouth, Tatemiyas actions had stopped. As the conditions for activating his magic were all within his sword techniques, if one wanted to prevent his magic, they had to be able to match his sword movements. Of course, Index was unable to imitate those highly-difficult sword techniques. In conclusion, even if Index were to rush in, she was unable to beat back Tatemiya Saiji. Besides the gulf in abilities between these two, Tatemiyas specialities were the kind that Index had the most trouble handling. As a magic specialist, Index was acutely aware of this. Kamijou took a hit from the magical snowball and rolled on the floor. Tatemiya Saiji raised his Flamberge high, like a worker raising a hammer to hammer a nail in. Index had no way to prevent the attack. The Spell Intercept would have no effect on the Amakusa. Touma! But, Indexs feet never stopped moving. She was not thinking that much either. Seeing Index rushing in without caring for her own safety, Stiyl Magnus was frightened to death. She did not have any combat capabilities, and if she stood in front of Tatemiya, she would be hacked into two within a second. Ugh......! Stiyl only had a flame sword in his hands. If he wanted to activate Innocentius, he had to quickly place rune cards, and there was no time. If he were to rush in wildly now, he might be able to get in front of Tatemiya before Index did. He would then attack Tatemiya next, and explode the flame sword when Tatemiya blocked it with the Flamberge. This would likely cause a little interference. The problem, however, was that Kamijou was now standing between Stiyl and Tatemiya. If he were to charge towards Tatemiya, he would have to pierce through Kamijou first. In an instant, the flame priests face became distorted due to frustration. The inner conflict inside him only lasted a while. Then, a glimmer of determination appeared in the priests eyes. (A long time ago, I swore) Stiyl Magnus tried to adjust his breathing with his dry mouth. (DSleep well, even if you forget everything, Ill remember it forever. Ill live for you, and die for you.) In order to protect the most important thing, Stiyl aimed the flame sword at the teenagers back. Exhaling all the oxygen inside his body and losing consciousness at the same time, Kamijou saw Tatemiya raise the longsword in front of him. He desperately recollected the thoughts that he had lost and tried to grasp the situation. With his two legs shaking, there was no way Kamijou could dodge Tatemiyas next attack. Index was rushing there, and in several seconds, she would be beside Tatemiya, and be killed. Glancing behind, Stiyl raised his flame sword, but his own body seemed to be blocking the flame swords path. Within one second, Kamijous thoughts were very clear. If he didnt want to lose anyone, or anything, and allow everything to end with everyone smiling...... There was only one way. ......Come on. Kamijou clenched his fist. Pierce me through as well, Stiyl! Kamijou squeezed out his last ounce of strength and dashed towards Tatemiya Saiji without hesitation. Upon hearing this, Tatemiya Saiji was somewhat messed up. There was a British Puritan nun rushing in from behind him, but killing her will be easy. In order to protect the nun, the boy in front of him also clenched his fist, but he would be alright even after killing the boy in front of him, then the nun behind him. The problem was the priest behind the boy. That British Puritan lowered the flame sword to his waist, and charged toward him. !? If the priest decided to stab him with the flame sword, it would pierce through the boys body without question. But, there was no sign of hesitation in the priests eyes. His eyes were as sharp as the blade of a knife, his mouth smiling like a beast, and his mind seemed to only think about taking down the enemy. In order to block the flame swords strike, Tatemiya raised the Flamberge. But at that moment, the boy placed his right fist backwards, preparing to strike like a hammer. Peh......! If he blocked this strike, he wouldnt be able to defend against the flame sword. Also, the main objective of the flame sword wasnt to hack, but to explode. He would probably die at once if he was not careful in handling this. If he did not quickly activate a spell that defended against flames to defend against the flame sword first, he would be swallowed in the flames caused by the explosion together with the boy, who was sacrificing himself. (Ive already cast a basic spell that defends against impacts earlier during our battle, a mere amateurs punch shouldnt be able to hurt me. Whats scary is that flame sword got to set up an anti-flame spell first!) Tatemiya swayed the sword that was raised like a river. By removing the flame attribute from the Flamberge, and by swaying the sword around like a river to suppress, he managed to create a spell called Suppress fire. (Good! The spell is complete! Once the sword stabs through, be prepared to taste my counter......!) Tatemiya Saiji stuck his large tongue out, licking his lips greedily. The priest charged on and slams into the boys back. The flame sword in his hand would pierce through the boys body and towards Tatemiyas abdomen. (I win!) But, things didnt turn out as expected. Tatemiya had already prepared an anti-flame spell, intending to send the heat and flames caused by the explosion of the flame sword back. But nothing like this happened. The boy forcefully pulled his right fist back, ready to slam him like a hammer, and the priests flame sword just happened to land on his fist. Bam! A sound similar to that of a balloon bursting is heard. The priests flame sword exploded into fireworks, and vanished. Ah......? This is...... Wha!? Tatemiya, who had already set up the anti-flame spell and thinking about a counter, did not understand a single thing that was going on. BAM! A terrifying sound was heard as the boys fist landed brutally on Tatemiyas face. (Ka......aaaa......! The anti-impact spell......was broken through......?) Tatemiyas body flew backwards. Just when he was about to stand upright, the boy and the priest slammed into him. Being hit by the weight of two people, Tatemiyas body rolled on the ground at an astonishing speed like he was being hit by a large hammer. Just like this, Tatemiya lost consciousness. Twang! The Flamberge left his hand and rolled on the floor. Notes 1. When there was a wave of persecution against Christians during the Edo period, Stepping on Fumie was a method used to check whether people were Christians. The idea was that people would draw a picture of Jesus Christ or Saint Mary on a piece of paper, put it on the floor, and force others to step on it; those who didnt dare do so would be identified as Christians. 2. Siebold was a German doctor and biologist who came to Japan during the Edo period. 3. During the Edo period, the Dutch were the ones who taught the Japanese all sorts of Western knowledge. 4. They refer to the Western ships that came to Japan during the Bakumatsu era 5. In Volume 4, the resort owner had Stiyl''s appearance, contrary to the anime, where Kanzaki had it instead. The anime made a few other switches, too. Volume 7, 3: British Puritan Church. Anglican_Church. Volume 7, Chapter 3: British Puritan Church. Anglican_Church. Part 1 The battle was over. Kamijou thought that maybe it was because the Amakusa were in a mess over losing Tatemiya, their leader. No fighting could be heard from afar, and the tension in the air was gone; these signs told Kamijou that the battle was over. As they hadnt met up with Agnese, they didnt know the situation, but it seemed like the Roman Catholics had won; otherwise, during that intense battle, more Amakusa members would have arrived as reinforcements. He was worried about both the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa, concerned about the number of casualties suffered. Regarding this, Stiyls reply was, Theres no deaths on both sides. Right now, the Roman Catholics are tying up the Amakusa members. Actually, he was able to transmit messages through cigarette smoke, so that was why he can be so confident about it. There seemed to be some meaning in the smoke patterns, but of course Kamijou was unable to understand it completely. Slightly farther away, Tatemiya Saiji was sitting on the floor. There were rune cards on his hands, legs, chest, back, and forehead. These represented some really terrifying magic, and once he moved, his entire body would be set ablaze. Right now, Stiyl was bringing Orsola to meet Agnese, so there was only Kamijou, Index, and Tatemiya. Touma, Touma! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Index looked pale as she frantically took off Kamijous clothes. Sto... stop it! Index! Im not hurt anywhere... wah! Idi... idiot! Dont touch that! Then you better check yourself well! Is there anywhere where youre hurt or feverish? Index cried out with tears in her eyes. Kamijou finally realised how worried she was, but he didnt know what to say in response, so he could only follow Indexs orders and check his body. Um, theres some pain on my waist, but its not so bad that I cant walk. Really? Are you really alright? Yeah. To be honest, Im already used to these sort of things. Fighting against espers in the alleys is rather dangerous. Also, during this summer, Ive fought against a few magicians. Um... thats good... Index looks liked she was going to either smile or cry. Kamijou felt awkward and couldn''t resist looking away. ...So, now I can bite on Toumas head to my hearts content. WHAT!? When those terrifying words were heard, the beast-like girl leapt towards Kamijous head. Wo Ahhhhhhhhh! Wait a minute! Index! Is this what a girl will do when shes worried about whether another person is injured? Youre creating a new wound in the process KYAAAAAAAAA!!! Of course I must bite! You made me so worried! Who do you think you are!? Touma! Dont tell me you intended to beat a magician holding a large sword with a single fist? Are you crazy? Why didn''t you use that weapon at your feet? And why did you still charge on when the enemy was saying that he would spare the amateur when he surrenders! What is our Touma doing? Wait, wait! Wait a sec! Index-san! Youre going to kill me if you continue biting me like this! It hurts! I understand! Everything is Kamijou Toumas fault, please dont bite with such force...! Anyway... anyway... Touma, did you really think of all the possibilities? Do you really know how long it takes for the Amakusa to set up an anti-flame spell? Wouldnt you be cut in half if it completes before you can even imagine? Why would I think that much? Actually, I thought that Stiyl would finish me off at the same time, its just that he never did! Im not even aware of what an anti-flame defense spell KYAAAA! It hurts! Im sorry! Im wrong! Index-sama! Kamijou continued to scream an awful cry that he had never made even on the brink of death. After a while, Index finally let go, feeling satisfied. ...Humph, stupid Touma, always up to crazy business. Index gently said, letting her chin rest on Kamijous hair. To Index, who was tired from biting on Kamijous head, this wasnt any different from sprawling on the table. But Kamijous heart was now beating twice as fast. Besides being able to feel the girls chin on his head, Kamijou felt her long silver hair stroking his face, giving off a sweet aroma. And more importantly, Index was hugging Kamijou from the front, so her chest was only about 2 cm from his nose. Now that Indexs chest, which he hardly noticed, was right in front of him, Kamijou realised that there was a slight protrusion from it. Wha... whats with these different types of attacks? Ah, I understand! Next, shell realise that Im looking at her chest, and continue to bite my head! Kamijou became wary deep inside. However, Index unexpectedly let go of Kamijou without a single word. She looked at the sky, as if she was opening her ears and listening to something. Its so quiet. Its hard to imagine that so many people were fighting just now. Yeah. Kamijou casually agreed. Right now, silence would only give off a sense of tranquility. There was nobody swinging weapons around, nobody shouting about, no breakage that could be heard. Oi. At that moment, Tatemiya Saiji, who was sitting far away from them, called out to Kamijou. He sounded anxious. Before Kamijou even started to turn around, Index had already raised her two hands and was standing in front of him, using herself as his shield. Tatemiya stared at the duo, Bastard, can you help me remove these? I know you wont, but Im just asking. I cant just leave her alone. What? Kamijou frowned. After thinking about it for a while, he realised that the "her" Tatemiya was referring to was Orsola Aquinas. Are you an idiot? How can I just let the most dangerous person go... Youre the idiot! Let me ask you something: do you really intend to hand her over to the Roman Catholics? You know what will happen if she goes back, dont you? What? Kamijou was speechless. No, Touma. Index was rather calm, and said, This person only uses words as a weapon; you must definitely not listen to him! Think: is there any benefit for the enemy to say the truth? Shell be killed. Tatemiyas words drowned out Indexs. Listen well, Ill tell you whats going on. Dont hand her over to the Roman Catholics; theyre intending to kill her. Youre trying to tell me that you guys are Orsolas friends, and are trying to help her escape? Dont joke with me; theres no such stupid thing! Youre the guys that snatched Orsola away! Not only that, youre the ones who stole The Book of the Law! In order to get its contents, you guys launched an all-out attack, kidnapped her, and now you have the guts to say that you''re the good guys? Do you think Im an idiot? As he was overly angry, Kamijou shouted until his throat was hoarse, as if he was about to damage it. But Tatemiya didnt mind. We didnt steal The Book of the Law. Eh? Think about it. Why would we steal The Book of the Law? The Roman Catholics are the largest Christian sect in the world with more than two billion believers. Would we fight against such a large group for merely The Book of the Law? You cant take him seriously, Touma! Being anxious, Indexs body went stiff, as she said with determination, We know that the Amakusa have become weak after losing their Supreme Pontiff, so youre trying to use the mystical and powerful magic recorded in The Book of the Law to make up for the loss in power, right? But what reason do we have to add on to our power? Tatemiya smiled. The sweat flowing down his face revealed his anxiety to settle this as soon as possible. Kamijou suspiciously asked, If your power isnt enough, wouldnt you guys lose out to other factions? Thatll be on the premise that others would attack us. The question is, how many times have the Amakusa been harmed in history? Dont tell me that you didnt think that we have countermeasures? Outsiders dont even know where our main base is. Also, on the special teleportation magic thumbnail tour that Ino Tadataka was most proud of, therere still many portals out there that nobody but us knows of. Ah... Kamijou felt that Tatemiyas words were starting to shake him up. That was right. Among the many teleportation "portals", there were only twenty-three that they knew of. How is the enemy going to attack our main base when were the only ones who know where it is? That was true, Kamijou thought. The objective of that battle had been to save Orsola before the special teleportation magic activated. And the reason why they had to do this was that nobody knew where their main base was. Once the Amakusa escaped, Orsolas whereabouts would sink to the depths of the oceans. In other words, nobody could attack their main base. If so, was there any reason for them to defend themselves? So that means... The Amakusa were searching for "The Book of the Law" to defend themselves... by increasing their military strength? Or... "Hey, let me ask you something... What kind of magic book is The Book of the Law? Since Tatemiya asked this, Kamijou, an outsider, could only look at Index. Index then proceeded to explain reluctantly. The Book of the Law is a magic book written in a special code. The code itself is rather complicated... it can be said to be of a completely different language. In the past, the only one who everyone agreed could accurately decipher this book was the author, Edward Alexander, whose other name is Crowley. The author once said that the most important concept of The Book of the Law is to desire, and itll be thy magic. As for the other details, no one knows. Index continued on, The Book of the Law records details that Aiwass elaborates on. Its still a mystery as to what Aiwass is. Some say that its Crowleys guardian angel; some say that its a criminal. As for the details, some believe that it teaches humans how to use angelic spells; and as the spells are too powerful, its said that once The Book of the Law is opened, the Christian age will end, and a new era will begin. Heres the problem. Tatemiya smiled as if there was some hidden meaning behind it. This is the crux. The power of The Book of the Law is really frightening. If humans can really use the angelic spells, Im afraid that the Christian age will end within a day. When many people have power that far exceeds the Pope''s, the power pyramid that the Church so carefully built will crumble. Tatemiya paused, and then continued, But not everyone wants this power. Why? Although Im not a magician, and its unrelated to me, to you magicians, wouldnt getting stronger magic mean getting a higher standing? Whats the point of having a higher standing? To be honest, we have no intention of getting that power. No, Ill say that any normal Christian wouldnt want that power. But, didnt the Roman Catholics protect The Book of the Law in order to get its power? Kamijou was confused now. However, Index seemed to have understood what Tatemiya''s trying to say, and couldnt help but look down. The answer is simple. To the boys na?ve question, Tatemiya silently laughed, and answered, The Roman Catholics is the worlds largest Christian sect, right at the top of the world. Do you think theyd wish for the Christian age to end from now on? Ah... Kamijou finally understood it. In this age, a person with a higher status wouldnt want changes to happen; this was even more so for the people at the top. The Roman Catholics never wanted to have The Book of the Law as a weapon. They want to conquer the world, and not destroy it. Kamijou and Index remained silent. The night seemed to get even darker. So, they decided to secretly eliminate Orsola Aquinas, the only one who has a chance of getting that power. But Orsola seems to have realised this, and tried her best to get to a place where the Roman Catholics have no stronghold in: Japan. Ironically, she arrived at the same time as when The Book of the Law was shipped here. After arriving in Japan, she tried her best to meet up with the local Christian group, which is us, the Amakusa. Finally, we agreed to help her. Tatemiya sighed heavily, and said, The Book of the Law being stolen was just a bluff by the Roman Catholics? How can we steal it? They did this to come up with some connection between Orsolas disappearance and The Book of the Law. When the two disappear, everyone will agree that the kidnappers objective is to decipher The Book of the Law. But if she were the only one who disappeared, some would think of other possibilities like Shes running away from the Roman Catholics to save herself. Good and evil, attack and defend, abduct and rescue... Everything was reversed in Kamijous view. Now, can you people say that the Roman Catholics are the good guys? Are you able to confidently say that Orsola Aquinas will be fine the moment shes handed over to them? Dont you have a single trace of suspicion? ... If youre still unconvinced, tell me what you''re basing your beliefs on. Otherwise, face that suspicion in your heart seriously! Think about it; anyone can understand who the enemy is now! Hearing Tatemiya Saijis growls, Kamijou breathed deeply, and closed his eyes. He sorted through every single piece of information in his head, and thought through every argument. He thought carefully. Which was saying the truth: the Roman Catholics or the Amakusa? Was there anything amiss? No, I still cant trust you. ...Why? If what you said is true, Kamijou slowly said, Why did Orsola run away from you guys? The first time I met her, she was walking all the way to Academy City. At that time, Stiyl said that there had been a huge skirmish between the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa, and Orsola had run away from both sides control during the chaos. If what you said is true, why did she run away? He continued, Your words may be false. Even if what you say is true, the enemy of the enemy doesnt mean they''re my friend. So, right now, you must tell me: why did Orsola run away from you guys? If the Amakusa were really Orsolas friends, why had she run? Hearing Kamijou voice his argument, Tatemiya just smiled slightly. It was weak, as if he had given up on life. Youre all the same. What same? Shes the same as you right now. She approached us first... but in the end, she was still unable to trust us completely. She must be thinking, These people have no reason to save me and go against the worlds largest religious sect, the Roman Catholics. They must be thinking that well use the key to reading The Book of the Law as payment. Kamijou remained silent. Tatemiya seemed to be looking at Kamijou, and yet seemed to be looking at something far away. Thats ridiculous. Why do we need The Book of the Law? Then, why did you save Orsola? Kamijou cautiously asked. Tatemiya replied without hesitation, Do we need a reason? He then continued, Theres no reason from the beginning. This is how the Amakusa does things, especially for our generation. Youre asking why our Supreme Pontiff is able to be our leader at such a young age? In order to fulfill a childs wish, she dared to go against a dinosaur that can swallow a mountain. In order to fulfill the dying leaders wish, she was willing to protect a small village against thousands of enemies. Along the way, we were walking in her shadow. Although the time in which she led us was short, to us, its eternal. The way Tatemiya said this, it was like he was reminiscing the old days. And it was like he was praising his family members. Because of her, were able to walk onto the path of righteousness; were not being led astray, and we dont abuse our power. While its easy to just say it, she taught this through action. She used her actions to show that humans can be strong and benevolent, that doing this isnt difficult. For quite some time, everyone remained silent. Finally, Tatemiya broke the silence by gnashing his teeth. ...But we ruined her life. What? Its our deaths and immaturity that hurt the Supreme Pontiff. Everyone around her died, and only she was alive. She thinks that its all her responsibility... What a joke! Fighting alongside her on the battlefield is our wish, being beaten on the battlefield is our incompetence, and we have to be responsible for all of it. But in the end, after this outcome, she willingly left her home despite it not being her fault. Tatemiya sounded bitter, as if there was a knife poking through his face. There was touching emotions flowing from this resentful speech that was barely squeezing from his throat. Our immaturity robbed her of her home, so we need to give her back a home. In this home, well fight to prevent anyone from getting hurt or pained or losing their smile. In this home, we can unite everyones strength to protect just one persons happiness and not be swayed. So when Orsola Aquinas came to us for help, we agreed. A group thatll do this willingly is a suitable home for her. In other words, they were a group that wouldnt fight for power or profit. They fought for themselves, without desiring any benefits. But it was hard for anyone to understand their motives, so Orsola misunderstood all that. Of course, Tatemiyas words didnt seem to be true yet. Kamijou really wanted to trust him, but there wasnt any proof. To trust him, he had to have proof to verify it. Kamijou gnashed his teeth. Which side was saying the truth? Which side was saying a lie? Kamijou tried to compute this in his head. Right at that moment, there was a loud scream from afar. No, a "scream" simply wasnt enough to describe it. A blood-curdling cry, a screech, a wail. If one were to describe it, it could barely be called a "ladys scream". But Kamijou wasnt certain that that was the scream of a human. It sounded like a sharp scratch on a piece of glass or a blackboard that made people feel weird when they heard it. But in the voice, there was a shocking amount of human emotions mixed in. Fear, rejection, despair, and pain; a large number of emotions began to pour out like a sponge saturated with mud water being squeezed. Index looked at Kamijou, but Kamijou didnt look back. Or... sola? Let me confirm something with you guys... did you tell her that youre handing her over to the Roman Catholics? I believe she trusts you, and not the Roman Catholics? ... This reminded Kamijou of his conversation with Orsola a while back. May I confirm it again. Youre here to help on request from the British Puritans, right? DWhy had Orsola Aquinas asked that question so carefully? Yeah. DWhy had she look relieved upon hearing his words? In other words, youre here on the British Puritans'' instructions, and not the Roman Catholics'', right? DShe had even tried to confirm it again. Eh... its not really that formal. Ah, let me clarify first, I cant help you do anything for the British Puritans, since Im a resident of Academy City. DA seemingly meaningless reply had seemed to make her feel relieved. I... see. DHow many thoughts were involved in that sentence? Up until now, she had always trusted Kamijou Touma. She had always thought that Kamijou Touma was someone that could be relied on. ...Damn it. Kamijou gnashed his teeth, and turned to look at the direction of that cry''s origin. Come to think of it, when Kamijou had first met her, he should have risked his life to bring her back to Academy City. She''d have been a lot safer if he had done that. What the hell, what on earth is going on? Dont panic, its not a cry she''d make before she dies. There are rules amongst the Roman Catholics that they cant kill Orsola Aquinas here; I can attest to that. What? In other words, we can still save her as long as we move quickly. But shell be in danger if we continue to dilly-dally. The situation is really urgent. It doesnt matter if you dont trust me; leave our grudges aside! Right now, the most important thing is to ensure Orsolas safety! Even if we are still enemies! Tatemiya shouted frantically, indicating that they couldnt delay any longer. But you must promise me, bring Orsola Aquinas back from the Roman Catholics! Bring her somewhere where the Roman Catholics cant find her! Tatemiya looked serious. That even made Kamijou feel uncertain. At that moment... Footsteps could be heard. Kamijou turned to look at where these footsteps were coming from. Two nuns wearing black robes came from the darkness. They were most likely Roman Catholics. One of them was tall, while the other was short. The tall one was carrying a large carriage wheel that was much larger than a round table, while the short one had four leather bags hanging on her waist belt. The bags were rattling around, and they seemed to be filled with coins or something like that. The bags were about as large as softballs, and if coins were put in them, each would probably be as heavy as the ball used in a shot put. The taller nun took out an old leather-covered notebook, and flipped open its contents, checking it. She then nodded, and walked towards Kamijou. It seemed like there was a photo of him inside. Youre the assistant thats not affiliated with us, right? Please hand over the leader of the heretics to us. The enemy of God is... him, right? Before the tall nun finished speaking, the shorter nun walked towards Tatemiya, who was covered with rune cards. The four bags on her waists started to rattle continuously. Ah, wait a moment. Kamijou shouted, but the short girl didnt seem to hear. She was about to pull Tatemiya, but froze, and didn''t do so. She then circled around Tatemiya a few times, examining the rune cards covering him. And the tall nuns eyes were now staring at Kamijou. Is there a problem? Before you leave, I''d like to see Orsola. Im sorry, but we cannot grant your request. Although Orsola is safe right now, its not completely safe when the enemys power isnt clear. In this situation, well have to follow the regulations and think of her safety. Well send a letter of invitation to you when she returns to Rome. A perfect, flawless answer. This made Kamijou even more suspicious. No, I cant comply with that. What was that scream all about? That was Orsola screaming, right? You said that shes protected right now, so why would a person being protected let out that kind of scream? Anyway, I want to have one last look, just one, and say a few words. There shouldnt be a problem, right? We wont meet in quite a while, so let me do this as a final farewell, okay? But according to the regulations... Come on! Do you have to be so fussy about the regulations? Wheres Agnese? Ill ask her directly. Kamijou placed his hand on her shoulder, and pushed her aside. ... The tall nun looked down, like she was helpless against a guy who caused people to worry all the time. She grabbed the large wheel on her back, and placed it in front of her like a shield. Suddenly, Index looked worried No! Touma!! Before the girls shout finished, *BAM!*, the carriage wheel exploded. ...! In an instant, Kamijou didnt understand what happened. Several thousand pieces of shrapnel flew towards him at an alarming velocity like a shotgun. Sensing this, he used his arms to protect his head and chest. Then, numerous pieces of shrapnel hit his arms, legs, and stomach. Just when he felt pain, his feet left the ground. Ping Piang! He was knocked back about five to six metres. Index let out a short scream. From the corner of his eye, Kamijou saw Tatemiya desperately trying to stand up, but the flames of the runes burned up several strands of hair on his head, causing him to not dare to act rashly. He grimaced in pain like a dog being yanked by the chain on its neck. The shorter nun seemed to panic. She looked at the taller nun, and said, Sis-Sister Lucia! Is... is... is this really alright? Didnt Sister Agnese say that we have to avoid conflicts against our guests? Shut up, Sister Angelene! Damn, this is why I proposed to not allow the outsiders to act on their own, and we should chase them away quickly! All the blame will have to go to that Agnese, giving such a na?ve order to leave them alone. Now shes really given me quite a fix... Having been given a glare from the taller nun, the short nun didnt dare to talk back. The tall nun then muttered to herself, trying to calm herself down. Her expression changed. Although the change was rather abstract, he could feel it. The tall nun stared at Kamijou, her two eyes reminding him of hot, melting butter. Kamijou was surprised. He couldnt believe that she was one of the nuns who had given him bread and soup at the camp. If this guy wasnt suspicious about that scream, this''d be so much simpler... Damn it, what have I done wrong? Ive been touched on the shoulder by a non-believer! Sister Angelene! Quick! Get me some soap- no, some sanitizer! This is too much! Damn it! Tell me the next time you want to talk to me! I have to wear the mud-blocking apron! The tall nun was beginning to look flushed. Her head was swaying about, but her tone was abnormally monotonous. Irritating things just come along one after another! This is unbearable. Ill set it up such that it looks like you guys were killed by the Amakusa. Hm, this should be the easiest way to go. After that, Ill kill them off; thatll be perfect. The tall nun looked like she was standing on a stage and saying lines from a flawed script. Hearing such a terrifying thing, Kamijou was unable to reply. As the shrapnel were just numerous pieces of wood and not sharp knives, the wounds were rather shallow. But those pieces of shrapnel that had gotten under his skin suddenly vibrated. KWA-AAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Kamijou screamed. Pieces of shrapnel popped out of his flesh like an axe being pulled out from a tree trunk. The shrapnel, now stained with blood, returned to the nuns hand like they were being pulled away with a magnet. They came together like a jigsaw puzzle being pieced together, forming back to the carriage wheel. Touma! Index cried, and frantically tried to get back to him, but the tall nun turned and glared at her, shouting, Sister Angelene! Ah, yes! The petite nun uttered, hurriedly pulled off the four bags of coins on her waist, and threw them above herself. The bags suddenly gave off a loud sound like a large piece of cloth being slapped onto a wall. Also, each bag sprouted six sharp wings like those of a swallow. The four bags radiated different colors: red, blue, yellow, green. Come out, one of the twelve disciples, tax collector and lowly servant of the eradicating magician! The petite nun raised both her hands high, as if she was hugging the sky. In an instant, *Shua!*, the green coin bag flew past Index like a bullet, and slammed at her feet. It splits the ground like a sturdy root, and created a rattling sound. Damn it... ah? Index was about to retreat, but she tripped. Looking closely, the rope seal of the coin bag that had slammed onto the ground unraveled itself, and tied Indexs legs. Just when Index was looking at her feet, the remaining three coin bags flew up into the air and out of her range of vision. Kamijou went pale instantly. No...! If those things hit her! The coin bags were likely heavier than the metal balls used in a shot put competition. Index, whose legs were tied up, would definitely be unable to escape, and she couldnt possibly block the attack with her hands. Damn it! INDEX! Kamijou shouted, and attempted to get back to Index. Luckily, the coin bag that was tied to Indexs feet must be controlled by magic. It would release itself the moment Kamijou hit it with his right fist. At that moment... You should worry about yourself, and try thinking about how to make yourself die a not-so-painful death. Looking around, the tall nun carrying the large carriage wheel was floating above him. The centre of the wheel was aimed at Kamijou like the barrel of a gun as he stumbled on his way. !? Kamijou trembled until his throat went dry. Punching the wheel with his right hand, and the wheel exploding; no matter how anyone looked at it, the former would definitely be slower. O non-believer, have you heard of The Legend of the Wheel? The tall nun laughed madly, like she was intoxicated, Since ancient times, many Saints were martyred or executed stupidly by those in power. In this history full of torture and executions, the shadow of a wheel can be seen. Kamijou didn''t want to listen to her nonsense, but the wheel in front of him was restricting his movements. During this time, the three coin bags may be plummeting towards Index from several meters above. These wheels have several nails or blades that can slice and dice Saints up. But in many legends, the wheel mysteriously explodes the moment it touches a Saint, like St. George who subdued a dragon or St. Catherine of Alexandria. Notably, when St. Catherine was executed, the shrapnel of the exploded wheel even killed the four thousand people who were there watching her execution. The significance of this Wheel Legend is... The tall nun said this rather slowly, which made Kamijou even more panicky. The three coin bags that were aimed at Index would come flying down at the speed of a cannonball, and smash her head apart. Seeing Kamijou so nervous that he was sweating, the tall nun couldnt help but smirk from behind the wheel. The innocent are not punished, and the guilty are... Realise this now, non-believer; your end has come. Stupid Sister Orsola will be executed once the special procedures are complete, but killing you guys wont be such a hassle. Peh... Kamijou''s thoughts were occupied on Index who was all tied up, wondering what he could do to save her. At that moment, the wheel in front of him started to crack. As if time had slowed down, with the central axis of the wheel as the vertex, the wheel started to split into six equal pieces like a pizza, and rapidly expanded outwards. Woo... OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Kamijou clenched his right fist, and roared. But it was too late, he couldnt make it. Before Kamijous fist was raised, the wheel in the tall nuns hand had already given off a loud sound. *BAM!*, the wheel flew sideways. Of course, this wasnt what the tall nun wanted, neither was it the doing of the boys right fist. It was the coin bags. The red six-winged coin bag that was originally aimed at Indexs head slammed into the executioner wheel with a stunning speed. The impact caused the wheel to fly out of the tall nuns hand, and after bouncing several times on the ground, it rolled into the darkness. The bag was also damaged, as coins of different sizes flew out of the bag. It was unknown which country they were from, though. The tall nun who had lost her weapon frantically landed from above Kamijous head, and pulled distance from him. She then glared at the petite nun. Sister Angelene! You!! No... Its not me... The tall nun growled like a wild animal while the petite nun, now pale with fright, frantically explained. The remaining three, gather at one spot, and stick together. At that moment, Indexs clear voice rang out... The next moment... *PA!*, the sound of metal bending echoed through the air. The rope seal of the green coin bag that was tying up Indexs feet unraveled. Together with the blue and yellow bags, the green bag went flying towards the petite girl at a terrifying speed. The three bags collided two centimeters in front of Angelenes nose, and stopped. The giant pressure caused several hundred pieces of coins to coagulate into one large lump of metal. *Dong!*, it landed near the petite nuns feet. The petite nun gave a stiff yet mysterious smile as she landed on her butt. The bags of gold represent Matthew, one of the twelve Apostles. He once beat two fire dragons using just the cross and prayer. Infusing angelic power into the coin bags can change them into aerial weapons that will automatically lock on to enemies. Index calmly gave her cruel evaluation. But the method is too crude. The chant is too long, and its not really a secret code. You dont care about your surroundings as you focus too much on casting it, so youll get stopped easily. Kamijou was completely unaware of what was going on. Index should have been unable to use magic. It was unknown how she was able to hijack the petite girls spell and control it. ...Using the enemys spell through a self-destruct or wrong direction? The tall nun looked around her, smacked her mouth, and readied herself. Losing her weapon didnt dampen her fighting spirit. She slowly drew a cross in front of her chest. At that moment, a sharp whistle sound came from afar. *TWEET!*, it was like the cry of a bird. The tall nun heard this, and angrily turned to look at the night sky. Its a retreat order! Sister Angelene! Ah... eh...? But... but we... havent beaten the enemy yet... Well talk after we retreat. It seems that the remnants of the Amakusa are being released by the British Puritan. Working on our own will affect the entire teams operations, and even Orsolas delivery. To us, thats a much more serious problem. The tall nun ran into the darkness, and the petite nun followed suit. Now you understand? Tatemiya Saiji looked at the night sky, and reluctantly said, This is what the Roman Catholics, the worlds largest Christian sect, do beneath the surface. Part 2 I see. No wonder Orsola Aquinas looked like everything was lost when she saw Agnese Sanctis. Separating us from the Roman Catholics was because they looked down on us from the beginning. Humph... adding in the British Puritans will cause the command chain to go chaotic; its all an excuse. Stiyl said this after walking out of the "Parallel Sweets Wonderland" theme park. He had also heard Orsolas scream, but hadnt turned to ask Agnese what it was all about. Maybe he didnt know the reasons or didnt want to take rash action and cause relations between the British Puritans and the Roman Catholics to become strained. Either way, Kamijou didnt understand Stiyls actions. Kamijou had just ran to see Agnese, but they had retreated, and there was no one left. No one even picked up Tatemiya. Maybe they thought that the Amakusa was dissolved now that they had captured most of them. The fact that a group with so many people was able to retreat so cleanly made Kamijou freeze up. The fact that they never left the British Puritans a note showed that they had never trusted them in the first place. Maybe to the Roman Catholics, getting Orsola back was their priority, and it wouldnt hurt them if they didnt take care of Tatemiya and the rest. Or maybe the Roman Catholics were gathering their forces that were scattered in the city, intending to use overwhelming force to wipe them out. Right now, the quartet- Kamijou, Index, Stiyl, and Tatemiya- were exchanging information. On a side note, as Kamijou had been hit by the shrapnel of the wheel, he was covered with bandages everywhere. If what this man said is true, Orsola Aquinas isnt in immediate danger. The Roman Catholics have a set of regulations... so, Kamijou Touma, dont immediately go in and try to deal with them. Your meddling will make the situation get even more out of hand. Being warned, Kamijou twisted his mouth, and said, ...What regulations? Touma, the Roman Catholics are the worlds largest sect. Although most of the believers have no involvement in magic, they do have two billion believers led by the Pope and 141 Cardinals, and there are parishes in 131 countries theyre a large group. Although being big isnt a bad thing, being too big can cause some problems. Kamijou was still confused after hearing all this, and tilted his head. At that moment, Tatemiya explained, Basically, there might be several factions. There are already 142 of these factions in the parishes that the Pope and the Cardinals lead. Including the Nationals and the local customs, theres 207 of them. If we consider the generation gap between the young and old, theres 252 of them. Stiyl impatiently blew a puff of white smoke, and said, To the Roman Catholics who have so many factions, the enemies within far outnumber those outside, so theyre extremely careful about settling this. Although decoding The Book of the Law would be extremely threatening to the Roman Catholics, Orsola Aquinas herself has done no wrong. If they were to kill her like that, Agnese would be viewed as an enemy by all of her other comrades. Yeah? But we also havent done anything wrong, right? Theyre still willing to attack us without hesitation. Kamijou gently prodded the bandage on his arm with his fingers. The summer night was so hot already, and it was too much for him to have to put on all the bandages. The situation is different for non-believers and heretics. Do you know how many people in the past were killed based on a single sentence Any sinner who disobeys the Word of God must be judged? The two nuns that attacked us most probably have this sort of thinking as well. But in other words, it means that they cant execute Orsola anyhow, for those who believe in the Word of God shall not kill. ... Kamijou looked away, and looked at the tree under the streetlight. A concern appeared in his head. If the Roman Catholics had a rule that "one cannot kill a comrade within the Roman Catholic Church", why did the Amakusa need to step up and "prevent Orsola from getting killed"? When Kamijou raised this question, Stiyl casually replied, The answer is simple: because theres an exception. Exception? Thats right. Although theres the rule that one cannot kill a comrade within the Roman Catholic Church... those that are chased out of the Church are considered people who disobey the Word of God, so itd be alright to kill them. Tatemiya walked behind Stiyl, carrying his extremely large sword. Kamijou was worried; if that sword were seen by the police, how were they going to explain it? Sinners, witches, disillusioned believers... these people who did something wrong would be chased out of the Church, and tagged as Antichrists. Setting Orsola up is actually very simple; they just need to give her a test. Like, say, forcing her to hold a hot metal rod. If shes innocent, God will protect her and not let her get hurt. But if she gets hurt, it means that shes a sinner that God feels isnt worth saving. Sounds funny, doesn''t it? Among us British Puritans, we call this the Trial of Sin. We see it as a test, a trial that tests a persons faith in God. Its now banned. This is ridiculous...! Kamijou shouted, Its obvious the person will be burned! Its impossible not to! Thats right. So, even if they arent burnt, theyll still be guilty, as theyll be seen as being protected by the devil. No matter the outcome, the victim will have the bad luck of being labeled a witch. Kamijou thought that this was too much. Using such a stupid method to decide Orsolas future was unreasonable. However, on the other hand, while the prosecution of this religious- or holy- trial is pending, the Roman Catholics can''t kill Orsola. According to proper procedures, they have to return to Rome, and spend another two to three days doing all this. In other words, besides killing her, any other action is allowed. The Roman Catholics didn''t care of how she thought or how she felt going up against the original copy of "The Book of the Law". Because it was too tiresome, unnecessary, bothersome, impossible to solve, and they didnt want to add on to their worry; they decided to kill for these stupid reasons. The beliefs of Orsola and the beliefs of the Roman Catholics should be the same. Their thoughts werent different. Both sides felt that "The Book of the Law" was something dangerous, and decided to take action to solve this problem. Orsola tried to decode the book in order to find a way to destroy an original-class book when ordinary people thought that it was impossible. She just wanted to make some contribution. Because she was more aware of the potent threat of "The Book of the Law", she couldnt leave it alone. It was just that simple. Do you know what kind of thing an original magic book is? Do you know that one cant destroy an original through any means? -Is this wrong? With our spells now, we cant destroy any magic book. The most we can do is seal it and not allow others to read it. DFor what reason is Orsola Aquinas being treated like this? However, being unable to do so now doesnt mean that it cant be done in the future. DWhat wrong did she do that would make the higher-ups decide on the procedures through a unique trial and make her suffer silently without anyone helping her? We can use it on the magic book itself to destroy the magic array. DNo! The power of a magic book isnt going to give anyone happiness, and itll only bring about war. So, Ive been analysing this book, hoping to destroy the original. DDefinitely not! I cant accept this... Kamijou gnashed his molars tightly, almost breaking them. Even if theres a reason or difficulty, I wont allow that to happen! What kind of sick joke is this!? What do these people treat human lives as!? Taking away something precious from someone one by one through procedures? WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE TREAT OTHER PEOPLE''S LIVES AS!? Kamijou Touma had lost his memories before. So, what he had was very little. He only had memories of the previous month, during the summer holidays, so what he cared about was only a small percentage of an ordinary high school student''s. Most of his memories were built on "hiding his memory loss", and he could break down anytime. Even so, even if Kamijou was so empty inside, he would go berserk if anyone unwisely took away anything he cherished. Maybe the Roman Catholics were trying to protect what they cherished, so they had to give this order. But this wasnt right. Having a group of people watch and snatch something a person cherished in front of him, this wasnt right. Why couldnt they try another method? Why must they choose to do something as easy yet as stupid as "kill"? Kamijou clenched both his fists until they were about to bleed. On the street under the midnight darkness, the scattered light of the streetlamps coldly shined on him. ...Where are they? Do you know? I can guess. Why do you ask this? Stiyl calmly asked. Kamijou couldnt help but grab his collar, asking him why he could remain so calm. Facing the furious look on Kamijous face, Stiyl elegantly shook the cigarette in his mouth. However, Index, who was outside Kamijous vision, was scared stiff. I understand your feelings. Stiyl slowly puffed out white smoke, and said, But you better calm down. They have almost 250 comrades in this city alone. Can you beat them all with just a single fist? ...! Kamijou clenched his fist tightly. That was right. Kamijou was clear about it. His combat capability was about equal to that of a delinquent fighting in the alleys. He would probably win if it was one-on-one, but he couldnt guarantee that if it was one-on-two, and it was impossible for him if it was one-on-three. That nun who wielded that large carriage wheel had been able to beat through Kamijous resistance with just one attack. In real life, bare-handed fighting wasnt like those movies, where one man single-handedly beat several people from the front. No matter how good the fighter is, he cant win if the number of enemies is more than what he can handle; this is a cruel and harsh rule. Except... They were like those real fighters depicted in manga or serial dramas... and the magicians were like these fighters. But the magician just stood around and laughed, puffed out white smoke, and said, Anyway, if the report given by the Amakusa is true, we cant interfere by any means. Too bad; this case is over. What... did you say? Think about it. To put this bluntly, isnt Agnese Sanctis chasing Orsola Aquinas because Orsola had gone against the teachings of the Roman Catholics? Since The Book of the Law is still kept within the Vatican, the Roman Catholics cant use it for evil purposes; and since the Amakusa declared that they dont intend to use The Book of the Law for evil purposes, do the British Puritans have any reason to butt in now? Are you going to blame them for not saying goodbye to them and angrily dispute with them? This time, Kamijou grabbed Stiyl Magnuss collar without hesitation. Index tried to lower her volume as she exclaimed. Tatemiya just stared at Kamijou and whistled. The rune magician, however, remained unmoved. In this lonely midnight, only his voice was echoing through the neighborhood. The flashing lights seemed to flicker as they shined on his face. This is something amongst the Roman Catholics, and they can only solve it with their own regulations. Since this situation wont affect the outside world, the British Puritans cant interfere, or wed be seen as interfering with internal politics, and there would then be conflict between England and Rome... so give up, Kamijou Touma. Dont tell me youre willing to start a war just to save her? ...This... No matter whether its the British Puritans or the Roman Catholics, most of the believers arent fighters like us. These people go to school, meet some friends, buy a burger; all that is what they feel the world is about. They dont know that magicians are running around in the dark, and they dont know all these organisations that are arranging deals with each other to prevent a magical war. Theyre like kind, harmless lambs with no power. The magician, who was being grabbed by the collar, calmly explained. Like a devil that was forcing someone to sign a contract. Let me ask you: do you want to get these people involved? These people dont know the truth, and only belong to the British Puritans or the Roman Catholics. You want to get these people involved in a war, get them looted, get them killed, or even have them lose everything, all for a single Orsola Aquinas? ... The hand grabbing Stiyls collar gradually released. Index opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but finally sighed. This was the difference between a specialist and a layman. This was the difference between a person and a group. Stiyl indifferently spit the cigarette onto the ground, stepped on it to extinguish it, and looked at Tatemiya. I have no power to stop you. Youre free to rescue Orsola, your client, or your subordinates. But you can only go on your own; dont drag the British Puritans along. If you do, even if I have to burn the entire island into ash, Ill kill every single Amakusa member. Hearing Stiyls threat, Tatemiya expression didnt change. I understand that without you telling me. That boy down there, you dont have to despair. Although the Puritans have no reason to start a war, I do. Right now, were going to their main base, save my comrades, and save Orsola at the same time. Dont worry; fighting against a large but weak organisation that has some elites is our speciality. Our group was established during the Bakumou era, after all. Hearing these words, Kamijou looked up. Index, who was beside Tatemiya, looked at him and asked, Youre going to call the Amakusa members in your base to come here as well? But the special teleportation magic only works after one day. By that time, the Roman Catholics would have left Japan already. Youre right; although this is safe, its not practical. Tatemiya replied, swinging the white longsword. Stiyl coldly asked, Youre going there alone? Since thats the only option, I can only do this. Luckily, those idiots from our clan havent been executed... if they wanted to kill them, they would have done so at the beginning and not carried them along. Maybe the Roman Catholics want them to stand trial together with Orsola so that the crime of Orsola teaming up with the Amakusa to steal The Book of the Law will be even more convincing. If so, as long as I release them and do something behind the scenes, we might have a chance. Tatemiya used a delighted expression to hide his nervousness inside. Ill choose to take action when they move. He swung the blade around, saying, We, the Amakusa, are used to being chased, so we know the strengths and weaknesses of a large organisation. The weakness of a large group is when theyre moving; therell definitely be one when hundreds of individuals are moving. Think about it: the Roman Catholic members and the Amakusa number more than 300; you cant move that many Christians at the same time. When several hundred nuns dressed in black robes are walking on the streets, people will think theres a protest, and even the media will come over to interview them. So, theyll use some kind of disguise. Maybe theyll split up into several groups and move on their own. During this time, itll be impossible for them to retain their original fighting strength, and itll be the best time to attack. According to Tatemiya, the Roman Catholics were not like the Amakusa, who used magic to move about. But it was too late to arrange for a boat or a plane. So they would probably wait until daylight, when the harbor or airport was open, before they moved out. ... The best time to strike was when they were moving. But in other words, it meant that they could only move when the Roman Catholics move. Stiyl had said that they had to follow a religious procedure and trial before they could execute her. But he had also mentioned that they could do anything else besides killing her. In a certain sense, having 250 carry out cruel violence against Orsola was even scarier than the procedures. As there was no clear guidelines on what they could and couldn''t do, the boundary was rather gray. Anything went as long as she didnt die? They could do anything they wanted as long as she was breathing? Kamijous face darkened. Tatemiya understood his concern, and said, ...Although you may not forgive us for this, I hope you understand that were powerless in certain situations. Tatemiyas voice hinted at a deep frustration. Being a magician, he was more aware than an outsider like Kamijou on what would happen to the people caught by the Roman Catholics. Kamijou Touma swung a punch at an electric pole nearby. He could imagine what was happening right now, but he couldnt do anything. Kamijou felt really useless right now. Stiyl coldly said to Kamijou, who was speechless right now, Seems like we have a common agreement. Then, well disperse here and find some place to hide. Ill have to contact my superiors and ask them what to do. The situation between the British Puritans and the Amakusa is settled, but Ill have to prepare to settle the situation with Kanzaki. Kamijou Touma, you and Index are to head back to Academy City. The Roman Catholics should be busy dealing with their important person, and probably wont provoke a war with the Science side by attacking you. At this moment, Stiyl lit a cigarette. Unless the British Puritans can come up with a valid reason for saving Orsola Aquinas, we wont step in. He puffed out some white smoke, seemingly uninterested deep inside. Ah, yeah, Kamijou Touma, Id like to ask you something. What? Kamijou tiredly turned around, Stiyl revealed a mocking smile, and asked, That Cross I gave you, it doesnt seem to be with you... Where did you leave it? ... Kamijou thought about it for a while, and recalled that, Sorry, I gave that to Orsola. When I helped her with putting it on, she was rather happy. Is that something precious? No, thats an ordinary metal cross. Its likely manufactured in a village that specialises in mass-producing gifts. Like that St. George Cross, its a common sight in England; even the national flag has it. For some reason, Stiyls smile contained a trace of delight. That cross has no decorative or antique value, and has to be useful in your hand... never mind. It doesnt matter since youre not going to use it now. Stiyl said this with a hidden meaning, puffing out white smoke at the same time. Kamijou was obviously confused, and could only walk back into the darkness. Just like that, this boring event ended with a boring outcome. Part 3 Tatemiya Saiji had left. Stiyl seemed intent on escorting Index back to Academy City. Kamijou dejectedly walked under the night sky. Index wanted to comfort him, but she didnt know what to say. Although this was the capital of Japan, the night away from the centre of the city was still dark. It was past one in the morning; most of the lights in the city were out. Lights could be seen from the windows of the apartments, like an incomplete set of teeth. There would occasionally be taxis driving past them, carrying drunkards inside. The streetlights continued to shine, attracting numerous flies to them. The days full of battle were about to be over. In a few hours, his daily life would consist mostly of school. Kamijou would bring his tired brain along to school, listen to some boring lessons, talk nonsense with Tsuchimikado and Aogami, and get electrocuted by Mikoto because he had infuriated her by not completing his punishmentholiday assignments. What should I do? Kamijou muttered. Index heard this, and looked at Kamijou. But Kamijou still looked down. He really wanted to help Orsola Aquinas. But he couldnt think of any way to help her. As an amateur, I cant possibly beat an expert no matter what I do; I understand that. But an outsider should be able to turn the situation, right? Like the first time when I met Orsola, I should have brought her to Academy City. Or not help the Roman Catholics, and allow the Amakusa to escape with the special teleportation spell. Touma... I understand; I didnt see the consequences of these options, so I was hopeful. Even if Orsola escaped to Academy City, the Roman Catholics would invade Academy City to hunt her down. Even if we didnt help the Roman Catholics, they can use human wave tactics to form a perimeter and find out where the Amakusa gather. No matter what, the result is the same. Im clear on this. Kamijou Touma thought. The first time he had met Orsola Aquinas, she had sounded perturbed when she asked him how to get to Academy City. When she had smiled in the theme park, it was because she had found a friend she could trust that she had continued to talk. Also... That cry full of despair that had come from nowhere. But... really. What should I really do thatll be right? Kamijou understood that him thinking like this showed that he was an amateur who lacked a sense of danger. The situation was completely unrelated to him. A high school student had gotten a rather harsh insight into the magical world, and was about to return to his own world; it was just that simple. Nobody could blame him. Anyone could see that the magical world was dangerous and scary, and to see a common civilian like Kamijou come back would be a huge relief for them. Maybe Stiyl had already said what he wanted to say a while back that he remained silent about Kamijous accusations. In the meantime, Index turned to look at Kamijous face, and said, ...Touma, this is an issue between magicians; you dont have to blame yourself. I cant help out, so I cant say anything much, but since Tatemiya Saiji said that hell handle this on his own, we can only rely on him... ...Really? Yeah. The law never said that you have to settle every conflict between magicians. I have to be blamed for being unable to take on a magician. But even without Touma, therell be a solution to the problem. As an outsider, Touma has already met quite a number of magicians. But the world has many more that you dont know of, and these people have their own problems. Even without your help, theyre able to settle these problems on their own; its the same as now. This is only the first time that you arent involved with the final events. I see. Kamijou gave a machine-like answer, but he was feeling quite surprised deep inside. Index should be able to imagine what would happen to Orsola, so why was she telling him to not interfere with the situation any further? Maybe it was because... There was no way to comfort him besides saying something that contradicted his feelings? Hm, the previous situations can be considered abnormal. Nobody can solve every problem in front of them. Touma, you should learn to rely on others, and let others settle the problems. Even if theres a house on fire in front of you, and theres an infant inside, you dont have to rush in yourself. Asking others for help isnt a shameful thing. Index continued on, trying to persuade Kamijou. Touma, you should rely more on others. Necessarius exists for this purpose. Even an organisation like us faces tough issues like these. If you cant solve it on your own, wholl blame you? ... He was not involved in this final scene. Maybe it was just like that. His part was over, but it didnt mean that the scenario would suddenly end like this. Next, Tatemiya Saiji would be the lead and end it on his own. It was true. Seeing a mass murderer commit a crime didnt mean that the eyewitness had a duty to stop him. The eyewitness wouldnt be condemned if the murderer was subdued by the police. Will Tatemiya succeed? There is some chance since hes a real magician, and the Amakusa, whore used to being suppressed, are rather skilled in doing this. He wont be stupid enough to try and take on an enemy when theres no chance. Un. Kamijou nodded his head. He might as well mention it, Kamijou thought. Since the situation could be resolved without him getting involved, an outsider didnt need to get involved. It was a logical way of thinking. If an outsider who didnt know anything got involved, it was likely that the situation may get out of hand, so he might as well stay on the sidelines. The law never decreed that Kamijou had to settle everything on his own. From a larger point of view, there was a majority of scenarios that Kamijou wasnt involved in. Even if he saw one, he didnt need to mind. Even if Kamijou wasnt involved, someone would settle it. Kamijou looked at the night sky, raised his hands, and stretched. The fatigue in his body was starting to build up, and at the same time, he was starting to miss the futon in his dormitory. Alright, lets go home. Kamijou said. Just this sentence alone created a segment between what was daily and what was non-daily. Oh, yeah, before we go home, I have to buy some things. At this time, the supermarkets and department stores should be closed, and therere only convenience stores open. But theres nothing in the fridge, got to buy some food... oh, well, Im interested in what the convenience stores outside Academy City are selling. Maybe we can find bentos inside. ...Touma, why are you so concerned with everyday life now? Im sorry, Im an ordinary student who recently began to like remembering things. I feel like forgetting all this and eating a good meal. Its alright if you dont let me go; but theres only an empty tray and water for breakfast. You have to think of the rest yourself. Touma! Index shouted out, not caring that it was the middle of a silent night. Kamijou laughed upon seeing this gluttonous girl turn pale so easily. Alright, then Ill be looking for a convenience store, and buy tomorrows breakfast along the way. Hm? How about everyone go together? If I bring you along, youll stuff everything you see into the basket, and itll be really difficult for me to buy things. Ill be leaving for a while, so Stiyl, please bring Index back to Academy City. Since you can bring her out, you can probably bring her back in, right? Of course... with you being so carefree, Im somewhat troubled. Since its beneficial for her, I can grant your request. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth, and said, However, do you know where it is? ...Finding a convenience store shouldnt be too hard, right? Very good. Stiyl gave a cynical smile, and brought Index back into the darkness of the night. Index wanted to accompany Kamijou, but he waved his hands profusely, indicating to her to not follow. When those two disappeared, Kamijou turned around. And headed down the road he had originally walked on. That guy seems to have noticed... Kamijou smacked his lips, and muttered to himself. I left my wallet in the dormitory, so why would I go to a convenience store? Kamijou pulled his cellphone from his pocket. The white light from the screen illuminated his face. He pressed several buttons, and opened up the GPS satellite search map. Of course, the target wasnt a nearby convenience store. Kamijou thought of what Agnese Sanctis had said. Our specialty is that we have a lot of people. Our compatriots are in 110 countries throughout the world, and even in Japan, so therere many of our Church Ministries there. Also, were building a new house of God called the Church of Orsola. If I remember correctly, its located near here. Once its complete, itll be the largest Church in Japan. Its about the size of a baseball stadium. The GPS function of Academy City was extremely accurate and updated really fast. Besides the latest buildings, it would accurately display buildings that were about to be built. In contrast, old businesses that had closed, like the "Gloaming House", would disappear quickly from the map. Of course, the name of the construct that was about to be built wouldnt appear, as it would appear as "to be built" on the GPS. But it was easy to spot by looking at the image, as there was only one building as big as a baseball stadium. Yes. Orsola once went to three pagan countries to preach Christianity to them, therefore her contributions are large, so the superiors specially allowed a Church to be built in her name. Doesnt she speak Japanese really well? Kamijou looked at the image on his cellphone, and quickened his steps. Just like Agnese had said, the "Church of Orsola", the gathering point of the Roman Catholics, was in this city. Since moving in a large group was a weakness to that group, they would use the Church of Orsola nearby to act as a deport base. Although the building wasnt complete, it wasnt a problem to them because they had much more magic that Kamijou didnt know of. The Roman Catholics should be there. Including Agnese Sanctis and Orsola Aquinas. After the Church is built, well be sending invitations. However, before this, lets settle the problem before us and not let this bother us. Kamijou remembered that joke that Agnese had first made, and chuckled. Although the party isnt set up, and the invitations may not be finished, I cant wait. Since their objective was clear, he had no need to stop. He walked faster, and unknowingly started running on the pitch-black road in the night. He had no reason to get in and fight. Even if he didnt interfere, others would come in to settle it. Index had said before: "Even if theres a house on fire in front of him, and theres an infant inside, the law doesnt decree him to rush in and save the infant." Asking others for help or letting others settle the problem wasnt a bad thing. But... What if the infant left behind in the fire always believed that Kamijou would save him? The smartest way was obviously to call the fire brigade. But no matter how stupid it was, Kamijou was not willing to let the child see his back. Even to himself, when it was the safest method, Kamijou wasnt willing to let down the childs expectations. Maybe up until now, Orsola Aquinas still believed in Kamijou Touma. Even when Kamijou had made so many bad decisions, she still believed in him like a child. Luckily, Kamijou wasnt affiliated to an organisation like the British Puritans or the Roman Catholics. He was just an ordinary student, an outsider. So there was no burden on him. Although he couldnt ask insiders like Index or Stiyl for help, he could do what they couldnt. If he had a slight concern, it would be that he would be considered a citizen of Academy City, a member of the Science side. However, if the situation wasnt good, it was likely that Academy City would settle it quickly by expelling him in order to disassociate themselves from him. It was alright even if they expelled him, Kamijou thought. Either way, Kamijou still insisted on what he believed in. Thinking about it, he laughed. There was no reason for him to fight, but he was running in the night. There was really no compelling reason for him to interfere at all costs. But he wanted to. Part 4 Right now, the Church of Orsola couldnt be called a church. It was about the size of four to five school gymnasiums. If it was completed, it would likely be the first real cathedral in Japan. Building such a thing near Academy City, it was likely that they were trying to suppress the Science side. However, as it was only built halfway, the empty space gave people a sense of loneliness. The outer wall had just been built, and there were many steel pedals and ladders. It seemed that they hadnt started work on the interior, like it had been ravaged by greedy soldiers. There was a large black hole in the window that was to be covered with colored mosaic glass, and the place where they were planning to put a huge pipe organ was still rather unnatural. The marble floors and walls continued to shine like they were still new, but the huge Cross that was to be hung on the wall was leaning on the wall behind the podium. However, just these alone werent going to create this bizarre sight. There were no artificial lights in the hall- just starlight that was shining through the huge black window. Several hundred nuns wearing black robes were standing silently in this dark corner. They were gathered in a circle. Some were wielding objects that could be easily seen as weapons, such as swords and lances. Others were wielding religious ritual tools like gears and hooks. Every single item was reflecting light, and besides the nuns, there was no one else. The Amakusa members that had been captured were put in another building in the same construction site, and there were more than ten members guarding them. The nuns werent looking outside the building. Their eyes were fixated on the centre of the circle. There was the sound of beating. And the groan of pain as the person grit her teeth and endured. Really, we wasted so much effort. Everyones rather busy, including me, and we dont have time to play games with you. If you understand, then behave yourself and accept your punishment... Hey, you listening!? ARE YOU LISTENING!? Damn it! Dong! It sounded like a heavy bag being kicked. At the same time, a cry that seemed to come from hell echoed throughout the darkness. Humph! What''s this cry about? You completely forgot about the image of a lady, and you dont feel ashamed? Damn it, we might as well change the name of the church. Well be the laughingstock for coming up with a derogatory name like this. Orsola Aquinas didn''t reply. She had been beaten really badly, and was lying on the ground. Her clothes were torn, the zippers were broken, and the cloth was flipped over, like she had been dragged on the ground by a horse. Agnese and company werent using any special magic to torture Orsola; they were just taking turns kicking her arms, legs, or stomach. But repeating such an action for a long time would bring tremendous pain. It was a violent act involving more than 200 people, and although they were somewhat lenient, they were hurting her to the point of near-death. Orsola was lying on the floor, unable to move. Agnese brutally kicked Orsolas legs. This terrifying power traveled through the thick soles, pressing on Orsolas already immobile legs. Ugh...! I dont understand how you feel about running away. Think about your fate- actually, dying here is much better for you. Have you seen the religious trials hosted by the Cardinals? Hahaha, although theyre rather serious, the process is indeed appalling. But for something like this, we really cant match up to the British Puritans. Compared to their trials, ours is like a game; this is the conclusion I came to upon seeing both types of trials. Ha... haha! Those old geezers, being so old, still love to play these games. And your fate is to be toyed with to death by those geezers; doesnt that sound wonderful? ...!? Maybe it was because of the pain caused by the kicks to her legs that Orsola couldnt say anything. Were she to open her mouth, she might even bite her tongue. How did it end up like this? Orsola continued to think. To anybody, the original copy of the magic book, "The Book of the Law", was something that was evil and had to be removed. Everyone wanted to destroy it, and everyone who got it would be annihilated- truly a "fallen magic book". But humanity had no way to destroy it, and could only seal and guard it. Orsola Aquinas only wanted to solve this issue. Her objective was the same as the Roman Catholics'': to destroy the notorious "Book of the Law". Why did it become like this? For this to go completely differently from what she had expected, where did it go wrong? Up until the final moment, she thought that she was saved. Why did that boy hand her over to Agnese? Really, the number of friends that you can rely on is truly few. To think youd ask the Amakusa for help when you reached Japan. Agnese stared down on Orsola as she spoke. She continued to kick Orsolas calves, looking intoxicated, like she had been mesmerised by some magic. Orsola felt that every single nerve within her was being torn as the pain reverberated through her bones. Being so desperate that youll ask those foreign Eastern people from a small filthy country? Haha... hahaha! This is really stupid; those pigs dont even know how to read the Bible, so how much can you expect from them? According to our law, once someone marries a non-Roman Catholic, theyre guilty of bestiality; you should be clear about that. Dont tell me that you think that everyones like you because theyre Christians? What Amakusa? What British Puritans? Those people dont have the right to talk about Christ! They arent humans, theyre pigs! Theyre mules! Of course this will happen when you hand your life over to them. Tricking an animal is so easy! Just appease them, and theyll automatically turn their prey over! ...Tri... ck? Orsola, who was losing consciousness due to the pain, woke up upon hearing this. You said that... those people... were tricked? Her cracked lips were filled with blood, making it difficult for her to speak. But Orsola tried hard to ask the question. They... didnt help you willingly... but... were tricked? Isnt that unimportant? Anyway, youre caught by us now! Hoho, hahaha! Oh, yeah, I remember. They even said something like well save Orsola from those Amakusa bastards; really interesting, right? That''s stupid! The people who are supposed to protect you have handed you over to the enemy; what a bunch of idiots! ... I see. The tension of Orsolas face lessened. They hadnt betrayed Orsola to the Roman Catholics. Those smiles and words hadnt been a pretense. They had really been concerned about Orsolas safety, and had done something so dangerous to save her. Even if it had ended in failure. Even if their hard work didnt pay off and made Orsola so worse off that she was about to die. Up until the end, they were standing on the side of Orsola Aquinas. They never gave up or betrayed her. They continued to work hard until the end. They were Orsolas warmest and most trusted friends. What are you laughing at? Really...? Im... laughing? Orsola slowly and gently said, I finally know... what kind of people... we Roman Catholics are. Ah? Their actions... are based on trust... because they trust in others, their ideals, their feelings... Theyre always willing to give their best... Compared to them... were truly ugly. Our actions... can only be built on lies... In order to kill me, theyre lying to the public by using a show trial... and they even lie to themselves, thinking that thats what God wants... However... I have no right to... criticize you people. If I had trusted the Amakusa right from the start... the situation wouldnt have turned out like this. If I had followed the Amakusas plan... they wouldnt have to meet so much danger. In the end... our principles... are based on the Roman Catholics nature. Orsola laughed. Her devastated face revealed an expression full of sadness. ...I can no longer run away from you people. According to your plan... Ill be sentenced for a false crime... and buried in darkness... but I dont care... I cant lie to myself any longer... and cant even lie to those friends of mine who never asked for anything in return... I dont want to... be seen as one of you. Just like what a martyr would say. You think youre a Saint or something? Dong! Agneses thick sandals pressed viciously on Orsolas legs. Orsola still remained calm, as if Agnese was only stepping on an empty can. Since you want to die so badly, Ill grant your request. Our work will be so much easier now that youve given up. You just need to blame the fools who harmed you, and carry that sense of remorse and hatred to your grave! Agnese said it like this, but she was actually looking down on Orsola, who was still resisting. There were 200 nuns beside her ready for action anytime, and there was a strong boundary around the church, so Orsola was unable to escape either way. Although Orsola and Agnese were within close proximity, Orsola could only hear Agneses words vaguely as she was still groggy. She thought using her brain that was about to shut down, and said, Who... should I really hate? What...? They never... had a reason to jump into the battlefield from the very beginning. Its said that one teenager among them... doesnt belong to the Roman Catholics... or the British Puritans... a really ordinary boy. They dont have power... or reason... but they did so much... for an acquaintance like me. Is there a greater gift than this... in this world? As for those friends who gave me this gift... what can I hate them for? That was right, she shouldnt hate. Definitely not hate them. They didnt manage to successfully save Orsola, but they shouldnt be blamed; they were not entitled to save her. They were not acting under a strong sense of "duty". They really wanted to save Orsola deep inside, so they used their "authority" to take part in a battle they shouldnt be taking part in. Just them coming forward without hesitation was something one should be grateful for. So, Orsola didn''t resent them. Seeing such a group of people that was willing to help a stranger was a wonderful thing. Orsola felt proud. Knowing such people at the end was such a wonderful thing, and Orsola was thankful for Gods grace deep inside. So satisfying. So enriching. The happiness up until now made Orsola Aquinas feel that nothing could be added on. Unexpectedly, though, her fortune didnt end here. Because the next instant... Bam! Together with something breaking, the boundary covering the church vanished. Agnese could not help but look away from Orsola. Something extraordinary forced her to. Its destroyed...? Impossible! Quick! Someone go check the St. Giles talisman on the gate, and check for enemies nearby! Damn, which group is doing this? That barrier cant be broken by one person alone. We dont know where the enemys army will be attacking from...! Agnese quickly gave the orders. But before the orders could be carried out, she got the answer she wanted. Ah... Orsola Aquinas saw it. The twin oak doors of the Cathedrals main entrance were flung open by something powerful. A person was standing at the door. This scene was like a crude fairy tale, where the prince steps up to save the princess. But there was only an ordinary boy standing there. Although he was just an ordinary teenager, he was not running or hiding. For who? For what? The 200+ nuns standing around Orsola turned their eyes to stare at the boy. There were so many nuns, it was scary, and they werent ordinary people. Of course the boy was scared. He was just an ordinary teenager; how could he not be scared? But... The boy never backed away, as he stepped forward. In order to save Orsola Aquinas, he stepped into the dark church hall. This step signified that... Dont worry, everything is going to be alright. Part 5 Kamijou Touma stepped into the empty church. He saw a terrifying thing. On a summer night, several hundred people were gathered in this building without air conditioning. Although the place was big, it was a closed room, and warm air permeated everywhere. A strong stench of sweat spread from a dark corner deep inside, like he was stepping into the lair of a large beast. Several nuns dressed in black robes were crowding in the darkness. In the middle of the crowd, there was a girl lying on the ground. Kamijou saw this, and silently squinted his eyes. At this moment, Kamijou heard a laugh, as if it was laughing at his feelings. Turning around, it was Agnese Sanctis. Her image was completely different from before. Ive been finding this weird. Agnese giggled, How can an amateur whos not even a magician be recruited for help? Seems like... although I dont know how you do it, the power you have can break any boundary. Am I right? ... Aiya, whats wrong? Did you forget something? Or are you looking for payment? Or... if youre unwilling to leave that woman on the floor behind, you can strip her; I dont mind. Agnese sounded very excited, as if she was drunk, looking carried away. Let me ask you something: youre not bothering to pretend now? Pretend? Pretend what? Dont you understand the situation? Cant you tell which side has the advantage? Dont tell me that you think our positions are the same? What will you do in front of so many people? I feel like hearing what you want to say. That was true, one versus 200 was too much of a difference. Kamijou couldnt win if he went up against so many people. Or maybe it was because Agnese understood this so well that she smugly walked towards Kamijou. Not only did she not care about her defense, she was even taunting him. Agnese believed that Kamijou wouldnt do anything to her. Once he did, he would start a battle where there was no chance of victory for him. Fool, what a fool. Seems like the British Puritans are smart enough to run away. Whats wrong with you? Hm, even so. What can one person do? If you want to run, do so now. This is your last chance. You should know what to do. Hearing Agnese say this with such confidence, Kamijou weakly smiled. My last chance... I should know what to do... His voice contained a strong, strange sense of calm. Yeah, this is my last chance. I understand. BAM! Kamijou Toumas right fist cut through the air. Agnese quickly crossed her arms to protect her head. At this moment, her feet left the floor. Agnese, who had blocked the attack, flew backwards. She then glared at Kamijou like a fierce dog. Without a second to delay. Without hesitation, the boy let the enemy in front of him see his realisations. You... bastard, you dare to do this to me?! Agnese roared. But Kamijou Touma was louder than her. What should I do? WHAT NONSENSE; OF COURSE I SHOULD SAVE HER! The two of them were rather emotional, almost at a breaking point. In a nutshell, it was "anger", but the reasons and auras were completely different. The muscles on Agneses face vibrated irregularly as she muttered. The nuns in black robes, who had originally been standing around, all turned and face Kamijou Touma, brandishing the many different weapons in their hands. They marched forward like an army, giving off a cold and scary sound all at once. Youre really... interesting. Agneses voice and body trembled. Facing 200 people, what can you do in this condition? Let me witness it! Haha! With the vast difference in numbers, well beat you to dust in sixty seconds! After Agnese said this, the black nuns raised their weapons. Kamijou Touma, who was alone, had no help, and was weaponless, clenched his fists. Just when the battle was about to start... A voice suddenly appeared. Really, we finally slipped past the hole in the barrier with great difficulty, and you blast it apart. At least give me some time to set up the rune cards, okay? What...? Agnese was stunned. She turned around. Bam! As the sound of flames absorbing oxygen echoed throughout, the church wrapped in darkness was blown apart by an explosion and orange lights. The light came from inside the church, just opposite Kamijou. On the wall behind the podium, near the second level, there was a large hole that was to be covered with stained glass. A British Puritan priest was standing at the window, wielding a flame sword. Seemed like he had climbed the construction platforms next to the outside wall to get there. ...Stiyl? The cigarette-smoking priest stunned Kamijou, as he inadvertently called out his name. The original plan was to chase the outsider home and let the magicians handle this. A shame I had to say so many lies, and now everythings wasted. Before Kamijou could speak, Agnese said, British... Puritans? Damn it... this is an internal affair of the Roman Catholics! Dont you understand that youll be interfering with internal politics if you step in? Too bad; that argument is invalid. Stiyl coldly puffed out some white smoke, and said, Look at Orsola Aquinass chest; theres a British Puritan Cross on her neck. The outsider over there hung it on her. Stiyl revealed a cynical smile. Once someone puts a British Puritan cross on another, it means that the person wearing it will be protected by the British Puritan Church; this means that shes been baptised and is now one of us. That cross was prepared by our Archbishop, and I was supposed to hang it on Orsolas neck... but as that order wasnt that important, I delayed this and handed the Cross to that man. I thought that when that outsider was to be captured by you guys, youd see the Cross, think that he was a member of the large British Puritan Church, and show mercy to him... however, due to some accidental and strange circumstances, the cross is on Orsolas neck. Right now, Orsola Aquinas does not belong to the Roman Catholics, but to the British Puritans. So thats how it is... Kamijou vividly remembered how happy Orsola had been the moment he casually said that he was giving the cross to her. So there was such a meaning behind it. Agnese was flushed red now, and was flabbergasted for a while before she said, You... you guys think that youre able to stand firmly with such a ridiculous argument? Its really a weak base to rely on, since it wasn''t done in a British Puritan Church, it wasn''t done by a British Puritan priest, and she wasn''t baptized according to British Puritan regulations. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth, and said, But at least Orsolas identity right now is rather delicate. Shes a Roman Catholic who still accepted the British Puritan cross, and the person who gave her this cross is someone from Academy City of the Science side. As for which organisation she belongs to, I believe its necessary to take some time to negotiate. But if you insist on carrying out a trial on her, the British Puritans will not sit back and watch. Stiyl jumped down from the window, and silently landed in front of the podium. Next, he pointed the tip of the flame sword at Agnese, who was standing far away, saying, And most importantly, you dare to attack that child! Stiyl bared his fangs, continuing on, Dont tell me that you guys think that I will ignore this? Im not so kind! Peh! Even if theres one or two of you, what can you do-!? Agnese angrily said this. But she was cut off by another voice before she could finish. Its not just two people. !? This rough male voice made Agnese turn around again. Suddenly, the side wall exploded, forming a large hole. A tall man wielding a large sword walked in through the dust. Tatemiya... The tall man was wielding a white flamberge whose material was unknown. Kamijou inadvertently called out his name. Tatemiya Saiji. The current substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa Catholics, a multi-religion-based Catholic organisation. Behind him were the Amakusa members who had been imprisoned in the other buildings. There was around fifty of them, and it seemed like they had found their freedom. You dont have to ask why Im doing this, right? Stunned, Kamijou said, Didnt you say... that the easiest time to strike is when theyre moving...? I thought that youd go home quietly the moment I said that. In order to settle everything before you do anything, I talked it out with the British Puritan, and now everythings wasted. Seems like youre a bigger idiot than I thought. However, I dont hate such an interesting idiot like you. Tatemiya Saiji said this reluctantly. Finally, footsteps could be heard behind Kamijou, followed by a familiar girls voice. Really, Touma. Didnt I tell you that someone will settle this, and that you dont have to worry? In... dex...? Kamijou sputtered. A small hand grabbed Kamijous shoulder, and though small, it was rather forceful. However, seems like we can only do this... lets save Orsola Aquinas with our own hands, Touma. Un. Kamijou nodded his head. Seeing this, Agnese Sanctis gave an order angrily, KILL THEM ALL! Several hundred nuns rushed out from the darkness. The final battle had begun. In order to end something that shouldnt have happened, they started the final battle. Between the Lines 2 In the middle of the night, Kanzaki Kaori was standing on the rooftop of a certain building. The night scenery in front of her included the Church of Orsola that was being built. The building was so much different from what someone would expect of a church: not quiet, and filled with growls and sounds of things breaking. Although she was standing far away from the church, her sharp ears could hear everything. She heard a group of people stepping forward to save a girl. From the start, Kanzaki had never intended to help her fellow Amakusa members or attack the Roman Catholics who the Amakusa were against. Although she snuck away after this situation happened, she never thought of using violence to settle this. She just wanted to witness it for herself. Even when she was gone, the Amakusa hadnt changed. She had wanted to witness that. Right now, she was seeing a truth that she had always believed in. She narrowed her eyes. That gentle expression seemed to be reminiscing something. It was a place where she could no longer go to. But because of that, it was a precious place to her. Not trying to hide, a set of footsteps could be heard as someone approached Kanzaki from behind. Haha! What a touching scene, Kanzaki-neechin! Very good, very good! Your former comrades didnt kidnap Orsola for the power of The Book of the Law! Tsuchimikado! Kanzaki hastily made a long face, and turned away. But Tsuchimikado was still grinning as he looked at Kanzaki. Seemed like Kanzakis feelings were written on her face. In order to hide her embarrassment, Kanzaki coldly said, Is your mission over? Didnt you say that you were going to seize this opportunity to steal the original Book of the Law? That? Hm, do you think that I succeeded or failed? ... Im joking, dont stare at me like that. Arent you also clear with whats going on? The Amakusa never stole The Book of the Law; this is all planned by the Roman Catholics. In other words, the Roman Catholics never had the need to bring the original Book of the Law to Japan. Right now, the one in Japan is a fake while the original is still inside the Vatican. Tsuchimikado announced that his mission had failed, but he sounded extremely happy. Did he think that his mission''s unimportant? Or was he saying a lie, and "The Book of the Law" was already in his hands? Which was the answer? Kanzaki didnt know. Tsuchimikado walked beside Kanzaki, placed his two hands on the metal handrail used to prevent people from falling, and stared at the scene which Kanzaki''s looking at. After a while, he said, Are you satisfied now? ...Yes, and they even exceeded my expectations. Kanzaki again turned to look at the church, saying, As long as theyre around, even without me, the Amakusa will walk on the right path. They became stronger. Un, seems like theyre in a tough battle. Youre not going to help them? I have no right to stand in front of them now, and they dont need my power now. Im like an auxiliary wheel of a bicycle. Kanzaki proudly said, but there was some loneliness in her tone. There was not even the faintest sign of perplexity or hesitation. Although Kanzaki was saying this rather seriously, Tsuchimikado was trying really hard to hold back his laughter. What are you laughing at, Tsuchimikado? Nee-chin, seriously, you never expected Kamiyan to be involved in this, right? The Angel Fall incident last time, and when you were retrieving Index... you owe him quite a few favors, dont you? Right now, you got him involved in your own personal issue, and youre thinking of how to say sorry to him after this, right? No, its nothing like that... that scenario you thought of will never happen... Kanzaki sternly replied. Tsuchimikado seemed to have remembered something, and let out a huge laugh. His laughter was extremely loud, so loud that one may worry that his voice could reach the Church of Orsola. He laughed until tears rolled out of his eyes, and after a while, said, Let me ask you: why are you holding bandages in your hand? Dont tell me you intend to bandage the wounds of your unconscious comrades after the battle? And after bandaging their wounds, youll gently stroke their faces, give a slight smile, and stealthily leave? Ehehe! Nee-chin, you can do such an old-fashioned thing? Dont you feel ashamed doing this with such a stern face? ...!? Ugn? Whoa, whoa, Nee-chin, whats wrong with you? Why that deadpan look, and your temples are still moving... wait a minute! Wait a minute! Im unarmed! Your Shichiten Shichitou isnt to be used for play! I dont want to be bandaged earlier than them, WA! Volume 7, 4: Amakusa-Style Church of Distinct Doctrines. AMAKUSA_Style_Remix_of_Church. Volume 7, Chapter 4: Amakusa-Style Church of Distinct Doctrines. AMAKUSA_Style_Remix_of_Church. Part 1 Seven chapels form the Church of Orsola. Every single chapel was to be used as a place for carrying out one of the seven sacraments. No two were the same size; how big each construct had been built and how much money had been spent on it depended on how often it''d be used and how important it was. Where Orsola and company were right now was the "Marriage Chapel", the place where marriages were held. It was the place they had spent the most money on, so the room was the biggest. The second largest room was the "Fuyou Chapel", used to carry out funerals. Although the "Holy Order Chapel" and the "Confirmation Chapel" were rather significant religiously, they couldnt earn money from "ordinary folks" like Kamijou, so their rooms were smaller. These smaller constructs were decorated with art pieces like sculptures, drawings, and stained glass, and it seemed that they planned to open them to the public as art galleries or museums in order to earn extra money for the Church. The website that Kamijous phone was connected to only displayed this information. However, it was incredulous for the Church members to have set up an introductory website. Maybe they had considered this place a tourist site, as the webpage even revealed the scheduled plans and the complete map. To Kamijou and company, it was an unexpected reward... Of course, the website was only disclosing things that "the public are allowed to see". Peh! Kamijou, carrying an injured Orsola, ran through the back door of the "Marriage Chapel". There was not even a single blade of grass, as everything was covered by the flat stone floor. When Kamijous two feet passed the back door, the weapon-wielding nuns started chasing after him. Taking advantage of the battle between the Amakusa and the Roman Catholic nuns, Kamijou carried Orsola out of the "Marriage Chapel". Although he was not willing to part with Index and company, they were separated, so he had to run out first. While running, Kamijou looked at Orsolas face. Sorry Im late. Are you alright? ...Dont worry. This is a minor injury; Im alright. Orsolas clothes were tattered; the metal parts of the zippers were broken. Every jerk caused her entire body to stiffen in pain, and it was obvious that her injuries were serious. But her face only showed fatigue, and not pain. She looked like she was going to cry, being carried by Kamijou in his arms, as she looked at his face like a missing child finally finding their parents. Damn it! Isnt fighting here the simplest way? Kamijou carried Orsola as he continued to run forward. The "Marriage Chapel" was extremely large, but to fight so many enemies inside was suicidal. It wasnt a case of which side was stronger; just having everyone push someone would be enough to kill him. Moreover, Kamijou was just an ordinary high school student. He could win if it was one-on-one, and he''d be in danger if it was one-on-two, but he would have to run if it was one-on-three; Kamijous capabilities were just like that. However... Running away wasnt a sign of defeat. Ho...! Just when countless pursuers were about to grab Kamijou, several Amakusa members jumped in from the roof of the chapel. The weapons that were about to pierce Kamijous body were sliced in half by the Amakusa members. Then, one Amakusa member viciously kicked the frontmost nun so hard that she flew backwards. Shua! The footsteps were like tides, as one group of Roman Catholic nuns surrounded the Amakusa members like some giant organism. Thanks...! Kamijou ran off, kicking a can that a worker had thrown aside. Of course, such an attack wouldnt hurt a Roman Catholic nun. But seeing something fly by was bound to attract their attention. !? Just when the nuns were distracted, the Amakusa members broke through the perimeter, nodded to Kamijou to express their appreciation, and scampered off. Kamijou didnt have time to look back. Although the nuns were wielding heavy weapons, those weapons couldnt match a persons weight. The nuns again chased after Kamijou, trying to whittle down this lead. The nun in the back was waving a torch, and a magma rock as large as a softball was shot out of it. Kamijou grabbed Orsola tightly, avoided it, and arrived at the rectangular "Holy Order Chapel" behind the "Marriage Chapel". He dashed towards the step pedals used for construction around the Chapel, and climbed up the ladder leaning against the wall to the second level. A torch-holding nun followed, and Kamijou raised his right leg to kick her down. Another nun was able to get from ground level to the second through some unknown means, and Kamijou kicked her off while she was trying to balance herself on the shaking platform, causing her to fall back down. Several nuns were standing at ground level, staring coldly at Kamijou and Orsola. They were beginning to realise something. Although it was possible to corner Kamijou when they were chasing him like this, once Kamijou could create a one-on-one situation, he could keep running. The platform that Kamijou was standing on was made of steel pipes, so they were not only thin and long but also unstable. So, the nuns couldn''t attack Kamijou from every direction. If the nuns climbed up to the long platform, they''d naturally have to line up. Not only that, but if there were too many people on the platform, it wouldnt be able to handle the weight and would collapse. Unless they were thinking of dealing damage from both sides, they couldnt win with numbers. The nuns silently thought about this. They reached a common understanding without needing to talk. At the same time, they raised their weapons. Rods, axes, crosses, Bibles, even the giant minute hand of a giant clock: they had all sorts of weapons. These weapons were aimed at Kamijou Touma, who was above them. Red, blue, yellow, green, purple, tea, white, gold... many different colors were glowing from the fronts of these weapons. Oh... no...! Kamijou held Orsola, who was unaware of what was going on, and frantically ran along the metal pipes. At this moment, numerous glowing feathers of different colors attacked them. These feathers looked like rocketheads attached to quills, hitting where Kamijou and Orsola had been one at a time. The feathers damaged the outer walls and the platform severely. DONG! The platform suddenly began to shake. In fact, the nuns werent aiming at Kamijou, but at the platforms below Kamijous feet. They never cared about Orsolas safety. Besides, as long as her brain and heart were still working, she was defined as "not dead". The platform underneath Kamijous feet was shaking like a sinking ship. Of course, once he hit the ground, he would be surrounded by several nuns. WAAAAAAAAHHH! Kamijou meaninglessly shouted. As the platform was becoming more slanted, the path he was running on got even steeper. He desperately sprinted up the almost-vertical platform, and the platform that was originally as high as the second level was now reaching the third level, near the roof. Kamijou held Orsola tightly, and jumped. His feet landed on the marble roof, and at the same time, the platform built from metal pipes and parts collapsed to the ground. Hearing the platform that he had been standing on collapse with such a loud sound, Kamijou felt chilly. He hugged Orsola and finally stopped, taking in a deep breath. Are... are you alright? Orsola was worried that she was being a burden, and looked at Kamijou as she asked uncomfortably. Im alright. Kamijou casually answered as he scrutinised Orsolas condition. Orsola had been treated badly and violently, as her robes were tattered, the zippers were spoilt, and the fabric was all messed up. It could be a rather seductive scene in an ordinary situation. But right now, Orsola was thighs were covered in blood, swollen until they were brown. Nobody was going to think of anything wild. ...Damn it. Kamijou didnt say anything as he cursed deep inside. No matter how big someone is, they cant face off against so many nuns! Agnese Sanctis! To think that you ordered them to beat her like a spineless chicken! Kamijou was raging inside, and really wanted to rush into the enemy''s front lines, but he was worried about Orsolas safety. He had to find some place for her to rest, and treat her wounds no matter what. Kamijou frantically thought. But he couldnt stay there forever. In order to prevent the enemy from attacking him from below, Kamijou ran from the side of the roof to the middle. As long as he was there, the enemy should probably be unable to see him. Then... Kamijou placed Orsola on the roof that was under construction, and grabbed a toolbox nearby with both hands. Thunk! The next moment, a loud explosion occurred from below, and three nuns quickly jumped towards the roof. Kamijou used his full strength to push the heavy toolbox away. The box hit one of the nuns, and she lost her balance before falling down to the ground. The remaining two nuns wordlessly landed on the roof. Both of them were holding the hour hand and the minute hand of a giant clock. The bases were wrapped in bandages, probably to prevent them from falling off. The nuns without jumping ability rushed to the roof through the stairs inside, and Kamijou could hear many footsteps below him. Being at a disadvantage, Kamijou didnt dare to turn his head, and only moved his eyes, looking for a way out. At that moment, Kamijou, who was standing on the rooftop, saw a nun dressed in white robes running around inside the wide compound of the Church of Orsola. Like Kamijou, the girl was chased by several black-robed nuns. But Kamijou, who was overlooking from the last section of the roof, couldnt help but break out in cold sweat. In front of the white-robed nun was another group of nuns approaching. Both sides were unaware of this, but if the white-robed nun continued to run in the same direction, both sides would meet each other. INDEX! Kamijou couldnt help but shout. At that moment, the two nuns wielding the clock hands rushed from both left and right. The girl running on the ground didn''t hear Kamijou. Part 2 As the positions of the "Baptism Chapel" and the "Marriage Chapel" were relatively tilted to each other, there was a triangular atrium between them. Tatemiya Saiji continued to swing his large sword in this atrium. Tatemiya was the last Amakusa member to retreat from the "Marriage Chapel". Just like the other Amakusa members who were fighting to create enough time for Orsola to escape, Tatemiya had been trying to create enough time for the Amakusa members to escape. Currently, the Amakusa members had escaped and were now fighting the Roman Catholics. On the smooth marble floor, there was no length of grass, and there were stands for placing sculptures everywhere. When the Church was finished, there would probably be sculptures of angels or the religious greats known as saints. Right now, however, there were no sculptures, and they were rather empty. All the religious art pieces had been blown to dust, as if the Church had been invaded by non-believers. Tatemiya Saiji wasnt using the tactic of "think while I fight" like Kamijou Touma did. Because he was able to skillfully break down the enemys attack rhythm. He wouldnt attack fully or defend fully; he would keep a balance between attack and defence. When the nuns intended to charge in, Tatemiya would step forward. When the nuns intended to step back and readjust their attacks, Tatemiya would step back. Tatemiyas actions surprised the nuns greatly. The moment the nuns misjudged what the enemy was going to do, they would naturally panic, and in this situation, Tatemiya normally would attack them. Even if the nuns were to carry out defensive maneuvers, theyd be blown away if they tried to block an attack from that giant sword. But Tatemiya wouldnt attack back. After attacking once, he would step back. He was not attacking all-out or defending fully, but instead maintaining a balance between them. Using this "stalemate" that wasnt supposed to happen, he built up an invisible wall. This is terrible; I cant continue to play with them like this... Tatemiya, though, saw his comrades waving their swords at the enemy and jumping about from the corner of his eye. Although Tatemiya was looking rather confident and smiling, he was very nervous deep inside. The nuns were rational enough to analyze the attacks as they fought; this was why Tatemiyas tactic could work. When the nuns got impatient enough and decided to pull out all the stops, not caring about their comrades safety, Tatemiyas tactic would fail. Whether it was attacking or defending, as long as there was an imbalance, the psychological wall would dissolve in that instant, and Tatemiya would be swallowed by the crowd charging forward. It was like fishing, Tatemiya thought. If he pulled the rod hard, the fish would struggle and end up breaking the fishing line and escaping. To catch a fish easily, one had to give it enough freedom- which was to allow the enemy to attack and let them think that they had a chance. Suddenly, Tatemiya could hear loud footsteps nearby. A new enemy? Tatemiya panicked, but upon listening carefully, he noticed that the footsteps were headed towards him. Tatemiya was standing in the atrium between the "Marriage Chapel" and the "Baptism Chapel". At that moment, he saw the British Puritan nun in white robes standing at the apex of the triangle, which was the small gap closest to the two chapels. She was being chased by the Roman Catholic nuns, only to meet up with another group of them, and was finally surrounded, unable to move. The number of people surrounding her was twice that of the enemies in front of Tatemiya. Damn it! Dont do something like this in front of me! Tatemiya frantically tried to save the white-robed nun, but the nuns who were surrounding Tatemiya were working together flawlessly, creating a human wall like a great creature. To them, once they took down one, there would be more comrades who could assist them in taking him down. Since they couldnt beat Tatemiya, they were wishing that their comrades would quickly take down the other enemies. Tatemiya and the nuns glared at each other. In the other corner, Index was swallowed by a large crowd, her body gradually sinking among them. Let me show you... Tatemiya adjusted his breathing and slowly raised his sword, preparing to use a killing blow. Suddenly, a mans voice could be heard from above. Stop! Dont get near that child! Tatemiya looked up, and in an instant, the second-level window of the "Baptism Chapel" exploded, as a firestorm erupted from inside. Next, a Roman Catholic nun was shot out like a cannonball. When she landed, she barely tried to let the joints in her legs withstand the impact, but it seemed that she couldnt withstand it anymore, as she collapsed again and lost consciousness. Wielding a flame sword, Stiyl Magnus was standing at the window... He said, In some situations, that child is much stronger when she fights on her own. Well weaken her fighting capabilities if we go near her. You probably dont want to become like those people, huh? What? Tatemiya was intrigued. At that moment... BOOM! There was an explosion around Index. Index reappeared, having been surrounded by tens, maybe more than a hundred nuns all around; in other words, a section of the perimeter was blown away. In that thick perimeter, a corner had been blown off by some unknown force, causing the perimeter to form a "C" shape. About ten nuns had experienced the impact directly, and one of them even landed at Tatemiyas feet, several meters away. Seeing their comrade flying over their heads, the nuns fighting against Tatemiya turned to look at Index. BOOM! Another huge invisible explosion, and several nuns were sent into the air. ...Whats going on? Tatemiya looked at the nun at his feet. Her face was full of despair, and her body curled up like a baby, her arms holding her head. Although she had lost consciousness, she seemed to be having a nightmare, as she was still trembling. Not only that, the muscles on the nuns legs were torn. That phenomenon hadnt actually been an explosion, but the nun had jumped back. As if her survival and defensive instincts had gone haywire, she had even done the extreme by doing something that far exceeded her physical capabilities in order to get away from Index. Stiyl jumped down from the second level, and landed beside Tatemiya. Youre also a Christian, and you should know that there are weaknesses or conflicting concepts in several Christian teachings. Many different Christian sects exist in order to patch up these weaknesses and conflicting concepts, but they create their own in the process; this is a so-called religious characteristic. ...So what? Tatemiya gently swung his longsword, restricting the nuns movements. That child has the knowledge of the entire world. With the knowledge of 103,000 magic books, she can make sharp criticism in the conflicts that Christianity has- the Sheol Fear. To Christians, Christianity is like a function, and the paradoxes in its teachings are like holes in a cover, so the Sheol Fear is their enemy. Upon hearing this, their personalities will completely dissolve within a short time. Of course, this spell was useless against enemies other than Christians. As for magical authors like Aureolus, they had set up a special magical barrier to prevent their minds from being destroyed by their own original magic texts, so this spell was useless to them as well. However, there were very few people in the world who could "write an original magical text and not get their minds broken" like Aureolus. The magical books arent just to only use spells. Although she has no magical power, she can use the knowledge of the magic books to attack with Spell Intercept and Sheol Fear. Theres likely no one better to be the magical library than her. While the nuns were still panicking, Stiyl and Tatemiya unleashed a flurry of attacks. Stiyl let the flame blade explode, blowing the nuns away with a flame storm, followed up by Tatemiya knocking them out swiftly and cleanly. Index continued to send the numerous nuns around her flying with her "muttering". Tatemiya was impressed and stunned. He said, Come to think of it, since shes capable of such an impressive spell, why didnt she use it in the beginning? Even if it was me, Id be devastated if I was hit by that technique. That spell is rather unstable and troublesome. I believe you know that its easier to do a religious brainwashing to a group than to an individual. From the Science side point of view, the Sheol Fear uses group psychology to break through their own psychological defence. Stiyl again let the flame sword explode, suppressing the nuns. The nuns were trying to find a chance to charge forward, but their faces had been burned by the flames, so they hurried back. The purity of the groups psychology affects the effectiveness of the Sheol Fear. Its easier to use when the groups thinking of the same thing, and much more difficult when its a complicated group with many different thoughts since that causes the purity to drop, which makes it completely useless... In other words, when I was fighting with you, because both Kamijou Touma and I had been present, the groups purity dropped, so she couldnt use the Sheol Fear. I was assigned to be her guard because of this possible scenario. Stiyl plainly stated, In other words, if you rush in now, the Sheol Fear will be ineffective. After saying this, the conversation stopped. There were more footsteps now. Looking up at the roofs of the chapels beside the atrium, they saw several nuns standing above them. Part 3 In the darkness of the "Marriage Chapel", Agnese rested her back on the marble column. Agnese was surrounded by several nuns who were protecting her to ensure her safety. But with each explosion and crashing sound, these nuns would be so scared that their shoulders would jerk violently and they would look around frantically. In contrast, Agnese crossed her arms in front of her chest, as she silently closed her eyes to rest. The position of those who were protecting and those who were protected seemed to have changed. Dont look so panicky; thats too unglamorous. Especially you, Sister Angelene. But... but... Miss Agnese... Those seemingly mocking words seemed to give the nuns a sense of relief, as they looked like they had seen a savior while they were on a sinking ship. Maybe talking to them would relieve them of their tension. The battle has lasted for more than ten minutes... Even... even if we add Orsola in, we still far outnumber the enemy... Dont you feel something is wrong? Ah? Listen! Where did that explosion come from? Maybe... the enemy has turned from defending to attacking...! ... Why... why dont we take part in the battle as well? We can spare some manpower anyway... Its meaningless. Agnese impatiently said. Then... what should we do? Orsolas been taken away... If she runs away again... She cant run. Agnese interrupted Angelene. She was so confident that she was not willing to give an explanation. Shell definitely be unable to run. In this damned world, this is predicated. The balance was broken in an instant. The reason came from where Index was. From the 103,000 magical texts, she found the parts that were detrimental to a Christians mind which created the "Sheol Fear", and was attacking the Roman Catholic nuns with it. During this situation, an accident happened. One of the nuns, Sister Lucia, the one who had attacked Kamijou in the theme park, suddenly shouted, Heavy attack! Light defence! Sacrifice yourselves! Destroy the enemy of God! In an instant, the nuns completely froze. Their faces silently and gradually became expressionless, and like a military salute, they neatly pulled out two things from their clothes. Each of their hands was holding a rather high-class fountain pen. ...? At that moment, Index was thinking that they were planning to use some magic to fire an attack at her. But she was wrong. The next instant... Almost a hundred nuns surrounding Index inserted the pens into their ears without hesitation. The squishy sound resembled a person squeezing grapes. Bright red blood spurted out from their ears. At the same time, they pulled the pens that were inserted deeply into their ears out, and then proceeded to raise their weapons. Although their expressions were distorted due to pain, they were smiling bitterly like they had just destroyed their desires. There was something white on the blood-covered pens: their eardrums. Index strongly felt that she was going to vomit any moment. Dont tell me... its to block out the Sheol Fear...? If they were unable to hear anything, the "Sheol Fear" couldn''t work. Index realised this chilling fact as the nuns advanced together. Damn it...! The one who realised this first was Stiyl. He really wanted to immediately get over and save Index, but the great combination attack with Tatemiya would stop working. Stiyl continued to let the flame sword explode, letting the firestorm block the nuns vision. But the heat could not reach where Index was. And by encountering the same attack so many times, the nuns became used to the flames and could find a way to attack them. Over here! Suddenly, a door of the "Fuyou Chapel" opened. Kamijou Touma stood at the door that was opened outwards. Orsola, who was injured badly, was standing behind him, using the bandaged minute hand of a large clock as a crutch. Maybe Kamijou felt that carrying Orsola around while running wasnt the way to go that he was hiding in the "Fuyou Chapel". In this critical moment, Index, Stiyl and Tatemiya rushed into the "Fuyou Chapel". Kamijou hastily closed the door. Right at that moment, numerous blades were stabbed into the 5-cm-thick oak door. In a short time, the door had blocked the Roman Catholic nuns'' attacks. But a door like this could not withstand for much longer. Using the story of the Three Little Pigs as an illustration, it was like they were hiding in a straw house now. Seems like everyones okay... Orsola, can you walk? You really like to worry. My injuries arent that serious. Orsolas injuries were definitely serious; it was just that they were hidden underneath her nun''s robes, so nobody could see them. Even so, she still weakly smiled at Kamijou. Although Kamijou was feeling compassionate, he couldnt do anything. So, he barely changed the subject. ...Okay, now what? Nobody could answer that question. Everyone present realised that the stalemate that was originally there was gone now. The Amakusa members out there were surviving through their own sneak attacks and escapes, so they were already busy themselves and couldnt possibly help now. *Pang!* *Bam!* Like nails being hammered into wood, the number of holes in the wall continued to increase. Index looked extremely pale as she said, They... just... stabbed their ears like that... My Sheol Fear cannot work... Maybe Index was still thinking about how the nuns had stabbed their ears with fountain pens that the blood seemed to have been drained from her face. The Spell Intercept can only work against one person at a time. Its impossible to interfere when there are so many people chanting their spells... Oh? Index continued to analyze her battle capabilities, and Kamijou was confused. He didnt even know what Index had done based on what principle. Tatemiya then said, Although my subordinates are hard-working, I guess its hard for them to reverse the situation. Humans are at their scariest when theyre willing to sacrifice themselves. No matter how good an expert fighter is, he cant handle a group of people rushing like a flood. Its like how an army of ants can kill any beast. His tone was full of reluctance, overlapping with the sounds of blades being stabbed into the door and being pulled out. Several eyeballs were peeking into the dug-out holes. Kamijou felt chilly in his stomach. Once the door broke open, several hundred armed nuns would rush in like a landslide. If they couldnt come up with an answer within the next few minutes, everyone inside would be unable to survive. But the more suggestions everyone gave, the more they sunk into despair. Although Kamijou was as panicky as an ant in a hot pot, he was at a loss on what to do. Eh... If... we had The Book of the Law, maybe we could find a spell to protect ourselves using my code. Orsola suddenly asked. Everyone turned to look at her. "The Book of the Law". Although it was the cause of everything, the magic book had been long forgotten by everyone. The forbidden book written by Edward Alexander- also known as Crowley, the greatest magician in the world- contained a strong power and knowledge, said to be able to allow humans to use the "Angelic Spells". Just opening one page was said to be able to end this Christian age. Since "The Book of the Law" was so dangerous, "breaking the seal of The Book of the Law" could be used as a negotiating tool. Too bad The Book of the Law wasnt stolen; it was all a ploy to frame us. In other words, the real Book of the Law may not even be in Japan. They only brought a fake, and the original should still be in the Vatican; we have no- Its here! Kamijou and Index shouted out at the same time. That was right, the original "Book of the Law" was here. Index, although youre unable to decode The Book of the Law, you might have memorised it thoroughly in order to decode it, right? You do have the original text of The Book of the Law in your head, right? Un, I still remember those codes that arent decoded yet. Hearing that, Stiyls expression changed drastically. No way! If you do so, shell memorise the correct content of The Book of the Law! That means that even more magicians will want her! Are you worrying about me? Index, who only treated Stiyl as "somebody who had nothing to do with her", asked suspiciously. Stiyl, who treated Index as an "old friend", didnt know how to reply, and his face was flushed red. But Stiyl smacked his mouth again, not saying anything more. Stiyl was clear that Index already knew that the magicians were chasing after her, so no reason would stop her. Besides, there was no other way out. Stiyl thought for a while. Conflicting thoughts were inside his head like angels fighting against each other. He suddenly shouted, Kamijou Touma! What... what now? You have to be even stronger! If theres any consequence that harms her in any way, Ill burn your body, heart, and soul until theres not even ash! Stiyl then cursed, smacked his mouth again, and turned around. Index still looked like she didnt know what was going on, as she was somewhat bewildered by Stiyls anger. Tatemiya looked at Kamijou with a profound meaning, then turned to look at Stiyl. Kamijou thought, Please dont look at me like that. Puzzled, Index tilted her head, and asked, Anyway, can you tell me how to decode The Book of the Law? Ah, yes, then, Ill explain it to you. Being asked by Index, Orsola continued on. At that moment, Kamijou felt sweat emerging from his forehead. In the past, he had thought that it was only fantasy, yet it was about to come true. The danger that Kamijou had never ever thought of continued to appear in his mind. Kamijou was very clear of what the "Angelic Spells" that were only rumours and speculation to the magicians were (what an irony). He had seen firsthand one of the four great angels, the "Power of God", summon the magic spell "Judgement"- billions of light bombs that nearly turned half the earth to crisp. If they used such a spell, they could turn the tide around. But... Should humanity meddle with such power? Orsola seemed to have sensed Kamijous worries, and said, We have no need to show them the power of The Book of the Law; we just need to tell them that we have decoded it and can use it anytime. If possible, I would like to avoid using this power as well. Orsola seriously said. That was right; the original reason why Orsola was studying "The Book of the Law" was to cause the knowledge inside the book to disappear. Right now, her actions were going against what she originally believed in. Also, even if they managed to get through this crisis, they would be harassed by magicians all over the world for having the knowledge of "The Book of the Law". She had already thought about all this. But she decided to do it. Even if it went against her ideals, even if it was going to put her in danger, she still wished to help Kamijou and company. Throughout history, no one had been able to find a way to decode "The Book of the Law". Even Index, who was keeping the 103,000 magical texts, couldnt decode the banned book inside her. The base model is Temurah, which is the switching of the texts'' locations. But theres a special rule thats closely related to the number of lines. First, arrange the twenty-two lines of Hebrew text into two rows, and according to the rows Kamijou felt like a duck that heard some thunder rumble, but to Index, it was very important. Kamijou had never seen her so serious before. Right now, Index was processing and decoding the magic book that nobody had read before, forming a blueprint of the strongest weapon. On one hand, Kamijou was bewildered; on the other hand, he was wondering if he was taking part in an irreversible mistake. In other words, the texts with different numbers of lines have to be changed again using another rule, so it sounds complicated. But even if the page changes, as long as the number of lines dont change, the rule of change wont change. Then The sentences with changes done to the positions of the words have to be rearranged according the number of pages. So then, the original content of the text can be restored. The title is End of Two Eras, and the content is written in Enochian about the Human Angelification Spells. Index suddenly finished what Orsola was about to say, as if she had read Orsolas mind. Orsola was wide-eyed now. Its alright; I know whats going on. Orsola was surprised that Index had interrupted her while she was conveying her own way of decoding that only she should know. She asked, May I ask, what do you mean by ''you understand''? Um... Index said with a heavy tone. This isnt the way to decode it; its a fake answer that the author left behind. What...? Orsola went numb. Index sadly turned to look at Orsola, and said, Im sorry. I came up with this answer myself as well. Besides this one, there are many more fake ones out there. The most frightening thing about The Book of the Law is that... Index sighed, and continued, Theres more than a hundred ways to decode it. And every single way of decoding it can form a text, but those are all fakes. Its not that nobody cant decode The Book of the Law, but that anyone can actually decode it because they are misguided. This is impossible... Orsola hoarsely croaked. The wrong explanation can still create a text that someone can read, so even when one finds a wrong way of decoding it, everyone will think that theirs is the correct way. Its normal that you fell into the trap without noticing. Besides the title on the cover of The Book of the Law, theres also a line of English words; do you remember? Index painfully conveyed this cruel truth. Desire, and itll be thy magic; in other words, what one perceives to be the correct way to decode it can create several wrong answers for The Book of the Law. The Book of the Law is such a scary book. Orsola Aquinass face showed that she had lost all hope. This couldnt be helped. She had gambled her life in order to interpret "The Book of the Law", thinking that it would bring about happiness to everyone, and destroy this magic book, the root of all evil. But unexpectedly, the "way to decode" that she so treasured was unable to do anything. Not only was it unable to destroy the magic book, but it also couldnt save her friends in this critical juncture. Look on the bright side. If we tell them that Orsola didnt find the way to decode it, I wonder if theyll be magnanimous in their actions? Tatemiya asked. At the same time, a huge knocking sound came from the chapels doors. I guess its unlikely. Since theyve thrown away their fa?ade, they probably wont hold back. Stiyl replied. In the desperate situation, he gave a faint smile. It was useless. Their only hope was gone. Kamijou frantically tried to bring Index and Orsola out the back door, but accidentally knocked into Stiyl, who was wielding a flame sword. The rune cards, which were supposed to be the killer blow, landed on the ground without response. *BAM!* There was an impact that was much louder than the first, and the off-type doors of the "Fuyou Chapel" were knocked down. Kamijou and company only had time to say two or three sentences. A few hundred nuns were wielding all sorts of religious weapons as they rushed into the church construct that was built for funerals. Part 4 Ten minutes later. Only the commander of the nuns, Agnese Sanctis was inside the pitch-dark "Marriage Chapel". The ten nuns that had been assigned to guard her were about to collapse from nervousness, so Agnese had relieved them of their duties by ordering them to battle. Although it was much more dangerous on the battlefield than here, they had happily accepted the order. The fear of being unaware of the situation made it even more unbearable for them. Its nothing big; why so nervous? Agnese sighed upon remembering the sight of her cowardly subordinates. Right now, there were sounds of explosions and crashing outside the construct, but Agnese didn''t look uncomfortable. Once someone was experienced enough, they could understand the situation just by hearing the sounds. Compared to a while ago, the enemy was in a mess and could only defend. Eh? Suddenly, she heard some noise that was uncoordinated with the battle. It was a set of footsteps. The owner of the footsteps opened the huge doors of the Church. *BAM!* Kamijou Touma was standing at the entrance, but Agnese wasnt fazed. She was not panicking; in fact, she was smiling. The same scene had happened before, but right now, Kamijou looked tired, and there were many wounds on him. With that difference in numbers, how did you get here? Agnese asked as she rested her back against the marble column. Though Kamijou was breathing hard, he was smiling. About this, we played some tactics. Tactics? Hm... Agnese closed one eye. I see, I see. Youre able to appear here so smartly by sacrificing your comrades. Naturally, nobody can get here if everyone gathers to fight against my subordinates. But is this alright? ... Agneses statement had a mocking tone to it, but Kamijou didnt reply. So now, Agnese thought that she had struck some place in Kamijous heart where it hurt, and smiled even more happily. Hoho, Orsola Aquinas had been praising you people just now. She said that your actions are based on trust, that youll never lie to anyone. HAHAHA! This is too funny. In the end, you still tricked your comrades, using them as a sacrifice in order to protect your life, right? No. Amidst this mocking, Kamijou revealed a smile that was completely different from hers, one that was completely free of pretense. Dont think that Im like you, I trust them very much. There are some things they can do that I cant. So, Im in charge of the other thing. Its just that simple. Kamijou clenched his right fist. If possible, I hope that they can believe in me, feel that I can complete this mission, and dont have to worry. ...Do you think that by beating their commander, my subordinates will stop their attacks? Im impressed that you guys can come up with such a na?ve idea. What will happen to sheep that lost their shepherd besides going out of control? Agnese Sanctiss back left the icy-cold marble pillar. She kicked the silver staff that was left aside on the ground, and it popped up, and landed in her hands. Alright, Im bored to tears anyway. Idleness is a sin; Ill crush your last hope as a parting gift. Kamijou Touma looked around, confirming the situation. The two of them were about 15 metres apart. As the construction inside the church wasnt complete, the interior was completely empty, and there were no obstacles. A huge group of people were fighting outside, and there were only Kamijou and Agnese in this closed room. The silver staff that Agnese was holding was fine, and there was a sculpture of an angel on it. The angel was in a pose like that of The Thinker, an art piece of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917, a famous French sculptor), but there were six wings enveloping the angel like a cage. *Dang!* *Dang!* Two clear sounds could be heard. Agnese removed the thick soles on her sandals, kicking them backwards. Tutto il paragone. Il quinto dei cinque elementi. Ordina la canna che mostra pace e ordine. (Everything is taken care of. The fifth of the five elements. Open up, symbol of peace and order, Staff of the Bishop.) She uttered a chant as she held the staff with two hands. The angel wings that were curled up on the silver staff opened up like flower petals. The six wings were like a figure disc of a clock, as they pointed outwards accurately in six different directions of equal angles. Prima. Segua la legge di Dio ed una croce. Due cose diverse sono connesse. (One of the idols that obeys the Son of God and the power of the Cross, connecting to foreign bodies and people.) Agnese chanted on as she started to swing the silver staff gently. *DANG!* The front tip of the staff hit the marble pillar, creating a loud sound. ...? Both of them were rather far away from each other. For Agnese to strike like that, it really confused Kamijou. *Bam!* Kamijou''s vision suddenly tilted 90 degrees sideways. GYAAA... AAA...! Kamijou felt that he had been hit on the side on his head by some sort of metal; the moment he was aware, he was already on the floor. He felt giddy, and looked up. Agnese again grabbed the end of the staff, spun it around twice, and slammed it on the marble floor. Kamijou felt his back go numb, and quickly did a roll. In an instant, an invisible force hit where his head had originally been. *BAM!* With that heavy impact sound, there was a dent and some cracks on the ground, like it was hit by a hammer. A coordinated attack? Is it an attack thats similar to manipulating the dynamics of space? Kamijou understood that he couldnt stay in the same area even though he didnt know how the attack worked. At that moment, Agnese pulled out a knife from her arm, and scratched the side of the staff like a guitar. Kakakaka! Behind Kamijou, who was running around frantically, an invisible force cut the air. That stick...!? Haha, seems like you finally realised it. This is like that map magic that the Amakusa used, but its really a bother to explain. Once I damage this staff, other objects will be damaged as well... like this! Agnese pretended to raise her knife, only to swing the silver staff around before slamming it into the ground. Kamijou was unable to dodge this attack from above in time, and his left shoulder sunk downwards in an unnatural position. *Dong!* At that moment, the heavy impact could be heard. ...! Such an attack could be nullified by the Imagine Breaker, but the problem was "where the attack would come from", so he couldnt raise his right hand in time. Kamijou stopped at this point. After Agnese raised the Angel Staff and swung it around, she slammed it into the marble pillar with her full strength. Oh, no...! Kamijou hastily threw himself to the side. Luckily, there was a slight delay from when Agnese gave the order to when the attack actually happened; in other words, as long as he kept moving, he shouldnt be hit. *Pow!* The strike that shouldnt have hit Kamijou cut deeply into his left wrist and the left side of his abdomen. GYAAAAHHHH...! Kamijou was pushed to the ground by the lateral impact. He felt a sharp pain coming from deep inside his abdomen, which was the centre of the body. Although his left wrist was between the point of impact and the left side of his abdomen, the impact slammed it into his abdomen. The joint of the left wrist seemed to be broken, and not only was he unable to use any strength, but even his sense of pain was gone. He could only feel a burning sensation. Agnese tapped the staff on the ground. Kamijou quickly rolled on the floor, but the impact still struck his chest. All the air in his lungs escaped. Even so, Kamijou endured the pain as he jumped backwards, wanting to avoid the next wave of attacks. Agnese quickly raised her knife and scratched the staff, causing a few diagonal cracks behind Kamijou. *Papapa!* The muscle fibers on Kamijous back seemed to be torn. For some reason, like lightning and thunder, there was a second of delay between the damage and the pain. GYA... AA... AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Kamijou continued to roll on the ground, his back hurting like it had been burned by fire. Agnese swung the staff horizontally across, and Kamijou continued to bounce on the ground like pebbles skipping on the water surface. Dont think that you can dodge them so easily. Agnese said with a cold expression, and swung the silver staff. Although theres a delay between the command and the execution, once I calculate and readjust the position of the attack, this can be offset; in other words, all I need to do is predict where you will dodge to, and by setting up the attacks in those positions, youll run into the attack area. Anyway, this isnt impressive. Those times when I missed were samples to help me correct the position errors; didnt you realise it? Kamijou desperately turned his head that was hurting and hot, trying barely to hear all this. He stumbled as he endured the lingering pain on his back. As if she was confident of victory, Agnese rubbed her staff with her cheeks, saying, I wonder if you know that in modern Western magic, there are five elements fire, wind, water, earth, and ether that have their own symbolic weapons. A stick represents fire, a dagger represents wind, a cup represents water, and a round table represents earth: these are the so-called elemental weapons. Agnese chuckled. And this staff in my hands is the lotus staff that represents ether. It has a very interesting characteristic: it can change into a weapon of the other elements. *Shua!* Agnese swung the staff diagonally downwards. When the staff struck the ground, Kamijou felt chilly, and jumped backwards- but this was predicted by Agnese. The premeditated strike hit Kamijous head from right above. Kamijous legs became weak, and he almost knelt down. His body was swaying about, and he couldnt maintain his balance. Kamijou tried to swing his right arm wildly, but the impact seemed to be mocking his stupid behavior, as it hit him in the stomach from an entirely different direction. Kamijous vision was blurred, and his legs were trembling badly. Ugh... Damn it, I can remove it if I can touch it! How can I touch it? How can I predict where Agneses attack will come from? Right now, all I can do is predict when it''ll come... Kamijou looked rather angry, while Agnese grinned happily. Everything is created from the five elements. By mixing this with the Idol Theory, what will be the result? Didnt that magical library explain the map magic of Ino Tadataka? Its the same idea, but that magic links the map with the landscape. However, this five-element staff represents everything; in other words, it can cause everything to be suitable for this rule- like, say, air itself...! Agnese raised her staff and slammed it into the pillar like a nail. The heavy impact hit Kamijou, whose reaction was slowed by half a beat, in the stomach. His entire body fell backwards. He struggled to stand up, and found a trail of blood flowing out from the corner of his mouth. Kamijou spit out the blood in his mouth, and said, Ugh... Peh. You said that you hated The Book of the Law, that you hated magic... yet it seems that you enjoy using it This meaningless conversation allows Kamijou to catch his breath. Agnese knows this, but doesnt seem to mind. Hahaha, I know that youre very angry after being hit so many times. But the Bishop staves that the higher clergymen use evolved from the warhammer. The warhammer was used to destroy enemies armor, so whats wrong with me hitting the enemy? Haha, come to think of it, its ironic that people view this metal rod as a symbol of peace and order. Agnese stuck her tongue out, and licked the side of the staff as if she was intoxicated. A weird tinge passed through Kamijous body, causing him to jump back frantically. Upon seeing his reaction, Agnese laughed. Besides... Agnese gently continued, Didnt I say this before? The basic theories behind modern Western magic that was established in the 20th century were just some backdoor teachings of Christianity- or in the words of the alchemists, these are secrets of Christianity that humans dont know of. Agnese again struck the staff down onto the ground. Kamijou desperately tried to escape, but his feet could not catch up to his thoughts. *Dong!* The heavy impact hit his head. Ugh...! What does that... got to do with me...? Im not a magician. All the same. Being able to get Gods grace despite not praying to him... that''s unforgivable. Isnt it? We worked so hard for the organisation, so why do we have to spend money on people like you who never did anything? Those radicals, the British Puritans, and the Amakusa are all the same. Any teachings outside the Roman Catholics arent teachings. They didnt contribute anything; what they do end up being are obstacles. These people are like pawns who only deserve to sacrifice themselves on a mission. Its coming...! Kamijou grit his teeth. Agneses attacks may not have been as powerful as Stiyls flame sword or Tatemiyas strikes, but even an ordinary person wouldnt be able to take it after being beaten a few times. Kamijous legs were trembling, indicating that his body was at its limits. The time of attack was rather precise. Since it was a magical attack, it was possible to eliminate it with his right hand. So... As long as he could grasp the angle and direction of the attack... As long as he could touch Agneses attack with his right hand, it would be alright. Its coming! Agnese frowned as she held the staff around like a performer. Kamijou was unable to dodge this "premeditated strike". Before he could even raise his right hand, the impact sent him flying away, and he rolled on the ground. He quickly pushed himself off the ground, and got up straight. *Dong!* Kamijou concentrated all his strength on his legs as he stepped forward. The distance between the two of them was about seven meters. With Kamijous pace, he would be able to get in front of Agnese in two or three steps. Agnese looked rather relaxed, though. It was much easier to predict the enemys movements if he continued running forward. She tightly held onto the Angel Staff, and swung it into the ground like she was hacking a watermelon. *BAM!* There was a heavy sound. If this strike lands from above, it would definitely smash his skull to pieces. But... Ive been waiting for this Kamijou slammed his shoes onto the ground, and suddenly stopped moving forward. As long as he didnt move forward, he wouldnt be hurt by the attack that was set up in front of him. I''ve been waiting for quite a while! Then, Kamijou clenched his right fist, and swung it towards the empty space in front of him which he was about to "step into". *BAM!* A sound that was like a blown balloon bursting was heard. Kamijou felt his right arm touch some giant invisible bubble. The attack that should have appeared there vanished into thin air, just like that. WHAT?! In contrast to this amateur, Agnese the magic specialist was more aware than anyone else that this couldnt possibly happen. Like a cannonball, Kamijou rushed into the empty space in front of him. Agnese frantically raised the Angel Staff in front of her. But being caught off-guard, she couldnt use her full strength. Kamijou was already in front of Agnese. Agneses staff finally hit the marble pillar. With a resounding crash, Kamijous head tilted to one side. But... He didnt loosen his grip. *Bam!* A heavy-sounding hit. The back of Agnese Sanctis slammed into the wall. She became giddy. Old fragments of her memories that were sealed away gradually started to appear in her hollowing heart. Ah... Dont tell me... Agnese tried desperately to seal her memories away, but like magma rising, there was an instinct to vomit from deep inside her stomach rising up, interfering with her thoughts. Im going back... The scene in her memory was of a dark alley in Milan. All the sunlight had been robbed by tourist streets outside. Over here, there were only people lying on the red brick ground, rodents, worms, and slugs. Over here, there was no hope. Am I going back there again...? Going deeper into the memory, this fragment pierced through her heart. It was the back door of a restaurant. She was digging into the rubbish bin for scraps of meat. She was afraid of dropping it onto the bodies of the slugs, the fur of the rodents, and the shed wings of the cockroaches, as she put it into her mouth, continuing to chew, and chew, and chew. She did the same action every day. No... The cry in her heart awakened her from her haziness. Her wrists were numb, her weapon was on the floor, and the knife that was used to scrape it slipped. Just like that, the symbol of her fighting spirit, the weapon that was used to defeat the enemy, left her hand, and fell to the ground. But... Even though she had already let go of the knife, she was not going to let go of the Angel Staff. No! I definitely dont want to... go back to that kind of life...! Agnese held onto the silver staff tightly as if she was going to snap it. Her consciousness was back. Her fighting spirit was back. !! Kamijou Touma and Agnese Sanctis were glaring at each other. Both of them were now approximately five meters away from each other. Whether it was the fist with a shorter attack range or the staff with a longer one, both could hit each other in an instant. This staring contest was like an iaido contest in an old drama, or a quickdraw contest in a Western movie. Cold sweat flowed down their faces. Their nerves were tight. They stopped breathing. Humph. Suddenly, Agnese dully sighed as she lowers the Angel Staff. Not only that, but she also looked away from Kamijou, and started to look around. Although it was a perfect opportunity to attack, Kamijou remained cautious. He was trying to find a trace of possible danger in this chance. Agnese rolled her eyes at him, and said, I know youre working hard, but everythings over. At that moment, Kamijou didnt understand what she was talking about. But after thinking about it for a while, he understood what she meant. Right now, it was quiet inside the "Marriage Chapel"; even the dropping of a pin could be heard in this place. It was like being locked alone inside a cinema; the terrifying silence stimulated the ears, travelling down from the head to the heart. This silence wasnt caused just by Agnese and Kamijou not moving about. It also included outside. There were about 250 Roman Catholic nuns, together with the allied group of more than 50 British Puritans and Amakusa members combined. The total should be more than 300, as they were supposed to be fighting outside the "Marriage Chapel". But right now, not a single sound could be heard. What did this mean? This meant... ... Kamijou felt a stinging sensation all over his skin. As if she wanted to remove this stinging sensation forever, Agnese Sanctis continued, Your original plan seems to have been for you to beat me, the commander, while your comrades held up my subordinates. Her tone was mixed with senses of mockery, insult, and sympathy. But this illusion seems to have been destroyed. Kamijou was stunned as he heard this. He even forgot to breathe. He released his fist. There was no reason to battle anymore. There was no reason to stay there. Kamijou could only stand around, stunned. A particular persons face appeared in his head. Yeah. He gathered his last ounce of confidence, and said, Thats right; your illusion is destroyed, Agnese Sanctis. What? Agnese frowned. *BAM!* At that moment, the Marriage Chapels doors behind Kamijou were forced open. Agnese Sanctis, who was facing off against Kamijou, slowly looked over his shoulders, at the doors. Her face was full of fear and anxiety. The figures at the doors of the "Marriage Chapel" werent her subordinates, but Index and Stiyl Magnus of the British Puritans; Tatemiya Saiji of the Amakusa Catholics; Orsola Aquinas, who was in Tatemiyas hands; and Tatemiyas comrades. Besides them... There was a humanoid monster covered in orange flames that was standing beside Stiyl. Agnese didnt know what that monster was. But everyone who knew it called it, "Innocentius". A flame monster with a temperature of more than 3,000 degrees Celsius. Once created, it would continue to implode and regenerate, melting the enemy''s every attack and any obstacle until its enemies were vanquished; a super offensive magic that followed the principle of "offence is the best defence" to the letter. But even those who had seen this magic before would wonder if they were seeing an illusion at this moment. Compared to back then, the "Innocentius" right now was completely different: the density of the flames and the momentum were different. The heat that was released from it distorted the air surrounding it, and there seemed to be countless invisible wings behind its giant back. I used 4,300 rune cards. The red-haired priest casually said. This number isnt much... but the Amakusa are really something. They used the position of the runes to form a large picture, setting it up such that theres a magical meaning throughout this entire place- which means that the Church of Orsola has become a giant magic array. And they even placed this construct outside the effective area in order to prevent the boys right hand from destroying it... Such a multi-structured magic array that includes and uses so many things, although its unorthodox, I may end up spending a lifetime studying this and still be unable to finish learning it. Stiyl proudly looked at the lump of fire in front of him. Thanks to them, the rune cards had been set up. Come to think of it, almost everything had been set up before the battle, and we were just touching it up just now, like filling up the missing parts of a jigsaw puzzle. Oh, yeah, I havent introduced myself. Im never the type that will run around as they fight; I prefer to stand at one point and wait. Because of this reason, I need this kind of magic. The doors of the church were opened, and one could see the scenery outside. On the flat stone atrium, where there was not even a single blade of grass, burn marks from the magical flames were everywhere. The nuns in black robes were lying all over the place. Their flesh wasnt burnt to ash, nor were they seriously burned. The explosions that they had just heard had likely came from this flame monster. The shockwaves caused by the flames pushing the air away had sent the nuns sprawling on the floor. These nuns that couldnt get up were just comatose. Though only a fifth of the nuns had lost their combat capabilities, the destructive capabilities of "Innocentius" scared the rest, causing them to grit their teeth, not daring to rush forward. Because they knew that once they got near carelessly, they would be the next victim of the flames and heat. I told you just now that we played a few tactics. Kamijou viciously smiled, They werent running all over the place just to be bait; they were just setting up the cards for Stiyls secret weapon... Of course, not being a magician, Im not sure of the details. Kamijous right hand had the ability "Imagine Breaker"; he was unable to take part in the setting up of the rune cards, so he was the only one responsible for taking down Agnese. All this was a ploy to ensure that Agnese would be misled into thinking that Kamijou had used the rest as bait in order to create a chance for a duel to the death with her, so that the rune cards wouldnt be destroyed. Although Kamijou didnt explain, Agnese had almost guessed what was going on. At the same time, she knew what she needed to do. She carefully raised her staff, and shouted at the nuns outside the "Marriage Chapel", WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WE HAVE MANY MORE PEOPLE THAN THEM! THESE PEOPLE ARENT WORTH FEARING AS LONG AS WE FINISH THEM ALL OFF! That was right. No matter what anyone said, there was a huge difference in the number of people between the Roman Catholics and Kamijou''s group. The reason that Kamijou and company were still alive was due to their tactics and running about. The Roman Catholics could beat them easily as long as they surrounded them, not giving them a chance to escape, and attack at the same time. Although there''d be several casualties, the remaining 100+ people would step over their comrades dead bodies to finish off Kamijou and company. This was the reason that Stiyl, though a professional magician, hadnt killed a single nun; once he killed a few of them, the others would go berserk and commit a kamikaze attack, causing the situation to become even more dangerous. With his magical prowess, killing people was a lot easier for him than not killing them. However... The nuns, who had a huge advantage in numbers, didnt take action. What are you doing...!? Agnese saw that her subordinates were unable to understand this simple logic, and was about to scold them. But at that moment, she realised the reason behind it: Doubt. Although the nuns understood that Agneses point was correct, their hearts were unable to completely believe. Their hearts were like an unstable balance, unable to decide whether to fight or run. As long as one of them took action, the group psychology would affect the entire situation. Agnese Sanctis remembered what Orsola Aquinas had said. Their actions... are based on trust... ...Compared to them... were truly ugly. Agnese lowered her head, and grit her teeth, almost breaking her molars. Since the balance was in a swinging state, the problem could be solved by breaking this balance through tough measures; in other words, all Agnese needed to do was beat Kamijou in front of her. If she used the power of the other nuns, she wouldnt be able to show her superiority. However, Kamijou was in the same predicament; if his comrades were to beat Agnese, it would reveal his anxiety, nervousness, and fear. At that moment, the doubts inside the nuns hearts would disappear, and they''d rush onwards with the momentum of an avalanche. In other words, it could only be settled with a one-on-one fight. Kamijou Touma versus Agnese Sanctis. Though the number of people on both sides totalled to more than 300, the two of them were in a state of isolation and helplessness. The distance between them was now about five metres. This distance was still within the Angel Staff''s striking range, but Kamijou just needed to step forward in order to say hello to Agneses body with his fist. The situation for both sides was rather comparable; in other words, whoever struck first would win. What... what should I do...? Agnese carefully maintained the distance between them as sweat flowed down her forehead. Will my attack hit him first? Agnese kept telling herself to not panic. The usefulness of the "lotus staff" couldnt be compared to a mere fist. As long as she estimated the position and struck with full force, beating the ordinary man in front of her should be easy. What... what... is the right thing to do...? However, should she really gamble everything on just a simple hit? What would happen if he dodged it? What if she guessed wrongly? Should she first use several light and fast attacks to limit his movements just to be safe before striking him down in one hit? The problem was that if those light attacks couldn''t block his attack, and he rushed forward, what would happen to her? But, but then, however, rather, the problem is, come to think of it... Agnese overturned her thoughts again and again. There were too many tactics that she could use, but she didnt know which one to choose. Method time, weapon... distance... How should I attack? In contrast... Kamijou Touma had no doubts over his tactics. He concentrated all his strength into his right fist. He would bet his life on this hit. He believed. Even though he was tired and one leg was in the coffin, he believed. He believed in his weapon, in the path that his weapon created, in the scene when his weapon brutally hit the enemys body, that his victory would bring about a wonderful future. Kamijou Toumas actions were based on trust. Its over, Agnese. There was no hesitation in Kamijous voice. You should be clear about it yourself; your illusion is already destroyed. Stiyl pinched the cigarette in his mouth, and threw it to the ground. The two saw the orange flame fall onto the ground from the corners of their eyes. At that moment, the battle started. *DONG!* A strong and powerful step was heard. Kamijou Touma clenched his iron-like fist, and swung it at Agnese. What should I do... what should I doKYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Something seemed to break inside Agnese Sanctiss heart. Though the enemys attack was in front of her, the swaying balance was unable to make a decision. Agnese, whose mind hadnt made a decision yet, was forced to make one. With low confidence, she swung the silver staff. One side had already bet everything on his right fist; the other side didnt know what to do. It was obvious which side had the advantage. *BAM!* A stunning impact sound. Agneses body flew away, grazed the large marble pillar, and viciously landed on the ground. The large impact forced the Angel Staff to fall out of Agneses hands. After rolling on the ground for several metres, when all the air in her lungs seemed to have escaped, she finally stopped rolling. By that time, she had already lost consciousness. With this, the power balance between Index, Stiyl, and company and the Roman Catholic nuns surrounding them was dissolved in an instant. A nun who lost all hope of winning dropped her weapon, creating a sound. A second one... A third one... Finally, all the weapons dropped to the floor like a downpour. The battle was over. Just the fist of a single boy was able to bring down the inner mental defence of more than 200 enemies. Volume 7, Epilogue: End Action. The_Page_is_Shut. Volume 7, Epilogue: End Action. The_Page_is_Shut. Part 1 Kamijous injuries seemed to have been more serious than he had thought. He could only piece together what had happened afterward with his fragmented memories. He had fainted in the "Marriage Chapel"... Index had run over, screaming... He had been sent on an ambulance... The administrative issues had taken quite some time before he had been sent for emergency treatment... He still had been sent back to Academy City in the end... The frog-faced doctor had appeared before him... The moment he was awake, he was on the soft bed. ...This hospital room again. Ugh, this is terrible; to think that I can even tell by the scent... Kamijou kept his eyes shut as he thought about this before he suddenly sensed someone beside him. He could hear a gentle sigh and the sound of clothes gently rubbing together. A warm and soft hand was stroking his fringe. Although Ill be laughed at by Tsuchimikado... A voice rang. ...I really want to do this. There was some sense of reluctance in the tone. The hand that was stroking his fringe was gone, and so was its warmth. Kamijou opened his heavy eyelids. Hm... Kanzaki? Ah... youre awake? I was intending to leave. Kamijous voice seemed to stun Kanzaki, as her upper body bent slightly back. She was sitting on the metal chair reserved for visitors, and it looked like she had been staring at Kamijou closely. Kamijou sat up on the bed and shook his head, trying to keep himself awake. It seemed to be early morning now. The lights in the room werent turned on, so it was a bit dark. The morning sun shone in through the window like it was shining through the gaps between the leaves of a tree. On the short table beside him, there was a box of seemingly high-class snacks and a sheet of tissue paper. Kamijou continued to look around. Kanzaki had already stood up from the metal chair. It seemed like she didnt intend to stay any longer. ...Ah... Kamijous dizzy mind started to work. Looking closer at Kanzaki, her attire was still the same. A short T-shirt with a knot tied at the bottom, revealing her navel; and a pair of jeans below with one side sawed off, revealing her thigh. Because the T-shirt was tied down, her breasts were much more noticeable. One could see her snow-white leg, from the thigh all the way down. Although Kamijou felt that this getup was hot, he didnt dare to say it, for he would get a punch the moment he said this. He quickly looked away, saw the note on the table, and read from it, Since youre still not awake, Ill just leave a message... Before he could even finish the first sentence, Kanzaki snatched the note off the table with astonishing speed. It would be an unbelievable new record if it were a competition. Kanzaki''s face flushed red, as she gazed around, sweating all over, and quickly crushed the small note. Its... its nothing important! Since we have the chance to talk to each other, theres no need for this note! Eh? But... No buts! Saying the contents of a note to the writer whos leaving is very embarrassing. Kanzaki wanted to throw the note, now crushed into a ball, into the dustbin. She thought about it, and decided to keep it in her pocket. Kamijou was curious, wondering what she wrote that could not be seen. Kanzaki placed a hand on her ample chest, took a deep breath, and regained her original expression. Is your... body fine? How do I say this...? The numbness isnt completely gone, and Im not exactly sure where Im hurting. Im sorry. Although the Amakusa have spells that restore a persons health through eating, they''d be useless on you. Why do you have to say sorry? Now that you mentioned it, eating things like sushi and burgers can heal wounds? The Amakusa are really amazing; isnt that an old element of RPGs? Um...? Kanzaki was puzzled as she barely gave a perfunctory answer. Oh, yeah, wheres Stiyl? He already left Academy City. He doesnt want to stay in a city where he cant buy cigarettes. He grumbled to me a long time ago that Academy City is very strict regarding the age when it comes to buying cigarettes. Kamijou muttered deep inside. That was how it should be. Cant you buy them for him? Im only eighteen years old; I cant buy them for him. ... Why a look of disbelief? What are you trying to say by digging your ear? Liar! You faked your age, right? No matter how I see it, youre already past the age for marriage- WAAAAAA! Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Kanzakis supersonic metallic punch brushed past his face. Being unable to react at all, Kamijou was scared, but Kanzakis expression wasnt any different from how she normally looked. Im eighteen years old. Eighteen?! Youre a high school student who can finally do those things! Kanzaki-senpai! Kamijou, whose teeth were still chattering, barely squeezed a smile out. Kanzaki sighed, and retracted her fist. She seemed rather tired. ...Seems like I should have left after writing that message. Well never get straight to the point if we continue on like this. The point? Yes- or should I call it the closing report... I want to tell you Orsola Aquinass current condition. Would you like to hear? Yes! Im very interested! Kamijou pulled his upper body over, answering without any hesitation. Seemed like Kanzaki sighed when she saw him being so panicky. Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa were accepted as members of the British Puritans; this is how the situation ended. The benefit of this is that theyll be protected from any revenge or assassination plot by the Roman Catholics. Kamijou thought about Agnese and the other nuns. In other words, Orsola is still in danger, right? No, the Roman Catholics might look like theyre not going to quit, but deep down, theyre not interested in her anymore because the British Puritans have declared to the world that Orsola found the wrong way to decode the book. Once everyone finds out that her way of decoding is wrong, nobody will bother her about The Book of the Law. In other words, if Orsola had really found the correct way to decode "The Book of the Law", she wouldnt be able to live a peaceful life. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Thinking about this, Kamijou broke out in cold sweat. Hm. However, you said that the Amakusa have become members of the British Puritans? Yes. Although the main base of the Amakusa is still rather secretive, theres no benefit to opposing the Roman Catholics anyway. Really, its like they were hoping for this development. For example... do you remember that white T-shirt that Tatemiya Saiji wore? There''s a slanted red cross on it. ...Is there? Now that you mentioned it, there did seem to be one. Thats right. That red cross is the logo of St. George, the symbol of the British Puritans. Wearing that shirt to battle, it means that he wants to join the British Puritans together with me. I ordered them that time to not follow me around. Thats right... Besides, youre a British Puritan. Kamijou lamented. Kanzaki muttered, Really. She looked like a mother who was seeing her child being unable to stand up on his own; it was just that she never sensed it herself. However, are you alright with this? Even though the Amakusa are small, theyre still a religious sect. Now that theyve been taken in by the British Puritans, isnt it like a small company being absorbed by a large one? Although the Amakusa were absorbed by the British Puritans, they dont have to abandon their codes and teachings. Like a feudal lord allowing a general to keep a faction, the Amakusa Catholics can still exist. Also, the Amakusa is a multi-religious group that can hide within history itself and change according to the age. Theyre never picky on the rituals; as long as they can make their lives more convenient, they can work under any condition. Come to think of it, Kanzaki originally had given up her position as the leader of this small sect in order to protect them. Thinking about it, she was really an amazing person. Even though she said that she was eighteen, to Kamijou, an eighteen-year-old was an adult. Just when Kamijou was casually thinking about this, Kanzaki suddenly gave a proper bow to him. It was not a simple nod, but a deep bow. She said, Erm... That... what happened this time... Im really sorry. Ah? Eh? What? Why are you bowing to me? What are you really sorry about? At this moment, Kamijou had just woken up, so his mind was rather hazy. He felt that it was really frightening for "a female to bow to him", like he had done something extremely evil. Kanzaki stammered, a rare sight, Its... that... what happened this time... due to some personal matters... I caused you some trouble... Seemed like Kanzaki was unused to saying something like this, as she looked like she didnt know what to do. Kamijou, who was still in a daze, didnt understand what was going on at all; all he knew was that Kanzaki seemed troubled, so he said, Ah, sorry, Kanzaki. Did I do something that bothered you? If that''s it, let me apologise to you for that. No, no, its not that. Ill feel even more ashamed if you apologise to me. Eh, its not that, back to the original topic; anyway, its... Kanzaki looked like she couldnt open her mouth, as her fingers continued to play with her fringe. She stuttered, unable to say anything. After a while, Kanzaki finally made her decision, and was about to open her mouth. At that moment, the door of the hospital room was rudely opened. This tall guy, who went into a hospital room early in the morning without knocking on the door, was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of blue shades. Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He was holding a plastic bag, swinging it around. There seemed to be gifts for hospital visits inside it. Hohohehehe! Kamiyan, Ive come to play with you! One entire honey dew is too expensive, so I bought those luxury puddings in the convenience stores with a honey dew topping on them! Just settle with this, wont ya? Kamijou looked away from Kanzaki to Tsuchimikado. Hai! Its time for school in a few hours; dont you plan to sleep? Ah, sorry, Kanzaki. What were you trying to say? Ugh... Being asked by Kamijou like this, Kanzaki seemed terrified. She stared at Tsuchimikado from the corner of her eye, giving off a signal saying, Do I have to say it in front of this guy? Why is this guy so inopportune in coming here? Tsuchimikado, who was acutely sensitive, immediately sensed that the atmosphere wasnt right, and said, Whoa, whoa! Nee-chin, youre finally planning to say thanks to Kamiyan? Let me guess: its a very clich line, isnt it? If its not Its hard to forget your grace even if my teeth are gone, its going to be I wont forget this even through death, right? Eh, eh!? Hahahaha! You think youre the crane that showed gratitude in a fairy tale? No... no way! Who''d say that sort of thing to this immature brat that lacks common knowledge!? ...Lacks common knowledge... immature brat... ? Upon hearing that, Kamijou was hit really hard, and lowered his head. Kanzaki was shocked, and quickly corrected herself, Ah, no! I dont mean it, that... that statement was to make Tsuchimikado retract his ridiculous comments... but as for that thanks-giving... erm... Why bother saying so much? Besides, wont Nee-chin strip herself naked? What... what ''strip naked''!? Who''d do that sort of thing!? Oh? Or are you planning to cosplay in any costume to show your gratitude? What a sacrifice! Shut your mouth! Its because of your misguidance that this situation became so complicated! Kamijou was uninvolved in this as he saw the two bickering (to him, they were bickering rather happily). At this moment, Kamijou thought of a ridiculous thing. ...Shell wear anything to show her gratitude? No... no way! Kanzaki looks really serious! I cant joke around in this situation! Stop thinking about Kanzaki as an onee-san wearing that cute swimsuit that Index wore at the seaside! Hurry up and get rid of this idea! ...Are you okay? Why do I feel a strong aura from you? Its nothing! As a man, I definitely wont buy that kind of book! I, Kamijou Touma, am not intending to stoop so low! What? Kanzaki was confused, tilting her head over, wondering how to answer. Tsuchimikado, however, gave a cynical smile, saying, Hohoho! Say it, whats your wish? Resting on Nee-chins legs? Let motherly Nee-chin clean your ear for you? Or do you want Nee-chin to make a bento thats completely different from her character? Dont say any more! Its not a casual talk between men right now! Dont say what I like in front of girls! Tsuchimikado, although Im not sure whats going on, you staying here may cause the patients condition to worsen. Can you please leave? Ah, you want to be alone with him? What do you want to do? Dont tell me its...! Tsuchimikados eyes glowed. Nee-chin wants to shape an apple into the shape of a rabbit, and gently feed it to Kamiyan? Sorry, I didnt notice it, how slow of me! Its not! I beg you, stop making random guesses and make yourself feel ashamed! Ah, or are you going to feed him with your mouth? However, although its nice thinking about it, its disgusting when one actually does it. Thats enough; stop saying any more! Hurry up and disappear! Wonder what expression Tatemiya Saiji will give when he hears this? After creating quite a ruckus in the hospital room, Tsuchimikado ran out of the room, laughing. In an instant, the hospital room in the morning became extremely silent. Kanzaki was gasping due to anger. Seeing her from behind, Kamijou was trembling throughout, thinking, Oh, Tsuchimikado, Tsuchimikado, maybe you intended to lighten the mood by saying those words, but must you run away after saying all that? Ar... that... Kanzaki-san? Can I say something? ...Why the honorifics all of the sudden? That gratitude or thanks... is only a joke by Tsuchimikado, right? Kamijou was afraid of being scolded furiously by Kanzaki like what happened to Tsuchimikado, feeling really tense. But Kanzaki stammered, But... I have no other choice... Protecting ordinary civilians like you should be our responsibility... but we ended up letting you get hurt. I understand that this isnt a problem that can be settled with just one deep bow. So... Kanzaki got more upset the more she spoke, and her voice became even softer and softer. She again used her fingers to play with her fringe. Maybe this was an action she was used to doing when she was frustrated. Then, it seemed like she finally couldn''t take it, as she roughly grabbed her hair and sighed. Kamijou thought that this action was like an author with writers block crushing up a script and throwing it into the dustbin; there was something similar between each action. To Kamijou, anyone who was still bothered by the situation even after it was over, like Kanzaki, was a headache to him. If it was the irresponsible Tsuchimikado, hed likely say, Sorry to bother you, bye. Kamijou really preferred this simple feeling. Too bad Kanzakis sense of morality was too strong, so she couldnt do that. At his wits'' end now, Kamijou sighed heavily. It seemed like he had to be more serious. So this is what your point is? Yes, Im the type that will easily cause other people trouble- especially you, who carried quite a burden several times because of me. I feel guilty every time. Besides, its not just me this time, but the entire Amakusa sect that caused you a problem. Ohhh... but, why do you have to bother so much? Besides, the problem between us is settled, and theres no one injured. Hearing that, Kanzaki was startled. She blinked her eyes, and asked, The us youre talking about is...? Um? Thats me and the Amakusa. Ah, and the British Puritans. Including Orsola, Index and Stiyl, and you- everyone thats involved. ... Kanzaki was stunned. It was like a difficult question that seemed impossible to solve being solved in front of her by someone. Do you have to be so surprised? Whether it be Britain, Rome, or any problem, the way I, as an outsider, see it, theres nothing different. To me, whos a stupid and ignorant child, a group doesnt mean anything. In contrast, without any hesitation, Kamijou continued on with fervor and assurance. It was as if he thought that the question was so simple that there was no need to think about it. Im not helping Index for the sake of the British Puritans, but rather helping the British Puritans because of Index. At that moment, one could hear someone running in the corridor. Kamijou thought that it might be Index. As if he was announcing his own stand, he continued, Next time, if Agnese asks me for help, I should help her. She was coincidentally the bad guy this time. But being a bad guy once doesnt mean shell be a bad guy forever. Kamijou stopped, smiling. Kanzaki gave a surprised expression, and revealed a smile of helplessness. Maybe Kamijou Toumas idea of doing things was too simple, too stupid. But because of it, he would never be at a loss. Ever. Part 2 There was no rainy season or dry season in England, as the weather was unpredictable throughout the year. In England, the weather would change every four hours; it was common knowledge. Even if there was good weather at the moment, many pedestrians would be carrying their umbrellas along. It had been raining in London since evening. But the citizens wouldnt cancel their outdoor plans because of the rain. Many different colored umbrellas were squeezed together on the narrow street. Stiyl Magnus and Laura Stuart were walking side by side through the drizzle that was like a wet fog. Stiyl was holding a black umbrella that was like a bat, while Laura was holding a beautiful white umbrella laced with gold lines on top that was like a cup of red tea. If youre just going back to Lambeth Palace, why dont you just call a chauffeur to fetch you? Those who hate rain shouldnt stay in this city. The umbrella that Laura was happily spinning about said this. It was obviously prejudice. Someone like Stiyl wouldnt like this fog-like drizzle. Even if he raised the umbrella, his clothes would be wet, and there would even be moisture in his cigarette; there was no benefit at all. Stiyl looked at the tip of the cigarette that was unable to light up, and sighed. Right now, Laura was walking on her way home. Stiyl had just caught up with her, intending to use this opportunity to give a final report. The Archbishop of the British Puritans that was in front of him seemed to enjoy her freedom a lot, as the times to go to and leave the Cathedral were rather flexible. She didnt like to stay in the same spot, so even mission reports or tactical meetings were normally held while she was walking. For Stiyl, he had to prevent the enemy from attacking or eavesdropping every time Laura was walking on the road, and it was a truly tiring thing. Like this time, the two umbrellas that they were holding were specially modified such that they had the capabilities of telephone booths. The voices of the two could be transmitted through the vibrations of the umbrellas, and those "voices" wouldnt get outside the "areas" the umbrellas covered. So basically, this is how this mission went. The Roman Catholics seemed to have treated this as an act conducted by Agnese Sanctis and 250 militants. The Roman Catholics are declaring that the group did this independently, and that they have no intention of assassinating Orsola. Dont they have to take responsibility for not managing their own people well? Laura bitterly laughed as she used her fingers to play with her hair. Her silky hair gave off a sense of solemn beauty, and once it got wet, it would give off a sense of sensual beauty like spider silk. Stiyl glanced at Laura from beside her, saying, ...Is there a need to do this? Hoho, are you referring to me accepting Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa Catholics as formal members of the British Puritan Church? Are you very uneasy with this decision, Stiyl? Since the Roman Catholics have formally declared that they dont intend to kill or hurt Orsola or anyone involved, even if they weren''t protected by us, the Roman Catholics probably wouldnt dare to take action against them. With the current situation, if they die an unnatural death, itll cause a serious problem on a global scale. But what if they die of very natural causes? Laura gave a barbaric smile that was like a pirate''s. The huge difference between her appearance and her expression dumbfounded Stiyl. Thinking about it now, you seem to have already understood the Roman Catholics'' true intentions. If so, why didnt you order me to save Orsola Aquinas from the Roman Catholics? Why did I have to do it in such a roundabout way? I dont understand it completely. Even I didnt expect Orsolas method to be wrong. Laura paused for a while, and continued, However, that isnt important. Stiyl turned to look at Laura. Laura spun her pure-white umbrella, and said, Lets think of this scenario, Stiyl. If we had failed to save Orsola in this situation, would there be any change? Once she returned to the Roman Catholics, she would still have been executed in the end. No matter whether we succeeded in saving her, The Book of the Law would never have been decoded. Laura made her conclusion, So, its the same whether we saved her or not. Orsolas fate was but a trivial thing. Stiyl sighed slightly, and said, If this is the case, then why did the Archbishop order me to hand the cross over to Orsola? The original situation is distressing enough, yet you added on to my workload. Although youre not going to admit it, you planned on rescuing Orsola from the beginning, right? Uuu... Its somewhat weird that theres too few reinforcements. Maybe you had already gathered most of the members of Necessarius on standby near the Sea of Japan, so you had no manpower to give me? If Agnese and her group had brought Orsola back to Rome by ship, the people waiting on the surface of the water would use something related to the cross as an excuse to launch an attack. Is there anything embarrassing about this that''s making you refuse to admit it? I really dont understand you. Mm mm! No such thing! No such thing! I interfered with this only for the sake of the British Puritans benefit! Laura''s so embarrassed that her face is about to puff out smoke as she frantically tries to deny it. Stiyl doesnt bother arguing back. Shouting alone made Laura even more embarrassed, and now her face is flushed red. Alright, then, what is this benefit that youre talking about? ...Youre convinced by me that easily? Its Kanzaki Kaori. Laura twisted her mouth, After this incident, I believe you found out that Kanzaki has a lot of power, and her sense of morality is too strong, so it would be easy for her to take an arbitrary action. Although theres no mishap, the situation is still perilous. Theres a need to add a chain on her for the sake of everyones safety. Stiyls cynical smile disappeared. Lauras face unknowingly became serious as well. We cant use violence to stop her actions- no, we still can stop her, but a heavy price would have to be paid. I believe you''ve seen the report about what happened to those stupid Knights at the coastline of Japan. Stiyl remembered the reports of the other groups. Twenty-one full-armored Knights had planned on their own to attack the Amakusa members, but had been attacked by someone unknown such that they were currently unable to battle. So, we need something other than a violent method to chain her down. In this situation, the solder between her and the Amakusa will be useful. Also, we dont need a detrimental shackle like Well kill them if you dont obey us, but rather a positive one like Well protect them from the Roman Catholics if you obey us. If we force the Amakusa to do something thats not beneficial to them, Kanzaki will definitely resist; if the things we do are beneficial to the Amakusa, she wont resist at all. So, how isnt this a huge benefit? Now that she finished, Laura revealed a radiant smile, yet Stiyls heart felt chilly. Laura Stuart. Though she looked like a na?ve girl at first glance, she was still the leader of the British Puritans, and even the cold-hearted manager who had set up the lie around Index. She was the one who had set up the rule that "there was to be a memory wipe every year". She was the one who had forced Index to be protected by the British Puritans at all times, or she wouldnt live. She was the one who had lied that this was the good deed of the Church in order to prevent Index from rebelling. She was the one who had even told Stiyl and others that Index would die if that wasnt done, making them unable to disobey it. No one was better than her at manipulating human feelings, rationality, interests, ethics, and "necessary values". Stiyl couldnt help but reinforce his guard against this girl. The problem was that Stiyl was unable to do anything. If Stiyl took any rash action, Laura would punish Index without hesitation and not Stiyl; she was this kind of person. *Dong!* Stiyls shoulder hit a pedestrian. It seemed to be a student barely squeezing in between Stiyl and Laura. Stiyl turned around, only to find that Laura had disappeared! The telecommunication magic linking the two umbrellas was removed. Stiyl frantically looked around before he finally noticed that far away, there was a white umbrella laced with gold like a tea cup that was spinning around. He had no idea how she did this. Thinking about it, the white umbrella was lost within the crowd. ... Stiyl, who was completely manipulated, couldnt help but swallow his saliva. The hidden dragon among magicians, she had somehow been able to get to the top, and it hadn''t been done cheaply. Stiyls back again felt chilly. At the same time, however, a question popped up inside Stiyl. The reason that the Amakusa had been saved was to control Kanzaki Kaori. He could understand that. So what was the reason in saving Orsola Aquinas? He really couldnt understand. Since the method of decoding "The Book of the Law" that Orsola had found was wrong, why had they accepted her as a member of the British Puritans? Even if they saved Orsola, there was no way they could control someone like Kanzaki. Although Orsolas track record in evangelising was rather impressive, such that her name was even eligible to be that of the new church, she didnt have any charisma, and was unable to lead a group or organisation like Kanzaki could. If Orsola had charisma, the Roman Catholics wouldnt have dared to plot against her, for such an action would have brought about violence or even riots! ...That sly woman. Stiyl Magnus smacked his lips reluctantly. If he could think of the real benefit of saving Orsola Aquinas, Stiyl would think of Laura as a bad person. But this was where Laura was most brilliant. The basis of judging whether she was good or evil was too small- rather, she did as many good things as she did evil things. On the balance of good and evil, she was keeping an intricate balance. The balance continued on without falling to either side, so of course it was impossible to tell whether she was good or evil even if there were lead weights on both sides. Stiyl was unable to make a decision, and could only continue to work for the British Puritans. Maybe that was her motive. The rune magician thought as he disappeared into the smoky street. Volume 7, Afterword Volume 7, Afterword To the studious readers who read seven volumes in one go without feeling painful, nice to meet you. To the readers who continued to buy the books ever since the first volume was released, it''s been quite a while. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. Writing these books one at a time, I''ve unknowingly written seven books. The day this volume is released is the 8th of September (Note: This is when the Japanese version was released.), and time continues to move so slowly. Most of the battles in this work were mostly one-on-one fights, so this time, there''s group interaction involved. The key word related to magic here is ''magic book''. Since the female lead of this work has the responsibility of being the ''magical library'', it seems that I should have added more to this idea. Anyway, the term ''magic book'' comes up quite a lot in this volume. Besides that, I tried to emphasize many characteristics of various groups. If I can induce your imagination and you''re able to think of numerous powerful moves that several groups use and the thoughts and culture behind them, I''ll be very honored. I''ll like to thank these two people: Haimura-san, who is in charge of illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of printing. I''ll leave myself, who hasn''t made any self-improvement, in your hands. I''ll also like to thank the readers who bought these books. Although I''ve been going around the same spot without improving at all, I''ll continue to struggle and roll on the road to improvement from now on. I hope that everyone will continue to show me some compassion. Then now, let me be thankful that this work is able to last all the way to the seventh volume. And I look forward to continuing on with this work. At this moment, let me sign off first. ? Once the story revolves around magic, Mikoto and Komoe-sensei have no involvement at all! -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 8, Prologue: One of Five Fingers. A_TOKIWA-DAI’s_World. Volume 8, Prologue: One of Five Fingers. A_TOKIWA-DAI''s_World. Tokiwadai Middle School. It was one of the premier schools in "Academy City", which occupied one-third of Tokyo, and a place where esper powers were developed. It was also the worlds most elite girls school. Conditions to enter the school were so tough that the school once rejected an imperial daughter mercilessly, creating international strife as a result. The school shared its ground with the four other noble girls schools adjacent to it. It wasnt because there wasnt enough land; rather, it was to create a more stable security system through joint venturing. These areas were collectively known as the "School Garden", and the area it occupied was more than fifteen times the size of an ordinary school. Even so, it didnt give the feeling that the place was huge. Besides the experimental facilities that were required for the large number of special lessons, many crafting and shopping facilities were crammed in there as well; it was because all the ESPer development equipment was developed here and was not sold to the outside world to prevent the top-secret technology from being leaked out. The view of each facility was Western, and as a whole, the place looked like a Mediterranean town. Even the road signs and traffic light designed in the "School Garden" were different from the outside world. ? This stone road and marble building... what a waste of space. September 14. Though it was the end of summer, it was still extremely hot. The twin-pigtailed girl, Shirai Kuroko was wearing an athletic sleeveless shirt and shorts, looking far away, standing in the middle of the campus in this hot afternoon, and grumbling as if she couldnt stand the weather. The surface of the school grounds was made of stone, like that of the plaza in front the Great Britain Museum. However, the difference was that even professional surveyors wouldnt be able to detect the slightest bump or tilt on the stone surface. Also, the material wasnt any ordinary stone. Even though it was hard to tell with the naked eye, if one were to put this material under a microscope, they''d discover that it was specially made by Academy City. On these smooth and flat grounds of the school campus, there was not even a speck of dust. There was not even any of the white chalk on the ground that was normally used for drawing lines during P.E. programs. Right now, it was lesson time, and the school was currently undergoing its esper power examinations, but the lines on the ground werent drawn out with chalk. The lines were made of light. Buried underneath the school grounds were millions of microfibers. By concentrating the light released by these fiber optic points, one could create different lights. It was similar to how an electronic bulletin works. The lights centred on Shirai, with a circle around her. With another, smaller circle inside the circle, a large fan shape was made out. It looked like the lines used in a shot put competition, but the angle of this fan was a lot narrower. There were many of this same shape on the ground. Beside Shirai, there was another girl clad in P.E. attire. The place felt like a batting range. Shirais ability was "teleportation". Basically, she could teleport anything she touched (including herself) by ignoring the three dimensions, and send it far away. However, she could only teleport things that she could touch. The level of "teleportation" was dependent on three factors: the "size of the object", the "distance", and the "accuracy". One of the methods of testing was similar to a shot put contest, but this test required both distance and accuracy. In Tokiwadai Middle School, Shirai was the only teleporter. The girls standing beside her were different, as they had "firing"-type powers. *Pow*, something landed in a far corner of Shirais vision. It was the bag that she had teleported away using her ability. It was filled with sand, weighing 120 kg. A short while later, words of light appeared beside Shirais feet. Record: 78 m, 23 cm. Error from designated distance: 54 cm. Final score: 5. After seeing these words, the girl sighed, and slowly shook her head, her twin pigtails swinging left and right. Haiz... The scores really terrible... so bad that I cant even express it in Japanese. Im extremely weak at shifting big and heavy stuff far away. If its within 50 m, the margin of error would be within millimetres. The limits of Shirais ability were "81.5 metres of distance, and a mass of 130.7 kg". However, the distance was completely unrelated to size; she couldnt shift the item further just because it was smaller. Also, once she nearly reached her limit, no matter how light the object was, her accuracy would decrease. Not only that, but the strength of her powers depended on her emotions as well. The conditions for the test just now required her to use the limit of her powers, and since the weather was so hot, her accuracy would drop by a lot. Always trying to find an excuse for myself, its no wonder that I cant become a Level 5, Shirai considered, mocking herself as she sighed heavily. At that moment, a laugh of ridicule came from the shot put arena beside her. Hohoho, Shirai-san, why be so petty about this and get your emotions carried away by the numbers on the machine? Dont tell me you cant set a more precise goal for yourself...? Hoho... Shirai turned around irritatedly. The girl walked in front of her. She had silky yet unnatural hair, and she was wearing the same P.E. vest and shorts as Shirai, yet she was holding an ornate fan, using it to hide her mouth as she snickered. She was older than Shirai Kuroko by one year (the type of courses that the students choose wasnt dependent on year), and her name was Kongou Mitsuko. Kongou Mitsuko was a Level 4 "wind esper". She was capable of creating a wind "injection point" on the object, causing the object to fly out like a bullet. She was truly a terrifying shooter girl. ...The real petty one is the one who continues to snicker at other peoples frustrations and doesn''t bother enough to try to hide it. Shirai said as she shook her head to a side. Ho, as expected of someone who missed by 54 cm, your speech pattern is limited. Oh, yeah, Shirai-san, recently, I noticed that your ability has the weakness of... Oh, my, ignoring me? Shirai-san, Im giving you some comfortable wind, so hurry and turn around. Kongou swung her fan at Shirai, and Shirai unhappily turned her head around. Kongou seemed to be delighted as she continued to fan. The wind seemed to carry a bit of an aroma. Back to the original topic; the limitation of your ability is probably that you tried to calculate the space that you didnt have to handle in the first place. It might be better for you if you streamline your calculations. ...Thanks for your concern, but the manipulation of three dimensions is different from that of eleven. Dont mind it; this care Im providing for you is only the beginning. Recently, Ive been thinking about creating a faction, and I hope that if you have time, you would join, and if you dont, that you would try to find some way to get it. How about it? Just treat it as some sort of literary club and come take a look? Observing how others control their powers, you might be able to get some inspiration. Um... Shirai frowned. A faction. The word sounds rather scary. In reality, it was just an organisation that functioned like a club. However, this was Tokiwadai Middle School. In this school that followed the philosophy of "creating world-class talents through education", there were numerous students who had established themselves in their areas of research during their school days. For a group of students with similar goals to gather in school, to request for facilities and funding from the schools board of directors, and to finally strike it big in a national event... Just by this definition alone, maybe a faction wasnt that much different from a schools social club. Larger factions would get more contacts, funding, and inside information, so most of these outstanding students in their areas of specialties had a faction backing them. Of course, there were students who firmly choose not to join a "faction" and did everything on their own, but it was much easier to borrow equipment and get financial assistance from the school if they requested it as a faction. The bigger factions in terms of numbers and grades would have more prestige and power in the school. This element of its activities made it not much different from an ordinary social club. In other words, a larger faction would have more power. This power was also influential even outside school. Being among the largest ten factions would help a students qualifications. As for the creator of the faction, their name would be extremely famous. Also, the members of the faction werent just powerful espers who had more firepower than pistols; they were also noble daughters from all over the world. For such a group of people to gather together, it was a much simpler and clearer "power". It was dangerous enough if one used their own power, so if it was an entire faction, one could imagine how devastating the destruction would be. So... I advise you to forget about it, Kongou-san. If youre going to establish a faction, itll most likely get destroyed within two minutes. What...? Do you not understand? Even if you are able to create a powerful faction, it would have been long destroyed by other factions. Youre still living happily, and this is the best evidence of the difference in power. No... theres no such thing! With... with the status of my Kongou family, and with my own power, no other faction shall stand before... Kongou Mitsukos face was flushed red as she started to refute this, but her face became extremely pale. *BOOM!* The school buildings, sports hall, garden, and everything on the ground was shaken by the sudden explosion. There was a swimming pool behind the school. However, it was blocked by the building itself, so it was impossible to see it from here. The explosion had come from the swimming pool. Wasnt the school building supposed to be in-between? The condensed mist still landed on Kongous hot face. The heat was removed from her face. The terrifying explosion had actually caused the water from the swimming pool to fly over here. ...That... Whats going on...? Her face littered with water droplets, Kongou was stunned, her entire body trembling, as if someone had spit on her face. She touched her face, and then turned to look at the school. Oh, yeah, you only transferred in during the second semester, so you might not know this. But thats the Ace of Tokiwadai. Hearing this sentence, Kongou remembered. There should be a girl standing at the swimming pool behind the school. That girls power should be classified as a "long-range" type, similar to Shirai''s and Kongou''s. However, as the destructive power was too great, they couldnt test it using conventional methods. So, the teachers of Tokiwadai got headaches over it. The school prepared a specially designed course for her. If they didnt weaken the power with the water of the swimming pool, forget about the test equipment; it was probable that the entire school could be destroyed. She was one of the only two Level 5s in Tokiwadai Middle School. The Railgun, Misaka Mikoto. She was not aligned to any "faction", and treated everyone as equal. Shirai Kuroko was thinking about this onee-sama that she had admired for a long time as she said, Kongou-san, have you come to your realisation, and also, are you prepared to face such a terrifying attack? This wasnt a statement that had any hidden meaning behind it. Kongou Mitsukos face was still green with shock, as she couldnt utter a single reply. As the leader of a faction, you will definitely gain quite a lot of influence in Tokiwadai Middle School. However, if the reason for you to set up your own faction is to satisfy your own pride, Onee-sama will come over and stop you, wont she? The moment Shirai finished speaking, another explosion could be heard, as if everything was timed. Volume 8, 1: After School of Girls. After_School_of_Angels. Volume 8, Chapter 1: After School of Girls. After_School_of_Angels. Part 1 Such things happened just now, Onee-sama. There were three bathing facilities in Tokiwadai Middle School. One of them was a shower room that was a subsidiary of the school. It was called the "Henie Bathhouse", and it was a place built exclusively for students to tidy themselves up. The bathhouse was filled with white steam. Shirai said this as she poured the suitably warm water on her body. The water flowed down her delicate skin, pushing the soap bubbles on her breasts down to her abdomen. Ah, the water splashed all the way to where you were? Is there anything to really fuss about with that degree of power? I tried my best to control myself. If I had used my full power, not even the swimming pool would be enough to block it. Mikoto said from the other side of the partition dryly. The bathroom was about the size of five classrooms, and there were close to ninety showerheads. Each of them was separated by white partition boards and a sliding door. The door wasnt as big as the boards. Considering the height of an ordinary female middle school student, it could probably only hide all the way from the thighs to the chest. If the girl was too tall, she wouldnt be able to fit the regulations, and had to bend her body down in order to prevent exposing herself. Besides, if I want to stop, I would try to use a peaceful way to settle it. This isnt something major as well, and I know how to choose my attacks based on who the opponent is. The only person who I can use my full power on is that idiot. The sense of comfort revealed in the last sentence made Shirais eyebrows tremble. The soap bubbles flowing down from her abdomen to her thighs brought a sense of itchiness. Shirai couldnt help but think, That idiot again, for Onee-sama to mention him again... One of Shirais eyebrows continued to twitch as she reached her hand out for the top of the sliding door. That was where she hung the hairbands she normally used to tie her twin pigtails. Shirai placed one of the bands on the ground. As warm water from the showerhead had accumulated on the white marble floor, once the hairband landed on the floor, it followed the shallow water flow, and drifted into the neighboring bathing room through the gap. Ahhh, Im really careless! To think that I let the hairband flow into Onee-samas forbidden area! Stop using that as an excuse to use your teleportation to come over here! Shirai was really thinking of using her teleportation, but Mikoto just shouted and slammed hard against the partition. The other girls in the bathhouse, who were busy chatting about, were terrified by this sound, and stopped their conversations. Because of the noise disturbance, Shirais teleportation failed. When she used her teleportation, she had to define the three dimensions by using the theory of the eleventh dimension, and use the resulting values to recalculate and redefine them. The process was extremely complicated, and it sometimes failed due to sudden anxiety or surprise. Hoho, this seemed to have been a well-prepared way to counter it, and proves that Onee-sama''s thought process and my own are completely in sync. Ho... hohoho! I dont want to play this sort of mind game with you... Take your hairband back. Mikotos wet yet delicate hand extended over from the other side of the partition, the wet hairband dangling from her fingertips. Shirai thanked Mikoto, received the thin hairband, and felt the slightly warm air coming from it. Shirai felt her body from top to bottom, removing the remaining soap bubbles, and turned off the showerhead. Oh, yeah, Onee-sama, do you have any plans after school? Shirai said as she turned to the partition wall beside her. The water that was flowing down from her clavicle to her chest was flung away. Yeah, I do have the plan to sleep throughout the year, Mikoto casually replied, and at the same time, a clanking sound could be heard. She seemed to be rummaging through her shower bag, looking for a small bottle of shampoo. If thats not a joke, I could take the chance when youre sleeping... Stop sighing and saying this so seriously; Im getting goosebumps. Is there anything for me after school? On the other side of the partition, the sound of soap being squeezed out of a sponge could be heard, together with the sweet scent of the shampoo. After that, Mikoto seemed to have turned up the water level, as the showerhead made an even louder sound. Its not really urgent. Shirai leaned her back against the partition wall. However... about that... I just thought about going out with Onee-sama to buy something, eat some cake. Recently, Judgements work has increased, so I had no time to go out with Onee-sama. To be honest, Im a little bored. Also, didnt Onee-sama say that she wanted to buy something? Kuroko... The voice from the other side of the partition wall became somewhat gentle. Go... go for it! Today, Kuroko wont back down so easily! I know that Onee-sama cares for Kuroko even though shes stubborn, and fawn in her arms, hoho... hehahahahaha! Shirai Kuroko stealthily revealed a lecherous smile, and as the partition blocked her, Mikoto was completely in the dark, and only said gently to her kouhai, You always run off to the sweets shop to heavily indulge every time after your Judgement work; no wonder your little belly wont disappear no matter how much you diet. A second later. With a lecherous smile, Shirai Kuroko teleported over to where Misaka Mikoto was. More accurately, she was directly above her. As a woman, she knew she would lose, but she had to give the opponent a kick that could send her flying back. Part 2 The School Garden, which was made of five schools, was a mini-city. Maybe its like an American naval base stationed in Japan? Shirai considered. Of course, this comparison may seem weird, but there was a large barricade that prevented other people from entering. The barricade was separated into different areas, such as experimental facilities and housing areas. Even the shops that provided the daily necessities, such as a caf or a clothes shop, were available. Shirai and Mikoto were walking in this "city that had everything". Though it was a sealed place surrounded by a barricade, there were still public buses driven by female drivers. The crowds of people moving around were wearing different kinds of uniforms, five in total, and looking at them, they were all young girls, which was inexplicable. The School Garden with its stone walkways and white buildings looked like an old town located near the Mediterranean Sea. The buildings had a Western feel, but they were rectangular, as if the triangular roofs had been forcefully torn down by someone- a unique building design exclusive for those areas with little rain. Though the buildings here were modern, there was a tinge of an ancient feeling imbued in them. However, compared to the scene of a Western street, there were two things lacking in the School Garden: One, a church. Two, sculptures of greats. There should be no need for explanation on the first part. As for the second part, as most of the sculptures were religious greats or saints, one couldnt see them here. This Western street that had neither of these things seemed really weird because most of the cities in the West had expanded from a religious site or square. Over here, what replaces it was a school. If there was a birds eye view, one could see everything clearly. Numerous roads expanded from the five schools like a spider web. These five spider webs intertwined with each other, forming numerous cross junctions in the process. In other words, the roads in the School Garden were rather narrow. This was the result of building so many experimental facilities in limited land space, and it made moving along them feel like a maze. And right now, After school, on this wonderful street, two girls were walking side by side. Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto. As the idols of all the girls in Academy City and princesses of Tokiwadai Middle School, the duos hair was rather messy. This, of course, was the result of a large-scale battle. Mikoto tiredly combed her hair with a comb in her hand and said, ...No matter what, isnt it too much to send a flying kick to the face without putting anything on? I saw what I shouldnt be seeing clearly; that nearly scared me to death. Hohoho, I expected that, Onee-sama. To fight head-on with the strongest electromaster is definitely stupid, but in the bathhouse, where theres water everywhere, Onee-sama wouldnt want others to get involved, so she wont use her electricity. My only miscalculation was that Onee-samas unarmed combat is so vicious. Shirai gave a wry smile, as if she had given up. Such a sight wasnt suited for a student of Tokiwadai Middle School, which had the mission of "creating world-class talents through education". After that, Shirai laughed, and lashed her shrivelled bag. She seemed to have regained her spirit. Mikoto looked tired as she said to Shirai, Come to think of it, you really intend to lose weight? Why can Onee-sama not treat dieting as anything significant yet still maintain such a perfect body? Dont tell me that you mastered a way to use the electricity in your body to burn off the fats?! Theres no such thing, and stop looking at me with such a fierce expression... Thats enough! Didnt I say that theres no such thing? Stop shaking my shoulders! I understand your feelings, but doesnt our school forbid students from dieting? Over dieting would prevent the students from developing properly, and that included their esper powers. Thus, some schools forbade their students from doing this. On hearing that, Shirai stopped rummaging through her bag and sighed, Though powers are important, is there really a need to sacrifice a girls happiness for the sake of powers? I dont want to become a person stacked with fats teleporting all over the place. However, I heard that when dieting, the part that''s reduced first is the fat on the breasts. Also, if you over diet, your skin will lose its fat, and will become dry and rough. Your hair will also end up lacking nutrients and fall off easily. AHHHH! I DONT WANT TO LISTEN TO SUCH HEALTH TRIVIA THAT WILL DISTRAUGHT ME!! Shirai covered her ears and shook her head hard. If it were any other place in Academy City, such an action would be seen as weird. But right now, when girls overheard the duos conversation, they''d also felt the same thing and wouldnt look at her strangely. A girl who was about to put a French fry into her mouth revealed a stiff smile, and put the fry back into the packaging. Shirai thought that even if it was Mikoto, she probably wouldnt talk about such things like weight or cosmetics. Though she did keep an aloof look, she would still mind other boys staring at her. However, being in the School Garden wasnt really different from being in a girls school, so they could say whatever they wanted. The two of them walked through this artificially created Western atmosphere. There were no large shops like department stores or shopping malls in the School Garden. All the items required for lessons or school life, like "P.E. attire" and "stationery", had their own stores. Thus, the streets were filled with mini-stores that specialised in selling certain items. As for some of the large buildings, they belonged to the experimental companies. Like a trail in a maze, there were shopping streets everywhere. Shirai saw the brand of a certain shop, pulled Mikotos hand, and walked into the shop. Mikoto saw what was inside the shop, sighed, and said, You came here for this? Oh, my, yes; this is a daily necessity. Shirai casually replied. It was a lingerie shop. It was a small yet intricate shop, the interior design was mainly made of wood, and the atmosphere felt like that of an antique shop or a gift shop. The orange sunset shined in through the window and, coupled with the lamp lights, created a soft light. One could see that the designer wanted to create a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. However, what was being displayed were women lingerie, all of different colors, with different lacings and patterns. It really didnt match the calm atmosphere of the shop. Maybe it was a method to make their products stand out even more and give the customers a deeper impression of their goods? To be honest, I do feel that this place isnt suitable for hanging out with friends. My choice of underwear being discovered isnt such a good thing. With our current relationship, there should be no need to consider this. Onee-sama likes pink and childish underwear; Ive checked it thoroughly- Owowow! Stop pulling my ear, Onee-sama! ...Teleportation is truly a troublesome ability. Talk, Kuroko: where are you hiding every day when you see me changing? This... this isnt important, right, Onee-sama? Dont I show my underwear to Onee-sama every day? I didnt see that voluntarily! Who asked you to wear such transparent silk pajamas!? Im guessing that youre letting me see it on purpose?!?! Ara ara, Onee-sama, I really feel that your fondness of pink kiddy loose pyjamas is- Ayowow! Onee-sama, you want to be the queen this year- OWOWOW! Though Shirai was being pulled by the ear, she seemed happy. The two of them continued to make a ruckus, but it didnt attract the attention of the bystanders. Besides the two of them, there were three students from other noble schools and an old granny shop owner and lace master who seemed to have sat at the counter for many years, but no one seemed to notice that they were causing a scene. The female shopkeeper continued to read her English newspapers. In the School Garden, where every student was a girl, this sort of ruckus was just par for the course. Ah, Onee-sama, that top and bottom combination over there seem to suit you. How can you still calmly recommend this when your ear is being pulled...WA! How do they even have that kind of 80% transparent laced underwear!? Is that used for comedy!? This is a lingerie store, its normal for them to sell such high class underwear. ...It sounds like youre an expert or something like that. Im an expert at making Onee-sama blush due to embarrassment...owowow! Oh my, I seem to be more excited now. Hoho...hohoho. In this bright day, to be seen getting a part of my body being pulled by Onee-sama, its another pleasure. Kuroko, if you keep at this, Im going to pull your ear off, no? Mikoto smiled as she pulled Shirais ear, but the cute look of Mikoto blushing and turning away when she had seen the underwear that Shirai had recommended didnt escape Shirais eyes. Shirai saw the side of Mikotos embarrassed face and revealed a smile of happiness like never before. Suddenly, Kuroko saw that Mikoto seemed to be shocked, staring seriously at something else. Eh? A suspicious Kuroko followed to where Mikoto was staring. On the window that was beside the road, the world outside the window was already engulfed by the sunset. On the sky far away, an airship was floating slowing. There was a large screen below, and right now, the news was being aired on it. The headlines could be seen from here: the Americans had successfully launched a space shuttle. Various images of the shuttle from different angles were being replayed on the screen. Mikoto completely forgot about the underwear as she watched the news report seriously. This made Shirai, who was beside her, feel bored. There are a lot of them recently. Last week, it seems like France, Russia and Spain have launched theirs. This month, China and Pakistan are preparing to launch theirs as well. Our sensei would often mention this during the second economics lesson when talking about the pros and cons about the aeronautical development industry. Shirai said this as her finger touched Mikotos earlobe. WAA! Kuroko! What are you doing!? Mikoto frantically turned towards Shirai. Thats...thats right, Academy City also launched one last week. Come to think of it, why did you choose such a useless course...stop poking my ear...you...and stop petting me! Tokiwadai Middle School was known as an elite training institute, and the philosophy was to create world-class talents through education. Thus, their curriculum was different from ordinary Middle schools. In the past, the multi-phase rockets and space shuttles required a large-scale firing area to be launched, so only a few countries or organisations had such funding and technology to use it. But now, times have changed...I have to hand in a report this week, so I checked up on some things... Shirai said as she casually picked a black-laced top-bottom combination and tossed it to Mikoto. To be honest, I do feel that learning the third economics is useless, but since youre handing in your report, Ill tell you something. Right now, the latest technology is to place a rocket below a plane, and firing it directly in mid-air. Ever since such technology was developed, the number of rocket thresholds have decreased, so such things cant be seen in old references. You have to be mindful of this when youre collecting information. Mikotos expression didnt change as she tossed the black-laced underwear back at Shirai, and sighed. After this, she seemed to be really interested in a pale yellow underwear. O...Onee-sama...isnt that a little too childish? Mikoto unhappily glared at Shirai, but Shirai didnt seem to back down. Mikoto seemed to have gotten some sort of signal from Shirais stiff expression, and could only turn to look at another set of underwear unhappily. But to Shirai, the other one was still rather childish-looking. Sigh... now that you mentioned it, once the basic information in the reference is edited, the entire information becomes hard to interpret, so troublesome. But I cant just abandon all the old references. Besides, some information can only be obtained from the old references. Isnt judging the rights and wrongs of old and new information part of what we have to learn? Besides, if you take it all now, itll get complicated when the aeronautical development industry gets complicated, and would definitely mind-boggle you. Ever since the private sector merged in, the entire industry got bustling, not only are new records formed, the chronology is updated regul...WA! WAIT A SEC, KUROKO! ISNT THAT A LITTLE TOO...! Shirai was holding a set of underwear that had extremely low defence stats, so low that Mikoto was stunned. Ngh? Onee-sama, did you say something? En...ne...never mind, everyone has their own underwear preferences. However, try not to get caught by the dorm supervisors or instructors. Mikoto avoided looking directly at the scary set of underwear in Shirais hand and adjusted her breathing. How...However, the situation right now is really troublesome. Those organisations who originally have a launch area dont want the newcomers to come in and mess things up when the industry develops. The organisations with new technology however want to prove to the world that the new technology is much cheaper and safer than the old rockets and planes. Old and new technology, one side gets supported, the other side would lose ground. This is why everyone has been firing rockets into the air, to prove the reliability to their sponsors. Though Mikoto was trying her best not to look at the underwear in Shirais hand, she still couldnt resist the urge to peek. She muttered, Instead of wearing such things, you might as well not wear anything... Hn? Why is Onee-sama trying not to look at me? Shirai picked up several sets of underwear that she liked and said suspiciously, Academy City itself is an exception, it does have both old and new technology, so theres no such problem. And with the Japanese Government being the biggest sponsor, they should be feeling alright...ugh... Before Shirai finished speaking, she traced her lips with her fingers. Her lips seemed to be cracked. On seeing that, Mikoto said, Do you need some lip balm? The air in the shop is rather dry due to the air-conditioning. No. It was already cracked yesterday. Basically, Tokiwadai Middle School forbade students from putting on make up. And the rules were strictforget about bright lipsticks or mascara, even practical items like lip balm and hand creams were forbidden. So to them, light makeup that could barely be seen had become a tradition. Unless one looked closely, one could see that Mikoto and Shirais lips were giving off a little glow and flavour. However, it was a tactic of last resort, and yet now it had become a little trend that was occurring around Tokiwadai Middle School. Everyone even had a name for this ludicrously pompous method of make-up: ladies ceremony. Okay... Mikoto rummaged through her bag and pulled out a stick-shaped lip balm and said, Well be going to the pharmacy to buy some lip balm later, so you wont mind using this one for a while, okay? WHAT!? Shirai Kuroko looked in astonishment as Mikoto casually pulled out an ordinary lip balm. She widened her eyes, her whole body trembling. (Lip...lip balm! O...Onee-samas... Onee-samas... Onee-samas lip balm that she used to rub over her precious lips! Ha...haaaa...Kuroko...haaa...Kuroko cant take it anymore!) Wait...wait a sec, why are you pulling the entire stick out? Time out! Time out! KUROKO, WHY ARE YOU OPENING YOUR MOUTH SO WIDE!!? ARE YOU GOING TO EAT IT ALL UP!!?? AH...too excited, I nearly ate it up... I can guess what your mind is thinking, but this lip balm is sold in sets of three, so this one hasnt been used yet. Ordinary people wont even think about using lip balms that someone else has used before, right? Eh...it wasnt used before? Cheh...what a pity. Ah! But if I use it and then return it to Onee-sama...! No need to return me that. There are three of them anyway, so its alright to give you one. STOP...STOP IT! STOP FORCING THAT LIP BALM WHICH YOU USED BEFORE ONTO MY LIPS! It was like Shirai and Mikoto were living in a Hollywood movie, as the good guy and bad guy skirmished around, fighting for the handgun. Suddenly, Mikoto froze. Shirai discovered that Mikoto wasnt looking at her, but at something behind her. She turned around, looking surprised. Breast pads. They were meant for girls to wear underneath their bras when they were not confident about their breasts, a gimmick meant to protect their pride and dignity. In reality, in School Garden, there were only girlswhich meant that there was no one to seduce, so these things werent very popular, and could only exude a sense of sadness due to the poor sales. Shirai thought for a while, and remembered something. Mikoto had mentioned just now as they were walking on the streets. However, I heard that when dieting, the part that reduces first is the fat on the breasts. Haha, so Onee-sama is mindful about this? For a huge bust or slim figure, Onee-sama chooses the former? Wha... Mikotos expression immediately stiffened. No, thats not right...Onee-sama shouldnt be too mindful about the breasts. If so, this means that it is an abstract desire, like say, Onee-sama wants a mature adults body, and not be treated as a child? Ah, Onee-sama is infatuated! Whom is the lucky man who made Onee-sama so persistent? It should be someone older than Onee-sama, right? Come to think of it, on the last day of summer vacation, didnt Onee-sama meet up with someone outside the dorm? Didnt the other person look like a Middle School student? In this critical juncture, to make such a provocative statement. Shirai was already prepared to be beaten up, such that she had even thought about the words she wanted to say after she was beaten up. However... The Level 5 esper of Academy City, commonly known as the Ace of Tokiwadai, Misaka Mikoto just blushed, lowering her head till she couldnt even say anything. Ah, eh? OCOnee-sama...? Shirai inadvertently turned pale. A certain boys face appeared in Shirais mind, regretting deeply in her own heart as she bit onto the handkerchief. Just as Shirai was about to bite it to shreds, Mikoto finally snapped back and revealed a look of uninterest, yet glancing stealthily at the breast pads from the corner of her eyes, muttering, Oh...to think that some people use this contraption. Though she was trying to look aloof, she was practically admitting her guilt. ...So breasts pads come in different types and textures, huh? Wah, this is practically a balloon stuffed with fruit juice. Though Shirai was greatly hurt by this huge interest of Mikoto, she couldnt bear to turn a deaf ear to Mikotos words. She could only suppress her jealous feelings, sigh slightly, and say, Hn, I heard that breasts enhancement surgery is just gel packaged inside plastic bags and stuffed inside the breasts. Maybe that might be more bouncy. Bouncy...? Ho...but the sizes may vary. Because everyone is different. Ah, will Onee-samas cute breasts develop to that size after puberty? Stop pointing! There are other customers here! Mikoto frantically pressed down Shirais fingers, but her eyes had been attracted by the products that Shirai was pointing at. As the observer, Shirai inadvertently sighed. If it was even possible to stuff such large padding inside a bra, it was not strange for it to be exposed. For a while, Mikoto seemed to have forgotten something as she observed the breasts pads in front of her. After a while, she backed away, tilted her head, and said, However, even if Im to wear this, wouldnt I be exposed if I take off my clothes? ...! OCOnee-sama! Dont...dont tell me you thought about everything already!? Ah? Eh? No...thats not it, Kuroko! Im talking about P.E! When I change my clothes!! Mikoto frantically denied it, but Shirai revealed a manga-like thunder shocked expression as she remained rooted to the spot. Part 3 Academy City was engulfed in the sunset. The buildings of School Garden had white walls, and the atmosphere would change according to the colour of the sky. The last bus was about to arrive soon, and the girls from 5 different schools, wearing their own set of uniforms, were heading towards the bus terminal. Like Shirai and Mikoto, their dormitories were outside School Garden. Though the school never decreed that the students had to take the public bus, these girls who were so pampered and isolated that they had a sense of fear against Academy City. Among them, there were also people who had never stepped anywhere else beside the dormitory, the bus, or School Garden. Among the noisy crowd that was heading home, Shirai and Mikoto were leisurely walking back. They were not doing this voluntarily however, as they were unable to hasten their pace. The dried and shrivelled bags in their hands swung around lifelessly. You...how many times must I tell you...Im talking about changing before and after P.E lesson...it...it has nothing to do...to do with someone I like...nothing at all... I...I must reemphasi...undressing yourself in front of men...is a little too early... RAHHHH! ITS SO HARD TO TALK TO SOME PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO BUY SLEAZY AND REVEALING UNDERWEAR!! SLEAZY...REVEALING!? OCONEE-SAMAS TRYING TO ACT CUTE BY WEARING SUCH CHILDISH ONES! AS A FELLOW FEMALE, I CANNOT AGREE TO THAT!! WHAT DID YOU SAY? WHAT? Mikoto and Shirai continued to quarrel, but after quarrelling for so long, they were overwhelmed by their own fatigue. The duo finally sighed and relaxed. They didnt take the bus back, so they werent mindful about the timing of the last bus. From the corner of her eyes, Shirai saw a shop closing as the students were heading home, and said, Oh yeah, Onee-sama, we can argue about the truth later, where are we going right now? We spent too much time arguing. I originally intended for us to go somewhere to eat after we bought our stuff. Thats right, we can settle this misunderstanding later. Isnt it too late today? Especially since the shops in School Garden close very early. Ugh, but once we exit School Garden, there are many shops that will be open at this time. Maybe we can go and order a dessert set from Black-honey Hall... Ahhh, Kuroko, you normally cant resist the temptation. No wonder some parts of your body are so...ugh! As Mikoto ridiculed Shirai, halfway she could feel a tremendous killing aura. Shirai, who was beside her, lowered her head, hiding her expression, her mouth muttering something. Kuro...Kuroko...I originally intend to add on Its alright to eat more as long as you exercise enough, however... Onee-sama, youre really fond of saying such words that hurts a young girls heart. I might end up using teleportation to remove your clothes in broad daylight, no? Shirai squirmed as she said this. Her esper power was practically the worst enemy to all the girls. As long as her hand touched it, no matter whether it was a skirt or underwear, it could be teleported somewhere else. In other words, whether Mikoto would end up fully or half-naked would depended on her. Facing this impending danger, Mikoto couldnt help but tremble in fear. Luckily, a phone rang, resolving the tense situation. On hearing it, Mikoto knew that it was not hers. Kuroko...why do you always like to use such powerful multi-function phones that are impractical? Is there any significance in increasing the number of chords? Heheheh, not only that. This phone has many disadvantages such as being small, easy to lose, hard to press buttons and a blurry screen. Shirai weakly laughed as she pulled out the phone. Her phones design was completely different; it was a 1cm diameter, 5cm long cylinder that looked like lipstick. She pressed the top button, stopping the ringing, and from the side, pulled out a thin transparent paper-like substance. This was the main body of the phone. Looks so sci-fi, yet so hard to use. Looks really deceptive. No need to worry about me, Onee-sama, I love to blindly pursue the latest technology. Someday, I want to ride in a transparent tube tram...ah, excuse me. Shirai turned her back on Mikoto, stared at the screen, and placed the phone on her ear. The caller was registered inside her phonebook. On the screen was the liaison office of Academy Citys security forces, Judgement. Judgement was like the police, it was responsible for handling cases that were caused by misuse of esper powers. Shirai was one of them as well. Shirai here. I finally get to go shopping with Onee-sama, and the atmospheres rather good. Is there really anything so important for you to bother me? WA! Then am I holding Misaka-sans virginity? What a relief. The other person on the phone was also a Judgement member. The voice sounded sweet, as if her mouth was stuffed with candy, but on hearing this, Shirai really wanted to cut the line. Shirai-san, there are some things happening right now that I cant handle as a newcomer, so if youre free, Ill like to ask for your suggestion as a sempai. Just if youre free? Yes. Do you know that I finally got my wish to go out with Onee-sama? Yes, this timing is too good, Im stunned myself. Seems like Heaven wants me to let out a cry of victory. Wahahaha! Shirai picked up the phone and gently tapped the microphone onto the wall of the shop beside her. UGWAA! My...my ears hurt! Whats with that strange sound... You say anything troublesome, Ill let you hear the sound of nails scratching on glass, okay? AnyCAnyway, please get to 177th division in 30 minutes. The situation now is getting worse. The other person cut the call. Haiz... Shirai Kuroko kept her phone, looking guilty as she said to Misaka Mikoto, Sorry, Onee-sama. I dont know how to apologise to you. That Judgement gave me work to do without understanding the situation... No problem, no problem. Ill send you off with a bright smile. ...Youre not even saying a single word of comfort, I really want to cry...alright then, Im off. Take care, Onee-sama. Shirai turned and headed toward the bus stop. In order to save time, she decided to take the last bus. Walking halfway though, Mikoto suddenly said, Kuroko, I know that work is beyond your control, but Ill advise you to come back earlier. It might rain tonight. Ah, I forgot to check the weather report, didnt know about that. Thanks for reminding me, Onee-sama. Well meet back later at the dorm. Shirai turned and bowed at Mikoto before turning back and running to the bus stop. Behind her, Mikotos footsteps were getting softer and further, finally unable to be heard. Shirai was somewhat mindful about the weather, so she looked up at the evening sky. There was no sign of rain coming anytime soon. (Eh...?) Suddenly, Shirai felt that what Mikoto had said just now didnt feel right. It might rain tonight. These words may seem normal, but this was Academy City. It had three sets of satellites, and one of them was the Tree Diagram, which had perfect simulation capabilities. In other words, the residents of Academy City wouldnt use the word maybe to describe the weather. ? (If so, Onee-sama...) Though Mikotos words made Shirai unsettled, Shirai decided to continue on with the job at hand. The last bus would leave in ten minutes. Shirai held onto her dry and crumpled bag tightly as she dashed toward the destination which she could not see. Unknowingly, the minor doubt in Shirais heart vanished completely. Between the lines 1 The 7th District of Academy City. In a corner of this 7th district, there was a student dorm where Kamijou Touma was staying. Although it was in the same school district as School Garden, it was ordinary and low profile. Of course, this place was a boys dormitory, but one of the rooms was an exception. There was a silver-haired, emerald- eyed, idle 14C15 year old girl wearing white nun robes. The idle girl, Index, was now occupying the space in front of the television. The television was currently airing the weather report, and in the background was a large map of Japan. The nee-chan in a suit was smiling as the humidity was reported. A while back, it was the UV rays report, and now it was a new gimmick. Ordinary high school student Kamijou Touma could feel that the season was changing from this minor change (though the weather was still hot). Touma, Touma. Theyre just drawing rings on the map of Japan, how can they tell tomorrows weather like this? Index asked without turning her head around. Kamijous frustrated voice came back from the preparation table. Tonights dinner was deep-fried chicken cutlets, and he was about to toss the marinated chicken into the wok. Index, stay away from the TV when youre watching it. Also, those ring things are called isobars. By knowing the rise and fall in air pressure, you can guess whether there would be rain-producing clouds. However, it might rain when the clouds hit a mountain, so we cant always use air pressure to judge this. Wooahh...eh? Wait...using the landscape to predict the changes in weather...ah! So Academy City has learnt how to use artificial methods to measure fengshui? Seems like youre getting too excited, so Im not going to curb your enthusiasm. Ill let the calico cat eat it. Kamijou used a pair of metal chopsticks that were used for frying to pick a piece of well-fried chicken from the wok, and placed it on a plate before putting the plate on the ground. The calico cat that was curled up beside Index immediately reacted, and with the speed of a flying arrow, rushed toward the plate. It nibbled at the chicken before rolling on the ground, as if it was saying, Its hot! But I must eat it! Its really hot! Kamijou then took another plate, filled it with water and placed it on the ground. The calico cat didnt seem to be a natural wildcat, or maybe it had been domesticated before, as even with the crackling sound from the pot, it was not afraid. Index, who was sitting in front of the television, saw this and immediately jumped up. So...so mean! Touma would be angry every time I eat it when youre not looking! Why is Touma only good to Sphinx? Ah? Its not that Im not letting you eat. Its because youll always eat everything up when Im not looking...STOP IT STOP IT!! That one is still raw, its just marinated!! Kamijou skillfully used the metal chopsticks to block the gluttonous girl who was attacking at full force, protecting todays dinner. During this tumult, there were already two pieces of metal burnt black. A really hungry Index was unable to eat the meat, and ended up biting the back of Kamijous head. All of a sudden, she tilted her head and asked like an innocent child, However, Touma, why is the weather report nee-chan often wrong? Does stupidity look like a profitable thing? To be said that by someone whos like that, the weather reporter nee-chan is also pitiful...OWOWOW! The boys scream accompanied the sound of sharp teeth biting. Be... because the weather report isnt 100% accurate! It used to be, but it seems that the calculating device is broken. There seemed to be many doubts in Indexs head, but Kamijou didnt intend to explain further. Tree Diagram. One of the three satellites that Academy City possessed, a supercomputer that could accurately predict where all the air molecules would move. However, it didnt exist anymore. Kamijou stared at the screen. The weather report that had lost its perfect instrument was over, and what replaced it was the traffic report within Academy City. Volume 8, 2: Girls facing off. Space_and_Point. Volume 8, Chapter 2: Girls facing off. Space_and_Point. Part 1 The school bus that Shirai Kuroko was riding was shared by the five schools in School Garden. With the financial power that each school had, having their own buses wasnt a problem. However, each school had the ideal of letting students engage society more for their own safety, and gathered the bus system as one. The buses owned by the five schools had large and luxurious interiors, earning it the moniker double procession limo. The student seats were located below, while the top was a caf. The bus would always move in a fixed route, down the roads to the five dormitories. The place where Shirai Kuroko was alighting wasnt in front of the Tokiwadai Middle School dormitory. She alighted in front of another schools dormitory, mixing together with female students from other schools, stretched her back and gently sighed, thinking, Does that kind of bus really allow students to interact more with society?. There were other bus services passing through in front of the Tokiwadai dormitory, and they were ordinary buses. There was absolutely no comparison between the school buses and these ordinary buses. The time was 7:30 PM. They could still see the sunset at this time during summer vacation, but since it was the middle of September, the sky was completely dark now. Shirai pulled out the Judgement armband from her bag, put it on the sleeve of her uniform, and headed off in a completely different direction from where the girls around her were moving to. Once the mood changed from after school to work, the shriveled bag became even more cumbersome. Because what she needed wasnt items required for school, but items required for battle. Beside the student dormitory, there was another school. It was an ordinary rectangular concrete school compound, completely different from the School Garden. Shirai walked inside, getting a pair of slippers at the staff entrance, where there were hardly any students around, and headed down the corridor lit by a neat row of overhead lamps. After walking on the icy and hard plastic floor for a while, one could see a door with a signboard. The words on the signboard read Judgement 177th Branch. There was a glass board beside the door. After going through a fingerprint, pulse and finger motion scan, Shirai Kuroko didnt knock on the door, but choose to push the door forcefully. BAM! The door created a loud noise. The girl behind the door was terrified. Her name was Uiharu Kazari. She was of similar age as Shirai, but as her body frame was more petite, and her shoulders were narrow; she looked somewhat child-like. It was rare to see someone like her who, despite wearing a summer sailor uniform, didnt look like a middle school student. She wore decorations of roses, hibiscus and other flowers on her short black hair, and from afar, it looked like a colourful flower vase. Uiharu looked absolutely terrified as Shirai stormed into the 177th branch office. Whats going on? Therere so many Judgement members, so why look for me? Hm, thinking about it again, it need not necessarily be Shirai-san. ...You knew that I was shopping with Onee-sama. Since you stubbornly called me over, shouldnt you say something? BANZAI! You have got to be kidding me! Why are you raising your hands and cheering? Shirai used her teleport, got right in front of Uiharu, and used both fists to squeeze her temples. As Shirai was still holding onto the shriveled bag, the buttons on it were touching Uiharus ear slightly. They were both first-year students. But as Shirai was a Level 4 esper from Tokiwadai Middle School, there was a significant difference between both of them. Besides, while Shirai had been working on her first mission after joining Judgement, she had saved Uiharu, who had still been an ordinary student. Shirai herself didnt mind at all, it was just that it bothered Uiharu a lot. The 177th branch office didnt look like a school classroom, but rather like an office. There were many of those metal desks seen in a city hall, and there were several sets of computers on them. Uiharu was facing a computer, sitting on a chair. The ergonomic chair had curvy lines on it, making it look like a clock that Dali designed (Note: Salvador Dali, 1904-1989, the famous Spanish surrealist painter). It was a scientific chair that was hailed to be able to reduce fatigue to the minimum. As Shirai moved behind Uiharu and pressed on her temples, her narrowed eyes naturally saw the computer screen. The screen seemed to be showing a GPS satellite map. On it, there was a red X; seemed like something happened. Other places were also being indicated on the map, and in other windows, there were photographs or something like that. What did these things mean, Shirai could only learn by asking Uiharu. However, Shirai just glanced at it for a while, and said, Ah, isnt that happening in school? If it was something that was happening in school, they would be using a school map, and not a GPS map. Judgement was basically an organisation meant to maintain law and order inside school compounds. Thus, Judgement had a branch office in every single school. It was also unlike Anti-Skill, which operated on a 24 hours basis without rest. Everyday, till school ended for the day, the office would be locked, and there wouldnt be anyone inside guarding (today was an exception). Unless it was an emergency situation, anything that happened outside school was basically Anti-Skill''s responsibility. It was because the adults felt that they shouldnt allow students to patrol around in dangerous alleys or in the middle of the night. Shirai stopped pressing onto Uiharus temples, and Uiharu seemed to be relieved. Ive already followed through the procedures and contacted the police. However, the situation does seem really weird. The police will immediately ask us to provide the relevant information. I thought that Shirai-san would be clearer on how to answer this. Ah, Ill prepare some red tea. No need, I dont like to have tea with my stomach empty. To Shirai, red tea was just a supplement to snacks or sweets. Afternoon tea or anything that had tea as the main course wasnt Shirais type. Hearing Shirais casual reply, Uiharu was nevertheless shocked, her face turning pale. Ugh...uuu...! I studied books about red tea in order to follow a rich ladys lifestyle, and even prepared special aromatic stuff like rose oil...only for you to reject it with an even more lady-like sentence! Doesnt it sound nice to drink red tea in school? It really feels posh! The rich ojous of Tokiwadai Middle School were the idols of all the girls in Academy City. However, most of them did not know what kind of life the Tokiwadai students went through. Thus, some of them became fanatical regarding these elite girls schools and would often learn some strange things, ending up in this situation like Uiharu. Sigh, such formality can only be done by upstarts. Anyway, whats going on? Ah, to be able to be rich, its alright to be an upstart...to have these kind of thoughts, Im really just a girl from the streets. As for what happened, it isnt anything major, basically, its just a robbery on the street. However, there are many of these robbers, its not really a smart way to do it. Shirai digested Uiharus words in her mind, placed the dry and shriveled bag on the chair, and focused on the screen. The computer screen displayed the map of the 7th School District, and in a corner on the road in front of a bus station, there was an X. On the road nearby, there were some coloured arrowheads, which probably indicated where the robbers ran. Shirai revealed an intrigued look. We shouldnt be settling this, should we? But there are several suspicious things about this case. According to eyewitnesses, what was stolen was a luggage bag. A luggage bag? Ah, Shirai-san, dont you know? Theyre as big as a suitcase, only that they have wheels underneath. Its not often for people to use this when theyre travelling alone, so most of the time, its the air hostesses that are using it. Uiharu explained simply yet effectively. According to the eyewitness, there is also an invitation slip on it. So basically, its just a luggage bag that has an invitation slip on it? Whats so strange about this? Eh, anyway, just look at this image. This is a photograph taken by a self-defense type robot; Ill enlarge the part where the luggage bag is. Uiharu pressed a few buttons, and a new window opened. On it, one could see the serial number, owner and destination on the slip. On seeing the destination, Shirai couldnt help but frown. Subsidiary calculus facility of Tokiwadai Middle School...? Ive never heard of this before. Ah, so theres no such place, is there? Its hard for us to contact School Garden, so we couldnt confirm it. Oh yeah, even when Daihaseisai is approaching, School Garden isnt an arena, so its not open to outsiders. From how Uiharu said this, it seemed like Shirai was making her even more bothered. Ive checked the serial number on the slip, and it doesnt seem right. Even though its true that there is a good with this serial number that is to be delivered, the contents seem to be a cooling device thats to be installed on a computer simulator. No matter what, that kind of thing cant just be stuffed in a luggage bag? What did you say...? Its alright if its just metal parts, but Ive never heard about School Garden using any machinery from the outside world. Just by analyzing the image of this slip, its hard to tell whether its a fake. Maybe it is just that someone just randomly placed a slip on it. ...Wait a sec, instead of asking around for eyewitnesses testimony, why not ask the person who was robbed to make things simpler? Because the person is missing... Uiharu casually explained. Shirai gasped and turned around to look at Uiharu. Uiharu then explained, Seems like this victim doesnt want to rely on us, but to use his own power. Do you want to see the actual video? There are more than ten criminals, and only one victim. But after the incident, it looks like he made a call, and even pursued them. Uiharu pressed a few buttons, and another window appeared on the screen full of windows. The location seemed to be a road in front of the bus stop, as a man wearing a classy Western outfit looked around before making a call urgently. He was not using a handphone, but radio equipment. Its here. Uiharu suddenly stopped the video temporarily. Is there anything strange that you captured? Shirai gazed at the still screen, but she couldnt see anything strange. The man in western clothes holding the radio equipment was shaking his head around, so his face couldnt be seen clearly. Shirai-san, when the victims western clothes flip up, is there something underneath? Eh, now that you mention it, actually... Underneath the western clothes, which were flipped up due to the man shaking about, a black tape-like thing was beside his stomach. By widening the image, we can see the model number. L_Y010021. A special large-scale manufactured gun strap, one that can be hidden underneath the clothes. Dont the policemen in those cop shows pull out their guns from their clothes? Its that thing. Uiharu said after enlarging the image of the gun strap. Shirai smiled, Maybe its just a decoration. Yeah, maybe so, including this. Next, Uiharu pressed another few buttons. The area of the chest of the man wearing western clothing was enlarged, and there were several hundred arrowheads pointing at it. These arrowheads indicated the slight movement of the clothes. As if they were being attracted by a magnet, the numerous arrowheads formed the shape of a pistol. We got very few images here...these are all we have. Shirai-san, what do you think? If it was not that man trying to avoid being caught on camera all this time, it was while the criminals were running away and avoiding the cameras, with the man chasing after them, which ended up with that man not getting caught on camera. Shirai thought of this, and said, Haiz, I have a feeling that this is going to be one really tough case. "Huh? Shirai-san, did a Far Vision type power awaken within you?" Stop going off topic. The gun, its hard to tell whether its real with these pictures alone. However, that radio equipment looks similar to those that the experts use during my Judgement training. If so...I see, this is truly a troublesome case. Besides, its also suspicious that the victim didnt report the case to us. A victim who acted on his own. And a luggage bag that was related to Tokiwadai Middle School. A full suit preparation that was too professional. The case did seem weird. Also, if there was the possibility of a gunfight, Anti-Skill would have to change their armour equipment. The chances of Judgement taking part in this were slim (since not all of them were Level 4s like Shirai), but it was beneficial to have someone who knew the situation inside School Garden and Tokiwadai Middle School. Shirai-san, should we focus more on the robbers or the victim? We should chase both sides. If we cant do that, well take the robbers first. Besides, we dont have to chase after the victim once we get the luggage bag back. Without pursuing the victim, the victim will still come over and contact us. Shirai sighed and took a step back. Next, she ordered Uiharu. Alright, can we check where the robbers ran? Come to think of it, it took me 30 minutes to get here, we should have their whereabouts now, right? I dont think so. Uiharu said casually. After stealing the luggage bag, they didnt use a vehicle, but ran away into the underground. Maybe they want to avoid satellite surveillance. ...Avoid satellite surveillance? But arent there many cameras underground? Besides the fixed ones, there are also many self-defense robots patrolling around, arent there? Yes, however, its easier to hide underground. As long as they dont get caught on tape by the satellite camera, they can use the blind spots caused by the presence of the crowd to avoid getting caught on camera. Also, its faster for them to go underground now. Right now, the electricity isnt working properly, causing the traffic lights to not function, and now, there are traffic jams around lines 3, 48, 131, and the area around the crime scene. So its beneficial for the robbers to run away underground, in terms of speed and stealth. I see. Shirai gently nodded her head. After being contacted by Uiharu, Anti-Skill should be getting to work. The problem was, in this traffic congestion, Anti-Skill''s vehicles couldnt reach the scene. Also, they couldnt tell how serious this situation was, so it might take some time for them before they could even request for helicopter assistance. Though the complicated procedures were meant to prevent members from taking actions on their own, it took up a lot of time when they had to adapt quickly. This was a disadvantage of working as a group. Sigh, looks like itll be faster for me to make a personal trip. Eh? Shirai-san is leaving? Wouldnt I have to face Anti-Skills interrogation alone? So troublesome! Uiharu loudly protested. However, Shirai just replied calmly. Dont worry, Ill settle it immediately. Shirai Kuroko grabbed the shrivelled bag that was lying on the chair and headed towards the exit. Without turning her head back, she said, Who do you think I am? No matter whether its underground or anywhere else, its all the same to me. Part 2 Shirai Kurokos ability was teleportation. However, this sort of power couldnt be done at will. The maximum mass of the thing to be teleported was 130.7kg, and no matter how large or small the item was, she couldnt teleport more than 81.5m. Also, she could only teleport away things that she can touch, so she couldnt teleport things that were far away back to her. But on the other hand. The source of the teleportation energy was her own body, so it was not hard at all. The sound of air being cut could be heard. For every 80m that Shirai Kuroko moved, she would target the next point that was 80m away. From an observers viewpoint, it was like she was appearing at one spot, disappearing immediately afterward. Of course, it would be faster than using her own legs to run, and converted to speed, it was about 288km/hr. (Luckily, teleportation is a point-to-point movement and not a straight line movement, so theres no inertia. If not, itll be embarrassing if my skirt flips up due to air resistance.) Shirai thought as she continued to teleport. The sidewalks, handrails, and even the top of the vending machines had become her stepping board. Though such an action would cause surprise among the pedestrians, everyone here was an esper. Also, Shirai was wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, and there was a Judgement armband on her, so there wasnt too much commotion caused. The robbers were running underground, but Shirai was moving above ground. It was because there were a limited number of exits, by confirming where the exits were, there was no fear of the target escaping. Also, if she chased the robbers from behind, it would cause psychological pressure on them, causing them to hurt ordinary civilians in the process (though she didnt know whether they were armed, even if they were unarmed, there were ten of them, which was a big threat to any ordinary person). Basically, as there were a limited number of exits, once there was a commotion, it was hard for any ordinary person to escape. Thus, the underground streets were places where she had to be more careful than the surface. To catch the robbers, she should choose a place where there were no ordinary people around, and the best place was on the surface. It would be perfect if she could settle it quickly. At that moment, the phone rang. Shirai picked up the phone but did not stop her teleporting. The voice she heard interrupted at times, and this was because Shirai was teleporting around, the electrowaves positioning continued to change as a result. Shirai-san, I located...the robbers...from the underground street at Eriya pavilion, exit A03...theyre exiting the underground...seems like their intention is to run to the end of an underground street, and then run off to another one... Shirai Kuroko just answered, I see them. She then cut the phone line and slipped the phone into her pocket. At a construct that looked like a subway station, there was a group of people passing through the gaps between the cars that were packed together. These men clad in western clothing were moving through the honks of the cars, and one of them was holding onto a white luggage bag. Maybe they wanted to maintain a low profile, as their attitudes were rather low key. After passing through a road, they dashed into an alley. Shirai tightly grabbed onto her shriveled bag. She stamped hard onto the ground. In an instant, she was already in the alley, and standing right in the middle of the 10 men. Shirai was smiling at the man dragging the luggage bag, who was staring back with a stunned expression. Shirais fingertips were already touching the luggage bag. Teleport. Shirai again disappeared before appearing in front of the men, blocking their escape route. The luggage bag accompanied her as it was teleported and was right beside her. Placing one hand on her waist, Shirai touched the luggage bag on the ground with the other, and said, Excuse me, Im from Judgement. Why Im here, I believe theres no need for explanation, is there? It sounded like an inquiry. However, the tone was rather mocking. The mens reactions were fast. They all stuffed their hands into their western clothing, pulling out black guns that were of the same model. These guns gave the sense that they were rather heavy. (Peh, as expected, its not an ordinary robbery! Are we filming a cop show?) Shirai immediately bent down and hid behind the luggage bag, but the men seemed rather confident in their shooting; and without a single sense of hesitation they squeezed the trigger. Their target should be the part that was not blocked by the luggage bag. Shirais throat made an unnatural whistling sound. Her teleporting ability was unable to accurately teleport the bullets away one by one. The ten guns opened fire. But before that, Shirai had already activated her teleport, the target being behind the last man at the rear. Shirai Kuroko and the luggage bag vanished, leaving behind her shriveled bag behind. Then, the bag landed on the floor. The men saw the enemy vanish and panicked. Using the opportunity, Shirai used both hands to grab onto the luggage bag and slam it into the back of the last man. Ugh! The man standing the furthest back gave a scream, causing the other robbers to turn around. At that moment, Shirai touched another man and activates her teleport. The man was immediately teleported, but only by a few centimetres, and his body was turned around 180 degrees. The eight men turned around, and the man who had been teleported was facing them. Like a coup, their guns were pointed at each other. Ah! The man who had been turned around frantically pointed his gun upwards. At this moment, Shirai kicked him in the back. Like dominoes, the robbers fell down one by one. Shirai raised the luggage bag and slammed it into the mans wrist which was still holding onto the gun. Short screams constantly echoed throughout the air. Every man was being tangled up by their comrades, and they didnt dare to shoot in fear of hitting them. Finally, this group of men armed with instruments of death was knocked unconscious without any resistance. Too easy to handle. Besides, itll make people uncomfortable. Shirai said mockingly, but there was no one who could answer her. Using the tips of her toes, Shirai gently kicked the robber, trying to confirm if he was awake, and used special non-metallic handcuffs to cuff them up. She used them all the moment she reached the fourth one, and then had to use abandoned wires left around to tie them up. Though bound, the men still hadnt woken up. After calling Anti-Skill with her phone, Shirai looked at what they were armed with. She couldnt see the name and serial number of the gun, but they were different from the guns used during Judgements training. The guns used in Academy City werent made of metal, so they were rather light. But these guys'' were as heavy as lead. There were numbers and alphabets carved into the side, so Shirai guessed that it was the serial number. However, there didnt seem to be anything of particular note. Since Shirai wasnt a member of Anti-Skill, who specialised in gunfights, and that she normally relied on her powers, she didnt have the necessary weapon technical knowledge. Besides that, after searching through the men, she couldnt find any identification. Maybe they had been deliberately removed. Shirai saw the mens faces before she inadvertently clicked her tongue. ...A gold tooth? A certain unconscious man had his mouth wide open, and that attracted Shirais attention. Academy City had developed many new and quality materials, so there wasnt anyone here who used gold teeth. Checking through their pants and handphones, the phone books were completely blank, and the models were old. They didnt look like they were sold in Academy City. Academy Citys scientific technology was hailed to be 20 to 30 years ahead of the outside world. Besides electronics, small parts that didnt seem to be related to technology on first glance were rather different. (From the way theyre holding the guns, at least they have some form of training, but they couldnt do anything to my power. It was like they met an esper for the first time... maybe they are experts from the outside world, so powers are foreign to them.) ... A luggage bag that people from the outside world would do all this for. Shirai again looked at that thing beside her hand. The luggage bag was extremely large. It was like an ordinary one, rectangular, and it seemed like she was able to squeeze herself in. The color was white, and it seemed to be made of some special material, with some sort of wax covering it. She touched the ring on the luggage bag. As expected...its locked. But on observing it closely, she found that the lock was made rather intricately. Besides the traditional locks and an electronic one, there was a so-called magnetic field of infinite permutations on it. Too bad, with this in my hands, the lock is useless. Shirai had the ability to teleport. As she could only teleport the things that she could touch, she couldnt teleport away what was inside. However, she could teleport the bag that was on the outside to achieve a similar effect. If it was a large case like a bank vault, she wouldnt be able to move it. But it was no problem for her when it was just a luggage bag. Shirai casually placed her right hand on the luggage bag, feeling the surface with her fingertips. (Un?) At that moment, Shirai realised something. There was no gap on the luggage bag at all. It was as if it was waterproofed, as something was wrapped around it, maybe rubber, blocking all the gaps. (Is it...something light sensitive like film? Is it...something brittle? Damn it, I used it to smack those men unconscious.) Shirai thought before coming to a conclusion anyhow. (Before I get a telepath or someone with X-ray vision to check this out, I shouldnt open it so casually.) Shirai observed the luggage bag for a while, feeling that it was completely airtight. Coincidentally, she saw something that was similar to tape, like a seal stuck on the side of the luggage to prevent people from randomly opening it. It was the slip that Uiharu first saw. The printing was as intricate as that of paper money; maybe there was an IC chip inside or something like that. The contents on the slip were the same as what Uiharu had shown her. They could only tell if it was a fake through a machine, but at least through the human eye, there was nothing suspicious about it. (This logo is...) Shirai Kuroko again touched the surface of the luggage bag. Besides the slip, there was some sort of logo on the surface of the luggage bag, like a seal or something similar. It was circular, with many squares inside, the image was very simple. She seemed to have seen it before, but she couldnt think of it. ...If theres anything I dont know, asking others would be the quickest way to get the answer. Shirai was too lazy to think about it, and pulled out the phone from her skirt pocket. She pulled out the scroll from the small cylinder, revealing the extremely thin body of the phone, used the camera function to take photos of the luggage bag, the slip, and the logo, attached a few words please check these out, and sent them to Uiharu. 120 seconds later, there was a response from the phone. The moment after first tone of the receiving tune, Shirai pressed the call button. Shirai-san, this is Uiharu. I completed the mission, request permission to report the results and to reward myself. I allow you to report the results, but youre not allowed to reward yourself. Shirai casually said, however, she was speechless at Uiharus investigating ability (though she kept it under control). Though Uiharu had the authority to check the records, this searching speed was way too fast. You cant refuse a request!! Um, anyway, the results, Shirai-san, basically, that luggage bag is a highly airtight one, it can reflect away any cosmic rays. Do you see that the surface is rather shiny? Now that she mentioned it, it was true. Shirai looked at the surface of the luggage bag. It was like a layer of wax had been applied on it, so shiny that Shirai could see her face on it. You can treat it as a deluxe version of an astronaut suit or space shuttle surface. Such technology is obviously made in Academy City. But...why must the case have an extra layer to protect it from cosmic rays? The purpose, obviously, is to protect it from cosmic rays. Theres no point in doing this on Earth, or maybe its because recently, there are holes in the ozone layer. (If so...this thing is to be used outside the atmosphere...even in outer space...?) Such unexpected information stunned Shirai. Next, the slip. Before that...Shirai-san, there is something that I need to ask you to do. Please change the phone to RWS format and take a photo of it again. There should be a red box on the right side of the slip, so take the photo with that as the centre. What is RWS format? The mode thats used to read an IC chips electronic information! As a Judgement member, everyone has a duty to have this sort of phone! Didnt I install an expansion chip inside your phone before? You didnt read the instructions? The phones operating method is the same, so I was too lazy to read the details... Really! Anyway, please open the selection menu... Shirai followed Uiharus instructions and operated the phone. The screen was showing something that she had never seen before. She took another photo of the slip, and then sent the photo and the attached data back to Uiharu. Oh, I got it. Eh...according to the results...no doubt about it. This slip itself is an authentic one made by Academy City. Uiharus tone became extremely serious. An authentic one...if so, the receiving address is School Garden? Yes. On hearing that, Shirai sunk into deep thought. The Subsidiary calculus facility of Tokiwadai Middle School on the slip didnt exist. If the receiver didnt exist, there was no point in sending it like this. If so, these words were just codes. The reading of the information on the IC chip is complete. Whats on it is supplement information on a bar code. It includes the planes model and the atmospheric work schedule number. These are definitely the internal numbers of Academy City; its the same as those of the 23rd district. Seems like this has become more dangerous. The 23rd district...its that school district which has the only airport, launch area, and other related facilities set up for aeronautical development that ordinary students arent allowed to enter, isn''t it? Thats right. Isnt there a logo on it? Yes, that circular logo with many squares in it. Thats the logo of the 23rd district, its similar to a school logo. On hearing this, Shirai clicked her tongue again. She should have thought of it before. But thinking back, it was normal not to remember such things that were unrelated to ordinary students. It was just because she saw it every day on the screen when the reporters were reporting news regarding the launch shuttles every time, which was how it ended up making a deep impression on her. The sender is also from the 23rd district. The security there is extremely high, so according to regulations, it wont accurately display the name of the facility. Shirai again stared at the slip. The date and time was exactly the same as when Academy City''s space shuttle had returned. The sender was from the 23rd district, the school district that had the only airport and focused only on aeronautical research. (Who does the 23rd district want to send this to...? And who are these people that tried to steal it...?) Thinking about it for a while, Shirai decided to say her thanks to Uiharu first. Thanks for the help. Ill think about it while escorting these men and the luggage bag. Ah! I just said it, I want a reward! Like a real ojous afternoon tea! It cant be just drinking red tea, I must have a refined ladys attitude and atmosphere! Uiharu frantically said, only for Shirai to ignore it and cut the phone line. Seeing the ultra thin main body of the phone roll back into the side of the cylinder like a scroll, Shirai slipped the phone back into her pocket, still thinking. However, Shirai didnt have any knowledge about aeronautical development. Thinking back, the recent space knowledge that she had was only about Academy City and other world organisations firing rockets or some space shuttles. By linking these two together...its a bit forced...but...haiz, no matter what, I cant conclude anything without finding out whats inside. Shirai sighed and sat on the luggage bag. These men clad in western clothes were suspicious, but so was the original owner of the luggage bag. Anyway, the situation now is completely out of my range of duty, theres no need to think so much about it. After randomly coming up with this conclusion, Shirai obediently waited for Anti-Skill to arrive. Maybe it was due to the traffic congestion, as Anti-Skill still hadnt arrived. Besides, they did not have powers. It couldnt be helped, so Shirai didnt feel irritated about it. At this point, Shirais phone suddenly rung. On checking the small screen on the phone, it was Misaka Mikoto. Shirai frantically turned towards the men who were still on the floor. They didnt seem to be awake, but if they were to accidentally hear the conversation, it would be troublesome for them. The problem was that she couldnt leave the scene because of personal matters. After some struggle, Shirai decided to cup her mouth and speak softly before pressing the call button. Ah, Kuroko...? The reception doesnt seem to be good; where are you? Eh? Erm...somewhere not convenient to reveal. Um? Oh, youre still working? Sorry to disturb you. No problem. Whats up? Never mind, since youre working, never mind. I heard from the kouhais that dorm mothers may call for a sudden inspection. I wanted to ask you to hide all the personal stuff in my room. Eh? Onee-sama, arent you in the dormitory? Erm, yeah. Then Ill just have to ask someone else, Ill also call her to hide your stuff as well, okay? Ah...wha...what? OCOnee-sama! Dont ask them...? Please wait, Onee-sama! Please dont take away my right to accept this reward! Ill get back to the dorm immediately! ...Who said that there is a reward or something? Besides, arent you working? However, it might rain tonight, hurry up and finish the work if you dont want to get caught in the rain, bye bye. The other person mercilessly cut the phone line. Shirai stared blankly at the phone, as if she had been abandoned, her feelings had taken a huge hit. Da. At that moment, a set of light footsteps could be heard. (Ah...yes, I forgot to seal up this place with the no access tape due to the fight just now.) Shirai sat on the luggage bag and casually said. The next moment, The feeling that was supporting her weight vanished. It was like she accidentally fell from a chair, she couldnt feel her own weight. Shirais vision spun around quickly, her back falling towards the dirty ground. Just as she was about to feel the pain of landing on the floor on her back, she could see the rectangular night sky formed by the gap left behind from all the buildings around. (What...?) Shirais first reaction was to struggle and get up, but she immediately felt that something was amiss. Shirai reached around her, only to find that she couldnt touch anything. The luggage bag which she had used as a chair had vanished without a trace. Like air. Like it had been teleported. (Tele...ported...) The sudden situation caused Shirais mind to go blank. She knew that something was happening, yet her thoughts were blurry. Just as she was feeling imminent danger... DONG! Something appeared on Shirais right shoulder, who was facing the sky. GAACCCKK...! Her shoulder felt hot and painful, it felt like something within her broke. This heavy sound wasnt heard from the ear, but echoed throughout her entire body. Looking down, a sharp metal object pierced through her short-sleeved shirt, nailed into her flesh. It was like a heavy piece of wire, however, the front continues to swirl around like a spring, and there was a white ceramic handle attached to it. (A grapewine...bottle opener?) Shirai tried desperately to calm her mind that was going erratic due to all the pain and activate her teleport. She only moved a few centimetres, but her body that had been on the ground was flipped 90 degrees up. Thus, she was now standing. The thick liquid dripped and landed on the ground. Someone was looking at her, clearly enjoying all of this. Shirai Kuroko turned and stared at the entrance of the alley. There was a girl there. She was taller than Shirai. Her hair was tied in two ponytails, and she was wearing a western school uniform. However, it was a winter uniform. The western style coat wasnt worn, but draped over her back, unbuttoned. She was not wearing any shirt underneath, her upper body exposed, with only a light pink cloth wrapped around her chest like underwear or bandages. There was a belt hung around her waist, but it didnt seem to fix the belt in place, it was more like a decoration. The belt wasnt made of leather, but rather, many pieces of metal. There was a ring on it, with a black metal cylinder that was longer than 40cm and 3cm in diameter placed through it. It was a military flashlight that could be used as a baton. Probably a high school student, Shirai boldly guessed. Though it was unreliable to use appearances to gauge a persons age, to a middle school student, there seemed to be an insurmountable wall between a middle schooler and a high-school student, the difference was very noticeable. There was a white luggage bag beside the girl. The one that Shirai had been sitting on. As expected, its teleportation. But... (She didnt touch the luggage bag at all? Maybe she went behind me first and then brought it back to where she originally was? No, but...) An alarm rang inside Shirais mind, telling her that this was no ordinary teleportation. The girls laugh snapped Shirai, who was lost in her own thoughts, back to reality. Oh my, you already realised it? As expected of a fellow teleporter, to see through it immediately. However, Im a little different from you. On hearing this, Shirai frowned. Same type, but with some differences. My ability is Move Point. Compared to your third-rate ability, I dont have to touch anything when I teleport something. So, impressive, isnt it? The girl plainly stated. She glared at the men clad in western clothing that were behind Shirai, and said, Come to think of it, these guys are totally useless. Actually, I knew that they were useless, so I only told them to do such a trivial thing as to retrieve the bag, but I didnt expect them to even be unable to do such a simple thing. Useless, guys, retrieve, trivial, told them. From these words, Shirai could tell that the girl was working with the men clad in western clothing. Shirai warned her, Since youre doing all this, you should know my identity, right? The armband that indicated her status was now dyed black due to the blood that was flowing out from her wound. Of course Im clear about it. That is why I dare to take action, Miss Shirai Kuroko of Judgement. If I wasn''t certain, why would I show myself so easily? Shirai didnt understand what was inside the luggage bag, and she didnt know what the intentions of the person in front of her were. But she knew that the girl, who was smiling at her, wouldnt let her off so easily even when she was injured. She was the enemy. That was right, the girl in front of her wasnt an ordinary girl, but the enemy. Cheh! Shirai used her strength and opened her legs wide. Due to inertia, her thighs were exposed. The belts strapped onto her thighs had numerous metal needles on them, like how a sharpshooter carried his bullets with him in a western film. This was her final resort. By using teleporting, she could immediately teleport the needles into the targeta deadly technique. However, the girls movements were faster than Shirai. From the western coat that was draped over her, her slender arms quickly pulled out the military torchlight that was attached to her waist. After spinning it in her hand like a conducting baton, she aimed the torchlight at Shirai. She then slightly lifted the front tip of the torchlight, as if she was saying hello. A change happened. The men who had been beaten by Shirai and tied on the hands instantly vanished and appeared before the girl. The ten unconscious men were packed together like a shield. However... Too naive!! Shirai fired the metal needles at the men without any hesitation. The numerous needles silently crossed the space, appearing at where the girl was. As it was not a straight movement, the men who were between them couldnt block it. Shirais target was the girls limbs, and she even took measures to prevent hitting the vital points. Teleportation didnt move in a straight line, but rather, was a point-to-point movement, so there was no problem if there was anything in the middle. The needles that appeared in mid air would pass through the girls soft muscles easily. Such an attack wouldnt be affected by the texture. The basis of teleportation was that the the object teleported would displace the object at the target. So, there was no reason why Shirais attack wouldnt pierce through the girls body. However... Ah... Shirai let out a surprised cry. The girl was no longer at that position. She had already moved back by 3 to 4 paces, sitting on the white luggage bag, dangling her legs elegantly. Seemed like she had just sat on the luggage bag, and kicked the ground to force herself back using the wheels of the luggage bag. The needles that Shirai had released floated in mid-air before landing on the ground like the unconscious men. Teleport was basically a point-to-point movement, so once the target moved away from the original position by even the slightest bit, the attack wouldnt hit her. Those men werent armour or shields, they were just tools meant to block Shirais vision. The girl continued to dangle her legs as she sat on the luggage bag. The military torchlight that she was twirling in her hands pointed towards the needles, and like a fishing rod, she swung it up. One of the needles that landed weakly after Shirai had launched it appeared in the girls hand. (Here it comes!!) Shirai concentrated, ready to guard herself, only for the girl to throw the needle back at her without using teleport (or her so-called Move Point). The needle proceeded on to move towards the centre of Shirais body in 3 dimensions. In this narrow alley, there was nowhere to escape to. Though she could use teleport to get to the other side of the wall, or in the building, Shirai didnt know what was inside. It would be terrible if she was to teleport in and overlap with other people. But facing the incoming needle, there was no purpose in moving backwards. Thus, Shirai decided to teleport forward. Past the needles, and appear in front of the girl. Shirai clenched her fist. Besides wanting to avoid the attack, she wanted to give a counter punch at the girl in front of her. Dong! A metal needle pierced Shirai Kurokos abdomen from the back. ...Ah...!? Shirai felt the inside of her body trembling. She couldnt take it anymore; the strength was instantly sapped away from her, and her legs weakened as she tumbled onto the ground. Where she fell was beside the girl who was sitting on the luggage bag. Didnt I say it before? The girl continued to sit there, dangling the other leg this time, smiling, My teleport is different from yours; I dont have to touch the object. Hearing this mocking voice, Shirai Kuroko was unable to even lift her head up. The girls method was actually very simple. First, she used her hand to throw the needle over. As Shirai dodged it, she directed the needle through teleportation, letting the needle appear behind Shirai. The momentum of the needle didnt decrease, it had just been turned around 180 degrees, only stopping when it drilled deep into Shirai Kurokos abdomen. The terrifying sound of friction echoed throughout her body. Screech! The sound of air being cut could be heard. On closer inspection, all the metal needles that had been on the groundwere now in the girls hands. Too bad. Youre from Tokiwadai? I thought that Misaka Mikoto isnt the type that would be desperate enough to involve her own kouhai. Come to think of it, when she first stopped that experiment, she didnt exactly do it alone. Seems like shes risking everything, is she? On hearing this, Shirai Kuroko trembled. Her body, which was trembling and growing numb due to pain, was trembling for a different reason. What did...you say? Shirai concentrated and looked at the girl. She grit her teeth, using all her strength, as if she was looking at the sky from the bottom of an abyss. Why...did you mention Onee-samas name? The girl ignored Shirais question. To her, a severely injured Shirai was no longer a threat. In order to enjoy Shirais remorseful expression, she would rather do the best thing, which was to make an unnecessary reply to Shirais question. Eh? The girl dangled her leg again, covering her mouth with her hand in an exaggerated manner, saying, Didnt you know? To be used like this while not knowing anything...no way? Tokiwadais Railgun shouldnt be that sort of person. But the girl didnt answer Shirais question anyway. The question that Shirai had managed to squeeze out with her last ounce of strength only garnered a self-satisfactory answer from the girl. ? Dont you think that this is too coincidental? After stealing the luggage bag, these men were caught in a traffic jamits like it was pre-planned. The electricity flow to the traffic lights was lost...havent you thought of the reason? Dont you know what kind of power the Ace of Tokiwadai has? Shirai Kuroko glared at the head that was right in front of her, yet looked like it was in the sky. The mysterious luggage bag, and the enemy sitting on top of it. What are you... Shirai let out a voice that sounded like she was going to let out blood from her mouth anytime. To think that Mikotos lip balm felt so heavy. ...What are you saying now... You probably dont know what remnant is. Or maybe Silicorundum will confuse you. The girl happily twirled the needles in her hand, creating a clanking sound. I suppose, thats the remnants of the Tree Diagram, youd probably understand that now, wouldnt you? Even if its beyond repair, it has the core of a supercomputer simulator. Shirai Kuroko gasped. No...no way. Isnt that supposed to be floating in orbit...? This ridiculous truth stunned Shirai. It was because the Tree Diagram was the strongest simulator in the world that Academy City was so proud of, it should be inside a satellite that was in orbit. No matter what the people on earth did, they couldnt do anything to it. Also, if that thing malfunctioned (or even was destroyed), it would definitely be headline news. But... The luggage bag that the girl was sitting on now was definitely created for outer space environment. And the date and time on the slip were exactly the same as the moment when Academy Citys space shuttle had returned. Also, the fact the numerous organisations all around the world were rushing into space. Shirais mind was in total confusion. The girl pulled out a photograph from her skirt pocket and flung it with her fingers. The photo continued to spin like a flying saucer, landing in front of Shirai. This is an attached photograph in Academy Citys internal report. No ordinary person can see it. On the photo, there was the black outer space and a large Earth. In front of the blue planet, which had a gradual arc, there was the debris of a satellite. Shirai had seen this certain satellite before on the news and the guide. Impossible... Just as Shirai was struck speechless, the photo suddenly vanished, appearing between the girls index and middle fingers. It must have been claimed back by her Move Point. The Tree Diagram was already destroyed, which is why there are many people rushing to grab the remnants that are floating in orbit. The girl seemed to see something in Shirais expression. Misaka Mikoto is so pitiful. Her nightmare was finally ended with much difficulty because someone destroyed the Tree Diagram, and now everyone else wants to repair it. Once this gimmick is repaired, the experiment will likely continue. Hm, I cant really say that I dont understand her feelings. The girl again said that name, causing Shirais abdomen muscles to tighten. Misaka Mikoto. Shirai didnt understand what this had to do with Mikoto. No matter how much she tried to think of a link, she couldnt understand it. Though she still didnt know what had happened, Shirais glare at the girl became even sharper. Just hearing Misaka Mikotos name from this dangerous person, one could tell that there was lots of trouble. Hehe, oh my, seems like you dont know about anything. If so, it means that you dont know anything about the experiment. However, you should have seen some clues about it. Like for example...let me think, half a month ago, wasn''t there a huge explosion at the depot? It ended up causing a disruption in the entire train service. In that situation, for you guys to let the train service become fully operational in a week, Im rather impressed. The girl said happily, but Shirai was unable to say anything. Shirai was anxious, as if a flame torch was burning her mind. However, she couldnt understand what the girl was talking about. Dont you understand? I said so much, dont you know? 21st August, that special day, did anything unusual happen around you? After hearing this date, Shirai couldnt even think of anything. Last month, on the 21st, it was not even a festive holiday. (What on earth...is she saying? Is this just some meaningless talk...?) Shirai was feeling suspicious deep inside. But the girls words had some form of regularity, it didnt seem like it was randomly uttered. Alright, if you can find the truth, I can become friends with you. The girl smiled and said, but Shirai wasn''t in the mood to reply to her. Her lips were cracked, the taste of blood oozing out. Shirai only knew two things. One, she couldnt let the girl in front of her leave so easily. Two, she couldnt hand the contents of the luggage bag over to anyone. Shirai Kuroko put her hand in her skirt, drawing out the only needles left on the strap attached to her thigh. There were two of them. In order to increase her determination, she tightly grabbed hold of the needles, roaring unnecessarily at the sky. In contrast, the girl was sitting on the luggage bag. She gracefully dangled her leg, knocking the large number of needles around, making clanking sounds, and then activated the military flashlight that also functioned as a police baton. She flicked her wrist around like a musical conductor holding a conducting baton, drew a circle, and in a gentle and proud manner, looked down at the weakling lying beside her. In an instant, everything remained still. On the road outside the entrance of the alley, a cars engine ignited. As if predetermined, both of them launched their attacks. It took less than a second for the victor to be decided. The metal needles flew through the sky, a girls clear blood splattered all over the place, screams echoing throughout the sky. Dong. Shirai Kuroko fell onto the floor, letting out a sound that reminded people of a dirty bag landing on the ground. It was windy now. The girl turned and left, leaving the Judgement member alone, and nobody could pursue her. Without using Move Point, it was like she was enjoying her own footsteps. Carrying a white luggage bag. (Onee-sama...) Shirai grit her teeth in remorse, apologizing in her own heart. She couldnt say this result was good. She knows clearly what she had to do. But a teary Shirai Kuroko couldnt do a single thing. Between the lines 2 In the hospital, there was a bathroom that was for patients use. The P.E. teacher clad in green sportswear attire, Yomikawa Aihos back was leaning on the bathroom door. She had a beautiful face and glamorous body, the apparel could be said to spoil it. Especially her wonderful breasts that gave off an inexplicable mature charm even if they were suppressed by her sports attire. She herself didnt seem aware of her beautiful appearance, but this na?ve character caused people to go even more ga-ga over her. (Sigh, that Kikyou, finding trouble for me again.) Yomikawa thought of that female researcher, her old friend, who was now hospitalised, and sighed. The researcher wasnt completely out of the woods yet, so Yomikawa was only allowed to visit her once. At that point, the female researcher immediately asked Yomikawa to take care of two children, and after saying that, lost consciousness, which gave no chance for Yomikawa to inquire further, nor any right to refuse. The ones that needed to be cared for were two children with special abilities. The sounds of the children were coming out from the other side of the door, or inside the bathroom. Splash splash splash!, says Misaka as Misaka makes splashes in this narrow bathtub. With a petite body, any place can become an indoor entertainment facility, says Misaka as Misaka thinks of this new concept. Cheh...the hot water has gotten on me...! STOP SWIMMING AROUND IN THIS BATHTUB, YOU! Its too bad that you cant auto-reflect, says Misaka as Misaka reveals a pitiful expression. Come to think of it, the strongest esper is about to cry just because shampoo got into his eyes, says Misaka as Misaka finds it strange. Its not that I cant use auto-reflect completely. Though I have to use your network to do the calculations, this is really embarrassing. But if I have to use auto-reflect in the bathroom, can I even bathe? Also...Im not going to cry! Getting shampoo in my eyes wont hurt, its just that I never felt this before! Splash splash splash YOMIKAWAAAAAA! WHY DO I HAVE TO PUT UP THIS DAMN BRATS WATER KICKS!? Being dragged into the conversation so suddenly, Yomikawa frowned. That wont do. Theres the possibility that the kid will drown in the bathroom, there must be someone to take care of her-jan. THEN WHY ARENT YOU PROTECTING HER! That wont do. Ill be soaked if I bathe that naughty kid. Oh yeah, you havent bathed in quite a while, got to scrub yourself cleanly-jan. Damn it...why is it that no one will listen to me properly! Dont be agitated, dont be agitated, says Misaka as Misaka comforts you. Misaka knows that youre embarrassed, although Misaka verifies Misaka is properly wrapped in a bath towel. The atmosphere will be even more awkward if youre mindful of it, says Misaka as Misaka gives advice as a lifetime elder. Thank you. Let me reward you with a water column. Wah!?, says Misaka as Misaka is scared by this sudden attack! How mean! Before summer vacation ended, you risked your life to protect Misaka, says Misaka as Misaka protests with a pale face! What...oi, wait. When Misaka was hit with the virus code, you were so gentle, and now youre treating Misaka like this!? Dont tell me you got tired of Misaka!?, says Misaka as Misaka trembles in fright at the thought of this possibility! ...Ah? What did you say...? Virus code...? Oh no!, says Misaka as Misaka immediately covers her mouth! Oh no! your head! How the hell do you remember what happened that day!? About that, says Misaka as Misaka scratches her cheek with her forefinger. Didnt I delete your memories when I was deleting the virus code in your brain!? Misaka serial number 10032 to Misaka serial number 20000 have a common memory through the network, says Misaka as Misaka honestly testifies. ...Oh? Basically, even if a Misaka loses her memory, there are many backups that can be duplicated, so there is no problem at all, says Misaka as Misaka sticks her tongue out as she acts cute. Though Misaka lost her memory, she can regain her memory through the brains of the other Misakas, says Misaka as Misaka tries many postures to appease your anger. So that means...you also remembered what I said that day...? Thats right, I killed over 10,000 of the Sisters, but this doesnt mean that I should just leave the remaining 10,000 to die. I know that these words are hypocritical, I know that I have no right to say such words, no matter how much of scum bags we are. No matter how many excuses we put forward, those can''t be the reasons to kill this brat! ...Ahh, says Misaka as Misaka is touched to tears while thinking back on this. Im gonna kill you... IM GONNA KILL YOU, BRAT! That wont do; my friend has already asked me to take care of you, so you guys better not cause me any trouble. From the outside, Yomikawa heard the duo attacking each other with bathwater, and shouted. The doctor that looked like a frog had once said that taking care of these two kids is a real challenge, but right now, there wasnt anything that was worth noting. There seemed to be no need for her to look out for them, and so she could head back to work. Yomikawa sighed, her back leaving the door, and said, You two, Nee-chan is going to settle some Anti-Skill stuff, so stop quarreling. Wait for me here obediently; Ill treat both of you with goodies-jan. Okay, says Misaka as Misaka uses her sure-kill water kicks to whip up large amounts of water as she answers. YOU BRAAAAT! Yomikawa Aiho heard the roaring continue behind her, picked up the large sports bag that was placed beside her foot on her shoulder, and left the hospital. Her eyes were now abnormally sharp. There was standard Anti-Skill equipment inside her bag. After Yomikawa left, both of them, who had used up all the resources in the bathtub, finally reached a truce. Damn it, the waters now only at knee level... Theres already not enough water to kick, says Misaka as Misaka will not give up, and will use all sorts of methods to accomplish her aim. Stop kicking the water already. Did you forget that Im still severely injured!? Come to think of it, your hair grows really fast; theres no sign of any operation scars, says Misaka as Misaka is impressed. Using the electric signals inside the human body to promote hair growth, thats foul play, says Misaka as Misaka cant help but be enthusiastic about the wonders of the human body. No matter how impressive it is, it cant grow back the scars on the cranium! Splash, spin, kick water, kick water! ... If Yomikawa knew how Misaka wasted so much water, she would immediately start scolding, says Misaka as Misaka cant help but shudder in fear. Luckily, Yomikawa wont be coming back to the hospital today, says Misaka as Misaka feels relieved. Huh? What did she say to you? About that, it didn''t come from Yomikawa herself, says Misaka as Misaka Volume 8, 3: Hiding Lit Debris. "Remnant" Volume 8, Chapter 3: Hiding Lit Debris. "Remnant" Part 1 Tokiwadai Middle School had a dormitory both inside and outside School Garden. Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikotos room was in the dormitory outside. Gack...ah... Dragging herself to the back of the dormitory, Shirai nearly vomited blood. She was trying to force herself to swallow the remaining blood in her mouth and move forward. She had to bandage herself up first, but her body didnt obey her commands. Her teleport ability couldnt be controlled well due to the pain, making it almost impossible to use. Her right shoulder, left flank, right thigh, right shin. The many sharp metal needles stabbed into several parts of her body continued to tear the cloth on the clothes into the wounds. For every step she took, the magical feeling of the skin and clothes rubbing against each other would be ingrained into her mind with the pain. The shriveled schoolbag now felt like it weighed as much as a dumbbell. Shirai understood that she had lost much strength and felt rather uncomfortable about it; a chill flowed down her abdomen. Arriving at the back of the dormitory, Shirai noticed a set of windows, confirming that the lights in her room werent on. (Thats good...Onee-sama...isnt back...yet...) Shirai weakly smiled and again regained her concentration. In such a pathetic state, she definitely couldnt go through the front door. Shirai Kuroko endured the pain strongly, trembling and anxious, trying to make her mental calculations and teleport directly into her room. In an instant, she couldnt feel any gravity. The feeling of using instant teleportation, to put it nicely, was to float lightly in the air; to put it bluntly, it was a feeling of no reliance, being on ones own. It was like taking a roller coaster ride, the intense sense of nervousness was moving up her stomach. ...Ugh! Shirai safely landed inside a pitch black room. She didnt turn on the lights, just wandered around the room, looking for a first-aid box and a spare set of clothes. As for undergarments, she would just wear the one that she was wore; it would save some time. She opened her bag and pulled out the paper bag that she had gotten from the lingerie shop. Shirai held onto this pile of things as she moved into the bathroom. The bathroom had no windows, and there was not even a single sight of light; the place was in complete darkness. Shirai closed the door, feeling for the buttons. Pow, the white light of the sunlight illuminated the narrow bathroom. Ah...ugh...! Her two hands being weak, all the stuff in her hands tumbled out. Shirai inadvertently leaned her back against the wall, the needle pierced against the side of her abdomen, slammed into the wall, sending Shirai in shock as if she was electrocuted, losing her balance and falling onto the ground. She felt all sorts of pain all over. (August...21st...) Though her mind was still in chaos due to confusion, Shirai still continued to sit on the floor, rummaging through her brain. Why must that woman ask me if there was anything unusual that happened on the 21st of August? (Its true...that Onee-sama...came back very late...and...it was the day when that mister suddenly came to our dorm...) Thinking about it, other memories continued to swell up in her brain. (That mister...he left after some time...thats right, Onee-samas stuffed bear toy was taken away from under her bed. Also, there was a strong gust of wind that blew on the streets for no apparent reason, and there were even witnesses outside the train carriage park who said that there was a huge explosion and blinding flash...) Finally, Shirai remembered the rumour that had circulated around after that day. Shirai lifted her head. (According to an unconfirmed report, the strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City was beaten by someone...) In order to prevent any unnecessary commotion from taking place, the General Director of Academy City had immediately ordered that information regarding this incident be controlled. Thus, Shirai didn''t know who had defeated the strongest Level 5 esper. The huge explosion, flash, the wind level that exceeded an M7, the carriage park that people assumed was a stage, it was like a baptism of explosion. Anti-Skill had been in charge of the repairs, but Shirai once assisted as a member of Judgement. At that moment, everyone had said the same thing. The destruction had been truly unbelievable. The one said to be the strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City was definitely not a bluff. However, For the opponent to still stand upright even after facing the attack of a Level 5, it was really unbelievable. (Also...) Shirai herself had privately gotten another set of information. (...Maybe, when those two espers fought, Onee-sama was around.) Because Shirai Kuroko had seen something. At the carriage park, where a large number of crates had been destroyed, with all sorts of stuff scattered all over the place, in such a messy place, no one would especially notice a coin. Well, besides Shirai. Picking it up, Shirai had believed it even more. It had been a rough metal game coin. It had also been the same game coin used by a certain girl when she used her railgun. At that moment, Shirais thought process was interrupted due to tremendous pain. The 21st of August was definitely not an ordinary day, but Shirai didnt understand what that had to do with this incident? Anyway, lets settle the wounds first, Shirai concluded. She used her fingertips to gently touch the corkscrew that was stabbed into her right shoulder. A large spiral metal thing would definitely rip her muscles apart if she pulled it. Such irony...my ability would be useful in this situation. Using her instant teleportation ability, the corkscrew drilled into her right shoulder vanished into thin air and appeared before Shirai. The weapon that lost its support landed on the floor, creating a crisp sound. Blood gushed out from the wound. The object blocking the wound had been removed, thus there was even more blood loss. The reason why Shirai hadnt dared to pull out the metal needles and corkscrew was because she couldnt stop the blood loss. ...! In an instant, her vision became blurry, and everything became giddy. Shirai immediately shook her head, regaining her concentration. She stared at the corkscrew on the floor that was stained with blood, and her jaw dropped. (A corkscrew from Sheffield (Note: Sheffield is a famous metalwork city in England), and a Majolica handle (Note: Majolica, a famous Italian ceramic)...ignoring where this was created, the history, the traditions, the thoughts and the beliefs completely, this is really messy. Seems like Ive really met a dangerous client.) Shirai again used the same teleport method to teleport away the metal needles that were stuck in the side of her abdomen and heel, and at the same time, used the phone to call Uiharu Kazari. Hello, hello, this is Uiharu. Shirai-san, Ive already done what you instructed...WAH! Youre in pain! I can hear from your breathing! In actual fact, Shirai had called Uiharu before she headed back to the dormitory. Besides notifying her that she had lost and the luggage bag had been stolen, she requested Uiharu to check up on information regarding the Tree Diagram, the identity of the teleporter, and to predict the escape route. However, it was really difficult to trace where a teleporter moves, so the last part was just up to whether they could do it. At the same time, Shirai had requested that Uiharu not mention the fact that she was injured. If she didnt do this, she would likely be obstructed. Judgement members were all students, and Anti-Skill were all teaching staff members. So the important jobs were handled by Anti-Skill. There were two reasons for this. The first was that they couldnt allow children to be endangered. The second was that they didnt want the children to have the immense power that could solve these dangerous situations. Once the higher-ups knew that Shirai was injured to such an extent, they would likely prevent her from taking further action. But the teleporter had mentioned the words Ace of Tokiwadai, Misaka Mikoto, which bothered Shirai. Thus, Shirai definitely could not back off and just ignore this. Are you really alright? Having hot-blooded women fighting is not a trendy thing now, you know. Forget...about that...what have you discovered? Shirai tossed the blood-stained metal needles onto the floor, twisting her thoroughly injured body, removing every single piece of clothing. The thin wool jacket used in the summer, her short-sleeved shirt. She then unhooked her skirt, removing it. At this moment, Shirai saw that her underwear was also covered in blood, her jaw dropping in shock. She then removed the underwear and tossed it onto the floor. When she had first gotten into her room, she hadnt removed her shoes, and at this moment, she removed both her socks and shoes at the same time. She even removed the leather straps wrapped around her thighs that contained the metal needles, revealing a naked body. Shirai investigated her wounds one by one. First, regarding the teleporter. Searching through the records, including you, there are 58 such espers in Academy City. As expected of an ability which requires the calculation and manipulation of the 11th dimension, there arent a lot of people who know how to use it. Is there anyone similar to what I described? Shirai used her blood-stained hand to reach for the rectangular first-aid box. There are 19 people who can move multiple things in one go, including you. Uiharu paused before continuing. According to what you described, there are three people who fit the criteria, but only one of them doesnt have an alibi. I can trace the other two people through the surveillance cameras here. Without hesitation, Uiharu concluded, Second year at Kirigaoka Girls'' Academy, Musujime Awaki. Like you, shes a teleporter, but the conditions are a bit different. Its definitely somewhat different...she can teleport 10 men and use them as her shield. So the total mass should be about 700kg. its really different from my own ability. Shirai didnt deny that she was at a disadvantage. It was because she believed that she could find an escape route through it. Opening the first-aid box, Shirai took out a soft tube that looked like toothpaste. She unscrewed the cap, squeezed out the paste-like substance inside and applied it over her wound. It was first-aid medication used for treating external wounds, and at the same time, it had the abilities to disinfect, clot blood, and heal the wound. The inventor was an amazing medical researcher called ''Heaven Canceller'', but it was hard for ordinary folks to get it. Most external wounds could be treated by it, but in some rare and special circumstances, it wouldnt work. If it doesnt work, the it was time for the doctor. Besides this point, there are also other notable differences. Your ability is to send those things that you touch to another place, which is, using your own body as point 0, and teleporting the item to location A, but Musujimes ability is to shift an item far away from one point to another, which is to move the item from point A to point B. In other words, the start point of her ability isnt fixed, different from you. No wonder...that woman declared herself to be a move teleporter... Shirai gently bit onto her lips, thinking through in her head. At first, Musujime had really moved many things that she had not touched with her own two hands. However, she had not teleported Shirai Kuroko herself. If she could have done this, there would have been no need to fire anything. She would have just needed to stuff Shirai Kurokos body into the earth in order to beat her once and for all. I have an interesting report over here as well. On this report, Musujime seems to be unable to teleport anyone with a similar power. This may be because a similar type of AIM field will affect Musujimes ability, but regarding this AIM diffusion ability, there is only a limited amount of research done on it, so the information has to be validated...according to this report, this phenomenon isnt limited to just Musujime. No teleporter can teleport one with a similar ability. Shirai-san, is this true? No idea. This is the first time Ive met an esper with the same type of power. Then, Shirai gave a humph. Though it was not practically tested, it was not hard to imagine it. The teleporter had to calculate his or her own absolute co-ordinates on the 11th dimension, and not the surface location on the third dimension. So once other teleporters wanted to change their own co-ordinates, the co-ordinate information in his brain would be interfered with. And on a non-urgent note, according to an experiment report, Musujime Awaki was injured severely in a lesson two years ago because she lost control of her power. ...It really isnt an important report. Also, it doesnt even help us find her weakness. Really, how can a monster like her be only a Level 4? Shirai thought as she pulled out a tissue paper from her torn skirt, trying to wipe away the blood around her wounds. The skin that had a delicate elasticity became somewhat cooler all of a sudden. By just using the right techniques, her technique might not even lose to a Level 5 esper. Maybe she might even know of some weaknesses that we dont know about. On the other side of the phone, Uiharu casually said. Next, regarding the Tree Diagram... I really wished that this is just a big fat lie that Musujime made up, but it seems like its just a fantasy. After applying the rubber-like paste to her wounds, Shirai bandaged the wounds. Once the bandages touched her skin, Shirai again felt herself sweating a bit. No, I cant find any important information regarding the Tree Diagram being destroyed. In name, the Tree Diagram is still floating in satellite orbit. Academy City did actually fire a space shuttle last month, but the space shuttles mission had nothing to do with the Tree Diagram. Whats going on? Shirai frowned and stopped bandaging. She remembered the photo that Musujime had shown her when she fell in the alley. The satellite that had broken into several fragments. Uiharus voice sounded a bit distressed as well. I dont know whether this seems like good news...another group of our colleagues found the victim who stole that luggage bag. He is a smuggler, and only knows that the client is from the 23rd district, but he didn''t know about the satellite thing. We have already used a telepath to confirm his memories; he wasnt lying. A smuggler. Maybe hes an expert in the trade, Shirai considered. After the luggage bag had been stolen, he had tried to chase down the group of robbers, so it could be seen that he had some determination in his job... In other words, the 23rd school district wants to send the item inside this luggage bag to some research institute in Academy City, so they hired a smuggler for the job. However, the luggage bag was stolen by Musujime and her gang. Though the group that was robbed wants to get the item back, this is classified information, so they cant disclose it so easily, and can only get it back through the best of their ability...is that what happened? Shirai slowly swung her bandaged limbs, checking if there was any blood that was flowing out of them. The quick-dry rubber-like medicinal paste seemed to have completely healed the wounds. Though its rather interesting to see where the 23rd school district is sending this thing to, the main problem is the identities of those robbers. I guess that the culprit behind this is an external organisation thats antagonistic to Academy City. Of course, excluding what you described, I guess that the internal strife within different groups of Academy City would require such a crude method as stealing. ...An antagonistic external organisation. How did Musujime get involved with those kind of people? Who the heck is she? Musujime normally applies for leave in Kirigaoka High school, but all her leaves are special leaves. Weird, isnt it? Shes not even a member of Judgement. In other words, her work may be antagonistic to our Judgement duties? Uiharu lowered her volume and said, According to an unidentified report, shes the guide to that windowless building. ...The main base of the General Director of Academy City? It was a movie-like rumour, but the highest leader of Academy City was living in a special building that could even absorb and withstand a nuclear bomb attack. There were no windows or even entrances to the building, and they could only teleport in through the help of a guide. If the rumour was true (or even more exaggerating than what the rumours suggested), that meant that Musujime may know about things that ordinary people didnt know about, and had the opportunity to meet people of all sorts of unique backgrounds. Maybe this was why she had been chosen by the outside world. Though we dont know why Musujime wants to do this, lets assume that she linked up secretly with the external organisation and planned this robbery. The thing inside the luggage bag...she called it the remnant. And now she has it... After this, shell hand this thing over to the people from this external organisation. Can you check out where shes moving? Shirai reached out her hand and wanted to grab hold of the underwear that she wanted to change into, only to realise that her hands were stained in blood. Thus, she first headed towards the sink, washed her hands and thought calmly. A girl with twin pigtails putting a phone between her face and her shoulder, fully naked, and washing her hands in the bathroom. Such a sight was truly laughable. That''s hard. Theres no need for a person to move down the roads when he or she teleports. You also know that the security camera system in Academy City has blind spots. Uiharu paused for a while, then continued, Ah, though she wasnt caught on camera at all, this might be a clue as well. What do you mean? Shirai wiped her hands dry with a towel, put on her underwear and asked. With both hands, she pulled her panties up to her waist...only to feel that she had pulled it a bit too much, and pulled the underwear down a bit. Since shes travelling around in blind spots, we just need to investigate all the blind corners. Compared to the whole of Academy City, the total area of all the blind spots is rather small. ...Youre saying this rather calmly, you know. Im now a critically injured person here...IT HURTS! Shirai now used both hands to hook the back of her bra, but this action seemed to stretch her muscles, as she could feel a sharp pain on the side of her abdomen immediately. Shirai thought, I should have worn a front-hook type bra or just an undershirt instead. She frowned as she felt her face. Luckily, the wound hadnt reopened. Shirai Kuroko checked how she looked now that she was wearing her undergarments. The design was thought to be sleazy by Misaka Mikoto, and in fact, Shirai was really distraught. However, Shirai herself didnt care about the design of the undergarments because to her, these undergarments werent meant to be shown off, but were things meant to be worn on her own body. To her, the first condition of choosing undergarments was how comfortable it was. The cute and childish designs were normally thicker and had inferior quality, and the rubbing of a sports bra against her skin while she was exercising would distract her. She even felt that instead of wearing such lingerie, she might as well not wear anything at all (Maybe this was why Shirai herself needed to concentrate fully when she used her ability.) Having a different opinion from Mikoto on this matter, this caused Shirai Kuroko to feel rather sad. After putting on her undergarments, Shirai strapped the leather straps full of needles back onto her thighs. As there was no set of pre-prepared needles, she could only use the disinfecting alcohol to wipe the needles that had pierced her, and place them back into the leather strap. Shirai-san. If she wants to use the blind spots to get outside Academy City, including the surface and the underground streets, there are only several streets for her to choose. So once we check through all these routes... ...Shhh! Shirai felt that someone else seemed to be close by and immediately cut the phone. At that moment, outside the thin bathroom door, someone walked into the room. She stared at the entrance of the bathroom and realised that she had forgot to lock the door, and immediately moved to lock it. With a click sound, the sound of metal pieces hammering each other could be heard rather audibly. ...Kuroko? The moment Shirai heard this, she knew who the voice belonged to. Though it was just a rough and short voice that came from behind the door, Shirai was certain that the person speaking was Misaka Mikoto. Even if Misaka Mikoto was just breathing, Shirai believed that she could tell it was Mikoto just by hearing it. Are you bathing? Since you came back, why didnt you turn on the lights? Why are you hiding inside a dark room? The voice came from beside the door, scaring Shirai. She definitely could not let Mikoto see her like this, not even a trace of suspicion. Misaka Mikotos overprotective nature may be even more severe than what she herself expected. Sav...saving electricity, Onee-sama. O gentle Kuroko wants to reduce the effect of global warming. Oh...but Academy Citys main source of electricity are wind generators, arent they unrelated to carbon dioxide? Our secondary source of power is solar power, so for electricity, we dont have such a problem, do we? Unless were talking about turning on the air-con, right? Ah, I forgot about it. I thought that I could use it as an excuse to lure Onee-sama into the atmosphere of this dark room...oh my, Onee-sama. As a posh lady, how can you let out a ugh! sound? Shirai laughed weakly as she leaned her back against the door of the bathroom. Through the thin door, a vibration could be felt. The person outside seemed to have done the same thing. Shirai felt the vibration and started to recall. Dont you think that this is too coincidental? After stealing the luggage bag, these men were caught in a traffic jam, its like it was pre-planned. The electricity flow to the traffic lights was lost...havent you thought of the reason? Dont you know what kind of power the Ace of Tokiwadai has? DShirai Kuroko knew very well that something was happening. Misaka Mikoto is so pitiful. Her nightmare was finally ended with much difficulty because someone destroyed the Tree Diagram. DShirai Kuroko also knew that Misaka Mikoto was heavily involved in this. And now everyone else wants to repair it. Once this gimmick is repaired, the experiment will likely continue. Hm, I cant really say that I dont understand her feelings. DShirai also understood that though Mikoto was involved in this troublesome situation, she would never ever want to show herself being troubled or frustrated in front of Shirai. By linking all the events together, Shirai could see it. Mikoto was clearly troubled by some issues, but she was unwilling to admit them to Shirai, and yet accepted someone elses help. For whatever reason, Mikoto just wanted Shirai to not get involved in this. It was like a circular perimeter being set up to keep Shirai out. No matter how much Shirai worked, how much she struggled, Misaka Mikoto wouldnt be happy about it. If Misaka Mikoto was to see that Shirai was to be involved in her own personal matter, she would definitely be displeased. Even so... Shirai still hoped that she could help Mikoto, to ease Mikotos burdens. Even if Mikoto was to be completely ignorant of this, it was alright. Even if all the credit went to someone else, it was alright. Shirai prayed. With her thoroughly injured body, looking at the blood-stained clothes, she prayed. Shirai was completely unaware of what was going on inside. Mikoto was hiding everything from Shirai like a sealed bottle, thus Shirai was unable to guess what was going on. However, Shirai wanted to solve the problem. Shirai wanted to pull Mikoto out from the bloody all-for-grabs world. Once all the problems were settled, Shirai wanted to smile together and have fun together with Mikoto like today after school. Shirai Kuroko silently made this resolution. In order to accomplish this wish... (I wont care even if I have to lie to you seriously, Onee-sama. No matter whether you wish for me to do this or not.) Onee-sama, where did you go just now? Hn? I went to look for this little decoration that I didnt buy before. I''ve looked for it quite a bit recently, but I havent seen one that suits me. Right now, I just came back to get something, so Im going out again. Oh yeah, dont expect me to bring whatever gifts back to you, Kuroko. Shirai thought, this is a stupid excuse. If she made a ruckus and said that she wanted to go, how would Mikoto react? (Onee-sama just said recently...this means that she had been planning this for quite some time. Look for this little decoration...a precision instrument aid can be considered a decoration...too easy for me to see through it.) Shirai weakly laughed, but that didnt stop her. She just said a sentence. The words that Mikoto had said at evening, Shirai digested it and returned it back to Mikoto. But lets hope that it doesnt rain. The weather report nowadays is rather inaccurate. ... In an instant, Mikoto seemed to have taken a deep sigh. After maintaining this silence for a while, she seemed to have lowered down her guard, her tone sounding somewhat softer. Yeah. Thanks for your concern. Ill try and get back as soon as possible. After these words, the presence outside the door vanished. The girl outside the door had already left the door and the room. PAM! The shutting of the door could be heard. Now then... Shirai rested for a while, not waiting to even put on her own clothes. She just hastily grabbed her change of summer uniform and redials the number. There was still something that she needed to ask Uiharu about. Hello? Thats right. Can you tell me where that woman ran off to? Part 2 After cleaning the blood stains in the bathroom, and taking care of the tattered clothes, Shirai again used her teleport ability to get to the back alley behind the girls dormitory. The time was 8:30 PM. It had only been 2 hours from the time when she had separated from Mikoto after the shopping trip. Shirai was rather surprised by it. At this time, almost all modes of transport in Academy City had ceased operations. In order to prevent students from venturing outside, all the buses and trams were co-ordinated with the last schools leaving time. Right now, there were only private vehicles belonging to those of teachers, university students, taxis, lorries, and other forms of industrial vehicles. The scene of a traffic jam had completely vanished. As there were already very few vehicles on the road, the roads were empty. Shirai took a deep breath. The air already had the scent of night. Ah, Shirai-san, there is something important you need to note. A voice came from the phone, Musujime Awaki doesnt seem to be able to teleport her own body continuously. I found some records in the library. Shirai-san, I said before that Musujime lost control of her powers during a lesson two years ago and was severely injured, didnt I? So what? After that, Musujime went for several counseling sessions in school. That incident seemed to have caused some sort of trauma in her. After that, as long as its a test that involves teleporting ones own body, she is always unable to get good marks on it, and there are even cases when she fell sick from overexerting herself. Its like every time she teleports, its a gamble of her own life. In other words... Her mental condition will immediately worsen if she teleports continuously, right? Shirai bite her lips and said, Now that I think about it, Musujime didnt teleport her own body at all during the battle. In fact, if she could teleport around on her own, there would be no need to ask for any special help from the outside world; itd be faster for her to do it on her own. Teleporters can move fast and ignore any walls, paths or distances, so its impossible to catch us using ordinary means. The strength of Shirais own ability would differ according to her mood each day. If Musujime was affected by her own emotional scar, her control over her own ability would very likely decrease. Shirai then thought, (Come to think of it, her ability is so powerful. Maybe its because of that emotional scar that shes stuck on the same Level as me...?) Shirai carried some mixed feelings as she teleported. Every 80 metres she moved, her feet would land on the floor, she would aim at the next point and continue to teleport. Since Shirai was already covered in wounds, and it was difficult for her to even walk, the ability to quickly teleport around at will was at its most useful. Musujime is stronger than me. She can move things far away. But on the downside, her methods of calculations are even more troublesome than mine. Though I can only move things that are beside me, I dont have to calculate the original co-ordinates before moving. Thats...right. So...your calculation time...is shorter. Oh yeah...if Musujime doesnt use...Move Point...then shell move... Because of teleportation, the content of the phone call was interrupted. Shirai was listening carefully, but before Uiharu even finished speaking, Shirai knew where to go. BOOM! The sound of thunder could be heard from afar. Shirai Kuroko looked up at the sky. Dont tell me its... The time when the shops and transportation operated in Academy City was co-ordinated with the schools timing. Once it was slightly dark, the lights on the roads would vanish one by one, so compared to the metropolis in other major cities in the outside world, the light intensity was a lot less. Right now, the stars were covering the sky, and the weather looked good; there were no thunderclouds that could possibly cause thunder. If so, what was with that high voltage roar? Shirai-san, I got a new report that there is a large-scale esper battle somewhere in district 7, and its right on the path where Musujimes predicted escape route is! Another thunder roared, covering Uiharus voice, and it also interrupted the phones reception. Shirai would definitely not mistake that voice. ONEE-SAMA!! Shirai shouted and changed her direction. Though her appearing in front of Mikoto would basically be against what she had intended, but on thinking that Mikoto may be attacked, Shirai didnt have a second option. She continued to teleport, jumping around spaces. The sparks that could terrify anyone continued to rumble about in the air like an air raid. On the roads in the night, all the people, who were older than Shirai, stared at her in surprise. Everything of everything seems to be pushing Shirai forward. Just as she was about to reach her destination, Shirai stopped her teleport. Following a deafening thunder roar, Shirai moved to the back of a building through blind corners. Like a murder detective, Shirai poked her head out of the building. At that moment, she witnessed something amazing. Part 3 It was a battlefield. It was a battlefield created by a single girl. The location was right beside a certain building. If Shirai remembered correctly...on the 31st of August, there was an accident where some steel pillars collapsed. The steel pillars had been removed, and the remaining parts had been investigated thoroughly; now they were on the process of reconstruction. A small bus was lying sideways in front of the entrance of the building. The glass was shattered, and all the items in the bus were scattered. But there was no one inside. The people who were originally sitting inside the bus had all escaped into the building. It seemed that they wanted to look for some form of protection from the metal pillars. There were about 30 men and women. Some were armed with guns, and some were espers of Academy City. (That gun...I remember clearly! Those guys that I knocked unconscious were also using those guns...!) Looking out from a shadowy area, Shirai couldnt help but feel surprised. Not only were the guns that they were using the same, even their posture was the same. In contrast, Misaka Mikoto was just standing openly beside the flipped bus. (That woman mentioned that Onee-sama has a deep connection with that briefcase, and now Onee-sama is going to fight with that organisation full of people holding those kind of guns. This means...) According to the situation, these people should belong to the organisation that wanted to export the remnant out. As for why espers would betray Academy City, well, no one knew. At this moment, Shirai saw another familiar face. Musujime Awaki. There were no obstacles in front of Mikoto at all. There was clearly a small bus flipped beside her, but Mikoto didnt intend to hide behind it. Based on common sense, facing several men armed with long range weapons with this attitude would be too daring. But the Railguns power could defy any common sense. A flash was emitted from Misaka Mikotos fingertip. A small coin was shot out at 3 times the speed of sound, cutting the thick and heavy pillars. The armed men were terrified by the shrapnel that was falling due to the pillars being shot. The espers who were standing in a higher storey were aiming at Mikotos head, but lost footing due to the pillars breaking and fell down. The railgun slammed into 20 steel pillars before slamming into another building, causing a crack in the wall before the energy was completely lost. Some of the flabbergasted men tried to back away, but Mikotos lightning wouldnt let them off so easily. The blue and white sparks that were emitting from her forehead hit a steel pillar, and the electricity instantly flowed through the entire building. All the men who touched the pillars jumped in shock. The tower had seemingly become a steel cage, as some of the electricity shoot inwards from every steel pillar, electrocuting some people who werent touching the pillars as well and causing them to collapse to the ground. The remaining espers who survived due to various reasons tried to counterattack, but it was too late. The distance between them was too great. The vacuum blades that the wind esper shot out vanished upon contact with the railgun. The numerous wooden sticks that the psychic fired explode under the high voltage. And the esper who had a similar type of electrical power to Mikoto fainted in fear. An overwhelming victory. This one-sided battle seemed to only prove why a Level 5 had the right to be called a Level 5. This was the power of only 7 people in Academy City. In Shirais eyes, the most unbelievable thing was that such destructive power still didnt kill anyone. If she didnt consider her own attack, the enemys movements and the consequences of the destruction, she wouldnt be able to hold back like this. Though she held back very hard, the rag tag group of several people were completely defeated. Shirai recalled that once she had finished treating her wounds and had returned back to the room, she had noticed that the coin box on the short cupboard at the bed was open. That coin box was shaped like a safety deposit box, and there were arcade coins inside which could be used as railgun bullets. Come out, you coward. Its despicable of you to use your own comrades as a shield. From the beginning till now, Mikoto hadnt moved one step. She just stood there, looked at the remains of the battlefield, and spoke in a contemptuous tone. Why say it in such a disgusting manner? This is what I call not letting my comrades sacrifice themselves without any meaning. The voice that replied to Mikoto was also rather still. Musujime Awaki. She was holding onto a white luggage bag with one hand, smiling, appearing at the third level formed by the steel pillars. There were several men who were electrocuted and unconscious, and these people were instantly teleported to her, blocking the electrical voltage. Her right hand continued to swing a military torchlight. Youre really na?ve. Do you think that you have beaten the Railgun just because you avoided 40 seconds of attack? Nope, Im not so na?ve, you know. You can level this place to dust if youre serious, but so what? Musujime secured the luggage bag on the steel structure and then sat on it. Come to think of it, youre rather impatient. Last time, you used to just play the role of a spy. Though you have immense power, you never used the power of the Railgun and violence to interfere with the experiment. Are you that afraid that the remnant would be rebuilt? Are you afraid that the Tree Diagram will be successfully rebuilt and working throughout the entire world? Are you afraid that a few facilities will restart the experiment? ...Shut your mouth up. You cant even back your claims. PAM! Mikoto let out some sparks from her fringe. Musujime was still sitting on the luggage bag, swinging the military torchlight around as if she was waving hello. (...) Shirai was standing inside the building, turning her head around and peeking outside, confirming again that the enemy that Mikoto was facing was Musujime. Though she didnt know what was going on, both of them looked like they were going to draw swords anytime. Shirai remembered what Musujime had said a while back, Didnt you know? To be used like this while not knowing anything...no way? Tokiwadais Railgun shouldnt be that sort of person. (Seems like...this isnt the first time that they met...) From the way both of them were speaking, it didnt seem like they were only meeting for the first time. Maybe they had been enemies for quite some time, and it was only now that Shirai met both of them together. (To face off against Onee-sama that long, and yet she isnt knocked out?) Though it was a face-off, it didnt seem like it was a direct conflict. With Musujimes personality, she would try and attack from a blind spot (Of course, Shirais knowledge on Musujimes personality was limited). But no matter what, to go against the Railgun and still stand unscathed, it was mystifying. Shirai was speculating over what action she should take. Her ability couldnt match Musujime, so she couldnt just rush into battle recklessly. No matter what, she couldnt let Mikoto get hurt because of her. Hoho, why do you care so much about the weak? Those things that you treated as your babies were originally created for the experiment, so whats wrong with them being destroyed according to the plan? Are you joking? Or do you really think that way? What am I joking about? Anyway, you are fighting for yourself regardless, so youre like me, huh? For your own benefit, using your own power to hurt others in your favorite way. Whats wrong with that? Not using the things that you have is a weird thing, isnt it? The woman who had used her companions as a shield and continued to laugh like nothing had happened said this in a mocking tone. Basically, everyone was using violence for their own benefit. Since both of them were of the same type, what did one side have that allowed her to rebuke another? Thats right. In contrast, Mikoto just slightly raised her jaw. Not just her fringe, her entire body was emitting blue and white sparks. I am mad. Im so mad that the blood vessels in my brain are going to explode. Thats right, Im angry that the remnants of the Tree Diagram were found, and some people are trying to steal it for selfish reasons, and the possibility that the experiment that everyone worked so hard to stop may be restarted. Im really angry about these, so angry that I want to sneak around and destroy all these groups thoroughly. Mikoto continued to glare at Musujime Awaki intently. However, Im more angry about something else. At this moment, Shirai was thinking of how she could avoid hindering Mikoto and assist her. But on hearing Mikotos words, Shirais thoughts were attracted. ...That idiot, she thought that I wouldnt discover it? Her names not in the returned registry, the rooms in a mess, the first-aid box is missing, the sound of someone moaning in agony from behind the bathroom...the conditions are so obvious, how can I miss them...? Shirai took a deep breath. She understood the reason why Mikoto was so angry. Getting my kouhais involved is the one thing thatll get me really agitated. That idiot didnt think of finding a doctor, and even when shes injured, she isnt willing to retreat, not caring about her own safety, and even saying those words thatll make me worried! How can I have such a stupid kouhai, this makes me really angry! Deep inside, Shirais heart trembled. Mikotos words would probably confuse Musujime. And Tokiwadais Railgun didnt know that Shirai was beside her. Then, who on earth was Mikoto trying to talk to? Mikoto hadnt told Shirai anything about this. She just wanted to stall by using a stupid reason like finding a little decoration. She used ambiguous words like the weather may turn bad several times to warn Shirai. She normally acted alone. The old Misaka Mikoto, and the current Misaka Mikoto standing here, what sort of beliefs did they have? Thats right! Im angry because of my selfishness! Im angry that this perfectly stupid kouhai, and the damned woman in front of me who hurt that kouhai, and myself, who got involved in this!! Mikoto roared in agony, the voice sounding as if someone had stabbed her in her own chest. Mikotos only wish was to prevent both sides from fighting because of the Tree Diagram. Since the trigger of this incident was that experiment, I have some responsibilities. If it wasnt for me, that stupid kouhai wouldnt be hurt, and YOU WOULDNT HAVE TO HURT THAT STUPID KOUHAI! IF SO, I HAVE THE DUTY AND RIGHT TO STOP YOU!! Shirai understood now. Why after Shirai and Musujime had their battle, that Mikoto would choose to settle the problem alone. Because she wasnt Shirais ally, nor was she Musujimes enemy. In order to prevent the people involved in this from taking action, Misaka Mikoto could only choose not to work with anyone. She could only settle this alone. She could only face this nightmare of hers. I want to settle all these. You people shouldnt have gotten involved because of my experiment. Dangling her leg and sitting on the luggage bag, Musujime Awaki laughed. Youre too kind. You didnt create these Calculations. You have no need to get into battle, you just need to stay put and be a victim. No, its our experiment that led you to the battlefield. No matter whether its an absolute esper development experiment, or an earlier esper development experiment, if this is the case, I wont sit around and do nothing. (An absolute esper development experiment? An earlier esper development experiment?) These two mysterious terms confused Shirai as if she was in some sort of white fog. However, Musujime understood what she was saying. Its not your experiment, but the experiment about the SISTERS and the strongest esper, right? Of course...those comrades of mine who were taken out have already told you the reason why Im involved in this battle. If so, youre an esper, and you understand...that I cant fail here. No matter who I sacrifice, no matter the means, I have to escape. Musujimes last words sounded very serious. Shirai hid behind the corner of the building, mentally calculating the largest movable distance that Musujime could do. Mikoto slightly narrowed her eyes and said, ...Can you really use that weak Level 4 ability of yours to escape my lightning strike? Oh my, the speed of lightning is as fast as light, so its true that I cant avoid it on sight, but so what? Once I see the signs and move quickly... Its not possible. Mikoto firmly interrupted her words. This isnt the first time Im fighting you. Im sure you know that your ability has a weakness. Though you can move several items, you cant move your own body. I can understand that. If for some reason, you accidentally teleported yourself into a dangerous area like the wall of a building or the middle of a road, everything would be over. For someone like you who would even sacrifice others to protect yourself, even if its the slightest hint of danger, you might exclude the thought, right? ... Why arent you saying anything? Did you think that I didnt discover it? You normally use your Move Point to teleport your companions bodies or various blockades in front of me to block my sight, yet you would escape on foot. No matter how slow I can be, I can tell that something isnt right. Mikoto coldly sighed. Also, the situation is already disadvantageous to you, so normally, you would be running away, right? Dont tell me you have some tricks that you havent used yet? Anyone can tell that you are at your wits end. Musujime Awaki calmly laughed. But anyone with good eyesight could tell that all the fingers on her hands were trembling unnaturally. Maybe the recorded incident in the library is one of the reasons, huh? You can teleport anyone or anything else, but you cant do the same thing to your own body with the same attitude, huh? For instance, when youre teleporting your own body, you would re-check your calculations several times over, causing a 2 to 3 seconds delay in your actions. Mikoto paused for a while, then continued, How many lightning strikes can I fire in 3 seconds? ...You can even check this sort of thing in the library catalogue? Dont make me repeat the same thing over again. Maybe the library isnt that clear, but I can guess it through your expression and your battle style. On hearing this, Musujime Awaki revealed a radiant smile. She stood on the steel structure with both feet, her body leaving the luggage bag that she was sitting on, gracefully standing up. The front of the military torchlight that she was waving slightly was now fixated on a point. But... DTeleporting something else beside my own body wont make me hesitate one bit. After saying this, about ten bodies appeared before Musujime. These were all people who could be rendered unconscious by Mikotos attack. There were adults and children. There were people from inside Academy City and outside. The ten bodies formed a human shield. However... That shield is full of holes! Mikotos fringe let loose those sparks without mercy. The human body wasnt flat like a metal plate, so no matter how they were packed up, there would be holes between them. Mikotos electricity could accurately pass through those holes. A shot of 100 million high power voltages. Just as the electricity was about to shoot out from Mikotos fringe, Musujime, who was standing on the other side of the shield, laughed and said, Guess! Her tone was unusually cheerful. Among these people, how many of them are ordinary citizens who are completely unrelated to us? What? Mikoto panicked and hurriedly held back her power. Mikoto hesitated and didnt fire, 3 seconds passed. After that, Musujime Awaki disappeared together with the luggage bag. The people who were floating in mid-air collapsed onto the ground, and every one of them was unconscious. They were all the people that Mikoto had taken down. Musujime hadnt used a single ordinary citizen as a shield. Cheh! Mikotos jaw dropped as she frantically looked around. As one might expect, Musujime hadnt teleported to a place she could see. As it was point-to-point movement, there were no traceable paths. This was the toughest thing about a teleporter. In an instant, Shirai saw Mikotos expression. Mikoto most probably didnt expect anyone to be looking at her. If not, she wouldnt be looking so distraught that she was about to cry. Shirai Kuroko was hiding behind the building, leaning her back against the wall, staring at the empty front. (Its my turn now, Onee-sama.) As a fellow teleporter, Shirai knew where she could teleport to avoid Misaka Mikotos attack. At the same time... Shirai knew that, after escaping the Railguns attack, the enemy would be extremely happy and relaxed. (Sorry, Onee-sama. After your stupid kouhai heard your words, though I know how worried you are, my will to fight on to the bitter end hasnt wavered one bit.) To be able to teleport around freely, a person able to ignore the roads and the thickness of the walls. Only a person with similar abilities could catch her. Got to go, Shirai Kuroko. In order to survive, you have to go to the deepest part of the battlefield. She took the Judgement armband and wrapped it around the sleeve of her uniform. The next second, after reaffirming her mission, she vanished into thin air. Between the lines 3 DGot to hurry. Inside the pitch black room, a girl leapt up from her bed. DGot to hurry, Misaka continues to remind herself of this situation of high priority. She looked like Misaka Mikoto, but was somewhat different. She was a clone created from Mikotos genes, serial number 10032, known as Misaka Imouto. Basically, her power was to control electricity, and could use electricity to telepathise with people of similar wavelengths. After a certain incident, she had been sent to a hospital to rehabilitate her body, and most of the other Sisters had been sent to organisations outside Academy City. There were only a few of these imoutos who had stayed in Academy City with her. Right now, the information that the other Sisters were sending, together with the conclusion of the governing serial number 20001 Last Order, made Misaka Imouto very worried. The Sisters all over the world had gathered several fragments of information. Now, with the information assembled, a startling truth was discovered. (It needs confirmation, Misaka 10032 searches through the network and settles these memories of information in the best way possible.) Misaka Imouto looked around before grabbing her special goggles with her right hand. (Right now, 8 countries in the world and 19 organisations have fired space shuttles into the air to get the remains of the orbiting Tree Diagram, is this information accurate?, Misaka 10032 asks a question to an unspecified number of people.) If this information was true, it could be seen how many people wanted the Tree Diagram to be repaired. A race had already started for the remnant of the Tree Diagram, an essential item. Once the worlds most powerful supercomputer was repaired, the experiment may be restarted. Before, a certain boy and a certain girl had risked their lives to stop that experiment. (The same thing is happening in Sevilla [1], Misaka 10854 gives an affirmative reply.) (They have confirmed plans to launch in Schleswig [2], Misaka 18770 reports.) (Its said that Novosibirsk[3] has already obtained parts of it, Misaka 19999 also reports.) (Also from Novosibirsk, according to reports, they are trying to get and repair the essential core, the calculator, thats in Academy City. If there is no core, they cant repair the Tree Diagram, Misaka 20000 adds.) Misaka Imouto extended her legs and touched the ground. Several noises, emotions and images appeared in her head. These were all the voices of the Sisters that had been sent to friendly organisations all over the world. They could use the network caused by linked telepathy to get information from 9,969 places. (Right now, only Academy City has the remnant that can be used to repair the Tree Diagram, Misaka 10044 concludes.) (The fragments that the other organisations got and the ones orbiting around are useless, so Academy City ignored them, Misaka 14002 infers.) (Cape Kennedy [4] is thinking of the same thing, and now planning to send people to invade into Academy City to steal the remnant, Misaka 18820 reports.) (The group planning this operation seems to be called a Science AssociationAsociacion de cienia, says Misaka as Misaka adds on. Ah, at this moment, should I call myself Misaka 20001?, asks Misaka as Misaka tilts her head in confusion.) Misaka Imouto couldnt help but grit her teeth on hearing the numerous feedback and suggestions. All the reports were pointing to a terrifying truth. She confirmed the same report over and over again; actually, she was hoping, no matter how small the chance may be, that it was just a misunderstanding. However, she herself didnt notice this. Though its past the allowed time, its not time to worry about this, Misaka uses an emergency excuse to assure herself. Misaka Imouto herself wasnt wearing any pajamas or even a shirt, she was just wearing a surgical coat. She unhooked the buttons in front of her chest, revealing the white skin that didnt have any underwear covering it. The coat slipped and landed on the floor. The scene was like a girl removing her bathrobe in front of her lover. After that, she grabbed a towel and wiped her sweat away. The towel felt a bit hot as compared to normal, and it was because she was not feeling well, her body was a bit feverish, and even her skin was a bit reddish. She quickly put on her underwear, reached back with both hands to hook her bra, buttoned up the buttons of her white short-sleeved shirt, pulled up the zipper on the side of her skirt, and stuffed her head and hands into the thin woolen summer jacket. After that, she put on her goggles, her shoes, hastily picked up the surgical coat, folded it, put it on the bed, and did the minimal warm-up exercises. She looked at the door, shook her head, walked to the window, opened the window frame and pushed it open. She lowered her head and looked down. It was the second level. However, Misaka Imouto didnt care. (Anyway, settling the remnant inside Academy City remains top priority, Misaka 10032 concludes. Thats right, no matter what, Misaka has to prevent the reparation of Tree Diagram, as Misaka thinks of the boy and the girl again. Misaka doesnt want to see their sad faces.) Though Misaka Imouto decided it, her icy face was indicative of her helplessness. The boy who had went out to the train yard in the middle of the night to save Misaka Imouto, who had been on the brink of death. The boy had ignored the threats of the strongest esper in Academy City and had said those words to Misaka Imouto. Misaka Imouto still remembered them, clearly. Misaka Imouto shook her head that was becoming blurry due to her fever, dragging her thoughts back to reality. Right now, every minute, every second, the situation was changing. Though the Sisters were on the sidelines, they could roughly understand the whole situation by gathering intelligence from all over the world. She knew the situation clearly. But Misaka Imouto and her sisters were helpless. DRight now, including Misaka Imouto, the number of Sisters in Academy City was less than 10. And most of the Sisters were affected by the side effects of excessive gene manipulation and aging acceleration, and were currently undergoing treatment, so they couldnt handle this emergency, let alone battle. But Misaka Imouto knew. She knew the name of the person who had helped her when her life was threatened. The boy who had come alone to the train yard in the middle of the night, who had used only his bare fist to beat the strongest esper in Academy City. The boy who, no matter how many times he was beaten down, no matter what kind of attack he took, would always grit his teeth and stand back up. At this moment, the first thing that Misaka Imouto thought of was that boys face. The expression of the boys face that showed that he would never give up. Of course, Misaka Imouto would really like to not get him involved. However, Misaka Imouto couldnt find any other source of aid. Misaka Imouto felt that she was useless. To be unable to settle the problem with her own power, Misaka Imouto nibbled her lips unhappily. To let other people bear the problem that she herself couldnt handle made Misaka Imouto even more uncomfortable. But she hadnt realised it. They hadnt realised it. Right now, the frustration to them a while back was just an unnecessary thing. And this frustration was the best proof of their ability to think for others. The Sisters knew the location of that dormitory. Misaka Imouto had helped to bring the drinks back to the dormitory. And right now, she was the closest one of all the Sisters to the dormitory. Though serial number 20001, Last Order was in the same hospital herself, the development of her own body wasnt complete, so her physical capability was limited. Misaka Imouto opened the window, and after that, stepped onto the ledge of the window. (Now doing the final confirmation, Misaka 10032 announces. All the Sisters in Academy City are to follow 11118s plan and assist in retrieving the Remnant.) (10032, the damage in your body is greater than the others; maybe you should take your treatment, Misaka 10774 suggests worriedly.) As these words entered her brain, Misaka Imoutos body trembled slightly. The Sisters were originally clones with a shorter lifespan. And to help them grow through puberty in this stage, they had done a lot of things, so the Sisters had to be treated to allow their bodies to regain balance. Of all the Sisters, this Misaka Imoutos situation was the worst off. While the experiment was being conducted, Misaka Imouto had been continually attacked by Accelerator, thus she was now a lot weaker than the other SISTERS. Right now, she could only walk about in the hospital. Even the Heaven Canceller had already forbidden her from doing any combat activity. Her body was still hot. She couldnt maintain her balance; it was like she was on soft ground. But this was nothing. Once she exceeded a certain level of activity, the heat in her body would shoot up, causing Misaka Imouto to spit out blood and fall unconscious. (It''s no problem, Misaka 10032 replies.) Even so, Misaka Imouto made this decision. She looked out at the darkness beyond the window, her eyes not wavering. (Whats so worrying about this level of damage?, Misaka 10032 retorts. Before fulfilling the promise with that boy, Misaka must not stop, Misaka 10032 says firmly.) Her words made the information travelling around the network become silent for a few seconds. After that, a large amount of information moved in like waves. (Understood, well let you handle it, Misaka 14458 nods in agreement.) (Well leave it to you, Misaka 19002 agrees.) (Misaka would also like to thank you, says Misaka as Misaka requests. Though Misaka also wants to do something, says Misaka as Misaka cant stand being here. Also, that person hasnt come back yet after leaving, says Misaka as Misaka shakes her hands and feet while grumbling.) Misaka Imouto frowned slightly. She then replied, (Misaka 20001, your role in 11118s plan is to remain behind and process the information and network, Misaka 10032 warns. Also, whos that person youre talking about?... Misaka 20001? Answer me, Misaka 20001, Misaka 10032 asks and yet cant expect to get a reply.) After serial number 20001 Last Order finished saying what she wanted to say, she cut off the line, refusing to answer Misaka Imoutos calls. Misaka Imouto gathered, this is bad. The reason Last Order existed was to give an emergency shutdown signal when the Sisters lost control, thus she was ranked higher than an ordinary Sister.) (Anyway, Misaka is going to take action, as Misaka 10032 cuts the telepathic link.) Misaka Imouto jumped out from the window, completely ignoring the fact that her underwear was exposed. The Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform danced in the night wind. The moment she landed, Misaka Imouto bent her knees to absorb the impact. Before, in order to increase her fighting capability, the process of absorbing recoil when sniping a tank had been introduced into her head, thus absorbing the impact after jumping down from the second level was nothing to her. Of course, if it was unexpected, like sudden damage in battle, she wouldnt be able to absorb it because she couldnt anticipate it. Misaka Imouto used all her strength to run out of the hospital. She jumped over the wall, onto the pavement, and advanced down the maze-like streets. While she ran, Misaka Imouto continued to sweat. If it was a very emotional person, that person would have felt that the sweat was rather uncomfortable. The frog-faced doctor had only treated her halfway, and because she had battled with Accelerator before, her body was a lot weaker than the other Sisters. However, Misaka Imouto continued to run forward. If the information from serial number 20001 Last Order was correct, then the remnant may have been retrieved, the Tree Diagram may be under repair or even mass produced, which could result in the experiment being restarted. This situation would likely endanger the lives of the remaining 10,000 Sisters. Danger and...the safety of her life. Misaka Imouto had learnt how to view her body like this, saying as she continued to run, Misaka has a reason to not die so easily, Misaka concludes. Basically, Misaka doesnt want to die in a worthless way, Misaka clearly says. That was right, because she had made a promise with a certain boy. Once her body was treated, she wanted to walk on the streets like it was a normal day. It was a promise that made her feel good. If she couldnt fulfill that, she would be very disappointed. Misaka Imouto dashed from the lane to the road and into another lane. Kicking rubbish bins over, scaring stray cats away. Misaka Imouto narrowed her eyes, wanting to stop and apologize to the cats, but she dared not waste time. When something happened, Misaka Imouto knew that there was someone who could help. She was not basing it on theory, but experience. So Misaka Imouto wanted to pass the danger that she was experiencing to that boy. But... Misaka Imouto muttered. Once she asked that boy, it was the equivalent to bringing that boy back into the battlefield. However, Misaka Imouto thought differently; if she wanted to avoid bringing trouble and not tell him anything, once the boy knew that the experiment continued, he would still rush in head on without hesitation. That was right. Misaka Imouto was rather confident about this. That boy would appear. Once the experiment continued, the Sisters would be killed one by one according to plan. The boy would definitely clench his fist and rush into battle without caring for his own life. Since hell be involved in this, might as well explain the situation to him clearly before things go bad. Maybe it might reduce the pain that he feels, Misaka concludes. Of course, Misaka really hopes that Misakas own problem wont trouble others, but Misaka cant help it, Misaka feels frustrated as she continues to run. From the alley to the road, her soles rubbed against the ground as she did a quick turn, passing through the crowds, and sprinting even faster. Suddenly *POW!* Misaka Imouto felt a sharp pain from her temples. (...!) Suddenly, Misaka Imouto felt the world swirling around her. It was the interference caused by the electrical flow of the neural signals of the Sisters being jammed together. This occurrence was rather rare, as Misaka Imouto sent out a warning signal regarding her abnormal status, and pulled the goggles on her forehead down, concentrating, and trying to find the reason. (This is an electronic interference caused by extremely powerful electricity... only Onee-samaThe Original...should be able to release such large voltage, Misaka makes an unconfirmed guess. The location should be within a 500 metres radius...) Such high power voltage couldnt possibly be used other than for combat. Though Misaka Imouto seemed rather worried, she still decided to head to the dormitory first. She put the goggles back up and continued to sprint. Not long after, Misaka Imouto arrived at the entrance of the dormitory. She rushed into the elevator, pressed the 7th level button, and the elevator gradually moved upwards. She was compiling and editing the information that she would be giving the boy. Anyway, it was a fight for every second; she had to tell the boy the most accurate information and the seriousness of the situation in the shortest time possible. Misaka Imouto pondered, to run down at this time, would he be happy? She really wanted to confirm the time now, but she had no watch, so she could only send a signal through the network to ask all the Sisters around the world what time it was before compiling and calculating the time in Japan. An electronic sound rang from the elevator. The elevator door swayed open, and Misaka Imouto dashed out again. Though there was an entire row of similar doors, only the door which had a seemingly new handle for some reason was her real destination. Misaka Imouto quickly stopped in front of the door, politely pressed the doorbell, and without waiting for a reply, opened the door. Unexpectedly, the door wasnt locked. Maybe to the person living there, it wasnt rude to come over at this time, Misaka Imouto randomly made this conclusion and opened the door. She saw Kamijou Touma. And she saw the girl called Index. Both of them were wearing pajamas. For some reason, the girl was on the boys head, biting on his head. The calico cat noticed the killer look on the girls face, and maybe its animal instincts caused it to hide in the corner. They were all stunned by the sudden opening of the door, and at the same time, turned to Misaka Imouto, who was at the door. Misaka Imouto was thinking. How could she quickly let this person understand the seriousness of the situation in a single sentence? Misaka Imouto gave up on theory and took action based on her previous experience. She said, Theres something Misaka wants you to do, Misaka says whats in her heart while looking at your face. To be able to say this, it shows that she herself has really changed, Misaka Imouto concluded. Please save Misaka and Misakas Sisters, Misaka lowers her head to you sincerely. The boy didnt ask anything. He just prompted her to carry on. References 1. A southwest city in Spain. 2. A northern duchy in Germany. 3. A Russian City. 4. A space base in Nevada, U.S.A. Volume 8, 4: The Judger. Break_or_Crash? Volume 8, Chapter 4: The Judger. Break_or_Crash? Part 1 Musujime Awaki looks down at Misaka Mikoto, who was still looking for her. She was standing at the window, with a white luggage bag beside her. Right now, she was located in a building, on the fourth level, a pizza shop. However, it wasnt an express pizza shop that did deliveries, but well-made ones. The cheapest one was worth more than 3,000 yen, so most Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers wouldnt be able to afford it, and the main customers were, of course, university students and teaching staff members. Maybe because of this, even though it was past 9 PM, the restaurant continued to be operational. Clean tablecloths were placed on the tables of the high class restaurant. Inside the shop, there was an audio playing light French music that so nicely broke the silence, but didnt prevent the customers from having their own conversations. Half of the tables inside the restaurant were empty, but the signboard indicating that they were full was hung on the door. Keeping a suitable number of empty seats was also an important part in creating a restaurant atmosphere. The customers inside the shop had seen the Move Point teleporter Musujime appear out of nowhere, but they werent really panicking. Maybe in this city, everyone was used to this sort of thing. There was no commotion caused inside the shop, and to Musujime, that was what she wanted. She continued to stare outside the window at Mikoto, who looked around and then dashed into an alley. (Phew...) At that moment, Musujime finally heaved a sigh of relief. When facing off against the Ace of Tokiwadai, it was meaningless to pull back in a straight line. Though the Railgun would dissipate after a certain distance due to air resistance, a lightning strike could hit any corner instantly. DIt was alright no matter how far it was, the main thing was to enter Mikotos blind spot. DAnd in that blind spot, she had to confirm that Mikoto had lost her. Based on this most important rule, Musujime chose a higher location. After she hid there and waited for Mikoto to leave, she could slowly make her escape. (Ugh...!) Once her heart relaxed, the strong sense of wanting to puke suddenly arose. The large amount of acid made Musujimes throat feel like it was burning. She barely managed to keep the contents of her stomach back, making it look like everything was normal. The palm holding the military torchlight, was covered with disgusting sweat. Musujime Awaki had been involved in an accident because she lost control of her Move Point ability. Ever since then, she would feel a strong sense of nervousness and fear, creating a huge burden on her body. Thus, Musujime was trying her best not to move her own body. (Damn it, why must I always get in this sort of situation, this is truly unfortunate.) Actually, following the orders of that man to send people inside the windowless building was also a rather irritating thing to do. In order to prevent failure, she had to teleport herself with the guest through Move Point instead of teleporting the guest alone. This was the most troublesome part about this job. Not only that, the list of VIPs included low-class people like a blonde high school student that wore sunglasses and a red-haired priest. Musujime would rather endure this discomfort because of the benefits that this job brought. Musujime placed the luggage bag horizontally and sat on it. Then, she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She would always feel nervous when she teleported into an unknown area inside a building. She would be roasted if she teleports into an oven, and she would fall heavily if she teleports over to mid air. Though the possibility was low, even if it was one in ten thousand, it was terrifying to her. Musujime thought, it was lucky that Mikoto had completely lost her now. Any ordinary person would run down the alley to search, so she just had to remain inside the buildings and move around to avoid being seen by Misaka Mikoto. Her maximum teleportation distance was 800 metres, but she didnt have enough confidence to continue teleporting. Once she teleported more than 4 times, the contents of her stomach would very likely be vomited out, and she would go crazy, to such an extent that she wouldnt be able to use her powers. As for maintaining her mental state, it was best if she could use the Move Point once or twice to avoid the enemys attack, and then use her two feet to move away on the ground. Just as Musujime was thinking of her escape plan... Dong! A high class corkscrew opener pierced Musujime Awakis right shoulder. Ah...? A familiar opener. Wasnt it the thing that she had teleported into that Judgement member? Before Musujime even understood what it meant, a familiar voice came from behind her. Ill return this thing back to you, using such a classless thing, youll only be looked down upon. Oh yeah, and these things. After she said that, the sounds of collisions could be heard. It sounded like needles had pierced bags full of mud. The needles pierced her flank, thigh, and shin, these familiar areas. The burning sensation of pain emitted from the entire body to the brain, exploding there. Ah...ack... Musujime Awaki turned away from outside the window to inside the shop. The customers in the shop were all stunned, revealing a look showing that they didnt know what to do. All except for one. A girl sitting elegantly on a table, her face looking extremely proud. The high class atmosphere inside the shop had become her biggest reason for defeat. Because just as when Musujime had appeared, there was no commotion when Shirai had appeared. No need to panic, I avoided your vitals...this isnt hard, I just aimed at where I was hurt. Ah, yes. Shirai pretended to search her skirt pockets. Musujime started to feel nervous, but Shirai didnt pull out a weapon. Instead she drew out a blood clotting paste from Judgements own first-aid box. With a flick off Shirais finger, the tube of paste landed beside Musujime. After that, the girl with twin pigtails revealed an evil smile. Go ahead, take it and rub it on your wounds. Take off your clothes, your underwear, and prone on the floor pitifully as you rub it on your wounds. It wouldnt be fair if you havent done that! Maybe they suddenly sensed the hostility, or maybe they didnt want to listen to such ugly words, the customers and the staff members finally took action and ran towards the door frantically. The high-class atmosphere was gone in an instant, tables and chairs knocked around all over the place. After the sounds of hurried footsteps and chaos became silent, the shop was empty. There were just two people, both glaring at each other. The distance between them was about 10 metres. No matter whether it was instant teleportation or Move Point, the range was more than enough. In other words, the distance was no longer significant. The soft air-conditioning and the graceful light French music was now abnormally clear to the human ear. Shirai had been sitting on the table all this time. But it wasnt because she knew that she had won, but rather because her body was unable to stand her injuries. However, Musujime was now the same. Both of them had been hit with the same weapons in the same regions. So she could imagine how severe the enemys injuries were by looking at her own injuries. ...Youre good...however...I dont hate the way youre taking revenge. Musujime sat on the luggage bag that was beside the window. Even if she was covered with wounds, she wanted to show that nothing was wrong. Maybe she was trying to bluff, or maybe it was her pride. For both sides, it was hard for them to even move. However, they had another way to move. This is really bad. Shirai said mockingly. With this commotion, Onee-sama, whos so smart, cool and active, will immediately run over here. !! Based on your personality, if theres a winnable opponent, you wont run away shamefully with your tail behind your back, huh? To cause so many meaningless wounds on your enemy, and leave with a sense of superiority, isnt that your favorite trick? Like the time when you faced off against me. Thinking back, during the battle at the construction yard, Musujime hadnt fired a single attack at Mikoto, only defending herself without even trying to counterattack. This was the biggest proof that Musujime felt that she couldnt beat Mikoto. In other words, once Mikoto arrived, Musujime would definitely be defeated. To Shirai, who was severely injured, there was no need for her to try and beat Musujime. She just needed to delay and wait for Mikoto to arrive for this second victory. Humph, I guess that you overestimated the Ace of Tokiwadai. Even the Railgun isnt invincible. If shes to face say, the strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City, shell be dead. However, with our powers, can we even reach Level 5? Shirai Kuroko mocked. It was a sentence that lowered her pride, yet she was saying it so proudly. She was not hiding her reverence for Misaka Mikoto. Musujime turned pale, her jaw dropped. (Dont tell me she created this commotion for this purpose...? Not only did she launch a sneak attack on me, she wants to bring the Railgun over to increase her chances of winning...?) Musujimes brain was moving quickly. If so, the condition for her to win wasnt to beat the Judgement member in front of her, but whether the Railgun arrived. In other words, she didnt need to care about wasting time with Shirai Kuroko, and should hurry up and leave using Move Point. Forget about it. Shirais words interrupted Musujimes thoughts. You cant escape. Havent you noticed? Our conditions are similar. In this condition, being injured, in this sort of place, with this kind of power, and to be chased by Onee-sama...as one with a similar power, cant I guess where youre going to run? !?...Youre...good...!? Musujime Awaki was surprised, unable to say another word. Shirai just stared at her, revealing a thin smile. If you think Im only bluffing, I advise you to get rid of that na?ve thinking. The knowledge I got from the library, and the experience I got when I fought you, and as an esper with similar powers, our thinking would be similar...all this evidence can back my instincts. At that moment, Musujime finally realised it. The meaning behind all the actions that Shirai had done. (She made those similar wounds with the corkscrew and the needles to allow herself to be on equal footing with me, and decrease the difference between us in order to predict my movements even more accurately!) Similar abilities, similar wounds, similar thinking...Shirai had done this to try and guess what Musujime Awaki would do next. She couldnt look down on this girl, Musujime grit her teeth as she thought. Even if she was to run away using Move Point, she would catch up. If so, even if she ran to the other end of the Earth, she wouldnt feel safe. Every time Musujime teleported, it felt like her stomach was flipped around, it felt unbearable. If the Move Point that she desperately used every time was to be solved by this girl, it would be a painful thing. Besides, she could only teleport herself consecutively for three to four times, so she couldnt waste it. If so... Thats right, you have only one winning condition, and that is to beat me before Onee-sama arrives. Shirai Kuroko casually remarked, However, there are two conditions for me to win. The first is for me to beat you, the second is when Onee-sama arrives...whoever has the advantage, I guess theres no need for me to spell it out, is there? Shirai clearly announced that she was in an advantageous situation, shocking Musujime. The number of options she had was becoming even more limited now. Musujime trembled in fear...however, she slowly shook her head. No. Musujime realised it. The Judgement member in front of her didnt want to get the Railgun involved at all. If she had wanted to get the Railgun involved, why hadnt she brought her along in the first place? Musujime smiled slightly. After figuring out one thing, the ideas started to flow in. Maybe this was a flaw of Shirais intention for both of them to be in similar conditions, as Musujime saw through Shirais thoughts. Her consciousness was becoming clearer. Musujime regained her cool. ...Such a wonderful coincidence. For you to give up on winning twice. The first time is when you didnt bring the Railgun here, and secondly, the sneak attack. You didnt care about winning or losing, since you could have killed me if you pierced my brain or heart. If you did this only to compliment that Railguns na?ve fantasy, then its really pitiful. Before she could even rebut, Shirais body was already trembling slightly. Musujime understood what was going on. It was because she had the same wounds. Both of them were too injured, especially Shirai, who had searched for Musujime for several hours. Though the wounds had stopped bleeding, her lost strength was hard to recover, so Shirais condition was worse off than Musujime. Comparing Musujime, who was just injured, to Shirai, who had been injured and yet ran around all over the place, the amount of strength each had was completely different. So Musujime laughed. She was laughing at the advantage that she had, and the stupidity of the enemy. So pitiful. You could have used the second-best way to settle this problem, yet you still insist on using the best way. Is your life worth risking to protect that world? Musujime Awaki sat on the luggage bag and said, That na?ve fantasy world that the Railgun is thinking about? On hearing that, Shirai Kuroko glared at Musujime Awaki. Shirais eyes were filled with strong determination. She could only sit on the table, her body was unable to move, and the trembling in her weak wrists that were failing, these would convinced Musujime even more that Shirai was in a disadvantageous situation, but Shirai didnt care. She didnt even bother bluffing, instead glaring straight at the enemy in front. In this ridiculous and laughable confrontation, Shirai replied without hesitation, ...Its worth it. Shirai felt that it was worth using her limited amount of strength to answer this question. Of course its worth it, isnt that nonsense? Even though Onee-sama is na?ve and stubborn, and she doesnt consider our difficulties, Onee-sama really wishes to create a world where you and I dont have to do this sort of thing. Shes really na?ve, isnt she? Onee-sama really intends to catch us and lecture us in the name of justice and let this case close. Even in this situation, she really intends to help us. Not just me, but also you. Shirai Kuroko laughed. A laugh that was pure, without a hint of irony. Even when facing this situation, Onee-sama really wishes that everyone wont argue and will give up on killing each other. She doesnt approve of what I did; she could have killed you in 5 seconds...but she chose not to. Shes still looking for that perfect ending. She could have settled everything with the flip of a coin...but she chose not to kill, which is why she got herself tired. ... DO YOU THINK THAT I, SHIRAI KUROKO, HAVE THE HEART TO DESTROY THIS NA?VE AND CHILDISH WISH? TO SNEAK UP AND STICK A METAL NEEDLE IN YOUR BRAIN, AND SETTLE THIS WITH DEATH AND BLOOD? TO TRAMPLE ON OTHER PEOPLES EFFORTS IN ORDER TO PROTECT MY OWN LIFE!? Shirai roared and slowly got off the table. Her legs were trembling, yet they were filled with strength. It was like they were forecasting that the main event was up next. In order to fulfill her wish and show that I agree with her, I WILL BRING YOU BACK TO THIS NORMAL WORLD! If so, I suppose I win if I reject your goodwill, right? Musujime Awaki said as she sat on the luggage bag. An attitude that showed that she was not going to fool around. Part 2 Shirai thought, basically, the condition now is extremely simple. Both Shirai and Musujime were injured rather badly. Even if they stopped the bleeding, they couldnt possibly recover their strength so quickly. Should she attack the enemy first? Even if it was just a gentle push, it could potentially end the battle. (If we seriously battle...I think I can only last for 10 seconds.) Even if she didnt get hit, she would reopen her wounds if she moved her limbs with all her might. Especially now that Shirai didn''t have much strength left. Once she lost any more blood, she would immediately lose consciousness. Musujimes power was terrifying. If it wasnt for the limitation that a teleporter couldnt move someone else with a similar power, she could have slammed Shirai into a wall or the floor. Shirai and Musujime glared at each other. There was a 10 metres distance between them. A loud noise could be heard outside. A part of the steel tower that Mikoto had attacked collapsed, making a large impact sounding like a bell ringing. The sound signaled the start of the battle. Shirai raised her fist and quickly slammed it onto the table that she was sitting on. The skin on her palm cracked, and the surface of the table broke into pieces. Shirai grabbed a sharp fragment and prepared to teleport it. A teleport attack could tear anything apart from within, so it could be considered a sure kill technique. Also, as it was a point-to-point attack, anything that was in a direct line couldnt block it. At that moment, Musujime used her Move Point. She swung her military torchlight, wanting to stuff a silver tray inside Shirais body. Though it was an ordinary tray, the Move Point could easily pass through a human body. Once it hit, death was inevitable. However, Shirai was faster by a bit. She sidestepped. The silver tray appeared in mid air like a guillotine, falling onto the ground. Though Musujimes power was great, maybe she needed a sense of rhythm, as she had a habit of swinging the military torchlight first. It was hard to grab a chance to counterattack and not cause a lose-lose situation, but it was not so hard if it was just dodging. Cheh! Musujime inadvertently frowned. She swung the military torchlight around in a circle, and 5C6 tables beside her vanished into thin air before appearing before Musujime. These tables were packed together, forming a huge shield which blocked Musujimes body. (A mistake in sending...? No! its a shield to block my sight...!) Shirai had already experienced this before. As teleportation was also a point-to-point attack, as long as one slightly deviated from the original position, the person could dodge it. In order to make Shirai think that she had already teleported away, Musujime purposely created a wall. (If so...) Shirai used her teleport. She grabbed a fragment of the plate, and teleported it together with her own body. After appearing on the other side of the restaurant table shields, Shirai raised the fragment again. (...Then Ill use myself to guess the location!) Since her vision was blocked by the obstacles in front, she just needed to get to the other side of the obstacles. She wouldnt miss if she could clearly sees where Musujime was standing before she teleported the fragment. This was because Musujime Awaki was unable to teleport her own body instantly. Shirai hoped to use the sharp fragment to aim at the enemy and get the victory. Shua! Shirai Kuroko heard the sound of air being ripped. Musujime was standing one step in front of Shirai, but she was holding the heavy luggage bag with both hands, using all the strength in her hips to smack the luggage bag at Shirais face. As she was holding the luggage bag with both hands, she had the military torchlight between her teeth. From Musujimes expression, it seemed that she hadnt really predicted Shirais method of attack. (From that comfortable expression, she seems to be relieved that she was prepared for that attack. Its really working, huh...!) The hard side of the luggage bag came swinging at Shirais face, so Shirai quickly teleported the sharp fragment and cut the n shaped handle of the luggage bag. The luggage bag went flying in a completely wrong direction. Musujime, who was only holding onto the handle, revealed a surprised look. (Now...heres the chance...!!) Shirai infused all her strength into her injured right hand and clenched her tiny fist. The distance was so close. Instead of doing the calculations and using her ability, she might as well send a punch. However, Musujime, who was biting on her military torchlight, moved backwards slightly. !! Shirai panicked. Musujime''s unexpected movement of made Shirai unable to counter with her ability. She moved back by one step. At that moment, everything in front turned white. That was the colour of the luggage bag. After her brain processed what was going on, Shirai couldnt help but feel that her back had gone numb. What had happened was that the luggage bag that flew out of Musujime hands had been teleported by Musujime using the Move Point in front of Shirais eyes. The bag hadnt decreased in speed as it flew, but the path got adjusted, which caused it to fly towards Shirais face. If Shirai hadnt taken a step back just now, her head would have been blown off by the luggage bag that had appeared out of nowhere. However, even though she dodged the fatal blow, she was going to be hit by the heavy luggage bag. It was too late for her even if she wanted to react. BAM! The luggage bag slammed hard into Shirais face, and the huge impact sent Shirai flying backward. Shirai was unable to maintain her balance. Her skin retracted during the process. It seemed that some hot liquid gushed out from the wounds on her shoulder and her flank, and her fist that had been clenched tightly was released. Shirai tried her best to stand upright, but her feet still left the ground. Just as she was about to be knocked down, Shirai teleported again. Shirais body vanished. She maintained this falling position and appeared behind Musujime, facing her back with her own back. The momentum of the fall hadnt decreased. Shirai extended her elbow backwards and landed directly on Musujimes back. Being hit like this, Musujime fell forward into the tables that were stacked up. Before Shirai could confirm that Musujime had fallen, she landed on the ground. The impact from the fall caused her wounds to reopen. (Gack...ah...!) In order to give the final blow, Shirai squeezed out all her remaining strength and grabbed an item beside her. It was the handle that had been cut off the luggage bag. Shirais teleport attack could be used on any item, not just a sharp one. (Itsmy win!) Shirai cried out in her heart as she aimed at the enemy. She calculated and tried to move the handle in her hand over. (...!?) However, her ability couldnt activate. The handle in her hand didnt move at all. The sharp pain and strong anxiety robbed her of her concentration, causing her to be unable to use her ability. Oh no!! This predicament made Shirai even more anxious. She carried her last ounce of hope and looked at Musujime Awaki, hoping that she would be in similar pain and unable to use her ability. Shirai heard a light shua! sound. The stack of tables around Musujime had disappeared. After that, in a manner similar to that of eating a kebab, she pulled out the military torchlight that she was biting. Shirai sensed a chill. She quickly rolled on floor, wanting to get away. But the tables were above her, and they then fell due to gravity. ...! Shirai got onto the floor, covering the back of her head with both hands. The heavy attack landed on her like a blunt weapon, increasing the depth of her wounds. She was hurting so badly that she wanted to roll on the floor, but the large number of tables left her unable to move away. In this narrow vision, she could only see Musujime, who was on the floor, kick the floor and move her body to prevent being hit by the falling table. The needles in her limbs tore Musujimes wounds wide open, hurting her so badly that she cried out in pain. However, she immediately used Move Point to teleport the luggage bag that didnt have a handle beside her, and leaned on it, looking at Shirai. Musujime pointed at the chairs nearby with the military torchlight. The movement was extremely slow. Shirai-san, youll lose your life if you dont dodge this. Musujime gave a mocking smile as she slid the front tip of the military torchlight from the back of the chair to Shirai. The circular front side of the military torchlight stopped in front of Shirai. !! Shirai inadvertently turned pale, but she still couldnt use her instant teleportation. Shirai couldnt help but tremble, however, the chairs teleported by Move Point landed beside her. The large number of tables stacked on Shirai were pushed by the chairs, causing them to collapse, like a pyramid of poker cards. However, only the shape had changed, the fact that Shirai was being pinned down hadnt changed. Oh, you still cant escape even in this condition? Seems like you cant do your teleportation calculations. Musujimes face had no more sign of nervousness. She laughed. The fresh blood seeped through from the wounds, dying Musujime Awakis face red, but she still laughed. Shirai-san, oh Shirai-san. Do you know? You can hear a lot of things if youre beside that person. One of them, hm...I wonder if youve heard of it before? Musujime said as if she was humming to a tune. After confirming the locations of the needles and the corkscrew, she breathed heavily and swung the military torchlight around. All the strange items disappeared and then appeared before her. Under the influence of gravity, the metal needles and the corkscrew dropped to the floor, making a sharp sound. In the beginning, there was a group full of powerful espers. To Musujime, treating these wounds that were causing her pain seemed to be more important than maintaining her distance from Shirai. She looked around for tools to treat her wounds. The tube of blood-clotting paste that Shirai had thrown was beside her feet, but maybe to maintain her pride, she kicked it far away. (She wants to...treat her wounds here? To do this without any worry in front of me? Whats she planning? Onee-sama could be here any minute...) Shirais heart was filled with suspicion, but Musujime still maintained a leisurely look. The wounds, with the needles removed, were oozing blood. But the smile on Musujimes face didnt disappear, the look made it terrifying. But there were very few people with great powers, so in order to increase their capability, they decided to use a method to increase the number of espers. That method was to clone them. Do you know what the result was? Shirai couldnt move. The hand that was extended out from the gap between the tables could only swing about in midair. She could neither move the tables away, nor could she even hit the enemy in front of her. From the looks of it, Musujime seemed rather satisfied. She tore her own skirt and tied it on her thigh to stop the bleeding. Misaka Mikoto still hadnt arrived. Because such fierce fighting took place, the customers and staff members should have escaped, and the ruckus should have spread outside. Maybe the noise hadnt reached Mikotos ears? Or did Mikoto think that this incident had nothing to with the remnant? Shirai didnt wish for Mikoto to be there, but she didnt feel safe when she was not there. Maybe Mikoto was bothered by Musujimes other companions? And what was more unbelievable was... (Musujimes expression...why is she so confident...? Does she think that she can win against Onee-sama even in that condition...?) Shirai felt very puzzled, while Musujime said rather unhurriedly, I can only describe it as appalling. Those scapegoats that were created didnt even have 1% of the power. Even though this less than 1% was rather impressive for this worlds standard, if they were to battle against a powerful esper, not even 10,000 or 20,000 of them would be a match. Musujime Awaki, who was drenched in blood, continued to tear her skirt and wrap it around the wound on her shin. Shirai guessed, maybe she had hurt Musujimes pride too much, and Musujime was pursuing this decisive victorious situation, thus she was rattling on and on. Musujimes skirt was already very short, and not only was her underwear almost exposed, but she didnt seem to mind. Instead, she just smiled slightly. Shirai-san, the children that were created from the cloning technique had the exact same genes as the original, and even the structure of their brain was the same. Yet their ability was so different, why do you think this is so? The overconfidence that was flowing from Musujimes words made Shirai want to puke, but if she didnt care about her, Musujime would lose interest and leave the scene with the luggage bag. Such...such a stupid question. Dont you know how the schools in Academy City are ranked...? Even if both were of the same quality, as long as the method of nurturing was different, the results would be different. Thus, there were many ways to develop the espers powers, thus the difference in school standards. However, Musujime was still calm. Nope, those clones were trained in an environment where they should have ended up with the same power. However, the results were very disappointing. They had the same brain, yet they could not achieve the same results. Dont you think that there are other factors other than the brain that affect the quality? Then, if we could find this condition, could we use powers without a calculating source like the human brain? Musujime Awaki was unconcerned with the blood that was splattering on her face. She stopped doing her emergency first aid and said, In other words, is the human brain required in the development of powers in the first place? Shirai couldnt help but breathe out some cold air. The powers developed by Academy City were a major breakthrough in quantum mechanics. Using their own realities, which was a reality that was observed by deliberately distorting the mental calculations and decision making ability to cause an unnatural change in a radical microscopic world to create some sort of phenomena. What...are you saying? Shirai couldnt help but retort. Academy Citys lessons...involve the most advanced neuro-science. Thats right. However, the dealing with phenomenon...which is to observe and analyse a target, can only humans do that? Musujime said happily, For example, plants can detect sunlight. Some plants will close their flowers and leaves up at night. Dont tell me that these plants arent observing the world? Musujime wanted to stop the bleeding of the wound on her shoulder, but she couldnt tear her skirt any more. She could only tear down the shoulder line of her winter Western-style jacket and use it as a bandage. Shirai felt that this wasnt good. Once Musujime completed her first-aid, she would head on to the next thing. As the current situation stood, the only thing that could stop Musujime was her own mouth. Too...this is too stupid. Such a ridiculous idea. If you can count reacting to sunlight as an observation, then would the posters and photographs that react to ultraviolet rays have some form of observation ability? The main thing about creating powers should be about how they view it, right? So, the lessons that Academy City provides is to help each student find a personal reality that no one else has. What powers need arent special senses, but special processing capabilities. But Shirais words didnt cause any emotional response from Musujime. Right now, Musujime had only the wound on the side of her abdomen to treat. She originally intended to use the belt that was holding the military torchlight to stop the bleeding, but that belt made of metallic plates didnt seem able to do the job. Thus, she could only use the pink cloth that was wrapped around her chest to wrap her waist. To her, it seemed like as long as they were of the same gender, it was alright for her to be naked in front of outsiders. She pulled the winter jacket that had only one sleeve left and covered her exposed breasts, but this action was rather muddled up. You mean that without a high level of mental activity, theres no way to develop powers? Thats right. Shirai replied, but deep inside, she was rather insecure, as it seemed like Musujime was luring her to argue back. The best evidence was that Musujime didnt seem to be bothered by her own arguments. Then what about ants? Ants know how to work in teams, to circle around and build their hive, and even look for food. Also, ants know how to do some form of contracts. They can help weird insects like aphids to chase away ladybugs and get the forest honey from them. In other words, they have the most original rationale...if you deny their mental makeup, its the same as denying thought processes that are different from humans, yet similar. Musujime adjusted the tightness of her bandage replacement. Youre basically unreasonable. Why is this unreasonable? Ants are classified according to their physical characteristics, there are male ants, queen ants and worker ants, which means they know how to have a social division of labor. They can use their antennas to communicate through signals, and some of them even have light emitting organs. On what basis do you think that their mental activity is of a low level? What is the high level of human mental activity to you? Even insects have their logic and morals too. Even ants know that they have to protect their larvae. Musujime Awaki gave a slight smile. Even ants can observe the surroundings. She paused for a while, then continued, On what basis do you have to decide that between ants and us, which side has the correct view on the surroundings? On what basis can you say that ants will never be able to use powers? Shirai Kuroko shuddered. The fact that the basic idea of superpowers was denied made her tremble. She stared at the thing beside Musujime Awaki. There are many lives of equal footingno, maybe of a higher class than human life. If you cant agree with that, its just your arrogance as a human. Musujime smiled calmly, feeling up the surface of the luggage bag with her fingertips. By switching the thinking in another direction, youll see that the answer is very close to us. Thats right, its right beside us. The surface of the luggage bag was glowing under the lights. Remnant. Silicorundum. Tree Diagram. A higher class, huge, complicated...an artificial brain that just lacked a little bit of flexibility compared to humans. Shirai Kuroko-san, this term called the brain, cant it be used on certain terms other than humans? If you are a human supremacist that cant even accept such a simple truth, I might be a little disappointed. Even ants could observe their surroundings. As long as there was a brain, powers could be created. It need not be humans. If so...if so...if so...Shirai Kuroko stared at the luggage bag beside Musujime Awaki. Dont tell me...you think that the core of that thing...can create powers just like us? Are you serious? This thought is as ridiculous as a robot having a soul! However, Going deeper, was a high level system like the human soul required for observing reality and analyzing it? Shirai started to lose confidence. In contrast, Musujime looked rather poised. Thats right, that level of progress cant be achieved. A machine is a machine after all. Once the anti-shake and auto-adjust AI of a digital camera is facing a phenomenon, what the calculating chip does is to arrange the pixels on the image according to the information. In terms of dealing with information, this is completely different from observing a phenomenon. She looked rather confident. Also, we have confirmed that we cant find any plants and animals other than humans that can use superpowers. Whether my point is valid is a big question. She stroked the surface of the luggage bag, and continued, But with this thing, we can proceed on with the predictions. As long as we have this super simulator that can simulate anything faithfully, its not a problem to find what the entire world hasnt discovered now, or even any changes in biological evolution 10,000 years later. Thus, I must have the remnant to repair the Tree Diagram. I want it to decide, with all the possibilities, whether there are organisms other than humans that can develop superpowers. A strange glint appeared in Musujimes eyes. Shirai thought, this glint was called paranoia. For this purpose...youre willing to work secretly with outside organisations...? Thats right. Even if I get the precious remnant, I cant repair it by myself. Thus, I need to work with an organisation that has the technology, knowledge and motivation. Musujime Awaki laughed. That organisation was most probably uninterested in Musujimes thoughts. They probably had other motives. The capability of the Tree Diagram was too strong, the number of organisations that wanted it was probably more than the hairs on a cow. Shirai-san, how did you feel when you had powers for the first time? Shirai couldnt move her body at all, so she could only move her mouth. She lay prone underneath the table, saying nonchalantly, Not...nothing much. The adults around me were shocked, but I wasnt too surprised myself. To me, its no big deal. Really...? To be honest, I was really scared. Musujime reminisced her childhood and said, Once I thought of what this ability can do, I was really scared. I was even more scared when I actually did it. Shirai-san, in this world, the thing Im most fearful of is this sort of ability. This ability that can kill people with little imagination. Right now, the girl was no longer trembling in fear, However, I have always accepted that this is my fate. Only humans have this power. Humans have researched in some specific area and discovered this power, and use it for specific uses. In other words, I have to have this power. Since I cant avoid it, I can only endure it. However, a doubt crept inside me. Musujime smiled. Her mouth was becoming a thin and long crack like a melting ice-cream. If Im not the only one with this sort of power, why must I have it? If its not just a power that only humans have, why must humans have it? If it need not be me, why must it be me? Shirai-san, oh so gullible, and yet never thought a thing about it. Shirai-san, let me tell you, those esper children that were with me just now have similar thoughts. Of course, thats not including the adults. In that building, I did indeed use them as shields, but I did that on their suggestion. Before they were unconscious, they even smiled, saying...Well leave it to you. There were many cases of Level 0s who couldnt get powers and began to turn bad. However, there were two sides to every event. Occasionally, there were people with powers so strong that they couldnt adjust to it. The thing called powers was like a monster in a monster movie. If they wanted to live peacefully with normal humans, they had to be wary whenever they walked on the streets. Once they exerted too much strength, they could destroy the constructs around them. In actuality, espers with powers on the Railguns level normally wouldnt be able to get a chance to go all out, instead, they had to suppress their powers. In a certain sense, it was like living a life with shackles on their limbs. Do we really need to have this sort of power? Dont you want to know the answer? No matter whether there is a need, at least we should confirm it, shouldnt we? Musujime Awaki slowly opened her arms wide. As if she was inviting Shirai Kuroko. I believe you have hurt others with that ability of yours, right? You must have thought before: why do you have such a power? As if she wanted to hug Shirai Kuroko, bringing her over. The reason why Musujime hadnt given Shirai the final blow was because she wanted Shirai to listen to these words. Im clear of this, because youre like me. I can close my eyes and imagine how you have hurt others. So... As if she was singing to her lover, Musujime Awaki was giving the signal I never intended to kill you from the beginning. I understand this pain of yours more than anyone else. Because I understand your pain, I know how to get rid of it. So, how about it, Shirai-san? If youre interested in finding out about the truth, I can let you join our ranks. From Musujime Awakis expression, one could tell that she would rather risk Misaka Mikoto arriving and say so many words just to elaborate on this conclusion. No esper would be able to ignore these words. Any esper in this city, and those who had fought before would have faced a similar problem. That was how to use ones own powers to cause more damage to the opponent? And how big was the damage? How painful was it? How unbearable was it? Could it destroy everything? Would it be interrupted? Could it defeat or even destroy the enemy? And once everything was over, they would be trembling in fear. Why do I have this power? Do I need to have this power in the first place? The basic values that she had were being shaken. I refuse. Being pinned underneath the tables, Shirai glared at Musujime with a sharp expression and said in a deep, scary voice, I thought that it was some ideal that made you want to do this that made you create this huge trouble, but its just this petty idea, huh? Onee-sama was correct, a villain really has small noses and eyes. What...did...you say...? My reaction should be normal, right? Why are you so shocked? Can that stupid, narcissistic nonsense of yours move me, Shirai Kuroko? Seeing that confident look of yours, were you thinking that after convincing me, Ill help to convince Onee-sama? Or were you abused enough and love to listen to my sarcastic remarks? Shirai paused for a while, and continued, Besides, what animals? What evolution? What possibility? Ha! Whats the point of saying these things now? Even if we are to give different varieties of ants improvements and superpowers, how can we benefit? What benefit...? Dont you understand yet? If things other than humans can use powers, we dont have to be monsters like teleporters. We dont need such dangerous powers in the first place... Such stupidity. What Im trying to say is, even if we find any possibility, what changes can it bring to us when were already espers? ... If youre doing this for the future generations, I might be touched and even cry. However, to us who are already espers, whats the point of raising such a possibility? Shirai paused. The arm that was stretched in mid-air between the gaps of the table was now resting firmly on the floor. Besides, the idea of superpowers hurting others, really, theres not much ambition to it. Before a collapsed bridge is repaired, I can use my powers to help others to cross the river. If there are people trapped in the underground streets, I can help them escape to the surface. If the use is correct, whats so bad about using powers? The tables that were stacked up were shaking slightly, creating a rattling sound. Shirai Kuroko grit her teeth, exerting all her strength from her tired and battered body. To me, those dreamy words of yours are way beyond lame. Scared of your power? You dont want to hurt others so you dont want the power? Its nice when you say it, but who was the one who hurt me to such an extent? If you want to know whether your actions are correct, just look at my wounds! THIS IS THE ANSWER! The large number of tables pressing on the girl continued to shake. The girl pressed her hands and feet onto the ground. She exerted all her strength into the muscles, not caring even when blood was gushing out of her wounds. With that dangerous power, well become dangerous people? With that power, we become important people? Youre thinking too simple, IDIOT! Onee-sama and my lives arent so smooth sailing either! We worked hard to think of ways to help everyone so that we can get everyones recognition and establish our footing in society! The hill of tables was starting to shake violently. In order to escape from this heavy pressure, Shirai Kuroko exerted even more force. You just look at Onee-sama, whos running around! As long as she seriously releases her Railgun, she could have settled all her problems in a minute! But she doesnt wish for everything to end in a bloody mess, so she gave up on the easiest way to settle it and is even willing to put herself in danger! Not just me, even you, as an enemy, she wants to save you! BECAUSE OF THIS, SHE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED MY ONEE-SAMA!! The shaking sound was now a crashing sound. The hill of tables was starting to collapse. The terrifying weight pressing on the girl was starting to collapse. BASICALLY, YOUR REASONING ONLY SHOWED YOUR ARROGANCE AND CONTEMPT OF OTHER MORTALS! IM GOING TO TWIST THAT ROTTEN PERSONALITY OF YOURS AROUND! ONCE YOURE DEFEATED BY AN ORDINARY PERSON LIKE ME, YOULL KNOW THAT YOURE AN ORDINARY PERSON YOURSELF! THEN IM GOING TO BRING YOU, AS AN ORDINARY PERSON, BACK INTO THE ORDINARY WORLD!! Shirai Kuroko stood up. Blood continued to gush from her wounds, staining her clothes and body. She grabbed a floor lamp and lowered her hands. She didnt have any more strength to teleport. However, So what? Shirais expression was saying: even without powers, I can beat you. Shirai wanted to prove through her actions that there was no need for any special ability to beat the enemy. As long as there was a firm belief. Shirai Kuroko moved forward fearlessly. Forward. 1 step, 2 steps, 3 steps. She faltered, unable to maintain her balance. She couldnt even lift the lamp, and could only drag it However, that terrifying momentum of hers made Musujime back away. Musujime let out a cry of shock. Shirai was a terrifying person. It didnt matter whether she had powers or not. Regardless, Shirai was a terrifying person. Musujime Awaki shielded her chest with the jacket that had only one sleeve left, sitting on the floor and backing away. She could have escaped quickly with Move Point, but she forgot about it. The fear and anxiety made her unable to calculate the coordinates. Her eyes could no longer see anything other than the slowly advancing Shirai Kuroko. DI will lose. Musujime Awaki made a baseless conclusion. DI will lose. There is no reason, but I will definitely lose... Shirai Kuroko was already right in front of her. Musujime, who was sitting on the ground, looked up, exchanging looks with Shirai, who was looking down. Shirai slowly lifted her hand. The lamp was slowly lifted past the head with twin-pigtailed hair like a baseball bat. A terrifying weapon. Though Musujime had the Move Point ability, she was still an ordinary high school student. Clank. A light collision sound was heard. The military torchlight in Musujimes hand dropped onto the floor. I will lose, Musujime concluded. This Move Point user, Musujime Awaki, would definitely be unable to beat the instant teleporter, Shirai Kuroko. But... But... But. Strictly speaking, Shirai Kuroko was wary of it right from the beginning. Espers didnt really need to use their powers as weapons. Since Musujime had been working with outside organisations, Shirai should have thought of it. That was, had Musujime gotten any weapons from her allies? BAM! An explosion could be heard. At this moment, Shirai Kuroko had already raised both hands up in the aircompletely unguarded against the enemys attackshe slowly turned to look at her abdomen. At her abdomen, a deep red hole appeared in her uniform, and the magical-coloured fluid was flowing out from the hole. Half a second later, one could see the glass window behind shattering into pieces. The effect of the air-conditioning was weakening. The calm wind of the night was flowing in. Shirais body wobbled backwards. Under the influence of the heavy weight of the lamp, she fell back onto the floor. Ha... Musujime Awaki laughed, but her right hand was trembling. A trail of white smoke was floating upwards from the muzzle of her pistol. Ha...ha... Musujime Awaki had beaten the slowly approaching Shirai Kuroko. But at the same time, she admitted something. That having powers wasnt the main problem. She had always blamed the act of hurting others on superpowers, but now, she hadnt used the power of her Move Point. Even without powers, she still ended up hurting others. In the end, the one who had to take responsibility wasnt her powers, but herself, who controlled the powers. (In the end...its all...) Musujime felt that her lips, tongue and throat were incomparably dry, so dry that she couldnt hear anything. Thus, she could only conclude silently. The one responsible for all these. Up till now, the reason why the people around her got hurt was... The reason why there was red fluid in front of her was... That weakness of hers to use powers as an excuse. Musujime Awaki recalled, Those espers with similar ideals. Those that were afraid of their own powers, suspecting the necessity of them, those who jumped into battle in search for the answer. Those people who had willingly became shields in order to protect Musujime from getting hit by Misaka Mikotos electricity strikes in the building that was under construction. Musujime always thought that she was one of them as well. But the truth was so different. She was just... A liar who stood beside them. She lied to them. Even if they used the remnant to repair the Tree Diagram, getting the possibility of powers that no one had thought about before, and developing according to her plan. Musujime Awakis nature would not change. Musujime Awakia girl who would always hurt others. HA...AH...GYA...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! Musujime cupped her hands on her head, looked up and shouted. She tossed the jacket in her hands away. Musujime did not care whether her torso was naked anymore. Her index finger was still on the trigger of the pistol, and it could fire off anytime accidentally, but she didnt care as she pulled her hair, seemingly not aware about this simple fact. She screamed and roared, the muscles on her face being completely distorted, as if all the things inside her body are about to erupt. BAM! An explosion could be heard. Musujime, who was sitting on the floor and pulling her hair, accidentally squeezed the trigger. The muzzle that just so happened to be pointing upwards shoot out sparks. The bullet flew towards the ceiling, but it didnt stick into the ceiling. Instead, it ricocheted down, coincidentally hitting the centre of the military torchlight on the ground. The military torchlight bent into a [ shape and flew far away. However, Musujime didnt care about such a trivial matter. GYA...AAAAHH! AH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! Like a rampant beast, Musujime pointed the pistol at Shirai. She squeezed the trigger. However, she couldnt feel the special vibration of the spring hitting inside the pistol. An empty, laughable feeling was left on the finger. Uu...ah...AH...? Musujime became suspicious. Lowering her head, though her right hand still maintained the posture of holding a pistol, the pistol had already disappeared. POW! A light colliding sound could be heard from afar. The pistol suddenly landed on the floor, 15 metres away. Move Point. Of course, Musujime Awaki hadnt intended to teleport the pistol. But what she hadnt intended had happened. Musujime pondered on what this meant, but at that moment... She completely lost control of her powers... BRRROOOOOM!! With Musujime as the centre, everything in a 5 metre radiuschairs, tables, knives, forks, spoons, ornamental plants, plates, luggage bagsvanished. As if a perfect circle was drawn around Musujime, everything inside the circle vanished. Those tables and chairs on the circumference were squashed and ripped apart by the objects that suddenly appeared, creating a huge sound. If it was not for the fact that a teleporter couldnt teleport another teleporter, even Shirai would have been sent to the circumference. ... Musujime looked extremely cold. She raised her index finger and gently hooked it. In an instant, the pistol returned to her hand. However, a spoon was stuck in the middle of it. Seemed like after she teleported the pistol, she teleported the spoon back to where the pistol was. Any amateur could see that this pistol couldnt be used anymore. Looking closely, the items on the circumference around her continued to move about, creating a phenomenon similar to that of a tornado. A tornado caused by different items squeezing each other, ripping and destroying each other and forming debris. It was useless to take something she couldnt use. Musujime impatiently tossed the pistol away. The safety of the pistol wasnt closed, thus, it exploded, the debris landing all over the place, but Musujime didnt mind. The circular tornado surrounding Musujime suddenly stopped. The items and debris that had continued to appear and vanish suddenly stopped and drop onto the ground. Im going to kill you... Musujime growled. Sweat continued to roll down her chest like fat forced out of barbequed meat by intense heat. I MUST KILL YOU!! I WILL DEFINITELY NOT FORGIVE YOU!! YOU DARE TO DESTROY MY EVERYTHING!! WITHOUT YOU, MY LIFE WOULDNT BE SO PITIFUL!!! These outrageous and angry words made Shirai, who was lying on the floor, laugh weakly. Musujime gave a sinister look at Shirai, like she wanted to suffocate Shirai with her own two hands. However, she suddenly looked up. Ha...hahaha! Isnt this too coincidental, Shirai-san? The sound of a police car could be heard. It seemed like Anti-Skill had been alerted by the commotion. But Im not going to let this little obstacle obstruct me! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! EVEN IF YOURE FAR AWAY, I CAN END YOUR LIFE. IM DIFFERENT FROM YOU; IM SPECIAL!! Musujime slackened her jaw, staggering as she stood up, ...The trainers told me that Ill damage my body if I move anything more than 1,000kg, but I dont care anymore. The maximum limit of my Move Point is 4,520kg. I can escape and attack this place. I can destroy this place with you in it. Musujime said in a low voice, Hohoho, Im going to destroy you. Since you destroyed me, I definitely want revenge. I wonder how your body will end up after the building collapses on you, eh, Shirai-san? On hearing Musujimes words, Shirai didnt say anything. She could only look at the ceiling like a corpse. Musujime spit onto the floor and looked around, picking up the one-sleeve jacket. She put it on and looked for the luggage bag with the broken handle. Ah...you still need such a thing? ! On hearing these words, Musujime turned around and saw Shirai Kuroko smiling at her. Even when her body was devastated, Shirais will didnt allow her to give up. Her lips curled up, revealing a sarcastic smile. Musujime gave a hard kick to Shirais abdomen. Shirai rolled back onto the ground, blood spurting out. However, Musujimes eyes were bloodshot as she ignored Shirai, turning and grabbing the luggage bag. Right now, Musujimes aims and methods were no longer in sync. The outcome of the situation and the plans for the future were no longer important to her. With a distorted look, Musujime carried the luggage bag and disappeared into thin air. In contrast, Shirai Kuroko was unable to use her instant teleportation now. If she stayed, she would be attacked by Musujime. A maximum limit of 4,520kg. If she exerted full power, Musujimes body would be damaged as well. But she didnt care. She would rather endure some pain and destroy the entire level together with Shirais body. No, not just the level. If the level collapses, the domino effect would cause the entire building to collapse completely. She had to run away. Even a stupid person could understand this. However, Shirai couldnt even move a finger. (Onee...sama...) This soft voice escaped the girls lips. But this heartfelt thought was ruthlessly blocked by the long distance. Part 3 The entire restaurant was a mess. The glass windows were shattered, and all the neatly arranged tables were flipped about. The menus had been stepped on by the escaping customers, and broken plates were all over the place. Blood was scattered all over the floor, and there was even an injured girl lying there. All the customers and staff members had disappeared, and only bright lights and unsuitable light French music echoed throughout the room. Because the windows were broken, the air-conditioning had already lost its effect. ...Ugh... Shirai Kuroko, who was covered in blood and lying on the floor, tried to move her fingers. Her fingers twitched slightly, but this was her limit. She couldnt move her wrists nor her legs. She couldnt stand up and leave this place through the use of her two legs; even crawling out was impossible for her. Her mind was in a whirl; she couldnt use her instant teleportation. Shirai thought that all she could do was wait here and die. Musujime Awaki had already left. However, she was probably not too far away. While escaping by teleporting using Move Point, the displacement and time wasnt important, because Move Point could ignore any obstacles like roads and walls, thus the main point was how to hide her whereabouts. Also, Musujime had a huge fear about teleporting herself. In order to decrease the number of times she needed to teleport herself, she would carefully calculate every single spot that she was going to teleport to. Thus, right now, she might have been hiding somewhere and thinking, planning the safest escape route. Before she left, Musujime had announced, She would definitely kill Shirai Kuroko. She would definitely use all her strength and move a 4,520kg mass to squash a dying Shirai to death. Shirai didnt know when she would take action. It may be 5 seconds later, or may be 5 minutes later. It couldnt be 5 hours later or 5 days later though. Anyway, if she didnt run away, she would definitely be dead. (This...is terrible...) Blood-stained hair was stuck to her face, and some of it even got into her mouth. (This is too ugly...I got let off the hook by an enemy who didnt kill me...and ended up provoking her, forcing her to lose control of her powers...looks like Shirai Kuroko will have to bow down and apologize to a lot of people now...) The first person that she wanted to bow down and apologize to was a certain girl. Misaka Mikoto. Shirai wasnt a childhood friend of Misaka Mikoto, and their parents didnt really have some sort of intimate relationship. Shirai had only met Mikoto after she entered Tokiwadai Middle School...which was after April of this year. Also, both of them hadnt meet deliberately, they had just so happened to meet each other in the same school, in the same building. However, Shirai had learnt a lot of things from Mikoto. Though they would only meet each other occasionally in school, it had been enough to change Shirai. What Shirai had learnt from Mikoto was just some basic stuff. Mannerism wasnt about decorating yourself, but to make the other person comfortable. Courtesy shouldnt be forced on others, but to be used as a guide. Helping others wasnt a form of pride, but was to listen to the other persons problems. Dignity couldnt be used to protect alone, it could only be obtained after protecting others. Mikoto didnt nag at Shirai regarding all these. But she acted as a role model. This made Shirai feel very tiny. Though Mikotos actions looked rather crude, they were still based on some basic concepts, though they werent very formal. Even in street fighting, Mikoto would not break any fighting rules, a so-called battle etiquette. Up till now, Shirai still felt that her Onee-sama was of a completely different level from her, who only knew how to act it out without understanding the meaning behind it. If it was her... If it was Misaka Mikoto, she would definitely not make this mistake. Shirai was rather confident of this. Though this was the thought of an arrogant, wishful and self-righteous outsider, Shirai still believed it. If it was the Railgun, she wouldnt mind the danger level. She would smile and rush into the battlefield, not give the enemy any time to take a breather, suppress the enemy immediately and leave without a scratch. To her, Shirais condition now wasnt much. No matter how bad the situation was, she would not back away. She would run to Shirai, carry the extremely tired Shirai, say some encouraging words and rush out of the building at the last minute. She would probably save that stupid kouhai of hers who was lying here. Shirai Kuroko was thinking of Misaka Mikotos name and face. After that, she smiled. (Though Onee-sama is perfect, this expectation may be a bit too much.) Just as Shirai was mocking herself, the area started to make a cracking sound, like glass being pressed together. It''s coming...Shirai weakly thought. Though there was no such phenomenon with instant teleportation and Move Point, Shirai knew. It seemed that in 10 seconds time, a mass of 4,520kg would pass through space and hit her. From outside the broken windows, the noises of car engines echoed throughout like never before, but the room was engulfed in terrifying silence. The difference in the two sides was huge, and made Shirai want to laugh. Though she couldnt hear the unsuitable light French music echoing in the background, that created a chilly feeling even more. I dont want to die, Shirai thought. At the same time, she knew that Misaka Mikoto couldnt hear her, yet Shirai couldnt help but continue to plead inside her heart. Being extremely expectant that the Railgun might hear this commotion and run over. (I beg of you...) Shirai was unable to move her body on her own. But if someone was supporting her, she might be able to walk. If at this moment, there was a savior. If someone could appear at the last minute like an old-school hero... (I beg of you...) The twin-pigtailed girl continued to pray. At this final moment that would end. (Please run away...dont get involved in this...Onee-sama...) Shirai Kuroko earnestly prayed. Musujime Awakis attack would immediately come, and she wouldnt be able to escape. At this moment, even if someone did come up, it was unlikely that she would be saved. If Mikoto arrived at the scene and saw her lying on the floor, she would rush over without any hesitation. Mikoto didnt even know that the attack that would pass through space would arrive soon, and even if she sensed the attack through extremely sharp alertness, she probably wouldnt be able to make it if she wanted to carry Shirai out of the building. The worst case scenario was that both of them would be crushed to death by the collapsing building, and the possibility of it was rather high. Just... Just... (Ahh...) Shirai heard something... Dong dong dong...footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the level where there was no one. Maybe they felt that the lift was too slow, so they dashed up the stairs. No, not just footsteps. There was also sparks of electricity. (AHH...NOOO!!!) Shirais face instantly turned pale. Though she wanted to stop the owner of these footsteps, she couldnt move. Thus, Shirai could only shout, NO, DONT COME HERE!! Right now, the savior who was coming over to save her at this perfect moment touched Shirai so much that she was about to cry. She desperately worked her throat, inducing every last ounce of strength to squeeze out her voice. THERES GOING TO BE A SPATIAL ATTACK HERE! DONT COME HERE! HURRY UP AND LEAVE! THE WHOLE BUILDING WILL COLLAPSE!! Shirai Kuroko continued to scream while she was on the floor, covered in blood. The area around her started to give out a cackling sound. Maybe the full attack was about to arrive, or maybe it was just a deliberate way of hinting. ...! Shirai felt extremely anxious. Since she had teleported into the shop in the first place, she didnt know the layout and passageways of the building. However, from the sound, it seemed that the owner of the footsteps would require more than ten more seconds to get there. Though the displacement was short, it would take a long time to get around the lifts and passages, so the person most likely wouldnt make it in time. Shirai didnt know what Musujime would teleport over. But a 4,520kg objectonce it pressed onto the ground, it would cause the floor and the entire building to collapse. The people inside the building would definitely meet their end. She couldnt let this happen. She definitely couldnt let this happen. RU...NNNNNNNN...!!!! Shirai was about to break down in tears. Even until the last moment, she wanted to cry out, but it was too late. At that moment, the space inside the room started to distort, like she was seeing it through convex lenses. Maybe the space was forced apart, changing the air pressure on the level, causing a refraction of light and creating this phenomenon. The attack was starting. ...! Shirai grit her teeth and exerted all her strength. However, she still couldnt move her limbs. Not even a finger could move. Shirai Kuroko was really upset. If she had even more power, she would have used her instant teleport easily and teleported the person who was coming in to save her at the same time. Besides, if she could have beaten Musujime Awaki, she wouldnt have be stuck in this crisis. But no matter how upset she may have been, her power wasnt going to increase. The reality was cruel. (Onee...sama...!) Though Shirai Kuroko was just barely hanging on, she still tried to squeeze out a last ounce of strength. She knew that it would aggravate her injuries, and that it wouldnt help to change the situation one bit, she still wouldnt allow herself to relax and give up. At the same time, she was making a final prayer. She wished that there was a miracle where that powerful yet ordinary girl would be saved. BOOM!! The prayer seemed to have worked. An orange light passed through the floor and the ceiling. A shot of metal at three times the speed of sound. The slanted heated beam passed through the level like a needle, with a speed so fast that a human couldnt sense it. Like a laser, neither the start nor the end could be seen, only a straight line could be seen. The terrifying speed even left a residual image behind. Shirai was stunned as she saw this. After that, there was a rumbling sound as the entire building shook. The orange line was like a fuse, creating an extraordinary destructive storm. A large blowhole two metres in diameter opened up as everything in the line was blown apart, away or completely destroyed. The floor seemed to be tilted downwards as the sound of rubble falling could be heard. The Railgun. Shirai, who was on the ground, remembered this power and the name of the person who had this power. Well make it now that we have a hole to access through. Shirai heard the familiar voice of the girl. Without anxiety, without fear, without hesitation, the words were filled with confidence, as if the person didn''t care about the danger. Though Im unhappy about this, I can only work up till here. After this, we can only rely on your fist to bring her back! On hearing this, Shirai was shocked. She inadvertently turned around. The blowhole created by the Railgun was like a tunnel through the concrete floor. The debris of the ceiling and the tables, chairs and umbrellas were attracted by magnetism, sticking together through the slanted blowhole to form a ladder. A boy was running up this flight of stairs. They wouldnt have been able to make it if they had ran up the original staircase. If so, they should just ignore those stairs. The boy who was running up this most ridiculous shortcut ever conceived wasnt holding any weapons. He didnt look like he had any amazing ability. However, he continued to dash up without any fear. He clenched his right fist as hard as rock as he headed towards the obviously abnormal space. The distortion of the space reached its maximum less than a second later, cracking from inside. At that moment, the boy swung his fist without any hesitation. The abnormality seemed to be some sort of illusion. Though Musujimes attack was powerful, it didnt bring the sense of reality. A mass of 4,520kg. The boys fist formed a terrifying hammer as it slammed at the huge mass. BAM!! The boys fist hit the middle. The boy grit his teeth. His fist ignored the change in space as it moved forward. An amazing thing happened. Suddenly, a sound of steel being hit could be heard. The originally distorted space seemed to be flattened by the boys fist. The invisible thing that refracted the light seemed like it had been punched far away. For a three-dimensional object to do a forced intervention on the eleventh-dimension spatial axis; Shirai, who had mastered these calculations, understood very well that this was like driving up the wrong way on a one-way road. The ridiculous scene stunned Shirai. The boy said, Ah...were a bit late. Sorry. Im really clueless this time, running around like a headless chicken. Luckily, I met Mikoto on the way...WAH, OI OI, arent you in a terrible shape!? The boy only seemed to realise that Shirai was severely injured now and immediately ran over. Why would you...risk your life for me...? Shirai murmured. The one who repaired the distortion with an amazing ability, it shouldnt be the person in front of her. Thus, Shirai asked, Dont we have no relation? No matter how powerful you are, you shouldnt have sold your life for me. Why would you run over without any hesitation? On hearing this, the boy just remained stunned for a while. After that, he said, Youre asking me why? I dont know how to reply to that. Basically, its easier to settle the problem head on than to run away. To be honest, if you could have been saved even if I ran away, I would have run away. It isnt...so simple, right...? Dont tell me you...arent afraid at all? Shirais words didnt change the boys thoughts by a bit. The boy replied without hesitation. About this, I would be afraid. But this is a promise. A promise? Shirai asked. The boy looked around, seemingly trying to confirm that no one was around. After that, he lowered his voice and whispered, ...Thats right, its a promise. This promise is to protect Misaka Mikoto and the world around her. This is my agreement with a certain nameless person who fell in love with her so quickly. The boy bitterly laughed, Maybe its a bit too late, but I want to ask you something. Have I fulfilled the promise with that guy? Shirai didnt understand what the boy meant. After thinking for a while, she looked around. Shirais eyes focused on one point. Misaka Mikoto. The Railgun, that Ace of Tokiwadai who was running over here through the huge blowhole that she had made to the thoroughly injured kouhai of hers with a teary look on her face. Right now, the person that Shirai Kuroko wanted to protect the most was right in front of her. ...Thats right, you protected it. Halfway. Shirai replied. The other half was now carrying a luggage bag and escaping through Move Point. Really? The boy seemed to realise something from Shirais words, and didnt question it. He just nodded his head firmly. After that, he said, Then, Ill go and finish off the other half. Between the lines 4 Musujime Awaki had already arrived at the boundary of Academy City by moving through the safe escape route. She was covered in wounds, and she was wearing a one-sleeved winter jacket over her naked upper body. Her jacket was buttoned wrongly, but she didnt know it. Overuse of her ability caused the blood vessels to appear all over her skin, hot and heavy breathing coming out of her mouth. She continued to look around, seemingly not knowing what to do next. She continued to murmur to herself as sweat flowed down her face due to nervousness. Ever since she had lost her military torchlight, her powers had become hard to control. The fingers that were used to holding the military torchlight were now stained in blood as they stroked the luggage bag with a missing handle. A terrifying memory appeared in her mind. This was the after-effect of teleporting herself using her own power. She remembered that incident during class two years ago. At that time, the test had been simple to teleport herself to a room in town. But Musujime had miscalculated the co-ordinates, and got a leg stuck inside a wall. At first, there was no pain. Thus, Musujime didnt really mind it. She tugged her leg out, trying to get away from the wall. However, this was the greatest error. At that moment, she heard a cracking sound. The rough texture on the broken part of the wall was rubbing against the skin on her leg. After that, there was a sharp pain. The leg pulled out of the wall had no skin at all. Like... Like a peeled orange. The tender flesh and the net-like blood vessels covering it were completely exposed. (Kya...Ah...AAAAAAAAAHHH...!!) Musujime Awaki bent her body in a [ shape. A sense of puking was rising up her abdomen as she tried to suppress it. Her back trembled irregularly, and after she felt the sense of vomiting, her stumbling feet completely stopped. The urge to puke gradually disappeared. But once her feet stopped, she couldnt step out any further. (What...now...) Musujime Awaki was already unclear about how many times she had asked that question. Her broken heart had completely lost its goal, and was now sunk in messy thoughts. In order to stick the pieces of her heart together again, she could only find a goal randomly. The first thing that entered her eyes was still the luggage bag. Though she couldnt remember why she needed the thing in the first place, she just had to hand it over to the external organisation. The goal wasnt there, but she was still idling about in her means. (Got to contact...) Musujime pulled out a radio receiver. (Got to contact them...contact...contact...this is necessary...hahaha...I havent ruined this plan that everyone thought is important...) On the other end of the receiver, the partners familiar voice could be heard. Musujime revealed a childish-like smile and proceeded with the call. This is A001 calling M000. Ill report the current situation after confirming the code... Musujime followed the call protocol that she had memorised and gave the message. However, a sharp sound came from the other side of the receiver. Musujime couldnt help but pull the radio to her ear and listen carefully. Gunfire, roars and screams came from the other end of the receiver. Such a reply was completely against what the protocol dictated and irritated Musujime. This is A001 calling M000. This is A001 calling M000. This is...YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HEAR IT, RIGHT? WHY ARENT YOU ANSWERING!? With Musujimes roar, a cracking sound came from the receiver. Musujime was overexcited and nearly crushed the radio receiver. A mans terrible wail came from the other end of the receiver; it sounded like the leader of the external organisation. After that, the gunfire immediately ceased. Besides the mans painful cries, a womans low voice could be heard, To trick those children into selling their own lives for your own benefit, and yet youre hiding in a safe place to watch the show, such a wonderful job, huh? Though my policy is not to use my weapon on any children, I wont hesitate if its for them. The screams and gunfire rang at the same time. After that, the other end of the radio receiver became silent. YOU THINK ILL KILL YOU SO EASILY!!?? IDIOT! HOW DID YOU TRICK THOSE CHILDREN, AND HOW MANY OF THEM!? SPILL IT OUT!! HOW AM I GOING TO SAVE THOSE CHILDREN!? After that, only a shrill sound could be heard from the radio receiver. No matter how Musujime pressed the buttons, no matter how she adjusted the signal, she couldnt hear a decent reply. Right now, nobody needed to contact Musujime anymore. (Ah...ah...contact...got to contact...I got to get contact! How could this happen? If...if I lose my goal...what should I do...!?) No matter how she shook and slammed on the radio receiver, she couldnt get any reply. Musujime was unable to endure the silence and roared, smashing the radio on the ground. The tiny parts scattered all over the place and the noise completely vanished. With this, the actual noise was no more. Musujime Awaki looked like she was about to cry. Right now, Musujime Awaki couldnt return to Academy City. To the General Director of Academy City, the Tree Diagram wasnt very important. On the contrary, if the experiment was restarted, it would obstruct the plan to use the SISTERs. If so, not only Academy City, not only the science side, the balance of the entire world would be affected. Of course, Musujime wasnt clear on what the world was. (What to do...what to do...shouldnt I contact that external organisation...? Or should I try and contact other organisations? There should be a lot of those organisations that want this thing...yeah, thats right. I still have...I still have many things to do! A goal...as long as I have a goal, Im not finished yet!) Musujime carried a distorted smile as she wore a shirt that looked like a torn rag, pushing the luggage bag as she moved on. However, someone was blocking her. Musujime heard footsteps in front of her. There was a wide road in front of Musujime, with buildings on both sides. As it was near the edge of Academy City, there were usually very few vehicles on the road, and right now, there was not even a single car around. The entire road was like a planes runway. At this moment, a person walked over from the side of the road. Musujime didnt care who the person was. She just felt irritated, not even caring enough to guard herself as she moved forward. She made up her mind, no matter who the person was, she would let any person who dared to obstruct her die extremely painfully and ugly. That person walked up to the middle of the two-way six-lane wide road and stopped, blocking Musujime. That person... WHAT THE HELL!! Had a crazy, psychotic and dirty pale look. I heard that brat say that she got lots of information through the clone network, and found that there was something troubling that heavily involves them. On hearing that, I can only reluctantly help her settle this. I struggled so hard to use the crutch as support, and got the electricity into my brain, and finally made it here with so much difficulty. How did it end up like this? Also, what the hell is this one-of-its-kind collar-type electrode connector? That damn doctor, to think that he made me use this prototype that was made at the last second! Weird electrodes were stuck on his forehead, temples and neck, while his right hand was holding a crutch. The crutch had a rather modernistic design, a long stick with a handle attached to it. Didnt it look like an iron-crutch in those old martial arts shows? Anyway, I worked so hard to get here, only to see the idiot who made me work so hard. I was so expectant...only to see that its third-rate stuff like you!? You looked down on me, didnt ya? If I had known that my opponent would be a third-rate thing like you, I would have be too lazy to get out! Youre really making it troublesome for me!! The person standing in the darkness was the strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City. Skin that was so pale it was terrifying, that it could be seen clearly even in the darkness. Real name unknown, code-named Accelerator. Ugh...ah...!! With a glance at him, Musujimes breathing and heartbeat stopped for an instant. (This...this guy) Musujime Awakis lungs wriggled about in a weird manner. Her mind was in chaos, not even sure whether she should inhale or exhale. (This guy is...! This...this is bad! Not...not even the Railgun can beat him...how can I take him on...!?) Musujime, who had worked hard to pursue her goal, had now found a goal that was more important than handing the luggage bag over, a clear goal that was enough to change her own fate. (...Got...got to find a way...find a way to escape...!) The person standing in the middle of the road that was as wide as a plane runway forced Musujime to make a decision. She had to run away. However, there was another huge problem? How? Accelerator was just complaining about how in this situation, he met Musujime Awaki. But now, Musujime Awaki was thinking that she should be the one saying that. The difference in level was too great. Such a trivial matter, this esper with insignificant power, why must such a terrifying person be called in to settle this? The extent of this fussiness was like mobilising an air strike and destroying a country to stop children from fighting each other. Musujimes thoughts were rather messy. It was not enough to even use an ordinary person versus a judo wrestler to describe the difference in power. If there was a need to drive the point home, it was like a tug-of-war match between a human and a jet. It was not a question of who would win or lose. The jet could just not do anything and the human couldn''t even move it by half a millimetre. It was over. Everything was over. Musujimes expression was distorted due to despair. At that moment... ...I got it. Like a crumpled piece of paper being unraveled, Musujimes face regained its original look. I GOT IT! THATS RIGHT, YOU LOST YOUR CALCULATION ABILITY! YOU LOST YOUR POWER! COMPLETELY! RIGHT NOW, YOURE NOT THE STRONGEST ESPER ANYMORE!! Musujime cheered like a victor. Accelerator, who was standing in the darkness, was slightly shocked, and calmly said, What a pity. He paused, waiting for a breeze to pass through. If you really think so, thats too bad, I really want to hug you. HAHA! STOP FAKING IT! IM ALWAYS WITH THAT PERSON! IM WELL INFORMED ABOUT INSIDE NEWS IN ACADEMY CITY. ACCELERATOR, YOU LOST YOUR ABILITY ON THE 31st OF AUGUST, SO YOURE NOT ACCELERATOR ANYMORE, RIGHT!? IF SO, WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? WHY ARENT YOU ATTACKING ME? ITS NOT THAT YOU DONT WANT TO ATTACK, YOU CANT ATTACK, RIGHT? YOURE JUST TRYING TO SCARE ME WITH THAT PAST REPUTATION OF YOURS, RIGHT? Musujime loudly proclaimed in a mocking tone, but the white figure just narrowed his eyes. Musujime felt that she was being looked down on, some muscles below her eye inadvertently shudder. ...! WHY ARENT YOU SAYING ANYTHING! THIS REALLY MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE!! Musujime roared, but at the same time, she felt that something was not right. It didnt seem right. This person seemed different from the characteristics given in the data of that Level 5 esper. Youre really pitiful. Listen, Ill tell you one thing. The figure in the darkness slowly opened his arms wide. That day, my brain was damaged alright. Looking at me now, you should know, right? That I can only use the electrodes and let the calculation work be done by others, right? If I enter a place where I cant receive the clones electrowaves, I cant let the clones do the calculation work for me. And even after therapy, I don''t know if my recovered power is half of what I originally had. The battery of this thing can only allow me to fight for 15 minutes Talking up to this point, Accelerator paused for a while. But then again, just because Ive gotten weaker, it doesnt mean that you got stronger, RIGHT? Accelerator revealed a distorted smile. DON! Using the feet that were supporting him on the ground, he stamped hard on it. A shockwave from below to above happened on the hard surface. Accelerator bent his body, and with his feet at the centre, a radial crack appeared in the asphalt ground, and noise was created from all the buildings around. The skeletal frames of the buildings were bent, a large number of glass windows were shattered, and pieces of broken glass came down like a torrential rain. (This isimpossible...!) Musujime looked up at the sky. The rain formed by the broken pieces of glass came from all the buildings, scattering on every corner of the road. As the area was too big, she couldnt escape using Move Point. Escaping into the buildings wasnt a wise option as it was the distortion of the building structures that had caused all the glass to be shattered, so the interior wouldnt be the same. If the target of Move Point overlapped with the collapsed wall, she would be buried. (If so...the only way out...is up!) Musujime grabbed the luggage bag and quickly used Move Point, passing through the rain of glass pieces, arriving in the night sky several metres above the ground. Move Point caused a sense of vomiting in Musujime as she tried to suppress this feeling. She tried to force herself to activate Move Point again before she landed; the target was onto the roof of a certain building. Moving her own body consecutively was an extremely tough challenge for her. But at that moment, Musujimes mind turned blank. All the values that she had worked so hard to calculate vanish without a trace. Ha ha! Thank you for letting me enjoy the scenery underneath your skirt!! Accelerator crushed the cracked asphalt road even further, shooting up into the night sky like a rocket. Besides changing the vector forces on his feet, 4 high-powered tornadoes were attached to his back. In Musujimes eyes, Accelerator was an angel rushing towards the sky. One that had fallen into this mundane world, a thoroughly tainted angel, launching a counterattack at the wonderland in the sky. Accelerator rushed into the layers of glass rain, deflecting them all and passing through them easily. He was completely unscathed, rushing over at Musujime Awaki at the speed of a cannon. He clenched his fist. Actually, the shaped crutch was broken into several pieces, flying in the sky. The fist that was like a devil carried the entire speed and force of his body, slamming towards Musujimes face. ......!? In this situation, calmness was a luxury. Musujime, who had given up on the calculations, immediately used the luggage bag as a shield. However, this negligible defense was broken to pieces instantly once Accelerators iron fist slammed it. The exterior of the luggage bag was smashed to pieces, the middle layer that was meant to endure impact was flying all over the place, and the content that was tightly sealed became numerous parts and pieces, flying all around from Musujimes hands like sakura petals. I''M SORRY, FROM HERE ON NOW, THE PATH IS ONLY A "ONE-WAY ROAD"(Note: In Kanji, Accelerator is written as Ipp Tsk, One-Way Road)!! The esper curled his lips and smiled, YOU CAN''T ADVANCE, JUST HIDE BEHIND YOUR TAIL AND CRY YOUR WAY HOME! Musujimes throat released a weird sound. The hard fist pierced through the luggage bag at a terrifying speed and smashed her face. BAM!! Musujime Awakis body was sent flying away diagonally to an even higher place, landing on a safety metal net on the edge of the roof of a building. The numerous pillars supporting the metal net were uprooted, as Musujimes body was like a soccer ball that hit the back of the net, unable to move forward anymore. Accelerator, who had released all the force from his body, didnt do anything. Due to the effect of gravity, he started to fall down to the ground covered in darkness. But his eyes werent looking at the ground. As he descended, he slowly looked up at Musujime, who had slammed into the roof, muttering, With this pitiful state of mine, maybe I might not have the right to be called the strongest in Academy City. He silently narrowed his eyes. However, Ive already made up my mind. Ill always be the strongest in front of that brat, damn it!! These words echoed throughout the night wind as nobody listened to it. Accelerator continued to descend toward the ground. Volume 8, Epilogue: Every Single Day. One_Place,One_Scene. Volume 8, Epilogue: Every Single Day. One_Place,One_Scene. The next morning, Kamijou Touma requested leave for a few hours from school and came to a certain hospital. But this time, he was really not injured, so he came to the hospital not for treatment, but to visit Shirai Kuroko. However, he was just standing down there blankly. He was standing at a recreational room not far away from the hospital rooms, which also functioned as a smoking area. There was even a vending machine beside the wall. There was a bright red hand imprint on his face. This was because when he had walked into her hospital room, Shirai had been changing her clothes. After being chased out of the hospital room, Kamijou guessed that it might take some time for girls to change clothes, so he decided to bring an angry Index to visit Misaka Imouto, who was in the same hospital. Misaka Imouto had already changed rooms. The amount of activity that she had done seemed to have caused a huge amount of damage to her health, especially since she had not recovered properly. Right now, Misaka Imouto was floating in an oval cylinder filled completely with transparent liquid. It was impossible to see this sort of hardened glass container that had sci-fi characteristics in an ordinary hospital. Though Misaka Imouto was inside the container, she was still conscious. On seeing Kamijou, she nodded her head expressionlessly. However, Misaka Imouto was not wearing anything except for eight white electrodes. Thus, a raging Index bit the back of Kamijous head viciously. (Though Misaka Imouto herself didnt mind at all.) How tragic was this bite attack? In this hospital room, there was a pet cage (this cage was specially designed such that animal fur and germs couldnt enter). Even the black cat in the cage had its animal instincts awakened on seeing this, completely terrified, jumping around as if there was an earthquake. This morning, Kamijou was really unlucky. In other words... Twice, Kamijou and Index had left the hospital rooms as if they were fleeing from a disaster, back to this recreational area. ...Such misfortune. A normally unlucky Kamijou-san seems to be entering an unlucky mayhem (change in probability)! I wont be surprised even if Im to meet misfortune nine times consecutively, damn it!! Touching the wall, Kamijou gave a tired expression as he stood up, his hand holding a paper bag. There was a black honeydew fruit jelly inside that was worth 1,400 yen (So expensive, yet its not any bigger). He was wary that Index might bite and tear off the paper bag anytime, but felt that no matter how gluttonous Index was, she wouldnt lay hands on gifts that were meant for patients. However, he was still unable to relax. However, to Index, the lottery wheel of the vending machine (Note: Japans vending machines have lottery functions) seemed much more interesting than the fruit jelly. She noticed the machine and said, Whats that Tree Diagram and Remnant? I dont really understand. I only know that Touma said such a cool line Then, Ill go and finish off the other half, and didnt do anything after that... Ugh...I followed the predicted route that Shirai give me, saw that all the windows of the buildings were shattered, and what looked like broken pieces of a luggage bag were scattered all over the place, including whats inside. There was even a devastated girl hanging up at the roof...seems like some mysterious person helped out. Touma, Touma. I hardly get the chance to say this to you...you big eater!! HEY! I knew youd call me that, damn it!! Whos the guy who stole my credit and left so silently!! Is he trying to act cool!!? ...Thats right, for someone like Touma, one is too many. NOOO!! the voice echoed throughout the morning hospital. So noisy, whos the idiot whos making such a ruckus outside? The noise that passed through the wall made Accelerator frown. Though the voice seemed familiar, maybe he was just worrying too much, Accelerator wondered. This single bed room wasnt wide, but besides the bed, there didnt seem to be anything. Accelerator lay on the bed, covering himself with the blanket again. Though his hair was growing extremely fast, and his wounds were healing abnormally fast, and he could even jump and play around, one had to remember that he was a critically injured patient. If it was an ordinary person, they probably wouldnt even be able to stand up. A rectangular table was horizontally placed above the patients bed like an overhead bridge. The table was meant for the patient to have his meals. However, there was a seemingly ten-year-old girl lying on the table, shaking her legs about. This girl used to be covered in a towel, but right now, she was wearing a light blue cutie dress from some childrens fashion brand. It was one of the clothes that the lady in sports attire had given her. I heard from Yomikawa that her job last night was to go outside and destroy an external organisation called the Science AssociationAsociacion de cienia, says Misaka as Misaka reports all the information that she heard from the Misaka Network. That network had interacted with Amai Ao before, so theyre rather familiar with the Tree Diagram, says Misaka as Misaka describes with this sudden feeling. That so... Yomikawa came back with black rings around her eyes; seems like she didnt sleep at all, says Misaka as Misaka is sympathizing her regarding the age shown by her skin. ...Eh? Why do you look so dead, completely different from usual?, asks Misaka as Misaka is really curious. ...I came back early in the morning. Now, I just want to sleep; tell me what you want to say later. Ah! Itll be bad once you start sleeping!!, says Misaka as Misaka changes into Misaka Alarm clock mode!! Its daytime! Its two hours till noon!, says Misaka as Misaka kicks while she fawns, trying to re-motivate your mind that is about to sleep! ... This brat, did she experience something bad while I was sleeping? Accelerator suspiciously considered as he pulled the blanket and covered his ears. Though he just needed to use the electrodes and let the Misaka Network handle the calculations for him to use his powers, the Misaka Network would normally be in charge of the bare minimum redirection of handling language, calculation and reflecting ultraviolet rays. Besides, he couldnt just waste the battery power so carelessly. Damn it, I really envy this kid. I was under the condition that my brains about to blow, worked so hard to leave the hospital, and came back in the morning. This brat can lie about in the air-con room and enjoy the benefits...! SOB REMOVBING MY SPEECH STOIT!! Halfway through talking, Accelerator was suddenly unable to speak coherently, and started to roar and rage. Actually, the Misaka Network had stopped the calculations for Accelerators speech ability. Accelerator wanted to say Dont just remove my speech ability. Misaka doesnt want to help do the calculations for those who dont listen, says Misaka as Misaka tries to protest in a cutesy mannerwa, WAHH! WHY ARE YOU WRAPPING MISAKAS BODY IN A BLANKET!?, SAYS MISAKA AS MISAKA SUDDENLY STARTS TO WORRY ABOUT HER PERSONAL SAFETY!! On the other hand, in the other single bed room. Come on, come on! COMEONCOMEONCOMEONCOMEON!! ONEE-SAMA!! The wonderful moment for you to cut the apple into a rabbit has finally come! OH HOHOHOHOHO...!! YOURE REALLY NOISY! KUROKO! WHY WERE YOU ON THE BRINK OF DEATH YESTERDAY, ONLY TO BE UP AND JUMPING...Wait a sec! Youre still tired, but through some form of willpower, you wanted to get off the bed, right? OI, STOP IT, KUROKO!! YOULL REALLY LOSE YOUR LIFE!!! Covered in wounds, Shirai Kuroko smiled as she tried to leap on her beloved Onee-sama. Misaka Mikoto desperately forced her back onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. Ahh...being pushed back onto the bed like this, this feeling...its...its worth it to fight against the enemy so close up! The world looks so bright now!! Dont you know what it means to rest quietly? If you want Kuroko to rest well, then give Kuroko an apple rabbit! That mister who came over probably likes girls who are more domesticated. Right? ...Rea...really? Kuroko, you think so? Im just saying it randomly; why must Onee-sama be so serious about it? Dont tell me that that guy who came in when I was changing clothes is really the one Onee-sama likes? That...that damn!? To be able to jump about like this even after she had been severely injured, Mikoto was really amazed at Kurokos vitality. During that clothes changing moment, Mikoto had helped Kuroko, who was unable to move well, give a slap to a certain boy (with a suitable amount of electricity in the blow as well), and now she seemed rather remorseful about it. The news that Musujime Awaki got retained at her Kirigaoka Girls Academy didnt concern her as well. Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted. Both of them remained silent. The intense atmosphere was starting to cool. They wanted to open up their closed mouths, but it was taking more effort than what they had expected. Mikoto understood the reason. Her kouhai had gotten injured, many parts of her body had been stabbed through. In the end, Mikoto still got other people involved in her personal affair. Besides the SISTERs and that boy, there was the extremely na?ve kouhai. I can understand... Shirai, who was on the bed, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Mikotos thoughts. Stunned, Mikoto looked up. Shirai continued, I can understand that where Onee-sama stood was her battlefield. But with this ongoing chaos, I dont understand whats going on. Especially at the last moment, the situation when you all came over, its so ridiculous that it made me not think about it and not pursue the matter further. Shirai carried a small smile as she relaxed her entire body. The current me now is unable to stand on the same place as Onee-sama. I tried to catch up, only to end up here. Kuroko... Mikoto revealed a painful expression. But this expression was quickly covered by other expressions. Mikoto knew how to hide her emotions. However, because of this, she was even more fragile. Shirai understood this very clearly. Onee-sama, if you feel that you need to take responsibility for getting me involved in this, youre wrong. Eh? My incompetence is my own responsibility, isnt that obvious? What has this got to do with Onee-sama? Please dont look down on me. I still know how to be responsible. If Onee-sama is to be responsible for me, my dignity would be gone. Shirai Kuroko calmly said, Thus, Onee-sama, smile. Look at this kouhai of yours who came back safety despite ruining the situation, give a thumbs up and laugh. With these happy memories as food, I can be re-motivated again. After that, Shirai added on in her heart, (However, what I said only lasts for now. I, Shirai Kuroko, dont intend to stay at the same spot. So, Onee-sama, please wait for me. With a goal, Kurokos speed will be extremely fast!) Shirai understood how comfortable this place was, so she decided to go back to the battlefield. In order not to let the girl in front of her realise this, she didnt say anything. Just like that, Shirai Kuroko understood the limitations of her ability. Just like that, Shirai Kuroko saw that world that she couldnt touch. But because of this, she wouldnt give up, and would continue to pursue on. She was not aiming to climb higher. She just wanted to protect this sky now. Volume 8, Afterword Volume 8, Afterword To the studious readers who read all the volumes one by one, it''s been a while. To the readers who bought all the books at one go, nice to meet you. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. It''s the 8th volume. The theme this time is very simplesuperpowers. This time, I actually made some changes to the story: Kamijou Touma would originally be the only one to appear in this story. Hearing this, you might be wondering about some things. However, please don''t read too much into it. Besides, ''that role'' can''t be explained in a few words. In this volume, some unresolved from Volume 3 and 5 were mentioned. On first glance, this is completely unrelated to magic, but the antagonist, Musujime Awaki, has questions that I feel involve several factors related to magic. Why do Misaka Mikoto and the Misaka Imoutos have such a difference in power? Other than humans, is there really nothing that can observe and analyze the surroundings to create superpowers? Basically, what''s the significance of observing and analyzing the phenomenon? Considering the storyline and protagonist viewpoint, I couldn''t answer these questions in this volume, so I can only wait for another opportunity. Haimura-san, who is in charge of illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of printing. I''ll like to thank both of you. Thanks to you two, this book can be on the shelves of bookstores. I''ll also like to thank the readers who bought these books. Thanks to you, this book is able to make it''s way onto your bookshelves. I''m grateful that this book is still in a corner of your mind. And I hope that the next volume won''t be forgotten as well. At this moment, let me sign off first. ...Misaka Mikoto. I thought that she would have more opportunities to appear in this volume. Kamachi Kazuma Volume 9, Prologue: Preparations Stage Seen from Third-person. Parent’s_View_Point. Volume 9, Prologue: Preparations Stage Seen from Third-person. Parents_View_Point. The Daihaseisai. A seven-day event that took place from September 19-25 at Academy City, it was basically a huge athletics competition. The meet gathered all the schools in the city together, and in this place of ESP research in western Tokyo where 80 percent of the total population of just under 2.3 million people consisted of students, it was not an event to be taken lightly. The day was the 19th, the first day of the festival. Even though it was an early weekday morning, the city was already filled with the families of the festival participants. If the board of directors hadnt prohibited travel by car as part of their plans to deal with all the visitors, the congestion would probably extend for tens of kilometers within the city. Since it would otherwise be faster just to walk at a time like this, they were temporarily increasing the number of running trains and subways, as well as preparing unmanned shuttles throughout the city. It was surprising that with the degree of overcrowding, there just werent enough drivers to go around. Although everywhere one looked resembled a station platform at rush hour, that was just a testament to the Daihaseisais claim to fame as one of the largest events around. As Academy City was only open to the public a handful of times per year, this was a special time, especially since the participants would be using ESP like people would normally see in the movies to compete. While the events were the same as any other athletics festival, for those who say Well, Im familiar with it from television, but Ive never seen it in person, to be able to experience the mysterious power known as ESP first-hand seemed to be quite an exciting and fascinating thing that outsiders to Academy City could take some amount of pride in. Supposedly. Within that futuristic city, a man and a woman were walking together. Ohh, kaa-san, kaa-san. No matter how many times I see it, it really is overwhelming, this Academy City. It feels kind of like the expansive world Id draw with crayons when I was a kid. If only there were trains running through tubes and flying skateboards, it would be perfect... The one speaking was Kamijou Touya, a certain lads father. He was wearing plain slacks and a business shirt with his sleeves rolled all the way up to his shoulders. His impractical tie that seemed to have been a gift remained loose, and his work boots stomped along with a merciless sound. In contrast to Touya, Oh my, oh my. I dont think this place is even close to how I imagined the future. There arent any galactic battle cruisers, or wars against alliances or empires of humanoid species, or red and blue lasers flying through space that give off ''pyu, pyu'' sounds even though its supposed to be in a vacuum, right? And I also want to see those sabers that glow like a lamp... The one who replied was Kamijou Shiina, a certain lads mother. She looked half Touyas age and even their clothes made them seem incompatible. She was wearing a one-piece dress possibly made of silk or some other delicate materials that looked extremely smooth and reached down to her ankles. On top of that she wore a cardigan. In her arms she was holding the handle of a basket that probably contained their boxed lunches. Upon her head was a wide-brimmed hat and she seemed to give off an aura of extreme upper class. Rather than husband and wife, they seemed more like an aristocrats young daughter and her chauffeur. They were walking to the event grounds where their son was going to be participating in the opening ceremonies. Kaa-san, I think instead of the near future, youd call it the far distant future. Although, if its something like a lightsaber youre looking for, you could probably find it in this city...Well, lets stop with this reckless conversation. Dont you agree? The mood is so nice. Lets not ruin it with talk of waste and destruction, hm? In the sky, bursting fireworks that let off white smoke could be seen. What seemed to be news helicopters were flying all over the place. As the city was generally open during the Daihaseisai, even television relays had been approved. Seats for commentators had been set up, and temporary studios had even been built here and there within the city. The potential ratings were on par with that of the World Cup, so they were probably feeling frantic, Touya thought as a businessman. Just then, someone crossed in front of them. Upon an automatic patrol bot that looked like a drum, a girl wearing a maid uniform was sitting. Similar to a salesgirl at a baseball stadium, she had a tray on her stomach that was supported by a cord around the back of her neck, Hey~. Maid lunches, wouldntcha like one of Academy Citys famous maid lunches~? Anyone want a boxed lunch from the Ryouran Domestic Studies Institute for Girls, well, actually made by a maid apprentice~? As the couple watched dumbfounded at the odd sales pitch, the patrol bot carrying the maid silently ran off. Moreover, considering that she was calling it a maid lunch, it seemed more like a toshikazu-styled lunch instead. Going Oh my, Shiina held her cheeks, ...There really are a lot of different schools in Academy City, arent there. While he continued walking, Touya also watched the maid (apprentice, to be exact) girl as she disappeared from sight, Well, it is a place that consolidates the various institutions in the world into one area, after all. I guess they would have things like the domestic studies from various nations of the world. But, this city really is something when they have maids walking the streets like its noth---Ah, uwah?! Not paying attention, Touya crashed into someone. Kyah! Ah, Im sorry for running into you. The one apologising seemed to be a female college student. She was wearing a faded gray business shirt and long black slacks. They were of simple design, but a single glance revealed that they were brand-name with an appearance that wouldnt look odd even if worn by a company president in a meeting. However, in contrast with her attire, it wasnt a considerably harsh aura, but somehow the woman gave the impression of a delinquent being forced to dress up for an occasion. She was the complete opposite of Touya who wore business attire day in and day out for work. The woman Touya ran into put on a friendly smile, Ah, I think Ive become lost now. Umm, sorry but do you know where Tokiwadai Middle School is from here? Hm...Um, wait just a moment please. Touya rummaged around before pulling out a brochure. Academy City was huge and the number of different schools participating was significant as well, so it was as thick as a guidebook one would normally take on a trip overseas. Giving up on finding it directly on the map, he turned to the index at the back of the book, Toki, Toki...I dont see it. Tokiwadai Middle School doesnt appear to be on the list. Maybe this is what they meant in the introduction when they said the official pamphlet wasnt at liberty to cover everything? Uwah! Is that right? Then, just where could that Mikoto be~! Even after I told her Id be taking a leave of absence from the university to come here! Could Mikoto be the name of her younger sister? Touya was wondering while looking over the guidebook when she suddenly moved closer. Touching shoulders with Touya, she was looking at the page he had unfolded. To, To, To, Toki, Toki, Toki---Uwah! It really isnt there! What am I supposed to do?!! Apparently without a set meeting place (As it was just before the opening ceremony, her cell phone was probably off as well), the woman moaned in despair. Her defenseless cheeks seemed on the verge of colliding with Touyas unshaven face. Her soft hair gently brushed against his ear. A sweet smell drifted from those soft strands. Touya quickly turned his face away, when, Oh my, oh my, Touya-san. Again? K, kaa-san? W-what do you mean by again? As Touya gave his discretionary response, Shiina brought one hand up to her cheek and gave a sorrowful sigh that came from the depths of her heart. Even so, he could feel a darkness growing beyond her facade. Geez, Touya-san. Befriending a woman you run into on the road, then developing such a nice mood using those unassuming words and actions. Just how many times does this make? Too many to count I should think. Oh my oh my, oh dear. To make me so angry, maybe Touya-san is a masochist? While Shiinas face was starting to match the intensity of such portraits as found on the backs of the 1000 or 5000 yen bills, the woman standing next to Touya continued to grasp his arm without noticing Shiinas change at all while saying things like Hey, do you know where the management committee tent is? Hey, do you?. As for Touya, Kaa-san is scary~! B-but, but kaa-sans minor bouts of jealousy are kind of cute as well, so what should I do?!, he wondered as he wasnt sure if he should defuse the situation or just savor it, Oh my. Isnt that Touma-san? Seeing how Shiinas attention had been drawn elsewhere, Touya secretly relaxed. Im saved. But, I wonder why Im sort of disappointed?, Touya wondered to himself as he followed Shiinas line of sight. Next to him, the woman was still holding onto his arm as she looked at the pamphlet. There was a crowd in front of them. Most of those within the crowd were of course students wearing gym clothes. Though they could be lumped together under the description gym clothes, each of the schools had their own uniform; however, they were all wearing either red or white headbands. Past the crowd, they recognised their own child making an annoyed gloomy expression. As he was participating in the Daihaseisai, of course he was wearing a short-sleeves and shorts gym uniform. Next to him, there was a girl wearing running shorts and an actual uniform suited for track and field. Looking up from the spread out pamphlet, the woman pointed at the girl with the shoulder-length brown hair, Ah. Thats my Mikoto. Im so glad. The university was so busy, and we hadnt talked about setting a meeting place or anything., she started explaining. It seemed that, with all the congestion between them, the children on the other side hadnt noticed their parents. However, with the way they were speaking to one another so loudly, their words at least made their way over clearly. Hey, tell me, red or white, which side did you end up on? What? Oh, Im on red. Huh, could it be that youre also on red? Y-yeah. Ohh, okay then. Lets make sure to do our best together Well, umm, if theres a contest where all the red members are together Actually! The truth is Im on the white team!! ...?! Just look at my white headband! It signifies our resolution to leave not a single one of you standing!! Anyway, joining forces would have been impossible. Think of the difference between a middle schooler and a high schooler! Were going to snatch up all the points, so prepare yourself!! Why you! Hmph, looking down on us just because were younger. Well blow away your weakling white team!! Yeah right~, as if! Actually, if I lose to you somehow, why dont we have a penalty game! Ill listen to anything you say! Y-youve said it now. Youve got a deal... Anything, right? Fine. Fine then, little Miss Tokiwadai! Even though you never beat me, you sure dream big! So alternatively, if you lose, then there will also be a penalty game. Wha! T-then, in other words, that means a-anything you say... Hmm? Looks like youre shaking, Misaka-sa~n. Is this all the self-confidence youve got after running your mouth like that just now, hmm? ...Fine. Lets do it. Dont try to cry your way out of this afterwards! I see, I see. With that said, the penalty festival starts now!! What did you say *spark spark*!! With a bolt mixed in as the two clamored, their guardians watched them stiffly. There seemed to be a bit of a gap between their ideal visions of their child. Kamijou Shiina placed both hands on her cheeks, Oh my, oh my...Speaking so cleverly and making such an unreasonable request of such a young girl like that, who on earth could he take after I wonder? Oh dear, now that I think about it, it reminds me of my younger days. Kamijou Touya showed a shocked face, W-what the. Saying anything goes in a penalty game with a middle school girl, just what sort of thing are you planning to make her do, Touma!! As for the woman next to him, Is this because of their influence? Well, Ill have to have a talk with Mikoto about this afterwards. So young and na?ve..., is what she was thinking as she sighed and placed one hand on her forehead. And so, the seven-day Academy City unified athletics festival known as the Daihaseisai began. Volume 9, 1: Under the Blazing Sun from the Starting Signal. Commence_Hostilities. Volume 9, Chapter 1: Under the Blazing Sun from the Starting Signal. Commence_Hostilities. Part 1 The St. Georges Cathedral in London. This building was somewhat too big to be called a church, and too small to be called a Cathedral. Inside this construct that was unimpressive in a certain sense, the leader of the British Puritans, the Archbishop Laura Stuart, was standing around leisurely. Right now, it was 9am in Japan, and in England, which used the world standard clock, it was midnight now. Although this was the capital of a country, there was a sense of tranquility around Laura, which could even be described as serious. Under the gentle night and the cooling night breeze, the day came to a close. She was alone inside the church, where the candle lights were blown out. Laura set a chair in front of the altar and sat on it. She was wearing a simple nuns robe that had a pure white base colour, with recognizable coloured threads like black, red, green, purple, gold and silver woven into pictures. Besides that, her clothes were covered in decorative cloth used for higher-order clergymen. This was formal attire worn when she was visiting other people. Christian society was like any ordinary culture; clothing was a method used to declare the persons identity and position. Although it sounded serious, it was like how tall a chefs hat was or a students uniform, or anything that signified status. For someone like Laura, who was different from normal nuns, she had to prepare different sets of nuns robes according to the season, time, location, occasion, position on the matter, and ambition. Sometimes she would purposely wear clothes that indicated a lower standing in order to raise the status of the guest; sometimes she would purposely wear clothes that indicate a higher standing to show her dissatisfaction...there were a lot of ways to do this that were really complicated and troublesome. (In front of God, everyones an equal brother...is it? This statement is rather impressive.) The Archbishop couldnt help but scoff regarding things like stand and status. Laura feels that it was too cumbersome to do all these. Her graceful look didnt just rely solely on her clothes. The most noticeable thing about her was her golden hair that was 2.5 times the length of her body. She normally clipped her hair, but she didnt do so this time. The fluffy hair that was released hung over her shoulders and went all the way down, with the remaining part lying on the floor. Laura, who was sitting on the chair, placed an entire set of gold and silver combs on her legs. She selected one from the pile of combs, which had different teeth length, width and spacing, and carefully let her hair go past the comb like the strings of a harp. It was impossible to reach the end of her hair, that was even longer than her height, just by stretching her hands. So Laura gracefully pulled the hair nearer with her hands. Suddenly, she accidentally dropped her comb. Her golden hair faithfully demonstrated this by flapping up and down, like waves near a beach. After combing all her hair through once, she changed to another one, and after that was done, changed to another one. She continued to do this, as if the order of the combs used was very important. Shining on her hair was the moonlight passing through the window and the LCD display on the altar. The set up of the screen and the communication equipment, which were already there, had been done at the last minute by an organisation based in Academy City that had associates in London. It was supposed to have been Stiyls job, but he was not in England now. Kanzaki Kaori had said several times that this is something similar to a mobile phone, and had tried to connect this brand new gadget. But after she sat down and analyzed the instruction manual, she stared back like an abandoned puppy. What are you doing? A displeased voice came from the screen. It was hard to tell whether that voice belongs to a man or a woman, a child or an adult, a Saint or a criminal. Laura did not turn to look at where the voice came from. Besides, the one appearing on the screen should be a man floating upside down in fluid. The General Director of Academy City, Aleister. Laura, whose extremely long hair hung down from her shoulders, quietly said, Dont you know? Im combing my hair. A man shouldnt be seeing a woman doing make-up. She chuckled, Several centuries ago, among the English Noblewomen, there were methods to scorch their hair by either using the sun or the moon. The best-looking blonde hair was called the Suns hair, and it was the greatest virtue for one to accomplish this. Isnt it stylish to do this without the need of dyes? Laura tried to stifle her laughter, but there was no response from the screen. She twisted her neck and looked at the LCD screen. Whats wrong? To remain silent while I''m talking with you...... There was no response from the screen. Just when Laura was feeling puzzled, a voice came from the other side. No......actually, Ive been trying to ask you something. Hm? To be honest, your Japanese sounds really weird. Or are you treating me as an idiot by saying this? Which one is it? Laura stopped what she was doing. The comb that was gliding through her hair trembled slightly. You......you......do you know what youre talking about!? Theres no need to talk about etiquette with a man who doesnt believe in God, just some simple words are enough for you! I see......if you prefer to use such a special accent, its alright. What Im trying to say is that if youre really frustrated about this, I can send a Japanese teacher to teach you the language. I am the one who ruled over knowledge after all! Uu! Im not bothered by it! Why would I bother about a language used by a small country in the Far East? Laura, who was combing through her hair quickly, loudly declared. There was no response from the screen, and there were no bystanders as the sound of Laura combing her hair quickly echoed throughout the hall. After a while, Aleister seemed like he wanted to change the topic, and said, However, why do you want to comb your hair in front of the guest? Shouldnt you have done it before having a conversation? Although she didnt like this topic, Laura felt that at least they could break away from the original topic, as her tone and attitude seemed calmer than before. Theres no time. Actually, night is the time when women are in their bedrooms doing their make-up. Please dont mind me doing this during our conversation. Hmm, I guess thats the result of the Suns hair that you talked about, right? The myth about the moonlight should be a superstition, but the myth about the sun is actually due to the ultraviolet rays that caused the hair to lose colour pigments. This is probably an idea gained from books fading in colour due to overexposure to the sun. But Ill give you some advice......youll get hair loss! .........This is rather rude when were still developing our diplomatic relations. Laura looked away. The hair that was lying on the floor like a rug was reflecting light from the LCD screen. The shiny hair that had been carefully combed with the gold and silver combs now reflected other colours like red and blue. She again muttered, So rude. I have informed you earlier the reason why I wanted to contact you, so let me confirm it again. Also, I would like to thank you for agreeing to our unreasonable request. If youre talking about the time difference, theres no need to worry about it. This is the time when we start our work anyway. What I want to say is that its rude of us to interrupt you when youre doing your work. Laura looked at her hair that was reflecting light, and said, It seems like the opening ceremony is under way. As the leader, shouldnt you go up to the stage and say hello to them? ......Do you think I can let people see me like this? Hoho, youre right, this isnt appropriate for the occasion. At that moment, Laura turned to look at the LCD screen on the altar. There was a person floating upside-down inside a transparent cylindrical tank filled with red liquid. No matter how one saw it, it was unsuitable for this person, who was wearing a green labcoat, to appear in public like that. Also, he would be able to remain in this state for a thousand years (maybe, since Laura wasnt sure about the exact details). People would find that there was something wrong if he were to appear in public quite often. Of course, he would have to change his looks and name if he was to do this. Laura Stuarts actual age didnt match her looks as well, but she was not the type that would look at others who were learning from their mistakes and laugh at them. Then I''ll go on, if you dont mind. I''ll give a short summary, for I dont have much time left. A sigh came from the LCD screen. ......Is it regarding someone who invaded Academy City? Um. Laura nodded her head. Right now, youre unable to identify the invaders from the visitors. Its impossible to carry out security checks smoothly because you people have to accommodate ordinary civilians. Laura was rather familiar with this. During a large-scale gathering like a worship or Christmas celebration, if they wanted to use tight, almost foolproof security to protect the people, the peoples actions would have to be limited, and it would affect the proceedings of the events severely. In order not to delay the proceedings of the events, they had to give a certain amount of freedom. The magicians seemed to have taken this opportunity to attack Academy City when theres a hole they can thread into. According to our reports, there are two confirmed invaders. One is an important member of the Roman Catholic Church, and the other is a transporter that she hired. A transporter? Let me confirm this, is she here to destroy and do battle? Yes. The name of the transporter is Oriana Thomson, and the one who hired her is Lidvia Lorenzetti. Theyre trying to buy a certain good. Laura grabbed a bundle of notes that was lying beside the LCD screen, and waved it in front of screen. The words were very small, but since the other party was from Academy City, which boasted the use of technology unknown to the outside world, he wouldnt use words like I cant see clearly so easily. First, Oriana Thomson. As her name indicates, shes born in England, but shes probably now Italian. Shes known as the Tracking sealer, a top-notch courier in the magical world. This womans ability is that shes able to run and hide, and that shes able to get away from pursuers even if they find her. More accurately, Oriana was a woman who would do anything to get away from her pursuers. Also, nobody was able to keep track of her actions. Even when they were prepared, she would still be able to get away. Oriana Thomson was a magician with many spells at her disposal, and she would destroy bridges, create fires, set up many talismans to get her pursuers off her. Also, she was a beauty who would sometimes use that weakness of humans. One could imagine from Orianas original British nationality how many times she had clashed with the British Puritans while she was in London. While Necessarius had been pursuing Oriana, they had been stopped by many people, who had no links with magic, claiming to be her best friend. She was not just a battle berserker, she knew how to use a human wall formed by the crowd and slip inside. Next, Lidvia Lorenzetti, a radical among the Roman Catholics, also known as Mardi Gras. Shes known for evangelising to the people that the Church rejected, and got some converts to further carry out evangelism. She was different from Oriana, and was a Roman Catholic born in the Vatican. She was in a very high position, but never tried to aim higher. Instead, she found spreading the gospel to the world much more meaningful. She was a person who would do anything to spread the Word. As a reward, the pope himself specially gave her a platinum staff that was decorated with silk, but she immediately sold it without thinking to finance her travels. Those that were saved by Lidvia, and who wanted to save even more people, were geniuses who had never seen the light of day, and most of them were people like criminals and cult believers. Lidvias talent was in finding these talents that would normally be executed. Not only did she have the ability to find hidden talent, she was also able to control and manage problematic people. Even if it was the Roman Catholics, who would kill any sinner that they meet and burn any non-believer, they couldnt formally attack anyone who was properly recognised as converted. The higher-ups who hated these problematic people viewed Lidvia as a thorn in their side. And to the Archbishop Laura, she was a formidable opponent. If she was just brazenly raising magicians, the British Puritans could still stop them; but they would be seen as evil if she was teaching them about the Bible and the gospel as well. Theyre rather prominent in your world, huh? Ive never heard of them before. Whos the guy theyre dealing with? Its unknown as of now. Right now, the biggest suspect is Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy of the Russian Church. Although Nikolai wasnt as extreme as the Roman Catholics to abandon the non-believers, he was known as a cunning man who would reap the benefits in an argument between two parties. Then, the good that theyre delivering...can you tell me what it is? If I dont tell you the name and the item, you guys probably wont be able to find it, right? Lauras gaze left the screen as she said Coming! She raised something that was placed on the ground. Is that a sword? Its just a duplicate that I borrowed from the British Museum. Like as how you see it, however, there are no magical effects. The sword that Laura was holding was made of marble. It was 1.5m long, and the width...of the cross-guard was 35cm on both sides, making it 70cm wide. It was about 10cm thick. As it was a duplicate, there was no blade. Instead, the edge of the sword was as sharp as a sharpened pencil. Its called the Stab Sword. I cant explain its effect, but its said to be able to slay a dragon in half and stitch it to the ground. Its magical value and effect is enormous. If its successfully delivered, well be in immediate trouble. Britain herself may end up being involved in a war. The Stab Sword was a spiritual weapon that could take down the pillar that was extremely important to a Christian sect. Once they destroyed the pillar, the surrounding enemies would take advantage when the sect was weakened and attack them in one go. The pillar referred to the Saints in Christianity. The Stab Sword could utterly destroy the Saints, who had combat capabilities and powers equivalent to that of a nuclear bomb. Mm, its like that tactical weapon that your side developed. Aleister looked at the sword in question through the screen, and said, Would you mind explaining what the error is if this sword is used in Academy City? According to the situation, it seems that we have to evacuate ordinary civilians. You dont have to worry. This is a weapon that can only be used on the magic side. There wont be any effects if its used on your side. I see. If you can give us its structure and origin, we can come up with some strategies. Oh, the citizens of the science world can plan against magic? Dont tell me theres a magician hidden among you guys? ...... ...... Both sides remained silent. The tension was like thin yet sharp threads that were tied all over the place, as if they would break when there was even the slightest movement, like breathing. But there was no sign of anxiety, and one might even think that they were enjoying it. Like she just snapped those taut strings with a Pow sound, Laura started to speak in a cheery tone. Lets not do these useless limitations, time is really precious. She shook her head, and the hair that extended onto the floor like a rug started to shake slightly. The biggest problem is that the deal involving the Stab Sword is in Academy City. The enemy should also be clear about this. Letting British Puritan magicians into our territory...we cant possibly make that exception. If they gave an exception to the British Puritans and allowed them in, other groups would request to give them the permit. Not all the people were well-intentioned. Among them, some might even sneak into Academy City and do all sorts of sabotage work. The original circumstances were already quite troublesome. If they were to add more fire-starters to the mix, nobody could know how it would develop. Especially since it was Daihaseisai now, with so many civilians and the media around, Aleister wanted to prevent any chaos from taking place, let alone a tragedy. A similar situation had happened when an alchemist took over Misawa Cram School. At that time, Academy City hired the British Puritans and the Roman Catholics to stop Aureolus Izzard from going out of control. But the circumstances were different now. It was Daihaseisai now, there were many civilians from outside Academy City. If Aleister were to propose that well decide wholl settle the problem that happens in our city, and the other party proposed that there are tourists from our country, so well protect our citizens, it would create lots and lots of chaos. Of course, there was a difference in power among these organisations. Academy City, as the leader of the science world, had a base difference in ability compared to many small forces of the magical world. So there would be differences in the influence, but they couldnt suppress the other party just like that. Once they rejected the proposal from the small groups of the magic world, larger groups would come up with excuses to go with their requests. Even if they could reject their suggestions, other large groups would speak up. As this continued, the problem would snowball, ending up with the magic side facing off against the science side. Daihaseisai was already an event that the world was watching out for. It probably wouldnt even take a day for the problem to develop. Even so, if any resident of Academy City is to beat a magician, itll cause a problem as well. Both the science and magic sides had their own interests and responsibilities. If the security forces of Academy City weren''t careful when they captured the magicians, it would create a risk of unauthorised access to the other side. Those guys really thought of everything. Even if we are to sense that something is amiss, we cant just go and attack the enemy without expecting any reservations. With this, they can just focus on the deal. But what if we give up now? Wouldnt we have nothing on them? Laura stood up. The overly long hair of hers wouldnt leave the floor just like that. The set of gold and silver combs on her lap fell onto the ground. However, Laura never even bothered looking at them. Since you are hosting ordinary civilians, I assume theres no problem if people from our side are to go in on a holiday, right? Hearing her serious tone, the man on the monitor screen chuckled, Lets see...even if we disguise it as a holiday tour, if all the members are from the British Puritan Church, well have a headache. Once anyone finds out that its a planned action by some organisation, well have to accept the rumour that the Church has already invaded Academy City. But if we limit it to a single person...and that person happens to have friendly relations with some residents of Academy City, we might be able to confuse them. Aleister happily whistled, and quipped, ......O, so now, well just have to use that boy as a guide then. Part 2 Its 10:30am The opening ceremony was finally over. Its too hot...... Ordinary high school student Kamijou Touma stood on the football field. This seemed to be a facility affiliated to a sports school that was dedicated to social activities. Even the turf that was made of artificial resin was about to melt in this unrelenting summer. The students, who were dressed in various P.E. attires, dispersed in groups of twos and threes the moment they stepped past the exits. There were 1.8 million participants in Daihaseisai. Although the stadium was of professional standard, it couldnt possibly contain every single person. ......Arent there too many principals in the city? Kamijou tiredly said. One would definitely be irritated after hearing so many consecutive principal messages in this hot summer. Kamijou, who for some reason had lost his memories, accidentally and unknowingly experienced this for the second time. Actually, the Board of Directors had already carefully chosen who the speakers were. If all the principals were to go on stage and deliver their messages, it would probably take an entire day. Around Kamijou, there were students from primary, junior high, high school and college students. Everyones expression was the same as his. They were basically wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts. Because they were of different schools, some of them were wearing shoe covers or track attire. Some students from special schools even put on aikido clothing, camouflage pants, or armoured suits (non-driven) that were made from special materials. The common thing among the students was that they were wearing red or white sashes on their heads. Basically, Daihaseisai was an inter-school competition where the number of wins and losses were computed as points. Each school divided its own students into a red team and a white team, and with the number of wins each coloured team got, the points earned would be added on to the schools score. Red vs white, school vs school. They would use the final total score to decide the rankings of the school. The victory condition that Kamijou and Mikoto were arguing about before the start of the opening ceremony used this system. In Academy City, once a schools ranking was higher than another, it won. The relentless words that Mikoto had left behind were something like, You...you just wait and see......! Ill make you regret saying that the loser has to play a penalty game and obey the winner! ......What will she do to me......? Wait...wait a minute. Dont tell me shes going to play railgun catching with me (with me being the catcher) until the sun sets? I dont want to play this sort of catching game with her......!! Kamijou couldnt help but shout out alone. All the students near the exit of the sports hall give him a weird look. After he finally regained his composure, Kamijou quietly left the bus stop in front of the sports hall. (But Im too over-worried as well.) Up till now, although Kamijou was shivering from fear due to anticipation of what was to come, he understood that he would be alright if he didnt lose. Though the opponent was a prestigious school, she was still a junior high school student. Even if esper powers were allowed in the competition, this should be an extension of sports activities (probably). To be honest, Kamijou felt that those missies who were supposed to be so cosseted couldnt possibly win against a youthful and sweaty group of high school students. Even if Kamijou was to lose in a direct match-up against Tokiwadai, there were other ways. Once Kamijous school beats other schools, and Tokiwadai lost to others, the difference could be whittled down. Touma! A girls voice came from beside him. Looking in the direction of where the voice came from, among the crowd that was wearing P.E. attire, stood a girl in white nun robes that were decorated with gold embroidery. Her name was Index. She was an English girl with long white hair, green pupils, and a slim body. She was also the one with perfect memory of the 103,000 magical texts in her mind. To be honest, she was a girl who was a lot more useful than those weak espers. Index carried a calico cat in front of her, saying listlessly, Touma...Im hungry. Youre hungry now? Its still morning, you know. Didnt you eat breakfast two hours ago? Uuuu. But I can smell such an attractive and indescribable smell all over the place. I cant stand it. The calico cat in her arms shook its nose and made a happy sound, matching Indexs voice. Although it was a large-scale sporting event, not all the students would be bounded by the events all the time. They just need to follow the rule of reaching the area in the specific time, and any time other than that was free time for them. Whether it was cheering for other schools, buying gifts with family members, or just standing at a convenience store to read magazines, anything was fine. Some would even set up stores to get some earnings, like the management or home economics schools that Tsuchimikado Maika was studying at. The number of schools where all the students were participating in the competitions was unexpectedly low. As the academic years and the athletic events were different, there would normally be people with nothing to do. One should be cheering for his own school, but the victory banquet could be much more luxurious if their stores could earn some money. Just selling things to 1.8 million students and parents could earn them quite a large sum of money. Ah......erm......maybe Japanese cuisine is as tempting to eat as it sounds. The nun carrying the calico cat blurted out. Index was the type of person that would do anything to get any food that was in front of her. Although it was just an aroma from afar, one''s saliva would flow out if under this condition for a long time. Besides, he should reward her for not raiding those stores, Kamijou thought seriously. Ah, I see. You have nothing to do for the entire day, so Ill find time to go out with you later. Index nodded her head, before she stopped and asked, ......Later? Ah, the first match is about to start, I got to go. You can take a look at the travel guide. The locations that I marked out with a pen are the spectator stands of the events that Im taking part in. WaCWawawa! ToCTouma is so cold to me today! Index seemed to be shouting something, but Kamijou didnt have much time left. He wanted to let her go to a few shops, but it would be endless if he went out with Index, who was hungry right now. She wouldnt be satisfied without going to every single store and eating everything. Kamijou haggled with Maika, who just so happened to pass by, before buying a maid bento at half price (the fixed price was 1,200 yen, so expensive). Index kept on crying, saying that she wanted to eat as she begged Kamijou while on her way to the arena. On a side note, although the name maid bento sounded very western, the ingredients were all from Japan. While Kamijou was grumbling about the ingredients and the price, Maika explained, Because Japan is the land of bentos, as other countries dont use bentos as a culture. England uses lunch to describe a midday meal, and in Western culture, people normally carry biscuits with them anyway. This is why were using local ingredients. Although youre saying that its expensive, theyre selling those high class bentos that are ten times more expensive than udon in theatres to the audience. We are following the traditional methods by using top-grade ingredients and techniques to create these Daihaseisai bentos, you know. Although it sounded arrogant, she did have a point. Holding the maid bento in his hand, Kamijou headed toward the competition arena, which was the school field at his high school. He was supposed to send Index into the spectator stands, but the entrances for the competitors were different from the spectators. After separating from the girl, he entered the competitors area. The field was currently undergoing preparation, as the staff was spraying water onto the field to prevent dust from flying about. There were remote-controlled hot air balloons in the blue sky, hanging a special vertical thin screen showing these running words: 7th district. High school sector. First event, Wrench stick competition. 10 minutes and 23 seconds to the start of the match. (If our school loses to Tokiwadai in terms of ranking, who knows what Mikoto will come up with for the penalty game. We got to win right at the start!) During Daihaseisai, which lasted for 7 days, how many points the schools got would largely depend on how they paced themselves. It all depended on the tactic that the school used, do they pull away from the beginning, or do they conserve their forces and catch up with the tired teams at the end. There were plenty of options. Because of his memory loss, Kamijou felt that this was the first time he was in a Daihaseisai competition. However, since he was not a student from a sports school, Kamijou was unable to observe the battles calmly and save his physical strength. Though he had a special ability, it was still a battle between students. The results of the match may affect morale as well. In other words, although it was possible to win the match, if the difference was too great, they wouldnt be able to focus on turning the situation around when they had already given up. Based on this reason alone, Kamijou favoured getting off right from the start and pulling away from the opponent. (Come to think about it, our class was very noisy a while back when we were preparing for the match. Or should I say, the entire school was like this. Hm, those people should be rather energetic. There are quite a few people who hate to lose, and Im more worried about them using underhanded means to win.) Kamijou looked forward to this meaningless gathering with his classmates, as he walked into the competitors restroom inside the school to meet up with them. Normally, Aogami Pierce, the one who liked fun the most, would then turn his head around, Wawhy so energetic...... Kamijou inadvertently fell onto the ground. When he regained consciousness, he was sprawled on the ground. He looked around and observed that the other students were also like this. Everyone looked that they had gotten heatstroke. Wait...wait a minute, whats wrong with everyone? Why is everyone so tired before the first match has even begun? Kamijou trembled somewhat angrily as he asked, as Aogami Pierce forcefully turned around and said, Why? Because everyone stayed up all night yesterday playing! And before the opening ceremony, the whole class was fighting over what kind of tactics need to be used. That remaining amount of energy is all used up! Because of this!? Everyone!? Did the beginning and end of Daihaseisai switch over? However, Himegami, congratulations! Seeing you being able to mix into the class, Im very relieved. Himegami Aisa was standing slightly far away from Kamijou. The white-skinned, black haired girl had the ability to attract and kill vampires. To prevent this power from working, she wore a Cross on her neck, which was now hidden under her short-sleeved P.E. shirt. She had just transferred into Kamijous class in the beginning of the month. Himegami gently shook her long, black hair, which was becoming increasing rare, saying, Isnt a students competition something like this? Where theres trainers and coaches. Ugh, even you said isnt it like this!? Seems like well lose! Kamijou cupped his hands on his head. As if he was trying to encourage Kamijou, Nya! Kami-yan, it cant be helped that everyone is so tired. Nobody expected the opening ceremony to consist of 15 consecutive principal talks, together with more than 50 congratulatory telegrams that were sent over. I have to praise you for being able to stand even after all these...... The person who said this was Tsuchimikado Motoharuhe looked like a student, but was actually a double agent for both the magic and science sidehis short, blonde hair spiking outwards, with light-coloured sunglasses on his eyes and gold jewellery on his neck. One could only say that a short-sleeved P.E. shirt didnt match the other decorations. EveCEven the energetic Aogami and Tsuchimikado are like this...wait...wait a minute, if the opponent is as lifeless, we might have a chance......!! Kamijou grabbed onto his last glimmer of hope. Its impossible nya, Kami-yan. The opponent seems to be a private elite sports school, you know. WAAAAA! Kamijou was completely sprawled on the floor. The thought of him losing to Misaka Mikoto and her giving a hellish punishment was now clear in his mind. Just when Kamijou felt his skin crawl, a female classmate, who was late, came into the room. Wait...wait a minute, whats wrong with everyone? Why is everyone so tired? Hgn? Kamijou, who was lying on the floor, looked up. The girl in front of him was wearing a short shirt and a pair of shorts, and also a hoody on the outside. The armband on her arm had the words Daihaseisai Management Committee, High School Division. There should be similar words written on the back. She was rather tall in class and had a nice body. One could see those compassionate breasts of hers under her P.E. attire. Her long black hair was kept behind her ears, making her forehead look much larger. Fukiyose Seiri. In contrast to her beautiful looks, her nickname was the iron wall girl. She blankly looked around, before her vision finally fixed onto Kamijou, who was on the ground. Ah!? No way, Kamijou! Its because of your lethargy that everyone else in infected by it. You......what are you going to do with this? Eh? No......its not my fault! I only just reached here, you know! In other words, because youre late, everyone lost their drive? Do you have to blame me no matter what? Arent you late as well? Im late because I have management work to do, idiot! You were planning to make me look like an idiot no matter what? Kamijou was really going to cry out, Dont bother me! I cant make it! Now that Kamijous in an unfortunate reality, Kamijou really cant stand up now!! You really look bad like this. This isnt a psychological problem; its mild anaemia because you didnt eat breakfast. Just drink some isotonic drinks to replenish your water content and minerals and youll be fine. Kamijou Touma, stand up now! Whoosh! Several 500ml plastic bottles flew out from Fukiyoses jacket pockets. Wa! Why are you spouting this nonsense that a health freak will go crazy about!? Also, is this an illusion? Why do I feel that you dont lack minerals and water, but calcium? What are you talking about? Ive taken in enough anchovies! Fukiyose glared at Kamijou, saying, I hate those who use misfortune as an excuse to live life so sloppily. Once you look so lethargic, everyone else will lose their motivation as well. So you better buck up for everyones sake. Facing off against Fukiyose Seiris aggressive attack, Kamijou inadvertently backed up. The committee member continued to get near the retreating boy. Kamijou still wanted to back away, only to back into the flowerbed. Seeing this, the students looked absolutely delighted. Too......too strong. Fukiyose, youre too strong! Youre really the woman who can defend against that Kamijou! If it was an ordinary person, that person might end up being soft-hearted and say KaCKamijou-san, are you alright? This guy keeps saying that hes unlucky, but he always gets the best seats!! Oh, youre the hope of humanity. Lets analyse Fukiyose Seiri, and maybe we can control Kami-yan!! (In your eyes, what kind of scum am I!?) Kamijou listlessly backed up. At that moment, Kamijous foot stepped on something squishy. It was the rubber gardening hose. They had to spray water onto the grounds before the competition started in order to prevent the dust from flying about (though they couldnt prevent it completely). Looking far away, a male teacher working in the school suspiciously looked at the water hose that had stopped spraying water. At that instant, The water that had been suppressed by Kamijous foot blasted out from the loose connection of the hose to the faucet, splashing water nearby. The one closest to the faucet was...... Fu...Fukiyose!? Kamijou, you bastard, how dare you do this to our final stronghold!! Oh no, with Kamijou around, even that tigress is all wet now. And unexpectedly, we get to see her colourful underwear. Dont tell me this is the start of a love comedy...... This is the despair of humanityif Fukiyose cant survive, then who will? (In your eyes, what kind of scum am I!? Also, sorry, Fukiyose-san!) Kamijou repeatedly did his angry and apologetic mannerisms. On a side note, Fukiyose was all wet and her sports attire clung tightly to her. Her skin, and even her underwear could be seen clearly. Unexpectedly, she was wearing underwear that was completely different from her image; the yellow and orange chequered design looked really cute. ......Do you have any dissatisfaction? (No, I dont dare to!!) Kamijou quickly lowered his head and apologised. Fukiyose gave a humph, turned her head, pulled the zip of her jacket open and pulled out a small packet of milk before drinking it. She probably wanted the calcium to pacify her own anger. The boys nearby covered the mouth of the faucet with their thumbs, and started playing with the columns of water that were shooting out like a laser cannon. In truth, they were tired now. But they seemed to be aware of Fukiyose being wet throughout and wanted to display the spirit of a gentleman, so they pretended that they didnt notice her. They looked innocent, but their eyes werent smiling as they continued to play this water spraying game in despair. Kamijou blankly looked at his classmates that completely lacked unity and thought, (Nobodys worrying about the Wrench Stick match!? Were doomed! To many extents, this class really has a lot of problems.) Just when Kamijou was shaking his head at the wall near the competitors corner entrance, he heard a man and a woman arguing. Seemed like some people were arguing behind the sports hall. This will...definitely ......What nonsensedefinitely......huh? What was going on now......? Kamijou kept his body near the sports hall as he peeked in. The person in the back of the dark sports hall was Kamijous homeroom teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe. She was 135cm tall, a teacher who wouldnt be mocked even if she was carrying a primary school students backpack. She was wearing a short white dress, accompanied with a light green sleeveless vest. Seemed like she was wearing this to cheer them on. Facing her was a man that Kamijou had never met before. He should be a teacher from another school. In Daihaseisai, while staff members were wearing sports attire that could be bought outside, this guy was wearing business clothing on such a hot day. Komoe-sensei was arguing with that teacher. Or more accurately, it looked like the male teacher, who was mocking Komoe-sensei, was about to get eaten by her. I admit that our school facilities and teaching contents arent adequate! But thats our fault and not the students! Komoe-sensei was waving her arms as she shouted. The male teacher however didnt mind, saying, Humph, isnt the inadequacy of the facilities due to your students not being capable? If there were results, the Board of Directors would have given extra funding, right? Hoho. Trash schools like yours shouldnt be able to request it, right? Ah, sensei, I heard that your class did badly for the end-of semester test, right? Managing so many failures must be tough. TheCTheres no success or failure for students! They just have their own personalities. Everyone is already working so hard! How......how can I abandon them for my own sake? Is this an excuse to hide your own inability? Hahaha. Your dreams are too far-reaching. Do you need me to send you back to reality? Let the elites that I groomed beat your trash into a pulp. Hm, were having a Wrench Stick competition here, right? As a member of the opposing school, let me give you an advice. Go do some warm-ups; youll need it to avoid injuries. You...... You embarrassed me the last time we had the school meet, so this time, in front of the global telecast, Ill return this debt back to you. Well be slightly lax in our attacks, but I dont know if your failures are too weak. Hahahathe male teacher laughed as he left. That teacher should be from the opposing school was what Kamijou thought. To be honest, for Kamijou, who was Level 0, even if he was called a failure or trash, it didnt hurt him too much. ......Its not like this. At this moment, Komoe-sensei spoke. She was alone now, and she was not talking to anyone in particular. She lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, They arent some trash, are they......? Her already small and skinny shoulders shrank even more. It was like she was saying that it was all because of her that her students were shamed by outsiders. She raised her head, looked up at the sky, and remained silent, as if she was trying to endure something. ...... Kamijou remained silent. He turned around. All the students were standing there silently. As if he was trying to confirm it, Kamijou Touma asked, Okay, you guys heard that? Just now, everyone was complaining about how they have no motivation, their energy is used up...... Kamijou closed one eye. Let me ask you guys again, are you sure that you dont want to win? Part 3 Misaka Mikoto was in the spectator stands reserved for students. Compared to ordinary spectator stands, there was not even a roof to block the sun. There was only a blue plastic sheet on the ground, no chairs at all. Mikoto sighed as she thought: this was like a banquet for them to enjoy watching the flowers. It was so primitive, yet it gave a wild sense of freshness. Considering that she was going to participate in a match, observing Kamijous match until the end would be somewhat dangerous. But she was really anxious, and before she knew it, she was already standing there. There were no other students there wearing the standard Tokiwadai P.E. attire. (Although he cant possibly beat our school......) Mikoto sighed stealthily. Tokiwadai Middle School comprised of two Level 5s, forty-seven Level 4s, and the rest were all Level 3s; a strong school comprising of elites. Although they were ranked a rather humiliating 2nd in last years Daihaseisai, last years champion was a top 5 school, Nagatenjouki Academy. In the end, the ones really fighting for the championship were these top 5 schools. If the situation changed, it would only be a reshuffling in positions among these top 5 schools. This should be something that every resident of Academy City knows, so why did that guy so recklessly bet on it? Mikoto was skeptical. But that idiot probably didnt have any special plan. (But......) If it was him, maybe an unexpected winner would be born. He would disregard any objective views between Level 0s and Level 5s. Yes, just like how he beat the strongest Level 5 in Academy City with his right hand. At that time, he gritted his teeth and stood up for her so many times. (......) Mikotos mind temporarily went blank. (Ahhh, this is so irritating, why am I so embarrassed all of a sudden!?) Patapatapata!! She pulled out the board under her that she had been using as a seat, and hurriedly used it to fan her face that was flushed red. Im lucky that my schoolmates arent here, Mikoto thought as she looked around. Then, A nun with silver hair and green eyes was lying on the ground. !? Mikotos shoulders jerked. This was the girl who was with that idiot ever since school started. Seemed like she was called Index was that a nickname? It was hard to imagine anyone having that kind of name. Why was she here? Mikoto had a few questions, but she immediately realised that the girl should be here to cheer for the opponent. The girl was holding onto a pair of chopsticks in her right hand and there was an empty bento box placed nearby. Seemed like it was the student bento that Tsuchimikado Maika was selling. The girl, who was prostrating herself on the ground, slowly said, ......I...Im hungry...... Didnt you just finish the bento? Mikoto instinctively shouted back. She immediately thought that the reason why she was so listless is not because she was hungry, but because she got heatstroke, so she gave her a plastic bottle containing isotonic drink that was conveniently placed on the plastic sheet. The girl immediately stood up. The moment she said Tha...thank you. the bottle was empty, and her stomach was rumbling. After that, she became as listless as before. ......Try...trying to use a drink to suppress my hunger may be a bit too much...... Youre just hungry, arent you...... Mikoto placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. A calico cat climbed out from the gap between the stomach of the girl, who was lying on the ground. It seemed to be saying, Missy, on behalf of this girl, Id like to say sorry for bothering you. Ah, Im melting, my paws are burning. Hm?......What kind of strange feeling is this? as it looked around uneasily. Mikotos ability was dubbed the railgun, as she could control and manipulate electricity. Even if she didnt move, there would be a weak electric field, so animals normally wouldnt like to approach her. She looked at the lethargic nun that was dressed in white robes, and said, Oi, did you meet that guy today? Did you find anything strange about him? Hm? That guy? Are you referring to Touma? Touma doesnt seem any different from usual. Youre with that guy all the time? Mikoto really wanted to snap at her, but decided to endure it. If that guy wasnt any different from usual, then was he not too bothered about winning and losing? (So this means that our school should still win in the end...eh? If I win, what will happen?) Mikoto thought, before shaking her head forcefully. The girl lying on the ground was slightly surprised upon seeing Mikoto act like this. Oi, short-hair. ......Oi, youre too much. Is this how you treat someone who gave you a drink? Oi, short-hair with a big belly. There isn''t a girl whod be happy upon hearing that!! Mikoto twitched her eyebrows as she said that. The nun, however, did not mind as she said, Whats short-hair doing here? What? DoCdoing? No, I didnt...... Are you here to cheer for Touma? WhaCwhat? StuCstupid, what are you saying? Why should I cheer for that guy? The white nun did not press on any further as Mikoto continued to fan herself even harder. At this moment, the schools speakers broadcast the signal that the competitors were coming in. The first match was the Wrench Pole matchthis was a match where both sides were to set up 7m long poles. While defending their own pole, competitors had to push down the enemys pole. This was what the competition involves. The one presenting and explaining the rules was a first-year from high school, as his voice loudly blared through the speakers. Although there were broadcasting crews from many different companies, it was still basically a school Olympics. The television commentators would be working in different rooms, so there didnt seem to be any major changes. However, just the fact that they would be shown on television created a huge difference in the atmosphere and sense of being as compared to before. Although in reality, while it was impossible to show all 1.8 million students, they would still be nervous. Though the students were noisily chattering about, Mikoto inexplicably felt a sense of nervousness. In this moment, one could really feel that this was a formal activity being watched by the entire world. I...Im hungry...... The girl who was sprawling on the ground broke the tension in the air mercilessly. Mikoto saw that she was so pitiful, and pulled out some biscuit-shaped supplementary food (chocolate flavour) from her pocket. The lethargic girl could only raise her head and open her small mouth. Mikoto stuffed the food into Indexs mouth, so all Index could do was eat them obediently. (Never mind, those guys likely wont feel nervous......they might even skip this and pretend that they didnt know this match is about to occur.) Mikoto looked like she was prompted by the broadcast to look to the school compound. The opponent that Kamijous school was facing seemed to be some elite school that focused heavily on sports, as even their warm ups gave people a sense of professionalism. By moderating a suitable amount of nervousness into a motivated look, it seemed like they were focused on a real competition. They were gathered in their own classes, as each class was setting up their own poles. It would be disastrous if the opponent was serious, Mikoto thought, shaking her head as she looked at where Kamijou was. Just as the guide booklet showed, his school did not have any special characteristics, widely considered as a really ordinary school. But standing there...were the real warriors. Eh? Mikoto couldnt help but wonder if she was seeing the wrong thing. The entire group gave off an inexplicable sense of seriousness, nobody was playing around. With Kamijou Touma as the centre, they were lined up horizontally in one line. Forget calling it a Wrench Pole match, the intense atmosphere was like the prelude to a battle in the Sengoku Era. The poles that had been set up seemed to resemble a large spear held by a regiment. The tension was a whole lot different from the one the broadcasting companies brought. It felt like there was no one besides them and their enemies. DONG KAKAKA! They were surrounded by some weird sound effects. The sound was caused by the aftershocks caused by the power of the three units of espers colliding with each other, causing the air to vibrate. (Eh......) Seeing such an intense atmosphere, Mikoto shouted out. (......Whats with that sense of realisation!? That guy, to think that he is able to display this kind of leadership capability at a time like this. DonCdont tell me that theyre serious about winning!? What will that guy want if he wins?) Actually, this was due to Komoe-senseis story being spread across the entire school, but of course, Mikoto didnt know this. In front of Mikoto, who was all pale green now, the announcement that the match was starting was made. Kamijou and company raised some dust into the air as they charged towards their opponents, who were scared upon seeing their display of momentum. Part 4 The people taking part in the Wrench Pole match were split into two groups. One group set up its own pole, making it stable and protecting it. The other group was to knock down the enemys pole. Kamijou was in the latter group. So once the signal to start was given, he led the charge into the enemys territory. YYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Kamijou shouted as he charged forward. Any ordinary person would think...that this was a game included in this sporting event, but in Academy City, more than half of the students were people who had discovered their powers, called espers. There were abilities that may include fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, ice, and many more, even including some that allowed espers to fly. In a battle of around 100 espers fighting, the tense atmosphere was no trivial matter. Right now, the distance between the two bases was around 80 metres. The opponent, lined up in a straight line, continuously fired some flashes over. They looked like the camera flashes from the spectator stands, but they were not. These were long ranged attacks that were fired by the espers. Seemed like an esper could detonate flames to create explosive pressure. In order to keep the pressure shaped in the form of a bullet, the flame bombs were covered with an invisible forcefield created by an esper who could manipulate pressure. When the bomb bullet was created, the bullet would increase the refractivity of air, reflecting sunlight like sunlight shining through a transparent balloon. It was only in Daihaseisai that one got to see many espers work together to form a single attack. Kamijou theorised that they would remove the pressure-type shell, releasing the internal pressure and release it to the surroundings. Facing the attack of these units, Kamijous allies, who were behind him and protecting him, fired sand guns at the enemy. This was a telekinesis-based attack, and it was not an exaggeration to call it a formless and colourless attack. It reacted with the dust floating in the air and manipulated the flow of the magnetic field lines to create sand-iron guns. The explosive bullets and the telekinetic guns collided and exploded in the middle of the field. Seeing the storm that just occurred, the spectators started to scream as if they were riding on a roller coaster. (Those that are watching probably think that this is interesting!!) Kamijous movements were somewhat slow because of the explosions, as he continued to run forward. The opposing school seemed to be a specialist in sports, as one could see that they devoted a considerable amount of effort to develop their capabilities. Although their hit damage was a lot less as compared to people like Railgun and Accelerator...scary things were still scary. Kamijous right hand had the Imagine Breaker ability. No matter whether it was magic, esper power or even miracles, the Imagine Breaker on his right hand was an extraordinary power that negated them all once it touched these other powers... However, it was limited only to his right hand. It was impossible to defend against attacks from all directions. As Kamijou thought while he was running to the enemys base, someone was running beside him. Aogami Pierce. Ill go first, Kami-yan. Watch how this comedian crushes the irritating aura of those corrupted elites! WAHAHAHAHA!! The intercepting squad continued to fire several bullets, and Aogami Pierce continued to dodge them leisurely by spinning around like a ballet dancer. There was still 20 metres before the two sides clashed. In this situation where one shouldnt be caring about others, Kamijou was still surprised as he continued to run with Aogami Pierce, saying, Come to think about it, why are you so happy? Ah!? Kami-yan, its all because of love. This faint sense of love that a hard-working girl is conveying to me through her sweat and tears, mixed with some sexual addiction, is being broadcast on national TV...no, its being broadcast in many countries! Even if I faced with this great love thats so unscrupulous, even if I cant accept it, Ill blaze a path to the temples! Ah ha ah ha ah ha!! Aogami Pierces actions became even faster with his rising emotions. So I ask...is that bald muscled guy among your admirers? That guy seems to of been looking at you since a while ago, calling you out lovingly, you know. What are you talking aboutGYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!? Hearing Kamijous cold remark, Aogami Pierce was stunned upon realising the true identity of the person that was showing him love. He got hit by several pressure bullets and flew backwards. Kamijou looked back, completely taken aback. Aogami Pierce was caught by an ally using an invisible forcefield. On the spectator stands, ordinary civilians were roaring with cheers and applause. (Ah, well be flung far away if were hit. I dont want to be acting in this scary filler! Come to think about it, whats with that This is how Daihaseisai should be like! atmosphere?) Kamijou looked away from Aogami Pierce, who was behind him, and looked forward. The enemys base was just ahead. There was still 10 metres until they clashed. Kamijou Touma sneakily clenched his right fist... And charged into the enemys base. Part 5 In conclusion, Kamijou and company won the battle. They understood right from the start that they would lose in a frontal battle. So when the two sides collided, they used all their powers on the ground, whipping up dust, blurring the enemys vision and using lightning fast guerrilla tactics. Before this, the staff had sprayed some water onto the field to prevent dust from flying about, but it was impossible to prevent dust from flying up when the ground was attacked so many times. The one who had suggested this tactic, Fukiyose Seiri, held the front of her jacket in place as she grouped the students into those who are to raise the dust, those who are to knock down the wooden pole when the dust is up and the telepathy group who can give the order to raise the dust and order those in the dust to retreat, as she held overall command. During the battle, as the telepathic messages could not be received in the midst of the duststorm, not only was Kamijou hit by the bullets from his own teammates, he was beaten to a pulp by the opponent, but they still won. The warriors who were covered with bruises and injuries completely forgot about their victory and injuries as they walked out of the arena from the entrance and into the school compound. Komoe-sensei, who was about to cry, was waiting for them with some first aid boxes. Why...why must everyone force themselves to work so hard!? Theres no point in having Daihaseisai if everyones not having fun! Its not important whether we win or lose! Sen...sensei is very unhappy that everyones so injured......!! Facing Komoe-senseis cries, the students seemed to agree that they shouldnt explain their reasons to her, and scattered away in groups. After walking out of the competitors rest area, Kamijou started to look for Index in the spectator stands. Index should be in the spectators stand reserved for students. Normally, this was an area forbidden to anyone other than students, but Kamijou didnt dare put Index in the normal spectator stands. She was someone from outside Academy City with the knowledge of 103,000 magical texts in her head, and was thus much more valuable than any Academy City resident. Index? Eh, where did she go? Kamijou looked at the spectator stand where she should be, but couldnt find her. Although it was called a spectator stand, it was actually just a blue plastic sheet laid on the school grounds, and there was nothing to block the sunlight...together with the people gathering nearby. The students nearby formed a human wall, so it was quite difficult to look around. Kamijou got into the crowd, moving from one end to another, but in the end, he still couldnt find her. (Hm......it should have been easy to spot her when shes wearing such a noticeable white nun robe.) He stuffed his hands into his P.E. shorts, looking at the school compound that was slightly farther away. (I gave Index a zero-yen phone before, and it should be the fastest way to contact her. Too bad my phone is in the classroom.) Kamijou had never seen Index use a handphone before. Although he was worried, Kamijou felt that it was the best way given to the current situation. During Daihaseisai, many schools prohibited people from entering the school premises. They couldnt allow others to see the facilities that were related to power development. The only exception was for their own students, like Kamijou. In case anyone got injured, the schools doctor was available in the healthcare room, and the shower room was opened. So, Kamijou walked up the stairs. There were two security guards wearing black uniforms at the shoe closet. The teachers, who normally taught history and mathematics in front of the blackboard, were carrying guns, and the sight was somewhat strange. Ah, Im looking for someone whos lost in the crowd, can I grab my handphone in the classroom? Kamijou, your reason is too direct. If you cant contact the person due to electromagnetic wave interference, tell us when you need to use the P.A system. So now, lets wish you a good time in Daihaseisai. The mathematics teacher seemed to find it troublesome as she replied. However, she did mention the necessary points, as expected of a trained professional. He got past the guards and walked towards the staircase. After putting on his slippers at the shoe cabinet, he walked up the stairs. It was really quiet when no one was in schoolthe moment he thought of this, the speakers started to blare a loud echo, and it was really noisy. He walked up the stairs. After walking for a while, he reached his own class. As he pulled the door aside, Kamijou thought (Himegami seemed to have blended well into our class, thats good. Oh yeah, I have to contact Index the moment I get the phone. If Himegami is free, itd be nice if she could come along with us as well) However, he immediately froze on the spot. For some reason, Management Committee member Fukiyose Seiri had taken off her clothes. Before he opened the door, he hadnt noticed that the curtains of the windows were pulled down. In the dark classroom, Fukiyose Seiri, who was sitting on the table opposite Kamijou, was wearing only a pair of panties. Just a pair of panties, she was not even wearing her bra. She seemed to be changing her clothes that were wet due to the water that burst from the water hose. Even her panties seemed to be new, as the plastic bag near her feet contained her wet clothes and undergarments. The other set of clothes seemed to be placed in a sports bag. Fukiyose Seiri looked at the intruder calmly. She remained emotionless as she reached out toward a nearby chair. Kamijous shoulders jerked. Wait...wait a minute, Fukiyose-san! I came here to get my handphone so that I can find someone. Theres no malicious intent here!! Also, please read the instructions on how to use a chair before using it! Ill be dead if I get hit by that!! Kamijou got down and started begging in 0.2 seconds. Seeing the boy in front of her, Fukiyose felt bored as she sighed, and removes her hand from the chair. She took out some clothes from her sports bags beside her, and placed it over her naked body. Never mind. Please leave the classroom. ......Youre not angry? It cant be helped, since youre looking for a missing person. You dont have to kneel down and beg, but to not turn your head around, Kamijou Touma!? Seeing the committee member putting on her coat, and that she only had a pair of panties on, one had to worry over whether she pulled up the zipper. Kamijou, who was as shocked as her, didnt notice that Fukiyose Seiris arms were trembling. Yes Madam!! Like a retainer greeting a lord, Kamijou bent down and stepped backwards. Just when he was about to leave the classroom ......Youre not angry? GET OUT!! Fukiyose grabbed the cardboard box on the table and flung it at Kamijou. Kamijou frantically ran out of the classroom and slammed the door shut with his backhand. He then sat in the corridor and took a deep breath. (Ahthis is really frightening......) Kamijou shook his head and looked down. At this moment, he saw a box on the corridor that was as big as a cigarette pack. Was this the box that Fukiyose threw? Kamijou took the box and examined it. Bleater, an infrared therapy device. To be attached below a handphone. Whether its relieving stiff shoulders or stress relief, its effective!! That was what was written on the box. Seeing the exterior of the box, the design of the item seemed to be a lamb that could change shape. It should be of the same type of good as the frog lucky charm attached to Mikotos bag. ......So this is a decoration thats attached to a handphone. Relieves shoulder stiffness and fatigue, the number of uses is really little. To think there are people in this world who are attracted to this weird thing...eh? Isnt this something that the late night shopping channel would recommend? Because Index would be sleeping soundly in the room where the television was, Kamijou could only use the television function of his handphone to watch late night shows. On the other hand, Fukiyose, who was in the classroom, didnt seem to notice that Kamijou was sighing, Kamijou, did you put the handphone in the drawer? Ah, isnt my bag on the table? My handphones placed inside. Ill give it to you after I finish changing. Just wait there. Thanks Fukiyose. Ill exchange it with that weird purchase you threw over. I really couldnt tell that youre the type that uses mail-ordering. Hearing Kamijou say this, a frantic WAH!? sound could be heard in the classroom. Fukiyose seemed to realise now what she had just thrown out. After a while, Fukiyoses voice came from the classroom. This...theres nothing wrong with that, right? Even if I carry a notebook as I watch the shopping channels, and read shopping magazines while rolling on the bed, whats wrong with it!? No...nothing. Im not saying that this is bad, Im just surprised. Although Fukiyose could really rebut, she seemed to be unable to answer when somebody else rebutted back. Kamijou was really trying hard to think of something to say that wouldnt offend her, as Fukiyose continued to rant off inside the classroom like she was reading a tongue twister. Sowhat?SowhatevenifIhaveabunchofcreativeconditioningapparatus?IalwaysfindthemusefulwhenIreadthemagazinesandyetIfindthemordinarywhenIgetthem. DoesitmattertoyouwhetherIuseittwotothreetimesandstoppedusingthemafterwards? So thats what its like! I think you should calm down before picking up the phone, Seiri! Kamijou himself thought that this was advice that a classmate should give, but she continued on, Itsbecausetheserratedbottomofthefryingpanlookssoattractive.Theadvertisementsaysthatitcanremove30%ofthefatifitsusedtocookmeat, butitssounevenatthebottomthatIcantevencookafriedegg!! Hearing her tragic complaints, Kamijou decided not to rebut her. He looked at the box of the lamb-shaped infrared decoration. Useful for shoulder aches, eh...... Whats so surprising about it? It isnt so weird for me to get shoulder aches at this age, is it? No, its not like that. Kamijou sat on the corridor and looked up at the ceiling. ......The reason why your shoulders ache is probably because your breasts are too hugeOH C!? At this moment, the sports bag broke the classroom door as it was flung out, together with his handphone, hitting Kamijou directly. To be expected of the cordial and attentive committee member, Fukiyose Seiri. Part 6 Touma...eh, whats wrong? Why do you look like you just cried? Its nothing...... Facing the cute white nun who tilted her head slightly, Kamijou replied in a trembling voice. He thought, maybe it was better not to talk about the adventure he had while he was looking for her. In the end, because Indexs phone had run out of power (forget about charging, Index didnt even know what a power source was), Kamijou had to look for her using her beautiful monastic robes. He returned to the spectator stands reserved for students. Index got around the crowd to get back to Kamijou, and for some reason, she was carrying the calico cat and a plastic bottle that used to contain isotonic drinks. The calico cat, being hugged together with the PET bottle, didnt seem to react as it gave a bored yawn, like it was saying, Who said that cats are afraid of PET bottles? Thats a superstition! ......This isnt important. Im hungry, get me something to eat...Touma. Eh, what about the bento? Why do you look like a vengeful spirit thats thirsty for spiritual energy!? The short-hair down there just now gave me a drink and some chocolate biscuits...but Im not full...... Youre not full!? You ate a bento and several other things, and youre still like this? Whos that short-hair youre talking about!! Ah, never mind, it doesnt matter who she is, but did you thank the person properly? Index!? Index did not react to Kamijous shouting at all. Its said that girls have another stomach for sweet stuff, but it seemed like this girl in front of him had the ability to separate every single type of food into different stomachs. Since she was not satisfied with just eating a bento, they had to go to the stores, Kamijou wildly thought. He flipped open the thick tourist guidebook that was kept with Index, and found that there was still a bit of time before the next event, the Roll the Ball Match. Alright, lets leave the spectator stands. If we go back to where the stores were just now, well still be able to find lots of food that can easily form a mountain when theyre stacked up. Upon hearing this, Index quickly turned her head around, As tall as a mountain!! No...not really. Although the amount of food can form a mountain when theyre stacked up, I dont have enough money to buy them all! Dont look at me with those glowing eyes! Ill feel guilty!! Kamijou sighed as he dug into his pockets, trying to confirm how much money was in his wallet. There was still some money inside, but it was all he had for the entire Daihaseisai tournament, which lasted for 7 days. If he was to spend all of it on the first time, what awaited him would be tragedy. Kamijou frustratedly thought of how to control Index, and decided to head toward the stores first. Index, who was beside him, started to daydream about the food haven that she hadnt even seen. Including her eyes, hair, skin, well basically, her entire body was glowing. The psychological theory that any mental activities will bring about physical effects to the human body seemed to be true. Kamijou and Index walked toward a major road. Seeing the traffic light turn red, they stopped moving. Basically during Daihaseisai, ordinary vehicles werent allowed on the roads of Academy City, but business vehicles like buses, taxis and delivery lorries were allowed. Because of this, though there were so many people, they couldnt just turn Academy City into a walking haven. Once they crossed the road, the stores would be right in front of their eyes. They could faintly smell sauce and soy sauce getting burned from opposite the road. When the traffic light turned green, Index started to shine so brightly that the shining index was at its highest of the year. Khlap Khlap Khlap Khlap The guards, who were maintaining the safety of Academy City, raised the No access boards in front of them. Ah, Im sorry. But therell be many schools performing an ensemble parade here. We wont make it if we dont stop the crowd. The guard was the woman who had taken care of him during the opening ceremony two weeks ago. She was a really beautiful teacher who tied her pitch-black hair behind her. Right now, she was not wearing an ordinary green track attire, but a black standard uniform. The reason she was not wearing a safety helmet was probably so that she wouldnt give a bad impression to the visitors. Kamijou thought, besides wearing a track attire or a standard uniform, wouldnt wearing decent clothing be much better? During Daihaseisai, Academy City residents paid the most attention to providing a good impression to the public. In other words, half the reason why they were organising this event was to give a good impression to the general public. In order to prevent any outsider access to any secret areas that involved the development of esper powers, the guards in the research areas were very strict. Only an expert could rely on his skills to give a sense of seriousness without ordinary people sensing it. The security guard nee-san also gave this sort of impression. Besides her putting on full gear and covering up all her skin, seeing a beautys face would likely give anyone a good impression. Kamijou looked at the No access signboard, then looked across the road, before asking, Excuse me, if I may ask, I want to get across the road; whats the best way to do so? Aiya, because this is a major parade, theres no access along this road for 8 kilometres. You see here, its written in the tourist guidebook. Ugn The security guard nee-san flipped open the guidebook, and said, Theres no overhead bridge nearby......so the nearest location is here? An underground street 3 kilometres from here. From exit U04 here to exit V01, you can get across here...... 3 kilometres......!? Kamijou was speechless. Looking beside him, Index couldnt withstand the hunger in her stomach, as she silently sat on the floor, giving a look that I cant walk for that far...... Part 7 Misaka Mikoto was running down the streets. She was not in the playing field, but on the crowded streets. Not only was there no prohibition for them to get on the road, there was no clearing of the roads. Even so, Mikoto was in a match right now. Looking around, there were also several people running about on the trails nearby. The spectators were allowed to walk anywherein fact, this was the only competition where the spectators were required to be involved. Scavenger Hunt. The competitive area was the 7th, 8th and 9th Umbrella zones of Academy City. Of course, the competitors werent allowed to use any forms of transportation like buses or subway trains. They started out from the starting point, and had to look for a specified item before going back to the starting point. It really felt like a marathon made much more complicated. What was different was that there was no fixed route, as the competitors had to think of the shortest route. This kind of brain training was very important, and was different from thinking at the table. Running around like that would tire a person physically. Like the wide area of the competitive zone, this competition was famous for the high difficulty in finding something. (Peh, this is where Kuroko would excel with her teleportation ability! Really, itd be much easier if they would just gather everyone in Academy City over here!) Mikotos ability was powerful, but it was not useful when it had nothing to do with combat. For the sake of ordinary people, the board of directors of Academy City had decreed that any powers that were Level 5 were forbidden. With her ability, itd exceed no matter how she adjusted her power. Mikoto passed the water stand, and continued to run without noticing the isotonic drinks. In a long distance marathon, too much water content would slow her down. She again opened the slip of paper. She reconfirmed the name of the designated item that was required. (Looks like I have to do something troublesome... Ah!!) As she ran through the crowd, she spotted the item in front of her. The conditions were, When a third-party person has a designated good, you have to get the persons permission and get that person to follow you back to the starting area. (Watch me!!) Mikoto kicked her shoes, made of highly reactive material, onto the ground, as she dashed into the crowd. Kamijou placed his hand on Indexs shoulder, who was sighing as she saw the no access sign. Alright Index, well only smell the food if we continue to stay here. Didnt the guidebook say that there are other hawker stores? Well look for others. Uuuuuuu, its just right in front of me; why cant I get it!? Index gave a poetic cry. Although the guard who set up the no access sign looked sorry, rules were rules. To...Touma, wheres the nearest store now? Hm? Let me see......it should be here, right? Kamijou flipped through the guidebook. Walk west for 3km. Hey, isnt that the same place as the underground entrance we need to go through to get across? ......Uuu......waaahhh! Mm, however, if I go here, I wont be able to get to my next match in time. The bus route......aiya, doesnt seem like theyll reach her during the parade. Cant be helped, Index. Youll have to endure till the end of the Roll the Ball match. ......(Angry!) Eh? Wait a minute! Why are you angry at me!? The location of the hawker stores and the bus routes have got nothing to do with me!? Index, who didnt hear anything, opened up her cute mouth like a beast, and leapt forward. It was so fast that even the security guard nee-san was unable to react in time. Am I going to be eaten!? Kamijou covered his head with his hands. His body started to move fast. Indexs teeth missed their target. Eh? The girl gave a puzzled look. It was supposed to be a guaranteed 100% strike every time she leapt and bit someones head. However, there was a reason why she had missed. Because Misaka Mikoto, who had ran in from the right, grabbed Kamijous collar and ran to the left. Great! I got my winning condition! WAHAHAHA!! Wai...wait a mi... this is unbearable! At......at least explain why...... In front of Index, who was stunned, the two vanished into the crowd. Seeing the nun sitting on the floor lifelessly, the security guard nee-san couldnt help it but give some biscuit-like rations to her. Part 8 Kamijou, who had been stepped on like a rug, walked into the competition area with Misaka Mikoto, through the white tape of the finishing line. The competitive area was in a completely different dimension compared to where they had the Wrench Pole Match. This place seemed to belong to some sports university, as the orange concrete floor had white lines on it, like it was a standard race track. The spectator stands were ladder-type, like a professional stadium, and there were so many more video cameras used for reporting and security guards. The high school committee members stationed there covered Mikoto with a large sports towel after she finished running the marathon. The signals they gave to provide drinks and a mini oxygen task were executed beautifully. Not only were they practical, it was like they had also considered that they were on air. After this, there would be a recognition ceremony and a simple interview. Before the next few participants arrived, the first few had to wait at another area. (So completely different...even the committee members seem like they were trained intensively.) The female high school committee member who was taking care of Mikoto stared at Kamijous face. What now, Kamijou thought as he raised his guard. At that moment, the committee member whispered, ......(Kamijou Touma, theres nothing wrong with the specified object, but arent you getting hit on by girls quite often?) ......(This voice, wa! Fukiyose-san!?) Kamijou looked carefully, the person in front of him was Fukiyose Seiri. She was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, shorts and a thin jacket. She stopped whatever she was doing, but because it was work time, she couldnt just shout at him like usual. They whispered to each other, ......(Im really sorry for what happened just now, because of me, Kamijou Toumas neglect, I accidentally saw you changing clothes...) ......(Im trying really hard to forget about that, so dont mention it again, Kamijou Touma!) ......(Uuu, Im really sorry. Hm, come to think about it, Fukiyose, is that lamb-shaped infrared device really that good?) ......(You want one?) ......(No...its not that, Im just curious. I never said that I wanted it!) ......(Keep quiet. Everyones really serious! Anyway, dont interfere with the running of the competition or meddle with the competitors!) Fukiyose didnt listen to Kamijou. She picked up the record board that was placed on the ground together with the carton full of drinks and jotted down the records of the competition with a ball-point pen. On a side note, both of them didnt notice Mikoto, who was right beside them, giving a sulking expression. From the atmosphere of the discussion, Kamijou sensed that Fukiyose was unwilling to talk anymore, so he turned to Mikoto, who had forcefully dragged him along. Come to think of it, Mikoto. Im sweating profusely, and my calves are aching. I remember that for this competition, the third-party has to agree; did I see it wrongly? Ahyou saw that wrongly. But the notice never said that you cant promise afterwards. ...... Alright, dont sit down like a useless bum. Really, its ugly looking. Mikoto covered Kamijous head using the towel that was placed on her, and rubbed the sweat off his face forcefully. Kamijou felt ashamed as it feels like an adult drying a childs hair. But Mikoto was too forceful, and he couldnt wave it off. He thought that itd be a lot more childish if he was swinging his arms about, and so he endured it silently. After that, Mikoto wanted to get him a drink and a straw, but she stopped after seeing the straw. Mikoto looked at Fukiyose, and shook the isotonic drink in her hand slightly. Fukiyose, who was about to write something on the record board, looked up, and shook her head. Seemed like a participant couldnt request more than one bottle of drink. ........................................................................ Mikoto froze for a while, she shyly watched the sand flew into Kamijous mouth, who was coughing non-stop, and was a bit fearful. She trembled for several seconds, Oi! Youre really useless! I really dont know how to deal with you! Take it!! Wah!! Mikoto pressed the bottom of the drink onto Kamijous face, not expecting the drink to burst out of the straw. She was flushed red now as she turned her back to Kamijou and vanished to the stage. Because of the number of people participating, the rules for the class vs class and same year vs same year were rather lax, but the top three individual would be commended. Mikoto, who came in first place, would definitely be commended. Fukiyose, who was standing aside, suddenly sucked her tongue contemptuously. As the competition was still going on, she was standing by, preparing for the next person. The one being commended was only Mikoto. Kamijous existence was similar to that of a bun being eaten in a bun eating contest; there was no use for it after the competition, so he just walked to the exit. (Being stepped on and kicked......to think that in this competition, an ordinary civilian gets it much worse than the participant? Isnt this competition supposed to be about having a participant get involved with the public, and being unable to use their own abilities?) Kamijou thought about this, but nobody could give him an answer. He sipped the drink that Mikoto had given him, thinking that Index was still at that no access place. Suddenly, a piece of paper was carried to him by the wind. It seemed to be the instructions of the Scavenger Hunt. There were no other participants here other than Mikoto, who was so far ahead of the pack, so this sheet of instructions should be hers. Fukiyose had already recorded the results on the record board, so it should be useless. The cleaner will clean it up if I leave it here, Kamijou thought as he picked up this flammable trash. (What......) Whats was written on the paper was, A high school student who participated in the first competitive event. (What, thats what its all about? The Wrench Pole match did occur directly after the opening ceremony. But besides me, there are hundreds of thousands of people who fulfill this criteria...so why am I...forced...to run this much?) Kamijou, whose fatigue was rising rapidly, drooped his shoulders as he limped towards the exit. While walking out of the exit, he thought, eh? Why did Misaka know that I took part in the Wrench Pole match? And became puzzled. Part 9 The competitive arena was rather far with respect to where Index was. So, Kamijou decided to take the bus back. Of the current buses that were operative, 70% of them were automatic without anybody manning them. The bus, which was powered by electricity, glided forward without making a single sound. In the development of unmanned technology, like commercial planes, trains and ships, it was said that the most difficult one to develop was the car. In all forms of transport, in the air, sea and on land, the required manipulation and decision making was most complex. So at this moment, these vehicles were only allowed to be used in Daihaseisai under restricted circumstances. Kamijou got past the auto-door and into the bus. As ordinary vehicles were banned, the bus was rather packed. Although there was a driver seat, it was surrounded and isolated with strengthened glass, like a telephone booth. Just seeing how the unmanned bus worked, like turning and accelerating, would amaze anybody. Without using gasoline, the extremely quiet bus stopped a few times, before it reached Kamijous destination. There was still quite a distance to where he had separated from Index. Because part of the road could not be accessed due to the ensemble parade, the bus route was somewhat altered. Kamijou quickly walked on the road, as the related broadcasts could be heard everywhere, even though it was mixed in with the noise of the crowd. Besides using the audio devices to broadcast, they were using the large screens on department stores and airships to air the live telecasts and other feeds through the temporary studios and different media. Regarding the results of the Mens obstacle course just now, after some decisions The matches in one hours time will be as follows. Theres no access to the matches once it starts, everyone please take note-- In the Scavenger Hunt organised by four different schools, Tokiwadai Middle School got an overwhelming victory as expected. The first place has the honour of being 7 minutes faster than the other competitors General report, were looking for a missing child. Will Charles Goncourt-sama from St Tropez, France, please head toward a security robot camera nearby upon hearing this message, and show your face and the Daihaseisai access pass issued to you by Academy City. Well send your child to where you want to pick them up. Veuillez l''entendre. Nous vous annon?ons un enfant manquant. Hearing these high decibel broadcasts, Kamijou looked around. (Anyhow, did Index just move about and get lost?) Itd be alright if he could contact her through phone too bad Indexs zero yen phone had run out of power. Although she had a photographic memory, and she could remember any place she went to, Kamijou was still worried. Walking in this hot day, he thought, (I should have bought a gift for her when I passed the stores just now.) But it was too late to go back. Kamijous next match was coming up. Anyway, he had to find Index, and then headed to the arena where his classmates were. Thinking about this, he hastened his steps. He suddenly stopped. He saw a familiar face in the crowd. Hair dyed red, wearing earrings. Rings on each of his 10 fingers, smoking a cigarette, tattoo markings underneath his right eye. It was a priest that didnt look like a priest. Stiyl Magnus. A real magician from the Necessarius department of the British Puritans. (??? Whats with him, is he here to find Index?) It was really hard to imagine Stiyl of the magical world getting interested with something like Daihaseisai. He should be here to look for his old colleague, Index, that he was normally unable to meet. To Kamijou, he had no reason to object. It was even much better for someone who knew Index to be around, since that person could help him take care of Index during his matches. Kamijou inadvertently moved closer to him. He seemed to be talking to someone. ......So...this is how it is the probability is rather high, isnt it? He could hear voices. Whos he talking to? Kamijou wants to find out as he moves forward. Standing there was his classmate, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He was a double agent for both Academy City and the British Puritans. Tsuchimikado looked extremely easy to approach, but he was speaking so softly that nobody around him could hear anything. Yeah. Thats ... I heard that Thats right, to these people, theres no better chance ... than now. Kamijou had a bad premonition about this. Although they looked like they were joking about, and at first glance, it was like they were mixed into the crowd attending Daihaseisai...but something was missing. They didnt look happy at all. This was not a smile that was formed with real positive feelings, but a fake smile formed by negative feelings. This kind of fake smile was unrelated to Daihaseisai. In order to get away from this thought, Kamijou proceeded forward. Stiyl Magnus quietly said, So, the task is up to us to get rid of the magicians in this city. In this world Kamijou Touma lived in, where science formed the world... Became a world filled with magic all because of this statement. Between the lines 1 Shirai Kuroko. A student of the famous power development school, Tokiwadai Middle School, a petite girl with two ponytails tied to the back. She was a Level 4, and had the ability of instant teleportation, so her abilities were considered outstanding in Tokiwadai. But she was unable to take part in this years Daihaseisai. Because of an event that happened several days ago, her injuries werent healed, and she was still covered in bandages. Although she was supposed to be resting, she had sneaked out of the hospital, and was now on the roads of Academy City. Although she was still wearing the standard Tokiwadai uniform, she was sitting in a wheelchair. The wheelchair operated differently from other wheelchairs, its special feature was that its wheels were slanted like an F1 car. The one moving the wheelchair wasnt Shirai Kuroko. It was the person behind her, holding the handles of the wheelchair, Uiharu Kazari. They were both members of Judgement, an organisation made up of espers whose job was to maintain law and order in Academy City. Uiharu was dressed in a short-sleeved T-shirt and black shorts, like a sportsgirl; however, this didnt match the flower ring made of roses and Chinese hibiscus. The artificial flowers that were blooming made her look like she was wearing a huge vase on her head. Uiharu smiled as she pushed the wheelchair. I feel uneasy just thinking about us working so hard in this hot day while Shirai-san is resting alone in an air-con room. I really wanted to call Shirai-san to help, hehehe. ......Ill really thank you for this perfect friendship. When Im healed up, how about I teleport your clothes away and make you naked? Please look forward to it. Shirai weakly replied. During Daihaseisai, she was feeling bored about having to lie down alone in a room, so she was actually grateful for Uiharu forcing her out, but she was not going to let her know that even till death. Though it was not the first time that she was experiencing Daihaseisai, the atmosphere of these large scale events every year was different. Walking on the streets where she normally walked on, one would feel that the streets had completely changed with all the sports broadcasts and the pyrotechnics sounds. Although Shirai felt that the surprised expressions of these peoplethose non-residents of Academy Citywere rather irritating, but to her, who understood her own power, she understood that this couldnt be helped. Shirai sat on the wheelchair, looking around. Is there anything wrong with this years Daihaseisai? Up till now, theres no real problem. The worst case is about a corporate spy disguising as a fried cuttlefish seller whom tries to extract DNA maps from samples of saliva from the students. This is the first year Im taking part in Daihaseisai as a member of Judgement, so I dont feel anything serious there. I heard from sempai nee-san that the situation this year is much easier than previous years. Hm, compared to the unsolved cases where an AI denies the theory that an unmanned helicopter was shot down, or the unsolved case of the arena where the cultural and spiritual activists exploded, this is a whole lot better. Hearing Shirai say this so easily, Uiharus face became stiff. Because these issues hadnt escalated, she had no idea that they had occurred. To Shirai, as a member of Judgement taking part in Daihaseisai, she knew that it was common to get involved in these troubles. At this moment, Shirai heard a broadcast from an arena. It came from the big screen on a department stores wall. It didnt seem to be a live telecast, but a highlight reel of what happened just now. The male reporter explained clearly, In the Scavenger Hunt organised by four different schools, Tokiwadai Middle School got an overwhelming victory as expected. The first place has the honour of being 7 minutes faster than the other competitors The image on the display was a stadium located somewhere. They had captured the competitors faces and were announcing the names. Ordinary people would think that the participants fame would increase the moment they were shown on global television...in fact, this was not the case. There were 1.8 million participants. Even if one got the first place, their names wouldnt be engraved into history like the Olympics. It was not like major league scouts appearing in a minor league game. In this situation, it was impossible to remember all the peoples faces and names. Even if there was a commotion, they would be forgotten soon after. This was the rule of the general audience. Because of this, Shirai Kuroko was uninterested in the image on the large screen. In first place, we have Misaka Mikoto-senshu[1]. Shes still in good condition even after she reached the finishing point, and one gets the feeling that shes extremely up for this. Shirai quickly turned her head over to the large screen. The shock was so violent that even Uiharu, who was pushing the wheelchair, inadvertently jerked. Ah ah Onee-sama Woo hoo my beloved Onee-sama Ah ah Onee-sama! (Note that this is how the author originally arranged the words. It was in 5-7-5 Japanese haiku format) In the end, you got the complete victory, showing the world your body thats so dynamic! Too bad I cant attend and record this; please forgive my uselessness!! Shirais eyes were glowing extremely brightly. But Taking care of the companion who ran with her, this really gives a good impression. Is this a habit that students of the famous Tokiwadai Middle School have? What? Shirai was puzzled. (Wha...!?) The next moment, she saw it. Misaka Mikoto pulling a boy to the arena. Misaka Mikoto using a towel to wipe the boys body carefully. Misaka Mikoto giving the drink that she drank from to the boy. (That mister dares to...!! He dares...dares to allow onee-sama to hold him by the hand, and even allows her to wipe off his sweat, Ah... AHhhhhh, and he even drank from the drink that onee-sama drank from AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!) Shirai Kuroko was slightly trembling as she looked at the extremely fortunate boy in front of her. This guy seemed familiar. He was the guy that she met a few days ago. Shirai Kuroko used all her strength to force herself to stand up from the wheelchair. I...IM GONNA KILL YOU! DONT THINK THAT YOU CAN COME BACK ALIVE!! Onee-sama too, to even blush in front of the audience like that! IM REALLY UNHAPPY! Wait...wait a minute, Shirai-san!! Please calm down!! Youre injured badly, how can you stand up!? This isnt the time to be like a shonen manga hero getting pumped up!!!! While Shirai Kuroko, who was exceedingly angry, and Uiharu Kazari, who was about to cry out, were creating a ruckus, Daihaseisai was now getting even more exciting. Notes 1. x, often used to describe athletes. Volume 9, 2: A Stadium of Magicians and Espers. Stab_Sword.” Volume 9, Chapter 2: A Stadium of Magicians and Espers. Stab_Sword. Part 1 The next event was Roll the Ball. Kamijou and his peers of the same age had already entered the arena. In this not so spacious compound, where the ground was covered with asphalt, both sides were lined up like they were in a cavalry war. The rules were somewhat different from standard rules. When the gunshot to indicate the start of the match was fired, competitors would have to push 50 large balls25 on the left side, and 25 on the right sideto the enemys line. The winner would be the year group who pushed more than 25 balls past the opponents line. What was different from normal Roll the Ball was that participants from both sides would have to touch all the balls at least once. In other words, during this event, participants could use their powers to obstruct the opponent. Like the other students, Kamijou placed his hand on a white teams ball that was 2 metres in diameter, as he smelled sweat and dust. Before the shot was fired, the atmosphere was tense. Although the nature of this match was similar to a game, the surrounding atmosphere made anyone feel serious. But in this situation, Kamijou was worried about another thing. He was thinking about the conversation he had with Stiyl and Tsuchimikado 20 minutes ago. Academy City is busy hosting ordinary tourists, so they had to neglect security? Then a magician saw a loophole and decided to exploit it. Kamijous class was responsible for 3 large balls, and there were three groups: one for boys, one for girls, and one for both boys and girls. Kamijou was in the boys only group. From nearby, Himegami Aisa gave him a wordless stare, like she was trying to say something. But Kamijou, who was too busy thinking about the conversation, didnt notice her staring at him. But, whats the reason? Are these people here to kidnap Index? I wont sit back and watch if it really involves her! Dont panic, Kamijou Touma. The enemys target this time isnt her. To the enemy, if she gets involved, itll only make things more difficult for them. Ah? What does that mean? Ill explain this to you later, Kami-yan. Lets talk about the main issue, which is the main reason why the magicians snuck into Academy City. Everyone, get set, the loudspeakers in the campus blared. Everyone was holding their breath, bending their bodies slightly over. Kamijou took a glimpse around. Tsuchimikado, who was wearing sunglasses, placed his hands on the ball like everyone else. Those magicians......? Theres not just one? Right now, we can confirm that there are at least two of them. Lidvia Lorenzetti of the Roman Catholic Church and the courier that she hired, Oriana Thomson from England. Both of them are women. There should be at least one person theyre dealing with, but right now, it isnt clear. Rumours have it that the biggest suspect is Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy of the Russian Church, but we cant confirm it as of now. Courier? This deal, whats it all about? Exactly what it says on the tin, Kami-yan. Those guys intend to trade some spiritual stuff that the Church passed down. BAM!! The gunshot signalling the start of the match was fired. Kamijou Touma, who was thinking about these things, was late by a second. Why here......isnt Academy City the least associated place with magic? Thats right nya. But that is the reason. Neither the guards of Academy City and Judgement can catch magicians from the magical world anyhow. Also, the Cross Army and Necessarius of the magical world cannot step into Academy City, which belongs to the science world. So now, this has become a situation where both sides are unable to take action. If it wasnt for Daihaseisai, the actions of Lidvia and everyone else would be limited due to the tight security. Only in this extremely busy period will Academy City loosen its guard. Thats why theyre able to act. In order to keep chase with the large ball, Kamijou frantically ran forward. The sound of footsteps and balls rolling continued to rumble the earth. Because the inside of the ball was just air, one wouldnt feel that it was too heavy, but rather the ball was so light like a balloon that itd be affected by the wind, and would roll sideways if one didnt pay attention. Then cant you guys send in many Necessarius members like Stiyl to arrest them? The reason why I can be here is because of the proper reason that Im your friend, and Im here personally to sightsee. If the situation changes such that A group of British Puritans is here, other magical organisations will use this opportunity to request that we want to come in. Do you think that all these people are friendly to Academy City? There would definitely be people who would do some sabotaging. Do you think that these people will protect this place thats completely different from the magic world? As the leader of the scientific world, Academy Citys voice is a lot louder than any small and nameless magical group, nya. But at this moment, if they reject the proposal, larger groups will then request to go in. Thus, this situation with Lidvia and Oriana is rather sensitive, Kami-yan. In this troublesome situation, if we call in other comrades, Academy City will be swallowed in chaos. In order to limit the number of people who know of this issue, the only people allowed to get involved are magicians who are familiar with the people of Academy City. There are few magicians with links to Academy City. So this time, we can only use a few elite troops to get in. The large balls were moving even faster now. The one that Kamijous group was pushing was the furthest in front. In other words, it had the highest likelihood of touching the enemys ball first. ??? Isnt Kanzaki Kaori another person whos familiar with us? Isnt she supposed to be some superhuman called a Saint? Isnt it better to have more people? Kanzaki cannot be here, especially in this situation, because this spiritual item is rather special. Ah? What does that mean? Kami-yan. Speaking about this spiritual weapon called the Stab Sword, its effects are Because the ball was too big, Kamijou was unable to see ahead from his position. Hearing Aogami Pierce shout Incoming! Kamijou gathered his consciousness. Its said that the sword can kill a Saint with one blow. WATCH OUT! A shout came from behind. Every student other than Kamijou ran away from the ball. (Eh? Isn''t there some more time before we touch the enemy''s ball?) Just when Kamijou was puzzled... An impact came from behind. Ugh......WA!! From behind, the ball that belongs to the girls group was rolling extremely fast, catching up with them and swallowing Kamijou. When the ball that belongs to the mixed group passed by, Fukiyose Seiri coldly said, What on earth are you doing? Kamijou Touma? while Himegami Aisa glanced at him, her expression seeming to say, I was right, you were looking troubled. Part 2 Saint. Thats the one, the humans who are similar to the Son of God in Christian teachings. In the Idol Theory of Christianity, when duplicating the Cross that the Son of God was executed on, the duplicate will have some power as well. By using this theory on the relationship between the Son of God and humans, any human similar to the Son of God will have power equivalent to him. These people chosen by the heavens are known as Saints. These people have an inexplicable amount of power. However...... The Roll the Ball Match was over now (Luckily, Kamijous school won). As they were leaving the arena, both Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were continuing their conversation and drinking sports drinks given by Fukiyose Seiri, who had said You need to replenish your amino acids. This drink includes black vinegar and soy isoflavone. The Saints have a weaknesses. Really? But isnt Kanzaki strong enough to take on a real angel on her own? Angel. This word didnt sound very real, but because Kamijou had seen it for himself, he had to believe it. That angel who called herself Misha Kreutzev had enough power to destroy the entire world with a single finger, and yet Kanzaki had been able to fight the angel till the end. No matter what Kamijou or anyone else did, they couldnt match up to her. Tsuchimikado was gulping down the drink, saying, But her powers do have a weakness. Listen closely, a Saint is a human who has the same type and nature of body as the Son of God, so not only do they have the same amount of power, they have the similar types, characteristics and features. Tsuchimikado took a deep breath, Basically, they have inherited the weaknesses of the Son of God. Ah! Kamijou inadvertently cried out. The Son of God died once. It doesnt matter that he resurrected and rose to Heaven; the fact that he died cannot be denied. Kami-yan, do you know how the Son of God, who was hung on the Cross, was killed? Tsuchimikado grinned at Kamijou, and continued, He was stabbed. After his arms and legs were nailed onto the Cross, he was stabbed through by a spear. Whether the spear gave the critical blow, or whether it was used to confirm that he was dead, is still being hotly debated by Bible scholars. But the fact that he got stabbed wasnt changed, nya. Tsuchimikado took another gulp of drink, and continued, The Stab Sword has the religious meaning of execution and assassination, a spiritual weapon that can expand and contract at will, to any length. Its said that it can Stab through a dragon and pin it onto the ground. Its useless against humans, but its a sure kill against Saints. No matter how far, just pointing the sword at something is enough to kill it. Hearing this, Kamijou broke out in cold sweat. Seemed like Tsuchimikado wanted to add on to Kamijous imagination, as he proceeded on, Sounds scary? When the Stab Sword is activated, whether ones in a nuclear shelter, or in the core of the Earth, or even if the person hides in the netherworld, just pointing the sword at a Saint is enough to kill him or her. Its much more convenient and ruthless than a nuclear weapon. Because this sword was created to destroy any selfish and greedy Saints, nya! What are these magicians thinking, dealing for this kind of thing...... Its for war, Kami-yan. A Saint is the magical equivalent to a nuclear bomb. After killing the enemys Saints and protecting all your comrades in the first place will result in a drastic change of tide in battle. War. To ordinary high school students living in modern Japan, this didnt sound sensible. But Kamijou had come close to it once. Once, because of the magical Book of the Law and the nun who claimed to have cracked the code, Orsola Aquinas, the British Puritans, Roman Catholics and Amakusa Catholics had a three-way battle. If there was a real war, the scale would definitely be much larger. A war that would affect the entire world, a war that would involve ordinary and innocent people, a war that would change the landscape. However, there are a lot more magicians who arent Saints, right? Like the British Puritans, they can battle on even if they dont have Kanzaki, right? Kami-yan, the problem isnt there. Its not whether we can win. Once we get the wrong feeling that we can win, well provoke a war. Once a Saint, who signifies power, is dead, itll likely destroy the balance of the Magical society. Its like how an entire country grieves when a member of Royalty is killed, nya. People who feel that this is a great chance to succeed will jump into battle without hesitation these people never notice, however, that what awaits them is a tragic failure. Tsuchimikados words had a cold and oppressive feeling in them. It was probably because of his status as an agent, working in different places, that he knew the weaknesses of this world. A Saint being killed wantonly will destabilise a country and its organisations religiously. If they are attacked from within or from outside by magical organisations, theyll get destroyed. These situations wont appear on stage, but theyre enough to cause the countries and the world to collapse. Once the balance of an area is unstable, many different groups will plan and set up a new order, and end up causing war as a result. As an international security maintenance organisation created to counter magicians, sector zero of the British Puritans, Necessarius, wont let this off easily, nya. This really sounded like a resolve, but Tsuchimikados tone at the end was really frivolous. (Is this tone of his really a relaxed one from the view of a spy, or is he trying to suppress his feelings as a professional?) The amateur Kamijou was unable to judge this. Kamijou drunk the drink that was not so cold now, and said, However, in this serious situation, isnt it better to ask Index for help? That was right, Index was still not around. After hearing Tsuchimikado and Stiyls explanation, he had run immediately to the arena without meeting Index. If it was related to magic, she was a very reliable helper. To Kamijou, nobody knew magic better than her. However, Tsuchimikado rejected this proposal with just a sentence, No way, we cant use Index. Not only must we not allow her to be near the scene, we cant let her know anything about this. ......Why? Hm. Because there are a lot of complicated reasons. Alright, Ill explain everything from the beginning. Tsuchimikado seemed to find it bothersome as he scratched his head. Like what I just said, the science side cannot cross over to the magic side. Right now, there are many problems inside and outside Academy City...do you understand if I say it like this, nya? Ah? I do know that security guards and disciplinary members cannot face off against magicians directly. He seemed to have heard of this before when he had snuck into Misawa Cram School with Stiyl to find the alchemist hiding himself inside. The science and magical worlds were two different worlds on their own, two completely different sides. In this situation, if any policing agency of Academy City was to catch a magician, it would cause the risk of information regarding the magical world being leaked to the science world. For example, its like our newest and most advanced fighter jet fell into the hands of the enemy? Thats right. And if there are a lot of magicians who stepped into Academy City as a group, the situation will be much worse. Because in this case, the magicians who intend to do the trade in Academy City can do whatever they want. How can anyone leave them alone? Kamijou felt that this was a rather stupid structure. Everyone had the same intentions, but were unable to move because of this kind of reason. So this time, we have an exception. Well have me, Kami-yan and Stiyl, the three of us working together. Tsuchimikado grinned. Of course, some organisations will be unhappy about this. These people are observing, but are unable to get into Academy City. Some of them want to solve this case, but for the wrong intentions. These people are using spells that act like radar, sensing any magical flow. Once theres movement, theyll rush in. Hmm......so thats what its all about? Kamijou could only say this, since to be honest, he was unable to imagine what a magic flow was like. But, what has this magic detection got to do with Index? She cant use magic! Even if those guys can use radar-like spells, theres no need to hide Index. Although Kamijou Touma had lost his memories, he still had this knowledge. Although Index was the keeper of 103,000 magic texts, she couldnt use it. This was to prevent her from getting into trouble by using them. Facing Kamijous doubts, Tsuchimikado bitterly laughed, This is the difference in values. Hear this, Kami-yan. For the past few months, there had been quite a few magical occurrencesand you were able to settle them perfectlybut in the magical world, nobody knows that you were involved. It doesnt matter. Ill have a larger headache if too many people know. But why? What Im trying to say is that in comparison, Indexs name is a lot more noticeable. The people in the magical world wont feel that this is Something that happened around Kamijou Touma, but rather Something that happens around Index, the keeper of the 103,000 magical texts. Kamijou thought So that was it. Tsuchimikado seemed to be able to sense something from his face. He happily said, So these people will think that everything happens around Index. So, using common knowledge, theyll focus their search on Index, right? But in reality, a sensing spell that can cover Academy City entirely doesnt exist. Even if an organisation like the Gregorian Chant uses this spell, the maximum range for them is around 500 metres. So by putting Index away from this case, those guys outside will focus on her. This way, if theres a magical war somewhere, its likely that it wont be found out, nya. On the other hand, if we get her involved in this, well be in for a lot of trouble. In other words, we cannot allow Index to sense any magical presence, or anything related to it? Kamijou thought, this sounded easy, but was actually difficult. Index had memorised the 103,000 magical books in order to counter all magicians. She wouldnt let go of any tiny clue easily. Once she found one, she would spring into action. That said, even if he explained it to Index first and told her not to move, shed likely not agree to it easily. Normally, she hated getting others involved in any magical related cases, so she would definitely not agree to having others take care of this for her. As Kamijou was thinking about this, Tsuchimikado gently shook the empty bottle. However, Kami-yan, this is another misfortune. I guess you wont be happy since Indexs been getting all the credit? Idiot. Im worried for her. Really, that Index is too much. My troubles are already so much! Kamijou sucked his tongue as he continued his thoughts. Seeing his face from the side, Tsuchimikado laughed. That laugh had no sense of irony or mockery. Anyway, this is how it goes, nya. Kami-yan will take care of Index, and try to hide any hint of whats happening in Academy City. Oh yeah, you can go shopping with her; try and get her away from any place where there might be a magical battle. Ah, what are you saying! Youre making it sound so easy...! Theres no problem! To this unfortunate Kamijou Touma, this is but a trivial matter! Where is this confidence coming from!? Whatll happen for our next match? Fukiyose will go berserk if we play hooky! Isnt this much scarier? Ill leave that to you! Right now, the most important thing is Index. However, that Index, she can be easily controlled with food, nya. If anything happens, throw the food in the opposite direction, nya! ......You rascal, if Index heard this, shed bite till your skull breaks. Wait, thats not right, I never saw her bite a human other than me...... Tsuchimikado patted Kamijous shoulder hard as Kamijou said this listlessly. Part 3 The asphalt road under the hot sun was really hot. This was what Index, who was hungry and lying on the road, thought. After the tour was over, the female security guard, Yomikawa Aiho, who was removing the no access sign, couldnt take it anymore. She stopped what she was doing and picked Index up. Although it was not going to cool Index down, Yomikawa placed Index on the long bench under the tree. The calico cat followed behind Yomikawa before jumping onto the bench. Komoe-sensei, whom she had just contacted, finally arrived. This teacher, who was older than Yomikawa-sensei, was wearing a light green sleeveless vest and a short white dress. This get-up probably meant that she wanted to cheer for her students, and it was really scary that this attire was suitable for her even at her age. Deep inside, Yomikawa sighed. Hi! Yomikawa-sensei! I got a call saying that someone I know is with you now. WAH! Seeing Index like this, Komoe-sensei cried out. Sister......Sister-san!? Why are you as listless as a shrunken vegetable? Dont tell me that you got heatstroke because this Komoe-sensei came late!! Hearing her high decibel scream, the calico cat gave a disgusted cry as its fur stood up. Er......Yomikawa looked at Index, who was lying on the long bench, and thought. It looked like she got heatstroke, and no matter what anyone said, fainting when she was wearing such thick nun robes in such hot weather, it was not weird for anyone to think that she got heatstroke. Komoe-sensei. SENSEI!! Okay okay, calm down, will ya? How......can I calm down! Although Sister-san isnt from my class, a teacher should act as the guardian of the children. Okay okay, you can talk about what you think an ideal teacher is later! Thats the child, she doesnt have heatstroke, shes just hungry. What? Komoe-sensei tilted her head, puzzled. She then continued, Thats......thats why I cant calm down! Malnutrition can be dangerous, you know!! What? Being unflappable in such a situation, Komoe-sensei is really a sempai I respect. However, this child has eaten three packets of rations already. Hearing Yomikawas irritated tone, the calico cat seemed to say, Ya ya. I got some biscuits too, as it gave a comfy cry. There were still some crumbs around its mouth. ......Then it isnt that shes hungry, but she ate too much! I say, as a teacher, you should manage a persons diet and nutrition......! Then shouldnt you ask this child directly? Seeing Yomikawa point with her finger, Komoe-sensei said Dont point at others like that as she grabbed Yomikawas finger and pointed it down. She then inspected Indexs face. The white nun, now all weak and wobbly, spoke in a soft voice, I......Im hungry......is......is Touma not here yet? Youre really hungry? Didnt I tell you? Ah, can I hand her over to you? Okay, it must be hard on you. Komoe-sensei gave a polite greeting, as Yomikawa walked away, waving her hand behind her. Although this was a bit too sloppy, Yomikawa felt that Komoe-sensei didnt really need to care so much for the girl. Komoe-sensei reinspected Index. Index was lying lifelessly on the bench, trembling as she said, The......the smell of sauce......Ill reach my limit if I continue to smell this...... Komoe-sensei finally let down the burden on her shoulders (Not because she felt helpless, but because she was relieved). Hearing Index mention sauce, she started to sniff around. Hm? Is it that store? She looked around. Opposite the road where Yomikawa Aiho had removed the no access billboard, one could see an entire row of stores set up and manned by students like a carnival. Sister-san, I bought something back. Seeing Komoe-sensei chose a few types of food at the hawker stores, Index suddenly jumped up from the bed. Ooo......Oooo......OOOoooooooooooooo...... She let out a cry that was like an archaeologist discovering something that wasnt excavated yet. The calico cat in her arms let out a similar cry. I bought fried noodles, okonomiyaki, smoked sausages, takoyaki......ah, can Miss foreign nun eat octopus? Ill eat! Ill eat! Even if its natto or dried salted fish, Ill eat them! Seeing the food that the students had cooked packed into transparent plastic containers, although they didnt look very tasty, Indexs eyes were glowing brightly as she eyed them greedily. The calico cat in her hands slightly trembled. Maybe its animal instincts could sense that Index had a strong attachment to eating. Komoe-sensei bitterly smiled, Ah......ah ha haha. Then lets use this opportunity to learn how to use chopsticks. One shouldnt use a fist to hold chopsticks......ahhh!! Before Komoe-sensei could even explain, Index had already bit into her target, gobbling down the food in large mouthfuls. The food that was as tall as a mountain vanished in an instant. The calico cat followed suit, but its critical weakness was that its tongue couldnt take scalding stuff. Komoe-sensei dropped her shoulders dejectedly. Uu......uuuuu. I wanted to......use this opportunity, to let Sister-san experience a bit of the Japanese culture. (Chewing) Eh? Komoe, what did you say? After stuffing the last piece of okonomiyaki into her mouth, Index blinked her eyes. The pile of food was now reduced to nothing. Komoe-sensei, who was passionate about teaching, had a weakness. It was that shed feel extremely dejected once she lost the opportunity to teach others. But Index, who was too full and satisfied, didnt know this. Komoe-senseis shoulders trembled as she said, Nothing! Sensei does not regret it! I wont cry because of something like this. ??? Ah, I havent thanked you yet. Im full now; thanks for your hospitality. Eh, weird? Why do you look like youre about to cry? Index tilted her head slightly. ......Come to think of it, where did Touma go? Its almost lunch. ......About that, speaking of lunch, you just......? But Index did not hear Komoe-senseis words at all. Where did Touma go......? Ive been feeling that Toumas been separated from me quite often today...... VRROOM!! Komoe-senseis passion for teaching was reignited again. The nun in front of Komoe-sensei didnt seem to belong to any school (That should be the case). In other words, it was hard to go out with Kamijou during Daihaseisai. Although the visitors could take part in competitions, they were only for visitors, and thus not allowed to compete with the students. The girl in front of Komoe-sensei was unable to attain her dream of taking part in the competition together with Kamijou. Komoe-sensei felt that she could understand what Index was thinking. Being abandoned alone in such a large-scale activity, although one couldnt see it, the emotional damage done to her should be rather big. On the other hand, if there was some way for her to take part in some event, she should be able to feel a sense of satisfaction. Why couldnt Kamijou understand this? To abandon this child like this? Komoe-sensei was disappointed in her useless student, and wondered whether there was a solution. Not a compromise, but a solution. No problem, theres an event which Sister-san is able to take part in as well. The answer emerged. If she was unable to help this child who looked so helpless, then she had no right to be a teacher, yes? Thinking about this, Komoe-sensei giggled before letting out fits of laughter. Eh? What did you say? Im saying, that theres a way for you to enjoy Daihaseisai with Kamijou! Sister-san wont be abandoned and be all alone now! Hearing this cheerful voice, Index was initially stunned, before calming down, even forgetting her hunger. The calico cat did not care as it gave a yawn. Wha......what? What must I do? Its this, this! Komoe-sensei smiled as she gently pulled her sleeveless vest. She was wearing a cheerleader uniform. He......hehe. Although you cant take part in the competition, theres no problem if youre a cheerleader. Of course, we still have this option. I feel that youre suited for this! You may find this embarrassing if you do this alone. Dont worry, Komoe-sensei will accompany you! Komoe-sensei continued to smile. Her capability as an educator was radiating outwards, her face shining brightly like never before. Seeing Komoe-sensei like this, Index was naturally wary of what was to come. Wh......why is Komoe-san so happy? Dont ask that kind of trivial question. Although its an unexpected find, this sensei will still be very satisfied at being able to teach Sister-san. Hehe, Im not thinking about repaying that debt from being unable to teach how to use chopsticks! Komoe-sensei disregarded the fact that Index was an acquaintance, and pulled Index, who was all stiff now, to some place. Part 4 Kamijou Touma finally got back to where he had been denied access. There was no sign of Index, the no access sign had been removed, and the security guard nee-san wasnt around. Though Tsuchimikado had said, Although finding Lidvia and Oriana is important, its also important that Index doesnt find out about whats happening in Academy City, Kami-yan. Well take care of the safety of Academy City and see whether theres any trace of magic, while youll meet Index regularly to keep her busy. Otherwise, if she finds something fishy with our actions, shell rush to the centre of this incident. According to how things were going now, he couldnt do a thing. (Theres no one I can ask regarding Indexs whereabouts, and there arent any clues either. Her zero-yen phone has no power, so its impossible to contact her......no way, dont tell me she got lost?) To Kamijou, who was used to life in Academy City, this didnt seem like anything. But if Stiyl were to know that Index was missing, hed probably say, I understand; go die now, and attack him indiscriminately. (Hm. Of all these places, where would Index go......) Kamijou looked around, suddenly fixating his eyes in front. Opposite the road was a group of students manning many food stores. No......no way? Dont tell me she cant handle her empty stomach and decided to rush all the way over without having any money? If that''s the case, a corner may be blown off by the rampage of a hungry girl......!! Kamijous expression was greenish now. His right hand had the Imagine Breaker ability. No matter whether it was esper powers, magic or even miracles, he just needed to touch these with his right hand in order to negate them. But facing that girl who bites onto others, he was just a powerless Level 0. Even so, he had to stop her with this hand of his. Kamijou decided to walk towards the stalls. Suddenly, somebody tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, Himegami Aisa, who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and Tsuchimikado Maika, who was sitting on a cleaning robot and selling bentos, were staring at him. Himegami was having a conversation with Maika. Up till now, you looked like youre about to face a demon king. Why put on a brave warrior look? Why do you look so dead? Are you hungry? Do you need a bento? Kamijou, who was intending to head out to battle, was shaken by the duos smooth voices. I say. Thats because I left Index, who was hungry, behind, and couldnt find her when I got back. The nearest source of food is at those stalls. Im thinking whether that girl is creating a riot down there......!! Hearing his tearful complaints, both of them were stunned. That nun, I just saw her down there. Himegami pointed in a direction completely different from where the stalls were. Seems like she was pulled aside by that famous miniature-sized teacher in Kamijou Toumas school. Maika was still sitting on the robot as she tilted her head up, recalling as she said, ??? She was dragged forcefully......thats impossible. Komoe-sensei knows Index. Whats the deal? Is she going to introduce Academy City to her? Never mind about that. Anyway, thanks girls; Ill find them on my own. After Kamijou finished speaking and headed towards where Himegami pointed, Tsuchimikado Maika gave a long Do your best!!, while Himegami remained silent. (Hm......since when did Himegami and Maika became such good friends? Ah, did she get to know Maika when Maika came over during the summer holidays?) He thought as he walked along the road. The pedestrians on the streets were admiring the wind turbine rotor blades that generated electricity. The scene did give a fresh feeling. Suddenly, a cats meow mewing could be heard. One would know just by hearing the soundit was the cry of a calico cat. Index? Kamijou stopped and turned around to the direction where the cry had come from. It was a little park that was surrounded by buildings. The wired fence was a lot taller than usual, and it looked like it was rejecting and oppressing anything within a large radius. It was hard to see anything if one looked in from outside the entrance because the lush foliage of trees blocked the line of sight. Kamijou thought, it couldnt be helped. Strictly speaking, it wasnt a park. There was a sign hung on the wired fence, saying Property of Tadayama University Botanical Department. It was a place where they collected data on plant growth. Even during Daihaseisai, where the security was much tighter, nobody was patrolling around here. Though the place was open to the public, it didnt mean that anyone should go in. The familiar calico cat stuck its head out. After seeing Kamijous face, it hid back into the bushes. (Only the calico cat......? No, Index wont let go of that cat so easily. In other words, shes inside? Hm, if theyre growing apples inside, maybe Index just went in unknowingly.) Thinking like this made Kamijou go berserk, and he thought that he should check it out. He carefully avoided the branches blocking his way as he entered. Index? Are you there? Shout out if you hear me He continued forward, widening his eyes when he saw what was in front of him. Index was right in front of him. But why was she changing? ................................................................................................ Kamijou and Index stopped what they were doing. Komoe-sensei, who was wearing the cheerleader uniform, was facing Index, and her back was facing Kamijou, so she had no idea that he was there. Kamijou thought strange. In his memory, the last time he had seen Index, she was wearing a white nun robe with gold embroidery that was like a teacup. For some reason however, her robes were folded neatly on the floor. Also, why were there similar coloured undergarments stacked on her robes? And why was she wearing a cheerleader uniform, a white sleeveless vest and a light green short skirt that was similar to what Komoe-sensei was wearing? However, Index had only gotten an arm halfway in, as the slanted tail of the vest was covering Indexs small breasts. The most surprising thing was that Komoe-sensei was at Indexs feet, helping her put on a pair of underwear that was used for cheerleading (it should be the same type as those worn with tennis skirts), and Kamijou just so happened to witness all of this. Index had already pulled her underwear through one leg, and was about to let it through her other leg, as she maintained this posture, not moving at all. Of course, in this situation, a skirt wouldnt be able to fulfill its usual purpose. Furthermore, the attire of a cheerleader didnt have a cover function. Let me repeat again, Indexs nun robes were folded and stacked neatly on the floor. There was similar coloured underwear placed on top of it. Komoe-sensei was helping Index put on some underwear. If her head hadnt been blocking Kamijous field of vision, he would have seen something that he wouldnt forget easily. ......ah......ah...... Her facial expression went from shock to Im going to kill that guy. Kamijou was absolutely terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat, and was unable to move. Komoe-sensei, who was wearing the cheerleaders uniform, was talking to Index casually, not knowing what was going on. Im so sorry. Only students are allowed in the schools proper changing rooms. Im sorry to ask you to change here......eh, ya!? Index wasnt listening at all. The underwear still hanging on her thigh, Index rushed madly onto Kamijou. TOUMA!? HOW MANY TIMES HAS IT BEEN!? WAHHH! IM REALLY SORRY! PLEASE DONT BITE ME AGAIN!! Kamijou twisted his body, wanting to dodge Indexs bite the head attack. Index, who had leaped over, pounced onto Kamijou with two hands and stuck tightly onto his body. She was unable to aim at his head however, as her target started to move suddenly. Chomp! Indexs small mouth bit onto Kamijous face. WAA......!! Kamijou could feel the soft texture of her lips, as well as her hard jagged teeth. That warm thing between the two rows of teeth should be her tongue. The breath warmer than Kamijous body temperature blew onto his face. Feeling Indexs saliva, Kamijou couldnt help but tremble. ......WA, Index!! ...... Kamijou, whose face was all red now, shouted out, but was unable to hear Indexs reply. Shua!! Index got away from Kamijou in a fast yet silent manner. Normally, Index would be shouting, but this time, she silently kept her head down, her facial expression could not be seen as even her ears were red. He wondered if she was having any special thoughts about biting others subconsciously? She seemed to have taken a huge blow, not even noticing that her attire was untidy. Kamijou looked at Komoe-sensei. She just placed her two hands on her face, giving a vague Wa......aaaaa...... sound, which didnt sound reliable at all. Its......its not, that, Index-hime? Its alright, this is an accident! An accident! This is unexpected! Please dont be so serious......eh, WA! Wait a minute, Index, why are you flushed red with anger now? You were shy all over just now! Dont tell me I said something inappropriate!? Seeing the cheerleader girl trembling silently, Kamijou took one step back, two steps. Just when he was about to take a third step. Kamijou. A womans cold tone pierced through his back. Kamijou paid attention to Index carefully as he nervously turned around. Fukiyose Seiri. Wearing a thin committee jacket over her sports attire, she said, Im here to look for Tsukuyomi-sensei for some administrative work, and came over to check it out because I heard voices......youre here again? She looked at Kamijou together with Index, who was half naked and was trembling slightly, and then at Komoe-sensei, who was flushed red now, then the neatly stacked clothes and underwear, and finally at Indexor more accurately, the underwear hanging on her thigh. WHY ARE YOU STANDING AROUND HERE!? YOU SCHOOL REBEL!? GO CHEER FOR EVERYONE!! Taking a hard punch that didnt have any powers in it, Kamijou Touma flew out, rolling on the ground. Part 5 Kamijou Touma, who was covered in bruises and injuries, finally walked out from the park (more accurately, the botany test site). More accurately, he was being dragged out by an angry Fukiyose Seiri, not by his hand, but by his collar. Inside, Index had probably allowed Komoe-sensei to help her change clothes. Really. Do you have any intention to make this event a success? I know that as a committee member, I should be the one putting in the most effort, but Im angry upon seeing people like you act like it has nothing to do with you! Fukiyose said this as she pulled out a packet of milk from her jacket pocket. Maybe her anger led to lack of calcium. From the atmosphere, one could tell that she was not hiding anything when she was saying I hate Kamijou Touma, but rather, they were words from the bottom of her heart. As Kamijou was being grabbed by the collar and dragged around by her, he said, Fu......Fukiyose-san. Wha......what event is our school participating now......? You cant even remember that? Its because your brain lacks nutrition. Oh yeah, right now, the highest priority should be in getting enough sugar intake! After saying this, she tossed the empty milk packet into the rubbish bin, and dug through her pockets before finding a bar of sugar that was used for coffee. Ugh! To think that it would be ordinary, unprocessed sugar! Just when Kamijou was about to sneak away, trembling, Fukiyose locked his head under her left arm, and tucked it under her armpit. Your sleepy head better wake up now. Otherwise, do you want some soy isoflavone? Maybe some soy bean pudding? Uuuu! If you offered soy pudding from the beginning, this Kamijou Touma would be especially grateful! There should be some sugar content in it, right? Facing Fukiyose, who was about to stuff sugar into Kamijous mouth, Kamijous arms and legs started to move about wildly, but was unable to move away due to his head being stuck under her armpit. He continued to resist until he felt something soft touching his right cheek. It was Fukiyose Seiris ample breasts. (WAAAHHHH......!?) Kamijous resistance multiplied by three. Fukiyose didnt seem to realise this, frowning slightly as she held the sugar bar with one hand. Wait a sec! Wait a sec! Even if I eat that, my goofiness cant be cured!! ......Dont you feel sad just saying that? Im not sad at all! Kamijou quickly tilted his head sideways, only to feel the elastically of Fukiyoses breasts. His body went stiff immediately. Fukiyose gave a surprised look, and finally let Kamijou out of the lock. Im saved, Kamijou thought as he gasped for air. Fukiyose then grabbed him by the collar again. Right now, our school is participating in the second-year girls tug-of war, and three events on the guys side. Which side do you want to cheer for? I guess you want to go to the girls side, because youre that kind of person! Why are you saying something so vicious? Why are you so cold to me, Fukiyose? Are you promoting internal CoolBiz sports? (Note: CoolBiz is a campaign originally launched by the Japanese. Its made up of two parts, Cool means cooling and Biz means business. Workers are encouraged to wear short-sleeved shirts without jackets or ties, and air conditioner temperatures are to be set at 28C. Right now, Kamijou is mocking Fukiyose for purposely showing such a cold front.) Sorry, my defence isnt that thin. This was exactly like a WarmBiz that was as thick as an iron wall! Kamijou thought. He felt that she wouldnt find it funny anyway, and did not say anything. (Note: WarmBiz is the opposite of CoolBiz, and that its done during the winter instead. Air conditioner temperatures are to be set at 20C, and people are to wear more clothes. Kamijou is mocking Fukiyoses defence for being as thick as those clothes worn during WarmBiz.) However, Fukiyose, is there any problems with your committee work? ......Why do you have to worry about this for me? This so-called feeling of helplessness should be like this, I guess......isnt organising this event very difficult and tiring? Although Im not sure regarding the details, is it right for me to only bother about my own things? A committee member had to do all sorts of various things in Daihaseisai, like preparing a match, refereeing, carry out broadcasts before, during and after the events, taking care of lost children and giving basic road directions. Not only that, they had to take part in the competition as participants. Compared to an ordinary student, their free time was so little it was pitiful. Fukiyose stared at Kamijous face. Its alright. Ive already passed on a message to Tsukuyomi-sensei. And in order to cope with unexpected events, theres a certain amount of free time in my schedule, so theres no worries! Too bad. How about you leave me alone and go shopping with your friends? There are many ways to create memories. They should be able to understand this! Fukiyose only realised that what she said was insensitive after saying those words. Kamijou, whose collar was still being grabbed, said, Okay okay......what you say is correct, but can you please stop pulling me by the collar? Then lets hold hands. Fukiyose unexpectedly let go of Kamijous collar, and extended her small hand out. Seemed like she applied some hand cream over her soft hands; it was either the Coenzyme Q10 or some popular health product that was highly recommended. Ah? Ermthen if you dont mind. He hesitated, before holding Fukiyoses hand. He thought that her hand would be cold, but it was unexpectedly warm. Kamijou felt his heart thumping crazily. Fukiyose glanced at him. Youre too slow. ...... Kamijou, who was lamenting Why is my heart beating so violently, was pulled away by the iron wall girl, who was not in the best of spirits. Part 6 Kamijou was dragged along the street by Fukiyose, who was holding onto his hand. There were a lot of people there. Maybe it was because it was a place where the subway trains and the automatic buses met. From the train to the bus, from bus route A to bus route B......just like this, the passengers arrived and then proceeded on. It was quite a distance from where he had gotten separated from Index. Fukiyose seemed intent on bringing Kamijou back to school to cheer for their schoolmates, but he had to get to work once Tsuchimikado and Stiyl, who were searching for Oriana, contacted him. This was bad, what could he do? Kamijou continued to worry on his own. Oi, Kamijou, is Daihaseisai really that boring? Fukiyose, who was holding hands with Kamijou, suddenly asked. What? Kamijou frowned. Ive been feeling that you seem absent-minded, its like somethings on your mind. Kamijou was startled inside. Fukiyose stared at Kamijou, I cant force you to focus entirely on Daihaseisai. I cant stop you if you want out of Daihaseisai. From the looks of things, it seemed that Fukiyose was purely suspicious about Kamijous concentration, and not that she found out something about Daihaseisai. As an organiser of this event who worked so hard for this day, even if its just my own stubbornness, I hope that everyone can get some wonderful memories. Ill be happy if everyone can laugh happily......but you seemed bored today. No matter what, it seems that there are still some shortcomings in my preparations. ......Your sense of responsibility is really strong. Im not feeling bored at all; its interesting when everythings so hectic. Kamijou didnt understand for what reason was Fukiyose a member of the Daihaseisai committee. She was not forced by anyone to be one, and since she had volunteered herself, there must be a reason for her to want this event to succeed. But she didnt know. She didnt know that there were magicians that wanted to take advantage of her hard work, she didnt know about the secret plot regarding the Stab Sword trade, and she didnt know about the clash of ideas inside and outside Academy City. I have to work harder, Kamijou thought. Not just Fukiyose. The other committee members wanted to make Daihaseisai a success. The students and the visitors from outside would also like to make wonderful memories out of this event. Because of this, he had to work harder. Seeing Kamijous face like this, Fukiyose gave a surprised look as she stared at him. ......There is something on your mind. Ah? Theres nothing! Im really motivated. Why are you so worried, Fukiyose-san? Seeing that Fukiyose looked so down that her glory was all gone, Kamijou panicked and ran in front of her while still holding onto her hand, staring at her face as he said this. Dong! He was pushed on the back. In this busy road, it seemed that someones shoulder had knocked into him. Kamijou was knocked forward by this unexpected accident, and because of this, the distance between Kamijou and Fukiyose, who was staring at him, was shrunk in an instant. The distance between their faces was merely about 30cm. GAH......!! Eh......!! Just when both of them cried out, the distance between the two became zero. Bong! Kamijou and Fukiyoses foreheads gently knocked into each other. Their noses touched each other, and although their lips didnt meet, Kamijou could feel her soft breath blowing onto his lips. (Wha......?) Kamijous inadvertently stopped breathing. Move away, Kamijou Touma! The next moment, BAM! Fukiyose rammed in hard at Kamijou with her head. WAH!? Kamijous upper body swung backwards. The hand he was originally holding onto was let loose. He knew that his head was hot. Fukiyoses expression didnt seem to change, but she was becoming more irritated. ......To think youll do this even when people are talking to you seriously. You really cant change your habits. No......its not that. Im really thinking seriously about this situation!! Let me say this to you, I wont reconcile with you ever in this lifetime. Uuuuu! Why is Fukiyose-san even colder now!!? Kamijou cried out. Fukiyose slapped him hard on the back of his head with her hand. If this was an act of rebuttal, it might be a bit too unaffectionate. Just when Kamijou bent down and gently rubbed the back of his head... Poof!! This time, his head hit something rather soft. After he calmly confirmed it, he realised that it was the breasts of a female. WOAAAHHHH!!? Kamijou frantically moved backwards. Whats with this sudden series of events!? Facing Kamijou, who was really scared, the female who had collided with him only said Aiyaya, and didnt seem to mind. Beside Kamijou, Fukiyose gave a low bellow ......Kamijou, her tone full of vengeance. The person who had knocked into him was a female, about 18-19 years old, who was wearing plain working clothes. Her age should be similar to Kanzaki Kaori. She was taller than Kamijou, and although she was tall for a Japanese, after seeing the eye-catching blonde hair and blue eyes, he couldnt say that this was an accurate guess. Fukiyose was considered to have a rather good body compared to his classmates, but it was lacking in comparison to this ladys beauty. Not only were the curves of her breasts and waist wicked, she was giving an invisible flirtatious sense. The ladys hair seemed to be either curled or waxed, and it seemed like a lot of effort was put into it. She had separated her hair into many small bundles, and curled them using an electric perm, before she tied them into bundles of three. She also put in quite a bit of detail in other small areas, so this should be a hairstyle which she had spent quite some time creating. Although there werent any decorations on it, the hair itself looked like a refined gold ornament. She was most likely a painter, as there was paint all over her uniform. She was holding a 1.5m by 0.7m billboard that was covered by a white cloth. The tip of her fingers barely managed to grab the bottom of the board even after she stretched her other arm. But. Wa...... The one who cried out wasnt Kamijou, but Fukiyose, who was right beside him. The woman was wearing a rather clumsy looking work uniform, but her clothes were wide open. It was not that she didnt button up the second button, but rather, beside the second button, all the other buttons were unbuttoned. The cleavage of her breasts and navel were wide open for all to see. Kamijou felt that it was like she was wearing a swimsuit. Her pants were rather loose, and it seemed like they were hanging onto her waist. Although Kamijou didnt purposely go behind her to confirm it, it was likely that he would see her butt on the loose side of the pants. Not only was this get up revealing quite a bit, there was also the danger of her clothes dropping off if she moved in the slightest bit. Unlike the busty security guard nee-san who was dressed up in sports attire, this woman was rather conscious of her wonderful body. The painter nee-san made a random movement to show her apology with the other hand that was free, and spoke in unexpectedly fluent Japanese. Ehyaya. Im sorry. Im sorry. Im not used to so many people around me. Is there any place thats hurting? Ah, here? Is the back of your head still hurting? Uu... Although this isnt the case, your warmth has infected my entire body. I really feel like handing myself over to you...... Seeing Kamijou complaining like this, Fukiyose closed one eye before smashing a fist into the back of Kamijous head, causing his head to sink into the breasts of the painter nee-san. That nee-san didnt shriek, as she gently pushed Kamijous head aside, saying, Haiz. Let me see, are you alright? You, cannot, fight, on like this forever. Its rare to have such an activity, so of course you have to make some wonderful memories. Wah, Kamijous looked like he was going to cry. So magnanimous! So completely different from those girls who bite others and those who give others a punch! Im about to sink in this warmth! Aiya, to say that you like someone for your own benefit, isnt this a bit too childish? Fukiyose gave a you idiot look at Kamijou, while the painter nee-san smiled and nodded at her. Ara ara. That Miss over there, Im sorry about this. Fukiyose looked surprised, and asked, Wh......why are you apologising to me? Because this onee-san seems to be the main reason why youre so angry, right? Hearing this direct adult speech, the girl inadvertently cringed. Kamijou shouted out, Watch closely, this is a mature woman; watch and learn, you iron wall girl! Fukiyose then gave him an overhead akido throw, slamming him onto the ground. Ah, are you alright? If you still can fight, you should be fine, I guess. Seeing the boy pinned onto the ground and the girl pinning him in front, the painter nee-san said this. She then extended her hand out, requesting a handshake with Kamijou. This is an apology for knocking into you. Normally, you Japanese would lower your head to apologise, but we normally do this. Ah......thats how it is? Ara ara. Do I need to give a kiss? Poof!! Kamijou did a spit-take. After trembling for a while, the pure and innocent Kamijou Touma shouted, I WANT A KISS!! Fukiyose Seiris fist instantly smashed into Kamijous solar plexus. The painter nee-san stared at him, who was still shaking his head, laughed, and extended her hand out again. Itd be great if Index were to have such cultured habits and not bite others. Kamijou used his right fist to shake the painters hand. Pacha!! A wonderful sound was heard, like something fell and broke into pieces. Eh? The one who made this sound wasnt Kamijou nor the nee-san, but Fukiyose Seiri, who was staring at them. As both sides understood what happened, they didnt make any noise. Kamijou Touma suddenly remembered the power that his right hand had. The painter nee-san was trying to confirm if anything was broken. Ara ara. The nee-san tried to force a bitter smile, and failed. I should be going back to work. Can I go now? She said this, but left before Kamijou and Fukiyose could respond. Though her actions werent any different, that regal feeling up till now was now lost. ......What, she didnt shake hands with me? Why, Kamijou Touma!? Ah? Maybe she doesnt want to be friends with you!? When he finally snapped back, his head got smacked again. Deep inside, Fukiyose sighed. She grabbed Kamijous hand, wanting to pull him away. At this moment, her handphone suddenly rang. Seemed like she got a call from a committee member, as Fukiyose started to speak in a formal tone. Hearing her speak so softly, it seemed like something cropped up. Fukiyose stared at Kamijous face, then turned to her watch, before saying, Dont be late for the Bread Eating Race! She left behind this typical committee member sentence, leaving with her handphone still in her hand. Kamijou looked at her back, and thought as he touched his face that had been punched hard with one hand. The thing he just broke, was it magic or esper power? After thinking about it for a while, Kamijou concluded that it was less likely to be esper power. The espers in Academy City were all students. During Daihaseisai, they would be participating in competitions. Of course, he couldnt make this conclusion easily because there were exceptions like Tsuchimikado Maika. But the dress up of the painter, just looking at the label of the company gave a sense that it was an outsider retailer. He had an impression on it because it was a name he had seen in television advertisements. Of course, students in Academy City would have no chance to wear clothes like that. So that meant...... Kamijou Touma took out his phone, and scanned around to see if Fukiyose was still there. It would be troublesome if any of the guards or discipline committee members were to take action, so he didnt want her to hear this. He then proceeded to press Tsuchimikado Motoharus number. Har Low. Kami-yan, have you tricked Index properly nya? We were checking security loopholes that Oriana may use as a trading point, theres quite a lot in sector 7. So please dont let Index near Wait a minute, can I check with you something, Tsuchimikado? Tsuchimikado seemed to have realised that Kamijous tone sounded urgent, and lowered his tone, ......What do you want to ask? Its that thing. Were trying to prevent the deal of that tool......er, the whatever sword, its our objective, right? Kamijou looked back at the crowd, and could still see the back of that woman who was wearing loose work clothes. Its the Stab Sword. Also, its not a tool, but a spiritual armament. Eh, what now? You chickening out, Kami-yan? But theres no other reinforcements besides us, you know. Really? Whats that supposed to mean, Kami-yan? Kamijou straightened his back, trying not to lose sight of the woman. But the woman was turning around the corner. When I shook hands with someone, the Imagine Breaker seems to have broken something. I dont know what it was, but the person doesnt look like a student. From her attire, Im guessing shes from outside Academy City. Wait a second, Kami-yan. Let me ask a question. Is that person holding some large baggage? The Stab Sword is 1.5 metres long, and each side of the cross guard is 35 centimetres. If anyone is to try and hide such a large sword......what would that person use? It cant possibly fit into a luggage bag. Hearing Tsuchimikados words, Kamijou turned green. Shes holding it. Holding what? Shes holding a billboard. That woman is carrying a billboard like thing thats covered in white cloth...... Kami-yan, where are you right now? Eh? Wait a sec...... in front of the Bank of Ichizai. After saying a Wait for me there, Tsuchimikado hung up the phone. Seeing the phone which was cut off, Kamijou wondered whether he should chase after the woman or wait there for Tsuchimikado. After thinking about it for a while, he decided to dash towards where the woman had disappeared. Theyd definitely lose her if he waited till Tsuchimikado arrived. Kamijou had a premonition that some things were going to occur. He thought about it at the same time, and it was not something to be happy about. Part 7 The blonde lady wearing loose clothing tucked the large billboard underneath her armpit as she moved through the crowd. At the same time, she felt aware of herself. Although she had to admit that she noticed what she was doing, her feelings were unable to handle anything that was unplanned for completely. The lady placed her empty hand into the pocket of her pants. At this moment, her pants dropped slightly, but she didnt seem to mind. She pulled out something from her pocket. It was flash cards used for memorising English words, but there was nothing written on them. It was just thick white pieces of paper passed through a metal ring. Ugh...... The lady bit a card with her teeth, and pulled it from the metal ring. At that moment, words appeared on the paper like it was litmus paper. In print font, the yellow words Water Symbol appeared on the card. They were written in yellow ink and were in English. The lady put the other flash cards back into her pocket, and placed the card she was biting on near her ear, like a seashell. Ah-ah, hello hello. Im Oriana Thomson. Can anyone hear me? Please respond. Though it seemed like she was talking to herself, the flash card that was near her ear transmitted a voice that was so soft it didnt seem to vibrate the air at all. Dont say your name aloud. Be careful, your voice may be heard throughout the surroundings. Itll be more difficult if your real identity is exposed. It sounded serious. Hearing this, the woman named Oriana bitterly laughed, and said, Im already in trouble now. This onee-chan prefers an improvisational performance. But this isnt a situation youll like, right, Lidvia Lorenzetti? The other person on the phone, the one identified as Lidvia, remained silent for a while, Dont speak to me in such a wretched expression. For religious reasons, I cant keep in line with your tone. I guess. To a nun who likes to use endurance to cause people to panic, its hard on you to punish others verbally. Do you know? The illusions of the Angels that those martyred Saints saw before their deaths may be seen as an abuse of ecstasy from the viewpoint of science. ...... Aiya? Dont tell me you dont like to hear anything from sciences viewpoint? Youre the type thatll check for those who are rejecting the Word when youre using mass psychology? ......The one thats mindful is actually you...... Hearing the other party say this, Oriana unhappily kept quiet. She was starting to panic, as this call would be meaningless if this kept up. Is it that I played with a bit too much fire, Missy? Then this onee-chan will apologize to you now. I remember that youre younger than me. Even so, youre still a Missy. No matter how old you are, youre still a Missy. Isnt the greatest wish of a nun to age while retaining the identity of a Missy? To people who advocate the Gospel to the poor, its inappropriate to call someone older a Missy. You must have received the word of the Bible, once a nun becomes a member of Gods family Youre going to nag on? Oriana sighed. A typical Roman Catholic, Lidvia Lorenzetti would get emotional the moment she started to talk about praying to God or the truths about spreading the Gospel. Oriana listened to her nagging without paying attention, as she tried to find an opportune time to butt in. Then, regarding this trouble that I was talking about just now...... We nuns are the brides of God, thus having a relationship with others is like being disobedient to God......what I want to say is...... Maybe another time. Oriana simply changed the topic, Basically, the spell that this onee-chan cast on herself is now broken. That spell. The name of it was called Chaos and calm on the surface. The spell that Oriana used was used to ensure her safety. It was a spell that absorbed the mentality to chase after her from her pursuers. It was useless when one was facing her in a conversation, but by turning her back on the other party, the other party would feel, theres no reason to call her, Ill talk to her next time, and not call her. It was a spell that used the Repel bystander spell and expanded on it. While this spell was working, even if Oriana was holding a fireball or anything dangerous in her hand, nobody would want to call her. Because of this, she was able to carry out the plan and the deal. But for some reason, Oriana was unable to reconstruct that spell that had been broken. Then whats the reason? I dont know. Any countermeasures? I have no idea either. ...... Oi, dont hang up the phone! This nee-chan has no interest in sinking and drowning in this painful silence. Then what will you do now? Come up with a countermeasure. About this...... Oriana Thomson chuckled. ......First, I have to get away from that little kid behind me. Part 8 In front of Kamijou Touma, the lady in workers clotheslikely to be the courier, Oriana Thomsonturned at a corner. (......Have I been found out!?) Anyway, he couldnt lose her. Kamijou gave up on stalking her, something he was not good at anyway, and started to run among the crowd. He didnt know whether there was a television interview somewhere, as this path wasnt crowded with people. He ran along the building, and turned around the right-angled corner. Kamijou could see the blonde hair swaying about in a location further than he expected. He passed through a child holding a balloon and a couple holding hands, and began to speed up. He thought, (Luckily, Im wearing sportswear for the competitions.) Although these clothes werent made from some high-tech material that used aviation mechanics to reduce the air-resistance, it was better than the school pants. Though he was trying his best to run hard, nobody was looking at him like a weirdo. The pedestrians may have thought that he was in the Scavenger Hunt. He was moving faster now, and he was 1 kilometre away from where he had collided with the blonde lady and split up with Fukiyose. Not to mention that Botany test field where Index was changing clothes, it was now bothersome for him to even walk back. A handphone ring could be heard from Kamijous pants. Itd be tiring if he talked while he was running. Kamijou wondered if he should answer the phone as he was keeping his eyes on the target. The caller was Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He hastily picked up the phone. Kami-yan, where are you!? Why arent you waiting for me there!? Sorry, Im afraid that Ill lose her if this keeps up! As they were talking, the figure wearing worker clothes turned again at a corner 20 metres in front. Bastard, where now? Where are you right now? Turning around the corner, Kamijou gave a low moan. The street in front was split into 3 different alleys. He pricked his ears, and could hear where the footsteps were headed. It was the middle alley. The location......Theres no road sign around!! Ill send my GPS password to you through SMS. Look for me there!! The GPS function of the handphone had a service of showing where ones friend was, but they had to use the special password sent over by the target. The code would change automatically every 30 minutes. Kamijou sent the required code to Tsuchimikados phone, and hung up. Of course, the power must remain on in order to allow the GPS function to work properly. He continued to run in the alley. This stretch was really long, as the small space between the towers soon became a gradual arc. Rushing forward, he finally heard the voices of the crowd and their footsteps in front. Eh!! Running out of the alley, he found another road. Kamijou looked around, before spotting Oriana running away on the right side of a trail that extended to both left and right of him. The distance was rather long now, about 50 metres. It was pretty fast for her to run while holding such a large billboard (or its disguised as one, it should be something else though, right?). Kamijou frantically chased after Oriana. Luckily, the billboard of hers was rather large, and obvious, so she couldnt mix into the crowd easily. In this situation, Kamijou would lose sight of her the moment he lost a teeny-weeny bit of concentration, meaning that he had to focus on her. This psychological thought narrowed Kamijous vision, as not only did he nearly knock into the people walking around, he didnt notice the unevenness of the ground and nearly fell down. Damn it!! Kamijou shouted out. As he was about to run forward, someone tapped him on his shoulder. It was Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Stiyl Magnus. They were fast. They hadnt chased him from behind; they had come out from the side alleys. It was likely that after they had looked at the GPS map, they guessed where Kamijou would be from looking at where Kamijou was and where he was running. Which one, Kami-yan? You just said that the Stab Sword was disguised as a billboard, right? Its that......that person......that blonde lady wearing workers clothes. Tsuchimikado and Stiyl then proceeded to run where Kamijou was pointing at. The reason why they left him behind was because theyd say that it was the work of the experts now. But Kamijou didnt bother adjusting his breathing as he proceeded to run after Stiyl and the rest. (Cheh, theyre tough......!) Oriana muttered as she continued to run while glancing backwards. Though the distance between them was about 50 metres, conversely, they only needed to run 50 metres in order to catch up to her. She continued to run, and ran into several alleys where it would be easy for them to get lost, as she tried to shake them off, but there didnt seem to be any effect. The reason why she was disguised as a painter holding a billboard was because she wanted people to think that she was working. No matter whether it was a hotel, department store, or a restaurant, if there was no billboard, others would think that shes here to rest in the shop. Shed be questioned by the employees if she walked into a shop together with the customers like this. Even if they were to ask for an explanation, she wouldnt have time to reply. Shed be noticed if she got away from the employees several times. Even if she disguised herself as a worker and walked in from the back door, shed need keys and an ID card. Thus, she could only run on the streets outside. This was one of the reasons why she couldnt shake them off though. Even so, with this distance, it was abnormal for the other party to catch up with her so accurately. And, the moment she turned back, the number of people chasing after her was now three! The first one looked like an amateur, but the precision required now had increased by a lot now that two more people were chasing her. They were likely experts. The opponent should have read her trail of thoughts and predicted how she was going to escape. (Although I heard that Academy City and various Christian organisations cannot take action on these busy streets now, it seems that I was too na?ve......!) Suddenly, Oriana stopped moving. There seemed to be a television broadcasting crew doing an interview ahead, as there was quite a group of people around. Oriana, who was holding the large billboard, was unable to pass through. The billboard was jammed inside the crowd, and she couldnt move about freely. Of course, she could abandon the billboard, but doing so would defeat the entire objective as to why she was running about with it. She looked around, and thought, (Although its difficult, looks like that road is the safest......) After thinking, calculating and making a decision, Oriana ran onto another road on the side. Tsuchimikado was running the fastest, and was followed by Stiyl, then Kamijou. That was because Kamijou had used up quite a bit of energy, as he should be running faster than Stiyl. Right now, Oriana, who was 30 metres in front, stopped in the middle of the road. Looking around, she decided to run into another road on the side. Tsuchimikado frowned as he ran, What now, its different from her usual modus operandi nya......did she change her mind? He continued to maintain his breathing as he ran after her, feeling that hed lose her if there was a slight error. Kamijou increased the power of his legs as well as he chased after Tsuchimikado. Arriving at where Oriana had stopped just now, they found out that there was a broadcasting agency carrying out an interview. One could hear the reporter reporting the news excitedly, and to the residents of Academy City, it seemed that he was confusing the situation. The people around him were packed together as if he was in a train. Oriana must be afraid of getting blocked by them, so she changed her direction. Kamijous view turned towards Oriana. ......Where is this place, a bus depot? It was an empty place with asphalt on the ground. It was an enclosed rectangular area that was surrounded on all sides. It seemed like they had bulldozed and levelled the abandoned buildings that had originally been there in preparing for Daihaseisai. It was 30 metres wide, and several hundred metres long. There was no impression of it being wide, though. Many large buses were stacked tightly together like oil tankers. At first glance, there were about 50C70 of these buses. There were metal pillars everywhere, and the entire place was covered with a galvanised iron roof. There were robotic arms that were used in car repairs hanging from the ceiling. All the vehicles were unmanned automatic buses. It should be a temporary depot for automatic buses. There had to be a place to refuel the buses, to wash them, and do repairs when needed. Maybe they were using a three-shift rotation system or some other measures during this period. So all the buses here were on standby. The automatic buses were only in use during Daihaseisai, and such a large amount of preparation was done for this. Kamijou re-realised the scale of this operation. An auto-bus marked as return silently passed by Kamijou and company into the depot. Tsuchimikado followed the auto-bus that was slowly moving, and just as he was about to step silently into the depot BOOM!! Suddenly, blue and white explosions occurred underneath the ceiling. The unnaturally-coloured flame continued to fall directly onto Tsuchimikados face like a transparent cylinder. It may be a magical attack although it was a magical flame, it was definitely not caused by Stiyl. If so, who did this? Bastard, is she trying to stop us by using runes? Get down, Kami-yan! Tsuchimikado jumped backwards, and was about to push Kamijou down, but What are you saying? Shouldnt we be relying on him in this kind of situation? Stiyl grabbed Kamijous collar and tossed him in front. Ah? Tsuchimikado rolled sideways, not knowing how far he would roll, and in place, Kamijou was standing under the blue and white flames. Looking up, Kamijou saw a flaming pillar that was coming down like a guillotine swinging downwards. Eh? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Kamijou frantically swung his right hand up like a hook. The blue and white flames dispersed in many different directions, and vanished before it could spread. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth, and said, My my, to think that even I couldnt think of this perfect teamwork. To be able to share the work like this, you can really understand the situation and take action. You......you......you......!! Kamijou was trembling, and without hesitation, was about to hit the red-haired priest. Hurry up and finish your work. Stiyl kicked him, and pushed him backwards. PEW!! The sound of wind being cut could be heard, as blocks of rocks that were as big as baseballs passed through the underside of the auto-bus that was moving forward. Suddenly, the surface of these rocks became sharp and edgy, like a sea-urchin, as they bounced up towards Kamijous jaw. Wait......wait a sec!! Kamijou quickly stretched his right hand out, and the rock bullets vanished in the air like an ice sculpture breaking. Tsuchimikado and Stiyl were using the auto-bus parked nearby as a shield, and jumped away left and right respectively. Kamijou, who was unable to trust them any further, jumped in Tsuchimikados direction. Tsuchimikado, whose back was resting on the bus, said to Stiyl, who was leaning his back on the bus opposite, Stiyl, stay here, set up the runes, and stand by. Ill catch the courier inside. Roger that. Do I have to use the Repel bystander? Ill leave it to you. Though I dont want to use too much magic, itll be bad if this uproar is to build on. Its alright as long as Index doesnt arrive here. I see, Kamijou just realised this. Right now, they werent fighting in a win or lose battle, but a war about arrest or escape. Once the objectives were different, the ways to tackle it were different. Tsuchimikado stared at Kamijous face, and asked, Oh yeah, Kami-yan. What do you want to do? I feel that its safer for you to stay here...... Stiyl stared at Kamijou, and grinned, Yeah, to me, its better if you stay here. Not for your safety, but mine. Kamijou picked up an empty can on the ground, and threw it at Stiyl, wanting to proceed on with Tsuchimikado. From a blind corner of the bus, Tsuchimikado stared inside the depot, and dashed out. Kamijou followed him, thinking, if I have the Imagine Breaker ability, shouldnt I be using myself as a shield? BOOM!! As this sound was heard, a yellow flame flew towards them. 10 metres in front, a flame appeared out of nowhere. Right when Kamijou stretched out his right hand, a high pressure wind cut between the buses on the left and right side of him like a scalpel. !? Just when Kamijou was unable to respond, Tsuchimikado grabbed his collar, avoided the scalpels that were flying over, and ran in an arc to avoid the flames. He then let go of Kamijous collar, and said, Kami-yan, you dont have to take them all on! These are traps that the enemy set up. Shell escape if you take them on seriously!! Although you say that......!! Five blocks of ice that were as big as balloons came descending from the ceiling. Kamijou tried hard to resist using his right hand as he dashed forward. The shockwaves and sounds created by the heavy blocks of ice landing caused him to feel chilly on his back. Passing through a row of parked auto-buses, he saw a large machine that was used to wash the buses. It was about as tall as two storeys of a building, and there were machines that were used for washing. It was not those drum-shaped brushes, but rather a flat sponge that used ultrasonic vibration. Oriana seemed to have ran into a dark corner, and he could see her blonde hair swaying about. Over there!! When Kamijou jumped out from the blind corner, the ground started to uplift in a row, as if it was trying to get in between him and the huge washing machine. It was a 5 metre tall ground wall, and it swept his legs over like a tsunami. The wall extended from one end of the depot to another. This was unavoidable, as hed be crushed even if he hid behind a blind corner. What was more dangerous was that if the metal pillar supporting the ceiling was broken, the entire depot would collapse. Kami-yan, Ill leave it to you. Its some provisional material thats like ectoplasm. Your right hand will definitely settle it!! As Tsuchimikado shouted out, Kamijou came forward. Facing this large target, his teeth started to clatter, but it was not the time to run away crying. He reached the base of the wall, and hit it with his right hand. POW!! With the sound of glass breaking, the 5 metre tall wall collapsed. The wall seemed to have dissolved in the air, and there didnt seem to be any changes. The asphalt ground returned to its original state as well. Kamijou was about to pull back his right arm when Tsuchimikado ran past him to the place opposite the large washing machine. He stopped. Oriana wasnt there anymore. A thick piece of paper that was as big as a chewing gum wrapper was stuck on the body of the machine. Kamijou rushed past Tsuchimikado, and looked around. There was a backdoor in the corner of the machine, but further down, a manhole was opened, and the windows of the buildings were broken. Basically, it was impossible to tell which way she escaped. Tracking sealer Oriana Thomson huh......what a joke!! Tsuchimikado angrily tore down the piece of paper. The ordinary boy Kamijou Touma could tell from his actions how critical the situation was. (Ara ara. I dont know if I lost them......) Oriana Thomson looked behind for a while, and walked on the road. She had stopped running the moment she lost sight of her pursuers. Since the opponent lost her, it was more important that she was not found than to put distance between them. Itd be very obvious if she was to run in the crowd. Even so, she was rather satisfied. Oriana held on to the billboard that was covered with white cloth, and reconfirmed everything again. (......Even if I lost them for now, it doesnt mean that the matter is over. I have to set up the next piece.) Oriana, who was only caring about what was happening behind, knocked into someone in front. Her exposed navel felt not human skin, but metal. Two boys that seemed to be committee members of the Daihaseisai were setting a pole horizontally for a ball tossing contest, and she had knocked into them. Aiya, Im really sorry. Oriana gently apologised and left, leaving the boys dumbfounded as they stared at her huge breasts. Too soft, she said softly, forcing back the urge to laugh. (Ive just set up my next piece, itll likely give them some hell.) Tsuchimikado had pulled out his phone and was talking to someone. It seemed to be Stiyl. Although both of them were magicians, Tsuchimikado couldnt use magic, or strictly speaking, he could use it, but itd cause a rejection due to his esper powers, which was the risk of a small-scale explosion. Tsuchimikado said come quickly, and hung up the phone. Kamijou looked at the piece of paper that Tsuchimikado was holding. Oi, whats that? O, thats the spiritual tool that Oriana uses. Tsuchimikado said in a frustrated tone, and let Kamijou see that paper. Some blue coloured words were written on it in a hard to read font, Soil Symbol. Of course, Kamijou, whose English was atrocious, didnt understand what it meant. It means, the Symbol of Soil. Youve probably heard of the five main elements in RPGs, nya? Fire, water, earth, wind, whatever. Its referring to that. So this is a Soil card? I dont understand. No, not only that. The colour of earth is green, but this is written in blue. Tsuchimikado turned the card around, saying, Blue is the colour of water, and normally, it wouldnt be used on earth-based magic. If one wanted to use earth, theyd put matching features like green or disc-shaped. Its like how Stiyl uses red cards to control flames. ......Did that woman make a mistake? Impossible, shes doing this on purpose. Shes using incompatible colours and uses the reaction as an attack. Basically, this is risky, as a bad mix will result in a bad effect. As Tsuchimikado said this, Stiyl ran over from the other side of the depot. Tsuchimikado waved the thick piece of paper, and said, I found her magical spirit tool. If Oriana is to use this while shes running, this will receive it like a cellphone. Id like to use this method, can you guys give me a hand, nya? Part 9 Tsuchimikado Motoharu could not use magic. Strictly speaking, if he used it, hed lose control of his body. As the human body wasnt numerical, it couldnt decide how many times could he endure it. He may endure it up to 4, 5 times, or he may die in one use. It was like playing Russian Roulette; there was a chance where he would die. In this situation where he was uncertain, Tsuchimikado was trying his best not to use it. If he was to end up being unable to take action, one could expect what would happen after that. Thus, Tsuchimikado was unable to use the Seeking Magic. He placed the thick piece of paper that Oriana had left behind on the floor, and drew a perfect circle around it. He then positioned many different coloured papers, and that was all. Basically, it was Stiyls job to activate it. The name of the spell is called an all-around reality array it would have been easy if I used it during the Angel Fall incident nya......in order to prevent any interference, I only used a single defensive spell, and got damaged really badly. Kanzaki nee-chan isnt good at setting up a boundary either, so it was really troublesome. Of course, I cant possibly teach the important figures of the Russian Orthodox Church this...... Stop yapping and start working. I heard that the effective range is about a 3 kilometres radius? Ah, to interrupt me like this. Ahhh, Kami-yan, please move away bit. What if your right hand breaks this all-around reality array? Hearing Tsuchimikado mention this, Kamijou frantically backpedaled. Tsuchimikado continued to make some markings on the ground, and after he was done, moved back to where Kamijou was. A black circle with approximately 50cm in diameter was drawn on the ground, and the piece of paper that Oriana had stuck on the bus washing machine. The blue, white, red and black pieces of paper divided the circle into four equal quadrants, each set at 90 degrees. Seemed like this was to represent north, south, east and west. Stiyl knelt halfway down in front of the circle that Tsuchimikado had drawn, clapped his two hands together, and closed his eyes. A drop of sweat flowed down his forehead. DThrough the wind, but not through air, but to convey thy will. As he recited this, the four pieces of paper started to float in the air. Like a clumsy puppet being pulled by invisible strings, the coloured paper stood up. The edges of the pieces of coloured paper reminded one of the sharp edge of a sword blade. This so-called rune is the idea of magic by adding and removing colours. Tsuchimikado stared at the circle on the ground, saying, First, one has to imprint something thats of significance, and forcefully input some energy to activate the spell, and deactivate it by removing the stains. For Stiyl, he uses pre-prepared dyed cards that were printed, so the spell activates extremely fast. When the card burns, the removal of the colour will be over in an instant nya. So normally, people will use spells that are pre-prepared...... The four pieces of paper continued to draw a spiral. The papers continued to draw a line that was of the same colour. The line continued to get closer and closer, and the circle got smaller and smaller, as they got closer to the middle, where the card that Oriana had left behind was. As long as we follow the basic rule of adding and removing colours, even if its Futtark, which doesnt follow the normal regulations, one can activate a rune spell nya. In fact, different types of rune words formed during different ages. DThere was only 15cm to the centre of the circle. Kamijou stared at the fast rotating pieces of paper. If we use this, we can accurately determine where Oriana is? Um. If we use it, we should be able to determine it in a 3 kilometre radius. However, we wont get anything if she leaves the perimeter. ......3 kilometres. Its rather far. But if we find her at exactly 3 kilometres from here, wouldnt the enemy move somewhere else? One more thing. After activating an all-around reality array, itll take fifteen minutes for us to set it up. However, its no problem if it works once. Tsuchimikado said this, but if they failed...... Although 15 minutes sounds short, wouldnt it be bad if the opponent takes a bus or tram? I dont care where she runs off to. Kami-yan, have you forgotten? Im a magician too. Dont I have the Red technique as my last resort? Although I only have one shot. DThere was now only 10cm to the centre. Kamijou revealed an irritated look, and said, What you are talking about......is that gimmick that you used to bomb my house from the seaside resort to prevent that Angel Fall? Its alright if we can use such a long range strike......wait a minute, if everyone knows about how someone used magic brazenly in Academy City, wouldnt the many magicians waiting outside be using this as an excuse to invade? No, they wont. Kami-yan, because their excuse is to protect ordinary civilians from those bad magicians that invaded Academy City. As long as we settle this with a single strike, take the Stab Sword back, and announce that the danger is gone, so we dont need your help, isnt it alright nya? D5cm left. Tsuchimikado grinned at Kamijou, and said, Even so, Im not comfortable with solving this as a magician. So I used that Red technique, and not my speciality, the black technique nya. If anyone was to ask who was the one who used magic, I''d just lie to that guy and say that it was Stiyl, the fire manipulator, who launched the strike. ......That......that is a bit too bold. Can you really trick them like that? I can. Because Necessarius is keeping the knowledge of 103,000 magical books. Its not weird for them to even learn spells that are not of Christian origin. Stiyls runes themselves have no relation to Christianity. However, they cant use these spells the Eastern way, so they have to refine it such that it looks western. ...... Whats with your expression? Anyway, we win if we can confirm Orianas position. The ideal case is if we can capture her, and force her to talk about Lidvias deal with this other party. Right now, the main priority is to prevent the deal of the Stab Sword from taking place. In other words, itll be alright even if we blow up the Stab Sword or Oriana to pieces. DThe distance was now 0cm. The four pieces of paper touched the thick piece of paper that Oriana left. With a crisp BAM! sound, the pieces of coloured paper were flying all over the place, drawing an intricate map quickly on the ground. At first it was as blurred as a camera with the lens not at the focal length, then it gradually became clearer. This map showed everything, from the roads, constructs, trees, benches, vending machines, and wind generators, to each and every single empty can on the ground. Maybe it was more accurate to call it an ultra-high resolution photo taken from a satellite than a simplified or marked map. Finally, the place that appeared was...... Oriana looked up suddenly. With one hand, she was holding a billboard-like thing that was covered with a white cloth. She slightly raised her ample breasts, as if she was trying to add to the pressure on the second button, which was the only button she had buttoned. She looked up at the sky. In the late September blue sky, there was white smoke from the fireworks that were fired, and one could feel the cool breeze in this ruthless summer. The mottled clouds continued to move in the same direction, and everything seemed calm. Even so, Orianas skin felt a sharp sense of tension. It was like trying to get into a bank that had been overrun by robbers and strongly fortified. Oriana Thomson started to take some time to wonder what was approaching her. DThrough the wind, but not through air, but to convey thy will this onee-chan heard that, you know. Then, she cracked a smile. Roar......kakakakakkakakakakkakakakaka!? Suddenly, Stiyl seemed to be hit by something in the chest, as he bent forward. Picha! The map on the ground was scattered around like how someone sneezes and blows a sand painting away. A loud breaking sound could be heard, and Kamijou was so scared that he instantly took a deep breath, wondering if Stiyls bones were broken. This is a space-bending sound due to him losing control of his power its just the sound of air molecules colliding with each other! Kami-yan, hit Stiyls body! Itll probably stop!! Hearing Tsuchimikado call out like this, Kamijou was shocked. Anyway, it was rather scary when he didnt know what was going on. Kamijou rushed to Stiyl and frantically smacked his back that was bent. As he was thinking about doing this fast, he forgot to adjust his power. Suddenly, the sound of air being depressed was heard. Stiyl relaxed his body as he lay on the ground, but the strange situation seemed to be over, and he couldnt hear that sound just now. Stiyl panted heavily, and finally pulled his hand away from his sweaty hair Whats this? Is this......some spell to prevent being snuffed out......? The pieces of coloured paper werent moving anymore, so Tsuchimikado picked one of them up with his fingers, placed his fingers on the paper, and folded several creases on it. If so, since I used the all-around reality array, I should be affected as well......but theres no such phenomenon. He waved the neatly folded coloured paper, and said, Stiyls magic should have been read by the opponent, and the opponent probably used a counterspell that will cause a reaction in Stiyl. That Oriana, I thought that she suddenly decided to counterattack, so this is her goal. Shes trying to force us to use our magic, read and analyse them, and set up a magic array that sends signals nya. Kamijou did not understand what Tsuchimikado, who was folding the paper, was talking about, as he extended his hand out to Stiyl. Stiyl irritatedly waved Kamijous hand away, and swaggered as he tried to stand up. Stiyl spat onto the ground. Is it a spell that identifies a person and seals him up? Really, to think that she could come up with that. ......Whats that? You mean it can target Stiyl and attack him directly? Tsuchimikado sighed. This thing called magic......because of the approach of the caster, the quality and quantity will be different......but, I dont think that this is enough to create a perfect counterattack nya. As he spoke, Tsuchimikado placed his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a red pen......or maybe it isnt. According to his explanation, this thing called magic was like gasoline. It was originally like the gasoline that we rely on so heavily, and was refined heavily through sects or religions like an oil processor. For Stiyl, if he were using the Aztec method to train his magic, the type of magic formed will be vastly different. Like using crude oil, one cannot refine it into gasoline, but into heavy oil and light oil nya. Tsuchimikado said. For an Amakusa Saint like Kanzaki Kaori, besides Christianity, there was still some essence of Buddhism and Shintoism. So they could freely adjust the type of magic and quality of the spell according to the situation. What Tsuchimikado was suggesting was that, to Oriana, in order to take on Stiyl himself, shed try and grasp what type of magic that he could possibly use, and try her best to focus on sealing Stiyls magic. It was hard to imagine Oriana having peace of mind now, as she probably didnt have all the information about Stiyls power. No matter his strength, one would normally consider about that. That......Oriana, what did she do? About this......I guess, it should be something like this. As he spoke, Stiyl stood up, his legs still wobbly. This thing called magic has multiple forms of existence. But the previous stage is no longer the same. The methods we can use to refine this talent will be dependent on religion, spells, and ones own lifeforce. After that, its like a math problem. As long as one calculates it backwards, the answer will be out. Imagine if there was 20 pounds of magic A, and a way to process magic called B. By comparing the two, if a person used the magic procession B needed to process 20 pounds of magic, how many pounds of this lifeforce would be requiredthis way, one could calculate the original lifeforce. Stiyl irritatedly pulled out a cigarette stick from a pack with his mouth, and stared at Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado was using something like a red pen to draw some markings on the coloured paper in his hand. In order to overcome this situation, Im making a new array. Tsuchimikado told Kamijou, still focusing on the paper. Stiyls gaze returned to Kamijou. Although magic doesnt have a personality, lifeforce does. In other words, my lifeforce was read by Oriana. Bastard, I shouldnt have set up the rune cards so easily......no, if the opponent is using a underground large-scale interrogation facility for magicians, like an execution tower or the basement of Windsor Castle, its still possible. To think that its possible for a magician to be able to do every single stepresearch, analysis, reverse calculation, application, and engagement all by herselfas expected of the Tracking Sealer, Oriana Thomson. Said Stiyl unhappily as he pulled out a matchstick, a rare sight, and struck it against the soles of his shoe. It was likely that he was wary of using magic to light a stick. Right now, he couldnt strike back, and could only wait for Tsuchimikado to finish his preparations. For such a man who had such a high self-esteem to be cautious, one could see how unfathomable Oriana was. Hearing him say this, during the battle at the depot, Stiyl had been the only one who used magic outright. If shes doing a reverse calculation and counterattacking, the one hurt should have been Tsuchimikado, who set up the all-around reality array. Since nothing like that happened, I guess it reacted to my lifeforce. Stiyl continued. Tsuchimikado was working hard on some weird project, so only Kamijou and Stiyl were conversing with each other. Which means, that Oriana can still analyze Stiyls magic while shes escaping? Kamijou tilted his head, not knowing what was going on. Seeing Kamijou like this, Stiyl couldnt help but blow out some smoke irritatedly. Maybe it was because he lost his cool after being damaged, or maybe he felt that it was troublesome to talk about things that were straightforward to magicians. If she knows this move, then it should be even more potent......than your right hand. He inhaled some smoke deeply. Orianas counterspell......which is on par with those spells used for execution, requires a magic array no, something thats even higher than it. Oriana didnt just use a spell, she set up an entire area of effect. Its like setting up a high-speed computer, and letting it do all the analysis. This way, Oriana can focus on running away, but...... But what? When Kamijou said this, Stiyl replied in a bitter voice, ......No, maybe Im thinking too much. I feel that I have seen this inhuman auto-processing before......no way. Even if shes Oriana, she cant possibly have that...... It was like he was muttering to himself. Kamijou, who didnt understand the situation at all, frowned. Tsuchimikado, who was beside them, was drawing something on the paper. He opened his mouth, and grinned. No, Stiyl, Im thinking the same thing as you. Really? ...If so, it would explain why Oriana is able to let it work despite being someplace else. But if so, shes not a magician, but a sorcerer. Aiya, is this really the case? I always felt that there was something wrong about Oriana. If shes really a complete warlock, there should be some magicians whom she taught that will act as her underlings. Shouldnt that be something that Lidvia should be doing? As he spoke, Tsuchimikado continued to create markings on the coloured paper. It was like a marking was add on another marking. ??? What is that? The two magicians continued to mutter among themselves, causing the amateur Kamijou to be confused. Seeing Kamijou like this, Tsuchimikado gently smiled. Oh yeah, Kami-yan probably hasnt seen an actual situation. But, just having knowledge of it means that you know it. By stuffing any knowledge related to magic into someone, the knowledge will form a magic array without the casters will. Even if the caster doesnt use magic, itll cause the power released by nature and lifeforce to multiply, making it active semi-permanently. Tsuchimikados smile now had a deeper meaning. The lens of the blue sunglasses were reflecting light. You still dont understand? Its the person closest to Kami-yan nya. That Index that memorised 103,000 magical texts, isnt she with you? 103,000. Index. Even if he didnt understand completely what Tsuchimikado meant, he knew what that referred to. No way? Thats right, Kami-yan. Facing Kamijou, who was muttering right now, Tsuchimikado gently shook the coloured paper in his hand, and casually said. The original copy of the magic book. The original. A book that had the secrets of magic. At first glance, it didnt look impressive, but any ordinary human would get a nervous breakdown if they just read the contents only. Also, the chapters, paragraphs and words of the book would become a semi-permanent magic array that would automatically counterattack if anyone was to try and destroy it. Nobody had the power to destroy the original copy of a magic book, so they could only use emergency measures to temporarily seal it. This was why people like Index, who had memorised 103,000 magical texts in her head, and Orsola, who tried to analyze the original Book of the Law, did this to counter these dangerous magical books. Kamijou was a complete novice when it came to magic. And he had never seen a real magic book before. Even so, there had been quite a few incidents around him that involved magic or magical books, so in this sense, he had quite a bit of knowledge. Tsuchimikado exhaled deeply, and made the four corners of the folded piece of paper with a pen. A magic book has a similar nature as a magic array, since the secondary effect of a magic book originates from the effect of a magic array. Kamijou frowned. He didnt understand what Tsuchimikado was talking about. How is a magic book similar to a magic array? Isnt a magic book something ancient? And isnt a magic array some star painted circle symbol that commonly appears in RPGs? After Kamijou asked this, Stiyl looked somewhat frustrated as he narrowed his eyes. ......Youre using such a stupid analogy again; thats the star of Laksami. This isnt a single product, but a Middle age magic array thats used within a circular array. He stared at something beside Tsuchimikados hand. First, well explain from the array......the first magic array was just an ordinary circle. Its just like that. As he said this, he picked up a stone, sat on the ground, and drew a circle with an approximately 50cm diameter on the asphalt road. Though it was hand-drawn, the circle was rather accurate. Kamijou looked surprised, but Tsuchimikado, who continued to draw on the coloured paper, didnt bother to even look. Seemed like a magician who had to create his own magic array or rune cards had very dexterous hands. The pentagram or the Star of David that you novices can think about is used to add an additional effect. In order to add on to the basic effect of the circle, we add the seal of King David or the seal of King Solomon. Stiyl puffed out a cloud of smoke, and continued to add a pentagram on it. The five tips of the star divided the circle neatly into five different parts, and there was no deviation in any of the straight lines. But what did this have to do with the magic books? Kamijou tilted his head, thinking. Seeing Kamijou like this, Stiyl gently clicked his tongue. Besides his irritated feelings to Kamijou and his own injuries, the reason why Stiyl was all panicky now was that Tsuchimikado was taking too long to plan (or so he thought) a way to break this status quo. Then, theres the last step of setting up a magic array......its too troublesome to explain it a few times, so watch carefully. Stiyl shifted the small rock away as he said, The last step of setting up a magic array is to add other things, like words. Most of the time, we write something outside the circle to declare which Angel we want to borrow power from. While speaking, he continued to write some things along the circumference of the circle. Because it was a scary magic array, Kamijou thought that he would use an unknown ancient language. But he was just writing English. Stiyl continued to engrave words on the asphalt floor. Just like this case, Ill have to write down the name of the Angel whom I want to borrow the power from. Ill then have to specify the type of power I want, like fire or wind. I will also have to write down what kind of Angels power I need, and how much power. The quality of the power is important, but whats more important, and maybe surprisingly, is the quantity. If its too little, I definitely wont be able to activate the spell. But if it is too much, the excess will go out of control, so its difficult to find an optimal amount. It was only a little while, but there was already a line of words around the circumference. Stiyls hand continued to work as he started to write another line of words on the circumference. Once I get the correct amount and quality of Angels power, Ill have to write down how Im going to use it. Maybe the caster will input this power into his staff and get some special ability, or maybe he will set it up around the magic array for defence, etc. With that The second line, the third line, the fourth line, the words continued to pile up like a Swiss roll. Maybe one should call it a magic array that had markings that were continuously added onto it. Doesnt it look like the page of a book? Stiyl puffed out some smoke at the magic array. In reality, it was as Stiyl said. Although the way it was written wasnt conventional like ordinary books, where there was a specific rule that one had to write horizontally or vertically. But what if one was to read the text along the circle in a horizontal manner? If it just required any type of quality and quantity to mix and match before getting some effectwasnt it like a formula or some sorts? The formula of a spell. This was basically what a magic book was about. But theres still a weakness about using this type of magic array. The more complicated the picture is, the more difficult itll be to control it. Like the word front, besides the meaning of facing forward, theres also the meaning of promenade. If theres a difference in what the caster intended and what is interpreted incorrectly on the magic array, the spell will go out of control and cause the caster much trouble......but if its ones own misinterpretation, the caster must be pretty talented. Stiyl finished speaking, and slowly stood up. He tossed the small rock in his hand away. Seeing this, Tsuchimikado spoke up, In the end, the amount of information given for this magic array has a direct relation with its power. The complicated look and the lines added are just details that are added onto it. The reason why I used four pieces of coloured paper for this all-around reality array is to add decorations that signify that I want to collect information from every single direction. With this, how much power does a magic book thats entirely stuffed with magical knowledge? Basically, an original magic book is a high-intensity magic array. Even specialised magicians find it tough to handle nya. Tsuchimikado brought this conclusion. The coloured paper in his hand was somewhat wet as he was continuously making some markings on the coloured paper with his red pen. Kamijou remained silent for a while. If so, in preparation of Daihaseisai, Oriana actually prepared an original magic book to form this auto-activate counterspell? This was something that makes people freeze up. Once, because of the magic book that was called the Book of the Law, Kamijou himself had been involved in a battle started by three magic factions. Of course, there were differences in the value and tiers between the magic books, but no matter how anyone thought, this wasnt normal. To say that the scale was too big, one may say that it was so big that it was almost a waste. Stiyl disagreed with Kamijous views. ......Is this really possible? The alchemist Aureolus Izzard was also a magic book author. Even if the fastest person in the Palace of Secret Records was to write on without sleeping or resting, itd take three days to write up just one thin book, and probably a month to write a thick one. I dont think she has time to write up an original book while shes spending her life running around. Or maybe the enemy had set up an original beforehand...... I dont think so. Its true that one needs a lot of time to complete a book. But this isnt Orianas objective. Tsuchimikado spoke in a relaxed tone. To her, she just wants the effect of the magic book that strengthens her magic array. She doesnt care about the genre. Doesnt it feel like nobody can read her cursive handwriting nya? Tsuchimikado said this with a thoroughly red piece of paper in his hand. ......Youre implying that its a shorthand original? I still feel thats impossible......no, alright. Right now, we have to consider all the possibilities no matter what. Kamijou lowered his head, as the words of these magicians continued to echo in his mind. Finally, he raised his head. This original, it means that nobody can destroy the magic book, right? If theres a need to create originals for every battle, wouldnt the world be filled with originals? Thats right nya Necessarius never got this kind of report as well. This is just my guess, Orianas shorthand original is definitely not perfect. A real original can turn each page into a semi-permanent magic array. But because Orianas one is sloppy, itll crumble in a short time. Tsuchimikado smoothly replied as he continued to write on the wet piece of paper. Not only the surface was important, the order the markings were added, and the type of markings added were also important. Tsuchimikado bitterly laughed, In the past, there were many magicians who wrote flawed originals, and ended up losing control over them before dying. Oriana may have used this the other way to destroy the shorthand original on her own. If so, its better to consider her as a spellcaster. A hybrid that involves the original and a magician in other words......its not to pass on the techniques and knowledge to the future generation, but to destroy this original instantly when needed nya. Hm Kamijou folded his arms. Right now, I still dont understand anything about the original or the magic array. ......Explaining this to someone like you is really useless. Because he was injured, Stiyls face was somewhat green, as his mouth was slightly twisted. With the counter, it means that Stiyl is unable to use magic on Oriana? Yes. If we dont settle that counterattack spell, we cant use any magic spells. That spell should be ready to strike when it senses that Im about to use magic. It wont differentiate each spell on what purpose it does, and besides, its useless to add that order. Stiyl sounded like he was confessing his own weaknesses, but though one could tell from his tone that he was having some reservations, there was no sign of giving up. It was like he was trying to say that it wouldnt end like this. So how? Stiyl is unable to use magic, right? That all-around reality array......right? Wouldnt it be hard to find out Orianas position? Since Tsuchimikado cant really use magic well. No. Tsuchimikado shook his head. That coloured paper he was holding, which was drenched in red ink, it was a miracle that it was not torn after all the liquid added on it. Kamijou and Stiyl stared at him. I said this before. This is an auto-counter spell created by the shorthand original, so we just need to settle it. If we are successful, we can use some talismans to prevent her from doing it again. Still, the most important thing is to destroy the original that the enemy has, so that Stiyl can safely use his magic nya Kamijou stared at his right hand. The original was definitely a magic book that could not be destroyed by any means, but his Imagine Breaker may be able to deal with it. Stiyl puffed out some smoke. Its alright if we destroy the shorthand original, but wouldnt Oriana use this time to run outside the perimeter where the all-around reality array is effective? Its possible. But dont you guys think that the enemy wouldnt use these counterspells if she could escape fast enough? It takes a long time to prepare that. In this tight schedule, one wont do this to add on to her workload. Hm, Stiyl folded his arms. Kamijou frowned, thinking that itd be fine if this was what she was planning. That......that shorthand original that you mentioned just now, where is it? Im guessing its set up somewhere. Is it possible that Oriana is carrying it with herself? Im not too confident about it if Im clear about the conditions required to use this shorthand original. But in order to check out the type of lifeforce that Stiyl has, Oriana set up quite a few traps. She then sent some lifeforce that she got from those traps to the auto-magic array. To set up something like this from the beginning to the end, one has to do it all in the same system......is there such a possibility nya? Then where did she set up this shorthand original? If they didnt know where she ran off to, it was impossible for them to find out where did she had set up the counter magic spell book. Well be looking into this next nya. What should we do? Tsuchimikado didnt immediately reply to Kamijous question. Tsuchimikado breathed out a small amount of air to adjust his breathing. He then placed the red pen he was swinging about into his pocket, and with both hands, he carefully carried the coloured paper that was all sticky and wet now. He then said, Stiyl. It doesnt matter what kind of magic it is, just use it. Id like to know where the interference came from. Such cold words. After Oriana read Stiyls lifeforce, she used the shorthand original to hinder our work. That counterspell should involve some magic as well, so I set up this divination circle array that acts like a litmus paper around you to react to her magic. This is a yet unused magic array that doesnt have any magic power yet. The divination circle array will activate when theres magical force from a counterspell. It can also calculate where the spell came from, and the direction and distance. Tsuchimikado said as he knelt down on the floor, still holding onto the coloured paper that was dyed red. He then shifted the paper around like he was wiping a table with a cloth. A red circle with diameter of 2 metres appeared immediately on the ground. When he finished this, he stood up, looking bored. Like he was reading a manual, Tsuchimikados voice was emotionless, leading Kamijou to wonder whether Tsuchimikados brain was alright. He frantically grabbed Tsuchimikados shoulders, But this isnt the way to go, Tsuchimikado! You should know what will happen if the counterspell arrives!? If we do this again, Stiyl will fall again!! Again? Tsuchimikado inexplicably frowned. Who said that? It cant possibly end once, right? Stiyl cant possibly fall here. At least if we destroy that counterspell, well have to activate the all-around reality array to look for Oriana. Before that, if one divination circle array isnt enough to find out where the spell is, I can only allow him to retry as many times as it takes. Kamijous expression changed. ......Are you serious? In contrast, Tsuchimikado gave a straightforward answer. Kami-yan, you seemed to have forgotten, so let me remind you again. Even if Oriana Thomson isnt in front of us, even if there are no swords or bullets flying around, this is still a war that concerns human lives. Countries, or even the world, may be overturned as a consequence, you understand? But......!! Kamijou stomped onto the ground. I can understand if were able to win as a result of Stiyl getting injured. But why cant we get this clear!? If so, theres a possibility that it wont be effective no matter how much damage he takes! Also, even if we find out where the counterspell is, and destroy it, are you going to drag Stiyl around to battle? STOP JOKING WITH ME!! I CANT POSSIBLY AGREE TO THIS!! Stopping himself there, Kamijou swallowed down his final words at the last second. ......Tsuchimikado, youre asking Stiyl to use magic because you hate getting hurt in a battle...... I got it. Lets do this. Stiyl accepted this proposal that nobody would find sensible to agree with. But you......!! Kamijou Touma, this is gross, stop acting familiar with me. If this can solve everything, theres no problem. After saying that, he glared at Tsuchimikado. Conversely, we have to find out where the spell is no matter what. Also, we have to do this on our own, and we cant let it develop into a bigger problem, got it? Being glared at by Stiyl, Tsuchimikado didnt look away. OK. I promise not to escalate this incident and cause Index to forcibly return. Ill protect her life while shes still in Academy City, is this your condition? Hearing Tsuchimikados words, Kamijou was at a loss of words. No matter how injured he was, Stiyl was only thinking about a certain girls happiness. Even if that happiness didnt involve him. Even if where he had been was now occupied by Kamijou Touma. He wouldnt pull back because of that fact. The magician Stiyl Magnus turned his back at Kamijou and Tsuchimikado, and pulled out a rune card from his torso. Divination circle array. Without hesitation, Stiyl stepped into the red circle that Tsuchimikado had drawn on the ground. Kamijou Touma......Im unhappy that youre here right now. The red-haired priest said in a firm voice, Why arent you beside that child? Its your fault if that child is unhappy because of this. After that, the rune flames exploded, and the counterspell activated. With a scream, one could hear someone fall onto the ground. This was how Stiyl Magnus lived his own life. Volume 9, 3: Tactics of the Pursuers and Pursued. Worst_Counter. Volume 9, Chapter 3: Tactics of the Pursuers and Pursued. Worst_Counter. Part 1 Fukiyose Seiri was a member of the Daihaseisai organizing committee. Though the committee members didnt have any of the special privileges that were given to the security guards and the disciplinary members, they were in charge of preparing and refereeing the matches, a job which didnt allow any room for error. To any ordinary person, though Daihaseisai was just a large-scale sports meet, it could allow people to easily evaluate the esper power development program of each school, and thus affect the budget that each school received. Of course, the committee members had to take part in the matches. Because of this, they had to arrange their work schedule such that it didnt affect their own matches. It sounded simple, but Academy City itself was one-third the size of Tokyo. The distance to each competitive arena may vary due to the different locations, and sometimes, the distance may be too far. It was impossible to excel at this job if one was unable to plan intricately like those suspense novels, or adapt to the situation immediately when the start and end times of a match were changed slightly. It was a race against time. (I have to get to the arena where the ball tossing contest is, so its probably better to use the auto-bus than the subway train if......no no, this wont work. Theres still a long-distance race on that road, so the road should be closed. If so, its better to use the subway......ar never mind, since its in the same district, it might be faster if I run there!) Fukiyose was holding a container filled with drinks with both hands as she continued to do her calculations. As a committee member, it was expected that she had to memorise the map and the schedule in her brain. If she didnt do this, it was impossible for her to adapt to any unexpected situations that occurred. Right now, she was heading towards the arena where shed be acting as a referee. She purposely chose to stay away from the shortest route and walk on a long, roundabout route. The reason was simple, the ultimate way to shorten the time was to avoid moving with the crowd. Because of this, Fukiyose chose to move quickly along the road where she had dragged Kamijou along a while back. (If I chose to leave from the subway or the bus stop, there would still be quite some distance to the arena. I still have to get past the crowded areas as well. In terms of results, it might be faster to walk along the alleys where there are fewer people walking on......but isnt it scary to be running before I even get to warm up?) Fukiyose, who was muttering to herself, suddenly stopped in her tracks and frowned. Several hundred metres away, Fukiyose saw a silver-haired girl in cheerleader attire prostrating on the floor. Wouldnt it be extremely hot for her hands to touch the asphalt on such a hot day? Fukiyose thought. There was a botanical test centre nearby, so wasnt it better for her to rest under the trees, where it was cool and shady? Uuuu......uuuuuuuu......I finally changed my clothes, and so I want to show them off to Touma, but he ran off to some place without waiting for others...... Sister......Sister-san, please dont despair. I guess maybe Kamijou might have some difficulties that hes not willing to talk about? Beside the lifeless cheerleader girl was a more petite looking girl with a sympathetic look. She was Fukiyoses class teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe, and like the foreign girl, she was wearing a brightly coloured-cheerleading uniform. Fukiyose frowned. Hows that issue that I talked to sensei about? What are you doing in public? If its a slight mental disorder, does she need to fill her stomach with some warm milk or some other hot beverage? How about I use some stimulant to divert her attention, like some chilli powder? I have some chilli powder with me now, do you need it? Take it! No......theres no need, Fukiyose-sanreally! Everythings fine! You dont have to stuff Sister-sans nose with chilli powder! It feels like some strange punishment thats done to women during the Edo period! Is that so? Fukiyose tucked the small gourd of multi-flavoured pepper back into her pocket. Komoe-sensei was so terrified that her face was all green. However, the cheerleader girl prostrating on the floor was so depressed that she didnt notice anything that was happening around her. Her butt was sticking out, and what was inside her skirt looks like it was about to be revealed. However, nothing was exposed. She said, Tou...Touma? Where on earth did Touma go to? About this... Fukiyose tilted her head as she thought. What is that boy doing right now? Part 2 Stiyl Magnus was lying motionlessly on the ground. The autumn wind was slowly flowing through the depot, as it blew through Stiyls black coat. However, he was lying motionlessly on the ground. He was still breathing, but things didnt look good right now. Tsuchimikado Motoharu said, Response......ah, got it. Theres a response from the Divination circle array. Here......according to such a change......its from the north-west direction? Tsuchimikado didnt even bother to look at his comrade who was lying on the ground right in front of him. He just continued to stare at the red magic array around Stiyl that was 2 metre in diameter. From the response, the location of the shorthand original is......from this colour intensity, 302 metres from here. To think that its set up nearby, and the response didnt move at all. Just as I guessed, its a stationary type that requires some set up nya. If so, Oriana cant possibly be too far away. Instead of running around, itll be easier for her to mix into the crowd by walking slowly. Oi, Kami-yan, did you bring a map nya? Id like to know whats 302 metres away from here. Tsu...chimikado...... Kamijou was standing around, stunned, and shuddering slightly, but Tsuchimikado didnt seem to notice it. When he realised that Kamijou didnt reply back, he repeated himself without looking at Kamijou. Kami-yan, the map, map. Either that or the Daihaseisai tour guide booklet will be good. Oh yeah, theres the GPS map on the handphone. Ill look for it myself. TSUCHIMIKADO!! When Tsuchimikado recovered, Kamijou suddenly grabbed the front of his sports shirt. The gold ornament hanging on Tsuchimikados neck snaps, creating a loud sound. Kamijou, who was overly enraged, really wanted to destroy the magic array on the ground with his right hand, before considering that he forgot about Stiyl, who was neglected and was lying on the floor, thus preventing him from doing so. Tsuchimikado, who was being grabbed by the front of his shirt, calmly stared at Kamijous face. Kami-yan, you dont have to worry about Stiyl. That guy is a professional magician as well; he should have enough endurance to take these magical attacks. Besides, the spells that Oriana set up are mainly to obstruct, and not to attack. He casually said to Kamijou, who was extremely enraged. This kind of counterspell is basically about refining and modifying Stiyls magic. Magic is created by lifeforce, if it continues to modify, itll cause changes in the human body like an engine being burnt, thats all there is to it. Kami-yan, this just looks like heatstroke, theres no need to make a fuss about it. Stop speaking to me like this! Dont you know whos the one who purposely got injured because of you!? Why must you be so cold!! Just when Kamijou decided to add more strength and pull Tsuchimikado closer to him, (Cracking sound) Tsuchimikados temple was cracking slightly. As blood emerged, his flanks that were covered by the P.E attire began to turn red from the inside. The redness began to spill over, forming a wound that looked like he was stabbed with a blade-like thing. Tsu...chimikado...... Kamijou frantically let go of his hand which was holding onto Tsuchimikados shirt. However, Tsuchimikados expression didnt change. This divination circle array is a spell that can react to the magic used by the enemy and give information like the distance and direction. Its impossible for such a convenient thing to be activated without using magic, right, Kami-yan...... Kamijou gasped. That was right. If it was just drawing a magic array and using spells without any magic power, even Index could do that. To someone like her who didnt have any magic power, this was a skill that was suitable for her. But Kamijou had never seen Index use anything like this before, and neither had he seen her cheerfully explain this type of magic array called the Divination circle array. Tsuchimikado appeared to have some disruption in his breathing, but he continued, Compared to......the seeking magic that Stiyl uses, my magic isnt as impressive......just like this, Ive made a mockery of myself. He pressed against his flank that was already drenched in blood with one hand, and said, Listen carefully, Kami-yan. Like you said, its my fault that Stiyl fell. If I were able to use better magic, this wouldnt have happened. I have to admit this. So its alright no matter how much you hate me. His legs continued to exert force onto the ground, supporting that body of his that was going to fall any second. But, I succeeded. Ill find that counterspell which Oriana set up, and destroy it. Also, with this hand of mine, Ill prevent this deal of the Stab sword from taking place. With this, our debts are even. The remaining interest, when everythings over......Ill return it with interest back to Stiyl. He couldnt possibly not care about Stiyls injuries. Because he was aware about this, Tsuchimikado chose to keep a cold attitude about it in order to repay his fallen comrade. The faster they could end the battle, the lesser Stiyls burdens would be. Facing Kamijou, who was stunned in front of him, Tsuchimikado smiled. He seemed to be saying: The fact that I hurt Stiyl hasnt changed, so please dont change your attitude so fast. Kami-yan, the map. Id like to know whats at 302 metres away from here in the north-west direction. The counter spell shorthand original that Oriana set up is definitely there. Ah......Orh...... As the Daihaseisai tour guide booklet was extremely thick, it was impossible to put it inside the pocket of a sports attire. Kamijou used the GPS function of his phone to found the place that Tsuchimikado specified. In the end. He began to doubt his eyes. This......Tsuchimikado, is it really in the north-west direction? Distance is 302 metres, right? More accurately, with 0 degrees in the north direction, the angle is 318 degrees from here, so its the north-west direction alright. Its an approximate distance given, but generally, theres nothing wrong. ......That bastard. Kamijou showed the designated location to Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikados face was frozen in shock. Kamijou thought, it wasnt weird for him to have this kind of reaction. Because the location given was in the middle of a certain junior high school. The flying ship that was slowly flying in the autumn sky was airing the introductions for the next match. There were only ten minutes before the match started within the school. Part 3 Kamijou and Tsuchimikado couldnt do anything for Stiyl, who was lying on the ground. If possible, they didnt want to leak this out before everything gets chaotic. Tsuchimikado was again beside Stiyl, setting up the coloured paper and the magic array of the all-around reality array that was used to seek out Oriana. Tsuchimikado mentioned that at the same time they broke the counter spell, hed contact Stiyl through the phone to activate the all-around reality array. Stiyl, who was lying on the ground, nodded his head slightly. Just this expression alone was enough to tell others that he was still alive. Kamijou finally heaved a sigh of relief. Tsuchimikado seemed to have expected that he would get injured, as he pulled out some bandages from the pockets of his sportswear, and cleanly stopped the bleeding on his flank. However, it was impossible to hide the blood stain on the clothes, and itd cause a ruckus if he walked out like this. Ill think about how to deal with my clothes, you better hurry up, Tsuchimikado said. Besides, there was nothing the two of them could do just standing around there, so Kamijou first ran out towards the problematic school. That was why, right now, Kamijou was running on the broadwalk in this clear autumn day at full speed. People were staring at him, from an old man holding the hand of a child, to the people carrying the tour guidebooks in their hands. However, he didnt have time to look back at them. Passing by the windmills, of which the rotor blades were spinning slowly, Kamijou picked up the pace as he held the handphone in his hand. It was Tsuchimikado who was calling. To be able to seal off Stiyls magic, and be able to set up a clever spell to counter an individual seeking spell, that Oriana should have a certain grasp on our side nya. To set up this spell at the arena where everythings visible, shes such an annoying person. But, even if its before the competition, can she really do this in the middle of school? Did that Oriana use some spell that can turn her invisible? If she could really do that, itd have shown up during our initial attempt. Oh yeah, Kami-yan. How much time till the next match? 7 minutes. It should be shown on that electronic bulletin near you guys. Kamijou stared at the gigantic display on the wall of the department store as he continued to run down the straight path. If so, the preparations for the match should be over. The spectators and the camera crew should be inside as well, right? Seems like itd be very difficult to sneak into the school and take care of Orianas shorthand original. The time taken for a match would depend on the activities done. Normally, itd last thirty minutes, but sometimes, it might take around an hour. Considering that the range of the all-around reality array was only 3 kilometres, if they were to wait till the match was over, even if Oriana was to walk away slowly, shed escape. Then what should we do? We cant just leave the counterspell in the school. Of course, Kami-yan. Whats the match in that school? What? Lemme see Turning around the corner, Kamijou started to look around for an electronic bulletin. A circular security robot was moving forward slowly, and was using audio speakers to report about the nearby arenas and the latest news. As he listened, Kamijou said, Seems like......a ball tossing contest. Thats a school based contest, and seems like all the students are taking part in it. I see. Ah, I just saw the introductions on the flying ship as well. Although I have no idea what the shorthand original looks like, its definitely there. If so, theres only one way, Kami-yan......take part in that match as a player. Upon hearing this, Kamijou tripped and nearly fell to the ground. Are you serious? In this situation, it''s the only way to get into school without looking suspicious nya. In an inter-school match, there should be a three digit number of people there, so there should be no problem sneaking in one or two people. But we are high school students, its improbable that we could blend in with a group of junior high students, right? Do you have any countermeasure for this? Kami-yan, its the sense of youth. Once you give off this young sense of youth, you wont be suspected. From the looks of it, wasnt it improbable? Kamijou couldnt help but sigh dejectedly. There were television cameras broadcasting during the match, and one slight mistake would really embarrass him on television. At this moment, Tsuchimikado spoke in a tone that was softer than normal. No, Kami-yan. We cant stop here. Besides searching for Oriana, theres a much worse reason. Eh? Kamijou continued to run as he listened to the phone. That counterspell may not be just used to target Stiyls magic. Once the conditions are met, ordinary people other than us will be endangered. ......What did you say? Maybe because the arena was nearby, there were a lot more people around him. If it was an actual competition, theyd have finished the admission formalities 10 minutes ago. But this was just a sports meet, and because the admission conditions were a lot more relaxed, there were many more security guards around. Listen carefully, Kami-yan, listen calmly and carefully. What Orianas counterspell does is that it reads the preparations to cast the magic, identify the lifeforce of a caster, and prevent the caster from using it. Up till now, do you understand? Un, I do. Actually, Kamijou didnt really understand. Basically, what he knew was that the shorthand original that Oriana had set up could identify Stiyl through some means, and prevent him from using magic. But so what? Which means nya......heres the problem. The preparations to cast the magic, do you know what that means? ......Ah? About that, I guess......its just mumbling about some strange chants, and drawing some magic arrays that no one can understand? Even if Kamijou was asked about the process of preparation, as he couldnt fully grasp what kind of thing magic was, he couldnt answer this clearly. Tsuchimikados tone became even more bitter. However, its still okay if its just like this......Kami-yan. For example, theres some spell called a......spiritual talk. Its a spell which uses the significance of speech to determine its power. If its this kind of magic preparation, wouldnt making a sound be enough to activate it? Kamijou was terrified. But, as he was about to reach the problematic middle school, he didnt stop. This is just a complete guess of mine, but if it can really react to this, we have a rather troublesome problem on our hands. Once Oriana is to speak near that shorthand original, shell be able to input additional commands into the counterspell, and the other party will fall like Stiyl......if its just making a sound, do you think there are any differences between a magician and an ordinary person? Its dangerous to these ordinary students as well, you know. But is that possible? While Stiyl was down, we were still talking like usual. Kamijou rushed past the spectators heading towards the arena, and reached the entrance of the school. As they had paid the entrance fee when they first arrived in Academy City, there was no need for them to have an entrance pass to enter the arena. Youre right nya. Theres an order for the spiritual talk, and theres a limit to the number of words to be used, like a ballad and a haiku. So just making a sound shouldnt garner a response......if so, do you know whats the easiest magic ritual in the world?? Eh??? At the main entrance of the arena, or the school, there were groups crowding the entrances, trying to get in. Kamijou thought, I have to somehow cleverly get past them. Its touch. The significance of touching with a hand is especially large. In many religions, the values of the left hand and the right hand are different, because the left hand and the right hand have their own uses. In the New Testament, the Son of God, whos especially prominent, is able to heal the sick or revive the dead just by touching them with his right hand. What if Orianas shorthand original can react to that? Wait......wait a sec. Kamijou stopped. Tsuchimikado continued, We would say that if it was a real magician, just touching alone isnt going to cause anything to happen. Touching is a magical action that several religious sects will use, and not just Christianity. Just like this, the analytical conditions that uses the casters lifeforce may be a little ambiguous. If its a professional magician who has some form of defence, they can still reflect the invading attack of the shorthand originalbut, He paused. To any novice who completely doesnt have any defence, even if theres a degree of ambiguity, itll still be forced to analyze the lifeforce and carry out the attack. Also, without the defence of a magician, the symptoms will be much worse than Stiyl. Like how someone with severe heatstroke can die, theyll end up endangering their own lives. But......but the spell used to attack Stiyl is a spell that prevents magic, right? Will that react to any non-magicians or espers? Running off after he stopped, Kamijous movements were slower than before. This was to prevent his legs from tripping due to nervousness. Strictly speaking, the target for any response is the lifeforce of anyone who is preparing to use magic, so even ordinary people are in danger. This isnt related to whether it can seal up magic, and its likely that it doesnt matter whether the person has any knowledge of magic. Didnt the searching spell all-around reality array that Stiyl used receive what I drew? Kamijou thought, this was the worst case scenario. From the front of the entrance, one could see the school with a soil ground. In that school, it seemed that something like a land mine was buried somewhere. As they didnt know that there was a land mine buried there, many unsuspecting people were heading to the arena where a match was about to occur. This ball tossing match wasnt going have a fixed route like a 100 metres race, but rather, they were going to use the entire place. Thus, the chance of getting the jackpot was rather large. Anyway, Kami-yan, we have to settle this before sacrifices are made. Itll be bad if therere signs of magic in front of the camera either way, I dont want to hurt any ordinary people. The conversation ended. Kamijou placed the phone into his pocket and left the main entrance. He wouldnt make it in time if he was going to queue up. He walked along the wired fence that separated him from the school. The fence was about two metres tall, and if he tried to climb over it, the unmanned reconnaissance helicopter in the sky would begin to take action. Once this trouble was stirred up, combat helicopters may fly over from other places. He walked around the school, and reached the back of the school compound, finding the backdoor to the school in the process. There were guards at the back. Itd be alright if he had the P.E. attire and ID of this middle school, but if he was going in like this, he was going to be stopped even if he was just an ordinary resident of Academy City. (Now what......) Kamijou leaned on the fruit juice vending machine as he thought. There were five minutes before the match started, and there was no time to look for any other entrances. Suddenly, there were some movements near the backdoor. A female student was carrying an ice tub that was filled with sports drinks into the compound. There was a thin jacket over her short-sleeved P.E shirt, and below her shirt, one can see her butt covered with shorts. It was the committee member, Fukiyose Seiri. No way!? From the front of the vending machine, Kamijou frantically moved to the side in order to conceal himself. ......? Fukiyose, who was carrying the ice tub, suddenly turned around and stared in this direction. She then tilted her head and vanished into the school compound. I guess I wasnt spotted......Kamijou thought. If she found out, shed be angrily yelling, WHY DIDNT YOU GO CHEER FOR OUR SCHOOLMATES!? WHY ARE YOU SLACKING OFF HERE!? KAMIJOU TOUMA!! IF YOUR BRAIN ISNT DEVELOPED ENOUGH, GO GET SOME DHA!! GO EAT SOME TUNA FISH EYEBALLS!! Oh......oh no......that Tsuchimikado wants me to sneak into the competitive arena, but if Fukiyose is to act as the referee, shell find out immediately......bastard, is this plan impossible from the beginning? ......Whats impossible nya? Hearing the low tone of a man behind him, Kamijou jumped in shivers. Ive already caught up with you yo!? Kamijou frantically turned around, and in front of him was Tsuchimikado, now in a brand new P.E. attire. The wound seemed to be completely healed now, and there was no sign of injuries anywhere. You......do you still intend to go in from the back door? Yeah. At least its easier to go in from here than the front door. Tsuchimikado said casually. Kamijou looked at the back door again. There were three fully armed security guards, and there were unmanned reconnaissance helicopters in the sky. How on earth were they going to sneak in? Seeing Kamijous thinking and surprised look, Tsuchimikado smiled, Its simple. Look there, Kami-yan, theres a puddle of water. Theres no rain recently, so it seems like the committee members just sprayed some water around. Hm. Then......what next? Like this! After he finished speaking, Tsuchimikado suddenly tripped Kamijou. Wa!? As Kamijou shouted, his body rolled into the puddle. Tsuchimikado laughed, To think that we can have a mud battle at this age nya!! as he did a flying swoop at Kamijou. Pa thong! With a sound that''s never heard in a cartoon movie, Kamijous body sunk even lower. The guards at the backdoor were staring at them suspiciously. Eh......WAAAHHHHH......! You......what are you doing all of a sudden......!? Kamijou was being pressed down by Tsuchimikados mass. To Kamijou, Tsuchimikado, who donned a pair of blue sunglasses, softly said, (......Kami-yan, are your clothes fully stained with mud? We have to mess it up such that they cant tell which school we belong to from the design.) What? Just as Kamijou was about to raise his doubts, Tsuchimikado, who was drenched in mud, stood up. He extended his hand towards Kamijou, or should I say, he grabbed Kamijous arm as if he was going to pull Kamijou up forcefully, and said to the male security guard nearby, who was on his guard, Wa, Im sorry! How are we going to take part in the match! Must we take part in the match like this? There are still cameramen around to interview us, you know! Hearing this request, the guard seemed to be shocked. He stared at Kamijou and Tsuchimikados clothes, which were stained with mud all around, from the top to the bottom. It was impossible to tell which school they belonged to, as the original characteristics of the uniforms were completely covered in mud. Wha......what? I have to really hand it to you. Did you guys prepare any extra clothes? Ah, yes. However, its in our clubroom. Then why dont you hurry up and get there? Theres only four minutes to the match. Ah sorry, let us check your IDs, proper procedures, you know. Itll be over soon. Kamijou was inadvertently shocked. The security pulled out a round cylinder that was like a ball-point pen. By pressing the button on top of the cylinder, a transparent sheet would extend out from the side of the cylinder like a scroll being unravelled. It was around 15cm long, and by placing the palm on it, one could read the fingerprints, veins, electric signals to read the state of the body, etc. It was an easy ID identifier in Academy City. (......Wait......oi, Tsuchimikado, how are we going to get past this......!?) Kamijou was so tense that he was about to shout it out, but Tsuchimikado merely extended out that palm of his that was covered in mud. Alright, stick onto it right......eh!? Seems like theres some wrong signals here!! What! You didnt wipe your hand clean before pressing on it!! The guard frantically operated the identifier, but there was no response from the part that had absorbed mud. He turned to look at his colleagues, but they both shook their heads. Seemed like he was the only one who had brought the identifier. Damn it, now we have to send someone to get another one from the front gate. Theres no time! Dont we have to go to the clubroom to change and get into the arena ya!? Hearing Tsuchimikados frantic tone, the guard again turned towards his colleagues. Of the remaining two, one of them beckoned them to move on, while the other one waved a hand in front of the face, signalling that they shouldnt. After considering about it for a while, the guard nodded. With a 2 vs 1 decision, the guards allowed them to move in. If you want to get in, hurry up! Youre not allowed to take part in the match if you dont get there on time! Thank you Tsuchimikado pulled Kamijous hand and walked through the back door in an upright manner. Kamijou felt that this couldnt be helped, but he didnt forget to get to the main point, Oi, Tsuchimikado! Wheres our spare clothes!? Isnt it hard to mix in with all the mud on us? What are you saying, they have those in the health room! In order to save the injured, that place should be opened today nya! Hurry up and change, well sneak in after that!! Kamijou and Tsuchimikado continued to converse among each other as they dashed into the school with a dirt ground, towards the cement covered campus. There were three minutes before the match began. Part 4 The next match would be a ball tossing contest. Misaka Mikoto was standing on the school compound with soil ground. To her, who was used to the new facilities of Tokiwadai middle school, it was refreshing to be in this arena where the ground was uneven, which caused a difference in shock absorbance. With a little wind, dust would fly up. Could anyone really carry out precise tests in this place that was like those places depicted in Western movies? Or were they really setting this irregular terrain as a practical training ground? There were only around 200 students on the Tokiwadai Middle School side, and they were all ojous, so they looked elegant, charming and petite. The reason why there was so much spotlight from the spectators was, well besides their prowess, these girls on lens were like a beautiful painting. However, that was an external viewpoint from outside Academy City. The views from those inside Academy City were completely different. When the ojous of Tokiwadai took part in a battle, it meant that their weakest, Level 3s, all the way to their strongest, Level 5s, would be taking part. Even if the numbers and physique were different, the opponent was simply pessimistic against this group of ojous who could sink an Aegis-class warship with smiles on their faces. In actuality, on the other side of the school compound......behind the pole baskets used for the tossing contest that was separating them, was the opposing school. Though there were more than 2000 of them, one could see from afar that there was a sense of realisation over there, which was covered by an atmosphere of tragedy. In the eyes of the Tokiwadai camp, these people were giving off a sense of failure. The proud ojous quickly realised this as they gave a sharp Ohohohohoho laugh. But Misaka Mikoto was not pleased with this situation at all. Her two hands on her hips, Biri Biri, she began to emit some blue and white sparks. (......WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!) In the enemys camp, 100 metres away, among the 2,000+ middle school students, was a person who shouldnt have be there. And to think that guy even carefully prepared by putting on the schools designated P.E. attire. She had never beaten that guy before. The only teenager she had ever showed her crying face to. (WHATCONCEARTHCARECYOUCDOINGCOVER THERE!! OI......!?) The kouhais around Mikoto were somewhat afraid to ask her what was wrong, but Mikoto, who lowered her head as she gave an eerie laugh, didnt realise that the air around her was crackling. After the participants were in the arena, Kamijou Touma, who heard the name of the opponent from his own camp, went green immediately. (Eh......!? The opponent is Tokiwadai Middle School! Fa...face it, Tsuchimikado! If the ojous over there are angry, theyll probably send out a railgun that can even cut Tokyo Tower in half!) (......Nya. I heard that with their abilities and Levels combined, they can even take down the White House with just flesh. Kami-yan, we should be careful about stray bullets.) After talking about things that would guarantee that theyd be attacked by the ojous if the ojous had heard them, the two started to talk about emergency battle plans. The shorthand original is just a code name. in fact, its impossible to set up such a thick book down there nya. The divination circle arrays response points to this school; do you see anything thats strange on first glance? Like what Tsuchimikado said, there was no magical item to be seen at this school. On the soil ground, the ten metal pole baskets were arranged in a line. Placed around them were red and white balls. As there were more than 2,000 people taking part in this, not only was the basket big, there were a lot of balls to be used. If she was to set it up, where would she put it? Really, itll be good if its shaped like an old book. Thats the objective of the enemy. Though we dont know Orianas modus operandi, since its a set-up type, there must be a spell thats set up. It can be disguised as graffiti, scratches, dyes or even stains. Does she think that I cant find it? Kami-yan, the Onmyoji techniques that I learnt include Fengshui techniques of scenery and buildings. Reading these magic marks is my speciality. Tsuchimikado smiled as he answered. Kamijou started to think. Oh yeah, Tsuchimikado. Speaking about where Orianas shorthand original is, isnt that a magic book as well......also, its still an original, right? I heard that peoples hearts will be broken if they read it, so wont the people taking part in this ball tossing match all fall? No, I dont think so. The shorthand original is a magic book that doesnt allow any reader to understand it. Since its a scribbled book that cannot be read, no corrupted knowledge will be passed on. So you dont have to worry about that. I see. Kamijou finally relaxed. However, Tsuchimikados face still looked stern. The important thing is how that Oriana set up the magic book nya. If its carved on a stone tablet, the stone tablet itself will become a magic book. Though I dont know how far it extends to, I hope that she didnt set up something too big, because the chances of touching it would be extremely big. Kamijou looked past the students heads, at the school. What he saw was a row of ten pole baskets that were used for this match, with some red and white balls scattered around it. Its alright if its those baskets......for example, itll be disastrous if one of those balls is the magic book. Therere a total of around 2,500 people after totalling both sides, right? If so, the number of balls prepared will be twice the number. More importantly, the chances of touching it are high. Not only would finding it be difficult, the participants would also be tossing the ball. Even if it was set up among them, they didnt know where to start looking from. No, the balls were only added just now. When Stiyl was attacked by the counterspell, these balls were still in the warehouse. If so, itll be weird if the all-around reality array didnt point towards the warehouse. So now what? Kamijou turned around to stare at Tsuchimikado, before looking back at the school campus, and then back at Tsuchimikado. The baskets are rather suspicious nya. It seems like they have been set there for quite some time. They have to decide where the baskets are to be placed because they need to scatter the balls around the basket. If so, its likely that she set the spell at the basket. But, what do we do......? Though its only preparations, this is when the spectators are gathering. Wont we be noticed if we just casually approach it? This was obvious, because there was nothing blocking anyones view. Or had she disguised herself like how Kamijou thought? No. Its likely that Oriana wouldnt get close to the school. Kami-yan, didnt you notice the security guards at the back door? Trying to break through it while running away is a waste of effort... Those baskets may be borrowed from some other place nya. Maybe she set up the magic array while they shifted them here. But, just touching it alone will create a victim. Then how did the courier not fall? Its likely that Oriana set up when itll start and stop. The proceedings of the match will be televised through broadcast. By looking at the electronic bulletin, one could get hold of the situation thats required for her to prepare this nya. Stop......? Kamijou raised a doubt, but Tsuchimikado smiled, Oriana will try her best to avoid any chaos in order to allow the deal to proceed smoothly. Its likely that shell stop it when the match is over and the committee finishes clearing up. Of course, shell be far away by then. But once anyone touched that magic book shorthand original, whose shape and whereabouts were unknown, itd be disastrous. That Oriana......thought about these right from the start? I dont know nya. Its likely that she didnt think that far. Besides, theres a competition schedule on the tour guidebook. Investigating the actions of the committee members isnt impossible. As Tsuchimikado answered, the audio broadcast of the school could be heard. Everyone, get into position. A voice could be heard. The fight against this enemy that wasnt there was about to start. On one side of the school compound, inside the tent for committee members, Fukiyose Seiri was holding a microphone. Everyone, get into position. The voice released by her throat overlapped with the noise from the audio speakers. The work of a committee member was rather diverse, ranging from recalling the injured to giving the start and stop signals for a match. The actual broadcast was left to the broadcasting crew inside the broadcasting tent, so the committee members just needed to give the starting signal. There was other troublesome work like counting the number of balls tossed into the baskets. Because there were so many participants, the number of balls tossed into the baskets could not be underestimated. In this ball tossing contest, 1/3 of the estimated time taken was used for counting the balls. Get set. Fukiyose was only in charge of giving the starting command, whereas the other commands were to be handled by the other committee members. After this was done, she had to count the balls afterwards. Others may feel that it was bothersome, but she had other things on her mind. (Ive been feeling that someones inside that group......is it fatigue? Do I lack vitamins? I recall that soybeans can relieve mental fatigue. But didnt that shopping program mention that soy isoflavones is effective against anything ranging from obesity and blood toxins to memory loss and aging of skin?) While her doubts werent solved yet, Fukiyose raised her voice, START!! Beep!! With the sound of the whistle, the Ball Tossing match started. The loudspeakers in the school started blaring a march that was normally heard during a sports meet. The students from both schools ignored the fast paced and entertaining music as they advanced to the middle from the left and right side of the arena. Their targets were the pole baskets that were approximately 3 metres tall. Woah! Kami-yan, get down!! Tsuchimikado shouted. Just as Kamijou got down onto the ground, colourful lights and flashes of red, blue and yellow flew over from the Tokiwadai Middle School side that was several metres behind the baskets. The flashes arrived, creating shockwaves. With this volley of attacks, dozens of boys were blown away. Wah, to think that those guys were knocked back by 10 metres!? A part of the crowd vanished. During the Wrench Pole match that Kamijou had been involved in, there had also been esper attacks, but these were of a completely different level. A crater several metres in diameter, one that was comparable to the craters on the moon, was made. Even the dust floating in the air was blown away by the impact. Kamijou was terrified, and turned to look behind. Though the students that had been blown away were still wobbly in their legs, it seemed like nobody was hurt. Seemed like as the explosion occurred, other espers from Tokiwadai had added some protective thing like an air balloon or a shock proliferation. As expected of the ojous that liked to take care of the enemys welfare. However, Kamijous right hand, which contained the Imagine Breaker power, may end up destroying this kind protective power. The wound on Tsuchimikados flank may open once there was an impact. ...... ...... Kamijou and Tsuchimikado inadvertently communicated with each other wordlessly. Next, flashes of red, blue and yellow were heading towards the two of them. Fireballs, electric guns and vacuum bullets were flying towards them. Wha......what is going on......! Didnt the schedule say that its a Ball Tossing contest? Instead of balls, we might as well call them cannons nya!! Because of these cannon blasts, parts of this group of student began to vanish one by one. Kamijou and Tsuchimikado got into the crowd, making their way to the middle of the school compound with all their might, to the baskets that were arranged in a row. The posts werent supported by humans, but by metal bases on the ground. ...(Listen carefully, Kami-yan. Im going to check the posts in order.) ...(Ah, is there anything I can help with?) ...(Ill tell you if theres anything to be done. Okay, stay here nya. Youre up next once I find this shorthand original.) ...(Got it, however...) Kamijou thought, what am I going to do in the meantime? Anyway, in order to avoid suspicion, he threw a white ball that was on the ground, and thinking that if he, an outsider, was to really take part in this match, it could really change the outcome of the battle, so he was not too enthusiastic about it. Under a post, Tsuchimikado purposely tossed a ball that would definitely not land inside the basket, and examined it from top to bottom. The pole basket was 3 metres tall, so just twisting his head up to examine it was really tedious. Besides checking for any flash card that Oriana may be using, Tsuchimikado was checking different areas, whether there were any strange words that were carved on the pole, or whether there were any strange markings on the metal base. (...Tsuchimikado?) (...Not this one, Kami-yan.) He shook his head, picked up another white ball, and headed towards the next post. Next, he checked the second one beside it, then the third one, only to be let down. Seeing this, Kamijou felt that time was running out. There were still seven more to go. Just when Kamijou was going to follow Tsuchimikado from behind, a white flash was shot from behind him. Wa!? He immediately used his right hand to block. The light bullet flew over, and upon touching Kamijous hand, Shoosh! A sound could be heard as it gently bounced off. Somewhere rather far away from him, he could see the girls of Tokiwadai staring, wide-mouthed, but Kamijou didnt care. It would be bad if he was noticed. Thus, he nudged his elbow on a trembling male student nearby, pretending that it was this boy who had saved him. (...Kami-yan, its not the fourth one either. Next one.) The angry girls of Tokiwadai Middle school turned to aim at that boy. Tsuchimikado and Kamijou then proceeded on to the fifth one. The human wall in front begins to shake. A group of boys who were only focused on tossing the balls into the baskets were blown back like a row of dominoes. They were crowded together as they knocked into the fifth basket. Dang! With a metallic sound, the basket started to shake. If Oriana had set the shorthand original at the fifth postlots of sacrifices would have been made. Like how Stiyl seemed to be suffering from severe heatstroke. Those without magical capabilities could die at the hands of this counterattacking spell. Damn it!! Tsuchimikado frantically dashed towards the group. Kamijou wanted to go after him, only to stop in his tracks. The fifth pole was shaking heavily. It fell sideways, crashing heavily into the sixth pole beside it. The sixth pole was shaking about as well. In front of the falling metal was a female student from Tokiwadai. The girl, who was holding a red ball with both hands, was wide-mouthed as she stared at the heavy equipment, which weighed over 30kg, falling onto her. Kamijou wanted to run over, but the group of boys who fell at the fifth post were blocking him. Damn it! Tsuchimikado!! Kamijou shouted. He jumped onto the back of Tsuchimikado, who was dashing towards the fifth post, and leapt over the group of boys on the ground. He lost his balance in mid-air, but still managed to grab the collar of the girls jogging suit, and used momentum to drag her aside. At least he managed to get out of the path of the falling pole. At this moment, from far away, an explosion caused by esper powers colliding occurred. The sixth pole, which was falling down, was affected by the storm generated. The metal pole was now falling towards Kamijou and company, with numerous times the weight and momentum. (Damn it, got to get out of the way first!) In this posture, when he was lying on the ground, Kamijou was unable to jump away. Due to the impact when he fell down, Kamijous body was hurting all over. He shifted his aching body over, and pushed the girl, now unable to move, away. The girl looked surprised, and it seemed that she didnt even know what was happening around her. (...Really!!) Kamijou gritted his teeth. The pole basket that was over 30kg was falling onto him. In that instant. Dang!! Like the sound of a Church bell being rung, the sixth pole basket was forced aside. It was cut in half by an orange beam of light, continued to bounce on the ground, and rolled away for several metres. The surrounding students instantly ducked, but several seconds later, it was back to the chaotic battle mode. During this time, what was left of the pole continued to bounce on the ground. Railgun. One of the esper powers, a bullet which moved at three times the speed of sound. Kamijou Touma shakily looked back. In front of him was a girl who had flicked a coin with her thumb, the general of Tokiwadai Middle school who was emitting sparks all over her body, Misaka Mikoto. The two stared at each other. Hehehe... Kamijou laughed weakly. Really...you...YOU-REALLY-WANT-ME-TO-BE-THE-ONE-PUNISHED!!?? At the same time, Mikoto continued to fire an electric shot. Ww...waaahhhh!! That girl down there, before you get hit by this large-scale attack, run away!! Ill block this, so hurry up and run!! Kamijou frantically waved his right hand to deflect the electric shot. The girl just shouted from behind, Thank you very much! Im sorry!! bowed politely, and ran away from the battlefront with amazing speed. In a flash, she was lost among the participants who were duking it out. Kamijou didnt look behind as he calmly said, ...Phew, seeing her being so lively, guess nothings wrong. You...sneaking into another persons match is bad enough, why are you acting so cool...? While arguing halfway, Mikoto felt somewhat tired as she placed a hand on her forehead. She then extended her small hand out to the sidethe seventh pole. STOP! Wait a second, Misaka-san!! Wha...what are you doing? Mikotos pulled her hand back, suspending it in mid-air. Kamijou didnt look at Mikotos face. He was observing the seventh pole. At the height where Mikoto was about to place her hand, there seemed to be something. A rectangular piece of paper...that was as big as a chewing gum wrapper. Though he couldnt see it from here, there seemed to be some small words written on it. (A flashcard!? Dont tell me thats the shorthand original?) Kamijous back suddenly froze. A foreboding struck him, stiffening his body. (I see...its likely that the shorthand original that Tsuchimikado talked about, that thing that creates a counterspell, is referring to that. Dont tell me every single one of Oriana flashcards is a shorthand original?) Kamijou thought, this was bad. Both Kamijou and Mikoto were about 1.5m away from each other. Though they were near to each other, it was not a distance that could be covered by just stretching a hand out. The thick piece of paper was only taped onto the pole at the top. As the autumn wind blew, the piece of paper would sway about slightly. Misaka Mikotos palm was only 3 cm away from the pole. Once a strong wind blewthe thick piece of paper might touch her. Thinking about how Stiyl was lying on the ground right now, Kamijou inadvertently gasped. He carefully selected his choice of words, and calmly, he said to the girl, who was in danger, Listen, Misaka-san. Ill explain it to you later. Listen to me, get away from there. What Im going to say will be very important. Ah??? What are you talking about? Saying this all of a sudden? As expected, Mikoto frowned. Her hand...continued to remain at that position though. It was neither moving forward, nor backwards, maintaining a distance of 3 cm. The thick piece of paper suddenly swayed about slightly. Mikoto didnt notice the danger hidden in this situation. I say. Right now, what authority do you have to order me around? Why are you here? We cant continue the match when the pole is down, so you better give me a proper explanation At this moment, one could hear the air being cut. The sound came from behind Kamijou. The male students from the school facing off against Tokiwadai fired dirt shots at Mikoto. Because of the esper powers, the dirt shots were accelerated and cut through the air like a bullet. If one was hit by it, the persons bones would break. Seeing this sudden situation, Mikoto was shocked, and emitted some blue sparks, ready to strike back. Stop interfering!! Before she could take action, Kamijous right hand stretched out to the side. The boys fist, which was between the dirt shots and Mikoto, smashed the dirt shots in one hit. The dust that was flying about dirtied Kamijous face, but he didnt even bother rubbing it off. It seemed like he didnt have time to do this, as his eyes were fixated on Misaka Mikoto. Bak... Mikoto looked at what was left of the dirt shots, and then turned to look at Kamijou. Are you an idiot? Why are you blocking your own allies attacks? Eve...even without your help, I can settle this on my own. Whats this important thing that you want to talk about? Cant you say it after the match? What is it that requires you to sneak in here and say it to me!? Ill explain it to you later, Misaka-san. Anyway, just hurry up and get out of here!! Really! Why arent you listening to other peoples words! The one who should be leaving is you, right!! Mikoto angrily smacked against the pole to vent her frustration. Frantically, Kamijou inadvertently shouted. Wait a second, Misaka-san! Dont say anything now, and come over now!! Its dangerous there! I dont want you to get hurt!! Mikoto stopped what she was doing. For some reason, her face reddened. Her head didnt move, but her eyes seemed to be looking away from Kamijou. Theres no need for you to worry about me in this minor competition. No matter who attacks me, Ill be fine as long as I use my powers... Kamijou couldnt hear what she was saying, and right now, there was no time for that. His eyes were watching each and every single action that Mikoto did. Sweat flowed onto his face, so he quickly rubbed it away with his right hand, and could feel a gritty feeling as he rubbed it away. On the other hand, Mikoto, who was being observed by Kamijou, made a sound as she straightened her back. The hand that was about to touch the pole slowly pulled back in front of her. After a while, she violently shook her head. (Anyway...theres nothing wrong right? However, why is she blushing???) Kamijou had this doubt in his head, but Mikotos hand did leave the pole after all. Just when Kamijou relaxed, What the heck, stop saying such things to scare me. Mikoto bent her back that she had straightened just now, and listlessly grabbed onto the pole with her right hand. Damn it!! Kamijou dashed forward with all his might. The thick piece of paper was being blown about wildly in the wind, and was about to touch Mikotos palm. Before that happened, Kamijou leaped towards her, and using the momentum, ducked. He clung onto Mikotos waist with both hands, and sent her to the ground in one go. Eh? EH? Mikoto lay on the ground and looked up at the body covering her. The two hands in front of her chest froze. Wah...wah...wh...whywhywhywhywhy...? Like an explosion, Mikotos face was fully flushed red, and she was unable to complete her sentence. Kamijous face became even more serious. Quiet, dont move. After saying this, while Mikoto was still lying on the ground, Kamijou observed her face. Since he didnt know anything about magic, he was unable to make any judgement. However, just by looking from the view of a layman, her face was extremely red now, like she had some sort of fever. (He did mention that there would be symptoms like severe heatstroke...) In order to examine it better, Kamijou brought his face closer. Eh...that...? Mikoto blinked. To her, it seemed like Kamijou, who had brought his face closer, realised something, and slowly closed her eyes. Seeing this situation, Kamijou sucked his tongue, and frantically placed his right hand on her forehead. Damn it, are you really unwell, Misaka-san!!? A rise in temperature...damn it, why is your face that red!!? Hearing Kamijou shout, Mikoto snapped back into reality, and frantically retorted back violently, Wha...what! Since when was it red since when was it red since when was it red! Im not having a fever!! Eh? Kamijou pulled his face backwards. If any ordinary person was supposed to have worse symptoms than Stiyl, then it meant that Mikoto had never touched the pole basket. However, they had found where Oriana had set up her flashcard the location of the counterspell. Kamijou got away from Mikoto, and looked around. Tsuchimikado, its here! The seventh one!! Just as he was about to shout this out, he stopped. He saw it. The thick piece of paper that was stuck on the seventh pole with tape had the words property of Noyi Middle school. Was this pole borrowed from other schools? Tsuchimikado said. This is a tag to prevent them from losing it. (Its not this!? Then, wheres the real shorthand original!?) Kamijou frantically looked around. At this moment, the whistle was blown. The march that was being played on the schools audio speakers stopped airing. After that, another hand stretched out, and grabbed onto the eighth pole. Really. Kamijou Touma, what are you doing here? An accusing voice was heard. Ill ask you for the reason later, so right now, leave quietly. The match has to stop, since its impossible to have a fair game when so many posts are down. The committee member, Fukiyose Seiri, looked at him with a surprised look. The girl was wearing a thin jacket over her P.E. attire. You hear me? Do you still want me to force you to eat calcium? But Kamijou wasnt looking at her, and neither could he hear her voice. In Fukiyoses hand... There was a piece of paper between the metal post and her soft palm. It was a piece of paper that was taped on. Kamijou hoped that the thick piece of paper was an ordinary piece of paper like the one on the seventh pole. There were blue words written on this piece of paper, and it seemed to be written in English. PAcha!! Suddenly, a strange sound was heard. Fukiyoses body was shaking. Fuki... Her hand left the post lifelessly. On the position she had been holding onto, there were the words Wind Symbol written in blue pen. Fukiyose-san!! Kamijou couldnt help but shout out, but Fukiyose didnt respond. Just like this, Fukiyoses hand left the pole, as she fell onto the ground. Pow. It was a lifeless way of falling down. She was on the ground, and couldnt move her limbs. One could associate her expression with a deflated soft leather bag. ParaParaPilaPila, around Fukiyose, the sound of air being compressed could be heard. Wha...what? Mikoto was surprised as she let out a cry. But among the participants, it seemed like only Mikoto had realised that something strange was going on. Though the other students looked suspiciously, nobody expected this to be an unknown attack from the magic side. As there were so many espers taking part in this battle, nobody would find it strange even if something unbelievable occurred. At this moment, Tsuchimikado managed to get beside Kamijou. (...Kami-yan, hurry up and knock Fukiyose! Shes not a magician. Shell be in danger if this continues!!) Hearing Tsuchimikado, Kamijou collected himself. He rushed towards Fukiyose Seiri, who was lying on the ground, lifted her up, and brought his right hand behind her. Pashoo, a deflating sound could be heard. Even so. Even so, Fukiyose Seiri hadnt recovered. Damn it... He knew the reason. Between Stiyl Magnus and Fukiyose Seiri, there was a difference in magic resistance. Even a magic specialist like Stiyl had been hit badly. Fukiyose Seiri, an ordinary person, was attacked without warning. Anyone could expect what kind of outcome this would warrant. But. No matter how anyone thought, the doubt in the brain couldnt be stopped. Why? Tsuchimikado!! Calm down, Kami-yan. This is just physical fatigue caused by removing some lifeforcedidnt I say that its like severe heatstroke? The health room...probably wont be able to save her. If we call an ambulance now, we can still make it. At least its better than letting her lie down in the sun. He calmly said what they should do. But, saying something like this wasnt convincing. It was like saying, because he was a specialist, he knew the seriousness of the situation, so he wouldnt purposely say anything that would make Kamijou optimistic. From the tent in a corner of the school compound, several committee members were running out. They must have realised that something was wrong. One could also see teachers among them as well. In their eyes, it seemed that they felt that Kamijou and company were hesitating, not knowing what to do to take care of this girl who suddenly fell down. The committee and staff members quickly grabbed Fukiyoses body from Kamijous hand, and quickly moved somewhere to establish contact. Kamijou Touma, who was left alone on the same spot, slowly got up. He lowered his head and quickly swung his fist to the side. DANG!! With a metallic sound, the piece of paper that Oriana had stuck on the pole shook. Mikoto stared at Kamijou, looking surprised, but Kamijou didnt mind at all. On the piece of paper that was hit with Kamijous right hand, the words on it vanished as if it melted away. What a brilliant idea, huh, Oriana Thomson... His vibrating lips started to move. If this was your doing, if you are willing to involve innocent people into this situation without guilt He lifted his head, looked in front, and declared. THEN ILL USE THIS FIST OF MINE, TO SMASH THAT NONSENSICAL ILLUSION OF YOURS COMPLETELY!!! Between the lines 2 It hurt. In Fukiyose Seiris subconsciousness, this was what she thought. She knew that she was lying on a stretcher; she knew that she was being carried down an ambulance to the entrance of the hospitals emergency department. But there was no sense of reality. Right now, she was in a state where she was unable to tell which way was up, down, left, or right, a groggy feeling. Either it was because she was lying on the stretcher, or there was something wrong with her subconsciousness. Seemed like the adults surrounding her were shouting to confirm whether she was awake, but she didnt hear what they were talking about. To her ears, these words were like gibberish that a drunk would say, nobody could make out what he said. Among them, only the word heatstroke inexplicably stayed in her ears. Heatstroke. It was a common illness seen during school P.E. lessons or school meets, so it was commonly neglected. The reason was because of rapid dehydration, and if it was severe, may have the risk of causing death. Of course, this wasnt the first time that Fukiyose got heatstroke, so she could imagine how she fell. But this time, there was a completely different feeling from before. Normally, when suffering from a normal heatstroke, the headache would disappear after a while. This time though, the headache didnt subside, and the pain was getting worse. (...Ugh...) As a member of the Daihaseisai Organising Committee, Fukiyose had given basic emergency treatment before. Because of this, she was more aware than ordinary students that one could not belittle heatstroke. What is wrong now? She thought. She had gotten enough water, her body temperature was normal. It couldnt be fatigue, lack of sleep, or ill health. She had already done all the preparations to keep herself healthy, but to think that this still managed to happen. (If so...the only thing I can think of is...) Nervousness. Maybe? Fukiyose thought, was I really that nervous? Like a psychological problem, most people wouldnt feel it. If so...Fukiyose thought, she worked so hard on the preparations all for this day. If she failed here, everything would go to waste. The laughter she had when working on the preparations with the other committee members, the effort she put in to memorise the judging order, going to a caf while on her way home to confirm the match schedules, all these efforts could be wiped away by failure. Because of this, she had subconsciously become so nervous. (...Im just like an idiot...) To impulsively work so hard, to impulsively fall down out of a sudden, to impulsively ruin the match. Fukiyose thought, this is all my fault, I brought too much trouble to everyone else. In order to not add on to other peoples burdens, I might as well quit getting involved in Daihaseisai. (Its entirely my fault.) But, why? Why had that boy been shouting at her with such a distorted expression. That was not a reaction one would have when someone had heatstroke. That was something that was out of his predictions. It felt that this situation was completely out of what he expected. Instead of saying that it was a sudden reaction to what happened, it was more like he was well-prepared and guarded, but still let something slip by. What did he know? What was he regretting? (I want to know.) She thought. But she was more mindful about... (So irritating...) Fukiyose Seiri slightly moved her lips. What Fukiyose was surprised about was that that boy, who always looked casual, and always gave the impression that he wouldnt treat any matter seriously, would give that sort of expression. Thinking about how that boy would continue to live with that expression for the next few days of Daihaseisai, Fukiyose inadvertently frowned. (...Ireally hatethose kind...) She didnt really like or hate Kamijou Touma. Frankly, to her, he was just an outsider. But up till now, Fukiyose Seiri was a committee member who worked hard in the preparations for Daihaseisai, all to let everyone be able to enjoy themselves. This was completely unrelated to her individual likes or dislikes. Therefore, she really didnt want him to be the only one who continued to be like this in this event. Because this was an event that she took part in. For this, she continued to work hard till this day. This may sound a bit capricious. But she still wished for this event to be a success to anyone. The stretcher, which was carrying the groggy Fukiyose, passed through the entrance of the emergency ward, and into the building. A doctor wearing a white lab coat was waiting for her over there. The doctor had the face of a frog, causing Fukiyose to almost laugh out. The frog-faced doctor gave a completely different feeling as compared to everyone else, as he immediately gave orders clearly. Fukiyose, who was still groggy, was unable to hear the contents of those words clearly. Her head was aching severely, and it seemed like several gears in her thoughts were loose. Even if she tried to integrate her thoughts together, her awareness continued to worsen. Only the words Severe heatstroke continued to bounce around in her head. This was an illness that was caused by severe dehydration, and if serious, would be bad for her circulatory system. Once the balance between the amount of oxygen and nutrients was lost, it may cause the internal organs to dysfunction, and in the worst case scenario, even cause death. The extent of heatstroke may end up leading to a high risk. If it was serious, it may cause damage to the other body parts, like a switch being turned on and off. Thinking up till here, Fukiyoses teeth couldnt help but clatter. (I dont want to die.) She thought. Fukiyose herself was unable to understand where the fear came from. Was it because she hated this sudden headache, or the chill that spread through her body? Or was it that she didnt know what was going to happen later, that made her feel so insecure? She was unable to get rid of this feeling, while her mind was continually being tortured by these complicated feelings. She didnt know what the people around her were saying. And she was unable to tell how bad the state of her body was currently. Because of this, she didnt care about anything, and just raised one question. ...Can...I be...saved...? She didnt know if her voice could be heard, and she didnt even feel confident that her lips moved. But the frog-faced doctor heard this, immediately stopped issuing orders, and stared at Fukiyoses face. In this groggy state, when she was apparently unable to hear other peoples voices, the doctors voice clearly reached Fukiyoses ears. To the girl lying on the stretcher, he only said one thing. His face gave a perfect smile that would gain anyone complete trust, and said, DWho do you think I am? Volume 9, 4: Did the Battle End in Victory or Not? Being_Unsettled. Volume 9, Chapter 4: Did the Battle End in Victory or Not? Being_Unsettled. Part 1 Stiyl Magnus was sitting on the ground of the bus depot. From a while back, the mechanics who were supposed to be there for the regular maintenance of the machines had been moving in and out. As Stiyl was in a blind corner, nobody noticed him. In normal circumstances, hed use the empty area spell, so there was nothing he should be worried about. But right now, he was unable to use magic. (Im already looking like this just by losing my trump card. I havent grown up one bit at all.) Stiyl gently puffed out some air. Thinking about it, it had been the same situation during the end of July, with his Innocentius. Once Stiyl was deprived of his trump card, hed be extremely weak. After that incident, he had reflected on it, and put in quite a bit of effort to improve himself, like thinking of a mirage spell to dodge attacks, and improving the effectiveness of his runes, but these were just tactics to prevent the enemy from taking away his trump card, and it really felt like he was too lazy to put in some basic effort. (Now that Im in this ugly state, can I really protect that child...? If the enemys target this time is that, what should I do? Im in a...) The ring of the handphone interrupted his thoughts. Stiyl pulled out the phone from his coat, and pressed the call button. It was from Tsuchimikado. Kami-yan has already destroyed Orianas shorthand original. Is there any changes to your bodys conditions? Until you asked this, I didnt feel anything at all... Stiyl carefully pulled out a rune card, and took a deep breath, held his breath, and exhaled, muttering a few words. Voom. With a soft sound, an orange flame appeared on his finger. There was no feeling of the rejection on his entire body that was caused by the counterspell. ...Okay, seems like theres no problem. I see. Then please use that searching spell all-around reality array. Ive already set up the coloured paper and the magic array beforehand. You know what to do? Dont belittle me, Stiyl said. Around his feet were the circle and the four pieces of coloured paper that Tsuchimikado had set up, and in the middle of the circle, was the thick piece of paper that Oriana set up. Though he didnt understand the positioning that was based on the Onmyoji arts, activating a spell that someone else set up wasnt difficult. Are you alright over there? Isnt Orianas spell in the middle of an arena? If you snuck in, isnt it impossible for you to leave like that? Sneaking into a match wasnt easy, and leaving halfway through was difficult as well. If one or two were to sneak out like that, theyd be seen. But, Tsuchimikado calmly said, No problem nya. We have already left the arena. ...How did you do that? There was a student hurt in front of our eyes. That person was diagnosed to have severe heatstroke, and was sent to the hospital. We pretended to take care of that unconscious student, and while helping her out of the arena, we slipped away. His tone wasnt as frivolous as before. Thats the voice of a magician, Stiyl thought. I see. He said. Did Kamijou Touma go berserk? Since you knew about it, Ill leave it to you. Well be launching our counterattack here. If we dont, itll be disrespectful to that student. Tsuchimikado hung up the phone. As Stiyl put the handphone back in his coat, he thought, (Nobodys perfect. To think that this Kamijou Touma, who beat me the last time, has times of failure.) But, he continued, Am I feeling remorseful of my immaturity because of this? Was this the fact that Kamijou Touma, who had been unable to save the victim in front of him, realised so precisely and personally? Stiyl didnt have anything else to say. He was just silently doing what he had to do, as if he didnt want to burden his comrades any further, even if he didnt realise it himself. The four pieces of coloured paper started to spin. The magic array all-around reality array was activating, ready to look for Oriana Thomsons whereabouts. Part 2 In the middle of the road, where the people were walking about, Oriana was looking up, staring at the electronic bulletin. Many people werent noticing what was developing on the screen. Even if some people did, they were just interested in the critical patient who had caused the match to be interrupted. It wasnt weird, just a critical patient, there was nothing much to talk about. Well, at least that was how it looked on the surface. ...This. With one hand holding onto a billboard that was covered with white cloth, she muttered. On her work clothes, only the two buttons were buttoned up, as the attire revealed her navel, giving off some tension. Should be something that I didnt expect. After saying this, Orianas eyes left the electronic billboard. She started to move. There were still things to do. Orianas fingers gripped onto the thing beside her. Kamijou Touma and Tsuchimikado Motoharu were running down the streets, knocking into other pedestrians. The pedestrians were giving them an accusing look, but right now, they didnt have time to bother about it. Tsuchimikado turned on the loudspeaker of his phone, as both men were listening to Stiyls voice as they continued to run. I have confirmed Oriana Thomsons whereabouts. Shes near the Futsuka subway station in the Seventh district. Give me some time, Ill give you a more accurate location. Futsuka station! We ran past it already! Tsuchimikado was the one who had been leading, now it was Kamijou who was leading. As the specialist, Tsuchimikado, was left behind. North...oh yeah, she seems to be heading north. The road is split into three, and I still dont know which one it is. It should be stabilised soon. Before they finished hearing the conversation, Kamijou and Tsuchimikado had already passed through the street. On a side of the road, they could see the entrance to the underground subway. They continued to run in a northwards direction. Three streets...now...now...its here. Hear carefully The one on the far right! I see her!! As Kamijou shouted out, the blonde lady who was twenty metres in front turned her head around. When she saw the two people who were passing through the crowd, she immediately panicked and ran to another road. Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were chasing after her now. The road was short, and it immediately ended at another road. But this road was different, there was no sense of hustle and bustle. The small shops were side by side in a corner, there was no welcoming atmosphere. Though there was an arched arcade as normally seen on a shopping street, it just made visibility even worse. It was morning, and yet all the stores were closed. Maybe the retailers felt that this location wasnt viable in attracting customers, so they probably had opened some temporary stalls near the arenas, where it was much more crowded. The lateral road extended left and right. Oriana Thomson, who was wearing work clothes, ran to the left. When Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were about to catch her, the auto-bus passed them from behind. Kamijou, who was just casually looking in Orianas direction, was stunned. She was running to the bus stop. Oh no...!! Oriana pushed something at the bus stop that looked like a button, causing the auto-bus to stop. Of course, the auto-bus robotically stopped. While the auto-bus was still opening its door, Oriana stepped inside. It was obviously hard to chase a moving bus by just running, but taking other buses that went in different directions wasnt going to make their job easier. As ordinary vehicles were banned from entering during Daihaseisai, it was hard to find any other vehicle. Besides, Kamijou couldnt drive. The auto-bus only answered the command that it was issued right at the start. If it was driven by a driver: when waving ones hands behind a bus, the driver may assume that the person was unable to catch up to the bus in time, and may stop. But for an auto-bus, asking for these may be a bit too strict. Kamijou frantically ran. The distance between the two of them was only 20 metres. By the time Kamijou reached the bus-stop, the auto-bus had already moved away silently. DAMN IT!! Kamijou pressed the button, wanting the bus to stop, but it was too late. The bus, which was already moving, didnt respond as it accelerated. Tsuchimikado, who was a step behind, watched the bus leave, and said, Oi, Kami-yan, I cant see it from here. Are there any other passengers on that bus besides Oriana? WHAT? IT DOESNT MATTER RIGHT!? Seeing Tsuchimikado looking so relaxed, Kamijou anxiously replied. Tsuchimikado said, Listen to me, this is very important. ...There doesnt seem to be anyone else on board. Doesnt seem? THERES NO ONE! AH, THIS MEANS THAT THERES NO ONE ELSE ON THE BUS! MAYBE EVERYONE HAD ALREADY ALIGHTED TO WATCH THE GROUP A RELAY RACE NEARBY! ITS A MATCH WHERE ALL THE WINNERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN, SO ITS AN ATTRACTION FOR THE FIRST DAY!! EVEN THE TOUR GUIDEBOOK INTRODUCES IT! SO WHAT!!? If so, Im relieved Stiyl. Tsuchimikado wasnt talking to Kamijou, but to Stiyl, who was on the other side of the phone call, Before this, when we were at the auto-bus depot, did you put some runes cards on the bus? If so, we can use it. I need you to help me with something. Destroy the card that you stuck on the bus no. 5154457. The other partys response was rather fast. BOOM! An explosion was heard. On the side of the bus that was slowly accelerating, a strong flame erupted. One second later, the body of the bus exploded. The bus that was lying on the road surface continued to spin on the ground without losing any momentum, as it became a fiery lump of metal. The flames that were rising up vertically, upon reaching the arcade, spread around. With one hand, Tsuchimikado folded up the foldable phone Isnt the effect a bit... too strong nya? He revealed a confused look as he bitterly said, Looking at the burning bus, Kamijou was speechless. It was true that the objective of Kamijou and company was to stop Oriana, but did it count as purely stopping her? Looking at Kamijous expression, Tsuchimikado realised what he was going to say, and said, Oh my. Didnt expect that to be like this. I originally told him to light a fire in order to activate the bus safety device. Damn it, I thought that that was a tram, and got careless nya. That was probably a gasoline-electric hybrid bus that uses electricity and some natural gas. He then proceeded on without any sense of tension, However, since the people in the shops should be out doing business, and the satellites and unmanned helicopters are blocked by the arcade. There shouldnt be too much of a commotion. Why...why can you still remain so calm!? Wheres the fire extinguisher? If we dont save her, she might really die!! Hm, so what? Just as Tsuchimikado said this... A vortex emerged from the raging pillar of fire, as the large fire was blown away by the tornado inside, and vanished without a trace. The wind that blew the flames away was filled with moisture, and it was also called mist. On what remained of the burnt bus lay a layer of moisture, like how water droplets stuck onto leaves. The mist caused everything to be covered with a thin layer of moisture. This moisture didnt seem to evaporate off. In fact, it seemed to take away anything flammable, and prevent the flames from advancing. Standing in the midst of this mist, was a woman. Because of the moisture that she created, her hair, face, and work clothes were all slightly wet. Oriana Thomson. She was holding something that looked like a billboard with her right arm, a flashcard with her left hand, and a piece of paper that had the blue words Wind Symbol in her mouth, between her teeth. Oriana spit out the paper that she was biting aside, and pulled out a thread of saliva from her mouth. She casually laughed, Hohoho. A flame thats not created by magic, that uses ordinary physics, is unable to heat up this nee-chan. However, this lady is still nervous enough to get so wet. See this? Even my underwear is already wet. To think that in this juncture, she could still make a joke. Facing this fact, Kamijou slightly squinted his eyes. Though this action was rather subtle, he really did squint his eyes. ...The spell that you set up hurt someone whos completely unrelated to this. Do you still remember? Its the girl I was with the first time we met. Do you feel that girl has any relation to magic? In this world, no one is unrelated to one another. As long as one has the desire, anyone can have some sort of relationship with one another, right? You...you knew about all these. You knew about all these, and yet you never reflected on it? Kamijous voice sounded rather fierce. Hearing this tone, Oriana slightly frowned. Right now, its useless to talk about anything else, but I really didnt intend to hurt that child. Nee-chan also didnt want to hurt ordinary people, unlike now. After she finished speaking, Oriana tore a piece of paper with her mouth. It sounded like glasses being knocked together. In that instant, WAAAHH...!! With this sound, Tsuchimikado Motoharu bent his body forward. He held onto his flank with his hand, gnashing his teeth and staring at Oriana. Tsuchimikado!! Panicking, Kamijou moved closer to Tsuchimikado. The wound didnt seem to open, but Tsuchimikados face was ghostly pale. Was it because of how he still continued to work despite getting injured? Seeing this scene, Oriana laughed, Oh my, I thought youre the one who got injured. Seems like I was wrong. There was another thick piece of paper on her lips. In blue ink, the words written on it were Fire Symbol. KlaKaKaKa. KlaKaKaKa. Tsuchimikado gradually collapsed to the ground. Oriana subtly smiled, Lets see how much you can endure...but just like this, you cant beat this nee-chan. The moment she finished speaking, Tsuchimikados body finally seemed like it couldnt take it anymore, and collapsed. He had lost all the strength in his arms and legs. What? What did you do to Tsuchimikado? I just used the blue words to remove the fire element that signifies rebirth and regeneration. This uses the medium of sound to enter a persons ears, and render a person unconscious if hes injured enough. The ring just now was the trigger...looks like you arent hurt at all? Kamijou rubbed Tsuchimikados body with his right hand, but it was useless. To be precise, even if one removed this effect, it would continue to regenerate. This spell seemed to be different from the counterspell before. If one didnt remove the original magic book, the effect wouldnt go away. (A spell that knocks out anyone whos injured to a certain extent without exception...) In other words, as long as the condition still applied, that Tsuchimikados injuries werent healed. He would remain unconscious. Even Kamijous Imagine Breaker couldnt heal Tsuchimikados wounds. This method wasnt going to bring back his freedom. Kamijou glared at Oriana, as she happily picked up the card that was lying on the ground with her left hand, and tossed it into the air. In an instant, the extremely light flashcard followed the wind and flew behind Oriana. Kamijous face suddenly became hot. YOU BASTARD!! Oriana, who felt this rage, trembled happily. She licked her lips to moisten them, and said, If you want to save him, youll have to beat this nee-chan. If you dont do that, until this nee-chan says stop, that guy will continue to be like that. However, I dont know if he can hang on till then. He might not even last that long, right? Kamijous teeth were clattering. He was trembling in rage. WHHH...WHY? Kamijou choked as he said. If not for this case, Tsuchimikado Motoharu might have forgotten about his spy duties and enjoyed Daihaseisai. If there wasnt any mission, hed probably enjoy it with everyone. The same went for Stiyl Magnus. If Oriana hadnt started off this situation, there would be no need for any battle. He wouldnt have had to come to Academy City. Even if he was to be here, hed be here to see his old partner, Index. And Fukiyose Seiri. Though Kamijou didnt understand why she wanted to be a member of the Daihaseisai Organising Committee. But since she wasnt forced by anyone, but volunteered herself to be a committee member, she must probably have some goal in mind. To a professional magician, this might be trivial. Compared to the Stab Sword that could shake the world, this may not be anything much. I dont know what kind of value that Stab Sword has. I really cant feel how that thing is going to change history, and how the world is going to change after that. Kamijou said, However, I do know this. Hurting others for this stupid reason is wrong. If this Stab Sword is something that will create these useless results, Ill destroy it with this hand of mine. Hearing this, Oriana Thomson laughed, as if it wasnt worth hearing, a nonsensical joke that anyone would laugh at. Like the people who were involved in this case, there was no value in this. She said, If this time, if I say that its because of work that Im emotionless about this, maybe this might make me look cool a bit. But saying it this way...might be considered as dishonest to my client. There was no heavy feeling in her tone. Of course, I must finish my objectives. As for how I do it, just leave it to this nee-chan. The rising temperature inside Kamijou started to distort like a hurricane. He was gnashing his teeth so hard that his molars were about to break. STOP TREATING He clenched his right fist. OTHER PEOPLES LIVES AS GAMES!! He sent a straight punch over. Seeing Kamijou like this, Oriana continued to smile. And it seemed like she was really happy. Part 3 The distance between Kamijou and Oriana was only 10 metres. But Kamijous fist couldnt reach her. Orianas left hand moved, as she tore out a flashcard. The green words written on the thick piece of paper were Wind Symbol. An ice wall about 50cm thick appeared on the road, separating Kamijou and Oriana. Kamijou and Oriana exchanged glances through the transparent ice wall. Not looking at the 3m tall ice wall in front of him, Kamijou hit it with his right fist. Piang!! The sound of glass breaking could be heard. As if there was gunpowder inside, the ice wall shattered the instant it was hit. But Kamijou couldnt see Oriana in front of him. Like a portrait drawn on a piece of glass shattering, her figure shattered together with the shattered ice. Kamijou gasped, wondering what was going on. (The function of ice is) Suddenly, he felt a chill. (light...refraction!?) Besides him, something started to bounce. Just as his eyes narrowed due to the approaching gust of wind. Pow! He felt that his cheeks were cut by something. A thick liquid flowed down his wounded face before feeling this pain. Hm. This sharpness is rather stimulating, isnt it? From the far end of Kamijous vision, Oriana immediately tore another flashcard with her mouth, activating a new spell. The super-thin stone blades flew over, cutting deeply into Kamijous face. Hoho, I felt it the first time I held your hand. To think that there are so many strange kids gathered in Academy City. The lady must be referring to Kamijous right hand. But Kamijou didnt have time to reply. There was no need to touch the wounds in order to know how deep they were. To think that Oriana could use this spell to knock out any enemy who was injured to some extent by using the sound created by the thick piece of paper! (Damn, damn it...!) Kamijou felt a chill flow down his body, and inadvertently covered his ears. Seeing him like this, Oriana put another thick piece of paper between her lips. The next one will be a shadow sword. This nee-chan wont let you get tired of this, okay? As she tore the card, swinging her left hand about, a dark sword appeared in her hand. The sword, which could be reshaped to any length, extended to 7m long, and stabbed onto Kamijous shadow that was on the ground. At that moment, POM! The shadow near Kamijous feet exploded. Like someone stepping on a land mine, Kamijous body was blown up into the air. He spun in the air like a dragonfly, getting into a protective posture before he landed on the ground. The arm that smacked onto the asphalt pavement hurt, but compared to this, (Why? Why didnt she use that technique that knocked out others like Tsuchimikado!?) Compared to being relieved over being saved, Kamijou was even more troubled now that he couldnt understand what the enemy was thinking. Since the enemy had a trump card that could beat the opponent, she couldnt possibly have forgotten this. Oriana, who was in an advantageous position now, jumped away from Kamijou, pulling the distance apart. Seeing Kamijous puzzled look, Oriana subtly giggled, Humph, this nee-chan has no interest in using the same spell over and over again. With a relaxed expression, she said, The five elements form the basis of modern Western Magic. From an alchemists viewpoint, anyone can have them, but this is just a prelude. Though its easy to use, on the other hand, its easy for the enemy to read ones own attacks, and come up with a defensive spell to counter it. Wouldnt anyone be worried about being too simple if one keeps using this in an actual battle? This nee-chan doesnt want to make my enemy feel bored, so she prepared a lot of these cards, so these magic texts that I prepared must be torn away like a calendar. Thisishowitis. Kamijou ignored Orianas words, and intended to close the distance. Seeing Kamijou act like this, Oriana tore another flashcard. After that, a huge gust of wind appeared behind Kamijou. Being pushed by the wind from behind, Kamijous speed continued to increase, as he continued to stumble. Now that the distance was shortened, Oriana raised the billboard on her right side, and smashed it into Kamijous jaw with a hook-like manner. With a blunt sound, Kamijous body bent into a [ shape, falling backwards. Ke...AHHH...!! Kamijous thought process and breathing stopped at the same time, and he couldnt even tell which side was the right side up. To him, the four directions were all messed up now, rotating all over the place. Even so, Kamijou still placed his hand on the ground to support himself, trying to get up. Hm. Oriana tore another flashcard. So useless, were only in the prelude, and yet your legs have no strength left? A certain power was activated. Between Kamijous back and the ground, something that was like steam erupted, tossing Kamijou into the air. This time, Kamijou didnt have enough time to defend himself as he rolled on the ground. Kamijou tried his hardest to gather his consciousness that was about to fail at any moment, as he considered the situation that was right in front of him. Ugh... Now even his thought process was painfully cut off. Kamijou grit his teeth, enduring the extremely sharp pain that was spreading throughout his body. Damn it...why? Kamijou continued to think, only doubts appeared in his mind. ...She did say that she wont use the same spell a second time. So why are there so many different... He didnt know what the four or five main things are that she was talking about. All he knew about was mixing the colour and the name together. In this situation, by continuously using magic like that over and over again, all the combinations would be used up in an instant. Hohoho. Combinations dont just work like that. You should be able to tell from this nee-chan, right? Oriana put another flashcard into her mouth with her left hand. ! Kamijou inadvertently prepared himself, but he was unable to transfer his strength throughout his body. Seeing the boy in front moving rather slowly, Oriana didnt attack, only choosing to lick the thick piece of paper with her tongue, from the short rectangular side, then the corner, then the long side. Stunned, Kamijou stared at what Oriana was doing, and finally said with much difficulty, ...The edge? It got something to do with the edge when you held the thick piece of paper in your mouth...? Un. Thats also one requirement. This is the basis of Western Astrology. From zero degrees to 9 degrees, 171 degrees to 189 degrees, 81 degrees to 99 degrees, 111 degrees to 129 degrees, 54 degrees to 66 degrees, 0 to 1 degree, and there are more laws for these coordinates. The theory is that the relationship between the planets and the constellations will have different functions due to different angles. Do you need me to give you a lesson on the relationship between stars, colours, and elements? Oriana grinned. Because this nee-chan added in page numbers to identify them, so strictly speaking, I cant re-use the same spell again. Like how lost time cant be retrieved again, the pages that were flipped can never be retrieved again. She moved the flashcard, now slightly damp on the edges, and moved it along her upper lip. This is the limit of nee-chan. No matter how hard I continue write magic books, the original wont stabilise, and will continue to lose control and self-destruct. Also, my words are too messy to be understood. Whether as a magician or a mage, my strength is only half-baked. Oriana slightly narrowed her eyes. However, because of this, this nee-chan continues to write magic books to create new spells. Since nee-chan knows shes using a half-baked original, the most each book can last is one hour, if its fast, itll self-destruct in several seconds. Because Im aware that Ill lose if I ever stopped to compromise, this nee-chan wants to continue improvingthis is called not forgetting ones original intention, right? After saying this, Oriana used her teeth to bite the damp piece of paper. But she didnt tear it off this time. She placed the thick piece of paper on her tongue, and without moving her mouth too much, she said in an obscure voice, Right now, Im going to use the symbol of wind thats in red. The angle is at 0 degree conjunction, total number of pages, 575, disposable-type spell, Light coloured severing axe. Youve been warned. She paused, Youll die if you move. She declared, But if you dont move, youll surrender on the next move. Youre not a kid anymore, so decide what you should choose pick your poison. Oriana pulled the thick piece of paper aside. On the thick piece of paper, pulled from the metal ring, were the red words Wind Symbol. (...) Kamijou placed his hand on the ground, supporting himself as he tried to get up, but his body, which was still shaking, was unable to respond immediately. Just trying to put a knee on the ground was difficult for him. He thought, its good that no one else is around. If anyone were to see this, itd cause a commotion. (Dont move...huh?) Remembering what Oriana had said, Kamijou felt something crawling below the ground. With Oriana as the centre, there was a circle on the ground of a metre radius. Outside the circle, there were patterns similar to those of tree branches. It looked like those capillaries around the eyeballs that were filled with blood. The patterns passed by Kamijou, through the roads, below the bicycles, the vehicles and the billboards, all the way in front of Tsuchimikado, who was lying on the ground. Youll die if you move. The patterns on the ground gave off an irritating vibrating sound. I might as well admit defeat, Kamijou thought weakly. He was totally unable to predict what kind of attack Oriana would use next, and thus he couldnt think of any counter-strategies. Also, she did say that the damage would be enough to stop his heart if he took the next attack directly. (If I dont move, the next move will be checkmate...) The difference between the two choices was, the latter would solve this without killing him. Hed probably be knocked unconscious like Tsuchimikado. Just like that. After this, Oriana would run away, but Stiyl would still chase after her. Victory wouldnt be decided just because Kamijou fell. Even if the amateur fell, no one would blame him. Didnt the specialist, Tsuchimikado, suffer defeat as well? It was unreasonable for him to continue to resist. (Then, what should I do next...) But, Kamijou continued to clench his right fist. He clenched it tightly, till his fingernails sunk into his palm. The sudden influx of willpower filled his hand with strength. He then gave the order to his weak legs, and steadily stood on the ground. The feelings of fear and resistance continued to swirl about inside him, but he was thinking, (Can I forget about Fukiyose Seiris Do you have any plan on letting Daihaseisai succeed? You useless fellow.) (No matter whether the enemy is a professional magician, or whether it involves some important deal, I dont care about these! Fukiyose-san herself chose to be member of Daihaseisais Organising Committee, and continued to work hard till this day. Right now, her efforts are about to go to waste! Should I sit here and do nothing!? Will this Kamijou Touma settle down with ease just like that?) WO.........AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Kamijou roared, using his entire strength to run forward. He hadnt regained his balance, and he looked like he was standing in a plane that was in the midst of turbulence, but he was definitely running forward. At this moment, Oriana spit out the piece of paper that she was biting on. The spell was instantly activated completely. Part 4 Light coloured severing axe. With Oriana as the centre, the power was transferred to the patterns, like bricks engraved on the wall, or like capillaries around the eyeballs that were filled with blood. The vacuum blades started to swing about wildly. There were numerous patterns depicted on the ground. The grooves were facing upwards like a pickaxe facing upwards. The blades swayed from down to up, and the total number of strikes was 208. Like a spider web extending outwards, the world of blades sliced through anything that was above it. (...! You little idiot!!) Oriana Thomson gnashed her teeth. On first glance, it looked like an attack that was randomly set up, but she had actually intended for the blades to avoid where Kamijou was standing. However, Kamijou ignored this, and stepped outside. Oriana originally intended to use the vacuum blades that were coming out of the ground to surround Kamijou, making him unable to move before rendering him unconscious. Like how she didnt kill off the professional magician, Tsuchimikado, in the first place, Oriana found that having someone dead would affect her own work. At the same time Kamijou stepped out, the spell started to activate. The vacuum blades shooting out from the ground avoided the safety zone that didnt have anyone in it. The 208 vacuum blades started to cut the billboards and bicycles that were above the patterns mercilessly. However, he ran out of the safety zone, and jumped into the vortex of blades. Besides getting cut, blood spilling out, and death, there was nothing else waiting for him. However. !! Kamijou''s body wasnt cut. The numerous blades shoot upwards from below the ground, and the 208 guillotine blades sliced the surrounding airyet it was ineffective on him. He just so happened to jump into the area where there were less blades shooting out. Where Kamijou was standing could be considered as a second safety area that Oriana prepared. Oriana didnt know how he figured it out, or whether it was all a coincidence. (If so!!) Oriana used a standby spell. To be able to escape the field of blades, whether she actually prepared it or not, the entire area was separated by the blades, so what Kamijou did was to just run from a hole in the hive nest to another hole. He wouldnt be able to escape. However, Orianas predictions were wrong again. WOOOHH!! Kamijou, who was roaring, waved his right hand at the vacuum blades in front of him. On first glance, it looked like a stupid act that would get his arm sliced off, yet the vacuum blades were shattered. Not only were the blades in front of him shattered, all the blades that Oriana had released were shattered. Crack! A moment later, the sound of something breaking could be heard. At this moment, Kamijou had already taken a step forward. Three steps left. The distance between them was about to become zero. (What...!? To think that that right hand is able to negate it to this extent...!!) Oriana, who was unable to understand what was going on, focused on the enemy in front anyway. She bit on the flashcard that had yellow command text written on it. This time, the spell was called Sleeping Wind. It looked like a compressed air gun, and when it hit directly, would turn the targets consciousness inside out. It was an attack that would knock out others without hurting them. She originally intended to let the airgun pass through the blades and hit the target that was surrounded by the blades. This could be said to be something completely unexpected. Even if it was completely unexpected, Oriana fired it without any hesitation. Take this!! Before she finished speaking, Kamijous right fist had already punched away the front of the Sleeping Wind. The destroyed gun flew around pointlessly and vanished into thin air. (Wh...why...!?) While she was still shocked, Kamijou took another step forward. Two more steps left. Oriana was in a situation where she was unable to understand what was going on. The enemy was in front of her, yet she didnt know how to react. (How is he able to respond!? Even if he has a special right hand, how can an amateur predict my attacks!? There must be some sort of reference material, thats...) The enemy stepped forward. One more step. In Orianas mind, an answer appeared like an electric shock. (Oh yeah. Im unable to use the same magic over and over again! In other words, there wont be a similar attack coming from the same direction! So he knows the answer...) Oriana Thomson could not re-use the same spells that she had used before. In other words, each place that was attacked wouldnt be attacked the same way. Of course, a place that was attacked by a flame sword could be attacked with ice bullets. But the scope of attack for both the sword and the bullets were different, and so such a difference would create a loophole. What Kamijou did was to move along those places that were attacked. Since there wouldnt be similar attacks, in other words, he just needed to worry about attacks other than it, and responding to attacks would be much easier. It seemed like somebody taught him that while the next attack would contain, there were escape channels to be taken advantage of. (What? I originally continued to use the same spells in order to seal off all the dead ends and let the enemy be unable to think of a countermeasure. In the end, this...) Orianas lip twisted inadvertently. She didnt know what kind of smile that was, but she knew that it was a smile. (...ends up being a dead end instead, and I ended up giving the enemy a hint on how to counter it! Haha, such a good boy. This nee-chan loves this kind of creativity the most!!) In an instant, both of them were within range of each other. Right now, Oriana didnt have the luxury to use her flashcards. She swung the billboard that she was holding on the right side downwards, and this time, she aimed for Kamijous head. However, Kamijou Touma dodged to one side. With one foot as the axis, Kamijou dodged aside. The billboard grazed Kamijous nose, creating a whoosh sound that could be heard, and slammed onto the asphalt. (...!!) Oriana Thomson was speechless, as she just looked in front. At the same time, the boys right fist fired in from point blank range. WO Kamijou roared, exhaling all the air in his lungs. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Gathering all the strength and speed of his body into his right fist, Kamijou aimed for the centre of Oriana Thomsons face. The shock from the impact reverberated from his tightly-clenched fist to his wrist, hand, and shoulder. Crack!! With this loud and heroic sound, Orianas body flew backwards. Just like that, Oriana, who was surrounded by this force that was aided by Kamijous momentum, fell and rolled on the ground. With the wind, the billboard fell out of Orianas loose hand and landed beside Kamijou. Kamijou felt that his right fist was somewhat numb. (I succeeded...? Did I manage to prevent the deal of this Stab Sword magic tool from taking place?) Anyway, what Oriana had been carrying was in his hands. Though he was still worrying about the unconscious Tsuchimikado, and the trading partner who snuck into Academy City, it seemed like they had averted the greatest danger, no? Ho... Just as Kamijou was thinking about all this, he heard this laughter that moved with the wind. Kamijou frantically turned back and looked. Hoho, youre really rude. See, my button came off! Oriana, who was lying on the ground, raised her upper body like how someone finishes taking a nap. Her right hand, which was originally holding onto the billboard, was now pressing down near her breasts, since her work clothes were wide open now. (No...no effect!?) Kamijou was somewhat stunned. In contrast, Oriana didnt seem to mind. Ugn. This nee-chan isnt a fighting queen thats full of muscles, but your movement wasnt straight, and the trajectory was somewhat off. Youre hurt, so your sense of balance is somewhat off as well, so the impact wasnt as big. Oh yeah, overall She paused, and then proceeded on, considering that its a punch from an amateur, its not too bad. But to nee-chan, whos used to facing off against others wholl read these attacks and counter, this standard is somewhat unsatisfactory. After saying this, she pulled the flashcard in her left hand near her mouth. Kamijou placed his entire body on alert, but the physical pain of his bruises worked up out of a sudden. The gathering of the pain prevented his body from moving momentarily. !! Seeing Kamijous face getting distorted due to the pain, Oriana happily tore off another page. Unexpectedly however, she didnt launch another attack. A gust of wind surrounded Oriana, and in an instant, she was taken away by the mini-tornado. In a second, Oriana passed through the gap between the ceiling of the arcade and the buildings, and reached the top of the building. Even though the billboard that she left behind was at Kamijous feet. On the other hand, the Stab Sword was an important trading item. Oriana was standing at the edge of the roof, as she turned around and tore off a flashcard with her mouth. Ill leave that thing to you. However, dont think that this is over yo? The real action will heat up later. The whisper-like voice clearly reached Kamijou as if it had been conducted through the air. He looked at the Stab Sword on the ground, then turned to look at Oriana, who was on the roof. ...Why? He raised a doubt, and though it was soft, the voice seemed to reach Orianas ears. Why ask why? The Stab Sword is in my hands. And yet youre not forced into a tight corner, so why are you pulling back so easily...? Oriana softly laughed, Why, huh? Isnt guessing the reason somewhat interesting? She jumped towards the centre of the building, such that Kamijou, who was looking up, was unable to see her due to the angle. Orianas figure vanished from the gap between the ceiling of the arcade and the wall of the buildings. Wait a sec! The spell that you set on Tsuchimikado!! Kamijou suddenly shouted out, but Oriana had already vanished. The ceiling of the arcade covered the sky completely. She may be hiding inside the buildings, or she might have jumped off to another building. All he heard was a voice, The spell only lasts for 20 minutes, and will stop working after that. Youre really an esper who likes to worry. After she said this, nothing else could be heard. Kamijou looked around. Orianas figure and voice were completely gone. Part 5 Seemed like Tsuchimikado would only wake up a while later. Kamijou was wondering whether he should be chasing after Oriana, but finally decided to stay behind. He couldnt leave behind the unconscious Tsuchimikado and the Stab Sword that was disguised as a large billboard. If he was to run around with it, his speed would slow down, and if it was taken back by Oriana, itd be adding insult to injury. Thus, Kamijou decided to call Stiyl. But he didnt know Stiyls number. Although Kamijou felt a bit sorry, he decided to rummage through Tsuchimikados pockets and borrow his phone. Searching through the call records, he pressed the call button. Stiyls suggestion was rather simple and straightforward. Alright then, destroying the Stab Sword with your right hand should be a piece of cake. With that, we can prevent the deal that Lidvia Lorenzetti is planning. Im not too sure about the situation with Academy Citys security, but they should have received contact about a bus burning. Before anyone else gets there, hurry up and destroy that thing, then leave. But, is it alright to destroy it so easily? If we anger Oriana and the rest, wouldnt they attack Academy City? If they do that, the one getting surrounded will be them. This is Academy City, and to the magic side, its equivalent to being in the midst of the enemys camp. If theyre people wholl plan this trade calmly, theyll calmly leave the place. Even if there are disputes among the parties, theyll proceed with it once they reach a safe area. To a magician, this place is too dangerous. Academy City was a dangerous place. To Kamijou, who practically stayed here, this explanation didnt seem real to him. However, since it was a professional speaking, Kamijou decided to follow. Roger that. Ill use my right hand to destroy the Stab Sword. Hurry up. Ill be discussing with the higher-ups on what to do later on. After Stiyl finished speaking, he hung up the phone. Cant you even say the word please? Kamijou cut the call, and put the phone back into Tsuchimikados pocket. Seeing Tsuchimikado like this without reacting at all made Kamijou feel chilly, but as one listened carefully, one could hear him breathing as if he was sleeping. Seemed like his life was not in danger. Alright. After saying this, Kamijou turned to look at the billboard that had fallen onto the ground. It was a large rectangular billboard that was covered with a piece of white cloth. Maybe because of the length and width of the Stab Sword, the excess areas were filled with other materials to keep the rectangular shape. Though it was covered in white cloth, once the shape of the sword was revealed, it would immediately garner attention. Just using the power of the Imagine Breaker would be enough to destroy the Stab Sword. Kamijou decided to remove the white cloth, wanting to see whether he could really destroy it. Ugh...! What is this? Its...rather hard. Seemed like an imitation of how the industries wrap their products, as the white cloth was wrapped rather tightly. The knots were tied so professionally, and so it was hard to release when one didnt even know where to begin with. It wasnt like a rope where he could just tear it apart using force. Kamijou, who was at his wits end, could only tug at the cloth, and after pulling it for a while, he at least felt that the cloth was loose. As long as a side was loose, the white cloth that was used to wrap the item would lose its hardness. Kamijou peeled the layers of white cloth one by one, and the item that had been wrapped in several layers gradually revealed its original shape. (What kind of shape does that Stab Sword have?) As Kamijou thought about this, he undid the cloth. But, upon undoing the white cloth, He didnt see the Stab Sword. What? Kamijou inadvertently stopped undoing the white cloth. Like the bandages of a mummy being unravelled, the thing inside the white cloth was revealed. It was a long thin billboard. Seemed like this billboard, a thin piece of iron that was painted on, was made by students, and it was a decorative item to be placed at a students stall during Daihaseisai. The words Ice-cream stall were written in a cute form. But. What...is this? Wasnt the billboard a disguise? Transporting the Stab Sword directly in Academy City would be too obvious, and with those dimensions, it was almost impossible to even put it inside a bag. So Oriana had disguised herself as a painter, disguising the Stab Sword as a billboard, wrapped it with white cloth, and spent some effort in letting others see it. However, no one expected her to take a real billboard. The entire premise of this had collapsed. Where was the Stab Sword? Why had Oriana appeared in front of them, only to escape? Was the premise that Stiyl Magnus and Tsuchimikado Motoharu talked about true? Also, were they really dealing the Stab Sword? Whats going on...? Kamijou Touma muttered. Nobody could answer his doubts. The professional magician, Tsuchimikado, was now unconscious, and the person who had planned this, Oriana Thomson, wasnt around. But he continued to ask again. The exact line. Whats going on...? Between the lines 3 Oriana Thomson was walking on the streets. She was at a temporary clothes stall that was set up near a large department store. Due to fears of terrorist bombings during Daihaseisai, Academy City had stopped providing locker service. Instead, an item deposit service that ensured the goods and kept them manually was used. Oriana gave the plastic number card to the receptionist, a young lady, who was revealing a puzzled look, wondering why the painter would be using a cloakroom. In response, Oriana smiled, and told her, If I dont take care of my own belongings, paint might end up on my purse. The receptionist gave a response, indicating that she understood. Oriana took the handbag and left the item deposit area. What was inside the handbag wasnt a purse, but clothes. Since she didnt have the billboard in her hands, it was too eye-catching for Oriana to disguise herself as a painter. It would be unnatural if she continued to wear the work clothes, and just walk about without doing anything. Also, the second button of her work clothes had come off due to the battle just now. Though the first and third buttons were alright, as her breasts were rather ample, one could see them from the seam. (...Ive used quite a few spells this time. Really, therere quite a few people who I really want to be gentle with again.) Although Oriana had quite a number of spells at her disposal, there was the limitation of being unable to re-use a spell that had been used before, so she had to pause and think about what could happen after that, and use whatever means to battle. But this time, she had used two killer spells that she had never expected to use, only for the enemy to escape. Though she was satisfied with the excellent results, just thinking about how she was not going to use those spells a second time makes her somewhat lonely. Can I consider this as meeting a worthy opponent? Lets change before I think of a countermeasure. Oriana muttered as she looked around, looking for a place to change her clothes. It was too eye-catching if she entered a building with her painter clothes still on. (Never mind, I can change at any place I want to.) Oriana wildly came up with this conclusion as she left the crowded two-way street. After walking into the alley, where no one was around, and put down her handbag. Seemed like she was really intending to change clothes there. She intended to finish her report as she changed her clothes, so she tore another card, and stuck it to the ground with tape. A horizontal line of orange words appeared on the dusty surface. It was a spell that acted as a display of her superior, Lidvia Lorenzettis voice, and translated her words into text. Is this urgent? You keep using different methods to contact me every time. Its troublesome for me when I have to receive these messages. Hm. This is the policy of nee-chan, so please be a bit forgiving. Orianas words would appear as text on the other side as well. She unbuttoned the buttons on the front of her top as she explained. Just like this, the clothes bounced outward like a spring. It was not really suited for her anyway. Im trying to tell you that the first phase is complete. This nee-chan is trying to tell you that though there are quite a few troublesome issues, you can relax, since Ive already checked the places. I even had the time to walk around. Oriana broke free from the tight clothing, and puffed out some air to calm herself down. She then took off her top without hesitation. Because she was not wearing a bra, the stripping of her upper body was complete. You said that quite a few things happened, whats going on? The original paragraph vanished, and a new wall of text appeared on the card horizontally from left to right. Hm? Oh, that. I was hit straight in the face by a boy, and the button came off; seems like he saw my breasts. No, Im certain that he saw them. ...As a Sister whos supposed to be pure and poor, how can you be so nonchalant about this? Another paragraph appeared. This was a spell that reads words and thoughts, and prevented translation errors. Sometimes, it also showed silence. Deary me, whats with this contemptuous attitude? Didnt Adam and Eve walk around the world with a leaf over their genitals in the Old Testament? Compared to the global scale of that shameful act, this is nothing. ... Oriana placed her hands on her pants, before realising that the other party didnt respond. Seeing this silent response on the card, a drop of sweat inadvertently flowed down her face. Eh, oh my? Hello, hello? Not again, what are you angry about? Okay, dont cry, dont cry. This nee-chan wont say any jokes about the Bible. Im not crying. Anyway, how are your injuries? The long silence vanished, as a new block of text appeared. Oh, no big deal. Oriana said. She took off her shoes, her belt, and pulled down the zipper. As she placed her hands on the edge of her pants, which was revealing a bit of her butt I cant really say that...Im completely uninjured...my face is a bit swollen, and maybe even my heart may be punched through... Suddenly, her body jerked sideways. Oriana was shaking her head, as if she was trying to prevent herself from falling asleep, as her two hands pulled down the pants. At least she was wearing panties, and as Orianas legs left the pants, her body was somewhat imbalanced. Will it affect the plan? It wont okay? I can tell. Just leave everything to this nee-chan. Though the other party couldnt see it, she was trying her best to force this smile. Now that she was only wearing panties, she bent her upper body and opened the handbag near her feet to look for a change in clothes. Her movements were abnormally gentle, and her body was so soft that it seemed that she could place her entire palm flat on the ground. Un. Now this nee-chan is going to change into her battle clothes. Itll be easier for me to work if I can stop giving the impression of being a worker with my clothes... Now which one should I choose? Oriana continued to rummage through the bag. Through the opened zipper, one could see that all her clothes were rather fanciful. At this moment, a line of incredulous words came from Lidvia. What? Youre changing clothes? Didnt I tell you already? My button came off, and I nearly exposed my breasts to others, or maybe they might have seen it. I cant wear this as my clothes are damaged. Its just like that. ...Im trying to say, why can you be so casual about this? Its my personality, okay? Oriana thought as she ignored her, taking out several pieces of clothing from her bag. Also, I forgot to take the billboard back when I escaped. When Im wearing work clothes and yet not holding anything, this nee-chan feels that its too unnatural. ...Your meaning? Oh, I remember. The billboard was taken by the enemy. ...Whats going on... Seems like the contents inside were revealed. And the fact that this nee-chan was just running around with garbage should be clear as well. Eh, oh my? Its okay. Even if the issue about the Stab Sword is revealed, it wont affect the deal. We wont get disqualified just by getting a demerit point. Also, the actual battle is different from the battle. Even if we get deducted a point for taking advantage, we might even get the victory in the end. Wearing only a pair of panties, Oriana picked up the bra with her two hands and pulled it near her breasts. She started to calculate the compatibility of the colours and the degree of revealing. Ill finish my job, and wont let anyone else affect this deal. No matter who the person is, he wont be able to prevent this dealing from happening. If this deal can bring happiness to everyone, itll be more reason for me to do this, right? This was her last sentence. She looked at the sky as she said this. The sky of Academy City was so blue and clear that it was close to signifying peace and leisure, though there were the occasional fireworks being fired. Part 6 So weve been had, huh? After finishing the conversation with the head of Academy City, Aleister Crowley, Archbishop Laura Stuart of the British Puritan Church, who had many subordinates at her command, sighed. It had been hours since the two of them had contacted each other, and since there was a 9 hour difference between Japan and London, it should be noon in Japan now. Surrounding the St. George Cathedral were the darkness and silence of the night, and the cold air of the ground. She was sitting on a chair in front of the altar, and as her blond hair, which was more than twice her height, lay on the floor, she puffed out some air and extended both her arms backwards. With both hands, she grabbed the roots of her hair that was too long, and swung it forcefully like she was swinging a rod. She cleanly grabbed the front of her wavy hair that moved like a slithering snake, and used a silver hairpin to clip her hair with one hand. In an instant, she reverted back to her normal hairstyle that looked like her hair was cut in half. Though it looked a bit crude, as she was already skilled in doing this, her movements had a beautiful sense of refinement and grace. Especially when the blond hair created ripples under the moonlight, this light was like a piece of art with beauty that could fill the entire hall. One of the twelve Apostles, John, once prohibited women from keeping long hair, and forced nuns to keep their hair short and keep it within their hoods. The reason was that the long hair of a woman would attract a man and cause him to fall. In modern times, it may seem like a laughable, twisted reason...but Lauras hair was so shiny that it could make anyone change their mind. So these are all true? Laura grabbed the bundle of documents that was on her thigh with one hand and waved it. It was a twenty-page report by the British Museum regarding the Stab Sword. On first glance, it was just a random action, but there were hidden emotions inside it. The emotion was called anger, and the temperature was extremely cold. Hearing Laura speak, who seemed to be talking to herself, the other party paused for a breath, and responded. It was the voice of a middle-aged man. Im really sorry. Youve appointed us to manage this for a long time, but till today, we didnt find it at all. In the end, weve continued to give the wrong instructions... Its alright, you dont have to panic. Im not angry with you. Besides, its tough on you, to continue to work till this time. Laura sensed that under the light that was shining into the interior of the Cathedralnear the entrancethat man was cowering in fear. Seeing that, it seemed that the other person was rather fearful for being under the same moonlight as Laura. His name was Charles Conder. He was the highest authority of Archaeology, and the keeper of the British Museum. Compared to the investigators who were running around the world, looking for artefacts and collecting them, his job was to manage and restore the items inside the Museum. For one to enter the bureau that had lasted for 1,000 years and maintained individual historical items that were up till 3,000 years old, one had to have the brain of a scholar and hands of a artist that was of the highest order in the world. Right now, he was at the level where he was considered to have the capability, but his experience was unrecognised. Among the items that they processed through, there were quite a few magical items...though the people working at the British Museum were ordinary people who had nothing to do with magic, even the head wasnt exempted. The British Puritan Church provided support by giving advice on the items through Theological, Religious, and ethical point of views. The British Museum was already famous itself, and only did general recruitment. If they were to set up a magic department brazenly, the idea of magic would quickly spread around the world. Charles himself didnt know anything about the British Puritans being involved in magic, and didnt know that the item that he had researched and compiled a report on was a magical item. The respect that he had for Laura wasnt that of being threatened by her real power, but just about sincere faith. Oh yeah, Conder. I have something that I would really like to ask you... Yes. The other person who was in the darkness gave such a reply. It was not an immediate answer, but rather, one that came after a pause. Only those who could immediately sense the atmosphere in this situation could tell that this was an opportune time. Un, Laura seemed satisfied as she looked at the darkness in front. ...Conder, youve heard my choice of words, so have you ever laughed at me before? What? Are you hiding in the dark corner in order to hide it? No...no...I would never do such a thing as... Then why must your voice be trembling, you idiot!? Everyones laughing at my choice of words! Basically, this is all that Tsuchimikado Motoharus fault for teaching me this odd choice of words... Dear Archbishop, Ive heard that you seem rather uncomfortable speaking in Japanese. DONT TELL ME THAT THE ENTIRETY OF LONDON HAS HEARD ABOUT THIS!!?? Please calm down. Right now, were communicating in English. Even if you really cant speak Japanese fluently, it has nothing to do with this situation. ... Ahem. Laura purposely coughed to conceal her embarrassment. Seemed like Charles Conder had tried his best to calm her down, but why was Laura still feeling so bitter? Excuse me...may we get down to the proper issue at hand? Of course. Laura tried hard to concentrate, and intended to continue on with the topic. Charles smoothly proceeded on, In the report, it is also written that though we have a duplicate of the Stab Sword in our museum, we can deduce that the actual item doesnt exist. This is something that may occur during Archaeology, and thus a mistake in the heritage. So whats this mistake about? Laura slowly asked. The British Museum had an Archaeological point of view that could give the British Puritans, who were magical based, a completely different input, so it was considered an extremely valuable mind. Yes, you''ve received this kind of report before, right? Like say...yes, the Nazca Lines ( Note: the Nazca lines are located 250 miles south of Lima, Perus capital. Theres a variety of about 300 of them, and theyre built during the Nazca culture thats from B.C. 509 to A.D. 1500. Some pictures are inexplicable, while others are obviously shaped like plants and animals, like hummingbird, monkey, heron, whale, spider and flowers etc.), the Moai figures on Easter Island, and a local example would be the Stonehenge...there are numerous things in history that we discover, yet we dont know their purpose. Charles bent his body in the darkness. After this, strange things begin to happen, people will randomly add in reasons as to why these things are made. Legends and stories without evidence that are passed down will accumulate like a snowball. One example thats easy to understand would be the portrait of the Virgin. Um. Laura replied. The portrait of the Virgin Mary (though a restraint order was issued during a monotheistic Christian occasion, it was rather popular) was hailed by her worshipers to be a miracle item. At first, there was the rumour that the Virgin in the portrait would weep. After a while, it became whoever touched it could heal their wounds, whoever hung it could dispel evil spirits, as new heritages continued to be formed, such that it was on a scale that even the Idol Theory couldnt explain it. Notwithstanding religious issues, just based on facts alone, it was unbelievable. So, its like this? The Roman Catholics do have a magical sword thats made of marble. But the Roman Catholics dont know for what reason it was created, so they added their own definite reason anyway, and thus it continued to spread around, and it ended up being part of their heritage? Yes. But from an Archaeological viewpoint, this isnt of ill intentions. Besides using theory, humans are creatures wholl use their imagination. Besides the Stab Sword this time, there are similar reports around the world. So we cant blame the Roman Catholics entirely... Laura thought, what Charles said was true. Actually, Christianity itself was like that. At first, the content of the Son of God was recorded through the hands of the apostles, and compiled into the Bible. And because of different interpretations, people had disagreements over their view of the Bible. In the end, this ended up meeting the tastes of the countries and their people, creating new religions in the process. This was the actual situation of todays Christianity, no matter whether it was Catholicism, Protestantism, British Puritanism, Roman Catholicism, Russian Orthodox etc, the centre of their faith was definitely the Bible. The language would differ according to different countries, and a Bible which had content that suited the British Puritans didnt exist at all. Even so, it led to a generation of different ideas, which led to the differentiation of faith. So, such a thing wasnt abnormal in history. (...Or maybe, the Roman Catholics intended to hide the truth about how the Stab Sword was passed down. No, maybe this is just pure speculation?) Laura shook her head to both sides. Anyway, she could confirm that the legend of this spiritual weapon called the Stab Sword was just a rumour that people had passed around, and that it didnt exist in the first place. She didnt know why the marble sword had been made, but at least it didnt have the ridiculous effect of killing all the Saints by pointing the tip of the blade at them. Thus, the importance of the deal that was to be done in Academy City was lessened. This made Laura heave a sigh of relief. Then, did you manage to find out the original heritage behind this marble sword? Yes madam. As this heritage continued to snowball, we dont have enough evidence to support this. But Im afraid that this record seems to be correct. Eh? Laura tilted her head sideways. That was information that was not in the report. It seems that I really cant just rely on magics point of view. An ordinary viewpoint from Archaeology is important as well. Lauras thoughts went wild. To be honest, this item isnt a sword? What? Laura suspiciously frowned. She saw the keeper of the British Museum holding the duplicate Stab Sword in the dark. In the darkness, he turned the white marble sword around. Its a cross. The locals seem to call it the Apostles Cross. ST PET...!? At that moment, Laura Stuart nearly stopped breathing. Youre saying that thats the Cross of St Peter? Pietro was another name for Peter, one of the twelve Apostles. Even for those who werent familiar with Christianity, they should have at least heard of the St Peters Basilica that was inside the Vatican. It was truly famed for being the largest Church in the heart of Roman Catholicism, the largest religious sect in the world. St Peters cross had a huge historical link with the St Peters Basilica, and even all of Rome and Vatican. It was the highest level of a spiritual weapon of all Christianity. Its danger was such that even the Stab Sworda spiritual weapon that could kill any Saints no matter the obstacles or distancecouldnt match up to this. Hearing the Archbishop exclaim loudly, the keeper of the British Museum must have been shocked. This wasnt surprising, as Charles was just the authority on Archaeology, and had absolutely no idea about magic. So if he didnt know how dangerous the name of this item that he said was, it couldnt be helped. However, Laura was different. Because she knew all about the magical world and the Christian world, she could understand the seriousness of the issue. She was not looking at Charles, who was standing in the darkness, as she was immersed in her own thoughts. (This is bad. If so, then the meaning of this deal that those people are planning is completely different now. If they really want to carry out this deal in Academy City) The Apostles Cross. It truly existed in history, but up till now, the Roman Catholics had never revealed it. It could be said to be the highest level of a spiritual tool in historical legends that could be compared to the holy items that the Son of God left behind. If it really had the effect that the book recorded... (With the end of this deal, Academy City will collapse. No, something worse than that will happen.) Laura murmured, swallowing her own saliva. Her face revealed a heroic smile. Laura thought, in this extremely complicated situation, what should she do to get the best benefits? Part 7 The Apostles Cross...we call it the St Peters Cross. Really, whats going on? After receiving the report from his phone, Stiyl Magnus muttered these words. It was an open-air coffee shop near the auto-bus depot. There were ten tables with umbrellas, and Stiyl had taken one of them. Seated in the other seats were Kamijou Touma and Tsuchimikado Motoharu, who was finally awake after having been hit by the sleeping spell that Oriana had used. There was nothing on the table. They were not waiting to order anything, as no one was in the mood to eat or drink. Oi, whats that St Peters Cross about? Is it a Cross thats made of some incredible material called Peter? Peters the name of a person, idiot. Hes one of the twelve Apostles, and legend has it that he has the key to Heaven. But right now, were not going to talk about that myth, but rather about some other heritage. Other? Kamijou asked again. Tsuchimikado, who hadnt recovered his strength, said, This man called Peter is that...owner of the Holy Vatican. No, strictly speaking, the Holy Vatican was established on the large piece of land that Peter left behind The Vatican...its that smallest country in the world? Kamijou tilted his head sideways and asked. Stiyl irritatedly puffed out some smoke. This name, the Vatican City State, was decided in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty. In the past, it was called the land of the Vatican. Also, that place wasnt that small to begin with. The land differs in size according to time, and at its peak, occupied even Rome, in the centre of Italy, a land thats 47,000 square kilometres in size. Italy was like the Sengoku era in Japan, because of internal strife, the Vatican shrunk as the unity of Italy became weaker. The question is, how did they establish the Vatican. On the land that Peter left behind, what were the Roman Catholics doing in the first place? Kamijou raised a voice of doubt. Maybe everyone was farming on the wasteland, he wildly thought. They built a tomb. By burying Peters corpse, and erecting a Cross. Kamijou was shocked. The St Peters Cross referred to the Cross that was set up on Peters grave. Kamijou didnt look so good, but Tsuchimikado just ignored him and continued, The view of the Roman Catholics is that since that place is where Peters buried, the Church didnt want anyone to disturb him, so they wanted to do their best in maintaining his heritage. At first, it was Emperor Augustine who paid his respects and built a Church. During the Renaissance, there was a pleasant large scale revolution. The St Peters Basilica thats designed by Michelangelotruly the worlds largest Churchis built on the domain of this dead Saint. Peter died in A.D. 1st century, and the Old St Peters Basilica was built in the 4th century, while the king of the Lombards handed over power to the Vatican in the 8th century. Actually, theres quite a bit of time difference, but the first turning point was Peters death and the building of his tomb. Hearing this explanation, Kamijou was still unclear of what was going on. Ugh...is it that...kind of place where you offer sacrifices to those great people? Well, you can say that nya. However, if you think of it another way, its like building ones authority by using the dead body of a Saint. If so, were they really trying to let the deceased rest, or were they using the tomb as a tourist attraction? One couldnt really decide. I always felt that...though I dont still know after hearing about this. Are the Roman Catholics a bunch of people wholl do something like this? What? There are people wholl do all these sorts of things. Like in England, theres an Archbishop named Thomas Becket (Note: Thomas Becket was appointed to be the Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral by King Henry II, and for he went against King Henry II, he was assassinated. His exploits were documented in a film Becket made in 1964). This man was assassinated in 29th December 1170 in a certain Church by the Royal Family. This Church is Canterbury Cathedral, the main base of the British Puritans. Tsuchimikado finished speaking, and paused for a while. Then he smiled, The Canterbury Cathedral was a Cathedral that was located far away from the capital, London...but because of the death of a great person, it became the main base straight away. The situation when Archbishop Becket got assassinated ended up triggering an offense against the Royal Family, resulting in the Royal Family having to recognise the independence of the Church this place is also known as the birthplace of British Puritanism. Just having the land of a sleeping Saint has a large effect, Kami-yan. Though Kamijou didnt understand, he knew that no matter what, any Church that had any link with a Great would have its value multiplied exponentially. ...Also, the thing that Orianas carrying around isnt the Stab Sword, but rather that Apostles whatever, huh? Is that a dangerous thing as well? Or is it like an art piece that has a strange and rare value? Both. But were focusing on the former. Stiyl impatiently puffed out some smoke. Didnt I say this before? This huge piece of land inside the Vatican or strictly speaking, the place where Christianity was established. If so, on the other hand... In other words? Kamijou asked. Yes, any place that has the Apostles Cross will be under the Roman Catholic Churchs dominion. Even Academy City isnt exempted. Wait wait...!? Kamijou was at a loss of words. Tsuchimikado said in a bitter tone, The Stab Sword was rumoured to be a sword that can pierce a dragon and pin it onto the ground. He paused, holds his breath for a while, and continued, This large existence that has huge wings, that will either guard a treasure while asleep or desire for a massacre, such a dragon has the hidden meaning of serving Gods Angels or the fallen Devil nya. Pinning the dragon has the meaning of turning this place to Holy grounds by letting the Angels protect this place hidden in it...those bastards. Kamijou sighed. There were many doubts he wanted to ask about, but speech wasnt going to convey them properly. Wait a sec! What do you mean by dominion? What are those guys intending to do here!? This country called the Vatican is like a large Church inside. Kami-yan, that interior is rather strange. Over there, the balance between fortune and misfortune is distorted, no matter what one does, itll be beneficial to the Roman Catholics. Kamijou was still unable to understand Tsuchimikados explanation. Stiyl continued, Specifically, the area inside the Vatican is filled with magic that biased. Things that normally happen will turn out to be of the Roman Catholics benefit. For example, its like using a magnet to control a roulette in a casino, ignoring the original action of the bead to make it land inside the number that one wants. Hearing this, Kamijou still didnt understand. But, he knew that there was a magic spell that allowed the circumstances to be beneficial to some people. So, its like that guy, huh? Like that alchemist, who can materialise anything that he wishes for? The man named Aureolus Izzard. The result of him developing his alchemist skills to the extreme, and creating his own spell of turning anything he wishes for into reality was that because of it, he was defeated by his own doubt... No, its not like using human willpower to form gold. This is about making things advantageous for the Roman Catholics. But, if such a thing was to be set up in Academy City, then what? Now that you mention it... Would Academy City end up being beneficial to the Roman Catholics? It was a blurry image, as Kamijou couldnt think of any specific thought. He just said out the thought that was on his mind. About that...itll be beneficial to the Roman Catholics. Then if the Roman Catholics are to come over to Academy City, wouldnt they become very lucky? Thats right; you may regard it as such. What will happen if the effect of the Apostles Cross acts like a document? Its not a bad thing, as any Roman Catholic who enters Academy City may lose a large sum of money when they gamble, but will end up winning money in the long run. Even if the buildings bombed, there wont be any injury at all. This is unnatural. Also... Stiyl cynically twisted his lips. The Apostles Cross will help anyone who isnt a Roman Catholic as well. If the Roman Catholics are to continue winning money through gambling, normally there would be losers as well. But the Apostles Cross would create a nice losing situation. Even if a building is bombed and destroyed, nobody would be hurt. It creates a oh, nobodys hurt, thats good kind of situation. ??? Kamijou tilted his head. If what Stiyl said was true, If so, wouldnt everyone be happy? That shouldnt be a problem. That is where the problem is. Stiyl mentions this, Listen, if one doesnt set up this thing known as the Apostles Cross from the start, nobody would be losing money through gambling, and nobody will target Roman Catholics in their bombing attempts. On first glance, everyones happy. But in actuality, the Apostles Cross brings a huge burden to anyone around, and normally in situations where one cannot see. Tsuchimikado, who had no strength left in his upper body, was sprawled on the table. He continued, Actually, in Christian history, the number of times this happiness was switched is unexpectedly frequent. Like San Matorras, or as the British Puritans call him, San Martin. This guy has a very interesting story. When he went to evangelise Christianity, he once broke an ancient pagan temple, and even intended to cut a holy tree down. The non-believing farmers who didnt want to become Christians resisted till the end, and said, If theres a God protecting you, go ahead and cut down this tree. If youre really protected by God, you wont die. To think that Tsuchimikado, who normally was just messing around, was able to say this Christian fairy tale so smoothly. To his classmate Kamijou, this was truly not a familiar sight. Hearing this, San Martin faced the holy tree that was falling on him, and drew a cross on his chest. Then, the unthinkable happened. The holy tree fell to the other side, and nearly crushed the farmers. The farmers were touched that there was really a miracle from God, and promptly accepted Christianity... Dont you find this strange nya? The one who used this inexplicable force to cause this holy tree to fall towards the farmers was San Martin himself. He could have allowed that tree to fall somewhere thats even safer. Come to think about it, he could have just cut the tree down easily nya? Why can he still receive this amount of thanks...? Anyway, the result is that, the holy tree that fell the other way didnt kill the non-believers. Because this was the mercy that God gave, every farmer rejoiced at having the chance to change their religion. No matter whether this outcome is good or bad, their history, traditions and spiritual culture were completely erased. Kamijou thought, so what. This indeed could bring about happiness, but not because of something that happened that brings about happiness, but rather happiness that was brought about no matter what happens. Tsuchimikado lifted his head, and said, The effects of this method had gotten some recognition in psychology nya. First, satisfy a condition A that cannot be fulfilled. When the other party begs and cries, saying that he cant do it, force him to do the original condition B that one wants. In this case, itll be easier to succeed than to offer condition B right from the start. Just like how Compared to A, B is so much better, were really lucky nya. By manipulating the specific order, manipulating the balance between one negative effect versus another, one can reduce the relative value required for happiness. Stiyl twitched the cigarette in his mouth up and down, and continued, The Apostles Cross uses the psychological effects of this myth. No matter what happens, the situation will end up benefiting the Roman Catholics. When people are given unrealistic proposals, theyll agree for some unknown reason...to the Roman Catholics, wouldnt this place be the most comfortable and enjoyable Holy Land? The magicians words gradually sunk into Kamijous head. A long time was needed for one to slowly understand such a large scale issue. Wait a sec, Stiyl. About the deal of that Apostles Cross, what is Oriana and company going to do exactly? If this world is split into two, one can classify them as the science side and the magic side. Right now, its on a delicate balance. Stiyl simply replied. Among them, the leader of the science side is Academy City. If this Academy City ends up being under the dominion of the Roman Catholics, what do you think will happen to the balance of this world? Ah! Kamijou finally realised it. If the science side, which occupied half of the world, ended up being some random group of a magic sect, then with the science side that occupied the world plus ones own magic sect, that sect could control more than 50% of the world. Then, they just needed to do the simple thing of a majority resolution in order to control the world at will. Moreover. If that sect was the Roman Catholics, the largest Christian sect in the world. If any sect is attacked by both the magic side and science side, organisations that are of a single world will be unable to resist; its like being attacked in front and behind. The balance of world power will be entirely concentrated on the Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholics didnt need to consider what they had to do in order to conquer Academy City. By planting the Apostles Cross in Academy City, Academy City would do anything thatd be beneficial to the Roman Catholics after that. Specifically, what would happen? Would the Board of Directors suddenly decide to seek asylum under the Roman Catholics? Or would Academy City sink into bad management, and end up receiving funding from the Roman Catholics? Or would Academy City itself be reduced to ash, and end up being rebuilt by the high-ranking Roman Catholics, and not the Japanese government? Though he didnt know how, Kamijou knew that no matter what, the situation would end up being most beneficial to the Roman Catholics. And the people of Academy City, nobody would question the outcome. No matter whether it was an unreasonable request, no matter how heavy the burden that they had to carry. It was a world where everyone had happiness. Then the deal that Oriana... Yeah. Its not a simple deal of the spiritual tool Stab Sword or Apostles Cross, but rather, the deal is about the benefit to the Roman Catholics dominance Academy City, and the world. Stiyl Magnus inhaled deeply. As the cigarette in his mouth received oxygen, it started to give an orangish-red glow. The courier, Oriana Thomson, and the trader, Lidvia Lorenzetti. Besides them, theres no receiver on the other end this deal just doesnt involve anyone else at all. The suspicion that its the Russian Orthodox Church is a fake, because this is something that the Roman Catholics want to send to themselves. He paused, and said a last sentence, We have to prevent this deal from taking place. Otherwise, itll end up being even worse than the destruction of the world. Kamijou Touma and Tsuchimikado Motoharu nodded their heads. But nobody knew what the three of them could do. There was no guarantee that they could beat Oriana Thomson and the person behind her, Lidvia Lorenzetti. Even so. Those two thought that by forcing thoughts that were beneficial to themselves onto the people of Academy City, the Roman Catholics would gain world domination. He had to use this hand of his to destroy this illusion. Part 8 Kamijou Touya and Shiina were walking on the streets. It was now 1pm. According to the schedule in the thick tour guidebook, it should be lunchtime. But right now, there seemed to be matches going on at other places. Discrepancies in the schedule were rather common for sporting events like Daihaseisai. If it was an international event like the Olympics or the World Cup, the schedule would be much tighter. Touya rolled up his sleeves, smoothed his wrinkled shirt, and said, Alright, okaa-san. Though its late now, lets find a place to eat. Ara ara, youre right. Shiina readjusted her ladys hat. ...Why do I feel that I didnt see Touma just now? Was he really in that match? There are so many people competing in the same event, so sometimes its hard to look for him. Well hear about Toumas heroics when we meet him later. Right now, the most important thing is to get our seats. Touya frantically looked around for a place to eat lunch, not because he was hungry. One thing that Daihaseisai had in comparison to other sporting events was the need to book seats. Compared to ordinary events, in Daihaseisai, the arenas had to change according to the type of competition. It was not that getting ones seats once was enough, as parents would have to switch places according to where their children were having their events. Of course, eating lunch was the same. Once the event was over, the contestants and the spectators would be chased out of the arena, so they had to ensure that they got a place to get their lunch. There were 2.3 million residents in Academy City, and there were many more spectators. With so many people looking for a place to eat at the same time...it was not hard to imagine the school canteens being crammed with people. Touya looked around, his hair combed to the back. Its supposed to be lunch at twelve. We arrived late because of the matches getting delayed. To be honest, its hard to find a place now. Ara ara, Ive prepared bentos, so you dont have to find such a good place. Shiina happily said as she looked at the rattan basket hanging on her arm. Seeing this, Touya frowned, and said, Okaa-san, that wont do. These are the bentos that you put so much effort into preparing. Lets find the best place to eat our meal. Touma and I would be happy if we do so. Itll be fine if okaa-san feels happy as well. Ara ara, Touya, really. Shiina smiled as she placed a hand on her face. Touya, who was releasing his tie with one hand, and looking around for a place, didnt notice her smile and gaze. ...Hm, the seats at this shop are occupied. Of course, there are other ways to look for empty seats, or should we contact Touma and ask him for his suggestioneh? Touya, who was considering this, saw a familiar face coming over from his opposite side. It was the female university student he met at the opening ceremony. Right now, there was a middle-school aged girl walking beside her. The girl was wearing a jogging shirt and shorts that contestants wear. Shoulder-length tea-coloured hair, he remembered the name of that girl seemed to be Mikoto. The two seemed to be sisters who were extremely close to one another, as they were conversing loudly. Oh my, Mikoto. Dont tell me youre angry that dad hasnt turned up? I also begged for the university to give me an entire week off, so please spare me. ...Im not. Isnt dad working in London? Itll be even more troublesome if he forces himself to come over with a pale face. Un. If dad were to hear your angry tone, hell be delighted. But to you, its better for dad not to come, huh? ??? Why? Because doesnt Mikoto like some other guy? If dad heard this, his reaction would be rather interesting! Peh!? The middle-school girl suddenly did a spit-take. Mikoto''s face flushed red, and she stared at the female university student who was taller than her by a head. WH...WHWHWHWHWHWHWHHYYYYYYYYY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS ALL OF A SUDDEN!! Eh? Isnt it supposed to be like this? You cant resist hugging the pillow when youre in bed, being unable to sleep as youre thinking about that guy whose black hair shoots up to the sky? No...nonono way! On what basis are you saying that! Also, how did you know about that idiot!? Im concerned about this, to think that youre calling that guy that idiot with such an affectionate tone. Mikoto, what do you hope to gain through the penalty game? Am I right? Isnt it good that dad isnt here? So whats the result of the bet, Mikoto? The penalty game...where did you hear about it? OI! STOP WRIGGLING AROUND, HURRY UP AND ANSWER!! Seeing the middle-school girl emitting blue and white sparks from her shoulders and cropped bangs, Touya got a renewed feeling that this was Academy City. Because his son was an esper at Level 0, so he really hadnt noticed it, but this was truly an esper city where those superpowers in movies and manga did appear. Isnt there a night walk tonight after the competitive events? So what do you intend to do, Mikoto? Or are you going to use that electricity to create neon lights just for the two of you? Eh? Your tastes are really bad...eveeveveven if theres a night walk, that has not...nothing to do with me... To them, as they had superpowers, they were not surprised by these sorts of things. Touya thought, it was probably be an atmosphere that only Academy City had. The female university student and middle-school student seemed to have noticed Touya, who was staring blankly at them. The female university students face glowed, Ah! Thanks for just now. Thanks to you, I met up with Mikoto at last. The middle-school girl frowned at the female university student. ...Wait a sec, whos this group of people? Are they people you acquainted with while working? Nope, these are the parents of that boy that youre so mindful of. Come on, Mikoto, present yourself properly. YOURE TOO NOISY! KEEP QUIET! I SAID THAT IT ISNT LIKE THAT!! The middle-school girl looked like she was going to bite on the other person and not let go as she shouted. The university student however didnt seem to notice it, Oh yeah, may I inquire, have you eaten your lunch yet? If you dont mind, do you want to have lunch with us? Weve booked a small restaurant, so bringing in bentos should be alright. Right Mikoto? Touya considered what the female university student proposed. They could bring bentos into a restaurant...so it seemed like they wouldnt be blamed for this if they did this during Daihaseisai, where the space was really limited. Itd be better if they ate Shiinas bentos with others than eating at a quiet place. And to the extremely petite Shiina, it was probably better for her not to walk on the asphalt under the hot sun. Thus, Touya said, Alright then. Mind if we add another person later? Fine by me. Sorry, Mikoto. Facing the smiling university student, the middle-school student turned around, as she speechlessly emitted blue and white sparks. This girl really has character, Touya thought as he shook his head, and turned towards Shiina. Okaa-san, this should be alrightwhy are you revealing such a terrifying expression? Seeing Shiina reveal this lost expression from the bottom of her heart, the shadow of her face being able to be on a 1000-yen note or a 5000-yen note, Touya inadvertently backed off. Shiinas lips werent moving at all, but one could hear a clear voice, Really, Touya, youre always like this. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to throw the entire basket of bentos at you? Ara ara ara ara ara ara ara ara, this is too bad, the completely innocent Touma will have to remain hungry now? Why must she be angry!? Touya backed away. Shiina was not joking. She was the type of lady where during a quarrel between husband and wife, whether it was a plate or a DVD player, she would throw anything that she could get her hands on. Thus, Touya quickly backed off, keeping a safe distance. Unexpectedly, he knocked into another person behind. Wa!!I...Im sorry!! Kamijou Touya turned around, quickly lowered his head, and apologised, but instead, he was staring at her huge breasts. As they were too close to each other, he intended to bend down and apologise, but it ended up looking like he was peeking at her. The womans breasts were just 4mm away from the tip of his nose. Touya quickly looked up at twice the speed. I...Im sorry, Im really sorry! WAAHHH...okaa-san''s glare from behind is really piercing me...!! The situation had gotten out of hand, but Touya didnt have the courage to look back and confirm Shiinas expression. Touya looked at the woman in front of him. Its alright, are you hurt? Sorry, Im not used to having so many people around. The woman in front had blond hair that was curled in a complicated way. White skin and blue pupils, a Westerner with such stunning looks. Her homogeneous body gave off a seductive atmosphere. A metal sound could be heard. On her long index finger, there was a metal ring that was about 2cm in diameter. Wrapped by the ring were rectangular pieces of paper that were as big as a chewing gum wrapper. They seemed to be flashcards that were used to memorise individual words. She played around with this stack of flashcards like a key-chain. This nee-chan doesnt mind at all I really want to say this, but Im really younger than you, so I cant really call myself nee-chan. Bye bye. After saying this, she turned her back on Touya, and walked away. She then naturally mixed into the crowd, and soon, she was gone. She had such an outstanding appearance, and she did give off a rather seductive atmosphere, but it seemed that nobody noticed her. Touya stared at the blond lady through the corner of his eyes. Ara ara, ara ara ara. Touya? Youre rather awake now, huh? Would breaking your joints be letting you off too lightly? Ara ara, how irritating, what should I do? Should I just let you be one of the stars in the night sky? Eh...its not that, okaa-san, youre mistaken. I didnt stare at that womans attractive face and breasts and waists and legs, so thats...this is all my fault!! Seeing Touya turn his excuse into an apology, Mikoto softly said, ...Like father, like son. They didnt realise. The things that were happening inside Academy City. The boy that was close to them was running around, trying to stop this. Also, The danger, that was within 4mm from Touyas nose. There were no onlookers that were safe. In this street that was full of dangerous people, Daihaseisai was proceeding on, and heating up. Whether it was in the scientific sense, or the magical sense. Volume 9, Afterword Volume 9, Afterword To the readers who continued to buy the books ever since the first volume was released, it''s been quite a while. To the studious readers who read nine volumes in one go, nice to meet you. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. Everytime, I felt that it''s like a curveball. This time, it''s a curveball as well, and the interesting thing is, what kind of curveball was tossed? The keywords related to magic here are things that are rather basic. They are ''magic book'' and ''magic array,'' and these are common terms that were used in the volumes up till now. The story is set in Daihaseisai which is an extremely large-scaled sports meet. How do you feel about it? I had nearly forgotten about how a sports day is like, so when I was writing this book, I was worrying about what a sports day would be like as I worked on this book. I''m happy to be able to write something that gives the feeling of a sports carnival. I''ll like to thank these two people for their help: Haimura-san, who is in charge of illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of printing. Without these two people, this work wouldn''t be complete at all. I look forward to continuing work with them. I''ll also like to thank all the readers. Without you, it''s impossible to produce this work. Please continue to give me feedback and support. And now, this volume ends here. I hope you''ll continue to read the next volume. At this moment, let me sign off first. Come to think of it, who''s the main female protagonist this time? -Kamachi Kazuma- Volume 10, 5: An Intermission on a Thread of Tension. Resumption_of_Hostilities. Volume 10, Chapter 5: An Intermission on a Thread of Tension. Resumption_of_Hostilities. Part 1 Magicians have invaded Academy City. The British Puritan priest Stiyl Magnus said. Right now, we know that the Tracking Sealer Oriana Thomson and ''Mardi Gras'' Lidvia Lorenzetti are involved in this case. They intend to set up a large-scale spiritual tool deal in this city nya. The magician, Tsuchimikado Motoharu continued. In Academy City, where it was already noon, high school student Kamijou Touma recalled what they had said. Because of this special sporting event Daihaseisai that the whole of Academy City was hosting, there were crowds on the streets. Though security is normally rather tight, as Academy City is hosting Daihaseisai, dont you think that they have to open a window to some degree? They must have exploited this tiny opening in order to get into Academy City. Its like this, nya. If the Anti-Skill and Judgement members of Academy City catch a magician from the magic side, there will be a problem. But at the same time, we cant just let in so many magicians just to pursue them. Not all the magicians are friendly towards Academy City nya. Both the science and magic sides have noticed what Oriana and Lidvia are doing, but for various reasons, they cant take action. About 80% of the populace here were students, and today, there were many adults, a rare sight. These adults were parents who were here to see their children actively perform. They were staring at those rotating blades that were generating electricity using wind power, and the automated cleaning robots. Of course, espers like Kamijou were also part of the attraction. Thus, the only ones who can take action are us. If we cant prevent them from dealing this Stab Sword, we may end up having a war within the magic world nya. Kamijou continued to walk among the crowd. The people around were kids holding helium balloons, walking together with their parents, and the elderly who were holding what looks like foreign Daihaseisai tour guidebooks and confirming the schedules. The magical groups who are outside Academy City will move in on the excuse that they feel some magic flow moving through Academy City when it actually happens. They should have set up some sort of searching spell. No spell can involve the entirety of Academy City, so their search should be focused about 1C2 kilometres around Index. The reason is that most of the magic cases happened around her nya. In other words, if that child gets near the centre of this incident, the magic that both Oriana and I release may be detected. On the other hand, once we get the child far away from this incident, the probability of this being detected would be much lower. The one most suited for this job is you, Kami-yan. Besides assisting us in this case, if you can lure Index away from the scene, itll be of great help to us. The global faction around Kamijou that was peacefully living didnt sense any abnormalities. Including what was going to happen in Academy City. And that there were people who were going to prevent that from happening. Peh, the spiritual tool that they have isnt the Stab Sword, but the Apostles Cross! By setting it at a place, whether its physically or mentally, the land would be forced to be that of the Roman Catholics. This dominated land would be favourable to the Roman Catholics, and everybody will gladly accept that without any hesitation. Imagine what would happen if theyre to use it in Academy City, which is against the religious side...if one says that getting Academy City to be part of the Roman Catholic Church is the most beneficial thing, it might actually happen! The deal that Oriana and company said isnt just about the spiritual tool itself, it also includes Academy City, where the spiritual tool was set up. Academy City is the leader of the science world. If somebody controls it, its equivalent to gaining the power of half the world. If the Roman Catholics, which is the largest side in the religious world, is to obtain Academy City, which is the largest force on the science side this world would be controlled by the Roman Catholics. Were certain from the start that the delivery involves Oriana and Lidvia, which in retrospect, the target of their deal is unknown. Actually, they never intended to hand the Apostles Cross to anyone. This is a deal that they are dealing to their own Roman Catholic Church! Kamijou Touma was walking in Academy City. On this busy street, it looked like an intense battle between espers, but in reality, magicians were hiding among them. Part 2 Daihaseisai. It was a 7 day unique sporting event held by Academy City, an esper power development centre that occupied the west side of Tokyo, and right now, it was halfway through the first day. All the events stopped at 2pm, as it was lunch break. The large number of students who were either participating in the events or cheering for their classmates were now all on the streets, and together with the tourists from outside Academy City, the population density couldnt be belittled. Index? Kamijou was walking on the crowded streets. He had changed clothes before, but right now, he was in an ordinary short-sleeved P.E. shirt and shorts. For some reason, there were some bruises on his arms and legs, there were even bandages on his face, and there was some dirt and damage to his clothes. But this was Daihaseisai, where espers battled it out, so it was not too eye-catching. For some reason, even when lunchtime was almost over, he hadnt eaten lunch yet. He moved his famished body, searching for the girl who was extremely likely to be as famished as he was. (That kid should be around here somewhere...that zero-yen phone that I gave her cant work now because it has no power. Tsuchimikado said not to allow her to get near the scene, so I got to watch over her.) Kamijou looked around. He thought: now that the magician Oriana Thomson and the Roman Catholic Lidvia Lorenzetti are actively working in the darkness, how can I be so relaxed? But Tsuchimikado and Stiyl strictly warned him. If the objective of those ladies is to use the Apostles Cross to dominate Academy City, why cant they do it themselves? Maybe theres a reason why they cant do it at the start? The spiritual tool is extremely powerful, so if one wants to activate it and control it to stabilise it, it cant just be chanting something only. For example...yeah, the caster has to spend a long time to purify the Cross with fire and holy oil in order to prevent the Cross from reading any thoughts other than that of the caster, which will cause the command to go haywire. One must set a special enchantment...anyway, if they dont settle these rather complicated conditions, they wont be able to use the Apostles Cross. By knowing the usage conditions, we can strike first nya. Anyway, investigating this spiritual tool is our job, Kami-yan wont be able to help. They had said so. Thus, Kamijous priority was to accompany a certain girl. He was look for that girl called Index a slim green-eyed white girl. She had long silver hair that extended to her waist, and wore a pure white nun robe that was laced with gold embroidery that looked like a teacup. As Academy City and Daihaseisai were rather famous, it was not uncommon to see a foreign girl around. Kamijou would occasionally brush into a green-eyed girl, and wouldnt end up recognising the wrong person. ...Even so, he still couldnt find Index. What was going on? Kamijou tilted his head. Touma... A cute familiar voice rang inside Kamijous ears. He looked in the direction of where the voice came from, and in front of him, there were just people, people and people. The crowd formed a human wall, and he couldnt confirm everyones face. From the corner of his eyes, he saw something with long silver hair and stared at it. The girl was wearing white pleated skirt and a light green sleeveless vest. Index couldnt possibly be wearing that. Touma... He heard the voice again. Kamijou looked around, and yet he still couldnt find that magnificent white nun robe around. In front of him was a silver-haired green-eyed girl who looked like Index, wearing cheerleader attire, and carrying a calico cat. I say, Touma!! Why didnt you look at me straight in the face just now!? Wa!! From who knows when, the cheerleader girl got near to Kamijou, and shouted into his ears, causing him to fall backwards. The other person seemed to be looking for him as well. He suddenly thought of it. Oh yeah, I think Index was changing into cheerleader clothes with help from Komoe-sensei... ...Touma, Touma. Are you thinking about something strange? Why do I feel that youre delighted? Sin...since when? Im not. Kamijou frantically shook his head. Come to think of it Index, where are your nun robes? Theyre with Komoe-san. Index said unhappily. Wha...what was she angry about? Kamijou felt insecure. Even if he stared at the calico cat, the cat would only give a bleary-eyed response and yawn. Kamijou saw the serene look on the cats face, thought about something for a while, and said, Ah, I know. Youre hungry, right, Index? Well be meeting with otou-san and okaa-san to have lunch, so just bear with it for a while longer. Once he said that, Indexs small fist smashed down onto Kamijous head. Its not that, Touma you idiot. It hurts! Whats that for? I wanted to come cheer for Touma, so I changed into this cheerleader attire and asked Komoe-san to teach me the moves! But where did Touma go!? It seemed like you werent around during the Bread-eating contest and the tug-of-war! Kamijou recalled it. For some reasons, he had skipped those events and taken some actions that were different from his classmates, but he couldnt explain that to Index. Ughh...I...I thought I could be with Touma, so I worked so hard for it. Now that Touma ran somewhere else, what should I do...? Index dejectedly muttered. To her, being in a large-scale event hosted by Academy City that she was so unfamiliar with, it was like someone feeling helpless when he stumbled into the wrong party. Kamijou inadvertently scratched his head, Ah, sorry Index, I...I thought that like usual, that youre just hungry. Im not! I worked so hard just to cheer for Touma, but you didnt even see it at all, thats why Im so angry! Basically, being panicky when Im hungry is something thats unrelated to being a humble nun, stupid Touma!! Oh really? You look like youre thinking about food ? of a year...wait a sec, Im wrong!! Its my fault for saying my true thoughts...no, Im wrong, theres quite a few reasons!! Kamijou tried to justify himself, but Indexs anger could not be pacified. She used her small fists to smack onto Kamijous face and chest. Though it was cute, Kamijou felt that it was a bit strange. ...? Eh, Index. Why arent you biting on me like usual?ITS NOT THAT! YOU DONT HAVE TO FORCE YOURSELF TO DO THAT!! Although Kamijou immediately added in the last part, Index unexpectedly didnt retort back. Not only that, her small fists which were hitting him stopped moving. Kamijou looked at Indexs face. He couldnt help but let out an uuu sound. Index suddenly lowered her head. Not just her face, even her ears were flushed red. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, her small lips seemed to say something, only to suddenly stop. Maybe the calico cat realised something was up as it raised its head and mewed, but Index was so tense that she didnt hear it. Index, who was all stiff now, remained silent for a while, and suddenly let out a sentence, ...Toumas so perverted. What kind of nonsense are you talking about!? Arent you the one wholl always bite me, Index!? Kamijou nii-chan has been calling you to let go of me all the time, so the one perverted should be you...uhh WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? Just as Kamijou retorted back, the fist that forced him to shut up came over. The other person was unexpectedly serious. Part 3 Oriana received a double-layered ice-cream from a staff member wearing a cute uniform. Her shaggy, curled blond hair, white skin, blue pupils, tall height, and such a good figure, she completely fulfilled what the Japanese expect of a Westerner. Right now, she was not wearing the work clothes that she had been wearing a while back. She was wearing a dark-coloured mini-top and a light-coloured skirt below, with thin sandals to go along with it. Though her skirt extended towards her ankles, there was no sense of purity at all. At every 10cm interval on the skirt, there was a vertical cut downwards. As it couldnt cover her underwear completely, she had to wrap a Sarong skirt for swimsuits around it. Every step she made, one could see her thighs through the skirt like a curtain. The flesh of her legs continued to fade in and out through the fabric that was supposed to be used for covering the lower body. This sight just basically denied what people normally think about skirts. In Christian Society, clothes were items that signified ones position and authority, from the Archbishops holy robes to the uniform of a prisoner. Among that, how badly torn the clothes wereespecially when cutting off parts of a womans skirtwas a sign of her authority being taken away from her. The people who were treated this way were the shamed who were not worthy of being protected, and should be viewed with contempt by society. Of course, those people who were viewed like this were all sinners. Sinner. Oriana licked the creamy ice cream with her bright red tongue. A sinner...huh? Hohoho, hohohoho. What are you laughing at? Another voice was heard. It was the clear voice of a woman. There was a thick piece of flashcard stuck on her right ear like a pen clip. The thick piece of paper trembled slightly, letting out a voice. Its alright, nee-chan just wants to say that weve finally made it all the way here. Lidvia Lorenzetti. Didnt I tell you not to call me by my real name? Also, its too early to talk about this. Or should I say, this is where things are going to begin. I know, I know, this nee-chan wont forget her own mission. Even if its a sinner like me, if I can get some points here, I might be able to hold down those stubborn factions. This way, your position would be much better. ...You dont have to bother about me. Just accept this nee-chans good intentions. Compared to me, shouldnt you be the priority of concern? Are you alright over not resting at all? I think that you should at least Its more interesting not to rest. Come to think of it, Lidvia, were you discovered? Though the lead thats performing on the stage is this nee-chan, and you only need to act as the supporting cast, the whole mission will fail if you cant move at all. Relax, Im different from you, Im resting in a hotel lounge. How elegant, this nee-chan also wants to leisure around inside a hotel. Working out inside a hotel isnt a bad idea. ...Did I not tell you to watch your wretched choice of words? Eh, youre thinking too much, you know? Modern hotels have swimming pools and gym facilities. Oh my, Lidvias so perverted! Eh? Wait a sec, youre not saying anything after I made a little joke, Lidvia-chan? After saying this, Oriana saw a balloon hanging on a tree in front of her. An ordinary Japaneses height shouldnt be able to reach it, but to her, it was easy. She tiptoed slightly, grabbed the string of the balloon, and looked around. Standing nearby, a young child was staring at her. Oriana bent down and gave the balloon. The child grabbed the string on the balloon, and without saying a word, ran away. ...Didnt I tell you to try not to interact with the people? I did try my best to avoid them, but that situation just now was unavoidable. A sigh came from the other end of this communication-type spell. Oriana didnt mind as she licked the ice-cream with her tongue. Even so... She looked at the airship in the blue sky, and said, ...I know, waiting is something thats hard to do. Part 4 Wa, Touma. I seem to be hungry... ...Youre saying this, but why do you smell of sauce and mayonnaise, Index? Kamijou brought Index to a small, neat coffee shop. Maybe it was the preference of the shop manager, since it was hard to tell which was which, from the menu to the opening/closing sign. Anyway, the atmosphere seemed to be that no one wanted to serve any customers. However, this shop was full. The reason was simpleit was not 2 PM, so it was still rest time. However, the 2.3 million population of Academy City and the outside tourists who exceeded this amount were gunning for the food and drink stores, so just like this, there were a lot of people gathered at this kind of shop. Kamijou walked into this shop that doesnt have any waiters, shocked by the chaotic state of the shop Oi, Touma! Over here! Here! Ara ara, you dont have to be so loud. There were familiar faces at the four-seater table near the windows. They were Kamijous parents, Touya and Shiina. Touya was wearing a shirt with its sleeves rolled up, and slacks, whereas Shiina was wearing a thin sweater and a western skirt that extended to her ankles. Instead of calling them husband and wife, one could call them a Missy and a chauffeur. Once Kamijou and Index got to them, Touya spoke up, Every year, Ive been thinking, Daihaseisai is really amazing. Its already hard enough to get seats, its like were competing together with the children. Daihaseisai was different from ordinary sporting events in that they couldnt just book a place. The arenas differed for each event, so the parents had to follow the children and book their places multiple times. It was the same with lunch, as after the events were over, all the competitors and spectators would be out, so if they wanted to get lunch, they had to get their seats. Kamijou absent-mindedly thought about this. Ah, thats it. Its like the entire city is raiding the stores. Un, as expected of Academy City. We cant sit down without squeezing in. Ara ara. Firing a Fried waist and meat sandwich into the crowd is rather interesting as well. Lets try that tomorrow. Ara ara, imouto-chan, come sit here. Touya and Shiina emptied their seats. Kamijou sat next to Touya, and Index sat next to Shiina. Shiina smiled at Index, who was so famished that she was lying on the table, as she placed the basket on her lap onto the table. Though it was a breach of customs to bring bentos into a restaurant, Daihaseisai wasnt about ensuring what kind of food people eat, but about people finding a place to eat. Maybe they actually knew about this special condition, or maybe they were just not interested in working, but the store manager at the counter didnt say anything. Basically, when Index brought in the calico cat just now, he didnt seem to notice that someone brought an animal in. (Strange, why would Dad and Mum accept Index without any awkwardness? Ah yes, theyve met at the seaside resort.) Kamijou tilted his neck; the other staff members didnt seem to mind as well. However, if it was this group of people, anybody would accept them. Ah look. Todays lunch is rice sandwich. Ara ara, the shape seems to be off, its a bit crushed. Shiina said as she opened the basket. On hearing the foods name and smelling it, Index and the calico cat immediately gave a quick response, as they forcefully raised their heads. Kamijou gave a look that said: I cant stand these two... Suddenly, he felt that there was something amiss in his vision. He looked around the store. The stores interior had a slightly aged feeling, but it was not like any ordinary chain stores, as the positions of all the wallpaper and chairs were fixed. However, it was not like an old shop where the owner would add in his own personal tastes...so it was somewhat of a suffocating feeling. It felt like a caf that ordinary people would expect. Basically, it was just a counter that was manned by one person, and the table that Kamijou and the rest were sitting at. The path besides the table was rather narrow, and the guests who were sitting in the adjacent table beside Kamijou were a female college student who was wearing a light gray shirt and thin black pants, and opposite her, was a middle-school student who was wearing a jogging shirt and shorts that a track and field competitor would be wearing. The girl, who was raising her leg, was staring at him a Level 5 esper, Misaka Mikoto. Kamijou blinked his eyes, and said, Come to think of it though, Wha-whats with this menu! Would the coffee in this shop be that cheap!? HOLD ON A MINUTE!! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS IGNORE ME? ALSO, DONT THINK THAT IT AINT GOOD QUALITY JUST BECAUSE ITS CHEAP, IDIOT!! Mikoto inadvertently stood up suddenly. Kamijou looked irritated as he turned his eyes away from the menu, Ah...its not that, I just so happened not to see you. It...its not that! Say...is there anything thatll happen around you naturally? Whos this girl, what kind of person is she, and wheres she from? Eh? Index, who had been mentioned, looked up. Youre asking who she is, she is Kamijou carelessly blurted out, before stopping short. It was somewhat dangerous to reveal in front of his parents that he had a girl living in his dorm. Just as the pure and innocent Kamijou Touma didnt know what to do and was racking his brain, Thats right, Touma, whos this girl? She came along during the few days we went to the beach. However, at the seaside resort, you craftily escaped Dads question. Eh!? Just as Kamijou was about to erupt, Mikoto interrupted, THE...THE SEASIDE! AND YOU STA...STASTASTASTASTAYED THERE FOR A FEW DAYS!? The piercing scream entered Kamijous ears. Seeing Mikoto act like this, the college student opposite of Mikoto sighed. No...no I dont mean it like that, anyway, why must I explain it to you!? Just as Kamijou was about to say this That short-hair, wheres she staying? What kind of person is she? Is she Toumas girlfriend? The authentic Westerner Index looks dumbfounded as she said this. She should be referring to an ordinary friend, but the real Japanese Misaka Mikotos shoulders started to tremble significantly. NO WAY...PEH, JUST SHUT UP!! Mikoto started to act violently. In contrast, Index just looked uninterested. She turned the calico cat around with both hands, and looked distracted as she stared at Shiinas bento that was on the table. Touma, Touma. Im somewhat hungry. Did Touma make any bentos today? Ara ara, today? Then what is it like normally, Touma? Seeing Shiinas slanted smiling face, cold sweat broke out from Kamijous back. No, no, its not that, mother! This girl just so happened to be living close to me, and she cant cook, so for various reasons, Im cooking her meals Eh, thats not right, Touma. Its shouldnt be nearby... Let me explain this, so shut up! As a girl, dont you feel embarrassed over not being able to cook? But then, I cant do it means I cant do it. Damn it, you really intend on eating huh, Index!? Come to think of it, can Mikoto do housework!? Eh? That...that...Im still learning, so I can still do a bit. I know how to patch up a Persian carpet, and repair some gold plating, though Im not really good at them. Mikoto...theres no Persian carpet or gold plating needed in an ordinary Japanese family. Thats not housework, thats art and crafts, right? The female college student explained tactfully, and Mikoto exclaimed, Ugh!? That...thats because the Home Economics module of Tokiwadai middle school is really... Seemed like in the land of the ojous, reviving an antique was like a simple assignment of patching up a shirt. Anyway, at least he had skilfully changed the topic. Just as Kamijou was feeling relieved, his father Touya stared at the clock on the wall, and said, Okay, lets eat. Touma, say thanks to those two ladies. They havent eaten because they were waiting for you. Oh really? Kamijou turned around. Mikoto gave a ugh sound as she shyly sunk her body into the back of the chair. The college student sitting opposite Mikoto who Kamijou had never met before smiled and said, Okay then, the people were waiting for have arrived, so lets eat. Hm, your name is Kamijou Touma, right? Eh? Thats right. Then, youre Misakas sister? Nope. My name is Misaka Misuzu, Mikotos mum. A pleasure to meet you. ....................................................................................Mother? Everyone at Kamijous table stopped what they were doing. MUM? Everyone shouted out in unison, especially Touya, who was extremely embarrassed. But...but didnt you mention college just now? Thats right, because I thought of studying again recently. Its rather exciting when theres so many things that I dont know about even at this age. Really unbelievable. Now that she mentioned it, it did make sense. Also, when both father and son turned around to look at the petite Missy Shiina ...Well, I guess its not strange for this kind of thing to happen in this world? How about you, Touma? Well, now that you mention is, our familys the same as well, so I guess theres no need to be surprised about it...right? Its already strange! Touma is surrounded by adults like Komoe and Shiina whore so young its too unnatural!! Whats with this youthful sense in this world? Dont tell me its a theme park where Peter Pan is the tour guide? Index tried hard to retort, but her body could be considered rather small. In this context, the words of this cheerleader girl in front of him werent really convincing. However, this was nothing to the Misaka family, as Misuzu and Mikoto didnt mind at all. Mikoto reached out to grab the menu on the table corner, Lets see, its a bit late nowMom, what did you order? Nothing. You see, Ive prepared bentos as well. So, Mikoto, aint I acting more like a mother now? ...Its not more like a mother, its if you dont play the role of a mother well, itll be nerve-wrecking for me! Whats inside that bag? Hehehe, dont be surprised when you see it. Misuzu rummaged through the bag, and pulled out a large piece of cheese that was as big as a Christmas Cake, some white wine, a silver brass circular pot, and a mini gas stove. Qiang qiang!! Todays menu is cheese pot!! POW!! Mikoto smashed onto Misuzus head. Luckily, she was not using electricity. In comparison, Misuzu was like a mature woman who could control her tears, as she purposely made her eyes watery. Wa, to be hit by my own daughter. However, if a girls appetite is large enough to eat an entire pot full of food, itll be better for your development. Though exercising is important, you wont grow much if youre only eating such a small bento. Also, your nutrition wont be enough to develop certain areas that you wish to develop. Really, why do you think that I prepared so many dairy products? Arent they for my daughter? What, wait...what grow, develop? Why are you talking about this all of a sudden!? Did I? What are you talking about? Im talking about developing healthy bones, so you need to take in enough calcium...dont tell me that Mikoto is thinking of growing a specific area? Why are you wishing for that part to grow? Shu...shut up, stupid Mom! Oi, stop staring at me like that!! After shouting like that at Misuzu, Mikoto, who was flushed red now, glared at Kamijou for some reason, not turning away. Misuzu opened her mouth slightly, revealed a not so temperament smile, and said, No matter whether dairy products are important, its common knowledge in biology that you grow more when you eat more. Whether youre growing vertically or horizontally is another matter. Some people get obese by eating because theyre too lazy to manage their own bodies. By controlling the calorie intake and amount of exercise, one can grow places that they want to grow. Isnt the food culture of the Western world great? They can eat an entire vat of rice, and yet theyre able to develop their physique better than Japanese. Life would be rather beneficial if your breasts are large. Misuzu said this as she ungh raised both hands and stretched herself lazily. She bent her back like a bow, purposely emphasising her rather huge assets. Mikoto, whose breasts were still developing, cowardly retreated, and said, I...I dont care about it. Saying what eating a lot means that the body will grow bigger, its just a superstition Say, WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ANOTHER PERSONS MOTHER!!? Kamijou, who was singled out by Mikoto, turned around at the speed of sound. But when he forcefully turned around, the cheerleader girl Index was in front of him, looking rather unhappy. Maybe it was because of her empty stomach or the issue on breasts. ...What now, Touma? Why are you staring at other people? No reason. Kamijou bitterly smiled, Eating a lot can help a person grow, huh? Itll be good if thats true. !! Hearing Kamijous words, Index instantly responded. She opened her mouth wide, ready to bite onto Kamijous head, but stopped halfway through. Looked like she was mindful of touching others with her mouth. Her face was flushed red as she slowly returned to her seat, and shrunk up. (Hm. This is rather awkward...) Kamijou thought, though it hurt when he was bitten, he didnt feel comfortable when he was not bitten. What was with this feeling? At this moment, from his surroundings, To...Touma. Dont tell me you did something to that girl? Just now, you talked about playing a penalty game and letting that girl obey your orders, and now this!? Ara ara. A girl is angry now, and yet were able to change the topic like this, this mum seems to have seen that somewhere before. ...Thats...thats right. Theres something suspicious about you two. Humph, I was right. Wa! Our Mikoto is already so mindful about this, and yet she pretended to not be interested in this, so adorable. Truly an unfortunate girl who hasnt realised her own feelings. ...Touma is...a big idiot. (Ugh! SUCH MISFORTUNE!) Hearing the ruckus around him, Kamijou inadvertently wrapped his hands around his head. Part 5 How troublesome. The magician Stiyl Magnus placed the handphone next to his ear. He was sitting on a bench in a park, and there was no one beside him. There was canned tea and a sandwich that he bought from a convenience store beside him. After drinking some red tea, he swore deep inside not to drink it a second time. No matter what though, he was a citizen of England, the land of red tea. However, the reason why he looked so bitter was not because of this. The reason was the lively voice coming over from the other end of the phone. We have checked the records of the British Library. The Apostles Cross is a spiritual tool that the Roman Catholics refused to reveal up till now, so even with these details that are open for public access, we cant guarantee that its accurate. The owner of this voice that either sounded like a male or a female was Sherry Cromwell. The decoder of the British Puritans, and at the same time, Indexs enemy. They were both from the same group, and may cross swords because she was of a different faction, but if it was a situation or problem that involved England, shed help without any hesitation. Sherry was in such a complicated situation. Because of the attacks she carried out on September 1st, she was now under a religious trial held by Necessarius. As a key combatant, shutting her in and letting her do document arrangements to reflect on her actions had a rather deep meaning. However, Stiyl suspected that Archbishop Laura Stuart would issue a generous disposition. Because this incident involved some complicated background in England, and they couldnt just easily give up on Sherry Cromwells decoding and combat capabilities. That incident had caused quite a few causalities in Academy City, so Laura should have conducted some tense negotiations with the leader of the science side, Aleister, in order to settle it. To Stiyl, he didnt even care about this. Just the fact that Sherry had once attacked Index made him want to attack her with a flame sword before talking to her. Speaking of the Apostles Cross, as a former Roman Catholic, I have never seen it before. So this can be classified as a secret weapon. Itll take some time for us to find its weaknesses. The other person who was speaking in a relaxed tone was Orsola Aquinas. Like Sherry, she specialised in decoding anything magic-related. Because of the incident when she tried to decode the magic book Book of the Law, she had switched from a Roman Catholic to a British Puritan. Right now, Stiyl was getting information from the huge number of records sleeping inside the British Library, which was independent of the British Museum, as he tried to find the conditions for the Apostles Cross to be used. Based on specialities, they should let those familiar with codes to manage the collections of information on these antiques. Thus, Sherry and Orsola were in the same department. Duru duru...oh my, wait a sec, Sherry! Sherry! Theres handwritten information regarding the Vatican security on this page. YOU! Didnt I tell you so many times not to eat muffins in the library? But its already this time now. Want a light snack? ITS NOT ABOUT WHETHER I WANT IT OR NOT! I SAID NO EATING ALREADY, SO STOP CHEWING ON THAT MUFFIN!! But this is the muffin that my Amakusa friends specially made for me. It includes food rituals that heals my wounds and replenishes my energy. My body hasnt recovered yet, you know. Ch, stop changing the topicidiot! Dont tell me that that dropping food scraps on the floor is also another important part of the Amakusa Stiyl inadvertently sighed. No matter what, the personalities of these two people were completely different. After some crackling sounds were heard, the phone on the other side was dead. (Really...) Stiyl folded up his handphone and slipped it into his pocket. (...Since when did Necessarius become so harmonious?) Up till now, the atmosphere in Necessarius was like walking on a spider web. On the other side of hope, was despair. In order to add a comrade, they had to kill another. They had to shed blood in order to prevent shedding of blood it was such an organisation. The only reason he could think of was of a certain boy. Many magicians had interacted with him, were affected, and reconsidered what their purpose in life was. Even Stiyl himself was one of them. ...Though I dont want to admit it. After saying this, Stiyl tossed the shortened cigarette stick next to his feet. The moment it touched the ground, the cigarette vanished into a puff of fireworks. He held onto a new one, and without touching it with his hand, a flame appeared on the tip. He puffed out some smoke. (Tsuchimikado said that hes going to check on the security of Academy City, he feels that its not so reliable over there. Then...) Stiyl leaned onto the bench, looked up at the somewhat disgustingly blue sky, and puffed out some smoke like a chimney. ? Someone was staring over. From the top, he tilted his head down. In front of him was a female that was 135cm tall. Her name was Tsukuyomi Komoe, right? Near the end of July, when the girl named Index had first snuck into Academy City, she was the one who had hid Index in her apartment. She looked like she was around 12 years old, but it was said that she was a teacher. For some reason, she was wearing a pale green sleeveless shirt and a white pleated skirt seemed like a cheerleading attire. She was staring at Stiyls face. (Oh. Such a relaxed country, and yet there are people who can manage a crisis.) Tsukuyomi Komoe probably hadnt been involved with the core of this situation, but because of what happened the last time, she could still sense that something was strange with Stiyl Magnus. Stiyl revealed a cynical smile. Sorry, can I help you? Stiyl said as he shook the cigarette in his mouth. It had been a long time since he last felt that sense of fear and rejection that reminded him of the atmosphere in Necessarius. Komoe-sensei pointed her index finger at Stiyl, and said, Hey! Its forbidden for anyone to smoke on the roads of Academy City!! ...An answer that was completely expected. Stiyl speechlessly blinked, Sigh... Wh...why are you giving such a tired expression!? This Komoe-sensei is seriously warning you! Im seriously preaching to you, you know! Seeing Komoe-sensei, whose eyes were watery now, Stiyl slightly frowned. Komoe-sensei didnt care about the look on his face, as she looked at his face closely before saying, Humph! Pardon me, how old are you? Komoe-sensei feels that youre underage. So what? Of course Im scolding you! Ah really, listen to me. LOOK AT ME! DONT TURN YOUR HEAD AWAY!! Komoe-sensei was angry as she snatched the cigarette from Stiyls mouth, and reached into his coat without any hesitation. She rummaged through the coat, and pulled out a cigarette pack. ... Stiyl looked like he got some spasms on his face. Basically, he wouldnt attack anyone that was unrelated to magic (except for a certain boy who had a special right hand.) Komoe-sensei looked at the brand of the cigarette pack that she confiscated, raised her eyebrows, and said, And yet you chose such a brand to show off. Did you learn to smoke because you yearned to be a movie star or something!? Its just that in my country, thats the most famous brand... Really! Anyway, Im confiscating this! Youre not allowed to smoke. Nicotine and tar will affect a childs growth!! Looking at Komoe-sensei, who was staring back at him, Stiyl inadvertently looked away. (...So troublesome.) He thought. Tsukuyomi Komoe was similar to a certain girl. They didnt mind about the difference in physiques, ignored the distance between people, and get into other peoples hearts. They did things that most people wouldnt pay much attention to, but they were doing it for the good of others. Theyd keep scolding others to prevent others from getting hurt. Several years back, every time Stiyl smoked, the girl would angrily scold him. Really... Wha...whats with that helpless expression!? I, KoCKomoe-sensei, am really angry now! Ah, theres still more? Today, senseis going to confiscate them allwa...wa! Stop playing with the cigarette pack like youre playing with a ball; hurry up and hand it over to me!! Stiyl turned to look away from Komoe-sensei. Even as he was not paying attention to the shouting Komoe-sensei, he didnt intend to leave. That was right, she was really stubborn. Part 6 Lidvia Lorenzetti was at a lounge in a hotel. She was wearing an old, torn and faded monastic robe, and under the backdrop of this modern surrounding landscape, it was rather eye-catching. Her hair and skin were as damaged and dull as her robe. From her look, she should be a beauty, but from head to toe, she was like an old movie, her entire colour was gone. The robe that she was wearing was a generation older than those worn by the Roman Catholics, and it had the unique characteristic of having different variations. Among them, the robes Lidvia was wearing were white, with a red cross on it. It was the symbol of St. George, and also the symbol of the British Puritans. During modern times, she had been mistaken for a British Puritan many times just because she was wearing a robe that had a symbol similar to that of the British Puritans. But Lidvia chose this dress-up not only because it was handed down from her grandmother, but also because of her belief. She believed that even if they were sinners, as long as they had some sort of talent, shed extend her hand to them. In terms of world ranking, the hotel where she was at now wasnt exactly a famous hotel. In terms of history, one could only describe it as shallow. It couldnt be compared to those large hotels in Italy that had an antique value...but the prosperity of this hotel was much superior to all the other hotels in the world. Maybe this was the effect of an international sporting event like Daihaseisai, Lidvia wildly guessed. Academy City, which was normally sealed up, didnt really need a hotel except if they want to hosted VIPs from other schools. Thus, facing such a large-scale event, tourists from outside would gathered at the few hotels that Academy City had. All the guestrooms were fully booked. With so many tourists, business must also be bustling for hotels outside Academy City. The surrounding crowd started to move about quickly, as Lidvia slowly moved forward. This gave the feeling of a distortion that excluded both time and space. (Then.) Lidvia Lorenzetti left the hotel through the rotating glass door. The bright sunlight of the hot day beat down on her. She squinted her eyes. (Orianas working hard now, so I should get to work now.) As Lidiva thought this, a broadcast about Daihaseisai could be heard. She looked up, and saw an airship floating up there. The big screen on the bottom of the airship was airing the weather report. The report said that there was going to be clear weather. The weather was good alright, thought Lidvia as she looked away from the light shining down on her. The entire street looked peaceful. Lidvia Lorenzetti passed through the gap in the crowd, and vanished among them. Part 7 2:20pm. Lunchtime was over. There was still some time till the next event that Kamijou would be participating in. However, they had to book their seats beforehand, so the group of parents, Kamijou Touya, Shiina and Misaka Misuzu quickly headed to the next arena. Thus right now, the three people walking on the road in front of the bus stop were Kamijou, Index and Mikoto. As Mikoto was from a different school, she had to meet up with her own schoolmates. (Hm, anyway, lets...) Kamijou was hiding behind the two girls, as he heaved a sigh of relief deep inside. They seemed not to notice the events that were happening in Academy City. To Kamijou, as Fukiyose Seiri had gotten involved just now, he didnt wish to involve anyone else, even if Index and Mikoto were the perfect fighting strength that he needed. Mikoto didnt seem to notice that there was something strange with Kamijou. ...Ive been feeling strange about this, why are both of you always together? Seeing Mikoto look at Kamijou and Indexs surprised expression, Kamijou was shocked. Actually, Kamijou didnt know it himself. Because he had lost his memory. Before he knew it, and that was when he was conscious, Index had been living with him. And he had been hiding the fact that he lost his memory. Thus, Kamijou thought that he could just give a vague answer and leave it for others to interpret it, or try to change the topic and slip by. Then why is short-hair always with Touma? Index asked this question faster than Kamijou could say anything. What? Mikoto flinched slightly at Index''s counter-question and said, What do you mean ''always''? There''s no way I spend 24/7 with this thing! That''s balderdash. Even I am not crazy enough to squander my leisure time for this idiot. ...Wa, to think youd give me a double attack of this thing and idiot. Kamijou lifelessly said, but the two girls didnt bother. Hn Index pondered for a while. Now that you mention it, that would be the case for me as well. WHAT? IS THAT SO??? Hn. Touma will abandon me the moment something happens. If its a case of life and death, hell stubbornly run to the front like an idiot...I guess it has something to do with short-hair, right? I...I dont know. It was true that Mikoto was involved in several of the cases, but not to the all the time extent. If so, what was going on? As Index and Mikoto were thinking about this, they both turned towards Kamijou at the same time. ...Touma always ends up in the hospital after making a promise. Whats going on behind the scenes? ...You, you do this sort of thing every time? Speaking of which, you did help those children and Kuroko the last time... Kamijou, who was feeling cowardly, inadvertently retreated back. In a certain sense, what they were saying was true. But thinking about what was happening in Academy City now, he couldnt just simply answer them. Thus, You...youre both really irritating! Its just that, youre just seeing this part of the year where Im enjoying life the most! Its not a feeling that lasts for a whole year. About that...guess humans have to do two or three cool things in a year!! He shouted out, but got cold responses, ...Is it really two times? I dont think there were only three times. After that, Kamijou got scolded badly by the two of them. The two girls seemed to feel much better after venting their doubts on Kamijou, and they continued with their normal walking pace. The next match is going to start...ah, in the end, Im still unable to get a good rest. And my body cooled down too much thanks to the air-conditioning, though its good that my muscles arent stiff. ...Youre really up for this. What now, dont tell me theres a showdown between two ojou schools. ... Mikoto suddenly stopped her stretching exercise. You...dont tell me you forgot about that penalty game. What? You said that the loser would be the one whose school has the lower position, and will have to listen to what the winner says. No problem, no problem. Have you seen the points table? Our school isnt far away from Tokiwadai. To...to think that youre still so relaxed! Humph! Our school is the most famous for coming back from behind in the second half. So you...your attitude will be quickly...HEY! WHY ARE YOU WALKING AWAY WITHOUT CARING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING!? Mikoto continued to fire electric shots at Kamijou, and though the distance was close, his right hand managed to reduce them to nothing. He himself wanted to shout out, ITS SO SCARY! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS ALL OF A SUDDEN!? and tremble in fear, but after getting hit directly by one of the only seven Level 5 espers in Academy City, he was still unscathed. The pride of the esper was trampled, as even when Mikoto continued to exclaim WHY DONT THEY HIT!! she was ignored, and ran away at an exceptionally fast speed. Seeing this, Kamijou was worried that her warm up wasnt enough. Index, who had been holding onto the calico cat up till now, said, ...listen to what the winner says? Its not that. Even though we said that well listen to what the winner says, theres still a limit, Index! Its definitely not that kind of perverted development that youre thinking of, so please relax!! Wa! Im not thinking about that!! Index opened her mouth, but froze halfway through. Index didnt know whether to leap onto him or not, as she could only open her small mouth wide. Kamijou trembled as he thought, (Cheh!! Though its irritating to get bitten, its awkward for her to have such awareness! Its unbearable to be in kind of attention where nothing is happening. How can I break this deadlock!?) Taking this opportunity to remove her bad habit of biting others was a way, but if things werent successful, it wouldnt be good for this awkward situation to continue. Why do I feel like Im having some dilemma, like Im confessing to my childhood friend!? Kamijou was perplexed. On the other hand, Indexs body was stiff now, as she was probably looking to avoid the topic of biting others as she said, To...Touma, Im a bit thirsty, I want some fruit juice over there. ...Such an unnatural way to change topics. Thats not important! I said Im thirsty now! And I want to drink!! Index tugged onto Kamijous hand as she said this. Kamijou thought that since biting was a no-go, grabbing others on the hand was okay? Right now, Kamijou was unable to understand what she was thinking. That...wait a sec, Index, didnt you just finish lunch? If youre going to continue eating like this, youre going to grow fat. Wha... Index, who was wearing a cheerleader attire, let the calico cat in her arms drop onto the ground. The kitty landed on the ground with agility, and jumped back into her arms. Index was flushed red so badly that she was about to emit steam out of her head. No...no way will I grow fat! I definitely eat more than an ordinary person by a little bit, but against your predictions, I havent grown fat at all!! Really? Have you measured your weight, body fat and waist circumference before? Maybe you havent noticed it before, but theres quite a few layers added onto your defence. Kamijou stared at the area around Indexs stomach. Compared to her nun robes, the thin cheerleader uniform pressed down on Index, revealing all the curves of her body. Because she was wearing a sleeveless vest, even her navel was exposed. If...if you dont believe it, you can measure my stomach! Im prepared anytime! Im not mentally prepared yet! Also, who would bring a measuring tape along with him all the time, Index!! You dont need it! Touma just needs to wrap his arms around my waist to tell!! WHAT!!?? Kamijou widened his eyes. Hurry! You better try it quickly!! The girls thin hand forcefully grabbed the boys stiff wrist. (Damn it...I forgot to convey the message. Seems like I was too agitated just now.) Mikoto, who had separated from Kamijou, ran along the path she just took. On the Daihaseisai tour guidebooks that Academy City released, the schedules for all the events were written, but those were the pre-arranged ones, as there would be changes on the actual day. The time for the Bread-eating contest that Tokiwadai Middle School was participating in had been changed before lunch. If she didnt inform her mom, Misuzu, she might be waiting at an arena where she was not involved in the competition. Mikoto left her handphone in her bag that was with the bag storage group of her student dormitory, and there was no public phone nearby. Thus, she was running around the streets just to pass off a few words. Suddenly, someone was running alongside Mikoto, who was running in a graceful manner. On an adjustable competitive wheelchair, covered in bandages, was a girl, Shirai Kuroko. Because she was an injured person, and also a spectator, she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, a thin white rice-coloured sweater and a gray pleated skirt, the summer uniform of Tokiwadai Middle school. Her twin butterfly-knotted ponytails were floating behind in the wind. Oneesama, if youre in a rush, do you want to use my spatial teleportation? ...Before I even answer that question, youll be hugging me without any hesitation, so Im prepared. Heh! As expected of onee-sama, to be able to read my thoughts! I even wanted to add on that I havent had enough of onee-sama during these few days when I was in the hospital!! Mikoto suddenly felt a chill down her spine, and kept a distance from Shirai. Shirai, who was smiling, said as if she suddenly realised something, But where is onee-sama rushing off to...? Don...dont tell me! Youre going to run back to that corrupted apeman and go cheer for him!? No...no way, idiot! Im now enemies with that guy. Oh really? But that mister seems to be in front of you. Ah? Shes already back there? Mikoto inadvertently looked away from Shirai, who was beside her, to the front. In front of her was... A certain boy who was with the silver-haired green-eyed girl. He was kneeling down, wrapping the cheerleader girls waist with his two hands, and bringing his face to her tummy. What...!? Mikoto was so shocked that she couldnt say anything. Though it was Daihaseisai, there was no one else on the road besides them. Thus, that guy was taking this opportunity to hug this girls waist that was thinner than himself by one or two rounds. It was already perverted for a boy and girl to hug each other while facing each other, and what was the reason for him to of specially brought his face close to her? This made Mikoto speechless. At this moment, Shirai, who was beside Mikoto and was on the sports-type wheelchair, cried out with an exaggerated tone that was definitely acting, Wa, does this feel likes shes a few months pregnant? Or is it she can feel the baby kicking in her tummy...huh? (sniggers) Hearing such an exaggerated voice, Mikotos body started to tremble. Thunder roared as blue and white sparks were emitted from her body. Even if she released a lightning strike, itd be ineffective against that boy. It seemed that even the railgun wouldnt hurt him. But, Mikoto still clenched her right fist tightly. GO...TO HELL!!!!!!!! YOU PERVERTED MONSTER!!!!!!!!! She suddenly arrived beside the boy, raised her fist, and beat down with all her strength. WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!???? Kamijou, who was suddenly hit by a flying punch, left Index as he rolled on the ground. He felt pain from the back of his head, which hit the ground, and his limbs, which rubbed against the ground. His face felt the amazingly soft feeling of the girls belly, the small amount of sweat, the sweet smell, and the warmth. As Kamijou was rendered giddy by all these factors, he was now awake since Mikoto punched him. Also, at least he was able to physically separate himself from Index. Kamijou thought that it was killing two birds with one stone, but why wasnt he happy? Eh?...I hit him? However, Mikoto, who got a hit in, exclaimed loudly. Kamijou lay on the ground, trembling as he said, Uuu...ugh...no, this is good. Im definitely unable to escape that mysterious pink atmosphere that surrounds Index and me by myself. But, no, however...why cant the world use a gentler way of solving this!! Kamijou was almost crying as he rubbed his eyes. But, it was not the hands that he was so used to touching, it felt like a thin piece of cloth. A smooth fabric, maybe satin, what was this? Examining it carefully, it was a white piece of cloth. It was like those paper fans that were used to beat people in a boke and tsukkomi routine on television that were folded in several layers. It was a pleated skirt. Indexs cheerleading uniform. .......................................................................................... The vertical zipper on the side of the skirt was ripped, and now it was a rectangular piece of cloth. As he was wrapping his arms around Indexs waist, he seemed to have grabbed onto the skirt. When he had been hit in that state, he had pulled it along. (Then...) Kamijou timidly looked away from his hands to the front. In front of him was Index, whose face was now completely red. She was still wearing the cheerleading uniform, but what remained of it was only the pale green sleeveless vest. The skirt that should be there was now gone, for it was in Kamijous hands. Forget about her navel, the underwear and thighs of the silver-haired green-eyed girl could be seen completely. No, strictly speaking, she was wearing a tennis underwear-shaped pants type apparel. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the creases on the underwear-shaped apparel was showing on several parts, but of course, there were some places where he couldnt look (Though Kamijou still explained them in detail). !! With the two hands that were holding the calico cat, Index hastily covered her lower abdomen, but of course, she couldnt cover it completely. Now flushed red, Index tried her hardest to look away from Kamijous gaze, but the attitude seemed to be a bit too sensational. Looking at the scene in front of him, and the smooth skirt in his hands, Kamijou thought, (Im dead. In five seconds, my skull cap will be crushed to bits by Indexs front teeth...no, even her canine molars are itching to bite me! ...Hey, wait a sec. Right now, Index seems to be mindful about biting others! So maybe theres a chance to escape!?) In desperation, Kamijou was looking for hope, and just as he was about to run away, ...Hold on, you bastard. ...Long time no see, mister. The cold voices of Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko were heard. ... As Kamijou cowardly looked at them, the girl that was emitting blue and white sparks pulled out some arcade game coins from the pockets of her shorts, while the girl on the wheelchair brazenly flipped her skirt and pulled out terrifying metal spikes from her thighs. Hmph, though I have no need to help that girl. But onee-sama''s enemy is my enemy. Though their tones didnt seem to be energetic, the voltage of those two seemed to have reached the highest. Index, the only one who could save him, was now hiding behind Mikoto, her face all red. (My...my lifes at its end.) Now tired and weary, Kamijou placed his hand on his forehead, as he finally said, like he was not giving up, But, in this situation, the most important thing is to stop this useless war. How about everyone work together to solve the problem about Indexs skirt? Can we use a peaceful method of settling this? I guess not, huh? Im sorry... Kamijou, who originally intended to justify his actions, could not maintain it. At the same time, the two girls seemed to treat this as his final words, and jumped on him. Part 8 Kamijou was nearly beaten into a pulp by the railguns and metal spikes, and because he was tired over running around for that long, he was now panting as he rested on a bench. Index was taken by Mikoto and Shirai to replace her skirt (or so it seemed, as while he was running away, he seemed to hear those words from Mikoto). Looked like he had to do something else now. (This...) The display on his watch read 3pm. There was no contact from Tsuchimikado Motoharu or Stiyl Magnus. Considering that Oriana and Lidvias objective was not to hand over a spiritual tool in Academy City, but to activate it inside, they might be hiding somewhere to avoid being pursued. So it was hard for them to carry out the tactic of capturing Oriana and Lidvia while they were moving to prevent this deal that was proposed before. This was Stiyls suggestion. Right now, they were looking for the conditions to use the Apostles Cross. Now that they had lost track of Oriana and there was no clue that could lead them to her, they could only rely on finding this out. Tsuchimikados view was that: If the Roman Catholics aim was to take over Academy City using the Apostles Cross, then there was no need to wait, so why hadn''t they used it earlier? Since they had not done so, perhaps there were some special conditions to be fulfilled? If there were no special conditions, they couldnt possibly use the Apostles Cross, so by destroying that special condition, they could prevent Orianas objective from being fulfilled. Since it was impossible for them to just chase after her, in order to counter those women who were hiding in Academy City, the only thing they could do was to look in this direction. However... ...Theyre so slow. Kamijou couldnt help but mutter. It should be a few hours since he had separated from Oriana. Though there was nothing that Kamijou could do, he was worrying about whether he should be idling around. In this situation when they didnt know how the Apostles Cross could be used, they felt rather anxious about it. And the thing that made Kamijou even more worried was, He had the best trump card with him. (Index...) She was a person with complete memory of 103,000 magical books, a living magical library. Among that vast pool of knowledge, there would definitely be information about the Apostles Cross. The easiest way was to ask her. If it was Index, whether it was about the Apostles Cross or anything else, if it was any question related to magic, one would get the answer within 5 seconds. The original reason why Necessarius had set up this Magical Index position was because of this. Theyd immediately get the answer once they asked her. However, they couldnt ask. (External forces outside Academy City?) There were major and minor magical groups outside Academy City. Once they found out that there were magic-related incidents in Academy City, theyd rush in. However, not all of them were friendly to Academy City. Among them, some even wanted to barge into Academy City, which normally prohibited entry, to do some sabotage work. Most of these groups were outside Academy City, using magic searching spells. And most of their searches centred around Index, as there had been quite a few magic-related cases in the past. Thus, if something happened, she was the biggest suspect. Thus, (If we let Index get near the core of this issue, the searching magic can find Orianas magic. Thus we cant afford to get Index involved the case, nor can we allow her to get close to it. Itll be dangerous the moment she realises that somethings amiss.) Index had a vast amount of knowledge about magic. Thus, she couldnt possibly miss any magic-related presence. And once she got the slightest clue, with her personality, shed immediately jump into the situation even if Kamijou told her not to. Really, the clues right in front of me, and I really want to ask. But were doomed if I ask a question. Damn it, Im in a dilemma. Kamijou couldnt help but sigh as he muttered. What do you mean by a dilemma? On hearing a voice beside him, Kamijou suddenly trembled. He timidly looked around, and there was a girl with long black hair sitting on the bench for who knows how long. The girl was wearing P.E attire, Himegami Aisa. Under the school regulated attire of short-sleeved shirt and shorts, there should be a silver Cross hanging around her neck. Right now, there should be a thin chain under the black hair that covered all the way from the neck to the clavicle. This necklace extended from her neck to inside her shirt. Hi...Himegami? Why are you here...? Theres a troublesome situation, so Im here looking for you. Whats going on? Kamijou tilted his head. Himegami Aisa was a girl whom lacked facial emotions, so it was normally hard to tell whether she was angry or sad. One could still believe her when she said Im hungry, and no one would question her when she said that I want to raise a cat as well. Thus, Kamijou asked honestly, Whats the troublesome thing now? Ngh, Komoe-sensei had a bit of trouble. She looks rather angry. ??? After hearing this, Kamijou decided to follow Himegami first. Himegami grabbed Kamijous wrist, and pulling him along and saying Here, here. Kamijou saw that the two of them were holding hands. Seeing Kamijou stare at the hands that were held together, Himegami slightly frowned. Is there a problem? Oh, its nothing. Himegami doesnt seem to mind at all. At this moment, Himegami suddenly let go. She was still stoic, but it seemed that she was a little red now. She pulled the hand that had been holding Kamijous hand near her chest, and covered it with the other hand. Though one couldnt really tell, it seemed that she was mindful about it. Himegami Aisa brought him to a rather large park. Maybe it was because lunch break was over that there were very few people around. Todays main event was Daihaseisai, so the competitors and spectators were headed to the crowded arenas. So many people were walking on the streets, and they were basically either moving from one arena to another, or were buying souvenirs. Especially those tourists from the neighbourhood nearby whod buy entrance tickets in order to sightsee around Academy City, everyone was busy attending the events, and there was no time to slack. In this deserted park, there was a bench. On the bench, Komoe-sensei, who was wearing a similar cheerleading attire, was rather angry. She was passionately talking about a smokers etiquette and under aged smoking. On the other hand, treating these words as a mere distraction was the magician Stiyl Magnus. His face didnt show a frustrated look just because he was being lectured, but he was showing a smile that made him look somewhat tired and bothersome. Komoe-sensei was trying to confiscate the cigarette packs from Stiyls hands, but Stiyl was tossing it around like a ball, and Komoe-sensei couldnt catch up. From afar, the way she continued to leap and miss was like a dog chasing after a plastic ball. Its there, there. The man who saved me the last time is arguing with Komoe-sensei. I dont know what to do. Himegami looked at the scene in front, seemingly finding it awkward. To her, though Komoe-sensei was her saviour, but originally, in the Misawa Cram School case when the alchemist was highly active in the shadows, Stiyl Magnus was also her saviour. She probably didnt want to see both sides arguing. But, on seeing that priest, who had the smell of perfume all over him, Kamijou showed a look of irritation and disgust that he had been feeling. I say...Himegami, theres no need to stop them. For that guys good, he should let Komoe-sensei scold him badly. Hearing Kamijou say this, Himegami looked troubled, and said, But, that smoker man has been staring at us. He looks disturbed. That guy is now so happy because a little girl hooked up onto him, its alright even if we dont bother them. But, Komoe-senseis face is all red now, it seems that shes so angry that shes tired now. That sensei would be even happy on seeing a bad kid; no need to worry about her. Seeing Kamijou shaking his head nearby, Komoe-sensei didnt stop trying to grab the hand in the air that was holding the cigarette pack. Ah, Kamijou!! What are you standing around for, come and help sensei!! This child is a terrifying heavy smoker! I say, can you help me get that cigarette pack and hand it over to me!? At his wits end, Kamijou could only approach Komoe-sensei and Stiyl. Kamijou first stared at Komoe-sensei, then turned to look at Stiyl, who was sitting on the bench. ...How nice, therere still people who are willing to be angry because of you. Id like to agree with you on this, Kamijou Touma, but Im a bit busy now. Shes really noisy. Stiyl said. He tossed the cigarette pack high up, and at the same time, in a manner like he was arranging his work tie, he pointed to the phone strap in his chest pocket. This tasteless skeleton-shaped light was flashing, indicating an incoming call. He let Kamijou see it, again caught the cigarette pack naturally, and continued to play toss the ball with Komoe-sensei. The contact that the man was contacting...should be a member of the British Puritans. If it involved information about the Apostles Cross, he definitely couldnt allow Komoe-sensei to hear it. Ah! You tossed it to the other side! Just as Kamijou was thinking about this, with Komoe-senseis words, something flew over from the corner of his vision. He frantically grabbed it and examines it, it seemed to be a brand that was commonly seen in movies. Stiyl ignored Komoe-senseis words, as he made a gesture with his index and middle fingers, and brought them to his mouth. Dont tell me its a disgusting kiss!? Kamijou readied his guard before realising that it was a sign that he wanted a smoke. Kamijou, who realised this, shifted the hand with the cigarette pack over to Himegami, and asked, Himegami, do you have a lighter? Eh? Compared to Himegami, who was slow on the realisation, Komoe-sensei turned around at quite a speed. Kamijou! What kind of useless fighting spirit are you trying to use! Himegami, you should be stopping him too!! Komoe-sensei approached at a very fast pace. Seeing this, Stiyl pulled out the handphone in his chest pocket, put it near his ear, turned and left. (Its great if its information about the Apostles Cross. If not, itll be useless if I ticked off by Komoe-sensei. I dont want to smoke at all, so how should I explain this misunderstanding!?) Seeing Komoe-sensei start to tear up due to pure rage, Kamijou started to panic. At this moment, it was his phone that rang now. Who was calling now? Kamijou tilted his head as he reached for his shorts pocket. Kamijou! Shut your phone when sensei is lecturing!! Wa!! Being pestered by Komoe-sensei, Kamijou inadvertently fell backwards. Komoe-sensei grabbed the cigarette pack that Kamijou accidentally let loose into the air, and at this moment, Kamijou grabbed the phone in his pocket. He saw the screen; it was from Tsuchimikado Motoharu. (For that guy would call at this time, it means that theres some activity going on from Orianas side? ...Damn it, that means that I cant straggle around here, and I cant let Komoe-sensei hear the contents of the conversation...) In front of Komoe-sensei, who shouted KAMIJOU!!, Kamijou suddenly darted behind Himegami. The black-haired girl blushed upon being grabbed on the shoulders from behind, but Kamijou, who was behind, didnt notice this. Kamijou thought about his strategy as he wondered how to settle the situation. Hey, Himegami, Im handing this over to you! Ive already done what you requested, to break Komoe-sensei and Stiyls argument, so the rest is up to you!! With an almost desperate cry, Kamijou ran away from the scene. As Komoe-sensei was about to chase after him Wa, Himegami! What are you doing! Why are you hugging sensei out of a sudden!! The other person seemed to be fulfilling her part of the deal as she prevented Komoe-sensei from moving forward any further. Deep inside, Kamijou was swearing that hed treat Himegami Aisa to some okonomiyaki from some stalls later as he rushed out of the park. It should be something important, as the phone continued to ring for quite a while. Just as Tsuchimikado was about to leave a message, Kamijou pressed the call button. Oh, Kami-yan! Stiyls phone seems to be busy, I cant contact him. Is he with you nya!? If you know where he is, can you help me pass a message? What? Kamijou pondered for a while, ...Ah, someone seems to be contacting him just now. Is the thing youre going to talk about related to Oriana? Did she do anything bad again!? No, the situations not that serious...ah, its better for Kami-yan to know. Im using a unique way to check Academy Citys security, the method that Anti-Skill and Judgement members use nya. As machines are unable to handle magic, I didnt expect too much from it I found it. Hearing this, the fine hair on Kamijou straightened up. Tsuchimikado continued, Around 3 minutes ago, at the fifth area I found her walking out of the entrance of the Seibu Hill Station in the next area, but shes gone after that. She must have used a spell that blocks visual information, or shes hiding in the blind corner of the cameras. I cant tell as of now. 3 minutes ago...thats kind of hard. From here to the fifth area, the shortest distance was around 4 kilometres. If they were to head towards the station in question, Oriana might take this chance to escape. Theres no need to pursue Oriana completely. Once you reach Seibu Hill station, ask Stiyl to use the seeking magic. You just need to grab the correct coordinates and take her down, thus ending everything. The seeking method. He remembered that it was called the all-around reality array. It was originally Tsuchimikados spell, but now Stiyl was using it. It was a spell that could carry a search of radius 3 kilometres with the caster as the centre. The condition for using it was that it required a magical item spiritual tool of the search target in order to work. Right now, they had Orianas flashcard. If the enemy heads forward by 3 kilometres, shell leave the search vicinity. If so, we have to move forward by 4 kilometres in order to carry out our search. Can we still make it!? "Thats why you have to be quick, Kami-yan. Even if you have to use an auto-bus, you have to make it to where Stiyl is!! The line was cut. If they couldnt find out the conditions and weaknesses of the Apostles Cross, this might be their last chance. Rather, they had to treat it as game over the moment they couldnt find them. Damn it! Stiyl!! Kamijou shouted out. He returned to where Himegami and Komoe-sensei might bethe park. Right now, the only one who could use the all-around reality array to sniff out Oriana was Stiyl. Kamijou was looking around quickly. The good news was that Oriana might not have realised that she was spotted. If she ran away, they might not make it in time. The enemy was walking, while Kamijou was running. He could only use this speed to make up for the difference in time. Between the lines 4 Fukiyose Seiri was sitting on a long chair in the hospital waiting room. The frog-faced doctor said that all the necessary procedures were completed, so it was alright for her to walk about in the hospital. The nurses were laughing, saying, This is truly a miracle, one wont be healed that quickly. They were really gossipers. Fukiyose got off her bed. In order to confirm her condition, she decided to walk around in the hospital. ...Ugh. She pressed on her temples with one hand, gently shaking her head. Arriving in front of the elevator, she felt a slight headache. This was the reason why she had been assigned to a hospital bed in other words, it was not just a simple checkup, but rather she had been told to stay in the hospital for one day. The symptoms of a severe heatstroke, a severe headache or a strong rejection, could be cured by a doctor, but she could only slowly recover the energy lost. Though there were no obvious wounds or symptoms, Fukiyoses body wasnt exactly in healthy condition. She saw a small button that was in her hand. It was a mechanical box that was as big as a matchstick box. It seemed to be a portable nurse call. As electronics couldnt be used in a hospital, it might be a modified version of an alarm sold wholesale. Just holding such a thing told her that her bodys condition wasnt good. Fukiyose Seiri looked around. There was a space that also doubled as a smoking area. It was an area that was near the lifts, and it was not separated by any walls. There was a ditch on the ground of the entrance and an air vent of an air purifier formed a curtain of air. In this rectangular area, there was an even small rectangle-shaped bench, with a circular ashtray placed in the middle. She ignored the smoking facilities and just stared at the corner with her giddy head. There was a row of four vending machines that sold drinks. ...Do I need to drink these drinks in order to replenish my strength? Her words lacked the domineering attitude that she normally had. The moment she got up from the long chair, a slight pain could be felt from the right side of her temple to the left. She was not going to be able to take part in the afternoon events. Fukiyose frowned as she slowly moved towards the vending machine. She placed her handphone, which could be used as a wallet, on an electronic reader, and lights appeared, indicating the buttons that could be pressed. Lets see, the most ideal one should have...glucose, amino acids, minerals, and...ha...HACHOO!! As she thought, she suddenly sneezed. After shaking her head, her forehead slammed hard onto a button on the vending machine. Klang klang. A drink that Fukiyose didnt intend to drink rolled out. Enduring the sharp pain on her head, Fukiyose confirmed what she got. It was a strange drink with the words condensed milk soda written on it. ...This is way too unhealthy. She couldnt help but say this as she held the drink with one hand, but she couldnt just throw it away like this. Fukiyose Seiri didnt know what to do, as she could only walk back along where came from and back to her room. The inorganic corridor that she walked along just now looked like a Silk Road in the desert. She was already like this indoors, and it was hard to imagine what the feeling would be if she were to run under that hot, cruel and unbearable sun. (Really, when...can I...) Fukiyose dragged her body along, and sighed, (...Can I return back to my work? I dont know what kind of trouble that guy will end up getting if Im not around.) Volume 10, 6: Resumption of Pursuit with an End. Accidental_Firing. Volume 10, Chapter 6: Resumption of Pursuit with an End. Accidental_Firing. Part 1 Really! Its because of Himegami that sensei lost sight of Kamijou! Komoe-sensei was walking along an area full of student dormitories as she exclaimed to a girl beside her. In comparison, the black-haired girl clad in P.E. attire who was following her homeroom teacher, Himegami Aisa, was holding a transparent plastic cup that had fruit juice in it. She was surprisingly laid back as she said, But sensei, the next match is about to start soon. Humph! I know. Thats why I wanted to settle this quickly, finish lecturing him, and bring him back to the other students! The duo walked along an area that was close to the boundary of the seventh district. Besides the park where Kamijou and Stiyl had escaped from a moment ago, there were many constructs here, like shopping streets and student dormitories. The difference in height between these buildings was huge, as they looked like the teeth of a comb. Maybe this place was somewhat far away from the schools or we should call it arenas as the people here were looking for souvenirs. Several tourists were looking at the stores selling key-chains and puzzles strangely. Basically, the citizens of this city wouldnt even look at these things. Komoe-sensei sighed, I know, lets assume that Kamijou is waiting for us there. Himegami, you have to be faster! Nn. Himegami sipped some of the fruit juice and responded. Himegami sounded like something was on her mind, as Komoe-sensei tilted her head. ...Himegami, is there anything troubling you? Sensei is willing to hear out your troubles! Its not exactly troubles. Himegami removed her lips from the cup, Kamijou-san seems to be a bit weird. Its like hes distracted. Hgn. Now that you mention it, he did seem a bit anxious. However, isnt it because the next match is starting? ...But, that feeling... Himegami paused for a while. She had personally felt this especially tense atmosphere before. It was when a certain boy with just a fist faced an alchemist that had almost god-like powers and was trying to kill him. For those that he wanted to protect, for victory, hed even let his right arm get cut just to turn it into a fighting force. But Maybe Im thinking too much. ??? Whats that supposed to mean? Himegami stared at Komoe-sensei, who gave a puzzled look, and thought rather irritatedly, (But if its just about Daihaseisai, this shouldnt be happening.) Komoe-sensei looked up and stared at the black-haired girl who was drowning in her own thoughts. She tugged at Himegamis shirt from the bottom, saying, In other words, youre mindful about Kamijou. Himegami suddenly froze. The fruit juice in Himegamis hand nearly dropped out, as she revealed a rare look of panic, and grabbed it again. This is true, but the way youre saying this is too direct, and may cause a misunderstanding. Isnt it like this? ...Then, is Komoe-sensei mindful about Kamijou-san? Komoe-sensei nearly fell on the ground, when there was nothing around. The miniskirt of her cheerleading attire nearly flipped up, but luckily, nothing was exposed. She forcefully looked up, Wha...what are you saying, Himegami! As Kamijous homeroom teacher, sensei has to educate Kamijou! Eve...eveeven if Im mindful about Kamijou, its because Im worried for his future. The way you say it may cause a misunderstanding instead This is what I meant. ... Komoe-sensei kept quiet. Himegami extended the hand of hers that didnt have the drink and grabbed Komoe-senseis thin arm. She confirmed whether Komoe-sensei, who fell onto the floor, was injured, and after doing so, seemed to feel relieved as she squinted her eyes. However, its better to prevent saying it like that. My relationship with Kamijou isnt that good. If misunderstood, Kamijou would be troubled. Eh? Komoe-senseis face changed slightly. Haha, its because Himegami thinks like this, that you avoided talking about the night walk in front of Kamijou? You already read through the tour guidebook that was handed out seriously. To a certain extent, a night walk is an exciting war for students that can be compared to the day events. During Daihaseisai, there would be a large lights festival held after sunset, which involved neon lights and lasers. Also, there would be a decorated car and mobile stage procession after the matches. As Daihaseisai accepted television sponsors, the scale of this procession couldnt be underestimated. Also, there would be several actors participating as well. The board of directors of Academy City would normally ban anyone from going out at night, and had set all traffic to stop when school had completely closed. But for today, they even promoted night tours. Though it was not like those large-scale events seen on Christmas day or Valentines day, it was still an event favoured by the students. But, Its impossible. Himegami denied it flatly. For someone like me, even if I suddenly invite him, Kamijou-san would be surprised. Its not suitable. So I guess I shouldnt ask him. When she slightly squinted her eyes, Himegami looked rather gentle. At the same time, she seemed to be somewhat depressed. For Komoe-sensei, she loved to see students having such a troubled expression. Its not like that. Kamijou may be a bit surprised, but its a pleasant one. Kamijou would be happy to see you happy, and hed be sad if youre sad. Hes that kind of a child. Sensei is very clear about this. She looked up at the student who was much taller than her. So, if you invite Kamijou to an event which youll feel happy to be at, hell be happy as well. as long as you say that its the night walk, there wouldnt be any problems. Hearing this, Himegami blinked her eyes. Her normally emotionless face now looked rather surprised. Himegami gently shook the transparent cup that had fruit juice in it. Then, she faced Komoe-sensei and squinted her eyes to form a smile that couldnt be detected easily. No, I dont want to. Humph! Sensei is trying her best to encourage the cowardly Himegami-san, why are you so stubborn? Anyway, I wont invite him. Seeing Komoe-sensei go red with anger, Himegami silently let go of the pressure on her shoulders. Part 2 Kamijou Touma and Stiyl were running on the streets. There were various competitions being held at various arenas, as match reports were aired through the audio speakers and big screens all over the place. Kamijous school was about to begin the Boys only: Cavalry war, preliminary group A match. Too bad he couldnt spare the time to take part in the event. Kamijou Touma! If were heading towards an auto-bus stop, itll be faster for us if we take this lane! No, I checked the bus schedule. Itll be faster to take a train! Theres too many stops if we take the bus, and though we have to wait a while for the train to move, once it starts, itll overtake the bus!! The duo exclaimed loudly as they turned into an alley, and dashed down a staircase that lead to the basement. Through the narrow concrete path of the station, Kamijou placed his handphone on the auto-ticket gate blocking him. In Academy City, it was not uncommon to see handphones functioning as ID identifiers and cashcards. However, these automated gates could only respond to phones of Academy City. Stiyl slid his tongue back as he headed towards the ticket vending machine. The reason why he didnt force himself past the ticket gate was because in this situation, he felt that it was better not to arouse any trouble. He seemed to find carrying coins irritating, as he slotted a 1000-yen note into the machine, grabbed the change and ticket, and returned. At last, Stiyl passed through the gate. The train in the subway was about to move as an electronic alarm was heard. Kamijou, who had arrived first at the platform, ran into the train, while Stiyl, who arrived later, stretched his hand out just as the door was about to close. Due to the safety functions of the door, it opened, and Stiyl squeezed into the train. The station personnel seemed to be staring at him, but he didnt bother about such a trivial thing. The train was starting slowly. Kamijou leaned his back onto the trains door, and said, ...Therere still 2 stops to Seibu Hill Station that Tsuchimikado mentioned. Kamijou looked up at the electronic bulletin board, and muttered. Stiyl, who placed his coins into his wallet, suddenly searched through the inside of his clothes, and pulled out a new cigarette pack. Kamijou exclaimed, How many packs do you even have!!?? None of your business. Stiyl ignored Kamijou as he pulled out a cigarette from the box. Ah! You cant smoke inside the train. This train will stop if the sensors sense any smoke. Kamijou frantically stopped him, and Stiyl clicked his tongue with frustration. Normally, hed ignore Kamijous words, but as he knew that there was an urgent need to track down Oriana, he frowned as he placed the cigarette back. After this, he pulled out another pack from his coat. It was as big as a cigarette box, a box made of old wood. Stiyl pulled out something from inside, and started to chew on it like a cigarette. This is a chewing-type cigarette. ...You really like smoking, huh? A world without nicotine and tar is no different from Hell. For such a pious man like me, how can I fall into Hell? You might want to reflect on your life before saying that. Just as the two were rebutting each other, the train arrived at the first stop. Some passengers alighted, and the new passengers who boarded the train were shocked by Stiyls strange attire. The train doors closed and moved off. There was still one stop left. Next... Oriana Thomson was at the fifth area, saying in a rather relaxed tone. She knew that the attention of the pedestrians was fixated on her. There were many foreign tourists here for Daihaseisai, and thus, having blond hair and green eyes wasnt rare. What attracted their attention was the remarkable symmetry of her body and the matching clothes which emphasises her beauty. Though the fashion sense of this country was rather liberal nowadays, it was still rather rare to see someone revealing her beautiful legs through a skirt that had vertical slits. It was also rare to see someone needing to wear a Sarong skirt when she was not wearing swimming attire. But Oriana did not care about the people looking at her. As a person being pursued, it was highly unnatural. (Well...we may need to spend some more time. Never mind, Ill hand this over to Lidvia. Now, what should this nee-chan do. Hmm...) Seemed like Oriana wanted to attract attention as she continued to walks on the streets. She looked confident. She didnt care about whether she might be spotted by her pursuers. The train stopped again. The second station. They finally arrived at Seibu Hill Station. As doors on both sides of the train opened, Kamijou and Stiyl dashed onto the platform. They immediately ran towards the nearest exit. Stiyl stopped halfway to spit his chewing-type cigarette into the dustbin and said, Damn it, wheres Tsuchimikado? We cant use that searching all-around reality array if hes not here to prepare it!! He exclaimed as he operated his phone. Though it was the underground, maybe it was because it was near a communication base, the phone connected. Tsuchimikado!! Nya. Im sorry. The auto-bus Im on is near the station...there seems to be a 10 kilometre race in the vicinity. Because of the changes in schedule, the event was brought forward. Right now, the bus is stuck in a jam. Stiyl slid his tongue back without trying to hide it. Whats the distance!? If I have to get off the bus and run, itll take 10 minutes. Kamijou thought, this is bad. 3 minutes passed when Tsuchimikado contacted Kamijou, saying that he found Oriana. Another 5 minutes was spent arriving to this station. Then they still needed to wait for another ten minutes before they could start preparing the searching magic. It was hard to imagine where she might be now. He had heard Tsuchimikado say before that the searching spell used to seek out Oriana, the all-around reality array, had a search radius of 3 kilometres. If Oriana found out about their movements, they might end up letting her escape again. Tsuchimikado probably understood this, as he said in a bitter tone, Stiyl, do you still remember what my all-around seeking array looks like? Impossible. Can you draw it if I instruct you through the phone? Its impossible. For me to learn the procedures, its useless for me if I dont know the theory behind it. I have absolutely no concept knowledge on Eastern magic. Especially since that all-around reality array that you prepare uses the pulse flow of the place and space; Western magic and Eastern magic are vastly different. Im not that child as well anyway. Do you intend to teach me the essence of yin and yang all in one go? ...Then are you going to use your Western method to search? Even so, Ill request you to do it. Im a complete amateur at doing this. So...never mind, youre right. The bitter sigh reached the microphone, creating noise. After feeling a bit troubled, Tsuchimikado said, Alright, Ill activate the all-around reality array from here. Hearing these words, Kamijou was shocked. What are you scared about? A ten minute walking distance may cause a fatal error. Instead of spending time running to the station, I should do this anyway. Oriana may be taking a subway train or an auto-bus nya. Its better if we do the search earlier. Before Kamijou said anything, Tsuchimikado gave his own conclusion. Ill inform you of the results of the all-around reality array through the phone later. Stiyl, Kami-yan, go chase after Oriana. The one holding the Apostles Cross might not be Oriana, but Lidvia. If possible, capture her alive. Wait... Hearing this, Kamijou couldnt take it any longer. Wait a sec, Tsuchimikado! You can use magic again? Tsuchimikado Motoharu couldnt use magic. More accurately, though he could use magic, once he used it, the inside of his body would explode, because he was both a magician and an esper at the same time. As the body structure of an esper was different from an ordinary human, itd cause a strong rejection if he used magic that was meant for ordinary people. He couldnt possibly not know that. He had used magic once today, causing him to bleed. And right now, he was saying that he was going to use the all-around reality array. For someone who had already used magic once, he might be in critical condition if he was to use magic again. But, he didnt answer Kamijous concern. Tsuchimikado didnt answer, and even Stiyl didnt reply. Seemed like Stiyl wanted to shut Kamijou up, as he said loudly to Tsuchimikado, ...Are you sure you can do it? I dont know; why are you worrying for me nya? Im a magician, a specialist who can use magic? And Kami-yan, if you want to complain, Ill listen to you while Im on the hospital bed. If youre visiting, please bring some honey dew and apples. TSUCHIMIKADO!! As Kamijou shouted, the phone was cut off. Stiyl placed his phone back into his pocket. Hm. The next time that guy calls again, itll be after he activated the all-around reality array. We cant let that guys efforts go to waste. Lets not have any unnecessary thoughts now, Kamijou Touma. Damn it!! As Stiyl mentioned this, Kamijou couldnt help but slam a fist into the concrete wall. Thats superfluous. Stiyl didnt seem to like it as he said this, taking out another cigarette from his coat. One minute later, Stiyls phone rang. It was from Tsuchimikado. The contents of the conversation were that he was going to a place where nobody was around to activate the all-around reality array. Orianas shoulders trembled. (Ohthis...is the same as the spell used before. Are they mocking this nee-chan who cant use the same spell again?) She thought as she walked down the middle of a path in the fifth school district. The enemys searching method was to use Orianas flashcard to find Orianas whereabouts more accurately, it was the unstable magic text original that had maybe the smallest handwriting in the world that she thought of writing on the go. But for Oriana, she changed the activation and deactivation of a spell to the activation and self-destruction of an unstable original. As Orianas own magical power was needed, and the card had the function of sensing Orianas orders, they could track down where she was through this reverse process. If so, (This nee-chans card...what do they call it over there? Never mind, anyway, its related to this nee-chans magical power, so when the enemy does anything to the card, this nee-chan will be able to sense the changes.) Thinking about this, Oriana hastened herself. There existed spells that ignored distance. Especially in assassination, attacks that nobody could escape from even if they ran to the ends of the world were highly valued. But, (This is different.) When the ball was burnt in a fireball, she felt that her pursuers pulled away from her in fear. If the spell could ignore distance and do a global search, there was no problem if she walked slowly. (If so, the better method would be to walk further away...even so, its still troublesome. How far should this nee-chan go, and in which direction?) Oriana tilted her head, and passed through wave after wave of people. (Now, where should I go?) She thought as she looked up at the airship floating in the sky. Kamijou and Stiyl dashed up the stairs leading to the surface, running out of the subway station. The fifth school district was different from the seventh district that Kamijou stayed in, as there were many colleges and universities. Though the rows and rows of buildings did form a similar sophisticated feeling, the restaurants and clothes shops had a more mature feeling compared to other districts. To high school student Kamijou, it was an atmosphere that he couldnt get familiar with. It was like he was thrown into a world famous symphony performance that he had no interest in attending. But right now, he didnt have time to notice this. Kamijou and Stiyl were running around, spoiling the atmosphere of the entire street. Stiyls phone showed where they should be heading to. He continued to run hard. ...Oriana...she sensed it. Her movements suddenly changed...shes now heading towards the northwest direction. The distance is around 300 to 500 metres...wait a sec, Ill get a lock-on soon. The voice stopped several times, but it was not because of network problems. The contact, Tsuchimikado, may be bleeding all over, enduring this strong pain as he used magic. Stiyl slightly panted, 500 metres? Sounds near...but its going to be difficult for us if were going to run over and catch her. Let me confirm this, can you use the Red Spell artillery strike? Impossible nya...if I have to do that, Ill need to stop the all-around reality array and focus on the red spell. But if so, we cant locate Oriana while she continues to escape, and thus the accuracy would be much less. More importantly, we cant add onto Tsuchimikados burden!! Kamijou said as he ran, while Stiyl gave an irritated look. He shook the cigarette in his mouth and said, The effective range for the all-around reality array is about 3 kilometres. Well be out if she moves for another 2.5 kilometres. Even if we have to add on to someones burden, we have to close the distance. I know that...!! The two shouted at each other as they run on the path on the side of the road. They ran into a small alley and through this zigzag path, exited to another road, ran up an overhead bridge, and ran down the stairs on the other side. ...Response, got it...from where Kami-yans facing, Orianas...still in the northwest position...the distance is now 309 metres to 433 metres...anyway, it seems like shes moving in a straight line...to escape this detection nya...hurry up, theres still around 1.7 kilometres of effective range. Like a marathon runner getting a drink, Kamijou grabbed a free guide brochure that a Judgement member was handing out. Northwest, 303 to 433...WA! As he was reading the guide while running, Kamijou nearly knocked into a cylindrical security robot on the road. Kamijou frantically avoided it as the security robot behind him gave off a warning alarm. Maybe, its that...? Around 800 metres from here, theres a monorail station. That one goes around the whole fifth district. If she gets onto it, shell pass 3 kilometres easily. Though there were 800 metres for them, there were only 400 to 500 metres left for Oriana. If they considered the amount of time needed to buy the tickets and wait for the monorail, how many minutes did they have? Since the monorail company would likely increase the number of trips in conjunction with Daihaseisai, the next train might arrive in around 2 minutes. But, on the other side of the call, Tsuchimikado suddenly said something strange, No, wait a sec...Oriana suddenly changed direction. The sound of pages could be heard. Tsuchimikado must be confirming his spell with the information on the Daihaseisai tour booklet. Heading towards that monorail station...she turns around a corner...Oriana doesnt seem to be heading towards the station!! What, she actually increased her speed...!!? What? Kamijou frowned as he ran. Stiyl, who was running beside, was listening to the sound that was coming from the phone in his hand. The surroundings were rather noisy, their footsteps and panting were as loud too, but Kamijou felt that there was a long silence deep inside his ears. The other side of the phone went silent. Maybe Tsuchimikado was controlling the spell, as the sound of fingers rubbing against the ground could be heard. A monotonous tone gave the feeling that time was distorted. Damn it, wheres she heading to...it hurts! Damn it, to think at this time... Seemed like trying to maintain the spell added on to Tsuchimikados pain. Just as Kamijou was about to say something, Tsuchimikado said, No...problem, Kami-yan...Orianas position, Ill get it soonoi, NO WAY!? His tone seemed to indicate that he was rather surprised. This path...damn it, so this is how it is. THAT ORIANA, DONT TELL ME THAT SHES!! With Tsuchimikados exclamation, noise suddenly cackled from the phone. The sound of a cutting board being ground could be heard from the microphone, and with this unnatural noise, the line was cut off. It felt like radio contact was cut off out of necessity. Kamijou started to get anxious. Without Tsuchimikados directions, they couldnt tell where Oriana was heading. Even if they felt that they might have closed the distance, there was a likelihood that they may end up adding some distance. What now? Oi, Stiyl, hows the handphone antenna? How come I cant make a call now? Hold on, Kamijou Touma. Stiyl suddenly grabbed onto Kamijous collar. As he reined in, Kamijou, who was running beside Stiyl just now, could only stop obstinately. Stiyl ignored Kamijou, who was beside him and coughing violently, and said, ...Weve been had. Ahem! You...what are you doing, idiot! Even if Oriana finds out about her being tracked by the searching magic, she probably doesnt know how far she should run. In this situation, she cant set the tactic of where should she run off to. Then what should she do? She should probably get the answer rather soon. Oi. Kamijou had a bad premonition. The unnatural way that call ended and Tsuchimikados cry inexplicably rang in his ears. Like how you imagined it, Kamijou Touma. In order to escape this searching magic, Oriana chose not to widen the distance, but to close it...to destroy the man at the centre, Tsuchimikado, which is also another winning condition for her. Wait a sec, wouldnt she...!? Theres no wouldnt she, theres an 80 to 90% chance that shes heading towards Tsuchimikado. Then we should hurry up and get there! That guy forced himself to use magic, and now his body is almost broken up! Where is Tsuchimikado!? How would I know? Facing Kamijous shouts, Stiyl reported honestly. Then he added on another sentence, Thats why Im looking for him now. Part 3 Gack...gack...!? Tsuchimikado Motoharu tumbled two to three times on the marble-like surface. The impact caused the handphone in his hand to fly out and smash into a nearby pillar. He was on a road that linked several underground streets together. It was 8 metres wide, and about a 100 metres long. As there was a famous underground street that was commonly used as a shortcut, including the store owners, there was almost nobody there. There were large cylindrical pillars that split the place into north and south zones, and the hidden side of the pillars was equivalent to the blind corner of the security camera. The bus that Tsuchimikado had taken couldnt proceed due to the 10km race. He hastily looked for a place where there were no people, and activated the searching magic all-around reality array. A rough sound was heard. The all-around reality array that he had drawn on the ground was trampled by someone and scattered all over the place. You cant be too careless, you know. You intended to find this nee-chans whereabouts through things that are mine. On the other hand, you seem to forget that this nee-chan can also sense you as well. Oi, boys who do things their own ways might be hated, you know? A teasing tone. And at the same time, an opponent with such strong power. Oriana Thomson. A different look compared to before. She had already changed out of her work clothes, and was now wearing a dark-coloured mini top and a light-coloured long skirt that had vertical slits like curtains. As the skirt could not function like a normal skirt, there was a Sarong skirt that was used for covering swimming attire, now wrapped around her waist. But her fluffy blond hair and beauty, that beautiful impression of sweet curves that seemed to melt like sugar inside a mouth, could not be overwritten so easily just because she changed clothes. She played with the flashcards that had a metal ring passed through them. Of the people Ive met up till now, it seems that youre the most clear-headed, and at the same time, the most dangerous one. So this nee-chan is here to take care of you. Cheh... Tsuchimikado got away from the circular platform in the middle as he stood up. If he didnt know that the enemys attack could be prevented by something blocking, the walls and the pillarwould become obstacles for him. ...Everything will be alright if you hurry up and hand over the Apostles Cross and surrender with Lidvia, or do you want to be a mollusc that has its bones wrecked? Ah, even if I tell you that I have no interest in fighting, this nee-chan likes to play some exciting games. Ill play with you until your waist breaks. Oriana gave a happy look as she answered, but in fact, she was calculating the distance between her and Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado grit his teeth as Oriana pinpointed his position. (Kami-yan and Stiyl...) From his temple to his flank, and including his limbs, blood was seeping out. This wasnt caused by Oriana, but the rejection his body did when he used magic. (...Cant rely on them. Though the walking distance is only about 10 minutes, I didnt tell them exactly where I am. Besides, I chose to come to this place where no one will come to.) He gently gripped his fingers, and released them, not letting Oriana realise this. Maybe it was caused by the devastation of his insides, Tsuchimikados movements were as stiff as a puppet. Though in a real battle, he couldnt use his full powers...it was also bad when he fell onto the ground because of carelessness. One could sense anxiety in his calm and collected thought process. Even so, (How can I...) Tsuchimikado rubbed away the blood flowing out from his eyes, and looked in front. (...retreat now?) He exerted some pressure on his fingers that were slightly uncoordinated. (In order to chase Oriana, Stiyl got hit by a counterspell. Because of the British Puritans, Kami-yan got involved in numerous unexpected calamities.) He clenched his fist. (So how can I retreat? I, who lured them onto the battlefield, how can I fall back now!? Even if the situation isnt advantageous, even if my entire bodys covered in blood, its alright. I cant let the goodwill of those idiots who assisted this traitor to go to waste!!) A burning passion was in these eyes covered by those sunglasses. ...Fallere825, ''the back-stabber''remember this, this is my sorcery name. Hearing this, a slight smile appeared on Orianas lips. As a fellow magician, she knew the determination of the man who announced his name. Hoho, then its disrespectful for this nee-chan to not say her own name. Orianas eyes revealed a serious expression. It was her nature as a magician. My name is Basis104, "From the foundation to carry."...now that Ive declared it, I have to win. This complete introduction should be proper manners for your determination. Tsuchimikado didnt reply. Oriana didnt say anything either. It seemed that starting the battle early would be the greatest respect to the enemy. The two magicians instantly clashed with each other. Tsuchimikado Motoharu covered the distance of 10 metres at one go, making the distance between them become 0. During this time, Oriana Thomson placed a flashcard inside her mouth, and bit onto it. Out of mid-air, thick ropes appeared on her arms. The ropes entangled with each other, and like a net commonly used in an obstacle race, wrapped around her arms. Just as Oriana was about to use that net, Tsuchimikado swung his fist forward first. He thought that his right fist would be blocked first, and thus faked his punch to the chest, and then when the opponent was stuck, he would swing in a left hook to break through the wrist that was used for defence. At the same time, hed stamp onto Orianas foot with his sole. This was a tactic that was used for immediately disabling the enemys limbs, and removing all their mobility. But, Oriana seemed to realise his intentions as she moved her right foot that was about to be stepped on back. She used her arm to block Tsuchimikados first punch, and using the instability caused by the punch and her stepping back, she fell backwards and increased the distance. The left hook that Tsuchimikado intended to break Orianas wrist missed. Her back on the ground, Oriana swung her right hand that was covered with ropes. A gust of wind was caused. In that net that was formed by many ropes, like bubbles being blown, the sound of air could be heard. However, appearing this time wasnt soapy bubbles, but sharp blades that could cut rock. !! The blades, totalling about 20 of them, flew towards Tsuchimikado. Facing this volley of blades that was fanning out like a shotgun, Tsuchimikado moved sideways and got onto the ground. Several pillars behind him were knocked down, and the lights on the ceiling were dropping towards him. The wall and the ads posted on it were ripped apart, and the marble floor looked like it was farmed. Tsuchimikado didnt get up, his four limbs still on the ground, as he leapt towards Oriana like a beast. If it was close range, this could shorten the time needed to get up and run. Haha, this nee-chan doesnt hate such a wild, youthful presence!! Her back on the ground, Oriana could not dodge, but she gave a kick towards the approaching Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado grabbed her foot with his right hand, his left hand onto her calf. As long as he could twist the ankle into a right angle, he would get the upper hand. Ho!! Tsuchimikado inhaled, ready to twist the ankle. Just as Oriana was about to be controlled completely, with her ankle as the pivot, she turned her body around, and with her free leg, slammed it from the side into Tsuchimikados face like a hammer. GYA...ahhhh!! Tsuchimikados body rolled hard to the left. Oriana got up and tore another flashcard with her teeth. From her hands, an intangible force was released, moving towards Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado corrected his body posture while rotating and jumped up, his back slamming hard into the wall. A weird cracking sound could be heard from his body, and Tsuchimikado could taste blood. (Damn...it!) Tsuchimikado continued to jump aside, dodging the array of light bullets that Oriana was shooting at him. The white balls that were as large as basketballs exploded upon touching the walls. Tsuchimikado again felt that shockwaves from the explosions, as he slammed into the floor. Tsuchimikado, who was on the ground, slowly got up. He wiped the blood on his lips with his hands. (Though its only a bit, my movements...are really slow...if it was the normal me, I would have broken a few bones of the enemy...!) Hn? You''re not using magic for a magician. Is this your style? Well, I dont particularly care how people play their game, but at this rate, youwilldie. Oriana seemed to look uninterested as she placed the flashcard near her soft lips. If this is your real ability, then you wont be able to escape the next hit. If this is how far your determination goes when you declared your sorcery name, this nee-chan wont want to play with you anymore. She seemed to be sighing that the outcome was a bit too fast. It was like spending lots of time studying to prepare for an exam, only to find the questions too easy. It seemed like all her efforts were wasted. ...To expect outside help at this time, its a bit stupid. This nee-chan has already set up a tactic to divert forces. Right now, this underground street is protected by a boundary. Nobody would think of approaching this place, and wont find anything strange. News of whatever that happens inside wont reach outside. Not only can it hide magic flows and magic movement, even the sixth sense, on the occasion that it works, will respond rather slowly even a professional magician wont approach this place so easily. (...) Hearing these words, Tsuchimikado looked up. He felt that those words werent right, but what? Even if there were some contradictions, a slow mind wouldnt be able to pick up, that was just what the enemy said. Maybe it was some wrong information to scare him or shake him up. So youll be defeated here. Ill let you regret declaring your sorcery name to this nee-chan with this level of determination, she said. Oriana Thomson bit onto another flashcard. It was like pulling the plug off a grenade. (...What now?) Orianas flashcard fell onto the ground. (Seeing how injured I am now, I wont be able to take it the next time I cast magic. But, even if I want to use the red spell, theres no time to chant it!) While the flashcard landed on the ground, at the same time, a giant mallet suddenly appeared from the ground beside Oriana. The pentagonal-type mallet was about a metre thick as it rushed towards the ceiling. (If this is how it is, in this situation, if I want to deal the biggest blow to Oriana...! Damn it, I have to hurry! Got to hurry!) Tsuchimikado grabbed a coloured piece of paper from his blood-stained uniform. With machinery-like speed, he folded up the wrinkled piece of paper. Everything begins from this signal! Follow the light and sharp noise!! Too late. The moment Oriana said this, the giant mallet broke apart like an ice sculpture. This storm that had billions of shrapnel seemed like it was about to bury the road as it headed towards Tsuchimikado. It was like it was going to swallow this small human called Tsuchimikado Motoharu, stuff it into a main cannon, and fire it. The sound of insects moving about could be heard later. (I have to make i) Just before Tsuchimikado could send his request, This metal tsunami that destroyed everything rushed forward, all the way to the end. Part 4 The entire road was destroyed. From where Oriana was standing, all the pillars to the end of the passage were destroyed. Seemed like those pillars were just decorations, as in reality, they were not used to support the ceiling. Well, at least it removed the danger of collapsing the ceiling. The walls, the ceiling, all the decorations on the floor, were ripped apart like a gift package, and even the materials on the ground looked like they had been ploughed through. In front of her, there was no flat surface at all. The ground was all fragmented and the sprinkler hoses in the peeled ceiling were all damaged; water was flowing out like a faucet being completely open. ... Oriana stared at the devastation that she had caused. (I damaged a surveillance camera? Securitys going to be tighter from now on.) The opposing magician seemed to have dodged into the blind corner of a pillar, and lowered his body to avoid further damage. However, this level of dodging wasnt going to prevent him from getting hurt. On the back of Tsuchimikado, who was sprawled on the floor, there were 4 metal pieces pierced into his body. Each piece of shrapnel, that were several centimetres long each, were as sharp as a knife. Several pieces of rubble from the damaged pillars had also slammed into his body, and each of these concrete slabs were as big as a honey dew. Its over, huh? Oriana would normally keep the number of sacrifices she made to a minimum and quickly leave the scene, but it was different for a magician who had declared his own sorcery name. In Orianas mind, a sorcery name was what kept a magician alive; ignoring it was the biggest insult to a magician. Whether it was done to her, or when she did it to others. Thus, Oriana didnt like it. Even though she knew that she had to remove the danger in the shortest time possible and get away from it, even though she didnt like to go all out, she was still unsatisfied now that victory was so easily decided. (Should I deactivate the boundary I set around here and get away? Though nee-chan likes to leave some finishing touches.) Interrupting her hasty thoughts and coming to a conclusion, Oriana looked around. If she wanted to remove this boundary, shed have to use some sort of a code to deactivate it, and let the unstable original self-destruct. However, ...? Oriana revealed a surprised look. Though it was just the twitching of eyebrows, such a change was enough for her to reveal her inner thoughts. The boundary had been removed. Oriana Thomson hadnt given any commands at all. (Whats going on? Though its unstable, its still an original. Theres no magical interference, so it cant be destroyed at all. Or, have his allies arrived...?) Oriana moved to the front and back entrances to check, but there was no one there. A destroyed boundary would mean that the owner of the destroyed boundary would know that it was destroyed. As there was no way for anyone to use surprise attacks, when the boundary was destroyed, one would normally use a blitz attack. The puzzled look on Orianas face became even more obvious. She suddenly thought of a possibility. Don...dont tell me... Her movements suddenly froze, and then she turned around. She was staring at the magician on the ground that had four pieces of shrapnel pierced into him. He was still the same as before, but Oriana suddenly spotted something. Tsuchimikado, who was sprawled on the ground, had a blood-red paper-folded bird beside his hand. (At that critical moment, he seemed to be setting up some sort of spell...maybe he wanted to destroy the barrier? But why? Facing such a hit just now, why didnt he defend, but do that sort of thing...?) Destroying the barrier wouldnt result in Orianas defeat, as that was just a countermeasure. That meant...his aim was... Seems like...its a spell...that I can break. Oriana was shocked by that voice. That enemy that was definitely buried together with his sorcery name wasnt dead. I cant really see it...you can endure this strenuous exercise, huh? Oriana refused to admit defeat. Hearing this, the enemy magician on the ground slightly moved his lips, and smiled. It was like he wanted to smile to show that he was alive. Tsuchimikado Motoharu moved these lips that were bloodied, and happily said, Oriana Thomson, didnt you say that in this boundary, nobody from the outside will know what happens inside? Ill be troubled if thats the case. What... Oriana suddenly realised something. Since it was an enemy one couldnt defeat, then what would the person think of first? Of course one would call for allies. Realising what the enemy was thinking, the tension on her shoulders disappeared. It was a tad too sad to rely on this. Idiot. Arent those comrades of yours those two that are chasing after this nee-chan? Those two dont have any real threat. Even if those two work together, I wont even be gasping for breath. Im not referring to them. What? Oriana couldnt help but ask back. Right now, there were only three direct enemies that she could see. Youre really an idiot. Were representing the British Puritans, the religious power of a country. Think, would there be only three members? If so, isnt your mind a bit too simple and peaceful? They might as well go wash their hands in the golden basin of the magical world and go sell flowers? Just think, how many Necessarius members are there? For us whore supposed to be hiding our identity, how can we let the National authorities, who are living such a peaceful life that theyre almost stupid, realise this? This wasnt true, Oriana concluded. Oriana hadnt come to sightsee, so she hadnt checked the schedule of Daihaseisai, but she had checked with Lidvia before, and thus she knew there was a delicate balance of power between the science side, which had Academy City as centre, and the magic side. Academy City, especially during Daihaseisai, couldnt possibly let in too many magicians who belonged to the same organisation. If they did so, the relations between the science side and the magic side would worsen. The plan this time was to aim between the crack in relations between these two sides, and set up the Apostles Cross. Thus, she couldnt possibly believe the exception that Tsuchimikado was talking about, especially for the British Puritans, who were supposed to be in charge of the magic sides security. Thus, Oriana could respond with confidence. But she didnt completely know it caring about Tsuchimikados words showed that there was some sense of insecurity. If its true, this nee-chan would be troubled. But this is impossible. The British Puritans and Academy City wont allow this sort of stupid thing to happen. Why would we need their permission? ... You forgot my sorcery name? I should have asked you to memorise it. Im the back-stabber; which side am I backstabbing in the first place? The state of the British Puritans? The state of Academy City? So what? You think that my mind is so peaceful and stupid that Ill ignore the minor details and let victory run away? Oriana felt that there was a rather irritating silence surrounding her. She slowly exhaled. I can do anything just to get the victory. I can do anything just to hide in the darkness. As long as I can sneak onto the enemy, Ill think of anything to get the victory no matter what. Watch it, Oriana Thomson. As long as I am willing, I can defend against all these metal shrapnel no matter how many are they. However, I wont be able to get my victory like this, so I used a bigger trump card. Thats all. ...You think that Ill believe this bluff? If you had plenty of comrades, why would you be working alone? When you used that searching magic, you should have gotten more people to protect you, right? Even if this wasnt the case, at least two people would be working together. If you like to talk, then Ill accompany you for that. To me, I can gain some time like this. When the boundary was broken, Id already sent the message. It wont take long for the enemy to get here. Because that person is serious, that person will not hesitate to declare her sorcery name just to prevent someone from dying. Tsuchimikado extended out that blood-stained arm that was resting on the ground just now. There was a simple piece of paper in his hand. It was a piece of paper that was shaped like a talisman thats sold at a shrine. In the middle, there were Eastern words written in a straight line. Instead of saying it was written in ink, it looked like the words had been formed by burning the paper. Sealed Scripture C on first look, it looks like some sort of Shinto talisman, but in yinyang terms, its actually a cursed tool. This causes someone far away to hallucinate, creating internal conflict inside the person...if I reduce the power, it can be used in peaceful ways. Thats... Dont tell me that its a communication spell? Bingo. This thing is made into a bag-shaped thing, and inside it is a wooden piece with somebodys name on it. Very classical, eh? Tsuchimikado grinned, Come to think of it, in this situation, who would be my most likely contact? He slowly said. Though he was covered in blood, it was like he was blackmailing his prey. It wouldn''t be fine if the thing youre transporting is the Stab Sword. Since we know that its not that, we can let that person join in the battle without any hesitation. Or should we say, since theres no Stab Sword, theres no need for that person to remain on standby. Besides, that persons greatest weakness is gone. Orianas throat unknowingly dried up. She had heard of it before. In the British Puritan Necessarius department, out of the 20 Saints in the world, there was a Saint among them. She had tremendous power, and would swing her sword to prevent anyone from dying. Oriana Thomson was originally a British citizen, and her main base of operations was in England, so she knew about the Saints. Once she met a Saint, shed lose; it was said that only a real God or Angel could beat those monsters. Thats right, its Kanzaki Kaori. The glow in Oriana Thomsons eyes became sharp. She licked her dry lips. Since I know that you have the Apostles Cross and not the Stab Sword, you shouldnt be surprised when you consider the scale of this situation, huh? Kanzaki was a central character in the conflict between the British Puritans, Roman Catholics and Amakusa Catholics ten days ago. Isnt it possible that shes still staying in Japan? Also, there are people that Kanzaki is familiar with living in Academy City. She can be seen as a special guest, and even if news leaks out, there wont be a problem. Tsuchimikado added on, You should know, Kanzaki owes a debt of grace to me. Think about it, when she first came to England, who was the one who took care of her? Of course a fellow Japanese would be suitable. To me, its a rather trivial matter. But that person is rather sensitive about this sort of thing. If she knows that something like this is happening, shell immediately rush over. (Cheh...) Oriana started to make her own calculations. Seeing Oriana like this, Tsuchimikado seemed to treat her like an idiot, and continued, Oh my. Dont tell me that you intend to destroy the Sealed Scripture. Let me tell you, thats impossible. This thing is like an alarm, once it sends the signal, its over. Saying this, Tsuchimikado seemed like he wanted to prove that it wasnt a hoax, as he pinched on his own hand-made talisman that he used as a communicator. ... Oriana slightly adjusted her breathing. Right now, she couldnt tell whether Kanzaki Kaori would come here or not. Even if that Saint was to arrive, Oriana didnt think that shed lose. As long as she could set up an effective strategy, ready to sacrifice her limbs, she could probably kill one or two Saints in battle. But this wasnt appropriate. Compared to a simple one on one battle, Oriana Thomson had to achieve a higher goal and not hurt anyone else. (If so,) Anyway, she chose to kill Tsuchimikado, who was using the searching magic, and got out of here quickly. Hoo!! Tsuchimikado, who was on the floor, squeezed his last ounce of strength, pulled a bar away from the rubble, and threw it onto the devastated floor. The gray dust was floating around like curtains. Visibility had become zero. ! Oriana suddenly moved towards where Tsuchimikado had fallen, and stamped onto the ground hard like she was going to break her ankle. However, she could only feel the hardness of the floor. (He intends to buy some time!? Why must he work so hard...) To this point, there was no anyway now. The enemy could still fight, though it was somewhat troublesome to make a comeback in this dust. From the looks of things, Oriana had to spend quite some time before she could even kill Tsuchimikado. In other words, there were only two options. If she assumed that Kanzaki Kaori wouldnt arrive, shed take her time to beat Tsuchimikado down. If she assumed that Kanzaki Kaori would arrive, shed abandon Tsuchimikado and quickly get the heck out of there. The dust in front of her could be dispersed by a flashcard. But if this was to end up being the signal that began the battle, shed have to stay behind and fight until Tsuchimikado died. It was not that Oriana didnt know what to choose. It was that she would regret whichever option she chose. (Anyway, this nee-chan has already destroyed the searching spell, my objective. Its not worth it if I get injured because I was fighting against this troublesome boy...) Oriana Thomson pulled her tongue back and ran to the exit of the subway. If his words were true, the Saint of the British Puritans Kanzaki Kaori would join in the battle. Oriana thought that if this was so, she should have made use of the rumour that it was the Stab Sword even more. If she could set up a strategy, she might have been able to beat the Saint, but a Saint was not someone who could be taken down without taking damage. Of course, She didnt want to admit defeat. She... Left behind and alone in the damaged subway, Tsuchimikado muttered. When Oriana left, he checked to see whether the enemy had left behind any flashcard spell. The dust had scattered. Tsuchimikado was sprawled where Oriana had first done her flying kick. Now heavily injured, even if she was to use all her strength, he could only move this distance. In other words, he removed the visibility of the enemy, using it to cause anxiety in Oriana, causing her to be unable to confirm it calmly, and barely escaped from this predicament. I can use the communication spell Sealed Scripture and summon Kanzaki Kaori when Im in trouble, huh? Tsuchimikado blankly stared at the ceiling. He moved his lips, mocking himself, Itd be great if this sort of thing really existed nya... Of course there wouldnt be any reinforcements. The only people who were chasing after Oriana and Lidvia were all in Academy City, Tsuchimikado, Stiyl and Kamijou, only the three of them. He looked at the folded paper talisman that he made. This talisman and spiritual tool, Sealed Scriptureforget about yinyang, it doesnt even exist in the world. Tsuchimikado concluded that Oriana wasnt versed in Eastern magic, so he just folded a piece of paper. Of course, there was no magical meaning behind it, and there was no wood piece that had Kanzakis name on it. (A seal and a scripture have the meaning of a love letter...its really like a curse anyway, being seriously in love is like being cursed nya.) Before this, Stiyl had mentioned dejectedly that I have no knowledge on Eastern magic at all, so I cant do it by myself. To think that itd come in use now. In other words, Tsuchimikado gambled on the possibility that Oriana wasnt familiar with the incantations of yinyang, so he just confidently showed her a piece of paper that had kanji written on it. But, (If the enemy believes it, at least theyll proceed slowly with their actions, but they probably wont delay it. Itll be great if I can get my revenge...) Tsuchimikado was lying on the ground as he looked at the devastated subway. (The magic array is destroyed, the flashcard is gone, and even my phones split. Now, how can I do my recovery nya... To be honest, I cant activate the all-around reality array again.) He wanted to get up, but his entire body was aching really badly. He was hurting so badly that he wanted to roll on the floor, only to realise that he didnt even have the energy to do so. His body was so cold, yet so heavy. Even if he breathed, he might not breath in oxygen successfully. First... Tsuchimikado thought about the power that existed within him as a member of Academy City. Level 0 Auto Regeneration. It was a self-recovery process that created a film on vascular ruptures. ...With such a broken up body, I have to think of an idea nya...? Part 5 Tsuchimikado Motoharu finally called. Because the number was different, Stiyl was suspicious at first when he saw the screen. He seemed to be calling using a new phone. Hearing Tsuchimikados words, he had definitely been attacked by Oriana. In the end, his phone and the spell all-around reality array were both destroyed. Right now, his body condition was such that he couldnt use magic twice consecutively. Most importantly, Orianas flashcard that was needed for the all-around reality array had been destroyed. ... Though Tsuchimikado said Im alright, if he was really alright, the magic array wouldnt have been destroyed so completely. And upon hearing Tsuchimikados weak voice, one could sense his pain. Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth, Then, what do we do next? If we cant use the all-around reality array, weve basically no idea what to do now. About this nya...but, I do know...that Oriana is acting carefully now, and will want to erase any doubt in her heart. Anyway, she might keep her distance from us. Bluffing...seems to be rather effective nya. Now, she wont be walking. I guess she should be taking an auto-bus that has a fixed route, or an underground train, a tram, a monorail...anything that can get her to the end point straight away... His breathing was rather shallow, as his voice continued on and off. Right now, Tsuchimikados in this subway... Kamijou flipped through the tour guidebook of Daihaseisai. It was the map of the fifth school district. The nearest underground passageway to Tsuchimikado was still the underground station. They had to get onto the line that went from the fifth school district to the seventh. ...Since theres no other lead, we can only check on this. If we know which ride Orianas taking, we might be able to carry out our search with a better method... Its because we dont know about this thats making this troublesome for us. Anyway, lets go, Stiyl. Nya...Ill also...sneak in and check on security...if the enemy is anxious, so careful that shell check the security cameras...itll be great nya. The trio said what they wanted to say, and the line was cut. Oriana Thomson as on an underground train. (If I get onto this train...) This underground line moved from the fifth district to the seventh district. The distance wasnt long, and if she wanted to gain some distance, shed have to switch to an auto-bus later. (Should I run far away? Or should I wait and see? Or should I set some traps and wait for the response?) Orianas mind continued to think of several solutions. Though it was troublesome, if Kanzaki Kaori really took part in this battle, shed likely get hit back if she was not careful. (Until a good countermeasure appears, I wish I have the time and a place to think of this carefully.) Through the windows, there was nothing to see in this underground setting. Oriana sucked her tongue. After a while, she finally reached the end of the line, the entrance to the seventh Academy district. When the auto-doors opened, she sprinted out onto the platform, ran up the stairs that led to the surface, slid her ticket into the ticket gate, and dashed out of the station. Her next destination was the auto-bus station that was somewhat far away from here. The sports day atmosphere of Academy City was still prevalent. There were many people around, families with children holding balloons, elderly couples there to see their grandchildren, everyone looked like nobody was hurt. But Orianas mind wasnt peaceful enough to confirm that she was safe just like this. She had to follow a special procedure to confirm whether there was an assassin. (Hm, I dont have to mind about it if Im so easily tricked by that guy. But this is really irritating. I really want to get this over with.) She looked around and walked into a lane that was a bit far from the road. Because this was a combination of tall buildings and narrow streets, though the weather was fine outside, sunlight couldnt shine in, and may even cause people to feel chilly. Right now, Orianas intention was to walk into an alley that no one was in to confirm whether there were any assassins after her. Of course, if the assassin was to follow Oriana into the alley, hed be alerting his presence to her. Thus, the assassin would have to work hard, like contacting several allies to set an ambush at the exit of the alley, or activate a spell that had a surveillance effect. Oriana wanted to look for those minor action signals that the assassin may show, and check whether she was being followed. (Hm, though were basically tricking each other, Ill have think of new tricks if my actions are revealed. Isnt this too troublesome?) Like Oriana, the assassin may purposely send a fake action signal. The idea would be to make her think that she got away, and catch her when she was off guard. As a courier in the magical world, chasing after people, as well as being chased, it was a response that she was very familiar with. No matter what, even with the tiniest movement, as long as there was a response, it meant that someone was following her. She exhaled. (Its going to take some time for the preparation of the Apostles Cross to be complete. What should I do? Hm, its much more interesting to think of ways to counter Kanzakis spells. But then, in this situation, whats the point of getting one over that Saint? Should she run away, should she hide...or should she go and bury the opponent?) As Oriana was thinking of this, she overlooked something. There was a fork with an even smaller path on the road. Somebody was walking out from the path. Himegami, well be late if we dont take a shortcutYA!! ! Both sides collided with each other. The petite girl that was like a primary school student jumped back after knocking into Orianas abdomen, only to knock into a black-haired P.E. attire clad girl that was moving backwards. Oriana immediately got ready to tear a flashcard, but she held onto it. The one who knocked into Oriana was a 135cm tall girl who was wearing a cheerleading uniform. Because of the impact caused by the cheerleader girl, the plastic cup that originally had fruit juice in it was knocked out of the black-haired girls cup. With a soft wa sound, it landed on her hair. The fluid that wet her shirt dripped onto the petite girls head. Komoe-sensei, you really like to look for trouble. So...sorry! But sensei is all drenched herself! Ah, this lady, are you alright? The drenched cheerleader girl looked up at Oriana, looking slightly worried as she asked. (Magician reinforcements...maybe not.) From the attire and actions of the girls, Oriana simply hypothesized. She revealed her normal smile. Ah, this nee-chan is alright, Im more worried about you instead. Itll be rather exciting if youre to walk on the streets like that. Ah! Himegamis drenched as well. Komoe-sensei too. Something pointy is on your chest. Komoe-sensei frantically covered her flat chest with both hands. Seeing Komoe-sensei blush, the black-haired girl again looked at her chest. At this moment, Oriana saw it. The chest of the black-haired girl. The short-sleeved T-shirt was now transparent, thanks to the fruit juice that had been splashed on her. One could see that she was wearing a pink based green butterfly knotted bra. However, she was not concerned about that. On the inside of her P.E. attire, there was something else. The thin chain hanging around her neck looked like a necklace. That chain was in her P.E. attire. Fastened at the bottom of the chain was a large, silver... Colt''s Cross that was refined by the British Puritans. Oriana didnt know what that Cross did. She also didnt know what abilities that black-haired girl had. In this situation, she only knew one thing. (A magician thats allied with England!?) In Academy City, there might be counterfeit Crosses being sold as decorations. Some children may wear Cross earrings and necklaces without understanding the meaning behind it. Thus the Cross itself wasnt rare. But, It was not strange for the world renowned Roman Catholics, but for the British Puritan Cross to exist in Japan, where a Church didnt even exist, that was another topic in itself. To specially import it from England, the circumstances should be abnormal. Normally, ordinary people didnt possess some sort of spiritual barrier. Besides, the name of that barrier was (The British Puritans...Walking Church!? To think that she has the same type of defensive mechanism as that Index Librorum Prohibitorum? This monster!! Her hands immediately geared into action. Oriana put a flashcard that was sealed by the thin metal ring near her mouth. She bit it and tore it down in one go. The red words Soil Symbol appeared on the paper, as the unstable magic text original started to activate its magic. BOOM!! A blunt explosion could be heard. Part 6 Kamijou and Stiyl got out of the underground station, and onto the surface. On the bustling streets, there was no sign that the heat would dissipate soon. Kamijou wiped the sweat off his forehead, hastily looking at the Daihaseisai tour guidebook. ...The nearest interchange from here is...an auto-bus terminal 300 metres north. 300 metres...? Stiyl pulled out a cigarette and answered bitterly. The next bus will arrive in 10 minutes time! We can make it if we rush there! Both of them exclaimed as they got into the crowd. There was a seven minute distance between them and Oriana, the situation was extremely urgent. If possible, I hope that we can at least capture Oriana. We have absolutely nothing on Lidvia Lorenzetti! Stiyl passed through the space as he looked forward. Though their destination was 300 metres ahead, the road in front extended to both left sides and right, and the buildings blocked their view. On the side of the zebra crossing, a green pedestrian signal continued to flicker. Kamijou and Stiyl dashed over to the other side of the road. There were many more people on this road than as compared to before. The rows and rows of buildings looked like a giant wall; if they wanted to get to the bus stop, theyd have to walk through a small gap between some buildings. If not, they had to go in a roundabout way. Kamijou and Stiyl started to look for a gap between the buildings as they continued to run on the extremely crowded road. You said that there are no clues, are there really none? Werent you on the phone with someone when we were at the park just now!? Ah, thats from London. I requested some people from the British Library to check something for me. Looking around, they couldnt find the entrance of the alley. Compared to running in a straight line, the actual distance could be surprisingly long. Itd be great if Oriana was in a similar position. Are they looking for information about the Apostles Cross? At this moment, Kamijou saw a crowd gathering somewhere. Yeah. But...the progress isnt very successful because theres too little information. Right now, we only know that keeping the Apostles Cross would require a security vault, sealed windows, two doors and no light is allowed in...thats all we know. Stiyl puffed out the cigarette smoke from his mouth. Just like that? Kamijou ran towards the crowd. Stiyl answered back, Dont anger me. Later...damn it. Stiyl suddenly coughed. It shouldnt be due to running, but due to him smoking quite often. Its too troublesome to explain it. Tell me your mail address, Ill send Orsolas e-mail to you. You can read it when you have the time. To think that Stiyl and Orsola actually used e-mails...Kamijou was impressed as he gave his e-mail address to Stiyl. Come to think of it, wouldnt Index, who couldnt even use electronics, be the strange one? Kamijou continued to run as he looked at the text that was sent to him. Vi riporto qua le informazioni che ha trovato nella Biblioteca Britannica... (Who...who can even read it!!?) Seeing this wall of text on the screen, it seemed to be a language other than English, but he couldnt tell. Lets ask Tsuchimikado later, Kamijou thought as he closed the screen. Stiyl, who was running behind him, irritatedly said, Cheh, forget about the grammar and language. Just grasp a rough idea of the pronunciation...dont read it if you cant, its nothing major anyway. ...Never mind, basically, were in quite a predicament, huh. Damn it. Thats right, this is why we have to find Oriana Thomson in order to get our lead. Just like this eh? Stiyl frowned as he ran. He looked at the crowd in front. They were blocking them, with a group of students at the centre. Their gazes werent facing Oriana, but at a dark alley that was away from the road. That seems to be the alley that were looking for...I have a bad feeling about this. What? Facing this surprised Kamijou, Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth. Its the scent. This is a bad scent. When a certain group of people are nervous and excited, the feelings will spread out like smell. And this...is the scent of someone seeing fresh red blood. Hearing such terrifying words, Kamijous hairs started to stand. In this to-and-fro situation, Kamijou and Stiyl reached the back of the crowd. They then reached the crowd, where some of them were straightening their backs to see what was going on, and some were even jumping. (What...?) Kamijou frowned. Right now, he didnt have time to confirm it. He half-forced his way past the human wall and tried to get into the dark alley. At this moment, on the other side of the human wall, there was an unexpected voice. PLEASE...PLEASE MOVE ASIDE! EVERYONE, PLEASE MAKE WAY! HIMEGAMI? ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HIMEGAMI!!? MOVE ASIDE!! Kamijou suddenly rushed into the crowd, and arrived at the front. Most of the crowd moved aside, and though there was a rather angry atmosphere, Kamijou ignored this as he moved to the front. Kamijou didnt slow down as he ran into the dark alley. What he saw... It was blood. It was a narrow alley. Because of the combinations of tall and short buildings, it was supposed to be daytime, but the sunlight couldnt shine in. The damp road looked dark, and there was a stagnant flow of smell. This dark alley Was dyed another crimson red. Ka...Kamijou!! The familiar voice belonged to Komoe-sensei. But, those small hands, and that soft face, and the sleeveless cheerleading vest and miniskirt, they were all dyed a crimson red. Tears rolled down from her large eyes, mixed with the blood and rolled down to her chin. But it was not her blood. There was a girl lying beside Komoe-sensei. The black haired girl, Himegami Aisa, was lying in a pool of blood. Compared to the fresh red blood, her face and limbs had gone pale green. The top half of her shirt was tattered. She was bandaged up at the top. From the collarbone, to the top of her navel...every part of it was wrapped. To an amateur, it was pretty well done, but the seeping fluid continued to dye the bandage red. The originally smooth curve of the girl seemed a bit uneven now. ...!! Kamijou wanted to know the reason, but he immediately regretted it. Amongst the pool of blood, there was a piece of flesh with skin attached that was like a boiled egg that was failed to be peeled. Himegami remained motionless. Maybe he was thinking too much, as he could still hear light breathing. Kamijou felt a strong impact in his head. He saw it before. This feeling. It was the same feeling as when Accelerator was attacking the Imoutos. Why, how...Himegami, she...? Sensei, what happened! Who did it!? I...I dont know. Komoe-sensei, who was still trembling, looked over here. Sen...sensei knocked into a woman around here...then sensei did apologise to her. That person smiled as she also forgave me. But suddenly, her face looked very terrifying, in an instant...Himegami...! Its Oriana, right? Stiyl shook away his extremely long cigarette, and in annoyance, pressed it against the wall. To do this in this situation, theres a high chance that its her...that person, shell really do things that are despicable. Why? Kamijou looked confused, Why did she do this? She has no reason to attack Himegami! Himegami has nothing to do with this!! Its that. Stiyl pointed at the floor with his cigarette. In the pool of blood, there was a blood-stained Cross. That was a little boundary that the British Puritans had sent over as a decoration for her to wear in order to seal off her Deep Blood ability. This walking church spiritual tool is a special tool that was also given to me, Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki. Seeing this, its not weird for Oriana to assume her to be a magician of importance thats of the same level as Index Librorum Prohibitorum. In Academy City, where science is the main subject, its strange itself to have a British Puritan spiritual tool. Oriana must have thought that there were strong pursuers chasing after her, so she wanted to take the pre-emptive. Kamijou knew what this meant, as his facial muscles started to twitch. She...made a mistake...? His throat bobbled strangely. Just...like that? Shell go to this extent, and land Himegami in this state; the reason is...she made a mistake?...Th...at...she...what the hell!! Kamijou couldnt help but hammer hard into the wall. Now still crying, Komoe-senseis shoulders inadvertently trembled. Stiyl looked bored as he exhaled, and pulled out some runes from his coat. After tossing them, the cards stuck on the wall like there were magnets on it. Let this place be hidden. Saying this, the crowd that was blocking the dark alley now moved back onto the road like a plug being pulled out. This should be Stiyls Disperse by-standers. To carry out such emergency procedures, you probably called for an ambulance. If so, its better to wait at the entrance of the alley. If youre to keep staying here, the paramedics wont be able to see you. But at least its better than letting the bystanders stand around here. In order to chase Oriana, Stiyl headed into the inside of the dark alley. If she wanted to get to the bus stop through here, shed continue to move forward. Thus, Stiyl moved forward without hesitation. He stepped past Himegami Aisa, who was lying in the pool of blood. HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!! What, what are you expecting now? Are you going to stay here and scream, or are you going to continue chasing after Oriana Thomson, and end this quickly? Its because of us that she got involved! How can we just leave Himegami behind without taking care of her? Kamijou!? Komoe-sensei looked up, speaking in a soft voice. She was clearly one of the affected parties, but as nobody had told her what was going on, she couldnt understand what they were saying. Then, what can you do? Stiyl stood beside Himegami, who was not moving at all, and stared straight at Kamijous face. Then, he extended out his hand that had a ring on each finger. STOP GETTING ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY, YOU AMATEUR!! He suddenly grabbed Kamijous hair and forcefully pulled it down. In front of Kamijou, was a girl lying in the pool of blood, breathing weakly. In front of this injured girl, what can an amateur like you do? Even a specialist like me cant do anything, NOTHING! Will staying with her heal her up? Will grabbing her arm cause her pain to go away? If you believe so, fine, then do it, right in front of me! During this time, this cold and hard reality will only rob her of her strength! Right now, we can only chase Oriana! And if we are to do that, we have to step past her! If youre not willing, then just stay here and mope all you want!! Stiyl roughly let go of Kamijous hair. Kamijou took a few steps back. ...You think that youre the only one angry, Kamijou Touma? Anyone will feel something by just seeing this. Even if its Stiyl Magnus, he will feel it. The girl that I risked my life to save from Misawa Cram School is now injured to such an extent; you think that I can remain calm!? Stiyl pointed his index finger, with the shiny ring on it, downwards. Step over it, Kamijou Touma. Step over her and chase after Oriana! This is our world. Terrible, isnt it? We cant treat this girl: this fact will not change. If you want to protect others, clench your fist. Theres a limit to what we can do in the first place. Your right hand has the ability to break illusions, since when did it have the ability to protect an illusion? ...Damn it. Kamijou lowered his face as his bangs blocked his view. He was gritting his teeth so hard that his molars were about to break. In this hidden regret, was it directed at Oriana, or was it the fact that he couldnt rebut back? That...bastard...!! Kamijou let out a roar that sounded like he was going to cry. Then, he lifted a leg, as that trembling leg was about to make a first step. Instead of staying behind to look after Himegami, he chose to chase after the escaping Oriana. The magician, Stiyl Magnus, narrowed his eyes as he saw the ritual in front of him. It was when Kamijous foot was about to step past Himegami Aisas body. The priest saw it. It was Tsukuyomi Komoe, who was slightly far away from Himegami Aisa, now drenched in blood. Her hands, face, clothes, all dyed a crimson red thanks to the blood. Komoe-sensei was sitting on the floor, not caring about her skirt or the ground, as her butt directly sat on the ground. But, that wasnt the focus. She slowly began to collect the surrounding pieces of rock and cans and stacked them up like she was playing with toy bricks, arranging them. But she was not placing them anyhow. It looked like a lame miniature model of the buildings. Wait a minute. Stiyl suddenly said something. Kamijou, who was about to take a step forward, lost his balance as he stepped backwards. Stiyl completely ignored him, as he just stared at Tsukuyomi Komoes face. What...are you doing? That time... The female who was only 135cm tall looked at the magician with her reddish eyes. ...Didnt it work for Sister-san the last time? So, this...this time...I...should...be able...to do it. The last time...sister-san...was slashed in the back, she was bleeding profusely. But...if sensei follows...what Sister-san...instructed... No way... Stiyl Magnus suddenly thought of it. When that Index had first come to Academy City, Kanzaki Kaori had accidentally slashed Index in the back. Kamijou had carried that injured girl to Tsukuyomi Komoes apartment. But, Index and Kamijou couldnt use magic. That was not a technical problem, but a physical one. Then, the one who had used healing magic on Index was Dont tell me, it was you...? Stiyl said in a low voice that was full of surprise and respect. The petite girl didnt notice his transformation. ...Before, everything was alright after I did this. Sensei...remembers it very clearly? I really...followed what...Sister-san...instructed...! Why? Why, isnt Himegami healed...!? Himegami...just talked about the night tour, she wanted to go out with Kamijou. She checked the tour guidebook a few days ago. WHY...MUST THIS HAPPEN...!! Such an outcry wasnt directed at anyone. And Stiyl and Kamijou could only listen to her sobbing. What Tsukuyomi Komoe was doing was a healing spell, one that required delicate mixing of a magician-made hakoniwa (Note: A hakoniwa is a miniature piece of art. It may be a miniature garden, a landscape or a bonsai. Places in a box or a basin.) to a fixed amount of space. By using this method, if one was to patch up a ragged doll, the person could heal an injured person. But, if one didnt separate a fixed perimeter and just completed the hakoniwa, there wouldnt be any effect. Not just in the physical sense, the caster had to consider the magic symbols and the way the Angels power was to flow in. It wasnt a simple process that any magician could do. Even for Stiyl, who could flexibly control the runes and the Christianity, he could only heal burns. Though it was a recovery spell, due to the differences in sects, rules and spells, just chanting the incantation wasnt enough to heal. It was like how flu medicine was not going to heal a fracture: if one didnt carry out the appropriate spell, it wouldnt have any effect on the injured person. Moreover, if they wanted to heal laceration, beatings, fractures, and internal injuries, they needed a specialised caster. If there was a person with knowledge that was of Indexs level, maybe even an amateur could do it. But such a condition may be too unique. Like he expected, Tsukuyomi Komoes spell wasnt complete. Of course, it was a different case when she had been instructed by Index to activate the magic spell. But for this kind of hakoniwa that was made when she just learnt a bit of, it was a bit too loose, and there were no magical symbols at all. This was expected, as Komoe-sensei, who was from the science side, didnt understand how the spell works in theory. But, she had called an ambulance. And she did all the emergency procedures that she could do. Tsukuyomi Komoe tried every single method that she could think of, but there was no effect at all. In the end, she had to seek help from the magic that she had no knowledge of. She may not know how outrageous this thing that she did was. She may also not know that she was betting on such a lousy contraption. Even so, she was just doing it for... A girl in front of her who she wanted to save. Damn it... Stiyl Magnus inadvertently looked away. This female called Tsukuyomi Komoe was very similar to a certain girl. A petite figure, extremely na?ve, one who got angry for others sake, one who cried for others sake, one who had magical knowledge, but was unable to use magic, that crying look when she got dyed in other peoples blood. Stiyl felt this unhappiness in his heart as he couldnt help but narrow his eyes. He inhaled, and tossed the cigarette aside. Nope, its not like that. Eh? Tsukuyomi Komoe looked up. Stiyl pulled out several rune cards that had complicated symbols on them from his pitch-black coat. Like using a bucket to store seawater, first, we have to set the hakoniwa area. Also, its too little to just think of an Angel. We have to set where the Angel is to come in, and where is it going to stay. You just need to imagine it. Were not really summoning an Angel that has wings, we just need some sort of force. He immediately bent down. Facing Himegami, who was wrapped in bandages and could only let out feeble breathing. He faces the girl who he had just stepped over. Kamijou Touma, go and chase after Oriana. What? Ill tell you Tsuchimikados new number. Even without me around, itll be troublesome if you cant contact him. Wait a sec. That means...youll... Dont expect too much. Im pretty much an amateur in this aspect. The magician, Stiyl Magnus, said unhappily. I can only heal burns; loss of blood and fractures will require another type of spell. Also, this is a territory which Ive never stepped into before. To heal such a serious injury...even those that specialises in surgery may not be able to do this... But he continued, ...This person seems to know something thats part of Indexs knowledge. Ill borrow some knowledge from her to confirm this theory. I cant even memorise Tsuchimikados all-around reality array and divination circle array. To be honest, Im a little worried...but we can still gain some time before we send her to the hospital. After this, we can only hope for a highly-skilled doctor to heal her. Eh, ah...? Tsukuyomi Komoe forcefully rubbed her eyes. Seeing her like this, Stiyl couldnt help but look away. Wait till my instructions are over, then get to the road to call the paramedics in. Kamijou Touma, you go ahead and chase after Oriana. If even you stay behind, that right hand contraption of yours will destroy this healing spell completely. When this is over, Ill immediately talk...let me repeat this again, if you want to settle all these, hurry up and get out of here. ...Got it. Kamijou stared at Himegamis face, her body lying in the pool of blood. He then exerted some strength into the five fingers of his right hand. I will, if this will solve everything. So Stiyl, Im leaving Himegami to you. I should have said it before, but dont expect too much. Stiyl heavily exhaled as he said this. He then said in an extremely irritated tone. Im not used to this either. In this world, I wish that I could use magic thats not used for attacking others. Between the lines 5 (Why...) Himegami Aisa was lying on the icy floor as she silently thought. (Why...did it...end up like this?) In the afternoon of this cruel September heat, only this alley was so cold that it penetrated the skin. Maybe it was because the sun was unable to shine in here all year long. The walls and what was on the ground, everything looked black. She knew that her pulse was still beating. The top of her chest to the bottom of her abdomen exploded. The pain was at the point of saturation, such that she started to get numb. Thus, she looked around, and on seeing the blood that flew out and the scraps of skin and flesh, her thoughts were about to cause her head to explode. But, The even painful truth was in front of her. The two boys were beside her. In this blurred vision of hers, they seemed to be arguing. STOP GETTING ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY, YOU AMATEUR!! A voice that saddened people. Even so, there was a sense of resilience in this voice. In front of this injured girl, what can an amateur like you do? You can, Himegami wanted to say. But her lips were dry, and her voice couldnt come out. Even a specialist like me cant do anything, NOTHING! These words hurt the other boy. Every time she heard this, she knew how twisted the young mans face was. Will staying with her heal her up? Will grabbing her arm cause her pain to go away? Its alright, she wanted to say. Her wounds may not be healed, her pain may not subside. But, she could say this, that this didnt mean that there wasnt any effect, not so. During this time, this cold and hard reality will only rob her of her strength! Why? Himegami thought. Why must this world be so cruel? She just needed to deny it. The boy didnt need to give such a hurt expression. Her lips couldnt open. Her tongue couldnt move. Her throat couldnt even make a sound. The two boys seemed to be arguing over something, or more accurately, one side was attacking the other. This was a form of verbal violence. Every word that was said, the boys face looked hurt, like his feelings were skinned off him. She didnt want to see that expression. To be honest, she wanted to be with him. It didnt necessarily need to be only two people. She wanted to take part in the matches together with everyone, to cheer for her friends together, to shop together, to go for the night tour together, to create happy memories together, to laugh happily together. This was just what she wanted. ...let me repeat this again, if you want to settle all these, hurry up and get out of here. No, Himegami wanted to say. ...Got it. No, dont, she wanted to say, but she couldnt let her voice out. I will, if this will solve everything. After this, the boy stepped over her body and ran into the alley. She was unable to convey her words, as the other person, back facing her, was running further and further away from her. Why must this world be so cruel? No matter how hard she prayed for it earnestly, her request wouldnt be granted. No matter how hard she tried, she couldnt make any voice. From the beginning till the end, all her hopes were taken away by the world Im sorry, Himegami. Even so, she heard something. Before the night tour begins, Ill visit your room, so just wait for me there. At this moment, she felt that she was smiling now. Volume 10, 7: The Foe Who Should Be Beaten, The Person Who Should Be Protected. Parabolic_Antenna. Volume 10, Chapter 7: The Foe Who Should Be Beaten, The Person Who Should Be Protected. Parabolic_Antenna. Part 1 DAMN IT...!! Because of what was in front of him, Kamijou Touma couldnt help but shout out. There was no one left at the bus stop. Right now, it was 3:30 PM, as the heat of this hot day began to weaken. There was only a simple tin-roofed bus stop there, all alone, facing the road. There was no one sitting on the bench, no one queuing up. The surrounding people werent looking at the bus-stop, like how they would treat a lost child standing there. Ha. The situation in front of him made him laugh weakly. Kamijou just stood there. On both sides of the road, there was no sign of any auto-bus, and there were no clues as well. Forget about which bus Oriana took, he was not even clear if she had taken the bus from this bus stop. At first, if they couldnt catch Oriana in three minutes, she would escape. They had wasted quite some time when Himegami was attacked. By calculating the distance and time, one knew that they couldnt catch up to Oriana. In terms of common knowledge, this was to be expected. But, (That Oriana, where did she run off to...!!?) Facing this reality, Kamijou couldnt help but feel giddy. No matter how he swore, what kinds of thoughts he had, a desire that couldnt be attained meant that it couldnt be attained. Though not everything could go a persons way, such a simple fact shot Kamijou down. He couldnt catch up to Oriana anymore. As for Lidvia, there was not even half of a single clue on her. If this kept up, they couldnt prevent her from using the Apostles Cross. (What now?) Kamijou pulled out his phone and dialled Tsuchimikado Motoharus number. He pressed the call button and waited for a few seconds. Tsuchimikado seemed to be waiting for a call, as he immediately answered it. Kamijou said straight away, Sorry, Tsuchimikado. I lost Oriana at the bus stop. Himegami got hit by one of her magic attacks, so I guess shes still around. Is there any way to check that out? No...about this, its a bit tough nya. Tsuchimikado said in a weak voice, The all-around reality array can only reach 3 kilometers in all directions. It wont be effective...from where I am now, and Stiyl cant set up the all-around reality array on his own...right now, even if I take a bus to where Stiyl is, if Orianas taking a bus...shell be able to completely get away from the effective zone. Then now what? Kamijou looked around. There was still no clue. ...Which line will Oriana most likely take, do you know nya? I do. Kamijou was looking at the tour guidebook of Daihaseisai. ...The route of this bus seems like it will loop around the seventh school district, but I dont know where Oriana will alight. Estimating the time that elapsed up till now, the bus should have passed through 4 stations, so she might still be taking the bus. Oriana, she...should be trying her best to escape as far as she can...so, shes most likely still on the bus. But, theres an underground train near the second stop, and the fourth stop is a terminal where other buses will stop at as well. She might change transportation somewhere. ... Tsuchimikado Motoharu became silent. There were all sorts of people around Kamijou, students spending their free time eating some ice cream, spectators rushing to the next arena, parents being pestered by their children to buy them fruit juice. There were supposed to be all sorts of noises and footsteps around him...but Kamijou could only hear a silence. Right now, they were in a fix. They couldnt predict Orianas movements. Did she, or did she not take the auto-bus? Basically, where was she headed to? ...Wait a sec, Tsuchimikado? Kamijou lifted his head as he said in a low voice. Hearing Kamijou say this, Tsuchimikado braced his wounded body and replied, What now...Kami-yan? Let me ask you, why was Oriana on the streets just now? Eh? Thats because...we were chasing her, so in order to escape No, I mean before that. Kamijou interrupted, The reason why this chase began was because I bumped into Oriana when I was with Fukiyose-san. Then, whats Orianas purpose for walking over there? Kamijou slowly arranged his thoughts, If Oriana and Lidvia never intended to trade the Apostles Cross, she cant possibly be meeting up with someone on the streets. So, why was she on the streets? Whats her aim? Cant she prevent herself from taking this kind of risk? I see nya. Tsuchimikados voice indicated that he had recovered in strength. At least in the morning, Oriana didnt...have the Apostles Cross. Even so, she still took action...that means that she needs a reason to work alone. What reason...? As Kamijou asked, Tsuchimikado seemed like he couldnt endure the pain as he groaned. I dont know nya...this, I have no idea about it. But...the Apostles Cross hasnt activated yet. The reason behind it...may be related to this. That Oriana, might she be...looking for the conditions to use the Apostles Cross... The conditions, Tsuchimikado said, This was something that the magicians felt may be a clue in leading them to Oriana. Before knowing the answer, because Tsuchimikado had been using the security facilities of Academy City to look for Oriana, because they had an advantage when pursuing her, they had delayed it all the way till now... The searching criteria...? In other words, one cant use it without a special environment? Oriana must be moving around to look for that condition. ...To sneak into Academy City without any assurance...and now theyre hastily looking for the condition now? This might be a bit strange...of all times, in this critical juncture, Stiyl just had to turn off his phone! Now that Tsuchimikado mentioned it, Kamijou remembered that Stiyl was exchanging information with some people from Academy City. Stiyl did mention it before... Oh yeah, that guy said it before, about a storage room for the Apostles Cross. What? Kami-yan, even if its trivial...its alright, just tell me what you know in detail. Okay, seems like the work in London isnt proceeding smoothly. Right now, we know that the windows of the storage room are sealed, and there are two doors. Hmmm...two doors...? Like those in the airtight labs? ...No, what are they like? Kamijou slightly nodded his head. Ah, thats right, it seems the purpose is to prevent light from shining on it. Light huh...the Apostles Cross is a powerful spiritual tool, maybe they dont want to activate it accidentally nya... Tsuchimikado remained quiet. One could hear him breathing lightly, probably because his breathing was irregular. Such a silence meant that he was seriously thinking about this. This silence, one formed when Tsuchimikado tried not to make a sound, stimulated Kamijous nerves even more. The sweat flowing down his face wrinkled it, as he began to ponder as well. A security vault, conditions of using it, two doors, and a room with no windows. To prevent light from shining in, that meant that light was... Will there be a problem once that Apostles Cross touches light? ...I dont think so...if so, theres no need to care about the location and time, right? Even now...the sun is still up. If they only need this to activate the Apostles Cross...they would have done it right from the beginning. If its such a simple thing, they only need to forcefully invade Academy City...and use the Apostles Cross before being captured...wouldnt that be enough? Its like a game of kicking the can...but, if the spiritual tool activates...because of some form of light, I guess its possible... About 2,000 years ago, Christianity at that time...before it was segregated into Roman Catholics or British Puritans, there were quite a few...spells that used light. The baptism centre has 3 windows, and using the light shining in, three sorts of light are formed. This represented...the Trinity nya. Then, what does it have to do with the light thats required to activate it...? Kamijou raised this doubt that was floating in his head. Tsuchimikado didnt answer; he probably didnt know either. Say, Kami-yan...is that...all the information that you have? Just these... Kamijou put his phone near his ear as he pondered. The magic topic that Stiyl talked about wasnt in his field of work. If he could memorise it, he could say it out immediately without understanding the principles, but there were many things that he couldnt memorise. Even so, he was trying to force out what he remembered. Ah!...There is. What? That Stiyl said that its too troublesome to explain it, so he sent Orsolas email report into my phone. ...The contents? The heat in Tsuchimikados voice lowered. Sorry, I cant read it since its in foreign language. Can you read it if I send it over? How would I know if...you dont send it over nya? What foreign language are you talking about? Its not in English? Tsuchimikado informed Kamijou of his new mail address. Kamijou cut the line and opened his mail, forwarding the mail that Stiyl had sent him to Tsuchimikado. Two minutes later, Kamijous phone again indicated an incoming call. Kami-yan, anyway...Ive read the report. This is...Italian, they didnt turn these words into a magical code. ...Then, whats the content about? This seems to be...after arranging the British Library...miscellaneous records, just ordinary stuff. The security vault of the Apostles Cross...will organize...a biannual...cleaning. This record seems to be a record...that some of the security members recorded during the cleaning nya. In the mail, there were several rules regarding the cleaning. First, they had to clean it on a certain day. Second, they had to do it in the daytime. Well...its not major information. Wait a sec, Tsuchimikado. Read that mail again. Kamijou kept the handphone at his ear for a while. It was a while before Tsuchimikado spoke. Daytime? Not nighttime? Thats strange, they already used two doors to prevent light from shining in. Isnt daytime even brighter? Seems like...its not just that. Tsuchimikado said that there was something written on the back of the report. In practicality, such a rule was rather ambiguous, according to this guards report, even if the guards forgot to clean it in the day, they wouldnt clean it at night. Hed say everything will be done tomorrow morning and go home. This inspectors report, seems...it isnt appropriate to say that the attitude of the guard isnt good nya. Also, while they were working...there seem to be a few people who were...playing with astrology horoscope. Damn it...its not really some important information after all. The...content of this is about the guard grumbling. Kamijou felt that there was something fishy with this report. ...The Apostles Cross is a rather important artifact of the Roman Catholics, right? Thats right nya...and because of this, to these people, its a Holy item that they might even weep...or even kneel down in front of. Then normally, would they let others take care of it so easily? Hm. I also feel that those guys...wouldnt just anyhow leave it. The keeper of the Apostles Cross seems to be some sort of elite group...the record of the inspector, hes just away for a while...so he can only...write such a record. Whats going on? ... During the case of the Book of the Law...though the decoding failed, Orsola Aquinas...information analysis...the level of danger...was such that the whole...Roman Catholic Church felt it was too dangerous. Though Stiyl seems to think that its nothing, since Orsola...would choose this to be the report, it may mean that...theres some discrepancies in it nya... Seems like it. Kamijou replied to Tsuchimikado, thinking carefully about the events that had happened up till now. The windows of the security vault were removed, and there were two doors for the entrance to completely prevent light from shining in. Even so, the cleaners carried out their cleaning only in the daytime, and not in the nighttime. And the report even said, the guards who forgot to clean it up didnt do it at night, but said that hed do it the next day, and went home. In other words, the main point was Tsuchimikado, regarding the lights thats supposed to activate the Apostles Cross, is it a light that only appears at night, and not in the day? Because from the actions of the guard, even if he ignored the first rule that they had to clean it on a certain day, he had to abide by the regulation of they had to do it in the daytime, right? Between these two rules, even if they were to remove one, they had to put the other as priority. In it, there must be a reason why they had to put the other rule as the priority. Hm...its not unreasonable...nya. Tsuchimikados words werent clear as he said, But, that night light...what can it be? Can it be...moonlight? Like, a full moon...if it can be activated on a certain phase of the moon period...if its this sort of condition, the moon cycle and the date on the calendar...would be different. Even if they have already decided it...the date will differ because of the moon cycle, so they cant decide on a...safe date. Tsuchimikados suggestion was that if it used moonlight, which was unrelated to the moon phase, there was no need to strictly set a day for cleaning. Like, Easter or Christmas. They could just do it by choosing a certain day. He concluded, since there was a need to choose a date, there must be some sort of religious meaning behind it. In this situation, the date would be closely related to the conditions needed to be fulfilled in order to activate the Apostles Cross. ...A nights light...huh? Kamijou held onto his handphone with one hand as he sunk deep into thought. (Its not that Oriana didnt intend to use the Apostles Cross, but they cant use it.) Kamijou arranged all the information that he had in his head. (They have to use a certain sort of light if they want to use the Apostles Cross.) A fact that he had witnessed himself, and Stiyls information from the British Library, and then Tsuchimikados assumptions. He reconsidered these carefully. (Its not a days light, but a nights light.) Kamijou stared at the wall of the building. There were many electronic bulletins that were formed by lights. (No, thats not right. Since its something that was available several thousand years ago, it shouldnt be something like a light bulb or LED, its something that only this night scene has.) His eyes moved away from the bulletin. (A naturally occurring light...) He held onto the handphone with one hand as he sunk deeper into his own thoughts. (Also, its a light that related to the calendar...) Kamijou Touma seemed to realise it as he looked up at the sky hovering over Academy City. Tsuchimikado had mentioned this when he read Orsolas report a while back. The keepers of the Apostles Cross werent serious. A lot of them were playing with astrology. But, What if the astrology was important? Maybea constellation? This...is rather likely nya... Tsuchimikado seemed to nod his head as he remained silent for a while, and said, A spiritual tool...that uses constellations, isnt rare...a constellation spell is the basic of the basics, the summoning of an Angel needs to match the constellation of the season. Tsuchimikado added on that compared to the moon cycle, which is based on a month, a constellation is based on a year. For example, if a Springs Constellation was the key to activating the Apostles Cross, they had to clean it up in a season with an Autumns Constellation. Just like this, they could easily mark down a safe date on the calendar. This means that the guards...didnt have bad attitude...they might be...using the constellation to collect...all the required information for their work nya... Tsuchimikado seemed to agree with this, but just something like this wasnt very clear. Thus, Kamijou honestly asked, A force is required to activate the Apostles Cross, but to use it, whats the type to be used? Basically...it uses 12 ecliptic, 28 north days, and 48 south, a total of...88 constellations, one of which is required to use the magic. In other words...in this situation, the ecliptic Aries and Scorpio do not have any power on their own...the stars that are arranged in a constellation, though they look very close...the distance is somewhat far huh? To include each and every single one of them...its rather difficult. ...Is it really like this? Though he wasnt familiar with constellations, Kamijou knew that it was something that people believed in several thousand years ago. There was a way to calculate the distance between the stars? To be honest, could anyone accurately recognize the structure of the universe in that time? As Kamijou raised his doubt. Thats why they have to use that, Kami-yan. What? The old universe...no, we basically call it the sky...everyone thought that...this sky...surrounds the Earth like a giant dish plate...well, this feels like a celestial chart...nya? Tsuchimikado continued, ...The magic of a constellation, uses such a celestial chart...its unrelated to the actual power of a star or the distance. This is something that displays this fixed picture...that appears...on this night sky...into a magic array. The picture itself is very simple, but thats...a large-scale force. The picture itself isnt complicated, so it can normally be used on several spells...but such a useful spell...there shouldnt be a lot of them nya. Tsuchimikado said that when they were at the seaside resort, the night sky when the Archangel used the power of God was used to develop this constellation magic, a sky thats beneficial to the caster. Kamijou couldnt accurately tell how large scale the spells were that required the use of a constellation in the magic side. However, it was a shock for him now that he knew that this spell was somewhat related to the spells that Angels used. Then, that Oriana... These...may be the possible conditions thats required to activate the Apostles Cross. Because they need to gather the light of the night...onto...that Cross on the ground, and to accomplish that objective, they have to set up some sort of antenna to absorb the nights light, and then use the link...required for the spell to be activated. The reason why Oriana was running around on the streets...was probably because she was...looking for the best place to establish this antenna. Tsuchimikado said that not all spells that used stars followed this rule. Like for example, on the last day of Kamijous summer holidays, the spear Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli that the Aztec magician had used. That kind of magic that used the power of Venus had nothing to do with the night, it just heavily relied on Venus actual position. But, the Apostles Cross probably didnt follow the same rule, because if it did, Oriana didnt need to find an opportunity. If it could use a certain light source like sunlight, they could have quickly activated the Apostles Cross and dominated Academy City quickly. Thus, the Apostles Cross was likely to be a spiritual tool that used the appearance of a constellation, a picture of it. The reason why Oriana was moving about was because she was looking for a place where she could use the appearance of the constellation. Even so, what was her reason for walking around the streets? Was it that the places that she had checked up till now werent suitable for activating the Apostles Cross, or was she looking for the most suitable place? ...However, for Oriana to really intend on...using the power of the Constellation...to activate the Apostles Cross...this is rather likely... Tsuchimikado said as he ended his explanation. This is rather likely? What do you mean by that? This assumption...though rather solid, has a few...contradictions that need to be solved nya. What would that be? Kamijou frowned. Tsuchimikado said directly, Listen carefully, Kami-yan...the so-called Apostles Cross is something...highly related to Peter... one of the twelve Apostles...of the original Church that the Son of God created when he died. Of course, the Romans...used this power to create the Roman Catholics, and the event that caused this to happen...was Peters death, or something after that. Tsuchimikado said that Peter was executed during the late 1st century A.D., and Emperor Constantine first recognised Christianity in the early 4th century, and the Frankish king, Papal the short, gave up this land in the 8th century. The time between these events was rather long. Even so, it was after Peters death that people first erected a Cross to commemorate Peter, and stated that this land is Peters inheritance, which led to a long road that ended up with 2 billion believers forming the nucleus of the Roman Catholic Church. About this, the Apostles Cross was originally a Cross thats set up on a grave. It should be something that was completed before some certain Cathedral was built. Whats wrong with this? The date to use the Apostles Cross...and the constellation are important, I agree with these two points. But...Peter died...on the 29th of June. Its a different season, the sky is also different...you should have heard of...the summer and winter constellations, right? Also, because of the latitude and longitude...one will see different constellations in Japans sky as compared to the Vatican. The Vaticans sky on 29th June...is different from Japans sky in late September. If they cant solve this problem, its impossible for them to use the constellations nya... In other words, during this season, they couldnt use the Apostles Cross? Kamijou slightly frowned. But, what would happen if they dont care about the season and use the Apostles Cross? Kami-yan, think about it...we use a direct current for our shavers...what would happen if we use alternating current instead? ... I dont know to what extent will this thing...be destroyed, but at least...they cant successfully execute their plan. If not for this, wouldnt it be meaningless for them...to specially these important...conditions of usage nya? ...Then, why would they bring in a spiritual tool that they cant use...? I dont know nya...there may be a condition...to overcome this nya. Damn it, theres not enough time to...think about this properly. Time. Now that it was mentioned, Kamijou re-realised the restrictions. Assuming if Oriana and Lidvia are waiting for the constellations to appear in the night because they want to use the Apostles Cross, the restriction of activating it is still sunset, right? Its not immediate. According to the constellations, we may see it clearly only when the stars from the first to third class can be seen. Right now, the time... Maybe it was because this call was very long, the time was about to reach 4 PM. The sunset of the end of September was normally just before 7 PM. Because the first star would shine before sunset, according to the situation, it would be extremely difficult if they operated after 6 PM. In other words, they had to find Oriana in the next two to three hours. No, the Apostles Cross may not be in Orianas hands. In this situation, they could only force Oriana to spit out Lidvias whereabouts and catch her. There wasnt much time. There was no guarantee that they could catch Oriana at all, and on top of that, they had to find Lidvia. I feel that were lacking the decisive blow... anyway, lets get to work. Im moving...along where Oriana went by, looking for a common point in this constellations spell...if were successful...maybe we can know where Orianas targeting... Wait...wait a sec! Youre okay if you take action in this condition? In this...situation? ...Kami-yan, what kind of condition do you think Im in now? Tsuchimikado pretended to be calm as he said this. On the other side of the call, on the screen now, was an idiot who was still talking despite all his injuries. Besides magic, Tsuchimikado had the Auto Regeneration, but that was a Level 0 ability. Though it was better than nothing, it wasnt an ability that could remove wounds like an eraser. Kamijou intended to say something, but he knew that it was useless to talk about anything right now. ...I know. Then, what do I have to do during this time? Just as Tsuchimikado was about to propose something. A different voice came from behind Kamijou, ...Touma, what are you doing here? Part 2 The auto bus was at an auto bus stop. Like the other passengers around her, Oriana Thomson glanced around. This wasnt an ordinary parking for passengers to alight and board the bus. As the bus was too heavy, the AI controlling the bus had immediately come to a halt. It seemed that as there were already so many people on the bus, and yet there were other people boarding it, the bus had reached its limit. A female voice came from the audio speakers on the bus. It seemed to be pre-recorded, as there was no sense of any emotion in the voice. "This bus will now stop due to safety concerns, we''re sorry for this inconvenience" Basically, they werent informed on how to settle this problem. If no one was getting off the bus, the overweight situation wouldnt be solved. However, it would be a different case altogether if someone was willing to give up his own baggage. Oriana decided to get off the bus. From the comfort of the cooling air-conditioning to the tarmac road. Instead of staying in the bus, not knowing when it could move, it might be better to go off and look for other methods of transport. She then walked onto the street. There may have been an arena nearby, as there were many people around. The surrounding stalls were also selling stuff used for cheering, like megaphones and round fans. Oriana was completely unable to see what was behind the bus stop. (So now, its seems that Kanzaki Kaori isnt coming.) She gently sighed. (Now that Ive confirmed that no one else is pursuing me, the card thats to be specially used against a Saint cant be used. That card doesnt seem to be effective against normal magicians...so whos going to satisfy my thirst of battle? Never mind. Ill probably face off against a Saint in this long life.) At this moment, Oriana thought of the black-haired girl whose upper body had been badly damaged, the female student whose flesh had been destroyed together with the hidden Cross. (...) Oriana looked at the stack of flashcards in her hand. She bitterly tore a flashcard and activated a communicating spell. This was a spell that transmitted a persons thoughts to another, as Oriana sent over a certain scene that was etched in her mind. Lidvia. I know what you want to say. The other party was Lidvia Lorenzetti. But what Oriana heard wasnt an interrupted way of speaking. The girl that you took care of was just an ordinary person. This interrupted tone. Bang! Oriana kicked hard at the ground. Though she knew that doing so would attract a lot of attention, it seemed to have been done on reflex. (Not just once, to misfire twice...!!) This icy tone reverberated through Oriana, who was gritting her teeth. There was a name and photo in the report regarding the Alchemist incident. Her name is Himegami Aisa, and though she has an important power, shes not a magician. That Colt Cross is used to seal a unique power, and is just a spiritual tool that was given by another magician, theres no offensive capability at all. In order to avoid a misunderstanding, the British Puritans once gave a formal report. The report about Kanzaki Kaori was really a bluff. And, to think that girl who she mistook as an enemy had nothing to do with the British Puritans. ...The worst scenario. Its really the worst scenario. We have laid hands on someone whos completely unrelated to this incident, and twice to boot. Though the reason for the first time was due to other magicians getting involved, were fully responsible this time. Lidvia said in a firm voice. We have taken action against those we should be protecting. This was truly the voice of a nun who evangelised to others who didnt know about Christianity. The people we should extend out our hands to arent Saints who have great morals, but sinners who are lost and need redemption. This is what the Son of God said to Matthew, the tax collector who was hated by everyone else, when he ate with him. We have defied this rule. Do you know what this means? ... Oriana remained silent. Lidvias words werent interrupted, as there was no sense of hesitation in these words. From the beginning to the end, that was a voice that followed the decision of the Bible, and a voice that allowed no interruption. Also We cant make a second mistake again. For these people whom we have hurt, we have to be extra careful, and use the Apostles Cross to take over Academy City. There was no sense of hesitation in her tone. No matter the amount of downsides, she had to turn all these into positives. Lidvia Lorenzetti continued on with this kind of feeling. She was reflecting on it, and at the same time, regretting it. Lidvia should be in even more emotional pain than Oriana. But she would use this pain as food for progress. She understood the meaning of the word training, and no matter how painful it was, she would use this chance to increase her pace. Thus, Oriana wouldnt stop. From birth till death, she wouldnt stop. Oriana felt a chill flowing down her backbone. Not because of the difference in power, but because of the difference in ideals. Really...? Then, Oriana asked this nun who was not the least swayed. ...Thus, everything would be successful, right? All the problems would be solved as long as we take in Academy City, right? Part 3 Touma, what are you doing here? Kamijou was shocked. He frantically turned around, and in front of him was Index, clad in cheerleading attire. She was holding pompons in both hands, and the calico cat that was surrounded by them seemed to hate the plastic plush feel, as it continued to struggle. She slightly inclined her head. Her head was tilted, but her eyebrows were twitching, indicating that she was angry. (Damn it...! Our school...will be competing in the arena nearby!?) Outside Academy City, there were many magicians waiting. They were of different nationalities and organisations. And these magicians had set up a magic sensing spell around Index that was of a 1 km radius. Once the magic sensing spell sensed some form of magical power, they would immediately enter Academy City. And among these people, not all of them would have eliminating Oriana and Lidvia as their priority. People against Academy City would use this chance to do all sorts of sabotage work. Touma, why arent you with those classmates from your class? Everyone was looking for you, and now everyone is heading out towards the next arena. Index seemed to be looking for something as she said this. It felt like you were still involved in the matches this morning, but you werent around in the afternoon. Why? Though Index was speaking in a somewhat lecturing tone, she was lacking her usual excitement and energy. The girls innocent look... Revealed an expression that made one wonder whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. It might have come from Kamijous experience of butting into other peoples affairs. (That Oriana seems to have gotten far away. There doesnt seem to be any bus stop nearby!?) Kamijou continued to think as he wished that his target, Oriana, had gotten far away. Right now, he was anxious because of these conflicting thoughts. ... On the other side of the phone call, Tsuchimikado was also silently waiting for the situation to develop. Kamijou saw that there was no auto-bus stop on the road in front and beyond of him. Say, Touma, where have Aisa and Komoe gone? Werent they with you? Hearing Indexs voice, Kamijou couldnt help but freeze up. (Thats right, Stiyl and Komoe-sensei are using magic to heal Himegami...!?) His actions were stiff. There was only about a kilometre to that place. What to do now? Ah...ahhh, they heard that the committee members are lacking in manpower right now, so they went over to help out. Thats weird, I thought that they have already sent out an email to the class. E-mail? Mn, maybe its outside the perimeter. The electrowaves havent reached the centre yet? Oh my, they havent checked how many cables are there...if its an ordinary store, there should be a relay base. Why? Though the news reported that having too many people contact each other at the same time during Daihaseisai will cause the cables to overload, the central processing ability should be increased at this point. ??? Index, who was in this cheerleading attire, tilted her head. Kamijou planned to smoke through using information about the Science world that Index was unfamiliar with, and it seemed to be working. He shook the phone slightly in his hand. Im using the phone now, Index. Ill be back later, so just go back to where everyone else is. Ahhello, hello? Is there anything strange going on over there? No...there isnt. Theres nothing strange going on outside, relax... Hearing this voice, Kamijou felt relieved. Index slightly frowned when she saw Kamijou act like this. Touma, Touma. I heard that the next activity is something called a group exercise (Note: the participants have to combine their limbs to perform several figures, and finally, build a human pyramid and get the most nimble person to get to the top of the pyramid to fling the ribbon in the persons hand to end it). Can you come over? ... Kamijou paused for a while, and said, Ill go. I need to settle some things that I have to help out with, so I will participate later. Can you wait for me, Index? He just said a promise that he could not fulfill. Nn. Index nodded her head without hesitation. She hugged the calico cat that was surrounded by the pompons. I got it, Touma, you have to get over there. Ill cheer for Touma, and will seriously follow the actions that Komoe taught me. Youll be shocked. With that cheery face, Index turned her back on Kamijou. She continued forward, maybe towards the next arena. As she didnt take a detour, and even ignored the food stalls around her, it seemed that she truly believed what Kamijou said. Kamijou Touma couldnt move as he watched her figure vanish. He waited till she disappeared before taking action. He closed his eyes, as if he was lowering his head and apologising. On the other side of the phone, Tsuchimikado said. ...Im sorry, Kami-yan. If Oriana and Lidvia had not arrived in this city, he should have been able to enjoy Daihaseisai together with his classmates. If Tsuchimikado and Stiyl hadnt asked for his help, he might not have realised that something was going on, and may ended up going out with Index or Himegami. He was just an ordinary person. Even if a magician snuck in, he didnt have to take part in the battle. Kamijou thought of this possibility. No problem. He firmly declared. Smiling while not knowing anything is also something thats unbearable. I dont want you guys to be painfully stained in blood while Index and I are enjoying ourselves. That was right, Tsuchimikado himself could have enjoyed Daihaseisai. Even Stiyl could have come to Academy City aside from the reason that he had to battle as a magician. They hadnt brought misfortune. Also, even if they had brought it, there was no need for them to run away. So, I was thinking. To selfishly push all the things that I hate onto Index...is really stupid. Because of this, Im happy that Im not willing to get her involved in this. ... Tsuchimikado Motoharu couldnt say anything. Basically, only Kamijou Touma was talking. He was asking the other person to give him the privilege to decide what to do. Lets settle these things and get back to Index. Everyones like an idiot, fooling around, eating and drinking, taking photosand sinking into this wonderful memory. Part 4 4:30 PM. Using the bus stop where he lost Oriana Thomson as the centre, Kamijou Touma looked around as if he was drawing a circle. Of course, there was a high likelihood that Oriana had taken the auto-bus and got away. However, it was possible that she defied their expectations and chose not to take the bus. Since they couldnt track Oriana down using the offensive methods, and Kamijou couldnt find out about the methods of using the Apostles Cross since his technical abilities were inadequate, he could only eliminate the possibilities of these ordinary methods. The lead, Tsuchimikado, was analysing Orianas movements from a while back, trying to find out where the Apostles Cross could be activated. Kamijou could only let a specialised magician handle it as he waited for the report. Kamijou continued to run, his skin feeling the 4:30 PM air. From noon to afternoon, the streets were still rather warm, but the feeling of the sun beating down on the skin was much gentler now. The only thing that hadnt changed was that Kamijou was running through the crowd that was heading towards shops, buying gifts, as well as towards the next arena. On the way, he could see someone with fluffy blond hair in the crowd. (...!? No, no, thats not Oriana.) As there were several students who dyed their hair, and there were also tourists from other countries, it was not uncommon to see people with blond hair. In order not to block other people who were moving about, Kamijou went to the side of the road and stopped for a while. (Oriana doesnt seem to be waiting for me to leave...however, this is the situation if shes not in the building.) He thought as he looked up from the pavement. The windows of the towers that were of uneven height reflected sunlight. (Its hard to look through everything in one go...but then, thats better than not doing anything at all. Alright, lets do it!) Kamijou pat his face with both hands, and headed towards a tower near a large electronics store. On the way... Wait a second, says Misaka as Misaka chases after and looks. Misaka just wants to look at souvenirs, so dont abandon me, says Misaka as Misaka tries to argue back but has no intention of stopping. He could hear a childs voice. Kamijou casually turned around, and among the crowd, he heard someone that he shouldnt be seeing anywhere around here. It was like a childs voice, and may be hiding among the crowd, but Misaka...? He thought about it for a while, but right now, there were more important things to do. (Right now, Tsuchimikado is doing the main task. I can only silently cheer him on.) He passed through the auto-door and looked around the spacious and bright store. The air-conditioning was rather comfortable, and the store was sufficiently laminated. The feeling of sunlight beating down on his skin was also rather slow. Kamijou slowly looked around the store, checking whether Oriana was in the store, occasionally looking outside the large window panel. The glaring sunlight was fading from the 4:30 PM sky. Though the sky wasnt red yet, it felt that the blue colour was becoming lighter. In an hour, it would be an evening sky. Then the first star would twinkle. Before the curtain of the night completely settled, the brightness of the constellation would probably reveal itself first. ...If our estimate from a while back is correct, theres only two hours left. Just as Kamijou sighed, the phone rang. The display showed not Tsuchimikados name, but an unknown number. He picked up the phone. It was from Stiyl Magnus. I asked Tsuchimikado what your number is, but I dont intend to record it. Maybe Stiyl was smoking, as Kamijou could hear the sound of air puffing out. Im done with that female student. Where are you right now? Kamijous breathing momentarily stopped. He hastily gripped the phone tightly. !? Hows Himegami now!? ...Itll be troublesome if you expect perfection from me. Its a method that Im unfamiliar with. One cant possibly be successful the first time he uses a healing spell. To be honest, I dont want to use that kind of spell again. Im only using a laymans knowledge as reference, carefully inspecting through these vague words to find the magical meaning behind it, and then recombining them to form a healing spell. Such an action is like walking on a tightrope. I was sweating over whether Ill lose control of the spell, and even now, Im crossing my fingers about it. Stiyl said unhappily. For a man with such pride to say this, it meant that it was a really dangerous operation. Kamijou felt that something heavy fell off his abdomen. Anyway, Ive already strengthened her blood vessels, added blood in them, and eased her pain signals to get her away from her shock state. Whats next is the doctors job...the paramedics are rather confident, saying that in a nearby hospital, theres a miracle doctor who can fulfill much more of his ability the more critical the situation is. It sounded embarrassing. It was like a hooligan saving a cat on the roadside, and then caught in the act by an ordinary citizen. You... Ah? Whats with this lifeless tone? I said it several times, I cant possibly live with you cheerfully...WAHH!! Dong!! An unbelievable voice came from the phone. A voice besides Stiyls... Uuu! Sensei hasnt thanked you yet! Uwahhh~!! If you werent here, Himegami...Himegami would have!! Stop...stop it!! Why are you hugging me and crying!! I never guaranteed that I could heal her. If we cant restore her strength, shell still fall in the end... ARE YOU LISTENING!!? Putting the phone next to his ear, Kamijou was silently worried (maybe) that Komoe-sensei, who was clinging onto the magician, would be burnt to a crisp, but Stiyl unexpectedly didnt seem to be using his powers. Seemed like if the other person was a small girl, he would let down his guard. He couldnt talk about the magic battle in front of Komoe-sensei. Kamijou intended to say Call you back later, and end off the call, but Call Tsuchimikado. In the midst of this ruckus, Stiyl said, He seemed to have gotten some clue. Ill get over there as soon as I get rid of her. Part 5 Tsuchimikado was at a certain corner of the seventh school district. It was where Kamijou and Fukiyose had first met Oriana. It was an ordinary road. There were several large department stores around, as the gas cylinder-sized robotic guards passed by the wind-powered windmill generators, moving around on the road. The students wearing P.E. attire were passing through as usual, but the tourists, who were in plainclothes, would especially stop by to see these robots. It was a place that could be easily spotted, but at the same time, a place that one could easily get lost. Tsuchimikado had already switched out of his damaged P.E. clothes for new ones, and it was almost impossible for one to see the bandages wrapped underneath from the outside. Even so, it was hard to conceal that pale face of his. There was no wind blowing, but his body continued to sway, and his breathing was abnormally light and rushed. The Level 0 ability, Auto Regeneration could only repair broken blood vessels. Even so, without this ability, he might have fallen a long time ago, right? Even in this condition, Tsuchimikado Motoharu continued to stand under a corner of the large sun. The reason was simple: he had something to do. (To practically use my own feet to confirm things...) Tsuchimikado looked up at the flying ships and balloons in the blue sky. (...I know about quite a few things. That Oriana took the risk to come out and walk about on the streets, so the reason is this?) He was a skilled user of a major eastern magic typethe Onmyoji Arts. Though it was Onmyoji, he had to practice quite a lot of spells, like fengshui, divination, alchemy, mantra, prayer and clepsydra, etc, with all sorts of targets and directions, including the calculation of time and the survival of a country; managing all these was the real ability of Onmyoji. Tsuchimikados speciality was in fengshui, but this was all that he had learnt. One could understand it by looking at the sky. The sky was blocked by the dark green leaves of the trees, but this was unrelated. By confirming todays date and coordinates, he could tell what kind of stars were arranged in the blue sky. Even if he didnt use a celestial globe or an astrology site, he could accurately assimilate all the knowledge of the constellations and their positions in his head. (If its of Index level, even if the person doesnt look up at the sky to confirm it, its likely that the person could guess the answer by hearing this nya...) Tsuchimikado bitterly thought. It was already a problem to think of even using pure knowledge to go up against that girl. No matter what, he still managed to come up with a conclusion. (I see...nya. By using the constellations...such a view, this seems to be correct. This seems...to be based on an autumns constellation nya...no matter from which point...seems like one can use the same magical meaning behind it, completely...analysing this constellation...this should be what the enemy did...it hurts.) Tsuchimikado scowled as he pressed on his flank, arranging his thoughts. Following the path that Oriana had taken, he understood something. No matter where he looked at the constellation, it was all the same. At first glance, it was an obvious conclusion, but if mixed in with a magician meaning, the situation was different. A so-called constellation was really something temporary seen from Earth. The stars looked like they were arranged, but that was just a misconception seen from both near and far-off distances. In radical terms, if one saw the constellations seen on Earth from the side, they would look completely different. In even stricter terms, if one was to observe the constellation from a slightly different point, the constellation would be slightly off shape. That was also something that could not be sensed by the human eye. Thus, several new magicians who interpreted it wrongly would lose control of their own spells. For Greek and Egyptian magicians who had wanted to use the power of the constellation, the reason why they had wanted to build giant temples was to establish a more intricate and sophisticated observatory. The starry sky itself wasnt strange, as it was a resource that anyone could use, but it took time to prepare a spell to accept the power of a constellation: this was the characteristic of a spell that required the use of a constellation. Though Tsuchimikado mentioned before that a constellation could be used on numerous types of spells, there had to be different observatories set up for different types of spells. An example would be the multi-religions Greeks, who established their Ares Temple and Helios Temple. Even so, Tsuchimikado had already passed through 3 to 4 observatories, and yet the displayed meanings were completely the same. (This isnt a coincidence nya. In other wordsI can confirm that Oriana and Lidvia are planning to use an autumn constellation to activate the Apostles Cross...) Tsuchimikado looked up at the wide sky. He narrowed his eyes as he looked through the sunglasses. (...If so, whats with this contradiction?) Part 6 Ah, Fukiyose? Are you feeling better now? Fukiyose Seiri made a call, and Tsukuyomi Komoes voice could immediately be heard. She was in the atrium of the hospital now. After resting on the hospital bed for a while and walking around after that, she had regained her strength, and her mobility had drastically increased. In this resting place that had a roof, there were wooden benches. Besides Fukiyose, there were 5 or 6 patients using their phones. There was a metal plate nailed onto the pillar, Phone usage area, sophisticated medical devices are forbidden to be brought in here, like a sign indicating that it was a smoking area. To people who liked to make a call whenever they were free, the hospital, a place that banned the use of handphones everywhere, was a rather oppressive place to them. This place was one that allowed them to use their phones at will. Fukiyose placed the phone near her ear. Im alright here. Is there anything wrong with Daihaseisai? Like, did those fools disclose any funnels? Ah! There is! There is! Himegami was in critical danger! ...Dont tell me that those idiots saw her changing!? Its not that! Himegami-san was attacked and sent to the hospital! Luckily, Kamijou and his friend were passing by. If it was just Komoe-sensei...if it was just me, it would have been a really serious situation... Komoe-sensei sounded depressed, but it didnt feel like despair from deep inside her heart. Maybe she was relieved that they had avoided the worst case scenario. But, Fukiyose was still mindful of some things. (Attacked...?) The first question that came to mind was, by who? And why? The transfer student, Himegami Aisa, may have a few problems of her own. However, it was said every year that those people who hated Academy City wanted to make use of Daihaseisai to do something. If so (What are the Anti-Skill and Judgement members doing...?) Not considering the Judgement members who had to take part in the matches, Anti-Skill should be doubly prepared. The open feeling of Daihaseisai was just what it looked like on the surface. Were they slacking around? Or was it that someone with better abilities than them was running around on the streets? And most importantly, What does if not for Kamijou and his friend mean? Its just like that. Himegami was hurt badly, Sensei was unable to handle it by myself! But Kamijou and his friend settled it flawlessly! Ah, whos that priest thats with Kamijou? He ran away before I could thank him...ah! Can it be that guy who slipped past the corner!! On the other side of the phone, one could clearly hear the sound of footsteps patapata. ... Wasnt that the same feeling in the beginning? That time, when she fell due to heatstroke, who was the one who had reacted first, and who took care of her? That boy who specially sneaked into other schools matches. Calmly assessing the entire situation, it did seem strange. Fukiyose thought. (I got heatstroke, Himegami was attacked. Is there anything related between these two cases? However, if both cases are related to Kamijou Touma...) What was going on? Fukiyose frowned. (...Whats going on in this city?) Part 7 Kamijou heard about the information from Tsuchimikado, who had returned. Maybe his Auto Regeneration was starting to gain effect, as his tone seemed to be more energetic. But, seeing his rather pale face covered with cold sweat, Kamijou felt that he should go to the hospital for a check-up. Tsuchimikado told him two things. Oriana and Lidvia intended to use one of Autumns constellations to activate the Apostles Cross. Every point observatory was based on that constellation. However, Tsuchimikado was rather suspicious about his own results. The reason why Oriana is moving about is definitely related to the constellations, and may also be the crux to the activation of the Apostles Crossbut this is really suspicious. Can this really activate the St. Peters Cross? No matter what, in historical records, the times when the Apostles Cross was activated were mainly during times with summer constellations. No matter how one thinks, at the end of September, it should be an autumns constellation now. Its really hard to imagine it as a replacement...what other conditions, there should be something that we dont know about. Tsuchimikado looked pale and his skin looked sweaty. The new set of P.E. clothes that he had changed into looked new, but there were blood stains on his fingerprints. It looked painful, but he probably didnt want to be asked about it. But, right now, wouldnt Oriana not risk being found out by her pursuers when she starts to look for points that are related to that constellation, Tsuchimikado? Do you know of places that Oriana might not have gone to? And where? Hm...but Im rather mindful about that unexplained problem. According to the results, besides the places that I found, there are also other places that can be used as an observatory nya. To be honest, theres not enough time. If we suddenly decide to rush off to the observatory that we predicted, and if Oriana activates the spell somewhere else in the opposite direction, what next? We cant just pack up and close shop nya. Tsuchimikado said, as he rubbed away the sweat that was flowing down. Kamijou confirmed the time. It was around 5 PM. That was right, even if they used the tram or the bus, as of the time now, it was rather dangerous to get from one side of the street to another. Not knowing the actual time made it even harder for them. If they were not careful, everything might be over in an hour. Kamijou looked at the clock function on his phones display. Come to think about it, we dont even have time to even think! Just standing around, doing nothing, time will still go on! I dont want to snap back only to realise that we cant make it there in time. I know that...damn it, whats that Stiyl doing at this time? Tsuchimikado also knew that it was a critical situation for them, his voice sounding bitter. Were they going to step in without any concrete information? Or were they going to step in after having enough information? No matter what they chose, they lacked the necessary condition required to push them into action. Their thoughts created silence, which created a huge pressure, and Kamijou felt that the air around them was getting heavier. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was not from Kamijous phone. Tsuchimikado looked surprised as he picked up the phone, and upon seeing the display on the screen, his expression changed drastically. Kami-yan, its from the British Puritans. Come to think of it, Stiyl had mentioned that he requested information from the members of the English Library. Maybe there was some new information. Anyway, to Kamijou and Tsuchimikado, who wanted some new information, they didnt care what kind of content it was. Tsuchimikado, who was normally cool-headed, slightly panicked as he picked up the phone. The loudspeaker function was already activated, but Kamijou placed his face near Tsuchimikados phone. In the end, on the other side of the phone, the voice belonged to... Oh my, may I ask, are you Mr. Stiyl Magnus? TO THINK THAT ITS A WRONG NUMBER!! Both of them exclaimed at the same time. The woman on the phone sounded depressed, and said Im sorry...it was alright, really, but since she wanted to talk to Stiyl, a foreigner, why was she speaking in Japanese? Kamijou wondered. Tsuchimikado irritatedly sighed. Ahahthis is Tsuchimikado. Im working with Stiyl right now, so Ill take the report nya...now, what do you have? Just this. Ive checked the records of the English Library, and found some new information regarding the Apostles Cross, so Im going to report it. That casual voice could be heard. On hearing that voice, Kamijou started to feel suspicious. Where had he heard this voice before? Ah, dont tell me...youre Orsola? This voice...ara ara. So its you. Thank you for what youve done during the past few days. Thanks to you, my body has now completely Nya, were off topic. Can we continue? Tsuchimikado said in an anxious and tired voice, Im working very well with the British Puritans. Two days ago, Miss Kanzaki even introduced me to this Japanese food store that sold wonderful food...ah, thats right, I heard that theyre letting the Amakusa handle Londons own little Japan. Youre ignoring Tsuchimikados words with a smile on your face!? Ahhurry up and tell us what you know!! Kamijou started to shout, and Tsuchimikado shook his head about as if he was anemic. On the other side of the phone, Orsola at least gave an Ara ara as she got away from the topic. I see, then I better start talking about the information that I obtained from the English Library fast...Hohoho, this is good news, isnt it? ...Even if you say it, please dont tell us anything about places that sell good Japanese food. Kamijou said softly. In response, the other person said with a lively tone, I know that. And then, Actually, theres a sushi shop five minutes from Waterloo station that sells really good sushi. DIDNT I TELL YOU NOT TO SAY THIS!? STOP CHANGING THE TOPIC!! HURRY UP AND TELL US ANYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE APOSTLES CROSS!! What a pity...then, back on topic, please listen carefully. Orsolas soft voice had a certain force in it. Kamijou and Tsuchimikado looked very serious as they focused all their attention on the phone. From the scattered records of the English Library, what we got are the conditions required to use the Apostles Cross. Kamijous shoulders shuddered slightly. Right now, what they wanted to know the most was information on the conditions required to use the Apostles Cross. Orsola said to the two of them, now holding their breaths and waiting for further information. I heard that the Apostles Cross is a large scale spiritual tool that requires the power of a constellation. People place the Cross on the Earth to accurately collect astronomical information. This is a mechanism that aligns itself accurately, collects light in the sky, and helps a caster activate the magics effects. Which is what I told Kami-yan. The Apostles Cross is some sort of a parabolic antenna. But... ...About this. To be honest, it isnt something new. Kamijou inadvertently sighed, and Tsuchimikado just let his shoulders drop. Oh my, why are you all so depressed? Were sorry, Orsola, were thankful that you work hard to find information for us. Weve also found some things on this side, and right now, we dont know how to take the next step. I see Orsola sounded depressed, but Kamijou was unable to care more about it. Though Kamijou and Tsuchimikado didnt know how much information Orsola had gotten from the English Library, it should be less than what they had. If they couldnt get a better result now, it was like declaring that there was no suitable clue for them in this deadlock. Kamijou and Tsuchimikado looked grim. At this moment, Orsola Aquinas, who was on the other side of the phone, said, Then, about the information that Sherry and I found regarding the suitable constellations for the Apostles Cross to be used, you should know about it. The Apostles Cross doesnt use any summer or winter constellation, and can use 88 different types of constellations all over the world... Ah? Kamijou and Tsuchimikado let out this sound at the same time. Wait a sec, Orsola. What did you just say? I know that the area for it to be used is limited, but this is the first time that I heard that all the summer and winter constellations cant be used. Just now, Tsuchimikado was worrying about the current season, that its impossible to use the Apostles Cross. If we can solve this, all our problems are gone. So Ill be really grateful if you can explain this clearly. ...Ah, the situation has unexpectedly changed for the better. This is something to be happy about. However, Im still a bit sad that not all the information can be used. Stop despairing on your side. Hurry up and explain it, Miss Orsola. Also, is that Sherry you mentioned that Sherry!!? Kamijou called out two to three times, and at least Orsola finally got back on topic. That...St. Peterborough...called St. Peter in England, is still widely called St. Peterborough. He was martyred on the 29th of June. Of course, the Apostles Cross that the Vatican used was something later. Christianity was recognized in the 4th century. In reality, the Holy See was marked as an independent territory around the 8th century. However, the time when Apostles Cross had been used, which was after Peters death, was around the 1st century. Tsuchimikado had already explained this. Orsola again theorised that when Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity at the start of the 4th century, when Frankish King Papal invaded Italy and handed the land over to the popethese events that were beneficial to the Roman Catholics, all of them were due to the power of the Apostles Cross. ???...Excuse me, Orsola, but Im completely clueless about history here. In other words, you just need to remember that the time for the Cross to be used at the Vatican is normally during the end of June to the start of July. Orsola sounded relaxed. However, Tsuchimikado instinctively asked, ...You say, at the Vatican? Yes. In history, the Apostles Cross was used once. Like what everyone here knows, that Cross can also be used anywhere outside the Vatican. Now the problem is She pauses for a while, before continuing, The only time when the Cross can be used at the Vatican is on June 29th. If one is to use it somewhere else, it must have its own date. In other words... Orsola continued again, In order to use the Apostles Cross, the caster has to know the details, features and characteristics of the area. Also, the caster has to choose the most effective constellations on the area out of the 88 for the activation to be complete. Lots of knowledge is required for these complicated characteristics of the area and constellation, though itll cause a constraint of using it only once a year. If they use this method, even if its the entire world, it may end up being taken over by the Roman Catholics. According to what Orsola said, in order to evangelise to the sinners, Lidvia Lorenzetti continued to move around the world. During this time, she might have looked for the conditions that were required to activate the Apostles Cross, which were the constellations corresponding to the local region, and the location and duration for the observatory to be used. While Orsola was still a Roman Catholic, she had seen Lidvia carrying an old set of binoculars as she headed off to the next area. In other words, Lidvia once entered Academy City to look for places to use the Apostles Cross? This problem can be solved by using a test...for example, theres no need for all the latitudes and longitudes, as one can mark it down using the North Star. By knowing the important stuff before calculating the rest on a table, its alright for them even if they dont enter Academy City. I see. Kamijou slowly digested what Orsola had told him. Wait a sec, isnt that a Cross that was made because of Peters death? If so, why can it be used in times other than the time when Peter died? Thats what I was wondering... Orsola pondered for a while, and said, That spiritual tool...seemed like it was prepared before Peters death... ...Whats going on? Actually, Peter did think through it, where he would be killed. As you all know, where Peter is resting today is the centre of the Vatican. He knew that the place where he was going to be killed would be closely linked to the history after that, so it ended up like that...thus, besides the Vatican...if theres another place thats suitable to the Roman Catholics, he could have chosen that place to increase the strength of the conditions required to use the Apostles Cross. Hearing this, Kamijou swallowed his saliva. Then, But, even if he can choose the place, he cant change the date, right? Like say, not when hes about to die, but to decide a date to use it... Thats right. In fact, Peter was executed on the 29th of June. That is also the day that the Apostles Cross can be used at the Vatican. ...If so, he intended to be killed that day, purposely letting himself get caught? That isnt...impossible nya. Peter wasnt on good terms with the Roman empire at that time, for he was enemies with the high magician of the empire, Simon Magus, and in the end, killed him. (Note: Legend had it that the magician Simon wanted to show that his power exceeds those of the Apostles, and thus let himself float in the air. As Simon was floating in the air, Peter kneeled down and asked God for a miracle. In the end, Simon immediately fell down and ended up dead). To do that sort of thing when Christianity was being persecuted, one can imagine what sort of end he would meet. And there are many legends about Peter when he was executed. Besides the just stated one, theres also the famous Quo Vadis (Where are you going?) legend (Note: At first, Peter was convinced by his fellow believers to escape to the gates of Rome, and saw Jesus. He asked Jesus, Where are you going? Jesus replied, Im going back to Rome, to be nailed on the Cross again. Thus, Peter understood what he meant, and went back to pay the price of his faith with his life). As Peter was being pursued by the Imperial soldiers, he was saved by his fellow believers, who begged him to run onto the streets. He already reached the gates, only to let himself get captured by the soldiers. Furthermore, he saw a vision of the Son of God at the exit, realising that that is the time when he has to be the martyr. Orsola continued, On the day that Peter was executed on the Cross, he made this request, I dont dare to die the same way as my Lord, so please turn the Cross over. Of course, such a sentence came from a highly revered Christian, but maybe Maybe, theres some sort of significance in this act... Kamijou couldnt help but mutter. One of the twelve Apostles, Peter must have known that no matter what action he took, he would be executed one day. So, he could have used his own death and tried to get the best out of it, even considering what might happen several hundred years later. After that, it was the founding of the Holy See. For this land, for the person he should be protecting silently. This was different from an ordinary conviction. He actually considered the effects, results and outcome of where he was going to be killed, and at what time, before setting off for his road to death. This was the ultimate mix of coldness and mercy, a magic that could only be displayed by the ultimate performance. This was the Apostles Cross spell that the Roman Catholics so rarely used. For historical Greats to do something on their own tombs isnt uncommon. Even Prince Shotoku completely destroyed the fengshui of his own tomb where he should be laid to rest forever, for he intended to cut ties with his descendants. Tsuchimikados face remains green as he said this, half impressed and half finding it unbearable. After hearing this, Kamijou raised the most important question, Then, Orsola. Do you know...where the possible locations that the Apostles Cross can be used on the 19th of September in Japan are? Thats right. The other person replied without hesitation. Of course I do. Part 8 Both mother and daughter, Misaka Misuzu and Mikoto were on the streets. It was a corner on the second storey of a large department that linked the subway to the surface and to an overhead bridge with a complicated three part road. On the second level that both of them were on, there were many stores on both sides selling handicrafts. There was still some time till the next match which involved Tokiwadai Middle. Mikoto was accompanying Misuzu on a shopping trip, and the places that Misuzu wanted to go to were places that were set aside to allow people to shop. Wait a second, you dont have to buy that vase cylinder that costs like 5 billion yen! Youll get sick of it in 3 days! 3 days! Oh Mikoto. Speaking about Academy City, one has to buy this sort of thing that no one can figure out as a gift, you know! What? If were using the latest and most advanced technology, we cant allow you to bring it out anyway. Also, whats with that multi-flowered vase? It says what In theory, this can replicate the surface of the fifth dimension with light refraction technology, this is basically a lie! Can you really go to the fifth dimension to check it out!? But its this sort of uncertainty that makes it so interesting. A real gift should be about dwelling in wonderful memories! Wa, to say something like dwelling in wonderful memories, Mikotos really a girl Shut up, stupid mom. Mikoto tugged at her mothers hand, pulling her away from the stall. She was trying to advise her mother to buy a souvenir that was more worth it. For a middle school student who was going through a rebellious stage, one could say that she had a rather good relationship with her family members. The mother and daughter combo seemed to be attracting quite a lot of attention, but they didnt seem to mind it. Ah, a souvenir, but I want to go to places that can only be seen in Academy City. Mikoto, do you know of any good places? Okaa-san wants to see a giant spaceship. ...What are you treating Academy City as? Then Ill compromise and have a pure and innocent girl that looks like a humanoid weapon. THERES NO SUCH THING!! Mikoto inadvertently shouted out. At this moment, she felt that someone was staring at her with a strong intensity from somewhere outside her field of vision. Compared to the crowd that was staring at her, it was of a totally different intensity. Kuro...Kuroko? Mikoto stuttered as she turned around. The twin-pigtailed girl sitting on the athletic upside-down V-shaped wheelchair was looking strange. Shirai Kurokos eyes were glittering, radiating a shining light, and even the person pushing the wheelchair, a petite girl with a flowerbed on her head, couldnt help but flinch. Shirai Kuroko swallowed her saliva as she said, This...is this onee-samas...family member? This...is wonderful. So wonderful that words cant describe it! Whats with this expansion of onee-samas radiance? Damn...damn it. If so, I made up my mind! Kuroko wont care whether theyre sisters or mother or daughter, Ill take them all! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! Basking in the glow of the Misaka family, Shirai Kurokos thought process was completely messed up. Deep inside, Mikoto swore not to let this person know of the Sisters existence. Ara ara, is Mikotos interest heading in that direction? What direction are you talking about? Im always straight!! Youre right. Mikotos rather infatuated with that boy, so she doesnt have enough time to look for other love interests. EH? JUST SHUT UP!! Misuzu agilely dodged past a diving Mikoto. At this moment, she saw a familiar person from the corner of her eye. (Hm? Thats...hoho, speak of the devil.) Right now, Mikoto and Misuzu were at the second level, located on a three part road that led both upstairs and downstairs. The familiar person was holding onto a handrail, facing the lower level. Maybe because of this, it seemed that he didnt notice them. It was a boy with spiky black hair. There was a blond teenager beside him, a head taller, wearing sunglasses. Both of them were in similar P.E. attire, so it seemed that they were classmates. (Both of them look serious though.) From here, she couldnt hear what they were saying, but the expressions of these boys were such that it was rare to even see it in an important corporate dealing. It was the look of someone putting the fate of others on their shoulders. What was making these young boys look like this in Misuzus eyes? Misuzu couldnt imagine. Hey, Mikoto, isnt your Prince Charming over there? Who would fall for that no, I dont understand what youre trying to say!! Now flushed red, Mikoto must have thought that her mother was teasing her, so she chose not to look in the direction that Misuzu was pointing. At this point, the boys disappeared as they moved into the crowd. Part 9 Tsuchimikado hung up the phone. Now it seems like the Apostles Cross that Oriana and Lidvia have isnt something that they can use whenever they want to. Yup. They might have investigated the possible locations of the observatories. According to Orsolas explanation, Lidvia might have looked for the locations and active durations of these observatories. According to the report that Orsola Aquinas provided, Lidvia was looking for any possible observatories. That was done by going to several areas to test, compile the results, and calculate the locations. In other words, she might not have been to the observatory in Academy City. Which means right now, what Lidvia and Oriana are doing is going there themselves to calculate the marginal error in coordinates...or something like that. Seems like it. Oriana was moving around this entire time because she couldnt find a suitable place to use the magic, or maybe there are some other reasons. Anywayits here. At the place that Orsola indicated, located inside Academy City, besides the places that Oriana Thomson had searched through, there was still one last place left. Though we took a long way to get here, it seems like the situation has changed for the better. Itll be great if its really successful. Kamijou looked up at the sky. It was 5:20 PM, and the blue sky was gradually turning orange. A single location... How long has it been since when we last saw Oriana? Maybe she could have checked that place out already, and has moved on to other places? Nope. Ive already checked out the other places...from a constellation viewpoint, it doesnt seem very suitable. Even if its outside, there are two areas blocked by towers, and another 3 are blocked by the leaves of trees. So, they would use this extremely open area as their final destination nya. An open areahey! Thats where you marked out on the map! Thats right. Theres no other place more open than this. Tsuchimikado said as he gave Kamijou the map that had marker markings on it. The extent of his injuries was grave; his fingers were trembling and the marked out areas werent very obvious. The 23rd school district. It was a unique school district that completely specialised in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Besides the international airport that was used for foreign tourists to arrive and depart, all the other parts on the map were blank. This blank meant that it wasnt a place recommended for touring. Besides civilian aircraft, this place was where fighter jets, protectors of Academy Citys airspace, and unmanned helicopters were developed. The security during Daihaseisai should be at its best. The place that Tsuchimikado had marked out with a marker on the map was right in the middle of the blank area. Looking at this, one couldnt really tell what was so different here as compared to other streets. Seeing Kamijous puzzled look, Tsuchimikado chuckled. Its the Ironhide Institute of Aviation Technology, a subsidiary body of the airport...it specialises in the development of a short runway in Academy City nya. For me, who knows whats going on inside, its a different thing altogether, but for Oriana, whos here for the first time, it should be hard for her to take down this place nya. ...However, Oriana is a magician, right? She wont even care about the defences that Academy City set up. I dont think shes the type of person wholl care about being caught on camera. However, all the observatories that Oriana has been through are places where the security is rather lax. Youll understand it once you go there that shes moving from the least secured area to the most secured one. Oriana and Lidvia seem to be more cautious about Academy City than we expected...if Oriana didnt care about the security at all, she wouldnt have sneaked among the crowd. Kami-yan, think about the past battles against those magicians. Do you think that Sherry Cromwell actually cared about the securitys movements? Now that he mentioned it, these magicians...seemed like theyd break through from the front if they could do so. Oriana and Lidvia intended to make use of the intricate balance between the science power and the magic power during Daihaseisai. They didnt want to use their power to radically change the current situation. Outside Academy City, there were many different magicians waiting for the chance. It was impossible for them to take on the magicians and the defences of Academy City. Anyway, we can only hope that the security will somehow be able to trip Oriana up, and that we can hurry up and launch our counterattack. Basically, theyre heading to the last observatory. Everything will be over once we catch them there. What? Though it sounds easy when you say that, if we rendezvous with Oriana there, we would be wasting the same amount of time! Just as Kamijou was speaking, he caught sight of a red-haired priest who was rather obvious looking. Just as he was turning around with a surprised look on his face, Stiyl Magnus was running over. What were you doing all this while nya. Dont tell me you ran into Oriana and Lidvia... No... Stiyl seemed to have difficulty saying it, so Kamijou answered for him. Oh yeah, this guy was thanked and lot by Komoe-sensei for saving someone, being hassled by sensei, and being bothered by it. That must be what happened. Eh!? You...you silly amateur! I got away from that woman once I finished that call just now. Even if I use that Disperse by-standers spell, once I get away from the spell boundary, Ill be caught again. I spent quite a while before I got away. Stiyl unhappily spit out the shortened cigarette and extinguished it by stepping on it. Tsuchimikados expression remained cold as he observed Stiyl. ...Nya, that should be the Kami-yan disease. In this serious situation, while this Mr. Tsuchimikado is drenched in blood as he uses the all-around reality array, youre stuck in this sort of love comedy situation nya...and to think that the target isnt Index, but Komoe-sensei. You two are so weird, always so half-hearted. If youre a man, you should just focus on one and go all the way! Stop talking about that Kami-yan disease. For you to say this when youre infatuated with your own sister, it doesnt seem real to me. No way! Whod feel affectionate for his own sister!? I, TSUCHIMIKADO, WOULD NEVER...IT HURTS!! ...My wounds will hurt once I sho...shout... Tsuchimikado pressed against his waist as he continued to tremble. Kamijou tiredly shook his head. Lets not talk about Maika, right now, we have to focus on what to do next. The security around the 23rd school district is really high. We dont even know how to get in. ...Wait...wait a second, Kami-yan. Let the elite Onmyoji specialist Tsuchimikado Motoharu handle this situation...we just need to use that, that special privilege that Oriana doesnt have, but we do. Ah? What privilege? Kamijou let out a surprised sound. Tsuchimikado chuckled as he operated his phone. Mn. Do you know about the General Superintendent of Academy City nya? Part 10 Oriana Thomson was at the last stop of the 23rd school district. The 23rd school district was different from the other school districts, in that there was only one station. The train station, which connected to all the roads in this district, was enormous, the width and complexity comparable to that of an international airport. There were 8 ordinary train lanes, 5 subway lines, 2 high speed monorail lines, and another 4 bus lanes at the bus terminal that was just outside the main entrance. Besides that, there were also a special delivery lane and a VIP-use lane that were not opened to ordinary people. Standing among them, Oriana nonchalantly looked around and muttered in her own heart. The security system had changed. There were many guards at the terminal, hidden among the crowd full of people that were carrying large-sized baggage trolleys with one hand. However, their positioning had changed. More accurately, it felt like they were letting down their guard. Though they werent suddenly leaving the station, they were moving to places without any significance. If so, the number of blind corners would increase for them. Standing in this white-based station, with the walls and ceiling full of windows to absorb as much sunlight as possible, Oriana continued to ponder. The 23rd school district was a special area in Academy City. Besides the path that was connected to the international airport, everything else was inaccessible. In reality, it was easy to get all the way to the terminal, but difficult to take the next step forward. Thus, she had been waiting on the path that linked the terminal with the international airport, continuously looking for a chance... (The chance is definitely here, but this is a little too weird.) She wanted to contact Lidvia, but to use the communicating spell in this situation, would she be discovered by the magician scouts? Oriana pondered before placing the flashcard near her mouth. She theorised that the enemys investigating ability shouldnt be that strong. Lidvia. She tore a flashcard and muttered. You should be mentally prepared to start the final preparations now. The reply came in the form of words on the surface of her retina, scrolling down like words moving down a screen. ...Isnt it still not time yet? This nee-chan wants to take it easy, but it seems like those boys have made their move. To be slow by a beat in this intense moment, it may be a bit too ugly. From the corner of her eye, Oriana caught sight of the guards who were changing their positions. The security has changed unnaturally. Maybe they found out that we are here. Theres no dispel by-stander or any spell that manipulate senses. This has to be orders from Academy City itself. You mean that Academy City broke its own balance, and plan to take us down in one swoop? On the contrary, it feels like theyre deliberately retreating, creating a competitive atmosphere. The guards seem lost. Maybe they dont know why they have to change their set-up. If its an invitation from the enemy, theres no need to reply, right? Anyway, get away from the station first, and to another district. No... Oriana looked up at the giant clock above the platform. Ive looked around, and the most suitable place to use it is still here. If so, Ill be waiting here...probably wont involve any ordinary people here. Is there any way to gain time by checking through it? This problem will differ based on the number of enemies. But this nee-chan will work hard even if there are many of them. Orianas eyes left the electronic bulletin as she headed towards the stairs at the platform leading up. Her strides were large and fast. Then so be it. Mn. Then Ill get prepared, Lidvia. We have to take down Academy City this time. As if were shovelling in an innocent girl who is unaware of things into the ground. Part 11 With a rumbling sound, the train slid into the subway platform. Tsuchimikado Motoharu didnt even look at the lump of metal that was slowing down. His eyes were on his companions, Kamijou and Stiyl. I told the big guy up there to slightly change the security status of the 23rd school district. Even so, its too unreasonable to remove all security of the 23rd district, and most likely wont be allowed. We can only move in through the gap formed when they move from position A to B... According to Tsuchimikado, the higher-ups seemed to have ordered the changes to the positioning of the satellites and the image processing. Right now, they were switching it around, so aerial monitoring would be much more lax. Kamijou remembered the other person that Tsuchimikado had been talking to. The general director of Academy City. (...Aleister?) As it was a phone call, Kamijou couldnt hear the other persons voice. But to be of a higher footing than Tsuchimikado, who was well-versed in science and magic, one could imagine that this man was somewhere even more far-reaching. This was something that the ordinary high school student, Kamijou Touma, was unable to see or reach. If we use the surface appearance of the constellation in the night sky, the Apostles Cross probably wont be activated immediately after sunset. Right now, its 5:25 PM, and it takes only 10 minutes to the 23rd school districts terminal station nya. The result is that we still dont know the time limit, though its likely to be between 6 to 7...theres approximately 25 minutes left once we reached the station. Tsuchimikado. You just said that were going to sneak in through the lapses in security when the guards are shifting around. Theres a 10 minute time lag. Do you think that this position change will remain as it is? Kami-yan. The security changes dont just involve one building. Its impossible to finish switching the guards around in 10 minutes. This is like a schools evacuation drill, the more people there are, the slower the movements this is basic logic nya. At least when we sneak into the 23rd school district at 5:35 PM, we can still pounce on the lapses in security. Hearing this, Stiyl tossed the cigarette into the ashtray that was in the smoking area. Let me confirm this, youre going to appear before Oriana like that? Eh? I do want to rest for a while nya, but even if security is lax, there cant possibly be none at all. The 23rd school district isnt so simple that you two can break through like that. I see. Stiyl casually replied. This wasnt to ask for any reason, but to check the other persons intent. From 6 to 7, this is our limit, and at the same time, Oriana and Lidvias sickle. Even if they want to head off to other areas, the time would be up once they reach the other place. To them, wouldnt they have to use the Apostles Cross in the 23rd district? Kamijou listened to what they said. After that, the boy said, Whether its chasing after others or being chased, well put an end to it now. Oriana and Lidvia should be thinking about the same thing. And we have no disagreements After that, the gradually decelerating train that was running with all its might finally stopped. As the train arrived, the metal doors slid apart, releasing the people in the train onto the platform, but Kamijou and company didnt mind the crowd. The crowd seemed to be avoiding the trio as they moved out in a human wave. Once we step onto this train, theres no way back. Right now, theres only an all-out bloody battle with Oriana and Lidvia. Are you ready, Kamijou Touma? Hearing Stiyls voice, Kamijou remained silent. A lot of things had happened today. He had smelled and tasted blood, tasted sand, fought with a magician that was walking on the street, fell into the enemys trap, saw someone fall in front of himself personally, realised that he was helpless in front of these injured people; grinding his teeth as he pulled through, he came all the way here. ...Mm. Swallowing all these, Kamijou nodded his head. Remember, I dont want to settle this by killing others. After that, Tsuchimikado chuckled like a child, while Stiyl lifted his lips slightly. They were expressing their feelings by smiling. The three of them moved into the train. The auto-doors closed. The train accelerated slowly as it headed into the subway... Heading towards the war that was waiting for them. Between the lines 6 Oriana Thomsons family members were all Christians. Every Sunday, when they head out to Church, the elderly and kind priest would look at this young girl, and in a simple manner, repeat the same words over and over again. He said that she must be a useful person. She was always wondering: what is a useful person? Of course, Oriana was normally a very kind person. For example, she would pick up an empty can on the ground, guide lost people who were standing in front of a subway map, work hard to deliver things that people really wanted to deliver to the destination. But Such kind actions might not be helpful to people. What if Oriana picked up an empty can that was on the road, and someone who wanted to get some money and a home by cleaning the area would be troubled because there was nothing for him to do? What if Oriana helped that someone go back home safely and that person might end up killing his own family? What if the thing that the person wanted Oriana to deliver was a cursed item? Even if she didnt want to do this, even if she really wanted to be helpful to others, it would still cause a tragedy. This world was filled with many people with many different thoughts. Like the time when Oriana helped someone with corrupted values, each action she did to help someone may end up hurting someone else. It might end up pushing the poor, helpless, defenceless soul that Oriana wanted to protect into the depths of hell. The difficult thing was that she couldnt predict whether her acts would betray her own good intentions. If she had only known that such actions would betray her good intentions, she just didnt need to do it. On the contrary, once she knew that this action would lead to success, she would choose to take this action without hesitation. Of course, Oriana knew that it was just plain stubbornness. This logic was like gambling: even if Oriana chose red a hundred times, and even when it was unrelated to Orianas own thoughts and words, the ball would always end up in different positions, and with differing luck and conditions, decide her victory or loss. Whether it was a guaranteed win when she chose red, or whether she would get the same number after a hundred times, there was no simple way to win. This was reality. But What if this game involved human lives? Even if she had to win this, Which side should she bet on? Was there anyone who could simply decide the outcome? Just as she was being asked to help, Her wounded heart was too afraid to extend out her hand. In the end, when she was unable to help, the person who requested help really got hurt in the end. Because of this, she wanted a benchmark. She wanted to use a benchmark for her to not suspect anyone. The sure-win method of rouletteitd be great if there was a benchmark. Because everyones stand was different, the bickering would lead to tragedy. Like scooping up water with both hands, no matter how hard she tried, the water would flow out from the gaps between her intertwined fingers. (It doesnt matter, even if its the Emperor.) Oriana Thomson hoped. (It doesnt matter whether its the king, pope, president, ministers, no matter the title, no matter whos on the throne, Ill fight for others. Whether its science or magic, these things dont matter) She gritted her teeth as she thought, (I beg you, decide on a rule. Please grant my wish, allow me to have a clear benchmark and make everyone happy. A world that runs on this best rule that wont let anyone get involved in any discord, that may lead to tragedy.) She thought about this, but she was unable to say it. The reason was simple. Though she said that she wanted to help others... She had ended up harming others this time. Volume 10, 8: The Reason for the Clenched Right Fist. Light_of_a_Night_Sky. Volume 10, Chapter 8: The Reason for the Clenched Right Fist. Light_of_a_Night_Sky. Part 1 Touma isnt around, huh? At the arena, Kamijou Touya gave a suspicious remark under the dusk-lit sky. The matches were over, and the students were heading back. The spectators were heading out of the stands, and the area was surrounded by noisy chaos. Several security guards were frantically leading the crowd, as Touya and his wife, Shiina, were the only ones standing at their original position, like they were a twig in the midst of a river called the human wave. There was an Academy City teacher in front of them. The unbelievable thing about this 135cm tall petite lady was that she was Kamijou Toumas homeroom teacher. As they had met in an interview during the first semester, the two guardians werent too surprised. This teacher seemed to have changed her clothes, as her cheerleader clothes had an aroma of insect repellent. But more importantly, Ara ara, why wasnt my son participating in the matches? Was he unable to participate due to some injury or serious illness? Shiina said in a rather uncomfortable manner. The one who had first suspected that something was amiss was her. She mentioned that she did not see her son during the team matches, but both of them always felt that it was their fault that they could not spot their son. In the end, both of them were very depressed for being such irresponsible parents. But both parents had only just confirmed that during the ladle match, a relaxed match that involved balancing a cooking ladle on a ball with a 2cm diameter and running 100m with it. In this match that required telekinesis to balance the plastic ball, or any fire ignition or wind to blow the ball awaythere was still no sign of Kamijou Touma. Clad in cheerleading attire, Tsukuyomi Komoes face went green. She frantically swung her hands that were holding pompons. This...er...is that...we have already requested for help from the security guards as well... Hearing the teachers words, Shiina frowned. Guards? Like...the police in this city. Maybe my son got involved in something that prevents him from participating in the matches? No...its not like this. Your son was running around quite energetically with a priest, so I guess that hes not in any dangerous situation... Shiina, who was still wondering what was going on, tilted her head slightly. Though it was an unconscious movement, Komoe-sensei dejectedly dropped her shoulders when she saw that. ...Im really sorry. Im the one whos looking after your son, yet I couldnt grasp his whereabouts. Please dont... Seeing Komoe-sensei lower her head like this, not moving at all, Touya and Shiina looked at each other, not knowing what to do. To this couple, as they understood their sons character and ability (though they still hadnt recognised it), they didnt blame the teacher, instead hoping that the other person would clearly explain this. ...(Though he isnt here, he might be making trouble for some other girl. Hm, youre really good at this.) Ara ara. Touya-san, what did you just say? Nothing. However, I do feel that this aspect of Touma is genetically derived from you. If youre going to say that, why are you still making such a scary face, okaa-san!? Seeing the tip of the spear being pointed at him, Touya frantically backed away from Shiina. He then turned to Komoe-sensei, whos head was still down and was looking like she was going to cry any moment. Then...let me ask something. Ah, sensei, please look up. Eh...ah, okay. Whats the problem? Did Touma do this on his own? He wasnt forced to run around, right? Hm, yeah. Thats right. Her reply was somewhat hesitant. Sensei said that when she met the son, it seemed like he knew something. The reason why her reply was hesitant was likely because this could heavily involve the son and other students, so she couldnt tell Touya this. Such a kind and gentle teacher, Touya thought as he nodded his head. Thus, he decided not to pursue the matter further. If so, Kamijou Touya looked up at the sky. Looking up at the dusk-lit sky with the first star beginning to shine, he said, That means, to Touma, its something much more important than the matches. It was a voice of someone recollecting some painful memories. If so, theres no reason for me to stop him, is there? Part 2 The colours of dusk appeared in the sky. The asphalt ground looked like it was natural, like it had already been down there right from the start, like it was erased completely with an eraser. The plants didnt grow here, there was nothing that could block the wind, as the slight breeze brushes her face. The smell of engine oil permeated the air, it was the atmosphere of this countrys urban terrain. A sonic boom could be heard from above. Looking up, the gigantic body of a plane flew through the sky at a low altitude. Maybe it was because it was Daihaseisai, there were a lot of planes flying around. There was no one around. The first reason was that this wasnt some area that was meant to attract others. The second reason was that currently, the global scale sporting event Daihaseisai was underway. Compared to coming to this sort of place, it was much more meaningful to head to the arenas. Thus, she was the only one on this asphalt road. Because of the lengthened shadow cast by the setting sun, the shadow was of a woman holding a large Cross. The owner of this shadow slowly pulled away the Cross from her shoulder, and placed her hand on the white cloth wrapped around the Cross. The cloth unravels in a walam sound. This 150cm long, 70cm wide, 10cm thick pure white marble cloth appeared, with only the bottom of the Cross as thick and sharp as a sharpened pencil. The Apostles Cross. On first glance, one could feel the weight of this thick stone item. Even after more than 1,800 years, this antique still looked as good as new, as if it had been shaped inside a plastic mold. Though it was a large stone item, being passed down from person to person over such a long time, the interior had not deteriorated the slightest bit. Such perfect preservation was not due to the tools own defensive effect, but rather that it wasnt revealed in history at all. She used two hands to grab the white Cross that was as smooth as the skin of some rich Missy, and slowly lifted this Cross that had nothing on it. The weight of the Cross as transferred from her arms to her back, waist and legs. Without hesitation, she swung the Cross onto the ground. With the increase in speed due to the enormous weight, and the sharp tip at the bottom, The Apostles Cross, with all the conditions met, pierced through the asphalt ground without any resistance, deeply into the ground of the capital of Japan. Let the sky be the ceiling, and let this place be a safe haven for the living. Please grant me protection, O twelve Apostles. The line that stabilised the Apostles Cross was different from how she would normally say this. The Cross that was erected on the asphalt ground activated by itself, as it moved by itself adjusting the angle as if the ground was mud. She looked up at the sky. Though it was not completely night yet, the first star was starting to twinkle. Then... A magician was standing on the large experimental runway. On this ground that no ordinary person could enter, the place looked like a grassland held by tar. The even asphalt ground continued on until the end of the horizon. Im all done here. In a few minutes, the world will change. Part 3 To the citizens of Academy City, the 23rd district was a foreign place. (So wide...) Walking out with Stiyl and Tsuchimikado, Kamijou couldnt help but think this. One could see a slightly circular horizon that was like foreign pastures. However, this horizon wasnt of the green of grass, but the black and gray of asphalt and concrete. Half of this large area was runways and satellite launch areas, with the high perimeters surrounding this limitless space. The buildings, which included the control tower and the experimental areas, were rather large, several times the size of the school. However, the surrounding lane was so thin in comparison, that it was like it had been placed there suddenly. The basic scale was just too unfamiliar. Tsuchimikado looked at the bus stop in front of the terminal. ...Though this is a top secret area, there are still buses that lead to the ordinary airport. The buses are driven by drivers nya, so this is probably to prevent any corporate spies from getting off the bus midway through. The sonic boom of the plane cut through Tsuchimikados words. Kamijou inadvertently looked up at the sky. Mini-Cessna planes were flying over in threes, slowly ascending into the sky. The basis of security here is the sky. This is just a deceptive show of strength, since the area they have to guard is too big. That was true. In fact, till the end of the horizon, it would be difficult for them to completely patrol this area by human means. Also, the place was full of runways, there was no shade to hide in, and there was no way to hide from the satellites. But, isnt it a little too hard to get to that Ironhide whatever Airport? Well, Oriana still has a way. Stiyl echoed Kamijous words. Tsuchimikado, if there is a way, then hurry up and say it, we dont have much time. Nya, its that. Tsuchimikado said as he pointed to the sky above. From above, there was the sound of air colliding. This time, it was not the Cessna planes, but giant passenger jets with four engines each. The machines releasing this sonic boom slowly descended on a runway of the ordinary International Airport. To prevent colliding into each other, when other planes are flying in, theyll change the patrolling routes that they would monitor, then Tsuchimikados words were interrupted. Wave after wave of passenger jets and mini-planes crossed the sky. the sky here is unexpectedly crowded. If we can use the passenger jets to our advantage, we can use the blind spots left by the satellites and proceed on. The problematic Ironhide Institute of Aviation Technology is rather close to this place, so it should be possible for us to get there by just walking nya. For various reasons, Kamijou and company were running on the gray ground. Tsuchimikado, who was running in front, would sometimes trip up due to the change in centre of gravity. It was like someone sleeping in a lesson. However, even in this situation, Kamijou would be overtaken in a race by him if he was not careful. Such evidence showed how athletic Tsuchimikado was. He followed Tsuchimikados lead, passing below several planes that were passing through. They could avoid the surveillance, but to run across this place, where there was no cover, it was rather thrilling on certain levels of significance. In this place where there was nowhere to hide, there was still no sign of Oriana. She must have reached the destination. Kamijou continued to run as he pulled out his phone. The time on the display was 5:40 PM. (Theres still...20 to 80 minutes left.) This was the time left before the Apostles Cross was activated. Once the spiritual tool was activated, Academy City would be taken over without any warning, even psychologically, no matter how unreasonably suppressed they were, nobody would feel that it was strange. Though the situation was critical, Kamijou knew that no matter how anxious he was, he couldnt stop the procession of time. As he continued to run, he could see the gray walled segment ahead. On the other side of the wall, it should be the Ironhide Institute of Aviation Technology where Oriana was waiting. They immediately got to the bottom of the perimeter. The metal mesh fence was about 2 metres tall. Tsuchimikado grabbed onto the fence with his hands and feet, and just as he was about to get over it From the corner of his eye, Kamijou noticed that something was shining. It was stuck between the metal wiresa flashcard that was slightly drenched in saliva. Normally cautious, Tsuchimikado wouldnt possibly overlook this. However, his consciousness may have been blurry due to the pain of the wounds. Eh? TSUCHIMIKADO!! Just as Kamijou shouted, BOOM!! The entire row of wire fence became orange due to the intense heat. Tsuchimikado, who was grabbing onto the fence with his hands and feet, jumped away as if he was electrocuted. He frantically left the metal fence, rolling on the ground, maintaining his distance. The Daihaseisai tour guidebook in his hand was released due to the impact, emitting black smoke before being swallowed by flames. GYAAAHHH!! A sizzling sound could be heard from Tsuchimikados hands and feet, and they began to emit smoke like incense. The eyes underneath those shades were tightly shut, as he painfully gritted his teeth. The things that were torturing his hands and feet were burns. To Tsuchimikado, who preferred to engage in close range combat, it was like his weapon was destroyed by the enemy. Tsuchimikado continued to struggle as he tried to stand up, but his wrists and ankles seemed stiff. It was like he was struggling in the mud. He couldnt stand up like he wanted to. Hurry up and go, Kami-yan... Tsuchimikado pressed onto a hand with his other injured hand. ...Were not going to get anything done by standing around here, hurry up and destroy that flashcard. You two, hurry up and go!! But what are you going to do? Oh yeah, Stiyl, can you use your magic to heal him? If theyre burns, it is possible Stiyl and Kamijou turned their eyes from Tsuchimikado, who was on the ground, to the metal fence. Shes waiting for us! Prepare your right hand, Kamijou Touma!! !? Kamijou jumped back in shock and turned his head around. About 500 metres away from the wire fence, the blond lady was reclining on the wall of a small building that has a mini runway inside. Oriana Thomson. She was holding a flashcard with green words that was held by the metal ring. Oriana silently placed the card next to her mouth. At the same time, Stiyl shouted out, KAMIJOU TOUMA!! I GOT IT!! Kamijou tried his best to get to the flashcard stuck on the metal fence. The wire fence was turning red as it overheated, but immediately reverted back to its original color and temperature the moment he touched it. Without confirming it, both of them climbed up the fence. (If Oriana takes the preemptive strike now, Tsuchimikado wont be able to get away now with his hands and feet injured...!) He climbed up the fence. (That means that we have to attack first! We cant make any more sacrifices, not like Fukiyose-san or Himegami!!) And leaped over. At the same time, Oriana, who was far away, tore the flashcard. The spell activated, and a blue and white light surrounded Oriana. She opened her arms wide, floating into the air, as if she was showing off some new clothes that she had just bought. After that, 500 metres away, where Oriana was, an explosion could be heard. With her as the centre, the surrounding air started to stir around as if a circle was being drawn. An invisible hammer started to attack, ignoring the distance. This clockwise winding pressure hammer cut down every single construct surrounding her, whipping up the asphalt and moving towards Kamijou. !! Kamijou immediately readied his right hand. With a pacha sound, the high-pressure wall was gone. Oriana, who was 500 metres away and looked like a small dot, hastily prepared another flashcard. Even so, it was still unable to prevent the asphalt ground from flipping up. Just as the stone tsunami was looming over, My hand brings fire, shape into a blade, and bring forth thy judgement! The card with runes on it fluttered in the air. At the same time, a red flame sword appeared in Stiyls right hand. He swung the sword at the tsunami of stone, completely ignoring the fact that Kamijou was right beside him. EH!? As Kamijou frantically got down, the flame sword collided with the rock fragments. After that, the flame sword lost its shape and exploded. The directional flames avoided Kamijou, who was below, and hacked horizontally at the asphalt wall, which exploded all over. Kamijou, who lost his balance, got up and ran without tumbling. Stiyl began to chant a new spell, creating a new flame sword. Oriana started to play around with the flashcard in her hand. The battle between the trio was about to begin. The time was 5:50 PM. there were still 10 to 70 minutes before time was up. Part 4 The place where Kamijou and Oriana were was near an experimental area. During Daihaseisai, ad hoc studies should probably be suspended. There were no workers on the runway, and no lights inside the building. This wasnt as huge as an international, instead feeling like a mini-runway for home-made planes like Cessna planes. The three parallel runways were 30 metres wide and 700 metres long. The buildings themselves were the control towers on both sides of the runway: a fish-slice shaped board that was mechanically supported. Instead of saying that it was research on planes, this place seemed to be focused on runway research. Each of the three runways had a giant fan, jet propeller, and other additional facilities. But, because of the attack that Oriana let loose, the control tower machinery was destroyed, the experimental bodies that collected the data were blown apart, the asphalt ground was destroyed, as if someone was farming on it. Both sides were running on this destroyed rubble. The distance between both sides was about 300 metres. Ho. In this situation, Oriana Thomson smiled. There were 250 metres left. I do feel that a battle between ladies is more interesting. As expected, that Saint didnt come in the end. She put a flashcard next to her mouth. 200 metres left. Theres no additional security guards or magicians coming, huh? Hoho, its more interesting to have more people. A smile crept onto her face. 150 metres left. Ah ha! Seems like theres only three of you left, huh? Oh my, oh my, nee-chan was really tricked!! Oriana delightedly exclaimed and she tore another flashcard in half. And one of you is definitely out of this match! I always thought that his mind was the clearest...or is it because of that? To stand at the most dangerous position so as to let his comrades avoid the trap? WAHAHAA!! With Oriana at the centre, the sound of glass breaking spread all around. After a second, the sound bounced back like an echo. At that moment, All the sounds vanished. There were definitely planes flying around all over the place, but the sounds seemed like they had been blocked out. It was like the volume of a television set being cut off. Stiyl, who was running alongside Kamijou, pulled out another rune card. Is it a boundary? This cuts off all forms of communication, no matter physical or magical! !? Kamijou wanted to look around, but the enemy was right in front of him. Stiyl, who was beside him, couldnt confirm it either. The duo were running side by side, closing in on Oriana. She continued to maintain that smiling face, responding quickly with that flashcard of hers still in her hand. The 100 metres was closed up. Kamijou and Stiyl were thinking separately about attacking Oriana from both flanks. As the range of the flame sword was longer, and Stiyl, who was aiming, was much quicker. Hah!! Breathing in and making a sharp sound, the flame sword swung downwards. With a Humph, Oriana tore another flashcard. A water ball the size of a basketball appeared on her right hand. Oriana then proceeded to catch the flame sword with the water ball. There was no explosion. Before that, the water ball on Orianas hand changed shape, wrapping around Stiyls flame sword. !! Just before Stiyl was feeling surprised, the vine made by the water ball wrapped around his wrist, and extended onto his arm, before wrapping around his entire body, from the head to the feet. Stiyl, who was wrapped in a 3cm thick water body, lost his footing and collapsed onto the ground. He used his other hand, which was empty-handed, and pressed his throat. (If this keeps up, my breathing...) Stiyl!! Kamijou changed direction, instead of running at Oriana, he was now running at Stiyl, who was on the ground. Oh my, this nee-chan isnt so simple to let this happen, huh? She turned her body around, using her left leg to kick at Kamijous waist. His body suddenly froze. UGH!! Just as he was about to regain his posture, Oriana gathered her entire weight on her shoulder, ramming it towards Kamijou. Kamijou frantically used his hands to block, but the impact came from below. On being hit by an impact that could break even a door, Kamijous body flew backwards. His body struck the sharp and uneven surface of the asphalt ground, and a sharp pain could be felt. Facing Kamijou, who was lying on the ground, Oriana pulled another flashcard to her mouth. Just as she was about to bite and tear the flashcard, Destroy!! With this sound, Stiyl, who was lying beside Oriana, let the flame sword explode. The water surrounding him scattered in all directions. A new flame sword appeared in Stiyls right hand, and maintaining a low posture, he swung at Oriana from below. Facing the sharp tip of the sword that was aimed at her chest, Oriana moved her left foot backwards, as if she was letting someone else by on a narrow road. Just this alone wasnt going to avoid Stiyls attack. Corresponding, Oriana used the hand with the flashcard to slam it into Stiyls chin. It felt like a lightly clenched fist, like she was begging. Stiyl, who was trying to counterattack, struck towards the fist with his entire weight. BOOM!! An explosion could be heard. Stiyls upper body leaned back, as he landed on the ground without any resistance; the flame sword in his hand vanished. Oriana looked away from Stiyl, who was on the ground, as she slowly revealed a smile and looked at Kamijou. Even if he was outside the enemys noticeable range, Stiyl didnt seem capable of launching a surprise attack. His black coat and red hair were fluttering around, as if it was being blown by a breeze. Cheh!! Kamijou frantically tried to stand up, but his body started to tremble. Seeing Kamijou like this, Oriana gently smiled. Your waist is as weak as usual. To fight with nee-chan like this, even a child can grow up much more easily. Youre too noisy... Kamijou re-clenched his fists. Ill stop you here; I wont let you activate the Apostles Cross. If youre going to cause chaos in Academy City and destroy Daihaseisai, Ill definitely stop you. Isnt it too scathing to say that? This should be nee-chans best performance. I dont know what the British Puritans told you, but the Apostles Cross isnt some evil thing. All religions wish for the happiness of people and the World. To this kind of religion, by using the Apostles Cross that can change everything in the most favourable manner, maybe it can destroy the wall between the magic and science sides, and lead humans to happiness? Hearing Oriana say this while she was toying around with her flashcard, Kamijous lips curled up. He stared at the damaged runway, and revealed a grim smile. Well said. Because I cant see the wall between the magic and science side, so this doesnt feel surreal to me, but I know this is a good thing. However He paused at this moment, glanced at Stiyl who was still on the ground, and affirmed the strength in his five fingers. He clenched his fist even tighter. The human hand that could be used to do other things was now a weapon. Kamijou said, To me, the balance of the science and magic side, as well as the domination of the world, those are just trivial things. What troubles me is that youre using the Apostles Cross here. Do you know what that means? Hoho, of course I do. You think, what is this nee-chan working so hard for? Its to use the Apostles Cross to control Academy City. But you dont have anything to worry about. Control isnt such a nice word, but no matter what, everyone will be happy. And nobody would question that happiness, such a wonderful world is waiting... Ive never heard about this before! Rage could be implied from his tone. He then silently and firmly exerted strength into his fist again. THAT ISNT THE PROBLEM HERE!! THE TROUBLESOME THING IS THAT YOU HAVE DESTROYED DAIHASEISAI!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? STOP USING THE MAGIC OR SCIENCE, MAGICIANS OR ROMAN CATHOLICS, APOSTLES CROSS OR SOME LEGENDARY SPIRITUAL TOOL TO TRY AND CONFUSE ME!! YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT OTHERS WITH THESE BIG-SOUNDING WORDS!? ALSO, YOUR REASONING IS COMPLETELY INVALID, ITS JUST SOME RADICAL SAYING!! Kamijou roared. He faced the enemy in front of him. What am I thinking? Its nothing compared to that gibberish that youre saying. But even for an amateur like me, EVEN I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!! He continued to shout at Oriana, So many people worked so hard for Daihaseisai, to make a wonderful memory out of today! So many people are taking part in Daihaseisai, and everyone put in all their efforts for this! WHY MUST IT BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!? Every single word continued to motivate this boy. Kamijou Touma used his entire strength to interrogate Oriana Thomson. No matter how stylish the religion is, can you beat these words now!? Is all the value that you are holding on worth this little!? For someone like you who cant even break through this simple and boring logic, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE WHATS VALUABLE TO OTHERS!! ...Thanks for your little suggestion. Orianas eyes lost their smiling expression. It was a smile left behind after losing that happiness, the smile called cynicism. But, do you think that these sort of feelings can shake this nee-chan? If my thoughts are to be hurt just like this, this nee-chan wouldnt have taken action in the first place. She continued to flip her flashcard around. So this nee-chan wont stop here. I wont be able to stop here as you please, understand? ...Just like that? What? Facing a scowling Oriana, Kamijou continued, I dont know what youre trying to say to me, no matter what youre trying to do to me, I wont mind as long as its not overbearing. But, Kamijou paused for a beat, Just now, those words, can you say it in front of Fukiyose-san and Himegami, whom you injured? Oriana Thomson remained silent. She revealed a smile that had half her face twitch. In the end, this is all I want to say. If you say that youre not going to do anything else, then I wont pursue this matter anymore. Hurry up, take the Apostles Cross, and scram. Kamijou clenched his right fist. Then he said, But, if youre going to continue doing things in this city, and even intend on casting magic on those people who are injured and cant move A glow appeared in his eyes. It was a strong light called will. ILL IMMEDIATELY SMASH THAT NONSENSICAL ILLUSION OF YOURS COMPLETELY!!! Part 5 The sky was dyed red. The Apostles Cross would be activated within the next hour. It could be five minutes later, or an hour later. In the orange sky that was gradually turning purple, the first star started to shine. However, it was the only one shining. It was impossible to confirm the formation of the complex constellation. Just when nobody knew when it was the end of the world. Kamijou Touma and Oriana Thomson were engaging in a fierce fight. !! There were still around 3 metres left. Facing Kamijou, who was still clenching his fists, not letting go of his target, Oriana continued to maintain a minimum distance as she moved backwards, tearing another flashcard apart with her mouth. The spell was activated. Unnatural blue flames spurt out from the ground, getting between Kamijou and Oriana. However, Kamijou didnt stop in his tracks, instead hitting the flame wall with his right fist. The flame wall seemed like it was going to avoid Kamijous fist, as it bent backwards, forming a [ shape. !! Kamijous fist cut through the air, and the flames that were bending towards the sides strongly wrapped around his body. His centre of gravity was already tilting forward, and now he could no longer back away. Even so, his right hand couldnt reach it. There was not enough time for him to swing his right fist around to block whichever wall. If so. (Got to move forward...) Kamijou gathered his strength on his feet that were going to be tripped up by the flame wall in front of him. (A little further!!) He continued to move forward like an arrow, swinging his fist at the deepest part of this [ shaped wall. PAM!! With the sound of a balloon being burst, the flame wall scattered all around. Oriana Thomson was just ahead. She tore another flashcard. She completely ignored Stiyl, who was right beside her, aiming only at Kamijou. But just as the spell was being activated, Kamijou leapt into Orianas arms. The asphalt road spike that she originally intended to release fire from an unexpected place, like attacking an enemy with artillery, using the largest angle. This time, Kamijou clenched his right fist again, and swung it at Orianas face again. But, Just as the fist was about to make contact, Oriana used those long legs of hers to trip Kamijou from the inside to the outside. Kamijou lost his balance, and the fist that was supposed to hit ended up hitting the sky. In order to avoid this fall, Kamijou placed a knee on the ground to support himself. Oh my, your head is in a rather embarrassing position. Oriana slammed another kick into Kamijous face. GYAA...AAHHH!? Kamijou couldnt help but cry out, as the spinning kick sent him flying aside. (Not enough...) Kamijou used the momentum as he rolled back up. At the same time, Oriana tore another flashcard. She tossed a softball-sized glass ball from her left hand. On the other hand, Kamijou picked himself up from the rubble of the asphalt ground, and did a flying tackle. Clang!! The glass ball was destroyed. The fragments moved inwards, piercing through the rubble of the asphalt ground, landing straight onto the ground. (Just this alone isnt enough.) Kamijou used this time to rush back at Oriana. In contrast, Oriana rushed back into Kamijous arms at a terrifying speed. Wha...!! There was no time to even dodge or block. Oriana, who was closing in at such a short distance, tore another flashcard with her mouth. Her hand slipped from Kamijous abdomen to his chest. In that instant. The feeling of a bluster. With a bam blunt sound, Kamijous body arched back in a [ shape, and floated up with his chest as the centre. He continued to gulp heavily down his throat, and as his feet left the ground by 40cm, he was completely unable to move around with his body. Dong. With the sound of a fool being hit, Oriana sent another punch into Kamijous chest. Eh...ugh...!! With a muffled sound, the fist sent Kamijou flying backwards by 3 metres. (I cant beat Oriana with just this...!!) Lying on the ground, his hands supporting him, Kamijou felt the bitterness as he gritted his teeth. Oriana specialised in using close ranged combat with her body, and long ranged combat with her spells. No matter how much Kamijou waved his hands and feet around to fight, or how many times he missed by a step, it was like there was a protective barrier between both of them, his feet normally being dodged at the last minute. If so, he couldnt attack Oriana like this. No matter how much he tried to chase her, no matter how much he tried to hassle her, no matter how he desperately swung his fist, it was the same. Hoho! Seems like the skys going to be dark soon. Oriana Thomson closed in on Kamijou. Such a seemingly defenseless action had in fact no blind spots. (Damn it...) Though it was too late, he realised that this was Orianas battle plan. Oriana didnt use her best moves right at the start. She maintained an appropriate balance of power between the two of them, and when the enemy got carried away and missed, she gave a strong counterattack. This was probably a battle technique that she had learnt to minimize the using of her spells, since she couldnt use spells that she had used before. She wasnt mocking the enemy. To Oriana Thomson, it was the best blueprint for her. At this time, kids should be heading home, right? Or are you going to have an exciting night with this nee-chan? Facing Oriana, who was approaching him, Kamijou rolled on the ground, and maintaining a low posture, leaped up at Oriana. The fierce conflict between these two was renewed. Kamijou dodged and blocked the enemys attack, but his fist still couldnt hit her. (One more step...) He clenched his fist, attacking from the blind spots, enduring the pain. (Theres still one step, if theres any...if theres any way to help me gain advantage!!) He continued to swing his fist, strongly wishing. Just like this, he continued to repeat this attack that seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall, one that couldnt hit the enemy. Part 6 Stiyl Magnus consciousness was still murky. (Ugh...ah...) His world was upside down, his jaw felt painful, and he felt that he lost his balance. It took three seconds for him to realise that he had fallen. The strength in his hands and feet was gradually recovering, but it was still too slow. In contrast to his large physique, he didnt have the strength required for close-ranged combat. It wasnt because Stiyl didnt train himself, but rather it was a fundamental issue. He was using runes cards and codified spells, which required a lot of magical power. Magic wasnt created from nothing, it was a power that could only be created by undergoing different magical exercises within the body. To an ordinary magician, this wasnt too difficult for them. But for people who used a pope-level spell like Stiyls Innocentius, it was a different thing altogether. Repeating the same mundane motion over and over again, and the magical activity would pressurise Stiyls body. Thus, he would use up more energy. In other words, this meant that his insides and outsides were working at the same time. Unlike Kanzaki Kaori, he wasnt a Saint chosen by God. Unlike Tsuchimikado Motoharu, he wasnt a genius magician who specialised in a certain type of spells. Even so, he had a reason to fight. Thus, he had learnt all about these runes from the Christian organisation and got the pope-level spell Innocentius. The price was that he had to abandon any possibility of close ranged combat, to the state where he couldnt light a fire without using rune cards. But the reaction caused by this determination was now corroding his body. (Damn...it...) His consciousness was wavering. In this situation, he could hear the sound of a fist being swung and spells colliding. That amateur was still fighting. Even if he was hit, even if he was knocked down, he wouldnt back down, he wouldnt give up. He would grit his teeth and clench his fist. The amateur who he could never be like. No matter how much time passed, he would never be able to reach that position. Still, One of the five elements that constructs this world, o great creator of flames. He had the spells that he had learnt in order to protect a certain girl. To fight against those who trampled on that smile. For this purpose, he had endured blood-shedding pain to learn this flame magic. This was the result of him putting in all his effort to learn this magic, with a slight feeling pushing him forward. The light of salvation that gives birth to life, the light of judgement that punishes evildoers. Stiyl Magnus knew. Such a spell was already useless. There was already someone standing beside that petite girl. Thus, this spell was completely useless now. While bringing peace and stability at the same time, it also destroys the cold and dark misfortune. Even so, this spell was also able to protect people other than that girl. For example, a wide-eyed teary petite girl whose hands were dyed in someone elses blood, and had to depend on something that was so completely useless and such a stupid technique. For example, a girl who was not a magician, but because she had a Cross on her chest, she had been misidentified as one, and was now in her own pool of blood. Fire is the name, sword is the title! However, such an action wouldnt bring Stiyl any consolation. It was like making a cake for your favourite person, only for it to be eaten by a complete stranger who tells you that its delicious. No matter how someone praised you for it, it couldnt hide that empty feeling inside. Show yourself. Even so, if he helped them, he could still protect that certain girls smile in the end. If protecting Academy City could protect that persons smile, Stiyl Magnus would gladly accept this task. Using all his strength just to help some other unrelated people. And because of this slight lingering feeling, he had to beat this enemy now. Swallow thyself, turn it into powerInnocentius!! From the insides of his robes, a large number of cards flew out. The runes flew out like a paper avalanche, and with him as the centre, they stuck onto the cracked and devastated ground. The flames shot out. The flames were released like a red lotus, moving inwards, and disappearing. In the middle was a black humanoid figure, the 3,000 degree Celsius god was standing just beside him. ...Go, Innocentius The magician said as he slowly got up. He supported himself with his hands and feet, standing up in a shaky manner. Even so, he would not bend that axle of his body and soul. He shouted out to the sky. His sorcery name, FORTIS 931!! The thing that he had sealed onto his soul, on this Innocentius that he had worked so hard to set up was... (-"I PROVE WHY MY NAME IS THE STRONGEST HERE!!"-) Part 7 The sky was gradually turning deep purple. As if ink had smudged through the back of a paper, the stars were starting to appear in the sky. Right now, there were two or three lights. In another 10 minutes, the sky would likely be full of stars. The stars wouldnt start shining when it was night time, more accurately they were always shining, but didnt really stand out because of the sun. Thus, as the sky grew darker, the first class stars, second class, third class, and so on would all appear in the sky. As the glow of the night sky was about to appear. Oriana Thomson glanced around and saw the light of the flames that covered the slightly dark sky. STIYL!! Kamijou noticed this abnormal change as well, but the other person carried a smile that was different from Oriana, a cynical one, and without turning back, shouted out his own sorcery name. As if it was responding to him, the intensity of the light increased. !! Right now, Oriana was facing a pursuing Kamijou, as she continued to retreat. At this moment, the large humanoid figure got behind her, and made a sound that indicated that it was consuming oxygen. Its large orange arm swung down. This nee-chan...has no interest in getting tortured by a candle!! She moved aside, dodging Kamijous fist, and using this movement, moved to Kamijous right. As if she was planning to use the boy as a shield, Oriana moved Kamijou around, using him to block the incoming flame god that was coming in from another side. ... Stiyl, who was standing slightly farther away, frowned. Die together. WAAHHH!! Kamijou frantically backed away, and after that, Innocentius right arm swung to the side. The abnormally long arm burned the back of Kamijous hair, aiming towards Orianas upper body. Even though the boy was in a position where he would definitely be consumed by the flames. Wha...!! At the moment when a really surprised Oriana jumped back, THATS DANGEROUS, IDIOT!! This time, Kamijou swung a right hook at the giant flame gods right arm. The large arm was extinguished, but it then continued on in an abnormal manner. 3,000 degrees Celsius, hellish flames that would melt any skin on even the slightest contact. (Ugh!!) Even if she knew that it wouldnt hit her, Orianas movements froze as the flames moved in an unexpected manner. In the meantime, Kamijou took a huge step and moved in front of her. (Oh no...) Just as Oriana was about to use her hand to block. The fist that had all of Kamijous weight on it was swung towards her defence. Because of the explosive sound just now, Oriana had no time to dodge. Numbness and pain could be felt in both her hands. !! Oriana thought, this was really bad. Oriana, who would normally maintain this distance and fight back with magic or physical objects, didnt want this to become a simple grappling or punching match. Though she disliked the difference between genders, facing someone whose style of combat was to use his own fists, it was foolish for her as a female to fight physically when she normally fights intelligently. Oriana was unable to interpret Kamijous movements, so she continued to move backwards, as if she was bending her body back. Dust to dust, earth to earth. Red Vampire Hunter Cross!! A new flame blew everything apart. Stiyl, who was holding a red flame sword in the right hand, and a blue one in the left hand, rushed in fast to Kamijous back. (Oh no...!) Oriana bit her tongue. Though being hit once or twice by the boys fist wouldnt cause any critical injury, the flame swords were different. Their explosiveness was much more dangerous than their cutting capability, such that she would be reduced to nothing with even the slightest touch, not even her bones would be left. (I should first settle that magician) Orianas concentration moved from Kamijou to Stiyl. Eh...? Another one followed up. As Stiyl continued to run, he tripped because of the debris on the asphalt floor. Go back home, you stinking magician!! Kamijou shouted as he extended his fist towards Oriana. Oriana, who was stunned, immediately regained her concentration and protected her face. Shut up, amateur! Stiyl, who had fallen behind Kamijou, knocked the flame sword onto the ground. With a loud explosive sound, a large and strong gust surged forward like a wall. Kamijou, feeling the pressure come in from behind, lost his balance and missed his target. The fist passed through the gap in Orianas defence. It hit somewhere slightly below the facethe middle of her chest. Dong! It sounded like someone stamping hard onto the ground. Ke...Ah...AHHHHHH!! Orianas breathing was interrupted, as she backed off and fell. She couldnt breathe properly as she continued to roll backwards, trying to maintain the distance. She wanted to tear a flashcard, but her mouth was trembling so much that she couldnt do it properly. It was a direct hit. The reason was simple, because she couldnt anticipate Kamijou and Stiyls movements. If they were just working individually, Oriana would definitely read them, lure them, counter them, and win without even a scratch. But Innocentius! Stiyl gave the instructions, and the giant flame god continued to advance. Just as Oriana was about to turn around and dodge, Stiyl moved in from behind and chanted a new spell. O flames, give the pain of a giant This was the spell that he needed to chant in order to create his main weapon, the flame sword. Just as Stiyl was about to pass by Kamijou, however, Stop blocking, idiot! How about you get aside!! The duos teamwork rating was 0, as both their powers were obstructing each other. But their messy movements were still directed at Oriana. (I cant read them...!?) She finally tore a flashcard after much difficulty and blocked the flame sword with the ice sword that she created. However, Kamijou knocked into Stiyls back, and was absolutely merciless towards his own ally. No matter what, it looked like he was attacking Stiyl. With this increase in force, Oriana heavily bent backwards. At this moment, the flame sword that Stiyl continued to use broke. It was one thing if they were just assisting each other, but in this situation, they were basically pulling each other down. It was like getting involved in their own battle. However, this made it harder to read. As both sides werent targeting Oriana, she couldnt tell when the real attack would come. The timing was extremely tight, it was like a bullet bouncing about in a small and enclosed room. WOOOHH...!! Oriana, who was still backpedalling, continued to swing her ice sword amidst this chaos. She was aiming for Stiyls waist. However, this wasnt the real target. Even if the enemy could dodge the ice sword, she could instantly manipulate the ice particles and assimilate them into a sword, and redirect it in the direction where Stiyl dodged. In this situation, Orianas wrists could no longer withstand the sudden change in centre of gravity, and she nearly broke her wrists. (Anyway, I have to hit you! Let this nee-chans move render you weak on the waist!!) The ice sword was attacking at a terrifying pace, piercing towards Stiyls waist. Just before that. !! Kamijou, who was behind, got in front and blocked the ice sword with his right hand. In an instant, Orianas weapon was destroyed.(Normally...they would be arguing. But to think that they would be helping each other even now?) Before she could even express her surprise, Kamijou and Stiyl were already prepared to make their next move. Kamijou Touma was bending low, readying his right hand. Behind him, Stiyl Magnus was also clenching his fist. Maybe both parties had no plans at all, But this was a partnership formed by blind attacks on each other. Both of them were working together, launching their attacks at the same time. Kamijou and Stiyls fist were coming at the same time. Oriana Thomson thought about which side should she be blocking, and responded too late. Bonk! Being punched in the face and abdomen, Orianas body strongly flew back. Eh...ack...!! She slammed into the ground hard. She felt that she was showing an extremely ugly movement as she was knocked down. She couldnt breathe properly, her balance was unstable, and the strength was now gone from her legs. In this blurry vision, Oriana saw it. They were coming in from the front. Obviously, she knew what the enemies now would do if she was to let her guard down. Even if she knew this, Oriana couldnt get up due to the impact she had suffered. Her confused brain was unable to issue commands to her weak and powerless body. (I lost...?) She saw the flashcards which were attached to the metal ring, drop in front of her. The flashcards which signified her power. (Ive...already...lost...?) This fact made her hands even weaker. Amidst this blurry consciousness, she intended to hand her body over to this weakness that was striking like waves. (The...solution, what would happen...) A certain thing caught Orianas attention, which was gradually heading towards darkness. A doubt that she had repeated for countless times. Oriana thought about it. She almost vomited it out, but swallowed it again. She again reaffirmed the bitterness of that question. (This...nee-chan...wishes...for an absolute solution...) Regarding Orianas actions, everyone had different views about them. Some were thankful, and some would leave in vengeance. What should she do? To not get the answer when she was troubled. Everyone had different views about it, what an individual did, somebody else would perceive it differently. No matter how firmly Oriana believed in her rules, not everyone would accept it, which would cause differences. In this world, there was nothing that was absolutely correct. As long as everyone had their own thoughts, this would happen. (No matter whether its the emperor, pope, president, fuhrer, prime minister, it doesnt matter. I want to fight for others...) It was not that she didnt want to know the answer. It was because there was no answer, that she decided to create her own answer. An answer that nobody would doubt. An answer that everyone would be satisfied with. (I want to win...) Oriana extended her trembling hand forward. So she was been working hard till now. If so, what was Oriana doing here? (...So, give me a clear guide. To be able to let everyone be happy, being able to avoid creating conflict due to the differences in values, I want such a wonderful world!!) She again repeated this wish of hers. Oriana opened her eyes. The blood flowed into her head. Due to this reaction, her heart started to beat. (I want to win...) Oriana extended her trembling hand to the ground. Her feet couldnt move, she couldnt support her own weight. Thus, she did something much simpler and yet more effective. (I want to win, I want to create an answer! My...my name is) The flashcards attached to the gold ring were on the ground. Oriana Thomson again grabbed the weapon which she had once let go of. BASIS 104, "FROM THE FOUNDATION TO CARRY"!! Part 8 Kamijou heard this cry. It was not Japanese, nor was it in simple English. It was of an unknown foreign language. Stiyl realised earlier than Kamijou the significance of that name. GET DOWN, AMATEUR!! Stiyl kicked Kamijous back, and without caring that he was on the ground, immediately summoned Innocentius, which was on standby. Just as the giant flame god covered his front like a shield. Tch! On the floor, Oriana Thomson used her mouth to tear another flashcard. BOOM!! Fresh blood scattered all over the place. What Oriana released was an ice ball the size of a soccer ball. The ball left her hand, and from the centre, exploded out. The large amount of shrapnel rained down in a fan-like shape. The hail of blades almost pierced through Kamijous head, as he still remained on the floor. It then pierced through Stiyl Magnus, who was behind him. The sound of these sharp blades cutting through flesh was unexpectedly hard and blunt. Or was that the sound of bones breaking? Stiyl bent down on his knees before lying flat on the ground. Blood was streaming out of his body. Innocentius painfully twisted its body before vanishing in all directions. No words. Not even a groan. St... Kamijou looked up in disbelief. STIYL!! Where are you going? A certain voice prevented Kamijou from getting to Stiyl. Kamijou turned around. Oriana was standing 7 metres away from him, holding tightly onto the flashcards. Boy, your target...should be me, right... You...you... Kamijou carelessly let this out. The sky was gradually turning from purple to the dark blue of the night sky. There was almost no time left till the constellation appeared. Though the amateur couldnt really see when would the sun set completely, there seemed to be around 5 minutes left. The Apostles Cross could be used. This was the most important thing that he had to remember. Stop messing around. How many people do you want to hurt before you are satisfied? But this was what Kamijou Touma could let out first. These words came out before his brain could even process them. He couldnt just leave Stiyl lying on the floor. However, Oriana was not giving him time to do any emergency procedures. Thus, he had to get rid of the person that was blocking him. In contrast, Oriana smiled, This nee-chan is forced to do it anyway. That kind of expression looked empty, as if some part of it was blown away, and the rest of it was erased. I hate this, thats why I have to battle. You people may think that I am stupid, but dont look at me like that, I have my own reason. Come on, boy. Youre the last chess piece left to defend Academy City. As long as I beat you, this nee-chans mission is done. After that, the Roman Catholics Apostles Cross will show what nee-chan wanted. What...purpose? Kamijou exerted more force into his fingers. You already said that youll let others decide the future, and yet youre talking so selfish and ignorant. Fukiyose fell, Himegami was attacked, Tsuchimikados hands and feet are injured, and Stiyl was used as a shield! These arent of your own intention, but under orders by the Roman Catholics? How can you let such shallow thinking take away other peoples happiness!? This nee-chan is... Oriana carefully measured the distance as she silently muttered. It was not that she had rigour left, but rather, she was trying to conserve her energy. ...Its alright no matter who it is. No matter whether its the Roman Catholics, or if its anyone else. Its not important to listen to someone else, its the same as selecting a politician. To you little boy, should it be too hard? But, a politician and an artiste are different, right? A politician doesnt choose by his own interests. As long as its someone who can make this nee-chan happy, its alright even if hes the prime minister, right? She repeated her shallow breathing, as if she was going to cough out blood. Oriana Thomson wasnt someone without her own personal goals. As long as she could achieve this personal goal, she was willing to listen to anyone. To be honest, this nee-chan has no qualms with being allies with Academy City. But because this nee-chan has links with the magic world, I turned out to be theirs...no matter what, the Apostles Cross can fulfil this nee-chans wish. Your aim? Thats the emperor who gets world domination, and becomes as stupid as an idiot? Facing Oriana, who was carefully measuring the distance, Kamijou didnt care as he took another step forward. As both of them had different viewpoints, Oriana let out a smile. Thats why I say, that is the business of this nee-chans superiors. This nee-chan isnt unhappy about whoevers giving the orders. As long as it can protect this nee-chans daily life, its alright no matter who gets dominated. Think about it, boy. On this planet, how many religions believe in considering good and evil? ... The answer? Many, very many, so many that you cant count them all. And the most fundamental thing is the Christians Structure of faith. After that, there are many more explanations. In the end, everyone has few morals. To simply put it, its like a Roman Catholic, Oriana Thomson Sect. Oriana held tightly onto the flashcard, as if she was going to crush it. Like Kamijou, she took a step forward. I say, boy. There are many developments in this world that nobody can imagine. For example, giving a seat to an old lady while on a double decker bus, only to have a seat thats used by a terrorist hidden underneath it. Or to bring a lost child back to Church, only to find out that hes an escaped British Puritan magician, and in the end, that child was sent to the execution tower. Listen to me, I just helped a child retrieve a balloon from a tree today, but is this really related to happiness? This nee-chan cant really tell anymore. She said these words. Matching the firmness in these words, Oriana again closed in. There were still 6 metres left between them. Boy, can you imagine it? The feeling of realising that trap when everythings over. Though I know I have to do it, I still get that feeling of seeing the person in front of me getting hurt when everythings over. I cant do anything, and yet I have to do something. Then what is this nee-chan supposed to do? Hearing this. Kamijou Touma still continued to approach in a similar manner. There were now 5 metres left between them. Dont you find it strange? People should love their neighbours, and yet they cant protect the person beside them. So this nee-chan hopes that anyone other than nee-chan, even if I dont know who that person is, I hope that the person controlling this world from somewhere can give me the answer. Oriana gritted her teeth slightly. As if she was trying to get rid of this bitter feeling, she again closed in. There were now 4 metres left between them. Its alright no matter who it is, please dominate and standardise the messed-up stands and views of this world. This was Oriana Thomsons goal Because of the word coincidence, Oriana, whose good intentions had been betrayed, didnt want to be betrayed again, and didnt want this sort of betrayal to hurt anyone beside her. However, this goal was too great, it was impossible for Oriana alone to do it. Thus, she was putting this hope onto someone stronger, more powerful, and superior. An absolute solution. In order not to create a tragedy because of a mistake, a misunderstanding, or just a brush through. This nee-chan...wants to protect everything. She made a stand. As if she was going to use everything she had. Thus, I have to use the Apostles Cross to take over Academy City. By doing this, all the expanding views will merge together. What Oriana wanted to say was get out of my way, not to get involved in this, and her own way was the right way, thus many people would be saved, and there was nothing to refute it. She was expressing all these ideas wordlessly, like a wall ahead. However, Is this all what your goal is about? Kamijou took another huge step forward. There were now 3 metres left between them. If so, then someone like you is too cheap. I know that you arent a bad person, but to call yourself justice is too cheap. To go for this level of goal, to hand over everyone in Academy City over to you, I wont allow it. What did...you...say? Orianas eyebrows collapsed. This minor change destroyed her beautiful round face. Boy, stop saying this when you havent seen the real world yet. Theres no anguish, groans, or cries of rage, not even the sound of someone begging for forgiveness... theres just discontent! Theres no hope for a 10-year old child, theres no despair for a 100-year old person! Both of them can only look stunned as everything happens around them! Just because you have never seen that expres If its just that. Kamijou interrupted her and took another step forward. There were now two metres left between them. This is still no reason to just choose Academy City as an attack target. To use an excuse like jumping off a building because of someone, such a fact has never changed. Never. For example, a lady named Orsola Aquinas. She specialised in evangelising the Gospel to unknown land. In the past, a certain nun named Agnese Sanctis had mentioned this. Was this the result of trying to unite all the ideals and faiths that were going about, working hard to ensure that everyones happy? For example, a boy named Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He should know that no matter how humans try, it was impossible to unite society as a whole. Thus, he chose to work for Academy City and the British Puritans in the shadows, trying to ease the differences and misgivings with society that most people would easily have. Even if their methods were different. Their actions were to protect those who were there for them. These things called thoughts werent something that could be classified crudely by religion or international borders. If ones values and stand had a form, everyone would have it. Though this thing may cause conflicts, on the other hand, it caused conflicts because it was important. No matter who the person was, there were some things that people could not let aside. It was because Orsola and Tsuchimikado knew this that they wouldnt go over that line. They wouldnt choose to step over the line like that, to destroy the values that other people had, to use a simple method that only benefited oneself. They wanted to use their own methods to confront other peoples values and beliefs. Thus, Kamijou said this. It was his own values, stand and beliefs that had been shaped through pain. Your questions are something that everyone feels, and everyones way of dealing with it is different. Its not because of a large goal, and I could have granted your wish without any conditions. Kamijou said as he clenched his fist tight, moving forward at the same time. There was now only one metre left between them. I dont know such difficult things like having a personal viewpoint and values. But, I hate it when Stiyl and Tsuchimikado are hurt. I want to go out and see the night tour with Index and Himegami, I want to run wild and have fun with Aogami Pierce and Komoe-sensei. If all these can be combined together into a thought, Ill do my best to protect it. There were now at a distance where a punch could connect. There are many things that Im also unable to succeed in. It was the same with Agnese. However, even if I were to stay around and do nothing, its not going to do anything! Even if I fail and fall, when I fall, the events will still carry on. I tell myself to get up and protect the others! No matter what the outcome is, no matter how everything doesnt go the way I plan it, even so, those who are hurt by the people who betrayed them should have more reason to stand back up! The most important thing is that everyone can laugh and have a wonderful life!! You have no right to abandon other peoples lives midway through! Kamijou Touma finally said, What do you want now, Oriana Thomson? To hand yourself over to others just because of a single mistake? Or are you going to make that mistake and after that, helping others who made the same mistake!? Ha. Oriana laughed. This was different from the previous ones. There was no sense of danger hidden in it, it was a very ordinary smile. After that, she inhaled deeply. ! She tore another flashcard. A certain spell was activated, but Kamijou swung his right fist at the spells main body. An explosion occurred between them, and both of them were sent flying away by the power of the Imagine Breaker. A bluish-white flash occurred during this shockwave, as Kamijou inadvertently backtracked by 2 to 3 steps. Oriana followed suit as well. The distance between the two increased back to 3 metres. Oriana pulled the flashcard to her mouth, but this time, she was not just using one spell. Instead, she pulled the metal ring that was attached to all these thick pieces of paper. Several pieces of flashcards were released all of a sudden. Oriana swung her right arm that was holding the metal ring to the side. With this, everything will be over. The pieces of paper were scattered around like snow. In a horizontal manner, text font words appeared on these pieces of paper like blades appearing on snow. In pitch black, the words read All of Symbol. Using all my talents As if she was repeating this sentence, the avalanche of paper created a pure white explosion. The flash distorted itself like melted candy, grafting onto Orianas right arm. The explosive flash that stopped there looked like it was trying to resist getting pulled by Oriana, like stretched-out chewing gum. Oriana pulled her right arm back. Release all the souls and destroy the enemy ahead!! After that, she strongly swung her arm down like she was pitching, and a strong white-coloured explosion occurred beside Kamijou. BOOM!! Oriana heard this sound. The white light that was stretching like candy maintained its shape as it swung around. There was no definite shape, and this contraption would often change into random shapes. With its movements, the air that touched the light was sucked in at an extremely fast speed. It was unknown which one was distorted, the light or the gravity, as the scene in front suddenly changed. The real identity of that white light was a large gravity. All the matter that touched the light was sucked in and crushed by the pressure. As all the matter was being compressed in such a short time, from the outside, it looked like it was being eaten by a large space. As all the air had been removed, in order to fill up the void left behind, all the gas matter started to move about violently, and even the original light and gravity would be sucked in. (Come on.) Oriana waved all her flashcards to create her largest spell, showing a smile of despair. A flash of light started moving in a clockwise direction, aimed at Kamijou. Seeing the asphalt road being dragged up by the air and being crushed by the light. (If so, everything ends here, right?) Facing this strike that was coming in horizontally, the boy swung his right hand up without hesitation. WOOOOOOOOOOHH!! He released a cry. With the sound of glass breaking, the pure white light broke apart upon touching that hand. Hearing the sound of something being spat out, Whoosh! Everything that had been compressed in the white light released. !! As Kamijou hadnt foreseen this happening, his thoughts went blank. Like air. An air body flying about all over the place like the mouth of a balloon being released, regaining its original shape, and the force released blasted against Kamijou like a storm. Like the asphalt road. The pieces of rock that had been crushed by the huge pressure, and were now stones the size of beans, like popcorn regaining its original size. The stone pieces that were released were now riding the storm and acting like bullets. The stone storm continued to rage. With a blunt tong, a piece of the asphalt road the size of a fist hit Kamijous right fist. Before he could even feel pain, more stones directly hit his abdomen, chest, thighstill the moment the back of his head was hit; he couldnt even feel pain anymore. (This...person...to think that she actually predicted that...it would be destroyed by the Imagine Breaker...!?) GYYAAAAHHHH!! With blood scattered all over the place, and the feeling of his skin getting peeled, Kamijous body was about to fall to the side. He knew that his vision was tilted slightly, but he didnt know what could be done to correct it. As his thoughts started to vanish, Oriana, who finished using all her flashcards, came running over. She was planning to deal the final blow. Not by magic, but to crush Kamijous bones with her fist that was as hard as granite. The strength in his legs was gradually disappearing. It was difficult for him to even stand. In this situation, it would be impossible for him to even block Orianas attack, let alone dodge. If he was going to be hit like that, Kamijous body would be crushed. (Damn...it...) DFukiyose Seiri said, Have you ever thought about making Daihaseisai a success? DHimegami Aisa said, Komoe-sensei and Stiyl are arguing, please come and stop them. DStiyl Magnus said, Dont expect too much. DTsuchimikado Motoharu said, If we catch her here, everything will be over. The thing that each of them actually wished for was all to preserve the smiles of the people, both the citizens of Academy City and the tourists who were there for Daihaseisai. Though the scale and quality may differ, everyone wanted to maintain and protect the lives that they had now. Kamijou himself had said it before. He had told Himegami Aisa, who was on the ground in blood, that he would go to her room before the night tour started. This wasnt just a battle with this magician, it was also the realisation of having to battle for others. This was regarding the feelings of these people who express their own views. (How can I) With his shaky consciousness, Kamijou gritted his teeth. Forcefully. (HOW CAN I LET IT END HERE!!!) GYA...AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! His legs finally started to move. His vision that was tilted to the side was supported by the earth. Oriana Thomson was just ahead. She was about to swing her fist down. Wh...why!? Her eyes widened in surprise. Most likely, she hadnt expected a counterattack. Oriana, who was focusing on attacking, didnt have time to set her defense up. In his blurry consciousness, Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist in a refined manner. Forcefully, firmly, not willing to let go. After that. Both parties exchanged fists. Kamijou Toumas strike hit Oriana directly on the face. The magicians body rolled backwards in a forceful manner. Part 9 Oriana Thomson was on the ground, not moving at all. At this moment, Kamijou knew that the boundary that she set up had vanished. The engines could be heard as the planes buzzed around, as if he suddenly recalled something. The surrounding runway of the experimental airbase looked like it had been plowed through, the control tower and support frames were bowled down. The mini-plane in the air finally hovered up frantically. After a while, the guards would arrive. Stiyl!! Kamijou shifted his body that was completely covered with wounds to the rune magician, who was lying far away. Stiyl was covered in ice fragments, and now the ice was almost melted. Maybe it was because the ice block that was covering the wound had melted, there was more blood flowing out of the wound. Stiyl couldnt get up. But, as he lay on the ground, his eyes started to blink slowly. ...Dont worry...about me, I can do this on my own. He moved his bloody lips. More importantly, the Apostles Cross, force Oriana...to say where...it is...our ultimate objective...is to prevent that spiritual tool from activating... But! Just as Kamijou was looking around, looking for something that could be used as a bandage. Theres nothing to worry about. Everything will be over soon. He could hear a voice. It was the voice of a female. One that seemed older than Oriana. Kamijou looked around, there was no new person around. The voice came from near where Oriana was lying. ...The boundary that prevents communication is cut... After much difficulty, Stiyl managed to say these words. Kamijou thought, this must be a spell meant to replace a wireless walkie-talkie or cellphone. (If so, the one speaking is...) Lidvia Lorenzetti. Like Oriana Thomson, she was also responsible for planning to activate the Apostles Cross inside Academy City, the person who wanted to dominate this entire area to take over the entire science faction. She said, After a while, the Apostles Cross will activate. Academy City will work to the Roman Catholics favour. Thus, you dont have to worry even if youre hurt. No matter what, including those wounds, the entirety of Academy City will be reversed. That meant, The Apostles Cross was not with Oriana, but with Lidvia. At the same time, YOU PLAN TO GET RID OF US MEDDLERS HERE!? Kamijou inadvertently shouted out. Lidvia remained unmoved as she said, You seem to be mistaken. I just want to say, well take care of your wounds, and treat you. Of course, if these are beneficial to the Roman Catholics. What? Kamijou couldnt help but frown. ...Ignore her, Kamijou Touma. Stiyl, who was on the ground, softly whispered. Since theyre going to use the Apostles Cross, Lidvia and the spiritual tool should be somewhere close by. With your right hand, you can definitely destroy all the spiritual functions. So hurry, Lidvia should be somewhere near this runway To avoid any misunderstandings, let me tell you first. Lidvia seemed to intend to shut Stiyl up as she said, The Apostles Cross is not in Academy City. Kamijou inadvertently turned to look at Oriana, who was on the ground. Lidvias voice, which was coming from there, coldly stated, You people seemed to have checked all the observatories in Academy City, but that was just a decoy. Seems like you werent able to consider the observatories outside Academy City. The outside. It took several seconds for Kamijou and Stiyl to understand these words. The Holy See, which was created by the Apostles Cross, once occupied 47,000 square kilometers of land at its peak. Right now, its at 200 square kilometres. Of course, we have calculated, even if its outside Academy City, it can take over the entire city. Damn it. Stiyl blurted out these words. Now lying on the ground, he couldnt even move his limbs as he would like. We...were tricked, Kamijou Touma...hurry up and contact Tsuchimikado! Oriana must have...purposely attracted our attention...right from the beginning!! Thats right. Her mission is to investigate the related personnel and combat capability, and to divert all the attention in the wrong direction. If she really wanted to hide, she could have used the dispel bystander spell or any spell that can remove her presence. However, there wont be any fish if theres no bait. Thus, she purposely appeared here. The nuns voice steadily continued. It takes a long time to use the Apostles Cross, but the main point is that the observatory has to be fixed. The most worrying thing is for all your main combatants to know where all the observatories are beforehand. Lidvia Lorenzetti calmly revealed the truth, To us, its important to prevent this from becoming the focus, so Oriana purposely moved around Academy City, doing things that looked like there was a purpose behind them, to force all your combatants to focus solely within Academy City. I have the Apostles Cross, and before the time came, I was waiting in a hotel outside Academy City all this while, and in fact, the Apostles Cross was to be set up outside Academy City. Seems like our plan wasnt discovered. This... Kamijou gritted his teeth, but he couldnt think of any specific countermeasure. I wanted Oriana to not use any dispel bystander or presence cut spells. At first, when the Chaos and calm on the surface was destroyed, it was the preparation phase to begin battle. That time, we panicked. If Oriana was caught too early, we wouldnt be able to achieve our objective. To plan out all this elaborately, was it because she had all the trumps? Lidvias voice continued to ring inside Kamijous ears. Too bad. Unfortunately, she was beaten. However, the Apostles Cross will change this situation such that it would be beneficial to us. In conclusion, her failure is nothing but a trivial matter. As long as we can use the Apostles Cross from outside Academy City to take over Academy City, we can turn this situation around, and it will end up being as we planned it in the beginning. Though Lidvias words were mild, they made Kamijou feel that all their efforts up till now had been wasted. Kamijou used his trembling hand to pull the handphone from his shorts pocket. Just as he was looking for a record of Tsuchimikados number on the handphone display, Its useless. Most likely, besides the voice, it also showed what was going on. Lidvia dully said, For you to try and locate me now, its a little too far. Even if you have reinforcements on the streets, I believe that everything would be over before they could arrive. ...(The long range strike... Red spell wont work?) Stiyl continued to lie on the ground as he spoke in a barely audible voice. ...(First seeking, then attacking. Right now, Tsuchimikado is unable to...use spells consecutively. Were lucky if he can even squeeze one off with his current state...) Damn it! What can we do now!? Kamijou roared, but he couldnt think of any concrete plan to fight back. In this atmosphere of despair, only Lidvia Lorenzettis voice echoed throughout. How do you view the changes to Academy City after the Apostles Cross is used? Hearing this, Stiyl moved his lips. ...Compared to Sodom and Gomorrah (Note: These were the legendary cities that indulged in promiscuous acts. God sent sulphur and fire down onto these cities, destroying all the land, the people, and even the living things down there.)...it might be a little better. But what you people are doing...is no different from destroying those cities. To the Roman Catholics, youll send all those irritating places...into oblivion, and then use force to display Gods power...at his end, St. George...did something similar to the Roman Temple. This is your misunderstanding. Lidvia immediately said, To us, the most important thing is to yield the rampant science faction, thats all it is. Right now, science is arrogant, like the old Roman pagans. So we have to act like what they did in the past, to deny all of what they believe in, to use our power to demonstrate Gods authority. Her tone had changed. The words that were cut halfway were now completely linked up. Sciences views, sciences views, sciences views...the word science here is no longer just simple knowledge, but a pagan cult in itself. Unfortunately, people will just believe the words Sciences views without any condition. They never used their own eyes to confirm it, how stupid is that? That true, Science may have been heading in the wrong direction at times. Even if Science was correct, how could anyone say that Science was the absolute truth? One had to think through it before calling it Science. Common knowledge and Scienceif so, would continue to improve over time. Till 1930, nobody had discovered Pluto. That had also been a time where people said that blue-ray diodes were impossible. Even if Science as correct, the scientific framework may be imperfect. If one was to add in the words Science is correct without thinking, it was like saying that the teacher is never wrong. We feel that its the Science side invading the Church, and so we cant let this slide. Human hands have stained Gods almighty name, so its right to clean with human hands, right? Kamijou didnt even bother with Lidvias words. It was impossible to talk with her. Kamijou pulled out his handphone and confirmed the time. The moment he looked up at the sky, the sky had turned completely purple. Like ink smudging through the paper, stars were scattered everywhere in the sky. This was the worst situation. It was almost over. Well take you in, and wont destroy Academy City. Such a boring festival like Daihaseisai is only a perfect demonstration site for us to force the Science side to submit to the Church. Well let you forsake this pagan religion before accepting you as our dear fellow comrades. Stiyl moved his wounded body and pulled a blood-stained rune card from his arms. Like Lidvia, he may have been trying to use a communication spell. Go...call...Tsuchimikado. Stiyl tried to squeeze out a voice. ...Its called the all-around reality array, right? That spell that searched out Orianas counterspell. Use it on Lidvias message, and find out where she is. After that, Ill use my communicating spell, and call my allies outside to... Theres no use. Theres only 120 seconds before the Apostles Cross is used. No, its 107 seconds now. I can say this now: checkmate. 107 seconds. Even if they found out where Lidvia was, nobody could get there. They would use up all their time by just calling the injured Tsuchimikado here. Stiyl Magnus gasped. On the other side of the communicating spell, Lidvia Lorenzetti revealed a smile. Kamijou gritted his teeth as he looked up at the purple sky that was becoming starry. (Is there any way...) The feeling of not giving up continued to circle around him. (...IS THERE AN ULTIMATE TRUMP CARD THAT CAN REVERSE THIS SITUATION!!) Kamijou racked his brain as if he was desperately grasping at straws. The Apostles Cross, the most important spiritual tool that the Roman Catholics had could take over 47,000 square kilometres of land. It was a spell that used constellations, not using just the constellation''s location, but its appearance in the night sky. After investigating the characteristics and features, they had chosen the most effective one out of the 88 constellations, and now they were ready to collect the starlight on the ground. !! Kamijou Touma grabbed his phone. Tsuchimikado! Dont ask anything. Listen to me. How many possible places outside Academy City can they use the Apostles Cross and still take over Academy City!? Wha...at are you...saying, Kami-yan? This interrupted voice probably indicated that he did not know what was going on here. However, Kamijou had no time or intention to elaborate. He again shouted, NO NEED TO EXPLAIN THE SPECIFICS. AMONG ALL THE CONDITIONS THAT I MENTIONED, WHERES THE FURTHEST POINT!? ...There should be 5 of them outside. Among them...the one furthest away is north of Academy City, about 1,700 metres away...Kami-yan, whats going on... Sorry, Tsuchimikado, I dont have time to explain it. After apologising, Kamijou hung up the phone, ignoring the other persons questions. After that he activated the search function of his communication function. It was the electronic version of the Daihaseisai tour guidebook. (I know the distance. The time...theres 55 seconds left. Can it work!!?) Right now, its impossible to do anything. So let me destroy that last hope of yours, Im now no longer at that aforementioned location. Kamijou ignored that voice which seemed to be lying as he continued to operate his phone desperately. On the display, it was the map of Academy City. (Not this.) Kamijou closed the tab and opened a new one. (Not this. Not this either.) He closed the screen, and opened another one. This map was only meant for those who had lost their guidebooks and needed information, so it couldnt fit in all the contents of that thick guidebook. It was inconvenient too, and Kamijou still couldnt find the information that he wanted. Even so, Kamijou continued to work on the phone. When he finally saw the display, the phone in his hand dropped. Klak Klak. The light sound of plastic dropping rang on the evening runway. But, that was just it. Kamijou wanted to pick up the phone, but he couldnt do so. His trembling fingers couldnt move successfully, and he couldnt even do a simple action. There were still 40 seconds till everything was over. These last moments would just be wasted by Lidvias words. No matter what, no matter what method you use, its impossible to get to where I am now. She continued in her polite tone, as if she was bowing over and apologising. Everything is over. Including you people, Ill make this world a better place. As if he had given up, Kamijou let out a ha laugh. Thats right, everything is over. There were still 20 seconds left. Ahh, damn it, saying that Ill keep my promise. In his vision, it was not the stars that were about to appear. Thats right. Even though I was confident and agreed with Himegami, I ended up like this. Im really disappointed. He looked at the handphone that was lying on the ground. You think so too right, Lidvia? There were still 5 seconds left. Even when I have broken your illusion. What? Just as Lidvia raised her doubt. Dong!! A strong bright light appeared from the ground, and the darkness in the night was eradicated immediately. It was the light released by the light bulbs, neon lights, laser lights, focus lights and many more that were set up all over Academy City. Though the 23rd School District had nothing to do with Daihaseisai, the nearby International Airport started to shine like the decorative lights on a Christmas tree. Fast-paced music could be heard from afar with many electronic tunes. It sounded like the background music at a childrens theme park. Its exactly 6:30 PM now. Kamijou Touma picked up his handphone, and looked at the screen. On the simple digital edition of the guidebook, the words were written night parade. Dont you know when the night parade starts? What... Light continued to cover Academy City. Before he realised it, the stars that had been shining in the night sky vanished upon the appearance of the ground lights. It was like a metropolis, where it was impossible to see the stars due to all the light. The weaker starlight was absorbed into the strong floodlights. Really...I already promised Himegami to visit her at the hospital before this starts, and in the end, I still couldnt make it. Damn it, I really lost face there. Kamijou clicked his tongue bitterly. Thats right. According to Tsuchimikado, the furthest location outside Academy City which can still take over Academy City is about 1,700 metres away. If its just that distance, with this large amount of light in Academy City, it should cover the entire sky. Then, Kamijou continued, If even the furthest place can be covered, no matter where you are, the other places will be covered as well, right? Lidvia Lorenzetti. The remaining 5 seconds had passed. But there was still no change to the world. Thinking about it, were all boring supporting roles. This was the moment when a most-powerful spell that used starlight, Succumbed to all the artificial light released. For me, not being able to catch you now, I cant say anything big. But didnt you not look down on Daihaseisais authority? Havent you now lost to all the light that everyone released? The security system, what balance between Science and Magic, these are all decorations for today. You should have checked out whos the main character for Daihaseisai. It was not Kamijou Touma, it was not Stiyl Magnus, it was not Tsuchimikado Motoharu, it was definitely not Oriana Thomson, and definitely not Lidvia Lorenzetti. They were Fukiyose Seiri, who wanted Daihaseisai to succeed, Himegami Aisa, who was in her own blood due to coincidence, Tsukuyomi Komoe, who was crying as she tried to save her student who was drowning in her own blood. These people gathered together to protect Daihaseisai. Using this large amount of light. The intention to use this light to create wonderful memories. ... Facing Kamijous words, the other party had no reply. Right now, what was Lidvia thinking as she looked up at the sky? So how? Seems like you cant shake Daihaseisai anymore, right? I dont know anything about the power balance between the Science side and the Magic side, but if you destroy the Apostles Cross, get out of here quietly, and not do anything to Academy City, I wont have anything with that. What do you think? ...You think so? A low tension could be felt in Lidvias voice. It felt like she would explode the moment she moved a finger. Im a respected Roman Catholic, and I dont feel that I did anything wrong to Academy City. Its meaningless to accept your proposal. Really? Kamijou quietly replied. He shifted his vision slightly. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was climbing over the fence and approaching. The only man who could use a spell to detect the magic source was slowly moving over. Even if Tsuchimikado was to accurately find the observatory where the Apostles Cross was used, before Kamijou and company could head there, Lidvia would likely escape with the Apostles Cross. It was already difficult for them while they had their chase, and there was a considerable time and distance for them to cover in order to get outside. But, there were many magical organisations of different sizes waiting for this opportunity outside the city. No matter what they thought about Academy City, it was a righteous cause for them to capture Oriana and Lidvia. And also, it was disturbing that the whereabouts of the Apostles Cross was still unknown. Regarding this, they would be able to settle the situation regarding Lidvia by asking for help from the British Puritans. Thus, By using the all-around reality array that Tsuchimikado prepared, letting Stiyl know the source of Lidvias communicating spell, contacting the English Puritans reinforcements that were waiting outside Academy City, and then letting them do their thing, everything would be over. Besides that, Kamijou Touma had nothing else to do. Finally, he laughed, and said, Go run and scamper around as if youre running in a sports meet, Lidvia Lorenzetti. Volume 10, Epilogue: The Awaiting People after the Conclusion. Those_Who_Hold_Out_a_Hand. Volume 10, Epilogue: The Awaiting People after the Conclusion. Those_Who_Hold_Out_a_Hand. Part 1 The sun had completely set, and the night parade was in full swing. The guards who had come rushing over discovered Kamijou and company wounded, and sent them over to the hospital. It would not have been strange for them to have sent them to a hospital that had metal window, but for some reason, they had been sent to the hospital that Kamijou was at. Considering that the school districts were different, the higher ups may have exerted some pressure, but right now, Kamijou was unable to think about this. Upon receiving contact, both of Kamijous parents, Touya and Shiina seemed to have waited in the waiting room for their sons operation to be over. Most likely, both of them were tired from watching the matches that were going on during Daihaseisai; and once the hospital staff finished treating these wounds, both of them were so tired that they were now on the couch, lying on each others shoulders. Kamijou had immediately asked a nurse to put a blanket on them. ...In other words, Touma didnt say anything to me, and went off to fight a magical battle that involves the fate of the world and Academy City, and got so badly wounded that he was sent back to the hospital again? Index, who had already changed back into her nun robes, coldly stared at Kamijou. Kamijou, who was kneeling on the patients bed, said, Index-hime, why, as the patient, am I forced to kneel on a hospital bed? Touma, Touma. Can I punch you? IM SORRY!! Kamijou immediately bent over, put his head into the soft blanket, and apologised. The combination of clenching his right fist and the cute action of bending his head down looked really scary. Index unhappily raised her head. Kamijou, who sensed this crisis, lifted his head up and revealed a smile, trying to get on Indexs good side. But...but thats that. Stiyl and Tsuchimikado are all right. And Index, wasnt there a good reason why you couldnt take part in this battle? Then before that, Touma? Am I digging my own grave? Kamijou again bent down to beg for forgiveness. Showing a really unhappy face, Index said, Even if theres a magic searching spell placed around me, do you really think that I cant do anything? I can use a handphone or something to call you and give you advice!! I cant agree with you on that, Index! You dont even know how to charge up a zero-yen phone, it makes it impossible for me to imagine you using a phone. Also, the moment you hear that a magician is involved, even without me saying anything, youll immediately dongdongdong rush over to the centre of these events!! Dongdongdong!? Touma, why do I feel that your explanation seems to imply that Im an idiot!? Peh, for you to not even realise that is...IM JOKING! IM JOKING! IM JOKING!! Seeing Index, who was revealing her teeth, Kamijou Touma was terrified such that his skin was tingling. Wait a second, Index! Arent you going to graduate from that kiddy method of biting others to become a mature female? Kamijou purposely used the words kiddy and mature woman to shake Index up. Hearing this, the nun Index, who was climbing onto the bed, intending to bite Kamijous head, suddenly stopped. ...Touma, can you understand why I am so angry? Eh? Arent you angry because I left you alone for the whole day Itadakimasu (TN: I''m tucking in)! Thank you for your hospitality!! Eh!? Dont tell me shes angry because of this...!? Kamijou swallowed the cry of despair that he was going to let out. Overcoming the bitterness and embarrassment, Index again took a step forward and bit onto Kamijous head with even more force. Kamijou continued to struggle on the bed. ILL DIE!! IM SORRY FOR FEELING THAT THAT WAS SOMEWHAT NOT ENOUGH IN THE PAST! THIS IS ALREADY PAST MY TOLERANCE LEVEL!! Stop saying things that will confuse others, and reflect on this properly! I was really worried about you!! Just as Kamijous head was getting bitten, the door to the patients room opened, and new visitors walked in. Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko. That...er, about that, I came over to look for Kuroko, and decided to come over in the meantime. There seems to be some fruit left...eh? Ara ara, this is truly a pleasant scene. On first glance, the girl on the patient bed was biting onto the boys face from the front, and it looked like the boys face was pressed onto the girls chest. (Well, from a bystanders viewpoint at least.) Sitting on a athletic-type wheelchair, Shirai placed a hand on her face. Ahh, you guys are already so intimate that you forgot the timing and location now! These two are really unbelievable, to be at such a high level...come to think of it, onee-sama, to coincidentally see such a thing, what should we do? Im somewhat embarrassed. DOES IT LOOK LIKE THAT!? Just as Kamijou was about to shout this out, Im very serious now, stop meddling, short-hair! (Index-hime!?) The fruit basket that Mikoto was holding dropped onto the floor. She immediately became expressionless. Kuroko...? Can an ordinary citizen help Judgement in maintaining discipline? I have a proper reason to prevent impure interaction between opposite genders here. Can I send this male here flying...? Mm. please kindly adjust this misters rotten character WA! TOO SCARY!? ONEE-SAMA, TO START THESE SPARKS, THATS A LITTLE TOO MUCH!! THIS IS A HOSPITAL!! Ah, I see. Mikoto cut off the electric flow that was around her body. In a hospital, even electronic devices like handphones were forbidden. Damn it. Misaka Mikoto, who was forced to seal her trump card, cursed and said, Never mind, Ill settle everything with you slowly after Daihaseisai. Have you seen the final results of today? Tokiwadai Middle School has comfortably surpassed your school, and is in the lead. Dont tell me you forgotten that the loser has to accept the winners demands? How...however, even if you mention about the penalty game now...wait a second, Index, let go of me now! LET GO! LET GO! IT HURTS!! Kamijou swung his hands around, finally pulling away the nun who was still biting him. After that, he again stared at Mikotos face. As...as you can see, I got involved in some situation, and am now covered with wounds. Even if I wanted to, I can''t participate fully in Daihaseisai now. In this situation, how are you going to decide the winner? ...Lets see. Mikoto folded her arms, and seeing Kamijous almost teary expression, gently sighed. Her anger ceased as her eyebrows, which had been raised in anger, relaxed slightly. At the same time she relaxed her shoulders, she revealed a slight smile. Just as Kamijou saw this and was silently grinning, How about you work hard and continue on? JUST THIS!? IVE ALREADY SAID THAT ITS IMPOSSIBLE! THIS KAMIJOU ONII-SAN IS ALMOST 80% DEAD! IF I WORK ANY HARDER, ILL DIE!! ALSO, FUKIYOSE AND TSUCHIMIKADO, THERE ARE MANY MORE ABSENTEES BESIDES ME!? EVEN IF WE CANT JUST FORGET ABOUT THE DEAL, YOU COULD AT LEAST GIVE ME A DISCOUNT...AHHHHHHHHHHH! YOURE LEAVING ME JUST LIKE THIS!!?? The two girls quickly left the room, and Index immediately chomped onto Kamijous head again. Seemed like she was really angry now, as the previous one didnt seem to be enough. Touma, what are the people outside Academy City doing? IT HURTS! LET GO OF ME, IT REALLY HURTS!!...Eh? They were contacted by Stiyl, and now all of them are outside looking for them. Tsuchimikado says that most of these organisations just want the extremely important Apostles Cross instead of being allies with Academy City or the British Puritans. ...So that means that nothing is settled yet. Yes, but, Kamijou paused, Stiyl was wounded really badly, such that he needed to enter the ICU, he clearly stated that theres no problem. Wonder what that means? Part 2 14 hours later, Lidvia Lorenzetti was 8,000 metres above France. She was in her own private jet. The black leather seats were lined along the walls, and there was a large central table bolted to the floor. It was a set up for a party. There were decorative lights on the walls, and there was a small chandelier imitation hanging from the ceiling. The interior was made of black wood and a luxury carpet, like a luxury cruise. Lidvia was alone, sitting next to the exit of the deck. Beside her, there was a Cross that was wrapped in white cloth. Compared to the large passenger jets used at an International Airport, it was rather small, and even in Japan, it was considered rare. But for countries that were larger than Japan by several times, such as the United States and Russia, air travel was quintessential for long distance travel. Like for Russia, just moving through the whole of Russia by train would take 2 weeks. Of course, Lidvias base of operations was in Europe. Because she had to move through the European Union, she had to use the power of the plane. She hated the technology that was used in religion today, but on the other hand, she had to accept the science that they had to use. For example, when there was no printing, preparing a Bible alone required a lot of time and effort. It was impossible to ignore the use of science in the development of the Church and all the religious paintings. To religious leaders, this was a dispute that arose from the Renaissance. And with the technology after that, the development of trains and planes, allowing women and children with low physical ability to safely go for their pilgrimage. And with internet becoming commonplace, it increased the possibility of them evangelising to those who did not know about Christ. This was the problem of using all these, Lidvia sighed, (Believing in an idol that has no life and is completely physical. Its like the pagans of the evil Roman Empire in the past.) After this slight motion, she glanced around. In front of her was the cockpit door. Right now, the door opened. From Lidvias position, she could see the back of the driver calmly operating the dashboard controls. Which side does he believe in? Lidvia wondered. This personal jet was Orianas own possession; there was no presence of any Roman Catholics. But the pilot should be a Roman Catholic. Of course, he was probably just a believer to a relatively minor degree, unlike Oriana or Lidvia. As he continued to operate this lump of iron to fly every day, he would draw a Cross on the runway and pray for a safe journey. This scene looked unbelievable, but Lidvia wasnt smiling. A man who used tools, a man who believed in God. A difference did just occur from now. 2,000 years ago, when the Son of God was alive and evangelising, people were probably using tools to bake their bread. More importantly, (Its not denying all the scientific tools, but one cant over rely on them and forget Gods almighty name.) After thinking about this, she gently sighed. Right now, Lidvia was not only unable to display Gods almighty name, she had to submit to the power of science. In actual fact, Lidvia was escaping right now. Though she had managed to protect the Apostles Cross from the enemy, even if she wanted to use the same attack over and over again, all the observatories where she could use the Apostles Cross were secured. The Apostles Cross couldnt work if it was not exposed to the night sky. But if the opponent built a simple structure above these observatories, she couldnt use the Apostles Cross around Academy City. And in this highly difficult scenario, the important fighting sinner Oriana Thomson had been captured by the enemy. Hohoho. However, she still continued to laugh. How pitiful...ahh, how pitiful, Oriana Thomson. Ho, hoho. I have to save her. I have to personally save that lost sinner who was arrested... Lidvia Lorenzetti normally used the misfortunes and disadvantageous situations as her motivation to continue. To barge into Academy City, to fight with 2.3 million people, to safely save Oriana, and to peacefully end all these. What was she saying? Was it a suicidal wish? Before the plan could be put to work, she would have to return to the Vatican. Lidvia would definitely be reprimanded for the failure of her reckless action. Before she could even request help to save Oriana, her own life was at peril. However, The more difficult the task in front of her, The higher she would aim. As long as she thought about breaking through all these, Lidvia Lorenzetti would feel an incomparable amount of delight. It was like a sportsman meeting his career rival. Mardi Gras. The words came from the popular Christian holiday before Quadragesima (Note for Mardi Gras: French for Fat Tuesday. During the Christians fasting festival, also known as Quadragesima, which is the first Sunday in Lent, as the people cannot eat any meat during the 40 days, people will eat loads and loads of fatty food during the three days before the fast to store their energy.) It was almost similar to the Carnival celebrated in New Orleans, U.S.A., and the Fastnacht in Germany. The reason why Lidvia was called this was Ho, hoho. Hahaha!! Ill move on. No matter whether its fortune or misfortune, no matter whether its a smooth ride or a stormy one, Ill take them on! Ill fulfil the meaning of the word Carnival and eat up all this reality thats going to be spiritual food for me! No matter whether it was a candy or a whip that she received, she would give the same response. In other words, there was basically no one who could stop her from doing anything. A person who would be delighted no matter what she was given, a person who would continue to smile and proceed on. If something prevented her from advancing, it would only cause Lidvia to move forward, as preventing her would be suicide in the first place. First, well settle the stuff inside the Roman Catholics. Then, Ill have to propose a battle plan to save Oriana, and finally, attack Academy City! Wahaha, what a large obstacle! And is it ever so sweet! She knew that the pilot in the cockpit would be terrified by her eccentricity. However, Lidvia could even use this sort of suspicion as motivation. At this moment, Hello, anybody in? A females voice suddenly rang. Lidvias shoulders jerked. There was no attendant in this personal plane. There was also a sound of panic from the cockpit. Seemed like the pilot didnt know anything. But Lidvia knew. That females voice Im the Archbishop of the British Puritans, Laura Stuart. Dont say that I didnt introduce myself, yes? Lidvia-san. She sounded rather happy. A female who had a much more important title than the Mardi Gras, such that in modern Church society, she was an indispensable figure. According to rumours, this monster had authority that equalled or even exceeded the queen of England. Lidvia gasped, this having the double meaning of joy and terror. A powerful enemy, and to her, a lamb that had inexplicable charm. ...Why, this personal jet...? Hoho. You seemed to have changed your name, huh. To take flight not from Italy, but from France. But do you think that such a little trick can fool me? I ordered the staff of Haneda Airport to stick a little present on the wall of the plane when you stopped. ... There seemed to be some sort of spiritual tool stuck on the outside of the planes body. Even so, it was impossible to pull it out from here. It couldnt possibly stick onto the planes body as it moved at ultrasonic speed. Basically, there would be a difference in pressure the moment the door was opened. But, did the British Puritans really find this plane on their own? If so, when she first brought the Apostles Cross onto this Japanese flight, there should have been something. Since nothing happened, it meant that the flight was secured after they took off from Japan. If so, the only thing she could think of was, (Is it with the help of Academy City...) No matter what, the situation now was bleak for her. The signal spiritual tool attached onto the plane would mean that the location of this plane was leaked to England. Even if she changed the landing area, the enemy could easily catch Lidvia at the airport. Even so, Ho. Youre so weird. To laugh even louder when youre being pressured. Dont tell me that it cant be corrected? Its like swimming and diving. The further the distance, the larger the pain, but the bigger the delight on reaching the goal. You really like to find pleasure in pain and torture. No, its more like enjoying getting difficult people to succumb to you, thats sadism. To get this sweet delight, I presume youre going to attack Academy City again? Facing Lauras irritating voice, Lidvia remained silent for a while. Academy City still owes me something. Who said that when someone punched you on the right side of your face, that youll extend out your left side as well? Oriana Thomson was deported to London. Even if you are to go back to the Vatican to regroup and plan, your beloved Oriana is no longer in Academy City. No, suppressing Academy City, and then demanding for Oriana, thats meaningful. Taking over that land will result in the Roman Catholics victory. Once we achieve this, the British Puritans would be vanquished on a single command." On her face, was a smile. One full of darkness, fanatics, aggressiveness like a beast, a smile unlike one expected of a nun. I wont forgive them. If Academy City didnt resist like that, everyone would have been happy. Those magicians, and the boy assisting them. If not for them, I would be taking this plane with Oriana! This fanatic cry got even more sonorous. As she declared loudly that she wouldnt forgive, that competitiveness got even more intense. SO I WONT FORGIVE THEM. BUT IM HAPPY, TO MEET A LARGER OBSTACLE, THE DELIGHT OF OVERCOMING THE DIFFICULTY WILL BE EVEN GREATER! THIS SO CALLED OVERCOMING, IS TO CRUSH ON OBSTACLES LIKE THIS!! Tears were dripping from her eyes. Those wild eyes of hers that were so feisty forgot to blink. TO NOT ATTACK ENGLAND DIRECTLY, BUT TO DELIBERATELY TAKE THE LONG ROUTE AND ATTACK ACADEMY CITY, AND THEN TO SAVE ORIANA, SUCH DIFFICULTY SUITS ME!! I MUST THANK GOD FOR GIVING ME SUCH A WONDERFUL MEAL! THE THICKER THE MEAT, THE CHEWIER IT IS!! ILL LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU THE NEXT TIME!! AHHAHAHAHA!! Lidvia, who had been speaking for several minutes, was showing a ferocious expression that could bite even a thick metal plate. Hearing such a voice that was definitely unstable, Lauras response was Ho...hoho. ...? To me, thats something to laugh about, but I dont understand what you find funny about it. What? The reason is simple. Seeing that the obstacle ahead is even greater, the larger the difficulty, the moment when one breaks through these difficulties must be delightful, right? After the spiritual tool remained significantly silent, Such words may have some sense, you trapped mouse. What? Just as Lidvia was trying to understand the meaning of this sentence. BAM!! A loud sound could be heard. The sound came from the side. She frantically turned around. A rectangle was cut around the entrance of the personal jet. With an orange glow, the metal melted due to heat. (This...Archbishop...she...actually set up a spiritual tool on the door...!?) Even though she realised it, it was too late. The deck, which had been cut apart, was being blown apart by the stormy winds of the night sky. At the same time, like a balloon being released, because of air pressure, the air inside the plane was blown out. Instead of calling it the wind, it was more like a detonation pressure moving through the plane. The sofas and table, which had been bolted to the floor, were mercilessly pulled out, flying in the 8,000 metres high sky. !! Lidvia frantically used all her five fingers to grab onto the edge of the wall, but she couldnt even hold on for 2 seconds. Like dust being blown away, her body left the floor, and she was pulled out of the plane. A! Just like this, she was unable to even make a sound. The 8,000 metres high sky further emphasized the darkness of the night. There were no clouds in the sky, just a bright moon and numerous stars around it. As the clouds were underneath, there was nothing that could conceal these celestial bodies. (Eh, ack, ah...!! Breathe!!) No matter how one tried to breathe, in high altitude, one couldnt feel that he was breathing in oxygen, just an icy feeling that was burning the chest. As the altitude was too high, Lidvia didnt feel that she was falling. Rather, her body was under the wrong impression that she was being pushed up by a great pressure. Beside Lidvia, who was stunned and terrified, something was flying alongside her. In front of her, falling at the same speed, was a card. Like a thin plastic material, with black marker writing on it, no history, no style, like a spiritual tool meant to fool a child. However, the magic array on it was so intricate, it was even more sophisticated than a carefully woven Persian carpet. Haha! Lidvia, its a pity that your ability is merely to this extent. If youre willing to give up on the Vatican and follow me, Ill save you without any harm done to you. If she was saying this now, Laura must have prepared a backup plan. She may have prepared a group of British Puritans below, ready to catch Lidvia and retreat at a moments notice. But Lidvia rejected it. What...are...you saying? Dont be ridiculous!! Really? Then fall with that thing and make a wide hole in the ground! At this moment Lidvia saw it. The figure of the personal jet floating above her was becoming even smaller. It was the only thing that could correct her sense of distance in this wild world. The door of the personal jet opened, and a Cross-shaped item wrapped in white clot flew out. The Apostles Cross. Though the magical power of that spiritual tool was very high, its durability wasnt much different from an antique. To fall from an altitude of 8,000 metres, even if it hit the surface of the ocean, it would be smashed. ...!! I wont allow you to do that!! Lidvia breathed in some oxygen and said this. She opened her arms wide and muttered a spell which caused her to descend like a feather. This was originally a defensive spell that could slow down anything. Using it under gravity, the effect would be like a parachute. Calculating the descending trajectory of the Apostles Cross, I should be able to make it. No, I have to make it! Time is short, which makes it all the more interesting!! Lidvia sounded even more aggressive and competitive as she got ready to receive the falling Cross. The plane is about 400 metres from you. At this stage, for you to lower your speed now, even if you can catch this giant slab of marble and fall freely, do you intend to be ground up, Lidvia? Its because of this situation, Im saying that its interesting, Archbishop!! Indeed, even with my spells, even if I use my maximum power, its impossible to catch the Apostles Cross. However, this is why! Facing this sort of emergency situation, to be able to accept and enjoy this trial! MWAHAHAHA!! Even in this perilous situation, the Mardi Gras could open her arms wide, laugh, and accept this. The card stopping beside Lidvia let out a chuckle. To use this spell alone, just you and the huge marble Cross should be the limit for you. So...what...? Then, what are you going to do with that? Hearing the voice, Lidvia looked up. At that moment, From the opening made on the personal jet, another human figure flew out. It was the pilot. He swung his limbs around frantically, and it didnt look like he had prepared a parachute. To be forced to fly at an altitude of 8,000 metres without any preparations, it was amazing that he was still conscious. However, he did look a bit too frantic. The moonlight was shining on the pilot. As if he was being rubbed around by air, descending in a chaotic orbit, tears and fright appeared on his face due to this sudden situation. That was right. Like those people that Lidvia had met up till now, the sinners that were forsaken by society and the world. !! Lidvia, now that youre at your limit, which do you choose? The biggest spiritual tool in the world, or a poor lost lamb? Hoho, if youre willing to kneel down and apologise, I will immediately provide aid, no? You...! This is a trap that you set up, and yet you dare to say this!! No time for chit-chat, you know. Look, the first one is dropping. Ugh!! The Cross, wrapped in white cloth, mercilessly fell beside Lidvia. A 150cm long, 70cm wide, 10cm thick marble slab; the power of it falling from 400 metres above ground would be enough to destroy a ship. (Putting a defensive barrier in front, the thickness should be enough to withstand this. If I purposely break the thick wall and slow down) After that, the huge slab of stone fell beside Lidvia. The defensive wall, which was originally very thick, broke because of this impact. The speed was lowered by a significant extent, but it still hit Lidvia directly on the chest. Ugh...eh! WOOAAHHHHHHHHHH!! Blood oozed out from between her teeth, but Lidvia still used both hands to grab onto the heavy Cross. All her fingers were grabbing tightly onto the white cloth of the Apostles Cross. Look, the second one is coming. A really cheerful voice came from the card. Lidvia was losing her consciousness due to pain, loss of blood and lack of oxygen, but she still forced herself to look up. The pilot of the personal jet was also falling towards Lidvia. To Lidvia, who was covered in wounds, it was like a catapult shot used to destroy a wall. (I...wont...be able to...receive...) She held tightly onto the Cross. (Too much...everyone will...fall...together...must protect the spiritual tool, then I have to give up on the pilot...but...if I give up on this, I can save a life...) Lidvia saw it. She was nearing the pilot, that face which was dirtied by tears and snot due to the unreasonable violence. Oh, Lidvia. You declared before that youll save the sinners, then you should be able to save those innocent victims, right? You dare... Even if she wanted to say it, she was unable to squeeze out the voice in her heart. She couldnt catch everything. If she did that, everyone would fall. She could only discard things that could be discarded. However, The situation was now extremely difficult. (No...now, think...if this continues...everyone will die...but...however...ugh, got to endure this! This...sweet feeling? If I dont give up...!!) The more she thought, the competitiveness in Lidvia becomes even wilder. Her sweat wasnt of pain or nervousness, it had something even ferocious. Besides Lidvia, who was gritting her teeth, trying to endure this, a voice came from beside. A slippery one. As if a wonderful spring was poured onto bewitchingly dry land. Like the irresistible temptation of the devil. What, Lidvia, I thought that youre going to catch both of them? When the obstacle ahead is even higher...after crossing all these, to trample me, who created these difficulties, wont you feel even more delighted? Pacha. Something broke inside Lidvias body. (Tram...ple...?) Due to loss of blood, her consciousness was wavering. Thus, she could only think of this. (I...want...to...smash...that snobbish...Archbishops...arrogance...) This extremely ferocious feeling could only be gotten after achieving that. However, she didnt realise that this was also Lauras trap. Ha...haha. She opened her mouth wide, as the saliva, mixed with blood, flowed out of it. The pilot, who was supposed to be caught by her, gave an even louder scream on seeing her face. Lidvias face was full of an astonishing amount of competitiveness and aggression. She grabbed onto the Cross and opened her hands wide. As if she welcoming back a lover. She seemed to be saying that the impact, which would strike anytime soon, no matter how painful it was, would delight her. HAHAHA! AHAHAHAHMWAHAHAHAHA!! With blood, sweat, saliva and snot, Lidvia Lorenzetti revealed a large smile. After that, The pilots body slammed hard into hers. Due to the large impact, an unspeakable feeling passed through Lidvias body. Part 3 The Windowless Building in Academy City. This construct was made of a unique material, and could withstand the heat and shockwave caused by a nuclear explosion. It was Academy Citys strongest fortress. As there were no stairs, lifts or even ventilation, in this place that one could only access with the help of a teleporter, a human was silently positioned in the middle. The General Director of Academy City. The human, Aleister Crowley. Hn. He was in the dark room, which was rather large, and somewhat chilly. There was a large glass cylinder in the middle, and in it, there was red liquid. The glass cylinder was attached with numerous cables and wires of different sizes that covered the floor. They were attached to a rectangular apparatus on the wall. In this room that wasnt illuminated, the green and red lights on the dashboard looked like shining stars in the night. He was floating upside down in the cylinder. The green surgical clothes swayed silently in the fluid, the decolourised silver hair entangling it. This person, it was unknown if he was a man or a woman, an adult or a child, a Saint or a convict. Anyway, only the word human could describe him. To use the Apostles Cross to take over Academy City and ensure the welfare of the world? He muttered to himself. No matter what Oriana and Lidvias personal motives were, or what they could do, they wouldnt be able to do this without the help of the Roman Catholics. More accurately, Oriana and Lidvia had caught on to the proposed plan by the Roman Catholics and got to work, intending to do this for their own benefit. Such a guess was somewhat more logical. The mastermind controlling Oriana Thomson and Lidvia Lorenzetti. The Roman Catholics. ...This situation got really big. Aleister said in a tone that indicated that he couldnt stand this threat anymore. In the past, the Roman Catholics would carry out such insidious acts, from as far back as when Galileo had been alive. While the base of the world had been controlled by Christianity in the past, it was now unavoidably and gradually shifting towards the Science side. The control of the world was slowly, but surely, shaking. The Roman Catholics, on the exterior, were the self-proclaimed worlds largest religion, but there was a problem. Right now, the magical world could be divided into three main pillars: Rome, Russia and England. Among them, the largest sect was the Roman Catholics, who had 2 billion believers; this was one way of saying it...but on the other hand, the Roman Catholics had gathered 2 billion people, but they could only match England, which had a population of 90 million. Also, not all of Englands citizens belonged to the British Puritans. If in the future, the British Puritans looked up and gathered another 1 or 2 billion believers, what would happen to the Roman Catholics? They had been declaring that they had 2 billion believers, but in reality, they didnt have that many believers. Because of this reason, one had to make reservations about this problem. Also, there had been some recent entries that one had to take note of. First, the destruction of the main fighting strength of the Roman Catholics, the Gregorian Chant and the Agnese Forces. Second, new forces, including Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa Catholics joining the British Puritans. Because of these scenarios, the balance of the magical world, which was maintained with much difficulty, was greatly shaken. The Roman Catholics, who were insistent on being the worlds number one, would be cautious against such instability. The action this time was likely due to such a background. Right now, what would the expressions of the governing Roman Catholic pope and Cardinals be? As one who once abandoned magic, Aleister was now the leader of the Science world which managed everything. He was now looking at this scenario with contempt. But... He whispered in an uninterested tone. Because they were ugly people who were struggling, there was no point in seeing them struggle. But this time, to use an Apostles Cross level spiritual tool, it was hard to imagine the attack of the Roman Catholics ending like this. After this, there may be more spiritual tools of that level. Though the matter of the Apostles Cross had been settled by a certain boy, to be honest, it hadnt been handled well. It was hard to guarantee that the same method would work next time. (If so, I have to bring forward our plan. Really, this isnt a simple plan to be used for these trivial matters.) As Aleister thought, a rectangular display appeared on the screen. It was a detailed world map, and there were 9,969 indicated red lights. It was a worldwide distribution of where the esper development programs were done. He intended to use these and the slumbering Imaginary Districts in Academy City to carry out a plan that would stop magical activity on a global scale. However, (The important Imagine Breakers development is still unstable. Can I really use this?) Aleister thought, this was supposed to be a plan that was not meant to be pushed forward. Cant be helped. (If so...) With this voice in his heart, a new display overlapped the map which showed where the espers were being developed. What appeared on the rectangular screen was a rectangular glass box. A bent silver rod was floating in it. (I may have to consider the possibility that I have to take action personally. Ho...hoho.) In the darkness, the human laughed. Was that from the greatest scientist in the world? Or was that from the strongest magician in the world? Was he a man, or a woman? An adult, or a child? A Saint, or a convict? What that person was thinking, nobody knew. He just revealed a smile. Part 4 In the morning, Himegami Aisa woke up on the hospital bed. The room that she was in wasnt a private single room like Kamijou, but rather an ordinary 6 person ward that was separated by curtains for personal space. Of course, all the patients living in this room were all females, but of different ages. There was also a girl of similar age to Himegami. ... Himegamis lax expression shifted to the ceiling before she slowly moved her upper body up to sit on the bed. What are you doing here so early in the morning? The plain voice was directed at the edge of the hospital bed. The nun wearing pure white robes was sitting on the floor, her upper body leaning on the railing, as she continued to sleep on the edge of the hospital bed. Himegami, who had just woken up, looked like she wanted to sleep, but this nun also looked like she wanted to sleep as well. The person living with her (or rather, the homeowner) would often be sent to this hospital because of injuries. This white nun seemed used to sleeping overnight at a hospital. The way she slept on the couch in an individual ward or the bench in the waiting room was famous among the nurses. Right now, the rumour had developed such that the mysterious girl who lurked around in the hospital liked television, snacks and toys. The British nun, Index, woke up, her eyes narrowed. Ho...because the hospital staff mentioned that I cant use the bench during daytime, I came over to Aisa to seek refuge. Such a comfortable bed... Her animal instincts seemed to have led her to desire for a warm and comfortable bed. However, Oi oi, a quilt is meant to cover, not for biting. Also, dont drool whenever you want it, Ill be the one scolded. How warm... Index didnt seem to care as she pressed her face against the quilt. As her face was placed near Himegamis thigh, there was an itchy feeling. This girl seemed to be in an afternoon lesson in spring, as 70-80% of her consciousness was still in dreamland. After thinking for a while, Himegami opened a 1-metre tall mini ice box that was beside the bed. Ill use the ice from the freezer to wake you up, heh. SO COLD!!!!??? After the rectangular ice block touched the nuns forehead, the nun inadvertently screamed. Not only her, everyone else in the room woke up. Himegami backed away, lowered her head and apologised. As if she couldnt stand everyone staring at her, she pressed on the remote and closed the curtain separating them. Index caught the ice block that she had knocked away from her forehead. Without noticing Himegamis expression, she placed the ice block into her mouth. Aisas all right, right? I heard that our magician used some sloppy healing spell to heal you. Actually, I had already lost consciousness when they were healing me. But the frog-faced doctor said that all the tests results are okay, I should be able to recover fully. Himegami said this as she adjusted the collar of her pyjamas. The Cross was shining. Her body, covered by this cloth, was wrapped in bandages in a certain manner over her chest and lower abdomen, but all the blood vessels that were used to maintain her life seemed to have recovered. To a girl, Himegami Aisa would also worry that scars would be left on her body. Regarding this, the frog-faced doctor revealed a weird smile, saying, Hoho, who do you think I am? As long as its something a patient requires, I will provide everything for them. Hohohohoho, I love to be relied on by patients. Come to think of it, when the right arm of a certain boy had been cut, there hadn''t been any scar left behind. Himegami stared at the bandages inside her pyjamas. (Its supposed to be a wound so deep that the bones can be seen.) Though that red-haired priest had just done an emergency life maintenance, it was a magic spell that could restore wounds that were thought to be too deep. Before this, there had been something that she wanted to abandon in despair, and now it was pricking Himegamis heart like thorns. But, But there was something more important than them. The frog-face doctor said that I can be discharged either today or tomorrow. However, with this body, I probably wont be able to take part in the matches. ??? Aisa, why do you look somewhat lonely? Index looked at her in an unbelievable manner. Himegami wordlessly shook her head, however, just like this, the thoughts in her head wouldnt dispel. Thus, she said the thing that she originally intended to keep silent about, That guy, did he do something reckless again? Hn, thats right! Index said in a clear and cheery tone, I havent asked about the details, but it seems like the Roman Catholics magicians took advantage of the Daihaseisai to attack. And this time, Touma didnt bother discussing things with me before running head on into battle and telling me afterwards. As she said this, Index seemed to be angry as she started to bite on the edge of the quilt. But Himegami didnt seem to notice. Or rather, she had no time to take that into account. (Because the magicians from the Roman Catholic Church were here.) In the end, a certain boy clenched his fist, and went to battle for this reason. This was an obvious thing. For Kamijou to be with a real magician and arrive beside an injured Himegami, it was likely that they had been battling before she fell. For Himegami Aisa to fall, the boy would rage on seeing her like this. This was like making a detour midway through as they were trying to complete their biggest objective. () At first, when she became a prisoner of the alchemist, she wondered, why did the boy work so hard to help her? Himegami again wondered. In fact, there was nothing between Kamijou Touma and Himegami Aisa that required Kamijou to work so hard. (It doesnt matter no matter who the person is, huh.) The person that the boy saved wasnt Himegami Aisa. As long as the person was present, he would save the person no matter who the person was. Even if Himegami Aisa wasnt present. In his consciousness, she didnt exist. The other party was saved by him. Such an action, especially to Kamijou Touma, wasnt really special. Because to him, that was a daily action. Just looking at these weeks alone, about every 1 or 2 weeks, he would swing his fist and change another persons life. (I...) Himegami remained in a sitting posture on the hospital bed as she pondered. She was not like the girl in front of her who was biting on a quilt, who had power and knowledge that others would find worth in saving. And it was not like she had someone who she could safely rely on the moment the person was beside her, a person who she could interact with without anything between them. (I, really...) Himegami slightly lowered her head, her hands lightly grabbing onto the quilt above her knees. She couldnt think of any reason for her to be with that boy. When Himegami Aisa was in trouble, Kamijou Touma would help out no matter when it was. But, if Kamijou and Himegami had no reason to be together, such actions would be meaningless. In other words, even if he did anything for Himegami, Kamijou was just helping others pay the bill meaninglessly. In most situations, what he paid with would often be his wounds. (Actually...I really shouldn''t let him...save me.) Such a chilly thought appeared in her mind. Like right now, Himegami herself didnt have any special ability or talent that was worthy for others to risk their lives to save her. The power in her body would only cause people to be injured or quarrel. This repulsive ability formed her character. In studies or sports, or anything other than ability, there was nothing that she could beat others in. This sounded really stupid. (Why?) Why must she be saved? (Why save me?) Was there a problem? There should be a mistake. (He already...already promised me.) And yet he hadnt fulfilled the promise. He had said that he would visit her before the night parade. (If so, my values...) If such a gentle sentence could pressure that person named Kamijou Touma. (Whats my reason for existing here?) ...I seem to be...everyones baggage. She said such cold words, which echoed in her chest. In contrast, the girl biting onto the quilt suddenly stopped. Besides having power and knowledge that others would risk their lives to save, she had a warm heart that others would find happiness in while being with her. The nun said, Not so, Touma and Aisa seem to be happy together. Eh? At this moment, Himegami Aisa was unable to understand the meaning of this sentence. But, that pure white nun, who had already been protected by others, slammed her cheeks and continued to bite on the quilt. Because Touma has been swinging his right fist too much, some part of the skin on his fist was cut. She angrily explained to Himegami. Basically, for Touma to go to this extent when he hates inconvenience, this should be the reason. Regarding rules and regulations, or for the sake of the world, Touma wont be serious about it. If its anything that he finds irritating...like running away when hes fighting against many people, he wont even make a tofu hamburger for me to eat, and completely ignore my lecturing. But, Index continued on, Touma will always follow what he decides on. Whether its becoming enemies with several hundred nuns, or whether its heading to the cage of an alchemist whos controlling several thousand people, he would not back down. Touma has already decided on protecting Himegami. Thus, speaking of the Roman Catholic magicians, or the chaos in Academy City, the most important thing was that Himegami got involved with such unimportant things, he couldnt forgive them. Himegami Aisa heard these words. She just remained silent as she heard them. Because Touma has already protected so many people, he couldnt understand this clearly. But his feeling of wanting to protect Aisa wont decrease. He definitely wont think that Aisa is troublesome. If he was like that, there wouldnt be so many people gathering around Touma. Since Touma wont mention this, no one will talk about this, the shackled chains wont be obvious. But if one knows about all the shackles, the chains formed will be even further and meaningful. After Index finished speaking, an air of silence hung around them. Himegami wanted to say something, but she realised that she couldnt make a voice. Her lower jaw and lips were trembling slightly. She pondered on what was the feeling that caused this trembling. Say, Fukiyose-san, whats with you, coming all the way to a patients room and giving him a slap! If youre so energetic, shouldn''t there be no need for you to remain in the hospital!? YOU...YOU SHUT UP!! ANYONE WOULD BE SHOCKED AND TERRIFIED ON SEEING A BOYS NAKED BODY ALL OF A SUDDEN!! But arent you the one who suddenly barged into my room when I was changing? KAMIJOU TOUMA! PREPARE YOURSELF! ARE YOU STILL SLEEPY? THEN, TO BOOST YOUR BRAIN ACTIVITY, YOU NEED RED TEA WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF TANNIC ACID, THERES LOADS OF IT INSIDE, SO DRINK UP!! HOT!! HOT!! YOU...YOU IDIOT! IS THERE A NEED TO HIDE YOUR EMBARRASSMENT BY DUNKING HOT TEA INTO SOMEONES THROAT!! A ruckus came from the corridor. Accompanied by frantic footsteps that werent suitable for a quiet morning hospital room. Himegamis room should be here, but isnt it too inconvenient to come over so suddenly? Eh? Himegami may not say much, but it doesnt mean that she likes to be silent. Just observe, her lips will curl up slightly when shes happy. I thought that Fukiyose-san would know about this, since she likes to take care of others silently. Likes to take care of others?...Who are you talking about? Eh. Im talking about you. You didnt know where Himegamis room is, yet you came over to find me, and you spent 30 minutes fussing about what fruits to buy at the fruit shop, so you should be someone who likes to think about your friends...HOT!? I SAID THAT YOU CANT STUFF DOWN RED TEA LIKE THAT! FORGET ABOUT HOW ACTIVE MY MIND IS, JUST HURRY UP AND GET HIMEGAMI TO OUR CLASSMATES! I even borrowed a wheelchair here. Todays first match is the extremely draining inter-school male cavalry match. Group A battle. Why cant I arrange for the injured to go over and cheer for them!? Index stopped biting onto the quilt and looked in the direction where the sound came from. All she saw was a curtain separating them. Himegami also looked in the direction where Index was looking, still grabbing onto a remote control that could open and close the curtains. You...do you know what that guy, why does he continue to fight even with all those injuries? About that, I dont know either. Index replied without any hesitation. I asked him before, and he said that hes doing it for himself. Maybe to Touma, thats happiness? Himegami pressed the button on the remote control. The curtains opened. In front of Himegami Aisa, was the world that she was looking forward to. Volume 10, Afterword Volume 10, Afterword To the readers who continued to buy the books ever since the first volume was released, it''s been quite a while. To the studious readers who read ten volumes in one go, nice to meet you. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. It''s finally the tenth volume now, but the time now is still September. Remembering that the first volume was at the end of July, the time that has passed in the novel is really slow. Also, for those who have finished reading this volume, this is the volume where time moves the slowest. Of course, it''s slightly faster compared to the earlier ninth volume. The magic theme this time isn''t really any different from the ninth volume, it''s just further elaboration on the ''constellation''. Spells that use ''constellation''-it''s basically astrology, with the development of astronomy on the science side, the basic rules of this area of knowledge would be changed, and would cause new differences. And as Ptolemaism and Copernican theory change, the common knowledge about ''stars'' would be overturned, which means the changes would be really big. Considering the dynamics of this series, which revolves around the conflict between science and magic, I guess I can''t ignore this, so I stealthily slipped this in. As the times are different, whether Uranus and Pluto exist would largely affect the divination rules and results. Such a situation should be similar to quantum theory. To Haimura-san, who is in charge of illustrations, and Miki-san, who''s in charge of printing, I''m sorry for troubling you two all the time. Please continue to support me in the future. At the same time, I would like to thank all the readers. I''ll continue to write on. Please continue to give me feedback and support. And now, this volume ends here. I hope you''ll continue to read the next volume. At this moment, let me sign off first. ...Come to think of it, it''s October now, isn''t it time for winter clothing? -Kamachi Kazuma- Volume 11, Prologue: The trip of Northern Italy. Un_Viaggio_in_Italia. Volume 11, Prologue: The trip of Northern Italy. Un_Viaggio_in_Italia. Kamijou Touma was an unfortunate guy. One could tell just by looking back at the 7 days of Daihaseisai festival. The Daihaseisai festival should be something like an all-out sporting event, but for some reason, Kamijou Touma had gotten involved in a battle between magicians, one that involved the control over Academy City, and then all sorts of things happened. Now, two days after that battle, the unfortunate situation still hadnt changed. Unintentionally, he had witnessed Komoe-sensei changing clothes again, was knocked hard by the Daihaseisai committee member Fukiyose Seiri, had got bitten by Index, was hit by Himegami Aisas rubber ball as she was sitting on a wheelchair, and when he was pulled off by Misaka Mikoto to go for a ball dance, he was kicked in the back of the head by Shirai Kuroko who teleported behind him, and so on. Anyway, he felt that he was just getting into trouble all the time. However, he was not the type to get discouraged no matter what misfortune came his way, so he might as well smile as he faced it. Besides, it was not like this misfortune, an especially unique feature of his, would change. Repeated once again; Kamijou Touma was an unfortunate guy. He missed out on extremely cheap sales at the supermarket by a few minutes, the manga that he bought from the convenience store had a few pages stuck together, he didnt win in any of the scratchcards, and the crystal display on the ice pops and fruit juice vending machine wouldnt even show. Once again, Kamijou Touma was an unfortunate guy. Ahthe results of the customer number is out; your number got the top prize. The prize is a seven days, five nights, two people trip to northern Italy. Congratulations!! What was that!? The shoulders of ordinary high school student Kamijou Touma dropped as he listened to that ringing voice, his black messy hair swaying around in the wind. This was Academy City, located in West Tokyo; it was now the final day of the sporting festivalDaihaseisai. Touma was standing on a street that was linked to the major roads, and in front of him was a completely hand-made stall of plywood and nails. The stall attendant was a high school student from Kirigaoka Girls Academy, the ojou academy. This was the attendance venue set up by the student committee. The method was simple. One just needed to buy a card, write the estimated number of people that would be attending Daihaseisai and hand it over to them. Finally, the number closest to the actual target would get the largest prize, and so on and so forth. Of course, there was a rough report weve finally passed the ten million mark! on the television. Those who came later would have an easier chance of guessing it correctly, but for those people who guessed the same number, the earlier ones would get priority. Wearing a short-sleeved sports shirt and red tights, the athletic female attendant pulled out something from under the counter some weird envelope with a crackling sound in the process, and said, This is meant for use during the block leave after the Daihaseisai festival, though its not meant for students. The girl gave a business like smile, All the related schedules in the trip, sightseeing reservations, and related books are inside here, so please read them later. If there are any problems, please dont look for our school, but look for the travel agent over there. Alright? Next. While looking at this large envelope, Kamijou Touma felt that he might end up in a trap. He folded his arms, tilted his head, and asked, Then, can I ask something? I cant answer anything related to the trip, but if its anything else, shoot. First prize, its the first prize? I dont understand what youre trying to ask. This prize that the luckiest guy would get, right!? Erm, can I go now? No, wait, wait! This is a trip to northern Italy, right? About that, its exactly whatever is written on it. Will the plane fly towards some unknown science or religious organization''s airport, or some weird exhibition? ...Oh, I got it. Its your first time traveling overseas, no? Not only was that girl not stunned, she gave Touma a gentle look. Seemed like in the eyes of this Kirigaoka Girls Academy ojou, Kamijou was fearful and puzzled about going overseas to sight-see. Anyway, we gave out all the prizes, second and below, so if therere any inquiries, please look for the travel agent. AH! Wait, wait!! I understand, its impossible for something like this to happen!! Wont there be any other things happening, though? Like the plane will get hijacked, and then find that Im in Antarctica upon waking up! I got it, although I feel that this might be a trap, but this is really a trip to northern Italy, right!? OI!! To get the first prize or something, this was really weird. So there must be a trap, Kamijou thought. Therefore, he mustnt go for this trip full of traps, Kamijou thought. Thats right, I dont have a passport! Kamijou shouted as he was inside his room. On hearing this, Index just stared blankly at Kamijou. This fourteen to fifteen-year-old girl with waist-length silver hair and green eyes had been under the sun throughout all of Daihaseisai, and now she had a bit of a heatstroke. However, there was not one bit wheat colour on her skin, just a bit of red. On a side note, there were many safety pins on the gold embroidery on the white nuns habit that looked like a Western teacup, which didnt make it look decent at all. Touma, Touma. Whats a passport? The reason Index was using such a slow tone as compared to usual was because she was full. At the class victory party during the closing ceremony, Index, who was accepted by everyone in the class, had downed the food at an astonishing speed while others suspected her identity. Kamijou pulled out all sorts of books and pamphlets as he stared at Index, saying, A passport is an item required to go overseas. I suppose itll take a month if I request one now, no? Come to think of it, how come Index didnt know what a passport was when she had come all the way from England? Though Kamijou had this thought, Index was someone from the magic side who didnt even know about the Japanese Constitution and International laws. Sitting on a flying carpet (Aladdin and the Magic Lamp...) at low altitude, radar probably wouldnt even know how to detect it. Was the air-defense of the countrys defenses alright? Kamijou wondered as he placed all sorts of information on the glass table. On looking at it closely, it seemed to be some sort of group tour; all the travelers were to gather at the airport in northern Italy before going out. In other words, the schedule was preplanned. The date of the gathering there was the 27th of September. There were still two days. After Daihaseisai, the workers had been in alert mode as they continued to remove the equipment, and during these days, the students got a break. Maybe it was because they tried to force the planning of the trip that resulted in this being so urgent to ask for a passport in this situation, if something was to happen, he didnt know how to explain it. ...Alright. Since this is like that, so its really like that, huh? I wont feel depressed about it!! I knew that would happen right from the start, so Im prepared!! Kamijou opened the envelope and lay on the floor, rolling out, obviously to shake away the feeling of regret. Kamijous right foot hit the edge of the glass table, making him roll about in pain, shouting out like a fighter. The calico cat curled up nearby was shocked and jumped off the bed, grabbed the clothes hanging on the wall and leapt into the closet. At this moment, the calico cat kicked a dusty tangled item out of the closet, which landed onto Kamijous face that was facing up. WA! Im being belittled by a cat!! Come to think of it, whats this? Kamijou used his right hand to pick the thing off his forehead tiredly. It was larger than a police identification card, a booklet made of red artificial leather. The words written on it were Japanese Passport. It was a passport. Kamijou Touma suddenly stood up. Wh- WHY!? WHYS MY PASSPORT HERE!!? Because he couldnt even pass his English class, Kamijou knew that he had no chemistry with foreign cultures. Somewhat mindful of this, Kamijou quickly flipped through the contents. The stamps seemed to certify that Kamijou had been to Saipan and Guam before. Had he gone overseas with his parents before? Anyway, I have a passport...so why doesnt this feel good? Because Kamijou had lost his memories, he didnt know the specifics of his past. Also, in order to hide this from everyone, he couldnt discuss it with anyone. Kamijou glanced at Index, who didnt seem to be mindful that Kamijou had found his passport. Besides, she probably didnt even know what a passport was, so he couldnt tell what her situation was now. Ah, Index, you dont have a passport, do you? Is the passport you''re talking about in your hand? Then I probably dont have one. In other words, we still cant go for the trip because I cant leave you unattended for three days. Uuu, what are you implying? However, I dont have it means I dont have it. ...Come to think of it, Index. Why were you so calm about this? Were going overseas!? Wouldnt being excited be the normal reaction!!? Touma, Touma. Now what are you saying? Index was giving Touma this look. Wouldnt Academy City be a foreign country to me? Uuu!! IVE BEEN REJECTED AS IF NOTHING HAS HAPPENED!! Kamijou looked startled as he stared at the white nun. ...Eh? In other words, its like youre living with me overseas? BAM!! Index slammed tiredly onto the floor. She quickly looked up and said, Wh, wh, why, why, why are you suddenly saying such profound words, Touma!? I, I am a devout nun!! If Im to get that kind of misunderstanding, itll be disturbing for me even if I explain it!! Ah, but. An, anyway, I dont have anything like that passport in Toumas hand! Though I do have something similar... Something similar? Mn, this. Said Index as she pulled out an English passport from the sleeve of her nun''s habit. Kamijou felt that other countries only had some minor differences in terms of the pictures. An, anyway, you could have just ridden a plane as long as youre with Necessarius. Good good, at least you didnt ride on a camel and take the Silk Road here. This Kamijou wont have to imagine all those weird ideas. ...Im feeling that youve been treating me as an idiot all the way till now. But Touma, whats the passport used for? Oi, wait wait, Index. Let me look at your passportwhats this!!? Why is your passport so new!? At least it should have a stamp that originates from England!! And the name given was Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Such a terrifying religious country, Kamijou thought. In contrast, the girl just yawned in a bored manner, and said, Touma, Touma, this may be the effect of the automatic library. You, to think that you would belittle this extremely rare Necessarius passport? You came here through the Silk Road, didnt you!? Touma, although you have been acting excited for no reason at all, the result is still that Touma and I can go for a holiday trip... so theres no problem, right? Index asked in an unsettled tone. ...Eh? Kamijous eyes widened in surprise. Now, it seemed that there was no problem. He felt that he might as well go for this 7 day 5 nights northern Italy trip. Kamijou Touma was supposed to be an unfortunate guy. He should have had no chance of going for this. And just like that, on the second day: After Kamijou and Index had gotten signal senders for traveling installed into their bodies, they arrived at the 23rd district of Academy Citya special school district meant for the development of aeronautical research. They were now at the international airport that had been built for the tourists from outside Academy City. The waiting hall was maybe too spacious; the walls were all made of glass, and sunlight shimmered through them. Although the news was reporting that the halls were extremely busy, there were just a few people wanting to go home. The most likely thing was that they wanted to make full use of the time as they stay back at home. However, in this hall that was gradually becoming noisy, Kamijou was attracted to the noise made by the wheels of the luggage bag. Kamijou was still wearing that half-sleeved shirt and trousers, and his wallet was attached to his waist through a chain, and he had prepared some extra money by tying it on the inside of his thigh, so it was not hard to see that it was unsafe to go overseas. Also, the small chain told him where his wallet was, and it was not easy to break it. The money placed in the inside by his thighs was slightly high, hard to take out, and he wouldnt be afraid of the money dropping as he walked. He was guarding his wallet to such an extent, but on the other hand, it would look like he was not used to traveling overseas if he was to put his wallet there anyhow. On a side note, Kamijou was holding the luggage bag, whereas Index was empty handed. She didnt have a lot of undergarments or pajamas, and besides the one set of white nun''s habit, she didnt have anything else, as she had put everything into Kamijous luggage bag. Also, before they left, Index had blushed as she pulled out a small rattan suitcase, saying This is also luggage. When Kamijou had asked her what was inside, he had gotten bitten. Speaking of luggage, the calico cat that she was often holding onto was at Komoe-senseis apartment. Komoe had even said Ka-Kamijous going overseas? Is there really no problem? In, in a lot of context!! Sensei, wont be around, you know!? From the hall, Kamijou stared at the Immigration and Emigration Department inside. Eh?...I havent forgotten anything, did I? Wallet, passports, tickets, tour guidebooks, clothes, dryer, handphone, got them, money for emergency purposes...mm, no problem, right? At least I dont have to shout such misfortune~ now. Touma, Touma, why were you so worried up till now? Index asked worriedly, but otherwise, she was feeling excited. On seeing her like this, Kamijous worries disappeared. ...Mm, yeah, Im rather happy! I normally shout that Im unlucky, and my thoughts have gotten weird; I should think that Im lucky once in a while! Its hard to get such a vacation! Alright, a 7 day 5 night trip, Im bursting with happiness!! Finally, Kamijou managed to get rid of his troubles and smile. Seeing him like this, Index also smiled. Just like that, Touma. Hm, if you are to use this attitude to interact, youll know the meaning even if you dont know what they are saying. GAAAHHH!! FOREIGN LANGUAGES!? I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! Receiving this sudden shock, Kamijou fell to the ground. He was in a situation where he had only gotten 22 marks in an English mini-test. Thinking of this, Kamijou stared gingerly at Index. That, Index. What, Touma? Can you speak Italian? I can, though its like Orsolas accent. What now, Touma? Italian, as in the Italian used in Italy? Touma, what are you saying? If youre uncomfortable with conversations, you can talk to me. ...Then teach me, starting from yes and no in Italian. Touma, Touma. If I may ask, what can you do in Italy? Kamijou gave a Of course I dont know anything at all!! look at Index as he sprawled onto the floor. On seeing this, Index sighed. Touma, if you want to establish yourself in this international society, you have to know at least three languages. AND NOW IM TOLD OFF BY YOU, AN INEXPLICABLE NUN OF ALL PEOPLE!! ANYWAY, I SWEAR ILL RELY ON YOU WHEN WE GET THERE!! I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO SAY YES AND NO THERE!! Never mind, theres no need to explain it. But Touma, its best that you use this chance to learn how to interact... This is only useful for those who are talented in languages. A hastily made gun like me cant make it!! Youre still struggling... This is the first time I''ve met someone who looks so dazed yet can speak N number of languages! Come to think of it, since Index can speak Japanese so fluently, is Italian also like that... Well, I have to memorise the 103,000 books all over the world, no? Italian is simple, the hard ones are languages without a system, like say, a song, which I have to distort the tones. There are many lyrics carved on stone, and I have to learn them. However, these are only available for those island inhabitants or jungle inhabitants. ...Anyway, I dont understand anything at all, so can I hand it over to you? Mn, Touma has been fighting all this time. Its my turn now. Theres no problem here, so Touma doesnt have to worry. Just go and play all you want. This nun patting on her flat chest looked like Virgin Mary on Earth. Such a great help. Since Index had said this, there should be no problem, so he might as well go enjoy this trip to Northern Italy! Kamijou thought as he moved towards the Emigration area. Ill hand it over to you, Miss tour guide!! Leave it to me, Touma. Ill talk with the shop attendants over there first. Miss tour guide, isnt that buying them over? Normally, its something like what the shop attendants and the customers need, there isnt too much of a difference. Even for someone who doesnt know how to live overseas Wah!! At this moment, the metal detector made a weird sound. Index was suddenly caught by burly guards from both sides, Hm? Index revealed a weird expression. She eyed Mr. Guard suspiciously. Ah...what the, why are there so many safety pins on you? On one side, the guard who caught his suspect rubs his temples, asking in a low voice. WAH! Its really a pile of weapons!! But if we take them off, the nun''s habit will fall apart!! Before they left, it was better for Kamijou to handle the problems that Index created. On the other side, Index was wondering why safety pins couldnt be brought though. She probably didnt know the significance of that weird sound from the checkpoint. Must I feel unsafe when Im following her? Kamijou wondered as the guard standing down there gave him a chilly feeling down the spine. I understand the hassle of this clothing! But now what? Therere less than 30 minutes before the plane leaves... Oh ya... theres some shopping area in the airport; lets buy some clothes. "WHERE? WHERE!?" Kamijou popped his head out of the inspecting area, and suddenly saw a sign, Shopping area1.5km from here. THATS TOO FAR!! The land for the 23rd district shouldnt be used anyhow! However, besides the plane, we can only ride the camels down the Silk Road!! Damn it, Index, were going!! We cant board the plane if you cant get proper clothes!! Ah, what, Touma... are we going to buy clothes? Damn it, those sparkling eyes are making me angry! To waste money like this, SUCH MISFORTUNE!! Sighing, Kamijou grabbed the girls hand and ran down the long corridor. There were 28 minutes remaining before the plane left. It was almost time for the plane engines to start. Volume 11, 1: The Streets of Chioggia. Il_Vento_di_Chioggia. Volume 11, Chapter 1: The Streets of Chioggia. Il_Vento_di_Chioggia. Part 1 The Marco Polo Airport in Northern Italy was often called the Gate of Venice. The main purpose of the airport in Venice, which was floating on the Adriatic Sea and opposite of the Italian mainland, was to transport tourists. From there, the only way for people to take buses or trains was to walk across the 4km long Liberia (Note: this means freedom in ancient Latin) Bridge to the Italian mainland, and then move through the remaining tourists that were being brought there through the sea routes. Besides the main island Venezia (Venice), the roads also lead to Vicenza, Padua, Bassano del Grappa (Note: Grappa is a type of Italian alcohol, while Bassano is a city that makes Grappa), Belluno and other cities. Anyway, all the tourists who were in Northern Italy for sight-seeing would land on this airport first; this included Kamijou and Index. Normally, this place couldnt be reached directly from Japan, but Academy City was an exception. After breaking through the interrogation of foreign security with some random and last minute Italian and sweating over the luggage that wouldnt show up for a long while, they managed to get out of the airport successfully after everything was done. On a side note, Index, who had bought some simple shirts and skirts at Academy Citys airport, was now changing out of them and back into the white nun''s robes. Since she couldnt bring the safety pins into the plane, she removed them, and after she reached the Marco Polo airport, she put them back on. To Kamijou, who was in Italy for the first time, for a girls first request be to wear those safety pins again, he was somewhat depressed. On the bright side, come to think of it, the fact was that they had managed to land on foreign ground safely. Now, they only needed to meet up with the tour group members and follow the tour guide. Here in Italy, they would definitely choose the main island: Venezia, rich in historical culture and full of places where they could sight-see. In fact, Kamijou was clear about this after reading the tour guidebook overnight. Just Venezia alone, theres the San Marco Piazza, Ducal Palace, the bell tower, the Ponte dell''Accademia, the natural history museum, the maritime museum, the worlds first Teatro La Fenice!! Then there are native workshops of glass handicrafts and the place where Galileo taught after leaving Venezia, these are all tourist attractions!! They practically introduce them all in the tourist information!! Wa~!! Im, Im so touched!! (Note: these are all actual locations.) Kamijou thought. Not here yet...Touma. Ah, come to think of it, the guide said that we cant gather alone... It had been over two hours. There were a lot of places that they wanted to go see, but without the guide, the places they could go were limited. Maybe the guide had misread the time or something. Right now, they were at the bus interchange in front of the airport. However, this was still of part of the airport. The ceiling and pillars were not illuminated by sunlight, but by ceiling lights. As the floor and the ceiling were flat and smooth, it didnt feel like it was outside. No matter what, the lighting resembled those of a multistory car park. All the buses passing by were blue and orange in colour, although of different models. Maybe they have different destinations, Kamijou observed. Even so, they could act according to the time. I can see now how Orsola could get lost even by taking a bus... Kamijou remembered the smile of that former Roman Catholic nun, understanding the situation somewhat. On the other hand, Index still seemed to be affected by heatstroke, swaying about a bit. The average latitude of Europe was close to Hokkaido. Because the humidity was lower here than it was in Japan, this was not comfortable at all...the tourist information noted that this was inevitable. The airport faced the Adriatic Sea, and the warm wind of the tide mixed with the exhaust of buses to form a little cyclone. The temperature might be more comfortable if the body and face were warm like this. Time was passing by and the heart was becoming like a water-eroded rock. The Western European tourists and businessmen were also looking up at the sky, wiping the sweat off their faces. Touma, are we abandoned here? Damn it, they shouldve been here by now...really, we cant use the phone to contact them; we dont even have an idea on what to do! As result of the hard work from telephone companies of Academy City, Kamijou could use his phone in Italy. However, the number that he asked for was prerecorded in Japanese, so he couldnt call them. The members werent gathered, and the guide couldnt contact us, Kamijou thought. But he couldnt just take the plane back like this; they had already booked their schedules and a hotel. Theres a familiar nun here, so there should be no problem. Anyway, we cant just stand around here. And we cant do anything by just standing around here. Lets put our luggage in the hotel. Were all staying at the same place. Maybe we might meet up with the tour guide. Ah,uuuu...Touma, can we rest? Im tired now, my legs are tired. Dont complain, Im tired as well. Either way, lets get to the hotel first. Therere beds and air-conditioning there, so we can rest before going out to sight-see. Uuu...I cant energise myself with that. Without that famous Italian ice cream, I wont be able to revive. I have never eaten it before, but since its so famous, it must be good. That kind of thing, huh? People would normally go for those famous things during a sightseeing tour, normally speaking. Mn, on a side note, Venezia is famous for its Italian Squid Ink ice cream. ...Let me ask something: is it really that famous? On hearing this slightly delicate request, Kamijou went near the pillar to read the rectangular schedule board and check when the earliest bus was. No point worrying about it, I might as well see it for myself...Index! Sorry, can you check and tell me which bus goes to the hotel? Eh, mm, okay Seeing Index walk towards the board, Kamijou sighed and thought that it was great that he was with her. To be honest, he could read a bit of English, but Italian was completely foreign to him. He wouldnt know what to do if he was alone. Just as Kamijou was thanking this nun who was reading the board intently in his heart, she said, but Touma, how do you read a bus schedule? YAAAAAHHH!!! MY TUBE OF HAIR WAX BROKE!!! In the end, after chasing each other for quite a while, it took them 15 minutes to get onto the bus. Part 2 The first target of the 7 day 5 night trip in Italy was the main island of Venezia.. However, Kamijou and company were staying at a hotel 20 km south of that (in fact, it was even further away because the coastline was curved) in a town called Chioggia. The accommodation here wasnt cheap, and it seemed to lack a night life because all the shops in Venezia closed rather early. If they wanted to play for 24 hours, it was not rare for tourists to choose hotels that were farther away from Venezia, at least that was what was written in the guide booklet...but even as a highschool student, Kamijou didnt find it credible. But its close to the sea. Kamijou blurted as he disembarked from the bus. The hand carrying the luggage bag quickly felt the weight. Though the airport was also near the sea, Chioggia got more of the sea breeze. However, there was no beach. The coasts were made of stone canals, letting the rivers flow into the sea like a saw cutting the land. And Index, who was standing beside him, said, I think its more like were surrounded by the sea than being near it. Whats going on? Kamijou paused among the crowd, looking for Index. As he was holding the luggage, he looked like someone who was here for business or to tour about. Were in the middle of Chioggia right now, an island on the Adriatic Sea thats separated by 3 rivers. This is a small town thats 400m in length. The land wouldnt increase no matter what, so the buildings are packed together. When you see it, you can see why the gaps between the houses are so small. Really? Kamijou wondered as he looked around. The said canal was in front of him. The turquoise waters separated the town like lines. It was about 20 to 30 metres wide, and there were flat roads on both sides, and suddenly blocked in front by a house. The rice-white surface of the wall looked like the first layer of a dike. The space between every house was so small that not even a soccer ball could pass through it. How do they clean that area? Kamijou wondered. Suddenly, a motorboat sailed past Kamijous eyes. There were many ports along the canal, occupying half of the area of it. This meant that it was a necessary quantity, a basic way of transport that linked all the way to the sea. The ports looked like they were used for entertainment; each one of them had an antique feel. Looking closely, cloth rags and pails were just randomly placed there. Kamijou, who was not used to seeing these, felt that they were very troublesome, and said, That is rather troublesome, isnt it? Index looked surprised as she replied, As this place is separated by so many canals, the bridges have to be winding. You cant go down the canal if you dont use a boat. Although, to be honest, the best way of transport is still by land. She bitterly laughed, This place is like Venezia. Before Chioggia became a tourist destination in the 16th century, it was supposed to be a town thats meant to preserve the original street environment of Venezia. In other words, including the weaknesses. ... After hearing such words flow so fluidly, Kamijou pondered silently. He stared at Index. What now, Touma? Index...Index is someone who knows about things other than magic, huh... Toumas saying that Im stupid, right!!? Why do you feel that way even when I told you so nicely!!? If Touma feels that way, Im going to bite you to deathno mercy!! Dont bite me!! Anyway, you shouldnt say that you wont forgive someone in this situationsigh, never mindsigh, never mind, it hurts before you even tried!! Facing Index, who was baring her teeth, Kamijou backed away without a second thought. Even if he used the luggage bag as a shield, this level of defense would easily be bitten through. Kamijou slightly felt the danger to him. But in contrast to the trembling Kamijous prediction, Index didnt rush forward, but dropped her shoulders down and sighed. Never mind, we came here happily to go on a tour, no point in getting angry over such a thing. Come on, Touma, put down the luggage bag. ...To counter with words and win without a battle, wont you attack me when I let my guard down? No. Will you attack me once Im relaxed? No, no. Last time...really? No. NO WAY! YOURE DEFINITELY ANGRY! EVEN FOR GIRLS, WHO MATURE FASTER THAN BOYS, THIS SORT OF ACTING WONT FOOL THIS KAMIJOU!! HAHAHA, HOW CAN I EXPECT THAT WHEN IM ALWAYS UNFORTUNATE! YOULL DEFINITELY BITE ME IN THE END! GOT TO GUARD MYSELF TIGHT, THE VICIOUS NUN INDEX IS EYEING MY HEAD, WANTING TO BITE ME! ... ARENT YOU ANGRY NOW? YOUR PITIFUL ACTING IS CRACKING...EH? YOURE REALLY ANGRY? YA! THE GENTLE NUN IS SILENTLY OPENING HER MOUTH!? DAMN IT, THIS IS THE CASE! ISNT THIS WHAT I EXPECTED!? THOUGH IM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS AT ALL WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! The sound of flesh being bitten could be heard. At the same time, the boy who often angered Index let out a dying cry. Part 3 Upon reaching northern Italy, the first thing that was requested from Kamijou was the safety pins. Upon reaching Chioggia, the first memory Kamijou made was being bitten. ...I cant explain this. Whats going on? Touma, whats with you saying this with blood and tears? A completely innocent-looking Index looked completely relaxed now. This was just the road heading towards the hotel. Having moved through it once, one could understand that this place was extremely narrow, such that only 2 people could pass through it. Vehicles couldnt move through freely, thus they was unable to move into the alley and would have to wait at the square. Kamijou and Index were now heading towards the road. Though there were three lanes, there wasnt a white line on either sides of the road, and there were no lines to distinguish which were roads and which were trails. There were a lot of people walking on the roads, so this place looked somewhat like a haven for jaywalkers. Of course, they normally saw Asians in Academy City, and a lot of Westerns on television. Light red and yellow buildings were arranged on both sides of the road. Those from 3 stories to 5 stories tall seemed to be cafs or hotels. A tent-like awning extended out from the second level to cover the open-air area of the coffee shop, making the road look like a tunnel. They were at a corner of a caf. The reason why Index was happy was basically because there was a lot of good food around. Seeing that there was no other reason, Kamijou sighed. Lets put our stuff in the hotel before we go out to eat. Uu, I know that without you telling me!! Index blushed as she frantically shouted, but Kamijou didnt know whether she really knew or not. She was still looking at the caf, for one thing. Ha, though the food looks nice, the main thing we came for are the tourist attractions. For example, that temple! Though I dont know how it originated, it does look cool! Touma, thats the St Marks Basilica, its a magical core built out of water thats meant to preserve the remains of the protector of VeneziaSt Mark. Forget about those boring explanations; wouldnt it be better for us to go there? Uu! Toumas ignoring my kind explanation? After we check in at the hotel, well catch that stupid tour guide and go to Venezia! VENEZIA BANZAI!! Listen, Touma! Im not always thinking about food!!...Wa, theres no hope now; Toumas now completely consumed by the Italian atmosphere and cant hear anyone!? Though Index was saying this as she waved her hands, Touma didnt notice her at all. This battle nun had never thought that once someone mentioned "Italy" to a Japanese high school student, theyd only talk about pizza and soccer, and would become so excited upon entering to the streets that they would only see in television. Quanto costa? (Note: How much is it?) Posso fare lo sconto del 10%. (Note: I can do a discount of 10%.) All this Italian, which seemed foreign to Kamijou, echoed around. The tourist atmosphere was abundant here. Desidera? (Note: Do you want it? (This is what the seller is asking.)) Wa! Is that the local squid ink salad...? Sto solo guardando. Grazie (Note: Im just looking, thanks.) Eh? Isnt that mixed with some Japanese? Kamijou thought, but dismissed it as him hearing it wrongly. Kamijou, who was in front dragging the luggage bag, said, Oh ya, Index. What about lunch... He paused halfway. Kamijou Touma remembered the final words that he said just now. The reason was simple. Index, who had still been there three seconds ago, had disappeared. SHES MISSING!? IN ITALIAN STYLE!!? SO THAT PERSON WHO SAID THAT SHE MISHEARD THAT SALAD WAS INDEX!! Shocked, Kamijou looked around, but was unable to find that girl in nun''s robes. Damn it! Its the crowd and the alleys'' fault that I cant find that gluttonous nun! Damn it, youre only thinking about food alright!! No one replied to Kamijous sighs, and there was no sign of Index around. The wallet was still with Kamijou, so she couldnt possibly have gone too far. Even if he didnt chase after her, she would come back, but...if Kamijou didnt stop her, who knew what kind of trouble she would stir up. OI~INDEX! Kamijou started to look around, from the roads, and in tenterhooks, back into the alleys. Looking around, he didnt even know where he was now. He panicked as he walked into the alleys, and ended up going back onto the road. Wa, I seem to be the one lost!! Kamijou broke out in cold sweat as he stood there. Looks like I have to rely on the handphone! But, Obviously, Indexs free phone was turned off (very likely, Kamijou had helped her turn it off before they got on the plane and had forgotten to turn it back on). Hearing the conventional synthetic voice (In Japanese, not Italian), Kamijou hung up the phone and dropped it into the luggage bag, completely forgetting to put it into his pocket. Right now, Kamijou was thinking, WHAT DO I DO NOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This voice made everyone who was walking around look at him, but nobody had the time to wonder what Kamijous problem was. At this moment, a local aunty moves towards Kamijou, who looked like he was bogged down by the luggage bag. A hearty smile appeared on her face that looked like she was energetic enough to do manual labour, Ci sono delle preoccupazioni? (Note: Whats the problem?) Ha? Kamijou didnt know that she was inquiring what the problem was. On the other hand, the aunty wasnt angry, slowly saying word by word, Non puoi parlare l''italiano? L c'' un ristorante dove un giapponese fa il capo. You dont know Italian? Theres a Japanese restaurant down the road. The aunty was saying this, but Kamijou was still unable to understand. However, there was a friendly feeling in the tone and expression. (Though I dont know Italian, Ill really be alone if I miss this opportunity! Alright, lets try speaking in Japanese...may be impossible, but at least lets try English. But I dont even know how to say please English! I wouldnt be worrying about this Italian if I knew that!) Kamijou was troubled. If it was in English, he might be able to say please English, but being unaccustomed to foreign languages, Kamijou was unable to catch up. His head was finally starting to heat up. Senta. (Note: Listen to me) He heard a womans voice. Lui un mio amico. La ringrazia per la Sua gentilezza. (Note: He''s my friend. He''s thanking you for your kindness.) On hearing such fluent words, the aunty looked surprised, and said. Prego. (Note: No problem, this aunty is mistaken.) After ending with a happy tone, the aunty left Kamijou and disappeared into the crowd. On the other hand, Kamijou didnt know what was going on as he was abandoned there. Ah! I rejected the aunty unknowingly? Damn it, I thought that I could make friends with that aunty and use two hours of work to go find Index, and make this kind of story! Come to think of it, whos the one who left me here? Damn it, Ill just use Japanese, even if I cant say it, at least I can express it! He said out loud. In this wide world, nobody could hear it even if he shouted. Kamijous reasoning was almost killed off entirely, but, Oh my, thats disrespectful. Ill be troubled if you say that. He finally heard this language that he was so familiar with. Besides the language, the ladys voice was also familiar. You... Kamijou turned around. At Chioggia, which had an eight hour time difference, the person he met here was... On a side note, I just said Hes my friend; thank you for your kindness, though saying it so kindly...Im not so familiar with you to call you a friend. Orsola! Why are you here!? Kamijou shouted. The nun wearing black nun''s robes smiled. Part 4 Orsola Aquinas. A nun who was formerly of the Roman Catholics, but had converted to the English Puritans. The reason was because she decoded The Book of the Law. Since that was settled, she should be in London. Like the last time he met the nun, she was covered with nun''s robes; her entire body was covered except for her face. She had white gloves on her hands, and her hair was covered by a nun''s headpiece. In contrast to the lack of exposed skin, the voluptuous body of this nun caused the simple nun''s robes to emphasise the curves of her body. She said, I should be the one asking you. Why are you here? Shouldnt you be in Academy City? I came here for a tour. You? I was here since a few days ago. Wait, Orsola, you should be in London, right? You were giving advice in the English Library during Daihaseisai. Yes. The conversion from the Roman Catholics to the English Puritans was rushed; my luggage was still left here. Also, I have to come back to send my valuables over to London. This is your hometown? Facing Kamijous question, Orsola simply replied, Nn. Though this was a colourless exchange, to be able to converse so freely, Kamijou was honestly about to cry. Anyway, even if its a coincidence, youve helped me a lot! Kamijou thought. Oh, come to think about it, youre still wearing this robe after converting to the English Puritans? Wouldnt the guys at Necessarius be angry? Ha, but the people from the Amakusa said that they will help me move my stuff, and so they came along. Wa!? Not again, youre back to the previous topic!? But those Amakusa, dont they belong to that Tatemiya? How is he? Theres no problem with the clothing. The English Puritans are very enthusiastic and accepting to all sorts of magic spells and cultures. Right now, Im a Roman Catholic of the English Puritans. The remaining Amakusa Catholics are also the same. Now its the nun robes!! Not only did you ignore it, you even touched on the Amakusa! Its hard to understand! This form of talking wasnt very suitable. Besides, she was speaking how her brain processed her thoughts. However, it was hard for the person listening to understand. On the other hand, she didnt notice it at all, even tilting her head in a cutesy manner. Come to think of it, are you here to buy something? Nope...Im here with Index. However, shes drowning in the dream of Italian salad, and has disappeared! What do I do now, Orsola? How about I tie a rope to a cake to incite her to come back!? The success rate is half-open! Ma ma. Calm down. Its rare for you to come out and tour about with Index, no? Especially since youre not working on Academy Citys orders. Were back to this again!!...No? Theres no job. Besides, being on the other side of the world, its too far. Anyway, theres still some time left, right? To meet each other here, what a coincidence. Actually, there arent enough people to carry the luggage, so since youre free, please help out till dinner time. NO!! To give up this holiday that I meant to use as a breather!? Anyway, were going someplace to sightsee, at least its not as troublesome as having to cook my own meals. Though it was an ordinary reply, Orsola still looked surprised as she examined Kamijou. She noticed the chain of the wallet and the luggage bag in his hand. Oh my, may I ask, is that attire appropriate? I DONT WANT TO BE LECTURED BY YOU IN TERMS OF ATTIRE!!! The heat from the end of summer hadnt subsided, and Kamijou was roaring at this nun for wearing completely black nun''s robes in the season when it was more appropriate to wear short-sleeved or maybe shorter than long-sleeved clothes. But Orsola looked uninterested, saying, Compared to Japan, there are many more nuns here. Eh, Orsolas replying normally? Compared to that. No matter how surprised Kamijou was, Orsola pointed at the items that Kamijou had, and said, Dragging a brand new luggage bag around, holding a tour guidebook and a handphone with camera functions...ha, soon there will be conmen saying welcome, do you want a wallet or a passport? or something like that. Uuuu!? Kamijou frantically hid the handphone and notebook. But, but for Orsola to say this, Im somewhat surprised. Orsola just blankly sighed. This is just a small city, so there wont be anything major happening. To all the tourists around the world, the Italian city environment is very tough. Even on the tourist streets, the restaurants extort the tourists. The menus are 10 times the normal prices. No matter whether theyre on the roadside or if theyre billboards in Japanese, this level of information isnt so different, youll be making a huge loss...get it? Wa! Thats a wake-up call!! What do I do? So, the conclusion is that you should have your meal with me so you wont be slaughtered badly by those kinds of shops. Ill tell you what to take note of. Come on, theres no point in standing around here. You need a place to meet up with Miss Index, right? Even though I say this, Chioggias central is 1.3km by 400m long; theres no problem even if you dont think of a plan. To say such words unambiguously, Kamijou was touched. Of course, one should ask an Italian about stuff in Italy. Being educated on the basics of the basics, Kamijou suddenly thought of this. But in the end, I still want to sightsee... No, that ice-cream shop was able to make Miss Index very happy. ...................................................Huh? Wait wait, Orsola, what are we talking about now? Right, about sightseeing, its good to tour through Chioggias settlements. Its nice to spend money to see those sights, but the natural living environment of the residents isnt something one can see by going with a tour guide. Wait wait, rewind! Rewind! Although those suggestions are rather logical, I have to find Index first...! Thats enough. I know it without having to confirm it. This lucky man. WA!? ARE WE GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARDS? Kamijou shouted, but Orsola smiled vaguely. If its Miss Index, I just saw her at the window of the ice-cream shop. I WOULD HAVE LIKED IT IF YOU HAD SAID THAT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING!...If so, wheres Index? Thus, the way to read the bus stop sign is Basically, where is Index!!? Oh yes, oh yes, I let my friend bring her back to my house. THAT IDIOT LEFT ME BEHIND!!?? I just saw her say lets go for lunch as she followed along happily. DDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!! Leave Italy to me, which nun said that? Kamijou was grumbling inside, his body all frozen up. Ugh, uu...Orsola, what should I do? Though I have been bitten by herITLL BE MY TURN. JUST YOU WAIT, INDEX!!! Seeing the cross-popping veins on the hand that was holding the luggage bag handle, Orsola just blankly smiled. Be careful not to get counter-killed when you take revenge. UUU!!? Just like that, Kamijou was defeated. Orsola smiled happily. Anyway, the fastest way to meet up with Miss Index is to come to my house. Enough talk, the conclusion is to come over to my house. Come to think of it, going to Orsolas place was the fastest method. It was much better than rejecting her and being alone. ...Looks like I got into something unfortunate again. Dont mind it, dont mind it. There would be plenty of accidents when youre going overseas. Orsola said these words that seemed to be life lessons or something. Kamijou nodded his head. Thinking about it in another way, the reason why travelling was so fun was because there were all sorts of things happening. Speaking of travelling, as Kamijou had lost his memory, he had no memory of leaving Academy City on vacation. Between the lines 1 Two horse carriages were parked on the road. Though this was so, the ones pulling carriages were donkeysin the past, they were pitiful animals which only fools would ride on. The carriage was red in colour, with gold decorations on it. Not only was there a license plate, but a lot of effort had been put into the measurements and specific adjustments. If used for touring, this carriage wasnt so strange. Like those Venezia tour boats, as long as the customers needed it, any carriage, no matter how old, could be used. But, The carriage was in a different position from a normal carriage it was horizontally placed. It looked like it had skidded, but that was not the case. The front right wheel of the four-wheel carriage was shocked loose, very unnaturally, like it was separated for some sort of reason. At this moment, a hitting sound could be heard. With the anguished cry of a male, an explosion could be heard as if trying to cut the cry off. Coo...to make a dying sound, such an atrocious sound. Saying this, a tall nun walked out of the shadows of the carriage. It was the nun, Lucia. Like St. Catherine of Alexandria, she wielded a large carriage wheel as her weapon. Compared to the gentle impression of a female, her dyed red hand would make anyone tense. It was blood. Lucias nun''s robes were basic black robes with zips on the sleeves and skirt to make it easy to wear. Attached to the robes were yellow sleeves and a skirt. Yellow wasnt a recognised colour for a nuns robe; it was a spiritual tool that used the forbidden colour to turn a nuns robes into a seal. The forbidden coloured robe used the casters life-force and converted it into magical energy. It was not something that one could easily obtain. The spiritual tool itself didnt have the effect of clothing illumination (using that powerful effect would make it more dangerous); using the magical power on useless tasks would end up with the caster unable to use magic no matter how much the person trained. But right now, she needed to dye the forbidden coloured robe to seal off some of the magical properties. Of course, only her blood was effective. Sister Angelene, is everything ready there!? Seems, seems like its done... After hearing the petite girls reply, Lucia looked inside the carriage. From the exterior, one wouldnt imagine that the inside was slightly stainedin that carriage where the ceiling and walls were dark, the petite nuns voice could be heard, seemingly struggling as she continued to work. Compared to Lucia, who was wearing short sleeves, Angelenes sleeves were so long that one couldnt even see her fingers. Can she really work like that? Lucia muttered. ...Ready! Im now going to release the spell and retrieve the contents! With a soft voice. The girl called Angelene took a metal box out of the carriage which it was fitted onto. The inside contained a magical weapon that was used to deal with traitors. Normally, people other than the designated personnel couldnt use it. To seal it up like this, Angelene forcefully removed the seal. Lucia nodded her head. Not far away from the carriage was a tourist street, from where noise echoed over in full force. The sound in this ruckus was rather distinct, making a th sound that wasnt present in Italian, instead of using the gli and sci sounds, and also reading s and z. This kind of reading...it sure feels like Laguna Gamagori style...but there are some differences from the original. Angelene muttered as she carried the thin and long metal box. If so, this means, that were going to be brought back to the queen, right, Sister Lucia? The queen...why must this be exaggerated... We came out here to investigate it, Sister Angelene. Im worried about Sister Agneses condition. I cant relax with that seal alone. Lets prepare to hide that tracking spiritual tool first. Angelene nodded her head in agreement. The petite nun confirmed everything before getting off the carriage, and Lucia grabbed the wheel that fell off with both hands. Her weapon was based on the Wheel legend of St Catherine, using a wheel that exploded and regenerated. The two nuns took up their own weapons and silently left the street. In contrast to their black nun robes, the yellow sleeves and skirt danced in the wind abnormally, attracting attention like the warning colour of a hornets abdomen, but they ignored this handicap as they moved into the scenery. I will not agree to it. As she walked, Lucia thought. Sister Agnese is the nun that will cause my back to shiver out of respect. God is judging her like a sinner, the Church is discarding her like a tool or something... because I believe in the Roman Catholics, I will not agree to the method thats like abandoning someone. Lifting up her eyes that had been fixated on the ground, she looked forward as she quickened her pace. She was holding onto this unreliable weapon. They had made their stand. But because of that, and because they had focused too much on their own conscience, they were too slow to react to the outside world. With a huge sound, BOOM...!!? Like being hit in the chest, the air in Lucias lungs was forced out. Her leg that was extended out instantly lost strength, and the fingers on her hands which were holding the carriage wheel became numb. Her only weapon, the wheel, rolled out and slammed hard onto the floor. This pressure...which spiritual tool is causing it!? Lucia just thought of this, unable to take in enough air to say this in time. Her body was pressed hard onto the dusty stone floor, and she didnt even have anything to support herself. Her soft face was hurting from the sand grains pressing against her face. Looking sideways, Angelene, who was hit by the same attack, instantly lost her consciousness. She lost consciousness due to the initial hit, not by lack of oxygen. Within her blurry vision, something was shining. Turning her head around, Lucia saw a red light inside the carriage. To move the carriage and the forbidden colour point together...is it to prevent us from escaping? Maybe its when we move a certain distance away from the carriage, or when the carriage loses its mobility, or maybe after a certain amount of time or something... Thinking about this, she exhaled a huge amount of air. ...To think that its over at this point. In this slanted vision, she saw a new carriage coming over. For that spiritual tool to have such an effect, they were a bit too hasty. Maybe before the driver and the guards of the carriage were defeated, they had contacted the others through an emergency method. Her fingers couldnt even react. She couldnt even use any spells that only required the use of her head. Though her hand could almost reach the wheel and use it as a weapon, Lucia, who had lost the preemptive chance, was about to lose consciousness. Only a persons name appeared in her mind. Sister Agnese... And then, she lost consciousness. She was lifted up by the back of the collar of her nun''s robes and was tossed inside the carriage like a rag sack. Volume 11, 2: The Preparations for going to London. Un_Frammento_di_un_Piano. Volume 11, Chapter 2: The Preparations for going to London. Un_Frammento_di_un_Piano. Part 1 Orsolas house was on a lane from a turn off the road. There was a river nearby, and the smell of the sea could be sensed. There was a person standing on the stone road. She was standing in front of a five storey rectangular apartment. However, this wasnt a modern apartment; there was no auto lock or other kind of functions. The tea colour of the walls seemed to indicate that this was some sort of historical building. The antenna on the rooftop was rather subtle. All the buildings here give this sort of feeling. It sure is old. Theyre not just old, theyre very old. I do find the glittering buildings of Japan to be rather suppressing. The tall buildings that were too old were torn down 20 years ago the progress of that country has proceeded really fast. Were Orsolas ancestors living here since a long time ago? No, I was just sent here, so I rented a room. So isnt this just like my dormitory? Then whats that green and yellow, fancy building behind it? This place is a coastal city, so this building was made like this for sailors to be able to see their house from afar. However, since this building is not facing the sea anymore, theres no need for it. It was not a major port for boats to gather, but rather, a required guide for locals who were sailing to find their homes. Seemed that way. Hearing Orsolas introduction, Kamijou walked into the apartment. Though her room was on the fourth level, logically, there was no elevator. Kamijou carried the heavy luggage bag up the metal staircase painfully. All right, are we there yet? Kamijou asked and looked past Orsola. Orsola was standing in front of a door in the corridor full of doors. Though it was an old wooden door, the new lock glittered unnaturally. Orsola reached inside the sleeve of her nun''s robes and, with a clang sound, pulled out a key. But before she could open the door, the door opened. From inside, 4 Asians... Japanese youths, walked out. Their clothing looked similar, but the colour combination and the way they wore their clothes looked somewhat different. However, compared to Kamijou, with his wallet chain attached from the belt to the pocket, and a backup wallet tied behind his thigh, their attire was rather similar to those of the locals. Orsola herself had been asked to go out and shop, and so she smiled and handed out a large amount of French bread and paper bags to them. Kamijou suddenly remembered and hurriedly moved inside the room, Ah! Its Touma, Touma~! He could immediately hear the familiar girls voice inside the room, and also the footsteps like Daihaseisai, in contrast to how the room looked. Moving from the side of youths, Index came running out of the room. She was holding a box of ice cream. Well, holding, yes, but the box was about the size of 4 to 5 manga volumes. Index was using a cylindrical ice-cream scoop as a spoon, tucking in big mouthfuls of the vanilla ice cream. Touma, the ice cream here is delicious, and they even sold it at a great price! Wonderful! You... I was so worried, and YET YOURE EATING ICE CREAM SO HAPPILY!! No, wait, you left me behind before doing this. INDEX, STOP INDULGING YOURSELF IN THE DESSERT!!! But pulling me over here would mean that I have to help clear out the fridge, no? Staring at the smiling Index, Kamijou felt like he was about to collapse. Damn it! And yet you act as if youre righteous... But I cant accept this one-sided thanks of yours! While Kamijou was stamping his foot in frustration, Index continued to stay in front of him, scooping the ice cream. Seeing them like this, Orsola just blankly smiled. The Asian youths stared blankly as they communicated in a special language. So they were the ones who led Index here, Kamijou thought. So there are Japanese staying around here. Oh yeah, seems like the people who came to help are from the Amakusa. The Amakusa Christian Catholics. They were formerly a group of the Amakusa Christians, and were now an organisation under the protection of the English Puritans, like Orsola. They were said to have the special ability to mix into modern life... I see, Kamijou thought. Seeing their clothes like this, he understood. Though he felt this way, The whispered conversation that they were having was different from how it looked. ...Thats the guy that the substitute Supreme Pontiff is keeping an eye on... but how strong is he?... The reason why youre thinking like this is because you werent involved in the battle for Orsola... ...He was the one who went unarmed and declared war on the famous 250 battle nuns of the Roman Catholics, you know... And then theres the latest news from the substitute Supreme Pontiff. Its said that this guy sent the female Supreme Pontiff-sama flying together with that Seven Heavens Seven Swords (Shichiten Shichitou) with just a single punch... The Amakusa stopped talking. The first teenager wordlessly glanced at Kamijou, and then said, ...Monster? Oi, whats with you guys making those kind of distorted remarks just by looking at a guys face? Kamijou lips twitched as he asked. Seeing this expression, the Amakusa turned blue with shock and frantically escaped into the room. Speaking of which, as he had lost his memory, Kamijou didnt even know about anything he had done involving Kanzaki, and he feared that his memory loss would be divulged if he asked around. To hit a girls face, whats wrong with you, Kamijou Touma!? Kamijou thought angrily. Orsola sighed and looked at Kamijou, asking, ...You cant give that terrifying expression, you know. Though she said this, noise could still be heard from behind the door, including and at the end of summer, he saw the Supreme Pontiffs naked body, took a strike from Seven Heavens Seven Swords and didnt even need a cast!, WHAT!? Shes a God-recognised Saint! How did he train his body to that extent?! and all sorts of curious voices. Is it really that scary? And now it seems that I fell to the ground without doing anything at all... Dont lie on the ground so tiredly, hurry up and come in. Orsola pushed the door open as she advised, with Kamijou and Index hurriedly following in. The place she rented wasnt a single room like Kamijous dormitory, but an apartment with multiple rooms that would allow even an entire family to live inside. In Academy City, most dormitories were like hostels, meant for one person to stay in, so this kind of flat was rather refreshing to Kamijou. Wa, the huge room is great... theres a staircase inside the apartment!? Ho ho, its like an attic. Anyway, its between the 4th and 5th level. Its meant to store cheese and is a place where youll knock your head if you stand up straight. Seeing an awestruck Kamijou, Orsola smiled slightly, and said, Alright, lets prepare lunch. One of the rooms was the living room, she did say this before. Indexs eyes were glowing, and in contrast, Kamijou felt somewhat ashamed. Eh? But isnt lunch meant to be a repayment to those helping to move your stuff? And we didnt do anything yet. Dont mind it. Dont mind it. WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT!? Kamijou inadvertently exclaimed, but Orsola quickly got back on topic. First, I have to accommodate you. And after that, when all the stuff is done, itll be time for dinner. I have to pack everything in order to move houses, which means I cant take out my utensils and cant clean my stove. I see, Kamijou accepted it. Looking around, there was a stack of boxes in the living room. Orsola must have requested the Amakusa members to throw away the unwanted items and separate out the stuff that was to be sent to London. It was true that if she missed this opportunity, she wouldnt be able to settle into her new property as easily. Part 2 While Kamijou was looking at the different-shaped Italian sockets and Index was playing with the television remote control, switching channels, Orsolas two hands were holding a tray full of cutlery as she walked out of the room. The main dish was soup with oysters. Other dishes included a crab meat cold soup and something that was dyed black by squid ink and placed on the plate. According to Orsola, it was something made from corn powder and then boiled as a soup, and it could be directly consumed. Just as Kamijou was about to sit down, an Amakusa girl who was delivering the plates of food said, Do you want one? She held out a hot napkin. Ah, thanks. Kamijou nodded and received it. The girl just said my pleasure, my pleasure as she frantically walked out of the room. Double eyelids, Kamijou thought. He could hear all sorts of noises, including Itsuwa, hows the battle of the hot napkins?, Idiot, its too early now. The most important thing is to give a good impression, Isnt that a bit too far-fetched? Whats going on? Arent they supposed to have lunch with us? Eh, whats wrong with those Amakusa guys? Kamijou stood beside the dining table as he asked a question regarding the four teenagers. I heard from them that theyre training now. If they dont follow the designated method to cook the designated food, their reactions will become slow... The Amakusa is a religion that uses all sorts of religious rituals in their everyday life, including sleeping, bathing, and walking. Since the situation is different, they can only eat a limited number of things. Ah, such a troublesome group of people. Being prompted by Orsola, who had a somewhat deviated conclusion, Kamijou and Index immediately said Itadakimasu. Woah, this is great!? Whats this, the soup is so delicious, huh? Mn, it taste 500 times better than what Touma cooks. Dont say that when you didnt even help out one bit. But this is really delicious! Delicious! With the praise that was mixed with a bit of ill intent, Orsola bitterly laughed, I just hastily made these with the stuff that I already have. Hastily made...but the guidebook did mention a few of them. At least we achieved our goal. ...Touma, I want to create the best memory of this trip earlier. The two tourists here were completely satisfied before they had even seen the worlds heritage that was 20km away. Orsola, who was supposed to be praised, now had to follow their conversation. Say... youre here to see Venezia, right? Sort of; that was our travel plan, but we couldnt seem to contact the local guide. We had nothing to do after checking in at the hotel. Is Venezia really the leading tourist destination around here? Going to Venezia to sightsee, coming to Chioggia to stay. Cant drive around in Venezia, the humidity is so high, and the cold floor... Compared to here, the accommodation fee there is several times more expensive. Orsola replied without any hesitation. But forgetting about those disadvantages, its still worth the visit. Besides, its called the Water Capital, Queen of the Adriatic Sea, Bride of the Adriatic Sea... Well, its a beautiful city with all sorts of accolades on it. Seems like there are more of the Adriatic Sea prefixes. Kamijou dipped a piece of the cheese-like coloured stuff in some pitch-black squid ink. Though it was covered in squid ink, it was surprisingly mild. Ma, Venezia was originally a marine military state controlling the Adriatic Sea, so the prefix is rather appropriate. Every year, Venezia would have a national-level wedding with the sea ceremony. At that time...the ruler of the country would throw a gold ring into the Adriatic Sea to symbolise the merging of Venezia and the Adriatic Sea and be closer to it. Eh, Venezia was originally a country? Kamijou asked. Index, who was drinking the cold crab meat soup with a scoop, replied, Touma, this country called Italy was something that was only established recently. Before that, there were a lot of city states on the peninsula. It was somewhat like the Sengoku Era. ... What, why are you so silent now? Nothing. Youre pretty knowledgeable. Wu, what? Saying this just now? Indexs vision fell slightly onto the bowl, her face was somewhat red. Orsola picked up an oyster with her fork as she continued, Venezia was one of the powerful city states, and said that she hated being controlled by outside, so she went against the Pope and nearly declared war. She didnt declare war, but was viewed as an enemy of the Roman Catholics as she continued to prosper. Besides that, during her heyday, Venezia, together with Padova and Mestre, continued to take control of many city states in Northern Italy and made her name into history. Then what about here? Ah, Chioggia and Venezia were competitive sea city states, and fought several times, thats about it. In truth, there were many city states in Northern Italy which had salt and foreign imports like Venezia, but due to war, politics, calamities and other sorts of reasons, the numbers dwindled, and finally only Venezia was left. Kamijou made a sound in response. Now, if the history had changed a little, the lasting name would have been Chioggia. Hearing this, Kamijou was somewhat touched despite not knowing too much about history. It felt like playing a Sangoku-era or Sengoku-era game (changing history). No matter what, I do feel that since youre here, you should tour through Venezia first. For a Christian like me, its a very interesting place where you can learn a lot of things. Even if its not so, you can tour through and see the beautiful scenery. Though Chioggia has speedboats, she doesnt have tourist boats. The streets over there have scenes that cant be seen here. Here in Italy, the only place to escape the vehicles and yet continue to operate as a city is Venezia. Ho, seems interesting. Thanks Orsola. Then Index, well go to Venezia after we clear the stuff. Mn...I just want the food. Its great to stay here. You... how can you make such an unreasonable request to the person who fished you here? Part 3 Then, lets help clear the stuff. And with that, Kamijou and Index walked towards the items. Orsolas house had quite a few rooms, thus everyone was gathered in the same room, sorting out the items that were to be disposed of, and keeping those that were to be moved in boxes. After completing those, they then moved out the heavy furniture like cupboards and the bed, before cleaning the room up and heading to the next one. Orsola and the Amakusa seemed to have finished cleaning 1 or 2 rooms already. Anyway, Kamijou and company decided to start from the living room. Kamijou wrapped the utensils with newspaper before moving the chairs and table to an outside caravan. The auntie driving the caravan seemed to be an Amakusa member as well. This work continued to proceed for an hour. Wa, Touma, my nun''s robes are extremely dirty! Index said this as she continued to battle against the pile of dust from the bookcase. Hearing her say this, Kamijou blankly responded, Didnt I say that moving houses would make you dirty? Oh my, you did say it before, Orsola said. Hearing this voice coming from beside, Kamijou turned around to look. Orsola was patting away the dust on her nun''s robes around her breasts. Of course, that caused a certain body part to jiggle about. Kamijou immediately turned away. Index glared at Orsola, indicating please dont add on to the commotion when youre doing this.'' Orsola looked like she didnt notice it, and said, For how long were you on the plane to get here? You should be more mindful of it. How about you take a shower? While Orsola was saying this happily, a huge pile of dust fell from the lampshade onto her, like a black cap sticking on her head. Orsola continued to smile, Come on, Miss Index, the bathrooms this way. OI!! THE ONE MOST AFFECTED BY THE DUST IS YOU!! "Really?" Orsola tilted her head in a cute manner. The huge amount of dust settled on Orsolas head as she tried to shake it off. She grabbed Indexs shoulder from behind, saying. Anyway, Miss Index first. Eh, also, the blowdryers over there. Whats a blowdryer? Hearing their words as they left, Kamijou let his shoulders drop, saying, Ah, right. Orsola~ wheres the newspaper stack? Over here, no. He could hear Orsolas voice from outside. With a slam, the sound of a door being locked could be heard. ...So girls are really mindful of sweat and dust, huh? Kamijou carried the thought that if he was to try and confirm this, he would get bitten, and returned to cleaning and tidying the room. He sealed the boxes with tape, and then shifted them to the door. He used the newspaper as a buffer material by using it to wrap a mural, and put it inside a box. Then, Eh? At this moment, Kamijou let out a surprised sound. He just so happened to finish up the newspapers. Though I dont know the value of this mural, it sure looks expensive...if I leave it on the floor, itll be bad if someone steps on it... Kamijou let the mop lean on the wall and looked around. He remembered that Orsola said there was an extra stack of newspapers behind the door. However, upon opening the door, it was not a room, but a short corridor. Two similar white doors were arranged on both sides of the room. Which is the room? However, I should be able to know by going in. Without thinking further, Kamijou grabbed the handle. Suddenly, a sound could be heard from inside, Hmmmm~hmmmm~. Such a delighted humming voice, and the sound of rain. This singing and water means... Kamijou immediately froze, Is it the bathroom... Argh, that was dangerous!? Is this the trap called the bathroom!? Its, its a dangerous place. And I would end up getting bitten!! Kamijou gently exhaled, then released the handle of the door. By process of elimination, the other door must be where Orsola had prepared the newspapers. But, Hm~hmmmm~hm~hmmm. Theres another voice here? What is this! Theres no signboard to designate the bathroom...hm? Italian bathroom? In this confusing circumstance, the females unguarded humming made Kamijous heart pound, but he continued to think calmly. Assuming neither of them were bathrooms, since Orsola had said that "the newspapers are here", then both of them should be normal rooms. Maybe both doors led to the same room? If so, Since the wall is thinner here, I can hear the sound from the bathroom on both sides...? One is the bathroom, the other isnt. Damn it, whats going on here!? Kamijou cautiously listened to the voice and pondered, Right? No. Left? No. This... is the left. I can hear humming and water from the left, but I can only hear humming from the right door! In other words, the real source of the sound is from the left side, and since the right side is further, the water cant be heard, so I can only hear the humming! Alright, this Kamijou wont just end up seeing other peoples naked bodies all the time! I got it! Kamijou, relying on his ears and with absolute confidence, opened the right door. What was in front of him was a steamy bath. Eh? Of course, the one making this surprised sound was Orsola Aquinas. She was pulling away the curtain, reaching out for the bottle of shampoo. With the warm water sputtering out of the showerhead, he could clearly see her huge breasts that were normally covered by her nun''s robes. He saw them. W...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! THIS IS THE BATHROOM!!!? AND THE SHOWERHEAD IS STILL ON! Sorry, Orsola, but I did hear that the left side is the dangerous one...!! In a confused state, Kamijou forgot to close the door as he escaped to the left door. Over there. At this moment, he could hear the sound of the blowdryer motor running. At the same time, WAAAAAAAAAHH!!!? WHY IS HOT AIR BLOWING OUT OF THIS WEIRD HANDLE...!!! BOOM! With that, the left side door was opened from the inside, as a naked Index walked out. There was no point in just holding a towel with one hand. Her slightly red skin didnt seem to be wiped clean by the towel. She moved her limbs, causing the water droplets to fly off her skin. Her long hair was coated with water vapour, sticking tightly to her runway-like chest. Before seeing this, it has to be noted that beyond the left side door was another bathroom. Seeing the scene in front of him, Kamijou was speechless. THE RIGHT SIDE IS THE BATHROOM, THE LEFT SIDE IS ALSO A BATHROOOOOOM!?!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! THIS IS JUST HELL WAITING FOR ME ON BOTH SIDES!!!! ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!! WHY ARE THERE TWO BATHROOMS IN THIS HOUSE!?!?!? On realising that he had nowhere to run, Kamijou collapsed onto the ground. Of course, Orsola was embarrassed as well, covering her body with the translucent plastic curtain, her body backing away slightly. Eh, St Barbara promoted the ritual of turning a bathroom into a baptism pool. So one is used for everyday life, the other is used for religious rituals. But since Im moving house today, I removed the function of it being a baptism pool to use it as a bathroom. IS IT ANOTHER MAGICAL TERM THATS NOT SCIENTIFIC!?!? I''VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!! Kamijou slammed hard onto the floor as he roars. At this moment, ...Come to think of it, why is Touma here? In contrast to Kamijou, who was prone on the ground, Index was carefully wrapping her body up with a towel. Ha? ...And then why didnt you apologise for seeing other peoples naked bodies? No, its not that, Index. I, Kamijou Touma, saw a mural which wasnt wrapped completely in the room just now. I heard that the newspapers meant to absorb the impact were here, so...eh? Orsola, wheres the newspaper? Any ordinary person wouldnt put the newspapers inside the bathroom, right!? Eh, its not in the room, but at the corridor. GACK...!? Damn it, its just placed in the corridor! Damn it, why didnt you notice it, KAMIJOU TOUMA!? This wouldnt have happened... Saying nonsense to himself, Kamijou suddenly noticed that Indexs temples were twitching unnaturally. SAY, SOWHYIS TOUMA PUTTING MY NAKED BODY AS A LOW PRIORITY HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!?!?!? GGGGGGGGGGYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I FEEL THAT TODAYS INDEX IS TWICE AS TERRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!!!! Kamijou Touma had encountered the intimacy of the teeth twice already in this foreign land. He just hoped that Orsola didnt think that this was a weird Japanese traditional culture. Part 4 Being bitten hard, Kamijou rolled on the ground while Orsola continued to clear up the cutlery. At this moment, the sky was getting darker. Then Ill leave it to you. Orsola bowed towards the lorry driver who was shaking about. She was slightly worried about the brittle cutlery. No matter what, the moving had already been completed. Maybe the whole of Chioggia was like this, or maybe it was just this place, but there was no one around. Slightly further away, the voices and laughter of families could be heard. Orsola was holding onto a rectangular luggage bag as a minimum, saying, Sorry to bother the two of you. Its troublesome to slowly move all of this stuff. No, its alright. Orsola, what do you intend to do after this? We intend to go back to the hotel and then go out sightseeing. Do you want to come with us? No, no. She gently replied, her hand hiding her blushing face as she looked aside. She continued, Ill feel awkward if Im to go back to the hotel with both of you... that adult thing. AHEEEEMMM!!!? Kamijou immediately coughed, Index however curiously asked, ??? Adult stuff? Whats that? Its best not to hear it!! ITS BEST THAT INDEX DOESNT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT!! Just as Orsola was about to explain, Kamijou interrupted in a loud voice. Index still didnt understand anything at all, completely innocent. I left my work at London temporarily to come here, and its not suitable for me to stay here for long. Also... Also? As Kamijou pursued on, Orsola smiled and replied, I intend to say goodbye to Chioggia... I dont want you to see me not being like usual. Kamijou suddenly noticed it. This was where Orsola had stayed all her life, but after today, she could no longer stay here. It was not like she wanted to move. If not to ease the tension between her and this huge organisation called the Roman Catholic Church, she wouldnt move out at all. Kamijou remembered the time when he saved Orsola from Agnese. Strictly speaking, that had been not a painless problem. It was after spending an ordinary day that he had managed to save her. Even if it was a little compromise, it was for the greater good. ...Sorry Orsola. I wasnt very sensitive about this. No, no. Its not like I wont ever be back. Alright, please dont look so guilty. I do feel that London and Chioggia are rather similar. Under the starry night, Orsola smiled. Index, who was beside him, wordlessly knocked lightly onto Kamijous elbow, most likely hinting him to stop continuing this topic. Even Kamijou knew this, and he had to know this. Then, Ill take my leave. If theres a chance, hopefully Ill accommodate both of you in London. Mn, if you have the chance to come to Japan, well do the same. Before that, Touma has to tidy up the room. Saying this, the trio began to head off towards their respective destinations. At this moment, Index suddenly looked up, Dont tell me... this is... Suddenly, she shouted, EVERYONE! GET DOWN!! Kamijou stared at Index in a surprised manner. Get down...for what? From afar, a sound of metal colliding could be heard. Indexs expression became tense. FROM THE RIGHT!! The voice rang as if it was reaching the sky. BANG! An unnatural sound resounded, causing Orsolas rectangular luggage bag to fly out. Eh? Orsola looked at the hand that had been holding onto the luggage bag a moment ago in an incredulous manner. The luggage bag gently dropped onto the floor. The metal buckle shattered, and the luggage bag opened like a book. A comb and lipstick dropped out from inside. There seemed to be some back-up food, and the burnt black food rolled down the road into the canal. Kamijou stared at the luggage bag on the ground. On the surface, there was an unnatural hole approximately 1 cm in diameter. TOUMA, GET AWAY FROM THERE! Indexs urgent voice could be heard. Why is she panicking now... is it magic now? He carried this suspicion as he looked back at Index, but Kamijou froze halfway. There was a very shiny spot on Orsolas clothes, which silently moved from Orsolas shoulder onto her chest. Like an infrared sight to assist in aiming at a target. Long range weapon... Sniper!? ORSOLA! Kamijou threw away the luggage bag in his hand and pushed a dumbstruck Index forward before knocking Orsola in the abdomen. Charging down the road. A soft gunshot could be heard. On Kamijous back, from left to right, it started to hurt as if it was a string. His skin was burnt off by something. From where!? Who!? How!? Enduring the blood that was flowing out, he looked around. The surrounding rectangular buildings were 5 stories tall, and there was only a straight canal. An outsider like Kamijou couldnt tell whether this place was suited for sniping. Looking around, there was no one with any huge equipment hobbling around. Maybe it was from the opposite direction of where the luggage bag flew, but he could only see the wall of the building. However, Index seemed to know where the attack was coming from, and shouted, TOUMA! Hearing Indexs shout. Just as Kamijou was about to change his focus from the inside to the outside, an icy hand grabbed Kamijous neck. Turning back, he could see a hand extending out from the canal beside the road. It was a pitch black hand. Someone was extending their hand from the water''s surface to grab Kamijous neck from behind. ! It pulled Kamijou into the water before he could think of anything. Losing his balance, Kamijou fell away from Orsola and into the canal. The turbid waters irritated his throat, and the wound on his back was painfully stimulated as if it was about to explode. In his distorted vision, he saw someone walking down the road, their left hand holding onto something shiny and metallic. A dagger, or in other words, a sword. You scum... who are you!? Kamijou extended his hand onto the leg of the attacker, but it was dodged. Kamijou then swung his limbs, gaining enough momentum to float up and appear on the surface. Maybe it was low tide now, as the water was only several metres tall. But it was enough to obstruct Kamijous vision. Cheh! He used both hands to grab onto the edge of the canal and climb up. The first person in his vision was Orsola. She was kneeling on the floor in an incredulous manner, in what seemed to be the same position that she was in when Kamijou had knocked her down. That expression wasnt of fear, but shock. Then, Right in front of her was the attacker. The short man wearing pitch black priest robes. Like Orsola, there were zips on his shoulders. His back facing Kamijou, the purple-dyed hair was extremely obvious. In that wet hand, there wasnt a knife or sword like he expected, but a spear. It looked that it had been forcibly shortened, and on the front tip of the 70cm black wooden handle, there was a 10cm blade. Shell die if shes stabbed with it. The attacking male raised his hands in full force. Like he was about to stab the ground. Kamijou had to stop him, but Kamijou, who had managed to get out of the canal, was still sprawled on the ground. It would take several seconds for him to get to Orsola. At this moment, the spear of the attacker swung down hard. Go to hell, bastard! Kamijou grabbed the blowdryer from the items scattered from Orsolas luggage and threw it without thinking. It hit the back of the attackers head. The spear missed slightly. The tip of the blade hit the floor, missing Orsolas head. ! The attacker turned around, rushing towards Kamijou, who was obstructing his mission. That spear was shining with an orange light in this black night. It is magic, huh? Kamijou, who was still prone on the floor, clenched his fist. Stab yourself instead! The moment Index shouted this, the man pointed the spear back to himself. Now that the male in priest''s clothing was unable to control his weapon for some unknown reason, he stopped. ! Standing up, Kamijou lowered his body and slammed into the guys stomach, his right fist hitting his face. The force that came from below caused the guys head to shake. Eh, Ugh! Making such a sound, the man intended to lower his vision. Kamijou punched him again. With a loud sound, The fist that contained all of Kamijous strength hit the mans nose without any remorse. Finally, the man whose back had been facing Kamijou was knocked down, not moving at all. No time to stop. ! WHERES THE SNIPER!? No need to worry... its over for now. What do you mean its over for now!? Hearing Indexs words, Kamijou was confused. Then, GYYYAAHHH!! From afar, an indecent male voice could be heard. To a tense Kamijou, Index calmly said, To snipe here from afar, it means that hes sending information of his location to us. Then no matter where he is, my Spell Intercept can mow through it. Seemed like Index had done something, but Kamijou didnt know exactly what. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Kamijou looked at a corner of the road, as a mans figure suddenly leapt out. A hand on his head, he was frantically running around, as if he had heard an explosion. It was too dark for Kamijou to see clearly. The man wasnt running to Kamijou and company, but into the canal, saying, Abbandoniamo l''avanguardia! Ora si ritira di qua! Quella donna la uccider sulla nave! (Forget the front! Prepare the retreat ship! Well kill the woman on the ship!) He seemed to be shouting something in Italian, and just like that, jumped off the edge of the road and into the embankment. Is the guy escaping the sniper from just now!? Damn it, should we chase him or not? Just as Kamijou was considering this, the sound of water breaking could be heard. But, How could a person jumping into the water make such a large sound? The surface of the canal broke open. Like a reverse waterfall, the seawater flowed up, and the man landed on the thing that was coming out. Wha...! Kamijou held his breath. From below the canal, a ship appeared. It was like a sailing junk that had 4 masts. What was different about those ships was the material. The ones used to find the new world had been made of wood, but this one that had just appeared was translucent and gave a chilly feeling. It was like it was made of crystaleven the sail and ropes on the mast were of the same materialmaking one wonder whether it really functioned as a ship. Maybe because of the light reflected from the streets and the moon, the ship was bright like a light bulb. But, What was even weirder was the size of the ship. WA! TOUMA! The canal should be 20 to 30 metres wide, and the side of the ship smashed the embankments, forcing it to become smaller. HOW ON EARTH DID THIS THING REMAIN HIDDEN FOR SO LONG!!? A large number of motorboats were stopping like a bus stopping in front of a bus stop. Some were crushed and began to sink, some were knocked high up into the air. Kamijous fist hit a piece of shrapnel that was flying at Indexs head, but his footing was immediately drowned by the seawater that was gushing in like a sprinkler, as if a child had just jumped into a wading pool, Kamijous face was flipped like a face washing plate as he slipped on the ground. IT HURTS! WHATS GOING ON!? Looking up from the floor that was completely drowned, the triangular mast was only 40 metres tall. Also, the ship was still emerging from the seawater. Kamijou felt it was weird. In fact, he knew that there was a certain depth for the river; it was basically 3 metres deep, so there shouldnt have been enough space to hide such a huge ship. The ship jerked. Right now, the deck was barely as tall as the road, like it was jacked up. At the same time, AH...! Orsola seemed to be caught on the ship; she had been taken up by the ship from the road. Kamijou couldn''t even respond because he was knocked from below by the translucent ship rope. He was swept up. During that moment of flight, his feet left the ground. Just as Kamijou lost his footing, the ship tossed him 20 metres high. He was about to fall right next to the ship. He would die if he fell from such a height. ! Kamijou frantically grabbed onto the handrails of the ship with both hands. The ship that had been drowned in seawater was now like a 20 metres high cliff. It seemed to be 7 storeys tall; his vantage point was even taller than the surrounding apartments. Kamijou looked around from the ship. Orsola was also hanging on the shipthe side of the ships hull should be 100 metres. Orsola, get up there! Though I would rather not get on this unsolicited thing. Kamijou ignored the unhappiness in his heart, grabbed onto the ships hull that was extremely shiny, and climbed onto the deck. It was really a big ship. It was over 100 metres long, the height from the deck to the bottom was about 20 metres. Everything from the mast to the deck was made of translucent material and shined with a mild white light like a light bulb. Kamijou and company were in the middle of the ship. The ship front and rear were like a staircase, coinciding at the cabins. It was like they were smack in the middle of a bowl. There were 3 levels up, and 5 to 7 levels down; it was a ship that was even bigger than Kamijous apartment. The ship was pressing against the embankments, and the seawater that was forced out gradually flowed onto the road. This is crazy... for such a thing to emerge from the canal... The hull was also made of this magical translucent material. It could reflect moonlight, creating a white light like that of a light bulb. Though...this feels like glass or crystal, its not. Its more like ice. Speaking of practical buildings that were made of ice, the Inuit tribe from Canada were famous for using ice to make igloos, but not of this scale. Kamijou prodded the deck with his finger. It was definitely something similar to ice, as skin stuck to the surface upon contact. It was not cold; it was slightly warm like plastic... but ice freezes at 0 degrees Celsius under atmospheric pressure, which was common knowledge. Under certain conditions however, the freezing and boiling points could be changed. There existed ice at 20 degrees Celsius and steam at 80 degrees Celsius. It was obviously made from magic. So even if it was ice, the floor wasnt slippery. The reason why ice was slippery was because the surface of the ice would melt into water, reducing friction. By changing the melting point, even if the ice touched human skin, it wouldnt melt, so there wouldnt be any water on it. This magical stuff was probably similar to Stiyls "Innocentius" and wouldnt break even with Kamijous right hand touching it. Suddenly, the ship jerked. The impact came from below, and Orsola, who was rather slow, was knocked high. AH!? Hang on tight! Kamijou immediately reached his hand out from the deck, grabbing onto the woman. Good thing the female wasnt heavy, but with the unstable positioning, she seemed several times heavier. Breaking out cold sweat, Kamijou pulled Orsola onto the deck. Just like that, Kamijou and Orsola were lying on the ice. Touma! Are you alright, Touma!? Kamijou heard Indexs worried voice as Index continued to run along. But Kamijou had no time to reply. Suddenly, the ship jerked again. This time, it was shaking back and forth in a regular manner. Orsola, who was on Kamijou, slowly approached Kamijous chest. Kamijou looked around. Besides both of them, there was no one around. The silent giant ice ship reminded Kamijou of something. Is it moving forward? Normally, wouldnt such a large ship be unable to move in such a narrow river? Isnt this like a whale in shallow waters!? In contrast to what Kamijou expected, the giant ship moved forward as if it was an ice hockey puck skating on ice... Thinking further into it, Kamijou realised that if this shining ship was created by adjusting the melting point of ice, it was most probable that the water film created at the bottom of the ship had reduced the friction. Orsola, are you alright? Mn... Hearing Kamijous words, Orsola answered uncomfortably. She seemed to have noticed that she was pressing onto Kamijou. Normally stable, she was somewhat puzzled as she nimbly tried to get up only to lose her balance again. Even if it was Kamijou, any female, whose clothes were drenched by seawater, sticking onto him would cause his heart to race. But now wasnt the time. A section below Kamijous hand, extending from the handrail of the ship to the higher walls was shining. Leaning out from the ship, Kamijou was stunned. The ice ship continued to force its way, squeezing aside the embankments, swallowing the ferries around, and moving down the canal. WHATS GOING ON!? No matter how Kamijou sighed, what was happening in front of him didnt change. And as he looked closely, he noticed something. From here, its at least 20 metres down...even if its seawater below, Ill probably break a few bones if I jump down. No, wait. This ship is bigger than the canal, yet it can still move forward, so the bottom of the canal is made of stone? Damn it, is the seawater Im seeing now on the road!? The seawater seemed to flow into the gaps between the buildings. He could hear frantic voices from the surrounding buildings understanding the reason, all of them were dumbstruck. Ah! Wait! Suddenly, Orsola stood up. She just stared at the front, wide-eyed. For this to happen... Wha, what? Orsola? This ship is forcing its way forward. Seems like its moving from the middle of Chioggia to the Adriatic Sea. As Kamijou was wondering what was going on, Get down! The Viggo bridge is right in front! This ship will force its way through it! You kidding me!? Kamijou immediately grabbed Orsola from behind. At this moment, A strong quake could be felt. The bridge was destroyed in one blow. Ack!? The hand that should''ve been holding Orsola released her. Suffering the impact, Kamijou was unable to breathe as he lay on the deck. Gack...ah! Or, wheres Orsola...!? Orsola barely managed to support herself on the deck. Good thing that she had managed to fall inside like Kamijou, and was on the floor as well. To be honest, it was a relief. If she flew out, itd be a 20 metre drop. Damn it... In this helpless situation, Kamijou continued to think, Attacked by some weird people, getting onto an ice ship, getting separated from Index... just what the heck is going on? Orsola held onto the handrail on the side of the ship, and blankly said, Were leaving...the ground. Ah, where are we going, this ship... Adjusting his breathing, Kamijou stared at the land that was becoming smaller and smaller. But this silence didnt remain for long. This time, from afaractually, from within the ship, many footsteps could be heard. Cerca! Loro devono essere a bordo! (Find them! They should be on this ship!) Kamijou heard a mans growl. Though he didnt know what it meant, he could feel the animosity in it. Orsola lowered her voice and said, What now, they seem to be looking for us... I know! If we jump off the ship...nope. Its too dark, I dont even know which side is which anymore. Frantically looking around, there was nothing in the sea. Kamijou idly thought, are we that far away already? It seemed that ever since they got onto the sea, the ship wasnt as tall anymore. Compared to moving around in the canal a while back, they were now floating on the sea. Seemed like half of the ships height was submerged in water. In other words, this meant that the sea was a 10 metres drop. But, to even consider jumping, they would need to be able to swim in these raging waters for a long distance. If they recklessly challenged the sea, there was an 80 to 90% chance that they would drown before they could even reach the shore. Looking down, this ice ship seemed to be a replica of an ancient battleship. Ten translucent cannons extended out from the side of the ship. Without an oxygen tank, they could only swim at the surface. One could immediately see the unnatural waves from the deck of the ship. If those cannons could really fire, it would be their deaths if they were seen on the water. Besides, upon seeing that tiny land, Kamijou knew that it was impossible for them to get off the ship. Damn it...! Footsteps could be heard from all over the ship. In other words, this wasnt a safe place. The light source of the ship itself wasnt that strong. Though the surface of the ship was reflecting light, it was rather dark inside. But even though it wasnt very bright, the floor and walls were glowing. Kamijou and Orsolas shadows could be seen, so it was hard for them to hide in the darkness. The good news in this misfortune was that, as this 100 metre long ship was extremely big, there were some things for them to hide in, as well as cabins. Orsola, get inside the ship. Well be spotted if we stay here. Anyway, lets find a place to hide in. Yes. I know. Kamijou grabbed Orsolas hand, crouched down, and moved along the ice ship. What was supposed to have been a delightful trip to Italy was now developing towards another direction. Between the lines 2 Lets rewind time to a few weeks back. The bumps on the road caused the wheels of the carriage to jerk. Because of this sharp jerking, nobody on the gradually moving carriage was able to sleep. Agnese Sanctis was sitting inside the cabin of the carriage. The carriage wasnt one made of cloth and frames, but a real one made of wood. Her age was approximately between 10 to 15, and her height was slightly shorter than those of her age. She had white skin and lemon-tea eyes, red hair that was between coffee and blond, and braids that were several pencils thick. She was clad in black nun robes and 30cm thick sandals. Though her clothes were made of highly flexible fabrics, it looked unnaturally clean. Normally speaking, there would be wear and tear when one washed the clothes, but there was no sign of it on her clothes. Just on this point, it was fair to say that she was really eye-catching. The petite nun looked outside the window. The rectangular window was about as large as a tray, and there was iron mesh hammered on the outside as if it was a metal net. Though the window was closed, one could sense the faint smell of the tide. On the other side of the glass window was the satellite city of Venezia, which was designated as a worldwide tourist attraction. There were families dragging their luggage around and coffee shop attendants approaching them. Is this your first time here? At the front of the carriagethe driver driving the carriage asked. As the wooden wall was blocking, Agnese couldnt see it. The gruff voice of the middle-aged man was rather special, Italian mixed with some French. This man should be from Milano, Agnese guessed. Yeah, Ive never been here before. Though I was born in the north, I am from Milano. Due to the way she was learning it, her Japanese was somewhat rude, but her Italian was rather polite. On hearing how the other person was replying in a similar manner, the drivers tone becomes even gentler. Thats good. I prefer the mainland as well. How should I say it... the air there is fresher, Ill even feel motivated. But there are lots of things to see here. Even though its my job, I do feel that going around sightseeing is an interesting thing. Im glad that my workplace is in Italy; there are unique things everywhere. I might get sick of it if it was another country. Hearing this, Agnese smiled. She looked out of the window and said, There are many wonderful places overseas as well. Really? Yes, because I like new things. Isnt there a phrase called World Heritage or something? After looking there, I would find that it really is worthy of being hailed as a world heritage. Like the Fontainebleau garden, it really is a renaissance of plain art involving water and greens. The Cologne Cathedral can be said to be pointing the sharp edge to the sky. As for Japan, before saying whether its nice or ugly, I have to say that the first thing I felt was an inexplicable feeling. I see. The driver answered flatly. The carriage continued to move forward. The reason the carriage was so slow was one, because of the driver, and two, because the thing pulling the carriage was not a horse, but a donkey. Obviously, this kind of carriage had no significant horsepower. Those people who walk the earth certainly say a different story. Not really. Most of the places I go to are in Europe. I never had the chance to leave Europe. Because of work, I can only move to where my carriage can go. Then if its outside this area, youll take a plane? Yeah. But considering the practicality, the ground is much more stable. If were to tangle with the science side, we cant use spells to prevent escaping... oh my, this topic isnt suitable for you right now. Please dont mind. But its true that theres a sense of pressure when Im taking a plane. Really? Just as I expected. The plane feels like its forcing itself to fly in the air. If there were a hole, it would collapse due to the difference in pressure. Though this is a special rule in the air, I do feel that its extremely scary. If its a hot air balloon, Ill just sit back and enjoy the ride. But a hot air balloon is considered a type of plane. Ah, is that so? Then no matter what the thing is, as long as it involves the science side, I dont want to get involved with it in the future. Oh, were here. Agneses body slightly trembled due to habit. The donkey-pulled carriage seemed like it had stopped. Her eyes turned from the window to the two doors behind. She looked at the door that hadnt opened yet, and quietly said, The destination is... The Queen of the Adriatic Sea and the Queens Fleet, huh? As if in response to this sentence, the lock on the door opened. Volume 11, 3: Aboard the Capital of Water’s vessel. Il_Mare_e_la_Sconfitta. Volume 11, Chapter 3: Aboard the Capital of Water''s vessel. Il_Mare_e_la_Sconfitta. Part 1 The outside was made of ice, and so was the inside. The corridor, the walls, the ceiling were made of transparent ice. Even the door, the handle and the bolts on the hinges were of the same material. Some of the items inside would make one wonder whether they could even work or not. The inside of the cabin, which was made of ice, was just like the outside, the walls and floor giving off a faint white glow. Was it the effect of moonlight being reflected like crazy? The glow wasnt as bright as sunlight, and though the walls and ceiling could be seen clearly, the space itself was rather dark. It felt like the weak lights in a cinema. Kamijou and Orsola opened the hatchway linking the deck to the inside of the ship and ran into the nearest room. Nobody was stopping them. Basically, if they were found out, they would be finished. But even without anyone around, Kamijou felt that there was an invisible pressure attacking them. Maybe it was the psychological effect of wanting to hide for safety. Both of them entered the room, closed the door and leaned on the wall inside. Suddenly, they heard the hatchway being opened and closed. Besides footsteps, they could hear growling in some foreign language. One could hear that they were all males. However, because Kamijou didnt know anything about the language, and since he was unable to understand the situation from the voices, this made him even more worried. Damn it, whats going on? Kamijou muttered. He had finally gotten a ticket to Italy and came here, and not only had he been attacked by some weird dude, he was forced to ride on this huge ship. It was too unfortunate. The place where he and Orsola were hiding in should be the fort. A row of cannons were arranged on the wall of the ship, such that they looked like small separated rooms. From here, one could see the base of the cannons. There were several chairs in front of the cannons, a shelf on the wall, and some large buckets. These were all made of white translucent materialin other words, that was all inside the room. He couldnt see the gunpowder for the cannons that should be in some buckets or the volleyball-sized shells. Kamijou was unable to tell whether it was because the cannons were all duplicates or if it was because these were magic cannons that would ignore the laws of physics. From the inside walls to the furniture, the entire body of the ship was glowing. As the texture was the same, it gave a sense of slipperiness. Light was everywhere, but it was hard to read in this situation. This was truly an abnormal space. Im rather mindful about this ship why must they use such a huge thing to attack us? Orsola said uncomfortably. She did have a reason for saying this because the enemy was after her life. When this kind of situation happened, it was naturally hard to counter. Kamijou remembered the spear-wielding man that had appeared out of the river. That idiot who just attacked you... he seemed to be wearing a male version of your nun''s robe. Yes, that is priest''s attire. If so, the enemy should be the Roman Catholic Church, right? Is it because of The Book of the Law? I cant think of other reasons that would cause any conflict. But that case should be over ever since I was transferred to the English Puritans... according to the current situation, if they kill me, itll be disadvantageous to the Roman Catholics... would they specially make a vessel out of ice, destroy the banks of Chioggia and the Vigo bridge just to get me? Yeah, thats a bit too much of an overkill... Kamijou cupped his head and thought. In all the magic commotions that had occurred in Academy City and Japan, the magicians seemed like they wanted to avoid exposing the event. But this time it was different; the ship basically had appeared outright, destroyed everything, and then left just like that. Orsola should be quite confused now. Basically, even if a giant ice ship was to emerge from a narrow canal and destroy the streets, nobody would believe it. If they did, wouldnt the existence of magicians be revealed? Wheres this ship going? If the ship is going north from Chioggia, maybe Venice? If not, the only way out to the Mediterranean Sea is south... ah, theres a window over there. The window that Orsola was pointing at was one that allowed a person to aim the cannon, but all they could see was the darkness of the sea. Everything in the horizon was water, and at the end, it was the dark sky; there was no clue to tell them where they were. Suddenly, BOOM an explosion could be heard from the surface of the sea. With that sound, an ice ship, similar to the one Kamijou and Orsola were riding, emerged from the water as if it was a killer whale. After that, 5, 10 translucent ships also appeared. They could only see in one direction, but it was likely that the same thing was happening all around. The empty horizon of the Adriatic Sea was now covered with numerous ships. The dark surface of the sea was now illuminated by these weak white lights. The light caused by a ship wasnt that bright, but it was a different matter when there were that many of them. ...This ship isnt the enemy base, but one of them? The main brigade is here, perhaps they couldnt launch because Chioggias too small? Said Kamijou as he gritted his teeth. One ship was already hard for them to handle. Now that the scale had increased, it felt like it was harder for them to escape. Now, they would have to abandon the idea of getting off the ship and hide till the ship reached port. Really, Index shouldnt have any problems now. Handphone... nope. Its alright even if a phone made by Academy City drops into the water I can honestly praise that...that kids 0-yen phone probably hasnt been on ever since I turned it off before our flight. Can the electromagnetic waves pass through the sea? Ah, my luggage got washed away. All the contents of the luggage got spilled onto the roof, and then this ship forced the canal water out... The trunk should have had quite a lot of women cosmetics. Orsola looked a bit awkward, and Kamijou replied in a slightly irritated yet impressed tone, ...Youre really strong, to think of anything after this is over. Oh my, cuttlefish isnt Chioggias speciality, but of Venice. Hearing Orsola ignore him as she changed the topic, Kamijou really felt weak, but he couldnt keep this up for long. Ka chang. The handle of the cabin door twisted. !? Kamijou and Orsola, who were standing beside the door, were shocked. Both of them turned towards the door. It wasnt just a single door being opened. Numerous doors were being opened. It was likely that all the doors on this level could be automatically opened at the same time, as the sounds could be heard from right to left. There was nowhere to hide inside the room. And outside, the person checking through the corridor made of ice with changed melting temperature was suddenly standing in front of Kamijou. This person wasnt one of those mere grunts. The one opening the door was a nun. What made her special were her pencil-thick braids of red hair. She had the cheeky expression of a naughty child with a body even more petite than Index. Though she was wearing a similar nun''s robe as Orsola''s, her outfit revealed a lot more skin, like a mini-skirt. The thing that made them recognise her was the pair of 30cm thick sandals. Agnese!? Kamijou couldnt help but shout out. Agnese Sanctis. A battle nun who had led a company of the Roman Catholics to try and assassinate Orsola Aquinas because of the incident involving The Book of the Law. Oi, this is no time for a joke! Why is she on this ship!? Dont tell me that shes involved in the incident when Orsola got attacked just now!! Stunned, Kamijou couldnt say anything. She didnt seem to notice that the people inside were Kamijou and Orsola. She slightly widened her eyes, and after staring at that boys face BAM!! She punched Kamijous face without any hesitation. ACK...!? Being hit like this, Kamijous vision started to waver. He could hear Orsolas little cry. He was almost unconscious, not due to pain, but due to him being unable to react in time. Right away, Agnese stepped forward and punched his waist. Then, when Kamijou was unable to guard himself, Agneses small fist targeted the youths flank from below. DONG!! A blunt sound could be heard, as if a hammer smashed into luggage. An irritating sound reverberated inside Kamijou. After that, Agnese punched down on Kamijous back as he was bent in a [ shape. Kamijou was unable to fight back, and was only capable of lying down on the ground. After Agnese backed away from him, she turned to look at Orsola. Erm...please hold on for a moment...!? Orsola frantically opened her hands. On seeing this, Agnese frowned, but she didnt swing her fist. While she was still alert, she heard... ...Im sorry, Im really sorry. No, Im really shocked. The back of your nun robe had such a large hole that I nearly saw your butt even on your abdomen, there are hand-sized holes; youre revealing a lot of skin... The boy lying on the floor and remaining in the [ position muttered as if he was reciting a chant. In this narrow room, Agnese moved away while maintaining her distance from Kamijou and Orsola. EH! Over there!! She shouted, using the thick soles of her sandals to step on Kamijous leg, and pulled up his trousers. You! As expected, you brought a weapon onto the Queen of the Adriatic Sea...!! The suspicious voice of Agnese suddenly stopped. What was strapped tightly onto his leg was a backup wallet, as if Kamijou was declaring that he was not used to travelling overseas. ... Agnese remained silent, instead of saying that she felt awkward that her guess was wrong; it was more like she was suspicious of them because she didnt understand their intentions. After that, she slowly re-estimated the distance between her and the rest. Though Agnese hadnt let down her guard, the sticky situation now could be counted as we can communicate without fighting each other. Orsola gently sighed, and said more than she normally did, I... was attacked by the Roman Catholics as I was moving houses, and after that, I had to ride on this ship. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea...is it the name of this ice ship? Seeing Orsola ask in surprise, Agnese relaxed her shoulders. But she continued to keep her eyes on Kamijou, who was on the floor. Shes still... is it still a character flaw? There was a sense of irritation in her tone, but Kamijou was unable to hear anyone as he continued to lie on the floor. So Im really sorry, Agnese, and Ill take this chance to confess that during the first time I met you, you looked rather perverted wearing that mini-skirt nun robe...!? Being kicked in the flank by the 30cm thick sandals, Kamijou bounced up. Agnese repeated her question again, and Kamijou coughed as he got up, saying, No... eh, why... why are you angry? Did Orsola say something weird again? Queen of the Adriatic Sea? Whats that? I think I heard of it before. Really, I did explain it to you clearly, you know? As both of them didnt know what the question to that answer was, both of them decided to ignore Orsola first. Agnese looked like she finally let her guard down, saying in a relaxed manner, ...The name of the fleet is the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. This is just one frigate ship. Seems like you really do not know whats going on. Either you dont know how to negotiate or something, I can tell from your expression that you really do not know anything. If this is also an act, Im really impressed. What on earth are you doing here... You dont have the right to ask me that. Im helping to look for an intruder. Agnese then proceeded to say something astonishing. However, if youre the intruders, I can make use of that. If its me alone, itll be hard to settle this troublesome problem, but it may be faster if I make use of you. Wait a sec... Kamijou couldnt help but blurt out. Troublesome, problem, hard to settle, make use, itll be fasterno matter what the keyword was, it was still dangerous. I have an irritating premonition. First, Orsola got attacked, and then Im forced to ride on this weird ship. Were just involved in this somehow, and we dont know what youre doing here If you continue to chatter like this, youre going to get louder and louder. I advise you not to anger me if you want to escape this place. That is, if you want to escape The Queens fleet. Kamijou and Orsola stared at Agnese in surprise. Agnese didnt mind as she continued, However, its alright if you dont want to escape. I can call people to come here and let you die here. How about you jump into the water and swim all the way back to the shore? I dont know how many kilometres is though, and once theres a sound on the sea, theyll fire the cannons immediately. Now that she was reminding him, Kamijou had nothing to argue back with. That was right, this was the sea; there was no way for them to escape. Forget about swimming, even if they were to get a lifeboat, they would be shot down quickly. Just as Kamijou was pondering, Orsola asked, ...Is there any benefit for you if you help us? Benefits? Well have a lot to talk about if you can think about it. Agnese immediately replied. This already troublesome situation seemed to have taken a turn for the worst. Agnese and the gruff sounding men should be of the same search party, but they seemed to have different motives. Orsola sighed before turning back to Kamijou. Looks like we can only listen to what she says. No matter what, if we dont assist her, we cant escape, and if she gets angry, the rest of them will rush in here. Humph, at least youre clear about that. Seeing Agnese reveal such a competitive smile, Kamijou carelessly let his jaw drop. Though the situation had now gotten complicated, he still said in a reluctant manner, Im not really motivated for this, but lets see what you have to say. Part 2 Whats this Queens fleet? In this narrow gunnery room, Kamijou asked this question. Well, this is a fleet formed to monitor the Adriatic Sea. Agnese seemed to have released her tension now. Though she was still keeping her distance, the tips of her hands and feet were relaxed. Right now, were collecting data from the starry night, the wind and the surface of the sea. After that, well check a certain part of the Adriatic Sea, and see how much magical energy was used. Because the sea is different from the land, we cant investigate it like normal. Itll be terrible if the enemy casts some weird magic experiment. ...Monitoring the Adriatic Sea? Orsola sounded somewhat surprised and looked around the room that was made of ice. But is it really necessary to build such a large facility? We should be able to build it a bit smaller if its now, but the Queens Fleet was built several centuries ago... at that time, a lot of attention was placed on the security of the Adriatic Sea. Agnese replied in an uninterested manner. Theres also the meaning of suppressing other religions. The organisations of the magic side have been shaken by quite a few recent events. They had to hold some huge event to reorganise themselves. If so, the English Puritans and the Russian Orthodox Church should know about the movements of this Queen of the Adriatic Sea. If they didnt do this, they would not achieve the aim of warning others. Upon hearing her say this, Kamijou asked, What? Then the higher-ups knew about this, yet they choose to remain silent over it? If its a containment game, theres no need to cause such a huge event. Wouldnt a bigger problem occur if the underlings are to run riot? You see, like now? ...Wait a minute. I still dont know whats going on. We dont know what the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is. If they know of this disastrous situation... Do you think theyll think that much? In other words Agnese suddenly stopped. Footsteps could be heard from the outside the door. Agnese placed her ear on the ice door waiting for the footsteps to cease. How many people were there on this ship? The black habit guy who had attacked Kamijou and company, and the coarse-sounding guy on the deckthese guys didnt seem like they were Agneses men. But I have never heard of this thing while with the Roman Catholics. I didnt know that as well before I got here. The Roman Catholics do have 2 billion followers, and they have quite a lot of deployed squads. All we know are the areas that were familiar with or some high level ones. ...Now that you mention it, I have no idea exactly how many people are in a company[1]. Upon Agnese mentioning this, Orsola seemed to start thinking about the deployment and the groupings. However, What? This ship is only meant to be a surveillance facility? Kamijou looked stunned as he asked Agnese. We were suddenly attacked by the people on this ship, saw a gigantic ship that came out of nowhere and broke the banks, and before we knew it, were smack down in the middle of this fleet. Why must we always end up in this kind of situation? Humph. For some reason, Agnese snorted. Ill ask you this again: you have nothing to do with the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, right? I said before, I was in the midst of moving houses. Speaking of which, are my Amakusa friends alright? Orsola worriedly asked. Agnese, looking rather tired, sighed and said, Dont tell me you were being watched? Youre people who disrupted the plans of the Roman Catholics, so youll be on the blacklist, and one of you came all the way from Japan, while the other came all the way here from London, leading a battle group like the Amakusa. All the important people related to The Book of the Law are gathered here, so its not weird for you to be suspected of coming here to do something... by the enemy. I see, Kamijou tilted his head. To be honest, it was hard to imagine what the normal response of the magic side would be. At this moment, Agnese grinned, However, to feel weird about this facility thats meant to maintain surveillance, it seems like youre rather sharp. What? Kamijou asked. Agnese continued, This facility is meant to maintain surveillance, in truth, its an excuse on the surface. Whats going on? The real reason is that this is a labour facility. A tinge of darkness could be seen in Agneses smile. This place is meant to gather sinners and failures like me, and have them repay the damages done to the Roman Catholics. All the people on the ship are from my company... no, theyre from my ex-company. The remaining ones are here to control us. If so, was Agnese working here as well? Looking for intruders should be part of the work as well. But no matter whether it was those people that suddenly attacked or the existences that were hidden, he did feel an uneasy atmosphere. What are you doing, basically? Kamijou asked. The basis of the work is extremely simple; the working hours are long, about 18 hours a day. For those nuns who arent used to this kind of environment, its no different from Hell. These words shocked Kamijou and Orsola. This... feels rather similar to a punishment... The currently banned form of punishment called "futility". In other words, the punishment was to torture the prisoners by forcing them to do simple and futile tasks to wear them down psychologically. The more meaningless the work, the larger the impact it was psychologically. This feeling of "working to such an extent yet completely useless" was like the pain of running a marathon and nearly making it to the finish line, only to be suddenly told that they had to re-time the run. Then, back to proper business. The price of letting you off is... Sister Lucia and Sister Angelene. Theyre my underlings, and I hope that you can save them. Lucia and Angelene. Kamijou didnt remember them at first, but thinking in retrospect, he remembered that they were the nuns he had met during the battle involving The Book of the Law and Orsola. He had been fiercely attacked by them at the Parallel Sweets Wonderland. However, whats this with saving them? About that... well, they got what they deserved. Agnese sighed impatiently, Both of them escaped from the Queens Fleet, most likely to save me and the other nuns. I can only say that Im really grateful for their kind intentions. They got outside and were preparing to save us. Hearing Agneses reply, one could feel that she was bored, the tone being rather cold. As for the method, well, seems like they could escape the spell that the Queens Fleet uses to identify enemies... never mind, anyway, they escaped, so you can believe them. What was the point of asking someone to save somebody who had escaped from a prison? Before asking this question, Kamijou thought of the answer. After they escaped, they had been caught again. So after they got caught, theyre being lectured? How can it be just a lecture? Agnese looked uninterested as she said, ...This is a prison. Including me, all the nuns here are criminals to the Roman Catholics. The most important thing is to seal the escape hole in order to prevent prisoners from escaping. But this isnt an execution ground, so they wont kill them just for the sake of sealing the exit. The most theyll do is to add extra labour, forcing those two to be unable to use those spells. What do you mean by extra work? Kamijou casually asked. Orsola frowned, and as if she was trying to confirm it, asked, Forbidding them to use magic, you mean taking away their reasoning? Destroying their brain structure? Hearing this, Kamijou sat on the icy surface, wide-eyed. Though he hadnt heard of the exact way, it sure added on to that irritating image. Agnese sighed, Theyre not corpses that are meant for an Uetara spell (some spell used to control corpses), just mindless labour alone is enough to make people sick of it. Thus, I hope that you can save them before they end up like that. She scratched her head in frustration, ...Just those two for now. The other nuns have the minimum amount of food and clothing given to them, so it looks like they dont have the strength to fight back. As for those two, if we save them before their brains get destroyed, we can get the spell to escape the prison. But wouldnt the Roman Catholics know of this escape spell? The Queens Fleet has a lot of things to do. Only the higher-ups know about the specifics. As they have already deployed people here, the Roman Catholics wont really care about one or two people escaping; theyre not stupid enough to focus on something trivial and neglect the major things. After motivating herself for a bit, Agnese said, So if we want to escape, this is our only chance. If you two are willing to help, this problem will be easier to settle. I want to create a distraction, so I have to go to the flagship of the Queens Fleet. During this time, please think of an idea. In other words, there was a way to go from this escort ship to the flagship? Since this was a magic facility, there might be some strange bridle device. ...Youre willing to help us? Not help, Im going to use you. If you dont, I wont be going to the flagship. On the contrary, Ill go and report to them. Agnese maliciously twisted her lips as she said this. Seeing her like this, Orsola just smiled and said, Alright, alright. You dont have to say such words to hide your embarrassment. You wouldnt tell us all this if you didnt want us to help you. Eh!? Wait... why are you hugging me all of a sudden!? Agnese was now being hugged by a kind Orsola, her face stuffed in Orsolas breasts. Kamijou instantly turned his head away to look away, and a cracking sound could be heard. Right now, the important thing was You just said that we have to think of a plan during this time... arent you captured as well? Then come and escape with us. Kamijou asked as he looked up from the floor and stared at Agnese. Hearing this, Agnese broke free from Orsola. I have a symbolic purpose. ...I dont really understand what you mean. Ill explain it simply. Most of the people on this fleet are members of my captured squad. The people watching them would be most worried about a rebellion among the workers. Basically, Im a psychological safety mechanism thats meant to prevent this from happening. Say... for example, like how a leader among the prisoners is meant to control all the prisoners. She smiled sarcastically, In the ex-Agneses forces, Im the one with the most influence. If I submit completely to the Queens Fleet, my squad members will think I cant do it if she cant...this is basically just a mistaken view. Agnese sighed gently. One could tell that she had the authority to do this if she was able to act on her own. It felt like Agnese was looking for Lucia and Angelene. Though Im imprisoned, I do have the freedom to walk around the fleet, and so Im excused from labour. Besides the basic meals, I have the luxury of choosing coffee or fruit juice after a meal. Not bad, huh? In order to maintain this comfortable life, I have to make everyone work. ... To me whos enjoying the treatment of being like a guest, Sister Lucia and Sister Angelene efforts should be considered a waste, theyre like fools. The other nuns are all so obedient, so if they want to defy any further, they could have just escaped on their own. Yet they came all the way to this tightly guarded room and told me, Well save all of you. It was hard to hear any sense of seriousness in Agneses voice. But these words continued to echo out from her mouth, They didnt even need to escape; I have no obligation to work. All I needed to do was to wait on the sofa, and one day, I can return back to work. Dont you find that pitiful? Hearing Agneses words, Kamijou couldnt help but feel impatient. It may be a troublesome thing to the people involved, but did she need to use that tone to say it? So, what are your intentions? Anyway, if you want to safely escape from the fleet, you still need their assistance. Though itll be troublesome, try your best. What do you mean by try your best? This is just my honest opinion. On a side note, if you can escape here safely, dont ever get involved with the Roman Catholics again. Though Kamijou didnt like the tone, Agnese was right. They couldnt keep hiding in the same place. They had to do it fast if they wanted to escape, and the means of escape was right in front of them. Kamijou sat on the floor, slumped as he sighed heavily. ...I know. But were outnumbered; theres a chance that we wont be able to save them. Is that an appropriate line for a man who challenged 250 nuns? Looked like she recognised Kamijous ability as an enemy. Agnese laughed in an ironic manner before bending down and extending her hand out to Kamijou, as if she wanted to hold Kamijous hand. Seemed like she wanted him to stand up. Oh, thanks. Kamijou immediately reached his right hand out and grabbed Agneses hand. Just as he grabbed the slender fingers, and the cloth of the nun''s habit *Rip* The stitches on Agneses habit broke apart instantly, causing her clothes to drop down. Oh my... Orsola put her hands on her face. Well, I did feel that the design was somewhat weird. So this revealing nun robe has a magical binding effect. This was now pointless. Right now, the most important thing was that in front of Kamijou, Agnese, who was still bending down, was now wearing only undergarments, cute white laced underwear. As the hole in the back was extremely big, she wasnt even wearing a bra. As she was bending down, the little chest was amiably advocating its presence. At first, Agnese revealed an unexpected look. However, once she started to look down...to confirm how she looked now... WAAA She finally started to scream. !!?? Kamijou and Orsola suppressed Agnese from behind, covering her mouth to avoid causing a commotion. Part 3 Index was standing on the dark street of Chioggia. This little waterfront street was in the midst of chaos. The historic banks and bridge had been destroyed, but the questions of what should we do? were even bigger. With the people who had seen this terrible situation raising questions, and with many different people voicing answers, more questions were created, and answers get repeated. The seawater-covered roads that were up to 100 metres away from the canal before flowing back into other parallel canals. As the ship had left, the overflowed water started to flow back into the canal, but some water had flown into houses, especially restaurants and cafes, where the buildings meant to cater to guests were lit up, and frantic sounds of people sweeping could be heard. Among them, Index stood blankly at a street, staring in the direction where the ice boat had vanished. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea... related to the history of Northeast Italy. The words she spoke had lots of knowledge behind them. Hm, it should be one of those escort ships among the Queens Fleet. Her mind was busy scanning through the knowledge of 103,000 magic books, pulling out the necessary knowledge and removing unwanted information. She started to guess whether these were correct, and continued to hypothesize them in her mind. If so, the Roman Catholics are responsible for this. But why send the Queens Fleet to attack?...Orsola Aquinas and the Amakusa. Are both of them the reason? If they want to use the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, Touma and the rest shouldnt be much of an obstacle. This time, her mind was thinking of how to counter it. If the enemy is the Queens Fleet, I alone cant handle it when I dont know how to use magic. No, its at a level when even a mage cant fight it one-on-one. But if this continues, Touma and the rest... will... Index looked up. She looked around before running off in a certain direction. Part 4 Kamijou and Orsola had been chased out of the room. Agnese had borrowed a sewing purse that Orsola had and said in a low voice, ...Anyway, Ill be exposed if my clothes arent well done. Hurry up and go. She then started to sew her specially-made habit. After mending it, she would most likely head to the flagship. There was no point in worrying about it now. Kamijou exposed only his head from a corner on the corridor, checking the situation in front of him. Moonlight was reflected wildly on this straight corridor that was made of ice that had its melting point modified, like the shine of a white light bulb. Different from a normal ship, the corridor was extremely narrow. This should be a characteristic of a warship. It felt like if people gathered, it would be so packed that nobody could move about. Like a cinema with screens on all four sides, the floor and the walls were rather obvious, but the hollow part of the aisle was rather difficult to see. Kamijou narrowed his eyes as he looked around. ...No ones here. Just like Agnese said. Just as Kamijou and Orsola said this, they walked out of the corner and moved forward. It took them quite a while just to confirm that no one was around. A lot of courage was required to take the first step. Agnese had said, The fleets control, operation and attacks all rely on magic. More than half the people on the fleet are originally from my company, and theres a danger of them revolting if the fleet relies only on them. The squad has about 250 company, and the number of ships totals about 100. After calculations, there are only a few people controlling many workers. Of course, they would have done quite a lot of work. But because of that, there are loopholes. It seemed to be that way. But if the ship is manned automatically, what are the nuns jobs? He had heard that their work was just some simple menial labour, but he hadnt asked for the specifics. He would just ask Lucia and Angelene after he saved them. Even if they had confirmed that no one was in the aisle, they couldnt get rid of the nagging insecurity that they may be ambushed. They were wary that there could be people hiding behind the straight rows of doors, or around the tight corners of the corridor. According to Agnese, Lucia and Angelene had been taken to the 3rd level. The place where they kept the useless workers should have been a cabin near the bottom of the ship, but it seemed like the psychological control centre to force people to be unable to use the escape spell was upstairs. The duo climbed up the steep cliff-like stairs. Part of the corridor on the 3rd level consisted of windows. There was an entire row of gunnery rooms below the deck. As the top of the structure didnt need a gunnery room, the walkway was positioned on the outside. Oh my. Orsola casually looked outside the window. Kamijou looked at where she was looking, and suddenly gasped, ...Its definitely not an ordinary method. Though this was the third level, it was counted from the deck. In fact, it was about 10 metres from the deck to the surface of the sea, so the view from here was about 5 levels high. It felt like looking down from the top of a lighthouse, but what was below was a huge fleet. Like this ship, a fleet full of giant ice ships, like fish covering the sea completely. Just by looking outside the window, one could see more than 50 of them, all of them giving a white light bulb-like glow, covering the dark surface of the sea with a layer of light. Hm?...Agnese has started to move as well? While mindful of his surroundings, Kamijou stared outside the window. Between the ships, arch bridges could be seen. There was a small figure moving about. After the figure moved away, the ice bridge vanished. Looked like she had started on her distraction strategy. The place which Agnese was moving to was most likely the flagship that she had talked about. In the middle of all the ships, several hundred metres in front, a larger ship was surrounded by many ships. The length and breadth was about three times as large as this escort ship. It felt like looking down at a city from the top of a castle. Kamijou looked back inside. I dont want to count how many... but the largest religion sect cant be underestimated. ...Its more like this entire fleet is as big as a city. As Kamijou proceeded on, he thought that their priority wasnt to engage in combat, but to escape. And Lucia and Angelene knew the key spell required for them to escape. eh!? Once Kamijou reached the corner, his thoughts got interrupted. He pulled Orsolas hand as he leaned his body against the wall. He timidly revealed his head out from the wall. The room that Agnese told them about was ten metres ahead. There was someone guarding the room. No, was that really human? That giant rock-like thing that was blocking the door was a 3-metre tall golem made of ice. The sculpture was giving off a light-bulb like colour, and the transparency level was rather low. The entire thing looked like it was some kind of heavy equipment. Wielding a pole...it should be some kind of rod or stick, right? But it looked more like it was wielding a rectangular steel frame that had been cut off. Kamijou retracted his face, his back leaning on the edge of this slightly shining wall. Damn it, that thing cant be taken down in a hit... itll be bad if theres help when were fighting it. The walkway was extremely narrow, there was no real way to escape. If there were ten or more people rushing in from the back, it would be hard to even graze past them. After that, the ending would be that they would lose under the condition that they were outnumbered. Damn it... Kamijou cursed. Just as he was trying to confirm how narrow the corridor was DONG!! With this sound, his vision was blocked by the light-bulb coloured ice. At first, Kamijou didnt know what the thing in front of him was. The ice statue that had been just guarding the door around the corner had passed through the corridor in an instant, turning past the corridor... it took him quite some time to realise this. The feet of the golem glided to the side. When the melting point was changed, ice wouldnt melt, so it couldnt glide. But on a closer look, the tips of the toes of the golem were touching the floor, as if it was swimming on water. But Kamijou was unable to calm down and check it. Wha...!? Kamijous eyes widened in surprise as the ice sculptures wrists moved before his eyes. It was a strike from below to above. The steel frame-like stick easily pried the thick floor, moving towards Kamijous body without a loss in momentum. The weight and speed was enough to smash this place like an empty container. Eh!YAAAAHHHH!! The wind pressure touched Kamijous cheek just as he was avoiding. While he was knocked aside, Kamijou knew that he couldnt avoid it. He swung his right hand in reflex, not caring as he slammed his palm down to take on the incoming attack. PIANG!! The sharp sound echoed throughout the ship. Irritatingly cold sweat emerged from Kamijous palm to the shoulder and elbow. ...Ugh Kamijou couldnt help but let out a groan. The huge piece of golem in front was not moving either. Pachang! The rod that the ice golem was holding onto broke in half. The shoulder holding the pole then started to break, and there was a crack down from its chest to its abdomen. Its thighs and kneecaps also started to crack, before the entire thing collapsed sideways. Crack. As the ice broke apart, the degree of refraction changed, the glow surrounding the golem disappeared. Orsola, who had been holding her breath till now, finally made a sound. Are... are you alright? Sort of. Maybe he was thinking too much, but Kamijou felt that his wrist hurt. Broken...this, is kind of like a magical robot, right? Hm...this isnt a stone golem. Instead of it, its more like a part of the ship has changed shape. In terms of a fleets attack, its more like a cannon aimed inside...or something like that. Orsola touched the ice statue that was rolling on the floor, slowly reading every single word and sentence slowly. A part of the ship...? Kamijou touched the wall nearby gently with his right hand, but the thick ice didnt break. ...This is a golem that uses magic to maintain itself, so does it have any difference as compared to the ships wall which has transformed completely? He pondered, but there was no time to verify his doubts. (Even though...) Luckily, that golem is made of magic, Kamijou thought as he felt really relieved. If it was just a head-on fight, he didnt know whether they would win even if they had a modern-era tank; Kamijou could have been beaten in an instant. Anyway, he didnt win by his ability, but by the special characteristics. Kamijou now walked around of the corner and into the empty corridor. Then, well go and save Lucia and Angelene. Though its somewhat troublesome. Regarding that, Orsola said worriedly, Is it possible that the room has only Lucia and Angelene inside? There should be some mages torturing them using magic. If we open the door like that, we might start a battle. Orsola picked up an ice block that was on the floor. It was the one the ice golem was holding, the rod that was cut in half. She looked like she was holding onto a musical instrument with both hands. This will be my weapon. She revealed a smile that definitely didnt fit the atmosphere. And, This and... that, hm, that looks strong. After saying this, she picked up the leg of the ice golem. Its attack power should be equivalent to that of a large rock thats used to crush things, right? ...Really? But it sure looks useless. Kamijou swallowed his words. The rest is up to fate. We can only pray that this kind of thing doesnt happen consecutively. Alright, Im done. Lets go. Kamijou and Orsola nodded to each other and began running down the corridor. Their pessimistic view of wanting to avoid being seen in the corridor was much stronger than their enthusiasm to fight. Both of them reached the door. While grabbing the handle of the door, Kamijou noticed that the door wasnt locked. To be honest, they were afraid, but continuing to hesitate wasnt a solution. They opened the door without hesitation. A loud sound echoed throughout. Eh!? It was a neat room, it looked like... it looked like a doctors clinic. Even so, the beds were made of ice as well. To be honest, Kamijou didnt know what it did. There were about 7 men and women inside the room. Among them, two of them were wearing habits with yellow sleeves and skirts. They were Lucia and Angelene. Both of them were wearing gold rings that were secured tightly on their cloth headpiece. The remaining five people were unhealthy men that were skinny like needles. They seemed to be researchers, and they had pitch-black habits on. On the ice table nearby, there were many metal rods that were for some unknown purpose, and these were the only things that werent made of ice. The tips of the metal rods were as sharp as a pencil. The unique shininess that was like a cinema made them even more mystifying. They couldnt see an ice golem anywhere. But in terms of numbers, 1 on 5 was still disadvantageous for Kamijou. Cheh...!! They would lose if they took them head on, Kamijou thought, we have to take them down while theyre still shocked as he took a huge step to the middle of the room. But. A person suddenly stepped in front of him. Dont move. The one saying this was Orsola Aquinas. She tossed the ice block that she was holding onto the floor. The remains of the rod landed on the floor together with a heavy sound. Instead of saying that she threw them, it was more like the ice block had slipped out of her hands. The Roman Catholic men, who heavily outnumbered them, stopped in unison. How do you think we broke this? Said Orsola confidently and reached her hand into her sleeve. Kamijou stared at his right hand, still wondering what Orsola wanted to do. The enemy didnt know anything about the Imagine Breaker. Oh my, I casually spoke some Japanese unknowingly, can you people understand? Its alright if you dont. If you dont listen to my warning, Ill use this. After saying this, Orsola reached her hand into her sleeve. Wait... One of the men spoke in Japanese. Once the other party made a response, it meant that they were starting to concede. ...What kind of spiritual tool are you hiding inside? Before Orsola could reply, the other man said, If its just ice, you could have broken some normal ice and carried it in. Oh my, then does this ship have this kind of thing? Orsola tossed another ice block. This time, it was the leg of the golem. The shape was a lot more intricate than the rod, as it was part of the kneecap that was smashed. The men backed away. In contrast, Orsola forcefully moved forward by one step. As for your problem just now, if you want to know how I did it, then itll be alright to let you see it. However, youll be turned to ash before you can see it clearly. Oh my, since you still need a bodyguard, I really wonder if you can take it? As she shook her sleeve gently, the men were terrified to death. Even Lucia and Angelene, who werent involved, were looking slightly fearful. Kamijou was marvelling at this. To use this technique of bluffing on them, one had to first accurately predict the enemys capabilities before using it. Then, please tie their hands and feet up. Orsola smiled to Kamijou as she said this. Part 5 The Roman Catholics surrendered easily. As Orsola had bluffed that she had a secret weapon, Kamijou couldnt just go near them just like that. Thus he was only in charge of tying their hands and feet. The entire ship was made of ice, there was nothing that could be used as a rope. In this hopeless situation, Kamijou could only undo the mens belts and use them. Kamijou really hoped that there wouldnt be a second time of doing such a disgusting thing as removing a mans belt. Once Kamijou confirmed that the men were tied securely, Orsola finally let out a sigh before removing her hand from her sleeve. It looked like she was even more nervous than what she let on. Orsola turned towards Lucia and Angelene and said, Were here to save you. Hearing her voice, both of them backed away. The nuns seemed to be wondering why Kamijou and Orsola were here. Kamijou thought, such a radical duo. The short one was Angelene, while the tall one was Lucia... or that should be it. Angelene was blue with shock, her teary eyes staring over, grabbing onto Lucias waist. In contrast, Lucias white face was slightly blushing due to defiance against an enemy, looking for weaknesses. She placed a hand on Angelenes shoulder, while Angelene was clinging onto her tightly. Both of them were wearing a similar type of black habit as Orsola, but with yellow sleeves and skirts attached. Was this the clothing of the workers? In contrast to the short sleeves that Lucia had, which revealed her slender white arms, Angelenes wide sleeves only revealed her fingertips. ...Here to save us? Do you think well believe that nonsense? Were here in this place because we lost to you. Lucia continued to let out a low voice full of wariness. Angelene, though, was terrified to the point of her teeth chattering, such that Kamijou was more worried about Angelenes condition than Lucias antagonistic pressure on him. We... didnt come here because we want to ride on this ship. Actually, we were being hunted by the Roman Catholics for some ridiculous reason, so our primary objective is to leave the ship. There was no point in hiding it, so Kamijou just revealed everything. According to Agnese, you know the key magic spell to get away from this place. They need your help to get away from here. So she wanted us to save you before some weird punishment. Sis...Sister Agnese said that...? Hearing the familiar name, Angelenes face became a lot more cheery, the frightful look slowly dissipated. She was probably such a lively kid. However, Lucia tidied her slightly short sleeves, pressing down on Angelenes head from above. Sister Angelene, those are the words of an infidel. Can you please consider the possibility that it may be a trap? So...sorry! But...but...those people have just seen Sister Agnese. Maybe she may have... That is why Im saying that thats only our wish! They know our relationship with Sister Agnese, so they could have lied to bait us! While Lucia continued to press down on Angelene from above, Angelenes body became smaller and smaller, and she would sometimes glance at Kamijou once or twice. (Damn it, I could have just asked Agnese to write a letter.) How are we going to explain this? Kamijou sighed. In truth, it was just as what they feared; Kamijou and Agnese didnt really have such a good relationship. There was no harder way to do this than to talk it out. At this moment, while Kamijou was still frustrated, Orsola said, Then, why do you think were here? Eh? Just as you feared, this is the base of the enemy. We came here by beating the guardians. What other benefits do you think well gain by risking our lives and coming all the way here besides coming to save you? Orsola again glanced at the men that were tied up and chucked into the corner. ...About that... Lucia looked somewhat lost before she could finally utter a word. But before she could arrange her thoughts, she stopped midway. We cant possibly be here just to be enemies with you, right? Even if we dont care about you, we cant even guarantee our own safety. In this situation, why do you think we came all the way here, and even using Agneses name to save you? I cant think of any other reason. Orsola glanced at a corner of the room. The men that Kamijou tied up were over there. Hearing Orsolas words, Lucia didnt say anything. As for the question that got no reply, it was due to an alternative of creating a scenario such that the other party was unable to reply, instead of trying to convince the other party. Deep inside, Kamijou was really amazed; this was really a powerful negotiating tool. They didnt even need to make any concessions or excuses to shut the other party up; this didnt feel like Orsolas usual method in handling this. She stealthily whispered to Kamijou, ...My job is to convince those people who do not know about God in the pagan lands. Maybe relying on this kind of language was her speciality. Lucia looked like she was searching for something, as she exchanged glances with Kamijou and Orsola. After that, she said, What you mean is that without this value of helping others, you wouldnt have bothered with us?...youre really opportunistic, huh? Sister Lucia! Angelene moved her wide sleeves as she continued to tug on Lucias waist. The taller Lucia sighed tiredly, I got it. Your words make sense. Also, Sister Angelene, didnt I tell you that its itchy if you pull the cloth near my thigh? Hearing her say this, Kamijou turned away for some reason. Maybe they were all girls, so they were not really mindful about it? Seeing Kamijou blush as he turned his head away, Lucia scowled. What are you thinking about? No...nothing! Nothing at all! Kamijou tried his best to change the topic back. No...oh ya, I do want to get away from this weird ship as soon as possible. Basically, how do we do it? The necessary tools were confiscated, right? No...no problem. If it was as easy as confiscating our tools, they wouldnt do this to their fellow Roman Catholics just to prevent this escape spell from being used... Sister Angelene, if youre really serious about this, then Ill reward you with a pat on your head. After saying this to a sullen-looking Angelene, Lucia casually said, Lets make this clear, no matter whether we swim or move on a rescue boat, we cant get away from the security of the Queens Fleet. And once were found out, well be the target of many huge cannons. ...Hold on. You two did escape from here, right? Did you fly away from here or something? Even if we do that, well be fired at by anti-air cannons...its too troublesome to explain it. Well perform it to you. Sister Angelene. Yes, Sister Lucia. Ah...that, no matter your intentions, thank...thank you very much! Almost, this spell almost got broken with our minds. Angelene wanted to say her thanks, but frantically got back to work upon being prompted by Lucia. Lucia and Angelenes palms were touching each other, but their palms werent sticking tightly. On looking closely, they seemed to have considered which fingers were to touch each other and which ones werent. Normally, the tool used to cast magic is by a special item that the caster finds suitable to use... Orsola said in a somewhat impressed tone, But they used the clothing thats used to contain them as a temporary tool. In this spell that has two peoples power in it, to cast a different magical power as the original, resulting in a completely different magical effect. For them to actually think of this in this confined situation is... This was probably like using a normal and unnoticeable item like a spoon or a shoelace and maximising its use such that the user could escape from an impenetrable prison. Just as Kamijou was thinking about this, something happened. Lucia and Angelene raised their hands that were on each other; it looked like an international dance. After that, their fingertips touched the cupboard that was made of ice that was giving off a white light bulb glow. Like a pupil in the eye expanding, a large hole 1.5 metres in radius appeared on the translucent cupboard. This is one of the spells that uses the ice ship. It can be used to open such a hole, and through this hole, the seawater can be solidified to form an underwater pathway down to the bottom of the sea, and escaping from here. W...we cut off a bit of the ice to check the composition. The Queens Fleet specialises in sea surface defense, but its hard for it to defend against whats inside the sea...IT HURTS! Once Angelene scowled, the huge hole on the cupboard closed up. The palms of both girls separated, as sweat flowed down Angelenes temples. She shook her head slightly. The...binding clothes really added on a counter-spell. It hurt, Angelene muttered as she pressed against her temple. The gold ring was tightly secured around the nuns headdress. This can be solved by destroying part of the binding function. Magic was cast on the sewing and weaving of the cloth, so by following the pattern and destroying them in order, therell be no problem. Lucia picked up an ice pen, which did not seem to function anyway, off the table. Destroy? Kamijou turned to stare at his right hand. Then...wouldnt my fist be faster!? Just as he said this, a slow impact hit him on the back of his head. Turning around, Orsola had a hand on her face and a clenched fist as she said, Alright then, you dont want those two to be completely naked, right? IT HURTS! Okay, its my fault! Im sorry! But why are you so angryIT HURTS!!!! Seeing a smiling Orsola swing a few punches, Lucia and Angelene tilted their heads in confusion. They used the ice pen to poke small holes onto the binding yellow sleeves. In this situation when only the walls and ceiling were glowing and the middle couldnt be seen clearly, this precise work seemed very tough. But Lucia and Angelene were doing it without hesitation. An underwater pathway, so is it like a slide? If its slow, wont the Queens Fleet catch up? No, ac...actually, its rather fast. The fastest...is...is about 300km per hour. The average speed is 90km per hour, because friction will slow us down. On hearing this, Kamijous face turned green. Wouldnt 300km per hour be like the Shinkansen? Would their breathing be alright? He was really mindful about how to reduce the speed. But since Lucia and Angelene were so energetic even after trying this, there shouldnt be any problem. However, he really didnt want to use this spell that used some supernatural theory. He glimpsed at his right hand for a while. It was alright as long as he didnt destroy the path... Kamijous eyes were staring at the movement of the nuns hands. Anyway, as long as we have that, we can escape from here immediately. Right? ...Actually, its a lot more complicated. Angelene replied, This underwater pathway is made by seawater, so we need to get to the bottom of the ship. Well make a hole at the bottom, and use the seawater to make a channel pathway. Once we get down, we need to seal up the entrance at the ship. By getting away from the bottom of the ship, itll be hard for the Queens Fleet to catch up with us. It seemed that they couldnt relax though. In contrast to Kamijou, who was sighing, Lucia and Angelene looked rather optimistic. Sister Lucia, we must bring Sister Agnese along with us. If possible, I hope that it wont be just her, but Sister Agnese remains our top priority. If she doesnt move, the other Sisters wont move. OI, SISTER ANGELENE, YOU CANT OPEN A HOLE THERE! Lucia frantically grabbed Angelenes hand. Maybe she was letting her guard down slowly, as her movements were somewhat rough and she was showing more emotions. Though it was a small change, one could feel the expectations hidden in her. Whe... when can we meet up with Sister Agnese? Its not so simple. She may be working secretly. At this moment, Kamijou wondered if he should say something. He remembered Agneses words. I have a symbolic purpose. She definitely wanted to go and save Lucia and Angelene herself, but those words sounded very cold, as if she was a bystander. Not bad, huh? In order to maintain this comfortable life, I have to make everyone work. Most likely, these words had been said more out of pity and compassion than care for her comrades. To Lucia and Angelene, who wanted to stand alongside her, these words would hurt them all the more. To me whos enjoying the treatment of being like a guest, Sister Lucia and Sister Angelene efforts should be considered a waste. Kamijou thought, Why has it become like this? Because Lucia and Angelene were slowly revealing a smile on their faces, this made it even more heartbreaking. Normally, smiling was a good thing. They were smiling because of the goodwill in their hearts, and not out of malice. ...Im sorry, but Agnese most likely wont be coming along. After Kamijou said this, Lucia and Angelene froze. The emotions that they had been showing up till now was dead. It was like a sprout, that had emerged from the ground with much difficulty, suddenly being trampled on. Wh...why? The first one to speak up was Angelene. But didnt you meet up with Sister Agnese? She requested you to save us, right? O...erm, where did Sister Agnese go? Though Lucia didnt say anything, she was staring at Kamijou with probing eyes as well. Agnese... Kamijou decided to get straight to the point. ...She said that to help you, she has to cause a distraction. Right now, the ones in most danger are you two. If someone is to be rescued, itll be you two. This ... Queens Fleet ... right? She went straight to the flagship. What...she went to the flagship? Unexpectedly, the one making this shocked reply was Lucia. Either out of anger or anxiety, her white face was now paler. QUIT JOKING AROUND!!! WHY DO YOU THINK WE RATHER RISK OUR LIVES AND THINK OF A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM PRISON? ITS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING! IF YOURE SAYING WHOS IN THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATION, OF COURSE ITS SISTER AGNESE!! Wait... Kamijou thought of something. He felt that there was a misunderstanding between him and the two nuns, as both of them looked a lot different from before. Again, Angelene looked like she was about to cry. Dont you know what this... this Queens Fleet is? This is...isnt it to monitor the fleets around the Adriatic Sea? But Agnese did say that this is an excuse to outsiders. Orsola frowned, and said, ...I heard that its a labour facility to imprison people who did something disadvantageous to the Roman Catholics... How is it possible? Lucia seemed to be gasping for breath as she said, ...The Queens Fleet is an escort fleet meant to protect a large scale magic and ritual centre called the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, the same name as that of the flagship. Were tasked with manual labour in order to do the preparations. If it was just for surveillance and manual labour, there wouldnt be a need for such a large facility, right? The Adriatic Sea...? Kamijou repeated this again. Indeed, when he had met up with Agnese, it seemed like she did say this. This... what the heck. Youre saying that this gigantic fleet is just the prelude to that whatever Adriatic Sea? What kind of magic is this ship going to do? We dont know...only the supervisors know the detailsthe Roman Catholic officials who were assigned to the Queens Fleet. We...we know that the large scale spell Queen of the Adriatic Sea will be activated on the flagship, and the key to activating is another spell called the Appointed Time of the Rosary. Angelene looked like her fingers were snapped as she said, A...and, the Appointed Time of the Rosary requires Sister Agnese to be used. Hearing this, Kamijou was shocked. He was wondering whether Angelene wasnt used to speaking in Japanese, and thus he had mistaken her Japanese. But, We dont know the specifics, but shes definitely required. At least her brain would definitely be damaged. In contrast to the additional work thats saddled on us, the scale and methods are of a completely different level. Sister Agnese...may end up being a body with only her heart beating. Lucias words were certainly chilling. A chill flowed up Kamijous back, straight into the middle of the brain. Having a symbolic purpose, and under good conditions with a certain level of freedom...what did Agnese mean when she said that? However, if youre the intruders, I can make use of that. Agneses words appeared in his brain. He should have noticed it earlier. He could finally understand the hidden meaning in those words that seemed like some random mumbling to herself. If its me alone, itll be hard to settle this troublesome problem, but it may be faster if Im to make use of you. The troublesome thing wasnt the alert situation. When Agnese went to look for Lucia and Angelene, if she wanted them to escape, those two definitely wouldnt agree. He should have noticed that earlier. Regarding the incident involving The Book of the Law, it was definitely hard to say that what Agnese did to Kamijou and Orsola was of goodwill. But even if it was her, she had the authority to think for others. To Lucia and Angelene, the Queens Fleet was the prelude to the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. The key to activating this large scale spell was Agnese. If she was to escape with Lucia and Angelene, the pursuers would come after them. The Queens Fleet has a lot of things to do. Indeed, Agnese did say this before. Only the higher-ups know about the specifics. If this was true, when she decided to go to the flagship, had she really intended on causing a distraction? I gave up on everything just to help her comrades. Kamijou thought, how was she feeling that time? You just said that we have to think of plan during this time... arent you captured as well? Then come and escape with us. In this critical situation, what were her feelings when she heard those words? Also, Even so, she had continued to hide her emotions. When she led Kamijou and Orsola to Lucia and Angelene, what was she feeling? Is this an appropriate line for a man who challenged 250 nuns? The feeling hidden in this casual tone. Understanding the wish that Agnese couldnt say, Kamijou was at a loss as he stood around. Beside the ear of this useless boy. Clang!! An explosive sound of ice being blasted could be heard. The ice wall seemed to have been broken from outside. The wall that was far away from Kamijou and company dropped like a raindrop. Like broken glass and wreckage, the remains of the ice wall flew away at a terrifying speed above Kamijou and the rest, who were lying down on the floor. ...It hurts!? The reason why Kamijou would say this wasnt because he fell down, but because a sharp pain could be felt in his ears. What going on now...!! The sound seemed like it came from afar, as if he was wearing earmuffs while listening to others. An...attack!? From where...!? Angelene said in a trembling voice. She was under the protection of Lucia, who had leaped over to save her. Lucia gave a suspicious look as well, and this wasnt without reason, as this ship was surrounded by the same ships. Was it even possible for an attack to come from outside? Orsola, who was lying on the floor as well, lifted her head up in realisation. Dont tell me... She was looking at the other side of the broken wallthe night scene 5 stories tall. ...This is friendly fire from the other ships!! NO WAY!? Kamijou wanted to shout. But this is their ship, right? No. Lucia seemed to be in pain as she said, The material of the fleet is seawater. As long as the Adriatic Sea doesnt dry, no matter how dry it is, they''ll have no problem in repairing and building this ship!! On the other side of the destroyed wall, a flash could be seen. It was the flash of a large number of cannons being fired at them. It was different from an ordinary cannon shot. The cannon shots flew over like small waves. !? The sonic boom reached instantly, as if it was thunder. Kamijou couldn''t take action, the numerous cannon shots not only destroyed the room, they destroyed the entire ship. The dim glow of the cracked wall vanished, and the tied men near the wall dropped down. Just as Kamijou wanted to extend his hand out to save them, the ice shrapnel that was created by the destruction of the cannons hit him in his temple. With this hit, the strength in his limbs was lost. As this was a firing within the fleet, the ships around Kamijou and company were firing cannons at them without hesitation. The mast was destroyed, the cabins were destroyed, but on the outside of the destroyed wall, one could see that the other ships were freezing the seawater to repair the ship. Except this one. The auto-regeneration function seemed to have ceased, as the ship tilted heavily. Grabbing the ice floor with all her might, Orsola said, It hurts...the cannons structure seem to be based on the legend of St. Barbara... Eh!! That means its magic. Then I can use my right hand!! You cant possibly block all the cannon shots that are aimed at this ship!! A larger sound from an explosion could be heard, as if it was trying to block off all the other sounds. The sound of the colliding cannon shots struck like rumbling thunder. Though Kamijou was on the floor, the shockwave from below caused him to float him up. The entire ship was tilted sideways because of the continuous cannon fire. The pillar supporting the entire room seemed to have shattered. As the vision was tilting together with the walls and floor, SWOOSH!! The sound of gravel colliding could be heard. It was the sound of things being dropped into the water. They were sinking. As Kamijou sensed this, the ice ship was blasted into smithereens like a small model being smashed by a hammer. Between the lines 3 Both of her parents had been killed. This was the reason Agnese Sanctis started to live a vagrant life, and after that, she had been through many setbacks. For food, if she didnt care about the texture, it wasnt hard to get. However, it was harder to identify what could be eaten from the trash cans in the alleys behind restaurants. What was even worse was the harsh winter. Once the winter that covered the entirety of Europe struck, the cold air could become a killer weapon. When she had been young, she stayed in Milano, a commercial city. On the overly clean streets, it was impossible to find anything that could resist the cold. In the morning, nothing was left on the several-hundred-years-old stone buildings and asphalt roads. The entire world was like a sharp and hard freezer. If she fell asleep accidentally, her fingers and ears would drop off by morning. Even if she searched through the garbage, the food would be hard enough to hammer nails. In this situation, the ones who had taken in Agnese were the Roman Catholics. Besides Agnese, they took in adults, children, men, women and all other kinds of people. Though the reasons were different, they didnt seem to have fallen into some huge situation like Agnese and have lived the vagrant life. It felt like a lot of them lived normal lives, and like they were very honoured to be chosen. At that point, Agnese didnt know that the Roman Catholic Church was a large religious sect made of 2 billion believers. Instead of grooming ordinary people, they chose people with talents, which was much more direct. Even if there was only 1 person that had talent out of 100,000, they could have at least 200 of them. This was the advantage of having more people. There were several conditions to be selected, but she was not sure what the conditions were. Wh... what will happen to us in the future? The one who said this was a nun called Angelene. It was said that she was from France, and was abandoned by her parents in Milano after they moved over. If she wanted to, she could have gone back, but she just bitterly laughed and noted that she didnt know how to go back. In comparison to Agnese, she was a lot luckier. But she was considered one of those more serious cases. Theres no need to have any doubts. If God says that this is necessary, the believers have the duty to respond. The one saying these serious words was a girl called Lucia. She was a lot bigger than Agnese and Angelene, and seemed to notice that she was chosen by the Roman Catholics. Besides Agnese, she knew of two other girls called Agatha and Cathleen. Is that so? Agnese said. She believed in the existence of God, but God wasnt someone who would appear on call. Her parents, who were clergymen, died as they were praying. Before Agnese could ask the murderers name, her parents had been killed. If God was with her, this wouldnt have happened. More importantly, Im concerned with whats for dinner. Because Agneses way of learning Japanese was rather unique, her Japanese was somewhat crude, but her Italian was rather polite. Hearing this, Lucia said, What do you mean by more importantly? Theres nothing more important in this world than God Well, Im rather mindful about it as well. We got olives to flavour our food for three days, and Im sick of it. That Or...Or...that novice Sister called Or-whatsoever must have forgotten to use her speciality. And the bath pool, I feel that its very hot. What about you, Lucia? THERES NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE SEASONING, RIGHT!? AND I FEEL THAT THE BATH POOL IS TOO HOT!! Is...is that so? Now that you mention it, the adults dont seem to mind it... then... this means that your age... those older looking Sisters, Agatha and Cathleen said that its hot as well. Are... are... you older than them... Lucia glared in the direction that Angelene was pointing at. Slightly far away, the two girls frantically turned away. Hearing the commotion, Agnese narrowed her eyes. She didnt believe that God was with her. She also didnt believe that He was a convenient tool that would save her when He heard the call. But. Lucia, Angelene, Agatha, Cathleento be with these people, it was all thanks to the Roman Catholics. Agnese thanked God with all her heart. With this thanksgiving, she decided to follow the teachings of Christianity. Also, If being with these people was a blessing, she wanted to protect this blessing with her own hands. No matter what happened. She wanted to use this chance that God had given her to prove her faith. What now? Why so serious? Lu...Lucia. Agneses saying that the water in the bathroom is too scalding. Ill go along with you to negotiate! Look, Agatha and Cathleen are standing up as well!! That was right, Agnese nodded proudly at the wrong speculation that Angelene made. From that day onwards, this would be where she stayed. First, she should turn this place into a comfortable place. References 1. Size of a company Volume 11, 4: Fireboats and a Battle of Gunfire. Lotte_di_Liberazione. Volume 11, Chapter 4: Fireboats and a Battle of Gunfire. Lotte_di_Liberazione. Part 1 Agnese was inside a room of the flagship of the Queens Fleet, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. This ship was a whole lot different from the other escort ships, and the room was a lot more amazing. It was a square room. The length was about 20 metres, and it looked like a perfect square. However, on closer look, the four walls were tilted inwards. This room wasnt a cube, but a square-base pyramid. Looking up at the walls that gave off a white light bulb-like glow, one could see the peak that was so high above. But there was something weird with this peak. On first glance, it looked like it was 100 metres high. Of course, this ship wasnt that tall. This may have been a result of magic being used to keep the space that the ship was unable to retain. Either that, or it was a form of trickart. This wasnt the only strange thing. This square-base pyramid was covered with equilateral triangular tiles. Basically, equilateral triangles couldnt possibly form a square base, so there should be some other tiles to fill it up. But no matter how one looked, there didnt seem to be such a thing. This as basically trying to force the introduction of a graphical theory that couldnt possibly exist. These unique characteristics were indicating a Holy space that was unexplainable through the laws of physics. There were no decorations inside the room. The completely flat surface of the floor, which was caused by the reflection of white light on the ice, seemed to be showing its rejection to other people. There didnt seem to be any space for negotiations, as an invisible pressure forced in from outside. Agnese stared at the middle of the room. There was an iceball-like object, 7 metres in diameter, in the middle of the room, and it was unknown how it stuck onto the floor. This inexplicable object similar to a soap bubble was the cage that Agnese should be staying in. The low rumbling reached Agneses ears. She frowned. Divine Cannon of St Barbara...? What on earth is it firing at? The sound echoed throughout the four corners. After a while, Dont you understand? Sister Agnese. In this dim room, the person leaning on the ice object said. It was the figure of a male. He was wearing a heavy sacred robe, and the 4 necklaces on his neck looked like annual rings of a tree trunk. There were several Crosses hung on them. Agnese thought, thats the Menorah (The Menorah is a symbol of Judaism, and also the emblem of the coat of arms of Israel. The reason why 7 is used is because 7 represents the number of days that God created the world, 6 days of creation + 1 day of rest, and the Menorah is shaped like a tree to symbolise the Tree of Life). This was another representation of the Sephirot (they are the 10 attributes/emanations in the Kabbalah) and the four worlds through the 7 candles. Bishop Biagio. Suddenly, a voice that didnt belong to the duo could be heard. The voice came from the Cross on his body. Ship 37 was sunk. Can we stop our firing...the mainland would likely interfere if we continue. Just deploying the fleet alone is enough to cause Veneto Leave the dealings with others to my subordinates. Thats not under my jurisdiction. After saying that, the man named Biagio stroked the Cross on his neck with his fingers. That should be the switch for the communication thing, as the voice of the follower was cut off. He looked at Agneses face, and smiled, Ive been to many departments, but its really hard to find any competent followers. If theyre incompetent followers, it should be the officers role to develop them. Thats just idealistic thinking. And, thats why you fail in life, Sister Agnese. Youre here because you didnt choose your followers wisely. Maybe. Agnese casually replied. Biagio twisted his lips viciously, ...I said before not to let the 37th ship near the main fleet before the intruders are found. In the end, even the bridge got linked. What would happen if the intruders got onto the other ships? If something happened to you, we couldnt even restore anything. Hearing his words, Agnese hugged her own body with her two hands. Even so, it should be impossible to hide the fact that her nun''s habits functions were destroyed. Her habit was specially made. On the design of revealing skin, there was a spell of Christian punishment on it. It was an exposed punishmentthe mark of shame, meant to use shame to punish the person. No matter whether it was suicide or homicide, the counterspell would prevent the person from dying. This wasnt because someone cared and wanted the person to live; it was to add on to the misery and pain. As it would cause an extremely huge burden, it couldnt be used for a long time. However, its really ironic. Dont say that, Sister Agnese. Biagio laughed, Its really unexpected, that of all people, only a heretic like you is compatible with the large scale spell of the Roman Catholics that protects the Adriatic Sea. The crux of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea was the Appointed Time of the Rosary. Agnese didnt know the details of the structure and effects, but it was said that it was only effective when Agneses mind was crushed. Humans use their minds to create magical energy inside their bodies. But if the Appointed Time of the Rosary uses magical energy created by an ordinary person, it cant be fully utilised. So, Sister Agnese, its time for you to take the stage. Please fulfil your purpose to the fullest. These words may seem exaggerated, but the main gist was to create an abnormal magical energy, so they had to turn a human into one with an abnormal mindwhich was to turn the person into a handicapthat was all that it was. Agnese was supposedly suited for this because the way her brain would be destroyed was suited for the Appointed Time of the Rosary. Though despicable, nothing could be changed even if Agnese grumbled. She knew all about this the moment she stepped in. More importantly, I heard that number 37 was sunk. Whats going on? Are you implying that you want to know whats going on? ...That management committee, which are your subordinates, they should be down there. I supposed their methods should be decided by me, no? Agnese remained silent. She thought that before the ship was sunk, the boy and the rest should have already escaped that ship. If they only relied on their escape spell, its a bit too optimistic. ...What do you mean? It may be faster for you once you see their corpses, but its too troublesome to pick up the bits and pieces that are scattered on the Adriatic Sea. In that case, itll be rather hard to determine who they are. What now? Agnese silently gnashed her teeth. Hearing the soft sound of Agnese gnashing her teeth, Biagio smirked. At this moment, Bishop Biagio, we have an emergency!! An urgent voice came from one of the numerous Crosses. Biagio frowned. What? Theres a giant construct underneath where number 37 was sunk. It seemed to be salvaging the remains... Biagio carelessly twisted his lips. An underwater spell...like what Sister Lucia did just now, is that underwater again? We may have to reorganise the Queens Fleet capability in order to control the waters. You said that its a huge construct? If so, its impossible for one person to create this kind of thing alone...as expected, theres an organisation in Chioggia. Thats why I said to crush them. Ive already given this order, and again, my subordinates have failed me. Really, not only did they not crush the organisation successfully, they even let the intruders on the ship escape... Biagio stared at Agneses face. This time, there was no smile on his face, as his eyes betrayed his anxiety. ...Really, those guys are so useless. Part 2 The taste of seawater, which had flowed into Kamijous throat, awakened his blurry consciousness. He was in the water. He could see his limbs drifting slightly in the water. It was unknown how deep the water was. The night sea seemed to be covered by the darkness, as even if he looked up, he could only see the dark surface of the water. The ice fleet should be nearby, but he seemed to be covered by some thick membrane, as he couldnt see the light. White bubbles emerged from his mouth as the fragments of air continued to rise. (Or...Orsola...where are they...?) A certain persons name appeared in his mind. The remains of the ice ship were gone, so the ice with the modified melting point likely melted back into water. Maybe they were already starting to create another ship somewhere else. (Lu...cia, and An...gelene, they...) He knew that he had to head to the surface, but his thoughts didnt follow his actions. He couldnt link his motive, actions and results in his mind, as if he was really about to succumb to the sleep devil. Glup. The air bubbles escaped from his mouth, moving upwards. (Damn...damn it...I will...really...die...) He was not far from the surface of the sea. It was like an illusion of looking up a cliff to see an exit there. (...Thats?) The black sea in Kamijous vision was suddenly destroyed. He thought that maybe there was a killer whale or a shark nearby, only to realise that he mistook the dimensions. The thing that was slowly approaching from afar was about 30 metres long. (Is that) Before Kamijou could consider anything. Crack. The front tip of the long and narrow construct opened up in fours like a flower blooming. As if it was about to swallow the boy. Part 3 Completely wet, Kamijou was lying on a wooden floor. The one looking down on him was Index, the rectangular suitcase and Kamijous luggage bag were placed on each side. It was a long dim space. The height was about 8 metres and the length was 30 metres. The walls and ceiling werent rectangular, but arched like a tunnel. It was made of old black wood, and seemed to be intricately made as if it was a wooden roller coaster. Dont look so worried, hell wake up soon. A mans voice could be heard. I was shocked when the entire ship got bombed without mercy. Alright, in terms of results, this is truly a miracle. Thats not the problem, right? Index thought. The owner of the voice should also know this, that was why he said that on purpose. You see, hes awake. Index quickly turned her head and stared at Kamijou, who was on the floor. His wet eyelids opened slightly. Index... Kamijou called her name as he slowly got up from the floor. Touma, Are you alright? The one saying this was the silver-haired green-eyed girl. After seeing Kamijous face, she seemed rather relieved, though she quickly reverted back to her sulking expression. The one standing beside her was Ta...Tatemiya...Saiji? Yo, long time no see. Im the substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa Christian Catholics, and were now affiliated with the English Anglicans. His black hair was now even darker, and his fizzy afro was shining like a beetle. He was wearing a loose shirt and jeans, and was extremely tall, but his body size didnt match his clothes size, making him look extremely skinny. There were four mini-electric fans attached together by a rope, which was hung on his neck. For some reason, his shoelaces were more than 1 metre long. Kamijou couldnt help but sigh. Like Agnese and Orsola, he had met this guy during The Book of the Law incident. This means...its the Amakusa? They did come to Chioggia to help Orsola move house. After Index had gotten separated from Kamijou, she ran around looking for Amakusa members. Kamijou wanted to wipe away the sweat on his forehead, but his limbs and even his pockets were drenched by seawater. Just as he was wondering what to do, someone popped up beside him to give him a white wet handkerchief. Looking closely, the double-eyelid girl was beside him. Please use it. Ah, thanks. After Kamijou received it, the girl replied no problem before running off. Why are...you guys here...? And, where is this place...? Looking around, in the midst of the dark space, he could see and sense the presence of numerous people. Seemed like the entire Amakusa group was gathered within this wooden tunnel. They were gossiping about, How was it, Itsuwa? You should have stayed beside him a bit longer. What was going on? Oh ya...eh? Wheres Orsola and the others!? Anyway, we got everyone. The known identities are Orsola, Lucia and Angelene. There are also the tied-up men and some Roman Catholic nuns, and were currently interrogating them. Though he didnt know how many people there were on the ship, Kamijou finally relaxed on hearing Tatemiyas words. He looked around, and said, Is this the secret base of the Amakusa? In that situation, how did you save us when we dropped into the sea? Tatemiya laughed, It is really hard to imagine this. Let me tell you, this isnt a construct, its a vehicle. What? Before Kamijou could let out this voice, he habitually jolted, and his body swayed backwards. It was as if the facilities in the tunnel were moving. Being shocked, Kamijou froze. Is...is this!? I wanted to say submarine, but this isnt so high-tech. At most, its just a wooden ship that has submarine capabilities. In other words... Tatemiya lowered his voice as he said, Its a ship that can float and sink. POW!! The sound of the water surface breaking could be heard from outside the tunnel. Kamijous vision was tilted according to the jerks. While he still couldnt believe it, the tunnel shaped roof broke open from the middle. With the sound of wood clattering, it was like a set of double doors being opened. One could see the moon that was glowing like a light bulb in the night sky. The smell of the sea whiffed into his nose. The footing was a bit unstable as if he was on a boat. It may be a bit hard to understand. I suppose you can believe it now? Tatemiya rubbed against the wooden wall that didnt have any weird shapes on it. With a creaking sound, the floor that was about 30 metres long suddenly rose. The sound of gears rubbing against each other could be heard, and 40 seconds later, they were already at the ceiling. It was like a blueprint when one can see the layout from the top. What was in front of him was the night sea. The place which Kamijou was standing on was 30 metres long and 8 metres wide, and it looked something like a rugby ball. The opened ceiling extended to the left and right like wings, and on the sea, there were many artificial islands made of a large amount of wood. Are you kidding me... Kamijou couldnt help but mutter. This definitely looked like a ship, but there was no control room, cabins or communication rooms. It was just the middle of the tunnel that was called a ship. Just this being made of wood didnt make any common sense. It was like a cardboard prop springing to life. ...You guys actually brought these things for moving houses? What? Were basically hidden Christians in the first place. Its expected that well hide weapons. Also, we specialise in island combat. Tatemiya smirked, and said, Paper is made from wood, and then, ships are made from wood. By using this little relationship, we can make them this small. Tatemiya said as he pulled out something like paper notes from his pockets. They were tied up with rubber bands. Are they all ships? Kamijou thought that there was some incantation written on it, but it was just plain white paper. (Magic...its really exaggerating.) Kamijou shook his head as he exhaled, turning to look at the surroundings below him. He could barely see the land near the surface of the water. The streets of Chioggia...or maybe not. There seemed to be many more lights. On the other hand, one could see a white light bulb-like glow on the dark sea on the other side. If one was not careful, it may be brighter than the streets of Chioggia...it should be the Queens Fleet. From far away, the difference in scale was even more obvious. To Kamijou, who was unfamiliar with the magic world and marine warfare basics, he was unable to tell whether this place was safe. Up till now, though he had stepped into the enemys territory numerous times, no matter the place, facility or building, it was basically a piece of land. However, this time was different. There were about a hundred of these places to fight on. (...Agnese.) Thinking about the face of the girl that said that she wanted to stay behind, Kamijou couldnt help but frown. Seeing his expression like this, Index said, No matter what we do next, we have to confirm whats going on. I want to know how far away we are from the safety zone, how far we should retreat...more importantly, Touma looks like he has something to say. Nothing... Kamijou seemed to be a bit short of words, Actually, Im not so sure about that destroyed ship. Guess maybe Lucia and Angelene are more suited to explain it. ... Wha...what now? Nothing. Im just thinking that even when were in the enemys territory, Toumas still Touma. WHATS WITH THAT? Kamijou shouted again, but the response he got was an unhappy look on her face. As Kamijou wanted to continue talking about this topic, he started to look around. By the way, where were the two people he mentioned? At this moment, the human wall formed by the Amakusa teenagers split apart. Lucia and Angelene walked out from behind the human wall. However, both of them looked like they wanted to run away. Orsola continued to smile as she pushed the girls backs from behind. Oh, so youre alright...seems like it. In other words, were all alive. Though the cannons didnt hit us, we did fall from a five to seven storey height. Kamijou casually converses with them, but Lucia and Angelene were both blushing as they silently turned their heads aside. Eh? Kamijou couldnt help but make a stiff face when he didnt get a reply. Orsola smiled as she said to the Roman Catholic nuns, Really, theres no need to be shy about it. No...we mustnt say these kind of words so easily!! Gritting her teeth as she said this, Angelene swung her large sleeves as she looked like she was about to cry. Lucia didnt shout or cry, but she was closing her eyes, muttering as she drew a Cross. Maybe it was to help her stabilise her emotions. ?????? Unable to understand what was going on, Kamijou frowned. Hahaha. Seeing this, Tatemiya laughed. About this...because it was dark, Im not so sure what happened over there. ...These words arent exactly making me comfortable, you know. Its that. Lucia and Angelenes nun robes are different from Orsola. You see, their sleeves and skirts are yellow. Thats a restraining device that the Roman Catholics prepared. With that, they have a similar effect of being unable to escape a certain distance from a certain point. What does that mean? In, other, words, youre a slow guy. If you dont destroy it, those two will collapse due to the restraining effects. That would be troublesome. Thus...I dont know how to say this, but you seemed to have accidentally used your right hand when you were unconscious. WHAT? Kamijou widened his eyes. In simpler terms, those nun robes Tatemiya twisted his lips and gave a smirk, and then pointed at Lucias face. To the tall nun who revealed a surprised look, the substitute Supreme Pontiff said sternly, Dropped off cleanly. With those short-sleeved arms of hers, Lucia blushed as she hugged Angelene, and looked away. She was like a mother protecting her child, using her body as a shield. Looking closely, their nun''s robes were like Indexs; there were safety pins all over the place. The gold rings on their heads were also gone. Thinking about what might have happened, Kamijou suddenly revealed a surprised look. WAIT... WHEN I WAS UNCONSCIOUS, SOMETHING WONDERFUL... NO, SOMETHING RIDICULOUS HAPPENED!? BESIDES, HOW DO I DEAL WITH THIS INDEX WHOS ANGRY UPON THINKING ABOUT THAT? I DIDNT SEE ANYTHING AND THIS WAS ALL CAUSED BY YOU!! ITS UNREASONABLE TO BE ANGRY OVER THIS! Though Kamijou was refuting this, he was in a begging position. Regarding Kamijou, who was shouting about, Index didnt say anything, but her slightly trembling lips revealed white teeth, making it look even scarier. Killing intent enveloped her heart, and even the battle-experienced Amakusa members were frantically yelling and escaping. The entire ship was in a mess. On the other hand, Angelene, who got away from Lucias chest, suddenly remembered something. Oh...oh yes. Nows not the time to say this... Sister Agneses still...! Erm...everyone, thank you for saving us, please let us explain the situation...! But with that whispering voice of hers, she was completely unable to reach out to Kamijou, who was busy trying to explain himself, and the people surrounding them. Toumas like this all the time! Arent you like that as well, Index? Anyone would get angry and start lecturing, but whats with that bite that can bite through cuttlefish floss? That, about that... Seeing the crowd that continued to ignore her, a panicking Angelene frantically waved her hands. The entire scene was like an out-of-control class. Erm...about that, we still have something to do. If possible, I want to talk about Sister Agneses situation...wa THAT IS WEIRD! IF YOU HAVE SUCH A POWERFUL BITE ATTACK, CANT YOU USE THAT TO DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST OTHER MAGICIANS!? 103,000 MAGICAL BOOKS? THIS IS EASIER TO POSE A THREAT! Touma, Touma. Do you think that you can win by trying to open my eyes? In a rare moment, Kamijou turned around, trying to avoid Index, who leaped over. The white nun leaped onto his back, and both of them rolled on the floor. WAAAAAAHHHH!! The double-eyelid girl got caught in it, and fell onto the deck. The wet white handkerchiefs that she was holding onto scattered all over the place, and the surrounding Amakusa members were all shouting, ITSUWA, NOWS THE CHANCE! GO! USE THIS CHANCE TO KISS HIM ON THE EARLOBE! AT LEAST GET ONTO HIS CHEST! SO NOISY, AT LEAST YOU SHOULD GET RID OF YOUR STRONGEST RIVAL INDEX FIRST! ITSUWA, IF YOURE A WOMAN, FLING HER AWAY!!! Seeing this scene, Tatemiya laughed while Orsola placed a hand on her face and said Okay, okay. Lucia, however, couldnt stand this as she sighed. In other words, nobody was listening to Angelene. Thats, that is...!! Angelene was getting even more panicky. Just as her franticness was at her limit, her eyes suddenly widened. Deciding on this, Angelene grabbed onto Lucias skirt with both hands Look...look here! Everyone, notice this!! Whop, Lucias nun''s skirt was pulled up. At this moment, All the conversations ceased. At first, Lucia was shocked by this sudden silence that would have killed the ears and frowns of all the people staring at her. The emotion was high, as if the Pope was waving his hand from outside the palace. Just as she was incredulous about this silence, she felt a chill around her legs. Just as she looked down in surprise !? 2 seconds later, she blushed as if she had just exploded, and quickly used her hands to slap down her skirt that was in the air. Lucia silently turned towards the petite nun beside her. ...Sis...Sister Angelene? No, its not that! Our group often gave the same feeling! So, that...I carelessly did it on habit!! Most likely, Angelene was trying to explain her actions. Tatemiya and Lucia, together with the Amakusa teenagers, started to blush and look away. As for Kamijou, who was frozen at the spot, he was bitten on the back of the head by Index. Part 4 The Amakusa werent so stupid as to let the huge ship land near the shore. After they got near land, Tatemiya pulled out a paper bundle from his pocket and tossed it into the sea. The bundle changed into 20 mini-boats. After Kamijou and the rest got onto the boats, Tatemiya turned the ship back into paper. He didnt keep the paper, but let it dissolve in the sea. The rowing boat headed towards a lighted area. Are we heading towards an island? Kamijou thought. Looking through the darkness, it did seem to be land that appeared to point out towards the sea. Were back at Chioggia. However, its far away from the town central where Orsola lives, its a place near the coast. It was said that this place was called Sottomarina. After reaching the shore, the Amakusa members turned the rowing boats back into paper, and then tossed the paper bundles to form wooden tables and chairs. From the utensils that they prepared, it seemed like they wanted to discuss this while they have dinner. The tall and elegant Lucia looked around uneasily. We really want to spend some time with you, but we need to get back to Sister Agnese now. Its useless even if you go now. Tatemiya bluntly replied, Weve just gone through that situation. Now, those guys are most likely still on their guard. Lets wait for a while for the situation to clear. Just like that, with the dark seaside as the background, a group of people started to prepare for this late dinner. The ingredients couldnt possibly be from just tossing paper. The Amakusa teenagers pulled out metal camping utensils and started to prepare their dinner quickly. Looking at their actions, Kamijou felt that there were a lot of excessive movements. Maybe they were according to the Amakusa rituals? Angelene, who was looking at them preparing the meal, also said, Compared to coffee or red tea, I prefer hot butter cocoa chocolate. What is that? Kamijou stared at Angelene. Ah, you dont know? Its a hot chocolate drink with fresh cream on it. Normally, they use thick coffee, but I prefer chocolate, you know? Angelene started to talk about her favourite super sweet drink in delight, and Lucia, who was beside her, pressed down on her head. Sister Angelene...you sure have let down your guard. Theyre only assisting us temporarily. I should have reminded you several times not to be so obsessed with sweet food. Seeing Lucia being so angry, Kamijou was somewhat troubled. You dont have to say that, right? Nuns shouldnt be like that. On what basis are you saying that? Dont sum-up all Christians to be like Sister Angelene, whos in training. Lucia shouted in an incredulous manner. Regarding this reaction, Index looked away in embarrassment. On a side note, Orsola was eating raw ham off the chopping board, even saying, My, it sure is good....it sure felt that way. Just like that, the meal was done. On Tatemiyas call, Kamijou and company came over. A white, wet handkerchief suddenly appeared in front of him. Looking closely, the double-eyelid girl was standing there. A hand was on her blushed cheek and her eyes started to swim about. Ah, thanks. Without thinking further, Kamijou received it. The Amakusa girl said, No, its my pleasure. After that, she ran away. The wet handkerchief tactic again, Itsuwa? Onto the next step! You must at least have the chance to hold that guys hand! This is really too slow! No, no, to be unable to gain any progress is Itsuwas charm. Soon, itll be a battle against the female Supreme Pontiff. At that time, well definitely cheer for Itsuwa!! Hearing these words, she continued to shrink. This had been the case all this time, just what was going on? Even Kamijou was a bit mindful about being given a handkerchief. Of course, the Amakusa members couldnt all gather at the same table. They were sitting at the other tables while facing here. Just like that, the information processing and tactical meeting got underway. First, well start from the ship that Agneses imprisoned on. The first one to start speaking was Index. That should be the Queens Fleet thats protecting the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. Straight to the point. Lucia and Angelene stared at Index in surprise. To a certain extent, Kamijou was used to it. Seeing this scene made him remember Indexs importance. Protecting...? That...what on earth? That large fleet is just an accessory? Instead of saying that Tatemiya was in shock, its more like he cant stand it. His expression was like seeing an upstart with too much decoration. Kamijou thought that this wasnt without reason, as with that amount of firepower, it was already a huge threat. Ye...yes. Basically, we dont know what this Queen of the Adriatic Sea is...Im guessing its some incredible facility that even we dont know of. After we lost to you guys in The Book of the Law incident, we got reprimanded and removed from the frontlines. As we had lost our reputation, once we got back to the Roman Catholics, we were forced to work on the Queens Fleet. Even so, we only got a little bit of the orders; we dont know what contributions we were making. Lucia continued on. She filled Angelenes plate with only vegetables before handing it over to her. Though Angelene looked like she was about to cry, Lucia didnt waver in the least. Being forced to work... What kind of work were you two forced to do? After Kamijou tilted his head and asked, Lucia and Angelene stared at each other before saying, We...we were assigned to draw wind from the sea. What? Did you say wind?? Ah, its...not really that...even though its wind, its wind in the magic sense. A magic kind of wind? Kamijou widened his eyes; he didnt understand the difference. Thus, just as he was about to ask, Hm, the wind here should refer to the one used in alchemy in the beginning. Even though its work, its more of a mental thing. In this scenario, its one of the four elements. To remove this is... Maybe theyre trying to create an unstable situation. The members started to give opinions on this magic, and the surrounding Amakusa members nodded their heads in agreement. In the end, Kamijou missed out on the opportunity to ask the question. The knowledge of the air of activity is all wind passed through his head, but Kamijou was rather depressed that only this thought came to mind. The bodies of the ships in the escort fleet use normal seawater. I guess besides that, they used some other spells as well. If...if thats the case, we can only think of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. As for Kamijou, who was left out of the conversation, he decided to get back into the topic. But... that thing is called the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, right? I remember I heard of this name outside of the Roman Catholics, right? Kamijou tilted his head as he dumped the salad with lots of octopus legs in it onto his plate. Index said to Kamijou, The Queen of the Adriatic Sea is another given name of Venezia. Eh, if thats so, its a spell that involves Venezia, right? For example, a marine spell that the Roman Catholics in Venezia use? That is the case... Orsola wanted to put some raw ham on Angelenes plate, but Lucia politely refused, saying that they shouldnt spoil her. ...Though Venezia and Rome are on the Italian peninsula, they were enemies in the past. What? Kamijou frowned. Orsola continued, Venezia originally hated being under the dominion of other people, so after escaping into the Adriatic Sea, they built a city there. After that, they continued to maintain this strong sense of independence, even ignoring the requests of the Roman Catholics and the Byzantine Empire to come under them. Index chomped on a butter-fried clam, and said, In history, AD 829, some businessmen brought the remains of St. Mark, one of the Twelve Apostles (Teh_ping: For your information, he wasnt. He was one of the Seventy, not Twelve), into Venezia, displaying the attitude of wanting to protect the sleep of an Apostle. This may be in response to the Roman Catholics doing the same with St. Peter. Hearing Indexs words, Lucia nodded, Because of salt and trade Venezia had a lot of wealth, she managed to hold off against the Frankish Empire and Genoa, and suppress neighbouring powers such as Padova and Chioggia... After that, it became a powerful marine country near the Roman Senate; but not controlled by it Angelene, who was beside Lucia, placed a sliced black sea bream onto her plate, and said, Seeing the arrogant ways of Venezia, the Pope of that time had ordered them out of the religion numerous times. Normally speaking, this is the equivalent of a death sentence. But Venezia didnt care, and continued to prosper...because this city-state might have bared her fangs at anytime, the Roman Catholics couldnt have possibly gave them such a large fleet spell. On the contrary Was that a special large fleet meant to deal with Venezia? Kamijou quietly said while he stopped moving his hand holding the fork. Mn. Index replied. At that time, the Roman Catholics felt endangered, and the thing they prepared that could bury Venezia was the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. As it was a spell designated for attacking cities, it cant defend against incoming fleets. Thus, the defense net used to deal with the Venezian Navy was the Queens Fleet. It was a large-scale spell that could destroy a country. Hearing this fact, compared to Kamijou and Tatemiyas response, Lucia and Angelene were even more shocked. This was because they had confirmed what they were doing. ...They pulled out such an old thing. What do those guys intend to do by taking this out? Tatemiya shook his head, looking at the light bulb-like glow on the sea far away. Index revealed a serious expression and said, The large scale spell Queen of the Adriatic Sea could only be fired at Venezia. The reason was simple: the Roman Catholics feared that if the weapon was stolen by the enemy, the cannons could be turned on them... Then...then, they really intend to destroy Venezia? Angelene turned blue with fear. This time, Orsola frowned, But the bad relations between the Roman Catholics and Venezia should have been several centuries ago, right? Right now, Venezia is a world-renowned tourist attraction, and the Roman Catholics should gain quite a few benefits from it. I really cant think of a reason why they would destroy it. ...Maybe theres something very significant, such that its beneficial to destroy Venezia. After Index said this, silence filled the entire place. Kamijou swallowed his saliva, and said, This spell, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is a several hundred-years-old thing... Its not just Orsola, Im wondering why would they choose this time to use it. Hm...normally speaking, the significance of showing power to the outside is extremely big. But arent the Roman Catholics the largest power? They didnt have to specially do this did something happen to them recently Saying this, Kamijou became silent. After that, he said, ...Is it because of the Apostles Cross? Lucia and Angelene were shocked by these unexpected words. Index, who knew about this, showed the same expression as Kamijou and Orsola. Only Tatemiya didnt know anything. Thats the highest level spiritual tool that the Roman Catholics are proud of. They used it during Daihaseisai with the intent of taking down Academy City, but didnt reach their goal in the end. Its not unexpected for the Roman Catholics to be so anxious. Though the Magic side wouldnt succumb to the Science side because of this, the Roman Catholics must have been hit hard. If the biggest trump card of the Roman Catholics didnt work, what would happen with the other trump cards? It would be that kind of feeling. But if they were feeling anxious and took action, why did they choose to target Venezia? Basically, which idiot thought of the plan... Index, whats the benefit of mobilising the Queen of the Adriatic Sea? Can it dominate a city like the Apostles Cross? No such thing. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea has no value other than destruction. Basically, it has the effect of taking away everything of value, like the divine punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. There shouldnt be any functions of creation. Sodom and Gomorrah...theyre that, huh. The Archangel The Power of God sent a rain of fire on them. (Teh_ping: for more information, read Genesis 18:16 to 19:29) Tatemiya said as he gulped down grape wine from a wooden cup. He continued on in a voice as if he was reading from an old book, Though the Angel received the order to punish the immoral cities, there was a devout family there (Teh_ping: In Sodom). So only this family was told to run away before the destruction. At that moment, the Angel added a rule. But on the day the cities were destroyed, the wife broke the rule, and got destroyed along with the cities (Teh_ping: She got turned into a pillar of salt)... Mn, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea was meant to launch a rain of fire down on this immoral city called Venezia, from the centre of Venezia to outside, thus everything would be destroyed. That is the first step. Index said in a flat tone, Other than that, the second phase would be targeted at anyone or anything far away from Venezia. Anyone on tour, or even an art piece in a museum, anything that displays Venetian culture: all these would be taken away. With this, everything regarding Veneziaknowledge or historywill be gone without a trace... A chilling topic. Because it was hard to imagine it, one could see the large scale of it. This had already exceeded normal imagination. Angelene said, ...I suppose she doesnt know what the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is at all. She wont stand aside and do nothing. We attacked you in the past, so we cant really brag about anything, but its hard to imagine Sister Agnese as one that would find that killing magicians or even ordinary Roman Catholics that dont know anything to be nothing. I wont beautify her to this extent. Lucia continued, ...Im not so sure about the situation, but this should be real. From the looks of it, the Roman Catholics probably didnt explain it to her, since shes expendable. From the beginning till the end, shes just a key, a simple tool. One could hear the anger in her words. Kamijou felt that he could understand those twos words. However, being suddenly on the sidelines, Index frowned slightly, feeling somewhat suspicious regarding those words. Tatemiya exhaled a bit, and said, Basically, we have to bring Agnese Sanctis away from that place, right? I know its difficult without anyone saying it. But if Venezia is going to be destroyed, I cant just sit by and do nothing. Hearing such real words, Lucia and Angelene couldnt help but squirm. Do you know the exact time? ...No. But since they gathered such a large fleet, it seems like they wont hesitate. It takes a lot of resources to maintain that, and after the sun rises, itll be too eye-catching. Even if they use the Opila runes, the scale is too... Up...up till now, every ship has been undergoing preparations. Maybe there are only a few ships...but considering that theyre doing such a major thing, they wont wait for long. ...In other words, we cant hesitate anymore. Tatemiya said in a slightly anxious voice. This...should be a magic problem. If so, we can only ask the English Anglicans for help, right? Kamijou said. Though he was not sure of the situation, Necessarius, which Index was affiliated with, should be a unit meant to handle this. Tatemiya shook his head and said, We have already notified them, but theres some distance from London. Besides, its not just an ordinary mage society, but famous members of the Roman Catholics. If the English Anglicans send their full force to stop it, it may escalate to such an extent that the world would be divided. Just being on the Roman Catholics territory aloneits hard to gather other religious groups here. From his words, it seemed like helping Kamijou and company was like walking on a tightrope. Seeing this increasingly unfavourable condition, Kamijou silently gritted his teeth. But on the other hand (Its not over yet. At least we can still walk on the tightrope.) Even if they couldnt call for a large amount of backup, if they could use this force for self-defense, it should still be a legitimate excuse. This was why Tatemiya had sent the Amakusa to save them, and hadnt rejected Lucia and Angelene upon seeing them. The Substitute Supreme Pontiff pushed his plate and cup on the table aside, and then shifted the huge plate full of salad near Orsola. Let me confirm this. Tatemiya sent the wooden container full of salt to the middle of the table, which was empty. This is the Queens Fleet. Right now, its 10km south of Venezia. Theres some distance to the mainland, and also somewhat far away from the numerous islands around. Even if we dont use the Opila runes, there should be a blind spot that no one would notice. After that, he moved the container full of sauce about 30cm away. This is our current position, which is another 10km south. We cant see the light of the Queens Fleet from here, and they can only see the night scene of Lido di Venezia. This is a long island stretch that extends from Chioggia to Venezia. The casino here is extremely famous. Angelene suddenly mentioned a little trivia ill-fitting of a nun, and got pressed down on the head by Lucia. And then, Tatemiya grabbed a wooden fork. This is 5km away from the Queens Fleet. From the angle and sizes of the cannons, this seems to be the enemys defense perimeter. Well be bombed continuously if we enter this perimeter. Tatemiya drew a circle on the wooden table. With the salt bottle at the middle, he just managed to maintain a distance from the sauce bottle, as if he was drawing an array. So basically, they cant fire at the furthermost places. So if Im to make a guess, the attack range is about 4 to 5km. Tatemiya drew another circle on the inside as if it was an age ring. After that, he used the fork to gently knock around, indicating a 5km perimeter. Basically, we have to get close to this distance if we want to get inside the Queens Fleet. If its this ship, well probably get sunk if were hit. There are about 100 ships, and just one ship alone has about 30 to 40 cannons. Can all the ships fire in such a confined space...however, to be clear, the cannon fire should come over like rain. Tatemiya drew a straight line from the salt bottle to the sauce bottle, and then carved out the inside of the firing range. Heres the problem: how can we avoid the cannon fire and attack here? Even if we charge in, we have to fight with a large number of enemies on the ships. Tatemiya continued. It was unknown who swallowed saliva. There was a term called barrage, which was a wall formed by cannon fire. What he was asking was a theoretical question of how they should break through this thick wall that didnt have a crack in it. 5 km...its about a 3 minute ride on a train, right? ...You really like to use real-life examples for comparison, huh? Tatemiya said in an irritated tone, 5km on land is different from 5km in the sea. If a navy ships engine is installed on a car, the car may end up flyingno, maybe the car body would be crushed by the weight. This thing called a ship, it felt slower than a car or a plane, but it was due to water resistance slowing it. Though the direct distance was 5km, it felt a lot more. How could they avoid the cannon fire and rush in when the distance was being pulled apart? The more one listened, the more disheartening it was. These words made them lose their appetite. What if...we sneak in through the sea like just now? Orsola fearfully came up with a suggestion. ...That...about that, we did use the underwater passageway to escape the prison, but because of it, Lucia cut off Angelene and continued, The commander of the Queens Fleet isnt so stupid as to let us use the same trick a third time. The commander of the fleet is Biagio Busoni, and though his rank is that of a Bishop, hes a man whose cunning exceeds even that of the Pope. I suppose he would have re-established an anti-sea function for underwater combat. Biagio Busoni. Compared to a single fighting strength, this Bishop is one that specialises in using multiple forces. However, hes not one who relies on his guards. To be able to create a perfect defensive line, it shows that he can sense the enemys presence even through his skin. The position of Bishop isnt given so easily. ??? How great is a Bishop? To...to be able to mobilise a thousand nuns like us, thats a Bishop. Angelene wasnt mocking herself, but saying this in an ordinary tone. Tatemiyas mouth widened. So if there arent that many people here, would that be the silver lining in the cloud? However, coming back, the problem is the Queens Fleet battle utility. As its made of ice, it can resupply without going to a naval base, right? Such a troublesome opponent. A sect that turned paper into a ship had no right to say this, but a fact is still a fact. That was originally a large fleet meant to fight against the Venetian Navy. It would be a mistake to think that a ship or maybe one or two submarines could fight it. Lucia and Angelene gritted their teeth unhappily. Being far away from the centre and hearing this kind of analysis from an outsider made them realise their current situation again. Even so...we still have to go. Lucia said in a determined manner. Oi, oi. Said Tatemiya scratching his head. I never said that you need to come along. It would be too shameless for us to borrow your boat. We have a spell to create a passageway underwater, so we can use that to enter. Its...its not like we dont have a single chance of winning... Angelene said softly. Her eyes were clearly showing fear and her shoulders were trembling. Even so, she still wouldnt sit by and do nothing. If the underwater passageway we make can open out like tree branches...maybe we can stop the fleet, or maybe we can aim it at a reef to cause a hole in the ship... That cannon can sink our ship in one hit, and even if the ice ship is hit by numerous allies fire, it will continue to rebuild itself. I dont think that can be stopped by destroying it, you know? Tatemiya interrupted them. Lucia and Angelene became silent. In this silence, both of them continued to try and suppress their breathing, which entered Kamijous ears like waves. ...Then, what do you want us to do? Lucia finally said something. She gritted her teeth and said, Nobody would hope for Venezia to be destroyed. If we dont do something, because of Biagios ridiculous commanding, Sister Agnese will be destroyed by this thing, this Queen of the Adriatic Sea and become a paralyzed cripple! Do you expect us to sit by and do nothing? She closed her eyes, and continued, Why do you think we would willingly follow her? Sister Agnese is a devout nun that can make me shiver with just her worshiping. The treasure that the Church should have isnt money or riches, but a devout believer. I wont let someone I recognise meet such a terrible fate...no matter what. I...Im not like Sister Lucia, who acts on belief. Angelene revealed a smile, and continued. She didnt want recognition, but just wanted to express her opinion. Everyone has their own reason. In the past, Sister Agnese took good care of me. Though its not like those 1 or 2 major events, I kept getting helped by her. Thus I dont want to say goodbye to Sister Agnese without repaying her completely. If I want to repay her, nows the time. ... Kamijou remained silent for a while. No, it was more like he couldnt say anything. Lucia and Angelenes words didnt have any force in them. Instead, there was a little resistance inside this subject that was impossible to reject. But, just because of this, Tatemiya, thats enough. What? Tatemiya frowned on hearing Kamijous words. Kamijou continued, Forget about chances, tactics, practical problems, getting near 5km and being done if were hit by a cannon. Its not that. Right now, we should be discussing on how to help Agnese. Isnt this the only problem? Lucia and Angelene stared at Kamijou with a surprised look. Hearing Kamijous words, Index lowered her shoulders and let out a whole-hearted tired sigh, and Orsola gently patted her on the back as if she was trying to comfort Index. This was probably because they both knew about this side of Kamijou. Actually, they had seen it first-hand before. Tatemiya. Calling this name, it meant that he was talking to the representative of the Amakusa. Maybe they all sensed this, as not just him, but the teenagers of the Amakusa were all staring at Kamijou. Agnese Sanctis isnt a perfectly friendly person. But these people purposely gave up their chance of being saved in order to save their comrade. And she doesnt even know what kind of thing the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is, which shell be used for as a sacrifice. That persons kind intentions will end up with her being destroyed after shes used; shell end up as a cripple. Basically, just save her. This can also prevent Venezia from getting destroyed. Shouldnt we do that? Kamijou didnt look around. He was just staring at Tatemiya as he continued, You dont want to save her? Fine, then Ill go. Tatemiya laughed. THONG! He stabbed the wooden fork into the table. Really, youre treating me like a bad guy... Tatemiya unhappily slackened his jaw, Damn it, Im really sad. I dont mean that. To me, the problem has already been settled right from the start, which is why Im asking whats next. If we want to do it, we have to think of a plausible way. Tatemiya shook his head as he said in an impatient tone, As for the strategy, Ive already thought of it. Hearing his words everyone, including Kamijou, was silent with shock. After I announce the plan and we execute it, whether it results victory or defeat, itll be all on me. Even if we fail, we cant grumble. Actually, I should say that its too late, which is why Im asking if you guys are ready for this. I didnt expect to be misunderstood. Tatemiya revealed a thoroughly disappointed look. He proceeded to look around, away from Kamijou. In front of him were his comrades, teenagers that were like treasure. The substitute Supreme Pontiff said to them, Anyway, I want to say this. Everyone must come back alive. Dont die because of this kind of thing, or think that you have to fulfill your beliefs even if you have to die. Anyone who thinks like this, get off the ship. No negotiations. After we head off to the battlefield, we must all come back alive, got it? No disagreements. This silent agreement meant that everyone agreed. Like a teacher asking a stupid student, Tatemiya silently asked, What did we learn from the Supreme Pontiff? The Amakusa Catholic members said in unison, TO REACH OUT TO ALL THE ABANDONED!! Part 5 The ship carrying the Amakusa, Kamijou and company moved north in the Adriatic Sea. They were heading to the Queens Fleet. They were standing on the deck of a ship that was floating on the surface of the water. Tatemiyas weapon was called the Flamberge. It was a sword that was 180cm long. The wave-like shapes on both sides of the sword were said to have the effect of making wounds bigger. This sword was different from an ordinary sword, as it wasnt made of metal. It was unknown what material it was made from for it to be white in colour. This sword is more suited for rough combat...never mind, we can only adapt to the changes. Tatemiya stabbed the giant sword into the floor as he muttered to himself. Because the suitability of use was different from the situation, one had to change weapons sometimes. To Kamijou, who only relied on a fist, this was something he could not imagine. Lucia was holding a large wooden carriage wheel in her hand. This heavy object was made from the Amakusa paper bundle. I can sense a unique smell... She was holding onto the wheel, slowly spinning it about, touching the wheel to feel it. ...This will do. I should be able to use the attack spell based on St. Catherines Wheel Legend. In Kamijous memory, she specialised in destroying a large wheel, and used the rain of shrapnel to attack the enemy. On the other hand, Angelene placed some gold or silver coins into coin bags. She specialised in letting blunt weapons fly about, using them as a weapon to fight with the enemy. Ah...I can still put in some of them. But itll hurt if I put in too many...then...then maybe a bit less... Hearing her being preoccupied with stuffing the coins inside the coin bags, and taking them out, Lucia looked panicky as she got closer. Sister Angelene, what are you fussing about with your weapons!? FILL THEM UP, YOU HEAR ME? FILL THEM UP!! WAH! Wont it hurt if we hit them, then? Even if we want to communicate, we have to create a suitable environment for it. If we could have talked it out without fighting, then we wouldnt need to work so hard for it! From afar, Kamijou stared at the two nuns chattering about. As if he couldnt stand them, he said, Seems like...I misunderstood the Roman Catholics. Though theyre the Roman Catholics, there are all sorts of people in it...isnt that right? Orsola, who was standing beside him, silently said. Its not about eliminating whos bad; everyone has their own characteristics. You have a bad impression of the Roman Catholics, and actually, I also had...I didnt believe in my Amakusa friends in the past, thus I caused quite a lot of trouble for everyone. Is that so? Kamijou thought. I really cant associate you with bad people. About this...actually, women have a lot of sides to them. After Orsola said these somewhat sensational words, she revealed a smile. No matter whether because of her clothing or her speech, this nun didnt know it herself, yet they emphasized a lot more of the feminism that she was born with. At this moment, Index suddenly popped in-between them. She was holding onto a staff. Here, take it. The Amakusa people lent it to me, but I cant use a spiritual tool that requires the processing of magical energy. You might be more suited to take it. Oh my. Orsola received the staff. It was made of silver. On the tip of the staff, there was a little squatting Angel there. There were six wings on the Angel, surrounding it like a cage. It was the weapon that Agnese used before. The Amakusa had detained the Agnese Forces that surrendered in The Book of the Law affair. It had possibly been confiscated then. At this moment, Kamijou suddenly noticed Index staring intently at him. Wha...what now, Index? ... Index remained silent for a while. No, its nothing. Eh? WHY ARE YOU TURNING YOUR HEAD AWAY SO UNHAPPILY!!? THOUGH ITS TIRING WHEN YOU REACT SO VIOLENTLY BY BITING ON OTHER PEOPLES HEAD, THIS COMPLETELY COLD REACTION OF YOURS IS REALLY TROUBLESOME, YOU KNOW!? Index completely ignored Kamijous roar as she ran away. Seeing this, Orsola sighed, Thats because you didnt take care of her properly. Hearing her say this, right now, Index should be eating spaghetti, happily touring around all sorts of tourist attractions, busy creating wonderful memories. She didnt expect things to become like this all of a sudden. In actual fact, the one who had been most looking forward to the trip may have been Index. Though you always complain that youre unlucky, you dont have the intent of stopping, right? ...Like a workaholic father whos unqualified to be a parent. The ship continued forward. It felt like the white bulb-like glow of the Queens Fleet was a bit stronger as compared to before. Are you guys done? If so, lets start. Tatemiya pulled out a rubber band-tied paper bundle from his jeans pocket. Kamijou frowned. What do you mean by lets start? We cant just attack the Queens Fleet with this ship alone. Thus we need to increase our fighting force, like this. Tatemiya took off the rubber band as he said this. Shua! He tossed the paper from the ship into the sea. The large number of papers gently swayed about in the air, like confetti falling from a confetti ball, before landing on the dark surface of the sea, silently absorbing seawater. Thomp! The papers expanded because of water absorption and created a large number of boats. Different from the Queens Fleet, the slick design made one feel that it was a bit JapaneseCstyled. Each ship was about 30m long and 7m wide. As for height, they were about 20m. However, compared to the 100m ships of the Queens Fleet, they seemed a lot weaker. There werent just one or two ships; there were tens of ships that appeared. The expanded ships suddenly appeared, squeezing against each other. The fleet of ships squeezed against the one that Kamijou was on, and the hull started to shake. In surprise, Kamijou stared at the scene in front of him, ...Isnt this a large fleet as well? If so, itll be one heck of a battle. Even if the enemy is the Queens Fleet, we can fight them head on, cant we? Youre overestimating us, arent you? Look closely, this is a fleet completely different from the Queens Fleet. There arent any cannons on them. ...? Hearing him say this, there werent any cannons on the ships. The walls and decorations on the ships hulls would be considered slim, and they didnt seem able to withstand damage. If so, were these just ordinary ships? Then why did you prepare these? You dont really need to use a navy ship for marine combat. The Amakusa is a secular sect that hides itself in the local culture. Of course, we learnt some English history. Tatemiya smirked, Do you know how the English Navy beat the so-called invincible Spanish Navy in the past? Part 6 Ship number 43 of the Queens Fleet was an intelligence ship that specialised in scouting for enemies. The nun stationed there, Sister Agatha, exhaled as she stood at the front end of the deck. There were small tables placed on both ends of the ship, and there were ice-made documents on them. The thin ice boards imitated ancient goatskin parchments, and contained all sorts of information, like maps, sea charts, and ship information. On one of them, An alarm sounded from the ice document that showed a sea chart of the nearby areas of the Adriatic Sea. Below the indicators of the Queens Fleet that looked like International Chess pieces, there were many more new chess pieces that were quickly approaching the fleet. BISHOP BIAGIO!! I see it. Give me the details. After the nun shouted, a voice reverberated through the air in response. Ships coming in from the south coast of Venezia on the Adriatic Sea, about 30 to 40! Speed...extremely fast! 50 seconds till they reach our fleet!! The distance from her to where the ships appeared was about 5km; the speed was about 360km per hour. However, there was a basic difference between land speed and sea speed, because the resistance of air and sea were different. Basically, this speed was impossible. Even for a speedboat made by the Science side, the maximum was only 90km per hour. To reach 360km per hour, a lot of horsepower was required. If the force wasnt appropriate, the ship might end up being ripped by the sea. But this enemy had done the impossible. Can we sink it? The Queen of the Adriatic Sea has deployed ship numbers 25 to 38; theyre at a position where they can hit them with the cannons. Before those ships hit us, if we can switch the positions of the ships, it will prevent the enemy from escaping. Hurry up and take action. Their target should be the Queen of the Adriatic Sea; we cant let them escape. Roger that!! Agatha said as she passes the command to all the ships and to aim. Two new documents appeared on the table beside her, indicating the positioning of the Queens Fleet and the firing trajectory of the cannons. They were about 4 to 5 km away from the ships. THEYLL REACH OUR FLEET IN 50 SECONDS!! SINK THEM FIRST!! As she shouted this, the vibrations shook her eardrums. The Queens Fleet fired numerous cannons. Agatha summoned some more ice documents. On the documents, there were quite a few water pillars on the night sea, indicating that ships were being sunk left and right. But the ship figures didnt stop. The other boats used the sinking boats as a platform to jump over the water and head forward. (Using the front few ships as a shield...?) Agatha couldnt help but suspect. Even so, she couldnt tell whether there was any special armour or defensive spell. The enemy ships that were directly sunk didnt look like they intended to dodge. Even if more than 10 ships were sunk, the enemy hadnt done anything to avoid them. The distance between both of them would be closed up soon. The distance was a few hundred metres, yet the enemy hadnt fired a single cannon. (...Wait a second.) Agatha reexamined the enemy ships on the ice document. She suddenly froze. The ships indicated didnt have any cannons. If so...EVERYONE GET INTO DEFENSE MODE! THE ENEMYS TARGET IS Just as Agatha gave the order, The fast approaching ships werent stopping, the enemy ships pierced through the hulls of the outer ships of the Queens Fleet. Not only that, the inside of the wooden boats started to glow, and create large explosions. It was like the entire ship was a bomb. The explosions rang in her ears. The sea started to shake, and Agatha leaned on the ships rudder as she shouted, THEYRE FIREBOATSUNMANNED NAVAL SHIPS THAT SELF-DESTRUCT!! Hearing the explosions, Tatemiya silently closed his eyes. Fireboats were invented before torpedoes were. At first, they were just movable weapons on the sea. Normally, theyre little ships that look just like boats. At first, when the English Navy fought against the invincible Navy, they sent real large ships that were filled with gunpowder to the enemys territory. Kamijou said in shock, Then, you plan to sneak in when the seas in a mess? What a crude plan. Sister Agatha. It hurts...yes...Im here! Hearing one explosion after another, Agatha responded to Biagios call. If the enemys aim is to prevent the Queen of the Adriatic Sea from activating, I guess that the enemy wont just attack from the outside. There must be something hurry up and search for the enemy. Agatha eyes stared at the ice documents on the table. Due to the explosions, ripples and faults formed on the sea charts and maps, so it was hard to determine. (If the fireboats arent the real targets...they should be in another fleet. However...) She changed the scale: 5km, 10km, 20km, she checked them all, but she didnt find any ship that matched the requirements. There were three large civilian jets; it shouldnt be one of them. Agatha intended to increase the scale, only for her hand to stop. (...What if theyre not on the sea?) The numerous ice boards disappeared. What replaced them were multiple layers of ice documents stacked on each other. The ice block that appeared on the table had the length and width of the documents. What they indicated wasnt the horizontal length and width, but the vertical depth. In other words, it was meant to search for enemies under the sea. I found it! 80m South of the Queens Fleet, 40m deep. One huge object is spottedits the ship from earlier!! Weve been discovered... Tatemiya suddenly looked up. As if responding to his actions, the Amakusa members operating the ship were giving reports. We have confirmed the enemy ships cannons. Estimated trajectory is -30 degrees. Theyre obviously aiming into the sea. Theres some movement on the south side of the enemys fleet. They seem to be making a formation against sudden attacks! In a cannon fight, though it was not easy to get a gauge on the enemys situation, if they were found out, it was too late. Naval warfare wasnt like air combat, where one could move about easily. It was almost impossible to use speed to dodge or shake away from the enemys attack. Thus, the basis of naval warfare was to find a place to attack without being fired back at. This tabletop combat had already started before the cannons were fired. It was expected if the enemy didnt have any reaction, but if there was a reaction, it meant failure. This was a mind battle full of silence. Thus, Numerous lasers are locked in on the ship! The co-ordinates are responding. Its faster than we expected! If this continues...!! This is the worst situation... Tatemiya said in a low irritated voice. Everyone, brace yourself!! Beware of the enemys fire! If this ship is hit by it Before he could finish, explosions covered all the noise. A confirmed hit on the ship! The enemys now moving extremely slowly!! Very good. Hearing Agathas words, Biagio was somewhat relaxed. How can the same trick work the third time? We have prepared some underwater cannons as well. What he prepared were cannons that when fired, would cause the surrounding seawater to freeze. With this, the ship that was surrounded by the thick layers of ice would be unable to move. As ice had buoyancy, even if they didnt do anything, the ship would float to the surface together with the ice. After that, they just needed to use ordinary cannon fire to actually destroy the enemy. Theres sixty seconds till the ship completely floats. Lets take care of the remaining fireboats in the meantime Sister Agatha! We have an emergency!! There was a voice other than Agathas. Another nuns voice. The enemys forces have gone onto ship number 29! From the weapons and the spells used, its the Amakusa from before!! What!? Agatha couldnt help but doubt her ears. She turned to look at the documents on the table. An unmanned ship had collided with ship number 29...looking closely, the ship wasnt damaged. Normally, if it had self-destructed, there would be a large hole on the ship... If so... They prepared a boat that they didnt intend to blow up, and the main fleet got on that boat, mixed in with the other ship...that underwater ship was actually another decoy...!? Kamijou Touma got off the wooden boat onto the ice ship. Following him, Index, Orsola, Lucia, Angelene, Tatemiya and the Amakusa members jumped off of the boat. Forget about trying to control all the ships! No matter what, we cant win on numbers! Just beat the core of the enemy! Flagship...wheres the Queen of the Adriatic Sea? Kamijou looked around. Several hundred metres away, there was a ship that was a lot bigger than the other ships. However, there were more than ten ships at the middle. Ill make a bridge from ship to ship! Anyway, you guys just go on ahead Tatemiyas voice overlapped with another. It was an audio broadcast of a female voice. All personnel on number 29, 32 and 34, please retreat! If you cant make it, jump into the water! Well remake these ships after we sink them!! Damn it. Tatemiya cursed. They intend to blow up the ships again!? HURRY UP!! Tatemiya tossed the paper bundles around. The paper bundles immediately expanded, creating wooden arched bridges that were linked to the ice ships. But before they could get on it, the cannon fire flew all over the place. Before the cannons struck, the impact from the vibrations alone was enough to cause Kamijou to almost tumble onto the floor. Ugh!? He didnt even have time to open his mouth. The huge ship was being blown apart like flying dirt. The cracking ship walls sunk, creating large water pillars. The water landed onto the deck. The large pillar that he couldnt grab hold of with both hands snapped on being hit by the cannon. INDEX! Index was all curled up as Kamijou grabbed her hand and ran over to the bottom of the fallen pillar. The fallen pillar fell aside, and the broken part just so happened to form a bridge linking to the next ship. Without thinking, Kamijou jumped forward. With Tatemiya leading, the Amakusa members got onto the ship they made, and moved onto other ships. Kamijou grabbed Indexs hand and immediately scrambled over to the neighbouring ship. Looking back, Orsola, who was holding the Angel staff, was moving up this pillar and onto this ship. Being hit by the second wave of cannon fire, the ice ship gradually started to tilt, and the pillar acting as a bridge was dragged into the sea. Touma, wherere the rest? Though most of the Amakusa had used the wooden bridges, one could see a few of them jumping into the sea. Kamijou couldnt help but grit his teeth, but Orsola, who was beside him, said, They have spells to create bridges and ladders. Because they know they can win, they would choose to jump into the water. This suggestion brought him a little hope, and he could only believe in this. Besides, the deck was about 10m above the sea. Even if Kamijou reached his hand out, he couldnt reach it. Damn it! Lets go and destroy that Queen of the Adriatic Sea!! Again, Kamijou wanted to head to the flagship of the Queens Fleet. At this moment, some new footsteps blocked his entry. Several nuns were standing on the deck as if it was a stage. Like Lucia and Angelene, they had yellow sleeves and skirts to go with their black-based nun habit. They appeared to be manual workers on this ship, and they seemed to be of Agneses Forces. They should know why Kamijou and company were here, but without saying anything, they flashed their weapons, which ranged from swords, axes, staffs, to things that didnt even look like weapons, like Bibles and torches. There were only nuns here. The people known as caretakers should be on the ship as well, but he couldnt see them. Maybe they had left the fighting to the labour workers while they hid. But the tactic of blasting the ships together with the enemy wasnt really an effective tactic. ...You should know whats happening to Agnese, right? DONT YOU WANT TO HELP US!? Kamijou yelled, but one of the nuns shook her head. Im sorry, but we cant have any feelings in our work. She said, as a representative for everyone. Those are definitely not your true thoughts. Orsola said in a heavy tone, Maybe they themselves havent noticed it, but they were people who recognised Agneses ability and followed her. Because they believe the leader will definitely overcome these problems, they would do this. They probably wish that someone would stop them. ... Just because they couldnt express it in words, they were calling for help in a different way. Right now, they were in a situation when they had to go against what they were thinking and destroy each other. Thinking about this, Kamijou couldnt help but clench his fist. As if responding to his actions, several nuns stepped forward. The distance to the enemy human wall was about 7m. At this moment, Something small flew over Kamijou and the nuns heads. Looking up, flying 10m in the air was a carriage wheel. Sister Luc!? Before the enemy could shout her name. BAM!! The wheel exploded. The large number of wooden shrapnel avoided Kamijou, Index and Orsola, following a magical trajectory as it attacked downwards. This could be considered a rain of destruction. The nuns tried to use their weapons and spells to defend themselves, but the entire group was shaken up. After that. This way!! Looking in the direction where the shout came from, it was Lucia and Angelene, who had come onto this ship from another way. On the edge of the deck behind them, there was a bridge linking to the next ship. Number 41, retreat immediately!! If you cant make it, jump into the sea!! This ship will be like the previous ones: well remake this ship after we sink it!! The surrounding atmosphere was tense. Though Kamijou didnt know the specific number, the enemy should be aiming here. HURRY UP!! Lucia shouted for Kamijou and company to get past the bridge. At this moment, the nuns went into action. They were not escaping, but preventing Kamijous group from escaping. Whoosh!! Numerous nuns surrounded Kamijous group like a single organism. These ...IDIOTS! IF YOURE SO DARING, WHY WONT YOU SAVE SISTER AGNESE!!? Lucia raised her hand, and the scattered pieces of wood gathered back into the shape of a wheel. After grabbing the wheel, she rushed at the nuns. But before a battle could begin, another explosion reverberated. AH!? Kamijou shouted as his eardrums vibrated violently. With the sound of lightning, the neighbouring ships were firing cannons. The cannons likely hit the hull, as the entire deck shook violently. The second wave of attack was coming over. This time, it seemed like they intended to directly destroy the deck, as loud cannon explosions rose up with a cracking down. The cannons were aimed at Kamijous group, and the black hole looked like a monster glaring over. At this moment, Come out, one of the twelve disciples, tax collector and lowly servant of the eradicating magician! The one shouting was Angelene. The four bags of gold that she had immediately responded to her call. Red, blue, yellow, green. The four heavy bags with wings smash into the nearby pillar like a metal punch. This was to concentrate the attack at the base of the pillar to smash it. The huge pillar severely tilted. After that, The large number of cannons hit the falling pillar. Just like that, the ice blocking the cannons exploded and Kamijous group was saved by Angelene. Because of the cannons, the pillar that had become a shield exploded into pieces on falling towards the deck. The fragments of ice descended. Though they were fragments, each of them were larger than a refrigerator. !! Lucia raised the large wheel and immediately detonated it. The large amount of pieces of wood hit the ice fragments, but was unable to deflect all the ice pieces. The ice pieces that hadnt been hit flew towards the Roman Catholic nuns. Flying towards the group of nuns who were formerly called the Agneses Forces. Seeing this situation, Angelene, however, ran towards the group of enemy nuns. WAIT...WHERE ARE YOU GOING!? Lucia shouted in surprise. Angelene ignored the surprised nun and gathered the four bags of gold. She then tried to hit the huge ice blocks that were falling. The cloth of the bags of gold broke and the coins scattered all over the place. As the bags had smashed the pillar a moment ago, they were at their limits. STAY BACK, SISTER ANGELENE!! Lucia shouted at Angelene, who had lost her weapon. She looked around, and could see that boy called Kamijou Touma running near Angelene. Maybe he wanted to push her aside. However, Angelene wasnt backing away. Not only did she not back away, she took a step forward. She bit her teeth and leaped toward the nearest nun. The nun, who had been rooted to the spot, flew backwards, landing on the deck. After confirming the nuns safety, as Angelene prepared to get down, The ice block that was as large as a refrigerator landed beside her. It landed forcefully on the deck and shattered into a rain of fragments that were as large as a rocks. BOOM!! With the blunt sound, her petite body danced in the air. SIS... Lucia screamed as if she had just seen an unbelievable thing. SISTER ANGELENE!! Seeing Lucia frantically ran towards the fallen petite nun, the surrounding nuns seemed to waver in their actions. However, they seemed to suddenly remember their stand, arming themselves again. At this moment, Really, I just had to see this boring thing again. Tatemiya and the Amakusa members moved from another ship to this ship through a wooden bridge, forming a human wall between Angelene and the nuns. He pulled out some paper bundles from his pocket and tossed a bundle to Lucia. This is an escape submerging ship. Though it isnt the best facility, it beats staying in enemy territory. Dont just use one. Scatter them among the fireboats to confuse the search, the chances of you being hit will decrease a lot!! Lucia ran over and put the paper bundle into her sleeve. Though Tatemiya said this, the Agneses Force''s fighting and mental capabilities meant that they werent going let her use the paper bundles so easily. Even if she created a ship out of panic, the concentrated fire would sink the ship. But there was no time to care about all these now. Lucia inclined herself over in front of Angelene. Seeing Lucia grab her hand that had gone limp, Angelene smiled, ...Sister Lucia...your...hand...is...trembling. OF COURSE!! Really...hate...it. I...cant...die...here... Angelene pronounced each word as she said, ...Didnt...I...say...that...well...go...back...with...everyone? Sister...Agnese... us...and the...people...fighting...over...there...the true...meaning...of...every...one. The neighbouring cannons made noise as they took aim. The third wave of attack was prepared. Even so, Lucia didnt look away from Angelene. So...I...definitely...cant die. If...you...can...promise...me...this... I...will...fulfill...it...to...the end. So, I...beg...you. Sister...Lucia. Dont...differen...tiate...what...enemies...and...comrades. Can...you...simply...fight...together...to protect...everyone...? Lucia silently gritted her teeth. The neighbouring escort ship fired, the cannon shot aimed at her. But Lucias body was not blown to bits. A right hand blocked this extremely powerful cannon shot. The seemingly ordinary boy reached his right hand over, as if he wanted to block this ice shot that was shot through magic, before using the strength of his five fingers to crush it. HURRY UP AND PROMISE HER, LUCIA!! He said, IF YOU CAN HELP HER, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF NONSENSICAL ILLUSION IT IS, ILL SMASH IT!! SO PROMISE HER! SAY SOMETHING! MAKE HER FEEL PRIVILEGED TO BE HERE! GIVE HER SOMETHING TO BELIEVE THAT ITS WORTH WORKING SO HARD!! Alright. Lucia said. She stared at Angelenes face, and silently said, Ill protect everyone. So you...have to fight on. Hearing her voice, the petite nun revealed a smile. The ice ship being hit by the cannons shook about violently. With Kamijous right hand, it was impossible to block all these shots. It was not safe here. In fact, nowhere was safe. Lucia carried Angelene, who was on the floor, with both hands and stood up. Now she couldnt use her wheel, but she didnt seem to mind. Right now, she had only one thing on her mind, and that was to fight together even with the disadvantages. In order to chase after Lucia, the nuns again stepped forward. At this moment, the Amakusa and Kamijous group formed a wall, blocking them. They were both staring at the same place. Past a few ships, the flagship Queen of the Adriatic Sea. Between the lines 4 (I...still...) In this situation when her consciousness was still blurry, Angelene, who was being carried by Lucia, thought. (Cant...give...up.) An explosion reached her ears, with the sound of swords and axes clashing, but Angelene still thought this way. (Sister Agnese, for the Church, she worked really hard. The rewards that she got for doing dangerous missions, she used them to print Bibles. And then she visited old and worn down Churches and gave the Bibles to the priests, telling them that she hopes to do her utmost...) The pain from being hit by the ice blocks spread around her body without stopping. The scattered fragments of the pillar had hit her temples, concussing her brain. (Even when Sister Lucia isnt working, shell climb up the Bell Tower to warn everyone immediately in case something abnormal happens. She continued to stay there, and right now, the Bell Tower almost seems to be where shes staying at...) Tears started to drip, one by one. It was not because of pain, but because she was not satisfied. (Even if its others, everyone...definitely...has a virtue. Among us, definitely, no one...is a real...bad person. Why...did it become...like this? I hate bad people. I had enough...of the battle of the balance between good and evil.) Shaking her limp limbs, she thought. Sister Angelene just continued to pray. (Save...) She bit her teeth. Tears flowed out of her eyes. (Someone save them...save me...and my precious comrades. Save them from...this nonsensical...darkness...) Volume 11, 5: Queen of the Adriatic Sea. La_Regina_del_Mare_Adriático. Volume 11, Chapter 5: Queen of the Adriatic Sea. La_Regina_del_Mare_Adritico. Part 1 Its going to be over soon. From the bottom of the ship, Biagio Busoni looked up at the ceiling. This work is about to be over. Really, to work so much just to destroy a city. Queen of the Adriatic Sea...before the end, Id like to reexamine this place from an antique point of view, and not on practicality. On first glance, the room was a 20m side perfect square. But on closer look, the four walls were tilted inwards. It wasnt a cube, but a pyramid. Looking up at the walls which gave off a white light, one could see the tip high up in the ceiling. Though the depth from the sea to the deck was only 20m, the ceiling looked like it was over 100m. ...Humph, hasnt it quietened down? As if responding to his voice, the flagship Queen of the Adriatic Sea trembled slightly. The tremor didnt just occur once, but occurred once every few seconds. The surrounding escort ships were being destroyed like animals killing each other, getting hit by friendly fire. But the cannons continued to fire, which meant that the enemy continued to cross the ships. Even in the deepest part of the flagship, which was surrounded by thick layers of ice, the explosions continued to ring. Here was the problem. The male caretakers of the Queens Fleet were different from the nuns in the Agneses Forces: they were not suited for combat. It was not because they were not suited for it, but because of their job scope. No commander would hold a weapon and stand on the frontlines, so because of this, there were only some supervisors. Up till now, though it was still in acceptable limits, what made it a bit harder was that the nuns, who were used to working with their hands and feet, werent used to ship-to-ship combat. They had only come here on the premise of being labourers, and they had never been trained on the ships. For things to turn out this way was to be expected... (Thats why I requested for a special force different from the supervisors...and yet this request was...) The higher-ups only focused on the capability of the Queens Fleet, and made such a judgement, No need for more troops; there wont be any problems with this fleet. They didnt consider everything completely, and may have caused this battle situation to change. (...The higher-ups are as useless as the subordinates, huh? Trash.) Biagio glanced aside. So exciting. The barricade surrounding you, isnt it not so thorough? ... The one being asked this was a girl in the same room. There was an iceball-like structure that was 7m in diameter in the middle of the room. Though the middle was like a soap bubble, when the Appointed Time of the Rosary activated, the inside would be filled with ice. This was to freeze the nun who was suitable for the task, and destroy it magically together with the ball. This nun was now leaning on the outer curved surface of the ball. Her name was Agnese Sanctis. This nun was wearing torn and tattered nun''s robes that were somewhat revealing. She didnt answer Biagio. Or was she unable to answer? From her expression, one could tell that she was wondering why there was a need for wars, who were they doing this for, and for what reason? She completely didnt care about what was happening outside. Its this expression. Biagio continued. The four necklaces and the numerous Crosses on him made some sounds. So irritating. So far, youve been making a shameless expression as if youre waiting for others, as if youre standing in the light. You have no right to make that expression. Youre a sinner, and yet you look like youre enlightened; that look infuriates me. Animals only need to crawl on the floor only humans have the right to adjust their appearance. He said with a smirk and a tinge of malice in his cruel words. Agnese glared at Biagios face. ...Then lets hear it: what do you think Im hoping for? I dont have to ask that question for you to know, so Im not going to ask it. Humph, I was really angry when those guys came in. Since youre making that look, Ill beat them up in front of you. Agnese turned her body away in disgust. Biagio saw her reaction with delight and said, Im going to crush that hope of yours, because parts have no need for any feelings. Part 2 There were about 50 of the Amakusa members. In contrast, on the Roman Catholic side, there were a total of 250 nuns. Normally speaking, in terms of numbers, they would lose. But this was a ship, and not all of them were gathered at the same place. Besides, the basics of ship combat were different from land combat. In order to pull the distance closer, the Amakusa concentrated their fire on close distance. Even in this chaotic situation, they could still move about nimbly. In contrast, the Roman Catholics, who outnumbered the Amakusa, were obstructed by their comrades and their weapons. The Amakusa knew how to fight back with less people. This was the force of these few Amakusa members, the techniques they had learnt to fight against many enemies. Coincidentally, it had been the same during The Book of the Law incident. There was only one thing that was different. Was Agnese Sanctis the one they should be protecting? Or was she the one they should be beating? Hurry up and go! No matter what, we must save that kid! Well delay the main fighting force here!! Being prompted by Tatemiya, Kamijou ran on. Three more ships and they could get closer to the flagship. While the Amakusa continued to delay the nuns, Kamijou, together with Index and Orsola, headed off from one ship to another. Of the trio, only Orsola could use the wooden bridge spell. She carefully read the spell, even more so than ordinary magicians, and released the bundles of paper one after another. The flagship Queen of the Adriatic Sea was right in front of their eyes. The mastermind that was being protected by all the escort ships, imprisoning Agnese Sanctis, and wielding the large-scale magic facility that could destroy Venezia in one shot. If that was the command point, Biagio Busoni, who hadnt appeared, should be there as well. Lets go, Index, Orsola!! Kamijou shouted as he ran past the wooden bridge and stepped onto the ship. It was a huge deck. In the middle of the Queens Fleet, where the ships could easily be over 100m in length, this ship was easily twice the size of the other ships. The ice walls were a lot more glamorous than the other ships; the entire ship looked like white gold basking under the moonlight. In terms of decorations, if it could be said that the other ships were heavily focused on military functions, then this ship was more like a magnificent palace. Even the door handles and pillars had an artistic sense to them, and on the edge of the ship, there were figures of Angels and the Virgin Mary. Though Kamijou didnt head off to the front end of the ship, the thing placed there should be some grand artistic item. Seems like...no ones around... Orsola held onto the Angel Staff as she looked around. This ship feels like its imitating the Doge, which is when the governor steps on the ship. Its a ship thats used during the National festival of Marriage to the Sea. Just like a magic ship. This ship controls all the ship functions of the Queens Fleet. It continues to make ice decorations and setups. Its also a ship that controls and deploys the other ships. Hearing Index say this, Kamijou carefully looked around. So the nuns wont be here and the cannons wont aim here? This ship looks like it cant be easily repaired by using seawater. If it could, there would be no need for so many escort ships around. In order to enter the ship, Index reached her hand out to the nearest door, but even with this, the door wouldnt open. Looking closely, the keyholes of the doors and the walls were all stuffed with ice. This was basically just like part of the wall. Wait a moment; Ill remove the magic lock... Her words were interrupted. Kamijou steps forward. ...No need to be so polite. I feel that its already too troublesome to worry about all these!! With this irritated cry, Kamijou clenched his fist and smashed it into the middle of the door. BAM!! The door and even the surrounding wall were blown away. Where Kamijou had punched, there was a 3m square hole in the wall. Really amazing. Thats because this is different from the escort ships; theres magic on even the walls and floors. The lock and even the other constructs were destroyed as well. The crumbled entrance revealed an inside similar in appearance to the outside of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, like an interior cruise pathway. But the space 3m inside was also cut, eradicated cleanly. Seemed like the hit just now hadnt just been limited to a square, but a cube. Theres even only half of an Angel-figure wall light. This is a block structure. Index explained clearly, This removes the bare minimum required to minimise the damage. So even if its Toumas right hand, it cant destroy everything in one go. On an escort ship, even if he touched the ship, this wouldnt happen. Kamijou thought that with this, their explanation of the flagship continually changing shapes and using this to control the ships should be correct. But he had no time to ask his question. BAM!! The ice blocks rose up from below the deck, surrounding the group from left, right, and behind. The ice blocks immediately adjusted themselves, removing the unnecessary parts, transforming into 3m tall western golems. And it was not just one or two. 20 to 30 of these ice sculptures surrounded Kamijous group instantly. Inside! Orsola shouted, They should be here to protect the ship, this should prevent them from destroying the inside!! Before Orsola could finish speaking, Index had already grabbed onto Kamijous hand as she ran off. Kamijou originally intended to use his right hand, and because of this unexpected situation, lost his balance as he ran off. The numerous western golems started to move their swords and axes, which were made of the same material. With the sound of a WHOOSH!, the air was cut. BOOM!! With a terrifying sound, numerous slashes collided with each other. The strikes grazed Indexs swaying hair, nearly pierced Kamijous face, and missed the top of Orsolas head, who was ducking down as she ran. Kamijou was so terrified that his breathing nearly stopped, but his feet wouldnt stop because of this. Before the next wave of attacks, the trio rolled into the damaged hole and into the ship. The interior design was exquisite as the outside seemed like they had spent a lot of effort to make them. Angel statues lay left and right, and the lights on the walls continued to change their shape slowly. Forget about a handle, one could even feel the painstaking effort that the artisan and the artist had put into even a small screw. However, there wasnt really any need for a screw on an ice ship. This... Orsola, who was sitting on the floor, barely managed to open her mouth before the large number of golems rushed inside. DAMN IT!! Kamijou got up from the floor and pulled Orsola and Index, who was lifelessly lying on the floor, by their hands. It was more like swinging them inside though, instead of pulling. Blunt sounds could be heard. The numerous golems entered the entrance and were stuck there. These golems couldnt move, so spikes appeared on their chest and abdomen, breaking those ice sculptures. The new golems stepped on the ice sculptures and into the passageway. Like a storm blowing, the huge golems reached where Kamijous group was. THEYRE...CHASING US...!? Index shouted, and Kamijou could already guess the priority of the ice golems. (...Looks like they want to destroy my right hand, huh?) The entrance and wall were only destroyed once, at the same time. Even if they didnt know the reason, the enemy should be able to guess the threat that the Imagine Breaker brought. (If thats the case...!) Just as Kamijou reached the intersection of the paths, he clenched his right hand. INDEX, ORSOLA! MOVE AHEAD FIRST!! He pushed the two girls into the side path, and ran to the furthermost place. TOUMA!! Before Index could take the next action, the numerous golems chased after Kamijou, and some of them chased after Orsolas group. WOOOOHHH!! As Kamijou pretended to use his right fist to destroy the wall, the golems immediately turned to the boy. All the ice security guards raised their weapons and chased after Kamijou. Part 3 Sister Angelene, are you alright? Lucia said as she gathered the broken pieces of the exploded wooden wheel to her hand and headed off in the opposite direction. ...Mn. Angelene leaned on the ice pillar. As her bags had torn, she used her nun''s cap and stuffed it with coins, wanting to fight on. Normally, she would be unable to fight. Even on a real battlefield, she should retreat to the back. Even though Lucia got the escape ship spell from the leader of the Amakusa, the nuns wouldnt allow them to use it. Lucia was unable to carry the injured Angelene in order to get away from them. Lucia placed the large wheel in front of her to scare the enemy. Seeing her do this, the enemys barricade backed away slightly. There were about 30 nuns, and considering that they were facing just one enemy, this may have been the most intense battle area. To attack the weaker side, and then slowly defeat everyone else one by one was their strategy. Lucia and Angelene were both clear about this. (How do we get away from them?...) As this group of nuns knew about Lucias attack power, they didnt dare to approach her so easily. However, because this group of nuns knew how she attacked, Lucia couldnt bluff them into retreating. All personnel on ships 12, 17, and 19 are to retreat immediately. If you can make it, jump! Like the previous ships, well rebuild it after sinking it!! It was the audio broadcast that they were so used to. At the same time, What a hassle! You shouldnt fight alongside the injured!! There was a wooden bridge linking here to the neighbouring ship. The Amakusa members, with Tatemiya leading them, got onto the ship. The situation changed drastically. The circle surrounding Lucias group was gradually breaking. The girl named Itsuwa was fighting alongside Lucia, using a Friulian spear like that the Navy uses. If they wanted to change the situation, now was the time. Sister Angelene! Ah...yes! Angelene shakily left the pillar. Lucia stood in front of her and exploded the wheel at the nuns, cutting a way out. Part 4 Kamijou Touma was definitely not some whiz kid. Because he was more or less used to fighting in the night, he roughly knew his ability. He definitely knew that he could win if it was a one on one fight; it would be dangerous if it was one on two, and he should run away without hesitation if it was one on three. This wasnt because he was exceptionally weak, but rather, in a fight without rules, numbers were more important than skills. If he fought seriously, it would take about 5 seconds for him to be defeated. But. That was just for a human vs human fight. WOOOOHHH!? Kamijous fist ripped the air. If the enemy was a human, both sides would probably fight until one lost consciousness. But if it was an enemy that would disappear on being touched, Kamijou still had a chance. The numerous golems continued to squeeze into the narrow path. Kamijous right hand was almost swinging about and hitting the incoming enemies. He didnt care how strong the fist was no matter how light it was, as long as it could touch the enemies, it was good. The golems moved like their gears were dropping. Before Kamijou could confirm it, the golems from behind were using their spears and hammers to smash the ice that had become an obstacle in order to move forward. WHAT!! Kamijou frantically moved back. Even if the golems stopped moving, the ice remained there. If he was to stay there and fight, he would be buried alive under the ice. But, A DEAD END!? Kamijou, who continued to back away, finally realised that his back was against the wall while confirming his rear path. He turned to look back. The golems looked like humans packed together as they continued to fill the entire corridor and close in. This was unpreventable. Though he could defend a hit, the pursuers would not let up. WOOOHHH!! Kamijou suddenly jumped sideways. The aisle was extremely narrow, and there was only a wall formed by ice. He extended his right hand out. There was a pit in the wall. Like Index and Orsola had guessed, the walls of the flagship were different from the escort ships. Kamijou leapt inside, and at the same time, the numerous golems crashed into the dead end. With their huge momentum, the golems that crashed into the wall broke into pieces that scattered all over the place. The little bits of ice danced about like smoke. However, Kamijou had no time to confirm that. He looked around the room and tried to grasp the landscape, only to stop midway. This place was like the second level seats of a theater. In contrast to the glowing translucent seats that extended several metres, the depth was only about several centimeters. Near the carefully crafted pillar, one could see the bottom. It looked like a grand ornate Opera house, but far below, there was not a stage or an auditorium, but a fan-shaped array of many tables and chairs. It was like a Parliament meeting that one sees on television. This obviously didnt fit a navy ship; these kinds of things werent needed for a command relay system. Maybe the situation with the magic side was different, or maybe this was just a symbolic magic symbol, and they didnt use it as a meeting place. Either way, Kamijou couldnt tell which it was. And he had no time to check it out. With a loud bang, the ice golems rushed into the hole that Kamijou had opened. ...!! If this kept up, he wouldnt be able to escape. After realising that his back was against a pillar, he clenched his fist before leaping towards the ice golems. The ice golems swung their ice swords horizontally. Kamijou discovered that a block of ice more than 3m tall was hacking towards his abdomen from the right. WOOOHHHH!! In order to counter, just as Kamijou was about to use his right hand to knock the broadsword away The ice golems legs crumbled on their own. From its thighs, the golem started to tilt backwards greatly. The trajectory of the swinging broadsword changed. The broadsword, which had been aimed at his abdomen, tilted as it swung up, aiming at Kamijous neck. As if it was about to avoid the right hand that was protecting the abdomen. (Damn...!!) The wind pressure caused by the broadsword caused cold sweat to emerge from Kamijous face. WOOOHHHH!! Kamijou tried his best to dodge. Maybe his hair touched the broadsword, but it didnt get cut without any resistance. He felt a sharp pain from his hair being ripped off, and could even hear a terrifying cracking sound. However, he still managed to dodge it. Kamijou endured the pain as he maintained his ducking position, as if he wanted to stay down before swinging his right fist again. After that, before the ice golem could land backwards, he slammed a punch into the chest. The golem, which had stopped moving and had its legs broken, crumbled as it lands. ...Its...over? Kamijou alertly assessed the situation and tried his best to adjust his breathing. Seemed like this was the last one, but considering the possibility of an ambush, he carefully moved toward the exit, but he didnt really need to. Kamijou entered the hole that he had opened and ended up back in the aisle. (Damn it, is Indexs group alright? I feel that breaking the walls and floors will be a lot quicker if I want to meet up with them.) On the other hand, this kind of destruction might reach the enemy. The ice golems appeared because of this feeling. According to Index and Orsola, this ships regenerating ability was extremely slow, and because of the ship control and ritual facilities, they couldnt fire cannons or send the nuns over to stop them. But that was only the current situation. If the flagship was really about to sink, they would have to send people over no matter the risks. Kamijou considered the situation. (No matter what, the main thing is...if I can get near Agnese, the leader of the enemy will deal with me as the priority, and this would be a matter of time. Theres no reason to hesitate about using my right hand!!) He quickly made this resolution, and just as Kamijou was about to smash the wall with his right fist, an electronic noise could be heard from his pants pocket. It was his handphone ringing. (...My handphone?) Kamijou surveyed the surroundings, confirming that no one was around before taking his handphone out. He was somewhat astonished that he could use his handphone out at sea. How far away was this place from land? As he looked at the screen, what surprised him even more was that the call was from Index. He pressed the button and placed the phone near his ear. As he had to defend himself with his right hand, he could only use his left hand. Though the handphone had ordinary functions, his fingers felt unfamiliar with the phone. After that. Ah, its connected. ...Is that Orsola? Why are you using Indexs phone? I thought the fastest way to contact you would be to use this. Where are you? Even if you ask that, I dont know... He turned around to look, but there didnt seem to be anything that he could use as a landmark. It was more like there were some extravagant art pieces all around, and there was even the possibility that he was buried by them. I was fighting off 20C30 ice golems, now Im not sure where exactly Im at. ...You can still say such scary words so casually. Im...escaping with Index. There seems to be more of those ice guardians at the other places... Index and Orsola didnt have Kamijous power, the Imagine Breaker. Also, they didnt excel in magic combat. If they were to take the ice golems head on, it would be tough for them. Orsola. Im...at the road where I broke off from you. Which direction did you two go? Direction? Yeah. Just a rough one will do. Tell me. About that...I suppose, north. Got it. Kamijou replied. Ill head over. He held the phone with his left hand and swung his right hand about at the walls. With the sound of things breaking, a square-shaped hole appeared on the wall and the decorations inside. Kamijou passed through the wall that he destroyed, and continued to destroy the walls inside, ignoring the sight of paths or walls. Hold up, Index has something to say to you... Gimme gimme! Touma, can you hear me? That familiar voice could be heard from the phone. Touma, I just heard from Orsola that the Queen of the Adriatic Sea requires some other spell called the Appointed Time of the Rosary, is that true? Thats supposed to be it...wait, didnt I mention it during the strategic meeting? Maybe I didnt hear it. Do you suspect my memory? Hearing the other party say this, Kamijou was speechless. This was the girl who managed to memorise 103,000 grimoires flawlessly, so she shouldnt be mistaken. Kamijou again destroyed the ice walls as he got onto another path. This...I didnt ask. I heard that Lucia and Angelene werent certain of it as well. After saying this, Indexs voice could be heard. I heard they said that to activate this Appointed Time of the Rosary is to crush Agneses mind. At this moment, Index, who was on the other side of the phone, let out a frustrated voice. It was rare for her to let out such a voice because of magic. ...Touma, the activation of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea doesnt need such an additional spell. What? Kamijou inadvertently stopped. He cautiously looked around while still focusing on the phone call. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea is an ancient level spell, and I explained before that its originally a large-scale spell that can suppress an enemy and was created in case the seaside country Venezia decided to revolt. And after that? Just think carefully. In other words, they cant spend some time just to activate it. To select a suitable person and preparations would take quite a lot of time. Would they be able to defend against Venezias attacks if they waited like this? Kamijou couldnt help but let out a surprised Ah. Now that she mentioned it, it really seemed so. He had been tricked by the size of the fleet, and basically, this was a counterspell. It would be useless if it couldnt react to the enemys attacks, unable fire immediately. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea can already fire on its own. If so, does that Appointed Time of the Rosary really exist? At least according to the 103,000 grimoires, not one mentions the need for it. Basically, I cant think of any reason why the Roman Catholics would attack Venezia now. Index paused for a while, then continued. From the time it was completed, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea was said to be a large-scale spell that was too powerful. As it affected Venezia heavily while Venezia was the worlds trading landmark, they could have caused a huge commotion within. But in the beginning, when it was needed the most, its really hard to think of who would do such a thing. But Lucia and Angelene didnt look like they were lying. That was right. Right now, the Roman Catholics were planning to use Agnese as the crux of their plan. If the Queen of the Adriatic Sea could be used anytime, the reason why they would be delaying was because the Appointed Time of the Rosary wasnt ready. The Appointed Time of the Rosary. Though Lucia and Angelene said that this was the key activating it, even they werent too sure about the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. What do you think theyre trying to do by using that with the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, Index? Do you know what kind of spell the Appointed Time of the Rosary is? Mm...instead of saying that its the official name of the spell, its more like the name of a plan thats limited to the inner group of the Roman Catholics. It may be hard to understand with just that, but Appointed Time and Rosary are just basically timing. Kamijou stepped on the small fragments of ice and used his right hand to destroy another wall. The Cross, youre talking about the Cross that nuns wear on their necks, right? Actually, besides the Cross, the necklace is also important. There are 59 beads on the rope chain, and this is something of old Catholicism. People who travel to all kinds of Holy places would use these beads and count how many times they have prayed. ...In other words, regarding this Appointed Time of the Rosary, isnt it like a countdown? Or something like that? It was unknown whether Kamijous muttering reached Index and Orsolas ears. The reason was, BOOM!! With a sharp sound, the ceiling collapsed. Eh!? Kamijou instantly backed off. But just this alone was unable to let him escape from the falling ice. The area around the centre of impact was also affected, and the surrounding ceiling became a huge weapon that was like an inverted pyramid. DAMN IT!! Kamijou moved his right hand up from the side of his abdomen. Seeing the ceiling that was carved out in a square shape and about to crush him, Kamijou tilted his body slightly to avoid it. The ceiling slammed hard onto the floor, the impact affecting his ears and the tiny fragments hit his back. The force was a bit unexpected, and the handphone in Kamijous left hand let out a weird sound. Right now, he didnt have time to even press a button. Kamijou violently folded the phone back into his pocket and took 2C3 steps back. The tiny frost-like pieces of ice replaced the smoke as they swayed about in front of his eyes. At the centre, there was a man standing there. He just swung a sledgehammer down at where Kamijou was standing. It was a forty-plus year-old Caucasian man who was wearing a luxurious Holy robe. Though his clothes were luxurious, they didnt have the cleanliness that Indexs clothes had. All the clothing gave off an upstart presence. The four necklaces on his neck were overlapping each other like age rings, and there were ten Crosses on each of them. The Crosses were shining really brightly and were likely made of highly polished gold or silver. The shine of these Crosses was really persistent, like thick fat that seeps into meat. Like a psychotic move, the man stroked a Cross that was hanging on his neck. Though he was staring at Kamijou, his black pupils were moving about. ...That right hand. Unexpectedly, he spoke in Japanese. Ha, are you envious? Hearing Kamijous reckless response, the man frowned. He silently showed some slight disgust and anxiousness. Youre not convinced? If rejecting Gods grace is your nature, then using that as a weapon is even more of a sin. If you have heard of Gods teachings, you should immediately cut off that hand and immediately beg for Gods grace. Such chilling words. What was scary wasnt the content of the words, but the concentrated amount of emotion, that was like crushed yellow fat, in those words. Besides, Pagan monkeys cant understand human words. I specially spoke in your language, and yet this is the answer I get? Then let me, Biagio Busoni, open your eyes, you enemy of God. I really cant stand monkeys acting like humans. Youre Biagio? Then, you should know where Agnese is, right? I know, but that doesnt mean Ill tell you. The man called Biagio folded his arms. A little metal sound could be heard. Each of his hands was holding a Cross that had been hanging on his neck. He tossed the Cross in front of Kamijous abdomen. The Cross reveals the rejection to evil. BOOM!! The two Crosses expanded. The rate they were expanding was like a cannon firing. They instantly became 3m long and 40cm thick as they attacked. It was like a storm of metal muscles attacking. WOOHH!! Kamijou used his right fist to knock aside the Crosses that had become a wall, but he only managed to destroy one side. Meanwhile, the sharp end of the other Cross on the other side, that was like granite, sent him flying back. The blunt sound caused by this intense impact could be heard. Kamijou was knocked to the ground, and rolled back about 2C3m. Just as he was about to use his hand to lift himself off the floor, the ice wall reacted to Kamijous right hand. With a cracking sound, the floor was carved up in a square shape, and Kamijou fell onto the path on the floor below. As he was inside a ship that was made completely of ice, there was nothing to cushion the impact. Kamijou gritted his teeth as he endured the pain, carefully using his left hand to support himself. From the large hole above his head, Biagios voice could be heard. When St. Margaret was swallowed by the evil dragon, she expanded the Cross to stab the evil dragons stomach from the inside. The Cross that the Church erects can also be used to eliminate enemies and create a safety zonejust like this. From the hole in the ceiling, 2C3 Crosses were tossed down like grenades. The Crosses immediately expanded in the air. Instead of saying that these were Crosses, they were more like laser weapons flying all around. Kamijou immediately got onto the floor and rolled, as the Crosses that were like metallic muscles scraped past the tip of his nose, the four sides of the Crosses stabbed into the floor and walls. As the arrangement was really messy; it was hard to tell which direction the attack was coming from. Just like that the straight path was sealed off. (Damn it...got to find an exit before my movements are sealed!!) Just as Kamijou was about to swing his right hand, another sound could be heard from above. On the other hand, the Cross has the ability to correct peoples prideful nature, no matter the weight of it. The Virgin St. Lucia was pulled with ropes by 1,000 men and 2 bulls yet didnt move. And the young St. Christopher who was famous for his strange powers, yet fell under the weight of the Son of Godthatll be like...this. CRACK!! The ceiling split apart. What were falling down from the broken ceiling were several Crosses that were only several centimetres long. However, they were as fast as a cannon shot...not only that, they were rather heavy, as if gravity had increased by several thousand times. Kamijou used his body to slam into the giant Cross and extended his right hand out. Before confirming whether there were any obstacles breaking, he rolled to the front, and the huge weight of the Cross narrowly grazed past Kamijous shoulder. Just like that, his joint felt painful, as if it nearly popped out, and the pain immediately spread around. ...! GYAAAHHH!! Even so, he continued to use his right hand to destroy the walls, jumping from the aisle into a cabin. He intended to take action and try to avoid Biagios aiming. Dont destroy it too much. Itll take quite some time to repair it. The ceiling broke again, as numerous Crosses fell down from above Kamijou. The unexpectedly heavy Crosses turned into metal stakes as they destroyed the Cabin. Kamijou didnt really jump aside, but rather managed to avoid them by pressing his back against the wall. Biagio leapt down the hole in the ceiling. Small pieces of ice flew like frost when he stepped onto the cracked floor. Kamijou kept his back onto the wall. Preaching about dont destroy, yet arent you the one destroying it recklessly? I know which parts need to be destroyed, and which shouldnt. Your method is too messy. Oh yeah, its like letting an amateur without knowledge take care of some antiques. I know youre working hard, but you have to learn. Biagios proper and speckles expression was starting to show some signs of anxiety. Index said before that this flagship controlled the other ships. Once the ice decorations continued to change shape, the escort ships would move with the signal given...if so, Kamijous right hand had more or less done some damage to the controls of the ship. Humph. Looks like this broken ship repairs itself a lot slower than the other ships. Worked so hard to get into this main ship, yet this place is weaker than the other ships. So disappointing. The Queen of the Adriatic Seas original defense is a good 200 times stronger than the other escort ships. But because the power was separated to the other ships, it affected the completion rate there. The there youre talking about is? The Appointed Time of the Rosary. Its too soon already, stop acting dumb. ... The Appointed Time of the Rosary again. Index said before that this additional spell was unrelated to the Queen of the Adriatic Sea spell meant to suppress Venezia. Though Biagios words may not be completely true, to continue to try and do such a disadvantageous thing, was there any important significance behind it? No matter what, as long as I beat you and save Agnese, itll be all over. Im not thinking too much, so let me settle this simply. Those words show that youre going against Gods will; this is quite heretical. Biagio pulled off 7 Crosses from his neck, And tossed them into the air like he was saying farewell. Then, my Cross will reject this evil. Part 5 On the same ship, nobody could stay put for even one minute. Tatemiya Saiji used the wooden bridge that he made to get off one sinking ice escort ship onto a neighbouring ship. Before his eyes, a newly formed ice ship emerged from the water, replacing the ship that was just destroyed. Ah! Damn it! Why is it endless!!? He used the side of his Flamberge to knock down 2C3 nuns from the Agnese Forces as he shouted out. He pulled out some bundles of paper from his pockets. After using the paper bundles, boards that looked like surfboards appeared out of nowhere. The number of boards matched the number of people, as they stuck onto the back of the nuns. The ship was quickly sunk by the cannon fire. Even so, considering the number of people, it was impossible to carry all the unconscious nuns and move about. Thus, the Amakusa could only prepare such a floating ring to prevent the unconscious nuns from drowning. If they created a huge wooden ship, it would end up being fired at. (Though we would definitely save them, its really unsettling to leave the sinking ships like that.) Tatemiya lowered his jaw as he heard the audio broadcast echo throughout, saying that they were about to bomb this ship. Seemed like most of the controls of the ship were automatic. Thus, no matter how many people they beat, it was ineffective on the fleet itself. In terms of pure fighting power, the more than 200 nuns were terrifying, but the large number of cannons was even worse. If they couldnt settle this current problem, they wouldnt be able to change the situation. The Amakusa could only endure it until the end. (Cheh, if possible, I want to hurry up and destroy that flagship, even if its a little bit.) But Tatemiya didnt do so. If the main forces of the Amakusa moved towards the flagship, the nuns would come after them as well. The battleground would change, and Kamijous group would end up getting involved. The base under the floor was the real base. Tatemiya gently swung his wave-bladed longsword. Cant be helped. I can only take care of this side, and let the proceedings be smooth!! With this cry, he rushed towards a group of nuns gathered in a corner. Part 6 Then, my Cross will reject this evil. The seven Crosses suddenly expanded as if they were exploding. The metal sparks that the Crosses made flew about freely in the air. Kamijou used his right hand to forcefully press onto the wall behind him, and immediately, he fell through the square hole and onto the other side of the wall. The thick and huge bone-like Crosses stabbed hard into the floor, walls, and ceiling. Kamijou continued to roll on the floor. To think that youd come up with such a thing, damn it!! You guys dont have any right to do this to Venezia!! A pity, youve guessed wrongly. That isnt my target. From where the barrage was coming from, Biagio smiled. WHAT DID YOU SAY!? Then, Ill say it to you for free. Whats the point of me doing that? But never mind...at least its a lot more interesting than what you thought. !! Kamijou gritted his teeth as he used the momentum caused by rolling to get up. He clenched his right fist, retraced his escape path, and rushed at Biagio. However, before that, All sorts of meanings exist for the Cross, and most of them were added after the Son of God was executed. The Cross itself already existed before that, but all the purposes that existed before that time were wiped away by Christianity, because those were of evil pagan beliefs. Biagio continued on. He chose a favourite Cross of his from among the numerous Crosses in front of his chest, psychotically stroking them with his fingertips, and said, Among them, only one has the remaining meaning that exists from the ancient times. Thats the most important thing to Christianity, and the most ancient use that has relation to the Son of God. Thats Kamijou used his right hand to destroy the huge Crosses that were between him and Biagio. Just as he was about to leap at Biagio, the man in a luxurious Holy robe pulled the Cross down as if he was pulling his clothes up, and raised it above his head. a tool of execution. Biagio used a low, yet mocking sound that lacked seriousness to say, Simon bears the Cross of the Son of God. CRACK. Hearing this, Kamijous vision suddenly changed drastically. ...Ah? He was hit somewhere near his right shoulder, and a sense of pain struck. After shaking his head, he found that his vision was tilted upside-down, as if his body was hung upside-down by the tail. After his face touched the floor, Kamijou realised that...he was upside down. It took him several seconds for him to realise this phenomenon. (What just...) He had been attacked? But he didnt understand what just happened. In the past, he knew that he was attacked, so he could defend and avoid. But this time, it was different. He couldnt even tell when he was going to be attacked. A sure kill. In Kamijous confused mind, this phrase lodged tightly into him. Even if he wanted to get up, he didnt have any strength in his hands. Even if he lay down and tried to get up, he would be crushed in an instant. His mind started to go blank. At this moment, a little metal sound could be heard, turning Kamijous consciousness outside. It was the numerous Crosses colliding in mid-air that was letting out this sound. The Cross reveals the rejection to evil. With a low sound, the sounds of flesh being hammered and the ice floor being destroyed continued to echo throughout. Part 7 Index and Orsola were running about in an aisle of the flagship Queen of the Adriatic Sea. From the outside, the flagship looked more than 2 times larger than the other escort ships, yet the width of the pathways didnt seem different...but that wasnt the case. There were ordinary statues of Angels on both sides of the path, and even a door was intricately carved in the form of a fairy tale scene. The huge number of art pieces suppressed the originally wide aisle. Not even a deluxe palace and majestic palace were enough to describe this scene. Only an exaggerated comparison like a palace made of gold or a diamond pyramid would be suitable in describing it. In reality, this scene made one feel really uncomfortable. Orsola held onto the silver Angel Staff with both hands as she ran down the path, looking around as she said to Index, ...This place is so quiet its frightening me. Thats because their work was already assigned. Index softly replied, Nobody expected the enemy to get inside the flagship in the first place. Before thatthe enemy had removed all the enemies, thus the enemy ship has to specialise for the escort fleet to work smoothly...or something like that. If thats the case... Orsola continued to make sounds of footsteps while she continued to run. The other nuns arent here because even though theyre of the same kind; theyre not allowed to step onto the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. This is to prevent the nuns from defecting. After running for a while, they reached the entrance to a staircase. The staircase led both up and down, yet Index ran downstairs without any hesitation. Orsola seemed rather panicky as she followed her. Wait, do you know where Agnese is? Of course! Index immediately replied, I roughly know the functions of this Queen of the Adriatic Sea ship. Though I dont know what kind of thing the Appointed Time of the Rosary is, the place most suitable for the spell in the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is fixed. Thus theres only that place!! The stairs were extremely long, as if they were surrounding a large tower. After running down the stairs for a long while, both of them finally reached the bottom of the stairs. This is... Orsola lowered her voice. The place was like a hall. In this overly spacious place, ahead of them were double doors that were twice the size of Orsola. It was unknown how thick the doors were, maybe even thicker than Orsolas body. The entrance to the hall didnt just link to the staircase Indexs group came from. There were numerous staircases linking here, as if all of them were linked here. What an intriguing design. Someone completely ignored the basics in shipbuilding. Assuming that to even barely get past this design, one had to swim around all the pillars and beams, if they really had to do this Instead of saying that they prepared a room in the ship... Its more like they decorated the surroundings of this room in the shape of a ship. Index got near the main door. She placed her face near the door, and wanted to touch it, only to stop midway. The door here...has a defensive spell placed on it. Most likely, its based on the legend of St. Blaise. When the pagan army chased after the Saint who crossed the lake, they werent able to walk on water, and sank into the water. This means...youre saying that those without entry permit will be dragged into the water once they touch the door? Even on the flagship, Index and Orsola hadnt met anyone. Looking at the entire situation, the only ones who could open this door were Agnese and Biagio. Index glanced at Orsola. Hm, if its a direct method. That should be the case. Index was the keeper of 103,000 grimoires, while Orsola was a grimoires and spells analyst. Facing this difficult scenario, both of them first thought of the same thing. Index brought her nose close to the door and reinvestigated it. She was analyzing the components of the thick ice wall. Orsola continued to stand aside, holding the Angel Staff, wary that Index may be taken down by the defensive mechanism. But, On the floor around them, there were ice pillars that were larger than humans. There werent just one or two, but 10C20 of them. The ice pillars started to form shapes as if an invisible blade was carving them out. This... Theyre here to replace those nuns!? Besides the ice golems, there were two carriages with cannons on them. The golems and even the cannons were slowly aiming at them. ! Orsola immediately raised the Angel Staff in front of her. Though she was not used to combat, Index didnt have a weapon with her, and couldnt use magic. Thus, Orsola felt that she had to fight against the golems. Aim at the centre!! Index shouted before leaping sideways. The golems and cannons turned towards her. It was more like they were forcefully pulled by magnetism rather than it being a defensive mechanism. Index jumped into a lane, and said, Go and save Agnese! Ill divert their attention here!! Dont worry, these guards can sense a persons will, so I can use my Spell Intercept on them!! According to Indexs hypothesis, these ice guards were made from the keeper of the Queens Fleet. Thus, they couldnt let their guard down completely. Approximately after every few minutes, the keeper would prepare a battle report and point of intervention to see whether there was a need to correct it. Just like Sherry Cromwell and the stone golem that she controlled, Ellis. If it was not completely automatic, she could intervene. No matter how advanced the magic was, the one operating it was still human. But!! Before Orsola could rebut, a strong wind blew. All the guards passed by Orsola and rushed after Index, who had disappeared in the lane. Like a gravel truck rapidly moving past, the air was compressed to form wind. With a *BOOM!!* sound, Orsola instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she couldnt see Index, the golems, or the cannons. INDEX!! Orsola, who was holding onto the Angel Staff with one hand, shouted. But no matter how much time passed, there was no reply. Part 8 Agnese Sanctis was leaning on the ice ball, listening to the sounds outside. ... The sound of cannons being fired, the sound of blades colliding with each other, the sound of ships being blown up, the sound of angry cries of humansand the sound of people fighting outside the room just now. All these were because of her. To take away Agnese, to protect Agnese: the fight continued for these reasons. Whats with this? she thought. It felt like everyone was worried for her. This shouldnt be the case at all, yet they caused a misunderstanding in her. She thought that this was the highest point. Even if she left here, she could only go down. However, Could she still continue to rely on others? Could she still continue to have this hope? (...) Agnese Sanctis continued to let her mind wander. After that, She shook her head left and right. There was a cracking sound. The double-sided doors that were sealed perfectly and unnaturally started to make an opening sound. Agnese turned to look at the doors. It was not the boy she met on the escort ship, but it was not like she hadnt seen this person on the Queens Fleet. Orsola...Aquinas? The nun in black habit was supposed to be chased out of the Roman Catholic Church, yet she was still wearing that nun''s habit. For some reason, she was holding Agneses staff with both hands. It was not hard to remove the defensive spell on the doors, but maybe because Orsola had focused too much in her casting, her breathing was somewhat hot and erratic. Even so, she didnt look tired. Seeing the face of Agnese, who was leaning on the ice ball, Orsola gave a radiant smile. You... Orsola said. To Agneses ears, these sounded like words of a saintess. Its great that youre alright... For her to say such words, was it because she knew of the circumstances surrounding Agnese? She knew as much as Agnese did? Maybe even more. Because of this, seeing Agneses unscathed face, Orsola could make this expression. She definitely did that. And because she did that. ...Wh...Why? Agnese asked in a dazed tone. You should know what the situation is like right now, right? Dont you really want to leave the Queens Fleet? You said that you dont want to stay in this dangerous place. You know that there are so many unreasonable facilities, so you promised to leave. But why did you come back with this expression? You really flatter me. Orsola laughed bitterly, I cant just see everything based on first glance. Even the layout of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, I needed Index to teach me this in order to understand it. Im not so sure about the Appointed Time of the Rosary. Orsola held onto the silver staff tightly with both hands, and said, ...And even if I do, nobody will teach me how to escape from here. We cant just help everyone and leave you behind when youre not telling anyone of your pain. So... Agnese softly replied. She felt that the Orsola who was in front of her was a lot different from what she had thought her to be. Thats why I say that youre strange. I actually wanted to help Lucia and Angelene using myself as bait, but thats it. As long as the results are perfect, the steps taken dont matter. Arent you satisfied? Every time she said a word, Agnese felt that she was really even more pitiful. Even so, she continued on, Do you still remember what I did during The Book of the Law affair? The one who forced you to Japan, arrested you and abused you WAS ME! One would not even care about that sort of person! To be bullied to this extent, HOW CAN YOU NOT HATE ME!? Do I really have to say the answer to that question? Orsola silently said, Because you knew about all these, you would hide it from us and divert the attention to Lucia and Angelene, right? You knew that if we knew about this, wed stop you. If you still want a clear answer, Ill deliver it to you myself. She stared at Agneses face, In actual conclusion, I dont know the answer. Im still undergoing nun training. I have no confidence about myself, always thinking that I know whats right and whats wrong, or have wisdom and conscience to decide this for others, and for myself. She continued, At least, Lucia and Angelene decided that they have a duty to save you. ... Agnese turned silent. Even when Lucia escaped to a safe place, she said that she wanted to save you, and came back. Angelene said that she was afraid of hurting her comrades, so she was hesitant in making her weapons...I dont think theres a false sense in their words. In that situation, the ones who were even more perfect than anyone were them I cant match them. Word by word, these slow words had no coercive force in them. Even so, Agnese stopped breathing. Are you unsatisfied with Lucia and Angelenes words? Orsola said to the petite nun, Even when they only saw despair and were chased by many, they still wanted to smile and laugh with everyone. Dont you think these words are enough? Agnese slightly glanced at Orsolas eyes. Her lips were trembling, as if they were trying to say something. Thats impossible. Are you so na?ve to think that the Roman Catholics will sit by and do nothing? A mans voice suddenly interrupted, That would be an inconvenience for me, Sister Agnese; you cant escape your responsibility. Its true that the Roman Catholics have 2 billion people. Even if you die here, the plan will still go on. Well just find another suitable person. But do you know how hard it is to find a suitable person among these 2 billion people? Troublesome, isnt it? I really hate troublesome things the most. These light words destroyed all goodwill. Orsola turned to look behind her, where the voice came from. The forty-plus year-old man was wearing a luxurious Holy robe. There were 4 necklaces on his neck, each full of Crosses hanging on it. His face revealed a distorted asymmetrical smile. Biagio Busoni. Also, his hand was dipped in blood. That likely wasn''t his blood. There didnt seem to be any visible wound, and there was no look of pain on his face. ...Whats with that blood? So cold, you dont have to worry about me. Ill answer your question because I hate troublesome things. So, in other words, I settled it. ... Orsola tightened her grip on the Angel Staff. Even Agnese, who was standing nearby and watching all of this, was clear that Orsola wasnt familiar with fighting at all. She was the type of nun that would fight on the table and was of a completely different breed from Biagio and Agnese. Before talking about strengths and weaknesses, the basic premise wasnt the same at all. It was like someone in desert get-up trying to cross Antarctica. Biagio probably saw through it right at the start. He continued to have an expression of leisure. Not even a defensive stance. If possible, Id like to avoid fighting here; there are a lot of delicate things here. Why do you think I prepared all the defenses around the Queens Fleet? Its because that it would be troublesome if things were going to be destroyed here. ...To use a large-scale spell on Venezia. Are you trying to let an outdated antique regain its glory? Humph, this seems to be a common misunderstanding. However, that is wrong. Were not going to use this on the marine country, but something bigger. Youre still so carefree. Orsola said. Agnese thought that this wasnt good. Biagios common tactic was to have a conversation with the enemy without the enemy realising that he was estimating the distance between the enemy and himself. Yes. Its alright even if I say it to you. This is still within my ability, after all. Also, since this is a ritual that one must do for a person whos about to die, of course this is acceptable. Oh yes, I said the same thing to the boy just now. No, its more of an explanation. Itll be even more troublesome if you continue to resist, but this is still acceptable, so I hope that youll allow this level of stubbornness of mine. Orsola instinctively took a step forward. In contrast, Biagio didnt do anything. It was like there was no need to notice the enemys movements. Where was I? Oh yes, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. I suppose you know that that was originally a spell intended to be used against Venezia. Though it could destroy Venezia in one shot, there wasnt any use other than that. The reason is simple: if it landed in the hands of the enemy, it would be bad if it was used back on us. Biagio stroked a Cross on his neck. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea was completed in the 9th century...when the remains of one of the twelve Apostles, St. Mark was brought into Venezia. At that time, Venezia wanted to create a religious environment like how the Vatican protected St. Peters remains. Wary of this, the Roman Catholics created such a spell. Hearing him say this, Orsola suddenly frowned. She knew this wasnt the time to ask this, but she still asked, Are you lying? Venezias development began in the 9th century. If the Queen of the Adriatic Sea was already capable at that time... Thats right. After that, Venezia, at its prime, conquered Padova, Vicenza, Metz, Chioggia, all these surrounding countries. You should know about this history, right? ...Are you trying to bait my thoughts with this level of knowledge? There were actually many reasons, and its said that one of the reasons was the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. At that time, the Venetian government was unable to determine where this large scale super weapon was, and thus could only destroy those suspicious places. Its not unexpected for the Roman Catholics to plan on using the Queen of the Adriatic Sea after what Venezia did... in the end, they were afraid and didnt use it. Though Venezias power was great, if they lost this land, it was hard to predict the impact it would have caused economically. ... However, Venezia spent a lot of money to finance these invasions and finally ended up in financial distress. The country crumbled, and thus, you cant ignore its strength. Of course, this wasnt just because of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea...just looking at the results, I suppose our aim was achieved. Even when you didnt use it, you could destroy a country by just using the fear of a large-scale super weapon...but, Hearing Orsola say this so softly, Biagio grinned. Yes, that is it. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea can only be used on Venezia. No matter how attractive it is, theres no point if we dont remove the targeting limit. Right now, Venezia is a clean tourist destination, and the Roman Catholics now have no reason to separate themselves from Venezia. Then why is it? Just as Orsola was about to ask this, she stopped. There was a little possibility in Biagios words. Thats right, you discovered it. Biagio Busoni concluded, The aim of the Appointed Time of the Rosary is to remove the targeting limit of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. Orsola stopped breathing. Agneses eyes widened. Maybe she hadnt heard of this. The Bishop continued on without caring about this, a smile appearing on his face. That was so long. No, actually, the one who set up the Appointed Time of the Rosary wasnt me, but them. Really, it must have been really long, huh? We have such a great weapon in the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, yet to use it more, we had to spend quite some effort! That was the reason why this was left alone for so many hundred years!! No way... Orsola inadvertently let out a sound. Then, you want to use the Queen of the Adriatic Sea to destroy any city thats an eyesore? To use a large-scale spell so that you can brag that you can destroy the marine country called Venezia that was also famous for its strong magic!!? Youre misunderstanding. Were not talking about cities, were talking about the world. Biagio said delightedly. As if it was like the fairy tale of The Kings ears are donkey ears. Hoho, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea doesnt just destroy cities, but also everything related to the city. Like, if Venezia is destroyed, whether its all the art pieces or sculptures, all of them will be destroyed! This Venetian Sect knowledge will disappear. Hm? Something like this, what if its used on the city that controls the enemy world? The enemy world. The city controlling it. From these words, Orsola at least got what Biagios trying to say. Dont tell me...Academy City!? Thats right, Sister Orsola. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea can destroy all the influence that a city brings. All the science and technology is affected by Academy City, even the trivial stuff!! If we can destroy all those, which would include half of the world, the detestable force called the Science side WOULD ALL BE PURGED WITHIN A SINGLE NIGHT!!! Such chilling words. Biagios words indicated a tone that he believed only those he sees exist. The people that didnt exist in his life were just background silhouettes. The destruction of the Science side wasnt as easy as cutting the world in half, but rather, people would die. Do you really think that everyone will be happy if Academy City is destroyed? I dont think so. There are also parasites among the Magic side. The English Anglicans, the Russian Orthodox, Islam which took away the Cross, Buddhism and Norse Mythology. We just need to continue on and destroy all the obstacles! ONE DAY, ALL THE IMPURE THINGS WILL BE REMOVED, AND ONLY THE ROMAN CATHOLICS WILL BE LEFT!! You...!! The Queen of the Adriatic Sea, which was meant to prevent Venezia from revolting, didnt need a second shot. But from Biagios words, this may have been overcome. (Maybe Lucia and the other nuns were forced to do those weird things...those were preparations to remove the limitations...) Orsola thought, but didnt utter a word. On the other hand, Biagio seemed irritated with her trembling as he continued. It seemed like he lost all his enthusiasm as his speech was a lot slower. It isnt thorough enough. Since when has religion become a cheap tool? Sodom and Gomorrah were definitely burned, yet science pointed out that a religious trial is an error. This is the real misunderstanding. Why must God endure this for humans? If there are people who are bad to God, theres nothing wrong with erasing them. This is nothing different from burning weeds, even if people are burnt in the process, it cant be helped. To use a spell of such a scale with such thinking, how much damage would be caused? Just to burn an enemy, it may end up with the entire city getting burned. This would end up as the greatest tragedy in Christian history. Biagio glared at Orsola. Seeing the trembling nun, the Bishop was drunk with delight as he let out a trembling and excited voice, This is the Roman Catholics wish, so well be really troubled if you trouble us here. Besides, Im not going to let you take Agnese away from here. I should be the one saying that! Orsola said as she waved the Angel Staff. Biagio sighed in an uninterested manner, I told you not to trouble us. The moment he said this, the winner was decided. Orsola started to chant spells in order to activate the Angel Staff, but it was too late. It could be said that she was too careful. In battle, one only needs to convey the meaning, but Orsola focused as she started to create a spell, as if shes trying to carve a face out. She wouldnt be able to make it. In contrast, Biagio just stroked the Cross on his neck. The Cross reveals the rejection to evil. As he muttered this, he easily pulled 30 Crosses and tossed them at Orsolas feet. Orsola got wary as she tried to knock away those Crosses with the staff. BOOM!! Before she could do anything, the little decorations expanded as if they were exploding. That was a real explosion: the speed at which they expand was like a storm expressed by metal. As if a metal rod broke past a door, one of the Crosses was able to knock the Angel Staff from Orsolas hand. Agnese, who was behind Orsola, gasped. Another 20 Crosses attacked an unarmed Orsola. The second volley expanded above her shoulders, hitting downwards as if the Crosses were about to dislocate her joints. Just as she was recoiling from the impact, the third volley exploded above her as she bent down. The loud sounds of a mauling echoed throughout the room, as Orsolas legs turned limp and collapsed hard onto the ice floor. Even so, she unsteadily tried to get up. Hoho! Stop it, Sister Orsola!! Biagio didnt even move a step. Maybe because this plan that had taken quite a while was about to be completed, he was smiling. He pulled another Cross from his four necklaces and tossed it. The Cross arced greatly over Orsolas head as if it was a bouquet of flowers thrown into a crowd by a bride. The weight of the Cross corrects the haughty. In an instant, the Crosses in the air let out a vibrating sound. The Crosses that were instantly affected by numerous of thousands times of gravity flew near Orsolas rear. The ice floor exploded on impact and the floor was flipped up. Orsola was in a crouching position as she felt the impact, and rolled sideways. Even so. Even though she had lost her weapon, she felt the hits all over her body. Orsola tried to move her fingers slightly. Just to resist. Humph, I said before that you should stop. I didnt become a Bishop by skin-deep impressions. I can release all the multiple meanings of the Cross and use all kinds of power. If you want to kill me, be prepared to explode a Cathedral! The English Anglicans have the Walking Church. Even without that, I alone can match against a sanctuary!! After that, Biagio looked away from Orsola. He said to Agnese, who was standing behind him, Its a bit early, but lets start, Sister Agnese. Eh...? Hearing these words, Agnese looked surprised as she stared at Biagio. The Bishop didnt look disgusted. The Amakusa on the deck, and Sister Orsola whos over there; though theyre really unsightly, they wont really affect the Appointed Time of the Rosary that is meant to remove the limitations of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. Hoho...Ive awaited this for a long time. Are you people trying to suffocate me to death? PREPARE TO LEAVE YOUR NAME IN HISTORY, SISTER AGNESE!! With Biagios words, the ice ball that Agnese was leaning on started to change. Its beginning to adjust. You just need to let your magic synchronise with the Appointed Time of the Rosary and the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. HURRY UP AND SETTLE THIS AND REPORT THIS TO THE VATICAN!! A large hole appeared on the ball as if a pupil in an eye expanded. It was like it was trying to tell her to hurry up and go in. ...! HOW CAN I...LET YOU DO THAT!! You still want to resist with that body of yours? Or do you wish for me to continue to rob your freedom? Biagio didnt even look at Orsolas face. He used his fingers to stroke the Crosses on his neck, and said, Its about to start. Be happy, Sister Agnese. Youll go down in history as the one who buried the most enemies in Christian history. This is your long time wish, right when you first used that Angel Staff! ... On hearing Biagios words, Agnese nodded her head in a dazed manner. Looking down, she could see the Angel Staff rolling on the floor. His words couldnt be wrong. In fact, before The Book of the Law affair, this was also the reason why she had wanted to kill Orsola. To bury the enemies of the Roman Catholics, it was for that reason. If that boy hadnt shown up and stopped her, Agnese would have definitely killed Orsola and been delighted. Removing her own enemies was what Agnese had always wanted. But, You...the enemies that you mentioned include Agnese...! Orsola, who had been nearly killed by Agnese once, moved her body and actually tried to protect Agnese. Even when her body was covered with wounds and she couldnt move properly. She still dragged her body that was unable to stand up. On seeing Orsola like this, Agnese froze. Hearing Orsolas words, Biagio snarled, Right now, youre no longer a part of the Roman Catholics, but of the English Anglicans, thats why youre so anxious. If you were a Roman Catholic, you wouldnt be so afraid even if youre facing the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. You can say this because you based your actions on suspicion. This is a characteristic of us Roman Catholics. Because we can only weigh between benefits and damages, we cant understand why people would act based on their beliefs. No, even if they can understand, they wont believe it. Agnese heard those same words. She knew that the Sister named Orsola Aquinas hadnt changed since that time. I said that I cant accept it. Agnese is about to be sacrificed for this useless thing! Why would you not believe this! I cant stand the fact that a lot of people are going to be killed!! ...Is that so. The smile on Biagios face silently vanished. He played with some of the Crosses on his neck, and after that, used his finger to flick one of them. I changed my mind. Even if its a small obstacle, it should be removed completely. Hearing those words, Orsola froze. It was not just because of the actual danger, but because this nun was unused to the murderous intent that others would release. Her normal life had nothing to do with this world. Agnese thought, (Whats her reason for doing this? If she was from Academy City, I could still explain this. If she was living in the Science side, I could also understand it, because thatd be a danger to her. If she doesnt stop Biagio, forget about her normal life, even her life would be endangered.) But Orsola was different. Even if Academy City was destroyed, she wouldnt die. If Biagio aimed at the English Anglicans, she just needed to switch to another sect like how she abandoned the Roman Catholics. At least if she didnt stop the Appointed Time of the Rosary, she wouldnt be killed immediately under Biagio. Even so, why must she obstruct him? Didnt she want for even one second more? Christians love all neighbours, but are merciless. You should be clear if you read the calendar of the Saints legends. Biagio said as he stroked the Cross on his neck. The force exerted by his fingers was like a snake, slithery yet firm. One could feel an unprecedented seriousness. She will die, Agnese thought. Thus, Agnese said behind Orsola, ...Please...move away. No matter what, youll die; you cant stop Biagio. You wont die if you dont resist. Agnese thought, Such irritating words. It was said that before Saints were executed, some pagan officers would tempt them to abandon their faith. But, How can I do that...!! Orsola Aquinas firmly replied, as if she was a Saintess from a legend. An immediate answer. Her voice was trembling. Maybe it was because of pain, maybe there was some anxiety, maybe there was even fear, but Orsola still answered Agnese immediately. Maybe she didnt think through it too much, but because she believed that it didnt require much thought, she could say it immediately. Its over, Sister Orsola. Biagio said. This was another voice that had no hesitation in it and of a completely different resolution. Biagio Busoni would likely kill Orsola just like this. He believed in what was internal, and believed that it was definitely the correct thing. He refused to listen to others. Orsola would die. In that situation, the ones who were even more perfect than anyone were them; I cant match them. Maybe even if she didnt resist, she would still have died. Are you unsatisfied with Lucia and Angelenes words? Orsola said to an extremely weary Agnese, Even when they only saw despair and were chased by many, they still wanted to smile and laugh with everyone. Dont you think these words are enough? Not just Agnese, even Lucia and Angelene were concerned. The one who said these words was about to be killed in front of her. Hahaha! Laugh on, Sister Agnese, see how your dream is about to be crushed! Hearing Biagios words, Agneses consciousness exploded. The sound of metal colliding could be heard. ...What are you doing? Agnese didnt answer Biagios question. She was holding the Angel Staff which was supposed to be on the floor. Agnese pulled Orsola behind and reached her arms forward, grazing past her nose as Agnese let the base of the staff stick into the ground, not moving at all. The front tip of the Cross that suddenly expanded slammed hard into the Angel Staff. The Cross was originally aimed at Orsola. If she were hit, her entire forehead would have been blown off. Agnese, who was holding the staff, bit her teeth as she couldnt endure this strong impact. Agnese spit onto the floor. She roughly swung the Angel Staff around before holding it horizontally to the ground. That was unlike Orsola, who did it so carefully. EverythingTutto il paragone is taken care of. The fifth Il quinto dei cinque elementi element of the five elements. Open up,Ordina la canna che mostra pace ed ordine symbol of Peace and Order, Staff of the Bishop. It was as if these rough actions represented faith in her staff. The wordless meaning was that she believed her staff wouldnt be broken because of something trivial like this. OnePrima of the idols! That obeys theSegua la legge de Dio ed una croce Son of God and the power of the Cross, connectingDue cose diverse sono connesse to foreign bodies and people!! In contrast, Biagio completely didnt mind the weapon being pointed at him. Before that, before his question was answered, he was angry till his brain was full of blood. SISTER AGNESE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!? Oh, just as you suspect. Agnese glanced at the passionate Biagio, coldly dishing these words. She revealed a villain-like smile. Youre mistaken. I still want to take care of Sister Lucia and Sister Angelene, AND THE OTHER NUNS! TO THINK THAT THEY HAVE TO FIGHT BECAUSE OF THAT USELESS ORDER OF YOURS, IM RAGING INSIDE!! Agnese concluded, her feet not moving back. Seeing her attitude, Biagios temples jumped unnaturally. Stop acting... He bit his teeth, pulled a Cross from in front of his chest and held it up into the air. ...SO HIGH AND MIGHTY, YOU SINNER!! Pacha, a strange sound echoed. After that, AH...Ugh!? An anguished cry came from behind. Agnese frantically turned back to see that Orsola had fallen. Orsola was sitting down, cold sweat breaking out of her as her neck swung left and right. As if she lost to this action, she collapsed onto the floor. You were just a monkey, and yet you wanted to talk like humans... The Bishops lips curled. SIMON BEARS THE CROSS OF THE SON OF GOD. Biagios bellowing sounded like thunder. Before Agnese could think what happened, her vision started to distort. Wha...t!? Just as she was trying her best to suppress this vomiting feeling, she lost her balance and kneeled with one knee. If she hadnt do so, she wouldve been on the ground like Orsola. At this moment, Biagio moved near Agnese, who had a knee on the floor, and kicked hard into her jaw. The sharp tip of his hard shoe gave an irritating touch. Her body flew backwards, and collapsed. GHA...AAAH...!! She held onto the staff as she tried to get up, but she couldnt exert any strength. It was like she was so weak that she couldnt pull herself up, she couldnt even move her body up. The Angel Staff that she was so used to using couldnt work at this moment. (That attack...was...a spell.) Even so, Agnese didnt give up. She tried her best to analyse her situation. (Its...its...) From the contents of the spell, right now, Biagio should be using a spell that was based on the legacy of how the Son of God died on the Cross. However, the Son of God was killed by having nails hammered into his hands and feet, yet Agnese and Orsola didnt have these injuries. If that was the case, (Before that, there was the legend of the Son of God and the Cross. When the Son of God was forced to carry the heavy Cross that he was going to be nailed onto on his back as he walked up the hill...) ...Thats right, at that time, the Son of God...should have had no strength to carry the Cross...there was a man called Simon...who helped him carry the Cross onto the execution hill, wasnt it? (Teh_ping: Nope, Jesus here did carry the Cross up the hill himself.) Biagios eyebrows twitched slightly. After that, he smirked, Have you figured it out? Forcing the enemy to carry a heavy weight...this...is the real...form of the attack...on us. This shouldnt be...just your own weight...it should be...of all the people...on the Queens Fleet. An attack...that focuses all the weight...of the equipment...on a certain point. Is that right... Being hit by an attack that had at least 250 peoples weight, one would feel like theyd been flattened. But what was on them was only the weight; the speed didnt exist. It was like an interrogation method of putting a heavy weight on the stomach. What was surprising was that the record was more than 400kg. If it was placed slowly, humans were able endure this weight. The reason why Orsola fell faster than me was likely because the attack came down from above. Like a consciousness being drained, it normally starts from the head. Brilliant. As expected of one different from those pagan monkeys. For someone who had his attack method revealed, Biagios voice was too relaxed. BUT EVEN IF YOU KNOW, YOU CANT STOP IT!! He pulled down another one of those Crosses on his neck, and the moment he raised it high, the shrunk weight collapsed down on Agnese. Her consciousness was about to break. Once she fainted, everything would be over. As Agnese was the crux to the plan, she couldnt be killed so easily. But Orsola was different: if Agnese didnt resist, Orsola, who had no use to the plan, would be killed. She knew that. Even if she did. The attack was aimed at the highest point of the bodyso she raised the staff above her head to block it. Because of the enemys one attack, it was as if her bones were breaking as she felt this sharp pain, and the Angel Staff fell onto the floor. As her hands recoiled, she got hit in the head. Seeing her little resistance, Biagio mocked her, HAHA, WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO, SISTER AGNESE!!? USING SUCH A PATHETIC WAY TO STOP MY ATTACK? GET SOME STRONGER ARMS IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT! Ugh...!! She had no strength left to resist. Agnese gritted her teeth, as if she was ashamed that she couldnt do anything. Biagio again flicked a Cross on his chest and exerted more strength on Agnese head. Even so, Agneses continued to reach her hand out for the Angel Staff. Is that so? Then, how about this right hand? *Crack!!* The sound of things breaking could be heard. The sound came from behind Biagio, from the double doors of the huge square pyramidal room. A square opened in the door, or rather, a cuboid. Someone stepped into the room. That person raised his right hand up. He knocked away the weight attack that came down from above. Biagio turned around and roared at the intruder, YOU LITTLE...PAGAN MONKEY DARE TO!! Idiot. You should at least confirm that theres a corpse. My right hand isnt as simple as you thought!! This boy didnt ask Agnese anything. Why had she become Orsolas shield? What was with this scene that didnt fit the situation? He didnt mention this at all. Maybe because since Biagio was in front of him, he had no time to ask. This one strike from the boy, it would be even more natural to say that it was meant to save Orsola rather than Agnese. However, Agnese felt that she had salvation. She felt that this Kamijou who was in front of her had saved her. WOOOHHHH!!! Kamijou shouted as he dashed to Biagio. Biagio flicked a Cross on his chest, silently anxious as he backed away and lowered his jaw. He again released another heavy attack. Maybe this was reliance on the trump card, and with the sudden surprise of Kamijou suddenly coming over, this was probably an instant judgement. To choose the method of attack according to the danger level, this way of thinking was rather suited for actual combat. However, there were exceptions. TOO SLOW!! HOW CAN I BE DONE IN BY THE SAME TRICK TWICE!!!! The boy immediately raised his right hand to reflect the heavy attack and rushed in front of Biagio. Damn it...!? Biagio frantically reached his hand out to the Crosses. But Kamijous right fist slammed hard into the centre of Biagios face first. CRACK!! The sound of flesh colliding with each other, and the sound of bones colliding with each other echoed throughout the place. Part 9 After confirming that Biagio was unconscious, Kamijou finally relaxed his shoulders. He turned to Orsola and Agnese. While Biagios unconscious, hurry up and tie him up and confiscate his Crosses. If theyre still fighting on the deck, the situation there would be very unsettling. Oh yeah, Agnese. Um...yes. The petite nun seemed like she thought she would be scolded as she stammered. Kamijou laughed and said, Thanks. If you didnt protect Orsola, the situation would have been much worse. ... He was definitely saying thanks, but after Agnese revealed a look of surprise, she couldnt say anything. Kamijou revealed an awkward expression. (...Damn it, did I praise her the wrong way?) (...If you really think so, youre really a cute boy.) (...Ah, what? Ow, it hurts. Why did you hit me?) Orsola placed a hand on her face as she continued to smack Kamijou with the other hand. Kamijou furiously tried to block her attacks. Oh yeah, the Queens Fleet...not just that, but how do we destroy this larger scale Queen of the Adriatic Sea? Agnese is the important person required to use the Appointed Time of the Rosary. If so, I want to destroy its value, whether its the Appointed Time of the Rosary or the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, I want to destroy them to prevent them from being used again. Is there something like a nucleus? That... Agnese pondered for a while before turning to Biagio, who was unconscious on the floor. The flagship Queen of the Adriatic Sea...strictly speaking, its this square pyramidal room which were in, this cant be replaced. This is because current technology cant replicate it anymore, so once we destroy the functions here, the Queen of the Adriatic Sea cant be used again. However, the Appointed Time of the Rosary is an additional spell that the Queen of the Adriatic Sea never had, right? If this huge square pyramidal room is the core of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, the core of the Appointed Time of the Rosary should be somewhere else. Basically, it was time for the right hand to appear. Kamijou slowly let his vision fall on his fist. His job wasnt to think of any questions related to magic. Alright, whether its the Queen of the Adriatic Sea or the Appointed Time of the Rosary, theres no problem once we destroy them. Since this place cant be replaced, lets start here. After he finished saying, Kamijou turned to Agnese and Orsola. First, lets destroy this Queen of the Adriatic Sea. The ship will sink...or rather, the ice will turn back into seawater. After that, well ask our Amakusa friends to bring us aboard. Um...the Amakusas here as well... Agnese slightly coiled back. Orsola glanced at her, and continued, However, the biggest problem will be after we alight the boat. I cant direct everyone back. You have to think about what to do next Orsola didnt manage to finish. Agnese suddenly kneeled down. Agnese? Kamijou frantically reached his hand out as he wanted to carry her, but her body seemed to dodge Kamijous hand as she lay prone on the floor. The Angel Staff in her hand let out a clank. Gah... Agnese, who was lying on the floor, curled her limbs up like a baby. ...Ih...gih...GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! She bit her teeth as she let out this shout. It was unknown what happened. But from her painful expression, it was obvious that this wasnt a joke. It was unknown how painful it was, but sweat squeezed out of Agneses face like mud. Agnese!! Wha Saying this halfway through, Kamijou suddenly noticed something strange in a corner. Biagio Busoni. The Bishop that was supposed to be still unconscious staggered as he glared over. The bloodshot eyes that were turning about crazily didnt seem focused. Highly viscous saliva continued to ooze out of the corners of his mouth. After that. As if he was about to rip his chest apart, Biagios right hand grabbed all the Crosses on the four necklaces. His hand was trembling unnaturally. Orsola, who wanted to lean over and carry Agnese, shouted, The Appointed Time of the Rosary...dont tell me...HE DID SOMETHING TO AGNESE WITH THAT SPIRITUAL TOOL!! Were the preparations for the Appointed Time of the Rosary complete? But if so, why had he let Agnese move about, and not executed the plan? Without any magical knowledge, Kamijou couldnt tell. But from this situation, it was more likely that the preparations were complete. But Biagio laughed. With excitement and anxiety, he let out a fiery breath as he declared, Ha, the Appointed Time of the Rosary? It wasnt adjusted, so I can only use the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. He used an uncomfortable look to glare at Kamijou, If power is needed, I have it here. Have you ever thought about it before? The Roman Catholics feared that the cannons would be pointed back at them if this was be taken, so they put in lots of efforts to create limits on the targeting and the Queens Fleet. If it really falls in the hands on the enemy, what do you think theyll do as a last resort? Self-destruction. The Bishop of the Roman Catholics was basically happily saying that he was to be swallowed up in this as well. BIAGIOOOO!! Kamijou couldnt help but shout out. It didnt matter what the specific reasons were. The main point was that since his plan failed, he was going to bring everyone down along with him. Also, that would burn Agneses heart or turn her into a cripple. !! The surrounding lights started to shut off one by one, as if right before a film shown at a cinema. The square pyramidal room seemed to lose all the light, and one could hear the sounds of things chattering. The source of this noise came from above Kamijou, the equilateral triangles blocks that formed the wall were slowly moving out. A ray of light descended down from the far ceiling of the square pyramidal room. The light touched the numerous triangular pillars that emerged, and after reflection, inflection, diffusion, and reforming, it created a large patterned path in the air. The light didnt form a flat surface, but a dome-shaped canopy. It was like a planetariuma starry night shine that one person created for his own benefit. ...Dont ever think that you can escape. Biagio stared at the ceiling and mocked, This is a magical tool that is enhanced by alchemy and has a fleet of 250 sinners. Destroying those walls or floors isnt going to stop it so easily!! As if in response to his voice, the distorted canopy increased in brightness. As if it was coldly showing people this tools standby mode. Orsola frowned, This is bad...if this attack spell that can destroy an entire country is used...just ignoring purely on the explosiveness of the magic effects alone, the range shouldnt be less than 10km in radius. 10km. Orsolas words filled something that couldnt be imagined. ...I dont know where this is, strictly speaking, which part of the Adriatic Sea this is. If it was north of Chioggia like just now, this should be near Venezia...everything would be engulfed. Besides that, the surrounding cities of Adria and Padova are in danger as well... Not only that. It was unknown what would happen if there was a magical explosion. But assuming that this was a tactical nuke that could incinerate anything that was within 10km radius. If so, the affected areas wouldnt simply just be in the explosion. A large amount of seawater would become steam, and the high temperatures would destroy everything within the place. The several hundred degrees of steam, when carried around for numerous kilometres, could easily cook people alive. After that, the steam would cause the temperatures to increase drastically, causing changes in air pressures. Simply put, gigantic hurricanes would form. The hurricanes would engulf all buildings and deliver the final blow to streets that had been cooked by the steam. This was a double, no, triple-chained destruction. What Queen of the Adriatic Sea? Kamijou cursed. Couldnt you guys have destroyed Venezia like this without having to use this thing? Ah, AAHH...!! Agneses scream echoed throughout. She looked a lot worse. Maybe it was because she was under the cold light similar to the starry night. Kamijou used his right hand to stroke Agneses back while she was struggling in pain, but it didnt seem to completely alleviate the effect. Seemed like if he didnt destroy the Cross that Biagio was holding onto, it wouldnt be interrupted. CRACK!! The noise didnt come from Agnese, but rather, from the entire ship. Biagios selfish request seemed to cause a huge burden to the ship. Once the burden reached the limit, everything may explode together with the Queens Fleet. Orsola, get Agnese away from here and to the deck! Isnt there a ship or something? Get our Amakusa friends to hide there! If possible, get the Roman Catholics as well!! Oh, okay. Then what about you? Even if she was a bit rickety, Orsola carried Agneses body with both hands. Ever so careful, she even carried the Angel Staff. Kamijou turned his eyes from Orsola to Biagio. Ill just have to stop that guy. Ill meet up with you guys later. Hurry up and go, Orsola!! But...!? Orsola inadvertently let out a cry, but Agneses groan overlapped her voice. Besides, Biagio was slowly moving his fingers to the Cross on his neck. There was no time. Definitely...you definitely have to meet up with us later! Maybe because she felt that she couldnt do anything useful in this situation, and she couldnt do any emergency procedures to Agnese, Orsola ran out of the room after saying this. Only Kamijou and Biagio were left inside the huge pyramidal room. Inside the cracking ship, the Bishop said, ...This is why I hate this. With those bloodshot eyes, he got up from the kneeling position. That chest injury that had just been inflicted shouldnt have recovered, but even so, with that distorted strength of his, Biagio used his hands and feet to support himself. Seeing this starry phenomenon that he created himself, he said, Damn it, that bastard...what leave a mark in Roman Catholic history? Thats why I said that it was too early when I heard of the plan. Im wrecked; I can only be destroyed as a sinner. The Queen of the Adriatic Sea is the pride of the Roman Catholics, one of the Ten Holy Artifacts that includes the Apostles Cross...I have no chance of making a comeback now that I lost it. So youre going to drag everyone else into your grave? What can you change? Theres no benefit to what youre doing in the end, its just for your own consolation!! And because of this little consolation, he was going to drag everyone down along with him. The nuns of the Agnese Forces that were ordered by Biagio to fight, the Amakusa teenagers who were trying not to kill them as they tried to stop this, Lucia and Angelene, Orsola and Agnese, Tatemiya and Index, everything. Because of this order that came from under the artificial canopy. Even if they want to use this huge flagship to destroy all these. What are...you saying? Biagio Busoni smirked. That was a sad smile. To fight with so many people, and sink such a large fleet, and to bury Bishop Biagio Busoni. In this situation, nobody will feel endangered...this single group of fighters and the members, theyre confirmed to be a threat to the Roman Catholics. Anyone would agree with me. This is the last flower Im going to give in my life journey. To remove these enemies, its alright even if I destroy the coast of the Adriatic Sea, right!? This was completely different from what Kamijou Touma thought. Not to move forward, but to see the past and do his best. Not to gain satisfaction by protecting others, but to gain satisfaction by robbing others. Not only to get injured himself, but to deal this harm to others. Biagio... Kamijou silently gripped his right fist tightly. The Bishop didnt care, opening his arms wide as he said, ...Thats the look. This look that doesnt yield to threats is the greatest threat to us. Thus, Ill completely destroy you here. THIS WILL BE MY LAST CONTRIBUTION TO THE ROMAN CATHOLICS!!! BIAGIOOOOOO!! Kamijou roared as he dashed at Biagio with full force. Biagio didnt back away, but placed his hands on the Crosses on his neck. It looked like he was going to pray, but there was no Holy feeling to it. There was just a stubbornness that felt like it was as sticky as a marsh. Kamijou leapt into Biagios arms, slamming a fist into his flank. THE CROSS REVEALS THE REJECTION TO EVIL!! The Cross in the Bishops hand expanded as if it was exploding. Instantly, the metal block that was larger than a coffin became a shield, preventing Kamijous fist from moving. Because of the power of the right hand, the Cross-shaped shield got blown away like sand. Biagio, who was behind the Cross, pulled off another five Crosses and released them above Kamijous head. THE WEIGHT OF THE CROSS CORRECTS THE HAUGHTY!! The little decorations that were accelerated by heavy gravity shot down like cannons. But Kamijou didnt bother to look at them. WOOOOHHH!! He took another step forward. He had already gotten in front of Biagio. This extremely close distance, however, was a safety zone. Kamijou released a punch. He exerted all his strength into his fist, only aiming at the face. !? Biagio blocked his face with both hands. He could feel hard bones colliding with each other, but the damages reflected from within the enemy. This wasnt an instant defensive movement. Biagio still had a shield formed by a giant Cross. If so, THE CROSS REVEALS THE REJECTION TO EVIL!! The Bishop crossed his hands, each holding a single Cross. The Crosses expanded right before Kamijous eyes. BOOM!! Like a counterattack, the metal-frame-sized Crosses each stabbed into Kamijous right shoulder and abdomen respectively. Kamijou didnt even have time to bite his teeth as he was sent flying back. His body bounced on the ice floor twice, thrice before rolling a few more rounds. Ugh...ooo. His breathing became irregular, and just one second later, he was already sweating. Before he could feel the pain, he felt like vomiting. Even if he stood up, his body feels like he was standing upside-down. Even so, Kamijou continued to stand up. The pain in his right shoulder could spread through his entire arm with just a single touch. On seeing this, Biagio grinned. His expression and feelings couldnt be directly related at all. The ominous smile made the opponent understand that. Impressive, you can actually stand up...you definitely got hit such that there was even a visceral impact... Biagio was unharmed as he gently stroked the tip of his nose that was hit. How can you still struggle? This simple thing like Sister Agnese, is it really such a meaningful reward!? That Sister will definitely die! HOW CAN SHE BE AN ENEMY AGAINST A HUGE ORGANISATION THAT HAS 2 BILLION FOLLOWERS AND ENCOMPASSES 131 COUNTRIES...NO ONE WILL ACCEPT THAT WOMAN!! WHY DONT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU PAGAN MONKEY!! ...Who wants to know about that? Kamijou bit his teeth as he said this. In order to protect Lucia and Angelene, Agnese specially gave up her chance to be saved. Though he didnt know the specifics, she had protected Orsola from Biagios clutches, using the Angel Staff to shield Orsola. She really tried her best to resist. What 2 billion followers, what 131 countries, what large organisation; Kamijou didnt even care about these minor details at all. Kamijou would definitely not allow this, because that guy had basically ignored the intentions of the Roman Catholics by doing a desperation suicide attack, causing Agneses heart to shatter, and even engulfing everyone on the Queens Fleet in the explosion. He wouldnt allow this worst result to happen. Biagio Busonis words didnt even measure up to a whit. If there was anyone who would give up on hearing these words, there wouldnt be anyone coming here in the first place. Damn it, who would accept...!! Thus, he only said this. A meaningless argument didnt start: Kamijou and Biagio werent in the mood to let the conversation continue. With Kamijous unilateral words, the conversation was over. Kamijou Touma ignored the pain on his shoulder as he spit onto the floor, clenching his right fist. Biagio Busoni placed his hand on the countless Crosses hanging on his neck. The first breath became the signal to start. Both of them immediately dashed towards each other. WOOOHHH!! Within 3 seconds, the fist was already within attack range. Biagio pulled down a Cross from in front of his chest. THE CROSS REVEALS THE REJECTION TO EVIL!! He used a hand to block Kamijou from the front. Furthermore, he used the other empty hand to stroke another Cross. Even if he could knock aside the first hit he saw, Kamijou was unable to block Biagios consecutive attacks. With one attack after another, the power of the Cross was definitely greater than Kamijous fist. If he took attacks consecutively, he would definitely fall. (I cant decrease the distance the normal way.) In this extremely close space, Kamijou was conscious that he was clenching his fist. (I cant just have one hit, I need to stop this guys attack pattern...!!) Even if he thought this way, he couldnt make it even if he prepared for it. In the end, Kamijou could only bet on this fist. The palm blocking him was holding onto a Cross, and it started to expand. BIAGIOOO!! Kamijou attacked the decoration in accordance to his roar. Not with his right fist, but with his left. To come up with a left hand strike that he was not used to, even an amateur could tell that the power was a lot weaker. Compared to the right fist that Kamijou normally used, the speed was a lot slower. However, the left fist had something that the right hand didnt. It didnt have the power of the Imagine Breaker. !! The Cross that Biagio was holding onto was knocked away by Kamijous left fist. With a little sound, the decoration that the Bishop was holding onto changed direction slightly in mid-air. However, The Cross seemed to expand in a way that Biagio didnt expect, expanding like it was exploding. BOOM!! The tip of the Cross that Biagio was holding onto slammed into his jaw from below. GYAHH, AH!? Biagios body jerked upwards. (This...bastardactually used my own attack...!!) Even as he was thinking this, he was unable to make a sound. A blunt pain filled his mouth. During this time, Kamijou took another step forward. WO Right into the deepest part of the enemy. This time, he exerted all his strength into the right fist that he always used as a weapon. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! With this roar, he released all his power in this one fist. CLANK!! The sound of metal breaking could be heard. He was not aiming at Biagios face, but belowright in the middle of his chest. As Biagios body was moving upwards, Kamijou let out another punch that nearly seemed to pierce through the Bishops chest. His fist hit the four necklaces on Biagio''s chest and the large number of Crosses on the necklaces, as if he was about to pierce through Biagios chest. All at once the four necklaces snapped and landed on the floor, and the numerous decorations scattered about with the sound of a crystal ball breaking. The Bishop lost all his strength as he finally fell. Seeing Biagio roll on the ice floor, Kamijou adjusted his breathing and said, Of course, I want to fight... He continued, ...No matter whether you guys have 2 billion followers, or 131 countries, if you still dare to do anything to Agnese and her group, Ill deal with all of you no matter how many times. He looked up at the roof. In this vision far away, the starry phenomenon that was supported by countless number of triangular pillars swayed about before vanishing. Like a home electric appliance that was cut off, only the ice construct was left. The cracking sound echoed throughout this room that had lost all forms of light. The Queens Fleet was gradually breaking. It was because the core Cross was destroyed. Just as Kamijou was confirming that he had prevented a destruction that would have engulfed everything. The triangular room crumbled, the flagship split, and the boy again fell into the Adriatic Sea. Volume 11, Epilogue: Return to Academy City. L’inizio_Nuovo……. Volume 11, Epilogue: Return to Academy City. L''inizio_Nuovo. Part 1 An Italian hospital sure feels refreshing. Therere a lot of people who go on overseas trips, but its rare for a visitor to be sent to hospital because of an accident, right? Kamijou thought. Right now, he was lying on a stretcher, moving about in the darkness as creaking sounds could be heard. The doctor and nurse seemed to be saying something to him, but he didnt understand it at all. His right shoulder and left hand were bandaged, and there was an Im OK! bandage on his face...maybe because he had gotten disinfectant sprayed on his face, his eyes stung. Should be the disinfectant, I cant think of anything else! Damn it, why can others use the Amakusas bathing technique and let their skin be so silky and smooth... The Adriatic Sea really isnt that cold. WHY DO YOU LOOK SO HAPPY, INDEX!? WE BOTH SUNK TOGETHER WITH THE SHIP DOWN INTO THE VENETIAN COAST!! OI, YOURE HAPPY THAT YOU DIDNT GET ABANDONED THIS TIME, ARE YOU !! Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Index suddenly tripped and fell onto the corridor. Since...since when am I happy!!? I got it, youre alright, right!? Really, you actually made them worried because of something like this, Index. Arent you giving Miss Nurse even more trouble? AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Just as Kamijou was trying to accost the blond nurse, Index chomped on him. Toumas still Touma even if hes on a stretcher, right!? I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN!! The nun who had leaped on the stretcher and executed an act of violence was pulled away. Maybe the nurse onee-chan didnt understand what they were saying as she tilted her head as if to show that she didnt understand. Yes, what? To...Touma, the doctor told you to pick up the phone. Hearing Index say this, Kamijou turned to look at the doctor, wondering why the doctor had a wireless phone in his hand. Is it really alright to use a phone in a hospital? Kamijou thought, but on further pondering, there should be phones in the hospital as well. Anyway, he picked up the phone. The phone seemed to be linked, as on picking it up, Kamijou heard a familiar voice. Do you have to end up like this even when youre on a holiday trip? It was the frog-faced doctor. Kamijou was always taken care of by this doctor in Academy City. To Kamijou, who often got injured and admitted into the hospital, he felt that this frog-faced doctor was really skilled with his hands. Eh, whats with this suddenly? Ha, dont tell me you can even diagnose a patient through the phone. If I could, the hospital should start providing handphone service, right? However, because I cant do that, Im requesting you to do one thing. You are to immediately come back to Academy City. .....................................................................WHAT? Im not joking. Even if that facility is an ally of Academy City, its not good to let other hospitals check or adjust an espers body, right? Thats...true. NO, HOWEVER...I MEAN! I CANT TAKE THE PLANE IN THIS CONDITION; IT TAKES ABOUT 10 HOURS FOR A PLANE FLIGHT!? BEFORE THAT, IM COVERED WITH WOUNDS, YOU KNOW!? Ah, dont worry about that. There should be a supersonic jet parked at the Marco Polo Airport. That can go past 7,000km per hour, so you should reach Japan in an hour, no? A LARGE JET!? ISNT THAT THE FANTASY NORTH AMERICAN X-15 RESEARCH PLANE!? CAN I REALLY RIDE ON THIS PLANE THATS FASTER THAN A BULLET WHEN I DONT HAVE ANY TRAINING!? No problem, no problem. I rode on it before. The most it feels is like theres no gravity. THAT THING ONLY NEEDS AN HOUR!? I GUESS ALL THE CONTENTS IN MY STOMACH WILL GO THE WRONG WAY!! No problem, no problem. I rode on it before. Within the first ten minutes, you dont even have time to think about that. WHO SAYS THERES NO PROBLEM!! Kamijou hugged his head with full force. WAIT A SECOND! I...I BASICALLY HAVENT EVEN BEEN IN ITALY FOR ONE DAY? AND I DRANK THE WATER OF THE ADRIATIC SEA TWICE... NO, INCLUDING THE ESCAPE, THATS THREE TIMES. I DIDNT GET INTO THE IMPORTANT VENEZIA ONCE!! Oh my, arent you happy with this kind of experience. Anyway, I have one thing to say...I know this is unreasonable, but just give up and come back. YOUR TONE IS SO COLD AND UNREASONABLE!! Kamijou again hugged his head. At this moment, the voice on the other side of the phone continued, Oh yes, that cute girl thats been coming to the hospital to visit knew I was about to call you, so she said that she has some important words for me to pass to you. WHAT??? Kamijou wondered, who was this cute girl? Right now, Shirai Kuroko and Himegami Aisa were staying in the hospital. For Himegami, there was Fukiyose Seiri and Komoe-sensei. On Shirais side, there was Misaka Mikoto Wait a second. Misaka Mikoto? Mn, the frog-faced doctor on the other side of the phone carelessly nodded his head. Thats right. Seems like she said After you come back, expect me to give you that punishment game from Daihaseisai? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT!! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!! The doctor and nurses forced down Kamijou Touma, who was starting to act violent on the stretcher. They seemed to mistake this as some emergency situation. Kamijou Touma and Misaka Mikoto had made a bet during Daihaseisai, and Kamijou, who lost the punishment game, had to listen to whatever Mikoto said. If she knew that he forgot about this and went on a tour to Italy... WHATS WAITING FOR ME IS HELL!! NOW I DONT WANT TO GO BACK!! ARGHH...WAAIITT!! DONT USE THAT SPECIALISED TOOL TO HOLD ME DOWN!! The stretcher was being carried away. The person on the other side of the phone said to the sighing Kamijou, Alright, then...what should I say? Welcome home, Kamijou Touma. Part 2 It was midnight now, the time when the date changes. The dormitory of the English Anglicans was located in a corner of Lambeth. The people who were living here werent penniless people, but people who did not want to involve ordinary citizens because of something unexpected. If the surrounding people were all experts, even if there was a battle, they could reduce the damage to the minimum. I see. Its been hard on you. The one who was saying this in the middle of a dormitory room was Kanzaki Kaori. An Asian face with waist-length black hair tied in a ponytail, she was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt that had a knot tied at the bottom, and a pair of jeans that had one side cut above the thigh. The more than 2m long Seven Swords Seven Heavens that she normally hung on her waist was now leaning on the wall. She was not talking to someone, but a phone. It was an old-fashioned rotary dial phone. The red ornament had a gold lacing on it, a rather nice looking antique. On a side note, she was talking to her colleague, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Nya, so, if you want to know the report, you can go ask the Amakusa people. As for me, Im in more danger when I search for this information, you know? You dont know about that. I...Im not a member of the Amakusa. It feels arrogant if Im to act familiar enough to talk to them. Kanzaki used her thumb to play with the phone line and said. After that, she said, Arent you going to collect information from the Veneto region? Isnt this too coincidental? The Amakusa went to Chioggia to help with the moving, and that boy and Index went to Italy...according to the report, the Roman Catholics mistook that Orsola Aquinas was sent there to stop the Queen of the Adriatic Sea, is that true? I thought that the Roman Catholics view was correct. Kanzakis bare feet knocked on the floor as she spoke. Though the interior design of the room was Western, Kanzaki was forbidden from wearing slippers inside. Maybe it was more of a foreign culture trade-off. Hmh, regarding that, I cant say it because of a lot of reassooonnnss Wha...what? Tsuchimikado purposely dragged his voice, making Kanzaki even more wary. Her prediction was correct. ...O...Nee...-chin, you gave Kami-yan quite a lot of problems this time, nya? Eh!? However, the impact far exceeded Kanzaki Kaoris limits. What should you do? Onee-chin, this isnt something that can be solved by just wearing a maid costume and serving him for an entire day. Ah, if so, how about that? Ill lend my female angel costume with an Angelic halo and white wings to you! This is truly a maid costume; use that to decide the winner, Nee-chin!! WOO...OOOHOHO!! What Angel? If this cute fallen angel appears, I dont know how Kami-yan will react! FOR...FOR HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT!?... BESIDES, WHY DO YOU HAVE SUCH A THING!? Ah, thats not it. Actually, I bought that for Maika. That sister actually said maids cant cosplay, and even punched me in the cheekbone...no, for a girls actions, isnt that like a real military-trained punch nya? ...Isnt your sister reaching puberty? You should worry about that. Being weak all over, Kanzaki suddenly realised something. This wasnt the main point. Wait a second. Did the English Anglicans and the higher-ups of Academy City use many ways to get Kamijou Touma involved? What has that got to do with me!? Eh? Then Nee-chin, dont you have any thanks for Kami-yan!? Uuuu!? AhahKamijou managed to save the Amakusa members from the Queens Fleet with much difficulty, and not only did you not thank him, you even declared that you have nothing to do with it. Youve really fallen, Kanzaki Kaori. Kami-yan will be disappointed if he hears this. But that guys really gentle, so maybe he wont be angry. Where...where have I...your words make sense, but what am I supposed to do!? Dont I owe him even more favours now!!? Thats why you should honestly act as a fallen Angel!! If youre one of the no-more-than-twenty Saints, then realise it, Nee-chin!!...Eh? Onee-chin, are you listening? Wait, Im not done!! The speaker got slammed hard. Kanzaki stared blankly at the phone for a while, her face all green. ...Fall...fallen Angel maid costume...? Kanzaki stared at her trembling hands, and then stared at the cuboid fish tank that had a tropical fish and was beside the phone. The former Supreme Pontiff looked completely puzzled. She brought her face near the fish tank, and in response, the fish moved near with a What now, are you giving me food to eat? look. She used both hands to grab a small painted plate that was besides the fish tank, and placed it on her head. A...a halo, does it look like this? But...but a fallen Angel...how does it move or talk...its like the Devil. In this situation, it should be female. If the other persons a male, maybe I have to act like some little Devil If these words were heard by the Archangel The Power of God that had briefly appeared as Misha Kreutzev, she would definitely be attacked on the spot. But since Kanzaki was in the midst of this mess, she didnt notice this at all. This one of only twenty Saints instantly turned silent before tilting her head. Just...just like thisTouma. The doorbell suddenly rang. ...??? A surprised Kanzaki frantically pulled the painted plate from above her head. The little tropical fish saw her like this and immediately escaped into the deepest part of the tank at high speed. Kanzaki quickly looked around, and after confirming that no one was around, she placed a hand on her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. After that, she looked at the door. Besides the various rooms in the dormitory, there was an electric bell at the entrance for visitors to use. What did this ring mean? Maybe there was a delivery service here. Kanzaki grabbed the sword leaning on the wall, put on her boots outside the room, and passed through the long wooden corridor before arriving at the entrance. Though there was a manager here, she was often asleep. Kanzaki walked toward the door, and inside that management room, the woman was still sleeping. Looking at how the television was still on, it seemed that she had watched till she fell asleep. The television was meant to prevent people from sleeping, but without a favourite show, it would have the opposite effect. Kanzaki couldnt do anything else but open the door. The one standing at the entrance was Orsola Aquinas. I...Im back. Ah, welcome back, Orsola. Kanzaki looked surprised as she welcomed her neighbour in the dormitory. The people living here normally didnt need to press the doorbell, but Orsola was holding many things with both hands, so she couldnt use her key to open the door. Besides, she was holding two travelling bags, and there was even a hiking backpack, and there were sports bags that were strapped around like a kimono. This huge amount of heavy equipment made her look like she was going hiking. Orsola, wasnt your luggage sent here beforehand? Eh hehe. I got some new luggage halfway though. ??? In front of a surprised Kanzaki, Orsola smiled as she stepped aside as if she was letting people pass. Eh? Kanzakis eyebrows twitched. The petite nun grabbed Orsolas nun''s habit as she stood, looking like she was hiding behind Orsola. Her name was Agnese Sanctis. Therell be a lot more people coming over. This dormitory will be a lot noisier. In front of Kanzaki, who hadnt understood what was going on, Orsola said this sentence akin to a bomb. Part 3 It was the St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican City. Inside the largest Church of the headquarters of the Roman Catholics, crude footsteps ripped the silence in the air apart. Cheh, in the end, that idiot Busoni failed. Even the core of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea was destroyed, and it wont appear again...really, to think of this Appointed Time of the Rosary, create that spell, and refined till it can be used, who does he have to thank for all that? I cant forgive this. Whats more unforgivable is that he actually disappeared! Whos hiding him? Who am I supposed to exert my pressure on!! In this sanctuary that was engulfed in darkness, a man and a woman were walking about. As the moonlight that shot past the glass was too weak, it was hard to see the details of those two figures. One of them was bent like an elderly man. The other seemed like a young lady, with a rather exquisite body. ...But even if its you, youre too anxious. Even though its expected that the English Anglicans would get involved, there were obstacles all over the place even if that wasnt the case...to be honest, even if no one could intervene, that Biagio Busoni wouldnt succeed. It was a big mistake to expect that guy to deal with the flaws. Do you know who youre talking to? What I said is needed to be done will be done. Thats the law of the world. So stupid, dont you understand even now? Do you know who youre talking to? The old man suddenly became a lot more pressuring. The current atmosphere was already dominated by the old man. This was a situation where one person must reign supreme; not to lower his head, but to force the other person to lower her head even if she hated it. The person hearing this must have felt like she was being grabbed by an invisible hand and forcefully pulled down. It was that kind of pressure. However, the female figure didnt change. The Pope, so what? The female figure replied in a casual tone. Such a frivolous tone easily shattered the situation of the old man dominating. ... The old man called the Pope was obviously silent. But the female didnt care. Dont be like this. You should know who the Roman Catholics are really under. Even if you disappear, another Pope will just take that seat. But if I disappear, no one can replace me. Cant you understand that? Do you want to try? Nonsense. The old man seemed uninterested as he interrupted the woman. The only person whom God personally handed the later path of Christianity is St. Peter. After that, the Popes were extremely active, but their main function is to manage the heritage. I was chosen by the crowd, and not from God. I understand that, so dont say it. Its painfully obvious, yet I had to say it again. Im really angry. But didnt you want it? Not by the number of votes, but the one and only evidence of being chosen by God. And to revive the Roman Catholics, youre not relying on the majority, but like past Christianity, using only the teachings and will to decide the path. ...Ive already told you not to repeat it again. Im sorry, Im sorry. But in my eyes, you really cant make it. Youre still qualified, so you couldnt achieve it. Speaking of which, the Pope was chosen by an election. To be chosen can be considered an honour. But youre not satisfied. The reason is simple: while the Son of God and his disciples were preaching, Christianity was a minor sect among the many ideas. Even though it was a minor sect, their power could win most people. Thus, you feel that getting the majority of the votes has no Holy value. What you believe in is like me, being unrestricted by voting, yet you kept getting only votes...is that troublesome? Or is being bothered by this luxury? !! The old man quickly turned his head about. Pacha, an inexplicable breaking sound could be heard. Regarding this inexplicable scenario, the female figure didnt move. However, the tension and margin between these twos attitudes had already shown an incomprehensible offensive and defensive result. Not a bad malicious intent. The woman laughed. But if youre going to show some malice to me, youll die, you know? After saying that, the female showed her tongue. The sound of metal colliding could be heard. There was a tongue ring in her tongue, and attached to the tongue ring was a little chain that was used for a necklace. The chain extended down past her waist, and there was a little Cross attached to it. ... The man and the woman maintained a foots distance between them. Unhappily, and with a little hint of envy, the man muttered, Gods Right Seat. To you, the Pope isnt really anything, right? Just knowing that I belong to that group shows that youre still a high-ranking person. Arent you satisfied with that? The woman seemed like she had been attacked by something, but she looked like she didnt care. She laughed and said, After seeing this, give me a signature. Youre ordering me?...Wait, this document is... You would prepare this information one day, maybe two to three years later. I just shortened the time. Though its troublesome, your signature is really powerful. Hurry up and finish it before the sun rises. Itll be over once you write your own name. But... The old man looked hesitant. ...I still cant agree with it. Forget about it if he has a really deep link with magic, but that person only doesnt know the existence of God. Though its a sin to have a pagan belief, if he doesnt know, theres a way to save him. Regarding this, if youre going to do it like this, I can only say that I disagree with it... I dont have a denying style. The female figure asserted herself. Passiveness, imperativeness, teamwork, solo, past, future, finishing, assumption, whats after that? I dont care what it is, I just cant agree with denying it. I said I want to do this, and I will. No matter whether its St. Peter or the Son of God, this rule wont change. So youre going to sign this document, got it? The old man held the document and gently nodded his head. One could see him reveal a somewhat bitter look. Very good. After saying that, the female figure disappeared in the darkness. Had she really disappeared, or had she purposely acted like she disappeared? The old man didnt consider it. Even if he couldnt analyse what the other person used, there wasnt really a problem. No matter what, that woman was far ahead of him, even if he couldnt tell if she was above him. He turned to stare at the document. Inside the light-lit Cathedral, there was only a dim moonlight shooting in through the glass. The old mans eyes gazed at the words which werent really visible in the darkness. (...Shes a bit too impatient. Is that her habit?) Even though he thought of this, that woman had decided on this, so he would just leave it as it was. Like what she had declared, that woman didnt have a denying style. The old man unhappily returned to his room. There was no pen there. The document read, Toma Kamijo. Potrebbe investigare urgentemente? Quando lui pericolso, lo uccida di sicuro. It meant Kamijou Touma. Quickly investigate the above named person. If hes confirmed to be an enemy of God, eliminate him. Even if the Roman Catholics wanted to mobilise, or even send out Gods Right Seat, they had to prepare a document to allow an assassination. The order would be carried out within 5 days. Volume 11, Afterword Volume 11, Afterword To the readers who collected each book in this series, it has been a while. To the readers who bought all 11 books at one go, nice to meet you. I''m Kamachi Kazuma. Though I kept saying that I''m rather free, it''s now the 11th book. This time, that...there''s no change in season, and the penalty game has to be delayed. This time, it''s a holiday trip. Not Kanzaki Kaori, but the other Amakusa members. Though it''s a fleet battle, it''s not a cannon war, but fire boats. This really is a changeup that slightly differs from the norm. As for the scenario, there should be a certain organisation behind it. A petite girl and tall girl that appeared once have joined in as main characters this time. In a complete sense, there''s a lot less new characters, but because of that, there''s a lot more excitement to this story. On the magic side, those are mainly based on two certain organisations. Others include the legend of the Cross, and a slight mention of the Twelve Apostles. The so called fireboats aren''t fabricated, in reality, such a tactic existed. That was before the real torpedo was unveiled. The English Navy seemed like they really stuffed the large ships with gunpowder, and rushed in with the ships unmanned. Though that battle had to be won, it was truly a large scale. To Haimura-sensei, who is in charge of illustrations, and Miki-sensei, who''s in charge of printing, I''m sorry that I''ve been causing trouble to you two often. Because of the change in story, it probably took a long time to search for information. It''s been hard on you two. And to Miss Yoshimi and Miss Fukushima Yuuko, who were supervising the Italian language, allow me to express my thanks. At the same time, I would like to thank all the readers. I''m grateful that everyone read on till the last page. And now, this volume ends here. I hope you''ll continue to read the next volume. At this moment, let me sign off first. There''ll definitely be a change of seasons and the punishment game next time! -Kamachi Kazuma- Volume 12, Prologue: Shirai Kuroko, a Pillow, and a Bed. Suffering_of_a_Negligee. Volume 12, Prologue: Shirai Kuroko, a Pillow, and a Bed. Suffering_of_a_Negligee. Morning came early for Tokiwadai Middle School. But even so, 5:20 AM was a little too early. At that time when the morning bird songs were only just beginning, the girls dorm was normally wrapped in complete silence. Dorm life was often referred to as a single whole, but 80% of Academy Citys 2.3 million residents were students, so there were many different types and varieties of dorm life. Even among all of those, Tokiwadai Middle Schools regulations for curfew and lights out were stricter than most. (Although, certain Level 5s and Judgment members would occasionally sneak out.) The outside dorm for Tokiwadai Middle School was no exception. Shirai Kuroko may have been awake, but she was likely the only one. She was rolling back and forth within her own bed. It was not that she had woken up; she could not get to sleep. She usually had thin ribbons tying her hair up on the left and right, but her hair was now spread out on the bed because she had removed them. She was wearing nothing but lacy panties and a negligee so thin and see-through that it would be practically invisible when seen from afar. That left everything from her flat chest to her sunk-in navel visible, but she did not seem to care. This was not simply because she was in the girls dorm. It had more to do with the fact that her roommate was a special person to her. ... It seemed like Shirai Kuroko would continue rolling back and forth forever, but then she suddenly froze in place. She looked over at the neighboring bed. There was only a gap of 50 cm between beds. Another girl lay that short distance away and she was fast asleep unlike Shirai. Her shoulder-length brown hair was a bit sticky with sweat and her slender, white fingers were just barely poking out from her baggy light-blue pajamas. She must have gone through a change in her state of mind recently because she had switched out the hairpin she wore on the side of her head for a more decorative one. However, it was now lying on the side table. This was Shirais beloved onee-sama, Misaka Mikoto. That amazing girl was one of Academy Citys seven and one of Tokiwadai Middle Schools two Level 5s, she was known as the schools ace, and she was a target of envy even within that elite school that was itself a target of envy. She was sinking into the bed while lying on her side. ...Nheh heh heh... You lost the punishment game, so you have to do whatever I tell you... Her cute lips curled into an incredibly happy smile as they uttered those words in her sleep. On her own bed, Shirai used both hands to violently rustle her hair. (Gwahh!! I have to know! What has happened to onee-sama recently!? She has been like this ever since the Daihaseisai ended!! Who is she talking to in her dream!?) Shirai began to pant heavily. As her name suggested Shirai Kuroko was a girl and so was Misaka Mikoto, so this was one of those complicated issues characteristic of girls. Simply saying it would be too outright for her, so that underclassman girl preferred to attack in a more roundabout fashion. If those words Misaka spoke in her sleep had been directed at Shirai herself, there would have been no problem. However, Shirai did not recall challenging her roommate to a punishment game in the recent past. That left the major issue of whether the words were being spoken to a boy or a girl. For Shirai, many extremely personal feelings were riding on that. While remaining completely unaware of those worries, Misaka Mikoto used both arms to grab and embrace the large pillow she normally rested her head on. ...What should I make you do first....Mutter mutter... (Curse yoooouuuuuu!! Onee...Onee-sama, why are you rubbing your cheek against your pillow like that!? What does that fluffy pillow represent in your mind!?) Shirai Kuroko began violently rolling back and forth on top of her bed once more, but the happy-looking girl showed no sign of waking. The time was 5:25 AM. Another sleep-deprived morning began. Volume 12, 1: Sunny Morning Classes. Winter_Clothes. Volume 12, Chapter 1: Sunny Morning Classes. Winter_Clothes. Part 1 It was September 30th. As it was the final day of September, every school in Academy City had only morning classes. This was simply because the schools switched to using winter uniforms the following day. Academy City had been created by redeveloping the western third of Tokyo and it had around 1.8 million students living within it. This left the clothing businesses very busy for nothing more than the switch to winter uniforms. The actual measurements and orders were carried out at around the time of the Daihaseisai, so the only thing left was for the students to pick up their new winter uniforms. Even so, the congestion was on a great enough scale to require special treatment. Having only morning classes was also customarily a means of giving the students a time to wear their winter uniforms and break them in. But for students who did not have to worry about getting a new uniform, it simply meant they had a half day of school. One such student was a boy named Kamijou Touma. He had entered a certain high school that same year, and the winter uniform he had purchased when entering the school still fit him fine. As such, he was spared having to deal with the busy stores on that day. His position was not unique. Most of the students in his year were in similar positions. It was primarily second and third year students having to frantically rush to the stores. The first year students were almost all completely carefree. Currently, the students were resting during the 10 minute break between third and fourth period classes. Kamijou Touma, the average student mentioned before, opened a window in the hallway and blankly stared out at the scenery. The math lesson before had bored him half to death and he had just washed his face at the water fountain to wake himself up. He was of average height and weight, but he had a bit of muscle tone. This was not because he was on a sports team. He had gained those muscles from fighting or fleeing within the back alleys. His pointy black hair hinted that he at least sometimes checked fashion magazines and that the fortress of his heart led him to show some care about his looks as a high school boy. But the way he looked around with sleepy eyes and opened his mouth wide to yawn repeatedly made that fortresss defenses seem rather weak. Kamijou Touma rested his elbows on the window sill and enjoyed the coolness of the soft autumn breeze now that the last remnants of the summer heat had faded. Sigh... I wish I could meet someone nice, he muttered. As soon as he said that, a straight thrust punch struck Kamijous temples on either side as if his head was being crushed in a vice. The impact created a tremendous noise. To his right stood Tsuchimikado Motoharu and to his left stood Aogami Pierce. They were both Kamijou Toumas classmates. Idiots, what the hell are you doing!? shouted Kamijou as he swung his head around. But in response Tsuchimikado only let his eyes behind his sunglasses sparkle as he said, ...Nyah. Kami-yan, when you say that, it just sounds like youre making fun of us. Those words will likely act as a trigger causing some strange girl to come falling out of one of the classrooms around here. Yes, its always that way with you, Kami-yan! I get the feeling you could win the complete set with everything from a super AI robot girl to a high class spring fairy lady!! As always, those two were going on about some nonsense or another, but it did not seem they had meant any real harm. The three boys were wearing black collared jackets and black slacks. Kamijou had his jacket unbuttoned so the red T-shirt underneath was visible. Naturally, a dress shirt was meant to be worn underneath, but from the example set by Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikados blond hair, necklaces, and such, it was obvious the school was not very strict about that sort of thing. So what are you two out here for? Oh, right. Come look at this, said Aogami Pierce. He held out a copy of the top-selling weekly manga magazine in Japan. His friendship may have been evident in the fact that he had not used it when striking Kamijou. Aogami Pierce flipped open the back cover of the manga magazine. The page displayed a color advertisement for mail-order products. Do you see the Shoulder Massage Holder-kun listed here? Yeah? Sounds good, right? Lately, my right shoulder has been hurting oddly, but when I massage it myself, my left shoulder starts hurting. The photo of the product was incredibly small, but it showed a U-shaped plastic device. It was probably somewhere between 15 and 20 cm long. The U-shaped portion would fit directly over the shoulders when it was used. They came in an economical set of two. Come to think of it, I saw an advertisement for this on those late-night mail-order TV ads. So did I! If theyre advertising it so heavily, it must feel really, really good!! Eh? said Tsuchimikado sounding dubious. Thats probably a bluff. Especially because theres no way to quantify how good or bad something feels. Youll probably find out its terrible but theyll just insist everyone in their test group thought it felt good if you complain. Dont you think, nyah? Keh! Someone like you who gets his younger stepsister to give him a shoulder massage every day just doesnt understand!! It isnt every day. Its only about once every three days, nyah!! The way the direction and topic of conversation changed from line to line was normal for their chats, but Kamijou was confused as to what the other two wanted from him. And then they made that quite clear. So, Kami-yan, what do you think? I think itll definitely work great. No, I dont think youll find any joy from that thing, nyah. Kamijou sighed as he realized they just needed a third opinion to break their tie. He also wondered why those two were so hung up over this shoulder massage machine in the first place. Yknow, Im hardly a specialist when it comes to shoulder massages, so I doubt anything I say will be very persuasive. Doesnt this kind of defeat the purpose of finding the majority opinion? Stop being so uselessly picky about this, moron!! I am not useless!! It was only after reflexively shouting back that Kamijou belatedly realized that was the driving force behind Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikados energy. And continuing on with it despite that realization was simply how an argument worked. I doubt it would have much of an effect. You talk about having stiff shoulders, but the area that hurts and the level of stiffness differs from person to person. Also, dont you think the effects would be different between a guy and a girl? It sounds pretty fishy to me from the moment it claims to be able to cure any and all shoulder stiffness. Told you, nyah. You just cant beat a stepsister when it comes to shoulder massages. How am I supposed to know that without trying it out myself!? And I wouldnt be having this problem in the first place if I had a girl to give me a shoulder massage!! shouted Aogami Pierce as he began to lightly beat Tsuchimikado. Kamijou watched that unproductive conflict as an unrelated third party. I have an idea, he said as he tore Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado apart. How about you try it out? I know someone who has constant issues with stiff shoulders and is quite fond of this kind of mail-order good. Part 2 A girl named Fukiyose Seiri was in Kamijou Toumas class. She had a strong sense of duty and had been their classs member of the Daihaseisai committee up to a few days before. She had black hair parted so it lay behind her ears and she had large breasts for a student. She had an atmosphere of being strict about school rules and she had already prepared her textbook and notebook for the next period despite the break not being over yet. She wore a long-sleeve sailor uniform. With the sole exception of her slightly-too-short skirt, everything from her scarf to her indoor shoes was perfectly measured for uniformity. She just so happened to have a habit of collecting health-related mail-order goods. She must have felt somehow embarrassed about it because she had kept that fact hidden from everyone but a certain boy. Fukiyose Seiri was calmly chatting with Himegami Aisa, the classmate who sat in the neighboring seat, instead of frantically comparing homework with the other girl. Is Fukiyose here!? The instant the classroom door flew open and that shout entered from the exact same direction, she flinched back a bit. It was Kamijou, Aogami, and Tsuchimikado, the classs three biggest idiots who were collectively known as the Delta Force. Those three had caused all sorts of trouble in the past, but Fukiyose silently swore she would keep her presence of mind no matter what happened. But then Kamijou opened his mouth and spoke. I beg you, Fukiyose, let us see how good those two things you have feel!! An odd snapping sound came from that large-breasted girls head. Before the term presence of mind could flit through her mind, she intercepted Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Aogami Pierce with one straight punch each. Kamijou Toumas expression stiffened in shock when he saw what happened to the other two, and then he received a powerful blow from Fukiyoses hard forehead. As she looked down on the villains who were collapsed on the ground, the victorious Fukiyose brushed the dust off of her hands. It was at that moment that Tsukuyomi Komoe, their 135 cm tall female teacher, entered the classroom. Now then, class. Todays final lesson is chemistry, so...gyahhh!? My tender class has been transformed into a lawless delinquent battleground!? Komoe-sensei was completely taken aback by the horrible scene before her, but Fukiyose replied with an entirely cool expression. It was necessary to ensure peace. What in the world happened!? Fukiyose-chan is acting like a member of a peacekeeping force!! He must have heard Komoe-sensei on the verge of tears because Kamijou let out a groan. While still collapsed on the ground, he said, S-sensei... No one was in the wrong here... Then how did this happen!? lamented Komoe-sensei. In response, Kamijou pointed a trembling finger slightly below Fukiyose Seiris face. ...I know Fukiyose-san has these two things that probably feel really good, but she wont let us see how they feel!! Hearing that, Komoe-senseis face turned beet red and she collapsed straight backwards. Without even checking on her, Fukiyose Seiri slowly approached with her fist clenched for an additional attack. Part 3 Four girls were in a hospital. The area they were in was not off limits, but people almost never came there because of how far away it was from the routes leading to the exits. In the hospital, it was known as the clinical research area, but warm sunbeams came in through the window despite that over-the-top name. The girls were standing in the hallway. All four of them had shoulder-length brown hair and skin so white it almost looked transparent. They all had the exact same silhouette and their eyes were the same in every way from the shape and color to the iris and retina. Despite the season, they all wore the Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform: gray pleated skirt, short-sleeve white blouse, and sleeveless summer sweater. They went by many different names. The Sisters. Radio Noise. Mass-produced military models of a Level 5. Due to the effects of growth acceleration techniques using genetic manipulation and drugs, their lifespan had been drastically reduced. They were undergoing various treatments in the hospital to overcome that, and they were going to begin the second stage of that treatment today. They had lived in the hospital up to that point, but they would now be heading outside bit by bit for rehabilitation. A doctor with a frog-like face spoke to those Sisters. He was holding a small clipboard of the sort waiters used. Are all of you okay with wearing Tokiwadai Middle Schools winter uniform while outside? That is not a problem, replies Misaka #10032, said one of the four girls. They could only be distinguished by serial number rather than by name. That frog-faced doctor had not decided on that. It had apparently been a decision from when they were being produced. Is the same size fine for all four of you? said the doctor as he wrote their order on the clipboard. In response to his question, the four Sisters did not even exchange a single glance. Their expression made it clear they felt that was a silly question. There is no need to even take measurements. We all match, answers Misaka #10032. Every Misaka was made from the same genetic information. We are mass-produced models, adds Misaka #13577. Since we were all made via the same process, there is no need to even entertain the possibility of differences, concludes Misaka #10039. M-Misaka is... The final girl trailed off. ...? ...? ...? The other three Sisters turned toward the one that had made that inarticulate comment, and Serial Number 19090 averted her gaze and shrunk down. From the way she used her hands, it seemed she was trying to hide her upper body. #10032, the girl a certain boy referred to as Misaka Imouto, looked over with a bit of suspicion in her eyes. She then approached #19090 as if she had just realized something. She clenched both fists with just the thumbs extended, turned those fists upside down, and stuck her thumbs into the gap between #19090s body and skirt. Mh!? According to the spec sheet, we should all be exactly the same, but there is enough room for two thumbs, says Misaka #10032 in an emergency report!! But every Misaka should be the same, says Misaka #13577 as she displays her shock! Her waist may be different but what about the rest of her? says Misaka #10039 as she completely calmly suggests a thorough examination. To carry out that plan, #10032 pulled her thumbs out from the skirt and moved them upwards, but #19090 used both hands to intercept them. Unlike the other models, her face was tinged a bit red and her facial expressions seemed more diverse. With a shocked look on his face, the frog-faced doctor said, The faces and physiques of monozygotic twins can grow distinct due to differences in diet and exercise, so maybe this is the same. It wouldnt be surprising to see variations in style between clones. The doctor silently regretted some things he had said before. This situation had come about because he had taught them that skinnier girls were better, and the better the girl, the more choice they had in guys. That was simply the frog-faced doctors own prejudiced preferences, but the Sisters knew very, very few guys. For that reason, they assumed that the frog-faced doctor was a good example of an average guy and had likely come to the conclusion of If this man thinks that, then perhaps that high school boy thinks so too, decides Misaka amidst her confused thoughts. And he did not know where the knowledge had come from, but they had also learned that there was a special ring that was placed on the ring finger and that a girl had to be the best she could be to acquire it. He was not sure whether to call that information accurate or not, but it had led the Sisters to grow more and more individualistic nonetheless. (Although the Sisters themselves did not seem aware of it.) So this Misaka has been going behind the other Misakas backs and cheating with a diet, says Misaka #10032 as she continues the investigation. #20001 aka Last Order is supposed to keep control of every Misaka. What is she doing? asks Misaka #13577 as she brings up the concepts of mission and duty. She is so little that she may not know what the purpose of those actions was, speculates Misaka #10039 as she keeps a level head. While the Sisters spoke back and forth, the frog-faced doctor spoke up once more. Is this really something to get that worked up over? You are all the same basic model, so cant you achieve the same result by doing what #19090 did? ...!! ...!! ...!! Three of the Sisters turned toward the remaining one at high speed. #19090, the Sister who had acquired a weight-loss technique before the others, slowly stepped backwards. Misaka will do what her danger management ability tells her and run away! says Misaka as-...!! Before she could finish shouting, the other girls jumped at her. Part 4 A woman named Yoshikawa Kikyou was inside the same hospital the Sisters were rampaging around within. She was a former member of the research group that had planned and carried out the experiment meant to create a new category called Level 6 to exist above Academy Citys current classifications of Level 0, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. By her own admission, she had a na?ve but not kind personality. She had created a total of over 20,000 clones and killed over half of those in the process of that experiment. The one doing the actual killing had been a Level 5 student who was the prime candidate for achieving Level 6, but that was no excuse. Currently, the experiment had been not just frozen but ended after a fatal flaw was found in it. However, that had not caused everything related to the experiment to just disappear into thin air. The girls created just to be killed and the esper who had been ordered to do nothing but kill them were still human children even if they had special characteristics or lived in a special environment. The mental pressure this brought down on them had to be unimaginable. Their individual problems were bad enough, but there was a rift of absolute depth between them and the relationship between them could only be called a catastrophe. Normally thinking, there was no way the gap between them could be bridged. But... No! says Misaka as Misaka refuses you! Misaka isnt getting down! Misaka is never getting down! This bag is Misakas territory! says Misaka as Misaka strongly objects while sitting on top of the bag you are holding!! Why you...!! Dont swing around on the bag someones carrying over their shoulder, you little shit!! Did you forget that Im still recovering!? (The victims in question are as lively as ever.) Accelerator, the one who had done the killing, was standing on wobbling legs with a tonfa-like modern cane in his right hand and a sports bag strapped over his left shoulder. His colorless white hair and red eyes were his most notable characteristics and he now wore primarily gray clothes. Last Order, one of the ones to be killed, was sitting seiza-style on top of Accelerators sports bag with one hand on either side of the shoulder strap like it was a swing. She could only pull this off because she looked like a child of about 10, but she may still have been too much for someone who needed a cane. She had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a light blue camisole with an unbuttoned mens dress shirt worn over it. Accelerator had been hospitalized after being shot in the forehead on August 31st, but he was finally being released after spending a month there. Technically, his body had not been healed, but he had undergone all the treatment available. The after-effects of the damage the fragments of his shattered skull had done to his brain were not gone and he still had to wear a choker-style electrode around his neck to supplement a portion of his brains functions. Without that, he could not even speak or stand on his own two feet. But after the injury he had undergone, it was a miracle he was able to go back to his normal life at all. And that was why those three currently stood at the main entrance of the hospital. Yoshikawa too had been shot at the end of the previous month and the bullet had grazed her heart, so she was not exactly in the best condition to watch after those children, but she had taken on the duty nonetheless. It was not that she had no choice but to do it. She wanted to do it. Okay, listen up. This is the entrance, so stop playing around so you dont trouble the other people here. You can play once we drop off this luggage and calm down a bit. Misaka wasnt playing! says Misaka as Misaka forces her center of gravity further and further down and objects with a serious expression!! If that sense of leisure oozing off of you isnt playing, then what the hell do you call it!? shouted Accelerator while the sports bag still threatened to flatten him. Yoshikawa ignored that exchange and headed out from the entrance and lightly waved at the driver of the taxi waiting for them. He drove up to them with practiced motions. Accelerator held out the bag Last Order was sitting on toward the driver and said, Ill just throw all this in the trunk, so hurry up and open it. Youre treating Misaka like luggage!? says Misaka as Misaka flees to the back seat while trembling!! Accelerator tossed the sports bag into the back seat so it squashed Last Order underneath and sat in an open seat. There was still room in the back seat, but Yoshikawa headed around to the passenger seat so she did not have to deal with the commotion in the back. Just to be sure, she said to the driver, Theyre just feeling a bit giddy after being in the hospital for so long. Ah ha ha. Its a good thing for kids to have that much energy. Oh, and the small one isnt used to cars so she might vomit. !? The drivers body twitched at that. Yoshikawa guessed he was new at the job. She could hear the sounds of a struggle as Accelerator grabbed his sports bag and moved as far away from Last Order as he could get. Yoshikawas warning had only been a bluff meant to make sure the driver gave them a smoother ride, but it seemed it was not as well known a trick as she had thought. The taxi set off as smoothly as if it was delivering raw eggs. Yoshikawa informed the driver of their destination and checked the digital clock above the meter. It was just before noon. Since he had believed the announcement about Last Order vomiting, Accelerator grabbed her face and shoved her away when she tried to approach. As he did so, he looked at the back of Yoshikawas head with a puzzled look. Where are we headed? To the school someone I know works at. I have arranged for us to meet there. Youre planning to quit your current school, right? Im sure you know what that means. Most of the students in Academy City lived in dormitories. There were some who did things like freeload at a city bakery, but those were very rare cases. Leaving a school (technically they were psychic power development institutions that included schools) meant losing your place to live in that schools dorms. Accelerator was constantly targeted by Academy Citys delinquents and they would also trash his dorm room, so he had no problem ditching that residence. Every single piece of furniture had been destroyed, so there was no value in the place. However, losing his only real place of shelter was still a big deal. The reason Accelerator had chosen to leave that school despite that risk was... I dont want to have anything to do with that Level 6 shit ever again. The organization that had directly carried out that experiment had been destroyed, but the disappearance of the research institution that used the Sisters did not fully free them from its curse. It was on a different scope, but his school had a special classroom. He was the only student in the class and it essentially functioned as a square cage to isolate him as an experimental animal. If he truly wanted to leave that bloody world, he had to throw away all of that. The lab, the school, the dorm...everything. From now on, he would have to choose a school that did not have such powerful intent behind it. He had no idea if there really were any researchers who would not leap at the chance to experiment on a test subject as desirable as Accelerator, but he would do his best to find one. Accelerator and Last Order were such special beings that they would never find a place to live outside of Academy City. And if he stayed in Academy City but did not attend a school, his only choice was to live in the back alleys as a member of Skill Out. If Academy Citys strongest Level 5 chose that path, it would only lead to complete destruction. Accelerator grimaced. So did the board of directors decide to leave us under your control? I suppose this is perfectly suited to your field of research. As a research member involved in the experiment, Yoshikawa had once helped produce Last Order and the other clones and had helped with the maintenance of Accelerator. Even after the research related to Level 6 had been stopped, he was still Academy Citys strongest Level 5 and excellent research material. If Yoshikawa could research him and find some new way to use him for psychic power development, he would be very valuable indeed. Accelerator sensed the influence and planning of someone from behind the scenes. Most of the people Accelerator had ever met could be summed up with the term monster. As long as it allowed him to escape the curse of that sort of adult, he decided it might be easier to leave the decision to Yoshikawa. Of course, if he ever disagreed with her methods, he would just crush her and try elsewhere. But... No, replied Yoshikawa Kikyou without even turning around. What? I am not your next supervisor. Think about this rationally. With my research job gone, I am essentially unemployed. Also, after the experiment itself and August 31st, I have been involved with an incident related to you twice now. If the board of directors still decided to assign me as your guardian, they should all be fired. ...Then what? Are you only here to run an errand for the strange new researcher that were being handed over to? You certainly are deeply suspicious. But given the environment youve grown up in, I suppose that shouldnt come as a surprise. However, that view is incorrect in two different ways. First, I am planning to hand you over to someone you know. Second, this person is not a researcher. ... Accelerator narrowed his eyes as he carefully thought through what Yoshikawa had said. He did not trust her. He did not like having that kid next to him, but he was willing to crush any enemy even with that handicap. It would be faster to thoroughly crush an enemy that showed itself here than to spend a long time constantly being on guard for some unknown attacker. (...This is getting boring.) And then the perfectly innocent girl known as Last Order gave a carefree remark. The only person I know who isnt a researcher is Yomikawa, says Misaka as Misaka raises her hand to give her answer. Thats right, replied Yoshikawa happily. Yomikawa was a woman who worked as a member of Academy Citys Anti-Skill and was one of Yoshikawa Kikyous few friends in the public world. Accelerator and Last Order knew her as the track-suit-wearing woman who had looked after the two of them in the hospital while Yoshikawa was still incapacitated from her gunshot wound. Accelerator clicked his tongue as that possibility had not come to mind until Last Order mentioned it. Hearing that, Yoshikawa said, Oh? I thought maybe you would relax a bit when you heard the answer. Then how about you give me some more thorough answers? Well, you will see whether I am lying or not when we arrive. It may be best if you actually dont fix your bad habit of being cautious about the na?ve words of others. Especially since you know the value of what you must protect. Yoshikawa was not giving in at all. Accelerator looked out the car window in annoyance as a means of averting his gaze from the passenger seat. Last Order alone seemed oblivious to the exchange and said, Eh? So it isnt Yomikawa? says Misaka as Misaka starts tugging on your shoulder. Part 5 At noon, school was let out for the day. Kamijou was not a part of any clubs or teams, so he just had to head back to his dorm. He put his leather shoes on at the shoe lockers and continued on off of the school grounds. What did I do wrong? he muttered. He was of course thinking about the series of events with the massager and Fukiyose Seiris headbutt. (Hmm. Did I word it too familiarly? But even when I said please and called her Fukiyose-sama, she still hit me. And even when I started with Dear Madam, the colors of fall certainly have deepened, she still headbutted me across the room. I wonder what had her so upset.) That boy had grown used to the misfortune that was always pouring down on him, so he was resilient when it came to direct blows. That was why he did not have any bandages despite the beating he had taken. Kamijou Touma had worked up incredible endurance from having his head constantly bitten by a starving girl. And without ever realizing the fundamental issue despite the deep thought he gave it, he finally decided he should have worked in the seasonal words more casually. All the while, Kamijou continue to walk through the standard cityscape of Academy City. By September 30th, the final traces of heat had been swept away. The gentle breeze turning the blades of the wind turbines showed that he would no longer need to use his air conditioner. The weather forecast displayed on the large screen on the department store wall had switched from saying watch out for heatstroke to the season is changing, so keep a careful eye on your health. And then... There! There! There you are! I finally goddamn found you!! A girls voice shouted that comment that proved the breakdown of the modern Japanese language that linguistic critics often warned of. Kamijou turned around and saw (what should have been) a lovely girl of the prestigious rich girls school, Tokiwadai Middle School, charging toward him at high speed. It was Misaka Mikoto. She had shoulder-length brown hair and was about 7 cm shorter than Kamijou. Instead of the summer uniform he was used to seeing her in, she wore a beige blazer and a dark blue checkered pleated skirt. She had to have received that winter uniform brand new only that day or the day before, but the skirt had already been shortened. As befitting a student at a rich girls school, she held what looked like a violin case in addition to her thin school bag. Whenever Kamijou saw her face, an annoyed look appeared on his own face. Well, this is...ugh...such misfortune. Dont react like that every time you see me!! Gyahh! shouted Mikoto. Kamijou had received punches and headbutts from Fukiyose Seiri that morning, but he felt more misfortune about this encounter. That may have only been natural since that girl was known as the Railgun and she had a habit of sending lightning spears and other such things his way. Kamijou readjusted his grip on his thin school bag as if it was quite heavy. So do you need something with me? Keep it short. And lets keep walking if possible. Id like to get home. Was that first comment not enough to piss me off, so you had to go one step further? Mikoto tilted her head to the side with her lips twisted up in an evil grin. Actually, do you even have the right to treat me so horribly? What are you talking about? Kamijou sensed some kind of evil intent behind Mikotos flat words, so he slowly distanced himself from her. Then, that ace of Tokiwadai Middle School who was supposed to have the impeccable conduct of a high class lady folded her arms and said, The punishment game? Kamijou Toumas eyebrows twitched. The punishment game in question had been a bet made between Kamijou and Mikoto during the Daihaseisai, Academy Citys large scale sports festival that began on September 19th and lasted 7 days. Simply put, the one whose school ranked lower had to do whatever the other said. In a city of psychic power development, the use of esper powers was allowed during the sports festival. And Tokiwadai Middle Schools students could use things like lightning spears reaching hundreds of millions of volts and wall-like blasts of wind that reached 80 m/s to blow away the students of their opposing school like some kind of natural disaster. Kamijou was in high school while Mikoto was in middle school, but that age difference was not enough to make up for that natural-disaster-level threat. Everyone in his class had been horribly thrashed during their direct confrontation on the third day. Also, several members of Kamijous class such as Tsuchimikado, Himegami, Fukiyose, and himself had been injured during the trouble on the first day of the Daihaseisai. All those various circumstances had led to his defeat. His schools overall ranking had been terrible and they had certainly had no chance against a prestigious school like Tokiwadai in that state. But a loss was a loss. That meant Misaka Mikoto was completely in the right to bring up the punishment game. But... Huh? That things still valid? Dont one-sidedly let something like that go!! I really am going to get you to do whatever I ask! Hah! You should thank me for keeping things as they were rather than adding on interest!! Mikoto puffed out her chest in triumphant pride. Some of the students passing by looked over curiously. Her excessive reaction seemed to be an explosion of resentment over the fact that she had wanted to do this earlier but had not been able to thanks to Kamijous time in the hospital and in Italy. Kamijou started to voice a complaint about the idea of adding interest, but he took the mature route and held his tongue. Instead, he sighed and said, Thats fine I guess, but there really isnt much I can do. Hmm, so youre trying to talk your way out of this like that, are you? No, that wasnt my intention. I suppose youre right. Someone as mediocre as you really cant do very much, can you? But dont worry. While you may not be, I am wonderful enough to have already taken that into consideration. I intend to ask you to do things even an idiot can do, so make sure to work hard with your full mediocre ability. ... An odd snapping noise came from Kamijous temple. Getting angry would lead to nothing good in a situation like this, but Kamijou Touma was not a wise enough student to think rationally by that point. Fine then, replied Kamijou with his head hanging down. For some reason, Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Kamijous casual response. But... His head then shot up to stare Mikoto directly in the eye and he gathered up all his strength to shout. Fine!! Go ahead and command your beloved slave, Kamijou Touma, to do whatever you want!! The crowd around them suddenly froze in place. They looked back and forth between Kamijou and Mikoto, and then started whispering amongst themselves. After a pause of a few seconds, the crowd of people moved away from the two of them like a wave. What...? Wait...slave...ehh!? What are you saying!? Even though he saw the color withdraw from Mikotos face as quickly as the crowd from them, Kamijou was not the type of person to go easy on her and stop there. Kamijou reverently knelt on the ground, pulled a thin desk mat out from his thin school bag, and began fanning her with a completely serious expression void of any mocking whatsoever. Ensuring a comfortable environment for you naturally goes without saying, milady. I may be unused to this sort of task, but I will do my very best. I beg your forgiveness for any mistakes. Wait, you idiot!! Youre going way overboard here! And dont fan my skirt up from below!! shouted Mikoto as her pale face quickly grew tinged with red and she used both hands to hold down her already short skirt. She was wearing shorts underneath, but it was more about how it felt. And then... Onee-samaaa!! A pigtailed girl in a blazer named Shirai Kuroko forcefully charged toward them, breaking through the crowd that had drawn away in shock. Wh-what is this...!? Normally, she would probably have either embraced Mikoto or grabbed both of her hands, but for once her upper body was knocked backwards as if she had run into an invisible wall between herself and Mikoto. The grand scene before her seemed to have come as quite a shock. K-Kuroko? While (it looked like) Mikoto publicly had an older boy fanning her while he prostrated himself at her feet, she turned her head toward her underclassman with her expression frozen in place. But it seemed Shirai Kuroko could not hear her beloved onee-samas voice because she merely stood in place trembling. Her gaze was fixated on Kamijou Touma who (it looked like) had become Mikotos loyal servant. Shirai said, Wh-what a gallant and straightforward display of subordination... But that is supposed to be my role!! Shirais eyes contained envy, jealousy, and a hint of respect. Stop that, you idiots!! Dont you both bow down to me like that! Is this some kind of ritual!? Youre making me look like the leader of some cult!! shouted Misaka Mikoto, but Kamijou Touma merely continued to earnestly fan her from below while Shirai Kuroko could not stop trembling with fear at how formidable a rival he was. Part 6 Tsukuyomi Komoe let out an exhausted sigh in the staff room. That level of fatigue did not suit her 135 cm height and 12 year old appearance, but it was well deserved. Not only had she been forced to deal with the violence between her students that morning (while it might not stand out much around Kamijou Touma, that was quite a bit of trouble for a normal school life), but she had another reason as well. This other reason was scattered atop her steel desk. The cheaply printed papers had Future Career Survey printed at the top. During the first year, this was a very general survey that simply asked what kind of job the student would like to work in the future. Whether the student would continue his or her education or get a job, what school and what department the student would choose if continuing with their education, or what company would they aim for and what methods would they use to get hired if heading straight out to get a job were all questions for further down the line. But... Sigh... Komoe-sensei held her head in her hands. Tsuchimikado Motoharu had been as serious as he possibly could when he wrote I want to go to the maid kingdom. There, I will start a coup detat, and as the mastermind, I will make an unhappy maid into my empress. Aogami Pierce had written I want to be popular in such big letters it did not fit within the answer box. Kamijou Touma had written As long as I can be happy, I dont care what I do as an earnest desire that threatened to bring tears to her eyes. (Someone important said more and more of the modern youth lack a desire for a specific job, but I get the feeling this isnt quite what he meant...) In all likelihood, those three boys had not simply written some arbitrary answer with their mechanical pencils because they had no interest in the survey. They had likely been completely serious in those answers. And that was the real problem. At that point, a female teacher in a track suit named Yomikawa Aiho approached. Hey, there. Would you prefer a smoke or a drink for a change of pace? Alcohol is not permitted on the job... Normally, Tsukuyomi Komoe would have replied very loudly and begun a lecture on what it meant to be a teacher, but her weariness from the day left her with only that weak response. Yomikawa glanced across Komoe-senseis desk. Then I guess that leaves a smoke. Komoe-sensei pulled a cigarette out of the box Yomikawa held out and stuck it in her mouth. Huh? This has a high quality taste to it. Well, I did get these at that smoking bar that opened recently. Theyre 70 yen a piece. With no smoking areas expanding in recent times, shops specifically made to smoke in had begun to appear. Bars with a variety of tobacco products from around the world instead of cocktails had become fairly common. This example was 70 yen per cigarette, but they also had cigars from South America that were 3000 yen each. Usually, the entirety of a school was a no smoking area, but Academy City actually often allowed smoking inside the schools. This was because the teachers often also worked as researchers in various fields, so the board of directors decided it was in the best interest of Academy City as a whole to ensure those teachers could remain focused. And so teachers who had requested for permission to smoke were provided with small high-efficiency air purifiers. Komoe-sensei opened the drawer of her steel desk and pulled out four machines about the size of 2 cigarette packs. She placed them on the four corners of the desk. Each of them would suck in air from only one direction. With four of them in use, they moved the air above the desk in a circle like it was being spun by a washing machine. The flow of air was not even strong enough to move a single scrap of thin paper, but it was enough to catch the cigarette smoke, suck it in, pass it through a filter, and then release the purified air. This latest model used the principles of aerodynamics to their fullest and also kept the cost low enough that they could be provided to teachers at no cost. It was an excellent item for use in everyday life. There we go. Komoe-sensei switched on the air purifiers sitting on the corners of her desk. Yomikawa Aiho, the green track suit wearing teacher with unbelievably huge breasts, put a cigarette in her own mouth and lit it with the small lighter sitting on Komoe-senseis desk. Apparently, these are rare Belgian ones...Ugh. This was a failure. I cant pick up any subtle flavor. Yomikawa-sensei, that is because your taste had been dulled by just smoking through them quickly rather than savoring the flavor of each individual one. I dont want to hear that from White Smoker Tsukuyomi-sensei who easily smokes 5 times as much as I do. The two women blew smoke out at the desk. When the white smoke hit the top of the desk, it scattered in every direction, but it seemed to hit an invisible barrier when it reached the edges of the desk. It stopped moving and then started spiraling around until it was sucked into the desks four corners. The air purifiers only had any effect directly above the desk. Komoe-sensei was fine in her chair, but Yomikawa had to lean forward a bit to bring her head close enough. It seemed the system still had some room for improvement. It seems theyre going to raise the price of tobacco products again. I cant believe it. Its still better than the prices for sweets and manga. Eighty percent of Academy Citys population was made up of students. Even with the exceptions of the college students, surprisingly few people in the city were allowed to smoke or drink. This meant taxes on those things did not do much to increase the budget. For that reason, it was generally understood within Academy City that taxes would be placed on the things kids liked. The city was primarily a place for learning, so the general opinion was that it was only natural to tax the items and indulgences that were not needed for that purpose. In exchange, rent for the standard dormitories and costs for school lunches (some of those were prototypes made by Academy City) were incredibly low, so it all evened out in the end. That said, there were still some schools that tried to make money off of the school buses and textbooks. But the students living expenses mostly come from scholarships and subsidiary aid. It really seems like a roundabout method to me, commented Yomikawa. If they directly lowered the amount the scholarships pay, they would be flooded with complaints. Its the same way people react completely differently to a raise in the taxes on cigarettes and a cut in pay even if the amounts add up to the same. Is that so? Yomikawa pulled a portable ashtray from a pocket on her track suit and tapped the ash off of the end of the cigarette. She then noticed something. Komoe-senseis cigarette was slowly bobbing up and down in the corner of her mouth. She had never done that before. Ha ha. Were you influenced by that smoking priest you mentioned, Tsukuyomi-sensei? Komoe-senseis shoulders jumped. She frantically moved the cigarette from the corner of her mouth to the center. N-no! Cmon, Yomikawa-sensei, what are you talking about!? The idea of his habits infecting me is just preposterous!! If you say so. Komoe-sensei had brought up all of her defenses, so Yomikawa readily backed down. Komoe-sensei felt she had evaded the issue, but the look on her face told the truth. Mghh... Komoe-sensei remained on her guard, but Yomikawa just blew out some more smoke and said, Now then, its about time I get going. Oh, are the kids you mentioned about to arrive? Thats right. Theyre in a pretty bad situation, but I like dealing with an idiot or two. If my class was filled with nothing but straight-A students, things would be too boring. Wait, wait! Our cigarettes are still plenty long, so lets keep smoking for a bit longer! Komoe-sensei grabbed Yomikawas hand since the staff room was the only area they were allowed to smoke in. A few minutes later, Komoe-sensei had smoked her cigarette right down to the filter and she left the staff room along with the track suit wearing PE teacher. Part 7 Accelerator could hear the sound of a taxi driving away behind him. He did not turn around to look at it. Last Order was saying something next to him, but he did not look in her direction either. His eyes were fixated on the mysterious sight before him. He was near the main gate to a certain high school. He could see a reinforced concrete school building that, as far as he could tell from that distance, seemed completely normal and average with nothing unusual about it. But that was not the issue at hand. Accelerator was not looking at the school building. He was looking at the two women standing before him who worked as teachers at that school. He recognized one of them. She had long hair tied back and wore a green track suit. Her name was Yomikawa Aiho and she also worked in Academy Citys Anti-Skill. She did not like aiming a weapon at children, so that crazy PE teacher was known to take on anyone up to a Level 3 with nothing but a shield. But she was not the issue at hand either. Accelerator was staring at the other woman. I-is something the matter...? The woman had said she was named Tsukuyomi Komoe...but she might have been even smaller than Last Order who had once more started sitting seiza-style on Accelerators sports bag. Accelerator thought for a bit, gave one more glance at the short woman, and asked, What kind of unexplainable creature is this? Where the hell did she come from? No, thats not it at all. I came to Academy City after graduating from college like normal. Accelerator narrowed his eyes at that comment that only confused the situation further. And then... So theyve completed research into stopping cellular aging, hm? Fucking hell, is this one of those 250 year methods I heard whispered about during the experiment? I thought I knew how deep all this went, but how much further does Academy Citys technology go!? U-um...You are mistaken. The research might be incomplete and she was captured as a living sample to analyze, says Misaka as Misaka puts on a fairly serious expression. ...Poor thing. She must have so many experiments done on her she has no free time, says Misaka as Misaka readies a handkerchief in hand. Um! Why did this have to take such a serious turn from nothing but my introduction!? Yomikawa-sensei, stop laughing and do something!! As the mini-teacher grew flustered, the track suit woman laughed so hard she had to hold her sides. Yoshikawa Kikyou, the one who had brought Accelerator and Last Order there, did not seem to have expected Yomikawa to bring that companion. She smiled, but it was a slightly dangerous-looking smile representing her researchers spirit flaming to life once more. As she continued to laugh, Yomikawa looked over toward Accelerator and said, Anyway, I will be looking after you two from now on. I have some extra rooms, so feel free to just stay as freeloaders. ...This will only be for the time being, said Accelerator in a disinterested tone. H-has the misunderstanding been resolved? asked Komoe-sensei, but Yomikawa only repeatedly slapped her on the top of the head and laughed. Are you sure you want me there? said Accelerator in a completely normal tone. You know what circumstances Im coming from, right? If you only think this will only lead to getting a Molotov cocktail thrown at the place in the dead of night, youre underestimating this. Sheltering me is the same as taking on the entire goddamn dark side of Academy City. Thats exactly why Im taking you in. Yomikawa also spoke like this was a completely normal conversation. Have you forgotten what my job is? Its easier to deal with that kind of thing as a member of Anti-Skill. Plus, I doubt there are many people who are going to straight-out attack an Anti-Skill members home. This citys darkness operates in the areas we cant see. If they actually declared war on us, who knows which side would crush the other. ... Accelerator fell silent as he contemplated what Yomikawa had said. Meanwhile Komoe-sensei looked around and said, Huh? When did the atmosphere grow so heavy? Well, dont come crying to me if you get killed, he finally said. You dont have to worry about that. They might add your name to their list. Its my job to rehabilitate those delinquent groups. If I let myself be scared by the kids Im supposed to be helping, I cant even take the first step. Accelerator clicked his tongue. First it was Last Order and now this woman. That kind of idiot kept popping up around him. He felt all alone and completely out of place standing there. While Accelerator reflected on those bitter thoughts, Yomikawa gave a smile that did not belong on an adult womans face. Im relieved. It looks like youll be a lot easier to save than I had heard. Are you fucking serious? She was talking about whether she could rehabilitate him or not. She had no way of knowing, but Accelerator had already killed over 10,000 human beings with his own hands. With that fact in mind, it was obvious why Yomikawas words seemed so out of touch with reality to Accelerator. But... Unaware of that, Yomikawa Aiho continued speaking. I am. Whatever you might say, when you heard you were going to live with me, you started going through a checklist to get rid of all the possible blind spots. You wanted to close up even the smallest hole to prevent a real attack. That means you have a real intention of protecting us, right? ... Accelerator wrinkled his brow. Thats why I cant stand you idiots who dont even check over the situation properly, he muttered under his breath. Part 8 Kamijou parted ways with Misaka Mikoto. This was simply because he was hungry, he wanted to change out of his sweaty school uniform, and he had a massive amount of extra soumen he needed to use up back at his dorm. Kamijou had no idea when dried soumen went bad, but he had a feeling it would be best not to keep this years soumen around into the next year. Mikoto had yelled What!? Its just soumen!, but Kamijou had gotten her to let him go by forcefully yelling back Then do you want to be stuck eating soumen for three meals a day and having to spend all day coming up with new ways to use it for salad, pasta, udon, and anything else you can come up with!? If so, I can send you a giant cardboard box full of soumen!! Since he did not have much time until they had agreed to meet back up, Kamijou ran at a reckless speed back to his dorm. Dammit. If only I had sensed the trap back when this soumen was so cheap at that supermarket sale. This must be why no one was touching it despite the excellent price. And in a case of horrible timing, right after he had bought all that soumen, his parents who lived outside of Academy City had sent him a massive amount of dried noodles with a note saying We won this in a lottery. Touma, you like soumen, right? When things like that happened every day, it could only be described as misfortune. When he arrived at the dorm building, Tsuchimikado Maika happened to be heading out. It was a boys dorm, but the public morals had been in great disarray lately with that maid apprentice girl coming to clean her stepbrothers room like a girlfriend and a starving girl lazing around in Kamijous room. The girl named Maika usually sat seiza-style on top of an autonomous drum-shaped cleaning robot, but she was walking normally today. Her bangs were pushed up by the frilly headband characteristic of maids, so her forehead was completely visible. She wore a dark blue-ish long-sleeved maid uniform, but it was apparently actually the designated (winter) uniform for her school. She attended a maid school. When Kamijou saw Maika walking along with short strides, he asked, Oh? What happened to your usual cleaning robot? Heh heh. Im in too good a mood to stick with that things slow speed. This girls expressions were usually as hard to read as Himegami Aisas, but today her face was plainly beaming with joy. Kamijou looked puzzled as he tried to figure out what could have caused that, and Maika placed the back of her right hand on her left cheek and let out a domineering laugh that did not suit a maid. Oh ho ho! Its these. These cuffs turned out perfectly. Cuffs? The end of the sleeves here, said Maika while grinning. A maid is supposed to be inconspicuous, so we cannot use too flashy of accessories for our hair or wherever. That is why we show our individuality in small places like our cuffs and collars. Oh, I see, said Kamijou as he looked more closely around Maikas hands. The cloth of the sleeves was folded back at the wrist. Kamijou was unsure what about it was different from normal, but he guessed this was similar to a girls joy after shortening the length of the skirt to her first uniform. With an entranced look, Maika rubbed her sleeve against her own soft-looking cheek. Ahh... This terms Gauntlets were a tremendous success. Im in suuuuuch a good mood, Im willing to listen to any troubles you might be having. Really? Then do you know how to use up a bunch of extra soumen? If you cook the soumen, chop it into small pieces, and mix it into the contents of a spring roll, it doesnt change the flavor much at all. Its a light way to increase their volume. After answering, Maika trotted off somewhere. Rays of joy could be seen coming from even her retreating back. Kamijou looked off in that direction for a bit. ...I guess thats just throwing it in with something with a strong flavor to hide its own flavor. With that casually muttered comment on Maikas answer, he headed into the student dorm since he had no reason to stay outside. After riding the worn-out elevator up the 7th floor, he just had to head straight down the row of doors to reach his own room. When he unlocked the door and entered, he found the starving girl called Index collapsed face up in the middle of the floor. He guessed she was hungry as always. Kamijou tossed his thin bag on the floor and said, Its soumen again today. No!! The silver-haired girl in the pure white nuns habit forcefully sat up with dissatisfaction filling her sparkling green eyes. Touma, why have you been making nothing but Japanese noodles lately!? What kind of ritual is this!? Is it some kind of bodily regulation magic using culinary culture!? Index was complaining now, but it was no big deal since she would happily eat the soumen once it was laid out on the table. She was simply getting tired of soumen. And you could only get tired of a food that you fundamentally liked since you tended not to eat something you did not like enough to get tired of it. Kamijou nodded and said, Romance is tough. Touma? Index looked at him like he was some suspicious person, but Kamijou did not care. Incidentally, the room had another freeloader besides the girl. The calico cat was bathing in the sun on the balcony. Not long before, it had usually chosen to curl up in an area it could feel a breeze in, but it must have been changing its habits as the season changed. The cat did not have to deal with the soumen, so it managed to remain completely carefree. It had recently started growing its winter coat, so there was cat fur everywhere. And Kamijou had a feeling the cat was growing larger bit by bit. Kamijou reached for some clothes to change into using the dorms bathroom and said, Maika passed on a secret technique to me, so how about we try it out? Its time for some soumen spring rolls! Then cant we just have normal spring rolls!? Just as Index let out that cry, the intercom suddenly rang. Who could that be? Kamijou opened the door and found Tsuchimikado Motoharu standing there. Oh, youre here, youre here, nyah. Kami-yan, could you help me out a bit, nyah? Those words made Kamijou wary. H-help with what? Dont tell me you want me to go sink another international magic fleet. Kami-yan, you can already say that kind of thing with a straight face? ...Maybe I should feel a bit sorry for you. Tsuchimikado gave Kamijou a sympathetic look. It isnt that. Maika made too much food, nyah. She just left an entire pot full of stew that had been cooking for 10 hours, and theres no way I can eat it all. But it would be a waste to throw it out, so if you like you can-... ...Ill eat it!! It was Index that shouted out, not Kamijou. She also shot out from behind the boy who actually owned the room and quickly approached Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado also must have smelled like the food in question because the calico cat stopped lazing around and trotted over towards him. Kamijou wanted to make a complaint, but he decided to hold his tongue when he saw how unusually excited Index was. The words wise decision floated up in the back of his mind. And so the group headed next door to Tsuchimikados room. Naturally, the overall layout was exactly the same as Kamijous room. However, the kind of training equipment you would see in a gym was lying about, so it gave quite a different impression. One wall had two bookshelves on it with one of the two transformed into a collectors field by being filled with manga and the like that featured maids, but Kamijou decided it was the duty of a friend to let that go without comment. Here it is, said Tsuchimikado as he pointed at the table. Maika must have only just brought it because the kind of silver stock pot used by cooks was sitting on the table. Naturally, a normal dorm did not have a trivet that could fit such a giant pot, so old newspaper had been laid out on the table. Tsuchimikado approached the pot and opened the lid. An orange stew could be seen within. She said the base of the stew is carrots, but theyve been cooked so much they completely fell apart, nyah. She then threw in other vegetables and stuff, so its quite a stew. Arent carrots actually pretty sweet? From what Kamijou could smell, that seemed to be the case. It may have been a method of letting the natural flavors of the vegetables sweeten it without using much, if any, sugar. They scooped the stew onto large shallow plates with a ladle. The potatoes and pork had been cut up into large pieces. It had quite a number of different vegetables in it, so it seemed like it would be as nutritious as a health drink. Incidentally, it had onions in it, so they could not give any to the cat. Kamijou could not look the small animal in the eye as it rolled around and as if to say Oh, cmon! I want some too! I want some too! I want some too!! And so they began to eat. It was an unexpectedly wonderful meal, but Kamijou was still worried about what he would do with all that soumen. Time to eat, Kamijou said with spoon in hand before looking over at Tsuchimikado. You sure are generous. Maika may say shes an apprentice, but her cooking is on par with your average restaurant, dont you think? Nyah. Thats the whole reason I did this. I didnt want to waste something so valuable just because I couldnt eat it all myself. And I definitely cant eat this much on my own, nyah. I guess. But couldnt you save it for later? Tsuchimikado froze in place. He usually ate out or had his younger stepsister cook for him, so he did not do much cooking for someone living on his own. That must have been why the possibility never occurred to him. Kamijou Touma, the home cooking boy, clarified further. Also, if Maika made this much for you, doesnt that mean she probably isnt coming to your room for a while? She probably made something this nutritious you could reheat as needed so you wouldnt starve. The cat began swatting something like a box with its front paws. They looked down and saw a sealed container for leftover food. It was very, very large. ... ... ... Kamijou Touma, Index, and Tsuchimikado Motoharu all exchanged glances. Given Tsuchimikado Maikas great kindness and Tsuchimikado Motoharus hopelessness, they could all guess just how much danger loomed in that sunglasses boys future if that stew was taken from him. The silence continued for a few seconds. The cat let out a meow. Using that as their sign, Kamijou and Index almost simultaneously began vigorously devouring their stew. Tsuchimikados face had gone completely pale. Wait! Kami-yan, stop, stop!! I was mistaken! I cant give you any of that! Listen to me! My stepsisters cooking is mine and mine alone!! Hah hah! Sorry, but Im not about to wait!! And you should probably be more concerned about stopping Index!! Shes about to go back for seconds!! Nyahh!? shouted Tsuchimikado, but Index could not be stopped. Her spoon moved so fast it looked like she was going to devour the entire contents of the pot. In its own way, this was another peaceful day. Between the Lines 1 Londons Lambeth Palace had always functioned as the official residence for the Anglican Churchs Archbishop. The grounds were currently opened for sightseeing, but the inside of the building was still off limits to normal people and all information on it was off limits as well. Simply put, no one knew what it was like inside. The most one could do was imagine what might be inside from the historic look of the exterior. The area was wrapped in mystery and fascination, and any member of the Anglican Church that cared about social status and influence set it as their goal. Without exaggerating, it could be called a throne. The building had nothing to do with your average person and yet no one found its absolute privacy suspicious. It also had a greater magical defense network surrounding it than even Buckingham Palace where the queen lived. Everyone from the guards to the gardeners and the cleaners were well-versed in anti-intruder close combat magic. The layout of the pillars, the patterns on the wallpaper, and even the amount of light put off by the Western lamps all held magical meaning that functioned as a single trap. The building itself was a single giant device, so an intruder could not simply avoid the traps. Everything related to the building was designed with the intent of making such a ridiculous concept a reality. Due to the specific clergyman who lived there and the idea of the iron maiden, it was sometimes sarcastically referred to as the Nail Bedroom. Lambeth Palace was currently wrapped in the silence of the night. There was a time difference of approximately 9 hours between Japan and England. Much fewer personnel were there than during the day, but the actual level of security was markedly higher. It was simply made to look more lax so no one would realize that fact. Archbishop Laura Stuart was in the bath. Hm hm hm hm hm hmm? For those who had noble visions and aspirations about Lambeth Palace, the sight of that brightly-lit room with nothing but humming echoing through it may have utterly shocked them. It was called a bath, but the huge space was 20 meters square. But despite that size, it was not designed as a single large bath. Several dozen small premade bathtubs were crammed into the room. And each of those bathtubs had some function that stank of the science side. There was an electric bath, a negative ion bath, a water jet massage bath, and many others. They had all been sent to Laura from acquaintances in Academy City, seemingly as Bon festival gifts and year-end gifts. Currently, Laura was using both hands to hold up the skirt of her beige habit, sitting on the edge of a water jet bath, and sticking just her feet into the bathtub. She did have basin-like baths meant to be footbaths, but Laura seemed to like sticking her feet into those water jets. Her blonde hair, that was twice as long as she was tall, looked like a spider web with raindrops in it because the steam had washed over it, but she could easily fix that later. She was focused on the footbath for the moment. (Nnn... Now this is happiness. Okay, after I loosen up my feet, I can warm my entire body in that electric bath.) While Laura Stuart tried to get rid of the weariness of the day, Stiyl Magnus seemed to almost smash down the door as he suddenly charged in without knocking. Archbishop!! shouted that outrageous priest who had his hair dyed red, a cigarette in his mouth, silver rings on all ten of his fingers, a barcode tattoo under his right eye, and the smell of perfume and nicotine mixed together. Laura jumped in surprise. Even if it was just a footbath, she had her skirt pulled up quite a bit, exposing her bare legs. Laura frantically tried to lower her skirt, but her sudden movement caused her hips to slip, sending her spilling magnificently off the edge of the bathtub she was sitting on. A loud splash like that of a crashing wave spread through the room. With report in hand, Stiyl paid that no heed. Is what this report says true!? This better not be another demonstration of your skill at being a complete moron. The words of the Archbishop can cause the world to move, so you need to be more-... Stop blowing bubbles below the water and answer me! You wrote this, didnt you!? In reality, she was only blowing bubbles because a water jet was blasting her in the face and she could not breathe, but Stiyl could see nothing but a woman splashing around in the bathtub with her legs spread out in an M-shape and her panties clearly visible. With another splash, Laura forcefully brought her head out of the water. Wh-wh-wh-why would you suddenly charge into a ladys bath with your shoes still on, Stiyl!? And even if I am a member of the clergy...no, specifically because I am a member of the clergy, I cannot let you see me like thi-... Please. Just. Answer. Me!! Stop, Stiyl!! If you stab your flame sword into the water, the bath will boil!! Laura practically fell out of the bathtub as she escaped. In the next instant, the water did not just boil; it underwent a slight phreatic explosion. The Archbishop lay on the wet floor, opening and closing her mouth as she gasped for air. Her long, long hair was wrapped around her like a cocoon, making her look like some kind of monster. The veins on Stiyls temple bulged out and he said, Please just reread this report and explain it in detail for me. I just want to get my work done with so I can get to bed. Why do I have to look after such a lonely woman? But Laura was not listening. Ah!! The bathwater is causing my habit to stick to my skin, revealing the impure lines of my body! You mustnt look, Stiyl! Turn around! I do not intend to let anyone see my underwear!! ... A crunching sound could be heard. It was the sound of Stiyl biting through the filter of his cigarette. W-wait, Stiyl! If you strike me directly with your flame sword, I will burn away!! Laura fled and Stiyl gave chase with a flame sword in one hand. It did not look like he would get any sleep that night either. Volume 12, 2: What kind of penalty game? Pair_Contract. Volume 12, Chapter 2: What kind of penalty game? Pair_Contract. Part 1 Misaka Mikoto stood in the plaza in front of a concert hall. That was where they had agreed to meet. ...Where is he? She was getting tired of standing alone a bit away from the plaza while watching friends and lovers meeting up. Mikoto was still wearing Tokiwadai Middle Schools uniform. She was also still carrying her thin school bag and violin case. They would get in the way while having fun, but dropping them off at her dorm would be a pain in its own way. She could normally enter and leave as she pleased, but she was sometimes thoroughly questioned about where she was headed when she had the bad luck to be caught by someone like the dorm supervisor. And so instead of heading back to her dorm, she had headed straight to the spot they had agreed to meet at. That way she knew she would not be late. It seemed Shirai Kuroko was nearby, so she had called the other girl to take her things back to their dorm room, but... Why are neither of them coming? muttered Mikoto blankly. She had hoped to quickly force her baggage onto Shirai and then kill the rest of the time in a caf, but she ended up just standing there the entire time because not even Shirai arrived. She sighed and wondered why she had gone to such a great effort to ensure she was not late when Kamijou did not seem to have a problem with running late himself. But even if she wished she could take her baggage back to the dorm, the appointed time had already passed. If she left now, they might just miss each other. Mikoto sighed again and her shoulders drooped exhaustedly. Come to think of it, I dont even know that idiots number. ...But asking him myself would piss me off too much. She was tired of standing, so she placed her thin school bag and violin case on the ground and crouched down. The bag was fine, but the case looked like it had antique value. Nevertheless, Mikoto did not seem to care. It merely functioned as a case in her mind. And as weariness wrapped around that rich girl... There you are! You are Misaka Mikoto-san, right!? A bright girls voice came her way. Hearing her name, Mikoto looked up with a look that seemed to say Whats this? A middle school girl smaller than Mikoto stood there. She wore a sailor uniform and had lots of artificial flowers on top of her short, black hair. Mikoto thought she was a member of Judgment just like Shirai Kuroko. She had a tendency to hang around Shirai more than speak to Mikoto directly. Its...Uiharu Kazari-san, right? Wow, you remembered! Uiharus eyes sparkled. The look in her eyes was one of pure envy. However, she longed for the world of rich girls she saw in this upperclassman from Tokiwadai Middle School rather than for Mikoto herself, so those sparkling eyes were of a different sort from Shirais. This was nothing more than healthy admiration. Uiharu timidly asked, Um...Shirai-san was supposed to come get your things, right? Hm? Mikoto frowned. Uiharu was looking at the school bag and violin case lying on the ground. Well...You see... Shirai-san had some Judgment work forced onto her...no, I mean she is working very hard, so she will probably be a bit late. She really wants to come here herself, but I came instead because it did not look like that was going to happen anytime soon. Mikoto was about to accept that explanation, but she stopped. Shirai was a close (strictly in a completely normal sense) friend of hers, so she did not hesitate to ask something like that of her, but she could not leave that job to this innocent girl. Also, Uiharu was not a student of Tokiwadai Middle School. She could not enter the dorm, so she would have to hand it off to someone at the dorm to bring it to Mikotos room. In the worst case scenario, that could even be the dorm supervisor. The dorm supervisor was mature enough to cheerfully accept the items from Uiharu with a smile, but she would become a demon king of rage once Mikoto returned to the dorm. And so Mikoto casually waved her hand. If Kuroko isnt coming, thats fine. I can leave it with a cloakroom at a nearby hotel. Theyll let me as long as I rent out a room. Yes... I guess you cant just leave those in a coin locker. Uiharu looked at the violin case with nervous eyes. Her entire body made it clear she assumed that decision was made because a normal person like her could not be allowed to touch something of such value. Mikoto waved her hand even more. No, no, no! Im not doubting your ability to carry it, so dont get so down!! But... Uiharu trailed off. And when she spoke again, she had changed the subject. Tokiwadai Middle School really is amazing. It isnt normal to use a violin in school lessons. Really? If you tried it, I think youd find it isnt that hard. Mikoto noticed a hint of envy in Uiharus eyes as she looked at the violin. Um...By any chance, do you wish you could go to our school? N-no, no! Dont be ridiculous!! She was so flustered it was obvious what she actually thought. A completely normal person like me could never even set foot in a rich girl place like that!! Actually, if you have the ability, theyll cover as much of the finances as you need. The school focuses more on whats inside than on appearances. Ive actually heard that some royal daughter was rejected right away. I-if they do not even let royalty in, there is definitely no way I could get in... I have never even touched a violin. I think I would look pretty cool if I could play one though. I dont think you would find it as amazing as you think if you tried it. Mikoto grabbed the violin case from the ground. Here, Ill prove it. Eh!? Youll play for me? No, youll play it. Bwehh!? Uiharu looked at Mikoto with her eyes opened wide in shock, but that young lady of Tokiwadai Middle School had already undone the cases latch and pulled out a violin that had the old shine of an antique as well as the bow to play it with. Here you go. Bh!? D-dont just throw it at me!! Uiharu nervously took that item thats value she could not even imagine. She stiffened up because she thought its value would go down even if she got her sweat on it, not to mention if she broke it. Mikoto stood next to Uiharu and casually pointed at the various parts of the violin. Okay, just do what I tell you. Hold the violin in your left hand and use your right hand to play it with that stick-like thing. Hold the bottom of the instrument between your chin and collarbone. Its a pretty cheap violin, so dont worry about holding it too tightly. But even if it was cheap, it was cheap according to the values of a rich girl. Uiharu was about ready to shove that bomb back into Mikotos arms and run away, but she could not bear to take any bold actions because she felt it would affect the rest of her life if she broke the instrument in the process. Mikoto was puzzled as to why Uiharu was standing there not moving a muscle. Sorry, sorry. I guess it isnt enough to just tell you. Y-yes. Then Ill show you directly. Go like this. Wehhh!? Uiharu cried out because Mikoto gently wrapped her arms around her from behind and grabbed the violin. It looked like a mother kindly teaching her young child. Uiharu froze up even further at this unexpected intimacy, but Mikoto did not seem to notice. It was a complete coincidence, but when Mikoto began her lecture, she did so with her breath blowing right into Uiharus ear. Holding the strings with your left hand is important, but lets start with how to use the bow with your right hand. It might look hard at first, but all you really have to do is hold it at the correct angle to the strings while you play. Mikoto gently moved her hands that were placed over Uiharus hands. A single quiet tone came from the violin like when it was being tuned. Uiharus face had gone beet red and her eyes were spinning, so she was not listening to a thing Mikoto said, but Mikoto was completely unaware of this. With the exception of people like Shirai, Mikoto was generally kind to girls. The sound changes depending on how you use your left hand. Pizzicato, glissando, flageolet. Well, there are a lot of different methods, but none of them are particularly hard. How about we try them all one at a time? Oh, youll get used to it in no time. Dont worry. Uiharu could feel Mikotos body heat on her back, her sweet breath on her ear, and her soft fingers around Uiharus own hands. (S-so this is the hierarchy of rich girls that Shirai-san has fallen for!!) At that point, Mikoto finally noticed how stiff Uiharu was. In an attempt to help the other girl relax, she said, Dont worry. This is a large plaza so it has no regulations regarding performances. No ones going to get after you for using an instrument. N-no, that is not what I-...Wait, performance!? Hyah! When did all these people gather around? Why am I the center of atten-... Uiharus shocked cry cut off partway through. This was because she spotted Shirai Kuroko in the crowd and she had quite a magnificent expression on her face. Gyaaaaaahhhhhhh!! Uiharus shoulders jumped in shock. Unnatural strength entered her arm and a horrible screeching noise came from the instrument. As Shirai watched on, she projected her thoughts toward her colleague who was standing in the center of the crowed. (Oh, so thats it. You acted like you were being admirable by helping me out, but you actually had this ulterior motive. I cant take my eyes of you for even a second, can I? And I have never had such a wonderful experience myself. Why, onee-sama?) Were it being shown on television, her expression would likely have violated the broadcasting rules and been blurred out. A cold sweat started to drip down Uiharu Kazaris body, but Misaka Mikoto was clueless once again. Whats wrong? N-nothing!! Is someone suspicious staring at you or something? Dont say it like that!! Uiharu was almost in tears, but Mikoto never even thought of the possibility of Shirai being there. Part 2 They had agreed to meet at 1 PM. Why is it already 1:30!? shouted Misaka Mikoto while she stood alone in the plaza in front of the concert hall that made a decent landmark. Kamijou ran over to her as quickly as he could while bowing his head and holding his hands together. Yeah, sorry about that!! In truth, he was running late because the issues surrounding Tsuchimikado Motoharus food supply had turned into a slight fistfight, but he decided it would be better to simply apologize than to make excuses. Mikoto folded her arms, tapped the ground with her right foot, and sent bluish-white sparks flying from her bangs. I was the winner of the punishment game, so why am I the one forced to put up with your issues? Do you have any idea what it feels to be stuck standing here for everyone to see for an entire hour? Some weird guys called out to me, and I had to go to the effort of driving each of them away with a lightning spear. Yeah! Yeah! And like I said, Im really sorry! Kamijou tried to get by with completely meaningless small talk, but then he suddenly realized something Mikoto had said didnt make sense. Wait. We agreed to meet at one, right? ...Dont tell me youre trying to say you forgot. No, Im not. You said you were waiting for an hour, so did you get hear a full half hour ahead of time? Wow, I am sorry then. Mikotos shoulders jumped in shock and her eyes opened wide. She unfolded her arms and started shaking her hands in front of her. No...D-dont be stupid. I was just giving a general amount. I havent literally been here for 60 minutes. I-I won, so why should I have to wait around for you? Id rather you didnt imagine strange scenarios and grin like that. You... said Kamijou without thinking. He looked the flustered middle school girl straight in the face. You wanted to see me suffer in this punishment that badly? Ive had my suspicions before, but you really are a cruel person deep dow-... Before he could finish speaking, a lightning spear shot from Mikotos bangs. Kamijou repelled the blast with the right hand he had immediately held up. From the tremendous zapping sound it made, the voltage had to have been in the hundreds of millions. His right hand held a power known as Imagine Breaker and it could negate any supernatural power whether it was magical or psychic in nature. But that did not mean nothing scared him. While trembling, Kamijou said, ...So I hit the nail on the head? Another lightning spear flew at him. The great noise caused the couples gathered in the concert hall plaza to scream and run away. Kamijou had managed to stop it at the last second, but he had tears in his eyes. Just tell me, Misaka-san! What do you want me to say!? Lets just get going, muttered Mikoto as the corner of her lips twitched and she turned her head to the side slightly. Dont you dare try to oppose me after losing back then, you piece of shit. Theres something wrong with this high-class lady from Tokiwadai!! shouted Kamijou, but Mikoto gave no real reaction and merely continued to look extremely displeased. Realizing he was not going to have an easy time dealing with her, he scratched at his head and said, So, Misaka. What kind of punishment is this going to be? You said to get going, but where are we headed? As soon as he said that... Uh? said Mikoto with a blank look on her face. She looked over at Kamijou. In complete shock, he said, Dont tell me you dont even have anything planned. I-I have something planned!! Um...uh...well...Oh, right! Im going to have you make up for the effort I expended to win in the Daihaseisai!! So essentially you have nothing concrete planned. Listen to what Im saying!! Youre the one that brought it up, so you come up with the plan. Surely you know Im not going to think up punishments I have to undergo myself. You sure are stupid. ... Mikoto fell silent, but then looked Kamijou in the eye again. Um, Misaka...Uuhh!? When she continued her silence, Kamijou started to speak to her, but then he stopped and took a step back without thinking. The reason for this was simple. That young ladys eyes were filled with anger. Kamijou had a very bad feeling about what was to come. You will do whatever I tell you for this punishment, right? Oh, well... Yes, but only if you keep things reasonable!! Youll do whatever I say, right? ... Come with me. To where!? shouted Kamijou, but Mikoto grabbed his hand and refused to let go. She dragged him away from the concert hall plaza like that. She then said, Just shut up and come with me! Thats your first punishment!! First!? Theres more than one punishment!? Kamijou Toumas face paled while Misaka Mikotos grew red with anger. They were currently walking around town hand in hand, but for better or worse, neither one was aware of that fact. Part 3 Accelerator was looking up at an apartment building meant for teachers. Residences in Academy City were primarily nothing but student dormitories, so students did not often set foot in this kind of apartment. From the outside, the apartment building did not look that different from a student dorm building, but the small differences in the service side of things gave it an overall distinctive feel. The student dorms were essentially buildings meant to control children. In the name of security, the dorms were known to go a bit overboard with the positioning of the security cameras, but this apartment building gave more thought to the wishes of the residents in their placement. Which floor? asked Accelerator to Yomikawa Aiho who had led them there. With a smile, she replied, The 13th. Its a pain when the power goes out and I have to take the stairs. Ohh, said Last Order as she looked up at the tall building. It seemed she was trying to look at the 13th floor, but the sun got in her eyes and she shook her head dizzily. Yoshikawa Kikyou supported her small shoulders from behind. Well, I suppose there is much less opportunity for attack than the 1st or 2nd floor, said the woman. The upper floors take a lot more damage when the entire building is blown away. No one had ever gone that far while Accelerator had stayed in the dorms, but he had no guarantee that would remain true in the future. Yomikawa pulled out a laminated card that was likely used to open the self-locking door and said, Now then, now then. Its a bit late, but we still need to eat some lunch. Lets hurry up and get to the room. The entrance to the apartment building was an automatic glass door that looked defenseless at first, but it appeared to be made to resist explosions. The lock appeared to only require a swipe of the card, but it actually scanned the fingerprints, the pattern of bioelectric signals, and other data from the fingertips holding the card. Realizing this was quite a high-class apartment building, Accelerator looked at Yomikawa with suspicion in his eyes. I thought they were reducing the salaries of public servants. Even with the fairly low pay, I manage somehow. This place doubles as a practical experiment in construction, so the university pays some of the rent. But in exchange, the security measures will sometimes suddenly change, explained Yomikawa. Also, Anti-Skill may not pay anything since its a volunteer force, but enough people appreciate what you do that it comes with some nice perks. I can get meat at the supermarket really cheap. ...You treat help on your apartments rent the same as getting a good sale at the supermarket? As they spoke, Accelerator, Last Order, Yomikawa, and Yoshikawa entered the apartment building. Komoe-sensei was not with them because she had other business to take care of. They rode a low-vibration elevator that was probably one of the prototypes being tested. It allowed them to reach the 13th floor without the odd floating feeling usually felt in an elevator. The door right next to the elevator led to Yomikawas room. Come in, said Yomikawa as she opened the front door. Inside, they found a 4LDK. The room was clearly meant for a family and was large enough that one would normally have to spend their whole life paying back a loan for it. No matter how much the university paid for cooperation with the experiments, Accelerator seriously wondered how anyone could afford it on a public servants salary. The living rooms flooring was polished to a shine and it was overall much tidier than one expected of someone living alone. The bottles of alcohol and glasses were arranged decoratively on shelves and the magazines and newspapers were stored on special racks. The remote controls for the TV, air conditioner, stereo, video recorder, and other devices were neatly lined up at one corner of the table. Each individual cushion on the sofa was carefully placed in the proper spot. Last Orders eyes opened wide. Wow, wow! Theres almost no dust, praises Misaka as Misaka leaps onto the sofa, said Last Order in a cheerful voice. As the girl sank into the soft sofa, Yoshikawa sighed and said, Youve gotten into trouble at work again, havent you? Yomikawas track-suit-wearing form shook in shock. Ah...Ah ha ha. What are you talking about? What do you mean? says Misaka as Misaka rolls around and looks confused. She has always had a habit of cleaning up her room whenever she gets into some kind of trouble. And she just cleans like crazy without thinking of the consequences, so sometimes she cant find the room key afterwards. You need to be careful. Is that anything to say about the person who is helping you find a new job? Accelerator noticed Yomikawa and Yoshikawa spoke in a slightly childish manner when speaking to each other. It was possible they had simply been around each other for that long. If Yoshikawa played the role of the helpful class president, then Yomikawa played the role of the problem student who was always late. Yoshikawa looked over towards the kitchen that connected to the living room. Since that habit is still there, I assume your habit in the kitchen hasnt changed either. Hey, hey! Ill admit I have a bad habit about cleaning, but dont bring that up, Kikyou! Not to mention that you seem to like my cooking well enough when you have some. As long as I dont know how you made it. Accelerator and Last Order exchanged a confused glance. Yomikawa said, My skills are improving every day. See for yourself! and dragged Yoshikawa into the kitchen, so they followed the two women. Yomikawas kitchen had many different types of cooking equipment lined up in it that she had as part of the experiment. With a steam microwave oven, an AI-equipped high frequency automatic dishwasher, and other such devices, it all seemed very mechanical. But it seemed Yomikawa did not use those things much. Those cooking devices were overflowing with a sense that they just sat there without being used. The only items that really appeared to get used were the four or five electric rice cookers. From the steam coming from them, they all appeared to be functional. With an annoyed look, Accelerator said, One for each of us, hm? Are you fucking with us, you white rice obsessed freak? No, no. Thats not it at all. Yomikawa pointed at each of the rice cookers in turn. These rice cookers can do anything you want: boil, simmer, steam, or bake. This one is baking bread, a stew is cooking in that one, and that one is steaming fish. ... Accelerator felt he understood what Yoshikawa had meant. Yoshikawa had been aware of the situation ahead of time, so she could only sigh when she saw nothing had changed. Youre such a sloth. Dont treat me like some weird animal. And whats so wrong with this? If everything is prepared right, theyll do all the cooking for you at the push of a button. And it doesnt use any fire, so you dont have to worry if you take a nap. I remember when you bought a large hotplate saying you could make okonomiyaki out of any leftovers as long as you had flour. And lets not forget that nonsense about never needing anything but a pressure cooker because you can cook anything you need for the rest of your life with it. You just take everything to too much of an extreme. Its so bad that if you would probably get an antimatter reaction if you tried to average your two extremes together. It tastes fine, its nutritious, and it fills you up, so whats the problem? Preparing a stock pot and a frying pan and everything else is such a pain. I just want one thing that can do everything. Sigh. You just need to learn the joy of putting all your effort into making something. But Yoshikawas comment was not as innocent as it might sound since she specialized in genetics and what she had made was just over 20,000 human clones. Part 4 Mikoto dropped her violin off at a cloakroom and dragged Kamijou into an underground mall. The location had taken quite a bit of damage on September 1st when the magician Sherry Cromwell had come from England with her golem Ellis, but none of the scars caused by the destruction could be seen anymore. The shattered floors and pillars had been repaired and the caf windows and the like had been replaced with new ones. Unless you looked very closely, you would never notice anything had changed. The construction had been completed at such a quick pace because of the Daihaseisai coming up so soon afterwards. Around half of the reason Academy City was opened up to the public was to act as propaganda to improve the citys image, so they could hardly allow parts of it to be destroyed at the time. (It still ended up getting destroyed a fair bit on the first day of the festival, though.) The area did not have the dark image one expected of being underground. The floors and walls were polished to a shine and it was lit up as bright as midday with fluorescent lights and LED light bulbs. The cafes, clothing stores, and the like lining the passageway used a lot of glass to give an open feeling despite the low surface area. Kamijou looked around and said, Oh, theyre keeping the air conditioning a lot lower than they used to. In another 2 weeks, theyll probably switch over to heating. Mikoto walked along step by step. Oh, there it is. Over here. She pointed at one store with a slender finger. Due to the advantages of being underground, the area gathered a lot of recreational facilities that made a lot of noise like arcades, karaoke boxes, and live music clubs. That was why Kamijou had assumed he was going to be ordered to complete an extremely difficult game with a single coin and have to bow down to her if he failed. But it turned out his guess was way off. She was pointing at a cell phone service store. It was only about half as big as a convenience store. All that he could see inside through the large glass window was a counter and chairs lined up horizontally and a magazine rack filled with thin catalogues of cell phone models. The vertical advertisement banner hanging in front of the entrance divided the models up between the major companies and Academy Citys originals. Academy Citys technology was said to be 20 to 30 years more advanced than that outside the city. The outside models and inside models each had their own advantages and disadvantages, but you never knew which service would recover first in an emergency, so some students struggled for over a week to decide which one to go with. Mikoto walked toward the service store. Have you heard of the Handy Antenna service? Hm? Oh, that. You mean the service that allows each individual cell phone to act in the place of a cell phone tower to let you call even when there isnt a tower nearby? Basically, the cell phones of everyone walking around the city would act as relay antennae. Even if there was no cell phone tower near Kamijou, he could connect via Person 1, Person 2, Person 3, etc. and eventually connect to Person X who was near a cell phone tower. And it connected using a route that went through several people in something like a net, so the connection would not be easily dropped. The technology had apparently developed to create an emergency air communications network through a few antennae installed on blimps that could be sent out if the normal towers were brought down in a disaster. For that reason, not much had been done to ensure sound quality when the method was used. On the plus side, a university was helping pay to have it tested, so the service fees were supposed to be incredibly cheap. I was thinking of signing up for that. Eh? But that extremely minor system only works if its users all walk around with their cell phones constantly on to act as relay antennae. I heard it drains your battery like crazy. And I heard so few people are signed up for it that it really doesnt help much. Thats why theyre working to get more people to join the service. If you sign up for a pair contract, even the fees unrelated to the Handy Antenna are mostly covered for you. A pair contract...? You mean that thing where you take two people who already have contracts and make it so calls and packets between the two phones dont cost anything? Yes, that. And right now, if you sign up for a package deal for both the Handy Antenna service and a pair contract, they give you a Lovely Mitten Gekota strap. Its a frog mascot. ...Wait. They give it to you right away, so sign up for it with me. So youre just after the strap!? Im not changing my phone no matter what you say! Im going to use this beat-up cell phone for at least another 6 months!! And then Kamijou pointed at Mikotos school bag. He was glaring at the green frog mascot hanging from it. And you already have a frog! Gekota and this one are not the same thing!! shouted Mikoto. Gekota is the old man who lives next to this one and he is called Gekota because he goes geko geko when he gets carsick! Are you really so old that you dont know even a basic difference like that!? ...What about that old man Gekota character is lovely? muttered Kamijou in a disheartened tone, but Mikoto only gave him the scornful look children gave the elderly when they could not keep up with the current trends. She seemed to have been a bit disillusioned. Hmph. You dont need to worry about having to change your phone. The Handy Antenna just needs to add a chip to your phone and the pair contract will work with any of this companys services, so you should be able to use your current phone without changing much of anything. Oh, so you really just need to put my number and address on the paperwork? Well, yes. Mikoto squeezed the small frog on her school bag between her fingertips. It isnt easy finding someone who is willing to come down to the store with me, fill out a ton of paperwork, and wait for who knows how many hours. But it shouldnt take more than half a day, so just bear with it. Hmm, muttered Kamijou as he thought while looking at the stores banner. (I guess she called me out here because it has to be a guy and girl pair.) ? What is it? asked Mikoto. Well, just going with you to register for this is fine, but a pair contract is usually only made between a boyfriend and girlfriend, right? It says it has to be a guy and a girl. ...!? Mikotos shoulders gave a large jump. Her fingers squeezed tightly around the frog mascot on her bag. N-n-n-n-no, you idiot! What are you saying!? J-just because it says it has to be a guy and a girl doesnt mean it has to be a boyfriend and girlfriend! It could easily be a married couple!! Um, hello? Thats taking things a step further from boyfriend and girlfriend, Misaka-san. He had only meant to give a calm rebuttal, but he ended up having a lightning spear fly his way. Kamijou frantically held up his right hand to repel the strike that flew from Mikotos bangs. What is with you today!? Y-youre the one that isnt making any sense! Cmon, lets just get this over with!! Eh? Were actually going to do it!? This is your punishment, so quit complaining and come with me!! Mikoto grabbed Kamijous arm and dragged him into the service store. The air conditioning was more comfortable in the store than in the underground malls passageway. Kamijou was not sure if it really made sense, but it felt like the ventilation route was calculated out to provide the perfect temperature where you did not feel cold or get sweaty. The young female worker sitting behind the counter had her smile crumble a bit when she saw Mikoto dragging Kamijou into the store, but she did not forget her training. After a few comments from Mikoto including I want to register a pair contract with this idiot and Do you have any of the Gekota straps left?, the worker gathered a ton of paperwork on the counter. The paperwork requires a photograph. Do you have one? Hm? said Mikoto with her eyes opened wide. She then asked, Will a photo from an ID photo booth be enough? How many do you need and what size do you need? No, no. It does not have to be anything that formal, said the worker with a smile. This is a pair contract, so we just need something that proves that the two of you are a pair. As long as it is a two shot of the two of you, it can just be with a cell phone camera. We also provide you with a pair picture frame charger cradle, so you can use it for that as well. It fits the standards for the four major companies, so you should be able to use it regardless of model. Bh!? Mikoto very nearly did a spit take. ...A-a two shot? Oh, do you not normally do those? Then this is a perfect opportunity. We just need the photo in the 20 minutes it takes to complete the registration, so please take the photo while you wait. After quickly filling out the huge amount of paperwork with ballpoint pens, Kamijou and Mikoto left the service store. They were going to take the photo in question. Kamijou pulled out his fairly durable cell phone that had survived being damaged in battles with magicians and falling into the Adriatic Sea. I dont feel like hunting down an ID photo booth, so lets just snap a photo with my cell phone. Unless you have another digital camera, Misaka. Eh? No...I left my phone at the counter. Mikotos mind seemed to be somewhere else, but Kamijou did not notice. While looking at the screen, he pressed a few buttons with his thumb to switch over to camera mode. Then he stretched his arm out as far as he could. Still looking at the screen, he said, Okay, here goes...wait. Wh-what? When Mikoto let out that flustered voice, a displeased expression appeared on Kamijous face. At some point, Mikoto had moved away from him. It was as if she was saying, How about you just take it in panorama mode? I really dont care. Mikotos desire to flee from him made Kamijou''s shoulders droop. ...You were the one that wanted to do this, right? Y-yes, I was!! Mikotos face was a bit red and her hands holding her school bag were fidgeting nervously, but Kamijou did not interpret any of it in a favorable light. After hesitating over whether to move closer to or farther away from Kamijou, Mikoto shouted out in desperation. ~ ~ ~! Wait for me, Gekota!! She approached in one go so that her shoulder bumped into Kamijous. Their shoulders brushed together and Mikoto tilted her head slightly so it rested on Kamijous shoulder. That allowed both their faces to fit cleanly inside the cell phones screen. Meanwhile, Kamijou started to wonder why she had gotten closer than necessary and his body tensed up slightly at the scent of her hair. H-here goes. Okay, Im ready when you are!! With an electronic tone, the phone took the picture. Kamijou brought the cell phone back towards himself and displayed the picture he had just taken. ... Your face is a bit stiff, Misaka. Why are you averting your gaze away from me? Kamijou and Mikoto exchanged a glance. This doesnt look like a pair to me. L-lets take another one. The electronic tone sounded once more. Kamijou and Mikoto looked at the screen. Again, why is your expression so stiff, Misaka!? Why are you shifting your weight away from me!? Kamijou and Mikoto glared at each other at such close range that it almost looked like they were about to headbutt each other, but nothing would get done at that rate. In the worst case, their registration would be cancelled without a photo and all their time and effort would end up being for nothing. That would be a problem for Kamijou and Mikoto, but it would also be trouble for the worker. And so in a bit of desperation, Kamijou said, Anyway, we just have to take a two shot that makes us look like boyfriend and girlfriend, right!? Cmere, Misaka! Lets get this done!! Eh? What? Kyahh!! When Mikoto had an arm suddenly wrapped around her slender shoulders, her face rapidly grew red. In his high of desperation, Kamijou did not notice at all. Smile, Misaka! I dont want to retake this again! We just need something that we can use for the paperwork! Theres no real issue here if we dont get fixated over it!! Eh? Y-yeah, thats right. Ah ha ha! Were just faking a photo that looks like that. Yes, its just a photo! Okay, lets do this!! Mikoto wanted to know what he meant by get fixated over it, but she forced herself into a high regardless. For her, it was less out of desperation and more an attempt to keep him from noticing how red her face was. To match the arm Kamijou had wrapped around her shoulders, Mikoto wrapped an arm around Kamijous back and moved closer. Passersby looked at the two of them (or rather, at Mikoto) with jealous eyes, but they were in such a high that neither of them noticed. Kamijou held his cell phone away from them again. Here I go! Yes!! But before the clear electronic tone could sound... Shirai Kuroko rapidly approached via teleportation and drop kicked Kamijou Touma in the back of the head. With a cracking noise, the cell phone left Kamijous hand, his body flew forward, and the cell phone took a photo an instant too late. As it lay on the floor, the cell phone displayed an extreme three shot of Kamijous horribly blurred head, Mikoto shocked face, and Shirais panties. Kamijou rolled along the floor and came to a stop. Wh-what the hell was that!? Wh-what do you think you are doing behind my back? asked the pigtailed girl named Shirai Kuroko in a flat voice. She landed from her drop kick and took up a position right next to Mikoto. Her body language was saying that was her spot. After the half day of school, I had odd jobs for Judgment forced onto me by Uiharu. After I finished all that, I headed out to find you, onee-sama, but what I found was Uiharus violin attack. After that I worked hard to finish the additional work she forced onto me, but then I find this. ...Honestly, it was a mistake to take you as nothing but a newcomer slave. It looks like you and onee-sama have been going around having a wonderful time... Wait, make no mistake, Kuroko! Mikoto waved her hands in front of her. Im not doing this because I want to! I only asked him to sign up for a pair contract because I wanted the Gekota strap and we were only taking that photo because we need it for the contract!! Her explanation sounded more like it was meant to convince herself than it was to convince Shirai. Either way, Kamijou had still been kicked and forced to go through with the contract. Then again, he had lost a punishment game. Meanwhile, Shirai was clearly unable to hide her shock at what Mikoto had said. Th-then you did not need to bow your head to this gentleman! You could have just made a pair with me, onee-sama! Now, let us take a photo nice and quick! We can make a lifelong memory right now!! Shirai fell into such a high that it looked like she was about to boil over and Mikotos face twitched, but Kamijou suddenly raised his head from the ground and spoke. Eh? In that case, can I go home now? It has to be a pair between a guy and a girl!! That honest question caused Mikoto to fire a lightning spear with all her might. Part 5 Accelerator opened his eyes slightly as he lay on top of the sofa. He clicked his tongue. ...I fell asleep. He checked the clock, but he had only been out for about 15 minutes. Since the TV was still on, it had likely been what woke him. He had a feeling he had been sleeping lightly lately so that any sudden stimulus would wake him. Accelerator shook his head a bit in the otherwise deserted living room. (Youre getting too relaxed, you damn idiot.) His own annoyed voice entered his mind. Accelerator had originally been the type to get sleep at his own pace. Whether an alarm clock went off right next to his ear, a brat was screaming at him, or a bomb exploded on top of his stomach, he would just continue sleeping soundly. This was because he had the power to alter all types of vectors, so he normally reflected all vectors except for the bare minimum he needed such as oxygen and gravity. While in that state, Accelerator would remain unscathed even if he was directly hit by a nuclear bomb. That was why Accelerator did not hesitate to enter that horribly defenseless state of sleep even with the huge number of enemies he had. But that was when his power had been fully functioning. Accelerator reached up to his neck. An electrode that looked like a black choker was located there. The device linked to the brains of the almost 10,000 Sisters who were scattered around the world. It allowed him to borrow their massive parallel processing ability. Accelerators brain had been injured on August 31st. He required that calculation assistance device to live an ordinary life as an esper. The normal mode that allowed him to walk, talk, count, etc. could last for 48 hours. However, the esper mode that allowed him full use of his vector control power would drain the battery in only about 15 minutes due to the massive amount of calculations that needed to be carried out every instant. It was quite a restrictive item. That meant he effectively had only 15 minutes of safe time. Other than during those 15 minutes, he was a weakling who could not even walk without recharging that battery once every 48 hours. That condition robbed him of the luxury of obtaining his sleep in that shelter provided by his powers. ... Accelerator looked over at the giant flat-screen TV with suspicious eyes. The most popular afternoon talk show was playing on a cable channel that required a ridiculously expensive contract. The deck placed below the TV was in recording mode, so Yomikawa may have been a fan of the entertainer who was on the show as a guest. Hitotsui Hajime-san, you played the leading role in the movie. What was it like? It seems to me having a Japanese actor play the lead role in a foreign film is fairly rare. Did it feel especially different to you? The moderator and guest faced each other on either side of a small table. While watching the screen, Accelerator reached up to the switch on the side of his choker-style electrode. And he turned it off. Well, the most characteristic instruction next to the plot was to appropriately function as Japanese. He did not have Even, and did the other people appropriately understand as Japanese today? The words were all jumbled up. The guest had actually said Lets see, the most peculiar instruction from the director was to behave like a Japanese person. But do we even know what it means to be Japanese nowadays?, but Accelerators head was unable to properly process the meaning of the words that entered his ears. He wavered as he lost his balance. Before he even realized it, he had collapsed down into the sofa. He could see the digital numbers on the video recording deck, but he could not discern what they meant. His head seemed to be missing a gear. He felt like he was looking at a question from a state examination after going 100 hours straight without any sleep. (Kh...) Accelerator brought his hand to his neck. His entire body was unsteady and it took him several seconds just to flip the small switch. He fumbled with it several times before finally touching the protrusion of the switch with his thumb. It made a small click. With the electrode switched back to normal mode, Accelerator finally returned to the normal world. I had to speak in the native American English, but I was told to keep my gestures, manners, and overall behavior noticeably Japanese, so I had to think over what that meant. The entertainers obvious bragging continued in Accelerators field of vision as he lay on his side. He had once been known as Academy Citys strongest esper, but now he was stuck in this condition. Without Last Order and the rest of Sisters performing calculations for him, he could not use his powers or even speak, walk, or count normally. He needed that choker-style electrode around his neck for those proxy calculations, and its battery only lasted 48 hours at the absolute most. If the battery died, if he went deep underground, or if a jamming signal was used, he could no longer use those proxy calculations. And that was just for normal mode. When he used esper mode, such a massive number of calculations had to be made that the time limit suddenly dropped to just under 15 minutes. The electrode was meant to be a medical device, so it was not made to withstand a military environment like an esper battle. And the battery was a special model created by the frog-faced doctor, so he could not swap it out for a commercial battery. That meant he could not stock up on batteries to extend that time limit. In other words, his time limit truly was 15 minutes. But when in that mode, he did not need to use his cane. (Learning all these damn rules is a pain in the ass. Honestly, Im not Cinderella. Having a time limit for being the strongest is no laughing matter.) ... Having decided to take a shower, Accelerator got up from the couch. He hoped it would help improve his mood. He already knew Last Order eternally had no defenses, but Accelerator was annoyed at how casually Yomikawa and Yoshikawa were taking everything. They were all being too trusting of Academy Citys strongest esper. He had never said he would lift a finger to live up to their expectations. Yomikawa and Yoshikawa did not properly understand how frightening a being he was. Accelerator was used to destroying, but he was not at all used to protecting. There was a very real risk of him causing a great disaster for everything and everyone around him when he was only intending to strike in defense. (Come to think of it, theres no one else here. Are those idiots out shopping?) With that offhand thought, Accelerator opened the door to the changing room. And there he found a naked Last Order having her brown hair dried with a bath towel. Yomikawa and Yoshikawa were also naked and doing the drying from either side of the girl. Last Order was the first one to react. Wh-why did you suddenly appear with no warning whatsoever!? says Misaka as Misaka reaches out for a bath towel but cannot reach it!! Accelerator ignored Last Orders shouting and looked toward Yomikawa and Yoshikawa with a blank look. ...Why didnt you lock the door? Oh, sorry, sorry. Ive lived alone for so long I forget you could do that. My bad, my bad. Aiho, at least cover yourself with a towel. Having already covered her own body with a towel, Yoshikawa sighed and handed Yomikawa a towel. Looking annoyed, Yomikawa wrapped the towel around herself. While this did cover her, it left as much of her thighs exposed as a miniskirt. And she must not have finished drying herself yet because the towel stuck to her and made the lines of her body perfectly visible. (...What the hell is this?) This was not a normal part of Accelerators everyday life. In fact, if anyone had a problem with finding a girl changing every time he opened a door, he would probably split his sides with laughter. Last Order realized there were not enough towels for her, so she frantically hid behind Yoshikawa. With tears in her eyes, she said, Why are you two able to just look annoyed and grab a towel rather than panic? says Misaka as Misaka asks a simple question. What? said Yomikawa as she gave Last Order a puzzled look. Theres no real reason. Its just that hes a kid and were adults. Misaka thinks not caring about this is more of an old lady thing than an adult thing, says Misaka as Misa-...ow ow ow ow ow!! Dont start working together to scrape Misakas head like that! says Misaka as Misaka protests resolutely!! While attacking the top of Last Orders head, Yoshikawa said, We are adults, not old ladies, right? What kind of an adult gets so mad at a child like this, says Misaka as-...Owww!! You over there, help me and give me a towel! says Misaka as Misaka looks up at you with puppy dog eyes to stimulate your desire to protect me!! The tiny brat was shouting about something or other, but Accelerator ignored her and closed the door to the changing room. He sighed once. ...I thought I told you to stay on your guard. Part 6 And thats what happened, says Misaka as Misaka provides an after-the-fact report. Last Order was on the street right next to Yomikawas apartment building. She was wearing a light blue camisole with an unbuttoned mens dress shirt worn over it. The small girl was speaking to another girl who looked like a larger version of Last Order. She was Serial Number 10032 aka Misaka Imouto. Misaka Imouto was wearing the winter uniform of Tokiwadai Middle School, a beige blazer and a pleated skirt with a dark-blue check pattern. For the purposes of the experiment, they had originally worn the same outfit as Misaka Mikoto who was their Original, and that custom had continued on even after the experiment had ended. The one difference from the Original was the large pair of electronic goggles on Misaka Imoutos forehead. They looked like night-vision goggles, but they also visualized data on magnetic and electric field lines that could not be seen with the naked eye. Misaka Imouto stared at Last Order with eyes that held no discernible emotion. That report has already been transmitted to every Misaka via the network. Why go to the effort of restating it orally? says Misaka as she asks the obvious question. Sometimes we need to undergo communication using our normal 5 senses to correct errors like when a clock starts to run fast or slow! says Misaka as Misaka gives a plausible explanation! If a higher model like you says so, I will accept that explanation, says Misaka as she ignores her superiors complaints with an annoyed expression. It may prove useful to Misakas rehabilitation, says Misaka as she finds something she can use to force herself to accept this. She had said she had an annoyed expression, but her expression did not actually change in the slightest. Last Order flailed her arms and legs around, but Misaka Imouto was not swept away by the smaller girls pace. Instead, she looked up at the apartment building at her own pace. But it certainly is foolish to be stuck standing here blankly after getting yourself locked out by the self-locking door while wandering around, says Misaka as she restates your situation. If Misaka had not happened to be walking by, you would have been left all alone, says Misaka as she secretly smiles while thinking of the individual specs of the higher model. It wasnt Misakas fault! It was that unaccommodating self-locking doors fault! says Misaka as Misaka roars in indignation! Its an electric lock, but it would only beep annoyingly when Misaka tried to open it with her powers! says Misaka as Misaka swings her arms around to relieve some stress!! A lock that does not budge even with an Electromaster trying to open it should be praised, says Misaka in an objective evaluation. Uuh... groaned Last Order like a dog that refused to give up. But that tiny higher model had little experience with the world, so her focus changed easily. By the way, Misaka was wondering something, says Misaka as Misaka points toward your forehead. Hm? Misakas forehead is a normal size. Misaka is not a forehead character, says Misaka as she brings a hand to her forehead to check. No, not that. Those goggles, says Misaka as Misaka points again. Last Order was focused on the electronic goggles Misaka Imouto was wearing. With a puzzled look, the little girl asked, Um, why does Misaka not have a pair of those goggles when every other Misaka has one? asks Misaka as Misaka gives you a jealous look. Oh? Misaka Imouto brought her fingertips to the goggles on her forehead, looked down at Last Orders face, and then checked the goggles on her forehead again. You and Misaka are just two different Misakas, says Misaka as she implicitly tells you to give up. That kind of our family has different circumstances from other families line isnt enough! says Misaka as Misaka immediately begins protesting! And that reasoning means Misaka is the only one that belongs to a different family, says Misaka as Misaka brings up an even bigger problem!! While uttering her Misaka-filled lines and crying Boo! Boo!, Last Order grabbed Misaka Imoutos skirt and started violently fanning it. Misaka wants one! Misaka wants one, too! says Misaka as Misaka uses her small appearance to its fullest by negotiating by throwing a tantrum!! You may be trying to be cute, but that will only piss off someone of the same sex, so it has the opposite effect, says Misaka as she gives a thorough explanation. What might have seemed a bigger issue was the fact that Last Order was pulling up Misaka Imoutos skirt making the panties she had worn on a whim that were tied together on either side with ribbons visible for all to see, but she did not seem to care about that. Mmhh... groaned Last Order at the other girls unchanging expression. Hey, #10032, could you give a quick bow? says Misaka as Misaka asks a favor. ? Misaka Imouto looked puzzled, but she carried out the higher models instructions nonetheless. Ha ha ha! Youre wide open! says Misaka as Misaka succeeds in her thieving plan!! She vigorously swiped the goggles from the other girls lowered head. Before Misaka Imouto could say anything, Last Order turned her back with a delighted grin. If you fall for such a basic trick, Misaka might need to recheck all of the models routines, says Misaka as Misaka shouts out her parting line! Hah hah! If you dont like it, come and get it back, says Misaka as Misaka dashes away while basking in the glory of victory!! Despite her small appearance, she disappeared somewhere with powerful strides. ... For a while, Misaka Imouto stared blankly off in the direction Last Order had disappeared into. I cannot ignore a direct order from the higher model, says Misaka as she extremely reluctantly pulls a submachine gun and rubber bullets from her school bag. An ominous metallic noise reverberated throughout the peaceful street. Even if this is only practice, Misakas opponent is the higher unit, so this lower unit cannot be called immature for going all out, says Misaka as she gives the obvious interpretation. This is not at all because Misaka is pissed off. This is nothing more than a reasonable conclusion based in logic, says Misaka as she praises her own calm thought process while running at full speed with a real gun in one hand. She appeared expressionless at first glance, but a closer inspection showed that the corner of Misaka Imoutos eye was twitching as she began her pursuit. Last Order was completely aware of that emotional state while she ran down a back alley and tried to provoke her further using the Misaka Network made up of the Sisters brainwaves and weak electromagnetic waves they produced. Hah hah! A normal Misaka can never defeat this Misaka, says Misaka as Misaka laughs loudly about her victory over the commoners! The time for revolution has come, announces Misaka #10032. Between the lines 2 A building that functioned as Necessariuss womens dorm existed in the London Borough of Lambeth. From looks alone, it did not differ much from a common stone apartment building. Unlike wooden buildings, it was harder to judge a stone buildings age from how it looked. This building had a history that was measured in centuries, but no one would imagine it from looking at it. The facility was polished nicely and maintained carefully. It had not been turned into a fortress like Lambeth Palace where the Archbishop lived. It had instead been prepared as a building that could be easily replaced if it was ever destroyed. However, it had never once been completely destroyed. It was a prime target for any enemy magic cabals that knew what it was, but every plan to do so had been crushed before it could be carried out. For that reason, the building implicitly declared Necessariuss records of victories. You could call it obvious bait. Now then... While it was early afternoon in Japan, it was late night in London. Despite being in Englands capital, the building was still wrapped in the cradle of nighttime due to being away from any of the main streets. However, a single window had light shining through it as if someone was staying up late. It was the changing room. It was located next to the large bath, so it was quite large itself. In one corner lay an empty cardboard box as large as a classroom desk. A users manual, warranty information, and other papers were scattered along the floor. It all belonged to a washing machine. The users manual said it was made in Academy City. The electronic device did not suit the otherwise old appearance of the dorm. Why does the Archbishop accept these annoyingly complicated devices? said Kanzaki Kaori with a displeased look as she connected the ground wire. She was a woman with black hair in a ponytail long enough to reach her waist. She normally wore an active outfit made up of a T-shirt with the side tied off so that her midriff was exposed and a pair of jeans with one leg cut off at the thigh. However, she currently wore a simple yukata. Her ridiculously long Japanese sword was leaning against the wall nearby. They had previously used a washing machine that vibrated so hard it looked like it would start spewing smoke any second, but it had finally broken not long before. It seemed even that Archbishop was willing to listen to the appeals of her subordinates. The new washing machine had arrived that evening, but it was a cutting edge AI-equipped fully-automatic model. Kanzaki and the others had little contact with machinery, so it was similar to coming into contact with some strange advanced culture to them. While reading through the users manual with a puzzled look and trying this and that, night had fallen. Kanzaki was so immersed in the work because earlier that day she had discovered a cardboard box sent from Tsuchimikado in Japan. It had contained a maid uniform + (It was a fallen angel set containing an angels halo and wings) and she wanted to focus on something else to forget all about it. But Lady Laura said the cutting edge A-something drum would make all our difficult washing jobs a breeze, said Orsola Aquinas with a smile. She was a nun who had been part of the Roman Catholic Church until not too long ago and she wore a black nuns habit that covered everything from her hair to her feet. Her body was as nice as Kanzakis, but Orsola had a rounder overall feel to her while Kanzaki had a tenser feel. She was not the only former member of the Roman Catholic Church there. The impudent Agnese Sanctis, the strongly dutiful Lucia, and Angelene who had a sweet tooth and had difficulty waking up in the morning were there as well. They seemed to have no intention of converting to the Anglican Church. Instead, they said they were creating a new sect of the Roman Catholic Church in London since there were 250 of them. That would likely cause trouble if Lidvia Lorenzetti who was imprisoned in the Tower of London heard about it, but Laura Stuart seemed fairly relaxed about it all. Apparently the Amakusa Church fell under the category of a small sect as well. In addition to those 5 was Sherry Cromwell, a genuine member of the Anglican Church. She had horribly damaged blonde hair and light brown skin. She was normally quite fond of wearing gothic lolita outfits, but she was currently wearing a thin negligee. The sleepwear had two layers, so the lines of her body could be seen through the thin material but the details could not be seen. It was similar to having her body hidden behind a layer of steam. Sherry managed the Royal Academy of Arts, so she was using a chisel to carve a chess piece out of the small piece of marble in her hand while mostly ignoring the conversation. The small shavings gathered around her shoulder and created a small ball. It seemed to be an application of her golem Ellis. With her gaze lowered on the chess piece she was making, Sherry said, Cant you just wash your clothes in a river? I could manage just fine with a washboard, but washing in the river causes problems for the environment, replied Kanzaki as she pushed the washing machine to the wall after successfully connecting the ground. Sherry could just leave the work to her golem Ellis and Kanzaki had the tremendous strength of one of the worlds fewer than 20 Saints, so they did not mind. However, the thought made the others faces stiffen a bit. Okay, setting up the earthquake resistance reinforcements and lightning resistance equipment took some time, but it should be fine to power up now. Kanzaki pressed a large button, but all this achieved was causing countless numbers and symbols to display on the small water resistant LCD screen. Kanzaki remained completely expressionless for a moment and then said, How about we just wash everything by hand? N-no! Try for just a bit longer!! objected Angelene while half in tears. She was the weakest of the group. Were almost there! Th-the fully automatic washing machine is just a step away! My arms already feel like theyre about to fall off just from carrying the clothes to the other buildings washing machine while we waited for this to arrive!! Th-theres no way I could wash clothes by hand!! From the look of Angelenes small hands, the day she was in charge of the laundry under a hand washing system would be the day she died. Orsola looked down at the users manual and said, Kanzaki, Kanzaki. According the manual, the machine should take care of everything after you press the wash button. ? It says if you put detergent in the small box there, the machine will analyze its components and automatically regulate the amount of water and detergent based on the weight of the laundry. It fills, rinses, drains, and dries all on its own. What an annoying setup. It would be a lot simpler if you could just measure out the detergent yourself. Agnese, Lucia, and Angelene all had the thought But you only have to press one button at almost the exact same time, but they remained silent as they were newcomers to the dorm. Orsola banged her hand on the new washing machine. If this machine is really so convenient, I want to see it run. ...Orsola, its the middle of the night. Is this really any time to be running a washing machine? asked Kanzaki in annoyance, but Orsola merely pointed at the users manual. It says here it is made to run silently so it can be used at night. It says something about phons and decibels, but do you really understand what it means? Also, the laundry for today has already been put into storage. They were in the womens dorm for members of Necessarius. A single pattern or stitch of their clothes could have magical symbolism included. Those clothes could function as either weapons or armor, so they could not simply be tossed into a laundry basket. A fight could break out between the defensive functions of the clothes. The spells used could have compatibility issues between denomination and sect, so it was standard practice to take that into consideration while washing them. While continuing to carve the chess piece, Sherry spoke up with an annoyed tone of voice. The storage has three layers of magical locks protecting it, right? Undoing all that would be bad enough, but relocking it afterwards would be even worse. Upon hearing that, Kanzakis face lit up and she straightened her back. Okay, if we dont have any laundry, we cant use the washing machine. We have to be up early tomorrow, so lets turn out the lights and get to sleep. Oh, but we do have some laundry here, said Orsola as she immediately started to strip off her habit. With a shocked look, Kanzaki said, W-we do not need to make more laundry for no reason! This is setting a bad example for the newcomers. You three, please do not start following Orsolas example as if that is the custom here!! Now, now. Japans yukata is made to be very easily removed. The coloring on the obi is very beautiful. Stop grabbing at my obi and listen to what Im saying!! By the time Kanzaki tried to stop Orsola, the indigo obi wrapped around her waist had already been undone. It then fell to the floor. The front of the yukata opened like a coat with all the buttons undone. Oh, dear. Orsolas eyes opened wide. Kanzaki, do you not wear underwear? You dont wear underwear with a yukata!! She hid her body behind hands that held the explosive physical strength of a Saint, so not even Orsola was able to steal the actual yukata from her. Orsola gave up on that and started gathering other clothes. But what am I supposed to wear while I sleep? Sister Agnese, you will just strip down to your underwear when you get sleepy anyway. After some discussion of that type, Orsola managed to gather her own clothes, Agnese, Lucia, and Angelenes habits, and Kanzakis obi. She tossed them all into the washing machine, closed the clear lid, and pressed the large wash button. As advertised, water filled the washing machines tub, and the laundry began spinning around with movements that created no noticeable vibrations. Instead of the normal drum shape, the tub was a sphere so it could rotate in all 360 degrees. It was an amazing washing machine just to look at. Ohh! It really is quiet! Orsola let out a cry like a child in front of a roller coaster. Agnese, Angelene, and Lucia watched the washing machine run from over her shoulder. They were treating it the way color televisions were when they were first developed. It was a very strange sight as they were all in their underwear. ...Did you steal my obi just because you wanted to see this? Kanzaki alone was disheartened, but then Sherry suddenly spoke up. Hey, you from the far east sect. Im currently something like a runaway ninja, but what do you want? Did you actually read the users manual? ? Kanzaki looked over at Sherry. With an annoyed look, the brown woman wearing a double-layer negligee moved the chisel to point at the users manual lying on the floor. It says to take anything with colors that will run and separate them from the normal clothes. Will your dyed obi be okay in with everything else? Gyaaahhh!! screamed Kanzaki as she ran over to the washing machine. That Saint looked like she was about to strike the washing machine head on. The four former Roman Catholic nuns in their underwear tried to stop her with all their might, but Kanzaki Kaori used her tremendous physical ability to slip past them and cling to the washing machines control panel. St-stop! Wheres the stop button!? Kanzaki frantically searched for it, but she knew next to nothing about machines and was panicked on top of that. The button had to be right there, but she could not find it. Meanwhile, the laundry continued spinning around in the washing machine. My! exclaimed Orsola as she watched the laundry through the clear lid. I can see the stains coming right off of Kanzakis obi!! Thats just the color washing out! Curse you, you vanguard of scientific culture!! Kanzaki could stand it no longer, so she half-forced the clear lid open while the washing machine was running. But it was a cutting edge cubic washing machine tub that rotated in all 360 degrees. In the blink of an eye, Kanzaki Kaori was covered in a huge amount of water flung due to centrifugal force. She was left dripping wet with see-through clothes. W-wow. You really arent wearing any underwear... As soon as Angelene made that careless comment, the Priestess let out a wail and broke down crying. Volume 12, 3: Misaka and Misaka’s younger sister. Sister_and_Sisters. Volume 12, Chapter 3: Misaka and Misaka''s younger sister. Sister_and_Sisters. Part 1 Kamijou Touma sat on a bench in a small plaza (no smoking) used as a meeting spot in the underground mall. He was drinking oolong tea from a small 200 milliliter plastic bottle he had bought at a shop. He was currently alone. Shirai Kuroko had been hanging around, but Misaka Mikoto had beat her down enough to get her to teleport off somewhere while shouting I was only acting out of concern for you, onee-sama! I never thought my kindness would be a double-edged sword!! Mikoto herself had headed back to the service store to finish the procedure to register their cell phones. Kamijou had actually gone back with her, but he had left partway through. The ace of Tokiwadai Middle School had shouted This store gives you a Pyonko along with Gekota!? and entered a strange mood with her eyes sparkling. Kamijou decided it was for the best not to deal with someone when they were in such an annoying mood. ...I hope she calms down soon. Kamijou sighed and looked down at his cell phone. It was hard to tell while in the underground mall, but it was already past 4 PM. His honest thoughts were nothing more than, Filling out that application and all that other paperwork sure took a long time. And as he relaxed on the bench, Misaka Mikoto returned to him. Oh, are you done now? Kamijou spoke to her, but Mikoto merely turned her head slightly away without speaking a word. It looked like she was hesitant to reply, but he was unsure what about his question would be difficult to answer. ? Kamijou tilted his head in puzzlement. What? Did something happen? Come to think of it, you dont have a bag for a new cell phone. Was there some kind of trouble? N-no, Misaka is... Mikoto waved her hands with smooth, silent motions and then brought a hand to her own forehead. This Misaka is one of the Misakas that always wears goggles, says Misaka #10032 as she gives her Serial Number to help identify herself. Are you Misaka Imouto? Misaka Imouto gave a quick nod in response. This girl had an identical body to Misaka Mikoto down to every hair on her head, so Kamijou could hardly be blamed for confusing them. She usually had an unrefined pair of night-vision goggles on her forehead, but for some reason she did not today. Misaka Imouto seemed to be experiencing some kind of special circumstances. Did you see a Misaka of about this size? asks Misaka as she holds her hand horizontally just under her chest. Misaka Imouto was indicating a height about the same or possibly slightly shorter than Komoe-sensei. Kamijous expression grew a bit confused as he watched her. You come in different sizes? Misaka will take that as a no, says Misaka as she is disillusioned by your uselessness and continues calculating out that damn brats escape route. Misaka Imouto let out a slight sigh. She adjusted her grip on her school bag and Kamijou heard some kind of heavy metallic noise come from within. (Shes in a bad mood again.) As Kamijou had that thought, she continued speaking. To be blunt, Misakas goggles were stolen, says Misaka as she reports her situation with a grim expression. Without those goggles, Misaka is difficult to distinguish from the Original, so she must retrieve them as quickly as possible. However, the situation leaves Misaka at a disadvantage, says Misaka as she looks up at you so as to implicitly ask for help. ... Kamijou realized that both the older sister and the younger sister were very coercive in the same kind of way. In amazement, he said, It is true you will probably be mistaken for Mikoto looking like that. Yes, agrees Misaka. When Misaka was running down an alley with a submachine gun in hand, she had some trouble when a pigtailed schoolgirl suddenly yelling out to her, says Misaka as she earnestly tells a tale of her hardship. Um...pigtails you say? He had a guess who that might be. He just prayed it would have no negative impact on Mikotos everyday life. He also thought he had heard the dangerous term submachine gun, so he just hoped he had misheard. Yknow, it would be nice if you had something to distinguish you from Mikoto. At least until you get your goggles back. Are you asking Mikoto to become a forehead character? asks Misaka with her head tilted in puzzlement. Delete that term from your mind. Kamijou seriously wondered who had taught it to her. There are other options besides the forehead. Youre wearing the same winter uniform, but you could just take off the blazer, I guess. So you enjoy forcing girls to strip in public places? asks Misaka as she obeys despite not understanding what is so great about it. Bh!? Why are you reaching for your skirt all of a sudden!? Okay, okay! Dont take anything off!! How about you add an accessory to distinguish yourself!? Misaka has no such decorations on hand at the moment and she does not think she could afford to purchase one, says Misaka as she appeals to her family-oriented side by providing a realistic response. (I need to ask that frog-faced doctor about Misaka Imoutos living environment.) No, there are tons of options for accessories. It just has to distinguish you from Mikoto, so Im sure we can find something for only 1000 yen at a small stand around here. And with something that cheap, Ill even buy it for you. Buy it for Misaka...? But what to get? Would a ring make a good accessory for a girl? ...A ring? Misaka Imouto fell silent for some reason. But Kamijou was utterly oblivious. No, a ring wouldnt stand out enough. You want something that is obvious at a glance, so maybe a skull mask or...Ow!? The instant he changed his mind, Misaka Imouto expressionlessly punched him. Part 2 That damn brat disappeared? Accelerators voice echoed through the living room. He had assumed Last Order was napping in the room she had been assigned, but Yomikawa said she was no longer inside the apartment. Wearing a track suit as always, Yomikawa lightly shook her head and said, The door to the apartment locks itself just like a hotel, so you dont need a key to leave. Its possible she went off somewhere to play. This apartment building is pretty big. She could be playing in the elevator, the stairway, or a hallway, said Yoshikawa, but Accelerator had a very bad feeling about what this meant. He could not bring himself to optimistically trust the goodness of the world. He had seen too much evil for that. (When did I last see that brat?) Accelerator looked over at the clock on the wall. It was currently 4:30 PM. When he had eaten lunch, taken a nap, and tried to take a shower, it had been either 1 or 2 PM. (Its at least been over 2 hours. With that much time, a pro could have killed her, buried the body, and disappeared without a trace.) Accelerator and Last Order were both seen as incredibly valuable research material. The experiment they had been involved in had ended, but it would still come as no surprise if someone showed up hoping to make a fortune researching them. In fact, nothing that calculated or greed-driven was even needed. The mere fact that she was an acquaintance of Accelerators could be enough to pinpoint her as a target for attack. Now that he had lost his title as Academy Citys strongest, he was nothing more than another target. Accelerator clicked his tongue as if he was spitting the sound out and adjusted his grip on the modern cane that was supporting his weight. Im heading out. Shes probably just playing somewhere nearby, said Yomikawa, sounding horribly carefree. Accelerator gave her an irritated look, but she continued, After all, she left this on the answering machine. ... Accelerator fell silent before pressing the play button for the answering machine of the large appliance that was a combination of a phone, a fax machine, and a copier. After a high pitched beep, he heard, Um... Misaka is currently being chased by a lower model Misaka, says Misaka as Misaka reports on her situation. Misaka cannot go home right away, but she wants you to make some dinner for her, says Misaka as Misaka makes a request. Accelerator very nearly beat the phone with his cane, but Yomikawa and Yoshikawa stopped him. Without his powers, he could only struggle in vain. Accelerator panted with his hair and clothes in disarray. ...That brat pisses me off to the very bottom of my heart. Ah ha ha. Thats just how relationships work. Yomikawa laughed with her arms still wrapped tightly around Accelerators body for fear he would destroy her phone. This meant she was pressing her large breasts against him, but she did not seem to care. There is no such thing as a relationship where everything always goes your way. True freedom where no one ever bothers you is the same as having no one around to notice the things you do. Yomikawa removed her arms from around Accelerators waist. Thats what happens when you take root. The two of you get so entangled together that it gets hard to move. But it makes you stronger for the rainy days. ... Listening to what the adults had to say was annoying, too. Whether they were dead on or not, he would rather not be given lessons that he had no idea how to interpret. At any rate, Accelerator wanted to find Last Order and keep her where he could see her. He was only free to act as he wished while sending and receiving weak electromagnetic waves via the electrode on his neck, and Last Order was at the center of the Sisters activities. Accelerator still only had a vague idea of how the Misaka Network worked, but he had a feeling any harm to that model could have an effect on him. In his mind, he was acting solely for himself. Meanwhile, Yomikawa must have been convinced she had said something profound because she had a triumphant look on her face. Okay, Kikyou and I will help out. I have to help too? If you dont want to, you need to abandon the name Kikyou. Yoshikawa, who did not look very athletically inclined, was staring out the window while muttering, If I walk around outside for more than an hour in one day, Ill collapse. Accelerator frowned and said, What are you doing? Were going to look for that girl too, said Yomikawa as if it should be obvious. Accelerator fell silent. The track suit wearing woman pulled out the USB memory for the answering machine. It sounded like she was outside. I should be able to find the location by analyzing the background noises. At any rate, just leave this to Yomikawa of Anti-Skill. Aiho, isnt that a misuse of your authority? Finding lost children is one of my duties. I see no problem with this. (Why does she look so delighted?) Yomikawa grinned at him with the USB memory in one hand. Do you know what this kind of mutual relationship is called? Tripping each other up? Give and take. With Yoshikawas exasperated correction, the search for Last Order began. Part 3 Misaka Imouto was acting quite angry. Kamijou Touma trembled in fear at one side of the underground mall. He had ended up buying her a cheap necklace that came out to exactly 1000 yen after sales tax, but be had a feeling Misaka Imouto had been frowning ever since. She would occasionally mutter something about a ring for her left ring finger. Kamijou wondered what she could be so troubled about. Um, Misaka Imouto? ... If you really dont like the necklace, we can return it. Please do not steal anything else from Misaka, says Misaka in a quiet but earnest voice. (So she actually does like the necklace?) Kamijou was confused because he could not figure out what had Misaka Imouto so troubled. He was a bit worried about Mikoto who had yet to return from the store, so he really did not need Misaka Imouto being in a bad mood on top of it. Kamijou decided to try to put her into a good mood and looked around. Hm? Theyre selling sweets over there. How about we get some, Misaka Imouto? The fact that he immediately went with food was likely thanks to the influence of the pure white nun named Index. Kamijou hated himself for being so influenced by her. Meanwhile, Misaka Imouto expressionlessly looked up at his face. Are you trying to tempt Misaka with food? asks Misaka bluntly. Uuh...!? But Misaka will respect the fact that you are doing so for Misakas sake, says Misaka as she does you a favor. Since she seemed to agree, Kamijou headed for the store. Just like an ice cream shop, the small shop had its register directly facing the underground malls passageway. It was selling small sweets in the shapes of animals like chicks and puppies. They looked a bit like takoyaki, but they were likely made from a pancake-like batter and likely had custard cream and similar fillings. They were similar to taiyaki with cheese and custard inside like Western confectioneries. The metal plate had molds built in for the animal shapes. A young woman of about college age smiled at Kamijou from behind the counter. Are you ready to order? Is the flavor different for the different animals? Do they have different fillings? No, no. If they werent all the same, we could not get the data we need. ...? Um, people have designs they like unconditionally based on feeling rather than reason, right? If that is explored thoroughly enough, it can be used in the fields of clothing and makeup. This is something like a survey. We record statistics on what animals get chosen. Kamijou took a step back and looked at the stores sign. The sign for the obviously rented store had a universitys name clearly written on it. Well, theres no harm in it, so whatever. ...Now, which one should I get? The chick should be good. Okay. Thats 54 for the chicks. Thank you. Kamijou left the store still looking puzzled over whether 54 meant the shape was selling well or not. The chicks were lined up in a clear package in two rows and five columns for a total of 10. Melted caramel had been poured on top of the yellow pancake-like batter. Two small plastic forks were prepared in place of toothpicks. Here, Misaka Imouto. Eat up. ... Kamijou held the entire package out towards her, but Misaka Imouto froze in place while staring at the chicks. In fact, it looked like she was looking the chicks in the eye. Um, Misaka Imouto...? ... Misaka Imouto gave no response to Kamijous words. With no change of expression, she began giving small clicks of her tongue. (Come to think of it, Misaka Imouto has less experience with the world than someone who lost his memories like me. Maybe she doesnt know how to eat them.) Misaka Imouto was poking at one of the chicks beaks with a slender finger while saying Mh, what a well-behaved chick you are to not bite Misaka, says Misaka as she sighs in admiration. Kamijou gently grabbed one of the plastic forks. He then stabbed the fork into one of the chicks backs in order to lecture Misaka Imouto in how to eat them. Misaka Imoutos shoulders gave a large jump. Th-the chicks round body!? shouts Misaka as she trembles in fear... Why is it so obedient? asks Misaka because the chick is not even crying out. Hm? Whats with you, Misaka Imouto? If you arent going to eat it, I will. E-eat it...!? While Misaka Imouto grew somehow uneasy, Kamijou popped the chick into his mouth with a puzzled look. As he chewed it, the sweetness of a Western confectionery filled his mouth. Oh, this things pretty good for being part of an experiment. Meanwhile, Misaka Imouto felt a great shock over the fact that the chicks cute round eyes (made of chocolate) stared her directly in the eye as it was tossed into the boys mouth. ..........................................You ate it. It was audibly chewed to pieces with a look on its face as if it was trying to say something. Misaka Imouto began to tremble. Even if they are part of an experiment, Misaka cannot let you take these chicks lives!!!!!!!!!!! Mgh!? Wh-why are you sparking like crazy all of a-...!? Before Kamijou could finish shouting, bluish-white sparks flew from Misaka Imoutos entire body. She was a part of Radio Noise. Even with 20,000 of her, her power was no match for that of the Railgun. But she could not be taken lightly. 1/20,000 of a billion volts was still 50,000 volts. Bwahh!? Kamijou had the misfortune of holding a fork in his left hand and the package of chicks in his right hand. The 50,000 volts struck him while he could not use either hand. Even with Imagine Breaker, there was nothing he could do. The unexpected attack sent Kamijou rolling across the floor of the underground mall. The students coming and going through the passageway shouted out or cautiously whispered things like Did you just see something spark!? Ah!? says Misaka as she comes back to her senses at the sight of the scattered chicks!! Since it was the chicks and not Kamijou that brought her back to her senses, she must have really been stuck on them. Misaka Imouto picked up the flipped over package and diligently put the chicks back to normal. Her expression could not have been more serious. Meanwhile, Kamijou unsteadily stood up from where he had fallen. U-ugh. Sorry, Misaka Imouto... Since he had apologized, Misaka Imouto turned an ear toward him while holding the package of chicks. Kamijou Touma said, I ruined the food. But thanks to the 3 second rule, Im still willing to eat them. As soon as he finished speaking, Kamijou was sent flying by a kick from Misaka Imouto. Misaka Imouto let out some rare heavy breathing and Kamijou was completely unable to grasp what she was thinking. He guessed she must have just been really, really hungry. And as Kamijous head was filled with question marks, another familiar face approached him. Wait...What are you two doing!? It was seeing Misaka Imouto and not Kamijou that caused Misaka Mikoto to frantically dash over. In addition to her school bag, she also held a small paper bag with the phone companys logo on it. She had not actually gotten a new phone, so it must have held paperwork, the case for the expansion chip, and the mascot strap. Convenience stores and supermarkets were moving in the direction of not wasting bags for small items, but that trend seemed to have not yet reached that service store. But... Misaka Mikoto and Misaka Imouto. The two of them truly could not be told apart. However, twins were not all that rare, so the Tokiwadai brand name may have been the reason they were drawing attention from passersby. Mikoto and Misaka Imouto were identical, but Kamijou could now tell them apart thanks to the necklace hanging from Misaka Imoutos neck. He was glad the plan had worked. Misaka Imouto replied to Mikotos question, Misaka was forced to take a long detour through this underground mall in order to retrieve her stolen goggles, replies Misaka while her attention is stolen by the Originals frog mascots. Misaka has estimated Serial Number 20001s escape route and has compiled a list of firearms she can use in the counterattack, but none of it matters when compared to the frogs, says Misaka in an offhand matter. Stop that and explain yourself properly!! When Mikoto angrily put Gekota and Pyonko away in her school bag, Misaka Imoutos expression remained unchanged but a somehow sorrowful look appeared in her eyes. Her gaze then dropped to the package of chicks in her hands. ...This Misaka will not be unfaithful, says Misaka as she double-checks on the chicks. What do you mean this Misaka? said Mikoto in annoyance, but it seemed she was a bit interested in the design of the chicks Misaka Imouto was holding. However, Misaka Imouto used both hands to hold the chicks up against her chest. Original, you are already infatuated with those frogs, so you do not need these, says Misaka as she puts up iron defenses that she will keep up until she is in her grave. Mh. Cmon, you can let me see those chicks a little, right? Misaka said you could not and she means it, says Misaka as she sticks to her guns. If you want them so badly, you should have him buy you some like Misaka did, says Misaka as she indicates who she means with her chin. Mikoto turned toward Kamijou. ... She remained silent for a while but finally took a deep breath and spoke. ...Because you lost that punishment game, you have to do whatever I tell you, right? Wait, what? You have to stick with me all day today as if you are my personal device. So you will work your ass off to carry out all of my requests, right? Why!? Why is the air around you ominously growing electrified!? Because you are acting no different from normal!! Youre in the middle of carrying out your punishment for me, and youre just calling out to whoever you like. Do you really like the idea of a little sister that much, you idiotttttt!? A billion volts roared out of her bangs, but Kamijou deflected it with a swing of his right fist. The pattern repeated two or three times before... Dahhh! I cant stand this!? Why do you have so much endurance!? Why cant you just let yourself get hit and knocked to the ground!? Why are you so mad!? And if I complied with that request, I would die!! After ten or twenty more shots, Mikoto seemed to finally decide it was pointless and stopped the rain of lightning spears while panting with her shoulders moving up and down. Kamijou was just about to collapse to the ground, the underground mall was filling with comments of Should we call Anti-Skill? and No, I dont want to get involved in this., and Misaka Imouto was using her index finger to poke at the beaks of the confectionery chicks. Misaka Imouto suddenly looked up from the chicks and said, By the way, what are you doing here, Original? asks Misaka as she begins to gather information. Uuh...!? Mikotos shoulders gave a large jump. She was not doing anything particularly wrong, but she still averted her gaze from Misaka Imouto. W-well, we challenged each other to a punishment game during the Daihaseisai and I won. I was just dragging this idiot around for his punishment. Um, I guess I would have to go back to what happened during the Daihaseisai for a more thorough explanation. In other words, you are not being honest, says Misaka as she begins analyzing the information. Bh!? What information and what method of analysis led to that conclusion!? I-Im being perfectly honest about everything here. I dont see what you could possibly think Im being dishonest about! And what exactly are you saying would happen if I was honest with this complete idiot!? Mikoto stabbed a finger in Kamijous direction, but Misaka Imouto remained expressionless. Mh. Misaka does not understand how you can treat him so rudely, rebuts Misaka. He saved Misakas life, so he deserves better than that, says Misaka as she smoothly asks for a correction. Uuh... B-but that has nothing to do with this situation. Whats wrong with calling an idiot an idiot? Oh, so you are stubbornly refusing to be honest? asks Misaka as a final check. Misaka Imouto peered into Mikotos eyes. Then this Misaka will be honest, says Misaka as she heads down a different path from the Original. As soon as she said that, Misaka Imouto moved next to Kamijou and suddenly embraced his right arm. Her flat chest pressed up against his elbow. Dwah!? Kamijous heart pounded in his chest. The sudden shock gave that pure boy trouble breathing and his panic kept him from noticing Mikoto silently flapping her mouth open and closed in front of him. The male students in the area were glancing over toward them occasionally, but he did not notice that either. Wh-wh-wha... As Mikoto watched on in astonishment, Misaka Imouto brought her body in closer as if to rub up against Kamijous body while still clinging to his right arm. Look, says Misaka as she casually shows off the accessory she had him buy her. !? An odd snapping sound came from Mikotos head. Misaka Imouto was about to say more, but... They heard the sound of small footsteps, and then... Misaka will embrace him from the opposite side, says Misaka as Misaka decides to join in because it looks fun!! Yay!! Now a girl of about 10 grabbed on and hung on to Kamijous left arm. Kamijou looked over in shock and saw a girl who had the exact same face as Mikoto just with a younger body. She was wearing the same goggles Misaka Imouto normally wore, but the elastic band was too loose so it was hanging around her neck rather than on her forehead. Who are you!? The little sisters little sister!? Kamijou asked about her identity while growing even more flustered at the feeling that went beyond flat and just felt hard. But before the little girl could respond... Serial Number 20001, you have some guts to appear before Misaka so casually, says Misaka as she enters serious mode. Heh heh heh. Misaka has grown tired of that game, says Misaka as Misaka heads off to discover some new entertainment. Do you really think Misaka will let you escape!? exclaims Misaka as she pulls her submachine gun from her bag. A dull metallic noise rang out, Mikoto practically did a spit take, and the little girl disappeared into the crowd at high speed. If you treat them rudely, Misaka will kill you, warns Misaka. After whispering that into Kamijous ear, Misaka Imouto gently handed him the chicks. She then charged into the crowd while carrying a gun that in no way looked like a toy. He heard voices coming from beyond the wall. How can you call that being serious!? says Misaka as Misaka mocks you. Misaka has yet to even begin, says Misaka as she makes the final expansion to Misaka Full Boost!! Strange metallic noises continued to come from further into the crowd as if something was being assembled. Kamijou kind of wanted to take a peek at what was happening, but he was too afraid to approach. Part 4 At 5 PM, Accelerator left the air-conditioned apartment and placed his cane on the asphalt. He held a cell phone in his other hand. He was heading out to find Last Order who had not returned home no matter how long they waited. It seemed all of Academy City had only a half day of classes, but by this time of day it was indistinguishable from a normal weekday. The students walking around were wearing sailor uniforms or collared jackets in order to grow accustomed to their brand new winter uniforms. The only real difference from normal was the distinctive smell of new clothes floating in the air. What annoying weather... muttered Accelerator as he glanced up into the sky. He had not noticed from within the apartment, but the blue sky had at some point grown covered by gray...or rather, almost black clouds. The sky looked like it could begin raining at any moment. Since the Academy City supercomputer named Tree Diagram that had been used for managing the weather forecast had been destroyed, sudden changes in the weather such as evening showers could no longer be predicted accurately. Oh, dear. I hope we find her before it starts pouring, said Yomikawa over the phone while she was probably looking up at the sky as well. Yoshikawa had been left alone in the apartment. It was possible Last Order would return while they were out looking, but she would be stuck standing in front of the main entrance as she did not have a key or the passcode. Accelerator clicked his tongue. He did not care if she just stood there, but that child had a habit of running off somewhere when she was bored, so he highly doubted she would actually stay put. They were afraid of her getting fed up of waiting and leaving which would only make their search harder. Accelerator adjusted his grip on the cell phone and said, I thought you were in your car? Ill still get wet in the time it takes me to hold up the umbrella after opening the door. Accelerator almost called her pathetic, but he held his tongue. He was the one whose body had grown white from avoiding the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. So do you have a general idea where that brat is? he asked instead. I picked up on what sounded like the background music played in the underground mall near here. Ah? Did you use your analysis equipment just to look for a lost child? Like I said before, finding a lost child is part of my job. Now then. I just had to analyze the music playing in the background of her phone call to determine her location. Hmph. Are you talking about that sound no one hears that plays all over the city? Oh? So someone actually noticed. Technically, its a wave with a frequency lower than the audible range for humans. You idiots, spat out Accelerator. He was an esper with the power to observe, calculate, and control every type of vector. If he missed the vectors he could not see or hear, he would never be able to defend against things like radiation. You secretly mix that sound in with the store music and anything else coming from any speakers, dont you? Thats right, affirmed Yomikawa. But just adding in a low frequency wave would be meaningless. It only becomes a proper sound once a special frequency Anti-Skill has is used alongside it. Each individual speaker is made so we detect a different sound from it, so we can get a general idea where a phone call was made. These days, devices that prevent a phone trace are so easy to get a hold of that we have to go to all this extra effort. Of course, this is just one method of searching. We usually gather information from a variety of sources using a few different methods. What a pain in the ass, sighed Accelerator. Only Academy City could easily pull off such a rough setup. They could solve countless problems from the alterations to the systems to the deployment of the equipment by saying it was for an experiment. So I just have to head to that underground mall, right? asked Accelerator. For now. I doubt that quick little thing will stay in one place for long, so you might have to start asking around. ...Me? Looking like this? Just smile! Cmon, start practicing your smile. Idiot, said Accelerator with a click of his tongue. At any rate, he was too well known and not in a good way. If that Level 5 approached someone with a smile, they might die of shock. He would completely understand if the person pulled out a gun and shot him because they assumed he was coming to murder them. Simply put, there would be nothing they could do if he was. And so they would choose to fight back in any way they could. But if he was to search for Last Order, he needed to gather information. This is going to get annoying, muttered Accelerator. And then Yomikawa suddenly spoke up. Hey, Accelerator. What? Are you that afraid of showing good will to others? ...You really like these cheerful topics, dont you? Its perfect for an afterschool walk. Is it easy being a tyrant? Yomikawa was not listening. Or rather, she was ignoring what he said. It may cause a lot of trouble with people, but I suppose it does have its perks, she said. A tyrant will never be betrayed. He never has to worry about a friendship dying. He never has to fear that his good will could be rejected. After all, he is nothing but a target of fear and hatred. Her words smoothly continued. Accelerator merely listened. I am not saying that human relationships are made entirely out of good will and ill will. But it is true that you have pushed back everything that came before you with rejection and ill will. It was easier that way. But that will change. That is why I am asking. Are you that afraid to choose whether you will show good will or ill will? What a load of shit. I-... Its the truth, said Yomikawa, cutting off Accelerators words. You are willing to accept good will from Last Order, but you are afraid to show good will to her. Your relationship looks good at first glance, but it is actually in a very precarious situation. If that good will from Last Order ever runs out, there will be nothing left to hold it together. Her tone was flat. The fact that she saw no need to emphasis anything made it feel all the more true. Are you afraid, Accelerator? Afraid to do anything that would push her any further away from you because you do not know how to bring her closer. Afraid that your actions will backfire and push her so far away that you can never bring her back. But nothing will ever happen if you do nothing. Are you lecturing me? I am well aware Im not the best person for this, but I am a teacher. Although I doubt a lowly Anti-Skill member like me would ever have a chance to learn of your true darkness. True, said Accelerator, now understanding what she we getting at. She had probably already searched the Bank for information on him. She was now asking him directly because that had gotten her nowhere. You sure do things in a roundabout way, he commented. Just the name of the place you used to be was enough to tell me that. The Special Esper Institute? Accelerator easily spoke the name Yomikawa hesitated to voice. That institutes name was recorded...or rather, sealed in an especially strict region of the Bank. Its official name is the Special Esper Dual Modification Technology Research Institute. I was forced to live in that school until I was 9. That hell was rumored to have a facility for disposing of corpses on the grounds. It was only in Academy City that two mismatched ideas like that of a school and the disposing of corpses would be brought together like that. In that city, schools also functioned as research and testing institutions for psychic powers development. When rumors branched off, the schools could become known as murderous institutions that performed inhuman research. But the place was even worse than the rumors suggested. They didnt dispose of corpses there. It was the opposite. It was a garbage dump for the disposal of living human beings. Im sure youve at least heard the stories. ...Yes, I have. The Special Esper Institute had focused on experiments and research into Dual Skills. Currently, it had been concluded that students could only use a single power each and that the appearance of two or more powers at once was impossible. Most of the data used to reach that conclusion had been gathered at that institute. In other words, a long string of failures had led to the discovery of that law. Psychic powers were developed by directly affecting the structure of the brain using suggestion and drugs. It was best not to imagine what sort of tragedies were created when that failed. Contemplating on that too much could lead you to realize the truth behind the seemingly ridiculous phrase of a fate worse than death. Yomikawa said, It was my unit that raided and broke up that institution. Thanks, I guess. Towards the end, the Special Esper Institute had to have realized that an esper could only have a single power. Yet they still desired a completed Dual Skill for their own fame, so they sacrificed more and more children. They especially liked to use Child Errors. A Child Error was one social phenomenon unique to Academy City. As a general rule, every student in Academy City lived in a dormitory with a few exceptions that freeloaded in a bakery or something similar. However, in some rare cases, someone would use Academy City to abandon a child. They would pay the entry fee and then disappear once the child had entered the dorm. It was better than stuffing an infant in a coin locker, but it was the same basic idea. Academy City had developed a system for caring for those children. But some parasitic research teams would use that to their own advantage. Produce, the Dark May Project, and experiments in inducing runaway powers to analyze the laws behind them. Those types of experiments were not permitted by the leadership of Academy City, but they were carried out regardless using the Child Errors. ...I saw it there. I saw what became of the children taken beyond those heavy doors, said Yomikawa in a heavy voice. When he heard that, Accelerator laughed. He laughed at that na?ve thinking of a normal person that led her to believe that was as deep as the hell went. Her lack of imagination was proof that Yomikawa Aiho was a resident of a wholesome world. Unlike Accelerator, who laughed because he knew how deep it all went. But unfortunately, I didnt get to see your heroic actions. As I said before, I was only in the Special Esper Institute until I was 9. I was moved elsewhere then. Do you know why? The corners of Accelerators mouth twisted up. Because they couldnt handle me. Even that hell found my power to be too much. Even those demons in lab coats were afraid of me. Thats just the kind of monster I am. The white student spoke into his cell phone. And it was no different afterwards. It was all such nonsense. Imaginary Number Institute, the Wisdom Institute, a Kirigaoka affiliate... Well, tragedies are surprisingly soft. That is how I managed to slip through. And when I slipped through, I just sank further. Deeper and deeper. Accelerator tapped his cane against the ground. The bottom clacked against the asphalt as if he had spit on the ground. I never stayed in the same place for 2 months straight. And during the course of it all, I was reminded just how much of a monster I am. They were demons themselves, so what did that make me when they were all afraid of me? And as that monster bounced from place to place with no one able to handle him, he had eventually reached the Level 6 research institution Yoshikawa had belonged to. He had been received exceptionally well there and thus stayed for more than 2 months. But that had only been another face of their fear of Accelerator. The looks on their faces plainly said they were trying not to anger him. The only exception had been that na?ve Yoshikawa. And even after ultimately slaughtering over 10,000 people, the researchers had still treated him the same. The sense of distance between them had seemed as if it would never melt away. Fear. A whiteness that was rejected by the darkness. In the end, that had been what Accelerator was. Its impossible for me to show anyone good will. Its futile. What good is it to pay back a single yen on a one hundred million yen debt? I have no intention of paying out any good will if it will just be crushed under nothing but the interest. Its ridiculous to even think about a joyous day when Ive finished paying back it all. It gives me chills. His words were pathetic. Accelerator cursed to himself that he should not be boasting about how much debt he had. Yomikawa remained silent for a while. But then she spoke. This may be simplifying things a bit, but you hate that you have completely forgotten about paying it back, dont you? If you had a way to pay back that hundred million debt, you would jump at it. Am I wrong? ...Hmph. Accelerator did not give a proper reply. Yomikawas tone of voice did not change. She remained serious. For example, I do not aim a weapon at children. Even if I am up against an esper, I will never aim a weapon at them. That is my own personal rule that I hold myself to. What? Why do you think I hold myself to that rule? ... Do you know why I would hesitate to aim a weapon at a child? You... muttered Accelerator under his breath. The scent of dark feelings leaking from her voice brought the image of a back alley to his mind. Thats right. The amount of my debt may be trivial compared to yours, but it is still the same sort of debt. And that means we must do the same sort of thing even if you must do it on a larger scale, right? Yomikawas voice stabbed into Accelerator. No matter how pathetic it may seem, we can only pay it back one yen, or even less than a yen, at a time. As it accumulates, it will surely open the path before you. And you have powers I do not have. There may be plenty of ways for you to pay it all back at once. What a laughable idea. Its brings such a smile to my face, I think its going to distort it into something horrible. The easiest method might be to join Judgment. Just having your name in their ranks could be enough to make Academy City 30% more peaceful than it is now. I could prepare the paperwork if you want. That isnt happening, said Accelerator in rejection. His was not that sort of power. His power was the type that would gain him nothing more than the splattered blood of his enemies. His power was worse than nuclear power. It was a wholly negative power that had no possible way to be used peacefully. He could try all he wanted, but it would never lead to success. His actions would produce nothing but destruction. But... He may have wondered what if at times. What if he had used his power to stop that experiment? What if he had used his power to stop those Sisters from heading down the path of death? And... What if it was still not too late? How many of the deaths scattered before him and that would be scattered before him in the future could be prevented? But that was all nothing more than empty theories that could not be realized. There was no way he could do it. He knew there was no way he could do it. No one had needed to tell him that. As the one who had been using his powers for so long, he knew it better than anyone. And yet... Thats all bullshit. But if you gather enough of that bullshit, you can pay back your debt, said Yomikawa Aiho. She spoke with the voice of one who stood in the sunlight. Between the lines 3 Kazakiri Hyouka walked through Academy City. She was a plain girl. Her long hair that reached her waist was its natural color. That was the nice way of putting it, but it basically meant she had done nothing to treat it. She only had a tuft split off to the side of her head with a rubber band. Her well-featured face was hidden by large unfashionable glasses and she wore no makeup. And on top of all that, her skirt extended past her knees. All told, this was no way to look in the shopping district. But she still drew peoples attention. Instead of drawing attention due to being a beauty with an excellent body, it was due to an unnatural phenomenon. Static. This girl had the atmosphere of a small flower blooming unnoticed, but her outline would occasionally distort. With the horrible screeching of static, her silhouette would collapse like mist being blown in the wind or like a television with poor reception and then it would revert to normal. One second it looked like her summer dress shirt was wavering and in the next it was covered by a blue blazer. She walked through the streets like this. The sight would normally have caused a large commotion, but it did nothing but draw the attention of those around her. That was because she was within a city of psychic powers and advanced technology. Most unnatural situations would be accepted rather than rejected. But... Hey, who is that? said an Anti-Skill man who ran over to Kazakiri. Anti-Skill members were experts that would use even guns to resolve any criminal incidents, but they were teachers first and foremost. As such, that man did not have the sharp senses of an agent. That Anti-Skill man accepted her as a normal part of the cityscape. And so he was not trying to eliminate her. But... Honestly, whos projecting a 3D image here? There must be an esper doing this from somewhere nearby. This is quite an elaborate prank. He was not looking at Kazakiri. She was accepted as a normal part of the cityscape, but only as a phenomenon. Psychic powers and advanced technology. Most unnatural phenomena in that city were explained away using those terms. In Academy City, people could accept anything by assuming it was created by some experimental technology. And so Kazakiri Hyouka was able to walk through the city. That self-proclaimed monster that no one would think was human was accepted without issue. Was this fortune? Or was it misfortune? Kazakiri was accepted as a staticky 3D image created by an esper and not as a human being with a mind of her own. She gave a slight smile. It was a smile mixed with a bit of bitterness and loneliness. It was a horribly fleeting expression that could only be described as human. ...This is quite a detailed image. Are you trying to make your teacher blush? That expression was also accepted. Except for the most important part. Volume 12, 4: Two Pairs Gently Cross Paths. Boy_Meets_Girl(X2). Volume 12, Chapter 4: Two Pairs Gently Cross Paths. Boy_Meets_Girl(X2). Part 1 Misaka Mikoto had gone off somewhere. Kamijou was not sure why, but she had suddenly fallen into a very bad mood from the moment she had seen Misaka Imouto and that smaller version of her. Wait just a second. Have you forgotten whose orders youre here on!? I thought you were supposed to do whatever I told you today for that punishment game! she had said while blushing. Kamijou had simply replied, Eh? I thought you just wanted that Gekota? For some reason, that had caused Mikoto to bite her lip a bit. ...!! Wha-...Ah...Uuh...Thats right! I dont need you anymore now that I have Gekota and Pyonko! Enough of this punishment game nonsense, you idiot!! That shout had been accompanied by a lightning spear, so Kamijou was currently lying collapsed in a corner of the underground mall. He had succeeded in deflecting the billion volt strike with his right hand, but it had surprised him so much that he had fallen over backwards afterwards. (Wh-what did I do wrong...?) Mikoto had shouted Ive had enough of you!! and ran off somewhere, so Kamijou was left alone feeling exhausted and not entirely sure if he had truly been released from his punishment. (First Shirai Kuroko and now Misaka Imouto. What is with today?) Kamijou tilted his head in confusion. The most suspicious individual had been that girl of about 10 who had been with Misaka Imouto. Her facial features had been identical to Mikoto...or rather, to Misaka Imouto, but who had she been? (I sure hope an additional series of 20,000 Misakas wasnt made...) That thought gave Kamijou a bit of a cold sweat, but the worst part was that it would not surprise him at all given what he knew of the city. He sighed and said, Ugh. I guess Ill ask Misaka Imouto later. I get the feeling ignoring that now will come back to really bite me in the ass later. Why are your shoulders drooping so exhaustedly? asks Misaka as Misaka clings to your back like a comforting mascot. Just as Kamijou received an odd reply when he absentmindedly spoke his thoughts aloud, he felt some weight added to his back. All of Kamijous hair stood on end at the round feeling on his back. Wh-what!? Are you a Konaki Jijii!? Misaka is female and bringing up the occult in Academy City is absurd, says Misaka as Misaka presses her body up against you even more for stability. Misaka wants to make this her home base, says Misaka as Misaka informs you of her wish. The warm mass of body heat increased in weight a bit. The trembling feeling in Kamijous back reached its climax. Wahhh!! What the hell is this!? As he shouted, he brought his hands behind his head, grabbed ahold of the thing clinging to his back, and dragged it in front of his face like he was performing a slam dunk. What he found hanging upside down in front of him was that mysterious tiny Misaka Imouto. (Who is this girl?) Kamijou tilted his head in puzzlement. The upside down girl mimicked his mannerism and tilted her head as well. Part 2 (How the hell did things end up like this?) Accelerators shoulders drooped. He was at the area just inside the entrance to the underground mall. Specifically, he was in an open space filled with a few tables outside of a fast food restaurant. But since it was inside an underground mall, he felt there was not much difference between inside the restaurant and outside. A girl wearing a white nuns habit and with silver hair and green eyes had her upper body lying across one of those tables. She was buried in a large number of hamburgers, French fries, salads, and other foods. All of this had been purchased by Accelerator. The girl had not had any money at all. It had all begun when Accelerator had brought his modern cane into the underground mall to search for Last Order. In that first instant, this mystery girl had run right into him from the side. With an unsteady footing and voice, the girl had spoken to Accelerator. Oh, youre not Touma. Youre not Touma at all. I thought you were Touma. Why arent you Touma? Where did Touma go? It doesnt matter. Im too hungry to move. It smells like salt, pepper, and meat here. I want to eat it. I want to eat that. What do I have to do? What do I have to do to eat that? ... Normally, Accelerator would have considered smashing the girls body to pieces and tossing her aside, but unfortunately for him, Yomikawa had told him just a few minutes before to try to do something good every once in a while. He really hated that kind of conversation. He had no real intention of faithfully taking Yomikawas lesson to heart, but he had a feeling he would hear something with a similar nuance to You didnt even last half an hour after saying you would quit smoking? Ah ha ha! if he knocked that girl out of his way to continue on. He was also reminded a bit of that brat by how the girl continued speaking without listening to what anyone was saying, but he would rather die than admit that affected him. When he then kicked the starving nun into the nearby fast food restaurant and threw his wallet at her, she had uttered the ridiculous line I want to eat this and that...I want to eat everything here! That was how he had ended up in the current situation. Accelerator had allowed his body to be used in many different projects in the past. All the money had simply been thrown into his bank account without being used, so this was not an issue from a monetary perspective. But he had to wonder what that nuns limit was given how many hamburgers she was devouring in quick succession. The nun was also holding a calico cat, but it must not have been hungry because it showed no interest in the hamburgers. (Not that it could have had them regardless thanks to the finely chopped onions on them.) The cat was meowing back and forth with a stray cat that had wandered into the underground mall. Their conversation was probably something along the lines of I here supple muscles are in this fall. No way! Ive been focusing on sharpening my claws!! It seemed neither cat intended to declare the area was its turf. Accelerator watched the scene of gluttony before him and muttered, This is ridiculous... Not even dealing with that damn brat is this exhausting. Mgh? You dont have to stop at every little thing. Just eat it all. But isnt there something you should be saying to me? Gulp. Yeah, thanks. ...Thats it? (What a person to run into.) Accelerator gently shook his head. He wished better luck in the next life for the people who had to deal with her day in and day out. The nun brought the large-size drink bottles lined up on the table to her mouth and downed the small plastic bottles amount of liquid from each one in 5 seconds each. Um, my name is Index. Can you even taste that? I was looking for Touma, but I got too hungry before I found him. Then again, I was only trying to find him because I was hungry. Index tossed the small pieces of ice from one of the drink bottles into her mouth and her shoulders shivered a bit. Whether it was a sign of innocence or a ravenous appetite, she did not seem to notice the sauce around her mouth. The way she was full of demerits reminded Accelerator of Last Order. ...Tch. Accelerator clicked his tongue, pulled out a package of pocket tissues, and wordlessly tossed them at Indexs face. He sighed when he saw her struggling to get a tissue out of the plastic packaging. He could not believe how much knowledge of the modern world she lacked. (So shes looking for someone too...) The face of that suspicious figure who had not long ago been wandering around in nothing but a single blanket floated up in Accelerators mind. He switched on his cell phone, accessed a picture of Last Orders face (She had swiped the phone from him when he had mentioned it had a camera. The picture was out of focus and filled with nothing but her face.), and showed it to Index. Have you seen this brat? No, she replied immediately. But she was oddly filled with confidence so it did not seem she was just saying that because she did not care. I never forget a face I see even once, so I know for sure. Ahn? Accelerator frowned, but Index must have been satisfied after eating so many hamburgers because no further explanation seemed forthcoming. She simply sprawled her upper body across the table with a happy expression on her face. I really am glad, though. Ill say it again: thank you. Now I can go look for Touma without worrying about an empty stomach. Now that Im full, I suppose I actually have less reason to find him, but I wont be satisfied until I finish what I started. I see. Well, dont expect any help from me. Ive been here for a while now, but I still dont really get this city. And yet I know I will never forget what paths I go down. Maybe just memorizing it isnt enough. But I dont care as long as I can meet the people of Academy City. Great, now go away. ...What are you doing? Are you busy? Unfortunately, Im very busy. Accelerator pressed down on his cane to stand up from the chair. In an unfortunate coincidence, he was looking for someone too. Part 3 In other words, youre something like a host computer that binds together Misaka Imouto and all the others? asked Kamijou with his eyes opened wide. Having finished her explanation, Last Order (Another fake-sounding name... thought Kamijou, but he kept his mouth shut) swung her small arms around. Misaka would say she is more of a console than a host, says Misaka as Misaka corrects you. There is no central Misaka, so there is little point in having a specific unit to act as the core of the network, lectures Misaka as Misaka proudly puffs her chest out. It seemed she had been created to allow other humans to stop the Sisters if they went on a rampage. A non-member of the network the Sisters created could use her to send a Last Order to the network. That alone made her sound somehow amazing (although none if it felt real to Kamijou), but Kamijou was left wondering what she was doing wasting time around here. Um...Misaka came to thank you for when you saved her from the experiment, says Misaka as Misaka suggests this is a Tsuru no Ongaeshi-like turn of events. You say that, but whats the real reason. You arent going to believe Misaka even for an instant!? cries Misaka as Misaka begins stamping her feet!! But yes, it is just a coincidence that Misaka found you here to thank, says Misaka as Misaka reveals the truth! Then my mistrust was justified. Your lack of delicacy really ticks Misaka off! says Misaka as Misaka begins beating you lightly with both hands!! It seemed he had angered her. As he had no other choice, Kamijou looked around and said, Sorry, sorry, sorry. Ill buy you some popcorn over there, so will you forgive me? Do you really think a girls sensitive heart can be manipulated by food!? says Misaka as Misaka is completely taken aback!! (Oh?) It seemed his methods for dealing with Index had sunk in deeper than he had thought. (I need to be more careful.) Sorry. Then well go without food. Misaka never said she wouldnt eat it! Misaka would love some popcorn! says Misaka as Misaka shows off a new technique by eating the popcorn but still being angry!! (Which is it?) Kamijou was getting fed up with her, but with the way Last Order was tugging on his pants, it seemed he could settle it with food after all. Kamijou bought a cylindrical bucket of popcorn with a sweet caramel flavor added. He pushed it into Last Orders small arms. Oh! Its as big as Misakas head, says Misaka as Misaka is impressed by its economical size. ...Whoops. That has to be bigger than your stomach. (Then again, that nun could probably finish off an entire killer whale without trouble, so maybe it isnt that big an issue.) Two minutes later, Kamijou was watching a little girl tremble horribly with the giant popcorn container in one hand and the other hand held up to her mouth. Kamijou could not stand just watching on any longer, so he placed a hand on Last Orders slender shoulder. You dont have to eat it all. Myi...Misaka is not the kind of moron that wastes food she was given...burp. Her previous businesslike manner of speaking was completely gone. And Kamijou was feeling it may have been wrong to give her such sweet popcorn with nothing to drink. (Hmm. If only it was this easy to put the normal Misaka in a good mood... Maybe I should have chased after her.) As Kamijou thought, Last Order started to ask for a drink. Kamijou had no choice but to buy a small plastic bottle of mineral water. After quenching her thirst with that, Last Order was finally back to her normal self. She said, Misaka swiped this, says Misaka as Misaka shows off her prize. So youre a bandit now? Not bad, higher model Misaka...wait...huh? Are those goggles? Arent these the ones Misaka Imouto and the others normally wear? Last Order was pointing at the goggles hanging from her neck. The heavy-looking military device looked like night vision goggles. They must have been what had been stolen from Misaka Imouto. These were not made for Misaka, so she cant get them on properly, says Misaka as Misaka gets a bit downhearted. What? Dont you just have to adjust the length of the strap that holds the goggles on? ? Let me see them, said Kamijou. Last Order stood right in front of him, raised her jaw slightly, and stood on her tiptoes. She was simply trying to make it easier to reach the goggles hanging from her neck. It was wrong to read any deeper meaning into the action. He touched the strap and found it was made of rubber. It was similar to the strap that holds swimming goggles on. A metal device at the base of the goggles allowed the length to be adjusted. Excuse me for a moment, said Kamijou as he grabbed the goggles. He figured it would be easiest to bring the metal device to him. Kamijou pulled on the thick rubber strap and it stretched. Last Order started struggling. Ow ow ow ow ow, says Misaka as Misa-... Wah!? Kamijou let go of the goggles in surprise. The stretched rubber strap returned to its original size. A great snapping noise came from Last Orders face. ... Kamijou was unsure what to say as Last Order rolled around on the floor. As he stood there unsure what to do, the teary-eyed little girl stood on her tiptoes once more to indicate the goggles hanging from her neck. (Okay, I cant screw it up this time.) In some cases, that thought more or less ensured it would happen again. Long story short: the same snapping noise was heard once more. This time, Kamijou was kicked to the ground and then stomped on by Last Order, but that seemed to put her back in a good mood. She then held the goggles up towards Kamijou once more. She was quite brave. Kamijou was extra careful to live up to that spirit of hers and he finally succeeded in adjusting the length of the rubber strap so it stayed on Last Orders forehead. The goggles themselves still seemed too big for her, but he managed to tighten it enough that they did not slide down. Oohhh!! said Last Order with a joyous look on her face. She brought both hands to her forehead and spun around on the spot. Then a thought came to Kamijou. (Come to think of it, is she just wandering around on her own? Misaka Imouto was with her before, but shes gone now. Did they get split up?) It was hard to tell in the underground mall, but it was just before 6 PM. The sun would be setting soon. He wanted to get that helpless child back to her guardian, but he had no idea if that guardian was anywhere nearby. (Hmm, what should I do? If her guardian is nearby, what would I look like to them? Oh, hell. I get the feeling they would say something like What do you think youre doing to my child?) And then... Kamijou felt someones gaze on him. He had a very bad feeling about what was to come. What is it? says Misaka as Misaka asks you a simple question. Kamijou turned around without answering Last Orders innocent question. He slowly and cautiously turned around. Youve gotta be kidding me... groaned Kamijou when he saw who was looking at him. Part 4 And Touma always, always, alllllways goes off somewhere and leaves me behind. Maybe its what you call wanderlust. The next thing you know, hes always off on some new journey. ... Accelerator used his modern cane to walk through the underground mall where it was difficult to distinguish between day and night. All of the students walking about seemed a bit rushed, but that was probably because the last train and bus were set to the city-wide curfew. I wonder why he does that. Its not that he doesnt like where he is, but theres nothing specific he likes about the places he goes to either. He just seems to wander around and around and around and around and around. ... Accelerator still did not know who this Touma person was, but from what he had heard, he sounded like a horrible person. For some reason, it pissed him off each time he heard the name. Index grabbed the calico cat that was wandering around the area and said, By the way, what are you doing here? Looking for someone. Is it that girl on your cell phone? Whats it to you? replied Accelerator carelessly. He had no real reason to hide it, but he had a feeling that brat would keep asking more and more and more questions. He knew this because he knew someone a lot like her. Index merely looked confused while holding the cat. Hey, hey. Come to think of it, I never did anything to show my thanks. Just shut up and get lost, you damn brat. I get the feeling that having a pain-in-the-ass brat like you around will bring nothing but trouble. I never did anything to show my thanks. ... She just ignored him. Accelerator gave her an annoyed look, but Index ignored that too. I can help you look for that girl until I find Touma, she said with a smile. She had no idea what kind of person she was speaking to. ...God dammit, he cursed when he heard that perfectly innocent voice. This was the day he first realized that dealing with the good will of others was exhausting. Part 5 It was Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu he found standing there. The two of them looked at Kamijou, looked at Last Order, and then looked back at Kamijou. And then they said in unison, You didnt!! What is that reaction even supposed to mean!? shouted back Kamijou. Last Order quickly grew cautious and moved from Kamijous side to hide behind his back. Tsuchimikado and Aogami Pierce paid that no heed. Nyahh! Yknow, I could understand Komoe-sensei what with her real age and all, but what is this, nyah? How can you defend this, nyahh!? Y-you bastard!! Do you have no integrity at all!? Kami-yan, just how all-encompassing and gapless is your stance on this kind of thing!? I get the feeling you would try to hit on some lovely old lady sitting on a porch with an arched back and a cat on her lap! But! shouted Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado in unison as they stared Kamijou in the eye. They both showed the worlds most wonderful smile and said, As your friends! We will pray for your success!! Kamijou clenched his fists with the intention of getting rid of those two and their dangerous comments. You two... Imagine Breaker was the perfect name for his power. That name taught him that this was the perfect time to use it. As Kamijou and the others began a great brawl, Last Order cautiously called out to Kamijou. U-um...Are they friends of yours? asks Misaka as Misaka checks to make sure. A kid like you mustnt watch this! The lives these two lead and the stupid crap they talk about is too much for you!! Kamijou swung his fists as if he was using them to stamp an R-rating on those two idiots foreheads. It seemed a day of rest was still a long way off for him. Part 6 While filled with anger, Mikoto walked quickly through the underground mall with her arms folded. Her Tokiwadai Middle School uniform still made her stand out enough that the other students passing by would glance over at her. She normally did not mind, but for some reason, she was feeling more and more irritable today. (And after he promised me he would go through with the punishment game. That bastard...) She was silently muttering to herself. The very fact that this pissed her off so much displeased Mikoto. She did not like how heavily her feelings were weighted in his direction no matter what emotion it happened to be. Even as she left that area (or rather, that boy), she kept glancing back over her shoulder. She simply was not able to rationally go over her thoughts. (...He was relieved.) She lightly kicked the floor of the underground mall without thinking. She then sighed. (Of course he was. This is all because of a simple punishment game. I still cant believe he forgot about it after being the one to suggest it in the first place, though. But I guess when youre being dragged around against your will, its only natural to want to be freed from it as soon as possible.) After the fact, she felt like a complete imbecile for having gotten so excited about it on her own. Mikotos gaze dropped to the small paper bag from the phone company. She looked at the small frog mascot thats head was poking out of the bag. (Its only natural, but...) She felt a strong feeling of having been left behind. Mikoto saw her pouting face reflected in one of the shiny polished pillars of the underground mall. That was all it took to make her want to slap her own face. (Its not like that idiots actions were against the rules of the punishment game. There is nothing particularly wrong with her clinging to his side. So what was I doing? Now that Ive calmed down, that seems like a pretty childish reaction.) She was getting sick of the entire idea of a punishment game. If she had known she would end up feeling like this, she would never have made the bet during the Daihaseisai. She felt like she had lost in everything that had to do with it. Not only that, she felt everyone around her had lost thanks to it as well. She wanted to just sit in the corner of her room with her arms around her knees. But she also wanted something right then and there to relieve her stress. Was there nothing that would do that? (...) She glanced around and the only recreational store she saw was an arcade. A game called Skill Attack that was well known for being incredibly difficult was set up at the front of the store. Basically, the player used their power against a mitt-shaped target that was built to be shock absorbent. The machine used a psychic power measurement device to output a number representing the strength of the players power. It was a type of stress relief machine. Mikoto unsteadily walked over to it. Once the Western sweets shop next to the arcade was completely out of sight, just how irritated she was became very, very clear. There was no semblance of femininity left in her. She inserted a few 100 yen coins. The target portion was designed like a sign. A pillar made of a steel pipe had a square batters mitt made of a polyurethane-like material attached. The target appeared much shinier and newer than the rest of the machine, so it was probably disposable. It may have been changed out every other day. (I doubt it can stand up to a Level 5.) Mikoto sighed. This type of machine was generally advertised as being able to withstand anyone up through Level 4, but the general etiquette was to keep it down to no higher than Level 3. (Honestly, I even have to hold back when relieving stress...) While complaining under her breath, Mikoto glanced over at the small warning note. It said, The latest versions will be created based on the powers used on this one. Please help us gather actual data with the eventual goal of allowing even Level 5 use! ... Mikoto froze in place. A large grin then appeared on her face as if the stress in her body was gushing out. An eerie sparking noise came from her silky bangs. Misaka Mikoto took in a deep, deep breath. And then she helped them gather some data. She went pretty much all out. That damn idiot!! What! Does! He! Think! A! Promise! Is!? And after I worked so hard checking the scores after every event during the Daihaseisai!! With a great crackling roar, the arcade machine using a power measurement device rocked back and forth. It was built to withstand a fair amount of shock, but this had been enough to rip up the earthquake-resistant bolts holding the machine to the ground. It began letting out a silly-sounding alarm. The gentle atmosphere of the underground mall underwent a sudden change. The students walking around began yelling Ugyahh!?, Wh-what was that!?, and Wait, wait up!! as they began running away. After venting all of her feelings at the machine, Mikoto panted with her shoulders moving up and down. Dingaling? came a small electronic tone. She looked over and found she had made a new high score. ...How pointless, muttered Mikoto. ... She moved away from the large machine and headed back the way she had come. Getting angry all on her own accomplished nothing. She decided to admit she had been acting childish and apologize. He had done nothing wrong in giving that Sister a present. She was a bit worried she would be unable to make herself lower her head to that idiot, but she took a deep breath and decided to at least try to be mature. But a punishment was a punishment. He was much mistaken if he thought she was going to let her victory from the Daihaseisai end here. At any rate, Mikoto wanted to speak with him again, so she picked up her pace. Part 7 After somehow succeeding in getting Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu to reconsider their actions, Kamijou checked the clock on his phone. It was already past 6 PM. The sun would be setting outside the underground mall. Hmm, those were some very unique friends, comments Misaka as Misaka folds her arms and tilts her head. And why are there still some parts Misaka cannot comprehend? says Misaka as Misaka rechecks the words spoken one by one. Despite what Last Order said, Kamijou figured it was no big deal. It was for the best if she did not understand some of what was said. Mh, its this late already? says Misaka as Misaka feels the need to hurry, said the girl suddenly. Kamijou could not see any clocks on the walls and the sky could not be seen inside the underground mall. That meant she must have gotten the information via the rumored Misaka Network. Last Order turned around and said, Hey, Misaka needs to get home before long, says Misaka as Misaka gives her unfortunate announcement. Well, it is getting late. Kamijou had just been thinking it was about time a girl of her age got home, so he was relieved. Yes, she agreed. Misaka wanted to stay with you longer, says Misaka as Misaka grows a bit downhearted. It was just a coincidence that Misaka ran into you here, but she really did want to thank you, says Misaka as Misaka expresses her true feelings. Last Order brought both hands up to the goggles on her forehead. And you gave Misaka this, she said. But Misaka thinks he will be worried, says Misaka as Misaka continues on after remembering. If Misaka is too late, he might head out to look for her. Misaka does not want to cause him any trouble, says Misaka as Misaka smiles. Hmm, said Kamijou. He did not know who she was talking about, but he got the general impression that he was probably a good person. He is weak, continued Last Order. He was hurt a lot. He could never protect what he had and the hands he used to save those things are worn down, says Misaka as Misaka provides fragmentary information. So Misaka does not want to put any more of a burden on him. This time, Misaka will protect him, says Misaka as Misaka speaks her mind. I see, said Kamijou despite not understanding half of what she had said. Not a hint of falsehood could be seen on Last Orders face. Kamijou decided this he was not just probably a good person; he was definitely a good person. He can be cool too, says Misaka as Misaka gives some extra information. After all, he kept fighting for Misaka even while covered in blood and horribly battered, says Misaka as Misaka brags. Kamijou felt a great familiarity with that behavioral pattern, but he kept his mouth shut as he had no proof it was the same. Bye bye, said Last Order as she left and waved her hand. Kamijou watched her leave. Her small form quickly disappeared into the crowd that was hurried thanks to the curfew, and therefore the last train, coming up soon. Kamijou decided to head home too, so he turned around. At that moment, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. Hm? She was headed his way. Part 8 Oh, its Touma... Index suddenly stopped while standing next to Accelerator. She was looking down the passageway. Is that the person you were looking for? Yeah. Accelerator looked vaguely in the same direction, but the crowd was too large to tell who she was talking about. In fact, he did not even really know who it was she had been looking for. Index looked up at Accelerators face. He said, Go. But what about your friend? Dont worry, spat out Accelerator. I just found her. He spoke those words while looking in the same direction that Index had been looking. He could see a small girl running his way through the crowd of primarily middle and high school students. Accelerator knew her name. He had no idea if it actually counted as her real name and he had no idea how much value there was in a name thought up by researchers to make the paperwork more convenient. But the same went for Accelerator. He doubted anyone knew his real name. And since everyone referred to her in the same way, it was effectively her name. And so Accelerator called out that name. Last Order! When she heard her name called, the small girl started running even faster. Her face was covered in a ridiculously happy expression. Meanwhile, Accelerator heard small footsteps next to him. Okay, Ill be going then. Thanks, said Index. Touma!! The slight footsteps grew stronger. That girl who had been with him for just a few dozen minutes ran off into the crowd. She did not turn back. In the same way, Last Order did not look back. The two girls approached the same spot of the underground mall, crossed paths, and then headed off in opposite directions without ever noticing each other. They continued on to their respective destinations. It took less than 10 seconds for Last Order to reach Accelerator. Misaka is back, says Misaka as Misaka gives the usual greeti-...Ow! Why are you silently karate chopping Misaka again and again!? shouts Misaka as Misaka holds her head and pretends to cry!! While he repeatedly struck the girls head, he let out all of his displeasure. Where they hell have you been? I was playing, says Misaka as Misaka gives an honest answer. Hmph, said Accelerator. He gave one last glance into the crowd, wondering what had happened to that nuisance of a nun. But he could see no sign of her. All he could see was a vague crowd. Everything was back to normal. Between the lines 4 The name of the building Sasha Kreutzev sat within was the Phenomena Control and Reduction Reproduction Facility. Technically, that term referred to a collection of buildings created by the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church was primarily an organization created to analyze and resolve spiritual phenomena. When an incident occurred, they would create a facility that recreated the scene of the phenomenon in actual size. That thorough accuracy was mostly meant to display how relentless they were. According to the Christian Church, the souls of the dead would head to heaven, purgatory, or hell. Therefore no souls remained in this world. For that reason, the Russian Orthodox Church viewed anything trying to deceive the living as fakes meant to take advantage of the sorrow people saw in death. By their definition, such things were only thought to exist by their absence. It was the same idea as a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. There were extremely rare cases of (real) wandering spirits appearing such as the Jack-o-Lantern, but the Christian Church viewed those as the souls of criminals who were not worthy of going to heaven but had been barred from entering hell as well. Anything trying to deceive the living needed to be killed by any means necessary. That was the only conclusion they could reach. Whether they were real or fake, they were enemies. The Russian Orthodox Churchs method was to eliminate all such annoyances as if they were the same. A ghosts regrets, reminiscences, or grudges were all beside the point. If they were wandering on earth, they were evil. The Russian Orthodox Churchs style was to laugh scornfully at any such circumstances and then crush them. There were of course exceptions of humans who had been brought back to life at the hands of the Son of God, the 12 Apostles, or someone similar. However, that could only be pulled off by the Son of God or historys most powerful Saints. Your average sinner or vengeful dead person could not manage it. The facility was used to obtain the investigative information needed to crush those enemies no questions asked. That was where Sasha was. It was reminiscent of the cities created in the middle of a desert for a Hollywood movie, but its accuracy was much greater than a city street created for filming thats reverse side was made of papier mache. It had started with facilities for just an incident or two, but more and more new reference facilities had been created around them. Now, it was large enough to hold two or three entire cities. This was a method only possible in Russia, a country so massive it cut horizontally across almost the entirety of the Eurasian continent. Inside a building perfectly modeled after a certain palace, Sasha poured brandy into her black tea and drank from her cup with a book in one hand. This was the reference facility said to be the oldest of all the buildings in that movie village known by the overly long name of the Phenomena Control and Reduction Reproduction Facility. The palace had a mixture of many different cultures. The occult aspects were all based in Christianity and a large onion-like objet dart was located on the top of the roof. ... Despite her small figure, Sasha again and again poured lots and lots of brandy into her tea like someone with a sweet tooth pouring sugar in. Rather than just flavoring the drink a bit, she was now essentially drinking a tea-flavored alcohol. The thick book in her hand had the title The True Form of Angels in a Different Shape written in shiny foil. The Original of the book would be in the original palace, but the book had been perfectly reproduced down to the last letter as a prop for the facility. The facility was well known for having a lot of grimoire copies for a place that was not a grimoire library. (Important notes concerning an angel being lowered into a human body.) Sashas hand stopped on the page she had been looking for. Her small fingertip moved through the handwritten letters from a time before printing technology had been developed. She occasionally frowned while working through the cryptanalysis work she was not used to, but she refused to take a break. She had a reason for doing this work despite not being used to it. Something strange had happened to her body. The visible symptom was the irregular slight trembling of her fingertips. And the invisible symptom was her strange ability to detect magic power. Or perhaps it would be better to describe it as a type of rejection reaction. The degree of the reaction differed, but she would feel a pressure in her chest when a large amount of magic power was being used nearby. These symptoms had begun towards the end of August, but she had no idea what could have caused it. When she had been examined at a large-scale facility, they had said her condition was similar to that of someone who had had highly concentrated Telesma residing in their body for a long period, but she had not taken part in any such magical experiment. What had happened to her body? That investigation had gone beyond Sasha herself. The entire Russian Orthodox Church was already secretly viewing it as a pending issue. Anyone in the Christian Church could borrow Telesma and it was not rare for it to directly reside in someones body. Sasha herself even used it in battle. But this was the first time such special symptoms had appeared. It also bothered Sasha that interest in her condition went beyond her organization of Annihilatus. The entire Russian Orthodox Church was interested in it. This made her suspect there was something more to it, but she had to give her own body precedence. Needless to say, the time when Telesma resided in a human body on the largest scale was during the time of the Annunciation. With the Son of Gods total amount of Telesma C that is, an amount massive enough to support and guide this world C contained within a human womb, the human would normally explode. But the Virgin Mary used her special characteristics as the pair for the holy fatherhood to its fullest so that-... Hmm, muttered Sasha as she nodded and read through the text. She did not notice the threat approaching from behind. Saaaashaaaa? Her entire expressionless face twitched when she heard that horribly ingratiating voice. But it was too late. Two hands stretched under Sashas arms and grabbed ahold of her small breasts before she could take up a defensive position. The voice behind her said, Since youre studying so hard you have no idea what is happening around you, I think its time you took a break. Wait, nwaahhh!? The voice cried out because Sasha had pulled a hammer and an L-shaped crowbar from her waist to prepare for battle. The hammer must have had some kind of magical treatment performed on it because a large crater practically exploded into the table the instant the head of the hammer touched it. Sasha Kreutzev turned around with the weapon in hand. The person who had been behind her grew pale. S-Sasha? This facility was created as a perfect spiritual replica of the scene of an incident, so its role will be compromised if you keep destroying items inside it!! My first response: You can send a written apology to Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy. No, wouldnt you be the one to write it!? Dammit, why does Sasha look so lovely even while feigning ignorance like this!? Sasha sighed as the person waved their hands about. She was Sashas direct superior. Her name was Vasilisa. She was a woman with white skin that had just begun to show some signs of decline and she was exceedingly worried about ultraviolet rays and spots on the skin. While battles with those that should not exist was their basic nighttime activity, she had lately formed a bad habit of saying staying up late was bad for the skin and heading home on her own. This meant Sasha often had to catch Vasilisas body in a lasso and throw her into the middle of a group of their target. But back to her name of Vasilisa. It was unclear why she had taken the name of a heroine form a Russian fairy tale, but it was of course a fake name. She apparently just barely qualified as being in her late twenties, but no one knew the exact number. She would just say Women have plenty of secrets!, but she would look depressed for about half a day if someone responded with So basically no one would celebrate your birthday. That horribly immature superior caused Sasha lots of problems. The main issue was that this was not an issue of the past. She was still constantly causing her problems. Vasilisa glanced at the pages of the book Sasha had been reading and said, Youre reading some musty old book again? So have you still not figured out what happened to your body? Then how about I give that body a thorough examination. Eh heh heh. Ah ha. Sasha took the hammer spinning in her hand and swung it down on Vasilisas head. After hearing a nice, dull noise, she said, My first question: Would you prefer the hammer or the screwdriver? Its not a very useful question if you wait until after the fact to ask. Oh, Sasha. Your destructive power is as unthinkable as ever. She did not want to hear that from the superior who had not batted an eye at being struck by a hammer with magical effects meant for torture. Vasilisa liked to joke, but she was actually stronger than Sasha. Come to think of it, wasnt the Telesma that resided in you the back-oriented blue color of Gabriel? My second question: what does it matter? And wasnt it a normally unthinkable amount that might have even been greater than the total amount of the 12 Apostles? My third question: What does that-... Bpph. Wasnt Gabriel the angel that was responsible for the Annunciation? And wasnt that when an amount of power greater than the 12 Apostles was forced into a womans body? Oh? Oh, oh? Sasha, by any chance is your stomach growing a bit plump...bggh!? Sasha swung a saw such that it struck Vasilisa directly in the face The woman remained unscathed. Ah, sorry, sorry. Thats right. With that heavy restraining outfit you always wear, you could never withstand pleasureless baby-making, could you? My fourth question: Dont sully even one holy page of the New Testament, you piece of shit. An added explanation: You abused your authority to force me to wear this outfit. Sasha was wearing a restraining outfit made up of black belts and a red mantle worn over a see-through suit that looked like nothing but innerwear. Overall, it looked like something a perverted old man would wear at night. Vasilisa had claimed it was so she could restrain herself as a last resort if her own body was possessed by those that should not exist, but it was plainly nothing more than her own tastes. Sasha did not want to even touch such a slutty outfit, but unfortunately Vasilisa was her direct superior. She had to obey the oaths she had made on paper. She would feel like a complete fool if she was sent to a convent (or rather, a detention center called a convent) for disobeying over something so ridiculous. Naturally, not all Russian Orthodox nuns wore that outfit. The Russian Orthodox Church was not a collection of perverts. Sasha hid her body behind her red mantle and glared up at her superior. Vasilisa cackled while wearing a completely normal red habit. Eh? You dislike it that much? My second response: That question in and of itself is an insult to my personality. Then lets get you a different outfit, readily replied Vasilisa. ...? Sasha was a bit taken aback by this as she looked up at her superior through her bangs that got in the way. Vasilisa started rummaging through the old-looking bag at her feet. Ysee, for business reasons, I was doing some investigation into Academy City and that island nations occult. ... Sasha had a bad feeling about what was to come. She had a feeling she must not see what was inside that bag. She had not received any help from an astrological institution, but she felt a distinct chilly premonition for some reason. Well, it turns out Academy City has a certain unique culture. And when I say culture, I think you can guess what I mean. Japan really has given me a lot of excellent reference material. I got my hands on some genuine data and worked hard to sew it thread by thread. Ah ha? Sasha looked over to the door. She started to calculate out its thickness and materials. So Sasha, have you ever heard of Magical Powered Kanamin? She used her L-shaped crowbar to break through the heavy door and escape. When she had seen the outfit Vasilisa was holding out while smiling from ear to ear, Sasha had thought she was going to cry. She had known that superior had been gathering information on Japans suspicious otaku culture via France, but she had never thought the woman had gotten quite that crazy. She could never stand to wear that shiny and sparkling outfit. Sasha Kreutzev was a battle nun belonging to the Russian Orthodox Churchs special forces known as Annihilatus. She fought harshly with the desire of bringing extinction to those that should not exist, so she could not run around in such a thin and fluttering outfit. She decided it might be in her best interest to transfer to another post. No one would want to die in battle while wearing such a hardcore outfit. Volume 12, 5: Vaguely Passing Sunset. Hard_Way,Hard_Luck. Volume 12, Chapter 5: Vaguely Passing Sunset. Hard_Way,Hard_Luck. Part 1 Ohh, its raining, observes Misaka as Misaka looks up into the night sky. But Misaka wanted to see the moon, she says in a bit of disappointment. Last Order caught the raindrops on her palms along the dark street. Since the trains and buses stopped once the curfew had passed in Academy City, most of the residents had disappeared from the streets. All that remained were the gutsier types that liked the nightlife and did not feel the need to head home that day. Even the nearby simple bus stop with a corrugated galvanized iron roof was empty. The rain continued to fall. It was not enough to require an umbrella, but it was still enough to keep the students enjoying the nightlife off of the streets. They must have entered some store or another rather than hanging around outside. Accelerators bored eyes followed Last Order around as she restlessly wandered from place to place. Thats getting annoying, so stay put. Oh, is that the puppy thats been wandering around this area taking shelter from the rain in that bus stop!? says Misaka as Misaka dashes over to begin pursuit!! Do I need to put a collar and leash on you, you damn brat!? He grabbed the back of the small girls neck with all his strength. He did not have the energy to chase after her again if she ran off. If she did, it was entirely possible he would knock over a nearby building in his anger. Last Order shook her arms around. Misaka doesnt need you to be so overprotective, says Misaka as Misaka asks for freedom and liberation. What kind of frontier spirit bullshit is that? And if you want to see how protective I am, just keep it up. Ill punch you in the gut so hard you pass out. That would make this a lot easier. Now, now. You dont have to be that shy, says Misaka as Misaka taps her index finger against-...Wait, why are you clenching your fist? asks Misaka as Misaka brings out a big smile to soften your harsh emotions. What a pain in the ass, Accelerator muttered under his breath with a sigh. Not everything about this tidy everyday life was bright and shiny. Every world had things to be dissatisfied with. A perfect world where everything worked the way you wanted it was actually a solitary place that ignored the circumstances of others. These languid annoyances could be thought of as the contract fee required to live in this world. Accelerator understood that. He let out a sardonic grin inside his heart. The effects of growing used to something were frightening indeed. Just who did he think he was to not only accept this environment as normal but to make complaints about it? How could he after everything he had done? He needed to thank the god who supposedly resided above the clouds for the mere fact that he was standing there at that moment. And as Accelerator gave deep thought to these issues, a voice reached his ears. Ow!! ...Misaka tripped, says Misaka as Misaka gives a report from the ground. Youre just complaining. I scraped myself, says Misaka as Misaka looks at her palm. As Last Order got up from the roadway that was wet with rain, her slightly wet and muddy palm had a slight scrape. Some red blood could be seen, but it was just seeping out slightly. Misaka might need disinfectant, says Misaka as Misaka grows a bit teary eyed. Just spit on it. Misaka might need disinfectant!! shouts Misaka as Misaka cries out the exact same line!! ...Just how annoying can you get? We can find something back at Yomikawas place. ... Last Order remained silent. Accelerator looked over and she began speaking while biting her small lip. Okay, says Misaka as Misaka accepts that. It hurts, but Misaka will put up with it, says Misaka as Misaka begins walking along behind you. She must have been trying to do what he had said because Last Order faced forward and did not look back at the wound on her palm. But it looked like she had to actively avoid looking at it. Last Order kept her mouth clenched shut and said nothing as she followed Accelerator. In exchange for the absence of words, he felt an odd sort of pressure. It was the aura of someone who could start crying at any moment. ...God dammit. Accelerator clicked his tongue. Having her make a big fuss out of it would only make everything more annoying. Accelerator used the hand not holding his modern cane to press a finger against Last Orders forehead. He then gave a hard push backwards. He had not used much strength, but she was so caught off guard that she fell straight backwards. Wah! says Misaka as Misa-...!? Last Order waved her arms around, but she was unable to regain her balance and fell backwards onto her butt. But she did not land on hard asphalt. She landed on the roofed bus stops bench. Last Order looked confused while glancing around the bus stop protected by the simple corrugated galvanized iron roof. Without looking back at her, Accelerator said, Wait there. If you go anywhere else, Ill kick your ass. He spat on the street. With an annoyed click of his tongue, he used his modern cane to head to drugstore. It was only about 200 meters away, but he still found it a giant pain in the ass to walk there. He entered the store. The unnecessarily spacious drugstore was filled with shelf after shelf placed freely around the store. Seeing that was enough to make Accelerator feel some pressure. But the feeling was lessened somewhat since the ceiling was about 5 times higher than the shelves. The store was almost entirely empty due to the curfew having passed. Due to what they sold, drugstores were required to remain open around the clock, but the look on the clerks face made it clear he would rather close up and go watch TV. Accelerator was originally planning to buy disinfectant and simple cloth bandages, but he decided to just get some adhesive bandages instead. It was only a small wound. The cloth bandages would be overkill. (Overprotective.) A bitter expression appeared on Accelerators face when he remembered that impertinent term she had used. It simply was not normal for him to be staring at boxes of adhesive bandages with a worried look on his face and a shopping basket hanging from one arm. Had a screw come loose in his mind? He tossed the package of bandages in the basket with an irritated look and used his cane to walk up to the register. He opened his wallet to find nothing but change. It took him a bit to remember that his money had disappeared feeding that strange nun named Index. ...God dammit, he muttered and the clerk behind the registers shoulders jumped. It was unlikely he actually knew who Accelerator was, but the aura coming from Accelerator was simply too dangerous. He then spotted some more colorful bandages lined up on a shelf right next to the register counter. They seemed to be marketed towards children. A number of different kits for simple injuries were lined up with them. They seemed to be leftovers from the Daihaseisai. What are these? How are they different from the normal ones? he asked. The clerk frantically answered while looking like his heart was trying to escape through his mouth. One was a disinfectant that would not sting. One was a bandage with an adhesive that would not stick to the injury itself. One was a normal cloth bandage with a sweet aroma that would mask any medicinal smell. Apparently they were all designed with children in mind. Accelerator thought for a bit on the fact that they were made for children. (Overprotective.) He kicked the counter with one foot. The clerk smiled while looking like he was about to faint. But his expression relaxed a bit when Accelerator tossed the childrens disinfectant and adhesive bandages into his basket. He may have thought Accelerator was a kid who hated scabs despite his tough appearance. Accelerator somehow managed to scrape together enough change to pay. Since the trains had already stopped for the day, he had no reason to avoid being left with no money in his wallet. Accelerator left the store and walked through the slightly rainy street with the drugstore bag reflecting the streetlights. A mascot character with deformed proportions was smiling on the bag. ...What nonsense, he spat out. He had asked Yomikawa if he would ever get used to doing this kind of thing, but he already knew the answer. He would never get used to it. What was he even doing? Accelerator was supposed to be standing in the position most removed from this kind of thing. There was something wrong with rushing through the streets at night while carefully carrying bandages to heal an insignificant little injury when you had killed over 10,000 human beings. It was nonsensical. How was anyone supposed to react if they saw him doing this? The only possible reaction would be a scornful laugh. Was it okay for him to get used to this? Was it okay for him to be worried about a trivial little scratch? He was a monster that had spilled well over 10,000 liters of blood. God dammit. Accelerator clicked his tongue. He had actually answered those questions back on August 31st. No matter how horrible a human being he may have been, that had nothing to do with that brat. And so he would take any action no matter how out of place it was for him if that brat was in danger. It was a nice opinion. But that alone was not enough. In the end, that could be seen as forcing his own burden onto that brat. Wasnt that nothing more than passing the responsibility of being his driving force onto her? (What is it that I want?) Accelerator lightly clenched his teeth. (Why am I so pissed? What do I feel is missing? Hah. Like I can figure it out. You know damn well you arent the type to try to find yourself.) At that point, his thoughts were cut off. They were cut off by a black van slamming into his body at full speed. It came from behind. He was standing on the sidewalk clearly distinguished from the road. A thick guardrail separated the sidewalk and the road. But... The jet black van easily tore through the guardrail and onto the sidewalk Accelerator was on. It showed no sign of using its brakes. Fragments of the vans lights, bumper, and other parts scattered throughout the area and the windshield made a noise like azuki beans were hitting it as it shattered to pieces. Torn pieces of the metal guardrail flew through the air and struck the shutters of the multi-tenant building facing the sidewalk. Each roar of destruction seemed to bring about yet another roar of destruction. It was as if a bomb had gone off. And amid it all... Accelerator calmly stood in the exact same spot and pose as he had three seconds before. His hand was held against the side of his neck. He audibly cracked his neck. His slender finger was pressed up against the control switch for his choker-shaped electrode. He had activated his reflection. The person who stood there was now Academy Citys strongest Level 5 who could escape a direct hit from a nuclear weapon unscathed. (What was that?) Accelerator turned around. He stared at the black van that had slammed into him. A crater had been created in the middle of the metal on the front and center of the van as if a shell had hit it. The rest had crumbled up around that central crater. The destruction was to the point where it was unclear whether it should be called a van or simply called wreckage. The sun had already set, but the headlights were off. This was not simply due to the lights breaking in the crash. They had been off from the beginning. (Its like they were trying to approach from behind without me noticing.) In addition to the headlights being off, there were signs that the license plate had been forcibly changed, the airbag showed no sign of deploying despite the impact being strong enough to smash the windshield, and the keyhole on the door showed signs of having been forced open, suggesting the black van was stolen. (I guess that clinches it.) On top of it all, a man dressed all in black was groaning in the crushed drivers seat. He wore the armored outfit of some sort of special forces and had a mask that covered his entire head. To finish it off, he had thick goggles like those of a skier covering his eyes. (They must either have some grudge against me or belong to some research institution thats desperate to use me.) A smile split horizontally across Accelerators face. That look of joy grew and grew as he saw a military handgun grip on the mans chest. (Theyre here. I knew these idiots would be coming. These pieces of shit want to bring me back. These pieces of trash cant read the air, the atmosphere, the mood, or the rules.) Accelerator raised his head. He looked up at the man in the drivers seat whose face was just a bit higher than his own. And he grinned. ...Youre dead. A roar reverberated through the dark street. It only took an instant. Accelerator reached his arm in through the opening the windshield had previously been in. His slender arm headed straight for the face of that man in black as if it was being sucked in. More specifically, it headed for his mouth. He jammed the four fingers minus the thumb of that hand into the mans mouth. His white hand broke straight through the black knife-proof mask and went straight to the back of the mans throat. The thumb reached around below the mans chin. He then pulled his arm back. With a cracking noise, the mans jaw was dislocated. Ah ha ha gyah ha ah ha ha ha hee hee hee gyah ha ha ah ha ah ha ah ha ha ha ha!! With an explosive laugh, Accelerator pulled the mans body out of the drivers seat like he was catching a giant tuna with a single fishing pole. He then threw the man behind him. The man in black flew straight over the sidewalk and slammed into the shutter of the multi-tenant building. This created a great noise like the crash of lightning. Accelerator heard a frightened gasp from the backseat of the black van. There was more. Accelerators red eyes crawled back over. Hmm? This is great. Ah ha ha. Holy shit. This is fucking amazing!! He charged into the van through the broken windshield like a wild beast. He ripped out the passenger seat like it was a weed and headed to the backseat. The entire van shook eerily. It was as if the metal and interior were moving out of Accelerators way on their own. Due to the twisted frame, the sound of bolts bursting loose and windows breaking could be heard again and again. It sounded like a steel balloon being forcibly inflated. Another man sat in the backseat. Before he could frantically draw his gun, Accelerator grabbed his head and slammed it straight down. With a silly-sounding noise, the backseat split open and the mans head sank into the cotton. Only the sound of the scratchy breath coming from Accelerators own throat could be heard. Ha ha ha. ...Ugh, Im sick of this. Ive lost interest. Im not a complete monster. Accelerator laughed. Dammit. I wont kill you. Its too much of a pain in the ass. Ill let you off easy and give you a discount: 50% off. Ah...Ueh... The mans voice was unintelligible, probably due to the cotton of the seat getting in his mouth. Even so, the man in black desperately worked to get his words out. ...Gh. 50%...off? M-money...? No. Accelerator gently shook his head. Ill only peel 50% of your skin off. If you survive that, Ill let you go. Ghee!! screamed the man, sounding like some kind of insect. Accelerator smiled. His expression was amused, joyous, happy, and entertained. It was the expression of someone licking ice cream on the first day after their diet. Accelerator heard the sound of something scraping across the road surface and found three other black vans coming to quick stops around him. He stared out through the broken windows at them. Were they stolen as well? He sighed inwardly while thinking about how much trouble they had gone to search out so many of the same model. This is getting boring. He cancelled his special 50% off service. He instead grabbed the insect-like mans head between his five fingers like it was a basketball. A sound similar to a metal bat being swung was heard. He had casually tossed the man in black out through a broken window. The loser slid to the side across the asphalt. Without even taking time to check on the mans laughable state, the back doors of the three vehicles surrounding the destroyed one slid open. But no one came out. Instead, countless gun barrels poked out. When he saw that, Accelerator sighed. At the same time, he swung his fist straight down as if to vent his anger. That vector-controlling strike applied fatal damage to the already twisted frame of the van, cracks ran through the various pipes, and sparks flew about. Explosive blasts and waves of heat scattered in every direction, swallowing up the entire area. Repeated muffled screams came from the three vans. Even though they were inside the vans and had masks covering their faces, they had still been struck by a blast of high temperature wind at close range. A few whose throats had been burned writhed around and even fell out of the sliding door they themselves had opened and onto the road. Thanks for the nice production work. ...You should thank me for blowing you away in such a spectacular fashion. A voice came from the flames. Accelerator leisurely walked through the wreckage and the flames that spread out in a pomegranate red. He could only use his reflection for 15 minutes, but that did not seem to be a problem. In fact, he could finish everything in 10 seconds after causing disarray within the enemy to such an extent. And then... This is exactly what I warned you about, said a male voice coming from one of the vans surrounding Accelerator. This isnt enough to crush that brat. Dont go soft on him just because hes a kid. This is why I told you I should deal with him from the beginning. A man in black was kicked out of the back sliding door of the van that was still sitting open. Afterwards, a tall man wearing a lab coat sluggishly appeared from within. His expression showed no sign of damage. Despite being a researcher, he had a tattoo on his face. He wore mechanical gloves with a detailed form on both hands. They were known by the ridiculously long name of micromanipulators. As the name suggested, they were delicate pieces of technology that allowed the wearer to perform sensitive work on the scale of one-millionth of a meter. ... Accelerator frowned slightly. He recognized the researcher. Bh. And the instant he saw him, he burst out laughing. Gya ha ha ha ha!! Kihara-kun, the hell kind of pretentious entrance was that!? I wouldnt think you were the same little intellectual whod get scared and look away when trying to look me in the eye!! Kihara Amata. He was a man who had once worked on developing the powers of Academy Citys strongest Level 5. That meant he was one of the most skilled powers development researchers even in Academy City. Yeah, I really didnt want to see you again. But it was an order from the higher ups, so I didnt have much of a choice. Something about it being an emergency situation so they have to use every available option. Sorry, but...how bout you just let me kick your ass here? The man in the lab coat made a bluff, but Accelerator just ignored it. Every single person who had taken part in researching Accelerator had been afraid of his extreme ability. To put it simply, he had never stayed in a single research facility for 2 full months. No matter how great an ambition the researcher held, they all ended up trembling in a corner of the room as soon as they saw someone whose nature vastly surpassed that. Kihara Amata had been nothing but one of those researchers. In fact, Accelerator knew of no other type of researcher. With the sole exception of Yoshikawa Kikyou. Kihara lightly shrugged the shoulders covered by his lab coat. Dont say that. Who do you think it was that brought about your power? Ah? What? Was that a line filled with duty and sympathy? Dont tell me you think Im the type of person who would return a favor. Thats just stupid. And, yknow... Accelerator brought his left index finger to his temple and twirled it in a circle. If youre gonna act crazy, go do it on your own. I dont have enough fingers to count how many researchers fucked with my body. Do you think I had any reason to remember you specifically, Passerby A? I never gave you a second thought, so get lost. You really are an annoying little shit, you know that? Kihara wrapped his arms around his shoulders as if he was feeling cold. A smile appeared on his face. I wanna kill you. I wanna kill you so damn bad. To be honest, Ive always wanted to smash in that face of yours so bad I could barely stand it. But you were my research specimen and, more importantly, you were a kid. A terrible little brat, but a kid nonetheless. That just barely allowed me to hold back. But I shouldnt have. I really shouldve killed you back then. Ahh...I fucked up. Ah ha ha. What was I thinking? As if he was inviting back a lover, Kihara opened wide the arms that wore the gloves for super delicate work that were reinforced with small motors and electrically contracting artificial muscles. In the same pose, Kihara Amata approached Accelerator. He approached defenselessly. The edges of researchers lips twisted up. And he said, So Ill just have to kill you now, you damn brat. The fist wearing the detailed metal glove flew towards Accelerators face. Yet Accelerators smile did not crumble. What is this idiot thinking? he muttered. Without even thinking of defending, Accelerator opened his arms to welcome in Kihara Amatas fist. And just as he was thinking of utterly breaking that idiots arm and tying it in a knot... The mechanical fist tore Accelerators skin and shook his skull. Gah...h...!? The unexpectedness of the strike caused even more of a shock to his brain. The switch on his choker-shaped electrode was on. His reflection was active. In that state, he should have been left unscathed even if he detonated a nuclear bomb he was currently carrying. And yet... For some reason, the vector reflection had not worked at all. Yknow... As his consciousness wavered, Accelerator could hear Kihara Amatas voice. It was the disappointed voice of someone looking down on another human being. I never gave you a second thought either, brat. Dont act so damn spoiled just because you have a bit of power. Let me say it again: Who do you think it was that gave you that power? Well, do you remember now? Ah... Before Accelerator could say anything, Kiharas fist flew once more. An odd noise came from the glove. It was a strike coming down from above like he was swinging a hammer. Once again, the reflection was meaningless. When the powerful strike hit his head, Accelerator collapsed onto the wet road. His modern cane slipped from his grasp. The plastic bag from the drugstore fell to the ground and its contents scattered about. Im just gonna crush you now. Youre not the real reason Im here, so I dont have time to play around with the likes of you. Kihara crushed the box of bandages underfoot. Accelerator had bought those childrens bandages for Last Order. The cutesy package grew dirty with rainwater and mud. That doesnt suit you. Kihara grinned while lightly stroking the mechanical glove as if to check on how his arm was doing. Well, well be retrieving that anyway, so dont worry. You can just become a stain on the wall after I crush you. That suits you a lot better, dont you think? ...!! Anger suddenly filled Accelerators mind. Kihara had said Accelerator was not his true objective. And now he said he was going to retrieve that which was always with Accelerator. His objective was her. He was saying the person he had referred to as that would be dragged into the bloody world Accelerator and Kihara Amata were from. Dont you... Accelerator began speaking while crawling on the ground. From his position on the ground, he glared up at Kihara and the men in black who were looking down at him after defenselessly getting that close to him. With some muddy rainwater on his lips, he continued speaking. ...underestimate me, you lowly thuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggg!! The wind whipped up with a roar. He had the power to manipulate vectors. He could control the directionality of anything that had even the slightest force. And the wind, the flow of the atmosphere around the earth, was no exception. He created a local storm. The 120 m/s blast of wind he controlled fell under the highest M7 class for hurricanes. The atmospheric violence was powerful enough to pick up a car or rip off a houses roof, so it had surpassed the level of a standard missile. Die! shouted Accelerator. But... No, none of that. Just as Accelerator thought he heard an oddly dry beeping noise, the mass of raging wind he was controlling was blown away. The gathered wind scattered in all directions like the neck of a balloon had been opened. !? The attack he had thought was a sure thing was negated with ease. Accelerator passed astonishment and was left in a complete daze. Like I said, you just need to die, okay? Kihara picked a metal pipe off the ground and beat Accelerators face with it. An unpleasant creaking noise came from the surface of his face. He tried to cry out in pain, but the voice lacked a proper exit and came out with a muffled ring to it. When Kihara heard that, he casually tossed the pipe to the side. U...gh... Despite his hazy consciousness, Accelerator thought. He had seen this phenomenon before. With just a touch of his palm, that boy had easily negated the Level 5 powers Accelerator had thought were absolute. That boy had crushed his impenetrable reflection ability and sent heavy blow after heavy blow against his slender body. Could it be...? Did you...develop powers in your own body...? Gya ha ha! No, no, thats not it at all. Why would I experiment on myself? Thats a job for the guinea pigs. This is nothing so amazing. It doesnt take that much to crush you even without ridiculous powers. Why would I take such a risk just to crush a single idiot like you? Well? ... But damn this feels good. Exterminating insects just puts me in such a good mood. And this is working great today, too. As Kihara spoke, he opened and closed the fingers of the micromanipulators. Accelerators shoulders jumped. It was not over yet. He could not let himself be defeated so easily. Ohh!! Accelerator used his vector control to jump up from the ground like a spring. And at the same time he swung his arms with everything he had. The modern cane that had been affixed to his right arm fell away, but he did not care. He reached his five fingers out toward Kihara Amata. The first time failed. But the second time, his fingernails touched Kihara. Accelerator poured in his power. He poured it into the gloves Kihara wore. He focused the vectors on a single point and the mechanical gloves shattered. The fragments scattered every which way. !? Accelerator could see the surprised expression on Kiharas face through the remnants flying through the air. He jabbed his five fingers out toward that face. (Youre dead now, you piece of shit!!) That deadly hand broke through the film of mechanical fragments and shot toward Kihara Amatas face But... I see, I see. Did you think the secret to my power was in the gloves? His voice was perfectly calm. Kihara easily avoided Accelerators strike simply by moving his head to the side. And his usual smile appeared on his face. Thats not it at all! Gya ha ha! Sorry about getting your hopes up like that!! A fist stabbed into Accelerators side. The desire to vomit exploded in his stomach, but he forced it back down. Kiharas laugh rang in his eardrums. Ha ha! How long are you going to act like youre the strongest? Youre nothing but a pile of scrap!! Accelerators body was doubled over from the previous blow and another fist fell atop his head that was sticking forward a bit. His body collapsed to the ground like a toy. Your reflection isnt an absolute barrier. Kihara slowly walked forward. Accelerator could not move. It only reverses the vector of any force heading into it. That makes it simple to beat the shit out of you. I just have to pull back my fist the instant before hitting. You could say the trick is stopping at the last second. He sounded like he was enjoying himself. His smile was that of someone explaining the trick to a piece of stage magic they had thought up. You end up reflecting the fist that is moving away from you. That means you actually punch yourself. Do you get it now, masochist boy!? Or is it too complex for a little kid to understand!? !! Accelerator tried to get up, but Kiharas foot flew his way before he could. The sole of Kiharas shoe stomped down on him from above again and again. As the foot stomped on him in various places, his skin was torn and blood mixed in with the rainwater. (What...?) He knew Kihara claimed to be using his own power against him. But Accelerator had no idea what exactly it entailed or if it was even possible in reality. However, he did know his reflection was of no use. Gahhhh!! He tried to control the vectors of the air again, but the dry beeping noise sounded again and it was blown away. This is the same, said Kihara. Your power works by constructing equations for the vectors. That means I just have to throw those equations out of order. You cant control the wind with me around. That kind of control requires a much more complex set of equations than just reflecting. Its the same as program code. The more lines of code, the higher the possibility of a bug...and more room for intentional interference. Basically, I can jam all of your wind attacks by sending a small sound wave out into the air. It just has to have the proper wave and directionality to sneak into a blind spot in your equations. Get it? He had pulled out a cell phone...no, it was the strap attached to it. It was made of a soft material and it seemed that it produced a noise when pressed. That was all it took to seal Accelerators power. Damn...it. So whats it like being stomped into the mud? I know your characteristics, your equations, your Personal Reality...everything about you. I didnt develop your power for nothing. Repeated dull sounds of impacts rang out. A few drops of blood splattered onto Kiharas face. Kihara continued kicking until he was out of breath and then scraped his bloodstained shoe on the wet road. He treated the stains like the ugliest possible thing to find on his shoe. Hm? Some bugs sure are hard to kill. Hey, come bring that thing out of the van. You know what I mean. The thing shoved in the back. The one covered in dust. Kihara lightly stretched out an arm and one of the armored men headed to the back of one of the vans with pained movements. What he pulled out and handed to Kihara was a heavy toolbox filled with things like hammers and saws. The cruder and rougher weapons tend to work better. Its like how a chainsaw meant for lumber gives much more gruesome results than a nonmetal assassins knife. Accelerator was not able to speak properly from where he lay collapsed on the ground. He merely looked up at Kihara while the rain fell on him. Hey, Accelerator. Did you know the real reason behind her? Kihara smiled. Accelerator could only image he was referring to that small girl. Even back at the stage of...what was it again? Oh, right. The Radio Noise development project that came before the Level 6 Shift project. It seemed suspicious from the moment they gave the go sign for those mass produced military models. After all, they should have just made clones of you, the #1, rather than Railgun, the #3. ... So why didnt they clone you? Why did they start with that #3? There has to be something there. Something you dont know about. Hah, laughed Accelerator. He then muttered, You piece of shit. Not only was his lip split but everywhere from the space between his teeth to the back of his neck was filled with the flavor of blood. Dont get so worked up over some nonsense when you dont know as much about that brat as I do. Hm? Kihara grinned and grabbed the corners of the heavy toolbox with both hands to see how it felt. Still smiling, he said, How moving. Im sure shes delighted to hear it. Accelerator thought his heart was going to stop. He did not move from his collapsed position. But he still managed to turn his head just enough. It was about 100 meters away. There he saw... A little girl with one arm held by a man in black and her remaining limbs dangling down. That completes the retrieval job. Accelerator could hear Kihara Amatas voice growing more distant. He could see three people before him while he lay collapsed on the ground. Two were men in black walking side by side. The other was Last Order who was being held like a piece of luggage by one of those men. He held her like she was a plastic bag with something heavy inside. The bottoms of her feet did not reach the ground. Her feet dangled down limply like hanging threads. He could not see her expression from where he was. Her head hung down and shook like a tree branch just like her arm and legs, but her bangs hid her expression. However, she did not move an inch despite being in what had to be a painful position. She was most likely unconscious. He had a feeling fresh wounds would be visible on her young body if he got closer. Holding her by one arm must have been tiring because the man roughly shoved Last Order toward the other man. Even so, she just hung there limply without making the slightest reaction. Kihara laughed and said, Ahh, ahh. I guess she probably couldnt hear you. Unlike with you, we were told to bring her back alive, but she hardly looks alive to me. Id rather not have to make a written explanation of how she ended up dead. Quit joking around, muttered Accelerator under his breath. She was still alive. There was no way she was dead. If Last Order did die, Accelerator would have noticed since he relied on the Sisters to help carry out his calculations...or so he hoped. (Damn, I have no proof...) Accelerator gritted his teeth while lying on the cold ground. (I have no idea if I would be affected at all if that brat died! Ive never even thought about the possibility, so of course I dont know!!) Paying no heed to Accelerator as he lay battered on the ground, the men holding Last Orders limp form approached. They were probably heading for the vans. Kihara had said Last Order was their objective. Accelerator had no idea where they planned on taking her, but it would all be over once they shoved her into one of the vans. That girl would once more be dragged down into a world of blood and darkness. And... The odds of her coming back again were probably zero. (I wont let you.) Accelerators fingers crawled across the ground that was wet with rain. He gathered up the last bit of power left in his battered body. Last Ordeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! He raised his head and cried out her name. He had a feeling he saw the girls shoulders give a slight twitch. He swung up an arm while lying on the ground. He could not defeat Kihara Amata with his vector manipulation. Even if he created a raging burst of wind by controlling the air, it would immediately be jammed. He could not defeat that man in the lab coat using his normal attack methods. Also, defeating that man was not what he had to focus on now. His priority lay elsewhere. And so... ...!! Accelerator clenched his teeth and slammed his hand against the wet asphalt. A great sound of destruction rang out. The tremendous power blasted the asphalt to pieces and the fragments flew in every direction, causing Kihara to move back slightly. This gave Accelerator an opening of less than a second. Accelerator used his hand to grasp the wind using that limited time. A blast of wind surged up as he controlled its vectors. Tch!! Accelerator heard Kihara click his tongue. The spear of violent wind shot straight by Kihara and straight at Last Order who was being held by a man in black. The wind speed was 120 m/s. That wind burst was enough to lift a car or rip a roof off a house. He tore the girls small body from the thick arm of the man in black and launched her from the ground. Last Order flew over several buildings that were over 10 meters tall and disappeared into the background. An odd coughing noise came from Accelerators throat. Before he could even think of suppressing it, he coughed up a mass of blood and his face fell down to the wet road in front of him. Even though he had some battery time left, his consciousness was too faint to lend any focus to the reflection. The rainwater that was mixed with blood and mud flowed in through the corner of his lips and onto his tongue. Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh. Kihara let out a carefree comment. Shes not a golf ball, yknow? Youre not supposed to launch people distances that are measured in yards. That was some nice distance, but whos gonna go get her? Im not doing it. What should we do? quietly said one of the men wearing a black armored outfit. Kihara scratched his head with his right hand that still had the remnants of the glove on it. Hmm... Split into three groups I guess. One group heads after the primary target. The other two stay with me. Weve got a lot to do with retrieving the men who were crushed by him and all. But our orders had capturing Last Order as our top priority, so shouldnt the groups-... Oh? Kihara looked at his subordinate with a puzzled look and asked, Youre the guy who was recently brought in to replenish this Hound Dog unit, right? No, um... Its fine, its fine. Im not trying to pry into your identity. I dont care about the fate of some sweaty guy. But let me fill you in since you dont seem to understand the rules around here. Kihara cleared his throat disinterestedly. You people are a gathering of trash. You have no rights here. We can replace you with more trash at a moments notice. If you get in the way of a vitally important mission, I have no problem killing you. Do you get it now? Youve already died once. Do you get that? The slimy feeling of the raindrops disappeared from the man in blacks body. All discomfort disappeared from him. I put the schedule together myself. I racked my brains for the sake of those fucking brats. Its such nonsense. And are you going to make me rack my brains to deal with you too? Hm? A chilly feeling seemed to emanate from Kiharas body. When he saw the man silently take a step back, Kihara nodded. Okay, as long as you understand. But we do have some leeway here, so Ill answer your question. O-okay. We are supposed to take Last Order alive, but after what happened to her... Oh, Im sure that brat thought of something. He probably launched her into a river or something. Since she was unconscious, she might have drowned if she landed in water... Dont be stupid. The shock of hitting the water would wake her up. And I think she had come to before that anyway. At any rate, check around the area for something that would function as a cushion. Even if she has some skill at running away, she still has the basic specs of a kid. If you still manage to lose sight of her, Ill be holding my sides from laughter. Understood, replied a few different voices. Using only eye and hand signals rather than discussing it, a single group split off and disappeared down a back alley. Kihara looked down at where Accelerator lay in a puddle. Now then. Are we going to take him with us too? No, well kill him. Seeing someone working hard for that kind of reason really pisses me off. And we have no reason to capture him. Hes a real pain in the ass. Its safest to just kill this kind of gloomy and brooding self-satisfied bastard. From his tone of voice, one would think he was speaking about a caterpillar on a tree. One of the armored men held out a handgun, but Kihara shook his head. The countermeasure for Accelerators reflection could only be accomplished with a subtle reversal of an arm or leg. It could not be replicated with a bullet. And it was naturally only an attack method that was possible for that man who had directly developed Accelerators powers. Even if others heard the explanation, they could not pull off the split second timing needed. Kihara crouched down and lifted up the toolbox. It was a primitive blunt weapon much heavier than a hammer. He aimed for Accelerators battered face like he was trying to crush an empty can sitting on the ground. Since you had me off guard for a second, you really should have killed me. I dont know if you were hoping to turn things around with that, but shell be nice and captured again in 10 minutes. ...Shut up, spat out Accelerator. Oh? Kiharas eyes widened. He must not have thought Accelerator was actually still conscious. A piece of shit like you...will never understand. Is that so? Well, Ill be killing you now, so I hope you like those dying words. Its time for you to become a nasty stain, said Kihara with a sneer. Dammit, muttered Accelerator silently. As Kihara had said, Last Order would definitely be captured at this rate. She could flee some on her own, but she was overwhelmingly outmatched. (What is Yomikawa doing? And where is Yoshikawa with that handgun of hers?) But despite those thoughts, Accelerator knew the answer. They would of course not be coming. There was no way they would conveniently show up. If people showed up like puzzle pieces to complete a means of resolving the situation whenever you were faced with something you could not handle alone, no one would ever have any real problems. Some said humanity was one big family. They said everyone could laugh together and be happy. But that exceedingly kind illusion would never actually happen. (...Someone.) Even so, Accelerator continued to think. (Give me a lucky illusion... Ill give you all the credit. You can trample over me and make fun of me all you want.) He looked horribly pathetic lying on the wet ground with his skull about to be smashed. (Someone...anyone...save that brat...) He knew his hopes would never reach anyone. Kihara mercilessly swung down the toolbox hammer. But just before it hit... What are you doing there? Ah? said Kihara as he stopped his arms. The armored men turned toward the voice. It had come from less than 20 meters away. The person must have suddenly come out of one of the narrow side paths. The figure stood in the pouring rain of the night without an umbrella. The light of the streetlights dimly reflected off of the figure. The figure had silver hair long enough to reach her waist, pure white skin, and green eyes. She wore an extravagant white nuns habit with gold embroideries that looked like a tea cup. But the clothes were held together in places by safety pins, giving them a very imbalanced look. In her arms was a calico cat that looked completely out of place in that strained world. Accelerator recalled something as he lay collapsed on the ground. He recalled her. He recalled her name. Part 2 Dammit, Index. Why do you have to disappear right after we meet up? Where did you get off to? muttered Kamijou Touma as he glanced around every which way. The underground mall was relatively empty since the curfew had passed. It was still a world of bright fluorescent lights where day and night were indistinguishable and the weather was a complete mystery, but the changes in the flow of people and the type of music played in the stores gave some sense of the flow of time. Kamijou was not even sure why Index had left the student dorm and headed to the underground mall. When they had met up, their conversation had been as follows: Academy Citys structure is so complicated, annoying, and confusing. It was really hard finding you, Touma. But thats fine now. Lets get home, okay? Wait, why did you go to so much trouble to find me? ...Well, if I had to take a guess, Id say you were hungry. Touma, you idiot! Gwahh!! Did you just try to bite me all of a sudden!? If you think the only reason I do anything is because Im hungry, you are sorely mistaken!! Yeah, but the times when you do things for any other reason are the exceptions!! You are too inconsiderate, Touma. The white-haired guy I met before coming here fed me hamburgers without even asking about my situation. You need to be as nice as him. Is that so? Well, I have nothing to do with someone like that. Oh, did you actually thank him? And did he give you anything else? Mh. Yes, I thanked him. But now that you mention it, he did lend me this. Oh, its just some pocket tissues. Ah! He must be having trouble right now without this cutting edge daily item! T-Touma, I need to go return this!! Eh? But its just some tissues. And I doubt he wants them back after youve wadded them up like-...wait, stop running off and listen to me, Index!! It would have been quickest to call her cell phone, but that nun had likely left it off as usual. Kamijou wandered around the underground mall and poked his head inside a nearby fast food restaurant and other stores, but he did not find Index. (She seemed to be looking for someone. Maybe she figured he isnt down here anymore so she went up to the surface.) Then again, that nun had a perfect memory, so there may have been no real reason to think she would get lost in Academy City. Kamijou headed up the stairs and left the underground mall. Huh!? Its raining... muttered Kamijou as he looked up into the night sky. The falling raindrops were soaking the black road surface. It was the end of September, so the air had grown quite cold. (I dont think I had a futon hanging out to dry. I hope Index remembered to close the window before leaving, though. Well, finding Index comes first.) Kamijou headed off at random while still looking up at the night sky that was covered with a thick layer of clouds. It was raining, but not enough to need an umbrella. When he thought about how near his dorm was and the fact that the dorm umbrella stand was full because he would buy a cheap convenience store umbrella whenever it rained, he really did not feel like heading back to the underground mall to buy some rain gear. (Is it just me or are there a lot of Anti-Skill members around here?) Whether due to the time of day or the weather, there were surprisingly few students on the dark road. The only people he saw walking around were Anti-Skill. The Anti-Skill members wandering around wore defensive armor made of layered plastic and shock absorbing polyurethane. Their equipment had to be waterproof, but Kamijou felt a bit sorry for them when he saw them walking around in the cold rain without an umbrella. (Hmm. If were out here late enough, theyll probably try to lead us home. I know how to slip past them...but Index doesnt. And after speaking to her, they would probably take her to an Anti-Skill station. I need to take her home before this becomes a problem.) Kamijou was just about to look away from the Anti-Skill members. But before he did... He heard an odd noise. ...? Kamijou stopped moving. An Anti-Skill member covered in defensive equipment had suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning. As he lay face down, the man sank into a puddle on the wet road. And yet he did not move an inch. No matter how waterproofed that equipment was, that was not a normal reaction. For example, would anyone be stupid enough to leap straight into a water puddle while wearing a raincoat? (...Is he unconscious?) Kamijou had no idea how uncomfortable the official Anti-Skill uniform was. But if it was anything like a mascot suit at a theme park, the wearer could easily end up dehydrated and with heatstroke. Kamijou felt a bit chilly, but it was possible things were different for a person wearing all that thick equipment. (Not good.) Kamijous gaze raced around the area. There were no normal students around, but there were plenty of other Anti-Skill members. Even so, Kamijou still headed for the collapsed man. And then... It started happening all over the place Kamijou heard a thudding noise. It was the sound of a human collapsing to the ground. And it did not stop there. He heard the sound again and again and again. Wha-...? Kamijou looked around in confusion and then froze in place. All of the Anti-Skill members patrolling the road had collapsed. They had not been struck by any kind of impact. They had simply collapsed to the ground. And yet they were not moving a finger or even trembling slightly. Kamijou could tell even from a distance. They had been rendered completely unconscious. Wait...what the hell is going on!? He now frantically ran forward. He headed for the first Anti-Skill member that had collapsed. The one who had collapsed face down in a puddle seemed to be a man. Kamijou thought he might suffocate in his current state, so he moved the man out of the puddle and rolled him face up. The mans body was heavy. Kamijou could not tell whether it was due to all his gear or if the man was simply heavy. (What about the others...?) He ran around, but none of the others seemed in danger of suffocating. He wanted to drag them all to the underground mall, but he simply did not have the strength. A human was as heavy as a sandbag. He would also have trouble calling in people to help. He was on a fairly major road, but Academy City was essentially a collection of student districts. With the exception of the entertainment districts for the teachers, most everything shut down at sunset. The only stores with lights on in the area were the convenience stores and restaurants that had been given permission to remain open at night. The last train and bus had already left and not a single car was driving down the road with 3 lanes on either side. It could not have felt more hopeless. So many people had collapsed and yet there was no sign of it causing a disturbance. Kamijou felt he needed to abandon the idea of anyone else doing something about it. (This is the kind of situation Anti-Skill is supposed to deal with...) Kamijou peered own at the face of one of the Anti-Skill members. His body was so thoroughly covered in nonmetallic parts that Kamijou would not be able to tell if he was injured without removing them. But at the very least, his clothing did not appear to be dyed with red. Kamijou placed his hand against the mans neck to see if he had a pulse as he had seen done in movies. Kamijou felt the reassuring sign of that pulse of life. He placed his hand across the mans mouth and felt him breathing. As far as Kamijou could tell, the mans life was not in danger. But if he was not injured, what had caused this? (Was it some kind of knockout gas? No...) If so, Kamijou could not explain how he alone was fine. At any rate, this was not something an amateur like him should be making a judgment on. He had to call an ambulance. Kamijou pulled out his cell phone, dialed a three digit number, and was connected to the call center. Merely pressing the call button to that emergency number made him nervous, but this was not the first time he had called it. His mind was in a state of confusion, but he somehow managed to explain the situation. Afterwards, he closed his folding cell phone. After standing up, he put the phone into his pocket. And then... ...Ksshh... He heard static coming from the ground. Kamijou looked down. The collapsed Anti-Skill member was still completely motionless. What sounded like static over a radio was coming from his shoulder. Kssshhh....to the city. I repeat...kssshhh!! ...The gate has been destroyed! The intruder is headed for the urban area... Can anyone here me? My unit was taken out by an unknown atta-...gwah!? The sound cut off with a noise like a TV being turned off. The sound had been coming from a radio. The speaker had likely been another Anti-Skill member located elsewhere. Kamijou was worried about the mans situation, but the rectangular device was now producing nothing but flat static. At first glance, it looked like an undecorated cell phone, but it must have worked completely differently. Kamijou felt no desire to touch it. (What was that...?) Kamijou looked around. He recalled one of the staticky words he had heard. (...Intruder.) That meant someone had come to Academy City from outside. He had no way of knowing if that was related to the collapsed Anti-Skill members before his eyes. But whether it was or not, the same fear entered Kamijous mind. (Is Index okay...?) Not all enemies of Academy City were necessarily magicians, and not all magicians were necessarily after Index. But she was still the first thing that came to his mind. (Not good.) Kamijous thoughts changed course. Just in case, he felt it would be best to meet up with her as quickly as possible even if just to see she was safe. But then... ? Kamijou felt a small impact against his gut. It seemed someone had run into him...but the impact had been oddly low. It had been at the bottom of his gut rather than in the chest. He looked down. It had been a small child that had run into him. She was quite a bit shorter than Kamijou. She looked to be about 10 years old. She had almost shoulder length brown hair. He was pretty sure her name was... Last Order, right? Uuh... came her moaning reply. Her reply was muffled because she had her small face pressed up against Kamijous shirt. It seemed more that she was clinging to him than that she had bumped into him. Even through his shirt, he could feel that she was trembling and that her body temperature had fallen due to the rain. She was a lot wetter than he would have thought possible from the sprinkling rain. (What happened?) Kamijou looked puzzled. Help... Last Order looked up at Kamijou while clinging to his shirt. Her large eyes were horribly bloodshot and a clear liquid flowed onto her cheek. Even though the rain was still falling on her, the line running down her cheek was clearly different. She... She cried out... Please, help him! says Misaka as Misaka begs you!! Two girls crossed paths, connecting the paths to two different espers. Those two paths should have been perfectly parallel lines that never crossed. When their paths gather at a single point, the true story begins with Academy City as its stage. Between the lines 5 People collapsed one after another. Amid the cold rain, the only sound ringing through the streets during that dark, dark night was that of bodies collapsing without resistance, without any great noise, without shed blood, and without a single scream. They were all adults wearing armored outfits designed to absorb shocks. The bright light of the streetlights reflected off the firearms that sank into puddles. They were members of Anti-Skill, the group in charge of Academy Citys law and order. After collapsing, they did not move. Not even a finger. Meanwhile, the sound of small footsteps could be heard. The slender silhouette of a woman walked through the rainy city while weaving between the victims who lay collapsed and motionless on the wet roadway. The woman who appeared below the streetlights did not have an umbrella. The narrow, threadlike rain struck her slim feminine form. She wore a womens outfit called a kirtle that the dress was originally based off of, a narrow leather belt around the waist, and detachable sleeves that extended from her wrists to her upper arms. They looked something like a gaudier version of what bank and post office workers wore on their arms. On her head, she wore a headdress made of a single piece of cloth that completely covered her hair. Someone with a bit of an interest in history or archeology might have recognized her outfit as that of French townspeople at around the 15th century. But since it was primarily colored a bright yellow, it could hardly be called historically accurate. The sound of metallic objects clinking together could be heard. They were coming from the piercings on her face. Not only did she have piercings in her ears, but also on her nose, lips, and eyelids. When she parted her lips and stuck out her tongue, a chain fell out. The narrow necklace-like chain was attached to a piercing in the tip of her tongue and it stretched down to her waist. An accessory modeled after a cross hung at the end. She had gone through with all of that in full knowledge that it would ruin her features. In the Christian Church, the idea of piercing oneself with metal had deep meaning. The Son of God had died a martyr after being pierced by nails and a spear. If you carefully chose the places pierced, it was possible to freely put together different spells. Hm. The woman with holes in her face looked around the area and then kicked up a radio lying on the ground near her feet. She caught the rectangular device in one hand as it flew through the air. She frowned slightly when she felt the muddy water on it. After spinning it around in her hand like a handgun, she brought the radios microphone up to her mouth. She spoke as if whispering in someones ear. Hiiiii, Aleister. All she received in reply was the staticky voice of a bewildered Anti-Skill member. But she ignored him and continued speaking to someone who did not seem to be listening. Im sure you can cut in on these normal lines. Id like it if you would hurry up and speak with me. She then heard the sound of the line being switched over. The sound quality grew much clearer. What do you want? asked a new voice. If youre willing to listen, I figure we can have a chat. Just to be sure... Do you really think I will fall for such a low level provocation? Oh? I crush three of your board of directors and you still call it low level? The woman spun the radio around in her hand. A bit of disappointment was visible on her face. There are only 12 members of the board of directors, right? They can be replaced. All of them if necessary. Now that isnt what I wanted to hear. And I have the power to make them give in to me. Yknow, Aleister. I had thought you didnt actually exist. I thought you might be some kind of hologram or some strange machinery jammed inside a corpse. Such fantastical ideas. You are more suited to being an inventor than a scientist. I had decided that your views were just the combined views of the board of directors, but it looks like I was wrong. Youre showing no sign of panic. The woman then muttered quietly, Maybe I need to crush a few more members of the board of directors. The person on the other end of the radio did not say anything to stop her. It was as if he was announcing that kind of threat meant nothing to him. Well, whatever. Do you know who I am? No, but I am having your identity investigated as an insurgent. Gods Right Seat. The woman smoothly voiced the name of one of the deepest portions of the magic side. That was a name that sank into the deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest, deepest darkness of the Roman Catholic Church. Only a handful of the 2 billion members of that worlds largest sect knew of its existence, and even those that did would be immediately executed if they were deemed unworthy of that knowledge. That was how steeped in secrecy that term was. But Aleister smoothly replied. His voice displayed no emotion. Oh? I vaguely remember hearing about a terrorist group with that name. Hmm. If you are only trying to make a name for yourself, dont you think this is a bit too reckless? You can feign ignorance if you like, but at the very, very end, try not to regret not begging for your life here. Are you sure you are not taking this city too lightly? Oh? Are you not aware what state your city is in? Has it already lost the ability to send out reports? My bad, my bad. I have no way of counting how many enemies I crush. Ha ha. I guess the operators have collapsed too. ... 60%. 70%. 80% is probably going too far. But either way, 100% will have collapsed before long. Anti-Skill and Judgment is what you call them, right? Ill have your head before long since you only have those pathetic things to protect you. I hope you understand that its all over for you. Heh. ? If you honestly think that is enough to break Academy Citys defensive network, you truly are na?ve. It seems you understand nothing about the true form of this city. Is that so? You are not the only one to have a trick up your sleeve. And you might be taken out before you even realize it. No matter who they are, I can crush anyone who opposes me. That was decided from the moment I was born. It looked as if the two were holding a conversation, but each one was only speaking one-sidedly to the other. The woman brought the wet and muddy radio closer to her mouth. I am Vento of the Front. The ultimate weapon among 2 billion people. She gave her ultimatum. I will crush everything tonight. You, Academy City, Imagine Breaker, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum...everything. With those words, the woman naming herself Vento crushed the radio in her grip. The human named Aleister was inside a room of the windowless building. A cylindrical life support device was placed prominently in the middle of the square space. He floated upside down inside. The red liquid filling the cylinder soaked into his entire body through his mouth and nose. It interfered with every single cell in his body. The room had no proper illumination. Normally, the only lights were the small pilot lamps for the machines filling the walls of the large square room. Those lights would look like stars in the night sky. However, the large space was now illuminated by red warning lights that were intermittently flashing. As stated before, the room had no proper illumination. The red light was being produced by the countless errors displayed on the many monitors. That meant there were enough anomalies occurring throughout Academy City to produce that much light. It was all caused by a single magician. It was all caused by a single member of Gods Right Seat. She had caused all this in Academy City, the city that had remained unshaken even by that Croce di Pietro. ... In just a few dozen minutes, about 70% of Anti-Skill, the group meant to keep the peace in Academy City, had fallen victim to attack. Their life signals showed none had died, but if that windowless building fell before they came to, it did not matter. Transmissions reporting damage or requesting aid were being sent from around the city, but it would be too much trouble to reply to every single one. The city was dying. But... Even so... The expression that appeared on the human named Aleisters face was a smile. It was an unexplainable smile in which any and all emotions could be seen yet to which none seemed to fit. Interesting, he whispered. Most interesting. This is why I cannot give up on life. It looks like an opportunity to use it has arrived. The timing is a bit too early...but when bound to a plan, irregularities are the greatest entertainment. As he seemed to toy with those feelings by rolling over them in his mouth, Aleister sent countless commands from within the life support device and to the meters outside. He took control of a radio transmitter and sent out a passcode on a certain frequency to contact those that crawled through the darkness of Academy City. Hound Dog...Kihara Amata, said Aleister. After a brief reply, he gave further orders. It is time for the Imaginary Numbers District - Five Elements Institution...The AIM diffusion field. It may be a bit early, but use Fuse Kazakiri to crush them. Blow off her arms and legs if necessary, but recapture Serial Number 20001 and immediately take her to the specified point. ...Be quick but courteous. With a smile, he added, Now, it is time for a long-awaited and wonderful, wonderful show. Volume 12, Afterword Volume 12, Afterword To those who have been buying each volume one at a time: welcome back. To those who bought all 12 volumes at once: welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. This is (supposedly) a series where comedy and battles cross paths, but this volume was focused on the comedy. I feel it was nice and heartwarming through and through. I came back to Misaka Mikotos punishment game that wasnt touched on in Volume 11. Sometimes this kind of atmosphere that lacks any real conflict is nice. The theme this time was the changing of clothes. There is the literal example of the characters changing from their summer uniforms into their winter uniforms, but you could also say the overall flow of the series itself is changing its clothes in various places with the appearance of a certain character (or rather, group). Since this occurred mostly within Academy City, it mostly became a science side story. So...well, that white boy is the same as always. I think he will be appearing more and more from now on. I give my thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and my editor Miki-san. This volume came with the annoyance of the characters changing their clothes, so I am truly thankful they stuck with me. And I give my thanks to the readers. It is wholly thanks to all of you that I am even writing this afterword. Now it is time to close the pages for now while praying that the pages of the next book will be opened. And I lay my pen down for now. Th-the punishment isnt over yet! -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 13, 6: Streets Beaten by the Cold Rain. Battle_Preparation. Volume 13, Chapter 6: Streets Beaten by the Cold Rain. Battle_Preparation. Part 1 September 30th, 6:33 PM. Vento of the Front, a member of Gods Right Seat physically breached Academy Citys third gate. At the same time, an unknown attack was activated which caused great damage to the keepers of the peace, Anti-Skill and Judgment. As a result of the weakened security, Vento killed three members of the board of directors. 7:02 of the same day. Aleister, the chairman of Academy Citys board of directors, determined the incomplete Imaginary Number District C Five Elements Institution would be used to stop Vento. As rain fell on the streets in the night, the Hound Dog unit led by Kihara Amata began to move. Their objective was the retrieval of Serial Number 20001 aka Last Order. Kihara Amata personally attacked Accelerator as he was deemed an impediment to the plan, and the attack was a success. That boy who was known as Academy Citys strongest Level 5 was completely neutralized. But Hound Dog made a single small mistake. Help... They had allowed a certain girl to escape. And... Please, help him! says Misaka as Misaka begs you!! That voice reached the ears of a certain boy. Part 2 What are you doing there? The rain grew in intensity. As raindrops poured down on the dark streets, a girls voice filled the ears of Hound Dog and Kihara Amata who crept along the ground and Accelerator who lay collapsed on the wet road. A white nuns habit stood out within the black night. She was Index. She was a slender girl. Even with the habit filling out her silhouette, her small frame could not be hidden. She had waist-length silver hair, large eyes that glowed green, and each individual part of her looked like a delicate work of craftsmanship that would break from even a slight touch. She also held a small calico cat in her arms. (This is horrible...) As Accelerator lay on the ground, that thought faintly entered his mind. She could not be more out of place. This was not an opportunity, it only made things worse. He doubted she could stand up to any of the delinquents crawling through the back alleys, much less that armed Hound Dog unit. Even Kihara frowned. He gave none of the thought or analysis one would of a new threat. His expression was that of someone noticing a chick suddenly walking up onto the pitchers mound during a baseball game. If that lab-coat-wearing man gave just a few instructions, that nun would be turned to mincemeat in a matter of seconds. Anyone could tell what would happen to the soft skin and flesh of a human when shot by those submachine guns that were powerful enough to fill an automobile door full of holes. (What should I do? Should I leave her to die? Should I save her? Or should I use her?) Accelerator turned his attention to the choker-style electrode around his neck. He should still be able to use his power. But the injuries carved all across his body refused to let his body move. What should we do? whispered one of the surrounding men wearing all black. Kihara Amata gave a disinterested sigh. Youre seriously asking what we should do? His answer was brief. We eliminate her. (Tch!!) Accelerator clicked his tongue. Index had seen Hound Dog at work. They were an unofficial organization thats very existence was a secret. That obviously meant they would have to silence her. Even if she fled, they would work to track her down. It was doubtful she would last even three days. (Either way, Ill get killed if I do nothing. So Ill do something here!!) Accelerators goal was more to get back at Kihara Amata than to save Index, but he gained an explosion of motivation nonetheless. (I dont really care about this nun, but I wont let him have the last laugh. Its your turn to clench your teeth, Kiiiharaaa!!) The switch for the choker-style electrode around his neck was still on. He only had to give the command and his powers would activate. He checked on everything and everyones location first. Three black vans were parked surrounding Accelerator within a 10 meter radius. The Hound Dog members wearing black numbered around 20. Kihara Amata was the biggest problem and he was standing right next to Accelerator, but it was very nearly impossible for him to attack the man. Accelerators defensive reflection could not block Kiharas attacks, and if Accelerator tried to control the vectors of the air to create a raging wind, Kihara would use special sound waves to throw the vectors into disarray and neutralize the attack. And... Index stood about 15 meters away outside the ring of vans. (I can exterminate them later.) While lying face down on the ground, Accelerators fingertips touched the wet asphalt. He focused on the feeling on the bottom of his fingers. (There is only one thing I need to do now. I need to escape to somewhere safe. And Ill bring that nun with me!!) His red pupils dilated. His power activated. Oooaaahhhh!! shouted Accelerator as he pressed the toes of one foot against the ground and kicked as hard as he could while still collapsed. At the same moment, he controlled the vectors. With a rocket-like burst of power, his entire body floated up from the asphalt and shot towards the back sliding door of one of the black vans with frightening speed. The metal door broke free from its rails and was pushed inside the van as if it had been struck by a wrecking ball. Accelerators body filled the back seat of the van. !? Before the man in black waiting on standby in the drivers seat could react, Accelerator reached out for the crushed door and tore off a metal fixture from the slide portion. He now held a sharp rod-shaped fragment of metal about 5 cm thick and 10 cm long. He stabbed it forcefully into the center of the back of the drivers seat. He felt it sink in more than he heard it. Ee...Ah!! Accelerator spoke to the man who had been physically attached to the drivers seat but was unable even to give a proper scream. Go. He showed no mercy. He merely told the truth calmly. You will die in 30 minutes. If you do not get to the hospital right away, itll be too late. From the amount of pain he was feeling, the man had to have known that this injury was beyond what a first-aid kit could heal. Not to mention that he had to know very well how that Kihara Amata would treat an injured subordinate who was now only a hindrance. Ee!? He made up his mind quickly. With the high-pitched sound of the engine, the black van Accelerator sat inside took off with hysterical movements. The men in black standing on the road scattered to the left and right to avoid it. Kihara shouted something with an annoyed expression. Meanwhile, they escaped the surrounding men. Accelerator could tell the men were aiming their guns at the back of the van. As he stared past the drivers seat and out the windshield, Accelerator noted Indexs position. Move left to get closer!! shouted Accelerator as he tossed the unneeded sliding door out the opening it had once covered. He then leaned out. That white nun stood in the middle of the lane as the van approached. Tch!! Accelerator reached an arm out of the van. Index was holding a calico cat in both arms. His only option was to grab her by the upper arm, but he had no guarantee he could reach that far. But he reached out nonetheless. A gunshot rang out. A bullet shot by just past his face, but Accelerator ignored it and grabbed Indexs arm. He then manipulated the vectors to forcibly pull her up and into the van. W-wahh!! Index let out a scream that sounded out of place. Accelerator shifted his position to hide the back of the drivers seat with his body. He also lightly touched the sharp and deadly piece of metal stabbing into the seat. Ee...Gah!? The man in the drivers seat gave a large jump. Accelerator whispered quietly enough so that Index would not hear. ...Dont make a scene. Just keep driving. Neither of us has much time, right? Wh-where would you like to go, s-sir...? I know a good doctor, replied Accelerator with a tone of relative disinterest. A normal doctor probably cant handle this. If you want me to lead you to him, do what I say, driver. Part 3 Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh. Kihara Amata let out a discouraged voice while staring at the retreating black van. He held out his right hand. Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh! Bring it out! You know what I mean! Just give it to me!! It was a confusing command, but one of his men carried it out. With quick movements, the man pulled a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile launcher from one of the remaining vans and handed it to Kihara. Even so, Kihara shouted Hurry it up, you idiot! and knocked the man to the ground. Kihara then assembled the launcher and turned off the safety with the speed and accuracy of a professional operator typing on a keyboard. No hint of hesitation could be seen in his movements. It was one of his men in Hound Dog that seemed flustered. Wh-what about the driver!? Who cares!? Yahahh! Deserters need to be immediately executed! Goodbye, puppy! I wont forget you for at least a second or two!! Kihara rested the 1 meter long and 30 cm wide launcher on his shoulder and peered through the scope. He lined up the sight. He placed his finger on the trigger for the homing missile. The van had travelled a few dozen meters and was just about to turn around a corner. Kihara smiled. He would make it in time. Even if the automobile made it completely around the corner, the missile would follow them diagonally and strike the corner of the building. That would create a storm of concrete fragments that would flip the van over. That would not be enough to kill Accelerator but it would definitely deprive him of his transportation. Kihara could then take his time as he dealt with Accelerator and the other two who would be injured. (Youre too na?ve, Accelerator! By using that van, you might as well be announcing that you can no longer perform the delicate control needed for the wind!!) Farewell, you fucker! Ill roast that white body of yours black!! With an elated smile on his face, Kihara Amata began to pull the trigger. But... ? His view through the scope was suddenly filled with the color yellow. Kihara assumed something of the wrong scale was blocking his view, so he removed the scope from his eye. He found a strange woman standing a mere 10 meters away. Cold raindrops fell on the roadway. No other vehicles or pedestrians were on the large road. That woman stood alone on the wet road that reflected the traffic lights and the bright white lights coming from building windows. Kihara had not noticed her at all up until that moment. The countless piercings on her face ruined its symmetry. She wore heavy emphasizing makeup around her eyes. To anyone else, it seemed a completely unthinkable look. She wore something like a dress that was primarily yellow, but it seemed somehow outdated or of a bygone era. She looked like someone from Medieval Europe. But Kihara did not care about any of that. What mattered to him was that the van had turned around the corner and disappeared thanks to that stupid woman distracting him. ... All expression left Kiharas face. With that blank look on his face that could also be seen as dumbfounded, he casually pulled the trigger. This fired the anti-tank missile. A straight trail of smoke shot out and the missile stabbed at the center of the womans chest. Before anyone could see if her expression changed, the missile exploded and shockwaves and explosive flames were scattered throughout the area. A roar that shook the asphalt rang out. The rainwater that had covered the wide roadway like a film was completely blown away and the signs on the surrounding buildings rattled. A large number of leaves were blown from the branches of the trees lining the road. Perhaps due to the close proximity of the explosion, the men in black surrounding Kihara were all knocked away by the blast. Red flames and black smoke blocked Kiharas view like cotton candy. But... After only about 5 seconds, a violent wind blew it all away. The flames and smoke completely disappeared in this new storm that had come from the center of the blast. In the center of the scorched, smashed, and scattered asphalt stood the woman as if nothing had happened. Both her clothes and her hair showed no sign of having been damaged or burned. What an excellent city, said the yellow woman suddenly. She was not looking at Kihara Amata or the others. I thought my erosion would progress faster than this, but I guess it wont. It really isnt fair for most of your people to be teachers and students. I suppose I shouldnt be surprised that my erosion is slower against those kinds of people. The woman with the piercings in her face turned toward Kihara. But you seem to be exceptionally dark. Kihara finally opened his mouth to speak. Who are you? A rival killer. The woman turned to face the corner the van had disappeared around. I had a target in there as well. It doesnt really matter who kills her, but I dont like having a kill stolen from me. Thats enough, said Kihara with a sigh. Kill her. As soon as he gave the order, a group of the men in black around him held up their guns. But... You should stop that. Not even one of them managed to pull the trigger. Before they could, the men let out groans and collapsed to the ground. They had met no resistance. The attack was carried out so easily, that seemed the strangest thing about it. Most fell onto the wet roadway, but some fell directly on top of wreckage from the van Accelerator had destroyed. And yet they did not stir. They had been completely incapacitated. What exactly had happened to them? Kihara tapped a finger on the missile launcher barrel. No one else there could understand it, but that woman at least seemed to trust that power. In that situation, a single misstep could get her filled with holes, but her expression showed no change. Looking disinterested, she said, So you tell them to kill me without showing any change of expression. You may have killer intent, but no hostility. You do not even think of your enemy as an enemy, so you feel no guilt. Do you view it the same as pulling up some weeds? First that missile and now this. You really are rotten to the core. At least as much as I am. Kihara did not respond. He waved his hand in annoyance at one of the men in black still standing around him. Split into two teams, he tossed the empty anti-tank missile launcher casually to the ground. Gather the 10 most useless of you to hold her back. Meanwhile, the other team and I will head to the villa headquarters. Understand? It was a horribly rough order, but the men knew they would be filled with bullets if they did not obey. And it was true they could not crush Accelerator without Kihara. The suspicious woman before their eyes, Kihara Amata, or Accelerator. If they had to choose which one seemed least frightening, they would choose the woman. She may have been creepy, but she seemed the least difficult opponent. Having given his orders, Kihara climbed into one of the vans. The woman called out to his back. You really hold no hostility, do you? If you want me to point some in your direction, youll need to show more ability than that. With that parting comment, Kihara smacked the back of the drivers head and the van drove off. The woman and the decoy men were all that were left. Well, I would like to know who that was, but he would probably die before I could ask. Honestly, Im really not suited for gathering information. Doing too much damage can be a problem. The woman audibly cracked her neck and stuck out her tongue. A chain fell from her mouth, making a jangling noise. Now then. You seem to be taking me much too lightly, but lets see if you can be of any use. Part 4 Kamijou Touma and Last Order stood completely still. Neither of them had an umbrella. Kamijou wore a black collared jacket with a red shirt below it and Last Order wore a blue dress with a mens dress shirt over it. They were both soaking wet. The electronic goggles on her forehead were soaked too, but that may not have been a problem since they were made for the military. The small girl had led him to a large road not far from the entrance to the underground mall. The trains and busses stopped after the curfew, so no one could be seen along the dark roadway. Or at least, no one who was standing on their two feet like normal. ... Several people were collapsed on the ground. As the rain falling from the night sky strengthened, men wearing all black lay collapsed on the ground and sinking into puddles. Their armored outfits made of composite materials reflected the light of the streetlights and their sinister looking submachine guns were sinking into the thin film of water covering the road. The helmets and highly elastic masks covering their faces gave off the scent of someone outside the realm of normal people. Kamijou heard a crackling sound. It was the sound of a fire. Just a few meters away from the collapsed men was a horribly smashed van. The van was the fuel for the fire. The automobile had smashed through the guardrail and was stopped in the middle of the sidewalk...or perhaps that was not the best way of describing it. The vans basic shape had been so distorted that it seemed better to say it was scattered across the sidewalk. No other vehicles could be seen. Kamijou decided that van must have belonged to those men. Last Order pointed at one of the collapsed men. With her face completely pale, she said, He was attacked by these people, says Misaka as Misaka tells you the truth. That really is what happened. Kamijou looked down at the collapsed men. (They arent Anti-Skill?) The all-black battle equipment was deceptive, but a closer examination showed that their equipment was different from Anti-Skills standard...or at least Kamijou thought it was. He had no connection to the military, so he did not have the knowledge needed to know what model the equipment was at a glance. (But if they arent Anti-Skill, who are they? Were they attacking as a group with equipment that might be even better than Anti-Skills...?) And those attackers were now collapsed on the ground. He could not grasp what had happened. Kamijou looked over at Last Order and said, Is this person youre saying was attacked someone you know? Yes, says Misaka as Misaka answers you. So did he turn the tables on them? Unlikely, replies Misaka as Misaka shakes her head. He has a short fuse and gets in fights easily, so Misaka doubts he would stop at this after what they did to him, says Misaka as Misaka makes a simple conjecture. (What kind of person is this guy?) Kamijou left that comment unsaid. But... ... Espers were not invincible. Kamijou had no idea what kind of ability this person Last Order knew had, but unless he had an irregular power like the Level 5 Railgun, he would be unable to turn the tables when attacked by a trained group armed with guns. Kamijou, a Level 0, had no room to talk, but all espers were still students. Their powers were nothing more than what could be used at school. If you tossed them out onto a battlefield, there would be nothing they could do. If they were clever...no, they would not even have the presence of mind in that situation to make use of any cleverness they might have. A mere student would not have the resolution needed to fight like that. They would most likely die. (At any rate, I need to report this.) Kamijou had no way of knowing if Last Orders acquaintance had been captured or was on the run, but the situation was urgent either way. He decided it would be best to get help from Anti-Skill, so Kamijou pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket. But... ...? Kamijou looked up from his phone just before he pressed the button. (Why hasnt anyone reported this already?) He could see it right before his eyes. A horribly crushed van. It looked like some time had passed since it had ignited, but the flames continued to give off light with no sign of waning. With everything that had happened, someone had to have heard it. The fire would be visible even from a distance. There should have been no need for Kamijou to use his phone because someone else should have reported it already. Normally, a crowd of onlookers would have gathered. ... Kamijou looked around the area. The lights had gone out within the city. The scenery was wrapped in thorough silence with no hint of a commotion. What if... What if there was no commotion because no one was able to cause a commotion? What if everyone in the surrounding buildings had collapsed like those Anti-Skill members? (What is-...?) Was it an intentional attack or an aimless phenomenon? The situation was so perfectly lacking in any kind of self-assertion that even that was unclear. By the time Kamijou had noticed the problem, Academy Citys functions had been driven to a stop like a wooden pillar that had been thoroughly eaten away by termites. The situation felt a lot like falling asleep in the middle of a final exam and waking up to hear the teacher announcing you have 10 minutes left. With the silent city in the place of that blank answer sheet, a cold sweat began pouring from that boys body. (What is going on in this city?) As Kamijou stood still and unable to move, he saw some movement. Last Order had crouched down next to one of the collapsed men and was digging through his equipment. She suddenly looked up as if she had realized something and frantically ran back to Kamijou. She grabbed his hand with her hand that was cold and wet with rainwater and began tugging. She looked like a child dragging her father to a stores toy department. Hurry, says Misaka as Misaka urges you to be cautious. Her voice held an odd sense of urgency. Theyre coming, warns Misaka as Misaka heads over to hide in the back alley! As Last Order pulled him along, Kamijou hid behind a car parked on the side of the road nearby. He frowned at the word they. The nearby drain must have been clogged with leaves because a puddle as large as a pond had formed around the car. Just one step in and his foot was already soaked down to the sock. But he had no time to complain. The low rumble of an engine reverberated throughout the area. A strange black van without its headlights on arrived. While producing a low sound of exhaust as if trying to move as silently as possible, it came to a stop next to the collapsed men in black. The back sliding door opened and a group of people dressed exactly the same got out. At a glance, there appeared to be around 10 of them. Even if they were unarmed, Kamijou would have no hope of defeating them. But they were not unarmed. Shit. Where did they get all those guns? groaned Kamijou. The men in black all had submachine guns hanging from shoulder straps. They were probably also armed with things like handguns and grenades. They did not look like Anti-Skill, the protectors of Academy Citys peace. They did not look friendly. In fact, Kamijou could feel a tension that made it clear he and Last Order would be filled with bullets the instant they were spotted. He looked down at his right hand. The Imagine Breaker power that resided within it could easily stop even the Level 5 Railgun. But it was of no use against a bullet that had no relation to any supernatural power. The men in black picked up the men who (apparently) were their colleagues and roughly tossed them into the van. Meanwhile, one of the men took a different action. On the mans back was a clear cylindrical container about the size of three family size plastic drink bottles stood vertically end on end. The bottom of the container had a nozzle attached that the man held like a flamethrower. Thats acid, says Misaka as Misaka gives its common name. What? Its called the Acid Spray... By spreading a special weak acid, they can destroy anything like fingerprints or the DNA information in bloodstains, says Misaka as Misaka draws information out of the destruction of evidence manual. ... (This is bad.) If that group had prepared such large-scale equipment, they must have had a good reason to destroy that evidence. If Kamijou or Last Order were spotted as witnesses, it was easy to imagine what those men would do. And Kamijous conclusion was... (If that happens, Im not sure we could get away.) He gulped audibly. He felt like the men in black would hear even that tiny sound. Kamijous body was soaking wet and his shirt was sticking to his skin, but he could not tell whether it was due to the rain or his own sweat. He merely remained silent and waited for a chance to escape. He mentally prayed that they would not be noticed. He heard a slight splashing noise. ... Kamijou looked down at his feet. The drain must have been clogged because a pond-like puddle had formed. And his foot was trembling slightly while submerged in that water. That trembling was creating a small ripple on the waters surface. And it passed under the car they were using as a shield and continued on the other side. But those men would not notice something that small. The pouring rain was striking the puddle too. It was dark enough that the details of the puddle could not be seen without looking closely. And so they would be okay...or so Kamijou thought silently almost as a prayer. But then... The men in black standing a slight distance away all turned in his direction at once. Part 5 They continued on for about 10 minutes. Accelerator figured 10 minutes by vehicle would be a decent distance. However, that also meant it was only a decent distance. The odds were low, but their enemy might have free use of a satellite or some other method of tracking their escape route. If so, the enemy would catch up to them in no time at all. The man Accelerator had stabbed through the back of the drivers seat trembled as he spoke in a quiet, scratchy voice. (Y-you want me to drive further? Ha ha. Dont joke. Im really going to die at this-...) (Quiet. Dont stop until I say to.) After whispering his reply, Accelerator lightly moved the makeshift steel weapon that was stabbed through the drivers seat. The mans body gave a large twitch and a groan reverberated through the vehicle. Index looked up when she heard it. What is it? Nothing. Isnt that right? Accelerator leaned in towards the drivers seat in front of him to hide the weapon from Index. The man in the drivers seat sweated profusely and nodded repeatedly. Index frowned, but she did not catch on to what was happening. But... said Accelerator without thinking. With its backdoor missing, the van was practically shouting This van is stolen. Sorry. Accelerator had assumed they would run into Anti-Skill if they drove that suspicious vehicle around, but there was no sign of them. He had hoped that would save him the bother of contacting Yomikawa, so he was a bit disappointed. (Dont tell me this stillness is that bastard Kiharas doing, too...) Accelerator had returned his choker-style electrode to normal mode. This was simply to preserve power. The battery would not last past 15 minutes in powers mode. He had used up a good bit in his fight with Kihara, and it was worn down bit by bit during everyday life. Given the amount of power left, he could not last even 7 minutes in an all-out fight. Naturally, he was not even using the bare minimum of reflection right now. He needed to preserve his power to fight Kihara and the others. But that meant if a missile was fired at the van before Accelerator noticed it, he was done for. For that reason, Accelerator was keeping his eye on the nighttime cityscape flowing by outside the entrance missing its door. Ah! I found The Ugly Duckling! The pure white nun whose view of the world did not quite match that of the other two in the vehicle was rummaging through the things in the back seat of the stolen van. The original owner of the van must have had a child because Index pulled out a young childs picture book made of stiff cardboard. The duck drawn on the cover with a deformed art style must have stimulated the hunting instincts of the calico cat in her lap because it began calculating the distance between them. (What is with this bookworm? Her eyes are sparkling like crazy...) You sure are carefree. Come to think of it, what the hell were you even doing back there? Hm? I was trying to return what I borrowed. Index stuck a hand in the sleeve of her nuns habit and rummaged around. Here is your cutting edge daily item! You cant leave something so important with a stranger! You must have been in trouble without it, but youll be fine now!! Are you some kind of idiot!? Having someone return some disposable tissues thatve been wadded up in their pocket is nothing but a goddamn bother!! Eh? Really? Index extended the small hand that held the pocket tissues inside their plastic package. Accelerator decided it would never end if he did not take them, so he took the pocket tissues from Indexs hand with an annoyed look on his face. He casually shoved them in his pants pocket. Come to think of it, are your wounds okay? Ahn? I mean, you were collapsed bef-... That was nothing. And if you bring it up again, I might have to get violent again. The driver began trembling, but Index did not notice. Accelerators impudent comments seemed to have relieved Index because she looked down to the picture book in her hands. Hm, hm. So this is how its translated into Japanese. Index must have already known the fairy tale because she flipped through the pages very quickly and read only the last page aloud. The ugly duckling who had been teased as hopeless was actually a super sexy badass of a swan. The end. ...What is a sexy badass? Pretty much the exact opposite of you. Hmm. Index loudly shut the picture book. So in the end, its a story saying the swans victory was decided from the moment it was born a swan. That isnt the point of The Ugly Duckling. Then what is the point? There are so many divergent means of interpreting fairy tales that deciphering it would be difficult. Hah? Lets see, what was it again? I think that brat said the point was that the swan wanted to get along with the ducklings but found true happiness when it learned it could never join their group. Accelerator clicked his tongue. There was no dealing with brats because they would sometimes come up with those interpretations that lacked any hint of cuteness. He heard a depressed groan coming from the driver, so he arbitrarily moved the impromptu steel weapon back and forth in the seat to silence him. Index still did not appear to have noticed. She looked up from the picture book and asked, Is this brat you mentioned the person you were searching for? Yes. But technically Im still looking for her. You got separated again? ...Yes, I did, confirmed Accelerator after a short pause. I need to search out that brat now. The real problem is that she wont be able to get home on her own. Thats why I need to part ways with you here. I can help you search, replied Index immediately. She did not look away from Accelerators red eyes for even a second. After all, I can tell youre in some kind of trouble. If Touma was here, I know he would say the same thing. Hmph. Accelerator looked away in disinterest and spoke to the driver. Stop around here. The man parked the van on the shoulder of the road as per the instructions of the boy who literally held his life in his hands. Accelerator looked back at Index. Then help me. Okay. What should I do? There is a large hospital near here. It should take 5 to 10 minutes to get there on foot. Head there and find a doctor whose face looks a hell of a lot like a frog. Once you do... Accelerator paused there to tap at his neck. Ask him to prepare a battery for the electrode I use to connect to the Misaka Network. That will get across what I need. This battery is important. I cant continue the search without it. So once you get the battery, rush back here. Understand? Got it. Its the battery for the electrode you use to connect to the Misaka Network, right? She recited it perfectly. Of course, she likely had no idea what the Misaka Network was or what it meant to connect to it with an electrode, but Accelerator decided she might have been a quicker thinker than he had thought. And before he had finished thinking that, Index unhesitatingly headed out onto the rainy road while holding the calico cat. Wait here for me. Ah? You have to wait until I get back. ...Fine. Just get going, replied Accelerator. Index turned back two or three times in the process, but she eventually ran off while splashing through the puddles. Her small back disappeared into the darkness. Fucking hell, he swore before leaning back into his seat. There was no replacement battery in the hospital. The electrode itself was only a prototype. The battery needed was a specialized for it, so it had not been mass produced. And if it was, Accelerator would have kept tons of spares in his pockets in the first place. It had been a simple lie. Everything other than wanting her to go to the frog-faced doctor had been a lie. The danger would be the same no matter where she went, but the worst option was for that nun to be alone. The best means of upping her odds of survival even if slightly was to send her to an area filled with people. Accelerator doubted how much the frog-faced doctors hospital would help, but it was better than nothing. Simply put, a fight for Last Order was beginning between Accelerator and Kihara Amatas Hound Dog. He already lacked strength due to only having battery power for less than 7 minutes of all-out combat, so the idea of fighting an enemy like that while also protecting Index was laughable. And so he had gotten rid of her here. She would have been in the way, so he had sent her elsewhere. That was all there was to it. And that was all there needed to be. ... Accelerator gave a light sigh and switched his train of thought. Start driving. Y-youre still not releasing me...gah!? Do you want to live or die? Its your choice. He lightly nudged the steel blade stabbing through the back of the drivers seat and the van quietly began moving once more. Accelerator had him drive for about 5 more minutes before telling him to stop in front of a small park. They seemed to be near the edge of District 7. The street sign for the neighboring District 5 could be seen not far ahead. Accelerator grabbed a large bag lying in front of the backseat and placed it on the seat next to him. It likely held spares of Hound Dogs equipment. The bag was over a meter long and resembled a body bag made of synthetic leather. He opened the zipper and found tons of deadly weapons inside. He found a handgun small enough to fit in his palm, a submachine gun that could probably be hidden in an encyclopedia case, and something as long as a mop that might have been a shotgun meant for indoor use. Other items he found stuffed inside were clay-like explosives, fuses, radios, and masks that covered the face. What he wanted first and foremost was... (A replacement for my cane.) He had left his usual cane behind during his fight with Kihara. At all times except while in powers mode, he needed a cane to support his body. No matter what he planned to do, he needed that first. Accelerator glanced through the contents of the bag and... I guess it has to be this shotgun. He arbitrarily pulled a shotgun from within. It was a semi-auto shotgun made of a glossy black metal. Everything from the underside of the barrel to 10 centimeters in front of the trigger seemed to be sideways magazine. It probably held about 30 shots. Accelerator was fairly certain some sort of submachine gun used the same structure for loading. The main body of the shotgun was about a meter in length and the stock on the back could be extended to the desired length. It had something like a scope on top, but it provided no magnification and a red dot appeared in the center when a switch was flipped. It appeared to be a dot sight. It depended on personal preferences, but it had probably been added for increased accuracy over a normal sight. (Is there any point in a precise targeting device like this on a shotgun that sprays bullets everywhere?) Accelerator tapped the dot sight in surprise, but it was not actually a problem. If he grabbed the shotguns grip and held the stock under his arm, it almost looked like a crutch. (My weight might bend the barrel, but Im not planning to actually fire it. All it has to do is help me walk.) As Accelerator thought that, he heard the drivers voice. Its no use, said the scratchy voice. The mans strength had dried up so much one would have thought it had been days since he had any water. You met him directly, so you should know. Kihara-san is absolute. He is not someone who a boy with a brain injury who has been dulled by peace can hope to defeat with methods he thinks up on the fly. Do you want me to flick you? Th-that might be for the best. That was not the response Accelerator had expected. I do not want to die. B-but I know how frightening Kihara-san is. I wish I didnt know. I...will not see the next morning. He shows no mercy. And I mean absolutely none. There is no saving me. And if Im unlucky, h-he might not even kill me. K-Kihara-san is the type of person who can easily break Guinness World Records or make the worlds three great scandals into the four great scandals... Do you ever shut up? spat out Accelerator to silence the man. He grabbed the piece of steel stabbing into the drivers seat. What a pain in the ass. Just asking me to kill you is too vague. Ill move this thing around to tear your insides to pieces! Ill have you spewing up your lunch along with a bunch of blood, you piece of shit!! E-eeeee!! Simply shouting in the mans ear was enough to easily break through his bluff. When people had never actually felt death, their words were worth no more than that. The drivers eyeballs rolled around in his head as he shouted, Dammit! Goddammit!! Give it a rest! I dont want to die here!! Both of you are monsters! I dont want to have anything to do with either of you!! I want to go home, take a shower, drink some alcohol, and watch all the shows Ive recorded! All that remained was ugly hopes. It turned out he had stuck his head into a conflict between big-shots without knowing his place Accelerator spoke quietly from behind the drivers seat to the trembling Hound Dog man. You dont want to die? N-no. You want to live? Yes!! Whats wrong with that!? I want to live! And I dont want to live in some way that makes death look nice! I want to live a proper life!! Im such an idiot! Im the biggest idiot here! What am I talking about!? I know thats impossible!! The man must have felt truly cornered. Otherwise he would not be speaking so rapidly. So you do understand. A smile appeared on Accelerators face as if his mouth had been sliced wider. When the driver saw it in the rearview mirror, his breath caught in his throat. Do you really think there is any path left that will save you? After living in this world, trampling on so many people, and making enemies of me and that bastard Kihara, do you really think you can still live a happy life? Thats bullshit and you know it. A-aahh... Youre utter trash. How many people have you killed? ...F-fourteen. It sounded like he had to squeeze out the voice. But Accelerator felt a bit let down when he heard it. Was that all? If that was all, he was a much more peaceful person than Accelerator. And Accelerator was quite a monster indeed to view someone like that as a peaceful person. Choose. Will you die of blood loss here or will Kihara Amata turn you into a truly hilarious corpse. N-no. I dont want to die. I dont want to die. Oh? Then you need a hospital, continued the Level 5 with a grin. You wont die. Not easily anyway. I wont let it happen. Youre the kind of bastard I could kill a 100 times and it would never get old. Do you really think I would let you get off that easily? Ill make sure your suffering lasts. Keep living on that hopeless path of life so I can relieve some stress. Dammit... muttered the man through clenched teeth when he was told to receive medical care. Hell kill me. Kihara-san will hunt me down to the other side of the globe. Theres no saving me... A shitty doctor I know seems to be the type of person who wont abandon a patient even when faced with the likes of him. Brings tears to your eyes, doesnt it? You should be able to live for a day at least. Th-thats no guarantee of anything. Is that so? I might tear out Kiharas heart during that day, you know? The man remained silent for a while. He was likely thinking about the fact that he might survive if Accelerator actually defeated Kihara. He then said, You are no match for Kihara-san. Maybe not. But I have a better chance than you. Accelerator began rummaging through the synthetic leather bag once more in search of anything besides the shotgun he could use. He found a certain device. It resembled a handgun with a silencer attached, but the end had a sponge-like sensor similar to a microphone. Also, the area just above the grip, where a handguns hammer would be, had a small LCD monitor of about three inches. Thats an olfactory sensor, replied the Hound Dog after checking via the rearview mirror. Its a military version of the ones used by perfume and deodorant companies... So its basically a mechanical version of a police dog. It was likely more effective than a dog. After the sensory information was converted into data, only the needed smells of all the complexly mixed smells detected would be recorded in memory. Smells were divided into a few different classifications and each genre had a similar molecular structure. The device likely started from there. We always used that to track our target. Its quick and reliable. Ive never seen someone escape once Kihara-san wants them found... ... A disinterested look appeared on Accelerators face. He had no objection to crushing Hound Dog, but he did not want to constantly worry about surprise attacks. It would be better if he set up a way of taking them by surprise. Just because we used a vehicle doesnt mean anything. Theyll follow the scent of the tires to find the van. Then they just have to follow your scent. We keep tracking the target until we have stabbed them in the back. They will find this location right away. As Accelerator listened to the man speak, he fiddled with the olfactory sensor. How do you use this? It might come in handy for finding that brat. ...Give it up. The man gave a slight smile. It was a pale, dry smile. Hound Dog has a cleaning agent for erasing scents. It messes with the very molecular structure of the scent. If they used that at the attack site, you wont find anything... According to the man, there were two types of cleaning agent: one for putting on the Hound Dog members clothes and one for scattering across the site after the fact. Do you have that cleaning agent? If I did, I would have already used it. I was part of the wrong group. One group tracks, the other covers our own tracks... Accelerator clicked his tongue. But simply knowing a material existed to fool the olfactory sensor was still a plus. Accelerator tossed the olfactory sensor aside and said, I have nothing left to ask you. Dont you dare move. Ee!? The man cried out as he felt a writhing atmosphere from the backseat. He was going to be killed after all. Or so he thought. Instead, Accelerator moved towards the doorless opening. The boy was exiting the van. Wh-where are you going? Ahn? To crush Kihara and rescue that brat. The man was dumbfounded by that annoyed reply. Why arent you giving up? No matter where you run, Kihara-san will come to crush you with a smile on his face. You dont have time to prepare for a fight. He has the upper hand in every way. Are you still going to do this? Of course I am. How can you reply so readily? Surely someone as knowledgeable in the world as you knows just how bad your situation is here. No, I dont know, spat out Accelerator. He brought a hand to the doorless exit from the backseat in order to contact the frog-faced doctor. Maybe Ive been too dulled by peace. Or maybe its the brain injury. Part 6 It took him an instant to make up his mind. Kamijou realized hiding was useless, so he wrapped his arms around Last Orders small body to pick her up and dashed out from behind the vehicle while leaning his upper body forward. The vehicle had been illegally parked on the edge of the sidewalk. The entrance to the closest alleyway was only about 5 meters away. However... He heard a sound of destruction like a thin piece of silk being torn with a metal pipe. Several submachine guns had immediately started firing. Kamijou had no idea how many bullets they were firing every second. The glass of the vehicle he had been using as a shield shattered, the hood bent in as if it had been crushed, and the steel panels of the door were filled with holes before falling off. The seats burst and cotton stuffing filled the inside of the vehicle. The destruction all happened in an instant and it all merged into a single great noise. Even so, Kamijou continued toward the entrance of the alleyway. A trail of bullets followed Kamijous escape route. A bullet struck the concrete wall at eyelevel right in front of him. They had fired once ahead of him so they could fill him with holes when he faltered. He reflexively lowered his head, but he just barely managed to keep his body moving. The small concrete fragments scraped at his hair. He half fell and half leaped to the wet ground in the back alley. Are you alive, Last Order!? asked Kamijou and the small girl in his arms silently nodded a few times. Kamijou could hear the sound of metal scraping on metal. It was the sound of those men in blacks equipment. Kamijou clicked his tongue, adjusted his grip on Last Order, and ran further into the back alley. He wanted some place to hide. The Imagine Breaker residing in his right hand was not suited at all to this situation. It was useful against tricky and irregular opponents who used magic or psychic powers, but there was nothing he could do against their guns. If he did try running at them to punch them, he would just be torn to pieces like an old rag. Last Order, since you control the Sisters, does that mean you can use electric powers too? Yes, but only at Level 3, says Misaka as Misaka gives her reply. Then can you open an electronic lock? I want to get inside a building through the back entrance. This alley probably isnt very long and its possible theyll be waiting at the other end. Understood, she replied. Kamijou stopped in front of a nearby door in the back alley and lowered Last Order next to him. Nn. Last Order pulled a cell phone out of the chest pocket of her dress shirt and turned it off. Apparently, it would distract her while using her electric powers. She brought her small palm up to the card slot next to the door and closed her eyes. Kamijou could hear the metallic noise of the men in black approaching. He could not tell how far away they were. The alley had a few turns rather than heading straight, so the men could not shoot them from the alleyway entrance. However, staying still waiting for something put a huge pressure on Kamijou when they could catch up at any time. (Still?) Kamijou waited while focusing his ears on the many footsteps he could hear in the darkness. (Dammit. Is it still not open?) Last Order showed no change. Just as Kamijou began worrying his Imagine Breaker was causing some sort of interference... There! says Misaka as Misaka opens her eyes! A high-pitched electronic tone sounded. Kamijou grabbed the knob of the steel door and turned. It was unlocked. He grabbed Last Order and entered the building. No lights were on inside. It appeared to be the kitchen of a family restaurant. They used fire there, so the door had likely been prepared as an emergency exit. The restaurant should not have been closed for the night yet, so the absence of light was a bit eerie. The green light indicating the emergency exit provided just enough illumination to vaguely see the silhouettes of the cooking equipment. What do we do now? says Misaka as Misaka asks your opinion. Good question. Kamijou lowered Last Order to the floor and walked towards the door in front of him. He wanted to head towards somewhere with light...somewhere with people. They have a vehicle. We would likely be caught if we tried to flee on foot. The trains and buses do not run this late and I doubt we could escape even if we found an amateur taxi driver to take us. Last Order looked up at him with worry in her eyes. Kamijou wanted to just give up, but he could not show her anything so disgraceful. For now, lets go somewhere with a lot of people. They do not want to cause a commotion. That is why they are pursuing us. Slaughtering a large group of people would be getting their priorities mixed up. Will we really be able to save him like this? says Misaka as Misaka laments her own lack of power. I dont know. But if we dont survive here, theres no way we can save him. If you want to save this person, then make sure you dont die. Im sure he wouldnt be happy if you died. ...Youre right, says Misaka as Misaka nods her head. Okay, then lets survive this. While smiling bitterly at how ridiculous that line sounded, Kamijou opened the door in front of him. It led to what appeared to be the main floor where the guests dined. It was filled with the white brightness of fluorescent lights and cheerful music that seemed horribly out of place could be heard from the speaker system. A large television installed in the wall was displaying a commercial. The greasy smell of ready-made meals hung in the air. However... ...Not here too, groaned Kamijou Touma. Several customers were within the restaurant. Some were couples and some appeared to be teachers enjoying a meal after work. A waitress wearing a cute uniform was in the narrow aisle between tables. A slightly elderly man was at the register. And they had all collapsed. They were lying limply despite showing no sign of injury. The restaurant showed no sign of any kind of panic. A few forks and spoons had fallen to floor, but they had likely fallen when the guests collapsed onto the tables in front of them. It looked as if they had all just suddenly collapsed. Some simply appeared to be sleeping like the Anti-Skill members Kamijou had seen near the entrance to the underground mall. Others looked as if they fallen to the floor after freezing in place like a statue. Overall, it appeared they could be divided into a few different groups. The kitchen had seemed odd too, so something may have happened there as well. However, this would no longer function as a place with plenty of people. If they were all unconscious, there was effectively no one around to witness anything. (What is going on?) Kamijou fell into a daze. (A few of those men in black collapsed in the same way. So it must not be them that are doing it. Dammit. Are there multiple problems here!?) Last Order, we should get out-... Kamijou trailed off as Last Order pulled him down to the floor. The windows lined up along the wall facing the main street all shattered at once. It took Kamijou a few seconds to realize someone had fired bullets into the restaurant from the road. A bullet must have struck the speaker systems tuner because all the speakers fell silent. The television broke and began spewing sparks. Kamijou lost his cool when he saw fragments of glass raining down on the guests collapsed on the floor and tables. Luckily, no bullets had actually struck them, but that was not the problem. (Shit! Do they not care at all about the surrounding people!?) Someone stepped on the glass fragments as they slowly entered the main floor. Kamijou grabbed a fork that had fallen on the floor nearby. It was such a pathetic weapon he wanted to laugh out loud. And on top of that, the main floor suddenly lost power. Kamijou heard a quiet creak come from the door he and Last Order had entered through. Someone was opening it. Three more men in black entered through it as they snuck along with roach like movements. The only thing protecting Kamijou and Last Order was the large square pillar in the center of the floor. The men in black were slowly approaching from two directions, so there was almost nowhere to hide from them. With the dully glowing fork in hand, Kamijou pressed his back against the pillar. And then he looked up. One of the bullets fired through the windows must have struck it because a hole had been opened just above his head. (It went straight through? This wont work as a shield at all!!) The shock caused Kamijous muscles to tense up more than necessary. The slow footsteps that did their best to remain silent slowly but surely surrounded them. Part 7 Accelerator thought about using his cell phone, but ended up walking a bit away to use a pay phone. It was possible Kihara and Hound Dog were using a device to detect a specific number on the phone lines. He entered the phone booth which seemed a bit dirty as if no one had used it in a long time and pressed the red emergency button to call an ambulance. The jurisdiction of that area would likely automatically send the ambulance to the frog-faced doctors hospital. Accelerator then inserted one of his last few coins and grabbed the receiver again. While double-checking the cell phone number, he dialed one number at a time. The number belonged to Last Orders cell phone. ... But no one answered. As Accelerator silently held the receiver, he received the message stating the cell phone might be turned off or in a location without a signal. He put down the receiver. (...Well, thats about what I expected.) If she had fled to some confined place, she might not receive a signal. Also, the ringtone or sound of vibration could put her in danger. The worst possibility entered his mind, but Accelerator continued doing what must be done. He inserted another coin and dialed a different number. It continued ringing for a while. Eventually, an elderly female nurse answered. Accelerator ordered her to connect him to the frog-faced doctor. The call was quickly transferred. What might you need at this late hour? Ive run into some trouble. Some major trouble. I have heard the general situation from the so-called Misaka Imouto. It seems they have been exchanging information over their electric network. (I see. So she can use that instead of her phone,) thought Accelerator in admiration. However, he only borrowed use of the network for help with his calculations, so he could not actually communicate over it. That speeds things up. Tell me what you know. Where is that brat? It seems she is currently being pursued by a Hound Dog unit. She is fleeing along with an unrelated person who she happened to run across. She has not been captured yet...but to be honest, it seems it is only a matter of time. Apparently, Last Order had asked someone for help after getting away from Kihara. The only problem was whether this helper had the strength to actually help. Accelerator clicked his tongue. Where is she? She does not know herself. It seems to be some sort of family restaurant. He thought for a bit, but that was not enough information to determine the location. The frog-faced doctor said that was why the Sisters were unable to head out to search for Last Order. Of course, the ten or so Sisters in Academy City were undergoing adjustments to their bodies, so they could not be allowed to walk around in the rain for an extended period of time. It annoyed him, but he would have to carry out his original job for the moment. Has a brat in a white nuns habit arrived at your place? Im not entirely sure what to do about her actually. Why does she know about your calculation assistance? Thats none of your business. ...Do you really need a new battery? No such thing exists, does it? spat out Accelerator. Just look after that brat going on about the battery. Her life will likely be targeted for the next 24 hours or so. Dont take your eyes off of her. What a pain. Can we not leave this problem to Anti-Skill? What can those pacifist teachers do? This enemy is on a completely different level. If you dont want to increase the body count, then get that into your head. ...I suppose so. But I never thought I would have to protect someone who is not a patient of mine. Well, youll be getting a new patient too. A man who was stabbed in the back should be arriving soon. Once you give him emergency care, prepare for an attack. How much firepower do you have there? Firepower? This is sounding quite dangerous. Even the frog-faced doctor was taken aback by that, but Accelerator was not about to explain every little thing. He did not have the time. You said you have a grasp of the situation via the clones network, right? Then you should know this is no time to be acting soft. Just tell me already. The longer you sit around flustered, the odds of death rise for everyone there. Honestly... You like injuries and getting hospitalized just as much as that boy, dont you? Accelerator heard a sigh from the other side of the connection. After a short silence, the frog-faced doctor gave his answer. I have about 10 of the mass produced military Sisters who are in for their adjustments. I believe they have the Metal Eater MX anti-tank rifles and F2000R Toy Soldiers they used in the experiments. Accelerator thought for a bit. But then he shook his head. That isnt enough. The clones are little help in their current state and I doubt they could handle this even in top form. Can you evacuate all of the staff and patients in the hospital? Are you asking me to leave my post? Do you have any idea how many beds are in this hospital? About three hundred? Seven hundred, immediately replied the frog-faced doctor. And I have 52 patients who it would be dangerous to move such as newborns and the seriously ill. Fortunately, no patients are currently in surgery, but do you know how reckless it would be to move everyone? ... If I leave here, what happens if a new patient arrives? There is that problem as well. Accelerator did not complain about the frog-faced doctors words or thank him for them. He did not have time for that. Can you do it? I will do it, was the immediate reply. The frog-faced doctors tone had changed to something completely different from his usual lighthearted one. I can use a smoke bomb or something and say a fire has broken out. If it can be connected to some form of terrorist attack, that will be reason enough to justify a full evacuation. Moving some of the patients will be dangerous, but it is my job to protect their lives. I will manage somehow. I may have been the one to ask it of you, but can you really do this? I said I would. Did you not think this would go so well? I have a few alternative options when it comes to the patients. I can assign them to other hospitals and such. If I had no alternative option, I would never have agreed. ...Sorry about this. To be honest, I do not enjoy being used in your conflicts, but I will treat any patient equally. If you ask me to protect a patient brought to me, I will do everything I can to do so. The siren of an ambulance passed by. The Hound Dog man would soon be brought aboard the ambulance and brought to the hospital. As Accelerator turned his ear toward the siren, the frog-faced doctor suddenly asked, So how far are you going to take this? I will kill Kihara, I will crush Hound Dog, and I will rescue that brat unharmed. That is impossible, was the frog-faced doctors immediate reply. Accelerator frowned at the frank and coolheaded tone that did not suit the man at all. You are taking on too many objectives in your restricted situation. You will never succeed that way. Is the world you live in one where you can somehow manage to reach your goal if you continually turn off your main path? When did you decide a doctor needs to provide that kind of bullshit lip service? Someone from your world shouldnt pretend to understand the darkness. You seem to be mistaken about something, so allow me to correct you. The frog-faced doctor did not hesitate. He simply spoke the truth to Accelerator. I have seen more of hell than you have. Do not look down on the profession of doctor. I believe I have seen much more blood and tears than you. But for me, it did not end in tragedy. I am known as Heaven Canceller. I am the one who brings people back from the underworld. The difference between us is simple. Do we stay there or do we make sure to come back? Thats all there is to it. The doctor paused for a moment. But then he began speaking once more. Let me give you some advice as one who has known this darkness you speak of for longer than you have. Restrict yourself to a single goal. Killing Kihara? Crushing Hound Dog? You can deal with that nonsense later. There is only one thing you truly need to do here. Do you really not understand that? Leave it to a doctor to put human life first. But rescuing that brat unharmed and crushing Kihara and the others are one and the same. Even if I get rid of either objective-... That is not what I meant. Ah? You want to rescue Last Order unharmed? Why are you still insisting you can do the impossible? ... Accelerators blood froze over. Who was this he was speaking to? As I said before, I have learned the situation directly from the Sisters who are exchanging information over the Misaka Network. And I believe I understand your situation fairly well, too. I know what I am talking about, said the frog faced doctor in a slow yet powerful voice. It was as if he was giving a lecture. Start looking at reality. Surely you understood you could not manage that from the moment you were crawling pathetically on the ground. Listen: you are losing. You are facing an opponent who will be difficult to defeat at all, so what good does it do to hold all those unrealistic hopes? Compromise, Accelerator. You can no longer save Last Order unharmed. No matter well this goes for you from here on, she will certainly meet some harm. Accelerator felt like he had been struck from a mental blind spot. That doctor had drawn so close to him and he had not even noticed. ...Fuck you. Cant you tell that I was vowing to kill Kihara while crawling through the mud because I didnt want to admit that? I wouldnt know anything about that. If everything would go well as long as you hoped for it, I would never have become a doctor. I would be holed up in a mountain meditating 365 days a year. It is because that will never physically save people that I became a doctor. Let me be blunt: you are giving nothing but the selfish assertions of a child who refuses to see reality. Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to watch a bastard like Kihara abuse that brat and then just smile and view it all as a wonderful happy ending!? Yes. That is what doctors are for. The frog-faced doctor was not moved by Accelerators anger. His words continued smoothly. Whether her arm is broken, her skin is peeled off, or her organs are crushed, I will make sure to save her life as long as you bring her to me alive. I will protect her life, ensure no scars remain, and provide mental care so that this person who is precious to you has been truly saved. That is what doctors are meant to do. So Accelerator, do not hold your hopes needlessly and hopelessly high. Focus on saving only Last Orders life. That is what matters most. That is the sole thing a novice like me cannot bring back. Am I wrong? If I am, then tell me right now what is more important than that girls life. He had to think something about the situation. He had to think something about the fact that a childs life was being taken for the convenience of the adults. And... He perfectly understood his own position. It was because he understood that no amount of panicking or shouting would resolve anything that he would do everything he could to fight as a doctor. Kihara? Hound Dog? End those dull preliminary matches as quickly as possible. Hurry up and bring Last Order to me so that I can begin the final match. After that, the frog-faced doctor told Accelerator where he would be hiding after temporarily abandoning his hospital. Accelerator was to head there after retrieving Last Order. Accelerator put back the receiver. He leaned his back against the glass door of the phone booth. (I can no longer save Last Order unharmed. No matter well this goes for me from here on, she will certainly meet some harm. So thats how it is, is it?) Accelerator sucked in a deep breath and then released it. Hound Dog was using olfactory sensors. They would be using them to track both him and Last Order. She was already in a crisis situation, and that meant they would reach her even sooner. He had no time to spare. He had to prepare himself. Perfect... After he had accepted it all, all that remained was to smile. The smile that split across his face was too frightening to be of this world. To save that brat, Ill kill anyone from the most benevolent saint to the most evil villain. Hound Dog had olfactory sensors. Kihara Amata and Hound Dog would soon find his location and attack. His first task was to intercept them. He needed a battlefield for that. He did not have time to stand around. Between the lines 6 Tsuchimikado Motoharu ran towards a gate leading outside of Academy City. The pouring rain showed no sign of letting up, covered up the moonlight, made it difficult to listen for other sounds, and even erased the scents of the surrounding area. The soaking landscape was enough to drastically raise the odds of death in a nighttime battle. (Most of the citys functions have been knocked out. Were lucky there has been no rioting or looting.) As Tsuchimikado muttered that silently in his heart, he carefully monitored his surroundings without slowing down. Anti-Skill and Judgment who handled the law and order of the city had been almost entirely wiped out. It seemed some of the members were still active, but it was not enough to cover the entire city. If someone noticed the city was paralyzed, store registers and shelves would be attacked and stolen from in no time. The only reason that had yet to happen was that Academy Citys last trains and buses were set at the same time as the citywide curfew. This meant most of the people in the city had not noticed the abnormal situation and most of the students would be knocked unconscious by the unidentified attack before they did notice. An attack. More specifically, an attack from the magic side. That word made Tsuchimikado Motoharu clench his teeth. However, he kept his thoughts as uniform as possible in a combat situation, so it did not show itself as an obvious wave of emotion. (Gods Right Seat, hm? Ive heard of them, but I never thought they would go this far.) As Tsuchimikado ran through the silent city, he was actually impressed. He was a skilled magician. And yet he was unable to analyze what sort of spell was being used despite the magical attack being on such a large scale. He was completely baffled. (But there has to be more than the one Aleister mentioned. There has to be a group somewhere. If they enter the city while its paralyzed like this, the city is done for.) It was truly bizarre that a combat unit had not entered along with the member of Gods Right Seat. However, that might simply have been an issue of numbers. If a group of 10,000 was waiting outside, they would be forced to engage the 2.3 million residents of the city in battle if they had entered right away. But if Gods Right Seat entered first and wore down Academy Citys ability to fight, the invasion unit would lose much fewer members. The number of the enemy force was unknown. How they were positioned outside of Academy City was unknown. (But there arent enough of them to head in straight away.) Academy City had 2.3 million people. If the Roman Catholic Church had sent in 10 million people, they would not need to wait outside. The initial attack by Vento would have been unnecessary. They would have tried to conquer the city with brute strength. (Of course, Academy Citys psychic powers and advanced weaponry meant their strength could not be calculated out simply from the number of people, but Tsuchimikado doubted the Roman Catholic Church truly understood that.) It was possible the number of enemies in wait was relatively small. Their numbers would only be enough to clean up within the silenced city after Ventos attack. (Even so, I doubt its a group I can handle alone.) Tsuchimikado Motoharu did not seek to annihilate the enemy. He would not allow the invasion unit to enter Academy City until the city had begun to function once more. That was his condition for victory. Not Aleisters, but Tsuchimikado Motoharus own. His only option was to leave Vento to someone else. But holding back an unknown number of enemies when he had no idea when the city would recover was more or less a suicide mission. (I cant get any help from the normal forces. And the others like me have other business to deal with.) He had no comrades who could help him. He had no special weapon or magic that could resolve the situation. However... (Maika is in the city.) He thought of his younger sister who had no connection to the world of magic and simply wished to be a maid. That was all it took to give him the resolution to fight. (I can betray anyone and everything else, but I will never betray her.) Tsuchimikado Motoharu slipped through the Third Gate which had lost all defensive ability and left Academy City. He was a magician who had mastered Onmyoudou. He was an esper with a useless power. And he had a single goal. He would protect the world of the one precious to him. Volume 13, 7: Changing Raindrops into the Color of Blood. Revival_of_Destruction. Volume 13, Chapter 7: Changing Raindrops into the Color of Blood. Revival_of_Destruction. Part 1 Yomikawa Aiho gripped the steering wheel. She was driving what looked like a cheap Japanese-made sports car, but the sound of the engine was oddly deep. It had been nicely tuned up below the hood so she could chase down criminals. Just the fact that the car now had seven gears was enough to imagine how far she had gone with the upgrades. She had been driving around randomly to search for Last Order who had disappeared from the apartment that afternoon. However... (...? The roads seem oddly empty.) Academy City was primarily a city of students. Only the teachers, workers, and university students used cars, so the city had much less traffic than a normal large urban area. However, the number of cars today was low even for that. The road visible through the windshield and periodically obstructed by the wipers looked just like a runway. What is going on? muttered Yomikawa. That was when a light lit up on the in-vehicle radio installed in place of a car audio system. She switched on her turn single, slowed down, and stopped on the side of the road. She looked over to the radio just in time to see it spit out a piece of paper about the size of postcard with a low grinding noise. It worked the same as a small printer for a digital camera. That allowed Anti-Skill command headquarters to send photos of wanted criminals and the like to the individual members of Anti-Skill. The photo was grainy. It had likely been taken at a distance. The camera must have shaken because the outlines were blurred. Even so, it was enough to see a woman wearing yellow clothes standing in the middle of a large group of collapsed Anti-Skill members. ? Yomikawa was confused. Normally, text descriptions of the situation would be printed out along with the photo, but nothing else came. With just the photo, it was unclear what the pictured woman had done. Yomikawa could not tell if she was a suspect or if she was someone in need of protection. Yomikawa was worried about Last Order, but a major incident took priority over a lost child. She switched on the radio and said, Yomikawa to HQ. Requesting details regarding Call 334. Assuming it had been a simple mistake, she called to check. But she received no response. She could hear nothing but some low static. She spoke into the radio a few more times, but never received a response. ... Yomikawa switched off the radio. Yomikawa once more grabbed the postcard-sized piece of paper inside her parked car. It showed the Anti-Skill members collapsed in the rain and a woman wearing yellow standing in the middle of them all. (This woman...) She used a finger on her other hand to flick the woman in the middle of the photo. (Who is she? From the looks of her, I doubt shes in need of protection. This looks more like she just defeated some of my colleagues.) An ominous feeling raced down Yomikawas spine. At the same moment, she felt anger at seeing her colleagues collapsed on the ground. (Well, if I see her, Ill make sure to politely ask her some questions.) Despite that arbitrary thought, Yomikawa did not drive off in her sports car once more. A sudden shock ran through Yomikawa Aihos brain. Ah...!? She could not even cry out properly. All strength left her body and her upper body leaned up against the steering wheel. This put a painful pressure against her chest, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had lost all strength from the core of her body to her fingertips. Her field of vision rapidly narrowed. (What is...?) Yomikawa began losing consciousness while still not knowing what was going on. The switch for the radio was only a few dozen centimeters from where her arms dangled limply down. But she could not move her arms. She could not call for help. In fact, she could not even control her breathing. (This photo...) The photo might have been a warning from a colleague. It was possible an Anti-Skill member in her same state had used their last strength to send it. But it had not helped. (...Dammit...) The photo held between her thumb and forefinger slipped out and fluttered down. At the same moment, Yomikawa Aiho completely lost consciousness. The road was free of cars. The city was much too quiet. The radio had given no response. It was possible something was progressing on an unbelievable scale. Part 2 The Third Resource Recycling Facility. One of the men in black spoke those words while looking out at a group of buildings filling one section of District 5. The facility was right next to the border with District 7. The van used by Accelerator and the Hound Dog runaway had been found abandoned near a park on the District 7 side. Hes fled to quite a troublesome place, Nancy. The woman spoken to smiled upon hearing her colleagues words. What do you mean Nancy? she muttered to herself. But that was her codename, so there was no helping it. Nancy was an Asian who looked like the standard Japanese woman. Her hair and eyes were black, but she did not have the slightest complex about it. In fact, she would have preferred a codename in kanji. She guessed Kihara Amata was the type to choose a flashy screen name on the internet. Nancys entire body was covered by the black armored outfit and mask she wore, but it was not enough to hide the body lines of a fully-grown woman. Hound Dog was made up of the scum of society whether they were men or woman, so a few other members were women too. However, she did not feel any solidarity with them just because they were the same sex. Some of those in the organization were former Anti-Skill members who had grown addicted to the high of cornering suspects or analysts who had suggested using torture that does not leave any marks during an investigation. Basically, all of them were horrible people who deserved contempt. Nancy lightly waved around the tool in her hand. The device that looked like a toy gun was an olfactory sensor. At the portion just above the grip where a handguns hammer would be, a small LCD monitor of about 3 inches was attached. Multiple bar graphs were constantly fluctuating up and down on it. They resembled the audio bars displayed on a stereos screen. The targets scent continues in that direction. Theres no mistaking it, said Nancy to her colleagues behind her. The targets scent. A police dog would have been unable to track the scent on a rainy day like this, but they had mostly solved that problem. When scents were washed away, they were usually mixed with other scents rather than actually eliminated. This sensor could handle that mixed scent. They looked in the direction the scent led. Thats a huge facility, said one of the men in black standing next to Nancy. It was a pointless comment, but it was exactly right. The facility spreading out before them was about 2 kilometers square. It was used to recycle trash. Academy City had few resources, so it would recycle the standard paper products as well as metals such as iron and aluminum, petroleum products such as rubber and plastic, and many other types of materials. This facility collected resources from District 5 and three other surrounding districts and then processed them into a usable form. The vast facility was somehow reminiscent of a coastal petrochemical complex. One section was lined with cylindrical fuel tanks with radiuses of over 100 meters. Another section contained factories with countless smokestacks sticking up. Nevertheless, it was a recycling facility. It was almost too perfect a place for scum to fight it out. Nancy, what do you think hes trying to do? asked Rod. This facility does not seem important strategically. But slipping past the security would have been too much work simply for somewhere to hide. Hmph. The answer might be surprisingly simple, replied Nancy casually. Rod looked dissatisfied, so she waved the olfactory sensor in front of his face. He might want to travel through a waste treatment plant in order to eliminate his scent and escape from this thing. So he knows about our equipment? That idiot Orson ran off with the target and that van had some spare equipment in it. It would be difficult to fool the olfactory sensor simply by getting the smell of garbage on oneself. He would need to use some type of cleaning agent that changed the molecular structure of his scent. Hound Dogs suppression team had developed their own version, but a material recycling facility might have some similar chemicals. Such desperate measures, muttered Nancy with a thin smile before turning to her colleague. Rod, do we have the layout of the facility? Ive already gotten it from the Bank. Send it to everyone. Include the number of workers and the patrol routes. We dont need to worry about patrol routes, readily replied the man known as Rod. The facility is mostly automated. There are about 14 workers, but they all sit in front of keyboards in the control center. It seems they call in some external organization to deal with any mechanical maintenance. Good. That will save us some time in cleanup. With that offhand comment, Nancy handed the olfactory sensor to a colleague. She then began to check the submachine gun hanging from a shoulder strap. Rod lightly waved the small device displaying the layout of the facility. There are exits in 24 locations. We do not have enough people to cover every exit and check the inside of every single part of the facility. Hound Dogs forces were currently spread between a few different groups: one to create a diversion against an unknown enemy, one to pursue Last Order, one to guard Kihara Amata, etc. For that reason, they had only about 10 members here. We just have to guide the targets movements. He should think we have a large number of personnel. We will attack from Point A on the map and then go in for a surprise attack at Emergency Exit C once his focus has been guided there. If we toss in a few explosives, it should shake him. Understand? What if he uses his powers to break through? We cant guide him then. Dont worry. Upon hearing Rods voice, Nancy looked back towards the facility. With its thick concrete, and layer after layer of intertwined metal pipes, the group of buildings was reminiscent of a heavy industrial facility. If what Kihara-san said is true, the target is not that almighty. Part 3 This is it... Accelerator gave a small smile in the Third Resource Recycling Facilitys control room. The small room had no windows and dozens of monitors covered every wall. Everything from the work done in the factories to the security was controlled from here. The 14 workers had been unable to resist the intruder who was armed with a shotgun. They were cowering down and trembling here and there in the room, but Accelerator was not looking at them. He was staring at one of the monitors. It displayed a list of the cleaning agents kept within the factories. Accelerator was looking for a cleaning agent that used a chemical reaction to transform the particles of a scent into some other type of matter. (Found it. They have a few different types. I can escape their olfactory sensor with this.) He was prepared to fight Kihara Amata and Hound Dog to the very end, but he did not want to have to constantly worry about an attack. He had less than 7 minutes of usage time left for his full power. Kihara himself was one thing, but he wished to avoid wasting that time on the subordinates of Hound Dog. For that reason, he needed to grasp the initiative of the battle. Of course, what mattered most was not his battle with Kihara and the others; it was rescuing Last Order safely. (I need to escape Hound Dogs pursuit before I can track down Last Order. In fact, the danger of stray bullets goes way up once I retrieve that brat!) The difficulty level would shoot up once he rescued the girl. Accelerators power could only really protect himself and his battery would not last if he had to use his power every time Hound Dog showed up. That was another reason why he had to be able to make sure he was the one to choose when he would fight and when he would fall back. (I need to hurry up and erase my scent with one of those cleaning agents and get out of here. I dont have much time before Kihara reaches that brat. I cant waste too much time here. I need to get back to my main objective. Where do they keep the cleaning agents in the facility?) Suddenly, the monitor shook with static. One by one, the images on the dozens of monitors in the control room were erased by gray static. Just before they were all wiped out, Accelerator glimpsed someone wearing all black on the security footage of the second northern entrance of the facility. If they were skilled enough to completely wipe out the alarms for the Third Resource Recycling Facility, they had to know where the cameras were. That meant the man in black had intentionally let himself be seen to lure Accelerator over. (Goddamn them! I didnt expect them to get here this soon!!) The facility was already surrounded. Accelerator could not travel without his cane. That meant he could not move quickly. Even if he could use a cleaning agent to escape the olfactory sensor, he would need to defeat the group that had entered the facility. He could not escape from them. And... (I have no intention of escaping. Ill crush those stalkers here.) Accelerator looked around while supporting his weight with the shotgun he was using in place of a cane. He gave a warning to the workers who had truly only been wrapped up in this mess. A firefight is about to break out here. More of them might come even after the battle ends. You all wait for about 20 minutes after the gunshots end, change out of your work clothes, and leave the facility. Accelerator could not tell if they were nodding or trembling in response. (Interesting. What pieces do I have to play with?) He checked on the situation. It did not seem he would be able to use his powers. Inside the factory, he was surrounded by concrete, so the accuracy of electromagnetic communications would drop. Also, the conveyer belts, presses, and other machines with large motors were scattering powerful electromagnetic waves. The Misaka Network was an electric information network created by transforming the Sisters brain waves into electromagnetic waves, so he could not use it at all here. At any rate, the noise was deafening. The difference between the good moments and the bad was drastic. In a normal conversation, that would do nothing more than cause a bit of confusion. But if it happened while he was using his powers, it could cause him to lose control. (And if I use my powers here, Ill never reach Kihara.) He had never before fought while stripped bare like this. Without his powers, he had the athletic ability of a boy who needed a cane to walk. His only weapon was the single shotgun he was using in place of a cane. The number of bullets in the magazine was likely about 30. What should I do? He searched for a means of intercepting Hound Dog, a group that specialized in organized combat, with only the equipment he had on hand. The man in black that had intentionally shown himself on the camera worried him. (What should I do?) Accelerator looked away from the monitors, searched for a paper map of the facility, and spread it out. Would he take them up on their invitation? Or would he refuse them? That decision was where the battle began. Part 4 Misaka Mikoto was inside a convenience store. She stood in the corner with rain gear. Hmm...Too small, she muttered while looking at a cheap plastic umbrella. With that sort of umbrella, the ones that were not too bulky were popular, but she thought she would get pretty wet if she used one that small. She looked outside the large window to see the pitch black nighttime scenery. Fairly large raindrops were hitting the glass. After defeating him during the Daihaseisai, Misaka Mikoto had gained the right to give Kamijou Touma a punishment. But that punishment had been cut short, so she had been searching for Kamijou once more. However... Why did it have to start raining? Her gaze dropped to the paper bag from a cell phone company that she held with her school bag. (I dont want the Gekota and Pyonko straps to get wet.) As Mikoto groaned over that issue, her phone suddenly rang. She grabbed it in annoyance. It displayed the number of her underclassman Shirai Kuroko. Onee-samaaa. What is it, Kuroko? I have Judgment work, so I wont be able to return to the dorm. Can you pass that on to that annoying dorm supervisor? The curfew has passed after all. Um, Im actually at a convenience store. Gyahh!? was Shirais very unladylike response. Another quieter and more distant voice could be heard coming from the phones speaker. Huh? Shirai-san, could you not contact Misaka-san? That was likely Uiharu Kazari, Shirais fellow Judgment member. That meant Shirai was likely in her Judgment branch office. Shut up. Onee-sama is out, so she cannot contact our dorm supervisor. But this is not good. The curfew extension process requires a document to be submitted and the dorm supervisor is not answering the phone. At this rate, both of us will receive a demerit. Hehh. By the way, why is Misaka-san breaking curfew tonight? !? Mikoto heard a gasp and then a dull creaking sound. Shirai was likely violently squeezing the phone in her grip. Shirai Kuroko asked, O-onee-sama, do not tell me you are on a nighttime date with that rotten ape! Curse him! Enjoying the rainy night scenery is quite a refined choice!! No, you damn idiot!! shouted back Mikoto without thinking. However, Shirai did not seem to be listening. Kh. This cannot stand. It is my duty to protect onee-samas chastity!! D-dont say chastity so loudly! Then to be more specific... Dont be!! shouted Mikoto with her face beet red, but Shirai was past the point of listening. Words flew from the speaker like bullets from a machinegun. At any rate, I will be heading there. I will definitely go there. Where are you, onee-sama? You use the GPS service, so just email me your confirmation code and-... You cant. Uiharus one short statement caused Shirais machinegun to jam. Uiharu went on to say, Look, we have barely made any progress on this bundle of office files, this pile of financial files, or this mountain range of instruction files. Shirai-san, we really are going to have spend all night on this. I bought bentos for dinner, so please do not set one foot outside of this office. No heading out for a bath either. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! H-hgyahh!? Shirai-san, Shirai-san!! Mikoto heard sounds of a struggle over the phone. She removed the phone from her ear a bit and said, Um, Im going to hang up. Instead of the crazed Shirai, Uiharu answered. Oh, okay. I will keep Shirai-san here, so...um...good luck!! Im not on a date!! shouted back Mikoto as loudly as she could, but it did not seem to reach the girls on the other side. The sounds of a struggle continued for a bit and then the connection ended. Part 5 Kamijou Touma and Last Order hid behind the pillar. A frightening silence filled the dark family restaurant. The next 30 seconds were filled with despair. Kamijou thought the stress would cause his brains structure to collapse. But as he held his breath behind the pillar, he noticed something odd. No matter how long he waited, the men did not reach them. The men in black who had entered the family restaurant had to know generally where Kamijou and Last Order were. And the men had to know they had no real weapons. A group armed and armored would not stop altogether out of caution for an unarmed high school boy and little girl. (What is going on?) Part of him warned that making any move would be dangerous. Part of him warned that he might lose his chance if he did not make his move soon. ... As Last Order pressed up against him, she forlornly grabbed onto his shirt. The feeling of her small hand just barely allowed Kamijou to keep his presence of mind. Another 30 seconds passed. He heard no noticeable sounds. Only the sound of the broken glass raining down sounded oddly loud in Kamijous ears. He held his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut. He waited. And then something happened. Hiiii? Did I surprise you? Dont be afraid and come on out. He heard a high-pitched female voice Due to the pillar Kamijou was using as a shield, he could not see her face. He did not even know where she was. But... (What? This is clearly different from those men.) The men in black who had been pursuing Kamijou and Last Order had tried to kill them quickly and silently while avoiding as much self-assertion as possible. To put it simply, they eliminated all that was unnecessary and took the bare minimum of action. This female voice was the exact opposite of that. The very act of speaking out to appeal to her own presence did not match the behavior pattern of those men in black. She seemed to be the sort of commando that was far removed from those shadow-like existences that might be men, women, or even not human for all Kamijou could tell. (So is she not with those men in black?) But he still felt it would be dangerous to head out too readily. He still did not know who the voice belonged to. Ha ha. Dont be afraid. Well, I guess it cant be helped after such a close call. But I have my own problems to deal with, so if you refuse to listen... With a laugh, the female voice continued. The indifferent voice did not seem to care at all about Kamijou and Last Orders unrest and concern. ...Ill beat you to a fucking pulp. !! Kamijou grabbed Last Orders body in his arms and lay down on the floor over her as if leaping out from behind the pillar. A great roar rang out. An unseen horizontal strike struck the pillar they had just been using as a shield. The attack struck the center of the pillar and the center bent to the side before it broke completely in two and flew into the wall. It happened with such great speed that the two pieces slammed deep into the wall like artillery shells and the wall crumbled. The entire building shook. The framework of the building must have been damaged because all the glass in the restaurant that had survived the men in blacks attack shattered with a high pitched noise. While still covering Last Order, Kamijous eyes raced around the area. A woman stood in the center of the dark main floor. The streetlights outside dimly illuminated her silhouette. She was a strange woman. Her clothes looked like the kind of dress woman wore in medieval Europe. Her hair was covered by a cloth wrapped around her head, so not even a single hair was visible. She had piercings in her mouth, nose, and eyelids that destroyed the balance of her face. She wore gaudy makeup that accentuated her eyes which made her seem all the more intimidating. And in her hand... She held a giant hammer that exceeded a meter in length. Sharp barbed wire was wrapped around it from halfway up the grip to the very top. It may have been to prevent anyone from grabbing the handle or it may have been a ceremonial decoration. (...) Being hit by that would definitely hurt, but it seemed unlikely she could defeat a group covered in armored uniforms and armed with submachine guns with just that hammer. Yet for some reason or another, the men in black were collapsed on the ground around the woman. None of them seemed to be conscious. (This...) How had she completely silently neutralized these men in black who were armed, armored, and highly trained? (This reminds me of...) The lack of information accentuated the eeriness of it all. (Of the collapsed Anti-Skills I found outside the underground mall...) The one thing Kamijou knew was that this woman was not his ally. (And the men in black collapsed next to that destroyed vehicle!!) Who are you...? asked Kamijou in a low voice as he stood up from Last Order. In response, the woman lightly shook the strange hammer and quietly spoke. I am Vento of the Front, a member of Gods Right Seat. The woman naming herself as Vento stuck out her tongue teasingly. Target located. And so its time to kill you, Kamijou Touma. A thin chain jangled down when she stuck out her tongue. At the end of the chain was a small cross wet with saliva. Part 6 Hound Dog silently entered the Third Resource Recycling Facility in which Accelerator hid. When they entered the concrete factory, the noise of the machinery was much louder than they had expected. Nancy wondered for a second if they should have cut the power there as well, but increasing the amount of work they had to do would only waste time. Currently, Accelerator likely could not use his powers much, but they still wanted to avoid giving him time to regain mental composure. About five colleagues surrounded Nancy. Her group was meant to guide him into their trap, so they needed to appeal to the idea that they had a large number of people. The plan was for Nancy and her team to fire bullets all over the place so the target would flee down the passageway and to where another team lay in wait. The general path the target had taken could be tracked with the olfactory sensor Nancy had handed a colleague not long before. By using that indoors, they had no chance of overshooting his position. (The only other thing to worry about is if he has a gun.) According to the olfactory sensor, the targets scent had travelled from the van parked on the road to this facility. No one had been in the vehicle and the bag filled with spare equipment had still been inside. The zipper had been open, so it was possible he had taken a gun. (No, Accelerator has no real ability with firearms. He has lived his life fully relying on his power and has never received proper training. We should be able to assume we have a great advantage over him.) That was what Nancy thought. (But even so...) Most of the production work was automated, so the inside of the concrete building was not air conditioned and was therefore hot and stuffy. Despite the cold rain outside, the area was filled with heat from the giant motors that were in constant use. They slowly walked through the steel passageway while the heat and noise wore down their nerves bit by bit. Even the bright illumination of the fluorescent lights seemed to produce heat. They were nervous. Nancy decided that was why it seemed so oppressive. When she glanced over at her colleagues mask-covered faces, their movements seemed stiff and somewhat awkward. The facility created electromagnetic interference from multiple sources. Accelerator received assistance for his powers using transmission equipment, so Kihara Amata had claimed the boy would almost certainly not use his powers for fear of losing control of them. Nancy and the other members of Hound Dog with her decided that was a valid assumption. With all the restrictions, he was very unlikely to use his powers. The stronger ones powers, the greater the risk of losing control. But that also meant they could not ignore the risk that he might use them when cornered despite the fear of losing control. If Accelerator was serious, only Kihara Amata could defeat him. The guns and explosives Nancy wielded would accomplish nothing. (That is why we must kill him before he realizes he is cornered.) That was the point of the plan to guide him into a trap. The target would be cautious of them, but he would remain somewhat relaxed because he could flee further into the factory. The other team would wait until he did so and then shoot him. For the plan to succeed, Nancys team needed to take a bit of a risk and head forward to draw Accelerators attention. Even if he could not use his great esper powers, he likely had a gun. If they focused too much on the diversion side of their role, they could end up shot in the head. (Its only natural we would be nervous. Everyone on this team is used to just killing people right away. We were given no training for this sort of situation.) There were different types of soldiers. Ones battling in the jungle did not need to know how to handle hostage negotiations. Urban snipers would be fine not learning how to survive on a desert island. Training programs were specialized to a specific field by eliminating unnecessary portions and putting that time to better use. That created several varieties of specialized units with skills weighted in one direction. In other words, Nancy and her teams situation was similar to a unit trained in desert warfare walking through a snowy mountain in the Arctic. (Can we do this?) Nancy swallowed some saliva underneath her black mask. (If we cant, were dead.) A small metallic noise cut off Nancys thoughts. !? Nancy and her team all pointed their guns in its direction. But no one was there. Nor was there enough space to hide. Without altering her posture, Nancy used her eyes and fingers to contact the colleagues near her. (That noise was different from the ones made by the machines, dont you think?) (I agree. But there is nowhere for anyone to hide there. And more importantly, it doesnt seem like a useful point strategically.) (Could the target have thrown something that made a noise?) (If so, then he must be hiding quite nearby.) They all grew even tenser. (Rod. What does the olfactory sensor say?) (Wait. The analysis just finished.) Their pulses quickened. Their fingers on the triggers trembled slightly. Sweat covered the gap between skin and glove. And then... All of the factorys lights cut out at once. Darkness came as if it had been timed. The targets plan was to mentally torment them by increasing their tension with light and noise. Nancy belatedly realized just how bad the situation was. If she pulled the trigger here, she would injure her closely-packed allies. Even if she pointed the barrel straight up, the metal walls and ceiling would cause any bullets to bare their fangs by ricocheting back. Her thoughts never turned to the guns safety. Her thoughts were bound by the fear that her trembling fingertips would accidentally pull the trigger if she tried to move them at all. Accelerator seemed to have realized they had no night-vision equipment. (Wait!!) She immediately tried to use her eyes to contact her colleagues, but they could not see the movements through the darkness. Using her voice to communicate would be best, but that would tell their enemy where she was. Her pulse sounded eerily loud in her ears. Her trigger finger trembled. Trigger...gunshot...accidental discharge. Various images ran through Nancys mind. And then a great noise exploded out. She thought her heart was going to stop. (Kh...ah...!! That was...the sound of steam exhaust! It was just a sound!!) She somehow managed to keep her index finger from moving and began pouring all her focus on her outward senses to search for the target that had caused the sound. But then... Gah!? A low voice suddenly cried out from right next to her. Her feet on the floor felt the vibration of a human collapsing. The scent of iron reached her nose. (Not good...) If she had calmed down and thought, she might have realized the target had simply thrown a wrench from the darkness. If she had seen the trick for what it was, it might have actually restored some of her mental composure. But... Her enemys plan was to rob that calm from her step by step. (That bastard... Its not just those powers of his. He can even use peoples fear!) By the time Nancy realized that, it was too late. It happened precisely when she began focusing all of her senses on the darkness. Another tool flew into her shoulder with a force that was not all that great. She had lost more of her calm than she had realized, so her body reacted on its own. The trembling in her trigger finger exceeded a certain level. Several gunshots rang out and the scent of iron grew stronger. Part 7 A strange tension enveloped the dark family restaurant. Kamijou Touma stood opposite the woman named Vento. (Dammit. If its not one thing, its another.) If this woman was a member of a magic group, then unlike before, this was a job for Imagine Breaker. But that did not mean he could relax. If Ventos ability was real, she was skilled enough to annihilate four men armed with submachine guns so quickly they could not even cry out. Even with Imagine Breaker, there was a danger of being killed instantly. And... Even if he had not taken a close look at the collapsed men in black, the lack of obvious injuries or blood reminded him too much of the unconscious people he had seen too many of recently. If their state was identical, it meant this Vento standing before him was the one who had paralyzed Academy Citys functions as a city. This woman had come to crush the top of the science side all on her own. For that reason, she was much more dangerous than those men in black. You dont need to be so nervous, said Vento while the chain jangled as it waved. You wont even have time to feel the pain. Vento casually swung the barbed wire-wrapped hammer in her right hand. It was a horizontal strike. Kamijou was easily over 5 meters away from her. And yet... !! Feeling a chill run down his spine, Kamijou immediately shoved Last Order away from him and crouched down just as something flew over his head. It was a mass of wind that had swallowed some small fragments. It sucked in the air, destroyed the wall, brought small fragments into its center, and changed from transparent to a dull color. This blunt weapon of air shot over a wide area from right to left. The entire building tilted diagonally. (Does she have magic that fires a projectile when she swings the hammer?) Kamijou grew pale as he heard the pattering sound of small fragments falling down. Ventos action made it clear she did not care about the customers collapsed around the restaurant. Go hide, Last Order!! shouted Kamijou as Last Order tried to get up from where he had pushed her. He watched until he saw her move behind a square pillar. (What is all this? First those men in black and now this woman!!) Kamijou gritted his teeth, but of course that would not stop Vento. Vento moved back a bit as she casually swung the hammer vertically and then horizontally. The chain attached to her tongue jangled while shaking almost as if being swung around. The hammers trajectory just barely grazed the tongue chain. Sparks had actually flown from it a few times. If her aim was off by just a few millimeters, she would rip out the piercing holding the chain in her tongue, but Ventos expression showed no concern. Ventos hammer ripped through the air. An explosive noise pounded at Kamijous ears. The hammer was like a bat that launched heavy metal balls. A table was blown away, the floor was torn up, and the limbs of the collapsed men in black were blown off and landed on top of the collapsed customers. That filled Kamijous head with rage, but he had his hands full dealing with the wind weapons flying his way. The instant Kamijous right hand touched one, the air weapon would burst and disappear. That was Imagine Breaker. Without that ability to negate any supernatural power, his body would have been crushed long ago. The masses of wind did not simply fly straight for him. Some curved from the right or left to cut off his path and some dropped straight down from above his head. Hah hah. So thats your rumored right hand. Nice effort!! Vento raised the hammer and swung it forcefully down while laughing. This produced a mass of destructive wind. (Vertical!!) Kamijou frantically held his right hand above his head. The mass of wind blasted through from the right to the left. ...!! Sweat poured from Kamijous entire body. He immediately bent his back to move just his upper body backwards. An unpleasant roar shot past his face and tore off a bit of the skin on the tip of his nose. The wall to his left was loudly smashed to pieces. The ceiling was already tilted and now it began vibrating even more. (What!? That wasnt the same trajectory as the hammer!) Questions floated up in Kamijous head, but Vento would hardly answer if he asked. Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha!! I love this!! The long chain in Ventos tongue swayed back and forth as she moved. The cross attached to the end emitted an unnatural light. It blinked two or three times. Vento then frowned as if something had gone against her expectations. I see, I see. Vento nodded interestedly as she fired attack after attack of violent wind. She was handling Kamijou perfectly well. He could not get any closer than 5 meters. Its called Imagine Breaker, right? It seems that right hand of yours is as amazingly effective as the report said. Even when I occasionally weave in my true attack, it has no effect whatsoever. (Her true attack?) That phrase stuck in Kamijous head as he swung his right hand around. He was also curious about the mention of a report about Imagine Breaker. The Roman Catholic Church may have started viewing with more importance. But this isnt enough to know for sure... Okay, Ill test it out. ? Ill do this!! With that shout from the gut, Vento swung the hammer horizontally from one side to the other. With a roar of wind, a weapon of air appeared. Instead of Kamijou, she was aiming at one of the customers collapsed unconscious over a table. Damn you!! He immediately leaped over with his right hand stretched out. The end of his right hand touched the air weapon just before it reached the customers head and it burst in every direction. That strike had held a shocking amount of power. Anger filled Kamijou to the very core of his mind. Vento narrowed her eyes with great interest as she watched on. Hmm, so thats how it works. Seems surprisingly difficult to use to me. (So shes testing out what I can do.) Vento may have been testing the exact range of Imagine Breaker. Sorry! All of her attacks had been stopped, but Vento showed no sign of worrying. It looks like painlessly isnt gonna happen. I need to kill you directly. Itll hurt like hell if youre still conscious, but youll probably die from the shock. So if you want to enjoy this, youll have to become a masochist. Kamijou heard the sound of the chain. The chain attached to Ventos tongue drew an arc from right to left as she moved. Vento forcefully swung the hammer vertically so it scraped along the chain. Orange sparks flew out. (!? For a while now...) A weapon of air blew the sparks away as it curved from the right to the left. (...the attacks direction has been different from the hammers!?) It almost seemed to follow the trajectory of the chain attached to her tongue. (This pattern!?) It almost seemed to be guided by it. You dont mean... The cross on that chain!! shouted Kamijou as he crushed the wind weapon with his right hand. Vento laughed in response. Oh, did you find out!? The long chain with a cross accessory attached freely drew vertical and horizontal trajectories through the air. Whenever Vento swung her hammer so it scraped across the chain, a weapon of air would fly along the same route as the line of the chain. (Dammit! Its hard to defend against even when I know how it works!!) Without meaning to, he would instinctually react to the trajectory of the giant hammer that was producing shockwaves. But the hammer and the chain moved differently. She would swing down from above, but the chain would be drawing a curving line. She would swing the hammer horizontally, but the chain would move upwards from below. The motion of the attack and the direction in which the actual attack flew were different. That slight visual deception slowed his reaction time and threatened to have his body sliced in two. Dammit!! Oh? This has gotten to be a real pain in the ass. An even more powerful wind weapon flew at him. But this one flew at the floor just in front of Kamijou rather than at him directly. The flooring was torn up and transformed into sharp wooden splinters which flew at Kamijou. Gyaaaaahhhhh!? Instead of being stabbed in one spot, he was struck over his entire body. Kamijou was thrown backwards where he was sent rolling along the floor. He shook his head that was hazy with pain and desperately brought clarity back to his mind. At some point, he had been pushed back to just behind Last Order. As if he had realized something, Kamijou suddenly lifted his head up from the floor. Last Order stood up from behind the pillar and was about to run over to him. Run away!! Heh heh. Vento laughed in pure delight at Kamijous shout. Her attack could easily smash straight through the pillar and into Last Order. Last Order did not move. Kamijou had no idea whether she was unable to move or if she was choosing not to. At that rate, her small body would be smashed into mincemeat. Shit!! Kamijou began running and knocked last Order to the floor. She fell over at the exact moment Vento let loose her attack. The weapon of air that was produced mercilessly broke through the pillar before being negated by Kamijous right hand. Even so, fragments scattered everywhere. The area was too dangerous. Last Order had to leave as soon as possible. Go!! Hurry!! shouted Kamijou, but Last Order shook her head while looking dazed. She must not have wanted to abandon Kamijou. Hurry!! Go call for help!! That was why Kamijou gave her a false objective he knew would be no help. Hearing that, she finally stood up on unsteady legs. But it seemed the contents of her pocket had come out when she had been knocked to the ground. Some sweet-smelling lip gloss that looked like a toy and a cutesy childs cell phone had fallen to the ground. Seeing them, Last Order began to crouch down once more. Leave them!! shouted Kamijou. Her shoulders shook in surprise and then she ran away on her small legs. She headed out to the road through a broken window. As she ran impatiently away, she looked almost stupefied. Vento turned the giant hammer wrapped in barbed wire towards the short girl. But Kamijou circled around to cut off the direct path to Last Order. Meanwhile, the building vibrated dully. Due to the pillars being destroyed, the ceiling collapsed diagonally. The line of windows Last Order had escaped through were crushed and sealed off by the falling ceiling. One of Ventos targets had gotten away, but her expression showed no irritation. She laughed delightedly instead and spoke to Kamijou. You sure are cruel. Running aimlessly through the darkness seems like quite a burden for a girl that young. The fear might be destroying her as we speak. She swung the giant hammer. Wouldnt she have been happier being killed here with you rather than having to go through that? Kamijou spat on the floor in response. This woman was horrible. I wont put any burden on her, he said while clenching his right fist once more. He continued to speak to Vento who was smiling in delight. As long as I go to meet her, its no problem. Thats why I cant let myself die here. Oh, how fun? But, but! Will you be able to say that again after I shake up your organs and make human flesh juice out of you? A dull noise rang out as she swung the hammer. The chain in her tongue jangled as it swung. Well, youre my target anyway and having a heathen ape trouble me really pisses me off. If you arent gonna run away, that would be a huge help. Makes it easier to aim!! Several more wind weapons blasted out and carelessly destroyed the inside of the family restaurant. Part 8 Accelerator held his breath within the dark factory. With his plan, everything would fall in place as long as he prepared his first move correctly. Accelerator had swiped a few pieces of equipment from the van. One of them was the shotgun he used in lieu of a cane and another was a small radio. He would use both in his plan. Currently, the enemy group was afraid of causing friendly fire in the darkness, so they had scattered out while communicating via radio. Accelerator had mixed in his own communications where he used a staticky voice to play the part of an ally that provided false information to destroy the enemys coordination. It seemed they had quickly realized what Accelerator was doing, but they had no way of knowing which voices were from their comrades and which were tricks. As a result, their suspicion of every voice they heard had deepened. Without the use of their radios, the enemy no longer knew where their allies were. Even if they spotted a figure in the darkness they would be too afraid of causing friendly fire (or being the victim of friendly fire) to react quickly. Their cooperation was falling apart. On the other hand, Accelerator just had to view every figure he saw as an enemy. That gave him a great advantage. Hound Dogs primary threat came from their weapons and the fact that they were a group. His plan had almost entirely robbed them of both, so no real problem remained. This was the first time Accelerator had worked up an enemys fear instead of using his powers, but the enemy had fallen for it amusingly well. Fear truly must have been a common factor across all of humanity. In the back alleys, Accelerator had reigned as a symbol of fear without doing a thing. Simply concentrating that a bit and actively using it had produced this wonderful result. The enemy group was no longer a threat to him. They were nothing more than moving targets. (Now then.) He had used the radio and fear to split apart and isolate them. Even if he went a bit nuts here, he would have a few minutes to spare before reinforcements arrived. He did not need to worry about the surrounding Hound Dog members. As Accelerator hid in the darkness, a smile appeared on his lips. His gaze was fixed on his prey that he had spotted trembling alone and away from its comrades. (Its time for a feast, you fattened beasts.) He was about 15 meters from his target. The closer to the target, the more powerful a shotgun was. For that reason, his distance was still not the best it could be, but nevertheless Accelerator leaned against the wall, lifted his cane from the floor, casually took aim, and fired. A great roar tore at his ears and a great shock slammed into his shoulder. As expected, the shotgun blast scattered before it reached the target. But the target was surrounded by hard concrete and metal plates. The scattered bullets bounced like pinballs and struck the man in black from multiple angles. A scream resounded through the factory. A liquid splattered in the darkness and the human silhouette spun like in an action movie. After seeing that, Accelerator used the shotgun as a cane to approach the man in black. It seemed his arm had been taken out. And falling while spinning appeared to have wrenched the other hand. The submachine the man in black had been holding had slid far away. He tried to pull out his backup handgun but was unable to grab it like he wanted thanks to his injured arms. He looked like an ugly caterpillar. Accelerator placed a hand against a nearby wall and held the shotgun barrel up against the man in blacks cheek. Y-youre joking... The voice was surprisingly high-pitched. When he looked closer, Accelerator could see feminine body lines below the black outfit. Joking? I suppose so. Not that it matters, spat out Accelerator. But this is new material. He pulled the trigger. Accelerators body could not withstand the dull shock of firing, so he fell over backwards. (This isnt a gun to fire one-handed.) As he shook his head and stood up, he could see the woman in black writhing on the ground. O-ohffh...Bohhaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!? She was holding her mouth with her crushed hands, but they seemed to be pressing oddly deep into her face. The shotgun had blown off her lower jaw. If she had moved her hands, only her upper teeth would have been visible. Accelerator realized something warm had landed on his cheek. He brought it into his mouth with his tongue and chewed it along with his saliva. It tasted of meat. Ah hah. A laugh leaked out. He did not need to give any more time to this woman who could no longer fight. Accelerator needed to leave as quickly as he could. The other Hound Dog members would arrive after hearing the gunshots. He wanted to avoid being spotted and fired at head on. The best plan for him was to hide in the darkness and destroy his prey one at a time. And so Accelerator decided he should leave as soon as possible. But... He stood on wobbly legs while using the shotgun as a cane. He was starting to enjoy himself. He knew he could not stay, but he could not overcome the bursting feeling of release within him. As he chewed the crunchy and juicy delicacy in his mouth, he stood before the woman whose jaw he had blown off. ...Ohh, ohh. You look like youd give great head now. The woman missing the bottom half of her face jumped in shock and looked toward him. Accelerator could not imagine what expression was on his face. How the hell can you live looking like that!? Dont you fuck with me!! He kicked the woman in the gut as she tried to crawl along the floor. Repeated sounds of dull impacts rang out. He kicked her 5 times, 10 times, 15 times, 20 times, and eventually her body suddenly disappeared into the darkness. Accelerator looked over to see a press meant for processing metal. He could see what looked like a cliff. It seemed metal products would be dropped in from a conveyer belt where the press would crush them together. The pit was about 3 meters deep and 10 meters square. A pile of empty cans and steel rods could be seen filling the bottom, so it may have actually been deeper. The woman struggled three meters down. With her injured arms and missing lower jaw, she was quite a pathetic excuse for a human being. But Accelerator felt no pity even while watching her. He glanced over at the corner where objects were brought into the press. Most of the equipment was operated from the control room, but some equipment appeared to be manually operated. A large button could be seen on the wall. And the woman seemed to understand what it was Accelerator was looking at. She seemed to begin begging while looking up towards him. Afhhe... afhehh... farhhheh... Sorry, apologized Accelerator while cutting her off. Do you have any idea who youve made an enemy of? He slammed his palm against the wall to press the giant switch. He did not hesitate in the slightest. The dull, dull noise of the motor reverberated throughout the facility. Now then... Without giving the woman even a parting glance, he let out a hot breath while once more resuming his patrol of the factory. Where has my next prey wandered off to? A smile tore across his face from right to left. Part 9 Ventos attacks destroyed the interior of the family restaurant further and further. It did not take long for her to corner Kamijou. He was bloody and pressing his back against a crumbling wall. Even if he could defend against the direct attacks with Imagine Breaker, he could not stop the fragments of the broken floor and tables. Ultimately, the paths in the narrow restaurant remaining for Kamijou had grown severely limited. Once he was cornered in a single spot, he had no choice but to continue defending with his right hand. Vento did not attack that frequently, but the trajectory of each shot was complex and he could only move after reading what that trajectory would be. His hand was starting to fall behind. In pure destructive power, the attacks were inferior to those of Misaka Mikoto the Railgun. But it was partially due to the terrain that Kamijou was able to handle Mikoto. When he had to fight her, he never wanted to be in a narrow area. He would only confront her in a wide open area in which he could move as he wished and freely run away. Otherwise, she would corner him in no time. However, in this half-destroyed family restaurant... (Theres also the other unconscious people.) Here and there, customers and waiters were lying unconscious after succumbing to some unknown attack. Not only were they threatened by a direct hit from one of Ventos attacks, but the ceiling could fall and crush them all if the building took too much damage. Kamijou was paying more attention to his surroundings than was absolutely necessary. And Vento plainly saw through that. How kind of you. Vento giggled while holding her giant hammer up horizontally. But should you really be worrying about others? Look? She swung the weapon with a careless motion. The chain attached to Ventos tongue flew in a trajectory to the side of Kamijous face. The wind weapon curved to the side slightly. It had intentionally been set to fly just far enough away that Kamijou could not reach it with an outstretched arm. !! Kamijou leaped with all his strength and repelled it with his right hand just before it struck one of the customers. Vento now fired a wind weapon in the opposite direction. Kamijou was forced to throw his body around like he was practicing for receives in volleyball. Shots were fired one after another at the surrounding customers and occasionally one would actually fly directly at Kamijou himself. The unreasonable demand on his body left him short of breath. The stamina remaining in his body was quickly depleted. Damn you!! Neh heh heh? Why are you getting so upset now? You know what state Academy City is in. If I cared at all about others, I wouldnt have done that in the first place. Shit!! Kamijou could not believe it, but she almost seemed to be saying everything she had done was simply in order to kill him and him alone. But he did not see how that could be the case. It was just too grand a scale for killing a normal high school student. Please realize how valuable you really are, said Vento lightly as she swung the giant hammer through the air once more. My objective is you, Kamijou Touma. Everything else is a bonus. Even that Index Librorum Prohibitorum is trivial compared to you. She said it so readily. You are unmistakably an enemy of the Roman Catholic Church. And we will use any means necessary to kill our enemies. Let me spell it out for you: We are willing to annihilate the entire country of Japan to kill you. ...But given that right hand of yours, my usual pattern is unlikely to be of much use. That is why it seems I need to kill you directly. As she spoke, Vento waved a document she had pulled out as if by sleight of hand. It may have been her orders, but it was too dark to read the document. Kamijou also doubted it would be written in Japanese. As you can see, it is directly signed by the pope himself. You are being targeted by 2 billion people. What? muttered Kamijou in astonishment at what she had said. He was astonished to hear her mention the Roman Catholic Church and to hear her speak of erasing an entire nation from history to get at him. In the past incidents, Kamijou Touma had mostly gotten himself involved in someone elses incident. The last time an incident had actually occurred around him personally was with the Aztec magician on August 31. As Kamijou stared in horror, Vento hid the document once more by sleight of hand. Do you think Im joking? Then Ill open your eyes to the truth by doing something that can never be passed off as a joke. Vento smiled as she brought the hammer up with a wooshing noise. The chain attached to her tongue moved and caused the cross to sway back and forth slightly. What are you-...? I will now kill everyone in this restaurant. Kamijous breath caught in his throat. Vento grinned as she continued speaking. I am doing it because that should be painful for you. I am killing them all for no other reason than that. If I go that far, surely even you will grasp the situation. Stop!! Kamijou ignored the circumstances and ran toward Vento without thinking. She stepped backwards while smiling. As she stepped back, she swung her head around. With the sound of scraping metal, the chain attached to her tongue spiraled around her. If Vento swung the hammer now, a spiral of destruction would appear around her. Ill blast you all to pieces!! roared Vento while moving her right hand. A great roar rang out. The stench of iron filled the dark ruins of the family restaurant. Part 10 Sounds of shallow breathing could be heard in the darkness of the sweltering factory. Vera of Hound Dog was hiding behind cover. No one would have imagined that a woman like her would fall to these depths. She was a bright, sociable person who never failed when measuring the distance between herself and others. She always performed flawlessly in both intellectual and physical tasks. That was the sort of person she was. She had her own circumstances for being here, but even when others showed interest in what those might be, she had the verbal skills to adroitly turn the conversation elsewhere. As she possessed a fair amount of good sense for someone in the collection of trash that was Hound Dog, Vera tried to cooperate with the others. In a group in which everyone showed contempt for everyone else, those attempts stood out, but Vera still wished to build at least some trust with her comrades. However... (The radio is too noisy.) Screams and cries for help were constantly streaming from her radio, but Veras response was nothing but annoyance. She had no way of knowing which were real and which were traps. Caines had set off on his own saying he would rescue their comrades, but Vera had been unable to contact him since. Responding to the cries for help was simply too dangerous. Vera could not trust anyone. The bonds she had slowly attempted to build up had all crumbled away here. Uuh... groaned Vera. Her best bet was to leave the facility for a fresh start. Rod had said over the radio that the exits were booby trapped, but that sort of warning was suspicious. Had that actually been Rod? She needed to leave even if it was a bit risky. She would leave behind her comrades if necessary. That was the only way to avoid complete annihilation. (This is horrible... This day could not get any worse...) Vera began searching for an exit on unsteady legs. She had lost her will to fight. The tension inside her was so great that her focus and thoughts had completely cut out. And then she realized something. (The radio...) The radio had been so noisy before, but now it was emitting nothing but a steady sound of static. She had avoided saying anything into the radio before so as not to further confuse matters, but a sudden sense of hopelessness filled her. Vera switched on the radio and brought it close to her lips. This is Vera. Repeat, this is Vera. What is your situation? Over. No response came. Sweat poured from her skin. Had everyone assumed her transmission was a fake? Or had the worst possible scenario happened? Had everyone else fallen prey to Accelerator? (No, theres another option.) Vera thought up another possibility as she searched for a mental escape route. (Maybe all the other survivors have evacuated outside like Im trying to do. The factory walls are thick, so they would cut off most of the signal. If theyre all outside, my signal might not reach them.) That would mean Vera had been abandoned by her comrades, but it was still the better option. At the very least, it was better than if her comrades had been annihilated within this trash processing facility. (Thats right. Hound Dog wouldnt be taken out so easily. Accelerator is using the darkness to his advantage, but he needs complete darkness for it to work. Under the moonlight, we can distinguish between friend and foe without our radios. We can handle this more efficiently outside.) And that meant she needed to head outside to safety. After making up her mind, Vera searched for the exit with more strength in her stride. She still had hope. Once they regrouped, they had no reason to be afraid of Accelerator. But it was due to that very hope that Veras thoughts reversed directions and plunged into terror the instant she saw her colleague being crushed by the press. Technically, Vera did not directly see the familiar face of her colleague. What she saw was a piece of equipment meant to crush steel parts into a single mass. It existed in a pit extending about 3 meters deep into the ground. It was about 10 meters across. The thick metal plate that did the crushing was pressing down into the pit. And yet she could hear cries coming from beyond the metal plate. (Nancy!!) It was due to the slight camaraderie she had built up that Vera was able to tell who the voice belonged to. Meanwhile, she could hear a crunching sound as the thick metal plate slowly continued downwards. W-wahh! Waaaahhhhhhh!! She slammed her palm against a button on the wall while in a state of almost complete panic. With a loud metallic noise, the press finally stopped moving. The cries from below continued. A flesh-and-blood human could never withstand the pressure from that metal plate. It was likely due to the pile of metal parts covering the floor below the press that Nancy was still alive. Her body had sunk into the pile of metal parts like a cushion. Nevertheless, she was certainly dying. Dying more quickly might have made the experience less painful for her. Vera pressed a different button on the wall and the metal plate rose back up. That might be enough to save Nancy. But... The button was covered in something sticky. It was a dark liquid similar to what could be found on a trash can next to a vending machine. She had been forced to touch the stain in order to press the button. Even though the stain was made up of human flesh and blood. A small piece of flesh with crushed bone and skin inside was stuck to it. ...Ah? It felt like the string supporting her consciousness had snapped. She could have sworn she literally heard the small sound of it snapping. Gah!? Gyahh!! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Vera rushed backwards while shouting out so loudly she thought her throat would tear apart. She could not stay there any longer. She could feel what she had built up come crumbling down. She felt as if a single drop of water falling on her skin would make her die of shock. While in that state, she tripped over something and landed on her ass in something wet. She looked down and found a handful-sized piece of flabby flesh. It was smashed almost beyond recognition, but it could only be a humans lower jaw. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! She shook it off and began to run away. But as her gaze raced randomly around, she met another colleague. But it was unclear whether it was right to say she met him. His body was held in place by thick wires and had been boiled by the high temperature steam spewing from a severed pipe, so that really may not have been the best word. Vera vomited. The mask covering her face prevented it from leaking out. The viscous liquid gushed from her mouth and nose, but Vera showed no sign of being bothered by the discomfort. She had bigger things to worry about. W-waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh... Her voice grew weaker and weaker as it stretched out longer and longer. Vera looked down at her silent radio. She knew the truth now. The meaning of the silence had been simple. There was no plan. They were not retreating to regroup. Most likely, not a single one of her colleagues had made it outside. Every single member of Hound Dog had been annihilated by the eerie attractions within the Third Resource Recycling Plant. Their minds had been worn down like hers until they had lost all ability to think properly, and then they had been toyed with as they stood around blankly. Strength left Veras hands. Her radio and submachine gun clanked as they hit the floor. Vera herself dropped to her knees. Who was she fighting? Accelerator had never used weapons before. He had never given a single thought about the terrain. He had simply charged forward while plowing through any obstacle with his powers. And so they had assumed he would be an easy opponent while his powers were restricted so long as they had a plan. But it was too late now. He was using weapons. He was using the building. He was reading their mental state and thinking up the most effective means of throwing their minds into disarray. Instead of simply charging at them in anger, he would even choose to not kill an opponent if that would apply the greatest psychological damage. The most frightening thing was how quickly he had grown mentally. He was no longer a child who simply relied on his powers. He could now use everything at his disposal to kill. Accelerator was enough of a threat now, but he would likely accelerate even further in the future. He would grow to the point that he could defeat the entire world and no one could hope to oppose him. Vera felt such terror that her senses grew numb. He had robbed her of even the ability to feel fear. He was a monster. And Hound Dog had foolishly aided in breaking open the egg to let him hatch. Vera heard a quiet footstep from directly behind her. She did not turn around. Instead, she gave a slight smile with her head hanging limply down. Part 11 A wet sound could be heard within the dark family restaurant. It was the sound of blood dripping to the floor. The scene before his eyes caused Kamijou Touma to freeze in place with his fist still raised in preparation. This was most certainly fresh blood. He stared blankly at the point from which the splattering of red had come. He stared at Ventos mouth that had been shouting triumphantly not long before. Gh... She was doubled over with a hand held to her mouth. She gave small repeated coughs and a heavy and slimy liquid flowed from the gaps in her fingers each time. Ghah...Ahh... She took a few wobbling steps backwards. The confidence from before was gone. This did not appear to be a ruse. She truly appeared to be suffering. (What...?) Vento suddenly coughing up blood had cut off Kamijous thoughts as if cold water had been dumped on him. (Is this a side effect of her magic? Thats too bad for her, but this might be my chance.) He came back to his senses. He was a bit hesitant to raise his fist against someone who was suffering, but this was no time to be idealistic. If he did not defeat her when he had the chance, she would likely cause even more sacrifices just for fun. Kamijou gritted his teeth, prepared his resolve, and clenched his right fist. Gwaaaahhh!! But before he could act, Vento spun around and swung her barbed wire-wrapped hammer in the wrong direction. It scraped along the chain in her tongue and sparks flew. Her carefree mood from before was gone. These were similar to the confused and violent actions of a drunk in a fistfight. With a heavy sound of destruction, a large hole opened in the wall. Vento ran towards it. She fired two or three attacks to keep Kamijou from pursuing before rushing out of the building. ... Kamijou was unsure whether he should pursue her or be thankful she had left and he was still alive. (What was that?) Even after leaving the building, Vento did not try to destroy the entire restaurant with Kamijou inside. He doubted she would restrain herself out of concern for the others inside. She likely had her hands full with whatever it was that had come over her, so she had been unable to think about anything else. Kamijou mentally went over this new problem that had presented itself: Gods Right Seat. Vento of the Front. And the Roman Catholic Church. Part 12 Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari were in Judgments 177th Branch Office. It had a fancy name, but it was nothing more than a room in Uiharus middle school. A number of desks were lined up, but they were not the ones made of plywood and metal pipes usually seen in classrooms. The area looked more like an office. Work computers were lined up on the desks, but that delicate equipment was being ignored in favor of a potato chip bag on one desk. Uiharu Kazari was rummaging through a plastic bag with both hands. Shirai-saaan. Do you want the chukadon or the fish bento for dinner? I dont care about that!! Eh? Then I will take the chukadon. I will eat the chukadon! Uuh... Right now, onee-sama is walking through the city at night with that rotten ape... Gwaaaahhhhhh!! The twintailed girl slammed her hands against the desk. Only their two voices could be heard in the room. The room was equipped with a large radio, but it remained silent. Normally, Judgments work ended when the curfew arrived because their primary mission was to handle disputes within the school. It was unusual for students to remain in the office this late. And one of those girls working late, Uiharu Kazari, pulled out her cell phone and said, Oh, its time for the variety show I always watch! Do your work, Uiharu!! You are not one to talk, Shirai-san. And I can work while I watch TV. Her phone would have had TV functionality, but Uiharu must have really liked that variety show. She went out of her way to turn on the large television in the room. Hmph!! Shirai swiped the remote in annoyance and changed the channel randomly. It ended up on an uninteresting news program. Dahh! What are you doing, Shirai-san!! shouted Uiharu as the two girls began fighting over the remote control. The woman on the TV who was a cross between an announcer and a performer read her script. Next up is, lets see...news about A-Academy City. Hm? Shirai and Uiharu stopped struggling and looked towards the TV. That station was a national station located outside Academy City. Information about Academy City did not often make it to a station located outside. That may have been why the announcer seemed confused. Currently, Academy City is experiencing an uproar over an intruder. This has led to spreading damage within the city. We have footage of the scene. Issako-san? The image changed. It was a grainy shot taken from a great distance. The camera was likely outside of Academy City. A woman wearing yellow could be indistinctly seen walking along a road as the rain fell. The woman had an unsteady gait and shoved collapsed people out of the way with her feet. She was sticking her tongue out and a long chain attached to it swayed back and forth. Before the reporter on the scene could say anything, the camera wobbled. After the sound of some sort of impact, the screen was filled with gray static. The studio announcer called out a name a few times, but received no response. It was unclear if the reporter was there or not. The footage of the studio quickly returned. It was the perfect timing to just barely prevent a broadcasting accident. W-was that the intruder? asked the announcer. The commentator sitting next to her replied in a calm voice. Given the level of Academy Citys defenses, it is highly unlikely this is the work of some pervert who is simply after the children. I see. It may be a terrorist attack against perceived science worship or someone after their cutting edge technology. I am sure our viewers are most concerned about the safety of the children. Will this affect that? Of course. The commentator shook his head in a theatrical sign of disapproval. They have gotten the children wrapped up in the adults issues. This is even worse than a simple attacker on the street. Honestly, who is that woman in the footage? People will occasionally neglect the lives of children, but letting ridiculous social nonconformists like that run free is-... A thud was then heard. It was the sound of the commentators forehead hitting the table as he suddenly collapsed forward. ? Shirai frowned. She thought it was part of a performance, but then the commentators body shifted to the side and collapsed below the table. The announcer screamed, the camera shook, and some lightly dressed youths who appeared to be ADs dashed into the studio. A deep voice of someone not shown on camera shouted several instructions and a commercial started playing. Some form of trouble had clearly occurred. As a female star known for her small face was shown being deeply moved by how wonderful a face washing foam was, Uiharu turned toward Shirai. Have we received a report about that footage? I have been dealing with handwritten paperwork all day, so I did not notice. If this intruder really did defeat Anti-Skill alone, she must be quite dangerous. How did someone so creepy get in? Judgment is rarely called for activities outside of the schools during the day, much less at night. If the situation is bad enough, Anti-Skill will request our help. We need to focus on this paperwork until-... ... Uiharu Kazari did not reply to Shirais words. Her body leaned backwards unsteadily and then she collapsed onto the floor without providing any resistance. Shirai heard a surprisingly loud thud after which Uiharu showed no sign of moving. Shirai ran over to Uiharu in shock. Uiharu!! She called Uiharus name in her ear and slapped her cheek, but received no response. Shirai still had no idea what was happening when she heard a voice from the TV. The commercials were over, but the news program did not return. The screen only displayed scrolling text saying Please wait a moment. Part 13 Accelerator had cleaned up most of the Hound Dogs. He did not know their exact numbers, so he had to watch out for an ambush, but his instincts told him the battle was already over. He would have respected any surviving Hound Dogs if they were able to fake that atmosphere, but he knew they did not have the presence of mind left to do so. Everything Accelerator had done, from the timing of his gimmicks to the intervals of silence, had been thoroughly calculated out based on the physiology of the brain to function as a program that brought them into a state of panic. This was not a level of fear that could be overcome with guts. He had pounded the feeling into them down to the level of the brains signals. None of them would be able to fight properly. No human that was not completely insane could escape this attack. All they would be able to manage would be crying out and flailing their arms and legs around. Accelerator opened the lid to the bottle of cleaning agent he had found in the facility. He poured the clear liquid over his head and tossed the empty bottle aside. (After going this far, Kihara will definitely take action. If Im lucky, that bastard will get scared when he hears this. Hell receive word of this in a few minutes. What do I need to do before that?) Accelerators goal was to rescue Last Order. But he did not know where she was as she continued to flee (or even if she was still fleeing). He could locate her if he could contact her via cell phone, but he doubted he could rely on that. In that case, the best way of saving Last Order was to focus on interfering with Kihara and his Hound Dogs. He would keep their focus on him. He could never win if he did not make sure they felt the need to do something about him before taking Last Order. And the closer he came to accomplishing that, the more danger he would be in. (That doesnt matter.) He headed for the facilitys exit while using the shotgun as a cane. He could have tortured the Hound Dogs for information, but Accelerator had avoided that method. He could not use his powers in this facility and he could not carry an adult outside while using his cane. He had only won so far due to following a strategy. Even if his enemies were injured, he could not let his guard down. Right now, a single bullet could kill him. If he screwed up here and let the Hound Dogs turn the situation around, no one would remain to save Last Order. Accelerator thought about what he should do next. (I guess I should check that Hound Dog van again. I doubt Ill be able to find their hideout, but I need to know a general location to crush the other team.) But then his thoughts were cut off. He had spotted blood on the floor. Accelerator frowned slightly at that dotted trail of red stains. He had guided the enemies, filled them with fear, and crushed them one by one all according to his calculations, but he did not recall using this route. Someone was still alive. ... From what he could see of the bloody trail, the enemys gait had been shaky and their focus had been all over the place. They had been in such a panic that anything and everything had frightened them. Accelerators psychological manipulation had been in effect. (Or are they just making it look that way to lure me in?) Accelerator slowly followed the trail of blood with his cane. It led to a small emergency exit. A green light was installed above the metal door. A box protected by tempered glass was installed next to the door. The glass had been broken and the lever inside had been pulled. Someone had unlocked the door and left the building. Accelerator leaned up against the wall next to the door and reached out a hand to touch the doorknob. The cane irritated him at times like this. If he could use both hands, he could have had his other hand on the switch for his choker-style electrode. He might lose control of his powers in here, but he would have to use them if it came down to it. He slowly turned the doorknob. He pushed the door as silently as possible. ... Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At the very least, it did not seem a bomb had been set up. After making sure of that, Accelerator pushed the metal door open wide. It had begun pouring rain at some point and the raindrops struck his entire body. After hiding in that stuffy facility, it was a pleasant stimulation. However... There you are... He was not smiling. Accelerator stood on the second floor. If he climbed down the steel emergency staircase and ran across the asphalt for about 20 meters, he would find a chain-link fence signifying the end of the facilitys grounds. He could see someone climbing that fence. The person was dressed all in black, so they were clearly a Hound Dog member. And a car was parked just outside the fence. It was obvious where this man in black was headed. He thought the car was Hound Dog reinforcements, but it was not. It was the type of car Anti-Skill used for its official patrols. (Why?) It was not right for Anti-Skill to be showing up here. This was a battle between two sides of the darkness; normal people should have no place in it. .................................................................................................................................................................................... A thin, thin sigh escaped Accelerators lips. He had no words. In his silence, he could hear the man in black shouting. Despite the pouring rain and the distance of 20 meters, the man was shouting loud of enough for Accelerator to hear it clearly. Hey! Is there someone in there!? H-help me! Help me! Anti-Skill is supposed to protect the people of this city, right!? Then protect me! Its him! He did all of this! Ha ha! What now!? Im safe now. Ive escaped you grasp!! Accelerator felt like he was hearing static. (Ive lived in the underside of this city for so long, yet Ive never heard such pathetic bullshit!!!!) No matter how much you struggle, its over for you! I have Anti-Skill on my side. If you think you can do something to me, just try it!! If you attack Anti-Skill, youll get an official wanted status!! Your days with that damn brat you wanted to protect so much are over now too! Youll be thrown back into a cold research lab and play the role of guinea pig for the rest of your life!! Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha!! An intense power built up in the hand holding the shotgun. His head felt like it was going to burst. The electrode battery, the need to preserve the remaining seven minutes, and the trouble he would have with Kihara Amata if he used it up were all blown clean out of his mind. Accelerators hand moved up to his neck. It moved up to the electrodes switch. He did not hesitate. He had to make a bloodbath out of that piece of shit. That was all that remained in his mind. Part 14 Saigou Ryouta and Sugiyama Edao of Anti-Skill were lucky. They had carelessly been asleep while most of the citys law enforcement was taken out, so they had not suffered the same comatose state the other members had. When no one had responded to their in-car radio, they had assumed it was nothing more than mechanical trouble. For better or for worse, they had been left out of the loop. And they were lucky once more. Saigou had left the drivers seat and Sugiyama had left the passenger seat and walked over to help the bloody man climbing the fence. What they heard first was a great roar. It was a bestial roar coming from a human being. The second wave arrived before Saigou and Sugiyama could determine what was causing that roar of rage. The second wave took the form of a thick metal door. The metal door flew at horrific speed while rotating vertically. It came so close that it almost grazed across Saigou and Sugiyamas skin and then slammed into the center of the parked Anti-Skill patrol vehicle like a gigantic circular saw. Sparks flew and the vehicle was bent into an L-shape. It was as if that completely normal vehicle had suddenly been struck from the side by an artillery shell. The back half of the vehicle stayed the same while the front half was smashed up and bent directly to the side. The vehicle did not even slide to the side. The blow contained such force that the area struck by the shell opened up like a blooming flower of destroyed metal. The metal door that destroyed the vehicle had enough momentum to continue on. Only after smashing the asphalt to pieces did it finally come to a stop. The gasoline pipe that had been torn apart touched an electric cable that had been disconnected. A small spark formed. And that was all it took. After that single blow from the side, the vehicle exploded. Flames and smoke were scattered around the area. Wh-what the hell!? shouted Saigou with his vision completely cut off by the smoke. The metal door had flown at such high speed that Saigou was not sure what had caused the vehicle to explode. However, the fact that he had not seen anything happen only furthered his panic. He could not see his colleague who was supposedly right next to him. And then... Gyaahhh!? S-stop!! shouted an unfamiliar male voice. And before Saigou could realize it belonged to the man in black he had tried to help... Wait! Please wait, Accelerator! No, no! This isnt right!! Anti-Skill! Wh-wh-where are you!? Help! Hel-byah! Byah gwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!? Saigou heard a sound reminiscent of a tough wiener being bitten into. Sensing danger, Saigou grabbed his handgun from his waist, but he could not move any further. The smoke was so bad he could not see anything around him. Shooting blindly posed a risk of hitting his colleague Sugiyama or the man he was supposed to protect. He could not tell what was happening beyond the smoke or if it was being caused by a human or a wild beast. He could not imagine where he should aim or what he should shoot at to resolve the situation. F-freeze! Dont move! Get away from him!! Despite not being able to see anything, Saigou aimed his gun randomly and shouted out. He thought he heard a laugh come from very close by. It was not a loud laugh. It sounded more like something that had slipped out while the person had their mouth covered. Several dull noises continued afterwards. After about 10 seconds, the screams died out. In the end, Saigou had been unable to move. There were some things one was better off not seeing. He could instinctually tell he had been lucky to have the smoke cutting off his vision. The pouring rain put out the fire of the exploded vehicle. Once that happened, the smoke finally dissipated. Saigous colleague Sugiyama had fallen to a sitting position on the ground. His mouth was flapping open and closed, but no words escaped his lips. His face was horribly pale and he was pointing a trembling finger at the ground. Saigou looked where he was pointing. The man they had been trying to help was not there. No matter where he looked, the man could not be found. But in the spot Sugiyama was pointing to... Saigou saw a small bloodstain and two big toes that had been torn from human feet. Between the lines 7 Many different areas existed on the outer circumference of Academy City. The city possessed the1/3 of the area of the Tokyo Metropolis. The scenery and characteristics of the areas it bordered could change greatly depending on whether it was Eastern Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, or Yamanashi. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was running through an area that was halfway between an urban area and a forested area. Several large abandoned factories had been overgrown by a thick forest of coniferous trees. Extremely fertile weeds and ivies had grown all over the concrete walls and mercilessly remade the manmade structures into a portion of nature. Tsuchimikado Motoharu suddenly skidded to a stop within one of those buildings. It may have originally been a bus maintenance building for a transportation company. The concrete space was a bit smaller than a school gym. All valuable equipment had been removed so nothing but useless rusted hunks of metal remained. That made the building feel completely empty, but walkways that were nothing more than steel scaffolding still remained on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The floors of the upper passageways were made of a metal mesh, so holes had opened in places where the rust had grown too bad. About half of the roof had collapsed and the rain was mercilessly pouring in. One entire wall had been made up of a giant metal shutter, but it too had rusted and fallen away. (This is it.) He was looking at a single wooden stake sticking up from the floor. It was gigantic. It had a diameter of fifteen centimeters and was over three meters long. The point that was roughly sharpened like a pencil was sticking straight up. Countless raindrops fell on it and flowed down the surface of the stake like it was bleeding. It was a magical item. It was likely made of windmill palm wood. What a surreal sight. As soon as the edges of Tsuchimikados mouth twisted up in a smile, identical three meter stakes shot forcefully out of the side of the original one 360 degrees around it. It was no longer a wooden stakes; it was a stake tree. After Tsuchimikado back stepped out of the way of the tips of those stakes, stakes began growing one after another from the floor, the walkways on the second floor, and the piles of rusted equipment. They all tried to stab into Tsuchimikado. He continued to back step on a path reminiscent of an undulating eel. Someone must have realized the stakes were not going to reach him because a few of them exploded from within. With a great roar, hundreds of fragments flew toward Tsuchimikado. By sometimes crouching down and sometimes hiding behind machinery, Tsuchimikado managed to avoid it all. In just a few seconds, the area had transformed into an execution ground covered by thousands of stakes. Those giant pencils had grown over everything. (I see. So they were planning to attack Academy City like this. All of the unmoving people would have been skewered.) Dont underestimate us, spat out Tsuchimikado as he darted about the area and thought. The enemy could likely grow the stakes outside this maintenance building as well. (Was I being led into here as a trap? ...No. This is too large scale for that. I probably just so happened to run right into the center of it.) Windmill palm was a wood that represented blessings. Using that characteristic, it was possible to give it the ability to slip past defenses that would otherwise hold it back or repel it. If Tsuchimikado had carelessly used defensive magic, the attack would have been recognized as a blessing and easily passed through his defenses. He would have been skewered from every angle. He was surprised they had been able to prepare thousands of those spears, but... Heh. Youre trying to trick me with these overwhelming numbers. As soon as Tsuchimikado said that, the explosive appearance of the stakes suddenly stopped. A white figure appeared from supposedly empty darkness. It was like seeing the exit of a tunnel. The spell user seemed like the single missing puzzle piece of the darkness. Because he alone was glowing, twelve shadows spread out from his feet at even intervals around him. It looked like an analog clock. The shadows may have been the key to activating the magic because each of them was continually growing and contracting according to some kind of instructions. ... Tsuchimikado took a step forward, but he grew no closer. The man had shown no sign of moving, but he somehow kept his distance. It was as if he was saying Tsuchimikado would never make it any closer. (Not good...) On top of it all, he sensed more than one presence He sensed several people both inside and outside the building. It was a few dozen people all told and it was possible similar groups were deployed to other spots around the outer circumference of Academy City. Tsuchimikado calmly spoke to his silent enemy. Three indicates the heavens, four indicates the earth, and twelve indicates the world. You did not have to prepare all of these stakes. By giving meaning to a certain number, you are able to work in units of vast amounts. Basically, if Tsuchimikado found the seven stakes acting as the core of the spell, he could seal his enemys magic by destroying one of them. He had to find the main seven among all of these. He had to find them amid the thousands that existed and the many more that were sure to come. Tsuchimikado grinned and said, Its a nice spell...but it is not Christian. This is the theory of the Pythagorean Order from BC Greece. Since when did you accept the world before the birth of the Son of God? His words must have angered his enemy. The vague figure roared. A tremendous noise burst out as the wooden stakes exploded and the entire maintenance building shook. Rust fell from the walkways on the second and third floors and the half-collapsed ceiling. Power filled those falling rust fragments and new stakes grew from them to attack Tsuchimikado from every direction. The wooden stakes sealed up all space in every direction. They crashed into each other and destroyed each other. However, Tsuchimikado was no longer there. He was standing on a steel third floor walkway at the top of the maintenance building. Cold, inhuman eyes locked on to him from far below. The countless stakes filling the concrete floor exploded from within, one after another. The fragments shot toward him like antiaircraft fire. Tsuchimikado jumped along the walkway that had holes rusted in it at places. As soon as he passed over a point on the walkway, it would shatter, break, and collapse. Red blood slowly trailed from the corner of Tsuchimikados mouth. This was not due to the magical attack. He had used magic to jump to the third floor walkway. He was both an esper and a magician. And when an esper used magic, a rejection reaction damaged the espers body. (Tch. I gain nothing from extending this battle.) He wiped away the blood as he thought. He could feel no sense of distance with that figure. It was as if he was being chased by an afterimage burned in his eyes. The more he approached it, the more it would move away. The more he moved away, the more it would approach. That was the slippery type of existence this was. While this was not enough to say directly defeating this enemy would be impossible, it was going to take some doing. If he was going to stick around, it would be best to destroy the stake spell first. He could take his time on this enemy once he could not use his weapon. Such a shame. As the rusty walkway was smashed to pieces, Tsuchimikado jumped over one of the holes in it and ran toward a specific spot. Id rather not destroy a spell as delicately put together as this!! He was heading for a single wooden stake that stood buried beneath countless other stakes. It was one of the seven core stakes that controlled all the others. It was the spells weak point. Volume 13, 8: God’s Right Seat and the Imaginary Number School District. Fuse=KAZAKIRI. Volume 13, Chapter 8: God''s Right Seat and the Imaginary Number School District. Fuse=KAZAKIRI. Part 1 Aiho!! Yoshikawa Kikyou finally found her old friend amid the pouring rain. The entire area was eerily silent. Yomikawa was leaning limply against the steering wheel of a domestic sports car parked on the side of the road. Her position had to be putting pressure on her chest which would make it hard to breathe. Even so, she was not stirring in the slightest. She was obviously unconscious. Yoshikawa tried the drivers side door and found it was unlocked. As soon as she opened the metal door, Yomikawas upper body swayed and she slid sideways out of the car. ! Yoshikawa somehow managed to catch her and push her back into the seat. (What happened?) She brought her palm to Yomikawas mouth to see if she was breathing and brought a hand to her neck to check for a pulse. Yomikawa seemed to be alive, but she also showed no sign of coming to. She did not seem to simply be sleeping. ... Yoshikawa ignored the rain and looked around the vicinity of the car. The car was parked on a large road, but the type of alley in which delinquent boys liked to gather was located not far away. Yoshikawa first thought Yomikawa may have been attacked by delinquents, but Yomikawa had no obvious injuries. Even another woman could tell Yomikawa Aiho was beautiful. And she was a member of Anti-Skill on top of that. If she had been attacked, her state would have been too horrible to imagine. The car would have also been disassembled so the delinquents could sell the parts for money. (So was it someone else?) Yoshikawa frowned. If it had not been delinquents, who exactly had done this to Yomikawa? (For now, I need to get her to a hospital. No, taking her to that clinic right over there would be faster than calling an ambulance!) As Yoshikawa tried to make up her mind, she heard a low grinding noise. It was the sound of the small printer installed along with the in-vehicle radio. It was printing out a postcard-sized piece of paper. Nn... Yoshikawa reached over Yomikawa to grab the paper. And then she froze in place. The paper said the following: Report from Saigou Ryouta of Anti-Skill Branch Office 84 and Suzuyama High School. I have compared the evidence found at the District 5 crime scene with the data in the Bank. This boy who goes by the name of Accelerator is wanted as a suspect in a case of attempted murder. Another piece of paper printed out with the first contained a photo of a familiar face. There was no chance of this being a case of mistaken identity. Part 2 Accelerator stood in a filthy back alley. He had returned to District 7, but this did not put him at ease. A heavy metallic noise rang out amid the sound of rain in the darkness. It was the sound of the lid of a giant dumpster closing after Accelerator disposed of a Hound Dog member who had become nothing more than an old rag. A red liquid trailed down from the gap between the dumpster and its lid. It looked like the drool of a glutton. Accelerator leaned his hands on the waist-high dumpster to support his weight and then relaxed his legs to slide down to sit on the ground. He felt like an oil-soaked puddle was soaking into his clothes and skin. Ha ha. He laughed. He had crushed flesh for the first time in a while. It felt like chugging down a can of a certain brand of coffee after not having that brand for a while. It should have felt good, but it only felt empty. He should have been in an uplifted mood, but he could not get over feeling a sense of resignation. He had drunk it down thinking it was so delicious, yet at some point he had started to wonder if it had really never been any better than this. It was a strange state of mind. He was reminded of something. It was no longer okay for him to kill people. Or rather, he had realized it had never been okay on August 31. That was how great a turning point his meeting with Last Order had been. Accelerator did not want to kill anyone like Last Order. And it was possible for him to feel the same way about others who lived in her world such as Yomikawa and Yoshikawa. It was wrong for those na?ve people who walked along the path of light to fall prey to those who lurked in the darkness like Accelerator. And so he was prepared to fight all on his own to prevent that from happening. At first glance, that may seem to be the thought process of a proper human being. However, there was a hole in his logic. For example, what if some rotten bastards who were nothing like Last Order appeared before him? What if those irredeemable people tried to take away a redeemable person? In that case, Accelerator was freed from the bonds saying he must not kill. He feared having the residents of the world of light falling victim to the residents of the world of darkness. As long as he hated himself as a resident of that world of darkness, he could never accept anyone else from that world either. As such, he would unhesitatingly tear through human flesh if certain conditions were met. He would go nuts until everything he held inside him had been dealt with and nothing but pure white remained. He would do exactly what he had just done. ... Accelerator hung his head down amid the pouring rain. In the end, the change in him had not been enough. The turning point on August 31 had not been enough to wipe away the darkness he was so deeply dyed with. That was not enough. It was lacking something. He needed a few more parts before he could return to being a human. After thinking through that far, he laughed. It was a laugh of resignation that set him free of something. He was ruled by solitude. He had returned to what he had been before meeting Last Order. Ha ha... Accelerator looked up into the night sky with his back leaning against the dumpster. The raindrops struck his body. The clouds were thick. They were so dark that looking at them seemed to darken his heart. (I dont even have 4 minutes left in esper mode...) He double-checked his situation in annoyance. (Anti-Skills after me now. Theyll have scattered my photo all over the city by now. Now I can never return to that world after I defeat Kihara and rescue that brat.) He had already cut away his ties with Last Order. Even if he saved her before any harm came to her, he could not walk along the same path as her. What he needed now was not to work towards walking down her path. He needed the strength to accept the truth before his eyes. He needed the strength to not care and to save her nonetheless. He clicked his tongue. His time with her had not lasted long, but its loss seemed to create a great hole in his chest. However, this was not enough to make his red gaze waver. (Ill accept this. But it changes nothing.) He grabbed the shotgun that had sunk into a puddle. (I will drag that brat out of the darkness. That was my only objective from the beginning, so I just have to cut away any excess meat getting in the way. I can take care of myself. Right now, that damn brats safety comes first.) He unsteadily stood up using that weapon as a cane. Kihara Amata, Hound Dog, Anti-Skill, and anything that might happen after the fact did not matter. He only needed the one objective. Thinking about it that way put his mind at ease. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his back. He felt like he could achieve any goal he put his mind to. He had broken the last chain. Accelerator had regained his position as strongest in exchange for something important, and he now began walking through the rainy street with his cane. He continued on to crush his next target. He continued on to resolve this problem even if it left him fully dyed in the color of blood. He had an idea where his prey was. Part 3 The entire facility is clear. Theres no one here. Dennis, a Hound Dog member, reported the information he had gathered over the radio to the standby team. I see, was all the response he received from his colleagues. They were in a hospital. Specifically, they were in the large reception lobby on the first floor. One wall was made of glass to take in the most light, but it was night and all the overhead lights were off. The pitch black hospital was quite eerie. The 14 of them had been ordered to deal with Orson, the former Hound Dog member who had run off. They were also to silence the white nun who had become a witness. They had been told to set up explosives to blow up the entire hospital if need be. Dennis continued with his report. A used smoke bomb was found in a third floor passageway. It had not been long since it was used. The report said a terrorist attack was possible and it was possible someone dangerous was still hiding inside, so all staff and patients were temporarily evacuated, replied Mike, a colleague who was using a handheld computer to receive another report. Dennis removed his radio from his ear and said, So they noticed. Looks that way, said Mike disinterestedly. Personally, I feel like this is better. But what if some of the patients need the equipment here in the hospital? They probably used hospital vehicles, said Mike offhandedly. Theyre special ambulances just under 30 meters long and about the size of a tour bus. They can move quickly to a scene and surgery can be performed onboard. Ive never heard of those. Of course you havent. They failed because their size prevented them from making the turns needed to arrive at a lot of scenes. They may have succeeded somewhere other than Japan. Or maybe they could have created a convoy of smaller ambulances like a naval armada. Youre saying something like that was at this hospital? It has an underground parking garage. It wouldnt surprise me if this hospital had about 10 of those things. The bedridden patients would be loaded onto them while those that could walk would be evacuated like normal, said Mike as he turned off his handheld computer. Its been a while since communications cut off from the Accelerator suppression team. So they were taken out. We need to send some men to pursue him, so we dont have time to rest here. Lets withdraw. If the hospital had everyone flee in such an organized fashion, theyll have eliminated anything that would indicate their destination. Kihara-san will not like that. He wont like it any more if we stay here longer and still come back saying we found nothing. This is an issue of priorities. First we eliminate Accelerator and then we can hunt down the people from the hospital. If we cover our failure with a success, even his anger will soften somewhat. At the very least, we wont be punished. Have everyone gather here, said Mike in a flat voice. Just as Dennis was going to switch on his radio to do so, something happened. A phone started to ring. ... ... Dennis and Mike turned around at the same moment. The sound was coming from the reception counter. That one specific phone was ringing as if someone knew exactly where they were. Could this be a trap? I cant detect any wires or infrared beams. Hearing that, Mike climbed over the counter while paying careful attention to his surroundings. After staring at the red blinking light indicating an incoming call, he picked up the receiver. You certainly took your time, said a lighthearted voice. Mike frowned. If he had not been wearing that black mask, a displeased expression would have been visible. He recognized the voice of the doctor on the other side of the phone. He had once had his life saved by that doctor. Heaven Canceler... Speaking with a patient after they leave the hospital is one of the great joys of a doctor, but I do not have much time. I hope you do not mind if I keep this short. It seemed the doctor was aware who he was. He likely never forgot the faces or voices of any patient of his. (How is he watching us?) They had knocked all of the facilitys security features before going in, but some other security must have been functioning since that frog-face had been able to contact Mike so perfectly. This is bold of you. When hiding, the general idea is to remain silent without making any sort of provocation. Do you want us to track you down with this call? I am not a child who would fail in something so basic. Also, there is something I must do even if it requires some risk. Something you must do? I am an ally to my patients. Even if you are the sort of person who would start a deadly battle around sick patients who cannot move from their beds, I must save you if your life will be taken. What your doctor tells you is important, so please listen to me, said the doctor smoothly. However, his words contained some slight thorns. Leave Kihara and run away. If you do not, your life is in danger. Are you serious? You will be crushed by Accelerator. By that coward? You seem to be mistaken about something. The doctor was not moved. Accelerator is not on the side of good. He is not white. He may have gained some slight light and obtained a bit of the white of good, but deep down, he is still carries the black of evil. Until now...well, I suppose he was a gray that was infinitely close to black. He is a dangerous and unstable existence that could fall to either side. ... Do you understand? You are the ones who dyed him black once more after he had finally obtained that slight bit of white. And therefore, he will not hold back. I am not talking about mercy; I am saying he will not hold back. He will continue dyeing everything with blood so that he can protect that small light from being enveloped by the darkness. You must not meet Accelerator. That is all I have to say to my patient. I repeat: you must not meet Accelerator. He is no longer who you think he is. Such nonsense. I see. It is a shame I could not get through to you, said the doctor. And then he added, By the way, who do you think it was that told us of the coming danger? What? Mike frowned as a horrible feeling sank into his chest. (Dont tell me it was him...) And then another thought hit him. If it had been him that told the hospital of the danger, he would be able to guess that Hound Dog would come there. Mike used hand motions to tell Dennis to have the team stay on their guard, but the doctor said one last thing before he could. Do not die. As long as you do not, I will save you. Gyaaaahhhhh!! A scream that seemed to shake the entire building exploded from the ceiling. Gunshots rang out from here and there in the building, but those sources of noise fell silent one by one as if someone was snuffing out each one. Something was approaching. Mike threw down the receiver and grabbed his submachine gun while Dennis did the same. They hid behind cover, focused their eyes on the darkness, and worked to gather as much information as possible. And... Fear appeared before their eyes. The Hound Dog team to which Dennis and Mike belonged was annihilated in about 10 minutes. Part 4 Vento walked along a rainy street. (Shit...) Her movements were slow. She held a hand to her mouth and thick blood leaked through the gaps in her fingers. Her back would occasionally jerk just before she coughed a red clump to the ground. (What is this? Is this some sort of attack? Damn you. I was so close to killing my target.) An artificial light illuminated her. That light was moving. A large screen was installed on one wall of a department store. It was displaying the news. The announcers frantic voice reached Ventos ears. It seemed to be a public broadcast. Um, currently reports of people suddenly losing consciousness are coming in from all over the country. The police are hurrying to identify the cause, but... Gah... The pain and chill deep in her body prevented her from focusing on that news. Even so, she moved her bloody lips to speak. So its spread there too. Designating a target for my attack is not easy. But I only needed... to suppress Academy City... Reports of the same symptoms are coming in from some areas overseas as well. This has begun to have an effect on the schedules of airports, railroads, and ships. Sigh... Vento let out a deep breath before saying, I hope there are no victims in the Vatican. Her tone made it clear she did not care all that much. The chaos on the news continued, but the show had its own schedule to follow. A different reporter came on and read from the next script. Now for economic news. The Fall Sweets Fair has begun at Parallel Sweets Park where different sweets are gathered from around the world. When the park opens... ... Ventos eyes rolled over to look at the large screen. In the week after the fair opens, over 200 thousand gusts are expected to visit the park. Small- and mid-sized businesses plan to help with the production of the goods, so this will affect the economy of the entire area and-... With a great roar, sparks flew and the screen was destroyed. Vento brought her hammer back up onto her shoulder. She began walking down the rainy street once more. Part 5 Kamijou dragged the unconscious customers and workers out into the rain from the family restaurant that looked like it could collapse at any moment. He wanted to ensure they were not crushed when it did. Next, he began treating the injured. Only the men in black had had any limbs blown off. He forcefully tied off the wounds with rope to stop the bleeding. His feelings must not have caught up with him yet because he did not panic even when looking at those wounds. That actually scared him more. He then called an ambulance, but he guessed they had about a 50/50 chance of reaching the hospital given the state of the city. (Oh, right. I have to find Last Order...) Kamijou looked around, but she was of course not there. He ran through the rain and entered a nearby Anti-Skill station. He had thought that would be the likeliest place she would go for help. However, the station was completely silent and he found only an Anti-Skill man collapsed forward on a table. The situation was the same as the restaurant. Kamijou went around to two or three more distant stations, but they were the same. They would not have been safe. But then where had Last Order run off to? Time passed as he was running around searching. He then remembered what was in his pocket. It was a cute cell phone with a childish design. Last Order had dropped it when she ran from the family restaurant. She could not contact anyone without it. (Shes being targeted by those men in black and that Roman Catholic woman named Vento... I cant waste any more time.) Vento was technically targeting Kamijou, but he doubted she would smile and play nice if Last Order did come across her. She did not seem the type who would be mindful of others just because they were not her actual target. ... Kamijou looked back at Last Orders cell phone. He felt bad doing so, but he turned it on and brought up its address book. Kamijou did not know if Last Order had fled on her own or if she had asked someone she knew for help. But if she had asked for help, he might be able to find her through these addresses. And even if she had not, he needed to inform those she knew of her danger. They could also tell him where Last Order was likely to go. The address book contained very few entries. He did not even need to scroll down to see all of them because there were no more than four. The numbers had been entered with no names. It only contained the blunt default entries of Entry 1, Entry 2, etc. It was possible her guardian had given it to her and she never actually used it herself. Kamijou began calling each number in turn. However, they only continued ringing. No one answered. Ventos strange attack may have spread farther than he thought. The first three returned only silence. If the final entry was the same, this method would be a dead end. He pressed the button with a prayer in his heart. He brought the cell phone to his ear. And the dull ringing noise began playing in his ear as he stood beneath the pouring rain. Part 6 Accelerator glanced around within the dark hospital. His enemy was lying on the ground having trouble breathing through the blood. They had no other guns of the same model as the shotgun he was using as a cane, so he could not replenish the ammunition. He could have picked up a different model of gun, but he chose not to. He did not want his enemy to think he was relying so much on guns. (Now then. Ive crushed two of his teams.) Accelerator muttered under his breath as he stared out a window being struck by large raindrops. (That piece of shit Kihara will have to change his plans now. Defeating me will shoot up on his list of priorities. And that will lower the danger to that damn brat.) At first glance, Accelerator seemed to have an overall advantage, but in reality, he was still in serious trouble. No matter how many normal Hound Dogs he defeated, Kihara might get impatient, but he would not feel fear. After all, Kihara had the special ability to beat down Accelerator barehanded. And on top of that, Accelerator had no hint as to where Kihara Amata or Last Order were. Accelerator could not take any decisive action. He could only wait for his enemy to make a mistake. If they had not yet captured Last Order, Accelerators previous strategies would still be effective. Kihara would change his plan and send more assassins after him. That would, in turn, leave fewer men to pursue Last Order. But if Last Order had already been captured by Kihara, Accelerators efforts would be a waste. Without knowing where Kihara was, he could not race over to rescue her and no mistake would come no matter how long he waited. Their objective was Last Order, not Accelerator. They would not need to do anything more. (Its all or nothing. Theres no common ground here. Fuck, this isnt funny at all.) Accelerator clicked his tongue and looked down at his feet. One of the radios used by Hound Dog was there. He crushed it underfoot in anger. It seemed Kihara knew Accelerator had a radio. No important information had been exchanged by radio for a while. It was no longer any use to him. (But why are they targeting that brat now?) He leaned his back against the wall. (If its for some research, does it have to do with the Sisters? But that bastard Kihara was right about the Sisters not being all that powerful. Kihara was the idiot that developed me. If they really wanted to use espers for military purposes, it wouldve made more sense to use my DNA map or to create a DNA map even better than mine.) When Accelerator had been beaten by Kihara near the entrance to the underground mall, Kihara had said something odd. He had the Radio Noise project had not been meant to create clones for the military. He had said they would have used Accelerators DNA map instead of the Railguns if that had been their intention. (The Radio Noise project and the Level 6 Shift project after it.) Accelerators gaze wandered lazily around the area. (What the hell have that brat and I been involved in?) He felt like he was about to grasp some truth, but his thoughts were cut off before he could. His cell phone suddenly began vibrating. ... Accelerator held his breath and pulled the small communications device out of his pocket. It displayed Last Orders number. He thought. (Is this that brat herself or is it Kihara? Could any two options be more different?) He pressed a button to answer the call. He pressed the cell phone against his ear. Thank goodness! I finally got through! The voice did not belong to Last Order. However, it did not belong to Kihara Amata either. Accelerator thought one of Kiharas subordinates was using the phone, but then... (...This voice?) The voice sounded somehow familiar, but he could not quite place it. The signal was not great and it sounded like this person was outside because he could hear the sounds of rain coming from the speaker. Ive been calling all of the numbers in Last Orders cell phone. Youre the only one that answered. You may not know what is happening, but I need your help. That girl is in danger! It was entirely possible this was a trap. However, Accelerator had no choice but to step into the trap. Whats going on? he asked while focusing his mind to pick up as much information as possible. The voice spoke at length. He explained that he had met Last Order at about the time of the citywide curfew, that she had asked for help because someone she knew had been attacked by a mysterious group, that only unconscious men in black had been there when they went to check, that they had been pursued by more of these men in black, that he had allowed Last Order to escape ahead of him, that he did not know if Last Order was safe, that he could not contact her, and that she needed to be protected as soon as possible because it was unclear if the danger had passed. Hound Dog could easily know what the men in black had done and where Last Order was. The odds of a trap grew even higher. But at the same time... (That does sound like what that brat would do.) Hey, by any chance, are you the one that girl was saying was attacked? Probably. Im glad youre okay. Im worried about Last Order too, so please go hide with her if you find her. The conversation was veering off course, so Accelerator brought it back on track. Where did you part ways with that brat? Fight Street in District 7...Oh, I suppose that doesnt help much. Thats only what we call it. Does this road even have an official name? A slight silence followed. The person may have been searching for a street sign. Found it. Leaf Street on Route 39. Specifically, at a Spanish family restaurant called Olla Podrida. Accelerator knew where that was. It was a lively area with a lot of back alleys away from prying eyes if one moved away from the major roads. Its many connections between the two sides of the city caused a lot of people to be sucked in. Which way did she run? I dont know. The best I could do was have her escape the building. She probably followed the road, but its been a while since we parted ways. To be honest, it seems impossible to even guess where she might have gone. (Dont be so sure.) The curfew had passed, so Academy Citys busses and trains were not running. Even if she tried to hire a taxi, no driver would faithfully stop to pick up a soaking-wet brat who clearly had no money. Last Order would have been forced to walk. And while Accelerator had done it to get her away from Kihara, a lot of her strength had been sapped when she had been thrown into water from a great height. And the pouring rain would not help matters regardless. Even if a good bit of time had passed, Last Order was likely working to regain her strength in a building somewhere. If this person on the phone was telling the truth, Accelerator might actually be able to do something. And even if it was a trap, it could still lead to some new turn of events. Understood. Ill go retrieve her. You throw away that phone and go back to your normal life. What are you saying!? Im obviously going to help!! Accelerators true reasons were the fact that moving on his own would be easier and that he did not want an amateur to disturb the situation, but this person was surprisingly persistent. Accelerator decided this guy was a stupid bastard whether this was a trap or not. Fine, you head to the huge metal bridge in District 7. That was our emergency rendezvous point. If shes still running, shell have gone there. Understood, came back an oddly motivated response. Needless to say, that had been a complete lie. Be careful, said the voice. Somethings odd about Academy City today. Some strange person has broken into the city. Also, Anti-Skill and other people are collapsing all over the city. What? Accelerator frowned. That was the first he had heard of someone entering the city or people collapsing around the city. The intruder is one thing, but had you really not noticed anything odd about the city? I saw Anti-Skill and those...um...men in black fall victim to it. The restaurant guests had also passed out. And they werent physically knocked out from a blow to the gut or anything either. It looked like people walking around had just suddenly passed out. I havent bothered to go checking around, but doesnt it seem oddly quiet tonight? ... (What is going on?) Would Kihara Amata really go that far? It bothered him that the Hound Dogs that worked for him had passed out too, but it was possible Kihara would not hesitate to discard his own subordinates. It filled him with an unpleasant feeling, but he had to put it off until later. His top priority was retrieving Last Order. It looked like an indiscriminate attack, so you be careful too. What a pain... A short silence followed those two comments. Finally, the person on the phone spoke. Sorry. I really shouldnt have left that girl alone. ...Dont feel too bad. I left her alone too. Accelerator ended the call there. He looked down at the cell phone for a moment before shoving it into his pants pocket. He headed for the hospitals exit using the shotgun as a cane. The crucial moment had arrived. Part 7 Kihara Amata sat within a dark room. It was an unused office. Most of the equipment used for work had disappeared, leaving behind only a large number of desks and chairs. Kihara sat in one of those chairs with his feet up on the dusty desk. Men covered in armored uniforms stood around him. They had gone down in number quite a bit. Only 5 or 6 remained. Even so, Kiharas expression was still perfectly calm. He could always bring in more Hound Dogs. Human trash could be found anywhere. Those that saw Kihara would probably describe him as the representative example of a bad person, but anyone who had no problem criticizing someone like that was the sort of trash who did not think about the feelings of others. No matter how many were killed, there would always be more to replace them. And so he was not worried. Communications have cut off from multiple teams. Most likely, they have... Kihara heard the nervous voice of a subordinate. He replied with some casual words. They either ran off or died. Either way, well need to collect their hearts later. Death was not enough to punish failure. Kihara preferred to take parts from the corpse to provide a clear lesson for the others. But which one were they taken out by? It doesnt really matter. I can handle Accelerator. Hes so pathetic it hurts my heart to punch him. ...The real problem is that woman. Kihara knew that Academy City had been paralyzed as a city. And his own subordinates had fallen victim to an identical attack. He knew that woman was likely the one who had attacked the city. However... (That was an interesting phenomenon.) To him, it had not looked like some invisible physical phenomenon such as nanotechnology or electromagnetic waves. Normally, someone using that sort of thing would wear a special mask or suit, but that woman had taken no such protective measures. Kihara spoke to a different subordinate who had been right next to him at the time. When I tried to shoot that van Accelerator was in, that woman got in the way. Have you retrieved the group I used as a decoy then? Yes. That was all it took for the man in black to understand what Kihara was asking. We are currently checking on the victims with the equipment we have on hand. Are they all in the same state? No. We have found three different varieties. It ranges from some who have simply lost consciousness as if they fell asleep to others who have stiffened up like a rock. What basis determines which variety they fall under? Where they collapsed? Even those who collapsed at the exact same place are divided between the different groups. We do not have enough information to say anything for sure, continued the man in black. We have not taken them to a research lab, so we have no accurate readings, but it seems those in the largest group of the collapsed decoys have an extremely low level of oxygen in their bodies. There is no visible necrosis to their body tissue, so they must have the bare minimum needed for their brains and organs to function. ...So this artificially induces a state of apparent death. Humans and all other animals had defensive instincts that lowered the functions of their body when they lacked what was needed to continue living. The simplest example would be hibernation. The subordinate continued, However, supplying a constant amount from an oxygen tank did not help. We need to assume some sort of power is constantly at work here. ...Who is that woman? Dammit, shes starting to keep our mission success rate down. Both Olaf and Lulu were-... Just as he trailed off, the man in black collapsed to the floor. A thud rang loud in Kiharas ears. ... Kihara Amata glanced around while still sitting in the chair with his feet on the table. Nothing else happened. He held his breath for a short while, but there was no sign of a second attack. He had thought they were being targeted by some kind of ability, but Kihara would have been shot to pieces too if that was the case. He was bothered both by the fact that he had not been the first target and by the timing with which his subordinate collapsed. (Damn her... How is she targeting us?) Windows covered one wall of the abandoned office, but Kihara would have been the priority target if they were being targeted through it. Did she have some special means of aiming that did not rely on sight? Was there something that had turned her aim onto that subordinate instead of him? Kihara thought on the special phenomenon that was even now attacking Hound Dog. Could those attacks be explained with an esper power? (Not easily.) Targeting one or two of them would be possible. However, the previous report indicated many more than that had collapsed. Constantly holding the oxygen inside a single human body at a certain level would be hard enough. Perfectly controlling several people spread out across several different locations was simply too much to handle. And his subordinates had said some of them were showing different symptoms. (It would be possible if they gathered as many espers to attack as there are victims...but thats just too high a cost. It doesnt make sense to tie up one of your soldiers for the sake of a single lackey.) He was the expert in psychic powers development who had directly developed Accelerators powers, so his judgment here was almost guaranteed to be accurate. But then what laws did this bizarre phenomenon fall under? Even after ruling out esper powers, it could still be done with a variety of technologies such as nanotechnology and electromagnetic waves, but that did not explain why Kihara was unharmed. And even if those technologies could knock a human unconscious, he was not sure they could regulate the amount of oxygen in the blood. This was not an Academy City esper power or Academy City cutting edge technology. But ruling those out meant setting foot into the world of the occult. Could that woman really use some sort of power that was not psychic in nature? (The unscientific, hm?) Kiharas eyes narrowed. He did not deny that possibility. It was because he stood on the cutting edge of science that he was able to clearly see the outline of that word. While performing thousands and even tens of thousands of experiments, he had glimpsed odd readings that could not be explained by any theory. When he had developed Accelerator, Kihara Amata had vaguely captured the feeling that there were invisible holes in the theories he believed perfectly explained the world. He clicked his tongue and lowered his legs from the desk. It doesnt matter. Well just do what we need to do. Aleisters getting to be a pain in the ass, so lets hurry up and finish this. Kihara had not been told why Aleister ultimately wanted Last Order to be captured. However, he had been told what he needed to do. He just had to do that. Is the Testament ready? I have it here. Another subordinate placed a silver attach case on the desk. The electric brainwashing devices known as Testaments were supposed to be quite large, but they could be made this small if all but the bare minimum was removed. For the most part, those unnecessary parts were what ensured the subject remained safe. (Accelerator...) Kihara watched his subordinate unlock the attach case and put together the device. He suddenly muttered, He can manipulate any vector. So what happens with that sort of irregularity? What? Nothing, replied Kihara. Part 8 Accelerator arrived at Leaf Street along District 7s Route 39. He quickly found the family restaurant the guy on the phone had mentioned. It looked like a building in a country undergoing civil war. It had been destroyed to the point that the reinforced concrete had been stripped bare. Kiharas Hound Dogs were lying unconscious on the ground after receiving rough first aid. Not even the bare minimum had been done to hide what had happened. ... It was possible this was not a trap after all. In that case, that guy was telling the truth when he said he let Last Order escape despite being wrapped up in this disaster himself. (Tch. I need to find that brat, and soon. Where did she get off to?) If he was lucky, she would have left some sign behind for him, but he doubted she had been composed enough to be that clever. And even if she had, the rain would probably have washed it away. (That brat will have used the Sisters network to escape while following the evidence suppression protocols used during the experiment. Thats the same thing she did during the Amai Ao incident on August 31.) It filled him with disgust to think back on the experiment, but he had no choice because it could help him here. (Shell choose a path that hides her from satellites and stays off of the security robots patrol routes.) The guy on the phone had been searching official places such as Anti-Skill offices, but that was likely the wrong type of place to check. If she was following those evidence suppression protocols, the back alleys would be the most likely. Accelerator used his shotgun cane to enter a nearby alley. He dragged his weary body along in the pouring rain to walk and walk and walk. He checked each building backdoor he came across. He was looking for traces of an electricity user forcing the lock open. He found nothing. This was not the only route and she could be hiding in a building. He had too few hints. The more effective her means of fleeing from the enemy, the harder it was for him to search for her. God dammit... The one thing he knew for sure was that Last Order was somewhere nearby. If he gave a sign, would Last Order come out? But what sign could he give? Last Order no longer had her cell phone. Without being able to directly communicate with her, his only option was to switch on his electrode and go on a rampage. But then another method came to Accelerator. It was such a ridiculous method it had never even occurred to him until now. He could yell out her name. Last Order would come out if she heard his voice. However, walking around calling a childs name would make him look like a father searching for his lost daughter. That was simply too far removed from Accelerators normal values. It was completely laughable, but he had no other option. After a terribly annoyed click of his tongue, he took in a deep breath. However, he never let out his shout. Just before he did, he saw something. Something was floating in a filthy rain puddle on the ground. It was a torn scrap of cloth about the size of a handkerchief. He looked closer and could tell it came from a mens dress shirt. Accelerator recognized the design of that sleeve. It was the same as the one Last Order wore over her light blue camisole. A blank appeared in Accelerators thoughts. His face grew gradually pale. (This... It cant be... But...) His cell phone rang as if the caller had been waiting for this moment. Accelerator slowly pulled the phone out of his pocket. The screen displayed an unknown number. (It cant be him.) He had no reason to notify Accelerator. He would not do something so obvious, so there was nothing to worry about. Accelerator told himself this was not what he thought it was. He answered the call. And a very, very loud voice struck his ear before he even brought the phone up to it. Howre you doing, Accelerator? Gya ha ha ha ha!! A creaking noise came from the phone in his hand. His fears had been so perfectly on target that he thought a blood vessel in his head would burst. His pupils thrashed about. The emotions roiling within him seemed to scatter out around him. What do you want, Kihara-kuuun? Just having a bit of fun. In both shogi and chess, the game isnt over until you announce your victory. People used to do this all the time. You need to enjoy every second of some annoying shit being crushed before your eyes. Is there any better way to enjoy victory? Announcing your victory? Dont make me fucking laugh. You dont have to believe me, but isnt there a scrap of that brats shirt in front of you? If you dont see it, then keep searching. We left that behind on purpose. ... Testaments sure are amazing. Sticking a virus in a humans head isnt normal. Ha ha! That brat is trembling like crazy!! Give me your address so I can email you a video!! Accelerators face completely paled. (Is this why they abducted that brat!?) Kihara was doing almost the exact same thing Amai Ao had on August 31. He was using a brainwashing machine to directly rewrite Last Orders brain. Accelerator had no idea what commands were being added, but this was not something any normal person could do. This was as profane an act as rubbing a handful of semen into her brain. Yknow, you just dont understand. Not killing your enemies is definitely an effective technique. After all, there is such a thing as a living hell. Those who mistakenly believe the most frightening thing in the world is death will be unable to withstand the pressure. My men have shown that well enough. But... Kihara let out a dry breath. He sounded like a teacher disappointed with his students incompetence. I know the truth, so it wont work on me. Its obvious as fuck youre just putting on an act. Heres a lesson for you, you brat. Corpses may be a work of art, but they only have value when the guys dead. Ending their life is the same as finishing up the face of a sculpture. Your art isnt ready to be displayed in a gallery yet. The hell do you think youre doing randomly chipping away at some stone and leaving it lying around? Thats rude to the hunk of flesh. Accelerator did not respond. He analyzed his situation. So Ill teach you by example. Ill show you just how to make some pretty-looking meat. Try not to lose it when you see whats left of this brat!! The laugh that followed seemed as if it would break the speaker. Accelerator listened to it for a while Finally, he spoke into the phone. So how am I supposed to react to this? What? Should I hold my sides and laugh, you little masochist? Cmon, now. Dont tell me you cant properly assess this situation. How about you take this seriously. If you were only doing this to make me suffer, you wouldnt have retrieved that brat. You wouldve killed her and sent her body to me. What as this about a Testament? Are you stupid? If you were putting on a show, you would use something thats a little more obvious at a glance, said Accelerator with a smile. The thugs loitering around think theyll gain freedom by sinking into the darkness, but theyre completely wrong. The farther you dig down, the more youre bound by the hierarchy of power. Isnt that right, slave dog Kihara-kun. I get it, I get it. Youre really into the screams of that brat right now. How about actually letting me hear one? Im sick of everything being so dull. I want to know shes alive. If you want, you can cut off her nose and send it to me. Is that how you want to do this? Well, order now and you can get an ear as an added bonus. Dont try to scare me. You were hired by someone. That brat serves no purpose for your personal research. You were hired by some bastard who has free use of the likes of you. This person didnt come crying to you begging that she was left unscathed, now did they? Im sure they told you it didnt matter as long her brain and heart were fine. So why are you too scared to lay a finger on her? Fine, fine. Youre pathetic, Kihara-kuuun. Did you open a delivery company? Were you in such a hurry because youll get bitched at if you take longer than 30 minutes? Ill kill you. The call suddenly ended. The sound of the pouring rain seemed to grow much closer. Accelerator spun his cell phone around in his hand as he analyzed the conversation. (Given that bastards personality, he wouldve gouged out one of that brats eyes in front of his phone after I said that. Since he didnt...hes definitely working for someone.) It had been a dangerous gamble, but he could not handle Kihara without taking some risk. And that means... Someone with the power to hold Kihara in check was backing this. Given Hound Dogs equipment, the most likely option was... (Dont tell me its Academy City itself.) Most likely it was the board of directors that governed the city. Nothing had changed since that experiment using the Sisters. In fact, it was possible that experiment was directly connected with this incident. (I dont know where Kihara is, but that isnt the case with the board of directors. If I look into this, I might find out more about this plan than just Kiharas role. Hm? ...Holy shit. This is advancing like crazy. Should things really be going this well?) Accelerator banged on the wall and smiled. He snapped his cell phone shut and put it in his pocket. Go to fucking hell!! Dont underestimate meeeeeeeeeee!! he shouted. He switched on the choker-style electrode on his neck. His massive calculation ability returned. Accelerator stood in a narrow back alley and could only see concrete walls in every direction. But that did not matter. He knew his absolute coordinates and where his target was located. His eyes rolled in his head. Thanks to his time soaking in the darkness, Accelerator knew in which direction that building was located. (My enemy is Academy City! The board chairman controls this city!!) He knew where the windowless building was. He knew where the shelter of the citys board chairman was. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Accelerator stuck his hand into a nearby concrete wall. He manipulated the vectors so his arm sank in as easily as if the wall was made of tofu. Accelerator shouted so loud blood came from his throat and he moved his arm complexly around in the wall. He took control of all of the vectors. A great roar exploded out. In that instant, earths rotation slowed by about 5 minutes for September 30. His arm took the massive energy of the planets rotation and used his vector control to transform it into a demonic strike. The concrete wall he forcibly gouged out was thrown with frightening speed. Accelerator stood in an alley surrounded by buildings, but the several buildings between him and his target were torn through like paper. His worries about his surroundings and unrelated people had completely evaporated for an instant. By the time he came to his senses, he had already thrown it. He was over two kilometers from his target. That windowless building was the worlds strongest shelter which was said to be the fortress of Aleister, the chairman of Academy Citys board of directors. It was said that giant structure would not budge even from the shockwave of a nuclear weapon. The attack flew with frightening speed. A tremendous storm of noise exploded out. It did not matter that Accelerator was over two kilometers away. It blew straight through two or three unmanned banks and government office buildings, shot between two buildings on the other side of a street, tore off an electronic billboard attached to the side of a high-rise building, and shot straight toward the target. It could only be called a miracle that no one was injured or killed. He had not given it any thought. Gray dust blew into the air. His vision was temporarily obstructed. The dust hung in the air for a while. Finally, his vision cleared up. It spread out before him. ... Nothing about the world had changed. That strike had used the full power of Academy Citys strongest esper and had taken the rotational energy of the earth itself, but even that had not been enough to bring down that windowless building. The result was clear. The wall remained as large as ever. Kwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!! Accelerator collapsed to his knees and slammed his fist into a filthy puddle. No matter what he did, he could not reach Aleister. Some unknown technique had been used to disperse the impact and he had no proof Aleister was even really there. The entire building could be a decoy. But it did not matter. None of it mattered anymore. Last Order had been taken from him. He could not think of any way the situation could be any worse. Every single thing he had wanted to protect had been ripped to shreds. (Ill kill him.) He thought quietly as he switched off his electrode. The thought of trying to contact Yomikawa or Yoshikawa had completely disappeared from his mind. (Ill kill Kihara Amata. Ill fucking kill him. Killing that piece of shit 100 times over wouldnt be enough, but Ill squeeze it all into just once. It all has to start there.) He unsteadily stood up using his shotgun cane. His focus turned to the cell phone in his pocket. Kiharas number was contained within it. Even if it was a decoy number, it was worth looking into. Even if the normal methods would be useless, he just had to investigate using methods other than the normal ones. Accelerator had no future and Last Orders future was being stolen at that very moment, so he had no reason to hold back. The databases in Anti-Skill or Judgment stations would be of no use, so he would break into the hideouts of members of the board of directors until he had full access to the Bank. He did not care about those 12 powerful people in the slightest. He would crush their heads or hearts if he had to. He was willing to set fire to the city to burn Kihara out and kill him down to the very last cell. He muttered to himself as he slowly walked through that back alley. He disappeared into even deeper darkness. Part 9 Aleister was within the windowless building. Despite that tremendous impact, nothing had changed within the building. He was floating upside down in a cylindrical container filled with red liquid that was located in the center of a large room. The only sign of the impact had been a slight shaking of that red liquid. (It seems things are getting noisy outside.) His focus was not turned toward the source of that shaking. He seemed to be saying something of that level was not even worth a moments attention. Aleister was looking at empty air. Some technology had caused several square windows to appear in that supposedly empty space. What they displayed changed again and again as Aleister moved his eyes and he entered commands by moving his fingertips. He could have used a brainwave sensor for those commands instead of moving his body, but he did not. (Heh heh. I need some exercise occasionally.) Aleister left most of his bodily functions to his life support device, so he technically did not even need to blink. He did not need to moisten his eyeballs while in that constantly regulated liquid. Even moving his fingertips registered as a significant event in his mind. He felt almost divine inspiration in the value of those slight movements and the analysis of the signals sent from his brain and through his nerves. He had no concept of training his body. The electric expansion and contraction of his muscles and the regulation of his heart were nothing more than trivial matters he left to machines. Hearing that he had not walked for decades may have sounded unhealthy, but Aleister maintained a more ideal and healthy state than anyone else in the world. And the same could be said about his intellectual activity. To Aleister, the brain was nothing more than another part. It was a separate existence from ones soul or ones life, so it could be replaced by a substitute as many times as needed. His inspirations were drawn out by cables, gradually ripened within a computer, and returned to Aleisters brain as his personal opinion. The life support device was his skin, his organs, his brain. It was possible that giant collection of machinery was alive. Just like a transplanted organ became a part of the patients body, this collection of metal had approached so close to humanity that it was hard to say whether it was machine or man. Aleister smiled calmly while surrounded by that hard mass that almost seemed to have a pulse when touched. A few pieces of data could be seen in the images he was viewing. One was a map of the Sisters distributed around the world and a graph of their brainwave patterns. Another was the life form data on a certain something being born within the city. The third was a long-distance video of Vento leaning up against a railing and coughing. (Kihara has succeeded in retrieving Last Order. Now that the target code has been inputted and the preparatory phase is complete, the changes are appearing over the stage of Academy City.) Calm came over Aleisters thoughts. These last minute preparations had resulted in the output being much lower than expected, but it would be enough. (Development of the Imaginary Number District C Five Elements Institution using the AIM diffusion fields is complete. Using magic within Academy City now will cause any magician to lose control and self destruct. Vento of the Front, was it? Even your body is no exception.) His inspirations gave birth to new thoughts and his new thoughts gave birth to more inspiration. That cycle constructed the great intellectual torrent that would move history. (The current output is nowhere near the level needed to cover the world. The spell pressure is at a bearable level...but only for now. That code has yet to be activated. Once Fuse Kazakiri appears, the situation will completely reverse.) A new window appeared in midair. It showed Kazakiri Hyouka walking anxiously through the rain while confused by the changes to the city. Part 10 Vento stood on a metal bridge. The bridge spanned a large river. The structure was made of metal and asphalt, so it was very dreary. Due to the pouring rain, the dark river below was swollen with muddy water that was surging noisily. Cough cough cough... She coughed wetly again and again. Thick blood spilled through the gaps of the hand covering her mouth. Vento looked at her bloody hand. It was trembling. (What...is this...?) She did not know what was causing this. She did not know what was happening to her, how much damage it was doing to her body, or whether she would recover or not. (My body...is specially made... But this has...never happened before. This is not due to that...) She coughed some more. More blood splattered onto the already wet road surface. The pouring rain caused the makeup around her eyes to run a bit. The cloth known as a guimpe that covered her hair was also in disarray. Some disheveled hair could be seen sticking out onto her forehead. (So is this...a new...magical attack? No...it isnt. This is Academy City. A magical attack here...is unthinkable. And there is no sign of...a spell having been put together. More importantly, I can intercept anything like that...) ...!! A large tremor ran through Ventos body. All pain left her. This was not because her condition had improved. It was the opposite. Something had happened that took priority. She felt pressure. But not on some specific part of her body. She felt like her skin, her organs, and even every last one of her blood vessels was being squeezed. The source of this pressure was a certain presence. This gigantic presence shook Academy City itself. The presence displayed no hostility. It was not looking at Vento. The situation was similar to a leopard or lion yawning in front of ones face. Even with no hostility on display, the puny human could only tremble and sweat. She did not know where the presence was coming from. The scale was simply too great. It seemed to be enveloping the entire city. Perhaps there was no point in a human searching for the presence of a ferocious beast from within the beasts stomach. The presence was so intense that Vento could not even grasp its outlines. This was the worst possible type of opponent. And... (This strange presence is continuing to grow!?) That was the most frightening aspect. This gigantic being shook the world, warped the several layers piled on top of each other, and blew away the magical laws that stretched out alongside that space. And the pressure was continuing to grow as if to say this was only the beginning. Not even a Christian Saint could manage this much. That left the question of how to interpret this phenomenon. (Is this...Academy Citys...final line of defense...against the occult?) This must have been why Aleister had seemed so calm. This was not good. Vento had paralyzed almost 90% of Academy Citys functions, but this ace up the sleeve could overturn it all. However, she had been thinking it had all gone too easily. Without something like this, the science side could hardly be said to rival the magic side. ...This...doesnt matter. Whatever happens, I must carry out my mission. Vento uttered a short word under her breath. It was her younger brothers name. That was all it took for Vento to recover somewhat from the trembling assaulting her body. The fear of not knowing why she was coughing up blood was alleviated. Calm returned to her thoughts. A strong core returned to her shaken heart. (I have already taken away 90% of the citys functionality. I still have the advantage. This just means Aleister is feeling cornered enough to bring out his secret weapon.) I can win this, Vento concluded while wiping blood from her mouth. (He can no longer receive any secret assistance. I dont know what position Kamijou Touma holds in this city, but not even Aleister can prevent his death.) Anti-Skill and Judgment who protected the city had been annihilated. That type of person tended to receive her attack first. She had begun to forget with the appearance of this great new foe, but Vento had made great advances since she arrived. She only needed to kill her target. She only needed to kill Kamijou Touma. (I hate science.) Vento thought while placing her hands on the railing. (I loathe science.) She hated science for what it had done to her here. She loathed science for being unable to save her brothers life. Vento wiped her mouth with her arm and took a long, deep breath. New life entered her damaged body. Just as she started to leave the bridge to quickly kill Kamijou Touma... A tremendous roar exploded out. Some long distance attack had been fired. The buildings near the firing site were all destroyed. The attack continued diagonally for about 10 kilometers before striking another building. (What was that...?) This attack had no connection to Gods Right Seat or the Roman Catholic Church. The invasion unit should still be outside the city. Academy City must have had a problem other than her. Vento frowned, but did not have the leeway to worry about it too much. ... She produced a hammer wrapped in barbed wire from thin air and grabbed it. The piercings in Ventos face qualified as metal piercing flesh, so they possessed the attributes of the nails used to hold the Son of God to the cross. Needless to say, the hammer represented the hammer used to nail the Son of God to that execution device. A single noise had prompted her to prepare for battle. The sound of footsteps. Part 11 Kamijou Touma followed the advice of the person on the phone and ran to the metal bridge. However, he did not find Last Order there. He found Gods Right Seat. He found Vento of the Front. Wha-...You!! roared Kamijou as Vento swung her giant hammer while turning around. A blunt mass of air tore through the rain and Kamijou knocked it away with his right hand. An invisible tension ran between the two of them. Why are you here!? What did you do with Last Order!? shouted Kamijou. Vento frowned before replying, Are you here to let me kill you? Im asking what you did with that girl!! Last Order? I dont know anything about that!! The two of them yelled at each other. However, it did not develop into an actual fight. A tremendous light suddenly assaulted their eyes. When his vision was taken out, Kamijou went on guard, assuming it was a strategy of Ventos. However, he could hear Vento gritting her teeth as well. He could not grasp what had happened and then the sound and shockwave struck a moment later like with lightning. All of the joints in his body cried out. Gwaahh!! Kamijou collapsed to the road. That large bridge made of metal shook like a suspension bridge. He heard a number of bolts burst due to the motion. (...Kh. What is going on?) Kamijou shook his head while crouching down. The gap between light and sound meant this was a distant event. (Wheres Vento...!?) The light was not bright enough to blind him over a long period of time. Kamijou frantically stood up and looked around. (What?) She was not looking at Kamijou. Ventos eyes were fixed on some distant object with her hands on the railing and the hammer on the ground next to her. That bastard... Aleister!! Her hate-filled cry rang out. The anger in her voice was dozens of times stronger and clearer than when she had directed it at Kamijou. Vento turned back toward him. Ill deal with you later. ...Ill kill him. I see. So this is the true form of the Imaginary Number District C Five Elements Institution! Damn you. Do you want to mock us this badlyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!? She grabbed her hammer and swung it full-force at her feet. The asphalt was smashed to pieces with a great roar. !! Kamijou covered his face with both hands and Vento was gone by the time he could see again. (She disappeared? Wait, it cant be!!) He frantically ran over to the railing. However, he could see nothing but the black river noisily flowing by when he peered down. The rain had swollen the river by quite a bit. Had she jumped down there? Or had she used some sort of magic? (What is going on? What was she looking at?) Vento had attacked Academy City to kill Kamijou Touma. Yet now she had completely abandoned her primary target. Kamijou moved his gaze up from the river and looked straight ahead. He wanted to see what Vento had been looking at. Youre kidding... Part 12 CImaginary Number District C Five Elements Institution has begun partial development. CThe corresponding coordinates are almost the exact center of Academy City District 7. CThe additional module has overwritten the base theoretical model known as Kazakiri Hyouka. CBoth internal and external changes have been confirmed in the theoretical model. CThe code has been authenticated within the superior model known as Last Order that controls the Sisters. CForced control of the Misaka Network has succeeded in artificially guiding all AIM diffusion fields in Academy City. CPhase 1 complete. CThe physical rules are confirmed to have changed. CFuse Kazakiri will now appear within Academy City. CAll in the affected area should prepare for sudden shockwaves. Part 13 Academy City was wrapped in rain that night. Little light covered the roads that had significantly less traffic than normal. The same could be said for the buildings. As if every resident of the city was out for the night, the lights were either out or left on. The nighttime scenery seemed somehow left behind and lacking in uniformity. A tremendous light filled one corner of the city. With a roar, countless wings swept out from the center of the light. Those dozens of wings were as sharp as blades. Each individual one measured from 10 to 100 meters and they spread out high, high into the sky as if to defy heaven. There were buildings in the area, but the wings showed no sign of caring. They tore through the buildings like wet paper. The wings flapped leisurely while ripping apart those puny human constructions. They seemed to wordlessly proclaim that humans were not the masters of this world. They looked like giant peacock feathers made of crystal. It cant be... Kamijou Touma blankly stared at the wings from the bridge. He recognized this. He recognized this extremely unscientific existence that he could see so far in the distance. He had felt this same horrific presence when that existence naming itself Misha Kreutzev had appeared. That existence had prepared a spell that would easily destroy all of humanity while almost killing a Saint on the side. The name for that existence was... An angel!? Even as he spoke that word, his mind could not keep up with how insufficient his power was. (G-give me a break! Theres already enough going on!! What the hell is happening in this city tonight!?) From the look on Ventos face, this was likely not something prepared by the Roman Catholic Church. But what else could explain it? Why did he need the word angel for something happening in Academy City? Was a magical organization even more dangerous than the Roman Catholic Church or Gods Right Seat lurking within the city? Or... Had the supposedly scientific Academy City brought this angel down into the human world? Kamijou was left puzzling over the situation while the distant angel wings slowly moved. Light flashed between two of the largest wings as if from some strange kind of electrical discharge. And in the next instant, a destructive attack was let loose. The grand flash of lightning produced flew outside of Academy City with the snake-like movements of a living creature. Kamijou followed the afterimage with his eyes. As if the ground had been packed full of explosives below the site the brilliant light struck, the forest, the ground, the trees, and the people were blown up into the sky. Academy Citys exit should have been at about the point of the horizon, yet Kamijou clearly saw something rise and fall like a wave. That was how massive an amount of substance had been blown into the air. After a few seconds, the sound of an explosion struck his body. The sound alone was practically a shockwave. It held enough force to almost knock him over. The entire bridge creaked ominously just like when the angel had appeared. Kamijou realized it would be dangerous to stay where he was. ...!! With Last Order, Vento, and those men in black, the day had been filled with problems, but this stood apart from all the others. If something like that moved about as it pleased, Academy City would be destroyed. And the damage might not remain within Academy City. (But what about Last Order!?) It was true he needed to protect her. That guy on the phone had said this bridge was their rendezvous point, but Last Order was nowhere to be found. Had she actually showed up here? Or had she run off when she saw Vento? (Dammit!!) Kamijou pulled out Last Orders phone and called one of the registered numbers. It connected right away. Hey! I came to the bridge, but Last Order isnt here! Have you found-... Are you a complete moron!? You arent supposed to just believe me!! shouted the other guy before Kamijou could finish. He continued speaking while Kamijou was completely taken aback. Ill have that brat located soon. At the very least, you arent gonna find her just by running randomly around the city. Ill take care of it, so you go home!! ... (Dammit.) It pained him that he could not help. Sorry. Did you see that just now? An amazing light and dozens of wings appeared in one part of the city. Yeah, it fired something at the outer perimeter of the city. I need to stop that angel, so I really wont be able to help you. I dont care, was the carefree reply. Sorry, apologized Kamijou once more. Dont die. You either. Kamijou ended the call, put the phone in his pocket, and looked up. That angel that had destroyed several buildings was vividly showing off its majestic form. Between the lines 8 He thought his eardrums were going to burst. Tsuchimikado Motoharu lay bloody atop watery mud. He had been in the abandoned bus maintenance facility in that forest, but no sign of it remained. Everything had been dug up, blown away, and blasted to pieces before raining down once more. Tons of trees were buried under the muddy earth as if a large-scale landslide had occurred. There was no sign of his enemies either. They had either been buried by the mud or blown to pieces. Tsuchimikado had been saved by the rain. The spell he most specialized in was the Black Spell which used water. Tsuchimikado Motoharu held the greatest ability as an Onmyou expert. Sudden though it had been, he had given his all towards putting together a defensive spell. Even then, he had barely survived. Cough!? However, he still coughed up some blood. He could not use magic without damaging his body, but this was more than that. The defensive spell had clearly been breached and his body had been ripped into by an external shock. The wooden stakes were gone. Not only had the core of the spell been destroyed, but the entire surrounding terrain had been destroyed. (What...?) Tsuchimikados thoughts raced as he lay half-buried in mud. (What happened...?) They had been attacked by a long-distance attack, but he could not imagine what spell could have done it. And the attack had come from the direction of Academy City. The unnatural situation prevented him from simply deciding a magical attack must have come from the Roman Catholic Church. He could not get up, so he twisted his head around instead. (Youre...kidding me...) He saw the countless wings spreading out in the distance within Academy City. He could only see a small shadow from where he was. The outer walls and tall buildings hid the base, but simply seeing those wings was enough for him to stop breathing. This was an angel. Its outer appearance resembled that of Misha Kreutzev, but it was completely different on the inside. While the Archangel Gabriel had given off a piercing chill, this gave off more of an atmosphere of discomfort. It was like smelling a hot and stuffy room filled with adhesive. This was an artificially created angel. That accurate attack had been fired at the magicians who opposed Academy City. (A...lei...ster...) Tsuchimikado Motoharu moved his lips without thinking. This was the Imaginary Number District C Five Elements Institution. That artificial realm was focused in the center of Academy City and was created by controlling the AIM diffusion fields given off by the Sisters scattered around the world. Did you create this...you bastard? The appearance of the angel had to have caused a huge commotion within the city. However, Tsuchimikado had expected the completion of that realm to eliminate all forms of the occult, kill off all magicians, and destroy all institutions of magic. Tsuchimikado was still alive and had felt nothing off about the construction of his spell. Most likely, the Imaginary Number District was incomplete. If it was not, Tsuchimikado would have been wrapped up in the elimination of all magic. And if Aleister had brought this out before it was complete... (This is due to Gods Right Seat... Academy City must be at a stalemate too...) Or perhaps this was nothing more than a part of his plan. However, this was no time to think on it. He had to get up and leave before the next attack came. With that thing up and running, Aleister would begin truly exterminating his enemies. He would not just oppose them; he would begin a counterattack. He would crush every single assassin sent from the Roman Catholic Church. And Tsuchimikado would be caught in the middle of it here. Gh... Tsuchimikado poured strength into his legs, but they would not move properly. The previous shockwave had done serious damage to the core of his body. Pant pant... He tried to slowly stand. His body would not move. The angel within Academy City began producing more ominous light. The second attack was coming. He knew it was, but his legs would not move. He gritted his teeth. He looked forward. He could not die here. He refused to give up. Volume 13, 9: The differences of obstacles that stand in one’s way. Two_Kinds_of_Enemies. Volume 13, Chapter 9: The differences of obstacles that stand in one''s way. Two_Kinds_of_Enemies. Part 1 A large vehicle was parked in a District 7 parking garage. The white vehicle was as large as a tour bus, but it had no windows. And it was not a bus; it was the worlds largest ambulance. It contained enough beds equipped with life support devices to hold 10 people and it held the equipment needed to perform simple surgeries. It was known as a hospital vehicle. About 10 of those vehicles were parked in that parking garage. In full use, they could hold 100 patients total. A number of small figures hid behind the hospital vehicles. They were the Sisters. Those girls were armed with assault rifles or anti-tank rifles that looked out of place with their Tokiwadai Middle School uniform blazers. These girls numbered about 10 as well. They were on the lookout for the enemy organization named Hound Dog that a man named Kihara Amata had sent out. Amid all this, another girls voice rang out. Let go! If you dont have a battery to connect to the Misaka Network, then I dont need to stay here! Something seems odd about the city, so I need to go see whats happening!! A girl wearing a white nuns habit was being held back by the nurses. A calico cats fur was standing on end, but it could not escape the grasp of the female doctor holding it no matter how much it tried to flail its legs around. This commotion reached the ears of Misaka Imouto, but she could not even turn her head in that direction. She could not move her body properly. (Signal confirmed from superior model #20001.) (Signal estimated at danger level 5. Misaka #10032 is attempting to reject it.) (Rejection failed. Accepting signal through routes R, V, and Y.) (Misa-...Great burden...on thiiiiiinking processssses.) (Rejection failed.) A certain signal was spreading through the Misaka Network like a giant wave. It spread across the entire world in no time at all. It was an emergency code from Last Order. No matter what its contents might be, the lower model Sisters could not oppose it. With most of their brain functions taken from them, they froze in place as living creatures that could do nothing but continue breathing. They all wondered what they could do. Last Order had clearly been captured by someone. No matter how horrible these commands were, they could not oppose them. However, they refused to simply sit idly by and watch it happen. (We must...take what actions...we can without opposing...these commands...) Misaka Imouto, #10032, transmitted her thoughts across the Misaka Network. (If that...ultimately results in...breaking free of...this crisis...) All the others Sisters responded. They stopped pointlessly attempting to fight the virus. (The Sisters had redefined the emergency code from Last Order as a virus.) This gave them free use of the calculation area they had been using to resist. This provided only a tiny amount of free thought. Misaka Imouto still could not even move a finger. Nevertheless, when all 10,000 of them worked together, it became a single power. The Sisters did not hold onto that power themselves. They knew someone who could use it much more effectively. Part 2 Smooth sailing. That term best described Thomas Platinumburgs life. He had been born into a wealthy family, lived a comfortable life, received an excellent education, won big with some bold business deals, and as a result gained a massive fortune and authority. Not counting Aleister, there were only 12 members of Academy Citys board of directors and he had been selected at the exceptionally young age of his late thirties. He viewed that as the trophy that symbolized the life he had lived. He had never once failed and he would walk only the path of success in the future as well. He believed that with his whole heart. He had never told this to anyone, but he felt it would not be hard for him to eventually hold all of Academy City in his hand as the board chairman. This was not an ambitious dream of his. He simply assumed that would naturally be the case if he did his best. Never in his wildest dream would he have imagined that he would open his front door, have a shotgun pressed against his chest, and be blown back 5 meters when the trigger was pulled. ... Accelerator watched with cold eyes as this nouveau riche man was launched through the air. The man did seem to be aware that people might target his life because he was clearly wearing a bulletproof vest below his clothes. That prevented his upper body from being separated from his lower body, but his ribs had to have been smashed to pieces. He convulsed slightly on the ground, but he appeared to be completely unconscious. Accelerator felt a sense of relief It had appeared at about the time he launched that attack on the windowless building. He no longer had nay limits on who he made his enemy. He finally understood what that goddamn doctor had meant. He needed to focus on a single objective. That doctor had been absolutely right. He needed to save Last Order even if it meant making an enemy of Last Order herself. If he was willing to make an enemy of that brat, why would he hesitate over anyone else? Why had he not thought of this method from the beginning? Accelerator smiled in self-derision at the fact that he had created this kind of mental blind spot without even realizing it. Such bullshit. Accelerator walked into the mansion while his dripping wet clothes created dark stains on the luxurious carpet. Despite how much careful attention had been given to each individual item within it, the mansion itself was rather small. For that reason, it looked more like a cottage than a full-sized house. Each individual piece of furniture was valuable enough to buy an entire house with. Accelerator glanced into various rooms and spotted men and women who seemed to be workers sleeping on beds, sofas, and the floor. That may have been why the nouveau riche man had answered the door himself. Accelerator found the mans office and walked over to the large ebony desk. It looked like an antique, but a portion of the polished surface rose up to reveal an LCD monitor and keyboard when a button was pressed. It made no noise as it moved. It was as easy to use as a black luxury car. It had a few key locks, but Accelerator unlocked them all after a short delay. They did not use biometrics such as a fingerprint or retina scan. Most likely, the man had realized the danger of having his hand or head taken off to get past it. And Accelerator would have done just that. The 30-inch monitor displayed data a normal person would never see. He found a number of documents on policy within Academy City. The topics addressed were biased in one direction, but that may have been the mans field of expertise. The mountain of data appeared meaningless, but Accelerator was afraid of overlooking some important document if he skimmed too quickly through it. However, it would take days to carefully read through all of it. While growing more and more impatient, Accelerator finally found the data he wanted. This is it. It was information on Hound Dog. An unknown threat was attacking Academy City and Last Order had been quickly retrieved to fight it. It almost made him laugh, but it seemed those bastards thought they were playing the role of the heroes protecting the city. (What a joke...) He felt like spitting on the floor. If their ideals were really that admirable, they should have used themselves as shields first. Hoping to be praised for making that little brat suffer was getting carried away. What is this? Accelerator stopped breathing as he continued looking through the data. It seemed the board of directors was trying to oppose this threat by writing a virus into Last Orders mind. That meant they could not allow Last Order to die at least until this threat was gone. It might not be over yet. He might still be able to get her back. Accelerator tapped a key with a hand trembling from this slight hope. However, the report never stated how exactly Last Order could be used to eliminate this threat. Nor did it mention any details of this threat or the virus. There was too little information. There was a strategy application (that was effectively a written command), but it never specified what exactly was being requested. Any data beyond this may have only existed in the board chairmans head. However, a certain code name appeared in the strategy application. (Angel?) That term reminded Accelerator of the giant wings that had appeared in Academy city. And that boy who had said he would stop it. He may not have been the only one fighting in the darkness of the night. (...) However, he did not have time to worry about that. Last Order was his top priority. On August 31, Accelerator had eliminated a virus from Last Orders head. However, he had only managed that by having data on the virus beforehand and having his powers in top form. He doubted he could manage it in his current situation. More importantly, his battery would not last. He had less than 2 minutes left in esper mode. That was not enough time to heal her. (No, I dont need to heal her with my power. Kihara is using a professional Testament to mess with that brats head. I just have to use that. And he should have the virus data and the original script with him.) It was possible Kihara would destroy the Testament after writing the virus, but Accelerator found it unlikely. If something went wrong, Kihara would be unable to fix it. He would want to keep some form of insurance around. (I just have to do what I was planning to do from the beginning.) He pressed several more keys. (Hah! Thats a hit!!) He quickly found the point where Hound Dog was waiting. (I just have to kill Kihara and take that brat away from them. Ha ha! A concrete goal sure gives you a hell of a lot of motivation!!) The mansion contained a few different hunting weapons. Accelerator searched until he found some bullets that matched the ones for his shotgun. He loaded them and then left the building. Part 3 Index ran out of the parking garage and into the pouring rain. She had been riding along in those large hospital-like busses, but she could no longer sit around hiding. A voice called out telling her to stop, but she did not turn around. (Honestly, what was with that request for a battery to connect to the Misaka Network!? Was I tricked!? And we already have enough trouble with that lost child, so why did that thing have to appear in Academy City!?) The wings were huge, but that the actual body was hidden behind some buildings. Index could tell that mass made up of dozens of wings was slowly moving. It seemed to be about the same as a humans walking speed. It was an angel. Index could not understand why that would have appeared in Academy City. And on top of that, her 103,000 grimoires contained no information on this angel. This had not happened since Aureoluss Ars Magna. That meant this phenomenon was as big a deal as that. (I have to stop this.) Index stared at the wings that measured up to 100 meters. (This will get very, very bad if I dont.) Even the initial attack had contained tremendous destructive power. However, if this was truly an equal existence to the angels Index knew of, its true ability would go well beyond that. It would be able to eradicate all life on earth with a single finger or wield a power that deeply affected the stars of the universe. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Necessarius. She and that organization had been created in preparation for exactly this sort of situation, but she did not feel very reliable. Even an expert magician would feel fear here. And Index felt she could not allow that fear to reach those who had no part in any of this. Index ran through the eerily silent city. Perhaps due to the pouring rain, she did not pass by anyone else. Suddenly, the angel far, far in the distance let out a roar that tore through the night sky. It sounded like a beast being dragged along by a collar made of barbed wire. The several dozen giant wings trembled violently. They looked like they were writhing ominously and they also looked like they were squirming in order to put up with some horrible pain. And the angel cried out the entire time. Index focused on that sound in order to gather as much information as possible. ...Eh? Confusion suddenly filled her mind. It was nothing more than the air vibrating in an incomprehensible manner. And yet for some reason, Index felt something nostalgic as she listened to that voice. ... She stared at the giant wings of that angel. Those wings of light that should not even exist in this world sent a divine chill down her spine. The outlines of those wings occasionally grew blurred as if they were being blown in the wind, but they would quickly return to normal. It looked like waves on a beach or a fog being blown by the wind. The movements looked random, but there was a set pattern to them. It may have been thanks to Indexs perfect memory that she was able to match that data with data she had seen in the past. She had seen those same movements before. It had been on September 1. It had been when she went with Kamijou Touma to the hospital with a frog-faced doctor after defeating the magician named Sherry Cromwell in that underground mall. The shy and generally cowardly owner of those movements had been... Hyouka? Part 4 What is that? muttered Misaka Mikoto blankly. She stood in the middle of the street with the rain striking the umbrella she had bought in the convenience store. Whether it was due to the curfew having long since passed, the weather, or some other reason, that main road was completely empty. She had been searching for Kamijou Touma, but it had gotten so late and the rain had grown so heavy that she had been beginning to think about giving up. That had been when a group of buildings elsewhere in the city had suddenly crumbled and sent clouds of dust into the air while dozens of sharply pointed wing-like objects appeared. The scale was simply too great to be an esper power. And she could not imagine what power could accomplish that even if she ignored the scale. The wings had produced a phenomenon similar to an electrical discharge and thoroughly destroyed an area along the outer perimeter of Academy City. It had resembled an electrical discharge, but it had not actually been one. Mikoto was Academy Citys most powerful Electromaster, so she could tell that the attack had not used electricity. But then what was it? That power had looked so much like electricity yet Mikoto was unable to determine what it was. She understood that the scientific rules she believed in did not apply here. She tried to use her cell phone to call Shirai Kuroko, but the girl did not answer. She received the same result when she called the Judgment station or Anti-Skill. She felt as if she had been left all alone in some horrible place. She did not know why, but it seemed Academy Citys law enforcement had completely ceased functioning. And now this monster had appeared. It had all happened so suddenly that it did not feel real to her. Mikoto simply stood still with her umbrella up. And... Mikoto heard someone splashing through puddles as they ran past her. They were running along a route directly to the distant monster. This running girl had no rain gear and was soaking wet. Mikoto recognized her. She was the nun wearing a pure white habit that was always with Kamijou. W-wait! What are you doing here!? Dont you know its dangerous!? Mikoto instinctually chased after the girl and grabbed her arm. Let go!! shouted Index without even turning around. I have to go. Hyouka is there. I dont know whats going on, but I have to stop her. Thats my friend!! She was so panicked that her explanation was incomprehensible. Mikoto assumed the ridiculous situation had thrown her into a state of confusion, but then a new figure appeared. Touma!! Yes. It was Kamijou Touma. He ran out onto the main road from a corner about 100 meters ahead. The boy did not seem to notice them. Just like Index, his gaze was fixed on the giant wings. Having found the person she was looking for, Mikoto opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. This was because Indexs resistance had explosively increased despite finding someone she knew. She tore herself from Mikotos grasp and shouted amid the pouring rain. No, Touma! Dont kill Hyouka!! Part 5 Kamijou Touma was being chased. After losing sight of Vento on the bridge, he had focused on returning to the more urban area to stop the angel. On his way, he had run into a group of those same men in black who had been pursuing Last Order. He had immediately run down a narrow back alley their vehicle could not enter in an attempt to lose them in those complexly intertwining pathways. However, not even a slight advantage from the terrain was enough to get the better of professionally trained men. He could hardly believe he had not been shot yet. No, Touma! Dont kill Hyouka!! And that was why Touma thought his heart would stop the instant he heard that shout. It was less the words spoken and more the fact that he had mistaken the loud noise for a gunshot. !! He froze in place and took two whole seconds slowly turning around. When he finally saw Index and Mikoto running toward him, he relaxed a bit. He immediately realized this was no time to be relaxing, grabbed them both by the arm, and ran down a back alley. Several sets of footsteps charged out onto the main road. They belonged to the men in black. They were looking all around, but they would realize where Kamijou and the girls were soon enough. Mikoto was one thing, but Index showed no concern for the men in black. She looked up at Kamijou with fearful eyes. She did not ask what had happened or why he was being pursued. Index had something more important to say. Please, Touma. Dont go there. I dont know how this could happen, but that angel is definitely Hyouka. This is something we have to stop no matter what, but you cant get involved! If you touch her, Hyouka will disappear!! Index earnestly begged him while clinging to his wet shirt. She must have been very agitated because her words came out in quick chunks. However, he recognized the name Hyouka. Kazakiri Hyouka. She was an aggregation of AIM diffusion fields. She had a human heart but not a human body. (It cant be...) The Kazakiri Hyouka he knew would never cause destruction like this. But if someone could interfere with the composition of the AIM diffusion fields from the outside, this sort of change could be possible. If the AIM diffusion fields could be completely controlled, it would be possible to control everything from her form to her actions. This current phenomenon appeared to be incomplete. In that case, who was doing this to her? (Is it because Vento is knocking out all the students in the city? No, that isnt it...) As Kamijou desperately thought, Index spoke up once more. Touma, I will do something about Hyouka. Dont get involved in this! Kazakiri Hyouka was Indexs very first friend. She did not want to become Kazakiris enemy due to her position as the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Kamijou thought. Kazakiri Hyouka was a good person, but no guarantees could be made when she had lost control like this. It was the same as how a persons normal personality could not be relied on when they were drunk. And so he said, I have to do something. Touma!! I will stop her. And she is not the only problem. I cant just leave this to you. But if you use your right hand, Hyouka will die!! I wont let her die!! shouted Kamijou, forgetting that they were hiding from the men in black. As Index continued to complain, he grabbed her collar and pulled her in closer. She froze up in surprise and he said, Im not going there to kill her! Im making a stand to save Kazakiri! Does that look like the Kazakiri you know!? Of course not. Something must have happened to make her like this! I need to save her!! Dont get involved? To hell with that. I dont need your permission to save her!! Indexs mouth flapped wordlessly open and closed. Kamijou continued, I dont understand any of this complex magical stuff like angels, so I need your knowledge. But whatever is happening to Kazakiri involves the AIM diffusion fields, so there may be aspects you dont understand. Ill help you out with that part. Together, we can save Kazakiri Hyouka! The sound of the pouring rain seemed to fade into the distance. Only that boys words filled the area. A lot has happened in this city today. To be honest, I still dont know the whole of it and dont see any way of resolving it all. But I know one thing we have to do! We will save Kazakiri! Isnt that right!? He asked for confirmation. He wanted to snap Index out of thinking in terms of killing or not killing. Lets go, Index. Help me save Kazakiri Hyouka!! Index nodded in response. Kamijou let go of her collar. He then glanced back at the exit of the alleyway. They first had to lose the men in black somehow. Real bullets that had nothing to do with magic or esper powers were the worst possible matchup for Touma. His right hand was only any use against supernatural powers. And... Sigh... Mikoto let out a long sigh and tossed her umbrella aside in the alley. She looked at Kamijou and Index with a weary expression. I dont know whats going on, but youve gotten yourself involved in some huge incident again, havent you? M-more or less. And someone you know is at the very center of it all? She isnt just someone I know. Shes my friend, corrected Index. Looking even more fed up with it all, Mikoto looked out along the alley. Just to make sure, that thing isnt the bad guy, right? Definitely not, replied Kamijou with no hesitation whatsoever. You heard Index. Thats my friend over there. Your friend... Mikoto watched the angel scattering electrical discharge-like phenomena from between its wings while it moved further and further away. She then looked back at Kamijou and Index. And you want to go meet this, um...friend of yours? Index and Kamijou replied at the exact same moment. Yes, of course. Stop asking such obvious things. Ha ha ha, laughed Mikoto. But these men in black are bad guys, right? I dont actually know what theyre after, but theyre certainly not very nice. That was when several sets of footsteps entered the alley. The men in black must have determined they were in this alley. The men in black were not heading in slowly; they were heading in to attack. They could not waste any time. Nevertheless, Mikoto smiled. You leave me no choice. I dont know whats going on, but I guess thats a precious friend of yours. I know neither of you will listen once you set your mind on something, so go save this friend. Ill take care of things here. Wait, dont be stu-...!! Kamijou tried to grab Mikotos shoulder, but... Sorry, sorry. Its too late to stop me. Mikoto had already fired an arcade coin at the exit of the alley. That was her Railgun. That strike was fired at three times the speed of sound. It tore through the walls on either side of the ally. A great noise and light blasted out onto the main road. She had chosen a trajectory that would not directly hit the men in black, but the shockwave alone was enough to knock down a few of them. Gray dust filled the air. Before the rain could knock that dust down to the ground, Mikoto stomped on the stomachs of the men in black collapsed on the alleyway ground. This knocked them unconscious and she then charged out into the open street. Misaka!! shouted Kamijou, but he could not follow because the men in black still out on the street were firing at the entrance to the alleyway. Meanwhile, Mikoto called out to Kamijou from that bullet-filled battlefield where her powers could be used to their fullest. This is your punishment!! What!? You said you would do anything! That stays in effect for this entire day and now Im asking you to go rescue this friend of yours!! Got it!? Kamijou tried to yell back, but he was drowned out by the sounds of electrical discharges and gunfire. Shit, he cursed quietly. I will protect her! So dont you die!! He grabbed Indexs hand and ran further and further down the alleyway as if shaking free of something. He had a single destination. If what Index had said was true, Kazakiri Hyouka was waiting for him there. Mikoto sighed on the battlefield as she heard those receding footsteps splashing through puddles. She gained nothing from playing this role. (So this is his punishment. I cant believe I used it for something like this... But it cant be helped.) He had said he would risk his life to save his friend. She could not get in the way of that. However, she might have been able to give him a better punishment had these men in black had not interfered. That thought angered her a bit. I am not in a good mood right now. Mikoto faced multiple gun barrels with no weapon of her own. However, she gathered manhole covers, water pipes, and signs to create a shield right in front of her. She was using magnetism. When the guns were fired, the steel shield repelled all of the bullets. If you arent going to run, then I hope youre ready to die. She fired back with a lightning spear. She saw no way she could lose. Part 6 Kamijou and Index ran through the pouring rain. Kamijou was worried about Mikoto, but he would likely only be a hindrance. He pushed her out of his mind and looked forward. As Index ran alongside him, she asked, Hey, Touma. The city has been really quiet. What is going on? I sense a flow of magic power separate from Hyouka! The silence is probably due to everyone being unconscious. This was done by a magician that entered the city! I want to know how her magic works. And if theres a way to heal them, I want to know that too!! He summarized what was happening in the city. Index fell silent and looked down as if thinking. As she continued running along the wet road, she finally looked back up. That is probably...Divine Punishment. What? It uses a certain emotion as a key. Anyone feeling that emotion will be crushed no matter how far away they are! It is gods Divine Punishment. No matter where you are or who you are, no one is allowed to spit on god! explained Index. Touma, did that magician show any sign of trying to induce a specific emotion in people!? A specific emotion. Kamijou thought back to what he had seen of Vento of the Front. -She had purposefully provoked people with her words and actions. -She had purposefully worn makeup and piercings that people would be repulsed by. -She had purposefully attacked people who had nothing to do with the fight. It was possible Ventos actions were needed for some magical reason, but it was also possible they played the role of leading people to feel a certain emotion. If that was the case... Is it hate...no, hostility or malice? Is that the key to activate the Divine Punishment spell!? It was true that Vento would be near invincible if she could pull off an attack like that. No one would be able to stand in her way. The instant someone tried, her magic would activate. Anti-Skill had tried to stop Vento when she passed through the gate without permission. The rest of Anti-Skill had been informed by radio that those initial Anti-Skill members had collapsed. And then the information had spread throughout the city via the news. The Divine Punishment spell probably has different levels based on the amount of hostility! It might knock them unconscious, bind their physical body, or even block out any external interference. But it is over no matter what level one is attacked by. They will likely never recover until the magician decides Divine Punishment is no longer needed!! That was why everyone had collapsed. And it was no longer contained within Academy City. The damage may have spread beyond the city and to Japan and the rest of the world via the news. Organizations that cooperated with Academy City might have been automatically informed of the situation, causing more victims. However... Can they really do that? Is magic really that convenient!? Normally, no! My 103,000 grimoires have no records of this. But this is the only way to explain what is happening! I know it seems strange. As the name suggests, Divine Punishment is supposed to come from god. A person should not be able to do this!! But Vento had accomplished it. That may have been the power of Gods Right Seat. Damn her. So thats how shes planning to destroy Academy City!! Wait, Touma! If this is true, you cant tell me the identity of this magician! My Walking Church has lost its pope-class defensive ability. Unlike you, I can be affected by this Divine Punishment spell!! Oh, thats right, muttered Kamijou under his breath. Index could not defend against Ventos Divine Punishment spell. Ignoring exceptions such as Kamijous Imagine Breaker, anyone would be defeated as long as they met the requirement. And Index was someone who fought magicians that harmed others. But if they had no way of healing the victims, there was no point in lingering on that subject. Kazakiri came first. Index had been able to explain Ventos Divine Punishment spell, so she might know something about this as well. How does this Kazakiri...this angel work? Is she okay!? Can we still save her!? Well... Dammit, why did this have to happen now!? Is it related to the Divine Punishment affecting the city!? Why did she take the obvious form of an angel instead of simply going out of control!? I dont know!! shouted Index despite having perfectly memorized 103,000 grimoires. What they could see in the distance was clearly an angel of the magic side, so this lack of knowledge on her part was unusual. Its appearance and structure are very similar to the information from my grimoires, but the parts used are all mixed up and Ive never seen any of them before!! Its like seeing a fresco written in some strange alphabet. The overall look of the painting is enough to get the general idea, but I cannot read deeper into the culture or spirituality behind it!! ... Index herself seemed the most frustrated by her failure. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum existed to answer just this kind of question. At the very least, I can tell that this angel and the core that controls it are located in two different places. So not even you can answer this one. Kazakiri Hyouka was created from AIM diffusion fields. The base of her existence came from psychic powers research and cutting edge technology. It may have been that Indexs lack of understanding of those aspects prevented her from coming up with a countermeasure for this angel. Kamijou and Index continued speaking as they ran. They were in such a hurry that they did not care about the pouring rain. What about you, Touma? Do you know anything about Hyoukas current structure? Not really. Saying it used AIM diffusion fields was simple enough. However, he could not explain how that worked. Everyone knew cars ran on gasoline, but not many would be able to draw out a blueprint of how exactly that worked. (Is there anyone else who knows more about this? Someone on the level of a university professor who could easily draw up a blueprint?) But Kamijou did not know any adults or researchers like that. Dammit, he cursed, but then a name appeared in his mind. Komoe-sensei!! When Sherry had attacked the underground mall at the beginning of September, Komoe-sensei had seen through to Kazakiris true form after hearing his description. She had to know a lot about AIM diffusion fields. Her number was still recorded in his phone from that phone call. As he ran through the rainy streets, Kamijou quickly called Komoe-sensei. But... What is it, Touma? Shit!! She was not answering. Whether she had fallen victim to Ventos attack or she could not use her cell phone for some other reason, he could not reach Komoe-sensei no matter how much he tried. (That was a dead end!!) Kamijou gritted his teeth and scrolled through his list of numbers. However, they were all students. He doubted any of them would know more than Komoe-sensei. But then... !! Kamijou immediately contacted the very last number on the list. This was the most recent number he had recorded. The name listed was... Misaka!! Dah!! Wh-what? Dont give me even more work when Im so damn busy!! Mikotos voice was staticky and gunfire could be heard in the background. The connection may have been so poor because she was using lightning attacks. But that did not matter. He ignored her complaint and cut to the chase. Tokiwadai Middle School teaches its students a lot more than your average middle school, right!? They want you to stand on the front lines of your field when you graduate, so they give lectures on a university level, right!? What!? What are you -...That was close! What are you talking about!? I need your knowledge to stop that angel! I need an adviser who knows a lot about AIM diffusion fields!! Youre my only hope here! Can you do this!? Bh!? Kamijou heard a strange noise over the phone, so he took it away from his ear and shouted back. H-hey, Misaka! Were you shot!? Hey!! No!! Repeated lightning blasts could be heard. Mikoto continued speaking afterwards. Y-youre not going to give me a choice, are you!? Youre going to make me fight while thinking about something else! You really arent going to let me get off easy here!! Okay! Index, you take my phone. If you dont understand something, just ask her! Eh? said Index with a disappointed look as Kamijou tried to hand her the phone. Meanwhile, Misaka shouted, Ehh!? ??? Whats wrong, Misaka? No, um...well, it doesnt matter. But...Ehhh!? Im counting on you two!! He was not quite sure what their problem was, but he did not have time to think about it. Kamijou gave his phone to the white nun. With my right hand and all, I doubt Ill be much help with this magical stuff. Sorry, Index, but can you handle this on your own? What will you do, Touma? You said the angel and the core controlling it are in two different places, right? You head to that core and fix this. Ill head to the angel and take care of things there, said Kamijou. The magician using that Divine Punishment spell is still out there. This magician is named Vento and is with an organization called Gods Right Seat. She wants to kill Kazakiri now that she has become an angel, so we still need to stop this magician even if we can free Kazakiri. You take care of the core causing this problem and Ill protect Kazakiri from Ventos attacks!! Hearing that, Indexs eyebrows moved slightly in worry. She was likely thinking about this angel Kamijou had mentioned. But she kept those thoughts to herself and said something else. Okay. Touma, take care of Hyouka!! You too! Im counting on you, Index!! The two parted ways and ran down their respective paths. They both had their minds set on rescuing Kazakiri Hyouka. Part 7 Ha ha! Now, this is amazing! What the hell is that thing!? cheered Kihara Amata in the unused office. Several hundred meters away, a large number of wings had shot out, destroying the buildings around them. Kihara could only see the wings through the window, but the word angel immediately came to mind for some reason. Last Order was lying on top of a desk. That angel had appeared the instant they had inputted the virus into her head and rebooted her. And the virus the higher ups had given him had simply been named Angel. He saw no way these two events were unrelated. This unscientific existence had been manifested by scientific means. Kihara did not deny this unscientific situation. Instead, he was shocked that science had finally made it this far. This was Academy Citys board chairmans doing. Kihara Amata had thought he himself was quite the mad scientist, but Aleister took it to an entirely different level. I cant fucking believe this! Youre completely insane, Aleister!! I cant even begin to understand this! What kind of scientist denies science!? Unlike Kihara, the five subordinates around him were completely confused. It looked like they could not decide whether to accept what they were seeing as real or not. So all of this was about crushing Academy Citys enemies with that! Yeah, with something like that, we can handle most anyone. I dont know who was hanging out on the outer edges of the city, but theyre fucked now! Look at that! People are gonna want more than the Three Non-Nuclear Principles once they see this angel!! When did the bible become a pop-up book!? The Hound Dog members were still unable to comprehend the situation, so they slowly followed Kiharas instructions and looked outside through the dusty window. But none of them were able to see the distant angel. This was simply because Accelerator flew through the sky and kicked through the window just as they looked over. The glass noisily shattered. He has already activated esper mode. The man in black closest to the window was knocked to the opposite wall by Accelerators flying kick. The Hound Dog member struck the thin inner wall and his armored uniform fell to pieces as he collapsed to the floor. Accelerator did not check to see if he was alive or dead. His deep red eyes rolled around in his head, but he still managed to accurately lock on to his target. Kiiiihara-kuuuuuuuun!! he shouted as he aimed his shotgun and unhesitatingly brought his finger to the trigger. He was aiming at everything from the mans chest to his gut. He intended to utterly kill him. Meanwhile, Kihara shoved one of his subordinates forward. Wah! cried the man in black as he was forced forward to act as Kiharas shield. Countless shot struck the Hound Dog man. His blood splattered about and he collapsed. Kihara did not care. He was laughing so hard it looked like his face was going to break apart. Dont you know how to aim!? Youre just getting in everyones way if you dont!! Accelerator ignored the obvious provocation. He sent a glance racing along the other men in black who were frantically holding up their weapons. (These shields are in the goddamn way...) He gritted his teeth. (Perfect! I dont hear a single one of you bastards begging for forgiveness because you were only acting on orders!!) He manipulated the vectors of his leg strength, altered his aim from Kihara to the Hound Dogs, and charged right up to one of them. Ignoring his shotgun, he stretched out his hand. The mans uniform had a knife, a handgun, and other weapons attached. Near the shoulder, he had four grenades. Accelerator was aiming for them. He used his index finger to little finger to pull all four pins. With no pause whatsoever, Accelerator kicked the man in the gut, sending him flying back and knocking over the other Hound Dog members as if they were bowling pins. The man on the top frantically reached for the grenades still attached to his uniform. And then the human bomb detonated. These were fragmentation grenades, so they sent flesh and blood flying in every direction. This left a single Hound Dog member and Kihara. Ee!? Accelerator glared at the last Hound Dog member who immediately grabbed something lying on a desk. It was Last Orders limp form after forcible use of the Testament had left her unconscious. Accelerator was armed with a shotgun that could not be aimed carefully. The man must have assumed Accelerator could not aim if he had a hostage. However... ... The look in Accelerators eyes changed. An explosive noise rang out. He manipulated the vectors of his leg strength to shoot right next to the Hound Dog member in an instant. The man had been right about one thing: Accelerator did not fire the shotgun. Instead, he swung the meter-long piece of metal straight into the Hound Dog mans face. He swung it so hard the shotgun was smashed to pieces. The small springs and the cylindrical shells contained within the magazine flew through the air. With a dull noise, the mans body rotated four times like a bamboo copter before crashing to the floor and not moving. After the man let go of her, Accelerator caught Last Order in midair with one arm and placed her gently on top of the table. He then stared at Kihara Amata, the source of all his problems. The troops protecting the man had been wiped out. But Kihara only laughed as if this only left less he had to deal with. Oh, how badass!! If this is how you do things, I think I might be falling for you, Accelerator!! Its time you were scrapped, you piece of shit!! The two villains shouts reverberated through the air. Kihara opened and closed his slender hands and licked his lips as he charged toward Accelerator. Accelerators reflection did not work on Kihara, but he would no longer hesitate. Accelerator too opened his hands and ran forward. He had 60 seconds left in esper mode. Part 8 Kamijou Touma arrived at the site of the blast. It was a familiar area of District 7. The tall buildings all contained famous businesses or relatively high-grade department stores meant for students. The restaurants in the department stores were often introduced in magazines. The area was off of his path to and from school, so he did not come here every day. However, he would occasionally bring Index here for a meal (that would always lack any kind of decent mood). District 7 contained both the high-class School Garden and the much more common areas such as Kamijous dorm. This area fit more into the high-class side of the district. During the day, a lot of girls wearing Tokiwadai Middle School and Kirigaoka Girls Academy uniforms could be seen walking around. It was a uniquely arranged adult space that could not be made just with children. And it had been transformed into a pile of rubble like a destroyed sand castle. ... Every single building within 100 meters of the center of the blast had been destroyed and leveled. However, there was no absolute crater where nothing was left. The destruction was much more random as if a giant hand had knocked over each individual building. However, those diagonally-tilted buildings and departments stores with only the first floor remaining created oddly vivid scars that shook Kamijous heart. Vento of the Fronts attack had to have affected people in those buildings. And they would have still been inside when this large-scale destruction had happened. Kamijou could not imagine how many people were buried in those piles of rubble. A rescue team would be delayed, but how many people could be saved even if it arrived this very instant? His feelings numbed over. Kamijou walked on shaky legs and looked toward the center of the destruction. He saw a single angel there. The main body was the same size as a normal human. The scale of the wings was so great in comparison that it looked more like a collection of wings had swallowed up a human. Her wings emitted a brilliant light that seemed to blow away the gray dust, the pouring rain, and everything else. They measured from 10 meters to 100 meters. Those giant wings sharpened to a point and stuck up randomly like weeds. Dozens of them were attached to this small girls back. The angel was around 100 meters away from Kamijou and slowly moving perpendicular to him. She was only walking on those two slender legs of hers, but each step sent a low vibration through the earth. This girl was Kazakiri Hyouka. She had long, beautiful hair that was black with a bit of brown mixed in. It mostly fell down to her waist, but a bit was tied off to the side of her head. She wore glasses that hid her timid face, she had not adjusted the length of her skirt, and she wore her schools designated blue blazer. A red necktie accented that blazer. Kamijou Touma knew this girl. She was timid, a crybaby, and would hesitate to even punch a villain. However... The person before him was clearly not the Kazakiri Hyouka he knew. Her head was hanging limply down and her tongue was partially lolling out of her half-opened mouth. Her half-lidded eyes were moving irregularly like mechanical lenses reading through some small writing. The rain striking her face mixed with her drool and soaked the chest of her uniform. But despite the slimy sheen and feeling of it, Kazakiri did not move at all. Dozens of giant wings. An inhuman atmosphere. A presence that felt like a brick wall. It all resembled Misha Kreutzev. However, this girl before his eyes was even more unnatural and twisted than that archangel. Her face displayed no emotion whatsoever. Her eyeballs wandered creepily and she did not shed even a single tear. She was not allowed even that. Some sort of restrictions had been placed over her. A halo about 50 cm across floated above her head. The speed of the halos rotation and the size of its diameter both changed to match the movements of Kazakiris limbs. Countless pencil-like rods stuck out from the outer edge of the halo and they moved in and out at blinding speed. Kamijou Touma recognized this. A triangular prism existed within Kazakiri Hyoukas head. She would move in accordance with that objects movements. He felt like this was the same. This sight felt even colder than the sight of a human being controlled by countless electrodes stabbed into their skull. (Kaza...kiri...) Kamijou immediately averted his gaze from Kazakiris face. He might have found it easier to see her corpse. Kamijou felt from the bottom of his heart that he needed to stop this. It did not matter what had caused it. Kazakiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!! shouted Kamijou without thinking. Wherever she had been headed, Kazakiris legs suddenly stopped. Her head slowly turned toward Kamijou. However... With a sound like scraping metal, the angels halo above her head began rotating even faster. The pencil-sized rods filling the outer edge of the halo all stabbed out at once. He heard what sounded like a scream. The movement of Kazakiris head was forcibly stopped and it seemed to tremble and creak. Her head moved back to face forward with the movements of a machine with something caught in the gears. With her neck still twisted at an odd angle, Kazakiri slowly began walking once more. An electric zapping sound rang out. Kamijou looked up and saw bluish-white light flashing out as two of the giant wings drew closer and closer together. It was as if they were preparing to fire. A strange light flashed around Kazakiri. The flashes seemed timed perfectly with the movements of the angels halo. And Kazakiris body moved as if led by that light. It was as if she did not want to do anything, but that light bothered her so much that she was afraid of what would happen if she did not move in that direction. It was as if she was worried she had left the gas on. It was as if she felt the need to wash her hands again and again yet the stain would never come out. (Is this like serious OCD or something?) That was the general impression it gave him. There were no set rules, but she needed to check on it no matter what. That was what that light was to her. By sending out those points of interest again and again, Kazakiri could be mentally controlled into moving in a certain direction. However... If that state continued at length, her mind would inevitably be worn down to nothing. It was like pressing a red-hot metal plate against a blindfolded persons back and leading them through a maze as they fled. This completely ignored Kazakiris human heart. This was like sneering behind the back of someone who had tripped. (Dammit... How dare you!!) Kamijou began to run over to her, but then he stopped. What good would approaching her do? He could not touch her body. Imagine Breaker would destroy the illusion that was Kazakiri Hyouka. God dammit!! Kamijou gritted his teeth and slammed his useless right hand against a wall of rubble. He could not save the people buried under that rubble. He could not save Kazakiri from this change that had come over her. He was too small and too pathetic to do anything. And then he heard a new set of footsteps. The misfortune in front of his eyes had invited in more misfortune. Oh, whats this? Were you sinners licking each others wounds? Kamijou spun around. He found a woman with piercings all over her face and wearing an outfit modeled after an ancient style of dress. This was the member of Gods Right Seat who had robbed Academy City of its functions as a city and walked casually through the streets to kill Kamijou. This was Vento of the Front. She held a giant hammer with barbed wire wrapped around it. Whether due to an illness or some other reason, Vento had red blood dripping down from her mouth and bloody stains across her clothes that were otherwise wet with rain. Even so, her expression remained unchanged. The balance of her face was ruined by the countless piercings as she grinned and held her weapon in one hand. This grin was filled with scorn and ridicule. It was not the sort of smile meant to be turned toward a fellow human. I was kind enough to put you off until later, but youre just insisting I kill you now, arent you? Do you want me to put you out of your misery so you dont have to see any more tragedy? I wont let you do anything to Kazakiri. Oh? You can sympathize with that thing, too? How much of philanthropist are you? This symbol of blasphemy is even uglier and viler than the great whore mentioned in Revelation. I doubt even your average pervert would accept something like this. Damn you!! You take that back!! Why? Are you trying to say she isnt normally like this? Dont be ridiculous. This may be the first time Ive seen her, but do you really think the head of Academy City would use everything the city has to create a harmless and useless creature? She has great value and power. Whatever you saw before must have been an irregularity created when this was still incomplete. The head of Academy City. The person who controlled half of the world via the science side. If Kazakiri Hyouka had been created by using all of the AIM diffusion fields in Academy City, that was indeed the most likely person to be controlling her. And if she had been created for a reason rather than by chance, the idea of her having been incomplete held some credibility. As a member of Gods Right Seat, I cannot overlook this monster. Im not saying were a blameless group, but not even we can accept that monster. This is an incarnation of blasphemy that mocks all those who follow the cross. She must be eliminated. A great roar reached Kamijous ears. (...!? Not again!!) He turned around just in time to see a lightning-like flash coming from the giant wings connected to Kazakiris back. Sparks bridged between two wings and the tone gradually grew higher and higher pitched. It felt like a great power was going to overflow and burst forth at any moment. Kamijou fell silent and thought on it all for a moment. And then he said, Allow me to repeat myself just this once. Repeat what? Take that back, you bitch. Oh? Vento smiled in amusement. You can be surprisingly cute. Fine. Ill take your feelings into account. I was going to kill you both anyway. This just means you get to die together like friends. That may have been the most compromise he could have hoped for from her. But for Kamijou, it was so inadequate he wanted to spit on the ground. Dont tell me youre hoping for help from this monster. If so, give up. You cannot defeat me even if you work together, said Vento in enjoyment. Did you know that angels have no will of their own? They are truly nothing more than gods tools. Vento sneered at him. When they malfunction or receive erroneous instructions, they become what is known as a fallen angel. The most well-known example would be Lucifers rebellion. A bug in a single angel sent erroneous instructions to a third of the angels deployed around the heavens which started a war. She scraped at the asphalt with her hammer as she spoke. She looked Kamijou in the eye as she spoke. Do you think this monster is a holy angel? Or is it a fallen angel? ... Do I even need to say it!? Thats nothing more than a goddamn fallen angel!! And this is not just one of gods angels losing control! This is an ugly winged doll created by the hands of man! It is a pitch black sinner carrying sins upon sins!! Vento raised up her hammer and pointed it toward Kamijou. I dont know what Academy City was trying to do! Maybe they were trying to make a perfect angel and failed and maybe they were trying to make a fallen angel from the beginning! Either way, we cannot accept what you are doing!! Nothing more than the emotion held in her words was enough to knock someone back. She was completely denying Kazakiri Hyoukas right to exist. I doubt my true attack will be of any use against her right now. I dont even know if she has the same type of mind as a human. But I will kill her! My own power may not be enough, but this is only an incomplete fallen angel! I can put together a spell to interfere with the internal control of her powers and cause her to self destruct!! I can make this monster blow itself to smithereens with its own monstrous power!! Kamijou was not listening to her. He gritted his teeth, glared at her, and spoke. ...I wont let you. Just how difficult could the conditions for one battle be? Kamijou was unsure if he could even defeat Vento, but now he had to fight her while also covering for Kazakiri. Plus, he had no guarantee Kazakiri was harmless. If a single one of the splendid sparks flying from those wings struck his back, he would not survive. Nevertheless, Kamijou Touma tightly clenched his right fist. He said, Shes already been twisted into this form by the higher ups of Academy City. Shes already being forced to bloody her hands. Shes already being kept from asking for help or even shedding a single tear. And now you barge in and start treating her like a monster and saying you need to kill her? It did not matter if that girl could hear him now or not. Kamijou had decided to protect Kazakiri Hyouka. He stood before Vento in order to do so. With the rain pouring down on him and that giant angel behind him, he accepted all of the unfavorable conditions. To hell with that. Is that any way to treat someones friend!? Volume 13, 10: Their respective battlefields. The_Way_of_Light_and_Darkness. Volume 13, Chapter 10: Their respective battlefields. The_Way_of_Light_and_Darkness. Part 1 His time limit was 60 seconds. He had to kill Kihara. It did not matter if he had only 10 seconds left after the fighting was over. Esper mode used orders of magnitude more power than normal mode. Even a few seconds of battle time would leave him several dozen minutes of time back in normal mode. A Testament modified to be portable lay in one corner of the abandoned office. With that, he could heal Last Orders brain at the very least. If the virus really had been inputted here, Kihara most likely still had the original script. In that case, it would not be hard to create an antivirus program. (So Ill kill him. Ill fucking kill him! This will all be over once hes dead! I dont have to think about anything else. I cant return to the path of light either way, so I just need to focus on dragging Kihara down to hell with me!!) With his mind focused on only that, Accelerator charged toward Kihara like a bullet. He spread out the fingers of his right hand. With his vector reflection ability, he could reverse the flow of blood throughout someones entire body just by touching their skin. That demonic hand would cause the persons blood vessels and organs to burst. As Last Order was on this same floor, he did not want to use too flashy a method, but this was more than enough to kill. He sent his hand flying sharply upwards toward Kiharas face. Kihara simply swung his head to the side to easily avoid it. He showed no fear or tension over how deadly even a single touch would be. His face was proclaiming that it was no problem as Accelerator would never hit him. After Accelerator missed, Kihara threw a cross-counter. With precision on a level dozens of times greater than a jab in boxing, he pulled back his hand just after he threw it. The strike slipped past Accelerators reflection wall and slammed mercilessly into the bridge of his nose. Ah...!! The dull sound of something being crushed rang out. This was not a flashy and heavy blow like from a hammer. Taking it to the nose shook his vision, but it was not enough to knock him unconscious. However... When Accelerator stopped momentarily due to the pain, a string of light blows assaulted him. Face, chest, shoulder, gut, and then face, face, face. When Accelerator swung his arm, Kihara would step back. When Accelerator tried to pursue, Kihara would move closer and attack. Gya ha ha!! You piece of shit! Arent you ashamed to stand before me like this!? Another impact shook Accelerators head along with Kiharas shouting voice. His reflection was not working. That absolute wall was supposed to ensure not a hair on his head shook even if he took the brunt of a nuclear blast. Accelerator tried to move away. Kihara stepped further forward and threw another punch at his face. !! Accelerators reflection did not create a thick bulletproof shield in front of him. It only redirected any force heading toward him. He protected himself from any and all attacks by altering any force moving forward so it moved in the opposite direction. In other words... (If my reflection acts on a force moving backwards, it sends it forwards!!) With blood trailing down from the corner of his mouth, Accelerator was now confident he knew what was happening. Kihara Amata would reverse the direction of his punch just before it hit Accelerator. He would do so in the instant when he was just barely touching the thin protective film of Accelerators reflection. That forced Accelerator to pull the backwards-moving fist forwards. This just meant he had to alter the vector control ability protecting his body, but Kiharas fist made minute adjustments in the direction of its turn as if the man had predicted the changes Accelerator would make. It seemed the intellect that had directly developed the esper power known as Accelerator was quite something. Whats wrong, kid!? I thought you came here to save that brat! He had lost his timing, had the rhythm of the battle taken from him, and was being led around by the nose. Each individual blow from Kihara seemed weak, but it gradually built up in his body like alcohol. As Accelerators movements grew duller, Kihara started taking bolder and bolder actions which only quickened the rate at which Accelerator grew drunk. Gh...Aahh...!! More time heartlessly passed. This much of a gap existed between them even when he was using his full power as Academy Citys strongest esper, but once the protection of the electrode was gone, he would have difficulty even standing on his own two legs. The passage of time caused him to grow more and more impatient. (You little shit!! You dont have time to be stopped by Kihara here! Youre going to lose the time you need to heal that brat with the Testament!!) This is too easy, you scrapped murderer!! Have I already won!? A great roar rang out. Accelerator had started to change his train of thought, but his mind was truly shaken this time. Kihara Amatas actions were growing larger. He had decided Accelerator could not keep up with his speed after the damage the boy had taken. The gap between strikes grew as the weight of each punch grew. Did you think you were a total badass or something? A strike to the face caused Accelerators legs to waver. If he had not been paying attention, they would have gotten intertwined and he would have fallen to the ground. Did you think you could make up for everything youve done by standing up to a giant evil organization to save a poor kidnapped brat? While Accelerator was focused on keeping his balance Kihara let loose another punch. He tried to protect his vitals with his arms, but Kihara always managed to slip through a gap in his defenses and land the punch. As the damage grew, more blood began dripping from his closed lips. Gya ha ha! What a fucking joke! Youre never escaping the mud! You can crawl around and try to crawl out of it all you want, but that mud isnt ever coming off!! You should just give up and sink in! If you start walking around, youll only get everything else dirty!! An especially great impact sent Accelerator to the floor. His knees gave out and his forehead fell down to smash against the carpet that had practically fused with the dust. (...Damn...that bastard...) But Accelerator placed his hands on the steel desk and avoided completely falling. The damage from Kiharas attacks had torn out all of his stamina. His entire body was screaming for a rest as if he had just finished running a marathon. (I know that. I know this mud is never coming off. You reminded me of that well enough, so I have no regrets about that. That isnt what I want...) He gritted his teeth, forced back the pain, and pushed down against the desk supporting him. He used his arms to stand up on wobbly legs. (Give it a goddamn rest already. All of you are working together against that brat. You and I are the only ones that need to go to hell. Dont get her involved in this, you piece of shit.) But his determination was in vain. He heard a quiet electronic beeping. That tiny final notification had come from the choker-style electrode around his neck. That mechanical sign indicated the end of his 60 seconds. In other words, his battery was dead. All strength left Accelerator and he collapsed to the dusty floor in front of Kihara Amata. Part 2 A great roar rang out as sparks bridged between the wings of the angel as if they were about to overflow. Hah hah!! Vento of the Front used a single hand to jab her giant hammer toward Kamijou. In response, Kamijou swung his clenched right fist at Vento with all his strength. He heard the sound of something slicing through the air. It did not come from Vento swinging her hammer. It was the sound of Vento jumping three meters straight up into the air. She had not dodged down or to either side; she had dodged straight up. She had likely used some form of magic that used the air. After Kamijous fist flew through empty air, his face was mercilessly struck by a flying kick counter. With a dull sound, he was knocked to the wet asphalt. (Ghah!? She...!!) Kamijou frantically sat up as he held his nose. Vento stood directly in front of him. She swung up her hammer and then forcefully swung it down toward where Kamijou sat on the road. Kamijou heard the scraping sound of the chain. The chain was wet with red blood and it was creating a spiral spear aimed for his face. A wind weapon appeared along that shape. Gwahh!! shouted Kamijou as he held out his right hand. He deflected Ventos attack and a storm of air erupted around him. The direction of the rain was greatly changed for just a few seconds. But neither of them was watching the rain. Hh!! Vento sucked in some air and swung her hammer with all her might once more. The tongue chain wriggled like a living creature. Kamijou gave up trying to block it with his right hand and rolled backwards to evade it. He would never gain the upper hand if he only relied on Imagine Breaker. He used the momentum of his roll to move back even further and then stood up from the ground. The air weapon stabbed into the ground instead of him. Fragments of the asphalt flew through the air. As Kamijou used both arms to protect his face from the storm of rocks, he heard Ventos painful voice. Cough... Shit. The output really has dropped... She coughed up blood and glared at the angel behind Kamijou. Vento raised her voice while shaking the bloody chain. Ha ha. This has been a real pain in the ass!! Youve got that disgusting right arm and youre covering for that angel that makes me want to vomit. Just how much do you want to make me laugh!? Dont joke around!! Do you think your viewpoint is the only one there is!? Why the hell dont you try to accept others!? Vento charged through the storm of rocks and straight for Kamijou. Oddly, the asphalt never once hit her. It almost looked like it was moving out of her way. Kamijou guessed this was another type of air magic. She swung her hammer around while shouting. And red blood leaked from between her teeth all the while. I hate science! I loathe science!! Just as Kamijou was about to knock down the hammer with his right hand, the hammer suddenly disappeared into thin air. Kamijous fist sliced through the air and then Vento produced the hammer in her hand once more. Vento pressed the head of the hammer against Kamijous defenseless gut. The tongue chain wrapped around the hammers handle. I hate science for doing this to me! In the next instant, a wind weapon shot from the end of the hammer. Kamijou immediately twisted his body to the side, but the blunt weapon still grazed his side. That was all it took for his body to spin around like a bamboo copter. He had no chance of making a proper landing and he slammed into a crumbling wall. I loathe science for letting my brother die!! Vento swung her hammer around even more while shouting things Kamijou did not understand. Despite how tightly the chain had been wrapped around the handle, it had already been removed. She created a wind weapon which shot toward Kamijou. He had his back pressed up against a wall, so he leaped to the side to avoid it. The building wall was smashed to pieces like a toy. That power sent a chill down Kamijous spine, but then he suddenly froze. A college aged man was lying on the other side of the destroyed wall. Wai-...!! Kamijou tried to stop her, but... A great roar drowned out his voice. It came from the sparks produced by the angels wings. It quickly surpassed the level of a roar and became something similar to a shockwave. !! The vibration was so great that Kamijou covered his ears and grimaced in pain. He looked away from Vento and turned around. The sparks bridging between Kazakiris wings had finally surpassed their limit and been released. Something burst out that exceeded the realm of sound. Its path resembled a snake as it shot outside of Academy City in an instant. Despite striking a point far enough away to be hidden by the horizon, the wave of soil that was blown into the sky was still visible in the distance. The angel had likely fired another attack to defeat her enemies. (Shit...) Pain pounded in his head. He knew he had to defeat Vento soon or others would become wrapped up in this, but he could not move his body properly. Meanwhile, Ventos expression was one of someone who was not bothered by the pain. This is what science does!! And youre one of them! Dont you find it disgusting!? As blood continued to flow from her mouth, Vento used all of her strength to swing her hammer around. She aimed using the tongue piercing and smashed the concrete to pieces with an especially big wind weapon. She was intentionally attacking the unrelated person there. Part 3 He could not keep his balance in any direction. He could not even make the calculation to determine which direction to push to get up. He could see a hand sprawled on the floor, but as he tried to count the number of fingers, he would lose track partway through. The battery had died, so the electrode on Accelerators neck was no longer functioning. He could not use his powers, understand language, or even make simple calculations by counting on his fingers. He had difficulty controlling his body weight and center of gravity, so he could not even stand up properly, much less clench his fist and attack Kihara. The abandoned office floor was covered in dust and clumps of it were caught all through the carpet. Being collapsed with his cheek pressed against that carpet was uncomfortable for Accelerator. However... (How...am I...supposed to...get rid of...this discomfort?) He could passively gather information, but he could make no active reaction to it. He could not make the calculations needed to bridge that gap. A voice rained down from above Accelerator. It belonged to Kihara Amata. Gradually arriving to fall asleep is fine, but is that far from that many problems!? Accelerator could not understand what he was saying. What had he come here to do? He could ask himself the question, but he could not answer it. He was fairly certain Last Order was here. He was fairly certain he had to take her from here. That much he knew. He did not need to make any calculations to know that. He simply had to draw information he already knew to the surface of his mind. However... How was he supposed to do that? (...................................................................................................) Accelerator stopped moving there. Even if his ability to think had been at its best, he would not have found an answer to that. Even if he could use Academy Citys strongest power to its fullest, Kihara Amata would predict his actions, confuse him, and control his powers. Kihara would then attack with a harsh counter. Kihara seemed completely unconcerned even when enough power to destroy the world was launched at him. Meanwhile, Accelerator had lost the benefits of his choker-style electrode so he could only barely stand with the help of a cane. Trying to find a means of victory there was simply too much to ask. Even if Tree Diagram was used, it would simply output the answer 0%. However... ...? After spewing so much abuse at Accelerator, Kihara suddenly stopped. A slight bit of confusion mixed into his expression of scorn. And this was no surprising. Especially with someone who had almost perfectly predicted the function and weaknesses of the device on Accelerators neck immediately upon seeing it. One of the desks creaked as Accelerator grabbed onto it and stood back up. He was in no state to fight. He could not even support his own weight. He had his hands on the desk, but he would collapse back to the floor the instant he let go. His eyes were not focused and were rolling around randomly. Only he could know what images those black pupils showed him. Accelerator was losing even to earths gravity, so he was in no state to oppose a powerful enemy. And yet he still confronted Kihara Amata. Kihara laughed like an idiot as he saw how pathetic Accelerator was. What do you gain from removing the same bombardment unit!? He continued mocking him even though his words would never reach the boy. He had likely been asking what Accelerator could hope to do with his battery dead, but Accelerator was unable to understand it. And even if Accelerator had understood, it would not have changed what he was doing. Accelerator could not make any calculations in his current state. He understood how hopeless the situation was and he could think of no way of breaking free of that situation. However... Accelerator could not calculate out any of the reasons he would lose either. That meant he would not hesitate no matter what. No matter what situation he was thrown into and even if he knew the next attack would kill him... He would continue to fight to the very, very end. He would fight without making any calculations. Part 4 Kamijous eyes opened wide. His right hand containing Imagine Breaker had not made it. Ventos attack had smashed the concrete wall to pieces like a bomb had gone off. Everything there, including the unconscious man, disappeared behind a cloud of gray dust. This action was like attacking a battlefield hospital, holding a gun to the heads of the injured being treated, and pulling the trigger. There was no way the man could have survived. After the gray dust cleared, Kamijou was sure he would see nothing but pieces of human flesh scattered everywhere. Meanwhile, Kazakiri continued firing attacks that resembled electrical discharges. The great sounds of those attacks put further pressure on Kamijous heart. Damn yoooouuuuuu!! he shouted after a bit of a delay. The scene before his eyes was so gruesome it had taken his mind longer than usual to process it. And then the cloud of dust suddenly disappeared as if a storm had blown in. However... It revealed the unconscious man with not even a scratch on him. Wha-...? Ah...? Both Kamijou and Vento stared at the collapsed college student. The attack had definitely hit. And yet... (What is going on, dammit? I thought I could shake him emotionally by crushing someone in front of him.) That had been Ventos plan. But... Something like pale glowing cotton slowly floated down from the night sky. Kamijou and Vento both turned their heads to look at it. Tiny glowing objects that resembled a moths scales were floating around the uninjured college student. This was the sign of a supernatural power so weak that they had to pay close attention to even see it properly. However, this had covered the area around the college student to block the impact. This was what had protected the man from Ventos attack. Kamijou glanced around, trying to figure out where it had come from. These glowing scales were floating around the area despite the pouring rain. Something had caught Kamijou and Ventos attention just as much as the survival of that man. It was the light coming from these scales. Kamijou Touma recognized that light. He turned around. Kazakiri Hyouka was scattering those scales from her countless wings. Ha ha... He laughed. Kamijou could not help but laugh at this. He heard the sound of some rubble collapsing nearby. More people who had been buried alive like the college student began to appear. There were men and women, adults and children. There were a great number of them. Hundreds or even thousands of those scales had wrapped around them and protected them. They contained no injuries. Not even one. The glowing of the countless scales lit up the surrounding area. Her feelings were sweeping away the darkness!! Ha ha ha. Kamijou had no idea who had done this to Kazakiri, but he doubted they cared about the safety of the survivors. The destruction was one thing, but using those glowing scales that had saved those people was unlikely to have been in the orders given by whoever was controlling her. In that case, she had done this of her own free will. Even after being transformed like this and having her freedom robbed of her, she had desperately resisted. And as a result, she had managed to keep herself from crossing that final line. The pencil-sized rods attached to the angels halo above her head moved at high speed. The light guiding her twinkled again and again. This was likely a command telling her to stop these unordered actions. An odd cracking sound came from Kazakiris right arm. She was being bound so tightly that her arms silhouette visibly changed. Even so, the scales floating around did not disappear. She refused to stop protecting them. With a great roar, the electric discharge-like attacks were fired one after another from Kazakiris wings and toward the outer perimeter of Academy City. However, countless scales appeared and blocked the path of those attacks. The attacks held such great destructive power that the scales were easily blown to pieces, but Kazakiri did not stop resisting. It did not matter how much it hurt her. She attacked and defended. She simultaneously took two contradictory actions. That represented what Kazakiri Hyouka was right now. Even if she could not escape the control someone had over her and even if she could not stop attacking others, she did not give up. She resisted to the point that her body groaned in protest. She resisted so that misfortune would befall as few people as possible. She gathered up all of her strength even if it would cause blood to ooze out. And she fought alongside Touma. You hypocrite!! What are you doing!? shouted Vento with her face turning red, but her words did not reach Kamijous ears. Ha ha. He was glad. He had made the right decision to stand up and protect Kazakiri Hyouka. He knew that for sure now. Ha ha ha ha ha!! I love it! I love it!! Im always talking about my misfortune, but Id say Im fortunate enough if things like this can happen!! Right!? Wh-what... What are you talking about!? When Kamijou left the proper course by laughing, Vento took a step back despite having the upper hand. Her tongue chain that had been dyed red trailed along after her. Meanwhile, Kamijou had no intention of answering her questions. He was already satisfied. If he did not need any more answers, he did not need to respond to Vento. Now that he had this answer, Kamijous heart would not break no matter what Vento said or did. Wait just a bit longer, Kazakiri. Kamijou Touma now spoke with the knowledge that his words would reach her. He spoke to that girl who was scattering destructive attacks yet continuing to resist with those protective scales. Index is working to save you. This may be a huge problem, but I know she can handle it. Plus, shes your friend. Shes sure to live up to your expectations. Kamijou gathered strength in his right hand. He formed a fist that was incomparably stronger and harder than before. So dont worry. Ill take care of things here until she does. Part 5 What the hell are you trying to do, you cripple!? shouted Kihara Amata as he threw a real punch toward Accelerator who was unsteadily supporting himself on an office desk. Accelerator could no longer use his powers, so Kihara no longer had to pull back his fist when punching. He could now throw his entire body weight into the punch. As a result, Accelerator would be sent flying through the air like a scrap of paper. However, he grabbed Kiharas wrist just before he did. His grip was unexpectedly strong. His motions had been nothing more than an animalistic instinct to grab something flying toward him, but this kept Accelerators body in place. Tch! Kihara tried to shake Accelerator from his fist, but it was not working. As he did, Accelerator formed a loose fist with his other hand and swung it at Kiharas face. It produced a foolish slapping noise and caused almost no pain. Accelerator grabbed the hair on the side of Kiharas head just above the ear and forcibly ripped it out. Gwaaaaaaaaaaah!? screamed Kihara as blood sprayed out. Accelerator had pulled it all out at once like a weed, so the scalp had ripped up along with the hair. The bundle of hair in Accelerators hand was thinly held together by skin and pink flesh like a clump of grass held together by dirt. He showed no mercy. He showed no restraint. As Kiharas expression crumbled, Accelerators mouth split open in a smile. He was fighting almost exclusively on instinct and his expression was one of extremely primitive exhilaration. You fucking brat!! Kihara pushed the side of Accelerators head with one hand and tried to move back. However, Accelerator grabbed onto Kihara like a zombie and pushed him to the floor. You fuck!! shouted Kihara, but Accelerator did not have the language comprehension to understand it. Kihara tried to shout out Dont underestimate me!!, but Accelerator tried to grab his ear and rip it off. Ohhh!? Kihara frantically shook his head to avoid the boys fingers, punched him in the face, and escaped from underneath him. He then rolled across the floor. (This is a complete joke! Ill fucking kill him!!) Kihara spotted a handgun lying on the ground near him. It belonged to one of the Hound Dogs Accelerator had defeated. Kihara intended to use it to fill Accelerator with lead, but... ... Accelerator grabbed his hand. Kihara tried to force his hand closer to the handgun, but Accelerator jammed his other hand into Kiharas solar plexus. After Accelerator repeated the process a few more times, Kihara gave up on the handgun, slammed his shoulder against Accelerators face, and tried to move away. He was mostly acting on instinct, but Accelerator still managed to collapse with his body in between Kihara and the gun. (This damn brat. The more options he loses, the more of an edge he gets with his remaining actions!) Kihara tried to catch his breath while he watched Accelerator writhe across the floor. If Accelerator had still been able to think properly, he might have noticed that something was odd. It did not make sense for this monster who had easily handled Academy Citys strongest Level 5 to be so concerned over this. Kihara Amata had used a trick. When it came down to it, the only reason he had been able to overwhelm Accelerator was because he had been the one to directly develop Accelerator. Kihara had every piece of data there was about Accelerator: personality, powers, physical ability, etc. He had used that data to arm himself with surefire techniques that were only effective against Accelerator. Of course, for this to succeed, he had needed a much better sense for martial arts than a normal person and a genius intellect to work that massive amount of research data into his strategies. But even when he pulled it off, he did not have the ability to defeat one of Academy Citys seven Level 5s head on. It he really could defeat a Level 5 with no tricks, Kihara would not have those Hound Dog subordinates. When that piercing-covered woman had appeared, he would have quickly dealt with her himself. During this mission, Kihara had always stayed back and let his subordinates handle anyone other than Accelerator. But now he had been unmasked. Accelerator had changed from a Level 5 to a powerless Level 0. By abandoning all of his previous strategies, Accelerator had robbed Kiharas countermeasures of all meaning. (Hes making a fool of me. Ill kill him. Ill fucking kill him. Shit. How could this happen? I was supposed to overwhelm him. I cant figure out why Im stuck crawling on the ground.) As Kihara muttered curses under his breath, he suddenly noticed something out the window. The angel was acting oddly. Kihara was not sure what exactly had changed, but something seemed off. To put it vaguely, the ominous, stabbing atmosphere had disappeared. (Its...changed?) Kihara was dumbfounded. (Dont tell me...some problem has occurred...that not even Aleister saw coming...) Kihara wiped sweat from his brow and tried to stand up, but then he saw Accelerators face. His mouth was moving in order to produce words. But those words never reached Kihara Amatas ears. And even if they had, Accelerator was in no state to produce words that another human could understand. Kihara would not have been able to comprehend what the boy was trying to say. Even so, Kihara could feel his pulse pounding unpleasantly at his temple. Accelerators expression and atmosphere were enough to tell him the boy was mocking him. (Dont you dare mock me...) Kihara Amatas eyes suddenly grew bloodshot. (Just killing you isnt enough. Just stopping his heart would give him too easy a death. I need to take more. I need to take away even the reason for his death. But how?) His thoughts raced through his mind. What was Accelerators weakness? What was his vital point? What would make him suffer the most? Kihara brought together production, script, and effects to put together the worst possible scenario. Ha ha, laughed Kihara. He quickly stuck his hand into the inner pocket of his lab coat. He pulled out a single chip. It contained the original script for the virus that had been inputted into Last Orders brain. That data would be necessary to heal her brain using the Testament. Without it, Last Order could never be saved. And... Kihara Amata crushed the chip in his palm as Accelerator watched on. Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! A scornful laugh burst out within the abandoned office. The plastic shards fell to the floor. Accelerator did not move. He could not make any calculations, so he could not comprehend what destroying that chip accomplished. Even so, Kihara was satisfied. Nothing could have pleased him more than destroying everything that boy cared about right in front of his eyes. Thats what you get! Thats what you fucking get!! Theres more than one way to win! Do you hate me now, you fucking brat!? I just destroyed everything you hold dear! You cant get any of it back now!! Ah ha ha ah ha gya ha ha!! This was the world Accelerator and Kihara Amata lived in. It contained no restraint, mercy, compassion, and or salvation. Good and evil would die alike. The weak would be devoured first. Someone like Last Order would never survive if they wandered into this world. This was the fundamental rule of the underground society. It was so basic that no one ever needed to state it. Yet another person had lost their life because of it all. That was all this was. It should have been nothing more than that. As Kihara laughed hysterically, he kicked Accelerators side. Just robbing him of all hope was not enough; he was going to beat him to death too. Kiharas face was deeply carved in the joy of a plunderer. Okaaay! Youre up next! How about you waste these final moments wondering if heaven really exists!? There was no hope left. However, salvation had not abandoned Accelerator and Last Order. There she is!! Its her!! A set of footsteps entered the abandoned office. Despite having heard that girls voice only a few hours ago, it sounded very nostalgic. As Accelerator lay on the ground being kicked, he turned his head toward that voice. He saw Index standing there in a soaking-wet white nuns habit. Part 6 As the giant angel sent out great rumbling noises similar to an electrical discharge, Kamijou Touma charged toward Vento. He shot toward her like an arrow. It made his previous movements seem like a lie. No, it was the opposite. He now knew the people who had been buried were indeed still alive and he knew that Kazakiri was still herself despite looking like that. Kamijou knew well that she would not easily grow hostile toward anyone. And now Vento could not hurt anyone nearby with her disorderly attacks. Kamijou had been freed from the bonds of all his worries and anxieties, so he could now fight with all his strength. He just had to protect her. He only had to protect that one important friend. It was simple. And so Kamijou Touma was freed from everything else. Shit!! swore Vento as she swung her hammer around. However, Kamijou had already arrived directly in front of her. He blew away the wind weapon with one strike and then stretched his right hand out more and more in an attempt to grab the part of Ventos hammer that was not wrapped in barbed wire. !! Just before his hand reached it, the hammer disappeared form Ventos right hand. The hammer immediately transferred to her left hand and Kamijous hand sliced through empty air. Vento swung her hammer horizontally toward Kamijous wide open side. Kamijou ducked down to avoid it. As a great roar passed by over his head, he jabbed his elbow into the center of Ventos gut. A dull sound of impact exploded out. Gehh!? Vento doubled over, her feet slipped, and she fell to the ground. Kamijou tried to stomp his heel down into her gut like a stake, but Vento swung her hammer around while on the ground. A wind weapon was fired toward Kamijous face. !! Kamijou immediately moved backwards and the wind weapon shot by right in front of him. It tore through the pouring rain and left a particulate afterimage trailing behind it. He had been driven back, but Kamijou was smiling. He could do this. (Vento prevented me from grabbing her hammer with my right hand.) Kamijou opened his right hand and then clenched it into a fist once more. (That means I can negate it. And I doubt she can fix it right away once it breaks. If I just touch it once, she wont be able to use it anymore!!) It looks like I dont gain anything from letting you get close. Vento spun the long hammer around in her hand and then rested it on her shoulder. The red blood dripping from her lips was trailing down the narrow chain and soaking the cross at the end. With his fist clenched, Kamijou gave a fierce smile. Now that I dont have to worry about my surroundings, I can go all out. Hah. You make it sound like that monster behind you is helping you. It doesnt just sound like it. She really is helping me! You keep thinking that!! Vento swung the hammer down from her shoulder as Kamijou charged forward. He knocked away the wind weapon with his right hand, but the second blast shot towards the ground at Kamijous feet. The asphalt was blown to pieces and the fragments assaulted Kamijou. He crouched down so as few fragments would hit him as possible, held his arms up in a cross to protect his face, and continued forward. As he did, he shouted, This is your limit!! When you cant use any human shields, this is all you can do!! Dont underestimate...Gods Right Seeeeeaaaattttt!! screamed Vento as she swung her hammer around to create another wind weapon. But Kamijou could interpret the action. She used the hammer to create the weapon and it was fired along the trajectory of her tongue chain. It always followed the same pattern. Kamijou could handle it with just his right hand. (No, Vento can probably do more than this normally.) She had a spell that would crush anyone who turned hostility in her direction. That combined with this wind attack would be enough to handle most anyone. Even if her attack did not hit, her enemy would feel hostility from the mere fact that she held a weapon. But Kamijous Imagine Breaker prevented Ventos Divine Punishment spell from taking effect. Right now, she could only use the blunt weapon that was only meant to hold people in check. (So I can win!! I can end this here!!) Kamijou clenched his right fist as tight as if it was a single solid object and charged toward Vento. But before his hand could reach her, Vento swung her hammer horizontally. This produced a blunt weapon made of air. But before it was fired, Vento rotated her wrist and swung the hammer up. With a great roar, a second weapon was created. The two weapons did not fly off in different directions. They ate into each other and become a single mass before exploding out in a fan shape like a shower. Hundreds of pointed air drills shot toward Kamijou all at once. He could defend against all of them with just his right hand. Ahhhh!! As he charged forward, Kamijou forcibly twisted his legs so he could roll to the side with all his strength. With a dull sound, the asphalt was torn up for several dozen meters behind him. The arm of his school uniform was ripped off and he felt the skin tearing as well. Kamijou came out of his roll in a crouch and Vento swung her hammer up toward him. She swung the hammer around vertically and horizontally in quick succession to produce three different blunt weapons this time. Kamijous body stiffened in shock. (Not good!) He had not yet fully stood back up, so he could not move quickly. If he was attacked with another shower like before, he was not sure he could avoid it. Dammit! Its gonna hit!! Kamijou immediately held up his right hand, but... Vento suddenly bent over and blood exploded from her mouth. She lost control of the three blunt weapons and they exploded on the spot. With a great roar, Ventos body was sent flying backwards. Vento!! shouted Kamijou without thinking. He recalled that Vento had coughed up blood before as well. Why are you shouting out like some kind of idiot? While spitting out the blood in her mouth, Vento unsteadily held up her hammer. The explosion had ripped her yellow clothes in places and blood started seeping into them. It was you on the science side that set this up. The appearance of that angel has forcibly added a spell pressure to the entire realm. I suppose it prevents our magical power from circulating properly. Aleister comes up with some nasty ideas... Ventos words were a bit unclear and Kamijou did not understand exactly what she was talking about. However, it seemed the situation made Vento cough up blood when she used magic. Producing so many wind weapons in a row may have been putting even more of a burden on her. But... Even as she coughed up blood, she continued to swing the hammer around. The look on Kamijous face changed. You idiot!! Why do you need to go this far to fight!? Dont you dare ask that after trying to beat me to death!! The hammer danced both horizontally and vertically to produce three blunt weapons. They swirled together into a single sharp stake and shot toward Kamijou. With a roar, the stake shot right by his ear. Kamijou had not evaded at the last second. He had been unable to react. It had missed because Ventos aim had been off. Her strength would not last much longer. (She sends multiple blasts of wind into each other and their vectors join together to create a different blast of wind with a completely different direction and strength...) Does that attack use fluid mechanics!? Why must you piss me off so much!? Dont classify my magic like you know what youre talking about! Just hearing those scientific terms fills me with disgust!! She shouted out, but her body could not keep up with her mind. She tried to swing up her hammer, but it dropped to the ground, bringing her arms with it. Despite her arms drooping down, the hostile glare did not leave Ventos face. Oooahhh!! She clenched her bloody teeth and swung the hammer up. The limit of her strength could be seen in its unsteady trajectory. The wind weapon produced did not hit Kamijou. It instead struck the road right next to him. Seeing that, Kamijou said, Hah. Arent you the one that needs rescuing? Shut the...hell up... Sorry, but Im busy too. I need to get you to the hospital as quickly as possible!! Shut up!! Ill never trust my body to science again!! shouted Vento in a roar. Kamijou frowned. Never again? he muttered and the anger on Ventos face grew even stronger. She spat blood to the ground next to her, wiped off her lips with the back of her hand, and spoke. My younger brother was killed by science. What? She clenched her red-stained teeth, swung the hammer up with all her strength, and continued speaking. When I was young, there was a malfunction while we were testing out a new theme park attraction. My younger brother and I were both horribly crushed. And yet they said it was scientifically proven to be perfectly safe! They said it had several layers of safety features, the latest lightweight reinforced materials, and an automatic speed control program! They used so many reliable-sounding terms, but none of it helped in the slightest!! You... And so I will never trust science to save anyone. That angel is the same. It claims to be protecting people, but its destroying everything at the same time!! Kamijou had no words. Vento stuck her tongue out at him and said, Surprised? Does it shock you that a member of Gods Right Seat, the group that controls the entire world, is fighting for a reason like that? Well, I detest science so much that I am willing to use a system like Gods Right Seat to crush it!! She shouted in anger, but no attacks came. Vento could likely sense that her strength had reached its limits. She slowly moved her legs to gradually walk sideways. She may have been waiting for the perfect timing to finish it all in one strike. With her reddened tongue hanging out, she said, B Rh-. The doctors said this blood Im coughing up is very rare. It isnt so easy to find enough blood for a transfusion. So what do you think happened when my brother and I were brought to the hospital? ... They couldnt get enough blood for both of us. They called around but could only gather enough for one of us. While we were waiting on the verge of death, the doctors told us something truly hopeless. They could only save one of us. And only I survived! My brother asked them to save me and they just let him die!! Even as blood spilled from between her teeth, Vento did not attack. She was implicitly announcing that she was waiting for the moment when she was certain she could kill Kamijou. Science stole our path forward and now it is even trying to desecrate the scriptures that are supposed to show how to truly save someone! That is what science is at the core. It does nothing but get in peoples way!! She breathed heavily and the atmosphere shook around her as she shouted as if she was increasing her power. That is why I hate science! That is why I loathe it! If science is such a cold system, I will destroy it and fill this world with a warmer system. That is my duty after stealing my brothers future!! ... Kamijou could hardly believe it. It came down to the fact that Vento had always regretted her brother dying because of her. Most likely, she viewed herself as her greatest enemy, not science. She hated herself for living while the one she had tried to protect had died. Kamijou thought back to her Divine Punishment spell. That magic would defeat anyone who turned hostility in her direction. When Kamijou had first heard about it, he had thought it was an extremely convenient power. However, that spell would be useless if a great number of people were not constantly pouring their hostility on her. Vento had chosen a life that would make everyone in the world hate her. She would have no value and produce no results if others were not hostile towards her. To support that, she had been forced to lurk in the darkness of the world. It was as if she was intentionally abandoning the possibility of anyone showing her kindness. She ran down the path of destruction while believing this was the appropriate way to make it up to her dead brother. This was a manner of thinking Kamijou simply could not copy. So he said, To hell with that. What? said Vento with a frown. Kamijou continued, What do you mean science killed your brother? Those doctors obviously never wanted him to die. They obviously wanted to save both of you!! And the same goes for the attraction that caused that accident. It wasnt there to hurt people. It was supposed to make people smile!! Shut up... How do you think your dying brother felt when he asked the doctors to save you!? He knew perfectly well what situation he was in, but he still asked them to save you!! Do you really think someone like that would want you to take revenge on science!? Do you really think someone who wished for your happiness more than anyone else would want that!? I said shut uuuuuuuuuuppppppppppppp!! roared Vento as she swung her hammer around as hard as she could. This was not a calculated movement like before. She was simply firing wind weapons at random, so Kamijou easily blew them away with his right hand. A child of less than 10 saw a family member injured while he was dying and not thinking clearly! Anyone would agree to it if they were asked in that state!! This was just the opinion of a small child. What value does that have!? If they didnt have enough blood, they should have given it to him! They should have used my own blood if they still didnt have enough!! Kamijous expression did not change in the slightest. He stared Vento directly in the eye through the pouring rain. It did have value, he said while spitting on the ground. Even if it was only the opinion of a small child, that decision is why you are still alive today! Thats enough value right there!! And arent you the one who needs to understand that value more than anyone else!? Dont be ridiculous!! Is that supposed to comfort me!? I took his life to survive!! Could you say that same thing to someone in the same circumstances!? !! Vento gasped. Kamijou continued speaking to bear down on her further. I wouldnt be able to. And thats why Im arguing with you!! This isnt how you should be living your life! I dont know what kind of person you brother was, but he did something I couldnt. Your brother did the most amazing thing in the world there!! Are you going to disgrace that decision!? Are you going to waste those words of his by claiming he died hating science!? ...Dont make me laugh, said Vento of the Front while barely moving her lips. Do you think words like that can change what path I take? I have decided to take this path. That isnt going to change because of someone who only just now learned about it!! She took a step back, gathered up all of her remaining power, and lifted up the heavy hammer. The blood spilling from her mouth dripped down her thin tongue chain and soaked the cross at the end. In response, Kamijou clenched his right fist and stared at Vento. They were only 5 meters apart. Kamijou could enter punching range in only two steps. With as weak as Vento was, only one strike would be enough to knock her unconscious. But Vento would launch an attack as he approached. She would use her special technique of bringing together multiple wind weapons to alter their form and vector similar to scientific fluid mechanics. This battle would have no tricks and each strike would be crucially important. The battle began when they heard some rubble crumbling. !! !! Kamijou shot forward. Vento swung her hammer around again and again while coughing up blood to produce seven different wind weapons. They ate into each other, their vectors were altered, and they swirled together to form one giant stake. Kamijou had not been able to react to the stake made of only three wind weapons. This was more than double that, so he could not even imagine how much power it would have. Even so, Kamijou did not hesitate. He did not try to evade. He gathered even more strength in his fist to intercept it head on. If the aim of his fist and the stake were off by even a few centimeters, his head would explode. Kamijou understood that, but his gaze did not waver in the slightest. (This crisis surrounding Academy City and Kazakiri Hyouka...) He might have been able to predict where the attack would travel by observing the movements of Ventos eyes and the timing of her breathing. It was possible he could read the direction of the wind attack using the pouring raindrops. (...and this hatred for science that has trapped Vento.) But Kamijou abandoned such calculations. This battle would not be resolved by such cleverness. He saw her trying to bring out everything in her heart to produce this one final attack. (I will destroy both those illusions right here!!) Ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Kamijou and Vento shouted out. His fist and her stake flew at almost the exact same moment. With a great roar, the stake shot out between them. It scattered and smashed the raindrops into small particles. Once the raindrops had exploded into a fine mist, they blocked Kamijous vision for an instant. It scattered in every direction like steam. All sound disappeared. And then... With the primitive sound of an impact, Kamijous fist slammed into the tip of the wind stake and smashed the entire attack. ...!! Vento tried to swing her hammer up once more, but she did not seem to have the strength left. And Kamijou moved even closer. It may be nothing compared to what your brother did... He clenched his fist as tightly as he could. He stared Vento in the eye. ...but Ill save you just a bit. Come back once youve rethought some things, you goddamn idiot!! Kamijous fist slammed into the bridge of Ventos nose. Her body flew several meters through the air and rolled across the wet asphalt. Part 7 Index found Accelerator beaten and collapsed on the floor while that man in a lab coat was kicking him. Oddly enough, the situation was very similar to the one she had seen near the entrance of the underground mall. (Its them!! Are they related to this too!?) However, she did not have time to focus on them. What mattered most to her was the key she needed to restrain that archangel. But... (!?) Indexs eyes opened wide. The man in the lab coat stood in front of Accelerator and kicked the collapsed boy in the head as hard as he could. Accelerator rolled across the floor without even resisting. Index instinctually tried to run over, but... Oaaaahhh!! Accelerator let out a noise that was not quite a shout and not quite a roar as he grabbed onto a desk and stood up. He stood in the perfect position to act as a shield for Index. Index hesitated for a moment, but there was too much she had to do. She grabbed an unplugged phone from a desk and threw it at the man in the lab coat. After a quick glance over at Accelerator who charged forward at the same moment, Index looked over at the girl of around 10 who was lying on one of the desks. This was the person Accelerator had been looking for. She had seen a picture of her just once. This girl was the key to everything. (I cant do it here. I need to move her to a safer place for this work!) Index started to pick up the limp girls body in order to leave the abandoned office, but she decided it would be too dangerous to move her much given how weak Last Order looked. To make sure the girl was not affected by the fighting, Index moved her from the desk to behind it on the floor. Hey!! Stay the hell out of this!! shouted the man in the lab coat, but Accelerator forcefully grabbed onto him. Index looked over the girl from head to toe. She observed her from a magical point of view. (This girl is definitely the core to everything. The foundation is the construction of an angel. Formless Telesma is forced into a container that uses the image of a human to create a silhouette in the same way as a balloon doll. This spell was used by the Golden magic cabal that Crowley belonged to.) The knowledge of 103,000 grimoires solved the magical mystery in no time at all. However... (But I dont understand anything beyond that.) Index gritted her teeth. (I understand the general structure, but I dont understand what parts it is made from!!) This was similar to asking a craftsman who made violins out of wood to make an electric guitar filled with electronic parts. It was still an instrument, but the fields of knowledge used were so different that he would only be able to generally understand it. And precise work could not be carried out with only a general understanding. This was as far as Index could get on her own. And that was why she did not hesitate to ask for help. Short hair, I have a question!! Index shouted into the cell phone in her hand. It was connected to another girl. Call me Mikoto-sama!! So what is...kssshhhhhhh...this question!? Frequent explosions could be heard over the phone. However, Mikoto did not mention them. She seemed to be saying it was nothing Index needed to worry about. And Index took her up on that kindness. What is an electrical network using brain waves!? Mikoto used all of her knowledge from Tokiwadai Middle School to answer Indexs question. When she heard that answer, Index gave another question. What are the AIM diffusion fields spreading across Academy City!? The two girls each lacked one or the other of scientific knowledge and magical knowledge. That was why neither of them fully understood the answer they were being led to. What about the safety device related to the electrical network based in brain waves!? Even so, the two girls continued forward. They worked to solve the problem. As long as they reached the correct solution, it did not matter if they did not understand the means used to arrive at it. In a way they let go of their pride and merely continued to work towards improving the situation even if they felt left out. (Basically, a special power fills this city and this girl controls it. That special power has been twisted by binding her mind and that has created this angel! In that case...!!) I just have to untie the knot in this girls head!! Someone from the science side may have called it a virus. (But how am I supposed to do that?) Index could not use magic. But she did not need to use magic to save Last Order. To untie the knot, Index chose to use words. Altering a human mind may have sounded like a special thing, but it was no different from reading a book to study. Humans naturally had an open port for such things. Index only had to choose the words that would conform to the knot and untie it by having Last Order hear them. And that specifically meant... A song, decided Index. That will be easier to get across than mere words. Some people who wont cry even after an hour-long sermon will shed tears after a minute-long song. The rhythm and tune can be used to stimulate emotions on multiple levels. So... But Mikoto grew a bit panicked and began arguing when she heard that. W-wait a second. Will that actually work!? The basic method of overwriting the contents of a human mind is rote learning! And not all brains memorization and adaptation abilities are skilled enough for that!! And since this requires interfering with an electrical network, dont you need to digitally input the values with a specialized device like a Testament? Will a primitive analog method like a voice or a song really work!? Index did not understand the scientific terms Mikoto used, but she was not sure it would work either. She knew a few offensive methods of interfering with human minds such as Sheol Fear and Spell Intercept, but she had never used them like this. I can do it, she replied nonetheless. My prayers will get through and that will save her. That is how a nun spreads her teachings! She stared forward without hesitation. Our prayers will save them all. They will save this girl, they will save Hyouka, and they will save Academy City!! Part 8 Accelerator slid across the floor after being punched, beaten, and crushed by Kihara. He was in no state to fight. Due to his brain damage, he could not even stand on his own two feet. He had fought before by half-falling on top of Kihara and clinging onto him, but the man had started keeping his distance to prevent him from doing it anymore. Ah ha ha gya ha ha ah ha ha ha!! Kihara laughed so hard it sounded like his throat was going to rip apart. No one would think that was the expression of a man who had had part of his scalp ripped off. He grabbed Accelerators collar, dragged him along the floor, slammed his back against a desk, and then slammed his fist into the boy. An unpleasant creaking sound came from Accelerators skull and the skin of his face split open as if it was tightening. Due to having his brain rattled, he could feel strength leaving his fingertips. But he did not lose consciousness. That alone did not waver. ... Accelerator heard a smooth melody in a girls voice. Accelerator had lost his language comprehension, so he could tell he was hearing a voice but could not understand what words were being used. However, this girls song held emotions. Accelerator could sense the girls feelings for Last Order that surpassed the boundary of language. He did not know what the words meant. It was possible she was only holding Last Orders hand and trying to alleviate her pain. But that was more than enough salvation. After all, no one had done that for Last Order before. Ooooaaaaaaahhhhh!! roared Kihara as he launched an especially heavy fist. Accelerator was knocked around and collapsed to the dirty floor. He felt pain all over his body. Even getting up would be difficult now. Even so, Accelerator smiled thinly. The girls smooth song continued. The song made him feel like he was bathing in a warm light. This was likely the voice of someone from the world Last Order belonged in. Accelerator merely listened to the song. He listened with almost no calculation ability. He listened to that voice that he could never produce. A brat like Last Order did not belong among pieces of shit like Kihara Amata and Accelerator. It was best for a resident of the world of light to be rescued by someone else from that warm world. But... Why? Why did Accelerator feel inferior here? Why did he decide that light was too bright for someone in the darkness like him to touch? Could only just people do just things? Could only good people do good things? That did make sense. However... Why did that have to make so much sense? Accelerator wanted to save Last Order. He wanted to save her from the unreasonable violence bearing down on her. What was wrong with thinking that? It did not matter who stood in the light and who stood in the darkness. He did not want to save Last Order because she was from the world of light. No matter what world she was from, Accelerator would still want to protect her. Those distinctions between worlds meant nothing. Did it matter if the person who reached out to help was good or evil? Would anyone complain if a resident of the darkness protected the world of light? He was Academy Citys strongest villain who had acted so arrogantly. But was there any reason to continue doing the same things now? ... Accelerator suddenly reached a hand out toward the desk while sitting on the floor. With a creaking sound, he slowly stood up. He had made up his mind. Even if he was evil, he would puff out his chest with pride. Even if he was travelling through the world of darkness, he would save the light. Even if he was heading down a different path from those around him, he would not be ashamed. He would become so dark that he could be proud of being so deep in the darkness. He would abandon all the previous rules. He would change the settings of what was possible and what was impossible. He would make a list of the conditions before his eyes and demolish that wall. Ki...hara... A voice escaped that mouth that should have lost its ability to speak. His legs slowly supported his weight. Kiiiharaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! In that instant, Accelerator used his supposedly unusable legs to run forward. He ran straight for his natural enemy, Kihara Amata. Even if he had to battle all of reality, be injured, and lose so very much, he would make sure to protect this one illusion. Part 9 Kihara Amatas smile grew even deeper and fiercer. Accelerator had stood up. Despite how much Kihara had hurt and beat the boy, he was running forward while yelling Kiharas name. It was as if he was trying to protect the space behind him. It was as if he was trying to save the two girls hiding behind that office desk. ...Interesting, said Kihara when his enemy would not be defeated. His face was filled with ferocious joy. Thats right!! This wouldnt be any fun if you were defeated so easily! Im glad you know how to provide excellent service, Accelerator! Youve never done anything but piss me off! I wont use a gun. Ill sink my fists into you before killing yoooooouuuuuuu!! Kiharas mind seemed to snap. He shouted out like a wild animal. But that cry did not stop Accelerator or the strange girls song. The girl seemed to be in a trance where she was so focused she was not aware of her surroundings. Kihara was surrounded by nothing but enemies. No stage could have been better. (This all would have been perfect if you had been dead, so why the hell are you still alive!?) Kihara intercepted Accelerator. He clenched his fists and cracked the knuckles. After clenching his one fist until it was as hard as steel, he mercilessly threw it toward the center of Accelerators face. A roar rang out. Kihara could feel slight cracking feelings transferred up his arm. And yet Accelerator did not stop in the slightest. Ooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Despite having his face smashed, he sent a counter punch at Kiharas face. Kiharas nose broke and pain exploded out. That strike had had the boys entire strength behind it. Kihara could tell without having it explained to him. (...Gh...bh!!) Kihara moved his head back to its original position, pushing the fist back with it. He further hardened his fist. Thats not gonna cut it, boooyyyyy!! He slammed that fist against Accelerators slender face. The boys body spun around and collapsed to the floor. He writhed around on the floor, but Kihara slammed his foot down with all his body weight on top of it. It was like hammering a thick stake down. This produced a great roar of impact. Kihara repeatedly shouted out meaningless statements while he stomped here and there on Accelerator again and again. He heard the sounds of things breaking and a red liquid flew out. Okaaay! Now were talking! My engines all heated up, but what about you!? Fucking amazing! Can you not actually save that brat at all? Accelerator gave no response to that amused voice. But the light in his eyes did not diminish even as he lay crushed on the ground. He needed to rescue that girl. He needed to protect her. And so he could not let his heart break. Pant!! Pant!! Kihara was putting so much effort into stomping on the boy that he was out of breath. Ha ha ha! he laughed as he looked around. The incompetent Hound Dog subordinates that Accelerator had defeated were lying on the floor. And so were their guns. Kihara had gotten fed up with it all, so he approached them and crouched down. I was just starting to have some fun, so could give this a little more effort? He picked up one of the weapons and gave a thin smile. This was the expression of a runner after completing a marathon. Kihara Amata lightly tossed the object in his hand at Accelerator. It was an anti-personnel grenade with the pin removed. Not only had Accelerator lost a portion of his brain function, but he was lying collapsed on the ground after being thrashed by Kihara. He had no means of avoiding or knocking away the grenade. With a light thunk, the grenade struck his forehead and bounced slightly. The small object did not even have time to hang in the air. With a tremendous noise, the grenade exploded. A shockwave and a large number of fragments flew in every direction and gray smoke blew out. The explosion had been close enough for one of the fragments to scratch Kiharas cheek. That was enough to slice open the skin like someone had taken a chisel to his cheek. But Kihara was smiling. He was filled with nothing but exhilaration. Silence fell. Only the entranced nuns quiet and lengthy singing continued. Hyah. He had won. Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Kihara laughed from the bottom of his gut. He was dead. That boy was dead. That grenade had exploded only a few centimeters from his head. No flesh-and-blood human could survive that no matter what they did. The area was still covered in smoke-like dust, but once it cleared, Kihara would only find a corpse so torn to pieces its original form would be unidentifiable. The gray dust produced by the grenade thinned out as it spread. It surged behind Kihara like a wave and fully covered his vision. Once it cleared, Accelerators corpse would be visible. Once he saw that boys pathetic end, Kihara Amatas fight would be over. (Aleister said not to kill that mass-produced brat but that means anything else is fair game. Ill give his corpse to that strange singing nun as a souvenir to completely break her mind.) Ha ha. Just as that thought came to Kihara... Someone grabbed the front his face. ...!! Someone was standing in front of Kihara Amata. The dust prevented him from seeing exactly who it was. (Gah...!?) Normally, Accelerator would have been the most likely candidate. But Kihara could not accept that. Without his powers, Accelerator was weaker than your average high school student. He could never survive that grenade blast without some sort of trick. And it was hard to believe that his reflection would have returned for some reason. The hand grabbing Kihara was covered in soot. If Accelerators reflection had been functioning, even those small stains would have been deflected. What...? But it was unmistakably Accelerator standing there. Kihara saw white hair, red eyes, well-formed facial features, supple skin, a slender body line, a choker, mostly gray clothes, arms and legs with little muscle, and glittering black shoes. But he ignored all of those and shouted about something else. What the hell are those black wings growing from your back!? They looked more like jets than wings. Some unknown substance was being sprayed out as wings that were darker than ink and swallowed up even the light. Kihara had seen an angel. He had understood that he had helped make it appear. But he was still unable to properly grasp the scene occurring before his eyes. (Th-that bastard...) Accelerators power gave him control over all vectors regardless of what type they were. His speech ability, walking ability, and the acquisition of this new power had likely all used some kind of power that existed in that local space. Scientifically speaking, Accelerator was currently unable to perform any physics calculations, so it should have been impossible for him to control any physical force. But what if there was some other power? If he had grabbed ahold of some unscientific theory, did it matter what calculations he could make? The occult. That was what appeared to be a set of irregular laws that showed themselves ever so slightly after thousands and tens of thousands of experiments and that only a researcher of Kiharas level would know about. (Hes achieved a new clearance level for what he can control? What values did he input into his Personal Reality? What has he secured a method of communicating with!?) The only possibility he could think of was the representative example of a power filling Academy City. (AIM!? ...Wait, it cant be! Is that power actually that angel or whatever!?) But Accelerator was not going to wait around. He poured more strength into his grip as he squeezed Kiharas skull. ... He smiled. He silently smiled. Ha ha ha, laughed back Kihara Amata as his arms and legs hung down limply. And he asked a question. H-have you...seen whats behind you, you monster? ihbfKILLwq The black wings explosively burst out. An unexplainable and invisible power burst from Accelerators hand and assaulted Kihara Amata. His body left Accelerators hand, shot through the abandoned office at terrifying speed, flew out of the broken window, and cut across the night sky at dozens of times the speed of sound. He moved so quickly that he turned to plasma and left behind an orange afterimage. It was not necessary to check to see if he was dead. Part 10 Kamijou sat on the road in the middle of the pouring rain. He was already soaking wet, so he did not mind sitting on the rain-soaked road surface. He breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to relax. The angels wings had grown silent. The giant sparks it had been firing not long before had completely stopped. (How is Index doing?) Things were likely going well on her end of things as well. Kazakiris angel wings and halo had not completely disappeared, but their outlines were gradually beginning to waver. (If she was in trouble, that wouldnt be happening. I hope that guy on the phone managed to save Last Order.) Thinking of the phone reminded him of something. Kamijou pulled Last Orders cell phone out of his pocket. Academy City may have been in bad shape, but it would be best if he called an ambulance. He did not like using someone elses phone, but this was no time to be worried about that. As expected, the operator said they might not be able to respond like normal. Even so, it was better than doing nothing. Kamijou returned the phone to his pocket and looked around. Kazakiris appearance had turned the entire area to rubble, but it seemed the people had been just barely saved thanks to her power. Glowing moth-like scales were still floating around in the darkness. Kamijou wanted to go save them, but he was worried Imagine Breaker would negate the effects of the scales. He had no choice but to leave them be for the time being. But... Kamijou looked over at where Vento was lying on the ground. She was obviously unconscious. He had wanted to ask her how to wake up the people collapsed around the city thanks to her Divine Punishment spell, but she showed no sign of waking no matter how many times he slapped her cheek. Kamijou wondered what would happen to Vento now. She had almost completely shut down the city, so he doubted Academy City would simply let her go. Any talk of preserving the power balance between science and magic would no longer cut it. In fact, it was the magic side that had destroyed that balance first. A certain line may have been crossed. Academy City might even kill her to eliminate her dangerous techniques from the world. And he doubted Gods Right Seat or the Roman Catholic Church would let go of such a powerful spell so easily. This could no longer be resolved by science and magic talking it out as had happened a few times in the past. There was a danger of this being the trigger that would cause everything to come crumbling down. (Dammit...) Even in a broad historical sense, what Vento had done here was a big deal. But after learning of her circumstances, Kamijou could not approve of letting her be executed and used as a tool to bring about war. Even if she had to make up for what she did, that was the worst possible scenario. (She cant make an enemy of both science and magic and be forever on the run in this small world. But I have to do something. Maybe I can at least hide her temporarily until this has time to settle down a bit. Tsuchimikado might be able to help. But even then, who knows if it will work...) He could not simply hand her over to the Anglican Church. Vento was too great a factor to do that. More importantly, Kamijou did not think a normal high school boy could truly resolve a worldwide problem. But he would not be satisfied unless he did something. Abandoning Vento here would leave too bad of an aftertaste. For now, I can only wait for her to wake up. That was one hell of a punch I gave her... Kamijou turned his gaze from Vento to Kazakiri, but she still gave no response. Nothing had changed about her. She still had those somehow vacant eyes and she still had a great number of wings growing from her back. As time passed, the outlines of the wings gradually grew more indistinct. The shorter wings had almost lost all form. Index was likely interfering in some way. However, it would still take some time for the wings to completely disappear. Kamijou looked down at his right hand. If he used the power residing in that hand, he might be able to negate those ten or twenty wings just by touching them. However, that would be meaningless if doing so affected Kazakiris main body as well. He regretted how useless his power was at times like this. (Even so...) Since Vento had hated Kazakiri so intensely, that was most likely something Academy City had caused. Kamijou wondered what the higher ups of the city were trying to do. Since Ventos arrival had been unexpected, Kazakiri could not have been produced simply as a means of defending or intercepting her. There had to be some other purpose. There are just so many problems, muttered Kamijou. And then... A pile of concrete was suddenly smashed before his eyes and his vision was filled with gray dust. !? Kamijou brought a hand up to cover his eyes as he instinctually stepped backwards. This went beyond the rubble losing its balance and collapsing. The entire pile had been blown to pieces as if someone had set off a bomb. The pouring rain washed away the dust in the air. A wind turbine was sticking up from the site of the blast. It must have been casually ripped from the ground and thrown because it was buried into the ground halfway up the pole in the center of the crater the rubble had been blown from. And this pole was the size of a telephone pole. Kamijou was horrified as he thought about what sort of strength would be needed to do that. (!! Wheres Vento!?) Kamijou frantically looked around. Vento had been lying unconscious right next to him, but now she was gone. However, Kamijou spotted something else instead. A man stood a short distance away. Who are you!? shouted Kamijou hostilely. The man had Ventos limp form held under one arm. He wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with a white short-sleeved shirt over it. For pants, he wore thin slacks that looked like they had decent breathability. It was a sporty outfit, but it lacked energy. It reminded Kamijou of the golf wear men in their prime liked. While holding a chic black umbrella, the man was surrounded by a silent and solid aura that a high school boy like Kamijou could never hope for. But what was the most frightening was how the man showed no tension at all despite the scene of destruction before him. His white skin and his brown hair both looked like sharp blades. My apologies, said the man in fluent Japanese. I have business with this girl. I blinded you to keep you from growing violent, but perhaps that did not sit right with you. I asked who you are! I am Acqua of the Back. I am a member of Gods Right Seat just like Vento. Kamijous caution shot up another level when he heard that name. He had no idea what kind of hierarchy existed within the organization known as Gods Right Seat, but if this man had even an equal level of power to Vento, the situation was very bad. If Academy City was attacked by a second wave in its current state, it would never recover. As Kamijou bristled, Acqua only gave a slight smile. The expression did not suit that muscular man. Do not worry. I wish to avoid any needless deaths of our troops. We will be falling back for now. Fighting that fallen angel waiting behind you would simply be too reckless. I would need to at least make some preparations first. Acqua was saying that he could fight it at any time if he did make preparations. The look in Kamijous eyes grew sterner, but the man did not give in to it. The effect that interfered with magic and had been causing Vento to suffer seems to have disappeared, but we have our own circumstances to deal with. The man sighed and glanced over at Kazakiri Hyouka. An angel was an existence that even Kanzaki Kaori had been barely able to fight evenly with. It seemed even this strange group called Gods Right Seat considered it a bargaining chip. If they would simply leave, that was perfectly fine. However... Let go of Vento, said Kamijou to Acqua. Do you want to ask her how to save the victims within Academy City? Thats part of it, he replied. He was saying there was more to it than that. Her hostility towards science is nothing more than a misunderstanding. She knows that, but she can never escape those feelings as long as she stays in Gods Right Seat! Can Ventos darkness really be so easily eliminated? replied Acqua disinterestedly. We of Gods Right Seat do not simply reach out a sympathetic hand to unfortunate girls. We exist to influence this world. And Vento decided to use that power for the sake of her personal circumstances. Do you know how much she has paid to come this far? Can you even imagine how great that power is? When he thought about it, Kamijou realized the reasons behind Ventos actions had not included anything about results for the organization as a whole. In other words, she needed to constantly create enough of a benefit for the organization that she could remain a part of it. Kamijou thought on that fact for a moment. But just thinking about it was not enough for him to understand how she felt. So what? What? If you say nothing because you assume they wont listen, youll never accomplish anything. Kamijou and Acqua stared at each other. But Acqua was much more unconcerned than Kamijou. Hmph, said Acqua. If I released Vento here, she would be captured by the science side and almost certainly executed. !! Kamijous entire body stiffened at Acquas words. Acquas smile deepened when he saw that. The looks in his eyes was the same as an adult reading the wishes children had written for the Tanabata. I will give you this. With a single movement of his fingertip, Acqua flicked something toward Kamijou. Kamijou grabbed it and found it was the chain and cross accessories that had been attached to Ventos tongue. It has been destroyed by your right hand already, so it is of no use to us either way. It is nothing but junk. Without it, Vento cannot use Divine Punishment. Those who fell victim to it should soon recover. You can rest easy taking that to mean you protected the peace of Academy City. Wait!! Like hell I can accept that!! Kamijou clenched his fist, but Acqua paid it no heed. Let me tell you one thing, said the man while boldly turning his back. I am a Saint. Recklessly picking a fight with me will only shorten your life. A tremendous noise was produced as he kicked off the ground. In the time it took Kamijou to blink, Acqua and Vento had disappeared. He did not even know which direction the man had gone. It was even possible he had jumped up into the sky. All Kamijou knew was that the man had moved at extraordinary speed. The battle may have ended, but the problem was far from over. In fact, he felt as if it had only invited in an even greater conflict. (Ill stop this.) The Roman Catholic Church. Academy City. (Goddammit. Ill definitely stop this from continuing any further.) Kamijou muttered his thoughts under his breath as he stared up into the rainy night sky. The dark clouds showed no sign of clearing up. Volume 13, Epilogue: The Paths Which the Winners and the Losers Must Go Through. The_Branch_Road. Volume 13, Epilogue: The Paths Which the Winners and the Losers Must Go Through. The_Branch_Road. Carrying Vento under his arm, Acqua left Academy City. As Ventos spiritual item had been destroyed, the residents of the city would be waking up in order. That spell had no aftereffects; it merely incapacitated ones enemies. In a way, it was an ideal large scale suppression spell, but its effects were now gone. However, things would not be so kind in the future. The next time they clashed, a large amount of blood would certainly be spilt. What a horrible world, said Acqua in a truly gloomy voice as he adjusted his grip on his unconscious colleague. His cell phone then rang. As his hands were full with the umbrella and Vento, Acqua looked at his hands in annoyance before tossing the umbrella aside. Despite having the name of the water element, Acquas face clouded over the instant the pouring rain struck him. A familiar number was displayed on the phone. Terra. Yes, yes. Its me, Terra of the Left. Are things done on your end, Acqua? A voice like scraping metal painfully entered Acquas ear. Acqua glanced down at Vento and said, Vento was defeated. I have recovered her and am about to hand her over to the unit waiting outside Academy City. Our losses have exceeded 70%, so we will be temporarily suspending our pursuit of Kamijou Touma and invasion of Academy City. This is all in accordance with the situational response guide you came up with. ...Of course, you were unable to predict an angel (incomplete though it was) appearing and doing this much damage. Good work. No reprimands? What good would it do to hold any ill will towards you, or more importantly, towards Vento? Although if she was defeated, her spiritual item was likely destroyed. You do not seem to care. Well, Divine Punishment was aligned with Uriel like Vento. To be blunt I really dont care about the loss of a single spiritual item. After all, we are far removed from normal magicians. We cannot use anything not specifically modified for our use. What value is there for me in a tool that someone Raphael-aligned like myself cant use? As you are Gabriel-aligned, you should understand this. Acqua let out a sigh. The members of Gods Right Seat were all so self-centered. I have recovered Vento, but what happened to the other unit? I cannot seem to contact them. They were wiped out in the attack by that fallen angel. While not as much as us, they did have a fair amount of power. And their numbers were fairly high. Were they really-...? They were crushed all at once, came the quick reply. But it seems those spread out for local interception by Academy City have already been recovered by the science side. Acqua fell silent for a bit before saying, So our pawns are dead? Their physical wounds are of course great, but their mental wounds are quite something too. They are just barely alive, but it would be easier to replace them with fresh talent rather than tie it all back together again. That was the characteristic way of thinking for the Roman Catholic Church with its 2 billion believers. Acqua adjusted his grip on Vento again and said, Then shall I recover them? You? A member of Gods Right Seat recovering corpses? I already have Vento. I can take all of them while I am at it. Even if the number of defeated increases some, I can still manage. And if there is any hope of them surviving, nothing could be better. How kind of you. I will recover them whether they are alive or dead. It would just save me some effort if any of them can walk on their own. Hmph, snorted Acqua in disinterest. As the rain continued pouring down, he continued. What will we do next? I do not mind turning around right now and chopping off the targets head. Dont. You saw that, right? Some interesting information has been going about on the streets. Now that Ive heard the details, it looks like we need to rethink how we will defeat Academy City. ...Defeat Academy City, hm? You dont like it? I withdrew as you wished, but it seems to me it would be faster if I headed back to Academy City alone and cut down Kamijou Touma and Aleister right away. I dont like tricks. It would clearly be easier to face your enemy head on. If we do this now, there will be fewer civilian sacrifices. Oh, Im not so sure. Its true that might be easier if we were simply crushing them, but dont you think we can use them? Take that fallen angel for example. Doesnt that seem perfect for us in Gods Right Seat? ... I want to make a distinction between enemies to be defeated and those to be left behind. Doing it now would be like starting a fight in a museum. I cannot condone looting on the battlefield. Ha ha. The former knight in you is showing. You knights say such refined things. Your words are so different from ours. I am not a knight. I am an ex-mercenary thug. So youre a thug that stresses morality on the battlefield? Well, just hurry out of there with Vento. That order actually comes from Fiamma of the Right. Understood. Acqua ended the call and turned back just once toward Academy City. CIts true that might be easier if we were simply crushing them. CI want to make a distinction between enemies to be defeated and those to be left behind. After reflecting on Terras words, he recalled the words of a different person. Let go of Vento. Those were the words of the boy he had met just before. Her hostility toward science is a mere misunderstanding. She herself has realized that. If she stays in Gods Right Seat, she can never escape those feelings! And that boy was the enemy he would surely have to turn his blade on in the future. But, said Acqua as he picked up the umbrella he had tossed aside. He recalled the face of that target whose heart hurt even for his enemies. Is Academy City really as weak an existence as you think it is, Terra of the Left? !! Kamijou Touma looked over at the archangel. Indexs efforts must have been complete because the dozens of wings connected to Kazakiris back were disappearing into thin air, one by one. Whether they were 10 meters long or 100 meters long, they disappeared at the same speed. The wings disappeared at even intervals like it was some form of countdown...and then the final wing disappeared. Yes... Index really did it!! Kazakiri Hyouka limply collapsed to her knees and then to the ground. Her long hair trailed after her slow movements. Kazakiri!! yelled out Kamijou without thinking, but it was too dangerous to grab hold of her due to Imagine Breaker. As he was overcome with frustration at that, Kazakiri placed her hands on the wet ground and slowly raised her upper body. Im so glad youre okay... Kamijou was especially relieved due to his inability to help. He had no idea what he would have done if she could not have stood up. Are you hurt anywhere? You had it rough, but you should be okay now because Index took care of everything. But I still want to make sure. She must be worried, too. If youre fine, we should go see Index after finishing everything that needs to be done here and checking that everyone else is okay. When Kamijou finally stopped to breathe, a curious look appeared on Kazakiris face. She then said, I cant. Ah? I cant be glad about this... Kazakiris lips moved while she trembled. She was not looking at Kamijou. And Kamijou knew what it was she was looking at. Kazakiri Hyouka was staring blankly at the destroyed cityscape. She was setting aside the fact that her body had gone out of control and that she had been wrapped in some unexplainable event relating to an angel. Why did this happen...? Kazakiri had likely always longed for that cityscape. And now it lay before her eyes, smashed to pieces. It is all my fault. If I had not been here, all this damage to the surroundings would not have occurred. Why am I the only one unhurt? That isnt right. ... What am I!? I cannot be with everyone else. And if I do approach them even slightly, I destroy them like this! So why was I born!? Im only supported by the AIM diffusion fields! Im just a monster that only exists due to the power of espers!! Most likely, she had lost control of what she was saying and what she was trying to say. That was how much Kazakiri Hyoukas heart was hurting at the disaster displayed before her. She was hurting. I thought I had finally gained a bit of humanity by having that girl call me her friend. But then I grew those wings, scattered those horrible sparks, and tore down everything! I really am just a monster!! I cant stand this anymore. Please just punch me and end it all!! Kazakiri was well aware what would happen to an aggregation of AIM diffusion fields such as herself if she was touched by Kamijous right hand. She said that even with that knowledge. (What do you mean, a monster?) thought Kamijou. How could a girl trembling and worrying for everyones safety without begging for her life be a monster? As far as Kamijou was concerned, she was much more of a human than him, as he could only clench his fist and punch people. With that thought, Kamijous expression finally softened. ...H-how can you put on an expression like that at a time like this? Because Im relieved, he muttered. I will not do as you ask. I have no idea why this power resides in my body. But I do know that it is not to do something like that. If all it could do is negate my own friend, I would rather cut off this right hand than keep something so useless. Kazakiris eyes opened wide at that. At being called a friend. Why...? I dont really know either. You made that stuff that was like scales of light. You protected everyone. You had no idea what was happening to your body and you couldnt tell what was going to happen, but you still worked to protect everyone. Is that any different from your idea of humanity? Is that still not enough to be your kind of human? Kazakiri gave no reply. Kamijou continued speaking in the rain. You are definitely a much better human than a pathetic high school student like me. You should be proud of that. Hold your head up high. After fighting for people you didnt even know and protecting them through to the end, you have no reason to hang your head down in shame. Even so, Kazakiri Hyouka did not raise her head. Kamijou heard a slight sniffle. He smiled slightly and looked away from Kazakiri and into the distance. If the issue was resolved, he wanted to hurry up and meet back up with Index, but she still had his cell phone, so he had no way of contacting her. He had used Last Orders phone before, but calling for rescue and a private message were two different things. Now then, I think everything should be fine thanks to your scales, but lets see if anyone needs medical care. From what I heard, the city should be up and running again soon, so we shouldnt have to worry about whether anyone can come help, said Kamijou optimistically. Once were done, we can head home. Index should be back to the dorm by then. Who knows when you will disappear, but Index would probably be really mad if you dont meet with her before then. ...Oh, I guess this will be the first time for you to be in my room. Well, its pretty messy, so bear with it. Uuh...Ah...? Kazakiri tried to ask something, but her sobbing and hiccups prevented it from coming out. But Kamijou smiled and gave an answer anyways. Dont ask why. Its obviously because were friends. Accelerator leaned against a desk in the abandoned office. A-are you okay!? Releasing the meditative state she had begun for the song, Index ran over. However, Accelerator was not in a state where he could understand what people were saying. He somehow managed to grasp that she was worried for him from her expression and raised voice. While checking to see if he was injured, Index stared at Accelerators back and patted at it with her white hand. ??? ...Nothings there? Something like demonic wings had grown there, but they were gone without a trace. His clothes did not even look damaged. (The field resembled Telesma, but the substance was different. Demonology just uses normal Telesma in a different way. And that was so much power Im not sure even a Saint could handle it all...) Index muttered under her breath, but then... Hey! So what happened!? Ever since you started singing, you havent responded no matter what I said! Those huge wings seem to have disappeared, but is everyone okay!? I took care of all those guys in black, so I can head over there if you need help with anything! Index raised her head suddenly upon hearing that voice coming from the cell phone. For the moment, Index seemed to be giving priority to Accelerator and Last Order. W-wait a second. Im going to call a doctor!! That girl seems okay, so dont you collapse too!! W-wait, are you even listening!? said the voice over the phone. Index ran out of the abandoned office. Accelerator was still staring vaguely into the distance. (...Ahhh...gh...) He had not understood anything that was said, but something else was bothering him more. He moved his head. Last Orders small body was lying limply beneath the dirty desk. He had no idea whether she had actually been saved or not. The disturbance by the angel that had been visible outside the window seemed to have stopped, but his lack of calculation ability left him unable to link the disappearance of the angel and a change in Last Orders condition. Was she okay? What had happened with the virus? Had a doctor been called? Normally, he would have been thinking all those things, but with the electrodes battery dead, he could not gather his thoughts. His body had been left battered in the previous fight, so he could not move properly either. He then heard new footsteps. They were not Indexs footsteps and they were made by many people. Accelerator, I would like to discuss something with you. Even in his state, Accelerator was able to understand that voice. The voice was not reaching him through his ears. Some kind of esper power must have been used because his brain was being directly interfered with. Accelerator looked over and saw several people entering the abandoned office. The silhouettes looked two sizes bigger than an average man. Some form of nonmetal material was used to cover them from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet. The material had cracks to allow the joints to bend. The head, neck, and shoulders were smoothly connected together by a single line. On their backs were things that looked like thin backpacks that were likely batteries. Each time their arms and legs moved, the sound of small motors could be heard. They were powered suits. The short but wide armor had dome-shaped head portions which rotated to view Accelerator with countless cameras. He could hear a constant whirring sound that was likely from the autofocusing. After thinking that far, Accelerator suddenly frowned. (...My calculation ability...?) It had returned to a certain extent. It was nowhere near enough to use his powers, but it was enough to think on a normal level without issue. Accelerator was finally able to process his questions as one of the people spoke to him. This person was different from the powered suits around. The persons thin silhouette was dressed in smart black clothes. The persons face was hidden and Accelerator could not even tell if the person was male or female. We have prepared many different kinds of Telepath espers. Our words and calculation ability are being directly linked to you, so we can hold a conversation for an exceedingly short time. Your words should reach us. Oh, but your powers are out of the question. We cannot go as far as to supplement your Personal Reality. ...An esper, said Accelerator with a gloomy expression. We also had some work outside the city. Even now, the recovery team is rescuing Tsuchimikado Motoharu and the like, but we returned to the city ahead of time. Tch, Accelerator clicked his tongue. Other than the Sisters, he had never heard of a special unit that used both firearms and esper powers. Judgment only tried them out in training. A unit such as that would be even more dangerous than the Hound Dog unit Kihara had controlled. Also, those people had accurately followed the movements of Accelerator and Kihara Amata. Otherwise, they could not have timed their entrance to be so soon after the end of the fight like that. Most likely, they were the darkest darkness of Academy City. Accelerator had finally come into contact with them. What do you want? Oh, something very important. Ill listen to what you have to say, but first answer my question. What might that be? replied the man lightly. What happened to the virus in Last Order? said Accelerator. It has been stopped, but sloppily. You could say one of the gears has been removed so it is only spinning with no result. It seems that is their limit. The progression of the virus has been stopped, so a realignment should be possible with a Testament. Dont you fucking dare! I know the doctor and researcher who will be doing that!! You do? Well, leaving it to them should be fine. Accelerator spat. They knew what all his strengths, pawns, and relationships were. ...So what do you want? I am glad you are being cooperative, was the polite reply. I believe we need to discuss the damage Academy City has undergone from the series of commotions you caused. ... Allow me to continue. First is the monetary issue. With the physical damage to buildings and facilities, the medical expenses and compensation for the injured members of Hound Dog, and the expenses to manipulate the information given to civilians, it all comes out to about 8 trillion yen. Now, about the attack on Thomas Platinumburg of the Board of Directors... The man explained on and on, but his tone was light. With a bored expression, Accelerator replied, So what are you going to do, chop me to pieces for research materials to pay for all that? That is one option, but we are suggesting a different option. The man raised his index finger. Would you like to work alongside us? What? Your power can be used for military purposes, so it seems like quite a realistic option to me. The prices in the defense industry have inflated so much. Do you know how much a single fighter or ship costs? Well, if you do roughly the work of one fleet, you should be able to wipe that 8 trillion yen clear. It will take some time, though. Tch, Accelerator clicked his tongue. What the hell is Academy City rushing for? Normally, they would never think of going this far to get the use of someone like me. Are they planning to start a war or something? I cannot answer that. I see. Well, whatever your answer is, I have only one thing to say. Accelerator glared at the man and said, Fuck that. Oh? You want me to compensate for the damages? What damages to Academy City did I cause? It was all caused by having assholes like you gather here!! roared Accelerator as he sat with his back leaning against the desk. Why do we have to do what you say after everything youve done to us!? Do you want me to kill you!? This is when you should be bowing down to me!? I dont know what youve been doing behind the scenes, but dont get me or that brat wrapped up in it!! He gave a proper argument. He was the last person who should be giving a proper argument, yet he was. This is a critical moment for Academy City. ...Are you even fucking listening to me? If we make the wrong move, we could be destroyed. We want to fight this and we wish for your cooperation. We will not force you, but think about this carefully first. If Academy City was to completely disappear, would we espers have a place in this world? And the same goes for other techniques. ... A certain ten thousand mass-produced military clones were against international law and not officially allowed even in Academy City. They had no place outside the city. It was even possible they would be sent to military research centers even more horrible than were they had been before. After all, Last Order and the others were valuable enough to support some kind of great plan. Academy City was necessary for the girl Accelerator must protect and the scenery she loved. He had no idea who the enemy was, but he could not let that city be destroyed. No matter how ugly it was, Academy City was a world for certain small, small children. The teachers of the board of directors had sullied hands, but without them, the school of Academy City could not function. This was not something the students could resolve no matter how much they struggled. In the end, there was only one path down which he could head. He clicked his tongue and made up his mind. Tell me one thing, he said to the man in front of him. What would that be? What is the name of the person behind this incident? I have an idea, but I have no proof. So tell me. I will take off the head of the person who did this to that brat. You can make that the terms of my contract. I do not mind giving you your answer, but it is likely nothing but a scapegoat. Accelerator fell silent for a moment before saying, I see. So it is someone important enough to avoid answering. So what will it be? Do as you wish. An excellent answer. The man pulled a handgun from his back. He pressed the barrel up against Accelerators chest. Welcome aboard, newcomer. Two gunshots rang out. The rubber riot suppression bullets struck Accelerator and he collapsed to the floor. The man returned the handgun to its holster and gave instructions to his colleagues. Withdraw. Erase all signs of the battle. Carry the injured out on Route B and Accelerator on Route G. Two men grabbed each of Accelerators arms as he lay unconscious on the floor. That boy who had finally gotten a small taste of the light was dropped once more into the darkness. This time, he sank so deeply he could never crawl back out. The frog-faced doctor returned to the hospital. The preparations for that had taken quite some doing. Some of the Sisters had been sent into the building ahead of time to make sure no parting gifts such as hidden troops or bombs were waiting for him. That alone had taken over an hour. (I never thought I would be having my patients work for me.) This seemed to truly displease him and the frog-faced doctor sighed. He decided it might be a good idea to hire some people to work as his arms and legs in the future. The most important patients had finished with their treatments in a hospital vehicle, a large ambulance the size of a tour bus. After ensuring the beds were open, the patients were returned to the hospital and everything calmed down. Sitting in a chair in an examination room, he stared blankly up at the ceiling for a bit. He then reached over for the phone on the desk. He pressed the button for an outside line and then pressed the # button a few times. It seemed random, but there was actually a set rhythm to it. Afterwards, special numbers, one after another. When he brought the phone to his ear, he did not hear the usual ringing. He was connected without it ringing even once. Good morning, Aleister. How do you feel after that unrestrained rampage? Quite good. Things have finally shifted into the second stage. But it is still too early to call my actions unrestrained. The sound was so surprisingly clear it made one question whether a standard telephone line was being used. It would have sounded plausible to hear a completely different type of cable was connected to that phone. But the frog-faced doctor was used to it. As he had told Accelerator, he had known about the dark side of the world for quite some time. Too early, hm? How long do you plan on using Accelerator and Last Order? Who knows. I am more worried about whether they will last to the end. The numerical settings for the AIM diffusion fields were just finished being inputted into the vector control device, but the level of completion in the other is a bit lacking. I could also make a trinity out of Accelerator, Last Order, and Fuse Kazakiri, but that would not be enough. I must go beyond that. Beyond...Level 6? If I do not, going out of the way to call Imagine Breaker in from outside would have been meaningless. Aleister, there is one thing I must tell you. What? I would like for you to stop treating my patients like your toys. Heh. He received a laugh in response. With the doctor silent, the chairman of the board of directors said, What if do not do as you say? In fact, what can you even do? I know, said the frog-faced doctor quietly in that dark examination room where he had not turned on the lights. No one could see his expression. I know very well the extent of what I can do to someone who has gathered as much power as you. But, continued the doctor. Even so, those children are my patients. ... And I am a doctor. Aleister, no matter who you are, I will not give in on this. You understand how far my resolution goes, dont you, Aleister? The frog-faced doctors grip on the phone tightened. His low, quiet voice continued on. I saved your life once after all. Silence filled the dark examination room. Neither the frog-faced doctor nor Aleister said anything for a bit. Finally, Aleister spoke. I truly almost died back then. The doctor frowned. It pained him to use the gratitude for an act like that in such a way. It was in the back country of the United Kingdom. The magician suppression organization of the national church was chasing me and I had collapsed like a burst bag. The one who sewed me back together, sheltered me from the United Kingdom, put me in a life support device, introduced me to Japan, and helped me create the plans for Academy City was you. ... Do you regret it? Are you seriously asking me that? If you are going to shut off my life support device remotely, now is your last chance. I would prefer it if you did not mock me. I see, said Aleister with a slight laugh. It seems I must make an enemy of you as well. ... The sect said to be the strictest of the Christian Church, the Golden magic cabal said to be the greatest in the world, and even my country and family. I have made enemies of many different things over the course of my life, so I never thought I would still have something to lose after coming so far. I take it you have not changed your mind. You know my reason. ...Yes. I cannot stop. I am past that stage. It was a clear farewell. It was a sad occasion because they had not started out as enemies. Aleister said one final thing. Farewell, my kind, kind enemy. And with that, the call ended. That thin line that had been his final connection disappeared and only a normal dial tone remained. The frog-faced doctor remained frozen in place for a full 10 seconds. Slowly, he placed the receiver down. In that dark, unlit examination room, he gave a slight sigh. (Have you forgotten, Aleister?) The frog-faced doctor looked out the window. He could not see it from there, but a windowless building stood in that direction. He was a short man. That short man without even a hint of an imposing presence thought in silence. (You are also one of my patients.) On that day, Academy City officially affirmed the existence of a magic group. Reports were gathered saying Academy City had been attacked by a non-Academy City scientific psychic powers development institution belonging to the Roman Catholic Church and using the codename magic. Within the day, it had been picked up by news stations across the globe. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church confirmed the existence of an angel within Academy City. The Roman Catholic Pope himself criticized Academy City for carrying out blasphemous research that was against the doctrines of the Christian Church. They both called the others claims ridiculous and refused to confirm them while continuing to attack the other with their own claim. No sign of concession or compromise could be seen in their actions. In fact, their actions could almost be seen as trying to exacerbate the conflict between them. A conflict was beginning. Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church were in direct opposition. It was possible a truly great war was beginning for the third time in the history of the world. Volume 13, Afterword Volume 13, Afterword To those who were reading one book at a time, thank you very much. To those who definitely finished reading the twelve books at once, I truly thank you so much. This is Kamachi Kazuma. With this, the changes (TL: implied but not stated ''in appearances'') is complete! Besides, this time around was nothing but battles. No heartwarming scenes at all. Over there is bad luck and even here one sees nothing but fights; and I believe there is the occasional brutal atmosphere. I wrote in such way that the protagonists and the antagonists respectively went through paths completely different from the other. However, I believe when the protagonists were to change places this time, the interactions with the enemy characters might change. Of course, there''s the possibility of a fight not happening since then. The occult keyword this time is [Angel]. However, there are no precise meanings up to this point for [Magic''s story] and [Science''s story]. It''s simply that points of view and incidents simply do not branch into two, but in the first place obscured the barriers delimiting each other''s domains. It might be also interesting to examine where in the world and what''s the extent for these barriers, and how much of those barriers have been obscured. With the number of barriers being expressible as the number of walls between organizations, truth is I think I can grasp the [on this work, great change worldwide] which I don''t mention much. Thank you also to my illustrator Haimura-san and in-charge Miki-san. I think a devotion to comedies and battles for the composition of this series is a big adventure, and I thank you both for staying with me. And thank you, too, for all the readers. I''m no match for those expecting for a comedy, but I truly thank you so much for staying on this book''s adventure. And so, now we close the pages here, And as I think of only giving out the next pages as soon as possible, Today, I''ll leave the pen aside. One of these days their paths will cross again. Kamachi Kazuma Volume 14, Prologue: An all-too-gloomy church. Bread_and_Wine. Volume 14, Prologue: An all-too-gloomy church. Bread_and_Wine. Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script. Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed. Please read Template:PREVIEW for further information. Terra of the Left. He was in St. Peter''s Square, an elliptical plaza 240 meters in width, a water fountain stood a little to the side of its center. Terra was lying on his back against the fountain''s edge, silently looking upon the starry sky. In the sparsely-lit plaza, his face was unseen. Only his silhouette was wrapped up by the gentle darkness, and served as a kind of a veil. A soft "glub" sound echoed. It was not from the water fountain. Held in Terra''s right hand was a glass bottle containing cheap red wine. While neglecting the use of a drinking glass, every time he brought the bottle to his mouth, the alcohol within made waves along with a "glubbing" sound. However, an alcoholic restlessness could not be felt from Terra''s body. If one plainly saw Terra''s face during the day, he would have thought he saw a homely, alcohol-laden man, one not unlike a face from excessive overwork. "Drinking again, Terra?" The low voice of a man was heard. Terra, still lying down on the water fountain''s edge, turned his face towards the source. Standing there was a fellow member of God''s Right Seat, Acqua of the Back. A man clad in blue golfing wear. Beside Terra was an old man dressed in magnificent vestments. The Pope. He should be the most powerful in the Vatican, but with two God''s Right Seat members gathered, some mysterious presence was hiding among them. As Terra wiped off the drooling red liquid from his lips with his arm, "This is my replenishment for now for the Blood of Christ." "Bread and wine. The structure for a mass." "My angel, Raphael, represents earth, so partaking in the earth''s harvests and blessings to replenish my strength is quick and easy." Though meant to be a serious response, both Acqua and the Pontiff sighed. Their glances fell upon Terra''s feet. There were emptied bottles scattered about. Looking at the labels stuck on the bottles, Acqua said as he shook his head, "Cheap wine. Not even worth considering in tourist rip-off stores. For you to use the name of God''s Right Seat, you should be collecting better brands." "Please stop it. I can''t understand the flavors of those alcohols. Those are mere tools for ceremonial use and talking about luxuries is impolite to a true drunkard." Hearing Acqua and Terra''s exchange, the Pontiff interjected. "...As a shepherd for the followers, I wish you to refrain from blatant drinking." "Oh, dear me, getting reprimanded is rare." As Acqua laughed in a low voice. "For my part, I was bound by necessity as part of the service; but then it seems someone knows quite a bit about alcohol brands and flavor for a person not bound like me, right Acqua?" Glared at by the Pontiff, Acqua fell back a bit. Unlike the other members, for some reason, only he did not ignore the Holy Father. "A corrupt mercenary''s tastes... That, too, is necessary in the battlefield." "Ha ha, so Acqua''s a hoodlum eh. I can now say that we''re the bad kids different from the pious believers." The Pontiff grimaced at Terra''s light-hearted comment. He was likely wishing that he need not work with these ilk. And then the Pontiff surveyed the great plaza that could hold 300,000 people, "But then, I, the Pope, and you two of God''s Right Seat are gathered out in the open without a decent guard. Perhaps we should head inside for our meeting. The guards would have frothed mouths if they saw what we were doing." "We''re alright here. The spiritual binding effects of the Croce di Pietro still hold." As Terra drank on the wine, he looked up at the night sky, "The unpleasant skies are spreading out. Countless barriers colliding and conflicting as they float like auroras. Magically shooting through these barriers will be difficult." From the start, if one not bound by limits could unravel the system of every magic, calculating workarounds and countermeasures was possible. That compilation was the grimoire collection Index Librorum Prohibitorum that the Church of England was so proud of. It too was important on the battlefield. However, as a result of the multiple barriers protecting the entire country in a complicated union with over ninety percent of the Vatican''s structures possessing Christian significance, only Index could analyze them; not even the supreme leader the Pontiff could fully understand them. Even if they spent a long time cracking the complicated codes, if the patterns in the passwords changed every second, the old solution would completely lose its significance. Far from keyhole-shaped, even the numbers change, so master keys could not be made. Because it was impossible for anyone, including the Pontiff, to exhibit clear control over them, the multiple barriers surrounding the Vatican had so far rejected all types of analytical magic. "Well then," Terra said. He placed the emptied wine bottle on the fountain''s edge. The cheap wine he brought into sacred ground was, for now, finished. Terra slowly arose and he lightly stretched his back, "The replenishment for the Blood of Christ is over; it is nearly time for me to go-" Upon hearing those words, Acqua slightly raised his eyebrows. "You''re going to use that?" Terra lightly smiled. He likely understood it from the tone. Feelings of distress rose within Acqua. "You''re complaining about using civilians eh, Acqua?" "If it''s killing one another, it is better to leave it to soldiers enduring on subsistence." "Haha, an aristocratic opinion. However..." Terra pleasantly widened his smile. "...for us, the Roman Catholic Church, numbers are our greatest strength. 2 billion is a huge advantage. To be especially unwilling to use this is unnatural. Academy City''s total population is 2.3 million. Surely a literal difference in numbers, in this case." "War is decided by the quantity of goods and people, eh? How uncivilized. It feels like I am witnessing ancient warfare here." "It''s really the simple answer. It is something that has remained unchanged since antiquity" Terra, looking up at the barrier-covered night sky, said so. He should have been drunk on alcohol but his manner had not changed at all. "We, God''s Right Seat, are imperfect, but through this mystique we lead the people." He widely spread both his arms, stood on one foot, and quickly turned around towards Acqua, "And with that, let us lead the frightened lambs as we please. I am the shepherd... they will be like the children who disappeared while enthralled by the flute." Volume 14, 1: A Too-Quick Rate of Change. In_a_Long_Distance_Country. Volume 14, Chapter 1: A Too-Quick Rate of Change. In_a_Long_Distance_Country. Part 1 District 3 of Academy City contained a number of international exhibition halls. There was a direct railroad line leading there from the citys entrance from other countries, District 23. There were plenty of facilities for foreigners in the district and the grade of the hotels there was the highest in all of Academy City. The guest facilities were placed so far from the airport-centric District 23 so the guests would not have to worry about the noise of the planes. There were always multiple events being held in District 3. There was a motor show containing the best of automobile tech, a robot show showing off pieces of pure mechanical engineering, and many others. These exhibitions were not just for fun; their main purpose was to promote the latest tech from Academy City, technology that the Board of Directors had deemed of an acceptable level to be used outside the city. These were placed on display and the outside company that gave the best deal was chosen (Academy City did not look for them, they merely chose), and that company would pay them vast quantities for the tech. And on that day, there was one specific show being held. The various technologies on display were unmanned attack helicopters, the latest powered suits, an ultra-violet ray sniping device that was a high-output optical weapon that used a certain type of light wave to injure, kill and even be used for aerial bombings. The event was being called the Interceptor Show, so nothing too dangerous could be on display. Phhaa. A deep breath was heard. It belonged to Yomikawa Aiho, who was removing the helmet of the powered suit that she was in, around the corner of the dome-shaped international exhibition hall. She usually wore an unfashionable jersey over her body that made her stand out and bother young men, but she looked oddly humorous wearing the bulky powered suit. Its so hot... Why is demonstrating a powered suit so exhausting? Yomikawa looked fed up with what she was doing as she held the helmet in her arms and glanced at the woman in work clothes next to her. That woman was part of the powered suit development team, so she normally wore a white lab coat. Because of this, the work clothes looked as out of place on her as the clothes on children at the Shichi-Go-San festival. Dont worry. It isnt just you. The entire exhibition hall is oddly hot. On her lap, the woman engineer had a laptop with a card that looked like a thin cell phone stuck in the side. The screen of the laptop showed the details of the powered suit. That doesnt really make me feel any better. I didnt say it to make you feel better. By the way, why are there so many damn people at a show like this on a weekday? Isnt this exhibition hall over capacity? Todays a business day, so there really arent that many people here. Tomorrow, its open to the public, so itll be complete hell. That really doesnt make me feel any better! I didnt say it to make you feel better. Yomikawa was disheartened by the engineers words and placed the helmet on the ground. The helmet was almost 50cm (20in) wide. It looked like you could put it over the top of the drum-shaped robots that wandered around Academy City. The rest of the powered suit looked more like a slightly thicker version of a Western suit of armor, which led to the head looking huge. Ahh. I think Im just going to take the whole thing off. As she said this, Yomikawa began to slide out through the now-helmetless neck of the suit. Inside the powered suit, she was wearing a black outfit similar to what special forces wear. She sat down leaning against the motionless powered suit and fanned her face with her hand. Really, why do we have to wear an armored outfit inside of these things? Cant you people make a special outfit for operating a powered suit thats a bit more breathable? Well, you should have gone along with the project heads suggestion that you come out of the powered suit in a sexy bikini. You would have gotten quite a round of applause from the press then. The monotonous voice the engineer said this in made it sound like she really didnt care. Yomikawa wiped the sweat off of her face with a towel. By the way, why did that project head seem so excited while talking about having a woman present the suit? He has a thing for women doing things like that. The poor thing. And why did he think someone like me would do that? Im about the most unrefined woman in Japan. Someone made a huge mistake choosing me. It must be tough being in Anti-Skill. You get stuck with more odd jobs than a member of the JSDF. We only get stuck with doing things like this when theres nothing else to do. So doing something like this really shows how peaceful things are. Yomikawa stopped speaking and looked around. All of the booths around her were displaying various tools used to kill people. Previously, all of the weapons displayed at these shows had a hint of having been created to stop a rampaging esper while doing as little damage as possible. But this time there was a tank and, next to it, a powerful weapon that could shoot straight through said tank and kill someone behind it. (I can only think of one thing that could explain this sudden change in focus...) Yomikawa glanced over at the laptop the engineer was using. Not only did it show the powered suit data from when Yomikawa had been doing the demonstration, but there was a small window showing a television broadcast. It was a news program and the announcer was reading the current news. It is currently just before dawn in southern France, where a large-scale religious protest has broken out in the industrial city of Toulouse. People have filled up several kilometers of a road running alongside the River Garonne, which runs through the center of the city. The currently blocked traffic is having a major effect on the infrastructure of the city. The recorded footage showed the dark city lit by the fires of torches as a great number of people were marching around. Men and women could be seen holding banners with angry statements written in French and youths were setting fire to Academy City posters. They were taking part in a protest; they werent an out-of-control mob. Even so, the sight of tens of thousands of angry people marching was an intimidating one. Their actions are centered on an area where many Japanese car companies are located. This is presumably a demonstration against Academy City. About 80% of the French are said to be Roman Catholic, so the same thing is being seen in cities across the country. Even so, it could easily be worse. As Yomikawa watched the screen, the news from that morning played again. In the central German city of Dortmund, a bulldozer thought to have been stolen was plowed into a Roman Catholic Church and 9 priests inside were wounded. It is thought to have been in response to the series of protests being held, but so far no one has come forward claiming to be behind the crime. Fears that the conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City will worsen are spreading. She had already seen this news, but it still bothered her. It was like a small spark spreading to a pile of straw. The movement of the world had greatly changed in the last few days. The demonstrations being carried out by the Roman Catholic Church around the world and the various overreactions to them were picking up pace. And, almost as if it were in response to all this, Academy City was now holding this show full of weaponry. At first glance, it could be taken as the Board of Directors officially saying that they wouldnt be giving in to the demonstrations. (But its all being carried out a bit too efficiently.) Developing weapons was not the same thing as making plastic models. You had to apply for the job, calculate an estimated budget again and again, have it examined, create a test model, build each part, and go through simulations tens of thousands of times. It was only after you found good results, that you could finally release a product. The demonstrations had only begun to worsen a few days ago. That wasnt enough time to go through a development process that was usually counted in years. Which meant... (Academy City was already prepared. They had predicted this would happen and decided to prepare to take control of the aftermath instead of stopping it from happening in the first place.) Damn it, Yomikawa muttered. It may not have been Academy City that pulled the trigger that led to war. But they were clearly making the absolute best of the situation. The woman engineer whom the laptop belonged to wiped the sweat from her brow using her shirt sleeve and looked uninterestedly towards the news on the screen. Its the same thing on every channel. Its times like this that I wish Id subscribed to some channels that only aired variety shows. ...What do you think about this situation? Well... The weapons development researcher engineer took a deep breath. I dont like having more work. And having to put in unpaid overtime is even worse. Is this exhibition really that different than usual? Yeah, the project head is really enthusiastic about this one. He said something about needing to overthrow the idea that being a military contractor is horrible so that we can have a whole new market to work in. He also went on about how it''s a great time to be a weapons developer. The project head was getting so worked up that I chucked some ice at him to try and cool him down. The tech on display here is clearly not here to sell to outside companies. So this must really be a kind of military exercise. Were really just showing off our destructive weapons to the enemy as a diplomatic tool. The companies were trying to work out a deal with arent going to get the things here as is. Just like how rifles are sold in stores with the full-auto function taken out, these will be sold after reduced by 3 or 4 tiers. The weapons end up just barely creatable by the technology outside Academy City. Yomikawa glanced at some men in business suits chatting a bit ways away next to a stage. Also, licenses to create the core parts of the weapons are being sold to organizations that work with Academy City in various countries. They just have to inform us of how many theyre making and where theyre being deployed. Honestly, why is Academy City going this far to gather money? With enough funds, we could mass produce some pretty ridiculous weapons. The project head was saying something about a giant robot that could fly through space. He''ll probably choose a teenage boy to pilot it. ...You dont sound all that motivated. Not at all. Part 2 Yomikawa Aiho had no way of knowing, but at the centre of this large conflict was a single boy. Kamijou Touma. Other than his special power, Imagine Breaker, he was a normal high school student. But if what Gods Right Seat said was correct, he had made an enemy of 2 billion people. When he thought of the things he had gotten involved in in the past few months and how he had resolved them little by little, it wasnt really all that surprising. But where was Kamijou Touma, the boy at the centre of that conflict, now? Can you explain to me why you did what you did? He was being scolded by a tall female teacher in the staff room. Actually, Kamijou was not the only person being scolded. Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu were lined up next to him. And behind those three stood Fukiyose Seiri whose angry face seemed to be asking why she was there too. The staff room was full of steel office desks cluttered with various objects. It was the lunch break, so there were plenty of teachers there. Some were eating their bentos, some were grading tests, and some were sitting on electronic moving rocking horses that were supposed to help lower ones weight. Among them, one teacher was doing none of these things. Oyafune Suama was instead sitting on a cheap swivel chair crossing her legs covered in beige stockings, combing her black hair that looked as hard as metal, and glared at Kamijou and the others with sharp eyes through her inverted triangle glasses that were probably some expensive brand. Ill ask you again to explain to me why you were having a fight full of fists and burning souls in this place of learning. She was met with silence. The news announcer could be heard from the TV on the wall. As a result of the repeated demonstrations and protests, the Italian soccer league has announced that this mornings game has been cancelled for safetys sake. You cant explain it? That upset math teacher who was wearing nothing but brand-name clothing was well-known in the school for being strict when it came to discipline. Kamijous class didnt take any classes from her, so they hadnt really crossed paths before, but she had caught them today. The head teacher of Kamijous class was Tsukuyomi Komoe, but not even she could keep track of what was going on in the classroom during the lunch break. Oyafune Suama had been walking by when they were in the middle of a fight and dragged them to the staff room. After a bit, Kamijou, one of the three idiots, started speaking. But... His gaze was set with resolve. But Aogami Pierce and I were arguing over whether red bunny girls or black bunny girls were better. And then Tsuchimikado comes in and starts saying some ridiculous crap about white bunnies being the best ones!! Suama fell right out of her chair with a loud crash. The loud noise shocked Kamijou, but it seemed his comment had shocked the teacher with the educators glasses even more. The math teacher moved her gaze from the three idiots to Fukiyose Seiri standing behind them. D-dont tell me you were taking part in that silly argument as well. I was just trying to get these idiots to shut up!! Why did I have to be dragged down here along with them!? The blood vessels on Fukiyoses temple bulged out as she yelled. When Oyafune had stepped into Kamijous class, Fukiyose had been holding Tsuchimikado in a headlock, kicking Aogami Pierce to the ground, and hitting Kamijou Touma with her hard forehead all at the same time. She had clearly been the biggest bully at the scene. Meanwhile, Tsuchimikado who was wearing blue sunglasses turned to both sides and cried out. Nyah! Hooray for DFC white bunnies! Aogami Pierce couldnt keep silent after hearing that. Why is it always flat chests with you!? And you dont really like bunnies at all! Youre just fine with anything loli!! Thats true, Aogami Pierce. Be it a bunny girl outfit, a gymnastics leotard, or a school swimsuit, when put on the wonder that is a loli, the small distinctions between outfits are moot. So my argument is that lolis look good in whatever they wear, so a loli bunny girl is the best bunny girl!! You bastard!! So you really werent talking about bunny girls at all!! The three idiots started rolling up their sleeves for a second round when Oyafune Suama who was still lying on the ground wearing her glasses and a formal suit pulled a whistle from her pocket. Tweeet!! A high-pitched noise rang out and Saigo-sensei, a gorilla-like educational guidance teacher, came lumbering towards them from the back of the staff room. Part 3 In the end, Kamijou and the others were forced to do some weeding behind the gym. It was a damp area that the sun never really reached, but the weeds seemed to grow there quite well. One glance at the huge amount of green weeds and he lost all motivation for the job. It felt like there was no need to make the area look nice because no one ever went there. But there was something else that kept his motivation down even more. Damn it. Tsuchimikado and Aogami Pierce have disappeared. Only two of the four ordered to do the weeding were standing out there: Kamijou and Fukiyose. As he looked at the area stretching out behind the gym, Kamijous shoulders drooped. Beyond the thin gym wall, he could hear the energetic and happy voices of the volleyball team and basketball team enjoying their afterschool activities. That only made the mental shackles of the harsh job seem even heavier. And yet complaining about Tsuchimikado and Aogami Pierce disappearing wasnt going to get rid of those weeds. Kamijou got a wheelbarrow to transport the weeds to the dumping area and put on some work gloves. Yknow, itll be past the time were allowed in the school before were done with this. We might as well weed at a leisurely pace until they kick us out. If only we could get a Pyrokineticist to help out. Wed be done in no time, Kamijou further complained. Fukiyose complained about being punished along with the others as she pulled weeds up more efficiently than Kamijou. When Kamijou got tired of weeding after about 5 minutes, he tried striking up a conversation with Fukiyose who was bent over working a bit away. Hey, Fukiyose. What? Fukiyose must have been bored too, because she quickly joined the conversation. Kamijou spoke as he continued working. The October midterms have been called off, but youre still spending all of your free time studying on your own. Why? What kind of question is that? Fukiyose responded. With no midterms, our second term grades are going to be riding on the final exam. And the material on the exam is going to be twice what it would have been otherwise. That means we need to be working even harder. ... And before you ask: I wont let you see my notes. Kamijou had been ecstatic that they werent going to be having midterms, so Fukiyoses indifferent attitude was like salt to the wound. Upon receiving this unexpected damage, Kamijou went into contrary mode. H-hmph. Academics arent everything, you know? You make it sound like I cant do anything except academics. ...Oh, you can do other things? Of course I can!! Fukiyose yelled from deep in her gut. I may not look athletic, but I can throw a forkball. I dont really care about baseball, though!! Eh? Kamijou let out a stupid noise. You probably just learned it through a correspondence course or know some way forkballs keep you healthy or something. I-it doesnt matter how I learned it; it only matters whether I can throw one or not! So quit looking at me like you dont believe me and Ill show you!! Yeah, but we dont have a ball. Kamijou had said that out of surprise, but then Fukiyose Seiri pulled a large ball out of her skirt pocket. You need to be more prepared!! ...Um, that ball says squeeze this ball 100 times a day to provide yourself with healthy -waves on it. Kamijou was just in complete shock, but Fukiyose didnt seem to mind. She seemed pretty fired up over this and was scraping her feet on the ground to smooth it out. They now had a ball, but they had no catchers mitt. However, Kamijou didnt seem to have much of a choice, so he put on several layers of work gloves and squatted down a distance from Fukiyose like hed seen catchers do. Kamijou spoke in monotone almost like he was sighing as he spoke. Okay, go ahead, Fukiyose. Okay, Kamijou. Watch this 150 kph strong fast one and dont fall down!! A 150 kph forkball!? Im about to fall over from shock at that bluff!! Kamijou was flustered. Fukiyose seemed to be really into it as she gripped the white ball and moved her body into position. She was building up her power when Kamijou yelled out. S-st-stop, Fukiyose!! What!? Fukiyose yelled while wobbling in her interrupted pitching form. Kamijou was hesitant to explain the situation, so he gave only the core of the information. Your skirt!! ...? Fukiyose looked confused at this comment and then she noticed where Kamijou was looking. When she looked down at her hips, she saw that the leg she was holding up was flipping up her short skirt making her panties with a cute design visible. Fukiyose Seiri threw her strong fast pitch. Kamijou screwed up his timing and the soft rubber ball hit him straight in the gut. It made a very loud noise. As he writhed in pain, he spoke in a shaky voice. ...Th-that was no forkball. It flew in a completely straight line... That one didnt count!! Fukiyose declared that with a little too much force in an attempt to fool him and took the ball back. Itll be a forkball this time. Itll jerk down, so hold the mitt down low. She went back into pitching form, but she must have taken heed of Kamijous warning about her skirt because she kept the movement of her legs to a minimum. That may have been why her body was wobbling a little off balance. Even so, she managed to give the ball incredible power. It slammed into Kamijous glove-covered hand with a loud noise. His hand stung afterwards even though they were using a toy ball instead of a proper hardball. Also, Fukiyose wasnt throwing underhand like a softball player; she was throwing overhand like a professional baseball player. And quite well, too. Kamijou softly squeezed the ball he had caught. ...Did that fall? Yes!! What were you looking at it? Couldnt you see it jerk down right in front of where the batter would be!? Ehh? It looked like a normal pitch to me. K-Kamijou!! You cant tell because youre not looking from the batters perspective!! If you were holding a bat, youd be able to see the effect of the forkball clear as day!! Oh? Now youve said it, Fukiyose. Kamijou smiled and grabbed the 50 cm long plastic handle of a small broom that they had prepared just in case. Youre on. He gripped the broom kind of like a baseball bat and swung the end with flicks of his wrist as if he was measuring its timing. Meanwhile, Fukiyose caught the ball Kamijou lightly threw to her and a daring grin appeared on her lips. You think you can hit a ball thrown by a major-leaguer like me? Ridiculous. Ill hit a homerun. Then Ill have to let you feel the disgrace of losing to a true forkbaaaaall!! Its goin outta the paaaarrrkkk!! She threw the white ball. It flew through the air. If he waited to see whether the ball would fall or not, it would be too late to hit it. As he was measuring her true intentions and her true skill, he began to move. Power and tension ran throughout his body. He calculated his timing, gave a short breath, gathered strength in his legs, swung his hips in unison with the movements of his legs, and swung the broom in his hands as hard as he could. And... Part 4 From her suit and glasses to her stockings, Oyafune Suama was covered in brand-name clothing. She was a woman that knew the advantages that being beautiful gave. She primarily knew this because she used to be the person who was at the disadvantage for not being beautiful. But anyone could reach a certain level of beauty if they tried. Suamas theory was that you may not be able to be the best of the best or even among the best through hard work alone, but you could at least be better than most. And as better than most, you could get a taste of the blessings of beauty. It was advantageous to be beautiful. The students listened to her during class, the other teachers didnt look down on her, and people gave up their seat for her in the cafeteria. And all of that was the result of refining her body inside and out by taking multiple baths a day, putting lotion on her face before going to bed, eating breakfast every day, keeping her weight down so it didnt affect her skin, spending over an hour in the morning putting makeup on, and spending large amounts of money buying Western clothes from magazines and the internet. When school came to an end, Oyafune Suama was always very worried that her makeup might have started to come off and especially that her drawn on eyebrows might have started to run from sweat. But ones attitude and mood were an important part of being beautiful. If she showed outward signs of being worried about her makeup, the blessings of beauty would diminish, so she couldnt be constantly checking her hand-mirror or going to the bathroom. (...) Suama slowly looked around. She was in the staff room. By this time, most of the teachers had left to advise club activities, so there usually werent many people around. She thought about checking on her eyebrows if no one else was there, but... Yawn. Making lesson plans is hard work. Suamas eyes moved to the female teacher sitting almost right next to her who looked like an elementary school student. It was Tsukuyomi Komoe. Looking at the mountains of papers around her, it was clear she was working on more than a single teachers worth of material. This small teacher would always go over the data on each and every student and come up with the best lesson plan for each student, but now she was working on another teachers class as well. Quite a bit of Anti-Skill was currently out making war preparations, so they didnt have time to make lesson plans. This meant that the non-Anti-Skill teachers had to help them out. Suama had been forced to make another teachers lesson plan as well, but the teacher wearing the inverted triangle glasses couldnt help but be more interested in Komoe-senseis small size. What kind of health system do you use to keep your skin so young? In fact, these numbers dont add up. ??? What seems to be the problem? Im quite good at math, if you need any help there. The 135 cm teacher quickly came walking over after hearing Suamas perplexed voice. Suama knew she should learn from her senior teachers, but this one really looked like she was in elementary school. Tsukuyomi Komoe took the documents on Suamas desk and nodded as she checked over each of them. By the way, Oyafune-sensei. I heard my students caused you some trouble today, so I wanted to apologize. No, it was nothing. Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to have a word with Kamijou-chan and the others. Do you know where they are? It seems they went off somewhere right after homeroom. Do you think they went home? Uh, oh. Suama looked over at the clock on the wall. It was almost 6 PM. It had been a few hours since she had told them to go weed. Crap... Im sorry, Tsukuyomi-sensei. Ill go get them right away!! Sigh. But where are they? Oyafune Suama turned her back on her senior teacher and ran out of the staff room. The club activities would be ending soon and the students not part of a club were long gone, so the dim hallway was almost empty. As she headed for the staff entrance, the emptiness made it feel even later than it was. (No, delinquents who start fights in school wont have stuck around this long. Theyre probably not out there weeding; they probably skipped out and left long ago.) She had been intending to check on them after half an hour and then let them go after scolding them, so she was feeling guilty. However, they were being punished, so she couldnt exactly apologize. At that point, she reached the staff entrance, put on her fairly high class pumps, and headed quickly behind the gym. And what that math teacher saw there was... Part 5 Hey hey heeey!! Its 13-9!! Your forkball is pretty pathetic there!! Kamijou held a short broom in his hands and swung it back and forth as he egged Fukiyose on. Shut up!! Dont just ignore those 9 times you lost... And if I had a proper hardball, things would be different!! Since they had introduced a new rule where the loser of each round had to spend 5 minutes weeding as hard as they could, Kamijou and Fukiyose had gotten so fired up they had forgotten that the work would be a lot easier if they just both worked on it together. While Kamijou was swinging the bat in a good mood, Fukiyose was gripping the white ball and her shoulders moved up and down as she panted for breath. She then checked the time on her phone. Theres only 30 minutes until we have to leave... But thats more than enough time to turn this around!! Hey, are your pitches actually dropping like theyre supposed to? I already told you they were! Theyre forking like crazy!! Why cant you see the ball jerk down suddenly right in front of you!? Ehh? It just looks like a parabolic arc to me... Pay more attentiooooooonnnnn!! Fukiyose yelled as loudly as she could and threw the ball. In response to the white ball roaring towards him, Kamijou began the motions for a full swing. (A forkball...) He finally reacted to Fukiyoses words and corrected the trajectory of the broom down slightly. But the path of the ball didnt change. It continued on straight. Damn it...See? Youre not doing it right!! He tried to bring the trajectory of the bat back, but it was too late. The bat moved slightly upwards, but didnt quite make it to the path the white ball took. Even so, he could tell the handle of the broom made contact with the edge of the ball. Gwohhhhhh!! Kamijou yelled, but he could feel in his wrist that he hadnt hit the ball solidly. The white ball grazed the broom handle, its trajectory changed slightly diagonally upwards, and it flew behind Kamijou. (Damn, I missed!) There were no fouls in this game. If the ball hit the bat and went in front of him, Kamijou won. Anything else counted as Fukiyoses win. They decided between strikes and balls by sight. One annoying point was that the loser had to go retrieve the ball. And since the loser also had to weed for five minutes, going to retrieve a distant ball was a real pain in the ass. While still holding up the broom being used for a bat, Kamijou began thinking up a plan. (Dah. It was 13 C 9, right? I guess I have 10 losses now. Maybe I should purposefully take forever retrieving the ball so we run out of time while Im still ahead.) But then he heard an odd noise from behind him. ...? Kamijou had no idea what just happened, but just from seeing Fukiyoses shocked expression, he started going pale. (??? Whats behind me?) Kamijou turned around. He saw inverted triangle glasses with grass and dirt stuck to them. Oyafune Suama was standing there and she had clearly been hit straight in the face by the white ball. The ball would have hit Suama in the stomach, but Kamijous bat had altered its trajectory enough for it to head straight for her face. ... Oyafune Suama took a long, deep breath, but her body was clearly trembling. By the time Kamijou started freaking out, it was too late. Suama came rushing towards Kamijou and her fist swung down at him. Kamijou bowed down in apology without noticing what she was doing and miraculously managed to avoid her fist. Filled with the anger from both the ball and from having attacked the air, the math teacher stomped down on Kamijous back with the pointed heel of her pumps. Part 6 Oyafune Suama rushed back to the staff room. Komoe-sensei must have gone somewhere because she was gone. Suama had tried using her handkerchief to wipe off the grass and dirt. (Wah!! Dirt, dirt, DIRT!! Its on face, ITS ON MY FACE! Oh, no! I may have wiped off my eyebrows with the handkerchief!! What do I do!? WHAT DO I DO!?) She was obviously panicked, and, after she had confirmed that no one else was in the staff room, she pulled out her hand-mirror to check forgetting to head to the bathroom first. At least her eyebrows were fine. But that wasnt enough to calm her down. It was advantageous to be beautiful. Which also meant that it was disadvantageous to not be beautiful. (Lets see. Its on my clothes. Its here, too. And here!! My hair is all messed up, Im covered in sweat, and theres a run in my stockings from walking so quickly. Where do I start in fixing this!?) She started by taking off the coat of her suit and wiped off the dirt that had made it onto her white blouse. Then she started unbuttoning her blouse in order to shake out the dirt she couldnt get off just by brushing it. Then she took off the beige stockings with a run in them and put on the spare one she had in her bag. In order to do this, she had to push her tight skirt up, but she didnt have time to care. She had to turn herself back into her usual perfect beautiful self as quickly as possible. But... All of a sudden the door to the staff room started to slide open. Suama was raising one of her legs in order to put the stockings on and she jumped out of shock. Ah. Wait. Stop!! She tried to stop it. Eh? Whats wrong? Her words had clearly reached whoever was on the other side of the door, but the door opened anyways. Kamijou Touma was standing there. Oyafune Suama currently had the front of her blouse open so her black bra was visible. Also, her tight skirt was still pushed up in order to put on the stockings. Ky- She almost screamed, but cut herself off. Instead of screaming, she reached her hand over to her desk and grabbed the magnetic 50 cm classroom set square and threw it full force at the staff room entrance. Kamijou slammed the door shut and the edge of the set square stuck into the door like a shuriken. The rest of the set square twanged back and forth. She heard Kamijou yelling from the hallway. Waaaahhh!! Are you trying to kill me!? Why did you open the door after I told you to stop!? After she had gotten the stockings on, closed the front of her blouse, and put on the coat of her suit that was folded over the back of her chair, she headed out to the hallway. But she heard an odd ripping sound come from her thighs. ... Suama looked down at her thighs to see if the brand new stockings she had only worn for 2 minutes had a run in it. U-um...Excuse me... Almost as if he had timed it, Kamijou cautiously opened the staff room door again. He saw Oyafune Suama standing with her legs spread apart, her skirt pulled up, and bent over staring at her crotch area. This wasnt just a scene a beauty shouldnt let anyone see; this was a scene a woman shouldnt let anyone see. !! This time the math teacher silently grabbed a giant protractor for the blackboard and threw it towards the door. Another piece of teaching equipment was now stuck in the once-again closed door. A quavering voice came in from the hallway. I was just going to explain why I had come in before!! What possible reason could you have had to make this situation even worse like that!? Explain to me your reason as concisely as you can!! Um, its almost past the time we can stay at school. Can we quit weeding now? Is that all!? The veins on Oyafune Suamas temple bulged. She grabbed the giant compass for the blackboard from her desk and ran out of the staff room intending to knock that trouble student down with it. But Kamijou Touma was gone. She glimpsed a figure running around the corner heading for the stairs. Whats going on here...? Suama mumbled that in complete exhaustion, but there was no one around to hear it. Part 7 Damn it...I really thought I was dead. Kamijou left the school and spoke to himself as he trudged along the dark path home. It was October now, so it was starting to get cold around this time of day. That may have been why it didnt feel like there were as many people out as during the summer. Coming from the airship floating in the gloomy sky, he could hear an announcement giving a warning about fires due to the dry air. Kamijou slowly walked along the sidewalk avoiding the cleaning robots and thinking about what to make for dinner. He decided to head for the department store by the station because he was a bit worried he didnt have enough food in the fridge. There was a cheaper supermarket a bit farther away, but he wouldnt make it home in time if he headed there. If that happened, Index would go nuts back in his dorm room due to her empty stomach. As he headed toward the station, he spotted a girl with brown hair wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School uniform. It was Misaka Mikoto. And she was delivering a high kick to a drink vending machine and tilting her head in puzzlement when nothing came out. Seeing this, Kamijou quickly turned 180 degrees and hurried away. Its best to avoid danger. Let sleeping dogs lie, as they say. What do you mean by that? When his casual comment to himself received a response from behind him, Kamijou''s back straightened in fright. He ever so cautiously turned another 180 degrees and saw Misaka Mikoto standing there with a puzzled look on her face. Uuh... Kamijou let out a short sigh of anguish. Please forgive me... I asked you what you meant by that. Im just so exhausted from the weeding and all the other things that have happened today! So please forgive me and dont give me any more trouble!! Again. What do you mean by that!? Mikoto grabbed the nape of Kamijous neck, who tried to run away, at Mach speed, and yelled so close to his ear that he thought she was going to bite his ear off. Why must you cut our conversations short at every chance you get!? You havent even responded to the email I sent you yet. Let me see your phone for a second!! Email...? You sent me an email? Yes, I did!! Kamijou thought about it for a second, took out his phone, opened his inbox to show it to Mikoto, and cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. ...You did? Im telling you I did!! What? Theres nothing in your inbox!? Dont tell me its treating my address as spam!! Mikoto was shocked at first about her email, but then she stumbled upon a further truth. She reached and grabbed Kamijous hand to keep him from hitting any more buttons and stared at a certain name in his received mail folder. ...Why do you have my mothers address in your phone? Hah? (Come to think of it, I did run into Misaka Misuzu when she was drunk the other day.) Mikoto wrinkled her brow and started manipulating Kamijous phone with her thumb. She was calling Misuzu. H-hey, wait! His phone didnt have speaker phone option, so the phones volume was fairly high. Due to this and the fact that he wasnt very far from Mikoto, he could hear the phone ringing on the other end. Yes, mother? I need to ask you about something. Huh? My display must be screwed up. It wasnt showing your number, Mikoto-chan. Misuzu sounded confused. From what Kamijou could hear of Mikoto and Misuzus conversation, Mikoto was asking for a detailed explanation of how Misuzus number ended up in Kamijous phone. Hmm... Misuzus answer started slowly. I think I met that boy in Academy City one night...but I was drunk, so I dont really remember the details. I have no idea when my number could have ended up in his phone though. Ha ha ha. I see. I see. Mikoto nodded slightly and hung up. She smiled and elegantly returned the phone to Kamijou. What the hell were you doing with my mother while she was druuuunnnkkk!? Hahhh!? What kind of crazy deduction is that!? And Im pretty damn sure your mother remembers everything that happened! That laugh at the end really made it sound like she was lying!! This was something someone should be able to think through pretty easily, but Mikoto must have thought that this was a crisis that could destroy her family, because her face turned bright red as she lost her cool. Lets change the subject!! Kamijou decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. L-look! I have to wash the rice for dinner when I get back to the dorm and surely its getting close to curfew at your dorm! The sun is setting already! What? Curfew? Thats so easy to get around. Kamijou wanted to bury his head in his hands at how quickly Mikoto gave that response. She must have been completely unaware of his state of mind, but at least he had managed to change the subject. But its true theyve been getting stricter about checking. Maybe its because of how busy everythings been lately. Even the people who never read the newspaper are busy checking the news on their cell phone TVs and checking internet news sites. ... But I guess anyone would be worried with whats happened. Mikoto was most likely referring to what happened on September 30th. That event had been the trigger that started an invisible war. That event where the gate to Academy City was destroyed, residents all over the city regardless of whether they were teachers or students were attacked, the functioning of Anti-Skill and Judgement, the keepers of the public order, was completely halted, and a 100 meter radius crater of destruction was created in the cityscape. All of that had not happened due to a single person. It had been the result of multiple organizations and their ideas crossing paths. Even Kamijou who had been in the middle of it all didnt know the whole story. In fact, he doubted there was any one person that understood the entirety of the situation. And if someone in the middle of it all felt that way, someone who only got wrapped up in it like Mikoto would know very little. Maybe it was because she was at a distance from the center of it all that she felt like she could investigate it from a safe distance. And surely Mikoto didnt completely buy the official story that the attack was carried out by an esper scientifically developed in secret by a foreign religious group. Mikoto removed her gaze from Kamijous face and looked off into the distance. About 500 meters from where they stood was the area destroyed by the appearance of a certain archangel. Kamijou thought she might have been recalling the incident on September 30th, but it actually looked more like she was staring up at an airship floating in the gloomy sky. The news was playing on the large screen on the side of the airship. So far the large scale demonstrations and protests held by members of the Roman Catholic Church were only occurring within Europe, but now they have begun within America as well. The announcers voice was calm. Currently, they are only occurring in west coast cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, but they are expected to spread throughout America before long. Some footage started playing. It was most likely from LA. It would have been late at night there, but it was midday in the recorded footage. (Damn it. Its spreading pretty quickly...) Kamijous face held the expression of someone looking at a horrible wound. Just like shortly after the start of a marathon, one side of a three-lane highway was completely filled with people. They were burning Academy City posters they had made and were ripping Academy City banners to shreds. They were filling up major roads for hours at a time in order to get across how mad they were. They werent just letting their anger take over and going throughout the city destroying things. But it still wasnt safe. Some fights must have broken out. The footage showed a man who had blood streaming from his head leaning against an ambulance. A nun with dark bruises across her face was supporting a priest who couldnt stand up on his own and screaming for help. All of the people there were just normal people. None of them looked like they had any connection to the world of espers and magicians. It was true that the people taking part in the demonstrations were technically a part of that world by being believers in the Roman Catholic Church. They wore crosses around their necks and they could probably recite portions of the Bible. But it was hard to imagine that they could have any connection with the depths of the Roman Catholic Church or know about people like Vento of the Front. They went to school and they went to work. On the weekends, they would laze around the house and have cookouts in their large backyards. They were normal, everyday people. ...Whats going on? Mikoto muttered this as she stared up at the screen on the airship. I dont know what happened on September 30th, but this isnt what I wanted. Even if they say that incident was what triggered this, Academy City is still completely peaceful. Why are those people fighting each other and injuring each other over this? Its not right for the person truly behind this to stay hidden while those people suffer. ... Kamijou listened to Mikotos words in silence. The person behind it. Mikoto had subconsciously decided there was one. That was probably what she wished was true. If someone was behind this, you could fix that one problem and everything would go back to normal... Since Mikoto had a powerful ability known as Railgun, that was the easiest way for her to think about the situation. But there was no one person behind this. It was true that the incident on September 30th that triggered it all was caused by specific people: Vento of the Front and Kazakiri Hyouka. And there was someone behind their actions. If the events on that day had been properly stopped, things may have been successfully solved by the method Mikoto wanted. But the current situation was not the spark that is the origin of the damaging fire. This was the huge conflagration that comes about as the result of the spark. This was well past the stage where capturing the person behind it all would stop it. The people carrying out the demonstrations were all normal people. And they werent being forced to do it on anyones command. They read the newspaper or watched the news and decided to take part out of indignation. They were all merely acting on their personal beliefs. To stop the person behind this you would have to punch out every single person throughout the world who was taking part in the demonstrations. That wasnt a real solution. But how else could it all be solved? ...Whats going on? Mikoto merely repeated what she had said before, but it pierced Kamijous heart this time. This wasnt a problem a kid could come up with an answer for. Between the lines 1 The Tower of London was a well-known tourist attraction in England. It was once known as a facility of blood, torture, and execution that was the last stop for prisoners. It had even been said that once you passed through its gate, you never came out alive. But it was currently open to the public and for just under 14 pounds (less than it costs to enjoy afternoon tea in a restaurant) anyone could just go in and look around. It wasnt just the historical execution devices that were on display; you could also see treasures of the royal family. But at the same time, there was a huge blind spot where the facility was still used for its original purpose. Much like the deep shadow brought about by a bright light, one could get close to the Tower of London as a sightseer; but there was still a labyrinthine blind spot. Prisoners were still kept there and they were tortured or executed without hesitation as needed. The Tower of London was well known for its executions and that dark purpose was still being carried out to this day. If one entered through the normal entrance, those shadowy portions were completely unreachable. If one entered through the secret entrance, one could not escape the shadowy portions. ...This place is as gloomy as ever. Stiyl Magnus mumbled that as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. Unlike the areas open for sightseeing, areas actually used had cramped, dark passageways. The clutter of stones making up the walls were stained black by the soot of the lamps and the flicker of the flames made the stains look like they were moving. There must not have been much to keep the moisture out, because the top of the floor was covered in cold dew. The girl walking next to Stiyl started speaking. It was Agnese Sanctis, former nun of the Roman Catholic Church. So we will be interrogating Lidvia Lorenzetti and Biagio Busoni? I want to ask them some things about Gods Right Seat. Since the leader of a unit like you doesnt know, itll probably be faster to ask some VIPs. ...Do you think theyll tell you? Theyre practically nobles. You can watch and learn a few things about how we deal with that kind of thing in England. Lecturing each and every member of your Forces would be a pain, so you can just explain it to them later. Stiyl stopped in front of a door. It was a thick wooden door that had been darkened by all the moisture it had absorbed. He opened the door without knocking and there was a small room on the other side. It was a square room only 3 meters on each side. This room was only for interrogation, so it didnt have the tools of torture one associated with the Inquisition. What was in it was a table directly bolted to the floor and a pair of two-person chairs similarly secured to the floor. There was limited cushioning on the chair on the right side of the table. On the other hand, the chair on the left side was nothing but bare wood. And the armrests had belts and metal fixtures to confine a persons arms. And the two-person seat on the left had two people restrained in it. They were Lidvia Lorenzetti and Biagio Busoni, both important people that held special positions within the Roman Catholic Church. Im sure you know what Im here to talk about. Stiyl sat in the chair on the right and spoke in an annoyed voice. Agnese didnt know whether she should sit down as well and decided to stand next to him. Biagio, a middle-aged bishop, was bound to the chair by a belt. He glared at Stiyl. His gaze never fell directly on her, but Agnese flinched as she was a former member of the Roman Catholic Church. Stiyl however didnt seem to mind. It may have been due to the fact that he had been deprived of sleep to the point that it wore down his mind but didnt affect his health, but Biagio didnt look well. His hair and skin had lost their sheen and now just looked cracked and dried. ...So you want to talk. If youre going to lecture about the Bible, leave it to Sunday. Tell me everything you know about Gods Right Seat. Bring out the torture devices the Anglican Church are so proud of. I want to show an amateur like you what true piety looks like. Biagios arrogance was as strong as ever. Meanwhile, Lidvia did not seem at all interested in the conversation. It wasnt that she was working to suppress her emotions; she truly wasnt feeling anything strongly enough to show up on her face. Lidvia may have had more patience than Biagio whose irritation was clearly showing on his face. This was exactly what Agnese had expected and she knew this could take a while. Dont look down on Necessarius. Biagio was not the only arrogant one: Stiyl Magnus slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and smiled a shockingly cruelly. We dont particularly care if you end up dying from the torture. Necessarius has ways of getting information out of a corpses brain. Although thats more a question of the level of defenses and the level of damage. Even Agnese felt a chill go down her spine as she heard that. He must have understood that Stiyl was not bluffing, because Biagio gave an annoyed look. Also, Lidvia finally seemed to take an interest as she moved her eyes to look at Stiyl. Stiyl started speaking in an irritated tone that sounded like a person about to begin a job they werent looking forward to. What you call torture and what we call torture are two different things. Propagate ridiculous ideas like that and youll find that ''peace in death'' wont cut it here. I dont care if you resist, but you will just die in vain. There were a few seconds of silence. Biagio continued to stare at Stiyl and Lidvia began to speak. We dont care about ''trivial things like that'' either. She made eye contact with Stiyl as she spoke. But there is one thing I would like to know. What is the situation outside? Stiyl looked puzzled at that question, but then he remembered. (Come to think of it, there was a report about that.) Lidvia Lorenzetti was an oddity even within the Roman Catholic Church who would reach her hand out to people society had abandoned. To her, being imprisoned in the Tower of London without being able to hear what was going on outside made her worry as a protector. All she had heard about was the chaos spreading through the world. After remembering, a smirk grew on Stiyls lips. Im sure you can take some guesses about whats going on. ... Lidvias expression faltered slightly. Of course, the first to fall victim to the riots and chaos were the very kinds of weak people she reached out to. ...Hmph. On the other hand, Biagio Busoni was much more of an elitist who believed the clergy were superior to all others. He was more interested in the effects and results of the chaos rather than the damages it had caused. Lidvia stared at Stiyls face and spoke. In exchange for my cooperation, I request that you release of all my comrades who are imprisoned here. I want them released so they can help as much as they can to stop this chaos and provide shelter for the weak people caught up in it all. It was Biagio, not Stiyl, who reacted to that. Lidvia was completely composed while Biagio made no attempt to hide his irritation. He clicked his tongue so hard it sounded like he was spitting. Meanwhile, Stiyl had no real reaction. Do you really think well go along with that? Ill make you. How? After Stiyl asked his question, Lidvia stopped breathing for a short time. Then, her smooth lips began to move even as she was bound to the chair. San Pietro elude le trappole dellimperatore e del mago. (St. Peter escapes the clutches of the emperor and the magician.)" Stiyl looked puzzled at her words. They had taken all spiritual items and amulets from her. She shouldnt be able to perform any real magic by chanting a spell here. A light shined, not from Lidvia Lorenzetti, but from Stiyl''s side. Specifically, it came from the Roman Catholic cross hanging from Agneses neck. Tch!! Before Stiyl could react, a beam of light flew from the cross. The beam of light stretched out towards Lidvia like a stake and destroyed the belt and metal fixtures binding her right arm to the chair. Lidvia grabbed a sharp piece of broken metal and reached out towards Stiyl. Their arms crossed with a crash that sounded like a gunshot. ... ... Stiyl and Lidvia were silent. Stiyl had a sharp piece of metal at his throat; Lidvia had the corner of a rune card at her throat. ...! Lidvia!! After recovering from her shock, Agnese hurriedly grabbed her Lotus Wand that was leaning against the wall, but Stiyl used his other hand to motion Agnese away as he glared at Lidvia. The magician was clearly enjoying himself. It was like he was saying this was how an interrogation was supposed to be. Did you really think you could take my life so easily? If you wont release the needed number of people, I have no other choice. Lidvia spoke with an unconcerned voice. I demand that you release Oriana Thomson so that she can guide those who have been swallowed up by the riots. Why dont you think again about whether youre in any position to make demands? Stiyls voice did not waver. Oriana was the skilled courier that had been teamed up with Lidvia. That courier knows about the situation of the world. And she came forward with a deal for her leader Lidvia Lorenzetti to be able to protect the weak. The Anglican Church made a deal where she temporarily cooperates with us. If you want to release her from that, I dont think she would agree to it herself. ... Lidvia and Oriana had had the same idea; Oriana acted faster. She remained silent as Stiyl continued to speak. Dont waste what she has done. This situation has been brought about by the Roman Catholic Church... no, by ''Gods Right Seat''. So if theyre defeated, the situation might be able to be resolved, right? Lidvia did not respond. Biagio clicked his tongue and looked away as if to say that this were ridiculous. After a deep, long silence, she slowly opened her mouth. ...What do you want? Necessariuss goal is clear. Stiyl seemed bored as he spoke. We want to save the lost lambs that have been swallowed up in the overwhelming power that is magic. Our goal is the same as it has always been. Lidvia glared at Stiyl but he did not flinch. Whatever it was that Lidvia had been observing about Stiyl, she finally sighed and relaxed. ...I have never directly met them, but I have had opportunities to hear bits of information about them. Lidvia Lorenzettis words resounded throughout the dark interrogation room. Agnese finally sat down next to Stiyl and spread out a piece of parchment to record what was said. And from what Ive heard, it seems ''Gods Right Seat'' is... Volume 14, 2: A Trigger that Becomes a Decisive Blow. Muzzle_of_a_Gun. Volume 14, Chapter 2: A Trigger that Becomes a Decisive Blow. Muzzle_of_a_Gun. Part 1 After Kamijou left Mikoto, he headed towards the department store by the station as he had originally intended. He looked in the perishable goods section in the first basement and decided to buy 4 days worth of vegetables because they were pretty cheap that day. (...Hm, the section selling completed dishes seems to be popular, while there arent many people in the sections with meat, vegetables, and other ingredients.) (Are fewer people cooking for themselves these days?) Kamijou turned his head quizzically as he wondered this and left the store. He looked up and at the airship displaying the news floating above. As before, it was about the protests in America...or so he thought. It now seemed to be about Russia. All the news was about the protests, so it became difficult to distinguish between old stories and new ones. "..." Kamijou stopped to think while holding grocery bags with both arms. He couldn''t get what Misaka Mikoto had told him before out of his head. It wasn''t that there was no cause behind the demonstrations and protests around the world; the problem was just so big that there were too many causes and therefore no simple way of solving it. Mikoto probably most resented having been used in the incident on September 30th. Their efforts to bring back peace were instead used to bring about an entirely different kind of chaos. Kamijou wanted to do something about it, too. Vento of the Front who caused the chaos did have her reasons. And Kazakiri Hyouka who stood at a point halfway between science and magic didn''t want that chaos. It was a bunch of people "outside" of it all getting all worked up and throwing the world into chaos now. That was clearly wrong. But... (What can I do...?) Kamijou clenched his teeth as he stared at the airship floating up in the air. (This problem has to be stopped. What I want to do is obvious, but what can I actually do about it?) He could contact Tsuchimikado who knew about the underside of the Academy City. Or he could contact Kanzaki and the others at the Anglican Church. But Kamijou couldn''t imagine even those people being able to completely solve a problem that had grown so large. He had a feeling that working behind the scenes to stop the problem from getting this large in the first place was their way of dealing with this kind of thing. (Well, standing here isn''t going to solve anything. And I don''t even know how to contact the Anglican Church in the first place. I guess I should head back to the dorm and go pay Tsuchimikado a visit.) (And I need to get on his case about skipping out on the weeding.) (I suppose having contact with an agent like Tsuchimikado puts me in a better position than most students...) Kamijou forced his thoughts in a more positive direction and started walking along the gloomy street. Maybe it was because of all the thoughts whirling around in his head, but the grocery bags in his hands felt heavier than usual. It was around the time everyone was heading home so the street was crowded, but he still felt like he was running into people more than usual. He began thinking that fixing dinner and preparing the bath after he got home was going to be a real pain in the ass and started seriously wondering if there was a nice recipe that let him use the microwave or the rice cooker and skip the hardest parts of cooking dinner. It seemed that Index would end up biting him because she couldn''t stand to wait while watching him when he leisurely made dinner like usual. While thinking about all this, he ran into another person. This time it was an aging woman who looked to be in her 50s or 60s. "Oh, sorry." "It''s all right." The woman gave a refined smile and lowered her head. She didn''t have a stooped back, but she was about two sizes smaller than Kamijou even while standing up. She was rather heavily dressed for the start of October with a coat folded over her bent arm and a scarf around her neck. Kamijou surmised that perhaps she got cold easily. The aging woman raised her lowered head and began speaking in a calm voice. "I''m the one that should be apologizing." "No, you''re not. I''m the one that ran into you." "No, no. Not about that." Kamijou was about to raise an eyebrow at the smiling aging woman''s remark when she continued. "I need to apologize for the trouble I will be causing you now." He heard a metallic noise. He lowered his gaze to where the noise originated - the area next to his own stomach. The aging woman''s arm was also there. However the thin fabric of the coat folded over it hid the area from her elbow to just past her wrist so he couldn''t really see. All he knew for sure was what he could feel on his stomach. It felt like the tip of a hard rod and Kamijou''s body stiffened slightly at the sensation. "I''m sorry. I really am." The aging woman spoke those words slowly and lowered her head once more. Part 2 Misaka Mikoto suddenly stopped. (Nnn...) She had completely forgotten once she met that idiot, but there was something she had wanted to talk with him about. (...The Ichihanaransai.) She had wanted to talk to him about the cultural festival-like event that takes place across the entirety of Academy City. The opening day of this year''s festival was still over a month away, but because of the terrible horrible result of the Daihaseisai (the actual result was a mix of good and bad, but this was how she had already begun to think about it) she felt she should hurry up and take measures to ensure the success of the Ichihanaransai. (Come to think of it, over half of the seven day Daihaseisai was just a string of trouble related to that idiot. If that''s what''s going to happen, I should just rein him in from the beginning...) Of course, the measures she was going to take were to get him to promise to go around the festival with her. (Why does it have to end up like this?...Well, I guess I can just ask him over the phone.) Mikoto decided on that and pulled out her phone. She had gotten a pair contract on her phone with him on September 30th, so she had his number recorded in her phone. (It really was a pain getting that all set up, but I guess it''s coming handy now.) But after she moved the cursor to his number in the address book, her eyes stopped on the antenna mark. No signal. "...!!" Mikoto looked around, but the street she was on wasn''t all that small, so she ran out to a more major street. She watched the antenna mark on the edge of the screen and once she had a good signal, she moved the cursor back to his number and pressed the call button. But she just got an emotionless message telling her the phone she was trying to call couldn''t be reached. This time it was his phone that wasn''t getting a signal. "Th-this thing''s hard to use... What good is a cell phone if you can''t use it to talk with people when you need to!?" Mikoto put her phone away with an irritated expression on her face, looked around, and ran off to go find Kamijou herself. It hadn''t been that long since they''d parted. He had to be walking around this area somewhere. Part 3 Kamijou and the aging woman walked side-by-side down the street. There were plenty of people around, but no one gave them a second look. They looked like nothing more than a high school student carrying grocery bags and an old woman with a coat over her arm. What could look more harmless than that? Kamijou glanced sideways at the woman without turning his head, and she gave a smile that seemed inappropriate to the situation. "You needn''t be so nervous." She ordered him to turn off his cell phone and gave him slight instructions as to where to walk. He couldnt refuse because of the object she had hidden in her coat. He didn''t know what exactly it was, but he knew he couldn''t let his guard down. He thought it was possible that he could reverse the situation if he waited for a chance and attacked her. (But I don''t know what she''s holding... If I make the wrong move, things could go from bad to worse.) As Kamijou was pondering all this, the woman spoke quietly. "Just act naturally. It''s not like I''m saying you can''t move at all." "Yeah, well...You say that, but what do you have under your coat there?" "Achoo!" "Watch out!!" The woman suddenly sneezed and Kamijou yelled out without thinking. The other students in the area looked at him oddly, but soon their gazes moved elsewhere. "Like I said, you don''t need to worry. What has you so scared?" "Mostly whatever it is you have under your coat that needs to be hidden from view!! What is it that you''re jamming into my side anyway!?" "Oh, my. You needn''t worry about that. It''s not going to go off from just a sneeze." "G-go off? So is it what I think it is!?" "And it makes quite a noise, too. Although it has a little device on it that silences that noise." "That''s a pretty big hint!!" That left Kamijou trembling with fear, but the aging woman didn''t seem to mind. As Kamijou was being escorted, he noticed that they had left the major shopping district, turned onto a side street, and were now heading for an area lined with student dorms. It wasn''t the area his dorm was in though. Since 80% of the residents of Academy City were students, there were quite a few areas "lined with student dorms." (Where are we headed...?) If they had been headed toward an old abandoned factory, his danger sense would have been maxed out, but this area didn''t feel like that at all. He could smell a dinner of white stew coming from the dorms. And these dorms must not allow pets because he saw some elementary school girls gathered in front of one of the buildings giving some stray cats cans of food. And then the aging woman suddenly stopped. "Here we are." "?" Even after hearing that, Kamijou didn''t really get what was going on. They had come to a children''s park. It didn''t really look like an area set aside to be a park; it was more like it had been made solely to fill up a left over piece of developed land. Maybe it was because the standard amount of playground equipment had been forced into the area, but it had a cramped feel to it. (Why here???) As he stared at the entrance to the abandoned park, Kamijou cocked his head to the side quizzically. At least it wasn''t the kind of "special place" he had expected to be brought to after having someone stick something into his side on the roadside. "Sorry about all this. Now let''s go in." As the woman said this, she continued to casually stick whatever was in her coat into Kamijou''s side. He had no choice but to do as she said but couldn''t imagine what possible merit his going in the park gave her. At the woman''s instruction, he sat next to her on a bench at the edge of the park. Kamijou had expected there to be someone waiting for them in the park or that someone was going to come meet them there, but it didn''t feel that way. Kamijou bent over slightly and put his grocery bags on the ground. The woman didn''t stop him from doing so. If he had a weapon in his shoe, he could have fought back, but Kamijou wasn''t the type to equip himself like a ninja. He thought of throwing a stone at her, but he realized that if he didn''t have a clear chance, all he would accomplish would be to make her raise her guard. He decided to give up for the moment and sat back up. He then asked the woman a question. "So? What are you trying to start here?" "No, no. It''s nothing major like that." The aging woman with "something major" hidden under her coat jammed into his side smiled as she spoke. "Let''s talk." "Talk?" "Yes. About the great chaos that is occurring throughout the world." Part 4 She couldn''t find that idiot. "Odd..." Mikoto went back into the small road she had just been on and cocked her head to the side in puzzlement as she searched. She didn''t think it had been very long since they had parted, but Kamijou wasn''t in front of the station where they had previously met and even when she searched the different paths away from there she couldn''t find him. (Maybe he went into one of the stores around here.) (Or maybe he got on a train or a bus and left.) (...Actually, where is that idiot''s dorm anyway? I''m not a stalker, so I have no idea where to go to meet him.) Since she was always running into him, she didn''t think it could be too far away. But when she really thought about it, she had no idea where he lived. Mikoto folded her arms. (Well, it''s not like I have to talk to him about the Ichihanaransai right away. I can just leave for today.) Just after she had that cheerful thought, she noticed a side street at the edge of her vision and started feeling restless. (...I-I suppose I can search just a little longer.) And with that she pulled up the GPS map on her phone to see if there were any streets she hadn''t checked yet. But then she spotted Shirai Kuroko''s face in the crowd of people going home. Mikoto quickly hid behind a nearby building. (H-huh?...Why am I hiding?) She had to ask herself that because for some reason she had a feeling she couldn''t let that twin tail underclassman see her here. Shirai was a teleporter so it would be difficult to lose her on foot once she had been spotted. Shirai, a Level 4, was walking along the road while chatting with the girl next to her. From the great number of artificial flowers on her head, it was most likely Uiharu Kazari of Judgement. (...) She felt the two girls were coming in her direction, so Mikoto moved from behind the building to a small road to the side. She then continued further and further in. And then she realized... (Hm? I don''t remember this road???) She looked around again, but she didn''t recognize anything. She thought she was familiar with pretty much all of District 7, but this was the first time she''d been here. It was just a stereotypical Academy City residential area. Of course, as an Academy City residential area, it wasn''t made up of apartment buildings and houses; it was instead a block of student dormitories. It was a row of square 5- to 10-story buildings not quite worthy of being called high-rise. There was a trash area right under a wind turbine. Someone must have been using the movements of the turbine to keep the pigeons and crows away. Since all meals were provided by the school at Tokiwadai Middle School, the scents of dinner coming from the area smelled especially nice to Mikoto. "...Well, this worked out nicely. I''ll look around here and then call it quits for the day." She arbitrarily decided on that and then started walking through the residential area. Part 5 Kamijou looked at the aging woman suspiciously. There was only one thing she could mean by the chaos occurring throughout the world. And that was the large-scale protests and demonstrations being held by Academy City supporters and Roman Catholic supporters. But... "...What do you mean we''re going to talk about that? There''s nothing about it you need to discuss with me." "Oh, but there is. I need your opinion on the matter in order to solve the problem." "Shouldn''t you be getting the opinion of someone in the UN or some country''s president instead?" "The organizations holding up nations tend to be weak to religious and ideological conflict." The woman spoke in a smooth voice. Kamijou hadn''t expected this. "The organizations commonly referred to as countries have a bad track record in resolving this kind of problem. Many of them cry out that they have resolved the problem, but most of them have only forced them into silence using military force. Often times, this only exacerbates the situation." The woman continued speaking in the deserted park. There were many types of intellectuals, but she seemed most like an educator. "The chaos currently occurring throughout the world is quite serious. Not only is it a problem that won''t be easy to solve, but it will also lead to worse problems. If it isn''t dealt with properly, it could even lead to rebellions that paralyze entire countries. The demonstrations and protests haven''t been stopped with military force to keep that from happening. What the countries around the world really want is an example to follow in how to deal with difficult problems like this. All those countries are waiting for another country to make a move so they can see whether it works and what effects that action has." "...Who exactly are you?" Kamijou asked his question carefully. The woman sitting next to him didn''t seem like an agent skilled in battle and assassination like Tsuchimikado Motoharu or Stiyl Magnus. The way she spoke reminded him of an educator, but a normal teacher wouldn''t hide a weapon in her coat in order to contact him. (...She seems different from anyone I''ve met before.) That was what Kamijou was thinking as he cautiously listened for her answer. "Oyafune Monaka." But she simply gave him her full name. And she followed that up with something even more surprising. "I am a member of Academy City''s Board of Directors. That should tell you all you need to know." "...What?" Kamijou responded without thinking. The Board of Directors was the group of only 12 that managed all of Academy City. It was basically the highest institution in the city. He had heard that there was a "General Superintendent" who was above even them, but the privilege the Board of Directors had was anything but ordinary. But at the same time... (...Is that really who she is?) One of the 12 members of Academy City''s Board of Directors should have personal guards or be able to obtain complete control over Anti-Skill with a single order. It was odd that she had come herself to contact him. And with a weapon no less. Also, a small children''s park didn''t have the scope you would expect for this kind of meeting. As Kamijou was doubting her, the woman naming herself Oyafune Monaka simply smiled. "You don''t believe me?" "Oh, umm. I was just thinking that your scarf seemed oddly short. I would think that a member of the Board of Directors would use something better than that." Kamijou just blurted something out in his confusion, but it seemed to take Oyafune by surprise. She suddenly moved a hand to her neck and touched her scarf. "Th-this was handmade for me by my daughter. I won''t let you speak badly of it." "O-oh, I see." Kamijou awkwardly nodded, but then something caught his attention. "Wait. Your daughter must be an adult by now. But in that case, that level of skill is... Okay, okay!! I won''t bring it up again! We can talk about something else, so quit shaking whatever you have in your coat!!" He decided to stop pointlessly provoking her after that. (Oyafune Monaka. The Board of Directors.) Kamijou concluded that those two pieces of information may not be true. (But she might have approached me with a fake name in order to give me some real information. I don''t like being used by others, but as long as I can opt out and decide how I do what they want, I suppose I can deal with it.) "...So what exactly do you want to talk about?" Kamijou went right for the main issue and Oyafune nodded happily. "A great problem is occurring in the world. That problem is a type of chaos that is appearing in the form of demonstrations and protests." "I know that much." "I want to ask you to solve that problem." "How?" Kamijou lowered his eyebrows at her words and spoke. "If I can solve it myself, I''d love to do so. I''m sure there are plenty of people throughout the world who are thinking the same thing, but that doesn''t change anything. Nothing has been solved. We all know the problem that needs solving, but no one has solved it. Do you know why that is?" Kamijou continued on without waiting for Oyafune''s response. "It''s because there is no simple reason or cause behind it. No one can solve a problem that has no answer. So even though people investigate the problem for show, no one does anything about it. Can it even be solved? Surely you''re not telling me to go around the world and convince each and every person taking part in those protests and demonstrations to stop." "By the way..." Oyafune Monaka responded without even a hint of hesitation. It seemed she had predicted this question. "What if there really was a simple reason or cause behind it?" "What?" "That is why I am talking with you. I am after something that you have that no one in the UN and no diplomat of any country has." "And what''s that?" "Your right hand." "..." It was something only Kamijou Touma had. He lowered his gaze to his right hand without meaning to. Imagine Breaker. That had to be what she meant. That was his special ability to negate any kind of supernatural power, be it magical or psychic in nature. But it had no effect whatsoever on normal events devoid of the supernatural like demonstrations and protests. Which meant... "You mean...that''s what''s going on?" "Yes." "So there''s something supernatural behind all of this chaos and if I destroy that it''ll all go back to normal? This isn''t the result of what happened on September 30th; it''s something that has been continuing since then? And I can solve all this because of that?" "Exactly." Oyafune simply nodded. "By the way, Academy City is not the source of this chaos. According to the General Superintendent, the world''s largest religious group, the Roman Catholic Church, has a scientific psychic power development institution as well. "...?" Kamijou was about to lower his eyebrows at Oyafune''s remark, but then he figured it out. That was what Academy City was telling the world at large. To them, magic did not exist. The identity of the phenomenon known as "magic" was scientifically being called "psychic powers". The topic had to come up here, but if he corrected her it would only make everything more complicated. Oyafune continued speaking from a purely "scientific" viewpoint. "We at Academy City have nothing to gain from this chaos of course. So the ones behind it must be the Roman Catholics." "I see..." Kamijou nodded, but when he calmed down he noticed something that bothered him. "But wait. There''s nothing for them to gain from it either. Those demonstrations and protests are occurring within the realm of daily life for members of their church. So it''s members of their church that will suffer the most from this. You don''t gain anything from making people on your side suffer." "What if they did gain something from it?" "...What?" "It''s quite simple." Oyafune spoke smoothly. "For example, the official number of believers in the Roman Catholic Church is around 2 billion. That''s a frightening amount. Even if you count everyone from the youngest to the oldest residents of Academy City, we only have 2.3 million. If it came to all-out war, we would have no chance from that difference alone. Even if you take into account other factors, it''s hard to imagine winning against that kind of difference." "Where are you going with this?" "Oh, don''t you find it odd?" Oyafune responded to Kamijou''s question with a question of her own. "The Roman Catholic Church could crush Academy City now. So why did they choose to cause demonstrations and protests throughout the world? Why didn''t they choose the obvious method of crushing Academy City through numbers alone? Surely a concentrated attack would be more effective than rioting separately across the world. It seems rather indirect, doesn''t it? If they can really control 2 billion people, they should just get it over with." "You don''t mean...?" "I do." Oyafune smiled. "The information saying they can control 2 billion people was a lie. If they could do that, they would have done so by now. It may be true that there are 2 billion people around the world who wear the cross of the Roman Catholic Church, carry a Bible around, and go to church on Sundays." "But," Oyafune Monaka moved her lips. "The question has now become how many people are willing to commit murder in the name of the church. And there may well be some who are willing to. The world is currently thought to be split in two. Split between Academy City and a giant religious group. But...is it really? Is the line really that clear?" "..." "The people who go to worship on Sundays watch TV and use cell phones. Athletes who train their body with the science of sports medicine may pray to god before a big game....That''s the way the world is outside of Academy City. The line is quite vague and people build up their own world made up of what they believe in by using the best of both worlds." "The science side and the magic side...overlap..." Oyafune gave a confused look and said "Magic side...?" at what Kamijou muttered. But then she continued. "Yes. The vast majority of the world thinks that way and the majority usually wins. They are spread around thinly. People plan their lives around loans from banks managed by organizations related to Academy City and at the same time they get married at Roman Catholic churches. People like that who benefit from both science and religion cover the earth" "So," Kamijou began. He could feel his throat beginning to dry. "The Roman Catholic Church is trying to win over those people who benefit from both sides?" "Indeed. They don''t want people benefitting from both sides. They want exclusive use of every single one of those 2 billion people. They want as many allies as they can get. So they have begun something. And as a result, they have set some gears turning that started these demonstrations." Oyafune had called it "something". That "something" was the key to this incident. "Their goal was not to start demonstrations. They are using this "chaos" to boost their numbers and using Academy City to strengthen their foundation in order to attack the world." Oyafune''s words were clearly those of the science side. Kamijou didn''t really like the way she was speaking, but arguing about it wouldn''t help. "Academy City is especially on edge because of the actions the Roman Catholic Church has taken." "Are you really afraid that these demonstrations could bring people over the Roman Catholic side?" "That''s part of it," responded Oyafune. "But even if that doesn''t happen, it could lead to another development. We are currently preparing for something we call an economic bombing." "An economic...bombing?" "If this chaos continues for a significant length of time, it could have a negative effect on the economy. And that could be the trigger to a world-wide panic. Even if the Roman Catholic Church does not grow due to this, it could end up tearing Academy City apart." Talk of economics and panics wasn''t something that really meant too much to a high school student like Kamijou. He asked Oyafune on the bench next to him a question. "...Can modern countries really be destroyed that easily? They haven''t shown any sign of being affected so far. And I don''t know too much about the economy or money at a national level, but I can''t really see a huge army being destroyed due to something like the economy." "The representatives and symbols of the scientific world outside of Academy City are mainly the major military powers. But those countries are especially weak to the economy." Oyafune slowly answered to his question. "Maintaining military power requires a vast amount of funds. And in a time of global chaos, the supply for those funds is limited. And no matter how low the income gets, the amount spent to maintain the military always costs a set amount. So the ones that suffer the most in times of economic panic are the major military powers. The larger the military, the more violently it crumbles." Kamijou couldn''t believe it. Several major military powers came to his mind, but he couldn''t imagine any of them being majorly affected by this. "But those countries with large militaries store up oil and stock up ammunition, right? Can''t they last for a couple of years on that?" "Ha ha. War does not start when the emergency stores run out. Once that happens, they can no longer fight. Once it looks like the emergency stores will eventually run out, they pull the trigger. And I think that a major power pulling that trigger is enough to tear apart the scientific world that Academy City sits in the center of." Oyafune''s oddly decisive statement left Kamijou speechless. She must have calculations in her head that backed that opinion. "I don''t know if it is related to that possible turn of events, but Academy City is currently desperately gathering funds for a war." Oyafune continued speaking. "We may be attempting to overcome the difference in numbers with the latest equipment and unmanned weaponry. Or there may be some other reason. We are doing it by making relatively insignificant weapons that do not take much technology to make and selling them at a high price as the latest weapons made by Academy City. And we''re doing it all on the pretext of lowering the grade of the weapons being shown in the exhibition and of the goods being mass produced." "..." "Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church is also gathering funds for a war in the form of offerings from believers of the church. They are doing it on the pretext of funds to help bring peace back to the world from the current chaos. The ones actually gathering the funds do not have any real plans for it, but their superiors are clearly saying it will be used to bring peace." The greater the chaos grows the more "funds" they will receive. The Roman Catholic Church was a giant denomination made up of 2 billion believers. If each member were to give a single yen, they would have 2 billion yen. Of course, they were not obligated to give, so plenty of them wouldn''t. But there seemed to be a custom among the wealthy that the more one gave the more status they gained, so they could most likely easily get more than 2 billion yen. "It seems indulgences have come back in another form." Kamijou didn''t really understand what Oyafune said. (Is "indulgence" some kind of historical term?) "Excluding the most zealous people, most people would choose science over their faith if they had to choose which had more weight. People say that heaven exists, but you never hear them saying that they therefore dont care if they die. Science is both practical and ridiculously easy to understand. The ease with which one can understand it is the very reason so many people gather to it. But some people don''t like that. Those people have used some kind of trick. And that trick has had some effect on the way the gears in people''s minds usually work. This has led to the great chaos we are now seeing. That is how I see the situation." "..." Was that really true? For one, was it really so hard to think that Academy City could be behind this problem instead of the Roman Catholic Church? Academy City with its 2.3 million people had to take on the Roman Catholic Church with its 2 billion believers. So maybe they caused this chaos within the Roman Catholic Church to whittle down their numbers as much as they could. Was it really so hard to think that could happen? (...This is tricky.) It was true that the Roman Catholic Church was at the center of the demonstrations and protests, but their potential for war wasn''t spread thin the way Oyafune Monaka said it was. She thought that only because she didn''t understand the magic side of the church. Kamijou couldn''t exactly imagine the major players of the Roman Catholic Church like Agnese Sanctis or Biagio Busoni taking part in those demonstrations. It was hard to think that this plan Academy City had come up with would actually damage their true potential for war. And even if the people taking part in the demonstrations were people who were at the halfway point between science and magic, they would still be needed to keep the capitalist economy going. If people who were supposed to be working were focused on the demonstrations instead, that alone could be a blow to the economy. And if that was 2 billion people, it could be quite a major blow. If they needed money for the war, they wouldn''t go out of their way to do something that would shrink their supply of funds. Kamijou did think that it was natural to think that the Roman Catholic Church was behind this chaos if there really was a conspiracy behind it. Either way, they could take in those who fell to their side. And if this had to do with the hidden underside of the Roman Catholic Church, Imagine Breaker would be quite valuable. "But..." After thinking about all that, Kamijou began to speak. "Even if the Roman Catholic Church is causing this and even if they''re using some kind of trick to do it, what exactly are they doing? My power is pretty limited. We don''t know where they are or what they''re using. I can''t do anything about something like that. If you want me to do something, you have to at least lead me to the place I need to be in order to do it." "Yes. About that-" Oyafune Monaka started speaking, but suddenly stopped. A new figure had appeared in the small children''s park. "Tsuchimikado?" Kamijou unintentionally mumbled that name when he saw the figure''s sunglasses-wearing face. It was Kamijou''s classmate, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He had been with Kamijou until school let out, but when it had been time for their punishment of weeding, he had suddenly disappeared. Kamijou thought about asking him about that, but realized this was hardly the time. The atmosphere was all wrong for that kind of question. Tsuchimikado had a completely different feel to him than usual. "Have you finished your discussion?" Tsuchimikado wasn''t talking to Kamijou. His eyes that were covered by the blue lenses of his sunglasses were only looking at Oyafune Monaka. And Oyafune didn''t seem surprised by his appearance. She probably knew him as the agent named Tsuchimikado Motoharu. "Not entirely, but that doesn''t matter... You can handle the rest." "I see." Tsuchimikado kept his response short. He then gave a short sigh like he was getting ready to perform some tedious task. "I''m sure you have your feelings in order about this." "I have since yesterday." "Then you don''t mind if I start?" "This is nothing for you to hesitate over." Oyafune Monaka smiled as she responded and Tsuchimikado averted his gaze slightly. He then moved his hand to his back and pulled something from his belt. "...Tsuchimikado?" Kamijou had been thrown a bit by having the conversation continue without him, but now he saw something he truly couldn''t believe. Tsuchimikado was holding a shining black piece of metal in his right hand. It was about 15 centimeters in length. It was... (...A handgun?) Even after figuring that much out, Kamijou couldn''t do anything to stop Tsuchimikado Motoharu. It wasn''t because he couldn''t guess what Tsuchimikado was going to do next. It was because he couldn''t believe that Tsuchimikado would do something as horrible as it looked like he was going to. Bang!! A dry gunshot rang out in that small children''s park. Even so, Oyafune Monaka continued to smile. Her body trembled and she fell off the bench and collapsed onto the ground. Part 6 Mikoto jumped slightly at a sudden loud noise. It sounded like a burst of gunpowder. The high-pitched sound pierced her ears and echoed off into the sky. (Wh-what was that???) She thought it might have been fireworks, but October wasn''t exactly the season for that. It could also have been an esper with some kind of fire related power. She heard a few windows opening from the student dormitories in the area. A sound that loud does draw a lot of attention. But not a single student went as far as to leave the building. It didn''t draw enough attention for anyone to leave their dinner preparations. (So an esper is causing some trouble, huh?) Mikoto didn''t really feel like dealing with that right now, but she headed that way anyway. She was the Level 5 Class Electromaster, Railgun. She could handle most espers on her own and she felt confident she could handle anything she got wrapped up in. If a rampaging esper and Anti-Skill were fighting it out, she could jump into the middle of it all and come out unscathed. Even so, she had been faced with something she just couldn''t handle on her own before... (..Khh!! A-anyway, I just have to head in the direction of that noise. Let''s see, was it this way?) Mikoto shook her head to focus her mind and walked off in the direction the noise had come from. She could see nothing but student dormitories in this residential area. Part 7 Oyafune Monaka had been shot in the gut. It took a few seconds for Kamijou to realize that fact. And Tsuchimikado Motoharu had shot her. It took a few seconds more for that fact to sink in. Oyafune hadn''t resisted. She had been sticking something hidden under her coat into his side, but it hadn''t looked like she had even tried to turn it towards Tsuchimikado. She had accepted the bullet knowing full well what was going on. That''s what it had looked like. (Tsuchi...mikado?) Kamijou slowly moved his gaze from Oyafune''s collapsed body. There was no change to Tsuchimikado''s expression. The handgun he held in his right hand still had a wisp of white smoke coming from it. Tsuchimikado put the gun behind his back, stuck it in his belt and hid it under the coat of his school uniform. He then picked up the empty cartridge that had fallen to the ground and stuck it into his pocket. He did all of this as if it was just a job that he had no real interest in. And then Kamijou''s emotions exploded. "Tsuchimikadooooooooooooo!!" Kamijou forcefully stood up from the bench and grabbed Tsuchimikado''s shirt. Even then, there was no change to the eyes behind those sunglasses. When Kamijou noticed this, he clenched his fist almost completely out of reflex and punched Tsuchimikado''s face as hard as he could. He felt the characteristic feeling of punching someone shoot up his fingers and wrist. Tsuchimikado''s upper body bent back and he fell to the ground. But even as he fell into a sitting position, his expression didn''t change. He clearly hadn''t felt the slightest bit of damage. (You bastard!!) Kamijou grit his teeth and took a step forward. But something got in his way. A weak hand was clutching his ankle. It was Oyafune Monaka, the woman Tsuchimikado had just shot. "...Please..." She spoke even as her lips were pressed against the ground. "Please do not...blame him..." Those words were enough to throw Kamijou into a state of confusion. Oyafune Monaka continued. She smiled as she spoke. It was an expression of thanks for Kamijou''s anger at the situation. "My actions...were not those of a representative of Academy City... My opinions... differ from those of the Board of Directors as a whole..." "What?" "They wish for this war to intensify...and for the utter destruction of the other scientific group calling itself a religion that represents the Roman Catholic Church... They want to take advantage of this chaos, so they would rather this not be solved so easily..." Kamijou looked back at Tsuchimikado''s face. As before, it had not changed. It was the face of someone who had known all this from the beginning. "Letting this war intensify...is completely absurd... It must be stopped." Oyafune spoke slowly. There was pain mixed in with her words. "But even as a member of the Board of Directors...the power I have is limited. I can''t turn this situation around... If you go against the wishes of the one ''above'', you have your power stripped from you and what you can do is severely limited. So I had to contact someone who could destroy the current situation.." She looked up at Kamijou. She continued speaking as she looked him in the eyes. "...My contact with you will eventually be discovered. And then I will have to be ''punished'' for treason. I could avoid it if it was just me...but if I did that, the target of the ''punishment'' would change." The target. Kamijou felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about that. "So if you flee, they''ll just go after your family...?" "..." Oyafune did not respond. It was the silence of someone not wanting to worry someone else. "...I...asked him to do this." Oyafune moved on to another topic. "Know this...He said he did not want to do this. So please do not blame him...He gave me my ''punishment'' while just slightly missing my vitals...I am the one who gave him such a ridiculous request to carry out..." "Don''t speak." Tsuchimikado Motoharu finally spoke. He slowly stood up and looked down at Oyafune Monaka''s face. Kamijou could not see his expression from where he stood. But he didn''t really want to see it. "I''ll handle the rest. You carried out your part perfectly. I''m sure there are plenty of things you want to ask me, but there is only one answer I can give: Don''t worry. You just have to remember that." Oyafune''s smile slowly widened at Tsuchimikado''s words. There was a hand-made, but not very well made, scarf around her neck. That was most likely what Oyafune Monaka was fighting for. Her reason for stopping the dispute between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church and for making sure she received her "punishment" for her actions were both there. Tsuchimikado crouched down and looked through Oyafune''s belongings. He pulled out a cell phone and called an ambulance. He then wiped off his fingerprints and set it on the ground. He then pulled something out of her coat. It looked like a small handgun for self-defense. Tsuchimikado put it in his belt and looked towards Kamijou. "We need to get moving, Kami-yan." "Understood." Kamijou grit his teeth and stared at the foolish woman collapsed on the ground. "...She went to the effort of setting all that up just to get me to move. What the hell? There''s such a thing as being too indirect." Kamijou Touma wasn''t exactly a famous person. If she wanted him to move, she could have just told him what he needed to do. And yet she put her life on the line for such a small request. Kamijou clenched his right fist as he thought about that. "We don''t have time. I''ll explain later." Tsuchimikado continued. "We''re headed for District 23. There''s an airplane waiting for us. It''s the one thing Oyafune Monaka used her power to prepare. We can''t waste it." "God damn it..." Kamijou muttered that as he followed Tsuchimikado out of the children''s park. The only thing left in that park was Oyafune Monaka covered in blood. Kamijou grit his teeth as he heard the siren of an ambulance in the distance. Part 8 Misaka Mikoto found a small children''s park. It didn''t really look like an area set aside for a park; it was more like the park had been made to fill in some leftover land after the student dormitories around had been built. There were multiple vehicles parked in front of the entrance. They were Anti-Skill vehicles. Mikoto started in that direction, but a man dressed all in black blocked her way. The entrance was sealed off by multiple layers of yellow tape. She caught a glance of further in the park. There were multiple Anti-Skill men like the one in front of her gathered inside, but there were no "normal people". They seemed to be investigating the area around a bench on the edge of the park. She had no idea what had happened there. She had no idea what had happened, but, whatever it was, it seemed to be over. Between the lines 2 "It seems ''God''s Right Seat'' is a group working to obtain victory over ''original sin''." Lidvia Lorenzetti''s voice rang out in the small interrogation room in the Tower of London. Stiyl''s and Agnese''s eyebrows rose slightly at that. There was no term known better to believers in the Christian Church than original sin. "You mean the ''sin'' Adam and Eve received upon eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge? The ''sin'' that was passed on to all of humanity as we are their descendants?" "Yes, that much is in the Old Testament." Lidvia took over the conversation and continued. "And in the New Testament, ''The Son of God'' played the role that eliminated that ''sin''. He was crucified on the cross, so that he could inherit the sins of all humanity and eliminate it himself. Because of this, if we pray to the cross, eat the flesh and blood of God at Mass, and keep our faith right to the very end, our ''sin'' will be washed away at the ''Final Judgement'' and we will be led to the ''Holy Kingdom''." "By the way," Lidvia said. "...There is an exception to this." "An exception?" Agnese asked this question without thinking as she recorded everything on the parchment. Stiyl glared at Agnese, but let the conversation continue. "There is someone who did not have the ''sin'' that should have been given to all of humanity." From that Stiyl was able to figure out who she was talking about. "The Virgin Mary." Biagio who was bound to the chair next to Lidvia clicked his tongue. Stiyl continued on regardless. "As the woman who gave birth to ''The Son of God'', the Virgin Mary''s sin disappeared because she was deeply touched by the Holy Spirit. It''s known as the ''Immaculate Conception''. In other words, the Virgin Mary has no ''original sin''. As all of humanity is descended from Adam and Eve, they bear ''original sin'' and pass it on to their own children." "And so there is an exception." That was Lidvia''s simple response. "In the New Testament, it was because there was no way to eliminate ''original sin'' other than having ''The Son of God'' take it onto himself that he took the path to execution. If you take that as a basis and add in the fact that the Virgin Mary''s ''sin'' had disappeared, I feel the answer becomes obvious." "You''re saying there''s a method to eliminating ''original sin'' other than through faith in ''The Son of God''?" "Through a spell that could be considered cheating, yes. I have heard that ''God''s Right Seat'' has succeeded in diluting their ''sin'' as much as possible, but they have not managed to eliminate it altogether." Lidvia was bound to her seat, but she spoke as calmly as if she was in complete control. "But because they have incompletely eliminated their ''sin'', they can carry out spells of a level surpassing what normal people can. It is said that they can even use the normally unusable spells that deal with the angels and the Lord." "...Well, I suppose eliminating ''original sin'' really is the final goal of humanity. And if you could manage it, your ''quality'' as a human would approach that of an angel. But..." "Yes. ''Sin'' in this case also means the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. If you lose that, you also lose the ability to be a normal magician and use the magic that is for humans to use." Stiyl exhaled slightly. The elimination of "original sin". It wasn''t too hard to imagine that the depths of the Roman Catholic Church would be holding a bomb like that. Having ones "original sin" eliminated via faith in the Christian Church and being led to the "Holy Kingdom" made by God after going through the "Final Judgement" was treated as true happiness. It was just like the Roman Catholic Church to be constantly researching a secret ceremony that would eliminate "original sin". After thinking through all that, Stiyl asked Lidvia a question. "So the final goal of ''God''s Right Seat'' is to completely eliminate the remaining ''sin'' from their bodies?" If they succeeded in that, "God''s Right Seat" would truly be able to freely use the spells of the angels. And once they could do that it was possible that not even a saint would be able to stop them. "Hee hee." "That''s not it?" "No. Eliminating their ''sin'' is just a means to an end for ''God''s Right Seat''. Their final goal is something else entirely." "...Eliminating ''original sin'' is quite a feat. And that''s merely a means to an end?" (Then what could their true goal be?) Lidvia suppressed laughter and continued speaking. "They have been announcing their goal loudly from the very beginning." "What?" "''God''s Right Seat''. That is what they are after." Volume 14, 3: Something Far Removed from Magicians. Power_Instigation. Volume 14, Chapter 3: Something Far Removed from Magicians. Power_Instigation. Part 1 District 23 of Academy City was an industrial zone that specialized in aviation and space. All of Academy Citys major airports were centered in District 23. The district was covered in runways and rocket launch sites, so it lacked tall buildings like the rest of the city. As far as the eye could see, it was flat asphalt with occasional control towers and laboratories sticking out. Its like a field made of stone and iron... Kamijou said this as he stepped off the train and looked out at the landscape stretching out in front of him. This was the place where he had fought Oriana Thomson during the Daihaseisai, but he got the impression that the security was even tighter now. He put the grocery bags he had been carrying in a coin locker at the station. Since there were a lot of researchers in this city, the coin lockers were airtight and one had the option of making them refrigerated. But... ...This is expensive. Do these things usually cost this much per hour!? Nyah. Looks like itd be cheaper to just throw those bags out and buy the stuff again at a cheap super market when we get back. Tsuchimikado had a point, but Kamijou didnt like wasting food. He put the bags in the locker, recorded his fingerprint, locked it, and activated the refrigeration option. Kamijou headed for the stations exit and spoke to Tsuchimikado. I assume were catching a plane since were in District 23? Well, we''re leaving the country. Seriously!? ...Wait, did someone get my passport? Nope. Kamijou fell silent at Tsuchimikados one word response. Tsuchimikado sounded bored as he continued speaking. Its not like were going for a trip overseas. Our activities are completely unofficial. And if were found out, well be in international trouble that pales in comparison to not having a stamp or two in our passports. I-I see. There were plenty of things he wanted to say, but the matter-of-fact way Tsuchimikado said that made him wonder if this way really was better. After exiting the station, they were at a large-scale bus terminal. In District 23, one traveled by taking busses instead of walking. Tsuchimikado found the bus heading to the international airport and got on; Kamijou followed suit. Since the district had many runways and lacked buildings, the road was straight as an arrow. The speed limit was fairly high as well; the posted signs noted 100 kph. With the asphalt plain out the window, even the gray horizon was man-made. Large white clouds of steam could be seen rising up from the horizon. A low-pitched tremor shook the glass, causing vibrations. Oh, a rocket. Looks like it launched fine. Tsuchimikado sighed as he said that. Kamijou pulled out his phone and activated the television function. The news was showing various angles of a rocket leaving the ground. Theyre saying its Academy City''s fourth satellite. I wonder if thats true or not. If theyre launching a rocket now, one of the reasons will be to get people speculating about it. People will say its everything from a military satellite to a test launch of an ICBM. The more possibilities, the more effective it is in holding others in check. (So this is what information warfare is...) Kamijou suddenly froze. ...Wait. What about Index? He didnt want to take her anywhere dangerous, but he couldnt exactly leave her alone with no food. Dont worry. Maika will be going to your room, Kami-yan. Shell probably be only a third as hungry as usual after Maikas done with her. Kamijou was relieved to hear that, but then realized that his sole purpose in Indexs eyes was to make food for her. Before long, the bus arrived at the international airport. Kamijou got off the bus and checked the time on his phone. Tsuchimikado. Where exactly are we going anyway? France. Tsuchimikado responded casually. Ugeh!? Europe! Thats a long ways away... Wait, how long are we going to be gone? And doesnt a flight to Europe take something like 10 hours? No, well be there in just under an hour. Hah? Kamijou responded in confusion. Tsuchimikado seemed to be annoyed at having to explain, so he simply pointed to the runway a bit away from the terminal building. There were multiple large passenger planes lined up, each a few dozen meters long. Well be getting on one of those. ...Please tell me youre kidding. Kamijou was almost speechless as he asked Tsuchimikado for confirmation. He had ridden on a plane like that once before. If I recall correctly, thats the type of plane that took me from Venice to Japan. Yeah, thats what I heard, Kami-yan. I didnt have much involvement in the whole Queen of the Adriatic incident, so I dont know the details. So are those really the ones that fly at 7000 KPH? Hahaha, laughed Tsuchimikado. The faster the better, right? Thats too fast!! When I was riding that thing, it felt like a thick metal sheet was slowly crushing my body! Index had finally started opening her heart to the science side and that thing made the shutters over her heart seal up tight!! There was also the part where Index had ordered some in-flight food and it flew behind her spectacularly. Oh, cmon, Kami-yan. Were heading out on an unofficial overseas mission. Did you really think we were going to head to France while we leisurely ate an in-flight meal and watched a movie? W-well, no. I was expecting there to be a little more tension than that, but... Wait. Were really getting on that thing? I-I really cant recommend the experience!! Dont worry. Dont worry. After you exceed Mach 3, an amateur wont feel the difference. How the hell is that supposed to make me worry less!? Kamijou kept complaining, but Tsuchimikado stopped listening and started explaining what to do once they got on the plane. It seemed there were no other planes, so they really had no choice. Tsuchimikado led Kamijou through a door for "authorized personnel only" and down a corridor that led them to the supersonic passenger plane while circumventing the general-use gate. Part 2 The C-Document. Thats the name of the spiritual item in the center of all this. Tsuchimikados voice resounded throughout the spacious plane. The supersonic passenger plane was a size bigger than usual passenger planes, but they were the only two on board, disregarding the crew, making the plane feel quite empty. Since they were the only two passengers, Kamijou and Tsuchimikado were sitting right in the middle of the area with the nicest first class seats. Unlike the cramped economy seats, they had more than enough room to stretch out their legs. Tsuchimikado was facing the seat next to him where Kamijou was sitting. Its formal name is the Document of Constantine. The Christian Church originally underwent persecution by the Roman Empire until Emperor Constantine recognized it as an official religion. The C-Document is a document created for the Roman Catholic Church by Constantine. Those words werent the words of the classmate Kamijou knew. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was now in full magician mode. The C-Document stated that the Roman Pope is the leader of the Christian Church and that the land in Europe that Constantine ruled over belonged to the Pope. Since Constantine owned the majority of Europe, it essentially meant that the Pope owned Europe and all of the people living there had to obey the Roman Catholic Church. From their point of view, its a certificate that grants the Roman Catholic Church things that sound way too good to be true. Tsuchimikado continued speaking as he worked with the LCD touch-screen next to his seat. As a spiritual item, the C-Documents power is... well, you could say its kind of like a compass. For the land Constantine ruled over about 1700 years ago, you can use the C-Document even today to make symbols appear that indicate that that land was inherited from the emperor. Since the emperors inheritance is composed of things given to the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church is given the lands and items that correspond on the C-Document to develop or use as necessary." Tsuchimikado stopped speaking and stared at Kamijous face. Kami-yan, are you even listening? Ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh-ughh-ughhh-ughhhh!! Kamijou could not respond. 7000 kph. The powerful g-forces created by such a speed were crushing Kamijou Toumas internal organs, leaving him unable to respond properly. It felt as if there were a basketball being pushed up against his stomach while someone stomped on it as hard as he or she could. By being perfectly fine in that circumstance, Tsuchimikado was the strange one. Well, whatever. Just listen up. Ugh-gh!! Tsuchimikado was not sure whether that was a response or a moan. As I said, the C-Document sounds a bit too good to be true for the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, a 15th century scholar declared it to be fake, and he was right. The C-Documents effects and powers as a spiritual item are quite different. Ggh-gh-ghh-gh!! The real power of the C-Document acts on a much greater scale. It distorts that which is said by the Roman Pope to be accurate information. Tsuchimikado smoothly moved his lips as he spoke quietly. For example, if the Pope declared that the members of a certain faith were enemies of humanity that were upsetting the public order, it would be a fact from the moment he said it. If he declared that ''you will not burn your hand if you touch a hot sheet of metal as long as you pray while you do'', that too would be believed without a shred of evidence. Ohh-gh-gh-gh! "Cmon, Kami-yan! At least look this way! Kamijous upper body was shaking violently but he still managed to speak. So... if he uses that C-Document... everything the Pope says... is true...? It seemed he was actually able to follow the conversation well enough to grasp that much. Kamijou was trying to see if talking rather than listening alleviate his pains. It was his last resort. So... he can make everything he desires to come true? ...Kind of like the Ars Magna in alchemy? ...Oghh!! No, not like that. Tsuchimikado looked so carefree it almost looked like he would start humming. The C-Document can only make people ''believe'' that things are true. No matter how ridiculous it is, it makes people think it must be true because the Pope said it is. It doesnt actually alter the laws of physics. Tsuchimikado did something on the touch-screen installed in the armrest. Also, it only makes people believe if they care what the Roman Catholic Church says. Conversely, people who dont care whether what the Roman Catholic Church says is true or not arent affected by it. For better or worse, this spiritual item is solely for use by the Roman Catholic Church. S-s-so... its a spiritual item that makes people think what you say is true? B-but thats... Ugh. Haha. I guess it might sound like cheating. But there are plenty of tricks that were used to maintain one''s majesty back in the day when the things powerful people said were taken as absolute laws. After all, the majesty of those powerful people determined whether people believed on those absolute laws of theirs or not. And if that belief wavered, the entire country could be in danger. Even in Japan there was the practice during the Edo period of cutting people in two if they spoke badly of the samurai. What easier way of regulating the ideas people have is there? S-s-s-s-so...they made the C-Document because... Yes, because they were afraid. They were afraid of losing control of the world they had created. The Roman Catholic Church has had multiple crises throughout history. But the Christian Church and God are supposed to be absolute. God is supposed to be a being that will save humans from any crisis. And yet the population of Europe fell greatly during the black plague, there were many failures during the Crusades, and no one knew when the Ottoman Turks would attack Europe en masse. Tsuchimikado said this all in an unfeeling voice, but there was a compassionate glint to his eyes. The idea that God is absolute was challenged again and again. And the Roman Catholic Church needed to keep that idea around. Thats why they needed the C-Document. With it, they could ensure that the peoples hearts would stay with them even in the worst crisis. You could almost say that it was a spiritual item that filled in the gap between the ideal and reality. It was a tool that protected the hope of the people by forcing them to believe. It could seem quite cruel, but at the same time there was some kindness in the intention behind it. (S-s-so the Roman Catholic Church is using that C-Document now...) Kamijou took deep breaths as he thought. (Theyre making people believe that the information that the people of Academy City are the bad guys is correct. And because theyre forcing that information on people, its showing up in the twisted form of these demonstrations.) Kamijou then moved his lips that had turned pale from the effect of the Gs. B-b-b-b-but...if they had such a dreadful spiritual item...why havent they used it yet...? Because the effects of the C-Document are enormous. Once something is set as being correct, its hard to take it back even by using the C-Document again. Because of this, they cant be setting every little thing as correct. Tsuchimikado answered the question smoothly. Also, the C-Document isnt exactly easy to use. As I said, it makes people think that something the Roman Pope said is correct. It cant be used by just anyone and it cant be used just anywhere. It was originally made so it could only be used when it was at the center of the Vatican. The command spreads around the world all at once from there via leylines. Eh? Ghh... B-but arent we...heading to go keep them from using it? We are. Th-then why France? You just said...the C-Document can only...be used at the Vatican... Hm? Oh, right. About that. A-and...you said...after they use it...they cant delete that command, right? But that would mean...we cant do anything...about it. Lets see. Which question should I answer first? As Tsuchimikado spoke, a soft electronic tone came from the planes speakers. Then a synthesized-sounding female voice made an announcement. It was in a foreign language, but Kamijou didnt think it was English. After hearing the announcement, Tsuchimikados face grew grim. ...Well, it looks like were out of time. Kami-yan, are you really okay? If youre not feeling too good, try taking some deep breaths. Cmon, breathe in." Huhh. Breathe out. Hoo. Breathe in again. Huhh. And breathe out again. Hoo. After doing that, Kamijou did feel better...or at least he thought he did. But Tsuchimikados face looked more and more grim. That doesnt look too good. Maybe youd feel better if you vomited? Well, cmon, Kami-yan. Take off your seatbelt and follow me. Cmon, there are no flight attendants, so you dont have to worry about getting in trouble, Kami-yan. Tsuchimikado stood up from his seat calmly and Kamijou slowly followed. Kamijou didnt feel like he was moving of his own free will; he felt like he was removed from the situation and his body was moving on its own. Tsuchimikado walked down the passageway, opened a door, walked into an even smaller passageway, stepped through a hatch so low it looked he was going to hit his head, and walked into an area that was just bare metal where a rumbling noise could be heard from all around. (Where are we?) Kamijou was in a daze and took a backpack like object Tsuchimikado handed him. Here. Put this on. ??? Tsuchimikado? What was that about feeling better if I vomited? Dont worry. Dont worry. Ill be opening it up soon, so hurry up and put that on. Tsuchimikado had already gotten the belts attached to the backpack wrapped around his body. The whole thing was pretty excessive. There were belts connecting the backpack to him not just over both shoulders, but around his stomach and chest too. Kamijou didnt really understand what was going on, but put his own belts on the same way he saw Tsuchimikado do it. Okay, Kami-yan. Looks like youre ready to go. Tsuchimikado used the palm of his hand to press a big button on the wall that looked like the lid of a tin can. Okay, now you can vomit as much as you want!! Kamijou heard an odd, loud noise. Just after Kamijou realized it was the sound of a large pump, a large portion of the wall suddenly opened revealing nothing but the blue sky. What? Kamijou was completely stunned. And before he could think any further, a violent wind arose inside the plane and started sucking everything out. Ts-Ts-Ts-Ts-Tsuchimikadoooooooo!? Kamijou frantically grabbed a protuberance on the wall, but he doubted he could hold on for long. In the midst of the roaring wind, Tsuchimikado had a huge grin on his face. Cmon, Kami-yan. Youre all set up, so vomit as much as you want! You shut the fuck up!! W-why the hell would you throw open the luggage hatch!? Because if we landed at a French airport like a bunch of idiots, those Roman Catholic bastards would find out. This planes headed for London. Were getting off partway there. Are you stupid!? Think about how fast this plane is moving! Throwing open the hatch at over 7000 kph will tear the plane to pieces!! Sorry, but its already open. Were gonna die!! Youre the stupid one, Kami-yan. If I had really done that, we wouldnt be able to sit around talking to each other like this. The plane must have lowered its speed in order for them to get off. And it was true that Kamijou was feeling better since he wasnt being affected by the Gs as much... H-hey. Then what were those deep breaths for!? They were pointless, werent they!? Cmon, Kami-yan. Quit struggling in vain and let go of the wall already. I was grateful. I was truly grateful that you were worrying about me!! And yet you were just being a bastard!! Just shut up and go. Tsuchimikado kicked Kamijous hand from the protuberance on the wall and the spiky-haired boy lost his last support. The strong wind blowing out of the plane picked him up and he flew out of the baggage hatch and into the empty sky. It was just past noon local time. Below the refreshingly blue sky, a high school boy was screaming his lungs out. Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!! There was only blue sky 360 degrees around him. It was probably due both to him flailing his arms and legs around and to air resistance moving the wind in an odd way, but his body was tumbling in confusing directions. (Wh-whats going on? Just a few hours ago, I was having a forkball competition with Fukiyose. So why was I just flung out into the sky above France!?) As he was tumbling, he managed to spot Tsuchimikado jump from the plane smiling like someone who was really into sky sports. (Ill kill him... When we get to the ground, Im going to beat the shit out of that bastard!!) (...Actually, how are we going to land safely?) Kamijous face went pale. But then the backpack he was wearing exploded. A large parachute opened up from inside. It must have been set to activate automatically at a certain altitude. But it caught Kamijou completely by surprise. Ghhh!? My neck! I-its caught around my-...! He couldnt finish his complaint. His arms and legs dangled down as he floated down in a very natural pose. He had no way of knowing his parachute got caught in the wind and strayed from the area he was supposed to land at and that he had landed in the Rhone River which was known for having a width of over 100 meters. Part 3 Kamijou heard the sound of water. What confused him was that the sound was coming from his own mouth. His parachute had gotten caught in the wind and he had ended up in the middle of a river. He couldnt feel the bottom below his feet. He wasnt great at swimming, but he wasnt particularly bad at it either. However, with his clothes soaked and with the giant parachute wrapped around him, he wasnt floating very well. There was no sign that Tsuchimikado had landed nearby. But since he was sinking into the water, having been separated from Tsuchimikado was the least of his worries. He had no idea how deep the water was. It was possible it wasnt very deep at all, but it was definitely enough for Kamijou to drown in given how disoriented he was. The water wasnt doing anything except making him panic. He began paddling the water with his arms at a rate 2 or 3 times slower than his racing thoughts. His arms were shaking terribly. The shaking was due to his muscles being tired, the water robbing his body of heat, and the fear that he would never get his head out of the water. All of this put together made him feel like something was restraining his movements. (Oh, shit.) The air he had stored in his mouth came spilling out. He could see the light of the sun shining on the surface above his head. The dancing light threw his sense of distance out of whack. (Come to think of it, this happened to me once before when I was thrown from the ice ship in Chioggia...) As Kamijou stared at the surface, he saw what looked like an odd revolving lantern coming down towards him. The surface burst open with a large number of bubbles. (...!!) Before Kamijou could be surprised, a slender hand reached out from the white curtain of air. Just as he realized someone must have dived into the water, the white hand grabbed his wrist. He was then pulled up by a strong force. Kamijous body was oddly limp as he was pulled towards the surface as if by a rope. It didnt even take 10 seconds for his face to breach the surface and meet the air. He heard a loud splash. He had a hard time breathing in the oxygen he had been wishing for so badly. The muscles moving his throat and lungs werent working properly. A-are you okay!? He heard a girls voice nearby. The parachute continued to act as a weight pulling Kamijous body down. The girl raised her voice as she supported both their weights. Im going to head for the bank. Just stay limp like that!! When they got near the riverside...or rather a shallower portion of the river, Kamijou managed to sit down. Due to his clothes and the parachute absorbing so much water, he felt very heavy. And the cord for the parachute had gotten all tangled up as he had struggled in the water making it nothing more than a hindrance. I-Is this how it works? The girl stretched out her slender hand. Kamijou heard a loud clicking noise and found he was finally free of the parachute. He then slowly stood up from the portion of the river he was in that was no deeper than a puddle. He looked up and saw the sun high in the sky, so it had to be just past noon. But there was no one else around except for Kamijou and the girl. Perhaps people were staying indoors out of fear of the demonstrations and riots. He looked around. There was an arch-shaped stone bridge nearby, but it was partially destroyed and only went partway out over the river. The girl may have jumped into the water from there. Kamijou then turned towards the girl who had saved him. He was supposed to be in France, but the girl was Japanese. She looked about the same age as Kamijou. She had shoulder-length black hair and double eyelids. She was wearing a pink tank top and white knee-length pants. She had an overall slender silhouette. Did you swallow any water...? The girl looking at him worriedly looked familiar. He was pretty sure she was... Cough. Itsuwa of the Amakusas? Ah, yes. Nice to see you again. Itsuwa cutely bowed her head. But she was supposed to be living in London along with the rest of the Amakusas. She wouldnt be in France for no reason. (Why is Itsuwa here? ...Actually, theres only one reason why she would be here.) Hey, Itsuwa. Were you called here by Tsuchimikado? Um...Who is Tsuchimikado-san? Betraying Kamijous expectations, Itsuwa cocked her head to the side in confusion. Cough. Huh, thats not it? Kamijou clearly hadnt expected that. I mean, surely youre here because the Roman Catholic Church is using the C-Document to cause the demonstrations and protests around the world, right? H-how do you know about that!? Itsuwa brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. I-its true that we were investigating the C-Document, but how do you know about the lead it took us so long to find!? I suppose it should be expected of the one who defeated the Priestess in a single blow!! Her eyes were sparkling for some reason, but Kamijou had no recollection of any such event due to his lost memories. It actually kind of scared him. (What the hell did I do to Kanzaki?) Um, well, uh...Why did you come floating down on a parachute all of a sudden? Are things okay at your school in Japan? Kamijou was faced with an even more basic question. He scratched at his hair that was wet with dirty river water as he answered. I came here with Tsuchimikado in order to put a stop to the C-Document. Did the Anglican Church not inform you of Tsuchimikados actions? We were investigating the leylines and other magical properties of the land in France on a request from the Anglican Church. I see. Kamijou wasnt really paying attention. But then he blinked. We? Yes, Itsuwa said and gave a small nod. The 52 combat-ready members of the Amakusa-style Church. Were all going around to the major cities in France. I was in charge of Avignon, but then you came falling from the sky... ...I see. So this is Avignon. He had been dragged along and dropped from the plane by Tsuchimikado, so he had had no idea where he was. When he thought about it, he was really lucky he had run into a Japanese person he knew. And since Tsuchimikado had been taking him to Avignon, it was highly likely the Roman Catholic Church had the C-Document here. That meant this was an enemy base. And Kamijou had fallen right in the middle of it. Hey, Itsuwa. Tsuchimikado had said the C-Document could only be used at the Vatican. Th-thats true. Then why were you investigating France and not Italy? I asked him, but I was thrown out of the plane before he could answer. Itsuwa must have thought that last part was some kind of joke she didnt get, because she gave a bit of a forced smile. And then Itsuwa remembered something. U-um... Can I go get my bag before I answer that? Your bag? I left it on top of the bridge. I-Im a little worried it might get stolen. She must be referring to the half-destroyed arch-shaped bridge that was nearby. Apparently, she really had jumped from the bridge. I see. Oh, and thanks. I really would have been in trouble if you hadnt saved me. N-no, no! It was nothing, really!! Itsuwa shook her head back and forth at an amazing speed and waved her hands in front of her face as she said that. Small droplets of water flew from her fingertips. Seeing that, Kamijou asked her a question. Oh, one more thing, Itsuwa. Do you have a change of clothes in your bag? Eh? W-well, the Amakusa-style Church does specialize in secrecy. She was confused by Kamijous sudden question, but a bit of pride could be seen in her expression as she gave that explanation. Most of my luggage is at the hotel, but I do have a change of clothes with me in order to tail someone or to get away. I havent had to use it so far, though. I see. Good. ? Itsuwa still didnt understand what he was talking about. But Kamijou was reluctant to directly tell her. So he moved his gaze from Itsuwa to the blue sky and pointed at what he was talking about. ... Itsuwa followed Kamijous finger with her eyes and saw what he was pointing at. Her chest. More specifically, at her pink tank top that had gone see-through and was sticking to her from being wet and thus was causing her full silhouette to be visible. Part 4 Now, Itsuwa was a girl with a peaceful and honest personality. Even with Kamijou directly pointing out the issue, she made no eccentric actions such as slapping him, biting his head, frying him with a billion volts of electricity, or anything else. Her face merely turned bright red and she gave a strained laugh. She merely said, Ah. Ah ha ha. Sorry about showing you that. Ah ha ha ha ha, and crossed her arms to hide her chest and jogged off towards the stone bridge the bag with her change of clothes was on. She was smiling, but there was a hint of tears in her eyes. It felt like a quite sensible and adult reaction. Hmm... For some reason, Kamijou was left feeling really awkward about the whole thing. He stared off into the distance wishing she had at least screamed or something. Ten minutes later, Itsuwa was back wearing different clothes leaving Kamijou wondering where exactly she had changed. She was dry now, but she must have still smelled of river water, because he could tell she had put on some perfume. S-sorry for keeping you. Itsuwa had a large bag over her shoulder. She was wearing a pale ice cream-like green blouse and dark brown pants short enough to leave her calves visible. The blouse was made of material so thin it almost made you think you would be able to see through it if the sun was shining on it. The shirt wasnt held closed by buttons; it was instead tied just above the navel. That shirt was all she was wearing on her upper body. ...Itsuwa-san? I-I had no choice! I only had it to put on over the tank top to make it look like a different outfit! So please dont say anything!! It seemed she was telling the truth, because on closer inspection the blouse didnt even have buttons. Tying the front was the only way of keeping it closed. She must have known that she was pushing it with that outfit, because she curled up a bit to avoid Kamijous silent gaze. But she was stuck in this situation because she had jumped into the river to save him. Kamijou used all the limited resources of his brain to try and find something to say. Well, with the way Kanzaki dresses, this is okay, right? The Priestess doesnt dress sluttily like this!! Itsuwa went all out denying that Kanzaki dressed inappropriately, but then realized again that she was dressed sluttily herself and her entire face turned red. (Well, with the way Kanzaki acts like she could party all night, it works. The way Itsuwa is getting all embarrassed, trying to hide herself, and fidgeting around, it makes her stand out even more.) I dont really know who Tsuchimikado-san is, but, if youre here to retrieve the C-Document, maybe we should work together until you can meet up with him. Itsuwa may have wanted to quickly move the subject away from her outfit, because she kind of forced the topic to their job. Since Kamijou didnt know a lick of French and had no passport, he couldnt exactly go back to Japan on his own, so he was hoping things would work out the way Itsuwa had suggested. W-well, itd be a huge help to me if we could do that. Okay, first lets find somewhere to sit. We can discuss some things. Kamijou was about to agree, but then he looked down and saw what he looked like. Im soaking wet... Id like to at least get this mud off. Itsuwas back straightened suddenly after hearing Kamijous casual comment. She hurriedly rummaged through her bag. W-w-well...I-I have a wet towel you could... Before she could finish, a towel was draped over Kamijous head. He turned around in surprise and saw a white man walking with a large dog. The man didnt even turn around and waved a hand while saying something in an annoyed fashion that must have meant something along the lines of You can keep it. ...Ah. There are some nice people here. Why do French people have a cool way of doing every little thing? ...Hm? Itsuwa, why did you just stiffen up like that? N-no reason... Itsuwas shoulders drooped. Kamijou tilted his head in puzzlement as he wiped the mud from his face and clothes with the towel. Oh, right. Theyre having those demonstrations and riots here, right? Do they have inspections? You see, I dont have my passport with me. They have plenty of inspections, but at most theyll check your belongings. I dont think theyll ask you for your passport. And I can trick the inspector using magic. Itsuwa readjusted her bags shoulder strap as she mumbled something about a hot towel working better than a regular one. Avignon. The old town of that city in southern France was surrounded by about 4 kilometers of castle walls. There were a large number of buildings crammed into that limited space. In the citys golden age, it was hugely influential on the entire culture of Europe. Partially because of that, it was still one of the leading tourist spots in France. ...Hmm. So you were investigating Avignon for the C-Document? I understand that much, but... Kamijou asked for an explanation from Itsuwa while they walked through an arched castle gate leading inside the large stone walls and to the old walled town of Avignon. They entered a plaza-like area and Kamijou saw what looked like an open caf. The sign on the side of the road for the caf had something written in French (at least Kamijou thought it was. He wasnt sure.) and English. It must have been a caf for tourists because it had a lot of things to help accommodate people who were here for the first time. Itsuwa brought Kamijou away from the plaza and into a small pathway. Kamijou assumed there must be a hole-in-the-wall place Itsuwa knew about. I know you said we were going somewhere we could sit down, but... Y-yes? Why Drory Coffee? I mean, I know its a foreign company, so it isnt surprising that they have them in France, but this is exactly like the Japanese chain. Couldnt we go to a store thats more...yknow, the kind of little known place that was started by some old couple or something? W-well, there are places like that, but... Itsuwa sounded apologetic. Um...Places like that have mostly local people in them, so Japanese people like us would stand out more. Its much safer to be at a chain that lots of Japanese tourists go to... Nnn... Kamijou moaned. He kind of agreed with her, but then he realized something else. ...Wait a second, Itsuwa. Im still pretty dirty. He had been given a towel back at the river, but he couldnt get everything off with that. He was mostly dry now, but the mud wasnt going anywhere. If I go in a store like this, wont I get kicked out as soon as they see me? Youll be fine. Itsuwa responded casually. The way things are now, youre fine. Kamijou figured out what she meant as soon as he stepped into the store. The layout of the store was exactly the same as the ones in Japan. The walls facing the road were covered in glass and in front of the glass there was a long table with seats lined up in front of it. The center of the floor had booth seats for four and the counter where you ordered was all the way in the back. Kamijou couldnt read French, but from the no smoking marks on placards placed around the store, the entire store must have been a no smoking area. The only differences from Japan were about the people inside. Obviously, the people were French instead of Japanese. There had been no one around where he had landed after parachuting in, but the store was packed. They may have been afraid of the demonstrations and riots, but they still had to go out to make a living. People were only going to the places they had to which concentrated the streams of people to specific areas. And there was another difference. The majority of the customers had disheveled hair and clothing, were covered in mud, and had bandages wrapped around their limbs. Everyone from the strongest adult to the smallest child at the very least had bruises on their faces. You would have been hard pressed to find someone who was unscathed. So this is what the results of the demonstrations and protests are... Kamijou sighed as he spoke. So far, Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church had been showing their opposition for each other, but no full-blown military actions had been taken. However, this had caused a change that was having a real effect on the world nonetheless. Even though no one had wanted this horrible change. We have to do something about this as soon as possible, Itsuwa said in a quiet voice. ...I know. And were here to figure out how to do that, Kamijou responded. This was no time to leisurely eat some food, but Itsuwa pointed out that they would stand out if they sat down without ordering anything. Kamijou agreed because he would have felt awkward having a discussion while the workers glared at him, and he headed for the counter. Of course, the young woman standing behind the register was French. (Now then...) I-Itsuwa-san. Since Im in France, do I have to speak French? What? Im wondering if theres any chance some French people might understand English. Well, I think most people in the EU would understand English. Unlike an island nation like Japan, the sense of nationality here is a little bit weaker. See, that customer over there is German. Oh, and that ones Italian. Since they have to speak with people from a lot of different countries, most employees dealing with customers at chain stores have to know more than just French. I-I see!! Kamijou was suddenly filled with motivation. The time had come to show the fruits of his labors with the English Training Made Easy app on his phone. He had actually been a bit discouraged because he had been stuck at practice level 4, but this was no time to worry about that. He walked purposefully towards the counter and spoke before the worker could ask him for his order. Coffee and sandwich, please!! His pronunciation was quite bad, but the woman nodded. (Sh-she understood me!!) But just as Kamijou was celebrating his English skills, the woman said something in a foreign language that must have meant, That will be 7 euros. Kamijou freaked out. They didnt take yen. Wh-what do I do...!! Kamijous expression made it look like he had been struck by lightning, but Itsuwa handed him a euro bill. (Okay, I need to pay her back for that. ...Wait, how many yen is a Euro?) As Kamijou was wondering that, Itsuwa spoke to the worker. U-um, I would like an espresso, a black ham sandwich, and some healthy vegetable sticks. The French worker nodded again showing she had understood and Kamijou yelled in shock. Ehh, Japanese!? I could have used Japanese!? When he looked closer at the workers, he noticed that they had a bunch of small flag-shaped badges on their shoulders. They most likely indicated what languages they could understand. This made Kamijou really doubt his English ability. It was possible she only understood his pronunciation because she knew Japanese. Kamijou was fairly disheartened as he took his tray and went ahead to find a table. Itsuwa came a bit later. Itsuwa first put her tray on the table and then put the bag hanging from her shoulder down by her feet. Kamijou could hear a heavy metallic clank come from the bag. ...? He looked towards the bag. When he did, Itsuwas face went red and she shook her hands in front of her face. D-dont worry about that. Yeah, but... He was about to continue when Itsuwa spoke while barely moving her lips. (...Um, I have a weapon in there.) Hah? (...The grip is split into 5 parts. When I need to use it, I can connect the attachments making a single spear. I know adding in the joints makes the spear less strong, but this way I can carry it around with me.) (Come to think of it, I did see her swinging around a huge spear in Chioggia.) By the way, have you been able to contact that Tsuchimikado person yet? No. Kamijou took his phone out of his pocket. ...We got split up during our descent and I cant contact him. Im able to make calls, but it seems his phone is off or hes out of range of an antenna. ...Well, knowing him, he should be fine no matter what happens. He tried calling again, but there was no sign of it connecting to Tsuchimikados phone. (This is a tough phone. I fell in that river and its perfectly fine.) Kamijou put the phone back in his pocket. Kamijou was thinking of having a strategy discussion with Itsuwa while eating his sandwich, but he noticed he didnt have any napkins on his tray. Ah, what now? I wanted to wipe my hands off before I ate... For some reason, Itsuwas eyes sparkled after hearing his complaint. I-i-i-i-in that case, I can... Her face turned bright red and she started rummaging through the bag at her feet, but then a female worker who was coming by said something in French that sounded like an apology and plopped down a pile of napkins. Itsuwa froze in shock while for some reason holding out a personal wet towel. Once he had wiped his hands off with the napkins, Kamijou decided to get down to business. So, you said before that youre here investigating around Avignon...Huh? What is it, Itsuwa? N-nothing... She seemed to have lost all energy like a house plant that had been left by the window too long during the summer. Kamijou started again. So youve been searching around Avignon, right? So why are you searching France instead of the Vatican? Did you find anything suspicious? Y-yes, Itsuwa nodded. I was actually planning to gather some more information and then contact the rest of the Amakusas spread out around France. So you found what youre looking for? Kamijou asked for confirmation and Itsuwa didnt deny it. Do you know of the building called the Palace of the Popes? ? Its the largest Roman Catholic facility in Avignon. Or rather, the city of Avignon was built around it. The Popes... Kamijou muttered. (By pope does it mean The Pope pope?) Hm? But wouldnt the Palace of the Popes be in the Vatican? That name makes it sound really important. Well... Itsuwa began. It seemed she was having trouble figuring out what to say. There are some complicated circumstances surrounding the city of Avignon. Complicated circumstances? At the end of the 13th century, there was a dispute between the Roman Catholic Pope and the French king. And the winner of that dispute was the French king. He gained the right to order around the Pope at the time. One of his orders was for the Pope to leave his headquarters and come live in France. That started what is known as the Avignon Papacy, added Itsuwa. And the Popes headquarters was the Vatican? N-no. At the time, it was known as the Papal State. Apparently, the French wanted to control the Pope in order to use the various privileges and benefits the Roman Catholic Church had. Avignon was chosen as the place to imprison the Pope. And the palace the Pope was imprisoned in was named the Palace of the Popes. Imprisoned, huh? For the 68 years of the Avignon Papacy, there were multiple Popes and they all had to act as Pope from here. Itsuwa chewed on a vegetable stick. But there are many things the Pope had to do that could only be done in the Papal State. Things like the investiture of Cardinals and various ecumenical council meetings could be carried out by a representative. But things that had to be done within the Papal State, in buildings within the Papal State, or with certain spiritual items in the Papal State couldnt be done from Avignon in the same way. Doing so would have been akin to creating an entirely new Papal State, explained Itsuwa. So the Roman Catholic Church needed to set up a certain trick. A trick? They couldnt create the same devices in Avignon that they had in the Papal State, but by creating a magical pipeline to Avignon, they could control the devices in the Papal State long distance. ...So it was like connecting a computer so it could access a major server? When the Pope moved back from France at the end of the Avignon Papacy, the pipeline was supposed to have been severed, but from the looks of the patterns of the magical pulsation in the ground in this area, there must have either been a facility left connected where they could use the C-Document or they may have reconnected the severed pipeline. Hm... Kamijou nodded. He thought about what he had just been told and then spoke. ...Have you checked inside the Palace of the Popes? N-no. Itsuwa shrank down in her seat and shook her head. Im just supposed to investigate... Once I have enough information, Im supposed to contact the Substitute Pope so that a large team can gather and break in at once. Apparently, Tatemiya Saiji, the Substitute Pope, had a special spiritual item that was passed down by the Amakusas, but it seemed that Itsuwa thought that acting alone wasnt a very good idea when dealing with an object that affected the entire world. (...Come to think of it, that makes Tsuchimikado and my actions pretty irregular, doesnt it?) Since Tsuchimikado came here, he must have determined that Avignon seemed suspicious from some other source of information. Which means its highly likely that youre right about the Roman Catholic Church using the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes. But then Kamijou had another thought. The C-Document is property of the Roman Catholic Church, right? Y-yes. So why does it have to be used in the Papal State?...or now its the Vatican, I guess. I cant really think of any reason they cant just take it away from their headquarters. And just because they can control devices at the Vatican from Avignon doesnt mean theres magic that can only be activated in Avignon, right? Well, there are multiple theories regarding that... Itsuwa thought for a second and then continued speaking. It probably takes a long time to get approval to use the C-Document. The 141 Cardinals at the top of the Roman Catholic Church must all be in agreement about it. The Pope has a lot of power within the church, but he cant use the C-Document on his decision alone. I think thats why it hasnt been used very often until now. There are conflicts between factions within the Roman Catholic Church and that rule prevents the C-Document from being used during one of those conflicts. According to some information I heard, they dont need all of the Cardinals approval to control something via Avignon because the method is so irregular. But at the same time, since they are not activating it directly at the Vatican, preparations have to be made in Avignon causing the activation to not be instantaneous like usual. And that means that if we stop the C-Document now, we may be able to stop the chaos spreading throughout the world completely. But either way you have to investigate the Palace of the Popes, huh... I-I just need a bit more information to have enough to get everyone to move. I think well be ready to infiltrate the Palace in a few more days. This war was between science and magic, but Itsuwa and the other Amakusas seemed to be fighting to stop the Roman Catholic Church. The Anglicans probably didnt like that the Roman Catholic Church was holding the reins of the magic side. On the other hand, they didnt like to create direct trouble for themselves. She had said it was the Amakusas not the Anglican Church. In other words, the Anglican Church was using the Amakusas to stop the C-Document and, if the Amakusas were to fail, they would insist that it was just a small faction acting out of their control. ... Kamijou was separated from Tsuchimikado. He felt like working with Itsuwa in her plan to infiltrate the Palace of the Popes was a better plan than heading there now on his own. That meant he had to help Itsuwa gather the information she needed. Itsuwa, is there anything I can help with? Eh? You said you wouldnt be infiltrating the Palace for a few days, but we need to get this done as soon as possible. Th-thats true. In that case... Itsuwa seemed at a loss as how to answer Kamijous question. But she never got a chance to answer. There was a loud crash as all of the windows facing the street shattered simultaneously. It wasnt due to thrown stones. Nor was it due to being hit by bats or metal pipes. It was due to human hands. Hundreds of hands pushed against the glass at once and the pressure shattered the glass. Many screams erupted from within the store and a crushing horde of people flooded inside. It was like a scene from a zombie movie. Kamijou quickly realized what had caused this clearly unusual scene. A riot!? Th-this way!! Itsuwa grabbed her bag from the ground, grabbed Kamijous arm with her other hand, and started running. She wasnt headed for the main exit; she was headed for the emergency exit. During that time, hundreds of people stormed inside and the store was suddenly too full to move properly like in a packed train. Theyre Japanese! Are they from Academy City!? Crush them. Dont hesitate. Theyre the enemy!! Kamijou couldnt understand French, but he got the gist of what they were saying from the nuances their emotions gave their voices. A multitude of hands reached for his back, but before they could reach him, he managed to get out of the open metal emergency door in what was almost a roll. He turned to look behind him. He heard many screams from within the store coming from some women and small children inside. But before he could go back inside to help them, Itsuwa kicked the emergency door closed. Itsuwa!! Their actions arent enough to kill someone. There were just too many of them. The great number of rioters did nothing more than restrict their own movements. As long as they dont all fall over like dominoes, there shouldnt even be any major injuries. Thats not the issue here!! We need to at least help the children so that-!! This same thing...!! Itsuwa yelled cutting Kamijou off. This same thing is happening all over the world. If we went back into that wave of people, what could we realistically do? Were here to destroy the source of all this as soon as we can, right? ...Damn it. If we can stop the C-Document, this rioting will stop. If we get caught up in the rioting, well do nothing more than restrict our own movements. And then there will be no one left to stop it. (The Roman Catholic Church is causing these riots and Academy City is doing nothing to stop them.) ...Fuck!! Kamijou swore and then gnashed his teeth. (And the only ones suffering are the people caught up in the middle of it all! I cant just ignore this. Im stopping this here. I need to put a stop to this messed-up shit as soon as I can!!) Kamijou and Itsuwa ran through a back street that had tall walls rising up on either side. Kamijou could hear a throaty mans voice yelling. The sound of shattering glass rang in his ears. He could hear high-pitched crying. And he could even hear an explosion from gas or gasoline being lit. He had no idea what exactly the riots were targeting. They could be targeting chains of Japanese-owned companies or maybe they were attacking hotels that Japanese sightseers often stayed in. Whatever it was, they had lost sight of their original goal and were now flooding the streets causing mayhem. Itsuwa, how far are we going to run!? Id like to find an area where we wont be overrun by people for now, but... She cut off midsentence. They could see another group of rioters down the street. (Damn, they have good timing...) Then Kamijous shoulders shuddered as he had a troubling thought. Hey, Itsuwa. Youve been investigating here for a while, right? Did you ever get caught up in a riot like this in that time? Eh? N-no. The Amakusa Church specializes in blending into the environment after all. Normally, I would leave as soon as I noticed any sign of a riot coming... ...So I was right. Itsuwas words confirmed what he had been thinking. Their timing is too good. What do you mean...? If the enemy controlling the C-Document is here in Avignon along with us, they may have seen me parachute in. And even if they didnt see me directly, they probably detected an Academy City supersonic passenger plane drop something above the city. This reaction makes sense if the ones using the C-Document are on their guard. You dont mean... This riot is their method of intercepting us!! As Kamijou yelled, the mass of people blocking the path drew closer. The Palace of the Popes was in Avignons old city which was a small city surrounded by old castle walls. Because they continued cramming more and more buildings into the limited space, the roads were so small it was hard to even get a car through them. And since those paths were surrounded by buildings of over 10 meters in height, it created quite a feeling of claustrophobia. And these small roads were blocked by waves of people at various points. The people taking part in the riot seemed to even be injuring themselves. Kamijou thought for a second and then resigned himself to what had to be done. Unless they forced their way through the mountains of people ahead that was marching in the opposite direction, they would never make it to the Palace of the Popes. And taking a different path wasnt going to solve that problem. The longer they put it off, the more everyone would be injured. Lets go, Itsuwa. Eh...? We dont have time to wait for a chance to contact Tsuchimikado. And the Amakusas cant be here right away, right? So we have no choice but to force our way through those people and head for the Palace of the Popes. If the enemy knows were here, they may not stay here for long. Even if they flee back to the Vatican, they may continue to use the C-Document. Letting them bring the C-Document back to their headquarters can only be a bad thing. Im a complete amateur at this kind of thing and even I can figure that much out. We need to destroy it here and now!! Itsuwa hesitated slightly, but finally nodded in Kamijous direction. She had decided that they didnt have time to wait for the Amakusas spread out throughout France to gather here. As they spoke, hundreds of rioters drew near down the small road. It was a solid wall made up of humans like the inside of a crowded train. ...Stay crouched down as we go through, said Itsuwa quietly as she looked at the rioters. If our heads stick up above the crowd, we could easily become targets. Were less likely to be spotted if we hide behind all the people around us. Even if this riot is the enemys way of stopping us, they dont have any precise control over it. Got it, said Kamijou as he felt strangely nervous. Here we go. As he said that, Kamijou and Itsuwa ran straight toward the rioters. The rioters were as tightly packed as a wall, but they managed to cram themselves into their midst. There were just too many people to run. They could barely walk and at first they could only make it a few meters. Someone screamed and hit Kamijous head. He managed to move forward, but fat fingers grabbed his shirt. He continued forward recklessly. He bit at the arm grabbing him, shoved his shoulders against the wall of people, and walked forward with people still clinging to him. He felt fingernails pierce his side and blood oozed out. He could smell the body odor of men who had been worked into a frenzy. The screaming exploding in his ear and the pressure of people pushing into him from every direction gradually ate away at his consciousness. (Damn it...) Kamijous legs started to weaken. He was losing the power to move forward. (Damn it...!!) Just when he felt like he was going to be swallowed up by a mass of disgust, the wall of people suddenly thinned out. Now that the air was not made up of the exhalations of others, he breathed in the fresh oxygen deeply. A-are you all right!? Itsuwa asked from nearby. There was a drop of blood running down from her temple. Apparently, she hadnt been able to get through the mass of people unscathed either. She did have her spear in her bag, but she must not have wanted to swing it around here. Kamijou started running out of the crowd of people while breathing heavily. His feet were wobbling and he felt a little shaky. He had to pay attention so he didnt bump into the stone walls on the sides of the small road. ...I-Itsuwa. Where is the Palace of the Popes? Its up ahead. Thats its roof you can see over there. ...We have to get through there next. Kamijou slowly looked over in the direction Itsuwa was pointing. What he saw there was a large riot that made the one they had just gotten through look like nothing in comparison. Part 5 The path to the Palace of the Popes was impassable. Kamijou and Itsuwa were in the small old town of Avignon that was surrounded by only 4 kilometers of castle wall, but they still couldnt reach a certain spot. The streets in the old town were small. They were only about 3 meters wide and were surrounded on either side by stone housing complexes towering up 15 meters high making it difficult to take detours. And to go ahead, they had to go through a solid wall of hundreds if not thousands of rioters. It was like trying to move from one end of a packed train to the other. At this rate they would never make it to the Palace of the Popes. They would be taken out here before they had a chance to destroy the C-Document. Not again... Itsuwa said as she caught her breath and stared at the new group of rioters ahead of them. Some of the rioting men with bloodshot eyes were pointing and yelling at them. Kamijou didnt know French, but they may have been yelling, Theyre Japanese!, or Theyre from Academy City!, or something similar. Before they could move, Itsuwa grabbed Kamijous arm and started running. This isnt going to work. Come on. This is just going to end in a stalemate! Hey, what about the Palace of the Popes!? Kamijou yelled as Itsuwa led him back the way they had come. It looked like the men who had been glaring at Kamijou and Itsuwa started following them, but they got pulled back into the huge mass of rioters. Itsuwa didnt like the situation any more than Kamijou. ...That group of rioters was clearly the biggest one yet. Were not going to get through just by running! So youre going to find another route? But... Kamijou started speaking, but he spotted some youths who were taking part in another riot ahead. The small path was completely blocked by a wall of people. It wasnt too surprising. Kamijou and Itsuwa had just pushed through that group of rioters. Here too!? Itsuwas voice sounded surprisingly pissed and she grabbed Kamijous hand while running towards the housing complex making up the wall. They leaped into the stone building that almost looked like it was made out of a cliff. They pushed the thick wooden door closed with their backs. The sound and impact of the rioters going by on the other side pounded on the door. But it wasnt because someone was trying to destroy the door; it was just from the shoulders and arms of the rioters crammed into the road scraping against it. Kamijou slid down to the ground while keeping his back on the door. ...What do we do about this? At this rate, well never get to the Palace of the Popes. Making progress through these riots is difficult... Itsuwa spoke in a quiet voice. She lowered her bag to the ground and pulled out a few rods about 70 cm long. They came together into a single rod when she connected them using sockets that looked like gas valves. Lastly, Itsuwa connected a steel blade to the end. It was a Western-style cross spear. Kamijou thought it was called a Friuli Spear. (Sigh...Well, I had thought a lot about this secret mission thing, but...) As he was thinking, he saw something that made him choke. He saw Itsuwas cleavage that was visible due to the front of her blouse being tied closed in a makeshift fashion. Kamijou thought there were plenty of problems with how she was dressed, but she didnt seem to notice. What do we do now? I act so as to avoid the riots, so I dont actually have any plan or spells to use if I ever actually got caught in one. Y-yeah...We need to get to the Palace of the Popes in order to stop the riots and we need to stop the riots in order to get to the Palace of the Popes...Damn it. This is just going in circles. And on top of all that, there was the fact that if the enemy felt any danger they would take the C-Document and return to the Vatican while Kamijou and Itsuwa were stuck here. If the C-Document was used there, it would be even more difficult to get it. And then these riots could last forever. They had to act now, but they were stuck. It was quite a dilemma. Each second that was wasted felt like tens if not hundreds of times longer. But then... Kamijou heard his cell phone ringing in his pocket. It was from Tsuchimikado. Kami-yan, you okay!? Where are you!? Are you caught up in the riots, too? Are you hurt!? Im en route to the building known as the Palace of the Popes. If the C-Document is really being used in France, it has to be there. The Palace of the Popes...? So youre headed there, too? ? Kamijou continued before Tsuchimikado could respond. So my parachute didnt end up somewhere way off target. We really were aiming for Avignon. Well, yeah...Kami-yan, how do you know about the Palace of the Popes? I thought we jumped off the plane before I explained that. I met up with Itsuwa of the Amakusas here and she explained it to me. But the riots are so intense we cant reach the Palace. What about you? Its about the same here. Well, a lot has happened. These waves of people are working too well at blocking the small roads of Avignon. Theres no way we can get through like this. And with that, they both understood the others situation. Tsuchimikado must have gotten caught up in the riots and was now hiding somewhere. Hey, Tsuchimikado. Id like for us to meet up. Do you know a good place for that? These riots are occurring all across the city. Id rather not stay in one place for too long. Then what are we going to do? Wait for the riots to die down? That would be a good plan if these were occurring naturally, but these are being caused by the C-Document. The Roman Catholic Church can make this last as long as they need, so things arent going to change for the better with time. But is there anything else we can do!? Yes, Tsuchimikado readily responded. We need to change our way of thinking about this. If we cant get to the Palace of the Popes, we just have to solve the problem in a way where we dont have to go to there. ...? Since you had that Amakusa person explain it to you, Im sure you know why were focusing on Avignons Palace of the Popes, right? Kamijou thought about that for a second. Well, they can operate devices in the Vatican from there, right? Thats why they can use the C-Document here. Right. So we just have to sever the magical pipeline connecting Avignon and the Papal State which is now the Vatican. If we do that, they shouldnt be able to use the C-Document anymore. It may be too difficult to get to the Palace, but we should be able to get to the pipeline. Oh, Kamijou responded. (Now that I think about it, thats true...) But surely the people using the C-Document in the Palace will notice if they cant use it anymore. Once that happens, theyll flee. True enough. I cant deny that. Thats why our schedule is important. This will all rely on whether we can get to the Palace after we sever the pipeline. Kamijou thought that Tsuchimikados plan made sense. He must have been gathering information on this well before they had gotten on the plane. And he must have continued to investigate while being chased by the rioters after they had gotten separated. But Kamijou, an amateur, spotted a problem in the plan. Even if we know the C-Document is in the Palace of the Popes, we dont know whos using it. Couldnt they just hide within the crowd of rioters? Wed never find them then. ... Tsuchimikado stayed silent for a moment before he started speaking. Well, well cross that bridge when we come to it. Stopping the C-Document comes first. Kamijou had a bad feeling about Tsuchimikados words. (He isnt going to use magic to find the enemys location again, is he?) Tsuchimikado Motoharu had a major handicap in that he injured himself whenever he used magic. But Kamijou knew he would ignore that handicap and use magic if he had to. He had tracked down Oriana Thomson during the Daihaseisai even when he was covered in blood. Whether he was aware of the unease Kamijou was feeling or not, Tsuchimikado continued speaking. Now we finally know what exactly needs to be done, Kami-yan. Part 6 Kamijou and Itsuwa cut through the housing complex and went out through the back door. Itsuwa, are the other Amakusas not able to come yet? S-sorry. I didnt think anything like this would happen. I contacted them earlier, but theyll be here by tomorrow morning at the earliest. If only we were in Japan where we could use the vortexes of the transportation spell Miniature Pilgrimage... The path they were on was devoid of rioters and it almost looked like they could have made it all the way to Palace of the Popes without incident. But they had no idea when a crowd of rioters would block their path and it was better not to walk long distances. It seemed Tsuchimikado was right about changing their target to the closer pipeline. Th-this way. Itsuwa was showing Kamijou the way while holding her spear. He thought the walls on either side looked even taller than usual, and on closer inspection there were stone buildings built on top of the normal ones here. Because the buildings looked almost like fortifications and their walls were stained black making them look like some kind of bulwark, it was hard to tell what kind of buildings they were at first glance. The houses, shops, and churches all looked like fortresses on the outside. Um, I know where the place Tsuchimikado-san mentioned is...but is the pipeline connecting to the Vatican really there? Dont ask me... Kamijou muttered as he looked at his phone. Tsuchimikados voice sounded cheerful. Well, the method of reading leylines is pretty different between cultures, but Im fairly sure about this. Apparently, the point they were headed for was near Kamijou and Itsuwa. Since it was a fair distance from Tsuchimikado, he was leaving the severing of the pipeline to them. Hey, what does this pipeline look like? It doesnt stick up from the ground or anything, right? A leyline is a current of power through the earth. The types of power and the directions it flows in can be quite different, though. It isnt uncommon for a power that is crucial to a certain sect to be completely meaningless to another. Thats why the method of reading them is so different between cultures. Kamijou tilted his head to the side in confusion at the voice coming from the speaker and Itsuwa explained that it was a bit like the use of ingredients in the foods of different cultures. The black ham used in Western cooking was completely ignored in Japanese cooking (recent innovations notwithstanding). In a similar fashion, sensing and drawing out the needed type of power from all the different types was the key to using leylines. As Itsuwa smoothly explained all this, Kamijou surmised that she may specialize in Amakusa-type leyline spells. Ysee, Kami-yan. There are no parts of the Earth that are necessarily better than other parts. Its us humans that put value on it like that. So an amateur like me wouldnt be able to tell its there, huh. Anyway, a leyline important to the Roman Catholic Church is connecting Avignon and the Vatican. But its a distorted line that was created by people destroying and rebuilding the terrain, Tsuchimikado explained. Leylines are fairly easily moved. In fact, thats the whole idea behind feng shui. Sigh. I dont really get this whole leyline thing, but is it a line directly carved in the earth? As I said, by destroying the terrain, you can alter the leyline. The trick to telling between good land and bad land in feng shui is based on where there are mountains, what direction rivers are flowing in, and things like that. And nowadays, filling in rivers and destroying mountains isnt that rare of an occurrence. Magicians that use the earth have to work to make sure that important magical points arent destroyed like that, Itsuwa added. (...That sounds like a pain in the ass.) But you can also change the terrain in a calculated way. Its a bit like choosing which type of leyline you want to make stronger out of all the different types in the area. But if you screw up, balance can be lost and that can be disastrous. Because of that, it can only realistically be done as a huge project on a national level. So thats how the Roman Catholic Churchs pipeline was made... As I said, there are many different types of power flowing through the earth in many different directions. Thats why it can be hard to find a specific line if you have no hint to go on. Tsuchimikado spoke smoothly. But if I know Im looking for a line that connects the Palace of the Popes and the Vatican, I have some criteria to search with. Its like having a car navigation system leading you there. Anyway, if you can just destroy that pipeline, it would be a huge help. Um, Itsuwa, was it? Y-yes!! Just to make sure. You know the method and spell to destroy the pipeline, right? U-um...I follow the Amakusa style, so I know all the standard spells of Shinto, Buddhism, and the Christianity... Thatll be enough. You take care of it as soon as you spot the pipeline. Kamijou was merely confused by their exchange. Wait. Cant I just take out the leyline or pipeline or whatever with my right hand? He had a power known as Imagine Breaker. He could destroy any supernatural power whether it was magical or psychic in nature. But Tsuchimikado disagreed with Kamijous view. Im not so sure your Imagine Breaker can negate leylines, Kami-yan. Eh? Kamijou looked shocked. But leylines are...um...magical...right? So... Yes, but... Tsuchimikado interrupted him. I just cant figure out what your right hand really is. You say it can negate any magic or psychic power. But take an occult power like a humans life force for instance. You cant kill someone just by giving them a handshake, right? Well, no... I get the feeling there are some odd exceptions. And leylines are most likely one of those exceptions. I highly doubt you can obliterate the entire Earth just by touching the ground. But at the same time Misha Kreutzev avoided being touched by Kamijous right hand and Kazakiri Hyouka was subconsciously afraid of it. ... Kamijou silently stared at his right hand. (Exceptions...? How does that work?) When he thought about it calmly, Kamijou realized that he didnt know any details about how his power worked. It may have been because he had lost his memories, but he may not have known before losing his memories either. At the very least, none of the knowledge left after he had lost his memories contained any hint he could find an answer in. But right now severing that pipeline took precedence. He pulled himself together and looked ahead. Part 7 Kamijou and Itsuwa made their way to a small museum in Avignon. It wasnt a large building solely used as a museum. Just like the housing complexes and stores, it used one portion of the fortress-like buildings towering above the roads on either side. There just wasnt enough room in the old town of Avignon that was surrounded by the castle walls and they had probably wanted to maintain a sense of unity in the scenery. There was a sign in French on the main entrance, but the wooden door had a metal shutter down in front of it. The plate hanging from the knob most likely said closed. It was midday on a weekday. They must have closed early in fear of the riots, Itsuwa said while looking up at the building. Kamijou stared at the solid looking shutter and spoke. But Tsuchimikado said the invisible pipeline runs through this museum, right? We have to get in somehow. Is there some Amakusa lock-picking skill or-..? Eyah! Kamijou was cut off by a cute yell. The tip of Itsuwas spear stuck into the gap between the shutter and the ground and she moved the spear according to the principle of leverage. The very gears that moved the shutter broke with a crunching sound. Itsuwa ignored the security alarm that began ringing and lifted the shutter higher. Then she broke the wooden door using leverage as well. She entered the building with a sleek expression on her face. Cmon, hurry. Um...Itsuwa-san? Kamijou stared at the short girls face in shock. His eyes seemed to be saying And I thought you were just a normal girl..., but her expression didnt change. She must have been preparing to beat down any museum employees who might come to see what was going on. As the security alarm continued to ring, Kamijou entered the building, too. The lighting was fairly dim. In fact, it was almost completely dark inside. All of the windows were covered so the exhibits wouldnt receive any direct sunlight. With the normal fluorescent lights, it wouldnt have been a problem, but Kamijou was a bit unsure of his footing with only the faint light from the emergency exit sign. Tsuchimikado said it was... I can tell where it is now that were this close. Its this way. Itsuwa continued deeper into the museum holding her spear in one hand. Kamijou followed her and found nothing more than a normal floor. But looking at the arrangement of the glass showcases, the usual pattern was ignored here which left it oddly empty. Itsuwa slowly circled around the oddly empty floor. She looked around for a bit and then nodded in satisfaction. Yes, its here. I can feel a power manufactured by the Roman Catholic Church. It feels like a type of purified power that is used in the spells of some other sects. This is a leyline characteristic of a Western church society. They did an excellent job of concealing it; its hard to sense until youre almost right next to it. She spoke while looking towards Kamijou. ...Tsuchimikado-san isnt here yet, but I should take care of it before the enemy notices. Im going to sever the pipeline, so please stand back. I dont see anything here, Kamijou said as he stared at the floor next to Itsuwa. ...And is severing a pipeline such an easy thing to do? Well, completely severing a leyline requires a large number of people. Ah ha ha. Itsuwa laughed. But if we just need to make the line connecting the Palace of the Popes and the Vatican unusable, I can do it. Basically, Im going to damage it which will cause its direction to be slightly shifted. I see... Kamijou nodded even though he didnt really understand. He didnt want to mess it up with Imagine Breaker, so he moved a bit away from Itsuwa. The Amakusa girl put down her bag and rummaged around inside it. It seemed she was choosing the everyday items needed to use this spell. Kamijou asked a question as he watched her. So the Amakusa Church uses things like that to create spells? Y-yes. For this spell I need a camera, a slipper, a pamphlet, some mineral water, and white panties... As she took them out, Itsuwa screamed and hurriedly stuck them back in her bag. They were most likely the ones she had changed out of before. Her face turned red and she stopped moving. Wh-whats wrong, Itsuwa? ...this spell. Itsuwa spoke while still not moving. I need them to complete this spell... All hope left her face and she slowly took the panties back out from her bag. Itsuwa looked like she was about to cry, and Kamijou thought about turning around, but he couldnt get himself to move after she told him not to worry about it. Itsuwa lined up the objects she had taken out of her bag on the floor. To Kamijou it just looked like a circle, but there must have been subtle rules about how to do it that she was following. When she had finished arranging the objects, she spun her spear around in her hand so that the tip was pointed down. Here goes, Itsuwa said as she stabbed down towards the floor with her spear. It hit the very center of the circle. There was no sound of blade hitting stone. The tip of the spear disappeared into the floor like it was sinking into mud. (Once Itsuwa severs the pipeline, the C-Document will stop working. In other words, the riots taking place here should calm down.) The Amakusa girl mumbled something while her spear was stabbed into the floor. The spear ever so slowly sank deeper into the floor. (But then the people using the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes will realize theyve failed. When theyve determined that the situation is no longer in their favor, they may flee to the Vatican with the C-Document.) She tapped the floor with her heel. She also lightly but rhythmically tapped the handle of the spear with the pointer finger of the hand holding the spear. (So this is a race against the clock. We need to rush to the Palace of the Popes once the riots settle down. Well join up with Tsuchimikado and stop them before they can leave.) The spear was now over halfway into the floor and the end of the handle only reached up as high as Itsuwas chest. She let go of the spear and adjusted her grip. It was like she was turning a giant key. Next, there was a noise. But... It wasnt a noise caused by Itsuwas spear. With a loud crash, the outer wall of the museum suddenly burst open from some kind of attack. It was aimed for Itsuwa and her spear that was sunk into the floor. It looked like a giant blade being swung. It was white. It traveled in a straight line for Itsuwa. When she noticed that, she altered her position without moving the spear so that she was behind it. The attack passed right by Itsuwa, but a piece of the destroyed wall...or rather, a piece of stone too big to reach your arms around, hit her spear dead on. Itsuwa!! The spear broke clean in half where it was hit. Itsuwa was knocked back a fair distance while holding the broken spear. After causing this destruction, the white attack fluctuated and disappeared like smoke. Damn it...!! Itsuwa held the two halves of her broken spear in her hands. She removed the broken piece from the attachments and threw it aside. She then kicked her bag up from the ground and grabbed a replacement rod from the bag in midair. She used that piece to remake her spear. The second attack came shortly thereafter. The white blade came bursting through the outer wall again. The motion of the white blade as it moved from one wall to the other was rough like kid swinging a tree branch around. But this had overwhelming destructive force. The stone walls and floor crumbled, the glass showcases shattered, and the pieces scattered in every direction. The sounds of destruction continued one after another. Kamijou bent over and saw a fine powder falling down from the ceiling. (Not good...This building isnt going to last...!!) Itsuwa!! Kamijou yelled and moved his arms to tell her to run for the exit. Meanwhile the white blade continued to fly around destroying the walls like a predator chasing its prey. With each strike, it seemed to be getting closer and closer to its target. Whoever was controlling it may have been getting a feel for how they were avoiding it. Or perhaps the attacker was attacking from a distance and he or she was getting slowly closer. Kamijou barely managed to avoid the blade as it fell like a guillotine. He leaped out of the way and out of the museum in what was almost a roll. And then... My, my. It seems when attacking from a distance my accuracy drops. The voice came from nearby. Quite nearby. It was only a few dozen centimeters away from his face. Kamijou was surprised as the man must have been waiting for him there. The man in front of Kamijous eyes swung his right arm without waiting for Kamijou to respond. Something white appeared behind his arm as it moved. Unlike the slow movement of the mans arm, the white object shot towards Kamijous neck at the speed of a falling guillotine. There was a loud roar as it flew through the air. Ohhhhhhh!? Kamijou immediately held up his right hand and the white blade hit it. The white blade fell to pieces the very second it did. Literally. A white powder really did scatter around the area. The fog-like curtain of powder fluctuated and gathered back together when the attacker moved his finger. Get back!! Itsuwa yelled from behind Kamijou and he hurriedly put some distance between himself and the attacker. Kamijou was finally able to focus on all of the attacker at once. It was a man wearing green ceremonial clothes. He was wearing green from head to toe. He was a bit short for a white person as he was about Kamijous height or maybe a little shorter. On the other hand, he looked about twice Kamijous age. He was quite skinny so his ceremonial clothes were very loose fitting. His sunken cheeks gave him an odd sense of vitality. Kamijou held out his right hand and asked the ceremonially-dressed attacker a question. ...Are you from the Roman Catholic Church? I am, but I would prefer it if you said I was from Gods Right Seat. Kamijou was at a loss for words at how carefree the mans response was. Gods Right Seat. Another member of that group, Vento of the Front, had almost completely paralyzed Academy City single-handedly on September 30th. If this man was on the same level as her... My name is Terra of the Left. The white powder gathered in his hand took shape. As before, it was the shape of a guillotine. It was a board-shaped blade that looked like a 70 centimeter square that had had its bottom cut diagonally. The man held it by the ring that would normally have the supporting rope tied to it. It seems my turn is finally here. Since we of Gods Right Seat cannot use normal magic, I had to leave the operation of the C-Document to another magician. Terra smiled as he let the execution blade hang casually by his side. And so I was hoping you could help me kill some time. Youre the first ones to get caught by my anti-leyline spell probe, so I hope youll be good for some fun. Part 8 Kamijou, Itsuwa, and Terra stood in front of the destroyed outer wall of the museum. The dust was lowering visibility, so they tried to wave it away. Then Terra of the Left swung his right hand. He swung it from left to right. Matching that movement, the white guillotine moved. It was less like he was holding it and more like it was floating in the air while connected to his arm. The form of the guillotine that had been a meter across just a moment ago collapsed. It turned into a white tsunami that shot out in a horizontal line. It roared through the air. Ohhhh!? Kamijou held up his right hand. Whirling destruction followed the blade. The streets in the old town of Avignon were small. It gouged into the cliff-like buildings on side, blew away parked cars, and knocked entire buildings crooked. There was now a clear distinction between the pristine old street to Kamijous right and the pile of rubble to his left. The white guillotine was very destructive and it would easily slice right through a person, but... (I can deal with it using my right hand!!) Itsuwa! Kamijou yelled, but he started running towards Terra without waiting for her to respond. He would draw Terras attack and Itsuwa would get in range to attack him. That was the best attack pattern for this situation. And Terra seemed focused on Kamijous right hand. His sickly-looking eyes narrowed and he spoke in a voice that showed admiration. You should have been killed by that strike. I see. So this is Imagine Breaker. ...I had heard that you beat down Vento of the Front. Terra swung the guillotine while grinning. He swung it from back to front. Matching that movement, the white blade tapered off like a screw and shot in a pointed strike straight for Kamijous chest. ...!! Kamijou somehow managed to get his right hand up to hit it, but he was so focused on defense he was having trouble moving his feet quickly enough. Whoosh. Itsuwa ran by Kamijous side holding her spear while crouching slightly. Hmph. Terras guillotine headed towards her. A loud noise entered Kamijous ears. Itsuwa had ducked under the white blade flying in a straight line. But she didnt stop moving there. She evaded the blade a second and third time, held up her Friuli Spear, and leaped for Terras chest. She pulled the spear back and powerfully stabbed it forwards. Terra repelled the spear with a horizontal swing of the guillotine. He then swung the guillotine horizontally in the opposite direction. This time he was aiming for Itsuwa. It was something like a counter for that large blade. !! Itsuwa didnt try to stop the blade; she leapt forward diagonally and continued forward to avoid it. As she did so, she pulled the spear back to build up power and struck forward. It may have been because she had to dodge the blade, but she lost her balance and there was a slight lag to her attack. Terra used that time to swing the guillotine again. It looked like Terras white blade would reach Itsuwa before her spear reached him. But there was a small glint of light next to Terras face. He then noticed lines of light crossing in front of his eyes and several straight lines of light spreading out like a spider web around him. Sorry about this... Itsuwa spoke these words as a straining sound could be heard. The sound of something being strained to its limit was coming from... The Seven Blades of the Seven Teachings!! Wires. With the sound of the air being sliced, the wires rushed in towards Terra at an amazing speed. The superfine blades attacked at once from 7 different directions and were set to cut him at several places from his ankles to his heart. Terra did not have time to avoid them. Kamijou thought they might be moving faster than a bullet. But... Precedence. Terras expression did not change. He merely muttered that one word. The 7 wires headed for his body did not cut him to pieces; they merely coiled around him without even breaking the skin as if they were nothing but fishing line. Itsuwas expression turned to one of shock. Terra lightly swung his right arm and the 7 wires wrapped around his skin ripped to pieces like they were a spider web. !! Itsuwa exhaled sharply and stabbed forward with her spear that had been pulled back. The sharp tip stabbed towards Terras shoulder at lightning speed. Precedence: Outer Wall C Lower, Human Body C Higher. But then Terra muttered those words. He disappeared into the wall behind him as if he was entering an invisible entrance. !? Itsuwas spear struck the wall and a high-pitched sound rang out. As the shock ran up her arm, Itsuwa grimaced. And then... Precedence: Outer Wall C Lower, Movements of a Blade C Higher. The white guillotine crashed through the wall and attacked horizontally towards Itsuwas torso. Itsuwa abandoned the idea of blocking it and practically fell to the ground avoiding the horizontal attack. A few severed pieces of her hair floated in the air. Meanwhile, Terra jumped out through the newly made hole in the wall. He spotted Itsuwa shortly after her evasive action and casually swung the guillotine again. As Itsuwa had her stomach pressed to the ground, she had no way of dodging it this time. So Kamijou leaped over attempting to get between Itsuwa and Terra. Ooooaaahh!? He just barely managed to destroy the giant blade with his right hand as it swung down towards Itsuwas neck. The guillotine exploded and white dust scattered about the area. Terras expression did not change. He did not seem worried in the slightest. Precedence: Outer Wall C Lower, Movements of a Blade C Higher. Terra spoke the same words again and he casually thrust the now re-gathered white blade towards the side wall. The guillotine swung across the outer wall like an arm knocking things off of a shelf. The outer wall collapsed and dozens of stones the size of melons flew through the air. !! While Itsuwa tried stand up, Kamijou grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. Building materials crushed the area they were moments ago. Instead of chasing after them, Terra leisurely walked over the rubble in their direction. Id heard about the Imagine Breaker before, so I was anticipating quite a bit. Terra smiled while the white blade of unknown properties hung from his right hand. But from the looks of things, youre nothing much. To be honest, Im a bit disappointed, I wish Id never seen this. You apparently won your battle with Vento, but that was merely caused by your destroying her Divine Punishment and Academy City''s using that fallen angel with the pressure of the realm to constrict her. If she were at full power, she would not have had any trouble with you. (This is...) Kamijou felt a chill down his spine as he realized something. A man who was on the same level as Vento would not attack with just a blade. (Hes a part of Gods Right Seat...!!) Kamijou subconsciously gritted his teeth, but he doubted Terra was just going to wait for him to calm down. My my, whats wrong? Terra smiled and lifted up the sinister guillotine. Surely you dont think you can defeat me by keeping your distance. At least allow me to enjoy this a little more. If this is all youve got, I dont even need to make any adjustments. Kh!! Kamijou and Itsuwa dragged their heavy bodies forward and simultaneously attacked Terra. Terra held the guillotine forward in his right hand and spoke. Precedence: Movements of a Spear C Lower, Air C Higher. And with that, Itsuwas motion suddenly stopped. The tip of her blade that had been headed for Terras throat was stopped as if it were obstructed by a wall of air. As Kamijou saw this happening from side, he clenched his right fist and swung it at Terras chest. Terra was faster. He casually swung his hand horizontally and the white blade followed suit. The giant blade evaded past Kamijous right hand and lunged at his body. (Oh, shi-!?) He lacked the time to even finish the thought. The blade''s width was thicker than his thumb. He felt it press up against his skin and dig in. Pain exploded about him. Kamijous body doubled over from the force of the guillotine and he was launched into the side wall. Shortly after he heard a loud thud, he heard a painful cracking noise from his body. (...!?) He was unable to speak. The force that was pinning his stomach and back had left him breathless. Gha...!? However, that was the extent of his injuries. Kamijous was not sliced in two like the outer walls. He punched the guillotine pushing him against the wall with a shaking fist. The giant blade burst into powder and Kamijou sat on the ground, attempting to gain control of his erratic breathing. ... Terra stared with great interest at his destroyed guillotine. He took a step back and lightly moved his fingers, calling the powder to return to him. (Im... alive...?) Kamijou thought as he rubbed his stomach that stung with dull pain. (That hit me, but Im still alive...?) Terras first surprise attack had easily broken through the outer wall of the museum. Kamijou had been hit by the same attack, so his body should be crushed or splattered. Which meant... (That and this one were different types...?) Kamijou moved his gaze from his stomach to Terra. Terra still seemed uninterested as he stood in front of the destroyed museum. (Does something amplify the destructive power? Is there some trick to the sword?) There was one thing that stood out as suspicious. Kamijou stared at Terra as the latter checked to make sure his guillotine was in working order after it had been negated. Precedence...'' Itsuwa mumbled as she changed position to cover Kamijou as she pulled on her spear that simply refused to reach Terra. She then noticed the powder stuck on the tip of her spear. ...Flour? She thought for a moment and her body stiffened as shock appeared on her face Does that weapon function using the Flesh of God...?'' Oh, so even an Asian can figure that out. Itsuwa was nearly speechless as Terra attempted to provoke Itsuwa. During mass, wine is treated as the Blood of God and the bread is treated as the Flesh of God. And Im sure I dont have to tell you that the event of mass is modeled after the execution of the Son of God on the cross. Itsuwa bit her lip upon Terras words. Kamijou had no way of knowing, but those words were quite destructive to someone knowledgeable in magic. When you calmly think about the fact that the Son of God was crucified on the cross, you will realize that a normal human wouldnt normally be able to kill the Son of God. Thatd be quite a tall order even for me. At certain times in the scriptures, the order of precedence is changed. For instance, in order for the Son of God to take on all of humanitys original sin, the natural precedence had to be changed so that he could be killed by a normal human. The guillotine started to crumble. Despite the fact that Kamijou was raising his guard, Terra seemed to enjoying himself more and more. One of the secret ceremonies required to complete the story of the Son of God is the alteration of the order of precedence. And it is that very spell that I use. It is called the Execution of Light. The ability to freely alter the shape of the flour, which used as the medium, into an edged tool shape is like a byproduct of that. Do you understand now? This basically meant that if Terras body was given precedence over the wires, his body would remain unscathed. If the blade made of flour was given precedence over the outer wall, the blade was able to destroy the walls with ease. If the air was given precedence over the spear, Itsuwas attack would stop in midair. Strength and weakness mean nothing before me. I can just alter the order of the two after all. This was the power of Gods Right Seat. Vento of the Front wielded a power that dealt with God, Divine Punishment, and had used it to paralyze Academy City. This time it was the execution of the Son of God. All magicians dealt with theories and laws Kamijou knew nothing about, but he had a feeling the ones Gods Right Seat dealt with were something special. Hm, but what to do now? I may have revealed my trick, but that doesnt mean this is over. Dont tell me you thought it ended when you solved the mystery. Kamijou strongly clenched his right fist at Terras words. He was right. They knew how it worked, but they had no way of dealing with it. That was why Terra had been able to reveal his secret to them while remaining confident. Perhaps Ill give you some time, Terra said in a teasing way. Stretching out this battle doesnt harm me any. Ill give you 10 seconds. In that time, you can come up with a plan to defeat me or a plan to flee. ...But dont be mistaken. Im not saying any such plans actually exist, okay? Terra seemed to be enjoying himself more and more as he spoke. Fuck, Kamijou cursed. There wasnt that much space between them and Terra of the Left. Kamijou grit his teeth and Terra seemed to be enjoying every single reaction Kamijou gave. But then... Oh, how generous. I can come up with 3 different plans given 10 seconds. Kamijou suddenly heard a male voice he knew well coming from outside his range of vision. Before he got a chance to look over, a red bullet shot through the air. It was a burning orange piece of origami. The folded square scrap of paper flew towards Terras face with enough force to crack concrete. Terra merely followed it with his eyes. Precedence: Magic C Lower, Human Skin C Higher. It struck. But just as the origami touched Terras skin, it suddenly changed directions and struck the wall right next to Itsuwa. It was like a bullet ricocheting off of a metal wall. Kamijou finally turned to look at the intruder. A boy wearing blue sunglasses was standing there. Because he had forced himself to use magic, he had a trail of blood coming from his lips. Tsuchimikado...!? Tsuchimikado gave a slight nod in response. His gaze never left Terra. Dont tell me, Terra smiled slightly as the guillotine hung from his right hand, that was one of your plans. Unfortunately for you... Tsuchimikado smiled, too. His attack seemed to have been a dud, but he didnt seem even slightly worried. I have you cornered now. ...? And itll be checkmate next. Ive proved my theory to be correct. What he pulled out as he said this was not a magical item. It was shining black handgun. The very same handgun he had shot Oyafune Monaka with. Do you really think you can defeat me with a toy like that? Tsuchimikado gave no response. He gathered strength in the finger on the trigger. Terra made no attempt to find cover; he merely stood and slowly spoke. Precedence: Bullet C Lower, Human Skin C Higher. Precedence: Bullet C Lower, Human Skin C Higher. Tsuchimikado spoke in unison with Terra. The sound of multiple gunshots rang out. But the lead bullets ricocheted off of Terras face and chest. It was an overwhelmingly one-sided result. But even so, a smile remained on Tsuchimikados lips. I told you, Terra of the Left. Tsuchimikado held the handgun in one hand and put his other hand in his pocket. He pulled out a black piece of origami. I told it would be checkmate this time. ... Terra of the Left was silent after hearing Tsuchimikados words. He then slowly turned towards Tsuchimikado and prepared his guillotine. The streets were supposed to be full of rioters, but the area seemed oddly silent. (Move...) Kamijou thought. For better or for worse, a major change was about to occur in his battle. Kamijou was completely caught up in the confrontation between Tsuchimikado and Terra, so he hadnt notice Itsuwa drawing near. She whispered in his ear. (Um, we need to take advantage of Tsuchimikados next action and flee.) Eh? (...He told us to in his instructions. He said stopping the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes is more important than defeating the enemy here.) Itsuwa was holding a piece of origami. Tsuchimikados instructions must have been written on it. Kamijou didnt know exactly when, but he must have thrown it to Itsuwa while talking with Terra. Tsuchimikado and Terra each took a slow step towards each other. And just when Kamijou thought they were going to strike, a noise erupted that was so loud he thought his eardrums were going to burst. (...!?) This was not the sound of magic. It was the sound of the townscape of Avignon being destroyed by explosives. Of course, neither Tsuchimikado nor Terra had caused it. A third party was interfering. Proof of this could be seen in how both of them clicked their tongues in annoyance and how each stepped back to put some distance between himself and the other. Kamijou was surprised by this sudden occurrence and watched as the housing complexes towering above either side of the road began crumbling. This created a gray dust that obscured Kamijous vision. He could see the silhouettes of the source of the explosions on the other side. But these were not human silhouettes. ...Whats going on? What the hell is going on!? he mumbled. The warped silhouettes on the other side of the gray curtain were moving. Part 9 Academy Citys unofficially formed armored unit began invading the old city of Avignon from outside its walls. Their primary equipment was the HsPS-15, aka the Large Weapon. It was a powered suit developed using all the best Academy City technology. The powered suit was a new Academy City weapon that covered the body in armor that looked like a Western suit of armor. The joints were moved using electric power and the flesh-and-blood human inside was given mobility anywhere from twice normal to dozens of times normal. They came in various standard sizes and levels of firepower, but the ones here were giant masses of metal 2.5 meters tall. The suits had blue and gray camouflage on them and the robot-like armor had two arms and two legs and the arms had 5 fingers each. However, if you asked someone whether the powered suits were human-like, you would be told no. The head area was huge. It may have been because the chest armor was so thick, but it looked like the suits had one of the drum-shaped security robots on their heads. There was no neck. The head was directly connected to the chest, but it could still rotate. There was a great sound of something hard being crushed. It was the sound of the armored legs stepping on the rubble as they advanced. The stone paving and the ruins of the bricks had both survived for hundreds of years, but they were so easily crushed now. The hands of the powered suits held special guns that had barrels so wide they looked misshapen. The guns looked like large rifles made by forcibly shortening the barrel of a tanks main gun, but they were actually quite different. They were anti-barrier revolver shotguns. The shells used in those guns were special. Inside a single shell were a few dozen bullets that would usually be classified as anti-materiel. Each shot could blow straight through a tank and at close range a few shots could force open the door to a nuclear shelter. Usually, the barrel wouldnt hold up to the explosive force of the gunpowder, but, by delicately controlling the type and arrangement of the gunpowder, the direction of the explosive force could be controlled so that the lowest possible amount of damage was given to the barrel and the greatest possible amount of destructive force was released. The few dozen powered suits headed for the castle walls surrounding Avignon while holding this large weapon that had been developed for the purposes of breaking through the thick door of a shelter an enemy might be hiding inside. Commence invasion. A mere two words. As that voice spoke, the anti-barrier shotguns fired. Each time the pump-action-like slide was pulled the revolver cylinder turned. In an instant, the stone walls that had restricted peoples entrance and exit to and from the city for hundreds of years were blown away like they were made of paper. The powered suits stepped over the rubble and entered the old city of Avignon. The artificial legs moved much more smoothly than a real humans would have. They found the youths of Avignon who had been rioting shortly before. Those youths were not enveloped in pure fear or pure rage. This had been so sudden that they had been unable to sort out their feelings. This left them shaking in a whirlpool of mixed emotions. On the other hand, the response of the powered suits was completely uniform. They moved the wide barrels of their anti-barrier shotguns that had blown through the castle walls in a single shot and aimed them directly at the flesh-and-blood humans before them. A voice gave a short report to its companions over the radio. Enemy forces spotted. Part 10 Kamijou was dumbfounded when he saw the large number of powered suits blasting through walls as they walked through Avignon ignoring the complicated arrangement of small streets. One of the cliff-like buildings towering above was destroyed and he could see them on the other side of the rubble. Those things should not be in the normal world. No institution other than Academy City should have been able to develop powered suits of that level. They had anti-barrier revolver shotguns in their hands. They blasted through the buildings and cars in their paths and mercilessly turned their guns on the rioters that recklessly attempted to fight back. The shotguns fired shells from those gun barrels that a human fist could easily fit inside. People were easily mowed down as the shotguns fired. But that most likely wasnt done with live ammunition. Kamijou didnt know how it worked, but it seemed the anti-barrier revolver shotguns could use different types of shells. Perhaps the types of shells were divided between the even and odd chambers in the revolving cylinder, and it rotated two chambers at a time. That way, it could be changed between odd mode and even mode. They were shooting blanks. But the shock wave from the great explosion this caused was enough to knock the oxygen from a persons lungs and knock them to the ground. When the first line of vigorous rioters was silenced, the second and third lines of approaching rioters paled and started running about in panic. The powered suits didnt let them go. The suits walked past the townspeople who were curled up shaking in the corners of the street and, if they showed any sign of resistance, the suits would mercilessly fire a blank in their direction knocking them back with a warhead of sound. While the rioters were rendered ineffective by this, the powered suits would connect their shotguns to a metal backpack-like part on their backs to automatically reload. (...Whats going on?) The situation was so crazy Kamijou could do nothing but watch. (Didnt Tsuchimikado say Academy City wasnt going to act? And now that they have...Why did it have to be like this!?) Oyafune Monaka had said that the leaders of Academy City hadnt dared to deal with the problem in Avignon and were just going to let the chaos worsen. Apparently the moment to act had come. Now that the needed amount of damage had been done by the chaos, they were ending it all as if by flipping a switch. Kamijou bit his lip. The leaders of Academy City. The Board of Directors. And the one controlling them who was truly at the top of the science side. I see. So its come to this. Terra said sounding amused. And with those words, the atmosphere that was colored by shock was refocused on Terra. Tsuchimikado held his handgun up as smoke came from the barrel and there was so much hostility coming from him that it felt like the hostility alone could pierce Terra. Well, the ones manipulating the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes are just normal magicians, so this really could end badly. I wish I could have gotten a bit more battlefield data for my precedence spell Execution of Light, though. Oh, well. As Terra spoke, he didnt look towards Kamijou or the others and walked seemingly aimlessly through one of the large holes in one the housing complexes opened by the powered suits. Wait!! Tsuchimikado yelled, but he jumped to the side directly afterwards. Before Kamijou could figure why, a huge blast that probably came from an attack by one of the powered suits came from within the housing complex. Kamijous tiny body was blown back in the blast. The hole Terra had gone through was filled with flames. Ow...!? A-are you all right!? Itsuwa frantically grabbed Kamijous hand. Kamijou grabbed her hand to get up and Tsuchimikado called out to him. Can you move, Kami-yan? We need to get to the Palace of the Popes!! Those powered suits are from Academy City, right!? I thought they werent going to move! This has gotten really damn complicated! Can we really just leave without stopping them!? Going after Terra comes first!! And theyre after the C-Document, too. All this chaos might die down once that spiritual item is destroyed!! Damn it. Do they really plan on stopping all this chaos? Kamijou muttered in annoyance. In Avignon there were the rioters affected by the C-Document and the powered suits. Which side did he truly hate? Cmon, Kami-yan. That Gods Right Seat member may still be taking us too lightly, but with things the way they are, they really are going to flee. This is our only chance to destroy the C-Document!! Fuck, Kamijou swore. At that time, a number of powered suits stepped into the narrow road out of the now flame-filled hole Terra had left through. It should be fellow Academy City people inside of them, but the barrels of the weapons were squarely aimed their way. Apparently, they werent taking the time to check what side everyone was on. They were just attacking everyone in the city of Avignon. ...Kami-yan, lets split up here. Itsuwa was it? You and Kami-yan head towards the Palace together. Tsuchimikado? It seems there are two problems here in Avignon. I thought we could just leave the powered suits alone for now, but that option is gone. Kami-yan, you chase down Terra and do something about the C-Document. Ill stop these Academy City idiots. But theres... Kamijou was going to finish that with no way you can do that, but Tsuchimikado cut him off. They arent complete enemies. Sure, Ill have to fight briefly, but Ill be looking for a chance to talk with them. And Im better at this kind of tactic than you. ...Damn it. Go, Kami-yan!! Damn it!! Kamijou ran along the narrow road with Itsuwa as he yelled. Behind him he heard the sound of the powered suits operating and (Tsuchimikado must have done something) a repeated sound of ice shattering. Kamijou grit his teeth knowing that Tsuchimikado became covered in blood even when he used magic once, but he couldnt do anything about it now. He ran through the narrow streets of the old city of Avignon. The scent of gunpowder and smoke filled his nose. He saw fleeing people and powered suits chasing them down. (What the hell is going on!?) This made the demonstrations and riots look like nothing. As Kamijou watched the overwhelming violence of military action, Kamijou thought the blood vessels in his head were going to burst. Itsuwa knew the location of the Palace of the Popes from her earlier investigation of Avignon. He looked in the direction she indicated and saw a silhouette he guessed had to be it in the distance. Between the lines 3 Stiyl Magnus left the Tower of London. The weather in London was reasonable, but the sightseers were few and far between. Unlike other countries, there werent large scale riots occurring in England, but there was still a sense of tension spreading throughout the city. Gods Right Seat, huh...? Stiyl mumbled as he put a new cigarette between his lips. According to Lidvia Lorenzetti, there were only 4 members and they each held the attributes of one of the four archangels. What do you think about what she said? Agnese Sanctis spoke out of boredom as she exited the building next to him. Is any of it even true? I never heard about anything like that while I was with the Roman Catholic Church. It could just be a lie meant to disturb us. I cant deny that possibility, but everything said in the interrogation room is magically recorded. Thats what youre writing on the parchment. If we reanalyze that, we should be able to figure out how accurate it is. Of course, we cant be 100% sure, Stiyl added. Stiyl thought as he spoke. If Lidvia was telling the truth, Gods Right Seat was both the name of a group within the depths of the Roman Catholic Church and, at the same time, was the name of their final objective. (...The seat on the right side. It almost seems like a hint, but Im not sure. I cant narrow it down enough yet. I guess Ill have to talk with them some more.) Stiyl looked at Agneses face. Maybe we should take a bit more of a break. No, I want to get this over with. I see, Stiyl briefly responded. They then went back into the dark Tower of London. Volume 14, 4: A Collection of Steel that Blocks out the Sky. Cruel_Troopers. Volume 14, Chapter 4: A Collection of Steel that Blocks out the Sky. Cruel_Troopers. Part 1 Kamijou and Itsuwa ran along the streets of Avignon. The dreadful rioters were gone. Most of them had been exterminated. Parts of the road had been upturned and buildings and walls had collapsed, so the road was difficult to travel down. There were a lot of parked cars. As Kamijou ran towards the Palace of the Popes, the air smelled of smoke and gunpowder and he occasionally had to climb over rubble or duck through holes in walls. There were powered suits in various places throughout the city. Some were on the roads; some were on the roofs of buildings. (If Im able to spot this many while just running by, there must be hundreds or thousands of them in Avignon. Just what the hell is going on...?) Kamijou clenched his teeth as he ran through a road that was submerged due to a broken water pipe and jumped over a toppled street light. (It was the Roman Catholic Church that started this war. Academy City should be moving in an attempt to stop it. So why is this happening!?) There was one thing this battlefield clearly lacked. The smell of blood. Since the powered suits anti-barrier revolver shotguns used different types of shells, flesh-and-blood humans were only ever shot with blanks. But the gunshot created by the great amount of explosive used turned into a shock wave. This shell of sound was mercilessly mowing down the rioters in Avignon. There were piles of unconscious rioters scattered around the city. And next to one, there were some powered suits inflating a giant balloon with a bulletproof fiber woven into it. (Is that for reconnaissance...?) Kamijou had seen something like that in an Academy City drama. The balloon was equipped with a tiny camera and it moved around using heated air just like a hot-air balloon. Its main weakness was that the battery for the electric furnace that heated the air drained quickly, but it moved much more silently than one with a propeller and was both cheap and portable. The one the powered suits were inflating was several times bigger than the one he had seen in the drama and it had a basket made of the same bulletproof fiber below it. It was most likely going to be used similarly to a hot-air balloon. They would put the unconscious people on them and have them be automatically brought outside of the area of operation. When Kamijou looked around again he noticed a number of black balloons floating in the air like dandelion seeds. That was just how many people the powered suits had taken out. ... They may have had the same idea as Tsuchimikado. The rioters marching in the narrow streets of Avignon would be a hindrance to their mission. And the enemy using the C-Document could mix in with the rioters. So the best strategy was to quiet down the rioters first. But... Tsuchimikado wouldnt do it this way... Eh? Itsuwa turned her head toward Kamijou, but he didnt respond. As he ran, he looked at the exploded cars and tightly clenched his fist. (Just because your actions take precedence is no reason to use violence to make the city yield to you!!) Kamijou finally figured out what exactly Oyafune Monaka, one of the Board of Directors, had wanted to stop. It wasnt that she had hated the Roman Catholic Church. And it wasnt that she had wanted to defeat the enemy of Academy City. She had wanted to stop a situation such as this where things had devolved to a conflict where anything and everything was destroyed. (I have to stop this.) Kamijou grit his teeth and ran through the city that was now a battlefield. (I cant just ignore this spiral of destruction. If anyone tries to justify this situation to me, Ill destroy every last bit of that illusion of theirs!!) W-were there. Thats it...!! And so Kamijou and Itsuwa had reached the Palace of the Popes. The name had led Kamijou to imagine a solemn church or a gaudy palace, but the actual building was less a palace and more a medieval fort. The giant building was a collection of stones from a quarry and it gave a feeling of rejection to those who looked at it. The outer walls looking down on Kamijou were over 10 meters tall, but he looked surprised as soon as he saw the place. Holes... Itsuwa muttered while carrying her spear in one hand. The huge double doors of the main entrance had been blown inwards and walls around some of the windows on the higher floors had been destroyed. Someone must have been inside because there were intermittent gunshots and explosions coming from within. Its already started. Lets go, Itsuwa!! R-right!! Entering a building with gunshots coming from it wasnt the best idea, but they had no choice. Part 2 Tsuchimikado Motoharu was covered in blood. It wasnt because he had been shot by the powered suits. It was a side effect of the origami magic he had used in order to draw their attention elsewhere. He had used the tiny opportunity from that to start running down a narrow road. He looked like he was about to fall over as he hid behind a parked car. A number of gunshots rang through the air towards him. Even though these gunshots were from blanks, the blasts of air were effective at suppressing the rioters. With one blast, the cars windows shattered and the metal door bent in. (Damn them...) Tsuchimikado clicked his tongue as he pressed against the side of the car. He wouldnt die if he was hit, but he would pass out. And as he hid behind his shield, he heard a different thud. He looked over in shock and saw that one of the powered suits had used its astounding jumping power to travel 10 meters through the air and was approaching from directly above him. Shit!! Tsuchimikado immediately jumped back and, at about the same instant, the giant powered suit landed on the car. The car was crushed beneath the great weight and exploded. The blast carried Tsuchimikado farther than he could have jumped otherwise. As he rolled along the ground, the powered suit quietly aimed its anti-barrier shotgun at him while it was still surrounded by flames. The area he was in simply had a line of cliff-like buildings on either side of the narrow street. Tsuchimikado tried to get behind a building at a street corner, but the powered suit was faster. The blast of air that came with the gunshot hit Tsuchimikados feet. He fell as if he had been tripped. Crawling, he somehow managed to get around the corner. (Gh...Ahhhh!?) When he looked at his ankle, it was badly bruised. Somehow the bone hadnt been broken, but his movements were restricted nonetheless. (It looked like there were 14 powered suits. Their armor looks thin, but they should be able to take an anti-tank missile straight on. Not to mention that...) As he heard moving machinery from around the corner, Tsuchimikado pulled some first-aid medical tape out of his pocket and used it to wrap his ankle. (Theyre using the new drive correction device. That driver that studies the conditions of the battlefield and automatically regulates everything to bring out the greatest performance.) When using the same weapons in a tropical rainforest or in Antarctica, its performance could change based on the environment. In a desert, you had to be sure that sand didnt get in and in wetlands you had to make sure mud didnt get in. The easiest way to maintain a weapon and the weapons characteristics differed depending on the region. But these powered suits were different. They scanned the environment around them and automatically corrected for it, so they could be used in their default settings anywhere in the world. (Im pretty sure the automatic correction information is transmitted amongst all of them during a mission. Ha ha. They probably know the best on how to walk through Avignon right now.) For weapons with legs, balance was the biggest problem, but that weakness was not present with the powered suits. They could walk across crumbling ground even better than a real person could. (Damn it. How am I supposed to attack...?) Tsuchimikado Motoharu checked his taped ankle. And by then, they were drawing near. Part 3 The inside of the Palace of the Popes was vast. But Kamijou felt that vastness gave it a feeling of lonely isolation. At the very least, there was nothing inside. The walls didnt even have wallpaper; they were bare stone. Other than the evenly spaced pillars holding up the ceiling, nothing was there. It was like a pyramid after all the treasure had been removed. (It looks like the Roman Catholic Church really didnt have any major force here. A select few wanted to use the C-Document without the rest of the church knowing. Or maybe Terra is acting alone using a personal squad.) It looks like no ones here... Itsuwa said while holding her spear at the ready. The site was open to sightseers on weekdays, but no one was sightseeing at a time like this. Before, Avignon had been afraid of the rioters and now the powered suits were rampaging around the area. The gun shots and explosions continued. If they were continuing, that meant that an actual battle was occurring instead of a one-sided suppression. Terra was not the only magician in the city because someone had to be operating the C-Document. The powered suits were astounding, but those Roman Catholic magicians had to be something else to take them on directly like that. As he didnt want to draw fire from either side, Kamijou was walking quietly. ...Where exactly did those powered suits come from? Eh? Itsuwa looked over at Kamijou. Are there Academy City people piloting them? Or were they lent to an organization that cooperates with Academy City? And they cant exactly hide what theyre doing here. What is Academy City thinking...? His cell phone had a television function. Causing unnecessary noise was dangerous, but he needed information. Kamijou checked to make sure no one was around, took out his phone, and tried to turn on the television function. However, nothing showed up. Perhaps it didnt work with foreign stations. He thought for a second and then brought up the recorded numbers. He called one of those numbers. Misaka!! Wh-what? He had called Misaka Mikoto. Are you busy? Theres something I want to ask you. O-oh, I see. Does it have to be me? Couldnt you ask someone else? Like my mom maybe. Hm? ...Oh, I guess youre right. I can just ask Misuzu-san or someone... Non non non non!! I thought you called me because you had something to ask me! ??? Well, I guess someone in Academy City would be more helpful than Misuzu-san. Kamijou cocked his head to the side in confusion and got to the reason he had called. Misaka, can you check the news? It can just be from the internet. Can you see if the foreign news says anything about something happening in the city of Avignon? Huh? Misaka responded. Perhaps his question had been a bit too sudden. ...Or so he thought. Apparently that wasnt the case here. What are you talking about? If you just turn on any TV, youll find the special news report. Avignon is a French city, right? It seems some religious group is violating international law there by using some special kind of destructive weapon and an operation to clear them out has begun. Theres a huge uproar about it. ...What? Kamijou was completely shocked, and then Mikoto continued. Theyre saying that normally the French government would take care of this, but they needed some experts with access to special technology, so Academy City has gotten caught up in it all. ...Actually, where are you? You would be hard pressed to find somewhere that didnt have this information yet. W-well... Kamijou thought about how to explain this, but something distracted him. He couldnt hear anything else. The gunshots and other sounds from the nearby battle had stopped at some point. This was the natural state of the Palace of the Popes, but the silence almost hurt his hears. (...) Mikoto was saying something on the other end of the phone, but Kamijou didnt respond. He stopped breathing and focused his attention, but he still couldnt hear anything. He exchanged glances with Itsuwa who was standing next to him and slowly moved forward. (Whats happening here...?) He felt like some unknown tension was seeping from the depths of the passageways, from the cracks in the walls, and from the other sides of the doors. It felt like the entire atmosphere of the area had been changed. Kamijou was unable to figure out what had caused it. This was because the answer showed itself before he had a chance to. With a loud crash, the thick wall to Kamijous side burst open. A powered suit came crashing through. It slammed into Kamijou and knocked him to the ground. The phone in his hand fell to the ground and the LCD screen shattered. !? Itsuwa hurriedly thrust the tip of her spear at the powered suit, but she stopped partway. This was because the powered suit had its arms and legs dangling down showing that it had lost all functionality. It must have been hurled in there by someone. A number of cylindrical objects were scattered about the powered suit. The 350-milliliter drink can-sized cylinders were the shells for the anti-barrier shotgun the powered suit used. The giant revolver shotgun was lying on the ground nearby. Kh... Shaking his head, Kamijou stood up and heard footsteps. He raised his head. Itsuwa was wielding her spear so as to cover him. And beyond her... Through the destroyed wall, a magician stood holding a giant white blade. It was Terra of the Left. The man had destroyed the powered suit without breaking a sweat by using his precedence magic. Theyve really done it now... He said in a slow voice with an intentional hint of irritation mixed in. I didnt expect for them to quiet down the chaos of the riots by creating an even greater chaos that I could get wrapped up in. It just goes to show how serious Academy City is. They felt they had to do something about this even if it brought them a certain amount of international criticism. In his left hand, the opposite of the hand holding the white guillotine, he held a rolled up piece of parchment. It was small. It was only about 15 cm long and 3 cm across. That parchment that had been sealed with wax was... The C-Document... Itsuwa muttered in complete shock. It was that powerful spiritual item that made a speakers words thought to be completely correct for the Roman Catholic Church. And if Terra was holding it instead of the magicians that had actually been using it... This really is a pain. I could easily defeat them on my own, but they focused their attack on the magicians using this. And that will clearly have an effect on the spell. Really now, not being able to use human spells can be a real problem sometimes. Now Ive had victory snatched from my grasp thanks to those mediocre magicians. It seems calling it quits here and leaving would be the best plan now. Do you really think were just going to let you leave? Kamijou said as he slowly lifted up his right hand. You people can use the C-Document when you get back to the Vatican. Do you really think were going to let you go knowing that? But what can you do about it? Not even that Academy City unit attacking Avignon can stop me. Or do you think youre more powerful than all of them with that right hand of yours? Do you have any proof of that? ... As there were no more gunshots coming from anywhere in the Palace of the Popes, it was best to assume that all of the powered suits had been defeated by Terra. With that much power at his disposal, Terra mockingly smiled towards Kamijou and Itsuwa. Although, I suppose it will be difficult to convince you if I dont do anything. He put the C-Document into his pocket with his left hand and lifted the white guillotine with his right. Challenge me to your hearts content and then give up to your hearts content. I find it much more enjoyable that way. Part 4 The cityscape of Avignon was being destroyed more and more. The rioters were being knocked unconscious by the shockwave-like blanks, dragged into piles by the powered suits, and then carried away by the balloons woven with bulletproof fiber. And among it all, Tsuchimikado Motoharu ran. He moved from hiding behind rubble to hiding behind cars only staying out in the open for as short a time as possible. He was fleeing the pursuing powered suits. Even though he was staying behind cover as much as possible, the blasts continued. He avoided level ground as much as he could and continued along paths with toppled street lights and destroyed roads. But... (Tch. So they really arent going to fall over from just that. Their drive correction devices are working...!!) Even though the powered suits walked on two legs which was difficult to balance and were actually quite heavy, they moved without showing any signs of wobbling. They werent walking one step at a time like on level ground; they were moving smoothly like a cockroach. The powered suits scanned the environment and automatically made the most optimal corrections for the situation. They pursued Tsuchimikado while traveling as fast as an automobile and crossing the terrain more smoothly than a human could. It was only a matter of time until checkmate. Tsuchimikado stopped in the middle of the road. The tall buildings on the left and right were destroyed and had blocked the road like a rockslide. It wasnt too much to climb over, but the powered suits wouldnt give him enough time to do so. It would end with him getting shot in the back while pressing up against the wall. He heard a metallic noise from behind him. It sounded like a gear turning. He felt a chill run up his spine. It was a sound he had not yet heard that signified that something had been changed. He had a pretty good idea of what. (...The anti-barrier shotgun.) It was the sound of the blanks for suppressing the rioters being changed to the live shells that were intended to open the gates to nuclear shelters. (Here it comes!!) Tsuchimikado leapt with all his strength to the side without bothering to turn around. Directly afterwards, the sound of an explosion hit him like a physical blow. The mountain of rubble that had blocked his way was blown into nothingness. In a single blast, a hole a few meters in diameter had been created. ...!! Covering his ears, Tsuchimikado looked behind him. The powered suit pointed the gun barrel that was big enough to put a fist in towards him and placed its finger on the trigger. The streets of Avignon were narrow. He couldnt jump to the side to avoid it this time. !? Hey, wooden sticks. Be useful for once and be a shield!! (Use the talisman of the blue wood and protect my body!!)[1] Tsuchimikado yelled this as he pulled out a piece of origami as the explosive gunshots came from directly in front of him. The few dozen anti-materiel bullets fired acted as if they had ricocheted off of a shield slightly in front of Tsuchimikado and destroyed the walls they hit. Blood leaked from between Tsuchimikados lips. It was the side-effect of his magic use. Even so, he pulled out another piece of origami, this one black. Cmon, wake up you fuckers. Destroy some shit and laugh your asses off about it!! (The color black is the symbol of water. Open a path similar to that violence!!) A sphere of water a meter across suddenly appeared out of nowhere and flew towards the powered suit knocking it back. But that was all it did. Since he had used magic twice in quick succession, blood was oozing from Tsuchimikados side. He tried to prop himself up against the ancient wall, but one of his legs gave out before his hand reached the wall. Fuck... He looked around the area and saw a number of powered suits. And there were even some on the roofs of the buildings aiming for him. (...) As he checked the location of the suits, Tsuchimikado slowly raised his hands above his head. Then he moved his lips and spoke. I surrender. ...Do whatever you like to me. But, he continued. Thats only if you can do it. As soon as he spoke those words, something changed with the powered suits aiming at him. The powered suits that could move more smoothly than a flesh-and-blood person suddenly stiffened. As the pilots hurriedly checked the behavior of the suits, the sound of stuck gears could be heard. It seemed that not even the fingers could move, because there was no sound of gunshots. Im sure you want to know whats going on. As Tsuchimikado slowly approached, he could feel the atmosphere of surprise coming from within the suits. These powerful weapons were still being piloted by normal people. Those suits are equipped with the new drive correction device installed. Whether in a desert or in the Antarctic, the machine will automatically check the environment and perform maintenance. But, Tsuchimikado said, in certain situations that can be a hindrance. For instance, if certain special conditions are met in a certain order, it creates an error in the device. Simply put, theres a security hole that slows down the systems decision-making ability when it simultaneously receives multiple contradictory conditions such as turn right and turn left. Did you forget that the HsPS-15 is a prototype that had only recently made it to the point that it could be shown at exhibition? In addition to that, the version of powered suit being used in Avignon was made to share its environmental data with the other suits. That meant that an error in one suit could affect all of them. Tsuchimikado walked up next to one of the frozen powered suits and forcibly took the anti-barrier shotgun from its grip. ...The error in the drive correction device was sent to the rest of them. Now, you need to manually change the settings on the escape equipment to even get out. Theres a lot of annoying work that needs to be done to get them up and running and itll take 10 minutes at the very least. He said while carrying the huge shotgun that looked like a shortened version of a tanks main gun over his shoulder. It seemed the pilots inside the powered suits were completely dumbfounded at what Tsuchimikado was saying. They must have been wondering how the man in front of them knew about a problem with the suits that they didnt even know about. Meanwhile, Tsuchimikado tapped on the armor of the suit next to him and spoke in a bored manner. If youre gonna get out, you should hurry. Once they figure out you cant attack, the rioters are going to start attacking. After that, a clicking sound came from the powered suits. It seemed they were in a hurry to get out. Tsuchimikado thought as he watched this. (Now then...) He had succeeded in temporarily robbing the suits of functionality, but the soldiers themselves were still alive. (This is where the true battle begins.) At least they were sealed inside until they could repair the escape equipment. As they couldnt fight, maybe he could actually talk with them. (First, I need to explain that Im acting as an agent of Academy City. No, I suppose Im acting against the wishes of my superiors this time. I hope I can get this conversation going without making things worse.) Tsuchimikado was planning out how he was going to negotiate, but his thoughts were interrupted and he suddenly looked up. He could hear a loud roar. He saw a jet black bomber flying through the peaceful blue sky. And that 100-meter class bomber was not the only one. Over 10 bombers were circling in a giant arc above Avignon. Tsuchimikado grit his teeth at the sight of that characteristic silhouette. (Thats the Academy City HsB-02 Supersonic Stealth Bomber!) Those bombers were created using the same tech as the supersonic passenger plane that he and Kamijou had taken to Avignon and that could travel over 7000 kph. It was said that they could shake off a missile just by flying straight. After his thoughts calmed down, a question came to his mind. Where had the huge number of powered suits come from? This was his answer. They had been loaded onto the bombers and brought to France in about an hour. Then they parachuted down to Avignon. It was quite a feat, but Academy Citys elaborate technology had made it a reality. Naturally, the HsB-02s would have more than the suits loaded on them. They must have had the equipment required for a bombing as well. (Damn it...) Tsuchimikado thought as he glared up into the sky. (They dropped the powered suits down first to make sure the C-Document was here. Once thats confirmed, theyre just planning to use the bombers to blow up the Palace of the Popes, arent they!?) It was a rough and easy to understand plan, but it was hard to think it would work knowing the special spell Terra of the Left had. Tsuchimikado banged on the armor of the powered suit next to him. Hey! Have the people of Avignon been evacuated yet!? When is the bombing set to happen!? Those are the new HsB-02s. They arent planning on using that here, are they!? As he yelled, he could feel his thoughts getting mixed up as he thought frantically. (What are you thinking, Aleister? I could understand if it was the others, but you know about the world of magic. If everything could be solved with normal military action, organizations like Necessarius wouldnt exist. Dont you know that this isnt enough to eliminate the C-Document?) Tsuchimikado had another thought. (Or do you still have something else up your sleeve?) Part 5 Nine thousand meters above Avignon, a Level 5 carrying a cane was onboard one of the 11 HsB-02 Supersonic Stealth Bombers. The Level 5 and a few maintenance crew members were the only things in the large space that would normally be full of bombs. A high-pitched alarm was sounding from the speakers inside the bomber and a staticky transmission followed. One of the maintenance crew members turned towards the Level 5 after hearing the transmission. Part A is complete! We can now move to Part B. The wall there will open once Part C begins. You need to get your parachute on!! I dont need one, responded the Level 5 in an annoyed voice. The Level 5 calmly held his cane and stared at the flat-panel monitor on the wall. (God, this is a fucking pain. Im pretty busy and they go and kick me out of Academy City. I need to get this shit over with and get back to the real issue at hand.) Seen from above, Avignon was a small city surrounded by ancient stone walls. Perhaps because the area was limited by the walls, the inside looked like it was packed full of tall buildings. Looking at that, the Level 5 laughed. Ha ha. Its like a miniature Academy City. Huh? Nothing. But this is a damn convenient world. We can get from Academy City to France in about an hour. Heh. I suppose it can be convenient. The maintenance crew member chose his words carefully as he spoke with the Level 5. When flying at supersonic speeds, air resistance raises the surface temperature of the fuselage significantly. When going at full speed, it approaches 1000 degrees, so there are pipes for liquid coolant throughout the entire thing. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen? Yes. The pipes full of coolants with a low freezing point pass through these tanks to increase the cooling effect. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are also used as propellant for space shuttles and are part of what is used as fuel here. But that means the cooling effect is lost as we use up fuel. So we really are going to London instead of making a U-turn and going back. I cant believe they agreed to give us supplies for the bombers. Japan hasnt even given us permission to have bombers. While the Level 5 was speaking in amazement, the alarm rang over the speakers again. After hearing the announcement, the maintenance crew member raised his voice. Part B is beginning!! As he spoke, 4 of the bombers flying nearby changed course. They rotated and moved 15 km away like spreading out the radius of a circle. Then they turned their noses and accelerated away. The bottom of the bombers had a part on them that the one the Level 5 was on did not. It was a jet black blade about half as long as the bomber itself. The blade was elongated like a baton and its surface was made so it could electrically contract. In 1/100 of a millimeter units, the concavity/convexity and pattern could be controlled. That long but sensitive blade sliced through the air as the supersonic bomber flew at 7000 kph. From that alone, the wind currents created by the blade held tremendous destructive power. But what would happen if a small amount of iron sand was mixed in? The answer to that would soon be displayed. The four bombers caused the ground to be sliced in a square with Avignon trapped inside. Only a few grams of iron sand were disseminated from the side of the blade. Because that metal powder reached a tremendous speed higher than 10,000 kph, an orange flash cut into the ground even though it started from a few thousand meters in the air. The bomber the Level 5 was riding on shook. The air had been disturbed by the passage of a friendly bomber. ... The Level 5 put one hand on the wall without taking his eyes away from the monitor. The first blast had created a trench 20 meters across and 10 meters deep. Directly afterwards, the trench melted into orange and collapsed. The earth itself was being cooked until it was like magma. And just like that, the old city of Avignon was trapped inside a river of lava. The electricity and water lines and even the Rhone River flowing near the city were severed. The outer circumference had already started to flood. Now everyone inside the old town of Avignon was completely trapped. The city did continue on past the outer walls and the residents in the area that was going to become a river of lava had been forcibly removed by the powered suits, but none of them were going to be very thankful. (Ha. So this is the Earth Blade. With only 3 kilograms of iron sand and an hour, it could cut the entire supercontinent of Eurasia in two. Academy City certainly does make some fun things.) Normally, bombers were protected by a few fighters. Unlike small fighters, large bombers couldnt turn very sharply. If they did, they would immediately stall and might even succumb to inertia and come to pieces in midair. In other words, if an enemy got a lock, they had no way of avoiding the missile. Chaff or a flare could help to a certain extent, but they werent perfect methods. Therefore, fighters would be deployed around a bomber to help prevent the enemy from making a lock. But the HsB-02 supersonic bomber was different. Since it could only fly straight, it was made so that it could shake off a missile just by flying straight. Overwhelming speeds of over 7000 kph made that a reality. With air-to-air missiles fired by fighters and even surface-to-air missiles lying in wait at bombing points, the idea was to carry out the bombing and get out of range shortly after the lock was made. The supersonic bomber changed the traditional rules of an air battle through pure power. And when the Academy City high power stealth functionality was added in, it became next to impossible to defend against an attack from the HsB-02. The objective area is confirmed to be isolated!! The maintenance crew member said loudly. The bombers that had fired the Earth Blade went an ample 20 km away and decelerated. They must have altered the pattern of the blades surface because the wind currents stopped. We will now switch to the aerial bombing of the entire mission area!! The Earth Blade gave the impression of being an overly imprecise attack, but, by electrically controlling the pattern on its surface, it could attack in a curve or in a single spot instead of in a straight line. It could cause destruction precise enough it could cut out a jigsaw puzzle piece. Apparently, a single bomber could make multiple lines at once if need be. This bomber will be altering course to ensure the path of the 8 bombers to be used in the next bombing. Watch out for unexpected shocks! The next target was the area inside the old city of Avignon. They werent just targeting the Palace of the Popes; they were targeting the entire old city. The powered suit unit was still down there, but the pilots were equipped with a type of transmitter that the bombers would detect and utterly burn the city of Avignon down to a sea of lava while avoiding those spots. The plan was for the powered suits to be abandoned and melted down by the Earth Blade. The pilots would pretend to be locals and travel to the nearby coast of the Mediterranean where they would leave France in a waiting submarine. Travelling long distance in powered suits would stand out too much, so the unrecoverable equipment would just be melted down. But for the plan to succeed, the unit on the ground would have to cross the sea of lava under their own power. They must have had some equipment to help them with that. With the city turned to lava, there would be plenty of updrafts, so perhaps they had some handheld gear that would allow them to slowly float across like dandelion seeds. ... According to the monitor, there were still a lot of people who had not escaped the old city of Avignon. Those lucky enough to be near the powered suit pilots would be saved, but most of them would be killed by the 8000 degree blade. Change of plans. Huh? Were after the Palace of the Popes, right? Focus your attack there first. If that doesnt work, Ill go down myself. If you dont hear from me after that, then you can attack the entire old town as planned. But...youre only supposed to go down under Part C. The calculations say that we should be able to eliminate the enemy forces with only Part B. Change of plans, the Level 5 repeated. The maintenance crew members back stiffened. He had remembered why the Level 5 was on board the bomber. He was a bomb. Just like an atomic bomb or a hydrogen bomb, he was a bomb loaded on the bomber to be dropped as part of the mission. The maintenance crew member grabbed his radio and began making a transmission. He appeared to be negotiating with his superior who had command of the operation and he repeated himself again and again. Afterwards, he put down the radio and silently looked over at the Level 5. ...Y-your request was accepted. The plan for Part B has been changed. We will concentrate our attack on the Palace of the Popes. He must have been wondering why his stubborn superior had given in to this, because he had a curious look on his face. Meanwhile, the Level 5s lips pulled up at the sides in a smile. Good. B-but why...? The Level 5 clicked his tongue in annoyance at the question. The isolated city of Avignon and the tiny fleeing people who looked like grains of rice were displayed on the monitor. It may all look the same to you, but there are different kinds and different levels of evil. An electronic sound resounded throughout the bomber in what must have been the preparations to open the bay. Hearing that, the Level 5 turned towards the maintenance crew member and spoke. A first-class villain doesnt target honest lives. Part 6 A loud roar that sounded like cold water being sprinkled on a heated iron plate amplified hundreds of times resounded throughout the Palace of the Popes. Something must have happened outside the building, but neither Kamijou nor Itsuwa nor Terra looked to see what. Kamijou held up his right hand and glared at Terra. They were about 7 meters apart. He was well within range of Terras flour guillotine. Not to mention that Terra had his precedence ability. The condition of the floor was bad. Pieces of the stone wall Terra had broken down were scattered about and a number of cylindrical shells that belonged to the fallen powered suit were too. Id ask you one last time, but I really doubt youre just going to hand over the C-Document. No. So just accept your defeat. Kamijou dashed forward after hearing that. Terra responded by swinging the flour blade in his right hand. Kamijou thrust his right hand forward as a means of defense as he ran. But... Precedence: Air C Lower, Flour C Higher. The flour guillotine suddenly expanded with a roar. The guillotine acted as a giant fan 3 meters wide and flew towards Kamijou bringing an enormous amount of air with it. !? Kamijou couldnt respond. Itsuwa had been running towards Terra along with him and she forcibly grabbed his arm. She dodged to the side dragging Kamijou with her as the air that shouldnt have had any weight or sharpness to it smashed the floor and wall of the Palace. A number of the shells scattered on the floor exploded like fireworks. The shockwave-like noise almost made Kamijou choke. Itsuwa gently let go of Kamijous arm. And then with a speed that one would never imagine from her previous gentleness, she brought her spear up again and fiercely stabbed it towards Terras throat. The sound of the air being sliced resounded. Precedence: Blades C Lower, Human Skin C Higher. With Terras words, Itsuwas attack was deflected by his skin. A metallic clang reverberated through the Palace of the Popes. Itsuwa felt a resounding pain in her hand like she had struck a giant stone with her spear. But she did not stop moving. She maintained her striking posture and kicked up some pebbles that were at her feet towards Terras eyes. Terra did not move his head out of the way. He didnt even close his eyes. He casually swung his right arm. A horizontal strike flew towards the pebbles and Itsuwa and even Kamijou was knocked back from the new angle he had been attacking from. A dull noise sounded as Kamijou and Itsuwa were knocked to the ground. Ow...!? Itsuwa tried to get up, but she grimaced. When she had collapsed, she had fallen on the remains of the stone wall Terra had destroyed. Falling on that stone had done some damage to her ankle. And Terra of the Left did not overlook that fact. Precedence: Human Flesh C Lower, Flour C Higher. The guillotine flew. Itsuwa could not move with her damaged leg, so she quickly brought her spear up. Kamijou got in between them from the side. He held out his right hand and blew Terras attack to pieces. There was a loud roar. Terra swung his right arm again and Itsuwa pushed Kamijou to the side as she jumped in the opposite direction on her hurt leg. Terras guillotine flew between them. Oh, how brave, Terra smiled slightly while watching Itsuwa bear with her pain. But youre at your limit. Right now, youre just getting in his way. Kamijou was about to fly into a rage at Terras words, but... ...Thats true. Itsuwa spoke quietly. But there was a smile on her lips. But youve finally shown your weakness. A fatal weakness. And what might that be? Its what that Tsuchimikado-san was talking about. The weakness of your precedence spell, Execution of Light. Ive noticed a clear oddity in your actions... Oh? Terra said interestedly. Itsuwa slowly pointed the tip of her spear towards Terra and spoke. The Amakusa Church does not use incantations and magic circles for our spells; we gather together everyday objects and habits that have magical meaning within them to create our spells. And because of this, we are quite good at finding those meanings. I see. That is a problem. Terra spoke with no emotion in his voice. But do you have time to do anything with this knowledge now that youve figured out it? As he spoke, Terra lifted his right hand above his head. The guillotine tapered off like a screw and stabbed into the tall ceiling. Precedence: Ceiling C Lower, Flour C Higher. As Terra moved his arm like he was pulling the string for a fluorescent light, it came down. Just like a trap in an old castle, the ceiling of that floor suddenly lowered. The pillars supporting the ceiling sank down unnaturally into the floor. !! Itsuwa hurriedly held her spear vertically. She wedged the spear between the falling ceiling and the floor narrowly avoiding being crushed to death. But in doing so she lost her weapon. Terra then mercilessly attacked with his guillotine. There was an explosive roar. The horizontally flying guillotine directly hit Itsuwas defenseless body. She doubled over while a dull sound could be heard and the shock knocked her small body through the air. Her body rolled a few meters as she bounced 2 or 3 times until her body finally lost its momentum and stopped. She lay limp and did not get up. Her arms and legs were splayed out, but her chest was slowly rising and falling so she wasnt dead. However, it didnt look like she would regain consciousness anytime soon. (Damn it...) Kamijou grit his teeth. Itsuwa!! Well, this was to be expected. A normal magician cant hope to stand up to a member of Gods Right Seat. As Terra spoke, the fallen ceiling returned to its original height. The compressed pillars also returned to their normal length. Itsuwas spear that had prevented her from being crushed fell to the ground. You bastard... Kamijou slowly, very slowly put more power into his right fist. But Terra did not seem even slightly worried by the expression on Kamijous face. My, my. Getting so mad is only going to cause more problems. This is a battle. You didnt think I was going to let you punch me again and again without attacking back, did you? ... In fact, Im the one thats disappointed here. I thought taking on the Imagine Breaker would make for a difficult battle, but I never expected it would be this incomplete. If its original functionality were recovered, you should have been able to protect that magician from that attack. What? Kamijou looked confused. (Imagine Breakers...original functionality?) Kamijou stared at his right hand without meaning to and a slight smile appeared on Terras lips. Oh. Do you not know? ... Heh heh. But that cant be. You would have to know. Not knowing would mean...Hm? By any chance do you not remember some things you should know? Why you...!! Oh, did I just hit the bulls eye? It seems Ive found some interesting research material!! ...! It may not have made much sense to get mad over that. But talk of not remembering bore deep into Kamijous heart because he had lost his memories. Ha ha!! Terra laughed loudly while watching Kamijou somehow manage to get to his feet while wobbling. I see! I see! I dont remember hearing any report of that...Have you been hiding it? What for? Have you told that magician lying over there? Looking into how you lost your memories and what youve done about it could prove to be quite interesting. (Damn it!!) Kamijou controlled his anger. He had determined not to let anyone know he had lost his memories. All for the sake of the white girl he had met just after losing them. That was his rule. He had to follow it. Having that rule destroyed like this was about to drive him insane. You can tell me. Terra of the Left spoke these nonsensical words while smiling. Youre going to die here anyway, so you dont have to worry about anything. I dont know what has you so upset, but Ill resolve it for you. As Terra slowly held up the flour guillotine, Kamijou grit his teeth so hard it felt like his jaw would break. (...The power of that blade alone isnt fatal.) Kamijou thought while glaring at the white powder swirling around Terra. (The main problem is that precedence. If only I could find a weakness in that power that he uses for both offense and defense, I can take him down!! If a weakness even exists, that is.) Tsuchimikado and Itsuwa had both determined that there was one. Or it was possible that had just been a bluff they were making in their exchanges with Terra. (Theres something there.) Kamijou estimated the distance between himself and Terra. (Come to think of it, there was something odd about Terras attacks. There were mistakes in our favor that I didnt think too much about and tossed aside. Oh, right. There was...) Oh, you arent coming in to attack? Terra said while lightly swinging his flour guillotine. Well, I dont like waiting, so Ill come for you!! As he spoke, he attacked with the white blade. And when Kamijou Touma saw that, he... Part 7 The flour blade roaring forcefully towards Kamijou did not hit his right hand. He avoided the strike coming for his face by moving his head out of the way. As he did so, he purposefully fell to the ground and grabbed a bento box sized piece of shattered wall from the ground. As he stood back up, Kamijou threw the stone at Terra as a counter. Precedence: Stone C Lower, Human Skin C Higher, Terra said almost as if he was singing. The stone hit Terra on the forehead, but his expression did not change in the slightest. Matching the timing with which the stone hit, Kamijou put his hand in his pocket. Terra stared at him grimly, but Kamijou ignored him, aimed for Terras eyes, and threw the object that had been in his pocket. The flour guillotine roared. But when Terra saw the object that had been ripped to shreds by it, he looked confused. It was a simple wallet. Kamijou had thrown that piece of synthetic leather that had no effect as a weapon and watched Terras reaction. Now why did you do that? Kamijou spoke these cutting words. You easily repelled Itsuwas spear and Tsuchimikados magic. So why didnt you use your precedence on a simple wallet? ...!? Terra swung the flour guillotine as if to keep Kamijou from speaking. Kamijou continued doing so as he destroyed it with his right hand. If you think about it, some things just dont make sense. Kamijou stepped forward as if to split the powdery remains of the guillotine. For instance, Itsuwa and I took a direct hit from that white blade, but were still alive. You have no reason to hold back and you certainly dont seem like the type to let those that lose to you go. The answer to this is simple. When you hit us with that blade, it wasnt that you didnt feel the need to kill us. You couldnt kill us even though you wanted to. The flour blade did not have enough intrinsic destructive power to kill a human. Its power had to be amplified using the precedence spell. Which meant... Your precedence isnt very adaptable. The blades power was always decreased on the first attack after you stopped one of our attacks. In other words, your precedence cant be used on multiple targets at the same time. When you move from one precedence to another, you have to reset each one every time. It has to be something like that. Heh, Terra laughed. He once again brought up his giant blade as his expression relaxed. ...So the weakness in the Execution of Light that your friends spoke of was that. His voice was filled with relief at the solved mystery. You see, this is unadjusted. I was actually fairly curious about what they meant. The clergyman smiled. But, Terras words returned to those of scorn, now I know they werent anything to be worried about. Terra of the Left is not so na?ve as to lose due to something like that!! The white blade flew with the sound of sliced air. Kamijou blew it away with his right hand and chased after Terra who had back stepped away. Terra!! He yelled, but Terra was faster. He swung the flour guillotine again and spoke as it struck straight down. Precedence: The Floor C Lower, Flour C Higher. The thick stone floor was blown off and the small pieces flew towards Kamijou. The boy jumped to the side to avoid them and shouted. Why are you going this far!? It isnt just us! You got everyone in the town of Avignon wrapped up in this! Is this really worth that!? Ha. Most of the uproar was caused by your side, Academy City! Terra moved back with small hops and gathered the flour in his hand. This is for the Holy Kingdom, the ultimate goal of the entirety of the Christian Church. What? Oh? More people in Christian cultures know about this than know what the colors of a traffic light mean. But I suppose someone from a non-religious island nation in the Far East cant be expected to know. Terra spoke with slight boredom and disappointment. It is the kingdom that God himself will create after the Final Judgement. Only those who have devoted themselves to their strong faith will be allowed there. It is a place of eternal salvation. Doesnt it sound truly wonderful? That is my goal and I aim to help others who also wish to reach that place. Terra swung the flour guillotine and Kamijou blew it away with his right hand. A few cylindrical shells on the ground were blown away by the wind pressure. Terra spoke while staring at his weapon that had been turned to powder. But I had a thought. There was no wind, but the powder returned to Terras hand with an almost eerie amount of precision. Wont people create conflicts in that Holy Kingdom? Even if God creates a perfect kingdom and only those with true faith are gathered there, will the various groups people create really live up to His expectations? Kamijou ran forward as he listened. Terra fired the guillotine to stop him. God will lead those who have kept their faith in the Christian Church to the Holy Kingdom. But even the Roman Catholic Church is split into innumerable factions. Even if God only provides salvation for devout Roman Catholic believers, the problems that arise from the different factions within the Roman Catholic Church will just be transferred over to the Holy Kingdom. Terra moved his right hand and the flour squirmed and formed a giant blade. The white guillotine struck Kamijous fist. ...No matter how perfect a kingdom God creates, it is meaningless as long as there are ugly divisions among the people inside it. If the conflicts we have now are brought to the supposedly perfect kingdom, it will all be for naught. I wouldnt call that eternal salvation. As the flour guillotine was negated by his right hand, Kamijou listened. Terra must have decided that falling back further would be pointless, because he moved forward. I wish for salvation. And I wish to bring salvation to others. Even if Gods plan is perfect, we humans can ruin it all if we do not live up to His expectations! That is why I must know whether humanity will still have its current conflicts in the Holy Kingdom!! And if it will, I just have to guide everyone in the right direction before the Final Judgement!! That is the very purpose of Gods Right Seat! Terra roared. Unlike another member, Vento of the Front, he had chosen this path for the sake of the Roman Catholic Church. He may be going as far as he was because he truly wanted to protect those who believed in the Roman Catholic Church. But... ...Is that really what salvation is? Kamijou said as he grit his teeth. The face of the woman who had taken a bullet to get him to act, Oyafune Monaka, came to Kamijous mind. He thought of Tsuchimikado and Itsuwa who had fought alongside him. It cant be the Roman Catholic Church at fault here. I cant imagine that the teachings of the church that brought up Orsola and Agnese could be that twisted. Your problem is much more basic than that. You dont know what the word salvation means! The rioters rampaging throughout the city of Avignon. And the powered suits that had come to suppress those riots that Terra had destroyed. Theres no way this god of yours could be spreading salvation to create conflicts like this! Screw that. If youre going to come up with your own definition for salvation and be satisfied with that... He glared at the man in front of him. That was the enemy. Then Ill destroy that fucked-up illusion right here and now!! Kamijou leaped towards Terra as he yelled. Terra moved back and brought the guillotine up with his right arm. Kamijou wasnt going to catch up to him at this rate. But even so he continued forward. The sole of his foot landed on one of the shells on the ground, but he ignored it and stepped down even harder. And he kicked something at his feet forward as hard as he could. It was the Friuli Spear Itsuwa had dropped. Spears werent easy to kick up, so it just slid across the floor. It hit the anti-barrier shotgun the powered suit had dropped and headed for Terras ankle with a slightly altered trajectory. !! Terra swung the guillotine down and smashed Itsuwas spear to the ground. He went out of the way to use his guillotine to block an attack he could have easily avoided by lifting his foot up. (I was right.) Kamijou took that opportunity to get even closer to Terra. He got right up next to Terra where he hadnt been able to before. (If Terra himself had a large power from the beginning, he wouldnt need magic that switched out the order of precedence. Those reigning at the top dont need to change anything. His intrinsic power is nothing special.) Kamijou put all of his strength into his right fist. (In other words,) he concluded, (Terra of the Left isnt all that strong. Some guy who looks strong while hiding in a safety zone cant possibly be stronger than people like me or Itsuwa who truly set foot in the battlefield!!) After Terra knocked Itsuwas spear to the ground, he mumbled a precedent and shot the flour guillotine in return, but Kamijou destroyed the attack with his right fist. Too slow!! His fist continued on and struck Terras face. A thick sound rang out. Kamijou felt a dull recoil go from his tightly gripped fist to his wrist. Because he had put all his weight into the blow, his body pitched forward. (Got him!!) He was sure of it. But Terra did not collapse. You damn pagan aaaaaaape!! Strength returned to the Gods Right Seat member along with the rage. The bottom of his shoes slid across the floor. Terra almost fell when his legs hit the collapsed powered suit. He lost his balance and bent over backwards, but his fighting spirit was not broken. Terra swung his right hand while still in that unstable posture and the flour guillotine flew fiercely towards Kamijous gut. Precedence: Human Body C Lower, Flour C Higher!! The blade was set to cut right through people. And Kamijou had only just thrown his punch to Terras face. It was a difficult position to touch the guillotine with his right hand from. Same for dodging out of the way. (...!!) Kamijou quickly trampled the objects at his feet. All that was there was the thick anti-barrier shotgun from the powered suit Terra had defeated. The shotgun was lying diagonally slanted due to the rubble on the ground, so it moved like a see-saw when Kamijou stepped on it. The mass of metal stood up in front of him. Youre too na?ve!! But Terras expression did not change. The anti-barrier shotgun was heavy, so Kamijou couldnt pick it up easily. And even if he could grab the giant gun, it would take several seconds before he could aim it at Terra and pull the trigger. His last-ditch plan wasnt going to work. As Kamijou desperately tried to grab the shotgun, it was slammed forcefully into his gut by Terras guillotine. A tremendous noise resounded through the Palace of the Popes. Red blood flew through the air. The liquid was dripping from Kamijous mouth as he doubled over. He hadnt been able to block the attack with his right hand. He hadnt been able to dodge out of the way. He had been hit by the attack as it came directly for his gut and strength fled his body. Wha-...? came the shocked voice. But it was Terra of the Lefts voice, not Kamijous. But you couldnt blame him. He had amplified the destructive power of the guillotine with his precedence magic and yet Kamijous body had not been sliced in two. ... Kamijou smirked and used his right hand to grab the guillotine that had struck him in the gut. And with that the flour blade came apart. Terra of the Left started to move back, but Kamijou moved forward before he could. He was now in range of Kamijous fist. What kind of result was that? Imagine Breaker is supposed to only be in your right hand. What happened? Dont tell me a pagan ape like you has already achieved that power!! That wasnt it. Kamijou tightly clenched his right fist. That had nothing to do with Imagine Breaker. Then wha-...!? Kamijou moved before Terra could finish yelling. He aimed directly for Terra of the Lefts face that was currently colored with shock. Do you really think Im going to answer? A thick sound rang out. This time, Terras body was thrown to the ground. Part 8 Gh... Kamijou held his stomach that was throbbing with pain, gathered strength in his staggering legs, and just barely managed to stay standing. His gut hadnt been sliced where the guillotine had hit, but a dark bruise was still forming. (It looks like...I made it.) He looked at the anti-barrier shotgun that had been bent by the shock and Itsuwas spear and finally breathed a sigh of relief. When Terra had fired his guillotine for the last time, he was aiming at Kamijou, so he used his magic to give the guillotine precedence over Kamijous body. If it had directly hit Kamijou, it would have sliced right through him. He was still alive thanks to the powered suits anti-barrier shotgun that he had kicked up right before he was hit. Terras precedence was indeed powerful, but it could only change one precedence at a time. To change from one to another, the previous setting had to be reset each time. In other words, when the guillotine had precedence over Kamijous body, it did not have precedence over other objects. So the guillotine could be stopped by putting some other object between him and the guillotine. Already soft things like the air or a wallet wouldnt work, but the shotgun was metal. The guillotines intrinsic power was not enough to crush internal organs. If something strong enough was used as a shield, it wasnt hard to defend against the attack. One problem was what exactly counted as Kamijous body. His clothes and things he was carrying were a bit of a gray area, but something that wasnt even his like the shotgun wouldnt be counted as part of his body. Itsuwas spear that Kamijou had kicked just before was an object belonging to someone else just like the shotgun. That was why Terra had been unable to slice Kamijou in half along with the spear. If the spear had been something that Kamijou normally carried around, he probably would have been able to. Kamijou had realized Terras weakness because of that spear. Without it, he would probably be in two pieces right now. ... Kamijou looked over at Terra who was lying on the floor. The large amount of flour hadnt kept its blade form and was now scattered about him. (It looks like its over... Is Itsuwa okay? Tsuchimikado is...Well, he might still be fighting the powered suits...) Kamijou looked at the flour that had lost its magical effect and was being blown away by the wind. He was in pain, but he still breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Terras face again. Something cylindrical had fallen out of Terras pocket. The rolled up old piece of parchment was the powerful spiritual item known as the Document of Constantine or the C-Document for short. Kamijou bent down and grabbed it with his right hand. Actually, it crumbled before he could grab it. As soon as his fingertips touched the C-Document, the parchment fell to pieces like the end of a cigarette being tapped on an ash tray. It lost its form becoming dust and was gently blown away by the wind. It happened much too quickly. It made all the uproar seem almost pointless. Kamijou turned his attention from the destroyed C-Document and thought about the enemy he had been fighting. (...Terra.) He looked down at the unconscious man. This was not Academy City. Now that the battle was over, he couldnt just leave it all to Anti-Skill. He couldnt relax until he had restrained Terra and taken him to the proper place. (Come to think of it, is Tsuchimikado all right? I guess I should contact him and discuss with the Anglican Church what to do. I have the feeling Academy Citys influence here is pretty weak...) The powered suits that had attacked Avignon were from Academy City, but oddly enough Kamijou never thought of consulting them on this. Perhaps his first impression of them was too horrible. Kamijou looked around the area. Itsuwa was lying a bit away. He approached her, grabbed her slender shoulders, and shook her, but she showed no sign of waking. There was only the regular sound of breathing coming from her lips as her chest slightly rose and fell. Oh, right. Her spear... Kamijou went to go get the spear he had kicked and went back to Itsuwa. He placed the dangerous weapon next to her. Thanks, Itsuwa. If you hadnt been here, I probably wouldnt have won. Kamijou softly said while looking at the girls closed eyes. Since she had been knocked out, she wouldnt have heard the discussion between Kamijou and Terra about Kamijous lost memories. But he couldnt exactly say he was glad about that. After all, Itsuwa had fought alongside him without knowing about it. ... There was nothing but bitter things in his heart. But he shook them aside and thought. (I need to talk with Tsuchimikado...) He was going to call Tsuchimikado on his phone, but it wasnt in his pocket. He looked around and found what looked like it on the ground a bit away. But when he picked it up, the LCD screen was broken so he couldnt see and some part was catching so it wouldnt close. Damn it, he swore and then he heard a noise from behind him. !! He hurriedly turned around, but Terra was still lying on the floor as before. Only the position of his arm was slightly changed. He must have tried to get up but couldnt muster the strength. Ha ha. I see. The Imagine Breaker is indeed difficult for us to deal with. It negates every little thing and it even feels like it negates our efforts as well. Terras trembling lips moved slowly as he lay on the floor glaring in annoyance at Kamijou. ...Are you not going to ask? About what? About Imagine Breaker. Kamijou stopped moving when he heard that unexpected answer. Imagine Breaker. He just used that power as if it were normal and never really questioned it. And it seemed Terra knew something about it. That meant it must be something from the magic side and not the science side. But Index didnt seem to know anything about it despite having 103,000 grimoires memorized. Kamijou thought for a short time. Do you know what it is? Heh heh. Terra of the Left laughed cruelly at Kamijous words. If you have to ask, I suppose you truly have lost your memories. ... Heh heh. You need to think about why Imagine Breaker has a connection to your right hand. There is a great answer hidden there. There is also meaning behind the fact that it can negate all magic... Terra smiled in enjoyment as he watched Kamijou. Its quite simple, he said. The light sound of Terra breathing sounded greatly amplified in Kamijous ears. Terra slowly moved his lips. The true identity of Imagine Breaker is-... Kamijou was not able to hear the rest of the sentence. This was because there was a tremendous noise and Terra of the Lefts body suddenly exploded. No, technically Kamijou did not see the instant Terra was blown away. An orange flash came down through the ceiling right above Terra. The pillar of light was about 3 meters across and, the second it hit the floor, a terrible blast roared through that room of the Palace of the Popes. Kamijous feet were torn from the ground in an instant and he flew several meters back like a puff of dust. Itsuwa and the powered suit were caught up by the blast too and flew back with him. Gwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!? Kamijou screamed when he hit the floor. It wasnt so much a sharp pain as it was a weak scorching pain in his arm. It felt like a day old sunburn. When he looked at it, his skin was slightly red. He had been burned. (Wh-what just...?) He shook his hazy head and looked at the area that had exploded. When he did, his body stiffened. The area Terra had been lying in had become a swirl of lava. A few meters of the stone floor had been turned to a glowing orange pond and what looked like the same stuff was dripping from the huge hole in the ceiling. He heard the sound of evaporating water. When he tried to approach, an invisible wall of heat hit his skin. He could see something out the window. Those objects that looked like they were created from dark stains that were circling in the blue sky were...bombers. Where they would normally have bay doors to drop bombs, they had a jet black metal blade. He didnt know what had happened, but it was clear it was some type of attack. Terra... As he could not approach due to the heat, Kamijou called the name of his enemy. The steel wings flying in the air were coming back his way. The bombers had created enough distance for their approach and were accelerating to a tremendous speed. Terraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! His yell was erased. Multiple pillars of light tore through the ceiling and hit the exact point Terra had been in. With that kind of accuracy, it was more sniping than it was bombing. The orange light took away Kamijous vision. His body was thrown against the floor again and again from some kind of after-effect. He passed out. But even if he hadnt passed out, he wouldnt have been able to find Terra. The ceiling and walls disappeared in an area in front of Kamijou as it all turned into a sea of lava. A third of the Palace of the Popes disappeared in the same way. And Terra was gone without having left a corpse. References 1. Tsuchimikado''s spells are always given with a proper descriptive phrase that is in parentheses here in the translation and a crude phrase given in furigana in the original which is what he actually says. Volume 14, Epilogue: That Answer Leads to the Next Mystery. Question. Volume 14, Epilogue: That Answer Leads to the Next Mystery. Question. That shock woke Itsuwa up. She was in the Palace of the Popes. Right before she had passed out, she had been collapsed in the center of the floor...or so she had thought. Now she was right next to the wall. Her spear was next to her. She still had some damage left so she was sluggish and found it difficult to move. She sluggishly grabbed her spear. She felt hot. And then she realized why. A few meters in front of her, the stone walls, floor, and ceiling had melted into a thick orange viscous liquid. She heard what sounded like water being sprinkled on a heated metal plate and most of her vision was obscured by white steam. What...happened...? She looked around. A bit away from her a powered suit lay unmoving. Next to it, the Imagine Breaker boy was lying face up. He didnt look like he was conscious. When she got near him, she saw that his skin was tinged red. It wasnt from the light; he had been lightly burned. It wasnt enough to leave a scar. It would have been nice if she could have put some ice on it, but she didnt have any and wasnt very good at ice magic. She searched through her pockets, pulled out a wet towel, and gently pressed it against his arm. The wound seemed superficial and she breathed a sigh of relief. (Where is Terra of the Left...?) Itsuwa idly thought while administering first aid. (And the C-Document? Did Terra cause all this? But this is such a different type of phenomenon from what he did before...) Had they won or lost? She didnt even know that. From what she could tell, the Imagine Breaker boys wounds were superficial. She decided to wait for him to come to and ask him what happened. And if necessary they would chase after Terra. ... She hadnt been able to stay in the battle with Terra to the end. She had lost consciousness partway through and left it all to an amateur. Itsuwa grit her teeth at her own powerlessness. (I have to do something...) she thought. But the crisis did not even give her that much time. Tch. This has turned into a real pain in the ass. Tension spread through Itsuwas body when she heard that sudden voice. The voice itself was quite sinister sounding, but what surprised her the most was what direction it came from. Itsuwa brought her spear to the ready and turned her eyes to look at something she couldnt believe. It came from in front of her. It came from the passageway that had been turned to lava. She was sure she had heard the voice come from that direction. Due to the enveloping steam, she couldnt make out the details of the figure. But from the silhouette she could see, she could tell the figure was standing in a completely normal and natural way. Even though he was standing in lava that must have been a few thousand degrees. Even the enveloping steam was more than 100 degrees and he was in the middle of it all. Someone needs to tell those assholes theres such a thing as too much force. Using a blade for severing continents on a flesh-and-blood human is just wrong. I mean, how am I supposed to confirm the remains? Well, since the riots stopped after the blast, I guess the objective was carried out. The figure did not seem to care about her. He didnt even look her way. His words werent directed towards her either. He must have been using a radio or a cell phone to talk with someone far away. (Thats fine,) Itsuwa thought. She could tell an odd sweat was coming from her hands as they held the spear. She didnt know how she could tell, but that figure standing in the middle of the lava was on a different level. He was past the level where you thought about how to take him on or that you might win if a miracle occurred. She felt that facing him would be like swinging her slender spear towards a gigantic piece of iron. He spoke. And all the while Itsuwa and her blade never even entered his field of vision. Ill check the area for the body, but if I havent found it in 10 minutes Im outta here. You can just check over the area after it cools for a hair or bloodstain to run a DNA test on or something. Ah? You want me to retrieve the nonfunctioning powered suits? Get someone else to do that. Therere organizations and agencies that work with Academy City in France, right? He stopped speaking there. His conversation with whoever it was must have been over. ... Itsuwa held her breath like an herbivore hiding in a thicket waiting for a predator to go by. He never once looked her way. Even so, Itsuwas body was wrapped in fear. It was unfathomable. The figure ignored Itsuwa as she held her spear in trembling hands and turned completely away from her. He seemed to be headed further into the Palace of the Popes. He disappeared into the pathway of lava. Itsuwa did not go after him. She couldnt even call out. After the mysterious figure disappeared, she was too nervous to move for a short while. In the interrogation room of the Tower of London, Stiyl Magnus and Agnese Sanctis listened to Lidvia Lorenzetti. Biagio Busoni sitting next to her seemed intent on remaining uncooperative to the end. He hadnt opened his mouth to say a single word. In the Christian Church, God does not appear to man after the death of the Son of God, Lidvias voice rang out in the small interrogation room. But in exchange, his angels start appearing before people more frequently. The story goes that the angels and the demons once had a great war. And since it was to the point that a certain theologian felt the need to divide them into 9 groups, there must be quite a large number of them. Where are you going with this? Stiyl cut in, but Lidvia merely continued. Gods Right Seat is a practical organization. If he does not appear before people, does God really exist? Or is God merely pretending to be an angel and still making contact with us? Gods Right Seat asks that kind of question and thus chases after the presence of someone mixed in with the angels. In non-Christian legends, there are many stories of gods appearing on the earth in the form of humans or even creatures lower than humans. (Maybe they got the idea from those kinds of stories,) Stiyl thought in the corner of his mind and spoke. What does this have to do with the name Gods Right Seat? You said that that was both the name of the organization and their final objective. Humans cannot become gods, Lidvia continued instead of directly answering his question. There are plenty of hypotheses about such a spell existing, but I have never heard of such a thing being accomplished. However, for a step lower C that is angels C alchemists and some scholars have reported examples of such an evolution. ...Of course, those examples are extremely rare. In other words, Lidvia informed them, they want a method to become angels on top of eliminating the original sin that humans are bound by. And they do not want to become a normal angel. They are modeling it off of the one who appears on the earth in the form of an angel who is not an angel. Namely, God. That was the arrogant will that not only wanted to use the power of God, but to take that power as its own. Not to mention that there was no evidence that God actually did descend mixed among the angels. Stiyl bent his lips in a smile. ...Thats quite the heretical sect. Currently, they are aiming for Michael, the being with the highest-level power who was created to oppose Lucifer. Lidvias voice was uniform. Lucifer is the only being that has ever been allowed to sit to the right side of God. And Michael, who defeated Lucifer and became the ruler of all the angels, is a higher being than Lucifer, who was once his equal. Or so Gods Right Seat believes. The right side. In the Christian Church, that position indicated equivalency. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, used the word right when honoring god to indicate that the Son of God was an equivalent existence to God. He used the word right in that way because, according to the concept of the trinity, God and the Son of God were honored as equal. But what about an angel? Why was Lucifer able to sit to the right side of God? And did Michael really have such enormous power that he could defeat an archangel that sat to the right side of God? Since God was a unique being and was the greatest being in the world, there should be no one sitting in that equivalent right seat. Not to mention that it was hard to think that God would give that seat to one of the angels he had created as a tool and a servant. They must have been thinking that there was some special meaning in the fact that an angel, a lower being, was given that seat even so. The group was created with the goal of sitting in Gods Right Seat. And they believe that once they are in the Right Seat they will be able to use that power to evolve into an existence different again from an angel. The name of that existence was... La persona superiore a Dio. Both Stiyl and Agnese frowned upon hearing those words. In other words... The One Above God[1]. That is what I hear it is called. Footsteps could be heard in the Vaticans St. Peters Basilica. The spacing between steps was completely even, but very calm and slow. The slow rhythm indicated the state of mind of the person walking. The footsteps suddenly stopped. A figure had appeared before the person walking. Terra. Oh, its you Acqua... said the person who had been walking, Terra of the Left, as he glared at Acqua of the Back who had appeared before him. His words felt like those of someone annoyed by having their thoughts cut off by the beginning of the conversation. The supersonic bombers that had attacked Terra at the Palace of the Popes had been powerful, but to Terra it had all been one kind of attack and therefore easy to defend against with his precedence. It was only multiple attacks at once that he feared. It looks like you lost the C-Document. Yeah, Terra responded simply to Acquas words. They used that Imagine Breaker which made recovery difficult. You seem to be in quite a good mood considering what happened. Ha ha. Acqua, thats not all I have to tell you. Terra smiled slightly as he spoke. The Russian Orthodox Church has officially agreed to join with us. Acqua remained silent for a bit. He finally opened his mouth to speak. We are believers in the Roman Catholic Church. We do not celebrate having another denomination working with us. Heh heh. Were just using them. And Im sure they know it, too. Terras expression remained calm. He hadnt given in yet. In this C-Document incident, Academy City and the Anglican Church worked together in secret. Well, Im sure neither side would admit to it though. Ah, and what mattered was whether the Russian Orthodox Church knew about it. There was already some kind of connection between Academy City and the Anglican Church. And if the Russian Orthodox Church came as a newcomer asking for cooperation, they might not be treated too kindly. And since they want to benefit from this war, they must be thinking that things wont be too good for them if the science side wins. Currently, the power balance between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church was very close. The side chosen by third powers like the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church was very important. They had wanted to get both the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church on the magic side if possible, but the Anglican Church already had connections with Academy City. And looking at the incident with The Book of the Law and Orsola and the incident with the Daihaseisai and the Croce di Pietro it was clear that there was a deep ditch between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. So they had decided to give up on the Anglicans. In order to prevent the worst possible situation C both the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church joining the science side C from occurring, they had needed to bring the Russians over to their side. That was what the C-Document had been for. Losing that spiritual item was a great loss, but they had accomplished their original objective. Now then. The line is now drawn between the Roman/Russian side and the Academy City/Anglican side. Well, I suppose Academy City and the Anglican Church are actually on different sides in a broader sense, so their alliance could end up coming apart at the seams. And with Russia on our side, we have a stronger foothold to invade Japan from. Now I suppose you could say we can bring our blade to their throat. Perhaps we should discuss how to move our troops from here on with Fiamma of the Right. I actually wanted to have more time to watch how Academy City responds to things and to observe Imagine Breaker, but I suppose it doesnt matter. I see. But I have something to discuss with you first. Acquas voice was grave. Terra responded cheerfully. What is it? Oh, its a simple matter. I have received information about you using children and sightseers on the outskirts of Rome to make some alignment adjustments for your special spell Execution of Light. Is this true? Yes, it is. Terra admitted to it surprisingly easily. And he continued. Is that really something worth bringing up? Terra of the Left left it at that. Acquas eyes narrowed. ...Were you not acting in order to save all of humanity without discrimination? Were you not acting in order to find out if the problems caused by the factions people create would continue in the Holy Kingdom? Well, yes. Terra responded with the expression of someone who had been asked a stupid question. Its true that I plan to save all of humanity without discrimination. But pagans are not even human. Acqua, have you checked over the documentation? I made sure that the targets for my alignment adjustments were not believers in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Oh, are you worried about the story from Spain about the brutal criminals who werent able to be executed? Ill tell you now that I had nothing to do with that. They were believers in the Roman Catholic denomination of the Christian Church, and therefore were those who I should save. My subordinates have a habit of bringing me criminals, but they shouldnt be doing that. The targets I use cant be Roman Catholic. To Terra of the Left that was without discrimination. He said he was saving all of humanity, but his definition of who was human was quite restrictive. He felt that those that did not fit his definition of human could just be treated like animals. The clergyman was stained with that thinking to the very core. Acqua of the Back remained silent and Terra continued in annoyance. Once they are sent to purgatory, the sin covering their souls will be washed away and they will be given the path to the Holy Kingdom. I am merely acting as a member of the clergy and sending them on the first step by having them surrender their lives. And those who can never go to the Holy Kingdom will not even go to purgatory. They will suffer eternally in hell. ..I see. Acqua gave a short reply. So you have been performing maintenance on that spell ever since you started using it. Cmon, enough with this subject, Acqua. I have a lot to do. I have to think about how to carry out the next attack on the science side. Ive found a point needing improvement...or rather, an idiosyncrasy in my precedence magic Execution of Light. It looks like I need to make some slight adjustments. No, there is something you need to do before that. Terra did not even have time to make an exclamation of surprise. With a tremendous noise, Terra of the Lefts body was truly smashed to pieces. What Acqua of the Back had done was quite simple. He had broken one of the pillars holding up the ceiling of St. Peters Basilica and swung it into Terras body with a single hand. But the overwhelming power and speed with which he had done so caused what looked like a roaring billow of wind. Terra of the Lefts miraculous precedence magic Execution of Light had allowed him to survive Academy Citys large scale supersonic bombing, but Acqua of the Back did not give him time to use it. A splattering sound could be heard. Most of Terras body was gone. All that was left was his upper chest, his right arm, and his head. Oh...ah...? Terra looked up with the expression of someone who had no idea what had happened. It seemed he tried to use Execution of Light to close up his wounds, but his head failed to activate the spell so nothing happened. Acqua of the Back looked down at him in contempt. Terra was still able to think. But that wasnt due to anything Terra had done; it was due to Acquas attack being so fast that his body had not yet had time to die. Fh...ha... Terra made noises but was unable to speak or breathe. Acqua frowned. Terra had been smashed to pieces, but he showed no fear of death. His expression remained calm. ...What is it, Terra of the Left? Acqua asked, but he realized the answer before waiting for an answer. The Holy Kingdom. To Terra, death was only the process by which one found true salvation. Even if he died here, in the end he would be chosen by God in the Final Judgement and led to the Holy Kingdom. And thus Terra would be saved. (He is an amazing man in his own way.) He intended to be a pious lamb who kept the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church even now. Acqua sighed as he thought about all this. Just so you know, there is no way you will be chosen by God. I never thought you would remain deluded at this stage. Do you really think you belong anywhere but hell? As Acqua looked at him with a face full of scorn, Terras calm vanished. It was replaced by rage. But Acqua did not properly continue the conversation. He merely spoke in a purely businesslike manner. God knows all. You can ask Him for the details at the Final Judgement. As time went on, the mass of flesh died and Terra truly became nothing more than a stain on the floor. Only then did Acqua turn his gaze away. And once he did, a new figure appeared from behind one of the pillars. It was an old man with a bent back C the Roman Pope. He looked at both the human flesh on the floor and the pillar that Acqua had set on the floor. This is St. Peters Basilica. I would prefer that you did not destroy it like this. I apologize. Acqua obediently lowered his head to these words of criticism. Thinking of the historical and academic value of this place, I should have avoided having a fight here. I damaged a wonderful building. ...This is also the greatest Roman Catholic stronghold. If you destroy it so readily, you will run into problems with its defensive functionality. Hm... Acqua thought for a second. Eventually, he spoke. This is a problem we run into everywhere, not just in St. Peters Basilica. Take Gods Right Seat for instance. Even with such a great organization and even though the most skilled members are gathered, if we go out of control even for an instant, anything and everything will be destroyed. Just like Terra was here. ... You hope that when Gods Right Seat achieves its goal and becomes The One Above God it will directly save even more believers. I admire that goal, but that is not enough. Acqua stared directly into the Roman Popes face. In order for Gods Right Seat to continue functioning as it should, it needs someone outside of it to watch over it and to guide it. And I think that you are the most suitable for that position. Hearing those words, the Roman Pope smiled slightly. When I first heard about Gods Right Seat, I was overjoyed that there was such a quick way of guiding believers, he said as he smiled. But God does not wish for an easy path to salvation. It seems my Father watching over me truly does like his trials and tribulations. When the Roman Pope stopped speaking, Acqua nodded. What will your next move be? Vento cannot move. Terra was purged. That leaves only one option. Are you going to attack Japan via Russia as Terra suggested? I realized something during all this. Civilians should not stand on the battlefield. Only soldiers need to cross swords. It seemed that statement was implying that he would be making a move himself. The Roman Pope mumbled to himself as he recalled Acqua of the Backs special characteristic. ...So the man who is both a member of Gods Right Seat and has the disposition of a Saint will act. Misaka Mikoto sat stiffly while holding her cell phone. She hadnt been able to move since she had heard the staticky words that had come from the speaker. She could feel a cold sweat over her entire body. Kamijou had no way of knowing, but, even though his cell phones LCD screen had shattered and its joint had broken so it couldnt be closed, it hadnt lost its call functionality. In other words, the conversation between him and Terra in the Palace of the Popes had reached Mikotos ear through the phone. She had not understood most of what they had said. No, even if she had understood it, she had forgotten most of it. What had caused this tightening in her chest was one simple statement. ... She realized that no sound came out when she tried to speak. She moved her shaking hands and managed to turn off her cell phone. She merely stared at the phone that no longer had a connection. She thought about staying like that until her body stopped shaking, but it didnt seem like it would ever stop. As she slowly came out of her shocked state bit by bit, she managed to move her lips. She hadnt intended to speak, but she could tell that the eerily hoarse voice had come from her own mouth. She spoke very quietly. ...He...doesnt remember...? After saying the words, Misaka Mikoto thought again about what they meant. (He lost his memories?) References 1. "The One Above God" is pronounced "Kamijou", but is spelled differently from Touma''s family name. Volume 14, Afterword Volume 14, Afterword To those who have bought the books one at a time: Welcome back. To those that have bought them all at once: Welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Now then, a lot happened in Volume 14. A lot of problems that havent really been touched on yet in the series because I guess you could say Ive been holding back on using them showed up here. The overall theme was groups. I guess the occult keyword was something like the Final Judgement. Some things dealt directly with it while others were indirectly related. (Some easy to understand ones were Original Sin and the Mass.) ...Actually, I get the feeling that pretty much anything in the Christian Church is related to the Final Judgement. But I guess this time around it was a little closer to the surface than usual. If I have to choose one side or the other, this was a magic side story, but since a lot of Academy Citys new weapons showed up I think I made it so those of you who like the science side could relax too. Many thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and the one in charge of the project Miki-san. There were a lot of things for you to complain about, so I truly thank you for sticking with it. And this time I would like to thank Manaka Junichi-san. His lectures on the workings of stealth fighters and the field of the military in general were very helpful. And I would like to thank Fukushima Yuuko-san. Her supervision of the Italian was a huge help. Now, to you, the reader. Including the SS, there are now 15 books in the series. It is all thank to you that Ive come this far. . And now you will be closing the pages. I pray that you will open the pages of the next book. And I will lay my pen down for now. Now, what is the difference between ϡ and 񛷡...?[1] -Kamachi Kazuma References 1. "" and "" are both pronounced "kamijou". The first means "The One Above God" and the second means "The One who Purifies God". Volume 15, Prologue: The finest lead bullet for you my dear. Management. Volume 15, Prologue: The finest lead bullet for you my dear. Management. Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script. Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed. Please read Template:PREVIEW for further information. There were blind spots. For example, the janitor closet of a large department store. The department store staff thought that it was being used by outside janitors, and the janitor staff thought that it was being used by department store staff. Since it was off-limits to customers, no security cameras were installed, and nobody had their eyes on it. As a result, nobody entered it even when everybody knew about it, turning it into a room which even the key-holders didn''t enter. An iron door normally kept it closed. But today was different. Tsuchimikado Motoharu used a previously obtained key, and opened one such door located in a corner. Inside, the interior design was like that of a small bar. In front of him was a large sofa that could seat more than ten; beside it was a long, small table. Further in was something like a bar counter. It was plain clear that the world changed past that door. "Welcome," Upon spotting Tsuchimikado come in, a cheerful man''s voice flowed from within. Standing opposite the counter was a man even shorter than Tsuchimikado, probably a college student. Matching his frivolous looks, his attire was some type of brand-name suit. With no necktie, three of the shirt''s buttons were unfastened, which revealed his chest. With four or five mobile phones swinging from his neck, the man''s popular name was Management. As he leaned onto the counter with his elbow, he said, "Oh, my bad, my bad. Showing a light side is part of the service industry; this is to create a mood where we can speak easily. I''ll cease it if it offends you, how about it?" "Nah, this will do." As Tsuchimikado said that, Management broadly smiled. Tsuchimikado threw the key he carried, and Management caught it with one hand. And with the business over, Management moved out the furniture, changing into other concerns. "Well, then, I wonder what kind of stuff you''re looking for. Today, the excellent sensor busters for unlocking are a bargain. Shit is bad for those in for money laundering. As usual, we''re at a shortage due to the new regulations that came in after the September 30th incident. For the rest, it''s business as usual." Several people were involved in robberies and thefts. In such cases, there was a division of roles like transporters, lock picking, breaking-in, and money laundering, but amongst them, the problem of "They wanna rob, but they''re short on hands" came up. Management was the person who supplied the necessary manpower and earned referral fees from doing so. "Even so, it''s the net or email nowadays; people like you making a direct visit is rare." "Is what I''ve done bad?" "Nah. There''s no risk for this time. Ah, yes, you want a drink?" Tsuchimikado scanned the shelf behind Management. Upon seeing massive cans, he slightly frowned. "I''m not into drinking paint thinners." "Don''t misunderstand me. Those solvents are for wiping off oil-based inks; important stuff for business like this. The alcohol''s inside the ref. And it''s the really good stuff that''s gathered inside." "Either way, I''ll pass." Even as Tsuchimikado declined, Management''s complexion didn''t especially change. "No time to be both tense and drunk, eh. Oh, well, that''s to be expected for such work. Let''s continue with the business. What item do you want?" "Sorry. I''m not looking for items, either." "?" Tsuchimikado easily said that to a puzzled Management. "I''m not here as a customer. I''m here as a catcher." Management was agape for only a moment. However, when he saw Tsuchimikado draw his pistol from his belt, he immediately dove for cover behind the counter. Tsuchimikado unconcernedly pulled the trigger. Successive *BAM!BAM!BAM!* gunshots echoed. Punching holes into the paint thinner cans on the shelf behind the counter, a disagreeable smell immediately filled the room. (That bastard...!?) Management, remaining hidden, reached for the bulletproof jacket and submachine gun hidden behind the counter. As soon as he inserted a magazine and pulled on the slide to load the bullets, Tsuchimikado''s gunshots suddenly stopped. Management raised up his head to ascertain the situation. (Is he out of bullets?) A thinner-stained Management thought that, but he immediately got a different answer. The scratching of an oil lighter. "!!?" Management''s throat dried up. Before he could say anything, Tsuchimikado threw the lit oil lighter onto the counter. Management had no time to think about anything. Chucking off his bulletproof jacket and submachine gun, he jumped out from within the thinner-filled counter. The oil lighter fell onto the thinner puddle, and a *VOOM!* explosive flame rolled up. Management, having barely escaped it, noticed that the handgun was jammed right into him. He raised his hands up, and loudly said, "WAIT, WAIT! I GOT IT, I GOT IT! I SURRENDER" Tsuchimikado absentmindedly pulled the trigger. Along with a *BAM!* discharging sound, Management frighteningly looked at his own side. There, a dark red hole had opened up. "Y-you, bitch. I told you I surrender..." Trying to say something, Management collapsed onto the floor. Tsuchimikado, with no particular change in expression, first checked if Management was breathing, then brought out his mobile phone. Punching in a registered number, he curtly reported to the answering party. "Time for collection." The person on the phone said something back. Tsuchimikado continued to reply. "After this, I''ll look for his address and check out various stuff. Get in touch with the grunt groups. No, not an ambulance, a paddy wagon will do. I''ll look for info based on the registered address, and Accelerator is... gone?" ? Tsuchimikado clicked his tongue. "I see; he''s doing stuff over there right now, eh. Can''t be helped, then. You''re going out, Unabara. And take over for Musujime as backup. See you then." Tsuchimikado hung up his mobile phone. Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Accelerator, Unabara Mitsuki, and Musujime Awaki. Those four were designated GROUP. A small group that existed in the underworld, working to defend the mainstream society. Volume 15, 1: An Unmistakable Gun, Unheard by All. Compass. Volume 15, Chapter 1: An Unmistakable Gun, Unheard by All. Compass. Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script. Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed. Please read Template:PREVIEW for further information. Part 1 October 9. Today, Academy City''s independence day, was a holiday within the city limits. A carefree atmosphere had enveloped it since morning, even at the hospital in District 7. The frog-faced doctor had stepped out of the front entrance, and was basking in the gentle morning sunlight. A tiny 10-year-old girl stood beside the doctor. A girl named Last Order. She had been taken away on September 30 by Hound Dogs led by Kihara Amata, and Testament had been used to inject special data into her brain. The removal of that data was being performed up until now; with the work over, she had been discharged from the hospital. "Nobody''s coming even with you finally discharged from the hospital?" The doctor asked in a shocked tone, but Last Order did not seem to mind it very much and said, "Misaka will board the taxi alone, says Misaka as Misaka tries to puff her chest out while announcing it." "Well, the virus inside your head has been completely destroyed, so there''s nothing to worry about. Yomikawa-san has paid the taxi fare in advance, so you''re heading straight for her mansion, okay?" Just at that moment, the taxi turned up onto the hospital circle. The frog-faced doctor flagged the taxi down, and lifted a luggage-burdened Last Order into the back seat. As the driver watched over them, he said, "Passenger, where to?" "The amusement part in District 6! Says Misaka as Misa" "Number two building of the Family Side apartment in District 7. Don''t forget it, okay?" With him blocking the nonsense Last Order was spouting, the frog-faced doctor was stuck with caring for them after all. As the driver smiled wryly, "Acknowledged." "Do I have to tell you the location in detail?" "No sir. This town is full of student dormitories so apartments are far and few between. I can search for them with my car navigator if I get the apartment name." As the frog-faced doctor pulled back from within the taxi, the rear door closed itself automatically. With Last Orderboth hands on the window and looking outsideon board, the taxi carefully maneuvered itself out of the hospital grounds. With the taxi gone, he went back to his hospital work. Walking through the clean walkway, he entered the visiting area where only simple sofas and tables were arranged, and bought coffee at a nearby vending machine. The vending machine was the kind that used paper cups. Liquid coffee was not poured into the metallic box, but instead it automatically ground pre-roasted beans. It took some time, but the flavor and strength was reasonably good. Phew, the doctor exhaled and, (Well then, I''m finishing the Sisters'' adjustments, so I have to be out of here as soon as possible) At that moment, the frog-faced doctor''s thinking was suddenly interrupted. *Poke* Someone''s handgun was pressing against his back. The frog-faced doctor''s movement stopped. Audible shallow breathing from right behind him reached his ears; he paused for a bit, then said, "You''ve already come back from Avignon?" "Tch. So you''ve heard the news." It was a familiar voice. Accelerator''s. Accelerator was leaning on a modernistic cane with his right hand, but they were in a hospital complex so he didn''t particularly stand out. And he was using his own body to prevent others from seeing the gun in his left hand. The doctor did not raise his hands. For the sake of his patient behind him, he did not take such a visible action, and whispered, "...What a fine greeting we have here, eh?" "I want info. The electrode designs." Accelerator was talking about the choker on his neck. It looked like an accessory, but in fact an electrode was inserted behind it, capable of transforming Accelerator''s brain waves into a different signal and allowing limited connectivity to the special electronic communications network known as the Misaka Network. The frog-faced doctor, the one who had prepared that electrode, answered without any change in emotions, "Why do you need the schemes? Aren''t you letting me fix the choker if it''s not working?" "Just give me the schemes." ? "Last Order wanted to see you. It would have been better if you had come out a little earlier." "Zip it. This has nothing to do with you." "Wrong. And it''s because the patient wanted to meet you. Arranging that is my job." "Tch... Had I known that, I wouldn''t have waited for this timing. Shitheads." Accelerator said, sounding genuinely annoyed. The frog-faced doctor put his hand into one of his lab coat''s pockets and brought out something like a pencil-lead case. A USB stick. Holding it tight, he moved his hand backwards. "You''re prepared, eh." "That''s what I told you, right? Preparing for my patients'' needs is my job." The doctor said this while looking at the vending machine that was continuing its operations. "Nonetheless, won''t it be difficult to apply its contents? I did all of the creation of the important parts myself, you see? If you are to work on an identical electrode, you have to start from manufacturing using machine tools." "..." Accelerator took the USB stick and silently departed from the back of the frog-faced doctor. The frog-faced doctor turned around. No one was standing there. Accelerator had already used vector control to jump into the nearest stairway, leaving nothing, not even a shadow. "..." The doctor gazed for a while at the empty space. A *beep* electronic sound was heard. The frog-faced doctor retrieved the coffee from the vending machine''s pickup slot, and sipped on the bitter liquid. Part 2 Unabara Mitsuki was in a room in a certain apartment in District 7. Building number two of the Family Side apartment building. It was a spacious 4LDK room meant for residential use. But if one were to see the interior, it would be clear that only one person had been living here. One could guess just by looking at the uninhabited rooms. Even the neighbors would probably feel like that. Unabara was checking it out while using the phone to talk with Tsuchimikado. "...First off, I''ve arrived at Management''s room. I''ll start the investigation now. Possible places for storing information...PC, HD video recorder, and even game consoles are equipped with storage media, right?" "If it''s even a small possibility, then take them all. Even memory chips from rice cookers and washing machines, dismantle them to preserve every bit of information." Looks like I''m in for some grunt work, Unabara grumbled. "At any rate, what kind of business assistance is Management doing?" "I''m checking on that now." Tsuchimikado answered, seemingly bored. "Ten hours or so back, some kind of criminal organization had been organized with Management''s efforts. They are, from the start, the kind to cover up the shortcomings. And they''re the kind that pay up to obtain ready firepower from the outside. Soon the incident will certainly occur. Investigating and stopping them beforehand is our job." "Was it really necessary to bring Group in for this?" "Just get moving. I know you want to complain, but it''s all the same for the kind of work that gets sent to Group. Nothing but shit." Acknowledged, Unabara replied. Walking through the spacious room, he attached tiny tags onto gadgets like PCs and video recorders. He had no intention of carrying out stuff like refrigerators and washing machines. For now he''d attach marks onto stuff, and he''d have the grunt group carry them out afterward. (Well, of all the places.) Almost finished with the task, Unabara found something that bothered him. It was paper money. Several stacks of paper money had been left on top of a waist-high shelf. That in itself was not unnatural, but he felt like it had been kept separate from the wallets. Unabara checked the room for a bit, looking for credit cards and passbooks. The arrangement of stuff inside the room closely matched the resident''s lifestyle. However, with Unabara''s diagnosis, it was likely that the paper money left on the shelf was unnatural. Since it had been kept apart from any wallets, it was likely that the person was keeping others'' paper money from mixing in. Unabara looked at the paper money again, and then called Tsuchimikado back, "Tsuchimikado-san, do you have devices to read information from IC chips?" "Why?" "I''ve found five stacks of paper money. Surely, IC chips are attached to Japanese money issued by the Academy City mint. I believe we''d better check these out, too." "Understood, I''ll have them prepare it...No valuable information found on my side. I''ll finish up the department store''s cleaning room, and head for your" Tsuchimikado''s words weren''t heard to the end. **BOOM!!** A rocket suddenly flew in, breaking through the window, and exploding right in the middle of the room. Several *pit-pat!pit-pat!* footsteps echoed from the entrance way. Dark grey-armored men swiftly broke into the room, even as they scanned for traps. Heads uniformly covered with face masks, these five people laden with matching equipment had no personality. Communicating silently through hand signals, they split into two groups and carried out the investigation of the charred remains inside the former 4LDK, which had been widened when the thin outer wall had crumbled down on top of the air conditioner that had fallen from the wall and onto the floor. Not only were the automatic fire extinguisher facilities not working, even the normal fire alarms were not working. They had cut off the security well in advance. Since they did not exchange any words, only small *kacha kacha* metallic sounds strangely echoed out. It was the sound of hard armor hitting metal because they had brought small arms and they were on the move. (Good grief...) Unabara Mitsuki sighed as he looked over the situation. He was against the kitchen wall, observing the status through a door that had been bent due to the destructive shockwave. He had jumped into the room at the same time the rocket smashed through the window. And as he brought out his obsidian knife from his side, (With the entire room blown away, the information must have been destroyed. Looks like people worried about Management''s information getting obtained have come out to greet us.) He was on the third floor. Moving soundlessly, he approached the side of a destroyed window. Even looking from there, there were about fifteen black-clad men. Probably more in unseen places; he was completely surrounded. His disintegration magic Lance of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was an extremely strong magic that launched a dazzling light, absolutely disintegrating everything that was hit by its light. But on the other hand, he could only set one target at a time. In short, in exchange for "one strike, one kill, no matter how strong the prey", it becomes "one strike, one kill, no matter how weak the prey". (My opponents have 9mm sub-machine guns and 9mm handguns. If they fire them in this narrow space, I''ll be turned into a rag doll, no matter what magic I have.) Most importantly, Unabara remarked, (This is untimely. Lots of small fry coming out at this time is really untimely.) Even breaking through the crowd of black-clads in one go by any means had no significance due to the apartment''s passages and doorways serving as boundaries. He would be restricted by them, causing a human jam. Even if an attacking party was few in number, the large number of people surrounding the apartment would crush any possibility of their target escaping. Also, even in cases where the first attacking party was annihilated by the target, the next attacking party could choose not to form up and rush in, since they would know at once that the enemy had not been killed by the rocket, so the next phase would be blowing up and destroying the entire apartment block. (...They''re well-practiced, eh? Even if they get stalled here, it doesn''t mean they''ll lift up their siege net. It''s a definite stalemate...) Unabara Mitsuki again grasped his obsidian knife. Before he knew it, his palm was drenched in sweat. (Well, what to do now?) Part 3 "Fire outbreak in District 7. Condition five report confirmed. Security and automatic fire-fighting systems of the target building are not working, immediate firefighting requested." At the emergency communications center where information was dispatched to Anti-Skill and Judgment, a female operator was relaying the information displayed on her monitor to the relevant organizations. "An additional Anti-Skill inspection sortie to serve as fire brigade on-site inspection witnesses has been requested. And also" The operator let her eyes off the monitor for a few seconds, trying to get the manual sheets for a fire incident that was pasted on the communications booth wall. At that time, the response from the on-site team that had been waiting for concrete instructions came, "Acknowledged." The voice said this, then the transmission ends. "...eh?" The female operator was mystified. Displayed on screen, all the important communications had already been carried out. Part 4 It had been fifteen minutes since the apartment room was blown away by a rocket. Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Musujime Awaki were in an apartment room in the Family Side Building no. 2. There were no fire brigades or Anti-Skill personnel. Here and there, bystanders could be seen surrounding the building, but no one entered. After all, there had been an explosion. And they wouldn''t dare enter considering the danger included in fire and destruction. The apartments had been constructed for residential use, but the rooms were used almost only for solitary living. On top of it, apartment tenants were overwhelmingly faculty, outweighing even the students in number. Because Academy City had rounded up Anti-Skill for war preparations, shifting the task of preparing the lesson materials to the other teachers, the rooms were empty even on a national holiday. "Right here." Originally a high-class 4LDK mansion, the middle of the room had been blown out by explosives, even the furniture and inner walls had crumbled down. Thanks to that, the apartment now only had about two rooms. One could see the bathroom just by passing through the main door. "They''ve thoroughly destroyed the evidence. Even bringing in those skilled in telepathy might do us no good." Musujime muttered as she looked at the blackened floor. The one late in coming, Accelerator, finally turned up leaning on his cane. "Tch. Just when I was thinking that it''s a summon, it''s yet another enjoyable garbage disposal job from the top." Tsuchimikado, without looking at Accelerator, said, "You finished with your errand?" "Shuddup." Accelerator halfheartedly rejected it and looked at the surroundings. "Is this the spot where that idiot Unabara disappeared?" "Yup. For now, Management is a live captive, and being transported on the paddy wagon of the grunt groups, but my level of confidence for his verbal-only information is low. And he''s only strangely whining and saying stuff like "the info stays only in my head." I sent Unabara here for the support data we need, but then..." Tsuchimikado, in a dull voice, said, "During that time, he was probably attacked from the third floor. In this situation, I still don''t know whether it''s that Unabara himself is targeted or that Management''s information is targeted, but from the looks of it, it''s the latter. The report from Unabara beforehand is that there is stuff like personal computers and HD recorders, but they''ve disappeared like magic. Everything was taken away, even the AI-equipped appliances." "At least it appears there''s an appliance left behind here." Musujime was lifting up a blackened microwave oven with her foot. It immediately rolled onto the floor. "Perhaps it''s one of those not loaded with AI. A type where one cannot input additional info into it: it would be thrown away just like that." Investigating the room, there was, in addition, a broken-down TV and electric iron. But all the important stuff had probably been taken away. Accelerator sat down on the disemboweled bed, And exhaled, seemingly uninterested. "Tch, what a bother. We know shit about that bastard Management''s information. And we know shit about what happened to Unabara. Good grief, make sure that if it''s your job, you bastards had better deal with it." He lightly kicked at the destroyed microwave oven rolling nearby. At that instant, the plastic-made door opened and the contents spilled out. "...hm?" It was the paper money. The five stacks of soot-stained paper money were somehow stuffed into the microwave oven. "The report says that we''re worried about Unabara." Musujime, who had bent down to pickup the bills, chuckled as she said that. "There should be the anti-counterfeiting IC chips within these bills. Something might be written in them. By putting them into the microwave oven, they can be sealed off from radio signals. Even if, for example, the attackers carry a sensor just for them, that would probably be tricked into not detecting them." "...Did that shitty bastard hide them in advance?" Just as Accelerator inquired, Tsuchimikado, standing apart from them, raised his voice as he said, ''hm?''. Looking closely, a man''s corpse was stuffed inside the closet Tsuchimikado had opened up. On closer examination, its skin by the right calf leg was completely torn off. Tsuchimikado sighed and said, "This is Unabara''s work." "That act done at the foot? Is it that bastard''s hobby?" Musujime grimaced on hearing these words. Her feet were once injured in an accident during class. The trauma of that time had not vanished yet. To make it worse, her trauma was so bad she had to use low-frequency vibration medical equipment to reduce the stress every time she used her ability. Tsuchimikado shook his head. "He uses human skin to create one kind of a talisman. You guys don''t know magic so I''ll make the explanation of theories brief...but the point is, **he has the skill to substitute as other people**." While looking at the foot injury of the corpse, Tsuchimikado said, "That Unabara bastard has totally changed places with this one. Now he''s mixed with the guys who attacked here, waiting for an opportunity." In short, Tsuchimikado acknowledged, "That masquerading bastard is still alive. And I don''t know where he is laughing now." Part 5 What are they doing?, Uiharu Kazari cocked her head in puzzlement. In front of her was a taxi, stopped as if at a red light. Inside, a young girl about 10-years-old was quarreling with the driver... Or rather, the girl appeared to be having a one-sided quarrel. Uiharu didn''t have to be near just to hear the loud voice. "''Misaka is saying to let me off here, let me off here why you won''t let Misaka go!?'' says Misaka as Misaka tries to protest with hands on her hips and cheeks puffing!!" "Well, you see, I''ve already received the fare to the destination. Stopovers are" "''Misaka will try to attempt an escape at that opportunity of an excuse!!'' Misaka says as Misaka gets down from the car at high speed and rushes for the back alleys!!" As the little girl screamed, she had already entered into the narrow alleyway that seemed too small for even a bicycle to go through. Uiharu approached the driver as he was scratching his head and saying ''I give up.'' "Hm? Oh dear, are you Judgment?" The driver said upon seeing Uiharu''s armband. Judgment was a student organization tasked with keeping order in Academy City. Though those tasks were mainly within schools, the distinctions did not seem to stick much to normal townspeople. Uiharu, with a puzzled face, "Errr, is there some sort of trouble? Like that child getting off and going somewhere without paying?" "It''s the other way around, the other way." The driver, with an embarrassed face, "I got the fare beforehand from someone that appears to be that child''s guardian, and was supposed to send the child to the guardian''s apartment. And so the child went off on the way, and I can''t even give the change to her." "Ah. The passenger can do like she pleases, so can you take the change as a tip?" "The taxi fare is 1200. The deposit given to me beforehand is 5000. To take that as a tip would hurt my conscience." What a kind person, Uiharu thought to herself. The driver shifted his gaze onto the alley that was obviously too narrow for his car, "...Even so, I need get out to go chase her, as expected." "Shall I go look for her?" "Yes please, I''d appreciate it if you could do that." The driver used a machine inside his taxi to output a receipt, placed the change on top of it, and handed it to Uiharu. Uiharu was in no condition to look out for special monetary problems due to her Judgment armband attached to her. "Please bring her back." "Got it." Uiharu stored the change in her skirt pocket and exchanged contact addresses just in case with the taxi driver, before turning to the narrow alley and setting off. Facing the sunlight-less gloomy space, she called out, "Errr, what''s your name? Umm, Ahoge-chan[1]!?" "''Misaka''s identifier is Last Order!!'' says Misaka as Misakaha!?" With a reply coming back at once, Uiharu walked to where it had come from and captured the little girl. Part 6 Black smoke was rising. A block paddy wagon had stopped, having rammed into the guardrail. But that was only for the front half. The entire body had been ripped apart, so the rear half was rolling in the middle of the highway. It was the same model used by the Anti-Skill, but its affiliation was different. It was a paddy wagon used by the lower echelons of Group. Through Tsuchimikado''s instructions, they were secretly transporting a certain suspect. "Oww, dammit..." Emerging from the newly bisected vehicle was a male college student. Management. Alighting on the asphalt while shaking both of his shackled hands, he grimaced at his own stomach. The spot where the bullet had gone through had opened and the blood was once again spreading out, staining over the dark-red stains which had started to dry. Nevertheless, upon looking at the lad approaching him, he expressed a meek smile. "Sorry ''bout it. I''ve blundered." "Don''t mind it, I''m the one who should say that." The lad had metallic goggles on his face. And no, it was different. It was not just covering his eyes; it was surrounding his entire head just like Saturn''s rings. Plugs were inserted into it all around, and countless cables connected them to a machine at his back. Management held out both his hands at the strangely-dressed lad and, "Sorry, but can you unlock this? I may not be able to compensate for it, but looking for the keys would be troublesome. And leaving here early might be good for us." I understand, the lad said, swiftly moving his fingers as if swiping a card. In that instant, both of Management''s hands and head were crushed. "A, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Management, writhing around, looked up at the lad with eyes full of pain and surprise. The lad, gazing at them, simply informed him with almost no change in tone while aiming for Management''s vitals. "Too bad." Part 7 Group was one cold-hearted group. The remaining three members had put their investigation of Unabara''s mysterious disappearance on hold. However, even if there were a slight hint they wouldn''t know whether to go save him or not. The standard idea in "Group" was that each member had to deal with their own problems. And so, "It''s from the Group grunts. It seems the paddy wagon Management was on had been attacked." "A massacre?" "Nah. Kindly speaking, all apart from Management have been rendered unconscious. Either way, we lost our chance of hearing him out directly." "Aren''t there any clues of who did this?" "That''s why that guy left these cash notes behind." For now, they had to start from the paper money. The Group trio, having left from the Family Side apartment building number two, returned for the time being to one of their hideouts and decided to examine the electronic data stored on the IC chips from the paper money. "Even so, this hideout is an empty store at the underground shopping complex. What if an expectant corporate dropout comes to peek in?" "When that time comes we''re out of here. We have hideouts are all over the place; these shops are set up for them anyway." Tsuchimikado lightheartedly said, then set a paper money-reading device onto the floor. And connecting to the laptop via cable was, "...What''s that?" Musujime inquired inquisitively. Tsuchimikado chuckled at her. It was a sensor for cell phone wallets located at the side of cash registers in convenience stores. "Well... It''s a bother, so I asked a supplier to bring in a reader." "Well whatever it is I don''t particularly care." Accelerator said, while sitting in a pipe chair and tending to his handgun. "Get cracking." "Got it." Tsuchimikado simply replied, picking a pile from the five stacks of paper money and swiping it through the equipment. Not even the name of the country was displayed on screen. It was merely a clutter of numbers. Tsuchimikado then worked in the terminal, finally changing them into words with some significance. "We''ve got a sudden hit, eh." Tsuchimikado squinted at the characters displayed on screen. "...Looks like Management''s shopping list. His dealings are with a single professional sniper. Oh yeah, it looks like trouble just by the sniper''s weapon." He swiped the second pile through the equipment. "Sniper''s name is Sunazara Chimitsu....Alias unknown. Recorded personal history and abilities are unreliable. But just from the 700,000 referral fee, he''s one nice bargain item." He then swiped the third pile through the equipment. "This is about the sniper''s weapon. What''s prepared is...the MSR-001. Magnetic Sniping Rifle." Tsuchimikado said with a pained voice. "Magnetic, you say?" "As its name says, it is a sniper rifle that uses electromagnets to fire steel bullets. Of course it''s made in Academy City. Its construction is even simpler than that of a railgun. Muzzle velocity is 280m/s. Almost the speed of sound." "...That might be something. Although I hear that normal sniper rifles do good on performance." However, Tsuchimikado laughingly said, "In sheer power, true. However, this one does not use gunpowder, so there''s no recoil. Without the shock that most sniper rifles produce, sensitive aiming equipment can be attached very precisely. When using gunpowder, a certain amount of strength is required to withstand the recoil during firing. What''s more..." "What''s more?" "If gunpowder isn''t used, then there''s no sound. It''s most suited for killing stealthily." As he said those, Tsuchimikado swiped the fourth pile through the equipment. However, only errors displayed on screen. They could not read the essential data. "Dammit. The IC chips must have been busted by heat or shock. From just what we can see from the fragmentary header data, it looks like the definite business partner who hired the sniper is written here." No matter how many time he tried to swipe the pile through, the contents of the paper bills still couldn''t be displayed. Tsuchimikado gave up for now, and swiped the last pile of bills. Displayed on screen was a rough sketch of some location. It was a simplified map, with everything but the important buildings eliminated. A red dot was marked in the middle and numbers were written beside the surrounding buildings, indicating things like how many buildings there were and total distance. Indecipherable information for only such an overhead map. Tsuchimikado smiled upon seeing it. "Looks like the sniping plans. Did Management handle it this far?" "Heh. A great grocery store, that one." "The location''s the front plaza at the District 7 concert hall...." Musujime looked up at the ceiling and, "Just above this place eh." "The concert hall front plaza is being chartered for an address by one of the general board of directors. I dare say that VIP is the sniping target. Name''s Oyafune Monaka. I don''t know what kind of plans the opposition is using to strike at the top, but it appears they are plotting an outrageous plan to assassinate Oyafune. By stopping this our work will be complete....For Unabara, well, forget him. The one with the lowest ''score'' in this job will have to play punishment game and go save him." "Sigh. From here on we run and chase after the sniper? Why don''t we just ditch this bothersome job and stop the useless address?" Accelerator said with a really irritating voice, but Tsuchimikado shook his head. "That would be impossible." "Hah?" "It''s simple. The address has already started." Part 8 Both Accelerator and Tsuchimikado had left the underground shopping complex, and finally arrived at the front plaza of the concert hall that was right above them. They did it not by decent means like stairs or elevators, but by using Musujime''s ability Move Point. That ability was very convenient, but there was a weakness where she had difficulty in moving herself with it. And so only Musujime remained at the hideout, continuing the analysis of the paper bills'' IC chips. Since it was a holiday, there were many students in the plaza. Even though the open-air speech of the general board of directors was not interesting, just by looking around there were about two, three hundred students that had gathered. From Accelerator''s position to Oyafune Monaka, the distance was around 100m. A simple stage used for cultural festivals had been built in the middle of the plaza; a middle-aged woman stood on the stage. About four black-suited bodyguards stood guard around her, but then, "No way I''m doin'' this." Accelerator cut off with these words. "Dammit, just shout out loud, ''please shoot through my precious organs''. That damned VIP, she completely doesn''t understand that one can see she has no body armor just by looking at her getup." "Shut it. That''s where we come into play." "Even among the same general board of directors, that bastard Shiokishi is always in his powered suit around the clock. He''s not afraid of attack, but he''s probably insecure when he''s not in one." "That''s one hell of a habit." On Tsuchimikado''s words, Accelerator glanced at the person beside him. He looked on, agape at the on-stage Oyafune Monaka and asked, "You have the balls to be that person''s shield?" "What do you mean?" "For me it''s a collusion. This general board of directors. It''s one gathering of shitty bastards. As if they''re targets worth especially protecting by covering them with yourself." Accelerator knew a person called Thomas Platinumburg. Just like Oyafune he was one of the general board of directors. Accelerator hadn''t talked with him much, but just by looking at his tastes in furniture he knew right away that Platinumburg was a person who would naturally and without malice look down on others. "There are two kinds in Academy City''s top brass." As Tsuchimikado slipped through the crowd at the concert hall front plaza, he said with a small voice, "At the top are shitty bastards who must die and good people who were regarded as the same with the former even though they work seriously. In most cases, those ilk are bad in making a living and are made to draw only the short end of the stick." "..." Accelerator remained silent, glaring at Tsuchimikado. Yeah! applause and cheers enveloped them. "Oyafune Monaka is probably appealing to grant suffrage to Academy City''s children. As majority of this town''s inhabitants are children, suffrage is non-existent. And adults can''t voice complaints on policies that the top has decided. Even if the top says starting tomorrow the consumption tax has increased to 30%, they can''t put up a place to voice their objections. And so she''s saying she wants that conferred. Hahah, an easy-to-understand [pain in the ass], right?" Tsuchimikado''s tone was light. "If, for example, the children''s suffrage is approved, even the [war] might be stopped." "You''re crazy, I doubt that kind of stuff would go through that easy. It may be for peace but it ain''t practical. Even they don''t understand the word ''violence'' at all." "That was at the start for even racial and gender barriers. It does not involve only especially influential persons taking them on by themselves. Of course it''s a great achievement for one to lead many people, but history is definitely changed properly because above all, the awareness of people convinced on their own that [they themselves are powerless] was changed, and great numbers of people acted." At Tsuchimikado''s words, Accelerator again scanned the plaza. At the plaza where many of the youth gather whether or not it was a holiday. Tsuchimikado softly laughed and said, "I don''t know what you believe in, but I think Oyafune Monaka is worth protecting. And so I put my life on the line. She doesn''t tell me to come follow her, but I don''t recall being stopped by that." Shit, Accelerator tut-tut''d. As he leaned on his cane and stepped on ahead, "What a pain. Let''s quickly smash up this shitty bastard of a sniper!" Part 9 Accelerator and Tsuchimikado were standing about 100m from the onstage Oyafune Monaka. They should be approaching her closer as planned, but considering the possibility of mobility loss in the crowd of people, they couldn''t say it was a viable plan. Using a GPS map from cell phone, they ascertained their locations. "There are about thirty-two possible sniping positions. But because there''s a stainless-steel board at the back of the stage, it''s virtually a blind spot at the back for 180 degrees. In other words," "There are 15 places at the front covering 180 degrees. We smash them one by one and perhaps we''ll stop the sniper!" "...Sunazara Chimitsu, already into sniping condition, may not necessarily be into waiting leisurely," Tsuchimikado looked around the surroundings as he said that. He was not looking at a gently smiling onstage Oyafune, and he was not listening to her voice or the children''s applause. He confirmed a special vehicle stopping just off from the plaza. On top of the crane-like vehicle, a machine resembling a gigantic electric fan was installed. "For now, it seems there''s the anti-sniper Wind Defense in place." "Hmm?" "You probably know that sniping is easily affected by wind. That equipment deliberately creates gusts around the VIP, throwing off the trajectories. About four of them are used, creating wind swirls that surround the assembly area. Since they''re third generation, they use random numbers to generate random air currents," Tsuchimikado was saying such, but Accelerator was preoccupied with something else. He turned his head to the side, looking towards the vicinity of the confusion, when suddenly he *zip!* hid himself in the crowd. Tsuchimikado shifted his gaze there, and in a spot not far from them, a young girl about 10-years-old and a middleschool girl with lots of flower decorations attached to her head were there, hands together and walking. "''And so Misaka is looking for a lost child,'' says Misaka as Misaka tries to present the action pointer!" "Ha, uh, well, lost child?" "''You may not understand it well, but Misaka believes he''s around here,'' says Misaka as Misaka tries to state the prediction. ''Somehow the area on the head is tingling,'' says Misaka as Misaka tries to include intuitive supplementary info." "Sigh... as I thought, that''s one out-of-this-world ahoge, you know." This is not an ahoge!! On hearing that scream, Accelerator reflexively did a facepalm. "(...What''s with that brat showing up in a situation like this!? That ''God'' bastard sure is messing around!!)" "(...Hahaha, that''s life for you,)" Tsuchimikado suitably said. But upon noticing a young girl in maid outfit mixing among the crowd, he too was troubled at the same time. Let''s look out for stray bullets flying onto strange places! As the pair strangely agreed on a single opinion, "I didn''t think that there''s a Wind Defense to throw off the aim at the target. Things sure are complicated now." "The side of the vehicle says that it''s an air-purifier." "That''s right. It operates in the same way as the air cleaners used by the school staff smokers, but the sizes are quite a different story." Tsuchimikado said, seemingly proud; however, Accelerator''s eyes were cold. He said, "...That''s one nice speech, but they ain''t movin''!" "HA!?" A shocked Tsuchimikado confirmed it in hot haste sure enough, the gigantic electric fan blades aboard the large car had abruptly stopped. "They should have been running since a while back..." It couldn''t be a blunder by the VIP bodyguards. In hearing range of Tsuchimikado who was thinking of that, a strange *ping!* sound resounded, adding to the chaos of the surrounding noise. The sound of a metallic pot being dented. "" Accelerator and Tsuchimikado both focused on the source of the sound at the same time. There was a special car Wind Defense parked in a different location. As they thought, those gigantic blades were not moving. And, on the surrounding cylindrical outer wall which surrounds the electric fan, thumb-sized holes had opened up. "Dammit, it''s his doing. Sunazara Chimitsu," Accelerator said. "That bastard... He''s gonna aim and shoot for an undefended Oyafune after taking those interfering Wind Defense out of action!!" "Shit!!" Tsuchimikado tut-tut''d, then tried to get closer to Oyafune by plunging into the crowd. But with so many people, it seemed he couldn''t move forward as much as he would like. And during that time, the pinging, metal-hitting sounds occurred in succession. Those may be invisible for Accelerator, but perhaps they were destroying absolutely every Wind Defense equipment located elsewhere. (Dammit. Because the magnetic sniper rifle doesn''t use raw gunpowder, nobody realized that the equipment had been shot!) Already the artificial defensive gusts were gone. Tsuchimikado was trying to relay the danger to Oyafune Monaka, but it was unlikely he had time. "Tch!" Onstage, Oyafune Monaka continued her speech. The surrounding bodyguards were standing by, unaware of the danger. At this rate it would be a checkmate. "What a pain!!" Part 10 The sniper, Sunazara Chimitsu, had set up his magnetic sniping rifle. He was in a certain hotel room. Which he intruded into without doing any check-in, releasing the electronic lock at will. After he defeated the window glass security, he cut out a square hole, then put out the magnetic sniping rifle''s muzzle. It was called a magnetic sniping rifle but its form was quite different from existing rifles; it looked like steel boxes bolted onto a steel tube that was as fat as a human ankle. The barrel, supported by a tripod, was one strong solenoid coil. Near Sunazara was a suitcase. First, it served as storage for the disassembled magnetic sniping rifle; second, it was a gigantic battery for the same rifle. "..." The range was about 700 meters. All of the obstructing Wind Defense equipment had already been destroyed. Oyafune Monaka, far-off and onstage, felt so close that he could hold her when he looked through the scope. Right through her, Sunazara Chimitsu naturally thought, and then relaxingly pulled the trigger. At that instant. *BOOOM!!* Suddenly, a corner of the concert hall front plaza exploded, and flames with black smoke rose from there. The target, having taken the blast wave, reflexively flinched her body. Thanks to her irregular action, Sunazara''s bullet didn''t strike Oyafune Monaka. "What the...?" Sunazara frowned at the all-too-good timing. Even during that time, the gorilla-sized bodyguards surrounded Oyafune and took her downstage. Sunazara had work to do. He continued to pull the trigger, but the steel bullet struck one of the guards sticking to Oyafune. The guard''s body was noisily knocked off, but upon looking at places where there was no bleeding, there was probably bulletproof equipment inserted to serve as a shield. The remaining guards'' arrangement changed. Oyafune''s body was completely hidden behind the brawny men. "For now it''s not the right time." Long-range sniping was delicate. If, for example, he used bullets that could go at the speed of sound and fired from 700 meters, the bullets would take close to two seconds from leaving the barrel until they struck the target. It was not so bad for clueless and standstill targets; but accurately shooting target''s vitals that was running away while being defended by multiple guards was difficult. Sunazara Chimitsu thought for a moment, then decided this time to simply retreat. "Even so, what blew up?" Confirming with his scope, the black smoke was coming from the special car with its Wind Defense. Sunazara''s expression changed into that of increasing suspicion. He had rained them with bullets to stop their functions, but he had no intention of hitting them to blow them up. "..." At that time, Sunazara''s held his breath for a moment. He was very near the ablaze special car. A white-haired person, on-site and merging casually into the scenery, stared right at him. He was supported by a cane, and flames and black smoke were behind him. "I see." Sunazara took his eyes off the scope, and immediately got into disassembling his magnetic sniping rifle. As the pieces were stored one by one into the suitcase, he silently muttered, "I''ll remember that face." Part 11 By the time Tsuchimikado Motoharu raided the hotel room, there was no one there. However, there was an unnatural square cut out from a window corner. "Damn!" Tsuchimikado took out his cell phone, and contacted Accelerator. "Recovery failed. However, with Sunazara having got away from here, the probability of him continuing his sniping is low. For now, suspend Oyafune''s address and have it transferred after security measures are set up again." ["I''ve got word from Musujime,"] Accelerator said from the other side of the telephone. ["It looks like she''s read out the IC chips from the fourth pile of paper money that failed to read out before. The contents are, as expected, the names of those who employed the sniper Sunazara Chimitsu."] "And who are they?" Tsuchimikado inquired, then Accelerator answered with a seemingly depressed voice, ["School."] "What?" ["Just like our Group...it''s an organization hidden in Academy City''s underworld."] Between the lines 1 A man was loitering at an open caf at high noon. Various meals were being lined up at the guest-packed tables, but there was none of that at that man''s table. Not even a single cup of coffee was found; only large quantities of photocopy sheets were disorderly placed there. The man, with both hands jammed into the pockets of the lab gown he was wearing, was poring over the photocopy sheets spread out onto the table. Printed onto several bundles of paper were the AIM diffusion energy field data of espers that were in the Bank. A young girl, clad in a crimson school uniform and sitting opposite him, watched him suspiciously. "What did you find from seeing those?" "Various things," The man answered, not even looking up. "**A magician like you** may not understand it, but various information is written in here. It''s simply not only energy that emanates weakly from espers. It is the unconscious interference against our reality... through investigation of the variety and strength of that multifaceted energy, we are able to even find the heart of an esper." "Unconsciousinterference...?" The girl muttered, emotionless. "If AIM diffusion field analysis pushes forward, it becomes data after highlighting the contours of the Personal Reality a man possesses and investigates his personality and behavioral tendencies. I believe it will be a quite practical and easy-to-understand data, more so than a psychological profile." A silver-colored monster was waiting beside the seat where the man was seated. It was a four-legged walking monster created from titanium alloy and synthetic resins. Its basic form was close to the carnivorous cat family, but its nose was unnaturally long like that of an elephant. Because the metallic monster had a guide robot dog walking program installed, it was surprisingly flexible in adapting itself to human society. That monster opened its mouth. ["Professor."] It was a lad''s accented voice, and it didn''t seem to be synthesized. ["It seems Group and School have made their moves."] The man named Professor shifted his staring eyes, and looked at the man-made monster. Its conversational function was not because of the robot''s AI. It was only another person at a different location talking through wireless networks. In short, it was better to think of it as a phone made a bit complicated. "Have they made contact?" ["No. It appears Group has failed at capturing them. Currently it''s unknown whether or not they can catch on to School''s shadow."] Hm, the Professor exhaled only once and, "In any case, **the others,** too, have probably started to move." They were the unit under the direct control of Aleister, the chairman of the general board of directors. Whether it was for good or bad, they moved as that [person''s] hands and feet. They were a small organization expected to do only just that. "From the start, **organizations just like us** have reasons for their complex behavior, but due to the various powers they were repressed by the top, and were subject to control. However, because of the riots that arose along with the 0930 Incident, the majority of the powered suits were sent out for the mop-up at Avignon. That force is, according to the man on the ''Telephone'', one convenient set of limbs. This was the big opportunity, according to him, since the suits cannot be used freely," The Professor said all of that with a drawling tone. "Soon there will be an opportune time, right?" A voice was suddenly heard right behind the crimson-uniformed girl. Someone was standing there, where there had been no one up until now. A young lad entirely clad in a greatly inflated down jacket. It totally felt like he had come out from thin air. "It seems so," The Professor buoyantly said, while reaching out and lightly stroking the monster''s head. He was not surprised at the lad showing up. The girl seating opposite looked at the exchange, seemingly uninterested. She inquired with a doubtful expression, "Why did you correctly predict ''their'' movements? Even though the information from above might be incorrect?" "It''s because the top brass holds the technology to make that possible." And, the hand of the Professor that was stroking the monster stopped. The Professor was gazing at the opposite sidewalk which was enclosing the roadway along with this open caf. A young girl clad in what was commonly referred to as maid clothing was passing by. But the Professor was not looking at the girl. He was looking at the drum can-type cleaning robot that the girl clad in maid clothes was kneel-sitting on top of. He was looking at the robot that was very smoothly passing by. The Professor nodded at once. He was seriously impressed. "That idea hadn''t come up." ["Professor, please refrain from thinking of strange ideas."] Notes 1. An ahoge is a lock of hair protruding from the top of one''s head. Volume 15, 2: The People Who Have Slowly Begun to Move. Hikoboshi_II. Volume 15, Chapter 2: The People Who Have Slowly Begun to Move. Hikoboshi_II. Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script. Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed. Please read Template:PREVIEW for further information. Part 1 Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and Musujime Awaki were inside a camper-van driven by one of the grunts. It was lunch time. Fast-food was lined up onto a small table that was bolted onto the floor. Accelerator and Tsuchimikado were each eating their own respective food that they had bought hot fried chicken for Accelerator, and a huge hamburger for Tsuchimikado. Even at lunchtime they didn''t get along well. Meanwhile, Musujime Awaki was looking at them while eating her high-quality brand salad delivered straight from the Mediterranean. "...You two are killing yourselves fast, you know." "Nya. Eating only green leafy veggies isn''t too healthy, ~nya. You can maintain a healthy body for sure by eating meat and veggies in moderation, right? To be biased in either meat or vegetables isn''t right." "Hah!? You say eating meat and then dying is not a blessing? This is what you call doing what you want until you''re dead!" As Accelerator licked off the oil sticking to his thumb, Musujime continued, "So, you got nothing about them, School." "I tried accessing the Bank, but nothing came up apart from the name. It seems its secrecy level''s the same as ours. Only Group and School were recorded." However, Musujime cut in, "...When I tried to dig in, multiple organization names like those came out." "There are more than two of them?" Tsuchimikado chomped down on the hamburger, and quickly grabbed the meat forced out from the other side of the burger. "Group, School, Item, Member, and Block... from what I found out, there''s five of us. Little is known about the rest, but I felt they''re perhaps the same as us **unofficial units created by putting few persons together**." While Musujime was counting with her fingers, "School is the one who attempted to snipe Oyafune Monaka. If that''s the case, are they the ones involved with the destruction of Management''s apartment and the attack on the paddy wagon? Unabara Mitsuki is also concealing himself under them because of those." "Who knows. However, I wish he''d make signs that he''s spying on School. He might think of them as enemies and carelessly, utterly crush them." Accelerator was listening to Tsuchimikado and Musujime''s discussions, all the while sipping on his can of coffee. ...Even so, why did this so-called School try to assassinate Oyafune Monaka? Part 2 (They just do whatever they want, dont they?) thought Hamazura Shiage. It was noon and they were at a family restaurant in District 7, but the girl known as Mugino Shizuri was sitting at one of the tables eating a convenience store bento she had bought elsewhere and she wasnt even trying to hide it. He felt sorry for the short waitress that was nervously standing nearby. Huh? This salmon bento seems different from the one from yesterday. Huh? Even inside the restaurant, she was wearing a bright autumny short sleeved coat. She crossed her stocking-covered legs as she sat next to the window and muttered those words of puzzlement. Hamazura responded silently in his heart with, Its the same damn thing as yesterday. Everyone at that table was rather eccentric. In the end, Im getting kind of tired of canned mackerel. Now curry. Curry would be awesome. The blonde-haired blue-eyed high school girl known as Frenda sitting next to Mugino said this while poking at the contents of a can, but she must not have been good at using a can opener because there was something that looked like PVC tape stuck around the can and the top had been burned off by an explosive with an electrical fuse stuck in it. Hamazura thought it was a tool usually used for blowing the locks off of doors. Kinuhata Saiai, the girl sitting across from Frenda, was an obedient-looking girl of about 12 wearing a fluffy knit dress. She was paying no heed to the actions of the other eccentric girls (not because she had the good sense to ignore them or because she was broad-minded; that was just the type of eccentric person she was) and looking through some movie pamphlets. An ultra-problematic C-movie by the Hong Kong Red Dragon Film Company... It sounds like youll be on the edge of your seat for more reasons than one. Im super interested. I have to check that one out. What do you think, Takitsubo-san? Kinuhata was speaking to a lethargic girl sitting next to her named Takitsubo Rikou. She wasnt touching her food and was sluggishly sitting in the sofa-style seat with her arms and legs sprawled out limply while her gaze aimlessly wandered around. ...A signal is coming from south-southwest... These girls were Item. Item was one of Academy Citys unofficial organizations and its primary duty was to stop the upper classes, including the board of directors, from getting out of hand. There were only 4 of them, but they could influence what direction the city and the science side as a whole took. They were a unit that had the same level of secrecy as Group and School. Hamazura Shiage was not a proper member of Item. He was part of its subordinate organization and all the odd jobs and the driving were left to him. Before, he had briefly been the leader of the armed organization of back alley Level 0s, Skill-Out, but their plan had failed and they had taken a devastating amount of damage. That had put an end to his life of standing above others. Now he spent every day doing subordinate work in the dark side of Academy City. (Yknow...) There was something that had been bothering Hamazura ever since he had been assigned here. (Being the only guy in a group of girls is kind of awkward.) The table was made for 6 people, so Hamazura sat at the seat closest to the aisle. He had been given drink bar duty. So, Mugino Shizuri began a conversation after having finished eating her usual salmon bento. Before noon, someone attempted to snipe Oyafune Monaka, one of the board of directors. They want us to take action in regard to that case. Hey, in the end, I dont have that information. Frenda made that simple objection and Mugino stopped moving for a second saying, Mh? Then the girl in the short sleeved coat looked over to Hamazura. Hamazura. Send the details of the incident to everyones cell phones. Okay, okay. was Hamazuras halfhearted response. ? He couldnt complain about what he was instructed to do. This was his job. He took out his cell phone and sent the data saved there to the members of Item other than Mugino. Hmm. All of Item checked the information on their phones. And what appeared on their screens was a porn video he had downloaded from the internet. All four Item members immediately snapped their cell phones shut. When they looked at him with scornful eyes, the door of his heart slammed shut. He shut his heart up tight and sent his hearts elevator down to take refuge in his hearts nuclear shelter. No, wait!! Let me redo that! This was some kind of mistake!! Hamazura Shiage was once the leader of over 100 Skill-Out delinquents and now he was having to explain himself in a loud voice. But the 4 members of Item responded by... Hamazura... In the end, youre disgusting, Hamazura. So bunny girls are a super hit with you, Hamazura? Dont worry, Hamazura. Im rooting for you. Hamazura trembled slightly at their mild words and made sure he sent the information on the attempted sniping of Oyafune Monaka to them. When he did, Kinuhata spoke in surprise. Oh, this is that super plan of Schools. But I was super sure we had taken out their assassination sniper three days ago... They probably just hired a new one. Well, I suppose this means they ignored our warning. In the end, didnt we debate about why they were targeting Oyafune Monaka back then, too? Frenda stabbed into the contents of her mackerel can with a fork as she spoke. Oyafunes on the board of directors, but in the end shes useless. She doesnt have much influence, so theres no value in killing her. And yet... School went out of the way to replace their lost sniper and they ignored our warning in order to assassinate Oyafune, Takitsubo added to what Frenda had said absentmindedly. Mugino nodded casually. Theres no value in killing Oyafune Monaka. And yet School forced themselves to snipe her on schedule knowing full well we had our eyes on them. Why would they do that? ...Yes, Hamazura-kun! Hamazura jumped in surprise at her words. (Hah!? Why did she bring me into the conversation as if she wants me to say something interesting!? Dont focus on me in a situation like this!!) U-um, well!! Wait a second! Its on the tip of my tongue. Just give me a bit and Ill have it!! He gave a nice energetic answer, but didnt actually say anything in it. And the 4 members of Item responded by... Cmon, Hamazura... In the end, its really disgusts me how flustered you are. There are a super lot of different types of disgusting, but youre the worst kind, Hamazura. Dont worry, Hamazura. Im rooting for you even when everyones calling you disgusting. The girls sighed in disappointment. Hamazura the Level 0 kneeled down on the ground and stopped moving. Mugino ignored him and spoke. Well, as we said, theres no value in assassinating Oyafune Monaka. Theres no denying that. And yet School still chose her as their target. So maybe they chose Oyafune as their target because theres no value in killing her. Because theres no value in it? I super dont understand. Oh, you know. Maybe School didnt care who it was. Maybe as long as it caused a disturbance, they wanted a VIP whose death wouldnt have much of an effect. In other words, they chose the VIP with the least security. Mugino sounded like she was enjoying this. Other VIPs...well, lets just think about the board of directors. No other member was making an outdoor speech around this time. And that bastard Shiokishi wears a powered suit 24/7. There was no way they could successfully snipe someone like that, so Im thinking they chose someone easier to target. And, frankly, Oyafune Monaka had fairly lax security. ...In the end, I feel sorry for Oyafune. If Im right, what was School after? This is why a system to ensure the safety of VIPs is important. Mugino puffed up her obviously large chest as she spoke. Starting with the 12 members of the board of directors, there are a lot of people and organizations recognized as VIPs in Academy City. Their security is better than the usual security and, when their lives are in danger, people are called in from all sorts of places. The roads their ambulances need to travel on are blocked off and big-shots from various medical industries gather at the hospital for them. In other words, Mugino paused for a second, what do you think would happen if someone attempted to assassinate a VIP? A lot of people would be called in to protect the facility where they would undergo treatment. Special researchers and equipment, anything necessary, would be brought in. Ah, hahhh. It looks like School wants to do something amid all that confusion. What a boring method, Kinuhata added. It was true they could create an ''opening'', but it lacked certainty. Calling in more security would have little effect on District 23, or the ''windowless building''. All this would do would change their possible targets from ''facilities that could be attacked'' to ''facilities that were temporarily raised to an attackable level''. It could be some kind of insurance. If School got serious, they could break into most facilities. But, Mugino added, in order to carry out that insurance, they had to get a new sniper in a hurry and carry out their plan of assassinating Oyafune Monaka. They must have been pretty high strung getting everything in order. So, in the end, Oyafune Monaka was just a bit of security and School is still planning on attacking their real target wherever or whoever it may be? Yes, Mugino quickly nodded. Hamazura timidly spoke up. ...Wait. So was that really an attempted assassination? It probably didnt really matter. Even if Oyafune died, it would take a lot of manpower to perform CPR, do an autopsy, and analyze her body. She is the very highest of VIPs as one of the 12 members of the board of directors, after all. They would use all of Academy Citys mysterious technology to deal with it. Uegh, Hamazura responded in disgust. Mugino continued on as if he had never spoken. We need to see what facilities have insufficient security due to the attempted assassination of Oyafune Monaka. ...No. Thats not enough. We also need to see what would have changed had the assassination been successful. School must have been creating a situation where they could move whether the sniper succeeded or failed. So there should be a facility that has its security reduced in both situations. And thats most likely where School will show up next. Mugino Shizuri forcefully stood up from her seat. She spoke to Hamazura without ever looking over towards him. Hamazura, go find a car for us. It looks like were going to need to head out soon. It pissed Hamazura off how self-importantly she said that, but he couldnt object. He was just here to do subordinate work. Damn it. I was once the leader of over 100 Skill-Out members... Those words accidently leaked out. Thats true. Your point? (...God damn it.) This time he swore in his heart rather than out loud and left the family restaurant to go find a car. Part 3 Unabara Mitsuki was in a multi-tenant building in District 10. The building had a lot of empty space and he was in one of the rooms that no one was renting. It may have had to do with the fact that the Academy Citys only juvenile hall was right outside the window. There were a few dozen armed men in the small room and there were four boss class figures standing in a line. A business desk that had been left there by someone had their guns, laptops, disguise tools, and hand cream on it. (...This certainly didnt go as planned.) Currently, he was not Unabara Mitsuki. He had fought back one of the attackers and borrowed his face. (He was pretty weak, so I never thought he would be one of the central figures of the organization...) His plan had been to disguise himself as some small fry, find a good time to go run an errand or something, and then sneak away from the group, but it seemed the person he had defeated was one of the boss class members. That meant sneaking away was going to be difficult. Everything he did stood out and the group moved with him wherever he went. Because of this, he hadnt found a good opportunity to escape and had been forced to move from District 7 to District 10. What is it, Yamate? asked a voice coming from next to him. A tall woman was standing there. She was slender, but her body was covered in hard muscles. She looked less like she was tense and more like she had been carved from stone. At first glance, you could tell she worked in some kind of underworld business, but, from what he had heard, she had gone undercover into Anti-Skills headquarters. After thinking about all that, Unabara thought back on what the muscular woman had said to him. Yamate. Apparently, that was his current name. Its nothing. Pull yourself together. The success of the plan depends on your power. Everything she said was very polite. It could sound like she was being kind or that she was looking down on him. School has begun moving, said a large bear-like man. Were the ones that sent them the info on Management, but... Tch. Couldnt they have waited just a bit longer to take action? It looks like this isnt going to be easy. Outwitting Academy City is hard. But thats also why we cant give up now. (...) Unabara sorted out the information he had while listening to the woman. It seemed this organization was called Block. It seemed this organization had the same level of secrecy and authority as Group. It seemed they were planning something, but another organization, School, had taken action on the same day before they could and that happened to get in their way. In order to correct for that as much as possible, Block had covered for School with that explosion. That was how Unabara had gotten wrapped up in it all. (And...) Block had given up on dealing with the effects of what School had done and were now switching over to carrying out their plan. (School and Block. This sounds like its pretty complicated...) Then the muscular woman spoke to the large bear-like man. What about you know who? ...Oh, the man on the phone? That wont be a problem. The guys in the powered suits that act for him are tied up dealing with the aftermath in Avignon. The man on the phone cant do much right now. Hes in trouble. He usually passes on orders from farther up the chain, but once we start our rampage hell probably take the blame and get executed. Also, Hound Dog and its leader Kihara Amata were destroyed in the 0930 Incident so they wont get in our way. (Apparently, this organization has someone who gives them orders just like Group.) However, it was unclear whether the person on the phone was one person or multiple people. Multiple people could be commanding a single organization or each organization could have someone in charge of them. It could even seem like it was multiple people while it was just one person artificially altering their voice. It was all unknown. (Well, whether its one person or multiple, it cant be too large a group. They seem too responsive to be a large group.) Unabara pushed the issue of the voice on the phone aside. He concentrated on Blocks conversation and started thinking about the structure of the organization. (At the very least, theyre clearly not acting on the orders of the upper classes of Academy City right now. What are they planning on doing while the powered suits are gone?) Unabara glanced to the side. The men of Blocks subordinate organization were standing there. They were helping out with an obvious rebellion, but... (I wonder how many of them realize it.) Even if the upper classes told them it was an emergency and ordered them to gather at Point A, in the citys underworld, that was quite often a lie. In this world that was complicated by assumed ulterior motives, no one took an order at face value. In the end, you trusted in and acted on what you saw for yourself. There was the information that could very well be a lie and Block that would shoot you to death if you turned your back on them. If you had to trust in one of the two, you would choose the latter. That was the way to stay alive. (Its divine punishment really. Theyre always lying to their subordinates, so eventually the credibility of their information will drop.) Okay, the large bear-like man said as if he had gotten over something. I wont let anyone delay this any longer. Lets get started. Enough with Block. Im not going to keep working under those higher ups like this. He didnt start moving after saying that. Instead, he surveyed the area. Unabara asked a question. What is it? Nothing. I just want to do the usual safety check first. The large bear-like man smacked his large hands together as he spoke. At that signal, a gloomy girl calmly stepped forward. Tetsumou. ...We need to use your Skill Polygraph. We need to make sure there isnt a traitor amongst us. Will do. Reading peoples minds is all Im good at. (...!?) Unabara Mitsuki thought the surprise was going to come out on his face. He pretended to casually grab a bottle of hand cream that was on the business desk and looked around the area. With the four members of Block (Unabara included) and the subordinate organization, there were a few dozen people there. It would be bad if he was found out here. Oh, and let me say one thing. The second you refuse to be read, Ill assume youre a traitor. I like transparency. After the large mans announcement, the girl called Tetsumou started grabbing the hands of her colleagues one by one. An inhuman, mechanical voice came from her mouth as she did. Saku Tatsuhiko. Age: 28. The leader of Block. His primary duty is to keep an eye on the level of cooperation from friendly institutions outside of Academy City. After the large bear-like man was the muscular woman. Teshio Megumi. Age: 25. A formal member of Block. As a member of Anti-Skill, she......!? Tetsumous expression suddenly became distorted. For an instant, a menacing atmosphere came over the area, but Teshio herself didnt seem worried. ...You dont have to read that far. Why that kid has no parents and cant speak isnt an enjoyable past to see. Tetsumou shook her head and turned her gaze in Unabaras direction. That was when the bottle of hand cream Unabara was holding slipped. ...Ah, sorry. The bottle rolled over towards a member of the subordinate organization. When Unabara reached out for it, the young man approached and handed over the bottle. While youre up here, you can go ahead, Unabara invited. The young man had happened to step right in front of Tetsumou, so he interrupted the order and held his hand out towards her. It seemed he wanted to get his check over with. It happened when the two of them held hands. Gaaaaaaahhhhh!? The young man and Tetsumous hands burst into red flames. With a boom, blood flew through the air. A few fingers did as well. Tetsumou held her right hand, but the pain and blood loss was too much for her causing her to collapse onto the ground and stop moving. The young man hurriedly reached over for the first aid kit, but the large bear-like man stopped him. What did you just do? I dont know. I have no idea what just happened! What the hell did you do!? I was a victim here, too!! Saku didnt say anything more. He pulled his handgun from its holster, pressed the barrel between the young mans eyes, and pulled the trigger. Wait. I didnt do anyth-...!? The young man was completely dumbfounded, but a gunshot rang out. The blood-covered young man fell to the ground. Saku stared down at the red-stained corpse and spoke. ...Well, at least we found him before we got started. What did he even do? What do we do now? Do we continue? Saku shook his head at Unabaras question. It didnt look like Tetsumou was going to be of any more use. Theres no time to find a replacement. Well prepare a confirmation device later. He didnt seem interested in Tetsumou and ordered some subordinate members to take care of the body. (...) Unabara glanced over at the body of the young man lying unmoving on the floor. Before the young man had held hands with Tetsumou, he had handed the bottle of hand cream to Unabara. When he had, Unabara had gotten the cream on his palm on the young mans hand. And a small amount of liquid explosive had been mixed into the cream. Unabara rubbed some hand cream into his palm. This time, it had a chemical mixed in that would eliminate the liquid explosive. (He may have been an enemy, but... No, I cant have thoughts like that right now.) Unabara didnt let his thoughts show on his face and Saku spoke as if he had pulled himself together. Now then. How about we get started? There was a laptop in front of him. Part 4 An electronic alarm rang out within the RV. The members of Group had finished eating their lunches separately and were now discussing their plan for the upcoming investigation, but they were immediately cut off. The flustered voice of the driver/operator came over the vehicles speaker. E-emergency! Im sending you the data now!! Accelerator and the others looked toward the speaker the voice was coming from. A map of Academy City appeared on the screen that was on the wall separating the back living area from the drivers seat. District 5s Virus Isolation Center? Its a facility where Academy City-made computer viruses are analyzed and antivirus software is made. ...It seems someones cracking it. Tsuchimikado said as he read the rows of characters that were continually appearing. Even though they knew about this incident, they never once thought of contacting Anti-Skill and asking for help. An issue that could be resolved by normal people wouldnt find its way to Group. If Anti-Skill could solve everything, Group would never have been created. Accelerator spoke as if he found this to be a pain in the ass. Do we really have to act on this? You said there were plenty of other organizations like Group. Cant we leave this to one of them? We have different duties, so theres no guarantee they would act on this. And its also highly likely that one of those organizations has betrayed Academy City. We have to go. Tsuchimikado continued to speak. That Virus Isolation Center has a number of unanalyzed viruses and a number of experimental viruses purposefully created by Academy City researchers. If they got out...Well, thered be a panic. How far out do you mean? said Musujime with a meaningful smile on her face. There was a gap of 20 or 30 years between the scientific technology inside Academy City and outside of it. The same went for viruses. An old generation virus for Academy City machines would be a completely unknown threat to machines outside. And if a brand new virus that not even Academy Citys antivirus software could handle was leaked outside... Im pretty sure Academy Citys security focuses more on keeping things in than keeping things out. So there should be a facility for that. ...The External Connection Terminals. Academy City was detached from the normal internet and an Academy City-only network had been created. The external lines that connected to the internet all had to pass through an External Connection Terminal to make contact. Theres a terminal in the north, the east, the west, and the south, right? They heard a bit of static over the RVs speaker. The driver/operator was forced to speak. The emergency cut off of the External Connection Terminals has begun. The north terminal in District 3 is cut off. The east terminal in District 12 is cut off. The south terminal in District 2 is cut off. ...!? The west terminal in District 13 isnt responding! I cant confirm whether it has been cut off or not!! Ha ha! Another easy to understand plan!! Accelerator laughed after hearing that announcement. Tsuchimikado gave a daring smile. Most likely, theyre luring us in. I dont know who it is, but it seems they want to be scrapped. The RV started heading for District 13. The drivers anxious-sounding voice came over the speaker. Wh-what about the attempted assassination of Oyafune Monaka-san? Well deal with it later. In fact, it might be School thats behind this as well. Um...What about Unabara-san? We were never planning on saving him. Part 5 Hamazura Shiage was losing his presence of mind over an electronic beeping in a back alley. The sound was coming from the portable terminal in Mugino Shizuris pocket. Hey, should you really be ignoring that? Its fine, its fine. If I dont deal with it, someone else will. Even so, the terminal continued to beep. It was so insistent that Mugino started trembling, forcibly grabbed it, and yelled into it as if she was trying to bite it. Shut the hell up, you damn idiot!! Cant you tell I dont feel like answering!? Its always like this with you! Im not contacting you because I want to!! It wasnt on speakerphone, but the sound easily reached Hamazura as he listened from the side. The speaker was the mysterious woman that always gave orders to Item. Theres an emergency at the District 5 Virus Isolation Center, so you need to go and deal with it! Ehh? No, not Ehh?! Its always like that with you! The powered suit group is busy searching for the body of someone called Terra of the Left in Avignon. So get moving!! Im busy now, so can we deal with this later? Muginos tone of voice made it extremely clear she didnt want to do this. Its always like this with you! the woman on the phone yelled back. As Im sure you know, Items job is to eliminate and erase elements of unrest in Academy City. So do your job already! Yeah, but... And you killed Schools sniper before, right? You said Oyafune Monaka wasnt going to be assassinated, right? Its always like this with you! If what you said was true, then why did it turn out like this!? I thought that was over, so I reported that the level of danger had fallen... Im the one whos mad here, so shape up!! It was like she was yelling at a waitress who had gotten her order wrong. Damn it. Thats it... Ill ask someone else to deal with the Virus Isolation Center, so write a report on the attempted assassination for me. And have it done ASAP. Sorry, but that isnt happening. And why the hell not!? Because were about to go kill all of those bastards in School. The complaining womans voice suddenly stopped. Umm, could you make sure you shoot each one of them at least 10 times for me? ...Okay, that was awkward. As our manager, arent you supposed to try and stop us? Dont worry, my underling. Ive hated School for a long time. And everything that worries me should be eliminated from the Earth!! Gah ha ha ha ha!! the woman laughed like a military commander and then hung up. As she put the portable terminal back in her pocket, Muginos expression seemed to be asking if someone like that should really be the organizations manager. Then she looked around. Hey, Hamazura. Can you really get us a ride? You sure make that sound casual... But I suppose I can. As he spoke, Hamazura approached a passenger vehicle parked on the street. There was a fiberscope on a connector at the bottom of his cell phone that he used to send a small optical fiber thinner than soumen into the keyhole to check the arrangement of the pins. Hamazura used the image of the inside of the keyhole displayed on his phone to use a number of wires to unlock the door. Hamazura got in the drivers seat and checked the engine keyhole below the steering wheel. Huh, thats a convenient skill, said Mugino with real admiration in her voice as she got in the passenger seat. Kinuhata, Frenda, and Takitsubo got in the backseat. It was a four door car made for families much like the taxis in the area, but it did feel a bit cramped with 5 people in it. Where are we going? Kirigaoka Girls Academy in District 18. Theres a particle engineering lab near it. Thats the only place where the uproar over Oyafune led to a bit of disorder with the private guards being called in and some equipment being transported. The security there is now fairly insufficient due to that. Its pretty easy to see the plan here. There was only one place? That is simple. Sorry, I forgot to mention that there were multiple places, but this was the only beneficial one. I see, responded Hamazura arbitrarily. But particle engineering? If that really is Schools target, what are they after? Who knows. But its better than dealing with the whole Oyafune Monaka thing, right? So lets head out and clean up this mess some other bastards left. Hmm, said Hamazura as he easily started the engine. Takitsubos voice came from the backseat. Hamazura, do you have a license? You dont need a card to drive; you need the skills. After responding, Hamazura smoothly departed in the automatic transmission car. Part 6 Accelerator and the others headed through District 7 in the RV. Tsuchimikado looked worriedly at his watch. ...Itll be another 10 minutes before we reach District 13. The west terminal hadnt been cut off, but they could cut off access by going there and physically disconnecting the cables. Strict officials that dealt with the budget didnt like that kind of method, but there wasnt much of a choice left. But the electronic alarm began ringing again. Tsuchimikado shouted in response. What is it this time!? Cracking in District 23 confirmed! A satellite control center belonging to an aerospace engineering laboratory is undergoing an electronic attack!! (Satellite?) thought Accelerator as he frowned. The only satellite launched by Academy City up there was a spy satellite officially referred to as a weather satellite. Using that, one could observe Academy City and the surrounding area in excellent detail, but... This just keeps getting more and more interesting. Hikoboshi II has a large caliber ground-attack laser installed on it, right? This is bad. The cracking on the Virus Isolation Center is still going, isnt it? added Musujime. Theyre trying to split up the counter-measure team. The Virus Isolation Center is just a decoy to prevent us from going full force, but that doesnt mean we can just ignore it either. Being a decoy doesnt change how much damage it could do. Do you think this is School, too? I have no idea. It could be some other organization. Wh-what are you going to do!? Where do you want me to take you!? Ha ha. Isnt that obvious? As he spoke, Accelerator kicked the RVs side door with the bottom of his foot. He must have already flipped the electrodes switch, because his vector transformation power caused the metal door to fly out onto the street. Tsuchimikado yelled out at him. Accelerator!! I dont like dealing with some bastards decoy. Im headed to District 23. Ill stop the cracking by destroying the huge antenna thats used to contact the satellite. You can deal with the odd jobs without me. After saying what he wanted to say, Accelerator jumped out of the car without hesitating. His jump took him in an unnatural trajectory. He passed over the center divider and landed in the passenger seat of a convertible driving the other direction. A normal person would have been crushed by the difference in speed, but it was no problem with the aid of some vectors. The most flustered person was the driver of the convertible. Wah wah!? Wh-what? What!? Ill pay you for the gas and labor. The driver heard a small noise. He could feel something pressed up against his cheek, but he couldnt move his neck. However, he could see a black piece of metal that looked like a handgun in the rear-view mirror. Take me to District 23. And keep your eyes on the road. Part 7 (Im bored.) Thats what Hamazura Shiage was thinking while sitting in the drivers seat of the stolen car while it was parked on the side of the street. He was near Kirigaoka Girls Academy in District 18. About 100 meters in front of him was a square building. It was the particle engineering lab that School was attacking while Item intercepted them. A large fight must have developed between the two organizations. Hamazura groaned while looking towards the building. Wow...About half the buildings been destroyed and theres some kind of beam shooting out. That must be Mugino Shizuri. Shes going all out with her Level 5 powers as usual. The reinforced concrete building was collapsing in clouds of gray dust. Hamazura could feel the ground trembling even in the stolen car. (Level 5, huh?) The former leader of Skill-Out, Komaba Ritoku, had truly believed that they could defeat that kind of person. Hamazura wondered if Skill-Out was still thinking of fighting now that it had lost its leader. ...Tch. He lightly tapped on the steering wheel out of boredom. At any rate, someone like him who ran from Skill-Out and was now working for espers had no right to say anything about it. He opened the drivers side door and stepped out in irritation. Since he was supposed to have the car ready to go for Item at all times and the supervision of no parking zones had been strengthened recently, getting out of the car wasnt the best idea. But Hamazura wanted to cheer himself up. It was a holiday, so there werent very many people near Kirigaoka Girls Academy. Also, there were 3 sports cars parked in the parking lot. Hamazura was surprised when he saw one of them. (Ohhhh!? Thats an 89 model Booster, isnt it!? This was called the emperor of 4-doors!! N-no, stealing a car that stands out this much is too risky but...Screw it, were going home in a Booster!!) Hamazura started taking his unlocking tools from his pocket while his breathing became slightly erratic in excitement and he imagined the low exhaust of that famous car that had moved the hearts of celebrities. He approached the high grade sports car that must have belonged to some adult with excellent taste. Hamazura!! Yes!? Hamazura hurriedly stuck his tools in his pocket and turned around when he heard a womans voice from behind him. A woman teacher wearing a green jersey was standing there. Even in her jersey, the woman clearly had a nice figure. In fact, she was so beautiful it made you want to yell at her for wearing a jersey like that, but that wasnt what mattered to Hamazura. She was part of Skill-Outs natural enemy, Anti-Skill. He was pretty sure her name was Yomikawa Aiho. Huh? What are you doing here? I had heard you were taken in during the incident at Dangai Universitys database center. So that wasnt you? Im glad to hear that. She spoke to him sociably, but they werent on particularly good terms and the good will only went in one direction. After all, why would he feel any good will towards the woman who had caught him on the streets at night and thrown him in jail on 14 separate occasions? Why the hell are you here, you old hag? I would think that was obvious. As she spoke, Yomikawa pointed towards the particle engineering laboratory. Hamazura brought his hand up to his forehead. Items subordinate organization could conceal a lot of things, but it seemed not even they could perfectly hide a laboratory that was in the process of being destroyed. Yomikawa put her hands on her hips and smiled at Hamazura. Yknow, Im always hoping well be able to rehabilitate you. Hah? What are you talking abou-...? Why are you bent over like youre looking into that cars keyhole? Youre not going to force me to bring out my handcuffs, are you? Hamazuras shoulders jumped. He couldnt let himself get arrested here, so he shook his head back and forth. N-no! A baby!! Theres a baby trapped in the car!! What!? said Yomikawa as she hurriedly approached the car and pressed her hands against the glass as she tried to peer inside. When she did, the cars alarm went off. The shrill noise just made Yomikawa more frantic and Hamazura whistled pretending not to be involved. That was when a station wagon driving at a reckless speed sped away from the crumbling particle engineering lab. !? The station wagon flew past Hamazura and Yomikawa just as Mugino Shizuri came running from the laboratory. She was dragging her fellow Item member, the airheaded Takitsubo Rikou, by the nape of her neck. They jumped into the backseat of the 4-door car Hamazura had been in before. Hamazura!! Quit failing at hitting on that woman and get over here! We need to follow that station wagon!! Im not fucking hitting on her!! Hamazura yelled back and ran back to the car. It was too bad he couldnt get the 89 Booster, but he couldnt exactly steal the thing right under Yomikawas nose. He had jumped into the drivers seat and started the engine when Yomikawa called out to him. Wait a second, Hamazura!! Whats with that car!? Cant you tell!? I got my license!! He came up with that really bad lie and stomped on the gas pedal more than was necessary because he just wanted to get away from Yomikawa as quickly as he could. The engine and the tires emitted an uncanny screech and the family car roared off leaving the jersey-wearing woman teacher behind. After driving off, Hamazura realized something. H-hey. Where are Kinuhata and Frenda? That isnt enough to kill them. Right now, that station wagon comes first!! responded Mugino in an irritated voice. The edges of her short-sleeved coat were scorched black and her cheek was swollen as if it had been punched. Seeing those things in the rear-view mirror, Hamazura tried to imagine what had happened in that lab. How did this happen? Arent you #4? They had a Level 5, too. This piece of shit named Kakine Teitoku. Hes #2. Mugino responded sulkily. But they didnt get out of this unscathed. We took out a member of School. Although it didnt seem like someone with any real power. She waved around a piece of mechanical headgear that must have been her prize for defeating that person. It would wrap 360 degrees around someones head like the rings of Saturn and had a number of plugs on it. The cords that came from the plugs were cut off partway like cut weeds. Hamazura didnt know what the device was for, but the blood splattered on it scared him. So what are you going to do when we catch up to that station wagon? Kick the asses of the people onboard and take back their cargo. Their cargo? The ''Tweezers''. Its an attachment-type manipulator for microscopic object interference. ...I take it youre not going to explain what that means. Essentially, thats what School is after!! You dont need to understand. Just catch that station wagon!! Wait, can we even catch them with this car!? Dont worry. It wasnt Hamazura that said that; it was Takitsubo. She was sitting in the backseat with her arms and legs sprawled limply out. My AIM Stalker can track down the owner of any AIM diffusion field Ive recorded. Even if they leave the solar system, I can search for them and find them. See? Hamazura arbitrarily added on. With an excellent navigator like that, they wont get away. The bigger question is what youre going to do once we stop that station wa-... Hamazuras words were cut off. This was due to a giant mobile crane flying out from a side street. !? He didnt have time to turn the wheel. The monstrous mobile crane slammed into the center of the 4-door car Hamazura and the others were driving in. A terrible crushing noise rang in his brain. In response to the sensors, the airbag deployed from the steering wheel, but it wasnt much use as they had been hit from the side. Hamazura had been driving the car straight forward, but it was now moving to the side as if it was being pushed by the mobile crane. They broke right through the guardrail, ran onto the sidewalk, and hit the wall of a building. The 4-door car was completely immobilized between the yellow mobile crane and the concrete. Whoever did this didnt seem to care about causing a disturbance or damaging the area. It seemed they were intending to kill Hamazura and the others. ...Ow... Damn it... That was School. They really want that station wagon to get away. Theyre trying to slow us down!! Mugino snarled. The mobile crane backed up about 10 meters. A girl of about 14 was sitting in the drivers seat that was surrounded by safety glass. She was short and slender and was wearing a short dress with an open back. It was the kind of dress one would expect the women at a hostess club to wear. Hamazura thought she was planning on running into them again, but he was wrong. The girl operated a lever and the crane arm extended. It did not have a metal hook for picking things up on the end. It had a giant metal ball a few meters across that was used for destroying buildings. Shit!! Mugino yelled and opened the back door, but the cars frame had been warped too much for the door to open. Hamazura pulled a lever to fold down the passenger seat. We can get out through the windshield!! Hurry!! He smashed the cracked windshield and jumped out onto the hood of the car. Mugino and Takitsubo climbed over the passenger seat to get into the front seat. That was when the wrecking ball came swinging like a pendulum. The giant mass of metal came roaring towards them. Mugino escaped through the windshield onto the hood first and Hamazura hurriedly grabbed Takitsubos hand and pulled her out, but the wrecking ball slammed into the side of the car. There was a loud crash. The shock threw the three of them down from the hood onto the ground. Hamazura tried to raise his head, but Mugino grabbed the back of his head. He was pushed to the ground and a second later the car was enveloped in fire as it exploded. It was amazing they all survived. The mobile cranes engine emitted a disconcerting noise. It was continuing even when a number of onlookers had gathered after hearing the explosion. Mugino Shizuri clicked her tongue. Lets split up. You arent going to fight, Ms. Level 5? Im after the ''Tweezers'' on that station wagon. Im not going to waste time on small fries. ...And that crane girls power is a troublesome one. As she spoke, Mugino crossed the road and entered a small pathway. Takitsubo ran in a different direction. Hamazura headed into an alley between buildings and ran at full speed, but he heard wet footsteps coming from behind him. (Oh, shit! She came after me!!) Hamazuras throat went dry as he ran. It had just been a short girl driving the mobile crane, but she was a member of School, the group that had fought evenly with Item. He had no idea what kind of power she had, but it was something that a Level 5 like Mugino had called troublesome. Hamazura continued to run away, started climbing up the metal emergency staircase on the side of one the buildings, and entered the building on an arbitrary floor. The building seemed to be a student dorm. He ran through a straight hallway and heard a door open behind him. (She caught up to me...!?) He turned around by reflex. Sure enough, the short girl had entered through the same door he had. The girl in the showy dress held a ladies handgun in her hand. Basically, that meant it had a small grip. (Im dead!?) Hamazura smacked his palm against the wall. He had pressed a nearby button and a steel shutter fell down like a guillotine. The shutters purpose was to protect against out-of-control psychic powers. The girls eyes widened slightly and she fired her gun at Hamazura. Bang bang! Two gunshots rang out. Hamazura instinctively shut his eyes, but, when he opened them, there were no holes in the steel shutter. Looking at the monitor next to the button on the wall, he saw the girl click her tongue and look down at her own gun. Apparently, she didnt have the firepower to destroy the shutter. (...So she cant get through to me no matter what she does.) Relief ran through his body. He made the worlds stupidest expression, raised his hands, and shook his ass back and forth while yelling Ee hee hee hee hee!!. ... The girl in the dress saw this on the monitor on her side of the shutter, put her handgun back on her thigh, and reached around to her back. What she pulled out from the back of her waist was a handgun with a barrel about as thick as a can of coffee. It was a small 40mm grenade launcher. O-oh, fuck. Thatll kill me for sure, wont it!? Hamazura hurriedly ran back along the hallway, but the girl mercilessly pulled the grenade launchers trigger. The shutter exploded and blew off in Hamazuras direction. He was hit by a blast of fragments and flew more than 5 meters down the hallway before landing. Gh...Gaaah!? He somehow managed to get back up and ran wobbling down the hallway balancing himself with a hand on the wall. Ahead of him was a terrace, so it was basically a dead end. It seemed there was no stairway or elevator on that end of the hallway. There was a 3-story drop on the other end of the railing. However, behind him was the unknown girl from School. He didnt have to think twice about that decision. (Im definitely going for the 3-story dive!! Taking a leap of will-power and guts is 100 times better than facing someone as strong as her! The weak have our own weak way of living!!) Ha ha!! Being a loser is the beeeeessssttt!! Hamazura laughed loudly while running, stepped up on the railing, and jumped off of the third floor. He didnt even look down before jumping. With a pursuer, he hadnt had time to check what was below and he thought he might be too afraid to jump if he actually saw what was down there. But a 3-story drop was nothing to laugh at. (Shit. I hope theres something to cushion my fall down there!!) Hamazura looked down at the ground for the first time while in midair and saw a young mother happily pushing a baby carriage. As he flew through the blue sky, Hamazura Shiages brain yelled no as loudly as it could. Gwoooooooohhhhh!? He was swinging his arms and legs around trying to get some distance between him and the carriage by air walking. Whether that had any effect or not, his large body landed about 15 cm to the side of the baby carriage. A sharp pain ran from his heels to his ankles. The young mother put her hand to her mouth in a refined expression of shock and the babys eyes opened so wide it forgot to cry. U-um...Who are you? said the young mother. Im the kind of hero that falls from the sky. Its dangerous here, so get out of here, miss. Hamazura gave a refreshing smile as he spoke and ran down a nearby alley. Part 8 Tch!! The girl of about 14 wearing the showy dress put away her grenade launcher and her handgun, put her hands on the railing of the terrace, and looked down at the ground from the third floor. The target she had been chasing who had made that idiotic expression was nowhere to be seen. Only a baby carriage and a young mother were down below. The girl pulled out her cell phone and called a School comrade. I lost my target. Theres only a baby, a mother, and a baby carriage around here. ...Do you think its possible that man disguised himself as a baby, a mother, or a baby carriage? She was called an idiot and told to die in response, so she hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. (I let my guard down because I thought he was nothing much. I should have just used my power from the beginning...) She looked back down towards the ground looking annoyed, turned her back as if she had given up, and went back inside the student dorm to go find an elevator. Part 9 The convertible Accelerator was riding in was headed for District 23. He gave a sidelong glance towards the frightened man next to him and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. After thinking for a second, he entered the three-digit number for Anti-Skill. When he pressed the phone to his ear, he did not hear an operator from the Anti-Skill contact center. Instead he heard the man on the phone who gave instructions to Group. What are you trying to do? I assumed you would cut in if I called that number. If you dont like that I can use you like that, stop being so predictable. responded Accelerator. By the way, it seems things have changed. You people seem busy with School, so apparently you cant control people just by talking with them on the phone. You havent talked to us directly so far today, because youve been too busy dealing with all that, right? Do you really think that? Youre trying to just smooth it over? Pathetic. Accelerator and the man on the phone remained silent for a moment. Finally, Accelerator got to why he had called. Give me the information on the satellite being cracked, Hikoboshi II. Whats the output of the military laser equipped on it? Oh, is that all youre going to ask? You could always ask a more relevant question. I dont trust what you say enough to risk my life on it. What a cruel thing to say, the mans voice responded. Strictly speaking, the laser on Hikoboshi II is an optical bombing weapon that uses white light waves. And it is currently experimental not military. It heats its target up to about 4000 degrees, but white light waves have the power to destroy cell nuclei just like ultraviolet rays, so it can cause cancer quite quickly. (What a ridiculous toy.) thought Accelerator, but he said something else. ...Whats the range of exposure? Anywhere from a 5 meter radius to a 3 kilometer radius. Also, it cannot fire in quick succession. It can barely manage one shot in an hour. And the atmosphere randomly refracts the white light waves, so there is a slight margin of error in its accuracy. I cant tell you anything thats still in the experimental stage though, the man added lightly. Accelerator hung up without saying anything more. He sat in the passenger seat of the convertible thinking while staring at his phone in one hand and jabbing his handgun into the driver with his other. (Burning down an area with a radius of 3 kilometer? What are they planning...?) Then his phone started ringing. He thought it was that man again, but he was wrong. This is...Accelerator-san, right? Its Unabara. It was hard to understand him because it sounded like he was keeping his voice low or had his hand over the microphone or something. Im in disguise right now, so speaking in this voice is dangerous. As such, Id like to keep this brief. Oh, so youre speaking to me in secret behind Schools back? Sorry, but Im not going to listen to a plea for help. I have to stop them from cracking the satellite. If youre saying you can stop School, then Ill listen. Im not with School. Ah? The ones Im with are the ones cracking the satellite, but theyre Block not School. ... From what Unabara said, the organization known as Block was carrying out a plan on that day as well as School. What a pain. Then what about the sniper attack on Oyafune Monaka that School carried out? Dont ask me. ...Wait, sniper attack? Unabara sounded puzzled, but then he returned to the subject at hand. Before this, they attacked the Virus Isolation Center and one of the External Connection Terminals, so Academy Citys network counter-measure team must be in a state of confusion. Theyll be done with the cracking in another...20 minutes. Then Hikoboshi II will have fallen into Blocks hands. God damn it, Accelerator swore. Why hasnt District 23 temporarily frozen the satellite control center? There are various reasons, but the main one is that the normal method of manually freezing it takes over an hour. When dealing with space, things cost a lot more, so even a temporary loss of connection could bring about major losses. Accelerator knew this, but it still pissed him off that they couldnt just cut off the connection once it was known the satellite was being cracked. What is Block planning to do with Hikoboshi II? My guess is that it has to do with the optical weapon on the satellite. Are they trying to strike a deal? No, theyre just going to attack. Accelerator clicked his tongue. Whats their target? ...District 13. (District 13?) Accelerator frowned. Tsuchimikado and Musujime were headed there to deal with the External Connection Terminal. (Could they be trying to eliminate Group...?) After thinking for a second, he decided that it wasnt that. A large-scale action like taking control of a satellite lacked certainty. Just because they caused an incident didnt guarantee that Group would head out to deal with it. But there arent any major facilities there other than the External Connection Terminal. Its mostly a collection of kindergartens and elementary schools. Thats their target, responded Unabara in a low annoyed voice that made it sound like he disliked having to explain things. Of all the districts in Academy City, District 13 has the most kindergartens and elementary schools. If they attack there, most of the citys youngest residents will be killed. And what do you think would happen then? ...To put it bluntly, do you think any parent would want to send their children to a place where that had happened? ... Academy City is a city of students. No matter how many residents it has, they will eventually graduate. Without new students, the citys numbers will continue to fall until it cant even function. ...So theyre trying to slowly kill the city over the course of the next decade? Since Academy City held a great amount of scientific technology, it would not collapse on the financial front so easily. However, that didnt change the fact that an Academy City with no children would lose its reason to exist. Accelerator thought for a second. Can you stop them there? If I could, I wouldnt have called. Can we have the residents of District 13 evacuate? If it caused a panic, it could be dangerous for the children in the district. And today is a holiday. The teachers may be able to gather all the students who are still in the dorms, but I dont think they could do anything about the ones playing in the district. Youre fucking useless. So I suppose I have no choice but to destroy the antenna that communicates with the satellite. Please do. I will continue to gather information here and pass it on to you when I can. After saying that, Unabara hung up. Accelerator put his phone back in his pocket and looked in the direction the convertible was driving. (So in another 20 minutes theyll have taken control of Hikoboshi II.) The convertible would most likely reach District 23 in a little over 10 minutes. There was no time to take things slowly. Hurry up. I have somewhere I need to be. Once again, he pushed the gun against the driver and the convertible faithfully sped up. Part 10 Uiharu Kazari and Last Order were standing on a train station platform in District 7. This was the first time Last Order had seen a train, so she had been wandering around dangerously. Uiharu had grabbed her hand to keep her from doing so. (Really...Why do I have to deal with this?) Uiharu had given Last Order the change from the taxi and handed her over to Anti-Skill, but Last Order must have used some special skill because, before Uiharu knew it, she had snuck away from the station and was wandering around the streets again. Uiharu had realized that the same thing would continue to happen if she kept trying to hand her over, so she decided to help Last Order find the person she was looking for. (You know, I wonder what kind of power Last Order is.) Uiharu couldnt imagine what that nickname meant just from hearing it. Some esper names were simple ones decided on by the schools like Telekinesis or Electromaster and some were decided on by the student like Railgun. Uiharu was guessing that this girls esper name was most likely one she had come up with herself. Why isnt the train coming? says Misaka as Misaka tilts her head in puzzlement. It looks like a freight train is passing through. By the way, where do you think the person youre looking for is? Hmm. I have a feeling hes approaching from that direction, says Misaka as Misaka wrinkles her brow while answering. It seemed like Last Order was using some kind of power to search for this person, but it didnt seem to be very precise. I wonder if I can really find him like this, says Misaka as Misaka becomes slightly downhearted. Itll be okay. Thanks for the extremely general words of encouragement, says Misaka as Misaka gives her thanks despite how general they were. Ill give you a present so some energy can return to your ahoge. Ehh!? You can freely take the flowers off of your head!? says Misaka as Misaka reveals her surprise!! Here. Its a hibiscus which means ''Well, lets give it a shot.'' in the language of flowers. And now youre shamelessly declaring incorrect meanings of flowers, says Misaka as Misaka becomes very confused!! While Last Order continued to chatter on, Uiharu ignored her and smiled. That was when a loud noise reached Uiharus ears. She looked over and couldnt see anything, but it had apparently been the sound of the exhaust from a sports car that had driven by at high speed. Where are they headed at that speed? Anti-Skill needs to work harder to catch those kinds of people. As Uiharu spoke, Last Order wrinkled her brow and started thinking about something. Part 11 Hamazura Shiage ran out of the alley onto a major road. He stopped there and surveyed the area while breathing heavily. Some boys enjoying their day off looked at him in puzzlement, but he didnt see any sign of his attacker. He wiped the sweat from his brow, bought some cold Oolong tea from a nearby vending machine, and finally relaxed while drinking it. (W-well, I managed to survive... I wonder if Item is okay. Ah, damn it. I just want to abandon all this shit and go off on a journey somewhere.) But his cell phone cruelly began to ring. Hamazura groaned when he saw the display. It was from Mugino Shizuri of Item. Yo. Since you answered, I guess you survived. And Im assuming you didnt screw up, get handcuffed, and had someone put the phone to your ear. Yeah, Im alive... I was the lucky winner, so Im assuming youre fine. Good work with that. I had things a lot easier because of it. Sorry, but you need to come right back. You have some underling work to do. Hamazura made an unpleasant expression at the thought of work and Mugino continued. Saying this didnt bother her at all. Ive got a body here I need you to dispose of. Part 12 The convertible Accelerator was riding in stopped near the terminal station in District 23. He blankly handed some money to the young man in the drivers seat and got out of the car. This was the only station in District 23. A lot of lines connected there, but the platform for freight trains was the closest one. Even though this was the final stop, the tracks continued on. The tracks connected to the switchyard where the trains were serviced and where trains with a large number of containers could unload. Noticing that his cane was getting in the way, Accelerator moved around the circumference of the station and looked for the antenna. He was walking through the container storage area that was off limits to unauthorized people. (I have a little less than 10 minutes. This is like the schedule of some famous musician.) He turned his attention to the electrode around his neck. (The antenna for the satellite is a few kilometers from here, but a normal car cant go any farther than this.) He had about 30 minutes of battery left. He wanted to avoid using it if at all possible, but he didnt seem to have a choice here. Searching for a car now would be a pain and it would be faster to run using his vector transformation power anyway. Thinking this, Accelerator moved his hand to the switch on the back of his neck. But... Oh. I cant have you doing that. He heard a soft male voice come from directly behind him. He hadnt noticed anyone there. !! Accelerator quickly pulled out the handgun in his belt and turned around, but no one was there. His body swayed slightly as he stood there with his modern cane. He moved to push the electrode switch with the tip of the gun in his left hand, but... Thats your weakness, isnt it? Someone grabbed his hand from behind. No matter how strong your power is, you cant activate it without pressing that switch, hm? Before Accelerator could get his hand free, a heavy blow came to the side of his head. It wasnt the feeling of being punched by a fist. It was a dull feeling that felt like being hit by a metal pipe or hammer. He felt a liquid oozing from the side of his head. ! Are you...from Block!? No, no. Im from Member not Block. A voice from behind. Member. One of the five organizations similar to Group and School. (Fuck. If it isnt one of these organizations, its another!!) It isnt that I want the same thing they do. I just have to prevent that antenna for the satellite from being destroyed. Accelerator turned his head and looked back while swaying on his feet, but there was still no one there. But he did not hesitate. While still looking in the same direction, he swung his own leg directly backwards and hit the attacker with his foot. The shock freed his left hand and, without turning around, he shot 2 or 3 shots backwards. ...!? Tch!! Sensing he had hit, Accelerator quickly flipped the switch for the electrode around his neck. He switched it from normal mode to powered mode. Then he forcefully turned around. As before, no one was there. But as he looked around he saw a man standing behind a railroad worker who had approached after hearing the gunshots. The man had shallow bleeding injuries on his side and thighs. He was wearing a down jacket and the down was soaked red. He looked high-school aged and was pressing a Western-style saw against the railroad workers neck from behind. Accelerator gave a scornful laugh. So youre a teleportation-type esper who can only move behind other people. What a boring power. You cant even be Level 4. And usually being able to teleport your own weight is enough to get you to Level 4. ... You fucking loser. You cant do the theoretical 11th dimensional calculations on your own, so you compensate by basing your calculations around the locations of others. That power is wasted on you. ...I dont want to hear that from someone who relies on an electrode. Enough talking. The Professor asked me to do this too, so Im going to stop you here. A hostage? That guy isnt even any use as a shield. And Im after the antenna not you. You wont abandon the hostage. The attacker C Accelerator decided to call him Kill Point C laughed scornfully. If you would, I doubt you would have come here to stop Hikoboshi II. I can stop you with this guys life. But if you really think he isnt enough, I can create an even greater sea of blood. Kill Point pressed the saw against the young railroad workers neck and the worker gave a slight yell. ...You lack aesthetics, said Accelerator as he held up his gun. You simply have none of the aesthetics of a villain. If youre planning on shooting me, you should stop. I think that guns sight is horizontally off by quite a bit. Thinking about it, Accelerator realized that it did feel different than usual. When he had shot Kill Point behind him, Kill Point had most likely messed with the setting on the sight. Accelerator could fix the sight if he wanted to, but there was no time to perform maintenance during this tense situation. Even if the sight was off by a bit, Accelerator was skilled enough to easily hit his target. But that changed when the target was using a hostage as a shield. There were problems that could be dealt with using intuition and there were ones that couldnt. I see. This certainly is an interesting situation. Well? What will you do? This. As he said that, Accelerator turned the gun towards his own temple. Before Kill Point could think, Accelerator unhesitatingly pulled the trigger. Bang!! A gunshot rang out. Gh...Ahhhhhhhh!? Kill Points body was knocked backwards. A dark red hole had opened in his shoulder. He tried to brace himself, but he still collapsed onto the ground. Accelerator had altered the vector of the bullet he had shot himself in the head with so that it headed towards Kill Point. He motioned his handgun to the side telling the railroad worker to move out of the way. The railroad worker fled to the side so hurriedly he almost fell and Accelerator aimed his gun forward again. Looks like the sight really is off. He put his finger on the trigger. But I can correct for that by altering its vector when it hits me. A gun sight is nothing compared to the accuracy of my power. Kh... Kill Point continued to face Accelerator and looked around by moving only his eyes. A look of scorn appeared on Accelerators face when he saw that. Excellent. I dont give a fuck who you move behind; Ill still blow your brains out. You can run wherever you want, but with my next move I will pulverize you. Run, piggy. Let fear set in after what I told you sinks in. ...!! Kill Points throat went dry. Accelerator ignored his expression. Now then. Ill teach you one thing about the aesthetics you lack. A smile appeared on Accelerators lips as he spoke quietly. This is what a truly first-class villain is, you fucker. Bang bang!! Multiple gunshots rang out. Kill Point resisted a bit, but he stopped moving before long. Part 13 Hamazura Shiage was in a very large space. The job that remained for him after having escaped the pursuer from School was to incinerate some unknown object. He was in an old abandoned building that wasnt used anymore. In the middle of the remnants of one of the buildings floors, a huge device sat as if enshrined. The container-sized mass of thick metal was an electric furnace normally used to dispose of lab animals. It used an enormous heat of approximately 3500 degrees to sterilize and destroy the animal corpses, and the various germs they may have. ...How is this thing getting its power? I doubt plugging it into the wall would suffice, Hamazura mumbled while looking at the large out-of-place device. His job was simple. He would open the metal cover that had a huge wheel on it like the door to a large vault, throw a black sleeping bag inside, close the metal cover again, and then operate the electric furnace. And it was preset, so all operating it involved was pressing the conspicuous red ignition button. It was best not to think about what was in the bag. Mugino Shizuri of Item had told him as much. And Hamazura thought it was good advice. A subordinate like Hamazura didnt think too much about what the secret organizations like Item and School did. He was only there because it was necessary in order to survive in the city. (...) But as he felt an oddly raw weight in the black bag and felt the soft texture of a thick synthetic cloth when he grabbed it, the face of someone he had never met appeared in the back of his mind. Hamazura tried to shake it away, then threw the bag into the furnace and both shut and locked the thick metal cover. Now he only had to press the red button. The electrically created 3500 degree heat would dispose of the body, destroy the genetic information, and turn a human into nothing but ash in no time. Hamazura thought for a second about the person in the bag, but he still brought his thumb up to the button. He tried not to think about anything at all and all expression left his face. That scared him a bit and his fingertips began trembling. When they did, the bottom of his thumb pressed the red button without him meaning to. The disposal began with a low rumbling noise. Hamazura stared at it without saying a word and finally took a step or two back before sitting down on the dust-covered floor. ... Who had been in that bag? It may have been a subordinate just like him and it may have been a major esper. It wasnt necessarily a kid and he couldnt rule out the possibility that it was an adult. It was probably an enemy, but Mugino very well could have killed an ally who screwed up. He didnt know the circumstances surrounding the persons death and it even could have been someone completely unrelated who happened to get caught up in it all. And it was all being burned away to nothing. Inside the thick metal device, a human was turning into something completely different. Once the person became ash and was no longer legally recognized as a human, they would have disappeared without a trace. They might be thrown into the automated kitchen waste device, churned up, and shipped off as fertilizer. Even if ash was found in the trash, it wouldnt be treated as having been a person. A body that had lost all genetic information wouldnt be acceptable as material evidence. Hamazura. Hamazura Shiage heard a voice call out to him from behind, but he still didnt move for a bit. The electric furnace emitted a high-pitched beeping and a symbol indicating the incineration was complete appeared on the monitor. Hamazura. Whats wrong? The person calling out to him from behind was Takitsubo Rikou of Item. Her esper name was AIM Stalker. Unlike Hamazura, she had a Level 4 power. He would probably have gone down the wrong path with power like that, but he was still quite envious. ...What exactly is a human life? Hamazura said while staring blankly towards the furnace. It wasnt the first time he had seen a corpse, but he still felt a great weight in his chest. Damn it. When did a Level 0 life become such a cheap thing...? He heard the girls voice call his name again. He ignored her, got up, and opened the cover to the furnace in order to gather up the ash. Hamazura Shiages job wasnt over yet. Part 14 Unabara Mitsuki was in a multi-tenant building in District 10. The area he was in functioned as one of Blocks hideouts. Currently, 3 members of Block and about a dozen fighters from the subordinate organization were gathered there. And Unabara Mitsuki had switched out with one of those main members. ...Almost there now, said Saku Tatsuhiko as he shook his large bear-like body. A laptop computer was in front of him. It looked compact, but there was a cord stretching from it that led to what looked like an overfilled sandwich. It apparently had about 15 commercial CPUs spread out on it with liquid cooling tubes running between them. Teshio, the muscular woman, looked at the screen and spoke to Saku. Did you do it? More or less. Since I used the Virus Isolation Center as a dummy, District 23 was understaffed. Saku moved his mouth without looking over to Teshio. This is the first step towards saying goodbye to this shitty world where every little thing is permeated in the stench of Aleister. Saku wasnt really paying attention to who was listening; he was mostly speaking to himself. Even so, his words were powerful ones. This is only the first step. Were still well off from the goal, but were on our way. ... Unabara casually looked over at the clock on the wall. Block would have the satellite in a just a few more minutes. Accelerator hadnt contacted him, so he didnt know whether the antenna had been destroyed yet or not. He turned his attention towards his pocket. He thought about the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli he had there. (...I could end this by destroying that computer, but I would never survive the aftermath.) Sweat moistened his palms. He couldnt put off this decision. But then Teshio Megumi spoke. It seems something happened in District 23. A number of Anti-Skills were taken out there. From the transmissions I was able to intercept, a rescue worker was surprised at the fact that none of the injuries were fatal. Everyone looked towards the speaking woman. Connecting the dots between the defeated Anti-Skills leads straight from the terminal station to the antenna. At tremendous speed, too. Much faster than a normal person could manage on foot. What organization is behind it? asked Saku. It would have to be Member, right? It has to be those dogs of Aleister. No, said Teshio quickly. Its Group. I remember that white hair. If I remember correctly, hes a Level 5 who has recently come to this world. (...She recognizes him?) Unabara found that odd, but figured it out quickly. The functionality of what Teshio held in her hand was more like a small business terminal than a cell phone. And on its screen was a grainy image that looked like it had been taken from a great distance. According to the numbers on the edge of the image, it had been magnified 4000 times. Most likely, a member of Blocks subordinate organization who had been waiting outside District 23 had taken it. The monitor showed Accelerator headed towards the antenna. With his power, he could easily destroy the 25 meter-radius parabola. And Block wasnt going to take it sitting down. (Not good! ...Actually, maybe this is fine. Even if they do have him, they cant accurately snipe him from that distance.) What do we do? Teshio Megumi plainly asked for instructions All eyes turned to Saku. That should be obvious. Unabara felt tension run across his body as he heard that unworried voice. They must have had some kind of counter-measure. He speculated that they might have some kind of bomb set up near the antenna that could detonated remotely, but the large bear-like man gave a different answer. We pray for his success. At first, Unabara Mitsuki didnt understand. But then his thoughts recovered. (Oh, no... Theyre after...!?) A frontal assault on District 23 would have been difficult with our powers. But this cant happen without the antenna being destroyed first. So we had to get some help from a more skilled idiot. Surprisingly, we may have overthought this one. The Level 5 has reached the antenna. The higher ups watching over all this must have opened a path for him. That area is crawling with air force-related weapons. Normally, an unmanned attack of mostly HsAFH-11 Attack Helicopters would have gone in to intercept him. Although it doesnt matter because that Level 5 could have easily defeated them. (Our attention was drawn towards the optical weapon equipped on it, but Hikoboshi IIs primary function is to provide surveillance of Academy City and the surrounding areas. Without the antenna, both the attack functionality and the surveillance functionality will be taken out!!) Unabara thought about the cell phone in his pocket, but it would be extremely difficult to get away and contact someone at a time like this. Teshio stared at Sakus face. Are we really going to use the people waiting outside the outer wall of District 11? People like them are perfect for a plan like this. What? You arent having second thoughts about getting unrelated people wrapped up in this, are you? The large man ended the now-unneeded cracking program on the laptop, turned off the machine, and tossed it over to the subordinate members. Lets go. There are 5000 mercenaries waiting for us outside the walls. October 9th 1:29 PM. A certain satellite lost functionality because the antenna that communicated with it was destroyed. Academy Citys defense capabilities had greatly fallen due to its surveillance network in the sky being gone. Between the Lines 2 The Level 5 esper and School member known as Kakine Teitoku was in District 4. It was an area lined with a lot of restaurants even for Academy City, so there were a lot of facilities dealing with food. One of them was a refrigerated warehouse for meat. It currently had a station wagon hidden in it. Theres no sign of Item. Looks like we lost them for now. Kakine opened the back of the station wagon and checked on what was inside. It wasnt frozen meat; it was a large metal box about the size of a small closet. ...So those are the Tweezers, muttered the driver who was a member of Schools subordinate organization. A smile appeared on Kakines lips. An attachment-type manipulator for microscopic object interference. Well, simply put, its mechanical fingers that let you grab particles that are even smaller than atoms. Hence the name. All matter in the world was created from a combination of elementary particles. At the particle engineering lab, they would intentionally remove particles from matter to make it unstable and perform experiments. Grabbing objects smaller than atoms was difficult to do with a traditional arm. The Tweezers were created to use things like magnetism, light waves, and electricity to absorb them. One wrong move and the atom could collapse. Hah? Nothing, said Kakine. There was a lot of pain-in-the-ass preparation what with replacing the sniper Item killed and shooting Oyafune, but it all paid off. The driver stared at the large device. But what are you going to do with this now that you have it? What? I just explained it to you. Im going to grab some tiny things. That leads to a way to get to Aleister. ??? The driver had an expression that made it clear he didnt understand, but Kakine didnt give any further explanation. He opened up the tool box in the back of the station wagon, took out a screwdriver, and started loosening some screws on the large device. A-are you trying to break it? Im rearranging it, said Kakine in an annoyed voice. Do you know why its so big? To keep it from being stolen. If you gather together only the necessary parts, it must be a lot smaller. A clattering noise continued for a while. The Tweezers had been rearranged into its optimized form. Kakine had what looked like a metal glove in his hands. The index finger and the middle finger each had a long glass claw coming from them and the glass claws had what looked like even thinner metal stakes in them. On the back of the hand was a small monitor that looked like a cell phone. The glass claws would extract the particles and the metal stakes inside would carry out various measurements. I-its that small? Well, it is a state of the art piece of Academy City technology. Advancing too quickly can be a problem too. Kakine put his right hand in the glove in order to check on it. Okay, feels good. ...Contact the others. Time for the next step. The driver nodded in compliance. When he did, a sharp metallic noise rang out through the refrigerated warehouse. Kakine and the driver looked over and a door-shaped portion of the thick wall of the warehouse had been cut open. The wall collapsed inwards and the bright light of midday came pouring in. No one was outside. But the attackers influence was clearly coming towards them. Gyah! Gwaaaaahhh!? screamed the driver suddenly. Kakine looked over and saw the skin disappearing from the drivers face. Then his fat disappeared followed by his muscles. Finally, his brain disappeared and his clothes and bones collapsed to the ground. The sound as they hit the ground sounded like light plastic. Kakine frowned slightly. Kakine Teitoku, huh? Losing a Level 5 here would be a shame. A voice reached Kakines ears, but he couldnt tell which direction it was coming from. He focused his attention in all directions and activated the Tweezers that he had just rearranged. (I never would have guessed Id have to use this here.) ...Group, I assume. Or maybe Item. Sorry, but I am from Member. Oh, Kakine boy, do you smoke? The voice from an unknown source was that of a middle-aged man. When people remove a cigarette from the box, they tap the box with their finger, right? When I was a kid, I didnt understand why. However, I thought it looked cool, so I would tap my candy boxes. Ahh? Im saying that youre doing something like that now. Are you making fun of me? Cause it sounds to me like you want to become a nice corpse. That was when an electronic beep came from the Tweezers on his right hand. Looking at the monitor, he could see that there was some kind of tiny mechanical object mixed in with the particles of air the device had collected. In the world one could only see with an electron microscope, there was something obviously manmade. Nanodevices, hm? You tore off his cells one at a time. No. Mine are nothing as grand as that. They have no circuitry or power. They merely give specific responses to specific frequencies. Theyre just little bits of reflective alloy. I call them Mimosa. The middle-aged man spoke in a bored voice from wherever he was. But by using various frequencies, they can be controlled much like controlling a radio controlled car with a TV remote. Normally, they are placed on microorganisms in the air and spread around that way. A vague noise surrounded Kakine Teitoku. He quickly looked around, but the Mimosa attacked before he could find a path of escape. The Professor of Member was standing at leisure outside of the refrigerated warehouse along with a mechanical beast. In his hand was a small computer terminal that was displaying the status of the program controlling the Mimosa. The Professor was in a bazaar that looked like it had been built along the sidewalk. Business vehicles were allowed to park in that area and a commercial van that looked like a crepe stand was opened up with all sorts of fruits inside. The mechanical beast next to him spoke. So they were in the refrigerated warehouse in District 4 just like the higher ups said they would. Thats the power of the upper classes. Academy City is their territory. The city is overflowing with strange technology. Its impossible to run away. The Professor spoke quietly while biting into a fruit from a southern country that was so red it looked poisonous. Art brought me to despair in the winter when I was 12. The mechanical beast listened to the Professors words in silence. I adored European architecture. I fell in love with the large scale of the creations that people had made over a long period of time in order to complete a single ideal of beauty. But, at the same time, they were hard to understand. Its easy to look at the outer appearance of a building and call it beautiful. However, in order to thoroughly understand every little piece of the design, its large scale makes it necessary to put in an equally large amount of time. To be honest, there are just so many things to focus on that it becomes tiresome. So thats why youre so attached to formulas. Indeed, the Professor nodded. Formulas are wonderful. There is no waste, they are efficient. All sorts of beauty is included in the smallest possible space. In that alone, formulas have a beauty to them and they also have a haiku-like poetic beauty. And you can look through all that beauty in a single row without missing a thing. ...I want to find the beauty hiding in the corners of the world and softly admire that wonderful beauty. I will bow down to whoever I have to in order to do that. I dont care if Im called Aleisters dog. The Professor looked down at his watch. The Mimosa should be done eliminating the enemy. (Aleister wont be happy that Ive killed the 2nd Level 5, but it shouldnt be a problem as he can just make a new Level 5.) Okay, lets go. This job will be over once the Tweezers have been reclaimed and the other three with School have been taken out. What about our Member teammate, Saraku, who was taken out near the terminal station in District 23? Accelerator called him Kill Point, didnt he? Well, he isnt dead, so we can just leave him. If you have time, go retrieve him. The Professor spoke. But the mechanical beast did not respond. There was a loud explosion. It came from within the refrigerated warehouse. The great force shattered the glass on the buildings in the area. People ran around screaming and there was even a slight disturbance around the commercial van in the bazaar facing the sidewalk. Dust enveloped the area. Kakine Teitoku slowly walked out of the dust. There was no injury on him. Not even a scratch. Yo. So you say you were brought to despair in the winter when you were 12? The Professor hurriedly sent out commands to the Mimosa, but there was no response. Most of the tiny particles in the air had been blown away in the explosion, so the Mimosa in the area was too far away. The Professor looked to be at his wits end and Kakine gave a small smile. As he smiled he spoke. Its about time you had another dose of despair. Volume 15, 3: In the Land of Sealed Powers. Reformatory. Volume 15, Chapter 3: In the Land of Sealed Powers. Reformatory. Part 1 A cold sweat had appeared all over Baba Yoshios body. He was part of Member just like the Professor. He provided support for the Professor by remotely controlling the four-legged robot. You bastard...Dont go off and die like that!! He cursed the man, but the dead werent going to come save him. Baba clicked his tongue and began preparations for evacuation. He was a few hundred meters below the ground in the underground city developed in District 22. Specifically, he was in a nuclear shelter for VIPs known as the Summer Resort. It was the private property of a member of the board of directors, but, since it wasnt used very often, he had deactivated the security and was using it for himself. The inside was made to be like a luxurious villa and it even had special lines for net conferences, so it was a wonderful place for a hacker like Baba. He had had his eye on the place for a while, but, now that he was trying it out, he found it to be truly exceptional. However, it was not an area of complete safety. He didnt know what power his enemy had, but the thick walls would be of no use against a teleportation-type esper. The Professor had been easily killed by one of Academy Citys seven Level 5s. Someone like that would easily be able to force open the shelters door. Not to mention that it was even possible that the enemy could come with the latest equipment like an anti-barrier shotgun. (It wont take him long to suspect Im here. I need to get out of here!!) He stuffed the various pieces of machinery centered around his notebook computer in his bag, grabbed the piles of cash that had been stored in the Summer Resort, and headed for the exit elevator. But there was no response when he pressed the button. ...? He headed for the door to the stairs that were located elsewhere, but the door wouldnt unlock. That was when the lights in the shelter turned bright red. Startled, Baba looked over to the shelters maintenance control monitor. It read, For security reasons, all locks have been closed. Babas eyes bulged and he heard an odd noise. It almost sounded like a waterfall. It was quite a noise. It had to be in order to be audible through the thick shelter walls. Water...!? Some very bad possibilities ran through the back of Baba Yoshios mind. If someone was pouring tons upon tons of water down the elevator shaft or the stairwell using a fire hose... The automatic motors C to say nothing of a humans arms C would be unable to open the doors with that much water pressure. And even if the doors could be opened, an overwhelming deluge of a tremendous amount of water was all that waited on the other side. Member had a teleportation-type esper named Saraku (Accelerator had called him Kill Point), but he had been defeated in District 23. There was no one to save him in this situation. Tch!! Baba hurriedly pulled his notebook computer from his bag and turned it on. He then connected to the communication line for net conferences and contacted someone else from Member. The Professor and Kill Point were gone, so there was only one person left to contact. It was a girl who the Professor had called a magician. However, the answer to the email explaining his situation came quickly and was quite brief. If I remember correctly, the information you collected on the organizations is stored on different servers for each organization. With that, I dont need you. I will pursue my enemy. I dont have time to clean up your mess. That bitch!! yelled Baba. He thought about abandoning all ideas of shame and honor and asking either the subordinate organization or the person on the phone for help, but then his computer screen froze. He had a very bad feeling about what that meant and tried to fix it. However, it seemed the communications cable had been physically severed. Now he could not get new information. Baba unplugged his computer and groaned. He tried to force himself to think positively, but he could only come to one conclusion. He was trapped. When he accepted that fact, he could feel a dark pressure bearing down on him from the thick walls that had seemed so reliable up until then. How much food did he have? Would the oxygen last? When would rescue come? Would it come at all? Babas impatience accelerated as those thoughts circled through his head and he finally threw his bag to the ground, tore hair from his head with both hands, and gave a beast-like scream. He was in the safest place in the world. He had enough oxygen and food surrounding him to live comfortably for an entire year. And yet Baba Yoshios mind was devoured by the monster known as imagination. Part 2 District 11. Academy City did not border the ocean, so materials could only be brought in and taken out via either land or air. District 11 shared a border with the outer wall and functioned as the entrance for the land route. The members of Block and Unabara Mitsuki were there. Rectangular buildings were lined up in the area. Unlike normal buildings, these buildings lacked walls and looked like parking garages. Academy City-made electric cars were parked in them in preparation to be shipped out. District 11s warehouse district was large and over 7000 tons of materials were brought in and out of it each day. The area around the gate that directly managed what came in and went out was quite strictly controlled, but the warehouse district couldnt be guarded from end to end. The district resembled a typical harbor wharf. It was the kind of place where shady deals often went down night after night in old mafia movies. And... (Thats the outer wall...) Unabara moved his gaze in that direction. Even though he was easily more than 500 meters away, the wall looked almost majestic in its great size. There was a pathway on top of the Great Wall of China-like wall and using binoculars they could tell that drum-shaped security robots were going to and fro on top of it. Some magicians had made it across the outer wall, but that was because the wall was protected by scientific sensors making it susceptible to magical tactics. (Thats what I hope anyway. Id rather not think about the possibility that Aleister calculated out that far and was just letting us in.) However, due to the surveillance from the satellite being out, the strength of the security had fallen greatly. Now normal people who couldnt use magical methods had a chance as well. On the other side of the wall, the 5000 mercenaries Saku had called for should be waiting. They must have been waiting for Academy Citys security satellite to go out while scattered around hiding in nearby buildings and vehicles. Unabara knew all that, but he hadnt been given a chance to pass that information along. The rest of Group did not know about all this. He didnt know whether the upper classes of Academy City knew or not. It was highly likely that they were breathing a sigh of relief for stopping the attack on the satellite. (So Block called these mercenaries in to obtain their goal... But what could that be? Where are they going to attack...?) Are you worried, Yamate? said Teshio Megumi suddenly as she stood nearby. Yamate was the name of the man who Unabara was disguised as. Not really... was Unabaras short reply. Normally, he would follow the person he wanted to disguise as for at least a week examining them. If he didnt have a good grasp of the person, it was best not to speak carelessly. Teshio didnt seem too worried about how Unabara was acting. She probably thought he was nervous about their big plan. We took out the satellite, but those damn security robots are still moving around, said Saku Tatsuhiko. Teshio turned her head towards the large bear-like man. Is that a problem? No. Robots like that arent equipped with guns, so they cant harm us. They can get over the wall if they time it right. Why arent they armed? said Unabara deciding to join in the conversation. Saku glanced over at him. There are various reasons. Those robots are usually used to guard the outer perimeter. If they malfunctioned and shot someone walking outside of the wall, itd be a huge problem. Theres also a problem with reloading. That model of robot cant change out a magazine, so once theyre out, theyre out. So if were spotted, theyll sound the alarm, and thats it? said Teshio Megumi in a disappointed sounding voice. In that case, couldnt we have just broken our way through without going to all this trouble? No. The security robots on the outer wall have a special communications line. When they sound the alarm, its sent directly to the control area in District 23 and the unmanned attack helicopters are sent in. It would mostly be Six Wings, the latest model that was shown off at the Interceptor Weapon Show. Things wont be easy if were spotted. Saku looked down at the watch wrapped around his thick arm. In 10 minutes, the security robots will change rotation. ... Theyre powered by electricity, so they cant continue moving for 24 hours. They have to recharge somewhere. Thats why theyre split up between the active group and the recharging group. Apparently, due to this switching out, there was a 20 to 30 minute gap in the security. Normally, that wouldnt be a problem because Academy Citys satellite would still be watching over the city and the area around it. But that currently wasnt so. Those 20 minutes would be a true blank space. Prepare as many vehicles as possible. Dont forget to change out the license plates. Saku Tatsuhiko instructed one of the men from Blocks subordinate organization. Use the electric cars scheduled to be shipped out that are parked in the parking garages. We need to use them to transport 5000 people. Part 3 The 20 minute gap in security began. While surrounded by rectangular parking garages in District 11s warehouse district, Unabara Mitsuki focused on the obsidian knife in his pocket. He wasnt going to have a chance to contact Accelerator and the others in Group. Even if he did contact them now, there was no guarantee that they would be able to rush over right away. From what he could hear Saku Tatsuhiko saying into his radio, the mercenaries were apparently throwing ropes up to secure the pathway. He looked through a pair of binoculars one of his supposed comrades passed him and saw several human figures climbing up onto the outer wall. (...I have no choice,) thought Unabara. The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was a projectile-like spell that reflected the light of Venus and disassembled whatever the reflected light hit. Whatever the light hit would be disassembled, but it could not attack multiple targets at once. (The main problem is what to use my one attack on.) There were 5000 mercenaries. Turning the spear on them was meaningless. That would do nothing but leave him 4999 enemies. He could aim for one of the main members of Block. He thought that taking out Saku who was acting as commander would have some effect, but the plan seemed too far along to be completely stopped by taking out the leader. (I need to aim for something that will have more of an effect...) Unabara removed the binoculars from his face. (What can I attack that will cut them off in one blow...?) He moved his gaze completely away from the mercenaries scaling the outer wall. He was assaulted by an intense feeling of tension, but he didnt have time to hesitate. (There!!) He pulled out the obsidian knife. He was aiming the light of Venus towards... The nearby parking garage. Saku Tatsuhiko and Teshio Megumi merely stared at Unabara when he pulled out the obsidian knife. They had no knowledge of magic, so they had no idea what he was doing. However, their imaginations filled in the blanks when they saw him start running towards the building followed by the parking garage suddenly beginning to collapse. There was a loud dull noise. The parking garage made of reinforced concrete Unabara was running towards began to disassemble as if the pillars holding it up were being removed one by one. As the building materials struck the ground, they smashed the asphalt sending dust into the air. Wha-...? Yamateeeeeee!! Unabara heard Saku yell at him from behind. Shortly thereafter, he heard the metallic noise of multiple guns being aimed. Unabara ignored them and ran. With a clattering noise, the giant pieces of concrete rained down like in a cave-in. Those pieces protected Unabaras back from the rain of bullets. The electric cars were crushed in midair and sharp edges struck the ground. The one bit of good fortune was that the cars didnt use gasoline and therefore did not explode. Unabara aimed the obsidian knife down lower. He destroyed the ground using the light of Venus and jumped into the sewer in order to protect himself from the falling concrete. However, the amount of building materials coming down was simply too great and they started flattening the sewer itself down towards Unabara. Ooooohhhhhh!! He started running, tripped and fell to the ground, and then started crawling forward. Finally, the collapse of the parking garage was over. The shock must have damaged the sewer all over, because it had caved-in making it impassable both behind him and in front of him. The roof above him had been destroyed letting some bright rays of light in. Unabara put his hands to the wall and started climbing up while looking up at the blue sky above. And there he saw... Part 4 District 23s Air Superiority Preservation Control Center received an emergency signal from the area around the outer wall in District 11. However, it did not immediately send out unmanned helicopters. It was possible the signal had been an error. The final decision was left to an operator. When a human connected the plug into the circuit, the command was sent out and the unmanned helicopters went out for their first defense mission. Normally, the operator would have been using a complicated manual that was dozens of pages long. But with control of the satellite temporarily out, special defense conditions were applied. The operator disregarded the manual and inserted the plug right away sending out the order. Three unmanned attack helicopters were on standby on a large asphalt area of the ground. They were state-of-the-art HsAFH-11s, aka Six Wings. Receiving their orders, the rotors began spinning and they slowly left the ground. Part 5 The Six Wings unmanned attack helicopters floated in the air above District 11. They were similar to the AH-64 Apache and had one wing on either side that had guns and missiles equipped on them. Helicopters were aircrafts that created lift with the rotor on its vertical axis and moved using the angle of that rotor. Using that definition, the Six Wings did indeed qualify as helicopters. But with its 2 rocket engines for auxiliary power and its top speed of Mach 2.5, it was a bit of a mystery whether the Six Wings should be called a helicopter or not. The unmanned attack helicopters used their AI to check the parking garage that had collapsed first and then checked the suspicious figures climbing over Academy Citys outer wall a few hundred meters away. There were about 5000 of them. After confirming the presence of enemies, their AI brought them to automatic attack mode. Damn it, Yamate...!! The Six Wings began their attack at about the same time that Saku Tatsuhiko yelled in anger. With a metallic noise, the wings on either side of the crafts spilt into three. They now truly had six wings. The thin wings even had joints and moved almost like human arms as they aimed their various weapons. Here it comes!! yelled Teshio Megumi as the roar of the attack helicopters machine guns began. It was less like strafing and more like an explosion. Teshio Megumi leaped behind the station wagon they had used to get there, but it began expanding after receiving fire. It then was devoured by orange light as it exploded. Teshio was blown a few meters by the blast before she landed on the ground and ran to find some more cover. !? Theyre using Flame Crash bullets!? The bullets were made of extremely heat resistant metal and had special grooves carved in them so that air friction heated them up to 2500 degrees. When those bullets pierced armor, they would burn away the electrical circuits and the fuel tank inside. The attack on the mercenaries scaling the outer wall a few hundred meters away had begun. The group of mercenaries exploded like a giant balloon. Even from a distance, a red spray could be seen. The attack must have had quite a bit of force behind it because even some of the unharmed mercenaries fell down from the outer wall. The helicopters started mowing down the rest starting with the ones that were firing back. At this rate, they would all be killed. Teshio Megumi yelled towards Saku Tatsuhiko who was a bit away from her. We need to give up on the mercenaries!! Traveling in large numbers while being watched from above is nothing more than being a giant target!! Thats 5000 people! Do you know how hard Ive worked for this moment!? Do you really think I can let it all go to waste!? Theyre mistaking this for us having betrayed them. The ones still outside the wall arent coming anymore. We need to retrieve the ones that fell inside and fall back!! Fucking Yamate...Im going to kill him!! said Saku deep in his thick throat. Ha ha. I suppose those things had better be this good since they cost 24 billion yen each... muttered Unabara as he hid in the rubble after having crawled out of the sewer. It was the result of his own actions, but the scene still sent a chill down his spine. He could see a few groups shooting anti-aircraft missiles that they were holding up on their shoulders. However, the Six Wings merely fired something like a softball at the missiles. Iron sand sprayed out from the balls followed by a high-voltage electric current. A surface 20 meters in every direction became an area of electric current and the missiles exploded there. The Six Wings returned fire with a large number of surface attack missiles which enveloped the area in crimson flames. (Well, it looks like I kept as many mercenaries from getting in as possible...) Unabara pressed his back against a large piece of concrete and covered his face with his hands. He tore off the talisman of skin made from Yamate, the man whose face he was borrowing, and put Unabara Mitsukis face back on. In doing so, his physique and voice changed to that of another persons along with his face. He no longer needed the face of someone from Block. (The problem now is how to survive this. Im sure those Six Wings will see me as an enemy, too.) The Six Wings objective was to eliminate the mercenaries climbing over the wall. If he hid until they fell back, the helicopters should leave on their own. However, the sound of the air being repeatedly sliced brought a pressure to Unabaras heart. Looking up from behind the rubble, he saw one of the Six Wings moving its sights toward him. Looks like it wont be that easy!! While yelling, Unabara pulled out his obsidian knife and swung it. He reflected the light of Venus activating the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli and disassembled the Six Wings with his surprise attack. When they received the report of what happened, the other two Six Wings turned the gun on one of their wings towards Unabara. They had no problem aiming directly to the side. The wings had joints and could therefore aim at Unabara like a human arm could. The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli could disassemble all kinds of things. But it could not target multiple objects at once. Kh!! He tried to hurriedly jump behind cover, but the helicopters were much, much faster. The attack helicopters he had called in were going to blow him to pieces. (Is this the end...!?) Unabara held up the obsidian knife knowing it was hopeless, but something happened before he could do anything else. He heard a clunk. It was the sound of a white-haired Level 5 landing on one of the unmanned attack helicopters. He forcibly grabbed the rotor with his hands as it rotated at high speed and stopped its movements. The Six Wings had no way of dealing with this ridiculous action and it fell to the ground and exploded. He casually walked out of the flames. Unabara Mitsuki finally relaxed. Accelerator-san...? I heard about something happening near the outer wall and found this going on when I got here, said Accelerator in a bored voice as he switched his electrode back to normal mode and leaned on his modern cane. The others had finished up at the External Connection Terminal and I had destroyed the antenna for the satellite, so I thought it was all over. But then control starts crying about intruders at the perimeter or some shit. Ha ha. I assume you figured out on your own that they used you. I know you didnt call in the Six Wings for no reason. Wheres Block? They got away, said Unabara as he wiped sweat from his brow. I think they managed to gather about 100 of the mercenaries that were coming in from outside. From outside... Tch. So thats what the satellite was for. Block, Member, and now mercenaries. Whats with all the pieces of shit Im having to deal with today? Accelerator clicked his tongue over all the work he was having to do and continued speaking. So you let the intruders in? You really are fucking useless. Well, there was originally going to be 5000 of them. You still failed either way. A Six Wings flew through the air as if to cut off his words. But this time its sights did not turn Unabaras way. After traversing the area once, the last remaining unmanned helicopter headed back for District 23. It looks like the clean up is over. They probably didnt like being destroyed by someone on their side, said Unabara while shrugging. They do cost 25 billion yen each after all. Part 6 Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Accelerator, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki gathered in the warehouse district of District 11. Unabara had been out of the loop for a bit, so he asked Tsuchimikado a question. What is the External Connection Terminal? Its just a little facility. All of the formalities got to be a pain in the ass, so Musujime and I blew up the center of the facility. But there are 3 other terminals, so there wont be any connection problems. This time, Musujime who had taken action along with Tsuchimikado asked Unabara a question. Can we really say this Block organization was behind everything? Didnt we conclude that School was behind the sniper attack on Oyafune Monaka? It doesnt seem Block and School were directly working together. The two have their own plans and they caused separate incidents. They just happened to have a point of contact with Management. Tch. And with those Member bastards sneaking around, this turned into a real pain in the ass. Tsuchimikado moved his gaze elsewhere while listening to Unabara and Accelerator speak. The area near the outer wall had blood and flesh scattered all over it, but there were still some survivors. These mercenaries hadnt been killed, couldnt get away, and had been left there by Block. Okay, question time, said Tsuchimikado bluntly. Where exactly were you people going to attack with 5000 mercenaries? Wh-what are you talking about? 5000 sounds like a lot, but it isnt enough to defeat Academy City. Im asking you what you were hired for, mercenary. What plan did you have that used that many people? ... The mercenary looked at the faces of the 4 members of Group one at a time. He seemed to be conflicted. Whatever he was hesitating over, the disastrous scene around him must have led him to believe that Block had failed or that they had been intending to betray the mercenaries from the beginning. Finally, he slowly opened his mouth. ...District 10. District 10? Land prices in that district were the cheapest and it didnt have any major facilities. It was filled with things like disposal areas for experimental animals and labs related to nuclear power. The mercenary continued speaking. We were supposed to attack a juvenile hall in District 10. !! Musujime Awaki was the one that reacted to his words. She grabbed the mercenarys collar. Why were you attacking that place...? Is there some VIP criminal youre trying to rescue!? Accelerator thought while watching Musujime as she was overrun with impatience. Academy Citys juvenile halls were used to house criminals who used psychic powers. He didnt know the details, but he had heard that they had some kind of esper counter-measure there. If that was true, having a force made up of normal people would raise their odds of success. The mercenary, who Musujime was holding by the collar, finally said one more thing. Our target was...Move Point. Musujime Awakis eyebrows twitched. The mercenary must not have known who the woman in front of him was. We got some information that Move Points companions are being held there. If we capture her comrades, we can negotiate with her. (What reason do they have to single me out?) thought Musujime. But then she realized the answer. The guide to Aleisters windowless building... Right. The identity of that guide is confidential because shes a direct line to Aleister. But Block got their hands on the information that the guide is Move Point. So they had her thoroughly investigated in order to find some materials to use in a negotiation. What were you going to negotiate with the guide about? asked Tsuchimikado. We wanted information on the route through which materials are brought into the windowless building. Not even a nuclear weapon can destroy it from the outside, but from the inside its an entirely different story. Its said to not have an entrance or an exit, but materials have to be taken in and out. That can be used to blow up the windowless building from the inside. Blow it up? Block said they have a synchronous multilayer bomb prepared. Its some kind of tactical weapon that youve created here in Academy City. A synchronous multilayer bomb was a large bomb that had high power explosives arranged in a regulated manner. A normal tactical weapon spread an enormous blast over a large area while the synchronous multilayer bomb was made to focus a highly destructive blast on one small target so as to utterly destroy it. It was created in order to bomb an enemy stronghold in an urban environment with no civilian sacrifices. The chaos in the world needs to be stopped. Im a mercenary, so I know what Im talking about. The world is at its limit. Infighting is going to begin before long. War needs to be stopped before it begins. The mercenary spoke while matching his gaze with each of the members of Group one at a time. Bringing Move Point herself on our side would be difficult. Someone you cant trust will always be someone you cant trust. Thats why we didnt go after her too much. If our information on Move Points power is accurate, this would all go much faster with her help, but theres no helping that. We went ahead on the assumption that she wouldnt-... Thats right, said Musujime interrupting him. By the way, do you know who youre talking to right now? The mercenary momentarily frowned in confusion and his face turned pale shortly thereafter. N-no way. Youre kiddi-...!! Before the mercenary could finish speaking, almost 10 of what looked like metal stakes pierced him all over his body. He passed out from the shock of the pain, but it seemed he was still alive. Musujime removed her hand from the tattered mercenary and looked down while gritting her teeth. What she wanted to protect more than anything, what she wanted to protect no matter what she lost in exchange was being taken from her. The other 3 remained silent. As they each had something they felt the same way about, they couldnt say anything. Most likely, Aleister was using some kind of strange technology to watch all of this from above. However, he wasnt about to lend a hand. He had to be watching these people struggling in his garden and smiling. Lets go. Finally, Tsuchimikado urged the others on. From here on out, this was about Musujime Awaki instead of Group as a whole. But none of them made a single complaint about that. Just like when Unabara had mixed in with Block, the members of Group saw this as a different situation than having to get out of predicament that was part of a job someone else had imposed on them. We need to go to District 10. Block still has around 100 mercenaries at their disposal. We dont know what kind of equipment they have, but it clearly isnt a good situation. Part 7 Accelerator and the other 3 in Group, travelled from District 11 in an ambulance they were using for transportation purposes. They were headed for the juvenile hall in District 10. This is the only juvenile hall in Academy City. Apparently, the grounds are split in half between the boys side and the girls side. Tsuchimikado said while operating a notebook computer. Academy City does not currently have a criminal charge for treason. Because of this, Musujimes companions are in a situation where they cant be charged legally. They couldnt have been put in the facility normally. So theres a secret room? Unabara looked over towards Musujime, but it seemed she didnt know anything. What a fucking pain. Do we not have a map of the layout? If you cant hack in and get information on a secret passageway, cant you just get it from the construction companys computer? This isnt a normal building. I doubt the company would still have this kind of information. Tsuchimikado looked at the screen. It was displaying quite a bit of data on the juvenile hall, but the layout was kept as a secret so there was nothing he could do from there. Accelerator realized something while looking at the screen as well. This facility doesnt have a firefighting group. Accelerator looked over the displayed data again. Fires dont happen there often, so they got rid of it to save on the budget. But that means the fire department has to come in if there is a fire. They must have been given a map of the layout so they can move through that maze-like facility properly. Hearing that, Tsuchimikado changed the target of his cracking. He had the answer quickly. Here it is. Classified areas are covered up, but, if there is a secret staircase, it has to be here. The basement area for traitors has to be beyond here. Since there was only one area the hidden staircase would be, the area for traitors must not be separated by sex. They were all in solitary confinement, so there wouldnt be any shared areas. This was hidden, so do you think Block has this information, too? Ha. Group and Block have the same level of authority. Anything we can find, they can find, too. And the information on Musujime is at the same level of classification in the databank. Musujime glared at Accelerator, but he didnt flinch and continued speaking. Tsuchimikado. What kind of defenses does the facility have? The jailers use the old MPS-79 powered suits. They have anti-esper equipment, but I wouldnt expect too much from them. The jailers only have tools to defend themselves against rampaging espers and Block is using real weapons. The mercenaries left in District 11 had blades, handguns, rifles, bombs, and other kinds of weapons from outside, but Im sure Block reequipped them with the latest weaponry. According to Unabara, over 100 of those mercenaries alone are still active. We dont know how many people Block has or what their powers are. Whats important is whether they can kill or not. Powered suits are large, sturdy targets. Not that, interrupted Accelerator. The juvenile hall is filled with dangerous espers. What kind of anti-esper equipment do they have? They have about 25 different kinds starting with an AIM jammer. So we cant use our powers inside? You can. Basically, it dissolves your concentration and intentionally leaves you with thoughts that make you more easily tracked by a Psychometer. Itll weaken you a bit, but not enough to eliminate your power altogether. Working as a guard there is apparently in the worst 3 occupations from an insurance companys point of view. In a facility that large, its impossible to eliminate psychic powers completely. But, Tsuchimikado continued, its possible to have your powers go out of control in those conditions. Powers that use complex calculations are especially prone to this. A normal esper would end up just being injured, but it would be much too dangerous for you or Musujime. You need to watch out if you dont want to end up killing yourself in an incredibly stupid way. Part 8 When the ambulance stopped at the juvenile hall in District 10, Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki, and Musujime Awaki got out of the back door. They couldnt see the inside of the facility from there because it was surrounded by a wall almost 15 meters high. However, they could smell an unhealthy smelling smoke from where they stood. ...!! Musujime was grinding her teeth and started to head in through the already-destroyed gate, but Accelerator frowned while leaning on his modern cane. Something isnt right. So you noticed it too, said Tsuchimikado slowly as he pulled a military handgun from his pocket. Theres no noise. If Block and the guards are fighting, we should be hearing some gunshots. The four of them passed through the gate that doubled as an inspection point and came to a traffic circle for the vehicles that shuttled prisoners around. When he stepped onto the 20 meter across area of flat asphalt, Accelerator felt a slight pain in his temple. ...So thats the AIM jammer. He looked up and saw a number of thin wires stretched out between the almost 15 meter walls covering the entire facility. They must have been emitting a special electromagnetic wave. It was most likely set up so it would diffusely reflect an espers AIM diffusion field causing the esper to interfere with his own power. Accelerator had never heard of Anti-Skill being equipped with it, so it must need a large amount of electricity and processing power and thus could only be used in a limited area. (It doesnt seem to be hindering my ability to walk, but I should avoid switching over to esper mode.) Even so, Accelerator thought he would still be able to use his power in the facility. He just didnt want to use it if he didnt have to in order to avoid having it go out of control. It was possible he would end up getting wrapped up in his own power. (Theyre using a lot of other devices, too. Are they purposefully trying to make this difficult?) If he knew what kind of equipment they were using, he might have been able to find a way to overcome it, but he interrupted his thoughts there. He had realized where his uncomfortable feeling about the juvenile hall was coming from. The bodies. They most likely belonged to the mercenaries Block had invited in from outside. Close to 50 large men were collapsed with blood spreading out from them. Some had been shot in the temple with a handgun, some were missing their heads from being shot at point-blank range with a shotgun, and some had had their throats slit by a knife. They had been killed in all sorts of different ways, but there was one common factor. They all lost their lives to their own weapons... commented Tsuchimikado. Was it suicide...? No, this was-... muttered Unabara. And then... Found you, said a voice behind them. Accelerator spun around and saw a girl blocking the destroyed gate. The short girl was wearing a red sailor uniform that must have been some schools uniform. But there was an odd light in her eyes. It wasnt just the look of a killer. I assume youre one of the fuckers from Block. No, Im from Member. I just used them; I had no interest in joining them. Responded the girl carelessly. She had most likely attacked the mercenaries who were collapsed around the area. That would mean she had defeated almost 50 mercenaries without receiving a single scratch, but she made no attempt to claim the act as her own. She seemed to truly have no interest in the mercenaries or in Block. (Member again...!?) Accelerator had run into someone from Member back at District 23, but they didnt seem to be moving as allies of Block. In fact, he had no idea what they were after or which organizations they saw as their enemies. But it didnt really matter because he would deal with anyone who made themselves his enemy the same way. However, there was one person who reacted upon seeing her. ...It couldnt be. Are you...? It was Unabara Mitsuki, an agent whose real name and face were unknown. So youre finally going to ask who I am, are you, Etzali? She looked at Unabara Mitsuki and called him a completely different name. Or maybe that was his real name. Unabara was so shocked he couldnt move and the girl wiped her face with a hand. Her face disappeared. Her Asian looks were gone and she now stood there with dark skin and finely chiseled features. I need to thank Block. Esper powers are halved here, so I dont have to worry so much about your companions getting in the way. After seeing that face and hearing that voice, Unabaras expression distorted. Xochitl, why are you here? I thought you didnt have a spell that could do this. And you were supposed to be in a position in the organization that kept you away from any dirty work!! There is only one reason, said the brown girl called Xochitl as her expression remained unchanged. I abandoned everything to come take you out because you went over to Academy Citys side, you damn traitor! So thats it, muttered Tsuchimikado as he turned his gaze towards Unabara. Unabara spoke quietly. ...Ill hold her back here. You three go on ahead. He sounded like he was squeezing his words out of his throat. Her name is Xochitl. Shes an Aztec magician who belonged to the same organization as I did before coming here. The girl called Xochitls expression remained unchanged after hearing Unabaras words. Im only here for Etzali. I dont care if you go off, but I wonder if theyll let you. Gunshots rang out. Accelerator and Tsuchimikado hid behind a vehicle for shuttling prisoners that was parked in the traffic circle. As they did, they heard a large number of footsteps coming out from one of the buildings. So Blocks mercenaries were waiting to see what would happen... Do we really have to deal with them? Tsuchimikado asked Xochitl that, but she ignored him. Xochitl truly did only want to get rid of anyone who was in her way, so she really had no interest in Block or the mercenaries. However, as they were held up by the mercenaries, Block would be getting further and further into the facility. And they were here in order to take Musujime Awakis comrades hostage. Tch, Accelerator clicked his tongue. God damn it. You go on ahead. But you... I cant walk without my cane. I cant use my powers carelessly and we cant count on your Move Point. It makes sense for the slowest person to stay back to hold them off, Accelerator said quickly. Tsuchimikado, you provide support for Musujime. We have no idea how many people from Block are in there. We need to plan on there being a large group in there you have to fight. He didnt bother to give instructions to Unabara. Accelerator would intercept the mercenaries coming out of the building, Unabara would take care of Xochitl from Member, and Tsuchimikado and Musujime would rescue the people in the special cells. The four members of Group kept their separate objectives in mind, met each others gaze, and nodded. Lets go!! The four of them started their various tasks. Part 9 Tsuchimikado and Musujime headed down the hidden stairway they had found exactly where they had predicted they would and headed for the special cells for the undocumented traitors. They came across 2 or 3 mercenaries on the way, but Tsuchimikado silenced them with his handgun. Since the girl called Xochitl had taken most of them out and Accelerator was holding more of them off, there werent many mercenaries left to get in their way. Then Musujime felt a slight pain in her head. ...The AIM jammer is even stronger. There are devices for outdoors, buildings, and individual rooms. The different pieces of equipment add their effects on top of each other. This is Academy Citys only juvenile hall and is therefore the only anti-esper equipped facility in the world. Normal defenses wouldnt be enough. Tsuchimikado must have been feeling a similar sensation. It felt more like it was messing up her aim than it was holding her power in check or restraining it. It felt like she would get caught up in her own power if she carelessly tried to use it. Musujime. Your power is strong, but that also means one accidental discharge of it could take your life. It would be best if you didnt use it here. You make it sound like I have no value beyond my power. Shh. Tsuchimikado held his index finger up to quiet Musujime. The stairway and the hallway connected in an L-shape and he had heard a loud noise from around the corner. It was the sound of someone forcing open a bolted-on metal panel by sticking a metal stake in the gap. Tsuchimikado silently raised his handgun. Musujime normally relied on her power and therefore didnt have any kind of projectile weapon, so she pulled out her flashlight that could also be used as a baton. Tsuchimikado and Musujime jumped out into the hallway. It was a narrow passageway. Metal solitary confinement doors lined both sides and a large bear-like man was sticking something that looked like clay on one of them. A muscular woman was watching his progress from the side. They looked up at the two who had entered. You have to be from Group to be here now, said the large bear-like man. Musujime didnt immediately act because of the facilitys various anti-esper devices including the AIM jammer. Tsuchimikado aimed his gun between the large mans eyes. But before he could fire, the man stuck a wire in the clay stuck to the door. This is a plastic explosive and this is an electric fuse. A stern expression appeared on the muscular womans face. Saku!! Its no use, Teshio. We have to use a hostage here. The large man named Saku slowly removed his hand from the bomb with the fuse stuck in it. He was holding a device in his hand. It was the switch to detonate the bomb. ...If you use that here, youll be the first one to be blown to bits. The amount of explosive is set and Ive adjusted the directionality some. The blast will all go into the door. Saku pointed towards the bomb stuck to the door. But the shockwave will wreak havoc inside that cell. And the pieces of the destroyed door wont help matters. Destroying the door is easy, but ensuring the safety of the person inside is quite difficult. And since you two showed up to get in my way, I cant finish. ...!! A loud explosion suddenly rang out. It was due to Musujimes power exploding as she bared her teeth. A few of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling disappeared and pierced into the walls and floor. And yet Saku and Teshio showed no concern on their faces. ...Musujime Awaki, the Move Point. Saku smiled while gripping the switch to detonate the bomb. Good, this saves us some time. We have both a hostage and the person to negotiate with. Lets get this started, former guide to the windowless building. And if I refuse? You wont. Do you really want your powers to go out of control? Musujime went silent at that. If it werent for the anti-esper devices, she could have just skewered Saku. Group, huh? Did you learn anything from the 0930 Incident? What? We did. We had thought that this fucked-up world was controlled by Aleister from end to end, but that isnt so. There are ways to escape his control and places to hide from him. Wonderful, isnt it? Its so wonderful it makes it seem absolutely ridiculous that we were bound by Academy City for so long. With the 0930 Incident and now the riots in Avignon, we have a chance. Theres no way we can overlook this opportunity. So youre headed to a new world trampling others in the process. That isnt something to sound so self-important about. It just reminds me of the massacres during the Age of Exploration. I see. Wishing for a heaven or a paradise you dont currently have is something all humans do. Listening to their conversation, Tsuchimikado looked at the switch Saku was holding. With his skill, he could shoot it from Sakus hand. However, he couldnt guarantee he would succeed and it was possible it would just happen to land on the button and blow the door up anyway. If that happened, Musujimes comrade would be killed no matter where he hid in the cell. Musujime put so much force into her jaw it looked like she was going to break all of her teeth. Seeing that, the muscular woman, Teshio, spoke to Saku. ..Using a hostage here isnt going to help. What are you talking about, Teshio? It all starts here. The hostages value just went way up. The hostages were supposed to be used to get Move Point into the negotiation because we didnt know where she was. Musujime is right in front of us. The hostages role is over. Using the bomb here will just make her more stubborn. Teshio stared at the bomb on the door. Thinking back, I was against this from the beginning. I only agreed to the hostage part of the plan because it was absolutely necessary. Now that it isnt needed, we can leave the hostages alone. We cant do that, Teshio. Right now, we have 38 hostages! Do you understand what that means!? This is a vast fortune. We have so much, wasting a bit of it doesnt matter!! ...Did you start feeling empathy for these kids from working with Anti-Skill for too long!? ...Saku. Dont get in my way!! Im going to kill that bastard Aleister!! This is the first step. It cant all end here!! I cant waste all my time here. If you get in way, Ill kill you too, Teshio!! Id rather not, but... Sakus didnt finish his sentence. This was due to the fact that Teshio punched his huge body as hard as she could. From the sound alone, the punch clearly had a lot of force behind it. Most likely, the man from Block had no idea what had happened to him. He was knocked back into the wall and slid to the ground. It was the first time Musujime Awaki had actually seen foam come from a persons mouth. That was how mercilessly she had hit him. ...Dont waste time on pointless shit. The woman named Teshio reached her hand out towards the metal door. She took the fuse out of the plastic explosive stuck to the door, removed the bomb itself, and tossed them to the ground. Is this enough? she asked slowly. ...What are you doing? asked Musujime with a grim look on her face. I apologize for our rudeness. You may beat me to as much as you like. Teshios eyes did not waver even as Tsuchimikado aimed his gun at her. But I wont give in until we win. I also have a reason to kill Aleister. I wont use any hostages, but I will directly cause you pain until you give me the information. Part 10 Unabara Mitsuki and Xochitl stood in the juvenile halls exercise area. The brown girl pulled a feathered decoration from her pocket and put it next to her ear. Are you so impolite as to face me with a false face, Etzali? Sorry, but I like this face. And I have no right to use that face since I left the organization. Youre wrong about that, said Xochitl quietly as if to cut him off. Right now, you dont even have the right to live. !! Unabara felt an odd deadly aura and pulled the obsidian knife from his pocket without thinking. He hadnt intended to use the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli on his former comrade right away. What were you looking at as you came here? said Xochitl in a shocked sounding voice. As she did, Unabaras right arm from the wrist to the elbow locked up. Before he could react in surprise, the obsidian knife he was holding turned towards his face against his will. What!? He quickly grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. The point of the knife slowly moved towards his eye. It may have been because he was right handed, but he couldnt stop it completely. Xochitls expression remained unchanged. She didnt even show any joy at the situation being in her advantage. It looked more like she was watching a boring play. (Kh...! If I...dont do something...!!) Oooohhhhh!! yelled Unabara as he forcefully moved his left hand and dislocated his right wrist. He felt the intense pain of bone scraping bone and then the feeling in his right hand disappeared. The hand lost its grip and the obsidian knife fell to the ground. Holding his wrist, he moved backwards. Xochitl pointed towards the ground and spoke with no real change in expression. You dropped something. Arent you going to pick it up? Her spell must have been one that interfered with peoples weapons. It took over the weapon, borrowed its destructive power, and had the enemy commit suicide so she didnt have to sully her own hands. To escape that attack, he had to abandon all weapons and spiritual items and fight using only spells that could be activated with his bare hands or his body. Meanwhile, Xochitl could use all of her special weapons and skills to attack him. This gave him an overwhelming handicap that essentially denied him all of human civilization. (However...) The Xochitl he knew didnt use this kind of spell. She was known as the Corpse Worker. It may sound macabre, but Xochitls job was to obtain residual information from corpses and confirm whether that persons will was accurate. She only performed after care for the dead by making sure everything was settled at the funeral. She had studied every kind of magic dealing with the dead, but it was only to be used for peace. The brown girl known as Xochitl had been someone who was not used to hurting people. ...What happened? No, what is happening in the organization right now!? Xochitl did not respond to Unabaras question. She swung one hand and a huge sword that couldnt possibly have been hidden in her hand appeared. Unlike Unabaras knife, the swords blade was made of white chalcedony. It was a double-edged sword, but both edges had sharp notches like the ones on the back of a survival knife. (A macuahuitl...!?) It was the kind of weapon Aztec warriors used. The Aztec culture did not use metal for weapons, so, instead of chopping like a Japanese katana, the wooden sword had small stone blades lined up on either side so it could cut more like a saw. Ill listen to what you have to say later. Of course, thats only if youre lucky enough that your brain doesnt take too much damage. Holding up her macuahuitl, Xochitl started towards him. Unabara had to fight bare handed, so he had quite a disadvantage. Shit!! He couldnt let himself lose. Unabara back stepped to put some distance between them. Xochitl lost her timing and had to come in even further and Unabara dug some dirt up with his shoe kicking it forwards. When Xochitl stopped due to the dirt getting in her eyes, Unabara tried to kick her in the side. However, she swung her macuahuitl horizontally. As Unabara hurriedly drew his foot back in, a thin scratch as if from a razor appeared on his leather shoe. That kind of makeshift attack suits you well, traitor, said Xochitl in a calm voice. The way she was speaking didnt sound right to Unabara. Before, she had hesitated to use deadly weapons. Because her job was to read the residual information from the dead, she understood the terror of weapons more than the average person. And yet... But no matter how much you struggle, you have no choice but to fight unarmed. Ill at least give you the right to defend yourself, but your body will be closer and closer to being torn to shreds each time you do so. ...That kind of weapon does not suit you. Are you saying that form suits you? You left the organization, hid your face, and indulged in the peace of Academy City. Xochitl... If so, then you really are a traitor. If not, then youre deceiving yourself and have no right to say anything here. Either way, you need to die here!! Holding the Aztec sword in both hands, Xochitl came straight toward him. Her eyes, her face, her hands, and her movements all showed no sign of mercy. She was truly trying to kill him. He might be able to avoid an attack or two, but he couldnt keep it up forever. And if she got even one clean hit in, the great loss of blood would take his life. At the moment, it was also difficult to fall back. He needed some room to get away. If turning his back and running would let him avoid being cut down, he would have done so. On the other hand, Xochitls magic was still active, so he couldnt use any kind of tool to block the attack. If he did that, his own weapon would attack him. It was a hopeless situation. Shit!! Unabara clicked his tongue and tried to fall back. The point of the macuahuitl ripped at Unabaras jacket and cut off a few hairs from his head. Its over. Xochitl forcefully stepped forward and brought the macuahuitl down at a distance from which she was sure to hit. And she did it with timing that kept Unabara from avoiding it. There was no sentimentality in her due to him being her former comrade or having belonged to the same organization. She swung the sword down with great force. (...!?) Unabara lifted the arm with the dislocated wrist above his head. Xochitl saw it and smiled. She must have been thinking about how it would be useless as a shield. She put her entire weight behind the macuahuitl with its saw-like blades and it struck down with enormous speed. The blade tore through Unabaras jacket and then into the flesh of his arm. A scraping noise could be heard as it reached the bone. Unabaras face twisted in pain. But... That was all. It did not sever Unabaras arm. Instead, he gathered strength in his arm while the macuahuitl was still stuck in it and he pushed back. Wha-...!? Xochitl stood in shock at what had happened and Unabara slammed his foot into her gut. Her small body lost to the momentum and she fell to the ground. ...The Aztecs did not have the ability to manufacture weapons with metal, so their swords are not all that sharp. Instead of a blade made of a single piece of metal, the blade is made from small stone razors lined up on the side of a wooden staff. Even an expert cant cut bone with it, so hell go for a grazing strike on an artery with the entire blade. Basically, your sword can be stopped with bone. Unabara still had the Aztec sword buried in his right arm and he was breathing erratically. Why do you think I gave up on avoiding it and brought my arm up to block it? You thought it would sever my arm and go right into my body, so you would never have thought it was an effective means of defense. If I continued to partially dodge it, I would have eventually lost due to lost blood. It was because Xochitl was a short girl and was unfamiliar with sword fighting, that his strategy worked. A true warrior could have cut him down without having to cut through the bone. Thats why I told you that kind of weapon doesnt suit you. Unabara looked down on Xochitl who was having trouble breathing and couldnt move. He still couldnt use a weapon, but he had gotten Xochitls macuahuitl away from her. He could now win by strangling her or breaking her neck. From the difference between their sizes, he could easily jump on top of her and prevent her from moving before she could get another weapon. (Xochitl...) But Unabara couldnt do it. He simply couldnt. I wont take your life. Just go off somewhere, said Unabara bitterly as he relocated his dislocated wrist and shook his arm until the sword dislodged itself and fell to the ground. Hearing him, a slight smile appeared on Xochitls lips. That was when the brown girls body began to collapse. Part 11 The underground passageway was narrow and straight. And with the facilitys various anti-esper measures including the AIM jammer, Musujimes power couldnt be counted on. If she used it carelessly, there was a danger of it going out of control and killing all of them instantly. That was why Tsuchimikado didnt rely on Musujime and didnt try to approach Teshio as he didnt know how she would attack. He merely held up his handgun and shot an even scattering of bullets to prevent her from escaping. In response, Teshio kicked up something at her feet. It was the cloth bag full of the explosive Saku had been using. If he hit that, countless ricocheting bullets would bounce around the narrow passageway like a game of pinball. When Tsuchimikado stopped moving his trigger finger, Teshio ran down the passageway. Her fists were tightly clenched. !! Tsuchimikado just barely managed to pull the trigger before she got within punching range. However, Teshio entered a boxing stance and bent over far enough to kiss Tsuchimikado on the knee causing the bullet to pass her by. Before Tsuchimikado could adjust his aim, she straightened out and tackled him square in the gut. Receiving a blow that felt like it would have been able to destroy a door or even a thin wall, Tsuchimikados body flew a few meters back. A tremendous sound rang out and he had trouble breathing. Those movements...Is that Anti-Skills arresting technique...? This is my own arrangement. If Anti-Skill used this, the children would die. Tsuchimikado fired his gun as they spoke, but Teshio easily dodged his shots just by moving her upper body. She kicked towards him aiming for the moment his clip emptied and the gun was torn from his grip. Another tackle followed. With a dull crushing noise, Tsuchimikado became pinned between Teshios shoulders and the wall. She quietly moved away from him and his limp body slid to the ground. !! That was when Musujime Awaki swung down her flashlight behind Teshio. Teshio lifted her hand above her head to receive the blow from the blunt weapon. A professional does not need strange powers or one-liners. Teshio responded by connecting a backhand blow to Musujimes face with her other hand. With a dull impact, Musujimes body flew to the side and struck one of the doors lining the wall. A professional needs only to use her accumulated knowledge of basic strategy to rationally defeat the enemy. Then Teshio threw a kick. With a great noise, the sturdily built door and Musujimes body were knocked into the cell. Musujime thought her insides had been knocked out of whack by the great shock. She felt an odd urge to vomit, but nothing came out as if her throat was clogged up. One of her companions must have been in the cell, because she heard someone nearby call her name. From that alone, a bit of energy returned to her limp body. Teshio stood blocking the broken entrance to the cell. Musujime held up her flashlight and unsteadily stood up using a hand on the wall to balance. Her companion was urging her to get behind him. ...You want me to tell you the route through which materials are brought into the windowless building that cant be destroyed even by nuclear weapons so that you can try to destroy it from the inside with a synchronous multilayer bomb, right? Are you willing to speak now? You cant defeat Aleister like that. If that was enough, anyone with a teleportation-type power could take him out. Do you really think Aleister of all people doesnt have some kind of counter-measure for that? Its true that we may not be able to kill Aleister. He truly is a monster. But, Teshio said, the life-support system he relies on is different. ... Its just a machine. The reason a monster like Aleister is holed up in a stronghold even tougher than a nuclear shelter is clear. Im saying that he has no replacement for that system. It would be a problem for him if it was blown up. No. Musujime worked to regulate her breathing even if just a little bit. First of all, that isnt a windowless building. If you dont even know that much, you dont have any real information. A plan you came up with while only knowing that much has no chance of succeeding. What? You didnt realize it? A building with no doors or windows would normally be impossible. There are plenty of hints that lead to the truth. For instance, everything needed to live including oxygen is produced inside. And it can stand up to a nuclear attack because it can block radiation. It can also block all the different kinds of cosmic rays emitted by stars. Cosmic rays? ...You dont mean...? No, Musujime cut her off. It isnt that. Becoming aware of her own powerlessness, she laughed slightly. It seemed that response had caught Teshio off guard. With those hints, you can guess to a certain extent. I have a few ideas myself. But none of them are the answer behind which Aleister lies. The ideas I have are merely composed of the information that has been presented to me. And I highly doubt Aleister has presented all of the information to me. ... The one thing I can tell you is that the plan he is carrying out is well beyond our wildest imaginations. Most likely, this planet itself is nothing more than a disposable tool for him. Do you really think this grand plan can be overcome by the clichd methods youre using? Musujime was trying to stall for time. She was trying to recover from the damage she had taken. That may be, but it doesnt change what I intend to do. ...Why are you going so far to take out Aleister? I have experienced a tragedy in this city. I do not know whether Aleister was involved or not. I want to ask him for the truth. That is all. Teshios words were blunt. She didnt have a boiling desire for revenge, but that was why there was truth remaining in her words. There was no superfluous spin to the story based on passionate emotions. Thats a clichd reason. Perhaps. I was once obsessed with truth. But I didnt obtain inner peace by chasing after it. Musujimes voice was calm. If Aleister admits that he was involved in the tragedy, will you accept it? If he denies involvement in it, will you accept that? Whichever answer you get, you will think its a lie. You will suspect that there is still something hes hiding from you. If the answer to a question brings no meaning, its useless to ask it. ...True. Teshio did not say anything more than that. She had already made up her mind, so she would not waver. So what will you do? Musujime did not respond to the question. They were in an area treated as top secret within the juvenile hall for criminal espers. It was secured with esper counter-measures including the AIM jammer. Because of this, she could not use her Move Point to attack. Deprived of it, Musujime Awaki was nothing more than a normal girl. She didnt have the sharpshooting skills of Accelerator and she didnt excel at hand-to-hand combat like Tsuchimikado. Thinking about that, a small smile appeared on her lips. She spoke as she smiled. ...Its because I think like that that I will never be able to protect anyone. As she moved her lips, Musujime brought her hand behind her. She grabbed the bundle of cords there and forcibly pulled on them. They belonged to the low frequency vibration treatment device. The electrode device measured the irregularities in her brain waves and emitted a matching stimulus to lower her stress. She pulled the whole thing off. Next, she tossed her flashlight aside. Musujime now had nothing, but her smile did not collapse. Seeing that, Teshio of Block spoke with a curious look in her eyes. Youre going to use it? Yes, decisively responded Musujime immediately. Sorry, but Im going to go all out. A metal stake suddenly appeared in her hand that had previously held nothing. It was one of the parts used in the sturdy lock of the cell door. But Move Points precision was a bit off. Musujime could feel some of the skin on her palm being scraped off. The trauma that had eaten at her heart showed its face all at once. She forced it down and used Move Point again. This time, she herself disappeared. Using theoretical 11th dimensional vectors, she overcame the three dimensional boundaries and appeared right in front of the muscular woman. As she teleported, she felt a violent pressure in her stomach, but she ignored it and tried to stab the metal stake into Teshios gut. In response, Teshio stepped back. Musujime instinctively knew that she could not win if she let this chance slip away. But when she tried to step forward, she realized she couldnt move her right leg. It felt like a bunch of powerful instant glue had stuck it to the ground, but Musujime remembered that feeling well. The repulsive feeling was caused by her leg being stuck into the ground from about halfway down the calf and below. She had transported to the wrong spot. Pain. Fear. Shock. Those emotions she had once experienced exploded in the bottom of her stomach. (I can overcome this...) Musujime gripped the metal stake tightly, bit her lip, and suppressed it all. There was a companion she had to protect behind her. In order to protect that life, Musujime Awaki would crush the past that was creeping out!! (I will overcome this!! Ill overcome everything related to this annoying scar!!) She stuck with it and moved her leg as if she was pulling it out of mud. As she did, she heard a tearing sound. Musujime Awaki did not avert her gaze. She moved forward. Like a bullet, Musujime moved towards the Block assassin who was threatening her companions life while gripping the metal stake and ignoring her torn up leg. A noticeably thick noise rang out within the cell. All strength left Teshios body. She looked like she was leaning up against Musujime and barely moved her lips as she spoke in Musujimes ear. ...You went easy on me. The metal stake was in Musujimes hand. However, just before impact, she had spun the stake around so the flat back end hit Teshio instead of the sharp tip. Unfortunately, Musujime responded in an uninterested manner, this is the kind of leadership I wanted. Part 12 Unabara Mitsuki couldnt believe his eyes. In the juvenile halls exercise area, Xochitls right arm crumbled. This wasnt biological decay. It was similar to seeing an invisible man having the bandages covering him removed. The outside skin seemed extremely human-like, but the removal of the bandages left nothing but a hollow cavity. The change had started at her fingertips and had already eroded up to her elbow. Xochitl...? What is this!? My body has reached the limit. The ends of the brown girls arms and legs were coming apart, but she smiled thinly as she spoke. Heres a lesson for you. If you make up for your lack of power with a grimoire, this is the fate that awaits you. You dont mean...you read one! No, I did more than that. Youre an Aztec magician, so you should understand. In our rituals, human flesh is eaten in order to deliver it to heaven. In other words, there is a magical line connecting me and the severed flesh. Those words shocked Unabara. He had realized the meaning behind the spell that let her control others weapons causing them to commit suicide. She had dried her own flesh into a powdered form and spread it around. That powder magically qualified as a part of her body, so she could control it like her own arms and legs just by thinking. The same went for objects it was closely packed around. Xochitl made other peoples weapons a part of her physical body. That was the true form of her spell. But... A spell that removes a part of your body like that will always fail before long! That goes well past the level where you can use a spiritual item to aid you! You should have known that much, Xochitl!! I dont mind. I wished to punish the one who betrayed the organization and that was my answer. As long as I managed to kill you before it had fully consumed me, I could accomplish the organizations goal. Damn it!! The organization I knew did horrible things, but not this horrible! What the hell happened while I was gone!? Unabara yelled his question, but oddly enough Xochitls only response was a small smile. The brown girls body was going to have come completely apart before long. To Unabara, it looked like only a third of her body remained. Even if it stopped now, there was obviously no way of saving her life. He could only let that mass of flesh and guts disappear into the air. (...I dont think just a spell or a spiritual item could cause something this out of the ordinary.) As the destruction progressed from her arms and legs into her abdomen, Unabara frantically observed the situation. (The only secret that could be behind this other than those things that I can think of is an original!!) An original of a grimoire was completely autonomously activated and could not be destroyed by anyone. Xochitl had acquired her power by uniting with one of those originals C or more accurately, becoming a part of it. If that was so, it all made sense. Causing everyone with a weapon to commit suicide sounded exactly like the kind of defensive feature a grimoire original would have. And the Aztecs had books known as codices that were written on animal skins. (Animal skins...It couldnt be!!) Unabara stared blankly at the skin of the brown girl who had now come almost entirely apart. And written on the inside was... Ghhaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!! Unabara Mitsuki looked in carelessly and screamed. It had only been a few characters. He hadnt looked directly at them; they had only barely entered his field of vision. And yet his brain felt like it was going to split in two. This wasnt like a watered-down copy altered and interpreted for general use. It was a true original. Unabara held his pounding temples and continued his thoughts while staggering. (Kh...That was a derivative of the calendar stone written there.) The calendar stone was an Aztec calendar arranged in a circle. However, the Aztecs used two different forms of calendars at once and believed in the death and rebirth of the sun, so it was an incredibly complex thing to make. What was described on the inside of Xochitls skin took only the times that dealt with life and death from that calendar and then expanded on it with a religious dissertation. He couldnt deal with that. It was wrong to even think of opposing it. It was said that not even the Index Librorum Prohibitorum could destroy that book of evil, so there was no way a mere magician could do anything. But... Even so... (I wont let her die...) Why had a non-combatant like Xochitl infiltrated this far? What was going on in the organization? There were tons of things he wanted to ask. So he couldnt let her die here. He couldnt destroy the grimoire original. And even if he could, Xochitl wouldnt last because she depended on the original. It was impossible for Unabara Mitsuki to win in this situation with his power alone. So... (If its impossible to accomplish with human power, Ill borrow the power of this original!!) The original could defend against any type of attack and no one could even scratch it, but there was one exception. An original would disclose its information to one who desired that information. If it truly prevented all kinds of interference, no one would be able to open its pages and the grimoire would lose all reason to exist. He didnt know how it worked, but originals could identify whether someone was a reader or not a reader and they had a tendency to cooperate with those who would propagate their information. That was why Unabara decided to... (I will take this grimoire for myself.) If he could obtain ownership of the original, its automatic interception spell would stop. Once he took it for himself, he would naturally be able to tear the original from Xochitls body. The reason the original was cooperating with her was not because of who she was. It just had to be someone who would act as an evangelist for its knowledge. Also... (Ill trick its decision-making ability. Ill make it think that it cant pass itself on if Xochitl dies! Then the original itself will save her life!!) Unabara Mitsuki could not save Xochitl. That meant he just had to make the original with all its power do it for him. Of course, there was no precedent of this happening. If he failed to deceive the ridiculously powerful original his reward would be death. But Unabara Mitsuki did not hesitate. ? He accepted it all in order to save that brown girl. Part 13 Dragging her bloody leg along, Musujime Awaki slowly left the solitary-confinement cell. The other cells were locked. She couldnt get her companions out of them. And even if she did try to forcibly break them out, the upper classes of Academy City might just make them disappear. Even if she had gotten Block out of the way, the fundamental problem remained. She hadnt been able to change the fact that someone held her companions lives in their grasp. But Musujime heard a voice from behind say, I always trusted you. It came from the small window installed in the cell door used to pass meals through. She had heard one of her companions speaking from that mail slot-like opening. He said he trusted her. He said he had been right to trust her. There was relief in his voice. Relief because she had saved his life and because she had come running for his sake. Musujime Awaki remained motionless for a bit. Finally, she slowly opened her mouth. But no words came. Her lips were quavering even more than she thought. Even so, she slowly put together her words. It took a long time, but she finally got a couple of words out. But that was all they needed. Are you done? asked Tsuchimikado. Musujime pushed him aside with one hand and headed for the staircase out. They exited the building and found Accelerator and Unabara Mitsuki. Because they had all fought in their own battlefields, not one of them was unscathed. Even so, the four members of Group joined together once more. Musujime said nothing. Looking at her, Tsuchimikado spoke in a bored-sounding voice. Well, lets return to the darkness. Between the lines 3 She slowly walked down the street. Given her position, it was a place you would never think she would be. Anyone was free to go by on that road, she had no guards, and she merely mixed in with the general crowd. She had five helium-filled balloons in one hand and small children passing by looked at them with greedy eyes. She held a cell phone in her other hand. Yknow, Im supposed to be in charge of Item. Its always like this with you... Why are you always calling me for these things that dont even pay overtime? What are you talking about? Ill admit I jumped the gun a bit on the whole Block thing. But my power can come back any number of times, so quit keeping the location of and information on Block from me! If I can get a hold of them again, there will be no damage done to Academy City. Theres no problem damage-wise. Apparently, Group just took out Block in the juvenile hall a bit ago. They cant cause any more trouble. I-I see. The person on the phone seemed relieved. Then Ill... Yes, she said peacefully. The threat presented by Block is gone, so youre no longer needed as their controller. She could hear a gulp from over the phone. He started hurriedly going on about something, but she wasnt listening anymore. Their discussion was over. She hung up and started walking through the crowd again. She let go of one of the five balloons she was holding and it flew into the sky. Now then. She didnt even bother to watch the disappearing balloon and toyed with the strings of the remaining balloons. I wonder what Schools controller will say. Volume 15, 4: The Paper-Thin Difference between Self Derision and Pride. Enemy_Level5. Volume 15, Chapter 4: The Paper-Thin Difference between Self Derision and Pride. Enemy_Level5. Part 1 In the end, he let a river wash the ashes away. Hamazura Shiage just couldnt throw them away in the automated kitchen waste device. He knew he had only satisfied himself in doing so and that it was polluting the environment, but he still resisted the idea of throwing what used to be a human in with the kitchen waste. (...Im terrible.) He had parted with Takitsubo and was now thinking to himself while absentmindedly walking along a path on the riverside. (I wasnt feeling for the person in the bag, I was just afraid that I could be next. I only did it because I didnt want to be disposed of that way when I died.) Damn it... He withstood the urge to ask himself if he really had to go back to Item and started back in their direction. That was when someone called out to him. Hamazura ignored the person and started to continue on, but the person grabbed his shoulder from behind. Before he could turn around, a blow hit him. He received damage to the back of his head and fell to the dirty ground. He heard a laugh and looked over. He saw 3 boys he had never seen before. One of them was holding a golf club. He had been the one who had hit Hamazura. (...!? Thieves?) Eighty percent of Academy Citys population was made up of students. At certain times, the student dorms were almost completely empty. There were some armed groups of delinquents who worked as thieves and used those times to their advantage. I was right. Ive seen this guy before. Hes from the District 7 Skill-Outs, right? Werent they destroyed? Who cares? Were gonna kick his ass here. With that they all laughed. Hamazura had kicks fly at him from all directions before he could say anything. They all did nothing but laugh. You know what, Skill-Out? Until just a bit ago, we had a hard time living from day to day. Your leader...Komaba, was it? He was a huge pain in the ass. He made it so we couldnt do our job very well. To make up for that, were gonna fuck your face up so much theyll only be able to identify you as Boy A. Understand? Hamazura wanted to say that that wasnt his fault, but a kick hit him the side. He had trouble breathing and couldnt speak. (Damn...it...) The unknown face within the sleeping bag came to his mind. He couldnt get the scene of the guy being burnt in the electric furnace and the ash being swept away in the river out of his mind. The fact that he too could be utterly eliminated that way and the triviality of a Level 0s life filled his head. Then a metal pipe about the thickness of a thumb that was used for propane gas rolled along the dirty ground. Hamazura Shiage did not hesitate. !! He grabbed the L-shaped pipe and swung it forcefully to the side. It hit the piece of shit with the golf club in the ankle and Hamazura felt the guys bone crack. The idiot fell to the ground screaming and Hamazura stood up covered in blood as if to replace him. He swung the pipe down again getting another blow in. The other two delinquents yelled something, but Hamazura ignored them. He swung the pipe down yet again on the collapsed guy and pleasant screams entered his ears. One of the other boys pulled a hammer out of his bag upon hearing that. Hamazura thought he might seriously be in trouble. The metal pipe was quite destructive, but it was still difficult to knock someone out with it in one blow. If this turned into a drawn-out fist fight, it was possible they would take each other out. But he still didnt feel like stopping his attacking hands. The feeling of the synthetic fabric of the black sleeping bag felt surprisingly fresh on his palm. And then... Over here, Hamazura!! At the same time as that shout, the boy holding the hammers neck was knocked to the side with a crack. Before Hamazura realized the boy had been hit with something like a brick, someone had grabbed his arm. Come on, you idiot! Lets get the hell outta here!! Hamazura felt oddly lethargic as he ran away while being dragged by the arm. After being escorted away for a bit, he finally realized who that voice belonged to. Is that...Hanzou? It was a boy who had been a Skill-Out member along with him and had acted alongside him frequently. Hamazura thought about his former Skill-Out activities and concluded that Hanzou must have been thinking of stealing another ATM if he was wandering around this area. Hanzou spoke in a completely shocked voice. You idiot! Did you completely forget the rules of the back alleys? If you get hung up on who wins and who loses, you end up dead. If you care about whether you live or die, you need to give up on always winning! The two boys looked behind to confirm that no one was pursuing them and stopped. Hamazura looked at Hanzous face with a mystified expression on his own face. Why did you save me? I ruined Skill-Out and then ran out on the punishment. That isnt something for you to say, responded Hanzou in an uninterested voice. You need to realize that we dont bear a grudge against you. We dont think it was your fault. No matter who was the leader at that time, Skill-Out would have fallen. ... It wasnt a nice enough path to make me want to cling to the past. Well, Ill admit it was pretty fun up through the part where I polished up the plan, you got us some assistance, and Komaba was leading the attack. Yeah, said Hamazura in an emotionless voice. Youve got a point. It was a shitty life, but it was fun. ...What are you going to do now? I dunno. I get the feeling itll be pretty much the same no matter where I end up. Even if I went back to Skill-Out, it wouldnt be like back then. I dont think theres any value in going back. Hamazura spat out those words and started to turn his back on Hanzou. Hanzou took something out of this pocket and tossed it to Hamazura. Take it. From what happened back there, Im guessing you dont have much as far as weapons go. It was a small handgun thats grip only made it halfway down his palm. ...This is a ladys gun. Does it really matter? A weapon thats a little hard to use is perfect. If it sits too comfortably in your hand, youll just shed unnecessary blood. Hamazura spun the gun around in his hand and put it away in his sleeve. This time he left the alley without looking back at Hanzou. His next job for Item was most likely waiting for him. Part 2 Hamazura Shiage returned to one of Items hideouts. Youre late, Hamazura, said Mugino Shizuri in a carefree way. They were in a section of a high-rise building in District 3. It was a facility full of indoor leisure items like a sports gym and a pool. The grade of the users was fairly high. To even enter the building, one needed a member ID and the rank of ones ID needed to be checked to use certain specific facilities. Apparently, it was a major sign of status among the upper echelons of the city to be a member. Hamazura and the others were in a VIP salon. The individual rooms could be reserved on a yearly contract and only someone with a Two Star membership ranking or above could do so, so the room had a very upper class feel to it. In the area that was called an individual room even though it was easily more spacious than a 3LDK, Mugino was sitting on a sofa. Hamazura looked at who was gathered there and asked a puzzled question. Wheres Frenda? Gone, responded Mugino readily. Dead or captured, I dont know. And it doesnt look like were going to have time to replace her, so Item will have to function with only three. Well, School is down to three too, so it works out. It wont be hard to take the fight back to them, because we have Takitsubo. Mugino had said three. Hamazura frowned at not being counted, but bringing it up wouldnt accomplish anything. Hamazura. Youre hurt, said Takitsubo while looking at his face. Its nothing, he replied. What are you going to do now? School stole the Tweezers, right? Thats right, Mugino readily admitted. Thats why its our turn to go on the attack. Takitsubos AIM Stalker can search for the location of any esper whose AIM diffusion field she has memorized. We fought them once in the particle engineering lab, so we can track them down. Items reason to exist is to stop the upper classes and the secret organizations from getting out of hand. Lets do our job. Hamazura looked over at Takitsubo. As usual, the girl had her arms and legs sprawled out limply. Perhaps her insecure way of speaking was due to feeling the effects of others AIM diffusion fields all the time. Is searching for Dark Matter fine? Whos that? The second Level 5. Hes the bastard who leads School. As Mugino answered Hamazuras question, Takitsubo took out a small case with a white powder in it. Kinuhata looked at the clear case oddly. You have it super hard, Takitsubo-san. You cant even activate your power without Body Crystal. Its not so bad. This way actually seems normal to me, said Takitsubo as she ever so slightly licked the white powder. Light returned to her eyes. As if this was her normal state, Takitsubo Rikou stood up and stretched her back. Beginning AIM diffusion field search. Ending pick up of approximate and similar AIM diffusion fields. The results for the single AIM diffusion field will be reported. 5 seconds remaining until end of search. She spoke like a machine. And she came up with the correct response. Conclusion: Dark Matter is within this building. Before everyone there could react in astonishment, something happened. The door to the private salon was kicked in from the other side. A single man walked in. Seeing him, Mugino Shizuri spoke in annoyance. Dark Matter...!! Id prefer it if you called me by my name. Its Kakine Teitoku by the way. The man had odd claws made of machines on his hand. The Tweezers... Cool, aint it? I came here to declare my victory. Ha. Youre just the Spare Plan who wasnt chosen by Aleister. Just a bit ago, you were running away all over the place, but now youre this confident? Oh, right. I forgot to thank you for what you did back in the particle engineering lab. Thanks to you, I lost one of the 4 proper members of School. Did you forget about the sniper we killed a few days ago? Did you replace him? The conversation between the two Level 5s suddenly cut off. The cause was Kinuhata Saiai. She lifted up a nearby table in one hand without even getting up out of the sofa. The girl who looked only 12 took the table that was covered in decorations making it have to weigh a few dozen kilos and threw it forcefully at Kakine Teitoku. There was a loud crash. The table smashed to pieces, but Kakines expression did not change. That hurt, he said so naturally it made you think he might be telling the truth. And it pissed me off. Im smashing you to pieces first. As expected, Kinuhata did not accept that. She ran to the wall and destroyed the salon wall with her small fist. She then grabbed Hamazura and Takitsubos hands, winked at Mugino, and leapt through the broken wall. On the other side was a similarly constructed luxurious salon. There were people in it, but Kinuhata knocked them out with her fist. When they exited into the hallway, a man that looked like he was from Schools subordinate organization was there, but she took him out with her fist, too. Kinuhata Saiai did not have superhuman strength. Her power allowed her to freely control the nitrogen in the air. Her power was so exceedingly great that she could control compressed masses of nitrogen in order to lift up a car or even stop bullets. However, her effective range was very small. It only extended a few centimeters from her palm. This made it look like she was lifting things with her hand. Hamazura. Please go get us a car super fast, said Kinuhata. One of reasons School is here is for Takitsubo. Since they knew where our hideout was, its super safe to assume they know all our other information. Most likely, they found out what a problem Takitsubo-sans power would be for them and came here to take out our only way of tracking them. Her searching power? said Hamazura. Just from how destructive they looked, he thought they would be more worried about Mugino or Kinuhata... Even if they dont kill everyone in Item, our actions will be super restricted if they take Takitsubo-san out. Her presence or absence determines whether we are the chasers or the chased. If I were them, I would go for her first. ... On the other hand, this means that as long as Takitsubo-san is fine, we can turn this around. So get her in a car and take her super far away from here. If you hide somewhere that isnt one of Items hideouts, itll take them a while to find you. As Kinuhata spoke, she took a stun gun out of her pocket. She put it in Takitsubos hand. The way youre always staring off into space is super dangerous, so at least have this as a weapon. And with this, you wont die if you accidentally set it off. They heard an explosion. It came from the salon Mugino and Kakine were in. Please go. You need to super hurry, Kinuhata said as she pushed Hamazura and Takitsubo from behind. Before he could say anything, the small girl ran off towards the battlefield. Part 3 At the shock of an explosion, the entire building shook making it feel unreliable. Kinuhata Saiai walked through the lobby of the indoor leisure facility as guests ran about in panic. Some men from Schools subordinate organization lay collapsed on the floor. Kinuhata had knocked them out. She walked over next to them and kicked away their handguns and rifles. Suddenly, her face blurred to the side. By the time she realized she had taken a bullet, a few more blasts hit her and her small frame was knocked to the ground. She let her body go along with the force of the blast and slid behind a nearby pillar. (...A sniper. Where?) She had been hit in her head, her chest, and the bottom of her gut. All of them were vital areas. If it hadnt been for the shield her power gave her, she would definitely have died. As she lay on the floor, she held one of the crushed bullets in her palm. (A steel bullet...Is it that magnetic sniper rifle? Given how crushed the bullet is and assuming its initial velocity was subsonic, the sniper must be at distance of 500 to 700.) As she thought, Kinuhata reached a hand towards her pocket. What she held between her 5 fingers were metal rods about 30 cm long with masses of metal about the size of drink cans on the ends. They looked a little like maracas and little like hand grenades with old fashioned grips, but neither was the correct answer. They were handheld anti-tank missile warheads. The guests running around looked shocked and said something, but Kinuhata ignored them. She pointed the various warheads held between her fingers away from her and grabbed the short strings on the back ends with her other hand. It was a similar gesture to using a party cracker and it was also similar to holding an arrow in a bow. She paused for a second and then jumped out from behind the pillar while looking at the scene beyond the broken window. When she did, she took a bullet right between the eyes, but she ignored it and readied her aim. She pulled the strings without hesitating. With the sound of air being released, the power of the compressed air took effect and the warheads flew from the handles. After advancing 10 meters, they ignited and quickly traveled the 500 meters while scattering flames about. The multiple missiles hit the side of a building which exploded like crushed mille-feuille. The building must have been built to resist earthquakes, because it narrowly avoided completely collapsing. Ooh, nice. I guess that bastard Sunazara was blown to pieces along with the magnetic sniper rifle, huh? Well, he was brought in as a replacement on short notice, so I suppose I shouldnt have expected too much of him. She heard a cheerful voice. Kinuhata spun around just in time to see Dark Matter Kakine Teitoku walk out of the hallway. Ah, so youre a remnant of the Dark May Project. What a pain. That was where they saw how Accelerators calculation pattern worked and tried to optimize specific espers Personal Realities, right? ... And as a result, you got an automatic defense power. Although, it seems you were originally an atmosphere control type. Its just like with Accelerators reflection, but your limit is automatically opening a defensive field around you with your power. Have you ever thought about how pathetic that is? Not really, quickly responded Kinuhata. Im super happy compared to test subjects from Produce. They had their brains chopped up like a Christmas cake in order to figure out where in their brains their Personal Realities lay. I see, said Kakine with no real interest. Kinuhata cautiously watched the man in front of her and opened her mouth. What happened to Mugino? Oh, nothing really, was his short reply. And with that Kinuhata knew. A Level 4 like her couldnt stand up to someone who had dealt with the 4th most powerful Level 5 in Academy City so easily. When they had fought in the particle engineering laboratory, she had gotten a rough idea, but now she had proof. So where is AIM Stalker? Thats all I want to know. If you tell me where she is, I can just let you go. Do you really think anyone would be stupid enough to go along with that? Yes. Theres Frenda from Item for example. ... Im just letting you know that you have that option. And just so you know, you cant defeat my Dark Matter with Level 4 Offense Armor. Im not someone you can defeat with some ingenious plan or something. Kinuhata did not say anything. Kakine spoke again to the girl who was silently staring at him. Where is AIM Stalker? It seems I dont have the right to refuse you... said Kinuhata with a small smile on her face. As she spoke, she grabbed a nearby bench and threw it. But... An unidentifiable explosion appeared with Kakine at its center. The bench was blown to pieces and even Kinuhata was blown away. Her small body flew through the air 10 meters before landing. She broke through the thin wall and into some room. Watching that, Kakine smiled thinly. So you weighed your pride against your death. Thats sentimental but not realistic. Kakine ordered a man from the subordinate organization to retrieve her. Retrieve her? ...You mean shes still alive? Thats the kind of esper she is. Part 4 Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou ran down the elevator hall. He pressed the switch on the wall and the light indicating that the elevator was stopped on the 48th floor quickly lowered to the 25th floor they were on. While it did, Hamazura took the unlocking tools from his pocket. (...The parking lot is underground. Everyone around here will have fancy cars, but I dont have the time to be indecisive. Ill go for the car nearest to the elevator.) The elevator stopped on the 25th floor. With a light electronic tone, the automatic metal door opened to the left and the right. Ah, there they are. Hamazura heard a voice that crushed all his hope. A certain man from School was walking from the hallway. The second Level 5 who had defeated Mugino Shizuri slowly approached them with those odd claws on his hand. I was looking for you. I really was. Youre the search esper, right? As he spoke, the man took the thing he was dragging with his left hand and tossed it towards them. It flew a few meters through the air and landed at Hamazuras feet. It was the person they had split up with just a bit ago, Kinuhata Saiai. ...!! She made the right decision. The core of Item isnt the Level 5; its you. Itd be pretty bad if you got away now, yknow? The implication behind Kakine Teitokus words was that they couldnt get away now that he was there. Each step forward he took was a countdown towards the end of Hamazura and Takitsubos lives. Hamazura thought of the handgun in his sleeve. He looked at the open elevator next to him and spoke to Takitsubo in as quiet a voice as he could. (...Get on the elevator and go down.) (...But Hamazura.) (....Even if could I get away from School here by abandoning you, Item would be destroyed! Fuck, Im stuck between a rock and a hard place!!) Kakine Teitoku stopped walking. He was indecisive, but not over whether to let them go. They were already within the effective range of the Level 5s attacks. Well, what are you going to do? How long is it going to take for you to say goodbye? ...!! Go!! Hamazura shoved Takitsubos small body into the elevator. However, Takitsubo reached out for Hamazura. They spun around, reversing positions almost as if in a ballroom dance, and Takitsubo pushed Hamazura into the elevator. Hamazura was confused by the sudden action and he fell down to the floor right on his ass. Takitsubos hand was the only part of her in the elevator. She hit the B1 button that would take the elevator to the underground parking lot. What the hell are you-...? Im sorry, Hamazura. Takitsubo looked at him from the other side of the closing door. I told everyone about what you said by the furnace. I dont want you to become ash like that. There was a slight smile in her eyes. Dont worry. Im a Level 4 and youre a Level 0. So Ill protect you, Hamazura. ...!! Before he could say anything, the door completely closed and the high-speed elevator started moving down. Something horrible had happened, but his body felt oddly relaxed because he had escaped the danger to himself. As he sat on the floor with his back to the wall, Hamazura stared up at the ceiling. (But I thought espers didnt care about the life of someone like me...) thought Hamazura as he felt the characteristic floating feeling that high-speed elevators gave. He covered his face with a hand as he stared up at the ceiling. (I thought we were like a bunch of disposable convenience store umbrellas. So if I died, I wouldnt just be burnt to ash in a furnace and thrown away with the kitchen trash?) Damn it, Hamazura muttered. Most likely, he hadnt been the only one that underwent a shock when he was burning that black sleeping bag in the electric furnace. The girl watching from behind had felt the same shock as he had. Perhaps Takitsubo Rikou had always tried to protect the Level 0s or maybe the furnace incident had given her a change of heart. Either way, there was only one thing that could be said. Takitsubo Rikou had faced the man ranked 2nd in Academy City all on her own in order to save Hamazura, a Level 0. ...Fuck that, muttered Hamazura Shiage as he slowly stood up with a hand on the wall. Fuck thaaaattt!! He slammed his palm onto the button on the wall to stop the elevator. Hamazura gritted his teeth and took a long, deep breath. Truthfully speaking, he had no real expectation of winning. That Kakine guy was a Level 5 and he wasnt even the only enemy. At the very least, there were also a few men dressed all in black who looked like they were from the subordinate organization. But... Is there a place for Level 0s? Of course there is! Is there a path for them other than preying on others? Of course there is!! The words of a Level 0 who was completely different from him who he had run into at the Dangai University database center naturally came to the surface of his mind. If you had only used the strength it took to form Skill-Out and used it to help those weaker than you, things would have changed for you!! If you had only used that strength you used to fight back against powerful espers to help those in need, the people of Academy City would have accepted you!! ...Yeah. Hamazura Shiage pressed the button for the 25th floor where he had parted with Takitsubo and the elevator door closed. Thats exactly right, you piece of shit. He cut off his own path of escape and returned the battlefield where a Level 5 awaited. Part 5 The elevator stopped on the 25th floor. Hamazura exited through the automatic door that opened to the left and right and what he saw was the scene he had expected to see. Oh, you came back? The one who lightly said that was Kakine Teitoku, the Level 5 from School. Near him, Kinuhata Saiai lay on the ground looking exactly the way she had when he had left. But now Takitsubo Rikou lay face down by the unscathed mans feet so he couldnt see her face. He couldnt even tell if she was alive or dead. Kakine continued to speak as he cracked his neck. Well, she did pretty well considering that she had no direct battle power. She must have used her search power to interfere with my AIM diffusion field and then reversed the flow in an attempt to take control of my power. Really, if she grew some more she could even become the 8th. Every one of his comments of praise made it sound like he was mocking her. Hamazura did not say anything in return. Instead, he took the handgun hidden in his sleeve and thrust it forward. Oh, you arent done? came a sudden voice. A girl in a showy dress came walking from around a corner behind Kakine. (Its that crane woman!!) For a second, Hamazura couldnt decide who to aim the gun at. But... You should stop that. With those words, Hamazura Shiage couldnt move his body. It was necessary to kill you before, but now that we have the Tweezers, theres no need to kill someone from their subordinate organization. (...!?) It wasnt that his body had become paralyzed for some reason. There was no problem with his body physically. It was just that a sense that he couldnt shoot even if he wanted to grew up unnaturally within him. It was the same way he wouldnt be able to crush a napping cat under his foot. It was the same way he wouldnt be able to kill a sick kid and steal everything the kid had. It was the same way he wouldnt be able to turn his gun on Takitsubo Rikou. From the look on your face, you must be fairly kind on the inside. I should have just used my power from the get-go. A broad smile appeared on the girl in the dresss face. My Measure Heart can freely regulate the distance between peoples hearts. What do you think will happen if I set it to the distance of the various people you know? Kh...!! (What is this? An application of Telepathy!?) How about you stop. Currently Im at a distance of 20. In other words, Im keeping it at the same heart distance as Hamazura Shiage C Takitsubo Rikou. You cant shoot me the same way you wouldnt be able to shoot Takitsubo. If you were willing to come back for her, you would never hurt her, right? His hand holding the gun was shaking. He couldnt shoot. He knew Takitsubo and the girl in the dress were two different people, but he just couldnt do it. That was when Kakine spoiled her fun by breaking in. How boring. You make it seem like were the bad guys here. A guy and a girl protecting each other like this is such a moving story. Its such a rare sight that it makes me not want to destroy it. Yes, it is unfortunate that the girl is going to die on her own regardless of what we do. Hamazura gave a start upon hearing those words. What...? What the hell did you just say!? Kakine kicked the clear case that had fallen next to Takitsubo over to Hamazura. Its this Body Crystal. Did you know she was using it? She was...using it to activate her power... Strictly speaking, it intentionally causes a rejection that causes an espers power to go out of control. If you want to get into the details, it was used to induce an explosion of an espers power in experiments to analyze how out-of-control powers work. Most of the time, its just a bad thing, but in rare cases the out-of-control state is actually quite useful. She must have been one of those kinds of espers. Kakine was explaining it all in a voice that showed how tedious he found it. In the state shes in, she wont last long. If she never used her power again, shed be fine, but shell be destroyed if she uses it one or two more times. Destroyed. Hamazuras face stiffened at that disturbing word. Kakine ignored him and continued. We dont even need to finish her off. If she doesnt have her search power, I dont care if she dies or not. Just so you know, she collapsed on her own, said the girl in the dress. Its because she forced herself to keep using Body Crystal in order to fight us in this building. If we had seriously attacked her, there wouldnt have been even a scrap of flesh left. Hamazura stared at them without moving much, but he still managed to ignore the two members of School and press the elevator button. Now then, what to do? asked Kakine simply as Hamazura waited for the elevator. Should I kill her or let her go? We can just leave her alone, right? A member of Item on the verge of destruction cant stop us. Hamazura ground his teeth when the girl in the dress said on the verge of destruction, but he still couldnt pull the trigger. He was completely trapped by her Measure Heart power. But it would be easier to kill her. That search esper used your AIM to mess up your Personal Reality, right? Shouldnt you check on that? Your power going out of control would be much more dangerous than a half-defeated member of Item. And Id rather not die from an ally who went out of control. Kakine Teitoku cracked his neck in dislike of being ordered around. Kakine did not have a gun because of how much confidence he had in his power. But if his powers did go out of control, he would be the first person to get caught up in it. Fine, lets leave. Checking is easy enough, but we dont have the equipment here. With perfect timing, the elevator arrived. Damn it!! yelled Hamazura as he used his thumb to bring down the handguns hammer. But the girl in the dresss expression did not change. Im currently at distance 20. Its the same heart distance as ''Hamazura Shiage C Takitsubo Rikou''. But I can lessen that distance. !! You dont want your true feelings to be painted over with lies, do you? You should share the joy of living on with that dying girl. The two got on the stopped elevator and the automatic door closed. Hamazura looked down at the case of Body Crystal at his feet and at Takitsubo Rikou who still wasnt moving. He then slowly sat down. (After using her power one or two more times, Takitsubo will be destroyed...) An idiot delinquent like Hamazura did not know specifically what that destruction entailed. But he could guess it was nothing good. (What do I do?) Hamazura stared at Takitsubos face. Her body did not even twitch. She showed no sign of waking. She must have been going through a lot because she was covered in an unpleasant sweat. Takitsubo Rikou had fought Kakine to the point that this happened to her. Most likely she did it in order to save Hamazura Shiage. And she had used something called Body Crystal to do it. (...) Hamazura gritted his teeth silently. He wasnt prepared for this and he had nothing so refined as determination. Even so, he had obtained something that gave him the motivating force to move his arms and legs. Damn it... He couldnt return Takitsubo Rikou to Item. That organization was made so it could easily replace a member if one disappeared. Even in her precarious state, Takitsubo would most likely be made to use her power. Hamazura put the ladies hand gun back in his sleeve with a shaking hand. He took the magazine out and checked how many shots he had. Maybe it was because the clip had been made to be short, but he didnt have many. No, even if he had thousands upon thousands of bullets, it probably wouldnt be enough to get through this. The dark side of Academy City would pursue Takitsubo and even Item would become an enemy. Could he fight them? God fucking damn it!! Even so, he had to do it. If Takitsubo continued to use her power, it would truly be over. That was when Kinuhata who was collapsed next to Takitsubo looked over at him without moving a finger. It seemed she had figured out what was going on from Hamazuras impatient demeanor. ...Well, thats the right answer. Take Takitsubo-san and disappear. Thanks. I didnt say it for thanks. I was speaking ill of you. We dont need super useless people like you and Takitsubo-san in Item so Im telling you to get out of our way. As she spoke, there was a slight smile on Kinuhatas lips. She wasnt unscathed. There was blood spilling from her mouth. And yet she smiled while watching Hamazura act on Takitsubos behalf. Is there any last thing I can do for you? ...Hmm. Use Code 52 to contact the subordinate organization and call in the information suppression team and an ambulance. As you can see, I super cant move. Will do, said Hamazura. It was painful leaving Kinuhata like that, but he had to take Takitsubo and flee. (Anyway, as long as she doesnt use her power, itll be fine. Shell have to retire from Item, but thats better than being destroyed.) As Hamazura thought, his cell phone suddenly began ringing. It was from Mugino Shizuri. Haaamazuraaa. Is Takitsubo Rikou there? ...Are you okay!? You fought Kakine, right? What happ-...!? Oh, shut up. Its time for our counterattack on School. We need to use Takitsubos power to track them. If shes there, bring her here. Shell give us an answer even if it kills her. Part 6 Hamazura left the building while carrying Takitsubo on his back while she was as motionless as a corpse. He wasnt following Mugino Shizuris instructions to force her to use her power. He was doing the opposite. He was trying to get as far away as he could in order to keep Takitsubo away from Item. He was on top of a short bridge. There was a train track below it, not a river. It was one of the places where the underground line briefly came above ground. On the other side of the bridge was a sports car. I dont really know whats going on, but Im going to be taking that girl? The one speaking was Yomikawa Aiho of Anti-Skill who had gotten out of the car and had her hands on her hips in shock. The routes Hamazura or Takitsubo would use to escape and the places they would hide were the same as Items, so Mugino would find them easily. He decided that meant he just had to hand her over to someone with completely different routes. Hamazura, you know what my job is, right? Im in Anti-Skill. Do you really think Im going to let you run off after handing me an unconscious girl in this obviously suspicious situation? ...Shut up, said Hamazura as he gritted his teeth. Yomikawa frowned at the impatient tone to his voice that was unusual for him. Ill explain it all to you later. Ill show up wherever you want me to! Just take her somewhere safe as quickly as you can!! She isnt in a good state. Shes been using something called Body Crystal. I dont understand it at all, but apparently she could be destroyed at any time!! Body Crystal...? Wait, Hamazura. Did you just say Body Crystal!? Yomikawas expression completely changed after hearing that term, but Hamazura didnt explain further. It was hardly the time. ...Haaamazuraaa. Suddenly, a voice came from behind him. He spun around and saw Mugino Shizuri standing blood-covered on the other side of the bridge. Some of it was her blood, but some was from someone else. He recognized the thing that she was dragging in her right hand that looked a bit like an old rag. Frenda... Technically, it was only her upper half. Wherever it had gone, her bottom half was gone and something dark red was dripping from the cross-section. Thats right. It seems she was afraid of School so she betrayed Item and then hid. So I had to do a little purging. ...What are you doing? You dont need any purging, do you? Mugino let go and Frenda fell to the ground. She didnt even look towards Frenda. In the end, that was all Frenda was C all a comrade was C to Mugino. Hamazuras face stiffened upon seeing what, unlike Takitsubo, was clearly a corpse. Even so, he did not hesitate. He gave the girl on his back to Yomikawa and spoke quietly. ...Please go. Hamazura. As I said, Im in Anti-Skill. I cant have a child shielding me h-... Go!! yelled Hamazura cutting her off. I know you cant ignore a murder case, but shes well beyond that level! I cant get into the details, but Frenda was fairly skilled herself. That woman is someone who could kill her in one blow! Thats why Im telling you to take Takitsubo and go!! After saying that, Hamazura looked at the unconscious Takitsubo with an expression that looked like it was about to collapse. Please... I dont want her to die. I could never make up my mind, but I finally know that thats what I want to do. So please go. I cant protect her alone. Without your help, Ill lose everything here!! Hamazura... Do you really think you can do anything on your own!? Shes a Level 5. Shes the terrible monster whos ranked 4th in Academy City! Ill buy you some time, so please take Takitsubo and get out of here!! He yelled to the point that he thought his throat would be torn to pieces. Yomikawa had her breath taken away at how desperate he was. She hesitated, but she finally nodded as if the light in Hamazuras eyes was compelling her. Once I get that girl to a safe place, Ill come back with a fully armed Anti-Skill team. So dont die until Im back. ...Sure, Hamazura responded. Yomikawa shook off her hesitation, got in the drivers seat, and stepped on the gas. Her sports car drove off at high speed with Takitsubo on board. Hamazura heard a whistle. He turned to look and saw Level 5 Mugino Shizuri approaching as she crossed the small bridge. A battle with your life on the line. A numbing feeling, isnt it, Hamazura? I... he started to say. As she approached, Mugino casually swung her hand to the side. It hit Hamazura and he flew to the side and the metal guardrail sunk into his gut with a dull noise. The great shock gave him the urge to vomit. It felt like strength was going to leave his arms and legs and he lay sprawled over the railing like a futon hung out to dry. He could see the railroad running below the bridge. Quiet. I didnt ask your opinion. Ignoring Hamazuras groans, Mugino made it completely across the bridge. That hadnt been her Level 5 power. It was just the strength of her arm. She had purposefully used her physical strength so that it wasnt something that could be explained as being the difference between a Level 5 and a Level 0. Mugino still hadnt given up. Even if it destroyed Takitsubo, she was going to find out where School was. Ha ha, laughed Hamazura as he lay sprawled out on the railing. Should you really be finishing me off right now? Ah? Mugino looked over at him with just her eyes in an irritated way. Then her eyes widened. In Hamazura Shiages hand was the case of Body Crystal that Takitsubo Rikou used. She needs this to use AIM Stalker, right? You bastard, thats...!! As obvious rage entered Muginos eyes, Hamazura jumped over the metal railing and off of the bridge. A train was passing by underneath at that exact moment. Hamazuras body struck the roof of the train. He had imagined the roof as being flat, but it actually had quite a few ups and downs from the air conditioners installed on it. His body rolled around when he landed, his skin was torn like it was being scraped off with a file, and he almost fell off because he couldnt rid his body of momentum. Even so, he finally managed to brace himself and stop. Sprawled out on top of the train, Hamazura smiled. (I managed to get through it. Without this Body Crystal, Takitsubo cant use her power. She doesnt have to be forced to fight now. As long as I can keep this from Mugino...) That was when the train suddenly stopped. Hamazuras body slid across the roof. He managed to stop himself and then looked around in surprise. He saw Mugino standing a good way back on the track. She must have jumped from the bridge just as he had. Her hand was stuck deep in the ground. The power cables for Academy City railroads ran through the ground. Mugino had used her power to sever the power cable in order to stop the train. From a few hundred meters away, Mugino Shizuri said something. Hamazura couldnt hear her voice, but he understood it from the movements of her mouth. I C am C going C to C fucking C kill C you. Part 7 From atop the train, Hamazura took in what Mugino had said. The Level 5 who had forcibly stopped the train smiled so it looked like her face was split in two. ...!! All of the hair on Hamazuras body stood on end. He hurriedly got down from the roof of the train and ran across the gravel. He was surrounded on the left and right by concrete walls making the area almost like an artificial river, but he found a set of metal stairs partway along. He ran up those stairs and into the above ground road. He turned around. Mugino was climbing the stairs a bit away. She was 20 or 30 meters away and staring at him through the crowd of people. She had already singled out Hamazura Shiage as her prey. (Shit!! I cant get away by mixing in with the crowd!!) He cut through the large crowd of people out on their day off and continued to run. But he soon reached his limit. He looked around and headed for one of the nearby buildings. He slammed open the door with a tackle, not even bothering to check if it was locked or not, and tumbled inside. ...Damn it. What is this place? It wasnt a normal business building. There were plants slightly taller than Hamazura growing all over the floor. Above his head, wires were laid out entwined with the branches. They were grape vines. Looking to the ground, he could see hydroponic containers lined up. The bluish purple illumination must have been from UV lights to promote photosynthesis. (So this is an automatic refining plant for biological ethanol fuel...) The development of biological ethanol fuel was being done as an alternative to gasoline. Normally sugarcane or corn was used, but, since something with a low alcohol purity rate like grapes was being used, this must be a high grade product that stressed the brand. Apparently, the celebs in District 3 wanted to even have a distinction between the fuel they put in their cars and the fuel normal people put in their cars. It was like they were letting their cars drink wine. What a nice place. Hamazuras entire body stiffened when he heard that voice come from behind him. Youve got taste to choose a deserted facility, Hamazura. Its best to die alone. Before he could turn around, an impact hit his back. With a loud disconcerting noise, Hamazuras body flew a few meters before it landed. A large number of the hydroponic containers were knocked over, many grape plants were broken, and Hamazuras body rolled even farther. In that one attack, a pain so intense he thought he was going to die attacked his entire body. It was actually surprising that he didnt suffer any broken bones. Fuck...!! Hamazura left the large area as if he were dragging his hurting body. There was a staircase, so he headed up it. He found a large group of silver machinery that was twice his height lined up and they were connected vertically and horizontally by metal pipes. It was like the beer breweries you sometimes saw in commercials. In actuality, the grapes were fermented to bring out the alcohol, so the equipment worked in a similar way. There also had to be equipment to create a high concentration of alcohol to turn it into car fuel. Compared to before, there were a lot of blind spots. (Even if she is a Level 5, she isnt invincible.) Hamazura passed through a gap in the complicated arrangements of pipes and leaned his back up against a piece of machinery about the size of a small room. As he did, he hurriedly tried to come up with anything that gave him an advantage. (When we were attacked by the mobile crane near the particle engineering lab, she didnt try to destroy the wrecking ball with her power. And with the train just now she went for the power cables buried in the ground instead of the fast-moving train itself.) Hamazura gritted his teeth at the pain all over his body and noticed a means of getting out of this situation. (Most likely, Mugino Shizuris power takes a certain amount of time to aim in exchange for how powerful it is. In other words, shes weak to surprise attacks. She cant deal with a sudden attack from someone.) That wasnt because Mugino hadnt trained her power enough, but rather it was a flaw created from it being too powerful. If she wasnt extremely careful in using her power in only a specified area, she could end up getting caught up in the blast. But he didnt really care about the reason behind it as long as it was a demerit for her. In an area with lots of cover, Hamazura Shiage had a slight chance of victory. But... Haaamazuraaa. With that one word, Hamazuras body was covered in a sense of danger. He ignored his theory and got down on the ground and at the same time that came. A rain of beams flew by. With the woman known as Mugino Shizuri at the center, lines of bright, unhealthy-looking light shot out in all directions. They werent special electron beams shot out with the force of a lightning strike. Just like light, electrons have the properties of both particles and waves, but Mugino had the power to forcibly control electrons that remained in that ambiguous state. When electrons that were fixed in that ambiguous state struck an object, they couldnt decide whether to react as a particle or as a wave, so they would stop there. Normally, electrons had a mass that was incredibly close to zero, but that stopping created a false wall that caused a dreadful amount of destructive force to be strike the target at the speed with which it hit that wall. That was Meltdowner. The technical classification was Particle Waveform High-Speed Cannon. Unlike the #3 Railgun, she was a Level 5 who manipulated electrons without using waves or particles. Each one of the beams tore through the metal like it was paper, melted the thick walls, and tinted everything orange. The heat must have reached the refined alcohol, because small explosions occurred all over the place. Hamazura had somehow managed to avoid being directly hit, but a metal fragment the size of a guitar pick was stuck in his left shoulder. And it wasnt just that one. There were 4 or 5 of them stuck there. Gwaaah!! Holding his bloody shoulder, Hamazura unintentionally yelled out. Since the areas for cover were in her way, Mugino was just going to destroy them all. Once she had leveled everything to rubble, Hamazura would have to face Mugino in a hopeless situation. The machinery here is like that thing in the goldfish scooping games at festivals. Umm...I forget what its called. Anyway, it wont cut it as cover against my Meltdowner. Number 4 in Academy City. The group of machinery that had been covering the floor just a bit before had been reduced to rubble in just one attack. Every kind of cover had been crushed and even the outer wall had been greatly damaged. Mugino stood in the center of the destruction that could easily bring the entire building down as a smile slowly, slowly spread across her face. Those fucking scientists said that my survival instinct keeps me from putting out any more force than that, but apparently it was originally enough to kill Railgun instantly. Well, I cant complain too much, since they say that the recoil would blow my body to pieces if I actually did it. Fear spread through Hamazura Shiages body. The Level 5 monster quietly approached him. Part 8 An overwhelming amount of destruction had been fired by Mugino Shizuris Meltdowner. Hamazura turned his back to the wreckage and ran frantically trying to get as much distance between himself and her as he could. He ran to a different floor of the botanical ethanol fuel plant and Mugino called out to him. Hamazuraaa. Quit getting in my way and hand over the Body Crystal and Takitsubo. I wont be satisfied until Ive killed everyone in School. While still fleeing, Hamazura rejected Muginos words. No. I wont let Takitsubo use Body Crystal any more. Shes at her limit. So what? If Takitsubo breaks down, we can just replace her with some other esper. Shes the only one that can search for an AIM diffusion field, but another kind of esper would be fine, too. As long as I find out where those School fuckers are, theres no problem. Hamazura made it to the floor where the remnants of the grapes that had all the alcohol squeezed out of them were collected, but Muginos Meltdowner turned it all to rubble in seconds. Hamazura spoke while hiding behind a mountain of metal that was tinged with heat. Sorry, but Im not going to go along with what you want. Ah? You cant defeat that Kakine guy. With the battle in the particle engineering lab and this last one, youve run away from him twice now. After saying that, he almost thought he heard the sound of Mugino gritting her teeth. Even so, he continued. After meeting him myself, I can tell. This isnt an issue of #4 vs. #2. Most likely, youre losing to Kakine Teitoku in a different way. What good will finding out where he is do? It was true that School was made up of horrible people, but they still had enough humanity to let those of lower rank go. Even when Takitsubo used up all her strength before their very eyes, they didnt finish her off. He didnt think that someone like Mugino Shizuri, who bared her fangs towards her own comrades just because she didnt like something, was stronger than Kakine and the rest of School. No matter how overwhelming her power seemed, that impression was not shaken from him. This isnt an issue of winning or losing. If you fought risking your life and won, all you would get would be personal satisfaction. I cant let Takitsubo go along with that. I wont let you end her life for something so pointless! Ha. Ha ha!! Hearing the answer Hamazura Shiage had come to, Mugino laughed scornfully. Hamazura ran from cover to cover putting some distance between them as Mugino slowly pursued him. How did she draw you in, Hamazura? Did you fall for her cute face? Or was it because she spoke kindly to a Level 0 like you? Hamazura did not respond and Muginos smile grew stronger. How stupid. Do you really think everyone who speaks kindly to you is a good person and everyone who speaks harshly to you is a bad person!? You make it sound like you stand at the very center of the world!! ...I know that, said Hamazura. He didnt deny it. If Takitsubo Rikou hadnt spoken kindly to him, he doubted his heart would have led him to do what he did. But she said she didnt want a selfish bastard like me to die. Shes the kind of person who says things like that! Someone like her needs to be happy. It isnt people like you or me that should stand above everyone else. If we dont create a society where the kind idiots stand at the top guiding everyone else, this shitty world will never get any better!! No response came. A white beam so bright it made him think it was a nuclear explosion blew straight through the mountain of metal Hamazura was hiding behind. He was knocked back by the gust of wind created and he sensed a presence standing right behind him. Before he could turn around, he sensed something odd about his right ear. Mugino Shizuri had stuck a screwdriver in his ear. It seems youve got a screw thats just a liiiitle loose in your head. The tip of the screwdriver slowly moved further into his ear. Want me to tighten it for you? He couldnt move. If he moved his head even slightly, the inside of his ear would be damaged and bloody. While holding the screwdriver in place, Mugino put her empty left hand in front of Hamazura palm up. She was telling him to hand over the Body Crystal. Hamazura put his hand in his pocket. The clear case of Body Crystal was there. (God damn it...) Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, Hamazura Shiage prepared himself. He ignored the screwdriver and forcefully spun around. Part 9 Hamazura ignored the screwdriver in his ear and forcefully spun around. Wha-...? Unsurprisingly, Mugino seemed a bit shocked. The screwdriver carved into the inside of his ear. An extremely intense pain exploded in his head and the sound from his right ear became muffled as if he had an earplug in it. On top of that, half of his vision became slightly tinged red for some reason. Ignoring it all, Hamazura pulled the case of Body Crystal from his pocket. It was a small rectangular case much like a mechanical pencil lead case. Gripping it tightly, he used the corner of the case to cut at Muginos nearby face. Muginos right eye was crushed at once much like a pirate captains. Gh...ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!! She held her red, wet face with both hands and tottered backwards. Seeing that, Hamazura gave a silent smile. A Level 0 ear for a Level 5 eye, huh? ...Thats a pretty good deal, dontcha think? With those words, Muginos face was dyed with rage. Hamazuraaaaaaa!! A bright flash swelled up. Mugino Shizuris left arm was blown away from the wrist to the elbow as if it had melted. The bright light it caused was aimed for Hamazura Shiages face. She shot Meltdowner ignoring any kind of detailed aiming. ...!! Hamazura swung his head to the side right before it hit. It was only pure chance that he had managed to avoid that overwhelming attack. Mugino stretched out her bloody right arm, shoved down Hamazura who had already lost his balance, and climbed on top of him. The Body Crystal case slipped from Hamazuras hand and clattered as it slid across the ground, but Mugino wasnt paying any attention to it anymore. She stared at Hamazuras face with her remaining left eye and yelled in a voice filled with rage. That has nothing to do with this!! That has nothing to fucking do with thiiiiiisssss!! An ear!? An eye!? You can tear off my arms and legs and crush my organs, but you cant change the difference between our strengths! Im a Level 5! Im #4! Im Meltdowner! Dont get so pleased with yourself, you motherfucker! I can kill a Level 0 like you 100 times without moving a fingeeeerrrrr!! Foam sprayed from her mouth and Mugino grabbed Hamazura by the neck with her right hand. If she activated her power now, Hamazuras head would certainly be annihilated. Hamazura Shiage smiled as his neck was being held like a drink can. He relaxed as if he had given up on something. ...Yknow, Im not an idiot. I knew it would end up like this. Hamazura said while listening to Muginos erratic breathing. Youre the kind of person that cant stand it when you cant complete a video game without 100% accuracy. If you fuck up even slightly, you fly into a rage and wont accept it even if you complete the game. Ah? When someone like that fucks up even slightly, they find another goal in order to write it off. When you arent able to get 100% accuracy, you instead go for a high score and are satisfied with that. ...There was no reason to get so obsessed with a Level 0 like me. You could have used the Level 5 power youre so proud of to pick me off at a distance. In other words, Hamazura smiled as he spoke, that ridiculous obsession with victory left a decisive opening for me. A metallic noise rang out. It was the sound of the ladies handgun flying out of Hamazura Shiages sleeve as he stretched out his arm. Wha-...? Before Mugino could say anything, Hamazura pulled the trigger. Bang bang bang!! With that dry sound, multiple holes opened up in her upper body. Hamazura continued pulling the trigger until he was out of bullets and even continued moving his index finger for a bit once the clip was empty. ... Mugino looked down at her bloody body in shock. Before long, she wobbled to the side, collapsed, and stopped moving. That was too easy, Level 5, said Hamazura while got up as if he were dragging his battered body. He picked up the case of Body Crystal that had fallen to the floor and put it back in his pocket. If Hamazura Shiage had initially pulled out the handgun, he wouldnt have won. She would have used her power to easily defend against it. That was why it had been necessary for him to wait until the very last second to do so. He hadnt even taken out the gun when she stuck the screwdriver in his ear because he was getting her to lower her guard by making her think he didnt have any proper weapons. Previously, the leader of Skill-Out, Komaba Ritoku, had gotten a step away from taking the life of Academy Citys strongest Level 5 by sealing his power. Hamazura had done the same thing. He stuck his pinky finger into his injured right ear. His ear drum didnt seem to be damaged. He pulled out a clump of blood plugging the ear and his hearing improved a little. ...Damn, that really was a good deal, he said in shock and started to leave. ...mazura. A shock ran down Hamazuras back when he heard that voice ring out from the depths of hell. He slowly turned around and... Hamazuraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! The woman with dark red holes all over her body, her left arm up to her left elbow gone, and her right eye crushed forcefully stood up. An overly unhealthy-looking white light was gathering around her right hand. She was most likely looping the particle waveform high-speed cannon in her hand. One hit by that attack would definitely blow Hamazura away. There were no bullets left in the ladies handgun in his right hand. That was why Hamazura didnt rely on the gun. Oooooooohhhhhhhhh!! Throwing away the gun, he unhesitatingly ran towards Mugino. Their arms crossed. If he had hesitated even slightly, it would have created an opening. If there had been the slightest opening, death would have come through it. But Hamazura Shiage was resolute. He merely forcefully came in, clenched his fist like stone, focused on the face of the enemy he needed to defeat, and attacked with his strongest strike. A tremendous noise rang out. Strength left Mugino Shizuris body and she collapsed to the ground. The ominous white light in her hand disappeared into the air as if it had dissolved. There was no more sense of danger. Hamazura picked up the ladies handgun he had thrown aside and looked down at Mugino as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He called Yomikawas number. He had it because she had given it to him saying something about giving him guidance if he ever needed someone to talk with. Its Hamazura. The Anti-Skill backup isnt needed anymore. He walked through the destroyed floor and towards the exit as he spoke. Thats right. Its all over. Part 10 Hamazura left the botanical ethanol fuel plant in District 3. A few members of Items subordinate organization were waiting outside to destroy the evidence, but no one tried to stop him. To them, he was the person who had just defeated Academy Citys #4 Level 5. They werent about to carelessly stop him. Yo. A figure standing a ways from the building called out to him. Hanzou? A delinquent from District 7 had no ties to the celeb-filled District 3. Hamazura doubted he was there by chance. He must have been monitoring the radio channels. I heard, Hamazura. About what? And how much of it? That you defeated a Level 5 all on your own. Hamazura was surprised at how excellent Hanzous source of information was, but he said something else as if it had just come to mind. It came in handy. It? The ladies handgun. If you hadnt given it to me, I wouldve died. Ha. Youre quite a monster yourself to have defeated a Level 5 with something like that. Hanzou took out two cigarettes and handed one to Hamazura as he spoke. See? It was a good present. With an accomplishment like that, no ones going to reject you now. Although I dont think there were many people that actually hated you in the first place. ... Come on back, Hamazura. There are people waiting for you. Sorry. Hamazura lit his cigarette and smiled slightly. I have something I have to do. Tch. Makes me jealous. Hanzou said that, but he didnt press Hamazura any further. Hamazura had faced a monster like Mugino Shizuri on his own. Hanzou could sense a change to Hamazuras mental state due to it. Well, whatever. Ill be consolidating Skill-Out for now. Sorry, man. But dont forget. Ill be keeping your seat open. Once youre done with what you have to do, come on back. The two spoke, smiled, lightly tapped their fists together and parted ways. Between the lines 4 After holing up in a hotel room for about an hour, the girl in the dress returned to one of Schools hideouts. Kakine Teitoku, the Level 5, was there. Oh, where have you been? Just gathering some spending money. Scientists are as horrible as ever. They make sure to calculate out just the basic rate; they dont give you a tip at all. Hmm. An hour isnt very long. Its not like Im doing anything to be guilty over. We were in a hotel room, but we just talked a bit while flipping through a magazine. ...You dont do anything sexual? No. I dont need to. I suppose its mostly a case by case kind of thing, but my customers arent after that kind of thing. Do you know why rich guys go to stores and give women money? It isnt to satisfy their sexual desire. They want to make relationships with other people outside of work on their own. I really dont understand that world, said Kakine. The girl in the dress spoke half in disbelief. You know about workaholics, right? Those people love to work so much that they cant help themselves and they end up destroying their family. For people like that, a relationship they can make using money feels like a form of salvation. Money is the result of work. By buying friends and love with money, theyre satisfied because they think they have made relationships with their own abilities and that they arent completely incompatible with society. I take money and give them some relief about that complex of theirs. I see, replied Kakine in a voice completely void of interest. Hearing that, the girl in the dress lost her urge to explain. Oh, thats right. Apparently, Item who was pursuing us has been taken out. There was some infighting which led to #4 Mugino Shizuri going down. Now the organization is finished. What? Infighting? So Mugino did manage to get away from my attack... But who took Mugino out? Frenda took our deal and fled, I defeated Kinuhata Saiai, and Takitsubo Rikou doesnt have any direct battle ability... Kakine trailed off. It couldnt be... Yes. If it couldnt have been any of the main members, it had to have been someone from the subordinate organization. The Level 0 who had come back to the elevator hall to protect Takitsubo Rikou came to both their minds. Kakine whistled in praise of Hamazura Shiage. The girl in the dress stared at Kakine. Hows the analysis with the Tweezers going? Kakine Teitoku had a metal glove on his right hand that had clear claws on the index finger and the middle finger. The naked eye couldnt tell this, but inside the claws were masses of silicon that had been collected from the air. Of course, these so-called masses were only 70 nanometers across and an electron microscope was needed to confirm they were there. There was something that had always bothered me, muttered Kakine as he clacked the claws together. That bastard Aleister always knew a little too much about our actions. It was too much for it to just be surveillance from the security cameras, the security robots, and the satellite. It was always a mystery how he gathered his information. ... The answer is nothing special. He spread about ten million invisible machines throughout the city to do it. Its not surprising he knows every little thing with this. He was talking about Underline. They had a spherical body with three wire-shaped cilia on the left and three on the right. Instead of walking on the ground, they floated through the air. Those miniscule machines used the convection of the air to generate their own power, gathered data indefinitely, used a quantum signal they produced transmitted over a direct electron beam to pass information between them, and created a type of network. Underline was the sole direct line of information into the windowless building so those tiny bodies had to hold information from the darkest depths of the city that would shake the world if it got out. Even knowing of Underlines existence, finding microscopic machines isnt easy, and, even if you do capture some, theres no way to get the information out. You have to open up a nano-sized device and attach a cord to it. Not to mention that apparently carelessly observing the quantum signal inside it will cause the information to change. That was why the Tweezers were necessary. No matter how small the nanodevices were, an item developed to grab elementary particles would have no problem. With it, getting the information out of Underline was quite possible. The girl in the dress spoke while looking at Kakine. What about the result of the analysis? It was exactly as expected, responded Kakine. No good. Its true that there is a lot of data in Underline, but I dont think this is enough to compete with Aleister with equal footing. We have to give another push to add to this data. So youre really going to do it? ...Yes. I will kill Academy Citys #1. Its the only way. Being the Spare Plan just isnt enough if I want the negotiations with Aleister to go well. I have to become the central and irreplaceable Main Plan. I see, responded the girl in the dress with no real emotion. Do whatever you want, but Im not taking any part with a battle against Accelerator. Ah? My Measure Heart regulates the distance between peoples hearts. So if I take the distance of the person Accelerator is closest to, I may be able to make him hesitate in attacking. And? But not everyone reacts to feeling like the person closest to them is enemy by stopping their attack. Some people go into a frenzy and come in with an even harsher attack because they feel that person has betrayed them. ...Can we trust Accelerator to not do that? Sorry, but I get the feeling he would attack me no matter where I set the distance to. Hes too muddy to read. Hmm, responded Kakine uninterestedly. There was no disappointment in his voice. He must not have expected the girl in the dress to be much help in the battle anyway. The girl in the dress looked at the claws on Kakines right hand. If you have the result, tell me. I want to know when we can directly negotiate with Aleister. Sure thing, said Kakine and the girl in the dress left Schools hideout. Kakine Teitoku stared down at the Tweezers and calmly smiled. ...Accelerator, huh? Volume 15, 5: Defeat the Person with the Strongest Black Wings. Dark_Matter. Volume 15, Chapter 5: Defeat the Person with the Strongest Black Wings. Dark_Matter. Part 1 Because of Blocks collapse, things had settled down for now. Tsuchimikado was taking care of wrapping things up, Musujime was off taking care of her wounds, and as for Unabara, though it was not known where he had gone or what he was doing, his situation could be called safe at least. Accelerator, who had nothing to do (and no motivation, for that matter), took a railcar back to District 7 and bought a can of coffee from a random corner store. At this time, his phone rang. On the screen, it showed "Entry 3", Tsuchimikados number- but after answering it, he found that it was someone else calling. Thanks for your effort, Accelerator. Blocks plan to assassinate the General Superintendent is finally over. This is all thanks to you people from Group. So its you. Hearing this voice, Accelerator answered impatiently. Im fortunate to have such capable subordinates. ...So you really want to die, huh. No, no- this time, Im thanking you from the bottom of my heart. Due to that, in addition to the usual rewards you receive from your job, Ill give you some useful information as a personal gift. Useful information? Thats right. A bit of information related to Serial Number 20001: Last Orders life. Part 2 Uiharu Kazari and Last Order were sitting inside an open-air caf. Last Order, who had come out looking for a lost child, had walked so much that her legs were sore and was currently half-lying on a table. Uiharu had sat down next to her and challenged the shops specialty: the large sweet parfait. So, have you found the person youre looking for? Did your ahoge finally stop with that *biribiri* reaction? ''...This thing that Misaka has isnt an ahoge!'' says Misaka as Misaka has a tired voice. But this child who was around ten years old had a cluster of hair that stood up, and it was waving in the autumn wind. That was, without question, the ultimate ahoge! ''Uu... Im sure I felt him around here somewhere, but he suddenly went off somewhere,'' says Misaka as Misaka is feeling down due to doing all that work for nothing. Last Order, who was like a deflated balloon, suddenly raised her head. Did she find that person? Uiharu thought, but that wasnt the case. A few girls walked past, and Last Order stared at a free gift key chain that was from a nearby fast food chain outlet. ''Mi-Misaka really wants that!'' says Misaka as Misaka has no wallet on her and thus can only look at Uiharu nee-san with her puppy dog eyes! Ah, geez. Didnt you go out to look for someone? ''Yeah, and hes in that fast food shop,'' says Misaka as Misaka can feel Its not alright to lie, you know! Besides, I just finished ordering that large sweet parfait, and Ive only just started; I cant leave now. ''How can you be this relaxed!?'' says Misaka as Misaka bangs on the table repeatedly and mutters. Ah, dont you have the leftover change from the taxi? ''Ah! Youre right!'' says Misaka as Misaka takes out the paper note and charges towards the fast food shop! Before her voice finished echoing, Last Order had already left the caf. Uiharu could only wave a handkerchief and say loudly, Remember to come back! As Uiharu was about to start her attack on the ice cream section, a voice spoke from beside her. Sorry to bother you, ojou-san. Uiharu hurriedly put down her spoon and turned towards the voice. Standing there was a teenager who gave off a vulgar sense of style. On his right hand was some kind of mechanical claw. On this teenagers face was a warm smile that didnt suit his appearance. Um... may I ask who you are? Kakine Teitoku. Im looking for someone. While he was talking, this teenager who called himself Kakine brought out a photo. Do you know where this child is now? Her name is Last Order. ... Uiharu stared at the photo for a few seconds. She then looked back and forth between Kakine and the photo before finally shaking her head. Sorry, I havent seen her. Is that so? If you''re in a hurry, I suggest you should go to the nearest Anti-Skill booth and ask there. You have a point. But before that, maybe Ill keep looking by myself for a while. Kakine said as he turned to leave. Uiharu lowered her head, and was about to start her attack on her ice cream once more. Ah, right. I have something I forgot to mention. ? Without waiting for Uiharu to raise her head, the next sentence came with a blow to her head. I knew you were with Last Order! You idiot! *Bang*, the impact spread from her temple. Before she realized she had been hit, Uiharu was already falling from her seat. She reflexively kicked the table over and upended her chair. The barely eaten large sweet parfait scattered across the road like a crushed fruit. Around them, people passing by screamed. Uiharu, who still didnt know what has happened, first thought of standing back up. But Kakines foot stepped viciously on her right shoulder and pinned her back down. Thats why I didnt ask Do you know her, but instead Where did she go! Kakine put all of his weight onto his foot. *Crack*, as she felt the heavy weight, the pain of bones rubbing against each other spread through her body. Then, her shoulder became dislocated. Uiharu unconsciously tried to roll over in her pain, but Kakines leg was like an unmoving steel beam. At this point, Uiharu was screaming rather than merely whimpering, but it didn''t move Kakine at all. You discovered me and told Last Order to escape; I understand that you arent all that capable. Even though Im a scumbag, I prefer not to involve normal people. If you had cooperated with me in the first place, I wouldnt have had to use violence. It was a holiday afternoon, and there were a lot of people around in the open-air caf- but they only looked on from afar and didn''t try to help. But they couldn''t really be blamed for that. Uiharu was wearing a Judgment armband. Although Judgment members only dealt with incidents on school grounds, some students believed that they were people who protected the peace like the police or the army. Even if the organization did have its elites, there were also weaklings. It was a shame, though, because the people who didn''t understand these limitations thought that if someone in Judgment could be easily defeated, they wouldnt stand a chance either. There was no help for Uiharu here. Kakine put more strength into his leg, forcing his shoe deeper into Uiharus shoulder. ...But! I have no mercy for my enemies. If you didnt know anything and were only around Last Order by chance, then I wouldnt have to do this. However, the instant you decided to protect her by your own will, it became another matter entirely. So please, ojou-san: dont force me to kill you right here. *Gacha kara kara*, the dislocated bones were forcibly moved, and pain flooded her body. By the time she finally reacted to her pain and tried to withstand it, Uiharus eyes were already filled with tears. The complaints of why she had to go through this, the fear of facing overwhelming and unstoppable violence, and the regret for not being able to resolve this situation: these negative feelings mixed together and weighed down Uiharus mind from within. There was only one possible way for her to be released from this. Where is Last Order? In her hazy mind that was filled with pain, there was only Kakines voice. Tell me, and Ill let you go. In the maze that had no exit, someone had finally pointed the way out. For Uiharu who was engulfed by the darkness known as violence, she desired the finish line so much. Her sense of responsibility as a member of Judgment and her personality as "Uiharu Kazari" were being shattered by that one thought of "being released from this pain". Her lips finally moved. With tears running down her cheeks, she slowly opened her mouth. She knew she should stay silent, but she could not even accomplish that. And so, while hating her own uselessness, she declared her final intention. ...? What? Kakine furrowed his eyebrows. He didnt seem to understand the other sides intention. With trembling lips, Uiharu said once more, Can you... not... hear me? Using what energy she had left. I said... that child is at a place you will never see. Im not... lying. She said this while poking her tongue out, as if she was using all her energy to toy with her foe. Kakine Teitoku went silent. ...Very well. As he said that, he lifted his leg off Uiharus shoulder. But his foot did not go back onto the ground. Instead, it was aimed at Uiharu Kazaris head. I told you before: though I dont attack normal people, I have no mercy towards my enemies. If you understand that and still refuse to cooperate, then theres nothing I can do. Kakine Teitoku put all his strength into his foot that was hanging above her. The foot was as if it was about to crush an empty can. Farewell. *Boom*, a large gust of wind made Uiharu unconsciously closed her tear-filled eyes; this was all she could do now. But Kakines foot did not crush Uiharus head. Another explosion rang out across Academy City. A gale swept through them like a blast wave. Uiharu opened her eyes and saw an ATM and shards of its glass and walls. A twister made of these shards smashed against Kakine Teitoku at an incredible speed. Taking this blow head-on, Kakine stumbled, and the foot that was going to crush Uiharu ended up stomping the floor a few millimeters away from her head. From inside the completely destroyed ATM, pure-white paper notes flew in all directions like an angels wings. In the middle of all that, Uiharu heard a voice. ...Seriously. Is that all it takes to satisfy you, scumbag? Passionate, white, insane. That was the voice of the demon-like strongest Level 5 in Academy City! Let''s raise the stakes some more. While were at it, Ill teach you what it means to be a villain. Part 3 That hurt. Kakine Teitoku directed his gaze from Uiharu Kazari to Accelerator. That was irritating. No wonder youre the #1, youre the most irritating person Ive ever met. I was right to come and kill you first. You sure talk big for a lil chicken thats afraid of fighting me head on and has to take a hostage. The difference in our strength was obvious from the instant you went after the brat. Are you stupid? Shes just a little insurance. Who would fight a bastard like you fairly? Thats too troublesome, and youre not worth that. These were Academy Citys #1 and #2. Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku. Neither one of them was holding any information back. Naturally, someone would take care of cleaning up the aftermath later. For a pig like you, you should go be a stuffed pig on a food platter where you belong. Its laughable, you lapdog. Do you really think that by protecting some weaklings you can become a good guy? Ha, so you still dont understand. Accelerator threw his modern cane to one side and said slowly, Fine, now is a good time to teach you something: even villains have standards! Boom! A loud explosion rang out. Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku clashed head on! A shock wave exploded outwards, flattening everything, knocking down bystanders, and breaking glass windows. Even in the midst of this mess, however, each''s eyes were only on their opponent. The result for this round was clear. Kakine Teitoku, who had taken the attack head-on, was blown backwards and smashed into a caf with a loud crash. But Accelerator merely felt displeasure, since the other side seemed to have avoided a head on confrontation. So youre the esper that can control any vectors. Came a voice out of the caf that looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Then, what if you were to smash into a large mass that cant be moved regardless of all the vectors you can gather? Guess that wouldnt work. As long as my vectors aren''t being controlled, its meaningless. Completely unhurt. Kakine Teitoku walked out of the shop with some kind of cocoon around him. No, they were wings! Six wings like that of an angels slowly spread behind him. Accelerator furrowed his brow. Mimicking myths doesnt suit you, you unoriginal idiot. You dont have to worry about that, I already know. Before their voices finished echoing, they clashed once more. Against Accelerator who controlled the vectors beneath his feet and charged, Kakine Teitoku spread his wings and flew almost twenty meters to the center of the road. Accelerator swept his arm in front of him and slashed through the air, totally taking control of the airflow vectors. Boom! A hurricane with wind speeds of a 120 meters per second blasted towards Kakine like a cannon shot. ?! Waving his dexterous wings, Kakine tried to avoid the attack, but a *click* sound reached his ears. Looking down, he found that Accelerator had already closed the distance between them. Before Kakine could even figure that out, Accelerator thrust his right hand towards Kakines chest. Did you know, that everything in this world is made of elementary particles? While saying that, Kakine retracted his wings to protect himself. When Accelerator made contact with the wings, they immediately disintegrated into countless white feathers and stopped the attack. Elementary particles are things even tinier than molecules and atoms. We know that there exist gauge bosons, leptons, and quarks. There are also hadrons which are made when antiparticles or quarks gather, but, well, they''re all divided into a few general categories. These elementary particles make up the world. However, said Kakine in a soft voice, That kind of common knowledge does not apply to my Dark Matter! Boom! Accompanying gale winds, the six wings behind Kakine instantly recovered their forms. The Dark Matter I create is matter that does not exist in this world. Its not matter that hasn''t yet been discovered, nor matter that theoretically exists, but rather matter which undeniably does not exist. A material made by an esper ability that could not be classified by science. Faced by these white wings that seemed to have come from a different world and defy the laws of physics, Accelerators will was not shaken. Who cares what they are? They will all be shattered by the ability to manipulate vectors. OK, then Ill blast you apart along with your Dark Matter. With one more step forward, Accelerator could tear apart Kakine Teitokus heart. However... You still dont understand. As Kakine finished his sentence, his white wings let out a swoosh and projected a brilliant white light. ?! A burning pain forced Accelerator to back away from Kakine involuntarily. At the same time, he noticed the change in the situation. Accelerator who could reflect all vectors was actually hurt by an outside attack. That was diffraction. Light or electromagnetic waves change direction when passing through narrow gaps; this is common knowledge even in high school textbooks. Using multiple gaps at the same time will make the waves interfere with each other. Simply put it was by diffracting light through the countless unseen gaps on the wings to change the nature of sunlight and use it to attack Accelerator. It was not that the white wings gave off light, but that the light itself was changed by diffracting through them. Ah, the value of things depends on how you use them. So, how does it feel to be burned to death by sunlight? However... ... Go back and study up on physics, you idiot. No matter how you diffract sunlight it doesnt change the nature of it into something like a beam of light that kills. Hm, that is indeed the case with the normal physics of this world. Kakines six wings curled up and gathered strength. But! My Dark Matter is matter that does not exist in this world! It completely disobeys the laws of physics of this world. Sunlight that gets diffracted by the Dark Matter will also have its own set of laws! Foreign bodies are like this: by just mixing in a little bit, the world will completely change! Fwoom! The six wings blew up a gale wind towards Accelerator. Accelerator used his reflection to subdue the wind while trying to figure out his opponents aim. Looking closely, he found Kakine smiling. Reverse calculations, complete. !? When Accelerator heard that he tried to dodge, but the six wings had already begun to strike. However, unlike before the six wings were used solely as blunt weapons for hitting. A series of *gacha gacha* sounds exploded out from Accelerators body. Accelerator, who could reflect all vectors, was blown over 10m away, hitting one of the trees on the sidewalk. The thick trunk of the tree got snapped by that one blow. Oof...!? (So the sunlight and wind from before was all for...!!) Accelerator, you said before you can reflect everything, but thats actually incorrect. Kakines wings spread soundlessly. Accelerator flew up to a rooftop, but the over twenty-meter long wings aimed at him like giant swords to strike him down. If you reflect sound then you cant hear anything, and if you reflect physical objects you cannot hold anything. You subconsciously establish a filter that sees everything as harmful or not, and use your reflect to push away anything that could harm you. Accelerator spit out the blood in his mouth, blew apart the water cylinder on top of the building with one stomp and jumped aside using the rebound. The white wings that struck down crashed into the building, and split the building vertically in two. Large dust clouds swelled outwards from there. The sunlight and wind affected by the Dark Matter are infused with 25,000 different kinds of energy. Then by observing your reflection and using a filtering system that judges which energies are deemed harmful or not, I can use the energies that are subconsciously accepted as not harmful to attack you. Even if Accelerator changed the rules which his reflect was based on, Kakine Teitoku would immediately use his Dark Matter to inspect the change. The repeated attack and defense this way would only make Accelerators wounds get worse and worse. Such is Dark Matter. Kakine Teitoku smiled and spread his wings. This space which has been affected by foreign bodies is no longer the world that you know! Faced with this taunting, Accelerator controlled the air flow and made four tornadoes behind him. Clash! Accelerators tornadoes swept away Kakines wings, and Kakines wings blew apart Accelerators tornadoes. The buildings which were made of steel beams and cement were trembling from the blast waves and shook continuously. Suddenly, the two were no longer where they had been. The two of them continuously attacked each other, moving in parallel down the main road at an extreme speed. Occasionally they flew towards a windmill electricity generator, and other times they kicked streetlights away, flying down the road at a frightening speed. Even though Ive finally snatched the Tweezers, studied the Underline, and planned many other things, none of them worked. Guess killing you, the #1, is the fastest and most efficient method. Kakine said while waving his wings that spanned several tens of meters long. What? You maggot, youre still on about rankings at a time like this? This has nothing to do with rankings! I only want the right to directly speak with Aleister! Accelerator ignored Kakines words and stomped on the gravel road, and then kicked the rocks that were sent flying up using a karate kick. Boom! A loud explosion rang out. The vectors of the pebbles were changed and fired off faster than a Railgun, but vanished after a few millimeters. However, the pressure waves did not vanish, and the attack felt as if it would tear the very air apart. But, Kakine also put strength into his wings and scattered the attack. The waves of attacks between the two clashes against one another, sent a tsunami of air throughout their surroundings and blew streetlights and advertisement signs into the air. That bastard Aleister has many plans in place at the same time. Even if it''s the most promising plan for him, once he finds it doesnt work hell immediately switch to another plan. Then when the time is right, hell go back to the original plan. Just like a spider web, no matter which path you choose sooner or later you will end up back on the same path. Accelerator and Kakine who were flying parallel down the road suddenly changed paths and chose the shortest route to smash into each other. A four-lane crossroad was blocked completely due to the clash between those two. Nobody complained, and nobody dared to complain. Everyone here had the instinct that if they dared to speak up they would die. The silhouettes of the two swept past each other. A few seconds later, the air exploded and a shock-wave rang out. If thats the case then there is only one efficient path to take. Destroy all other plans that are prepared, so that Aleister has no other path to take. Then, as long as Im not the spare plan, as long as I am the center of the plan, then Aleister can no longer ignore me! I dont want to destroy this city, it is still useful. Thats why Ill start from devouring the core, and in the end take control of it! Accelerators and Kakines blood flew around the air. So, only by killing off me, the true center, you can take over the plans. The two of them stood facing each other, slowly gauging their opponent. If Kakine could say such rhetoric then he must be confident of the truth in the fact that Aleister had many plans. And for Kakine to have done what he did, naturally he had his own reasons. As for what they were, Accelerator didnt try to figure them out. In the darkness of Academy City, there was more tragedy than stars in the night sky. Chances were one of them was what had twisted Kakines personality. Just like how Accelerator had killed 10,000 Sisters for the experiment. Just like how Accelerator was willing to give up his life to save one person. Bullshit. Accelerator continued, while on that train of thought. Maybe you think what youre saying is nothing less than the absolute moral truth, but everything thats coming out of your stinking mouth is complete bullshit. Ha. Even though you have the right to directly communicate with Aleister, you have no idea the value of that right! People like you have no right to say that about me. At the moment you spoke those words, you became one of those common filth that pass themselves off as great villains. That doesnt sound convincing. Kakine Teitoku said uninterestedly. I dont want to lay hands on normal people either. If Im in a good mood Ill even let bad guys off. Having said that, I dont really care if those people live or die. Arent you the same? In our battle just then, how many spectators and bystanders have got hurt? Cement and asphalt were traveling over the speed of sound, and shock-waves wiped out everything. Thats the kind of battle between us. ... ... Including the brat that shielded Last Order, they are all the same. You dont have to right to lecture me, murderer. In order to battle with me, the you that kills off bystanders has no right to lecture me. Dont tell me you truly believe you are exempt from your own ideals. Ha, battling with you and killing off bystanders in the process, is it? Even when accused of this, Accelerator smiled leisurely. What a scumbag. Its because you have no aesthetics that you can say bullshit like that. Huh? In the end, do you understand why youre #2 and Im #1? As he laughed he spreads his arms out wide. Between me and you, there is an impassable wall. Kakine was fuming at his comments, but he also noticed it. Their surroundings. True, the battle between Accelerator and Dark Matter had destroyed the road. The glass from the buildings had shattered, traffic lights had been blasted off, and trees had been blown away and were sticking out of the cement buildings. But, something was missing. Tragedies. Glass shards had rained down from above, but there was no-one hurt. A sweeping gale had twisted the path of those shards into falling elsewhere. The advertisement signs had miraculously protected those that were to slow to run away. The others were the same, with not a single person hurt. Though it was uncertain, in their fighting to this point, probably not a single bystander had been hurt. (I-impossible!) Kakine felt his throat go dry. Are you saying... that you protected them all? Thinking back, the first sneak attack could have been much more powerful. But if that was the case, Last Orders companion at that time would also have been hurt. This was his way of doing things. Even in a death match between the #1 and #2 Level 5s, even on a battlefield where a slight mistake could get you killed, Accelerator protected the normal people who he had never met before. Dont joke around! Are you saying everything was under your control from the beginning?! Accelerator showed impatience, as if saying of course, and taunted Kakine for his incompetence that he could not do the same. Are you angry, you lowlife? Towards Kakine who was shocked, Accelerator impatiently said, Now this is what should be called a villain. If after doing this much, if one was still called a villain, then just what did a hero in Accelerators mind have to do?! Stop spouting nonsense, Accelerator!! Kakine Teitoku roared out and increased the power in his six wings. Changing the lengths, the structure, the white wings spread out and transformed into six lethal weapons that aimed at six of Accelerators vital points. Facing these, Accelerator only smiled. Bring it on. These are more than enough to bring you down, since Ive already figured your filtering system. That sham of a defense cannot stop this! Indeed, you can control matter that doesnt exist in this world. Accelerator only wagged his index finger and made a feel free to do your worst expression. The laws written in school textbooks dont work on them, and light and electromagnetic waves that come in contact with the Dark Matter get twisted into energy that cant possibly exist. So using energy calculation algorithms based on rules of this world will definitely have flaws. The killing intent between the two had risen dramatically. This crossroad was now fully saturated with the breath of death. Then all I have to do is include them in my calculations. To change the laws of this world into a new world that includes your Dark Matter and create a new algorithm, then its checkmate. Using your vector transformation... to control my Dark Matter...? Dont you think I can do it? Ha, do you think you can gauge the entirety of the depths of my ability just by doing that? Your depth is actually quite shallow. ...!? Shallow to the point I dont even need to try and gauge it! A sound of explosions ripped through the sky. It only took an instant for the two to clash. The victor in the match between the #1 and #2 had been decided. Part 4 Accelerator looked at the ground, and saw a walking stick nearby. Probably something that flew near him from the spectators that were affected by their fight. Now, accompanying the uproar they had caused, several hundred people had crowded around. But Accelerator showed no intention of hiding. Other small fries would take care of covering up the incident, there was no point in worrying about this himself. ... Looking back, In the center of the crossroad that was in upheaval, Kakine Teitoku was lying there on the ground. The white wings that had their control of the vectors taken from them, had stabbed through Kakine. A puddle of blood was slowly spreading, as if an unknown magic circle was slowly taking shape. However, Dark Matter was still alive. And Accelerator was a villain, not one of the good guys. At this time, one of those puke-inducing good guys would probably leave it at this, and turn to walk away. Or maybe they would even be merciful, staying to take care of the wounds the bad guy had suffered, and point him a new direction in life to make everything better. But now, Accelerator only wordlessly pulled out a gun from its holster on his side. From the instant Kakine Teitoku decided to involve civilians and Last Order in his fight against Accelerator, he never had the thought of forgiving him. (This is probably the difference between a good guy and a bad guy), Accelerator thought to himself. Farewell, scumbag. Accelerator cocked the gun with his thumb, and said in a quiet voice to the still unconscious Kakine. Well, this is probably better than being taken down by one of those heroes. His index finger was on the trigger. It was all over. Not relying on the kindness of others, nor miracles from the heavens; this was the future on the path of evil that was carved by Accelerators own actions. Accelerator carried out his actions in his own style, and pointed the gun at the enemys head, and slowly put strength into his right hand. There was only one step left to the end of everything, and the peace that was built on death. Stop, Accelerator! A loud voice sounded out from outside his view. From the crowd gathered a familiar face jumped out. Wearing a green jersey that was ridiculously unfashionable, and without any make-up on her face. She was a school teacher and also one of the Anti-Skill peace-keepers. Yomikawa Aiho. She ran straight towards him. I dont know where you went, or what this current situation means. But, all I have to say is this: Give me the gun. Thats not something you need! Yomikawa didnt have a gun on her. She didnt even have special batons, tasers, or anything for self-protection. Everyone watching might have thought she was an idiot. Facing a rampaging esper that had done this much damage, going in unarmed was almost like suicide. Yomikawa probably knew just how dangerous the situation was for her. Or putting it another way, as a member of Anti-Skill standing on the frontlines, she understood far better than bystanders just how dangerous her actions were. Im a villain. Then Ill stop you. Are you serious? Apart from that I have no other choice. Not defeating him, just stopping him. That was her way of doing things. Just like how Accelerator chose the life of a villain, Yomikawa would never agree with methods that pointed a weapon at the children that they needed to protect. Accelerator stared into Yomikawas eyes. Those eyes shone out with determination. In Accelerators view this was a way of life that was beyond foolish, but to her this was something that was worth giving up her life for. It doesnt matter whether you are a villain or hero, Accelerator, nor what kind of world you are involved in. For me, whats most important is bringing you back. No matter how dark or cold your world is, Ill never give you up, and drag you back! In this instant, the two of them shared the same position. This had nothing to do with being the strongest Level 5 in Academy City or an adult with no power of her own; Yomikawa Aiho was blocking Accelerators way. Thats why I have to stop you. For the children I must protect, and for the dearly-loved peace. Where you and Last Order can both happily live together. For such a future, the gun in your hand is unnecessary. ... Accelerator wordlessly finished listening to her words. He came to a conclusion. The gun that was pointed at Kakine turned and pointed towards Yomikawa. (So,) Yomikawa was an enemy. Even if she was one of the good guys, even if her reason was for Accelerators own good, her actions were impeding the way of Accelerators path of evil. So she must be eliminated; but she didnt have to be killed. If he wanted to go easy on her his gun skills were more than enough to do so. (Here and now.) Accelerator also had people he wanted to protect. People like Last Order, the Sisters, Yoshikawa Kikyou, and Yomikawa Aiho. So, he must be cruel to the very end. Even if he had to fight against the whole world, and even against those he must protect, he had to save those people from the darkness. (Fire.) You cant do it. By the time he realized, Yomikawa had walked up to him, and covered both the gun and Accelerators hand softly with her own hands. You haven''t rotted that much. Victory was decided just like that. The fingers that were holding onto the gun were slowly plied open one by one by Yomikawa. Then she took out the clip, pulled the slide back, and ejected the bullet already in the chamber. Faced with this kind of end, Accelerator could only stare blankly. At this time... Splat. An attack made of Dark Matter came suddenly, and cut off Accelerators thought. The target wasnt him. Yomikawa opened her eyes wide in shock. She slowly looked down. The white wing made of unknown materials had stabbed through the side of her stomach like a knife. Her green jersey had been dyed red. And with each passing moment the redness was spreading into a frighteningly large patch. Yomikawa wanted to say something, but after stumbling a few steps she collapsed. Accelerator could only look on. Behind the collapsed Yomikawa stood a human figure. It was the unconscious Kakine Teitoku. And behind him were the six wings. There was no need to explain what had just happened. Swish. The sharp wings that stabbed through Yomikawas side were lightly pulled out. ...She actually said no matter how dark or cold the world you are in, shell definitely bring you back? Kakine said with a face stained by blood. The reason he attacked Yomikawa wasnt because she was in his way. From the beginning, Kakines eyes only had Accelerator. That slight hesitation, the slight hesitation in front of Yomikawa that he would step off the path of evil, was the reason he attacked Yomikawa. To him, that hesitation, was the obstacle. If Accelerator had given up evil, then just what had he himself lost to? Because of that, Kakine Teitoku raged. Thats impossible! How could it be that easy?! This is our world. This is the end of darkness and despair!! You babble on with fancy words, but at the end of the end, you rely on something like this. This is what you called aesthetics?! A shattering speech. Lead by rage and ill will, the words that were illogical smashed against Accelerators body like blast waves. In the end you are the same as me, unable to protect anybody. After this many more will die, killed by a mongrel like me. Isnt that right, Accelerator!! Didnt you also slaughter your way to where you are now!! Kakine shakily stood upright with his body stained by blood and grime. But this wasnt for fighting against Accelerator. For him who had a good understanding of ill will, Kakines ill will was directed elsewhere. And that was towards Yomikawa lying on the ground. S-stop. I cant hear you. Cracking sounds were made, but no-one was sure what was happening. Kakine wasnt touching Yomikawa, but Yomikawas body was being stepped on by something unseen. Her body was trembling and the red-black patch, upon the pressure, had started to spread once more. Stop!! I cant fucking hear you!! Accelerators voice was being drowned out by Kakines roar. Dont count on me to stop, you idiot!! What do you expect talking to solve, you villain? You have got to be jokingthats not how we do things! Kakine used his ability and increased the pressure on Yomikawa. This time it was not just her side, even Yomikawas mouth started to have sticky crimson liquid leaking out. If you want to stop someone, then kill him. If you dont like something, then destroy it. Thats the evil! Being saved is unnecessary!! Being smiled upon and forgiven is unnecessary!! A piece of shit bastard like you doesnt deserve to be forgiven! Come on! Let me see the evil that you, who have only spouted fancy words, have!! you fool. Though youve said before you wont involve normal people this is the result. Even though youve given up on the light, even though youve decided to stand at the pinnacle of the darkness, in the end you got tempted by soft words into reaching for the thread of light that reached for you. His own sight only slightly left the world of darkness, his own hands only slightly touched the world of light. The priority of eliminating Kakine Teitoku was pushed aside and this tragedy was the result. So... Accelerator this time changed completely into evil. He swore no matter what he would lose, he would completely shatter Kakine Teitoku!! A searing headache. It felt like something sharp had stabbed into his brain, and devoured everything in Accelerator. His ears could hear something like fruit being smashed into pulp. His eyes had started to flow with a liquid that was not tears. A liquid that smelled of rust, was redder than tears, thicker than tears, and felt uncomfortable. Even this liquid that came out of his eyes only left a taste of disgust. And what came afterward was... Rampage. Oh. That pillar that had supported him had completely shattered. His whole body had been infected by a murky emotion. Accelerator, who clenched his teeth and had crimson eyes, let out a roar that echoed to the ends of the earth! Aaaaaaaargh!! From behind him spread murky black wings, as if they shot out from his back. This pair of wings that contained something which could blow away the mind, and anger that shattered his own sense of self, spread instantly over tens of meters, and shaved off parts of the buildings and roads around him. Ha. This pair of black wings, Kakine had seen it before, and knew what it was. The elementary particles that didnt exist in this world, Dark Matter. ... So strong. Such powerful evil. So you can do it if you put your mind to it, villain. If thats the case then indeed Dark Matter is only suitable for being the spare plan. However, this doesnt mean its all decided!! Kakines six wings, as if responding to his roar, spread explosively. The wings that spanned several tens of meters emitted a mysterious glow, and at the same time had an inorganic feel like a machine. Almost like a giant weapon gods and angels normally use. Flap. The air around the six wings let out a howl. Accelerator and Dark Matter controlled the organic and inorganic powers respectively. Different from this world, this was ''organic'' and ''inorganic'' in terms of a different world. The One Who Wields the Power of God and The One Who Has Touched the Territory of God. Now the odds of victory were even, only that unlike Accelerator, Kakine hadn''t lost himself. An unprecedented power was expanding within him. And, he had perfectly mastered this power. Now the position of the #1 and #2 of Academy City was about to be reversed. This was neither a bluff nor an exaggeration. He now believed even if he fought against all the armies in the world, and even every esper in Academy City, he could emerge victorious and unharmed. Hahaha!! Uwahahahaha!! Kakine laughed and waved his completely awakened six wings down at Accelerator. He no longer saw Accelerator as a threat, but only a thing to test his new powers on. Splat. Kakine Teitokus body was pressed into the asphalt by a great power. Wha...?! He completely didnt understand what just happened. Accelerators wings didnt move at all. He only stared at Kakine and slightly moved his hands. With just that, he defeated Kakine who had absolute power and ground him deep into the ground. His right hand that had the Tweezers on it was torn off from the elbow downwards. (Ah! ...Uwah! Wh-Wha?! Just what is) Accelerator must have changed vectors and energies of some sort, and redirected those towards Kakine as an attack. Even though he understood, even if Accelerator had gathered all the energies in this world, this phenomenon shouldnt have happened. The Kakine Teitoku now couldnt lose to this world. Unreasonable. Inexplicable. With an overwhelming presence Accelerator walked step by step towards Kakine Teitoku. His steps were like the countdown until the end of Kakines life, when it reached zero it would be all over. And, Accelerator had reached that last step. Ha, ha. yjrpEVILqw Bastard...! Damn it, so this is how it is!! Your mission is...?! No reply, just a fist filled with killing intent. An overwhelming slaughter had begun. Part 5 The sound of flesh being pounded resounded across Academy City. With every time that sound rang out, the cracks got larger. Just like an aftershock, the earth trembled and buildings frighteningly shook. None of the bystanders made a sound. Now, courage was needed to move ones sight away from this. Almost everyone was just blankly witnessing this scene. Urgh... At this time, Yomikawa Aiho woke up. In her hazy consciousness she heard a roar. A roar that was more frightening than a beasts, more terrifying than a demons. But she felt it was only the crying sounds of a helpless child. He must be stopped. Yomikawa thought naturally. Yomikawa! But, before she could act on her thought, her wrist had been grabbed by someone and was been taken speedily away from the scene. Such efficient skills could only mean it was someone from Anti-Skill that had taken her away. Though unlike Yomikawa who was in her jersey, this person had the full set of combat equipment such as guns and protective gear. ...Let me go, Saigou. Im not No way, Yomikawa! Yomikawa wanted to struggle, but she didnt have the strength. Now, from above came the *pada pada pada* sounds that stirred the air. She looked up, and black helicopters were flying in the sky above her. They were the state-of-the-art Six Wings. The recently restored satellite system detected anomalies. A distortion that not even the Theory of Relativity can explain has spread for the surrounding 100m. The analysis unit thinks its the result of the AIM diffusion field being interfered with in a special way. And you people attacked the cause of this distortion without regard of your own lives? Stop kidding around! In her shouting Yomikawa ended up retching blood out from her mouth once more. This time she finally succeeded in breaking out of Saigous grasp. But when she turned to look at her surroundings she discovered there were large numbers of fully-armed Anti-Skill members, powered suits, and armored vehicles setting up their positions. It was a scenario that was almost like it came straight out of a nightmare. An intense feeling of ''this is unreal'' assaulted Yomikawa, who had some understanding about Accelerators past. When Accelerator was younger, he had been surrounded like this, lost all hope in life, and after surrendering he had been thrown into dark research labs. This tragedy must not be allowed to repeat itself. Yomikawa ignored the wound on the side of her stomach, and blocked the way in front of the other Anti-Skill members while she herself was covered in blood. Put down your guns! We dont need those to convince Accelerator! But, Yomikawa! Do you know who it is standing there?! That is a child that we must protect! Pointing guns at children, Ill never agree! How could I possibly agree to something like this!! Accelerator roared towards the sky. The black wings behind him had surged out even more fiercely. Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!! *Don!* A shock wave spread out from him and assaulted everyone present. This wasnt a physical attack, but a more simple instinctive reaction to their lives being threatened. The animal instinct everyone had was making everyone there feel like their chest was being compressed. If someone wasnt careful they would fall to the ground from this intense pressure. Accelerators anger wasnt directed at the bystanders or at Anti-Skill. These things were no longer any concern for him. None of these mattered, the shards of these emotions were enough to let him rule this world, conquer this world, and destroy this world. His target was supposed to be only Kakine Teitoku. But, was one person really enough to let him release all that fury? After losing his target, would the aimless fury be directed at someone else? This possibility, no, this danger, was what people were afraid of. (Dammit, is there... no other... ways left?) Yomikawa tried to get close to Accelerator, but blood spurted out from her mouth. After seeing that Saigou panicked and quickly restrained her from behind and immobilized her. Even though she couldnt move, she still stared wide-eyed at Accelerator. (Is there really no way to stop Accelerator? Like so, would that childs future be ended right here because of something as insignificant as this?!) With another roar, the world had been dyed black. His black wings were showing despair beyond the territory of humans. Even without orders, some of the Anti-Skill members had raised their guns. But as soon as the trigger was pulled everything will be over. Accelerators soul would be shattered once more, and it was possible that this time it could not be saved. In front of the overwhelming power, anyone would lose hope. They could only tremble in a corner, and pray they didnt get dragged into this. In front of these people... Their last hope (TN: reads as Last Order) had descended upon them. The girl around 10 years old was running towards that intersection, pushing past the people that were bound by fear. She had brown hair around shoulder length, a lively expression, and wore a sky-blue one-piece dress with a males t-shirt over it. Im looking for a lost child, she once said. Now that the child she was looking for was in front of her, she showed no fear. With the situation getting worse by the moment, she didnt care and went straight to Accelerator. From the bystanders view everything was beyond repair, but nobody stopped her. Because by this time, she was too close to the center of this destruction. I found you, says Misaka as Misaka tries to communicates with you slowly. She got closer towards the still howling Accelerator. Accelerator slowly turned his head around. *Boom!* an explosive sound rang out, as if a gale had swept through. The action the strongest Level 5 in Academy City took was simple. The jet black wings ripped through the air, and with overwhelmingly massive power dealt a destructive blow. In everyones mind there was a picture of tragedy being painted. Where Last Orders tiny body was being scattered onto the asphalt in pieces. However... With a sharp sound, the black wings stopped in front of Last Order. The attack Accelerator had fired was stopped by an invisible wall. The black wings had stopped mere millimeters away from her face, going no closer and only trembling. But, she shouldnt have had the power to block this. Even if the whole world was searched, someone that could have blocked that blow might not be found. If she couldnt do it, then who, and how had they blocked the black wings? Yomikawa, who could only blankly stare at this situation, finally thought of an answer. Accelerator... Academy Citys strongest Level 5. If someone could stop this unrivaled destructive power, then it could only be the one who possessed this power himself. At the end of the end, Accelerator had stopped his black wings. The black wings were trembling. Trembling as if a monster was whimpering. At this time, a *boom* sound of gunpowder exploding rang out. Yomikawa swiftly turned around, and saw one of the Anti-Skill members had opened fire without permission. Not good! Even though it was obvious that Last Order was right next to Accelerator, a gun was still fired. Accelerators black wings split apart, separated into countless sharp wings and aimed at the Anti-Skill members around him. Last Order had finally realized they had been attacked. Boom! An attack with Accelerator at its center was projected out around him. Stop! says Misaka as Misaka advises! Last Order said one sentence. As if taking that sentence as a cue, the point of the sharp wing that reached for the throat of an Anti-Skill member suddenly stopped. It is alright now, says Misaka as Misaka holds out her arms. The young girl knew what the current situation was. Even though she knew how dangerous an existence Accelerator was, she still reached out with her slim hands. You dont have to do something like this anymore, says Misaka as Misaka tries to convey the correct words. As if to blow apart these words, the black wings once again struck toward her. But, the black wings once again stopped in front of her, along with a *kacha* blunt sound. Accelerator was conflicted. In his heart, he continued to scream out to give up on everything. If he had to have memories of something like this, if he had to repeat these kinds of tragedies, he might as well abandon everything. But, in the end he could not abandon them. Even though he could kill her with only a finger, even though he could blow her away easily, no matter what, Accelerator could not abandon this hope. Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! Roar. The sound of the black wings waving about could still be heard. But, the overwhelming pressure from before could not be felt now. Last Order only watched on. Facing the waves of attack coming one after another, she didnt even blink. Because of the trust between them, she didnt feel the slightest bit of fear. The twin wings swelled to the largest it ever had, and with all its might it swung down onto her. And when this attack had reached in front of Last Order, Accelerators own movements stopped. With his head lowered, nobody could see his expression. The black wings behind him soundlessly dispersed. Now Accelerators body lost all its strength, and fell shakily slowly towards the front. Last Order opened her arms wide, and welcomed Accelerator into her arms. Even though she almost collapsed under his weight she still held him tight and would not let go. Finally, she whispered into Accelerators ear softly, What a relief, says Misaka as Misaka is glad. Volume 15, Epilogue: The Victory Prize for Those who Survived. Nano_Size_Data. Volume 15, Epilogue: The Victory Prize for Those who Survived. Nano_Size_Data. When he came to, Accelerator was in an ambulance. However, the equipment inside was different from that of a real ambulance. Most likely, this ambulance was not headed for the hospital. It was taking him somewhere else. He couldnt see who was in the drivers seat from his position. No one else was on-board. On the floor next to him was a cell phone. It started ringing the second he noticed it as if he were being watched. Accelerator picked it up and a voice that was familiar to him in a certain way reached his ear. You went a bit too far this time ...You again. Im not going to sit here and be lectured by you people who watch from above without doing a damn thing. The people with the right to act arrogantly are the ones who actually risked their lives trying to stop me. You understand, dont you? Tch, Accelerator clicked his tongue in irritation at the person on the phone who wasnt listening to him. Yes, I understand. Well, I was the one that gave you the information on Kakine Teitoku, so I wont be too hard on you. I just wish you had put my information to better use. Whats my penalty? Hmm, good question. Merely increasing your debt wont really seem like anything to you and youre too important to dispose of. What am I to do with you? The tone to those words pissed Accelerator off, but the person on the phone suddenly asked an unexpected question. By the way, are you really intending on coming back? Ah? Im simply curious. After falling that far and announcing that you will stand at the very top of the darkness, you still havent given up on that warmth? Of course not. I see. Arent you going to stop me? Ill give you the right to struggle. Although I cant guarantee you that I have the right to grant you that. Perfect, Accelerator said and hung up. He stared at the screen for a bit, but he finally put the phone in his pocket, opened curtain covering the window, and looked outside. (...Ah.) The warmth of that small girl still remained inside his arm. He thought to himself as he clenched his fist as if trying to shake off the sensation. (I will outwit them. Ill outwit Academy City, the fucking higher ups, and everyone else.) He had the USB drive with the blueprint to the choker-style electrode on it in his pocket. He had checked it between battles, but the design wasnt a simple one. To create Part 1, he needed Material 2 and Equipment 3 and, to make them, he needed Devices 4 and 5. Not to mention that it was all done using the frog-faced doctors original technology. It felt like he was looking at one of Princess Kaguyas impossible tasks. It looked like it was going to take quite some time to analyze the electrode, remove all the unnecessary parts, and create a copy. Even so Accelerator swore that he would do it. He finally had a small hint hidden away in his pocket. Unabara Mitsuki left through the hospitals main entrance. Xochitl who had come as the organizations assassin would resent how it had all ended. She hadnt been able to carry out her objective, she hadnt been given the ending known as death, and her ultimate weapon, the grimoire original, had been taken from her. Her life now would surely be nothing but pain. Even so, Xochitl lived on. She had less than a third of her physical body left leaving her with nothing more than skin wrapped around a fake body, but she was still alive. That made Unabara happy. It was nothing more than personal satisfaction, but it really helped him out. Gh... His consciousness wavered. A great amount of information had entered his head when he had taken in the original. However, it hadnt mixed well with his human body. If he relaxed his attention, an intense pain would run from the top of his head down to the bottom of his feet as if he had iron sand in the folds of his brain. (Maybe I shed a little too much blood...) Unabara Mitsuki reached into his pocket. He pulled out the true original that he had separated from Xochitl. The grimoire was a scroll written on animal skin. He spread out the several knowledge-filled meters and scanned through it. The pain lessened a bit. When all the pain was gone, he would truly understand the original. (Ha ha. If the Anglican Church found this, Id be taken out for sure.) But that original was power. And he needed power. (...I was desperate when I entered the dark side of Academy City.) He carefully rolled the scroll back up and stuck it back in his pocket. (Whats going on in the organization? Why was a kind girl like Xochitl turned into an assassin? I need to head back there once more.) Unabara Mitsuki looked ahead carrying his new power. He didnt look into the depths of the darkness, but the Aztec magician did not hesitate. From a distance, Musujime Awaki stared at the juvenile hall with smoke rising from it. Something like a bandage was wrapped around her bloody leg. It was organic artificial skin made of corn fiber. It felt weird to her, but her bodys regenerative ability would eventually unite with it and shape it into human skin without leaving a scar. ... Without looking at her painful wound, she continued to stare at the juvenile hall. Her comrades were there. She had become a pawn of the dark side of Academy City in order to ensure their safety. But when the place had actually been attacked, Academy City hadnt even called in Anti-Skill. And yet when the mercenaries had crossed Academy Citys outer wall, the latest attack helicopters, the HsAFH-11s, had been sent in. (As I thought, I can only trust them so far.) Nevertheless, she wasnt going to immediately rise up in revolt. Academy City had them in its power. Even if she managed to free her comrades from their cells, they had nowhere to run. Musujime Awaki herself had just recently suppressed Skill-Out when they were making secret plans in the back allies. The odds were that, if she recklessly let her comrades flee, they would meet a similar fate. It was possible the higher ups had sent Musujime on that mission so she would make that very connection. But... (I will return this favor), swore Musujime. She determined that she would carve in her heart the truth that she had realized and the feelings that had sprouted in her on that day. The stage where she relied on some unknown person to protect her comrades was over. From now on, she would create a protective wall of things she could confirm with her own eyes and touch with her own hands. Musujime Awaki looked back in the direction of the juvenile hall once more and then turned her back on it. She left silently and thought. (I will rescue you from there.) At an unknown time and in an unknown place, Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki, and Musujime Awaki gathered together. Tsuchimikado had a glove made of machines on his hand. There were long glass claws on the index finger and the middle finger. The blood-smeared device was the one that Kakine Teitoku had before. It was called the Tweezers. Accelerator stared at it and expressed his shock. So you took advantage of the confusion to recover it? I cant believe you were hiding among the crowd of onlookers. Apparently, a nanodevice known as Underline is stored inside. It seems School was trying to collect Underline from the air to examine it. (How do you know that much?) Accelerator thought suspiciously, but he decided Tsuchimikado must have been taking secret actions of his own. Unabara was looking unwell and he slowly asked a question. What did the data inside say? Underline is the core of Aleisters direct communications network. The information inside is of a completely different level from what you would find in a normal databank. Come to think of it, when Accelerator attacked the residence of Thomas Platinumburg, a member of the board of directors, he had tried to steal information there. When he had, he hadnt been able to get any information above a certain level, but that could have been because the information was divided by level of secrecy between the normal network and the special network created by Underline. Musujime spoke with a bored expression on her face. What a pain. So what kind of information was hidden on that nanodevice? Wait a second. Im getting it now. The small monitor on the portion of the Tweezers that went on the back of the hand gave an electronic beep. The result of the analysis that looked like corrupted text scrolled across at high speed and it was soon replaced by the proper form of the results. Its the various codes treated as secret in the dark side of Academy City. Could it be a hint towards overcoming them? The names are...Group, School, Item, Member, and Block...This one is the Tweezers...This is data on the Hikoboshi II and then the blueprints for the juvenile hall... Secret codes? You say its something as grandiose as that, but its just information the higher ups are gathering to keep an eye on Groups actions. Seeing this data now does us no-... Theres one more, said Tsuchimikado and everyone in Group focused on the Tweezers screen. They interpreted the fact that Tsuchimikado had made a distinction between this piece of information and the others as meaning that it was different than the rest. That is, it was a new piece of information. Tsuchimikado slowly read off the text that was displayed. The last one on the list is...Dragon. After all that fighting, they had made a tiny, tiny discovery. Now that the four members of Group had a new key, they began moving again. Volume 15, Afterword Volume 15, Afterword To those who have bought the books one at a time: Welcome back. To those that have bought them all at once: Welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Volume 15 was all out science. The seven Level 5s, an agricultural building, nanodevices, unmanned attack helicopters, a satellite, computer viruses, Skill-Out... It feels like all of the science side keywords that had appeared bit by bit throughout the series all came at once. This volumes theme was the dark side of Academy City and emotionless story. Also, Accelerators villainous trip down the path of evil was an important point. I call him evil, but the aftertaste he leaves you with isnt so bad. I was going for a refreshing feeling regarding him once you had flipped through all of the pages. I wonder if I succeeded. I think this volume had the most new characters introduced in a single volume (if you dont count the Sisters) so far. But the circle of characters didnt end up expanding. I suppose thats one of the differences between Kamijou Touma and Accelerator. Many thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and the one in charge of the project, Miki-san. It ended up being a rather messy story, but I thank you for sticking with it to the end. I would also like to thank all the readers. As usual, Ive digressed quite a bit, but I truly thank you for flipping through all the pages this far. And now you will be closing the pages. I pray that you will open the pages of the next volume. And I will lay my pen down for now. ...It feels like you could call the white one a chivalrous thief or something. -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 16, Prologue: The Standing of a Leader. Stage_in_Roma. Volume 16, Prologue: The Standing of a Leader. Stage_in_Roma. The Roman Pope had a certain vivid memory. It was from a visit to London for a meeting with the Anglican Church. He had met with Laura Stuart, the woman of unknown age who stood at the top of the Anglican Church which was one of the three great Catholic denominations. That woman did indeed possess the skill needed to rule such a large organization. After all, she could use her words so skillfully that she not only hid her true intentions but she also created a situation where everything was already set in stone by the time anyone noticed the hidden meaning and direction of the discussion. If one let their guard down even slightly, they could end up agreeing to any sort of treaty. The three Roman Catholic secretaries who had accompanied him had been unable to put up with the tension and had been carried to the medical room partway through the meeting. But that was not what stood out most vividly in the Roman Popes memory. That honor fell to what had happened thirty minutes after the meeting came to an end. It had occurred at Lambeth Palace which was located near St. Georges Cathedral. While the Roman Popes luxury car had passed by that residence of the Anglican archbishop, it had been stopped at a red light. In that time, he had heard voices from the palace through an open window. Its only the beginning of September, so why do we already have so many of these Christmas cards? Receiving them on Christmas is too late. They have sent them now because they are aware of our situation. It is a lot of hard work looking through all 250 thousand Christmas cards that arrive from all over England every year. You make it sound like it has nothing to do with you, Kanzaki. Whatever are you talking about? More importantly, your December schedule has been set, archbishop. Given the season, you will be going around to 43 orphanages and welfare facilities while dressed as Santa. This is official business, so please be understanding. Very good. I have already acquired a bewitching miniskirt Santa costume thats sure to cause some nosebleeds. !!!??? How can you say that after nodding and saying very good so seriously!? To be honest, Im so very, very embarrassed, but I have no choice but to help out those pious Anglican believers. You dont need to help them with a strip show, you pervert!! What!? Dont tell me miniskirt Santas are so horribly out of fashion that they are considered perverted! No, um, the problem is much more basic than that. The archbishop of the Anglican Church cannot choose an outfit that shows off as much of her legs as a miniskirt. Hmph. So you dont like the miniskirt, is that it? I guess I shouldnt be surprised that a true fan service provider thinks differently. This is Kanzaki Kaori, the girl who went out of her way to truly show off her body to the Imagine Breaker boy in Japanese-style debt repayment. You truly are always standing on the front lines of exhibitionism. Shut up, you amateur!! !? I was trying to keep quiet, but you just wont shut up!! And if you hadnt used that strange collar spell on that girl, I never would have made that strange debt in the first place and Tsuchimikado wouldnt be able to make fun of me for not being able to pay it back!! K-Kanzaki? Kanzaki-saaaan? Um, uh, is it just me or has your tone been a bit off for a while now? I dont want to hear anything about how I speak from someone who adds in Japanese honorifics for no reason!! !? N-now that I cannot overlook. O-okay, its time to scold you. ...Stop it, Kanzaki!! You should not speak to the head of the Anglican Church like that! Quiet down, amateur. I already made up my mind. From the moment that pervert Tsuchimikado laughed at me at that beachside inn, I knew it all led back to you. I knew I would never have had a debt to repay if it wasnt for you and I decided to cast aside all respect I had for yoooooooouuuuuuuuu!! E-eeee!? Stiyl! Stiiiiiyl!! Oddly light sounds of destruction and screams tinged with enjoyment had come from Lambeth Palace. That conversation had utterly failed as far as courtesy was concerned and it was unthinkable given the status and rank of those involved. Also, Lambeth Palace was one of the most secret of holy areas, so it was a problem simply to have the voices of the magicians inside heard outside. A housewife with her child walking nearby had initially looked surprised at the voices but had quickly begun chuckling as she walked by. It had all been completely baffling. But it had produced nothing but smiles. Age differences, the hierarchy of power, the authority and dignity of belief, and everything else had all been stripped away, leaving behind only a perfectly equal world. The Roman Pope had stared blankly at the scene while sitting in the back seat of his black luxury car and protected by countless bodyguards. That did not seem like the same woman who had so easily handled the world-influencing meeting in St. Georges Cathedral. But at the same time, her actions here had not been overwhelmingly removed from the teachings of Christianity. Their father who watched over all his believers had said the following: love your neighbor, all mankind are brothers, and all are equal before the lord. Was this scene not a perfect example of that? That was something that grew more difficult with age and social status. It did not simply mean to approach ones superiors as equals. Nor did it simply mean to treat your subordinates in a way that would not anger them. Laura Stuart would fight with anyone, insult them, go on a rampage, and occasionally speak in a slightly tearful voice. But it always ultimately resulted in laughter. The Roman Pope had been extremely jealous of that slight early afternoon commotion. That was the archbishop of the Anglican Church. Ten years ago, twenty years ago, and the first time the Roman Pope had visited England, that woman of unknown age had always been smiling in that same way. She was with everyone and a part of everyone. The Roman Pope was overcome by those feelings as he walked through the streets of the current Italian capital of Rome. He was on his way back from a short speech at the Basilica of Sant''Agostino. The path back to the Vatican was about 1.5 kilometers. When working within Rome, he made sure to travel by foot rather than having someone drive him. This was partially for his health and partially because he enjoyed breathing the air of Rome, but mostly because he wanted as many points of contact with the citys people as possible. As he passed by sightseers, they would tense up in shock and forget to use their cameras. He could see a devout middle-aged woman praying in a building window. But... This is far from a desirable situation, whispered the secretary next to the pope such that only the pope could hear. He was officially known as a secretary, but he was actually a bodyguard skilled in martial arts. The title of secretary allowed him to remain by the Roman Popes side even in places where military might was not allowed. Traveling by foot is simply too risky, continued the secretary. A few bodyguards are posted around you, but it is far from perfect. You should use a convoy of spell-protected vehicles when travelling. I know. If you are trying to show that Christianity is equal to all, there are plenty of other effective methods. Making appropriate donations and then visiting orphanages and medical facilities would work well to increase public opinion of-... I said I know. With his good mood ruined, the Roman Pope repeated himself with a bit of harshness in his tone. The secretary fell silent. The Roman Pope let out a heavy sigh. No matter how much he hoped for equality, he did not think he was succeeding. The passersby and tourists were only looking at him in surprise and respect. He did not at all feel like he was a part of them like Laura Stuart had been that one time. Suddenly, a filthy ball rolled out of a narrow alleyway. It was about thirty centimeters in diameter. The cheap childrens ball was made of a shiny material that might have been plastic or rubber. Without thinking, he crouched down to pick up the ball, but the secretarys hand stopped him. He stopped moving and a child ran out of the alleyway in pursuit of the ball. She may have been a street child which were rare in this area. She looked about ten and her clothes were even dirtier than the ball. The Roman Pope shook off the secretarys hand and moved to pick up the ball. But a sharp voice cut him off. Stop. He looked over and saw it was the girl. Who knows how much trouble youd get in if you got those fancy clothes dirty. The cold ring of her voice stopped the Roman Pope as if he had been struck by lightning. Meanwhile, the girl collected the ball, slowly moved away as if afraid he was a street thug, and then ran back into the narrow alleyway. ... The Roman Pope could only stare blankly at the alley entrance. Love your neighbor, all mankind are brothers, and all are equal before the lord. Those words filled his mind and he clenched his teeth harder and harder. This is a problem, he muttered without thinking. The secretary immediately agreed. Yes. How could she be so rude to the man who singlehandedly rules two billion believers? That is simply unacceptable. And in our headquarters of Italy no less. If she claims to be a believer, she should at least show the bare minimum of manners. ... The Roman Pope sighed again as the secretary showed his complete lack of understanding. When had it gotten like this? He no longer felt anything but a strange sense of distance and a chill. Volume 16, 1: From Peace to Ruin on the Proceeding Path. Battle_of_Collapse. Volume 16, Chapter 1: From Peace to Ruin on the Proceeding Path. Battle_of_Collapse. Part 1 Due to a certain factor, fourth period dragged on oddly long. By the time the normal high school boy named Kamijou Touma and his class ran to the school store and cafeteria, it was already too late. They were so horribly late that the stores bread had been wiped out, the cafeteria seats were filled, and those seats were unlikely to open up until the end of the lunch break. On top of that, the meal ticket machine had all of its sold out lights on like a cigarette vending machine late at night. Such misfortune. And the situation was entirely thanks to the digression caused by Kamijou Touma asking his history teacher, Really? So what wouldve happened to Japan if Oda Nobunaga had created the Oda Shogunate? He felt responsible, so he headed to the faculty room to make a direct appeal to Komoe-sensei who was chowing down on a 580 yen healthy zaru soba set. Please at least open up the cooking classroom! I can make the Kamijou Special!! Just give me some leftover cold rice, grated cheese, and ketchup, and I can whip up something great!! But despite his plea, his teacher only smiled bitterly. To add insult to injury, the math teacher Oyafune Suama was eating a gorgeous seafood bowl with sea urchin and roe while the PE teacher Yomikawa Aiho was downing several nikuman that did not seem to be part of her lunch. This filled the room with delicious aromas, so Kamijou fled before he lost control of himself. I-is the drink machine the only path remaining? But will that be enough to get through my afternoon classes? The number of students suffering from a shortage of food numbered 21 in all. There was Kamijou Touma, Aogami Pierce, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Himegami Aisa who had forgotten to bring a lunch on this day of all days, Fukiyose Seiri who was out of mail-order health foods, and all the other boys and girls in the class who got their food from the cafeteria or the school store. As they watched those with lunches eat their extremely delicious looking tiny Salisbury steaks, steamed dumplings, and other foods, the empty stomach alliance finally made up their minds. Lets escape!! Lets escape and go to a convenience store!! It was unclear who exactly had shouted that. The next thing they knew, the cafeteria & school store group had formed a circle and begun a strategy meeting. Times like this were when Fukiyose Seiri truly shined. If we all leave the school at once, the teachers will definitely notice. The odds of success are highest if we have a team of three or four take everyones money and buy all the food!! Then what will the others do? asked Himegami with a tilt of the head. Kamijou raised his head. Provide backup by gathering information and creating diversions. We have to make sure the teachers dont find out about this plan, so we need your help. We need to keep our cell phones connected. Only the latest information is of any use. Okay, but where will we escape from, nyah? Tsuchimikado drew a detailed diagram of the school on the back of a printout he no longer needed. These are the locations related to intruder alarms. This infrared sensor is only active at night, so we dont have to worry about it. Given the location of the faculty room, well definitely be spotted at the fence if we leave through the front. Their window gives them a full view of the schoolyard there, nyah. Its gotta be the back entrance. But the guy working at the store goes in and out through there. Wed be in trouble if we ran into him, nyah. I see. So the trick is when we pass through the back entrance. Okay, lets divide up the jobs!! On Fukiyoses instructions, the 21 rebels divided into a few groups. Kamijou Touma, Aogami Pierce, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and Fukiyose Seiri formed the team that would actually leave the school. It seemed they were known for being quick on their feet thanks to their usual idiotic commotions. But can we really entrust our lunches to Kamijou and his misfortune? Itll be fine. He can play the crucial role of the decoy. As his classmates whispered amongst themselves, Kamijou silenced them with his fist. While still standing in a circle, they all pulled out their phones, set them to transceiver mode which connected multiple lines at once, and then synchronized the digital clock down to the second. Lets go. Mission start!! Fukiyose clapped her hands twice and the cafeteria & store team scattered like baby spiders. Kamijou, Aogami Pierce, Tsuchimikado, and Fukiyose hurried, but travelled down the hallway in what could be seen as a fast walk in order to avoid the simple mistake of being stopped for running in the hall. Time is the real issue here, said Fukiyose as they made their way past a few teachers with a smile. Lunchtime is when convenience stores make an overwhelming amount of their money. This escape will all be a waste if all the lunches are gone from the convenience store shelves as well!! They did not stop at the shoe lockers. If a teacher noticed they were wearing loafers instead of indoor shoes, their escape plan would be discovered. The fact that they had no shoes yet were not playing in the schoolyard made for a fairly fatal situation. And so they had another group get some PE shoes which they exchanged for their indoor shoes. After travelling to the outdoor passageway connecting the school building to the gym, they put on the PE shoes and made their way outside. They then ran to the back entrance before anyone could question them. The metal fence came into view. No one was around. The problematic school store man was nowhere to be seen. Okay! Lets make a run for it!! Kamijou tried to jump the fence. But then a shrill siren reached him. He turned around and saw the gorilla-like Saigo-sensei who seemed to be just returning from eating out at a family restaurant. The educational guidance counselor was driving a four door family car, but it was made for normal humans to ride. That openweight gorilla made it look as cramped as a phone booth. Tch!! We should have considered the possibility of the back entrance being used by faculty after parking!! Fukiyose regretted her own error, but Kamijou felt something else. And that feeling led to a shout. No fair!! You went out to eat!? That muscular beast of a guidance counselor left us to battle our own in that over-capacity cafeteria while he went to enjoy a leisurely restaurant!? K-Kami-yan, you idiot. Ignore him. If we get caught here, how will we ever get lunch!? Aogami Pierces shout brought Kamijou to his senses. The gorilla teacher got out of his car and approached with terrifying speed, so Kamijou climbed over the metal fence to escape. Recognizing the unfavorable turn of events, Fukiyose quickly fled on a different route. Just before he was caught, Tsuchimikado kicked Aogami Pierce down from the fence to offer him up like a flare used as a missile countermeasure. So as not to waste Aogami Pierces noble sacrifice, Kamijou and Tsuchimikado ran down the road with all their strength. As he ran, Tsuchimikado looked over his shoulder and gained an expression of shock. Damn that gorilla teacher. Hes already taken out Aogami Pierce and is running this way, nyah!? Seriously!? Tsuchimikado, lets split up! We cant let ourselves be wiped out here!! The two boys exchanged a nod and turned right and left at an intersection to increase their odds of survival. Part 2 Itsuwa, a girl belonging to the Amakusa Christian Church, was near Kamijous high school. She wore a pink tank top over a sweatshirt that was as fluffy as a sheep. Below, she wore deeply colored pants, but the pants had cuts wrapping around them with a transparent plastic material that prevented the fabric from moving out of place. This was a new Academy City design that boldly showed off the flesh color of her legs. She had carefully chosen her outfit in order to blend into this rare city that was 80% students. A suit when in a business district and a miniskirt when in a shopping district. That was the Amakusa style rather than Itsuwas personal style. She had a reason for being in Academy City. Two days before, a letter had arrived at the Anglican Church and the top levels of Academy City. It had been sent by Acqua of the Back, a member of the secret Roman Catholic organization known as Gods Right Seat. The letters had been a sort of challenge. He had said he was on his way to utterly destroy Kamijou Touma and that they should send out their strongest forces if they wished to stop him. It was of course possible the letters were fakes. However, the one sent to the Anglicans had contained an additional item to boost its credibility. To put it simply, it was Terra of the Lefts remains. Those remains had been gently wrapped in the highest quality velvet and shipped in a paulownia box that smelled faintly of wood. It was unclear if the extravagant jewelry box style decorations had been meant as ridicule for his enemies or a sign of respect. The upper body ended at the waist and it definitely belonged to that member of Gods Right Seat. Itsuwa had directly fought Terra, so she had been called to St. Georges Cathedral to confirm his identity. But that had left her bewildered. There were two reasons for this. First, Terra had supposedly been fried in Avignon by Academy Citys weapons, but this corpse had clearly been sliced in two at the waist. Second, if Terra had survived those Academy City weapons, how much strength had Acqua of the Back needed to so easily execute him? The man had been killed in a single strike. That was the story told by the bisecting wound. As one who had directly fought Terra of the Left, Itsuwa could tell. That man had caused her to so much torment and had broken through an Academy City unit, so it would have taken extreme cruelty to rip his body apart by force like that. And she had further questions. Why had Acqua of the Back sent out an old-fashioned letter of challenge rather than attacking at a weak point as Gods Right Seat had done before? And why had he killed Terra of the Left and then used him in the letter of challenge? His method had been so straightforward that the Anglican Church and Academy City had made many different speculations and suspected a trap, but they had been unable to grasp his true intentions. At any rate, if he was targeting Kamijou Touma, they had decided that defeating him here would be best, so the Anglicans had dispatched the Amakusa Christian Church. It was normally forbidden for magicians to act as a group within Academy City. That action was defined as crossing the line between the magic side and the science side. But that agreement had been broken for this exceptional situation. Itsuwa did not know the details, but the Anglican archbishop had likely struck some form of deal with the head of Academy City. Most likely, the Anglicans had chosen a small independent group under their command like the Amakusas because they could be cut away like a lizards tail if things grew inconvenient. It was also possible they had been chosen because they had originally operated within Japan and knew the land. Either way, Itsuwa was now within Academy City where she could not normally be. This was partly due to the world beginning to divide between the Academy City and Anglican Church side and the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church side, but it was even more due to Acqua of the Back being such a great danger that he could not be defeated while following the rules. To put it another way, Academy City and the Anglicans had both decided an attack solely by Acqua was more of a threat than the global chaos caused by crossing the line between the science and magic sides. That was how powerful an enemy the man was. ... Due to that situation, it had also been decided that Itsuwa would join the battle as Kamijous bodyguard. She needed to contact him as quickly as possible, but she also had enough sense not to arrive when he was in the middle of class. She was waiting in a position from which his class was visible and planned to take action once school let out. (I need to do my best.) She clenched her small fist as she secretly filled herself with motivation. During the C-Document incident from a few days ago, her insufficient strength had left her unable to protect Kamijou through to the end. To make up for that fact, she was prepared to act as a professional magician and not let anyone lay a finger on civilian Kamijou Touma. She carried a bag over her shoulder and she could feel the weight of the dismantled Friuli Spear inside. (With Vento of the Front and Terra of the Left, he has already defeated two members of Gods Right Seat, but there has to be something for me to do. I need to do my best.) And then a familiar face cut by in front of Itsuwas eyes. It was Kamijou Touma. Eh? She tilted her head as she wondered why and then she checked the time. There was no way school had been let out yet. Also, Kamijous expression as he ran through the streets was not normal. It looked like he was being pursued by something. Something may have happened. Slight tension filled Itsuwa. And then she saw a suspicious gorilla-like person cut by in front of her in pursuit of Kamijou. The persons face looked the polygonal villain in a unique western video game. Itsuwa thought about Kamijou, recalled that western video game face and then looked back toward Kamijous fleeing back. There was no way that gorilla was a normal person. Kamijou Touma was a courageous veteran of many battles yet his face was filled with fear. His expression made it look like he thought he would be torn limb from limb. Finally, she came to a conclusion. According to the report on September 30, Acqua of the Back was a man. (Hes already here!!) She swiftly assembled her spear and charged straight toward the western game villain. Part 3 Due to health reasons, Saigo the disaster teacher in charge of life counseling had to retreat. ...Ha. After school, Kamijou, who had finally managed to finish the great battle of lunch, sighed heavily as he walked out of the school gate after changing his shoes at the shoe shelves. Right now, Itsuwa, who was still blue with shock, was standing there. For some reason, she had appeared at the noon break, and like a spirit, intercepted the life-counseling teacher (with a spear, no less). It seemed like all of that had been a misjudgment on her part. EH? Hes not Acqua of the Back? EHHH!? A SCHOOL TEACHER!?, and after which, Itsuwa had collapsed into confusion. There were many questions Kamijou really wanted to ask Itsuwa, including Why are you here in Academy City?, but Itsuwa was rolling her eyes around in confusion as she tried to settle the gorilla-teacher problem, carrying his huge body and quickly heading to the hospital. And it all ended up like this. I-I really... even if Im useless, theres got to be some limit... Itsuwa, who had come back from the hospital, was now sunk in a deep and bottomless-looking hole. To Kamijou, if he had been caught by that gorilla teacher, he would have been thrown onto the asphalt floor by ancient martial arts, and afterwards, have gotten smothered with a sweaty pinning move combo; this was undeniable. Thus, it was hard to tell whether Itsuwa had served her purpose or not. However, it seemed that Itsuwa wasnt down because of that. (...Seems like its also not because she injured an ordinary person... because, that gorilla had a legend going about that he managed to catch a falling boulder with both hands while in a rockfall zone. Thats not an ordinary person.) Anyway, no matter what, Kamijou decided to start by asking why Itsuwa, as a resident of the magic side, was appearing in the main base of the science sideAcademy City. ...Acqua of the Back. Do you still remember that name? Itsuwa trembled as she asked. Kamijous eyebrows moved suspiciously. Yeah. I remember, hes one of the members of Gods Right Seat...right? I met him once on the 30th of September. Yes, after Vento of the Front had been defeated in Academy City, it was Acqua who forced his way in. Besides being a member of Gods Right Seat, he had the capability of a Saint. It was impossible to imagine his battle prowess, and he was essentially different from all the enemies Kamijou had faced so far. Though Kamijou didnt really want to go anywhere, he continued to walk towards a busy street, chatting with Itsuwa. Then, what about Acqua? Dont tell me he intends to do something strange in another country? N-not that, thats not it... Itsuwa looked like she had trouble articulating. After she seemingly processed everything in her brain, she finally said, Acqua of the Backs target seems to be you. Ha? About that, both the Anglican Church and Academy City have gotten a challenge letter from Acqua. It was written that in these next few days, hell... um... come back to attack Kamijou Touma. So he told both sides to be wary, something like that. Itsuwa looked troubled, as she paused halfway through talking. She was like those parents who purposely concealed the extremely sensitive issues from their children. His own life was being threatened by Acqua of Gods Right Seat... Just how serious was this? This ordinary high school student called Kamijou Touma was unable to immediately understand. Gods Right Seat, huh? Kamijou pondered for a while. Vento of the Front once said that in order to kill me, the Pope had to prepare the relevant documents to let them attack Academy City. But they probably wouldnt mobilize such a powerful guy to attack me, an ordinary high school student. AH!? NONONO! This is because you helped so many people and managed to stop the Roman Catholic Church from carrying out their underground deeds! How could they still consider you to be an ordinary high school student after you have done so many things!? For some reason, Itsuwa had begun to shout. Though it wasnt clear, Kamijou suitably concluded that most likely, she had been sent here by the Amakusa to guard him. Although he was praised by her, the boy standing here really was just an ordinary high school student, and there really wasnt anything about him that was praiseworthy. But Vento of the Front came here before... its Acqua of the Back now? Right now, the English Librarys checking on his history. Including the other members of Gods Right Seat, there hasnt been any important information dug up on him so far. Well, they are secret members of a secret organisation. Though there hasnt been any specific information, he obviously has the strength worthy of a member of Gods Right Seat and what seems to be the power of a Saint, so itd be great if we can get the Priestess''s assistance. This Priestess she was talking about should be Kanzaki Kaori. She was one of the 20 Saints in the world, and had managed to survive a fight against a real archangel. This was truly one achievement she could brag about. It was true that Kanzakis help could help the situation a lot more, but as a lot of things had happened in the past, there was a rift between Kanzaki and the Amakusa. Also, Stiyl once said that because Saints have such ridiculous powers, they were not allowed to go about freely. ...But this doesnt mean were completely at our wits end, Itsuwa sounded like she wanted to discard any unrest as she said. Gods Right Seat is an extremely powerful group of the magic side. Truthfully, even if we fight against them all, we cant guarantee that we could even manage a draw against them. But, Vento of the Front and Terra of the Left... we managed to fight them back. Why is that? Mm. We didnt analyze the details thoroughly, so we cant say that our current intel is correct, but both sides have a common point of having been interfered greatly by the science side. Terra of the Left was forced to change his plans because of those powered suits and supersonic bombers, and as for Vento of the Front, it was... that... thing which looks like an angel, right? Now that she mentions it, this was true. It had been because of Academy Citys irregular counterattacks managed to shake up the strongest magic group, Gods Right Seat. They hadn''t been able to perform on the perfect stage where they could utilize all of their strength, but instead performed on the stage of the science side, which they were not used to. Maybe this was the real reason why they had managed to win. Then, to fight in Academy City where science is everywhere, there should be a huge significance. ...I-I feel that things arent that simple... ? Seeing Itsuwa continue to mince her words, Kamijou felt puzzled. Itsuwa immediately waved her hands to get over it. An-anyway! Acqua of the Back will be attacking, so Ill protect you well. The Anglican Church gave us orders to protect you, publicly and privately, so please do not worry too much!! Though Itsuwa said this with energy, Kamijou did feel that these words were important. Wanting to verify whether he had heard this wrongly, Kamijou confirmed it again, Itsuwa, why are you here? Do I need to say it? Im here to be your bodyguard. Itsuwa clenched her small fist. Seeing her like this, Kamijou felt that every part of his body was getting stiff. So he asked again. Itsuwa, why are you here? I said it before, Im here to be a bodyguard, to stick to you and protect you. Part 4 The substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa-style Church, Tatemiya Saiji was hiding behind a building, his eyes leaving the pair of binoculars. They were beside a little cinema. Nearby, there was a little lateral path, and at the entrance, there was a lottery shop that was conveniently and deliberately placed there to block the line of sight. This was supposedly a crowded place, yet unexpectedly, hardly anyone noticed this place a really intriguing place. Showing a dirty look as he held the binoculars with one hand, the narrow-eyed Tatemiya silently said, ...How boring. Regarding this comment, the big guy beside him, Ushibuka, was pretending to read a magazine while nodding his head in agreement. That Itsuwa...shes been talking about work all this time, not even going on the offense. Yeah, we finally gave her the perfect chance to get real close to Kamijou Touma, yet she hasnt done any self-revealing yet. Looks like shes forgotten about the greatest weapons on her body. Whats Itsuwas greatest weapon? The lanky teenager, Kouyagi, asked as he continued to pop popcorn into his mouth. Tatemiya rummaged through a tossed-aside bag and pulled out something like a whiteboard used for a riddle contest. The black marker then started to run on the whiteboard. After that, he wrote the correct answer on the whiteboard and showed it to everyone. Yes, thats Itsuwas huge, hidden breasts!! Tatemiya widened his eyes as he said this. Besides Ushibuka and Kouyagi, a group of men, including the middle-aged man Isahaya and the already married Nomozaki, immediately gathered towards where Tatemiya was. On what basis do you make this hypothesis, Pope!? To actually say such a thing... I wont agree to this kind of horse race-like prediction, you bastard!! The males all pent out steam from their nostrils, and Tatemiya again moved the black marker on the whiteboard. According to the great Itsuwa Massage battle, her sore shoulders index is 40. But considering Itsuwas muscle strength and activity level, and also her clothes, equipments, and everything else she has, even after totaling all these, itd be weird if her maximum sore shoulder index even reached 37. If so, this means... A group of men swallowed their saliva. Tatemiya seriously nodded his head. He gathered all of his energy in his abdomen before declaring in a high-pitched voice: Yes, this sore shoulder index has only a difference of 3. This is the best evidence to show that Itsuwa has huge hidden breasts!! Because of this stunning truth that was written plainly on the whiteboard, Ushibuka and Kouyagi immediately fainted. Isahaya, who was over 50 years old, seemed like he was happy about seeing his own granddaughter grow up. On the other side, Nomozaki was, on one hand, muttering to himself that breasts should be a bit smaller, and on the other hand, he seemed both regretful and disappointed. Standing slightly farther away, the blond female, Tsushima, looked like she was seeing a bunch of idiots, and sighed heavily. ...Stop talking about such useless things; keep your eyes on the one being guarded. Tatemiya and the other males got a dampener over them. With probing eyes, they stared at Tsushimas body, whose height was disproportionate to her bust size. Tsushima-senpais ambiguous, so she shouldnt say much. WHAT!? No matter what, at least tall people should have huge breasts, or short people with small breasts. Tsushima doesnt have a fixed character trait, thats why. Beside Tsushima, who was unable to say anything, Tatemiya pulled out a new whiteboard and uses the black marker on it. Sheesh, dont you guys know thisthe legend of Tsushimas beautiful legs!! Not knowing what the substitute Supreme Pontiff could say next, Tsushima kicked Tatemiya right between the legs to force him to shut up. The males seemed uninterested in Tsushima, as they all choose to ignore this side and focus on Itsuwa. But is this really alright? That Itsuwa looks like shes going to continue with the wet napkins tactic. Its true that Itsuwas too passive. She wont be able to climb over the fence at this rate... Isahaya, who was more than half a century old, said while gritting his teeth. At this moment, Tatemiya, with tears in his eyes, again snatched the right to lead the conversation. Yes, to allow Itsuwa to display her extra large oranges to the maximum, we cant let this continue. Eh...? Extra large oranges!? I thought theyre at most as big as apples!! Beside Ushibuka, who was making a ruckus, Kouyagi asked, But substitute Supreme Pontiff, its useless to discuss this further, right? Itsuwas really maturing too late. Humph, thats why I prepared a countermeasure. Tatemiya unveiled an evil smile as he pulled out something from a pretty bag. A soccer ball? The wilderness sharpshooter Tatemiya Saiji will again propose a free kick match. Part 5 Because of recent events during the past few days, Misaka Mikoto was in a daze. Ever since she became aware of a certain thing regarding Kamijou Touma, she had always been like this. No matter how much she considered it, the problem wouldnt settle. No matter how much time was lost, the problem wouldnt settle. It was like asking someone to answer a question he couldnt answer: no matter how much the person thought, he would continue to be stuck at the same spot. (As expected, that wasnt a bluff.) That certain thing. In other words, it was... a loss of memory. It was supposed to just be a sentence consisting of only a few words, yet it shook Mikotos heart up. (But, since when...?) She hadnt felt that anything was amiss during the date on the 30th of September, and there hadnt been any change during the Daihaseisai tournament. Did something happen on the 31st of August? Or was it that time when he interacted with the Sisters and Accelerator? ... She couldnt make a correct judgment. If so, even though that boy looked like he was near to her to some people, there were a lot of things about him that she didnt know about. (I know that this isnt something that can be solved by worrying about it.) Since when did he become like this? How much of his memory was lost? Does this affect his life? Did he let a doctor check up on this before? Is there really no way to treat this? And, How much of his memories with her were lost? (I could check it out with someone thats an expert in mental control, but...) In Tokiwadai Middle School, besides Mikoto, there was another person who was also a Level 5. In terms of mental control, she was at the top of Academy Cityin other words, she was the strongest ever in regards of her Mental Out. Reading other peoples memories, changing other peoples personalities, carrying out conversations with people far away, destroying memories and willpower, revealing feelings and transplanting them... No matter what kind of mental phenomenon it was, she could control them all. Like a Swiss knife, she was a multi-functional Level 5. But Im not used to dealing with her... She subconsciously said out loud. This meant that Mikoto didnt really want to deal with that esper. Unlike Mikoto, whom was unaffiliated to any sect, she was the queen of ojous, the leader of the largest sect in Tokiwadai Middle School. From this, it was obvious that both of them were incompatible. If Mikoto was to seek her to talk, it would end up with Mikoto being in her debt... In the worst case scenario, she could do some unnecessary things to that idiot during the therapy. Accurately saying, the trust placed with her wasnt so great that Mikoto was willing to place her friend into that persons hands. So she shouldnt consider this. Anyway, Mikoto decided to chase away this existence of another Level 5. (Even though I understand that idiots personal problems, yet asking me not to mind about it, its obvious that I cant do it. Im not the kind of person who wont care about other people.) Why didnt he go look for her? Should he continue to pretend that he doesnt know anything? Including these questions into the mix, Mikoto had no other choice but to grit her teeth. Furthermore, Kamijou Touma himself did not know that Mikoto was aware about this issue, and it looked like he didnt wish for her to be. If she forcefully confronted him... through that, there was a high likelihood that a lot of damage could be done to him. Now, what should she do? Was there anything she can do? (AH!! DAMN IT. WHY AM I BEING SO BOTHERED ABOUT THAT IDIOTS PROBLEMS!? IM GETTING ALL WORRIED AND GETTING MY BRAIN ALL AFFECTED, AND THIS MAKES ME EVEN MORE WORRIED! Maybe I should recollect my thoughts.) She wanted to say that, but if she was really able to change feelings so easily, she wouldnt be so bothered. Thinking about all of these, Mikoto sighed heavily. At this moment, ...? She just so happens to see a group of suspicious people beside a little cinema. A large man placed a soccer ball on the ground. He had black hair that was as shiny as a beetle, and after nodding to the surrounding people, he did a little start up run before kicking the ball forcefully. The forcefully-kicked ball soared, spinning end over end, making a sharp arc. If it were a proper match, it was most likely that this free kick would have passed over the defenses wall and headed into the goal. What were they doing on the road? Mikotos eyes naturally moved towards the destination of the soccer ball. At that moment, she froze. *PAM!!* With a crisp sound, the side of Kamijou Toumas head collided heavily with the soccer ball. Possibly because of the impact from the soccer ball, Kamijous head sunk deeply into the valley of the chest of the girl who was walking beside him. It looked like the impact just now was rather great, but Kamijou was just buried into the girls chest for a while. The girl looked like she didnt know what to do and blushed before rubbing on the part of his head that had been hit. This entire sequence of events just gave the wrong impression that Kamijous head was being forced in. Because of the sudden series of events, Mikoto was unable to say anything. At this moment, shouts of bravo! could be heard. Looking at where the voices were coming from, it seemed like the guy who had made that free kick and those young guys were happily giving high-fives to each other. *Pacha pacha* One could hear the sounds of sparks falling. After realizing that this was due to the high voltage emitting from her body, Mikoto exploded. Theres someone here with all sorts of trouble... STOP GIVING ME ALL SORTS OF TROUBLES, YOU BASTARDS!!! The long spears of thunderbolts continued to shoot out from Mikotos bangs. After noticing this, beetle-head and company immediately dispersed, and in the next moment, vanished without a trace. Like a chameleon mixing into the crowd, they could not be found by her. Mikoto was intrigued by that. Yet even after losing her target, her anger wasnt kept in check. Besides, that mastermind, the hedgehog-head boy still had his head buried inside the girls chest, and even gave an Uuuu... sound as if he was saying something. It was like a dazed and sleepy child grabbing a certain expanded part of a girl. That idiot... HOW LONG MUST HE CONTINUE TO BE MESMERIZED BY THE FEMALE ANATOMY!?!?!? Mikoto shouted and immediately dashed towards Kamijou, who, logically, should be the one punished. Part 6 Such a pitiful day. Kamijou Touma exhaled heavily. After suddenly being hit in the head by a soccer ball, he had been chased around by Mikotos lightning attacks. In order to fulfill her job, Itsuwa had started to assemble her spear, and in order to stop her, Kamijou hugged her. But for some reason, Mikoto got angry again, so in an attempt to avoid her electric attacks, he ran around Academy City. As for the running distance, with that level of activity, nobody would worry about him having too much fat or get sick. And right now, there was a new problem in front of him. Yes, this was the most problematic situation, ...Ah, Touma. Why is someone from the Amakusa here? The most dangerous checkpoint of today. The door to the dormitory was opened, and this sentence from Index was enough to make Kamijou sweat heavily. Index looked like she was ready to bite as she continued to grind her teeth. Kamijou was already terrified upon seeing just the fangs alone. On a side note, the calico cat with Index continued to circle around Itsuwa, and it seemed to be smelling her as if asking the question Who is she? Who? Kamijou wiped away the sweat on his body as he said, No, its not that. This, that, err, how am I supposed to explain this...? He stared at Itsuwas face while she was still blankly standing there. In other words, the Gods Right Seat KYAAH!! Kamijou suddenly let out a ridiculous scream, scaring Itsuwa such that she couldnt make a sound. From behind, Kamijou held Itsuwas neck with his wrist and quickly pulled her away from Index, silently going through a battle plan. (...Miss Itsuwa!! Regarding that, can you please keep it a secret from Index!?) Wa, wa... (...Acquas target is only me; its alright as long as he doesnt target Index! So itll be bad if you say some unnecessary words and get Index involved in some dangerous situation, dont you think?) WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA!? (...Itsuwa, do you hear me?) I, I hear it!! I, I, I, I hear it clearly!! For some reason, Itsuwas face was all red as she nodded her head up and down. Was it making her feel discomfort? Kamijou took his wrist off her neck. But after that, Itsuwas disappointed expression made him all the more puzzled. At this moment, ... From who knew when, Index started to conceal all emotion, even temper, just muttering a ...never mind before turning around to watch the television again. This act made people feel a lot less secure. This was to be expected, since it was no longer on the level of this idiot, idiot! Touma, you idiot! It was the same as in the past when he had saved his classmate, Himegami; he constantly felt that there was an unknown aura surfacing. Why was it like this? Why was Index angry? After Kamijou trembled for a while, he made a decision and got both knees on the ground, poking his head out and sitting behind Index. ...That, I dont know whats going on, but can you please bite me before you explode? If you can use up a bit of that anger power, it at least feels that Kamijou-san can settle this before his skull gets bitten to bits. Not knowing what to do, Itsuwa continued to stare at the two that werent doing anything, and because of her sense of duty, she hadnt resigned from her job yet. After purposely looking away for a while, she looked at the calico cat that had confirmed her smell and was together with her. Oh, oh yes! Little kitten, do you want this present? Seemingly trying to break the deadlock, Itsuwa started to look for something in her huge bag (Oh? She couldnt possibly know that Kamijous house has a cat for a pet, right...?). She pulled out a high-class golden can that had the words Cats food association: a 3-star platinum rank. On seeing the can, the calico kitty immediately trembled before remaining at the same position. Its eyes widened, its back straightened, and even when Itsuwa opened the can and reached over, the kitten gave the feeling of About that, Im just an ordinary cat can I really eat this level of food nya!? Sitting there upright, Kamijou noticed that there was something in Itsuwas bag. ...Why does Itsuwas bag have meat and vegetables? Is this some secret spell required of the Amakusa? No, no, theres no need to fast, Itsuwa replied as she waved her hands in front of her. I passed by a supermarket before I came here. About that, if its just some simple dishes, I can still do them. No matter what, as a bodyguard, I cant just eat and drink here for free. Please entrust the housework and like to me; just order anything of me, if I can do it. At this moment, Kamijou didnt understand what she said. After a few blank seconds, his mind finally processed what Itsuwa said. This time, he wordlessly turned towards Index. Wha, what, Touma? Why did the atmosphere in the house change? Just ask yourself that. Handing everything over to Kamijou-san, who exactly is the one who hasnt helped out one bit? Uu, mm, Im sorry, but...? Ah! Are you intending to change the atmosphere forcefully with this...!? Although Index saw through Kamijous intentions, once the flow of events had changed, it was hard to revert it back. Kamijou naturally turned around and headed into the kitchen space. Then, its better for me to tell you where the wok is. Ah yes, thank you. Both of them exchanged this conversation, and the white nun had been completely ignored, having thrown all sorts of questions like why did it become like this, and always like this, just what is he trying to do? into the dustbin. (But why would Itsuwa, a shrinking violet, have such enthusiasm!? How am I going to explain things that I dont understand? But at least I can thank Itsuwa first! Haha!! Its good to escape from Indexs demonic clutches without getting bitten. How great is this GGYYYAAAHHH!!!) Just as Kamijou was delighting in the victory, he was forcefully bitten on the back of the head by Index, and was now rolling on the floor in pain. In the meantime, he knocked into the deluxe cat canned food and flipped the contents out. What a waste!! Im tucking in! Eating it all now!! the calico kitten started to indulge in the food. Itsuwa could only force a smile as she walked into the kitchen. To her, the scene now was a happy and jolly one, but for the main party involved, it was as if he had just come back from the gates of Hell. (Come to think of it...) To be able to mix into the surroundings perfectly was one of the Amakusas ability. Kamijou looked at Itsuwa, who had been accepted so naturally. As he had just been bitten on the back of the head, the human teeth marks were still there. Kamijou lay on the floor like a corpse, and he could hear the sound of food being stir-fried. (...The, the scene of a girl cooking.) Though it was stupid, he still teared up. Eh? Why is Touma revealing a look of a sheep, as if he just saw a miracle? As Index said this, Kamijou seemed like he had just gotten baptized by the light of grace emitted by a nun. But, he would feel mindful about seeing Itsuwa cook and yet not do anything himself. Might as well clean the room up. Kamijou pondered seriously. On the other hand, Index, who was biting on Kamijous head to relieve her stress, was attracted by the smell of the food like small fish being attracted by bait as she slowly crept into the room. AH! Dont eat the food anytime you want to!! Even though you say it now, I cant take it anymore. Index immediately lost to her hungry stomach and started to bother Itsuwa, who was cooking. Seeing Index like this, Kamijou Touma got up, and then got into a dashing position before getting over to Index, grabbing her waist with both hands before pulling her out of the kitchen. Using the momentum of his starting run, he threw her onto the bed with a strange professional wrestling throw while yelling "soryaaaa!!" STOP DESTROYING A MANS DREAAAAAMMMMMM!!!! WAAH! Tou, Touma, whats going on!? Due to shock, Indexs eyes continued to twirl in confusion. Hearing her shout, the calico cat put in some distance in irritation. Kamijou didnt make a reply, and wordlessly grabbed Indexs head with one hand, turning it towards the kitchen. LOOK, INDEX!! THIS SHOULD BE HOW YOU BEHAVE WHEN YOU LIVE IN SOMEONE ELSES HOUSE!! OWOWOWOWOW!? Why is Touma acting so weird today!? If Im to calm down and think, why is it always you whos over there eating and sleeping, and then watching the television!? FROM TODAY ONWARDS, YOURE GOING TO WORK! HURRY UP, GET A SPONGE AND CLEANING DETERGENT, AND CLEAN UP THE BATHROOM!!! Eh, but its about time for Magical-Powered Kanamin Integral to start, right? Good, HURRY UP AND GET TO WOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK!!! Why? While Index was still puzzled, she was thrown into the bathroom by Kamijou. Seeing someone serious like Itsuwa, it should allow her to change. Oh yeah, the ones who were with her in the past included a pyromaniac-like priest with a cigarette stench and a multi-sided spy who continued to laugh slyly all year long, so compared to them, she could be considered normal, but upon thinking about it carefully, Itsuwa was still the most suited to be called an ordinary human. (Then, I should start cleaning up the room like a serious person.) Though Kamijou considered this...but compared to Itsuwa, who was cooking for others, Kamijou was just cleaning his own room, and these things couldnt be compared. But no matter what, it was better than not doing anything at all. After making this conclusion, Kamijou started to tidy up the messed up living room by picking up all the magazines. At this moment. (?) Wha, whats with this traditional Japanese cuisine smell!? Suddenly, he could hear a girls shout, and after that, he heard the sound of plastic breaking. Kamijou panicked and turned his head toward the veranda, and Itsuwa, who was in shock, stopped moving her hands that had been working on the meal. Appearing there was Tsuchimikado Maika in a maid outfit. It seemed like she had broken the except in case of a fire, please do not break this board which is meant to separate the rooms and the balcony board without any hesitation, and invaded here. DAMN IT!! I FINALLY MANAGED TO MAKE A SERIOUS TURNOVER, AND NOW I HAVE ANOTHER WEIRDO HERE!! Ignoring a really irritated Kamijou, Maika, who normally lacked changes of expression, looked extremely serious as she smelled her way to the kitchen. ...I smell it, I smell it... This miso soup... you used dried scallop to hide the smell, and you added it after grounding it into powder, right...? How, how did you know that!? Not even mum saw through that!! Itsuwa was shocked that the food expert saw through it. So the basics of cooking come from the mother! Besides Kamijou, there was a small plate that Itsuwa used to hold a bit of the miso soup. After considering for a while, Itsuwa passed the plate over the girl in maid clothes. Maika received the plate in a tea dance-like movement, and without any sound, places her lips near it. After drinking it, she paused for a whileGUAAAHH!! Suddenly, her eyes widened as she shouted. Maikas shoulders continued to tremble as she said, This, this woman, shes good... What? GUAAAHH!! HOW, HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE!! For some reason, Maika immediately went 180 degrees and through the veranda, moving back into the neighboring room. Through the open window, a conversation between siblings could be heard. Ah, oi!? Why are you throwing away todays cream stew nyaa!? Whats going to happen to my dinner!? SHUT UP, YOU AMATEUR!! SEEING SUCH AN OUTSTANDING DISH, THIS LEVEL OF THING ISNT GOING TO MATCH UP AGAINST THAT! YOU, YOU JUST WATCH, FROM NOW ON, ILL SHOW YOU WHAT A MISO SOUP IS REALLY LIKE!! "EH!? I FEEL THAT CREAM STEW IS GOOD TOO, YOU KNOW!?". Hearing the blond, sunglasses-wearing agents moan about stew, Itsuwas shoulders trembled in fear. That, that, that guys voice just now, I seem to have heard it in Avignon before...? Speaking of which, whos that kid? Im not so sure myself, but it seems like youve hurt the pride of that prospective maid, so she views you as a rival...Kamijou paused. Itsuwa was a normal human; he felt that he shouldnt let her get used to those weirdoes antics. To Kamijou, he was just thinking about all of these. If he had a wish that God could grant, it would be that this girl wouldnt become like those weirdoes. Part 7 At one moment Index and Itsuwa were engaged in a pretty dangerous situation, but once Index ate the food Itsuwa made, the dangerous atmosphere had disappeared without a trace; and now she was rolling on the floor asking Itsuwa for an 8th bowl of rice. Itsuwa was bothered by this, and as for the calico cat, it was biting on the ball of wet napkins that Itsuwa had made, playing around with it. (Hah... Well, if it doesnt cause any huge problems, its all good.) If Indexs mood can improve because from this, would I have to prepare some meat, fish or sausages to placate Index? Though Kamijou thought this way... No, wait, if Index knows that Ive been hiding food, wont I get bitten the moment I reveal it? Kamijou readjusted his thoughts. Though it was a good idea, it seemed that carrying it out was still a lot more difficult. But since they had already eaten lunch, there was nothing else for them to do. He didnt have any school assignments today, and Kamijou wasnt one whod take the initiative to go and study, so what was left to do was to bathe and sleep. However, here was the problem. HOW IS IT THAT YOU CAN BREAK THE BATHTUB WITH JUST A SPONGE AND DETERGENT, INDEX!?! Ev, even if you say that, I only followed Toumas instructions and just went creak creak a few times!! Kamijou and Indexs shouts echoed through the night street, and Itsuwa made a forced smile. The reason why the trio were on the streets was simple: Kamijous bathtub (or more accurately, the water heater) was damaged and couldnt be used, so the trio were forced to move to a public bath. I WOULD BET THAT INDEX DIDNT FOLLOW WHAT KAMIJOU-SAN SAID TO SCRUB IT THOROUGHLY! COME TO THINK OF IT, WHY DOES THE SINK IN THE BATHTUB SMELL OF MELTED PLASTIC!? LET ME GUESS, INDEX, DID YOU POUR A LARGE AMOUNT OF DETERGENT INSIDE!!? Eh? Didnt you say that you can make things clean by just pouring detergent in? VERY GOOD! AN INCREDIBLE NATURAL AIRHEAD HAS APPEARED!! THANKS TO YOU, THE WATER HEATERS ALL BURNED UP, AND WE ALMOST HAD A FIRE ON OUR HANDS!!! Ah, ah haha. W, well, isnt it good to go out to a bathhouse and change a bit of the atmosphere? This isnt bad. Itsuwa used her god-like interrupting skills to appease the atmosphere between Kamijou and Index. These creatures called humans could slowly calm down as long as someone did a little adjustment to a huge commotion. Unexpectedly, Academy City has quite a lot of bathhouses. From those kinds of old public bathhouses to some natural hot springs... Oh yeah, whats here? It seems like a large spa with entertainment facilities. ...Speaking of which, why does Itsuwa have such detailed information about Academy City? Kamijou didnt even know that Academy City had natural hot springs. And the guidebook-like thing that Itsuwa was holding didnt even look like the typical one Academy City released, but a torn and tattered old notebook. (...Eh, about that. Getting a good grasp of the surrounding geography is what a bodyguard should do.) Itsuwa said in a volume that Index couldnt hear. (...Besides, Acquas from the magic side, so Im checking the pulse flow throughout this street, and if possible, checking his movements would be a lot easier.) ...It was good to be so enthusiastic about work, but before Acqua arrived, Anti-Skill wouldnt come over under the charge of tight security. Regarding this, Kamijou was a bit uncomfortable. Then, wheres that recreational bath? Mm... it seems to be in District 22. This is District 7, so in other words, its at the edge of Academy City. If youre talking about District 22... an underground street, huh. The place took up only 2 square kilometers, and among all the school districts, it was the smallest in area. However, it was developed underground about several hundred meters in depth, so it could be considered the one district that had the most scientific style. Hm, but the last bus just left. Itsuwa continued to flip through the old notebook, Its not that far. If we borrow a 3-seater motorbike, we can get there right away. Luckily, theres a bike rental shop here. Eh? Itsuwa knows how to ride a bike? Ma, well, basically, I still can. Cars, motorcycles, mini-boats... ah, even though I cant pilot a plane, if its a helicopter, I still can... From Itsuwas tone, it seemed that she still felt incapable. Was not being able to pilot a plane really something worth being mindful about? Since were in Japan, the transport network is really good, so its not really necessary, but...for work, theres a need to go to the vast desert or grasslands or places like that. Seemed like Itsuwa wasnt boasting; on the contrary, it seemed that she was being lectured as her voice got softer and softer until it was as loud as a mosquito buzz. However, it meant that she didnt just have any ordinary license in Japan, but rather, an international license. To Kamijou, who just found that being able to ride a unicycle was impressive enough, Itsuwa was someone really worth respecting. Today, this ordinary girl called Itsuwa really had quite a few surprising sides, and Kamijou was slightly touched as they walked towards the motorbike rental shop near a student dormitory. In this Academy City that was full of students, the need to rent bikes was a lot higher than cars. Seeing the rent prices on the pricing board, Kamijou revealed a thunderstruck-like expression. Oh, oh yeah. Itsuwas not a student from District 7, so she cant enjoy any district premiums!! Eh, theres no need to worry; I have enough military funding. Although Itsuwa said that, to Kamijou, who had a housewife-like accounting ability, he would still choose a cheaper one if possible. This was the most basic way to go. In the end, they made use of a premium rate for those that missed the last ride and were unable to go home, and rented a 2-seater medium sized bike. They also paid extra to rent a side seat. The one driving the motorbike was Itsuwa, the one sitting behind was Kamijou, and Index was sitting in the side car. Touma, I can sense some intention from this, you know? No, theres no such thing. How about you call this ladies first? The side cars the most comfortable, so Kamijou-san has no choice but to give you that seat. Kamijou tried to force an explanation, but Itsuwa, who was being hugged on the abdomen, felt her heart beating like crazy. Itsuwa tried to help Index put the helmet on her nun''s cap, and suddenly remembered something. She said, Come to think of which, is it really alright to leave the cat at home? No matter what, we cant bring animals to a bathhouse. Well, that cat would continue to move around in a circle, so there shouldnt be any problems. On a side note, that calico kitten was standing in front of the high-class scratchboard that Itsuwa brought back. Wh, what!? This thing has an attractive smell, but can I really scratch this thing without making anyone angry!?, considering all of this as it trembles. Of course, nobody noticed it. Just like that, when Index finally understood the correct way to put on the helmet, Itsuwa started the engine of the motorbike. Wow, the night Academy City sure is nice. No matter whether its the control or the engine sound, it makes me so relaxed. The road surface is in rather good condition as well; I feel like I can speed up whenever... ahh, if I had known, I might as well have challenged that famous thing from Academy City, that super electromagnetic motorcycle. Its said that the wheels and axles are held together by magnets, letting the donut-shaped wheel pass through the motor gas and run. Well, I dont really understand bikes, but outside technology cant even be compared to this. Also, I hope that you would drive safelySTUPID ITSUWA, YOURE REALLY, REALLY SPEEDING UP!!? Kamijou reflexively increased the strength of his grip on Itsuwas waist, but Itsuwa, really happy about this reaction, didnt notice that she was speeding up. Kamijous dormitory was located in a corner of District 7, and the distance to District 22 could be covered by walking. The reason why Itsuwa would rent a motorbike was most likely because they could go home immediately, and if it took a long time, their thoroughly-bathed bodies would be dry. Coming out of District 7 and entering District 22, Index, who was seated in the side car, widened her eyes. WAAHH! Touma, look, theres a jungle gym! A huge jungle gym!! The surface of District 22 was a lot different from the other districts. On the surface, there werent any buildings here, just a whole stretch of windmills. Furthermore, the windmills here were a whole lot different from the rest, as they werent just a replacement of electric cables. Like the metal frames in a building, there were parallel pillars linking both of them, and the 30-stories tall pile of the large number of windmills were placed there, arranged as a structure. This view resembled just what Index mentioned, a giant jungle gym. Itsuwa handled the handlebar, turning the bike towards the underground street entrance, saying, District 22 is extended downwards, so it cant rely on wind-generated electricity or solar-generated electricity. Also, the underground streets seem like they need a lot of electrical energy, so I heard that they have all sorts of energy generators all over Academy City. Having an unexpectedly large amount of knowledge, Itsuwa steered the motorbike through the rectangular door and down into the underground. The space in the underground District 22 was a giant cylindrical area, and the entrance looked like it was outside this 2 kilometer diameter area , continuing to spiral down to the bottom. Including the passage that was heading the other way, it looked like the signs used at a barber shop. In this gradually spiraling downwards tunnel, the orange light shone onto the ground. Seeing the infrastructure that was completely different from ordinary streets, Index raised her hands and cheered. Kamijou smelled the exhaust gases released by the vehicles as he said to Itsuwa, These underground streets, they arent suited for Japan. Its scary when theres an earthquake, you know. Actually, no matter how strong the walls are, once theres an earthquake that can level the ground, the entire thing will be destroyed. The place here is really safe against earthquakes. Oh yeah, this huge spiral path is like a huge spring: it can absorb the impact when theres an earthquake. Havent you heard of this before? ...That is just some baseless rumor. Speaking of which, Itsuwa, why would you check up on things that dont appear on the blueprints, layouts, and arent real? Ah, ah haha, Itsuwa just let out a forced laugh. However, wheres that entertainment bathhouse? Well, it seems to be on the 3rd level. Touma, whats this seaweed? Some sort of vegetable?[1] Not seaweed, level. District 22 is split into 10 underground levels, and were going to the third one right now. While saying this, they could see the third levela gate that was 90m underground. Itsuwa turned on the indicator, slowing down as she headed toward the door. Passing through the rectangular door, their vision suddenly widened. WAHH...!! Index couldnt help but let out a shout. In contrast to the orange lights in the tunnel, the place here was a slightly blue space. In this place that was 2km in diameter, the ceiling had become a planetarium projection panel, passing through a camera to form a huge night sky. The other streets all used the same color so it gave one the impression of moving into a starry sea. From the floor to the ceiling, passing through the planetarium screen and acting as the support to the underground street was the lobby. Speaking of which, the roof of the underground street was like the ceiling of a sports hall, supported by a large amount of metal frames, scattering the weight. However, this architecture alone didnt seem able to support its own weight, so a lot more ways were used to support it. Index continued to sit in the side car as she looked around. Is this really the underground!? Theres even a flowing river and forest!! For the forest, they used an agriculture tower to grow them. Besides purifying the air, they also have an important role in providing a sense of serenity to humans. And the water is one of the most important sources of electricity. It passes through the entire level, and each level uses this falling water power to generate electricity from water power. It sure felt like today''s Itsuwa was playing the role of a guide girl on a tour bus in Academy City. Index tilted her head and asked, Itsuwa, why is there a need for so much electrical energy? Uh hmm... most of the energy is used to pump air in. Absorbing oxygen in from the surface, removing the carbon dioxide accumulated below. This is a must. Also theres a need to pump rainwater and wastewater up. So considering all of that, theres a need to pump them all out. 40% of the electricity consumed in Academy City is put into these large air pumps. Regarding that, it seems that theyre using a real life bottlecap-like effect. As more than half of Academy Citys electricity is generated by wind, no matter how much energy they use, theres no need to worry about fuel consumption and environmental destruction. But in contrast to other countries, while people are voicing out about oil prices rising, creating a street that relies primarily on fossil fuels isnt realistic... Additionally, while Academy City is limited in land space, those countries with wide acres of land dont even need to build any underground streets. (Well, if the research is successful, then other problems would crop up if we were to really market this.) The motorbike with a side wheel continued to move forward on this starry night. Kamijou, who was sitting in the back seat, pointed at the electrical decorations on the tower far away. Hm? Oi, Itsuwa, that entertainment bathhouse you talked about, is it over there? Ah, it looks that way. But that place sure seems busy recently. Eh, youre right. It seems to be ranked 3 among all bathhouses. ...Is this kind of information really needed in an escort battle against Acqua? Though Kamijou was puzzled, Itsuwa didnt mind. Is there a problem? No... actually, in this famous place, I feel that I might meet someone familiar there. Part 8 Misaka Mikoto stopped, roughly seeing the huge building in front of her. This building that shot through the floor of District 22 to the ceiling was the Spa Resort Serene Springs. Basically speaking, this entire building was the hot spring. Every level had all sorts of different herbs, electrical power, sonic waves; all kinds of pools were available there. Even so, it still had space for a shopping district, like a karaoke center, a bowling alley, etc. In contrast to the old context of bathhouses, calling this a bathhouse-styled relaxation zone would be more appropriate. The place was targeted (opening this in Academy City, where the majority were students, was also one of the reasons) at the 10+ year-old boys and girls, and so the design matched the age group. As this was an entertainment-based facility, there was of course a VIP pool. However, Mikoto wasnt aiming for that. ...An out-of-bath Gekota strap... If one was able to accumulate 10 collection cards with stamps on them, they could receive this gift. For this, Mikoto had come all the way over to this Spa Resort Serene Springs. If it hadnt been for this strap, she wouldnt have purposely broken the dormitory curfew and ran out, shaking off Shirai Kuroko, who had tailed her, before coming all the way here. (Well, its alright to bring Kuroko along...but if I were to tell her that I was coming here to bathe, shed cling onto me like a snake...) This image appeared in Mikotos mind, making her feel a chill up her spine. She shook her head around to get rid of this terrifying idea and entered the building. Upon entering, what appeared in front of her was the lobby there didnt seem to be a reception point, as the payment areas were all at the entrance to each bath area. There was a group of people fanning themselves and there were also children, who had gotten sick of the bath area, playing around at the game corner. After passing through these crowds of people, Mikoto reached the elevator. Now, where shall I collect these stamps... She had passed through the ultrasonic bath area; as an Electromaster, she had no need to especially use those electrical bath pools. Through this elimination, all that was left was just some basic baths with a higher composition of herbs. Medicinal effects, though the way it was phrased made one suspicious, it was just a scientific method of analyzing the composition of the water, and then adjusting the composition of the artificial pool to have the same effects. Cant you just say that you just added a bit of some bathing agents? Mikoto said such explicit words as she took the elevator to the 8th level. At the entrance to the bathhouse, she paid some money, borrowed a towel, quickly took her clothes off in the changing area, wrapped her body in the light-colored bath towel, locked her items up, and finished her preparation for this operation. (...Its unexpectedly short.) The bottom of the bath towel just reached near her thighs. Though Mikoto was mindful about that, she still opened the door to the huge bathroom. One couldnt even sense the height of this tower. There were no windows, not a single one. In District 22, even if there were windows, itd just be a wide space. If this place had been in the mountains, it would have been okay; but in the middle of a city, setting up windows in a womans bathroom just to allow them to see the scenery was like committing suicide. The bathrooms setup was very similar to traditional ones. There were three bath pools, set according to the water temperature. The wall had an oil-painted Mount Fuji on it... well, no such thing. Replacing it was a large magnetic particle color screen. It was said that the selling point of this screen was that it allowed the particles to change colors immediately and to, without the need for external light, be able to display all sorts of colors, but the price was exorbitantly high. Besides, an ordinary television screen that people used now wasnt much of a problem, so besides a handful of artists and cinemas, there hadnt been many buyers; it was somewhat of a very tragic item. The screen looked like it also had a touchscreen function, as 2 to 3 children were chattering There really is, I''m saying that a white angel really appeared. No way thats possible. Really! They probably hid all the bad things! as they continued to draw on the screen. The females watching the night serial drama through a small window on the screen were also doing the same. Mikoto arrived at a row of shower taps and sat down in front of one of them, gently held onto the tap with a sensor on it, and after a few seconds, the number 38C appeared on the screen. Over here, the machine would use ones palm to detect body temperature before setting it at the most suitable temperature for the customer to shower. (If I want to get all the stamps, I might as well go into every bath for a few seconds and then go into the next one, and then repeat how about it? Hmm... that doesnt really seem like the best way... I should have risked it and asked Kuroko over to get 2 persons worth of stamps. No, thats not right...!?) Mikoto considered all these as she bathed herself, and then used hot water to wash away the soap bubbles. (Speaking of which, Ive only collected about half of the number required; still a long way to go for the bath Gekota.) In truth, Mikoto didnt really like baths that were too hot, thus among the three bath compartments, she headed to the most kiddy-looking one. At this moment, Mikoto froze. In front of her was the silver-haired, green-eyed nun who she had seen so many times before. AH, EHHH!? WHY ARE YOU HERE!? Mikoto couldnt help but shriek, but Index, who was soaking in the clear pool, placed her index finger near her lips. ...Be quiet while youre in the bath! Now that she mentioned it, this sure was the case. Mikoto shut up and carefully stepped into the bath pool. This time, Index said again, ...Dont put your towel inside the water! As a Japanese person, for Mikoto to unexpectedly be lectured by a foreigner regarding bathhouse etiquette, this really deflated her. Mikoto took off her towel and let the bath water rise to her shoulders. At this moment, she noticed the double-eyelid girl beside Index, remembering clearly her special characteristic. No, she couldnt say that she knew that girl. Oh yeah, youre that girl who got hugged by that idiot because of some strange soccer ball, right!!? Now that Mikoto suddenly mentioned this, the girl with her eyes shut let out a GUAAH!! shout and blushed, her hands waving about as she said No, its not that, nonono, I, I, I, I-I-I...!!, trying to make a decent excuse but unable to say anything of the sort. On the other side, the foreign nun slightly opened her mouth, revealing her shiny fangs inside. But Mikoto didnt hear anything of what the ordinary girl said. She stared at the girl who was waving her arms about, leaving her defenseless, making a hypothesis as she looked through the clear water. (Seems to be unexpectedly big...) Considering that her only choice was to admit defeat willingly, Mikotos jaw dropped. Although still hidden in the slightly-colored water, if this ordinary girl stood up from the water, it would instantly bring Mikoto despair. The ordinary girl continued to chatter, softly yet quickly. Seeing her, Mikoto remembered, (Speaking of which, do these children know about that idiots issue?) Memory loss. Mikoto herself had only just found out about it recently. Since when had he lost his memory? How had it happened? She didnt know any of these specific details. Piecing two and two together, it seemed that the idiot himself wanted to hide the fact about his memory loss... Mikoto could only make this hypothesis. (These guys...they...dont know about his memory loss.) Mikoto sneakily looked at their expression. Of course, not being a mind reader meant that even if she did this, she couldnt understand what they were thinking. Mikoto let her body soak in the water as she pondered. (Speaking of which, this is all because of that idiot, and Im just a complete stranger. No matter how much I think about it, there wont be any developments... even though I understand, but... Speak-speaking of which, why must I be so troubled by that idiot; if I feel that its troublesome, shouldnt I stop caring about it glup glup glup glup glup glup glup glup...) AH, EHHH? SHORT-HAIRS SINKING INTO THE HOT WATER!!!? SHELL DROWN!!! WE NEED TO SAVE HER!!! ? Kamijou, coming out of the bath first, was standing in front of the vending machine. He was wondering whether he should go for ice milk coffee or ice cream. At this moment, patapatapatapatapatapatapata, he heard footsteps and turned his head back. All he saw was a female doctor running out from the resuscitation room to the female pool. Of course, he didnt know what was going on inside. Part 9 After passing through a time of relaxation, the happy time of bathing was now over. Kamijou walked out of the relaxation bathing tower and was now standing at the main entrance of the building. He wasnt there to smoke, but to get some night wind. ...I completely forgot that this is an underground street. After standing there for quite a while, there still hadnt been any wind. Realizing this, Kamijou couldnt help but feel disappointed. Even so, he was considering something. A man from the deepest organization within the Roman Catholic Church''s Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back, had sent a letter of challenge over... There wasnt anything critical yet, but even if he opened the box and peeked inside, there wasnt anything special going on. (Is he just bluffing...? No, its too early to conclude that.) At this moment, Itsuwa, who was fragrant after bathing, slowly approached a frustrated Kamijou. Youll get cold if you stay in such a place. No, I need to get some blood to my head, so this should be good. Well, were using the motorbike to get back anyway. If we consider the time now, well definitely get colds. After being lectured by Itsuwa in such a conservative manner, Kamijou looked dejected. Seeing him like this, Itsuwa couldnt help but chuckle. How about a walk together? Youre the one who said that well get cold, Itsuwa!! Well get cold anyway, so I feel that its alright. Also, if you really want, why dont you go back into the baths again later? There are many baths for you to play around in, like a swimming pool. This really is a rather good wonderland, Kamijou thought. To be honest, it was lonely for a man to bathe by himself. Oh yeah, wheres Index? It seems like she said that she wanted to look around the food tasting area in the food space. If Kamijou asked Index whether she wanted to go for a walk when Index was like this, he would likely be bitten by her iron fangs the moment he said it. Since she wont leave the food tasting area, theres no need to worry about her getting lost, Kamijou made an apt conclusion. (...Besides, its better to ask Itsuwa all sorts of things regarding Acqua.) Acqua of the Back may arrive in Academy City, and besides, Kamijou had kept this a secret from Index. This time, Acquas target was Kamijou alone, so Kamijou wanted to try his best to avoid getting Index involved a dangerous situation. Therefore Kamijou and Itsuwa started to talk as they began this night stroll. In this uniformly blue-ridden night scene, the street felt like the scales of a butterfly from a southern country, and yet it also looked like underwater coral reefs. Maybe because their bodies were still hot from the baths, the scene in front didnt look all that icy cold. Speaking of which, the Amakusa have moved from Japan to England, right? Mm, yes. So hows life in England? Mm... Itsuwa pondered while she faced Kamijou. Even though we moved to London, weve been entrusted with the Japanese street area, so basically there isnt too much of a change. Our daily meals there are the same as in Japan. Eh? Is that so? Mm... Itsuwa again revealed an ambiguous smile, and after pausing for a while, Actually, the Amakusa is a group that learns about all the surroundings and thinks of the most suitable ways to blend into the surroundings, so our reaction to arriving in a foreign land so suddenly isnt much different from ordinary people. In other words, Itsuwa and company had chosen to go to the Japanese street not because they were bogged down by Japanese habits, but because they could only choose to go somewhere where, even if there was a group of Japanese, they wouldnt feel oppressed. The feeling one got was like a mix of Eastern and Western cultures. The Anglican Church treats us rather well. Of course, its just an Amakusa feeling, but living in London is really interesting, Itsuwa said this with a smile, but things shouldnt be that simple. Because the Anglican Church couldnt head out to settle all problems due to political reasons, before they could finally mobilize, the Amakusa would act on their own, and once something went wrong, they would be abandoned like a lizards tail. Kamijou had seen things like this happen numerous times. Being under the umbrella of a large organization, sometimes they would be assigned work due to convenience. Is that so? But Kamijou swallowed these thoughts and only gave a simple reply. Itsuwa wasnt giving just a simple smile, but one could still tell that she was happy with how she was treated. Say, the Amakusa is originally like those ordinary sects that blend into the street culture anyway. Mm, besides, thats our goal. Youre right. Kamijou Touma reconfirmed Itsuwas attire. Right now, she had a pink tanktop over her brightly-colored sheep-like sweatshirt. Her dark pants were like cloth wrapped on legs, and there were large gaps in between. A transparent vinyl was used to hold it together. So are the people in London dressed like that? Ah, um, right now, this get-up is chosen under the condition of settling the problem in Academy City. Does it really look indecent...? Seeing Itsuwa sink into discomfort, Kamijou could only casually shake his head. This seemed to calm her down quite a bit. Though its a bit harder to explain it in words, but, well, Ill choose a more mature look when Im in London. Well basically, I dont know the clothing brands in Academy City, but the designs over there do feel a bit stiff, right? Well, thats not really the case. The people over there dont just like domestic products; on the contrary, its dangerous to choose that... Besides, even if there are people wearing the same things, the different characteristics and actions can thoroughly change a persons overall image, you know? Though Itsuwa was trying her best to explain this, since her entire attire was based on feeling, it was very hard to explain it in theory. It was like someone saying that he was teaching how to ride a bike, but not teaching anything besides how to get on the bike, no further explanation. Thus, Kamijou was a bit mindful of Itsuwas image in London. At this moment, Kamijou remembered that beside Itsuwa, there was another familiar person among the Amakusa. Kanzaki Kaori. But isnt Kanzakis attire weird as well? EH!? WHATAREYOU SAYING STRANGE AS IN...? Though her get-up does look adult-like, that should be classified as sexy, right? YOU, YOU SUDDENLY GAVE A SHOCKING COMMENT ABOUT THE PRIESTESS!? THAT ISNT BECAUSE ITS OBSCENE, BUT RATHER THE SPELL COMPOSITION THAT REQUIRES ASYMMETRY!! IT WAS DELIBERATELY MADE LIKE THAT TO ALLOW THE BALANCE ON BOTH SIDES BE USED EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND NOT MEANT TO DELIBERATELY SHOW OFF THE CURVES ON HER BODY OR WHATSOEVER!! HA!? At this moment, Itsuwa finally reverted back to normal. Seeing the change in this late-blooming girl that had her two hands clenched and placed in front of her chest, Kamijou tried to pull her back, saying, Then, well, so to Itsuwa and the rest, it seems like coming to London was the best choice, right? ??? Well, were really happy to be living on the same land as the Priestess. The way Kamijou suddenly changed the topic caused Itsuwa to remain dazed for a while. ...Well, as the distance is too far, its a pity that I cant immediately see the person I want to see when the persons in Japan... She continued to walk beside Kamijou, her vision slowly turning downwards, her mouth muttering. ...But, recently, things are alright. That, its like Vega and Altair...[2] ? What now, Itsuwa? NO, NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!!! Kamijou stared at Itsuwa as he questioned a blank Itsuwa, and Itsuwa blushed as she started to wave her hands. Part 10 With Tatemiya Saiji leading the pack, the Amakusa members were standing slightly far away from Kamijou and Itsuwas position. They were not gathered at one spot, but scattered all around with Kamijou at center, looking around at the surrounding lanes, continuing to move around at a similar speed as Kamijou. And even so, they continued to blend with into the surroundings; it was hard to tell who they were protecting. If that happened, an observing VIP guard expert would be shocked by it. Besides, the Amakusas skills were a lot better than those experts, so they were not likely to be found out. The Amakusa had been commanded by the Anglican Church to carry out this mission, and with Tatemiya leading, the group of teenagers continued to move down the street (or pretending to be). They were lined up on a karaoke relaxation street, occasionally looking like they were going into some shops and pretending to look into some shops, continuing to maintain their distance from Kamijou and Itsuwa as they moved around. So what do you think, substitute Supreme Pontiff? Ushibuka asked. About Itsuwas abandon Index and have a night date battle? Im talking about Acqua of the Back. Ushibukas short and simple sentence made Tatemiyas expression change. He slightly looked around for a while. Up till now, there hasnt been any signs of invasion, and Academy City hasnt received any similar reports, but, ...Well, we still cant believe it, huh? In this situation, theres a double meaning to not being able to believe it. Tatemiya revealed an evil smile. First, its that Academy Citys security itself has holes that the magic side can exploit, so it cant be trusted. The other one iswhy would the higher ups of Academy City choose to hide this information? So, Ushibuka, which one do you believe? Well... For just Kamijou Touma alone, the three sidesAcademy City, the Anglican Church, and the Roman Catholic Churchare all racking their brains as they come up with plans. By itself, this scenario is already peculiar. Substitute Supreme Pontiff. Mm, I understand. To us Amakusa, just the name Kamijou Touma alone is worth protecting, because hes not just our savior, but our comrade as well. But at this point, Tatemiya paused. But whats Kamijou Touma to Academy City? Whats Kamijou Touma to the Anglican Church? Whats Kamijou Touma to Gods Right Seat of the Roman Catholic Church...? Is he someone that such a huge thing like an organisation has to take action against? With Tatemiya as centerpoint, the small band of familiar people remained silent. It was not that they didnt understand the answer. It was that even though they thought of it, they were afraid to say it out loud. ...There are a few hypotheses we can make. Tatemiya finally said, But, that thing... Kamijou Toumas value, is it the same to all three of these organisations? We cant make any developments if we just consider this. It seems like theres a lot of hidden information that we dont know of. Substitute Supreme Pontiff... If we really want to protect Kamijou Touma, we may have to investigate those things as well. We cant just be happy with forcing the attackers to retreat. We have to directly take down the guy that sent those attackers. Speaking so far, Tatemiya Saiji suddenly paused. He felt constricted. The thing that had vanished was a human. From who knew when, the only ones walking down this street were Tatemiya and company. Seemed like he had controlled the crowd flow through some means, and could even use a highly-skilled technique of blending into the surroundings like the Amakusa. ... There was not even a need to say a single word. Tatemiya gave a few movement signals to discreetly give his orders, and the teenagers of the Amakusa quickly reached for their hidden weapons. It was a feeling of constriction. This feeling was like the huge columns of air whipped up when a subway train moved near a train station. Just like when a huge thing got near, there would be shockwaves or something similar to that. Tatemiya looked over at the source of this constricting feeling. What was over there was... Part 11 Kamijou and Itsuwa were slowly walking down an underground street that was completely covered in blue. Different from the other streets, the view here was specially tailored. A uniform night scene would bore one if they continued to look in the same place, but overall, it still looked pretty. At this moment, Itsuwa, who was walking on, suddenly said, He hasnt made a move yet, that Acqua. ...Maybe he got tangled in Academy Citys security. Hehe, there wont be such good fortune. As they had been very relaxed, they had forgotten all about it, but the pressing issue now was still Gods Right Seat. Though Anti-Skill of Academy City werent idiots, they had let some magicians invade Academy City in some battles between magicians. Having seen all of these, Kamijou wasnt going to just let them handle it all...besides, after the battle against Vento of the Front, Acqua himself had invaded Academy City to bring her back. Though the Amakusas reinforcements were very reliable, once there was some political problem, they would definitely be cut off like a lizards tail, so their actions werent as limited. This was something that was to be expected, even without anyone saying it, because if the Anglican Church didnt care about all of these and were going to go all out just to beat Acqua, they would have immediately sent Kanzaki over. The moment the topic was changed, the entire blue atmosphere changed as well. Maybe it was a coincidence or something, but the color that signified Acqua of the Back seemed to be blue. Though the fact that Im not being attacked should be something to be happy about... She didnt know how to decide on this, as Itsuwas tone indicated that she was a bit nervous. While continuing to walk on this blue street, Kamijou pondered for a while, Maybe hes doing something secretly, maybe something happened. Up till now, the two members of Gods Right Seat who had attacked... Vento of the Front and Terra of the Left had both used completely different methods of attacking. One brashly had come attacking right from the front, while the other had let the world sink into chaos and made one huge detour to attack Academy City. He could only use those two as examples, so it was hard to pin down the methods of Gods Right Seat. Besides, Vento and Terras actions had both been too extreme, so it was impossible to use them as reference. Anyway, we cant just let down our guard so easily... Itsuwa again clenched her little fist. Including the substitute Supreme Pontiff, everyones working hard in ways that we cant see. No matter whos here, the fact that we will use all our strength to complete our mission wont change. Just treat this as what we do all the time; theres no need to be mindful about this. What you do all the time, huh? On hearing Itsuwas words, Kamijou forced a smile. ...Speaking of which, Im supposed to be targeted by this really huge group called Gods Right Seat, and yet Im forced to come to this relaxation facility because my heater got spoilt. I do feel bad about bothering other people... No, its not that. I dont think that everyone feels that way, Itsuwa quickly waved her hands as she interrupted Kamijou. Even if we know that a strong enemys about to come, well be very fatigued mentally if we continue to remain alert. We have to properly rest up in order to be able to use all our strength at the critical moment: this is very important. Thus its very important for us to relax now. Trying to force oneself to live in ones own special rhythm isnt going to work. Its the same thing as putting freshwater fish in seawater. Its that kind of a thing, huh? Kamijou felt puzzled. Neither of them really planned on a path for their stroll. Index would definitely choose to join the fight if they were to talk about Acqua right in front of her, thus they had decided to keep it a secret from her. They had already said what they wanted to say, and now they had reached a place where they could see a river. Kamijous plan was to use the metal bridge to pass over the river, and make a round before heading back to where they had come from through another path. Speaking of which, about the other Amakusa members, youre talking about Tatemiya and the rest? Mm, yes. They should be somewhere nearby, watching and protecting us. Itsuwa said in a seemingly regretful tone, ...If the Priestess were here, her strength alone would be equivalent to 100 people. Were talking about Kanzaki here, right? She is really strong. Yes, yes! Because the Priestess is one of the Saints, and there are only 20 of them! No matter what, we only need the Priestess to finish them off in one hit! Hoho, is that so, Kamijou suitably replied to Itsuwa. Well, since she could fight against an archangel like Power of God, she is truly strong, that Kanzaki. EHYAAHEH!? SHE FOUGHT AGAINST AN A-ARCHANGEL!? WHAT HAPPENED...!? Oh? This reaction shocked Kamijou. That had been during the Angel Fall incident, so Itsuwa may not have known. However, she seemed to have heard from Tsuchimikado that he had intruded upon Kanzaki changing clothes... but it seemed like regarding this Angel Fall incident, Kamijou didnt really remember much of it. Hmm... Kamijou scratched his head. No matter whether its a Saint or an angel, both are really strong. There are a lot of strong people out there in this world. This, well, it isnt really a critical evaluation... Itsuwa looked like she hadnt recovered from the shock. No matter what, if we compare an angel against a Saint, an angel is still stronger. Really? Then does that mean that Kanzaki cant beat an angel no matter how much she tries? That, that is really a tough question... its just that, in terms of raw power, an angel is still stronger. The power that a Saint has is different in nature when compared to an angel. Based on Itsuwas explanation, humans that were Saints were limited in how much power they could use. If they were to even barely try to surpass that limit, they may end up self-destructing. Among the scholars in the magic side, there were many different explanations regarding why can an angel retain so much power and yet not go amok? Damn it, my head hurts now that were talking about studying; its the same no matter which side. Though Im just saying this generally, basically, that information can be trusted... Seeing as Itsuwas shoulders sink as she sighed, it seemed that she was really trying her best in every single aspect. Back to what were talking about, you said that Kanzaki couldnt help, but arent both Kanzaki and the Amakusa affiliated to the Anglican Church? They should arrive if you ask, right? Probably...I guess. Though were together, a Saint is like a nukes existence, so it seems that they cant just allow her to act outside England. Besides, there are many things that the Amakusa cant say, so we cant just ask her like that... well, regarding this, its still something of a taboo... While talking about this, Kamijou and Itsuwa stepped onto the metal bridge. The entire length of the metal bridge was about 50 meters. Speaking of the size of the bridge, it wasnt very big; considering that the river underneath was man-made, one would somehow lament about it. This was a lit part as well. The entire bridge was all blue. (...Though I know I cant let down my guard, but, just the two of us... WAAAAHHH...) Whats wrong, Itsuwa? N-NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!! ISNT THERE NOTHING GOING ON!!? Itsuwa immediately raised her petite hands to rapidly swing them in front of her face, left and right. That, that that that that, I just thought that there wasnt really anyone around; and its now just two of us. Its rare to see this place being decorated so nicely, it, its such a waste... Kamijou started to feel puzzled as both of them continued to walk on the metal bridge. Why did Itsuwa start to talk really fast and start smiling happily? Well, it should be because of the time now, right? Night time in Academy City is like this. The last trains and buses are deliberately set so early so that students wont go out to play till late. But then again, therell be guys who go out to play all the same. Though he said it, both of them immediately felt a sense of constriction. It was past 10 PM now, and the main forms of transport had all ceased. According to the timing, it was nothing strange for the traffic flow to change as well. Besides, this was Academy City, where students made up 80% of the population. However, If it was just past 10 PM, those groups of people who wanted to play should be playing outside as usual. (Oh, crap...!?) Facing this unnatural scene without people, Kamijou felt a sense of ominous danger. He immediately decided to tell Itsuwa that the situation now was extremely dangerous. But he couldnt do it. Because he didnt even have time to do it. I did warn you before, He heard a voice. From in front of them, coming from the silhouette of a person within the darkness shaped by the blue illumination, a stout mans voice could be heard. There were many paths in front of you that you could have chosen. They heard footsteps. But these footsteps didnt sound human. Every time the person took a step, *PAM...!!* the metal bridge below slightly tremored. One thing about the oppressive weight was that it could also be considered as a countdown to death. The blue darkness slowly let out sounds of strange footsteps, as if telling the opponent his unwillingness. Itsuwa was dumbstruck by this sudden situation, revealing an expression that lacked tension, but...Kamijou immediately reacted. What happened to the contact with the main Amakusa forces? Shouldnt they have be hiding somewhere in the darkness and protecting Kamijou and Itsuwa? If, after receiving my declaration, you had thought through it and felt that this choice is worth risking, Ill use all my strength to directly crush you. But the voice became a mocking one. But really, dont you have any better options? The darkness scattered away. Anyway, the only light source was the dim street light, and thus it was not something that could chase away the strong light of the night sky. But even though the man was slowly approaching from within the darkness far away, just like this, it felt like the darkness was avoiding the man. Tea-colored hair, a straight-lined face that looked as if it had been chiseled from stone, a shirt that had blue as the base color and was similar to a polo shirt. Though he looked muscular, it was not the feeling that a bodybuilder gave, but rather, one of a soldier that had gone through many bloody and gory battles. Youre... It was not an unfamiliar face. Once beforeon the 30th of September, Kamijou Touma had met this man in Academy City. After he had finally managed to use the Imagine Breaker to defeat Vento of the Front in an arduous battle, this brawny man had come rushing in. Acqua of the Back. I should have introduced myself before. Gods Right Seat. And at the same time, he had the abilities of a Saint. Just as you declared? You mean I dont need to think up some special plan, Acqua simply said. I came here with a purpose, and thats to eradicate the mastermind behind all the unrest in the world. And you dare to say it, Kamijou silently cursed. Vento of the Front had caused all the functions in the city to be paralyzed. Terra of the Left started commotions all over the world. No matter what reasons they had, he shouldnt be treated by Gods Right Seat as a scapegoat. You dont have any intention to negotiate? Youre intending to kill me right from the start? Humph, we may have been too hasty. Acqua seemed a bit bored as he measured up Kamijou. My wish is to eradicate the mastermind behind all the chaos in the world. What do you mean by chaos? You wont admit it anyway. Even if there is, youre the ones who started it!! Dont tell me youve forgotten about what all of your people did in Avignon!! Even that is because of that incident, theres also the reason of attacking the dangerous parties of Kamijou Touma and Academy City. While both sides were in a deadlock, Acqua didnt waver in the slightest. This meant that he had never intended to hear Kamijou Touma out. All of those things happened because your body has some special thing. Therefore, I wont be taking your lifeas long as you hand that right hand over to me, cutting it off before me, Ill spare that pitiful mongrel life of yours. Truly a request that one couldnt respond to. Acqua probably made this request knowing that he would be refused. What about the main Amakusa force... At this moment, Itsuwa finally said something. This seemed to indicate something, as Itsuwa looked around. Its useless. Acqua interrupted her action with just this sentence alone. What happened to my comrades? I didnt kill them, Acqua simply said. The ones I want to take down arent them, While saying this, Acqua slightly shifted his body. The distance between them was about 10m. From here, one could see that Acqua wasnt holding anything like a weapon, and it didnt look like he was hiding anything under his clothes. The polo shirt was supported by the muscular body, and it didnt look like there was any space to hide any weapons. Even so, Kamijou and Itsuwa concentrated all their nerves, not even letting their sights off Acquas movements. This battle couldnt be avoided, and because they knew this, they wouldnt recklessly attack, but would choose to fight back at the right time and deliver the decisive blow. But then... From the side. Gh!? Before Kamijou could swallow his breath, Acqua was already beside Itsuwa. He had vanished: Acquas speed could only be seen as such. Sneaking into Itsuwas arms, Acqua swung his elbow to attack Itsuwas face from the side. Not even a single sound. But Kamijous vision finally caught up with Itsuwas body that had been sent flying through the pedestrian walkway and onto the road. Kamijou himself couldnt even breathe, yet even so, he tried to use all the remaining air in his lungs. Basically, he instinctively shouted, Itsuwa!? You still have the time to worry about others, do you? Acquas voice covered Kamijous shout. Finally, *BOOM!!* a sound reached Kamijous ear. The sound came from within the shadow of Acqua dragging his feet. Like a huge tiger shark leaping out of the surface of the sea, a huge piece of metal came out from within Acquas shadow. A 5m-long unknown object; in shape, it looked like a lance that a European knight would use, but that was wrong. It was like a huge umbrella created from a steel structure used to construct a building. It was a mace intended for killing. Im coming, my prey. DAMN!! Before Kamijou could get into the correct posture, Acquas muscles expanded explosively. (EVADE!!) Before his mind could give an order, the huge mace came slamming down from above. It was a miracle that he was still alive. Itsuwas bag had come flying over and collided with Kamijous body, causing him to fall away in a direction completely opposite of what Acqua had anticipated. Because of that, Kamijou was able to keep his life. The approximately 5 meter-long metal mace missed its target and easily crushed Itsuwas bag to bits, afterwards landing on the floor like a guillotine blade. It was supposed to be a metal bridge reinforced with cement. But with this heavy and blunt sound, the entire metal bridge shook due to the impact. The screws that held the metal bridge down broke and make lots of noises. The blue lights used to light the place up lost their glow unnaturally. However, Kamijou didnt have time to notice all of those. Like a meteor colliding with the sea, with Acquas mace as the center, a large amount of concrete debris flew all over the place, and some of it hit Kamijous body. GGYYYYAAAAAHHH!!? Just the aftershock of this attack alone was enough to cause Kamijou to be unable to take a step forward. Just as Kamijou felt that his legs were both light and floating, his body had already flown back several meters. His back hit one of the metal frames supporting the bridge, finally causing his body to stop moving. There was a *clack clack* sound. The small pieces of concrete fragments were falling onto the bridge like rain. Acqua placed the mace that looked as heavy as a metal frame on his shoulder, moving forward to Kamijou, who was on the floor. Although it was powder, it looked like a visible battle aura as it surrounded Acqua before being scattered away. At this moment, his eyes looked off to the side. The person who was trying her best to even stand up was Itsuwa. Maybe she had pulled it out before she threw the bag, but Itsuwa had already assembled the Friuli spear that could be dissembled anytime, the cross tip of the spear pointing at Acqua. But Itsuwa had most likely taken a lot of damage from the initial hit. Red liquid was left on her lips, and her face that had been hit was all red as well. Even so, right now, Itsuwa looked like she might as well go do some casual fishing. Acqua didnt even smile. He just warned, You have an enemy that even an entire group couldnt take down, and against such an opponent, you think you have a chance of winning? ...Even if its me...I have my own determination. Now, how much heavy emotion and realizations were put into this one sentence? In contrast, Acqua just replied, Is that so? Just that. (Oh no...!!) Kamijou tried to force his aching body to get between Itsuwa and Acqua. But in stark contrast to his thoughts, his body couldnt move. During this time, Itsuwa and Acqua began fighting at close range. Itsuwas movements were fast. However, Acqua was fast to the point that he was basically disappearing. By the time he became aware, the huge metal mace had already sunk deeply into Itsuwas flank. After that, Acqua changes where he was facing, and using centrifugal force, he tossed Itsuwa to where Kamijou was. React, this thought didnt even appear in Kamijous brain. With the metal maces weight and a persons weight, Kamijou was completely sandwiched in between while his back was still against the metal frame. All the air in his lungs was forced out, and there was even a little smell of rusted metal in it. Several seconds later, the impacted body floated up from the ground, and afterwards, the impact would make one feel that the Earths gravity had been increased by numerous folds as it surrounded Kamijous body. Kamijou slowly fell onto the ground. Itsuwa, who was on top of him, didnt react at all. Though Kamijou wanted to push Itsuwa away, he couldnt do it. His vision was slowly becoming blurry, finally catching a glimpse of Acqua with much difficulty. (The difference...is too great...) Whether it was Vento of the Front or Terra of the Left, at least he could see their actions. As long as he could react to their attacks and make the suitable counters, at least he could land a few hits on them. (But what on earth is this guy...) Kamijou wondered. Acqua of the Back. Was this guy really a fellow human? This wasnt a difference between one human and another. It was just like an online RPG where you were fighting someone that was 100 levels higher. It was not that he made the attacks obsolete through some trick, but rather, fighting through pure ability, there was no way he could win. Your right hand, Acqua, slowly raising his mace, said. If you hand it over, Ill spare your life. You...must be...joking... Though he wanted to stand up, his body couldnt muster any strength. Knowing that he was at his limit, Kamijou still didnt give up. However... Really? If so, Ill let you understand the harsh reality even more. Part 12 (Ugh...) Itsuwas consciousness had vanished for a while. Like water seeping into soil, she slowly regained her consciousness. The first thing she noticed was a smell similar to rust, and then pain. While her brain realized these, the pain engulfed her body like a tsunami. Unexpectedly, the sight and hearing that one would normally rely on recovered last. The surrounding darkness. Being buried in the blue despair. There was debris of asphalt and iron, the dust dancing above the metal bridge. Up until a moment ago, both of them had been enjoying the night scene, but now it had become such a tragic sight. And right now, she finally recognized the feeling of the spear in her hand. Hm!? Itsuwa suddenly remembered this scenario and frantically tried to use her spear to support herself up. At this moment, she felt something warm flowing down her palm. It was a bit warm, and had a bit of a rusty smell that could make anyone sick. And this fresh red fluid was very obvious. Fresh blood. But Itsuwa herself hadnt bled that much, because if she had bled that much, it would be hard for her to retain consciousness. But this ink-like substance was different from any other fluid. It was definitely someones blood. (Then whose blood is it?) Itsuwa considered, but in the next moment, she immediately denied her consciousness. She knew without thinking about it. It was Kamijou Toumas blood. So youre awake. If one were to calmly think this through, Acqua of the Back should be holding a weapon and behind her. Then move away from there. My one blow is too powerful, and if I freely exert all of my strength, the shockwaves will affect the surroundings. But Itsuwas consciousness wasnt bothered by Acqua. Her shoulders trembled slightly and slowly, slowly turned behind her. What had happened while Itsuwa was unconscious? Having lost all his strength and lying on the ground, Kamijous limbs and face were both bloodied red. He couldnt open his eyes, like an automatic door damaged and left in this half-open state. It should have been such an intense pain that it could rip his body apart, but Kamijou still didnt move at all. She couldnt even comprehend it. In terms of physical distance, they were both just a bit away from each other, but even with that little distance, Itsuwa still couldnt tell. Ah...ah... Itsuwas judgment was slowly turning into dust. This imminent threat called Acqua of the Back had vanished from her mind. Even against such a powerful foe, she didnt care. She moved her hands that were dyed in other peoples blood, collecting the surrounding debris, taking out a wet handkerchief, and pulled out the wallet from a bloodied Kamijous pants pocket. The magic that the Amakusa-style Remix of Church used didnt require any strange spell or spiritual item. The things used were basically everyday items. Itsuwa was trying to find some unscientific leftovers from these everyday items, rearrange them in order to stop the bleeding, and cover the wounds in order to replenish his lifeforce. In order to do this, Itsuwa was going to cast a healing spell. To this girl called Itsuwa, the problem and battle she was facing was all about whether she could save this boy. Actually, even while Itsuwa was in a panic, she was still acting extremely fast. It would be a moment before the recovery spell was activated. Dim glowing little balls danced around above Kamijous body. The green glow looked like fireflies, and these glowing lights looked like they wanted to patch up the wounds as they entered them. However, A *BAM!!* sound could be heard. The recovery spell that Itsuwa used scattered away like sawdust, not even a single bit left behind as it scattered. The reason was obvious. ...Uuu, ah. Itsuwas consciousness wavered as she turned her sight from Kamijous face to his right hand. His right hand. The Imagine Breaker. No matter what supernatural power it was, this thing would negate the effects, whether good or bad. WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Itsuwa cried out in despair, trying to rebuild the broken recovery spell, but it was futile. The magic broke the moment it was activated, again breaking even though it was rebuilt. Whatever daily item she saw and could use, they continue to be used up no matter how much she tried. The moment she noticed it, the materials used for the recovery magic were almost all used up. Thats enough, Facing Itsuwa, who hadnt gave up no matter how many times she tried, Acqua said such ruthless words. But Itsuwa couldnt even make a proper reply. Seeing Itsuwa not do anything besides shouting and crying about, Acqua didnt say anything further. He silently and slowly lifted his foot before stepping on Itsuwas back while she lay on the ground. With a *BOOM!!* sound, Itsuwa stopped letting out this cry of despair. With this violent sound being cut off, her strength was siphoned out of her limbs, and even her consciousness was about to cut off. Humph. Acqua didnt even see Itsuwa collapse onto the ground as he raised the huge mace. That was his initial motive. His target was the unconscious Kamijous right hand. But Acqua was unable to successful swing his mace down. It was not that he relented. Itsuwa, who was covered in wounds and most likely had her insides damaged very severely, should have lost consciousness. However, she still used her battered arms to raise her spear as she gingerly tried to stand up. Like a miracle, she was standing between Kamijou and Acqua. Guh... ga... WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Itsuwas shouted out sounding like she was shaking her insides up and squeezing out every single ounce of air. Right now, she was not even thinking about the odds of winning. From her bloodshot eyes, one could tell that she didnt even have time to think about that. She didnt want that person to die. She didnt want that person to be taken away. She wanted to stand up again. She was just barely able to move because of that. Spitting out bubbles of blood, Itsuwa''s eyes showed a strong will that no one had ever seen before. Acqua looked bored as he sighed. He then slowly let the muscles of the arm gripping onto the mace expand. The terrifying muscles. The mace which was supposedly only made of iron. The large grip that would make one wonder whether the mace would break. Acqua never treated Itsuwa as his enemy. He just wanted to bury Itsuwa together with Kamijou in the next blow. Itsuwa bit her own lips. She couldnt even confirm all of these now. And besides, she had no idea how much of a difference there even was between her and Acqua. (...) Slowly, Itsuwa turned silent. It was not that she shut up. Right now, even her mind was silent. There was a mysterious blank in her heart. This may have been some sort of realization, or maybe she had given up. After she suddenly regained her thoughts, though the tip of her spear was shaking in an unstable manner, she charged towards Acqua head on. The one hit that a dead man let out was simply a declaration of battle. Itsuwa let her remaining ounce of strength gather at one spot. The abrupt silence would be broken, and would bring about the final outcome. Thanks, Itsuwa. What broke Itsuwas will wasnt Acquas blow. But the soft palm of a certain boy placed on her shoulder. Itsuwas petite body trembled because of this little action. She was unable to turn back. The hand that was placed on her shoulder should have been all battered. But what appeared in Itsuwas mind was Kamijous smiling face. Thanks to your healing magic, I feel a bit better. That was impossible. His Imagine Breaker simply eradicated all forms of magic; Itsuwas recovery magic shouldnt have had any effect at all. In truth, the boys voice felt like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube: extremely soft and still trembling. It felt like it could vanish at any moment. Even so, that boys words were full of warmth. Itsuwas body immediately softened gradually, but she also immediately realized what the boy was thinking and felt ominous about it. Why would he choose to stand up at this point? He couldnt even move a finger, so why must he force himself to stand up now? And also, there was meaning behind this hand that was stopping her from charging towards Acqua of the Back. Wai!! Itsuwa didnt even have a chance to let her voice out. The boy exerted even more force on Itsuwas arm, and as if he wanted to switch positions with her, he moved forward. Having moved her battered body and seeing Kamijous back while he faced Acqua, Itsuwa was unable to stop him. Maybe it was because she didnt know whether her lukewarm determination was shattered, but Itsuwas willpower, which had been supporting her body up until now, was all sucked out. WWWWWOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!! No matter how much the boy was unused to fighting, he should understand that he couldnt beat Acqua. That boys aim wasnt to beat Acqua. Acqua of the Back, in the beginning, he had said that his target was just Kamijou Touma. He also said that he hadnt killed the main Amakusa forces nearby. In other words, if this battle ended early, he wouldnt cause too much damage to the surroundings. For example, This could be settled without Itsuwa, who was nearby, dying. ...ah!! Itsuwa could only see that back moving further and further away, her expression distorted. The transparent fluid continued to flow out of her eyes. No matter what Itsuwa shouted, Kamijou didnt look back. Without looking back and running towards Acqua. Nice realisation, Acqua of the Back just said this one sentence. After that, in front of Itsuwa, he dealt a horrendous blow. The giant more-than-5m metal mace was swung horizontally, piercing into the boys flank without mercy. The sound of this explosion would make one not expect that that thing was slammed into someones body, and the boy who was sandwiched between the metal bridge and the mace had his strength slowly sapped away. He couldnt even swing his decisively clenched fist at Acqua. This time, the boy finally lost consciousness as his body went limp onto the giant metal mace. It was like a blanket on a pole. Acqua saw the boy like this, and he smiled. The smile seemed like he was praising the one who had lost. He recognized the courage shown by the boy as he stood up for the girl who was behind him. Im giving you one day. Acqua swung the mace with the unconscious boy on it. Itd be too cruel of me to take off your arm without numbing you. Lets consider this time for you to prepare a prosthetic. As long as you cut off the thing behind all this chaosyour right handand hand it over to us, Ill spare your mongrel life. After saying that, Acqua swung his mace without hesitation. As a member of Gods Right Seat, and also a Saint, it was a devastating strike released by a monster. The boys body hanging on the mace flew off the metal bridge at a cannon-like speed, through the handles, colliding several times with the dark and icy surface of the water several hundred meters away. As it was too fast, the boys body bounced 2 to 3 times before sinking beside a cruise boat, causing the river water to pop up like a water pillar. After a while, a huge explosion could be heard. Without confirming whether his target was dead, Acqua turned his back on Itsuwa. Finally, he said, Just one day. Between the lines 1 Whats the problem? So you cant sleep? Then let this ol grandpa tell you a story, okay? Grandpas story is long and boring, so you can sleep nicely soon. Alright, grandpa will tell you a story about an astrology group. Ah, yes, thats what it was called, but theres not much difference to what it does now. We were helping others like what brats like you are doing now. Basically, we were a Christian magic group that followed others, and after understanding the situation, wed use magic to settle it it was that kind of an organization. But there were a lot of people relying on us in the past. Im not bluffing; there were many people within the country who were looking for us. Afterwards, as we had too many people relying on us, we couldnt even stop at a single place. Us grandpas spent quite a few years slowly walking through the whole of Russia just to live. After that, well, this thing called problems, it can happen anywhere. Though I dont know whether its because its troublesome or because we cant help but interfere. No, no, no, Ill explain to you first, the Russian Orthodox Church is all made up of bad people. However, that idiot wanted to turn a part of the Russian Orthodox Church as one part of him. Thus, the grandpas were forced to run away from those battle groups that were pursuing us. Whats that idiots name? What would happen if grandpa got caught? I cant tell a brat like you all of that. Even if its twisted, were still a hidden part of the country. Though its easy for me to say this, they wont even let children off. This isnt something youd normally hear. Anyway, our Russian Orthodox pursuers were really dangerous. They were true monsters gathered together to fight ghosts and fairies and other things beyond the realm of humanity. Old men who were just helping out couldn''t hope to face them head on. It was overwhelming. Therefore, us grandpas decided to leave the country. Luckily, they were the Russian Orthodox, and so in other words, it means that we only needed to run away from Russia. Its terrifying to wish for it, but no matter what, any human would do his utmost to grab onto this little ray of hope. However, our surroundings were the -50 degrees Celsius of human Hell. It was a tough time. How should I say it, it was no longer a world that could be described through physical pain. Our feet were starting to sink, and we continued to walk on. There were people as old as grandpa and brats that were younger than you, everyone was the same. At that time, you were still in your mothers womb, and I believe your mum got her shapeshifting ability because of that. Under this situation, the pursuers should act properly even though theyre the Russian Orthodox, right? But no, theyre real professional soldiers that were specially trained to move along in the eternal arctic terrain. They were like robots that were made into puppets, moving around in a rhythmic manner, and not only were they top-notch soldiers, their weapons were top notch as well. They had horses made of metal, and those were 8-legged horses, you know. Oh yes, they had a spiritual item called the Sleipnir[3]. The difference in speed between the grandpas and the Russian Orthodox Church was apparent by first glance. We could see the border in the snowstorm, but everyone knew that our pursuers would catch up to us before we could reach there. It was right in front of us, and we couldnt reach out and grab it, but after looking back to see our pursuers, we didnt have any other thought except to give up. Compared to working hard in a futile way, its better to give up easily. But then again, we couldnt do it; the border that represented our hope was there, so how could we give up there? Hm? Then what happened next? Of course we escaped. Otherwise, how could you be born? Grandpa couldnt possibly be here telling this story to you. Youre saying that we did something? Really? Really? Seems like you dont understand how we escaped from the elites of the Russian Orthodox Church. Its simple. That man appeared in front of the grandpas. That person was William Orville. Notes 1. Both level and seaweed are pronounced as kaisou (), a mistake on Indexs part. 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival 3. Ancient Norse reference here. Called ''the slipper'' in Norse mythology. [1] Volume 16, 2: The Men Who Stood Up From Defeat. Flere210. Volume 16, Chapter 2: The Men Who Stood Up From Defeat. Flere210. Part 1 Frantic footsteps echoed throughout the hospital in the night. This was the emergency resuscitation hospital on the seventh level in District 22. The patient transport bed''s wheels let out *kacha-kacha* sounds, and numerous paramedics were surrounding the patients bed as they move along, the loud sounds outside could be heard inside. The paramedics who had been busy pushing the patients bed left the rest to the doctors and nurses. After that, the doctors and nurses all gathered in the centralized treatment room before disappearing behind the large doors of the operation room. ...Finally managed to complete the operation. To be honest, I cant say whether he can still be considered safe, The young doctor said after seeing the patient''s bed pushed out of the operation room and back into the centralized treatment room. Now that the visiting hours were over, the corridor of the hospital was rather quiet. But right now, there were many shadows walking in the dim corridor. A large crowd should be the correct term here, consisting of males and females, young and old: a group of around 50 people. Some were leaning their backs against the walls, some were sitting on the sofas, but all of them were listening to what the doctor was saying. Some of them had tattered clothes, and some of them were bandaged all over. Furthermore, red blood spots could be seen on a majority of those wearing white. They were a group that call themselves the Amakusa, and as for what kind of organization they were, the doctor didnt know. To be honest, this was a truly suspicious group. If a large group of people like Skill-Out were to come into the hospital, there would definitely be a large number of delinquents in the waiting room. Thus, the young doctor didnt intend to pursue this further. Let me explain this for a while, so all ordinary folks should calm down. Now for the specifics: the patients entire body is covered in bruises from blunt trauma, and he has a slight concussion. He also showed signs of dislocation in his right shoulder and left foot. His insides are also a bit damaged from the impacts. ...In other words, you just can''t determine his condition now, right? The huge, black-beetle haired, man carefully chose his words before asking. The doctor exhaled deeply. It should be considered a miracle... the worst case scenario would have been if oxygen were unable to flow into his brain well enough from being underwater for so long... that was really dangerous. Fortunately, there wasnt too much harm from it, The young male doctor said as he looked through the digitalized injury report. However... even with multiple witnesses, the reason that caused this is still unbelievable. The human body was blown away from the metal bridge several hundred meters, bouncing off the lake a few times and finally sunk into the water... though I can''t believe this, but to be caught up in such a serious situation, it''s amazing that he would dare to even take a walk outside. "We got let off the hook..." Because of the dim lighting in the corridor, nobody knew who said that. Even though the young male doctor turned back to see where the sound came from, he was unable to find out. They were a strange group, as there should be a huge sense of being overwhelmed, yet not even a single one of them was standing out. It was like theyre called a scene of a crowd. Besides, they werent very striking, even if they were a group of 50 people all bandaged up. Anyway, its not over yet. The only one that stood out was the beetle-haired man, asking as if he was confirming it. If we can say something to him, even if it''s just a short sentence, we just want to say sorry to him. You, what are you saying!? Of course you must remain silent!? That, that, I don''t know why you''re apologizing, but now isnt the time. Hes sleeping soundly due to the anesthetic, and even without the anesthetic, his body doesn''t look like it would allow him to wake up, so just let him rest. And the most important thing was, the young male doctor used his chin to indicate the centralized treatment area. In order to be able to view the patients situation from the outside, there was a huge glass panel hanging on the wall, and from the corridor, one could see several patients sleeping over there. In there on a bed surrounded by numerous machines, the hedgehog-headed boy was sleeping. The beetle-headed man seemed as if he was being pulled by the young doctor as he stared at the centralized treatment room. At that moment, dark clouds appeared on his face. As if hanging onto the bed, or kneeling on the floor, a girl waited there. A girl in a white nun''s habit used her own hands to wrap the victims hand tightly. It was Index. "...That kid, according to my experience, I feel its best for her to be alone with him," The young doctor warned with an all hope is lost look. Even the beetle-headed man didnt have the guts to walk into the room with both of them inside. He could only nod his head silently. After confirming everything, the young doctor walked away. The beetle-headed manTatemiya Saijitook a step back from the centralized treatment room. He was extremely regretful that that he couldn''t do anything for the boy. All the Amakusa recovery and healing spells that had been passed down from generation to generation wouldn''t work, and they could only pray for his safety. However, even the right to pray for him was perhaps a problem as well. He said initially that he would protect that boy from Acqua well, but as how the wording went, he was completely kicked away. After being shown mercy even after facing such a devastating attack, Tatemiya Saiji could only lie on the floor and watch Acqua head toward his target. Besides, the guy that he wanted to protect actually fought to protect his Amakusa comrade... how humiliating. He was now wrapped in bandages and had band-aids taped everywhere. An ordinary person might not have understood, but for someone who knew magic, a person could understand that the Amakusa had gotten even weaker in their techniques of blending into the surroundings. Right now, the Amakusa could be said to have lost completely. They lost to Acqua, and lost even further to Kamijou Touma. ...Damn it. Tatemiya unhappily clenched his teeth tightly. No matter how low-pitched that was, the enemy wouldnt just wait around and do nothing. According to Itsuwa, Acqua of the Back would not attack Kamijou again if Kamijou Toumas right hand was cut off by tomorrow. Of course, whether it was the right hand or attacking, they couldnt let him do whatever he wanted. Tatemiya understood what he should do. In order to protect Kamijou Touma, no matter what, he had to stand up. How long are you going to kneel down there? Tatemiya asked. A place that had even less light than the dim corridor, and it could be said that all the darkness was gathered there. Over there, one could feel that there was a small animal trembling there in fear. Maybe one wouldnt be able to understand it if the person didnt take a closer look. But huddled at the edge of the sofa was Itsuwa. Her hands and legs were bandaged, and the right side of her face was pasted with a rectangular gauze. Compared to the physical damage, the mental damage inflicted on her was likely several times heavier. ...I, I... Her voice was full of unrest, and there was a bit of swallowing sound made. Maybe it was because she had been crying for a long time, she was unable to control her diaphragm well. ...I, protect him... I said that I would. Whether spear, or magic... it was completely useless, not even... but, he said it, he thanked me... I couldnt protect him at all, couldnt even deal even the tiniest bit of damage on Acqua before he left... but I was thanked... A *pata pata* sound echoed throughout the corridor. This may have been the sound of tears, or may have been the blood dripping out of her tightly clenched fist. The... the moment I heard that man say that, I wondered, if he had some really strong power. But I was wrong. That man, he cant rely on any defensive spell. Even when I tried to use a recovery spell, it didnt heal even a single wound, not even a scratch. He was just fighting by using his own flesh... Itsuwa... I, I just watched him be sent off to his death. It may have seemed really weird to see a teary and smiling face. How can someone like that continue to live on leisurely? Why hasnt divine judgment come down on one of us!? This is too strange. It should have been me on that hospital bed! That would have solved everything!! This one sentence was mixed with all sorts of feelings. This was a conversation, yet she was muttering to herself; it was of regret, yet also of anger; it was of a defeated dog whimpering, yet also a beast roaring. She couldnt even control her own emotions. Being forced by the circumstances, Itsuwa did not have much left to gain control of her emotions. Tatemiya was very clear about this. He narrowed his eyes, and forcefully took a step forward at Itsuwa as if he was trying to rip the darkness apart. So you dont have any intention of standing up? ... So what the hell are you doing? Tatemiya said this calmly with a hand grabbing the front of Itsuwas shirt and pulled her out. Before anyone could say anything, Tatemiya used some really amazing arm strength to raise her entire body up and slammed her against the nearby wall. BAM!! The intense sound echoed throughout the corridor. The impact resounded throughout Itsuwas back, causing her breathing to become erratic. However, Itsuwa didnt show any resistance at all, and just stared at Tatemiya with teary pupils as if she was begging for oxygen. ...Mister, didnt you... Though her voice was getting softer, Itsuwa continued to move her lips. Didnt Tatemiya-san lose as well? ... She probably realized that she shouldnt have said these words. At this point in time, she shouldnt have said the words that would anger Tatemiya. But she had clearly said the words that hurt Tatemiyas soul, for she was already unable to endure it mentally any longer and was unwilling to do it any further. This girl called Itsuwa must have really wanted to protect that boy, but the reality defied this deepest desire of hers. All her desire got crushed by overwhelming strength. Tatemiya didnt force himself to understand Itsuwas feelings. It seemed that only Itsuwa alone was allowed to understand those feelings. So in contrast, he said to the rest, So that guy stepped up to save such a woman? Hearing these words, Itsuwa widened her eyes for a while. As if she had been pierced by something, even when Itsuwa hadnt revealed a painful expression after being slammed into the wall, she revealed an indescribable painful look on her face after Tatemiya said this. The savior that you cared so much about was treated like that right in front of you, his body all battered badly. Being like that in front of him...you arent planning to do anything? That guy really went all his way to risk his life for such a woman? If so, that guys sacrifice was in vain, really in vain. The outcome is obvious. Didnt that idiot do something idiotic to save another idiot? Is that not how it is? Itsuwas head felt hot. Her body being raised up in the air, Itsuwa let out a beast-like shout as she clenched her fist, ready to punch Tatemiya. However, before the fist could hit Tatemiya, Tatemiya brought Itsuwa down from the wall and slammed her to the floor. This time, the huge sound would make anyone mistake it for an earth tremor. Riding on Itsuwas body while she was having difficulty to breathe, Tatemiya glared at her and said, Listen, if you dont understand, Ill teach you. Deep, he just said it in a deep voice. Whether it was Tatemiyas voice or his expression, anyone could see the rage in his heart. Acqua of the Back will definitely come back. Itsuwas body instantly jerked. Trying to think about what he shouldnt be thinking, Tatemiya again confirmed, Even if we stay here and be upset, time will continue to shorten. Every second we waste, the chances of happiness will go down a notch! Can you allow this to happen? Theres still a possibility, no matter how small it is, it still exists, but ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT USELESS GUILT AND REGRET COST YOU THAT CHANCE!? ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT GUY GET HIS ARM CUT OFF WHEN HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW ANYTHING WHILE BEING ABANDONED!? IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT HIS SMILE, STAND UP, STOP THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF AND CAUSING THE DEVASTATION OF OTHER PEOPLES LIVES!! Tatemiyas shout was almost becoming a roar. Facing Itsuwa, who still didnt say anything, Tatemiya continued, ...If our help would come over now, we would have done that already. If Priestess-sama said that she will come over, we can leave that Saint to her. But things wont turn out ideally as we would hope. ListenAcqua of the Back will definitely come back. DO YOU WANT TO TURN THIS HOSPITAL INTO A BATTLEFIELD? JUST TO ESCAPE FROM THIS USELESS REALITY!!? Ta,te...miya-san. EVEN IF WE DONT DO ANYTHING, ACQUA WILL STILL COME BACK!! EVEN IF WERE TO REQUEST REINFORCEMENTS, THE ANGLICAN CHURCH CANT JUST CHANGE THEIR STRATEGY AND SEND REINFORCEMENTS, SUCH A GOOD THING ISNT GOING TO HAPPEN!! THUS, WE, AS PEOPLE STILL MOVING, ARE THE ONLY ONES ABLE TO TAKE ACTION. WE ARE THE ONLY ONES ABLE TO FIGHT ON!! FORGET ABOUT IT BEING A MASSACRE, IF WE DONT DO ANYTHING, WHOS GOING TO PROTECT HIM WHILE HES STILL NUMB AND ASLEEP!? DONT YOU UNDERSTAND ALL THIS!? Tatemiyas hand, which was grabbing onto Itsuwas chest, let out a slight sound as the grip was too tight. Actually, the force he exerted on his hand was almost enough to destroy his hand. Also, Itsuwa knew that it wasnt just one person being angry and embarrassed about being unable to protect Kamijou Touma, but the reality was that everyone here had been beaten easily. Even so, they said that they were going to stand up again. Even after they knew the feeling of a defeated hound, they wouldnt continue to be depressed like this, but would stand up again. In order to protect something important. If so, (I...want...) You want to apologize to that guy? Tatemiya said as he stared at Itsuwas eyes. So do you want to let the guy you want to protect the most, the one who had gotten beat up like that, to stand in the sunlight again? Itsuwa nodded her head slightly. Though she seemed to be saying something, it was hard to make out what she was saying since she was crying. ...Then show me a fight. Prove to me that youre the best girl, let him feel that risking his life for this girl is worth it. You may want to apologize or even see his smiling face again, but if hes dead, isnt it all worthless? If you dont want to regret before his tomb, you have to fight alongside us! Tatemiya let go with the hand that was grabbing onto Itsuwa and slowly got up. Looking around, he seemed to be confirming something as he said, ...Among all of you, is there anyone whos going to say that he or she disagrees with Itsuwa? Tatemiyas voice echoed throughout as if he was trying to break the regretful and weak atmosphere. If theres anyone, Ill make that person wake up. Nobody responded. But everyone had made their realization. It was not like all their regret and fatigue was gone, but rather, their thirst for battle had overcome all other things. Tatemiya again looked at the people that amounted to about 50, all standing in the dim corridor of the hospital, and said, If theres no one, good. Next, we just have to fight on. None of the Amakusa-style Church members looked back. Leaving only the boy and a nun inside the centralized treatment room, the Amakusa would go back to where they belongedthe battlefieldin order to fight against this strong enemy. Really, the guy we wanted to save was right in front of us, yet none of us managed to reach out and save him. How could we have let this happen to him? There was only one thing they had to do. Give the decisive counterblow to the enemy and protect that boys life, that was all there was. Part 2 In the darkness of the night, Acqua of the Back was alone, silently standing down there. It was a natural park located far inside a corner of the third level of District 22. The reason he was there was simple, even if it was a bit, he wanted to get far away from the android development plant where science and technology was rampant. However, he should have noticed that all the forests here were products of scientific water and cultivation technology. It was too late though. (Speaking of which, this entire underground space was made for humans, huh?) Looking up, he could see the starry sky, but these were just images made from a planetarium and a screen. Anyone that understood magic by even the slightest bit would sense how it deviated from how it really worked. It seemed like there was not much money spent on maintenance, as the street lights scattered throughout the streets, letting out small rectangular lights. Acqua was holding onto an ordinary phone. He was talking to the Pope, however, his cell phone was not turned on. The glow on the tip of the antenna was created due to magic. (Theres still the likelihood of us being eavesdropped. Besides, those elite Anglican Church forces, the Amakusa, are still here.) Even if he said this, it was better than to use the phone so openly right in the middle of Academy City, the main stronghold of the science side. Speaking of which, its not about killing the target, but getting his right hand? I heard it from Vento before that God''s Right Seat wont change their goal. Thats a personal problem of Ventos character. In fact, we would change according to how the situation plans out...but Terra went overboard. Though Acqua had killed a comrade in cold blood and sent his corpse to an enemy organization, he didnt feel the slightest sense of regret or guilt. Basically, whats special about that boy is gathered on that right hand of his, all the threats will be removed if we take it away. Were fussing all over an adolescent boy. Really, we arent such a carefree organisation. To me, what youre doing now is the better method. One could feel that the Pope was smiling on the other side of the phone. I did mention it to Vento before, but...if he really intends on defying God, we have to kill him. However, I did hear that the boy isnt all familiar with God, so Im really against having to kill him all because of this...but Vento ignored my view. ...I dont know what youre expecting from me, but Im neither a good man nor a philanthropist. Acquas tone was somewhat flat. If it comes to the point where I have to kill him, Ill still do it. Right now, that time hasnt come yet, and once that time comes, Ill kill him, thats all. Among all these choices and timing, there may be a possibility that Ill never need to kill him, ever, thats how the situation is. There was no sense of false pretense in his tone. In this highest group of authority in this world that had only 4 members, the one who had instantly killed his comrade, Terra of the Left, without any mercy was Acqua of the Back alone. If the hostile threat disappeared with the right hand, all these would come to an end. If that didnt work, or if he refused to give up his right handwhat came next was very simple. Kill him. There was no need for anything else to be said; Acqua would return everything to dust. He had such strength and resolve. Acqua of the Back recognized this clearly, and his expression did not change at all. This is truly an intriguing situation. The Pope suddenly said. God''s Right Seat was set up as a negotiation tool for the Pope to enter the enemys stronghold, yet this Pope here can only watch from the Vatican. In Christianity, there was only one God. All miracles were managed by this one and only God, so no one would defy this entity called God. Normally, everyone should be living happily together, and there shouldnt be anyone living in misery. However, the reality was a lot different. It was obvious when one looked through the history of humanity: the failure of the Crusades, the plague running rampant, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. This wasnt just an issue about individual happiness anymore; these events had nearly caused the entire continent of Europe to be annihilated. The Pope was not enough to handle all these. Actually, for Christianity that signified that God is absolute, for the Pope, who represented all these, to find someone to talk about this, it was a sign of misfortune. Thus, God''s Right Seat had been born. Sometimes, they had power and knowledge that even the Pope had to rely on, they could be considered to be a special existence among this pyramid of the Christian society. They were different from the Cardinals, the administrators, the strategists etc. Basically, they who didnt exist in the pyramid in the first place would just give advice from behind the scenes. The number of members was always designated as 4, representing the 4 archangels that were the most important amongst angels. Just like this, the members of God''s Right Seat could be changed and replaced internally to keep it alive. But even with these unique circumstances, sometimes the Pope would rely on these secret discussions too often, causing God''s Right Seat to take the central role of the Roman Catholic Church. Regarding this, Acqua pondered for a while. However, he didnt say anything specific. The next time I contact you will be when all this is over. As for whether the target will still be alive after that, Ill tell you later. At this moment, a loud sound covered Acquas voice. The reason was due to the air. Something flashed once in the darkness, it was a small, dim light that an ordinary human was unable to distinguish. Acqua sensed the danger behind it, tucked the cell phone in with his shoulder, and easily jumped over. The air formed a huge tornado, and the place where Acqua had been standing was ripped up easily. Seeing this strange phenomenon, Acqua finally made a hypothesis. (...Scattering some strange particles into the air and then decomposing the contents, huh?) For people who were familiar with science, they would think of this nano-sized reflective metal codenamed mimosa. There was no need for any circuits or power, a specific frequency was used to react to some very small particles. The theory behind this was like a wireless remote control, it could distinguish between animal and plant cells one by one. Acqua was wary against some magical hand that he couldnt distinguish. This time, the giant artificial planetarium screen changed abnormally, letting out a bee like noise and indicating a warning on the screen. Third level region-wide alert regarding absence of air. All residents are to evacuate to the designated buildings. All families are to install the designated oxygen flasks. I repeat, third level region-wide alert regarding absence of air. I see. Acqua gave a defiant smile. It seems like the opponent has scattered many offensive microbits to force me to be unable to escape. This is really bad. You think so? Acqua sounded as if he was reciting something. All the moisture in the air was his friend. With the moisture, he roughly had enough time to understand the movements of the mimosa and predict it. The bushes that were off to the side let out some crisp, ripping sounds. Looking inside, one could see that there were powered suits moving between the trees, their armor reflecting moonlight. Slightly far away, one could hear a mechanical sound. Run on gasoline and electricity, some urban armored vehicles seemed to have been deployed. Even Acquas smile vanished. So theyre here to check my battle strength? Then lets show them how a mercenary fights. Please try not to kill anyone. Im not sure, but it seems like theyre unmanned. I cant sense anything thats human-like from them, so they managed to get all the way here. At this moment, a new explosion could be heard. Acqua pulled out a 5 meter metal mace from his shadow. However, these things from Academy City are really good. He easily rested the heavy metal on his shoulder and said, Its nice for them to create a battlefield without any bloodshed, Im really grateful for that. Nice way to pass the time. As if in response to his voice, the enemy started to take action. In a corner of the park, the numerous shadows around Acqua surrounded him. Numerous bullets were fired at him. The mimosa that could not be identified with the naked eye came attacking as well. But these werent going to beat Acqua. He avoided the bullets and blew the mimosa away. Even the bullets that used the power of the mimosa and deviated from normal trajectory were predicted by Acqua easily and countered. (Im not sure of how the science side works, but there has got to be someone coordinating them from somewhere.) Acqua broke through the barricade. The 5 meter-long lance-like metal mace he was holding onto pierced into the side of the armored vehicles. Then ignoring the weight of the armored vehicle, Acqua swung the metal mace, causing even more of these armored vehicles to be crushed and blown up. This caused the movements of the mimosa to be restricted. Maybe some special spell was used as among the burning flames, Acqua walked through as if he was taking a stroll. (Then, Ill just have to rip through the powered suits, check the insides and confirm them all one by one!!) Gods Right Seats Acqua of the Back started to take action. Sounds of explosion and destruction echoed throughout the place. Part 3 There was a 9-hour time difference between Japan and England. Right now, it should be midnight in Japan, but it was evening in England. Due to the latitude, the sun set in England even earlier, so the sky there was slightly violet. The Royal Academy of Arts. A famous and top-notch arts museum in England. This place was one that developed the next generation group of artists, and held activities similar to those of an arts school. And right now, one could hear the voice of a lecturer teaching. Standing on the brightly-lit stage was Sherry Cromwell. Then, well be discussing about heraldries today. She had godiva blond hair that was like a lion and chocolate-colored skin. Her attire was a black Gothic Lolita dress that was scratched and tattered all over. As a renowned sculptor, she was known for only appreciating her own works...or that was what the students said about her. The heraldries are like those family crests, theyre not those so-called things that dont exist in real life...well, its not like those heraldries dont exist, but well just ignore them for now. Laughter could be heard from the crowd of students. Seemed like they had just treated it as some sort of a joke, but the magician Sherry didnt mind as she continued, If were going to talk about heraldries, normally speaking, they are made of many different parts. However, today, Im going to talk about those shield-type heraldries. Sherry said in a bored manner. You people who only know how to paint on a canvas might find these to be unimportant, but this knowledge may help you when you are creating something that has a special significance in it. Of course, I understand that youre depressed, so just listening a bit will do. At this moment, a few knocking sounds could be heard at the door. Sherry, who was placing the shield-type heraldry on the podium, looked surprised as she stared at the door. Without even making the slightest bit of noise, the one who opened the door the slightest bit was the young clerk of this arts museum. She was a young clerk that had just started work there last year, and she lowered her little head and said in a slightly apologetic manner. Well...someone from the British Library is looking for you... Really? Sherry made an appropriate reply. She then stroked the side of the heraldry with her index finger and pondered, Then, if you excuse me. Everyone please carry on with your self-studies. Sherry used a perfunctory tone to instruct the students, then scratched her head as she walked out of the classroom. After arriving in the corridor, the petite clerk looked at Sherry embarrassed. Im really sorry about that. No problem, that group of people likes to do self-study. Creating something cant be done by just teaching, and those people that love to self-study have no such talent in the first place. Ha, haha... The clerk laughed ambiguously. With an impatient tone, Sherry asked, So how did this person contact me? Mm, through the phone. Please receive it at the office. With the clerk leading, Sherry arrived in a small room. The telephone on the business desk was giving off a flickering light through the little light bulb on it. Is that it? Since it came from the British library...it should be something related to art. I see. Sherry often got contacts from places like the British Museum and the St. George Cathedral, and the people around her seemed to feel that they were looking for her to do some artistic identification and restoration. The clerk nodded to Sherry before returning to her place. After watching her leave, Sherry picked up the phone receiver with an impatient look. The voice that came from the other side belonged to a lazy-sounding woman. Ara ara. Is that Miss Sherry? ...So its you, Orsola. Really, cant you find any other experts? In contrast to a really irritated Sherry, the woman called Orsola smiled without any nerves. Well, the large garbage disposal occurs on Mondays and Fridays. I got it, I got it. Its useless to talk to you regarding this, so hurry up and get straight to the point. Recently, Sherry had mastered a way to handle Orsola, so she continued to talk normally. Orsola said the following, From the remaining records of the English Library regarding past magic events, regarding God''s Right Seat... we did check up on Acqua of the Back, but... I heard of those things before I got out to work. So, whatre the results? The testimonies from the September 30th incident indicate that before he used the name Acqua, he seemed to have worked primarily in England, as there were many similar eyewitness reports. I heard you say that during lunch break. And some of them testified that he was a knight of England... Ah? Sherrys eyebrows immediately twitched due to surprise. (As a Roman Catholic, this Acqua of the Back was actually an English knight...?) In modern England, the title of knight was just a medal of commendation on the surface. Their background was unimportant; anybody that made any outstanding contributions to England could receive this title from the Queen. However, this title cant be inherited by children or any descendents. To put it in a straightforward manner, it was similar to an outstanding civil award. However, there was a difference. In the dark side of England, there was still a large group known as the Knights of England. They would raise their sharp blades high for the Royal Family and the country, and anyone that threatened these would be seen as enemies. They would risk their lives to annihilate andlike the samurais of the Eastthese Knights probably vanished into the river of history with the advent of firearms. ...And right now, this person acting on behalf of another sect was actually a foreign knight of England. If thats true, this may get troublesome. Academy City may come over to question the Anglican Church''s role in this because of Acqua of the Backs involvement. But from the records of Knights in Buckingham Palace, there isnt anyone with Acquas characteristics. Maybe that information was false. Most likely, he was a mercenary who had been skilled in magic and gotten mistaken...this should be the case. But Orsola let out a frustrated Ummm... sound. Its true that there was no such person in the name list, but... Ah? For someone who is nominated to be knighted, there should be some shield heraldry that symbolises their family background, right? I checked with the heraldries manufacturers in the outskirts of London, and it seems like there was an unknown order for a shield heraldry for an unknown person...and this heraldry seemed to have been cancelled after it was made halfway. ...I see. Sherrys mouth curled up. The patterns of the heraldry should have the persons background, family history and identity carved on it as markings. If we check these, we can investigate the real identity of this Knight who doesnt exist in the records. So only the pictures of the patterns, right?... I suppose. Well, Ill use that thing called FAX to send it over to you like how I ordered that stuff the last time. Sherry turned to look at the fax machine, and just at that moment, a sheet of paper was being coughed out from the machine. The young female clerk that had called her immediately moved towards the fax machine. Sherry received a pile of 10+ pieces of paper from the female clerk and scattered them onto the table, using her index finger to run through the patterns and see what the patterns depicted. Instead of saying that it was a piece of art, this thing in front of her seemed more like a blueprint for a machine. The black and white paper had all sorts of information like materials and colors written all over it. Maybe this made the paper feel a lot more like a blueprint. ...There are two main colours, blue as base and green as decoration. The animals used are...a dragon and a unicorn, and the woman here is Selkie (a female ghost rumoured to be based in England)...right? The shields divided into 4 parts, and there are 3 animals on it, this means... Is there anything you got there? I just understood some basic things. After looking at the picture for a while, Sherry sighed as if she had given up. I dont know the specifics, but it seems like the owner of this heraldry really loves to make fun of others. Ha? The dragon, the unicorn and Selkie. The common point between these three is that they dont exist in real life. Also, the colours used for the heraldry are odd. The base colour is blue, and then for decoration, green was used when its supposed to be another base colour. This defies common logic...its so explicit that anyone has no choice but to laugh at it. It seems like this person was unhappy about being chosen as a Knight. Sherrys fingers were like a phonograph, as she stroked the pictures and transfer the records on the pieces of paper to adult language. Most likely, he was warmly invited by the Royal Family, but wanted to reject this and didnt manage to succeed, so he accepted this grudgingly. If so....this person should have been an active fighter as a free man before he became a Knight. And these were all beneficial to England...hes a mercenary and yet he was appointed as a Knight, this shows that hes a just person even on the dirty and bloody battlefield. An enemy without fault even in background, theres no one harder to handle than this kind of person. For confirmation, Sherry checked the date it was ordered from Orsola. It seemed like it was about 10 years ago. It was such an old thing that had been cancelled and yet was so well preserved by the manufacturer, this showed that Acqua was so well respected when he had been working in England. Also, for those who contributed through magic, anyone thats to be given the title of a Knight under this category has to be an Englishman, so how about if I check on mercenary activities in England? So be it. Sherry used her index finger to knock on the animal drawings. A dragon, unicorn, and Selkie. These all appear in English legends, but it doesnt mean England, but rather Great Britain that includes the 4 areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. ...? Isnt the unicorn supposed to originate from Greek mythology? There was the legend of Elizabeth the First receiving the horn of a unicorn. Actually, it was just an ordinary animal bone, Sherry muttered. Anyway, hes born in England, and was a mercenary that contributed greatly to Britain...that group of lone wolf mercenaries that arent affiliated to any magic guilds and seem primed to be nominated as Knights are suspicious here. And even when he was requested to do something, he couldnt refuse it completely, so this shows that he had some connections with the Royal Family. Check out every single bit of information on this person. Part 4 With Tatemiya Saiji leading the 50-strong Amakusa main force, they were now in an alley of District 22. After that, Tatemiya, who was listening to a cell phone he was holding, said to his fellow comrades. Acqua of the Back seems to be fighting with Academy Citys unmanned powered suits in the natural park on the third level. At this moment, everyone present felt nervous. The third level was where Kamijou and Itsuwa had been attacked. There was no need to mention who had the victory. This monster called Acqua of the Back wouldnt be beaten with just a large group of machines, everyone knew that. Ushibuka, who was near Tatemiya, looked at Tatemiya and asked, ...Should we go? No. Tatemiya closed the phone and shook his head as he answered. Even if were to go now, the result is very obvious. Right now, we can only wait for the intel from the Anglican Church, be ready, come up with the best battle plan and deliver our best fight at the right time...after this, itll be the decisive battle. We have to fight with all we got. Acqua of the Back had managed to beat up the Amakusa comrades and even their savior, Kamijou, to this extent. But even if they knew where he was now, they could only endure. Tatemiyas heart was probably burning and raging now, but he chose to endure for this one shot at victory as he said Just wait. This isnt the right time. For us to prepare our best battle plan, we can only rely on Miss Orsola and the rest as they compile all the information, its alright even if theyre a bit late. So what we can do now is simpleour best preparations. Tatemiya looked at his surroundings. The Amakusa members scattered all over were all armed with weapons like swords and spears. Normally, they would sacrifice the sharpness of their weapons for ease of carrying the weapons secretly. However, now wasnt the time to worry about this, so they were strengthening their weapons. ...Please wait for another 3 hours. At this moment, this voice could be heard. Tatemiya turned to look at the source of this voice, and over there was Itsuwa modifying her belt like a belay. She was sitting on the floor as she strengthened her spearor more accurately, a full-on modification. Her spear was attached through many short rods, so no matter how strong it was, the strength would always be weaker. She had used some fixative spray to spray the entire spear and then coat a layer of resin on it, and right now, she was using sandpaper to polish the surface of the grip. I have to adjust the shape until it feels straight, and I also need quite a bit of time to sharpen the blade such that its able to stab through a monster...but leave it to me. Since I got attacked directly by that guy, I know what kind of guy he is... Continuing to use the sandpaper to rub and adjust the exterior of the spear. After the small pile of resin was flattened, she applied another layer of fixative spray on it, repeating it tens of times, hundreds of times. One could sense the killer intent in her heart as the sound of resin being scrubbed by sandpaper could be heard. This caused Tatemiyas back to go cold a bit; it was just like an old cannibal granny sharpening her knife in the middle of the night. Once this idea popped up in his mind, Tatemiya thought: not, not good! Did I overdo it a bit? It seemed like Ushibuka was wondering that as well, as he slowly got near Tatemiya and whispered to his ear. (...What to do now! It feels like we added too much oil [1] to Itsuwa! Its almost on a petrochemical plant-level fire!) (...Ah, no way!? But you see, she looked so out of it at the hospital, so I just did that! All I wanted to do was to motivate her!?) (...YOU IDIOT!! You didnt consider the outcome of it and torched her up!? Dont you know how we will be scared of a maiden in love in the future!!?) (...EH EH? MY RESPONSIBILITY!? THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!?) Tatemiya-san, and Ushibuka-san. Suddenly being called by Itsuwa, the two men were rooted to the spot in fear. Im alright, Im alrightso, can you allow me to focus, please? A blank expression compounded with a very flat tone. After Itsuwa said this, she continued to use the sandpaper to polish her spear to let it feel more comfortable in her hands, convenient to use, sharp and deadly. The shape of the spear was slowly forming. (WWAAAHHHHHHH!!!) Seeing Tatemiya and Ushibuka tremble, their comrades all sighed in helplessness. Itsuwa looked extremely violent today, so Tatemiya and company could only cast strengthening spells on their clothes and make sure that everyone had jotted down the terrain in a notebook and memorized it. As they were doing this, Tatemiya and Ushibuka felt like praying for Acqua of the Backs safety, even though he was not there. [We know you have your reasons, but our Itsuwa here has switched to killing mode, so please protect yourself well.] (...We cannot, cannot face an angry Itsuwa head on.) (...Ye, yeah, I feel the same.) At this moment, Tatemiya Saijis phone rang. Ara ara, is that Tatemiya-san? Wah, Miss Orsola!! Your voices really healing me!! Seemed like Tatemiya had been hit really bad somewhere deep inside his heart, as it seemed like he was about to cry. But it seemed like the person on the other side of the phone didnt grasp the situation. Well, Im sorry. Seems like I called the wrong person. Then Ill PLEASE DONT HANG UP THE PHONE!! IF YOU HANG UP NOW THIS PLACE IS GOING TO BE TENSE AGAIN!! Having finally grasped the grain of hope, Tatemiya paid attention to Orsola. In order to allow everyone to hear the conversation, he put the call on speaker phone and waited for Orsola to continue on. Im going to tell you the latest information regarding Acqua right now. This natural airhead and self-centered Orsola was now reporting in a rare serious tone. We found out Acqua of the Backs real name. His name is William Orville, a magic mercenary born in England, and he doesnt have any affiliation. Of course, when he was born, he wasnt a Roman Catholic, and there are records indicating that he was baptized in an Anglican church when he was young. As a mercenary, he was a lone wolf, and it seems like he specializes in taking down enemy strongholds. To think that he actually specialized in this. This didnt just mean that he specialized in taking down enemy bases, but rather, among all forms of combat, he specialized in taking down bases. But besides that, it didnt mean that he didnt excel in other forms of combat. If so, William Orville would have failed a long time ago, and couldnt possibly be standing here. Also, as a magician, William had a magic name. The name engraved on his chest is Flere210. ...Flere...right? A Latin word normally formed half of the magic name, and the meaning of the word Flere was tears. They may not have known the significance to this name, but William Orville most probably had a reason for engraving it on his chest. Also, to be able to engrave the name on his chest, it showed that he had overwhelming strength. A Saint. This one word that signified the absolute difference against him echoed in Tatemiyas mind. So what were William Orvilles accomplishments as a mercenary? Hm, there was an aid to an Astrology group in Western Russia, an elimination of the Orleans Knights in Central France, an Englands third princess Rescue Mission near the Straits of Dover...I cant finish if Im to name them all. This showed that he had participated in a lot of battles, and kept winning. To be able to come back alive from so many battles, this was the best proof of Acqua of the Backs strength. Orsola rattled off the list of battles that Acqua had taken part in, and Tatemiya had heard of some of them. No matter which ones they were, everyone knew how intense those battles were. Even if the entire Amakusa was to gather, they might never be competent enough to handle this. Basically, those were Hell-like battlefields. One strong enemy...no, hes our worst enemy. But William Orville isnt just someone who will settle any problem with just force. For instance, even in the medical facilities within the battle zones, he will impart knowledge of herbs to them to lower the mortality rate, taught poor and hungry villages how to cook Murdock...hes pretty active even outside the battlefield. In some places, they even call him a Sage. These were really things that people could only do when they truly realized the reality on the battlefield. Some problems couldnt just be settled by sending large number of forces or donating. One had to truly experience the atmosphere of a battlefield to understand what the people really needed, and thus they could understand that what they could do wasnt just in the short-term, but rather ways to improve their standard of living in the long run. It seemed like Acqua of the Back wasnt just a battle maniac. He had a robust body and a softer mentally, he was a wise beast. This was Tatemiyas impression of him right now. We didnt find anything that can be classified as a weakness. As a mercenary, he continued to use this attribute of being a Saint to continue to carry out explosive battles. ...So after he changed sects, he obtained the strength of a member of God''s Right Seat? Yes, all the legends during the mercenary era had happened before William Orville was called Acqua of the Back. Right now, his power should be a lot stronger than that, and not just that, he had completely mastered a new form of fighting. Tatemiya again recognized how strong this opponent was, and he was likely even scarier than their Priestess-sama. (With this power, how did he control his powers?) On first glance, people like Kanzaki seemed like they managed to control their powers naturally, but that wasnt the case. If an ordinary magician like Tatemiya was to try control that power, they would be completely destroyed by the power. And the power that Acqua wielded was even stronger than that. (...So we cant overcome him with magic, huh?) Originally, William was supposed to be an English Knight, but he disappeared a week before he was appointed, so the heraldry that was halfway done was kept in the makers house. And when he appeared again, he had become an enemy of England. What happened during that time was still a mystery, but they didnt have time to wonder about this. We cant expect any weaknesses from him. But at least we can find out Acquas main fighting methods, right? Like the kinds of weapons he uses, what school of thought he came from. As for school of thought, it seems like he self-taught himself, and he calls it the Mercenary code. As for weapons, he uses a 5 meter long iron mace that looks like a Knights lance. These were things that Tatemiya already knew having fought against Acqua of the Back first-hand before. Also...the way he moves in battle is rather unique, not by running, but it seems like he glides on the floor. ...? At this moment, Tatemiya couldnt think anymore. It was true that he hadnt heard anything when he had been approached, and now that Orsola mentioned it, that seemed to be the case. No matter what, the speed at which Acqua of the Back moved, except for the moment he changed directions, made it looked like he was vanishing. Seems like he uses a water movement spell. The reason why horse carriages can slide on ice is because of a thin layer of water between the carriage wheels and the ice, right? That means...this guy, before he was called Acqua of the Back, he knew how to use water spells... Vento of the Front, Terra of the Left, Acqua of the Back. If they each represented the four archangels, then Acqua represented the Power of God, his element was water, and during the last battle, he hadnt used any water spells because with the abilities of the fighters there, there had been no need to use them. (...So what sort of plan should we use?) The intangiblesthe number of intangibles that far exceeded their imagination was too many, and Tatemiya couldnt help but laugh at this. At this moment. No matter who the enemy is, what we have to do hasnt changed... Plainly. Without moving her lips, Itsuwa said this as she wielded her enhanced spear. Youre right, Tatemiya-san... The unspoken meaning behind Itsuwas words was Dont run away. Hearing these words, Tatemiyas hand that was holding onto the cell phone, trembled violently. Part 5 It was 3 AM in the morning. On a metal bridge on the third level of District 22, Acqua of the Back was standing there casually. From the park till all the way here, he had taken down a total of 8 self-propelled mimosas, 17 armored vehicles, 38 androids, all unmanned. Every time he took down an enemy, he would move on to another point before destroying the enemy...though he had been repeating this over and over again, he hadnt managed to find something like a human controller. It seemed like the opponent wasnt as tactless and dumb as he had expected. Acqua didnt even look at the artificial planetarium giant screen as he pondered to himself. (It would be very easy now if I had Ventos Divine Punishment...) Even so, the enemy forces had retreated after an hour of fighting. Maybe because it was so one-sided that the higher ups of Academy City felt that they were just wasting their military resources. Acqua himself also felt this way, wondering how much money had been spent to build what was now a pile of scrap metal. The huge amount of money needed to buy modern weapons would sometimes change a persons thoughts regarding money. Dont they have a better use for this money? Acqua thought. ...Unexpectedly though, they arent idiots. Acqua made this assessment regarding this enemy that had retreated at an appropriate time. Any professional would often have a sense of pride regarding their areas of specialties; these were things that could be explained in every industry. And for soldiers, it was the most direct thing, force. There shouldnt be anyone able to endure and repress the feeling of being abused and killed. But there were leaders who could repress that anger, propose a logical reasoning that everyone could accept, analyze the situation well and quickly give orders to retreat, this kind of person existed in Academy City. But no matter how good the political skills the enemy commander had, no matter how strong the forces he had, the thing that Acqua wanted to do hadnt changed. Destroy the Imagine Breaker. And to eradicate anything that was impeding him from taking action. (Then.) Acqua pulled out a pocket watch from his pocket and confirmed the time. (So there are 19 hours till the Imagine Breaker deal, huh...?) He covered the pocket watch and slipped it into his pants pocket. Acqua slightly moved his eyeballs at the side. So I can see the outcome now, right? Acqua said to the darkness. Theres still more than half a day till that time. Are you guys prepared for this? Footsteps could be heard from deep within the darkness. It wasnt just a pair. The number of footsteps totaled around 50, and every one of them was of the Anglican Church sect, the Amakusa-style Remix of Church. The footsteps gave a sense of unity, as if they just penetrated each gap between the metal frames. Males and females, young and old, they were all wearing ordinary attire, but they were wielding weapons like swords, spears, axes, bows, whips; and under the shine off the street lights, it was rather unlucky. There were people wielding weapons that even the ex-mercenary Acqua didnt know of, like the Japanese exclusive chain sickle (kusarigama), the jutte and even something like a metal flute. Standing in front was the current substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa style Church, Tatemiya Saiji. The reason why Acqua knew his name was simple. During the previous battle, Acqua had managed to sort out information that the Amakusa exchanged with each other. Being able to effectively gather information in the middle of a battlefield was something a mercenary had to be skilled in. Well, you gave us a tough question that we couldnt decide on, and ended up not bothered by it at all, so we quickly settled it. Got to thank you for that. Tatemiya was holding a large wavy sword. Like a broadsword and two-handed sword, this was a huge two handed sword that was meant to cleave through the enemys defenses. It was a huge monster that was over 1.8m in length. But to Acqua, that was like a kid holding a wooden stick. An unreasonably tough question, huh? As if he was mocking, Acqua used the inside of his feet to knock the ground a few times. Without a single sound, a large block of metal that was over 5m long leapt out from his shadow. Right now, youre against the 2 billion followers of the Roman Catholic Church, and you can escape with just the loss of a single arm. Is that a tough question at all? I thought it was a bargain. The real enemy isnt the Roman Catholic Church, but people like you who treat ordinary civilians as bait and manipulate them when they continue to believe in God. Humph, so the deal broke down, huh? Is there anything else other than that? Not much difference to me, I wont be bothered by it. On the other hand, you should be worrying... because you just gave up the one chance you had of surviving. From his shadow, Acqua pulled out an extremely large mace and easily swung it as if it was a tennis racket to confirm the condition. He then said, Im afraid you forgot, so let me repeat this again. Im one of the Saints, ... And I have the power as a member of God''s Right Seat. ... If, after confirming all this, you people still feel that you have to risk your lives to protect that person, Ill wait for you. The possibilities that humans have, this dream-like thing, Ill look forward to it for a bit. Ill take on all your special moves that you exert with full force. Acqua had changed. It was not that he had changed externally like he getting Angelic wings on his back or a halo above his head. However, at this moment, one could feel that his aura had changed. And after that, Ill win. Acqua took half a step forward. This wasnt for movement, but to help him grip the metal mace better. This meant that he had recognized Tatemiya and company as enemies, and would use all his strength to crush their realizations and resolve; a silent proclamation. This thing called winning, its not decided by good and evil, but winning and losing, and Ill prove that to you. What Im hoping for is for you to at least force me to use a trump card. If you cant even do this, I wont even call you weaklings, but fools But Acqua wasnt able to finish his words. CLANG!! Her patience at her limits, Itsuwa completely ignored the fact that the two were still talking, and immediately carried out a blow meant to kill Acqua. Itsuwa wordlessly used the Friuli Spear of hers to charge at Acqua at blinding speed, and with the spell Icy Night Wind cast on the tip of the spearit exploded. BAM!! Flashes appeared everywhere, and it was not just Acqua alone getting hit, the neighboring asphalt roads were mercilessly ripped up and crumbled. They were supposed to be comrades, but Tatemiya was shocked by this sudden attack as he turned his head around. It-Itsuwa...san? Showing a painful expression, Tatemiya said softly, but Itsuwa didnt look back at all. One could see from her shoulders that she was extremely nervous. Seeing the dust flying about in the air, Itsuwa readied her spear and slackened her chin. The mace, being used like a grey window handle, pulled open to scatter the dust, and the unhurt Acqua appeared inside. Shouldnt you listen to other peoples words till the end? ...If you have something to say, say it later. Forget about being afraid, Itsuwa actually said this as she took a step forward bravely. AFTER I BEAT YOU TO A PULP OVER AND OVER AGAIN!! IF YOUR JAW ISNT ALL BROKEN, ILL LET YOU TALK ALL YOU WANT!! Itsuwas plain expression seemed to have some abnormal force gathered on her forehead. The huge shout felt like it could break even her cheeks. Hearing this, the Amakusa members could only hug their heads painfully and exchange looks with each other. (...AHHH!! THAT ITSUWA, HAS SHE COMPLETELY LOST IT!!?) (...BECAUSE SUPREME PONTIFF-SAMA, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT PROVE THAT YOURE THE BEST GIRL IN THE HOSPITAL. WOULDNT THAT CAUSE ITSUWA TO GO ALL OUT!!?) (...Youre really an idiot. Even if its God, a girl in love will still charge on.) In contrast to the males who were making a commotion, the females were so calm it makes others feel intrigued. Ignoring this, Itsuwa continued to glare angrily at Acqua. From who knew when, the focal point of the Amakusa had changed. Humph, you have guts, but can you back up your words with action? Let me enjoy this a bit. Dont worry, even if were reduced to a slice of meat, well LET YOU REGRET ALL YOU DID AFTER BEATING YOU TO MEAT PULP!! EH EH!! DO WE HAVE TO GO TO THIS EXTENT!? Ignoring the cries behind, Itsuwa again took a step forward. The two of them were within attacking range, and ignoring Tatemiya Saiji, who was standing there blankly, a huge battle began. Part 6 On the metal bridge in the middle of the night, explosions could be heard. As a Saint, Acqua had tremendous power as compared to Itsuwa, an ordinary human, so there was a definite advantage in speed. Acqua moved at a speed that was like vanishing to a humans naked eye and attacked Itsuwa head on. He let the muscles in his body expand instantly, and the large mace slammed down towards Itsuwa like a guillotine. In terms of movement, Itsuwa was slower by half a step, and finally managed to move her spear. Stabbing the spear into Acquas attacking trajectory, Itsuwa tried to block his attack. However, nothing could block this one hit from Acqua. However. Ugh!! With the sounds of rocks colliding with each other, Itsuwas spear received Acquas mace. Normally, Itsuwas body would be crushed together with the Friuli Spear and blown away. This spear...? Hehe, I made about 1,500 layers of resin on it. The two peoples weapons let out some squeaking sounds as they continued to bite into each other. Itsuwa smiled and said, The symbol behind this are the age rings of a tree, and the spell hidden within is the reproductivity that plants possessuntil the spell reaches the end of the world, as time passes on, the hardness will continue to increase. Ill let you see how much endurance it can gain after every second. Take this power of the scattered grass, Itsuwa declared. But there are other spells used as well... ...Things from ancient times, in all sorts of civilizations, why are things like clothes created? I suppose that I dont have to tell you the significance behind this spell, right? Looking closely, one could see that a patch of clothing on Itsuwas abdomen was torn unnaturally, revealing the white skin underneath. It seemed like the damage done to Itsuwa had been transferred there. To protect a persons body... this is the most important significance. But then again, its just a spell to weaken the damage; it isnt one omnipotent spell that can negate all sorts of damage. During the last battle, Acqua hadnt seen such a thing, and right now, they were using these spells without holding back. In other words, the Amakusa members were able to create such efficient spells on the fly. But what shocked Acqua wasnt this. (She matched up well against my speed...?) Acqua was a Saint, his speed should have been overwhelming, and not something that a human could follow. Normally, Itsuwa should be unable to even flick a finger before she got crushed. But in reality, this wasnt the case. Though she was slower by half a step, Itsuwa had still managed to catch up to him in the end. Though she hadnt had time to turn defense into attack, she had still managed to defend herself well. (Why?) Being puzzled, Acqua quickly figured out the catch behind this. This group of approximately 50 Amakusa members had a certain rule when moving. Instead of just having a different formation to make battling a lot more effective, there was a unique rule behind this. If Itsuwa was the focal point, the focal point would be moved somewhere else. If anyone wanted to pursue the center, the center would be scattered into the crowd and disappear, and just when they prepared to ignore the center, Itsuwa would again be the focal point. It felt like in the group, this thing called the focal point had continued to change. Gathering at the right time, and scattering at the right time. Like sand in an hourglass, each movement had a huge significance. (A spell that increases visual activity and mobility, huh?) Such a little trick... This action felt like they were familiar with fighting against Saints, and Acqua frowned uncomfortably. There were only about 20 people with this rare power of being a Saint, thus there were very few people who would actually seen a Saint in their entire lives. (Speaking of which, theres a Saint like me who exists among the Amakusa-style Remix of Church.) Because of this, they had probably gotten used to matching up against the speed, arm strength, and reactions. And also, they had the brains of those that had experienced it first-hand, and thus they had managed to come up with this spell to match up against Acquas movements. Acqua brought the mace behind his body, holding it properly again and saw Itsuwas expression. However, youre still too slow. Hm!? Acqua again closed in. Before the gust struck, the mace had already struck Itsuwa. Itsuwa tried her hardest to block the hit, and her clothes automatically ripped to avoid the magic impact. However, the next attack was coming. Itsuwa wanted to swing her spear to knock the strike away, but the last hit had taken a lot out of Itsuwa just at this moment, as Itsuwa was knocked backwards. Faster than even the initial strike, Acquas second hit was barely knocked off course by the old Isahaya, and at this moment, the lady Tsushima grabbed Itsuwa by the neck and pulled her out. The third strike that Acqua sent out directly hit where Itsuwa had previously stood, crushing the asphalt without any mercy. The entire metal bridge shook unstably. Even though they managed to avoid the direct hit, the large amount of debris hit Isahayas entire body, blowing him away. Acqua wanted to continue pursuing Itsuwa, but at this moment, he noticed something shiny mixed into the grey dust. It was like an infrared laser to allow people to see through smoke. This thin light came from, Metal wires. And it was not just one or two. Carefully discerning this, one could notice that with Itsuwa at center, the 50 Amakusa members all had some extremely thin wires on their fingers. Each person was controlling 7 of these, and in total, this deadly spider web of 350 wires attacked Acqua. Humph. Acqua didnt even dodge it. The extremely fine maze of wires ripping through the air instantaneously bound his entire body, and, with the extreme force exerted throughout the wires, was trying to rip and crush his entire body. Instead of killing him, it couldnt even stop him from moving forward for even a single second. Such a tremendous display of power, this was Gods Right Seat Acqua of the Back. [You killed.] This little voice echoed within Acquas ears. [You killed me.] (I see, so this is the real purpose, huh...!?) That moment Acqua gritted his teeth, something like red mist ripped on the wires. This red mist immediately expanded like it was immersed with this painting called the darkness, and soon, it engulfed Acquas entire body. ...The hidden spell within this is A Punishment of a Killer. Standing on the damaged bridge, Itsuwa muttered, and the red mist suddenly exploded from within. The Amakusa magic caused a huge expansion of this mist, and after creating an inescapable prison, it exploded within the mist. With this technique, no matter how fast the person was, they couldnt escape. This is a spell that allows each wire to have symbolic features of being a persons lifeline, and then punish the person that destroyed these wires. This is an ancient thing, a spell that any religions has, no matter the culture...in other words, no matter what kind of defensive spell it belongs, it cant block this Curses of the Fallen. The red mist box that surrounded Acqua expanded twice or thrice, like a continuous bomb explosion in water. Each explosion triggered another chain of explosions. Each of the explosions continued to chain up, and from who knew when, the exterior of the red mist box had become distorted as a bunch of grapes. It was impossible to do this with just a persons strength; this was something that the Amakusa usedthe ultimate definition of being one entire unit. But Itsuwa and company didnt look relaxed. BAM!! The sure-kill technique exploded from within, and expanded out. This was an explosion that was larger than what the Amakusa had prepared. It was a shockwave stronger than the explosion the Amakusa used to kill. This shockwave easily ripped through the red prison. The dust and steam mixed together, making the entire place look like a grey screen. What came from the other side of the screen was a mans rough voice. Then let me tell you my attributes. On the other side of the screen, a gigantic man shadow was swaying about. There was something like a core supporting this vertical shadow. My attribute is the Power of God, who has the distinction of informing the Childs birth. I can use the spells related to the Divine Mother to a certain extentin other words, I can use the secret ritual of worship the Divine Mother. Only the words continued on, The Divine Mothers Worships special attribute isto weaken the punishment. Only the voice of Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back continued on. Occupying this entire world. The believers get saved, and also, punishing those who dont obey suitably, thats another attribute of the Power of God. With this special attribute of weakening this through the worship of the Divine Mother, its like helping a woman escape from a monastery, helping her take attendance, and continuing to cheat the watching eyes until the woman comes back. Silently, the figure moved. Ripping through this window that was formed by dust and steam, the human figure moved forward. Unlike the Son of God who was born as the Son of Man, God and the Holy Son, the Divine Mother was an ordinary child, but at the same time, she and God have a bond that cant be separated, its this rare existence. Using this logic, the Divine Mother has this attribute of being a middle person thats able to surpass anyones mercy and transfer the suffering of those severely punished to God. The voice echoed throughout the air. High and mighty, not even trying to hide. Then now, Ill tell you the conclusion. My attribute is the Divine Mothers Mercy that negates any punishment. Even if theyre strict and just final judgement, they can be overturned. It even directs whether a person is going to Heaven or to Hell. No matter what kind of guilt one has, the punishment will be nullified. To me who has this attribute, your attacks are meaningless. I dont even need to move a finger to ignore this sin of killing. And for me, able to even to negate Gods Sin, do you think you can use this ordinary spell to beat me? Explosions could be heard. The grey screen surrounding Acqua was immediately blown away. Humph, you should have listened to me till the end. Acqua placed the huge mace on his shoulder, looking extremely bored as he sighed. There wasnt anyone else around. The 50 Amakusa fighters had carefully used a diversion spell that let people detect a false human presence even while they escaping. He was standing on the bridge, alone, but he revealed the kind of smile that a hunter would have when he was hunting his prey. Well, lets just say you just increased my fun in hunting you down. Part 7 With Tatemiya Saiji leading, the Amakusa members moved to a small plaza 300m away from the metal bridge. When they had cast a Punishment of a Killer, the moment they saw the spell break, they had immediately used this high-speed escape spell to run away. But it was just a temporary effect. Acqua had such tremendous strength that it was easy for him for him to detect a human presence or magic flow. Also, in this sealed underground space, the number of places they could hide was limitedalso, there was an absolute reason why the Amakusa couldnt run away. He managed to break through it in the end. What do we do, substitute Supreme Pontiff? Ushibuka kept the metal wires that were now cut into something like fluff as he waited for Tatemiya to give the next instruction. ...It would have been great if we could beat him using that just now. Seems like things arent that easy. Tatemiya wielded the large wavy sword in his hand as he looked at the surroundings. Though the Amakusa had shown that they could match up to Acquas mobility, it did not come cheaply, for if a group of about 50 people could continue to match up against a Saints movement speed, the Amakusa were worth even more than a Saint. Theres a limit to how much we can fool him. Itsuwa exhaled heavily to adjust her breathing as she said this. Actually, the key behind that body strengthening spell was touching people on the back. The spell hidden within this was the recovery spell inserted from behind. They continued to change formations as they fought, the moment they moved and crossed each other, their comrades would pat each other on the back, recovering their body functions and immediately getting stronger. It was not a spell that a lone person could do; it was a group-exclusive movement spell that worked for their comrades. Also, the effects would be even better with the fengshui effect of a pulse like a sleeping corner or rest point. With their comrades helping, the effect of the increased mobility was enhanced, allowing them to be able to match a Saints speed. However, the enemy had broken through this formation, causing the strengthening rhythm between their comrades to be broken and them being unable to catch up. A break in one place would affect the entire chain, finally causing the entire group to be slow. With this, there was no way they could beat Acqua of the Back. A Saint was such a monster. Seems like we can only use the origin. According to how the Son of God was executed, well start our counterattack with Itsuwa at center. Dont feel regretful, make your resolve and head on. Tatemiya looked around, and especially at Itsuwa, waiting for a response from everyone. At this moment, Itsuwa held the Friuli Spear tightly with both hands as she nodded her head. At this moment. A strong chilly atmosphere touched everyones skin, a gigantic presence ripping through the night and quickly approaching. There was no need to guess who this presence belonged to, there was no one else but Acqua. For the Amakusa, their favorite battle plan still remained. But even then, as that was their favorite, it was not something that could be activated so easily. Well, lets get our positions ready first!! Tatemiya shouted, and the entire group of Amakusa members moved out like waves. However, they were not moving front, back, left, right, but down. They placed their hands on the floor filled with small tiles, and after that, there appeared a 1 square meter area wide helicopter-entrance like thing. What was waiting on the other side of the entrance was an underground space made of reinforced concrete. The place was filled with staircases and handlebars that were covered with moisture, and large, thick pipes intercrossing with each other. As if she was being held down by a large and loud machine, Itsuwa slipped between the gaps below. Only at this moment did she realize that this was a hydroelectric turbine power plant. This was another level below the level full of underground streets, the depth was about 10m, and the space was only appropriate to carry out all sorts of daily necessary activities. Tatemiya, Itsuwa and the rest slipped through this small space as they set up wires and trap spells all over the place. Though they didnt feel that they could beat Acqua, they just hoped to delay him for a while. The real aim of the Amakusa was down below. As long as Acqua went down from the third level to the fourth level that was full of traps, they would have enough time to prepare the favorite spell of theirs. Since you have prepared such a nice thing for me to see, I should give something back in response. Without knowing when, the deep voice of the man echoed throughout the dark underground space. The voice seemed to have echoed a few times, so they couldnt tell where it came from. As one with the attribute of Power of God, you should know what I can do. !? They didnt even have time to respond. Suddenly, a huge pipe inside this large space of cement broke from within. Greater than 1m in diameter, 5cm thick, the super tube got ripped apart like paper, and debris as large as guitar picks scattered in all directions, causing orange sparks to fly all over the place. The high-velocity metal pieces that flew over collided with the cement, knocking about everywhere. Water is something that can change easily; you can even use it to make a bomb if you use it well. CLANG!! The pipes everywhere started to explode one after another. As if they were forced open by water and steam, the large amount of metal pieces ended up being a rain of shotgun rounds. Itsuwa barely managed to react in time as she blocked a piece of metal that was aimed at her face with her spear, but she tripped down due to the impact. Though she was extremely mindful about the destructive power, there was something that she was even more mindful of. Before the water pipe had broke, she seemed to have seen some shiny word. The shiny word that had appeared seemed to be Laguz. This word that was like a marking was, What... a water rune? Extremely ordinary. As it was too ordinary, it could be considered a very symbolic form of magic. This reaction...seems like you learnt something about Gods Right Seat when I sent Terras corpse over, right? According to the Anglican Church report, as the members of Gods Right Seat had bodies that were more akin to angels, they had the ability to use unique spells, but could not use the ordinary spells that a normal magician could use. This should have been the case... But is this really something shocking? Truly, God''s Right Seat cant use spells that ordinary humans use, but I do have the spell of the Divine Mothers Worship, which releases me from these limitations, bonds, and constraints. Having the two powers of being a Saint and a member of God''s Right Seat at the same time, He had completely mastered human and Angelic spells. Dont you put me, Acqua of the Back, on the same level as the other members of God''s Right Seat! (Ku...!!) After that, another few pipes broke, and the water turbines that were used to generate electricity exploded as they attacked there. The huge turbine swung about like a rotating blade, and on seeing it slowly coming closer, Itsuwa leapt past the metal handle and jumped down. She used her spear to break through the door on the ground that was like a duct, and quickly got outside. It was the bottom of the third level, near the ceiling of the fourth level. In this space that was about 20 meters from the surface, the thin metal passages and stairs around were all intercrossed. Such a scene was like a dance stage, and below Itsuwa, it was the street of the fourth levelnot really. What was actually below her was the huge planetarium screen. The camera image of the surface that formed an artificial sky covered the entire screen, and the cloth used for the screen was supported by thin pillars and wires hanging in mid-air. But Itsuwa had no time to notice these strange scenes. ...!! Wheres Acqua!! Over here. Just as Itsuwa felt that she heard Acquas voice, the giant wind pressure whipped up. Itsuwa instinctively moved her spear once she saw where this wind pressure was coming from and prepared to take the heavy hit from the enemyjust as Itsuwa thought of this, her body got blown away about 15m, together with the spear that she was using as defense. She could hear the sound of metal being ripped behind her. Itsuwa finally managed to endure the huge damage on her entire body and prepared to make her next move, but there was no place for her to place her footing. Without any ideas, Itsuwa could only let her body land on the giant screen. However, what was unexpected was that the screen didnt rip, but supported Itsuwas weight. It seemed like the screen was specially done to stop anything that fell from ceiling, and had this special job of being a guardian. Not mindful about being unable to stand properly, Itsuwa wielded her spear properly and looked in front. Acqua of the Back. He was holding onto a huge mace that was of a different league from Itsuwas spear, and he jumped off the railing and landed on the screen. Then, the trial will end here. Readying the mace that he was carrying on his shoulder, Acqua calmly said. Since both sides are holding weapons, theres no reason not to attack each other. ...That seems to be the case. Itsuwa seemed to respond as she pointed the Cross-shaped spear tip at Acqua, saying with a heavy tone. But Im not your only enemy. After that, the helicopter holes on part of the ceiling opened up one by one. The Amakusa members all appeared here, and all of them were injured. There were blood stains on their clothes, but none of them landed yet. 50 people in all, 100 eyeballs were capturing Acquas figure. In contrast, the monster didnt even feel fear. No problem. Calmly. He didnt even take a single step, just letting his center of gravity descend. Bring it on. The moment he said this, all the Amakusa members charged down at Acqua of the Back. Part 8 From the front, Itsuwa charged at Acqua directly. Before Acqua, who was standing on the screen that was meant to show a sky, could respond to Itsuwas movements, some sword-wielding Amakusa youths started to attack him from the left, back and above. About 20 blades were aimed at Acquas body, and even if Acqua avoided these, there were 30 more blades left. For a normal human, this was something that he couldnt handle. But Acqua did it. The huge mace ripped the air, and being in mid-air, Ushibuka and Kouyagi were blown away. The deliberately invoked shockwaves that rippled out struck others, and ignoring the Amakusa members who had their formation all messed up, Acqua turned around and slammed his mace straight down from behind. This entire chain of events was just like an explosion. With Acqua at the center, the formation of the Amakusa was blown away, all the members were sent flying back in all directions. !! Wanting to add on with another attack, Itsuwa suddenly realized something and stopped her feet. At this moment, Acquas body was gliding as if he was skating on ice. As if he was aiming for the hole left in Itsuwas defense, Acqua raised his mace and aimed at her from a diagonally high position, before swinging it down as if he was trying to crush her skull. This was a lightning bolt formed by iron. But this hit missed Itsuwa. Acqua felt that he missed his attack, and Itsuwa, who was supposed to be within striking distance, vanished. Looking closely, he found that the light-colored sweater that Itsuwa had been wearing was hanging on the tip of the mace. Acqua turned his eyes to the front, and slightly farther away, Itsuwa was standing there. It was unknown what sort of spell she had used; she was still wearing her clothes, and only her sweater was abandoned. Acqua easily swung the mace and tossed the cloth on it over. So you used this as a scapegoat, huh? But Im unlucky, theres not many things to use as a scapegoat. Itsuwa readied her spear as she said silently. Please dont make me do something too embarrassing. Before both of them could finish, they clashed again. Acquas mace looked like it could cut through the floor easily. But in contrast to before, Itsuwa and her spear were enhanced, and all these efforts were meant for her to be able to match up against a Saints movements. One hit, two hits, three hits, though she was slower than Acqua by half a step, Itsuwa managed to deflect all his attacks at least. Nice movements. Acqua raised the mace in his hand quickly as he honestly praised his enemy. But even though youre doing well, your movements are slowly getting slower. Ke...!! The difference between the two was slowly widening, and once this difference widened to a certain extent, Itsuwa would definitely be unable to block Acquas attacks and would be reduced to a pile of meat. In order to support Itsuwa, Tsushima, Isahaya and many other Amakusa members attacked Acqua from all angles, but got blocked by the protective wall formed when Acqua swung his mace at a terrifying speed. Fighting against Itsuwa and yet still managing to easily hold the surrounding Amakusa members down, once he seized any chances, the rune word would shine and appear, and the high-pressure compressed water would be reflected over. While they were continuing on with their ferocious attacks, Tatemiya and Itsuwa exchanged glances. (...Is that thing ready yet!?) (...No time left, do it...!!) IT...!! In order to readjust their current situation, Tatemiya tried to call Itsuwa, but at this moment, Acqua came attacking with another strike. Though Tatemiya managed to instinctively block the strike with his large wavy sword, the impact caused Tatemiya to bounce on the huge screen twice or thrice. Next. Seeing Itsuwa''s breathlessness, Acqua raised his mace. How much longer can you last? Let me enjoy it. With these words, Acquas muscles instantly expanded. It was impossible to get away from his striking distance. The giant mace clashed with Itsuwas spear. Though she managed to avoid a direct hit, this was already Itsuwas limit. Every time the two weapons collided, like some missing gear parts, Itsuwas speed would drop at an obvious rate. There was no room for any counterattack. There was no way to completely block the shockwaves caused by Acquas hits, as the shockwaves hit the screen that they were standing on. Maybe the screen was reinforced with some special bulletproof fiber, but it still got ripped easily like stockings. This hell that continued to sap strength was like a marathon. But in this marathon, the runners back was against a large blender that could grind humans into meat sauce. She would die if she stopped. Even so, forcing her body to continue running would only cause her death once she reached her limits. The blade and the blunt weapon continued to clash against each other. Humph...!! Acqua inhaled, wanting to grip the mace even harder and exert even more strength, but at this moment, Itsuwa took action. She was not heading forward, but rather, it seemed like she was directly running away from Acquas frontal attacks, instantly moving backwards. Dodging it by a few centimeters, it was almost negligible. If it was someone with Saint-like mobility, like Acqua, this distance could be nullified in an instant. However, to Itsuwa, it was something that determined her life and death. After forcing herself to jump back, she lost her balance, and looked like she could fall anytime. Itsuwa had no way to carry on with the next action. Whether it was dodging, or blocking. Humph. Acqua again adjusted his breathing, preparing to deal the final blow by stabbing the mace forward. The air was ripped, and Acquas speed was like a supersonic jet. GAKUN!! But his movement seemed to be restricted by something, as he suddenly stopped. Wha... Acqua looked at his legs in surprise. His high movement speed was maintained by a certain type of spell, there was a thin layer of water between his soles and the floor, and like how a skater skates in an ice skating rink, the same principle was used to allow his body to glide. But this spell had been destroyed without him knowing. Itsuwa of the Amakusa definitely didnt have the strength to reverse Acquas spell and destroy it. Up till now, she hadnt done anything like a ritual. However, At that moment Acqua he noticed that there was something shiny mixed in it, and it came from the soles of Acquas feet. There were inexplicable waves that were obstructing Acquas spell. Itsuwa wasnt able to take Acquas attacks directly, and the remaining shockwaves formed had caused the screen that they were standing on the rip. And the look of this ripped screen formed some sort of a position. What was amazing was that this position affected Acquas movement spell as well. This wasnt coincidental. The Amakusa-style Remix of Church wouldnt use any special spells or spiritual items when they used magic. They would use all sorts of daily items, reclaim the magical element hidden within them, arrange and develop all sorts of spells. And most important, Even if it was for an instant, Acqua definitely revealed a gap. Seeing Acqua like this, Itsuwa, who was standing in front of him, revealed a slight smile. Without mercy, Itsuwa raised her spear at Acqua and charged forward. After waiting for so long, this moment had finally come, a hit that was like lightning. A straight line attack that ripped the air, Acqua did a dodging motion for the first time. Ugh!! Acqua didnt dodge to the front, back, left or right, instead choosing to jump. It was alright even if it was on the unstable screen, as Acqua was able to jump about 5m after just one jump. He was now standing on one of the pillar that was hanging the screen. TATEMIYA-SAN, EVERYONE!! Even so, Itsuwa didnt change her position. She lowered her body, ready to use the Friuli Cross-tip spear and pointed it at Acqua. NOWS THE TIME TO USE OUR FAVORITE!! Itsuwa shouted with her entire body full of strength. The Amakusa members around responded to that call; some were near Itsuwa, some were slightly farther away, but the formation they had now clearly emphasized that Itsuwa was the center this time. Balancing on the thin pillar, Acqua was looking for a suitable place to land, but at this moment, what he could sense below his eyes was all the willpower and magical power that was gathered on Itsuwas body. This was some sort of foreboding, the first wave of something big that was going to happen. (So its coming...!) Before Acqua could say this, Itsuwa took action. A huge explosion could be heard. The moment Acqua realized that this was the sound of a human stepping on the screen, Itsuwa was ripping the night sky apart like some sort of a rocket or spacecraft. Due to this huge power, some pillars that were hanging off the giant screen were bent. In Itsuwas hands that were coming near was a small piece of cloth that was like a wet handkerchief. She used this to hold the handle. A tube spear!? As the friction between the spear and the palms was reduced, the piercing speed and power of the spear had increased many times. But Itsuwas aim was different. TAKE THIS!! She used all her strength to send this strike. If she didnt do anything to protect her palms, her palms would most likely vanish first while the magic was transferred. SAINT DESTROYER!! The spear in Itsuwas hands exploded. It was not a metaphor, nor was it a comparison, but rather, Itsuwas spear really became lightning. This sharp strike that flew in a straight line hit Acqua right in the abdomen, and without mercy, the bluish white purple electricity passed through his body, spurting out from behind, ripping the darkness of the night apart. This huge friction caused the cloth that had been used to hold the spear to let out black smoke. With this explosion, a lightning Cross appeared from Acquas back, and new explosions continued to occur everywhere. ...! Acqua wanted to say that some valuable and hidden spell was activated. The spell that Itsuwano, all the Amakusa-style Remix of Church members let out, the Saint Destroyer. As a Saints body was similar to the Son of God, based on the Idol Theory, Saints were able to have similar abilities to the Son of God. On the other hand, it was possible to seal this power that they called the Stigma that a Saint had; by destroying what made these Saints similar to the Son of God, in terms of specific body features through human means. A Saint who lost this balance didnt just lose the power so easily. They couldnt even control their power, and may end up going rampant. In the past, The Amakusa-style Remix of Church had lost a Saint. As she was a gentle Saint, she was afraid that her tremendous power would hurt people around her, and chose to leave her home. In order to allow her to endure that tremendous power, the Amakusa members made a vow. One day, they wanted to be able to bear this tremendous power with her. The next time, they had to reach her back, grab her hand and tell her it was alright. They had to be that strong. And what they worked so hard on was the Saint Destroyer. In order to let her, a Saint, stand beside them, they had to correctly understand what kind of existence she was. Then, they had to climb past that wall, and then they must step up to whatever she felt may be a threat. Based on this theory, the Saint Destroyer was born. A real one. A successful spell that the Amakusa-style Remix of Church had managed to create. A special spell that existed to beat a Saint. (As the magic went rampant inside his body, the time it takes to solidify is about 30 seconds.) In theory, this was a spell that only worked on Saints and had no offensive effect on other ordinary magicians. Because of this special attribute, there couldnt possibly be a Saint that would specially come over to be lab mouse. Thus in a certain sense, it was a decisive moment right now. But the feeling that Itsuwa got from her hands was that they succeeded. She used her (?) to estimate this effective time. (Using this time that we have left, lets cause the just an ordinary person Acqua be completely powerless!!) However, Not a bad spell. This time, Itsuwas expression was frozen. The Friuli spear that had been converted into lightning had changed back into its original shape from who knew when. Itsuwa hadnt given any commands, so this meant that an external force had forced the spell to be reversed and negated. Acquas left hand was on his hip. He was not pressing against any wound, but at the place where his skin nearly got touched, he managed to use his hand to grab the tip of Itsuwas spear. Most likely, before Itsuwas spear turned into lightning, Acqua forcefully grabbed the tip of the Friuli spear; and the reason why those special sparks had appeared was likely because he had done something to it before it fired, causing the effect to leak out slightly from the tip of the spear. If I were just a Saint, I would most likely have been finished off. Acquas lips curled in a distorted manner. This wasnt a mocking smile, but rather a delighted smile that showed that he had met a strong enemy. But thats too bad. His left hand grabbing onto the spear, Acqua slowly moved his right hand. A 5m+ mace that was completely made of iron. BUT JUST AS IM A SAINT, IM A MEMBER OF GOD''S RIGHT SEAT!! The explosion occurred within the plaza where no one was. Itsuwa didnt even have time to use her clothes as a scapegoat. The moment Itsuwa noticed that her body made all these noises, her breathing had stopped. This vertical hit that came from above caused her to fall through the bulletproof fiber screen that was ripped apart, falling about 20m down. KYYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! As she fell, she could see several layers of defensive barrier spells opened, and they likely belonged to the Amakusa members. Itsuwa herself was also using one, trying her best to slow her falling speed. However, these spells were all broken through, and Itsuwas body landed hard on the asphalt floor. The grey dust danced about in the air. Battered pretty badly, Itsuwa was buried in the asphalt, and the only part of her body she could move was her head. She looked up at the sky, and saw that on the screen, with a sound of waves hitting a rock, a large amount of water spurted out from the crack within the rock. The several tons of water formed a giant hand or a dragons jaw. In front of this overwhelming strength, the Amakusa members scattered, and one could hear many cries of agony. Among them, a shadow gently descended down like a feather. How boring. You gathered so many people, and this is the best plan you can come up with? It was Acqua of the Back. He stood beside Itsuwa, who was basically completely defeated, and said silently. As for the conditions I was willing to give, you still have a few options. Many streams of water continued to flow down the planetarium video screen, and there were mechanical warning sounds. But Acqua was unfazed, he would just beat all the enemies in front of him. He casually said to Itsuwa, Ill let you decide, do you want to hand that boys right hand over? Or do you want to be the patterns on the ground here? ... Itsuwa didnt reply. But she made her response. She grabbed a piece of debris of the asphalt road and forced her battered body. This bloodied Itsuwa still wanted to stand up. If so, looks like I have no choice. Acqua said silently as he raised his gigantic mace. Since you wished for death, Ill let you disappear in all this commotion. The front tip of the mace was pointed at Itsuwas head. DONG!! Such an explosion could be heard. A waterfall came from the other side of the ripped screen, devastating the water on the fourth level in response to Acquas call and becoming 20m long. It was just like something that just grew out of the floor; a huge hammer that looked like a cable car joint changed into a beast that prone on the floor, looking for its prey. Itsuwa didnt close her eyes. Thus, she was able to sense it till the end. She sensed that Acquas hand had stopped. Suddenly, the entire place was filled with killing aura of an unknown nature. The source of this killing intent wasnt Acqua, nor was it the Amakusa members around them like Tatemiya and Ushibuka, and it couldnt possibly be the thoroughly injured Itsuwa. The distance and direction were unknown, but there really was killing intent. Acqua stopped his hand and noticed that his target was moving from one place to another. This something that had forced someone like Acqua to divert his attention was closing in. ...I see. Acqua of the Back muttered softly, and then revealed a smile. Itsuwa had seen this expression from close range before, it was an expression that he would only reveal when he faced a strong opponent. But this time, he wasnt looking at Itsuwa, but rather a look that was a lot deeper than the previous one by many times was engraved on his face. The block of water moving along the fourth level was dissolved, and the water that lost its magical form became a tsunami that attacked the banks on both sides. Acqua released the strength from his shoulder and carried the huge mace on his shoulder. And only once, did he look at Itsuwas face and said. Apparently you got a life back. Thank your master. BAM!! This explosion echoed throughout. The moment Itsuwa thought of this, Acqua of the Back had already disappeared. As he was too fast, the naked eye couldnt catch up. Itsuwa blankly slumped on where she was, just looking at the front where there was no one. She had survived. The iron, asphalt, anything, everything around had gotten crushed like an explosion in the air. The surroundings was just a pile of wasteland, with a large amount of water washing them away. In this pitiful situation, Itsuwa wasnt happy even though she had survived. In this situation, she couldnt tell whether they had been completely defeated. Acquas words continued to echo in her mind. ...Thank...your, master...? Itsuwa turned her head and looked around. Though she turned to where Acqua had been standing, there was nothing there. Like Acqua, who had vanished, what was over there was just an endless black night. Part 9 About 200m away from where Itsuwa had landed. On the riverside, there was a little observation post. With the dispel bystander spell, there was no one there except for 2 Saints standing on the icy facilities. One of them was Acqua of the Back. And the other was... Seems like you took care of my comrades quite a bit. A slim and tall body, snowy white skin, black hair that extended to her waist even after she tied it. Her clothing was a T-shirt, with a rough material jacket that had the right sleeve ripped up. And the left side of her jeans was ripped off below, revealing her entire thigh. However, despite such a unique get-up, there was something that was even more eye-catching than them. The sword that was attached to her belt. The 2m long katana, the Seven Heavens Seven Swords. Speaking of which, there was a Saint in the East that goes by killing everyone with just one strike. A Saint that belonged to any country or association wasnt allowed to anyhow go anywhere. Even though this Saint was taking some risks, she still chose to stand in front of Acqua. He gripped his mace. The meaning behind this was basically that he didnt need to bully the weak and could enjoy all the pleasures of battle. I heard that the Amakusa Saint seems to hate fighting. So do you have any intentions of fighting against me? Thats right. She said, I have that kind of personality, but it seems like Im a lot more immature that I thought I would be. Kanzaki Kaori said, But seeing them get beaten one by one, that wont do. That wont do at all. I bear that kind of a magic name. Wrath is one of the original seven sins; at least I was supposedly taught that way. The Saint that was called Priestess-sama felt like she was blowing all the darkness of the night and the rubble away. She was just standing there. Stop worrying about someone. I wont let their efforts go to waste, thats just enough. For that innocent boy that got violently abused without any reason. For the group of comrades that had stood up to help that boy and yet were trampled by this overwhelming power. She looked like she was about to break the hilt of the sword as she gripped it. The eyes of the two Saints collided. With this signal... Among the less than 20 monsters in the world, the battle between these two monsters in the world began here. Between the lines 2 The Knights of Orleans. Frances largest magical society and the name of the association that brought this boy despair. This association was originally a volunteer association attracted by Saint Joans deeds, and unlike the combat strength that everyone recognized, this group supported Saint Joan from the shadows. Also, at first, they had not been some enhanced special magic group, they had just been people who wanted to save France, regardless of their identity, their status, and (rare at that time) there were nobility and peasants. All sorts of people standing side-by-side, laughing together, it should be that kind of an association. But in year 1431, 30th of May, something major happened that altered their course. Joan of Arc, who had been captured by the English, was burned under the sin of being a heretic. From that day on, the Knights of Orleans became another abnormal association that existed to avenge Joan. The revenge on the English that killed Joan was to be expected, and also other French soldiers, nobility, those that hadnt saved her, those French citizens that hadnt done anything to bring Joans body back, the association treated them as their targets for revenge (strictly speaking, they intended it but did not manage to do it, it was not like they were an organisation that would consider whether it was appropriate), and the number of people targeted for revenge increased. Even if it was the largest magic association in France, if it wanted to declare war on these people, the chances of them winning was still slim. However, they themselves didnt know that. The Knights of Orleans had a hope. Saint Joan wasnt naturally born with any special ability. When she was 13, she heard a special voice, and after which, her powers started to bloom. The Orleans Knights were always looking for this Oracle of Joan. Unlike Joan, who wanted to protect people, these Knights did this only in the name of revenge. To those who only whispered and prayed for a miracle, God wouldnt lend them a hand, so why didnt the members of the organization notice that? Of course, the Knights of Orleans became an association that looked for mysteries, making them even more involved in magic. A few hundred years had passed, and the members of the Knights of Orleans had switched for several generations. They wanted to create someone that had Joans powers, and the experiment that could possibly succeed was still continuing. A boy and a girl were involved in this experiment. The girl designated as the essence of the Oracle of Joan could be said to be forcefully taken away. The boy wanted to resist, and he thought of all sorts of ways, using his entire strength to fight onand failed. Right now, the boy had lost the girl beside him. The dying boy last heard the words of the girl: I trust you. But the boy didnt even have any strength left to stand up. For if he had that strength, he would have used it a long time ago. The boy lay alone silently on the dirty ground. So are you going to continue lying down here and give up on everything? He heard a voice. A strong man who called himself a mercenary. Seemed like he had come all the way to France to stop the Knights of Orleans. Over here, he met a boy and a girl, and he had done a diversionary attack in order to allow the girl to escape...but the boy in the center of the battle was too weak, causing the girl to be taken away in the end. I dont know what to do as well. The boy lay on the ground, muttering to himself. If he stretched his hand out, he would be able to reach the sword encased in the scabbard. It was a French fencing sword that was modified for military use, one that the boy could easily use due to its lightness. And at the moment, the boys thoroughly wounded arm felt like it was afraid of touching hot water, all cowardly and not wanting to touch the sword scabbard. Im not some special guy, not some person that can guarantee that everything will be fine as long as Im around!! I cant win; the enemys the largest magic association in France! Youre asking me to fight against people like that!!? So are you going to abandon her? ... Because you couldnt, you stood up, right? Now how long are you going to lie down there? ... The boy didnt respond. He couldnt respond. He moved the beaten and battered body that was covered in mud and wounds, and finally managed to lift his upper body, but this was already his limit. In addition to his physical strength, his mental strength was quite exhausted. The mercenary didnt mind. Theres no time for you to be stuck in this worthless despair. No matter how many times the boy tried, the mercenary didnt have any intentions of helping him, instead reaching his hand out to the sword that was kept in the scabbard. The enemys strong. If they carried their plan out for their goals, you and I know that girls future. Then, dont you just need to think of only one thing? At this moment, the mercenary deliberately paused. Even in that situation of despair, she still said ''I trust you''. Right? The time in the boys body froze. Only the words of the mercenary continued. So what are you planning to do? Are you going to stand up and protect that foolish girls dream? Or are you going to give her more despair by teaching that foolish girl what reality is? The mercenary grabbed the scabbard and brought the hilt in front of the boys nose just as he was lying down on the ground for who knew how long. Decide, which one will you choose? There was no need to worry. There was no need to ponder at all. The problems in front were a lot, and all the possible risks were as many as the stars, but these were unimportant. Only the people who took action had the right to worry and ponder about this. The boy stood up. Ignoring the immense trauma, he grabbed the hilt of the sword that the mercenary held over, removed the lock on the weapon and pulled it out. Nice choice. The mercenary smiled. The boys expression changed. He stood beside the mercenary, the same position, and walked into the dark exit together with his comradewhile continuing to look at the secret base with the enemies he must beat and the girl he must save. Lets go. The boy said silently. The time to be afraid is over. The enemy was the largest magic association in France, the Knights of Orleans. The largest professional fighting association in France continued to act in revenge, and the counterattack of their opponents began. Notes 1. Asian expression for to motivate/encourage Volume 16, 3: The Duel to the Death between Entirely Different Monsters. Saint_VS_Saint. Volume 16, Chapter 3: The Duel to the Death between Entirely Different Monsters. Saint_VS_Saint. Part 1 How could anyone not hear the sound of the Earth breaking? The sound had already surpassed the level of explosions and sonic booms; it was no longer within acceptable human range. It was the worlds cry of agony. Every single aftermath of this cry was lost in storms or gusts of winds that uprooted the trees along the streets, causing the concrete on the 4th level to tremor and bend the metal handrails like sugar. Kanzaki Kaori and Acqua of the Back. On the streets filled with a scientific atmosphere, the two Saints clashed. This was everything that was happening on the observatory in the middle of the night. "Hhhhhhhaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Kanzaki let out a loud cry as she used a god speed sword-drawing technique. Using the idea of manipulating other teachings to counter a specific religion and cause damage to the opponent, even the angels in a monotheistic religion could be sliced in half. This was Kanzakis killer move. If Christian spells were ineffective, she would use Buddhist spells. If Buddhist spells were ineffective, she would use Shinto spells. If Shinto spells were ineffective, she would use Christian spells. Using such a method to mask the weaknesses of other religions, a one-of-a-kind spell filled with destructive power. Single Flash, Yuisen. No matter how great the numbers or how strong the person, no one should be able to survive it. Acquas huge mace blocked the strike and, after trading a few hits, it was clear to Kanzaki that Acqua likely knew as many spells as she did, possibly even more. Since Acqua was not an ordinary member of Gods Right Seat, he was even able to cast ordinary magic spells. To bypass this, Kanzaki switched from Buddhism to Shintoism, but Acqua immediately changed his defensive stance. The huge amount of magic clashing between them continued to change, and in this supersonic battle another element was currently underway: A mental battle called "reading the moves". Science and magic. Body and spirit. Chaos and order. Their weapons continued to clash with each other, sending sparks flying. In this battle between two Saints, one thing was glaringly obvious. Normally speaking, talent was not required to master magic: Magic was originally something that existed to allow people without ability to create miracles like someone with ability, but how could anyone say such a thing after witnessing this battle between two who resided within the special existence called Saint? "... how exciting. For just one person, you people sent in your entire group. Im truly impressed. Even I, as an enemy, have to be impressed with that boy. Acqua waved his five meter-long block of metal as easily as if he were waving a twig, "But be warned: Since you have placed yourself as my enemy on this battlefield, the only future you face is being defeated by my hand!" Another explosion cut through the air. Once Kanzaki felt the surface of the black stream behind her beginning to move, a twenty-meter column of water had already risen. Like a huge jointed hammer, it swept past the ceiling of the underground street at a terrifying pace, slamming down against Kanzaki. Kanzaki, who was already having a difficult time dealing with just Acqua''s metal mace, would die if she was unable to handle this other threat. The sound of cutting was heard. Around Kanzaki, fighting in a death match with Acqua, something was shining. The moment Acqua noticed, the seven strikes hit the water hammer created by Acqua of the Back and caused it to return to the stream it originated from. The Nanasen created by the steel wires. "... Ill be really insulted if you think that this is my full power." Kanzaki moved her lips, and the seven strikes seem to be correcting Kanzakis sword trajectory as they assaulted Acqua from all angles. Acqua quickly increased his attack rate in response. Using his mace to block, turning his head to avoid, in front of Acqua, who continued to manipulate the sword and the wiressuddenly, a strong red flame surrounded him. "Eh?" The steel wires scattered in the air became a three-dimensional magic array. The moment Acqua realized this, the lotus flames swallowed his entire body. A second explosion followed, then a third, then finally a slash from a blade basked in moonlight. The sounds of continuous attacks could not be heard. It was happening too fast; the sounds had become indistinguishable. The deafening noises that had been delayed for a few moments felt like a giant fist ready to rip the air apart. But Acqua was not there. Moving away from the direction Kanzaki was looking, Acqua flew to the concrete floor ten meters in front of him. A cut was on his face. Maybe he had cut by the steel wires; it was a small cut, after all. Despite the cut''s small size, however, it was a rare wound, one of the few inflicted upon him despite the huge number of people he had fought against in his lifetime. The red fluid flowed down Acquas face, and he said silently, "As expected of a member of the Amakusa; you people are all basically the same." He used his index finger to wipe away the blood left behind, and then pressed the fingertip on the side of the mace, writing something of an unknown meaning, "But there is a remarkable difference when it''s being done by a Saint. The thing called ''Talent'' is truly cruel." Throughout history, magic had always been the savior of people without talent; however, this truth was meaningless before those known as Saints, who were blessed by God. Facing this speech by her opponent, Kanzaki temporarily turned silent. "..." If he was judging by the results of battle his statement may indeed be true. Without Kanzaki, the current Amakusa couldnt even scratch him, but... "I hope you can correct your words," Kanzaki sheathed the sword in her hand, lowering her center of gravity and preparing to draw her sword again. "Its true they cant use Yuisen, but the basics of swordsmanship, steel wires, and spells are all passed down from my Amakusa ancestors. What created all of these isn''t this small thing called talent, but the result of history. Amakusa is my school, my teachers are my comrades. I will never agree with those humiliating words of yours." Her hand on the sword grip tightened, "What about you? You understand the kind of power you have, yet you attacked an ordinary high school student without mercy. You have no right to look down on others like that." But these words could easily be turned back on Kanzaki. For a certain motive, she had attacked a certain boy. The words she had just spoken may have been punishment to herself as well. "... to become angry over something as small as that is immature." Acqua drew patterns along the mace using his own blood, preparing it as he said this. Ten meters. To a Saint, it could not even be called a distance. The scene of confrontation between these two was like a traditional Japanese drama, and yet it felt more similar an American Western. "The infantryman accidentally met the tank while he was scouting... this is a battlefield, there can''t possibly be any sure-fire strategy or an escape route or safe zone, let alone any gentleman''s rule. These things don''t exist on any kind of battlefield. Purposefully making all the conditions exactly the same, making the chances of winning equal for everyone... such a thing can only be called a sport. These are talents, firepower. Anyone can expect the outcome when an ill-armed infantryman meets a tank. The tank will attack without mercy, and the infantryman will inevitably be dust on the battlefield. Are you telling me your battlefield is different?" "That is just your reasoning." "But you and your people are the ones walking onto my battlefield," Acqua was not even mocking them, just calmly stating an observation. "Regarding that boy: I wonder which master pulled him up?" "..." No warning at all. Kanzaki took action. With a speed that would make any professional magician feel the battle in front of them was a mirage, Kanzaki raced into Acquas arms, and maybe the sheath touched the concrete floor as sparks followed Kanzakis cuts, but before the sparks could chase up, the Shichiten Shichitou had already started to hack into Acqua. The clear metallic sound rang out. The two monsters called Kanzaki and Acqua clashed, both staring into each others'' eyes. "Even after you knew all this, you still treated him as someone who merely got involved! WHY DID YOU STILL USE THE POWER OF A SAINT TO ATTACK HIM!?" A voice that no one heard of before, one roar that revealed all her emotion. Because Kanzaki and Acqua were both Saints. Or rather, Saints bearing the painful experience of hurting others. "There are only twenty of us in this world, and even normal magicians are fearful of this existence. You still continue to carry out violent acts without considering the consequences, you bastard!" "This thing called a reason to fight... what can you do even when you understand it?" In contrast to Kanzaki, Acqua still remained as calm as ever, "Anyone who has confidence in the rightness of their actions has no need to find excuses for the path they have chosen, for their will is shown in their actions. For those with a prepared script, how much of this is real?" Between these two colliding forces, the superficial magic around them continued to release minor explosions. The words written in blood on the mace activated, and both Saints used the opportunity to increase their distance. Kanzaki slightly backed away from Acqua, who still held onto the huge mace and remained unmoving. What supported a strong opponent''s core may be a steadfast belief... ... but Kanzaki Kaori didnt see it at all. "Show it to me, Saint of the Far East." The atmosphere that surrounded Acquas body expanded two-fold. It was not just words; it was as if the weight and pressure of the entire weapon he held had increased exponentially countless times over. "I dont want shallow words; I want you to show me your belief through that blade of yours. I want you to show it to me wordlessly." The Saints clashed again, at a speed none could catch, with a power none could interfere with. Part 2 Kamijou Touma''s eyelids twitched. This small movement was so tiny no one knew he did it unconsciously. It was almost a spastic movement; slowly, slowly, his eyes forced open the smallest of slits. Even so, his vision was not going to recover within a few seconds, and he could not even grasp distances. After a moment, he realized he was looking at the ceiling of a hospital. ... I... Kamijou did not know what place he was in, or maybe he had been here before, but his brain was unable to process any of this. Compared to the scene in front of his eyes, the disinfectant alcohol registered far more quickly and with much greater clarity. ... wha... t''s... with... me... He could feel something stuck to his chest and abdomen. Electrodes attached to him for information collection? Though the lights in the room were off, Kamijou could feel someone''s presence. There was a slight weight on one side of the blanket. Kamijou moved his eyes in that direction and saw Index sitting in the chair, sprawled across the bed as she slept. Though her long hair hid her expression, it seemed she was deeply worried even as she slept. It made Kamijou''s heart ache. "..." His lifeless hand resting on the bed finally regained a miniscule amount of its normal strength. As if responding to his awakening brain, the blood started to circulate more strongly throughout his body. Acqua of the Back. Itsuwa. The Amakusas. They must have continued to battle even after Kamijou lost consciousness when he was thrown off the bridge, and he really hoped to do the same. Of course, the probability of him hearing "the Amakusa won; there''s no need for you to fight" was not zero, but Kamijou could not find it in himself to conjure such a scenario in his mind. It was not disrespect for the Amakusa. Acqua of the Back was a true monster, and though Kamijou understood that he, an ordinary high school student, should not make an enemy of such an unstoppable power, there was strength in numbers. Acqua viewed the power residing in Kamijou''s right hand as a dangerous existence. If viewed the other way, it could cause a drastic change in the situation should Kamijou use it. So long as it was his right hand, even a miracle of God Himself could be destroyed. After confirming the presence of his right hand, Kamijou nodded to himself. He again glanced at Index, sprawled on the bed as she continued to sleep. The poor girl must truly be worried about him. ... sorry Index, I''ll continue to apologize profusely after this... But first... So, let me do what I need to do. Part 3 BAM!!! A deafening explosion resounded throughout the night in Academy City. It was not a storm created by fire, but a storm created by water. The torrent of water being manipulated by Acqua''s magic passed through the ceiling and formed itself into a giant large hammer; Kanzaki mercilessly used her steel wires to quickly slice it into pieces. The machinery-shaped, several-ton block of water instantly dispersed into steam, where it was again controlled by Acqua, formed into diamond-like things. Acqua did not just control a "hammer". The entire two kilometer stretch of the 4th level could be said to be under Acqua''s absolute control. All water flowing through the artificial streams was siphoned out, every single drop floating in the air before becoming fine strings and scattering across the school, forming a complex and unfamiliar magic array. The water was shaped countless different arrays and continued to interchange, changing shape and form to create various types of arrays for the singular purpose of serving Acqua''s will. Multiple attacks came at Kanzaki. Ice spears thirty meters long flew towards her. Water whips attacked Kanzaki from every direction. Massive, spherical blocks of ice intercepted paths with one-another. Among these gaps, Acqua slipped himself in front of Kanzaki. Using a tactic to increase the chances of killing his opponent, multiple spells that could each be considered a guaranteed kill were merged together. According to Acqua''s prediction, seventy seconds later Kanzaki''s movement would be too slow to dodge or intercept and she would be hit with a fatal blow. "Hm!" Even after she managed to surpass his expectations, Kanzaki still counterattacked. In response to an ever-changing water magic array, Kanzaki controlled her seven steel wires and extended them, immediately creating all sorts of barriers. After understanding that she was in a completely disadvantageous situation, Kanzaki''s steel wires continued to rip the water lines, distorting the water streams and causing Acqua''s magic to either fail or attack Acqua himself. This was simply another form of electronic warfare, a high-tech battle triggered by magic. The water and steel wires constantly corroded each other, breaking through the gaps, hiding in deep places, fighting for the supremacy of this limited world. The world was engulfed by numerous beams of light. The water Acqua used to form magic arrays and the steel wires of Kanzaki break them. Acqua, who had complete control of this underground city, and Kanzaki, who was creating the only enemy foothold. While carrying out this magnificent duel of magic, their bodies continued to use martial arts to fight. Regardless of which side one spoke of, it was a level no magician could reach. The two who resided in this unachievable level of power continued to engage in a deadly battle for supremacy. Numerous explosions resounded. Kanzaki and Acqua''s bodies had become mist in the air. The steel objects in their hands continued to swing in numerous directions, missing each other, clashing with each other. He knows how to use the Divine Mother''s Mercy... Kanzaki gritted her teeth as she controlled her sword, steel wires, and spells. It was not just because of pain she was showing such an expression. Acqua admitted he was distorting the strict rules which accompanied Christian spells and rituals, but the Divine Mother''s Mercy was never meant to be used in the way it was being used by the man before her. It was intended to give the Fallen a chance for salvation. Committing a crime, or even merely straying from the path of salvation, was a tragedy God abandoned hope on. In His place, however, the Divine Mother shed tears for them, smiled upon their dreams, and placed the key to salvation in their own hands. They could then stand up and express the desires in their hearts through the act of prayer, thus activating the spell. It could be said the intricacies of the Divine Mother''s Mercy differed depending upon the person who activated it, and it was in some ways unrelated to the worship of the Son of God. No matter how she looked at it, however, Acqua''s use was a perversion of its blessing: The nature of the Divine Mother''s Mercy was to prevent and even correct the tragedies created by the gaps within the network formed by the various Churches and their clergymen. The Divine Mother did not exist for Christian society to be disrupted; she existed for a person to kneel down and pray for the safety of their families, friends, and companions... and sometimes even their enemies. That was the Divine Mother''s Mercy. The greatest Saint in the history of Christianity for her act of giving birth to the Son of God, the most important task in Christianity. In order to allow people to lay down their burdens and achieve salvation, the Divine Mother received the blessings of the Angels and birthed the Son of God into this world, walking down the path of trials and tribulations with her husband. The result of those who worshiped her for her feats was the Divine Mother''s Mercy. And right now... What a thought...! Even when used as it was supposed to be, the Divine Mother''s Mercy was remarkably complex and difficult to understand. This misunderstanding was hampered by countless false reports of objects like idols and tools that could trigger miracles in place of the spell. It was possible to use this basis to determine the fake miracles from the genuine, but Acqua was markedly different from those who would fabricate such a miracle. He was really using the genuine miracle to commit violence and destruction and escape punishment. "Truly impressive." Acqua''s voice could be heard through the ear-splitting sounds of her katana and his mace colliding against each other. "This five thousand ton array is two kilometers in diameter, and yet you managed to endure it with your own strength." Acqua continued, "... however, is that body of yours truly at its limit as it appears to be?" "Eh?" These words made Kanzaki''s movements pause, and Acqua''s attacks became even more ferocious in response. Kanzaki looked as if she was about to pull away, but she quickly bounced back and swung her sword. The amount of force Kanzaki exerted when using Yuisen was one an ordinary fighter would find impossible to control, and she was forcing that power as it was. In this condition, such a technique was ill-suited for long-term battles, and Kanzaki''s Yuisen was a sword technique used only when necessary and even then only when a kill was guaranteed. A one-hit kill was an impossible feat when the opponent was Acqua of the Back. Acqua, who possessed power equivalent to or even greater than Kanzaki as a Saint, also possessed the special attributes bestowed as a member of God''s Right Seat, exponentially magnifying the power contained in his body. In this world Kanzaki just so happened to step into, Acqua was casually standing there with a calm smile. Like an angel''s serene existence... Kanzaki gritted her teeth. The power Acqua boasted as a member of God''s Right Seat was The Power of God. That time, Misha Kreutzev didn''t really appear completely... On that note, Kanzaki recalled the battle she fought against the monstrous existence called archangel. But it''s strange... I can feel something even greater than that from Acqua...?! Acqua sent multiple consecutive strikes towards Kanzaki, making her wonder whether her opponent really did have the same capacity as a Saint as she did. Even if he did not, the feeling of power emanating from Acqua easily matched her own. But this... this was unimaginable. If he really had as much power as she suspected, he should have destroyed himself with it long ago. "Ha!" Kanzaki heard Acqua''s breathing. A moment later, she was surrounded by a sensational feeling. Acqua paused his ferocious assault, storing his strength and preparing to deliver the next crushing blow. His fully-powered hit was coming. The large mace swung downwards from overhead, and Kanzaki shifted her sword horizontally to block. The moment the mace connected with the blade in her hands, the impact passed from the sword along her wrists, arms, torso, and legs before finally being felt at the bottom of her feet; she registered it all at once. The soles of her boots sunk several centimeters into the hard-tiled floor. The ground beneath her feet changed form with the consistency of mud. Even though she did not suffer a direct blow, such an impact would have given anyone a severe concussion at the very least. She still endured it and Acqua, who used his entire weight and strength to attack, would soon reveal an opening. "Woooooohhhh!" Kanzaki let out a shout as she drew her Shichiten Shichitou, waiting for the perfect timing, the perfect chance, to gain the upper hand in one blow. It was useless. Acqua shifted his mace to block the attack, and only the sound of metal colliding against metal heralded the impact which caused the force within the sword to be scattered. This was the cold reality of her situation. "It''s been three years since I last fought another Saint. It makes for excellent sport," upon closer inspection, the smile upon Acqua''s face was empty: Not a single emotion or thought was expressed by it, "but let''s end this. I came here to work, so unfortunately I don''t have much time to enjoy sport." "Wha-?!" Kanzaki was unable to make a proper retort, and could only swing her sword as forcefully as possible, delivering another strong hit. Acqua had already vanished. Kanzaki sensed Acqua''s existence not through sight, but through presence. He was in the air, having jumped roughly twenty meters. It was not something an ordinary person could do, leaping into the air like a rocket. Acqua, nothing more than a dot in the sky, had the satellite of The Power of God, the Moon, directly behind him. In the most strict sense, that was not true. It was just a display in the sky formed by the planetarium''s image display. Acqua did a half turn near the ceiling and stepped onto the artificial sky. "Ugh!" Kanzaki wanted to immediately close the distance between them, but the damage she had just taken, coupled with the burden she was placing on her body, slowed her movements. During the temporary lull, Kanzaki felt a cold presence pressing down on all sides. What she was feeling was the boundary of life and death only fighters in the midst of furious battle could feel. The huge wave bearing down upon continued to flow through the entire battlefield. And as for Acqua, who was above her... "The Divine Mother shall remove all evil." In response to Acqua''s low voice, the glowing orb behind him gained an explosion-like brightness. The planetarium screen was wrecked due to overload, and sparks flew to and from every direction, like an unknown countdown was activating countless hidden explosive devices. The real Moon, hidden in the sky far above them, was unable to shine its light in their battlefield, yet an intangible layer of intensive protection could still be felt. An ordinary magician was incapable of such a feat but for Acqua of the Back, member of God''s Right Seat who was also a Saint, such a feat was easily manageable. He was using the Divine Mother''s Mercy to perform a miracle. This is...! Kanzaki easily deduced the mace surrounded by a bluish-white glow currently possessed a tremendous amount of energy. "In depicting this power called the Truth of God, LET YOUR MERCY RISE TO THE HEAVENS!" The moment Acqua roared, he stomped onto the ceiling and quickly descended upon her. Having already been damaged beyond its limits, the fake sky was completely destroyed with this final blow, and the blue silhouette above them became the darkest of blacks once again. A vertical drop. A giant mace bore down. What followed was not a strike, a stab, a shot, an explosion, a break, a split, or even simply a crushing blow. It was just ordinary pressure. The sudden charge from above had more than enough destructive power to shatter everything in its path, giving the impression of an asteroid crashing into the Earth. The world vanished. Even the sight and sound of the Earth buckling from beneath disappeared. With the harbinger of this unstoppable blow at the center, everything within a one-hundred meter radius of the fourth level of Academy City''s District 22 collapsed. Acqua''s falling impact caused the steel and concrete floor to collapse into dust and leave a massive hole in its wake, a floor with the same hardness as those used in safety shelters. The world around them collapsed, everything within one-hundred meters falling to the 5th level. The booms and tremors and dust exploded and scattered everywhere. The sound of destruction echoed throughout the area. The water streams and turbine generator were cut off, and the water began to flow downward like a waterfall. Amidst the shattered aftermath, Kanzaki Kaori lay where she had fallen to the ground. She had blocked the attack itself using the Shichiten Shichitou, but the ground beneath her feet was ill-suited to withstanding such impact. Having endured such an unstoppable pressure and falling more than twenty meters, Kanzaki lay atop a pile of concrete, looking up. She was thoroughly covered in wounds, and even though it was not a direct hit, the force of Acqua''s most recent blow corroded her body through her weapon. Trapped between the massive mace in Acqua''s hands and the artificial ground beneath her, regardless of whether it was her arms, legs, or torso, a reddish-black liquid gushed out of Kanzaki''s body. Even this one of less than twenty Saints was now in such a pitiful state. If she endured an attack of the same caliber again, the only possible outcome was death. However... Biting her teeth as hard as possible, Kanzaki Kaori wore a look of neither fear nor shock on her face. The only expression on her face was anger. This was the 5th level below, maybe Kanzaki just so happened to land on a plaza, but the miraculous thing was there were no innocent victims who lost their lives because of this battle. This thought was just a theory at the moment, however: If their battleground was a residential area, or if anyone was simply walking around the plaza... the idea sent chills racing up Kanzaki''s back. Though Academy City seemed to have taken some measures to counter such a possibility, this place was much different from the 4th level. There was not even the bare minimum of a ''dispel bystander'' spell. There was no doubt they were both Saints. There was no doubt they were two of only twenty people blessed with such power. So why? Why must they clash swords for such stupid reasons? Kanzaki finally managed to lift her thoroughly-wounded upper body, tightly gripped the Shichiten Shichitou which had fallen among the rubble, and said in a lifeless voice, "Acqua..." In perfect contrast, standing on a thoroughly devastated 5th level, Acqua merely said, "Where is Imagine Breaker?" He easily carried the mace that had such destructive power on his shoulder, "If I were to destroy every level, one by one, will I find him?" Giving the impression she was shaking the fresh blood off her body, Kanzaki abruptly stood up, "AAAAAAACQUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The Shichiten Shichitou swayed in both hands, moving left and right in unsteady coordination. Maybe she gripped the sword too tightly, as broken fragments fell off her fingernails. Blood continued to flow through the gaps between her fingers, and Kanzaki''s insides were severely damaged from being unable to completely endure the most recent of Acqua''s crushing impacts. Blobs of blood spurted out of the lips she was trying her hardest to breathe through. Kanzaki''s eyes showed no signs of weaknesses despite her pitiful state. So long as this expression remained on her face, she would continue to swing the sword in her hands. Maybe she was simply trying to encourage herself, as Kanzaki used her hand to press against her damaged respiratory system and gave a hoarse roar, sending a strike Acqua blocked with his mace. The sound of metal slamming against metal, quickly followed by several more metallic clashes, caused the surrounding air to explode. A deafening sound exploded through the environment. The Saints, and the weapons they wielded, collided with one another yet again. Kanzaki Kaori swung the Shichiten Shichitou at an extremely high velocity, and the seven steel wires moved about as if covering any opening created by her attack. Once she bought enough time, she would sheath her sword and use another quick-draw technique at a blindingly-fast speed. The steel wires would trace a three-dimensional array in the air or aid in her movement, using the rhythm of steel colliding with steel to discharge fire or ice spells. She continued to employ such ambush tactics. Acqua of the Back, in contrast, used the mace in his hands to block Kanzaki''s sword, absorbing the moonlight representing the attribute of The Power of God to greatly increase the offensive power of his attacks. He used the special effects of the Divine Mother''s Mercy to relieve the punishment, surpassing the limit placed on members of God''s Right Seat which forbade them from using ordinary magic. He maintained a steady barrage of supersonic attacks as he bombarded Kanzaki from all angles with spells like vacuum blades and rocks. Sparks littered the air as the two clashed. The environment surrounding Kanzaki and Acqua was similar to the night sky they were unable to see. "Ack, ack?!" The results were obvious. In the sky Kanzaki resided in, blobs of blood continued to flow out of the wounds littering her body. She had reached her limit, and one could tell she had suffered numerous blows despite her trying her best not to show it. The speed she was swinging her sword with had obviously gone down, and she could already picture an image of despair in her mind. She could already predict the moment she would no longer be able to match Acqua''s impossible speed and suffer the finishing blow. For Kanzaki, who already struggled to keep up, it was impossible to make a comeback and go on the counter-offensive. She had to keep some moves in reserve, and wait for Acqua to make a mistake. Only then did she have a chance to make a comeback. For Kanzaki, who had already used all of her trump moves, this opportunity would never come. No battle situation was more difficult than not having a trump card still in reserve. However... "I told you to shut up!" What appeared in her mind were the words she had heard when she first met him in Academy City. Hearing them, the strength returned to Kanzaki. Her power had returned. "That doesnt matter! Do you resign yourself to protecting people because you happen have strength!?" The boy who had stood in front of the Saint with only a fist, all because of Index. "No, you dont, do you!? Dont lie! You worked to gain power because there was something you wanted to protect!" Though she did not feel the boy had said the most wonderful thing in the world. This thing called "thinking"... there were many people, and thus many ways to do it. Among them, none could conclude the boy stood right at the top. After recognizing the great power of a Saint and God''s Right Seat residing in a single body and using this power to attack ordinary citizens, anyone could tell the boy had no chance of winning. He was an ordinary person, but that boy''s act in enduring Acqua of the Back''s attack to protect Itsuwa would never lose to those who thought they were "God-chosen" and acted so high and mighty. Kanzaki Kaori continued to swing her sword, biting her teeth hard as she thought this. The reason she saw in the boy''s action... The belief he had shown when he risked his life... She would never let the scumbag in front of her who had so much talent, who was being so selfish with such an unimaginable power, get away from her unscathed. Part 4 Even though the bandages on their bodies were ripped and the blood continued to seep out of their wounds, the fifty members of the Amakusa-style Remix of Church were unconcerned about their physical condition. From the edge of the massive hole in the 4th level, they stood dumbfounded as they observed the furious battle between the two Saints on the 5th level. The sound of explosions, gusts of wind, shockwaves, aftershocks... the wake of the battle alone was impressive; considering the huge amount of rubble scattered about, however, it was equally amazing no one else had been caught in the crossfire. Though they were all human, this battle had already far surpassed their abilities, and after the huge maze of magic arrays were blown away they could only continue to observe the two monsters below. Shouts, metal clashing against metal, storms blowing away the steam in the air to form what looks like a vestige of engine trails after a plane flies past. There were many after-effects of every attack and, no matter which it was, should any of the Amakusa members be hit by it they would be instantly reduced to dust. These extremely powerful attacks and spells were being used all over the place. From their vantage point, it was easy to feel they were observing a galaxy colliding with another galaxy. With this clash, countless stars exploded, space was distorted, everything swallowed by darkness, and new lights appeared again, giving the impression of chasing the darkness away. So what did the two colliding galaxies represent? One was Kanzaki Kaori. She was their former leader, and right now she loved them in ways they couldn''t see, a true Saint among those twenty that existed. The Priestess-sama of the Amakusa was in battle. Most likely, she was protecting the ordinary boy whom Acqua of the Back had targeted, and to protect her Amakusa comrades who Acqua had attacked for protecting that boy in turn. "..." They heard the sound. The sound came from the bloodied Friuli spear that fell from Itsuwa''s hands. In order to take on Acqua and help the boy Itsuwa had tried her best to strengthen her spear, but right now all her hard work was like gravel on a road: Scattered about to be trampled on by others. Itsuwa was not alone. There were others among them who dropped their weapons onto the ground. Some lost strength in their knees, using their hands to support their bodies on the wall. No matter who it was, everyone had the same expression. A powerless look that overcomes everything else. What exactly are they doing? Itsuwa wondered. Kanzaki Kaori was fighting for her comrades, but the more she did so the more Itsuwa felt everything she and her comrades had done was being denied. No matter how hard they tried, she and her comrades could not possibly escape from a Saint. She was guarding here with those seemingly pitying eyes of hers, and once this place became dangerous, she would step up and proceed to carry out such a high level battle. She did not recognize what her own companions had done. No matter where they went, what they did was only playtime to her. In the face of this harsh reality, Itsuwa felt her heart crumble. At the same time, in contrast to the gentleness Kanzaki Kaori displayed, what they considered but were unable to do was so minute. This hurt Itsuwa and the rest, but they could not do anything to help; they were too weak. They could only continue to watch the battle they could not interfere with; they could only watch as their strength and motivation was worn away, bit by bit. If that boy was here, he wouldn''t bother with them. The simple fact his "comrade" Kanzaki Kaori was here was enough; if he saw her injured, he would immediately rush into the midst of the battlefield without a second thought. This was another definition of strength. Right now, the Amakusa were unable to muster even that small display of strength. The battle between the Saints raged on below them. The tremendous power being exerted was such that, even if they were not being hit directly, the hearts of anyone merely watching crumbled bit-by-bit. Between the Lines 3 The request for help was heard. But nobody could do anything. It was not like they had any serious injury, it was not like they were far away from their goal, and it was not like they didn''t have any transport to get there. The reason why they were not helping was because of their own stand and the political problem. The one who had sent out the SOS was the British Royal Family''s specialized long distance carriage. In truth, this carriage originally should have had a perfect protection net, in a magical sense. From when the carriage was made, someone quipped that even if this planet was to be cut in half, it was unlikely for this carriage to release an SOS signal. This carriage should already have been strengthened to such an extent, and it was already far stronger than the special nun''s habit Walking Church. This was a combination of all the techniques and history of this large magical country called Great Britain; forming the ''Moving Iron Wall'', the name for this Royal Family carriage. No attacker could probably get away with it. But an SOS. could be heard from that carriage. This thing couldnt possibly happen in ordinary situations. And the meaning behind it was simple. This was a deal that arose due to political reasons. The third princess of England became that abandoned Chess piece. Along the Straits of Dover, the Knights could only listen silently to that anguish plea for help. Everyone could only grit their teeth and grip their fists, as if their palms were going to bleed. The Knights of England were meant to prevent the 3 factions and 4 cultures of England from breaking up, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect those from the Royal Family. The men of the Knights of England who were in planning were often stuck in such harsh conditions. Thus, they were able to guess the situation. The people who had abducted the third princess of England were the Spanish Astrological Sect. They were one of the few major factions in the Roman Catholic Church. Ever since Queen Elizabeth I buried their Invincible Fleet, there had been quite some history between the Spanish and English magic sects. The reason why the British Royal Family would completely ignore this was because they hoped to use this chance to launch an attack on the Spanish Astrological Sect. Because of the spread of Christianity during the Age of Discovery, most of the old cultures in South America were still controlled by the Spanish Astrological Sect. England wanted to take this influence of South America back from the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish Astrological Sect and expand. And the third princess of England didnt really have any huge power. In comparison to a continent, she became a sacrifice. It was the Knights'' job to protect the Princess. Even if there werent any cries for rescue, it was natural for them to be near the Princess. Besides, it was impossible for them to ignore this plea for help in front of them. However, Only now, only in this instant, did the Knights of England have to become stone. France had declared that they would settle this magic battle near the Straits of Dover and requested England not worry. In truth, the hidden meaning behind it was that before the battle reached English soil, they wouldnt take action. ... William Orville walked out of a tent in this camp of the Knights of England. There was a light that continued to shine opposite the Straits of Dover. That wasnt a light from a lighthouse, the light that came from French territory was the aftermath of the magic attacks launched by the Spanish Astrological Sect. Are you going? A voice came from behind him. William turned around, and standing there was the leader of the Knights of England, Knight Leader. Unlike Acqua, he exuded elegance, and this was because of his upbringing. And because he continued to serve those with the Royal blood, he had to understand all the workings and rituals in the castles and palaces. William Orville however was merely a mercenary who worked for whoever paid him money. A Knight Leader who would risk his life for his own country, normally, these two people were as incompatible as water and fire. But in reality, both of them would go out and drink when they were free, and Knight Leader tried many times to tempt William to join the Knights of England, but William always refused. But every time, after a battle on any certain place on Earth, he would naturally come back to England just to have a drink. These two were completely different people, whether in terms of status, position, battle methods, way of living; but incredibly, these two identified with each other well. Thus, Knight Leader knew what William was thinking as he said nothing and walked out of the tent. As people who protect the country, you people have things that cant be said, and being the shield of the countrys people, this would be seen as the intention of the country. Seems like we cant just casually barge into French Territory and do whatever we want to the Spanish Astrological Sect, right? William set the large mace on his shoulder and said silently, But Im different, Im just a mercenary. Even if Im to go overboard in my actions, it would be completely irrelevant to what England thinks, and wont represent England at all. Do you think Ill let you go alone? Knight Leader opened his lips. Even if youre a mercenary, I cant just leave it to you alone. With that damned luck of yours, you cant possibly die, but from the Princess standpoint, how can I allow a nameless mercenary to protect her? Even if shes only 14, shes almost at a suitable age to marry. Itd be a countrys crisis if she was taken away by someone who''s possibly of ill reputation. Are you listening to me? Acqua said impatiently. He realized that all these objections that Knight Leader raised were just some flimsy made-up excuses. And to Knight Leader himself, this was just nothing more than a joke. Those two only exchanged looks, to the state where even their breathing was in sync. They had such great chemistry. Youre saying that the Knights that support England cant do anything in this situation? Knight Leader said, and then pulled out something like a pure gold medal from his chest. This was the proof of his bloodline; the patterns on the shield-shaped medal had his family crest. It was his identification medal. Knight Leader looked a bit lonely as he stared at the medal, and finally released his hand. Without even looking at the identification medal that dropped onto the floor, Knight Leader gazed into Acquas eyes seriously. Ill lose my right as a Knight, so let me go as well. The distress signals still being released, that means that the third princess is still alive. I see, as expected of what you would do. William Orville knew of his determination, and revealed a slight smile. Like Knight Leader, he knew all these. They were drinking partners, and they were extremely clear of what each others like. And because they each understood, Acqua was a comrade that he could rely on to cover his back. Knight Leader looked uneasy as he saw the flickering light, prompting William. Hurry up, even if we dont do anything, the carriages defensive capabilities should be functional...since this is something that the Royal Family is taking part in directly, we cant hope for the defenses to continue on. Got to get there fast. Youre right. William wholeheartedly agreed, and the next moment, his fist slammed hard into Knight Leaders abdomen. With a heavy sound, Knight Leader had a look of disbelief as he stared at Williams face. What...are you doing...? Nope, I cant let you go. You should understand that. William kept his fist back, and Knight Leader lost support as he fell onto the floor. Even so, Knight Leader, who had underwent rigorous training, didnt lose consciousness completely. But William didnt look at Knight Leader for even one bit, only saying, I used my identity as a mercenary to allow myself to move about freely on all the battlefields in the world, but I cant enter the English Castle or Palace. Only you can do that. Wil...liam... If you really want to protect the third princess, you have to look ahead at the future, not just now. With such a ploy to fight for the throne, it seems like the same thing will happen to the third Princess again. At that time, its better to have someone accompany her. Protect her well, Knight Leader, not just the third Princess, but also the Royal Family who have become so corrupted. This is not something I can do as a mercenary, this is something that only you as a Knight can do. WIIILLLLIIIIAAAAMMMM OOORRRVVVIIIILLLEEE!!! Abandoning Knight Leader who was shouting on the floor, William headed towards the battlefield. Knight Leader once heard of a magic name. It belonged to a mercenary. Flere210. The time for me to proclaim my name has arrived, my name''The one who changes the reason of tears''!! Smack down in the middle of England and France, Was William Orville, who could manipulate water spells, and was breaking past the country boundary. Volume 16, 4: Who is Protected by Whom? Leader_is_All_Members. Volume 16, Chapter 4: Who is Protected by Whom? Leader_is_All_Members. Part 1 Misaka Mikoto was trudging through the late night town. In order to get a Gekota strap, she had gone through the trouble of taking a bath in a bathhouse in District 22, but as was typical, she had encountered a dangerous event involving a "no oxygen alert" or some such. After that ordeal, while taking a break inside the building, she realized that it was already late at night. She was feeling completely chilled and even the meaning behind taking the bath seemed to have disappeared. "Aw, darnit... In the end I guess I''ll end up using the bath back at the dorm anyway," she thought, but for some reason, the entrance to District 22 had been sealed. Currently, the event surrounding the "no oxygen alert" seemed to have been settled and the seal on the entrances to the building itself had been lifted. It seemed that because of some system malfunction, the middle aged man in charge of the gate was frantically scratching his head. Normally Mikoto would''ve voiced a complaint, but behind the middle aged man a loud sound of a large number of feet pacing impatiently back and forth could be heard, angry roars and reprimands flying past each other. The man''s complexion seemed to pale with each one. In this situation, making a complaint as a customer would be pitiful, Misaka thought, and gave up on grinding her teeth. (Hum, I wonder what happened) Looking at it like this, Mikoto was an owner of troublesome disposition evenly balanced by that of a certain boy. She wondered a bit about the fuss that had been at his side, however. "Nyowah!?" Suddenly with a crackle, something like static electricity flashed from the bangs on Mikoto''s forehead. It was somewhat rare for her ability to run wild, even to a slight degree. Mikoto put on a civil smile and lowered her head before the startled middle aged man and retreated from there. This was a characteristic peculiar to Academy City perhaps, as not being able to control your own power by yourself was something that was unexpectedly embarrassing. During this time, she got the urge to poke her head into some trouble. If she were, at this time, to meet a magician, they might suspect that this was "clearing out the people", the effects of techniques that exerted influence over peoples'' senses affecting the techniques for controlling one''s own power. (But what was that just earlier?) Inclining her head, she decided that for now, there was nothing she could do to get to the surface until the gates started working. She looked at an information map of District 22, and decided to head over to a highly rated hotel in the 7th layer. (I wonder if I can do a drop-in check-in at this hour... Even so, I''m worried about the dorm manager. I probably should call Kuroko and have her teleport me out of here.) While thinking this, she descended the spiraling staircase into the 7th layer. Suddenly, from the darkness ahead, someone''s figure appeared. The figure was clearly not walking normally. More than unusual, it looked shaky and suspicious. A degenerate? Mikoto narrowed her eyebrows, but as the figure appeared below a street light her face was stunned by surprise. It was Kamijou Touma. "Wai-, what''re you doing!?" Mikoto hurriedly rushed up to him. Normally she wouldn''t show this reaction. She knew that this boy normally loitered around town during night, to Mikoto it was an undesirable but inseparable relationship. Even though they often butted heads and fought, worrying was rare. However, Mikoto now faced a situation that forced them out of their normal behavior patterns. This was because Kamijou Touma was in an abnormal condition. His face was pale as if he had been immersed in a sea of ice. The bandages wrapped all over his body had slid off due to moving too much. Some of them were even dyed red. The clothing he was wearing was also strange. It was not the student clothes she was used to seeing, but rather it looked like the surgical gown of a hospital patient. "Misaka...?" Kamijou said this as he barely kept his posture by leaning against the pillar of a street light. There were electrodes taped to his cheek and arm, the cords even being dragging along the ground after him. Were they forcibly pulled loose? Looking at his eyes Mikoto''s shock was renewed. It wasn''t noticeable unless you looked close, but Kamijou''s pupils were dilated the wrong way. His eyes weren''t focused. It was like he was gazing at scenery through foggy glass. From Kamijou''s own expression, it looked as though he didn''t realize it himself, or as if he couldn''t afford to pay a trivial thing like that any mind as he braced himself. "..." Kamijou''s lips moved a little, but Mikoto''s ear couldn''t pick up what he was saying. However, he separated himself from the street light with a slow movement and began walking again. He attempted to pass Mikoto by but at that moment his knees gave in. As he was about to fall to the ground, Mikoto frantically supported him. "Idiot! You, what''s up with those injuries!? Those electrode cords... don''t tell me you ran away from some hospital!?" "I have to... go." Because of their close distance she could finally hear Kamijou''s voice. "They are, probably, still fighting. That''s why, I have to go..." Just from hearing some fragmented words Mikoto could tell his entire body was shaking. She had a vague sense that this boy had been involved with countless incidents that she knew nothing of, but she had believed that these were something like extensions of brawls. In the past, once, he had defeated the strongest esper in Academy City, but she had thought that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment. Who could have predicted that he would be on the brink of life and death like that countless times? At the same time, if this was so, then there was something else Mikoto could accept. (... Memory loss) If he was always fighting battles that shaved off the edges of his life span like this, there was no way his body would come out unscathed every time. Was the cause of the memory loss a mental shock, or the result of a structural problem in the brain? Mikoto didn''t know. However, whatever the reason for the memory loss, it came within the realm of plausibility. Kamijou Touma''s body had been battered to that extent. (I need to stop him), Mikoto thought. This boy was dragging his body that looked like it was dying, experiencing something enough to take his memories away, and still trying to face some unknown crisis. "...?" Kamijou looked perplexedly at his own arm that was being held fast by Mikoto. His face showed that he could not grasp why Mikoto didn''t budge. It showed that he sincerely believed that nobody would help him or even raise their voice for him as long as he kept all things that could potentially worry others a secret. This small thing angered her. From the bottom of her heart. "Why... won''t you say anything?" Mikoto realized she had murmured that aloud. Knowing she could not take them back, she couldn''t stop the words. "''I want you to help me,'' or, ''Lend me your power...'' No, not even something concrete like that. Just something simple like ''I''m afraid,'' or ''I''m worried,'' at least say something like that!" "Misaka,... what''re you say-..." "I know." Mikoto said it to cut off his attempts to even now keep on deceiving, no, to keep Mikoto from getting entangled. "I know that you''ve lost your memories!" At that instant, Kamijou''s shoulders made a big movement. Big, as if he was seeing tremors that would decide his life. Seeing the bewildered Kamijou, Mikoto also felt a huge shock. So what. Mikoto had once in the past, really had her life saved by this boy. Not only her alone, but together with 10000 girls that she should protect, as well. At that time, he had appeared before Mikoto who was trying, all alone, to take on the strongest Level 5 of Academy City. He had appeared in a way that trampled all over Mikoto''s heart, who had planned to burden everything on herself and die. His method certainly was a way of doing things that didn''t have a shred of delicacy, a dirty method that even invaded her privacy. However, Misaka Mikoto and the Sisters had been saved that way. She wouldn''t deny Kamijou Touma that one method. It would be fine should even this boy be saved by that way of doing things. That was why Mikoto said it. "I know there''s something big you''re holding inside by yourself, but is that really something you need to carry by yourself? Getting beat up like this, even losing all the memories inside your head, what reason is there that you need to keep fighting all by yourself?" Kamijou listened to these words. The fact that he was keeping quiet encouraged Mikoto to press further. "I too can fight" As if challenging head on, slamming her will straight ahead. The things she couldn''t say until now, just naturally burst out from her mouth. "I too can be of use to you!" This wasn''t because she had the position as the third-ranked Level 5 of Academy City. It was not based on a small perspective like that. Even if she were to lose her power at this very instant and become just a Level 0, Mikoto could swear that she would tell him the exact same thing. "There''s no reason for you to keep getting hurt by yourself! So tell me. Where are you going now, who are you trying to fight!? I will fight today. I''ll put you at ease." "Mi- saka..." "The feelings people go through waiting for you, have a taste of it at least once! Lay down on the hospital bed and try knowing the feeling of a person who can''t do anything but watch from a safe distance! It was the same when you saved the Sisters. You told me to ask you for help, then you alone go to challenge Academy City''s strongest Level 5. Why don''t your own ideologies apply to yourself as well? Why are you the only one not asking for help!?" While yelling, Mikoto gazed at Kamijou''s face. Somehow there was astonishment. However, that was not because something he didn''t know had been thrust before him. It was surprise that things he had been hiding had been exposed. This meant he still had his memories of Accelerator and the Sisters. At this, Mikoto felt relieved, but on the other hand she was also disgusted at her own selfishness of mixing her feelings into this dire situation. In this state where she should be worrying about Kamijou''s well being, she instead acted to wipe away her own anxieties. Kamijou Touma didn''t notice, or if he did, he let it slide. "A-anyway! Let''s go! To the hospital! Even if I tell it to you with words, you still won''t listen so I won''t let you go until we''re at the hospital!!" Mikoto, while still holding Kamijou''s arm with one hand, pulled out her cell phone with her other and opened a map to start looking for the hospital. "... I see" Kamijou had been dumbfounded for a while, but eventually started to slowly move his lips. It could also be seen as a smile. "You found out, eh?" Even when he was about to collapse, Kamijou''s body housed a strange power. Mikoto judged it to be the most dangerous situation. That was why her hand wouldn''t let go of Kamijou''s arm. "But you''re wrong," Kamijou spoke as if seal to any further attempt of Mikoto to speak. "Since I don''t have my memories, I don''t know the specifics." Kamijou Touma''s core hadn''t been broken. "I can''t remember my past self. I can no longer picture how I felt while facing that final moment. But when it comes to this stuff about ''you''re getting beaten up'', ''you fought until you lost your memories'', and ''there is no reason for you alone to continue getting hurt''..." His memory loss had been discovered. That in itself should have been an incredibly major event. However, the true core of Kamijou Touma did not lie in his memory loss. "I doubt I put myself at such risk that I lost my memories so that I could say things like that." Mikoto''s facial expression stopped. That conclusion was the real foundation that Kamijou Touma held. Because of that, the boy hid the fact of his memory loss. That someone was at fault, if he hadn''t moved it wouldn''t have come to this, saying something boring like that to keep someone from getting hurt. A past that he could no longer recall. "Though I can''t remember the events from before, even so, it is because of them I''m able to stand here. The ''me'' from the past still motivates the ''me'' that can''t remember anything today. What he left behind isn''t in the ''head'', but in the ''heart''. So, it doesn''t matter if I can''t remember, I still understand what I need to do." Kamijou Touma probably held a vague "something" that even he couldn''t grasp as a source of pride. Because of his beliefs, he didn''t have regrets. If he were to meet his past self, he would be able to say "Thank you," with a smile and without hesitation. This boy believed this without doubt. "Sorry Misaka. You hurry back." She realized her hand had let go. Kamijou Touma''s arm moved with abnormally strong force. "I''m going. It''s not something I can entrust to others. It''s not like there''s a compulsion that I be the one to do it... Just, I''m going. In the end it doesn''t change anything. If a cogwheel slides out of place and I lose my memories, it doesn''t change what I should do. Kamijou Touma isn''t the kind of person that lets something small like losing a bit of memories stop him." The boy showed his back to Mikoto and began walking anew. If she had thought of following that unreliable walking figure, she surely could have done so. (What do I do...) However, Mikoto didn''t move. His back was just there. If she reached out her hand it would reach. (He didn''t say I was wrong. I need to get him to a hospital right away. There''s even the option that I go with him together to his battlefield... But, I know he isn''t lying. Probably, in this situation, the fact that he''s standing on his own legs has a special meaning to it.) During this time, Kamijou moved. During the time that Mikoto was worrying, Kamijou moved. (But, something like that, I can''t stop. Right now seeing him off has to be the right answer. Holding both hands, praying to God that he will come back in one piece is the most correct thing to do. All other options, whatever they are, are pointless. He definitely isn''t wishing for anything like that...) The unreliable back was getting further away. There was no time. Even though she had to stop him, Mikoto didn''t move. (What do I do? I can''t come to terms with it at all) Probably, in all that Kamijou Touma said, there wasn''t a single lie. He had simply let his true feelings be known. Even so, because he wanted to, he decided on fighting. If she needed a reason, it would be because that opinion needed to be respected. She understood this. Even an idiot would have to understood this. But she couldn''t accept it. No matter what, she couldn''t. (.... I see.) In an unknowing amount of time, She moved her hand to her own chest. The girl called Misaka Mikoto had realized something. It wasn''t anything that had to do with reason or logic or dignity or appearances or shame or reputation, it was just a part of her very own heart, evidently the nucleus of the human Misaka Mikoto herself. The wretched, unsightly, selfish, unreasonable - and yet despite all this, honest and frank and "human". The name of this feeling, Mikoto didn''t know. What kind it was sorted under, she didn''t realize yet. However, today, this day, this time, this moment, Misaka Mikoto knew. Inside her slept an enormous feeling that could easily shake her being. A feeling that could easily destroy any control that one of the seven Level 5s of Academy City had over their inner selves as part of their Personal Reality. Kamijou Touma''s back disappeared in the darkness. Misaka Mikoto couldn''t stop him in the end. The reason was not because her spirit had been beaten because of his actions. It was because part of the emotion she had realized pressed against her chest in such a manner that she couldn''t move a single finger. Part 2 Acqua of the Back''s mace was ringing. It was not like it was some special nor some spiritual item, it was just purely human effort. The moment Kanzaki used this special spell called ''Yuisen'', her power would momentarily increase. But against Acqua, she didn''t know when she would reach her limit. With this, the difference between the two increased, and finally--she reached her limit. An explosion. As Kanzaki used her Shichiten Shichitou to receive the mace, her whole body was sent flying backwards. "GGYYYYAAAA!!!!?" Having battled continuously, Kanzaki''s body looked like it was about to crush the hill of rubble as it flew away for a hundred meters without bouncing back. Her body became a cannonball as it destroyed every single hill of rubble and turned every single scrap of concrete into dust. "Is this the end, Saint of the Far East?" The feeling hidden within Acqua''s words was disappointment. But after being buried inside the rubble, Kanzaki was unable to even move her body, let alone respond to him. The strength she had now wasn''t even half of the amount that shot up her blood. (...Is there anything...) No such things as petty tricks or tactics. How should she battle with that man when there was such a disparity in ''power''? (...What''s the real form of...that power...?) Kanzaki spat out some blood as she wondered. Having used all the power in this body of a Saint to use this spell called Yuisen, Kanzaki understood that a Saints attributes far exceeded what a human could do. Yuisen had originally been created as a one-strike sword technique. If she didnt do it like this, she may end up destroying her own body. But Acqua broke through this impossible possibility front up. Thus, he could pull the distance between himself and Kanzaki. (I dont have...enough power to exert magic...on Yuisen.) This spell wouldnt just increase movement, it also prevented the muscles from exceeding what humans could endure and get destroyed, making sure that while the speed drastically increased, the entire body balance wouldnt be lost. This was a crystallization of all sorts of spells. If one wanted to go even further than that, or add in something else, the balance between all these spells would break down. Using the current pieces and piecing them together like a jigsaw puzzle, it was impossible to add a new piece in. This was the limit of a Saint who mainly used close-ranged combat. Maybe Acqua had some body defense spell that was even more refined than this. Though Kanzaki thought of a few possibilities herself, no matter what, she failed. As expected, there would be a problem if she powered up to his level. If she used a similar power to that of Acquas. If anyone tried to use the power that Acqua used, at that moment, an ordinary persons body would have eroded, whether physically or magically. (Acquas...power is...) Normally, the power given to a Saint couldnt be used entirely. Since they were people who had similar body characteristics with the Son of God, Saints were those who were said to have inherited his power; even if it was just a part of it, in the end, it was not something that a human could grasp. They had a part of that power, but trying to grasp a part of that part of power was already tough for a Saint. This was the real identity of a Saint. No matter how they built this up, there would be a divide that they couldnt surpass. If one had to describe it, it would be like finally getting hold of a power only for it to scatter like fog. Thus, there was a limit to using the power created through the Idol Theory with their own willpower. However, this wasnt completely bad. If Saints could use such power at 100%, the high pressure would cause the Saints body to self-destruct. This was more of a self-defense instinct than magic, since when they were babies, they controlled that power without knowing anything about magic. However, (...Acqua, he doesnt have the limit of being...a Saint...?...That power...has it already overcome what...a human can already control...?) Needless to say, besides being a Saint, Acqua had the power of Gods Right Seat. The reason for him to be called Acqua of the Back was because he had the element of the Archangel Power of God. Normally, one would think that it was just a natural addition of power, but in reality, this increased power doubled the burden on him. Yes. What was amazing was that Acqua had already controlled 200% of that power and still hadnt gone amok, his facial expression not changing at all. (...Thats impossible. This isnt something that can be excused through a word like quality or genius. These two incompatible elements of a Saint and Gods Right Seat are both in the same body. This is already impossible on its own...) This term called talent, it was a forceful yet acceptable one. But this was different. Since Kanzaki was within this level, she understood. Talent, ability, these terms werent such convenient things in reality. (...Is there anything...) Kanzaki heard a small sound. It was the sound of Acqua of the Back standing in front of Kanzaki. (...Saint, and Gods Right Seat...) Seeing this strong opponent in front of her, Kanzaki pondered. (...Why must these two powers coexist in such a place...!) Ugh!! Before Acqua could step forward, Kanzaki, who was lying on the floor, rolled to the side. And forcefully picked up the Shichiten Shichitou that was on the floor. At the same time, Acqua swing the mace that was over 5 meters in length and delivered a huge strike as it appeared that he was taking out the rubble and the floor. Originally used for a sudden strike, Kanzakis sword could only turn attack into defense. The mace and sword clashed with each other, letting out an intense metallic sound. Before the mace pressed down on her, Kanzaki looked like she was about to be blown away, but she stabbed her sword into the ground to reduce the impact. However, she fell about 10m behind before finally stopping. So are you going to fight on? Sounding impressed, Acqua said. But this was of an attitude of looking down from above. What chances of making a comeback? It doesnt exist anymore. As long as you think about the number of special moves that you have and possibly can use, you can understand the outcome. If you want to pray, maybe a miracle will happen, but relying on those things isnt going to destroy such a rare breed of people called Saints. "...A rare number of them, huh?" Battered and tattered, Kanzaki muttered. With a tone that was from deep within her heart. "This isn''t a power gotten through your own effort, but forcefully through birth. You''ve had such a thing since birth, do you feel satisfied with that?" "So what if you say that?" Acqua had no intention of responding at all. "I should have said it before. Among those mutters of beliefs, how many of them are real?" Kanzaki and Acqua flew off at the same time. Both of them clashed from the front, and sparks flew due to metal clashing. "The reason you would be so angry is because of that, right? Having such an overwhelming difference in strength when compared to those Amakusa members who are only ordinary humans, they actually got involved in a battle between Saints. All because of this, right?" "...!!" "But this is the battlefield. Natural differences in ability, the attributes of the weapons in one''s hands, the number of fighters. The rules of the battlefield is to continue fighting head on even after knowing the differences in depth. If you''re complaining that you hate to get involved, then you shouldn''t be standing ''here'' in the first place, and should have scrammed earlier." The situation between these two couldn''t even be called neck-to-neck. Losing to Acqua''s pressure, Kanzaki''s body continued to fall back. "Letting those without power fight; there''s no need for that no matter how you look at it." Seeing Kanzaki about to collapse, Acqua said, "Blades clashing with each other, it''s alright as long as it''s a soldier." This could be said to be one of Acqua''s beliefs. In contrast to the other members of God''s Right Seat, this man had said before that he just wanted to crush the boy''s right hand. Not an angel, but the Divine Mother--these were truly fragments of what a person with ''Divine Mother''s Mercy'' thought. To be honest, Kanzaki herself had thought of the same thing. In such a cruel place called the battlefield, and no matter whether one was trained or not, a person''s fighting prowess couldn''t be measured. No matter how well armed a person was, anyone that wanted to die would die. If they hated this, they could only let Kanzaki, a Saint destroy all the risks and let them fight on a certainly safe battlefield. There was no other way. Even if only considering the battle ability of both sides, there was still a threat from an ambush. But the real battlefield was different, there would be some nightmarish mishaps in perfect scenarios, and to grasp control of everything and prevent all these mishaps from happening was impossible. Kanzaki blamed this on her own immaturity. As her own power was insufficient, she couldn''t control that ever-changing battle scenario, causing her important comrades to get hurt. She had thought this ''at that time'', and as the Supreme Pontiff, she couldn''t endure this fact and left the Amakusa. However, (This is...) Kanzaki Kaori placed herself in Acqua of the Back''s shoes and bit her teeth hard. (Such an arrogant way of thinking.) The Amakusa magicians died because they were too weak. If they all had power similar to that of a Saint, they wouldn''t die. Was that true? Such a thing was impossible. Then what about that boy? That boy fought with everyone, won together with everyone, laughed together with everyone. What was he? In the end, she wasn''t able to say anything like fighting together. This wasn''t because Kanzaki Kaori didn''t trust the Amakusa-style Remix of Church''s ability. It was neither character nor spirit, but ability. Because of that, Kanzaki was unable to entrust herself to anyone. This way, she wouldn''t be bogged down by her companion nor be burdened by unnecessary losses. Was the Amakusa-style Remix of Church really that weak? Who was really the weak one? Even if she barely managed to win in such a pitiful state, what could she get? Even if things developed the way everyone hoped, even if the world moved in a positive direction, in the ultimate end, could she bring those people along when they didn''t become her strength? They would definitely be left behind. In the surrounding atmosphere of smiles and laughter, only one person would be on the sidelines. A Saint. One that was born with abilities that no others had--continuing to use the special privilege of being ''a chosen person''. How foolish, how arrogant must she continue to be like this? "I am truly...a big idiot." Kanzaki Kaori said such words. All the things that she had done till now were actually a subconscious form of violence. In other words, things were like that. Acqua of the Back, God''s Right Seat, Kanzaki Kaori was like them. ''The Special One'' managed everything, and the ''others'' just needed to shut up and obey, this was for your own good, there was no need to do anything meaningless, don''t use too many limited resources, everyone just needed to smile, no need to do anything else, just shut up and obey. Without knowing it, Kanzaki had made such a request to her comrades. "--" Kanzaki rubbed her bloodied lips a bit and readied her Shichiten Shichitou. What she should do. (I''ve already understood.) In the real sense, the one option she could choose to save her ''companions''. The one option that could really recognize her ''companions'' without a single one of them being lost in the spotlight. (I understood it completely!) The one definite enemy, the mistake that Acqua of the Back made, the one choice she should choose to correct this error. The mystery in solving Acqua of the Back''s power, the one way to resist that overwhelming power. (I completely understood it!!) Once a problem was solved, the remaining problems would unravel one by one. The Shichiten Shichitou in her hands let out a sound, and this was Kanzaki Kaori''s last ounce of strength. She believed she was right, and would not regret using this power that she believed in. The enemy was Acqua of the Back, who used the power of a Saint and God''s Right Seat. In the face of the strongest enemy ever, Kanzaki Kaori made her final move. Part 3 As the two Saints battled it out 30m above the 5th level, at the volcanic crater-shaped opening on the 4th level, the Amakusa members were staring blankly at the battle. At this moment, they clearly heard a voice. "...Give..." It was the voice of a real Saint, one of only 20 in the world. "...Please give me." The voice of the original former Supreme Pontiff that led them. "LEND ME POWER! LEND ME YOUR POWER!!" Kanzaki Kaori''s voice. At first, Tatemiya, Itsuwa, and the rest, they didn''t understand what she said. No matter how well their brains processed it, they couldn''t believe that this was directed at them. But truly, Kanzaki said these words to Tatemiya and the rest. It was that Kanzaki Kaori who they thought they would never catch up to in their entire lives, it was that Kanzaki Kaori who they thought was different from them ever since she had been born, it was that Kanzaki Kaori who had said that she didn''t want to hurt her companions and left them. Right now, she was asking for help. Now that she was facing an enemy she couldn''t beat, she was asking for help. "AH" At this moment, some people could feel their bodies trembling. And some others felt tears welling up in their eyes. This meant that Kanzaki Kaori''s words and action were such a touching thing. They were finally recognized by that Supreme Pontiff. They were no longer her baggage, but companions who were able to stand beside her and fight alongside her. This had never happened before. Why had things developed to such an extent that Kanzaki Kaori finally asked the Amakusa-style Remix of Church for help? The reason was simple. Even if it was Kanzaki Kaori, there were also enemies that she couldn''t beat. Even so, she had a reason to why she had to stand in front of that enemy. Also, The one hope left available for them to beat this tough enemy. These extremely ordinary Amakusa members like Tatemiya and Itsuwa. "..." At this moment, at this instant, nobody was willing a waste another second. The people who were so weak that they had dropped their weapons picked up their weapons, one by one. Nobody rejected her request. All of them were bandaged up, and there were some with blood seeping through the bandages; some of them had their bandages broken, but all of this didn''t matter anymore. Even if each one of them and their comrades were facing an opponent they couldn''t handle on their own, even if it was that ''monster'' who caused that Kanzaki Kaori to get involved in such a hard battle, even if they were going to stand up in front of him again, nobody would be afraid. Their hearts were filled with delight, to be able to be the Supreme Pontiff''s strength, to fight alongside that person again, the delight of such a thing caused them to forget about all their pain. Some of them let out a battle cry of motivation, some of them shed tears as they looked like the happiest people on Earth, and some silently basked in this happiness. The people leaning on the walls finally used their own feet to stand up, their substitute Supreme Pontiff Tatemiya Saiji finally feeling that the heavy responsibility on his shoulders was lifted as he sighed. ...Lets go. As the substitute leader of the Amakusa-style Remix of Church, Tatemiya Saiji gave his last instructions. But it seemed this wasnt enough, so he used all his feelings, and again, GO!! TO WHERE THE AMAKUSA SHOULD GO!! With that shout, the Amakusa members jumped in, one after another, towards the battlefield. They knew how weak they were, But even so, their reason for fighting didnt waver. Thus, the Amakusa-style Remix of Church united to fight against this tough foe. With that one leader they recognized, to fight alongside that woman. Part 4 (What...?) Acqua of the Back was unable to understand the rationality behind Kanzakis action. In a battle between Saints, anyone could guess the outcome when ordinary magicians were involved. And normally, Kanzaki hated this, this was the reason why she had brought Acqua of the Back away from the battlefield, and even prepared a special battlefield like this. However, WOOOOHHH!! Some of them raised their swords and rushed over, some raised their spears high. The dead-looking people suddenly gathered around, forming a formation around a battered Kanzaki like they were protecting her. To Acqua, this was just a wall made of candy. He readied his mace and warned. And you asked the weak for help...are you willing to risk other peoples lives to save yours? Do you really think so? Kanzaki Kaori gripped the Shichiten Shichitou with both of her bloodied hands as she said this. A smile appeared on her face. Truly, as there were a lot of my comrades who got injured, I was afraid of such a thing, so I once thought of leaving the Amakusa-style Remix of Church. But at this point, Kanzaki paused forcefully. It wasnt their weakness that triggered those tragedies. ... It was me, who thought that they were weak, who didnt believe in their abilities that caused these tragedies. Deep down, I looked down on them, not willing to leave my back to them. Just like that, I put aside a strength I should have, continuing to fight even though I was immature, and ending up revealing such a large hole in front of the enemy! Such arrogance, this prideful thought of Ill protect you all, I WAS THE ONE WHO CAUSED ALL THESE!! She found her own weakness, but those who continued to move forward would get stronger and mature. A new strength slowly seeped into Kanzaki Kaoris battered body. Thus I overcame it. I believe in them, I want to leave my back to them, to utilize our ability to the maximum. I want to get back my Amakusa-style Church!! Were all leaders of each other, everyones our friend!! THERES NO NEED FOR A HIGHER UP LIKE A SAINT!! (What...?) Truly, Kanzaki Kaori had now gotten back a power that she hadnt believed in before. That was her core. The emotional core that those who absolutely believed in their own actions had, a strong core. However, the fact that there wasnt much of a winning chance still remained. Even if she added 50 people, it was just a gathering of birds to Acqua, there was no problem at all. He had no need to use his full force to face the Amakusa. In the battle with Kanzaki, they would be blown away by whatever shockwaves like the background. (So youre going to create a group psychology? Thats just a misconception.) A baseless hope is just wishful thinking. Strength filled up Acquas body. DO YOU THINK SUCH A THING CAN SURPASS ME!! As if he was sweeping all the useless things aside, Acqua forcefully swung his mace. Kanzaki Kaori didnt look afraid at all as she dashed into the range of the mace. The Shichiten Shichitou and the mace clash, but in order to reduce the impact, numerous Amakusa members immediately cast a defensive spell. No matter how much emotional support they had, the difference in strength between these two sides wouldnt change. But even so, even at this point, Kanzaki continued to clash with Acqua. As a Saint is born with similar body attributes as the Son of God, many people would follow the Idol Theory and accept a part of the Power of God. According to the information, Kanzaki and the Amakusa should have been separated from each other for quite a few years. But they didnt need to communicate verbally, just clearing this blank period instantly. But even if its that kind of a Saint, that power cant be used indiscriminately like you. And yet you have power that exceeds even a normal Saint. Why is that? The clash between those two was just an illusion. Acqua immediately counterattacked, and the formation that included Kanzaki and the Amakusa members immediately wavered. Even so, the Amakusa-style Remix of Church continued to fight on. The answer is simple, its because of Divine Mother Worship!! Yes, thinking about it carefully, Acqua didnt hide it at all. He had proclaimed it before. He was one that used the power of the Divine Mother. But Acqua of the Back should originally control the power of the Archangel Power of God. In contrast to the merciful Divine Mother, the Power of God was an existence that had blazed Sodom and Gomorrah down, and continued to remain active for the final judgment when the world would be destroyed; and there were even more legends of direct attacks. So why did he have to avoid using such an attack that was easy to understand, and go about in a roundabout way to use the Divine Mothers power? Your body attribute isnt just that of the Power of God, right? Besides the Power of God, a part of it is similar to the Divine Mother, so you could get the Divine Mothers power!! The Son of God and the Divine Mother had a mother and son relationship. It wouldn''t be strange if they had similar characteristics between them. Also, the Divine Mother wasnt just No 2 behind the Son of God in Christianity, even if she was placed in front of other Saints, she existed because she managed to bear the Son of God, so she did have a tremendous power. And there were many who praised the Divine Mother through the Divine Mother Worship, a Divine Mother who treated everyone equally mercifully, unlike the strict and just Son of God who ruled the world. This even gave the higher ups of the Roman Catholic Church a dangerous feeling that wouldnt the Divine Mother Worship become independent on its own? The Saint and the Divine Mother. If there was anyone who had both of these attributes, That person was Acqua of the Back. Most likely, this was an ability he had been born with, and after becoming a member of Gods Right Seat, his ability blossomed further. How tremendous was the power bounded to his body? You had both of these existences overlapped within you when you were born. So just on the basic power of a Saint alone, Ill lose to you. Normally, Gods Right Seat members were different from humans. They were aimed at the position of The One Above God. So thus, they were not aimed at just being an ordinary Saint. As Kanzaki herself was an ordinary Saint, it was hard for her to imagine that. But if some people had a certain power that was higher than that of a Saint or an angel, maybe they had some element of being able to stabilize once they surpassed a limit, like a plane stabilizing after flying at a high velocity. It was an existence that was even further than a Saint. A high and stable limit. Acqua had the elements of a Saint and the Divine Mother, so unlike the Saints who were stable when they ''moved at low speed, he continued to maintain a highly stable state. Thus, he could control the tremendous power that would otherwise have gotten out of control. However, However, you do have a weakness. Kanzaki said. Yes, in contrast to a slow flying plane, it was a lot riskier and difficult to fly a plane that was flying at several times the speed of sound, anyone could understand that. You have a downside that''s weaker than I, no, all the Saints in the world have when theres a spell meant to take on a Saint! At this moment, Kanzaki paused. Not facing Acqua, but at her companions. In other words, Saint Destroyer!! ... No matter what attack, you deflected it with your mace or directly avoided it. It was only during that attack that you used a magical mean to do a real defense. In other words, thats our chance of winning!! If it were an ordinary human, trying to master a Saints power completely was difficult. Trying to use both the powers of Gods Right Seat and a Saint was impossible, and this was what Kanzaki, an actual Saint, understood. At first, Kanzaki had wondered if there was a special spell that could completely support these two things perfectly. Though she hadnt managed to find an answer, this was to be expected. Because such a thing didnt exist in the first place. The Saint Destroyer was never tested before, and there werent any other practical examples. So Acqua, you couldnt predict what would happen to you after you took that, right!! The reason why Acqua would defend against the Saint Destroyer with all he had was because after taking the hit, he wouldnt just lose some part of his power or be unable to use his power for several seconds. The Saint Destroyer forcefully destroys anyone with a body similar to that of the Son of God, robbing the internal power and causing the Saint to be unable to move. Normally, you would return to normal after several seconds, but for you Acqua, who has both the attributes of a Saint and the Divine Mother, what the outcome will be obviousACQUA WILL SELF-DESTRUCT!! The spell he had cast used the delicate naturally-born-with attribute of a Saint being superior to a human. In other words, this wasnt something that could be done through human means. Normally, a God-like technique would cause everything to destruct if the equilibrium was destroyed. Like an engine that could run up to 1000km/h, as there was such a powerful force, it needed delicate care. Thus, Acqua had used his full power to defend against it. ... Being seen through, Acqua didn''t say anything. But his expression changed. A smile. This was different from the arrogant smile. He, who could be considered perfect, had only that particular weakness. And right now, that weakness had been spotted, yet this man called Acqua revealed a mighty smile. The fact that his weakness had been spotted didn''t cause him to panic. A battle wasn''t something like this. Facing Acqua''s continuous attacks that were becoming even more vicious, Kanzaki barely managed to block them all with her Shichiten Shichitou before exhaling a bit. She adjusted her sword a bit, intending to use the impact of the shockwaves formed by the sword. These impacts weren''t aimed at Acqua, but aimed at destroying the buildings behind him. In the midst of the rubble, there was something buried within it. It was a rusted spiky metal wire. (...I see, so that''s your aim, huh...?) The moment Acqua looked up, the numerous gold needles so happened to form a circle. After that, Kanzaki used her wires and Nanasen to give a definition of pain to the pile of rubble, as if she was carving something on it. Finally, what appeared was a huge Cross, a sharp iron picket, and a crown of roses. In other words, "The symbols of the crucifixion of the Son of God!" Since he had inherited a part of a Saint''s power, he should have inherited the weaknesses as well. Even so, if this was enough to beat a Saint, nobody would need to work so hard. Honestly, to an ordinary Saint like Kanzaki, it wouldn''t have much effect on her. However, Acqua of the Back was a ''special Saint''. Compared to the mere 20 Saints in the entire world, he had an even rarer attribute. He had both the power of a Saint and the Divine Mother at the same time. At the same time when he had this tremendous power, he had to balance these two powers. This was why Kanzaki Kaori would choose the symbol of ''execution''. The ''execution'' spell may seem unrelated to the Divine Mother, but in this situation, that was not so. Yes, For the Divine Mother was assumed as the largest point of suspicion in Christian History. !!" At this moment, Kanzaki sensed something that exceeded physical concepts floating up around Acqua. This was a change that even a ''normal Saint'' could sense. In other words, Acqua, he, "Is wavering." Kanzaki said with complete belief. With Acqua at center, what existed were the powers of a Saint and the Divine Mother. Both of them were affected by the outside environment, and there was an intense fight inside his body, even letting out an ugly cry. If it was now, they could do it. Thus, Kanzaki Kaori shouted from deep within her heart. The Lance of Longinus. "ALL''S READY!! THOSE WIELDING THE SPEAR, NOW''S THE TIME FOR EXECUTION!" "!!" Wielding the key to the ''Saint Destroyer'', on hearing Kanzaki''s words, Itsuwa immediately pulled out a wet handkerchief and wrapped it around her Friuli Spear and got into a ready position. "...Interesting." But before that could happen, Acqua took action. "The Amakusa-style Church, huh? This name is worthy of being carved on my chest!!" At the same time he said this, Acqua jumped 20m up into the air-- no, he broke through the volcanic crater-like opening that connected the 4th and 5th levels, jumping up at least twice the height of the previous one. Though there were tens, hundreds of steel wires dancing about in the air, these couldn''t stop Acqua''s movements. The volcanic crater-like hole let out a giant moon-like glow from the streets. His back facing this artificial moon, Acqua readied his mace. "--The Divine Mother shall remove all evil." A while back, that meteor-like destructive power had slammed onto the Earth and defeated Kanzaki in one hit, and even if Kanzaki was at her best condition, she wouldn''t be able to endure it. Besides, the jump this time was twice the height of the previous one, and the entire Amakusa definitely wouldn''t be able to take this hit. The entire 5th level may end up getting destroyed. "Sometimes, depicting this power called the Truth of God, LET YOUR MERCY RISE TO THE HEAVENS!!" A huge velocity, and a falling Acqua. The mace that was basking in moonlight dragged a bluish-white tail behind it. (Is it over!?) The defensive array was formed by numerous steel wires, and Kanzaki herself wanted to protect that pile of metal through magic. But this wasn''t enough, this one hit from Acqua mercilessly aimed at the floor. Having taken one hit from it, Kanzaki knew that if she took another of that hit, she would definitely die. And not only Kanzaki, it was likely that even the Amakusa members around her would be dead. (The last grain of hope...!!) Beside Kanzaki, who was clenching her teeth, Itsuwa raised her spear over her head. However, the spell Saint Destroyer wouldnt be completed in time. (Cant give up...) Kanzaki Kaori reached out for the Shichiten Shichitou. Having turned into the avatar of destruction, Acqua continued to fall. Looking up, Kanzaki glared at him as she stamped hard onto the plaza, pulled out the sword and placed it at a streamlined position. This wasnt a stand meant for her to counterattack. It was all to defend. Collecting all the symbols throughout history, forming this spell at the last second, turning Kanzaki Kaori into a shield. (HOW CAN I GIVE UP LIKE THIS!!) Acqua of the Back used all his strength to rush to the ground. Light scattered all over the place. Kanzaki Kaoris eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, all her senses were slowly disappearing. Part 5 Destruction. Such a simple term, yet impossible to understand. Her five senses were gone, what was left was only white. Maybe the sound of rubble blown away, or maybe the impact that blew everywhere, or maybe the dust flying about, or maybe the smell of rust, or anything that got destroyed, none of them registered in her head. A real destruction, pure destruction, was it real at a level where ''there was nothing''? (...) Seemed like her whitened senses would need some time to recover. And Kanzaki knew. Though it was bit by bit, she knew for sure that her senses were recovering. The fact that she was not losing her senses but recovering them meant... (What''s going, on...?) The one attack that Acqua of the Back used should have caused absolute destruction. Including Kanzaki, all the Amakusa members shouldn''t be left alive. However, the situation now seemed like Acqua''s spell had gotten destroyed, like nothing got destroyed. (Van, ish...? The spell, magic, vanished?) Kanzaki slowly looked up. No matter good or evil, strong or weak, this act erased them all. She could only think of the one person able to do such a crazy thing. "Im-, possible..." Her senses were back. Her words reached her ears; as if they had waited for this opportunity, all her senses returned to her. Even if she met a nightmare with Acqua''s attacks, what really happened was that ''nothing happened''. It was the same scene as before, and the one person standing in the middle was, Kamijou Touma. Having taken Acqua''s magic attack directly from the front, the boy continued to stand there as he gripped the mace like he was about to crush it. Truthfully, if the attack Acqua of the Back had used was just pure physical power, Kamijou''s right hand would have been crushed to dust already. But it was a magical attack, and no matter what kind of supernatural power it was, that boy''s right hand could eliminate all of it. Acqua''s attack had been eliminated because most of it was magic. The boy''s right hand had neutralized that attack without any mercy. "WHA...!!" "---..." Facing a shocked Acqua, the bloodied Kamijou spoke, but his words didn''t reach Acqua''s ears. After which, Kamijou slowly fell as if he had gotten hit by the mace, not because he had used up all his strength, but because he sealed up Acqua. "Ugh!!" Seeing this, Kanzaki took action. With just Kamijou alone, it was likely that one sweep from Acqua''s mace would have sent him flying. But the moment Acqua was shocked, Kanzaki used this opportunity, abandoned her Shichiten Shichitou and forcefully grabbed Acqua''s giant mace and shoulder. "YOU BASTARD!!" Acqua seemed to shout something, but those two weren''t listening. Thoroughly battered, Kamijou and Kanzaki both looked at the same direction. In other words, Itsuwa of the Amakusa-style Church. They were looking at Itsuwa the ordinary magician. "Leave the rest to me..." Itsuwa used a handkerchief to wrap the handle of the spear, and the other Amakusa members got ready to prepare it. "I WILL DEFINITELY HIT HIM!!" With this roar, Itsuwa exploded. Her petite body surrounded by numerous spells, Itsuwa accelerated and rushed at Acqua. Acqua tried to dodge her attack. But his own power as a Saint was sealed by Kanzaki, who was also a Saint. Trying to shake her off and use a Gods Right Seats spell, he was negated by Kamijous right hand. Oh. He couldnt move for a few seconds. But with this, it was no problem. OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!! At this moment, Acqua let out a howl. It was not because of fear. He knew he couldnt avoid it, and yet, with an unwavering will, turned around and faced a charging Itsuwa. The moment he took that step forward, he let out a war cry to raise his battle spirit. Saint Destroyer. Itsuwas spear scattered, forming a lightning bolt. This spell that surpassed physical laws controlled the entire space and attacked Acqua. The air and sounds of the vibrations exploded. The lightning struck Acquas abdomen, flying out from the back, and this time, it really pierced through his entire body. As Acqua was hit directly, Kamijou and Kanzaki unconsciously let go. Crosses of light appeared behind Acquas back, different from the color of the fireworks, and extended out to both left and right before exploding. However, the middle point of these Crosses looked like they pierced and intersected at some point, causing Acqua to fly back with the impact. Having been hit by the Saint Destroyer, Acquas body bounced off the concrete a few times, and the giant mace left his hands. Acqua ended up in the artificial lake on the 5th level. It seemed like he was a cannonball that was shot into the water as his body vanished completely inside the water, causing a new change at that moment. The havoc of magic. Acqua of the Back self-destructed. The elements of the Saint and the Divine Mother reacted to the Saint Destroyer attack, starting to fight each other and causing a chain reaction that the Saint Destroyer shouldnt have been able to do within his body. The lake in the darkness of the night was surrounded by something like a flash of daylight. Kamijou and the rest could only see white, and their ears could only hear the sound of a large amount of water being boiled, an uncomfortable sound. The moment Kanzaki Kaori opened her eyes, Acqua didnt exist anymore. However, the water in the artificial lake had boiled off, and the surroundings were a mess, as the pillars of steam that were as big as the surface area of the lake collided with the huge pillars and ceiling before scattering all over the place. It was like a huge 1000 year-old tree that was full of energy, showing how explosive Acquas explosion had been. Between the lines 4 10 years ago, on that manless barge. William Orville''s stroking the face that had been punched. The one that punched him was Knight Leader. In the middle of these two silent men, not knowing what to do, was the third princess of England, marked with the seal of inaptness. And because of that seal, there wasn''t any problems even after she left the castle for so long. "That was for tricking me and going off on your own." Knight Leader cracked his knuckles and showed William a look that he wouldn''t show to the social world as he walked to him. "It''s not over yet, I still haven''t given you one for leaving England. So let me confirm this. I''m not mistaken, am I right? Are you really planning to leave England?" "Yes, I want to get out." The moment William made the response, Knight Leader''s fist again sunk deep into William''s face, sending him flying backwards. The intense sound of flesh clashing caused the third princess to be so scared that she let out a small whimper and covered her face with both hands. However, the one who had been hit, William, didn''t look bothered by it. "...You, are you drunk?" "If I were really drunk, I would have smashed you with a wine bottle." Knight Leader put down the backpack he was carrying and rummaged through it, looking for something. "Here''s a good bottle of whiskey from Scotland, there''s no drop of caramel inside, it''s a classic that''s brewed from the colour of the whiskey barrel. Well, looks like Ill just ignore it. Youre going off today, so let me beat you to death before that. So what on earth were you angry about in the first place? William asked. At this moment, Knight Leader stopped what he was doing. After a while, he said. You really cant shake off the habit of being a mercenary. Dont you know what it means by being unable to climb further? Seems like you dont. I spent so much effort and finally managed to get you to join us as a Knight...yet you wasted that good intention. Are you planning to be like some great artist, to only get recognised several hundred years after your death? Do you really want such a life? Your actions arent any different from those kinds of people. I dont really know anything about art, and I know nothing about those artists lifestyles. ...So whats your goal? Since you rejected my offer so adamantly, you must have some sort of reason. Nothing really special. William Orville answered with a cold tone. I said it before, a Knight and a mercenary are different. Though the Knights in this country have great authority, there are still problems that they cant solve. Its the same for me as a mercenary. Though I have freedom, its really hard for me to get the trust of other people or organisations. ...You. No matter which side it is, there are flaws everywhere. After todays turmoil, you should understand. The larger an organisation, the more things it cant control, so theres a need for someone to observe from outside an organisation, and this person cant be a special existence. Societys like a machine made of many gears, everyone continues to affect each other, rotating in reverse. This fact cant be forgotten. William was right. Knowing his character, Knight Leader remained silent. Seeing his old friend like this, William smiled. So why would the Royal Family be so willing to use such a forceful method to increase their territory? Im mindful of the reason behind this. Englands a country made up of the Royal Family, the Knights of England and the Anglican Church. The Royal Family is very easily influenced by the Anglican Church, so please consider it some more. Hearing these words, the leader of the Anglican Church appeared in Knight Leaders mind. The Archbishop, Laura Stuart. The one woman standing on the pinnacle, both Knight Leader and the Archbishop were standing at the same position. However, she continued to make Knight Leader uncomfortable. She was that kind of a woman. William continued, The problems not just within England. The Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Academy City, their actions are getting unpredictable. The entire worlds stupidly moving along, and in this situation, this thing called an organisation will go out of control easily. So you wont consider being a member of the Knights of England and be a firm foundation for this country? Have you even thought of it? Do you think that this can solve all the problems? Todays case is the best example. Ill choose to protect this country from the outside, so youll protect it from the inside. With this, our choices will be a lot wider. Even if one side goes out of control, the other side can stop him. Looks like its pointless to continue talking like this. Knight Leader looked lonely as he said. As if he wanted to chase this loneliness away, he passed the bottle of Scottish whiskey to William. This is a farewell gift. Lord Chamberlain said this is his prized work this year. ...Such a high-class. Isnt it a pity for me to drink it alone? Then find some companions on the way and share this with them. Seeing Knight Leader look like he was squabbling, William could only sigh. No matter where they went, these two peoples status as a Knight and a mercenary wouldnt change. William thought it was really amazing that they could be that close for so long. Oh yes, I should have a heraldry thats being made by a craftsman outside London. Help me cancel the order. If it remains, the obsession will remain as well. These were the final parting words that the mercenary said. No special action or ritual; if Knight Leader looked like an aristocrat that had territory, William looked like an unrestrained mercenary. After the mercenary left, Knight Leader muttered to himself. ...How could you leave it behind. The third princess stared at Knight Leaders face, but it seemed that Knight Leader himself didnt realize that he let out a voice. ...How could you throw it away like that, you scoundrel. Volume 16, Epilogue: The Guide to even more Mayhem.True_Target_is...... Volume 16, Epilogue: The Guide to even more Mayhem.True_Target_is...... Kamijou Touma woke up in a hospital bed. He was in the familiar hospital room he was so acquainted with, and it seemed like he had been moved to the 7th District hospital where that frog-faced doctor worked. Maybe it was because he kept getting involved in all sorts of situations, but every time he was sent specifically to this hospital room, Kamijou kept wondering whether he was becoming a bother. It made him feel embarrassed. "Ah, you''re awake?" The voice belonged to Itsuwa, who was sitting in the visitor''s chair. Kamijou wanted to sit up, but his body failed to move as he commanded. It wasn''t just because he was severely injured: There was an abnormal sense of fatigue, as he could not call upon any strength at all. It was like his entire body was held down by the fatigue accumulated onto him. While Kamijou felt bothered by such an uncomfortable feeling, the person beside him felt relieved and relaxed her shoulders before saying, "No, it''s normal for you to be so unable to move. You left the hospital on your own when you needed to rest, and you managed to blindside Acqua." From Itsuwa''s words, Kamijou knew Acqua had at least retreated. No matter whether they were civilian or Amakusa, there had been no deaths on either side. However, there was no sense of realism on Kamijou''s side. Truthfully, Kamijou did not remember much after he left the hospital. For some reason he thought he had met Mikoto along the way, but that seemed more like a dream than reality. Speaking of which, Kamijou had intended to hide his memory loss the moment he woke up. Even when he thought things like "I don''t remember that" or "What did I forget?", he let it pass with an ambiguous smile. "... But that... that was amazing! That Acqua guy, he''s a member of God''s Right Seat and a Saint, and we managed to beat him... what can I say? Isn''t this some sort of historic moment or something?" "Wha-what is the one who contributed the most saying?! And the fact that we beat that guy can be considered an accomplishment too. And we didn''t even suffer a single casualty! Isn''t this like Santa doing a somersault and dropping presents like he''s bleeding..." For some reason, Itsuwa blushed tremendously as she put her hands on her huge chest. It seemed defeating Acqua was not merely finishing a mission. Since the magic side was not very familiar with Kamijou, it was the only conclusion they could make. It should be noted the key that dealt the finishing blow was Itsuwas Saint Destroyer; however it seemed Itsuwa herself did not realize that fact. Maybe because she was a natural airhead or maybe because she was simply trying to be humble, but that was a crime. From the perspective of Acqua of the Back, it was not something that could be passed off so easily. "Ah... speaking of which, whats todays date? Is... is my attendance alright?! Damn it, it looks like I''ve got to confirm this quite a bit! Why am I getting involved in all sorts of situations?! "Ah... no... you cant... you cant get out of the bed now!" Kamijou tried to sit up, only for Itsuwa to force him back down by pushing down on his shoulders with her hands. The result was that both their faces ended up five centimeters apart. Shocked, Itsuwas blushing face showed itself to Kamijou, and Kamijou felt there was a wall of air between them. Even so, the option of pulling away never presented itself to his mind. At that moment, "Toumas still Touma." Looking towards the origin of the voice, they saw Index standing there with a blank look, rooted to the spot. Despite her perfectly calm expression, a broken vase was on the ground next to her. With a God-given premonition that something very bad was about to happen very soon, Kamijou said nervously, "Ah, wah?! Hold on, Index! I know you can''t say anything due to shock! Aren''t you completely giving up on this existence called Mr. Kamijou and other humans?!" "... Up until a few minutes ago, I was the one sitting in this room. It didn''t become like this until the moment I left... speaking of which, why havent you apologized to me yet for leaving the hospital on your own?" "Ah... ye-yeah! I agree with that! You ran rushed over to where Acqua was despite your injuries! That was too rash of you! What would have happened if something bad happened to you?! "Acqua?! You''re talking about Acqua of God''s Right Seat, aren''t you?! You faced such a powerful foe without asking for my help?! What''s going on Touma?!!!" "Eeeehhhhhh?! Oi, Itsuwa, since when are you on her side?! Is this the Amakusa''s strength in switching sides?! In the long corridors of the hospital, Kanzaki Kaori stood outside the room where a conversation was underway. She too had come to visit a certain patient, but it seemed she had completely missed her chance to make an entrance (it could be said Itsuwa was a step ahead of her), and now she was flustered about what to do next. ... What should I do? According to the schedule, I have to return to London by tomorrow. This is the only chance I''ll have, but who would have thought Itsuwa and ''that child'' would be here? "Nee-chin... if you keep being so indecisive, what little time you have left is going to run out, yknow?" This sudden voice came from directly behind her, causing Kanzaki to jerk on instinct. Turning around, she saw the speaker was the blond-haired, sunglasses-wearing Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Tsuchimikado gently raised his hand to the side of his mouth and spoke with a bemused smile, "Finally, after so much effort, youve managed to find time in your busy schedule to come to Japan, yet because of Index and that Amakusa girl you''re unable to utter even a word of thanks?" "I-I understand that! But... how do I put it... even considering a private conversation has me extremely embarrassed. With Itsuwa and ''that child'' present its... Ill just wait a bit longer..." "Then that fallen angel costume... did you remember to bring it along?" "WhCwhat? WhCwhy would I bring such a thing?! That sort of thing is even harder to get through customs than my Shichiten Shichitou!! And even if I were to go through with such a stupid plan and wear it, it would only be in a 1-on-1 situation! I would never go in looking like that when Itsuwa and ''that child'' are present! Don''t you understand how terrifying a power the photographic memory of ''that child'' is?!" Such a situation made one terrified just thinking about it. Kanzaki shook her head vigorously, trying to remove such thoughts from her mind, but it seemed Tsuchimikado anticipated such a response and nodded his head wisely, "For this determined yet shy Nee-chin... hmph!! Today I prepared an improved ''erotic fallen angel costume''!" "Tell me what part of this costume was ''improved''?!" "Eh? What are you talking about? Look: The amount of cleavage exposed here, and the transparency of the skirt here, and... With all the strength her arms possessed, Kanzaki pinned Tsuchimikado''s together, just before he could stretch out the costume to better display it to her. Despite being gripped by the strength of a Saint, Tsuchimikado had a smile on his face. "Then what is your plan? Nee-chin, you better explain what youre going to do quickly. Are you going to rely solely on a normal smile and that slightly flushed face of yours to express your thanks? Think this through, foolish Nee-chin! The situation has already progressed to the point that retreat is no longer an option! Dont think you''ll be forgiven for such simple tactics!" Even though Tsuchimikado was wearing sunglasses, the light in his eyes still shone through. The calm, cool, and collected Kanzaki evaporated before his stare. Kanzaki took a step back, talking frantically, "Then what do you suggest I do? Even if it means I owe you even more, as long as its within my power to do so I shall put all my effort into it!" "Rubbing while youre holding it. You should be able to do that right?" "Ho-hold what?" "You innocent idiot! Okay, let me ask you this: Nee-chin, what do they exist for? Those characteristics unique to mammals that is to say, those breasts of yours what do they exist for? Tell me!" "ACAt the very least, they are not for rubbing and holding objects between them!" The things Tsuchimikado was trying to tell Kanzaki made no sense to her, and she wore a confused expression. Faced with an innocent Kanzaki who could not understand the true meaning of his words, Tsuchimikado was at a loss. "But really, Nee-chin, is it okay for you to walk in so carefree?" "WhaCwhat?" "... That girl, if it''s that Itsuwa girl, she would have worn the erotic fallen angel costume without a second thought!" "ThCthat sort of outfit?? She wouldnt dare...!!!" The two engaged in meaningless whispers. With a devilish smile on his face, Tsuchimikado said, "How can you be so sure? Itsuwa isn''t as mature as you, but as a result she can do such an outrageous thing. Even though that ''wet napkin plan'' of hers failed multiple times, you can tell she''s putting a lot of effort into winning Kami-yans heart. The Itsuwa who failed several times, if she was able to obtain something that would improve on what she is lacking, something that would give her an advantage that is to say, something like this erotic fallen angel costume... in that instant, I wonder how high her ''attack power'' would become?" "ThaCthat''s impossible! This sort of situation would never befall someone belonging to my Amakusa!" "Now that I think about it, holding and rubbing it wouldnt be a problem for Itsuwa with measurements like hers..." "As I said before: ''What exactly are we supposed to be holding?!''" Faced with Kanzakis innocence, Tsuchimikado was unable reply, and it was beginning to give him a headache. It seemed a change in tactics was required. "In the end, I see Nee-chin is that type of person... fleeing because shes too embarrassed... have you no gratitude at all for Kami-yan?" "Its not like that! Its just that all this talk of ''erotic fallen angel costumes'' is going way too far! I just want to use normal methods to thank him!" "Itsuwa wouldnt mind though, would she? That''s because the gratitude she has towards Kami-yan is stronger than yours. To tell you the truth, even with just the ''normal'' fallen angel costume, Itsuwas attack level would rise quite a bit. And if she wears the improved ''erotic'' fallen angel costume... do you know what this new gap would mean?" "WhaCwhat... what would it mean?" "It means, Nee-chin, you have lost to Itsuwa as a woman." "Eh?!" "Sigh, I wonder if the Amakusa are really okay... This woman, she only has high self-esteem; she doesnt have any idea about the meaning of ''lowering ones self''. With that type of person, how are they supposed to guide the lost lambs? Nee-chin, could it be that the moment you''re faced with a challenge, you think only of yourself and leave everyone else behind?" "ThCthis harsh language, just for an erotic fallen angel costume... is it really necessary to go so far?" Even though she was certain of her position, Tsuchimikados words caused Kanzakis heart to begin to falter. She didnt know if it was because of any feelings she had towards Kamijou but, before long, Kanzakis mind was utterly disoriented. NCNo! This is all part of Tsuchimikados plan! ''Erotic fallen angel costume''! How could that sort of object be used to judge a woman?! Wait, that isnt the point! Its not a question of being a woman, it''s what method I should use to express my thanks... but even if I dont use the erotic fallen angel costume... I cannot think of any other methods at all! Aah! I cannot be so weak! I...! This is Tsuchimikados trap! No, but... calm down! I have to calm down so can I think this through! "Hm? Nee-chin?" Seeing Kanzaki so absorbed in her own thoughts, Tsuchimikado was a bit worried. Regardless of whether or not she heard Tsuchimikado, Kanzakis multiple facial expressions slowly disappeared, to be replaced by an expression of serenity as Kanzaki sat down in the corridor. With exaggeratedly slow movements, Kanzaki, seemingly from nowhere, took out twenty or so tiles and raised them. GNRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! From above the center of the tiles, Kanzakis fist came crashing down. It was not a question of whether the tiles were intact anymore, as Kanzakis fist was buried in the floor. As the sound of breaking tiles echoed along the corridor, Kanzaki spoke to Tsuchimikado in an exceedingly cold voice, "Its alright; Ive thought it through." On the other hand, Tsuchimikado, faced with the erratic behavior of the woman before him, could not help but feel a bit uneasy. Crap, I was only teasing her, but maybe I went a little overboard? As sweat trickled down Tsuchimikados face, Kanzaki slowly straightened out her hand, her fingers straight as a pencil, as if she was about to perform a Karate chop. The overall feeling was as if Kanzaki was preparing to crush Tsuchimikados skull with her bare hand. "Tsuchimikado?" "YCYes?" "I am prepared. Give it to me." 10 minutes later, after punching the devilishly grinning Tsuchimikado in the face, taking a huge step forward as a woman and leveling up in an entirely different manner than she had intended, the Pontiff of the Amakusa Church, Kanzaki Kaori, stormed into a certain room in the hospital. Afterwards, to preserve the reputation of the female Pope, it did not matter what happened to the world, even if the world was thrown into chaos. One thing was certain: Kamijou Touma, regarding that third angelic shadow that differed from Misha Kreutzev and Kazakiri Hyouka, would most certainly feel nothing but fear upon seeing it from today onward. A contact with the Anglican Church. With several documents in front of them, the war negotiator and his contact were discussing several different options for a surrender plan. Implicitly, they were selecting the most desired outcomes for themselves. Before he had listened for even half a minute, the Pope cut the communication. "Curses!" He was furious. Acqua of the Back''s defeat had two major implications: For one, it was a major blow to their fighting strength, and for another the enemy had assumed superior fighting strength for themselves. How could Acqua have been defeated in the first place? Kamijou Touma. The owner of a wholly unique power. It did not seem like he was the direct cause of Acqua''s downfall. Many people had spontaneously gathered around him for the sole purpose of protecting him. Simply put, this circle of protective friends was his greatest strength, not Imagine Breaker itself. "..." The Pope thought quietly. Certainly, that boy was a dangerous opponent. As he was submersed in thought with a serious expression on his face, the sound of echoing footsteps reached his ears. "Were you hoping for Acquas defeat? That boy has grown fairly well. Well, as a result any end to a just cause for criticism can no longer be concluded. Ha... the great Roman Catholic Church erasing all traces of it stirring up trouble in the world... anyone who was a culprit being swiftly eliminated." The footsteps reverberated throughout the Basilica di San Pietro[1] in Vatican City. Upon seeing the cause, a mortified expression surfaced on the Popes face. "Fiamma of the Right... dont tell me... you have come out of the Interior..." "Such a grim look on your face." The person who spoke to the Pope was but a solitary young man. Fiamma of the Right regarded the Popes dejected face, "A leaders nature is such that he is able to speak openly in the midst of crisis. Your response has been unsatisfactory in that sense; your caliber as a leader can thus be judged entirely from this." "What are you going to do?" The Pope cautiously inquired. Vento of the Front was in the midst of recuperation, Terra of the Left was dead, and it was still unknown whether Acqua of the Back was dead or alive. Should the circumstances require it, given the current decimated state of Gods Right Seat, the Pope would be able to wrest authority from Fiamma in one fell stroke. In the past, Fiamma of the Right had been the annoying existence at the center of Gods Right Seat, to the extent that even amidst the exceedingly powerful figures of Gods Right Seat, final authority rested solely with Fiamma. The Popes tone was dark, "Ventos surprise attack on Academy City. Terras large-scale operation with which he revealed himself to the world. Even Acquas crushing power... all have ended in failure. What will you do now? For the cessation of activities by the headquarters of the science side, a plan to crush Academy City is needed." Certainly, he acknowledged Academy Citys prominence; to that point he depended on the instruction of Gods Right Seat for guidance. That was why, if he was alone, even if he were to involve his followers, he could not muster a siege that was anywhere near enough. Contrary to the Popes expectations, Fiamma''s reply was lighthearted, "First, we must bring England to its knees." What? Ignoring the Popes doubts, Fiamma continued, "Presently, as a result of continuing our key alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church, all of Europe with the exception of England is within our grasp. With the force of many nations behind us, we can starve England into mediocrity. Manpower, materials, finances... the flow and supply of all of them can be cut off. They are the foundation of an island nation. Completely isolated and unable to flee, their power will slowly but surely diminish as the months go by." The Pope had no comprehension of the intent behind Fiammas words, so he gave up trying. Instead, he asked directly, "I dont understand the significance of this." "Doesn''t a pipeline run between Academy City and England? Were England to come under attack, it would deal a severe blow to Academy City, I believe. Given what incredible potential as a hostage England possesses, Academy City would become unable to continue the war beneath their infuriatingly calm facade. ''For the sake of helping our ally'' becomes the pretext." "Conversely, if the attack were to fall on Academy City first, Englands actions would be halted. The Anglican Church is one of the three primary denominations of Christianity. The impact of that fact is significant. Going to war against Roman Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy, the other two of the three great denominations, would be unthinkable. With Englands rise in strength and Academy City - the entirety of the science side - its main ally having been reduced to impotence, England could walk away without a scratch." "That is not it. That is not it at all, your Holiness," Fiamma interrupted. "Academy City is not my target." Hearing that, the Pope stopped breathing. He could not seem to fully grasp what Fiamma of the Right was trying to tell him. Fiamma merely continued on, "''That'' is in England. We must acquire ''That'' at all costs. Our compatriots there have meekly offered ''That'' up to us, I feel. In order to gain possession of ''That'', a major uproar is required. The Roman Catholic Church must increase its application of colossal force in its operations." "What are you saying?" "Hm? I do not wish to answer that. These actions are not entirely out of line with your wishes: With ''That'' in hand, Academy City, and maybe even the whole of the science side, will be utterly shattered." The Pope, who still had no idea what Fiamma was planning, asked, "What... what is ''That''?" "Ah..." Fiamma simply opened his mouth. The words he spoke were: ................................. ................................. Gatan! A sound echoed throughout their surroundings. It was the sound of the great columns of Basilica di San Pietro colliding into one another at the back of the staggering Pope. "You fool...," the Pope barely managed to gasp, "Are you really of Christianity?" Fiamma''s reply was casual, "Why ask when you already know?" "Curse you!" "It was enough the Bishop of Rome[2] has been my temporary friend and ally. It has been most effective for my purposes." Fiamma''s words were mocking, but the Pope completely ignored them. He had no time to think about Fiamma''s tone of voice. Vento of the Front, Terra of the Left, Acqua of the Back. Each had their own unique thoughts and philosophies. Despite their differences, they continued to act as members of the group known as God''s Right Seat. Obtaining the power of the Archangels themselves, becoming La Persona Superiore a Dio, and saving humanity directly. Though exceedingly arrogant at its base and in direct defiance to God, one could understand such thinking when looking at it from a human perspective. The person in front of him was different. Fiamma of the Right was decisively different from the other members of God''s Right Seat. He said he wanted to isolate Britain through the combined might of the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church. No matter what anyone said, however, it was obvious Britain would never remain silent. If they were to force Britain into such situation, Britain would most certainly resist with all of its power. Were that to happen, the whole of Europe would become a battlefield. It would no longer be a simple matter of sending one or two people into Academy City -- it would be an all out war. "You bastard... do you really think I''ll allow you to do that?" He most certainly would not. The Pope had finally realized a war that must never be started was about to begin... but he could still prevent it if he acted now. "What do you intend to do?" Upon seeing the Pope''s face, Fiamma slowly shook his head, "What can you alone do against Fiamma of the Right, leader of God''s Right Seat?" "You no longer have any influence." "Do you really believe so? Even accepting that God''s Right Seat consists solely of people in possession of unique attributes, they are, in the end, merely people. The positions of Front, Left, and Back can be replaced at any time so long as I still live." "I won''t give you the chance to do that." The Pope''s tone was dark, "Be silent now, Fiamma of the Right... and perhaps forever." BOOM!!! An explosion was heard. It was not that anything special occurred, but that nothing changed. The surrounding space suddenly began to tremble with a strange noise, like being inside a large container and watching the box implode due to an external force. "All the Apostles, from the First to the Twelve who believe in the same God, Thou shall overflow me with strength, thou shall understand the intent of Man, and thou shall plead for power to crush the enemy." Numerous lights danced about in the air. They were merely orbs of light, but there seemed to be inverted crosses or seashells inside them which gave a completely different image. These lights of unique significance surrounded Fiamma, and flat surfaces formed between them like patterns on a soccer ball, sealing his body tightly. At this moment, a whistle could be heard coming from Fiamma, who was completely surrounded. It was his voice. "So you used the symbol of the Son of God and the Twelve Apostles? Impressive. However, how can the Pope employ the sign of the traitor Judas?" "Don''t be mistaken. It''s true Judas betrayed God by betraying His Son, but the one thing which called Judas to be an Apostle was God''s mercy, understanding, and love. It''s easy to bury someone you hate, but God''s true intention is to guide humanity against this impulse." An explosion resounded through the structure. A restraining spell created a thirteen-sided object around Fiamma, not only restraining Fiamma''s actions physically but also separating his flesh from his soul. He was trapped in a "woundless bind"; nothing more than a hollow existence. "After Judas'' betrayal, he hung himself due to the immense guilt he felt. His feelings were the darkest, coldest, deepest, and most painful ever felt; no matter where he looked, he could see no sign of hope. Remember this is what you''re going to experience forever." Fiamma could hear nothing, but the Pope''s mouth was still moving. "From this moment forth, you shall be bound for forty years. Sample the ''loneliness created by oneself'' that Judas experienced, and correct that immature soul of yours." Inside the thirteen-sided object, standing in stupor, Fiamma''s lips give a slight twitch. The sign of final resistance he was making with all his strength. "Give up. I am the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The power I wield now is the Holy power of two billion followers passed down through two thousand years of history. It is not something that can be destroyed by just one person." In addition to this, the Basilica di San Pietro was the largest and highest stronghold of the old power. Combined with the power of the Vatican, these things could be said to be powerful spiritual items that could increase the Pope''s strength. At that moment Fiamma''s voice was heard, "Hmph." The Pope expression twisted into one of shock. This was not something someone who had been bound by such a spell should be capable of. Fiamma''s voice adopted a light tone, "How pitiful... just two billion followers? Only two thousand years of history?" The world disappeared. The Pope barely managed to see the thing which appeared on Fiamma''s right shoulder, alongside a bright light from his eyes, because the very next moment his vision was engulfed by empty whiteness and a violent storm destroyed his surroundings. Like an unstoppable tornado the storm exploded outwards, destroying one-third of St. Peter''s Basilica from the inside-out. The magic arrays supporting the colossal structure were cut off one by one, and the other related facilities protecting Vatican City became damaged one after another. The defensive arrays meant to protect the land were heavily damaged, and the large amounts of magic congregated there lost all sense of purpose, creating chaos and causing the surrounding scene to be distorted. The Pope''s body was sent flying over one-hundred meters away, before finally landing onto the stone floor of the parade. He stared at the half-destroyed Basilica di San Pietro with a shocked expression. The greatest and most important stronghold in the world; the largest, most grand church of Christianity in the world had been torn apart like it was made of wet paper. The overly pitiful scene he was witnessing caused the Pope to ignore the pain he should have felt from his wounds. At the center of Armageddon stood Fiamma of the Right, calmly walking towards the plaza. There was a strange thing above his right shoulder. Different from the two arms he possessed as a human, like a wing that hadn''t developed properly, it was a huge, malformed hand with four fingers on it, composed of blocks of distorted light. It was told in Greek legend Athena had hacked her way out of the forehead of the King of the Gods, Zeus, and climbed out of the wound. The scene in front of the Pope was similar to that legend: Both were entirely unbelievable. "How dull. It was destroyed that easily?" Fiamma looked at his right hand and the thing growing out of his shoulder as if he were checking a cars engine, and then clicked his tongue in annoyance. The Pope leaned against a stone fragment, and said with a groan, "That... arm... dont tell me... that power is..." "That is correct. You could say my Right Hand has the power to create... miracles." Fiamma slowly moved through the rubble, "The Son of God used His Right Hand to cure the illnesses of the sick and revive the deceased. It was the Right Hand which drew the Cross and scattered the holy water used for the Baptism of Christ. Furthermore, the Right Hand of The Likeness of God[3] has the distinction of being the greatest weapon in history, having cast down an uncountable number of Fallen Angels; even The One Who Challenged the Light[4] was defeated when opposed by the Right Hand of The Likeness of God. It is such an overwhelming power." The embodiment of the power of the Right Hand itself. The Holy Right. The red man who embodied fire continued his explanation to the man said to be the greatest in the Roman Catholic Church, "However, the Holy Right possesses such immeasurable power it is not something a mere human can control. The holy water an ordinary follower scatters or the Cross they draw with their hand... they possess but a mere shadow of the power the legendary acts they are imitating possessed. Nothing more. Even if performed by a Saint or member of Gods Right Seat, all are still of the human body. Understand this, Pope of the Roman Catholic Church: I am still, in the end, merely human. Such a troublesome existence." The man in possession of power far exceeding any "mere human" could yet look down and call himself human. Fiamma spoke to the Pope with a bored tone, "To summarize, I possess the ''Miracle of the Right Hand'', but am unable to utilize its full potential. Even with such power, its feats are infantile when compared to their originators. Like recording a modern television program with a black and white television set." The huge hand emitted an unknowable presence as it swayed behind Fiamma. He licked one of his slender fingers and said, "Was this not what you wanted?" The great cathedral built by humans, the mystic stronghold built piece by piece without pretense, St. Peters Basilica had been destroyed by Fiamma of the Right. "The Right Hand which creates all miracles will destroy all evil. The power of the Right sent the Lord of Devils into Hell and ensured there he would be bound for one-thousand years. If I can completely master the Holy Right... are you not curious as to what is inside it?" "Dont tell me..." If he was referring to what was in the report, the Pope had read it before. The undefined, abnormal power a certain boy from Academy City possessed. The Right Hand that would destroy all miracles it touched. Imagine Breaker. "If it''s me, it can be mastered." Fiamma laughed and moved his right hand horizontal to himself. As if responding to his command, the third arm splitting the air moved as well, mimicking Fiamma''s actions. "If it''s The Likeness of God, it can be mastered. Preparations are needed, however." Of course, even if he were to gather all the ''materials'', he still would not be able to create the spell needed. What was required to properly control such limitless power far exceeded all human limits and knowledge. The Pope knew of only one treasure trove of knowledge that had gathered every magical book on the planet, a certain crystallization of knowledge. Fiamma most likely managed to guess from the Popes expression the thoughts running through his mind, and his smile became radiant, "The Index. The people of England have prepared such a nice gift for me." So that was it. That was why he wanted to attack Britain: His aim was not to search for the person herself, but to draw her back to Britain. "How can I... let you get away?" The Pope stuttered as he tried to continue. Forcefully moving his bloody body, the Pope finally managed to stand up. If he followed the instructions of Gods Right Seat, became one of their members, and headed on towards La Persona Superiore a Dio, then maybe he could save even more followers. The Pope did not want to head towards such an existence for his own power and standing; he did not want to use innocent sheep as stepping stones to become Pope. The Pope stood up. Behind him were the fates of two billion followers. "I really am delighted." Holding his right hand out horizontally, Fiamma laughed, "Even though it is a complete victory on my part, your overwhelming stupidity has made this so enjoyable." The next moment, an explosion rang out. The interaction between them could not be considered a "clash" by any stretch of the imagination. Almost instantly, the Pope was smothered with a force so overwhelming his body was once again sent flying. The plaza of the Basilica di San Pietro was so severely damaged only rubble remained, the aftershocks of the explosion having caused all the surrounding structures to collapse. The already heavily-damaged structure of Basilica di San Pietro had incurred even more damage. A part of the perimeter wall separating the city-state of Vatican City from the city of Rome crumbled, and the Pope was blown completely out of sight. After such a commotion, the Vatican soldiers who firmly believed "such a Holy place would never be threatened" hastily rushed over. At first they stared blankly at Fiamma, likely not believing any human could be capable of causing such devastation. A few of them, finally regaining their senses and remembering their sworn duty, charged forward, but the next moment they became pieces of flesh dancing about in the air. With that, the victor was determined. "Hm?" Staring at the other side of the thoroughly destroyed wall of Vatican City, Fiamma realized: The damage was too minimal. The shock wave he emitted should have leveled several hundred meters of Roman streets outside Vatican City to rubble, but only the interior of Vatican City was damaged; everything outside it was completely unharmed. "So you drew the entirety of my attack upon yourself? Such an impressive bastard." Fiamma snorted and turned to face the Basilica di San Pietro, which had collapsed almost completely. He had no concern about the lowly soldiers: Even the Cardinal Bishops and other higher ups would not dare to oppose him now. Fiamma of the Right had no intention of hiding the commotion, having caused the surroundings to look like one large disaster zone resulting from a terrorist attack. The thoroughly bloodied Pope lay outside Vatican City. He could hear the siren of an ambulance. At first he thought someone had been killed somewhere nearby, but upon second look he realized the ambulance was heading towards him. Even if he were to look around, there were no collapsed houses. Even though the flying debris had shattered the glass windows, there did not seem to be any casualties. Just as the Pope was about to smile he realized, inside a small alley between the houses, a dirty-looking girl was looking at him. It''s dangerous here. Even though he wanted to say this, he could not manage to say it properly. Maybe it was because his consciousness was wavering, but the girl seemed to be shouting something at the Pope. She was not holding any bandages or antiseptics or the like, but the Pope, who did not like to overly rely on the power of Science, was grateful for this girls actions. He was rather grateful to be able to receive even such small goodwill after bearing such a great malice. He heard a new voice, "Wow, that was quite a ruckus." The Pope lifted his head up, to see a female clothed completely in yellow. Vento of the Front. "The Pope who had his honor wounded just to save the lost sheep, and that little thought just now, does he still hate to be voted by the people? The Pope who won through election." "... England." His presence was fading, but the Pope still tried to open his mouth. As he continued vomiting blobs of blood, he said, "Fiammas target is Englands..." "Dont use such a commanding tone on me." Vento stuck her tongue out and easily cut through his words, "But since everyones goal is to kill that bastard, Ill just close one eye." At that moment, Vento purposely paused. It was the dirty-looking girl. Currently, she was glaring at Vento with blatant hatred. "Nice hostility you have there." Vento snarled, "Your luck is rather good: If I had my original weapon, you would have died here." The siren of the ambulance was closing in. Vento said nothing more, and disappeared into an alley between the houses. London, Little Venice. The one with the highest authority within the Anglican Church, Archbishop Laura Stuart, was lying on a boat floating on an artificial sluice formed by numerous canals. From the name Venice, one could rather easily discern it was based on the city of water. However, there were some differences. This was largely because the surrounding scenery was different from Venice, and it was not a floating city. Just a pier with three canals gathered at it. Venice had an artificial, magical effect that allowed for heavier use of the terrain and it was fully duplicated here, but very few people knew about it. "It would be great if it were a rowboat..." Laura looked rather bored as she said this, and peeked towards the back of the boat. Even though there was a man who looks like a gondolier, a miniature engine was attached to the rear of the boat. "Report." The boatman brought up a topic related to work. I finally manage to leave St. George Cathedral, and this boatman doesnt know the mood and wants to talk about work, Laura curled her lips unhappily. "There seems to be in-fighting within the Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope himself has became involved as well. Its unknown whether hes alive or dead. We have confirmed that he was sent to the hospital, but we cant make hasty conclusions." "..." The boatman began to hypothesize based on the insider reports from Rome and the magical flow, collating them together to explain this ''inside war'' further. "From the vast amount of magic detected, the damage should have been dozens of times -- no even more than that, but... please give me a moment to calculate this. I might have made a mistake." "Even if you do your calculations again, it wont change. There was an ordinary street behind where they found the Pope, yes? If so, it''s extremely obvious what happened." Laying down on the boat, Laura flipped her body around to a position where she was unable to see the boatman. While doing this, she muttered, "...Such a kind man." The significance and thoughts that statement held, the boatman was unable to tell. Laura Stuarts outer appearance belied her true age. The way in which she experienced things were quite different from the way ordinary people experienced. Because of that, the boatman was unable to understand Laura Stuart''s method of thinking. "... then, you must be smiling right now you foolish, kind man." In the end, the boatman could only guess based on what he saw. There was a tinge of loneliness in Laura Stuarts voice. In a certain corner of Academy City, there existed a windowless building. It was of such hardness not even a nuclear weapon initiated at point-blank range could destroy it. All of this had been prepared for merely one "human". The General Director of Academy City, Aleister Crowley. The "human" floating upside down in the huge glass container revealed a smile. He was looking at a rectangular screen directly shown in the air. The sources of information were coming from the Underline, a unique network of nanomachines scattered throughout Academy City. The screen that normally displayed information now showed only gray mosaics, because the giant explosion caused by Acqua of the Back had forced the Underline network to collapse within an hour. Even if they were to create the nanomachines with the most advanced nanotechnology, the motherboard length was only about seventy nanometers. It was only natural they would be destroyed by a large enough storm or impact. Interference within one area would quickly spread throughout the entire network, burdening the system into a crash. It would take a few hours to repair it, and to Aleister, such a wait should be like having his hand cut off. The only emotion he showed was a calm smile. "As expected, I need to think of a way to settle that problem..." However, he looked delighted, for he just remembered something he had to do. The machines surrounding Aleister analyzed the information collected before the Underline had been disabled, filtering the useful information from the useless. The gray screen began to regain color, and immediately displayed itself as a report. The contents of the report were an analysis of the power possessed by the right hand of a certain boy. Chemical formulas of every variety jumped about the screen, from the brain processing capability calculated from the amount of oxygen taken in and the amount of carbon dioxide given out, to the power of his right hand calculated from the AIM diffusion field scattered throughout Academy City. In and out, this was a world filled with science. Aleister used his eyes to track the words scrolling down the screen, and his smile became even deeper. An Adult, and yet a Child; a Man, and yet a Woman; a Saint, and yet a Sinner. In front of the ''human'' who possessed all of these attributes, the report was as follows: The reference point for the denial of illogical phenomena (Point Central 0) remains at stability level 3. Regulated rotation speed of the core continuing to idle at the center confirmed. Sample name "Imagine Breaker" at 98% plan influence level. Along with Academy City''s #1, it is properly operating as a linchpin to the main plan. Notes 1. St. Peter''s Basilica 2. The Pope 3. Archangel Michael 4. Lucife Volume 16, Afterword Volume 16, Afterword To the readers who bought the books one by one, its been a while. To the readers who managed to read through all 17 volumes at one go, we meet for the first time. Im Kamachi Kazuma. Also in this afterword, I guess sooner or later, its more or less going to be my 20th time doing this soon. I added a bit of all the good things as if it was customary, and this time, it felt rather out of place. The topic this time is about the chosen ones. One of the occult keywords is the term Saints. The Divine Mother Worship is the underlying difference in foundation between this battle between Saint and Saint. For the Saint Destroyer spell that Itsuwa (and the rest of the Amakusa members) used, one has to go back to Volume 9 to understand the concept behind this. When the Saint Kanzaki suddenly returns to drastically change things as the female Supreme Pontiff-sama and Tatemiya acting as the strategist, they were able to win this battle. This volume has a lot of information that relates to the core of this story. It''ll be interesting to recollect the hints here. Where did I put the hints in this story, and where does the information overlap? Once you find that out, perhaps you''ll grasp a small part of what will happen in the future. Thank you as always to my in charge, Miki-san, and illustrator, Haimura-san. I really regret that there were a lot of unexpected things happening, and I sincerely thank you two very much. And Ill like to thank all the readers as well. As I continued to tumble back and forth behind the scenes, I thank you readers very much for bearing with me all the way till now. And now, this volume ends here. I hope you''ll continue to read the next volume. At this moment, let me sign off first. It feels that Itsuwa''s becoming less and less like an ordinary girl. Kamachi Kazuma Volume 17, Prologue Volume 17, Prologue There was once a small town at a certain place. A small town surrounded by walls, the king and his people lived in that city. One day, a dragon came to town from the vicinity. The king and the people intended to defeat the dragon together, but failed. The violent, angry dragon spat fire, raging in the city. The king and the people, to appease the dragon, brought two sheep every day. However, the number of sheep was limited. When the sheep weren''t enough, the people sent a sheep and a child. The children began to disappear from the city. Finally was the turn to offer the king''s daughter, the princess. The king pleaded to the people to let the princess go. The people didn''t agree because they had already sent their own children. Thus, the sheep and the princess were sent to the home of the dragon. The princess grieved for her own fate. At this time, a wandering knight rode to her side on a horse. He wielded a holy sword along with a lance, and was a Knight among the Knights. His name, supposedly, was St. George. Volume 17, 1: The Incongruity of Casual Conversation. Irregular_Spark. Volume 17, Chapter 1: The Incongruity of Casual Conversation. Irregular_Spark. Part 1 Morning of the 17th of October. Even though not long ago the El Ni?o effect had caused the sweltering heat of the summer to have been delayed in its passing, a cold fog had descended upon Londons Japanese Street. In the morning rush hour, regardless of where you looked, there was a sea of people. As for why there was not one tourist there, even if you mentioned it, no-one would turn their head and respond. For everyone knew the reason. The teenage girl from the Amakusa sect, Itsuwa, was also in that Japanese Street which was empty of tourists. Like the Chinese and Indian streets, the main attraction of the Japanese Street would be food. To be able to eat familiar food and speak a familiar language even in a foreign country, that was why people with the same language naturally gathered together, creating all sorts of cuisine. In reality, faced with the enormous flow of people through Japanese Street, sushi restaurants, hotpot restaurants and other shops of all kinds had popped up alongside the streets. The first floor of the apartment complex Itsuwa resided in had also become a bento shop. Not just the Japanese living in London, but also numerous busy British commuters, who had adopted the convenience is luxury creed, bought lunches there. The strong point of the Japanese was punctuality; able to carry out shop business with the speed of a pit stop team in a Formula One race, they had earned the respect of the community. In the past, Itsuwa too has been called to help out in the shop, but now she was not helping out. Her uniform was also different from that of the shop. The impression the Itsuwa in London gave out was charming with a hint of maturity. On top of Itsuwas beige sports shirt was a jacket like a short overcoat. She was wearing light brown, form-fitting pants. If you inspected her clothing more carefully, because she was from Necessarius, even though Itsuwa was underage, she would be able to go into a bar without needing to be interrogated by police. Right now, in the depths of the shop, Itsuwa was in the break room for the shop workers, staring at the Japanese writing displayed on her laptop screen. [The key to success in a long-distance relationship is to remain in the mind of your partner! Those who are as shallow as a shadow will break off the relationship!? Those who succeed and those who fail will be separated!!] Itsuwa scrolled down with a quivering finger, reading, [Rule of Success! Capturing tactics!? Use the overpowering charm of a woman and capture his heart!] Or something along those lines. At that moment, memories from a few days ago resurfaced in Itsuwas mind. To protect Kamijou Touma, who had been viciously pursued by Acqua of the Back, Itsuwa had stayed close to Touma. After all her efforts, it had seemed to Itsuwa that the roughly halfway around the world distance between Britain and Japan had shortened a bit, as well as the distance between her and Touma... but who would have predicted that the reinstated female Pontiff of the Amakusa Church, Kanzaki Kaori, would have arrived out of nowhere! Not only had she caused a ruckus, but in the end the Saint had unleashed her One-hit KO Secret Technique... E-Erotic Fallen Angel Costume...!! To prepare such a horrifying secret weapon, as expected of someone as formidable as the Priestess! To wear such a thing, wouldnt all the memories of that battle against Acqua of the Back be gathered at one point...? The frustrated Itsuwa gripped her head with both hands. Looking at herself, who was only charming with a hint of maturity...to put it in other words, an absolute flawless costume. Itsuwa let out a disappointed sigh. This is the unbridgeable divide between commoners and genius, huh. Just like how a normal magician can never aspire to become a Saint. That Tatemiya, calling me the hidden giant breasts was just him trying to comfort me, compared to Kanzaki of the normal giant breasts, I truly have no chance It was painfully obvious to Itsuwa that, compared with the sensual curves of the breasts and butt of that long-haired ponytail wearing priestess, she was far out of her league. At this moment, Itsuwa almost gave up on the spot. Tentatively, to comfort her troubled heart, she reminded herself it was not as if there was already a special relationship between herself and Kamijou; at this level, everything would have been fine already. As they say, a teenage girl in love is blind in all aspects. Hmph, not only does it accentuate her perfect bust, but to use the Erotic Fallen Angel costume as a lethal final blow... A bold strategy that unites soul, technique and body...the Pontiff is truly a formidable person. With just one move, I have been totally defeated. There is no chance for me to turn the game around now... With a sigh of despair, Itsuwas eyes flickered towards the suspicious news webpages. Then her eyes fell upon it. In the Weekly Mini News 10 section, separate from the usual news, she saw that. [The name of the legendary new product: Great Spirit Revealing Maid Set! Guaranteed to have an attack power only equaled by slicing apart the brains of a working class man in a Z pattern! Determine any delicate requests at this autumn sale!] In Itsuwas mind, time had frozen. Had she not been chasing after that Saint? No, was this not now the only chance to get ahead of the Saint? Faced by this once in a thousand years opportunity, Itsuwa fell silent as she thought about it... Ooohh... HCHow could I ever think of wearing this sort of attire!!! Furiously, Itsuwa messed up her hair with her hands. She had chosen the rational decision. However, suddenly hating herself, she collapsed on her desk. Perhaps hesitation in place of bravery was the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary person? What if her hesitation was the proof of her inferiority? Faced with those thoughts, Itsuwa couldnt help herself and started to sob. ...Voices traveled from the ceiling of the break room, No~!! Itsuwa, weve already given you a push, waa~! No!! Why dont we just buy the costume first and put it in a box in front of Itsuwas room? Substitute Supreme Ponti... No, wait, Tatemiya-san! You should have already gotten an idea of Itsuwas measurements through the massage battle right? Of course! To witness the battle between the Erotic Fallen Angel priestess and the Great Spirit Revealing Maid priestess, we need to shed some blood and sweat, too! Okay guys, I think we should get back to work... ...and other related whispers. Surprisingly, Itsuwa heard none of it. Part 2 The rumored erotic fallen angel maid, Kanzaki Kaori, trembling as if she sensed a mysterious resentment from a long distance, shuddered slightly and looked troubled. Presently, she was walking down the streets of the Buckingham Palace outskirts. To Kanzaki - or rather, to the Anglican Church, one of Great Britain''s three factions, this place which housed the Royal Family was an unfamiliar area. The other two factions, the clout of the Royal Family and Knights of England had too strong of an influence. ...Kanzaki had come here to collect some documents from the Ministry of Home Affairs that was near Buckingham Palace, but unexpectedly, she met someone familiar. The leader of the knights, Knight Leader. Looking somehow young, he was actually in his mid-30s - more than twice Kanzaki''s own age. His well-kept blond hair, looks, body build, the quality of the suit worn, and even the dignified way of walking were stained with the format of royal castles and palaces. By the way, Kanzaki wasn''t really good at handling Knight Leader. It was not because of the aristocratic atmosphere. "As far as October''s events are concerned, be it the evening party at Windsor Castle or the onboard party at Liverpool, the best would be Senator James''s birthday party along with the ball at the Queen''s House, I suppose. The guests may be rowdy, but to save the face of the guest of honour, there shouldn''t be any men harassing women in secluded places. If something happened because of the party, it will bring disgrace to Senator James." "Well, that, umm..." Holding that large envelope containing the documents, Kanzaki looked flustered. Seeing this woman''s face, Knight Leader frowned slightly. "Hm. If it comes to a higher class then, you can go for the Halloween disguise ball held at the Buckingham Palace, but at the first party, you need to conceal your face and name. Or do you not like the audience? If you can''t stand the lewd stares from them, then a far place like Edinburgh would be a perfect invitation..." "... L-Like I said, that''s not the case..." As if she had something difficult to say, Kanzaki averted her eyes from Knight Leader. "I-In the first place, this kind of evening party or ball dance that you mentioned is... feels like something like a date, right...? Somehow, as the leader of a group thats working under the Anglican Church, its better for me to avoid this..." "However," Knight Leader interrupted. "In the first place, werent you the one who asked me to teach you British manners?" "T-That..." In the midst of the numerous people going back and forth from work and school, Kanzaki murmured something as she stood still. Knight Leader put a puzzled expression on his face while watching this situation. "I am sorry for delaying the meeting, but regarding that, I had to take care of it till the end, that is true. Certainly, please ask me about the mannerisms of the high-class society as much as you need to." "N-no, that was when I came to England. Because of the Amakusa-Style''s ceremonial methods, I had to learn the British etiquette and geography. Otherwise, I might not be able to fit into the high-class society." Needless to say, with the help from a fellow Japanese, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, she not only already learned the basics of English, but also studied the dialects of various places in England. There was nothing she could learn from Knight Leader now. "However, you actually don''t appear much, be it at evening parties or balls. Perhaps it''s because you don''t do well with nobles?" "... As a member of the Anglican Church, I don''t feel a necessity to attend, let alone get familiar with them." "It isnt contradictory to walk on the right path and try to showcase the elegance of a lady. Also, beauty and tomfoolery do not share the same meaning. If you are perfect to that extent, you will still be perfect wherever you go. Wouldn''t it be like the legend of Saint Agnes who was brought into a brothel, and with a flash of a shining light it turned into a missionary? Doesnt that show the strength of the heart?" "... Using brothels as an example, you''re still inviting me even after being aware that an evening party is dangerous to females?" (There''s also that invitation to a ball with a flower from him while I was absent)... sighed Kanzaki. Seeing that reaction, for some reason, Knight Leader tilted his head. "Speaking about that, isn''t this the first time you''re asking about the ways of life as a lady?" "Where did that rumour come from?" "Hm, how weird. So that Erotic Maid Fallen Angel was a rumour...?" Hearing Knight Leader mutter those words to himself, "GOBAHAA!!" Kanzaki let out an exasperated breath. "That is not a lady-like behaviour." "Wa, w-w-w-w-w-w-what are you...!?" "Well, as a British gentleman, it would be a lie if I were to say that I am not interested in erotica and maids... but a fallen angel is unacceptable. A ladys beauty must not be measured based on the bewitching exterior. Rather, it is the inner persona which must be beautiful--" "Please wait. Please wait a minute! Please hear me out a bit!! That was just a brief irregular phenomenon, it is not like I am planning to wear that stupid costume again in the future!!" Part 3 Completely ignorant of that dangerous conversation, a completely normal and unfortunate high school student with spiky hair, Kamijou Touma, had just finished his last lesson for the day and was enjoying the short break before homeroom began. He was in Japans Academy City. That was a psychic power development institution that covered a third of Tokyo and had just under 2.3 million residents. It was a city of students with schools at every turn and the preparations for the large cultural festival held in November, the Ichihanaransai, were approaching like small waves announcing the coming festival. As the midterm exams had been cancelled due to various circumstances, the students must have felt they had more spare effort to put into the festival. The students had formed small groups around the classroom and seemed to be in a fairly festive mood. Two primary examples were Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu who were next to Kamijou. Yeah, the high school Ichihanaransai just seems different from when we were in middle school. We get a much bigger budget and there are so many more things we can do. Nyah. Theyre having the festival double as an open campus time, so theyve gotta give a lotta money to places that arent very proactive. And our school is really mediocre and doesnt have any of that burning desire or anything. Those two quickly got off the topic of money and a female student who had black hair, a large forehead, large breasts, and always had to be on the committee in charge of events (and not because she had a thing for a guy on the committee), Fukiyose Seiri, crossed her arms and snorted. Now that the worlds largest cultural festival, the Ichihanaransai, is coming, my season is finally here. If you people are just going to waste time, could you do something worthwhile instead? You might find a new side to yourselves. ...Hey, you! Mr. Pointy Hair who is rolling up eraser crumbs and playing with them!! Kamijou Touma jumped at being singled out. E-ehhh? I dont need a new me. And Im sure all Id find out was that I had always thought I loved maids but it was actually waitresses I loved. Nyaah!! Thats a very serious matter!! Did you forget that a maid can do the job of a waitress, but a waitress cant do the job of a maid!? Heh...you fool. Theres no rule saying someone who loves maids cant fall in love with waitresses. However, theres nothing wrong with the pure feelings causing one to stand up for the honor of ones favorite genre, added Aogami. The three different reactions from the three different idiots trampled on Fukiyoses responsible spirit that was burning with excitement over the coming festival and she exploded as usual. Im telling you to change that messed-up way of thinking, you stupid moronic idiots!! Actually, this kind of discussion is necessary to determine whether a normal caf or a maid caf would be bettgkh!! As Kamijou replied, he was knocked back with a head butt. He rolled across the floor and finally came to a stop near his classmate Himegami Aisas seat. She also had long black hair (but not the large breasts) and she was flipping through the pages of a thick book with a serious expression on her face. Kamijou stood up and wondered what she was reading, so he tried to follow the small print with his eyes over her shoulder. So that you are not buried among those with overflowing power, you need to emit a light that pushes the others aside. Thats right, you need attack power. And the one certain way to get that attack power is with individuality. Having some kind of special ability is best, but, if thats too difficult on short notice, you can always join a school club or committee. Just by changing the rhythm of your lifestyle, you can change yourself inside and out. ........................................... Kamijou Toumas questioning eyes turned to Himegamis back. ...Hey. If theres something bothering you, you can talk with me about it. No thank you. I will deal with this alone. I-I see. But let me give you one piece of advice. Id say you have a peaceful bit of individuality in your excellent cooking skills. !? Hah hah hah. Isnt making your own bento everyday quite a bit of attack power already? I cook for myself too, but youre miles ahead of me. A-are you saying...that what I wished for was within me all along...? Yeah, yeah. My era starts now. I will use magic bentos to put an end to the era where I was the expressionless person shoved to the side... U-umm...yeah, I guess...? And then their homeroom teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe, entered the classroom. Okay, its time for homeroom. Today were going to decide everyones role for the Ichihanaransai. Anyone who is going to put precedence on their club or committee activities, please notify me. ... Himegami Aisa suddenly stopped moving. That teacher was 135 cm tall, looked around 12 years old, looked like she should be wearing a randoseru and yet couldnt resist beer and cigarettes, had undergone special studies on the topics of pyrokinesis and a variety of other powers, and her earnest research on AIM diffusion fields earned her special treatment even among the scientists. She didnt just have one or two bits of individuality; she was an irregular monster made up of nothing but individuality in every aspect. And now Himegami had seen all of that once again. ...Ahh. H-Himegami? Why did you just collapse into dark despair? Himegami? Himegamiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!! Her shoulders trembled and she did not respond. Part 4 Misaka Mikoto was feeling restless. She was in a shopping district during the period where twilight had mostly reached night. She wasnt out later than usual; the change of season had changed the daylight hours. It wouldnt be long before they moved up the time when everyone had to have left school. The reason for her restlessness was clear. (...I-I cant believe I said that!! I wasnt thinking of the consequences at all when I said that!!) Replaying in her head was the conversation between her and the boy with the spiky hair that had occurred in District 22, Academy Citys largest underground mall. At the time, it had looked like Kamijou Touma was going to die and yet he was still dragging his near-dead body to stand in the center of some incident. As such, Mikoto hadnt been able to remain calm. In an attempt to stop him, she had willingly and selflessly blurted out all the words in her heart. (Th-this is bad. When I think about it, the area around my armpit feels really itchy! This is bad!!) Her roommate Shirai Kuroko had grown suspicious of how Mikoto had been writhing around for the past few days, but the one thing that had saved her (although it may been due to her own defenses) was that she hadnt run into Kamijou around the city. If she met him now, she felt sure she would pass out. She was planning on waiting for her to take care of the problem in her heart and then meeting him once she could do it the same as usual. But then... Hm? Oh, its Biri Biri. What are you doing here? !!!??? Mikoto gave a large start at the voice that suddenly called out to her from behind. She cautiously turned around and saw a head of spiky hair. Wh-what? Do you have a problem with the things I do? Im just kicking the vending machine like usual!! Um, well, that is kind of a problem, responded Kamijou dejectedly. Mikoto tilted her head questioningly. ...It wasnt as bad as she had thought it would be. She had gone over it in her head again and again, and she thought she would die from embarrassment once she ran into him. Even if Kamijou hadnt said anything, she had expected to make it incredibly awkward on her own. However, it was nothing much now that it was here. In fact, she finally felt relief about the conversation from a few days back. Um...are your injuries okay? Yeah, more or less. Ah, I see... My consciousness was kind of in and out back then, so I dont remember too much, but you really did know. Kamijou had a slightly lonesome expression on his face. Mikoto didnt think she had ever seen that look on his face before. Itd be a huge help if you didnt tell anyone else about that. My memories are just gone, so making a big deal about it isnt going to change anything. Im just living my normal life, so Id prefer if we could just go on like we always have. I-I see. While Mikotos feelings were still a jumbled mess, Kamijou changed the subject. She wasnt able to follow the quickly changing conversation (or at least thats how it felt to Mikoto whose head was spinning its wheels making no progress). Oh, and about the vending machine. You should be a little more careful about kicking so high in front of people while wearing a skirt. Even if you have shorts on underneath, we can still see all the way up your thighs. ... Huh? ...Its surprisingly honest of you to actually put change into the vending machine, Misaka. Mikoto couldnt say anything in response to that. Just when she had thought she had built up thick defensive walls around her heart, she found out they were made of sponge so they did nothing but soak up water. Mikotos eyes began spinning. Wh-whats gyoing on... This is where I usually reject him and run off. Why do I feel so... feel so comfortable here!? Hah? Wait, why are you getting all biri biri? H-hey, youre going out of control. Youre sending sparks everywhere...no, this is more than sparks. Did I do something wrong!? Funya. Funya? Thats not an answeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! The sound of sparks that must be bad for the heart rang out. Part 5 Due to the incidents with Himegami and Mikoto, it had been an odd day. Kamijou was overwhelmed with fatigue as he opened the door to his dorm room. ...Dont tell me Index is going to be acting weird too. ??? About what, Touma? A girl in a white nuns habit lying in the living room responded to Kamijous muttering. The young girl had long silver hair, green eyes, and a perfect memory which meant she never forgot anything she saw. Using this special ability she had every letter of every line of 103,000 grimoires stored in her mind making her the grimoire library known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum. However, she had been completely useless of late. It seemed she still didnt even know how to open a can of pork stew and the can opener was lying on the floor nearby as if she had given up and tossed it to the side. The small calico cat sitting next to her was punching her cheek as if to say, Dont give up! Its too soon to give up on that pork!! Seeing that, Kamijou breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Index is the same as always. Youre clearly making fun of me. No, Im not, immediately denied Kamijou. He put his cheap school bag on the floor and decided to turn on the TV. A special 2 hour commercial was running. It seemed to be a collection of stories about miraculous rescues from around the world. It was currently talking about a British undersea operations unit that had rescued all 370 people trapped in a flooded undersea tunnel. ...Its getting pretty cold, isnt it? The cats even got its winter coat, so maybe its about time I brought it out. Wh-what!? Brought what out!? Ah!! Are you going to bring out the rumored fugu nabe!? Dont get worked up before you know what it is!! That may warm you up, but it would send our finances into an ice age!! Im just saying its about time to bring out the kotatsu, Index-san. Whats that? What do you put in a kotatsu nabe? Seahorse? Get your mind off of food, Index. This is what a kotatsu is!! As Kamijou yelled, he pulled that combination of a futon and a table from a small storage space along the wall. He set it in the center of the room in place of the glass table and Index started trembling. Kaki peanuts!! The snacks on top of the kotatsu arent the point!! Please, just stick your legs under it! Then you can experience the wonder of special Japanese-made heaters!! ? Index questioningly stuck her legs under the futon. Ahh... It makes me want to fall asleep. Its scary how it didnt even take you 5 seconds to realize the truth behind a kotatsu, Index. But that sleepiness is a trap that brings on colds, so dont lose to it. It seemed Index was enjoying the kotatsu. The cat sat in the very center of the kotatsu as if to announce, This warm and cozy area is my palace!! (Good, good. After bringing it out so confidently, I didnt want to have to explain it away as something she wouldnt be able to understand because its just part of Japanese culture.) As he was thinking, Kamijou stuck his own legs in the kotatsu. Then Index reached over to the basket on top of the kotatsu and pulled out a bag of kaki peanuts looking half-asleep all the while. She opened the clear bag and... Here, this is your share, Touma. ...!? It was a miracle. That girl who could not even make instant ramen (because she couldnt wait 3 whole minutes when there was food before her eyes) had passed food in her hand to him!! What? Why do you look so surprised? O-oh, no reason. ? Index looked a little suspicious, but it seemed her interest in the kotatsu won out. Perhaps in an attempt to resist the sleepiness, she took her legs out from within the kotatsu and then stuck her head inside to inspect the inside. Kamijou relaxed since he was glad she seemed to be enjoying it so much. But then an odd noise came from Kamijous butt within the kotatsu. That very instant, Index forcefully stood straight up while her head was inside the kotatsu and she lifted it up with both hands like a barbell for weightlifting. Toumaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! E-eeeeeeeeeeee!! Im sorry, Index, that was my fault!! Please dont swing the kotatsu down! The cat doesnt like being on top of Sky Fortress Kotatsu!! That was when Kamijous house phone began ringing. In the age of cell phones, it was rather rare for the house phone to ring. (Good, now I can get away from Index...no, wait. This could be an emergency message.) Kamijou grabbed the receiver as he tried to pacify Index. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was on the other end of the line. Nyah. Kami-yan, are you free for a fairly long conversation? Hah? You live next door. Why are you using the phone? You can just come on over. Well, given the situation, I really have no choice. And this is rather rude for a time zone where dinner comes early. I actually have a lot to pay you back for so...wait, what time is it!? Oh, crap! I havent made dinner yet!! Tsuchimikado, Ive got something to do, so keep this short!! Hm? Oh, I see, I see. But, well...Where should I begin? Itd be a bit too sudden to start with the Eurotunnel bombing. I really need to go back and explain the situation from before that first... Keep it short!! Index has sensed that dinner is probably going to be late, and I can feel flames of anger wrapped around her!! I see, said Tsuchimikado in an unsatisfied way, Then Ill get right to the point. You need to come to England right now. ................................................................... Ah, um, uh... What? Ive prepared a plane for you. When you reach District 23, take the luggage from locker #3293 in the cloakroom at the international airports 3rd reception desk. Your passport and everything you need is in there. Theyll hand you the luggage if you show them your Academy City ID, so you just have to tell the receptionist that youre Kamijou Touma. Eh? W-wait! You cut too much out and I have no idea whats going on!! England? Right now? There are tons of things you should be explaining!! But Kami-yan, youre the one that told me to keep it short. Well, yes, but arent you being a little too blunt today!? And why do I need to go to England anyway? ...Wait, I have a bad feeling about this. With Chioggia in Italy and Avignon in France, I get the feeling that bad things happen to me when I go overseas!! And this time its a country full of magic cabals and the headquarters of the Anglican Church!! Theres no way in hell Im going there!! Nn, Kami-yan. Your guesses arent too far off actually, but its too late. After those words, Kamijou heard a high-pitched clang from the veranda as if a metal pipe had fallen to the ground. Something must have been thrown over from the room next door. Looking over, he saw a small can about the size of a can of hairspray. He then heard the sound of gas leaking from it. Ubfh! Cough cough!! Knockout gas!? Oh, right. One more thing. Dont bad things happen to you whether you go overseas or not, Kami-yan? Kamijou wasnt able to speak in order to provide a rebuttal to those words. Kamijou and Index (+ the cat) were overcome with an excessive drowsiness as if from a full-body anesthetic and they were forcefully put to sleep. Part 6 The effects of the accidental explosion in the Eurotunnel connecting England and France have spread to the air routes. Due to a number of airplanes being mobilized to transport materials and personnel between the two countries, there are possible delays to the normal schedule. For detailed information on expected arrivals and departures, see the proper reception desk. Kamijou Touma awoke to that announcement. He realized he was on a bench in the airport lobby. ...Arent they being a little too dynamic this time? When he shook his oddly heavy head and stood up, he felt something crinkle in his hand. It was a small memo. It read: Nyah. Its already too late for the last train and the last bus and I took everything out of your wallet, so you cant use a taxi to get home. Theres some British currency in the luggage at the cloakroom, so use that and have a fun trip. (...That motherfucker.) Kamijou thought of retrieving the luggage from the cloakroom and then leaving, but he couldnt hire a Japanese taxi with British pounds. Exchanging the pounds for Japanese yen would have worked except that the banks wouldnt be open at night. (Wait, if Im going outside Academy City, doesnt that mean I have to have a nanodevice with a transmitter in it injected inside me and my legal guardian with me? I get the feeling Ive been doing things in various unofficial ways a lot lately...) Still wondering what was going on, Kamijou grabbed Indexs shoulders and shook her as she lay asleep next to him on the bench. Hey, Index. Wake up. M-mhohhh... I feel like I could just sleep for 3 days straight. That unusual drowsiness should be making you worried. Hey, you too, cat. The small cats front legs were twitching along with its dream and Kamijou succeeded in waking it up by poking its nose. Index was being as lazy as ever and Kamijou forcibly dragged her along as he headed for the 3rd reception desk as instructed. Kamijou Touma-sama, you said? Yes, we have your luggage in #3293. Is this it? asked the young woman at the reception desk, but he had no idea if that was all of it or not. He simply nodded, took the large suitcase and opened it in order to check the contents. Inside was foreign-looking money, passports, flight tickets, a pile of papers that looked like written orders, and a few days worth of changes of clothes that looked like they had been bought at an extremely cheap chain store. Kamijou took out the flight tickets, read the details written on them, and cried out in surprise. ...Really!? These really have the name of a London airport on them. Why do we have to go to England now? Um...this all looks pretty complicated. Kamijou looked down at the written orders, but he was still a little shaky from the knockout gas. Normally, he might have been able to focus a little more and read it, but the text wasnt entering his head as he read it so he didnt understand very much of it. ...Hmm. Something about some major magic trouble in Britain and having to formally call you in, Index. Kamijous lips continued to move and he mumbled while reading it. And so your current guardian, Kamijou Touma, has to...Ah, so I have to go with you. I dont like how they think youre my guardian, Touma. You have no right to say that after Ive been making you meals every day. Sigh...I guess we have to go. What a pain in the ass. Since this magic trouble was major enough to have to call in Index, he really didnt want to go, but, if he just went back to the dorm, he had a feeling someone like the flame magician Stiyl Magnus would attack him for real. Whatever the problem was, it seemed it was so big it couldnt be ignored. (Wait, isnt England where they had that huge tunnel explosion recently? ...I have a really bad feeling about this.) Complaining about it wasnt going to change anything, so they had to go through the boarding procedure. Putting the pet cat in a tagged cage and passing through the metal detector gate (just like when they went to Chioggia, Indexs safety-pin covered nuns habit caused problems here), ate up a lot of time. So were going to England, said Index who was now wearing a plain dress that had been one of the cheap changes of clothes in the suitcase. Kamijou looked over at her blankly. Oh, right. Since you were called in by the headquarters of the Anglican Church, youre going back to your city of birth. Yeah, but it doesnt really feel like it because I dont have any memories from before about a year ago. Index didnt have any trouble saying that and she didnt have any special emotional attachment there. She even left the written orders on what they were to do in England to Kamijou. (...So she has no memories.) Then Index asked Kamijou a question without realizing what he was thinking about. Touma, wheres the plane were going to get on? Hmm? Tsuchimikado said he had it specially arranged for us. One wall of the arrival and departure lobby was made of glass and the night view of the runway could be seen through it. There were several large passenger planes. The work vehicles were driving along between them. Umm, this says its Flight 0001 at Gate 4... Kamijou looked in that direction and then froze. A passenger plane stood at the other end of his gaze. Its top speed was over 7000 kph. It was that monstrous type of passenger plane that could make its way from Japan to Western Europe in about 2 hours. Kamijou and Index both recalled the nightmarish emergency trip back from Chioggia with the odd suffering from having ones organs crushed from the horrible pressure of the Gs and Index ordering an inflight meal and having it all fly back behind her. ... ... As they were recalling all this, the supersonic passenger plane was continuing its takeoff preparations. The container being carried to it with a forklift must have held the cat. They then both spoke. Hey, Index. What, Touma? ...Lets abandon that flight and get on the next plane even if we have to wait for a cancellation. Well get on a normal plane that doesnt damage the human body. As long as the plane doesnt make your food fly backwards, Im fine with it. Kamijou and Index exchanged a firm handshake and silently watched the supersonic passenger plane leave. It almost felt like they could hear the cat yelling back calling them heartless. Between the lines 1 It seems France has finally started moving. Even if the Roman Catholic Church is pestering them from behind, that was a rather obedient response. Blowing up the sole land route connecting England and France is going to do quite a bit of damage to Frances economy. And yet they still blew up all three undersea tunnels. Even so, theyre better off than England. True enough. True enough. For an island country like England, having its sole land route destroyed is like having half its life line severed. Theyre currently increasing the travel over the sea and air routes to prevent a shortage of materials, but the costs that brings will bring their debt over the limit before long. Its because taking the same amount of luggage by plane costs significantly more than by train. Some optimistic critics are saying they can solve this by using sea transportation, but thats impossible. When the Eurotunnel opened, a number of ports were destroyed in order to give precedence for using the undersea tunnel. If they tried to go back to only using sea transportation, they would find themselves oversaturated with luggage to transport. Things would end up as congested as the area around the cash register at a department store during a good sale and the pure amount of luggage would make it all fall apart. Itll probably take at least 3 months to repair the undersea tunnel. Until thats done, the store shelves just arent going to be the same. Also, there are many different complicated ideas about how the repair work should be done, so it would be surprising if that didnt get stalled somewhere or other. Hm? Yes, yes. Thats exactly right. France is backed by the European countries under Rome and Russias control. In response, it seems England has asked Academy City and America for help. Ah. You mean the war between the Euro and the Dollar. America took the brunt of the economic blow caused by the C-Document incident in Avignon. Because of that, investors have already moved their attention elsewhere. Because they realize what a crisis theyre in, theyre extremely afraid of the Euro and Yuan markets becoming active. Enough that theyre even willing to sabotage their enemies. Thats the idiotic result caused by that incompetent Terra of the Left. You know the details, right? You did finish him off yourself, after all. This incident was directly caused by the hundreds of years of antagonism between England and France. However, now that an Americentric economy has come into conflict with a Eurocentric economy, that antagonism has gone into a cold war between England and France. Europe is certainly in a rough state, isnt it? This isnt a simple war between two countries thats starting here. It wont end there. It seems theres something that bastard Fiamma wants badly enough to turn Europe into a sea of flames. And what really pisses me off is that its that very same Fiamma that has almost complete control over the forces of Rome and Russia. Even if you or I gave an order, no one would obey it. We have no authority left. Are you still going to go? Its true that you are fairly powerful. In a straight fight, youd be stronger than me. But will your power be enough to deal with a calamity that can destroy entire countries if not the entire world? You will have no enemies, no allies, and no direction. You will be attacked evenly from all sides like in a disaster film. Will your power be enough to deal with a situation like that? Well, if you say youre going to go, then fine. I have no right to stop you and I have no reason to care if you die. I just want to tell you my own plans. I wont be going. Ah? Dont mock me. This isnt because Im afraid. I cant use my Divine Punishment spell anymore. And you may be a bit different, but Gods Right Seat cant use normal magic and spiritual items. Ill just be going from place to place making the proper preparations. My plan is going to shock Fiamma a lot more than just going straight there. You cant order me around. You go on your path and Ill go on mine. Hm? What happened to my never saying never? Who cares? I just said that back then because I felt like it. Do I really look like someone who would restrict myself like that? Volume 17, 2: A Steel Battlefield Floating above the Clouds. Sky_Bus_365. Volume 17, Chapter 2: A Steel Battlefield Floating above the Clouds. Sky_Bus_365. Part 1 The Amakusa girl Itsuwa puffed out her cheeks with a look of displeasure in her eyes. When she had heard that Kamijou Touma was flying in on an Academy City supersonic passenger plane, she had noisily rushed around getting ready and then headed to the London airport to be his guide because she knew Japanese, but, when the plane arrived, Kamijou Touma wasnt there. There must have been some odd mix-up because she ended up with a cage containing a calico cat that was registered as a pet. She had been thinking this was her chance and had even decided she would buy the Great Spirit Revealing Maid Set, so her disappointment at being sidestepped was quite something. She had returned to Londons Japantown along with the cat cage and now she (a minor) was at the tea table gulping down the contents of a bottle. She even had dried squid prepared on a small dish. That boy was supposed to have come to London as Index Librorum Prohibitorums manager. Some of Itsuwas colleagues such as the short Kouyagi and the female Tsushima looked at Itsuwa and paled. The short Ushibuka received the greatest shock because he had been the one that had secretly hidden the potato shochu in the storage space below the kitchen floor. U-um, Itsuwa-san...? I-it just seems there was a little bit of a mix-up, so you dont need to get so down about it... said the married Nomozaki with a wide forced smile on his face while he held Ushibukas arms behind his back. Ushibuka was struggling and yelling, She! She stole! She stole my Potato Baron!! In response, Itsuwa poured the liquid into a plain transparent cup and turned her gaze towards them with a blank look in her eyes and her head tilted to the side. Hic...Im not...fheeling down... Dammit, thashs right, thashs right. Why am I...? She continued mumbling incoherently while barely moving her lips. She sounded like she was angry. ...Really...what the hell ish a potato baron...? Thish alcohol has such annoying names... You cant tell if itsh a potato or a sweet potato or what... Then dont drink it! Dont steal my enjoyment!! yelled Ushibuka with tears in his eyes. That was when the old Isahaya came into the room with an excited look on his face and gave an announcement. H-hey!! It seems that boy didnt change his plans after all and is headed to London!! Itsuwa hurriedly stood up. When she did, the bottle was knocked over and the high class liquid spilled out onto the tea table. Hgyaaaaahhhh! My Potato Baron!! shrieked Ushibuka and the female Tsushima chopped his neck with the side of her hand to quiet him, but Itsuwa wasnt paying them any heed. That boy was coming to London? At the airport, she had been told he wasnt on the plane, but had it really been a mix-up and had actually been onboard? If so...was it possible he would pay them a visit!? A soft light started sparkling from all over Itsuwas body, but her joyous expression suddenly stiffened. She had realized just what a terrible sight she was. Was she going to be seen in such a disgraceful way? Would she be seen drunk on potato shochu, every breath filled with the stench of alcohol, and dried squid legs stuck in the edge of her mouth? I-it would all be over!! If that happened, it would all be over!! She decided to at least do something about how she looked, so she ate all of the squid legs, popped a breath mint in her mouth, washed her face, and stretched her back. But all those things were exactly the types of things a drunk did, so her red face made her look like an old man at the horse races. (N-no, just because hes coming to London doesnt mean hell be coming directly to Japantown. Normally, he would stop by his hotel and then head to Buckingham Palace, so he wont be coming here right away! I need to focus on getting myself looking decent...!!) Just when Itsuwa started thinking more optimistically, the old Isahaya shook his head with a gentle look on his face. No, Itsuwa. That boy is already on his way here. Itsuwas shoulders gave a large jump. She thought while she wobbled on her feet. (But why!? I cant imagine that he would come here by chance...!!) But she did have an idea of why that boy would come by right away. (Oh, thats right. I took his kitty at the airport...crap!! It wouldnt be surprising for him to stop by to pick up his pet cat!!) Itsuwa was completely flustered and the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. Before she could do anything, she heard the sound of the door opening. The sound of Isahaya yelling Hes here!! rang in Itsuwas ears. The room was constructed as a Western-style room, but a Japanese sliding door was set up between the Western door and the rest of the room. A spiky haired silhouette could clearly be seen through the thin paper of the sliding door. It seemed clear that he had come directly there. (Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what-what-what do I do!?) She was completely cornered. Itsuwas face was completely pale as the door slid to the side in front of her eyes. Itsuwa was sure that she was so drunk that the stench of alcohol was coming from every breath she took and even from every single one of her pores. Even the cat started to run away from her as if it were saying, Young lady, that smell is simply unacceptable. Having reconfirmed what state she was in, Itsuwas head was assaulted by absolute chaos. (Waaaahhhh!!) And then... Tah dah!! Spiky-haired Tatemiya Saiji is here-bghaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!? Immediately after her male colleague with black spiky hair revealed that he had been toying with her maiden heart, she didnt just overturn the tea table; she grabbed the tea table with one hand and mercilessly knocked Tatemiya away with it. The large mans body was knocked outside of the room and Isahaya, who had been Tatemiyas accomplice for the prank, paled. Part 2 Sky Bus 365 was the spacious passenger plane Kamijou and Index had boarded after abandoning the cat. The passenger seats were divided into two floors and, while there were a large number of passengers, the space for each seat was rather large. Economy seats usually brought to mind something constrained like the seats in a movie theater, but that was not so for the Sky Bus 365. Even the cheapest seats had room enough to stretch out ones legs and a massage function. There only real problem was... ...I really thought there would have been at least one flight to London we could use, Kamijou muttered. The flights to London had been fully booked. Kamijou and Index were still headed to the UK, but this first flight was headed for Edinburgh, Scotland and they would get on a domestic flight to London from there. That plan was all thanks to the advice of the young woman at the service counter. Incidentally, Scotland was in the north of the UK while London was in the south. Kamijou and Index had been looking for a plane with 2 cancellations and the ticket of course cost money. In his attempt to keep them from using a taxi to flee the airport, Tsuchimikado had taken the contents of Kamijous wallet, but, in a small bit of luck, he was able to pay for the tickets with his cell phones wallet function. (...But this wallet function is basically the same thing as a credit card. I hope I dont end up screaming when I see the bill...) In contrast to Kamijou holding his head for a very working class reason, Index was extremely optimistic. She was engrossed in the irregular place known as an airplane. She was wearing a plain dress instead of her safety pin-covered nuns habit because they wouldnt have let her on the plane with those dangerous objects all over her. T-Touma. This chair has a game in it!! It has buttons on it, but it isnt a video game. In fact, even normal TVs have-...Wait! Get your hand away from there, Index! Youve gotten into the pay-per-view channels!! Beef or fish!! Beef or fish!! Yes, I know youre looking forward to the in-flight meal, so sto-...Waah!! The new release movie channel is super expensive!! Whats this button? Wahyah!! A clear cup with a string on it came out!! Thats the emergency oxygen mask!! Indexs actions must have sent out a very serious signal, because a blonde flight attendant with a nice body came running over. Index was still too focused on pushing all the buttons, so Kamijou was forced to bow in apology in her stead. After having the basics of in-flight etiquette explained to her, Index looked over questioningly. So there are parts of the game that cost money and parts that dont? I already told you: there are no games you can play on that screen. Having all those different buttons is just a trap for the pay-per-view channels. Here, look how much fun the free channel i-..uuh!? Touma. It just has a bunch of small numbers and is talking about something called stocks. Dammit. They purposefully show something boring to get you to look towards the pay-per-view channels. Kamijou felt a bit dejected and he heard a middle-aged man on the TV talking about the world economy in a monotone voice. Apparently, the Eurotunnel bombing had thrown the market into chaos. Index gently straightened up and spoke. By the way, Touma. When does the airplane food get here? The in-flight meal? Hmm, well its past dinner time, so the next one will probably be after 9, I guess. It looks like the people around us have already eaten and we dont get any late meals because of our cheap seats. ...!!!??? Nooo! I know this must be a shock for you, but dont bite Kamijou-sans head in response, Index!! Thats just how it works, so I cant do anything about it!! However, Kamijou was hungry himself because they had been gassed and brought to the airport by Tsuchimikado before they could eat dinner. He looked around to see if there was a shop within the airplane and he saw a sign for a free drink corner at the very front of the seating area. Kamijou Touma spoke quietly. Index. Im about to head out on a journey. T-to the Onigiri Kingdom!? No, Im not headed for such a wonderful land of grains, but I should be able to get us some coffee. Kamijou stood up from his seat and headed for the free drink corner. Sky Bus 365 was an extremely large passenger plane and the seats were lined up divided into three pairs of two by the aisles. The seating area could seat over 500 people and was divided by walls between economy, business, and first classes. The seating area was also split into a first floor and a second floor which essentially doubled its capacity. From what he could see, there were a lot of foreigners onboard. A lot of people were sleeping under blankets made from a gleaming material that was 3 mm thick and made by NASA. Most of those people were probably businessmen returning home after going to Academy City for their jobs. Kamijou was in the farthest back section, the economy seats. The free drink corner was on a portion of the wall dividing economy from business. (...Is that part of the terrorism countermeasures?) Present day airplanes didnt let anyone bring plastic bottles or even toothpaste tubes on board to prevent people from bringing in liquid explosives. In exchange, the airline had set up a free drink corner to pacify the customers who felt their freedom had been taken away. The drink corner had the kind of equipment that you would see at a family restaurant. It was the thing you put a paper cup under, pushed the button, and the drink came spraying out. But this one didnt have many options. It only had coffee, black tea, orange juice, and 4 of the worlds most famous carbonated beverages. The coffee was just labeled as coffee. If you were particular about where your coffee was made, its bitterness, or its acidity, then you were simply out of luck. There wasnt even an option for hot or iced. (Well, anythings better than nothing, but this is still pretty rough for having missed dinner...Oh?) Kamijous eyes became fixed on one spot. Right next to the paper cup tower was a bunch of what looked like square crackers. They were there so their slight saltiness could go with the tea, but one could fill his stomach if he ate a large number of them. (Hehh...So airplanes these days even have these for free. Oh, they have butter, blueberries, and some other things to put on them. I had heard that business for overseas flights had been down due to the fuel expenses and so it had become a service war, but I never thought theyd even be going all out with things like this. I guess Ill take some. I hadnt really noticed how hungry I was before, but my stomach is at it its limits now that theres food right in front of me!!) Kamijou started to reach over towards the crackers, but then he froze. ... There was a small box next to the plate of crackers. And there was a sign on the plate. It had something cutely written on it that looked like it had been handwritten by a flight attendant. It was a price. Part 3 Kamijou had decided not to go for the crackers, so he and Index rode the large Sky Bus 365 with empty stomachs until, 9 hours later, it landed at a French airport. It seemed likely the plane was refueling because it wasnt a non-stop flight, but there was a different reason. After a light electronic tone, a female voice made an announcement. The same announcement was made in English, Chinese, and various other languages until Japanese words reached Kamijous ears. Due to the effects of the accidental Eurotunnel explosion this flight will be aiding in the transport of goods from France to Britain. We are sorry for the delay, but please wait until the luggage has been loaded. After hearing the announcement, Kamijou operated the small TV built into the seat and spoke. Oh, thats right. They were saying on the news that theyre taking everything by boat and plane because that huge tunnel cant be used. Touma, when will we leave? In tough times, we have to help each other out. The view outside the window was filled with darkness. Kamijous internal clock was yelling, I got on a plane just after sunset, and, 9 hours later, its just after sunset? It doesnt add up!! But that was the magic of jet-lag on a global scale. He couldnt see it from his window, but a portion of the passenger planes body must have been opened up as it had a number of forklifts load containers onboard. Touma. Is it time for the beef and the fish, yet? You have to choose one or the other. When did you get the idea that you were going to eat both? Dont tell me youre planning on eating mine, too! Nn!! That old man out there in work clothes is eating a sandwich!! The airport workers must have it tough if they have to work while eating...Wait, Index! Why are you starting to act like a beast!? No matter how much you struggle, that sandwich isnt going to warp in here! Ow!! ...Hm? As Kamijou struggled, his elbow hit something. He looked over and saw something that hadnt been there before. A square portion of the inner wall by the window was cut as a separate piece and it was sitting open like a cars dashboard. Inside were more than 20 dangerous looking types of cables. (Uh, oh. Did I end up opening something I shouldnt have?) ... Kamijou thought for a second and then used his entire body to slam it shut. The blonde flight attendant with a nice body must have heard their conversation, because she came walking down the aisle and spoke to them in polite Japanese. I am very sorry. We try our best to match the expectations of the passengers. D-d-dont worry. Were not going to demand a refund or anything, denied Kamijou waving his hands around frantically. He changed the subject in an attempt to keep her from noticing. You know, is it really worth it to transport daily necessities by plane? Well, the flight attendant seemed as if she were having trouble saying something. Of course, the items we are bringing in from other countries are mostly things that cannot be acquired within the UK. With the undersea railroad tunnel closed, the sea and air routes have to make up for it. Things you cant get in the UK, huh? Even though Great Britain is an island country, most of its seafood is shipped in. And things like that go bad if they are slowly brought over on a ship, so a plane has to be used. Also, I believe the containers on this flight have...liquid foods like oatmeal in them. Liquid foods? Yes. I do not know the name of the disease, but there are people who cannot eat normal food, so they need highly regulated food. Apparently, this food is only made in a facility in France that belongs to a certain food company. That sounds tough, said Kamijou as he looked back out the window. The containers being loaded on the plane were, of course, all necessary. The time spent loading them on would surely help some people in the UK. ...Food... whispered Index. ...Food...Airplane food...In-flight meal...Beef...Beef or fish!! Gwoh!! Index, Im well aware your hunger is at its max because you didnt get any dinner, so please calm down!! Itll be time for the meal before long!! How much longer is before long!? ...About an hour? !!!??? Y-you idiot!! Kamijou-sans head tastes of neither beef nor fish...Gah!! Index was taken over by her carnivore side and she attacked Kamijou. Kamijou felt sorry for the flight attendant when she ran off saying she would be right back. He let out a scream as he was attacked. Hey, Index!! Youre bothering all the other people in here!! And what kind of person demands to have their in-flight meal before everyone else!? But my empty stomach has already gone past the limit three times over!! You need to understand that Im at the point where I cant wait another second!! Before she had run off, the flight attendant had given Index a toy whistle (it was shaped like a ball and was probably a gift given for points gathered by buying tickets). Index distracted herself by squeezing it and making it whistle. Kamijou and Index argued about various things, but, no matter how long they waited, the blonde-haired flight attendant with a nice body didnt come back. A quizzical look came to Kamijous face and he heard another announcement. ...Sorry for the wait. The loading is complete. We are now preparing to take off. All passengers are to take their seats and fasten their seatbelts. Hm? Oh, the plane tilts diagonally when it takes off, so it would be dangerous to stand in the aisle. Im sure they fasten down the cart that carries the in-flight meals, so they cant give us any food until were in the air. ... Well, the plane will be stable in about 20 minutes, so just wait until then, okay? Wait, Index-san, why are you looking down? No response came. He just heard a beast-like growl. Kamijou felt incoming danger and thought with all his might. (Please bring the in-flight meal as soon as possible!!) But as a Level 0, he couldnt use telepathy. He heard Indexs teeth snapping together repeatedly. Part 4 Sky Bus 365 took off safely. The airplane leveled off and the seatbelt light turned off. The large passenger plane began its pleasant in-air services again. There was a man who was watching Kamijou and Index from a slight distance. Actually, it would be more accurate to say he was staring at them dumbfounded. The man was standing in the aisle. He was not an economy class passenger like Kamijou or Index. To keep any unnecessary suspicion off of him, he had bought a business class ticket. He had gone to the bathrooms in the wall area separating business class and economy class and then continued on to the economy class as if he were returning to a seat there. (Whats going on?) The man questioningly pulled out a notepad. He had been told not to look at the notepad if he didnt have to. He was only supposed to recheck the notepad for something very important. The man felt the situation qualified and he quickly flipped through the pages covered in scattered words and numbers. A seat number was written on one of the pages. He checked it and confirmed that he had been right. The seat the spiky-haired Asian was sitting in was supposed to be empty. The mans comrade had bought the ticket for that seat with a false name. ... The man pointed at the written seat number and could only come up with one answer. (Shit. The seat was filled by someone waiting for a cancellation...!?) Even if a seat was booked, it would be considered cancelled if the passenger didnt arrive by the boarding deadline. At that point, another customer could purchase the ticket. That must have been how that spiky-haired Asian had arrived in the seat that was supposed to be empty. The man understood the situation. However, he couldnt think of a way to fix it. (What do I do...?) He would look suspicious if he continued to stand in the middle of the aisle, so he slowly started to walk and headed for the stairway further along. Sky Bus 365 had two stories. If he used the stairs to the other floor and then doubled back on that floors aisle, there was less danger of someone getting suspicious because they kept seeing him go by. He put the notepad back in his pocket, walked down the aisle, and walked past the spiky-haired Asian. As he did, his head rotated, keeping an eye on the Asian. (What do I do? I cant carry out the plan without using that seat.) Part 5 The in-flight meal didnt seem to be coming. Even when the passenger plane had left the runway, flown into the sky, and leveled off, the flight attendant did not come back. (Actually, is it even possible to get your in-flight meal early? Her colleagues and superiors arent going to be mad at her for doing this for us, are they?) Nnn, Im kind of worried. I think Im going to go check on the flight attendant. Im worried about the beef or fish, too!! Things would get too complicated if you came, so stay here. If the blonde flight attendant with a nice body was being scolded, he was planning on telling her not to worry about getting them the food early. If Index came in clearly starving and yelling her slogan of Beef or fish!! Beef or fish!!, it would just make the situation a whole lot worse. Kamijou got up from the window seat, stepped over Indexs legs, and finally made his way out into the aisle. He was heading for the wall area dividing the economy class from the business class. The area had a number of facilities including the bathrooms, the free drink corner, the in-flight meal area, and a stairway to the other floor. (Hmm. What am I going to do if she really is being scolded...?) He nervously headed down the aisle and entered the wall area. As usual, the lighting was much dimmer than in the passenger area. He looked around, but didnt see the flight attendant anywhere. (Huh? She isnt here?) He had predicted that she was preparing the in-flight meal, so he had been sure she would be there, but it seemed he had been wrong. He spotted a door to a small room that seemed to be the area for preparing the meals, but he wasnt sure if he should really be opening the door, so he stopped. He put his ear to the door, but he didnt hear any sounds of someone working within. (I probably shouldnt go around anymore searching for her... I dont really have a problem, so I guess I shouldnt be chasing after the flight attendant.) Kamijou decided to return to Index and turned around. Kyaah!? He heard a high-pitched scream and felt something run into him. It seemed someone had been passing by next to him and he had knocked them to the ground. Looking down, he saw the blonde flight attendant with a nice body. She had been holding papers in both hands, but they had scattered everywhere when she had run into Kamijou. The A4 size papers had small lines of text on them that looked like they had been written in a word processor, but they were in a foreign language, so Kamijou didnt have a clue what they said. And it wasnt really the time to be reading anyway. Wah! Im sorry, are you oka-... Just before Kamijou could lower his head in apology, the flight attendant moved quickly. She gathered the scattered papers at tremendous speed while still collapsed on the ground. She then spoke. D-did you see...? Kamijou Touma gave an honest response. No, I didnt see up your skirt!! ? The woman with a nice body and a tight skirt stared at him blankly. It seemed that wasnt what she had been worried about. (??? Then what did she think I saw...?) Kamijou finally looked down at the papers she was holding. But before he could look at the text, she hurriedly stood up. I-Im very sorry. I will have the in-flight meal to you right away!! Oh. Um... Kamijou started to speak, but, before he could, the flight attendant apologized once more, bowed, and headed off somewhere. (...What was that about...?) Kamijou stared after her in puzzlement. He didnt have a perfect memory like Index, so he couldnt recall the contents of papers he had merely glanced at. The only bit of the lines of letters from the alphabet he could remember was... (What were those? Were they flight numbers?) Part 6 Starting from the front, Sky Bus 365 was divided into first, business, and economy classes. But there was, of course, another section farther forward than all of those. That was the cockpit. The front, the sides, and even the ceiling of the small area were covered with buttons and switches and there were 4 chairs on the floor. The front two were for those piloting the plane and the back two were for those on standby. At the time, the pilot and two copilots were in the cockpit leaving one chair open. The report from control has finished printing, announced the blonde flight attendant. She was speaking Japanese. Normally, she was not someone who would enter the cockpit. It wasnt just a moral issue; it was part of the airlines regulations. The reason for the flight attendant being in the cockpit was simple. They were in an emergency situation. So thats the emailed threat the airline received, said a large man wearing a mostly white military uniform. He was the pilot of the passenger plane. His black hair was cut short and he had swarthy skin. As the language he was speaking suggested, he was Japanese. He was not speaking to the flight attendant. He was speaking into his headset to the control center at the Academy City international airport. Its pretty bad, isnt it? said the airport security officer. The pilot gave a slight groan in response. Yes, it is. No one would go along with that. But that brings the danger that your plane will be attacked, continued the security officer in a bitter voice. So the enemy is a French anti-England group... Historically, France and England have been enemies at times and allies at times, but that group seems to be focusing only on the negative feelings. It wasnt clear how the Academy City airport security officer was getting his information, but he tended to be right. It also seems they think the Eurotunnel bombing was purposefully done by England and that only France was damaged by it. As such, they want to do the same type of damage to England. And so theyre going to completely take out Englands air routes, huh? What a ridiculous demand, said the pilot in a low voice. The Eurotunnel was no more than an important land route to France, but it was the sole land route to other countries for the UK. The pilot saw no reason England would have bombed the tunnel. The person who sent the email threat has been taken in by French authorities, but it seems someone else is going to carry out the attack. And the guy is refusing to speak in the questioning room, so it looks as if it will be difficult to get information through normal means. It could be a problem if that takes too long. It only takes between 40 minutes to an hour to get from Paris to Edinburgh, the pilot spoke calmly as he gripped the yoke. If the terrorists are serious, its highly likely they will make their move in that time. But will they really? responded the pilot. Theyd be bringing down the plane one of their comrades is on. Their primary goal is just as it was explained in the email. Its best to assume their man onboard prepared to commit suicide if their demands arent met. ... Whether their demands are met or Sky Bus 365 is brought down, the damage theyre after will be done. To them, either result is a success. ...This is horrible. I want to just turn around and head back to the Paris airport. If you take a sharp turn like that, there is a risk the terrorist will notice and make his move. That said, you dont have the spare fuel needed to take a turn gradual enough he wouldnt notice. ...Its thanks to the extra cargo you took on and the high price of oil. But Im sure youre well aware of your situation. So we have to find the terrorists ourselves before he makes his move. God damn it, muttered the pilot. Sky Bus 365s passenger area was split into 2 floors. Very few passenger planes in the world were as big. It held more than 500 passengers. Checking each and every one would take longer than the hour they had. And detecting a criminal just from viewing people at a distance instead of questioning them was difficult even for police. ...Were all amateurs here. You still have to do it. An Academy City teleportation-type esper may be able to, but no one from a police organization can enter that plane now. The way the man from Academy City had brought up a teleporter as a concrete and usable method, brought nothing but bitterness to the pilot. Also...Well, Im sure you know, but do your best not to let the passengers find out about this problem. A plane with nowhere to escape to becomes a living hell when chaos breaks out. I know that. Im the one whose shoulders the lives of the passengers rest on. Im not twisted enough to use the passengers as a shield. When the pilot said that, a different channel cut into his headset. It was a channel from within the plane. Emergency! Someone, most likely the terrorist, has made their move!! !? The crewmans words caused the pilots body to stiffen. The report continued. One injured but conscious. The attack suddenly came from behind so the attacker wasnt seen. What do we do, sir!? Part 7 Indexs hunger was at its max. In-flight meeeal! Iiiin-fliiiight meeeeaaaallll! Beeeef oooorrrr fiiiiissshhhh...! ...I feel a great pressure coming from the side. Its like theres a lion properly sitting in the seat next to me. What is Kamijou-san supposed to do? Not only is the beef or fish not coming, but the bourgeois person next to us is munching on the crackers they make you pay for. My stomach is boiling. Yeah, but Tsuchimikado stole everything in my wallet, so I cant really do anything about it. All I have are British poun-... Kamijou had been scratching his head as he spoke, but he suddenly froze. Index stared at him questioningly. ...Wait a second. This plane is going from Academy City to the UK, so you might be able to pay with British money. ...!!!??? No!! Youre right to be angry, Index-san, but if you crush my skull with your jaws, youll never get those crackers!! At the last second, Kamijou managed to control the beasts maw spread wide before his eyes. Having barely managed to keep his life, he got up from his seat and headed for the free drink corner. (...Ive been wandering back and forth quite a bit, havent I? I hope no one thinks Im acting suspiciously.) Kamijou was worrying needlessly because, as he walked down the aisle, he saw a lot of people walking down the aisle to stretch their legs after sitting for so long. The chairs had massage functionality, but this was economy class. The massage wouldnt relax ones entire body. The free drink corner was located in the wall area dividing economy class and business class. Paper money from a number of countries had been put inside the transparent box next to the crackers. A small blackboard had the rates written for different currencies. It seemed British currency was acceptable. (Lets see...I can get ten crackers for 3 pounds. Wait, how many yen is 3 pounds?) Kamijou couldnt get a sense of the value of things based on foreign currency, so he just paid it without knowing if it was cheap or expensive. After putting the money in the box, he grabbed a clear package of ten crackers. ...Huh? He was about to turn and head back to Index when he suddenly stopped. As well as the free drink corner, the wall area had bathrooms, a storage area for cleaning supplies, and a small room used to store and heat up the in-flight meals. One of the doors was ajar. It was the door to the food area that had been closed when Kamijou had been there before. (...Is it really all right for an airplane door to be left open like that?) The plane tilted greatly when taking off and landing and there was also occasional shaking from turbulence. If a door was left partially open, it could suddenly open or close which could smash someones fingers or break the hinges. Kamijou only knew this from a documentary he had seen. I guess I should close it...right? he casually muttered as he approached the door. He decided that no one would get mad at him for just closing a door, but his eyebrows moved slightly just before he grabbed the doorknob. He had seen what was on the other side of the door. The room itself was small. It was just a space to heat up the in-flight meals, so it had a number of microwave ovens bolted to metal shelves. That part wasnt the problem. Something dark red was splattered on one of the microwave ovens fixed on the wall. The stain was about 15 cm across and 50 cm long. After thinking for a second, Kamijou decided that someone with dirty hands must have put their hand to the wall in order to stand up. He wondered what the dark red substance was. That area was for heating up the in-flight meals, so he thought it might have been some kind of sauce or stew. You saw it, didnt you? said a sudden voice from directly behind him. It was a female voice. Kamijou spun around and found the blonde flight attendant with a nice body standing there. She continued speaking with an apologetic look on her face. You saw the blood, didnt you? She had given him information he hadnt previously heard. So thats-, he started to say, but he couldnt get the words out of his mouth. He heard a loud impact. It took him over a second to realize that it was the sound of his arm being twisted and his body being thrown to the floor. The flight attendant was more or less straddling his face-down body. She brought her face to his ear and apologized quietly so only he could hear. (...Im sorry. All crewmembers are trained in hand-to-hand combat so we can deal with any trouble that breaks out onboard without weapons. Although, we really only practice whats in the manual.) Wh-whats going on...? The flight attendant didnt say any more to Kamijou and instead used the hand not holding his arm to hit a switch on what looked like a radio. Sir, we have a situation, she said in Japanese. She spoke in a completely cold-headed and businesslike way. Before I could wipe away the blood, one of the passengers spotted it. I have determined that he has learned of the incident occurring on the plane. What should I do with him? Part 8 It seemed the blonde flight attendant with a nice body was waiting for someone while she held Kamijou down. The blank time stretched on. The flight attendant spoke. This is a terrorist attack... Youre a terrorist!? N-no!! she hurriedly denied. The airport control has passed on information that there is one onboard. If we dont give in to their demand, the terrorist will use a structural defect in this Sky Bus 365 to cause its landing to fail...In other words, to make it crash. ...Seriously? The blood you saw belonged to another crew member. She was suddenly attacked from behind. Most likely by the terrorist. You dont think Im the terrorist, do you? Kamijou had a very bad feeling about the situation, but it seemed the flight attendant shook her head. However, he couldnt actually see her head because he was lying face down and she was straddling him. I hadnt thought of that... But I cant let this information get out to the other passengers. This may be a dangerous situation, but that information would cause a panic if it got out. People could get hurt and it could even provoke the terrorist into attacking. She seemed at a loss as to what to do. Most likely, she had only told him all that because she felt she had owed him for what she had done to him. She may have completely sealed his movements with her self-defense techniques, but she still felt inferior. What are you going to do? Well... Before she could continue, help arrived. Help for her, not for Kamijou. A large man wearing what looked like a white military uniform arrived. He was most likely the pilot. The man looked down to where Kamijou was lying and spoke in Japanese. ...We have to keep him separated from the other passengers. B-but can we really do that? Its true that we have a duty to ensure the safety of the passengers, but we dont have the right to confine them. The one who was actually holding Kamijou down was the one hesitating. The pilot, on the other hand, did not waver. Slight distress flashed on his face, but it didnt look to be enough alter his opinion. Do you really think telling him not to say anything and then sending him back to his seat would be enough? He would surely panic and that would lead to a major panic amid the passengers. ...I thought you understood this. You did follow your instructions to keep him restrained. ... We have no choice but to keep him back here until the situation is resolved. As thanks for his cooperation, we will refund him the cost of the flight. If he still makes a fuss, well just leave it to the airlines legal department. W-wait a second!! Kamijou cut in. He was face down on the floor with one arm held behind his back, but he still spoke loudly. I heard there might be a terrorist onboard. If thats true, should you really be focusing on this!? Are you sure you can find the guy on your own? You need any extra bit of help you can get, right? So, let me-...!! Kamijous words were cut off by the pilot clicking his tongue. He glanced up at the flight attendant and then back down to Kamijous face. ...Were keeping you confined here so you wont do something like that. What? Listen. There are over 500 passengers on this aircraft. The terrorist hiding among them has all of those lives in his grasp. In a situation like this, we cant have an amateur like you going around as he please causing trouble. Kamijou got pissed at what he took as the pilot picking a fight with him, but the pilot continued with some cold words. Can you be entrusted with those 500 lives? ...!? As the captain of this aircraft, that is my duty. As such, I will take the actions I determine will best protect the lives of everyone onboard even if it gets me fired in the end. Do not say you will help unless you are prepared to take on everything that entails. You cannot take on that responsibility, nor do you have to. The pilot gestured to the flight attendant telling her to get off of Kamijou. He wasnt having Kamijou released. He was having him confined elsewhere. The in-flight meal heating area here is open, so throw him in there. If this becomes a major incident, all responsibility will lie with me. Part 9 The door closed and Kamijou heard the sound of the lock clicking. The room had nothing but the microwave ovens and the blood stain in it, so he sat down on one of the metal shelves. When the pilot had left and the flight attendant was about to throw him into the small room, she had bowed slightly looking apologetic. I-Im very sorry. We have to do this to prevent chaos from breaking out onboard. She must have felt that he deserved an explanation of the situation that had led to him being left there. Kamijou thought back on what the flight attendant had told him. Apparently, the information that a terrorist was onboard was fairly accurate. The emailed threat the airline had received was as follows: There is a structural defect in the Sky Bus 365 model of passenger aircraft. We have carried out a few tests and proven it. If you do not destroy the master recorder for the four major British airlines, the defect in the Sky Bus 365 headed from Academy City to Edinburgh will be used to bring it down. The master recorder? Its a computer that provides centralized management for passengers flight tickets and luggage tags. Without it, the airlines would grind to a halt. Its just too much information to deal with by hand. It seemed the method the terrorists wanted them to use to destroy the master recorders was to infect them with the computer virus attached to the email. Apparently, if a master recorder is infected while connected to the network, its data will be completely destroyed and a log file of the destruction will be posted as a comment on the airlines blog. If the format of the log were analyzed, a dummy log could be made and the destruction of the master recorders could be faked. However, it seems the logs are encrypted, so the analysis would take a few days. She kept saying things like apparently and it seems, so Kamijou guessed that the flight attendant was inexperienced with that field. ...What is this structural defect? We dont know. But the flights mentioned in the email were investigated. They were all Sky Bus 365 models like this one. There was Flight 5991 from Paris to Moscow, Flight 4135 from Neath to New York, and Flight 7558 from Marseille to Beijing. All of them had a 15 second interval where the engines cut out midflight. The parts involved were all disassembled and examined, but no cause was found, so they are still used today. Those three flights had been practice runs for the terrorists. And this was the real deal. Or at least, that was what the investigators had concluded. Then what about that blood? You said another crew member was attacked, right? We dont know exactly why the terrorist did that. In fact, it isnt clear what the terrorist has to do to take advantage of this defect. But the attack may have been a necessary part of his plan. Kamijou had interpreted the look on her face right before she closed the door as one of weariness. ...So the terrorists are trying to completely close off the air routes to the UK, muttered Kamijou while alone in the small room. The airlines could go along with the demand and destroy the master recorders or they could refuse and have the Sky Bus 365 crash. Either outcome would be a major blow to the British airline industry. And this was all on top of the sole land route, the Eurotunnel, being destroyed. (So were the terrorists also involved with that...?) Kamijou thought for a bit and finally shook his head. With so little information, an amateur like him wasnt going to come up with the truth. He turned his thoughts to having been thrown in the small room. (That really isnt how you should treat a customer. That said, taking on responsibility for 500 lives really is a bit much...) Kamijous shoulders relaxed. He turned his thoughts in a positive direction. (I hope the next time that door opens its good news.) Part 10 Starting from the front of the plane, the Sky Bus 365 was divided into first, business, and economy classes. It was further divided into 2 floors effectively creating 6 sections. The stairs used to go between the first and second floors were located in the wall areas dividing the different classes. The wall areas were actually over 7 meters thick and had bathrooms, a free drink corner, and other small facilities located in them. There was a certain hatch located in one of those wall areas. It was a fire door connecting to the cargo hold. The Sky Bus 365s cargo hold was a large area a floor below the passenger seating. There was no real need to connect the passenger area and the cargo hold, but having a passage allowed the crew to put out a fire if one were to break out in the cargo hold. That was the purpose behind the emergency hatch. ... A man was standing in front of the hatch. A small electronic tone rejected the mans action. He had a card key in his hand. He had gone out of his way to attack a flight attendant from behind in order to obtain that card key. (...Damn.) The man swiped the card key down through the card reader once more. But, as he expected, he only got the same rejecting tone as before in response. (Dammit. I cant do anything if I cant get this open...) Something like a moan leaked from the mans throat. He held a black cell phone in his hand. He had the necessary program on it. He just had to attach a cable to the connector on the bottom of the phone and load the necessary program to the Sky Bus 365 in order to complete the preparations to take advantage of the structural defect. The place he was originally supposed to do that from was an economy class seat. His comrade had reserved the seat under a false name, but a spiky-haired Asian had taken the seat after his comrades reservation had been cancelled. He could always use his physical strength to dislodge the boy, but acting violently could make an enemy of around 100 passengers. This was his only way now. In order to carry out a backup plan he had in case things werent going according to the main plan, he had to get that hatch open. (Fuck, fuck, fuck!! I guess a flight attendant just doesnt have the authority to open the hatch. But everyone of pilot class who have higher authority levels are in the cockpit. If I was just going to charge in there, there was no need for all this roundabout shit with the structural defect.) Not giving up, the man looked toward the exit from the wall area that led to the economy class aisle. If only that spiky-haired Asian hadnt been there, he wouldnt have had to go through any conspicuous actions like attacking a flight attendant. (Dammit. This has gotten really bad if its come to using whats in the cargo hold! If only that seat had been empty, this could have gone so well...!!) ...Huh? He wasnt there. Maybe he was using the bathroom, because the spiky-haired boy who had been sitting in that seat was gone. Also, the silver-haired green-eyed girl who seemed to have been with the boy was out of her seat and wandering down the aisle. (This is my chance.) This was his last chance to take out the Sky Bus 365 without using what was in the cargo hold. The man took gloves out of his pocket. If he were to head straight down the aisle, he would run into the silver-haired girl, so he decided it would be best to use the stairs, go down the aisle on the other floor, and approach the seat from behind the girl. Part 11 Kamijou Touma wasnt coming back. Index had been waiting for the boy to return with the crackers, but she had finally been unable to withstand the hunger and stood up from her seat to go find him. (Touma might be hogging all the delicious things to himself.) However, Indexs search had come to an end quickly. She had thought Kamijou had gone straight down the aisle and into the wall area. That wasnt very far away, but she couldnt find him. ? Index looked quizzical and turned back the way she had come. She then noticed something that made her pause. Someone else was sitting in Kamijou Toumas seat. It was a white man wearing a plain, colored suit. He looked to be in his early twenties and was reasonably tall. He had a newspaper covered in French text spread out in front of him, so Index couldnt see the lower half of his face making it difficult to get a grasp of what he looked like. (Maybe he sat in the wrong seat.) She had a perfect memory, so she knew she wasnt the one that was mistaken. As such, she didnt hesitate to sit in her own seat and speak to the man next to her. Thats Toumas seat. The man with the newspapers shoulders twitched at hearing her voice. Looking closer, he was only holding the newspaper with one hand. When she looked at what his other hand was doing, she saw he was holding some kind of black cell phone. The newspaper also obstructed the view of his lap which had what Index thought might be parts of his phone. There was some kind of thin cable and something that looked like nail clippers. ...Dammit. I cant even get 120 seconds? he muttered in French. Index stared at him in puzzlement and the man took action before she could say anything. He placed the open newspaper on his legs and casually held his hand out towards her. He was holding something in that hand. It was pointed and sharp and he pressed it against Indexs side making sure the other passengers couldnt see. Airport security mainly gets by with metal detectors, the man said in French. So its surprisingly easy to get something like a knife made of whittled animal bone past them. And its enough to pierce an organ or cut an artery. The man was making his move in order to keep the witness from moving. (...This is really bad. The very first step didnt go right and nothings gone as planned since!!) The man was a step away from being checkmated. If the girl next to him let out a scream, it was all over. He could kill the girl, but that could just make enemies of all 100 passengers in that economy class section. He was more afraid of getting wrapped in the panic that would cause than of someone attacking him out of a sense of justice. It wasnt something he could deal with using only a tiny knife. ...What are you doing? asked the girl. The man had no real reason to answer her, but he did so anyway. He was speaking more to himself than to her. Loading a program. Its a program that lets me interfere with the emergency landing stabilizer using the data transmission of this cell phone. Emergency landing? The man ignored the frowning girl and reached over to the area of the wall just below the window next to his seat. He stretched out a round wire, slid it into a gap in the wall, and then moved it sideways. A straight line appeared on the wall almost as if he had cut it with a knife. The man stuck his fingernail into that thin line and pulled it towards him. It opened up much like the top of a cars dashboard. More than 20 cables were inside. If they go along with our demand, I wont have to use this. In fact, I dont really want to have to... His voice trailed off. The cable extending from the connector on the bottom of his phone was supposed to attach to the maintenance cable inside the wall, but it wasnt working. There were small cracks running through the connecter the two cables were supposed to use. The sound of the two pieces of plastic scraping across each other was about to drive him crazy. He wrinkled his brow and occasionally clicked his tongue, but he met the same result no matter how many times he tried. The cables wouldnt connect. He couldnt load the program. Oh, thats the thing Touma had open, said the girl next to him, but the man wasnt listening. Shit!! he yelled in French and the nearby passengers glanced in his direction. He slammed the cover to the open area on the wall closed and quietly stared at the ceiling while still holding the bone knife against the girl. (What do I do?) He couldnt load the program from the economy class seat. He could no longer negotiate using the structural defect. He truly couldnt use that method. (...This is the worst case scenario. I wouldnt be exaggerating to say that almost half the purpose behind this plan is gone. The only way left is to rely on that...but I dont want to use it!!) The man got his feelings under control He could no longer use the economy class seat, so he had to find a way to open the hatch to the cargo hold. He had to think of a way to get a card key of someone at a higher level than a flight attendant in the remaining time. And he still had another problem. There was the girl sitting stiffly next to him. If he let her go now, she would let those around know about the terrorist attack. He had to silence her somehow. He had no choice in the matter. He gulped loudly, put the tools and the phone that were on his lap in his pocket, and instructed the girl while hiding the knife behind the French newspaper. Stand up. If you resist at all, Ill stab you. The plan was falling apart. Not even the man currently in charge of it was able to control the situation anymore. Part 12 Kamijous head suddenly shot up while he was sitting in the in-flight meal heating space that had numerous microwave ovens lining the walls. (...Footsteps?) He had suddenly heard what sounded like them from the other side of the door. And it wasnt just one set of footsteps. It was at least two. Kamijou wondered who they were and then a further noise reached his ears. It sounded like a whistle. (...Is that Indexs?) The blonde flight attendant with a nice body had given her a cheap ball-like toy because she was getting mad about the in-flight meal not arriving. It was probably a type of gift and it made a whistling sound when squeezed. It didnt sound like it was being voluntarily squeezed. The sound came at defined intervals as if it were in someones pocket and rubbing up against their body as they walked. If the toy really was a prize given for collecting a certain number of airline points, Index wouldnt necessarily be the only person with one, but Kamijou still thought of the girl wearing the plain dress. If it really was Index, who was with her? It was possible she had been captured by the blonde flight attendant with a nice body. But then another idea suddenly floated to the top of Kamijous mind. The thought was like a splash of cold water to his optimistic view. (Wait. Would the world really be that kind to us? This could be dangerous.) He thought back to why he had been thrown into that room in the first place. (No, that couldnt be...) Kamijou rejected the idea, but then the two sets of footsteps stopped. The whistling noise stopped as well. He could hear the sound of a door opening. They were in the wall area. No other passengers would be around. And... Get in if you dont want me to stab you. The voice was speaking French, so Kamijou couldnt understand it. But the rough male voice clearly wasnt the voice of crewmember from the service industry. (Fuck that!!) Kamijou was about to run towards the door yelling, but he would only provoke the criminal and probably wouldnt break down the door. The door wasnt metal, but it didnt look like a simple tackle would break it. The lock was electronic, so using something like a wire wouldnt be any help either. While he thought about all that, a movement was made on the other side of the door. It seemed the man making the threat and the person he was threatening had entered a different nearby small room. (Dammit!!) Kamijou looked around the area and spotted an aluminum cart for the in-flight meals. It was something like a square baby carriage. He roughly grabbed the carts handle and turned it towards the door. He didnt even have time to think about how much it would cost to pay for the repairs. Ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! he yelled as he ran forward. The cart struck the door. With a loud crash, the front of the aluminum cart was smashed in. However, the door did not escape unscathed. The lock popped off and the door opened as if it had been kicked open. Losing to the momentum, Kamijou and the broken cart continued out into the passageway. He let go of the cart and looked around. The wall area had a number of small rooms in it, but only one had its door closed. He grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open. It was a storage closet for cleaning supplies. A number of mops and a plastic bucket were contained in the small space. Someone with a familiar face was inside. It was Index. She was collapsed face up on the ground and a man Kamijou had never seen before was straddling her. The man had a rubber hose that must have been in the storage closet in his hands and had it wrapped around Indexs thin neck. (What is he doing?) Faster than he could think, Kamijous hands moved. ? The man strangling Index must have been engrossed in his task because he didnt notice the danger until Kamijou had grabbed the back of his collar. Kamijou grabbed the mans suit and forcefully spun his own body around. The centrifugal force threw the man out of the storage closet. With a crash, he struck the wall without even hitting the ground first. The oxygen was forced from the mans lungs and he slid to the ground. Kamijou ignored that. Odd shouts that not even he understood were pouring from his throat as he raised a leg and thrust it towards the mans ribs. This time, the man managed to avoid the blow. He rolled to the side. Possibly as a measure to lighten the planes weight due to the high cost of fuel, the inner walls were thin. The bottom of Kamijous foot sunk into the wall. That was when the man swung his arm. Kamijou felt a hot sensation on the back of his calf. When he looked down, he saw knife made of animal bone. ... Kamijou did not clench his fists. Instead he grabbed the aluminum bar that had been used as a handle on the broken in-flight meal cart that was sitting at an angle in the passageway. Kamijou did not hesitate. The man shrunk back from the obvious blunt weapon Kamijou held. That was when footsteps reached Kamijous ears The flight attendants must have heard Kamijou breaking down the door. At that point, it seemed the man decided what he had to do. He put the blade into his pocket and used the nearby staircase to escape to the other floor. Kamijou wasnt sure if he should chase after the man, but he decided on heading towards Index who was lying limp in the storage closet. Index!! he yelled into her ear and she moved slightly. There was a dark bruise around her neck, but she didnt seem to be in any real danger anymore. Her small mouth moved slightly. What? Emergency landing...stabilizer...? She spoke words that Kamijou wasnt used to hearing. And they were words he would never have expected to hear from someone as bad with machines as Index. That was when help finally came. A flight attendant and a large man, the captain of the plane, appeared. Apparently, the terrorist took precedence over all else and he had left the piloting to the copilots. They looked displeased when they saw the destroyed door to the in-flight meal heating room, but, when they saw Index collapsed on the ground and the cut on Kamijous calf, they picked up on the fact that something bad had happened. Kamijou explained what had happened and then asked them a question. What is the emergency landing stabilizer? Its possible Index heard the terrorist talking about it. ...Do you know what a belly landing is? responded the pilot slowly. Youve probably heard it mentioned on the news at times. Thats when a plane lands without deploying its wheels so that it slides along the runway creating showers of sparks. Do you know how dangerous that is? Well...I guess with all those sparks, the fuel tanks could ignite. A passenger planes fuel tanks are inside the main wings. They wont normally ignite from the belly of the plane scraping along the runway. Then...? It has to do with the engines. They hang down below the main wings. The Sky Bus 365 model is designed so the engines wont contact the ground during a belly landing, but the intense vibrations will still be transferred to within the engines. Inside the rotating engine, the already highly flammable jet fuel reacts with the air making something like a bomb. If unstable vibrations reach that area, there is a danger of it all detonating. The fire in the engine can travel down the fuel pipes and reach the tanks on the main wings causing it all to blow up. The pilot continued to explain the situation to Kamijou. That is why there is an emergency landing stabilizer in the Sky Bus 365. It automatically detects the shock of a belly landing using sensors and completely shuts down the engines. It also seals off the fuel pipes so a fire in the engines cannot reach the fuel tanks. The plane then heads down the runway purely on inertia and decelerates. It completely shuts down the engines...? Kamijou had a bad feeling deep in his chest and he expressed it in words. So if that device were to malfunction now... All of them fell silent. The pilot gave a groan and spoke. ...I more or less understand the situation now. And that includes that your friend there was injured. Its unfortunate that we werent any help... (Like hell you understand.) Kamijou muttered under his breath. The pilot didnt hear him and continued speaking. Whats most important is that you werent hurt any worse than you were. But now that passengers have been injured and not just a crewmember, we truly cant let anyone know about this. If they found out, the other 500 passengers would wish for safety and a panic would break out. His calm manner of speaking further pissed Kamijou off. Even if this wasnt his problem, Kamijou just couldnt stand having these things decided for him. It isnt fair to you two, but well have to continue to keep you confined elsewhere. I have a duty to protect the lives of the passengers and, if its necessary, I will even-... The next thing Kamijou knew, his right hand was moving. As his fist swung upwards he remembered that he still had the aluminum bar in his hand. However, he was unable to stop his hand. With a loud impact, the pilots body was knocked backwards. ...Fuck that, Kamijou said in a low voice. What do you mean youre going to protect the lives of the passengers? Its because I went along with what you said that it ended up like this! Do you understand what happened!? How the hell can you act so self-important and then not show any regret when you fail!? The pilot started to say something while holding his nose, but Kamijou attacked with his blunt weapon again. My friend was attacked!! You say youll protect the 500 passengers, but you already let one slip through your fingers!! Do you only see people as names on pieces of paperwork! This isnt the same as protecting complete strangers as a part of your job! I have a right to kick that bastards ass. You can do whatever the hell you want, but Im gonna do this my way!! Kamijou looked over at Index who was being held by the blonde flight attendant with a nice body and tossed the bar to the side. (...Dammit. If I had been a little more on my toes.) He then headed off into the staircase the man wearing a suit had disappeared into. ...You piece of shit. Im going to keep beating you until you pass out. Kamijous violent words were not like his usual self. Kamijou was not the only one who wasnt himself. ...Ow, muttered the pilot who had suddenly been hit by the blunt weapon. He caressed his nose with his fingers and stared off in the direction Kamijou had left in. He slowly moved a hand to the wall where a microphone was. The flight attendants used it to inform the passengers when to put on their seatbelts, but it could also be used to give orders only to the cockpit. The pilot set it to the channel that only went to the cockpit and spoke in a low voice. Wash... That was the name of one of the 2 copilots. Leave the piloting to Richmond. Yes, thats right. Its an emergency. You unlock the box and bring Archery here. The blonde flight attendant with a nice body looked at the pilot in shock after hearing that. Archery was the sole weapon on the Sky Bus 365 that was prepared in the cockpit to prevent control of the yoke from being taken. Because of Japans Swords and Firearms Control Law, it was a type of bowgun, but it was not constructed much like a bow and arrow nor did it function much like one. When the trigger was pulled, nitrogen gas propelled a metal arrow larger than 40 cm in length at high speed. It was on the level of a hunting rifle. The pilot gave a snort of contempt at the flight attendants dumbfounded gaze. ...That boy wont listen to anyones orders and he even laid a hand on the captain of this aircraft. He needs to be treated as a dangerous individual. Essentially, we have one more terrorist onboard. I have no intention of letting a kid who has no clue what he is doing run around on this ship. The flight attendant shivered at his words. Archery would be there soon. Part 13 Kamijou arrived at the other floor via the stairs and looked around. As it was after sunset, the passenger areas were lit with soft lighting, but the wall area he was in was fairly dim. The man in the suit was nowhere to be seen. The business class seats were to the front and the economy class seats were to the back. In both directions, passengers had newspapers spread out, headphones in their ears, were operating the small monitors, or were passing the time some other way. (...Which way? Which way did he go?) Kamijou decided to go back to the economy class seats. He knew what the man looked like, but he got the feeling that every one of the people sitting in the seats was camouflaged in some way. Kamijou did not have a perfect memory like Index. He felt like the image of the mans face was about to slip away despite having just seen him. (If only I could find a way to unsettle him, hed be easy to find...) Kamijou clicked his tongue and then froze. The terrorist wanted to negotiate with the British airlines regarding the destruction of the master recorders. That meant any major event would be a problem for him until the result of the negotiations was clear. One such major event would be if the plane was about to crash. (I see.) Kamijou nodded and headed back to the wall area. (Ive found a way to unsettle him.) A high-pitched buzzer reached the mans ears. He had gone in the opposite direction than Kamijou and was sitting naturally in his own business class seat. There was nowhere to run in a passenger plane. The best way to escape a pursuer was to mix in with the other passengers. Sitting there, the electronic tone sounded like it was piercing his chest. It must have been an emergency alarm because the clear oxygen masks all came down automatically in front of each seat. At first, the passengers stared at them dumbfounded, but then a commotion spread as quickly as fire spreading across hair. (What? What the hell is going on!?) The man looked around while gripping his armrests. (If the oxygen masks are coming out, it means the plane is in trouble... But I havent loaded the necessary program yet. I havent taken control of the Sky Bus 365s emergency landing stabilizer yet!!) The high-pitched buzzer continued. It may have been because of the passengers panicking around him, but he felt like the plane was shaking oddly. What if some irregularity had occurred and the plane really was malfunctioning? (This is bad.) The mans...no, his groups objective was the destruction of the master recorders of the 4 major airlines in the UK. The airlines still hadnt responded. Even if his group didnt want it, if the Sky Bus 365 were to crash on its own... The master recorders wouldnt be destroyed. And not just that. The crash would be treated as a mere accident erasing the existence of the terrorist attack altogether. (Shit, shit, shit! I have to do something!!) The man stood up from his seat. He had to do something about the situation, but he had no real way of doing so. Meanwhile, the pilot was pissed. He now had the Sky Bus 365s sole projectile weapon, Archery, and he grabbed the microphone on the wall while frowning in response to the high-pitched buzzer. The line was connected only to the cockpit. What the hell is going on!? You didnt suddenly lower our altitude did you!? N-no. The aircraft is balanced. This isnt an automatic alarm from one of the instruments. Its an alarm from one of the switches. Those damn terrorists!! he yelled while holding Archery. It seemed he had lost all sense that Kamijou Touma was a passenger and was thinking of him solely as a terrorist. If theyre going to just do whatever they want with my aircraft, then I have an idea... Hey, Richmond!! Cut off that alarm! If we know it isnt a problem with the instruments, then hurry up and run the automatic announcement! The one that says it was a false alarm and theres nothing to worry about!! After yelling into it, the pilot threw the microphone to the floor and lifted up Archery. That Asian had taken the stairs to the other floor. Even thought it was large, the Sky Bus 365 was still a passenger plane, so he would be able to find the boy soon enough if he searched carefully. Dammit. Ill stop those fools even if I have to shoot their arms and legs to do it, he spat out and headed for the staircase. The voice of the copilot came from the tiny speaker on the microphone he had thrown to the floor. C-Captain!! Emergency!! The microphone was supposed to be held up near ones face, so the fact that the pilot could hear the copilot from the floor showed how loudly he was yelling. What? Did they do something else!? I dont know! yelled the copilot in response. J-just come back to the cockpit, please! I cant deal with this alone...Dammit. Whats going on? What the hell is going on? Th-the fuel meter!! Its going down oddly! I think there might be a hole in the tank!! Seriously...? The pilot felt a cold tension wrap around his gut. That wasnt something one could do just by hitting an alarm on the wall. Could it have something to do with the emergency landing stabilizer? (...What the hell is going on?) He was holding Archery in his hands and he could most likely kill an unarmed opponent with it. He was conflicted about whether he should go after the terrorists or return to the cockpit. Captain, what do I do!? We arent going to make it to the airport at this rate! We may even need to prepare for an emergency landing on a highway!! Dammit!! With that last report from the copilot, the pilot had made up his mind. Instead of heading for the staircase, he headed full speed for the cockpit along with the copilot who had brought him Archery. Part 14 There was a church known as St. Georges Cathedral in the London Borough of Lambeth. St. George was a well-known name, so a lot of schools, hospitals, parks, churches, and other facilities used it. There were numerous churches named St. Georges Cathedral in London. This was just one of those. A church at nighttime usually had a cold and solemn atmosphere created by the flickering light of candles and the moonlight tinted through the stained glass, but that was not so here. There were a number of monitors set up on the pulpit and the pews and square box-shaped pieces of communication equipment with cables spreading out from them were lying on the floor. All this equipment had been provided for them by the headquarters of the science side, Academy City, due to their cooperation. The light of LCD monitors and LEDs disturbed the soft darkness of the church. A large number of nuns were attempting to operate those unfamiliar machines and running about in confusion while two figures sat calmly in a seat. One of them was the head of the Anglican Church faction, Archbishop Laura Stewart. The other was the head of the Knight faction, Knight Leader. In contrast to Lauras soft expression, Knight Leaders was stern. In the end, the head of the Royal Family didnt show up. And I feel not having the three factions gather to have a discussion is setting a bad example. ...Her Majesty the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family control the police, parliament, and a number of other related agencies and they are taking the needed effort to keep them running. She simply does not have time to come to a place like this. Laura sighed in response to those words. There was a clear relationship of power in the three factions of the United Kingdom. The Royal Family faction had power over the Knight faction. The Knight faction had power over the Anglican Church faction. The Anglican Church faction had power over the Royal Family faction. That was why each of them sent representatives to parliament in order to be able to declare their equivalence. If the Royal Family weakened, various things would get more difficult for Laura and the Church. She cursed the Queen internally wondering if she had purposefully run off. Knight Leader did not realize Lauras concern and continued speaking. ...Whats important now is that the illusion you cast seems to have begun to take effect. Heh hehhn. Its true that completely taking remote control of a huge collection of science like a passenger plane is difficult, but using an illusion to show one false readout is simple. So you messed with the cockpits fuel gauge, Knight Leader said as he glanced over at a computer set up in the cathedral. A number of LCD monitors and meters were surrounding their two chairs. It was a training simulator identical to the cockpit of the Sky Bus 365. Apparently, it was being used to aim the illusion. They must be panicking on board right now. The gauge is going down so fast they must think theres a hole in the fuel tank. They will think there is no way they can make it to the airport. I see. So they will make an emergency landing on a country highway without many buildings around instead of at the airport. Knight Leaders eyebrows twitched slightly out of displeasure. Its true that the report said the terrorists themselves were not planning on bringing the plane down immediately, but we still dont know what the defect in the passenger plane they spoke of is. An emergency landing will be quite difficult. If something goes wrong, this could be very bad. Oh? Would you prefer to let it explode in a large city, in a residential area, on the runway of the international airport, or next to the control building for the airport? In the worst case, the number of victims could be many times the number of passengers. ... Knight Leader remained silent for a brief period. Laura grabbed a nun walking nearby with a report and asked her a question. What roads might they perform their emergency landing on? They will most likely land in the area between Kendal and Carlisle on the highway leading to Scotland. Laura snapped her fingers. Knight Leader scowled. ...What was that a signal for? Blockading that area of the highway and all roads leading into it. We also need some equipment to help deal with the terrorist. I was thinking the Knights Robin Hood would work well. So a schemer who deceives people with the church is trying to order around the Knights, the defenders of this country. Id prefer it if you would accept the job when Im willing to give you credit for it. According to the report, the terrorist isnt a magician and he doesnt seem to be carrying a gun or a bomb. If the plane manages to land safely, I doubt you''d even be able to control the over 500 people onboard. Im handing you a nice easy job to help you get more experience. Ridiculous, spat out Knight Leader. You can rush this if you want, but what are you going to do if the plane comes apart in midair? In that case, we will recover Index Librorum Prohibitorum from onboard. Theres always the spell used when we captured Lidvia Lorenzetti as she was trying to escape on the charter plane. Even if the plane explodes in midair, we can catch someone from the ground as long as its only one person. From the bottom of my heart, I believe that you should have an early death. Part 15 The man felt the plane suddenly tilt. The nose of the plane was tilted down which meant it was quickly lowering its altitude. (An emergency landing? Not good!!) The man was after the destruction of the master recorders. If the plane performed an emergency landing before the UK had decided whether to go along with their demands or not, the negotiations could not continue. And traditionally a passenger plane that performed an emergency landing ended up being surrounded by the police. The man had heard rumors that the thin walls and windows used in planes werent just a method of lowering the weight to use less fuel; they were also so that a large rifle could successfully fire through them and into the plane. A British airport or highway was enemy territory. If the plane landed at that point, it would ruin everything. Shit!! The man ran forward through the business class area. He thought of heading straight through first class and attacking the cockpit, but he stopped partway there. The cockpit door would be built the toughest to prevent terrorist attacks. It wasnt something he could break through without a plan. As he did all this, the plane continued to lower its altitude. The man felt the same odd floating sensation one felt when riding an elevator. I have to...I have to do something... he mumbled to himself and entered the wall area between business class and first class. Just like the other wall area, there was a microphone on the wall for the flight attendants. He grabbed it. With his trembling hands, he switched it to the channel that contacted the cockpit directly and started yelling into it in French. Stop the emergency landing!! Im going to bring this plane down right now!! !? He heard someones breath catch on the other side of the connection. The person must not have known how to react to the sudden threat. The man continued yelling. I have control of the Sky Bus 365s structural defect. I can bring it down at any time! If you dont want all 500 people onboard to die, then take us back up to the proper altitude!! That was a complete bluff. The economy class seat was unusable and he had to get the hatch to the cargo hold open in order to go with the backup plan. However, he did not hesitate to lie. I cant do that. The man had not expected that response. The strained voice on the other end of the line was responding clearly. For some reason, the fuel gauge is dropping rapidly. Were most likely leaking fuel. At this rate, we wont make it to the Edinburgh airport. We cant turn back for London either! Not to mention that the entire engine could explode if the fuel catches fire!! All of that didnt matter. The man didnt care if the plane blew up. To him, it only mattered that it ended as a terrorist attack. Dammit, Ill fucking kill all of you! Okay, you have 3 minutes. If you dont take us back to the proper altitude in 3 minutes, Ill start killing the passengers one by one!! Do you understand the situation here!? The last response was almost a shriek and the man drowned it out with his own confused voice. Youre the one that doesnt understand! I have the passengers lives in my hands!! I have over 500 hostages. Even if I kill half of them, Ill still have plenty left!! Dont forget that! Having said what he had to say, the man put the microphone back on the wall as if he were striking the wall with it. He then sank down and sat on the floor. He reached for the bone knife in his pocket. Would they go back up or continue going down? His teeth chattered as he put all his focus on the angle of the plane. Part 16 Archbishop Laura Stewart frowned within St. Georges Cathedral. ...How very odd. What? responded Knight Leader. Laura wasnt looking at a monitor; she was looking at a whiteboard to the side. A map of the UK was stuck to it with a few round magnets, but a lone magnet was moving across the map. The passenger plane is raising its altitude. It looks as if they have cancelled the emergency landing. Did you order for the illusion to be removed? No. Laura started muttering as if to herself. I wouldnt remove the illusion until they had landed on the highway. And yet the long distance illusion lost its effect. This is... Archbishop! Emergency!! said a young Anglican nun who was running over. We have discovered large scale interference coming from the direction of Scotland. Our illusion was sealed by a third party!! The fuel gauge has gone back to normal!! Interference...? Lauras eyebrows twisted in displeasure for the first time that night. (Who? And for what purpose...?) Obviously, this was magical interference. However, the terrorists were confirmed to be mere criminals with no connection to magic. It seemed unlikely that there would be any magicians helping them. From Scotland... The interference is coming from within the UK. Knight Leaders expression turned to one much more easily understood than Lauras. It was an expression of anger. When did French magicians get into the country? Or has a British magic cabal betrayed us? Either way, this is your mistake, Archbishop. I thought you were using the full power of the Anglican Church in order to avoid this kind of trouble before it happened. ...I know that. There was definitely a violent fury within Laura Stewart that was not shown in her expression. She spoke to express her emotion. Theres something more to this than some delinquents who like flashy things. Laura snapped her fingers. Immediately thereafter, an orange point of light appeared behind her. It was the lit tip of a cigarette. Laura spoke to the magician who was holding the cigarette in his mouth. Just in case, Id like for you to make preparations regarding the Sky Bus 365. What do you need? Lets see, said the red-haired priest quietly as he exhaled smoke. Ill need a means of transport. The Knights control the military forces, so could you have them contact the Air Force? Part 17 The man raised his head. The planes angle had changed. In the reverse of before, the nose was now angled up. They were going back up to a higher altitude. (I stopped...the emergency landing?) The man looked around while breathing erratically. They must have done something in the cockpit, because the high-pitched buzzer had stopped. Automatic announcements in different languages were informing the passengers that it had been a false alarm and not to worry. (Did it all...work out?) In the wall area between business class and first class, the man finally relaxed. The plan for the terrorist attack was still stalled, but he hadnt completely failed. If he could figure out a way to get the hatch to the cargo hold open, he could turn things around. That was when... So there you are. The man turned in shock towards the sudden voice. The spiky-haired Asian was standing in the entrance to the business class area. Kamijou Touma didnt completely understand the situation. He had hit the emergency alarm, but he hadnt done anything to cause the planes rapid descent. He assumed the pilots must have done something. After causing enough chaos to unsettle the terrorist, Kamijou had looked around for someone taking any irregular actions. And he had found him. He was in the wall area between business class and first class. The man had been holding a microphone and yelling towards the cockpit. ... The man stared blankly at Kamijous face for a few seconds. He then reached for his pocket. His bone knife was most likely there. The carefully carved knife was sharp enough to sever an artery or pierce an organ and a metal detector wouldnt pick it up. That was why Kamijou made his move before the man could get his hand out from his pocket. He quickly moved in close to the man and used his palm to forcefully press against the mans elbow that was bent in order to retrieve the knife. Seeing the movement of his own arm from the push, the mans body stiffened. Kamijou spoke to the man not particularly caring whether he knew Japanese or not. Do you really want to be stabbed by your own blade? !? A cold sweat came over the man and he spun his body in order to shake off Kamijous arm. But before he could, Kamijou swung his own head back and then forcefully struck the mans forehead with it. After a loud impact, the man staggered back. Kamijou kneed the man in the gut to close the gap that had opened between them. The mans body hovered in the air for a second before collapsing to the ground. Kamijou started in for another attack, but... ... The man reached into his suit pocket and gave a slight smile. No complaints, right? Kamijou did not understand French, but he got from the tone that they were words of triumph. Before Kamijou could move, the man pulled the knife from his pocket. No matter how one thought about it, someone with a knife had an advantage over someone who was unarmed. Even if they struck each other at the same time, the man would only get punched while Kamijou would get stabbed in the gut and die. ...Or so it should have been. The bone knife had broken in two at the base when Kamijou had kneed the man. ...Seriously? The man stared at the base of the knife he was holding until he suddenly realized something and looked up. He did so just in time to see Kamijou Touma slowly approaching with his fist clenched as hard as stone. Kamijou spoke in Japanese knowing that the man probably couldnt understand him. No complaints, right? The sound of repeated blows could be heard. On this occasion, Kamijou Touma did not feel that one punch was enough. Part 18 The terrorist lay on the ground in a small room in the wall area between business class and first class having been tied up by Kamijou. The rapid lowering of the fuel gauge seemed to have been a misreading by the pilots, so it didnt seem to be a problem. (The captain appeared to be in a bad mood and unwilling to speak to Kamijou, so the blonde flight attendant with a nice body had relayed that information to him.) They had stopped the emergency landing, raised their altitude, and were headed to the Edinburgh airport as originally planned. Kamijou was worried about Index because the man had strangled her, but she had a different outlook. Beef or fish! Beef or fish! If the problem is solved, then all thats left is to eat the airplane food!! ...Index-san. Thats a rather peaceful comment for someone who was threatened with a knife and then strangled to the point of leaving a dark bruise. Everything should have been going fine by that point. However... ... What is it, Touma? Something didnt fit. He had this odd feeling like having lost a piece of a jigsaw puzzle before he could complete the picture. Why did that guy choose this time for his terrorist attack? Well, it seems he was from an anti-England group, so didnt he just want to cause a problem in British airspace? The flight attendant had a suspicious look on her face. It may have been because she didnt want Kamijou moving around anymore. But Kamijou spoke as he thought. But it seemed he was afraid of the plane performing an emergency landing within the UK and bringing the negotiations to an end. ...If he had hurried up and made his move, there would have been much more time for the negotiations. Then they could have done all sorts of things to disturb the UK into giving in. Either way, hes been captured. You dont have to worry about it. During all this, the flight attendant was also trying to pacify Index who was still yelling Beef or fish!! (Am I over thinking this? If he had hijacked the plane early on, the pilot could have landed the plane at an airport in whatever country they were above at the time. But...) Kamijou slowly paced around as he thought. (Hypothetically, if there were a reason he had to wait and act when he did, what could that reason be? If the plan was just to send the emailed threat to the British airlines and have them destroy the master recorders as instructed, there would be no reason it had to be done over British airspace. Wherever the plane crashed, it wouldnt have changed that a flight headed for the UK had been attacked.) And it was clear this wasnt something the terrorists was making up on the fly. They had made sure to test their control of the emergency landing stabilizer by stopping the engines of other flights for 15 seconds. If they had simulated their plan again and again, surely they would have come up with ways to deal with every situation they could think of. Would their plan really end because the man onboard couldnt use the emergency landing stabilizer? There had to be something. Was there some kind of secondary plan that acted as insurance? (...There had to be a reason why he waited until the last hour of a 10 hour flight to make his move.) The only special thing that had happened in that time was... (Oh, I see. We stopped at the Paris airport and loaded on extra cargo!!) Kamijou finally stopped pacing. He spoke to Index and the flight attendant who both had puzzled looks on their faces. ...Theres another one. ? The cargo hold!! He waited until we had taken on the cargo at the Paris airport to make his move. Now why would he do that? It has to be because he was waiting for a partner to enter the Sky Bus 365 hidden in the cargo!! Index and the flight attendant looked startled at Kamijous words. Someone who enters the plane as a normal passenger cant bring weapons aboard, but his partner got onboard with the containers. If a problem occurred and their first plan couldnt be carried out, he could just open the hatch that can only be opened from this side and move to the second plan. So the reason he didnt attack for the first 9 hours of the flight was that he was waiting to meet up with his partner in France? Thats why he waited until the containers had been loaded before making his move? If so, things could get bad if we dont do anything, Kamijou said as he tapped the floor with the soles of his shoes. This person got into the cargo hold without going through a normal checkpoint. The guy in the cargo hold is most likely armed with guns or a bomb. Once he figures out their plan failed, he may use that firepower to take everyone down with them. The passenger plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, so the air was quite thin. It would be difficult for a human to breathe. Because of that, passenger planes artificially regulated the air pressure to make it more comfortable for humans. It was much like putting air in a balloon. A bullet could easily open a hole in the body of the balloon-like plane. Once that happened, it was all over. The air would all move to escape the plane at once, so a small hole could still cause quite a bit of damage. ...Is that the only entrance to the cargo hold? Y-yes. A copilot-level or higher card key is needed to unlock it. The flight attendant must not have known much about the cargo hold because her expression looked doubtful as she responded. A card key, huh? ...Itll probably be difficult to get that pilot to help. The pilot did have Archery, but Kamijou doubted he would lend him that projectile weapon. Kamijou had managed to restore his honor by defeating the terrorist, but he doubted the pilot had gotten over his personal feelings towards Kamijou. The flight attendant then spoke. ...The captain may not help, but I may be able to get a card key from one of the copilots. ...Really? Of course, theres no way I would be able to get Archery. The flight attendant sounded apologetic about that, but Kamijou was just glad that he could get the hatch to the cargo hold open. Also, the cargo hold is divided into 3 blocks. The cargo taken on in France is all in the center block. The odds were good the that terrorist would be there. But there was only one entrance. ...Immediately after the door is opened will be the most dangerous point. But theres no other way in, the flight attendant said hesitantly. Wait. Could I use the ventilation ducts? That wont work like it does in the movies. The ducts in the Sky Bus 365 are only 30 cm wide. Theres simply no way a human could fit in there. No, thats not what I meant. ? What do you mean, Touma? Kamijou responded to the flight attendant and Index who were staring at him blankly. There were bottles of coffee and tea at the free drink corner, right? Get me those. If theyre cold, reheat them in the microwave. I just need them to be really, really hot. Part 19 A number of square containers were lined up in the cargo hold. These containers were not the long ones that were loaded on tankers in harbors. They were dice-like cubes with 2 meter edges. Also, they were made of light aluminum instead of iron. The airlines logo was displayed on their silver surfaces. One of those containers was sitting open and a man was leaning up against its side. His name was Eiker Lugoni. He was wearing the work uniform of Pariss international airport and had a new handgun in his hand. The bag at this feet contained grenades, plastic explosives, and other explosives. However, those explosives were only for the worst case scenario. If possible, he didnt want to use any conventional weapons. For this plan, Eiker and the others had received information and shelter from a number of other organizations that had been willing to cooperate. The deal had been to teach the organizations what they knew in exchange for help hijacking a plane without using any real weapons. If they failed to use the emergency landing stabilizer for their new type of terrorism, they would end up being treated as a joke. Yet there seemed to be no signs of the primary plan having succeeded. Most likely, the negotiations using the Sky Bus 365 had failed. The UK wasnt going to go along with their demands now because they couldnt damage them anymore. The time for the 2nd plan C the worst case scenario C was approaching. (...I suppose its about time.) In the dim cargo hold, Eiker looked down at the watch on his thick wrist. The plane would be arriving in Edinburgh soon and there was still no sign of Musset, his partner who was supposed to be in the passenger area, having made his move. Whether he had lost his nerve or screwed it up somehow, it didnt feel like the plan was going well. At the very least, Eiker wanted to take down that plane. Using the explosives he had, he might be able to destroy the hatch, but he wasnt going to do anything so indirect. Eiker decided to wait 5 more minutes, and, if nothing had happened, he would attack the cargo bay door. If a hole was opened in that outer wall, the power of the air rushing out would destroy the Sky Bus 365. Eiker and Musset would be treated as jokes for not getting the proper results, but it was better than not getting any results at all. That was when he heard what sounded like a metal sheet being dented. And he didnt hear it just once. He heard it multiple times. He looked around to find the source of the noise and finally looked up. The noise was coming from there. There was a duct stretching across the ceiling. One of the metal sheets making up the duct was bent in multiple places as if something were moving down it bit by bit. (...Youve gotta be kidding me... Is this an attempt at a surprise attack?) It was a common scene in movies, but the ducts in the Sky Bus 365 were simply too small and thin for a human to pass through. It was true that coming in through the sole entrance would be suicide, but getting trapped and unable to move in the narrow duct would be just as stupid. Eiker pointed his handgun above his head. He heard the denting noise once more. He carefully aimed and fired repeatedly into the bent spot. Perhaps to help with the high cost of fuel, the walls of the duct were extremely thin. The bullets easily opened finger-tip sized holes in the duct and a hot liquid spilled out. Thats right: A hot liquid. But it was too hot to be human blood. Wha-...!? The stabbing pain felt as strong as if he had touched sulfuric acid. He could tell what the light red liquid was from the smell. It was tea. He was covered in the boiling liquid that was even then giving off steam. Because of this, Eiker did not notice that Kamijou had entered the cargo hold matching the opening and closing of the hatch with the gunshots so as to hide the noise. Hey, terrorist. Do you know about thermal expansion? When objects were heated, their volume changed. An easy-to-understand example was the denting noise made when boiling water was poured into a stainless steel sink. Kamijou had poured the tea down the duct to distract Eiker. !! Eiker unhesitatingly turned his gun towards the voice that had spoken to him. But before he could, Kamijou threw the contents of the bucket he was holding in both hands at Eiker as if he were putting out a fire in the kitchen. The contents had been boiling coffee. What happens to someone who has that poured over them needs no explanation. Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!! Eiker screamed and writhed around and Kamijou smiled as he threw the empty bucket aside. He lightly kicked the handgun Eiker had dropped and it sank into the puddle of boiling coffee. But Eiker did not stop there. While still screaming, he grabbed Kamijous collar with both hands and lifted him up. Kamijou had just enough time to shudder at the feeling of his feet floating in the air when Eiker slammed him to the floor. With a loud impact, a shock ran up Kamijous back and the breath was knocked from his lungs. Gh...bh...!? Kamijou couldnt breathe, but he didnt have time to even have a proper coughing fit. Eiker brought his hand to the back of his hip and pulled out a large knife. !! Eiker swung the knife down directly for Kamijous face and Kamijou swung just his head forcefully to the side. A high-pitched noise resounded from just next to his ear. It seemed about half the knife had broken off when it struck the floor, but Eiker brought it down for a second strike regardless. Kamijou reached his hand toward the ground. He grabbed the broken portion of the blade with his fingers and stabbed into Eikers thigh as he knelt over him. Eiker let out another scream. Eiker staggered to the side and Kamijou rolled in the opposite direction in an attempt to get some distance between them. But he soon realized that had been a mistake. Eiker was now kneeling on one knee next to the puddle of coffee. And sunk in the center of the puddle that was still giving off steam was the handgun Kamijou had kicked over there. Eiker did not hesitate to grab it. Handguns were made of many different substances, but the one Eiker had was made of stainless steel. This meant it was a good conductor of heat. As the gun was immersed in the boiling liquid, it would be extremely hot, but Eiker still grabbed it. His expression was one of rage. ...I will bring down this plane. Eiker was covered in burns and he spoke to Kamijou in Japanese probably to match the language Kamijou had spoken to him in. The Eurotunnel explosion damaged France greatly. Thats why we have to cause the same amount of damage to them. They took out the land route, so well take out the air route!! Theres no proof England did that. There were a number of containers in the area. There might have been something Kamijou could use as a weapon in one of them, but Eiker wouldnt give him a chance to open them up and check. An island country like England had no reason to destroy their sole land route!! If they did that, they would only be damaging themselves. In fact, they''re suffering because of it now!! That isnt necessarily true, said Eiker while the scorching handgun was more or less fusing his palm. At one point in the past, construction of the Eurotunnel was stopped due to military and political problems. That tunnel is an important land route between France and England, but there are still people who refuse to accept it and would sever the connection. ... As a sign of our friendship with England, we allowed joint management of the Eurotunnel. And yet they cut off that connection from their own side!! ...Do you have any proof of that? asked Kamijou cautiously. Is either side really at fault here? Is there really any reason to fight over this!? A flight attendant told me what is in these containers. Its liquid foods for people who cant eat normal food. A French food company makes it and its being brought over to save people in England!! Isnt that the real connection between England and France? Most people in the world arent part of crazy conspiracies like you are!! Its true that not everyone in England is at fault, but there are idiots everywhere. Im not going to let those idiots get away just because they hide among the innocent people. As Eiker spoke, he gathered strength in the finger holding the handguns trigger. His senses must have numbed, because he was smiling. Whatever happens, you will die here, so it isnt a problem you need to worry about. ...Youre going to shoot that gun that was submerged in coffee? Guns these days can still fire after being sunk in mud for half an hour. I highly doubt getting it a little wet is going to stop the bullet from firing. But I suppose a Japanese boy cant be blamed for not knowing anything about guns. After speaking, Eiker immediately pulled the trigger. Kamijou instinctually started to shut his eyes, but he just barely managed to keep them open. And... The gun made a clicking noise, but that was it. No bullet came shooting from the barrel. This was not due to the safety being on nor was it due to being out of ammo. Eiker stood dumbfounded pulled the trigger a second and third time while Kamijou clenched his right fist. Do you know about thermal expansion? !? Instead of waiting for a response, Kamijou let his fist fly. A dull sensation spread from Eikers face to the rest of his body. But he still did not collapse. Kamijou then clenched his left fist. It was just like with the duct before. When objects are heated, their volume changes! His left fist flew. Eikers head swung back from the impact. Its the same with the gun parts! One or two small parts warped while the gun was submerged in the boiling liquid!! Kamijou struck with his right fist again and this time Eiker was taken down. Kamijou exhaled deeply. Guns worked by detonating gunpowder which created a small blast that propelled the bullet. Guns would heat up if 100 or 200 shots were fired in a row, so they were made to withstand heat fairly well. But that could then become a weakness in places where the gun wouldnt heat up while being fired normally. (...Really it was a bit of a gamble whether the gun would actually fail or not. You could almost say I was fortunate...No, I was well within the misfortune category by running into the terrorists in the first place.) In any case, he concluded that, unless a third terrorist appeared out of nowhere, the Sky Bus 365 was safe. Kamijou finally relaxed. But then he heard a noise. He looked over and saw Eiker quietly standing back up. At his feet was a bag. He was pulling a grenade from the bag. ...!! Kamijou hurriedly moved to grab Eikers arms, but Eiker was faster. With a huge smile on his face, he held the grenade in one hand and reached for the pin with the other. At that rate, it was going to detonate. Kamijou had nowhere to run in the confined space. It was most likely an anti-personnel grenade, but it would still damage the outer wall of the Sky Bus 365. If that happened, it was all over. The passenger plane would go down. That was when Kamijou heard a sudden voice. I see youre as much of an amateur as ever. Your hesitation to kill puts those around you at risk. Kamijou recognized the male voice. Eiker frowned at the odd turn of events, but nothing was stopping him from pulling the pin. And then... Part 20 The pilot noticed a slight noise while he was in the cockpit gripping the yoke. He looked over at the radar and saw an odd dot. He then moved his gaze out the window and his shoulders jumped in surprise. A large pitch black transport plane that must have had stealth functionality was flying very close nearby. It was only about 10 meters away. It was much like an aerial refueling, but that was something that only worked with small fighter jets. With two large aircrafts each 80 meters long, it went beyond the realm of acrobatics and into the realm of suicide. The blonde flight attendant with a nice body was shocked when she looked out the window while walking down a business class aisle. The back of a transport plane was opening and something was scattering out from it. She didnt know what the confetti-like objects being scattered at high altitude were, but she innocently thought it was a beautiful sight. Index was in front of the hatch connecting to the cargo hold waiting for Kamijou to return. The commotion people were causing drew her eyes to a window and what she saw there astonished her. The knowledge she had from 103,000 grimoires told her that the confetti-like objects were rune cards. And then something unusual happened at the cargo hold wall near Eiker. Something orange erupted from the wall. It was a sword. The sword made of flames pierced the outer wall of the passenger plane and arrived inside. The flame sword singed Eikers clothes, but it did not damage his flesh. Then the controller of the sword drew it back regardless of whether the result would be good or bad. Immediately afterwards, a large wind started blowing. All the air in the cargo hold started moving towards the hole near Eiker. Of course, the first one affected was Eiker. Eikers body was thrown against the wall almost like a violently slammed door. His abdomen was sucked into the hole. The Sky Bus 365 avoided being torn to pieces by the plug known as Eiker. But... Gggggaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!? Eiker screamed as his flesh continued to be sucked into the hole. His flesh was almost literally being torn away. Seeing this ridiculous scene, Kamijou heard only the flame magicians voice. The plane will be landing in Edinburgh in 10 minutes. Lets see if he can survive that long. Whether I like it or not, you bear the title of that girls manager, so Id like for you to show me your resolve. Having said what he had to say, the transmitted voice suddenly cut off. Kamijou stared blankly for a bit, but then he realized Eiker still had the grenade in his hand as he screamed. He was attempting to pull the pin while he was almost foaming at the mouth. Kamijou knocked the grenade away with a hand and it rolled a good distance away amusingly easily. Eiker had now lost his last piece of resistance and Kamijou spoke to him with a smile. Hang in there. Part 21 The person behind it all saw the news on TV. The Sky Bus 365 had landed in the Edinburgh airport in Scotland. According to the news, the plane had been in trouble at one point, but the passengers and crew worked together to resolve the problem. While watching that cheerful news, the person behind it all looked over various documents. The piece of information this person was bothered by was the transport plane. A single Royal Air Force transport plane had been borrowed to resolve the problem. It had been a stealth transport plane that used technology borrowed from Academy City. It had an extremely small radar cross-section. The person sighed. (The country of England is at its limit.) The person was discouraged by the fact that Academy City technology had been necessary to solve such a small problem. Could it really be turned into a strong country in that state? A war between the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church was just an empty dream. ...At the very least, people who had to borrow the power of others to fight couldnt be the leaders. The person behind it all turned off the TV, gathered up the documents, and put them in order while quietly thinking. (It looks like we really do have to make our move.) Between the lines 2 Hey. This makes the second time youve saved me, doesnt it? Thats right. I thought I had safely escaped the land under control of the Russian Orthodox Church, but then they joined forces with the Roman Catholic Church. Thanks to that, the Russians managed to extend their reach to the Roman Catholic land of France. I was in quite a pinch. This kind of chase scene is tough for this old mans body to bear. We had finally managed to reorganize the organization and change its name, but thanks to you the Astrological Surgery Brigade is quite popular. Anyway, Im going to at least thank you this time. Last time...well, we were a bit desperate just looking after ourselves and then you disappeared without a word. I regret not thanking you. Yes, yes. As long as you rely on us, thats enough. I suppose what you need is...a weapon. But what kind of situation lead to you losing your weapon? ...I probably shouldnt ask. Hey, dont glare at me like that. I just imagine it was something pretty bad. Anyway, Ive got a pretty nice collection of weapons. Now that were free of the shackles of Russia, Ive been going all over the world. Ive been finding, gathering, and making a business out of weapons new and old from all over the world. I even have some of those monstrously sized ones you like so much, but theyre pretty rare. I can bring some out so you can test them out. You say youll end up destroying the weapon? Yknow, Im not going to bring out some piece of crap when Im trying to repay a debt. Im going to show you my best, not something cheap. Ill show you some true swords. They go beyond having left their mark on history; they can still very well make new marks on history. ...Wait, dont go yet. Since my terrible introduction was so easily destroyed, I suppose this isnt my place. Just come here. Ill lead you to my number one weapon that I was reluctant to bring out until now. Ahn? Im not putting on airs of importance. This just isnt something I can bring out on my own. I could move it using heavy machinery, but it would just be faster for you to do it. This way. This way. Yes, yes. On the back there. Remove the ropes and the cloth. Well? I may be biased, but isnt it amazing? Its the Holy Sword Ascalon. Ha ha. Dont look so puzzled. I know, I know. In the real legend, theres no sword with that name. This is a spiritual item created by an artist at the end of the 16th century based on the legend of the holy sword. It was created on the idea of calculating out what precisely would be needed to slay the 50 foot long dragon from the legend if it had actually existed. This is a true monster-slaying weapon. Its a mass of steel that weighs 200 kilograms and is 3.5 meters long. A certain author wrote that it was a one-handed falchion, but when a holy sword that could actually slay a dragon was created, it ended up being so ridiculously huge. Take it. Theres no one it suits better than you. You must have it tough, too. When you saved the former Astrological Surgery Brigade, it was supposed to have been nothing more than an irregular happening. You were never supposed to come into contact with us in the first place, and now youre asking us to supply you with a weapon. It looks to me like youre rushing to prepare for battle. Well, Im sure youll go off to fight no matter what I say. And I wont try to stop you. But theres one thing Id like to give you before you go. Its something I was given by a certain artisan who lives in England. Just like me, he seems to be someone who couldnt easily forget you after you suddenly disappeared. It seems you said to dispose of the plans, but that old man finished it in secret. Ha ha. You dont have to scowl that much at the sight of it. Even if there were various circumstances surrounding it, you were the one that hired him to make it, right? Its your heraldry, after all. Volume 17, 3: Magic Cabal of the British Labyrinth. N∴L∴ Volume 17, Chapter 3: Magic Cabal of the British Labyrinth. NL Part 1 After all that, they finally landed in Edinburgh. Edinburgh was a city in Scotland, the northern part of the United Kingdom. London was in the south. They had to switch to a domestic flight to get to London. There certainly were a lot of TV cameras there. I guess it was because of the terrorist attack. Kamijou had managed to get through the immigration gate with the little bit of English he knew and he was checking the time on his cell phone. Hm? Oh, thats right. I have to correct for the time difference. The phone most likely had a function to switch the clock to the times of the different major cities in the world, but Kamijou wasnt the kind of person that read thick instruction books. He put the phone back in his pocket and looked around until he found a clock on the wall. ....8 at night... Were not almost at the last flight again, are we? muttered Kamijou as he knew very little about airplane schedules. Tou-grrrr-ma-grrrr... Ee!? I-Index-san!! I think I heard some beast-like growling in the middle of my name there! Thats because Im starving and starving and starving and about to collapse!! The beef or fish never came and I didnt get to eat anything! Any more of this and Im going to die!! If I dont get anything to eat, Im really going to die!! Index was still wearing the dress instead of her nuns habit (even on a domestic flight, taking those safety pins on a plane was a bad idea), and she was swinging her arms around at full force in her attempt to appeal Kamijou for some food. In response, he sat down on his suitcase and crossed his arms as he thought. Wont there be an in-flight meal on the domestic flight? I have a feeling there wont!! I have no proof, but I have a feeling there wont!! It was true that, according to the flight schedule, the Edinburgh to London flight was only an hour long. It was possible they wouldnt provide a meal on such a short flight. Kamijou continued to think. ...No, Im hungry, too. Lets go get something to eat. Tooouuumaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Youre too happy!! Thats scary! There are stars in your eyes! I think this is the most dynamic smile Ive ever seen!! As they spoke back and forth, Kamijou took Index along as he began searching for the airports light meal area. He had started studying English using an app on his phone, but he was still a ways away from knowing enough to be practical. But he managed to find his way through the vast airport by relying on the knife & fork and coffee cup symbols on the signs. (Im pretty sure there was some British currency in the luggage Tsuchimikado gave us. I suppose this qualifies as a necessary use.) T-Touma! I smell coffee from over there!! Eh? I dont smell anythi-...What!? There really is a caf around the corner here!! In front of Kamijou was a stylish coffee shop with glass on all sides. He felt that people truly used to travelling would disapprove of them going to a chain store that they had in Japan after coming all the way to the UK, but for a normal lower middle class person (who helped stop a terrorist attack) like Kamijou Touma, he felt like shouting Yay, food!! He was almost like how Index normally was. And speaking of Index... !! Wah, wah, waaaahhh!! Index, those arent even words!! Those eyes! Those eyebrows! Those lips! Really, your face as a whole looks rather amazing!! Kamijou renewed his resolve to get in the caf as soon as possible to start eating a ham and lettuce sandwich and he grabbed her hand to pull her towards the glass entrance. That was when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned around and found a girl standing there. She was about 18 years old. She had Asian facial features and was greater than average height. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail and yet still stretched down to her waist. She was wearing a pair of jeans with one leg cut clean off all the way to the top and a t-shirt tied so her navel was visible. Above the shirt, she was wearing a jacket with one sleeve cut off so her arm was bared. But what drew the most attention was the ridiculously huge Japanese sword Shichiten Shichitou that was hanging from her belt that looked like something a gunman from a western would wear. Long time no see, she said. Hearing those words, Kamijou responded. Wh-why is the Fallen Angel Ero Maid here...!? The Japanese sword girl, Kanzaki Kaori, started coughing. As she struggled to breathe gasping in air, she desperately moved her lips. Th-the British Royal Family requested that I bring you and Index to Buckingham Palace. If you had just taken the non-stop flight on the supersonic passenger plane prepared by Academy City, I wouldnt have had to do this. That doesnt really answer my question. Theres no real reason that had to be done by the Fallen Angel Ero Maid!! I am not a fallen angel, I am not erotic, and I am not a maid!! I-its true that...after the battle with Acqua, I...did v-v-various things. I admit that. But Fallen Angel Ero Maid should not be the first words out of your mouth when you see me!! I cant help it!! That really was a fallen angel-like ero maid!! Stop recalling the details and getting distracted!! D-dont blush like that!! Kanzaki was shaking Kamijou by his shoulders, but it seemed as if Kamijou was not looking at her in the eyes. A-anyway!! I am not that kind of indecent person! I have come to get you as a messenger of the Anglican Church and as the Priestess of the new Amakusa Church. I am not embarrassed!! Isnt that a bad idea in and of itself? I mean, youre walking around an airport with a sword! What did you even come here for today! Whenever 2 or 3 magicians gather, its always bad news!! Just tell me whats going on!! Index finally cut into the argument between Kamijou and Kanzaki. Tooouuumaaaa... Her gaze was not on Kamijou or Kanzaki. She was staring at the stylish coffee shop. ...If you drag this out any longer, Ill never forgive you. Ehhh!? Youre saying this is my fault!? I wouldnt say so! How is it my fault that terrorists attacked the plane or that Kanzaki started talking to us!? He attempted to argue his case, but it didnt get through to Index as she was being controlled by her empty stomach. Kamijou decided that he had to quickly end the conversation with Kanzaki and head to the caf with Index. That was when Kanzaki Kaori the Ero Maid spoke. Th-thats right. Food. You need to hurry, because we dont have much time. (Ohh, she understands!! A girl that can pick up on the mood is so wonderful!! And Im pretty hungry myself!!) Kamijou started towards the caf, but then Kanzaki continued speaking. Due to the terrorist attack, all the other flights have been cancelled so they can inspect all the planes. I have a helicopter and a pilot ready, so well head to London that way. ....................................................... Kamijou remained silent for a bit and then looked towards her. ...What do you mean? You were originally supposed to head directly to London in the Academy City supersonic passenger plane. However, you hurriedly switched to a different plane putting us 7 hours late already. We cant delay this any longer. Index Librorum Prohibitorum was summoned with an official order by England, so you need to do your duty as her guardian. ...By the way, she needs to change into her Walking Church nuns habit. Theres a space in the back of the helicopter she can use to change. ...What about the food? Theres no time to eat. Come with me. If you were just making us wait, it wouldnt be a problem, but right now youre keeping the entirety of the British Royal Family waiting. Youve neglected to follow up on a promise made with those of royal blood for 7 hours without contacting anyone...Id be less worried about the Royal Family itself and more worried about how the obstinate Knights would react if they knew. Kanzaki Kaori dragged Kamijou along by the hand while talking about things he didnt understand. He then tried to explain what he felt was most important. Let me repeat: What about the food!? Index-san has been at her limit for a while now!! I have a feeling that her anger will bring forth a tremendous energy if we leave her hungry for much longer! You are her manager, so you do something about it. How can you act like it isnt your fault!? ...Wait, are you mad? Did I make you mad by teasing you about the Fallen Angel Ero Maid thing!? No, not at all. Im perfectly calm, so just get on the helicopter already. Kanzaki used the strength of a Saint to drag Kamijou by the arm. Part 2 The third princess of England, Villian, stood in a large room. That space half the size of a tennis court was Villians territory. Simply put, it was her private room. The Royal Family had constant political intrigue not just inside and outside of the country, but in their home as well. Her room was the sole safe place she could shut it all out and be alone in. ...I see. Yes, yes. That the plane managed to land in Edinburgh safely is what matters most. Villian was holding the receiver for an antique phone with a ceramic surface. Apparently, the line went through a cutting-edge switchboard in Buckingham Palace that heavily encrypted the signal, but she didnt know much about technology. She was talking with the person in charge of the Edinburgh airport. What Villian was currently worried about was the cargo packed on that plane. Yes. I think you should inspect everything because of the terrorist attack, but please make sure the liquid foods get to the individual households as quickly as possible. For the people who cannot eat normal foods, this is literally a matter of life or death. ...Yes. Please give them relief as soon as you can. Villian slowly put down the receiver and gave a light sigh. It was possible the intelligence agency had been listening in (regardless of whether it had been encrypted or not), but she hadnt said anything she didnt mind anyone hearing. The United Kingdom was a complicated nation. It was made up of four cultures: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It contained three factions: the Royal Family, the Knights, and the Anglican Church. The interconnections between those two categories formed the United Kingdom. Depending on the situation, one knight from England and another from Scotland could get into a fight and a member of the Royal Family from Wales and a member of the church from Wales could have a connection between them. Of course, as the third princess, Villian was part of the Royal Family. She had been since the moment she was born. The only way to join the Royal Family faction was to either be a descendant of the monarch or demonstrate ones political skill as a close aide of a member. Theirs was the faction that represented the nation, but it had significantly fewer members than the knights or the church. The Royal Familys duty was to intervene and seize control of the parliamentary government in order to take substantial control of the country. While the knights and the church worked in the shadows, the Royal Family had the most power in a public sense because it needed to be able to control the police and the military. That said, Third Princess Villian had no real power. The three daughters of the Queen of England had the following qualities: The eldest daughter had intellect. The second daughter had military might. The third daughter had a natural benevolence. In other words, despite Villians popularity, she had no trump card with which to move the country. The man from the Edinburgh airport she had spoken to on the phone had likely thought she was very kind for being worried about that kind of thing, but he wasnt about to swear his eternal loyalty to her or anything. Her benevolence did not give her connections within the factions. Her sisters would say that everything she did was wasted effort. Her duty was to be treated as the public face of the Royal Family by the media and, in the common magazines, she was referred to as the princess people would most like to marry, but that was the entirety of her role within the Royal Family. The prospect of a political marriage with her was used to make foreign leaders lose focus, but the idea of marriage was just bait and not a serious offer. The queen and her sisters would use the opening this created to negotiate the best treaty for England. Keeping up her etiquette as a member of the Royal Family and carrying out her official duties gracefully made Villian feel like she was a mental stripper. And if England was ever in an unavoidable crisis, she would probably actually be forced into a political marriage. ... Villian gave a heavy sigh in the large room. The recent quarrel between England and France was enough to suggest the possibility of that terrible trump card. Her thoughts were then cut off by a small knock. Lady Villian. The person calling out to her from the other side of the thick door was a young maid. She was a civilian who knew nothing of magic. There were special workers for the Royal Family, the royal maids, that were essentially a type of shrine maiden because they looked after the royalty who were traditionally said to gain their authority by having a piece of divine power, but Villian chose to use civilian maids. The heads of the Knights and the Royal Family as well as the boy who is a guest from Japans Academy City have arrived in the palace. The audience will be held soon. Lady Villain, please prepare yourself. ...Understood, she responded, but there were no preparations she had to make. Even in her private room, Villian remained dressed at the minimum needed for an official appearance. Her life was constantly filled with a certain type of tension. She walked across the large room, opened the door, and exited. A woman wearing a green maid uniform was standing so as not to get in Villians path. The maid nodded in her direction and Villian started walking down the hallway. But then she suddenly stopped and looked up. The ceiling of the long, long straight hallway was very tall. Much like the lights in a tunnel, shield-shaped crests were lined up on the walls at even intervals. They were the crests of knights throughout history. There was a similar hallway in the Royal Familys secondary residence, Windsor Castle, but the one in Buckingham Palace held the meaning of a magical faction, so only the crests of knights were displayed. Having ones familys crest displayed in that hallway was the first step towards becoming a noble family and it was what everyone who wielded a sword for England wished for. Perhaps because the crests had been developed so they would be easily distinguishable on the battlefield, each one was extremely distinct. It was to the point that it almost ruined the harmony of the hallway. But there was something else that ruined the hallways harmony even more. There was an empty space. Amid the evenly spaced escutcheons, one spot had nothing in it. It gave Villian a strong uncomfortable feeling much like a comb with a missing tooth. She knew the reason behind the empty space. A certain man had fought for England and was supposed to have been made a knight in recognition of his valiant actions. The man had still been a mercenary when he had disappeared from the country, but the head of the Knights left that space empty to show his respect for the man. Seeing that empty space, Villians lips moved almost on their own. ...William... The maid walking next to her said nothing. Part 3 The helicopter Kamijou and the others were on landed in a large park in London...or so Kamijou thought. Apparently, it was on the grounds of Buckingham Palace where the Queen of England lived. An entire section of Englands capital city was left open as a combination of two adjoining parks, so his mistake wasnt too surprising. Normally, Kamijou would have raised his voice in admiration at the scale of it all, but something else had his attention. Touma....fooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddd!! Hgyaaaahhhhh!? This isnt just a bite!! I think youve started chewing, Index-saaaaaaaaaannnnnn!! The silver-haired green-eyed monster (she had finished changing into her nuns habit on the helicopter) had climbed up on his back and was declaring her intentions in a dreadful way. Watching the two of them from the corner of her eye, Kanzaki Kaori stepped down from the helicopter ahead of them. I screwed up. We took longer to arrive than scheduled because we were flying into the wind. We need to hurry. Everyone will already have gathered. Hey!! How can you say that while this tragedy is unfolding before your eyes!? Surely, you can at least get her a sandwich!! I think shes so hungry shes about to turn into a completely different creature!! Hee hee. Managing Index Librorum Prohibitorum is your duty. Im relieved to see how flawlessly you are handling it. You are mad, arent you!? Youre mad about the whole Fallen Angel Ero Maid thing, arent you!? But youre the one who came bursting into the hospital room dressed like tha-ggghhhhghgh!! Kamijous words became suddenly garbled because Kanzaki had covered his mouth with her hand. (...You must not mention that in front of the pilot or anyone else. Do you understand?) Mggghghg-Your Saints-ggghhghghh-your Saints strength is-ghgghggghhh-crushing-ghghghggghhh!? Still crushing his face, Kanzaki dragged Kamijou along and they moved from the square rest area that had guide lights so it could be used as a heliport to Buckingham Palace. Since Index was still clinging to Kamijous back, they must have looked like an odd group. Kanzaki did not lead them to the large main gate, but to a small back entrance. However, Kamijou opened his mouth to speak just before she grabbed the doorknob. Wait a second, Kanzaki!! Why are you speaking while your head is being held like a volleyball? I dont want to hear that from the person doing the grabbing! Anyway, is it really okay for me to go in the palace!? My right hand contains the power of Imagine Breaker, so Im not going to destroy all the national treasures the second I set foot inside and have to spend a lifetime of misfortune trying to pay back my debt, am I!? ...Oh, thats what youre worried about? Kanzaki finally let go of Kamijous face. You dont need to worry about that. England may be the country magic was developed in, but all of those kinds of security measures have been removed from Buckingham Palace. Eh? Really? The Queen lives here, so I was sure it would be a ridiculously strong magical fortress. Strongholds like that do exist. Windsor Castle, the secondary residence of the Royal Family, is a good example. Kanzaki sighed slightly as she spoke. Buckingham Palace is used for meetings with important people from other countries. If it was covered in magical mechanisms, it would look as if they were inviting the foreign leaders into a trap. That would be a major diplomatic problem. Public parties are held in Windsor Castle, but only those who trust the queen regnant enough to not lead them into a trap are invited to those. There are types of danger other than physical danger. She then glanced away from Kamijou who still had Index connected to his head. Also... ? The Queen doesnt need that kind of security. Speaking those significant-sounding words, Kanzaki opened the back door. The door itself was small, but the scenery beyond it was quite something. The sheer scale of it was clear by the fact that the inside of a room could be referred to as scenery. When Kamijou had heard it referred to as a palace, he had been imagining a world of sparkling gold, but that was not what actually lay before him. The hallway was as wide as a small room. Inside the hallway were carpets meant to be looked at instead of stepped on, paintings and sculptures scattered around, and even a maid carrying around a tea set. There you are. While Kamijou was being overwhelmed by the scenery and the maid, a mans voice reached his ears. The man spoke in Japanese and was wearing a suit. However, this was not the kind of worn-out suit someone in a packed train would be wearing; it was a suit one wore to display ones status at a party. Frankly, it was the kind of suit that would most likely never be a part of Kamijous life. Seeing the man, Kanzaki opened her mouth to speak. Knight Leader, many thanks for supplying our means of transportation. If you mean the helicopter, think nothing of it. It was a necessary expense. The blond man Kanzaki had called Knight Leader turned his gaze in Kamijous direction. So you are the one carrying the duty of being Index Librorum Prohibitorums manager. E-eh? This whole manager thing is really pretty vague... I had been curious as to what kind of person was maintaining those 103,000 grimoires, but I never expected he would do so with her attached to his head. The mystic secrets of the Orient truly are a sight to behold. I knew this was wasnt right! The only reason were in this odd situation is that she lost to her hunger!! If you dont mind, could you at least get her some bread to eat before she actually breaks through my skull!? A warning glare from Kanzaki told him he was acting improperly, but Knight Leader used a hand to call over the maid carrying a tea set. Kamijou and Index received scones from the maid. They were sort of like a mix between bread and cookies. Hm...Nnn!? Whats this!? I-its spreading! This scone feels like its spreading throughout my stomach filling it up bit by bit! I see. Thats good. Now, everyone is already gathered, so if you would come this way. Eh? Its free? This is free!? In that case, were not holding back. Index! Eat as much as you want!! I was never planning on holding back!! Scones!! Scones!! Thats right, Index!! Keep at it!! Lets eat them all!! ...Excuse me, but the situation is developing even now, so we need to hurry and... Oh, they level up even further when you put butter on them!! Blueberries work, too!! But eating them plain is great, too!! That way you can enjoy their natural flavor!! Okay, then all the butter, blueberries, strawberry jam, and honey are mine!! Thats not what I meant, you stupid nun!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha!! So good!! Ah ha! So good!! Knight Leader was left speechless for a while until he finally cast his eyes down and muttered to Kanzaki. ...Do you mind if I draw my sword? If youre trying to persuade them, let me do it!! Dont worry. Ill do something!! Kanzaki then punched Kamijou and held Indexs hands behind her back. The maid hurriedly left and the scone heaven was over. Part 4 So why exactly were we called here? Kamijou suddenly asked as they walked down a large hallway in Buckingham Palace. Did Tsuchimikado not tell you anything as your guide in Academy City? Kanzaki asked sounding a bit flustered. Kamijou shook his head. No. He just gassed us out of nowhere and left us at the airport. That bastard... Kanzaki closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, but Kamijou didnt seem as worried about it. (Isnt he always like that? He did kick me out into the air with a parachute over Avignon.) Knight Leader opened his mouth to speak after listening to their conversation from the side. Something like a strategy meeting is about to be held. Members of the Royal Family, the knights, and the church have gathered here for it. However, the top members of the Royal Family C that is, those who have royal blood C are present, so it is officially an audience. Having said that, Knight Leader glanced over to check what Kamijou was wearing. As such, it would be best if you were dressed more formally, but I suppose nothing can be done about it at this point. And they arent the type to get angry at you for wearing a T-shirt and casual trousers. Kamijou gave a slight start at being pointed out like that. Kamijou started panicking at the thought that he had made some extremely basic faux pas, but then he saw Kanzaki walking next to him with her bare leg and navel. With Kanzaki like that, I guess there shouldnt be any problem with me... That is a rather rude assessment. My clothing is accepted as a means of configuring my spells. There was a bit of anger hidden behind Kanzakis words and she made a slight attempt to keep her body out of Kamijous gaze. That was when Index spoke up. You said this was a strategy meeting, but what are we making a strategy for? It was the Queens decision to officially summon you, but that shows just how serious the situation is. Knight Leader stopped in front of a certain door. It was an impressive set of double doors that was large even for the huge palace. You may have seen it on the news, but the Eurotunnel connecting England and France was bombed by someone. All three tunnels were hit. The destruction of that undersea tunnel has delayed the transport of personnel and goods which has had a major impact on our economy. ??? In short, it is possible magic was used in the bombing. That makes it a magic attack on a national level. As he spoke, Knight Leader reached for the knob of the large door. When Kamijou thought about the fact that a room where an audience with the Queen of England and a strategy meeting awaited him, a natural anxiety ran along his spine. He was being treated as Index Librorum Prohibitorums protector, so he probably wasnt expected to say much, but he was still going to be present at a meeting that would guide an entire country. He gulped. Knight Leader turned the knob. But before he could fully open the door, a voice came through the gap. Gwohhh... This dress is a pain in the ass. Couldnt I just wear a track suit? Knight Leader suddenly froze. Not knowing English, Kamijou merely looked at him quizzically. ...Excuse me a moment, Knight Leader said quietly and then slipped through the cracked door. Ngh!? At least knock before you come in!! I apologize for that, but I need to have a word with you. ...Were you really thinking of wearing a track suit to an official appearance? You idiot!! Yay, Knight Leaders the first in! The order we enter the room does not matter!! Please, just act like a queen!! No, that isnt necessary. No one is expecting you to have some surprising character, so please dont bring out an electric guitar!! Kamijou heard sounds of a commotion and stared at the door suspiciously, but Kanzaki wasnt translating the conversation into Japanese for some reason and Index just looked sleepy because she had just eaten. Eventually, Knight Leader stuck his head out through the crack in the door. ...Sorry for the trouble. Everything is in order now. Queen Elizard has had her eyes opened. ? Kamijou didnt really understand what he meant, but he entered through the door anyway. The room did not contain a large throne on a stage with stairs leading to it as was often seen in RPGs. The spacious area looked more like a party hall. A number of tables were set up in concentric circles like the rings of a tree. It reminded Kamijou of the UN conference room he had occasionally seen on TV. And in the center was the Queen of England. He was pretty sure she had been called Elizard. She was around 50 years old. Her skin and hair were beginning to show the shadows of age, but in some more fundamental way C perhaps you could call it her core or her frame C she outdid even a teenager like Kamijou. She was wearing a long dress that covered even the tips of her toes. The dress was colored white and black and it looked expensive enough that Kamijou would have to spend the rest of his life paying for the cleaning costs if he got gum on it or something. The other point of interest was Queen Elizards right hand. She held a sword in it. It looked like a stereotypical double-sided Western sword that was about 80 cm long if the hilt was included. However, it had no tip and no blade. What looked like a long square board was attached to the hilt. The queen looked like a model English lady and yet she was walking around with that sword out not even putting it in a sheath. Seeing that sword brought an initial impression of the queen to Kamijous mind. And Kamijou then spoke his impression out loud. What a surprising character...!? H-Himegami tried so hard and failed to gain some individuality and shes acquired it so easily!! No, that is normal! The electric guitar, the soccer ball, the cup-and-ball game, the surfboard, and all the other unneeded tools have been taken away!! You may not be familiar with it, but that sword is the symbol of Queen Regnant Elizard!! Knight Leader was holding his head in his hands as if he were recalling a nightmare. In contrast, the queen gave a broad smile. This is a sword exclusive to the Royal Family known as the Curtana. Curtana? Kamijou repeated questioningly, but Knight Leader spoke before the queen could continue. It is a sacred sword that is passed down generation by generation to each head of state. Following that swords history would be the same as understanding the history of the British Royal Family. You are making too much of it. I admit that it is a useful tool, but the Royal Family would not be destroyed if it were to be broken, denied Elizard ostentatiously with a smile on her face. The familiar way the queen spoke of the sword showed just how used she was to carrying the Curtana. She looked back towards Kamijou and continued speaking of the Curtana. The Curtana is a ceremonial sword used in the coronation of the king or queen. It is not the sign of being the queen, but the proof of being the person who chooses the ruler. As you can see, it has no blade and its tip is flat, so there is no danger in letting it hang down. It may look odd to you, but it would be helpful if you could get over such cultural differences, added Knight Leader. As neither a knight nor a samurai, Kamijou didnt understand the point of a sword without a blade. (...Is that really such an amazing sword,) he whispered to Kanzaki. Well, yes, she nodded. Its only artificial, but it provides the bearer with the same type of power as Michael. It is a sword that lets you freely control the power of not just an archangel, but the leader of the angels. It can hardly be called a normal sword. The leader of the angels...? Kamijou stiffened at those dangerous sounding words and Index drowsily spoke. That refers to the most powerful of the angels. ... The term angel alone brought bad memories to Kamijous mind, but now they were talking about the strongest one. He looked back in Elizards direction and she rested the Curtana on her shoulder. However, it can only be used within the boundaries of the United Kingdom. Basically, the Curtana is a sword that provides a large amount of Telesma to the queen and the knights, she explained bluntly. Basically, there is a special rule that only take affect within the four cultures of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and the three factions of the Royal Family, the knights, and the Anglican Church exist to enforce that rule. The Curtana functions as a sword that provides great power to those who enforce that rule and protect the United Kingdom. A special rule...? Kamijou asked and Knight Leader continued the explanation in Elizards place. The Anglican Church is a Christian Church original to this country. Henry VIII, a king in the 1500s, created it because he hated having other countries interfering with the governing of his own country. In order to get rid of all external influence, he made sure of two points when he created it. The first was that the country would never be violated by foreign influences and the second was that the King of England would be at the top of the Anglican Church and that the king did not have to listen to what the Roman Catholic Pope said. Henry VIII established the position of the king as the leader of the angels because it was a position higher than that of the Roman Pope. He would then lead the people of England with his knights as an army of angels. Thanks to this, the queen regnant can even now possess the same type of power as Michael, the leader of the angels, so long as she holds the Curtana and is within the country, said Elizard as she swung the Curtana down from her shoulder. The queen spun the bladeless sword around like a baton and Knight Leader continued the explanation. In the 1500s, Henry VIII used the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to create this mechanism. Four is a number that indicates the earth. It seems he wanted to create a magical meaning that only held true within an all-English land by constructing a map made up of a meaningful number of countries. He created a great land that glorified being very independent and received no influence from the many areas of power the Roman Catholic Pope held at the time. It is possible that he was troubled by the complicated politics of the surrounding countries, and he wished for the legendary land spoken of in old stories. The reason had been political, not religious. By preparing an all-English land created of the 4 nations making up the United Kingdom, he had made the king the leader of the angels and the knights into an army of angels. It couldnt have been done with only one country. A symbol of multiple nations had been necessary for the all-English land to receive that blessing. And since it was also politically all under the control one large country, it all was exceedingly beneficial from a political standpoint. That was the United Kingdom. And the ruler standing at the top of the kingdom could use that power to its fullest. That was the queen. (...Be that as it may, I cant get as flashy as what was detected during Angel Fall. I may have power, but Im still human. Using angel-level spells isnt that easy.) Hah? Nothing. But Henry VIII didnt have it quite that easy. He wanted to use the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to construct the rule that would make him the leader of the angels, but Scotland was an independent nation at the time and was actually at war with England. He had assumed Scotland would be easily conquered when he came up with the rule, but it turned out to be a formidable opponent. For a while, it started to look like his rule was in danger of failing. Apparently, there was also a problem in that it could only be used within the 4 countries, so he couldnt use the power of the leader of the angels while in colonies outside the UK. Incidentally, part of Ireland is currently regarded as independent, so that area is not used in the symbol of the 4 nations. Keeping Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom was necessary in order to maintain the four country structure, Elizard said as she spun the Curtana around. By setting up that rule, the Curtana leveled up from being the sword that decided who the King of England would be to the sword that determined who Englands leader of the angels was. ...Although, the sword only has an effect on royalty and nobles, so it is a tad unfair to the common people. Then Kanzaki cut in from the side. Members of the Anglican Church such as myself are not affected by the power of the angels. We are treated as those who use the power of the Christian Church as humans like usual, so we do not receive the blessing of the Curtana. Just think of the Curtana as giving a large amount of power to the queen and to the knights. The United Kingdom is a land made up of 4 cultures and is protected by 3 organizations. The Curtana is used as a little tool to construct the relationship between those 3 organizations. As usual, the queen was the only one that spoke lightly about the Curtana. It wasnt that she didnt understand its importance. She just had enough power to spare that she could laugh off tradition. Okay, thats the end of the Curtana lecture. Do you understand a bit more about this small tool from Englands history now? So the reason Buckingham Palace doesnt need security is...? Kamijou asked timidly and the queen responded lightly. Do you know of any human that could kill the leader of the angels? Ive never see one, at any rate. Kamijou didnt fully understand, but he had gathered that it was used in some ridiculous ceremony, so he decided he should make sure not to accidentally touch it with his right hand. He put his caution at its maximum level. A sword used in a ritual that chose the king or queen sounded like a national treasure to him and he knew it would be very, very bad if something did happen. Queen Elizard saw Kamijou drawing back from the sword and gave an unconcerned smile. Even if you did damage or destroy it in some way, no one would blame you. After all, this is historically the Curtana Second. Just the name doesnt really tell me anything... That means its the second one. Historically, the Curtana Original disappeared somewhere. This Curtana Second was hurriedly created so there wouldnt be any hindrances to the ceremony. So even if this one was broken, a new Curtana could be made. You dont need to worry too much. Really...? Kamijou said with a questioning look on his face and a voice spoke up from behind him. That isnt true at all. Its true that the Curtana Second is a second sword that was artificially created by the Royal Family, but the method to do so has been lost. A third or fourth sword cannot be created so easily. The voice was coming from the doorway. A beautiful woman that looked to be in her early 30s entered dressed in a dress just as luxurious as the queens. Her dress was mostly blue, but her skirt did not spread out. Instead, it stuck with the lines of her legs. She had a monocle over her left eye which increased her intellectual C or rather, cool-headed C appearance. Her black hair reached her shoulders. The hair was unnaturally glossy, so it may have been dyed. Her outfit was luxurious but not gaudy. She left one with an odd but graceful impression. (...Thats the first princess, Rimea,) Kanzaki whispered in his ear. Knight Leader seemed shocked that the princess had arrived without being accompanied by an aide or even a single maid. If you had asked, one of my men...no, I would have gone myself to get you. Oh, no, no. I cant have others accompanying me. That just adds to the risk of being stabbed in the back. I have no intention of putting my trust in those who know me. ... It looked like Knight Leader was going to get upset over that, but he instead gave a sigh of exasperation. It seemed Princess Rimeas distrust wasnt unusual. I see youre still as gloomy as ever, sister. This time, a woman in a red dress entered the room. Unlike the other two womens dresses, this one was made up of bright red leather, so it was reminiscent about something bondage related. The woman wearing the red dress looked to be in her upper 20s. She had two knights accompanying her, one on either side. In contrast to Rimea, she was a very gaudy woman. Her skirt did not spread out, but it appeared to be supported by a wire framework. As she passed through the door, the skirt made a noise and expanded to an unnaturally large size like an umbrella. Why must you always be so depressing, sister? If you truly cannot trust anyone, why dont you just get it over with and die? (Sister?) Kamijou looked on in confusion and the woman in the red dress glanced over at him. I am the second princess, Carissa. Have you at least been taught your history, boy? Kamijou was shocked by the scale of someone whose name was in the history books just by being born. On the other hand, Carissa didnt seem interested in Kamijou. Oh, so you came too, Villian. A woman in a green dress who had appeared in a corner of the room at some point gave a start at those sudden words. With her long blonde hair, her white skin, and her dress with a spread out skirt, she was the kind of stereotypical princess one would expect to see in a picture book. However, it seemed she didnt like to stand out too much. While shrinking down and holding down her skirt with both hands, the woman who had been called Villian silently nodded and hurriedly moved away. She is my younger sister, the third princess. Boring, isnt she? Carissa said calmly. Her difficult to comment on words had surely reached Villian, but the third princess only shrunk down further. After seeing that the three princesses had entered the room, Queen Elizard spoke. It looks like everyones here. Those words must have indicated the beginning of the strategy meeting that was being called an audience. Most likely, a large number of soldiers and magicians would enter. From the number of seats prepared, it looked like the meeting would have more than 100 people in it. (...I feel so out-of-place here.) As Kamijou was giving a bitter laugh in his heart, the queen continued speaking. So lets get out of here. ............................................. Kamijou looked over to Index, but she was still just looking blankly ahead. When he looked at Kanzakis face, he saw she was giving a sigh of exasperation. Knight Leader averted his gaze with a bitter look on his face when Kamijou turned his questioning look in his direction. Amid it all, Elizard spoke with a smile on her face. In a large meeting where everything said is recorded, a lot of people cant say what they want to say. In a situation like this where every second counts, having people argue is just a waste of time. At times, making a decision quickly with a small number of people is more effective. ...In Your Majestys case, I feel there are too many of those cases, murmured Knight Leader. Kamijou was taken aback and looked around the conference room. But...um...Is that really okay? Doing it with just a few people is fine, but wont the others feel bad about being left out? Oh, thats simple enough to deal with. We just tell them that they are free to butt in, but, if we go with their policy and fail, all of the responsibility lies with them. ...Wahh. Those people acting like specialists love to give their opinions, but very few of them are willing to take responsibility for those opinions. And having people like that complicating things can be a problem. Especially when were trying to lead a nation. Second Princess Carissa nodded at Queen Elizards words. As long as we have a representative from the Royal Family, the knights, and the church, I dont mind. I dont like that the head of the Anglican Church, the one who summoned Index Librorum Prohibitorum, isnt here, but I suppose its fine since we have a Saint here in her place. I-Im very sorry. It seems our Archbishop is acting secretly behind the scenes as usual, said Kanzaki as she lowered her head. Kamijou started thinking. The knights had Knight Leader, the Anglican Church had Kanzaki Kaori, but the Royal Family had the queen and all three princesses. There appeared to be a bias in who was invited. Hee hee hee. For better or for worse, this country is, in the end, a kingdom. ...That is, the land of a king or, in this case, a queen, First Princess Rimea said while looking at Kamijous face. Apparently, the Royal Family had the most weight when it came to decisions on the national level. As Kamijou was thinking that, Third Princess Villian silently lowered her head apologetically for some reason. On the other hand, Carissa pointed towards Kamijou and spoke. By the way, the representatives of the three factions are fine, but whats that boys role? If hes going to be in the meeting, Id like to know what his position is. It sounded like she was saying that she would rather he be left out if he wasnt needed, but the queen smiled. He is the brave boy who saved the lives of our people and protected our national interests in his unpaid efforts to eliminate the French terrorists who attempted to hijack a passenger plane. In recognition of his achievement and experience, I am willing to listen to his opinion. Hmm. I see. So thats what youre going with. For some reason the second princess smiled and she moved her face closer to Kamijous. So you are brave. Then it wont be a problem. That is an excellent word. Kamijou felt like drawing back, but Queen Elizard brought the discussion to a close. Now then, lets get this meeting started. If we waste any more time, it will take all meaning out of running off. Part 5 The queen, Kamijou, and the others used a staircase to climb up from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor, walked around a bend in a large hallway, and gathered in a simple reception area. As they all sat down on sofas and got comfortable, a maid passed by and looked surprised to see them there. Kamijou quickly looked around at the faces of everyone there. The Queen of England, the three princesses, and the head of the knights were all people that sounded like they were from a picture book. Even with the people Kamijou knew, Index and Kanzaki, one was the Index Librorum Prohibitorum who had 103,000 grimoires precisely memorized and the other was one the worlds fewer than 20 Saints. That group of people made him doubt for a second that he was really in a 21st century society. (Honestly, could I be more out of place...?) Kamijou was feeling uncomfortable, so he stood up from the sofa and pulled his cell phone from his pocket out of habit. He was just planning on checking the time, but he remembered the phone had a small lens on it. It had a camera. (...Hmm. With the queen and the princesses here, it kinda makes me want to get a picture of them, but using a cell phone in such a fancy palace just seems wrong.) After mumbling that, he started to close his cell phone. But the next thing he knew, Second Princess Carissa was much closer to him than she had been when she spoke to him before. Previously, she had just been facing him, but now she was standing right next to him with her bare shoulder almost touching him. She was tilting her head in Kamijous direction looking at his cell phones screen. It was much like when someone on a train started looking at the magazine the person sitting next to them was reading. He wasnt reading an email or anything, but Kamijou still hid the screen from view. ...The screen has a film on it so you cant see it from the side. You fool. A princess wouldnt secretly do something like that. I thought you wanted to take a picture. With a puzzled look on his face, Kamijou held the phone in one hand and spun his head back around. He saw that Carissa had tilted her body in front of the camera and was pulling her chin back slightly to make the softest expression he had seen on her face up to that point. Kamijou drew back a bit. ...Hey, did you practice that face for photos? What are you saying? This is just the basis. Unlike when addressing the general public, you can retake this as much as necessary, so I can easily maintain my majesty by just going with the best one. Id say thats plenty fair since we dont have any special lights or makeup like they use for sample photos of food. Carissa gave her rebuttal with her face frozen in its photo-taking expression. He got the feeling she was urging him to hurry up and take the photo, and from the fact that she was making that expression, he decided she didnt have a problem with having a camera pointed at her. He had a feeling Carissa would stay like that forever if he didnt take a photo, so he switched the phone into camera mode and held his arm out. But, um...Is this really okay? Im not making some kind of ignorant mistake by using a cell phone camera to take a photo of a princess, am I? Its true that most people dont use cell phone cameras, but wanting to leave behind as lovely a face as possible is something of a conditioned reflex. ...And just so you know, this isnt just a bad habit of mine. Look, my sister has noticed the camera and is headed this way. Wah!? The next thing Kamijou knew, First Princess Rimea was standing on the opposite side of him from Carissa. She spoke with her eyes on the cell phone screen. ...Oh, dear. You have a nice shot of my little sister, but Im not fully in frame. I wont allow that. Lets see...like this, no, more like this. If I get closer...and that should do it... Fitting three people on the small screen was a difficult task, but Rimea forced her body up next to Kamijou to fit in the frame. This caused various soft portions of her body to be pressed up against Kamijous arm. (...Gwah!? What? How did this situation spring up so suddenly!?) (..Hm? I dont mind, but we should probably hide this because Knight Leader can be rather hard-headed and he might draw his sword if he noticed.) ...!!!??? An extremely stiff smile appeared on Kamijous face. ... A third figure was now standing behind him having arrived so silently he hadnt noticed. Third Princess Villian was silently working her way into the frame. (Wait a second. Unlike the other two, I had taken her as a proper graceful princess!!) Oh. As I thought, when it comes to taking photos, youre actually willing to take the initiative. ...I...wasnt really... she mumbled in response to her sisters words, but she maintained the kind of cool expression one used for an ID photo. Kamijou started wondering what was going on in the British Royal Family and he decided to just take a picture to end it. But there was one person who stopped him. It was Queen Elizard. ...Really, where do you people think you are? The queen spun around the Curtana Seconds flat tip and pushed it to the floor and then gave a sigh of exasperation. Seeing that, Knight Leader (who didnt notice that the first princesss breasts were pressed up against Kamijous arm) and Kanzaki Kaori nodded in agreement. It was as if they were saying, Thats right, thats right. But then Elizard continued speaking. This is the United Kingdom, the nation of the queen. Why are you taking pictures leaving out the leading part!? Ahh, you fool!! Dont show off your unrestrained love of festivities in front of someone from another country!! This is a strategy meeting!! The queen had started to dash towards Kamijou and the princesses, but Knight Leader tore at his hair with both hands and then stopped her with a full-force tackle. Seeing the two of them fall to the ground, Kamijous face paled, but the second princess tugged on his elbow. The look in her eyes was telling him to ignore the idiots and just take the photo. A slight electronic noise sounded as he took the picture and Elizard looked up from the floor with a look of despair on her face. Ah! You took it!! You really took it without me!! You can redo it! How about you take another one with me in it!? The queen swung Curtana Second as she shouted, but the three princesses walked back to their spots on the sofas with expressions saying they had done what they were there to do. Elizard lay on the floor stricken with various emotions, but she must have finally remembered why they were there. She got to her hurt feet shakily. W-we are here to discuss France. Kamijou assumed she was taking him into consideration and the others had mastered Japanese, because that was the language she was speaking. What about France? asked First Princess Rimea with a number of magazines all open to horoscopes and other forms of divination. Yes, I suppose I should explain everything in order. The problem started 5 days ago with the Eurotunnel explosion, the queen said nodding slightly in response to her daughters words. That sole land route between England and France has three separate tunnels, but all three of them were blown up. I have determined that it was done by the French government. ...Do you have any proof of that? asked Carissa. However, she was not saying it because she doubted it. She had a dangerous look on her face that made it clear she wanted to be able to just start a war and physically deal with the problem. The queen shook her head. That is why Index Librorum Prohibitorum was summoned. If a French-type of Roman Catholic spell was used, she should be able to analyze it using the 103,000 grimoires. Index looked on blankly while Elizard brought the focus to her. The queen lightly tapped her own temple with her index finger. As long as we can gather some evidence, we can take action. It may be none of my business, but France has its own complicated decision-making process it has to go through. There is a group there that hates the Roman Catholic Churchs one-way interference in Frances business. If we can contact the people that want this to end peacefully, it is possible this could all be resolved through talks. ...Of course, that plan comes from the wishful thinkers here in England and its really nothing more than a nice thought that has little chance of succeeding. If this is about France... Kamijou timidly said with a frown. He wasnt really sure if he should be speaking up at such an important meeting. Then does this have to do with the plane hijacking earlier today? Im pretty sure they were French. That likely had nothing to do with this, Elizard said while looking at Kamijou. At the very least, I dont think the government was involved. However, I cannot deny the possibility that they knew it was going to happen and let the terrorists do it. She sighed. According to the police, they received aid from multiple organizations in exchange for teaching those organizations how to hijack a plane without using guns. However, we do not know if those multiple terrorist organizations actually exist. The French government is asking us to hand over the terrorists because they wish to punish criminals from their country themselves. It certainly does seem suspicious. She spoke of a certain level of suspicious, but did not follow it too deeply. She was not the type of person to pointlessly keep at a problem when there wasnt enough information to come to a proper conclusion. The Sky Bus 365 is the primary model used in air shipping to the United Kingdom and the weakness this hijacking pointed out makes them unusable. And all the other models of passenger planes are being inspected to ensure that they are safe. At normal times, that would be an acceptable loss, but with the land route cut off, it is a terrible loss. If they cut off the sea route, well be completely isolated, said First Princess Rimea in a bored voice as she read the various magazine divinations for some reason. She was looking at standard horoscopes, blood type horoscopes, tarot, and kigaku (The last one had kanji that Kamijou didnt even know how to read). For example, what if they used airplanes to scatter mines throughout the sea around the UK? If just one was hit, it would make the private companies think twice even about going in areas of the sea that werent known to have been mined. ...Your thoughts are as cunning as ever, muttered Carissa in a provoking way. Either Rimea took it as a compliment or one of the bits of divination in a magazine had said she would have good luck, because she smiled before speaking some more. But even if we dealt with France, it isnt clear if that would truly solve the issue. Were looking for a French-type of Roman Catholic spell. This time the attack was carried out by France, but they are surely behind it. It would be best not to think of this as a dispute between England and France, but as antagonism between the England/Academy City side and the Rome/Russia side. We mustnt be satisfied with having taken out just the vanguard. If we use up all our strength on that, we wont last afterwards. Knight Leader seemed to agree with her. Now that the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church have joined forces, most of the nations affiliated with the EU and even most that are not, are being supported by the Rome/Russia alliance. Currently, the United Kingdom is on its own. There is a good chance that other countries are part of the vanguard along with France. And that is not the only problem, said Elizard and everyone focused on her. In the confusion of the previous hijacking, there was one thing that caught my attention. Something that caught your attention...? muttered Kamijou without thinking. The queen nodded in response. That incident was resolved with the help of the Anglican Churchs Necessarius. They used a type of illusion to alter the display of the fuel gauge in the cockpit. If it had succeeded, it would have appeared that the amount of fuel was rapidly decreasing, the pilots would have mistaken it for a fuel leak, and they would have been forced to perform an emergency landing on a highway. The knights would have been waiting for the plane and would have used Robin Hood to quickly shoot straight through the wall of the plane in order to hit the terrorists. But...when did that happen? Kamijou had been putting forth great effort aboard that plane and he didnt recall anything like that happening. It didnt. It ended in a failure because someone interfered with the illusion from a distance, responded Queen Elizard. She took some documents from Knight Leader and lightly threw them on the table in front of her. The numerous reports spread out like a fan and stopped right in front of Index. Its still under investigation, but do your 103,000 grimoires agree? Index looked down at the reports for a quick moment. The grimoire library Index Librorum Prohibitorum showed no signs of worry. It was a Norse spell, responded Index smoothly with no hesitation. Seier magic is used primarily by female Norse magicians. It uses a certain type of song to cause one to see an illusion while it is used, but it also has a spell that can be used to remove its intoxication. This works with both illusions that trick the brain and illusions that directly cause an image to appear. I see, nodded Elizard. Rimea seemed to be done with the divination pages and she was folding in the corner of a page about an effective type of massage. If someone created interference, he C well, I suppose this is most likely a she C must be a magician, she commented. Carissa frowned at that. But didnt they say the terrorists in the hijacking didnt have anyone like that in their group? The problem is that the interference came from the direction of Scotland, the queen responded bitterly. Carissas expression twisted sadistically. So the enemies arent just on the outside. Depending on whether a French magician has made it inside the country or a British magician has betrayed us, and how we deal with this changes, dont you think? Rimea said with a smile as she threw one magazine to the side and grabbed another. But Elizard shook her head. No. This magician has only interfered with an illusion of ours once. If this magician had truly wished for the terrorist attack to succeed, he or she would have seen it through to the end. The magician could have shot down the plane from the ground after the hijacking had been dealt with. That idea sent a chill down Kamijous spine. Think of it like this: If this magician is skilled enough to interfere with an illusion from a distance, she is very likely able to use those skills to attack. And yet the magician did nothing more. This brings forward the possibility that the magician was not attempting to aid the terrorists. What reason could this magician have had to interfere with the illusion other than helping them? asked Carissa. For our plan, a runway had to be prepared so the passenger plane could make its emergency landing. This was to be done by sealing off a portion of a large highway. If this magician had no interest in the fate of the plane, her aim had to be preventing that highway from being sealed off. ...So this magician had some reason she had to pass through that area at that time? muttered Kamijou. Elizard gave a bored sigh. If this magician interfered with the illusion to achieve her objective knowing that Necessarius was creating the illusion, she would have to be rather stupid. However, it feels like she was willing to make an enemy of the country to carry out whatever her objective is. Of course, that would mean the objective could be something truly dangerous indeed. Just the dispute between England and France was enough to make my head hurt and now youre saying there is an independent terrorist within the country? The queen nodded in response to Knight Leaders question. They now had two major problems. England now had to deal with an attack from the outside and one from the inside. The highway in question connects Scotland to England and the interference came from Scotland. This leads me to believe that the dangerous magician was heading south from Scotland. Just in case, we at the church will investigate the cabals based in Scotland, said Kanzaki. However, there are quite a few magical groups within the country both large and small that would see this chaos as an opportunity. I cannot guarantee that we can determine which one it is quickly. Thats fine. Just do as much as you can, responded Elizard. That was when Third Princess Villian spoke up for the first time and did so even more timidly than even an outsider like Kamijou. Her eyes were downcast and she fidgeted her fingers in front of her chest. France, the Roman Catholic Church, and the terrorists are all taking these actions because they want to get a message across. Could we possibly listen to that message and find a non-military way to resolve this? Of course not, said Second Princess Carissa. I admit that conversation is important, but talking when it isnt needed is just a waste of time. And even if they would respond favorably to a conversation, we need to at least get back at them for what they did to us. First Princess Rimea nodded as she looked through a special article on methods of face-washing that helped ones looks. I prefer methods that arent quite as physical as Carissas, but I agree that we need to get through this situation quickly. Oh, dont worry. There is a way to keep the ill-will between nations to a minimum. ... It looked like Villian wanted to say something more in response to her sisters, but she remained silent in the end. Seeing that, the queen finally entered the conversation again. In any case, there are two things we must do. First, we need to investigate the cause of the Eurotunnel bombing in order to deal with our external enemy, France. Second, we need to find out what group this inner enemy, the magician, belongs to, find out what he or she is after, and precisely crush the threat if needed. Which enemy has priority? asked Carissa. I feel the first is more important. For the sake of military diplomacy, I would like to begin preparing our forces. No. Elizard shook her head. This is a decision between investigating an incident that already occurred and stopping one that could occur in the future. We should focus on the magic cabal within the country. Tch, Carissa clicked her tongue without even trying to hide it, but she didnt argue the point. The queen then continued. Lets go ahead in the usual way. As it deals with an external enemy, the investigation of the Eurotunnel will be led by the knights and the magic cabal within the United Kingdom will be handled primarily by the Anglican Church. However, Index Librorum Prohibitorum will not go with the church in the search for the magic cabal. She will help with the Eurotunnel investigation. The queen plainly laid out the direction everyone would take. There were no expressions of exaggerated majesty, no attempt to push the reputation of one organization or another, nor was there any of the other unnecessary ornaments that those in power tended to add in. She gave only practical instructions about what different people should do. That method of assignment was the method a true commander used. Report what was decided to your respective organizations. Lets get the inevitable questions over as quickly as possible. After all, there is no kind of rule that makes it so only one incident occurs at a time. Part 6 Kanzaki Kaori was holding a cell phone to her ear. At first glance, it looked like she was having a conversation over the phone, but she wasnt. The phone was not sending or receiving the information, the dove strap connected to it was. The rubber mascot created a voice by vibrating. Yes, yes. Thats right. We are investigating the magical groups in Scotland using Edinburgh as a center point, but the main organizational structure here is cabal reserve armies. The person speaking was Agnese Sanctis. The girl used to lead a unit in the Roman Catholic Church, but she and the rest of the unit were now affiliated with the Anglican Church. They were using their greatest weapon, numbers, to investigate the group that had prevented the emergency landing so they could use the highway to head from Scotland to England. Kanzaki looked to the side at Kamijou and Index who were listening in and she spoke. Cabal reserve armies are not the polished organizations known as magic cabals, right? Arent they more a club created from a gathering of novices who are merely interested in magic? Yes, they seem to usually be a gathering of around 3-5 people. We have found one organization with a hundred or so members, but it does nothing more than love fortunes. Most of them do nothing more than mediation and mental exercises, so they disappear naturally without having any effect on others or society as a whole. ...People like that are trying to do something that will make an enemy of the country? One characteristic of cabal reserve armies is that there tend to be truly refined and therefore important groups mixed in with the worthless ones. I would say this incident was caused by a collection of golden eggs. So youve figured out who it was at least to a certain extent? Ill give you the details later, but there is evidence that theyve been carrying out secret activities for quite some time. It seems they had a lot planned out ahead of time, but they hadnt had a good chance to make their move. This information came to the surface as we looked into some retailers of unnatural equipment and reports of seeing suspicious things, Agnese responded in a natural voice. We are a unit that battles using our numbers. With this many people to throw at the problem and the authority of the Anglican Church added in, it isnt hard to get at least some information. Agnese then sounded like she was reading from a memo. Their group is called New Light. They have the usual structure of a cabal reserve army, but their refinement outdoes all the others. It seems they are only using the cabal reserve army structure to maintain their position. The group has 4 members. I will send you the documents with their names and photographs later. What about their headquarters? We went by there, but we were too late. Bitterness was mixed in with Agneses voice. However, it was set up to be an excellent environment for creating spiritual items. Also, the place had a Norse smell to it. We found a detailed map of a certain city. It didnt just have the locations of streets and buildings on it. It also had the locations of the hundreds of thousands of security cameras in the city. Hundreds of thousands of security cameras...? You dont mean... Yes, Agnese responded after a short pause. It was London. It seems they plan on doing something there. Kanzaki bit her lip. This time Agnese asked a question. The highway theyre using splits, right? How about you calculate the route they will likely take to London from there and set up an inspection point? ...Ill have it set up, but it isnt a perfect measure. They use Norse magic, so they could use a spiritual item to hide their presence and existence. Or they could even just break through the inspection point. Dont be so halfhearted. If you just physically seal off all the roads... We would if we could. But with limited supplies from outside the country, sealing off the internal shipping routes would just be strangling ourselves. An inspection point is all we can do. But then... Well do everything we can to stop them outside the city, but we may have to take action within London. Kanzaki altered her grip on the cell phone. Do you know what theyre after? Do you know specifically what they want to do in London? We got a hint of that from those secret activities I mentioned they had been carrying out. Agnese lowered her voice. I have no proof, but the New Light members may have been excavating something here in Scotland. ...Well, we dont really have any document describing their plan or anything. Its just a deduction based on the list of equipment they acquired. Excavating something...? Kanzaki frowned. It seems they were mainly working at a spot where a fortress used to be, but it is unknown what they were trying to obtain. However, from the amount of time and money they spent on it, it must be central to their plan. It was most likely something magical like a spiritual item. And if they were digging it up instead of making it, it must have been something that would be difficult to make with modern materials. I suppose it would be best to assume they excavated some spiritual item and are taking it to London to destroy something. There is no proof of that, but we did find a short memo. It was dated with todays date and had a short and simple piece of text. Agnese paused for a second. It said, Today is the day we change England. Its true that we cant tell what that means, but it doesnt sound like it has a peaceful meaning. Kanzaki adjusted her grip on the cell phone again. Agnese, you continue your investigation of New Lights headquarters. See if you can find out what they excavated in Scotland and what they plan to do with it in London. If we can figure out what theyre after, it will be easier to stop them. We will try our best to intercept New Light outside of London, but we have to be prepared to do battle within London if it comes to it. Investigate the equipment New Light uses to help with that possibility. Understood, Agnese said and severed the connection. Kanzaki then spoke to Kamijou and Index who had been staring blankly at her the entire time. The Amakusa Church and I will be on the lookout throughout London. Are you going to fight those magicians who are in the country? Yes. You...or rather, Index will go to the scene of the Eurotunnel bombing. To meet up with the investigation there, head to Folkestone. Folkestone? But I thought the Eurotunnel went through a place called Dover? Yes, but the terminal for the England-side entrance is a few kilometers away in the city of Folkestone. So hurry there. Eh? Eh? Kamijou started getting flustered, but then someone interrupted. Oh, sorry, boy. It seems you cant go with her to Folkestone. It was Second Princess Carissa. She pointed at his right hand. According to the report I received, that can negate all kinds of magic. As such, it would probably be a bad thing to let you near the Eurotunnel bombing site because its being preserved through magical means. Also, it might have an effect on the analysis. But both the Anglican Church and Academy City recognize him as Indexs guardian. I understand that, but this is influencing the relationship between England and France. Not to mention that the exact workings of and theory behind that right hand are unknown. You cant know whether it will have an effect on the investigation or not. Then... Kanzaki said hesitatingly. Index Librorum Prohibitorum, my sisters, and I will be heading to the terminal in Folkestone in order to carry out the Eurotunnel investigation. We will take a unit of knights as guards. A unit under the direct control of Knight Leader. That shouldnt be a problem, right? Carissa spoke lightly. If you insist on having a guard from the church along, you could always come with us to Folkestone. But I doubt you want to give up any manpower here. I have no intention of getting in your way. Well, yes. But... Given her position, it was possible Kanzaki couldnt actually complain. This made it a situation where an outsider like Kamijou could speak much more easily. You said your sisters and you, but what about the queen? My mother seems to have some kind of work at our secondary residence, Windsor Castle. She might be preparing something to use against France. It probably has something to do with the secret actions the head of the church has been taking. Kanzaki and Necessarius would search for the magicians heading for London. The three princesses and Index would carry out the Eurotunnel investigation. The queen and the head of the Anglican Church were taking secret actions at Windsor Castle. ...But what am I supposed to do? Touma!! Index yelled with her hands on her hips before the second princess could respond. This feeling you have of needing to go deal with every incident is a bad habit of yours!! Youre just a normal person, so you can just wait here until its all over!! But whats wrong with helping? Necessarius needs as many people as it can get to search, right? It would be more effective if you used my help. N-no. Its true that we can use as many people as we can get, but I cant condone putting civilians in danger. That was when Queen Elizard passed by. Oh, right. Thats right. It isnt necessary to force civilians to help. You can just do whatever you want here until the situation is under control. See, Touma? Index nodded in agreement, but the queen continued speaking. But we cant exactly spend the peoples tax money on room and board for someone who isnt giving anything in return. Well charge you at a later date. You dont mind right? If you just think of it like 2 or 3 suites at a ridiculously high-class hotel, itll actually seem like a pretty good price. ...Please let me help you protect Englands peace, Kamijou said lowering his head. Part 7 The scenery looked like something out of a milk or butter commercial. The land had nothing but rolling green hills all the way to the horizon. An occasional barn or silo was the only obstruction. It was currently 11 PM, so the cows were asleep within the barns, but during the day, plenty of grazing cows would have been visible. A single road cut down the green pasture dividing it in two. A single vehicle was driving down that road. It was a small car that seemed a bit too cramped for a family to ride in. Four girls were packed inside the rental car. One girl sitting in the backseat was sticking her head out the window. The girl was in her early teens and was wearing a bluish miniskirt and an unfashionable jacket zipped all the way up to her neck. Her long black hair was braided together only at the end. Dahh. I cant wait to be rid of this green smell... Lessar, I can see your ass. And that tail is in the way, said a displeased voice. The voice belonged to the girl of about 18 who was sitting next to her. The silver-haired girl was wearing the same outfit as Lessar, but without the jacket. She had a long-sleeved sports shirt on and the chest portion bulged out greatly. The collar had a few small buttons, but they were all left undone leaving her cleavage slightly visible. The portion of her legs sticking out of the miniskirt had blue leggings on them down to the ankles. She slapped the tail swaying in front of her eyes. If you dont draw it in, Im ripping it off. Dont be so mean, Bayloupe. What has you so mad anyway? Lessar sent an order to her tail with her eyes still looking out the window. By drawing it in, she didnt just put it away somewhere. Instead, it started wrapping like a snake around the base of her thigh within her miniskirt. In what may have been a necessary action to draw in her tail, Lessar raised her butt up high. Having Lessars white panties thrust in her face, Bayloupes eyebrows twitched. I told you to get it out of my face!! I told you!!!!! Gwaaaahhhh!? Why are you grabbing it with both hands like that!? Bayloupe, you always get mad so easily just before a mission!! Floris, please tell her to stop!! Eh? But Im concentrated on driving right now. The blonde girl holding the steering wheel didnt seem to be very motivated. She was around 15 and was wearing a similar outfit to the other two. She had the jacket draped over the sports shirt and had spats on underneath the miniskirt. ...It seems no matter how far we go, the scenery stays the same. This is a straight path, so I dont see how I could have gotten lost, but is this really the right road, Lancis? The conversation turned in the direction of the brown-haired girl acting as navigator in the passenger seat. S-stop... That tickles...aha...Wh-whenever I take in magic power...i-it tickles so much. Ee hee hee hee hee... Dammit. You always start trembling like that from the magic power you create. Whenever you purify your life energy into magic power, for some reason you always get attacked by a tickling feeling. Floris clicked her tongue and checked on the back seat via the rearview mirror. Hey, you two lesbians who look like youre from some erotic novel or something. Have you finished the preparations with Skeblaenir? Since we managed to excavate that, we need to focus on its container. You idiot!! Using your hands like that is just going to make my ass hurt!! ...Eh? You mean the cases? Preparations are done on all four of them. Excellent job, Lessar. I suppose Ill tell you that Bayloupes weakness is her calves. A slight vibration rocked the car as the two switched positions. Floris took one hand from the wheel and lightly rubbed her stiff shoulders. My wings are doing well. ...And from the looks of things, your tail is fine, too. Looking in the rearview mirror, she could see the wriggling tail coming from Lessars miniskirt as Lessar struggled. It didnt really look like an animals tail. It was more like a distorted demons tail. Lancis, how are your claws doing? Aheh...Theyre ready....A-ah, that tickles...Ee hee. Hearing that response from the passengers seat, Floris looked back into the rearview mirror. You havent finished adjusting the scissors yet, have you? Do it before we get there. As you can see, I have my hands full driving and Lancis is useless while shes trembling from that ticklishness of hers, so you two are the only ones who can do it. Ill do that and more if you tie up Bayloupe!! And she isnt responding to her calves at all!! What a pain, Floris muttered as she ignored Lessar and stared straight ahead. Now lets get focused. After all, were about to destroy the very framework of the United Kingdom. A traffic sign stood at a fork in the road. It had English words on it and a simple diagram made of an arrow. It signified that it was 30 km to London. Part 8 Kamijou was sitting in the passenger seat of a convertible. Nighttime London smelled of exhaust. Hundreds of years of historical buildings were lined up all over the place, but it was all wrapped in that stench which ruined the mood. I never expected to run into you here. Oh. It was an unexpected turn of events for onee-san as well, said a magician with a giggle as she gripped the steering wheel with sparkling manicured fingers. It was Oriana Thomson. The young woman had blonde hair, blue eyes, and very large breasts. She had once taken advantage of Academy Citys large-scale sports festival, the Daihaseisai, to carry out an attack along with her partner Lidvia Lorenzetti. She had an astounding battle ability that had allowed her to have the upper hand against Kamijou, Stiyl, and Tsuchimikado all at once, but, in the end, her plan was stopped and she was captured by the Anglican Church. Well, onee-san has been through a lot. I made a deal and am now working for England. ...But the Eurotunnel bombing was done by France with the backing of the Roman Catholic Church. I dont know about the magicians acting inside the UK, but they might have some connections in that direction. Should you really be working against them? Just so you know, onee-san is a magical courier. I havent sworn loyalty to any one organization. Im free to work with or fight against whoever I want. ...So, as long as you make sure to pay, Id even be willing to work up a sweat for you. Okay? Kamijous body stiffened at having that alluring breath blown in his direction. It seemed that high school boy had various problems regarding that young woman. I-I see. It feels like theyre expecting that you can find these magicians using your courier skills. Well, the skills for running away and the skills for pursuit are actually completely different, but there are some things you cant understand until youve experienced them for yourself. So where are we headed now? There was talk about whether New Light, the suspected magic group of four, would get to London or not, but it seems the inspection point they set up ended up being useless. The traces of something odd were spotted. ...So theyve already made it into London? Are you aware that a few hundred thousand security cameras are set up around London? It was spotted on a camera from north London. As she spoke, Oriana operated the cars navigation system with her slender fingertips. It switched to the strange video footage that looked like it was gazing down at a street from a street light. This is from 10 minutes ago. Kamijou stared at the video as it fast forwarded. ...Hey, nothings happening. Oh, something most certainly is. Look at the top edge of the screen. You can see the shadow of a car, cant you? Once she mentioned it, Kamijou felt like he could, but he found it odd that she had showed him the footage from that specific camera. Surely there was footage from one of the other hundreds of thousands of cameras that had a better view. There isnt any, Oriana answered Kamijous unspoken question. There is no footage showing where that car came from. The car was purposefully driven through the blind spots of the cameras and stopped there. ...It would be quite difficult to write this off as a coincidence. But is that really enough to say that the car belongs to the magicians? No, but thats why were headed there to find out, Oriana said as she brought the navigation screen back up. London has roads running across it like the mesh of a net, but the points that are important to traffic are limited. Even more so when youre driving through the blind spots of the cameras. Whether this is the magicians or not, well catch up to them soon. If we find anything odd, we can just go check it out. All we have to do is continue doing that until we find them. That description made it sound like they would just fall behind, but it was the only method they had. After all, Kamijou and the others still didnt even know what this New Light group had come to London to do. ...Can we really find them like this? Oh, its actually quite rare to know every little thing about the person youre chasing after. Part 9 One member of New Light, Bayloupe, was leaning up against a wall near the stairs leading down into a subway station. She was keeping an eye on an old rectangular case at her feet while occasionally checking the lit-up face of a clock tower. She used a communications spiritual item to contact the other members. Now then. I suppose its about time we started. Ive made Lancis the keeper. If we succeed, Englands current political administration will be destroyed from its very base. London may not fare well. But theres no real reason to destroy the city any more than is necessary. One member of New Light, Lancis, placed an old rectangular case on the ground and sat on it. She had a long, narrow bag in her hand and trembled while looking up at the night sky. She used a communications spiritual item to contact the other members. ...I-it tickles...Th-thyats why...fwah! Everyones aiming for this as the time theyll get back...Ahah. At the very least, therell be less chaos than in the middle of the day...Hyaahhhh... One member of New Light, Floris, was walking down a small road a bit removed from the main road. She swung an old rectangular case around onto her back in a similar motion to brushing back her hair. She used a communications spiritual item to contact the other members. I wish I could just put up a people-clearing field, but theyd find us right away if I did. We could use that to draw their attention away, but we halves should just end this with a swift attack. And... One member of New Light, Lessar, was in a bar in a run-down area. It was at one edge of the Islington District in North London and everyone in it looked like they would drink at least 2 liters. A girl in her early teens like Lessar clearly stood out, but she just told the muscular bartender she was in London on a trip and no restaurants were open. He then gave her some free fried fish to eat and orange juice to drink. Lessar was at a counter seat stuffing her mouth with the sizzling fried fish with the strap to a narrow, meter long bag over her shoulder. She also had an old rectangular case on the floor at her feet. A voice came directly into Lessars head. Getting something to eat is fine, but dont forget that youre a half, too. We cant have you screwing up now. I wont, I wont. But being the Forward sure would be nice. Oh, Bayloupe. Should we really be using communications magic in London? This is the stronghold of the 0th Parish, after all Its actually because were right under Necessariuss nose that we dont have to worry about that. Uuh...I dont want to rely on someone like you... Youre just mad because youre hungry, arent you? Look, Ill add in the olfactory information. Isnt that smell of grease so wonderful? (...Agh, and she of all people is the most powerful one in New Light in actual battle ability. Hoo, but I really do want to eat something now. Maybe some fried fish...) Hee hee. Your thoughts are coming through loud and cle-..bgyah!? The transmission ended with a tremendous amount of static. The way Lessar held her head made it clear that it had bothered her and she then resumed her battle against the fried fish. (Now then. After I eat this, I just have to take the case to the designated spot and wait for instructions. I wonder if England really is going to change. I hope it does...) She started humming and kicking her feet underneath her stool when the tip of her foot bumped into the rectangular case. (Oh, whoops...Hm?) Lessar froze in place. It wasnt because the rectangular case was gone. The case she had brought in was right there at her feet where she had left it. But another rectangular case was sitting there, too. They both had the exact same features and would be very hard to tell apart. ... Lessar timidly looked next to her. The customer who had been there before was gone and a large black man was sitting in the small stool and gulping down a frothy beer. The other case most likely belonged to him. Now, which one was the case Lessar had brought in? (Gyaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! O-oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!! Oh, crap!!!) Bayloupe had just finished warning her and she was already in trouble. Of course, she could tell by checking the contents. Lessars case was a magical item called Skeblaenir. When opened, its magic would activate. But she couldnt do that. She couldnt open the case in a place like that and activating a major piece of magic would raise the risk of being found by Necessarius. As she thought, the large black man finished off his large mug of beer. Ahhh. I think Ill leave it at that for today. What? Thats only your third one. My doctors been telling me to be a little more restrained in my drinking. Then threes already too much. As the large man spoke with the bartender, he started counting money out onto the counter. (Not good. I dont know which is which...) For an instant, Lessars focus turned to the narrow, meter long bag on her back, but she managed to stop herself at the last second. Bringing out a weapon there would just cause a panic. (Ahhh!! Which one? Which one!? Right!? Left!? Which one is Skeblaenir!?) As Lessar tried to decide, the large black man reached toward one of the cases at his feet with an unsteady hand. Lessars small hand grabbed the large mans wrist. Nn? The man looked at Lessar with a puzzled expression. Th-this ones mine. That ones yours. Nnn!? Oh, I see, I see. Sorry about that, little girl. With a bitter smile, the large man grabbed the other case. As she watched the drunk black man get up from his seat, Lessar breathed a heavy sigh of relief. (...Made it in time. Just a bit longer and Bayloupe wouldve ended up crushing my ass...) If she had to guess, Lessar had felt that her case was more worn out. She had stroked the surface of the cases with her fingertips to determine which one was hers by touch. She finally relaxed and leaned limply up against the counter. Seeing her, the bartender looked a bit worried. Huh? You didnt drink any alcohol did you? That was when Lessar saw something. There were now 3 rectangular cases on the floor. Sweat started dripping from her cheeks. The other 2 must have belonged to other drunks. Or perhaps they had been left by someone. But now that she saw three of them, Lessars confidence wavered. (Which one is the real one? Is it this one? Is the lighting making it look different? Is this the one that black man had? I need to line them up and look at them! Ahh, but that man is about to leave!!) E-Everybody, stay where you aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeee!! ...When Bayloupe learned what happened via the communications spiritual item, she started foaming at the mouth and almost passed out. Part 10 When Kamijou and Oriana had almost made it to the car parked in the blind spot of the security cameras, Oriana suddenly changed the direction of the convertible. A staticky male voice speaking English could be heard coming from the cars navigation system that must have functioned as a radio as well. According to that transmission, one of them made a major mistake!! Wah!? That was from Necessarius? No, it was from the London Police that are controlled by the Royal Family. It seems some idiot caused some trouble at a nearby bar!! A number of police cars with red and blue lights could be seen on the roadway. Oriana must have gotten permission somehow because she ignored the speed limit and roared down the road through them. When she turned right at high speed without using her turn signal, something odd caught Kamijous attention. A short girl was running down the brick walkway. She was wearing a thick jacket and a miniskirt and was carrying 3 rectangular cases for some reason. Umm, which one, which one, which one!? Its this one!! Dammit. I just had to pick them up and check how much they weighed!! Kamijou didnt understand her rapidly spoken English, but from her expression and gestures, it looked like she regretted something. She threw two of the cases to the roadside and ran off with the third one in hand. But there was something beyond those odd actions that caught his attention. It was the object she was holding between her shoulder and cheek like a businessman holding a phone. It was a spear. More specifically, it had a metal shaft about 1.5 meters long. It seemed to be made so it had a narrow portion of the shaft that could be packed inside a thicker portion in order to make it more portable. The end had a blade on it that made it about 40 cm longer. However, this wasnt just one blade. It had three blades on the top of that end and single blade on the bottom of that end. The spear had what looked like a cars brake on its lower portion which was probably a lever to open and close the blades on the end. What the hell is that...? Probably some kind of spiritual item. Shes pretty much an explosion of suspicion, so Id say its safe to assume shes the New Light member. Do magicians really not realize how odd they look? ... Kamijou silently stared at Orianas body, but it seemed she didnt notice the irony. Oriana removed one hand from the steering wheel and stuck it into her cleavage. She pulled out a bundle of papers that looked like a booklet of flashcards. She bit one of the pages and tore it from the metal ring with a movement of her chin. She then tossed the page towards the walkway as they passed by the running girl. People-clearing field. Something seemed to activate as she spoke. Kamijou didnt understand, but the target girl lifted her head up in surprise. The card Oriana had tossed flipped over at about the same time as she tossed a second card. At some point, letters had appeared on the blank page. The yellow letters read Fire Symbol. That was the key to the magic used by Oriana Thomson, a courier who never used the same spell twice. An explosion of flame ripped through the walkway. The nearby shutters and windows rattled and the darkness of the night was lit up with a crimson light. Having confirmed the explosion, Oriana pulled on the hand brake and turned the wheel to the side sharply making a U-turn without losing much momentum. Once the convertible was facing the explosion, she stopped the car. Kamijou started panicking. H-hey!! Wasnt that a bit much!? No, this is actually quite bad!! As she yelled her response, Oriana threw open the car door and practically jumped out of the convertible. Kamijou looked on in confusion until a metallic scraping noise reached his ears. The noise was coming from the side. He didnt have time to turn his head in that direction. In an amount of time that could only be called an instant, he barely managed to move just his eyes in that direction to see the girl from before sliding along right next to the passenger seat. As the girl moved along at what seemed like the speed of a bullet, something was following behind her. It was a tail. The tail was stretching out from within her skirt and it was a flat metal chain within a clear tube much like a bicycle chain lock. Their eyes suddenly met. No complaints, right? she said in English. The girl struck the metal door with the end of her spear. She was intending to pierce straight through the door and into Kamijous gut. O-Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Kamijou ignored the structure of the car, stepped up on the passenger seat, and jumped forward towards the hood. The instant he kicked off from the seat, the four blades pierced the door and he felt them scrape lightly along the bottom of his basketball shoes. The shock of the metal door being torn through reached him an instant later. Kamijou landed on the hood and then jumped down to the roadway. He heard an odd roar and spun around to find that the short girl in her lower teens had torn off the convertibles passenger side door. With the end of the spear still stuck in the door, she had forcefully swung the spear around by its handle. In contrast to the ridiculously violent scene, the tail coming from her miniskirt swayed humorously. The girl then swung the spear, door and all. She wasnt stabbing; she was swinging it down. However, she wasnt aiming for Kamijou. She was aiming for the back of the convertible C specifically the fuel tank. With a cracking noise, the metal wall easily broke. The tip of the spear sank into the fuel tank. With a tremendous noise, the convertible exploded. But that wasnt what surprised Kamijou. The flame should have spread out in all directions, but the four blades on the girls spear forcibly grabbed it. He had no idea how it worked, but the four blades opened up like they were human fingers. They then forcefully closed again and the flames that were about to spread out were restrained. The flames leaked from the gaps between the four blades, but they were given a new form in the air. The flames became an unnatural block-shaped crimson mass. The sides werent even in length, but no side was longer than about a meter. The four blades looked like a fork stabbed into a giant carrot. Instead of extinguishing, the flames moved along with the motions of the four blades. The girl swung the spear with the mass of flames down like it was a hammer and met Kamijous gaze as he had fallen to the ground. She smiled. Kamijou immediately held up his right hand to cover himself, but she altered the trajectory diagonally a bit to slip past it. Youre kidding, right...!? Kamijous body froze up and he used just his eyes to follow the flame-covered spear the girl with the miniskirt and tail was swinging down. A shock then knocked the girl to the side. Her body doubled over from the impact caused by Orianas magic. Her small body flew a few meters. She was still holding the spear, but the giant mass of flames slipped away like a carrot flying from a fork when it was swung around. The mass of flames flew off at an odd angle and exploded sending orange light around the area. Even then, the girl did not collapse. The bottom of her shoes scraped along the ground as she killed her momentum and she used the rectangular case in her other hand to stop Orianas magic. Smoke rose from the surface of the case and the light of the girls eyes shined from behind the shield. But then... Ahhhhhhh!? I used the most important thing as a shield without thinking!! Kamijou couldnt understand a word of her native English, but the magician seemed to be panicking. Kamijou turned from the flustered girl who had just tried to kill him and spoke. Hey, Oriana. I dont really understand, but that rectangular case seems to be an important item. Id rather not kick a girls ass, so lets focus on that case instead. Fine with me. If its a type of spiritual item, it should be interesting to see what happens if you punch it with your right hand. The girls shoulders jumped upon hearing that short strategy meeting. W-well done determining my weakness in such a short time! But I cant let it be destroyed here! In order to prevent my ass from being crushed by Bayloupe, Ill have to make a strategic withdrawal here. Toh!! The girl moved her tail like a pendulum once and then jumped straight up into the air. Their fight had not caused an uproar because Oriana had used a people-clearing field at the last second. The girl herself didnt seem too worried about causing a scene, though. Dammit... Can we follow her!? cursed Kamijou. If she could jump like that, she could ignore the layout of streets and go about the city as she pleased. It would be difficult to chase her in a car, much less on foot. After all, a car had to follow the roads. That isnt necessarily the case, Oriana said in response to Kamijous unease. Even if she can travel inside buildings and along rooftops, shes still limited. The buildings are built along the streets. If she is going to use the buildings to travel, she will naturally have to follow the flow of buildings. ? You dont get it? If she comes across a wide road with 3 or 4 lines on each side, she wont be able to reach the next building. Its just like having a road cut off by a wide river. Cant she jump from the building down to the road!? If she could do that, she wouldnt need the tail. She uses it to ensure her balance in midair. Some types of monkeys use their tails in the same way when jumping from branch to branch. Since she prepared a spiritual item like that, she must be afraid of heights above a certain point! That meant there were some things the magician girl couldnt do. Her escape route was naturally limited. Shall we go after her? Of course!! Kamijou and Oriana nodded and ran into the London night. Part 11 About a kilometer away from that turmoil, another member of New Light, Bayloupe, stood near the entrance to a subway station holding her head. (That idiot...!! How could she cause an uproar that not only got the attention of the 0th Parish, but of the normal London police, too!?) Even then, she could hear a high pitched voice yelling Help, help! through the communications spiritual item, but Bayloupes thoughts were turning in the direction of wanting to finish the girl off herself. The stairway into the subway area was surrounded on three sides by walls. It was almost midnight and the time for the last train must have been nearing because a large number of company workers and drunks were pouring down the stairway. Amid it all, Bayloupe was leaning against one of the walls focusing on the meter long bag hanging on her back and the old rectangular case lying on the floor at her feet. (...At the very least, one of them must be activated. All I can do is wait for Lancis to contact me. The real problem is that we dont know the coordinates until the last second. Having to ad lib everything due to the unknown destination makes this difficult.) She sighed and folded her arms as she watched the company workers walk by. Amid the stereotypical English securities men, she caught sight of the occasional Japanese person. The black hair stood out amid all the blond heads. Her eye was naturally drawn to them and, once the number of heads with black hair grew to 8 or 9, she realized that everyone around her was Japanese. ...!? Having been surrounded, Bayloupe looked to the bag on her back. One girl stepped forward from the group of Japanese and approached Bayloupe. We are from Necessarius, the 0th Parish of the Anglican Church. Do you understand? The girl, Itsuwa of the Amakusa Church, spoke in a manner similar to a police officer. Despite the fact that they were still amid the crowd of passersby, she was already wielding a type of cross spear. In response to that introduction that only those on that path would understand, Bayloupe pulled the edges of her lips up in a smile with her arms still folded. ...So youve already made it this far? We are a sect that focuses on blending in with the environment. This also makes us proficient in the techniques needed to find those who do not belong. These skills were originally used for early detection of spies of the shogunate mixed in with the townspeople, though. Tch. I see. So youre affiliated with them. The 0th Parish really does just gather whatever personnel it can, doesnt it? We will have you accompany us to the Tower of London. Just in case, would you like to verify what you are being charged with? No thanks. Bayloupe unfolded her arms and put her hands in her pockets. In a motion much like putting on headphones, she attached what looked a bit like hearing aids behind her ears. However, on each side, there were two of what looked like vacuum tubes sticking out of them. Until this case is activated... With her special ears C or perhaps they could be called horns C put in, Bayloupe stuck the tip of her foot into the handle of the rectangular case lying on the ground. I have no intention of being captured!! She kicked the case up into the air and grabbed it with one hand. Using that motion as a sign, Itsuwa unreservedly struck with her spear. She was aiming to thrust the spear into the joint between Bayloupes right shoulder and right arm. A roar of sliced air resounded. But Bayloupes soft flesh was not torn. This was due to the bag hanging from her shoulder. In response to her will, it tore from the inside and she swung the weapon inside horizontally. The weapon couldnt quite be called a spear and it couldnt quite be called a hand. It was a long metal pole with four blades stuck on the end. It struck Itsuwas spear causing sparks to fly and the two of them were knocked back. If Kamijou had been there, he would have recognized the weapon as the same type of weapon the magician girl he had run into had. ...!? Along with the high pitched clang caused by the blow, the Japanese surrounding Itsuwa and Bayloupe pulled out their hidden swords and axes. Bayloupe was surrounded by sinister shining steel, but she still smiled fearlessly. She put even more strength into the hand holding her weapon. She swung her weapon by rotating her entire body. Itsuwa stood at the ready, but the attack was not aimed for any of the Amakusas. Bayloupe destroyed the concrete wall she had been leaning up against previously. The stairway down to the subway was surrounded by walls on three sides and Bayloupes intentions in smashing the wall like a biscuit were clear. She was going to flee. Itsuwa let out a frustrated breath as she attacked with her spear. However, her strike did not pierce Bayloupes body. Bayloupe had already gone with the rubble down into the subway station the stairway connected to. Itsuwa!! I know!! Tatemiya-san, you and everyone else guard the entrances and exits!! Itsuwa yelled in response to her colleague and ran down to the subway station. She didnt really use the stairs. Instead, she just jumped down to the lower floor all at once. When she landed, she stuck a hand into her pocket and pulled out a gun. The magazine was only loaded with blanks, but she still pulled the trigger. Multiple eardrum-piercing gun shots reverberated throughout the underground area. Hearing that noise, the passengers all headed for the exits. They must have thought there was a terrorist or a gunman. Before long, all the panicked people had left the underground area. (Tatemiya-san and the others are watching the customer exits. If the magician is still in the station, we dont have to worry about getting civilians involved now.) Itsuwa threw the now-empty handgun to the side and raised her spear again. As a magician, she could have set up a people-clearing field, but sometimes a physical method was more effective in an emergency situation. Especially since the Amakusas drew out the magical meanings from the normal objects around them. When it might take some time to find the necessary items, the way she handled it was much faster. She ran down a fairly long passageway with ticket machines and automatic ticket gates at the end. Itsuwa jumped over a ticket gate as if it were a hurdle and continued running to the platform. She arrived right when Bayloupe was about to climb down from the empty platform. She was most likely thinking of running directly into the tunnel instead of getting on a train. Itsuwas and Bayloupes gazes clashed. ...!! ...!? In that instant, Bayloupe made the first move. Holding the rectangular case in one hand, she gave a large swing of the 4-bladed weapon that was part spear and part hand. She was throwing the sign it held. The sign flew more than 10 meters until it was sliced to pieces by 7 strikes right before Itsuwas eyes. She hadnt done it with her spear. She had laid out 7 wires. The Norse symbol of supernatural strength, Itsuwa said as she held up her spear and silently walked forward while measuring the distance between them. Its form almost led me astray, but that is not a spear. The magical symbol leads me to feel that it belongs to the thunder god Thor who is known for his valor. But... Please dont be so stupid as to say its the thunder hammer Mj?lnir. When the Christian Church is taught in northern Europe, the hammer is often used in many magical ways in the cultures that have no cross. However, that is not what we are using. Bayloupe grinned. Thor is famous for Mj?lnir, but he used weapons other than that once. They were weapons he borrowed from a certain female giant. This is a spiritual item created from an analysis of that story. It is the steel glove. It is much more convenient for a girl to use. A weapon for a girl to use...? Sorry, but all the members of New Light aim to be gorgeous girls. A spiritual item made from an analysis of Mj?lnir would be a bit too heavy to use easily. Bayloupe stabbed the end of the glove forward. She moved the lever on the lower portion of the grip and the four blades opened and closed like human fingers. First of all, we dont even think of Thor as merely a thunder god. Thor is essentially a god of agriculture, so his lightning strikes are interpreted as just one of the weather-controlling powers he has as the god that rules over the blessings of nature. Even so, Mj?lnir is too strongly associated with the thunder god aspect, so we decided to prepare a weapon that isnt just used as a means of attack and possesses the softer side of a god of agriculture. Itsuwa held out the tip of her spear and carefully estimated the distance between them. As she did, Bayloupe continued speaking. As a substitute for Mj?lnir, Thor borrowed a belt that increased his arm strength, an iron club with exceedingly powerful destructive force, and the iron gloves. The role of the gloves is unknown, but we interpreted them as an interface to accurately control very powerful spiritual items. In any case, there was one thing we ended up saying. As she spoke, Bayloupe spun the steel glove around and struck the floor of the platform with the four-bladed tip. Wouldnt it be easier to just have all of them in one spiritual item? The four blades sunk into the tile floor. With the steel glove still stuck into the floor, she swung it forward with all her strength. Like a golf club hitting a bunker, a large amount of small fragments flew toward Itsuwa. ...!! Itsuwa curled up her body as the barrage went by and then charged in. But Bayloupe spun the steel glove around in one hand like a tree branch and immediately attacked. But this was not a slashing attack. The steel glove grabbed something. (The wind? ...No, the dust in the air!?) Just as Itsuwa realized it, the concrete powder expanded with explosive force near her face. With a loud blast, Itsuwas body was blown to the side. The bottoms of her shoes slid along the ground as she tried to slow herself down and Bayloupe jumped up. At about a meter up, she curled up her legs and thrust in rotating vertically. She was still holding the steel glove and, as before, it was grabbing a large amount of condensed dust. (Not good!! And that things bad enough with her arm strength alone...!!) For an instant, Itsuwa brought her spear up to block out of reflex, but then she relaxed her muscles and jumped to the side. It was just too much force to block. Meanwhile, Bayloupe rotated twice in midair and used centrifugal force to swing down the steel glove. Her arm strength and the power of the dust caused the floor of the subway station to explode like a volcano. Itsuwa had avoided a direct hit, but her body flew spinning through the air. She had been hit by a few of the scattered fragments. Even so, she did not fall to the ground. Like a figure skater who had failed a jump, she landed on the tips of her toes. Bayloupe grabbed more dust from the air and swung her weapon to the side towards Itsuwa. Itsuwa had already lost her balance, so she couldnt move back any further. The large amount of dust expanded near her as if it had exploded. G...Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Having received a direct hit that time, Itsuwas body was thrown to the ground and then knocked a good distance back. The handle of the Friuli spear she was holding broke to pieces and scattered about the area. The tip spun through the air and stabbed into the ground right next to Itsuwas face. Holding the rectangular case in one hand, Bayloupe leaned the steel glove up against her shoulder with the other hand. Looks like this is over. We can go on if you like, but Ill be using the horn of wisdom, the Gjallarhorn, next. As she spoke, she used the hand she had been holding the case with to lightly touch the side of her head as if she were checking on headphones she was wearing. She had hearing aid-like devices behind ears with two vacuum tube-like objects sticking from each one. To reproduce the steel gloves, we gave them the destructive power of the club obtained from the female giant, the increased arm strength of the belt, and gave it the ability to ''grab''. But by adding in wisdom, I become the only member of New Light that can also partially use the thunder attribute. Unlike Thor, I use it in a different way than using Mj?lnir. If you dont want to be turned to ashes, I suggest you remain where you are. Itsuwa wiped the blood spilling from her mouth with the back of her hand, but she did not stand up. Bayloupe grabbed the case again before speaking. With this, we will change the history of the United Kingdom. We will change the Royal Family, the knights, the church, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. But it isnt all bad. Make sure you enjoy the change we will be bringing about. With the case still in one hand, Bayloupe straddled the steel glove like a witchs broomstick. She did not fly with it. The tip of the steel glove, the four blades, grabbed the floor. Then the individual blades skillfully moved causing it to move across the ground as if it were walking on tentacles. Riding the steel glove, Bayloupe jumped from the platform and disappeared at high speed into the train tunnel. ...... Itsuwa remained motionless for a bit. Finally, she slowly stood up and reached over to a microphone on a pillar used for announcements. Straddling the steel glove like a witchs broomstick, Bayloupe held the rectangular case in one hand and held the grip of the steel glove upside down with her other hand. She moved down the train tracks at the same speed as a car on the highway. She gave a slow sigh and relaxed her shoulders. (...At least I managed to escape trouble for now. Im sure Lancis is fine, but Im worried about Floris. Really, its all because of Lessars incredibly stupid mistake!!) Bayloupe clicked her tongue. She gave the steel glove instructions to match the gentle curve of the tunnel. She decided to head for either a nearby station or an exit for workers. As she thought about that, she realized something was odd. (...Why was there a curve just now?) According to the route map, the rail was nothing but a straight line to the next station. The route made no curve and there shouldnt have been any branching points. Bayloupe stopped the steel glove and stood on the tracks. She thought she might have entered some strange path, but she couldnt have. There had been only one path up to that point. But then why had the track curved? And where did that unnaturally curving track lead to? As she thought, a sudden voice reached her ears. It was coming from a speaker installed in the subway tunnel. It was most likely intended to be used to inform workers of coming trains. A familiar voice was speaking. ...It wont really help to explain it to you now, but Im sure you know that all of Necessariuss battle personnel must have a certain level of skill. The voice was that of the girl she had just fought on the subway platform. She wasnt sure what the girl was getting at, but she had a bad feeling about it. As such, there are a surprising number of magical facilities throughout London used to test the skill of new members. They are something like labyrinthine obstacle courses full of traps. So can you make a guess where that track that was magically switched over to an unnatural curve could be leading? It cant be... Bayloupe was already trapped within the spell. Itsuwa left some final words for Bayloupe now that she could no longer escape. Make sure to work hard to ensure you dont die. From what Ive heard, someone failed in regulating that labyrinths difficulty. Its off limits now because people kept dying in it. Part 12 Modern traps were made to be quite convenient. The giant spiritual item in the form of a labyrinth was made so the victims that succumbed to the traps would be automatically transported out and any items that were dropped partway through were separated and collected. Itsuwa was at the subway stations lost article storage room. Simply put, it was a room where items people had left behind or dropped were gathered. A rectangular case and a single sheet of parchment had been collected there. The results from the tested actions and battles within the labyrinth and an objective result of the persons battle ability as a magician were recorded on the parchment. It seemed those periodic tests were still being carried out to this day. She heard a faint rummaging sound. It was coming from a duct near the ceiling. As a new member of Necessarius, Itsuwa wasnt sure, but she thought it must have something to do with the mechanism that somehow connected the labyrinth to the lost article storage room. Itsuwa tried to peer inside it, but... Ignore any sounds you hear from there. Its self defense functionality is active. Itsuwa hurriedly turned around upon hearing that sudden voice from behind her. A woman wearing a worn out black gothic lolita dress was standing there. The womans name was Sherry Cromwell and she had blonde hair like a lion and light brown skin. She was a senior magician to Itsuwa within Necessarius. This was originally created as a test facility for battle-hardened Necessarius members. Its been toned down a bit this time, but itll still tear you to pieces if you let your guard down. ...Ha. Ah ha ha. Itsuwa drew back and a laugh came out. The rectangular case that Bayloupe of New Light had protected to her utmost had dark red stains in places. Dont be so scared. This test facility was too much so it isnt being used anymore. For the periodic tests these days, they just throw you in an empty room for a week and make you magically create food, water, and anything else you need to survive. Um...That sounds bad enough on its own, said Itsuwa as she gave a bitter smile because she wasnt quite sure how to respond. Sorry for calling you here this late. Im not a nun, so I dont have to follow all those rules. I have no set time I go to bed. Starting with Sherrys direct battle style of using a golem, she was an expert in deciphering the magical codes hidden in spiritual items as well as in arts and crafts such as symbolic paintings and religious sculptures. She scratched at her disorderly blonde hair with one hand. You know, I dont mind helping out Anglican magicians, but I dont like doing something that helps out those damn knights. Hah? Nothing. I guess worrying about the past isnt going to help anything. I need to focus on my work here. You called me here because there was something you wanted me to take a look at, right? Y-yes. Itsuwa had called in Sherry to investigate the workings of a certain spiritual item. Sherry turned her gaze towards the rectangular case on the metal shelf of the lost article storage room. Is this the item in question? Yes. Please analyze it. Sherry gave a slight breath from her nose and put on the thin gloves one used to handle antiques. Optical illusion techniques are harder to use with three dimensional objects than with pictures. After all, they must be constructed or carved without relying on making objects bigger or smaller to show perspective. Thats actually one of the reasons I like the genre. Huh? But arent there types of three dimensional trick art that use a large ball and a small ball to show perspective? You think its just two balls, but when you change the angle...Things like that. When the viewing angle is fixed, it isnt that much different from a flat picture. That kind of optical illusion cant be done at all angles. It looks one way from the front and another from the side. Frankly, thats the same kind of art that can be constructed in a picture. She felt across the contours of the case. Her analysis as a magician that specialized in sculptures began. ...It is primarily made of oak. The wood was carved down to only a few millimeters thick and then exposed to steam until it would bend. It is a complicated structure, but no nails or screws were used. It was made similarly to the weaving of bamboo baskets or the creation of wooden mosaics. It was complexly made by hand, but it could also be taken apart by hand and rearranged in a different form. U-umm...? What does that mean? The case was made so that it could transform. Sherry lightly clenched her fist and lightly knocked on the side of the case with the back of her hand. And its original form was not that of a case. Some other object was folded up in a regulated way much like origami in order to forcibly give it the shape of a case. If I recall correctly, New Lights field of expertise is Norse. In that case... Hehh. Origami, huh? While listening to Sherrys explanation, Itsuwa casually stretched her hand out towards the surface of the rectangular case. When she did, she heard a clicking noise. It was the noise of the case unlocking due to its lock being broken from the beating it took in the test facility. Immediately afterwards... Wah! Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah!? The rectangular case expanded. It didnt just expand to two or three times its size. The growing mass of wood destroyed the shelf it was sitting on and went on to knock over the metal shelves lined up like in a library one after another. When it stopped expanding, the rectangular case had become a large boat. It looked like a large canoe made of wood. It was more than 10 meters long. Sherry sighed in exasperation. ...I think youre harboring airheadedness on the level of Orsola Aquinas. D-dont say that!! Theres no way I could possibly be as bad as that nun!! denied Itsuwa frantically. Orsola Aquinas was a specialist at solving written codes, but she was an extremely large-breasted nun well known for being airheaded and moving at her own pace. Itsuwa became a bit embarrassed about the state of the lost article storage room and averted her gaze from Sherry. C-come to think of it, did you not call Orsola here for this? The field may be different, but I get the feeling that she is very good at analysis work. I decided not to in order to make sure no mistakes like this would happen. Oh, said Itsuwa in a (to men) cute-sounding voice. Sherry looked over in an annoyed fashion towards the case that had transformed into a large boat. ...So its original form was a boat. From a Norse mythology standpoint, Skeblaenir would fit best I suppose. Skeblaenir? Isnt that the boat that can hold all of the ?sir including Odin? From what I heard, it could be folded up until it was small enough to fit in a bag. Of course, the boat before them was not the legendary boat. It was just a spiritual item with that name. However, since that story had been referenced, there had to be some kind of connection. Well, the case was just being used to transport something. Something else was likely put inside this ship in order to carry it around. ...What could they have been trying to transport that required preparing the finest of ships that the gods chose to ride in? ...Thats the cornerstone of New Lights plan, Itsuwa muttered. The item within, not the case itself, was the important item that would overthrow England. The case they were looking at was clearly empty, but it was clear New Lights objective wasnt just to transport the case itself. It seemed that New Lights plan was centered around bringing whatever they had excavated in Scotland to London. However, it didnt make sense that Bayloupe was just a dummy and one of her comrades actually had whatever it was. When I was fighting the magician who held this, she never let go of the case even once during the battle. A dummy case doesnt seem like enough reason to add the risks created by fighting with one hand in order to protect it. If she ended up being killed along with the dummy, she would have lost everything. The piece of parchment that had come from the testing ground along with the case recorded her test actions and battles. From the looks of it, Bayloupe had continued guarding the rectangular case even after her steel glove had broken and then to the very moment she had passed out. That was clearly not how one would treat a mere dummy case. So it still has a secret left. A secret that gave her a reason to protect this empty case. Sherry reached into her pocket and pulled out a small brush and magnifying glass as if she were about to excavate a fossil. It seemed she now had a genuine desire to investigate. So it isnt just a mere jack-in-the-box. I can investigate its detailed effects as a spiritual item, but I cant guarantee that I will find anything anytime soon. Agnese and her unit were doing a search of New Lights base in Edinburgh, right? They may find something before I do. U-understood. Thank you very much. No problem. You head back aboveground and destroy the remaining pieces of trash. Sherry didnt even turn around as she gave that relaxed reply, so Itsuwa bowed once more and exited the lost article storage room. She ran through the subway station heading for the exit and, just in case, contacted Agnese with her cell phone. Technically, she didnt use the phone line. She used a magical technique instead. Instead of coming from the small speaker installed on the phone, Agneses voice was created from vibrations of the strap. No, Im sorry. We have investigated it, but we havent gotten any information on Skeblaenir. We will focus our search in that direction from now on though. I see. Please do, responded Itsuwa as she walked up the stairs and aboveground. So weve finally taken one of them out, huh? According to the information on them, New Light has 4 members. If there are still 3 of them left, this is still pretty bad. I actually have some good news in that regard, Itsuwa muttered in the direction of the phone. Something had just cut across right in front of Itsuwa followed by a sound of destruction. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw a girl sunk into a large sign. The remains of a wing-shaped spiritual item were scattered about the area and the girl had flown over 20 meters without hitting the ground before slamming into the sign. Itsuwa looked at the girl who had clearly lost consciousness and spoke. There are only 2 left. Itsuwa looked in the direction the girl had flown from just in time to see Priestess Kanzaki Kaori putting her sword back in its scabbard. It seemed she had knocked the girl away with her strength. Apparently, the effects of the steel glove were nothing compared to the physical strength of a Saint. Itsuwa severed the connection with Agnese, picked up the rectangular case that had fallen to the walkway, and regrouped with Kanzaki and the rest of the Amakusas. I-it looks like there wasnt just one case. Yes. If the important contents are not in that case, we have no choice but to go after the next one. It looks like we cant relax until we stop all of them, but I would prefer to avoid any violent means. Part 13 A lamp giving off a faint light shook slightly on the roof of a carriage with a luxurious interior. The carriage was heading down a dark path with almost no street lights about 100 km away from the center of London. The carriage was not alone. With the large carriage at the center, there were about a dozen carriages in a row. The carriages werent particularly armored, but the cavalry-like horses flanking them were covered in formal protectors. It was a scene right out of a picture book or a fairy tale, but they were all moving at over 500 kph despite their antique appearance. This was not due to the abilities of the carriages. It was due to the magical effect of the magic circles that had been set at fixed intervals when the old pathway had been constructed. From a distance, the line of carriages may have looked like lit linear motor cars. The carriages were colored with gold leaf and other precious metals giving them an unreal glitter, but what stood out the most was the large carriage in the middle that was travelling with a large number of guards. It was known as the Travelling Fortress. It was a long distance convoy carriage solely for the British Royal Family. The parade carriage had a license plate for travelling on public roads and its wheels and wooden frame were strengthened, but it was also thoroughly fortified with over 700 spiritual items and magic circles. Inside the decorated carriage that looked like it was from a fairy tale were 3 women. They were Second Princess Carissa, Third Princess Villian, and Index. ...So our older sister really didnt come, muttered Carissa while staring out the window. The skirt of her dress was spread out to the limit and she was taking up a space that would normally have fit 3 people. In contrast, Villian had folded up her clothes as much as possible and was forcing herself to fit in half of the usual space a person would take up. She finds it a bit hard to trust people, she responded hesitantly. I wouldnt call that a bit. Even if you prepared her a carriage strong enough to last for 3 days even if you threw it into the sun, she would still factor in a risk of attack. Isnt that why, though? She is the kind of person that refuses to trust in security that someone else set up. If you prepare it all for her like that, she is not going to get in it. She cannot trust things that she cannot check on for herself. ...You do know she detached her private room at Windsor Castle and rearranged it as she saw fit, right? I can understand getting a pet just to get an idea what its like, but she is constantly sneaking out of the palace and into the city. I believe she said that the words of townspeople who do not know who she is hold no malice. Hmph, said Carissa. Right now the Eurotunnel is more important than her anyway. Carissa glanced over at Index who was idly kicking her feet because she had nothing to do. Even though our country is protected by Curtana Second, it is not guaranteed to have eternal prosperity. Even with the people obeying the queen as the leader of the angels and the knights as an army of angels, the country will still cease to function if a large number of people riot. And we cant exactly wipe them all out with a great flood like in the scriptures. ... To avoid a crisis like that, the knights work in the public view and, when the knights fail, the church works in secret to keep the peace in various ways. However, the Eurotunnel bombing, and the attempted terrorist attack on the passenger plane back to back have been more than enough to shake the people of our country. But, Villian carefully chose her words, even if France was involved in that series of events, the Roman Catholic Church most likely influenced them. What will only blaming France solve? You may be right, but even if someone else is pulling the strings, France needs to be stopped. Carissa folded her arms. The Vatican is strong. We cant bring it down quickly, so the only other option is a drawn out war. For that, we need to create a supply base on the front lines. That makes this a geographic issue. We have to do whatever it takes to get France to cooperate so we can construct a base right in front of the Vatican. Arent you forgetting the option of creating a large scale supply base on the Mediterranean and simply applying pressure? France is the one guarding the Mediterranean. That would still require quieting them down. Also, a sea fortress would require guarding against attack both from the air and within the sea, so I wouldnt really call it a realistic option. There is also the issue of strength. If a land bases walls are broken, they can be closed up again, but a single hole can sink one on the sea. Villian frowned uneasily and brought her hands up to her chest. ...We can request for cooperation from France. Is this really something that can only be solved militarily? If you really think it isnt, just tell me how. Villian looked up after hearing Carissas words. Our sister specializes in her intellect, I specialize in the military, and you specialize in that benevolence of yours. This kind of method is naturally all that comes to my mind, but you may be able to find a more effective method. ...Perhaps even one to deal with the Roman Catholic Church as well as France. Sister... And to gather the information needed to make a decision, we need to investigate the cause of the Eurotunnel explosion. If you want to lead us to the best solution, make sure you stay focused. Well be in Folkestone soon. Were almost to the Eurotunnel terminal that connects to Dover. Part 14 Kamijou Touma ran through London late at night. He didnt know it, but the girl he was chasing after was named Lessar. He wasnt foolishly running directly after the New Light member. Kamijou was running through a straight, narrow pathway between buildings. He heard a high-pitched noise travel across the nighttime city above his head. It was the security alarms of the different buildings. Lessar was jumping from building to building breaking out of a 3rd or 4th floor window on one and into another next. This activated the alarms each time, so it gave the illusion that it was a mass of sound that was travelling along. The buildings must have been empty business buildings because he didnt hear any screams or any other signs of a commotion from within, but he doubted the girl really cared about that. There was no sign of a people clearing field having been set up and Kamijou was willing to bet that the girl would cut through a building even if it caused a commotion. (Ahh!! Whats with her careless methods!? She isnt acting at all like a magician trying to be covert!!) Kamijou continued running as he yelled internally. That was when something changed. He all of a sudden realized something was moving alongside him. It was a small orange pumpkin. The pumpkin was about the size of a clenched fist and it had eyes and a mouth carved into it. The small pumpkin was moving along a nearby alley wall so as to meet Kamijous gaze. From the looks of you, you arent a magician or even from the UK. Why is someone like you chasing after me? said a young female voice in a joking manner. The voice was speaking in Japanese. I apologize if youre just an immigrant living in Japantown, but you arent, are you? I can smell it. I doubt you know all that much about England. ...Are you from New Light!? Correct. I am Lessar of New Light. If youre just a civilian I want to ask you to just leave, but since youre working with the 0th Parish and you know our organizations name, I dont really know what to make of the situation. Her words made her sound troubled, but there was no seriousness in her voice. (Shes making fun of me.) Well, whether youre a magician or not, youre still out since you arent from the UK. Youre not qualified to participate in this. Dont get involved in what doesnt concern you and just leave. Im not qualified to participate!? What the hell are you talking about!? shouted Kamijou in a voice that rang throughout the narrow alleyway. The pumpkin responded with a voice that sounded like someone giving directions. Of course you arent qualified. As representatives of the magicians living in the UK, we are carrying out this absurd plan to send the country in a better direction. If someone were to appear to block our path, they have to at least love the UK as much as we do to have any legitimacy at all. This isnt an issue a traveller can get involved in. Fuck that! We know you people excavated some strange spiritual item in Scotland and have brought it to London! Youre clearly planning on doing something horrible. How can I just ignore that!? Oh, so thats what the 0th Parishs analysis came up with. Well, Id have to be an idiot to give a hint to the enemy, so we can just go with that. What are you saying? You dont really need to understand, but Ill say this: all we want to do is give a last-minute course change to the UK since it will definitely lose in a war as it is now. The girl did not deny having excavated a spiritual item, having brought it to London, or planning on activating it. The specifics of New Lights plan werent clear, but Kamijou couldnt imagine that it would result in anything good. Anyway, this is an issue that only the people living in the UK can feel real urgency about. I doubt youll willingly kill someone who isnt clearly evil, so just keep quiet about this. Youre just the kind of person that gets enraged over things that dont concern you. With those words, the pumpkin burst. As colorful paper streamers spewed from the pumpkin as if it were a party cracker, Kamijou punched at it with his right hand knowing it wouldnt be any good. (Dammit! She isnt just fast, but shes tracking my route of pursuit even though she shouldnt be able to see me here!! I wonder how shes doing!?) Kamijou clicked his tongue and ran out of the small path to a larger one. This one was a large road with 3 lanes on either side. It was almost midnight, but there were still plenty of cars heading home and late-night buses going by. Kamijou stopped running. The bottoms of his feet slid across the ground due to his sudden stop and he looked up at a certain portion of one of the buildings. Specifically, the 3rd floor window. Lessar was standing in shock with both hands on the reinforced glass. She had an astounding jumping ability and was excellent at jumping up onto things, but apparently she had no way of softening the blow of jumping back down. She also could not jump all the way across the large road all at once. Lessar had basically run into a dead end and then yet another hardship came for her. Oriana had caught up with Lessar and dropkicked her in the back. The reinforced glass shattered and Lessars body was thrown out into the air. The plan Oriana had suggested had been as follows: Ill kick her down from the building next to the large road, so you catch her down below. Kamijou spread out his arms and yelled up at Lessar. Ha ha ha!! Youre either dead or captuuuuuuurrrred!! ...!? Lessar was at a loss for words and she couldnt do anything about her situation. That was when Kamijou realized something. Raining down along with the girls small body were hundreds of glittering glass shards. I-Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead, Im dead!! Hey, dont go hide!! If you dont catch me, Ill die!! After yelling something in English, Lessar held out her four-bladed spear, the steel glove. She struck the wall of the building with the end and, with a tremendous noise, Lessars body flew horizontally. She continued on between the trees on the side of the road and hit a pile of Halloween decorations. She fell down further and further breaking the decorations as she went. She seemed to have used them for cushioning and she landed on the ground with her clothes torn up. She then turned her back on Kamijou and ran off again. Kamijou was completely dumbfounded and he saw Orianas face poke out from the shattered 3rd floor window. She put her hands around her mouth and yelled so that her voice reached him. You just lost a hell of a lot of pooooooiiiiinnnnttttssss!! Well, sorry!! I just have to chase after her, right!? Kamijou ran after Lessar with slight tears in the corners of his eyes due to fear of the raining glass. Part 15 Agnese Sanctis was in Scotland. She was at a yacht harbor in the large city of Edinburgh. The yacht harbor was inside a bay and its location prevented many large waves from reaching it, making it useful for leaving yachts or cruisers for long periods of time. Agnese was on a boat, but she was not on the water. There was a large open area of asphalt in front of the yacht harbor. Cruisers worn from wind and rain were lined up there. They had been set up on the land because they could no longer float in the sea due to having holes worn in them. Most of them were there temporarily waiting to be disassembled or waiting for repairs after being bought by people who couldnt afford a new one. So this is the third place, said Lucia, one of Agneses colleagues. It cant be used in the water anymore, but the living space has been repaired. It also has the same security as the other two hideouts. It definitely is one of New Lights bases. Agnese narrowed her eyes. The majority of modern day advanced wizards did not build extravagant castles or towers. If you focused all your power in one place, you would lose everything if that place was searched. As such, they would instead prepare numerous places that could be easily abandoned such as an apartment, a rented room, or an RV. Splitting up ones assets into smaller areas lowered the risk of losing everything. This implied something about New Light. Basically, they were not just a group that had an interest in love fortunes. Instead, they had real power as a magic cabal. (What a pain in the ass enemy...) Agnese sighed and then spoke to Lucia. Was there any information left inside? Was there anything about the details of the cases theyre using, the Skeblaenir, or on their plan that involves using those cases? As before, it seems to have been set up so that all the information sources inside could be erased remotely with a single signal. Sisters Catarina and Agata are currently doing a thorough check inside. Sister Agnese. The hatch installed directly on the cruisers floor opened. A nun with glasses, Agata, stuck her head out and beckoned at Agnese. We have found a prototype of the case in the engine room. The fact that the spiritual item was not destroyed more or less confirms that they erased the information remotely and didnt come by themselves. This also points to the possibility that some irregularity caused New Light to start this plan of theirs sooner than they had originally intended. So what are the effects of the case C of Skeblaenir C as a spiritual item? I cant guarantee that this is correct because we have no actual proof, but I have done a certain level of analysis on it. Agata flipped through a notepad. It most likely teleports the item inside Case A to Case B, Case C, Case D, or any other related spiritual item. Its effective range is about 100 kilometers. If theyre within that range, they can pass the item around as they please. I see. So theyre attacking London while passing some important item around between the 4 of them like they were playing lacrosse. They didnt know what that important item was, but it was something worth preparing those cases for. It was unlikely to be important in a good way. It could be a bomb or something that could be used as a weapon. Yes, we need to look into that. Two of the four members of New Light had already been taken out by the Amakusas. However, since they could pass around the contents of the Skeblaenirs, it was highly likely that any one of them could activate the contents. Agnese took a report handed to her by another nun, Angelene. According to the other two hideouts we found, New Light seems to have excavated something near Edinburgh. That was most likely this important item. Sister Agnese! Emergency!! said Catarina loudly opening the door connecting to the living area. Agnese looked over and Catarina threw a rolled up piece of parchment at her. After spreading it out, Agneses shoulders jumped in shock. ...Youve got to be kidding me... Part 16 Kamijou Touma ran down an alley. He started wondering what he would do if Lessar made another astounding jump, but it seemed something wasnt going right for her either. Even if she had cushioned herself with the decorated trees, she hadnt been able to land unscathed after falling from a building. Currently, she was running down the back alley like a normal person with her tail made of a metal backbone within a clear tube swaying back and forth. That said, she was much faster than a normal girl. She was like a short distance sprinter maintaining her speed over the course of a marathon. It must have taken Oriana some time to get down from the building because she wasnt nearby. If he lost sight of her here, it would really be over. Every time Lessar disappeared around a corner, Kamijous anxiety spiked. Suddenly, he heard his cell phone ringing. Looking at the screen, he saw a number he was unfamiliar with. In fact, the leading numbers hinted that it wasnt a call from anyone in Japan. He pressed the connect button while running and he heard a familiar female voice. You answered! Thank God! I was right to ask for your information from the Amakusas!! Agnese...? (Wait, why do the Amakusas know my phone number?) Despite Kamijous question, Agneses voice sounded pressured enough that he doubted she would welcome an unnecessary question. We know a portion of New Lights objective! Their final target is one of the British princesses heading to the Folkestone terminal in order to investigate the Eurotunnel!! Seriously...? Kamijous body stiffened in shock. For diplomatic reasons, there are no magical security measures used on Buckingham Palace, but it is still heavily guarded by a large number of knights, magicians, and C most importantly C the queen herself. Now that the princesses have left the palace in a carriage, New Light has a great opportunity!! The assassination of a British princess. A chill ran down Kamijous back. And that isnt the only problem. The Royal Family officially denies it, but the existence of Curtana Second gives me reason to worry. There is a certain large-scale spell that uses a member of the Royal Family as an activation key. The Royal Family Agnese mentioned wasnt just an issue of bloodline. It apparently referred to someone magically inserted into the framework of the Royal Family. Due to political marriages, the British Royal Family possessed connections to the leaders of a number of countries, so it wasnt something that could merely be explained as people of the bloodline of the English monarch. If bloodline were all that determined whether someone was of the Royal Family or not, a princess from another country that became part of the Royal Family by marrying the king would then be the only person unable to use the magic of the Royal Family. There are many rumors about magic that uses a member of the Royal Family as an activation key, but the most extreme is a large-scale spell that activates on the death of a member of the Royal Family. What...? It really is just a rumor, but, simply put, it is an attack spell that creates destruction on a national level. It was supposedly deployed during the 16th century and, of course, the enemies it was targeted at were the other European countries. If it were to be activated, it is said that entire area would be completely blown away. There was no longer any sense of reality to Agneses words. She went on to say that it was possible that the rumor was merely exaggerated, but that wasnt much consolation to Kamijou. But if that ridiculously powerful spell were activated, it would cause a change in the earths crust and cause other natural disasters within England, too. It would literally be a final attack, so the aftermath wasnt considered at all. You could say its something like firing an insanely powerful magnum with only one hand. This is all just a rumor, but it is said that most of the people living in the UK would be killed by the recoil and the aftermath. If that information were true, then New Lights true objective was... One of the New Light members told me something about someone who wouldnt put his life on the line for the UK not being qualified to join in this fight. From that, it seems that they really are thinking of assassinating a princess and that they are serious about the magic that would be caused by the death of a member of the Royal Family. Another chill ran down Kamijous spine and he hurriedly said something to Agnese. Wait a second. The British Royal Family has been continuing on for hundreds of years, right? A number of kings and queens would have died during that time. If this large-scale spell actually existed, wouldnt the UK and the rest of Europe have been wiped out ages ago!? In the Christian church we have what are known as the last rites. Simply put, it is a type of ceremony that prepares the dead for the final judgment allowing them to reach heaven. Its possible that they applied some kind of code that avoided such a disaster then. Historically, royalty who died within the castle or were executed all had their last rites performed. However, if a sudden death in battle or an assassination succeeded and there wasnt enough time to carry out the last rites... The spell only applying to the Royal Family would activate... The death of a king was the death of the country. Even if it was a final attack that gathered up all of ones strength, you should get revenge. It was a piece of magic left over from an age when people truly believed that. And it was still functioning. Kamijou shuddered at the mere thought of it. He desperately searched for something that allowed him to deny it. New Light had placed a spiritual item that acted as a transmitter on the carriage for the Royal Family. But that didnt mean they would succeed in the assassination right away. Thats right. The princesses didnt go out there unarmed! I dont know if its the usual for heads of state, but the cars and airplanes the president uses are specially made, right!? Its true that that carriage is known as the Travelling Fortress because of all the different forms of security built into it. But it seems the transmitter they put on it doesnt just tell them its location. It also tells them whether the door is open or not. So they can attack when one of the princesses is getting out of the carriage? As Kamijou muttered those words, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Dont they have guards with them!? Of course they do, but theyre guarding based on the assumption that the carriages defenses are functioning properly. If that turned out not to be true, there would be a hole in their security. If a long distance attack was used through that gap... Fuck, Kamijou spat out. How did something like a transmitter get on a royal carriage anyway? We dont know exactly how. Also, since a transmitter was put on, we cant deny the possibility of something else having been done to it. For example, they could have done something that temporarily weakens the magical defenses on the carriage. ...This is horrible, Kamijou groaned. Index would be on that carriage along with the princesses. We still dont know how they plan on attacking. London could merely be nothing more than a shortcut to the terminal in Folkestone or they may be able to use some kind of long distance attack. Either way, you need to restrain the remaining members as soon as possible! Kamijou glared at the fleeing back of Lessar. Theres still a member we havent found, right!? New Light is made up of 4 members and two have already been defeated. That leaves the one you are chasing and another one we dont know the whereabouts of. Given the characteristics of Skeblaenir we just discovered, their actions will be more limited if they are alone. Agnese explained the effects of the rectangular case that was a spiritual item known as Skeblaenir. It seemed the contents could be freely moved from Case A to Case B. There are only two of them left. One of those cases must contain whatever it is. But... Even if Lessar had the contents, she would just pass whatever it was to the final member if she were cornered. In other words... Its true that the final one wont be able to pass it on, but that isnt enough to ensure this assassination wont happen!! As long as they have whatever is in there, I get the feeling that any one of them could carry out a fatal attack!! Yes. We cannot relax until each and every one of them has been found and restrained. So hurry! Kamijou hung up his phone, stuck it in his pocket, and focused his attention forward once more. Lessar turned around a corner, but when Kamijou followed, she had disappeared. (!?) For a second his heart almost stopped, but he quickly figured out what had happened. There was an emergency staircase stretching up a building to the side. Kamijou looked up and heard a metallic clanging coming from the metal staircase. So she went up. He regulated his breathing and started up the stairs. The building was about 5 stories tall. The door on the 4th floor was open. Looking at each landing as he went back and forth up the stairs, he headed straight for that door. He then heard a metallic noise and saw four shining silver blades. Lessar had jammed the blades into the space between the metal emergency staircase and the brick wall and she forcefully cut the connector. Youre kidding!! With one of the bolts cut, the entire staircase wobbled. The sudden weight caused a bolt on a different floor to break like a shirt button popping off. Kamijou immediately grabbed the handrail, but the entire staircase tilted. It wasnt going to last much longer. The entire staircase was tilted at about 15 degrees when it suddenly stopped. Looking up, Kamijou saw that the top of the staircase had hit the building on the other side of the alley due to the alleyway being fairly narrow. ...!! Seeing that, Lessar started to attack with the steel glove again. However, Kamijou moved before she could. He ignored the normal stairway, stood up on the handrail, and jumped up to the 4th floor where Lessar was. When he did, the bent staircase started to collapse and fall down under its own weight. Why you...!! As Kamijou approached, Lessar stabbed with the steel glove. But there was one thing she didnt know. A power known as Imagine Breaker resided in his right hand. Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! As the staircase fell, Kamijous fist swung down striking the top of Lessars steel glove. The four blades shattered. Before Lessar could respond in shock to that, she was forced into a collision with Kamijou. Behind her, she heard the sound of the staircase completely collapsing. Kamijou lost his balance and fell to the floor and he stood up again breathing heavily. In front of him, Lessar was refusing to let go of the rectangular case despite having lost her weapon. That case was Skeblaenir, the spiritual item that allowed her to freely pass around its contents. Lessar looked around the area searching for an escape path, but Kamijou spoke cutting into her search. Its over. ... You no longer have the power to quickly run away like you had at the beginning. And youve also lost that weird spear-like weapon that gave you ridiculous strength. Right now, I could easily beat you down with my fists. Lessar was still staring towards the elevator refusing to give up, but then Oriana appeared having run over hearing the noise. Lessars escape routes were cut off on both sides and she sighed slightly. She then threw open a nearby door and jumped inside. However, there was no exit that way. Kamijou and Oriana nodded at each other and followed her inside. It seemed to be a multi-tenant building and the rooms had been made into offices. The building itself was stylishly made of brick, so the stereotypical desks and office copy machines that were almost enshrined within it seemed a bit surreal. Lessar was at a window. However, she could not jump down. She knew that if she did, she wouldnt get out of it uninjured. We know what youre after, Kamijou said. It seems youre aiming for the princesses while theyre away from Buckingham Palace, but it appears youve failed. The others have been captured, too. Lessar gave a slight laugh upon hearing Kamijous words. She responded to him in Japanese. But you dont know where Lancis is, do you? ... The reason is simple enough. Lancis isnt in London. A chill ran down Kamijous spine. He imagined that a member of New Light had already made it through London and was headed to Folkestone where the princesses were. But it seemed that wasnt what Lessar had meant. Lancis is waiting in a place 30 kilometers north of London. The rest of us were merely relay points. We just had to adjust our locations to match up with the location of the royal carriage. If any one of the three of us here acts as a relay point, our plan will succeed. What are you saying...? Kamijou frowned doubtfully, but that was when Oriana looked up as if she had realized something. Her instincts as a courier must have told her something. A relay point...? You dont mean...!! Oriana quickly pulled out her booklet of flashcards, but Lessar just laughed. When you figured out that we had mass produced them, why didnt you realize that there could be five Skeblaenirs!? Lessar tilted the rectangular case to the side by quite a bit. What looked like a blue laser shot into it ignoring the presence of the walls. The light then changed directions as if it had been refracted and shot off for some other destination. According to Agnese, Skeblaenir had an effective range of 100 kilometers. It could reach Folkestone from there. However... (...That Lancis person clearly sent the contents here.) Who did you send the contents to? Who has the 5th case!? Kamijou instinctually tried to grab the case, but Lessar threw it to the side since she didnt need it anymore and spread her arms wide. Kamijou looked on in puzzlement and she spoke. Ive completed my objective, but its true that I lost this battle. I guess causing even more trouble for you all and the Forward after such a boring result wouldnt be right since weve allied with you. Her smile turned to a look of resignation. Ill take it. If youre going to silence me, do it now. Kamijou saw a spot in the night landscape outside the window flash. He immediately jumped forward to pull Lessar out of the way, but something happened when he grabbed her arm. The window behind Lessar shattered and something red spurted out. A sniper!? yelled Oriana. Kamijou wasnt even pulled down with her. Lessar merely spun around from the blow and struck the floor. Perhaps because he had grabbed her arm, the aim had been off just slightly. Whatever had struck her shoulder had almost torn her arm off. It must have broken an artery because an unbelievable amount of blood was flowing out. You idiot! Get down!! Despite being yelled at, Kamijou couldnt move. Lessar had said she was being silenced. If that were true, this wasnt someone coming to help Kamijou and Oriana. That attack had clearly been intended to kill Lessar. Dammit!! Finally able to move, Kamijou looked around the area and found a bundle of copy paper. He balled it up and pressed it against the wound. Probably because of all the blood she had lost, Lessar had begun to convulse slightly. She was going into shock. She would be in serious trouble at that rate. Call an ambulance, Oriana!! No, wait. Is there any healing magic you can use!? Unfortunately, no, Oriana said regretfully. Then she froze in place. The object that had broken the window and pierced Lessars shoulder had stuck into a steel office desk. It was an odd projectile made up of a streamlined arrowhead stuck onto a pole about 30 cm long. Oriana was not shocked by how much destructive force it had. She was shocked because she recognized it. ...Robin Hood... What!? Its a long-distance sniping spiritual item used by the knights. But the Anglican Church was supposed to be in control of magical incidents within the country. I hadnt heard anything about the knights helping out with this. Oriana pulled the projectile out of the steel desk. She traced its surface with a fingertip. Robin Hood was developed for military purposes by a famous unit under direct control of Second Princess Carissa. If that unit is involved in the silencing of New Light...It couldnt be...! As Oriana responded in shock, Kamijous body stiffened. He stiffened because of Lessar. Her wound was being held down by a large amount of copy paper and she moved her shaking lips to speak either to brag about her success or in thanks for the emergency treatment he had given her. ...We were transporting Curtana Original... A smile appeared on her bloody face. Thats the ceremonial sword that was once used for coronations and the Sword of Mercy that can only be used by the Royal Family. ...Of course...it greatly outdoes the Curtana Second...that was created later and the current queen possesses it. It is the UKs greatest spiritual item... It is truly the proper sword with which to change the country... Part 17 Folkestone was a port town about 100 kilometers from London. In that city was the terminal to the Eurotunnel, the undersea tunnel that cut across the Strait of Dover. Innumerable carriages were stopped near the terminal that was wrapped in darkness. They were the carriage for the Royal Family and the ones guarding it. A number of military horses along with a few dozen knights wearing silver armor were waiting there as well. There was no light in the entrance. As the undersea tunnel had been destroyed in an explosion partway through, the terminal was not operating. Index was headed towards it. A bit away, a young maid was handing a thermos of tea to Third Princess Villian. That was when Knight Leaders eyebrows twitched. He looked down at the rectangular case he was holding. He checked the weight of the case and then moved silently over to the second princess. Still holding the case, he whispered in Carissas ear. It has arrived. I see. Second Princess Carissa gave a slight nod. Knight Leader continued speaking so that no one else could hear. From our monitoring of electronic and magical communications, it seems the church mistakenly believes that New Light intends to activate a large-scale anti-European attack spell by assassinating a princess. Hah. And yet that ridiculous legend isnt even true. If we really had such destructive magic, the negotiations would have gone much more easily. And more than anything, we would simply need a plan to ensure that the people werent killed so easily. Carissa moved her right arm so as to quiet the man and her smile deepened. Convey this to the knights hidden all across the country. That was the sign. That single command would burn a nation down from the inside. Begin the invasion. I now have Curtana Original, the sword that decides the king, within my grasp. This makes me, Carissa, the ruler of the United Kingdom. Anyone that does not want to see the country decay under the rule of the previous pacifist queen, stand up of your own will. To bring about the new United Kingdom, leveling some things will be necessary and some destruction will be necessary. Volume 17, 4: The Sword that Brings War and Disaster. Sword_of_Mercy. Volume 17, Chapter 4: The Sword that Brings War and Disaster. Sword_of_Mercy. Part 1 Midnight. As the date changed, various things happened. For example, in various cities across Northern Ireland such as Belfast, Enniskillen, and Londonderry, the hospitals, police stations, and other major facilities were blockaded by a large number of policemen and soldiers. They were all people who were supporting either the knights or the second princess faction of the Royal Family. The normal people either stayed indoors out of fear of the unusual atmosphere or their curiosity spurred them to head outside to see what was going on. The latter group was arrested by the police. For example, a mint that created a currency exclusive to Scotland, the Holyrood Palace that acted as a religious base, and other facilities in Scotland were invaded and occupied by the guards and knights that were supposed to be protecting them. The former Agnese Forces who had been investigating at a yacht harbor in Edinburgh were surrounded by an overwhelming number of knights. For example, Cardiff Castle, Swansea Castle, Oystermouth Castle, Conwy Castle, Penrhyn Castle, Beaumaris Castle, Caernarfon Castle, and every kind of fortress in Wales fell one after another at the hands of the knights. Needless to say, the local assembly and courthouses were taken as well. For example, the knights grasp reached London, the center of England, and the nearby cities. Of course, England had more knights in it to begin with. They set foot in important religious locations such as St. Georges Cathedral and Westminster Abbey and they set foot in important political locations such as Buckingham Palace and parliament. Of course, the magicians of the Anglican Church in Necessarius did not allow this invasion to commence with no resistance. Wales had a great number of castles and fortresses. The stone-made military structures had been built by many different people for many different reasons. Some had been created as bases to use in an attack on that land. Some had been created as a fortress to protect that land. However, at that point, they were all under the control of a single faction. Namely, the knights. Ah....Dammit!! A nun ran through the darkness completely out of breath. She had been entrusted by the knights to run a chapel installed within a fortress. When that invasion had begun due to Second Princess Carissa obtaining Curtana Original, nuns assigned to the fortresses and therefore separated from the main body of the Anglican Church had been in the worst position. It had been as if everyone around her had turned their weapons on her at once. (What is wrong with the knights to have them turn their weapons on me!?) She was at a distinct disadvantage due to numbers alone. To turn the situation around, she first had to gather enough people to fight as an organization. (Dammit. I might have been able to do something if it had just been one on one...!!) The nun clicked her tongue as she ran. She didnt mean that she would have been able to kill a fully equipped knight. As long as they were in the United Kingdom, the knights wielded a portion of the power of an angel by borrowing the power of Curtana Original, so she had no intention of fighting one head on. Even so, if she used her magic to its fullest, she could have at least bought herself some time. She could have at least managed a smoke screen or distraction. But that was only against a single knight. After all, the way she would buy herself some time would be to seal the enemys movements for a short period of time. If another enemy showed up while the first couldnt move, the first would be able to move again by the time she had sealed the movements of the new enemy. Getting caught in a loop like that would be meaningless. (Anyway, I need to meet up with the nuns in the other fortresses! If we can work together, we can make this an organization vs. an organization! At the very least, we should be able to use our numbers to retreat more effectively!!) Suddenly, a suit of silver armor appeared from the side. It was a pursuing knight. It seemed he had been ordered to capture her not kill her, but she had no proof she would be safe after having been captured. !! The nun pulled a compass from her sleeve. Her spells were greatly affected by direction. She threw a single card in the direction the compass told her was north. A ball of light started to come from it, but... (It...didnt come out...!?) Her face stiffened. Her spell had failed. She thought about why that could be and she realized that it was possible the power that caused the compass needle to move C that is, magnetism C was being interfered with by an external force. In other words, the direction the compass had indicated was north was not actually north. She had assumed it was and thrown her card in that direction, so there was no way her spell would have worked. Not good... Noticing the time lag from the failed spell, the silver armored arm of the knight approached. In the Atlantic Ocean near the island of Islay, a fortress floated up 20 meters from the jet black waters. The mobile fortress was named Coven Compass and it was a giant disk made of stone with a diameter of 200 meters and thickness of 10 meters. As if to express why it was called a compass, the top of the disk had sharp lines running in each direction from the center, but that was not the main focus of the fortress. On the bottom side dozens even hundreds of ropes were hanging down loosely and a witch carrying a broomstick was sitting on each one. They almost looked like migratory birds taking a short rest, but they were all preparing for battle. Their old worn out broomsticks had a certain type of potion covering them. The witches were not riding on the broomsticks. They were merely guiding the objects that had been given the ability to fly from the potion. With that potion, they could make other tools fly as well. (Well, a witchs potion is just made from different magical plants. We dont really cook unbaptized babies or anything.) One of the witches sitting on a rope, Smartvery, gave a light sigh. The same type of witchs potion had been applied to her skin under her clothes and the slimy feeling was a bit uncomfortable. The operators voice resounded from the small dome in the center of the bottom side of the fortress which was a communications spiritual item. #3 through #20, #30 through #35, and #43 through #52 have completed preparations for firing! The specified witches will accelerate in sequence in order to intercept the knights headed this way!! Hearing that, Smartvery adjusted her grip on the broomstick she was holding in one hand, activated some magic with her other hand, and cut the rope she was sitting on. Immediately afterwards, she started falling due to gravity. Smartvery grabbed the end of the rope she had cut. Her body had now become the bottom of a giant 20 meter pendulum and she accelerated by swinging back and forth as if on a trapeze. At the very bottom of her arc, the point where she had the greatest amount of power stored up, she let go. The witch straddled the broomstick in midair and cut just above the dark ocean surface at high speed. Modern witches did not fly through the sky. Just by praying to the Lord, Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles, had brought down a magician named Simon Magus who was said to have used demonic power to fly. Because the anti-flight spell used in that legend was developed within the Christian Church, the heretical and pagan flight spells that could be explained using Christian doctrines had fallen into a problematic dilemma where flying was easy but being made to fall to the earth was easy as well. Because of this, modern witches did not fly through the sky. Large structures like the mobile fortress Coven Compass had large walls protecting them from that anti-flight spell, but small witches did not have such protection. This led to flying at low enough altitudes that they were practically travelling across the surface being the standard method of avoiding Peters anti-flight spell. As Smartvery soared across the ocean surface, a number of her fellow witches were flying alongside her. The total number of witches flying across the ocean surface had already exceeded 100. The witches used communication spiritual items in order to communicate their thoughts at high speed. What are we going to do, Smartvery!? Were more maneuverable, but the knights have more combined attack capability! Those monsters have put reinforcing spiritual items on their armor because their physical strength is so great they would destroy their own magical structures!! And if our information is accurate, theyre receiving Telesma from Curtana Original! We dont even know if we can fatally wound them with a direct hit!! That Curtana Original works at its maximum within the United Kingdom, right? Although if theyre thinking of invading Europe, they may still be hiding a secret. But at the very least, theres no sign of them using anything extra here. That makes this simple. We have a mobile fortress, so we just have to escape outside the country and the knights power should halve, Smartvery said in an overly sugary voice to encourage her colleague. I guess Im saying we just have to bear with it until Coven Compass makes it outside the national border. The top of the fortress is the firing device for the large-scale flash spell. If we keep fighting and lure the knights outside the country, we can burn all of them away at once. So were the lure, huh? Really. It seems knights just love chasing after witch ass no matter the era. That would be the safest plan, but wouldnt it be fun to take them out with an ocean control spell? Hey, wait a second. Just tell me which one were going with! At that point, the ocean surface in front of them shook as if to stop the witches from proceeding. A number of eyeball-like lights glittered eerily from within the dark water. Here they come!! yelled one of the other witches. Immediately afterwards, a large number of something came flying from the ocean like missiles. They were the silver armor of the knights. A lightning-like attack flash leaped from the tips of the spears the many suits of armors held. As if in response, fire-like lights lit at the end of the witches broomsticks. 100 vs. 100. A seemingly infinite number of rays of lights crossed and the battle between the witches and the knights began. The former Agnese Forces had been investigating New Light at a yacht harbor in Edinburgh, Scotland. The group was a pretty good organization in and of itself with over 250 members. They were currently surrounded by an even greater number of knights. ...There are more than 700 people here altogether. Normally, the police would be charging over because of an unauthorized demonstration. I had always thought they were rather nasty, but I never expected them to be this arrogant, said Agnese in a low voice as she held up her silver Lotus Wand. Lucia stood back-to-back with her holding a large wooden wheel in both hands. There is no sign of a people clearing field having been set up and they dont seem to be worried about it, so the knights must really have invaded a large area. I-Im worried about London too since we cant seem to contact them, whispered Angelene while 4 gold coin bags floated around her. As the nuns prepared for battle, one of the knights walked forward and spoke. We were instructed to do as little killing as possible, but we cannot ensure that if this many people were to clash. Even if we were not intending to kill, there would still be a risk of people being crushed by the sheer pressure. So youre telling us to surrender before anyone gets hurt? How kind of you. ...Do not blame us if there are any casualties. The knight brought up his sword and Agnese smiled fearlessly. As she smiled, she struck the ground at her feet with the Lotus Wand. Focusing on that spot without thinking was a mistake on the part of the knights. An explosive flash surged from that spot. The bright light only took away their vision for about 5 seconds. However, once the light was gone, the nuns were gone, too. Every single one of the 250 nuns had disappeared. What...? The knights eyes blinked within their helmet and they looked around the area, but they couldnt spot a single trace of the nuns. They exchanged signs and spread out to search for the nuns. Wow. Im surprised that worked, muttered Agnese after the knights left. A dripping noise could be heard around her. ...Well, I will admit that the color black acted as a protective color in this environment. D-did we really have to jump into the ocean so suddenly? Lucia seemed rather calm for being in the ocean towards the end of October and Angelenes teeth were chattering. Only those three were in the ocean, the other nuns had ran and hid in whatever place came to mind for them. Agnese grabbed onto the concrete bank and slowly crawled up. Her soaking wet nuns habit turned cold as soon as it touched the air. If the knights are acting so openly, Id say its safe to assume Edinburgh has already fallen. Wh-what are we going to do now? asked Angelene as Agnese grabbed the bent-backed girls hand from on top of the bank. Lucia responded as she climbed up on her own to the side. We cant contact London, so we have no choice but to act on our own. Sister Agnese, how many people in the unit do you reckon we can actually use? ...Well, we did split up and flee, but most of us will likely be caught by the knights. No!! Angelene yelled, but Agnese brought her index finger up to her lips. Their leader, Second Princess Carissa, will most likely be in England. Its quite likely the captured nuns will be taken there. That also means that they will arrive safely in England even if they are caught. So youre saying we can just rescue the captured nuns while they are being transported. They worked for our freedom, so we need to respond by working our hardest for them. Agnese, Lucia, and Angelene nodded silently in the yacht harbor late at night. First of all, lets do something about these wet clothes. Second Princess Carissa and the knights rebellion spread throughout the United Kingdom. For Necessarius, the fight was not one of having the church and the knights clash and continue to fight until one of the sides was defeated. After receiving the knights sudden surprise attack, the Anglican Church had decided not to waste unnecessary strength by forcibly bringing back their normal conditions. Instead, they were preserving their strength and waiting for a chance to strike back. The church knew they would lose if it came to a simple comparison of power, so they had taken the truly important items from the churches and cathedrals and gathered together to speedily evacuate while putting up local resistance. The knights and the church were both one of the factions making up the country. However, the knights now had a higher rank within the United Kingdom. Within the country, the queen was recognized as the leader of the angels and the knights following her were recognized as angels. The church was using normal magic and the knights had the power of the angels, so they would surely wipe each other out if they had a full-on confrontation. And it was even possible that the church would be defeated. Due to this, the magicians were disappearing into the night and waiting for a good opportunity. And... The queen and the Archbishop were within Windsor Castle, a certain magical fortress on the outskirts of London. Elizard was drinking tea and Laura Stewarts glass held mineral water. They were the only people there. The double doors leading into the room they were in were magically locked. It was an extremely high level lock worthy of guarding the Royal Family. (...Well, it probably wont last 30 seconds before its broken from the outside.) Laura Stewart had a reason for that insecure thought. She could see the light of a great number of torches outside the window. She could hear thunderous footsteps travelling through the castle. They most likely belonged to people who had left the leadership of the queen. No matter how strong the protective structures were, they werent much help now that the knights, the ones who were supposed to be operating those structures, had betrayed her. About the only people within the castle who still held loyalty for the queen were the gardeners, maids, and other workers who were not part of the Royal Family or the knights. Elizard and Laura had noticed the change when the date had changed, but they hadnt had time to flee. They had only managed to lock the door, but that would only delay the inevitable. ...Really now. Laura swished the clear liquid within her glass around and sighed. And I summoned Index Librorum Prohibitorum here in order to analyze the princesses actions and see if they posed any threats before they could do anything. Since the knights are so involved, I suppose this was the second princess. She made her move sooner than I expected. Yes. She may be my daughter, but this was a splendidly swift tactic. She truly does have talent for that kind of thing. How about you stop taking pride in your daughter when shes about to strangle you? So what are you going to do? You still have the power of Curtana Second, right? Only about a fifth of it. The rest was taken by Curtana Original. The queen looked over at a sword with no blade and no tip that was at her side. If we fought now, Curtana Second would be cut in two. This one was a makeshift version made as a replacement for the Original when it was lost, so the power wasnt really taken away so much as it was returned to its rightful place. It was unnatural for the power to be in my sword. Elizard tapped the side of the sword with her index finger and her voice turned somewhat cheerful. But she really did well to excavate the Original. In the hundreds of years since it was lost in that revolution, the successive kings and queens have attempted to search for it, but they never even found a hint. Come to think of it, New Light specializes in Norse spells, dont they? In that case, they may have used a spell for searching for gold veins that had been passed down in relation to the Dvergr. At any rate, now that Curtana Original has been brought back, I have no hope of winning if it comes down to a swordfight. Ha ha ha. You piece of shit. Just when Laura was thinking of throwing her water on the queen, the large doors opened wide without even a knock. The magical lock had been destroyed as the door was opened. About a dozen fully equipped knights entered with their swords already drawn. It went beyond the realm of bad manners and into the realm of a mugging. One of the knights spoke. The major institutions of London as well as the rest of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been captured by us knights. In other words, we have taken most of the bases of the Royal Family and the church and have succeeded in sealing almost all of their functionality. I see. So youve dyed the entirety of the United Kingdom in the color of the knights led by Carissa. This didnt become a tempest of decapitations and bloodshed because the already delicate 3 faction, 4 culture system of the United Kingdom would resist you all at once if you carried out the executions before you had established your new order on the country with Curtana Original. If that happened, there was a risk that the framework of the country itself would be destroyed. The knight nodded slightly in response to Elizards words. It seemed that as long as the queen did not try to cut the knights down they still held a certain amount of respect for her despite opposing her. If you do not resist, you will not be needlessly harmed. Please wisely choose the path that avoids any unnecessary bloodshed. You must have it tough, said Queen Elizard with a sigh of exasperation despite having the tip of a sword pointed at her. That isnt Carissas way of doing things. If you dont accurately pass on what she said, she wont be happy. ... Im sure my daughters order was something like this: Tell her to surrender in as businesslike a way as you can and if she doesnt, kill her. Also...I know. She would tell you to show no mercy if you determined you had to kill me and to swiftly kill me even if it meant getting civilian gardeners or other workers wrapped up in it. Im sure she said at least that much. A slight creaking noise came from the armor on the back of the knights hand. The assassin of a knight tightened his grip on his sword and squeezed out a voice. ...Hand over Curtana Second and come under our supervision. ...You too, church woman. Heh heh. I lead one of the three factions just like the queen, but you certainly treat me differently. We could just cut you down here. We are being merciful. Lauras expression did not change in response to the knights threat. As she watched the queen put Curtana Second in a scabbard prepared by the knight, she seemed calm. Laura smiled and spoke to her old friend Elizard. So, what are we going to do? Part 2 Index was inside the Eurotunnel running below the Strait of Dover where the explosion had occurred. A railway ran beneath her feet. The large terminal that acted as an entrance for the Eurotunnel was located in Folkestone, a city a bit away from Dover. A large number of rail lines gathered there and were redistributed into the 3 undersea tunnels. Index stepped into one of the 3 tunnels. The tunnel actually ran a few kilometers before heading into the sea, but Index stopped after heading only about 20 meters down from the tunnel entrance. The path was surrounded by iron and concrete, but it suddenly ended. She was actually a good distance away from where the tunnel had been broken, but the sea water that had poured in had come all the way there because that location was lower than ground level. The Eurotunnel had been thoroughly split in three by explosions in two different places. Due to that dark sea water that seemed to be sucking in the darkness, the actual point of the explosions couldnt be reached. Index spoke while looking at the sea water cutting off the tunnel. A Roman Catholic spell based on the legend of the House of Loreto was used as a symbol of destruction. The Virgin Mary was said to have lived in a certain house in a certain city in Italy. The house was famous for disappearing on its own and appearing on its own and the legend said that the house had teleported twice in the past. However, it looks like the spell to move a building had an incomplete effect on the tunnel. A single portion moved unnaturally which cracked the tunnel. I see. The original House of Loreto is famous for having been visited by the French king Louis IX. He most likely made a fragmentary analysis of it then and brought the theory of the spiritual item back to France. Someone must have used that to carry out this tunnel explosion. I can see some descriptors scattered about the spell that were changed to make it travel to France. That pretty much confirms that this was done by a French Roman Catholic faction, said Second Princess Carissa with a smile. She then looked down to the ground. Not just a French-made spell, but a spell that was related to an analysis done by their Royal Family. Their magicians wouldnt be able to use that. We should assume that a unit under direct control of their head group was involved. We cant be sure of that. The French monarchy was ended long ago, so a spell related to a former king wouldnt necessarily have connections to the current political power. The cornerstone of the brains that control the current ruling political power there is an aggregation of strategists and tacticians taught by the knowledge of the historical kings. It wouldnt be surprising if that unofficial collection of brains had treasure from the royal palace. Carissa stopped speaking for a second and looked Index in the face when she spoke again. But Im truly glad. ? For me, theres no problem as long as this is determined to have been done by France. As long as you didnt say that France had nothing to do with this, there was no problem. So let me say it again: Im truly glad. If you hadnt given me the answer I wanted, I would have had to kill you here. !? Index put herself on guard while seeing a smile spread across Carissas face. But there was only a submerged tunnel behind her. She had nowhere to run. That was when the head of the knights, Knight Leader, arrived. The man who was supposed to be guarding the princess and Index was holding an old rectangular case in his hand. Release Skeblaenir. I want to check on the sword before we end up in a full-blown war. The second princess held out a hand and Knight Leader unlocked the rectangular case. The wooden mosaic-like structure on the surface of the case moved complicatedly, expanded, and changed into a giant canoe. A sword in a scabbard lay within the boat. Carissa grabbed the scabbard, pulled out a sword with no tip or blade, and laughed. Curtana Original... Carissa lightly waved the sword like a conductors baton in front of Index who didnt really understand what was going on. Since I hate the traditions of England, I really should just go ahead and break it now, but Ill use it while its still useful to me. You now have established your sovereignty over the entirety of the United Kingdom. Your words already represent the intentions of the country, but how about you make a declaration to France? Just report to them what Index Librorum Prohibitorum said. Oh, and add on a final notification. This country did manage to compile those 103,000 grimoires, so it makes sense to use them for the countrys benefit. Index glared back in response to Carissas words. The second princess ignored her and spoke to Knight Leader. The Royal Family and the knights can indirectly pressure the military into acting, right? Have them deploy a destroyer into the Strait of Dover. Make it so we can fire a missile into Versailles depending on their answer. We can have the military act, but shouldnt we give some thought to Academy City and the science side? Ignore them, was Carissas simple answer. Our country should hold the reins of its own military power. Being influenced by other countries isnt right. Understood. That decision threatened the extremely tenuous connection between Academy City and the Anglican Church, but Carissa didnt seem to care. Knight Leader decided not to comment on it. But is targeting that palace really the best idea? I have heard that the current political power of France is controlled in the shadows by a group of strategists who have no specific base and who intentionally avoid forming an organization. Yes, but its a fact that the woman who possesses the greatest intellect among the strategists is hiding there. If we blow her away, the others will realize that a pathetic hideout will do them no good because well just blow away the entire city. What kind of warhead should we use? Use the bunker cluster ones that was developed using technology original to England. That warhead spreads out around 200 special smaller shells that are made to pierce a shelter 50 meters underground. That will turn the entire city block that palace is on to Swiss cheese. ...Might I remind you that that would be in violation of the treaty we have banning cluster bombs? Second Princess Carissa laughed. The English military authorities never intended to sign that treaty. It was forced on us with pressure from France and the other EU nations. But this is actually perfect timing. We need to check over all the treaties we have with other countries and annul all the unnecessary ones. We can start with the bunker cluster one. The EU is just a bunch of countries influenced by the Roman Catholic Church anyway. This is an excellent opportunity to cut our ties with them. ... We can also do away with our backing from America related to the dollar. Lets wipe the slate clean regarding the interactions my mother carried out. She remained silent for a short time. The Anglican Church and Academy City vs. the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church? What kind of war is that? Whether the magic side or the science side wins, England is done for. If the Roman Catholic Church wins, theyll go right ahead and destroy us. And even if Academy City wins, a magical country like England will be isolated within a world ruled by science. A war that leaves us no path but to become a dependency is meaningless. And thats what your declaration of intentions is for? Yes. To avoid becoming a dependency in the future, acting after the war is over is too late. We of course need to brush away the strength of Rome and Russia, but we also need to cut our ties with Academy City. If we dont change this war from being a conflict between two sides to being a three-sided war with England isolated, we have no future. Thats what the proclamation is for. Using the destroyer will cut our ties with Academy City and the bunker cluster will stop the interference from the EU and the rest of Europe. Isolation is the sole path that will save England. Isolating ourselves from the EU could devastate the economy and lead to a lack of resources. With the cutting off of supply routes from the Eurotunnel bombing and the hijacking, were already in bad shape. How can you think of making that worse? Its true that there will be disorder for a bit. Carissa did not deny that possibility. But victory in this war that will shake the world will greatly change the makeup of the world. By driving all Roman Catholic control from Europe and creating a structure centered around England, the problems surrounding the economy and resources will be solved. Its actually quite simple. Just like how America once aimed to police the world and what Japans Academy City succeeded on doing in secret, we just have to create a society where England is needed by the rest of the world. Once that happens, no one will let us run out of resources. What she was saying wasnt just a fantasy. The scale of the war eating into the world bit by bit was already at the level where the victor would be able to take control of the world. My mothers pacifism may have had its merits, but it only works in an era where the world is at peace. She should have been more aware that the problems before her were portions of a war developing on a global scale even if it didnt look that way on the surface. As Carissa spat out those words, she roughly swung Curtana Original onto her shoulder. In any case, for the sake of this countrys future, we need to win this war without accepting any cooperation or allowing any interference from others. Sending a destroyer packed with bunker cluster missiles into the Strait of Dover is the first step towards that end. Understood. I will have them make preparations to load the missiles on a destroyer anchored in a naval port. If only we had nuclear missiles. I suppose we should develop some once the situation within the country has been sorted out. ...With all due respect, I would prefer we use something that would not be harmful to those who set foot in the palace after the missile hits. Ha ha. But radiation poses no threat to that body of yours. Or are you worried about the foreign citizens? We can send out a warning beforehand. That woman isnt going to leave Versailles even if we do, so Ill allow that much. Now then. A bitter smile appeared on Knight Leaders face and he turned towards the bewildered Index. What about the grimoire library? At the very least, she gives legitimacy to our final warning for France. What if her opinion is officially overturned? Due to her perfect memory, she remembers what she said verbatim, so there will be no reason to doubt its authenticity if we have her read back what she said. Not being part of the discussion, Index took a step back despite knowing it was futile. Her shoes and the bottom of her skirt were already starting to sink into the ocean water. Okay, we will go with that for the long term. What should we do in the short term? asked Knight Leader frankly. Carissa gave a short laugh. Put her to sleep. Index did not have time to resist. Knight Leaders fist plowed into her solar plexus. Part 3 As if the New Light magician Lessar getting shot before Kamijou Toumas eyes had been a signal, the city of London completely changed. Groups all covered in silver armor marched down the streets. Focused around the Anglican institutions throughout London, intermittent flashes of light and explosive noises continued through the night. Most likely, heavily armed knights were fiercely fighting against priests and nuns at that very moment. How were normal people who didnt know anything of magic or psychic powers supposed to rationalize what they were seeing? At the very least, they didnt gather to look on out of curiosity. The police used their cars to create barricades in the streets to prevent anyone from approaching and they pushed back any citizens who tried to do so. Those who continued to resist were mercilessly held down on the ground and restrained. ...This is too much for a people clearing field to deal with, muttered Oriana in what was almost a groan while hiding behind the corner of a building. There are a lot of magical incidents in England in the first place. The church has a number of large-scale cover-up plans prepared to deal with them. If were beyond that maximum load and at the saturation point, it must mean... What the professional magician was saying was actually exceedingly simple. The knights had almost completely carried out their coup dtat. London, the capital of England, as well as the other major cities had fallen into enemy hands. Shit. And I guess an ambulance isnt going to be coming with all this chaos, spat out Kamijou in annoyance as he held Lessar unconscious in his arms. It looks like our only option is to meet up with Necessarius. Im sure one of them can use healing magic. Yes, but... Oriana said hesitantly. Index, who had been travelling with Kamijou up to that point, was in Folkestone carrying out an investigation on the explosion in the Eurotunnel. The people thought to be behind the coup dtat, Second Princess Carissa and Knight Leader, were with her. Something would happen there. Kamijou was worried about Index. We have to get her healed as soon as we can. He looked down at Lessar while a distant explosion reached his ears. We dont have just one problem to deal with. True... Kamijou and Oriana nodded and headed out from behind the building. They were heading for the Anglican womens dorm in the Borough of Lambeth. According to Oriana, most of the Anglican magicians would be buying time with sporadic fighting while gathering up the truly important books, spiritual items, and other items from the churches and other religious institutions and then starting their evacuation. It was unlikely they would find a magician if they headed to an Anglican church. The main problem was that Oriana was a skilled criminal that was temporarily being used due to a deal she had made. In other words, she wasnt trusted enough to have been taught the Anglican Churchs emergency evacuation routes. But a rear guard will remain at that womens dorm as long as possible in order to buy some time to safely hide important documents and spiritual items. If were going to make contact, well have to rely on them. However, there was something blocking their path. It was a large river. A large river with a width of over 200 meters cut across London east to west. To get to the Anglican womens dorm, they had to cross a bridge over that river. But... Damn. I see silver armor. Is that the knights!? A truck was stopped at the end of the bridge. About eight heavily armored people were on the back of the truck. The people were either getting off the truck or setting up an inspection point. Either way, they had to do something about them in order to get across the bridge. After silently watching the knights for a bit, Oriana pulled the booklet of flashcards from her pocket. From the looks of that girl, we dont have time to wait around here. She looked over at Lessars unconscious body for an instant and then back at the knights. Ill take care of them. ...Can you really do that? Do you want me to do it or not? Oriana was smiling, but there was clear tension in her face. Oriana Thomson was a courier and an expert at fleeing. She specialized in confusing her opponent and escaping, so she wasnt used to taking opponents straight on and these were eight fully equipped knights. Even so, she had said she would take care of them. She would do it so that Kamijou could get over that bridge as quickly as possible with the injured Lessar. After you get that girl to the womens dorm, head to Waterloo station in the same borough. What? The Eurostar rail line connects directly to France by heading across the Strait of Dover using the Eurotunnel. The undersea tunnel isnt being used due to the explosion, but it still connects to Folkestone where the entrance to the tunnel is. You mean... Folkestone is 100 kilometres from London. That isnt a distance you can make on foot. ...But that goes for the knights as well. Theyve taken control of the entire United Kingdom, so they now have to start transporting personnel and resources. You need to sneak aboard the Eurostar train the knights will be using. Kamijou nodded and turned his focus back to the bridge. Even if they managed to get past the bridge, it wasnt over. Knights were likely spread out in the area of the womens dorm and, even once Lessar had been cared for, he had to rescue Index. To do that, he would have to sneak into the area where the second princess, the leader of the coup dtat that had taken control of the entire United Kingdom, was. It felt like a truly impossible task. But... (I have no choice.) Kamijou looked down at Lessars unconscious form in his arms. (This may seem like a hopeless situation, but for that very reason I cant stop here!!) Suddenly, Kamijou both heard and felt a low vibration. Oriana seemed to have sensed it as well and she was looking around with a puzzled expression. Another vibration came. This time the direction it came from was clearer. Kamijou looked in that direction. A voice that was almost a moan escaped his lips. Youre kidding... Part 4 Now then. The main problem is my mother and my sisters. We have to kill them. Only the Royal Family can control Curtana and I should really restrict who can use it further, said Carissa as she exited the Eurotunnel. The night was completely dark. I received a report that my mother was restrained at Windsor Castle, but we dont know where Rimea is. Her distrust of humans is a result of her survival instincts. She probably didnt come with us to the Eurotunnel because she sensed the danger. Also, I highly doubt she would let someone else know where her hideout is. Lady Rimea also goes out into the city while hiding who she is. She may have a certain number of people who will shelter her without even knowing she is a princess. Of course, shes most likely in London or a nearby city. The second princess looked around the area. Her eyebrows moved out of displeasure. Leaving the exceedingly competent first princess aside for a moment, where is that incompetent third princess? About that... Knight Leader pointed towards the collection of carriages. The Royal Familys carriage and the ones for guards and assistants were lined up. But one of them was missing. Given the situation, it seemed likely that Third Princess Villian had left on it. But even after coming up with that answer, a puzzled look remained on Carissas face. How did that sister of mine sense the danger? I thought her specialty was trusting people, not suspecting them. ... Knight Leader hesitated to respond for an instant and Carissa spoke again before he could answer. I see, I see. Rimea has the intellect, I have the military, and she has her benevolence. Even if shes incompetent herself, she has no problem gathering skilled people around her. As she spoke, Carissa walked in a different direction from the carriages. A number of servants who had been the ones to help Villian escape were already surrounded by fully equipped knights. It looks like there are no Royal Maids or armed aides among them. We might have had some trouble if a Saint like Silvia had been here. Lady Villian especially hates having military power. Most of the people here are commoners. Hmph. Is that why youre in such a bad mood? Regardless of what their position or social status may have been, there is no excuse for allowing my sister to sense the danger and get away. But... Im sure youve asked them where Villian is headed and they didnt tell you anything. Otherwise, you wouldnt have reported that her destination is unknown. The servants stood huddled together and Carissa pulled her sword from its scabbard. This was the special sword with no blade or tip. Because of the swords form, it is called the Sword of Mercy, but Im not so sure thats accurate. Since you cant slice through someone in a single strike with it, it seems much crueler to me. The servants watched her swing the sword up. The sound of one of them gulping rang loudly through the darkness. The second princess never intended to ask them any questions. She was only intending to kill them. However, Knight Leader stepped in between her and the trembling servants. Carissa silently looked at the man blocking her way and stopped moving. She spoke while barely moving her lips. What do you think youre doing? I advise that you restrain your sword here. I have no reason to listen to you. In that case, feel free to cut me in two along with them. Carissas shoulders moved in response to his unhesitating words. They were moving due to her laughter. A few of the servants behind Knight Leader let out small screams upon seeing her smile. A smile could create fear. Her smile taught that well. ...You arent being honest. The second princess stared into Knight Leaders darkness enjoying it from the bottom of her heart. You determined that I still need you. Even though I have the freedom of being the second princess and now the head of state, you see yourself as a trump card I have to protect. Thats why you stood in front of those servants. ...Youre quite the skilled negotiator. Its true that I am currently not willing to kill you merely to kill some commoners. ... But keep one thing in mind. The second princesss smile grew even wider. The moonlight glittered on her sword and her expression resembled a split bag. That changes when it comes to my mother and my sisters. If you get in the way of their executions, I will cut straight through you. Their deaths are more important than you. ...Understood, responded Knight Leader as if he were stifling his feelings. I was merely suggesting that you avoid making unnecessary judgements. When the action is truly necessary, I have no reason to stop you. I hope you mean that. The second princess returned Curtana Original to its scabbard, shrugged her shoulders, and left. Knight Leader threw a look at the knights surrounding the servants and they slowly spread out and away from the servants. Without looking at the servants, Knight Leader spoke. Go. ...Sir Knight Leader, I beg you. Please save Lady Vi-... Hurry!! The servant stopped talking out of confusion over Knight Leaders explosive shout. She merely bowed her head and ran into the dark forest with the rest of the servants. Left completely alone, Knight Leader had no knights to speak to. He didnt once look in the direction of the servants and spat out some words. ...If you want to kill me and stop this, bring him with you. Part 5 Kamijou Touma and Oriana Thomson saw something in front of the large stone bridge. It was a giant made of stone over 4 meters tall. No, it was actually made of a collection of concrete and asphalt thrown together seemingly at random. Kamijou recognized the golem made from various objects and materials as well as the gothic lolita magician controlling it. The golem Ellis...!? Sherrys doing this!! A fierce roar rose as if in response to Kamijous voice. The roar did not come from Ellis. Ellis did not have the ability to emit a voice. The roar was being made by the lion-like magician controlling the golem. Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Sherry seemed to have lost herself in rage and Ellis attacked. The giant unhesitatingly charged towards the knights panicking at that end of the bridge. The truck they were on exploded after the first strike and the knights were blown in all directions amidst orange flames. But that wasnt enough to defeat those veteran knights. ... Ellis raised one of its giant legs above one of the knights who was lying on the asphalt. Ignoring the fact that the knight was attempting to defend himself using a mace, the golem forcefully dropped its leg down as if trying to pound a stake into the ground. The tremendous shock almost knocked Kamijou and Oriana from their feet despite their distance from the scene. The surrounding knights attacked with swords and spears in an attempt to save their comrade, but Ellis stomped on the collapsed knight a few more times despite being pierced by a multitude of blades. Sherrys roar of rage resounded further. (Thats right! She-...!!) Kamijou Touma recalled the meaning behind Sherry Cromwells magic name. About 20 years prior, a friend of hers named Ellis had been killed. The reason had been a political one, but it had been a group of knights that had directly carried out the killing. A long time had passed and her wounds had healed to a certain extent, but now the knights had appeared before her again. And once again, they were acting tyrannically for political reasons. After the first time, she had just barely managed to forgive them, so could she forgive them now that they had done it a second time? The answer to that question was Sherrys current state. Dammit. Shes completely snapped! Shes pushing them back now because she had Ellis charge in, but they could turn this around pretty quickly if they aimed for Sherry herself!! ...Yes, this is bad, muttered Oriana. Kamijou looked down at Lessar in his arms. What do we do? Do we help her!? At this rate, Sherry will-...!! Idiot, we do the opposite!! Oriana yelled back cutting off any further words from Kamijou. That magician isnt thinking of anything but killing as many of them as she can! Even if it gets her killed in the process!! If we leave her alone, the entire street could easily be destroyed along with knights!! Kamijous body stiffened. There was even more tension in Orianas face than before. You use this confusion to get across the bridge and to the womens dorm. ...Onee-san will use the confusion to get an attack in on the knights. Ill knock them out while theyre distracted by the golem and then look for a chance to bring that magician back to her senses!! Can you really do that!? And all on your own!? Would you rather abandon that girl and come with me? Oriana looked at Lessars unconscious form in Kamijous arms. She then looked Kamijou straight in the eye. This is just an issue of assigning roles. Onee-san is being treated as a criminal, so if I headed for the womens dorm with an enemy magician, they wouldnt trust me, but they trust you enough that they will be more willing to use healing magic on her. Also, I really dont think that right hand of yours is suited for fighting against a group. Fuck, Kamijou swore. He wanted to stop Oriana from going, but he also couldnt abandon Lessar. Can I really leave this to you, Oriana? Of course. Kamijou and Oriana nodded once at each other and then headed out from cover. The attack by the golem Ellis had driven the knights back a bit from the stone bridge. Holding Lessar, Kamijou headed past them and towards the bridge. It seemed a few of them noticed him, but Ellis and Oriana cut in effectively preventing them from focusing on him. Gritting his teeth at the explosions and vibrations he heard from behind him, Kamijou ran at full speed. The stone bridge was over 200 meters long. Lessars body felt fairly heavy in his arms, but Kamijou somehow managed to get across the bridge. That was when something unusual happened. On the other side of the river, Ellis swung its giant arm around. A number of silver-armored knights were knocked away. At the same time, their swords and spears broke and flew through the air. A professional magician may have noticed it then. One of the broken spears was a spiritual item called Brionac. Broken in half, the spear spun through the air and lightning-like flashes surged out from its tip. It made no noise. Only a tremendous light cut through the air. Five of what looked like beams of light shot out. The white flashes flew across the river occasionally taking a straight path and occasionally bending. They then pierced areas across the Borough of Lambeth. A low vibration pierced into Kamijous footing and his mind. (The city...!!) Without thinking, Kamijou stopped running and looked off into the distance. He couldnt tell much from where he was, but it at least didnt look like the buildings had crumbled into mountains of rubble. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then he suddenly froze again. He had noticed that a railroad overpass in the distance had been destroyed. The very structure of the overpass had been destroyed so it had fallen to the ground. The power cables had also been torn apart spreading sparks everywhere. Shit... Those power cables belonged to the Eurostar line, the line that connected to Folkestone where Index waited 100 kilometers away. What the hell am I supposed to do now!? Part 6 The search for Third Princess Villian began immediately. To prevent various types of trouble, the carriages used by the Royal Family and its guards all had systems installed that allowed their locations to be detected. Knight Leader knelt on the asphalt road, placed his hand on it, and muttered something. When he did, a number of lines appeared along the road as if they had been painted on with luminous paint. They indicated where the carriages wheels had passed. Its distance is around 2000 meters. Its speed is 50 kilometers per hour. Given the direction, it seems she is heading to Canterbury via Dover in order to circumvent the mountains. I see. The public headquarters of the Anglican Church is there. Shes realized that she wont get help from the Royal Family or the knights, so shes running to the church. Carissa gave a small smile. What shallow thinking. Shall we pursue her? First we need to make sure of one thing: Would the servants who provided her with the carriage have known about the tracking system? Is it possible they sent out a dummy? They have seen magic, but they have never used it. As I told you, they are commoners. In that case, Ill have your head if this does turn out to be a dummy, the second princess said lightly. She then pushed the knights aside with just a glance and headed for the stopped carriages. However, she did not get on the extravagant carriage meant for the Royal Family. She instead chose a military horse that had been trained for skilled knights to use. Lets go. We dont have time to spend on my incompetent sister. We need to hurry up and kill her so we can solidify our new order. I doubt France would move this swiftly, but I would still rather not give them an opening. Knight Leader did not respond. His face lifted up quickly like a wolf that had heard a small noise. What is it? An aircraft, he responded to Carissas question. She looked around, but didnt see anything of the sort. Knight leader then pointed towards his ear. Apparently, he really could recognize it by the sound. But this is odd. We currently control almost all of the transportation facilities. All of Englands airports, both civilian and military, have been shut down and the runways cant be used. From atop the horse, the second princess held out her right hand and Knight Leader tossed her a pair of binoculars. Carissa caught them with one hand and looked around using them. Suddenly, she stopped on one spot. There it is. Its flying at low altitude practically skimming the ground. ...Are they trying to avoid being seen on radar? In the narrow view of the binoculars, she could clearly see a large airplane flying only about 5 meters above the asphalt. It appeared to be a transport plane and it had 4 propellers on its main wings. Carissa moved her eyes from the binoculars and smiled. If that isnt reinforcements from the knights, its been hijacked. But the runways have all been blocked off! Even if someone forced their way through, we should have at least gotten a report of it!! Recheck the communications spiritual items. They could have isolated the truly important signal and jammed it. Carissa threw the binoculars back to Knight Leader. ...And theres the answer to the runway issue. Look. There are floats on the bottom of the plane. Its a sea plane. It can takeoff or land on a river or the sea instead of on a runway. ...Come to think of it, there is a sea rescue craft moored at a lake in Londons Hyde Park for an event being held for airplane fans. Lets shoot it down, said Knight Leader frankly. Too late. Its already here, responded Carissa from atop the military horse. A strong blast of wind struck the dark forest. The rescue plane was not so much flying through the air as it was traveling with its propellers like a hovercraft. The craft shot just above the ground at high speed like a bullet and flew right past the mass of knights. As it did, a slide door in its side opened. A figure unhesitatingly jumped from the plane into the middle of the knights. The rescue plane was traveling at a speed greater than 500 kph. The trajectory of the person falling from it was more like an impact from the side than a descent from above. A normal person would certainly have become a stain on the road surface. In fact, it wouldnt have been surprising if it had created a crater with a radius of a few meters. But this person landed softly in the middle of the enemy lines. Almost like a feather. It was not an easy-to-understand battle performance from some sort of military exercise, but someone with an understanding of a certain level of martial arts would naturally be able to tell what incredible skill was hidden in all the small movements making up the phenomenon occurring there. It was that kind of action. The knights hurriedly drew their swords to face the attacker who had suddenly appeared, but the figure standing amid them ignored them and glared in Carissas direction. A Saint, hm? said Carissa quietly while being glared at. In that case, the remaining Amakusas must be piloting that plane. ...We can discuss this afterwards. Surrounded by a large number of knights, Kanzaki Kaori reached for the hilt of her sword. I doubt it will actually stop all this chaos, but I have come to crush the leader of this coup dtat. Im not going to let that happen, responded Carissa. Hearing the second princesss words, Knight Leader took a step forward as if to protect Carissa. I will take care of this. Carissa gave a snort of derision and gripped the reins of her horse. When she had the horse turn around and charged off in pursuit of the third princess, the look in Kanzakis eyes harshened. However, Knight Leader stepped in from the side to obstruct Kanzakis path. With her hand still on the hilt of her sword, Kanzaki exhaled unnaturally slowly. So you were so insistent in your invitation because you knew it would turn out like this. I wasnt lying when I said that I wished for you to be a lady. Some emotion mixed into the light in Knight Leaders eyes. However, it seems I was too late for that as well. Now that you stand before me as my enemy, I will show no mercy. Part 7 Kanzaki Kaori was a Saint. There were fewer than 20 Saints in the world. A Saint was a person who possessed a certain talent or bodily characteristics and so held similar magical symbols to the Son of God from the moment they were born. As such, they obtained a fragment of his power that they could freely control. For most enemies, she didnt even need to draw her sword. She had a hand-to-hand technique for semi-long distances called Nanasen that used wires and she could blow away most magicians by merely swinging Shichiten Shichitous long scabbard. (My enemy is the head of the knights, Knight Leader. I doubt he will be defeated so easily.) Kanzaki paid close attention to Knight Leaders movements and poured strength into the fingers holding the hilt of her sword. (It looks like Im going to have to go all out here, but I dont want to kill him if I can avoid it... Ill knock him out with the scabbard and quickly capture the second princess!! Thats the only way to quickly put a stop to this ridiculous rebellion!!) But... Something invisible was seeping from Knight Leaders body. Knight Leader disappeared from Kanzaki Kaoris sight. It took her an instant to realize that he had moved out of her vision at tremendous speed. When she did, she heard the sound of slicing wind coming from directly behind her. !? She immediately turned around while bringing up her scabbard for defense. Knight Leader had merely kicked. Even so, Kanzakis body of a Saint was blown away along with the guarding scabbard. While she was knocked back and lost her balance, Knight Leader sent his clenched fist into her gut. A tremendous sound rang out. Kanzakis body was blown back 10 meters without landing and she struck one of the guard carriages. The carriage was protected by a number of spiritual items, but it was still smashed to pieces from the impact and Kanzakis body slid along the ground after passing through it. The horses tied to the carriage panicked. Gah....Wha-...!? (I thought this was going to be an issue that normal methods werent going to work on, but whats with this tremendous power...!?) Including Saints, there was a maximum amount of power that a flesh-and-blood human could control, but he had clearly surpassed that. (Dont tell me hes using the high-speed stability line like Acqua of the Back...!!) Kanzaki was having trouble breathing as doubt entered her mind, but she didnt have time to think over it calmly. Knight Leader had already jumped up 5 meters in the air and the soles of his shoes were approaching in order to crush her. !? Kanzaki immediately rolled to the side. But even with her physical abilities as a Saint, she couldnt get to safety in time. She avoided a direct hit, but the destroyed asphalt scattered around the area and struck her. Knight Leader looked silently down at Kanzaki as she rolled to the side with blood gushing from her. He was not watching her cautiously. His expression said that he saw no need to hurriedly pursue her. Why do you look so surprised? Knight Leader gently spread his arms wide towards Kanzaki who was completely on guard. He did not seem worried at all. He almost seemed disappointed. I am the head of the knights, one of the three factions. Even if you are a Saint, you are still just one member of the church. Did you really think you could fight on my level? !! Without responding, Kanzaki fired off 7 wires. Nanasen. ...Long ago, an old friend of mine hit me with a dreadful surprise attack. Knight Leader did not seem worried. He held a hand up in the air, grabbed all of the wires fired towards him, and forcefully ripped them apart. He hadnt used a weapon. In fact, he hadnt even used both hands. Ever since, I have always been on the lookout for surprise attacks. While he spoke, Knight Leader threw the destroyed wires. Even if they were sharp, they were still basically just strings. They shouldnt have had any power to them, but Kanzakis body flew back like a fired shell when they hit her. Gh...bh....!! This time, Kanzaki finally stopped moving when she struck a tree in the forest. The destroyed wires were no longer wires. They had been gripped with such strength that the metal wires had been compressed into a single mass and fired like a bullet from a handgun. The one to stand before me should be, at the very least, the head of the Anglican Church, Knight Leader said quietly as he cracked his knuckles. No, the church simply does not have enough strength. I respect the Royal Family, but I stand above them when it comes to violence. Frankly speaking, you simply arent up to the task. A tremendous sound rang out. When Knight Leaders body disappeared, he was already directly in front of Kanzaki. Immediately after she jumped to the side, his leg blew away the trunk of a large tree with a single strike. It didnt break, it flew. As Kanzaki trembled at that destructive power, her hands subconsciously moved. They reached for the hilt of her sword. (Oh, no...!!) The reason a chill ran down her back was not due to a danger to her own life. Her hands had already moved. By the time she realized that, her right hand had already forcefully drawn her sword. She had used the true Yuisen. That ultimate attack that could cut down even a monotheistic angel flew straight for Knight Leaders neck. He was unarmed. He had nothing that even resembled a weapon and his suit was not a spiritual item. And yet, with a tremendous noise, he grabbed Kanzakis sword with a single hand. This time, it was bewilderment, not fear, that wrapped around Kanzakis entire body. Having stopped her movement, Knight Leader spoke. Do you know why the longtime members of Necessarius did not begin a large-scale systematic resistance when we conquered the United Kingdom and instead quickly slipped into the darkness to wait for a better chance? Still grabbing the blade of her sword, he lifted one foot from the ground. It was because they knew that it was absolutely impossible for them to win in a straight fight against the knights while inside the United Kingdom. A loud explosive noise rang out. It was the sound of Knight Leader kicking Kanzaki. The tremendous force caused Kanzaki to lose her grip on Shichiten Shichitou and her body was knocked a great distance. Our country was constructed around Curtana and the four cultures and so the entire United Kingdom itself is bound by a special Christian rule. When in this land, the monarch is the leader of the angels and the knights are angels. ...As long as we are in the country, there is just a sheer difference in the amount of power. If you want to kill me, you should first drag me outside of the United Kingdom. ...Uuh... Kanzakis consciousness was wavering as she watched Knight Leader toss Shichiten Shichitou aside. Also, we of the knights do not believe in the Anglican Church that Henry VIII created for political reasons. We see it as no more than something to use. Our essence is a single ideology created from a synthesis of Norse, Celtic, Charlemagnic, Germanic, and all other paths of knighthood. ...That attack just now seems to have been a strike that circumvents numerous spells in order to injure angels, but that kind of detour isnt enough to circumvent my defenses. Kanzaki attempted to stand up, but no strength would enter her legs. There were special circumstances in that situation, but even so, that was the most ridiculous enemy she had ever faced. She had previously fought an imperfectly manifested version of the Archangel Gabriel and Acqua of the Back who used that angel as a symbol, but she had at least been able to fight against them. But with Knight Leader she couldnt even do that. And he did not even take pride in his strength. So you havent given up yet, said Knight Leader narrowing his eyes out of disinterest. In any case, a mere Saint cannot kill me with their special strength. As Kanzaki attempted to muster some more strength, Knight Leader casually approached her directly from the front. As he did, he spoke. And I havent even drawn my sword yet. He kicked Kanzaki. It was not the kick of a martial artist. It was much like he was kicking a soccer ball. Kanzakis body flew through the air and then rolled along the ground. Knight Leader didnt even look over in her direction and instead gestured at his subordinates. They all boarded carriages or mounted horses and headed in the direction the second princess had disappeared in. Atop his horse, Knight Leader looked in Kanzakis direction for just an instant. Seeing that she had completely lost consciousness, he spoke disinterestedly. So thats all a Saint can do. Part 8 The third princess was in the carriage. The carriage she was in was not one used by the Royal Family. But there were more practical designs on this slightly less extravagant carriage. It was a carriage for guards. There were no drivers for the carriage. The carriage was made by magic, and just by setting a destination the two horses would automatically run towards there. For Villian, who was not proficient at horse-riding, this was a fortunate function. Villian, who was in a hurry, was so rushed she didnt even have time to turn on the lights. In the almost pitch-dark carriage, the only illumination came from the faint light of the artifacts that controlled the carriage. (The Canterbury Cathedral...) Villian wanted to go to the solemn church that was 10km ahead of her. (First Ill escape there. Then if there is anyone from the Anglican Church left there, at least I can ask them to save the servants that sacrificed themselves to get captured in my stead ...!!) But, that hopefully would not come true. Suddenly, the two horses that dragged the carriage ran off in opposite directions. The carriage got overturned by this violent power. Along with a *clonk* the third princess fell unconscious. Uu... Villian woke up after hearing many horses whinny. In the overturned horse carriage, the controls were flashing the abnormal red light for emergencies. At one of the corners, a voice came out of the communication artifact. Give up. It doesnt matter if you stay in there or come out, you will die. All you can do now is pray. ... ...!! The familiar voice of her older sister made Villian freeze up. The communication artifact kept letting out Carissas heartless voice. Three. A countdown. But this wasnt for any kind of negotiation with Villian. Two. Either way, Carissa was not planning on letting Villian live. In other words, this was only for tormenting Villian. One. Villian had decided. Using common sense, even though it was overturned, inside of the carriage protected by wards was safer than going outside. Villian was completely different from her older sister in that she didn''t know any combat spells. Zero. But, Villian suddenly reached for the door. She opened the door of the overturned carriage like a submarine hatch and used all her strength to try and get out. Immediately, the carriage came into contact with a massive amount of pressure. The destructive power shattered the protective wards along with the carriage. The third princess who barely made it out fell to the ground, with no time to even check if she still had all her limbs. Theres no point in relying on those at the Canterbury Cathedral, you understand? Carissas voice reached her. She was firmly seated on top of a warhorse, and looked down at Villian who was still lying on the ground. She held a sword in her hands. Looking at the sword without a point at the end, Villians expression became bewildered. (... Thats not... the Curtana Second...?) The guards'' carriage going out of control wasnt due to interference from my side. It was due to your destination. Canterbury blocked out its own coordinates... you should know why C you have been abandoned. ...?! What... what, how...?! The Royal Faction and the Knights Faction are both now under my control. So I guess the Anglican Church Faction decided to not take you in. Its obvious now, you have no comrades left. From behind the second princess many light sources closed in. They were carriages and warhorses with flaming torches. The several tens of knights that had protected Villian for a long time were now serving under Carissa. The third princess, who was immobilized by fear, had been surrounded by the knights. One among them, Knight Leader, said to Carissa, Ive defeated the saint. There are no more obstacles. Hmph. Then, I have one more job for you. Carissas words made Villian tremble. Knight Leader looked at Carissa. Facing Knight Leader, who was wearing a questioning expression, Carissa said, Ive said it before, I will not tolerate any more of your foolishness when it comes to the third princess. ... Understood. While he replied, Knight Leader came down from his horse. Villian could not believe it. He was indeed the direct subordinate of Carissa, so it was only natural for him to listen to her orders. But, Villian had known Knight Leader not just for a day or two, but for over ten years. She had been protected by him countless times. At the balls, he was often there protecting her in the shadows. Several times that her political marriages had been stopped had probably been due to him working with much effort, where it would not be recorded in history. She wouldnt be killed so simply. After all, this was the princess of virtue, as opposed to intelligence or military affairs. Maybe, Knight Leader was only just acting. Pretending to kill her, fooling the second princess, then letting her escape. With these thoughts, rather than saying she was being optimistic, it was more like she was escaping from reality. After that, unavoidable despair shattered those thoughts instantly. ... Using a sword to perform the execution will harm the blade. Bring the axe used for executing royalty and nobility. The heavier it is the more cleanly it will cut. Even in death, a princess is still a princess. To let the citizens see a soiled head is a shame for the princess. The request that Knight Leader made toward his subordinates made Villian dumbstruck. ... ... ... She opened her mouth, but nothing came out of it. A fully armored knight handed him an axe. The axe-blade was about a meter long. The face of the axe that had absorbed so much blood seemed to be heavy without peer. Knight Leader wordlessly took the axe, and looked around the vicinity once more. There was no other light. Apart from them there was nobody else. Knight Leader closed his eyes and sighed. He showed an expression as if he was expecting something. Then it turned into an expression that looked slightly disappointed. Lets start. He opened his eyes, and intoned in a low voice. With a slow *clunk*, Knight Leader raised the axe to shoulder height, then high above his head. Uu, Uwa... Uwaaaaahhhh!? Villian could not utter a word, and could only yell out on the ground. But Knight Leaders expression did not waver. He only aimed his axe at Villians neck. With his skills, even without someone holding her down he could still execute her cleanly. Only Carissa said in a slightly melancholic voice, You can ask for help if you want, after all theres so many people here. However, no one will answer you. That sentence was what made Villian feel the most pain. There were so many people in this world, and so many with power and strength; yet none of them were willing to step out for her. Villian, who was surrounded by so many knights armed with many different weapons, was so alone. As if showing the demise for fallen royalty, who was overwhelmingly alone. Tears flooded out of her eyes. Was it because of fear? Because of sadness? Or because of shame? The eyebrows of Knight Leader twitched for an instant, as if reflecting what was in his heart. ... Farewell. Ill promise you one last thing. I will treat your head with the utmost honour. The flesh and skin will be preserved just as when you were alive... no, even more beautiful than you are now. That way, the citizens who see your severed head will definitely feel sympathy for you. After those last words, Knight Leader banished all doubts and swung the axe down at the Third Princess Villian with both hands. Doubts would only bring her unnecessary pain. At the same time, With a *boom*, a frightening attack struck the Knights. Whole rows of knights were blown to the ground, and the execution axe in Knight Leaders hands was shattered. At this instant, Among the knights who were blown away, a few of them blankly whispered, ...Hes back? At this instant, The second princess Carissa, who was still on her horse and wielded the Curtana Original, said in a calm manner, Hes back? At this instant, Knight Leader readily threw away the axe handle and faced the worthy opponent in front of him. A smile had risen on his face and he shouted, Hes back!! Then, countless mouths had opened, People, or a better word - everyone, said that name, William Orwell!! The Third Princess Villian could still not understand what had just happened. Her body that had been on the ground just a moment ago was now floating in the air. No, not floating, in the arms of a certain man. The strong man who had picked up the third princess single-handedly had an enormous sword in his other hand. This over-sized weapon was over 3 meters in length, and was held easily in his hand. Inscribed on the side of the large sword was Ascalon. And at the base of the sword, there was something else. Something that should have been hung up on a corridor at the Buckingham Palace, a crest that had never seen the light of day. With green on a blue background, and a dragon, a unicorn and a silky crest C the mercenarys crest. Villian recognized it. She knew this mans name. Are you alright, princess of this country? He used the short speech to convey the minimal amount of courtesy. This mercenary didnt like to say needless words. After hearing these straightforward words, the third princess finally knew what was going on. The master of the arm that was holding her had stepped up for Villian. Even though the Royal Faction, the Knight Faction, and the Anglican Church Faction had deserted her, only this mercenary stepped up for her. ... Too slow... In front of this fact, tears flowed endlessly from Villians eyes. But now it was completely different from before. The reason for the tears had changed completely. That her eyes could actually produce this much tears surprised her. She could not hold her feelings in, and let them burst out of her. Even as large teardrops flowed down her cheeks she yelled out with all her strength, Too slow!! You idiot mercenary! Thus, the sheep and the princess were sent to the home of the dragon. The Princess grieved for her own fate. At this time, a wandering knight riding a horse to her side. He wielded a holy sword along with a lance, and was a Knight among the Knights. His name, supposedly, was St. George. Volume 17, Epilogue: Everyone’s Expectations and In Their Hearts. War_in_Britain. Volume 17, Epilogue: Everyones Expectations and In Their Hearts. War_in_Britain. A carriage was headed down a dark forest road with no street lights. The carriage held an old lamp and was like something one would see in a picture book. The Queen of England and the Archbishop were the ones sitting in that 4-seat carriage which may have been perfect material for a picture book as well. However, they were restrained to their seats with 50 different restraints, so it wasnt exactly the kind of story one would tell a child as a bed-time story. Add in that fact that London had been conquered in a coup dtat and that they were being transported as prisoners and it seemed more like a nightmare. Elizard and Laura were sitting next to each other and a knight was sitting in the opposing seat as an escort. ...So in the end, almost all the knights fell to Second Princess Carissas side. Youre a surprisingly unpopular queen. Yes, well youre the head of the church, but not a single magician from Necessarius seems to have come to rescue you. Have they simply abandoned you or is this a reversal of trust? Its really hard to tell. Both of the faction leaders had been hoping for rescue from the others faction and they sighed now that they realized that wasnt going to happen. It was a light sigh similar to when a taxi drives right past ones outstretched hand attempting to wave it down. Laura attempted to move her restrained body emitting a creaking noise. Nhh. They must be experts at this to accentuate my breasts by binding me above and below them. But they shouldnt take the Archbishop of the Anglican Church lightly!! ...Well, Im sure youre fine since pads cant feel pain. You fool!! These are real! Wait, no, not that. Study the history of restraints and youre studying the history of the witch hunts. In other words, all the restraints, torture devices, and execution devices developed in this country have been influenced by us. As such, it would be quite odd if I didnt know how to remove them, dont you think? Hearing that, the escorting knight half-rose to his feet, but the queen responded coldly to the Archbishop. I really doubt you can do that. Wha-? Ive known you for a long, long time. I know you want to show off, but I can already tell youre just going to fail, so let me put an end to this before you get peoples hopes up: Stop. If you try, youre just going be struggling against your restraints grunting after 30 seconds. I know you cant stand feeling like youre being attacked from all sides at once, so dont force yourself. I-I can do it!! Im the Archbishop of the Anglican Church and the head of Necessarius! Someone like that has to be able to deal with all the different forms of magic from all over the world!! ...Yes, yes. And that idea is what is pressuring you into this. I completely understand. Wh-what-!? O-okay then!! Ill show you! Its show time!! As Laura Stuart shouted while restrained to her seat by 50 different restraints, her oddly long blonde hair started glowing for some reason. The escorting knight started to reach for his sword thinking she was going to have her hair move and unlock the restraints or something, but something else happened. Simply put, the glow turned into a flash. To be a little more descriptive, the carriage was filled with a golden flash so bright the knight couldnt open his eyes. It felt like something was about to explode. The knight yelled out without thinking. G-gwaaaahhh!? Y-you idiot! I thought you were going to pull some kind of escape artist trick, but thats just an explo-...!! Quiet!! As long as I can remove all 50 restraints, I win!! With the pleasant sound of an explosion, the carriage itself blew up from the inside. The two horses pulling the carriage let out a whinny at the shock and the momentum of the explosion sent the driver splashing into a nearby river. With the wreckage spread around like a flower, Laura Stuart stood tall with her hands on her hips in the center of the carriage that now had no wheels. Hm, this was because it was restrained by hair pins. This much was to be expected. ...I-I see. I now have a much better idea of how little common sense you have, groaned the queen who was still bound to the chair that was now on its side. Well, as long as you have your restraints off, thats enough. Hurry up and remove mine. We need to get away from here before the other knights sense something is wrong and-... Hmm, I wonder what I should do regarding your restraints... ...Hey. Elizard asked a serious question as a chill ran down her back. You understand the current situation, right? If what those knights were saying is true, almost all of the United Kingdom has been conquered by this coup dtat. My daughter Carissa is behind it and she might very well cut ties with Academy City and then fire a missile at France. We need to do our best to overcome this seemingly hopeless situation, so this is no time for this... Yeah, but your heartless words really hurt me. Hmm, I know. If you put me at ease by saying Im so very sorry, oh great Archbishop. A small person like me can only rely on the advice of the church, then I might be able to cool my head and make a rational decision here. Wh-why you...!! Elizards cheeks twitched, but arguing wasnt going to get her anywhere. It was the Queen Regnants duty to put the future of the country ahead of her personal pride. She had no choice but to give in to the demand. However, just when the queen had accepted that terrible fate, she heard a snapping noise. It seemed the chair hadnt been able to withstand Lauras explosion. Cracks spread through it and the restraints holding Queen Elizard broke. ... ... Elizard and Laura remained silent for a short time. Finally, the queen slowly stood up and wiped the dirt from her luxurious dress. She then reached down towards something that had fallen to the ground with the wreckage of the carriage. Oh, look. Its Curtana Second. Wait, wait! Im sorry for getting carried away, so dont turn that national treasure of a sword on me!! Dont worry, dont worry. This sword is not made to harm people. Its a ceremonial sword with no tip and no blade, remember? ...It only has enough power to sever dimensions, so you have nothing to worry about. Im dead!? Wait, it still has that much destructive power left after having most of its power taken by the Original!? Laura shrunk down and trembled, but the queen wasnt really going to slice her open. The queen returned Curtana Second to its scabbard and sighed out of exasperation. But since we need to be in London, this was rather pointless. You could have at least waited until we were in the capital. Elizard looked around. The carriage was completely destroyed, but we can still travel on foot. ...I-in that case, I have a brilliant plan. Laura slowly stood back up and looked out into the darkness. What looked like a cars headlights could be seen approaching from the distance. Elizard looked on in shock. D-dont tell me youre referring to that legendary plan!! Tah dah!! Its the hitchhiking plan!! Hey, you. The guy driving that filthy truck! Would you be interested in going for a drive with a beautiful girl!? Laura Stuart was sticking out the thumb of her right hand and gave a bewitching wink. The truck came to a stop 50 meters ahead of her, made a slow U-turn, and left with proper driving technique. Laura Stuart spoke while the wink and a giant smile remained on her face. ...Lets kill him. You idiot, he made the right decision. Elizard looked through the useless wreckage of the carriage and suddenly spotted a spiritual item. It seemed to be what the knights had used for communications. I see. William Orwell has returned with Ascalon. The Roman Catholic Churchs Acqua of the Back, huh? As the head of the Anglican Church I have mixed feelings about that, but a mercenary who isnt controlled by what the knights want is the perfect right-hand man for Third Princess Villian. It looks like there may be some hope left. The perfect right-hand man, hm? muttered the queen as she tossed the communications spiritual item to the side. ...Will this really proceed so simply? I dont like how you always say small meaningful-sounding things that only you understand. What exactly are we going to do? Dont tell me were going to trudge through this dark forest on foot. Hmph. Why did you have to ruin the mood like that, spat out Elizard as she looked around the area. Elizards eyes stopped on the horses that had been pulling the carriage. The devices tying them to the carriage had broken off. The queen cleared the devices away and easily mounted the horse despite its lack of a saddle. The long reins were made for the carriages driver to use them, but Elizard forcibly gathered them up to make them easier to use while on horseback. Seeing this, Lauras expression turned to one of clear displeasure. Ehhh? I dont know how to do anything as uncivilized as riding a military horse. Okay, lets go. Our destination is London! Youre clearly planning on leaving me behind!! Wait, wait, Ill really be all alone and as we saw hitchhiking is impossible!! Kamijou Touma somehow managed to reach the Anglican womens dorm. It was the first time he had been in the building, but he didnt have time to look around. All the truly necessary things had already been taken away from the dorm and most of the people had already fled. The only remaining people were battle personnel who were staying behind as a rear guard to buy time before the knights could attempt pursuit. Kamijou felt kind of bad about having to ask them to heal an enemy magician like Lessar, but then... Oh, long time no see. Eh? Orsola!? Why is someone with zero battle ability, and thus the first person who should have fled, still here!? Everyone was making such a commotion and I just couldnt keep up with them. That nun who seemed unbelievably slow was Orsola Aquinas an acquaintance of Kamijous. She was a large-breasted woman who specialized in the deciphering of grimoires. She looked down at Lessars limp form in his arms. Oh, my. I see youre having the usual type of thing happening to you. ...Im not quite sure what you mean by that, but can I leave her with you? Okay, you need her healed with magic, correct? she responded readily. Kamijou handed the New Light girl to Orsola. It seemed the nun wasnt good at constantly changing high-speed battles, but she had a certain amount of skill when it came to work that could be done slowly. She wasnt an expert at healing magic, but she could at least carry out emergency aid by reconnecting torn blood vessels. And will you be doing anything in return...? I know, I know. Ill help with the escape as a member of the rear guard, Kamijou responded while loosely clenching his right hand. Imagine Breaker could get in the way of the spell, so he left Orsola. He walked through a dark passageway with the lights out and ran into a nun (this one with a tense expression) who had stayed behind as a member of the rear guard. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and she went out of her way to speak to him in Japanese. Including the back entrance you came in through, almost all of the routes have been fortified by the knights. It looks like forcing our way out is the only option. ...Will you help us? Whats the plan? After shaking the knights with all the long distance bombardments we can muster, we will scatter and force our way out and escape in all directions. The enemys faltering and hesitation will buy us a little bit of time, but its impossible to know who will end up drawing the short straw. (Thats rather vague as usual.) What exactly are the knights trying to accomplish with this coup dtat? The country was already having problems acquiring resources, so why would they isolate themselves further...? From what we can gather from the communications weve intercepted, they seem to have their eye on ocean resources, said the nun. The United Kingdoms level of self-sufficiency isnt all that low. There are various barriers produced by everyday life, but people wont start starving right away. Queen Elizard was acting carefully to ensure the peoples dissatisfaction did not turn to rioting, but Second Princess Carissa seems to be pushing in an entirely different direction. So she went with a forced subjugation using military force on a national scale... The most worrisome aspect regarding the food supply is that about half of seafood consumed here is imported, but something could be done about that by reopening the closed ports. At any rate, with the real risk of hundreds or thousands of people being slaughtered, the people are unlikely to riot. Normally, people can put up with most things while they have the tip of a sword sticking into their side. But food isnt the only problem. What about oil or metals like iron? It seems they truly believe it can be mined from undersea mountains. The United Kingdom is an island nation protected by a natural barrier of ocean, but that barrier has been strengthened by installing various devices on the ocean floor. Carissa and the knights could be secretly preparing to turn those into large-scale mining facilities. However, if it was all really that easy, I doubt the queen would have been so worried about the explosion in the undersea tunnel. The nun changed the subject back to an actual strategy. After we break through the knights surrounding the womens dorm, we will head to a designated rendezvous point, but you should probably head for Waterloo Station. ...I more or less understand the situation. Dont worry. The Eurostar line will take you in a straight shot to Folkestone where Index Librorum Prohibitorum is. ...Thats gonna be tough, said Kamijou with a bitter look on his face. Indexs face floated up to the top of his mind. A stray shot from a battle a bit ago tore apart the overhead structures and the power lines. That train isnt going anywhere. It was over 100 km from London to Folkestone. It was simply too far to travel on foot, so he had to use the train. Not necessarily, said the nun and Kamijou looked back at her. Even if they have Curtana Original, the ultimate leader of the knights, Second Princess Carissa, is currently wide open in Folkestone and unable to get to a special fortress. To deal with the combined forces of us with the church, the knights have to transport personnel and materials to quickly fortify a defensive position. In other words, they need to get a train down there. Meaning...? There are diesel engines used to pull trains in case of power issues. Even if the power cables were cut, it can still move. The knights will most likely use a crane to get the train past the area with the structural damage and then go from there. If you can sneak onto the train... A path to Folkestone had opened up. Strength naturally gathered in Kamijous right fist as he heard the nuns words. Seeing that, the nun gave a small smile. ...Of course, all of this depends on first escaping from here safely. This is perfect. ...As long as I have clear objectives, Ive pretty much already won. Kamijou and the nun then began preparing for battle. A certain man came to the southern English city of Folkestone. William Orwell. Seeing the large man come running to save Third Princess Villian with the spiritual item known as Ascalon in hand, Second Princess Carissa smiled thinly. That man annoyed her greatly because he was uninfluenced by the various organizations and he would unhesitatingly destroy the carefully laid out plans of even the Royal Family because it was for England. She had a thought while everyone was left speechless at the appearance of that mercenary. (Ascalon? A sacred sword spiritual item made according to the legend of St. George?) Carissa knew that man was naturally skilled with water and that he had to be overwhelmingly powerful due to his strength from his mercenary days being furthered evolved as a member of Gods Right Seat. (Why did he need to prepare something like that? Folkestone is a port city and a mountain with a water source that isnt far away. The water he is so skilled with should be all over the place, so why is he relying on such an obvious weapon like Ascalon?) She also knew the reason the mercenary was not using water. A pipeline still existed between England and Academy City. As such, they had received information that the man known as Acqua of the Back who had control of the power of Gabriel had attacked Academy City and had been defeated. (Hes wounded meaning he cant control water. Thats why he has to rely on a spiritual item as over the top as Ascalon. If hes lost some of his power leaving him at the level of a mere Saint, Knight Leader is enough to deal with him. And Knight Leaders power isnt just theoretical. He has been tested in his fight against the Saint from the Far East.) Having checked the information she already had with the information she was currently gathering with her own eyes, Carissa smiled. She came up with an overall conclusion. (Right now, we can kill him. We can kill that annoying mercenary.) Volume 17, Afterword Volume 17, Afterword To those who have bought the books one at a time: Welcome back. To those that have bought and then read through all 19 books: Welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Volume 17 contained tons of England which had been mentioned and seen here and there previously. With the royal family, the knights, the church, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the magic cabals, and even the dangerous actions between nations, a lot was packed into this volume. As this was a story about England, it of course had knights and princesses in it. St. George is the English name of a real saint. With the help of Haimura-san, the story in the opening art and the main text was based on the real legend with some changes to fit more with the English knights and to make it more picture book-like. By the way, (and a certain character mentions this a bit) the historical St. Georges sword was apparently not named Ascalon and the knight and princess outfits were made more picture book-like. Just think of it as a story from a picture book from within the world of the series. Many thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and my editor Miki-san. I am truly thankful that they went along with my special experiment with the opening art. I would also like to thank all of the readers. Thanks to all of your support as you flip through these pages, it looks like Ill be able to write a 20th book. And now you will be closing the pages. I pray that you will be able to take the 20th volume in to your hands. And I will lay my pen down for now. Next up is the battle between knight and mercenary!! -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 18, 5: The Mercenary and the Knight’s Encounter and Clash. Another_Hero. Volume 18, Chapter 5: The Mercenary and the Knight''s Encounter and Clash. Another_Hero. Part 1 October 18th, 12:30 AM. Forty-three elite knights stood on a mountain path on the outskirts of Folkestone in Southern England. The leader of the coup dtat, Carissa, held Curtana Original in her hand. An innumerable number of blades sought Third Princess Villians life. However, a single man stood in their way. He was William Orwell. He was a thug of a mercenary who was once to become a knight. He held the spiritual item known as Ascalon in his hand. It was the result of a certain artist exaggerating the events of a true legend and calculating out all the necessary figures needed for the sword that had not actually existed to do what it was said to have done. As a result, it could theoretically kill a 50-foot dragon. What the man intended to do with that sword was quite simple. He was not going to charge into the enemy lines and recklessly cut down the knights. Nor was he going to create a trap or form a strategy and toy with the group all at once. He simply brought up Ascalon and swung it down. Doing so caused the ground at his feet to explode. An explosive noise and a shockwave erupted. A large amount of dust flew up and the curtain of dust obstructed the knights vision almost instantly. The vibration that shook the earth was close to an earthquake and even the strictly trained military horses cried in fear. Tch!! Knight Leader clicked his tongue amid it all. A number of his subordinates drew back their bowstrings and fired arrows into the center of the explosion, but it was pointless. The night wind swept away the dust. No one was there. Only an ominous crack remained in the ground where Ascalon had been swung down. I see. Youre thinking of Villians safety first. If this area turned into a fierce melee, she could easily be killed, muttered Second Princess Carissa as she calmed her horse. ...At first glance it seems to have been a calm action, but it exposes your weakness. In your prime, you would have fought while protecting my pathetic little sister at the same time. What should we do? asked Knight Leader. Carissa gave a disinterested sigh in response. Bring me both their heads. She tightly gripped her sword that had no blade or tip. I will see how Curtana Original is doing and have it fit my hand. Have your results before I am done. Understood. This enemy may be your old friend, but dont go easy on him. I cannot think of an enemy that I am acquainted with, said Knight Leader before running into the darkness without bothering to mount a horse. The enemy was close. At that distance, he would arrive more quickly on his own two feet. Part 2 Third Princess Villian was being held within a certain mercenarys arm. One arm held her and the other held the sword that was even larger than a human being, but there was no weight behind the mercenarys movements. In fact, William Orwells trajectory was not that of a normal human. His movements were not the movements of running. Much like a ball thrown a long distance, he travelled over 20 meters with each step. His feet did not land just on the ground. Between his large leaps, he also found footholds on the trunks and branches of trees. The bluish moonlight was quite striking. The slicing cold air was pleasant. The unique sense of floating felt like a release from the confined feeling that had been sticking to the princess. The mercenary and the princess travelling across the night sky looked like something from a picture book. It looked like something from the kingdoms seen in fairy tales, not the real Royal Family that had led her around as a political bargaining chip. Heh. Heh heh. A laugh came from Third Princess Villians lips. Not even she knew why she was laughing. Perhaps it was from the relief of escaping her immediate danger, perhaps it was the elation at having managed to outdo Second Princess Carissa who had seemed like a precipice before her, perhaps it was due to the fact that there was someone, even if it was just one person, that was willing to stand up for her, and perhaps it was simply due to the beauty of the scenery. Whatever the reason behind it was, she laughed. Her mouth opened wide for the first time in a very long time. She cast aside her fetters as the third princess of the United Kingdom and gave the defenseless laugh of a normal girl. Ah ha ha!! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! She waved her arms and legs around in laughter so much it seemed she would slip from Williams grasp, but the mercenary did not stop. Finally, William Orwell arrived at an unilluminated mountain path. He softly lowered the princess in his arm to the ground and Villian asked him a question. Hee hee. What are we going to do now? You need to run away to somewhere safe. As he responded, William walked over to a thicket a short distance from the mountain path. A small hill that looked like nothing more than a pile of dirt about a meter high stood there with a worn out cloth covering it. William removed the cloth and a horse made of metal with its four legs folded up underneath it lay below it. Looking at the letters carved into the silver horses surface, Villians expression turned to one of puzzlement. Bayard...? It does not possess the effects of the horse dreamed of by the writer at the end of the 16th century, but it does possess the ability to slip past and hide from magical searches. As long as they do not see it with their naked eyes, the knights will be unable to find it. I see... Bayard is set to the coordinates of a Necessarius hideout. Unlike the old fools at Canterbury, the magicians who actually fight will not abandon you. Third Princess Villian breathed a very, very thin breath. Not noticing this, the mercenary continued to check over Bayard. I will catch up soon, but you leave on Bayard. I will deal with the knights. At the very least, I will prevent them from tracking you, so you dont need to worry about anyth-... For the first time, Williams words trailed off. The reason was Villians fingertips. The third princess hung her head down and stretched out her hand slightly to grab at the mercenarys clothes. Thats enough, she said with a slight smile on her lips. What am I supposed to do after fleeing? What am I supposed to do just because you saved my life here? My sister will soon control all of the United Kingdom and I will then be dragged out to be executed even as I struggle. I will either be killed now or a bit later. That is all you are changing here. Her smile lacked strength. William Orwell merely looked at her expression. The Necessarius hideout Bayard will take me to will not necessarily take me in. Even if I am a member of the Royal Family, I have no real power or authority. Protecting me simply is not worth the risk. The princesss wavering gaze seemed to be saying she did not believe what she was saying. But then why was she lying to the mercenary? So thats enough. I have given up hope. Yes, thats right. Even Knight Leader who has helped me out so much in the past has started this coup dtat and come for my life. Surely, you are the same. If the situation compelled you, you would betray me as well, wouldnt you? Then thats enough. I do not trust you. I just do not trust you. Only Villians words continued on. Only her voice continued on as she carefully suppressed her feelings so as not to have her words fall apart. I will most likely die resenting this country and this world. There is no more reason for you to fight. No matter how much effort you put into wielding a sword for someone who does not trust you, isnt it all for naught? Basically, Third Princess Villian was telling him to abandon her. No matter how strong the mercenary was, he was still only a single person. If he truly clashed with Second Princess Carissas forces that controlled the entire United Kingdom, William Orwell would clearly not fare well. So she was telling him to abandon her. Villian was ordering him to give up his civility and leave. ... William placed Ascalon on the ground next to him. Now that both of his hands were free he moved them. Hyah!? shouted Third Princess Villian. The mercenary put his hands under the princesss arms and lifted her up like a small child. U-umm...er... Ignoring Villians surprise at the sudden action, William placed the princess on Bayards saddle. He then lightly stroked the metal horse on its neck. That must have been some kind of signal because it rose onto its legs that had been folded up underneath it. Letting go of Villian now that she was looking down at him, William Orwell placed the reins in her hands and spoke. Do not worry. He did not smile. The mercenary did not know how to calm others. For that very reason, he expressed himself with his actions. Even if you do not trust me, my reason for fighting for you remains unshaken. Wait-... Before Villian could respond, William Orwell lightly tapped on Bayard with the back of his hand. As if in response, the metal horse began to move. Third Princess Villian was thrown back and she instinctually grabbed the reigns more tightly. Bayard was moving on autopilot and she did not immediately know how to cancel that mode. She steadily moved further and further away. You fool... Without jumping off, Villian used her small hands to grip the reins as if attempting to crush them. She had uttered those words in order to bring that mercenary away from his place of death, but they had only resulted in isolating him even further. She gritted her teeth. That isnt what I wanted to hear you say! You foooooollll!! Part 3 William Orwell stared deep into the darkness until Bayard had completely disappeared from view. His shoulders finally relaxed and he picked Ascalon up from the ground where it lay. Sensing a presence, he turned around slowly. So the third princess is over there. The familiar voice belonged to his old friend, the leader of the knights. But why are you here standing in my way? Acqua of the Back, a member of Gods Right Seat of the Roman Catholic Church, should have no reason to risk his life for a princess of this country. The thug of a former mercenary responded with actions instead of words. He horizontally swung the giant mass of iron that was 3.5 meters long and weighed more than 200 kilograms. The sound of the air being sliced could be heard. Immediately afterwards, a flash exploded out. Not many people would have been able to tell that he had flipped the giant sword upside down and used the thick, sharp spike near the base of the back to strike a large nearby rock. The nearby mountain surface broke to pieces as if it had exploded. A large amount of earth and sand flowed horizontally completely sealing the narrow mountain path behind William. That wall both cut off pursuit of Third Princess Villian and prevented William himself from escaping. The knights in the area looked shocked and raised their guard, but Williams old friend, the head of the knights, silently nodded. I see. So no matter who you are or what group you belong to, what you must do does not change. That certainly does sound like how you would think. ... William held Ascalon out horizontally in a single hand as his gaze raced around the area. With the mercenary in the center, a circle of silver armored knights spread out in a half circle with a radius of 30 meters. Swords, spears, axes, bows, staffs, and other weapons glinted in the moonlight. There were just under 40 of them. Looking at Knight Leader standing in the center of them, William moved his lips slightly. ...It seems more people are going to have to die. Hostility swelled up from the surrounding knights at those words, but Knight Leader alone nodded frankly. Even though our strength has been augmented with Curtanas power to a certain extent, not many of us have reached your level. As he spoke, Knight Leader pointed his thumb at his own chest and spoke two simple words. We duel. This is a true battlefield. I have no interest in the etiquette of refined nobility. If you are serious about this, come at me all at once. If you would rather not die in vain, leave now. You need not worry. Knight Leader lightly shook his arm. At some point, a longsword with a 3 cm wide blade had appeared in his hand. It was a sword with an 80 cm long blade that was optimal for knights to use on horseback. However, its silver surface was covered in something rough and dark-red. I mean a duel in the old sense: a fight to the death. The surface of Knight Leaders dark-red longsword started to bubble. The bubbling was not a mere chemical reaction caused by some chemical. Some of the bubbles were even about the size of a basketball. The tens and even hundreds of those large bubbles that were clearly wider than the sword itself appeared and altogether destroyed its silhouette. The sword took on a new form. It was now a gigantic sword over 3 meters long just like Williams Ascalon. So that is Hrunting. Hrunting was a magical sword from an old legend that was said to have been tempered in the blood of slain enemies and to grow stronger and sharper as more powerful enemies were defeated with it. ...Here lies the 10 years since you left. I am no longer as I was when you knocked me out in Dover, Knight Leader quietly reported as he held that spiritual item that held the same name as a legendary blade. I will use my 10 years to test just how much you have gained from your 10 years. That was a sign. The clash between the mercenary and the knight began as they both wielded weapons made to slay superhuman monsters. Sound disappeared. Light flew. William and Knight Leader charged in straight at each other and Ascalon and Hrunting struck each other. Despite the simplicity of the action, the aftereffects that spread about the area were tremendous. With a few moments of delay, an explosive wind blew out. Along with a tremendous roar, a dome-shaped shockwave spread out with the two men at the center. An explosive storm spread out in an area with a radius of 100 meters and blew away the fully equipped knights. Trees were torn to pieces, the mountain surface crumbled, and the paved mountain path shattered as if it had been made of glass. However, by the time the shockwave had expanded, the two men were nowhere to be seen. They had leapt up into the night sky. With a slight delay, the sound of their footsteps resounded through the darkness like gunshots. At almost 10 meters in the air, the giant swords struck twice and then a third time. The sparks looked like flashes of lightning and the knights saw the shockwaves spreading out spherically like fireworks. Someone gave out a cry. Someone bent over so as not to take as much damage. The spiral of shockwaves knocked them back evenly. I see. Knight Leader landed on the very top of a thick tree and looked down at his pathetic subordinates. That was most likely why William Orwell had let the third princess escape ahead of him. It wasnt because he would have trouble fighting while defending her, and it wasnt because he was heroically planning on protecting the princess to his last breath. He was simply taking measures against foolishly killing the very person he was trying to protect with his own strength. Knight Leader stared again at his old mercenary friend who was standing atop a different large tree. At first glance, it might have appeared that the two men were battling in a purely physical battle of clashing swords, but magic was at the essence of their actions. They could not produce such destructive force simply by increasing their physical strength to a ridiculous extent. After passing a certain line, only a path of self-destruction where ones own muscles crushed ones own organs awaited. At the same time as they were producing such overwhelming destruction with their bodies, they were also predicting what the various negative effects and other side effects of creating the ridiculous strength and speeds were and then using assisting magic to meticulously deal with those effects. Hundreds and even thousands of those negative effects were constantly being created in battle and overlooking even one while the situation changed from instant to instant would lead to death in that high speed fight. Exceeding the limit was an easy thing to say, but it took all that to actually accomplish it. And even with all that, the limits of a physical body could not be completely wiped away. In some situations, it was possible to come up with an ingenious solution in the construction of ones tactics such as with Kanzaki Kaoris drawn sword technique making the battle quick. Both with Saints and with the power of Curtana, just having a large amount of power did not make one strong. In the end, someone who wished to wield a large amount of power needed the skills and disposition required to control that large amount of power. William was strong. Knight Leader was strong. They did not stand in that position because they had been given some type of power. Because they had always had a large amount of power and skill, they had been able to add a special extra power to that and set foot in a territory that normal people could not even imagine. This all also meant that, if one were to obstruct the magic ones opponent was using to assist in their high-speed battle, one could indirectly defeat them. However, that was not so when it came to those two. William had his disposition he was born with as a Saint and his spells that had been further polished in Gods Right Seat. Knight Leader had Curtana and the All-English Continent as well as magic that had been optimized in his time as a knight. The symbols that acted as keys to their magic were not something that could easily be taken from them. The two of them were extremely skilled magic users and they had gained minds that were not easily shaken by overcoming numerous wars. Even if a limb or two were severed, they would not lose control of their magic. Just by looking at the others pose, they gained much more information than a mere soldier would have. It had nothing to do with their old friendship. During the time that had passed and on the journeys they had gone on, they had constructed spells the other did not know of. Heh. Its true that you are quite skilled for a Saint, but it seems you arent showing off your specialty. ... With each strike, I can feel your wounds throbbing. Since you arent using that water of yours and you arent carrying out that sliding high speed of yours, your defeat in Academy City must truly have had a lasting effect on you. William did not respond. He merely brought the giant sword up in front of him slowly. Do you really have a reason to go this far to protect the third princess? As if in response to Williams action, Knight Leader began to move, too. At the top of a huge tree, he silently and smoothly moved the dark-red Hrunting. His subordinates were struggling on the ground down below and he saw one holding a bow in his shaking hands, but he did not look back in their direction. Its true that the kindness and morality that are at her core are worth mentioning. However, I do not think they are enough to move a nation. Basically, this is an issue of what policy will most effectively move the country. This is a question of whether a policy of military force or one of benevolence will save Britain now, and there is only one answer. It seems Lady Carissa is worried about it, but I seriously doubt that the third princess could wield Curtana Original. Her personality would not allow her to and she also simply does not possess the ability. ... I am not saying that Curtana is everything, but you cannot deny that it is an effective means of military strength. We of the knights will always choose the option that is best for England. As long as that option is Lady Carissa with Curtana Original, then we will support her with everything we have. Knight Leaders words suddenly cut off there. A small laugh had cut him off. The mercenarys shoulders moved up and down slightly. However, his expression was not the wild smile Knight Leader knew to appear on his face when faced with a formidable enemy. His smile was one of amusement. You seem to have a lot to say, my friend. William Orwell rejected all of the words that had entered his ears. His expression said the words had been so ridiculous they werent even worth remembering. So youve come to the point where you cannot take up a sword and fight without making excuses to yourself and others. No voice came in response. With a loud noise, the mercenary and the knight kicked off from the tops of the trees and clashed in midair. Their legs gave off so much power that the two trees they had been standing on were smashed to pieces. William and Knight Leader had jumped straight forward from the large trees. They seemed to slide through the air as their display of strength twisted gravity and their bodies and swords relentlessly clashed at the halfway point. Sparks exploded. A seemingly never ending stream of shockwaves spread out. The energy they had used to drive themselves forward was completely lost in the first strike and the mercenary and the knight began to fall directly downward. However, a free fall was no threat to those two. They continued to swing their swords in close quarters. Their swords bit into each other complexly. In a midair battle with no footholds, one could not properly use ones own weight to swing ones sword. Instead, William and Knight Leader used the energy gained from stopping their opponents blows to rotate their body around and return the powerful blow from many different angles. This repeated again and again and again and again. As they fell while entangled in such a complex manner, they looked somewhat like two gears. But those gears were like industrial circular saws as their thick blades scraped against each other. This 360 degree exchange taking advantage of the lack of footholds would not last forever. The ground was approaching and the instant they landed was a huge chance to get the upper hand in that competition. That instant came soon afterwards. Their feet made contact with the ground covered in undergrowth. !! !! A thunderous roar sliced through the air. William Orwell and Knight Leaders bodies both moved about 50 meters from the center of the explosion. They seemed just like small pebbles blown away in a large explosion. However, the two of them did not put that distance between themselves intentionally. The instant they landed, they had come closer and closer and a full-strength strike had sent them sliding along the ground due to the combined force of the two colliding attacks. The bottom of Williams shoes scraped along the ground making a horrible noise. It was the noise of the undergrowth and even the black soil below being torn up. The route William had passed through was torn up so that it looked like a cleared path. The battlefield had moved from the place where a large number of knights had collapsed due to the aftereffects of the battle. Williams back was almost touching the 100 meter wide slope he himself had created with the landslide that cut off the escape route. Opposite him, Knight Leader adjusted his grip on the dark-red longsword. William could not fall back any farther. This was not due to the thickness or the height of the wall. It was because crossing that wall was the same as surrendering the path that lead to the third princess. There was something you could tell by looking at William. He had already started to move his weight forward while holding Ascalon. He looked just like someone about to start a sprint. Knight Leader also looked as if he were on the verge of assaulting. So you are afraid for the third princess. On the battlefield, we have determined so many people were our enemy and slaughtered them. What good will wielding a sword for this reason do you now!? How light. Those words are much too light for the surface!! Heh. Are you trying to say that you cant stand killing people who have agreed to surrender!? That may be just like you, but thats all it is!! An explosive noise sounded. Knight Leader charged toward William with his dark-red sword in hand and the mercenary responded in kind. And even so, youre making an enemy of the military side to protect benevolence. Do you really believe that benevolence has enough value for you to support it this much!? Sparks and shockwaves scattered about and spread around while the two men moved at high speed. Sword struck sword and the men glared at each other at close range. I do not need decorative words to speak to others. Williams Ascalon pressed on Knight Leaders sword. The reason I fight is expressed with my body and my sword!! The mercenary purposefully drew back his sword and then filled the open space by forcefully striking Knight Leaders dark-red sword with the blade. The tremendous shock threw Knight Leaders balance off ever so slightly and William continued with a second attack. However, the head of the knights was not one to be done in from just that. He swung his dark-red sword around to receive the blow and moved back instead of opposing the momentum. A space of 10 meters opened up between them. (...Most likely, this mercenary is fighting without a single military or political reason in mind. Whether the third princess is actually a princess or not holds no meaning to him.) Knight Leader guessed at what was going on in his opponents head and poured more strength into the hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Flere210. The one who changes the meaning of those tears. As the magic name he held suggested, the reason he held his weapon was to transform cold tears into warm ones. (But thats still too superficial. That reason is nowhere near enough to kill me, you failed mercenary.) ... On one side, William had finally stopped moving and adjusted his grip on the hilt of his gigantic sword. It was the spiritual item Ascalon It was 3.5 meters long and weighed over 200 kilograms. The sword had the same effects as the sacred sword that appeared in a story based on a real legend and a magician had calculated out all the necessary values and created that sword that could theoretically slay a 50 foot dragon. The sharpness of the double sided sword was not uniform. The thickness and angle of each part were adjusted so it could also be used like an axe, like a razor, or like a saw. It also had a can opener-like spike and a wire close to the blade like a coping saw on it which made one wonder if the magician who had made it had been drunk. Scales, flesh, bone, muscle, tendons, fangs, claws, wings, fat, organs, sinew, blood vessels, nerves. It seemed to have truly been designed with the idea of being able to cut through every part of a dragon using that one device. On the other side, Knight Leader held a dark-red sword in hand. It was the spiritual item Hrunting. It was 3.9 meters long and its weight was unknown, but it probably didnt weigh much more than the longsword used at its base. The spiritual item held the same name as the magical sword used in the legend of Beowulf. Apparently, the sword became tougher and sharper from the blood of slain enemies that blocked ones path, but Knight Leader had most likely had Telesma act as the blood so that the a large amount could be compressed into it in order to give it a tremendous amount of destructive power. Already, the ordinary laws of physics did not apply to the steel of the sword. It felt lighter than its original mass should, it was tough enough to not have received a single scratch from the strikes it had received from Ascalon, and C most importantly C it was so sharp that it would kill William instantly were a single strike to hit him. (...So it works on idolatry theory just like the cross in the Christian church.) In contrast to his violent actions, William calmly analyzed the situation. (Hes using Curtana and Hrunting, two swords that symbolize the United Kingdom, to further strengthen the ability to control different types of power within the country. ...Hmph. I was wondering how his physical body was storing and using a mass of Telesma greater than the power held by the average Saint. To give his life to his sword and his country, hes just as devoted to the theory of the knights as ever.) At that last thought, Williams lips bent slightly. Not noticing that, Knight Leader spoke. In a one-to-one battle, there is no need to hide anything. How about I explain the details? That isnt something I expected to hear from someone who deceived the queen. The second princesss plan was effective, but I did not like every aspect of it. Well, I can give my mercenary opponent a short breather to get a grasp of my style. I see. But that wont be necessary, William denied him. I know the trick behind it, but you are not an enemy who will be defeated just from that. That was fast, praised Knight Leader. But its too bad. Just once, I wish I could have fought you at your peak. An odd noise split through the darkness of the night. Knight Leader did not move a step from where he stood. He merely casually swung Hrunting. However, the distance meant nothing. William had immediately dodged to the side upon hearing the sound, but he did not make it in time. A wound was gouged into his left shoulder and even into his collarbone. (...That wasnt Hrunting...!?) That had clearly been a different type of attack than before. Before blood could come spurting out, William had already adjusted his grip on Ascalon in his right hand. Did you know that the magic sword Hrunting in Beowulf is mysteriously never used in the battles pivotal to Beowulfs life? There was no noise. Knight Leader charged towards William faster than the speed of sound. He swung Hrunting to the side and William received the blade on Ascalon while only holding the sword in one hand. Despite that, the sound of something slicing through the air reached Williams ears. In response to a strange chill, he swung his head to the side as hard as he could and a light wound appeared on his cheek. In Beowulfs battle against Grendel, he used his own strength, in his battle against the water sprite, he uses an old sword he found in the enemys hideout, and in the final battle of his life against the dragon, he uses yet another sword. At that point, Knight Leader made another move. In order to evade, William had slightly lost his balance and Knight Leader pulled Hrunting back from Ascalon. He then swung the long sword. William received the blow with Ascalon, but his inability to support his weight due to having lost his balance and his single-handed grip on Ascalon caused his body to become airborne. With a tremendous sound, William Orwell flew through the air. There is a lesson in what I am telling you: you should always prepare multiple trump cards when your fate is in the balance. As Knight Leaders lips moved, the mercenarys body struck a large tree and the thick trunk broke. Ignoring the snapping and cracking noises made by the collapsing tree, Knight Leader spoke. It seems this is the limit for a failed mercenary. Blood squirted from Williams left shoulder, but he still stood up with Ascalon in his right hand. Knight Leaders words rang in the mercenarys ears. In a one-to-one battle, there is no need to hide anything. How about I explain the details? Part 4 Kamijou Touma had snuck aboard a freight train on the Eurostar line heading from London to Folkestone and was lying face down on the roof. The train was moving very quickly. Kamijou didnt know what the average speed of foreign trains was, but he doubted they normally moved at almost 300 kph. Due to power trouble in London, a slower diesel engine had been used, but the power must have come back up because it suddenly picked up speed. It was late at night and probably near the time of the last train of the night, so there wouldnt have been many other trains out normally and C more importantly C a coup detat had broken out over the entirety of Britain meaning the normal rail schedule wouldnt be kept. The train was only able to move at that ridiculous speed because there were no other trains on the track. Mghghghghghhghghgghghhghghgghhgghgh!! The skin of Kamijous face was subtly distorted due to the wind created by the 300 kph speed. The reason the knights inside the train couldnt find that amateur as he shivered in the cold was quite simple. They would never think that someone would be stupid enough to hide there. That said, Kamijou hadnt gotten up on the roof because he had wanted to. Originally, he had hidden within the freight train. However, it had been too dangerous to stay in one place because he had to prevent the knights from finding him when they irregularly patrolled the train. To do so, he had been sneaking from place to place matching the movements of the knights. Before he knew it, he had been forced up onto the roof. (Ahh, Ive heard about illegal immigrants sneaking from Mexico into America by clinging to the walls or roof of a freight train. I wonder if it was something like this...) Kamijou recalled a documentary he had seen in his dorm back in Academy City. But for him, merely reaching his destination was not his goal. (Index...) Kamijou subconsciously gritted his teeth. When the coup detat had broken out, Index had been travelling with the second princess who was said to be the one behind the coup detat. He had no idea exactly what kind of situation Index was in, but it was clear her situation wasnt one where her safety was guaranteed. She held the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires in her head. It wouldnt be surprising if someone who wanted to increase their battle ability as much as they could tried to misuse that knowledge. To be completely honest, he knew it wasnt a situation a single amateur should be heading into. (...But its not like I have to defeat the enemy leader and all the troops protecting her.) Kamijou looked down at his right fist. (I just need to strike at an opening and rescue Index. If thats all I need to do, this is better than heading for the enemy lines with a large group of people.) Then Kamijou saw something at the very edges of his vision. Looking over in that direction, he saw the top of a silver helmet at the connection between two of the freight trains cars. And the knight wasnt moving between cars. It looked like he was climbing the ladder. (A patrol...? Shit, someones coming up here!?) The armored man was at the front of the car, so Kamijou hurriedly headed for the back. With the wind caused by the trains high speed pushing at his back, Kamijou moved back while sliding along the flat roof. He got a chill thinking about the fact that it was all over if he fell down onto the gravel flowing by at high speed as he jumped down to the small space between cars. The connection between cars on the freight train was not made into a passageway like on public trains. Each car was isolated, so Kamijou had jumped down onto a small space surrounded by a metal handrail. It looked like he could move to the next car by climbing over the handrail. With another chill heading down his spine at the sight of the rail and gravel moving by much too quickly below, he moved to the next car. (Dammit. Were moving pretty quickly, so we should reach Folkestone before long, right?) He cursed in his heart, but it would all be over if he was found whether they were 10 minutes away or 1 minute away. There was nowhere to run within the train, and it would be difficult to deal with a large number of knights gathering in one spot with only a single right hand. He didnt know exactly how many were on the train, but the train was heading down there to transport additional military personnel to the second princess. It seemed likely that there were a hundred or two onboard. (...Oh, crap. This is way beyond the level of a fight against some delinquents.) Kamijou used both hands to slide open the train car door and slipped inside. The cars in the area he was hiding in were truly being used as freight cars because they were loaded with equipment instead of personnel. A large number of swords and spears were casually piled up by category looking something like the bonfires seen in old stories. It was quite a frightening sight. They were not accessories for decorative suits of armor in some mansion. Each and every one of them was a true weapon that was there for the purpose of killing people. (Even so...) Kamijou sighed within the dark freight car. He could not speak very much English. If each letter and word were pronounced distinctly like in an English textbook, he could probably understand some, but when local speakers spoke quickly while running words together or eliminating them to make things easier to say, he couldnt understand a thing. Even so, he had picked up on the fact that the knights onboard the train seemed almost panicked about something. It seemed some kind of emergency had sprung up. He couldnt pick up on the details behind it, but he felt like they kept saying a certain name again and again. (William, huh?) He had a feeling that that was a rather popular Western name and he couldnt think of anyone he knew with that name. He was willing to bet there were a lot of people in England named that. He guessed that the person might be a Necessarius magician and then decided that thinking any more on it wasnt going to help anything. Then... Hey. Hearing that sudden voice come from the depths of the car, Kamijou thought his heart would stop. It was a girls voice. He quickly turned around in that direction and saw something wriggling behind a pile of silver armor and helmets. It was a human. The girl had her hands restrained behind her back and had restraints on both her ankles. (Wait, those clothes are...?) Kamijou looked puzzlingly at the girls clothes that were almost like a lacrosse uniform. (I think Ive seen that outfit before... Is it popular in London right now?) The girl then unconcernedly spoke to Kamijou. You dont look like youre with the knights and you dont seem like a young apprentice either. Are you being transported after having been captured, too? Her voice sounded irritated, but he didnt understand a word of her quickly spoken English. She must have picked up on what Kamijou was thinking from his expression. Hm? Oh, I see. Sorry, sorry. It seems youre Japanese, so I guess I should speak in your language. Y-you can tell Im Japanese...? An Asian person who gets a disturbing thin smile on his face when he first meets you is always Japanese. (...Is that how a Japanese polite smile looks to them?) Kamijou was feeling a tad dejected, but the girl didnt seem to notice. Anyway, Ill ask again: you arent with the knights, right? Kamijou didnt know what the girls true motives were and he looked back at her face. She looked about 15 years old and had white skin and blonde hair. Her hands behind her back and her ankles had restraints on them. The restraints were not modern handcuffs. They were something like the wooden board with holes in it that was used to restrain ones head in a guillotine. When Kamijou didnt respond, the blonde girl frowned in displeasure. ...Do you not actually know Japanese? Or is my pronunciation that bad? N-no, I understood you. I understood you, but... Oh, I see. My name is Floris. Ive taken part in a bit of a fake magic cabal, but...that doesnt really matter now. Just give me some help. Part 5 William Orwell had a 5 cm deep gash in his left shoulder. Quite a bit of blood was flowing from the dark red wound. Ignoring his weakened left arm, the mercenary held his gigantic sword in only his right hand. He was a little less than 10 meters from Knight Leader. At that distance, each could attack the other in an instant, but Knight Leader did not move a step. He sliced his dark red sword through empty air as if he were taking the situation lightly. !! A horizontal cutting attack came from a completely different angle and threatened to behead William. When William bent over to dodge the attack, a number of flashes glittered in straight lines around him. Immediately afterwards, Knight Leader moved his longsword like a baton and invisible cutting attacks rushed towards William from all directions. The undergrowth was sliced in straight lines, claw scratch-like cuts ran across thick tree trunks, leaves floating in the night sky were sliced in half one after another. William either recognized it in the sound of the wind, identified it in some other way, or used some kind of sixth sense to gather all the not yet classified information because he swung his head to the side, jumped back, swung his right arm to receive the attack on Ascalons thick blade, repelled the attack, and kept out of the range of Knight Leaders deadly attack. A storm of sparks erupted. While swinging his large sword at supersonic speeds to protect his back without really turning around, William spoke to his slightly distant enemy. Im sure you didnt really think you could easily kill me just by adding a trick into your attack range. ...Once again, you catch on quickly. And as usual, you make sure to say nothing more than is necessary to a detestable extent. Knight Leaders face held a bitter expression as he swung his dark red sword around at a high speed. He was using a pattern. In the stories of Norse, Celtic, Charlemagnic, and Germanic warriors and knights, many legendary weapons were spoken of, but a certain pattern existed in all those weapons. I mastered the many paths of knighthood and thought I would compensate for each ones weakness by unifying them, but it seems the more complicated the combination gets, you have to simplify it down to a single strike. I suppose it is similar to the demise of a star like the sun. When a star grows too large, it finally explodes and gives birth to a black hole. ...It becomes a mere gravitational field. It becomes something that is theoretically simple but still produces a great power. It was a single strike born from combining all sorts of spells. As such, magically interfering with it or cancelling it out was incredibly difficult. To find the solution, one had to head down every one of the paths Knight Leader had taken. However, this is not the kind of complete demise that turns the star into a black hole. There are many ways for a star to meet its demise. If the stars mass is not at a certain level, it can apparently turn into other things such as a neutron star or an interstellar cloud. It seems my strike gained the characteristic of the sword due to this imperfection. Knight Leaders slim fingertips tightly held his dark-red sword. Theoretically, this level of characteristic can be divided into a few categories instead of being lumped together in a single category. Simply put, there is the Slicing Power that can cut through anything, the Weapon Weight that creates tremendous destructive force, the Enduring Solidity that cannot be destroyed, and the Movement Speed that makes no one able to catch up to me. There is also Special Use, a rare pattern necessary to slay particular monsters, Precise Accuracy that automatically has me move toward the vital points, and the pattern I just used against you. ...The Attack Range, you mean? He had reanalyzed the laws behind the Norse Gungnir and Mj?lnir, the Celtic Fragarach and Brionac, and other weapons, combined them, and then condensed them. His evolution had constructed completely new spells much like a black hole being created from the death of a star that grew too large. And the similar legends from around the world other than the European ones that Knight Leader loved and so put into his spell could also be added into the birth of this black hole. I realized something when I reanalyzed all the spiritual items and weapons from various cultures and legends in order to create this Attack Range. I realized that all kinds of humans wish to win by unilaterally pouring powerful attacks on their enemy from a position their enemys attacks cannot reach. I do not like giving affirmation to that boring society of guns, but I cannot deny that it is quite effective. (And the actual materials he used to make this a reality are...) Heh!! William used Ascalon to repel a long range strike approaching his temple from the side. A blade that looked like dark red rust only a few millimeters long struck the thin wire held on like a coping saw creating sparks and then pierced into a nearby tree trunk. It is a fragment of the sword. Knight Leader easily revealed the trick that he should have kept hidden and continued swinging around his sword. The fragments of some excellent weapons and spiritual items still display the power of the original. For instance, the sword used by King Charlemagne had the fragment of a sacred spear inside it. So someone who is about to fight against France is using the legend of one of its kings? That was a surprisingly pointless comment coming from you. Knight Leader grinned. Guided by his sword, a few dozen blades of rust targeted William. I will use anything I can. If you want to go down that path, even the name Curtana comes from a French word. I believe it means short sword due to its broken off tip. Suddenly, Knight Leader stopped moving his hand. William looked on suspiciously. Dont get that look on your face. Knight Leader readjusted his grip on Hrunting. I told you I did not like giving affirmation to that boring society of guns. A proud knight has sworn to crush his enemy while allowing the enemy to use all his strength. Are you planning on turning your sword on even powerless servants to boast of that pride? William Orwell clicked his tongue slightly. A red flash of light shot from Ascalon as he held it on his right hand. No. The light was not just one color. From each angle of the blade, the shine changed just like with the surface of a CD. Strictly speaking, even that wasnt accurate. The 3.5 meter long sword did not have just one blade. Its thickness and angles changed and it had a portion like an axe, a portion like a razor, and a portion like a saw. It also had a can opener-like spike and a wire close to the blade like a coping saw. Ascalons shine originated in those different functions. The color changed depending on how and where the different methods of attack would be used. The axe-like blade was red, the razor-like blade was blue, the can opener-like spike was green, and the coping saw-like wire was yellow. Like that, magical power was being supplied and converging on each of the sections of the spiritual item. The real time regulation of what would provide the greatest destruction decided on the color of the light that split between the routes of each blade. I had hoped I wouldnt have to use this. That isnt like you. Were you holding back against one who the dragon symbolizes? Knight Leader smiled and gripped Hruntings hilt. In the values of the Christian Church, the dragon was the symbol of more than one thing. For example, it represented pagans and foreign invading forces. It also represented a fallen angel stained with evil. Part 6 Inside the freight train, Kamijou Touma faced a girl with her hands and feet restrained. It seemed her name was Floris. Someone familiar with the full story of the recent events might immediately have the organization name New Light come to mind. Kamijou did not know the names of the New Light members other than Lessar who had been terribly injured before his eyes nor did he know what they looked like. Cmon, quit standing there with that blank look on your face and help me already. Help you...? How? Surely you can figure that out just by looking at me. Help me take these off. She thrust forward the wooden restraint binding her ankles. A look of displeasure came over Kamijous face. ...What the hell did you do to get those things put on you? Well, I dont really think I did anything wrong. Floris laughed. She then whispered something quickly in English. (...I was kinda glad the knights had rescued me from the Necessarius sanctuary, but then they threw me on this freight train without removing the restraints. They really must have been planning on silencing us from the beginning. Dammit Bayloupe, this is what happens when you trust public servants like the knights. Im not willing to bravely have my life come to an end for just one mission like Lessar.) Hah? Oh, nothing. Anyway, youre in a similar situation, right? Like you got on the knights bad side and were taken in or something. I snuck onto the train to get to Folkestone. That response had a lot of meaning behind it, but Floris did not respond to it. She had only needed to know that he wasnt with the knights. Anyway, just help me get these off. Due to the effects of the spiritual item, I cant leave this 2 meter square area. That means...well...I cant grab the key on the wall over there. Ahn? Is that all you need? Kamijou started to reach for the ring of keys on the wall, but then he froze. A puzzled expression appeared on Floriss face. What is it? Well, my right hand is known as Imagine Breaker. To put it simply, if the key you need is magical, itll be destroyed the second I touch it. If that happened, there would be no way of removing your restraints. After his own explanation, Kamijou suddenly looked up. Huh? But then we dont have to deal with the key at all. I can just destroy the magical restraints directly with my right hand. Hah? Eh? Wait, wait, wait!! I dont know what youre planning to do, but-....!? As Floris complained, Kamijou grabbed the restraint around her ankles. With a cracking noise, the restraint fell to pieces. See? I shouldve just done this from the beginning. H-huh... Kamijou circled behind Floris and destroyed the restraint binding her arms. There we go. Ha ha. Youd better be really damn thankful, Floris-kun. Gwaah!? Wait, destroying the restraints that crudely will-...!! An alarm began to sound within the train car. The two of them could sense presences gathering at the front and back of the car. Then they heard physical armor-sounding footsteps clanking. Floris glared at Kamijou with deathly bloodshot eyes. Wh-what are we going to do!? Were going to be at a complete dead end 10 minutes after this begins!! N-no, its too soon to give up!! Kamijou replied as he headed for the iron door. In addition to the doors at the front and back of the car, it also had a large sliding door on the side wall for loading. Kamijou removed the latch and used both hands to open the sliding door slightly. A blast of wind roared into the car. Where are we? Arent we almost at Folkestone? replied Floris. Hearing that, Kamijou looked back out the door and in the direction the train was headed. A green plain spread out before his eyes. However, one glance at the ground quickly flowing along down below made it clear what would happen if they carelessly jumped out. Looks like we have to jump, he said. Are you an idiot? You can commit suicide if you want, but I wont!! No, not that. Were approaching a river! Thats the only place we can escape at!! Eh? No way. Diving down into a cushion of water from a great height and miraculously surviving is just something from Hollywood. It isnt going to work in reali-... Lets go. It wont be as scary if we hold hands!! E-eh? Wait, this is really gonna kill uuuuuuuusssssssssssss!! The freight train was crossing an old stone bridge. Kamijou had grabbed Floriss arm while she chattered on and jumped from the open sliding door. They were roughly 10 meters from the waters surface. Perhaps out of fear, Floris was clinging to Kamijous body and she looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel as she shouted. Were done for!! No, well be fine. The water will act as a cushion and-...!! That river isnt even a meter deeeeeeeeep!! .............................................................!! Kamijous eyes turned to dots. He looked back up and saw a number of knights on the freight train holding longbows. However, their shoulders were relaxed and they looked completely dumbfounded. It was as if they were saying, My duty says I should shoot them, but that would definitely be a waste of tax money. Ahhh, dammit!! Floris yelled in midair and her shoulders suddenly started to glow. Something made of metal parts was attached there and a few thin metal rods like the frame of an umbrella jutted out on both sides seeming to ignore the law of conservation of mass. Grab on!! Im going to try to somehow offset our speed with my wings!! A film of light sprouted out connecting the umbrella frame-like rods. Seeing the entire thing spread out like bat wings, Kamijous cheek twitched slightly. (Umm, didnt she hear me explain my right hand? If shes trying to lower our speed by using magic, I sense some real misfortune headed my way.) Part 7 Various colors of light glowed from Ascalon. Knight Leaders long sword was dyed in the single dark-red color that resembled both blood and rust. The distance between the two swords was less than 10 meters. Lets go, said William Orwell quietly. Come, Knight Leader quietly responded. With a tremendous roar, Knight Leaders long distance strikes attacked William from all directions. It was the Attack Range type of evolved strike that was constructed from analyzing the spells and spiritual items appearing in the legends of knights from various cultures, putting them together, and condensing them much like a star that grew too large and gave birth to a black hole. It was Knight Leaders enveloping attack that thoroughly investigated every type of attack that unilaterally attacked the enemy from a seemingly impossible range combined with fired small rust-like sword fragments. William used only his right hand to swing up his large 3.5 meter sword and then reversed his wrist in order to put the back of the sword in front of him. The blade glowed crimson. Crimson indicated the axe. The mercenarys attack was fired in a straight line directly down and was not intended to repel the attacks flying in from all directions. He was aiming for the ground. With a loud impact, the solid earth below shook. An area with a radius of 20 meters with William in the center sank deep down. This included where Knight Leader stood and the innumerable strikes he had fired sliced through the air above the head of the mercenary who had sunk down about 3 meters. Wha-...? Either because his sure-fire attack had missed or because his footing was unstable, Knight Leaders movements dulled slightly. It only lasted an instant. However, William Orwell swung up the blade that was pointing straight down and used his bent over posture to its fullest by explosively stretching his tightened muscles in a charge towards Knight Leader. The explosive sound of his footsteps came after a slight delay. The already slipping ground was utterly destroyed. Ascalons glow turned from red to blue. William reversed the double-edged sword with his wrist again in order to bring the thin and sharp razor-like section to the front. He then swung the sword horizontally right in front of Knight Leader so as to slice him in two. It was as if he were nonverbally saying that Attack Range was no problem for him and that a trick like that would not determine the victor. However... I do not recall saying that Attack Range is the only pattern I can use, you failed mercenary. There was no sound. Knight Leader merely disappeared from before Williams eyes. Even with his level of kinetic vision, he had been unable to keep up with the enemys movements. Movement Speed, said a voice behind him. Feeling approaching wind pressure, William stabbed his large sword back below his arm without turning around. The sound of steel clashing with steel rang out. Perhaps because of the posture he had attacked from, William felt a dull pain run through his wrist. Ignoring it, the mercenary spun his entire body around. The blades color changed from blue to green. He turned his wrist to turn the back of Ascalons blade to the front. He attacked Knight Leader who had gotten behind him with the can opener-like spike. Weapon Weight. He was met with an unexpected shock. He was assaulted with a recoil even greater than when he had received the attack from an unstable position before. Williams body was thrown backwards like he had tried to stab a shovel into a boulder as hard as he could. The mercenarys feet slid along the black soil. A mere 3 cm was all it took to prepare. In that time, Knight Leader swung his dark red sword up above his head. Slicing Power. !? With an eerie sound, William gave up on trying to block the attack. He immediately jumped back to get some distance between them. He avoided Knight Leaders blade by a few millimeters and the blade made contact with the black soil. The solid earth was split open. William had to hurriedly jump to the side so as not to be swallowed up by the rift. And then... Attack Range. An unpleasant noise exploded out. William Orwells side was lightly cut. By creating that phenomenon, Knight Leader had proven what he had said. He could use more than just Attack Range. He also had Slicing Power that could cut through anything, Weapon Weight that created tremendous destructive force, and Movement Speed that made it so no one was able to catch up to him. Although they hadnt been seen yet, he most likely also had Enduring Solidity that made the sword unable to be destroyed, Special Use that was necessary to slay particular monsters, and Precise Accuracy that automatically had him move toward the enemys vital points. By condensing the legendary spiritual items and spells appearing in the Norse, Celtic, Charlemagnic, Germanic, and other warrior and knight cultures and then condensing them further, he had simplified them down into attack patterns. And by making them his own, he could freely use them as means of attack. You are going to die, quietly reported the man holding the dark red weapon as he looked at the blood flowing from William. What Knight Leader held was no longer Hrunting. It wasnt even a sword. I have seen all you have. As you are now, you cannot overcome my blade. It was merely a weapon. It was a tool that should not have been created that annihilated all of its enemies whether they were man or monster. Its strike was overwhelmingly sharp, overwhelmingly heavy, overwhelmingly fast, overwhelmingly tough, and overwhelmingly long, it held specialization to slice in two even monsters that could not be pierced by swords, and it even led its aim towards the enemys weak point that would cause the most damage. Previously, Knight Leader had compared his attack to the explosion of a star. While everything up to that point had been like a star with insufficient mass that instead became a neutron star or an interstellar cloud, that attack should perhaps be referred to as the ultimate black hole born from a star that grows too large. Attack Range and Movement Speed did not allow it to be avoided, Slicing Power and Weapon Weight did not allow it to be blocked, and Enduring Solidity did not allow it to be destroyed. If Knight Leader went all out, he could end the fight in the next strike. William Orwell would definitely be sliced in two. Why had he not done so before? Was it sentiment? Will you cast aside your sword and depart from England? Knight Leader slowly moved the weapon that he held in both hands. Or will you become one with the soil of England along with your sword? The tip of his longsword pointed towards William who stood at a distance. Choose. Which do you desire? The result was clear. William was not unscathed. Due to the wound in his left shoulder, he had lost feeling in one arm, he was losing even more blood due to the cut in his side, and he could not use his full potential due to his defeat in Academy City. If Knight Leaders ultimate strike was exactly as he described, the mercenary had no way of winning. As such, it was clear what he had to do. ...I have one thing to ask you before I choose, said William with Ascalon in hand. Knight Leader frowned as the mercenary continued speaking. Do you truly think that this country will be saved if you support the second princess and kill the third? That mercenary was not a talkative person, so there was a reason he felt this was a necessary question. The first princess is intellect, the second princess is the military, and the third princess is benevolence. ...Can you assert that the one you chose and the ones you cut away were the correct ones? ...It is difficult to say that it was ideal, said Knight Leader with a sigh. Even so, the glint in his eyes did not waver. However, history has already begun to move. As time cannot be reversed, I must choose one of the camps. And I choose the most beneficial camp. I see, muttered William. He moved. He placed his bloody left hand back on Ascalons hilt to join his right hand. The white cloth wrapped around it to prevent his hand from slipping was dyed red almost instantly. Have you made your decision? asked Knight Leader remaining motionless. Have you decided whether you will run or die? No, William Orwell rejected those options. My two options are to cut you down or to not cut you down. ...I see. It seems you have made your decision. Knight Leader sighed. He wouldnt directly say it, but Williams goal was most likely to rescue the third princess. The mercenarys retreat would more or less guarantee the complete success of the invasion and suppression of the United Kingdom that would lead to the third princesss execution. As he was her final fortress, it was hard to imagine him fleeing. So you truly will not leave. There is no point in speaking, William immediately responded to Knight Leaders words. The head of the knights clicked his tongue. To be frank, I cannot stand having to execute Third Princess Villian and I do not like some of Second Princess Carissas methods. ... However, Lady Carissa has already begun her revolution. Every one of this countrys knights knows that she is not someone that can be stopped by mere words. The battle was already over. Holding a sure-fire attack in his hands, Knight Leader spoke some final words to the mercenary. Now that history has begun to move, we cannot act lightly. If this revolution remains a civil war for too long, the United Kingdoms overall power will fall and external enemies will be able to easily defeat us using that opening. This was all in accordance with the chivalrous nature of showing mercy to the weak. The reason the head of the knights wielded his sword lay there from beginning to end. To save this country, we must sheathe our weapons and construct a new order. The real problem is who will stand at the top. If that position goes back to her majesty the queen, we cannot escape this crisis. As such, someone else must take the throne. Between the intelligent first princess, the militaristic second princess, and the benevolent third princess, the answer is clear. Pathetic, spat out William Orwell. Do you really think you can pile unnecessary phrase upon unnecessary phrase and fill in the pit of your barbarity with the word justice? And are you still not going to speak? Is it really something I need to say? said the mercenary as he ignored his wound-covered body. The head of the knights guessed what the words that would come next would be and spoke. So you want to ask me what would happen if the military acted without benevolence? My response is that there is no absolutely correct order of precedence here. We merely decided which card we will choose. William held his large sword that held numerous methods of attack and had the knights crest brazenly displayed on the side. I see. However, I have already indicated what my reason is. What? Hmph. It too is something that does not need to be said. He did not need any chance of victory. The mercenary gathered more strength in his hands gripping the hilt of the large sword that was dyed in his own blood and glared directly at the head of the knights. (That is the type of man he was.) Knight Leader narrowed his eyes slightly and swung his sword up so the forward pointing tip was pointed straight up. His ultimate strike contained Slicing Power, Weapon Weight, Movement Speed, Enduring Solidity, Attack Range, Special Use, and Precise Accuracy. In that case... Knight Leader did not hesitate. He gave his final words to his old friend of an enemy. If you will not retreat, you will die. They both moved simultaneously. The explosive noise of a shockwave cut through the dark night. William Orwell ran. He ran only forward. Using all the power he had, he moved in close to his enemy as quickly as he could. On the other hand, Knight Leaders single step was not taken to move. He shifted his weight and swung his sword down using both hands with all his might. He did not need to run up close to his enemy. Just by swinging his sword down, he fired off his strike that contained his enormous Attack Range. His overwhelming Movement Speed did not allow one to evade, his overwhelming Slicing Power and Weapon Weight did not allow one to defend, and his overwhelming Enduring Solidity did not allow his sword to be broken. It was a certain kill. And Knight Leader mercilessly swung down his longsword the instant before the mercenary reached him. The sound of the air being sliced reverberated throughout the area. Immediately afterwards, a slicing attack much too long for the sword that had produced it rushed down on William from above. The mercenary reacted immediately by bringing Ascalon above his head. The two strikes clashed and were repelled. Knight Leaders attack that should have been a certain kill had been stopped. !? (...There is nothing here that is worth saying.) William thought as he ran. (A certain kill with overwhelming sharpness, weight, speed, toughness, and range. ...If he was really using something like that, I wouldnt have gotten off with just a gash in my shoulder!!) Thats right. It was true that Knight Leader could freely use Slicing Power, Weapon Weight, Movement Speed, Enduring Solidity, Attack Range, Special Use, and Precise Accuracy as methods of attack. However, William had never seen him use more than one at a time. In other words, he could only use one pattern at a time. If he gave precedence to Slicing Power, Attack Range would fail and if he gave precedence to Attack Range, Weapon Weight would fail. Because each one of Knight Leaders attacks followed one of the directions to its limit, he could not use them at the same time. The reason he had not carried out a certain kill yet was not because he was hesitating for some reason or another. On a true battlefield, he would have no reason to be unwilling to use his full strength. Such a convenient ultimate attack simply did not exist. As such, William had a chance of victory. For a strike that gave precedence to Attack Range, the mercenary would be able to stop the attack!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! And then William had brought Knight Leader within range. He swung his 3.5 meter sword horizontally. !? Movement Speed!! Not enough. Knight Leaders arm moved at high speed and he just barely managed to block the mercenarys attack. However, there was no weight or toughness behind it. In response to the full strength blow, Knight Leader was knocked back a bit. It did not result in even a second of lost time. In that time, William turned the blade around with his wrist and focused on the spike near the base. He then swung Ascalon again. The light turned white. When large swords like the ones William and Knight Leader wielded were used in extreme close quarters, they were not as powerful. That sharp spike attached at near the base of the sword had been prepared to solve that problem. Most likely, its original purpose had been to rip the dragons thick nerves from its flesh using the principle of leverage. William gathered his magic power in one point and its penetrating power increased even further. If Knight Leader did not stop that attack, he would be defeated. Enduring Solidity!! Too late. Immediately after William Orwell said that, the spike near the base that had been installed for close quarters combat slipped past Knight Leaders defenses and mercilessly pierced into the right side of his chest. He did it all to save the third princess who was being led around by the military coup detat and was to be executed despite having committed no crime. A loud explosive noise rang out. There were no longer any birds around to fly off in fright. More than half of the trees in the surrounding forest had been blown away, so the birds and beasts had long since fled. Part 8 Meanwhile, three people were hiding on a different train than Kamijou Touma had been on. The three people were Agnese, Lucia, and Angelene. The girls were on a normal ten car train heading from Edinburgh to London. The train was heading down a track that went straight from northern Britain to southern Britain. However, as the other trains had all been stopped due to the coup detat, the train was flying along at a much faster speed than usual and heading right past the stations it would normally stop at. A cold wind blew on Agnese Sanctiss cheek. They were neither within the train nor on its roof. They were on the wall. Lucia specialized in blowing up a giant wooden wheel and attacking with the fragments, but she currently had the sharp fragments sticking into the aluminum wall to use as footholds and handholds. Holding on like at a climbing wall, Agnese twisted her body in order to peek in a window. The car would have usually held a large number of students and company workers, but the only normal things inside were the bright fluorescent lights. However, there were tools for maintaining swords and armor inside as well as a communications spiritual item that all must have been brought in by the knights. Seeing that, Agnese spoke while barely moving her mouth. (...It looks like they really are keeping the captured nuns in the front cars with the knights gathered in the back of the train.) Lucia and Angelene both nodded. (...So this is the midway point between them?) (...I-if so, we might be able to rescue them without having to face the knights head on if we disconnect the cars.) Most of the nuns of the former Agnese Forces had been captured in Edinburgh. They had not been beheaded there either because they wanted to at least officially have an inquisition so it would be lawful justice instead of an unreasonable slaughter or because Second Princess Carissa wanted to eliminate a large number of old enemies during her coronation as queen. Either way, the captured nuns did not have a good fate awaiting them when they arrived in London. As such, it was clear what Agnese and the others had to do. (...Lets get started. Sisters Lucia and Angelene, use your projectile weapons to attack the guards through the window.) By attacking the knights from outside the window, they could give the illusion that the train was being sniped from elsewhere. The knights would eventually detect the location of the snipers, but that wouldnt be a problem if they finished things before that could happen. (...I will use the Lotus Wand to destroy the link between the cars and then directly attack the disturbed knights. You two cover me.) (...P-please be careful. A preemptive surprise attack is one thing, but we dont know if the three of us together can actually defeat a single knight in a frontal attack.) Angelene looked worried and Agnese was about to lightly strike her face, but she staggered while clinging to the wooden fragments and hurriedly grabbed onto the stake again. The three nuns nodded to each other and began to move. Lucia and Angelene moved from wooden fragment to wooden fragment heading for the roof of the train. Watching them go, Agnese moved along the wall to the back of the train car. She was heading for the link between the cars. Tutto il paragone. Il quinto dei cinque elementi. Ordina la canna che mostra pace ed ordine. (In accordance with all things. The fifth of the five elements. Open the crosier that symbolizes peace and order.) Her weapon, the Lotus Wand, was bound to her shoulder with a rope. As those words came from her small lips, the wings of the crouched angel statues on the end of the wand opened up like a flower. Prima. Segua la legge di Dio ed una croce, Due cose diverse sono connesse. (First idol. In accordance to the laws of the son of god and the cross, link a different object with a different person.) When Agnese had gotten near the link, she held onto one of the wooden fragments stuck in the wall using one hand and used the other hand to grip the Lotus Wand. Her wand ignored distance and directly struck the air itself. The destructive force of the spell was dependent on the strength with which the wand was gripped. In other words, it was dependent on Agneses strength. (Of course, I dont think I can tear apart a steel connection with the physical strength of my arm.) She looked down at the gravel flowing by at high speed below her feet. (If I press the wand against the ground and use the power of the momentum of the train against the connection point, I should be able to destroy it.) She twisted her body slightly to check the coordinates of the connection and then slowly lowered the bottom of the wand towards the gravel. Suddenly, the door to the connection area opened and a man in silver armor came out. Agnese was mostly clinging to the automatic door in order to get close to the connection and she franticly tried to hide herself, but it was too late. However, the communications spiritual item that had been left in one of the seats made a small noise. The knight was in a spot where he would notice Agnese if he turned his head even slightly, but he hurriedly ran toward the spiritual item. He spoke while listening to the communication. That Imagine Breaker snuck aboard the freight train heading for Folkestone? Damn him. Is he planning on retaliating against Lady Carissa? (...Nice one, boy! I love you!!) Agnese gestured toward Lucia and Angelene who were waiting on the roof giving them instructions and changed where she was aiming the Lotus Wand. At the same time as the trains automatic door was blown away, the roof above the knights head collapsed. The knight franticly tried to draw his sword, but the three of them all focused their attacks on him. Despite the 3 surprise attacks from 3 different directions, the knight still managed to block both Lucia and Angelenes attacks. It was foolish to think one could win in a frontal attack against a member of the knights who was borrowing power from Curtana Original and the All-English Continent. That was why Agnese did not attack the knight himself and instead attacked the floor below his feet. ...!? The knights immediate response may have helped her. A normal human would not have been able to step through that floor, but that silver armored foot broke through it like it was made of Styrofoam. Of course, that was not enough to defeat a veteran knight. (Not good. If I apply any more power, this car itself will be broken in half and the Anglican prisoners kept in the front cars will slip from our fingers!!) To think through that much in an instant and immediately stop moving, the knight must have been fairly clever. The dull noise of an impact reverberated throughout the car as a strike from Agneses Lotus Wand ignored space and mercilessly attacked the knights body. Ignoring the presence of the thick armor, it directly struck his flesh-and-blood body. It hit him in one of a humans weak points. Specifically, it hit the knights crotch. Like the moment after two samurai exchanged iai strikes in a historical drama, the knight remained motionless for a few seconds. Finally, he muttered a few words. ...That was an unchivalrous attack... It must have been due to the effects of Curtana and the All-English Continent that he did not collapse after that single strike. Giving a snort, Agnese Sanctis puffed up her chest and gave her rebuttal. Yeah, well Im a nun!! That unpleasant noise of an impact could be repeatedly heard coming from the same spot and the knights armor trembled. Due to his helmet, his expression could not be seen, but it would most likely have been quite a sight to behold. Hm, it seems my attack is the most effective because it ignores distance. I can just directly strike the flesh and blood body within the thick armor, Agnese said as she poked the motionless knight with the wand to see if he would still attempt to resist. Ah wah wah wah wah! yelled Angelene as her face turned bright red. Perhaps to turn her focus elsewhere, she headed for the communications spiritual item to intercept some of the knights information. U-umm...It seems that spiky-haired boy escaped the freight train with a female magician from New Light. Lucia sighed. Really, what is going on? Although I suppose thats more or less business as usual for that boy. A-and it seems they failed in diving into a river, struck the waters surface, and floated downstream where they happened to run into Third Princess Villian who was also fleeing. The knights are pursuing the three of them. What kind of situation is that!? The Japanese Momotaro!? Lucia snapped back and Angelenes shoulders shuddered. D-dont ask me... S-Sister Agnese, cant you say something, too....Eee!! When Angelene looked back in Agneses direction, she let out a scream. She saw Agnese trying to get more information out of the defeated knight by force. She was moving the Lotus Wand in a rather questionable manner. Oh. So you like being struck more than being caressed? Ah ha ha. What are you trying to tell me with that twitching body of yours? Oh, whats this? You react here, too? You seem to be much more sensitive here. Hee hee hee. A gentleman like you feels good having someone mess with his hole? What a pervert. How about I stick this wand all the way up there directly? G-gyaaaaahhhh!! S-Sister Agnese is in her full-blown naughty mood!! ...Sister Angelene. Why is this surprising you now? Sister Agnese was acting like this in the incomplete Orsola Church during the Book of the Law incident. Y-yes, b-but...I thought Sister Agnese was actually a lovely pure maiden!! I thought being seen naked by that boy was a new thing for her!! Yes. Sister Agnese is the type of person that loves to flip up others skirts but hates having her own skirt flipped up. Th-thats horrible!? said a flustered Angelene. ...I recall you doing something similar, said Lucia with a sigh of exasperation. We should probably stop her soon. That may merely be a method to gather intelligence with no love or lust behind it, but it looks like that knight is going to fall into depravity if we dont stop it now. C-can we really stop Sister Agnese now that shes this far gone!? Returning her to her senses is simple. Dont you remember what I just said? Lucia stared at Agneses ass while Agnese was too lost in operating the Lotus Wand to notice their conversation. Sister Angelene. This is a job for you. As I said, Sister Agnese is the type of person that hates having her own skirt flipped up. Part 9 Two silhouettes appeared in the dark night. One was William Orwell. The other was Knight Leader. The two stood perfectly still, despite having moved here at beyond the speed of sound. Knight Leader''s longsword, having failed its defense, became awkwardly rooted in mid-air; William took the spike at the base of his greatsword and drove it past Knight Leader''s defenses and into the right side of his chest. The spike fitted on the back of the grip wasn''t in the same size range as a nail. Matching the greatsword''s full length of 3.5 meters, the spike was practically a stake. Realistically, even if the attack wasn''t instantly fatal, the right ribs must have been pulverized. The two faces hidden by the darkness were mirrored. One was in anguish. The other was aloof. However, the expression of anguish belonged to William, and it was Knight Leader who was aloof. While William''s strike wasn''t meant to be fatal, its destructive force should have been enough to ensure that Knight Leader became immobilized. But in truth, there wasn''t a single wound on him. The spike which should have been rooted into his chest hadn''t even penetrated the cloth of his suit, let alone draw a single drop of blood. The unnatural sponge-like sensation naturally brought an expression of doubt to William''s face. (The impact was displaced... no, that can''t be. Is this...?!) "Do you know of a Norse warrior called Thororm?" Knight Leader spoke without a change in his expression, as the spike continued to push against his chest. "He used a magic which had the power to reduce the sharpness of an enemy''s blade to zero. Thus, no attack could harm him, while Thororm''s would be the only sword which could cut at the opposition." "You, mean..." "I have constructed a technique by which I can reduce the offensive power of any and all armaments I recognise as such to zero. And I will let you know, that it makes no distinction between science or magic. Theoretically, it can neutralise even a nuclear weapon. As for those against which it has been proven... yes, it should be able to handle something on a level similar to the slashing attack wielded by the Saint of the Far East, designed to fight divinity." Knight Leader slowly shook his head. I told you that I had prepared multiple trump cards, he continued. "It is effective against each weapon for ten minutes at best. Of course, there is no need to consider arrows and bullets once they have fallen to the ground, and bombs would not suddenly explode ten minutes after their first attempt failed, though that would necessitate the prevention of any further ''explosive triggers'' - not that this relates to you. In any case, I have simply created a grace period of ten minutes... but you should know well what end awaits one who presents that much time to his enemy on a true field of battle." Knight Leader glared directly at William. "I was subjected to a terrible ambush at Dover, long ago - it was enough so that I wished to take measures against something like this." "-!!" Using his bare hands and seemingly holding the sword by the blade, William drew back Ascalon swiftly. Once he had opened some distance, he released several slashes, each in a different attack method. The light was red - an axe-like thick blade to cleave at the sinews of the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was blue - a razor-like thin blade to cut away at the fat of the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was green - a churchkey spike in the blade to tear off the scales of the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was yellow - a fretsaw wire nestled on the blade to disembowel the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was purple - a giant saw on the back to severe the bones of the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was pink - a hook spike attached to the pommel to pull out the fangs of the evil dragon. "Turn to zero." The light was white - a close-combat spike near the grip to gouge out the nerves of the evil dragon. "That''s already been turned to zero!! Are you quite done yet?!" The series of booming noises suddenly ceased. Ascalon, being swung at the closest possible distance, was seized by the bare hands of Knight Leader, like it was a styrofoam board. They glared at each other, as William put even more power into his grip of the greatsword with a grinding sound. Knight Leader, standing atop an absolute advantage, readied his red-black sword with his other hand. "This is the end." Their gaze clashed in the minimum distance between the unmoving pair. Knight Leader, while holding down the greatsword of the mercenary, said with a steady voice, "Or you can forgo weapons and use magic - yes, in your case, you might be able to kill me with your runes or such. Perhaps you would like to try?" His suggestion wasn''t made seriously - his tone had conveyed that. The speed of William and Knight Leader were equal. If he were to neglect the techniques which governed his body in favor of other kinds of magic, he would be quickly cut down and killed. "This power was lent to me to protect England through the Original Curtana. A mercenary who would throw the country into chaos for his own sentiments without any thoughts of consequences, will never be able to kill me." Knight Leader aimed his red-black sword at William. Able to kill the mercenary with one more swing, he spoke again, at the last. "Ascend to Heaven, together with the Third Princess." "...You still don''t know it yet?" It was then that he heard these words spat out. They were coming from the old friend and enemy before him. "I hadn''t thought that I would need to say this on purpose." "What...?" The doubtful Knight Leader then looked at the sword he had sealed with his own hands, Ascalon. Or rather, he saw on its side - a coat of arms, fixed by metal. "You - what are you thinking? What are you planning?" "You''re being a pest. Even now, you still ask with words?" Hearing this, Knight Leader became even more dubious. William Orwell was not a simple optimist. In a way, perhaps he was more intimate with the tragedies of war than the one who had remained in England, Knight Leader himself. A mercenary like that should understand - between ''military affairs'' and ''human virtues'', which strategy should be supported to better protect England. Eliminating Carissa to support Villian - with her mentality, they wouldn''t be able to repel even France, the country which would become the spearhead of the Roman Catholic Church. This man always had a core. However, it was unthinkable that this road to destruction would be constructed on William''s own steady heart. Wasn''t there something that Knight Leader was mistaking? What was it that the mercenary called William Orwell was fighting for? And again, he looked at the weapon wielded by William. Or rather, to the escutcheon attached to the base of the sword. (No...) That coat of arms had originally been meant for when a certain mercenary was to be dubbed with knighthood. In the end, that chance had been lost, and a white space would forever haunt the halls of Buckingham Palace. (It can''t...) The shield was split into four and painted in blue with various patterns. Above that were arranged three creatures in green - the Dragon, the Unicorn, and the Selkie. (It can''t be!) Four sections and three creatures. There was only one thing that these could represent. (It can''t be!!) The blue foundation was England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The green creatures were ''the Royal Family'', ''the Knights'', and ''the Church''. This coat of arms represented the complete harmony of the organization known as the United Kingdom. For this mercenary, it was not a matter of killing who or supporting which. His wish - disregarding both the Second or the Third Princess - was to combine the strength of the three sisters and the Queen. "...Are you serious?" Knight Leader groaned. "Is that what you are really thinking?" Against this, William Orwell''s hard face loosened slightly. As though he was saying, so your thoughts have finally reached that far? "I''ve already said that there''s no meaning in saying it." "It''s impossible." "That doesn''t matter." Despite this situation of absolute despair, William replied with frightening ease. "This is not a ''reason'' covered by words, meant to be understood by millions. As you have said to me again and again, all along, this was just the personal sentiment of a worthless mercenary. I won''t say that this should end with words. You simply need to act according to your beliefs, wordlessly." "-" Strangely, it was here that Knight Leader was lost for words. On the other hand, as the mercenary had said, their swords would not be stopped here. No matter how he thought about it, it was for the sake of England that they carried out this reform. If the Second Princess didn''t come into power during this dangerous situation, there was no telling how many enemies may advance upon them. (...In the end, it doesn''t change what needs to be done.) They had both presented their reasons. Words were not necessary. One of them would win, and one of them would lose. That was all there was in their world. (However, now that you have lost all your weapons, you stand no chance.) Knight Leader had already stopped Ascalon in his grasp, and his own sword was ready to cut down William at any moment. Thororm''s technique to reduce a weapon''s offensive power to zero was only active for about ten minutes. His mission had to be executed before his powerful foe, William Orwell could recover his weapons. "I will have to settle this now." "That''s true." It happened right after this frank reply caused slight doubt to appear on Knight Leader''s face. Immediately, William Orwell put all his strength into Ascalon and pulled at the grip - only for that grip to abruptly slip out. Knight Leader, now holding onto the blade of Ascalon temporarily bereft of power, felt his balance topple slightly. (He destroyed it himself?) Though he thought this, it was not correct. Extending from William Orwell''s grip was a blade over 1 meter long. It was the last grand sword, hidden within the 3.5 meters long greatsword. Normally, a part of the blade''s steel would be imbedded within the grip (or it is caught between two sheets and used as the grip) and then kept in place by screws or wedges, to prevent the blade coming off the hilt when it was swung. For Ascalon, it was the opposite. Stowed in the greatsword, nestled in the shape of the steel imbedded in the grip, was yet another smaller sword. It was a trick only possible because of the sword itself being overly large. And, because it was hidden, Knight Leader did not recognize the sword. William turned his back to him, as though trying to hide the sword behind his large frame. And from that stance, he twisted his body at a high speed, releasing a blow on a horizontal track. The air was cracked with a resounding woosh. "?!" For the first time, Knight Leader''s expression changed. He had moved back with all his might; his suit was ripped, and a wound like a straight line ran across his chest. A spray of red liquid followed after. Yes. Wasn''t the Thororm of Norse mythology killed by a hidden blade that came flying out from under a sleeve? The words pierced his heart, heavier than nails. His last resort, his continual fighting spirit, and his wordless strike. Considering this the proof of William Orwell''s legitimacy, Knight Leader involuntarily roared out. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" It was not only Knight Leader who shouted. William Orwell, the last grand sword in his hand - or perhaps this blade was the true core of the spirit weapon Ascalon - chased down the retreating Knight Leader, breaching his defenses. Whether from his gouging wound, or his blood loss, Knight Leader''s movements became dull. However, it was not a fatal wound. He still possessed two means. Either to cleave at William''s body with his red-black longsword, or to render William''s sword powerless with Thororm''s technique. (Crush the sword.) He made a prompt decision. (Even if this mercenary is killed, if that sword which symbolizes his conviction remains, it won''t be my victory!) Because he believed in his own justice, he would not settle for an easy retreat, but instead would completely trample over the justice of his foe. Ignoring the pain of the shallow wound in his chest, Knight Leader moved to crush William''s last weapon. If he could manage this one stroke, afterwards it would become a one-sided offense in his favor. "Turn to zer-!!" The mouth that tried to speak, stopped. There was no blade in William Orwell''s hands. Both his hands were on the grip, but the blade which should have been above that wasn''t there. (Wha... where?!) The technique of Thororm which Knight Leader controlled could select as a target any object he recognized as a weapon, and turn its offensive power to zero. Reversely, it could not interfere with weapons that could not be recognized as such. It was then that he saw a glitter, something shining. Extending from the sword grip William was wielding was an extremely small wire. And the mercenary''s thumb was touching a button-like object on the grip. (He shot it upwards?!) Most likely, he would have relied on Knight Leader missing the timing of the strike, connecting the blade to the hilt again by rolling up the wire, and releasing a second strike. While it surely would have dealt great damage to him had it succeeded, (It is over once I have discovered it! Turn to-!!) Just as he shifted his gaze from William directly before him to above his head, something moved in the corner of his eye. It was a branch about 2 meters long, thick as a human arm. Having broken and fallen onto the ground, William stepped on one of its ends, forcing it to stand up like a seesaw. The blade from above, or the branch from below. While they were both weapons, it didn''t even need to be said which was more dangerous. (You thought, that you can buy time?!) Without hesitation, Knight Leader''s gaze moved up. He turned the offensive power of the grand sword that would fatally wound him, to zero. (Now-!!) Confident in his assured victory, he put more power into his two-handed grip of the red-black sword. However, there was an abnormality. The sword grip William held, and the small wire that connected it to its floating blade; something like tree sap came bursting out of what was strictly speaking a microscopic tube. Hardening like glue once it contacted the air, spikes flew out in every direction, and was reborn as a primitive club. Yes. It had changed to the weapon William Orwell cherished above all else, the giant mace. "!!" "!!" (Will I make it?) This was the final blow. It would be his victory if he could hold against this attack; it would be William''s if his attack could overcome him. Knight Leader focused his attention on the giant mace closing in right before his eyes. (Turn to zero!!) The ruined mercenary swung his mace down with all the strength in him. The master of the knights, with no thought of defense, answered him with a swing of his red-black longsword. The two giant weapons clashed. Boom!! A rumbling noise exploded. The unpleasant oscillations of crushed flesh echoed across the surroundings. At that instant, in the last moment, Knight Leader''s technique had exercised its effect. The giant mace and stake that William Orwell wielded had its offensive power reduced to zero; even if it was a direct attack which surpassed the speed of sound, it was not in a situation capable of damaging Knight Leader at all. Within the darkness, the two men became still. Regardless of who saw it, the result would be obvious. "...Hah," Knight Leader opened his mouth first. He could freely control the ''pattern'' of a weapon that appeared in mythology, using it as an attack method. For the final strike, what he chose was ''cutting power'', the might to cleave everything apart. Against a blade which could rend the earth just by touching it, even if the opponent was a Saint, a direct hit would be fatal. "Good grief, what a dull ending." "..." The mercenary did not reply to his words. And then, Knight Leader''s body quivered and swayed to the side. William''s mace was sunken into the side of his neck. Or rather, the grip of the mace - and the sword. Under closer scrutiny, it was a part of the mechanism which shot out the blade - the small clasp which secured the blade to the grip, and which had protruded slightly, buried in his neck. Knight Leader could select anything he recognized as a weapon to be a target, reducing its offensive power to zero. Reversely, even if it was something right in front of him the entire time, as long as he didn''t recognize it as a weapon, he could not interfere with its offensive power. "It''s been 10 years since we separated... I thought... I''d trained myself enough... but, it''s just another ambush, like Dover, huh..." His red-black sword, thrown off its path by William''s attack, slipped from his hand and fell far away onto the group. "Even so... to shame, a knight... what a, conceited man... Certainly, to have... added, my name... onto your coat of arms... of English unity..." The match had been decided. "Now, that I think about... you... were always, that kind of man..." His body leaned further, and he fell onto the ground. He wasn''t dead. Like being hit by the back side of a katana, he was knocked unconscious by the strike on the neck. Even if he couldn''t interfere with its offensive power, in the first place, Knight Leader wasn''t so weak a man as to die from a single clasp. And William Orwell, knowing this, took it upon himself to decide the outcome of the last attack relying on that small clasp. The reason was clear. "After all, I''m just a shallow, ruined, rogue mercenary. Compared to you formal knights, I fight with much less restraint." Alone, the mercenary muttered this. "I''m sorry to say that, I didn''t bring a suitable blade for cutting an old friend." It was idle talk - rare enough for him. Part 10 Kamijou Touma arrived at Folkestone. He was shivering and soaking wet with river water, but he wasnt about to complain about it. Perhaps from the tension of being right in the middle of the enemy lines, his senses had begun to dim. (Dammit. Which way is the Eurotunnel terminal!? I hope Index hasnt been taken from there...) Kamijou stared into the darkness of the mountain forest road that had no street lights. He had met the mysterious magician girl Floris and Third Princess Villian on the way there, but they were no longer with him. The three of them had run into an Amakusa scout and the two girls had been taken in by the Amakusas. It seemed they had received information from Agnese that they were in Folkestone, so the Amakusas who had used a rescue seaplane to get to the area had sent out scouts to look for them. For some reason, Floris had yelled out Y-you tricked me, you bastard!! upon seeing the Amakusas, and Kamijou looked puzzled as he wondered what that had been about. It seemed a powerful enemy named Knight Leader was in Folkestone protecting Second Princess Carissa. He had defeated a Saint like Kanzaki Kaori and his whereabouts were currently unknown. They wanted to avoid a pursuit after the wounded Kanzaki and an important person like the third princess was there too, so the Amakusas had no choice but to choose an inevitable defensive battle. It seemed they were currently hiding to escape the knights search and then find an opening to get the rescue seaplane moving. We could always break formation and send a few people with you... When one of the Amakusas had told him that, Kamijou almost accepted the offer, but he had decided against it and thought through the situation calmly. No, you need to focus on the rescue plane. We cant have Villian get captured again. And isnt Kanzaki having healing magic cast on her? Instead of coming with me, you should get her back to the battle as soon as possible. But... After I save Index, how am I going to escape Folkestone? Im telling you to guard the goal point. That makes me feel safer. By indirectly bringing them all together as a large group, he had finally got the Amakusa members to reluctantly understand. It seemed they didnt like abandoning others. Third Princess Villian was the top priority target for the knights. It made sense to have all of the Amakusas strength focused on protecting her and Kanzaki. (...Itsuwas face was all red and the others were physically holding her back from going with me. She must have really wanted to save Index. I guess the two of them must have become friends during all that Acqua of the Back stuff.) Kamijou had no problem thinking that, although that probably would have gotten him stabbed with a spear if Itsuwa had heard it. At any rate, he was currently alone. ...? Kamijou suddenly lifted his head up. He had heard a noise. Immediately afterwards, a shockwave like blast pounded at his ears. (!? What...!?) He rather pointlessly kneeled down and looked up. However, he still couldnt see anything in the darkness. He could tell nothing good would come of approaching whatever it was, but he couldnt save Index if he didnt charge in the direction of danger. Kamijou slowly headed for the source of the noise. He had been walking on a small paved road with fallen leaves on it. At some point though, it turned to a cracked and broken mess that was difficult to walk on. Even further along, the black soil was torn up and thick trees were knocked over. As before, there were no street lights. However, there was a light source. Thats...? Something was about 10 meters ahead of him. He thought it was a carriage. On the front of the very old looking vehicle hung something that looked like a glass lamp with reflectors surrounding it on 3 sides. It might have been the predecessor to the flashlight known as a lamp. It seemed to actually be using fire instead of some kind of imitation. The light illuminating the darkness occasionally flickered. However, that was not the only light. Light was also being given off by sparks from clashing swords and steel suits of armor. It was a true battlefield where human fought against human. Looking closer, the carriage was not undamaged. One of its four wheels was broken causing the carriage to lean unnaturally. The battle was expanding out around the area of the broken carriage. Actually, it was perhaps wrong to refer to it as a battle. At the very least, it did not look like a battle between people who were evenly matched. The numerous knights wearing silver armor were attacking from various angles. In the center stood a man wielding a 3.5 meter sword. Something happened, but Kamijous eyes could not follow it. He could only tell that attacks and defenses had developed at an overwhelming speed resulting in great showers of sparks exploding from the silver armor and the knights being knocked far, far away. One of them landed right next to Kamijou. It hadnt been a coincidence. Without moving his head, the man standing in the middle stared at Kamijou just by moving his eyes. A muscular body. A blue outfit. A gigantic weapon. Seeing all those together, a chill ran down Kamijou Toumas spine. The feeling was nothing as vague as a foreboding. Danger signals erupted within Kamijou Touma due to his experience in Academy Citys 22nd district when he had been driven to the very brink of death. The cause of that experience stared Kamijou in the eye and spoke. Hm. Now that is a face it annoys me to see again. Acqua...of the Back!? Kamijou yelled without thinking. That large man wielded an exceptionally great power even for a member of Gods Right Seat. He had been repelled once in Academy City, but that had been with the help of every Amakusa member as well as Kanzaki Kaori, a Saint. Even then, they had just barely won. (Hes...alive!? I thought he had blown up in the underground citys lake back then! Dont tell me he survived even that and then escaped Academy City!!) In his confusion, Kamijou still managed to come up with a number of possibilities. His stiffened body shook. (But why is Acqua here? Is Gods Right Seat trying to make this pain-in-the-ass coup detat even worse!?) Kamijou didnt know why that man was there, but he definitely wasnt someone Kamijou could deal with on his own. Kamijou gritted his teeth and muttered to himself not realizing he was doing so out loud. (...Dammit. And everything was bad enough with this coup detat. Just how much misfortune can be packed into a coincidence!?) This is no coincidence, Acqua responded to Kamijous muttering despite standing quite a bit away. While Kamijou became even more cautious of the sharpness of the mans senses, Acqua casually pointed towards the broken carriage. If your long term goal is to resolve this coup detat and your short term goal is to recover Index Librorum Prohibitorum, then there are a few points where the actions we must take are the same. What? said Kamijou as he turned his gaze in the direction Acqua was pointing. Through the half-open door of the carriage, he saw a cloth that looked like the hood to a nuns habit sticking out. It was not a normal hood. It was white with gold embroidery like a teacup. Index!! he yelled, but no response came. He wanted to run over to the carriage right then, but it was too dangerous to take his focus off of Acqua. In contrast to Kamijous intense caution, Acqua seemed not to be all that interested in Kamijou. He indifferently turned his back on Kamijou and started moving from the carriage. If your goal is to recover her, you should do so quickly. In a way, this place is more dangerous than a conquered city like London. ...? Kamijou stared suspiciously at the Gods Right Seat member who was oddly lacking in hostility. However, the situation did not stop there. Hm. From the look of things, I suppose Knight Leader was defeated, said a sudden voice. Kamijou and Acqua turned in that direction just in time to see a woman walk out from between some trees. She was a member of the Royal Family who wore a basically red dress with red leather covering various areas. In her right hand, she held a sword with no tip or blade. I ordered him to bring me two heads while I was having this fit my hand, but he quits just from getting wounded? He does nothing but add to my troubles. She was Second Princess Carissa. She was the leader of the coup detat. !! Kamijou put himself on guard, but the second princess was not looking in his direction. She was staring at Acqua while slightly swinging Curtana Original. What a pain in the ass. With him gone, I have to deal with all the small fries myself. Your troubles will soon be gone because this coup detat ends here. Dont underestimate me so much. Did you forget that I hold Curtana Original? The second princess smiled faintly while looking at Acqua hold up his giant sword. He was not aiming for Carissa. He hit a nearby large tree with the side of the sword and used the shockwave to knock Kamijou away. Meanwhile, Second Princess Carissa raised the strange sword above her head. This is a ceremonial sword that was originally used to cut the United Kingdom apart from the planet Earth and control everything within the kingdom. If I apply that special quality, I can even do this. She curtly swung down the sword. In the next instant, Kamijou Touma saw a dimension being severed for the first time in his life. Its range was a little less than 20 meters. With a strange noise, something passed through along a line that Kamijou and Acqua had been on just a moment before. Something like a belt or a wall that was only about as wide as Curtana Original expanded. It was white and looked a little like a plastic model before it was colored. That object that looked not entirely complete appeared before Kamijous eyes. I could feel it when I was practicing before. This spiritual item is quite old, but its disposition seems to change a bit when someone wields it based on modern military knowledge. ...Well, Im sure my mother would be able to do something similar because she has the same nature. A tone of enjoyment could be heard in Carissas voice. Did you know that the cross section you get by slicing a 3 dimensional object is 2 dimensional? And slicing a 2 dimensional object creates a 1 dimensional cross section. With a clunk, the mysterious belt-shaped object that had been irrationally floating in the air fell to the ground right next to Kamijou. It felt something like pottery, but it was actually extremely heavy despite how it looked. Even after it fell, it continued to sink into the black soil. Similarly, when a dimension higher than our 3 dimensions is sliced, the cross section appears in this world in a 3 dimensional form. As a result, the ruins of a cross section appears like this. The second princess rested Curtana Original on her shoulder. She was not attacking. Even so, the dimension was sliced apart in the trajectory of her sword and a colorless belt-shaped object fell to her feet. This simultaneously severs every dimension at the coordinates whether they are higher dimensions or lower dimensions. It seems the only cross section objects created that we can perceive are the ones that can appear in a 3 dimensional world. (What...?) Kamijou was completely dumbfounded. If what she was saying was true, that sword was a monstrous weapon that could cut right through dimensions which did exist but were more of a concept than anything. No matter how much steel someone used to protect his body, Curtana Original could cut right through the dimension to cleave him in two. Even so, Kamijou did not feel any fear. The scale was simply too great. Apparently the universe was constantly expanding due to the big bang, but no one could concretely feel the universe expanding with their 5 senses. Second Princess Carissa was using a power on that level. All Dimensions Severing Spell. Carissa spun Curtana Original around with a snap of her wrist and a smile slowly spread across her face as the ruins of the world that were the cross section objects spilled about. This is the first Ive used this, but its much easier to use than I expected. If it has a flaw, its that it makes things too easy which takes some of the fun out of it. Finally, Kamijou brought his brain out of its state of shock. Second Princess Carissa was the leader of the coup detat. He had had a proper conversation with her in Buckingham Palace and even laughed with her. He didnt want to get in a fist fight with her if he could help it, but it looked as if it would be difficult to end things with just a discussion. And if he screwed up, Index, who was unconscious in the carriage, would be in danger. (...Dammit. I guess well have the discussion after we fight!!) Carissa held up her sword that could slice through not just a manmade nuclear shelter but the earth and the universe itself. Kamijou glanced over at Acqua. Could he trust him? Whatever anyone said, it didnt change the fact that Acqua was a member of the Roman Catholic Churchs Gods Right Seat. But he had been fighting the knights led by Knight Leader before. It seemed they had a common enemy. Kamijou hesitated a bit, but it seemed he didnt have time to think about it. Hey, can you buy me some time? ... Acqua frowned like usual when Kamijou spoke to him without taking his eyes off Carissa. He ignored Kamijou, but the boy continued to speak. It looks like that dangerous cutting ability is only on the edges of the sword. The sides must be normal steel. You just need to hit that part with your sword to make her stagger for even a second. Then Ill destroy that spiritual item with my right hand. Oh, how scary, Carissa said in a clearly mocking tone of voice. If I remember correctly, thats your patented Imagine Breaker. She stopped spinning Curtana Original around. The flat end with no tip was pointed down. With the sword completely frozen in place, she spoke. So allow me to show you how I deal with that. Carissa stabbed the end of Curtana Original into the ground. The great noise of a shockwave pounded on Kamijous ears. With the second princess in the center, a dome-shaped storm of destruction with a radius of 500 meters erupted. She had most likely taken the flow of magic power focused on the all dimension severing spell and changed it to a different route. Although the created destructive power was not as high as the power needed to slice through other dimensions, shockwaves were scattered evenly in all directions in the 3 dimensional world. It was basically an explosion. The ground was torn up, trees were knocked down, and the large wall of destruction reached Kamijou in an instant. Oooooooooooooooohhhhhh!? As he yelled, Kamijou held up his right hand. However, that failed. The power was both too great and too continuous, so Kamijous right hand was not enough to completely negate it. He had lost his memories, so he only had the knowledge, but he was forcibly reminded of Innocentius and Dragon Breath. A terrible pressure attacked his right hand, he heard the unpleasant noise of his bones creaking, and pain ran up his arm. Pushed by that power, it took less than 2 seconds for his feet to be lifted from the ground. Once he was in the air, the rest was simple. Kamijous body flew further up into the air. The dome-shaped explosion had a radius of 500 meters. Kamijous body was fired diagonally up by its force until he was 200 meters up in the night sky. In the instant when the force pushing him up and gravity were in equilibrium, Kamijou Touma floated motionless in the air and looked at the sparse night view of Folkestone. (What do I do...?) The countdown for his fall began. And Kamijous right hand did not have a convenient power that would allow him to land safely from a fall of 200 meters. (What do I do!?) The always present force of gravity bared its fangs towards Kamijou Touma. Between the lines 3 Queen Elizard was riding a horse. She was not riding along an elegantly maintained dirt course meant for horse riding. Instead, she was on a narrow paved road heading from Windsor to London. Just a bit before, she had been travelling through a dark forest, but now gentle pastures stretched out before her all the way to the horizon. (...Really. The British flag is a fusion of the flags of England, Scotland, and the others as a symbol of our union and yet were completely scattered. It looks like I really have to recover that from London to bring us all together again...) She had travelled about 50 kilometers. Compared to the previous forest and hills, the path was not all that complex. (If she ignored the speed limit) she might have been able to arrive in London in only 30 minutes using a car. But... (It looks like this is the limit for a horse even if it is militarily trained.) Elizard sighed as she held the reins. Some of the thoroughbreds that appeared in horse races could run faster than a car, but that speed was only possible on a soft surface like dirt or a lawn. If a horse dashed at full speed atop hard asphalt, its hooves would break. Also, horse tracks were like short or medium length races to the horses, so they couldnt keep those speeds up for a longer distance of 50 kilometers. As a result, the queen was moving along at about 20 to 30 kph while taking occasional short breaks to ensure she didnt wear out the horse. (The horse is wearing special horseshoes for public roads and I could increase its physical strength and stamina with one of my spells...but I suppose I shouldnt force it. This would go much faster if I could use the large scale magic circles placed occasionally along the old road that increase the horses horse power, but I cant exactly do that.) The magic circles along the old road were under the jurisdiction of the British government, so people under the influence of the second princess would be able to tell she was using them. If that happened, things were sure to get much more troublesome. Her slow progress did not bring an irritated expression to the queens face. Instead, Elizards gaze held pity for the horse she was overusing. Sorry for having you come along with me in such a dangerous situation. The horse did not understand human language of course, but the queen spoke to it regardless. The horse did not respond, but there was no dissatisfaction, fear, or confusion in its strong movements. As she watched the mass of muscles propelling her ever forward, the queen decided that she had been blessed with a truly excellent subordinate. A cars headlights then came shining from behind. Thinking it might be pursuit from the knights or the Royal Family, she focused on Curtana Second as it hung from her hip, but that was not who it was. A gaudy youth riding in a gaudy convertible drove right up next to Elizard and the military horse. The man in the drivers seat was gaudy, but so was the woman in the passenger seat. Actually, looking closer.... Yaaay! The hitchhiking was a success! Y-youre kidding, right!? You really stayed there in the forest waiting for a car to come by!? Sitting in the passenger seat, Laura Stuart smiled and nodded towards Elizard who was sitting atop the horse in shock. The edges of the gaudy youths lips bent up. At first I was afraid because I thought she was some kind of hitchhiking ghost, but it turned out she was just an annoying pervert. I was just going to throw her out somewhere around here, but if you know her, can you take her? Sorry about that. Ill take that other-worldly idiot. Elizard sincerely apologized, grabbed the woman in the passenger seat with an arm, and pulled her over onto the back of the horse. At that point, the man holding the convertibles steering wheel finally got around to noticing something. Huh? Is that a horse? Thats a horse! ...Of course it is. Gyah ha ha! That horse just said brrr! It said brr! Oh, wow! I dont think Ive ever seen a horse this up close before! Let me get a picture! No, dont take out your cell phone, you idiot! The flash will scare the horse! And you shouldnt use your cell phone while driving!! Okay, here goes. Ching-a-ling-a-ling! With a ridiculous electronic noise, he took the picture. Elizard reflexively made her perfect queens smile that she used for photos. Aw, shit. The horse is all blurry. You cant tell what it is at all. It looks like the old woman on top is ascending into heaven or something. Wait...? I think Ive seen you before. Are you one of my aunts or something? ... Still smiling, Queen Elizard reached for Curtana Second. The ceremonial sword may have only had a fifth of its power left, but it could still slice something as trifling as a dimension. With a slicing noise, the convertibles radiator was cut clean off and the coolant leaking out led to the engine burning out. The queen gave a hmph of triumph in the direction of the convertible that had stalled and would no longer start. Aww. You ruined the car I waited so long for. Kh! Oh, no! I could have saved a lot of time by taking that car and heading to London!! Hearing Lauras words, Elizard now regretted what she had done, but she turned her thoughts back in a positive direction. She grabbed the horses reins again. Well, I suppose I cant just leave you behind here. Elizard and Laura Stuart headed off in the direction of London. Volume 18, 6: Destruction of the Knights’ and Princess’s Defensive Line. Safety_in_Subway. Volume 18, Chapter 6: Destruction of the Knights and Princesss Defensive Line. Safety_in_Subway. Part 1 Second Princess Carissa stood in the dark forest at Folkestone. Although, it might have been better to call it a former forest. Tens and even hundreds of trees had been broken to pieces and blown far away by the last strike. Carissa was standing in the center of an area with upturned black soil and torn up stumps that had just barely managed to remain behind. Hm, I guess that was a bit too much. ...But I suppose this sword guarantees the success of the revolution. The second princess rested Curtana Original on her shoulder and gave a light sigh. The dome-shaped explosion had not been the proper way of using Curtana. That may have been the reason the sword was lightly vibrating. It would probably subside before long, but it gave an ominous feeling that the vibrations would break the sword if she continued to use it like that. (I guess you really should read the instructions manual and use your tools accordingly. This needs more than just emergency measures on the battlefield. I need to head back to Buckingham Palace and give it a proper tune-up.) The carriage that had been ambushed by the mercenary William Orwell was completely gone. It had been transporting the Index Librorum Prohibitorum that possessed 103,000 grimoires, but she had no way of checking if the girl had survived. That grimoire library had been necessary for the evidence that the French government had been behind the Eurotunnel bombing that had started the whole incident, but... (...Well, it has no more value than a logical pretext, so that doesnt really matter. I already have the right to control this country. Now that a war has broken out on an illogical pretext, no ones going to argue.) With the sword that had no tip or blade still resting on her shoulder, she pulled out a cell phone with her other hand and operated it with her thumb. She chose one of the speed dial numbers in the memory and held it up to her ear. She was calling the knights waiting in Londons Buckingham Palace. How are things in London? We have succeeded in mostly taking control of all the major British cities including the capital. The disturbances in London have ended and there is no sign of anymore reckless rioting by civilians. I see. It seems Knight Leader was defeated here. ...!? Th-thats... You had realized it, hadnt you? Did you want to deny it? Second Princess Carissa laughed. As a large amount of Telesma had been sent to the knights and Knight Leader via Curtana Original, the defeat of that leader would create a tremor in the total amount of power. (It seems that disturbance couldnt be suppressed.) Carissa came to that conclusion and then continued on as she didnt especially care. Im going to be heading back there now. Is the Eurostar train running? We just received a report that the freight train sending more personnel your way has arrived... The mans voice sounded somehow unreliable. But someone seems to have dismantled the track in various points between London and Folkestone. ...Currently, it is being restored in 3 locations, but the entire 100 kilometre length of track needs to be checked over in case it was damaged elsewhere... I see. (I suppose that Asian must have gotten here by sneaking aboard the freight train. After he got through, they must not have needed the trains anymore, so they started destroying our infrastructure.) A smile leaked out onto Carissas face at that guerilla type of resistance. She stared up into the starry sky. Then call in an Air Force helicopter patrolling nearby in Folkestone. But...will that really be okay? Wont that put you at risk of being targeted with anti-air spells? With the amount of Telesma I have from Curtana Original, I wont die even if the helicopter falls to pieces around me in midair. What matters is getting back to Buckingham Palace as quickly as possible. Understood, replied the knight. In other matters, you received a phone call from France while you were away. If it was just a senator, we can ignore it. There was one from a senator, but...this one was from the president. What should we do? Just ignoring it could be interesting, but connect him through to me here. You can listen in on the side. Ill show you the diplomatic skills of the new head of state. Understood, he replied again, this time with a hint of a smile behind it. After a few seconds, the static in the transmission changed. She was now connected to someone else. W-we should cooperate, said a voice right off the bat. The voice belonged to the French president who had a frequent presence in the media. We should cooperate regarding the Eurotunnel terrorist attack. Oh, thats a lot of noise. Carissa put on a most unpleasant face despite the fact that the president could not see it. Are you on the phone in a strip club or something? I can barely hear you over all the indecent noises. How about you quit shoving bills into the dancers stocking for a second and take this seriously? Y-youre the one that needs to take this seriously!! Im saying we need to negotiate so we can choose the option that is best for both of us!! Negotiate? Wouldnt it be more appropriate for us to fight to the death? What, do you want to lick my ass or something? I wont say anything about a personal hobby, but it might have a negative effect on the next election if you let your constituents find out. D-dont screw around with me!! I know what youve done!! He must have breathed onto the receiver because actual noise entered Carissas ear. The increasingly cornered French president continued speaking while the second princess messed with him. Youve dispatched a destroyer in the Strait of Dover! And it has rather large missiles loaded on it! I dont know if you are trying to threaten us, but surely you know that this is doing severe damage to the relationship between our countries! Oh? said Carissa as if she didnt care. I dont see how someone who has a nuclear submarine hidden in the Strait of Dover has any right to say that to me. It has been frequently sending and receiving coded transmissions. From the ones we have intercepted, it seems to be an exceedingly French sub and it also seems to have a nuclear missile aimed at London. ...!? She had a feeling she could hear his mouth wordlessly opening and closing. Ignoring him, Carissa continued. France is a nuclear power just like America and Russia. I know you had the option, but...it was just so damn blatant. Of course, there is the treaty banning them that you once borrowed the power of the Roman Catholic Church to get the EU to bring about. Did you let your guard down because you had used that treaty as a shield to rob us of nuclear weapons and the ability to develop them? Or did you just think we couldnt take it out with a single preemptive attack? A loud explosion was heard. The noise was coming from a long distance away. It was far enough away that there was a discrepancy between light and sound as with distant thunder. Carissa turned her gaze in the direction of the distant sea. Oh, dont worry. According to the report from the destroyer, that was just a seagull. As she spoke, Carissa swung Curtana Original lightly with the hand not holding the phone. This caused a 100 meter dimensional slice which created a large white fan-shaped piece of wreckage along the trajectory of the sword. Carissa kicked the giant fan with a leg that held a piece of Michaels power and it flew off into the night sky. The fan rotated at high speed like a helicopter rotor as it disappeared beyond the horizon. ...Our radars and anti-air defense weapons can detect and intercept foreign objects at that level of accuracy. The old large missiles are nothing more than targets. With mere hunks of metal that have no concealing spells cast on them, we can shoot down every single one you fire at us. Carissa created and kicked away a second and a third giant fan. N-no, youve got it all wrong!! That submarine isnt ours. Coded transmissions? Those had to have been tricks intended to make the submarine look French!! Well, its true we have no proof, readily admitted Second Princess Carissa. If youre telling the truth, I assume you wont mind if we sink this insolent submarine of unknown affiliation out of self defense as it is targeting our capital. If it really has no connection to France, you will have no reason to attempt to rescue those aboard either. ...If you do attempt to interfere with this operation in any way, I will take that as confirmation that the submarine of unknown affiliation is working with France. A tremor spread across the ground. That had not been the destroyers weapons. It had been the noise of the giant fans Carissa had fired striking the ocean surface sinking the submarine hidden within the ocean with their enormous weight. Oh, did I get a hole in one? They probably shouldnt have been staying so close to the surface in order to be able to fire the missile. And they wont make it in time if they frantically try to dive now. At this rate, it wont even last a minute. D-damn you...!! Oh, I know what to do. For every time the submarine of unknown affiliation requests help from the French navy and for every millimeter it tries to flee in the direction of France, we will fire one of the bunker cluster cruise missiles on our destroyer. The first will be aimed for Versailles, the second for Paris, and the third...oh, who cares. I can decide on that if you havent learned your lesson after the first two. ...The value of a leader is determined by how many of his peoples lives he protects. With how you handled this, Id say youre getting a failing grade. With that, he was only able to sit by silently and watch as his trump card sank. As he listened to the screams of his comrades, all options other than merely bearing with it had been sealed. The French president remained at a loss for words and a tone of ridicule entered Carissas voice. How about you switch out with the princess at the top who is refusing to leave the cradle? This might be about the pride you gained by obtaining a parliamentary government, but no matter how many idiots gather together, they cant come up with a plan that will have any effect against us. It would be best for you if you went ahead and bowed down to the Holy Woman of Versailles and ask for her opinion. ...If you dont, you will have nothing left but to be remembered as historys most incompetent president because you doomed your own country to destruction by starting a war out of your own arrogance. Carissa heard a cry on the other end of the phone that sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but she ignored it and hung up. The sound of a helicopter rotor reverberated from above her head. It was the Air Force helicopter that had been patrolling in Folkestone. An observation helicopter was basically an attack helicopter with the weapons removed and this was a very small one with a width of less than a meter. It was made for two people, so one of the pilots had likely needed to be left behind in order for Carissa to get on. Landing to let the other pilot down must have taken a bit of time, because there was no excuse for how long the helicopter had taken to get there otherwise. Noticing Carissa, the observation helicopter stopped at about 20 meters up and slowly started to lower. However, the second princess moved first. She jumped 20 meters straight up into the air, grabbed the side of the helicopter with one arm, and thrust her sharp heels into its armor. As the shocked pilot watched on, she opened the door and climbed in as carefree as if she were climbing into the backseat of her private car. ...Helicopters are convenient, but I dont like how they mess up my set hair. Carissa, the woman who had just jumped high into the sky using the power of her own legs, looked displeased as she reached up to her hair. Folding her arms, she spoke with the tone of someone telling a driver where to go. Could you take me to Buckingham Palace? I have to do some work on this thing there, Carissa said as she lightly tapped the side of Curtana Original with the back of her hand. And dont be slow. If you arent going to be any help, I can always just bring down the helicopter and run there on my own. Part 2 Ow... Kamijou Touma awoke with a dull pain in the area of his backbone. He was inside an old car left in the mountains near the foundation of an old ruined building. The car seemed foreign and was quite large making it look like it had bad gas mileage. However, it wasnt all too clear whether it was accurate to say he was inside the car. It had no roof and its doors were missing. Kamijou was lying face up in what was little more than the chassis. Beyond where the door should have been was a dark forest. It was still the middle of the night, but his eyes must have gotten used to the darkness because he no longer saw a single shade of black. Instead, the darkness had its own type of light and darkness and color allowing him to see objects silhouettes. For someone who lived in Tokyo like Kamijou, truly experiencing starlight was a rare thing. (What...happened...?) Kamijou sat up on the sofa-like backseat and tried to sort out the information in his head. (...Wasn''t I not able to negate the second princesss attack and then got blown away way up in the sky?) Common sense told him that there was no way he would have survived falling from a height of a few hundred meters. That was well beyond the level where something cushioning him on the ground would save him. Nevertheless, Kamijou was in one piece and didnt have any broken bones. In fact, he had nothing more than a few scratches. And then... So youve finally decided to wake up? You certainly are carefree. Kamijou turned around in the direction of the low male voice. Ee!? Acqua of the Back!! Kamijou instinctively started to bring up his guard, but his foot got caught on a part of the unstable car and he fell right back down onto the backseat. Acqua of the Back made no attempt to enter the car. He merely stood outside the car holding a ridiculously huge weapon as usual (although this one was different from the one he had in Academy City). Kamijou cautiously eyed Acqua and slowly asked a question. Youre...still alive...? Only one who attacked his enemy with the intent to kill and then gained proper evidence that he had killed the enemy should ask that question. Acqua sighed out of annoyance. To be honest, I did not expect you all to cause the power I had stored up by using the Virgin Mary Worship spell to explode from within. I was able to immediately create a bypass and release the mass of power outside my body, but that has caused my power to temporarily drop to the level of a normal Saint. Despite normally preferring to remain silent, Acqua continued on about things Kamijou did not understand. The malice emitted along with the words made Kamijou shiver and think that Acqua might smash him to pieces right then and there. S-so, what happened to me after that explosion? Hmph. Nothing much. I merely grabbed you in midair and landed with you. That doesnt sound like nothing much!! said Kamijou in complete shock. Hm? Hey, wait a second. What about Index!? Carissas final attack was basically an explosion in all directions, right!? What happened to the carriage she was on!? Instead of asking me that, look around you and figure it out for yourself. Acqua pointed to the side with a look of pure contempt in his eyes. Kamijou looked in that direction and saw a nun in a white habit unconscious in the passenger seat of the car. ...You grabbed her, too? Yes, but two was pretty much my limit in that situation. He said that bluntly, but Carissas strike had definitely been an explosion. In that instant, Acqua must have grabbed Index from the carriage, caught Kamijou in midair, and put up at least the bare minimum of a defense for himself. (...Th-the more I hear, the less I think I can win. Actually, how the hell did I survive against such a monster back in Academy City?) Why...did you save me? It is true that it may have been simpler to just let you die, Acqua unhesitatingly replied. Are you aware that you are the cause of this disturbance? ... However, the situation here is different than when I spoke with you in Academy City. Your defeat of members of the Roman Catholic Church is not the problem here. The true boss is after your right hand. What? Who is this true boss? The current leader of the alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church is a man called Fiamma of the Right. This Fiamma is after your right hand and the knowledge inside Index Librorum Prohibitorum that is necessary to make proper use of it. Acqua ignored Kamijous confusion and continued the one-sided conversation. As such, pulverizing your right arm until nothing remains or destroying Index Librorum Prohibitorums brain are possible methods of ruining Fiammas plans. !? He didnt really understand the situation, but Kamijous body stiffened at the imminent danger. However, Acqua himself rejected that option. If I had intended to go that route, I would have abandoned the two of you and you would have died on your own. ...Then what are you trying to do? I plan to destroy the cause of this disturbance, Acqua responded with no hesitation. However, I am aware that Imagine Breaker and Index Librorum Prohibitorum are nothing more than accessories that are closely related to the true cause. Losing the cornerstones of his plan would be a major problem for Fiamma, but there is a danger he would change his plan and begin again. There is also a danger that he will spread meaningless destruction around out of desperation. ...So I have determined that I must destroy the cause behind the cause. After saying that, Acqua turned his back on Kamijou. With his gigantic sword in hand, the man spoke some more. However, it has become necessary to put a stop to a tiny dispute that is derived from the original cause. Increasing Englands strength may lead to a chance to put a stop to the increase in Roman Catholic influence over Europe. As a result, this may lead to a primary factor in preventing Fiamma from carrying out his goal. Is there a way to stop this? No petty tricks are needed. You should already be well acquainted with my methods. But Carissa and the knights already have control of the entirety of the United Kingdom. The size of the obstacle does not matter. Carissa and the knights new order is centred around Curtana Original which makes it especially fragile. ? It is not my style to strike there. Perhaps I really should go with a completely fair and open attack, Acqua of the Back spat out before he disappeared. He must have left at such a high speed that Kamijou''s eyes could not perceive it. (Acqua of the Back, hm?) Kamijou thought while he put his hand on Indexs shoulder as she sat unconscious in the passenger seat. (That man is truly a deadly enemy to have. Can he really help overturn this situation?) Part 3 Kamijou did not know what to do to help Index, but after a bit she woke up on her own. Uuuhn... Index! Are you okay!? Are you hurt anywhere!? Kamijous face lit up. In response, Index stirred a bit. ...Did you save me from the knights, Touma? Yeah, thats what youd think, isnt it? Kamijou averted his gaze. But things werent that convenient. Index stared at him in puzzlement for a second. And then... Mh!? Did you come here with yet another strange girl...!? I can see why youd assume so, but fate was not so kind to me!! Kamijou denied the claim with a shout. Im glad to see youre your usual self. Touma, I want a midnight snack. And now youre a little too much back to normal. ? With Kamijou finally relieved and Index puzzled, the two of them wandered through the dark forest a bit until they met up with some Amakusa members. It hadnt been pure coincidence. The Amakusas had detected the giant explosion Second Princess Carissa had created and were covertly searching through the area so she wouldnt notice. Their temporary base was the large rescue plane that could take off and land on water. With Kamijou and Index onboard, the plane raced along a narrow river at a speed that would cause even an expert pilot to pale in order to take off into the night sky. The plane had looked big on the outside, but it felt cramped with over 50 people onboard. As it flew, Tatemiya Saiji spoke to Kamijou. It seems Second Princess Carissa used an Air Force helicopter to head for Buckingham Palace. Kamijou felt like he could hear voices from farther back in the plane yelling Itsuwa, go! This is your chance!!, I-I cant. I still reek of alcohol!!, and Youre just imagining it! That was hours and hours ago!!, but Tatemiya pleasantly stood in the way. To quell the coup detat, we have to do something about the second princess. Fortunately, the physical body Carissa was born with is not special like that of a Saint as with the Priestess. The core of the coup detat is Curtana Original. If we can just destroy that, Carissa will lose all of her power. Upon hearing the word Priestess, Kamijou looked over at Kanzaki Kaori. She was sitting with her back resting on the wall of the airplane. She had bandages wrapped around her in places and her exposed skin was covered in bruises. When Kanzaki noticed Kamijous gaze, her ponytailed head apologetically lowered slightly. ...I am sorry. The former Agnese Forces and Sherry Cromwell are currently battling the knights and normally I would be doing so too, but...as you can see, I have been defeated. My strength is being restored, but it may take some time before I can move again. No, thats fine... But are you okay? I wish I could tell you that this wasnt a problem. Kanzakis slightly torn up lips loosened up a bit and seemed to form a smile. She gave a look in Tatemiyas direction and he gave a small nod and began speaking again. He spoke about what Kamijou had told them Acqua had said. If its true that Acqua defeated Knight Leader who was such a major obstacle for us, this may have actually turned in our favor. ...Yeah, but Acqua is a member of Gods Right Seat. Also, thats just what he told me. I didnt actually see him defeat Knight Leader. Shouldnt we keep in mind that he could have told us that as part of some plan? One of our scouts has confirmed that those two really seemed to be fighting at Folkestone. Since Acqua is freely moving around, its only natural to assume for now that the head of the knights was defeated. They of course could not abandon the possibility that even that was part of some trap, but that was why Tatemiya had said for now. Kamijou thought for a bit. If what Acqua is saying is true.... Then all thats left is Second Princess Carissa and Curtana Original. ...She is the most troublesome enemy, though. However, the problem would not be resolved if they did not do something about her. Kanzaki then cut into the conversation. What happened to Queen Elizard and the head of the church, Laura Stuart? We havent received any report regarding that. According to the knights communications network, they at least attempted to escape while being transported from Windsor Castle to London, but we dont know what happened to them after that, Tatemiya replied to Kanzaki with a bitter expression. Kamijou looked at their faces. That queen seemed like she really knew what she was doing. Do you think she has some secret plan to turn this all around in one shot? With her ability, we can hope for that kind of direct battle ability, but even if she does not have such a plan, her mere existence is very valuable both in domestic affairs and in diplomatic affairs. ...The real way to defeat Carissas new order may actually lie there. ? As Kamijou looked on in puzzlement, Tatemiya spoke as if to bring that aspect of the discussion to a close. Anyway, we need to defeat Second Princess Carissa in order to bring this coup detat to an end as quickly as possible. To do that, we need to prevent her from using Curtana Original. They might be able to pull off destroying the spiritual item known as Curtana Original since they had Kamijous right hand. But shes inside Buckingham Palace, right? With London, as well as the rest of the country, under the knights control, can we really break into a tightly guarded palace? Trying to break into the front door of Buckingham Palace right now would be like directly taking on a countrys entire army. However, we may be able to sneak into London. ? Quite a few subway lines run underneath London, but one of them is the Victoria line. That line runs almost directly beneath Buckingham Palace. Using that, we can still make some trouble just by getting to a nearby subway station and not actually entering the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Tatemiya stopped speaking for a bit and then started again on a slightly different topic. Why do you think Second Princess Carissa returned to Buckingham Palace? Huh? She doesnt want the coup detat to be defeated easily, right? So shes probably just returning to the fortress with the strongest security. Curtana Original has tremendous power and Buckingham Palace does not currently have any defensive magical spells cast on it. She isnt someone who would be easily defeated if she was on her own, and if she were holing up for safety, she would have chosen a place with more magical security like Windsor Castle. Then why? I doubt she would go there for no reason. Is there governmental value behind orders that come from London or something? Well, I suppose there could be some kind of message like that, but there is a more direct reason. That reason is Curtana Original. What does that sword have to do with it? Curtana Original is too strong. It may be limited to within this country, but it uses power that rivals that of the leader of the angels. But that creates a certain concern. Curtana Original possesses the power to utterly destroy an external enemy, but if a mistake is made in controlling the power and the user loses control, the first one it will annihilate is the user herself. I see, Kamijou muttered. Tatemiya looked at his expression and nodded once. Of course, whether its the Original or the Second, only a British queen or princess can wield Curtana. Those arent people who can be allowed to die, so a large facility is needed to suppress its power if its power is headed out of control. The facility for preventing Curtanas power from getting out of hand and creating an explosion was built into Buckingham Palace because that is where they stay for the majority of the year. Curtana Original was once lost to history and Curtana Second was used instead. The cause of its disappearance is said to be the Puritan Revolution, but if Curtanas power truly was perfect, that revolution would not have succeeded because Curtana would have slaughtered all resistance. Since that didnt happen... Curtana Originals power went out of control once in the past...? They were merely building suppositions upon suppositions, but according to Tatemiya, Third Princess Villian had given affirmation to some of their suppositions. As such, it sounds pretty likely that they would have planned a way to prevent that from happening again. After all, having no means of prevention led to an opening that allowed a revolution to form. Kanzaki continued where Tatemiya left off. If there is a large facility that gives and receives energy with Curtana Original, it may interfere with Curtana Original by reversing the flow of the magic power. That is our theory at any rate. Now that Carissa has entered Buckingham Palace in order to stabilize Curtana Original, we have a real chance to send it out of control making it unusable. As long as she couldnt use Curtana Original, the second princesss power would fall to the level of a normal human. The knights would also lose the tremendous power they had within the country. The union between Carissa and the knights is not all that strong. After all, the knights are led by someone other than her, Knight Leader. ? But he started this coup detat with her, right? That was because the knights had determined that Carissas new order was the most beneficial path for England. It also means that the knights will mercilessly turn their backs on the second princess if they determine that continuing to follow her would be disadvantageous for England. In other words... Whether she can use Curtana Original or not is directly linked to the success or failure of this massive coup detat...? That vision caused Kamijous face to brighten, but the brightness suddenly left. Wait. But I thought Buckingham Palace didnt have any magical devices in it? You all said something about causing diplomatic problems when guests sensed something magical and mistook it for being invited into a trap. That is what the subway is for, replied Kanzaki immediately. It is true that there are no magical devices in Buckingham Palace during times of peace, but a subway line runs beneath the palace. A special railroad car with a magic circle on it is kept in an area branching off from the normal track. The special car is set up so it can be promptly taken to the area directly below Buckingham Palace when Curtana Original is headed out of control. It was true that, using this method, one could say that there were no magical devices within the grounds of Buckingham Palace and still be technically telling the truth. The Amakusas guessed that it may have originally been installed on a large carriage that would be left on the palace grounds, but had been moved over to the subway system at some point. Curtana Original had been missing for a few hundred years, so the safety device that used the subway system must have been created for Curtana Second. However, it wouldnt be surprising if Second Princess Carissa was planning to use that safety device since it was for another Curtana-type spiritual item. Currently, the Anglican Church is communicating with the air fortress Coven Compass. They are taking preparations to use Coven Compasss large scale flash spell to use a large amount of magic power to forcibly interfere with Curtana Original via the subway in an attempt to send it out of control. Kanzaki seemed to be carefully choosing her words as she continued. There is a distance greater than 500 kilometers between Coven Compass and Buckingham Palace, but hidden members of the Anglican Church are setting up spiritual items to act as relay points in 10 places along the way. They will be arranged to guide the massive amount of magical power. If it succeeds, it is possible that that dangerous sword will be made unusable or at least severely weakened. So were headed to London so we can attack Buckingham Palace once usage of Curtana Original has been sealed? There is that, but... Kanzaki seemed oddly hesitant. Tatemiya felt like he had no choice but to break in and continue for her. If you remember, she said that the special railroad car used to bring Curtana back under control is kept in an area branching off from the normal track. Yeah, and? Apparently, the point where it branches off is protected by a magical barrier, so it normally looks just like a normal wall. That means we need to destroy that barrier and secure the route. I see, said Kamijou looking down at his right hand. He knew what he had to do more or less. Basically, we have to get to a subway station near Buckingham Palace on our own and then I destroy that barrier in the tunnel with my right hand? There is still one problem with that. ? Some new security measures have been put up within London. And they are especially sensitive to magic. To put it simply, it will immediately detect anyone wandering around if they have magic power. Their location will be displayed on a map and fully armed knights will be on them almost instantly. Basically, this means that magicians who can refine their own magic power cannot take part in this plan. Eh? Then... Kamijou stared back at Tatemiya and Kanzakis faces as if he thought he had misheard, but Tatemiya and even Kanzaki averted their gaze. ...U-um. People who cannot refine their own magic power at all are weak civilian-level people. In other words, you and Index are the only people who can fight here. Even if she averted her gaze, Kanzaki still said what had to be said. Ahead of her averted gaze was Third Princess Villian. Without a member of the Royal Family like Lady Villian you cannot interfere with the magical barrier within the subway tunnel or the special railway car with the magic circle. Consequently, we have no choice but to rely on the three of you for this. Part 4 And so they ended up breaking into the center of enemy territory. Kamijou, Index, and Villian were in a high class residential area in western London called Kensington and moving east. However, they were not on foot. London was a few dozen kilometers across, so they couldnt exactly walk to their destination. They were moving along a vacant street in a small car being driven by Third Princess Villian. Kamijou found it incredibly odd to see the kind of princess one saw in picture books holding the steering wheel. ...Even if I am a princess, Im not that sheltered, was the 24 year old princesss explanation. Kamijou also felt really bad about having an actual princess drive him around, but neither he nor Index knew how to drive. They were headed for a subway station at the center of London near Buckingham Palace. Even if they didnt have to get on the palace grounds, they still had to get very, very close, so they were in a dangerous situation. Apparently, there were hundreds of thousands of security cameras set up throughout London, but according to Tatemiya and the others waiting in the rescue plane that had landed on a street, those cameras were not functioning. Anyone who can use magic would move through the blind spots of the cameras or use spells to prevent themselves from being recorded by the cameras, so it seems Second Princess Carissa decided they were too much trouble since she already had almost complete control of the country. She most likely ordered the three major security companies in the city to stop the cameras. If you know the cameras have stopped functioning, have you stolen the footage from the security companies? Are you that good with science-side security? No, we just observed them from a long distance with binoculars. The security cameras have auto-focus, but there was no sign of it moving. That means they arent functioning. Its similar to a human sitting there with his pupils completely dilated. They had analyzed the situation in an extremely analog way, but Tatemiya and the rest of the Amakusas had probably been right. The magic cabal known as New Light had snuck through the blind spots of the cameras and into London, but an amateur like Kamijou couldnt do something like that and Index knew almost nothing of science. They had been travelling through side streets and back alleys, but if the security network made up by the cameras had been functioning, they would have been caught in no time. Sitting in the passenger seat, Kamijou spoke while staring at the unmoving cameras placed along the street. But wont the knights notice us if we move along these empty streets with an engine making all this noise? Well be fine, responded Index from the backseat. Currently, the knights are staying on their guard by using magic. Instead of relying on their own senses, they have created a defense network that uses senses augmented by spells. Even if there are a lot of them, they still have to cover dozens of kilometers worth of ground covering all of London. ...But if we magically use what theyre doing against them, we can make it so they wont notice us even if were right in front of them. Kamijou was glad to have the knowledge of the 103,000 book grimoire library, but then he realized something. Wait a second, Index. How do you know what kind of magic the knights are currently using? Eh? Because theyre on top of that building over there. Wah!? Kamijou hurriedly looked over in the direction Index was pointing and saw some dark figures on top of the building. However, the silver armor-wearing silhouettes didnt notice them and jumped over to a different building. (With so few people around, I cant believe they dont hear the sound of the engine...) Apparently, relying too much on magic had its drawbacks. Nevertheless, if Index werent occasionally giving Villian (seemingly) arbitrary instructions such as turn there and move slowly, they probably would have been caught in an instant. So are the Royal Family and the knights not using the military or the police? I would guess theyre being used to deal with the civilians. According to the Amakusas, the normal people have been gathered up in large facilities like hotels and theaters. And if youre going to get people to listen to what some unknown person is telling them, they probably wanted to avoid using difficult to understand magic. When Kamijou thought about it, he decided that pointing a gun at someone would indeed be much more effective than pointing some type of unknown staff or crystal ball at them. Of course, firing off a warning shot with the magic would change that, but they probably wanted to avoid having to fire that much if they didnt have to. (Even so...) As Kamijou stared at the empty London scenery from the passenger seat, his eyes suddenly moved in Villians direction as she operated the steering wheel. She was a blonde woman with white skin dressed in a green dress that looked straight out of a picture book. She was no more other-worldly than Index, but the two clearly had a very different feel to them. Index would go running headlong into even a foreign culture like science while Villian gave the impression that she would simply disappear were her delicate surroundings not maintained like an alpine plant quietly producing flowers. Villian noticed Kamijous gaze. Do you need something? N-no... Kamijou shook his head. Before they had left, Kanzaki and Tatemiya had told him that inadvertently flipping up her skirt would be lse majest because she had the blood of the British Royal Family flowing in her veins, but Kamijou hadnt understood what they were talking about. Come to think of it, they said that anyone who could refine their own magic power would be detected by Carissa and the knights, right? Y-yes. Villian awkwardly twisted up her body within the green dress as if she were attempting to escape Kamijous gaze. I am very sorry. I know I should have learned that kind of thing as a member of the Royal Family, but I refused to be taught any knowledge or skills that could be used as a weapon. All I can do is operate already activated spiritual items by touching them. My sister Carissa is attempting to eliminate me because of the possibility that I could use Curtana Original, but I would not be able to use it even if it was handed to me. Huh? Dont we need a member of the Royal Family to get through the barrier in the subway? Yes... If only my mother or my sister Rimea were here... With someone as inexperienced as me, I might not be able to do it right even with the help of Index Librorum Prohibitorum... I-I dont think you need to get so down! In fact, I dont get why it would be necessary for a queen to know how to use magic!! ...Really? It seems the normal servants, maids, cooks, and gardeners in Buckingham Palace have headed down into the subway tunnel for this plan. If only I had a better way of protecting everyone without violence, I wouldnt have had to head to such a dangerous place with you two. Villian looked quite discouraged. It seemed not being able to directly help fight the coup detat had taken its toll on her. Kamijou forced his gaze back to London in an attempt to somehow change the subject. Yknow...the back alleys here sure are different from the ones in Academy City. Touma. Being a connoisseur of back alleys isnt something to be proud of. I never said anything about being proud of it, replied Touma. Anyway, I know we have to do something about Carissa and keep her from using Curtana Original, but will taking out the top boss really put an end to such a large scale coup detat? Im a bit worried this will just end up turning into a long and drawn out fight. London was not the only place that had changed. Almost all of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were under the control of the knights led by Second Princess Carissa. Kamijou wasnt confident that taking out a single pillar of a problem that had spread so far would really bring everything back to normal. I think that the coup detat will come to an end if we stop Carissa, replied Third Princess Villian timidly. ? Villian frowned at Kamijous puzzled expression. There are actually many different types of coups detat, but I think the odds of this one turning into a long drawn out war because its leader is lost are quite low. Index nodded and added to what Villian had been hesitatingly saying. The Amakusas have been intercepting the knights transmissions. Apparently, a disturbance has been spreading throughout the knights due to Knight Leaders defeat. To the participants in the coup detat, Knight Leader and the second princess are like mental pillars of support. Now, one of those has been completely broken down. So if the remaining pillar is destroyed, the knights determination will simply collapse. ...Dont you think that most of them will be unsure of what to do once the very people urging them to take part in the plan have been defeated? asked Villian. (She may be right.) Also, the roles of the United Kingdom are divided up between the three factions of the Royal Family, the knights, and the church. That can also be used to put a stop to the coup detat, continued Index. How? Because the diplomatic relations with other countries are single-handedly done by the Royal Family. In other words, the knights excel at directly fighting, but they have no way of negotiating with other countries. Most likely, the only ones in the coup detat that can deal equally on a national level are Second Princess Carissa and Knight Leader because he acts as an advisor in those matters. But will they really lay down their arms because of that? Once they realize they dont know what to do, isnt it possible the knights will just go on a rampage or something? I have no way of being sure, but I highly doubt that would happen. The knights goal is to protect England. They joined the second princesss coup detat because they deemed it to be the most effective method of doing that. ...But once they lose Carissa, they should realize that continuing with the coup detat would catastrophically damage the country, so they should sheathe their swords at that point. They should determine that sheathing their swords would be the path that would damage England the least. ... Kamijou remained silent for a second and then looked over at Index. Hearing this kind of thing from Kanzaki or Itsuwa or someone is one thing, but hearing it from you, it just doesnt seem to have much credibility, he said slowly. ...Touma. By any chance, do you think Im completely hopeless at anything other than magic? Kamijou was about to point out that all she ever did was eat, sleep, and watch TV, but he realized that would only lead to a chomp to the back of the head, so he opted to remain silent. During their discussion, they had gotten close to their destination the subway station. Stop. A car engine is probably too much now that were this close to Buckingham Palace. At Indexs insistence, Villian stopped the small car in the alley. The three got out of the vehicle and looked around the area. Despite it being almost two in the morning, the complete lack of people was unusual for a capital city like London. There was no one on the walkways and no cars driving down the road. Before Kamijou had headed to Folkestone, there had been residents looking on being pushed back by the police, but those disturbances had completely disappeared. The battles on the streets between the knights and the church had been at least temporarily brought to an end and the residents had been suppressed, so the knights were probably stationed throughout London so they could respond quickly to any complications. Kamijou looked around, but he didnt see any knights. In fact, he didnt even sense any human presences in the direction of Buckingham Palace beyond the subway station. ? Suddenly, something soft wrapped around Kamijous right hand. Looking back that way, he saw Villians small glove-covered hands covering up his own hand. Her gloves were not unfashionable ones to help with the cold. They were the elegant decorative gloves that royalty and nobles wore. ...Please do not enter the palace grounds, she said softly looking up at his face. I dont know much about magic, so I dont know if its true, but I have heard my sister Carissa boasting about being able to accurately detect the number of bugs on a group of trees with her search. U-umm...sure, Kamijou said as he nodded repeatedly. Even through the thin silk gloves, Kamijou could feel a soft marshmallow-like sensation that was clearly different to a rough male hand. It seemed Villian did not notice his odd reaction at all. Glaring at him coldly, Index added to Villians words. Most likely, the knights are using sniping spells to continually scan the area from the windows and the roof. Its probably a wide area version of a spell used to assist with Robin Hood. Kamijou was about to head for the subway station, but he stopped moving immediately after hearing that. Then will it be dangerous to just head to the station from here? We can slip through the gaps in the search. Follow me, said Index as she moved inconspicuously out from behind the cover. There wasnt really anything there, but she took unnatural detours around areas of empty space on her way to the station as if she were avoiding invisible searchlights. Following her, Kamijou and Villian had no idea what they were avoiding, so they were about as uneasy as they could be. Finally, the three of them reached the subway station. Heading down the stairs, Index finally let out a sigh of relief. We should be fine here. ...I have no idea what just happened, but should I be thanking you? That would be nice, but what do we do about this? Kamijou looked up in puzzlement and Index politely pointed in front of her. Theres some kind of wall with clicky things on it in the way. ... Okay, everyone. Lets translate that from Index language Theres a shutter with an electronic lock blocking the way. What do we do? Part 5 That day was only a half day of school!! As such, Misaka Mikoto, ace of Tokiwadai Middle School, a prestigious esper development school, was in a family restaurant. The time was just before 11 AM. It wasnt quite time for lunch yet, so there werent many customers. Mikoto was eating an early lunch before she planned to head back to Tokiwadai. She was going to head back because they were preparing for Academy Citys largest cultural festival, the Ichihanaransai. The event was going to have an open campus, so it was going to be open to those from outside like the large-scale sports festival, the Daihaseisai. On the other hand, the more prestigious the school the more visitors hoping to someday get into the school would come, so the schools get rather fired up preparing for it. Of course, Tokiwadai Middle School would be partially open to the public during the Ichihanaransai, so Mikoto couldnt slack off. (But...) Mikoto cut the large Salisbury steak on the iron plate in front of her into small bite size pieces. (Whats with this restaurant? This is the first time Ive been here, but is this the land of large breasts or something...?) As she looked around, she went straight past frustration and into shock. It seemed the restaurant was geographically located in an area where more high school students came than middle school students. She saw a girl in a sailor uniform with long black hair, a large forehead, and large breasts (next to her was a girl whose breasts werent particularly big who would have looked good dressed like a shrine maiden) and there was a woman who appeared to be a PE teacher who was wearing a green track suit and had ridiculously large breasts. And to top it all off, there was a girl with glasses and huge breasts sitting in a seat by the window who seemed to actually be a hologram. She may have been some new kind of fake customer to draw in real customers that was created with a type of psychic power, but Mikoto didnt see why they had to make the breasts so big. (Hm? Wait. If almost everyone here has such a clear bodily characteristic, maybe something in the food here makes your breasts grow!! I-if thats true, this is a Nobel Prize level discovery!!) Having gotten back to a positive mindset, Mikoto started putting the Salisbury steak into her mouth at a faster rate than before. Suddenly, her cell phone that she had left on the edge of the table started to vibrate. Right before the vibrations sent it off the edge of the table, Mikoto grabbed the phone. (Kuroko wouldnt be calling at this time...) Mikoto opened the phone and almost fell out of her seat upon seeing the number displayed on the small screen. It was that idiot with the spiky hair. Mgh!? Cough cough cough!! Mikoto started choking from the shock. (Wh-why!? What for!? That idiot pretty much never calls me...Dah! If he had just emailed me beforehand with what he wanted, I wouldnt be this frantic...No, that wouldnt work. Then Id just be too nervous to open the email!!) As she thought through all that, Mikoto was trembling uncontrollably, but she couldnt bring herself to just hang up either. Using the call history to call him back would be too high a hurdle for her. Mikoto used her trembling thumb to hit the connect button. (Th-thats right. Today is a half day all across Academy City, so he must have a lot of free time! I cant skip out on the Ichihanaransai preparations, but if I manage my time well, I have a bit of free time...) For some reason, she held the cell phone in both hands and brought it up to her ear in a refined manner that she normally did not use. With her mind in complete chaos, the first words that reached her ear were... Sorry, Misaka! Im trying to sneak into a subway station. Do you know how to open a shutters electronic lock!? ........................................................... Misaka Mikoto removed the cell phone from her ear, sighed loudly, and calmly hung up. She put the phone back on the table and started back on the giant Salisbury steak, but then the small vibrations of the phone started again. She took a sip of her non-sugar latte and elegantly wiped her lips with a napkin before finally reaching over for the cell phone again. Sorry, Misaka! Im trying to sneak into a subway station. Do you-...!? I heard you the first time and decided to ignore you, you idiot!! Are you really that clueless!? she yelled as loudly as she could before returning to a normal puzzled expression. And why do you have to sneak into a subway station? Do you need to get in somewhere that only station personnel are allowed? No, no. Theres a shutter lowered over the entrance and I need to get in. Well, the shutter isnt too surprising. This is an emergency situation and the last train would have already run by this point normally. Hah? The last train? Mikotos expression passed puzzled and reached suspicious. The time was only 11 AM. She had never heard of a line that had its last train before noon. Then he seemed to realize what had her so puzzled. Oh, I see, I see. So theres a time difference. Sorry, Misaka, were you in class? No, that was fine, but...no, wait just a second. Where the hell are you that theres a time difference? London. Mikoto almost hung up again at that answer. That clearly couldnt be true. She looked over at the giant flat-panel screen on the wall of the family restaurant. The screen showed foreign news crews reporting the same things over and over again while standing in complete darkness. The people of central London had been moved to large facilities like hotels, theaters, movie theaters, and churches. They werent even allowed to stay in their own homes. It almost sounded like a joke, but it had been reported that civilians would be fired upon if they left the specified buildings and facilities. England itself had not made an official announcement regarding the situation, but the theory that a coup detat had occurred seemed the most likely. (But didnt he go to France before...?) For an instant, Mikoto was seized with an ominous feeling, but she shook her head to clear it. That kind of thing couldnt just keep happening. Do you even know how much trouble the formalities for leaving Academy City are? Even the procedure for Academy City authorized events like wide area public visits is a pain to go through. Yeah, well, I really am in London. He must have been having problems of his own, because she could hear the sound of him lightly scratching at his head over the phone. And Im serious about having to do something about this shutter... I dont know what youve gotten yourself wrapped up in, but that isnt something you should ask a girl. In response to her exasperated response, she just heard him groan over the phone for a bit. Then Kamijou Touma spoke a single short sentence in a careless way. ...You cant do it? I didnt say that, Mikoto replied without thinking. Part 6 Hmm, that would be a Marvelous Lock 225 Passive. Remove two of the clasps below the panel and the maintenance jack should come out. Five seconds after sending a cell phone picture of the electronic locks panel to Mikoto, she had given that response. Uuh... Kamijou responded in shock at her immediate comment. Hey, isnt technology outside Academy City 20 or 30 years off from the technology inside? Do you really know about the stuff from outside, too? Marvelous Lock is a company that cooperates with Academy City, so the technology used is the same just with lowered specs, Mikoto said lightly. I wouldnt know exactly what to do with a lock that was solely developed outside, but Im not saying I wouldnt be able to open it either. After all, the technology would be at a level of 20 to 30 years ago. Even the security in a military research facility outside of Academy City would be lower than the login management on a completely outdated computer in Academy City. ...And I cant even open a padlock. Well, youre at the technological level of the Edo period. As they spoke back and forth, Kamijou operated the electronic locks panel as instructed. I know Im the one that asked you...but you really do know what youre doing with this kind of thing, dont you? D-dont misunderstand. I only taught myself all this to make sure I didnt interfere with the functioning of an electronic lock if my power were to malfunction. It isnt like I want to be a sneak thief or a cracker or something. Hey, do you think you could tell me what to do a little more slowly? His fingertips were moving all over the place while he also used a handkerchief to make sure he didnt get any fingerprints on it, but he just couldnt keep up with what she was telling him. Then he heard a noise from within the lock followed by the shutter clattering as it rose. It may have been because there was no one on the street outside, but the noise seemed especially loud. This brought a bad feeling to Kamijou and Indexs hearts, but it seemed the knights didnt hear it. It opened! Thanks, Misaka! Okay, but you owe me one now. Sure thing. Anyway, Im in a hurry! Eh? Wait! With the Ichihanaransai preparations, were going to be having more half days, right? So, um, if I manage my time, Ill have a lot of time to kill and-...! She had started to say something quickly, but the connection had suddenly died. Kamijou looked down at the screen questioningly and saw that the antenna had zero signal. (...Well, if it was something important, she can just call me back later.) Kamijou put the phone back in his pocket. They had to enter the subway tunnel through the station and destroy the magical barrier with Villians help. Villian herself was staring at the opened shutter with one hand on her cheek and a look of pure admiration in her eyes. Thats the city on the forefront of technology for you... You can even do that with just some help from a friend. Y-yes, well, she is the #3 Biri Biri, so shes pretty reliable with this kind of thing. ...Hey, Index, why do you look so upset? ...No reason, responded Index before she finally started moving and walked up next to Kamijou. However, she decided to add in a light kick to Kamijous shin as a bonus. (??? Whats with that pissed off aura?) Kamijou was full of questions, but Indexs aura told him that a careless response could send her into an explosion of biting, so he didnt say anything more. Kamijou turned his gaze forward. The shutter was supposed to be lowered, so there were no lights on within the station. However, the occasional light to an emergency exit or evacuation route kept the area from being completely dark. Those lights were installed directly on the floor, so it felt like they could walk through the passageway without a flashlight. After heading forward a bit, Kamijou turned back around. (...Come to think of it, maybe we should close the shutter again.) He then remembered that he didnt know how to open or close it. He would have to call Mikoto to close it and then call her again when they were escaping. What is it? Nothing. ...Yeah, if we run into trouble in the tunnel and have to flee, we wont have time to ask Misaka for help. ? Villian tilted her head in puzzlement, but Kamijou didnt say anything more on the matter. As they headed down the stairs to the subway platform, there was still no sign of anyone else there. Kamijou wasnt really an expert at detecting hidden enemies, but the area was wrapped in such silence, that it felt like he would hear even the breathing of an enemy if one was hidden there. Kamijou, Index, and Villian continued in the opposite direction than the one indicated by the lights for the emergency exits and evacuation routes. After making it down to the platform, they finally saw the glow of fluorescent lights. However, these were not the lights on the ceiling. The tunnel and the station must have been on different electrical systems because only the fluorescent lights on the tunnel wall past the platform were lit. Of course, that wasnt enough light to illuminate the entire platform. It was like a hospital after lights out. Kamijou leaned forward from the edge of the platform and looked into the tunnel with fluorescent lights installed at set intervals. I know its past time for the last train, but I still dont like jumping down there... However, they couldnt just stop there. Kamijou and Index climbed down onto the track, but Villian didnt seem able to get down easily due to her long princesss skirt getting in the way. To help support her, Kamijou held out his hands, but she unexpectedly put her entire weight on them causing him to topple over onto the track. S-sorry. I dont know the proper etiquette for situations like this... D-d-d-d-dont worry!! And I doubt theres a Q&A or a lesson in manners school to teach you how to climb down from a subway platform!! But it would probably be best if you got away from me a bit, Lady Villian!! Touma, thats lse majest. Indexs cold words pierced Kamijous heart and Villian apologized profusely as she hurriedly moved off of him. Kamijou stood back up and looked deep into the tunnel. It seemed the point the Amakusas had designated was only a few dozen meters down. However, it was in the opposite direction of Buckingham Palace. This way? Yes. I have heard of it, but I have never actually seen it, Villian said with a slightly tense expression on her face. That was when Kamijou and the others heard footsteps from behind. !? The three of them hurriedly turned around. (The knights...!?) For an instant, he was reminded of the New Light magician Lessar whose shoulder had been split from a long distance attack. He wasnt sure if he could defend against that type of spiritual item with just his right hand. However, his guess had been wrong. Kamijou had taken up a position to protect both Index and Villian, but the princess spoke from behind him. P-please wait! They are not our enemy. Those are the servants from Buckingham Palace who had planned to meet up with us. ...That voice. Lady Villian...? asked a questioning voice. Perhaps because Villian had just spoken to Kamijou in Japanese, the voice coming from the darkness was also speaking Japanese. A number of other figures started to appear. Almost 20 men and women had come to the station via the tunnel. From an old man in faded work clothes to a girl wearing a maid uniform, it was a varied group. Villian moved past Kamijou and looked at each of their faces. Is this everyone? A maid of about 20 nodded. The numbers of the night shift are kept low and some of those, well...accompanied you to Folkestone. This is everyone who was in Buckingham Palace of a civilian background. I see... Villians expression grew cloudy at the mention of Folkestone. As she did not open her mouth to speak, Kamijou did instead. You all are going to escape to London with us after this, right? Yes. We wish we could deal with the device within the tunnel so Lady Villian did not have to worry about it, but we dont understand how the mysterious things known as magic work and we arent told any of the Royal Familys secrets. We asked to help knowing full well how dangerous it is. I see, Kamijou said and nodded. (In that case, we need to hurry up and get this job over with and get them somewhere safe.) Kamijou then headed into the tunnel in the opposite direction from Buckingham Palace where their target lay a few dozen meters in. The group of over 20 people walked through the tunnel half holding their breath. As usual, both walls were made of concrete with fluorescent lights installed at set intervals. There were 2 tracks on both sides and the pillars supporting the tunnel were lined up at set intervals in the center. According to Tatemiya and Kanzaki, theres a track that branches off from the main track for the special railway car, but... Kamijou looked around. As far as he could tell, no such entrance existed. With an unsure expression on her face, Villian looked around, too. This is definitely the area. You can tell? No, um...This is at least where it should be. Villians tone grew weaker and weaker, but then Index cut in. There is a mark here made with magic power. Its most likely here so the magicians who have to maintain it wont forget where it is. Th-thats right. Now that you mention it, there is supposed to be a mark showing where it is. Umm...I need something to write with... A maid pulled out and handed her some annoying-to-use stationary made up of a high quality letter set and a quill. The maid continued to hold the ink bottle. The third princess frowned and hesitatingly moved the quill. Yes, I think it was...like this. A mark like this shows where it is. My knowledge of magic is not the best, so I dont actually know what it means. The stationary she held out held what looked like some kind of symbol and Kamijou had no idea what it meant. It didnt even have the extremely foreign feeling that a magic circle had. It was at the level where he would have believed someone if they had told him it was a rare mark used on maps. However, one person frowned upon seeing the stationary Villian was holding out. That person was the mass of magical knowledge that was Index. What is it, Index? Nothing. Its just odd. Why would they use the heart as a symbol of warning? she muttered, but Kamijou couldnt quite pick up what she was saying. At any rate, they had to look around to see if they could find the mark Villian had drawn. Having come to that conclusion, the group split up and started checking the walls and floor of the tunnel. The servants helped too because all they had to do was find the mark. (The fluorescent lights are enough to walk around, but they really arent bright enough to search for a small mark. We knew we had to enter a tunnel, so we really should have prepared a light.) Staring intently in the dim lighting, Kamijou walked slowly along the wall. Once they found the mark, it would be Kamijous turn. No matter how strong a spell it was protected by, he should be able to easily destroy it with Imagine Breaker. Then, the fingers of Kamijous right hand touched something that felt different. ? Removing his hand from the wall, he stared into the darkness again to find what looked like a poster. It was about two meters tall and one meter across. In the dim light, he couldnt tell what was written on it, but the tape on the upper right corner must have come off because it was flipped up. Kamijou stared at that portion. (Huh...?) He frowned. He leaned in closer to the poster to see what it said. (Was this here before?) And then he saw it. It was not a poster. It was a wall. Something thin the exact same color and texture of the tunnel wall had been stuck there. It was like the large pieces of wallpaper ninja often used to hide themselves with in cheap historical dramas. This is...? As soon as Kamijou muttered that, something moved. He heard a whooshing noise. Pale beams of light shot from the center of the wallpaper across the height and width of the tunnel wall. A grid of rectangles the exact same size as the poster spread out instantly. This is...!? Touma!! Index yelled having noticed what happened, but something interrupted her. It was the sound of paper rubbing against paper. One wall of the tunnel seemed to undulate. Just when Kamijou put himself on guard, each of the square portions of the grid flipped up like posters, tore off, and formed a giant aggregation of paper. A few of those pieces of paper fell to the ground like dead leaves. They were most likely the pieces he had touched with his right hand or that had been destroyed in a sort of chain reaction from that. However, the others powerfully floated through the air. (A magical...barrier.) Kamijou almost burst out laughing. The sound of paper being crumpled in the hand of a giant reverberated throughout the tunnel. I knew magic went beyond any kind of common sense I would have. The enormous amount of paper that was spiraling around like a storm in an office finally concentrated on one spot. On top of that, they were all acting in concert. But I never imagined a wall would take on the form of a human and attack me!! Part 7 When the pieces of paper covering one wall of the tunnel moved away, the entrance to a new half-circle shaped tunnel appeared. To forcibly connect it to the main track, the new tunnel even had a special rail that extended like a fire engines ladder. However, a giant made of paper blocked the way. It was around 3 meters tall. Paper normally gave an impression of being light, but... !? The giant swung its fist horizontally crashing straight through one of the tunnels pillars without losing its momentum and continued on heading straight towards Kamijous cheek. The fist was covered in masses of concrete each one larger than a school bag, so Kamijou abandoned the idea of intercepting it with his right hand. Practically falling backwards, he managed to avoid the first strike. He then heard a short, high-pitched scream. He guessed it had either come from one of the maids or from Third Princess Villian. As a giant was currently trying to beat him to death, Kamijou didnt have the attention to spare. He looked at the paper giant that had destroyed a pillar of concrete in a single blow. Bundles of paper must have been moving within its body because what almost looked like hard muscles rose to the surface. (Dammit! It may just be paper, but it gains some actual weight with that much of it!!) It was a bit like swinging around a bookshelf packed with thick books. The giants arm could literally pulverize a human or two. Touma, get away from it! Thats a spiritual item based on the creation of M?kkurkalfe! Index yelled from a bit away. Before Kamijou could ask what that was, she explained it. M?kkurkalfe is a prefabricated giant from Norse mythology! It was designed to fight against Thor who was known for having top-class strength even among the Norse gods, but the story goes that, at the very, very end, the wrong material was used for the heart, which led to poor results. This is an optimized custom model made to protect this location by rethinking the materials from the ground up using British theories! I think the symbol Villian wrote before was the symbol that was newly set for the heart!! (Yet another thing with a long history!!) Kamijou clicked his tongue and the paper giant made its next move. Kamijou instinctually tried to get some distance between him and the giant, but the giant kicked the ruins of the pillar it had previously destroyed. A soccer ball sized piece struck Kamijous jaw from below like an uppercut. Gah...!? Kamijou bent backwards and he tasted blood spreading through his mouth. However, the paper giant did not stop there. Using its huge legs, it closed the distance between them with a single large step. All of Kamijous weight was tilted back leaving him defenseless and this time the giant fist made of paper that held more weight than a bookshelf flew up at him. It seemed like a hopeless situation, but... (...This is my chance.) Kamijou immediately poured strength into his right fist. When the paper giant made actual contact with him was the best chance for Kamijou to attack with Imagine Breaker. If he missed, hed be turned to mincemeat, but if he managed to hit the attacking paper fist, he could counterattack. (Dont chicken out....Go!!) Two fists roared through the air. Kamijous right fist struck the very center of the huge fist that could easily turn a car to scrap in a single strike. In that instant, the giant fist stopped moving. Whatever was holding the paper together was undone and the giant turned into a flood of paper. Tens and even hundreds of posters flowed down and half buried Kamijou. With an eerie noise, he was swept over to the tunnel wall as if he were caught in a stream of water. Gh...!? Fuck, did I do it!? Pain ran through his back and head. Kamijou tried to move his limbs, but he felt as restricted as someone wrapped in a futon. At any rate, now that it had turned back into a bunch of paper, the M?kkur-whatever shouldnt be able to function. He could just wait for Index or someone to help him out of the mountain of paper. But then... The sound of paper being crumpled up sent a chill down his spine. Youre kidding, right...? When he looked over, he saw a strange silhouette. A minimum amount of paper had been crumpled up to form strings of paper that created wire-like limbs and a backbone. In contrast to that, its face was just as large as before. The wrinkles that looked like a human face formed and its right arm moved back like a giant bow about to be fired. It no longer had a powerful fist. However, it now had a sharp stake-like tip. (Oh, shit. I cant move! I cant get away!!) With his body restrained by the large amount of paper, Kamijou couldnt even budge. The paper giant carefully aimed its right stake at the center of Kamijous face. Without hesitation, it shot the stake that could likely break through a wall. (Fuck!!) That was when a figure suddenly cut in from the side. It was one of the servants who had come from Buckingham Palace. A middle-aged gardener wearing faded work clothes attempted to grab the paper giants arm somehow managing to throw its aim off a bit. Thanks to that, Kamijous head was not smashed. The stake arm instead stabbed deep into the concrete wall next to his head. However, the gardener did not escape unharmed. He had attempted to restrain the paper giants arm, but he had been knocked away by the great force. On top of that, the paper giants body was as tough as layers upon layers of hardened paste, so it was as hard as stone. The gardeners work clothes were torn and he shed a fair amount of blood too. Kamijou felt more fear for the mans life than he did gratitude for being saved. You idiot!! That was completely reckless...!! Kamijou yelled as he continued to struggle in an attempt to free himself from the mountain of paper that was as heavy as a collapsed bookshelf. Hearing that, the collapsed gardener smiled. It was the face of someone glad to see that someone else was worried about them. ...Sorry. I dont know anything about magic, but we can oppose this thing with your power, right? With a creaking noise, the paper giant attempted to pull the stake from the wall. Broken shards fell to the ground from the cracked concrete. So please. Do something about that thing. Do something before its ridiculous stake is turned on Lady Villian!! Part 8 The servants had protectively stepped forward in front of Villian when the paper giant had appeared. When those servants heard what the gardener said, they seemed to relax a bit. Villians body stiffened with a very terrible feeling about what was to come. She had felt that terrible feeling many times already that night. A young female servant turned back towards Villian and spoke as if to prove the third princesss intuition true. Leave this to us, Lady Villian. ...!? If we can buy enough time for that boy to recover, we can turn this around. We may not know how to fight, but surely 20 people can keep it from moving by crushing it. That was definitely the normal way of thinking. However, Villian knew something despite not knowing very much about magic: the strange phenomena she had witnessed before her eyes had not followed normal laws. Even if 20 powerless civilians charged in, it would use its normally unthinkable strength to destroy them. The servants were not idiots. Even if they couldnt calculate out the numbers, the things they had experienced since the start of the coup detat should have been enough for them to guess at the truth. However, they did not say anything about that. It was as if they did not want to worry Villian. A certain servant took off his coat in a manner that showed he felt he had no choice. A certain cook took off his tie and wrapped it around his fists in order to protect his hands as much as he could. A certain clothes designer glanced over towards the exit, but still managed to draw out enough courage to look back towards the paper giant. All of their faces had paled and their entire bodies were trembling. They were of course scared, but they were still choosing to head to their likely deaths. Why...? Villian asked them without thinking. There is no real reason, said a young female servant with a bitter smile on her lips. The reasons people feel the need to take action are not so special. We gathered here because we wanted to fight for you. Thats all there is to it, Lady Villian. That was when the paper giant made its next move. It must have decided that pulling out the stake from the wall next to Kamijou Toumas head was impossible because the paper making up the tip of its arm fell apart on its own. Having regained its freedom by sacrificing part of itself, the paper giant sharpened the tip of its arm again. It was going to make sure to kill Kamijou Touma this time. It was going to eliminate the boy who had a method of resisting it. Seeing that, the servants began to move. Then Third Princess Villian placed her hand lightly on a young servants shoulder. I understand how you all feel. Due to some strong power, she understood how they felt more than she ever had before. But that reason does not make it all right for you to die. If that spiritual item is set to eliminate the threats to the barrier that itself is in order of priority, then I am the best option for a lure. As soon as she finished speaking, Villian ran forward. The princess who had been hiding behind peoples backs the entire time now moved in front of everyone. Wait...!! The servants behind her yelled out to stop her, but none of them physically tried to hold her back. They likely hadnt been able to react in time to her sudden action. Also, their fear was probably preventing them from using their legs properly. Of course they were afraid. Of course they wanted to flee. Gritting her teeth, Villian ran through the dark tunnel. A large wrench about the size of a mop was sitting next to the wall. It was likely used to manually switch the rails in emergencies. She grabbed it with both hands and ran further ahead. She ran and ran and ran in a direct line to the giant. As she approached, she poured all of her strength into the heavy wrench. The servant had said that the reasons people feel the need to take action were not so special. Villian wanted to believe that that was true, so she swung the large wrench horizontally at the paper giants head. Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! As she swung the wrench, Villian let out a yell the likes of which she had never before uttered in public. In response, the paper giant took action as well. The spiritual item changed the aim of its arm that was sharpened like a stake and fired the tip at the approaching wrench. With a dull clang, a shock ran through Villians head. The stake had not hit her. The wrench had broken almost exactly in half and one side had struck her in the face. (To Carissa, this thing is probably a complete weakling that does not even have the same amount of power as her pinky finger. If she saw us struggling here, she would surely ridicule us for our incompetence.) Villian was knocked backwards to the ground, but her gaze did not waver. She threw away the remains of the broken wrench. The Amakusas had said that someone from the Royal Family was needed to open the magical barrier and they had lectured her on the spell needed to do that. (But if even this tiny power is going to injure those who will stand up to support me and if my sister whose overwhelming power makes this fearsome power seem tiny is going to make people suffer...) She just had to activate it. Villian acted in order to carry out this magic on her own. The paper giant itself was the barrier protecting the subway tunnel and the special railway car for Curtana. And Villian knew that the barrier could be controlled by the Royal Familys magic. That was why Villian decided to charge forward. She would show that paper giant that she was a member of the British Royal Family. She was doing it to save the servants who had come with her and to send Curtana Original out of control to save the United Kingdom from Carissa!! Normally, the third princess might have been shaking from fear and might have had tears welling up in her eyes, but she clearly glared at the paper giant. (I will oppose you!! I will oppose you to the very last instant no matter what!!) However, the paper giant aimed its stake-like arm at Villian before she could stand up. The third princess ignored it. In the time she could have spent evading or defending, she quickly and desperately chanted a spell under her breath. No voice could be heard. The paper giant was merely automatically eliminating external enemies as a spiritual item. Its stake-like arm flew. It was accurately headed straight for Villians face. And then... C A O! M A R A T T R!! (Alter the trajectory! Move the right arm right!!) Indexs voice came from somewhere and the stake unnaturally strayed from its route suddenly. It flew right past Villians face and stabbed deeply into the concrete floor. Then the third princesss chant caught up. Strictly speaking, Villian had managed to complete the chant by taking Indexs advice partway through and switching over to a Quick Spell. O A G P A T A C O T P O T R B!! (In accordance with the order of one who has inherited the proper blood, open quickly!!) Along with those final words, most of the paper giants body started to fall to pieces. However, its right arm kept its form and attempted to pierce Villians face with its sharp end as if in its death agonies. The third princess did not flinch. Then... Thanks. You saved me, Villian. The paper giants arm stopped moving. The boys hand had forcefully grabbed the giants upper arm from behind as if he had been trying to stop a fight. The giant crumbled further. It turned back towards him even while continuing to lose its original form because it had determined that his right hand was more of a threat. Leave the rest to me. This time, Ill end this here. Kamijou Touma vs. the paper giant. The fight did not even last an instant. Imagine Breaker vs. the stake-like arm. Two strikes that possessed the power to immediately kill the other were thrown without hesitation. A loud noise rang out. This time, Kamijou Toumas fist managed to destroy the entirety of the paper giant. It had been just barely managing to maintain its human form already and the papers scattered about explosively starting with the place Kamijous fist had struck. The large number of rectangular parchments were blown almost to the tunnels ceiling and then slowly floated down due to gravity. ... Third Princess Villian stared at the scene speechless for a bit. She stared at the large number of parchments floating through the air as a result of the first action she had ever taken in an attempt to defeat a clear enemy. Kamijou had no idea what she was thinking about. He decided to leave her be for a bit and then he felt his cell phone vibrating. He didnt recognize the number, but he heard a familiar voice when he put the phone up to his ear. Oh, good. It got through! That voice...Itsuwa? Y-yes! Good evening! This is Itsuwa finally completely free of the alcohol!! ? Kamijou looked puzzled at how energetic Itsuwa was, but she of course had no way of knowing that. The plan was a success. Now that you, Lady Villian, and the others have released the lock on the magical barrier, the special railway cars power source can be accessed remotely. I see. So you can directly attack Curtana Original now. About that... The special railway car for Curtana is heading your way at tremendous speed to move underneath Buckingham Palace! So please get out of the way!! Kamijous expression turned to one of shock and Itsuwa continued speaking. A-anyway, we are going to link the center of air fortress Coven Compass with Curtana Original via the special railway car. The reversing of the flow of power will create a large scale release of magic power. Most likely, the knights will detect the abnormality and head there to investigate and there is also a major risk of getting caught up in an explosion if you stay there! Please head back as quickly as you can!! Part 9 October 18th, 2:30 AM. Control of Curtana Original was lost. An explosion with a radius of 50 kilometers erupted with Buckingham Palace at the center. However, it was a completely magical explosion that the normal people who lived there could not even detect. The glass vibrated slightly. It appeared to be reacting to sound waves so low humans could not detect them. Then there was the sound of blood being coughed up. A mass of blood fell dirtying a luxurious carpet within the palace. It was Second Princess Carissas blood. ...A forced reversal from Coven Compass, huh? Even with all of the power from the center of the sky fortress thrown at it, it still hadnt even been a tenth of the power Curtana Original controlled. However, the irregular power being forced in had acted as a stimulus to send Curtana itself in a bad direction. Having lost its stability, fragments of power leaked from Curtana Original. These fragments damaged Carissas body much like a blade stuffed in a bag tearing its way out. (This is why I said merely controlling most of the major areas wasnt enough. I told them not to let their guard down until we had crushed all of them... No, maybe I should be in awe of their cunning tactics.) Most of the power distributed to the knights with Curtana Original had been lost. Some of Carissas own power had been lost, too. In fact, about half of it had been torn from her. But... (I suppressed it.) Carissa was confident about one thing. Most likely, they had come up with that plan because they had determined that sending Curtana out of control would act as a foothold in overthrowing her due to loss of Curtana Original during the Puritan Revolution. However, she would not be defeated. That had not been enough to provide fatal damage to Carissas power. L-Lady Carissa, a knight called out from the other side of the large doorway. The recovery and resealing of the special railway car beneath the palace has been completed. Now the church cannot interfere with Curtana Original anymore. Hm. Carissa wiped the remaining blood from her lips with the back of her hand. Then check to see what effect the power scattered around by Curtana Original had on London. Then check over all the spiritual items stored in the palace. Its possible about half of them are now completely unusable. Carissa once again grabbed the sword with no blade or tip. Bring out the tools for working on spiritual items. I need to run another check on Curtana Original. Because of this, I will put the readjustments to and changes in usage of Curtana Original on hold. Rather than worrying about tricks against Curtana, we need to focus on exterminating the remaining pockets of resistance across the country. Understood, said the knight before he left. At first glance, he seemed obedient, but Carissa had noticed a disturbance in the balance of the scales in his heart. The knights were a group that obeyed Knight Leader and Carissa had used Knight Leader as a point of contact with the knights. Now that he was gone, a disturbance within the knights was spreading below the surface and a small rift had appeared between Carissa and the knights. And now she had lost control of Curtana Original. It had been due to sabotage carried out by the Anglican Church, but Carissa had an idea of what she would see if she could peek in the knights hearts. They now saw her as someone who could not control Curtana. They had already lost their direct leader and now she had shown a sign of being inferior. If the former queen Elizard and the church conspired together and started a large-scale opposition at this time, she wasnt sure if the knights would be able to stick with it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Carissas side had a clear mathematical advantage. It was an emotional problem. Would they continue to believe that they could win? Would they continue to believe in Carissa as the head of state? (Well, if an opposition does begin now, about half of them will probably crack.) Even after making that blunt calculation, Carissa smiled thinly. As she smiled, she rested Curtana Original on her shoulder. (Now then. I have no need for cowards, but having them change sides would be a pain. ...Maybe I should take the initiative and strike first.) Part 10 Tatemiya Saiji of the Amakusa Church held a pair of binoculars. He was in a plain on the outskirts of London well beyond the range of Curtanas explosion. It was unclear how much was a manmade pasture and how much was land where nature had been preserved, but it was a place with nothing but green undergrowth spreading out in all directions. In a certain spot there, members of the Anglican Church had gathered from various parts of the United Kingdom. Well, crap. We did succeed in weakening Curtana Original to a certain extent, but it looks like we werent able to avoid a reaction from it. Tatemiya was standing on the type of stepladder that gardeners liked. He was staring into the distance with his binoculars looking a bit like a referee at a tennis match. The large Ushibuka spoke in a low voice from below the stepladder. Thats because a large amount of Telesma was emitted in all directions with the second princess at the center. It appears to have had an effect on the spiritual items and facilities within London. And it seems like at least 3 small churches were destroyed. If the readings from the observation equipment remaining in St. Georges Cathedral are accurate, the Telesma hanging over London is incredibly dense. If magic were used within London right now, there is a risk of causing an explosion enveloping the entire city, said the small Kouyagi as he wrote some numbers down in a notebook. Tatemiya nodded while still staring through the binoculars. The second princesss control over the knights had already been cracking with the loss of Knight Leader, so their trust in her has truly started to slip now that she lost control of Curtana Original as well. If only we could press in there now. Then we might be able to mentally bring down the knights without actually having to fight them. The old Isahaya took over. ...It looks like we can only wait until the Telesma naturally diffuses making London stable before we attack. Is it possible that Curtana Originals power could be restored and the knights could focus their strength on defending Buckingham Palace in that time? Im not so sure about the knights, but Curtana shouldnt be a problem. The power it uses is simply too strong, so its power cannot be restored so easily after such a catastrophic failure. Given the amount of power it is theorized to control, it should take at least a month. Then... Then we both have a short break. But this break will double as a preparatory period for the final battle. Tension ran across all of them and someone audibly gulped. And then... If you know that, then take your job seriously, said a woman with fluffy blonde hair, Tsushima, from a short distance away. In response, Tatemiya and the other guys pouted and objected. Quit accusing us of things like that. Thats right! Were having a completely serious strategy meeting here. We need as many opinions as we can get in this critical moment. Yes. We need to know for sure weve chosen the proper course of action. The guys let their unanimous opinion wash over Tsushima, but her attitude did not change. She tapped at her own temple with her slender index finger and shut one eye. Then why are those binoculars pointed in the direction of Itsuwa and her apron? And so the last supper began. The Necessarius members who had escaped London, the Amakusas who had arrived on the rescue plane, the former Agnese Forces members that had been rescued from the freight train, and others from various different religious denominations and cultures gathered in that one spot. The nuns moving about around Kamijou were exchanging information. The Theodosia Electra group has arrived. It seems almost all of the Anglican forces from around England have gathered now. The Stiyl Magnus group isnt here yet. They had borrowed that transport plane for the Sky Bus 365 incident, but it seems they ended up in a battle at the airport once the coup detat broke out. They were bragging about having won out without any help, but it might take them a while longer to get here. From what he heard, it sounded like almost all of the remaining forces were gathered here. The Anglican magicians were preparing and fine-tuning the weapons and spiritual items they used while at the same time preparing their bodies (mainly by eating). Due to the commotion caused by the coup detat, some had no stamina left because of the long fights and flights while others had skipped dinner assuming they would eat later and missed the chance to eat then too. And with so many different people gathered, a lot of different types of food were gathered for them to eat. O-oh, wow! This soup...This hot soup is spreading beyond my stomach and into my entire body!! U-umm, were going to be active soon, so you shouldnt eat too much... I cant just eat a light salad at a time like this!! Ive gotta have some heavy meat like this that drops into your stomach like a bowling ball!! Im saying you should only eat until your stomach is 80% full. If you fill up completely... Another!! Im definitely getting another one of these!! Ch-chew properly. Eat slowly to make sure you dont surprise your stomach. Myahh!! Innumerable nuns both big and small had entered a very un-nun-like gluttonous mode while Itsuwa nervously darted back and forth in between them wearing an apron. Kamijou felt a bit bad when he noticed that it seemed even his cat was greedily devouring some food. He stood almost speechless holding a small plate with nothing on it feeling unable to keep up with the rush of nuns and magicians. Meanwhile, two gluttonous nuns, Index and Angelene, were sitting together at a table a bit away from the commotion. At first glance, they seemed to be happily sitting next to each other eating, but... Wah!! Y-you just ate my food, didnt you? Didnt you!? No, I didnt. Y-you saw her, right, Sister Lucia!? This glutton just reached her fork over to my plate!! The tall cat-eyed nun sitting across from Angelene sighed. (Lucia hadnt seen it because she had been giving a prayer before eating and didnt really care). Sister Angelene. You are supposed to love your neighbors and not doubt others. Mgh!? W-well, yes... But I could have sworn she just ate some of my food... Chomp. Now you clearly just stole my food!! That wasnt just looking for an opening and sneaking it away! You ate my meatball right in front of me!! No, I didnt. Burp. You said that on purpose!! S-Sister Lucia, please say something to her!! In response to Angelene who was almost in tears, Lucia tilted her own plate over as if she had no choice. Then take some of my food. You need to get rid of your triple handicap of wrath, gluttony, and envy. Gyahhh!! Thats nothing but vegetables and bitter ones at that! Sister Lucia, are you the kind of person that brings her trials and tribulations to the dinner table!? Angelene took a timid bite and then started writhing around, so Lucia hurriedly handed her some vegetable juice, but a sip of that only made it worse. While the bent-backed nun with the braided hair was practically convulsing, Index left on a quest for more food. However, calamity awaited Index as well in the form of the many Anglican nuns near the table lined with meat. Oh, how nostalgic!! Do you remember me? Its Rachel. We used to always play together. Oh, right. Do you want a Salisbury steak? Munch munch. Who are you and why are you pinching at my cheek? Heh heh heh. It looks like Rachel has completely forgotten that you lost your memories. I suppose you dont remember me, but thats fine. Are you as much of a glutton as ever? Here, do you want this food? Mgh!? I just ate a Salisbury steak!! Munch munch. Ahhh!! Shes so cute! Shes just too cute with food stuffed in her cheeks like that!! Here, eat my Salisbury steak, too!! ...Ughh. I-I dont think I need anymore... The silver haired, green eyed nun spoke words that were very rarely heard from her. However, more Anglican nuns added to the clamors of Me, too. Me, too! Eat mine, too!! Let me feed her, too!! Meanwhile, an emotional crisis fell on the normal girl that was Itsuwa while she provided people with various foods. A certain boy was quite nearby. The potato shochu had been completely broken down within her body and she was back to normal. However, the giant wave of requests for food from the nuns prevented her from doing anything else. That was not something she could bear as a maiden in love. (And her love was not just for show or due to drunkenness. She was seriously prepared to die for him.) Then rescue arrived in the form of Tsushima, the Amakusa woman with fluffy blonde hair. Ah. Youre clearly not working very effectively, so Ill switch out with you. Look, I think that boy wasnt able to get any food because of all the starving nuns. If you go bring him some food, you might gain a few points. Ah, thats...n-no!! I dont want to do that!! I dont really...! You dont like taking calculated actions? But if you keep saying that, youll never get any closer to him. But after all that fighting Im all beaten up and sweaty. I cant face him looking like this... Perhaps because she was talking to another woman, Itsuwa let a glimpse of her true self be seen in her mutterings. But then some unneeded guys butted into the conversation. Tah dah!! Itsuwa, you need to go with the Cinderella Plan!! Its an advance sale roadshow!! Wh-why are you suddenly jumping in here and talking about a roadshow? I dont understa-hic!? Itsuwa hiccupped at the end because her breathing had caught for a second due to intense shock. While letting out noises that couldnt exactly be called words, Itsuwa pointed a trembling finger at what Tatemiya was holding. Held out in both his hands was... Yes!! Its the Great Spirit Revealing Maid!! Wha-cough!? Cough cough!! T-T-Tatemiya-san, why do you have the final weapon!? Heh. Im well aware that you want someone to give you a push forward. The designer is actually based in London, so I went by to pick it up just after the coup detat started. That way, I managed to get it way before its release date. How did you have the time to spare to do something like that!? And how did you get my personal information!? Itsuwa was freaking out at how perfectly it matched her measurements, but she also saw it as the key to putting on a major offensive towards that boy, so she couldnt bring herself to just throw it to the ground. Meanwhile, Kanzaki Kaori was sitting a few meters away having finally recovered her strength. She let out a sigh of relief making sure no one else would hear it. (...W-well, about half of my baggage never made it out of the womens dorm, so the Fallen Angel Ero Maid has likely been sent back to the darkness where it belongs. I dont care about the rest because I managed to bring my pet tropical fish and my friend the washing machine onboard the plane.) Kanzaki did not realize that she was muttering these things out loud. Then Tatemiya spun around towards her at a speed that gave her a very bad feeling. Dont worry, Priestess!! I made sure to save your precious wedding dress!! I have both the Fallen Angel Maid and the Fallen Angel Ero Maid here, so take whichever one you wish!! Why would you do thaaaaaaaaattttt!? Kanzaki accidentally yelled out loud at him upon seeing her nightmares properly wrapped up as if they had just returned from being dry cleaned. Seeing Tatemiya, Ushibuka, Kouyagi, and the others faces, she felt kind of stupid for having faced and been defeated by Knight Leader so seriously. I do not need these things!! And if you had time to enter the womens dorm, then you should have taken my yukata or something out with you!! You dont need the Fallen Angel Ero Maid...? Y-you dont mean...!! Do you have a Hyper Fallen Angel Extreme Ero Maid that goes even further!? ...N-now I regret my effort. I do not have anything like that!! Hyper!? Extreme Ero!? That completely loses sight of the original maid basis!! Are you people fine with anything as long as it has the ero part!? Kanzaki yelled with a bright red face. However, the Amakusa men had not risked their lives for a mere joke. The true basis to their actions was... (...Weve never actually seen the Priestess wearing the Fallen Angel Ero Maid! I cant die happily until I do!!) (...Yes, after the Acqua of the Back stuff, we were injured and writhing in pain on our beds. She cleverly worked it in during our one opening.) (...I thought I was going to cry tears of blood when Itsuwa reported on what happened. I cant believe something that sexy and hilarious went by without us seeing it.) (...Nnh. With a once-in-a-hundred-years opportunity to see a showdown between the Fallen Angel Ero Maid and the Great Spirit Revealing Maid, it was worth risking our lives.) It wasnt just the young Ushibuka and Kouyagi. The married Monozaki and the elderly Isahaya were joining in as well. Seeing this, Kanzaki Kaori began to seriously worry that her irresponsible departure had twisted the Amakusas in the wrong direction. Her thoughts were now more motherly than sisterly, but she was still an 18 year old girl. The effects continued to spread. After having eaten bitter vegetables at Lucias insistence allowing her to experience the feelings of a herbivore, Angelenes hands and mouth had stopped moving and she had tears in her eyes. She then started focusing on the infighting (?) within the Amakusa Church. Angelenes leader, Agnese Sanctis, was sitting next to her having finished monopolizing a huge pizza covered in salami, wieners, and other meats which made Angelene incredibly jealous. Angelene now poked at Agneses side with her elbow. S-Sister Agnese! It looks like that Eastern denomination is having an interesting discussion about wasting excessive breasts! Can we really just ignore that!? Hm. So basically its a contest to see who is the most mature by seeing who makes the sexiest maid? Since we have 250 nuns at our disposal, we cant exactly keep quiet here, but I also know we dont have anyone with breasts that excessive. Perhaps it would be most effective to decide on one person among our ranks to use as a countermeasure. Kanzaki and Itsuwa would probably have attacked those nuns while breathing fire if they had heard those words, but that was not what mattered to Lucia. She only cared about the fact that Agnese and Angelenes gazes had turned in her direction. Lucia had little feminine sexiness (although her breasts were quite large) and she tried to put a stop to what she saw coming. That isnt happening. I hear there is something called the Little Devil Flirting Maid. It seems you are going to attempt this despite my firm statement, but there is simply no way I will do this. Its not a devil, its a little devil. Apparently, that has special meaning behind it. As they spoke back and forth, their speech sped up more and more. A bit away, Sherry Cromwell sat silently watching the commotion. Her blonde hair was as wild as a lions mane and her skin was light brown. Her mostly black gothic lolita dress was worn out and it almost seemed to blend into the darkness of the night. She had no food. She had not been hungry. What weighed heavily in her gut was the intense regret brought forth by self derision and self admonition. She did not feel inferior to the knights. In fact, she felt bad that she had been so heavily shaken by such insignificant bastards. No matter how much she mentally tried to deny it, they had eaten deeply into a supporting pillar within her. She felt that had been proven. She felt as if all the experiences and results she had worked so hard for had been snatched from her. (This couldnt be worse...) As she internally spat out those words, Sherry lightly rubbed the bruises remaining on her light brown skin. Sherry had sent out the Golem Ellis in order to crush the knights in London, but she had lost consciousness at some point. She couldnt remember if she had been knocked out by a last ditch counterattack by the knights or by the female exhibitionist magician who had cut in partway through. All her hazy mind could remember was the female magician carrying her away from the battle. A sluggish helplessness wrapped around Sherry Cromwells body. A single figure slowly approached her. I have something for you. Tch. So its you. The nun with the overly polite bearing was Orsola Aquinas. She had originally been a specialist at deciphering grimoires within the Roman Catholic Church, but the two of them had ended up being paired together for analysis work at some point. Whether Orsola knew what was going on with Sherry or not, she had brought over a sandwich mostly filled with vegetables and was practically shoving it in her mouth. It looks like we are going to be busy from now on, so it is important that you eat while you can. It seems stamina could be a deciding factor in this battle. ...What a pain. Although, I could actually see myself dying for such a stupid reason...Bgh!? Dont shove sandwiches in peoples mouths while smiling like tha-mghbgh!! Sherry started chewing to avoid suffocating to death and Orsola continued to smile while almost shoving the plate the sandwich was on into her mouth as well. Sherry violently snatched the sandwich away. ...I did hear that you were rather late in leaving the womens dorm. I was slowly working on something and everyone just left without me. We were told to only bring the bare minimum with us, but that turned out to be an unexpected amount. Hah. That does sound like you. Sherry laughed. However, there was no scorn or contempt held within it. After a few seconds of silence, she looked back at Orsolas face. So one of the objects you risked your life to take out was this? Sherry kicked at something sitting on the short undergrowth. It was a marble statue of a child. Its pedestal said Ellis. A ha ha. So you found out. You didnt need to do that... Sherry said displeased from the bottom of her heart. You didnt need to risk your life for this failed work. ...In fact, it would have been refreshing to have this kind of thing disappear. There is no reason that you have to force yourself to be refreshed. ... Wiping away your regrets and denying the dead are not the same thing. I do not think it is right to cut yourself off from your past. There is no reason that people who treasure their memories of the dead should not have the right to have a new life and construct a new home. ...Dont act like you understand, Sherry muttered roughly, but she did not add on any other complaints. She removed her foot from the statue of Ellis and looked at her failed work silently. For a while, there was no noise. It was a different sort of silence, a kind silence. Oh, thats right. What...? Sherry, your dress seems to have become worn out from the repeated battles, so I prepared some clothes for you. I knew I made the right decision when I took every possible necessary thing from the womens dorm. I like this outfit, so I dont mind if its a little worn ou-...Bghbh!? Tah dah! Apparently, its called the Goddess Goth Maid!! Dont mock gothic outfits like that!! In fact, this has no connection other than being kind of Western-looking and old-looking!! Oh? said Orsola looking puzzled. That reaction had seemed like a rare one for Sherry, but that brown golem user would often (especially in battle) get quite worked up. It seemed even Orsola had figured out that the Goddess Goth Maid was disgraceful. As she held out the special maid uniform, she frowned. How very odd... The Amakusas are famous for being able to blend into every culture in the world and to know what is popular and they were just discussing the Fallen Angel Ero Maid and the Great Spirit Revealing Maid. I was sure that meant these were on the forefront of fashion... Kh. Your sense of fashion is like that one of someones grandmother, so youre no help at all!! But it would be such a waste to just throw it away... Oh, I know. If no one else will wear it, then I suppose I have to. Wait. Wait a second!! Stop that! Do you have any idea what will happen if someone as clueless as you with breasts that big puts on a maid uniform like that!? Just stop, you idiot! Part 11 A certain mercenary was in an area about a kilometer from the Anglican campground. William Orwell stood next to a dairy facility with a small barn for dairy cows and a silo. The house for the farm family was built elsewhere, but it was completely empty. The 3.5 meter 200 kilogram Ascalon with its many different blades was more delicate and complex than it initially looked. William checked over each little thing while occasionally taking it apart and adjusting it. (...My left shoulder is more of an issue than the sword. Ive used a bit of healing magic since then, but...) William suddenly looked up much like a wolf reacting to a distant howl. That impression was not actually a wrong one. He had picked up on a magical transmission from a distance. Can you hear me, William? ...Hm. It seems were rivals even when it comes to the strength of our bad luck, he said bluntly as his lips loosened so slightly he didnt even notice it. The familiar voice belonged to Knight Leader. It seems control of Curtana Original was lost within London. It also seems it was artificially sent out of control using the safety device below Buckingham Palace. Were you involved in that? Well, either way, the knights unity is about to collapse. Of course, that is mostly due to my own defeat, so Im not exactly proud of it. I assume it was the doing of this countrys magic specialists. William started rebuilding the sword from the dismantled parts. And wouldnt the knights regain their unity if you were to rejoin the battle? ... Youre not sure you should, the mercenary said frankly. In that case, just watch what everyone does. Im not sure how long you can wait, but it would definitely be better than rashly deciding your fate now. And what do you intend to do if I end up choosing to stand before you again? That changes nothing. I will simply defeat you again. Tch. I cant stand up to that will of yours. William could not see Knight Leaders expression, but he was likely smiling bitterly. William finally finished checking over Ascalon. That Spell of Thororm that you use can target any one of the weapons that you are aware of and make it useless for 10 minutes. Could you not destroy Curtana Original by using that? You fool. Everything has exceptions. And any knight that kept an ability sufficient to surely kill his head of state would be guilty of lse majest. To demonstrate my loyalty, I made sure the theory behind the spell was constructed so that it could not be used to kill someone in the Royal Family. ...That doesnt sound like something I would hear from the person who attempted to decapitate the third princess with an executioners axe. I did not use my own weapon on Lady Villian. For her, I was forced to use a normal tool. At some point, they had returned to their old lighter manner of speaking, but Knight Leader did not pay that fact any heed. I will give you one piece of advice before you head off to your death. And what is that? At one point in our battle, you were worried that I held the ultimate strike. That I could combine Slicing Power, Weapon Weight, Enduring Solidity, Movement Speed, Attack Range, Special Use, and Precise Accuracy into a sure-fire attack that could not be evaded, blocked, or counterattacked. But in reality, I cannot use all of those at once and can only use one pattern at a time. Knight Leader stopped speaking for a second there. Then, he seemed to have readied himself and continued. Second Princess Carissa can most likely pull off that strike using Curtana Original. ... If you truly intend to defeat her, prepare yourself. You must not underestimate her by thinking there is a trick behind her strength or that you can turn around the situation by finding a weakness in her. No matter who the enemy may be, what I must do does not change. There was not even an instant of hesitation before Williams response came. That man did not speak except when necessary, so he did not even attempt to inspire himself with his own words. I will slice down the source of this disturbance. If taking Curtana from her, but not killing her will accomplish that, then that remains one of my options. There was not the slightest disparity between what William Orwell must do and what Acqua of the Back must do. He was the same at that point when he had once attacked the Imagine Breaker boy. Even then, he had given the option of allowing the boy to go back to his normal life after destroying the boys right arm that (he thought) was at the center of the disturbances. He thought that would stop the conflicts between science and magic across the world and that was enough. I do not know where or with whom I will take up my sword in the future, but until we meet again. Yes. Whatever the circumstances, I will go all out to-...Nnhhh!? The man of few words gave a rare meaningless grunt. This made Knight Leader very nervous. What is it? An enemy attack!? (...Not good. The third princess has sensed my presence and is coming this way! It seems a magical courier is helping her. She is definitely headed this way!!) As William whispered, he gathered up the tools used to disassemble his large sword and let Ascalon rest on his shoulder using the reinforced area near its base that was made for that purpose. (...And I just finished saying some slightly embarrassing things to her! I was hoping it would help stabilize her mind, but Im not used to it and should probably have avoided doing it!!) I dont really understand, but you are saying some pretty embarrassing things. The mercenary ignored Knight Leaders last comment and hurriedly left the area. The various suppers had ended. All that was left was to wait for the war that would decide Englands fate. They were all headed to a true battle where the lives of both friend and enemy could not be guaranteed. However, they all naturally gathered together. Between the lines 4 Queen Elizard had finally made it to the outskirts of London, but the military horse was completely exhausted. But then, it had run nearly 50 kilometers across asphalt, so it had done quite well for a horse. I really am sorry about this. Ive been doing nothing but troubling you this whole time. If I manage to get my political power back, I may even make you the first horse in the world to receive a military decoration, she said anxiously. The queen held a bucket full of water. She and the horse were on a plain, but it turned into a manmade pasture a little further on. She had stolen the water from a barn there. The horse continued to point its head in the direction of London as if to say What are you saying!? I can keep going. I can keep going for quite some time!!, but it truly wouldnt last much longer if it didnt take a rest. The queen gripped the reins rather forcefully to force its head down to drink the water. The horse was somewhat excited, but the water must have helped it realize how tired it was, because it then folded its legs up underneath itself to sit on the ground. It then started eating the short undergrowth that was growing next to the asphalt. (...I really am causing trouble for everyone.) The queen frowned as she thought not just of the horse, but of everyone fighting across the United Kingdom. She looked down at Curtana Second. (...I have a feeling this would go faster if I just fully opened up Curtanas power and started running, but I want to avoid doing that for a long period of time.) And then... F-fheee.... Riding a horse certainly does wear you out when you arent used to it. The person who had ruined the solemn mood with that comment was a blonde woman bending over and pressing on her back, Laura Stuart. Elizard looked over at her with a look of scorn that was quite different from her previous expression. You sure are weak. And you wore out the horses stamina by not matching your movements to its rhythm. Perhaps in response to Elizards sharp tone, the horse stopped eating the grass and looked over at her. Its kind eyes seemed to be saying, Now, now. Carrying people and things is my job. (Even this horse looks more capable right now.) That was when Elizard heard a rustling noise. Her sharp gaze rushed over and found a single figure. Oh, what a hungry horse. Do you want one of my carrots? said a soft female voice. The queens hand had been gripping Curtana Second despite it having lost most of its power, but she relaxed upon hearing that voice. Rimea? Yes, its me, Mother. The monocled first princess smiled while holding an orange carrot in one hand. Elizard looked at her own daughter with a puzzled look on her face. What are you doing here? I was waiting for you, mother. From the knights transmissions I intercepted, I knew where you had disappeared, so I concluded this was the most likely route you would head through to get to London. ...What do you want? I know you and you arent just going to join forces with me so easily. In fact, given your thought patterns, youre more likely to try to defeat me here so you can take Curtana Second and use it in some plan to defeat Carissa. I did consider such a plan at one point, but fighting using Curtana Second now that it has lost most of its power would be too much of a bother. I would rather use my intellect in order to play a smarter role. ...So says my daughter with a meaningful smile on her face and rough-looking spiritual items rolling around at her feet. And Im willing to bet that wire stretching from that thicket over there connects to a Claymore mine. Normal cars might drive through here, so remove it. In compliance with Elizards casual-sounding instruction, Rimea removed the wire stretching across the road horizontally, with her tongue sticking out slightly. There we go. By the way, is it true that horses love carrots? They are herbivores, so theyll probably eat them, but it isnt like they love them more than anything else. They mainly eat grass. Oh, so its similar to the fact that goats dont actually eat paper. Sorry. Rimea started to pull back her hand holding the carrot, but the horse stretched out its neck and grabbed the orange vegetable as if to say, Why? Ill eat anything youll give me. Good, good, Rimea said with a smile as she petted the horses head. Elizard looked on almost in shock. You really do show your true face around those who have no political power or interests, dont you? Of course, mother. I do not intend to give my trust to anyone that knows who I am. I want to trust those who treat me kindly despite not knowing I am a princess. I will admit that is one important aspect of a leader, but...why are all of my daughters at such extremes? The oldest strategizes everything and does not trust people, the second gets so caught up in fighting that she gets everything around her wrapped up in it, and the third takes others into such high consideration that she barely has opinions of her own. Elizard scratched at her bangs. A thin smile appeared on Rimeas lips. How unexpected. Are you really in a position where you can preach at us like that? Perhaps the problem lies in your principle of noninterference, combined with that incredibly harsh training you gave us? If you had wanted to, you could have at least given Villian a comfortable life. What are you saying? If I didnt let you develop your personalities on your own, it would have just invited you to be dependent on me. And that is especially true with Villians benevolence. She could easily end up simply relying on others, so I cant just give her easy help like that. If you look at the long term, my methods are not wrong. Unlike you three, I am a sensible person. Oh, but who was it that used Curtana Second to teach the politicians a lesson after they tried to use Villian as bait to gain South America ten years ago? D-dont bring that up. There are some actions that a parent must take. ...No, that kind of thing isnt going to make her go soft, muttered Laura from the side. Oh, right. Speaking of being at an extreme, Carissas methods this time are rather pointed. So you think Carissa is after expanding Curtanas effective area, too? Yes, nodded Rimea. Curtana Original is a spiritual item that applies the concept of Michael, the leader of the angels, to the head of state within the United Kingdom. But if Curtanas effects could be used outside the country, the Queen of England could become a disaster that overruns all of Europe. She would carry out divine punishment on targets of her own choosing and create more deaths on her own than a hydrogen bomb or the Black Death. That sword is like a conductors baton that controls the massive spell put together geographically by the 4 cultures that make up the United Kingdom. The knights could use all their strength to protect the United Kingdom while Carissa single-handedly uses Curtana to demolish Europe. ...That method could actually end up working. After all, it is possible that human magic would not be able to harm her if she fully released Curtana Originals power. If that happened, it would be almost impossible for anyone to rival Carissa unless a true angel or possibly a Magic God stepped forward. ...But is that really all? What? I had a spy at the Edinburgh base of New Light, the group used and disposed of by Carissa. Heh heh. Perhaps it is a special privilege of intellectual types to say something clichd as I wont tell you until I have proof. Rimea had said she had a spy, but that did not refer to a magician that served the Royal Family or a military intelligence agent. She especially hated those types of pros and elites that held political power. The person in Edinburgh was likely someone she had formed a bond with without using her political power during one of her frequent trips outside of the palace as someone other than a princess. (Her self reliance and independence gained under her own power is the best of the three sisters. If only it wasnt rooted in mistrust. Not being able to open up cant be fun.) Elizard sighed. When Rimea started to feed the horse another carrot, the queen looked at her suspiciously. Hey, where did you get that food? Oh, you didnt know? Just a bit ago, the remnants of the church had gathered around here to have a last supper. It seems they left the tools and cooking equipment not needed for fighting here. I assume they are planning on coming back for it if they win. Wha-? Dont worry. I gave a taste of the different foods to my pet and none of it seems to have anything dangerous added in. The first princess gave three quick clicks of her tongue which was her signal for calling her small indoor dog. However, there was no sign of a pet coming out at Rimeas signal. ? The first princess looked around to find a calico cat and an indoor dog glaring at each other at close quarters outside of a small cage with a broken door. Their low growls seemed to be saying Who the hell are you!? and This is my country!! Oh, what a cute cat. Ive been interested in Asian cats for a while, but theyre so much cuter than I expected. Rimea picked up the cat with a completely defenseless childlike smile and the indoor dog barked seeming to say Hey! Im the one that risked his life tasting that carrot!! However, that was not what caught Queen Elizards interest. Dammit!! Something that delicious was going on not too long ago!? There had to have been things going on there on the level of pulling a picture of your lover from your pocket and saying youre going to marry her once the war is over!! Am I just fated to miss out on the best parts!? It seems they all proudly headed off towards the center of London. And they left me behind!? D-damn. Lets go, horse! I have to get to London as soon as possible!! Seeming to say, Sure thing. Now this is how a queen should be, the horse stood up. Elizard easily mounted the military horse and grabbed Laura Stuart with one hand pulling her up onto the back of the horse. Hey. Hows the preparation of the flag going? she asked the Archbishop. Its probably about halfway done. It was mixed in with the normal displays in the British Museum, so not many people would have realized it was a spiritual item. It should be usable if Charles Conder did what he was supposed to. A normal worker, hm? If the knights notice what he is doing, his life could be at risk... I have to show my respect to the gentlemen of this country. After saying that, Elizard remained silent for a bit. She thought within her heart. She thought of the people who had prepared at that campground and headed for London. She also thought of the other people risking their lives to help who could not even use magic. (...Hm. Carissa gaining the ability to use Curtana outside of the country and attacking Europe while becoming nigh invincible using the position of the leader of the angels is certainly a problem, but...) The look on the queens face changed. Her expression turned grim as she stared in the direction of London. (Have you forgotten that she already has that power here within the United Kingdom? You are heading off to fight someone more dreadful than a hydrogen bomb and who could easily destroy all of Europe single-handedly!!) Those fools! Even if the fate of England hangs in the balance, how can they head off to the final battle with no real trump card and with nothing at their disposal but their fighting spirit and their guts!? Its not my fault if they die!! Heh heh. For what youre saying, you sound rather happy, mother. Volume 18, 7: A Wonderful Enemy Who is Both a Princess and a Queen. Curtana_Original. Volume 18, Chapter 7: A Wonderful Enemy Who is Both a Princess and a Queen. Curtana_Original. Part 1 3 AM. Kamijou entered London along with some members of the Anglican Church. However, this time they did not just travel straight through the city. To head to Buckingham Palace quickly, they split up and rode in over 20 large trucks. Since they had entered London, they hadnt come across any kind of inspection point, but that only made the situation seem even weirder to Kamijou. The knights were not even using the police or the military anymore. Itsuwa and the other Amakusas had been preparing spells to break through those inspection points, so they frowned. I suppose the lack of inspection points means they have gathered all their fighting force around Buckingham Palace, said Kanzaki expressing her fears, but they stuck to their plan because they werent going to come up with a solution. They just had to hope they didnt lose many people before making it to the main force. As he sat in the open back of the truck, the cold autumn wind stung Kamijous cheek. Due to the knights control, there were no other people or vehicles moving along the large London road. This allowed the truck Kamijou was on to completely ignore the speed limit. People must have tried to run off in a hurry during the suppression of the city because abandoned cars remained in the middle of the road. The truck occasionally drove erratically to avoid them causing Kamijous body to shake back and forth. Kamijou glanced over at the faces of the Anglicans on the truck with him. It seemed they did not especially care who held the political power. As long as the British people could live their normal lives, it didnt matter who controlled the country. However, any leader that created a new order that openly allowed the military to publicly slaughter people was not something the church was going to allow. That was why their determination to confront Carissa did not waver. They were holding out a hand of salvation to a lost lamb. In that way, the churchs goal was quite clear. One last check, said Kanzaki from within the same truck. Our goal is to reach Buckingham Palace as quickly as possible in order to stop the leader of this coup detat, Carissa. I propose that destroying Curtana Original is the quickest method to that end. ...With the loss of Knight Leader and the second princess losing control of Curtana, the knights confidence in her ability will be shaken, right? It wasnt quite coming into focus for Kamijou. However, Third Princess Villian nodded while sitting elegantly nearby. Curtana Original is the symbol of their coup detat. If it is destroyed before their eyes, the knights hearts will break as well. My sister receives her monstrous power from Curtana. Without the sword, she will return to being a normal person. Think of them like terrorists planning to change the country with a nuclear missile, said Kanzaki giving an extremely dangerous allegory. If they lose the nuclear missile at the center of their plan, would any of them really try to continue with that plan? Well, I suppose not, but... said Kamijou hesitantly. Then Index spoke up from the side. The coup detat will end along with Curtana. But that is much easier said than done. Within the All-English Continent, the head of state who possesses Curtana Original can wield power as the leader of the angels, Michael, that is well above the human level. Its true that destroying that blade with a frontal attack may be difficult even with all of the remaining resistance forces gathered together. There was a real weight to Kanzakis words because she was the person who had once fought the angel named Misha Kreutzev. But if were going to be facing a non-standard enemy, we should rely on non-standard people. I-I knew we were gonna end up here. Kamijou winced as she looked over at him. It may be true that my right hand can completely destroy any object that uses magic like Curtana, but, Kanzaki, Carissa might be stronger than both you and Acqua right now. If shes zipping around that fast, I wont be able to touch her. Yes, we know that. Normally, I would not ask a normal high school student to take part in a fight against someone above Saint level. Kanzaki nodded. We will use you as a highly powerful but slow moving mobile cannon. If Carissa attacks by playing around with us using her speed, the Amakusas and myself will use our speed to somehow force her in your direction. The remaining Anglican forces included the Amakusas, the former Agnese Forces, and independent magicians such as Sherry. However, when it came to a matter of speed, the Amakusas who were focused around a Saint would be their best bet. The battle would be decided by how successful the cooperation was between the Amakusas with their specialty in speed and the other members who would either be firing long distance attacks or using support magic. You do not need to think too hard about this, said Kanzaki to Kamijou who had fallen silent. Please just survive to the end. This is the greatest role you have ever been given. It was a role he shared with all the others. If they lacked any one of them, it would all be over. Kamijou Touma lowered his gaze to his own right hand as he asked a question. ...But will this really be okay? Were traveling with over 500 people here. It worries me that we havent seen a single sign of the knights yet. If Carissa notices us... Oh, Im sure she has noticed us. A large scale battle is going to begin before we make it to Buckingham Palace, smoothly responded Kanzaki. Kamijous expression turned to one of shock as she continued. But even if she has detected us, it wont be a problem as long as she cannot carry out a concrete counterattack. ? Kamijou frowned and Kanzaki for some reason made a gesture as if she were sticking her index finger in one of her ears. It is about to begin. It would be best if you plugged your ears. Part 2 The Sky Fortress Coven Compass had moved to a point in the Atlantic Ocean a bit northwest of Islay so that it was just outside the national boundaries of the United Kingdom. By leaving the country, the fierce attacks by the knights being powered by Curtana and the All-English Continent had temporarily stopped. Smoke was rising from various points on the giant disk-shaped fortress and the spiritual item in command of attitude control had been damaged, causing the entire fortress to tilt. Even so, Coven Compass still managed to ignore the laws of physics and float through the air. Its main engine was still functioning. The black late-night sea had what looked like an island made of steel floating in it. It was a sea fortress prepared by the knights, but it was half sunk because, unlike Coven Compass, its sailing ability had been destroyed. Essentially, the Anglican witches had gotten in a good return blow. The witches protected Coven Compass as smoke rose from it and glared at the knights who were attempting to bring it down. A few of the knights had left the national boundary and returned to their normal power. The witches took them out from their brooms. Looking down at the dark ocean surface, a number of losers could be seen waiting for rescue with their strobe light-like emergency signals flashing. Outside the national boundary, the witches were stronger. Within, the knights were stronger. The two forces fought while being separated by an invisible line that had been drawn on a map by humans. One of the witches, Smartvery, kept an eye on a long distance spell that was intermittently firing as she focused on her communications spiritual item. She could hear the voice of the operator through it. ...Beginning preparations for a large-scale flash bombardment in the direction of Buckingham palace. The witches in certain areas should avoid the attack and pay close attention to make sure they do not lose control of their brooms due to the violent currents of air created by the preparation and firing of the large scale spell. Upon hearing the businesslike voice, Smartvery whistled. Thats a straight shot of over 500 kilometers... Thats 1.5 times the supposed maximum range. And this is a direct attack, so the magic power cant be guided at relay points. Smartverys voice sounded carefree. And to top it all off, it has to pass by the ruins on the Isle of Man which could provide some interference. Well, Im sure those hardheaded people are well aware of all that. A fellow witch spoke up over a different communications line. Personally, I cant believe we got permission to fire on Buckingham Palace. It seems the third princess used her position as a member of the Royal Family to push right through all the pain-in-the-ass formalities. Its times like this when you can only be thankful for these incredibly influential people. ...Well, you could also describe the second princess that started this whole coup detat in the first place an incredibly influential person. I suppose they are quite similar in that regard, but theyve shifted in completely opposite directions. At that point, the witches conversation was cut off. Static-like noise came over the connection and Smartverys broom shook. She frantically brought it back under control and she heard her companions surprised voice over the spiritual item. Kssh...Is it starting...!? A light brighter than anything found in the natural world wiped away the darkness over the Atlantic Ocean. A pure white sphere appeared at a point about 20 meters above the center of the top side of the disk-shaped sky fortress. The powerful energy that had been created by the large scale temple caused the air in the area to expand. This created a change in the air pressure which brought forth violent storm-like winds. Coven Compass was activating its other trump card. The bottom side functioned as an aircraft carrier for the witches and the top side was a cannon. The large-scale flash cannon took up half of the giant fortresss power and it was being aimed at the capital of the United Kingdom. Kssh...Do you think...the knights will...Ksshhh...try to interfere...with the firing...? They might try to a bit, but I wonder if any idiotic heroes will appear who try to throw themselves in the way of the blast? If they had the courage to do that, I would have thought they would have just crossed the national boundary and attacked together. When Knight Leader had still been with them, they may have done so. When Elizard ruled over them, some would have been glad to do so. (...It seems this is the limitations of violence, new Queen Carissa.) As she watched the non-moving knights, Smartvery gave a slightly scornful smile. She heard the voice of the operator in her ear. ...Commencing fire. We will destroy Buckingham Palace!! Part 3 A loud explosive noise shattered all the windows of the nearby buildings. A pillar of light with a diameter of over 5 meters shot through the London night sky directly above the quickly moving truck. Even though he was plugging both his ears, the shockwave seemed to completely flip over his sense of balance and it shook him to the depths of his brain. The giant truck slid sideways unnaturally either because the explosion had surprised Itsuwa as she drove it or because the truck itself had been physically shaken. The attack did not end with that one blast. A second and a third blast were fired in the direction of Buckingham Palace with an interval of a few seconds between them. Despite her being right in front of him, Kamijou yelled in Kanzakis direction so as not to lose to the explosive noise. When you said her detecting us wouldnt be a problem if she couldnt counterattack, is this what you were talking about!? Yes. If Carissas side is busy defending against these blasts, we have a chance to reach the battlefield. Support from a long distance bombardment is one of the basics of a land battle, said Kanzaki with a calm expression despite the explosive noise. Then a blast attacked Buckingham Palace from a different angle. The blast was more like a thin and sharp piece of pitch black darkness slicing through the night sky. However, there were a lot of them. A barrage of somewhere from 100 to 200 of them arced through the sky and into the palace area. Is there more than one fortress!? That was from Selkie Aquarium at the bottom of the ocean near Dover. From what I heard, of the ones still functioning after the knights fierce attacks, only Selkie 1, 2, 4, and 5 were available for this attack because it seems 3 and 8 are tied up battling the knights and the Royal Navy. It seemed Selkie Aquarium was a submarine-type mother ship for the magicians that carried out underwater activities as if they were mermaids or something. It was usually kept waiting there so it could quickly respond if any definite movements were made on the border between England and France, but it was currently helping with the bombardment. (Well, Im glad theyre helping us with this huge attack, but...) ...If we enter Buckingham Palace while this is going on, wont we be killed? You need to bear in mind that even a large scale bombardment like this is not enough to defeat Carissa. That is just how formidable the enemy we are about to clash swords with is. Fucking monsters, Kamijou spat out without thinking. He knew it was quite reckless for an amateur like him to head into a battlefield with just a fist against someone who could withstand concentrated fire from attacks that were similar to a battleships main guns. But if you fire like crazy like this, wont you damage the surrounding areas? The area around Buckingham Palace is a giant park, so stray shots shouldnt be an issue, responded Index using the information she recalled using her perfect memory. Kanzaki showed her agreement with Indexs opinion and then continued speaking. Also, Carissa and the knights likely led the population to specific places that make them easier to control. The people will have been gathered in hotels, theaters, movie theaters, churches, and other places around the city. Even if a house is accidentally destroyed, it is unlikely anyone will be inside. ...However, we still need to be careful, she said as she seemed to be imagining such an unexpected tragedy. However, it seemed there was a good chance Buckingham Palace would be destroyed. Kamijou didnt know how much the building itself and the art within were worth, but he was pretty sure there were mountains of national treasures inside. Thinking about that, he glanced over at Third Princess Villian. ...I do not mind, she said in a steady voice. With all the people around the country sharing the pain, we of the Royal Family cannot be so selfish as to hope to make it out unscathed. ...If it will end the disturbance that has overcome this country, I say we blow that palace to smithereens. (...?) To Kamijou, something seemed off between Villians words and her expression. He had only just met her, so he couldnt be sure, but he had a feeling something about her had changed since he had seen her cowering timidly in Buckingham Palace. I have realized something, said Villian as she accepted the boys gaze and checked various parts of the bowgun in her hands. The bowgun was not an unrefined one made of metal. Instead, it seemed to be custom made for the Royal Family and was made of the polished amber-colored wood that was used in bar counters. The scope attached to it seemed like an antique and Kamijou would have believed it if someone had told him it had been used by da Vinci. Those servants and cooks who cannot use magic stood to fight despite their fear just so I could escape. And that mercenary fought a group of knights to protect me. The bowgun was over a meter long and it looked like it would be difficult to pull back the string with her slender feminine arms. However, a slide similar to that on a pump-action shotgun was installed on the bottom of the bowgun possibly for that very reason. Gears and pulleys were probably used to make the string easy to pull. If I can protect them by fleeing, I am willing to hide anywhere. However, if their plight will not change if I do that, then I have no choice left but to fight. Over her green dress, Villian was wearing the kind of quiver belts ancient hunters had worn and she returned Kamijous gaze with a strong but reserved gaze of her own. What about you? You have no duty to risk your life for England and you have managed to rescue your friend who got wrapped up in all this. No one would blame you if you escaped to a safe area with her, so why are you still heading to possible death? ...I dont have any major reason, Kamijou said while looking up at the pure white flashes cutting through the night sky above. If I can avoid it, Id rather not go anywhere dangerous. If its something I can just abandon, Id go ahead and abandon it. If everyone wrapped up in this coup detat were the enemy characters in a shooting game that existed solely to be shot, then Id have already abandoned all this and been trying to find a way back to Academy City. Unlike Villian, he had nothing he needed to prepare. His preparations would be complete the instant he clenched his right fist. But they arent. Villian might not have been able to hear Kamijous words due to the continuing explosions, but he continued regardless. That kind of convenient person doesnt exist. Everyone carries something important enough to die for and they are running around so as not to lose it. So how am I supposed to abandon this? This isnt an issue of duty or important-sounding reasons. If you want to stand up and fight, I say you should stand up and fight. Villian stared at Kamijou for a bit. Finally, she spoke. No matter the principles or thoughts you have within yourself, you listen to the voices of everyone at each place you go and do everything you can to go with the best option for that situation... ? You are...yet a different kind of mercenary from William. Kamijou was about to ask William?, but something happened before he could. The sound of the air being repeatedly sliced resounded above their heads. (A helicopter...!?) However, Kamijous initial thought was wrong. It was white. A large object without color like an unfinished plastic model was there. The large fan-shaped object was floating by rotating at high speed. It had a radius of 50 meters and the angle of the fan was about 90 degrees. Kamijou recognized the color of the ridiculously huge construction. Thats the wreckage created when Curtana Original slices through all dimensions...!! Immediately after his yell, the giant rotating fan that had been maintaining its horizontal position suddenly tilted down diagonally. The spiraling object immediately lost its ability to float and fell much like a crashing helicopter. Its fall seemed to be aimed directly at the truck Kamijou and the others were on. It was like a giant rotating blade that could cut straight through lumber. Dammit. Is this why there were no inspection points!? ...Ksshh...Hold on everyone...!! said Itsuwas voice from the radio stuck on the back of the truck. Immediately afterwards, the large truck changed lanes in a reckless manner that swung the back wildly all in order to avoid the giant 100 diameter rotating blade attacking from the sky. The rotating blade sank 20 meters into the ground digging up and scattering not just the asphalt but the constructions for the subway station under the ground as well. They had just barely managed to avoid a direct hit. However, a shock hit the large truck from the side. The impact with the ground had altered the trajectory of the giant rotating blade causing it to hit the side of a building, hop up from the ground, and unsteadily writhe around. This random changing of the rotating blades axis had caused one corner to strike the side of the truck. It was side blow. With that one strike, the 10-ton truck was knocked from the road, over the sidewalk, and into the side of a building. Gwaaaahhh!? The severe shock running across his body caused Kamijou to yell out. He hadnt been thrown from the back of the truck, but the truck itself had been bent almost into a V-shape. The truck simply wasnt going to run anymore. That was when more bad news came. Kamijou heard that helicopter rotor-like noise again. And this time it wasnt just one. His body stiffened and he fearfully looked up to see 4 or 5 of those spinning fan-shaped blades that exceeded 100 meters flying through the air like frisbees. Oh, fuck!! Run!! Kamijous yell had been rather pointless because the various Anglican members on the back of the truck had already jumped down to the broken road and were running as far away as they could. Kamijou forced his hurting body along, grabbed Indexs hand as she hadnt left yet, and jumped down from the truck. That was when the closely flying rotating blades struck. The rotating blades had looked like they were trying to repel each other in midair which made them fall to the ground in random but hard to avoid trajectories. (...!!!???) He hadnt been able to let out a yell that time. The multiple blades tore into the asphalt and mercilessly destroyed building walls. Just when Kamijou realized Indexs hand had slipped from his grip, his body was thrown into the air. He had managed to avoid being directly hit, but his body had been lifted up along with the torn up asphalt. He didnt even have time to brace for the impact. When he struck the hard ground, Kamijou thought his breathing was going to stop. (Agh!? Shit...) Index...? Kanzaki...Itsuwa!! Dammit, where is everyone!? The shock of the impact had blown dust up into the air preventing Kamijou from seeing anything. He coughed as he attempted to call his comrades names. Only the explosive noises returned his calls. Those noises belonged to the rotating blades floating through the night sky at a set speed and to the giant beams of light attacking from afar. In that hopeless situation, Kamijou heard a frail voice. The voice was familiar. Over...here. Itsuwa!? Y-yes. Kamijou tried to run over, but he came to a dead end. No, more accurately, he came to the entrance to a back alley that was blocked by a crumbled building wall. Itsuwas voice was coming from the gaps in the wreckage. Can you go after Lady Villian? Just after we all split up, I saw her heading off towards Buckingham Palace on her own. !? Kamijou looked around, but he saw no sign of Villian. Had she really gone on ahead on her own? (Dammit!!) Kamijou looked in the direction of Buckingham Palace, but he then looked back towards Itsuwa seeming to have realized something. Itsuwa was on the other side of the wall, so she must have heard some small noise or simply noticed the gap between his words. Ah ha ha. Dont worry. Im not buried alive or anything. Well be heading along the alleyways on a different route to Buckingham Palace. It looks like it would be difficult to meet up with you right away, so lets regroup at the palace. But...are you all right? Are you really all right!? Everyone split up and is taking their own route to the palace. ...Anyway, you need to get going. Staying in one place will just get you hit. Kamijou then heard the sound of someone running off into the distance on the other side of the rubble. It seemed Itsuwa really was heading for Buckingham Palace by heading along the alleyway. (Wheres everyone else...!?) Kamijou looked around the area. He saw a few figures running ahead along the main road. He saw someone, Kanzaki, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She was holding Index and yelled something at him, but he couldnt hear what it was. Just seeing that familiar face was enough to relieve Kamijou momentarily, but then something else made him stiffen again. A nearby broken piece of concrete must have at least scraped against Villian because it had a scrap of green cloth caught on it. The piece of cloth had been torn off violently and it seemed to be an ominous metaphor. Kamijou frantically shook his head to rid himself of the baseless presentiment. According to Itsuwa, Villian had gone on ahead alone. He had no choice but to run to Buckingham Palace. He was pretty sure it was only 2 kilometers away. However, those 2000 meters had become a hellish path of hardships. He heard a loud dull noise. He looked up and saw a sphere with a diameter of over 20 meters falling. The sphere was a blank colorless white. It landed about 100 meters ahead of him as if to block his path and sank an unnatural amount into the ground. It had probably sunk far enough down to crush the subway line down below. However, the sphere still floated back up as if it had bounced. It crushed a vehicle that had been abandoned on the road which exploded, struck the side of a building, and rolled in the opposite direction. Its random movements seemed almost like the movements of a living being as it headed in Kamijous direction. Shit!! Kamijou immediately pressed himself up against the wall of one of the buildings along the sidewalk. The giant 20 meter sphere plowed that way on a straight course that would smash Kamijou onto the ground like a roller. However, Kamijou avoided an instant death. When a sphere was put inside a square box thats sides were the same length as the spheres diameter, gaps would exist in the corners. By pressing up against the building, Kamijou had entered one of those gaps. However, the destruction did not end there. The giant sphere sank into the wall above Kamijous head causing it to collapse. Kamijou ran forward as quickly as he could to avoid being caught in the large amount of collapsing rubble. He heard what sounded like a tremor of the earth and dust chased after him as if it were trying to attack his back. He had no time to rest. More fan-like rotating blades attacked. Perhaps due to their center of gravity, giant pillars seemed to stand unnaturally after falling over destroying the road. A great number of buildings were destroyed which blocked Kamijous path. (Each individual construction isnt all that complex...) As he ran recklessly forward, Kamijou gritted his teeth. (But their size is just too much! These things really are like a bombardment from a battleship!!) Even after going all out and avoiding one or two of them, he could not relax. As long as the bombardment continued, Kamijou and the others that had split up would continue to be in danger. It was possible the lack of knights within London and the confinement of the people elsewhere had been in preparation for this kind of attack. Kamijou cut through a gap between piles of rubble, ran through a curtain of dust, jumped over a crack through which he could see the collapsed subway tunnel, and simply ran across London. Itsuwa had said Villian had gone on ahead, but he didnt see anyone no matter how far he ran. He started to wonder if she had really made it through that harsh battlefield. Finally, the Buckingham Palace grounds came into view. Perhaps due to the magic bombardments from Coven Compass and Selkie Aquarium, the large fence around the park had been twisted apart and partially blown away and the short green lawn looked as if it had been torn up by a giant missing a shot with a giant golf club because the black soil had been torn up creating a crater. Cutting between a gap in the remains of the destroyed fence, Kamijou unhesitatingly headed into the palace grounds. As soon as he did, a chill ran down his spine. For no reason, his legs seemed like they would stop moving. It was past 3 in the morning, but the palace showed up brightly in the darkness due to the decorative lights washing over it. Due to the bombardment from afar, about a third of the right side of the palace had turned to rubble leaving the luxurious interior visible from where Kamijou was. The almost unreal splendor of the building prevented the scene from appearing too tragic. It looked like a giant dollhouse with its roof and wall removed. Yet, for Kamijou Touma, the half-destroyed palace was not the pivotal point of the scene. He was looking at the garden at the front of the palace. A great number of mysterious large white objects had been created as a side effect of Curtana Original slicing through every dimension. Due to those objects slicing into the ground and falling over, the lawn and asphalt had been torn to pieces. Two women stood amid all of it. One was Third Princess Villian. She looked like a princess from a picture book with her blonde hair, white skin, and green dress with a spread out skirt. She held a rather large bowgun in her hands, but a shotgun-like slide had been attached to the bottom so that even that delicate woman could pull back the string. The other was Second Princess Carissa. She wore a red dress with leather covering it in various places. In her hand, she held a sword with no tip or blade. Perhaps due to the method she used to defend against the bombardment, she had black soil and mud covering her cheeks. However, it did not look shameful in the slightest. The mud mixed in with her own sweat added to her dreadfulness. ... ... The two of them were arguing over something. Or more accurately, Villian was snapping at Carissa, while Carissa lightly deflected her words. Villian held the bowgun in her hands, but she had not pulled back the string yet and she wasnt even holding it up at the ready. She held it like someone holding a trophy at an award ceremony instead of as a weapon she intended to use. On the other hand, Carissa held her sword so that it hung down loosely, but there was no trembling in her hand. Her muscles were prepared and it looked as if she could jump forward to attack that very instant. Perhaps their physical stances represented their ideological stances. At any rate, Villian was pushing the conversation forward and neglecting her weapon while Carissa was roughly going on with the conversation while focusing everything on her weapon. It was clear what would happen. Kamijou couldnt tell what they were talking about from where he was, but he didnt have time to find out. (That idiot...!!) Kamijou ran as fast as he could and jumped towards Villians back to cover her. Immediately afterwards, Carissa moved Curtana Original unhesitatingly. With a tremendous noise, every dimension in the space Villian had just been was severed. A white belt-like object that was over 100 meters long was created. A few seconds later, that three dimensional object that was the cross section of the severed dimensions that could manifest in the three dimensional world fell to the ground with a thud. Villian looked completely surprised at the sudden occurrence while Kamijou stood up from lying on top of her and glared at their powerful enemy. She was the second princess of England. She was the leader of the coup detat and the one who held the most talent in military matters of the three sisters. And by using Curtana Original and the All-English Continent, she wielded the power of the leader of the angels. Carissa!! Carissa responded to Kamijous yell with a calm expression. Congratulations. That was a commendably nice play. Thats the kind of example my weak minded knights need to see. I really cant take my sisters benevolence lightly. It continues to manifest itself in unexpected ways. The countless lights that were intended to illuminate the exterior of the luxurious palace were bathing the second princess in light. She stood within that light as if it were made for her. Kamijou Touma could not remove his eyes from her. That was not due to her beauty. It was due to the fact that he didnt know what would happen if he lowered his guard even slightly. Even an amateur like him could sense that. By the way, where are the others? Are the rest of your troops buried under rubble? !! Kamijous expression stiffened, but he shook that terrible image from his mind. They were fine. They would surely be there soon. He had no choice but to act with that thought in mind. Turning Carissas attention his way would bring an end to her bombardment and make their journey less dangerous. However, as if to wipe that optimistic hope from Kamijous mind, a villainous smile spread across Carissas face as she rested Curtana Original on her shoulder. If so, the church will have betrayed my expectations as well. Ill end up looking like an idiot for having made so many preparations. Preparations...? Villian muttered as if a very bad feeling had gushed up within her chest and leaked out of her mouth. Immediately afterwards, an incredibly huge object passed by over their heads. The object had a similar form to a hang glider. However, it was huge. It was almost 80 meters across making the giant object around the same size as the large passenger plane Sky Bus 365. After passing over their heads once, it flew in a giant arc turning its nose back towards them. Dont look so shocked. Did you think Coven Compass and Selkie Aquarium were the only types of mobile fortresses? Surely you knew that we control most of the major facilities within the United Kingdom. We have an almost limitless number of spiritual items at our disposal. And especially the ones the knights directly use for battle. I doubt youre going to be bored. Carissa started laughing, but a few more roars and explosions cut through the air drowning her out. Almost 20 of those 80 meter hang glider-like fortresses circled around in the air above Buckingham Palace. The silver metal parts reinforcing them at important points looked like armor. The second princess spoke while looking up at the fortresses that were dyed the same red as her dress. Allow me to introduce you to the mobile siege fortresses known as Griffin Sky. Having no idea what kind of attacks they could send his way, Kamijou looked up in shock at the mobile fortresses with only Carissas voice getting through to him. They are used to attack strongholds on the surface, so they cannot fly as high as the Sky Bus 365 and they are not as flexible or practical as Coven Compass because they are unmanned spiritual items, but they are the countrys best at linked attacks. They are stupid but obedient which makes them the perfect military tools. (These are all like that...?) Kamijou stared speechless up at that scene that exceeded the scale of a personal battle. (There are 20 mobile fortresses like Coven Compass here...!?) His gaze moved from the night sky back to the scene directly in front of him. On top of those fortresses, Carissa had overwhelming power with Curtana Original and a force of knights had to be waiting somewhere. Even if he did manage to destroy the sword with his right fist, would he and Villian really be able to fight in that situation? Kamijou recalled the spiritual item known as Robin Hood that had been used to snipe the New Light magician Lessar. He looked towards the surrounding darkness and raised his guard even further. However, Carissa said something he did not expect. There are no hidden troops. I just gave a bit of a live broadcast. ...? With Knight Leaders defeat and Curtana Original being sent out of control, the knights have started to doubt whether I am fit to be the head of state. You all may have been saved due to coincidence after coincidence, but I will admit that you used some excellent psychological warfare. Carissa had been spinning Curtana Original around, but she now brought it back to rest on her shoulder. As such, it was necessary that I brought the knights battle spirit back together. Although, I ended up using a rather crude method. A live broadcast. A crude method. Kamijou had a bad feeling about what that meant and looked over. The sword with no blade or tip that was Curtana Original had a few drops of a dark red liquid on it. You dont mean you... Oh, I just gave a bit of a punishment. It led to the level of security around Buckingham Palace falling, but thats still better than having the knights as a whole fall and consequently losing control of the country. Also, as the head of state I can use the power of the leader of the angels. I really dont need any guards. Did you kill them!? Those were your comrades!! Kamijou yelled still in a state of utter shock. Perhaps because she was picturing the event, Villians shoulders started to tremble. Dont worry about that. If I simply killed them, it would leave too much to the imagination. In order to give the best performance with the least expenditure, I had to make things a little more fun. A fate worse than death. He could not properly imagine the meaning behind those words, so Kamijou just gritted his teeth. The knights followed you this far because they trusted you in their own way. Whats wrong with your brain for you to view the loss of the comrades that fought alongside you like that as an expenditure!? A strained sound could be heard. It was the sound of Kamijou Touma tightly clenching his right hand without him even knowing. Tell me, responded Carissa without a single change to her expression. Why do you think they are given such a high position and paid so much out of the taxes we collect? It is because they work themselves to the bone during national emergencies in order to rescue the country from its crises. That is the desire of any knight. Why you... They carried that duty out. They prevented the cowards who were prepared to flee from betraying me. Carissa slowly raised Curtana Original up from her shoulder. She then spoke in a tone that sounded like she was speaking to a difficult child. However, they are really nothing more than a collection of chickens who refuse to head to their possible deaths. I just had to smooth things over a bit and create another situation where they can be certain that the coup detat will succeed!! proclaimed Second Princess Carissa with a legendary sword in hand and the numerous giant fortresses flying through the ether and the half-destroyed palace to her back. That signaled the beginning of the battle. Part 4 If they could defeat Second Princess Carissa, the coup detat would be over. Kamijou Touma was once again convinced of that. With Knight Leader gone, the knights were unsure whether they should continue with the coup detat or end it. The main thing keeping them on the side of the coup detat was Carissas punishment. That meant that it would all fall apart if Carissa lost her power and thus lost her hold over them. Compared to defeating each and every group of knights across the United Kingdom, simply defeating the overall boss seemed much easier. Kamijou forced himself to think along that positive line of thinking in an attempt to lessen his bodys tension. You will die. When he heard that voice directly behind him, the sound of the wind being sliced accompanied it. She hadnt just circled around behind him in that instant. Curtana Original was already moving horizontally for Kamijous neck. ...!? He didnt have time to turn around. Kamijou dropped his waist down and just barely managed to avoid the strike. Or at least he thought he had. He felt a hot pain near his ear. Seeing what happened, Villian let out a short scream. Then Kamijou heard an odd noise. Following the trajectory of the horizontally swung sword, an unnaturally blank object appeared. It was the wreckage created as a side effect of severing dimensions. It naturally started to fall straight down towards Kamijou with a weight greater than a mass of steel the same size. (Shit...!!) Kamijou rolled out of the way of the falling object. An unpleasant vibration reached Kamijous gut. Too slow, pig. Thats just going to get you sliced to pieces. With a roar, she swung Curtana Original. The vertical swing from top to bottom created a giant dimensional slicing attack stretching in a straight line 20 meters from Curtana. It was a route that would separate the top half of Kamijous body from the bottom half. !? He immediately held out his right hand. With what sounded like a whip, the created slicing attack disappeared partway. (It...disappeared?) Kamijou jumped back up to his feet and ran towards Carissa. If he could get just one hit in with his clenched fist, Curtana Original would be destroyed. However, the second princess swung the sword before he could. With the end of the sword pointing up, she moved it from right to left in a similar motion to opening a window. A shutter-like white wall of wreckage was created stopping Kamijous fist. A dull pain ran across his fist as if he had punched a steel wall. He frowned as his hand throbbed slightly. (It didnt work this time!? Dammit, I cant figure out what the conditions for negating it are!!) A chill ran down his spine. After all, his opponent attacked with a strike that could slice through all dimensions that could be represented with whole numbers. If he misread the situation, he wouldnt just lose his right arm. His entire body would be sliced in two. However, he didnt have time to worry too much about that. He didnt have time to slowly put together a strategy. Heh, breathed Carissa. At the same time, an explosive sound resounded. The white wall separating the two of them had been kicked straight up into the air by the second princess. Carissa did not lower her leg. Her second kick mercilessly struck Kamijous gut. The attack was more like a machine gun than human martial arts. With a thunderous noise, Kamijous body easily flew a few meters before hitting the ground and bouncing a few times. Gh...bhaaaaahhh!!!??? He couldnt suppress the urge to vomit and a surprisingly red mass came out. While Kamijou writhed on the ground, Carissa smiled while spinning her sword around like a baton causing thin pieces of dimensional wreckage to fall to the ground. Villian finally started bringing her bowgun up, but the situation was changing so quickly she didnt seem able to aim properly. (Gh...Dammit...Cough...I just cant keep up with her speed...!!) Kamijou could tell he had completely lost strength from the very core of his body, but he still tried to stand up. He didnt notice, but his fingertips were trembling unnaturally. Oh, come on. Whats wrong? And I was going easy on you. Carissas expression did not change. It was as if she were saying that he could not change the situation if he couldnt even stand up. It seems there are side effects to carelessly putting a large amount of Telesma in your body. Ill have to eventually put together a spell to remove that restraint. (Shes going easy on me...?) Kamijou looked over at her as if he couldnt believe what he was seeing. Seeing that, Carissa swung Curtana Original over to point in a certain direction with its tip-less end. Its dangerous to just sit there, you know? In that instant, Kamijou did not realize what it was that was approaching him. It was one of the Griffin Skies flying above. There was no change in the red 80 meter wide hang glider itself, but there was a change in the giant shadow created by the moonlight. Its form changed as if it were rotating. It took on the form and weight of a knights lance, turned deep red, and floated just off the ground. It seemed the fortress in the sky and the red lance on the ground were moving in unison. In that state, the Griffin Sky flew across the sky above Buckingham Palace. Of course, the linked 20 meter lance cut across just above the ground with tremendous speed. And what did this do? Kamijou Touma received a direct blow, doubled over, and flew into the air. Dbh....!? The pain assaulting his upper body was so great that his sense of pain failed and he merely went numb. The boy flew over 15 meters before landing and rolling along the ground. Afterwards, the numbness left and the pain returned. Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Kamijou writhed around on the ground from the intense pain, but he saw a different lance approaching from a different direction causing him to frantically roll out of the way. He was gritting his teeth, but a red liquid still flowed from his mouth. However, Carissa looked dissatisfied despite being the one causing all the damage. Tch. I guess thats the spiritual items automatic decision making. Those things are meant to destroy a fortress wall, so that strike should have torn your body in two. I guess the unmanned spiritual items decision to use the least amount of force necessary to destroy something based on its automatic calculations can backfire. After saying that, a sadistic grin spread across her face. Heh heh...Ha ha ha!! But you wont be saved by anymore ridiculous glitches! Ill manually set all of them to anti-Windsor Castle levels. That way Ill have offensive spiritual items that will blow a human body to smithereens with just a light touch!! An intense chill ran down Kamijous back at Carissas words. She had been going easy on him. Now that the sky fortresses limiters had been released, his body would be turned to mincemeat if he received the same attack again. (Dammit. Even with just Carissa, I cant find a way to defeat her!) Kamijou coughed up more blood, clenched his fist, and glared at her. (Not to mention, that 20 of those fortress destroying spiritual items are flying around up there. How am I supposed to find a way to win this!?) That was when an intense pillar of light from the distant Coven Compass flew towards Carissa. Only one strike flew through the air, but that one strike held enough destructive power to shatter every window in London. However, Carissa did not even bother looking at it. She merely held her arm out to the side and spun Curtana Original around once like a baton. Every dimension was severed along the path of the sword. It created a disk with a radius of about 20 meters. The dimensional wreckage in the form of a cross section bored deep into the ground creating a giant disk-shaped shield. The large-scale flash spell struck it. A loud explosion rang out, but the shield was not destroyed. The pillar of light scattered in all directions as it was not able to continue on its original path. Large trees within the garden were torn from the ground, streetlights were twisted, and the asphalt was torn up. The multiple Griffin Skies temporarily raised their altitude to avoid the effects of the blast. That was all. Second Princess Carissa herself was completely unharmed. (Seriously...?) Kamijou stared on in shock. (Even with a bombardment like that, you cant even scratch her. Is the head of state holding Curtana really that much of a monster...?) Does this really shock you that much? Carissa said cutting off his thoughts. With a snap of her wrist, she spun Curtana Original around again. What human can kill the leader of the angels? The second princess thrust the end of Curtana Original into the disk-shaped shield. Perhaps it was the result of slicing the dimensions located at the wreckage created from dimensions being sliced, but the sword sunk into the shield like a fork stabbed into a giant potato. Carissa then swung Curtana Original horizontally. The giant disk-shaped shield with a radius of 20 meters moved with the sword. Oh, shit...! Kamijou instinctively held his hands up to protect his face, but it was a meaningless action. Carissa was almost forcing Curtana Original along because the disk-shaped shield was half buried in the ground. The ground crumbled all at once like it was being dug up with a giant piece of machinery. The black soil, the concrete, the asphalt, the trees, the underground water pipes, and the underground gas pipes all became a single mass. It all moved in Kamijous direction like a landslide or like a tsunami. He could not evade it. Kamijou Toumas body was simply blown away by the overwhelmingly giant mass. He was easily knocked back 10 meters by the front edge of the great amount of earth and sand. Then the earth and sand bit at Kamijous lower half like the jaws of a living being. He yelled out at the tremendous pressure and saw out of the corner of his eye that Curtana Original had been pulled from the disk-shaped shield. The giant construction flew through the air, struck Buckingham Palace, and further damaged the already crumbling building. Ghaaaaaaaaaahhhh!! Kamijous legs had been buried up to the thighs and he forcibly pulled them out. There was a terrible hot feeling in his right thigh. He looked down and saw a broken piece of a tree branch about as thick as a ball-point pen sticking into it. Villian ran over to him yelling something, but the pain made him dizzy, so he couldnt tell what she was saying. Villian nervously hesitated not sure how to treat him. Kamijou bit down on his sleeve to make sure he didnt bite his tongue. Then he grabbed the branch stuck in his leg, checked how it felt with his trembling fingers, and then pulled it out all at once. He did not utter an audible scream. A significant amount of blood flowed out and Kamijou gritted his teeth so hard he thought they would break. Werent you being a bit too na?ve? Carissa looked calmly over at Kamijou as he tried to suppress the pain. You may have a mysterious power in your hand, but it is completely absurd to think that a flesh-and-blood human can even touch the leader of the angels. How do you think you can win this? Even the very first condition you need to meet to do this simply cant happen. The difference in their strengths was so great that he could not even touch her. As long as she remained in the United Kingdom, she could wield the power of Michael. Second Princess Carissa was most likely even more powerful than Acqua of the Back. The exact theories and techniques behind them may have been different, but the strange objects created from the severing of dimensions reminded Kamijou of Misha Kreutzevs water wings. Thinking that you can win if you fight is not your mistake. Carissa lowered the end of Curtana Original once more. The sound of gas escaping from the black soil that had been destroyed in the previous attack could be heard. Your mistake lies in thinking that this is on a level where you can survive by hiding behind a shield or running away. This is what the leader of the angels, what the head of state, is. No mercy to those who opposed her. Punishment from heaven was a one-sided rain of destruction. The only option remaining to the people was to earnestly prostrate themselves before her in an attempt to quell her anger. The scale had reached an area that seemed as if it were from a legend. Before Kamijou stood a woman who had created a legend of her own. And she was... Second Princess...Carissa... Im the head of state, you fool. For an instant, Carissa showed an expression of displeasure and then she lightly tapped the end of Curtana Original onto the already destroyed asphalt. Immediately afterwards, the sound of gas leaking out stopped. The sound of the flammable gas leaking from the broken underground gas pipes stopped. Immediately after that, the night scenery behind Second Princess Carissa turned into a crimson explosion. The explosion itself did not reach Kamijou. However, the shockwave flew past Carissa and mercilessly struck the boy. Gh...bh!? Kamijous breathing stopped like he had run into a wall and his feet left the ground. Villian flew up into the air next to him. They remained in the air for a second and a half. Despite Carissa being closer to the blast than Kamijou, she showed no sign of pain. She smiled at her floating targets and kicked the ground sending herself forward as if the explosion were a convenient tailwind. Yes, the explosion of flames spreading across the entire area had not been an attack for Carissa. It had been nothing more than a means of reinforcing her movement. With Carissas light footstep, came an explosive noise more terrible than the gas explosion. Crushing the ground underfoot, she flew forwards. It seemed more like she was stabbing through space than just moving forward. After finally landing, Kamijou stumbled a bit and tried to regain his balance. As he did, he was almost completely defenseless. He immediately brought up his right hand, but it was of no use. Carissa did not just use her strength. She paid attention to Kamijous movements and twisted Curtana Original in a diagonal trajectory aiming for his neck through a gap in his defenses. Every dimension along the path of the sword was sliced. The belt-shaped cross section object appeared following the sword. Kamijou thought in his head while he watched the path of that blade that could easily slice right through a scientific nuclear shelter or a magical cathedral. Curtana Original was not the only threat. Carissa was the person who had almost perfectly carried out a coup detat in a powerful nation like the United Kingdom. The second princess excelled at military matters and she probably had some knowledge of martial arts. Die. That simple word reached Kamijous brain. Immediately afterwards, a dull noise shook his brain. Kamijou Toumas vision grew hazy. His feet left the ground and he lost all sense of gravity. His breathing stopped. And... (Im...alive?) At the feeling of the clothes on his back being forcefully grabbed, Kamijou returned to his senses. After a bit of distance, he saw the place he had been standing in just before. Curtana Original had merely sliced through thin air and the second princess clicked her tongue at that result. That had been something Kamijou Touma simply could not have pulled off on his own. ...It looks like I finally found a good way to pay you back a bit, said a clear female voice. At the same time, the feeling of something grabbing his back disappeared and he was lowered gently to the ground. Looking over, he saw that Villian had been recovered along with him. The third princess looked up at the person who had rescued her with a blank look on her face. Kamijou turned around. Standing there was... Kanzaki...? It is not just me. The others will be here soon, Kanzaki said smoothly as she took her eyes off of Kamijou just once. Index, please carry out a magical analysis. It is possible you will not have the spells related to Curtana in your 103,000 grimoires due to pressure from the Royal Family, but you can reanalyze it with the magical knowledge you do have, correct? So you want to steal control of it or seal its powers? Understood. Index had arrived as well because she had been travelling with Kanzaki after the large truck had been destroyed. Kamijou looked at her with a dumbfounded look on his face and she responded with a snort. One of the worlds fewer than 20 Saints and the grimoire library that possessed the knowledge of grimoires from all across the world. Despite being faced with two people who held great value for the magic side, Carissa did not look at all worried. Do you really think some rank and file soldiers who couldnt even arrive to the battle on time can take a leading part? We were held up due to a certain ignorant princess causing a mess in the city. I had to prevent a few theaters from being crushed with civilians still inside. She had stopped the 100 meter objects with her flesh-and-blood body. Kanzaki calmly stated this frightening fact and reached for the hilt of her sword. ...And I do not intend to resolve this all on my own. I have comrades I can trust to watch my back. Part 5 The Saint Kanzaki Kaori and Second Princess Carissa. A scorching tension ran between the two women. No concrete physical phenomenon was going to act as a trigger. Their thoughts would trigger the beginning of the fight. !! !! Kanzaki moved first. She started to draw her sword...and then used 7 wires instead. Nanasen. Holding Curtana Original, Carissas response to the wires simultaneously attacking from different angles was... If you hold back against an enemy like me...you will die. A tremendous noise rang out. The next thing Kamijou knew, Kanzaki and Carissa had their blades locked together at extremely close quarters. Carissa had merely rushed in and swung her sword, but Kamijou hadnt been able to see even that simple action. So you can fight on the level of this dimension-severing attack? With two attacks that can slice through anything, some inconsistencies or contradictions may be created between the two laws. ...Your movements are different from before. It seems you too will get tripped up if you hold back. Those words had been intended to protect Kamijou, but the boy himself knew in his heart it wasnt true. His instincts told him that the princess who excelled at military matters may regulate herself, but she did not hold back. At any rate, this thing can be quite difficult to use. You need to ensure that unnecessary side effects and openings are not created while paying the price required by the situation to get the desired result. The ability to make strategies that prevent unneeded expenditure, reductions, or shortness of breath is a needed skill. The two repelled each others weapon and then swung their own blade again. Their bodies blurred. From there, they entered a series of attacks and defenses where Kamijou had a hard time determining where exactly they were. Continuous explosive noises as if from a machine gun continued as sparkling objects flew between the two women. Around Kanzaki were broken wires and around Carissa were the fangs of wreckage that appeared with each strike. The situation was not one Kamijou could directly help with, but Imagine Breaker was still an irregular threat to Curtana Original. (Then the only thing I can do is...!!) Kamijou made up his mind and ran in a route around their battle. He was attempting to move outside of Carissas vision. Even if that was actually impossible, he was making sure Carissa had to keep an eye on him. Heh. How brave of you, Carissa said to him having realized what he was trying to do and while continuing to cross swords with Kanzaki at high speed. But it will just get you killed. An explosive noise rang out as one of the pieces of dimensional wreckage that had naturally been created in her fight, one with a pointed end, was knocked back towards Kamijou with her heel. It was much like a lance thrown by a powerful soldier. !? Kamijou frantically twisted his body, but an injury raced along his cheek. It was more like a scrape from falling on some rocks on the beach than a cut from a blade. Seeing that, Kanzaki ignored her own danger and yelled out. Kamijou Touma!! Dont worry about me! Push forward!! yelled Kamijou to keep Kanzaki from switching over to a strategy that would prevent others from being caught up in the fight. That was when the reinforcements arrived. The Amakusa Church showed up armed with swords, spears, axes, hammers, bows, and staffs. Tatemiya Saiji with his Flamberge and Itsuwa with her Friuli Spear stood at the center of them. The former Agnese Forces showed up with Agnese armed with her Lotus Wand, Lucia armed with her giant wheel, Angelene armed with her numerous gold coin bags, and the other nuns armed with various other spiritual items. Orsola Aquinas, Sherry Cromwell with her golem, and others were also gathered. It didnt look like much of anyone was missing from the original group that had entered London. Having arrived late, they first looked on in shock at the way Kanzaki and Carissa were fighting and then held their ground beginning to assist. Some aimed between the two fighting women''s battle to hit Carissa with long distance attacks and others started in for close quarters combat as a group to lower Kanzakis burden. Carissa clicked her tongue. Ah, youre really going to make me take on unnecessary costs, arent you? I suppose I should have left a few knights to deal with people like you. Even so, the second princess was not defeated. While continuing to exchange blows with Kanzaki, Carissa used even the flow of created dimensional wreckage as part of her strategy. She created objects that had sharp ends like giant fangs or ribs and sent them flying in all directions. They blocked attacks rushing in at tremendous speed from different directions, acted as walls to stop people from rushing in, and acted as projectiles to counterattack with. As Kamijou frantically evaded those attacks, he was reminded of a game of otedama. Carissa had two hands, but only one weapon. Even so, she managed to respond to attacks and actions from hundreds of enemies at the same time. The back alley street fight strategy of using a large group to create a wave of people that completely washed away an individual didnt even work on her. And then the Griffin Skies returned to the fight. Moving along with the red fortresses in the sky, the 20 meter lances started moving along the ground again. One of them plowed into the Golem Ellis that Sherry Cromwell controlled blowing it away. Having received that powerful strike, the mass of stone came to pieces in midair and rained down on the heads of the former Agnese Forces. Seeing Agnese and Lucia franticly attempt to evade, Kanzaki clicked her tongue. She turned towards her fellow Amakusa members and spoke. Split into a Carissa team and a Griffin team! Those mobile fortresses are at an altitude between 20 and 50 meters...Thats high enough for Peters Anti-Flight spell to work. Ushibuka, Kouyagi, Nomozaki! Can you three put together a spell to bring them down!? We can, but they have a giant shield protecting them. I dont know if we can get through that!! Despite saying that, Ushibuka and the others quickly started to take action. With the Golem Ellis destroyed, the Griffin Sky turned around again and moved in for the Amakusas, but it suddenly lost its balance. The giant lance rushing along the surface struck the black soil and created a tsunami of dirt and sand. The spiritual item held more destructive force than its mass or speed indicated it should have. However, it was not brought down. The unsteady Griffin Sky regained its balance and continued its attack run on the Amakusas. Oh, shi-...!! No, that was enough!! Kanzaki said, cutting Ushibuka off as she used her Saints strength to rush forward. Her target was the giant lance that had lost speed from contacting the ground. Kanzaki grabbed the lance with both hands from the side where it did not have its explosive destructive power as a spiritual item. She spun her body by twisting her hips to spin it around. The giant lance and the Griffin Sky were linked using its shadow. By grabbing the lance and swinging it around like that, Kanzaki caused the Griffin Sky above to rotate around like it was caught in a tornado. It was possible that the magical connection to the lance could be severed in case the lance got caught on a solid fortress, but it was no use. Kanzaki was not simply spinning the Griffin Sky around with her strength. She was also using high level magic to obstruct any kind of emergency cancel while at the same time using her physical strength as a Saint. As Kanzaki swung around the Griffin Sky, 4 of the same types of mobile fortresses got caught in it and formed a single mass. To finish off her attack, Kanzaki changed the angle of the giant axis she was swinging around to a straight line down. It was like she was wielding an incredibly giant morning star. And of course, her target was Second Princess Carissa and Curtana Original. There was an incredibly loud noise, but it had not been caused by the impact of the numerous Griffin Skies. It was the sound of Carissa stabbing Curtana Original upwards slicing the morning star apart with a single strike. Dammit!! That was a hammer made up of 5 mobile fortresses! yelled the old Isahaya in defense of Kanzaki. Meanwhile, Itsuwa spoke loudly to encourage the others while wielding her Friuli Spear. B-but now we know that they can be brought down! Lets continue breaking into groups and increase our attacks on the Griffin Skies. The more of them we can take out, the more people can focus on Carissa which should increase our chances of victory!! They nodded, split into two groups with no discussion on who went where, and then headed off to their respective foes. After having temporarily left the battle line to her comrades, Kanzaki controlled her breathing to recover some of her lost stamina and then lightly jumped over in Kamijous direction. I hate to say it, but it looks like I really am going to have to rely on your right hand. Can you negate Carissas dimensional slicing attack itself? Kanzaki continued to jump around deflecting the white objects as she spoke to Kamijou in a low voice. It is a powerful slicing attack that also creates projectiles. Negating even one strike would greatly shake the strategy she has built up and it might create an opening I could exploit. Ill try, but I cant guarantee anything. Kamijou clenched his right fist. I just cant grasp the rules behind it. Before you got here, I tried a couple of times and it worked sometimes and didnt work sometimes. Then one of the red Griffin Skies was shot down by a barrage of pitch black darkness from the distant Selkie Aquarium. With the passenger plane-sized object falling in their direction, Kanzaki grabbed Kamijou and jumped 200 meters away. In China, there is a legend of three different swords. For the strongest among them, it gives no feeling of having killed someone upon killing them and the person killed does not even realize it and continues living. ...Well, it is really just a metaphor used for ideological teaching, but it seems Curtana can truly accomplish that metaphor. ? Basically, the cutting strike is simply too sharp, so there is a bit of a lag before any signs of the object being sliced show up. The cross section wreckage does not appear in the three dimensional world until 1.25 seconds after the dimensions are sliced. ...You made that analysis during that high speed battle? Kamijou said in complete shock. I had to, Kanzaki simply responded. The only magical phenomenon is the ability to sever dimensions. The dimensional wreckage is nothing more than a natural phenomenon brought about by the magic. It is like the relationship between magical fire and the ash the fire creates. Your right hand can negate the strike itself, but it can do nothing about the wreckage created afterwards. So... If you attack the area Curtana passes through within 1.25 seconds after the attack, you can negate the strike and prevent the dimensional wreckage from appearing. 1.25 seconds. A time accurate past the decimal like that was not something a mere high school student could have a real feel for. So its a cross-counter where Im completely screwed if I fuck it up... I am not telling you to go in and finish this. I am merely asking you to reach out if Carissa attempts to create a gigantic object with large scale and long distance slice and it is within your reach. Understood. So I just wait for a good opportunity. Kanzaki tapped his shoulder as a sign of trust before she gathered strength in her abdomen to jump back into the fray around Carissa. However, the situation did not wait around. With a tremendous noise, a giant flower opened up with the second princess at its center. The flower was made up of deadly sharp white flower petals woven together. The projectiles shot in all directions and blew the primarily Amakusa close quarters fighters a great distance away. Itsuwa!! Tatemiya!? Kamijou yelled, but Carissa opened her mouth to speak before they could respond. Oh, are you neglecting to guard your comrades so you can discuss strategy? Its like youre asking me to kill them. As she finished speaking, the second princess jumped. She must have been borrowing Telesma from Curtana because she jumped 10 meters straight up. Holding up her sword in midair, she aimed for her target during her descent. Kanzaki immediately took action. Kamijou Toumas right hand held an important role in destroying Curtana Original. That was why she immediately assumed that Carissa was intending to kill him. No! It isnt me!! As Kamijou tried to push Kanzaki out of the way, Carissa swung Curtana in midair. A blank white board was created in midair and the second princess forcefully kicked it. Her trajectory changed at an acute angle. Her course changed from one towards Kamijou Touma to one towards Third Princess Villian who was staring in complete surprise. !? Villian immediately tried to bring her bowgun up, but it was too late. With a loud impact, Carissa landed near the third princess and dragged her sister off the ground with one hand. By the time Villian raised her head, the end of Curtana Original was already pressed against her throat. That sword had no tip or blade, but it still held the ability to slice through all whole number dimensions. You cant even use any proper magic. Why are you here? Did you succumb to some strange sense of justice? Or were you just afraid of the main fighting force leaving you behind and alone? Villian must have gotten some advice from the Anglicans because her bowgun had a number of tricks to it. However, those tricks were nothing but trash to Carissa who held Englands greatest spiritual item, Curtana Original. It drew red, blue, yellow, and green lines with magic of the four elements and their distribution could form various types of magic, but that level of magic would have no more effect than a childs love fortune. Were you just overcome with ecstasy when you helped send my Curtana Original out of control by activating your own magic for the first time down there in the subway? ...So you get innocently excited over a single lucky shot? Well, that is the limit of what you can do, little miss princess. Carissa sneered down at her sister while practically straddling her. But her expression suddenly froze. ...So this is it. This is the terrible thing William and the innocent servants and cooks were faced with in order to allow me to escape. The third princess glared straight back at her older sister. She glared back to express her intention to win. Then it is about time that I stood up to fight. As a princess of this nation, I need to become the kind of person that creates a roof that can protect everyone from this kind of fear!! As she yelled, Villian ignored the sword at her throat and prepared her bowgun. Staring up at Carissa, she unhesitatingly pulled the trigger as if to say she was prepared to die to take out her sister. She fired a special arrow that had an arrowhead on the tip that functioned as a spiritual item. !? For the first time, Carissas expression changed. All she had done was move her head to the side. However, that had been enough for her to evade the arrow that her little sister had put her all into. Even though the bowgun had been altered to make it easier to use for Villians slender feminine arms, it would still take at least 5 seconds to load a new arrow. In that time, Carissa could easily have Curtana Original sever every dimension along with Villians head. It is time for you to sleep, dreamer, Carissa said in a dreadfully expressionless face the likes of which she had not shown before. And then... The arrow Carissa had evaded causing it to continue to fly up into the night sky struck the large scale flash spell from Coven Compass. The arrow Villian had been using had magical effects built in. Carissa had assumed they were the type that would widen a wound, but a change occurred in the large scale flash spell once the arrow hit it. The pure white light turned into a mass of water weighing a few dozen tons and surged ominously in the night sky. The giant mass might have seemed like a whip had it not been more than the size of a radio tower. As its end bent, it got wrapped around one of the red Griffin Skies and headed for Carissa. (A combination attack!?) Villian herself did not have the power or knowledge to use magic properly. However, that changed when she could use the massive amount of magic power being sent by Coven Compass. Instead of preparing a huge piece of magic that created a large explosion, Villian just had to use a small piece of magic she could activate herself to trigger that explosion. And the Anglican Church had Index Librorum Prohibitorum and the 103,000 grimoires she had stored. With the advice of multiple magicians, she could put together different magical symbols in the arrowhead to make that phenomenon possible. Dammit!! A petty trick!? Carissa rolled out of the way to avoid the mass of water. Villian forced her faintly trembling hands to pull back the shotgun-like slide and load another arrow. Sister, did you know that I am said to excel in benevolence the same way you are said to excel in military matters? Youre trying to justify relying on others? It pisses me off that Im sisters with someone like you!! Something invisible was emitted around Carissa. Not backing down, Villian calmly aimed the bowgun into the night sky above Carissas head. The fired arrow once again struck Coven Compasss attack, but Carissa paid it no heed and ran straight for Villian. Upon striking the giant pillar of light, the arrow turned to a large number of golf ball-sized spheres that rained down on Carissa. But Carissa borrowed Curtanas power to exceed the human level of movement. She made quick zigzags to evade the downpour while continuing to get closer to Villian. This is the limit of what relying on others can get you!! Carissa swung Curtana Original at Villian who now truly had nothing left at her disposal. The timing gave her no chance to evade or defend. All that was left was for the third princesss head to fall to the ground, but... Yes, this is the peak of what relying on others can get me, sister. A tremendous noise rang out. It was the sound of a great number of footsteps. Villians body disappeared from in front of Carissa and was replaced by Tatemiya, Itsuwa, the other Amakusas, and the other close quarters combat fighters. Their speed was clearly different from before. That vanguard was clearly 3 or 4 times faster than before and Carissa gritted her teeth as she swung Curtana Original to create some dimensional wreckage to deal with them. (So that downpour of spheres wasnt an attack! It was a boost for physical abilities!!) As she fought at high speed, Carissa stared at Villian who now stood a distance away. Having been lowered to the ground by Kanzaki, the third princess spoke with a confidence she never had before. That is why I told you I am the princess that excels at benevolence. Hah! Do you truly intend to win with such shallow thinking!? Carissa fell back and gave a large swing of Curtana Original. The spell that boosted the vanguards physical abilities using Coven Compasss power had buried into the ground like bullets, so she created a giant 100 meter piece of dimensional wreckage that dug up the ground itself. She then destroyed every single one of the hundreds of cores that were supporting the magic. (Its over, Villian. Once I stop them, I will chop you to pieces in a public execution!!) Carissa then swung Curtana Original with all her might by swinging her whole body around. However, the dimensions were not sliced. There was no resistance as if it had just slipped out and Carissa frowned. The cause had been a boy named Kamijou Touma. Thats right. That boy had already been asked by Kanzaki Kaori to swing his fist up when Carissa attempted to make a large scale, long distance slice into the dimensions. With what sounded like the snap of a whip, the partially sliced dimensions returned to normal. As if in unison with that misfire, Third Princess Villian fired her bowgun into the night sky once more. (Is it coming...!?) Carissa instinctively held Curtana Original up above her head to defend against a large combination attack with Coven Compass. But the third princesss benevolence did not end there. Next, some words rang out. B A O C D!! (Distort the trajectory. Alter it to head down!!) Those words belonged to the girl who had accurately memorized 103,000 grimoires. She was using a method of interception called Spell Intercept that was meant to interfere with anothers magic. However, she did not use it on Carissas Curtana Original. The girl, Index, had not yet fully analyzed the spell controlling Curtana. In her hand was a communications spiritual item connected to Coven Compass. In other words, she had altered the supposedly straight trajectory of the large scale flash spell. Wha-...? For the first time, Second Princess Carissas expression turned to one of surprise instead of one of anger. The giant pillar of light fired by Coven Compass bent at a right angle as if to avoid the arrow fired by Villians bowgun. Its trajectory changed to one heading straight down from the sky, pierced through the Griffin Skies in the way, and headed straight for Carissa through an opening in Curtana Originals defenses. There was an explosion. The explosion was so great that it knocked away even the magicians spread out around Carissa. Kamijou Toumas sense of hearing was blown away. A great amount of dust flew up into the night sky. A crater with a radius of greater than 20 meters had formed around the area where the large scale flash spell had struck. The Amakusas and the other close quarters fighters stood back up coughing. Kamijou started to wonder if they had overdone it. He started to worry about the enemy, but then he learned just how wrong he had been to do so. ...I have to admit, that was effective. A chill ran down Kamijous spine. The atmosphere of relief that had spread around the area vanished in an instant. The mountain of dust was blown away from a whirlwind in the center. Standing there was Second Princess Carissa holding Curtana Original. Her red leather-covered dress had mud covering it and it was ripped in places. Some parts of her skin seemed to be oozing some red liquid, but she was still doing quite well and Curtana was not broken. (Seriously...?) Kamijou realized his legs were trembling slightly. He was reminded of the seemingly eternal fights in RPGs with monsters that had massive amounts of HP. (She can take a direct hit from an attack of that level? I dont know the specifics, but that barrage is meant to attack fortresses. Ignoring the application and overall battle ability, that attack might have had more raw destructive power than one of Kanzakis attacks. She took a direct hit from that and got nothing more than a few scratches!?) ...It really looks like we cant do anything about her without first destroying Curtana Original, Kanzaki muttered with a bitter expression. With an enemy that couldnt be defeated even with that attack, Kamijou seriously wondered how he was supposed to get close enough to her to use his right hand. Meanwhile, Carissa rested her sword on her shoulder and looked around the night sky. There had originally been around 20 Griffin Skies, but the long distance attacks from Coven Compass and Selkie Aquarium in addition to the attacks from the Anglicans on the ground had almost completely wiped them out. Only one was still barely managing to fly with its damage, but it lost its balance and crashed as Carissa watched. It looks like this is the limit of unmanned weapons. No, it was because I used them for interception when they are designed to attack fortresses. There may not be a real problem with their specs. At any rate, youre the only one left now. If we push forward now... What? Do you think you leveled up by defeating some lower level enemies or something? You apparently dont have a very high estimation of the head of state wielding Curtana Original. Carissa moved her gaze back from the night sky and looked over at Kamijou with the sword still on her shoulder. She reached her other hand for the open cleavage of her dress and pulled out a small radio. And I never said anything about those being the only lower level enemies at my disposal. !? Kamijou focused on Carissas radio thinking she was going to call in yet a different type of mobile fortress. However, that was not what she was doing. First of all, why was she using a normal radio instead of a magical spiritual item? At any rate, Carissa spoke into the radio. Calling the destroyer Wimbledon that is currently patrolling in the Strait of Dover. Prepare one of the cruise missiles loaded with a bunker cluster warhead. Set the detonation depth of the warhead for minus 5 meters and aim the missiles for Buckingham Palace...Fire immediately. The first person to stiffen at those words was of course Kamijou Touma of the science side. A-a bunker cluster!? Oh, youre familiar with them? They are special warheads developed to destroy military shelters. They scatter around 200 smaller bombs in the air, so I would have been taking out my own forces if I had fired this while the Griffin Skies were still here. As Carissa held Curtana Original in one hand and the radio connected to the destroyer in her left, her most villainous smile yet spread across her face. I was planning on firing this after creating a bit more of a sense of danger that brought my mother here, but the Griffin Skies were defeated ahead of schedule. I have no choice but to move the schedule up a bit. Shit!! That warhead will blow away an area with a radius of 3 kilometers in every direction!! Buckingham Palace isnt going to be the only place hit. One shot will be enough to do serious damage to London!! You can shout all you want, but a cruise missile is quite fast. With the Concorde and the Eurofighter, France and other EU countries have been demanding quite a bit of money for development, but that has strengthened this countrys supersonic technology. I believe the obsession with the shape of the cruise missiles stowable wings have brought them to the level of being at or near Mach 5 at low altitude. It wont even take one minute to travel the 100 kilometers. Dammit!! Three kilometers in sixty seconds. That wasnt a distance human legs could take someone. That may be different for a Saint like Kanzaki, but most of the Anglicans there would not make it in time. I wont let you do that, said Kanzaki Kaori cutting off Kamijous thoughts. She checked over the wires in her hand. I will set up a defense barrier in the air to intercept them. A range of 3 kilometers in every direction and about 200 smaller explosives spreading out...That is not an impossible scale to deal with!! Its true that you may be able to deal with a bunker cluster using magic. Carissa smiled. She was surely only standing there because she was confident she could escape the blast unscathed using Curtana Originals power. She pointed up into the night sky with the hand holding the radio. There was an artificial point of light there that was clearly not a star. But you dont have time for that kind of preparation. !! Kanzaki strung the seven wires up into the night sky as if the repel Carissas words. The wires formed a three dimensional magic circle and bluish white light ran across them creating a thick wall covering up an entire city block. That was the special magic of a Saint that was an order of magnitude greater than normal magic. However... Youre defenseless. As I expected. ...!? Kanzaki!! Kamijou yelled out, but Carissa was faster as she swung Curtana Original while licking her lips. The tremendous noise of the severing of dimensions was heard as everything turned to rubble. Kanzaki barely managed to avoid the 100 meter cross section, but that delayed her from preparing her defensive spell. The thick wall that was supposed to be covering the night sky was torn apart in a straight line. The cruise missile continued to approach. Kanzaki started to construct the defensive spell again, but she did not make it in time. At about 4000 meters in the air, the tube shaped missile split into four pieces. With the outer shell removed, the 200 explosives inside appeared and spread out into the sky. They rained down like spears because they used the energy from their high altitude fall to penetrate into shelters buried deep in the ground. Carissa had said the detonation depth was set at negative five meters. Because she wanted to blow away Kamijou and the others who were on the surface, she had set it to explode above ground. Kamijou thought he heard someone yelling run. However, he could not move and merely stared dumbfounded in Carissas direction. She was his enemy. Englands second princess spread her arms wide as if to accept the lights blessing. As she looked up at the 200 points of light in the night sky with satisfaction, Carissa noticed Kamijous gaze. She returned his gaze and put on a new expression that could not at all be described as a smile. She then said something, but Kamijou could not tell what it was. Immediately afterwards, the bunker cluster attacked Buckingham Palace. There was no sound. Kamijous eyes could see nothing but pure white. All he could sense was that his body was being thrown somewhere. The great number of explosives did not explode in the air or on the surface. They first dug down into the ground and then exploded back up from under the ground. He lost consciousness at least for a moment. He groaned a bit, moved his fingers, and then finally realized that he was still alive. He could tell he was coughing, but he couldnt hear it. He tried to turn his head, but his body would not do what he told it to. Even so, he managed to awkwardly move his mud-covered arms and legs in order to slowly stand up. It was the first time he had felt that surprised that he possessed all his limbs. He looked around. Surprisingly, the fire and destruction had not spread into the city of London. It may have been due to the defensive barrier Kanzaki had put up partway through. Most of the 200 explosives had been detonated early in the sky. The ones that had come down on top of Kamijou and the others had fallen through a gap in the barrier that had been sliced open by Curtana Original. The destruction caused by the ones that had made it through had been weakened by the defensive spells cast by the magicians. But... Index...? Kamijou ignored his own dirt covered head and looked around in shock. No response came. Kanzaki, Itsuwa? The boys voice echoed in the silence. Dirt had been torn up, buildings had collapsed, and his own footing was shaky. Standing in the middle of a burnt field, Kamijou somehow managed to move his trembling lips. Sherry, Agnese! Oriana!! Dammit...Orsola, Lucia, Angelene! Tatemiya, Villian!! Fuck. Someone...anyone, please answer!! A few moans came in response, but no clear voices did. Mostly everyone had collapsed. Some people may have been buried. That scene caused more intense damage to Kamijous heart than the shockwave did to his body. He could not even hazard a guess at how many levels of trump cards their opponent had. Kamijous heart simply couldnt keep up. A single figure stood in the center of it all seeming to transcend the scene. It was Second Princess Carissa. The woman in the red dress resting Curtana Original on her shoulder spoke. Now then. Do you still have any hope left? She smiled and brought the radio closer to her mouth with her other hand. She spoke mercilessly and purposefully letting him hear. Destroyer Wimbledon, prepare to fire another bunker cluster. Part 6 First Princess Rimea had removed her trademarked monocle. In its place, she was peering through an antique telescope that looked like it was something used by a sea captain during the Age of Exploration. (...Oh, dear. And this countrys magicians should have known just how fearsome an existence the head of state with Curtana Original is. I suppose the Anglican remnants are on the verge of destruction upon being given a clear view of what that existence is.) Rimea was hiding on top of a building in London. As she watched the distant battlefield, a smile appeared on her lips. A voice reached her ears from a communications spiritual item. She had avoided using it up to that point, but she had determined that Carissa was too focused on the area near Buckingham Palace to detect the origin of the magic power. Hey, miss. Our youths have done a sweep of Edinburgh and it seems everything is just as you predicted. The voice belonged to a kind older man. He used none of the usual concern of one speaking with a member of the Royal Family, but that actually made Rimeas smile widen. After all, he did not even know she was a princess and she preferred these kinds of people that did not try to use her for her position. So, I can assume that that is the grave? The scale is a little smaller, but your level of accuracy is quite something. This is clearly suitable to be the grave of the king of an entire culture. If you stuffed Khufus pyramid into a single room, you would probably end up with something like this. Ill send you the data. With those last words, a black dot that looked like ink appeared on the parchment lying next to Rimea. Starting from that dot, diagrams and cursive letters started appearing as if an invisible quill were writing on the parchment. Rimea put back on her monocle and looked over the numbers before nodding in satisfaction. I see... Now weve more or less grasped the aim of the coup detats leader, she muttered as she moved her gaze from the parchment. Its true that this makes it reasonable to not kill them. ...Hey, miss. Where did you get all this dangerous information? I know you claim to be a member of an old magician family that controls Stonehenge, but... Hee hee hee. If you want to reveal the secrets of a beauty, you should get to know her a little better first. After that remark, Rimea severed the connection. She then changed where the spiritual item was directed and activated it again. Thanks to her reliable comrades who did not know who she really was, she now had all the necessary pieces. Afterwards, she simply had to take an action most befitting of the princess said to represent intellect. At that time, all of the knights in charge of guarding the Second Princess at Buckingham Palace were collapsed. They had been punished in order to bring the knights back together after doubts started forming about Carissas control of Curtana Original. It was true that they had started to be disheartened at her lack of control over the blade. However, that thinking had been na?ve. Even if she had lost control once, Carissas overwhelming power with Curtana Original had simply been too much for the young knights to do anything about. A presence moved amid them. One of the suits of armor lying around like pieces of junk slowly rose up. He wondered where he was. He was not within Buckingham Palace where their blood had been shed. He seemed to be inside a large building. From a distance, he could see intermittent flashes and could hear explosions. There was a time lag between the flashes and the explosions like between lightning and thunder. The young knight moved his hurting head around as if he were looking for something. What had awoken him from unconsciousness was a female voice coming from a communications spiritual item. Listen. This is First Princess Rimea of the Royal Family. Normally, receiving a transmission like that would have required a certain obligatory vigilance, but his head was so hazy due to the pain that the he couldnt recall the proper process. Instead, he simply listened to the voice silently. Due to a report from one of my spies in Edinburgh, I now know the true aim of Carissas coup detat. Most likely, she has not informed you in the knights of this, but this is the true goal hidden in my sisters heart. (...) The young knight slowly looked around. It seemed he was the only one alive amid the pile of bodies. He wondered why. The reason he had survived after having his muscles, bones, organs, and nerves injured by the now tyrannical Carissa was a mystery, but so was whoever that took him unconscious from Buckingham Palace. However, he did not think too deeply about it. Whatever the reason, it did not change the fact that he was merely a sacrificial pawn even after giving his all and risking his life for Second Princess Carissas revolution. He no longer even felt the natural anger at being betrayed. The young knight almost collapsed again overtaken by an overwhelming lethargy. As the representative that rules over this countrys military, she feels more responsibility than anyone over the threat the Roman-Russian alliance poses to the United Kingdom. The countrys military strength has been robbed using the treaty banning cluster bombs and other types of weapons and the Eurotunnel bombing provoked the nation itself. Carissa came to the following conclusion. The young knight who was about to collapse heard a different noise. He wasnt alone. He heard the sound of scraping metal and turned around. He saw a fellow knight trying to stand up despite his hazy mind. She concluded that England would lose its value and dignity as a nation as things were going. Just for being British, other countries would look down on people and an era of persecution would begin. So Carissa decided that she had no choice but to maintain the countrys value and dignity via military force so the British people would not be destroyed by the era of change that war would bring. At first, they were not listening carefully to Rimeas words. The intense pain running across their entire body was too much for that and they had just been subjected to Carissas tyranny. Any kind of words that seemed to defend her sounded like deception to them. At the same time, Carissa was worried. Due to her talent in military matters, she understood better than anyone the double-sided fear that Curtanas strength brought. If the head of state did not have Curtana, if the monarchy that had been so absolute were not there, would she have a chance to listen to the voices of the people and adjust the direction the country was headed in before the war with the Roman Catholic Church became that bad? However, the young knights realized something bit by bit. Their muscles, bones, organs, and nerves had supposedly been damaged. Carissa had supposedly carried that out as a punishment. She had given them such horrible pain that it would bind all who watched it with fear. For that reason, their bodies had supposedly been injured to the very core. So why had they been able to rise up so easily? They hadnt fallen back down due to broken bones and they did not have any after effects that would stick with them for the rest of their lives. It was almost as if someone had aimed for but purposefully missed all the vital points of a human. And why had there been no deaths after such brutality? At the same time that Carissa became determined to use Curtana Original as a trump card against France and the Roman Catholic Church, she also planned on completely sealing that ultimate weapon once the fighting was over. ...She wanted to create a system where someone could stop a leader that was leading the country down the wrong path. To do that, simply utterly destroying Curtana was not enough. Rimeas voice continued on in the otherwise silent room. Even if she killed every member of the Royal Family and destroyed both Curtana Original and Second, it would be possible for a new royal bloodline to appear after 100 or 1000 years. The ruins of the destroyed blades could be analyzed to develop a Curtana Third or a new spiritual item that we cannot even imagine now. ...After all, Curtana Original was thought to have been lost to history, but Carissa managed to acquire it after such a long time. While that helped Carissa gain the power she needed, it also pained her greatly. The young knights could not answer their own questions, so they merely listened. The queen and the knights ruling structure constructed from Curtana and the All-English Continent has reserve power built in. Even when the Original was lost, their rule continued because they had purposefully left behind the ability to make a Second. For example, the Original had the clue for the analysis needed to create a Second prepared within it and forethought had gone into making sure the structure of the All-English Continent would not be thrown into chaos when the Second was activated once the Original was lost. ...Carissa wanted to ensure that not just the currently existing Original and Second were sealed, but that the possibility of creating yet another Curtana at a later point was sealed as well. One of the young knights looked out the window. He saw Carissas back as she fought within the grounds of the destroyed palace. He was a few kilometers away, but he had a search spell cast on him for sniping, so that did not matter. He could see the unfolding battle at Buckingham Palace as if it were right in front of him. Carissa seemed to reign supreme in the center of a storm as she used Curtana Originals power to her hearts content and even called in a cruise missile loaded with a bunker cluster warhead. However, she looked somehow sad to the young knight. Carissas aim is to kill every member of the Royal Family that can use Curtana and mess with the currently existing Original and Second in order to destroy the clue for making a Third within them. That way, she could completely prevent a monarch from appearing later who uses Curtana to send the country in the wrong direction. Buckingham Palaces destruction is not just due to the Anglican attack. Carissa has crushed the possibility of a Curtana Third being created by utterly destroying the coded documents and paintings that cannot be decoded by current magicians but are thought to have been analyzed to create Curtana Second. ...Once the war with France and the Roman Catholic Church is over, Carissa will destroy and seal Curtana Original and Second and then take the remains deep within her grave for the rest of her life. Someone slowly stood up. He was mysteriously able to stand up. He was not able to do so simply due to the power of the knights alone. Carissa had made sure he would be able to from the beginning. She had made sure the knights who helped her with the coup detat would be able to survive. The second princess had become a tyrant all on her own and taken even the responsibility the knights should have had to bear onto her own shoulders. The young knight thought to himself that he wanted to fight for her. But he also knew that doing so would be the same as following Carissas orders and letting the coup detat succeed. My conclusion is that Carissa has two goals. Her first is to protect England by becoming an overwhelming tyrant in order to eliminate France and the Roman Catholic Church even if it makes her a blot on the countrys history. Her second is to seal the powerful but terrible weapon that is Curtana and eliminate the incompetent monarchy to ensure that the people are never oppressed by a runaway state. ...And even if various factors lead to a new monarchy being formed, it would be weak enough that it would have to listen to the voices of the people preventing it from making the wrong decisions. To carry this out, Carissa intends to make sure the tyrannical crime of wielding the inhuman weapon of Curtana to slaughter all the countries enemies, both external and internal, is carried on her shoulders alone. If only Carissa could remain the type of person that could not kill the subordinates who doubted her. She could not be allowed to stray from her path any further. Surely there was a way to overcome the crisis caused by the Roman Catholic Church without using Curtana Originals power. Yes, if only the queen and three princesses, Carissa included, could join forces. And... Standing atop the building, Knight Leader listened to First Princess Rimeas words. I cannot force you to take action. You have families, friends, and lovers that you must protect as well as the country. I will not deny you the option to flee if you want to make sure they do not have to mourn for you. Knight Leader silently shut his eyes. Rimea brought her long talk to a close. But if any of you pity my sister Carissa, if any of you knights wish to save her not as the second princess but as a mere woman, then will you take up your swords now? She is most likely a woman who can be saved by just that. This is not about the amount of power you can wield. She will be saved just by knowing that there are people truly willing to fight for her. For a bit, there was nothing but silence. Most likely, that same silence hung over the entirety of the United Kingdom. They contemplated what Rimea had said and came to a single conclusion. Each of them freely came to their conclusion as a knight, as a man, as a human. (It seems I dont even need to send out an order.) Knight Leader silently nodded and pulled a sword out of nowhere. He had lost the power from Curtana and the All-English Continent, so it was simply a silver longsword that could not even change its color to red. However, the naked steel looked stronger than it ever had before. (Words are not needed because what we must do is clear.) That knights sword was once more being used for its proper purpose. The head of the knights who held it jumped at high speed from building to building. First Princess Rimea smiled thinly. Knight Leader had been standing behind her until just a bit ago, but she had not turned around even once. She did not trust anyone who knew that she was the first princess. But that was not why she had not turned around. Rimea was not the type to show her back to one she did not trust. (Carissa started this coup detat thinking of the people, but has changed so much in carrying it out. Villian has grown so much by seeing the suffering of the people caused by the coup detat.) Rimea thought as she looked through the telescope once again to check on the battle. (I wonder if I too have grown stronger from all this.) Part 7 Without wiping the mud from her hair, Villian stared dimly at the back of a certain boy as she lay on the ground. The bunker cluster bomb had just about wiped out the remaining Anglican forces, but that boy continued to oppose Carissa. Villian was practically on the verge of death like most of the Anglicans when a transmission from her eldest sister Rimea reached her ears. Had that boy heard the transmission, too? He may have heard the same transmission being broadcast from a spiritual item that had fallen amidst the rubble in the battlefield, but he might not have. Either way, he did not waver. The Anglicans wavered upon learning of Carissas true aim, but he alone did not. What will you do now? The second bunker cluster has been fired! And unlike last time, the magicians dont have any power to spare in order to put up a defensive barrier!! !! Dammit. Im not giving up!! Ha ha ha!! Do you think Ill send a self-destruct signal to the missile in order to save my life if you destroy Curtana Original? This isnt a nuclear missile were talking about. That warhead doesnt have a self-destruct!! This isnt over yet!! Selkie Aquarium can send a barrage to take it out!! I suppose that is somewhat realistic... But if they could do that, they would have done so on the previous shot. That might work with a piece of junk from France that lost a good bit of its adaptability because of their stubborn insistence to develop it and produce it in their own country, but this cruise missile will not be so easily shot down!! Unlike William Orwell, he was a mercenary without complete principles or ideologies. It was true that he could not always choose the correct option. He had been fooled by Carissa and the knights and had been unable to prevent the coup detat from happening. But that did not stop that boy. Even if he had made a mistake, he would not give up. No matter how bad the situation became, he would try to find the best strategy to turn the situation around. That was why this boy did not waver at the current situation. He may smile and invite in the situation, but he would not hesitate from shock. Who was more noble, the one who made sure he was right from the beginning or the one who made sure everyone was smiling in the end? Look, here it is! The bunker cluster is here! Carissa, the tyrant whose inner thoughts had been revealed by Rimea, spread her arms wide looking up at the night sky. At one point in the dark sky, the point of light that was the missile appeared. Its over for you, you ignorant fools!! This is the power of the military!! !! Betting on a slim chance, the boy looked around the area trying to find a communications spiritual item that connected to either Coven Compass or Selkie Aquarium. However, the mountain of rubble that the palace grounds had become made finding one difficult and his lack of magical knowledge meant he might not have been able to spot one had it been right next to him. As he searched, the cruise missile approached Buckingham Palace. If something didnt change, it would scatter the 200 smaller explosives and an area of the city with a radius of 3 kilometers around the palace would truly be blown away. And then... To zero!! A new voice reached Villians ears from a distance. Immediately afterwards, the cruise missile malfunctioned instead of scattering the smaller explosives in every direction. Even when it reached the designated point, the missiles outer shell did not open, the flame propelling it from the back disappeared, and it fell to a road outside the palace grounds like a wild pitch. The cruise missile had to have weighed quite a bit, but it rolled while bouncing multiple times instead of piercing into the road. It was an unnatural scene almost as if all of the attack power it had as a weapon had been stripped from it. As the third princess stared blankly, the sharp sound of the air being sliced reached her ears. It was the sound of a piece of dimensional wreckage created by Curtana Original. Carissa had kicked the 3 meter long sharp stake. It came roaring directly towards Villians face, but it did not hit her. Knight Leader had suddenly cut in from the side and punched the 3 meter stake away with his right fist. With a loud impact, blood shot from between his fingers. But Knight Leaders expression did not change. He merely looked down at his fist. ...It seems that it truly does not work on Curtana Original or the phenomena derived from its powers. Knight Leader...? called Villian in a shaking voice, but he did not turn in her direction. A great number of knights had appeared along with him and he spoke without looking at Villian. I will accept my punishment. Once this coup detat is over, you may decapitate me if you wish. He spoke those words with no hesitation. For the very first time, Knight Leader spoke of what he had helped start as a coup detat instead of a revolution. However, at least allow us to make the necessary preparations for our judgement with our own hands. My only wish is that the Royal Family can join forces once more and properly face France and the Roman Catholic Church. As he spoke, Knight Leader readjusted his grip on his sword with his bloody hand. He was no longer receiving any power from Curtana Original, so it was merely a knights longsword that had no special abilities. Lady Carissa has managed this much on her own. If she used that power properly and joined forces with the rest of the Royal Family, you could surely defeat the Roman Catholic Church. As she saw Knight Leader clearly heading into a situation he probably would not survive, Villians lips seemed to move on their own. As she tried to drag her aching body up, she spoke. Wait. That word was so powerful and sure that no one would have thought the third princess could have spoken it. Knight Leader stopped. Villian already held the power needed to get the head of the knights to turn around. Forcing yourself to head to a selfish death would only cause suffering. If you truly want to atone for what you have done, then do something that will make me rejoice. Think for yourself about what you must do. Actions taken of your own will are the ones that have meaning, not actions you are forced to take. Knight Leader reflected on what she had said. He then unhesitatingly stepped in between Kamijou and Carissa who were fighting even then. Split into two teams. The first will recover and heal the collapsed Anglicans. The other will commence attacks to directly stop Lady Carissa. After Knight Leader gave his brief instructions, the men wearing beaten up armor quickly began to move. They were not simply following orders. Every one of them, from the very top to the very bottom, were acting of their own will. ...We will win. We cannot allow Lady Carissa to remain alone any longer. The head of the knights stood next to Kamijou who was evading the giant white objects and attempting to negate Carissas dimensional slices whenever he had a chance. I apologize for leaving the fate of my country and the fate of my princesses to all of you. Kamijous response was concise. He didnt even look in Knight Leaders direction. Sure. Now lets work together to stop her. The two of them moved at once. Kamijou moved to negate the dimensional slices. Knight Leader attacked directly to hold back the movements of Curtana Original. Knight Leader held a longsword. The blade was about 80 cm long and made for use on horseback. He looked down at his own weapon and started muttering with a bitter expression on his face. (...So the lengthening truly has been sealed and I cannot use the pattern magic created from a synthesis of spells from different paths of knighthood around the world. I suppose that should be obvious as the power from Curtana is gone. All I can use are the Spell of Thororm that I created with my own power and the support spell for high speed movement. But the Spell of Thororm does not work on Curtana or any of the phenomena derived from its powers. Without the power from Curtana, I cannot even avoid having my sword fighting ability from being drastically reduced.) Knight Leader thought about how much of a disadvantage he was at, but he still smiled slightly. The smile was slightly smug as if he had regained his true self. (...I suppose I can only put out half my speed, but this is perfect for stopping her without killing her!!) I see. First it was Villian and her benevolence and now it is Rimea and her intellect!! Carissa yelled over the clashing of sword on sword. Yes, Knight Leaders longsword repelled Curtana Original. He had accurately struck the side of the sword where it could not create its dimensional slicing field. That speech was purposefully given with the perfect timing! For both the knights and the Anglicans it was just after Curtana Originals power had begun to break their wills! That was why it had such a great effect on them! It was the same as when you drink something sweet after eating something spicy!! Carissas fierce attacks did not stop. Her attacks and defenses continued against the monsters that were Knight Leader and the rest of the knights like a game of otedama. And to top it all off, that was not sent directed at all the knights! She made it sound like it was, but that message was directed at you personally! As she should have. The true pillar supporting the knights is its leader!! Your personal decision has a major effect on the view of the entire group. Having you change your view is a much more effective and predictable way of having the entire faction move than having each and every one of them choose of their own free will. That was a truly cunning speech befitting of the princess of intellect!! I do not mind. Knight Leaders expression did not collapse as he evaded Carissas attacks. His resolve had already hardened. Even if it was an act, it still functions as a driving force for me to save you. Being controlled by Lady Rimea and her intellect can be enjoyable, too!! Is that your pride as the head of the knights? But you cannot use your full power without help from Curtana Original. Or do you think you can keep up with me using some weak power from the Second!? Something as trivial as the presence or lack of power will not cause my resolve to waver!! Tch. What a disturbing man!! Carissa yelled. However, the knights fighting spirit had recovered. In fact, it was greater than it had been originally. Their attacks felt more intense than they ever had before. Most likely, the collapsed Anglicans had completely recovered mentally if not physically. Their depth as a group was greater than it had been before. And on top of all that, more knights were gathering from other parts of the United Kingdom, so Carissa could tell she could not play around anymore. (It pisses me off to do this, but Im not holding back on the cruise missiles anymore!!) She gave a large swing of Curtana Original as a diversion and then jumped back to put a good bit of distance between her enemies. Having opened up a bit of time, she rested Curtana Original on her shoulder and watched Kamijou and the knights attempt to lessen the distance between them and her. I wanted to save some for an attack on France, but it looks like I have to use up all the bunker clusters here. Carissa held a small radio in her hand. Kamijou looked on in shock and Knight Leader took a challenging step forward. My Spell of Thororm cannot seal Curtana Original or the phenomena it creates, but it can turn a bunker clusters attack power to zero. Are you still going to waste them? If I remember correctly, your defense spell negates the attack power of a chosen object that you perceive as a weapon, Carissa said as if she were double checking with a subordinate about his job. As she did, she brought the radio up to her mouth. In that case, Ill give these instructions: Prepare the cruise missiles loaded with bunker cluster warheads. Prepare the 24 on the Wimbledon at Dover, the 26 from the King Henry VII, the 20 from the Sherwood, the 15 from the Hastings, and the 15 from the Shakespeare. All ships should aim for Buckingham Palace and fire all 80 bunker clusters on my signal. Now then, which one do you think I will hide with an illusion? ...!! Knight Leaders body stiffened and a villainous smile appeared on Carissas face. Of course, I may be bluffing, but its all over for you if one gets through. And if I attack with Curtana Original at the same time, I can be doubly sure of my victory. How about I test the essence of a British knight by seeing if you can force back my sword while missing a single missile will spell doom for every single one of you? Tch! We need to stop her!! Kamijou urged Knight Leader while he rushed towards Carissa clenching his fist. However, the second princess was faster in pressing the connection button. Before Kamijous fist could reach her, Carissa gave the order of destruction. All five destroyers are to fire the cruise missiles... Kamijou gritted his teeth, but Carissa looked somehow puzzled. She then looked up suddenly and jumped back. In the very next instant, a huge antenna tower used for military transmissions slammed forcefully into the space Carissa had just been standing in. As he had been heading for Carissa, Kamijous body was blown back by an explosive gust of wind. Someone was standing atop the wreckage of the giant antenna that lay in the center of a cloud of sand. The large figure spoke as it looked down on Second Princess Carissa. Now you cannot send reckless orders to the British military. They are British citizens. They should not be forced to fire on the capital they should be protecting because of some ruthless dictator. I see. Once again, you bring nothing but trouble!! Carissas low voice was accompanied by what was likely her most annoyed expression since the coup detat began. The large man jumped down from the antenna tower and stood between Kamijou and Knight Leader. It seems I am a bit late. I only have a passing knowledge of science, so it took some time to search out and destroy every military antenna in the area. A certain mercenary adjusted his grip on the sword he held that was over 3 meters long. That mercenary was used to both individual battles and wars between groups and he had finally joined the battle. As usual, his timing was maddeningly good. Between the lines 5 In the end, it was just an accumulation of ridiculous things. There hadnt been this one special moment. The rails heading for the worst conclusion had been visible here and there for quite some time. In accordance with the majority, the aforementioned weapons will be banned from use. It hadnt just been the bunker clusters. Being controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, the EU council had adopted a treaty that specifically banned the weapons that the United Kingdom had primarily been developing. It had been as if they were saying they werent afraid of provoking an old-fashioned nation. Apparently, it had started when Elizard still controlled the military. At that time, Britains nuclear weapons had been banned, but Frances had not. The two countries had been split into two different categories because of the difference in power between their bombs, but Britain had been prevented from later developing nuclear weapons with less power. And to top it all off, England had been required to give all their nuclear weapons to France. Officially, this had been because France would be the sole possessor of nuclear weapons within the EU and they would therefore have the technology needed to safely disassemble them, but the real reason was clear. The attacks had been occurring for a long time. They had escalated and eventually resulted in the disaster that Carissa had seen. The EU countries had whispered things in the shadows. There is no problem as long as you have the protection of the Roman Catholic Church. If fault is found in England, they cant stand up to a force of 2 billion people. England is just a relic of a bygone era. Your prosperity ended at the beginning of the 20th century. Carissa felt that Englands value as a country was dropping. Her mother who led the country said that there was no reason to react to such clear provocation. However, that only led to the surrounding countries taking them lightly and deciding that they could act with impunity regarding England. If the situation had continued, it would have ushered in an age where England would no longer be recognized as a nation and the British people would be ridiculed, would be abused, and would begin to hide that they were British. That had to be stopped. The people of England had to retain the ability to live happily. She had prepared for years. There had been a few different paths she could have taken, but she had naturally chosen one of them from the very beginning. She was a woman who excelled in military matters. She knew nothing other than heading to a mud-covered battlefield with a sword in hand. If she were to succeed, she could not realistically see herself choosing anything other than a coup detat. However, she had done nothing more than prepare. If certain conditions were not met, she never would have acted on that preparation. If her mother who led the country was able to restore the countrys dignity via diplomatic means, that wouldnt have been a problem. If the surrounding countries could have been brought out from under the control of the Roman Catholic Church and had begun to act of their own will, the crisis would have naturally ended. But... The Eurotunnel connecting England and France had been bombed. And at the same time, a plane had been hijacked in order to block the flights to England. The various checkpoints and borderlines she had strategically set up had all been breached in the worst possible way. She had determined that she could not wait any longer. If she did not take that chance, the value of the British people would fall to a position lower than slaves. In the end, Carissa had taken Curtana Original into her hand. Despite how much she loathed it, she had grabbed that sword that determined the king. She had silently decided that she would become a tyrant. She would become such an overwhelming tyrant that she would leave an indelible blot on history. She had always been a woman who excelled in military matters and could do nothing but take up a sword and fight. She had only one way to change her country and to change the world. Carissa had made her decision without telling anyone else. Once the fight was over, she was prepared to disappear from history along with the two Curtanas. She would head deep down into the grave she had created to sleep eternally without anyone ever knowing what she had done. Volume 18, 8: The Queen and the People’s General Election. Union_Jack. Volume 18, Chapter 8: The Queen and the Peoples General Election. Union_Jack. Part 1 Acqua of the Back and Knight Leader stood next to each other. Acqua held the spiritual item known as Ascalon and Knight Leader held the longsword that had once been the core of his large weapon. Knight Leader muttered something that could have been addressed to his old friend and it could have just been something he was saying to himself. ...It seems the time has once again come for me to entrust my back to you. So you cannot switch over to Hrunting? Make sure you do not trip me up. Shut it. After that exchange, Knight Leader swung his longsword lightly and looked forward. He no longer had to keep a close eye on the other man as he spoke with him. Just like the times when the two of them defeated countless powerful enemies together, he almost carelessly left his trust in the man. Lets go. We shall see how far each of us has grown in the past 10 years. With a tremendous noise, the earth split open. The ground had simply been unable to withstand the force of the two of them charging forward simultaneously. Acqua headed to the right and Knight Leader to the left. As they both circled around, they swung their swords toward Carissa at a speed that was difficult to follow with the naked eye. Tch. Carissa responded to Acqua. She twisted her body to avoid the 3.5 meter sword while using the momentum of that motion to swing Curtana Original around her body. The dimensional wreckage created acted as a shield that stopped Knight Leaders longsword. Youll lose your head, Carissa whispered to Acqua at extreme close quarters. Immediately afterwards, two slashing attacks clashed. Acqua and Ascalon responded to the diagonal slash sent at them. Keeping Curtana Originals power in mind, he avoided actually letting the blades strike. Instead, he made sure it was the hand guards near the base of the swords that struck each other. (...Ow...!?) Carissa had been fighting a completely one sided sword fight up to that point, so the unexpected recoil surprised her. The pure shock of the impact forced the two of them backwards. Despite sliding back along the dirt, they were still within range of each other. They used their next sure-fire attacks. !! !? Paying no attention to the size of their swords, they both attacked with the intention of getting in a fatal blow. Like in a duel from a Western, the victor would clearly be decided by just a slight difference. But... Dont think that...youre the only two fighting here!! Wha-...? Kanzaki Kaori entered from the side despite all her wounds. She had been able to defend against it a bit with her barrier, but the blast from the bunker cluster had taken a toll on her body. Unsurprisingly, the Saint had been the first of the Anglicans to stand back up. She used her attack that could cut even a monotheistic angel, Yuisen. That was a strike that simply could not be ignored, so Carissa changed the trajectory of her sword at the last second to block it. Of course, she was exposing her body to an attack from Acqua by doing so. And Knight Leader moved in at the same time. Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Not just one, but numerous roars created a unique vibration. Multiple figures exceeded the speed of sound with a pleasant shock that uplifted the battlefield. Carissa kicked at Acquas legs to affect his balance and the trajectory of his sword altered slightly. Not even waiting for Ascalon to miss her by an incredibly small amount, Carissa repelled Kanzakis Shichiten Shichitou with Curtana Original and then jumped back to avoid Knight Leaders strike. Unlike before, she was putting all her effort into evading. However, those three powerful people did not leave it at that. A storm of sparks headed in a straight line after Carissa. As the attacks approached her from different angles, Carissa kicked up the rubble and dimensional wreckage lying around and swung Curtana Original in order to block, parry, and repel each one. Acqua and Kanzaki sliced through the rubble, turned back the dimensional wreckage, and otherwise used the approaching obstructions to their advantage. There was an instant of time between Curtana Originals slice and the creation of the dimensional wreckage. The four of them continued to clash at a speed that made that instant into a major delay. The sound of someone sucking in air reached Kanzakis ears. In that world in which conversations and even individual words would take too long, that had been what got Carissas intention across. The second princess kicked up two pieces of dimensional wreckage that lay at her feet and crashed them together with a similar motion to striking cymbals together. They were destroyed. Along with a shockwave, fragments spread out like a firework. !? They all stopped for an instant to brace against the shock. Carissa used the momentum from it to move 50 meters back. For monsters like them, that was a distance that could be travelled in an instant. ...I see... A single trail of blood was flowing down Carissas forehead. She had not been injured by Kanzaki, Acqua, or anyone else. It had been one of the fragments from the pieces of dimensional wreckage Carissa herself had destroyed to give her time to evade. It looks like Ive exceeded my limit for this game of otedama. Even with this special power, taking on 3 Saint level monsters is rather troublesome. I do not believe that everything can be accomplished with only those who are special, said Kanzaki quietly as she used a special method of breathing to restore her strength. We are only able to go all out because there are people supporting us. Because you are currently being aimed at by magicians from all directions, you must continue to focus on possible attacks from your blind spots which limits your options. Perhaps. Carissa looked around with only her eyes. It is true that the number of allies one has can determine the victor in the military environment. The many magicians stared at her waiting to fire long distance attacks at her between the Saints and Knight Leaders attacks if they had an opening. But that is why I never once thought my victory would lie in that direction. An aura of sadism spread from Second Princess Carissa. Immediately afterwards, she kicked up the wreckage at her feet with her terrifying strength. Her foot held a limited amount of the leader of the angels power and the heavy mass of iron she kicked shot off like a bullet despite being over 5 meters long. She had not kicked it towards Kanzaki, Acqua, or Knight Leader. She had purposefully sent it flying towards a group of knights working to treat the wounds of the collapsed Anglicans. Wha-...? With an explosive noise, a number of figures were knocked into the air. In the instant it took Kanzaki to turn her gaze in that direction, Carissa had already swung Curtana Original. It created a piece of dimensional wreckage 100 meters long. It was a rectangular board that was twisted in the middle and it was a little reminiscent of a bamboo copter. Carissa created an explosion at the end of the bamboo copter using the momentum to make the giant propeller spin. The bamboo copter was tilted at a 45 degree angle and it attacked the group like a wall that had become a giant rotating blade. Dammit!! Knight Leader exceeded the speed of sound as he jumped in front of the propeller trying to repel the rotating blade. A shock then came from directly behind him. It hadnt been an attack from Carissa. He had been entirely focusing on a possible attack from her. The attack that had hit Knight Leader had been from one of the injured Anglican magicians that was supposed to be an ally. ...Ah... The magician looked just as shocked as Knight Leader. The magician had not meant any harm; it had been a stray shot. But Knight Leader still lost his balance as the giant rotating blade approached. !? Knight Leader frantically attempted to intercept it with his longsword, but he couldnt get the proper strength behind it as he had lost his balance. Due to his incomplete attempt to repel the rotating blade, Knight Leader was knocked to the ground and the blades trajectory changed causing it to writhe around like a living creature. That led to it causing even more damage. No matter how concentrated the numbers of a group are, that does not change the fact that it is a collection of individuals. Carissa pointed Curtana Original above her head and gave a large swing. The giant piece of dimensional wreckage created was something like a giant suspended ceiling tilted at an angle. She was attempting to crush a large number of magicians from the sky with it. As such, every organization has openings allowing the connections between individuals to be severed. Even if the magical thoughts or scientific brainwaves are connected, those openings will not disappear. To protect her allies, Kanzaki tried to cut it to pieces using the wires of Nanasen, but Second Princess Carissa jumped in. Receiving a whip-like kick to the gut, Kanzaki was knocked a good ways back. And a group that is truly brought together as a single individual is nothing more than a product of dreams. After striking it with dozens of long distance attacks, the magicians just barely avoided being crushed by the suspended ceiling which created vibrations that felt like an earthquake. During that time, Acqua had moved between the suspended ceiling and the earth using multiple high speed jumps before assaulting Carissa with Ascalon. Also, the more a groups numbers grow, the more openings are created to cut it apart through. Making a tremendous noise, Ascalon and Curtana Original clashed at a point near their hand guards. However, now that their connections had been broken apart to that extent, they were reduced to fighting on an individual level rather than as a group. And as individuals, even Acqua, who had been damaged during the fight in Academy City, was not as strong as Carissa with the power of the leader of the angels at her disposal as long as she was within the United Kingdom. After the sound of a few strikes being exchanged, Acqua jumped backwards. He didnt fall, but there was a dark red stain on his side. Whether you gather in the thousands or in the tens of thousands, I will not waver, announced Carissa clearly as she rested Curtana Original on her shoulder. This was not a fight among kids. It was not that it was impossible to get an advantage over her. If there was a chance for someone else to rise up and take that advantage, she would seal it. Because she could prevent even a large group from taking that advantage, her advantage could not be overthrown. I am used to fighting in a group. Dont forget that I am the one who excels at military matters even within the skilled members of the Royal Family. As if those words had been a sign, the nightmare began anew. Part 2 Some people were watching that battle. These people were not magicians, but could not be said to be completely unrelated to the fight either. They were the servants, cooks, and gardeners who worked for the Royal Family within Buckingham Palace. The only people who could truly get near the Royal Family were people who were trained in magic and specialized in interception known as royal maids or armed aides. However, these people were different. Most of them had been brought in by Third Princess Villian and they were complete civilians with no real connection to the Royal Family. They had managed to get inside London, but they had been unable to get to Buckingham Palace where the center of the battlefield lay. However, their hesitation had exposed their amateurishness. After all, the place they thought was safe could be blown away by Carissa at any time if she felt like it. They watched the battle without realizing this. Up until then, they had been more blessed by being British than they had ever thought possible. They had been given it all by Villian, so they wanted to protect her and they honestly wanted to fight for the Royal Family. But they had no idea what they could do with such an overwhelming scene before their eyes. Whether it was a military coup detat or a large scale civil war using magic that exceeded the laws of physics, it was simply too much for those servants. They had decided to fight in the subway tunnel, but they had only been able to stand unmoving with trembling legs at the crucial moment. It was the same at this time too. There was no thought of shame or honor. Those small normal people were simply afraid upon seeing that battle developing before their eyes. It had exceeded the level of bravery or a sense of justice. Their reaction very well may have been the proper human reaction. Carissa the tyrant was a symbol of despair. Now that her true reason for fighting had been revealed, the servants trembled even more. Even while battling the monsters known as Acqua of the Back and Kanzaki Kaori within the destroyed Buckingham Palace grounds and losing the majority of her knights, the second princess showed no sign of lessening her cruelty. In fact, she was applying even more severe and overwhelming violence to those who opposed her. Her attacks had left most of the professional magicians collapsed on the ground. This was not an easy fight to join. It was likely that they would be slaughtered the instant they tried. It was quite possible that they would get in the way of one of the professional magicians leading to the magicians defeat and possibly even affecting the overall outcome of the battle. Thinking along those lines, they had no choice but to stay where they were. From a civilian viewpoint, they simply could not join in. It isnt like we have any other choice, someone said. They were just regular people. Now that something like magic was being used, there was nothing they could do. There was one boy who fought with his clenched right fist despite being a normal person, but it seemed he did have some kind of special power. If they had some kind of power that allowed them to oppose magic and if they were the kind of person that would fight hijacking terrorists on an airplane, then they too would be able to unhesitatingly rush in. However, they did not have that kind of special power. That was why they had no other choice. Do you truly think that? said a voice. The servants hurriedly turned around and saw a familiar face. Do you truly think that the difference between you and that boy is merely a difference between the abilities of your right hands? ... The servants remained silent after hearing the question come from someone else. They really did know. They knew that that boy was not fighting on the front line because of the special power within his right hand. They had a feeling it would be more accurate to say that the right hand of that boy who was fighting on the front line just so happened to have a special power within it. In other words, whether they could participate in the civil war or not was dependent on their courage and their bravery. Do you have what it takes? the woman asked. I do not care what personal feelings you may have. It does not matter what kind of subjective reasons you may have. I am merely asking if you have the tiny bit of courage needed to stand up and fight against this overwhelming fear that is threatening the country. Someone looked up upon hearing that question. They all looked up, having decided that there was no need to hang their heads in shame. Their answer was clear. The servants decided that they would not lose to that boy when it came to their feelings. The reason they had just barely managed to stand their ground and not flee despite being aware that they were trembling from fear was because of their desire to fight. That was what had eventually led to them standing there watching the fight. So they spoke. They all said that they wanted to fight. Very well, said the woman, Queen Elizard, as a powerful smile that looked like it should belong to the captain of a large ship appeared on her face. Then come with me. I will make up for all that you are lacking. She had everything she needed. All that was left was the come-from-behind win. Part 3 A loud noise split the air within the Buckingham Palace grounds. ...!! Carissa hurriedly held up Curtana Original, but she still felt a shock in her hands. She looked at the face of the attacker who had rushed in exceeding the speed of sound and gave her loudest yell of the fight thus far. So you finally show yourself, mother!! What had struck her sword had been the identical looking Curtana Second. The true head of state cut in between Acqua and Knight Leader who had been on the verge of being pushed back and she swung the other sword that determined the king. The two Curtanas pushed back and forth on each other as the two royals glared at each other. I dont mind if you do whatever you want, but if you do, make sure you have a plan better than mine. I have come to stop you because it looks like you are actually going to do worse than me. Ha! Do you really miss the throne that badly!? An unpleasant noise rang out. Of course, Curtana Original was the stronger of the two Curtanas. The two swords were not actually locked together. The Original was slowly sinking into the Second. When the sinking had progressed to a centimeter, the two of them took action. They crossed their short swords at high speed three times. Each time sparks flew from Curtana Second. It did not look like two swords made of steel clashing. It was more like a softer metal being carved away during the engraving process. ...No matter how much preparation is carried out, the clash between groups eventually comes down to a clash between Curtanas. It almost makes all the hard thought put into this seem idiotic. Carissa laughed in self derision while holding the unscathed Curtana Original. The power they each held was clear. But in a battle between Curtanas, I cannot lose. My Original has more than 80% of the power and your Second doesnt even have 20%. Surely you knew that this would be decided by who had more of the power since we are both wielding the same type of power. In response, Elizard gave a small smile. It was not an act. It truly was the kind of smile that felt as if it had simply leaked out. ...You are a surprisingly small woman, my daughter. What? You wanted to take responsibility for this silly monarchy and protect the British people by becoming a tyrant, utterly annihilating the enemy nations across Europe, and then surrendering control of the government to the people. That plan is on a grand scale, but did you realize that glimpses of your small-mindedness can be seen on its edges? ... Carissa did not respond with words. She instead swung Curtana Original. Elizard responded with her own sword, but the Second became damaged even more than before. Even so, Elizards expression did not change. Do you truly want to change this country? Even if the large pillars giving shape to the government must be torn down, do you want to protect the people? Then do not rely on any already existing system. If youre going to do it, at least go this far. Having said that, the queen gave a large swing of Curtana Second and then let go allowing it to fly towards Carissa. Carissa hurriedly repelled it, but she suddenly realized something. With its trajectory changed, Curtana Second shot off into the darkness and disappeared. Queen Elizard had let go of the sword that gave her power. What...are you thinking? That act had been so reckless and had left the queen so defenseless that Carissa put herself on guard. With a strategy based on Curtana, that had been a completely unthinkable option to take. The one who had chosen that option, the queen, spoke with absolute confidence. This is a revolution. Elizard stood completely open before Carissa. Never before has there been a revolution on this level. Throw out the framework. Someone who wants to overthrow the current stagnated theory cannot choose that same theory for herself. If seeing a historical first move like this surprises you, then you are still bound by the thick pillars of this country. (Is she trying to say there is a difference in our courage?) Carissa decided that the queen could be simply trying to cheer up the panicked people. It was true that it had been effective. It would not have been surprising if an idiot mistook Elizard for the one in control there. However... (Then I will respond as a tyrant. If I cut her down before them, it will all be over!! The death of Elizard will send them into an inescapable pit of despair!!) Having made up her mind, Carissa swung Curtana Original upwards to slice the queen in half vertically as that death would most effectively let the fear spread. However, she then realized something. By the time she realized it, it was too late. This is...it cant be...! Something was wrong with Curtana Original. As Carissa stared at the person who knew what exactly was going on, Queen Elizard spoke. I already told you: this is a revolution. The sound of cloth flapping in the air could be heard. At some point, a large piece of cloth C no, a flag C had appeared in the queens hands. On the front was the current national flag of the United Kingdom and on the back was the primarily white and green flag that had once been used as the national flag of Wales. The United Kingdoms national flag was made from a union of the flags of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Wales had already been absorbed by England at the time the flag was created. Out of respect for each of their cultures, they are represented on either the front or back of the flag. ...It was a bit difficult recovering this from the British Museum. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The symbols of the four cultures that made up the United Kingdom. And they were also the foundation of the power controlled by Curtana Original. Of course, not just anyone could do this even with this at their disposal. ...It was a mistake not to give my death the highest priority. After all, this is one of the pieces of magic on a national level that can only be used by the Royal Family. Elizard waved the flag and it spread out across the night sky. Union Jack. After the queen spoke the name of the spell quietly, she took a long breath. Hear my command, she said raising her voice. Her loud voice sounded as if it would remain clear no matter how far it travelled. Take the enormous power that resides in Curtana and those gathered by the All-English Continent which is formed by the four cultures. Take that power and release it all so that it is redistributed evenly throughout every British citizen!! Part 4 With Elizards words, Curtana Original lost its power. No. The power that had been stored up within it flowed elsewhere. Along with this power, I, Queen Regnant Elizard, give the following message to the British people. Curtana provided power to a pyramid made up of the queen and the knights. But what was it that gave one the right to be a king or a queen? If one followed that question to its extreme, one would see the true identity of the spell Elizard had used. A lot has happened in this day since the coup detat began. The military was dispatched, cities were conquered, a destroyer fired in Dover, battles were fought against the knights, and a bunker cluster was even fired on the capital. Many have received some form of damage from this while not knowing what was actually going on. Thats right. Originally, any English person had the qualifications. But there is a power opposing you. The British Royal Family had been formed after many battles. If things had happened a little differently in history, some other people living in the United Kingdom could have been the ones with royal blood instead. With the possibility of immigrants from outside the country and political marriages added in, the breadth of the possibilities grew even further. As such, there was a single point that was important: whether one was English or not. It wasnt an issue of bloodline or nationality. It mattered whether one loved England and whether one wanted England to be his or her homeland. I cant reveal the specifics, but for this one night, you will all equally become heroes. You will become the kind of people that fight using those mysterious phenomena that you have seen but did not understand! Right now, you can do anything!! And I want you to choose. For who and with who will you fight? Make that decision on your own!! On top of all that, the queen threw one more thing out there to those people who maybe, just maybe could have become a king or queen. She spoke to those people who may have sat in the throne had history changed just slightly. I give my thanks to anyone who wishes to cooperate with me! If you would rather help the coup detat forces, that is fine too! And it is not a problem if you would rather choose some third path instead!! Just because you have this power does not mean that you must fight if you do not want to!! Anyone who feels this is just a bother just has to silently wish to return the power. If there is someone you trust more than yourself, then silently wish for the power to be passed to that person!! Right here, right now, that power is truly yours. Will you fight or will you run? You are free to choose whatever you wish!! They had a fragment of the power they might have held. They had real power that could be used to move or change the country. Do not do something because someone else told you to or because someone else told you it was the right thing to do! Reject even my own words!! Put all the information you have in the order of priority you personally feel is correct and then think over it with your own head. When you are left with your own ideas of justice, courage, and bravery, act according to that!! Perhaps what Queen Elizard had surrendered to them was something quite simple. It was the very foundation of a democracy and it could be interpreted as being the most important thing. ...Arent you fed up with being pushed around by the people with a higher position than you? It was just a mere single vote. However, those people now held a power that truly allowed them to influence the nation. Now, it is time for a great number of heroes to stand up for themselves as the peoples general election begins!! Queen Elizard yelled. At that time... In a certain place, a boy looked up. Things were in a state of emergency due to the sudden terrorism and war. He had been dragged from his house by a soldier and taken to a movie theater in a truck. He had been told he would be shot if he left the building, so he had been shivering from fear in the darkness. However, he slowly stood up upon hearing a voice resounding in his head. (...I can run. I can just leave this to someone else.) He thought over the conditions that had been explained. Fighting was just one of a number of options. The voice telling him to think it over himself before making a decision echoed in his head. (I will fight.) He came to that conclusion. As he headed from the theater into the dark stairway of a corridor that led out, the boy happened across his parents. They did not look shocked upon seeing him. They merely nodded once. (I want to fight!!) The boy and his parents were thinking the same thing as they headed outside through the exit. They crossed the final line they had been told they would be shot if they crossed. It didnt matter if they had power or not. They just needed the courage in their hearts to step across that line. In a certain place, a soldier keeping a great number of civilians confined to a large hotel clenched his trembling fist. He had gone along with the coup detat because he had felt it was best for England, but it seemed stopping the coup detat would save the one who had started it. So what had he been fighting for? The soldier pressed his back against the wall and slid down to the ground. He had lost the urge to fight and he merely watched the door of the hotel open as a number of London residents rushed out. Most likely, they would become heroes just like the queen had said. However, a puppet who had helped the coup detat like him had no right to do so. Then someone stood before the squatting soldier. The person crouched over like someone getting on the same eye level as a small child and spoke to the soldier. Most likely, the person had been one of the people confined in the large hotel. The middle-aged man seemed to be opposing the tyranny to protect his family. That proper hero who was fighting as a father turned to the villain who had confined him and spoke. We need your power. Fight alongside us. You were the one driving the armored truck, right? Please take us to the battlefield in that. For a bit, the soldier silently sat there thinking. Finally, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the key to the truck, and stood up once more under his own power. In a certain place, the boss of a magic cabal with its headquarters in the United Kingdom sighed. The girl of about 12 was half in shock over the emergency to the magic business. Boss. What do we do? Idiot. You arent hoping were just going to give in to our youth and take part in this war, are you? She said we could return it, so thats all we have to do. Couldnt we take this chance to try to analyze Curtana? If we try anything, itll just piss off the old hag in the crown. We need to stay out of this, stay under the radar, and keep an eye on this from the outside. I see. But, boss, your sister, Miss Patricia, already left looking quite excited. Then get her back here, you idiot!! The magic cabal bosss voice echoed through the London night. In a certain place, Bayloupe, a girl who belonged to the organization known as New Light, lifted up her injured body. After losing in a fight against the Anglicans, she had been taken to a cathedral for both healing and confinement, but she had been shoved into some kind of hidden room when the coup detat had begun. She pulled a marker out of a nearby pen holder and quickly drew a magic circle that activated a communications spell. She didnt even have to think about who to contact. Can you hear me, Lessar? The response came immediately. Yeah, I can, Bayloupe. Floris and Lancis are connected, too. Simply put, what do we do? I dont know... Bayloupe slowly stood up as she lightly scratched her head. Sigh. Well, it doesnt seem quite right since we helped bring about the coup detat, but we do what is best for the UK. So I suppose we have no choice but to act regardless of what shame or honor says. In a certain place, the servants and gardeners who worked in Buckingham Palace rushed forward into the battlefield before them. The issues of whether someone was a professional or whether someone was out of place had all been resolved. Now everyone could fight evenly as long as they had the courage to take that first step. Lady Villian!! Are you okay!? Are you hurt!? The third princess looked taken aback upon being surrounded by people calling her name. She had been thinking that her mother truly was different from her and that it was not at all surprising that people would gather around the queen, so the princess had not thought that anyone would gather around her. ...Why...? she honestly asked. She had been saved by servants in Folkestone and some had worked with her in the subway tunnel, but this was different. In the current situation, everyones hearts should be focused on the queen. So why had they turned in her direction? There is no longer a distinction between a member of the Royal Family and a servant. Everyone must make their own decision and use their power to help everyone else. I am just a completely useless person who could only find hope in others and run away. There is no need for you to follow me. Her Majesty the Queen said we should make our own decision and use this power as we see fit, said one of the servants while looking Villian in the eye. So will you let us use it as we see fit? Let us show that courage we were unable to show when the coup detat began or in the subway tunnel! None of us here want to see you hurt. This is what we all want, but we are all fools who cannot even take up a sword and fight! So just this once let us fight alongside you!! Hearing that, Villian was ashamed of herself. She was supposed to be the princess of benevolence. How could that be if she didnt even notice those earnest feelings so close by? ...Then also allow me to use my power as I see fit, Villian said as she gripped her bowgun with renewed strength. And she added silently in her heart: (Allow me to protect the future with these people.) Damn you... Second Princess Carissa said in a low voice with Curtana Original in hand. In response, Queen Elizard held up her empty hands and smiled like the president of a large company taking pride in the company he had built up over a lifetime. This is quite the revolution, isnt it? If youre going to change history, you might as well make it something that enlivens all the people. No one will follow you if it only makes those with special privileges happy. The heads of state C old and new C glared at each other at close quarters. However, Elizard met Carissas enraged gaze with a calm one. Your childish prank is over. I will now show you how to truly lead a country. Dont joke around!! What youve done is provide the powerless people with weapons and sent them to the battlefield while you have your fun watching them safely from atop your throne!! Do you want your position back so much that youre willing to shove more power in the peoples bodies than they can handle in order to use them as shields!? ...Why can you not tell that thinking of it that way stems from your royal arrogance? In response to Carissas rage, Elizard drew back her smile. However, this was not because she had been overpowered. It was the opposite. The queens smile disappeared specifically to dominate the second princess. Who decided that normal people could not use Curtanas power!? You planned to use Curtana to win the war and then allow the people to stop a runaway state. ...It is true that may have been a convenient plan, but you were still using the large amount of power granted by Curtana Original that could only be used by someone with the special privilege of doing so. You were still imprisoned by the curse of being the head of state!! Such a small change would create nothing more than a slight distortion. If you want a revolution that will truly change things, you have to throw away any fear of what will happen to your own position!! What...!? My lecture against a childs ridiculous desire to kill herself is something that comes solely from my position as a mother. Also...this country is not as weak as you seem to think it is to fall to despair over it so readily. You will see now that ninety million people here wish to save you enough that they have determined to become heroes!! At the same time as the queen spoke those words, an explosive noise resounded throughout the area. Carissa realized that it was the sound of a tremendous number of peoples footsteps, and servants, gardeners, and others who had no real knowledge of magic rushed in making up a sizable threat. People from across the United Kingdom were gathering beneath the Union Jack to protect their country. Part 5 Index was feeling a little wobbly after the bunker cluster blast. She was caught up watching the scene unfold as she continued to use the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires to analyze the spells related to Curtana Original. In the center of her vision, Carissa was using Curtana Original to fight against Elizard who had let go of her own Curtana. A great number of figures flew through the air either to protect the empty-handed queen or to act as weapons. The figures were not just magicians. A maid who clearly did not know anything about magic aimed for Carissa from over 10 meters up in the air and a businessman wearing a suit knocked down a giant spike that had been created out of dimensional wreckage. The mixture of the normal world and the magic world created a never-before-seen stage. Seeing that scene, the Anglican magicians who were being aided by the knights stood up under their own power once more. It was not clear whether that was due to the Queens Union Jack spell or if it was due to the professional magicians pride not allowing them to lie idly by while amateurs fought with everything they had. Upon seeing a large force with Kanzaki Kaori, Acqua, and Knight Leader at its center, the queen laughed and provoked her own daughter. Whats wrong, Carissa? Youre not looking too good! I admit that I would lose if it came down to the power held in the Original and the Second, but do you think you can maintain your advantage in a 90,000,000-to-1 game of tug of war!? Shut it!! Dont think that th-this is enough to defeat Curtana Original! My Curtana may have lost a certain amount of its power due to what happened in the subway, but it still has more than 80% of what was left over!! True. But if you lose focus for even an instant, that power will be stripped away by the hands of ninety million people. Make sure you dont get so focused on controlling things internally, that you neglect to focus on the attacks coming from the outside!! !? So thats what youre after, you damn schemer!! Normal people such as students and store clerks continued to head in from the dark city of London. Some of them must have determined they were too far away, but a few dozen shots of light made tight arcs across the sky heading for Carissa. This is much like a large unit of a volunteer army attacking an extremely accurate piece of ritual magic that is being carried out in a large temple. Dont forget that every bit of power you lose control over and thus slips away adds to our strength. You cant fool me!! No matter how many people it is inside, its still less than 20% of the total power! You cannot defeat me because I still have the other 80%!! Just by redistributing Curtanas power and giving the people Telesma, the people could not use supernatural powers. They needed the magical knowledge to know how to alter that power and how to control it. Of course, normal people did not have that knowledge. So who was helping them do it? I see. Then I cant simply leave this to the people. I really am more suited to working out in the field than just sitting on the throne anyway. ...Having a real competition like this is quite fun. !? That power...!! But you threw away Curtana Second!! You fool, the queen is still British. I have the right to a single vote. I can only use my fists, but I am still going to be presumptuous enough to stand on the front line!! Indexs gaze became fixed on one point: Queen Regnant Elizard. If anyone was doing it, it had to be her. When she had distributed the power evenly to the people from Curtana, she had used the communications spell both for her speech and to give them all the Telesma. She had changed its properties to match the users thoughts and had adjusted the Telesma so it was in a convenient form that would remain stable as they used it. In short, she had made it possible for those normal people to use the power they had acquired to carry out the actions as they imagined them in their head. It was a simple enough concept to put in words. In fact, Index herself had once indirectly performed healing magic by guiding Tsukuyomi Komoe. (Despite her perfect memory, her memories of events while in Johns Pen mode were hazy.) However, she had only been able to do that because it was one-on-one. Guiding all ninety million of the British people and continually preventing even one of them from losing control of their power would be impossible for Index even if she used the 103,000 grimoires to their fullest. But that wasnt even the most fearsome aspect of it. The students and employees who had gathered at Buckingham Palace were viewing these mystical phenomena and they were fighting to stop the conflict by using the power they had received from Elizard. Even though they were seeing those supernatural events with their own eyes, they were all explaining it in a way they would accept. Some people may have thought the power hidden in the human body was being awakened. It was possible that some believed that this was happening because they had gotten an overly amazing result on from their fortune telling. Some people probably thought Elizard was an alien queen who had come from a spaceship. There was a possibility some people interpreted it as the queen borrowing the power of the mysterious dinosaur hiding in Loch Ness. While all these different theories were possibly being used to explain it, most likely there was not a single person among the ninety million who was led to the correct answer of magic. Unlike when Index had guided Tsukuyomi Komoe by bringing her knowledge of magic to the forefront, Queen Elizard had completely hidden any hint that it was magic. The magic had been brought within the people in such a way that they could freely use it but could not approach the truth of what it was. In doing so, Elizard had completely avoided the terrible risk of contaminating the peoples brains with knowledge from a grimoire. Index looked around at the maids and cooks who were flying around through the air. They did not know what it was that they were controlling. And yet they were satisfied. They had gone beyond worrying about what rules were behind it or how it worked. They were merely giving their all to participate in this nights Halloween party. That was Elizard. She was a true queen who was overflowing with magic and who ruled the country in which the Anglican Church was based. (Could it be...?) The girl who had completely memorized 103,000 grimoires looked out on that battle and suddenly thought of something she had never considered before. (Could it be that one of the reasons I was created was to provide support for this...?) Kamijou Touma was also watching that battle. A maid who had received a weapon from an injured knight was swinging around a giant sword while a few dozen police officers attacked a giant rotating blade-like piece of dimensional wreckage with simultaneous flying kicks. Carissa was desperately trying to control Curtanas power, so she was unable to use her sharp military talent to its fullest. She ended up merely recklessly swinging the sword around while becoming more and more cornered. Of course, the professional magicians had not lost. The more than 200 former Roman Catholic nuns were swinging their weapons together as a single group. A giant golem created from the objects around the area was blocking the attacks from the dimensional wreckage. A transport plane flew across the night sky, a large number of rune cards scattered about, and a giant of flames was created. (Wow...) Kamijou was truly amazed. His amazement did not simply come from how Queen Elizard had turned everything around. Kamijous eyes sparkled at the sight of the many heroes rushing into and filling up the Buckingham Palace grounds. (There are just so many protagonists that Index, Kanzaki, Acqua, myself, and everyone else are being overshadowed. Whats with this country? Everyones a protagonist.) Most likely, the core of that spectacle was not Queen Elizard or Union Jack. The power was merely a means. The core was the people who had decided to grab that power and stand up to fight of their own free will. Kamijou looked at Carissa. The second princess swung Curtana Original and carried out one huge attack after another. She stood at the center of a giant typhoon known as a battlefield and looked as if she was being swallowed up by the waves of people. However, she looked lonely to Kamijou. For some reason, she did not seem like a queen to him. Surely, Carissa actually knew just how much there was shining within the British people. It had merely been sleeping. That was why she had been so desperate to protect them. It was possible that there was nothing more to the fight than that. However, she had relied on the military too much. Her destructive attacks had not merely been aimed at those outside. She had tried to hurt the people she was supposed to be protecting. In the end, it was similar to an overly powerful magnum hurting the hand of the one who fired it. (I will protect her.) Kamijou Touma clenched his fist anew within the battlefield. (I will drag her out of this ridiculous chain of negativity.) He then once more set foot in the hellish battlefield of overwhelming strikes from Curtana Original and spiraling diversions made up of dimensional wreckage. And then... C T O O C U! S A A R T S T!! (Move Curtanas trajectory up! Stop the slice and redistribute the excess Telesma!!) yelled Index and Carissas arm that was holding Curtana Original twisted up unnaturally. Now that Index had finished analyzing the workings of the magic, she interrupted it with Spell Intercept. Kh...!? Carissa gritted her teeth and frantically attempted to regain control of the sword. She would most likely only be stopped for a few seconds. Kamijou clenched his right fist tighter, but he wouldnt make it in time from where he was. So he naturally asked for help from someone on his side of the fight. He would participate in this ultimate night to his fullest. Acqua!! he yelled and the powerful mercenary responded. Kamijou kicked off the ground reaching a height of only a few dozen centimeters and Acqua stuck Ascalon in the gap between his feet and the ground. Kamijou landed on the side of the giant sword like it was a surfboard. Kamijou and Acqua did not discuss their strategy or even exchange any words at all. They didnt have time for that and they both already knew what had to be done. Mere words were not needed at that point. Kamijous resolve could be seen in his entire body and Acqua, his former enemy, accepted that resolve by lending him his power. ...!! Acqua gave a slight grunt and swung Ascalon around horizontally as hard as he could. He was injured, but he still used the full strength of a Saint. It was clear what that action would do to Kamijou who stood on the blade. An explosive noise rang out. Kamijou Toumas body shot forward like a bullet due to Acquas great strength. (Wha-...?) In that instant, Carissa was literally left speechless. She could not take any attention away from bringing Curtana Original back under control. The boy with the right hand that could negate any kind of magic flew through the gaps of his many allies in a straight line for her. At a point that may have been less than 0.1 seconds before impact, Second Princess Carissa clearly saw a powerful smile on Kamijou Toumas face as he tightly, tightly clenched his fist. After flying over 30 meters through the air, Kamijou Toumas fist struck Curtana Original. With that one strike, that sword that determined the king shattered. Carissa did not even have time to check on it. The fist that had shattered the sword continued on its path and mercilessly struck her face. Like metal balls strung from strings striking each other, the momentum was transferred to Carissa causing her to fly off into the night sky like a bullet. She struck the roof of the crumbling Buckingham Palace once, bounced off in a different direction, and flew off even further along her altered trajectory. Kamijou heard an unpleasant noise as his bones dislocated in his wrist, elbow, and shoulder all at the same time. However, he landed after travelling 10 more meters before his face could be distorted from the pain. Of course, his own two legs were not enough to stop him, so he rolled along bouncing a few more times. (Is it...over...?) Kamijou tried to speak, but his injured body could only elicit a groan. However, the answer to his question was displayed before him despite his inability to ask it. With a high-pitched noise, he saw the broken end of the sword pierce into the black soil. Before his eyes, it started crumbling and was swept away by the wind. Curtana Original was gone. It meant that both Second Princess Carissa had been defeated and that the long coup detat was over. Volume 18, Epilogue: The Nation and a Powerful Enemy Even Further Behind It All. Next_Step. Volume 18, Epilogue: The Nation and a Powerful Enemy Even Further Behind It All. Next_Step. The coup detat was over. At the same time, people lost the power they had gained from the queens Union Jack magic thus returning them to merely being normal people. The people had either been calmed down by the loss of power or they now had time to think as the battle was over because the students and businessmen started to look at the terrible scene before them with questioning gazes. ...I certainly seem to have gone a little overboard here, said Queen Elizard with a smile that held a bit of self derision in it. She picked up Curtana Second that she had thrown away herself. The legendary sword had been chipped in the fight with Carissa. She was thinking of having that boy utterly destroy it when she noticed a figure approaching. It was Knight Leader. It pains me that I helped bring all this about...but what will we do now? Quit worrying about something thats over, you fool. I thought this countrys chivalry told you to act tough in front of a lady even if it killed you, Elizard said in response to the man who had helped start the coup detat that had shaken the country. And what happened today is no real problem. Each person who took part will explain the mystical phenomena in their own way, but they wont reach the truth behind the spell. All this resulted in was a good story for them to tell their grandchildren in the future. But you cannot deny the possibility of someone realizing that it was magic. We will deal with that if it happens, was Elizards immediate response. It wasnt that she hadnt thought about it. It was the opposite. If she hadnt thought about it, she wouldnt have been able to put together such a major spell. If it comes to that, we can just admit it. We can tell them that magic exists and that it is protecting them behind the scenes every day. You could say it would be the rebirth of the magical country of England. But... History is constantly changing. There is no rule that says magic must always be hidden from the peoples eyes. And we would not be the first to have done so. In some African tribes, a type of sorcerer makes the decisions for the tribe. In other words, they leave the governmental control to those who can use magic. It is not an impossible form of government. It is nothing more than a revolution that could happen at any time if history takes a certain turn. Coming from Elizard who had thrust a revolution before Carissa who had almost completely gained control of the United Kingdom, those words held a lot of weight. Elizard herself continued speaking in an exceedingly cheerful mood. ...Now then. We need to go collect Carissa from wherever she was knocked away to. Hm? Where did that boy I need to give a commendation to go? Third Princess Villian restlessly looked around in an area a bit away from the groups of Anglicans and knights who had put an end to the coup detat. She was looking for someone, but she didnt seem to be having much luck. She finally stopped moving as if she had given up and muttered something with a cloudy expression. ...So William really did just leave without saying anything. ... Knight Leader standing next to her wasnt quite sure how to respond, but he finally nodded. It seems the Russian Orthodox Church made some major move. It will likely have a major effect on the war between magic and science. Based on some information from a comrade of his who also left Gods Right Seat, William said he must take action to stop this conflict from a different direction than through the Anglican Church. A comrade... said Villian in a quiet voice. Including you, everyone has gained so many things in the past 10 years. It feels like I alone have been sitting still doing nothing. It seemed Villian had been more hurt than a normal person would have over Williams lack of a farewell to her. Seeing her face, some bitterness entered Knight Leaders expression. (...That bastard. He always uses his casual position as a mercenary to leave all the truly difficult jobs to me.) ? His words to himself must have leaked out of his mouth because Villian was looking up at him quizzically. Knight Leader hurriedly put his usual respectful expression back on his face and opened his mouth to speak. I have a message from a certain mercenary. He said it is something that must be told to you, Lady Villian, and to no one else. What is it...? He said: One day, when this war is over and the world is at peace, I will return to England. I hope that, when I do, I will be able to hang my escutcheon in the corridor of Buckingham Palace where it was supposed to have been hung. I hope that I have the strength to protect my sword and the coat of arms on it and that you have the strength to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles you will face repairing Buckingham Palace. ...I suppose asking you to become a princess who is worthy of making such a vow to is that mercenarys version of a proposal. ... Third Princess Villians eyes opened wide in shock, but Knight Leader had actually added in some words that William Orwell had not originally said. (...Well, that man uses too few words. If I passed it on verbatim, it would be a little too blunt.) Only that man who had directly received the message knew how much was the original and how much had been embellishment. Knight Leader merely stuck his tongue out slightly so Villian couldnt see and thought. (You know my personality well and yet you still gave me a message like that. You knew how I would pass it on, didnt you, William?) Kanzaki and the other Amakusa members had been treating the wounded and transporting the seriously injured, but they were finished and were now gathering in a single area. The one who started speaking first was Tatemiya Saiji. ...So once again Kamijou Touma got the best part. I can only see this as another major debt you owe to him, Priestess. And the other ones are still sitting there gathering interest at near usury levels. Wait! Why are you saying the exact kinds of things Tsuchimikado does!? Im clean on this one! I mean, we all joined forces and did everything we could, so the achievement should be divided equally among us all. There are no debts here, right? So are you going with the Fallen Angel Ero Maid? Hm? Oh, you havent used the Fallen Angel Maid yet. Which one do you think she should go with? Dont just decide on something like this! I am never wearing that thing again!! N-Nomozaki, Isahaya!! I cant believe youre joining in on this at your age!! Please stop yelling for a repeat performance!! As Kanzaki repeated herself to them, the Amakusa men were united. They were insisting that she put the Fallen Angel Ero Maid on right then because they had yet to see it. Meanwhile, at a slight distance from that uproar... (...H-he fought for everyone this time, so I can interpret that as being indebted to him, right? Then I...um...have the right to do that, too...Ahh...) Wait. Is this pure-looking girls lust coming to the surface now? quietly muttered Tsushima, another female Amakusa, as she pointed at Itsuwa who was paying her no heed. And then... A-a-ahhhh~~. I finally made it to Buckingham Palace... Hearing some odd Japanese, Kanzaki turned around to find Archbishop Laura Stuart sitting limply on top of an approaching horse for some reason. D-dammit, Elizard... As soon as you got that flag from the British Museum, you left the horse with me and ran off... Uuh, I just cant match my rhythm with the horses movements. M-my back... As Laura sat limply atop the horse, the horse looked rather displeased in its own way. The horse neighed as if announcing its dislike of Laura. Nhh...And I ended up being of no help because of it. Why did I even bother coming at all? ...You say that...but Im sure you were involved behind the scenes. The fact that a national-level spell like Union Jack has never been used before leads me to believe that it cant just be activated whenever the Royal Family wants. Im willing to bet you either gave some form of permission or forcibly unlocked it. Upon having that pointed out by her subordinate, Laura merely gave a meaningful smile instead of either affirming or denying it. Despite Kanzakis suspicions, Laura Stuart asked for some unexpected help from her. A-ahh, I dont have enough strength left to even stop the horse. K-Kanzaki...stop this horse and get me down. Eh? I-I cant do that. Im not very good with horses. But look how youre dressed! You look like someone out of a Western! No, this is just because I have gathered all the necessary items needed to construct my spells. I dont actually know anything about hor-......gwaaahhhhh!? Its...Its eating my ponytail!! Kanzaki looked in shock at her black hair that was now covered in horse saliva, but it seemed the military horse had taken a liking to her. While it stopped in front of her and tried to play with her, Laura slowly got down onto solid ground. O-okay. Now where is the boy who Kanzaki needs to service while wearing an exceedingly erotic outfit? I heard he was here in England, so Id like to see him at least once. Kh. You certainly know how to hit someone where it hurts despite being so late! And given all the magical incidents youve gotten that boy wrapped up in, arent you the one who should be wearing the Fallen Angel Ero Maid!? Second Princess Carissa lay collapsed on a London road. There was still a bit of time until dawn. The coup detat was over, but the roads were still empty due to its effects. She wondered where she was. She thought she was 2 or 3 kilometers from the Buckingham Palace grounds. At any rate, she had been knocked so far away that she was having trouble figuring out exactly where she was. ... Carissa looked at her right hand from her position on the ground. Even then, the hand was still stubbornly holding onto Curtana Originals hilt. However, the blade had been broken off about halfway up and its magical power had been lost. The power of the leader of the angels must have returned to Curtana Second. She doubted her mother would keep the power, though. For a while, Carissa remained silent. She thought about her intentions behind fighting against ninety million people. Protecting the people? People that strong wouldnt lose their dignity just because the other countries were a little harsh. In the end, Carissa herself had been the one most afraid of that situation. And then... Ha ha. Now this is something. I thought seeing you fallen to the ground covered in blood and dirt like this would be a rare sight, but I never thought it would be this pleasurable a sight, said a male voice. Carissa dragged her aching body into a standing position to see a man with primarily red clothes standing there. His figure did not look very built, but she could feel an unnaturally odd pressure coming from him. Who are you...? Carissa gathered strength in her right hand, remembered that Curtana Original had been broken, clicked her tongue, and threw the hilt away. Who exactly are you...? I am Fiamma of the Right. If that isnt enough of a hint for you, then you really need to rebuild your intelligence agency from the ground up. !! Fiamma of the Right. He was the final member of Gods Right Seat, the group that controlled the Roman Catholic Church from the shadows, and he was the member that wielded the greatest power. According to the reports she had read, he had half-destroyed St. Peters Basilica with a single strike and it still wasnt clear whether the Pope, who the attack had been aimed at, would recover or not. After recalling all that information, Carissa suddenly looked up having remembered something. The angel you are aligned with is Michael... Curtana uses power from the same angel, so are you after this sword!? Hm? Oh, I see, I see. I suppose I could have done it that way. Fiamma seemed to be joking around while Carissa carefully watched him. She tried to provoke him to watch his reaction. But Curtana Original here has already lost its functionality. If you were planning to use the chaos caused by the coup detat to steal it, youre out of luck. Ah, that really is a shame. That really may have been easier, muttered Fiamma as if he really wasnt thinking about it too seriously. It looked as if he truly did feel the way he said he did. No, I guess not. That wouldnt work. It has the right type of power, but its capacity probably wouldnt last. As soon as my power was passed into it, it would probably just be blown to pieces. What are you talking about? Oh, just boring gossip. By the way, you were half right. I used this chaos to come here to steal something that the Anglican Church has stored in the darkest depths, but that something is not Curtana. Fiamma gave some clearly facetious applause. Ahh, I suppose you really only got it a quarter right. Anyway, this is why I used the Roman Catholic Church to have the French government cause this unrest within the United Kingdom. What...? Really, I could have gone the route of pushing France and England to a serious war and then retrieving it from London once the city was burnt to the ground, but you were really much better in that regard. Thanks to your ridiculous game, I managed to achieve my goal without this capital turning into a storm of murder, looting, and rape. Carissa became enraged. Without Curtana, the second princess did not have very much in the way of direct attack spells. Someone on an average level like her could not stand up to someone on Fiammas level. As Carissa rushed towards him, Fiamma did not even move a finger. A tremendous shock knocked Carissa over 100 meters away. Cmon, stop that. Ive already accomplished what I came here to do. I have no real reason to take on a dreamer of a princess. That old queen may be different story, but I can just leave a small fry like you alive. Something large grew out of Fiammas right shoulder. It looked like a wing or maybe an arm, but it was a mysterious object that did not look like it belonged in this world. Tch. So it does break down in the air. I really did get my hands on something difficult to use. Fiamma approached with footsteps that sounded purposefully loud. What is this object that makes even Curtana pale in comparison? What did you sneak in and steal after going out of your way to start a war for!? Carissa coughed up blood as she yelled in rage, but Fiammas attitude did not change. You dont know? A smile seemed to split Fiammas face open as he spread his arms wide as if he were bragging. Its just a little piece of treasure. One that you of the Royal Family have been secretly using. Hearing that, Carissas body stiffened in shock. She knew what Fiamma meant. You dont mean...It actually exists...!? So you really didnt know. It was left right in the middle of Buckingham Palace, so I was pretty surprised, too. It must be a truly secret item. I guess thats why the magicians who were instructed to run off with all the important items at the start of the coup detat didnt take it with them. As Fiamma spoke in a singsong-like way, the third arm growing from his right shoulder slowly moved. If it displayed its true ability, Carissa very well might be blown to smithereens. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to give up and live on or keep trying and die? Shut it... Carissa slowly stood up as she wiped blood from her mouth. She was standing at an angle because she was having trouble maintaining her balance, but her gaze alone remained strong. ...I have a feeling I understand...why the Pope opposed you in the end... Oh, do you? Then you can go join him in death. Something like powerful wind pressure attacked Carissa. Carissa kept her eyes open and worked to drag her tattered body forward. And then... With a tremendous noise, a boys fist suddenly shot in from the side blocking Fiammas attack. The power was so great, that the boy was blown back upon receiving it, but Carissa supported him from behind. Their shoes scraped along the ground a bit, but they just barely managed to hold their ground. What the hell are you doing...? Kamijou said in a low voice as he swung his right arm around to see how it was doing. Something seemed to be wrong with the bones and joints because an odd cracking noise reached Carissas ears. Kamijou ignored that and glared at Fiamma, but he merely laughed. This laugh came from the very depths of his gut. Kah ha ha!! What is with today? Are the stars aligned in my favor or something!? I thought you would be one of the last pieces of the puzzle, so I never thought Id get two major pieces here! ...Who the hell are you? Fiamma was too busy laughing to answer Kamijous question. Carissa answered instead while she looked as if she were about to collapse. He is Fiamma...Fiamma of the Right. Essentially, he is the leader of Gods Right Seat. That unexpected answer truly shocked Kamijou. Finally, Fiamma looked back in Kamijous direction while still laughing. Oh, cmon. At least let me make my own introduction. Fiamma... He was the last member of Gods Right Seat, the group that controlled the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ultimate source of all the wars. If he were defeated, the large conflict might end. Kamijous fist naturally tightened more than ever before and the third arm stretching from Fiammas right shoulder moved as if in response. He spoke while almost licking his lips. So you want to do this? Fine. I might be a little awkward though because I was only just getting warmed up. Shut up!! Kamijou yelled in anger and ran forward. In that very instant, an explosive light was emitted from Fiammas third arm. Sound disappeared. Only the intense impact hitting his outstretched right hand got through to Kamijou. When the light disappeared, Kamijou and Fiamma were still glaring at each other. That single attack had held enough destructive force to wipe a large cathedral off the map. I see. As expected of the rare right hand that Im after. Seeing it up close has me surprised yet again at how singular it is. His own attack had been negated, but Fiamma looked satisfied. The third arm writhed like an independent creature, wriggled like a snake in great pain, and it started dissolving into the air. Times up, hm? muttered Fiamma. He looked at Kamijou who was focusing on the third arm. Dont be so shocked. The right hand you use is quite similar to this. In fact, theyre similar in that they are both incomplete as well. Fiammas third arm then started struggling even more clearly. For the first time, Fiamma frowned slightly. But I suppose its best not to lust after things. Ill leave things here for today. I could easily kill you here, but I cant be so sure that the spiritual item I stole wouldnt be destroyed in the process. ...Ill have it sooner or later anyway. The spiritual item you stole...? Its pretty cool. Wanna see it? All of a sudden Kamijou noticed something in Fiammas hand. It was a metal lock. It looked like a dial padlock, but it had a lot of numbers. No, it had letters of the alphabet carved into it instead of numbers. The small rings shouldnt have had room to fit all 26 letters on them, but they were unnaturally all there as if by means of some kind of trick art. It was less like each letter was carved on individually and more like only the needed letters were displayed on a ring-shaped LCD display. (What is that..?) Kamijou frowned suspiciously. No!! Dont use that!! yelled Carissa urgently. However, Fiamma did not listen. He rolled the spiritual item around in his right palm using only his thumb to spin the dials on the cylinder-shaped lock. Immediately afterwards, a tremendous noise rang out. Something white broke through the asphalt and shot up from below. It may have been something that had been travelling through the subway or the sewer. The asphalt was blown away within a radius of 10 meters from the center of the blast. Kamijou had been standing at the very edge of that range, so he was knocked back and Carissa almost fell down into the underground area. The destructive power had been tremendous. However, that was not what surprised Kamijou. (Wha-..!?) It was the identity of the thing that had suddenly attacked. It was a human. It was a girl with silver hair and green eyes. It was a nun wearing a white habit with gold embroidery like a teacup. Yes. ...Index...!? Kamijou yelled out her name without thinking. Why had she appeared in response to Fiammas signal? And how had she created that destruction that was clearly impossible with normal human strength? She shouldnt be able to use magic, so how had she done something that clearly needed magical assistance? Two things answered his numerous questions. The first was what Fiamma said next. I suppose you could call it the external controller for Johns Pen, the safety device installed on Index Librorum Prohibitorum. It is a treasured item held only by the heads of the Royal Family and the Anglican Church. Of course, theres the contamination from the original grimoires, so its really only a last resort. ...Didnt you find it odd? No matter how much she wanted it herself, did you really think they would leave the Index Librorum Prohibitorum that held the 103,000 grimoires in the middle of that city of science with no insurance whatsoever? And it was the Archbishop that created this cruel system. The second was what Index said herself. Yes, I am the grimoire library...belonging to Necessarius, the 0th Parish...of the Anglican Church. My formal...name is Index Librorum Prohibitorum, but...as a nickname it is abbreviated to...kssssshhhhhhhh. Index had been muttering expressionlessly, but she had suddenly started to shake unnaturally before she collapsed to the ground. Index!! Oh, was Johns Pen damaged at some point? Well, its unfortunate that the body cant be completely controlled, but itll still work out like this. ...If I modify the spiritual item a bit to increase its output, I can most likely manage to freely access the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires. Fiamma had the expression of someone holding a toy that turned out not to be as fun as he had expected. What did you do...? What the hell did you do to Index!? Kamijou yelled much louder than he had before, but Fiamma merely spread his arms and shrugged. I dont know. Its their fault for not maintaining her properly. You motherfucker!! Clenching his fist, Kamijou started to run forward truly intending to punch Fiamma this time. However, Fiamma of the Right moved before he could. He gave an order to his third arm and an enormous flash of light shot towards Kamijou. Well, I have to head to Russia in order to collect the materials I need to call down an angel, so Ill leave control of that right arm to you until then. ...!? Kamijou had instinctively pushed back against the strike with his right hand, but Fiamma was gone by the time his sight returned. All that was left was the bloody Carissa, the unconscious Index, and the wreckage created by the asphalt Index had destroyed. A number of footsteps resounded throughout the building. Sasha Kreutzev, a member of the Russian Orthodox Churchs Annihilatus, looked up. She put the thick book she had been reading on the table, took a gulp of her tea that had brandy in it, and slowly stood up from her chair. She looked over to the window where her superior, Vasilisa, was checking on the conditions outside. This is bad. This is why I advised them that an alliance with the Roman Catholic Church would be a bad idea. It looks like Gods Right Seats influence has reached the Russian Orthodox Church. An order to capture you has been given, Sasha-chan, and even our fellow Russian Orthodox members have been dispatched. My first question: Is Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy trying to profit from the actions of others again? Do you have an idea what that bastard might be after? ... Sasha remained silent for a bit. Thinking from a magic and a Christian standpoint, it probably had to do with the great amount of Telesma that had apparently been put inside her body at some point. Sasha didnt remember it herself, but from the analysis of the remaining traces, it seemed an entire angels worth had been stored within her body temporarily. Then Vasilisa briefly put on a serious expression. Hmm. Perhaps you are simply so cute that he is trying to steal you away from me. ...If so, I might just have to take off that old mans head. My response ignoring your ridiculous opinion: This must be the result of the Roman Catholic Church wanting me for some reason and the Russian Orthodox Church having become their puppet. My second question: What do you intend to do now? Sasha asked bluntly. A supplementary explanation: Even if Bishop Nikolai Tolstoys plans lie elsewhere, you still have a duty to obey this order if it is an official order from the church. If you help me anymore, you too will be punished. Mweeeen, said Vasilisa making some odd noise. She pulled some old papers from her bag. They seemed to be various kinds of contracts for her job. Even if she was rotten, she was at a higher position, so she had a lot of annoying paperwork to deal with. Toryahh! Vasilisa suddenly started to rip the contracts to pieces. Wait, what are-...? My third question: What are you doing!? Umm, Im betraying the Russian Orthodox Church, rebelling against the country, and violating all my contracts related to that. While Sashas mouth opened and closed silently in shock, Vasilisa winked at her creepily. Yay!! Ive made an enemy of quite a bit of the world!! Now I dont have to listen to the churchs orders, so I can allllllways be on your side, Sasha-chan! A-are you drunk? My fourth question: Are you in your right mind!? I dont matter. You just need to flee. Cmon, Ive put a change of clothes, some money, and everything else you need to escape in this bag, so take it and escape through the window. As Vasilisa moved the conversation along on her own, she opened the window, pulled out a different bag from before, and threw it towards Sasha who was standing flustered by the window. The impact of the bag sent Sasha out the window and out the building. Deep new snow awaited her below, so she likely wouldnt be injured by the fall. Vasilisa gave a small sigh just before the door was kicked down destroying the lock. Looking over, she saw a bewitchingly beautiful woman who was also a member of Annihilatus walking in. Oh, I had heard that Sasha Kreutzev had come here... Her name was Skogsfru. Her name came from a Russian fairy. The fairy was a type that lived in the woods and would fall in love with humans, but their sex was so violent that the human partner would often be killed. The womans body was tightly encased by her binding outfit, but the outfit was made of lace and leather to maximize her sex appeal rather than being an effective means of binding someone. She was an expert in all kinds of sexual magic. Oh, now that is the alluring type of outfit I like...but did that bastard Nikolai send you here to harass me for protecting Sasha-chans chastity? Hm, and I really wanted to play with that Sasha Kreutzev... Im not really in the mood for an old hag, but theyll be pissed if I do not do what I need to do. The higher ups seem to want to get on the good side of the Roman Catholic Church. Sorry, but could you just give up? Now this could be a problem, Vasilisa muttered slowly. She then put her index finger to her lips and asked a question. Why do you think I was chosen to be Annihilatuss mediator? Ahn? It was because I am the strongest in the organisation. With a roar, something invisible started swirling around. Skogsfru frowned at the something that Vasilisa stood in the center of. Old cannibal woman of the one-legged house, please lend your power to this faithful daughter of little fortune, Vasilisa sang in the voice of a little girl that did not match her age. Vasilisas name came from the heroine in one of Russias model fairy tales. The heroine was oppressed by her stepmother and sister. A cannibal witch that lived in the forest grew fond of her faithfulness to her dead mother and gave her magical items that helped her gain happiness instead of killing her. Old cannibal woman of the one-legged house. Gently, Vasilisa removed her index finger from her lips and loosely bent the five fingers above her palm like she was grabbing a large brandy glass. She was carrying out the method to gain happiness the witch had given the fairy tale heroine. Please give me the skull lamp. Give me the skull lamp that emits flames to burn my faithless stepmother to death. With an explosion, the two magicians battle began. After falling from the window onto the fresh snow, Sasha Kreutzev reluctantly ran across the extremely cold land in order to keep Vasilisas determination from being all for naught. The temperature was about -5 degrees. Even that was actually still warm. The temperature in that area went down to -20 degrees and could even stop a tank in its tracks. As she used magic to give herself a bit of insulation and to maintain some heat, Sasha headed across the land as the wind blew snow up from the ground. When a strong gust of wind came, the blast of snow would completely obscure her vision. Even so, any pursuers would still be able to accurately track her. Something sparkled in the distance. As soon as she noticed that, a mass of snow right next to her was blown away creating a crater. Sasha frantically laid down on the ground. A second and then a third long distance projectile attack hit creating more explosions. Sasha was now unable to move and she could tell a different group was approaching. Sleipnir was an 8-legged metal horse that was meant to be used in the intense cold. The ones riding those mobile spiritual items were likely a pursuit party made up of Annihilatus members. (At this rate...!!) Sasha gritted her teeth, but then someone suddenly grabbed her arm. The person forcibly pulled her up to a standing position. This way. Really now, this has become a real pain. It was a strange woman dressed all in yellow. She was wearing thick makeup and had piercings. The womans outfit was definitely strange. M-my first question: Where did you-...? Over there. The snow hides the entrance to the cave. The woman wearing yellow continued to pull on Sashas arm. I was right to change the route to Russia instead of England. Given the situation, I knew that bastard Fiamma would be after you. U-um...My second question: Where are you-...? Where, where, where. What are you, a novice sightseer who can do nothing but just follow the guide around? Where were you even planning to run away to if I wasnt here? Uuh... was all Sasha could say as an expression appeared on her face that would probably have made Vasilisa faint had she seen it. She had been so focused on simply running away that she hadnt come up with a real plan. But that wasnt too surprising since she had suddenly become a wanted person throughout the huge country of Russia. However, the woman in yellow just put on a look of exasperation. Well, whatever. At any rate, the Roman Catholic C Russian Orthodox Alliance has brought the influence of Gods Right Seat here to Russia. You wont be able to rest until you have left the country. ... I suppose the closest border is into the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. I have no real duty to help you out this much, but I dont like the people who are after you. If itll give them a nice surprise, Im willing to do things Im not used to. My third question: You said the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations, but...? Again: Im not a guide. But its a collection of smaller nations that declared their independence because they did not agree with what Russia has been doing in recent years. There, what the Russian Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church wants does not matter. No, not that... To repeat my third question: It seems we are a very important target for the Roman-Russian alliance, so wouldnt heading to another country create a reason for them to bring war...no, a military invasion there? Its already too late. The attacks by the Russian military on the countries that declared their independence have already begun. The words of the woman in yellow clothes made Sasha gulp. The Russians believe that they will win this war by getting close to the Roman Catholic Church. They have been a bit overzealous and have begun invading those nations already believing themselves to be the new rulers of the world. If nothing is done, they will be indiscriminately bombing the Elizalina Alliance from the air before long. That cant be...but...my first response: That is no reason to bring in a spark that will light the fires of tragedy with 100% certainty. Its quite the opposite, you idiot, the woman in yellow said completely rejecting Sashas opinion. If important targets like us are there, Russia will be unable to slaughter people indiscriminately with bombings and bombardments. They cant risk killing the people they need to recover. Also, the Anglican Church and Academy City who want to stop Gods Right Seat C its really just Fiamma of the Right, I guess C will naturally look towards the Elizalina Alliance. This is a good chance to intervene in international society and there is a chance that it will also prevent Russia from attacking. My fourth question: Then-...? Well, from now on you will be hiding out at an inn, so it is polite to at least pay the rent. Sasha obediently nodded in response to this unexpected ally she had made. The woman in yellow then looked at Sashas clothes with an exasperated look. And whats with your clothes? If youre going to be in hiding, shouldnt you wear something that doesnt stand out quite so much? My second response: I do not think someone wearing only yellow has any right to say anything about my clothes, but my superior prepared everything I will need. As Sasha spoke, she pulled the change of clothes out of the bag Vasilisa had given her. It was Magical Powered Kanamins dress. Wait, why are you putting it back? ...Hah? You say youre going to go punch your damn superior? Wait, stop! Please, stop, stop, stop, stop!! Kamijou Touma stood staring blankly into the distance. A number of people had gathered around the area of road where Index lay. Even the professional magicians of the Anglican Church looked bewildered. No matter how long they waited, Index didnt seem to be waking up. Kanzaki Kaori looked up from her crouching position next to the unconscious girl and spoke. Her breathing and pulse are normal. Her life is not in danger. Even after hearing that, Kamijous heart did not feel relief. He still didnt understand what exactly had happened. ...Whats going on? came a quiet voice. It hadnt been Kamijous voice. The voice had come from Stiyl Magnus who was approaching the area along with Laura Stuart. When he finally regrouped with everyone else, the first thing he saw was Index collapsed on the ground. What the hell is going on!? How long...how long are you going to continue tricking others and hurting her!? yelled Stiyl as he cast off the relationship of superior and subordinate and grabbed Lauras collar. However, there was no major change to Lauras expression. Stop it. The many safety devices installed on Index Librorum Prohibitorum are necessary measures to guarantee her basic human rights, said Elizard from the side. Stiyl remained silent as the queen continued. If there was no device allowing her to be controlled from London remotely, the danger of someone abducting her would simply be too great. We would probably have to keep her permanently confined in a room in the Tower of London with her arms and legs severed so she could not escape. Are you...serious? Those 103,000 grimoires are not something that can be dealt with using only our personal feelings. If we do not have complete control over her, we would have no way to counter an argument saying she needed to be killed because she was too dangerous. ...It was necessary to prepare numerous safety devices to prevent such extreme arguments. God damn it!! Stiyl cursed as he violently thrust Laura away from him. (What is this?) Just a bit ago, everyone had been joined together. It was all set to end with a nice happy ending. But just because that Fiamma of the Right had appeared, it had all fallen apart. In an instant, their unity had been shattered and they were left arguing. The final member of Gods Right seat. Fiamma of the Right. One of the important elements making up Johns Pen, the collar, was destroyed by Imagine Breaker, so it is impossible to make any predictions using the original plan, Elizard said to Kamijou. This kind of malfunction occurred because we had not tested the use of the long distance control spiritual item since the collar had been destroyed. If Fiamma attempts to access her knowledge while she is like this, it may do even more harm to her body. As she spoke, she knelt down next to Index and picked her up in her arms. You know what needs to be done, right? Elizard said as if making a challenge. We will look after her here. We are the ones that created her framework in the first place, so we will carry out specialized healing and will attempt to cut off any interference from Fiamma. However, that will not be enough. Unless he is defeated and the long distance controller is destroyed, her safety cannot be guaranteed. ... For the safety of the United Kingdom, the queen could not leave. That was completely correct and Kamijou had no argument against that. And he had never intended to force anyone to help him. Stiyl, Kamijou called out to the red-haired magician. Im gonna go punch Fiamma. While Im gone, you take care of Index. ...Are you serious? Are you telling me to sit back and not go after the person who did this to her!? Stiyl yelled while looking like he was about to punch Kamijou, but Kamijou himself grabbed Stiyls collar and dragged him close. Kamijou then whispered into Stiyls ear. (...Can you guarantee that the people who put together so many different schemes regarding her wont do anything more to her!?) ...!? (...I dont know any of the details about the workings of magic, so I might miss some kind of trick even if I watched over her 24/7. And its all over if they refuse to let me in some magical facility because of my right hand. Thats why Im asking you!! Youre a magician I know who wont just go along with what the church wants and will protect Index if it comes down to it!!) Having said what he had to say, Kamijou pushed Stiyl away. He didnt like thinking about it that way, but he had to. Fiamma had once more brought out the gaps between the different groups and individuals that had been joined together not long before. Feeling bitter, Kamijou turned towards Queen Elizard and spoke. ...He might have just said it to purposefully disturb us, but if what Fiamma said is true, his next target is probably Sasha Kreutzev. Members of Gods Right Seat can use angel spells, so Sasha is probably too good a target to pass up. ...After all, a real archangel once resided in her body. I wish to hide the fact that we have lost control of Index Librorum Prohibitorum as much as possible. However, it also means that we will not have a just cause to rescue her. In other words... ...I dont need any help, muttered Kamijou. It wasnt that he had no feelings. The anger that had been simmering in his chest was finally erupting from his body. Ill get help on my own. Im headed to Russia to go punch out that bastard Fiamma. There were two things that Kamijou Touma had not said. The first was that he had lost his memories regarding the incident with Index. The second was about the third arm that had come from Fiamma of the Rights right shoulder. That collection of mystical power had appeared as if it were breaking out from Fiammas true right arm and he had said that the right hands they used were similar. There were tons of things he needed to ask him. And after he had, Kamijou swore that he would unhesitatingly punch him. Volume 18, Afterword Volume 18, Afterword To you who have followed along in order from the very first volume: Welcome back. To you who read all 20 volumes together at once: Welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Finally, the 20th book! And this completes the British Royal Family arc!! This afterword will discuss content from both Volumes 17 & 18! What did you think of this story about the legendary British blade of Curtana? With a certain mercenarys appearance in Volume 17, the word knight was quite prominent, but Volume 18 focused more on the word queen. By the way, the Curtana does exist, so make sure to check that out. It is used in the coronation of the British monarch even today. I feel that the queen in this story, Elizard, is the ideal leader. She is the perfect queen who possesses the strong points of First Princess Rimea, Second Princess Carissa, and Third Princess Villian. In the story, the queen wonders why her daughters are all at such extremes, but she was only able to say that because she possesses what the three have in perfect balance. The princesses may strongly resemble something from a picture book or a fairy tale. Brave Third Princess Villian who was oppressed by her sisters is especially like the stereotypical heroine from a picture book. Other than the royal family, there were glimpses of where Silvia, who appeared in SS2, fits into the story and the magic cabal boss who appeared on the pages of Dengeki Bunko Magazine also made an appearance here. If you have time, make sure to check those out. My thanks go out to my illustrator, Haimura-san, and my editor, Miki-san. It must have been tough to go through all those difficult battle scenes, so I am truly thankful. And I also give my thanks to the readers. It is thanks to your support that the protagonist Kamijou Touma was able to make it through 20 volumes. Make sure to stay with him in the future, too. Now it is time to close the pages for now while praying that the pages of the next book will be opened. And I lay my pen down for now. There are multiple types of beast maid outfits in this world. -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 19, Prologue: The Uninteresting Exchanges Between Evil-doers. Key_Shop. Volume 19, Prologue: The Uninteresting Exchanges Between Evil-doers. Key_Shop. District 15 was Academy Citys most prosperous area. In this District filled with TV stations and other media facilities, the land prices were the highest in all of Academy City. Here was one building which was some sort of amalgamation between living apartments and company offices. This building was so extravagant one might as well buy a mansion along with the garden that comes with it and live there instead of here, it would be easier that way. The #1 esper of Academy City, Accelerator, was currently at the top floor of this building. Here was the place where a person called Depart lived, and it was also his working office. If one opened a restaurant here, disregarding how good the food was, just the view of the setting sun from the large windows would be enough to attract a fair amount of customers. You dont have to envy me, after all this place is only somewhere to hide in, not somewhere I can live peacefully. This kind of house where I have to abandon it if someone comes to investigate, how could I possibly live here calmly? The master of this placea man who looked liked a university student, said that while shrugging, seated on a chair. He didnt look at all cautious about his surroundings. It was the same even when face-to-face with a white-haired, red-eyed, esper holding a crutch with one arm but still giving off the feeling that even if Im disabled I can still beat you to a pulp, Accelerator. He was probably used to something like this. All it took was some thought on what Depart dealt in, and it would become obvious that none of those that made business deals with him were small fries. Im not interested in hearing whats going on. All you need to do is like placing an order for food at a restaurant, and say just what it is you need. Facing the still wordless Accelerator, Depart showed no sign of tension. So what are you looking for? Vehicles for escaping? Keys to a safehouse? Or is it an exchange? For money laundering it is 1:0.8 right now, it was 1:0.75 a while back, so doing it now would be more valuable. Your appearance is too eye-catching, do you need me to introduce you somewhere with make-up or surgery to change your looks? As if promoting items on a menu, everything mentioned were necessities for running or lying low. Academy City was a city walled off from the rest of the world; it was exceedingly difficult to prevent being found with methods that relied on running away. So, things like preparing safehouses, or hiding your identity to smuggle onto supply trains to leave Academy City (of course, even the chances of success are still low). Hearing that, Accelerator remained silent for a moment. Then, he slowly looked around the spacious room. Safehouses... huh? Since this is one of those safehouses, does that mean this is a sample of what they are like? Yep~ no matter what these are my main merchandises. I started my business dealing in safehouses. So, I have confidence in the quality of what Im offering, and I still focus on this part of my business. From first rate mansions to caravans parked in the mountains of District 21, I have the keys to all of them. Do you want to have a look at the photos? The explanations came to a close, but Accelerator didnt reply. He only looked at the corner of the room. There the large windows that showed the outside view also reflected something that was obscured by the furniture. Something like a sandbag was hung up over there. Is that also merchandise? Hm? So youre interested in that? Unfortunately, thats not an option. Thats only my personal hobby. Depart turned to look, and when he saw that was hung up on chains his expression was a bit awkward. It was an expression like when a friend found out you have an unexpected hobby. There was a girl around 15 years old. She had only some underwear covering her pure white skin, and handcuffs chained her hands up as she hung there in mid-air. She was not moving at all. The girl had bruises all over her body and didnt even have the strength to cover herself in shame. She could only hang there weakly, swaying slightly. The breathing sounds it showed she was at least still alive, though her eyes were lifeless. Accelerator looked at the girl and then said, What a distasteful hobby. Its pretty expensive right? Its so-so. Oi, wait. Dont break it. Even if this place is a one-time hideout, its still a pain to clean up corpses. Even not taking into account disposing the corpse, shes still really expensive! If you broke her youd owe me at least 7 million. And you still beat her up to this point. It doesnt look like her purpose is for whoring. Thats why I said this is only a personal hobby. Shes only here as a punching bag. Shes nowhere near the standard for something like that. Or are you into pettankos? Thats hard to believe.[1] At this time, Accelerator took an envelope out from the bag in his hand that was not holding the crutch, and placed it lightly onto Depart''s table. From the opened end of the envelope ten bundles of cash dropped out, each had 1 million tied up. Seeing these, Depart could only give a wry smile. Oi oi. This is a prepayment. Ive been given a boring job, and Im fuming right now. I cant guarantee that I won''t slip up and end up killing someone. Alright. Ill say this first, the life is 7 million. Paying for disposing the corpse is not included. Departs voice had a slight undertone of regret. He said it was something like a hobby to begin with, but he still gave it up like so. He was probably thinking all he had to do was buy a new one. Im curious, why are you interested in that brat? Are you saying you are the kind of guy that can only be excited by something thats abused thoroughly by another man? Hmm? Oh I see, you misunderstood me. Facing Depart, Accelerator lightly denied his question. Im not buying the girl thats hanging there. ? Its you. Depart didnt understand Accelerators reply for a moment. Kacha. Then he heard his nose being shattered. What, are, you doingAaaaaaaaaaargh?! A piercing pain accompanied the howl. Depart fell down from his chair and onto the ground. At the same time, a small bag landed next to him. Even though he knew intellectually that Accelerator had thrown that at his face, he couldnt understand no matter what. It was unimaginable that someone who relied on a crutch could throw something that hard with one hand. The pain was like being hit by one of those automatic ball pitching machines right on the face. Fu-Fuck...! What the fuck do you think youre doing! Opening the drawers of the expensive looking office table, Depart pulled out a pistol. Though even with a gun pointed at him, Accelerator didnt think much of the situation. His hand that had been holding a bag was now on the choker-style electrode around his neck, and his face had a sinister evil smile on it. Then, he said while smiling: By your standards... a person is worth about 7 million right? ... Eh?! No way?! Departs lips started to tremble. As if to confirm his worst case assumption, Accelerator continued to say, Seriously, that bastard on the other side of the phone only gives me these kinds of boring jobs. Im fuming right now, and Ive paid alreadytheres no problem in slaughtering you now, right? Being assaulted by an overwhelming fear that couldnt be seen, Depart pulled the trigger while trembling. The sound of flesh being torn apart and roars that was past the limits of what could be called a shriek exploded out simultaneously. Five minutes later. Accelerator kicked a piece of flesh with the tip of his shoes, and turned off his electrode with a bored expression. He was completely unhurt. As long as his ability was active, he could reflect any attack. He held on to his crutch with one hand and pulled out a cell phone with another. He input a number and brought the phone to his ears. Its finally over. This shitty job is too fucking boring. Huh? What is needed right now? Thats right, a recovery crew to tidy up this piece of trash that makes me sick just smelling whats left of him. Also, At this point, Accelerator paused slightly. He looked at the girl still hanging there, and turned on his electrode once more. All he did was move his fingers slightly, and the chains binding the girl were cut off inexplicably. ... Also, a set of womans clothing. The size? No idea, just bring a random set thats wearable. Theres no use asking you classless grunts for specifics. And send only women as part of the recovery crew. If theres a single male in the team Ill kick his fucking balls apart. After ordering what he needed, he hung up the phone. Then he grabbed the bundles of cash on the table and threw it towards the girl that fell to the ground. Accelerator turned off his electrode, and didnt bother to turn and look at the girl. He moved towards the exit relying on his crutch, and said in an indifferent tone while doing so, Live freely from now on. For the rest of your life, whether it is a success or failure is up to your own efforts. ... The girl that showed no reaction up to this point finally moved her neck slowly towards Accelerators silhouette. Her lips were trembling and, as if talking to herself, she asked with effort, You are...? A villain. Accelerator pushed the doors apart, and answered in a song-like voice. A villain thats no better than a piece of shit. This was his, or rather their daily life. Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki, and Musujime Awaki. These four people were called Group, and to this day they were dispelling the dark clouds of this city. Notes 1. Pettanko = Flat chest Volume 19, 1: Goodwill shall be trusted for now. Dark_Hero. Volume 19, Chapter 1: Goodwill shall be trusted for now. Dark_Hero. Part 1 The time was 6 PM, October 17th. In one of the hotel rooms used as a hideout, Accelerator sat on the floor next to a window. His back was against the wall and in front of him were many pieces of machinery placed on spread out newspaper. This work couldnt be done on a bed. Accelerator continued to work on as he craned his neck to hold a cell phone to his ear. A small girls voice came from the other side of the cell phone. Oh right, tonights dinner seems to be hamburger casseroles, says Misaka as Misaka reports her findings from her scouting. Is that so. Guess that idiot Yomikawa finally tried to make that with her electric rice cooker. The piece of machinery laid out on the newspaper was a crutch. It was designed to be half connected to a persons right forearm, with a stylish design that made it look like a police baton. It was machinery because it had been modified with components like a small motor and weight distribution sensors. Accelerator touched the crutch, which had four legs attached to its end like a microphone stand. ...Its finally complete, though I wonder if the weight distribution sensor is enough to determine the center of gravity. Should I add a compass that adjusts the angles as well? He did the appropriate analyses in his mind while talking on the phone. He was talking to someone called Last Order, a girl who looked only ten years old. If necessary Misaka will go negotiate with her and ask to make your share, says Misaka as Misaka looks towards the kitchen. Thats good. That way if you send it by refrigerated boxed mail it wont go bad. He put his right hand through the ring on the crutch and grasped the handle, and the four legs started to move like an insects. Still sitting on the ground, he casually knocked the floor with the crutch, but even with the staff parallel to the floor the mechanical legs were able to hold onto the floor and get him up. (Its good enough, I guess.) You said well definitely be able to see each other this weekend right? says Misaka as Misaka affirms. ...If everything goes along with the schedule, then yes. He manipulated the handle once more, and with a *kacha* the crutch shortened itself, just like a police baton. Accelerator tried to move his wrist to confirm its senses, hidden inside the sheath that covered everything below his elbow. (Mah, guess this will do. I cant walk without a crutch, but activating my ability will make this thing useless.) Accelerator arbitrarily showed his thoughts. He reached out with his crutch, and with another *kacha* the four-legged staff extended swiftly and knocked away the various tools on the newspaper. (...If I add a bit more power to this I might be able to use this as a weapon... But that would be meaningless. When I have my ability activated I dont need any other weapons, and if I dont have my ability activated when I lift this up Ill fall over.) Misaka will now report that shes really looking forward to next SaturdayUwoooh! Yomikawa is bringing the hamburger casserole over now!! says Misaka as Misaka reports the higher priority issue! Really? Youre really living a good life right now, arent you? The phone beside the bed began ringing in a tone completely different from that of a cell phone. Accelerator involuntarily looked over at it. As he was about to pick up it abruptly stopped. This happened three times in succession. It was a signal. It was probably from the limo parked close to this hotel. Whats going on? says Misaka as Misaka asks about the telephone ringing with her head tilted. ...Its nothing. That was just the room service checking, Accelerator casually replied. He put his weight on the crutch and slowly got up. Once again he felt the weight of his small pistol he had tucked away behind him, stowed between his belt and his pants. At this time, Last Order suddenly asked, Is everything alright? She didnt know the details of Accelerators work, but even without knowing anything she still worried about him. Dont go doing anything dangerous! says Misaka as Misaka tries asking. Who do you think I am? He talked into the phone as if to reject her kindness. For a bastard that can survive even a nuclear strike, theres nothing to worry about. Accelerator disconnected the call and put the phone back into his pocket. Then he walked out of the room without looking back. Though there were newspapers and tools all over the room, there would probably be some grunts from who-knew where coming to clean everything up later. Tsuchimikado Motoharu was strolling on District 7s prosperous roads on the way back home from school. He had blond hair, and was wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt underneath his school uniform. Even though he was wearing an outfit that stood out so much, there were still a few people here and there that stood out even more. Such as the maids that were handing out flyers in front of one of the shops. Tsuchimikado''s eyes behind his sunglasses squinted involuntarily as he walked past. ...Well now, the times are getting better and better nyaa... As soon as he said that, a fierce straight punch smashed right into the center of the back of Tsuchimikados tall figure. It came from his sister, Tsuchimikado Maika. And the girl who had caused that was for some reason sitting on top of a steel can-shaped robot. This girl who made her not-blood-related older brother bend over in pain hadnt done it out of jealousy. ...Those cant possibly be called professional maids. Theyre mixing up maids, waitresses and receptionists! Hah? Or are you saying that anything that has laces on them is good enough? Tsuchimikado Maika, whose large front forehead was showing through her short hair, had a cross-popping vein clearly apparent there as she interrogated Motoharu in a low voice. Looking closely, her clothing was actually a dark blue maid uniform with a long skirt. Different from the girls handing out flyers, her own clothing may have been plain, but it was much more practical. M-Maika. That kind of black aura has an intense pressure on my liver, you know? What Im saying is that, though spreading the glory of maids to the world is important, a wrong method of doing it would only be troublesome. There are always people that look at this outfit with lewd eyes. L-lewd eyes?! Faced with his not-blood-related sisters accusation, Tsuchimikados reaction was over-the-top. However, his mind wasnt thinking of things like Ill never forgive any bastard that dares have that kind of look directed at my own sister. I-isnt that alright? ...After all, if a maid isnt sexy theres no point in its existence right!? ...Guess I have to teach this no-good onii-san of mine just what a professional maid is. Oww! Does this mean I get to experience the professional maid skills from my not blood-related sister with my own body?! Tsuchimikado was yelling inappropriate words like that while being beaten up by his own sisters small fists. At this time, a car came by them blared its horns. It might have looked like someone trying to make a slow moving car in front of them move faster, but that was not the case. It was a signal. The limo that flashed its lights and was currently turning the corner was probably there to pick up Tsuchimikado. However, Tsuchimikado didnt even look at the direction the limo disappeared off to and instead moved towards a corner store. Nyaa~ I have to go buy some automatic pencil lead. Hmm? Ill come along with you. Ooh! Youll help? Actually, I have a loo-oot of homework today nyaa. I dont know if even two people can finish all that. Maikas a scholarship student right? So youll be able to help me finish half of them, and if we siblings work together we might be able to finish them all by morning. ...I wont be going to onii-sans room tonight... making a middle-school student help with high school homework, just how much are you trying to push onto me, huh? There are still leftovers from earlier so you wont starve to death. So thats that, bye~ Maika, who was sitting on top of a cleaning robot tapped on its side. It could have been the sensor noticing that, but either way the cleaning robot changed direction as if it was being remote controlled by someone else. You cold hearted person!! A shocked Tsuchimikado in front of the corner store held his head down in depression for quite a while before going inside to buy the pencil lead, and as he came out, he turned into the side road where the limo had gone. After opening the doors to the limo he found someone else already there. The white-haired Level 5 esper was lying on a makeshift bed with a disgruntled expression. Looking at that Level 5 esper, Tsuchimikado asked, ...So, whats our work today? Musujime Awaki was currently in District 10. In this district, which was mainly filled with nuclear & bacteriology research centers and disposal facilities for experimental animals, there was one more famous facility. The Reformatory. Normally, this wasn''t a place where a girl in the uniform of the prestigious esper development schoolKirigaoka Girls Academywould come. But something that couldnt be helped was that her "comrades" were imprisoned here. Comrades here meant other people that had wanted to complete a grand plan together with her. At the same time, it meant that this plan was a criminal activity. Due to a combination of a Level 4 and a Level 5 that had strength above even that of ojou-samas from the Kirigaoka Academy, their plan failed. Many comrades were overwhelmingly defeated and shut away into that correction facility. Only Musujime was sparedeven though as the mastermind of the plan she should have been the first one to be shut away. But there were rules unknown to most of the world. So Musujime Awaki was forced to use her powerful Move Point to fight in the darkness of Academy City. By doing that, her comrades would receive protection both physical and social. On the other hand, if she did not agree then there would be no guarantees. One day, they must escape from this city. They had to emerge victorious in this game that they had no chances of winning. No matter what, her comrades must be freed. This was Musujime Awakis only goal. No, a better way of saying that should be it was the only thing left for her. Even the resolute will to complete their grand plan, disregarding the rules, had now been grinded down and was no more. There was no more reason to take the initiative, and for the Musujime Awaki right now no matter where she went she could only react to the situation around her. Even if it was like this it didnt matter; she constantly thought that. To a degree, she was moving to this Citys will. However, even if she made the higher ups of Academy City collapse completely, the current situation wasn''t guaranteed to change. And if things ever got to that point, she could only hate the one that had brought her into that positionherself. Thinking of that, Musujime kept walking on the darkening road under the sunset. At this time, From her pockets in her skirt came a ring tone of a cell phone. Originally she had no interest in things like these, and only a few days ago her ringtone had still been the default one. After the person she lived with right now had changed it to a recommended tone, she hadn''t bothered changing it, so it ended with this current tune. Musujime sighed lightly and took out her cell phone from her pocket. After hitting the answer call button and putting the phone next to her ear, she heard the familiar voice of the person that was currently living with her. "Musujime-chan?! Where are you wandering about right now? A voice that was sickeningly sweet, and sounded like a girl that had yet to reach puberty. The person that she lived with now was called Tsukuyomi Komoe. What was frightening was that she was apparently a high school teacher. Today, because Im letting Musujime-chan learn how to cook, Sensei is waiting on an empty stomach! Come back and challenge your skills, it wont be good if Musujime-chan doesnt learn at least one or two dishes that she can cook easily. At first hearing, this seemed only like the person she lived with wanted her to come back and cook for them. But Musujime quickly realized that wasnt the goal of the teacher that had a sickening sweet voice. The evidence was as follows: Im not saying that girls have to know how to cook, but life is long and the more you learn the wider the path will be. This isnt just about making meals. Though Sensei hasn''t asked about what Musujime-chan wants to do from now on, for Musujime-chan to not feel troubled when the time comes Sensei still feels it is best to discuss this with you. Though I say that, this is all under the absolute premise that I dont take up your personal time or getting in the way of your own decisions. After hearing that, Musujime stopped her steps involuntarily. Standing in the gloomy District 10, she abruptly realized the pressure that was slowly building up inside of her heart was disappearing bit by bit. This probably wasnt just on the surface, deep down Musujime Awaki was astounded at something. Even for a person like her, she wanted someone to say those kinds of things to her. ... Just as Musujime was thinking how to answer a limo came past her. It stopped next to a vending machine that sold juice, and a man came out of the drivers seat and headed straight towards the vending machine. Though these two never exchanged a glance, the signal was clearly given. A signal for work. (Shell definitely be mad. No, shell definitely be mad for me.) Musujime thought that as she said into her phone, ...Ill come right out and say it, I have something urgent to do right now, so guess cooking is not possible tonight. Eeh?! Something came up today as well? Then what about Sensei whos waiting for you to cook? Actually, Sensei was afraid you would mess up a lot so I went out and bought a ton of vegetables, and the fridge is stuffed full! Thats good right? A vegetarian will live longer you know. After replying in a casual manner Musujime turned off her phone. For a short time, Musujime stared at her phone, and then put it into her skirt''s pockets. After that, she walked towards the limo, and after opening the door, she found an esper lying on the makeshift bed, and next to a table, a blond boy with sunglasses was playing a game where maids in miniskirts wielding laser cannons blasted at things. Looking annoyed at the other passengers in the limo, Musujime said, ...Come to think of it, limos have a kitchen in them right? Unabara Mitsuki was currently in a hospital in District 7. Though it was past six in the afternoon, due to hospital policy, visitors were allowed to stay until very late. That time was about to come up. He was inside a single-person use hospital room. Having said that, he was not the one that had to be treated. Unabara Mitsuki came to visit another girl who had to stay in this hospital. ...Same as usual youre really attached to that face, Etzali. The brown-skinned girl who was sitting up on the bed said with her voice deliberately lowered. With shoulder-length black curly hair, the impression she gave people was vastly different from that of a Japanese person. Her name was Xochitl, and she was from central America. And youre still the same with your unhappy face. Are the artificial fibers of the clothing uncomfortable for you? As he said that Unabara placed a large package onto the bedside table. Heres the traditional clothes of the Aztec culture. It took me a lot of work to get my hands on this... but going around the hospital wearing this will make you stand out, so please just wear this after lights out. Should I thank you on bent knees? Youve been like this for a while now, just what is wrong with you? Guess you wont understand if I dont say it plainly, Ill make myself clear. Xochitl turned her head around and stared right at Unabara, It makes me sick just seeing you talking and smiling like an unrelated civilian. ? The original of the grimoire... you took it right? Xochitls sight turned back towards her own hand. Her five fingers opened then clenched themselves, slowly. Now over two-thirds of my body is made of artificial parts. ...So how did it go? You managed to perfectly take the grimoire from me while I was unconscious. Once again you made me see your skills and magnanimity as a magician. Once, Xochitl had tried to use a powerful original grimoire as a weapon, and over two-thirds of her body had been ground down by some magic cabal for the base of that grimoire. And the one who had saved her behind the scenes was Unabara. Xochitl moved her sight from her hand and onto Unabara. ...The original is in your possession right now, isnt it? Its right here. Unabara lifted open his suit using one hand. In it was something that looked like a holster from a gangster film, and a rolled up scroll made of animal skin was placed in it. Before Xochitl had a clear look Unabara covered it back up with his suit. That was something that I couldnt even control when I broke my body apart trying, and you managed to control it just like that. Hardly. Really, just restraining this thing is taking up all my power. Though his tone of voice was fairly laid-back, Unabara understood just how horrifying this grimoire was. Then, for Xochitl that had to become the raw ingredient to be able to control this piece called original grimoires, just what kind of chaotic situation had she gotten herself into? What happened? Unabara asked. This was the question he had wanted to ask ever since they had met once again. He only asked it now after Xochitl had finally recovered to a certain point. Xochitl went silent for a moment, then turned around and looked at Unabara with only her brown face showing. She then said slowly, You probably already know about that battle with the Liberal Arts City. The one where we fought with that American research facility. Yeah, I know the details. Ive heard the official statement is that it was a terrorist attack from insurgents that got their hands on cheap arms. Of course, the truth is that we started a magic attack on them. At this point, Xochitl went silent once more. The largest magic cabal of the American continent fought head on seriously against those that called themselves the World Police. For someone like her she should have just been in a support role behind the frontlines. Something went wrong. Xochitls tone was just like giving a boring report. In that instant before the battle was concluded, I disobeyed some of the orders slightly. As the price for my disobedience my body has been modified somewhat. As there were previous cases done by the cabal, this isnt something ridiculous. There were no such rules. Unabara himself was an old hand in the cabal, and no matter how severe the crime was he had never heard of the preposterous punishment of having the body ground down and merged with an original grimoire. Didnt anyone try to stop this? What about Tochtli? Isnt she your comrade? Even though he already knew the outcome, Unabaras mouth still spoke the name of another girl, the name of Xochitls colleague. But Xochitl only shook her head. After merging with the grimoire I havent seen Tochtli. Before having the grimoire taken off me I was only a weapon. The one in charge of battle operations, Tecpatl, should know where she is. But that hateful man just wouldnt let me see her. Then, Xochitl directed her sight onto where Unabara kept the grimoire. Having said that, disregarding the affinity of the magician, just the thought of using the grimoire as you wish is something thats very difficult, considering the human structure. Even having done so much I was still under the control of the grimoires will. ...My thoughts exactly. Things such as grimoires arent meant to be used as trump cards. Using things like these where their own powers are not fully understood when in a team will only lead to destruction... Group, where I belong to right now, if anyone tried something like that they would be probably be piled, beaten and killed off that way by everyone else. At this point, Xochitl, for some reason, went silent again. ...Teamwork, huh. ? Its nothing. When you speak of comrades now, the first thing that pops up in your mind is definitely those guys that I dont know of right? Xochitl... Dont deny it. The dark-skinned girl blocked Unabaras mouth with a tall wall of words. No matter what the reason, its true you defected to Academy City and worked willingly for them in the darkness as a pawn. This means you betrayed your original comrades and defeated me. Isnt that wonderful teamwork? Admitting her defeat but at the same time rubbing salt into Unabaras wounds, Xochitl saw Unabaras stiff expression and finally showed a satisfied expression. But a gloomy trace accompanied that expression. Isnt that right, At this point, Xochitl averted her eyes slightly away from Unabaras own. As she pouted she used a voice that was just on the edge of hearing and continued, ...Etzali onii-chan. Time stopped at this moment. Before Unabara could even react to her words the door to their room was pushed open roughly with a loud thud. The one that charged in was a blond boy with sunglasses, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Unabara, you bastard! What the hell were you on about right then nyaa?! Move, Etzali!! It must be pursuers from the organisation!! Damn it, has it been decided that I am someone to be eliminated as well now?! ''No, this guy may be a pervert but hes on our side.'' Before Unabara could even explain using that sentence, Tsuchimikado rushed up to him with a cross-popping vein visible on his head. Unabara...!!! You bastard, you already had a chick already back home, yet you dare to come to Academy City and try to pick up girls from Tokiwadai Middle School?! No, ara, what are you on about? Not good. Unabara shook with a fright and his body started to tremble involuntarily. Xochitl, who was still on guard against Tsuchimikado, froze after hearing that and then turned towards Unabara. ...Middle-school girls? Dont tell me you betrayed the organisation for a reason like that. Unabara, who couldnt deny that, sweated bullets as he averted his gaze from Xochitl. And it was not because the other party was a middle school student that was giving him trouble. It didnt matter if the other party was a high school student or a university student, he was not some kind of lolicon. Thats not it, the sibling relationship here is just something like a sempai-kouhai one in the cabal!! In other words its a not blood-related one? Isnt that every mans ultimate dream nyaa?!! From outside the hospital room, Musujime Awaki looked stealthily at Unabara and Tsuchimikado whose argument was getting out of hand. This trip was clearly to come here to get more people for the job, but now she was started to think it might better to go and do this by herself. Musujime said to Accelerator, who was leaning against the wall near her, Brothers or sisters, these things are getting chaotic. Seriously, were about to go onto the battlefield, cant they consider how we feel right now? But Accelerator didnt respond to her. Musujime looked at him in a surprised manner, then noticed Accelerators lips were moving slightly. After listening closely, (...Being dragged around by brats younger than you, everyone came through that way. No matter how ridiculous this is I dont have a right to interfere with this stuff.) Sheesh, am I the only person in this Group that isnt a pervert? As soon as that was said, Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Unabara Mitsuki instantly directed their sight on the one that spokeMusujime Awaki. As one, completely as one, they said in a tone as if it was only natural, This exhibitionist shotacon girl actually sees us as perverts. Yeah nyaa. Youre right. Whaaa?! *cough cough cough cough* Wh-wh-wh-what do you people have as proof to say others are a shotacon?!! Faced with this onee-sama-like and huge-chested high school student girl, all three indicated it would take too long to explain while shaking their heads. As if saying they had known all along but only hadnt mentioned it for the sake of politeness. Xochitl was extremely unhappy at their surprisingly singular response, but Unabara didnt notice that detail. After saying farewell to the pouting dark-skinned girl, Unabara left the hospital room. Alright. So whats the job that needed everyone in Group? Just solving some of the usual things. Tsuchimikado answered while whistling leisurely. Butcher all of those terrorists that took some hostages and refuse to surrender. Part 2 Meanwhile, a boy and a girl approached a shop within the same hospital. The shop mainly sold snacks and drinks, but it also had a lineup of books to fight the boredom and water guns that made one wonder where in the hospital they could be used. The girl looked around the shop with quick movements of her head and the boy watched her from behind. The boys name was Hamazura Shiage. He had brown hair and wore an unfashionable jacket and jeans. He had the face of a dumb thug, but he was a dumb thug, so it couldnt really be helped. He was the delinquent who had defeated Academy Citys #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri. The girls name was Kinuhata Saiai. She was about 12 years old and also had brown hair, but hers was much silkier. Her hair was in a bob that didnt quite go down to her shoulders. She wore a short wool dress that looked something like a sweater that left her white thighs bare to a dangerous-looking level. She was the kind of girl that would make a train ride awkward if she sat across from you. Kinuhata looked at the types of flowers that were placed directly on the floor of the shop. Youre visiting her in the hospital, so how could you super forget to bring flowers, Hamazura? I guess its super okay to think of you as super Hamazura-y. Hey, dont bend over while looking at them like that. Your ass is going to be visible from behind. Isnt it super amazing that you cant see it even when Im in this pose? This angle is super different from your everyday bitch. (Dammit, she has it all calculated out!!) Hamazura cursed in his heart. Kinuhata thought carefully for a bit and then called the clerk over having chosen a flower that Hamazura didnt know the name of. Of course, it was Hamazuras job to carry the bouquet of flowers. Kinuhata spoke as they walked towards the elevator that led to the general ward. Now that the bouquet has been super taken care of, do you have anything else for her super prepared? Yeah. Although Takitsubo will probably be released from the hospital before too long, so it isnt some toy that will get her too excited. Please super give up on the idea of a bunny suit. What kind of person do you think I am? A super pervert that super loves bunny girls. As they argued back and forth, Hamazura and Kinuhata got on the elevator and headed for their destination floor. They walked down the corridor and knocked on the hospital rooms door. A familiar voice responded. When they opened the door, they found Hamazuras war buddy who had once survived a fierce battle. She was Takitsubo Rikou. Hamazura recalled that the girl always looked tired. Her black hair was cut evenly at shoulder length. She normally wore a pink track suit, but it seemed to also function as casual wear and sleepwear for her. As she sat up in the bed, she was wearing the same outfit as usual. How are you super feeling? Kinuhata readily asked as she took apart the bouquet and transferred the flowers into a vase, but she said it in a way that seemed to say she already knew Takitsubo was improving. In fact, Takitsubo herself did not seem to think about it too deeply. It looks like Ill be fine without doing anything more about it. Im being released tonight and have already started preparing to leave. What!? Why didnt you tell us that sooner!? We bought you some gifts, but I guess theyre kinda super in the way. Im sorry. Ill make sure to take your gifts home with me, Takitsubo said bowing her head in response to Kinuhatas unnecessary remark. Hamazura struck Kinuhata on the top of the head like she had answered wrong in a quiz show. Thats not what I meant. I wish she had told us sooner, so we could prepare a party to celebrate. ...Hamazura, Im gonna super hit you back later. That doesnt change my opinion on this!! Hamazura yelled. (But only in his heart.) Of course, Kinuhata was completely oblivious to his internal yell. But I was pretty worried when I heard you had super collapsed from using too much Body Crystal. Unlike with a cold or something, I dont really know what this is, so I super couldnt imagine it. At any rate, Im super happy youre being released from the hospital. Hamazura agreed with that. Thats right. You cant use your powers that used the Body Crystal, but Im just relieved nothing worse happened. ...Oh, right, right. You might not need it since youre leaving, but I got you something to kill some time with. Its a jigsaw puzzle. So it wasnt a super bunny suit... The way youre staring at me all wide-eyed makes me really want to make you cry. You dont mind, right? Hamazura, with your pitiful technique, thats something that will always be super impossible for you to do. Oh, right. I super brought this. Tah-dah. Its a super stuffed bunny!! After that announcement, Kinuhata pulled a 50 cm stuffed animal from a box (that Hamazura had carried). Overall, it was fancy and fluffy, but for some reason it had what looked like human hair stretching down from its mouth that made one wonder what it had just eaten. Hamazura was a bit worried about how Takitsubo would take such a surreal mascot, but... How cute. What!? I was sure you would say something like it has no practical use!! Is this a discrepancy in your personality that only exists in the strong bonds between the main former members of Item!? The way you get all wide-eyed and start super trembling makes me want to make you cry every single day. You dont mind, right? Im gonna make you super cry. Heh heh heh. With your pitiful body, thats something that willDgah gah gah gah gah!? Stop that, you idiot! Stop digging your thumb into the back of my leg... Gwah! That fucking hurts. Okay, okay. Ill cry, Ill cry!! After Hamazura had been taken to the ground yelling I give! I give! due to that strange wrestling technique, his attacker, Kinuhata, wiped the sweat from her brow. For the bunny girl-crazy super pervert Hamazura, giving any sign that you are losing your respect and fear for us is a crime. Is that super clear? ...From a sheltered and domineering rich girl, that line might do something for me, but from a girl with huge amounts of superhuman strength who has done all sorts of jobs in the shadowy parts of the city, it cant be passed off as a joke. And by the way, I dont especially like bunny girls. Oh? said Kinuhata as she grabbed the stuffed rabbit Takitsubo had been embracing. She moved it behind Takitsubo and placed it so Takitsubos head lined up with it. Doing so made the stuffed animals ears the only thing visible from behind Takitsubos expressionless face. Kinuhata, who had created the situation, added a finishing blow with her words. Tah dah. This bunny is the pride of the establishment. Shes Rikou-chan, the type that will die of loneliness if left alone after falling in love with someone. Is she the bunny you want? Immediately afterwards, something came flowing down from Hamazura Shiages nose. He put his hand up to his face without thinking and then looked down in shock to see that it wasnt a runny nose, but he had a more pressing problem now. When he looked up, both Kinuhata Saiai, who had carried out the joke, and Takitsubo Rikou, who had been used in the joke, were drawing back from him. ...Hamazura...you love bunnies that super much...? N-no!! Theres something odd about getting a bloody nose at a time like this!! There has to be some other reason forI know! This has to be some odd result of that damn back of the leg massage you gave me!! It has to be!! I dont especially like bunnies...!! As Hamazura frantically tried to deny it, the expressionless and comforting girl that was Takitsubo Rikou softly placed a hand on his shoulder. Dont worry, Hamazura. This is a hospital, so its okay if you get a bloody nose. The doctors will heal you right away. U-uhhh...!! Youre the only one that worries about me at times like this!! Hamazura seemed like he was about to collapse to the floor from that small bit of kindness. Dont worry, Hamazura. I think this hospital also has a place that takes care of sicknesses of the mind, so you dont have to worry about getting a nosebleed over bunnies. And then he was about to collapse to the floor for a completely different reason. Part 3 Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki and Unabara Mitsuki, the four of them were riding together in the same limo. The terrorists that started this incident are from an organisation named Spark Signal. Its another organisation similar to Group losing control. After Tsuchimikado saying that in a bored manner, Unabara furrowed his brow. What is this Spark Signal? To prevent people from gathering information using electrical waves, the walls surrounding Academy City will shoot strong directional interference waves into the air. Though cell phones will still work a meter away from the walls, any communications trying to go through the walls will be blocked. Even the radar is setup outside, and any normal communication has to be patched through a terminal. The security robots on the walls seem to use the data lines under their bodies to connect to the lines on the ground to pass on information, Tsuchimikado continued to explain. But, theres an exception. The higher ups have secret methods of communications, and there are always people who try to sell inside information of Academy City to the outside people. Spark Signal is a group that specializes in attacking those kind of people. Musujimes expression became slightly unpleasant. In the Remnant incident she had contacted people outside of Academy City. For all she knew they probably had already fought with Spark Signal. When Tsuchimikado got to the point where the Spark Signal had the same level of secrecy as the Hound Dogs, Accelerators brow twitched slightly. But Tsuchimikado ignored his reaction and continued, In other words, that Spark Signal started a strange seizing operation incident. They have now occupied the largest particle accelerator of the world which is situated inside Academy City; its called the Hula Hoop. Tsuchimikado said that as he operated something that looked like a TV remote. On the large screen in the car a map of Academy City showed up. On it was a place marked with a different color, but it wasnt any of the school districts. It was the outer wall that surrounded Academy City. The giant ring-shaped particle accelerator follows the shape of the wall, and built 200m under the ground. The terrorists that used to belong to the original Spark Signal group have now occupied the underground control center, and have started to make it operate without the safety features. Right now the protons inside it are being accelerated at 30% of the speed of light. ...Of course, if anything doesnt go as they demand it they will overload the particle accelerator. And once the protons have broken the accelerated circuit, not just the particle accelerator itself but a third of Academy City will not escape the fate of being covered by radiation. As to where on the outer wall the explosion will happen, it depends entirely on chance, Tsuchimikado said. In other words, apart from the city center of Academy City, anyone else living in the city might be in danger of being caught up. Hearing to this point, Unabara tilted his head and thought for a moment, That accelerator probably needs a lot of electricity to keep it running. Cant we just cut it off directly from the power generators? Since an emergency stop would need a lot of power, they have a back-up generator there. Needless to say Spark Signal will also be using that to operate the particle accelerator. ...Though they occupied the building, they havent initiated the overload immediately. This means they have some sort of demand. Towards Musujimes question, Tsuchimikado only shook his head. The higher upssome of the board of directors have already received their demand, but they didnt give that piece of information to us. Dont think about unnecessary things, just kill off everyone that resists. Since they didnt give us a time limit, it means things havent gotten that bad yet. Hearing Accelerators words, Tsuchimikado once again pushed a button on the remote. Apart from the large ring that followed the outer wall, the screen showed another two smaller rings. Just like the distorted annual rings of a tree, the rings intersected each other. Thats not quite right. According to the different stages in speed, Hula Hoop is split into first, second and third rings, and accelerates particles separately starting from the smallest one. From the confirmed information on hand right now, the terrorists have started to move towards the third ring, as in the accelerator located at the outer bounds of the city. So what? At Unabaras urging, Tsuchimikado smiled and replied, From the configuration, the third ring cannot work at a low speed of 30% of the speed of light. Thats something that can only be used in experiments that force particles to go over 70% of the speed of light... looks like we werent given all of the information. Though we dont know if its just them trying to save face, or to prevent widespread panic by hiding information. So even if the current situation is extremely dire, they still wont tell us everything huh? Accelerator spat out those words in an extremely bored manner. Im not motivated. No matter how serious this is they havent gotten to the point of begging us with tears in their eyes. Lets forget this. When they start to beg us to step in then well do it. Then Ill give you some information to motivate you. Tsuchimikado pressed another button on the remote, and another window popped up on the screen. What was shown on it was a school bus. For some reason, the front tires of the school bus had burst, and the doors forcibly broken. Before Spark Signal attacked Hula Hoop, they kidnapped around 30 primary school students on an astronomy field trip, along with their teacher and driver as a bargaining chip. If their demands are denied they might start killing hostages periodically. ... They could also use the workers at the Hula Hoop for hostages, but those are people that are necessary for Hula Hoop to continue to function. If we let them drag this out, it will definitely end up in a protracted battle. Spark Signal deliberately took hostages from somewhere else to prevent something like that. The higher ups must be worried sick about the safety measures of the Hula Hoop, and what about our safety measures? ...Do we look like people that care about lives of small children? Boring. We have no reason to play along with them. Accelerator said that as if to cut off this conversation. There was not a single trace of compassion in his words. He was a full-blown villain. For this Level 5 had a dark heart within him and continued to speak in a manner as if to put everything about others lives behind him, ...What an eye-sore. For this kind of boring thing lets finish this quickly. Part 4 Hamazura Shiage and Kinuhata Saiai headed to the shopping district at night. They werent there for a particularly amorous reason. They were simply making preparations for the party celebrating Takitsubo Rikous release from the hospital. However, their preparations were on such short notice that they couldnt do anything too elaborate. By the way, what exactly are we going to do for a party? We have a room in a private salon in District 3, so well get all sorts of super party goods, head back to the hospital, and super collect Takitsubo-san. Then we just have to head to the private salon. A private salon... muttered Hamazura. Those facilities provided services similar to an extravagant karaoke box and they were popular with upper class kids because it allowed them to easily rent out a secret base. Some people might wonder what value something like that had, but in a city where most students lived in dorms, getting away from the eyes of the adults was quite valuable. However, a place like that had the danger of being one wrong step away from being a hotbed of sexual crimes, so the teachers and guardians were not too fond of them. As he thought about all that, Kinuhata started speaking next to him. Hamazura, what are you going to super do? Ahn? Well, we can just order food from the private salon, so I was thinking we should go around looking for joke goods that a group of people can No, thats not what I meant, Kinuhata interrupted him before asking her question again. The organization we belonged to, Item, has been super destroyed. Because of that, you super arent needed to work underneath it. Thats what Im asking about. ...What are you going to super do? Im just responding to your question with a question, but what are you going to do? Well, its gonna be super the same for me. Item may be super gone, but the other day I was super forced to make an assassination regarding the Stargate stuff. Even now, they are in the process of starting a new team. According to the person on the phone, plenty of bloody jobs are still super waiting for me. That said, Takitsubo-san cannot fight, so there is no merit in super including her, so you dont have to worry about that, Kinuhata smoothly replied. It seemed she did not have any real opposition to that environment. Hamazura, what are you going to super do? Well... he began. The sun had fully set, so stars could be seen even in the night sky of that large city. It might be unfair to Hanzou, but I have no real intention of going back to Skill-Out. I dont know what I can do, but I have to do something to bring Takitsubo back to the normal world. She cant use Body Crystal anymore and I know that this world isnt so kind that she can survive in it in her state. So I need to think about what I can do. It wasnt quite a proper answer, but it was exactly the kind of thing a dumb thug would say. However, his words were not something he had no chance of following through on. Hamazura Shiage had once defeated one of the Level 5s. However, that battle had certainly not been easy. Hamazura had been chased down to the very verge of death, but this had been the driving force that had allowed him to move his shaking legs to oppose her when it had come down to it. There was weight behind his words. In every other way, he may be a dumb thug, but in that one way, he was not. Kinuhata looked over at the side of Hamazuras face as he stared up at the night sky. ...In other words, Hamazura, you plan on super forcing your own tastes on Takitsubo-sans life and super dedicating her to your passions by super removing that track suit that is overflowing with practicality and having her wear a bunny suit instead? Do you still see me that way? Is that view completely fixed? Look, I admit I like bunny girls, but youve got it all wrong. The most important thing is that its a swimsuit-like outfit and the unbalanced aspect of being in a place where swimsuits arent normally worn is wonderful, so a companion girl at a motor show is perfectly fine with m Waah! Super stop, Hamazura. I get it, I super get it. You want to pass a treaty that would make every woman in the world super wear bunny suits. Just stop super staring at me with that obscene look. Oh, cmon, said Hamazura shaking his head. As a connoisseur of such things, let me tell you something. Someone like you just cant pull off a bunny suit. ...And let me super tell you something. A middle school girl like me has a super better body than a high school girl like Takitsubo-san. Yeah, right!! You may not be able to tell over Takitsubos track suit, but Ive seen her without it and its amazing!! And Ive seen that theres nothing surprising hidden below that dress of yours!! I think I need to super kill you. Its fine if I super kill you, right? With a roar, something like wind gathered around Kinuhatas hands. Her power was Offense Armor. She was a Level 4 that could freely control the nitrogen in the air. Her effective range was exceedingly low, so her limit was a few centimeters from her palms, but it was incredibly powerful. She could repel a shot from a sniper rifle with her bare hands and could lift a table weighing a few dozen kilograms with one hand. Hamazura would not be able to endure being punched by that dangerous skill. Mh!? But then Kinuhata herself stopped in shock just before taking action. The instant the large amount of nitrogen had gathered in her palms, the pseudo-wind created had caused her dresss skirt to flutter. The very instant before the panties within her skirt became visible, she pushed down the skirt with one hand. That was a super close one. You were just about to have some super material to masturbate to tonight. ...That definitely goes in the top five worst things Ive ever had said to me. But you dont have to worry. Im not interested in some brats unfashionable panties. Whats sexy is an older girl who would look good in a bunny suit... ... Kinuhata Saiai was a girl who truly hated to lose, so she grabbed the front of her miniskirt with both hands and then lifted her hands up with no forewarning. Hamazura, Hamazura. Look, look, its a super skirt flip! Ohhhhhhh!? I...I can see...I cant see anything!! What? It was a feint? You let go of your skirt the instant before and only lifted your arms!? Dont surprise me like that!! After giving such an honest reaction, Hamazura realized that Kinuhata had a huge grin on her face. Hoh hohh. I thought you super werent interested? You were testing me!? Well, I was only shocked by that because it caught me off guard. I-Its not like I was hoping for anything. Once more! Fnhhhhhhhh!! D-dammit. I know its just a cruel feint, but...fuck!! Why do I do that!? Hm, it seems I can just super play around with you all I want. Hamazura, have you figured out yet that youre just super Hamazura-y? Its 100,000 years too soon for a sexual animal lower even than a caveman to super debate whether I, Kinuhata-sama, am sexy or not. To be blunt, youre super too full of yourself. You need to at least evolve further as an animal first. ...No. Despite having been beaten down and sunken into darkness, Hamazura once more lifted his head. A fighting spirit resided in his eyes. Ive changed!! I am no longer the kind of man who will be defeated by this ordinary sort of despair!! I will stand up once more. Come at me, Kinuhata! I will overcome the allure of your thighs!! Heh heh. So youre going to super oppose me despite the fact that you will never make it beyond being Villager A? Now this is getting interesting, super Hamazura. Now, read the saga of your sexuality and super despair!! Skirt flip!! The great demon lord that was Kinuhata started her ultimate attack. Ohhh, Takitsubo! Lend me strength!! yelled the hero that was Hamazura as he brought out even the brave heart hidden within him. But Kinuhatas pinkies must have gotten caught on the miniskirt. On that third attack, she truly did bring her dresss skirt straight up. The wool skirt that looked a bit like a sweater floated up and the small white piece of cloth that was meant to be hidden within was in clear view. The way she stood with her thighs rubbing together was surprisingly feminine and the way the panties at their base were pulled up just a little too tightly made the scene perfect. And the hero that was Hamazura lost. Two streams of red liquid shot from his nose as the hero gave his dying words. No faaaaaaaaiiiiiiiirrrrrrrr!! Feint, feint, the real deal!? What the hell is with that technique of attacking differently once Im truly prepared for the original attack? Thats the kind of carefully planned out intellectual plan that uses the design theories of a genius short comedy routine or a haunted house!? Of course, it had not been carefully planned out; it had been a complete accident. As such, Kinuhata stood there with her arms lifted up towards the heavens trembling silently as her skirt fell back down due to gravity. Im gonna super kill you!! You destroy my heart and now youre going to finish me off physically!? You really show no mercy, oh great demon lord!! Hamazura fled while Kinuhata chased him. Shortly thereafter, some humorous sound effects resounded throughout the Academy City shopping district. Part 5 The limo that Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki and Unabara Mitsuki, were riding together in was currently heading for District 23. The worlds largest particle accelerator, Hula Hoop, followed around the outer walls of Academy City and was 200m underground. Its control center was the same, it was near the outer edges of the district that bordered the outer walls. Terrorists had occupied the place, taken hostages, and passed on demands via the network. Come to think of it, what happened to that man on the other side of the phone? With something like this happening, shouldnt we have gotten a call from him? Hell if I know. If he doesnt want to contact us we cant get to him no matter what. If he doesnt have something else on at this time then he must be on holiday or something. Ara, are you worried because he isnt contacting you? Watch out before I rip your foul mouth apart, you idiot. Accelerator and Musujime Awaki glared at each other, but Group didnt mind things like this. Unabara was polishing his obsidian knife while asking Tsuchimikado, Are there any movements from Anti-Skill? Apparently the excuse of a specialized anti-terrorist team is being sent out stopped them from mobilizing. And actually, if normal Anti-Skills got involved in something like this chances are they would only make it worse. Tsuchimikado answered while taking apart his handgun with practiced ease. To prevent the Hula Hoop thats built 200m under the ground from releasing gamma rays in case of accidents, there are protection walls the level of nuclear shelters built around it. Trying to cut a hole out of it or even blow one out using dynamite would be impossible. Cant we use the elevators? There are plenty of other walls inside as well. The elevator cables are all placed in niches in the walls, just like an automatic door. The other lines are the same. Dawdling movements will just tell them were coming. If we are found blowing up doors and walls the terrorists from Spark Signal will probably blow the hostages heads off. Musujime Awaki was shifting her military flashlight that she used as a weapon in her pocket continuously, to make sure she could draw it out easily when she needed it. Unabara wiped off some murky water on his dagger. Whats the situation inside? Weve already gone over this. To prevent gamma rays leaking, the walls there are extremely thick, normal radiowaves wont be able to get through. Drilling a hole to get a camera inside is also not possible. Though we have the schematics now, we still dont have any idea how many are deployed in there. Then what about those nano-machines? As soon as Musujime said that, the atmosphere inside the limo tensed up. Nano-machines called Underline were spread throughout the city, observing everything that happened there without pause. Of course, Hula Hoop would also be one of the places under surveillance. If they completely closed down the safety doors the network should have been disrupted... then again, if there is hidden technology it wont be surprising. Tsuchimikado paused at this point. Also, on the surface we dont know about the existence of the nano-machines. So even if there is information from that, it wont get to us. The most troublesome thing here would be that we dont know how many of them we need to take down before everything is over. It wont be good if we get shot in the back as soon as we relax. Then well just throw the guy that wont be hurt even if shot to deal with it. Tsuchimikado put together the handgun he had disassembled earlier and pointed at the make-shift bed. The one sitting there was Accelerator. He could reflect all of the attacks. I dont have any intentions of listening to orders coming from the bastard-with-sunglasses, but this is a lot easier than trusting my back to you people. Accelerator said that while glaring viciously at Tsuchimikado. But what method are we going to use to break in? Pierce through the 200m of walls and earth with one blow? ... That comment seemed to have disregarded all of the premises, but there was indeed one person here that could do that. But Tsuchimikado shook his head. Forget it. Not counting Spark Signal, if we drag the hostages and the machinery into the attack it would be troublesome. Well do this the usual way, using Musujimes ability to ignore the limits of three-dimensions. Her Move Point worked just like Teleport, ignoring obstacles like walls and ceilings to send whatever she wanted to somewhere else. At this time, the person in question furrowed her brows. Transport a mass as large as a human precisely onto a point 200m away, to a place that Ive only seen on a schematic and not in person? Theres probably a 50% chance of being buried alive inside the walls or in the ground. If you still want to do that regardless of the risks then I dont mind. You wont have to do anything that difficult. Tsuchimikado laughed. District 23 is filled with aviation and space technology facilities, so its only runways all over the sector. But with that, the space above ground would be wasted; so, how do they get the building space for research and development? What are you trying to say? ...In other words, its pretty spacious down there. Though its not directly linked with Hula Hoop, the direct distance between two points can be shortened somewhat. We can use Musujimes Move Point to launch Accelerator there. As they talked, the limo reached the District 23. Originally, in accordance to counter-terrorism strategy ordinary cars that were not business-use cars or specialized buses were forbidden to enter, but they were allowed to do so anyway. In the runway-covered District 23, there were comparatively few tall buildings. The limo was parked at one of the buildings branching off from a schools gymnasium. The four of them got off immediately. Accelerators crutch sprung four tiny claws to grab the ground, and Musujimes eyes couldnt help but to open wide at the sight. Did you just make that crutch? You sure are enthusiastic in your work. Shut up and get out of my way. Are you the wordy housewife that suspects the husband is cheating on you due to a slight mess in his clothing? As they verbally sparred casually, Accelerator and others walked into a low building. It was a testing site for aviation weaponry. Of course, they were heading for the underground beneath there. Tsuchimikado used the access code he had gotten from somewhere to open the lock for the elevator that was reserved for authorized personnel only. The four of them took a ride in the rectangular box and descended 150m at once. Accelerator felt a sense of unease near his collarbone. (...After getting this far down is the radiowave reception getting worse...?) He unconsciously touched the choker-style electrode on his neck, but he couldnt do anything about it. Outside the elevator was a wide open space like a department store or an office building. Everywhere was polished to the point it sparkled. Though there were no windows, the countless light sources could almost make people forget they were still underground. Accelerator and others destination wasnt one of these rooms, but the wall that was the closest to the edge. Tsuchimikado looked at the map on his cell phone as he tapped the wall like knocking the door to a club presidents room. Here it is. Going down 30 degrees to the east, 80m away is a corridor leading to the Hula Hoop control facility. There is no closer distance than this, and the target location is spacious enough. 80 meters, huh. In terms of capability, a certain middle-school student in Judgment can do something of this level as well. ...You sure have quite an annoying mouth. Ill do it already. Musujime glared at Tsuchimikado who deliberately reminded her of that twin-tailed Teleporter, and walked towards the wall. After that, she turned to Accelerator. Then, should we start the dimension-hopping now? Wait. The one who spoke wasnt Accelerator, but Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Your electrode is having trouble now, right? ... Wait for another 15 minutes. Ill use the cables from the elevator to make a simple antenna that will allow the radiowaves to reach the facility. Do you need my help? Even though I have no tools with me right now. Towards Unabara who added that last sentence, Tsuchimikado only shook his head. You go contact the man on the other side of the phone. Using the emergency lines you should be able to reach a temporary connection with the board of directors. After contacting them make preparations to make sure no other forces or specialists get in our way. Its not our problem if they want to get themselves killed, but if they get dragged into this itll get troublesome. After that, Tsuchimikado smiled at Unabara who was standing at one side with his head tilted, with an expression saying Why me?, and said, Its because your looks are very popular with old people nyaa. This is just a complete fake. This teenage boy who wasnt Japanese, let alone Asian, scratched his face that was fairly popular with the Japanese people. Tsuchimikado finally turned to face Accelerator, Listen up. We start in 15 minutes. Though I think there probably wont be any problems, before we start I suggest you check your electrode once again, make sure no other problems pop up. It doesnt matter if you die, but I definitely wont allow the kids that were taken hostage to get hurt. Part 6 This worlds largest particle accelerator, Hula Hoop, that was built 200m underground, could accelerate protons to 99.22% of the speed of light, and maintain that speed for up to 300 seconds. But, even such a large device had its own limits. Surpassing the speed it was designed to hold, or running it longer than it was supposed to would both lead to Hula Hoops explosion; that meant enough gamma radiation to cover a third of Academy City would be released. But up to this point, this boy didnt know any of that. Before, he didnt have the memory of having guns pointed at his head by masked men, or the experience of having his hands tied behind his back by someone else. The time where he trembled as around 30 people which included his classmates, teacher, and the driver was also a nightmare that he had never experienced in reality. Stabilizing at 50% of speed of light. Hula Hoop is only a restricting measure, its not a bargaining chip. Thats why we captured these brats. If we go too far the higher ups will blow us sky-high along with this underground facility. There are no civilian structures above our heads, just bare runways, so they can make this place blow up to their hearts content. Thats why we needed Hula Hoop, isnt it? As long as we make it appear as if this place will explode any time, we can stop the board of directors desperate actions. Confirm the escape routes. After negotiations well explode a small section of the control facility when the outer ring of Hula Hoop while its operating at 70% lightspeed. Then well put on the anti-radiation powered suits at emergency shelter B and break through while they are hurriedly preparing for their own anti-radiation gear. Dangerous and outlandish words floated above the boys head. There were no signs that he would be released safely. It didnt matter if things took a turn for better or worse, there was no future for him and the others here. Despair had taken over his brain and it reverberated throughout his body. Its time. Ignoring the boy that shook uncontrollably at one side, one of the masked men that looked like their leader looked at his watch and said, Mah, from the start I didnt think wed get the higher ups to respond without taking care of at least one person... is the camera ready? Well start the negotiations for real soon, hurry up with that. After hearing those words filled with hints, the masked underlings started to move. The recording equipment was nothing special, it was just an add-on on one of their cell phones. Though to prevent it being traced a strange machine had been added onto the cable leading from it. The images and sound can be transmitted at any time now. The direct links to the Anti-Skill Headquarters and the board of directors are complete. With one signal we can have a live recording. Alright, let us begin. As soon as his words left his mouth, the man who looked like the leader grabbed the boys hair with one hand. The fear that exceeded the pain made him cry out loudly, but the other party completely ignored it. The boy was then dragged all the way in front of the camera. Words of objection were sealed before they were even yelled out of his mouth. In the hands of the man who looked like the leader was a gun that looked like the real thing in anyones eyes. Give him a final mercy and cover his eyes. Resistance was futile. Both his hands were tied behind his back; but even if they were not, what could a single child do? Immediately a strip of cloth was tied around his head and covered his sight. Make him kneel and start the live broadcast. In the darkness, his wrist was being grabbed by someone and he was lifted up. Somebody stepped behind him and a cold, hard touch came in contact with the back of his head. The high-performance focal aperture on the cell phone camera moved slightly, and next to the boys ear the sound of a small motor rang out. The man that stood behind him said the following in a manner like speaking from a script which had been prepared earlier: We wished to solve this in a peaceful manner, having once and again given you the alternative where blood will not have to be shed; but the answer we received is not the one we wanted. We must have made you misunderstand us, made you think we didnt have the courage to take decisive action. If that was the case we apologize here. kacha The boy could feel the hair on the back of his neck rising. To give you the ability to decide, this time well hint at our intention. But, this is an action that was originally not necessary, and the blood that will flow is one that is not needed. Grieve, and regret your foolish decisions. A *kacha* sound came from the gun that was pointed at the back of his head. Though he didnt realize that was the hammer being pulled by the thumb, but he could understand that was a key signal for something. In addition, if you do not make a decision soon, we promise more unnecessary blood will flow. We will not be stingy in that manner. We are willing to gather everything that will change your minds. So, we will be using everything that we have to their furthest extent. Though we do not wish to do so. He wanted to run away. He wanted to scream. But if he did that, the worst outcome would arise. Then, well use the first one. If he stayed silent he would only be killed. Even if he knew that, if he resisted he would only be killed earlier. He didnt dare to move. Even if he knew he would be killed if he didnt move, he couldnt even move a finger on his hands that were tied behind his back. Lets start the negotiation here. Regret. As the boy found he still had that emotion under this terror, he finally opened his trembling mouth. ...This kind of... This wasnt begging for his life; he was not begging for his life. ...This kind of plan, it cannot possibly succeed... On the contrary, No matter how much you people scheme, no matter what kind of horrible weapon you prepare, your crimes will never be forgiven. At least, he was fighting back at the end of the end. Thats what I believe. This world is far kinder than any of you villains believe!! No matter what you have planned to escape, there will be heroes to come and apprehend you! Everyone will be saved. Somewhere in this wide world there will be someone that will come and save everyone! Really? The man who looked like he was the leader spoke for the first time to the boy. Except that his words were extremely simple. Even if such heroes exist, they will not make it in time to save you. Small weak sounds of trembling reached his ears. They were the sounds coming from the inside of the gun and passing right through to his skull. The index finger slowly pulling the trigger, the small springs starting to contract. At this time, the boy that had his eyes covered went further and even closed his eyes. Even so, to the end the boy mouthed, (...I believe.) Don! A sound of gunfire rang out. That sound shook the boys skull, and his surroundings were filled with the smell of rust. In that instant, Inside the control facility of the worlds largest particle accelerator, Hula Hoop, authentic sounds of gunfire rang out. Red-black liquid splattered across the floor, the air was permeated with the smell of rust, and mixed in with it was the distinctive smell of gunpowder burning. The sound of the shell falling onto the ground followed after that. Undoubtedly, he had opened fire. The merciless bullet had been shot out and pierced muscle and bone. A dull thud, being the sound of the boys small figure falling onto the hard ground. The clothes designed for kids were dyed completely red. It couldnt be mistaken for anything other than blood. Except, That, was not the boys own blood. That was something that flowed out of the arms of the man who looked like the leader. From beside him, in his blind spot, another person had shot the arm of the masked man. Wha After blankly looking at his armthe gun was blasted out, his arm was twisted unnaturally by 45 degrees, the man who looked like the leader felt pain only a moment later. But, screams did not ring out. As soon as that mans eyes left the camera and looked outside the area covered by it, more gunshots followed. After the sounds of *don don don*, the man who looked like the leader was shot all over his body and blown away. The panicked voices of the other masked men overlapped each other. But at this time, that somebody outside the camera view continued to fire. The man that was filming with a cell phone was shot, and collapsed along with the machine. The higher ups that were watching the live broadcast only saw the view turning up towards the ceiling, then gray static. Because the lens was shattered. Because he couldn''t see and could only hear the sounds, the boy with his eyes covered opened his mouth, With a voice that couldn''t stop shaking, a weak voice. A h-hero...? A villain. After that, An evil reply, as if to overturn everything here. A villain thats just like a piece of shit. Kacha The villains shoe completely smashed the cell phone being used for recording. With that sound as the signal, the battle with the #1 of Academy City began! Part 7 Level 5s were still human. It didnt matter if it was the #1 or anyone else, they were all primates. No matter what kind of special ability they possessed, if they didnt breathe or didnt eat they would die. They had a limited life-span, and if stabbed they would also bite the dust. If they were humans with the same weaknesses, then there would be a way to kill them. Spark Signal originally was a special force made to combat those that planned to leak inside information of Academy City to those on the outside. In their activities they had also fought with powerful espers countless times. So, when facing espers that could create incredible phenomena, Spark Signal could respond appropriately. First calmly analyze the opponent, then find a way to defeat him. The masked men of Spark Signal had believed that all this time. That was something they firmly believed in. However, Was the #1 of Academy City really human? Boom! A sound that swept through the air exploded out. The multiple bullets in his hands shot out, and each of them accurately pierced through the terrorists of Spark Signal. Of course, they hadnt come here to just die when they planned this large-scale mission. At this place, this time, as a human they all felt their lives were in danger. To be released from this threat, they unreservedly used all the techniques and knowledge they had learned up to this point, bringing their full strength to fight back against the white-haired esper. Some of them tried to shoot with their rifles from behind cover. Some of them tried to use hostages to stop their opponents movement. Some of them tried to use dynamite to destroy the columns and bury their opponent in the rubble. These were good actions, except it was all meaningless. Forget about it even having an effect, there was no value in even trying. The bullets didnt work. As soon they touched the monsters skin, they were reflected back and shot the terrorists themselves. Taking hostages didnt work. As soon as they tried to reach for the kids, their wrists were twisted in an unnatural manner. Dynamite didnt work. As soon as they tried to push the button for it to explode, their fingers were blown away along with the button. (No...) It was more than just these, one of the masked members of Spark Signal thought. That face of his that could not be seen from outside was already covered with cold sweat. He felt that the essence of the escalating terror in his heart was more than just those. Yes. The #1 esper of Academy City, Accelerator, was taking all of this completely seriously. He didnt excessively use his overwhelming power. Even seeing the terrorist falling one after another he did not get careless. If he relaxed then maybe they still had a chance, but Accelerator didnt even give that small possibility to his opponents. Sometimes with his ability, sometimes with his handgun, he always used the smallest amount of effort to obtain the greatest results. It was no longer a battle between humans, or even between humans and a monster. Simple destruction that needed no emotions. For example, It was just like a homing missile that was closing in on a fighter plane that tried desperately to run away. This wasnt a matter of winning or losing, but whether you get hit. If it hit there was not much chance of surviving. The disaster that Accelerator spread had already reached that level. (Do you know how much effort we put in to create this plan...) Staring blankly at the Level 5 who, with some kind of ability, soared through the air in an arc to strike at one of his comrades, this man tried desperately to make his confused head work. (Weve used everything Spark Signal has, apart from the main plan there were many other back-up plans... Weve clearly prepared to this extent, clearly... In the end were still taken down like weeds...?!) At this time, Inside a pool of deep red blood, that monster who had just ripped apart one of his comrades and taken away his ability to think turned its head towards him. (What do I do...) Those crimson eyes met his own eyes head on. That looked just like an infrared aiming scope, Spark Signals terrorist thought. (What...?!) It couldnt even be called a showdown. He was aimed at, and then shot. In total, it only took 300 seconds. The worlds largest particle accelerator, Hula Hoop, had become peaceful once more. Part 8 The boy understood. Though he had his eyes covered and could not see what had happened, but the tense atmosphere that could ignite with a single touch had vanished. The world of despair made by the terrorists was slowly disappearing. Around him came a sound of gasping from fright. It was probably from the boys classmates and teacher. From their heavy breathing not a trace of relief could be felt, as the method of solving the problem had been so overly violent. The boy struggled desperately with his hands tied behind his back, and right before the rope grinded through his skin, one of his hands was finally released from the binding. With that shaking hand he took off his blindfold. The long absence from light made him dizzy. He reached his hand towards the fluorescent lights, narrowed his eyes and looked around. That person should still be around. The boy who thought that suddenly turned his head towards a certain direction. Next to the wall. One of the terrorists who had been struck down was lying there in his dying moments. A white-haired person with a crutch stood parallel with the terrorist. Except that he could not see the face of the white-haired person. What expression this person, who had his back to him, had on his face could not be seen from his point of view. ...The boy was submerged in that atmosphere in an instant. But, this didnt seem like reality. Because, in the next instant that white-haired person disappeared into thin air. Without any warning, almost like a plot in a movie, the white-haired person vanished without a trace. The boy looked blankly at the empty space there. A villain that was just like a piece of shit. His mind kept thinking about the one who he believed was a hero, but had unhesitatingly replied with those words. Part 9 Thank you for your hard work. You did a good job, O Great He~ro~ [3 As Musujime actually tried to talk to Accelerator in that way, he almost pulled the trigger on her in his anger. His sudden disappearance was obviously her helping him retreat with her Move Point. Spark Signal had been eliminated, what was left was for the Hula Hoops workers to unlock the doors and the escalators, and get the children out above ground quickly. There was no more room for villains to step in on the stage. Accelerator looked around him. This was the underground where they had been before their assault, a place that tested aviation weaponry. In this place where the walls were polished until it sparkled like a high-class market, apart from Musujime both Unabara and Tsuchimikado were there. Theres something I really mind. What did those pieces of shit terrorists actually demand from the higher ups? After hearing Accelerators words, Tsuchimikados brows raised slightly. ...While you were there in your rampage we tried to investigate, but their defenses are more robust than what we thought. We can only guess this is something that the higher ups really dont want others to know. I didnt expect you to get anything useful at all. Shut up and listen, fool. After Accelerator finished insulting others, he brought the conversation back to the main point. When I was suppressing those bastards in Hula Hoop I heard some of their conversations. They were saying with tears in their eyes At this rate we wont be able to achieve our objective and things like that. ...Did they leak out what their demands were? Faced with Unabaras urging, Accelerator went silent. Then, he replied, -- Dragon. That word with only six letters in it made the atmosphere around them tense up in an instant. That classified information which had only its name recorded even in the secret nano-machine information network Underline. Even for Accelerator and the others with him, who walked the bottommost of the dark side, didn''t know the truth of it. But was this a breakthrough point that could allow them to fight the higher ups of the massive Academy City? It was not hard to deduce that this was a word that had a huge meaning to it. Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki and Musujime Awaki. They had a temporary alliance as they sought the truth of Dragon for their different goals. However, From the looks of it, the ones investigating Dragon was not just limited to them. Just like presenting evidence, Accelerator said, Immediately release all information related to Dragon. That was, apparently, the demand of those brain-dead terrorists. In the end weve been fooled by the higher ups, and cut down our only link to it with our eyes wide open. Between the lines 1 Academy Citys first district was lined with administrative and judicial facilities and it did not have the sense of livelihood that other, more normal districts had. It had almost no residences or restaurants. In exchange for gathering together all of the functions needed for smoothly operating such a large city, only the bare minimum of functionality for people to live there was prepared. The extremely mechanical cityscape helped reinforce that image of the district. A single terribly unique building was mixed in with the mostly consistent cityscape of District 1. It was an office of the board of directors. Since it took up an entire skyscraper, it went beyond the level of what one would normally think an office was. Since its maintenance was paid for entirely with tax money, it may have been more accurate to call it an official residence. At any rate, the luxurious building had actually only been prepared for the sole use of one of those 12 influential people within Academy City. His name was Thomas Platinumburg. The master of that building was in a splendid and spacious room that was reminiscent of the audience chambers seen in RPG castles. The room took up an entire floor of the building and was used as a reception room. He had no subordinates around. Given his position, it would not have been surprising for him to have had countless guards, but he had sent everyone else away from that large room. He was meeting a guest in his role as a member of the board of directors. His guest was a mercenary sniper he had personally invited from outside the city. She was a tall woman. She had white skin and long blonde hair. She possessed a beauty that would have looked more fitting shining under a spotlight than on a dirty battlefield. However, she had a bag large enough to fit an entire person into lying at her feet as she sat on a sofa. The bag most likely contained her stock in trade. She was a fairly famous woman in her business. It wasnt quite clear if being famous was a good thing in her business. How is Sunazara Chimitsu-san doing, Stephanie Gorgeouspalace-san? Thomas spoke two peoples names. Stephanie was the name of the sniper and Sunazara was the name of the man who she looked up to as a mentor. She obediently nodded in response to Thomass question. His progress is going well. He has not regained consciousness yet, though. Really, it is all thanks to the fact that you lent us an Academy City life support system. If you had not, he would have been gone already. Oh, think nothing of it. It was painful enough knowing that your comrade was injured at the hands of someone from Academy City due to an unfortunate turn of events. The five underground organizations of Group, Item, Block, Member, and School had once fought leading to the destruction of a few of them. Sunazara Chimitsu had been hired by one of them and had been defeated by the member of a different one. Explosives had blown the entire building away and he had been injured to the point that he still had not regained consciousness. When Thomas Platinumburg had received that information, he had secretly recovered the man and sent him, life support system equipped bed and all, outside of the city to Stephanie. Of course, he had not done it out of good will. He had done it to have her feel obligated to help him so he could have the advantage in some business he had to carry out. So who is the target you wish me to take out? I have documents prepared elsewhere, but I am sure you will recognize the name. He is Academy Citys #1 Level 5 known as Accelerator. That request was not on behalf of the leading members of Academy City. It was an exceedingly personal request. On September 30, Accelerator had fought the Hound Dog unit led by Kihara Amata and the boy had attacked Thomas Platinumburgs residence in order to acquire information. In that attack, he had shot Thomas with a shotgun. Thomass current action was motivated by revenge. While it was pure revenge on the emotional side, it would also serve to get any of his subordinates who were growing lax in their duties to shape up. Can you do it? If you tell me to, then yes. He had expected that response. He had made sure his subordinates were not around for the negotiation as a whole, but mostly because he had prepared a trump card. When sniping the target, you need not worry about any damages to the surrounding area. I will cover for anyone or anything that gets damaged in the process. ...So if you were to put a bullet in the former Item member Kinuhata Saiai who put Sunazara-san in his current state, there would be no real problem. Oh, I see. And you have already been so helpful in Sunazara-sans case. Academy Citys technology truly is wonderful. That medical equipment truly is something you would never see anywhere else. Ha ha. Not all of the citys technology is good, but I am quite proud of the parts that can be used for peace. Indeed. It is amazing how you were able to put a tiny transmitter in Sunazara-sans body. It seems to work slightly differently from a nanodevice, but you truly cannot find devices that small implanted inside someones body elsewhere. Immediately afterwards, a chill permeated every inch of that huge room. No, the air had not actually changed. That was simply how it felt through the filter of Thomas Platinumburgs fear. Please wait, Thomas said holding out a hand. You have no idea how important the information that could be gained from the technology used in that life support system is. It is targeted for use outside the city meaning it is at a lower grade, but even so it has incredibly valuable information on Academy City technology inside it. We wanted to send Sunazara Chimitsu-san quickly but safely to you. However, having the technological information in the system would be a major problem. That is what the device is for. If we had not put that inside him, we could not have sent him to you so quickly. Oh, I see. What Thomas Platinumburg did not realize at that time was something he had no real reason to have noticed, but it was still a fatal oversight. Stephanie Gorgeouspalace did not usually speak so politely. She was purposefully altering her speech patterns in order to force down her overflowing emotions. So the fact that the grain of rice-sized transmitter also had a mechanism inside it that sends out a special stimulus that allows four of Sunazara-sans organs to be stopped with a single signal...is merely a safety measure? Drops of cold sweat started dripping from Thomass body. But it was too late. The next thing he knew, Stephanies form on the sofa blurred from high speed movement and was suddenly standing right in front of Thomas. Her right hand was stretched out, directly stabbing a quill into his stomach. Thomas did not even feel the pain of his skin and flesh being torn. The pain was the least of his worries. You can have this back. As she pulled out the quill, Stephanie held a small radio in her hand. Thomas assumed that she had embedded something in the wound and that the radios frequency was set to send a signal to that something. This thought brought such clear fear of death that his primitive sense of pain went completely numb. You made a mistake in trying to add in your little trick. If you had just handed Sunazara-san over and then come to me with your request, I would have readily acted as your pawn. ...Wait... Thomas Platinumburg trembled as he stared at Stephanie...or more accurately, the thumb held up against the radio. He threw off the fa?ade of polite speech and made his final piece of negotiation in a cracking voice. ...If you...cause trouble here, you wont be able to carry out your revenge... If you...help me...you can easily get revenge for Sunazara... Oh, I forgot to tell you, Stephanie responded without seeming to think about it at all. She seemed to be bringing the conversation as a whole to a close. The target of my revenge is everyone in Academy City. Immediately afterwards, Stephanie unhesitatingly hit the switch on the radio. The transmitter embedded in Thomass wound quickly responded by creating a special electrical stimulus. The mans organs were functioning normally, but this quickly stopped four of them from functioning and reliably ended his life. He screamed in his death agony. Stephanie did not even look in the direction of the body that had fallen to the floor motionless as she put the radio in her pocket with a disinterested look on her face. She heard footsteps approaching. Most likely, the guards who wore black suits had heard their masters scream. Her estimate based on the guard density she had seen on her way to the reception room was that there were about 200 of them. However, Stephanies face did not grow even slightly cloudy. She opened the fastener on the giant bag at her feet while humming and pulled out her stock in trade that was stored inside. It was not a sniper rifle. It was a light machine shotgun. It was a special gun based on the type of rapid-fire machine gun that could be carried around but was usually used while fixed on a tripod. It had been modified so that it only used shotgun ammunition. When fired at close range, the light machine shotgun held enough destructive power that it could transform an armored vehicle into what looked like a crushed can. It was Stephanies personal custom gun. The reason a supposed sniper like Stephanie had taken out such a dangerous weapon was quite simple. Sunazara-san always shot small and compact weapons from a distance. Unlike when she spoke with Thomas, Stephanie Gorgeouspalaces speech patterns returned to normal with a bit of yearning mixed in as she muttered to herself. But it seems a hell of a lot easier to just get up close and fire like crazy! The large door to the room opened wide. At the same instant, a disastrous storm spread out from the light machine shotgun. Her revenge began. Volume 19, 2: A Simple Yet Complex Problem. V.S._Calamity. Volume 19, Chapter 2: A Simple Yet Complex Problem. V.S._Calamity. Part 1 I see. The voice of Shiokishi, a member of the board of directors, filled the RV. However, that leader of the city was not actually in the RV with Accelerator and the others. He was speaking from a live video being displayed on the screen. Well, what matters most is that the Hula Hoop incident was resolved without any major damage done. ...In fact, I saw the report on the battle, and your specs are as amazing as ever. For once, Accelerator and the other three agreed on something, they did not want to hear that from him of all people. It was not a gentle old man that would look good in a tuxedo being displayed on the screen. Well, that might have been what he actually looked like, but that wasnt what one saw on the screen. It was a powered suit. A powered suit was a collection of highly elastic wires and powerful motors that aided in movement with thick armor covering it. The word weapon fit it better than the word armor. The short and stout mecha creaked as it sat in an elegant chair. Does it bother you? Shiokishi said in a light voice, although it was unclear which of the four he was speaking to. He did not seem even remotely uncomfortable about having them look at him so oddly. If you think about it rationally, it makes sense. This world is overflowing with things that will kill a human. People often say that it will never happen to them or that no one has any reason to hold a grudge against them...but thats completely ridiculous. Whether there is some simple reason or not, when people die, they die. And the danger is even greater in a position like mine. If I want to escape any sudden misfortune, I believe I must always be on my guard. Shiokishi used the back of his large hand to tap the amber-colored table in front of him. That is the main reason that I have been so rude as to do this over a video feed instead of meeting you directly. This way, you do not have to know where I am. What are you so fucking afraid of? Youre probably in some dome-shaped facility thats on the level of a nuclear shelter. And you think that is enough for me to rest easy? Far from it. This is Academy City. Lets see, its Musujime-kun, right? For people with abilities like hers, the thickness of the walls means nothing. Im so fucking afraid of having a bomb thrown into this room this very instant. ...Despite both of you being on the board of directors, you give quite a different impression from Oyafune Monaka, said Unabara Mitsuki. He had likely been in contact with her during the Hula Hoop incident. In contrast to Shiokishi, Oyafune started with trusting others and continued on with harmony and cooperation, making her a rare type among the collection of black-hearted influential people who were known as the board of directors. No, Oyafune-kun has her own type of defense, said Shiokishi. Much like with the JSDF, she shows off the fact that she is safe and has no ability to invade which keeps others from having a pretext on which to attack. In its own way, that is a very high level skill. I certainly couldnt emulate it. ...Although, she used to be quite skilled at the art of conversation. I guess her daughter had a major effect on her... Shiokishi wrapped his arms around the short body of the powered suit. But this still leaves me a little uneasy. If I could, I would feel safer using cyborg technology to remake my body itself instead of wearing something, but it seems there are still various issues with that. I believe the delicate equipment has a lifespan of 5 years or thereabouts and having to undergo major surgery to switch out the artificial organs every 5 years is too heavy a burden. Having the individual artificial organs kept compact in a single life support system built into the powered suit lightens that burden and while a cyborg cannot overcome the barrier of the physical bodys capacity, the devices in a powered suit can be easily replaced. I admit that its actually just an advanced version of a hospital bed or handheld oxygen tank, but for me, its Shiokishi-san, said Tsuchimikado cutting him off because he knew that idiots would go on forever when they got fixated on certain subjects. Im sure you did not go out of your way to contact us just to allow us to submit our battle reports. It would have been faster to do that via the voice on the phone. You have probably vaguely picked up on it, but the agent that commands you four is otherwise occupied. There is more than one incident going on in Academy City right now. ...I thought it would be taken care of already, but I never expected for that youth who sits at the same table to be done in. ... You dont need to be suspicious. You dont need to feel uneasy about the information that isnt disclosed to you, because it is all connected. If you do what you must do, you will gather all the information before long. At that point, the camera shook. Shiokishi called for some people he referred to as Sugitani-kun and Minobe-kun and then someone from outside the view of the camera grabbed the camera and moved it back to its proper position. Anyway, I am here to ask you to carry out your next job. ...Did something else happen so soon? Tsuchimikado asked being reminded of the incident that had caused fights to the death to break out between the 5 organizations known as Group, School, Member, Item, and Block. But Shiokishi shook the helmet of his powered suit back and forth. It is nothing that serious. Basically, I want you to take out some leftovers. It seems some comrades of the former Spark Signal members that attacked the Hula Hoop are still hiding within Academy City. If we do nothing about them, they could easily put together some kind of second plan. There were comrades of the people who had wanted information on Dragon from the very depths of Academy City. I will send you data on the details of your target, but I think this will be much simpler than with Hula Hoop. ...At the very least, you should be able to take them out with no preparation. Since you managed to get through that job before, Im sure you can easily manage this. Shiokishi then started to wrap up the conversation, but Accelerator suddenly spoke. ...Does the term Dragon sound familiar to you? Its a fairly famous word. I think its used proudly in video game titles a lot. Tch, he clicked his tongue. If Shiokishi had said he didnt know, he could have pressed further, but he had lost the opportunity. If he continued on, Shiokishi would just continue evading the question. Whether he knew what Accelerator was after or not, Shiokishi tapped his thick metal palms together and then ended the discussion. You all are students, so finish up this boring work and get back to your own lives. Part 2 The party to celebrate Takitsubo Rikous release from the hospital was to be held that night. Hamazura Shiage and Kinuhata Saiai had been forced to make the preparations for that party in a hurry, so they ended up buying various joke goods at a shopping area in District 7. ...Hey, wait a second. How did we end up in a movie theater and why are we the only ones in the theater 2 minutes before the movie starts? This place specializes in short films, so were super okay. They show 10 minute long films with 5 minute breaks in between. By my calculations, we can watch two of them and still have super enough time to meet up with Takitsubo-san. That doesnt explain why were the only two here. Shut up. I actually need to use the bathroom and am super holding it in, so dont talk to me, Hamazura. You want to see it that much? Hamazura muttered as his shoulders drooped. Kinuhatas hobby was watching movies, but she seemed to have no interest in major Hollywood hits. She only cared about the ones that were referred to as B or C movies. Gwah, this is no good. This film only just started showing, but it has a super shitty feel to it only 2 minutes in... This is always how it is when you bring me along!! Youre the one that dragged me in here!! Since they were the only two in the theater, Hamazura didnt hold back as he yelled at her. However, Kinuhata shook her head with a grave look on her face, completely ignoring Hamazura. No, this super isnt it. I dont want to see this kind of super self-aware C movie where they decided to make a completely ridiculous C movie for fun. I want to super see something made to super seriously compete with Hollywood, but naturally turned into a C movie due to various circumstances. I see. Well, I can accept that the heroine is wearing a medieval-looking dress despite that fact that the movie takes place in the near future on the grounds that thats simply the world it takes place in, but I cant help being bothered by the fact that everyone is sweating as if it were filmed in summer even though the story takes place in the middle of winter. Hamazura, look at the left edge of the screen. You can super see what looks like smokestack from a thermal power station on the opposite shore over there. Seriously? That SF atmosphere they worked so hard to build up is completely gone! Ive heard of airplanes flying by in the middle of a shot, but a preliminary inspection would make it obvious there was a building there!! Even Hamazura, who wasnt too picky about movies, covered his face with his hands over that one. Meanwhile, Kinuhata started fidgeting and rubbing her thighs together. ...I cant do it. Ive super lost the willpower needed to stay with this horrible film. Im gonna go to the bathroom. Hopefully, the next short film will be super worth it. Eh? Youre gonna leave this movie to me!? said Hamazura, but Kinuhata had already left the theater. He had little choice, so Hamazura watched the strategy meeting just before the climax being shown onscreen. He was watching it more to kill some time than to enjoy the film. (...Huh? Whats with that map on the wall behind her there?) Hamazuras eyes had started to resemble those of a dead fish, but he suddenly started to pay attention again. (...Thats a map of the craters and mountain ranges on Mars. Why isnt it a normal world map? If they went out of their way to get a map like that, then...Waaahhhh!?) His eyes widened like he had been hit by an electric shock. (This story takes place in the middle of winter, but not in the middle of Earths winter!! They were making us think that, but it was actually a story about a modern what if world where Mars was developed in an odd way!! In that case, the cast being so hot can be explained as a side effect of the terraforming. And that smokestack wasnt a mistake, it was...Gwahh!! They got me!!) And the latter 5 minutes of the story were a sight to behold. The dullness of the first half had been intentional on the part of the director. That dullness had made the second half shine even brighter. It was like a glass of cold water after an exhausting marathon. If that trick had been used in a 100 minute movie, the viewers would have given up, but this was a short film. After the first five minutes, the viewers would tend to reluctantly watch the rest of it even if the beginning was incredibly boring, so they would make it to the second half. That was how calculated that film had been. (Wow! Wow!! Wooowww!!!!! What is this? This isnt a C film. This was definitely made with the intention of defeating Hollywood!!! What the hell? This was only a 10 minute film, right? This was nothing like the world from some regular, everyday trilogy!! They made this with such depth but also made it so you couldnt tell!) Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Hamazura Shiage started laughing without realizing it. He was seriously thinking of kissing Kinuhata Saiai on the back of the leg. (I see, I see. So this is why seeing low-budget short films made by new directors can be worthwhile.) Hamazura simply could not keep from smiling at the experience he had just had. But then a chill ran down his back. He felt someones gaze. He timidly turned around and found the girl who loved movies more than anyone else who had returned from the bathroom. Her trembling face could be seen peering in through the gap in the slightly opened door. Her expression seemed to be saying, Nooo!! How could I have missed such an interesting film!? After the film was over, Hamazura was walking along next to Kinuhata. (I see. So the director is called Beverly Seethrough. I need to keep an eye on her stuff...) Kinuhata was walking along limply as if she had no strength left. She was surrounded by a dark thundercloud-like aura and had an expression as if she felt the world was ending. Kinuhata. Cmon, Kinuhata, its not so bad. You still win out overall. I never would have come across that film without you. Your antenna that allows you to search out a film like that among the countless films out there is the real deal. ...I cant believe this super Hamazura is feeling sorry for me. With C movies, its all about luck. This could be a sign that my sense is starting to become super distorted... They exited the movie theater as Kinuhata muttered to herself. They were on their way back to the hospital to meet up with Takitsubo now that they had killed some time, but then Kinuhatas cell phone started to ring. For a short time, Kinuhata did not respond and continued looking on with her dead looking eyes, but she finally answered it with oddly slow movements. After a short conversation, Kinuhata hung up and looked towards Hamazura. Hamazura, go on ahead and super pick up Takitsubo-san. You super know the place, right? If you super take her over to the private salon in District 3, it would be a super help. Ahn? I have a job. The new team is finally being started, so we have to super gather together and then kill all of the former Spark Signal terrorists who are super targeting Academy City. Part 3 ...I thought you had gone off to some secret meeting point. ...I went off to the secret meeting point and got sick of it in 5 minutes, so I super came back. Hamazura and Kinuhata looked at each other as they had this exchange. Kinuhata had returned before Hamazura had even made it to the hospital. Hamazura started to wonder if there was a transmitter hidden on him somewhere, but it didnt seem so. It was past the time all students were supposed to have left school and the last train and last bus had already left, so they were walking to the hospital. Hey, so what happened? Werent you supposed to go fight some terrorists with this new team? I was, but something happened. Kinuhata then started telling him what had happened. Kinuhata Saiai had gone to a dimly lit underground area and looked around at the various people waiting there. She had frowned and a well-timed cell phone call had come. Thanks for coming, everyone. Item, School, Block, and Member were destroyed a while back. Its always like that with you people. Anyway, this new team was created from the leftovers, so please get along with your comrades who you tried to kill before! Hey, wait a second! I doubt that!! What kind of memory is that to start with!? I thought it was a joke at first too, but it seems she was super serious. I super couldnt stand it, so I ran off. Oh, right. The Measure Heart girl in the dress asked me to say hi to you, Hamazura. ...Dammit, I have nothing but bad memories of her, Hamazura said dejectedly, but then he suddenly raised his head. But wait. Was that really okay? Those people on the phone have a lot of power, right? Will you be okay having ignored one of their orders? Its super not okay. Thats why I want a bit of help, Hamazura. If I super carry out my assignment before Im brought back to that new team, they cant complain. Hah? said the boy in shock, but Kinuhata continued on readily. I want you to super steal a car like normal and help me out. Well use it to chase after the former Spark Signal members who were with the group that attacked the Hula Hoop and then super finish them off. We cant leave Takitsubo-san waiting too long, so lets finish this off super quickly. Wait just a damn second. Werent you just saying that I didnt have to obey Item anymore? What happened to the Hamazura Shiage who would wash his hands of all that dirty business and support his lovely Takitsubo-chan? Then you can just super leave me be and go with Takitsubo-san to the private salon. Shell likely be worried about me when I super dont show up, but you can just super enjoy yourself on your own. Fuck!! This is her party and youre just going to leave!? If you dont like it, then super hurry up and get us a car already. Lets super kill those former Spark Signal bastards and then get to the party, okay? Okay, Hamazura, okay? At the end, she started using a sweet, coaxing voice and Hamazura ended up clicking his tongue and sticking his hand in his pocket while half in tears. He pulled out the wire-like tools he used to unlock cars. While glancing over at Kinuhata who was calling Takitsubo to tell her to head to the private salon in District 3 ahead of them, Hamazura easily opened the door of a family car parked on the street. You really are the type that relies on the people you know, arent you? Did you super say something, Subordinate Hamazura? Part 4 The RV Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki were riding in headed to District 3 where celebrities tended to gather. Tsuchimikado displayed the order data Shiokishi had sent over on the large screen. There are 20 of them. It seems they have sub-machine guns and grenades prepared for that many, but...well, Shiokishi was right about this being an easy job. It seems their job was mainly to provide support for the main group. Sure, killing them will be easy, said Accelerator while sitting on a cot and glaring at Tsuchimikado. But are we just going to do what those fuckers on the board of directors say? If we play this right, we might be able to press them for some information on Dragon. So are you saying we join the former Spark Signal terrorists, the people who occupied the Hula Hoop and used a child as a hostage for their negotiations? ... In our position, we of course do need to search for information on Dragon, but we cant do it the wrong way. Those former Spark Signal members are just a bunch of terrible bastards. If nothing is done about them, they could easily occupy some other building and take more hostages. ...And if you truly want to press for information on the mystery of Dragon by dragging complete strangers into the mix, then the four of us will have to split. Tch, said Accelerator clicking his tongue disinterestedly. He was a truly fearsome Level 5 who had even been dropped from a bomber as a strategic weapon, but he truly hated causing damage to civilians (or more accurately, to the peaceful world in which a certain little girl lived). Now that Accelerator had been silenced, Musujime opened her mouth. Where are these remnants of the former Spark Signal members hiding? Theyre moving through an underground mall directly below a train station. The place has already closed, so there arent any other people there. Since theyre going out of their way to head through there, it must not be too much trouble for them to break through the security. Most shopping districts stayed open late into the night, but the ones in the same facility as a train station were different. When the last train left, the underground mall below it would close too. Tsuchimikado operated a remote control and a map of the underground mall appeared on the screen. They most likely know that the main force at the Hula Hoop was defeated. It seems they are moving through the underground mall to get to a vehicle they have parked elsewhere to move to yet another location. It isnt clear if they are purely attempting to flee or if they are switching to a secondary plan that uses an even more destructive weapon. So where is their getaway vehicle located? asked Unabara, but Tsuchimikado merely pointed towards the wall of the RV. There. ...What? I instructed the driver to circle around ahead of them. If we destroy the vehicle and have someone wait for them, we can prevent things from going the way the former Spark Signal members want it to. ...Of course, it wont end there. We will leave an anchor here and the other three will perform a sweep of the underground mall. If we use some pinpoint shooting with Musujimes Move Point and then have Unabara and me take them out while theyre confused, this will be over before you know it. Accelerator frowned upon hearing that. A faint smile appeared on Tsuchimikados face when he saw the #1 glaring at him. He lightly tapped his own neck and spoke. With the Depart and Hula Hoop battles back-to-back like that, you need to conserve your electrodes battery. Tch. He had no real reason to obey him, but he had no real reason to help them either. Accelerator decided that if those idiots were going to take care of the odd jobs on their own, he would just let them. At that point, the RV stopped moving. Tsuchimikado reached his hand out towards the back door that led outside. Cmon, lets go. Time for a regular everyday fight to the death. Part 5 From the standpoint of ones wallet, the underground mall in District 3 was a place that required some courage to step into. The area the former Spark Signal members were heading through was already closed, so there were no other people there. They were more specifically in an area that had many different sports brands of clothing. They had an entire eras worth of uniforms from a world famous soccer league lined up. People who understood that type of thing could accept how much they cost, but those who did not understand would be at a loss as to why anyone would pay that much. The place was filled with items that had that sort of value. (...Oh, there they are. Hm, they have light weight low recoil submachine guns that can be used with one hand, but theyve ruined them by putting heavy grenade launchers on them. This might be even easier than expected.) (...Have they not thought about how dangerous it is to use grenades in an enclosed space?) While peering around the corner of a corridor, Tsuchimikado and Unabara spoke to each other. They used a cell phone to call Musujime who was waiting a little ways away. The targets have been spotted at Point BBE. Can you confirm? I want to just go ahead and kill them. Could you give me the signal? Well begin on the count of 5. Start with the outer edges. Tsuchimikado hung up the phone and gripped his handgun with both hands. The 20 former Spark Signal terrorists headed towards them through the darkness. At exactly 5 seconds after he had hung up, a corkscrew pierced the shoulder of one of the armed members making almost no noise. Musujime Awakis Move Point made no noise in and of itself. The slight sound that had been made was most likely the sound of the flesh around the wound being spread out by the corkscrew appearing having ignored the third dimension. A scream resounded through the area. However, the former Spark Signal group did not realize they were being attacked at first. A second, a third, and then a fourth corkscrew attacked them. People on the outer edges of the group simultaneously fell to the ground and writhed around. The former Spark Signal group finally figured out what was going on and stood stock still as they were unsure which direction to run in since people on all sides of them had been hit. That confused motionlessness lasted only 2 or 3 seconds, but Tsuchimikado did not overlook it. Lets go, he said quietly to Unabara and held his gun around the corner. He unhesitatingly pulled the trigger. Unlike before, a clear gunshot and muzzle flash was created and more of the terrorists collapsed. Perhaps because this was not a mysterious attack and they were able to comprehend what had happened, the remaining targets returned fire with their submachine guns in Tsuchimikados direction as they searched for something to hide behind. Tsuchimikado and Unabara fired from the front and Musujime used her Move Point from a different direction, so the former Spark Signal members continued to go down. In no time at all, half of them had been taken out. (...Oh, shit. A grenade!!) Tsuchimikado saw one of them reaching a finger towards the other trigger near the trigger to the submachine gun, so he concentrated his fire there. However, the former Spark Signal members were good. All ten of them aimed their grenades towards Tsuchimikado and Unabara in unison. The 10 explosives were fired at once and coffee can-like objects flew through the air in an arc. (...Jump!!) Tsuchimikado yelled as he broke a window on the side of the corridor and jumped through into a store. But Unabara did not follow. Instead, he reached for a large button on the wall. It activated a security/fire shutter. When he pressed the button with his palm, a thick metal barrier wall fell down just before the grenades hit. It stopped the explosives. A number of large explosions could be heard on the other side of the wall and the shutters became warped in his direction. However, the explosions and fragments did not injure Unabara. You dumbass!! Tsuchimikado yelled at him. Now we cant attack them!! Giving them time only lets them gather more firepower for a counterattack!! The two of them moved around the shop with the broken window in an attempt to circumvent the shutter and return to the battlefield, but that time lag of a few seconds greatly affected the next turn of events. A new explosion reverberated through the underground area. It had not been created in an attempt to attack Tsuchimikado, Musujime, or Unabara. !! Tsuchimikado hurriedly checked on the state of the passageway and saw that a large hole had been opened in the ceiling on the other side of a cloud of dust. It was in the exact place the former Spark Signal group had previously been. The fallen rubble had piled up like a staircase making a perfect route to the surface. And the former Spark Signal group had completely vanished. They had clearly escaped. Dammit!! Tsuchimikado swore as he grabbed his cell phone. He was calling Accelerator who was waiting on the surface. They escaped from the underground mall!! There are about 10 of them! Well be heading up with Musujimes Move Point, but you head out to intercept them!! I doubt theyre still headed there!! Part 6 Accelerator could clearly see the explosion even from where he waited. Something white was floating up into the air, but he wasnt sure if it was smoke or dust made up of building material. He took his modern cane and headed in that direction when he received even more information. The asphalt had been blown upwards from below. A large number of fragments had spread around and had smashed car windshields and restaurant windows to pieces. A girl was crouched down holding her bleeding head. He could hear groans and cries from all over the place and the distant sound of an approaching ambulances siren was mixed in with it all. The former Spark Signal group seemed to have already fled. (...Damn villains.) Accelerator looked at the yelling people and at the onlookers who had gathered as he ever so slightly gritted his teeth. (...So this is the result when a bunch of piece of shit villains gather together.) Tsuchimikado and the others were likely in pursuit of the former Spark Signals, but Accelerator had no intention of just doing what he said. It was upon seeing that scene that he truly started considering shooting the former Spark Signals. His fingertips slowly approached the switch to the choker-style electrode around his neck, but then he heard an especially loud yell. A lot of people had been caught up in the sudden incident, but that one stood out among them all. Accelerator looked in that direction without really thinking about it, approached, and saw a high school-aged boy yelling at a rescue worker. It seemed the rescue worker was trying to treat a woman the boy knew, but the student was frantically trying to stop him. ...? The woman looked college-aged or older. The papers that had fallen from her bag looked school related, so she might have been a teacher. She looked more seriously injured than the high school boy who had only a single trail of blood on his forehead. She was slumped over unconscious. Normally, she would need to be treated right away, but... Stop!! Stop!! Dont use that medicine!! You cant!! Itll just have the opposite effect!! But if she doesnt get something to give her some strength, she wont make it to the hospital! Do you know what her heart rate is!? I already checked, and she showed no allergic reaction to this drug. Why are you trying to stop me from treating her!? Both the high school boy and the rescue worker were getting worked up. ...You just cant, the boy clinging to the rescue workers arm finally said as if he were squeezing out the words. Shes...pregnant. With that last word, the rescue workers expression turned to one of shock. There was no need to ask for the details regarding that situation. The high school boy averted his gaze and desperately moved his trembling lips. Ive heard that drugs that normal people have no issue with can have a negative effect on a fetus. What about that one? Will it really be okay? What if that kills it!? W-well... It was a delicate situation. The drug had been developed on the assumption that it would not be used on infants or pregnant women, so no tests had ever been run. Not even a professional rescue worker like him knew what to do when it actually came down to it. Ill be honest. When I first heard that she was pregnant, I thought my life was over. I didnt know what to do. I just wished the problem could disappear... actually, I still feel that way. I still wonder why things ended up this way. The high school boy bit his lip. We were walking along here on what I suppose could be called a date. It was mostly to calm me down from the panic I was in. I just couldnt figure out what to do. But this isnt what I wanted. Is it really going to end like this? What do I want to do? Did I want to leave her? Then why am I clinging to her like this...? After saying that much, he fell silent. Finally, he desperately moved his lips, speaking quietly in a cracking voice. I dont want to lose them... As the high school boy trembled, tears welled up in his eyes and he used all his strength to yell. Even if I decided in this direction, this isnt how I would have wanted it!! I still have no idea what I want to do, but I cant let it end like this!! Please, do something!! Youre an expert at saving peoples lives, right!? So please save both of them!! The rescue worker seemed a bit flustered. However, no matter how much he thought about it, there was only one thing he could do. One path would likely save neither and the other would certainly save one. As a professional, he knew which one he had to choose. ...Let me use this. If I dont, the mother will die, too!! But...!! As they once again reached their stalemate, they both heard the sound of a cane striking the ground. It was Accelerator. Out of the way. Hah...? W-wait a second! Outsiders shouldnt do anythi!! Accelerator knocked the rescue worker aside without even waiting for him to finish speaking and moved to the spot the man had previously been in. He leaned over and reached a hand up to the switch of his choker electrode. He then lightly reached a hand towards the pregnant womans belly. He had once calculated back from the electrical signals on the surface of the skin in order to completely rewrite the structure of a small girls brain so he could save her. It was not difficult for him to gather accurate information on the fetus by touching the pregnant womans belly. (...Gender: Female. Weight: 244 grams. Nutrition Supply Level: 3825. Consciousness Operation Rate: 3.8. Heart Rate: 60. Stimulus Reaction Rate: 5.52. Cell Division: 88...) After only a few seconds with his eyes shut, Accelerator returned the electrodes switch to normal. He spoke to the rescue worker who had fallen to the ground. Give her the drug. Give her 2.5 grams of ectrin. Put a surface chip over her carotid artery and inject it inside her over five 10 second periods with 20 second breaks in between. That will do it. Wait!! The one objecting was the high school boy not the rescue worker. What will happen to the fetus!? Thats what I was fucking calculating, you piece of shit!! Accelerator yelled back and the boy fell silent. The #1 continued on. If you truly dont want them to die, then do as I say. If you do that, it wont have any negative effects on the mother or the fetus. You dont want them both to die while you argue, do you? Having said what he had to say, Accelerator turned towards the rescue worker without waiting for the boy to respond. If youre gonna do it, you only have 5 minutes to decide. You want to save both if you can, right? Then try my way. Youll still be using the same drug. Do you really have any reason not to do it? The rescue worker shook his head and pulled a chip that looked like a stick of gum out of his kit. As Accelerator told him, he put the chip on her neck for a short time, pulled it off, and then continued to repeat the action. And once he had done it 5 times like Accelerator had said... ...Uuh... At first, the high school boy did not know who had made that small groan. When the woman who had been unconscious up until that point opened her eyes, it truly looked like the boy was going to collapse to the ground. ...It had no effect on the fetus. Doesnt look like there was any change to its cell division rate. Just take her to the hospital like this, Accelerator said to the rescue worker after having briefly flipped on the electrode and used his fingertips to check. But dont take her to the District 3 hospital. Take her to District 7 instead. Its a bit farther away, but that hospital definitely wont try to avoid dealing with her. With a delicate patient like her, not all places you take her will accept her. Taking her somewhere you know will take her will be quicker overall. Accelerator then turned his back on them. He couldnt stay there forever. To make sure the same thing didnt happen again, he had to take out the fleeing former Spark Signals. And then... Hey!! Wait a second! Hey!! It was the high school student. He was yelling after Accelerator who stopped in place but did not turn around. The boy desperately spoke to Accelerators back. Thank you. If you hadnt done something there, I definitely would have lived the rest of my life as an empty shell. ...Fuck off, Accelerator muttered, but it seemed the boy hadnt heard him. He continued to speak. I wont forget what you did for me. I will never forget that you saved something more important to me than my own life!! If you ever need something from me, I can try to pay you back. So... The boys words trailed off. He did so because of a sharp noise and a dull shock on his cheek. He wasnt quite sure what had happened and then he noticed something black and hard pressed up against his forehead. It was a small handgun. Accelerator had pulled the gun from his belt, lightly struck the boy on the cheek with the grip, and then stuck the barrel up against his forehead. It seemed this was going to cause another uproar, but the #1 didnt seem to care. He repeated his two words from before. Fuck off. For a bit, the high school boy was unable to speak and he took a few steps back. Finally, he bowed deeply in thanks to Accelerator. He then turned his back and ran towards the ambulance the woman he knew had been loaded onto. After the ambulance drove off, Accelerator put the handgun back in his belt and slowly looked around the area. ... He muttered something. However, what he said did not reach anyones ears. Finally, he reached a slender finger up towards the electrodes switch. An explosive noise rang out. The injured and the onlookers at the scene did not see Accelerator after that. All that was left was a new large crack running across the asphalt that seemed to indicate the fury of a monster. Part 7 Hamazura Shiage was driving the (stolen) family car from District 7 to District 3. He was on an overhead bypass road. He was supposed to be chasing after the terrorists to help out Kinuhata, but... Hey, what the fuck!? What the hell is that chasing us!? With a look of shock, Hamazura checked the rearview mirror and then turned his head around to get a better look. His reaction wasnt too surprising. Thats an HsAFH-11 Six Wings. ...Its an unmanned attack helicopter, said Kinuhata with a look of light irritation one would usually associate with getting caught in traffic. The military helicopter reminded Hamazura of an Apache and it looked like it had a wing with missiles on it sticking out on the left and right. But that wasnt quite accurate. The wings split into three each forming six wings that moved around like the joints in a human arm as they aimed. All six wings were aimed at the family car Hamazura was driving. As Hamazura looked in the mirror at the helicopter that was flying at low altitude and matching their speed, he gave a loud gulp. Fuck this!! All I did was steal a car to help you out! Does that usually turn out this badly!? Does that look like an Anti-Skill toy, Hamazura!? It super isnt!! Then what is it? Is this a counterattack by the terrorists youre after? Do the terrorists have weapons like this!? No, the Six Wings is an unmanned weapon belonging to Academy Citys air defense unit. They super wouldnt send this out for just a criminal! So this is Academy City doing this!? And high up in the city at that!? I can only think of one reason why this is happening and thats the fact that you ignored the order you got on the phone!! ...Hmm. I think you might be jumping to a hasty conclusion. Why are you so relaxed!? Do you understand the situation here!? Do you know how fast a military helicopter can fly!? Hm? Thats a super HsAFH-11, so its maximum speed is around 3000 kph. Mach 2.5!? Is that thing really a helicopter!? It super cant use its rocket engines when its wings are spread out like that because the wind pressure would super damage its joints. Right now, it can only go about 3 or 4 hundred kph. Either way, were kinda fucked with only this family car!! The Six Wings had perfectly matched its movements to those of the family car, so it looked frozen in place in the mirror. ...Hamazura didnt know the details, but it seemed to have locked onto them. What do we do!? If that thing shoots a missile, its all over!! We just need to pray it uses a short range anti-armored vehicle missile, was the ridiculous-sounding thing Kinuhata said as she bent over as if she were tying her shoes. I dont see how that makes much of a difference!! It does, said Kinuhata as she straightened back up. It seems the Six Wings super uses an SRM21 for a short range anti-armored vehicle missile. It super uses an infrared sensor to get a lock. And!? Whether it uses a very high frequency radar, infrared rays, or ultraviolet rays, we still cant get away from it!! Do you know how fast a missile moves!? Here, super breathe in some of this smokescreen and calm down. Cough cough!? A-a smoke grenade!! Dont activate that thing in the car!! Are you sure? Using it this way can be super useful, Kinuhata said nonchalantly as she threw the smoke grenade out the passenger side window. Immediately afterwards, a comparatively short missile was fired from one of the Six Wings arm-like wings. Hamazura thought his heart was going to stop, but the missile did not strike the family cars exhaust pipe blowing the car away. They avoided that fate due to the smoke grenade. The dummy heat source had made the short range missile to veer off course. Thats super what you call a flare, Kinuhata said smoothly, but the threat was not over. With a loud boom, the missile exploded on the road surface where the smoke grenade had landed. They had avoided a direct hit, but the intense explosive wind created assaulted the family car. The cars windows shattered and the car itself trembled unnaturally. Hamazura desperately tried to bring the cars spin under control. Meanwhile, the Six Wings continued to follow the family car as the wind from its rotor blew away the smoke caused by the explosion. Even though Hamazura could just floor it because there were almost no other cars on the road, the family car just didnt have enough speed to outrun the attack helicopter. What do we do? Im pretty sure you only had one smoke grenade and itll probably decide to switch over to its machine gun meaning we cant use any kind of flare defense again. Hamazura, turn super left at the next branch in the road. Hah? Eh? What are you saying? I cant hear you over the wind. Fnhh!! Kinuhata said nothing more and instead suddenly grabbed the hand brake from the passenger seat. The family car suddenly decelerated and slid to the side as if it were drifting. Having suddenly started to move diagonally, the car shot into the left branch of the road. Waaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Hamazura frantically put the hand brake back to normal and turned the wheel. Hitting the brake would definitely have put them in a spin, so he just used the steering wheel to bring the car back from the vector it was drifting in without decelerating. What the hell was that for!? I super want us to survive this. Hamazura, head straight through this main road. Its a super large road with 3 lanes on either side, but just head super straight without even changing lanes if you can help it. Have I gotten involved in something dangerous again without realizing it? Isnt that super normal for you? Anyway, just head super straight. Is this really okay? I know it wont actually save us, but wouldnt it be better to zigzag back and forth to throw off its aim? As he complained, Hamazura drove the family car as instructed. He looked around while stepping on the gas. The area had a lot of skyscrapers, so the Six Wings chasing after them would naturally head in a straight line. It looked like the helicopter would hit a wall if it tried to move around much. And on top of that, there were occasional signs on the sides of buildings and other overhead roads crossing above theirs. This meant that the Six Wings would have to lower its altitude while chasing the family car. It was now flying just a bit off the ground almost at the cars level. Hey, Kinuhata, is this...Bfh!? Hamazura looked over towards the passenger seat and then did what would have been a spit take had he been drinking something. Kinuhata Saiai was leaning forward out the passenger side window. In fact, everything but her legs was sticking out the window. Her slender legs were wrapped around the seat to hold herself in place as she pointed a handgun back behind the car. However, the fast-moving car was naturally creating quite a bit of wind. W-wow!! Wow!! Those panties!! Kinuhata, this goes well beyond the level of just a panty shot!! Your panties!! What are you going to do about your panties!? Kinuhata then shot a bullet through the car into the driver side door. ...Do super nothing other than looking forward and focusing on driving! Yes!! But your panties!! Kinuhata ignored Hamazura who was getting all worked up over something weird and went back to aiming the handgun behind the family car. As if in response, the barrel of the Six Wings machine gun started to move. Kinuhata, this is impossible!! Maybe if you had some kind of antiaircraft gun, but a tiny little 9 mm isnt going to get through a military helicopters armor!! ...The bullets Im super using are made to be destroyed easily. Theyre made of something like papier-mach so they will super smash to pieces. Theyre meant to be used in small areas where a ricocheting bullet could super hurt an ally. Then thats even worse for attacking armor!! Who said I was shooting at its armor? Kinuhata muttered out of annoyance. Im super shooting at the engines air intake. Multiple gun shots rang out. The bullets seemed to be almost sucked into the small hole below the helicopter rotor. Just like a car, a helicopter had its fuel react with the air to create energy, so they needed a hole to suck in air. If a foreign object was brought in there, the engine would stall causing the helicopter to crash. However, a few countermeasures were used in normal air intakes to prevent that kind of trouble. The downward wind created by the rotor prevented dust and sand from getting in and a wire mesh was usually put over it to prevent foreign materials from getting in. Something as big as 9 mm would not be sucked in. But Kinuhata Saiai had used bullets made of a papier-mach-like material so they would break to pieces as soon as it hit its target instead of ricocheting. Yes, it broke to pieces just like dried papier-mach being broken. The created particles were even finer than normal dust, so the extremely narrow openings in the wire mesh over the air intake were large enough for them to get through. And once the foreign substance was within the engine, the engine burnt out and failed to work properly. The Six Wings lost a good bit of its lift. With an explosive noise, black smoke started to rise from the helicopters engine. Just as the Six Wings started to veer slightly from the road, it started scraping across the asphalt. That helicopter was loaded with fuel for the rotor, special fuel for the rocket engine, missiles, and ammunition for its machine guns as it crashed. Yes!! I super got him!! Kinuhata almost seemed to slither back into the passenger seat like a snake, but Hamazura had more important things to focus on. A giant shockwave struck the family car that made the previous one from the short range missile seem like nothing. He lost control of the steering wheel almost instantly and the car finally entered a true spin. Dammit!! Kinuhata! Use your Offense Armor!! If you can stop a shot from a sniper rifle, you can do something about this, right!? Wait, Hamazura!! Kinuhata said as if protesting something, but he didnt have time to listen. The family car struck the side wall of the road. Kh... Hamazuras consciousness cut out and he eventually came to and sat up. His body had been thrown out of the car, but it seemed he had escaped any difficulties by hitting a balloon made of synthetic fiber that was filled with a large amount of water. They were lined up on the side of the road to soften the blow of any accidents. (Wheres Kinuhata...?) Hamazura looked around and towards the crashed family car, but he didnt see her. He actually didnt know how long he had been unconscious, so he assumed she had come to before him. Perhaps she had been unable to find him and had gone off to take care of the terrorists on her own. (Things can never be easy, can they?) He stood up and checked his arms and legs, but none of them seemed to be broken. From a sign he could see, it seemed they had entered District 3 while being chased by the helicopter. He started wondering whether he should find Kinuhata and continue helping her or go meet up with Takitsubo, but it became a moot point. His cell phone started to ring. It was a suspicious call that withheld its number, but Hamazura had a general idea what kind of person was calling at a time like that. Hello, its been a while. If I told you I was Measure Heart, would that be enough for you to at least remember what I look like? ...Why do you know my number? Do you want me to explain every little thing? That would be a real pain, so I wont. More importantly, I have a question for you: Is Kinuhata Saiai with you? Ive been trying to call her, but I cant get a hold of her. ... Hamazura Shiage looked over at the crashed Six Wings. So that was yours. ? He heard an odd breath rather than words. She seemed to be surprised about something. Im not sure what youre talking about, but Ill tell you something if youre in contact with Kinuhata. If shes going to do this on her own, well leave her alone, but the former Spark Signal terrorists have taken over a private salon in District 3. Of course, if shes going to give up, we would be glad to take care of it. A private salon...in District 3...? Hamazura muttered in what was almost a moan. Wasnt that where Takitsubo Rikou was waiting for them having just left the hospital? Part 8 Hamazura Shiage ran through District 3 at night. He repeatedly prayed that it wasnt true, but the situation was quite severe. Anti-Skill was surrounding the skyscraper Takitsubo was supposed to be in, so he couldnt even get inside. The yellow tape marking off the area hit Hamazuras heart as a danger signal. He heard a loud, dry noise coming from the upper levels of the building that sounded like a gunshot. After he heard that, Hamazura Shiage took a deep breath and made up his mind. The terrorists had taken over the private salon building. Takitsubo Rikou most likely could not escape. In that case, what he had to do was clear. God damn it... Hamazura muttered because he didnt really want to have anything to do with the incident. He then started repeating the same curse growing louder and louder. God damn it! God damn it!! God damn it!!!!! Why? Why here of all places!? There are tons of other buildings! Why the hell did they have to choose this one!? As he yelled, he turned his back on the private salon. He looked around and spotted an unnaturally placed garbage truck. He unhesitatingly approached it, forced open the passenger side door, and climbed in. The driver was shocked. Waahh!? What the-..!? Are you trying to rob me!? Lets cut the crap. Youre a subordinate in the underworld like me, right? Hamazura asked in a low voice as he stuck one hand in his pocket. The garbage man in a work uniforms face stiffened and Hamazura continued on. Im sure you can tell from my face that Im making some preparations for helping out my boss. ...Hand over your backup gun. Of course, I could always just kill you and take it. Rationally speaking, someone with a weapon wouldnt demand a weapon from someone else, but the garbage man hadnt realized that. He pulled out a cheap-looking bag and handed a small handgun and a few extra magazines that were inside to Hamazura. Wh-where exactly are you assigned? If you need a weapon, cant you just go through the proper procedure...? The man assumed wrong, but Hamazura just averted his gaze. What was he doing? Hamazura Shiage was just a Level 0. He didnt have any kind of special power at his disposal to defeat an incoming enemy like Kinuhata Saiai had. He was weak enough that he could easily be killed in a street fight with delinquents if he wasnt careful. Im not assigned anywhere. Ive already retired, he muttered after thinking for a bit. Despite being weak, Hamazura knew that the world was not a kind place. A delinquent leader like Komaba Ritoku had been killed so easily. He didnt want to think about it, but Takitsubo Rikou was most likely the same. That was why Hamazura took that weapon. It had nothing to do with whether he was a Level 0 or not. ...But someone I know seems to be trapped in that building, so I have to go. Having said what he had to say, Hamazura got out of the garbage truck. He had a gun now, but he still couldnt just charge into the private salon building. He would clearly be captured by Anti-Skill if he tried. (...Theyve got it covered all the way around with no blind spots. Anti-Skill isnt stupid enough to leave a route for the criminals to escape. But that also means they havent left a route for me to get in through.) Hamazura then looked up into the starry sky. (...If I cant get in on the ground, Ill have to go through the sky.) Hamazura Shiage had been attacked by a helicopter just a few minutes prior. He looked around and then entered a large hotel that was nearby. He used the elevator to get to the roof and, just as he had expected, he found a heliport there. A small helicopter with a round egg-shaped body was stopped there. It was most likely waiting for a guest that wanted to enjoy the nighttime scenery. Hamazura headed straight for the helicopter and opened the door. Hamazura spoke as he pointed his handgun at the female pilot who was running through a systems check. Sorry, but Im gonna need you to take me to the private salon three roads down. The female pilot who had the barrel of a gun pointed at her head remained silent for a few seconds. Finally, she spoke without removing her headset. ...Unfortunately, even someone like me used to belong to the agency that administers Academy Citys air defense. As she whispered, Hamazura frowned and then realized something. At some point, she had gotten a utility knife into her hand. Did you think a pilot wouldnt know how to use a weapon? Since we might crash in enemy territory and be forced to act on our own, we have things much harsher than an army soldier who acts in a large group with plenty of weaponry. (...Wait a second. When did she bring that out?) When he had gotten into the cockpit, both of her hands had been busy checking over the displays. At some point she had taken out that knife that had been hidden somewhere. He knew that much, but he couldnt fully understand what had happened. She was too dangerous to take his eyes off of. He may have a handgun, but he was still the one with a chill running down his back. That was when the cell phone in Hamazura Shiages pocket suddenly started to ring. He frowned at the timing. In contrast, the female pilot continued to sit in her seat while a thin smile appeared on her face. ...Dont you need to answer that? We havent taken off yet, so youre free to do so, she said in a provoking manner. ... Without moving his head, Hamazura used the hand not holding the gun to slowly grab the cell phone from his pocket. He did this so carefully that it took him 30 seconds. The instant he looked down to check the screen was the most terrifying, but he immediately hit the connect button and put the phone to his ear upon seeing the displayed name. ...Hama...zura... Takitsubo, are you okay!? Where are you!? ...At the meeting point. The private salon... Hamazura looked slightly relieved to hear that lovely voice, but the relief disappeared replaced by burning doubt. (Wait a second. Why does her voice sound so weak?) I heard what happened. Terrorists have entered the private salon. Are you okay? You werent hit by a stray bullet, were you!? Im...fine... At the very end of her sentence, he heard a gunshot over the phone. He then heard what sounded like rushed footsteps. Takitsubo!! Im fine...really... Im hiding right now... They havent noticed me yet. He heard a small noise over the phone. It was the sound of someone leaning up against a wall. Wait. Then why do you sound so exhausted!? Im just...not feeling too good. Its nothing you need to worry about, Hamazura... Dammit!! he swore. Takitsubo Rikou had only just been released from the hospital. She may have been fine with a normal life, but that kind of heavy activity and intense mental strain would put a toll on her body. And her health had originally taken a turn for the worse because of some rare and not fully understood material called Body Crystal. No one knew just how much damage had actually accumulated within her. Hamazura... Okay, dont worry. Im telling you that itll be fine. Ill be there right away. Ill definitely be there to rescue you. So just bear with it a little longer. Can you do that? No, not that. Hamazura had been frantically moving his lips, but Takitsubos reaction was the exact opposite. Dont come, Hamazura. Dont come here. There are 10 terrorists. They all seem to be armed with submachine guns and grenade launchers. Hamazura, you may know how to use a handgun, but you dont know how to use a rifle, do you? If you come in here, they will just concentrate their fire on you. You cant do anything about it, Hamazura. So dont come. ...Fuck that... Hamazura muttered as he trembled. This trembling was different from before. It was due to anger instead of fear. Im going. Of course Im going!! I cant just leave you there! No matter what it takes, I will rescue you from there. So wait for me. Dont give up!! Whether Im out of my league here or not, Im going!! Takitsubo did not respond. Perhaps because the cell phone relay antenna within the private salon had been destroyed, the call ended. Hamazura stared at the disconnected cell phone for a bit and his trembling reached its maximum. A shout exploded from the bottom of his throat. The female pilot sitting in the cockpit looked at him and her eyebrows moved slightly. The pilot was still playing with the knife in her hand that she could attack with at any time while Hamazura continued to point the hand gun towards her with trembling hands. Please... he said to her with tears and snot running down his face. You can charge me with whatever crime you want. I wont complain if you send me down to the very depths of hell. But please help me save her... Those words that sounded as if he were just barely squeezing them out resounded within the helicopter. After a few seconds of silence, the female pilot finally sighed. She then spoke in a voice that could barely be heard. ...Why didnt you say that sooner? ? Hamazura hadnt been able to quite hear her and he looked on questioningly, but then a loud roar pierced his ears. It was the sound of the helicopters rotor quickly raising its rotation speed. He looked up in the direction of the noise and realized the feeling at his feet had disappeared. The craft was hovering. The female pilot threw the utility knife aside and grabbed a half-empty can of coffee. She hit a few buttons on a number pad and a small door-like object near the joystick opened up. She then poured the coffee inside. (...The flight recorder...?) It was the device that recorded what happened within the craft so that the reason for a crash could be investigated. Pouring coffee inside the armor that protected it from fire, water, and shocks would erase the conversations that had taken place inside the helicopter. That included the one that had recorded who Hamazura and Takitsubo were. The female pilot raised the helicopters altitude as she spoke into her headsets mic without looking at Hamazura. Flight H3389 is being hijacked. Repeat, Flight H3389 is being hijacked!! The hijacker has a handgun and a small drum with liquid inside. It probably holds 8 to 10 liters! If what he says is true, the drum contains a liquid explosive and he is threatening to scatter the contents along with an ignition device down from midair if his instructions are not followed. I am giving priority to the lives of the people in the area, so I am following his orders for now!! The panicked male voice of an air-traffic controller responded over her headset. In response to that, the pilot started speaking some sort of code. T-A, T-A. Code black. Flying in direction 202 and altitude 80, give me authorization! B-A-L, at intervals of 35 to 40. Large. Im going, understood!? At first, Hamazura had thought that had simply been aviation radio jargon, but when he thought through it again, he realized it didnt actually mean anything. She had been listing off the characteristics of the hijacker. She had most likely been saying the hijacker was aged between 35 to 40, was 202 cm tall, weighed around 80 kg, and had black skin. Of course, none of those characteristics matched Hamazura. The pilot spoke to him once she had completely cut off the transmission. ...Flying on some kids whim isnt so easy. Sorry, but I had to make that pretty showy. You... Hamazura wasnt quite sure what to say as the helicopter continued on. The private salon building was only 3 roads away from the hotel. They would be there in no time. The building was just as luxurious as the hotel had been. He could see a few figures on the lit up heliport. They were not customers wanting to be rescued. They had submachine guns in their hands. Tension grabbed at Hamazuras heart, but they did not shoot at the helicopter flying above them. Hamazura looked confused. Whats going on? ...I dont know who theyve contacted, but I bet one of their demands was to be given a means of escape. They may have mistaken our helicopter for the one they requested. The female pilot circled around the private salon building. But that doesnt change the fact that theyre on their guard. We cant exactly land at the heliport if you dont want this helicopter to be taken by the terrorists. I know, and I dont intend to cause that much trouble for you. Hamazura looked down at the heliport below and pointed at a certain spot. Whats that? ...An imitation tree. To put it simply, a number of layers of white cloth like a yachts sail are formed into the shape of a tree and various colors of lights are put on as decorations. If a normal tree were there, the branches broken off by the wind would create issues when landing or taking off. I see. Hamazura thought for a bit. Then he unhesitatingly opened the helicopters door. Thanks for the info. !? That caught even the female pilot by surprise. Hamazura Shiage then jumped out into the night sky. They were around 20 meters above the heliport. Gravity slammed Hamazura into the tree made of cloth. The yacht sail-like decoration snapped, but it absorbed enough of the shock for Hamazura to avoid receiving a fatal injury when he landed on the heliport. At first, the three terrorists armed with submachine guns and grenade launchers merely stared on in shock. After all, some strange guy had jumped down out of the helicopter they thought had come in accordance with their demands. And Hamazura did not wait for them to retain their composure. He mercilessly pointed his handgun forward and repeatedly pulled the trigger. Multiple gunshots rang out and the terrorists were taken out before they could manage to fire back. Hamazura waved once at the helicopter circling around above signaling for it to leave the area. Then he moved his gaze to the door leading inside the building. His lips moved slightly. ...Ive come here to the depths of hell, partner. Most likely, Hamazura Shiage himself had not noticed. It was true that he was a good-for-nothing third-rate thug. There was no twist ending coming where it turned out he actually possessed some special power or talent. He was exactly what he looked like: a pathetic Level 0. However, when he put his life on the line to protect a certain girl, he became a true protagonist. Part 9 The former Spark Signal terrorists who had control of the private salon building raised their heads. They had heard gunshots. And the gunshots sounded different from the guns they carried. The caliber was probably the same, but the powder being used was different. A group went up to the roof to see if the helicopter we had requested had come, but... When is Stephanie going to meet up with us? Depending on what she does... Maybe we should take an attack from an esper with teleportation powers into account. However, they were not so simple as to all head straight for the source of the noise. They had mostly suppressed the people within the building, but there was a bare minimum of people they needed to seal their movements. There was also the risk that the gunshots themselves were a trap and they would trigger some explosives upon heading that way. The 7 former Spark Signals immediately thought through all that and split into 3 teams. They had made the decision and reacted very quickly. However, a disaster ignored that and suddenly attacked regardless. That disaster came in through the window. An explosion that sounded like the main gun of a battleship resounded throughout the room and the window through which a piece of the night scenery could be seen shattered. However, it was not a mass of firepower that flew inside. It was a person. The person had white hair, red eyes, and a smile that looked like a rip in his face. He was Accelerator, Academy Citys strongest Level 5. (...Th-this is the 28th floor...!?) In the face of such an unusual phenomenon, one of the former Spark Signals had that commonplace thought. Yet even that small lag was fatal before Accelerator. The action the Level 5 took was simple. He grabbed the closest former Spark Signal terrorist with one hand and threw him at the others. The action was much like one a child in a temper tantrum would take, but when the ability to alter all kinds of vectors was added in, it possessed the destructive power of an explosive shell. With an explosive noise, three former Spark Signals were blown away. Without even waiting to hear the sound of ripping flesh and snapping bones, Accelerator turned his red eyes to his next target. The remaining former Spark Signal terrorists finally jumped behind cover and started firing their submachine guns. But gunshots began to resound from an unexpected place. ... The gunshots had come from that floors exit. The terrorists had been so distracted by Accelerator that they had been unable to react. They collapsed to the ground spreading their blood across the floor. Each target had been accurately hit by a single bullet either in the head or the center of the abdomen. They had clearly died instantly. It had been so sudden that not a single one gave out a death scream. Accelerator turned in the direction of the gunshots. An unfamiliar man wearing a suit stood there. He looked to be around 30. As his handgun had smoke rising from it, it was clear he had been the one to shoot the former Spark Signal group. Who are you? Does it really matter? the man in the suit said. The man then aimed his handgun to the side towards the terrorists Accelerator had knocked away with his vector power. He carefully shot each of them either in the head or the abdomen. The gunshots were louder than one would expect for the size of the handgun. Most likely, it was not a standard 9mm. It used bullets of a higher caliber. The man in the suit spoke to Accelerator as he swapped out magazines. If you truly want to protect this city, you must be this thorough. I asked who the hell you are. Do you want to die here? I am Sugitani, the man said in an offhand manner without his expression changing. He kicked each body over to see if they reacted in any way. Pray that we do not meet again. You need to work towards that end. Saying only that, the man in the suit put away his handgun and headed for the floors exit. Accelerator glared at his disappearing back and finally switched his electrode back to normal mode. Whatever the details were, the danger had left the private salon at least temporarily. Accelerator pulled out his cell phone. It pissed him off to ask for help from the people who had fucked things up, but it would be a pain to deal with it all himself. ...Hey, Tsuchimikado. I took out the bastards you let escape to the private salon building. Get up here already and deal with the injured and check for traps. If you cant even do that, I really will put a bullet in your head. He put away his phone and walked out along the floor. He opened a door and saw a large party area inside. Civilians that appeared to have been hostages were gathered in it. His initial glance told him there were more than 300 of them in there. Eerie sobs leaked out from various directions, but it didnt feel like the atmosphere of a group in which there had been fatalities. He then heard a clattering noise from a different direction. Accelerator had been about to enter the large area, but he stopped. He walked down the hall with his modern cane and saw something roll out from behind a pillar. It was a high school-aged girl wearing a pink track suit. All strength seemed to have left her body and she was sweating profusely. Accelerator was reminded of Last Order when her personality had been desecrated by a virus. The girl in the track suits consciousness seemed dim, and she slowly opened and closed her eyes. Even when she saw Accelerator approaching, she did not attempt to stand up. Accelerator knelt down to check on her condition and his eyebrows shot up slightly. (...She has no obvious injury. It doesnt look like she was shot. Is she sick or something? Dont tell me shes pregnant, too.) Accelerator decided he should at least bring her to the hospital, so he pulled out his cell phone. And then... ...What the hell did you do? said a low male voice. Accelerator immediately looked over and saw a boy walking from further down the hallway. He, Hamazura Shiage, was glaring at the limp, unmoving girl in the track suit and Accelerator while he forced out some words. I asked you what the hell you did to Takitsubo! Part 10 Hamazura had lost his cool. When he had snuck into the private salon building from the roof, he hadnt been stupid enough to take the elevator. He had headed down floor by floor via the emergency stairs, but even that was pretty much a straight shot. If he ran across the terrorists, he would not be able to avoid a firefight in which he would have the disadvantage. Hamazura had been continuing down while extremely nervous and then he had heard numerous gunshots upon arriving at a certain floor. He then ran down to the 28th floor and that was where he had witnessed it. Academy Citys strongest Level 5, Accelerator, was crouched down next to the unconscious form of Takitsubo Rikou looking like he was about to do something to her. It was possible that a third party may have interpreted Accelerators actions as an attempt to help her. However, Hamazura was unable to see it that way. The reason was quite simple. Hamazura Shiage had once belonged to a delinquent group called Skill-Out. At that time, the groups leader had been Komaba Ritoku, but the higher ups of Academy City had determined that Skill-Out was disadvantageous to the city. That decision had led to Accelerator being dispatched. Skill-Outs leader, Komaba Ritoku, had been killed and the group had temporarily been driven to the edge of destruction. ...So this was your doing, too? That person, that dog of Academy City, had appeared before Hamazura again and was trying to do something to Takitsubo Rikou. Were you the leader and sole survivor of those terrorists? Or did you kill your other comrades yourself? Either way, youre doing dirty jobs secretly in the darkness. As Hamazura had just previously been attacked by one of Academy Citys Six Wings, he naturally came to that conclusion. When Skill-Out was destroyed, things werent exactly going well for us. Leader Komaba made up his mind and challenged you to a final battle, so I wont say anything about that. I want to say something so badly, but I wont for his sake. Most likely, a third party would have been unable to understand his words. But Hamazura wasnt saying them because he wanted to be understood. His mouth was merely moving on its own. But if youre going to try to take something else I care about away from me... If youre going to take Takitsubos life, the life of someone who hasnt made up her mind to fight and who is supposed to live a normal life from now on... He was shaking. Paying no heed to the tiny distinction between Level 0 and Level 5, Hamazura Shiage aimed his handgun at Accelerator in order to protect that girl who couldnt move. Prepare yourself, strongeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssstttttttttttt!! Meanwhile, Accelerator more or less understood the situation. He knew Hamazura was mistaken about what was going on, but he made no attempt to correct him. ...Excellent. Accelerator slowly stood up and reached for the switch to his choker-style electrode. He faced Hamazura Shiage with a smile ripping across his face. An excellent villain, Accelerator said with an inhuman smile on his face. At first, it seemed to mean nothing, but it was an assessment he very rarely gave. But before Hamazura could figure that out, Accelerator manipulated the vectors for his leg strength and charged straight for Hamazura. A loud roar exploded with a slight delay. Accelerator had jumped in an extremely low arc and Hamazura Shiage attempted to jump back while still holding out his handgun. (...He may be a Level 5, but hes still a human!! I should be able to kill him with a single bullet. Basically, he just uses a trick to keep the bullet from hitting him. I need to start by bringing him into circumstances where I can hit him with that bullet!!) Hamazura was able to come up with that answer because he had previously shot and killed the #4 Level 5, Meltdowner Mugino Shizuri. No, Hamazura actually knew another Level 0 who had used that thought pattern. His former leader, Komaba Ritoku, had inspected Accelerators actions and investigated his characteristics. This had led him to the answer that electromagnetic interference would temporarily seal his powers. In that case... (...I need to make that choker malfunction. But how!? Leader Komaba used chaff to jam the signal, but...!!) He knew generally what he had to do, but he didnt know specifically how to do it. As he thought, Accelerator spun his body swinging a clenched fist. His arm was rumored to be able to kill someone just by touching them. ...!!!??? Hamazura immediately swung his body to the side in an attempt to evade. Accelerators arm did not actually make contact. However, an explosive wind of unknown origin appeared and blew Hamazura away. He flew more than 2 meters through the air before slamming into the hallway wall. Unnatural strength entered his finger holding the trigger and he fired a meaningless shot into the ceiling. Accelerator turned his head in Hamazuras direction. Hamazura realized that he would be killed if he didnt do something and he noticed a security robot approaching from further down the hallway. The terrorists had likely sealed them all in one room and it was now heading back on its normal route after having been released. Hamazura nearly unloaded his clip into the security robot. The bullets broke through the fairly durable armor and destroyed the components within. Hamazura stuck his hand inside. The characteristic weird feeling of electromagnetism numbed him from his fingertips to his back and then to his chest, but he ignored it and ripped out a piece. It was a part of the large motor the robot used to move around. Hamazura ripped the cords off of the large permanent magnet that was used in the motor and then threw it at Accelerator. To prevent theft, the security and cleaning robots were purposefully made quite heavy. To make sure the machines could smoothly move up slopes, their motors were made to be rather powerful. Yes, powerful enough that the permanent magnets they used could cause electronic devices to malfunction at close range. (...Is it gonna work!?) He had two bullets left in his handgun and he didnt have time to switch out magazines, but he should still be able to win if Accelerator had been weakened to the point where a bullet would kill him. However, there was no worry on Accelerators face. Before the large magnet reached him, a strong unnatural wind knocked the thrown item away in a different direction. Oh, shit...!! He tried to evade, but his legs still hadnt recovered from the damage they had taken when he had struck the wall. Hamazura reacted too late and Accelerator mercilessly grabbed his collar. He grabbed it with that arm that could bring death and fresh blood. The battle was over. Accelerator pulled Hamazura closer and then casually threw him aside. That was all it had been, but Hamazuras body shot away like a bullet. He rolled over and over along the hard floor until he finally came to a stop. Dull damage had permeated even the areas between his bones and the very depths of his organs, so he could not even stand up. He had never been more shocked that his exhalations were not accompanied by blood. Gh...Ah...!! Gritting his teeth at the intense pain, Hamazura still tried to grab at the floor with his fingertips. Seeing that, Accelerator hit the switch on his electrode, extended his retractable cane, and mercilessly aimed his handgun. He could kill Hamazura instantly with a single shot. This is over. If you stay down, Ill leave you be, but if you get up, Ill shoot. Its your life. I leave the choice to you. I dont...cough...really have a choice... Hamazura glared at Accelerator from the floor. ...You have no...real reason...to let me live... True. I could easily just fill you full of lead without saying another word. In fact, killing you now may save me trouble later. I have no duty to bring on the risk of some later revenge by letting you live. Just finishing you off now would be simpler. But, Accelerator added in an annoyed voice, its not really fair for the sick girl to stand up to protect you, now is it? After hearing those words, Hamazura turned his gaze from Accelerator for the first time. He turned his head and saw Takitsubo Rikou, whose consciousness was hazy and who was sweating profusely, approaching while desperately clinging to the wall. She was doing it to protect him. She was doing it to save him. She was most likely in a worse state than Hamazura, but she was giving it everything she had. Whatll you do? If you want to use her as a shield and continue this 2 to 1, Ill take you up on your offer and make a bloodbath out of you. But if you feel she would just get in the way in a battle, then this is over. As much as it pisses me off, Ill leave you alone for now. Thats the aesthetics of a villain. Hearing that question, strength left Hamazuras hand that was reaching for the handgun that had fallen to the floor. He finally started to wonder why. Accelerator was the one that was supposedly trying to hurt Takitsubo, so why was he trying to avoid having her in the fight? If he wanted to kill her, wouldnt it be easier to kill them both at once? (Dont tell me...theres been some kind of...misunderstanding on my part...?) Before he could look back over towards Accelerator, he heard a light noise. The esper must have manipulated the vectors in his legs somehow because Academy Citys #1 had disappeared. All he could hear was a slight sound that sounded a bit like a vibration from elsewhere on that floor. Hamazura... As he sat there dumbfounded, Hamazura heard a girls voice calling his name. It was Takitsubo Rikou. The girl he had most wanted to protect was dragging her body along towards him. She came over, sat down next to him, and lifted Hamazuras unmoving body to rest in her arms. Hamazura!! Im pathetic... he muttered with his arms and legs still hanging limply at his sides. I kept saying I would save you, but this is all I could do in the end. Ha ha. Im so pathetic. I even bared my fangs towards the guy who may have saved you. I couldnt be more pathetic... That isnt true. Takitsubo desperately shook her head seeming to be in a good bit of pain herself. Her trembling lips rejected Hamazuras view. Hamazura, you came this far all on your own. Not even Anti-Skill could break into this building, but you came charging in for me. You arent pathetic. Is that so... Hamazura muttered with a faint smile. But he added more in his heart. (Then...) He gritted his teeth so that the girl would not notice. (Then why are you crying?) Hamazura had not been so badly beaten because Academy Citys strongest Level 5 had shown up. If that monster had not been there and the terrorists had instead, would he really have been able to save Takitsubo Rikou? In fact, if the grade was dropped even lower to a group of delinquents, could he have even succeeded then? He couldnt say for certain. The odds were actually quite low. He was not a professional who had received special training, he was not a prodigy when it came to his battle sense, and he did not have a rare or powerful esper power. If he were part of a large scale conflict between groups, he was nothing more than a lowly thug who would end up collapsed in the corner of an alley. Even if he threw everything away, put his life on the line, and stood up to fight, Hamazura could not even promise so simple a thing. If he were a protagonist-like person who had been wonderfully blessed since the moment he was born, he would have been able to save Takitsubo in a much smarter way. He wouldnt have had to make her worry so much. He felt a great sense of loss and he gritted his teeth upon realizing what it was. It wasnt that something he had built up had collapsed. It was the opposite. Hamazura became aware once more that he had gained nothing from his victory over Mugino Shizuri. (...Whats all this crap about me being the guy who defeated a Level 5 or being the guy who defeated the #4 all on his own? All I did was get full of myself over a fluke. It was meaningless. Im the same Hamazura Shiage that Ive always been. I didnt get any convenient dramatic change from that one event.) Fuck, Hamazura swore. He wanted to be able to make sure Takitsubo didnt have to worry, but he also believed that he didnt have to gain an evil charisma like the #1 had. He could simply remain a third-rate thug. However, Hamazura Shiage wanted to at least become the kind of third-rate thug who could protect that girls smile. Part 11 (It looks like things went down in a super flashy way...) Kinuhata Saiai was circling the private salon building from a slight distance. It seemed the former Spark Signal group had already been taken out and the Anti-Skill group blockading the building had started to enter the building while seeming bewildered by the sudden occurrence. The Measure Heart girl in the dress had told Kinuhata that Hamazura Shiage had entered the building carrying a gun to save Takitsubo Rikou. She doubted Hamazura could take on 10 former Spark Signal terrorists, but it seemed the two of them were fine. However, the problem did not end there. Hamazura and Takitsubo were not currently taking part in work for the underground. Academy City would work to cover up incidents, but those two were not in a position to receive that kind of service. If Anti-Skill found them with weapons, they would be in trouble. (I wish I had taken action super sooner.) The reason Kinuhata had not arrived at the private salon building was simple: She had been investigating the Six Wings attack helicopter that had attacked the family car. The woman on the phone insisted she wasnt behind it, but Kinuhata found it hard to believe that the former Spark Signal group had been somehow controlling it. In the end, it had been wasted effort. (I have to super apologize for being late and I like to pay people back super quickly. I guess I should super help them escape.) Despite thinking that, Kinuhata never had a chance to carry out her plan. This was because Kinuhatas small body was blown away by a sudden shotgun blast from the side. The girls slender body wrapped in a white wool dress bounced two or three times on the road. The sudden gunshot caused a panic among the surrounding onlookers, but Kinuhata kept her cool as she rolled along. The blast had spread out to cover from her right cheek to her chest, but she was not bleeding thanks to Offense Armor. (...I only heard one gunshot but there were 20 shots. Each individual bullet is greater than 5 mm. With that, I should be able to use something in the area as a shield without having to super use my powers!!) Kinuhata had calculated out the strength of the attack from the one she had received and she then jumped behind a nearby parked car. But the attacker accurately aimed the barrel. The next shot did not have the usual single gunshot of a shotgun. It was the sound of a gun on full auto. Wha? Thats not a normal shotgun!? The car did not last as a wall for even 2 seconds. It wasnt just that bullet holes were created in it. Like a balloon being popped from within, the metal body tore apart. The downpour of shots that had pierced it headed straight for Kinuhatas body. Even with her thin wall of nitrogen, the overwhelming amount of force blew her away. She was knocked over 10 meters away. When she got back up, she realized she had a trail of blood running down her cheek. It wasnt a fatal wound, but her armor had been pierced. Kinuhata shuddered and she heard a voice that did not match the scene. Hi there. Youre Kinuhata Saiai-chan, right? I thought your guard looked pretty tough which would make things difficult, but I made the right decision in contacting the completely unrelated Spark Signal group to use them as bait. While your focus was on them, I took the opportunity to take a bite out of your nice soft side. Academy City espers really are a pain, though, the woman said as she operated a large gun that was almost as large as an umbrella. Kinuhata heard a loud mechanical noise. Breaking through the cloud of smoke she herself had created, the tall blonde woman approached. She was holding a light machine gun with exceedingly high rapid-fire ability. It was over a meter long. It was not the kind of assault rifle that was made so that it would have no effect on a soldier who was traveling long distances carrying it. It was much bigger than that. It had a box magazine that looked like it could hold 150 to 200 shots and it looked like something that would be used against a military encampment rather than a single person. However, it was clearly using custom shotgun ammunition. No proper soldier would use a firearm like that. The combination of a shotgun which should be used at close range and that weight which was disadvantageous at close quarters was simply terrible. But that also meant that woman possessed the speed and skill to use something like that. The woman carrying the light machine shotgun smiled. Do you recognize the name Sunazara Chimitsu? Youre the one that tried to blow him up, right? The way the woman said right was so cute it probably would have given Hamazura a nosebleed. I am Stephanie Gorgeouspalace. I came here to get revenge for Sunazara-san, so you should prepare yourself. She pointed that monstrous gun at Kinuhata and smiled as she gave that last death sentence. Between the lines 2 Stephanie had been given a life of freedom in a country that was very, very peaceful. Eventually she embraced her doubts about that tepid environment (or perhaps, was given the freedom to embrace them), so she determined to leave. The motivation for that civilian to head to the battlefield as a mercenary had been exceedingly infantile. She had been in a period where she was concerned with the twisted parts of society and could not stand to ignore those who were suffering. She had been in a period where she would only be satisfied by helping out directly with her own ability. And a civil war in Costa Rica became Stephanies first hell. Unlike with proper soldiers, that was the distinctive baptism of a mercenary. It assaulted the novice Stephanie in the form of a discrepancy in intelligence. She had known about the attack helicopter, but she hadnt heard anything of the additional electronics that included equipment to link in a highly sensitive anti-personnel ambush radar. Thanks to that, Stephanies mercenary unit had been unsuccessful in their attempt to hide in the thickets and had ended up having a large number of rockets come down from overhead. The motley unit had been instantly annihilated. Her comrades had not just been turned to corpses. Not even the dog tags that had been provided by their client had survived. Stephanie alone had miraculously survived, but that had not been due to her own actions. A large caliber anti-tank rifle had accurately pierced through the attack helicopters fuel tank from a great distance. That had been when she had met Sunazara Chimitsu. Unlike Stephanie, he was a rare type of mercenary who headed into battle alone instead of creating a team. She was injured and Sunazara had taken her in and saved her life. And it hadnt ended there. Stephanie had headed into the battlefield with major gaps in her knowledge. If Sunazara had not proceeded to teach her every little skill she needed, she probably would have simply ended up dying in similar circumstances on a different battlefield. Even when the civil war in Costa Rica ended, Stephanie stuck with Sunazara. It was partly due to how much she admired him, but she could not deny that it was also partly due to the fact that sticking with someone strong was a good way to survive as a mercenary. And after taking part in battle after battle, a question occurred to Stephanie. The value for her to stick with him was clear, but what did he gain from having her with him? The sniper known as Sunazara Chimitsu used to work alone without creating a team. It seemed the reason for that was that an ally had once tripped him up and caused a major crisis, but then why was he letting a novice like Stephanie stay with him? He didnt seem like the type who would allow that simply because he enjoyed having a young woman serving him. She never directly asked him what his reason was, but she managed to make a pretty good guess from the things he said offhand. It was possible Sunazara was tired of the life of a sniper. In his job, he killed people with almost complete certainty. Even if he aimed for an arm or a leg instead of a vital point, the high powered rifle would still rip the limb off causing them to lose a large amount of blood and die from shock due to the pain. And since a sniper had to aim with pinpoint accuracy from long distances, he couldnt exactly lower the power behind the bullet. On the other hand, Stephanies specialty was not long distance sniping. She had emulated him and used a sniper rifle a bit, but she had realized it just didnt match her personality. She preferred high speed battles at extremely close quarters. And at close quarters there was no reason that you absolutely had to kill your enemy. Stephanie fought her enemies at 10 meters, 5 meters, or even less than a meter away, so she could get away with not killing her enemy by shooting them in the arms and legs with a lower power handgun bullet. And with someone she wasnt sure was an enemy, she could use hand-to-hand methods to knock them down and incapacitate them. It was possible that Sunazara envied that flexibility because he could do nothing but kill. It may have been asking for too much, but it may have had value in Sunazaras eyes. If he made the best of his skills as a sniper to analyze Stephanies actions, he could gain the ability to silently get to mid or close range. If he did that, he may be able to put together a strategy where he could accurately shoot their arms and legs with a low power bullet and not kill them. Of course, if he wasnt used to it on a real battlefield, it could be fatally dangerous. But if he succeeded in putting together such a strategy, that was great. And even if he failed in putting together such a strategy, the number of people who would needlessly be killed at his hands would still lower. It was possible he had been thinking those things in silence. When Stephanie had that thought, she decided that she wanted to help him. But she wanted to do it in a way other than the worst possible way that Sunazara himself was subconsciously wishing for. And yet Stephanies determination had ended in vain. Sunazara had been hired as a mercenary to take part in the conflict between Group, School, Item, Member, and Block, the 5 teams at the depths of Academy city. There he had been struck by his own target and injured badly enough that he still had not regained consciousness. Sunazara was in the situation he had thought up as the worst possible result with a tiny bit of salvation. And Stephanie Gorgeouspalace had sworn to take revenge. She knew that it was selfish of her. His path to that tiny salvation was supposed to have been more difficult and more complex, but Kinuhata Saiai had granted it for him almost too simply by means of death and violence. And so Stephanie made Kinuhata the target of her selfish revenge. Volume 19, 3: Destruction will open up a wider path. Battle_to_Die. Volume 19, Chapter 3: Destruction will open up a wider path. Battle_to_Die. Part 1 Accelerator and the others got back to the limo. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Though there hadnt been anything like an atmosphere of them getting along to begin with, now it was at the point they would bare fangs at each other. It was at the point small animals would die of fright. ...In the end, everything went as that Shiokishi bastard planned. Accelerator said as if cursing. Anyone that wanted to know the truth of Dragon has been eliminated. Guess the ones we captured at Hula Hoop are probably no longer in the same world as us. You mentioned Sugitani earlier, right? Tsuchimikado leaned on the wall, and spoke as if he was deep in thought. Indeed, when he was talking to us earlier via video conferencing, he mentioned the names of two subordinatesSugitani and Minobewhen they adjusted the camera. So what. Musujime said tiredly while playing absentmindedly with her hair. In the end, just what exactly is this Dragon anyway? If that could be answered, none of us would need to work this hard. She probably subconsciously asked that. Unabara glanced specifically at Tsuchimikados expression. Seeing as Tsuchimikado, who was also a magician like him, didnt respond in any way he decided to cut into the conversation. ...Different to your science side, if you want an opinion from someone like me from the magic side, the term Dragon easily makes people think of religious metaphors. Such as... something like Angels. !! After hearing that, Accelerator involuntarily shuddered. September 30th. On that night where surrounding Last Order, Accelerator had fought with the Hound Dogs and Kihara Amata in a fight to the death, he had seen something similar to that. That was a flurry of wings made of light. Though there were still things he didn''t understand about that incident, Accelerator had done some investigating and found out some things. The emergence of those wings of light was connected to Kihara Amata and Last Order. Also, the virus Kihara had used at the time was called ANGEL. It didnt matter if it was magic or the occult... Academy City wouldnt just give up on them because of that. Unabaras opinion could still be mistaken, and for all they knew, all that had nothing to do with Dragon... but if Angel and Dragon could be linked, then it wouldnt be unconnected. That way, Last Order would be connected with Dragon, the most important secret of Academy City. (...Just what has been hidden?) Originally, Last Order and other Sisters were materials created for Accelerators Experiment. However, with the ending of the Experiment, these materials which were supposed to no longer be useful, now had a deep connection with the dark side of Academy City. With that, it couldnt help but to give people thoughts to overturn the basic premises their thoughts were based on. In other words, were there more plots inside the Level 6 Shift project? If everything was just the results somebody had planned, then had that Experiment been created to fail from the beginning? (... Just what did me and that brat get dragged into while we werent noticing?) Accelerator didnt know what Spark Signal planned to do when they took over the private salon. It was just that the fact where just changing sides could get you closer to Dragon had been completely blocked out made him feel powerless and nauseated. Anyway, Unabara stated to speak, This series of events that started from Hula Hoop is now over, so should we now... leave? Then what about Dragon? Accelerator had barbs in his words. You want to run away with your tails between your legs without any clues from all this? ... Then from what you are saying, we should sneak into Shiokishis stronghold? Tsuchimikado said exasperatedly. For Shiokishi who wears a powered suit 24 hours a day, his vigilance is the real deal. His stronghold is also on the same level of a nuclear shelter, its not easy to break through. ... Because it was designed to handle scenarios where people like us rebel against them. Then, Accelerator wordlessly shifted his glance towards Musujime. She could use Move Point, a method of moving that ignored the limits of three-dimensions. But, Musujime just shrugged. This isnt a problem about what method to use. What do you mean? No matter what method we use, attacking head on and charging right into a fortress of that level is impossible. In the end that guy is someone, where even in Academy City, there is only 12 of. Truth be told, if we dont have the resolve to do a terrorist attack on the level of what happened at Hula Hoop, we cant even start. ...On the same level, in other words if we can get an official member of the board of directors to become our ally, or to give him pressure politically, then we might be able to make him tell the truth. But first wed need that kind of ally to begin with, Unabara added. Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki; all four of these people had someone that they needed to protect. Since that was the case, using terrorist attacks to forcibly find out the secret to Dragon was not the best plan. The #1 of Academy City recalled that little girl, and while doing so his sight drifted to the window of the limo... then, he blankly muttered, ...Guess we dont have time to leisurely discuss anymore. ? For Tsuchimikado and others who hadnt understood what those words meant, they looked together towards outside the window to see what Accelerator had seen. Right after that, Boom!! The limo was hit by a portable anti-tank missile and turned into scrap metal along with the fiery explosion. Of course, with only something like that Accelerator and others wouldnt die. The limo had several exits prepared. Tsuchimikado and Unabara jumped out using different exits, Musujime escaped using Move Point, and as for Accelerator he used his ability to forcibly rip apart the walls to escape out the side opposite of where the missile was coming from. The four of them regrouping and then fighting off the new enemythat didnt happen. They separately kept themselves alive and separately escaped. This was how Accelerator and others of Group did things. (...That bastard Shiokishi. After that time, for us who know too much about Dragon, we became targets as well?) He jumped into a smaller side street while appropriately approximating the reasons. (...If thats the case, the possibility of forming a strike team with the scenario that they know my weakness is very high. Not aiming to kill me using the shortest and quickest method possible, but to just to use a drawn out method of battling that will drain the batteries of my electrode. Then if I just charge in Ill only be toyed with and then die.) In an instant, he remembered the driver of the limo, but Accelerator didnt put too much thought into it. Before or after the explosion he hadnt heard any screams. That driver had most likely been one of their people, and had run off before the attack. (...Then again, there is no need to run away like an idiot. Ascertaining the identity of the enemy will be good. At least it would be better than not knowing who we are fighting. Finding out how the other side is deploying their forces, and then striking swiftly at the blind spot that will lead to their destruction the quickest, will be alright.) To accomplish that tactic it would be better to first confuse the enemys sight. Accelerator went around them, and planned to observe their deployment. Suddenly, Accelerators electrode somehow had its capability taken away. (?!) Losing the leg strength gained from manipulating vectors, Accelerator smashed brutally into the ground. This wasnt a problem with the flesh only. Inside his brain... more specifically in the deepest part of his psyche, a slight sense of numbness filled everything. It was just like being extremely drunk or still not quite awake after just getting up, his thoughts became fragmented and shattered, and lost connection to one another. Though he could understand he was lying on the ground, he could not plan to do anything about it. Attacking Accelerator as he was curled up like a worm would be easy. The switch for the electrode had been remotely controlled by someone else far away. How he could still be affected even deep inside the alley meant it was probably a wide-area electromagnetic wave used for long distance controlling. Accelerators ability was reliant on the electromagnetic network composed of nearly ten thousand military-use clones, so by shattering that network he could not use his ability. If it was the usual Accelerator, he would have reached this conclusion immediately and then made a counter-strategy. But now, even his brain for making plans had been robbed from him. ... On the ground and clenching his teeth, Accelerator looked in the direction of his right hand. It was the specially-made crutch designed for situations like this. Though it had things like motors and motion sensors attached onto it, in the end it could not maintain the movement faculty Accelerator had lost. For Accelerator who was lying on the ground, the most pressing problem was he couldnt stand up even if he wanted to. At this time, the sounds of footsteps came from the shadows of the alley. He could somehow tell he was in danger, but specific thoughts like what to do in this situation could not be recalled no matter what. ... The sounds of footsteps came from the other direction as well, and there was the exit to this alley. Though enemies were coming in from all sides, Accelerator could not even think properly. His wrist was grabbed and then he was chucked into the seat next to the drivers of a sports car. There was nothing he could do about it. The sports car started immediately, and swiftly moved onto the night road. It was probably because the distance had increased between him and Shiokishis strike force, the long distance jamming electromagnetic waves were getting weaker. Accelerator was gradually recovering his senses. He turned the electrode back to the normal mode, and looked at the crutch that he had made. Then, he looked at the drivers face. ... You. He looked familiar. He was the man that looked to be around the age of a high school student who had been dragged into the explosion at District 3. He should have gone with the injured pregnant woman to District 7... You must be surprised at the sudden events. The high school student lowered the speed of the sports car to the speed limit and said, However, once something happens my body will move by itself. Thanks to that I managed to let my life-saver... no, the person who saved something I care about more than my own life avoid death. The high school students face was smiling widely. But Accelerator pulled out his gun from his pants pockets and unhesitatingly pointed it at the high school student. ...In this piece of shit world at least a few things can be learned. He said disdainfully. You didnt get there just in time to save me on a coincidence. No matter what, that was an attack plan made by Shiokishi, one of the board of directors; theres no way someone familiar would be on scene. ... Youre like me, another one of the residents of the dark side. Who put you up to this? Is this a double trap set up by Shiokishi? The high school student who had a gun pointed at him only stared straight ahead, not looking at Accelerator. Thats right... The tone of the high school students voice sounded like it was coming out of gritted teeth. Im someone that has the same scent as you. But, our level is vastly different. My job is to support big-shots like you. Basically like those grunts youd see a dime a dozen. "However," he continued to say, ...No matter how filthy I am, it doesnt change the fact you saved somebody that I value above my own life. And, Im not that far gone to leave people like you for dead. ... This isnt something as simple as give and take. This is nothing on that level. This is a debt. Please let me repay that debt. If you dont like that then you can go ahead and pull the trigger, it doesnt matter. Accelerator stared at the high school students face for a short time. He didnt turn around even once. He probably was sure that he wouldnt be shot. Accelerator scowled, and then moved the gun away from the high school students face. Keep driving. Where do you want to go? The high school student holding onto the driving wheel asked while smiling. Accelerator answered offhandedly without giving much thought, Im going to butcher that bastard Shiokishi. To completely seal all information on Dragon, Shiokishi of the board of directors had bared his fangs towards Accelerator and others. If Shiokishi found out his first wave of attack didnt manage to get rid of his targets, he would probably attack the most effective weak point. In other words, the hostage Last Order. Accelerator estimated that the current situation was not severe enough to force Shiokishi to play that card. Otherwise he would have prepared hostages in the beginning, to limit Accelerator and others movements. They had to finish this before Shiokishi moved onto his second plan. Do they go on the attack or on the defense? Immediately go back to Last Order and start a life on the run... though this choice was available, Accelerator thought this was not the best move. That was not an option. Because what he needed to protect was not just one girl, but the world that the girl loved. Yomikawa Aiho, Yoshikawa Kikyou; to protect everything around that girl while fighting, even for Accelerator that would be too difficult. Then, what should he do? Considering all this, Accelerator let off an extremely evil smile. What needed to be done was simple. Strike first. Take down the enemy before he takes you down. What was coming up next was a speed battle to see who could kill off the other team first. (...mah, thats everything.) Ha, the #1 of Academy City couldnt help but to laugh, and thought in the depth of his heart, (...For a guy like me whos covered in blood, this method is the most suitable one!!) Part 2 Kinuhata Saiai had a dull throbbing pain in her head. Stephanies light machine shotgun was causing severe damage even through Kinuhatas Offense Armor. Without that power, Kinuhata was just a frail girl (or so she insisted). If the bullets kept coming, she could easily receive a fatal injury. (...Ow. Taking more than 7 shots in a row at a range of less than 5 meters would be super bad!!) Kinuhata made a rough analysis from the damage she had taken. She dived away from the large District 3 road and towards a slope leading underground. Due to the terrorists, the underground mall seemed to be blocked off. Nya ha ha! Using both hands to carry a hunk of steel over a meter long, Stephanie laughed. She spoke while holding that large weapon that looked out of place in that Japanese cityscape. Isnt that escape route a little too straight for escaping bullets? !? The gunfire started without hesitation. The mass of noise started sounding like one continuous noise rather than a shorter noise repeated at quick intervals. Stephanie was aiming for Kinuhata from above the slope. That meant the ground should have made a thick barrier of asphalt and concrete between them. Nevertheless, the rain of bullets continued after Kinuhata. It was almost like a landslide. The light machine shotgun had enough power to turn an armored vehicle into a sponge in 3 seconds. It took Kinuhata a few seconds to realize it was merely blowing straight through the artificial ground. And in that time, a large number of bullets struck her small frame. She was slammed into the ground once and then bounced back up almost like a basketball. She balled up her body and rolled across the ground to avoid a concentrated attack. Because the concrete that made up the ceiling of the underground mall and the ground of the surface had been destroyed, a car parked on the street fell down. (!!) Kinuhata did not hesitate. She grabbed the car that was falling towards her head with one hand. The area around the door where her small palm touched it bent in making a horrible noise. Almost like when grabbing a cushion, a number of wrinkles raced along the metal car. Kinuhata had grabbed that 500 kilogram mass but not so she could use it as a shield. She was going to throw it as a weapon to crush Stephanie. That was the exact same time Stephanie Gorgeouspalace stepped onto the remains of the destroyed concrete and headed down into the underground mall. Her footing was unstable, so she was not in a situation where she could immediately jump to the side to avoid it. And Kinuhata intended to throw it with all her strength so it would kill Stephanie. (Super blow her away!!) She twisted her upper body to gather strength and then swung the car around. She just had to let go to send an attack straight towards Stephanie that was on the level of the giant wrecking balls used to destroy houses. A soldier or mercenary from outside the city could not stand up to an Academy City Level 4. Or so Kinuhata had thought. Stephanies light machine shotgun accurately shot the cars gas tank. It was just before Kinuhata was about to let go. (Wha?) The back of the car transformed into what looked like a burst soda can and the large amount of liquid stored inside the tank exploded like a bomb. Sound disappeared. A brilliant flash filled her vision. Kinuhatas body was knocked aside by the blast. The underground mall usually had limited light, but intense light and heat overflowed in the area and black smoke crawled up to the ceiling. Her means of turning the fight around had been sealed by yet another counter attack. But Kinuhata was not simply surprised by Stephanies cleverness and speed. She was surprised by the foundation that supported it. (Shes...used to this? Shes a super outsider, but shes super well versed in the theory of how to fight against an esper like me...?) Normally, that couldnt be. Even in Academy City where espers were a fact of life, not many people could handle a Level 4 like Kinuhata so easily. It was ridiculous to think there was someone from outside who could keep up with Kinuhata using only tactics and technology from outside. It couldnt be... Having thought that far, Kinuhata unsteadily raised her head. Carrying her light machine shotgun, Stephanie stepped down from the rubble into the underground mall. Are you...? So you finally realized it. Before I became a mercenary, I was a civilian in a peaceful country. I decided to go help the people caught up in war because I felt guilty happily enjoying peace while others suffered and lived in fear of guns, bombs, and mines. The blonde woman smiled as she pointed the barrel that was wrapped in heat towards Kinuhata. Yes, I was originally from Academy City. The sniper Sunazara-san must have thought I was odd indeed to use Anti-Skill apprehension techniques to kill. That was why Stephanie Gorgeouspalace was well versed in how to kill an esper. I believe you use the nitrogen in the air to guard against my attacks. She moved the barrel of her light machine shotgun away from Kinuhata to a completely different spot. Then Ill start by messing that up. Luckily, this underground mall seems to have plenty of delicious restaurants. ...There sure are a lot of propane tanks, arent there? She pulled the trigger. Part 3 Accelerator took a ride in the high school students sports car, traveling on the road in the night. He had managed to contact Tsuchimikado using his cell phone, and like he thought the other members of Group were still on the run. Very good. Looks like you are the first one to escape the encirclement by Shiokishis strike force. You go on directly to District 21, theres an observatory in the mountains. Huh? Youre saying his stronghold is in the mountains? Thats not it. If we want to strike at Shiokishi who is one of the official members of the board of directors, we need the necessary political preparations... it means, we need a backer that has the equivalent power of one of the Directors on the Board. The members of the Twelve Directors are all eccentric people to say the least. The only one who would help us is probably that person who is there at this time. "Kaizumi Tsugutoshi can also count as a good person, but the high school girl he has for an advisorKumokawa Seriais too smart, so we cant count on him," Tsuchimikado said helplessly. Come to think of it, whos this person that can possibly help us? Oyafune Monaka. Tsuchimikado answered immediately. Shes the one that is holding a charity astronomy trip for the kids that were captured during the Hula Hoop incident... the number one good person in the board of directors. Though I dont like to do this, she owes us. If we just ask her this one time in our lives, theres possibly still room for negotiations. And with that, the sports car that Accelerator was in set its course towards District 21. This district was the only mountainous region in all of Academy City. ...Having said that, it was only relative to the other districts. The tallest mountain at the top was only 200 meters high. While this district was most well known for being the research center of water, plants and animals, at the same time it was also quite famous for its astronomy observatories. Small antennas that were a meter in diameter and might have been radio telescopes were lined up on the slopes, with one after another some set distance apart. The car that Accelerator was in was moving along this road that deliberately did not have much artificial lighting. Tire tracks were everywhere on this incredibly twisting road. Maybe, there are unofficial races here on the weekends. The observatory was half way up the mountain. Pressing against the slope of the mountain was a flattened artificially leveled surface made of cement. As the sports car entered the parking lot, Accelerator saw a small bus. There was nobody on the bus. From the looks of it, the kids that had previously been captured by Spark Signal, were now enjoying their scheduled activity. You can leave now after letting me off here. Accelerator opened his door and said that while his crutch was holding onto the asphalt. The high school student that was the impromptu driver hastily disagreed. W-wait. Ive already said I want to repay my debt. Even a grunt like me can understand that youve been dragged into something troublesome. How can I just stop half way? I havent done anything thats that over-the-top. If I accept any more help from you Id be the one owing you. Accelerator stood in the parking lot leaning on his crutch and said simply. ... Plus, if you get in any deeper you might end up as a target as well. I dont give a damn about a grunt like you, but if that pregnant woman that was finally saved became a hostage, I wouldnt be able to sleep soundly. You... If I really need help Ill contact you. You go lie low and wait for the time being. Hiding pawns that can move freely is also an important tactic in survival. Let me use you that way. Understood. Oi, let us exchange our cell phone numbers. If theres any danger definitely contact me! The both of them operated their phones and using the infrared communication function to exchange numbers. After that was done, the high school student reluctantly left the observatory with his sports car. (...Now,) Accelerator sighed a small breath. The number he had given him was just a randomly made-up fake number. His own cell phone had also rejected the number that the high school student sent to him. With that, the connection between the two of them was completely gone. This was how Accelerator did things. From the parking lot he looked up at the observatorys large building. One of the members on the board of directorsOyafune Monaka was there. A VIP that could allow them to accomplish the operation to eliminate Shiokishi who was also one of the Directors. The number one good person on the board of directors, in other words someone that was completely opposite to someone like Accelerator. Though they had never communicated with each other, Oyafune owed Accelerator on two occasions. One was what Tsuchimikado had just mentioned, how they had saved the kids at Hula Hoop. Two, during the battle between the five organizations Group, Item, School, Block and Member, they had thwarted a plan to snipe Oyafune Monaka. The devious Tsuchimikado was telling him to focus on those incidents and get her cooperation no matter what... But looking at Accelerators actions up to this point, it was easy to understand there was probably no other job that was more unsuitable for him. (...Now this will be troublesome.) Accelerator scratched his head and walked towards the observatory aided by his crutch. Either way, if they couldnt meet face to face they couldnt continue with their plan. However... Please go back. As soon as I get here I run into difficulties, Accelerator thought. Incidentally, the one that rejected him at the parking lot close to the observatory wasnt Oyafune Monaka herself. It was a small man that looked like her secretary. The small man, whose ranking among the who-knew-how-many secretaries a Director needed was unknown, stood in front of Accelerator as if he was crazy. He stared at Accelerator as if to block off his path to Oyafune Monaka. Well, Director Oyafune in the past does indeed have her ways. Her specialty is negotiating without needing to use force to back it up. It has even been called peaceful invasion by some people. Shes someone feared by all of the ambassadors from other countries. The small secretary waved his fists that had never punched someone, and continued on. But, she no longer does that anymore. Shes tired of the life which goes to and fro between Light and Darkness. Youre someone that looks at the peaceful world from the darkness viewpoint, can you not understand how difficult it is to throw all that away, and how important it is to treasure that? Or, have you fallen to the point that you can no longer understand those kinds of things? Che, Accelerator couldnt help but scowl. He was now extremely angry, but it was not directed at the small mans attitude. (...That bastard Tsuchimikado. What The only person that can help us? In the end it turned out to be the most troublesome outcome anyway. How dare you send me on an errand like one of those normal small-fries. If I dont give you five rounds rapid the next time I see you I wont be able to breathe right.) Accelerator felt like his stomach was boiling right now, but he didnt show it. Sorry to intrude. ...Youre, willing to give up? Didnt you want things to turn out this way? Or do you want to set up our forces to slaughter each other to our hearts content? Even if that happens, it wont change what I have to do. For the small secretary that finally realized the possibility it could have turned out that way, his face started to go blue. Looking at the secretary that wouldnt move aside even if that happened, Accelerator asked, One last question. Just what happened to that Oyafune bastard? ...Its her daughter. The small secretary answered straightforwardly. When the board of directors were setting up regulations to export weapons to the outside, Director Oyafune who is on the side against military exports gained the upper hand using her negotiation skills. Because she truly dislikes wars. At that time, Director Oyafunes office received an envelope. Inside was a photo of her daughter and a large-caliber handgun that hadnt been used before. ...Though nothing has happened, I think it was probably Shiokishi of the pro-military-export factions actions. ... Accelerators brows creased. Though it was only for an instant, but they definitely had moved. The small secretary had probably approved the #1 of Academy City that he was trying to chase away. He shifted his gaze away from him and continued to say, From then on, Director Oyafune stepped down from negotiations. Live while not touching the darkness of this city, but limit their actions inside the darkness without them knowing by working on areas outside their attention... She has tried to live that kind of life as her goal. That kind of delicate balance is a golden ratio that only Oyafune Monaka, whos an expert in negotiations can create... If you people intervene this balance will crumble. Her daughter and ones around her will be targeted once more. So thats it, Accelerator mumbled in a low voice. As the small secretary turned away, Oyafune Monaka finally noticed their small argument. The old woman jogged towards Accelerator and the secretary. Though the look on the secretarys face changed drastically, she didnt seem to notice. And you... are? Oyafune looked at Accelerator with a strange expression. Accelerator had once saved her life from a sniper behind the scenes, but because it had been behind the scenes she did not know about him. ...Its nothing. He didnt want to especially show that incident off. Tsuchimikado had told him to use that, but he felt from the bottom of his heart that if he was going to be that shameless, he was better off falling straight into hell. Im just asking for directions. After saying what needed to be said, Accelerator turned away from Oyafune and her secretary. This time, it was the small secretary that asked something, ...Just what exactly has happened on your end? Those things that cannot be talked about above the table, I can guess what it is about somewhat. Even so, you came here. One last question, just what has happened to you? What will it do even if you know about it? Accelerator answered as if he was bored. For something thats already rejected, if you ask further it will only lead to more burdens. The troubles between me and that Shiokishi bastard are better off not being known by you. Ah. That short conversation made the secretarys face change dramatically. Ignoring the details the secretary could at least tell what had happened as a whole. The other side for some reason had to fight against one of the Directors, and they needed help from Oyafune who was also one of the Directors. Without her help they probably could not win against Shiokishi, and even if they did win they would be treated as terrorists. He subconsciously moved his eyes off of Accelerator. ...Im sorry. Thats my problem. You dont need to know about it. Accelerator said as if he was bored. If I had known this would happen I would have settled this myself. Though things would get troublesome, at least you people dont have to deal with it. After the battle with Shiokishi, Accelerator would probably be treated as a terrorist. He would lose all support and would no longer be able to live the life he had lived so far. He would never be able to see Last Order again. If there was a conflict of interest, he might even have Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Unabara Mitsuki and Musujime Awaki as his enemies. But, But so what. After all, werent all these what he had decided on? Even if he had to become the enemy with Last Order that he needed to protect, he would fight for protecting Last Order. If so, then there was only one thing left to do. Even if he didnt especially bring Oyafune into this, the path he needed to take was right there in front of him. Sorry to intrude. Forget everything that I have just said. Ill handle that bastard myself. Without waiting for an answer, this time Accelerator turned completely away. At this time, What are you doing? A new voice brusquely entered his ears. It was a voice coming from a boy who wasnt even ten years old. It was a voice from one of the primary school students who was there for a charity observatory field trip. At the same time, this was the voice of the hostage that Accelerator had saved at Hula Hoop at the last second. Youre the hero from that time right? What are you doing here? ...Nothing. I heard what you were talking about before. Those words made Accelerator and the small secretary look towards the young boy. At this time, the boy walked towards them. Unhesitatingly, towards the monster who was the #1 of Academy City. Because he had been saved by him before, the young boy was not on guard at all. Though I dont know what has happened, but you are going to battle right? Youre going to save people like how I was back at that time, right? The young boy looked directly at Accelerator, and said, If thats the case then Im coming too. ...What kind of ridiculous joke is this? Accelerator subconsciously face-palmed. Stop joking, you damn brat. Who, is going to battle alongside who? Then, are you saying you are going to let those people die without going to help? Of these three people that were being pointed at, the one that was most shocked was Oyafune Monaka. The small secretary had an idea what would happen, and was gritting his teeth behind their view. I know, you wont go fight for insignificant things. I also know you are going somewhere incredibly dangerous. I know there are more people like me who are in trouble, so I want to fight with you. He completely didnt understand what was going on, but still talked that way. Looking at their battle capabilities was enough to immediately understand this was such a laughable and unrealistic opinion. Even so, Accelerator didnt ignore all that and just turn to leave. Though it was looking down from above to the other side, he was replying seriously to answer his serious question. ...It wont be necessary. But Wasnt I by myself back at Hula Hoop? That time, with those boring terrorists, did you see if they were a threat to me? I was blindfolded so I dont know. Is that so. Then Ill tell you now: there was no threat. This time is the same. That was not the case. Not just Accelerator who was at the pinnacle of the world of darkness, even Oyafune Monaka and the small man who was her secretary understand. Accelerator was indeed powerful. But, he was able to use his power fully in the darkness because of those from up to the board of directors, and down to various departments and facilities providing assistance to him. Losing all that and even turning them into his enemies, turning the entire military force of Academy City into his enemies had an unrivaled great danger. This was no longer just Accelerators problem. This was a problem that would affect everyone that he wanted to protect. The switch on his electrode would be remotely controlled, his enemy would turn off his ability whenever they wanted. Just like the battle with Kihara Amata and the Hound Dogs, a struggle where he had to battle in a chaotic situation was unavoidable. Even so, Im the Strongest Level 5, I dont need brats worrying about me. Accelerator didnt mention any of those things. There was no reason to let the young boy know any of those things. To make sure the young boy didnt get dragged further into the darkness, without giving any hints the danger he would be facing, Accelerator said, Listen up. Even if there are people being hurt in front of you, those who take up weapons unhesitatingly to take down the bad guys are villains that are no better than them. Not considering others thoughts, not giving them a chance to change their ways, the one that kills for their own reasons is definitely not a good person. You dont need to become someone like that. Thats my specialty. Only I have to do something like that. This kind of courage and insight, probably only the person that knew everything that had happened so far could understand. Oyafune Monaka and her small secretary probably could only understand a small portion of it. Im enough by myself, people like you dont need to show up. ...I dont want to. Faced with the words that wanted to kill off any kindness, the young boy tried talk back in a small voice, I can fight as well. Lifting his head and looking at the strongest Level 5 of Academy City, the young boy yelled with all his strength, I dont want to hand Academy City to those despicable people! Maybe it was because they had finally noticed the commotion. Oyafunes other secretaries, or maybe private security forces... either way, several men came over and placed their hands on the young boys shoulders. Though their actions were kind, in reality it was to force the boy to step away from Oyafune. Though his body was being forced, the young boys eyes never left Accelerator. Until the teacher finally arrived, until that last moment, he stared at Accelerators face. Accelerator looked in the direction where the boy was being taken back to his classmates and back to the field trip long after he left. The ones who did so was not just him. As one of the official members of the board of directors of Academy City, Oyafune Monaka was the same. She too looked over in that direction. ...You mentioned Shiokishi earlier right? Director Oyafune! The small man who was a secretary tried to interject, but Oyafune kept staring at Accelerators face. Oyafune Monaka, from that incident with her daughter, knew just how frightening Shiokishi was in politics. And, she also knew just how dangerous it would be for Accelerator who was going to fight one of the official members of the board of directors. On the other hand, Accelerator actually replied her using a tone of rejection, You dont need to worry about it. From how this looks... Just like how that boy said, you plan to fight. At this point, Oyafune sighed a small sigh. She was probably recalling the words that boy had spoken at the end. dont want to hand Academy City to those despicable people. Though the boy could not imagine the specific looks of the enemy, but the so-called despicable people was probably the vaguest impression for the darkness that lurked in this city. But, it was because of that, that Oyafune Monaka thought, Though she knew about the darkness in this city, she had given up on fighting it; was she one of those despicable people that the boy was talking about? Oyafune Monaka, an old woman that didnt use force and only used her negotiation skills who challenged the world with her rule of not shedding blood; when she heard the term despicable people she could not hold her chest high and argue against that term. ...What, should I do? Hell if I know. Faced with Oyafune who was talking to herself, Accelerator scowled while replying in a bored manner, Its your life, your choice. At these words that sounded like a reproach, Oyafune couldnt help but to laugh. To be able to say that straight away was probably because Accelerator had lived his life that way. And, now it was the same; to protect something. Oyafune Monaka placed her hand on something nearby. It was the black bulletproof car that Oyafune rode in. She placed her right hand first on the top of the limo, and then her left hand. With that, as she was currently parallel to her vehicle, Don! She slammed her own fists hard onto the bulletproof car. Director Oyafune! The small secretary cried out. But, Oyafune Monaka herself didnt care. So long, it had been so long. Oyafune Monaka retrieved with her own hands the feeling when something was hurt. The negative emotions inside of her seem to have been swept away. With that expression, she turned once more to look at Accelerators face. ...Ive finally awakened. Stop talking nonsense. Ive decided to do this myself. Its my life, my choice. Facing Accelerator who was ascertaining the situation, Oyafune immediately replied. When I received the photo of my daughter and that large-caliber handgun, I thought dulling my edge was the best way to protect those that I care about. ... But, why didnt I think this way? My daughter was targeted because I was being looked down on by others. If I do not destroy the source of this evil, no matter how much time passes, the ones important to me wont be able to escape from danger. Oyafune Monaka stood in front of Academy Citys strongest Level 5. At this time, the standing between the two of them was finally equal. On a different dimension to common grunts who relied on strength alone, at the core of their hearts, the two of them stood on equal positions. Accelerator had seen people with that look in their eyes before. Anti-Skill member Yomikawa Aiho, and ex-researcher Yoshikawa Kikyou. Let us go to Shiokishis place. Thats the best plan. His stronghold, regardless of it being physically or politically attacked, is rock solid. But if someone like me who also has the power of a member of the board of directors joins the fighting, the latter problem can be solved. Che, Accelerator scowled. But, the small secretary could not just let it go. Director Oyafune!! But, this method...!! This is something that I have decided myself. Even if he left, I would fight Shiokishi alone. If thats the case, wouldnt the best method be to work together? At this time, the small man who was a secretary that had felt the strength of her will glared viciously at Accelerator. He had just said something like he wouldnt drag Oyafune into all of this. He only told me to make my own choice. He didnt demand anything. I have only just decided on my own path. There is no reason to blame him. He already gave me consideration to the largest extent. Damn it...!! The small secretary let out cursing that he would never normally use. Then, he opened the door to the black bulletproof car, rummaged around the glovebox, and brought out a gun. It wasnt something he brought out to point at Accelerator or Oyafune Monaka. Quite the opposite. For someone as outstanding as Director Monaka she cannot possibly be allowed to die for something as boring as this. For someone like her, she should use her skills in a broader territory, as she has the potential to make a lot more people happy. While he checked the bullets in the gun with a skill that made it obvious he was not familiar with it, the secretary glared at Accelerator. Oi. If you are here asking for cooperation then do the minimum of your duty! Protect her with all your might! If you let Director Monaka die Ill turn you into a beehive with bullets! Thats rather impressive of you. Youre suited to become a villain. Please dont say scary things like that with a praising tone. In their exchange of words, Accelerator, Oyafune Monaka and the small secretary got into the black bulletproof limo. The destination this time was the dark side of the board of directorsShiokishis stronghold. Taking the historys strongest villain with her, the board of directors negotiatorOyafune Monaka, was making her comeback! Part 4 It seemed something had happened to Kinuhata Saiai. That was what Hamazura and Takitsubo finally realized after the terrorist attack was over and they had snuck out of the private salon building while Anti-Skill was investigating. ...I have an email from Kinuhata on my phone. Takitsubo had shown Hamazura the email on the screen of her cutely designed cell phone. It said, Im going to help you escape, so stay where you are for a bit. It had been some time since the email had been sent, but they had seen no sign of any action taken by Kinuhata. In the end, the two of them had escaped the private salon building on their own. Hey, have you contacted her yet? I hope she didnt go in there and we missed her. Ive been calling Kinuhata, but I cant get through. Takitsubo was staring at her phone with a vacant look in her eyes. Hamazura couldnt be sure if it was due to the lingering effects of the Body Crystal or if that was just how she always was because she had already been using Body Crystal when he had first met her. Hamazura, what do we do now? Well, Kinuhata is a Level 4 and shes tougher than both of us. She did send us that email, so it might be best to stay put and wait for her to contact us. It would take something really insane to kill someone like Hamazura trailed off because an area of District 3 suddenly exploded. It wasnt a building that was blown away. It came from underground. The ground a distance away suddenly split open and crimson flames spewed up from beneath. It wasnt just one explosion. As more explosions followed, more and more flames came up from within the earth. The asphalt was ripped apart and cars parked on the street were swallowed up. Luckily, very few people were around due to the terrorists at the private salon, so it didnt look like any people were swallowed up. To Hamazura, it somehow looked like the explosions were slowly approaching them. His trembling lips moved as he watched it. Oh, come on!! Why does something really insane have to happen now!? He had no proof that Kinuhata was involved with those explosions, but it was likely that something like that involved the people from the citys darkness that Hamazura and Takitsubo had once been part of. And whats exploding anyway? Hamazura, it might be the underground mall. Takitsubo pointed over towards a large crowd coming from a department store. They seemed to be frantically trying to flee due to the black smoke coming up from underground. Hamazura looked around and found the entrance to the underground mall that was connected with the ticket gate for the subway. He headed down the stairs that was spewing black smoke like a smokestack and he found an orange light down blow. It was like the fires of hell. The area Hamazura was in had not been enveloped by flames yet, but the blazing orange light from further in was being reflected off the tile floor and ceiling as well as the glass walls making a thick barrier of light. The air itself was unusually hot, so it felt like he was inside a giant oven. He didnt know exactly what had happened and he had no proof that Kinuhata was there. He faltered. That storm of flames was much too dangerous to enter in order to search for someone who might not even be in there. However, it would all be for naught if he became surrounded by flames before he even decided what to do. (What do I do? Do I go on or head back...?) Hamazura, over there!! Takitsubo pointed towards something on the other side of the orange flames. It was a human form. The small figure was stuck where it was due to a wall of flames blocking its path. Seeing that, Hamazura shouted the figures name. Kinuhata!! Hearing that, Kinuhata looked over towards Hamazura in shock. She was not relieved upon seeing his face and yelled back looking even tenser than before. You need to super get down!! Just getting behind cover isnt enough!! As soon as he heard that, Hamazura noticed a much taller figure beyond the flames along with Kinuhata. That figure held something long and narrow. It looked something like a machine gun and the figure was turning it in his direction. !! Hamazura jumped over at Takitsubo knocking her to the floor. The heated tiles burned them, but that was the least of their worries. A large number of bullets flew from the other side of the flames. They cut across a horizontal line at about the height of a human waist. And it seemed the bullets were not normal rifle bullets. They didnt just tear through the glass walls; they tore through the concrete pillars near the stairs, too. Nya ha ha! After a few seconds, the gunfire stopped. That storm of destruction had not actually been meant to kill Hamazura and Kinuhata. The tall figures target was probably Kinuhata. The tall figuremost likely a womanaimed the large gun at Kinuhata and spoke. You use nitrogen to create a barrier, so I thought I could seal that by doing something about the air. Getting rid of nitrogen is rather difficult though because it makes up 70% of the air. (Did she do this...?) Lying on the floor, Hamazura tried to collect as much information as he could. She may have used the propane gas at the surrounding restaurants to turn the underground mall into the sea of flames it currently was. The way she held the gun reminded him a bit of the Anti-Skill members he had seen in his more delinquent days. However, Anti-Skill fought to protect the children so they would not go that far to fight an esper. (Is she part of the citys darkness like us? That giant gun is clearly different from the more easily hidden submachine guns the terrorists used...) The enemy knew what Kinuhatas power was and she was trying to take advantage of a weakness in it. Hamazura pulled out his small handgun. It was easy to carry around, but its small size meant it had poor accuracy at longer ranges. To make sure he hit, he needed to be no more than 30 meters away. (Her machine gun is clearly the better gun. If she notices me trying to shoot, shell send a stream of bullets this way truly intending to kill me. What should I do? How do I get closer without her noticing?) The woman did not wait for him to think it all out. But if an explosion is triggered with certain requirements met, it can create vacuum-like circumstances for an instant. Of course, its an exceedingly local phenomenon. Its only a hole a few dozen centimeters across. !? Hamazura, super get away!! If I fire a bullet through that hole, you wont be able to use that shield of yours, will you? Multiple explosions occurred at the same time. They seemed to be surrounding Kinuhatas small frame. The overwhelming flash of light filled Hamazuras vision and the shockwave headed towards him and Takitsubo like it was moving through a tube. Hamazura immediately covered Takitsubos mouth and nose with his hands and clenched his own eyes shut. Breathing in that wave of heat would destroy ones throat and organs. After the scorching wind passed by, Hamazura finally opened his eyes. Beyond the flames, the tall figure was pointing its machine gun at Kinuhata. According to the enemy, Kinuhata Saiai could not surround herself with her shield in a local vacuum. If a bullet were shot through that hole, it would tear through her defenseless body. Kinuhata!! No response came. All he heard was the dreadful repeated sound of gunfire coming from the tall figures machine gun. Part 5 Accelerator and others met up once again. The location was District 2. It was a district filled with facilities that were linked with things that made a huge amount of noise, such as cars and explosives. This district was surrounded by a soundproof wall, and had equipment which fired out specially tuned sound waves that caused destructive interference[1] and lowered ambient noise. Its probably a trait of this district, theres not many people here... there is a lot of military-related facilities though. For Shiokishi whos good at designing weapons this sure looks like his home. Tsuchimikado said in a half-mocking voice. They were at a fuel station which also doubled as a fastfood stop. It felt just like a service area on the highways. So weve found the stronghold of this Shiokishi guy? According to Oyafune, hes in one of the experimental shelters inside this district. Accelerator said while cursing. This district uses explosives a lot right? Thats because they make models of shelters here, and then bombard it using shock waves from all directions to test its durability. Shiokishi hides his strongest fortress in the background with all the rest of them as cover. That Oyafune... Tsuchimikado turned around and found an old lady responding to him with a smile. Except now her clothes were that of a suit. She felt Tsuchimikados gaze on her and briefly explained, Hm. The preparations are complete. That secretary did say hed wait at a safe place right? Tsuchimikado said while shrugging. Accelerator on the other hand looked at Oyafune and said, That secretary actually agreed to this. Mah~ he just didnt want to do anything risky. Whether this counted as an answer or not, Oyafune only replied ambiguously. Tsuchimikado clapped twice. We have everything we need now, so lets settle this quickly. Were not people that are the kind who talk face to face about everyday things. On the other side was Shiokishi, one of the 12 members of the board of directors for Academy City, and his face was tightly wound up. The space inside of the tunnel-like structure made of special armor may have been spacious, but the furnishings were quite plain. As a whole, it felt like being inside a warship or an aircraft carrier. Only from various places like the luxurious cabinets and chairs could anyone find the tastes of the one who lived there. For Shiokishi, safety was the greatest luxury, and this was the result of his massive efforts and large amounts of money. In reality, the costs of setting up this aggregation of military secrets was much greater than what would be needed to purchase a European medieval castle. But now, The safety that this tycoon favored to the extreme was being shaken right to its foundations. ...We are both members of the board of directors, so its necessary to implement the observation system between those with the same powers... Between the twelve of them, they did have that kind of agreement. Among the official members of the board of directors, they needed to have equal power between them at all times. To prevent one of them standing out and disrupting the balance of power, the committee needed to look at the opinions of any of the twelve Directors equally. For Academy City to work democratically, this was a necessary setup... this was the widely known, agreed, and discussed goal. Of course, all that was merely superficial acting. These twelve people had all built up strength in areas they were most proficient in, looking for opportunities to take down their rivals, and make Academy City work to the direction most beneficial for themselves; even if it was for just one tiny bit. For someone to actually use this setup that was merely for decoration purposes, it should have been impossible. (...Can this be somehow brushed off?) Shiokishi considered. Normally speaking, just handling something like this perfunctorily would be enough. But that wouldnt work this time. Once again he sought out confirmation using the network for Directors use only, and found between the twelve members there were indeed many agreements that didnt have much impact. Though any one of these agreements didnt have any great powers in themselves, amazingly every one of them was linked to the observation system between members that had equal powers. If he tried to seal one, another would get in the way. Trying to completely do away with another would also lead to conflict with other agreements. The persistent feeling was like someone had spent countless years weaving a spider net and finally herded their target into a dead end. That vixen... I had thought this was no more than a tiresome peace agreement after she had lost her power, but she had actually planned this from the start! Thinking about this kind of persistence, and the fact he didnt even see through this trap until this day it activated, Shiokishi felt afraid. All this time he was supposed to have been the one that was putting Oyafune Monaka under his surveillance. Please decide on the course of action. The assassin he had raised with his own hands, who was currently standing by next to him - Sugitani said directly. This shelter has political and physical functions to prevent a third party invading, but because Oyafune Monaka has invoked the observation system between members that have equal powers the political defense functions are now useless. Also... If the information from the cameras are accurate, Oyafune now has Group thats led by Accelerator as her pawns, or a relationship like a battle alliance. Even if we deny her inspection and defend ourselves inside this shelter it cant be called safe. ...No matter how well prepared we are, if I am assassinated then everything is over. As they are right now, even if they are classed as having combat value above that of nuclear warheads it wouldnt be too much of an exaggeration. Shiokishi, who was completely covered in the powered suit, was wringing his hands as if on the verge of going into hysterics. In contrast to him, Sugitani standing at the side seemed as unruffled as usual. ...However, would they really use the forceful method? Even if they have the excuse of the inspection was denied and can legitimately attack us, if they really attack us it will lead to a war between the members of the board of directors. ...They will definitely attack. Shiokishi said as he paced around the room, lifting his feet that were covered in Western-esque armor. Because this is about Dragon, even if theres a slight trace about it they will come. Not taking into account those four of Group, Oyafune Monaka probably doesnt have that kind of thoughts. On the subject of motivation, that woman is the most troublesome. Dont be fooled by how meek she is now, the Oyafune Monaka of the past was someone that would go head on against a country just because of a child she didnt know personally cried. No matter what kind of political techniques were used it could not stop her. If she has started to move now then we can only fight back using force. Take control of her daughter Oyafune Suama? That might work against Oyafune but it would be useless against Group. Is this the time to waste resources on unnecessary things? Maybe because he had already ran through this scenario in his head countless times, Shiokishi immediately said, Split up our forces to take hostages, what will happen if the shelter was taken while that happens? Even if the hostage is finally captured, theres no meaning if I have a knife pressed to my neck as well while we are at it. That cannot possibly be the basis of safety. ...as long as the enemys important thing was under his control, even if there was a gun pointed at his head there should still be room for negotiations... that was something out of the question for Shiokishi. Even as a joke, he would never risk his life in the battle plans. With that, Shiokishi finally decided. Well take them on here. Sugitani didnt raise any objections. He only followed orders. Knowing that his attitude was for giving him a sense of security, Shiokishi steadied his tone and continued, This is the final battle. Assemble all the forces sent out to attack Group and the ones sent to take the hostage back here. Let the forces inside the shelter withstand Groups attack at first, and then let the others come from outside and surround Group. Flank them and then destroy them. And about the issue where Oyafune has the right to attack? We cant just shrug them off. Get the information analyzing department to completely go through their request documents. Even saying something like the seal is blurred is alright, as long as the organization cannot process their documents and reasons it would be our victory. Shiokishi who was completely covered by the thick powered suit swiftly thought. His brain worked the fastest whenever safety was involved. The reasons for action always have their own interests involved. Putting aside those righteousness that is merely a sham for those up to no good, all that is left is using force to settle everything. Then, as long as we win, convincing the other members of the board of directors will be easier. ...Up to now weve managed to win using this method, and we will continue to do so from now on. Then, Let us begin. No matter what, if I don''t take down Oyafune Monaka and Group, I wont be able to rest properly. At one corner of another similar circular shelter, Accelerator and the rest of them that got to this point stopped in their path. Behind the parked vehicles, around the corner of buildings, under the eaves of factories. In this view which looked plain at first glance, professional armed forces wearing special bullet-proof clothes and wielding rifles and submachine guns were hidden. They were Shiokishis underlings. Accelerator and the rest of them stopped to give them a sign. They were not giving up, they were not surrendering. Rather, it was a declaration they would fight to the end. Powered suits almost 7m tall jumped down from buildings one by one. They instantly started to set up armored vehicles and barricades. On top of the suits and armored vehicles were cannons like those of tanks. Tsuchimikado couldnt help but laugh. Shiokishi is part of the military faction, alright. Even the weapons he gives to his underlings are this over-the-top. ...What do you people think? Since its one of the Directors, they should know normal battle forces wont work against Accelerator. Havent you noticed? Accelerator who was holding a crutch pointed up with his chin. At the top of the circular shelter that Shiokishi was trying to hold, was a metal sphere like a basketball that was just like an omnidirectional radar. Thats a device used to disrupt AIM diffusion fields. The main body is probably part of the dome. At the Youth Correction Center of this city, isnt there AIM disruption devices to prevent people using their ability to escape? The one above us is the board of directors special edition, and the setting right now is probably most targeted at you. For a shelter that can withstand nuclear attacks, the ones they are most afraid of are those with the Teleport type ability that can ignore 3-dimensional defenses. Having heard that, Musujime took out her military-use flashlight from her belt and waved it around a few times in her hand. She then furrowed her brows. ...Though my ability can still work, it feels like its been forcefully redirected. Even if we teleport well probably be buried underground. As a member of the board of directors, and also as a weapons specialist, he should understand my military value. Then he should know the underlings of that standard cannot possibly take me down. Accelerator said with a bored voice disdainfully. But, if they got a sample of my AIM diffusion field from previous battles, they could reverse calculate from the data and then send out disruptive electrical waves. With the progress from the data analysis they could at least force our abilities to go berserk and take me and Musujime down. Thats the plan of those bastards. Then what do we do? Oyafune Monakas expression seemed slightly tense, and she asked with a voice that should be far removed from battle. Isnt that obvious? In contrast, Accelerator twisted his neck and made some cracking sounds. He placed his hands on his neck. There was the switch for the electrode on his neck. Well break through head on. Part 6 As one of the official members of the board of directors, Shiokishi was well-known for being well-protected. That was apparent from the fact that he covered himself in a powered suit almost 24 hours a day. Of course, his stronghold was also quite robust. Mixed in with other buildings in District 2, the tunnel style building was 200m in diameter and was said to be able to withstand even tactical weapons. It was just that, That level of strength is still not enough. Accelerators low voice was carried off by the winds. When facing a place that boasts to be able to withstand even nuclear strikes, youll have to use something like this. Boom!! An explosion rang out. The front half of the tunnel had one third of it smashed apart, and debris flew through the air. What Accelerator had done was very simple. He picked up a parked car close to him with one hand, and then threw it hard at the target. There was nothing special about the laws of physics involved, and the items used werent any kind of special materials. But, with just controlling all vectors added into the mix, a simple throw could bring the results of shattering the shelter. Lets go. The person in question muttered that one phrase in a bored tone, and turned his electrode off. To conserve the batteries as much as possible, the Level 5 could only stumble forward using his crutch as support. But nobody could stop him. The gigantic shock wave from when the shelter had destroyed the joints of the powered suits, flipped over the tanks, and robbed the soldiers of their consciousness. Accelerator walked over the broken walls and walked inside the facility. Shiokishis forces will take another 10 to 20 minutes before they can get back up. Well use this time to take control of Shiokishi and force him to surrender. How troublesome. If you can shoot that move repeatedly why dont you just squash him from afar? Musujime asked him using the same bored tone, but Accelerator replied with a scowl. Even if I squash him that will be after we get the information about Dragon out of him. U-um... Oyafune who was with them looked back repeatedly. Tsuchimikado-san has disappeared. That guy is outside holding off the enemies. We cant be sure if they are all immobilized, or that if there will be pursuers. Since me and Accelerator have some trouble due to our AIM diffusion field being diagnosed, that guy with glasses doesnt rely on his ability so there is no problems. Though Oyafune had an expression that asked if he would be alright by himself, neither Accelerator or Musujime cared. If he died, then anything to do with him would end right there. Their Group was a group that banded together based on strength. Only by shutting up and showing your worth were you counted as part of Group. Accelerators blow had made the tunnels messy. In this tunnel that looked like an omelet being randomly taken apart by a fork, Accelerator and others forged ahead. They ignored the concept of normal routes. They moved between the destroyed, collapsed, and forcibly ripped apart walls and moved deeper and deeper inside. On their way they occasionally saw men who looked like Shiokishis private forces lying down on the floor. They had probably been knocked unconscious by the shock wave from Accelerators previous attack. Now its really the observation we were talking about earlier. Talking directly with Shiokishi is Oyafunes job, were just here as her bodyguards. Even though were the ones that broke everything from the base to here, ultimately she is the one that has to step up on the battlefield. As Musujime said that, an unforeseen event happened. Suddenly, a barricade descended like a guillotine, separating Oyafune Monaka from Accelerator and Musujime Awaki, and perfectly sealing the path. Musujime!! !! Her ability was to move others freely, ignoring the limits of 3-dimensions. But, Musujime looked at the barricade and shook her head. Theres no response. Something has happened on the other side of the barricade, Oyafunes no longer there. Che. Youre useless. Just as Accelerator was reaching for the electrode at his neck, a new sound of footsteps rang out. Let us spar with one another. The one who spoke was a man in a suit. Accelerator had seen him before. He was the private mercenary working for Shiokishi that used a large caliber handgun and had killed every last member of Spark Signal back at the District 3 private salon. His name should be Sugitani. Sugitani took out a packet of cigarettes from a pocket in his suit and used his mouth to take out one from the packet. I remember I prayed that we wouldnt see each other on the battlefield once more. Youre the one thats picking a fight here. Ive said before the one that should work to prevent this from happening is you. To light up his cigarette Sugitani, returned the packet of cigarettes back into his suit, and took out a lighter that even with a glance it was apparent it was a cheap item. It was a lighter made of clear plastic even sold in corner stores, and didnt match his attire or the current atmosphere. Do you know about Dragon? I know. Sugitani replied as he brought the lighter up to light the cigarette. At least, that was how it appeared to Accelerator. However, right after that was a small *pu* sound, like something had been shot out. At the same time Sugitanis lighter made that sound, Musujime Awaki collapsed onto the floor next to Accelerator as if something had hit her. There wasnt even a scream. Because of that inexplicable hit Musujime had completely lost consciousness. (So whats inside that isnt gas used for lighters...) Chances were some kind of high pressure gas was used inside the lighter, and it had been released all at once to shoot a small anesthetic bullet. Sugitani, who had successfully completely a sneak attack head on, spat out the cigarette used for the act onto the ground and said to Accelerator, The basis for modern warfare isnt fight with all you have head on, but to decide victory or defeat before then. ... This is Shiokishis order. Compared to Accelerator who only has massive destructive power, Musujime can go through any walls and has a higher priority to be taken down first. Who are you? Koga. One of Kogas descendants. Sugitani said in a self-mocking tone. Thats an organization of contemptible people who did things like this under the name of justice since ages past. As he said that he took out a large caliber handgun. But, that probably wasnt the real killing move. Considering how he had fought so far, he probably wouldnt use something this simple. Or, it was because there were other tricks he was going to shoot from head-on. He was the kind of enemy that used chained plots. Facing Accelerator who was trying not to leave himself open by observing his enemy closely, Sugitani spoke, Oyafunes doomed. That one sentence made Accelerator frown involuntarily. Those two old folks from the board of directors have already met face to face, and Shiokishi is wearing a specially made powered suit. The strength of that armor isnt something that can be handled by any weapon Oyafune is hiding in her clothing. That old woman will be ripped apart by a power greater than construction-use machinery and then die. I dont think Shiokishi would allow his own life be included in the plan. Thats just something I wanted to do. Also, Shiokishi is probably shocked right now, but he should be able to do what he has to. I dont think a man wearing a powered suit will lose to an old woman. Sugitani wasnt showing off his victory, he was just stating the facts. Only by eliminating Oyafune can any political opposition be eliminated. Then you people will be chased out of here using the entire might of Academy City; then through proper channels well control trump cards like Last Order and the battle will be over. Part 7 Two people from the highest governing body of Academy Citythe board of directorswere currently facing each other. Between them was a table. Though some points should have be taken off because there was no tea or biscuits on the table, at least the atmosphere of an upper-class conversation was established. Thanks to Accelerators attack earlier, the walls were cracked and the starry sky seen through the cracks could at least count as some kind of decoration. Oyafune and Shiokishi. These two old people who were closely involved in many things in history were currently wearing warm smiles. Mm. What I want is very simple. Its not money; its not power; its not even your life. The one that lit up the fuse first was Oyafune. From now on, I wish for you to completely delete the clause of using others lives as a resource from all the plans you are supervising and the ones you propose, and also in your battles. Its not much, right? Apart from you, everyone else is following this principle. Indeed, what she was suggesting did sound easy at first. But, Oyafune Monaka was likely to make Shiokishi completely implement those words. Just signing something like a verbal agreement along the lines of understood, Ill agree to not do that anymore would not be enough. If Shiokishi did not disband his personal forces under his command, and on that basis forfeit all other rights and powers to do with commanding armed forces, Oyafune would not let it end. That way would mean taking everything that Shiokishi had away from him. As if declaring everything that made him great would be taken away from him and make him a cripple. Also, lets talk about Dragon. Is that something necessary for you to ask about it? Rather than me, its my allies Group who requested me to ask about it. Shiokishi went silent for a moment. Then, through his powered suits helmet, he looked at Oyafune sitting in front of him and asked, Oyafune-kun, how much do you know about Dragon? Nothing whatsoever. If my power was authorizing documents I might have chances to come in contact with some kind of information. But, I dont have that kind of power. You should know that as well. Its something that cannot be brought into the light. Shiokishi didnt care about being disagreed with, he only said in a small voice, All I am doing now is completing one very important thing for protecting Academy City. Dragon is a word that has that kind of danger. You called me barbaric, but that is because you dont know about Dragon. Also, I dont plan on letting you know. Same here. Oyafune didnt change her soft smile, and replied immediately, If necessary, I will also take action that could be called barbaric. If it can contribute to saving important people from your actions I will continue to investigate Dragon. Then this negotiation has broken down. I think, the Academy City that we both want to protect probably means different things to the two of us. Thats why our paths have diverged. Is that so. Shiokishi sighed a small sigh behind the helmet. Boom!! Right after that, Shiokishi punched an iron fist made from a special alloy with all the power of the powered suit towards Oyafune. The powered suit that Shiokishi was wearing was a special version above even the military-use models in Academy City. Instead of focusing on flexibility and the weapons coordination, this suits design focused more on durability and defense as its core. This also showed just how strong the fist that was reaching for Oyafune really was. Even building machineries could not be compared to this. The old woman would undoubtedly be turned to dust with this blow. However, ...Have you never considered? Not only did Oyafune Monakas body not get turned into paste, there wasnt even a scratch on her. She neither caught Shiokishis fist or made any move to dodge. The iron fist of the powered suit abruptly stopped in midair. The armor seemed like it had suddenly lost the ability to move, and turned into a heavy metal statue. Just like how you wrapped yourself up with a powered suit, theres a possibility for Oyafune Monaka to make plans to preserve her own life. Wh...at...? In the old womans hands there was a dagger made of obsidian. Due to the damage Accelerator had done to the shelter, there was a crack in the ceiling and the light of Venus shone down from there. And this artifact could reflect the light of Venus to disintegrate any object. Although, that obviously wasnt a possession of Oyafune Monakas. The old woman moved her hands to her face. The skin on the surface was peeled off like a mask. Though for an instant brown skin could be seen, this person whose identity was unknown immediately put on another face. At this time, the one that was standing in front of Shiokishi was... Unabara, Mitsuki... Oya, is saying that name alright? I had thought you would definitely call me Etzali. Unabara slightly weighed the dagger in his hands while answering. At this time, the powered suit that was protecting Shiokishi started to crumble. All the screws had fallen off, the gap between steel plates started to widen, and gears and motors started to fall all over the place. The old man in a tuxedo didnt take long from being encased in armor to being completely exposed to the outside air. Looking at Shiokishi breaking cold sweat at the loss of his protection, Unabara scorned him in a mocking tone, Though you are indeed fortunate. If the effective area of this Spear covered your body, you would have fallen apart by now. If that happened before we get the information about Dragon out of you, it will be troublesome for us, he added. On the other hand, Shiokishi was shaking off the remains of his armor. In the end... all that coward Oyafune did was just looking on from the sides...! Is that so? Unabaras eyes narrowed slightly. His expression was like someone had just insulted a person that he approved of and held in high regards. My charm uses human skin as raw material, but Oyafune didnt hesitate. Even if its just the arm, but I think ripping off 10cm of skin would be extremely painful. Unabara holding onto the obsidian dagger moved closer step by step. Let us talk about Dragon. Or, do you want to clench your teeth and experience the pain that the one you called a coward, Oyafune, experienced? Urgh... Minobe! Shiokishi moved backwards and pressed a button that he had hidden in his tuxedo from earlier. A door next to them opened and two burly men stepped out. One of them was probably the so-called Minobe. Just like a shield protecting Shiokishi, they stepped in front of Unabara. Did you think my security detail only included Sugitani? Shiokishi drew up an unnatural smile on his stiff face. To prevent the people around me from betraying me, the guards are split into Sugitani group and Minobe group. If anything happens, they will kill off each other... You might be someone with battle capabilities, but this isnt something you alone can handle. Taking the chance of the two burly men holding Unabara off, Shiokishi tried to escape by himself. Unabaras expression stiffened. But, as he ran towards the exit Shiokishi stopped at the threshold. He stood there in shock as he looked at something. Why? Shiokishi turned around once more, forgetting about trying to escape. Shiokishi directed his query towards the two burly men that were his bodyguards. Why is it apart from you two, everyone else is dead?! One of the two large men opened his mouth. However, he didnt reply to Shiokishis question. The man only looked towards Unabaras face and said, This is surprising early, Etzali. A dull sound rang out. The member of the board of directorsShiokishis stomach had something else stuck in it. A dagger. A dagger that somebody had thrown. But it was different from a normal dagger made of steel. It was a dagger used by a specific tribe, made from polishing obsidian stone. It was not something that belonged to Unabara. The person that had thrown it was someone that should have been protecting Shiokishi, the man called Minobe. Looking at the dagger that was planted in him by a person that didnt even turn to look at him, Shiokishi stood in shock. Then his body leaned to the side and fell. The name Etzali. And obsidian, a choice that was far less reasonable than metal. Can it be...! Have you never considered this before? The two burly men both placed their hands on their faces. That someone else would use the same method you used to infiltrate into the dark side of Academy City? The skin on the surface was peeled back. After that, what showed was someone elses face. The physique and gender swiftly changed along with the face. This was a phenomenon exactly the same as Unabarasthe phenomenon of using Aztec magic. What appeared was a man somewhere between 25 to 30 years old, and a girl around 15. Tecpatl... Tochtli!! Tecpatl, in the organization Unabara... Etzali used to belong to, he was the man in charge of military planning. And Tochtli was once a comrade of Xochitl. Our original plan was to infiltrate the depths of Shiokishis guards, and ultimately replace Shiokishi. But that guy never takes off his powered suit. If we forcibly broke that suit of armor apart, the sensors would alert Sugitani. Just as we were troubled by that, you invaded here. Thats how it is. The brown-skinned male, Tecpatl, looked at Unabaras face, and spoke in an indifferent tone. If Shiokishi was taken down there is no point replacing him. Just as I planned to abandon all this... in the end we picked up an amazing souvenir. ...Even if you take my head back to the Organization, I doubt it will bring any good. No no, that wont be the case. Tecpatl shrugged. Because, our goal for infiltrating into the core of Academy City and replacing Shiokishi, was ultimately to find where you were hiding in the dark side and execute you. But, since you joined something called Group, normal methods of intelligence gathering couldnt find your whereabouts. ... In other words, all we have to do is take your head and everything will be fine. Part 8 Musujime Awaki had already been taken out. So, the only ones fighting were Sugitani and Accelerator. Staring at the assassin calling himself a descendant of Koga, Accelerator touched the electrode switch on his neck. Theres no problem killing you here, right? No problem at all; Im not small-minded to the point where Ill get mad because of some dream-talk. The two of them charged ahead at the same time. Accelerator controlled the vectors under his feet and charged like a bullet towards his opponent; on the other hand, Sugitani took a lot of lighters from his pocket. He threw these modified lighters that were locked at releasing gas in front of him, and then threw the still-lit cigarette into them. Boom!! A wall of fire shot up in the half-ruined corridor. But, that didnt work when faced with Accelerators Reflect. He unhesitatingly charged through the wall of fire, (Theres no one here?) Accelerator lost his target and suddenly braked. But it was too late. Sugitani used the smokescreen and nimbly moved behind Accelerator. I remember that Kihara Amata once used the technique of drawing back his fist an instant before receiving impact to break through the reflection obstacle. !? The voice came from his blind spot, along with a fist. Accelerator flew backwards in a hurry. Also, Kakine Teitoku seemed to have used materials that dont exist in this world to create vectors that dont exist in this world. However, the voice and fist followed closely after him. Sugitani used footwork beyond the limits of a human that was almost like sliding to keep himself in the same distance between him and Accelerator. After that, a boom rang out. Accelerators face was feeling some numbing pain, while Sugitani jumped out of the ring for the first time in this battle. So thats it. Sugitani shook his wrist. It seemed to have sprained, the joints had swelled up a lot. Those special exceptions are all results of their own specialized fields. Just by observing them I cant perfectly recreate their techniques. Even so, to have struck Accelerators head without any abilities needed top level skills. For any normal grunt that attacked, it wouldnt just stop at a swollen hand, they would be hurt to the extent of losing control of their own blood stream and have their internal organs shattered. You scumbag, After calmly analyzing, Accelerator said scornfully. Even if you have some skill, in the end youre just following the orders from a scheming old man. For a bastard like that, you actually still have the face to say something like being a descendant of people that serve in the name of justice? ... Does that bastard Shiokishi look like a good person? Its right for you to serve him? Dont make me laugh, its obvious to anyone. ... Indeed, the term justice is always being used by those in position of power. Even if that is not the case, a perfect standard for justice does not exist. But, Sugitani unhesitatingly added, Then, by giving everything to Evil wont every last problem on Earth be solved just like that? Accelerator and Sugitani glared at each other. Feeling the look of Evil, Good faced it head on and argued, Stop joking. All your Evil can do is pick at the scraps left behind by Good. With your level only at stopping two or three tragedies, you want to defeat us who face hundreds and thousands of tragedies on a regular basis? You people are merely scavengers, do you truly believe that the scraps you pick up are enough to satisfy the entire world? Bastard, Hearing those words, Accelerator replied in the same mocking manner, From the moment you thought that these scraps were insignificant, your Good was no longer truly good. Truly good? Sugitanis brows narrowed. Are you saying that even a villain like you know a Good person? ... The reply this time was a bit hesitating. Of course I do... and familiar to the point where my head hurts just thinking about that guy. Is that so. Sugitani said that while reaching inside his pocket. But, youll never meet with that Good person you know ever again... because you will die here. Right after that, Accelerators choker suddenly lost its capabilities. The Strongest Level 5 of Academy City fell onto the floor. He struggled to move his limbs, but it didnt do anything. As you are right now, you probably cant even understand human speech. Your choker has been modified into something that can be remotely controlled. As long as we cut you off from the Misaka Network, you have zero battle potential. At this point, Sugitanis eyes moved to look at Accelerators crutch. It looked different to what the data had said. It had been modified somewhat, probably to allow the user to stand up by himself even if the choker lost power completely. Though it didnt seem to do much at this point. This is my Good. While he was saying that, Sugitani took out a large caliber handgun. It was the gun that had killed off every last terrorist back at the District 3 private salon. To kill Accelerator who had lost his Reflect, it only needed one shot. This is the method of a man who lives in a world of despicable people yet still follows justice. Don!! A deafening gunshot rang out. Part 9 Stephanie Gorgeouspalace pulled the trigger of her light machine shotgun. The unrefined mass of metal shined eerily in the reflections of the flames spilling throughout the underground mall. At a range of 10 meters, the storm of bullets held enough power to blow away a normal armored vehicle in a few seconds. It would truly make it look like a spread out diagram of the sides of a die. Kinuhata Saiai protected her body with the ability known as Offense Armor, but that had its limits. By creating repeated explosions from propane tanks, Stephanie had blown the air away briefly creating an extremely small vacuum near Kinuhata. In that vacuum, she had no barrier of nitrogen. Stephanies bullets would pass right through. Stephanie had not hesitated. She had pulled the trigger to spray bullets in through that momentary opening. The powerful storm of bullets whipped up the surrounding air, swallowed up the black smoke, and even caused the wall of flames to waver. The repeated gunshots drowned out all other noise as the lead bullets cut into the area Kinuhata was in. It was clearly a fatal blow, but Stephanie did not stop there. She continued holding down the trigger letting more and more and more bullets fly. It may have been hard to tell because she was using a monstrous weapon like the light machine shotgun, but Stephanie Gorgeouspalaces fighting style was based on an Anti-Skill foundation. The stronger an esper was, the more irregular their fighting style tended to become, but she was the opposite. However, that did not mean that her skill was average or ordinary. Humans could perfect their foundations over many years getting rid of what wasnt needed. It was clear just how strong one would become if they did that. In other words, her bullets all accurately attacked her target without wasting any. She heard a male voice coming from another part of the underground mall cut off by the barrier of flames. K-Kinu-Kinuhataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! It was as if the boy were giving her death cry for her. Stephanies face did not brighten up. It wasnt that she thought she had failed. She couldnt see due to the flames and smoke, but Kinuhata Saiais body had surely been turned to mincemeat. She didnt like that it had been so easy. She was taking revenge for Sunazara Chimitsu, but it had ended so simply. She was supposed to have caused much, much, much more pain. Why had it ended so simply? ...This has to be a fucking joke. Stephanie heard a grinding noise as she clenched her teeth so tightly she thought her skull would bend. This isnt how I wanted to take you out. This is only the beginning! Dont end this here!! Youre the one who took out Sunazara-san! He wouldnt die this easily!! Suffer more! Beg for your life more!! Stand up! Stand up and let me kill you!! Keep coming back to life so I can kill you 1000 tiiiiiiimmmmmeeeesssssss!!!!! The power behind the bullets caused a gust of wind as if the air were expanding. The black smoke struck her face and she inhaled it through her nose causing her to cough. She finally let go of the light machine shotguns trigger. The wall of black smoke started to clear up. What was behind it started to become visible. It cant end like this, Stephanie spat out. And then a gunshot rang out. Accompanying that single gunshot, a bullet hole opened up in Stephanies gut. She then saw Kinuhata Saiai on the other side of the smoke holding out a handgun. What...? With a look of surprise, Stephanie stared at Kinuhata. The girl was not unscathed. She had a large bruise on her small face as if she had been punched and there was blood oozing from her bared thighs, but that was it. She had none of the wounds one would expect from the light machine shotgun. Her flesh, bones, and organs had not been torn to pieces. Stephanie could not understand. She decided to aim her gun back at Kinuhata. However, the single bullet had dulled her movements more than she had expected. Before she could aim the light machine shotguns barrel, Kinuhata fired again. A second and then a third bullet struck Stephanies arms and the giant gun slid across the floor. You said you didnt want me to die, but it looks more like it was super trouble for you. How...? Stephanie asked. She then noticed something on the ground. It was a metal can about the size of a can of hairspray. However, the metal looked thicker than one would expect from its size. The can was split open from the inside as if it hadnt been able to withstand the internal pressure. The surface of the metal can had a letter of the alphabet carved into it. Stephanie interpreted it as an atomic symbol. ...Liquid nitrogen...!? Is it really that surprising? If you insulate it with a super vacuum between the barriers, it isnt that hard to walk around with. Basically, Kinuhata had brought the liquid nitrogen out into the air which was at a normal temperature to instantly provide herself with a large amount of nitrogen to make up for the local vacuum Stephanie had created. While still holding out her gun, Kinuhata smiled thinly. Im an esper that manipulates nitrogen. But that also means that I super cant do anything else. Did you really think someone who super understood that she was defenseless without nitrogen would not have come up with a countermeasure? And Im a member of Academy Citys dark side. It isnt hard at all to get the things I super need. The light machine shotgun lying on the ground became surrounded in flames which caused the ammunition inside to burst. But Kinuhata did not look in its direction. As a former member of Anti-Skill, you were indeed super well versed in fighting with espers and you had the ability to see my weakness. However, you did not understand that I am a person who has super struggled to continue winning and surviving. As she spoke, Kinuhata put her handgun away. She wasnt mercifully letting Stephanie live. She just wanted to finish her off with the ability she had the most confidence in. Oh, right, she said as if they were words of farewell. An esper with a powerful shield who can grab a car and super throw it is almost invincible in close quarters combat. The worst kind of opponent for me is a sniper who super accurately attacks from a position I cant reach. ...Instead of someone whos nothing but firepower like you, Sunazara Chimitsu is much more dangerous. Stephanie tried to pull her spare handgun out from the back of her belt. But Kinuhata was faster. She aimed for Stephanie with her arm that could easily lift up a car. Part 10 The man that in actuality controlled the Aztec organization, Tecpatl. He had with him a girl who was once a comrade of XochitlTochtli, and he appeared in front of Unabara. Just to eliminate Unabara who had turned traitor. This was such a bizarre combinationthat was what Unabaras intuition was telling him. Tochtli and Tecpatl shouldnt have been the kind of people that would get along well. The kind of trust where they could trust each other with their backs even when besieged by death on all sides did not exist between them, could that be replaced with their place on the command structure? However, that was not the most important thing right now. ... Unabara subconsciously looked at the obsidian dagger in his hand. The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. It was an artifact that took apart any armor that had come in contact with the light of Venus. Its effect was the same on the human body. Once a persons body came in contact with the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the humans flesh and bone would be taken apart cleanly. Could he do it? Even though they had gone their separate ways, those two had once been his comrades. Could he really use this against them? Oi Oi. Facing Unabara who was still hesitating, Tecpatl wasnt worried in the slightest. Is using something that puny really alright? ... I thought you would have definitely used something like this. As he spoke, Tecpatl took something from Tochtlis hands. It looked like a students bookbag, a rectangular object. Underneath it were thin and long creases, like those on a freshly baked loaf of bread. From inside the bag, several stone tablets only a few millimeters thick stretched out. Densely carved onto it was the medium that the Aztecs used to convey written informationsomething that could be called words, symbols, or even pictures. (Can it be...?!) At the same time a chill covered the entirety of Unabaras body, the depths of his mind were suddenly stimulated by something. It was the sharp pain the brain let out when it was corroded by knowledge that shouldnt be known. To him, this wasnt the first time he had felt that sensation. As if to confirm the hypothesis in his heart, Tecpatl said with a smile, Yes, this is a grimoire original. Looking at the dizzy Unabara shaking his head to try and stay conscious, Tecpatl continued to smile and say, By now you should know the fact that Xochitl had been remodelled and had a grimoire original inserted into her. In this situation where even the common soldier is armed with grimoires, me, the person that thought up this plan and implemented it, having a grimoire shouldnt be something unthinkable. You... Show your grimoire to us. We know Xochitl is still alive, so the grimoire original would have been taken off her by you... Ill say this first, my grimoire isnt weak enough to be taken apart by the obsidian dagger. (... They actually brought grimoire originals into battle? Damn it, the words on that stone tablet are...) He didnt want to read it again. What Unabara was doing now was like tasting the poison that was sticking to his brain and couldnt be removed, analyzing in his head the grimoire original that Tecpatl was using. It was probably the Calendar Stone. That was the gigantic round stone that recorded the complicated calendar of the Aztecs, in addition to the process that the world would destroy and reborn itself. What had been buried into Xochitl was a derivative of that Calendar Stone. The grimoire that Tecpatl wielded was probably a grimoire that focused on another derivative. Unabara raised his head. As he tried not to focus his consciousness on Tecpatls grimoire, he said, Is that the records about the Moon Rabbit... You actually tried to read this thing? Youre a surprisingly rash person. Tecpatl had done something to make sure the knowledge of the stone tablet didnt enter his head. He casually tapped the stone tablet and said, Its the story about the time when the fifth sun was created. The moon that was born at the same time, its light was brighter than what the gods expectedto the point where the sun and the moon couldnt be distinguished from one another. To avoid that, the gods threw rabbits towards the moon to weaken its glow... using that legend, things like this can be achieved. Before his voice had even ceased, Boom! Something shot out of Tecpatls hand, and the walls on this side of the shelter were smashed apart from the inside. This blow easily pierced through a shelter that was capable of stopping a nuclear bomb, and directly hit the private forces of Shiokishi that were fighting outside. Dont dodge it. Tecpatl said while smiling. You see, if you dodge a few dozen people outside will die. Originally this should be a strike that can reach other astral bodies... guess the rabbit bones that were used as the raw material are just inferior. Unabara was shocked. However, he wasnt shocked by the destructive force of that last attack. What he was staring at was Tochtli who was next to Tecpatl. Her index finger was drooping like a squids feelers, and shaking. ... What have you done? Unabara asked with trembling lips. What have you done to Tochtli?! The rabbit bones. You can''t understand if I dont spell it out for you? What Tecpatl had used was some sort of projectile attack. Add to that the term rabbit bones, it was not hard to think of what had just happened. (Why would Tochtli obediently...) Unabara stared at the brown-skinned girl with justified question in his eyes. At this time, Tochtli opened her mouth. What came out of it was, ... ... ah, ... awa... ... ugu... This time, all warmth suddenly disappeared from Unabaras back. It couldnt be called human speech. The brain that was used for thinking and the heart, none of it was left. Looking at Unabara who was shocked speechless, Tecpatl finally laughed like he couldnt hold it in anymore. Why would she help him to that extent. Tochtli and Tecpatl were obviously two people that could not cooperate together. The answer was very simple. No matter what, If they were a normal person, who would offer their bones to someone else without anesthesia? Hahahaha! Look how interesting she is. There are not even half of her bones remaining inside her body. Even though the grimoire recorded ways to replace human bones with obsidian, Im told the process is excruciating. And yet I just fired one like that. Eh, to me, as long as the rabbit bones can be replaced itll be alright. Tec, patl... Unabaras lips couldnt stop trembling. In this time, the squid-like finger of Tochtli started to swell up from the inside, and forcibly recovered its original shape. Where the bone had been brutally removed, the obsidian filled it up savagely. Just what kind of pain would that be like??!! Just what kind of shame would that be like??!! Tecpatl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unabara roared in his rage, and moved his hand towards his face. He roughly ripped off the skin covering his face, and his brown face was exposed to the air. Resonating to his anger, something moved. The scroll grimoire opened by itself from inside Unabaras bosom, and stretched out. Unabara directed his will to control the snake-like flying scroll. Unabaras... grimoire that had been buried inside Xochitl had counter-attack against weapon wielders inscribed on it. She might have built a spell that forced weapon-wielders to commit suicide, but Unabara couldnt use spells of that magnitude yet. Tecpatls... grimoire that was using up Tochtlis bones, what was inscribed on it was long distance bombardment. Using the legend of throwing rabbits at astral bodies as the basis, this grimoire specialized in this spell that could destroy any of the enemys flying spells or enchantments. A conflict between grimoires. The Unabara no longer remember any restrictions. Because of that, he stepped into the territory that Tecpatl didnt dare step into. In his boiling brain, only defeat Tecpatl remained. Good. As someone who also wielded a grimoire that was derived from the Calendar Stone, Tecpatl laid his hands on his grimoire and said, Now this is a battle between us. Let us exhaust our wisdom and fight for the position of the Aztecs helmsman. Boom! An explosion rang out. Several flashes of light erupted from Tecpatls hand, while Unabaras scroll of skin expanded widely and intercepted them. As a counter attack, the countless powder that was stuck onto the skin turned into a gale and attempted to blow away the stone tablets. The shockwaves from their attacks alone was enough to inflate the tunnels of the entire shelter. It was not an easy battle. It was already far beyond Unabaras original estimations. Even so, it couldnt be simply said that the grimoire was his helper. (... Urgh, damn it, a headache...?!) As they battled knowledge continuously flowed into his brain. At the same time it brought him intense pain all over his body. As he endured all that, Unabara waved his grimoire. Grimoires would help those who would spread its knowledge. And so, it was not solely a weapon that belonged to its wielder. If someone more suitable than its current wielder appeared, it would mercilessly kill the now-useless person and move onto the next one. Just like a trial. No matter if it was life or death, the grimoires would make the choice that would benefit itself. (... It doesnt matter...) Unabara clenched his teeth. In the gaps between his teeth, bright red blood flowed out. (... I have someone who I must defeat, for that I would even sacrifice this body of mine!) But, just spirit alone would not be enough to decide victory or defeat. Tecpatls hand continued to release flashes of light, until finally it surpassed the limits of Unabaras defense. A few bullets of light went past the shield of flying scroll, and impacted Unabaras torso directly. It was only due to his grimoires protection that his body wasnt torn apart. He rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop. Unfortunately, he no longer had the strength to stand up. Tecpatl approached Unabara who was unraveling the scroll head on. The gap of experience between yours and mine is too large. Secondly, your protection measures when using the grimoire are too inferior. If you plan to use these grimoires as weapons, taking measures to prevent knowledge flowing in reverse is the most basic precaution. ... Even when being glared at by Unabara, Tecpatl didnt change his expression. Light started to gather into his hand. It was the light created by Tochtlis bones. What... happened? Youre asking that? Tecpatl laughed. A war ended. The war between us and those uncouth people who called themselves World Police. I once believed that once that battle was over we would be able to live peacefully. Thats why I supported the war. The laughter continued. But nothing changed. Our status, our position, nothing changed. We fought hard, and in the end was it only to preserve the interests of a few old men that ruled over us? That laughter finally broke. Those old folks who stirred us up with nothing but lies have all been eliminated. But, even though we punished them severely, it didnt change anything. Like that, we lost our compass and goal. We no longer know where to go! Boom! An explosive sound cracked out. This time, the attack from Tecpatls hand was a fatal one. But, Unabara didnt die. The strike from Tecpatls hand curved and pierced through his own body. ... Huh...? Looking at the large hole on his abdomen, Tecpatl let out a moan. On the other side, Unabara only lied on the ground and asked in a calm voice, Did you know? Grimoires arent just simple tools or weapons. They have a trait of helping those who can spread the knowledge within them the most, and if necessary they will bare their fangs to even their wielder. At this time, Tecpatl saw it. Unabara drew something with his own blood on the ground. They were the words on the stone tablet. As Unabara was copying the grimoire original, creating a script of the grimoire and passing the knowledge of the grimoire on, Tecpatl had attacked Unabara. Therefore, the grimoire original had launched its own counter-attack. ... If you truly were suitable for the knowledge of that grimoire original, you would not have ended up like this. To prevent the contamination of the grimoire original, you took measures preventing it. Forget about spreading its knowledge, you wouldnt even read the knowledge within it yourself. Did you believe that the grimoire would allow itself to become a dead end? ... There was no reply. Kneeling on his knees, Tecpatl finally fell weakly onto the floor. The students bag with many stone tablets in it casted an eerie, long shadow. It looked like it was waving at him. Accept, or die. Unabara seemed to feel its declaration. (... From the looks of this, Im really popular with these grimoire originals.) ... Alright... Unabara Mitsuki answered the question the grimoire original raised. A second grimoire. The speed of the contamination would increase even faster, but Unabara didnt hesitate. However, He removed his gaze from Tecpatl. Once more entering his field of vision was a girl that couldnt even understand human speechTochtli. He didnt have any obligation to do this much. But, if he didnt do this he wouldnt have face to go back to Xochitl. Before this, theres something I need your help with. Contract established. In order to recover a girls life, Unabara Mitsuki stepped into a deeper darkness. Part 11 Sugitani stood wordlessly with his large-caliber gun pointed ahead. On the ground lay Accelerator. The unique smell of gunpowder exploding entered his nostril. And mixed with it was the smell of blood. However, It was not Accelerators. Sugitani had held the absolute advantage, but now had a hole in his stomach. Why... Sugitani started to falter. He leaned on the walls, and finally lost his strength and slowly sank onto the ground. In sharp contrast to him, Accelerator neatly got up from the ground. To be able to do that kind of movement when he had lost the help from his choker was unthinkable. But, the remote control in Sugitanis hands was operating right now, there should be no way he could use his choker... You saw that my crutch has been modified, right? Accelerator said disdainfully to Sugitani. The additional legs to aid walking and the motor, all those are just part of the disguise. What this thing really is, is something that blocks other interference devices. What did you say? If this thing just blocked other wavelengths, and it ended up blocking off the Misaka Network then itd be useless. So, I was waiting for you guys to use that kind of wavelength on me. Then, after careful analysis of that wavelength and using the equipment in this cane, an interference wavelength can be reverse-engineered to specifically block that wavelength. That''s right. When the limo had been attacked, Shiokishis forces had used the long distance controlling wavelength. Accelerator at the time had taken the opportunity to take a sample of the wavelength his enemy used. Now that long distance controlling wavelength was blocked by his crutch, and couldnt reach the choker. So, Accelerator didnt lose his ability, and he could still walk and talk. He took out the gun in his holster, and pointed it at Sugitani. This is how Evil does things. The monster said in a bored tone. Theres no difference between you and me. Im definitely not a good person, so for you who uses the same methods, youre also an exceptional villain. Being told that, Sugitani involuntarily smiled slightly. Right after that, both of them unhesitatingly pulled the trigger. Gunshots rang out. Accelerators bullets sank into Sugitani, while Sugitanis bullets were all reflected away. ... How boring. Turning his choker back to its normal mode, Accelerator walked further into the depths. If you call yourself a good person, then try harder in your actions. Sugitani had taken a few bullets, and though he lost consciousness, was still breathing heavily. This was his way of Evil. Part 12 Kinuhata sat on the floor of the underground mall breathing in the air heated by the flames. Stephanie was collapsed nearby. It seemed Hamazura and Takitsubo were on the other side of the wall of flames, but it would be a pain to break through to meet up with them. It would be better to head to the surface separately and meet up there. Kinuhata rubbed her injured cheek and then looked over at Stephanie. ...Even if you were up against a super strong opponent like me, wasnt this a little much? I was fighting for Sunazara-san, so this was actually rather reserved, Stephanie replied while coughing up blood. Kinuhata decided that Stephanie was a truly strong woman. Im sure you got that light machine shotgun on your own, but how did you super manage to send that Six Wings attack helicopter? Did you have someone else helping you? ...? An unnatural silence followed. Kinuhata sensed something bad from that silence. She then asked again. How did you super manage to send that Six Wings attack helicopter after us? What are you talking about? Stephanie replied staring blankly up at her. If I could have prepared an attack helicopter in this city, I would have fired on you from outside your range. ... Kinuhata froze. Then what had that been? A Six Wings had definitely attacked the stolen car Hamazura had been driving. Those special unmanned weapons that were in charge of Academy Citys air defense were not something used on a simple stolen car. The woman on the phone had said she hadnt been involved. The girl in the dress had also said that she wished she had the authority to send out one of those things. And now Stephanie seemed not to have been involved either. (Theres someone other than Stephanie who is super targeting us? And this person has the authority to super freely send out a Six Wings?) At that moment, a nearby concrete wall was blown away. Special forces all dressed in black advanced through the destroyed wall. They were not there for Stephanie. In fact, they seemed more intent on restraining Kinuhata. Hamazura!! Kinuhata yelled as she was forced down onto the ground. Super run away!! I doubt theyre after me!! Theyre after you!! Kinuhata Saiai had a powerful ability and held a special position. But that also meant she could guess how valuable she was and what kind of person would be targeting her. The Six Wings incident had not fit with that. As such, it was natural to think that the Six Wings had been targeting the more unknown value that was Hamazura Shiage. ...!! Hamazura yelled something from the other side of the flames. However, Takitsubo pulled on his arm urging him to flee. He seemed unsure of what to do for a bit, but he apparently decide to go with Takitsubo. Kinuhata felt that was the correct decision. Kinuhata Saiai was useful and valuable to Academy City. It was unlikely they would just get rid of her when they could still use her and she intended to work towards that end. After Hamazura and Takitsubo had left, she heard footsteps coming from the entrance to the underground mall. She looked in that direction while still being restrained. She saw the girl in the dress. The girl used a power known as Measure Heart and she was a member of the new team that had been created from the remnants of Item, School, and the like. The two were officially allies, but they glared at each other. Super what are you doing? The order baffled me as well. I dont know why I have to work with the remnants of the Hound Dog unit. I was hoping you could explain it. The girl in the dress then said something odd. Did you know that Aleister has created and is carrying out some sort of plan? Kinuhata frowned. The girl in the dress paid her expression no heed. It seems the irregular factors known as Kamijou Touma and Accelerator are within the allowable limit of irregularity. That is why they are at the core of the plan. When they struggle, it can be used to the benefit of the plan. I dont actually know what the plan is, though. Incidentally, Hamazura Shiage is different. There was a brief silence before the girl in the dress began speaking again. That Level 0 was a factor that was supposed to have been killed in the conflict between Group, School, Item, Member, and Block. And yet he somehow managed to defeat the #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri, on his own and is still living today. ...It seems not even Aleister could calculate everything out perfectly. Kinuhata desperately thought as she listened to the girls words and was held down by the men. Was what she was saying really true? Hamazura Shiage is a Level 0 with no power or usefulness and yet he is attempting to gain something on his own. He is attempting to gain new value that even Aleister did not know of. The girl in the dress then stared down at Kinuhata as if trying to provoke her. Or perhaps she was trying to drag an answer out of her. Depending on the situation, he could cause even more damage to Aleisters plan than Kamijou Touma or Accelerator. Therefore, it seems Academy City is going all out in an attempt to kill him. What do you think? Does he really have that much value? He had no idea what was going on. He just continued running. Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou ran through the nighttime city while holding hands. They had exited the underground mall, cut through the crowds, and then jumped on top of a container on a freight train that was running along past the time for the last passenger train. They breathed heavily as they sat on top of the train as it shot past stations and through tunnels at high speed. No matter how deeply they breathed, their lost stamina did not seem to recover. Even with all that, their pursuers continued after them. It didnt look like a proper group. Dark shadows ran alongside the train that was moving at high speed. He wasnt quite sure when they managed to get aboard the train, but a number of those shadows were slowly approaching on top of the train. That wasnt a level one could reach just with special training. They were like something out of an urban legend. Hamazura seriously doubted he could win against a group that looked like they could just punch out the Kuchisake-Onna. What it reminded him of was... (...Hard Taping. Their entire bodies are wrapped in the cloth-form springs that expand and contract in response to electrical signals. Thats what Leader Komaba used!) But the goddess of fate smiled on Hamazura and Takitsubo. Just before the figures reached them, the freight train decelerated. They must have been approaching the destination station. Hamazura held Takitsubos small form and jumped off before the train had come to a complete stop. He was about to fall over and bloody himself on the gravel, but he just barely managed to maintain his balance. He had no idea what district he was in. A door on the wall of the tunnel was sitting open and he ran through the narrow corridor beyond. He didnt know where he had to run to or how long he needed to keep running. Without knowing what was going on, he couldnt come up with a detailed plan. He just decided to run with everything he had. He started running an eternal marathon with an unknown course. But Hamazura had support. He had Takitsubo next to him. He had been chased by the #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri, before. At that time, he had been forced to fight all on his own in a hopeless situation. But now he was not alone. He had a reliable comrade at his side. So he was not as scared as before. He was able to think far enough ahead to know that they had to get out of their situation so they could rescue Kinuhata. But then his support suddenly looked like it would break. ? A tug came to Hamazuras arm. Or so he thought. When he turned around, he saw the girl in the pink track suit collapsed on the passageways floor while still holding his hand. Hey, Takitsubo? He hurriedly tried to pick her up in his arms, but she seemed oddly heavy. It was not the weight of a human with strength in their body. It felt more like trying to pick up a large bag filled with mud and the feeling caused his hair to stand on end. Hamazura... Whats wrong, Takitsubo!? What happened!? he yelled, but he had an idea deep down what it was. Takitsubo Rikou had only just left the hospital. She hadnt been doing well when she had called him from the District 3 private salon building either. And she had lost consciousness when he had found her again in the private salon. It had come back. Takitsubo simply could not run all out for long periods of time as she was. She could not continue to flee from those who were after her life. But the enemy would not wait. Even now the unknown pursuers would be closing in on them. Can you stand, Takitsubo? She was sweating profusely and Hamazura asked his question only after suppressing his panic as much as he could. Even so, she looked him in the eye and spoke. Run, Hamazura. Hamazuras heart had been near its limit and those words did further damage. Well both be captured like this. So you run away on your own, Hamazura. No fucking way, Hamazura muttered under his breath. He grabbed Takitsubos limp arm, wrapped it around his shoulder, and lifted her slender body up almost onto his shoulder. Hamazura. Quiet, he said cutting off whatever she had been trying to say. Despite her slender frame, she still felt as heavy as the metal balls put on prisoners legs long ago. (So what?) He stared only forward. He gritted his teeth and headed forward half dragging his body along. He would not abandon Takitsubo. He couldnt just leave her there. They had to save Kinuhata Saiai too, so they couldnt just live a life on the run. He would turn things around. He would break free of that life. Thinking only that, Hamazura continued to move forward. But he didnt last long. His body hadnt been eaten into by Body Crystal like Takitsubos, but his strength was not infinite. He had been involved in more than one fight that day and he had run who knows how many kilometers. His stamina wasnt going to hold up. His muscles screamed. His legs trembled and he knew he would collapse to the floor at any second. At the same time, he heard numerous footsteps coming up from behind him. He could also hear the clanking of the metal parts of submachine guns. At that rate, they would be captured. They would be captured and killed. As he tried to continue on, strength left his knees. The two of them fell to the ground as if they were embracing each other. Hamazura stood back up and attempted to pick Takitsubo back up, but he couldnt do it. Her body looked like a heavy barbell to him. Hamazura, Takitsubo said. Its okay, Hamazura. Ill buy you some time. No, you wont!! he yelled back. But his body didnt last. Hamazura leaned over Takitsubo thinking he could at least shield her from bullets. He knew a bullet could pass straight through him, but he did it anyway. (...Someone.) Tears welled up in his eyes. (Please, someone do what I cant. I need a hero to gallantly appear and save her...) He knew it wouldnt happen. If someone like that actually existed, Hamazura Shiage would not have been in that situation in the first place. But he couldnt help but pray. He didnt want to lose Takitsubo Rikou. The footsteps drew closer and the number grew. He couldnt do anything. He could tell a great number of gun barrels were aimed towards them. He only had a small handgun. In the current situation, they would be turned to Swiss cheese if he tried to pull it out. It was a completely hopeless situation. No miracle would occur. And then countless beams of light shot by. They blew the unknown pursuers away and removed the threat approaching the two of them. He had no idea what had just happened. He just thought it must have been some kind of esper power. The dozen or so pursuers who had been approaching had been torn to pieces. Their guts had been spread about and fresh blood dyed that area of the passageway red. He didnt know who had done it, but someone had actually saved them. Hamazura simply sat there blankly while still embracing Takitsubo Rikou. Heh heh heh... As the situation slowly crept into Hamazuras head, a sense of relief finally filled his brain. We made it. I dont know who helped us, but we managed to survive!! And then... ...Haaamazuraaa.... With that one word, an intense chill ran across Hamazuras entire body. He recognized that way of calling his name. And once he recalled that, the power that had just flown by clicked into place as well. It was Meltdowner. It was a type of power that manipulated electrons. It didnt manipulate the waves or the particles. It manipulated and fired the electrons themselves. That power was recorded as belonging to the #4 Level 5. Its user had...had...had once been defeated by Hamazura Shiage. The user was approaching. This was not a hero that had come to save Hamazura. Characteristic footsteps approached as if to proudly proclaim the Meltdowner users existence. The person approached in a straight line stepping on the fresh blood and guts of the recently killed people. Hamazura recognized the girl. She had no right eye. Her left arm had been ripped off. A pale blue light like one would see during welding resided deep within the empty red eye socket. The same was true for the left arm. As if to compensate for the missing arm, a dazzling arm of light was jutting out. It must have been made of fairly high energy because it continuously made the sound of a high voltage current frying a bug in a bug zapper. It was created from her power. It was created by the #4 Level 5 power, Meltdowner. That was not some cheap power that would manifest in just anyone. As far as Hamazura knew, she was the only person with that power. A cracking voice leaked from Hamazura Shiages mouth. He squeezed out a name despite his vocal cords and entire body trembling. Mugino...Shizuri...!? Dont let pitiful bastards like that take your life. The one whos going to rip you to pieces is me!! This time, the true mouth of despair swallowed Hamazura and Takitsubo whole. Part 13 Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki; the four of them currently were at the deepest place of the tunnel-shaped shelter. In front of them was the defeated Shiokishi. His powered suit had been taken apart, and an obsidian dagger was stabbed into his stomach. To protect the people close to us, we have two choices. Accelerator cracked his neck while holding onto his crutch. One, we make you spit out everything you know about Dragon; Two, we wobble the knife thats in your stomach right now and spill your innards onto the ground. Dragon, huh... Shiokishi muttered in a low voice, as if he had forgotten his abdomen had been stabbed. Ive already guessed your goals behind all this. Dont tell us youre going to say something like actually I dont know either. If that was the case then Id be relieved. Unfortunately I actually do know about it. Because Im in a position that needs to know about it. Thats why Im troubled. The four of them went quiet. Only Shiokishi continued. Thats something that cant be allowed to see the light. If you must make me tell you about the details I will comply, but for your sakes Ill say this now: It is better to not know. This is not a threat. This is merely advice from someone who knows. Truth be told, I didnt want to know about it. Even now from the bottom of my heart I think how great it would be if I never knew. What is Dragon? Accelerator questioned him. Even after being given that kind of advice, they had to move forward. According to Tsuchimikado and Unabara, Dragon was a code meaning ''angel''. On September 30th, Accelerator had witnessed something like wings of light. Kihara Amatas movements, Last Order, the Virus, and everything that had happened recently seemed to be related to the wings of light. ... What are you talking about. Faced with the questioning, Shiokishi actually laughed. He was using the tone of seeing someone completely misunderstood and cant help but laugh. Dragon is everywhere. Look, it is there right behind you at this moment. He thought it was just a ridiculous joke. But right after that, a few dull thud sounds reached his ears. Tsuchimikado? Accelerator subconsciously turned around. He called their names. Musujime? Unabara? They had all collapsed onto the ground. They all had completely lost consciousness. Though there were no visible wounds, there were also no signs they would be getting back up. The Group that Accelerator belonged to was an organization that prided itself on having above-normal battle capabilities. Now, this organization had been taken down easily by an unknown attack. There was no opportunity to even fight back. After that, Accelerator saw it. Youre not Fuse Kazakiri! Into the ears of the wide-eyed Accelerator who stood there in shock, came the voice of Shiokishi. That, is nothing more than a simple production line used to give Dragon shape. After saying what needed to be said, Shiokishi lost consciousness due to blood loss. Though he fell with a groan, Accelerator didnt have the latitude to turn around and look. His eyes were fixed forward. Golden long hair. A shining, tall and thin stature. And loose white clothing that covered the body entirely. Though its gender could not be definitely ascertained, at least the outward appearance looked female. On its face was an expression that was full of happiness, sadness, grief and anger, but deep down it had emotions completely different from that of humans; it was an expression that was extremely calm. Dragon, huh? That thing opened its mouth. Though that thing was in a humanoid shape, Accelerator felt there was nothing more wrong than that thing being capable of human speech. That name is not exactly wrong, to a point. Rather, calling me an angel is alright too... At least, its closer to the truth compared to the rumored extraterrestrial life form, holy guardian angel, the true person who holds the secrets to modern Western magic organizations and wild ideas like those. Though, my existence, is something completely different from the angels recorded in the Bible. So, to more accurately describe my presence, the aforementioned word should be used. That thing declared. There are very few people that persevere and reach this point in their search. Because of that, there is value and worth in my declaration of my name. So, I will answer your question. The true identity of the thing that Accelerator and others had chased after for so long. Im the one that once taught the necessary parts of the necessary knowledge to an eccentric magician named CrowleyAiwass. Notes 1. While this isn''t a direct translation, this is probably the scientific phenomena being described: active noise cancelling Volume 19, 4: Two Monsters Inviting You to Hell. Dragon(≠Angel). Volume 19, Chapter 4: Two Monsters Inviting You to Hell. Dragon(Angel). Part 1 Aiwass. That was the name the being that seemed to be classified under the codename Dragon gave itself. Facing Aiwass, Accelerator carefully observed the blonde being. His thoughts did not lead him to an action he should take next. Accelerator and the rest of Group had been acting on the basis of finding the identity of the top secret Dragon and using that information to negotiate on an even playing field with the higher ups of the city. However, they had been thinking of using the mere information. They had never thought Dragon itself would appear before them so easily. It was possible Accelerator had believed somewhere in his heart that he would never find the identity of Dragon. That was why his thoughts ground to a halt when the being appeared before him so suddenly. You look surprised, said the blonde being known as Aiwass without changing its expression. Its golden hair seemed to be putting off a faint light. Is my appearance that baffling to you? Of course it was. Why had the being that Academy City had been hiding at all costs appeared to him? Accelerator thought of a few possibilities and he chose the most logical one among them. ...Do you work for Shiokishi? If youre backup, youre a little too late. Do you really think that? Aiwass shook its head. Despite having made a clear declaration of its intentions, Accelerator couldnt grasp what the being was thinking. ... Accelerator remained silent for a bit and then rejected the possibility he himself had spoken. It had seemed like Shiokishi had hated...no, feared Dragon. Even if that wasnt it, it still hadnt been the reaction one would have to ones pawn. But even so, why had Aiwass appeared before Accelerator at that time? I have recognized that you have a certain level of value and...I was curious, said Aiwass. The words were spoken with such a carefree sense that it seemed to deny everything Group, Shiokishi, and the others had done. I wanted you to meet me, so I appeared. Are you dissatisfied? Something wasnt right. But it didnt seem the being was hiding anything. It was like the being was saying that Accelerator had not been silently defeated along with Tsuchimikado and the others solely because the being had seen value and found interest in him. (What do I do...?) Accelerator slightly lowered his center of gravity. Many beings had appeared threatening Accelerators life such as Kihara Amata of the Hound Dogs and Kakine Teitoku of School, but Aiwass was completely different. He didnt even feel any ill will coming from the being. Aiwass was an extremely important element to the higher ups of Academy City. However, there was more than one way of using that fact. Defeating Aiwass would certainly bring major damage to the plan they were putting together, but there may have been a much more effective way of dealing with the situation. It didnt help that Accelerator didnt know what kind of role Aiwass played. He couldnt come up with an effective way of using the being if he didnt at least know that much. Accelerators mental state was much like that of a chained up dog and Aiwass showed its first feeling towards him in a surprised looking face. This is a different result than I had predicted. I was sure the defeat of your companions would cause you to retaliate and be thrown to the ground before me within 3 seconds. ...Now that statement would be a perfect trigger, responded Accelerator in a low voice. Aiwass had indeed silently defeated Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki. However, that was not an impetus for Accelerator to take hostile action. As he had said many times, Accelerator saw Group as a nothing more than something to be used. He would first try to drag out whatever information he could. After that was when he would determine if he needed to take hostile action. Having chosen what he would do, Accelerator looked back at Aiwass. What are you? Why are you hidden behind the codename Dragon? Do I have to explain it from there? the blonde being said in a tone that seemed to be saying it was surprised at how unintelligent Accelerator was. My identity is nothing much. I am just a mere hboieEXISTENCEab, so-... Aiwasss words blurred. Accelerator frowned, but Aiwass itself seemed puzzled and brought its hand up to its throat to check on its voice. ...Hmm. So I cannot even express that level of meaning in this world. There are not enough headers. This will make the explanation difficult. You do not mind if I do so in a rather roundabout way, do you?. It would be simple enough to express this directly, but then that wgbudDESTRUCTIONwsrui will occur. Aiwass did not seem to be joking. The way its voice sounded was odd. When the beings voice blurred like that, the source of the sound seemed to shift. That made it sound very odd. It was a bit like wearing stereo headphones with the right and left switched. Are you familiar with the term Fuse Kazakiri? ...? Shiokishi had mentioned that name, but Accelerator had no idea to what it referred. However, when Aiwass saw his face, it sighed. It really is a pain to have to explain everything from the very beginning. Remember what I say and look into it on your own later. At any rate, that is a being that can be referred to as an artificial angel. Given her properties, that is not incorrect, but that does not actually reach what Fuse Kazakiri truly is. She is actually something like a production line used to form me, Aiwass. Accelerator had not understood most of what the being said, but the word angel stuck with him. When Kihara Amata had injected Last Order with that virus, wings of light had appeared. Apparently, the true purpose of that had been part of a plan prepared for this Aiwass. Let us compare it to a crystal. And a familiar substance would be...water or salt. Yes, let us go with salt. Think of an AIM diffusion field as extremely concentrated salt water. However, that alone will not cause crystallization. To effectively proceed, it is better to add a foreign material to the salt water. That foreign material could be a single stick or it could be something like small dust. It could even be an nsrioANGELgau like Fuse Kazakiri. ...Well, the crystallization is simple, but when you want it to be a particular shape and size, the qualities of the core must be carefully prepared. ...Are you saying youre a being made based on this Fuse Kazakiri thing? Technically, it is more accurate to say Fuse Kazakiri is a factory production line fine-tuned in order to create me. I will not deny that I was born following the pattern of Fuse Kazakiri. Although, born is not quite the right word. It would be more correct to say uyAPPEARidvif...damn, the language cannot keep up. Rather than born, let us say appeared. That is not technically correct, but I cannot express it any better than that. Aiwass moved its own index finger slowly down along its chest to its abdomen. Aleister seems to like roundabout methods, but I am not something that can be dealt with using clone technology. If that being was a mass of AIM diffusion fields, then it was not human. Despite the discussion being so absurd, Accelerator did not laugh. In fact, he would have found it incredibly odd if Aiwass were to claim to be human. What to do? said Aiwass. I appeared out of curiosity, but what do I do now? What do you want to do? Will you try to crush Aleisters ambitions based on the information you receive from me? ...Are you serious? Accelerators caution rose upon hearing those last words. I dont know what that board chairman is after, but youre at the core of it. Crushing Aleisters plan would be to return a being supported by artificially means such as yourself to nothingness. True, Aiwass nodded causing its blonde hair to sway. What is your point? What...? Let us speak of history, Aiwass said suddenly changing the topic. The humans that live on the surface of this planet do quite a bit in the name of preserving their environment. They say that most of the plants and animals will go extinct if things do not change, so they diligently gather up empty cans and lower the amount of smoke they produce. Well, some people are rather zealous about that kind of thing. Are you humans taking these actions solely to get people to watch you? What the hell is your point? I am merely saying that history does not change in the slightest, Aiwass responded smoothly. This planet once had an ice age. The environment changed drastically and most plants and animals went extinct. ...But did history itself come to an end? Whether the tiny beings clinging to the surface live or die, the flow of time continues on unchanged. Even if a worldwide nuclear war began right here and now and every life form on the surface of the earth were completely annihilated, it would have no effect on the thick pillar of history. In ten thousand years or in one hundred thousand years, something else would come forth in the place of the current life forms. ... This is the same. I may not be a being that should be a part of this dimensions history. It seems the man known as Aleister is persistent in his desire to use me, but it is no problem to me if his plan suffers a major setback. It may take ten thousand years or one hundred thousand years, but I will have another opportunity to asbuAPPEARoagbv...I mean, appear. Even that is of little value to me. Aiwass slowly spread its arms wide causing its long blonde hair to sway. Now then, what will you do? It could be amusing if you killed me here and gave quite a shock to Aleister. Of course, that is only if you possess the ability to do so. Accelerator couldnt read the being. Some kind of gear must have been missing because it felt like none of the usual offensive thought patterns appeared. That was what it felt like. It was not an issue of finding a basis. Accelerator did not think he would be able to find an opening if he just took a long time to calculate everything out. There was simply no point in fighting. The idea felt as foolish as running along the ground attempting to catch up to the sun sinking below the horizon. As Accelerator made no movement, Aiwass spoke with its arms still spread wide. Oh? Is that really your choice? Let me tell you this first: Aleister may believe in his ability to a fault, but he is not a perfect human. What? The plan he has put together has already begun to come apart at the seams in a few places. Despite describing a problem that its very existence depended on, Aiwass did not seem to especially care. With every irregular phenomenon Aleister himself brings about, he believes that he is recovering from it in a way that benefits his plan, but tiny cracks have started to spread bit by bit. At this rate, situations will develop from the plan he created that Aleister himself does not foresee. For instance... Accelerator had a very bad feeling about what was to come. He had a feeling he was about to hear something he shouldnt. But Aiwass continued. It continued as if toying with the minds of tiny and miserable people was its sole enjoyment in a boring world. For instance, Last Order, who is one of the cornerstones of the plan, will surely eventually break down at the current rate. Although, she is just a clone, so that problem can be solved simply by creating another clone with the same functionality. Those words were enough. Accelerator abandoned all cause for concern and determined to take action. Part 2 (Where am I?) Hamazura Shiage was focusing on nothing but running down a dark, dark passageway. (Where the hell am I!?) He was alone. Up until then he had not left Takitsubo for even an instant, but she was gone now. The reason for that was simple. The two of them had been forcibly torn apart. The figure slowly approaching from behind him as if she were tormenting him simply possessed that much power. It wasnt an issue of her physical strength or her special power. It was based in an overwhelming fear. ...Haaamazuraaa. !? The voice was coming from the other side of the darkness. Hamazura jumped to the side with everything he had not even bothering to turn around. He struck a metal handrail and flipped over it. By the time he realized the passageway was running through the air like a bridge, his body had already started to fall. But that was still preferable to the alternative. Immediately afterwards, a dreadful beam of light surged forth. It melted and blew away the metal passageway Hamazura had just been on creating an orange waterfall. Meltdowner. The #4 Level 5. Gah!! Just after those terms floated up from the back of Hamazuras mind, his back struck the ground. He must have fallen about 3 meters. He was on yet another midair passageway. Below the metal mesh that made up the floor, was yet another manmade floor. It was a rather large area. It was more than 100 meters wide and its length had to have been in the kilometers. And further down below Hamazuras feet a number of small fighter craft were lined up. A quick glance told him that there were more than 20 of them. (So is this District 23, the district that specializes in aviation?) The place did not look like a normal servicing area to him. It was probably a test area for new models. The freight train Hamazura and Takitsubo had hitched a ride on may have been supplying the area with materials. Hamazura then heard footsteps. They came from directly above him. That meant they were most likely coming from a passageway connected to the one Hamazura had just fallen from. He quickly hid himself by jumping behind a box-shaped object that seemed to be a crane cockpit. As usual, youre quick only when it comes to running. But can you really afford to do that? Youve left your precious Takitsubo-chan behind! ...!!!!!! Hamazura gritted his teeth. As he was behind cover, he couldnt see, but he could tell. Mugino Shizuri was likely dragging along Takitsubos limp form with one arm. The reason she hadnt killed her was simple: she wanted to torment Hamazura as much as possible. He truly wanted to jump out right then and there. However, that was not a monster he could defeat in a frontal attack. He would merely be turned to ash in an instant. That would mean there would be no one left to save Takitsubo. Once the tormenting Hamazura reason was gone, Mugino would just kill Takitsubo. (...Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!! Why? Why!? Why did she have to appear now of all times!?) He pulled out his handgun with a trembling hand and pulled out the magazine to check how many bullets he had left. As he did, Muginos voice resounded throughout the fighter testing area like the voice of a mocking demon. Are you this panicked because you cant understand how I was revived? Cyborg, cloning, or nanodevices!? If you get it right, Ill give you a bonus, but I doubt you can figure it out. You do have the face of an idiot after all. She continued to shoot beams of light down. She was clearly not aiming for Hamazura, but the vibrations caused still wrapped his entire body in fear. Well, it seems they used a dark legacy left behind by an eccentric doctor known as Heaven Canceller. By using an oil-based melted framework to adjust the regeneration pace of the flesh, it brings about high-speed cell division. I doubt that doctor himself knows it is being used for this, though. But none of that really matters. Right now I just want to enjoy watching you cry. Hamazura stuck his face around the edge of the box just a bit to check on the situation. Haaamazuraaa. You can play hide and seek if you like, but you might want to show yourself soon. If you dont, I may decide to go after your cute Takitsubo-chan first. Aghh!! came a groan. Mugino had grabbed Takitsubos hair and held her up as if to use her as a shield. Mugino brought her other arm, the large arm of light created by a loop of Meltdowner, to a position that was almost touching Takitsubos skin. Gya ha ha!! Oh, now where to start burning her? Maybe I should roast that little face of hers. Or maybe I should press against her pink ***** and burn it pitch black!! Hey, what do you think, Hamazura? Youd better come out, cause Im gonna burn her into a black mummy! Or can you still get off to fucking a hole like that!? (Dammit...) Ill count to three. If you dont come out, Ill burn Takitsubos ***** as punishment. Of course, if youd rather just abandon her, then you can just sit there masturbating to the stench of her virginity being burned away. Mugino did not give a nice slow count as was usual. Instead... Three-two-one-go!! Fuck!! Due to Muginos ridiculously fast count, Hamazura had to jump out from behind the crane cockpit box. He immediately aimed his handgun at Mugino, but she was much faster. And on top of that, Mugino had Takitsubo as a shield. Good boy, Hamazura. An explosive noise cut off all other noise. She had merely made a motion similar to flicking a small piece of filth with her finger, but it produced a strike that was even more dreadful than a shell from a battleship. It flew by right next to Hamazura and struck a drum. The fuel within the drum ignited and the blast sent him 5 meters through the air. If she had wanted to, she surely would have been able to kill him instantly. The only reason she hadnt was because she wanted to torment him more before killing him. (...Shit...) Rolling over so he was face up was all he could do. As he did he was reminded again that his title of the Level 0 that once defeated Mugino Shizuri was a bunch of crap. He had been saved due to a clear coincidence or a miracle back then. She was not a low level monster that he could defeat again and again. The factor that was Hamazura Shiage was not a trump card against her. He could not win. Hamazuraaa, Hamazuraaaa!! He heard her calling his name. He attempted to stand up, but she made her next move before he could. However, she did not provide the finishing blow against him while he could barely move. From the beginning, she had been trying to extend the time he would spend in hell as she thoroughly tormented him. Mugino Shizuri turned her aim towards Takitsubo Rikou. What? Are you trying to turn yourself into some kind of tragic heroine? You arent just some princess. You have the power to fight. !? An odd noise as if from a spasm came from Takitsubos throat. Mugino casually tossed Takitsubos limp body aside and stuck her remaining flesh-and-blood hand into her pocket. She pulled out an object about the size of a case of mechanical pencil lead. It was a Body Crystal case. If you use AIM Stalker at its fullest, you may be able to reverse the flow from my AIM diffusion field and take over my power, isnt that right? She tossed the Body Crystal case over with her fingertips. The small case clattered across the ground and stopped right next to Takitsubo. That was the final piece Takitsubo needed to turn the situation around. However, she would certainly break down if she were to use it. Her body was already so limp due to the side effects of Body Crystal. She had no more leeway. If she used Body Crystal even once more, it would all be over. But... If you want to run away, you can just do so. Mugino Shizuris words were a major shock to Takitsubos weak heart. No, they werent just a shock. They were so forceful they almost broke her heart. But then Hamazura would be burned to a crisp because you abandoned him. Gya ha ha ha!! I really dont care what you choose! Either way, I get to see something most enjoyable!! Uuh... Takitsubo Rikou stretched out her arm. She stretched out her arm knowing full well that she was bringing destruction to her body. She had a single reason. She was doing it to save Hamazura Shiage who had been knocked down and would likely soon be killed. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! With what sounded like a moan from a beast, Takitsubo grabbed the Body Crystal case. As if she were stabbing herself in the chest with a knife, she opened the lid all at once to make sure she did not hesitate partway through. Seeing that, Mugino laughed uproariously. She couldnt help but enjoy seeing the desire to save someone precious bringing on the worst possible conclusion. (...Hamazura...) Takitsubo clenched her eyes shut and opened her mouth. She moved her trembling hands and started to throw the contents of the case inside her mouth. But then... Muginoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Hamazura Shiage screamed. Immediately afterwards, the sound of a large motor running reverberated throughout the area. Mugino realized it was the sound of one of the crane arms that were used to service the fighters, so she moved back a bit. A swinging wire and the hook on the end of the arm used for hanging heavy things on swung down like a morning star. Mugino had evaded it, but it struck Takitsubos side just as she was about to use the Body Crystal. An unpleasant cracking noise rang out. The Body Crystal case was knocked far away and Takitsubos body went over the handrail and disappeared down onto the lower level. Ha ha ha, Mugino laughed. That hadnt been the result she had expected, but occasionally coincidences brought even more enjoyment. Gya ha ha ha ha ha!! What the hell was that, Hamazura!? Who are you trying to protect here!? What are you doing finishing her off on your own!? But then Mugino felt a chill even as she was laughing. Hamazura did not react when struck by her scorn. He showed no sign of disgrace or regret. And then Mugino realized what had happened too late. Hamazura had been aiming for Takitsubo from the beginning. He had prevented her from using the Body Crystal and had gotten her away from Mugino. Even if he had injured the person he was supposed to be protecting, he had done it to prevent her from receiving a decidedly fatal blow. Mugino thought back. The object being held by the cranes hook had been a powered suit worn by workers who were dealing with dangerous objects like bombs for the planes. He had been handing it to the delicate Takitsubo to lower the odds of her dying even if by only a little bit. ...Mugino Shizuri... Why had he gone that far? The answer was clear. It looks like killing you once wasnt enough. The Level 0 who had once destroyed the #4 Level 5 truly stood up once more. And just as before, he did it to protect the girl known as Takitsubo Rikou. Part 3 Accelerator hit the switch on his choker-style electrode. Now the #1 Level 5 could use his vector transformation ability at any time. He could reflect every sort of power and create tremendous amounts of destructive force from that little power. With that, there was no enemy he could not defeat. Aiwasss face had been expressionless with a slight bit of ridicule mixed in. The being had said that Last Order would break down in the near future if Aleisters plan continued as it was. And the being had implicitly said something else: Try and kill me if you can. With your level of power, you cannot even temporarily cause my existence to disappear. (...Fine then.) Accelerator controlled the vectors for the strength of his legs and shot forward explosively. (Whether youre a collection of AIM diffusion fields or an angel or whatever, I wont hold back if youre going to harm that kid. Ill take you up on your offer and have you disappear!!) Aiwass did not even attempt to evade. It stared at Accelerator with its arms still spread out. Accelerator charged in and stuck out a hand with its fingers spread out. He just had to alter the vectors to destroy Aiwass from the inside. But an unexplained shock struck Accelerator on his upper body in a diagonal line. It was a decisive strike with something like a heavy blade. Immediately after Accelerator was aware of that, he hit the floor and rolled a few times backwards. An unbelievable amount of blood gushed out. It wasnt just coming from the wound on his upper body. Blood was flowing from his mouth and nose as well. It may sound like a joke, but it seriously seemed like a mystery that his organs didnt come spilling out of that large wound. Gh...bhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!? He didnt know what had happened. People like Kihara Amata and Kakine Teitoku had pierced his wall of reflection in the past, but Aiwass was different. That strike had not been based on some theory that allowed it to slip past the reflection. Even after receiving that decisive blow, he was still unable to analyze what had happened to his own body. Oh, whoops. That was my mistake, said Aiwass sounding completely calm. Something grew from its back pushing its long blonde hair aside. They were wings. The wings were emitting a too brilliant brilliance that gave the feeling that it was worse for the human body than a nuclear explosion. That must have been what had sliced Accelerator. The wings were very odd. They were not simply gold colored. They were a palely glowing platinum that had a white core. ...That wasnt quite accurate, but it was how Accelerator expressed it in his brain. The wings gave him a very strong out-of-place feeling because he could not comprehend what he was seeing. Dammit, Aleister. You added something into the snCONSTRUCTIONbozl virus. So you embedded an auto defense bseouABILITYgbu into my beuoAPPEARENCEdnm via Last Order. Sorry about that. It seems a suicide prevention device has been nbspgADDEDnpisr in. These nspidhWINGSgprws move on their own, so youll have to do something about them if you want to sbgpKILLnapedv me. Aiwasss words became more and more distorted. However, Accelerator was not really listening. His eyes changed to a red even more sinister than the blood spewing from his body. As he lay on the ground, his outstretched hand shattered the floorboards. abeoughabaeougbaoKILLwobnoweuferya...!! Accelerator''s back split open and jet black wings burst forth. Those wings of darkness stood in stark contrast to Aiwasss pale platinum-like wings. That demon whose upper body was dyed red with blood and whose lips and teeth had even been turned crimson slowly rose up smoothly as if ignoring gravity altogether. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, hm? However, Aiwass shook its head while looking at those black wings. Accelerator had no way of knowing, but what Aiwass had just said referred to the central pillar of a certain magician and had been recorded in the Book of the Law. Unfortunately, that is from the wrong rggrAEONipiregj. Your rsgPOWERnophe is from Osiriss time. With that, you cannot truly hosefOPPOSEqierd one from Horus such as myself. A tremendous roar rang out. It was a shockwave created by the clash between black and pale platinum wings. The shockwave became a storm. An explosive wind was created with Accelerator and Aiwass at the center. However, the fight was not even. In the first strike, Accelerators black wings were torn off at the base and the second strike completely sliced them to pieces. A sound that was more of a roar than it was a yell reverberated throughout the area. Aiwass swung its pale platinum wings again. Red blood flew into the air and was blown away by the explosive wind. There was simply too great a gap between them. Accelerators black wings were quite destructive, but it was a bit like he was simply swinging around a heavy wooden club. On the other hand, Aiwasss wings were more like a sharp and famous sword that was being wielded with incredible skill. The sound of something falling to the ground could be heard. No, it was the sound of someone collapsing. So this is all? Aiwass said looking down at Accelerator who was lying in the middle of a pool of blood. A normal person would certainly have died, but Accelerator was still breathing. He was subconsciously using his vector transformation ability to circulate his blood between the broken blood vessels. Due to this, streams of red liquid were flowing around him like a drink spilled in outer space. But that was it. He was just barely managing to hold onto his life. He could do nothing more to revive himself. I tried to bring you to attack me by bringing up Last Order, but I was able to do so much easier than I had expected. With this level of maturity, you cannot even deal with Fuse Kazakiri. Dammit Aleister, are you rushing things this time, too? ...The matter of Kakine Teitoku bothers me as well. Having said that, Aiwass turned its back on Accelerator. The being used its legs to walk from the area. That mundane method seemed much odder than if it had suddenly disappeared or flown away. And then what felt to Aiwass like a tiny crack appeared in the center of its body. An error had occurred in the aggregation of AIM diffusion fields that controlled Aiwasss existence. Thinking about what could have caused it, Aiwass turned around. Aiwass began to disintegrate starting with the ends of its golden hair, but its expression did not change. You said... came a cracking voice. It was Accelerators voice, but it was no longer in the indecipherable language that Aiwass had also been using. He was now speaking in proper human words. ...You said that...you appeared by using...the AIM diffusion fields...throughout Academy City... And that kid was...given a virus to create...something called Fuse...Kazakiri...in order to control...your appearance... So you have thought about it. Aiwass smiled. As it did, its fingertips started to lose form. Its eyes looked down at Accelerators cane. So you took the jamming device used to cut off the signal for the remote control for your choker and set it to the entire Misaka Network. That network guides the mass of all of Academy Citys AIM diffusion fields. It is true that blocking the Misaka Network from this area will locally remove the crystals core and return it to the original salt water. As the being spoke, Accelerators legs started trembling. It wasnt due to anything Aiwass had done. But do you understand what that means? That is the same as severing the sole lifeline that is keeping you alive. ... The sound of dripping blood continued. Accelerator was just barely preventing himself from bleeding to death by using his power to keep the blood flowing between blood vessels. If he sealed his vector transformation ability, only one path would remain for him. ...Shut the...fuck up... Accelerator said with trembling lips. The jamming was set to grow stronger with time. Before long he would be unable to talk or walk on his own. Knowing he had to end this before that happened, Accelerator gathered up all his remaining strength and pulled out his handgun. He pulled out a human weapon instead of some unknown power of an angel or a demon. He had walked along a blood-stained path to save the girl known as Last Order. To do so, he had determined to even make an enemy of Last Order and to become a king of pure evil. That villain was not the type of person to bow down and beg for his life at a time like that. That type of cowardly action was not part of the villainy Accelerator was presenting to the world. That was why he did not hesitate in his decision. Even if it meant he would collapse while spewing blood and have his organs spill from his wound, pulling the trigger to save Last Order was his form of evil. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, Aiwass muttered as if it were singing. Its arms had already disintegrated up to the elbows and the pale platinum wings with a white core were not moving as if their gears had been removed. The beings body had turned almost transparent and something like a triangular prism could be seen hidden in the center of its head. The objects surface was continually moving around making a clicking noise like a keyboard. Realizing that Accelerators gun was aimed squarely at it, Aiwass spread out its half-gone arms and smiled as if to welcome the bullet. I see. Then show me what your Law is. A gunshot rang out. It was followed by a sound like a crystal being shattered and the dull sound of a human body collapsing. Part 4 Mugino Shizuri jumped down to the lower level from the melted passageway. The sound of her landing on the wire mesh floor of the passageway resounded throughout the fighter testing facility. Hamazura Shiage stood on the same level. He was leaning his injured body up against the outside of a crane cockpit box while staring at Muginos one-eyed face. Killing me once wasnt enough? Mugino repeated Hamazuras words in enjoyment as the arm of light created by looping a large number of electron beams crackled. Thats not enough. Thats not nearly enough. If you want to deal with me, you need to use your brain cells a bit more before complaining!! Her arm of light explosively expanded. But Hamazura was already moving. If Hamazura had raised up his handgun that he was holding loosely at his side, aimed it at her, and fired, Mugino would have had enough time to blow his body apart. So Hamazura did not do that. He pulled the trigger with his arm still hanging down at his side. Of course, this caused the bullet to fly in a completely different direction. It accurately hit a nearby fire extinguisher. The gas sent white powder all over the area. (...Is he trying to hide?) Dont take me lightly, Hamazuraaa!! Similarly to an audience responding to a cheap performance, Mugino fired beams of Meltdowner. By firing a few of the brilliant white beams in a row, the silhouette visible through the powder from the fire extinguisher was blown through in some vital areas and then blown away. Tch. I wanted to slowly crush him. Did I just take him out in an instant? Mugino muttered, but that wasnt what had happened. What she had blown away was a pile of cardboard boxes that had been next to him. While Mugino had been distracted by that dummy, Hamazura had jumped down from the wire mesh passageway and fled to the bottommost level. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha. Fleeing using a smokescreen and a dummy? ...What are you, a ninja!? She fired more beams down towards the lower level out of annoyance and confusion before jumping down herself. A number of fighter jets were lined up in the vast space. They were prototype models, but they had been fully painted and otherwise perfectly finished. They may have been scheduled to undergo an equipment load endurance test because a good number of missiles and bombs were installed below the wings. (Now then...) Mugino looked around with her remaining eye. Hamazura Shiage was most likely watching her from somewhere waiting for an opportunity. Even he would know that running away any more would just get him shot in the back. ... For an instant, she glanced over towards one of the fighters, but she decided that it wasnt likely he would counterattack with one of them. She would have some problems dealing with the 20-30 mm Gatling gun or the various types of missiles, but she seriously doubted that would happen. She couldnt see a thug like Hamazura Shiage knowing how to use something as specialized as a fighter jet. And even if he could operate one, they were in a storage area. The fighters were standing still so Mugino would be able to evaporate them in a single strike. Mugino grinned as she slowly walked along the kilometers long passageway. (This is it. This is it! If that small fry stands up to me, I can just kill him in a single strike. He needs to play his part too, so I can slowly torment him.) Where arrrre you, Haaamazuraaa? Mugino sang to an arbitrary rhythm as she swayed her arm of light back and forth. And then... Here, came the unexpected response. !? The response had come from quite close nearby. Mugino had been hit by a counterattack with a handgun the previous time, so she quickly and forcefully twisted her body around and fired Meltdowner without checking on her target. A brilliant beam of light shot out and the fighter jet in its path melted orange. But just before it did, Mugino saw what was there. A service tractor and a long narrow bomb packed in what looked like a large pipe were in the place she had fired on. On top of those was a wireless headset that was set at its highest volume so the sound would escape into the surrounding area and a fiberscope with a wireless LAN that would be used for aircraft maintenance. She didnt have time to think about it. Before she could think a single thought, the 200 kg bomb that she herself had struck with intense heat split open and created a large explosion that enveloped the other bombs, the missiles, and the airplane fuel. Hamazura was hiding at a distance, but he did not escape unharmed. He had found an electric tractor-like vehicle used for moving the fighters and had been silently travelling at high speed away. He had hidden behind cover about 500 meters from the explosion. His cover was a small truck filled with paint tools used to change the color of the fighters. He had used a maintenance radio to send out his voice and was subsequently sent rolling along the ground as the blast struck him. Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! He felt like his eardrums were about to burst. An odd pressure came from within that felt like it was going to pop out his eyeballs. But he was more worried about where Takitsubo was. He had at least left the dummy radio in a place away from where he had dropped her and he had handed her the powered suit with the crane. Quick actions were too much for the suits normal mode and its high mobility mode could only be activated with a special electronic key, so the suit couldnt be used to fight, but it should have helped her endure the explosive blast. Even so, he hoped that she had been outside the range of the explosion. In any case, Mugino Shizuri should have been caught up in the blast. Fortunately for Hamazura, she still looked down on all of her enemies. In this case, that wasnt an inaccurate way of viewing her enemy, but it had created unnecessary openings in her defenses and had caused her to let her guard down a bit. (That 200 kg bomb was created to destroy thick concrete bunkers. That isnt something to be used on a flesh-and-blood human. Im sure that was enough even for Mugino. I need to find Takitsubo and get the hell out of here.) Hamazura tossed aside the radio and the small monitor for the fiberscope and ran back the way he had come. A hot wind blew about. The floor had collapsed in the area of the explosion and the destruction had even reached the underground space below. The connecting passageways above had been twisted and knocked down. Hamazura ran amongst it all and searched through that area where a secondary or tertiary explosion could occur at any time all the while calling Takitsubo''s name. Then he heard something moving. Takitsubo? Hamazura turned around. But... Haaamazuraaa. Heat suddenly fled his entire body. It was already too late. That arm of light was stretching out from the black smoke. Hamazura twisted his body, but an unpleasant sound and smell came from his ear. It sounded like oil being poured onto a heated frying pan. Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Mugino appeared cutting through the fog and looking down on Hamazura as he writhed around on the ground. Did you reallllly think this kind of mass produced weaponry could take out the #4, Hamazuraaa? Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!! Hamazura desperately tried to suppress the intense pain eating into his ear, gripped his handgun with both hands, and fired. But Mugino suddenly disappeared. She had fired Meltdowner like a rocket engine. She must have escaped the 200 kg bomb the same way. With the sound of a blunt weapon being swung, Mugino moved outside of his vision. Do you really think that kind of obvious counterattack will work on me!? The tip of her shoe stabbed into Hamazuras back as he lay on the ground knocking him a few meters through the air. He couldnt even cry out anymore. He had stopped breathing and he fell back to the floor...no, he fell through the crack in the floor opened up by the explosion. A number of shocks ran through his body. He was assaulted by such intense pain that he seriously thought a part of his backbone had been dislocated, but he didnt have time to cry out at every little thing. With the cold killer intent coming from above, Hamazura used all his strength to roll along the floor. Immediately afterwards, Muginos beams came down one after another. Run! Run!! Flee from your predator, little piggy!! Let me enjoy this as long as possible!! A fragment of the floor stabbed into his body. He didnt know whether he had rolled on top of it or if it had been blown into him. Even so, he twisted his body and leapt for cover. She must have been pissed at having lost sight of her target because Mugino jumped down into the underground area shortly thereafter. (...Where is this? Wheres the exit?) Hiding behind cover, Hamazura looked around. It was an odd area. The room was a 100 meters square, but protuberances were sticking out from one wall uniformly. And opposite the protuberances, what looked like air conditioner vents covered the wall. One wall was covered in reinforced glass and what looked like a control room could be seen through it. They were in a fighter testing facility. Which meant... (Is this an air friction endurance testing area?) Hamazura was leaning up against a capsule-shaped model. It was a full size model of a fighter cockpit. It may have been a model, but it had proper reinforced glass covering it and it was made of the same composite material as a real fighter. It seemed to have been fixed in midair on something like a stepladder, but it had been knocked over by the explosive blast. The reinforced glass covering the cockpit was sitting half open. Haaamazuraaa. Hamazura Shiages shoulders gave a large jump at hearing his name called. He hurriedly searched for the exit and found it. However, it was a bit of a distance away. He would probably be shot 500 times before he reached the door if he ran out from behind the model cockpit. He couldnt use the exit. He had to settle things there. However, he doubted he could kill Mugino using only his handgun. She was the girl who had used her powers like a rocket engine to escape the detonation of a 200 kg bomb. A normal human could not hit her with a 9 mm bullet. If he didnt use some more powerful and overwhelming ranged attack that she could not escape, he could not defeat Mugino Shizuri. But Hamazura was a Level 0, not a powerful esper. He did not have something like that. God, this is really fucking ridiculous. It may be rather troublesome for you, but its even more so for me, the Level 5 said as her footsteps approached. If she circled around, it was all over. But at least I have it better than Kakine Teitoku. It seems that #2 was collected in an even worse state than me. His brain was split into three pieces and each one was stuck in a container full of some sticky liquid and a machine even larger than a refrigerator was installed on his side to preserve only his crushed organs. It seems hes really nothing more than an object used to produce his Level 5 power. Hamazura frantically looked around the area. It looks like the board chairman wants to reuse us pretty badly, but I wonder why. Well, the one thing I know for sure is that youre going to die here. He was searching for a hint of how to turn the battle around. And then he found a single ray of hope. Hey, Hamazura. And then... Why? He suddenly realized that Muginos tone had changed. Hamazura thought for a second and then shook his head. He didnt want to think about that. If he did, he wouldnt be able to do what he had to do. He would hesitate in a situation where being even an instant too slow would be fatal. But Mugino Shizuri continued speaking. ...Why did I turn into such a horrible monster? (Dammit!!!!!) Hamazura just barely managed to keep that curse silent. That was what he had not wanted to think about. While Mugino Shizuri was a monster, she was also a girl. He didnt know what she specifically was referring to with such a. It could have been her being kept alive by strange technology, it could have been her beginning to work in the underground organization of Item, and it even could have been her becoming a Level 5. At any rate, Hamazura Shiage did not have an answer to her question. All the question gave him was anguish. Hamazura played with the small hint within his grasp and thought over it again. Was it okay to kill her? Could he just slay her as if she were a mere monster and then have a happy ending full of smiles? Is that what you wanted me to say, Haaamazuraaa? A grand noise rang out. Mugino had circled around the model cockpit in an instant and kicked Hamazura squarely in the gut. That one attack was not the end of it. 7 or 8 of those sharp and heavy strikes sent deep pain to even Hamazuras internal organs. Gya ha ha!! What are you twitching like that for!? Eh? Is that mouth of yours only there to cough up blood? At least use it to let me hear even rarer and more enjoyable screams!! Gh...Geh! Gbh!? (...Dammit. Whats happened to my organs?) The inside of his body was shaking unnaturally. His organs were acting oddly. They felt like a living thing wriggling around inside a leather bag. That was the first time Hamazura had ever known a human body to work like that. (Theyre still in their proper places, right? ...They havent gotten all shuffled around, have they?) Cmon, enough with the silence. Maybe your sensesll come back with a bit of kindness. Her toes struck his gut even harder than before. Like he was being thrown into a trashcan, his body flew into the half-open cockpit. He heard a crackling noise. Muginos arm of light expanded to a size bigger than he had seen it before. I think Ill mix you in with the melted iron so Ill have an interesting piece of art once it cools. He had no time to think. Hamazura pulled the trigger of his handgun. However, he did not hit Mugino. The bullets travelled on and shattered the reinforced glass on the wall. Muginos smile turned even more villainous, but Hamazuras expression did not change. He had hit what he had been aiming for. He knew he would never hit her. The stream of bullets caused the heavy glass to shatter and pour into the control room. The glass rained down on the control panel. It hit buttons at random and sent instructions to the large installation. A low roar began. Mugino looked around questioningly and noticed the air conditioner vent like objects on the wall moving. Meanwhile, Hamazura slipped even deeper into the cockpit. It was only a model, so it had no real controls, but it did have one button. He pressed it and the half-open glass fully shut sealing the cockpit. Mugino Shizuri realized something and finally turned back towards Hamazura. She moved her lips, but Hamazura could not hear her through the reinforced glass. But Muginos eyes were wavering like those of a girl on the verge of tears. Immediately afterwards, the area outside the cockpit became filled with an explosive orange wind. The room they were inside was an air friction endurance testing area. When fighters travelled above the speed of sound, they received a huge amount of air friction. The surface temperature would reach a few hundred degrees. That facility was used to see if the craft could endure that friction. As they could not create air moving at the speed of sound, the room artificially created a special type of strong wind by using a large amount of iron sand to increase the friction like a file. Hamazura was protected by the cockpit model. Mugino did not have that protection. A tremendous noise split the air as the 100 meter square room was filled with explosive wind that created friction of a few hundred degrees. Mugino could move at high speed like a rocket engine, but she couldnt escape when the entire area was filled up like that. She was knocked back as if she had been hit by a giant fly swatter and she struck the other wall. After that, Hamazura was unable to see what happened to her. Everything outside of the transparent reinforced glass was dyed orange and he couldnt see anything. It was like looking outside the window on a space shuttle heading through the atmosphere. Hamazura covered his face with his hands. His victory did not bring him any joy. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that that hell would disappear as quickly as possible. Had that really been his only option? He kept asking himself the same question. Finally, the phenomenon came to an end. Hamazura remained motionless for a bit, but he finally slowly rose up from the cockpit seat. He hit the button to open the reinforced glass and rolled out. The hot air struck his skin. It was like the inside of a heated oven. What had happened to Mugino Shizuri? He had no time to check. Hamazura. Hamazura!! came a familiar girls voice. Hamazura looked up and saw Takitsubo through the crack in the ceiling created by the 200 kg bomb. Hamazura waved up at her to say he was fine. He had chosen Takitsubo Rikou and had cast Mugino Shizuri aside. Hamazura thought about that once more and then moved forward on his own legs once more. That was when his cell phone rang. He answered it and heard Kinuhata Saiais voice. Hamazura!! Listen, you need to super get away from there as quickly as possible!! Kinuhata...? Theyve super figured out that youre in the fighter testing facility in District 23! An Academy City unit is super headed there to capture you. If youre captured by them, I super cant guarantee youll survive!! Take Takitsubo-san and get away from there super fast!! What? Hamazura frowned. He could understand if they were sending a unit after Takitsubo or Kinuhata, but why were they going so far for a mere delinquent like him? He had been frightened out of his mind by Muginos appearance, but what had been with that unit that had been chasing him before? At any rate, he had no time to think through it all then. Hamazura ran over to the exit of the endurance testing area, ran up the stairs, and met up with Takitsubo. You said run away, but where to!? Even if its huge, Academy City is still a restricted area surrounded by a wall. If they just keep sending pursuers after us, well be caught eventually!! Dont you have some kind of Skill-Out hideout or something!? That would work if I was trying to hide from an enemy delinquent group, but I cant hide anywhere that will permanently keep special forces from finding us!! He ran through a hangar like space while pulling on Takitsubos arm as he yelled into his phone. All the while, their pursuers were likely closing in on them. They would be killed at that rate. And then Hamazura stopped running. There was only one route through which they could definitely escape the Academy City pursuers. Hey, Kinuhata. The Academy City supersonic passenger planes have autopilot, right? Hamazura, you dont mean... I know it wont work for takeoff and landing, but we just have to get it flying in the first place! Hey, is there a manual or something!? We just have to get it in the air. We wont think about the landing. We can just jump out with parachutes partway through and let it crash!! As he spoke, Hamazura looked straight forward. A giant plane almost 80 meters long was stopped there along with the fighters. It was a supersonic passenger plane that could fly at over 7000 kph. To escape the Academy City special forces, they had to flee outside the city. The plane required a special ramp vehicle to get aboard. However, a connecting passageway had fallen down diagonally due to the 200 kg bomb. Hamazura and Takitsubo used it to get up right next to the planes side. Luckily, it wasnt locked. They opened the hatch and climbed aboard. Hamazura, can you hear me? That underground hangar is made so planes can take off from it in case the fighters need to be super scrambled. Basically, it uses a super upwards sloping electromagnetic catapult. What do we do? How do we escape into the sky!? The catapults firing controls are super linked to the cockpit. If you activate the piloting computer, it seems you should be able to take off just by super touching the screen with your finger. He ran to the front of the plane where the cockpit was, opened the door, and entered the area with the stick and over 100 buttons. He started feeling dizzy, but he just pressed the buttons Kinuhata told him to as she seemed to be looking at the manual. A number of screens lit up and a low roar started coming from the four giant engines. A diagram of the catapult was displayed on one of the monitors. He followed Kinuhatas instructions and moved his finger across the monitor and a few points turned from red to green. The door to the underground hangar started to open and a group of men dressed in black appeared. When they saw that the supersonic passenger jet was about to takeoff, they immediately took action. They did not waste their ammunition. They brought a tractor around and stopped it in a place that would seal the catapult. Fuck!? Hamazura yelled out, but he couldnt cancel the order to the catapult. With a tremendous noise, the plane moved forward at high speed following the catapults rails. Hamazura saw the man who had been driving the tractor hurriedly jump out as the supersonic passenger plane headed straight for it. Just when Hamazura thought the plane was going to hit it, something he didnt expect happened. A huge beam of light shot across and blew the tractor to the side. Before Hamazura could think about what that beam of light had been, the electromagnetic catapult shot the plane into the sloped tunnel leading to the surface. The passenger plane Hamazura and Takitsubo were aboard shot into the night sky as if it had been a paper airplane thrown by a giant hand. Hamazura made sure not to touch the controls. The autopilot program slowly leveled out the aircraft. As long as they didnt run into any turbulence, they should be fine. (Mugino...) That beam of light had most likely been her. He didnt know what she had fired that beam for, but he had a feeling he would meet her again somewhere. Hamazura... Takitsubo muttered from his side. Hamazura naturally embraced the girl around the shoulders. As if that action had cut the string of their tension, they both sat down on the cockpit floor. The battle was over. That one girl was in his arms. Part 5 Accelerator lay on the bloody floor. He had lost a terrible amount of blood, but he oddly felt no pain. He couldnt move his arms or legs properly. However, he felt no fear. It was possible he didnt even have enough strength to spare for that. (Is it...over...?) He had bet his life on that strike. That final bullet had accurately pierced straight through the triangular prism-like object he had seen within Aiwasss semi-transparent head. That had been followed by the sound of a shattering crystal. He didnt really know what that had been, but he assumed it was Aiwasss weak point. But... I guess that was so-so. This time...This time true despair struck Accelerator. At some point, Aiwass had appeared standing before him. He didnt know when exactly the being had appeared. He didnt know how it had recovered, if he had even damaged it, or what that triangular prism was. The battle had gone on that long, but he still didnt have a single piece of solid information. If I were on the same level as Fuse Kazakiri, that would probably have taken me out. Even if it hadnt exactly killed me, it would have been a few years before I could have come out again. Aleisters plan would have needed major revisions and you may have been able to rescue Last Order in that time. Aiwass was speaking in a carefree manner as if it did not particularly care if it lived on or died. However, it seems Aleister was a little more careful than I had thought in building up my security. He may worry too much. At any rate, my defenses seem to have been made much more solid than I had thought. ...God damn it... Accelerator desperately tried to stand up. However, he had lost too much blood. He couldnt move his arms and legs properly. As he struggled, Aiwass continued. It may not be particularly fair to you since you fought with everything you had, but... Aiwass smiled thinly. A shining angels halo appeared above its head. The halo was a palely shining platinum with a white core hidden within. The blonde monster that appeared before people based on its curiosity that was based on subjective value then spoke its final words. It seems I can transform. An explosive noise rang out. Accelerators consciousness was mercilessly blown away. The final hope to protect a certain girl had fallen. Volume 19, Epilogue: They Will Not Let It End a Tragedy. Brave_in_Hand. Volume 19, Epilogue: They Will Not Let It End a Tragedy. Brave_in_Hand. The blonde monster known as Aiwass walked on its own two legs while holding an ordinary cell phone to its ear. It was on the end of the exposed framework of a building that was under construction. Aiwass looked up at the moon while walking along. It did not give a single glance down at its extremely narrow footing. Doing so had no value and the being had no interest in it. It had no more reason than that. Is it really that strange, Aleister? Aiwass said calmly into the cell phone of unknown origin. The person on the other end remained silent for a bit before responding. If you wanted to, you could move without using your legs. The same goes for a discussion of what I intend to do. It does baffle me. It simply isnt efficient. Standing on ones own two legs and speaking through a tool of civilization has its own value. Although it may have a class to it that a man who floats upside down in a glass tube for efficiencys sake simply cannot understand. Efficiency and value. It seemed that was where the difference dividing those two monsters lay. Oh, right. About the #1 you have finally succeeded in bringing about after spending more than 50 years creating this eccentric city... Is this about him not having proceeded as you expected? Well, you can still make that fit within the acceptable margin of error, right? But his mentality is much more juvenile than I had expected. He despises himself as evil, but I wonder if he realizes that is just the reverse side of his intense longing for good. ...And yet the Imagine Breaker that the #1 is chasing after does not take action because he associates himself with either good or evil. That Imagine Breaker is merely acting according to the spirit that is welling up from within him. It is merely that what he does looks like good from the viewpoint of others. As Aiwass stared up at the moon, a thin, thin smile appeared on its face. The expression seemed to say that a brief conversation held more value and interest to it than the destruction of the world. By any chance, do you admire the two of them? asked the being. ... There are many different types of heroes. ...There are those who arent told what to do and just move straight ahead following the feelings welling up within. ...There are those who committed a major sin in the past and try to walk down the right path due to the anguish that sin brings them. ...And there are those who were chosen by no one and possess none of the characteristics one would expect of a hero, and yet become a hero for that one person they care for. Each of those types is the type of person who will always stand back up when knocked to the ground. ...Aiwass. It seems all three of those types of heroes possess something you do not. As such, it isnt surprising that you admire them. ...After all, at that time, you were only able to fall and lament. Aiwass, Aleister said once more. For just an instant, a slight distortion entered that human voice that sounded like the voice of both a man and a woman, both of an adult and a child, and both of a saint and a criminal. It was not quite like any normal human emotion. Aiwasss expression did not change. Perhaps Aiwass saw no value that made it worth showing interest in that. I will use anything I can. That includes you. You may find it amusing that there are slight errors in my plan, but let me tell you something. ...There is no guarantee that your absolute superiority will last forever. I do not possess this power because I wished for it, nor do I continue to hold it because I work towards that end, said Aiwass into the cell phone. But fine. I suppose I shall appear here again when something else holds value and interest to me. Yomikawa Aiho woke up at a time before dawn, but she herself was not quite sure why. She was a skilled member of Anti-Skill and her training allowed her to accurately detect someones presence. She left her bedroom without turning on the lights and saw the apartments living room window sitting unnaturally open. She cautiously checked around the room and learned two things. First, Last Order, the girl living with her, was gone. Second, a trail of blood led from the living room window to the girls room. Yomikawas expression changed, but then she found something else. It was a small note. The shaky characters making up the short note were written in red blood. It wasnt signed, but Yomikawa immediately had a good idea who it had been. She didnt know exactly what was meant by the note, but this is what it said: "Ill show you that I can save this kids life." Periodic vibrations shook Accelerator. The dark area he was in was a container on a freight train. The freight train was running before the first train of the day and it was headed outside of Academy City. Its cargo would be checked at the outer wall, but Accelerator knew a process to slip past it due to his knowledge working in the dark side of the city. There were no voices. The area was oddly silent for an area that had two people in it quietly breathing. Accelerator was crouched down unmoving while holding a small girl in his arms. Last Order was completely unconscious and lying limply in his arms. Aiwasss appearance must have been quite a burden for her because the small girl was more exhausted than he had ever seen her. That girl is a difficult case. Accelerator recalled the words that had been spoken to him after he had been completely defeated. It depends on Aleisters plan, but she will certainly break down eventually whether it is very soon or in the distant future. The process by which my existence had been put into the plan will kill her. Stop relying on that doctor. To be blunt, he is still human. His skills are not perfect and if there is a way of saving her with the technology of this city, Aleister will have his eye on it. Of course, destroying his plan by taking this body from me is just one of many possibilities. If you do not want to grieve later, then walk along a path different from the one that you are on now. What had the being meant by that? Aiwass must have seen some kind of value and interest in speaking because it continued doing so. Go to Russia. Accelerator had silently listened. The fact that Aiwass was not an opponent he could cut to pieces by simply relying on his anger created such anger within him that he felt like his neurons were burning. Specifically, head to the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. That area is currently transforming into the center of a planet-wide war. All kinds of knowledge and technologies of civilization will gather together having been tempered by the military and by weaponry. ...And a completely different set of laws that you have never seen before will be there, too. Aiwass had merely continued speaking without paying any heed to the hearts of others. Remember the term Index Librorum Prohibitorum. That itself is not actually there, but an important item dealing with it is. ... Evil had not had any effect in the face of that overwhelming power. What was he going to do now? He felt like he had headed out into the wilderness using a GPS map, but the screen had suddenly disappeared. He didnt know where to go. He was Academy Citys strongest monster. No one could see him while he hid within the freight train, but everyone probably would have gotten a similar impression from him if they could. He looked like a child who had been cast out by his parents and was now crouching down in exhaustion after having walked throughout the large city. A crunching sound could be heard. It was the sound of him crushing his cell phone in his fist. His only line to Group, Yomikawa Aiho, and Yoshikawa Kikyou was now gone. Accelerator embraced the young girl in his arms again and his lips moved ever so slightly. He muttered a few words without making much audible noise if any. Then well go to Russia. The supersonic passenger plane Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou were onboard continued to fly through the sky using the autopilot that merely kept the plane stabilized and heading forward. However, that could not go on forever. Hamazura did not possess the skills needed to safely land the large aircraft. (...We have no choice but to jump out partway with parachutes.) As he thought, Hamazura set up explosives around the plane. The plane had been in the fighter testing facility. It used Academy Citys cutting edge technology. He couldnt let some other country get their hands on it and he didnt want to just let the giant mass crash either. Blowing it up over the ocean or over some wilderness would be best. After setting up all the explosives, he headed for the passenger area instead of the cockpit. Takitsubo was sitting limply there leaning up against the wall. Its all set up. Is this really okay? ...Yes. This plane has a security package that melts all the primary circuits with a powerful acid when it crashes in order to conceal the technology used. There is almost no risk of having another country use its classified information to make a weapon this way... Her voice sounded very dull. Hamazura was no scientist so he had no idea how much the Body Crystal had eaten into her body. However, he knew it was not something that she would just get over. He was also pretty sure that the medical technology outside the city wouldnt be able to do anything about it. In the end, Takitsubo could not live without using Academy City technology. (Just getting away from Academy City is not a victory. Not even utterly destroying the science side is.) Hamazura Shiage made up his mind all on his own. (The best situation would be to have Academy City surrender. I know I have no chance of ever doing that, so I need to focus on losing in the best way possible.) At the very least, he needed to negotiate for Takitsubos safety. Just like the supersonic passenger plane had enough information within it that an acid had to be used to destroy it, a Level 4 like Takitsubo or her DNA map was full of information that another country could not allowed to get their hands on. He would negotiate with Academy City using that. That was the only way for her to survive. He would make sure that happened even if it meant losing all of his bargaining materials merely guaranteeing her safety. ??? Hamazura, what is it? Nothing. Hamazura forced a smile and then stuck an explosive on the door connecting the passenger area to the outside. To make sure she wasnt caught up in the blast, he picked up Takitsubos limp form to take her away from the area. As he did, Takitsubo wrapped her arms around his neck. She brought her face in and their lips touched. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to smash Hamazuras pessimistic plan to pieces. Dont leave me, Takitsubo said. Hamazura somehow knew just how much meaning was held in those words. I know... He tightened his embrace on the girl and spoke with trembling lips. Whatever happened, both of them would live on. Like hell Ill leave you. Dammit, I never will. Ill never leave you!! Hearing those reckless words, a slight smile appeared on Takitsubos face. The speed of the supersonic passenger plane dropped. Hamazura didnt really understand, but it seemed Takitsubo had messed with the settings of the autopilot while he had been setting up the explosives. She couldnt properly fly a plane either, but it seemed she could at least read the manual and alter the settings slightly. I wonder where we are. If the GPS information is right, were in Russia. I think were near a place called the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. There are no civilian facilities here, so there shouldnt be any damage from the explosion. I see, responded Hamazura. Wherever they were, he would continue to run away and use everything he could to ensure Takitsubos safety and to bring the two of them happiness. As Hamazura gained that new resolve, he activated the remote detonator for the explosive on the passenger area door. The door was blown away in an instant. The difference in air pressure caused a strong wind that blew them outside the plane like air escaping a balloon. They both had parachutes on their backs and they held hands as they fell like people skydiving for sport. The two of them dove down towards a new battlefield in order to grab hope with their own hands. And a certain spiky haired boy was also heading to Russia. The fight against the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church had reached its climax. The girl who had 103,000 grimoires memorized was in danger. In order to save her, the boy had to quickly defeat Fiamma of the Right, the man pulling all the strings within Russia. Wait for me, the boy muttered. His feet unhesitatingly took him towards a worldwide conflict so that he could save a certain girl. They would not let it end in tragedy. A number of protagonists gathered in one place holding various feelings within themselves. At that time, the different paths on which they walked intersected. The true story was beginning with the worlds most harsh battlefield as a stage. Volume 19, Afterword Volume 19, Afterword To those who have continued reading from Volume 1: welcome back. To those who bought the 21 books all at once: thank you very much. This is Kamachi Kazuma. As explained at the start, this story is closely related to Volume 15. This volume is full of science terms and the suggestive term Dragon that appeared at the end of 15 is central to this volumes story. Aiwass mentioned it at the end, but there are many different types of heroes. There is Accelerator who is a villain who wishes for good more than anyone else and there is Hamazura Shiage who crept up to being a hero from his position as the dime-a-dozen small fry type of character who is clearly just going to get killed. They are different types of heroes than Kamijou Touma, so I couldnt help but enjoy having them appear so suddenly. ...They so effectively stir things up because the main storyline is Kamijou Toumas story. Just think of this part as the story of a villain and a thug for contrast. With the previous appearances of Shirai Kuroko and Acqua of the Back, it seems I just love characters that risk their lives to protect something that is important to them. The subtitle for the epilogue was originally going to be Hope_in_Hand, but I decided that Brave fit the protagonists much better. My thanks go out to my illustrator Haimura-san, my editors Miki-san and Fujiwara-san, and Iwakura-san who helped with the design of the powered suits. I feel like the unique feel of the villain side that Accelerator and Hamazura Shiage are involved in came out much better in the illustrations than it did in the text itself. I am truly grateful for all their help this time as well. And I give my thanks to the readers as well. Its thanks to your support and acceptance of my way of doing things that I have been able to continue this irregular series where the feel of each volume can change so drastically. There are a lot of things I want to try from here on out, so Now it is time to close the pages for now while praying that the pages of the next book will be opened. And I lay my pen down for now. What kind of battle will unfold for those protagonists who have taken bravery into their hands? -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 20, Proclamation of War Volume 20, Proclamation of War Now is the time for efforts to protect the world and all of mankind who fight to continue living in this world. In today''s world all of humanity faces similar crises: The greenhouse effect, rising sea levels caused by environmental damage, and the shortages of oil and other fossil fuels. All such world-wide events are the result of a single culprit: Academy City of Science and Technology. If we do not put a halt to their continuous abuse of science and technology in such a disorganized manner, then this planet, and all who live in it, will face extinction. To protect our common humanity, and the future of all forms of life on this planet, Academy City ought to halt all projects and pursuits currently undertaken. Moreover, in order to analyze and solve problems common to all walks of life, I hereby demand the holder of the most advanced technology on this planet give full access of that technology to myself. Despite continuous pursuit of a peace proposal, Academy City has mercilessly rejected all such attempts. Such rejection demonstrates that Academy City continually defies integration into the global community. I had planned to wait until determining their purpose and the motivation behind it, but to live on this planet while it is in crisis, a crisis that exposes all forms of life to the existence of evil, is something I will not tolerate. I will wait until 0:00 Moscow Standard Time on October 19 for Academy City''s reply. If they have not submitted their answer by such time, I will interpret their lack of response as a declaration of war, and will immediately consider the use of offensive engagements with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Furthermore, I will consider the friendly relations Academy City currently maintains with Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and making similar judgments. If Academy City continues to insist on selfishly pursuing their own interests and, moreover, ignoring the plight of all outside forms of life, I shall recognize them as an enemy. For our posterity and the posterity of all future generations, we shall fight them wholeheartedly. October 18, Great Command of the Russian Federation, Soldier I. Krainikov Volume 20, Prologue: A Sky that Stinks of Gunpowder. Shooting_Game. Volume 20, Prologue: A Sky that Stinks of Gunpowder. Shooting_Game. And so World War III began. October 19th would remain in peoples minds as the day of fate for a long time to come. No matter how simply it was stated or how clearly Gods Right Seat had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes for their own ends, a war was not so easy to stop once it had begun. Academy Citys last line of defense lay in the air above the Sea of Japan. If their enemy nation of Russia broke through that line with assault landing crafts or strategic bombers, the small island nation would be turned into a sea of fire and blood. That was how everyone thought it would end up. Even if Academy City held scientific technology 20 or 30 years ahead of the rest of the world, it was still just a city that had about 2.3 million residents most of whom were children. On the other hand, Russia was a large nation and it was one of the worlds 3 greatest military powers along with America and China. Even though Academy City had the upper hand when it came to technology, they would likely be destroyed fairly quickly if Russia overwhelmed them with sheer numbers. However... It was currently October 30th. Despite being with Russia, the side that should have had the overwhelming advantage, Ekalielya A. Pronskaya, a female Russian Air Force pilot, was aware of sweat spreading below her gloves that were gripping the stick. The sweat was not from excitement. It was clearly a cold sweat. She operated a cutting edge craft that used a canard wing for maximum maneuverability and that was considered easily capable of dealing with an American stealth fighter in a dogfight. Despite having come with a few dozen other identical crafts, Ekalielya was beginning to seriously regret entering that airspace. War was waged at the convenience of the tops of the military and the politicians. The soldiers on the battlefield could do nothing about it. Occasionally, you had to be prepared to shoot down someone you would rather not. Especially in wars that occurred as suddenly as that one, whatever the reason for the attack was, striking first left one with a sense of guilt. However, that was not why she regretted it. Ekalielya simply thought she was going to die with the way the battle was going. What are those? said one of her fellow pilots over the radio. The other pilot did not use the military abbreviated codes and sounded like a frightened child. Are our enemies here really fighters!? Those things are just too huge!! Their enemies were called HsF-00s. They were Academy City supersonic fighters. Because they used the frame of the HsB-02 supersonic bombers, the fighters were almost 80 meters long. They were currently sweeping over the Sea of Japan at a tremendous speed of over 7000 kph. Fighters were usually only about 15-20 meters long and their speed was usually about 2500 kph. The Academy City weapons were odd both in their size and their speed. The bigger something was and the faster it moved, the more inertia it held. Normally, a craft like those would break apart if it made the same sharp turns a smaller fighter made. And even if it didnt, the intense pressure would crush the pilots organs. (...Hard Science, hm?) Ekalielya muttered under her breath in annoyance. Apparently, the Hs initials given to Academy Citys weapons referred to the fact that they swept away all sorts of mystical darkness with the power of science. What a fucking joke. The power of science? If anyones stepping into the realm of the occult, its them!! There were only 10 of them. Only ten HsF-00s were deployed over the entire Sea of Japan. With their overwhelming speed of over 7000 kph and their overwhelming range with the weaponry installed, a single HsF-00 could maintain air superiority over a huge area. With the HsF-00s as the main line and a number of smaller crafts (Smaller relative to the HsF-00s. They were about the same size as the Sukhoi that Ekalielya was in.) flying around the area as well, the Academy City forces were overwhelming the Russian Air Force. The reinforced glass canopies of the smaller crafts were completely black, so it was unclear whether anyone was onboard piloting them. Did you know that Academy City doesnt even have an army? Right now, were dealing with a group called Anti-Skill thats basically like a police force, said a fellow pilot. Are you trying to say they dont have the ability to attack? How are those things defensive weapons!? When youre making stealth fighters that can fly to the other side of the world without resupplying, youre clearly developing them to invade!! Did you hear their official response to the proclamation of war? They said there is no need for them to enter into the killing, but they dont believe its right to sit by watching when they possess the power needed to stop the war and the tragedy. But theyre clearly intending to start killing!! They doubted the HsF-00s and smaller crafts were the full extent of the enemy forces. And the weapons being used for the defensive line could easily be used for invasion. It was unclear who was actually cornered. Ekalielya had a strange but strong feeling that Russian cities would be turned to seas of flames the instant she gave up mentally. That irrational feeling caused the flames of anger to burn within her as one of the HsF-00s moved in front of her. The true battle began. Since their enemies could travel at more than 3 times their speed, Ekalielya and her fellow pilots had no way of pursuing the enemy. Not only could they not get behind the enemy in order to get a safe lock on them, they couldnt even get close enough to be in range. Their enemies could travel at 7000 kph. Just by going all out for a short time, they could easily move 100 km away and then head back. (They cant be using a normal amount of fuel.) Ekalielya knew she was outmatched, but as a professional soldier, she desperately searched for a way out. (In other words, their flight time must be incredibly short in exchange for their incredible speed. We might have a chance of victory if we drag this out.) But then an enemy communication came in completely ignoring the encryption. If youre thinking of going into a marathon battle, think again. My craft uses the frictional heat on the armor surface as energy. In other words, it gets more efficient the faster it goes. That can reduce its consumption of fuel by up to 90%. !? Dont think you can deal with the smaller ones this way either. ...I mean, cmon. Our weapons were designed to specialize in interception. Of course we have ways of ensuring long flight times. As she heard those words, Ekalielya saw something odd in the corner of her vision. One of the smaller crafts let loose a missile without igniting it and another of the same crafts flew by and caught the missile in a joint in its wing. It had resupplied. They started passing metal boxes filled with machine gun ammunition, as well. As they flew past each other in something similar to aerial acrobatics, a tentacle-like tube stretched out from one and it refueled. The entire process looked something like juggling and Ekalielya would never have thought it possible in a high-speed flight. By preparing a special midair refueling craft, they didnt have to return to base. And by constructing a resupply network continuing through the sky from the base to the battlefield, they could stay in the air longer and head to farther distances than normally would be possible. (Kh...!! Then we just have to cut off that supply route!!) Ekalielya adjusted her grip on the stick, but she had no idea what to do specifically. The smaller crafts were clearly turning at inhuman angles, but the 80 meter HsF-00s moved oddly, too. There were irregular maneuvers that could be taken with a normal fighter in order to fool the eyes of ones enemy. There was the Split S, the barrel roll, and the Pugachevs Cobra that originated in Russia. Those techniques instantly reversed a disadvantageous situation where the enemy was on your tail, but pilots on the battlefields actually rather disliked those special maneuvers. Swinging the aircraft around in an irregular special maneuver brought on powerful inertial Gs which made the pilots body suffer. If you made a showy maneuver that blurred ones vision while there was a lack of blood to the brain lessening your decision making ability, the enemy could easily get away before you could fire even if you did manage to get behind them. And yet the HsF-00s did not even always point their noses forward. They could move straight forward while the entire craft was angled at 90 degrees and they could spin around at high speed like a top. Even the very first assumptions did not fit them and it made one wonder how they managed to maintain their form as aircrafts. It was amazing that they did not come to pieces and that the pilot inside was still alive. And their attacks were accurate. Their missiles took turns many times sharper then the Russian ones while continuing to chase their target. Their machine gun bullets tore through the Russian main wings in a straight line. And on top of it all, they also used something that looked like a laser. Ekalielyas comrades were shot down one after another by those attacks that they had no idea how to evade. And on top of even that... Oh, hey, can you hear me? This is Kameyama Ryuuta of the Academy City Air Defense Force. While Im part of Anti-Skill and therefore a schoolteacher and youre a professional soldier, you dont need to feel bad about not being able to get a lock on me. I actually wanted to be an air defense pilot, but there were some issues relating to the position within Academy City, so I got my teaching license just so I would have the proper position to get the job. The enemy sounded completely carefree in his transmission. Now that Ive introduce myself, lets get down to the issue at hand. It seems all of you are fine since the missiles were set to detonate at a distance. We were trying to get creative in order to make sure everyone could escape with their parachutes. !! Are you mocking us...!? Forgetting that her radio encryption had been easily cracked, Ekalielya yelled back in anger. However the man on the other end remained oddly silent for a bit before continuing. Dammit, a female pilot. Id heard people with smaller frames were quite useful due to bringing on less inertia, but...damn. Now I have to try even harder not to kill you. He seemed to be saying he could easily kill her at any time if he wanted to. It was a stereotypical way of mocking the weak. He was using strange technology and looking down on anyone who didnt understand it like they were cavemen. His gentlemanly way of acting made the contempt stand out even more. However, Ekalielya could not overcome the gap in ability between his craft and hers no matter how angry she got. As if she were chasing after a modern jet fighter with the Wright brothers plane, she simply could not reach Academy Citys HsF-00s. You fucking giant flies! I hope the inertial Gs crush you!! How can you carry out maneuvers like that without killing yourself!? We didnt really do much. Basically, the human body cannot withstand a dogfight at above a certain speed. That makes things simple. If you can strengthen the body, then you can fly larger and faster fighters. ...? Our bodies have been frozen at minus 70 degrees. The functions of each organ are carried out by a life support system and the brains decision making functionality is set to be the only thing operating. And with a portion of the calculations left to the machine, the weak electrical signals read from the scalp are used to operate the fighter. ...See? That makes the body harder allowing us to exceed the old limits set by inertia. According to the people on the medical side of things, the partial freezing tech needed to maintain thoughts while freezing the body was a little tricky. A shudder traveled across Ekalielyas body. She had a feeling she had just caught a glimpse of the fundamental difference between him and her. Now then. Lets end these boring explanations and get to the real issue at hand. As soon as he said that, the HsF-00s silhouette changed. Areas on the top of the giant main wings detached like small birds and were blown backwards. It happened in about 10 places. The small objects seemed to be attached with some kind of thin wire or something and they flew around like independent sports kites. Those are laser units for attacking an enemy from multiple angles at once, said Kameyama, the enemy pilot, as the HsF-00 spun around and the small weapons flew around like morning stars. His words were oozing with an obvious sense of leeway and contempt. You cant escape from something moving at the speed of light. Prepare yourself, young lady, because Im going to gently shoot you down. Volume 20, 1: Good and Evil, They Each Enter the Country. World_War_III. Volume 20, Chapter 1: Good and Evil, They Each Enter the Country. World_War_III. Part 1 Even the digital display showing the date of October 30th seemed to be shivering in the cold. The cars heater was mostly broken. As Hamazura Shiage drove an old, beat up car along the snow-covered ground, his hands gripping the steering wheel were cold. No matter how far he went, nothing but flat empty land spread out before him. The commonplace asphalt road was barely visible buried in the snow. The area was so empty that he almost didnt think he would notice if he strayed off the road. That scenery was simply something that could not be seen in Japan. He had heard that Hokkaido was a fairly vast land, but even that wasnt on this scale. This area was like a white desert. They were in western Russia. It seemed they were near the border of the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. In order to escape their pursuers in Academy City, they had used a supersonic passenger planes autopilot to flee to Russia. They hadnt had much time to prepare, so they had almost no money to help with their flight. (...I guess I cant really complain too much since I stole it, but damn. Maybe it isnt an issue with the air conditioner and were just not dressed properly. The need for heavy clothing here is a lot different than in Japan...) The cars paint was coming off and brown rust could be seen on it. While gripping the wheel, Hamazura glanced over at the passenger seat. A short girl wearing a pink track suit was sitting there. She was Takitsubo Rikou. She was in bad shape health-wise due to the side effects of a drug (?) called Body Crystal. She was leaning limply in her seat producing an unhealthy sweat similar to someone with a fever. Hamazura wanted to get her to a doctor, but he knew that wouldnt solve the problem. Body Crystal was a top secret substance in Academy City. A doctor outside of the city would have no idea how to heal her. They were on the run from Academy City, the one place that could save Takitsubo. (We cant fight Academy City on our own. And even if we could, utterly destroying the city would also destroy the technology needed to save Takitsubo. Whatever we do, we have to return to Academy City and rely on their cutting edge tech in order to save her.) However, if they just surrendered and returned to Academy City, Hamazura and Takitsubo wouldnt be free to do what they wanted. And the odds of them being killed were not exactly low. As such, he needed to come up with a plan to ensure their safety. (So well fight them by finding something while on the run here in Russia and using that to negotiate. If things go well, we can use whatever it is to get Takitsubo healed, too. Thats our only hope.) Hamazura, what is it? Nothing, Hamazura replied with a smile. I was just thinking that, whatever were going to do here, were gonna need some money. The money in our wallets when we left Academy City wasnt much and we cant even use that right away because it isnt Russian money. We need to get some somewhere. They could always sell the stolen car he was driving, but Hamazura didnt feel that was the best plan. Finding the kind of shady dealer that would accept a stolen car wasnt exactly easy. He could manage it in Academy City, but he didnt know how things worked in Russia. And he didnt know much Russian. Academy City and Russia were enemies in a large scale war, so it might cause a major issue if some Asians who spoke Japanese were spotted. That meant... I guess well just have to steal some. But... Takitsubo hesitated. However, that was their only option. As if in response to their plan, they spotted a small store ahead. The store was connected to a gas station and it sold canned foods and other preserved foods most likely for those on long distance drives. Wait here, Hamazura said to Takitsubo as he parked the car a bit away from the store. Ill be back with some money. ...Hamazura had said that, but he was actually fairly worried. First of all, he wasnt in Japan. The usage of guns was treated differently. He had a small handgun, but they could have a gun or even a rifle for self defense. And... (Theres a war.) Takitsubo had translated the Russian news they had picked up on the car radio, but the word still didnt feel real to him. (To the Russian people, were their biggest enemies. If they find out that we came from Academy City, it wouldnt surprise me if they gang up on us.) War. Just saying the word wasnt really enough. He had always thought of war as something that occurred in faraway countries that you would only see on the news, but it was occurring somewhere in the world right that very moment. He wasnt sure if it didnt feel real to him because he simply hadnt had time to think about it since they had escaped Academy City, or if it was because they had never been thrown into a real battlefield full of bullets and shells flying back and forth. According to the news on the car radio, Academy City forces had been deployed to help evacuate and defend the facilities that worked with Academy City within Russia. However, Hamazura still didnt feel any real sense of danger. He had no idea what would happen from then on. Hamazura honestly didnt care who won, who lost, or what effect it all had on who guided the world. As long as that ridiculous war ended quickly and someone who would protect him and Takitsubo had some control over things, he didnt really care about the rest. Hamazura thought about all that, but what he was truly worried about lay elsewhere. He may have been thinking about the problem of the war in order to avert his gaze from his true worry. That true worry was the fact that he had to attack that store with a clerk inside. It may have been an extremely selfish excuse, but doing that was a lot different from stealing a car or an ATM. When he thought about the possibility of being forced to use his gun, he felt something heavy deep in his gut. Hamazura checked the safety of the small handgun in his pocket again and again. (I have to make suremake surethat I dont hurt the clerk in there!! All I need is whats inside the cash register. Ill only point the gun at him, thats all. If Im going to fire a warning shot, Ill make sure to point the barrel up!!) Repeating those things in his head, he gave a small, vaguely-directed prayer. Just before entering the store, he put up his hoodies hood so his head was deep inside and put on the gloves that had been in the stolen car. As he opened the door, he pulled out his handgun. (I have to make sure I dont hurt the clerk!!) And then Hamazura saw the female clerk with her arms and legs bound with duct tape and saying Nnn! Nnn! because her mouth was covered. He also saw a masked man who looked a bit like a professional wrestler holding her down and pressing a blade up to her throat. The large man was over 2 meters tall and he wasnt alone. He had two companions. They looked over as Hamazura opened the small door and came in. Who the hell are you? they said in Russian. Hamazura hadnt understood them and he merely responded by saying the words in Japanese he had been preparing to say. This is a robbery. Put your hands up. Takitsubo heard multiple gunshots. She turned her head while sitting in the passenger seat of the stolen car and eventually saw Hamazura Shiage approaching having left the store. It seemed the robbery was over. He was holding quite a few large beige paper bags in both arms. At least one must have been full of food because it had a long loaf of French bread sticking out. Another had the end of a wool scarf and what looked like part of a folded up coat sticking out. As Hamazura opened the driver side door and got in, Takitsubo asked him a question. Hamazura, were you successful? The clerk was so thankful she gave me all sorts of stuff!! We even got gas for the car!! ? As Takitsubo looked on in puzzlement, the stolen car headed off once more. Part 2 Accelerator was hidden aboard a freight train on an international railroad. The railroad crossed the continent of Eurasia and was the longest railroad in the world. Normally, it would take more than 2 weeks to get from the first terminal to the last, but that was not true then. Due to the beginning of World War III, a large amount of military materiel needed to be transported. The normal schedules and the safety regulations were being completely ignored so the trains could travel at high speed. Either those preparations alone had quite an effect or they had brought out some kind of prototype from a lab somewhere because the freight train Accelerator was on was traveling at over 500 kph. Its speed was on par with a linear motor car. The front of the lead car tapered off like the tip of a fighter or a space shuttle and the walls of the cars were rough like modern racing swimsuits. (A war, hm? Fucking ridiculous.) For an instant, Accelerator had thought the war was a strategy on Academy Citys part to chase after Last Order and himself, but he concluded that he was over thinking things. Because of his activities in the dark side of that city, he knew that actions this out in the open were not like the city at all. They liked to keep things hidden. They had carried out that kind of open activity in the French city of Avignon, but that had most likely been because there was something there that had made it necessary. He didnt know what that something was though. But... (Even if I set aside the possibility this is a plan created by that god damn city to get us, theres still gotta be some kind of hidden reason behind it.) Academy City was very influential. Normally, they would take measures to prevent a large scale war from occurring in the first place. And yet a war had started that was large enough to destroy the science-ruled world. Thinking there was something behind it wasnt just some crazy idea. And Academy City had responded to whoever was picking a fight with them. There may have been something they wanted enough to go to war over. Accelerator didnt really care about that. That was not what mattered to him then. (...Dammit.) He was not alone. Last Order, a girl who looked around ten, lay next to him. She was a clone created from the cells of the #3 Level 5. She had been used to bring a monster known as Aiwass into the world, which was a major burden to her brain. Due to that, she was merely lying there limply unable to even walk around on her own legs. Last Order was wearing a button down shirt over a camisole, but she had a thick blanket on top of that. The blanket had been inside the freight train. Accelerator had also found some mainly white winter clothes and put them on. ...Where are we? says Misaka as Misaka looks around. In a train. Where are Yomikawa and Yoshikawa? says Misaka as Misaka asks a question. They arent here right now, but well see them soon. I promise. I see... Last Orders words trailed off a bit. If they were here too, we could have Yomikawa make us another Salisbury steak soup, says Misaka as Misaka is a little disappointed. ... But Im glad, says Misaka as Misaka feels relieved. I finally get to see your face again, says Misaka as Misaka stretches out her arm. She said that, but her small arm did not move. Her fingertips merely twitched a bit. Whether she had noticed that or not, Last Order continued speaking. Lets all eat meals together again, says Misaka as Misaka gives her proposal. Yomikawas Salisbury steak soup is really good, says Misaka as Misaka boasts. In contrast to her smile, she sounded like speaking was painful for her. (...Why did it end up like this?) Accelerator gritted his teeth while crouching down. (What did she do? Did she do anything that required she end up in a state where she cant even move her own fingers? Why did this shit have to happen to her?) As he put more strength into his jaw, an unpleasant noise could be heard. In that place, she was not free or safe. Accelerator felt vehement resentment towards the vague idea of fate. He knew it wasnt an issue that would be solved by holding a grudge against someone, but he couldnt help but feel angry. He gripped his modern cane so hard he thought he would smash its grip. A worldwide war was beginning on that planet. Various people from countries all across the world would be fighting for the sake of those who were important to them. But there was no one to fight for her. Despite the fact that people all across the world were preparing to risk their lives, not a single person existed who would stand up to save that girl who had done nothing wrong. ...Fuck that, Accelerator muttered. He had come that far in order to fight that unfairness. Because of some plan someone had put together, Last Order was on the verge of destruction. In order to save her, in order to oppose that cruel fate, Accelerator had abandoned his position and his pride to come to Russia. Go to Russia. Aiwass, a ridiculously strong existence that had utterly defeated him, had said that. The being had said that he might be able to save Last Orders life if he managed to acquire something there. Accelerator had no idea what he was supposed to find. In fact, he wasnt even sure he could trust what Aiwass had said. But... (Ill do it.) Accelerator silently made up his mind. (Either way, I know sitting still in Academy City wont save her. That means I have to find another way. This has nothing to do with what Aiwass said.) Accelerator was Academy Citys #1 Level 5 and Last Order was a special clone who stood at the center of Academy Citys plan. It was possible Russia would see them as something like powerful strategic weapons or important military bases. However, he didnt care. He didnt especially like being seen as a pawn of that rotten city, but he didnt need to correct everyone who was mistaken. He only had one goal and he would continue on while destroying everyone and everything that stood in his way. That was when he heard a noise from directly above. It was the sound of thick metal being dented in. Most likely, the freight train container had been bent by something. Accelerator looked up and the same sound came twice more. It wasnt just coming from that one car. That odd sound that couldnt be drowned out by the sound of the train racing along continued to come from various parts of the train. And it wasnt always the ceiling. It also came from the walls and below the floor. At the same time, he heard someone yelling in Russian accompanied by numerous gunshots. The yelling quickly turned to screams. Accelerator deduced that someone had jumped onto the freight train while it moved at high speed. And not many people could get onto a train moving along at over 500 kph. It had to be Academy City. (...So theyve come after us.) What is it? says Misaka as Misaka asks about the situation, said the young girl. Accelerator slowly looked down at Last Order who lay on the floor. The #1 pulled a handkerchief form her pocket, folded it a bit, and placed it over her eyes. He did not want her to see a blood-stained world. ...Its nothing. As he spoke, Accelerator reached up to the electrode around his neck. The switch that allowed him to wield the power of the Academy Citys strongest monster was there. You arent going to fight again like before, right? says Misaka as Misaka makes sure. ...I wont. I promise, he lied to the girl. Normally, Last Order would have been able to forcibly cut off his connection to the Misaka Network taking all his powers from him. However, she did not do that. It may have been because she was not even able to do that in her current state. For just a bit, Accelerator looked down at Last Orders face with the handkerchief over her eyes. Finally, he silently stood up. He stood up in order to utterly destroy all those who would threaten that small girls life. Immediately afterwards, Accelerators slender body broke straight through the steel roof and landed on the trains roof. When the attackers saw Accelerator appear from a crack like in broken plastic, they moved back a bit. They were white powered suits. About 10 soldiers stood there wearing identical suits. The upper body was surprisingly slim while the legs were exceedingly thick. They were likely special models create solely for speed. They had everything necessary built in so that they could move at high speed, maintain their balance, and soften the shock from impacts. There were many different kinds of powered suits. There were kinds used for work, kinds used for rescue operations, and kinds used for military operations like the invasion of Avignon. It seemed some of those last types had entered Russia for World War III, but these ones were clearly different. They gave the impression that no money had been spared on their development and maintenance to ensure the maximum performance. The higher ups that had dispatched the attackers must have really wanted them to succeed in their mission. Accelerator did not waver despite being surrounded by guns. His glowing red eyes looked around the area and then muttered a few words under his breath. ...Fucking trash. Its best not to piss me off. A Russian soldier trembled in fear. He had not gone through any kind of harsh training so he could fight on the front lines. He specialized in supplies and was only supposed to ensure that the necessary war material made it to its destination. However, he was still a soldier. Normally, his spirit was not so weak as to get that scared at having a gun pointed at him. However, what was before him now was in another dimension entirely. Those repulsive white machine soldiers had suddenly jumped onto the freight train. And then some strange monster with white hair and red eyes had started destroying them in a single strike. The monster had broken through the roof, blown through a wall, caused an explosive wind through the opening, and kicked a few of the machine soldiers out. He had used his human arms and legs to tear through the 5 cm thick steel container like it was made of paper. Those simply werent things a normal person could do. The soldier knew that Japans Academy City was scientifically developing espers, but seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely. Tch. Looks like that isnt enough to kill them, the monster said while staring outside. He had kicked people out of a train moving at over 500 kph and that was what he said. Both sides in that fight were monsters. The monster looked around the area. Immediately afterwards, a giant machine soldier broke through the wall between cars. It appeared right to the side of the monster. However, the white monster did not seem worried. He merely swung one arm slightly blowing the machine soldier away along with the wreckage of what used to be its armor. Something the machine soldier had been holding landed at the monsters feet. It was most likely the item the machine soldier had stolen. It was a duralumin trunk. The remains of handcuffs were attached to its handle. The handcuffs had originally been attached to the wrists of the Russian soldier, but the machine soldier had torn the chain apart with its fingertips. The monster headed for the trunk, but the Russian soldier didnt stop him. If the monsters attention turned in his direction, he was dead. It was like being thrown into a small cage with a carnivore. The trunk was locked, but the monster opened it as easily as opening his own wallet. He had simply broken the lock open with sheer force. ...What the hell? he muttered. The Russian soldier had not been informed what lay inside. What the monster found inside was a few dozen sheets of parchment. They had what looked like eerie spells or magic circles written on them in old ink. It was just a bunch of nonsense. Some people held vague senses of expectations or uneasiness towards good luck charms, but did anyone really think a demon would appear in a physical form to carry out the effects of those charms? What would people think if someone seriously said a series of killings had been done by a demon? But... The soldier doubted his superiors would have asked him to handcuff that trunk to himself if it was pointless. And those Academy City machine soldiers had shown up for the trunk. The Russian soldier wasnt sure what to make of the situation. Had his superiors used it as a diversionary tactic and Academy City had fallen for it? Or were those pieces of parchment in the trunk actually valuable enough that it was worth it for Academy City to send special forces after them? ...Interesting, muttered the monster. The sublime smile that appeared on the monsters face seemed to indicate the parchments abnormality more than anything. So this was a mission on the same level as recovering me, Academy Citys strongest Level 5? I dont really see the point behind this, but it might be connected to the different set of laws that fucker mentioned. Part 3 And Kamijou Touma was also in Russia. It was only the end of October, but the area was already completely covered in white snow. The couple of centimeters of snow werent enough to completely paralyze the transportation services, but he was walking in his basketball shoe-covered feet. The snow melted into cold water that penetrated his shoes torturing his toes with a stinging pain from the cold. He was wearing his school uniform. He usually thought of it as inconvenient, but he was now admiring the range of environments it could work in. Of course, that was probably because it was using the textile technology of Academy City. He still would have liked to have a coat, but it was hardly the time to complain. War. Just hearing that word suddenly didnt give him a proper idea of what was going on. According to Queen Elizard of England, the war had occurred in an unusual way from what she could see of the international situation. The fact that it was highly likely that the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church had a hidden connection meant that Fiamma of the Right was likely pulling the strings behind the scenes. But was that really all there was to it? If there was only that simple reason, he could just stick to fixing that. But didnt Academy City respond readily with military force? Didnt the city send a large number of forces and unmanned weapons into Russia as soon as the war began as if they had been preparing for this for years? Was something happening behind the scenes there, too? Kamijou stood quite near the center of that war, but he was only a high school student, so he couldnt grasp what was going on behind it all. However, if he could end the war at least temporarily by stopping Fiamma, he knew what he had to do. And Kamijou also had an exceedingly personal reason to fight towards stopping Fiammas plan. There was a girl called Index. She had memorized 103,000 grimoires, but was a completely normal girl otherwise. And there was someone after her vast knowledge. Fiamma of the Right. He had stolen a spiritual item from England that allowed him to remotely take knowledge from Indexs head. By activating it, he had put a great load on Indexs mind which had left her unconscious. To save Index, Kamijou had to defeat Fiamma as quickly as possible and destroy the remote control spiritual item. To do that, Kamijou had gone to Russia where Fiamma of the Right hid. But... ...Why is Lessar here? Kamijou muttered dully. Now, some of you may just have a blank look on your face upon hearing the name Lessar. Lessar was a girl from the British cabal reserve army of New Light. When Second Princess Carissa had used Curtana Original to start a coup detat, she had been one of the magicians who secretly excavated and transported Curtana. She had white skin and was short. She looked like she might be in her early teens, and just the ends of her long black hair were braided. She was wearing what looked like a lacrosse uniform with a jacket, but what caught the eye first was the tail stretching from the area of her butt. The tail looked like a flat chain running through a transparent tube and it had something like an arrowhead on the end, so it gave a bit of a devilish feel to her. When they had met before, they had been enemies. Kamijou had felt they had solved everything with no ill feelings after the coup detat, but he still didnt think she was the kind of person who would rush off to Russia like that. In response to Kamijous question, Lessars tail swished back and forth lightly. Hmm? Im not here because I was ordered to come by the British Royal Family, because I have a grudge against Fiamma of the Right, because I want to become a member of the Kamijou Faction, or anything else like that, she responded in an exceedingly halfhearted way. I was just thinking that it would be good if we give you some help since you dying here would be disadvantageous to the United Kingdom as a whole. ...Actually, maybe I shouldnt go so far as to say we. Bayloupe may end up grabbing my ass again... Lessar seemed to start talking to herself in the middle of her response. Kamijou had sensed it a bit during their first meeting, but he had a good feeling now that that girl had very self-centered thought patterns. Without realizing what Kamijou was thinking, a mischievous smile appeared on her youthful face. Well, you can just say that Im using you and helping you. If you think of it as having a professional magicians strength at your disposal, its not a bad deal, right? Lessar...are you even all that powerful? All I remember you doing was running around London at night with some strange case. Do you want me to kick your ass and show you? Necessarius cant help you, right? So I should be a lot of help. Oh, and Im better than Bayloupe when it comes to simply using the steel glove. As long as she doesnt use the Gjallarhorn, I wont lose to her. ...Although, I cant exactly complain about that if it were a real battle, Lessar added. And!! My steel glove has been powered up!! Tah dah!! Its the Lessar Special Custom! Something like a red laser comes shooting out allowing the blade fingers to grab things at a distant that it isnt actually touching when I swing it around!! ...I didnt ask for your help. You really dont think I can help, do you? Was I overshadowed by the impression left by the rest of the coup detat...? Lessar muttered before seeming to switch back to showing off how she could be helpful. And itll make things a lot easier to have someone who can translate Russian for you, right? And another thing, how did you know I was sneaking into Russia? After the coup detat, he had pretty much only told Elizard and Stiyl that he was heading to Russia, but he hadnt told them how or exactly when. And yet Lessar had still managed to hunt him down. He felt a little pathetic for running into a comrade right after sneaking into Russia alone without telling anyone. It may not have been the time to worry about something like that, but he still felt that way. Then Lessar seemed to notice Kamijous troubled expression. Hah hahhn. Are you thinking you shouldnt do this to Index who is sleeping in a London cathedral? After all, you say youre heading off to save her, but then you meet up with some other girl right away. Gh...!? Then I have some good news for you. I may have a tail coming out from my skirt, but Im not wearing spats down below. Im only wearing panties under there. How the hell is telling me that supposed to help!? Circle behind me!! Flip it up!! And forget all about the girls of the past!! Yknow, I really should punch you for that one!! Kamijou yelled with veins bulging at his temple. However, Lessar just asked him a carefree question with her tail waving about as if she were completely willing to show him her panties. So how were you planning on finding Fiamma of the Right here in Russia? She said in a tone that implied she thought he didnt have a plan at all. Russia is quite large. It stretches almost all the way across the continent of Eurasia from east to west. Countries with a 9 hour time difference within them arent exactly common. Its a little too big to just run across a specific person by chance. Thats what youd think, isnt it? ? Lessar stared blankly at that unexpected response. How many magicians do you think Ive fought now? Ive gotten a bit of an idea of how you all do things by this point. Part 4 The Strait of Dover was a 30 kilometer strait between England and France. Throughout history, it had become an important point whenever the relationship between the two countries soured. That area of the ocean had a bloody history and it was now about to absorb more blood and lives. The deployment of a mixed team containing both Anglicans and knights is complete. Kanzaki Kaori nodded silently in response to the voice. They were not standing on land. They were on a boat. Large 100 meter long sailing vessels made of wood flooded into the area seeming to completely cover the sea. All of the ships had been reinforced magically making them tougher than a battleship and quick moving. It was an odd sight. However, the truly odd part was not the great number of ships. It was the fact that the war between magicians had developed to that level. The era truly has changed, said Agnese Sanctis who was standing next to Kanzaki. The short girl looked off into the distance with her hand above her eyebrows like she was giving a clumsy salute. It seems the coup detat in England is being called British Halloween. Just like Nessie or the Nazca Lines, its being treated like one of the 7 mysteries of the world or something. Humans sure are tough. Even when faced with something they cant comprehend, they just end up accepting it. Yes, it seems no one has realized that it was actually magic, said Kanzaki with a sigh. But they had a vague idea that Japans Academy City is scientifically developing mystical powers. Its an entirely different system, but it gave them a bit of a resistance. Because they knew that kind of thing actually existed somewhere in the world, it was easier to accept that something similar could exist nearby them. As she spoke, something seemed to catch in the back of Kanzakis throat. Knowledge of the science side had helped stabilize the magic side. That also meant that, without that knowledge, a more serious panic could have occurred. Kanzaki became wary of something that had made its way inside her thinking without her knowing. At any rate, Kanzaki said changing the subject, if they get through here, they have a straight shot for London. I want to avoid a battle as much as possible, but we have to defend ourselves if the French forces attack. Its almost 100% certain that theyre coming, though, scornfully said the short nun who led an entire unit. England and France have been in a dangerously tense situation since before the coup detat. ...And annoyingly enough, its thanks to their backing by the higher ups of the Roman Catholic Church. With that foundation, World War III is likely to spread here. And glimpses of the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church can clearly be seen in the background of it all. I dont see how France wont attack England with things the way they are. The only question is whether they will attack as the vanguard of the Roman Catholic Church or they will attack simply to put an end to the historical and magical antagonism between the two countries. After Agnese finished speaking, a transmission came in from Agata, one of the nuns in her unit. Interference from France has been confirmed!! Theyre coming, so stay on your guard!! The Strait of Dover usually perpetually created waves but the ocean then gathered together from the French border. Like ice had spread out instantly, the ocean water solidified. Salt!? Tch. Theyve created footholds for themselves and robbed our ships of maneuverability all at once!! Shadows shot along like arrows. There werent just one or two of them. Over 1000 magicians headed from the French border towards Kanzaki and the others by running straight across the white and hardened ocean surface. At that rate, the British side would be killed. They would be crushed like a beached killer whale being eaten by a flock of crows. Without the use of the ships, over half of the strategy Kanzaki and the others had planned was useless. However, that did not stop them. Starting with Kanzaki, the Amakusas who specialized in hand to hand combat jumped down from the ships in order to intercept the French magicians. Then Kanzaki noticed something odd at her feet. !? She hurriedly jumped to the side. A hole opened in the area of the salt land she had been standing on. If she had been an instant slower, she would have fallen into the sea. Then they would have concentrated their attacks on her while she couldnt move properly. (They were already an enemy that we needed to go all out on, and now this...!?) They were at the disadvantage by being stuck on top of the unmoving ships. But if they jumped down onto the salt land, the enemy would seize the initiative and attack. Whatever they did, they were in a bad position. People who were seriously waging war were not supposed to allow the enemy to create a situation where they had the advantage. And then... You cant let something like that stop you. I thought you were supposed to be the force protecting England! said an intimidating female voice. Immediately afterwards, a thin film appeared atop the salt land like an extra coating. That time, it had not been Frances doing. The phenomenon spread all the way across the ocean at once as if it were invading France from England. They now had a proper foothold. Kanzaki strongly stepped down and she used her swords scabbard to blow away more than 20 French magicians at once. As she did, she looked over in the direction the female voice had come from. Standing there was the countrys second princess wearing a red dress. Part 5 Fiamma of the Right was the leader of the secret Roman Catholic organization Gods Right Seat. Normally, he would have bossed around all of the various groups in that church that was said to number 2 billion across the world. However, the other members of Gods Right SeatVento of the Front, Terra of the Left, and Acqua of the Backhad all either been defeated or had left the organization of their own free will. What had Fiamma used to make up for the loss of power their loss had created? What part of the Roman-Russian alliance had he used? The answer I came up with is the Russian army, said Kamijou as he walked along the snow. Of course, Fiamma doesnt see them as comrades. They may be nothing more than something like a breakwater used to buy time and ensure nothing gets in the way of his plan. But he will use anything he can. To move freely throughout Russia, it is much more natural to think it will be easier to use those already in Russia than using a Roman Catholic organization. I should be able to see glimpses of Fiamma in the movements of the Russian army. If I follow anything out of place I see there, I can find him. Fiamma came to Russia to find Sasha Kreutzev, right? Yes, but I dont know why, said Kamijou simply raising the white flag at Lessars question. But if thats really all he needs, then he wouldnt have a reason to come here himself. Eh? He could easily just order the Russian military and the Russian Orthodox Church to search over the area for her. All Fiamma would have to do is sit in an easy chair in front of a fireplace and wait for the result. But that isnt what he did. So theres...something else? Yes, theres something that Fiamma has to do himself. As Kamijou spoke, Lessar looked at the side of his face. She couldnt figure out if he was an idiot or actually smart. It was probably an issue of what field he specialized in. Like a jigsaw puzzle, various limited circumstances had to be met for the workings of that boys head to get going. Someone good at video games may have excellent reflexes and kinetic vision, but they couldnt just use those skills in a different field like martial arts. It was something like that. Most likely, the girl sleeping in a London cathedral was a piece of the puzzle for him. But Russia is in the middle of World War III. The military has to be moving all over the country. I doubt the Russian military expected China and India to side with Academy City. I bet theyre frantically sending troops in that direction right now. Can you really find the actions related to Fiamma amid all that chaos? Fiamma is sure to be trying to hide his plan, responded Kamijou. Hes using the Russian army while keeping that fact a secret from them. We need to be suspicious of any kind of operation with a plausible reason behind it but shows a completely different meaning when you look at it in a different way like its some kind of trompe l?il. ...For example, an operation that shows an odd chemical reaction when you add in the term magic. And thats why youre here? I wouldnt have come all the way out here for any other reason. Kamijou looked out across the scenery of white snow and muttered a few words. ...Wait for me. Part 6 The Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations was made up of groups that had opposed Russias way of doing things. They had a common currency like the EU and a passport was not needed for people or goods to travel between them. Russia had viewed them as a nuisance and had been planning to invade the alliance once they had a reason even before the war. And now they had a chance to do so in the confusion of the war. It seems the Russian army is trying to build up a base near the border, said Lessar who must have gathered information from the nearby residents beforehand. The basic configuration theyre using includes vehicles with a missile launcher and a howitzer on them. It looks like theyre planning on tossing explosives into the Elizalina Alliance borders from a distance of 30 or 40 kilometers. A radius of 40 kilometers was bigger than Academy City and the armored vehicles would be deployed around the base to double or even triple their effective attack range. Of course, this was a war, so it wouldnt end after just one or two shots. Once the base was complete, they would likely be able to send a thousand or two thousand deadly shots flying through the air. But that isnt the true purpose behind it. ... If they truly wanted to bomb them, they would just have the air force use some ground-attack aircraft or bombers. That way, it wouldnt really matter how far away they were. They could turn the entire country into a sea of flames all at once. ...Theyre trying to trick people with the immediate specs. There is no real need to build this base. Suddenly, a high pitched roar traveled over Kamijou and Lessars heads. It wasnt just the sound of a passenger plane. It was the distinctive roar of supersonic travel. However, it was not the sound of a Russian Air Force aircraft. It was quite the opposite. One of Academy Citys supersonic bombers was slicing through the sky above Russia. But it was not on its way to turn some city to rubble. Apparently, it was bringing in some of the materiel and weapons needed for a base that had been constructed directly within Russia. Usually, airborne troops were not used that way. It was true that landing in the middle of enemy territory and constructing a fortress would be advantageous, but that was only if that fortress could be maintained. If you couldnt ensure an above ground route to transport a large amount of materiel on, the fortress would end up being isolated. However, Academy City overcame that problem with sheer force. Their supersonic bombers could travel through the air at over 7000 kph. Those monstrous planes could easily fly right over Russias anti-aircraft network and shake off intercepting fighters using overwhelming speed. A large amount of materiel could be supplied to the fortress quickly and reliably using them. Thanks to that, the large country of Russia was already dotted with quickly constructed Academy City fortresses. Amazing, said Lessar in a somehow carefree voice as she looked up at that technology from the distant world of science. Did you hear Academy Citys response to Russias proclamation of war? Apparently, they said there was no real reason to fight, but that they werent sure if it was right to stand by doing nothing when they could stop it. When it comes down to a simple comparison of military power, they must be way out ahead. ...Wouldnt Russia want to shoot down one of those because of all the weapons on it that give Academy City that advantage? said Kamijou after a thinking about what Lessar had said. He looked up at the military planes that continued flying by every 20 or 30 minutes. From the engine noise alone, even a dog or a cat could figure out that this is a major passageway. Yet this base only has land-based weapons. It doesnt have a single runway for fighters. In fact, I havent seen many Russian fighters at all. Something just seems wrong. Was it Kamijous experience with the science side that allowed him to be so sure of that? Lessar was an expert at battle, but she lost that authority when it came to the actions of a scientific military. How did you figure this out? From a map, Kamijou said pulling out a folded paper map similar to the ones sold anywhere. Lessar frowned. You can figure all this out just by looking at a map? No. Im not a professional soldier or anything. I cant deduce whats going on behind the scenes just by seeing the formation of the army. Kamijou lightly shook the folded map around. If they were truly carrying out an important military operation, they wouldnt be selling this map. Theyve already made sure maps of a few areas arent being sold, but there was no restriction put on this area. Thats especially odd given how large the base is. They dont want the area to seem important, so theyve purposefully left the security low. However, that made it stand out. Ah, said Lessar either in admiration or just giving an arbitrary response. So is Fiamma in that base? Im not even convinced theres actually a base there. But the Russian army is stationed there, right? How are we going to get in? Well... Kamijou trailed off as the sound of engines became audible in the distance. They sounded deeper than a normal vehicle. They must have belonged to large trucks. They could see a group of large vehicles travelling along the white snow plains. Kamijou wasnt sure exactly what kind of trucks they were, but they were reinforced with heavy-looking metal at various points and they had a military feel to them. If that had been all, it wouldnt have been too odd a sight in a country at war. However, there was something else that was clearly odd. At both the front and back of the line of trucks was a carriage pulled by two horses. The horses were made of silver metal. They werent wearing some sort of armor; they truly were horses made of metal. The carriages were not made completely of wood and cloth. Instead, they seemed to be covered in an outer shell that looked like Western armor. They were heading from the direction of the base Kamijou and Lessar were headed towards. This time Kamijou frowned. What are those? Oh, has your precious knowledge of the science side run out? Im not talking about the trucks. Those odd horses are clearly not scientific. Or are you saying the Russian army independently developed pet horse robots? Hmm. Id say theyre Russian Orthodox Sleipnirs. Ive heard they were created to help cross snowy plains. ...So our opponents here really are magicians. Yes, the trucks were probably just borrowed from the army. Magicians might not know much about cutting edge scientific technology, but they can still drive. Kamijou tried to follow Lessars lead and lay down to hide on the snow, but the cold stabbed into him right through his non-waterproof clothes causing him to hurriedly stand right back up again. If you take unnatural half-assed methods like that, it just makes you look more suspicious, Lessar said with an exasperated expression. I know, I know, Kamijou responded blowing out white puffs of air. You said theyre from the Russian Orthodox Church, but whats in those trucks? Are they full of spiritual items needed for war or something? He hadnt asked that question expecting her to know the answer, but Lessar gave him one he certainly hadnt expected. Its probably the villagers. ? Lessar grabbed the map from Kamijou and pointed towards the general area of the suspicious base. The official story is that they hastily put together a base to attack the Elizalina Alliance from, right? Well, there were probably people living there before the base was made. ... Kamijous shoulders jumped slightly. Whether she noticed that or not, Lessar continued on in a carefree way. And if that line of trucks being guarded by the Sleipnir carriages just continues on past us, it will reach a concentration camp for political prisoners. I dont know what pretext theyre officially being taken there on, but the Russian Orthodox Church must not care about the villagers lives to rob them of their homes like this. They may have just forced everyone out of all the villages in the area in order to use the secretly constructed base. How many villages are there? Kamijou asked peering at the map from the side. How many villages were already in the planned area for the base? There were around 8 villages with 20 or 30 people in each. It seems this area is mostly wilderness because it wasnt developed much. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but they could probably fit all of the villagers in those trucWait, where are you going? Lessar yelled out to Kamijou as he suddenly ran off. He was headed for a nearby log house. With almost nothing between it and the horizon in every direction, the mountain hut may have functioned as a rest area. For some reason, a four-wheel drive vehicle was parked outside the empty log house. From the symbols on the side, it seemed to belong to the Russian army. Kamijou guessed that the army may have been using the log house as a lookout or surveillance area. He approached the vehicle, didnt hesitate to use his elbow to break the window, and unlocked the door from inside. Lessar did not draw back upon hearing the loud sound of breaking glass. Instead, she sighed. Why are you taking out the tool box? Dont tell me youre trying to save the villagers with just that crowbar. We dont know how many enemies there are or what kind of magic theyre using. That isnt a situation where we can just charge in and assume well manage somehow. I dont ever charge into a dangerous situation because I want to. Lessar pressed her index fingers against her temple at the fact that Kamijou did not deny his intention to rescue the villagers. She had sensed it a bit during the coup detat in London, but she was sure now that the boy had a screw loose in his head somewhere. (...But thats why it looks like theres a real chance of enticing him into working for the UK. Hee hee.) As Lessar secretly confirmed her goal, Kamijou stuck the L-shaped crowbar into the snow. He pulled a strong nylon string from the toolbox and tied it to the crowbar sticking from the snow while glancing down at his cell phone which was displaying an analog clock face. ? He pounded an iron stake into the ground at a bit of a distance and tied a string to it as well. Seeing him pull the string out tight, Lessar frowned. (...Hes making a measurement?) That thought came to her mind because she knew how to make accurate measurements for the size of different parts of the magic circles needed for large magical rituals. What are you doing? You cant tell? Im measuring the direction. Well, technically, Im measuring a flight path. Kamijou stuck a few more stakes into the snow and spread strings out near the ground. Oh, so you werent just heading out there to try to fight with that crowbar. Not even Im that stupid. How many escorts do you think those trucks have? Im not about to pick a fight with a group of professional magicians. Theyre experts at killing. Do you think Im a character from a shounen manga or something? I cant win against that many opponents. ...My right hand may have a special power, but it isnt much help when Im overwhelmed by numbers. Then what are you planning to do? Let me just check: That Russian Orthodox group doesnt care about the lives of the villagers, right? If they did, they wouldnt be taking them to a concentration camp. You probably dont have a good idea of what a place like that is since youre from a peaceful country like Japan. For some reason Kamijou smiled. Good. Then this could work. Again: what are you planning to do? Nothing too tricky. Im just going to use everything at my disposal. Kamijou finished laying out a few more strings and then pointed above his head. Lessar looked up and saw a long, narrow contrail. Part 7 Brassa P. Marhaisk frowned. Brassa operated the small 8-wheeled carriage pulled by Sleipnirs at the front of the trucks transporting the prisoners. The carriage looked like a pill bug with silver metal plates covering it like armor. However, he was not frowning out of displeasure. All the drivers of the armored vehicles had a similar expression as they stared out the long narrow horizontal slit of a window that only allowed them to see forward. It was the same for the magical vehicles and the scientific ones. All he could see was a white snowy plain. There was little difference between the asphalt and the dirt. At first glance, it looked as if one could just ignore the road and head along whatever path one wanted, but that was not actually true. The problem was the snow. It was impossible to tell how deep it was just from the surface. You also couldnt tell if any thick trees were fallen and buried underneath it. Carelessly hitting something like that would break the 8-legged horse spiritual item, and he wanted to avoid that. Also, Russia was a vast country. Its urban areas were some of the most developed in the world, but in the places where there was nothing, there truly was nothing. Being stranded there would be as bad as being stranded in a desert. It was the kind of place where a map would only tell you that there was nothing there. The maps hadnt been updated in years, so you really couldnt know what was there. Straying from the small roads partially hidden in the snow was something you truly wanted to avoid. How much longer to the detention facility? said a bored voice in a transmission from one of the trucks. Of course, it was sent by a magical spiritual item. We packed too many people in here, dammit. Its a like a sauna in here. Then open up the door for some ventilation. In about 10 seconds, youll be wishing you had that heat back, Brassa replied to his fellow magician. Then a high-pitched roar came from overhead. It was one of Academy Citys supersonic bombers. He was pretty sure they were called HsB-02s. According to a report he had read, they had turned the French city of Avignon into a sea of lava. They were apparently transporting goods instead of bombing, but he still couldnt exactly remain calm with one passing by overhead. Dammit. Wheres the proper Russian army? Cant they do something with surface-to-air missiles? said the driver of the truck. They fly at 7000 kph. A missile cant lock on and fire fast enough. Its like theyre mocking the theory of aerial warfare. What about the Migs or Sukhois? They can take on American stealth fighters, right? I dont know. My scientific knowledge isnt too great. Brassa glared up at the large bomber in annoyance. (Thank to Johns interception spell, the age of magicians flying came to an end. If it werent for that...) If that airplane dropped a bomb then, Brassa and the others could be killed instantly. Having the bombers dropping small lightweight airborne tanks on parachutes was a problem, but Brassa felt more humiliated than relieved that the bomber wasnt directly carrying out its normal job. (...Damn you. I know you can see us,) he muttered under his breath. Immediately afterwards, flames suddenly burst up on the route Brassa and the others were heading on. !? It was only about 300 meters ahead. Brassa hurriedly ordered the Sleipnirs pulling the armored carriage to stop. The entire convoy stopped on the road. He thought there would be nothing but snow all the way to the horizon, but he saw a log house-like building that was likely there for anyone whose engine stalled or who ran into some other type of trouble. The explosion had occurred right next to that building. When he looked closely, he saw what looked like a four-wheel drive vehicle sitting there. The explosion continued. The log house itself was blown away. The sole manmade structure on the vast landscape was blown away. It wasnt just a normal explosion. It ran across the ground in a straight line for over 3 kilometers. The white snow was blown up into the air instantly and the ground glowed orange. It was like the Russian earth was being torn apart and melted causing magma to spew forth. What!? Are they bombing!? Normally, Brassa would have been unable to respond to his companions question, but he had heard that Academy Citys supersonic bombers had cleanly cut the French city of Avignon off of the map. He had heard that they had weapons that used the air friction created by speeds of over 7000 kph to produce fearsome destructive force. So theyve finally done it!! An unpleasant sweat started flowing from Brassas back. The convoy composed of trucks and armored carriages traveling along in the middle of nowhere were a convenient target when seen from the air. They had nowhere to hide and they were clumped together enough to be easily locked onto with the radar. Hey, can you use a people clearing field or something to prevent them from targeting us?! We dont have to time to prepare something like that, Brassa responded as he re-realized just how much danger he was in. This is bad. We should get out. Theyll just continue bombing us until they hit us if we stay inside. But theyre bombing us with some super weapon from Academy City!! If we get out, well have nothing protecting us from the blast!! You saw that destructive force just now, didnt you!? With just the spiritual items we have on hand, the trucks and carriages will just be blown to pieces!! Its better to make sure they cant target us. If we spread out and hide ourselves on the snow with our white outfits, our odds of survival go way up!! What about the villagers were transporting!? Leave them. Brassa grabbed his usual staff and headed for the exit to the carriage. Were just taking them to the concentration camp anyway. Who cares if they fall victim to the bombing here?! What Kamijou Touma had asked Lessar to do was actually quite simple. You said your steel glove had been improved, right? It can grab distant objects just by having a red laser-like thing touch them instead of the blade fingers, right? What about it? Kamijou pointed up into the air in response to the girls question. Then can you grab that? ? She frowned, but still began to follow his instructions. Wait. I have one more request. Can you stab the steel glove into the ground and make it move from a distance? ...Why do I have to do something like that? So you cant? No, I can, said Lessar as she stabbed the steel glove upside down into the snow and moved back a few meters. She then sent a bit of magic power to the spiritual item causing it to grab a distant object. That distant object was the supersonic bomber flying at over 7000 kph at an altitude of 10,000 m. Immediately afterwards, the steel glove split the Russian ground in two as it was dragged by the supersonic bomber. It was a simple issue of air friction. By slicing through the lower altitude area with its higher concentration of air at over 7000 kph, a massive amount of energy was produced. With a tremendous explosive noise, an orange line raced across the white land along the route of the supersonic bomber. It was roughly 3 kilometers long. The ground melted like magma and blew the white snow away. The steel glove must not have been able to withstand the friction partway through because the line of destruction ended shortly after the steel glove was torn to pieces. Lessar was the one that was shocked by this. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? M-m-my steel glove!! That was the one and only Lessar Special Custom!! Good. It had a nice effect similar to what happened in Avignon. That might very well fool the Russian Orthodox magicians. The trucks and carriages that were protected by solid spells had been abandoned in the middle of the snowy plain. Kamijou could see that the group of strong magicians that a normal high school student couldnt hope to take on had distanced themselves from the convoy on foot. It probably wouldnt have been as effective if they had just used some kind of explosive to emulate an aerial bombing. An amateur like Kamijou couldnt tell the difference, but there were different types of bombs and those different types spread out differently and made different types of noises. For instance, someone may have been able to tell that a faked explosion using propane or gasoline was not an aerial bombing. That type of bombardment using air friction was exclusive technology of Academy City. There was no analogous weapon in Russia. That was why Kamijou had managed to trick them. Whether they were professional magicians or tough soldiers, he could fool them at least once that way. If they were transporting guests they had to protect with their lives, that wouldnt have worked so well. But they didnt care about those villagers, so they were willing to just abandon them when it came down to it. You seem to feel like youve accomplished something here, but that steel glove was mine!! How are you going to make up for destroying it!? How much does a spiritual item cost anyway? Actually, do they even sell them? Kamijou asked offhand as he ran towards the trucks about 300 meters away. Lessar ran after him muttering something to herself. Apparently, the residents of the villages in the area designated for the base were crammed into the trucks. Kamijou circled around to the back of one of the trucks, but he didnt know how to open the door. He shook the giant metal fixture, but it wouldnt budge. Lessar had said Russian Orthodox magicians might have been transporting them, but the lock must not have been magical because nothing changed when he touched it with his right hand. Lessar then reached her hand in from the side. With a surprisingly simple motion, she easily opened the truck door. The men, women, and children cowering inside were all focusing on them. They were panicked and confused. They were afraid because they thought they had arrived at some decisively bad place and they were confused that the people opening the truck did not seem to be with the Russian Orthodox Church. Kamijou started to say something to put their minds at ease, but he didnt know Russian. He thought about using gestures to get his point across, but he gave up on that idea. Instead, he whispered to Lessar. Can you tell them to help us because were going let them escape? What a pain, Lessar said bluntly. I dont see how this action helps the UK. Kamijou pointed out towards the snowy field as he responded. If we dont hurry, the Russian Orthodox magicians will realize somethings wrong and come back. ... Lessar looked grumpy, but she decided to do what he said. Seeing her face the people in the truck, Kamijou headed for another truck. The door was the same, but he managed to open it himself that time. Having to explain everything each time would be pointless work, so he used gestures to indicate that the people inside should head to where Lessar was. How are they going to get away? They can just use the trucks. Im sure there are people in that group who can drive. They can just head to a nearby town for now. ...Well, I guess thats fine. But there isnt very much in the way of concealment spells cast on these things. They look like Russian army trucks, so wed better hope they dont get attacked by any Academy City tanks. Well take the front carriage. The one covered in metal panels that looks a bit like a pill bug. Kamijou looked over towards the small carriage. Its the hardest to see the faces of those inside of it from the outside. Im clearly Asian and you...well, I cant really tell, but Im betting theres a noticeable difference between British and Russian faces. It probably wouldnt be good if we were spotted. That armored carriage will be best to head towards that base in...but theres still one problem. Can I ask for your advice? Dont tell me you dont know how to drive a carriage. Hey, Id like to see a high school student that does know how to drive a carriage in this day and age. Yeah, well Im a middle school student, Lessar said as she headed for the armored carriage. She seemed fairly confident. Kamijou started to head after her, but someone suddenly grabbed at the edge of his clothes. He turned around to find a small girl. She seemed to be trying to say something, but she also seemed to realize that she and Kamijou spoke two completely different languages. Kamijou gently removed the girls small hand from his clothes and started to speak to her in Japanese not worrying about whether she would understand him. But he never got a single word out. A woman holding a baby who seemed to be the girls mother frantically grabbed the girls arm and pulled her away from Kamijou. He couldnt understand what the girls mother was saying, but there was hostility and fear in her gaze. (...This is World War III. Academy City and therefore the Japanese are Russias enemy.) He felt a prickle of pain at that, but he just spoke in Japanese without showing it on his face. If Im ever in a similar pinch, you can just repay me then. So dont worry about it. Something like a small horn sounded from the armored carriage. Kamijou admired how it sounded just like a normal car horn as he ran towards the carriage. Part 8 It was not exactly what one would call pleasant within the armored carriage. It had an air conditioning-like spiritual item that regulated the temperature inside, so it wasnt cold, but the carriage was filled with the stench of sweat. The thick steel enclosing them within and preventing them from seeing outside gave an odd sense of being trapped. Lessar was sitting in the seat for the driver within the armored carriage that was currently not moving. Not even that seat was exposed. It was completely surrounded by the metal panels as well. The reins that connected to the metal horses known as Sleipnir stretched out through a slit. Wow, I thought it would be hot in here, but this is ridiculous. ...The settings for this air conditioner-like thing are just too broad. If we set it just a bit colder, Im betting it would suddenly get very cold in here. And if I touch it with my right hand, Ill destroy it. Sigh. I cant stand it. Im gonna undo the buttons on my shirt and fan myself with my skirt. Bfh!! What are you-!? Why are you doing that all of a sudden!? Im seducing you, so react already!! If you push me down and get this over with, the UK will have one more vanguard member!! Hah hahhn!! I see. So youre just one of those girls that says all sorts of things with a smile on her face while not knowing the meaning of any of the sexual terms shes using!! As someone who has just a bit more experience with life, let me tell you that youre saying some truly dangerous things!! You should be more careful!! (You fool, Ive got you now!!) The little devil girl that was Lessar lightly swished the tail coming from her miniskirt and grabbed at an opening for a counterattack with an evil smile on her face. Okay, understood!! Then Ill show you exactly how serious I am!! Part 9 And on the battlefield on the Strait of Dover, the Amakusa girl named Itsuwa felt a chill run down her back as she held her spear in both hands. H-hawahhh!? !? Wh-what is it, Itsuwa? Itsuwa hesitantly averted her gaze from Tatemiya Saiji who had been surprised by her odd exclamation. N-nothing... I just...have a bad feeling about something... Part 10 Of course, nothing happened that a more late-blooming girl would be afraid would happen. Instead, Lessar was holding the reins to the Sleipnirs and driving the armored carriage looking unhappy. I was a little nervous about using the Russian metal horses, but its basically the same as a normal carriage. What do you mean by a normal carriage...? Because they were riding in a Russian Orthodox carriage, they had been able to reduce the amount of suspicion directed towards them. However, Kamijou doubted they would be able to just get onto the grounds of that heavily guarded fortress with it. After Lessar drove the armored carriage for about half an hour, she stopped it in the middle of the empty field of snow. Were going to reach the fortresss defensive lines before long. To put it bluntly, well be on the receiving end of missile launchers and howitzers if we continue on like this. I doubt the defensive spiritual items installed on the carriage can stand up to that. But there are a lot of tracks through the snow that look like they came from a vehicle of a similar size. Well, I guess it cant all be easy. Just knowing that the base is bringing in similar carriages is enough. That tells us it really isnt a normal military installation. What do you mean by a normal military installation...? The fortress itself was only about 10 kilometers in each direction. It was said to be front line base adjacent to the border with the Elizalina Alliance, but it wasnt operating as one would expect for such a base. Part of Fiammas plan had to be hidden there. A defensive line was set up at a radius of 40 kilometers around the fortress. Of course, it wasnt surrounded by huge walls like the Great Wall of China. Guard towers had been set up on each side of the fortress and a great number of shells would be fired on any suspicious figure that was spotted. ...So they evacuated everyone living in an area even greater than Academy City. Yes, but this area is mostly wilderness, so that didnt even amount to the population of a single Japanese village. That reminded Kamijou of just how vast the country of Russia was. On an island nation like Japan, you simply couldnt find such a large area of untouched nature. So what do we do now? asked Lessar from the drivers seat. If we set foot within the defensive line like this, well definitely be blown up by missiles or torn to pieces by bullets. We cant avoid that kind of thing with the speed of the carriage. Dont you need some sort of plan? Oh, and I highly doubt theyve left a blind spot for us to sneak in through. Actually, they might have, said Kamijou in response to Lessars comment that had been said in a half challenging way. Like I said before, Fiamma is using the Russian army, but he isnt going to tell them the details of his magical plan. He probably just fooled them into thinking there was a just cause for World War III. If so, he needs to have a secret route he can use to bring in magical equipment and materials. So youre saying we can sneak into the fortress as long as we find that? Most of the Russians dont know about magic. At the very least, I doubt the normal soldiers can fight using magic. It should be easier than breaking in through the front. ...Fiamma of the Right is pretty powerful, right? I mean, he is said to be the leader of Gods Right Seat. The magical traps and subordinates hes prepared will probably be rather high level. And thats where I finally come in. Kamijou smiled and waved his right hand around. That hand held a power known as Imagine Breaker that could negate every kind of supernatural power. A fight against a professional soldier armed with a rifle and bombs isnt the type of battle I should be fighting. Nor is a battle against a large group of Russian Orthodox magicians. I had just been thinking that things werent going as well as usual for me, but heres where it starts. Ive finally arrived at the stage thats made for me. Kamijou Touma stared straight ahead through the slit-like window in the armored carriage. He muttered a few words as he faced the slight silhouette on the horizon that belonged to the facility he was headed for. ...Ill be there soon, Fiamma. Part 11 Deep in Moscow stood an old man wearing an extravagant military uniform that a soldier on the battlefield would certainly not be wearing. He was within a building that was like a palace, but it was actually a fortress registered as an official military facility. The mans uniform was covered with military decorations. Until a moment ago, he had believed that he had been in the very depths of Russias darkness. However, that was apparently not true. Other men wearing similar uniforms were also gathered there. Those men were similar in ways other than their clothing and careers. ...The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, huh? It seems the world has spread quite a bit in an unexpected direction. We started this war as they wanted, but can we really push back Academy Citys forces? There are a surprising number of people aiding Academy City. The blessings of scientific technology have certainly carved out a large line. Essentially, this has developed into a war between those under the control of the Roman Catholic or the Russian Orthodox churches and the rest of the world. It really hurt not to get India and Chinas help. I cant tell what Academy City is after. Adding in those unmanned weapons and showing off how much military strength they have isnt a plus for them. Youre saying they have a goal beyond interception and defense? Maybe its the missile silos? We cant allow the silos to be taken no matter what. With their technology, its possible they could activate them without a proper signal. Its also possible they could bring in some of their own. Which means...? Im suggesting we think about activating you know what. All of them fell silent at that. They had gone through that argument countless times before. The topic was such a heavy one that, even after discussing it so many times, they still had not given a definitive green light for the you know what. Finally someone muttered a few words. The man was staring at the pile of documents on the table as he did so. The Kremlin Report... Between the lines 1 Academy City had become quite busy, too. In her dorm room, Misaka Mikoto was sitting on her bed. Her roommate, Shirai Kuroko, was not there. It seemed she had been needed on some job for Judgment. They had the day off school. It wasnt because a typhoon was blowing in. The odds were still low, but the odds of a Russian ballistic missile or bomber making it to Academy City were not zero. While Academy City and Russia seemed intent on fighting each other, the Japanese government had responded negatively to the idea of war. That wasnt exactly surprising. After all, Japan did not have an army, so they couldnt just decide to go to war. The Russians were acting on the assumption that it was a worldwide war, so Americas attempts to deter them were ineffective. Seeing that they had no chance of victory in all-out war, the Japanese government has pressured Academy City to quickly give into Russias demands and avoid the war. In response, Academy City had presented an extremely simple video. It was footage of ballistic missiles exploding outside the atmosphere. It wasnt just one or two missiles. More than thirty of those fast moving shadows were flying through the sky at once and they were all shot down by Academy City interception weapons. We will not force you to do anything, said an Academy City spokesperson on the mobile 1seg broadcast. However, we have no duty to protect anyone who is not our ally. Russia has already fired ballistic missiles without warning. Fortunately, none of them have been confirmed to have been loaded with nuclear warheads, but we do not know when that taboo will be lifted. We would like to take the course of action that we believe to be correct. But then, the country of Japan has the Aegis ships and PAC3s acquired with a large amount of tax money, so perhaps this is not all that much of a problem for you. (...Thats practically a threat.) Academy City was saying it would remove its air defense network from the rest of Japan if they tried to interfere. It was true that the many American-made interception weapons the Self Defense Force had desperately been supplied with were excellent, but they could not compare to the Academy City weapons that were 20 or 30 years ahead in technology. Even a child knew the American weapons were not 100% accurate and they were in a situation where missing even once would bring tragedy. Academy City was more or less threatening them using the Russian missiles, but the general populace didnt care. They just wanted to make sure those missiles did not fall on their own heads. Thanks to that, the people were putting major pressure on the politicians. They were pressuring them not to provoke that city. They were begging them to allow their own cities to remain in the safety zone. With that flood of peoples views, the politicians couldnt do anything which left Academy City able to do whatever it wanted. The proclamation of war had been announced to the entire world and Mikoto had looked it up herself on the internet. She knew that an aberrant city like Academy City would not give in to its demands. However, she still felt an odd discomfort. While urging the people on with an indirect fear, Academy City was remaining a clean ally of justice that was protecting the people without getting its own hands dirty. That purity was very weird as if everything had been washed away with bleach. Mikoto found it odd that there didnt seem to be something hidden down below it all. (Something, hm?) Mikoto looked over to a different cell phone from the one she had been watching the video on. This one had a Gekota strap on it. She had called a certain spiky haired boys number countless times, but she hadnt gotten through at all. And that boy had recently said he was in London when the coup detat was going on. She had thought it was some kind of joke. But...what if...? What if that boy still hadnt returned to Academy City? Mikoto decided it was worth looking into. Ever since the proclamation of war, usage of the airport in District 23 had been restricted for civilians. And given the timing of the coup detat and the war, it may have been difficult for him to have come back. Academy City seemed like it was cut off from the disturbances occurring outside, but it was actually at the center of the war. If that boy was outside of the city, his level of danger shot up considerably. She couldnt just ignore that possibility. Volume 20, 2: The Beginning of the Invasion and the Counterattack. Angel_Stalker. Volume 20, Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Invasion and the Counterattack. Angel_Stalker. Part 1 Lessar was assembling small metal parts while walking through the white snow. ...Nnn. The spare parts just arent enough to make another Lessar Special Custom. I guess I have to go back to the old steel glove type. Damn, I should have at least documented the values for the theory behind the custom. I just happened to put the parts together right while messing around, so Im not sure how to get the balance right again... Lessar was staring down into the snow as she muttered. Oh, there it is. Found it. Kamijou didnt know what she was doing, but when he got down in the same pose as her, he figured out what she was looking at. He had thought the snow was piled up to about 30 cm, but in the place Lessar was looking in, a cave of over 3 meters clearly opened up. It was like a tunnel made of snow. It was originally constructed in a V-shape. With the snow piled on top, it looked flat from above. But trucks transporting things to the base have driven along here... If the snow was normally piled on top, the snow would match the V-shape. The way the snow accumulated and its strength were magically altered. I doubt this snow would budge even if a passenger plane landed on it. Kamijou looked down at his right hand. ...It isnt going to bury us alive the instant I touch it, is it? I dunno, but you should probably avoid touching the walls just in case, Lessar responded off hand as she slid herself down into the opening. Just as Kamijou was about to follow, she suddenly stopped moving. Oh, crap... If I had made myself slip in the snow, I could have naturally grabbed onto you and shown you my panties opening up all sorts of new paths. Yes, I get it. Today, youre the king. So just get going. Two train tracks ran side by side into the depths of the cave. A freight train was stopped there. It had about 5 cars. Kamijou couldnt see any kind of power cables, so it may have used a diesel engine. So hes using this to secretly bring in materials. Im surprised, said Lessar looking on in puzzlement. Fiamma of the Right blew away both the Roman Pope and Second Princess Carissa in one strike each. I didnt think he was the type to get creative like this in secret. I had envisioned him as the kind of person that would just destroy anything he didnt like. He used the authority of Gods Right Seat to control the Roman Catholic Church in order to have events proceed the way he wanted without actually doing anything himself. Id say this is quite normal for him. The fact that hes doing things himself is proof that his usual method wont cut it anymore. Kamijou felt they were quite lucky to have found that freight train. After all, they were still 30 or 40 km from the base. Even if they had found a way to sneak in, they would still have had to walk through the snow if they had no means of transportation. If they had to do that, they would run out of stamina before even reaching Fiamma. Of course, Im sure theyll notice if we just use the freight train. Thats why we wait until they move it. Over here. We need to hide in a random container. As he spoke, Kamijou headed for the container linked to the front car. The door looked like it could be opened from the side. The metal door slid open similarly to the door to the back seats of a van and Kamijou and Lessar hid inside. Lessar was staring at the general area of Kamijous pocket. Ive wanted to ask you this for a bit now, but whats with that frog strap? Its Gekota. I dont really know much about it though. ...A fancy mascot that you dont know anything about? Sounds like a girl to me. I may need to change my strategy. I need to hurry up and wipe all the others away... As Lessar muttered to herself, she glanced around the inside of the container and her expression turned grim. Hmm. From the symbols I can see, these are mostly Christian spiritual items. I cant tell what theyre used for though, said Lessar whose eyes must have adjusted to the darkness fairly quickly. And you seem rather used to this kind of thing. During the coup detat, I snuck onto a freight train full of knights in order to get to Folkestone. Oh, thats right. Floris told me about that. She said she was definitely going to kick that Japanese guys ass the next time she saw you. I see. By the way, why was she caught by the knights? As they spoke, they heard a number of footsteps and voices from outside. The two of them fell silent and focused on what they could hear. The voices seemed to be speaking in Russian, so Kamijou couldnt understand them, but the people seemed to be opening various containers and loading boxes on them. He and Lessar hid behind the pile of spiritual items in case their container was opened, but it never happened. They heard the trains engine start from the front and the freight train lurched forward a bit as it started to move. ...Were they Russian soldiers? Or were they magicians? Im not certain, but probably the latter. Odds are good they were with the Russian Orthodox Church. I heard them complaining about all the spiritual items. As the two of them hid within the container, the train headed closer and closer to the center of the mysterious fortress. And then... ...Ahh. Its so hot in here. I guess our body heat just raises the temperature in a sealed area like this. No fanning yourself with your skirt in here. I wont. That only has an effect when you get in a surprise attack with the perfect timi Lessar trailed off and suddenly stopped moving. Kamijou realized why an instant later. She had realized that her sweat had made her sports shirt slightly transparent. And visible below it was her small bra that didnt even look like it covered enough space to hide the tiny chips a female spy might have. However, Lessar did not blush and try to cover her breasts with her hands. Dammit!! I was saving this secret weapon for a special occasion and now its been wasted!! Why the hell did you come to Russia!? I thought something seemed odd when you were fanning with your skirt before, but...huh? You dont mean...youre kidding right!? Kamijou started trembling, but then the train reached its destination. The train had taken about 20 to 30 minutes to reach the center of the base. As it stopped, they heard the Russian voices again. We need to leave now, said Lessar. Eh? Wouldnt it be better to wait until theyve left? Your sense fails you at the weirdest times. They brought the train here to transport this stuff. Theyre going to unload everything in the containers now. Theyll definitely find us here, so we need to leave before that can happen. Kamijou realized she was right, but it took courage to jump out in an area where people were clearly moving around. Kamijou slightly opened the containers sliding door and looked outside. Miraculously, no one was nearby. A mountain of wooden boxes was piled up on the snow and it looked like they could get through without being seen by hiding behind it as they went. (...Chickening out will get me nowhere.) Lets go, Kamijou said as he slid the door open a little wider. He then slipped his body through and out. He jumped down to the ground from a height of about a meter and then moved over to hide behind the pile of wooden boxes. Lessar followed suit, but her movements were suppler like those of a carnivore. On the other side of the boxes, the men were unloading items from the train, so it felt like they were surrounded by footsteps and voices. With each noise, Kamijous body started sweating even more. Think about it in a positive light, said Lessar with a calm expression. The noisier they are, the less likely they are to notice the noises we make. The exit to the hastily made platform was about 10 meters away from the pile of boxes. He could see stairs heading up. The train station was below the snow, so the stairs most likely headed to the surface. Kamijou and Lessar were now going to head towards the center of Fiammas fortress. The number of guards and the amount of danger there would surely make the train station area seem like nothing. He couldnt let the current situation trip him up. Kamijou focused on his surroundings and was about to head in the direction of the exit. But then he ran across a Russian Orthodox magician. The magician was a young man a bit older than Kamijou. He must have been one of the personnel unloading the train because he was holding a wooden box in his arms. The magician clearly hadnt expected to run across anyone because he looked utterly shocked. The fact that the mans hands were full was a tiny piece of good luck for Kamijou. The magicians reaction was an instant slow. In that time, Lessar moved. !! Her action was incredibly cool-headed. Lessar moved up to the magician silently and struck his defenseless throat with her arm. Unlike a strike from a fist, the pointed strike caused the magicians body to go limp and collapse. Lessar reached out and grabbed the box he had been holding. The mans body fell to the ground making the bare minimum of noise and the other workers continued on not having noticed anything. Kamijou felt an unpleasant feeling running through his fingertips. Please be careful, said Lessar as she lowered the box to the ground gently. She bound the young mans ankles with a wire-like object, rearranged the pile of boxes to make an opening, and hid the mans body in it. ...H-he isnt dead, is he? That certainly would have been easier. Then I wouldnt have had to use a valuable binding spiritual item like Dromi. It seemed the wire around the magicians ankles prevented him from moving his body at all. The way Lessar explained that so smoothly, Kamijou realized again that she simply lived in a different world from him. Meanwhile, she moved her tail causing the edge of her miniskirt to sway. (It isnt like me, but gaining some points in a more honest way may be more effective in the end. No, no, Im sexy. I know I am!!) The two of them headed up the stairs and made it to the surface within the grounds of the base. A few hundred meters ahead, they could see an iron fence barricade. And the middle 7 kilometers of the 10 kilometer base bulged up greatly. There was about a 20 meter difference. The covering of snow made it look like there was some great form lying there. Arent bases usually kept in completely flat areas? That alone tells us this place isnt normal. A large entrance was sitting open in the wall portion of the large difference in height most likely for bringing in the items from the freight train. Kamijou and Lessar snuck in through there. The inside was like a Western castle. However, it was not decorated with dazzling treasures of silver and gold. The area was made of stone and was damp. It looked like the area criminals would be imprisoned in. Candles were set on the wall at even intervals and the two of them continued on relying on that flickering light. Fortunately, they did not run into any guards or anyone else. It was possible Fiamma had forbidden anyone else from entering the area. !! Lessar was about to head on further, but Kamijou grabbed her shoulder. There was a door in front of him. Opening it slightly and peering in, Kamijou saw a vast space on the other side. He didnt know what purpose the space had, but he heard a voice coming from it. It was a familiar voice. (...Thats Fiamma. I never expected to run into him so quickly.) Even someone like Lessar stiffened when Kamijou whispered that to her. The area looked like a church being repaired because it was made of old-looking stone and had a modern metal framework stretching across it in places. Fiamma was standing atop that metal framework. He was sitting in a chair next to a table. Both of the pieces of furniture looked out of place due to how high class they were. A thick book lay open on the table and a dim light was seeping from it. No one else was there. Only Fiammas voice could be heard. Was the book some kind of communications spiritual item? It is necessary. This is a space. Both its coordinates and its volume are important. Kamijous heart gave a stir at hearing that voice. I have no interest in any Russian palaces. If all I wanted to do was sit on a throne, do you really think I would have gone out of the way to blow away St. Peters Basilica? To me, this place is more important than Moscow. The slight lag in learning how things are going is a problem, but in order for the plan to move forward, I still cant leave this place. You need to look at this from the point of view of Project Bethlehem. (...) Kamijou focused and remained completely silent. If he didnt force himself to remain there, he was likely to just run in there yelling. I know, I know. You never really liked the idea of this fight. No, not World War III. Im talking about the antagonism between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps because there was no one else with Fiamma, his voice reached Kamijous ears despite the distance between the two of them. However, that also meant there was a danger of his own words reaching Fiamma. Kamijou grew even more nervous. Who was Fiamma talking with? If Academy City wins, the age of the science side will come. If the Roman Catholic Church wins, the age of the magic side will come. However, neither scenario had much profit for the Russian Orthodox Church. Even if the age of the magic side came, the Roman Catholic Church would be in charge and the Russian Orthodox Church would lose any ground to stand on. Kamijou thought as Lessar translated the Russian. But then his thoughts were cut off. He had spotted another spiritual item on the table. That was why you quickly took measures against that. By joining with the force that would most benefit you, you hoped to gain the most when this large conflict was over. So hand over the results of the investigation already. Hand over the reports from the Russian soldiers you sent out to investigate. It was a small cylindrical tool. It had a number of ring-shaped metal pieces on it making it look like a dial padlock. It was Indexs remote control spiritual item. It was the object that was making her suffer and robbing her of her consciousness. If he... If he could only destroy that... Yes, yes. Good boy. ...The Elizalina Alliance, huh? So that explains why we couldnt find Sasha Kreutzev even after searching all across Russia. Kamijou started to lean further forward. But then someone covered his mouth from behind. It was Lessar. She then used her other hand to jab him sharply in the side. He was about to start coughing out of pain, but he couldnt because of how tightly Lessar was pressing on his mouth. Strength left his body. No, she may be imperfect, but shes still a magician. Normal soldiers cant handle her. And it would be a problem if she were to be shot. The Russian Orthodox Church? No, Annihilatus is useless here. I dont know if they went easy on her because she used to be their comrade or if their basic specs are just that low, but they have yet to capture her. ...Its a pain, but it looks like Ill have to do it myself. If it adds certainty to the plan, then its for the best. With his body held back, Kamijou glared at Fiamma through the cracked door. Fiamma hadnt noticed them. And let me tell you one thing. Im sure you dont intend to just remain a bishop. The highest position in the Russian Orthodox Church is the Patriarch, right? With your rate of growth, you arent going to make it to that position before your life comes to an end. If you want to use me to that end, you first have to do work that makes me want to use you. And if youre going to hold back and try to negotiate with me, then I wont hesitate to rid myself of you and find someone else. Understand? Fiamma closed the thick book as if bringing the conversation to a close and then grabbed Indexs remote control spiritual item. Kamijou hadnt realized it until that point, but there was something like a steel window right next to Fiamma. Fiamma opened it and light poured into the dark room. He then took a light step outside the window. He took another step and the remote control spiritual item was gone. Lessar removed her hand from Kamijous mouth and spun him around forcefully. Kamijou was about ready to grab her by the collar. (...What the hell were you doing!? I was so close!!) (...No, what the hell were you doing!? There are over 200 magicians in that room!) Hearing that, Kamijous expression turned to one of shock. He hadnt noticed that at all. But when he looked back into the room, he saw a great number of what seemed to be glowing eyes in the depths of the darkness around the large space. They may have been doing some kind of work or they may have been on standby as Fiammas guards. (...If you had just charged in here, you wouldnt have reach Fiamma. If Fiamma is the kind of person you said he is, he would have just run away while his subordinates dealt with us.) Lessar spoke slowly in an attempt to calm down Kamijou. (He mentioned the Elizalina Alliance and Sasha Kreutzev. He ordered the Russian soldiers to fall back, so he may be planning on making contact with Sasha himself. If you want to take that spiritual item from him, you have no choice but to try to cut him off. If we can find Sasha Kreutzev before him, we can prepare a surprise attack.) (...Dammit.) Fiamma of the Right was a person who had controlled a large number of people to cause the chaos that was in the world. Kamijou had known that it wouldnt be so easy to reach him, but still... (...I guess we need to find Sasha then. If Fiamma wants her, it cant be for a good reason. And most importantly, I need to settle this whole thing regarding Index.) Part 2 Hamazura Shiage drove along in the stolen car. For the time being, he had acquired food, war funds, and gas for the car. It was finally time to take action towards fighting Academy City. He had to find something in Russia he could use to negotiate with and guarantee his and Takitsubos safety. ...But I have no idea what exactly Im supposed to be looking for. Well, its a small piece of fortune that Academy City forces and weapons are wandering throughout Russia due to the war. Hamazura, maybe we should start our attack there. Youre saying we capture a cutting edge military weapon and use the technology to negotiate? We could also monitor the Russian military movements and pass useful information on to Academy City. Hamazura couldnt get a good grasp of the situation. But that was to be expected. He may have experienced quite a bit, but he was still essentially a delinquent. Armies and military weapons just didnt seem real to him. He didnt even know how any kind of negotiation with a giant force like Academy City would actually happen. On the other hand, the girl who had seen the depths of the citys darkness gave him advice. Hamazura, we need to think about what Academy City is after in this war. Eh? Theyre defending themselves against Russias attack, right? If that were true, there would be no reason to invade Russia. They would only need to set up a thorough defensive line in the ocean around Japan. Normally, a large group of bombers and ballistic missiles cant be completely defended against, but Academy City can pull it off. While buying time like that, they could slowly manipulate the world economy to put Russia in such economic trouble that they cant continue the war. ...So Academy City has some other goal? We need to figure out what that is and head to the center of whatever it is. Imagine a balanced scale. Hamazura, you are a small weight, but you just need to get in a position where you can affect which way it tilts by which plate you stand on. If you can do that, you can demand whatever you want from Academy City. ... That meant he had to head into a place where Academy City and the Russian army were battling fiercely. He would have to charge in and get that information. That kind of strategy could literally cost him his life, but he would be letting go of one of his only opportunities if he did so. Theyve been going at it pretty harshly around here. The Elizalina Alliance is it called? I think were somewhere near there. Maybe we should go look around there. ...Yeah, lets do that, Hamazura... ? Takitsubo? Hamazura had a very bad feeling when he heard Takitsubos frail response. He glanced over at the passenger seat and then slammed on the brakes. Something was wrong with Takitsubo. She was sweating profusely all over her body. Hey, whats wrong? Takitsubo, are you okay!? Im...fine. Dont worry...Just keep going, Hamazura... It was no joke. Anyone would be able to tell something wasnt right. The Body Crystal must really have had a bad effect on Takitsubo. That fact was thrust before Hamazuras eyes once more, but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew it wouldnt help, but he still considered taking her to a hospital. However, a doctor from outside Academy City would not know how to heal her. And even if a doctor did, he would still be worried about her safety. Due to the war, Academy City and Russia werent exactly getting along. And Hamazura and Takitsubo had entered the country illegally without passports. But he couldnt just not do anything. He didnt want to leave her as she was. For sentimental reasons, not logical ones, Hamazura wanted to put as little stress on Takitsubos body as possible. So what could he do? Searching for the means of negotiating with Academy City would require charging straight into a war-torn area. As he tried to figure out what to do, he heard two small noises. Someone had lightly knocked on the driver side window. Looking out, he saw a large white man. He was probably Russian. Hamazura instinctually pulled out his handgun next to the door so the man couldnt see it. As stated before, Academy City and Russia were not getting along. It was possible someone would attack him solely for being from Academy City. Hamazura cautiously opened the window with the handgun still hidden. The large white man spoke. I have acted as a Japanese-speaking guide for tourists before. Can you understand me? What do you want? It looks like you need a doctor. The man pointed with his chin towards Takitsubo in the passenger seat. Hamazura was taken aback by that unexpected response and the man continued speaking. Lets make a deal. My village is out of fuel for power generation. If we don''t manage to get more, we will all freeze to death. This is a diesel car, right? If you hand over the fuel you have inside this worn-out car, I will lead you to a doctor in my village for the little lady there. What do you say? Part 3 Had the comfort of riding in a tank really improved all that much? The engine was loud and the space stank of a mix of oil, exhaust, sweat, and filth. And a small space packed with 5 middle aged men would probably never be exactly comfortable. Antseka S. Kfark sighed in the commanders seat. He was in central Russia. There was no manual for how to deploy troops to defend that area from an external enemy. Defense was supposed to occur closer to the border and most plans had the troops deployed there or possibly cutting into the enemy nations border. No one had thought about enemies getting that deep into the country. And yet Academy City had ground troops there. In a completely unexpected turn of events, they were working from the center and moving out. ...Dammit. Theyre sending more down, muttered Antseka in annoyance as he stared up into the sky through the hatch. Fuck, how can they call this bringing in the bare minimum of defensive weapons needed to maintain peace? Im not even sure a unit could take out a single one of those cutting edge tanks and theyre dropping them down like confetti. With those specs, theyre clearly for an invasion and occupation. Eighty percent of their 2.3 million residents are students and yet theyre still fighting on the same level as us. It just doesnt add up. Did you hear that some of those tanks can move around on their own without anyone aboard? said one of the other soldiers aboard sounding a bit creeped out. Antseka frowned even more. Thats gotta just be some ridiculous rumor, but it really does seem like they can just do anything. An Academy City supersonic bomber flew by overhead and a line of parachutes started falling down. Instead of more airborne tanks, the parachutes likely contained supplies for constructing simple bases. Their bases had a few different stages. They ranged from the log houses made of numerous steel plates to the shelters made of quick drying reinforced cement. Armored weaponspowered suits they were called?constructed the bases at an astounding speed and they had been created all over Russia like roach nests. It seemed Academy City hated to have their technology leaked outside. As such, those fortresses likely had methods to blow them up or to recover them installed in them. Unlike the Russians who had their hands completely full with the fighting, Academy City was giving thought to after the war ended. Theres just no end to them, spat out one of the other soldiers. In the time we spent putting together a strategy to attack the base that appeared in front, another one was made in the back. While we were panicking over that, another one appeared cutting off our supply line. Theyre just too fast. Not even a merchant skipping town works that quickly. At first, they had tried to shoot down the parachutes, but it hadnt had any effect. Even when their anti-aircraft guns and machine guns blew holes in the fabric, they grew wings like a glider or other parachutes appeared. There just didnt seem to be any limit. Antseka and the others just felt that they couldnt get to the stage they excelled at. They werent idiots. They surely had more real battle experience than the people from Academy City who just persistently used technology. They were confident that they could at least fight with 50/50 results if it came down to a proper firefight. That meant it would end up a stalemate and Academy City would be unable to invade any further. However, it never even made it to that kind of battle they knew so well. The fight never came to those veteran tank men. Normally, Academy Citys unusual strategy would have been absolutely impossible. Given the materials, personnel, and time needed to construct the bases and the materials and energy needed to maintain the bases, building them one after another in the middle of enemy territory and connecting supply lines between them just didnt sound realistic. Any soldier or even journalist would be able to immediately see multiple issues with that strategy. And yet Academy City made up for those weak points with overwhelming technology. The supersonic bombers could supply large amounts of materiel and fuel at unthinkable speeds. The powered suits could accurately assemble the materials at extremely high speed. It almost seemed like some kind of joke. The soldiers felt like they needed to rewrite the texts they had read in their training days to even begin to keep up with it. What do we do? asked one of the soldiers who was clearly middle aged but was still one of the younger ones in the tank. Were almost out of fuel and shells and that base has sealed off our escape and supply routes. I hope someone can come up with some kind of ground-breaking strategy for a counterattack, but... At this rate, well be out of commission without having even run into another tank, said another soldier sounding as if hed had enough of the situation. When the large number of parachutes had first started to fall from the supersonic bombers, their unit had put stopping the construction of the base at top priority. However, shooting down the parachutes had no effect and the powered suits on the ground had evaded the shells with astounding movements. The powered suits had then accurately returned fire with huge shotguns that had perhaps been supplied to help dig up the area for the shelter. As the suits had toyed with them using their strange movements, more and more supplies and airborne tanks had been dropped down. Before Antseka and the others knew it, their movements were being obstructed by a huge difference in firepower. He realized they had been wasting their ammunition. If they had known the strategy Academy City was using, they may have been able to react more calmly and preserve some of their shells, but nothing could be done about it anymore. As Antseka recalled their situation, one of his fellow soldiers looked over at him. I know we need to surrender, but I cant stand having this end without having done a damn thing. Lets take out at least one of them. I know its only a drop in the bucket, but this country truly is done for if we cant reduce their forces by even a little. Antseka looked up at the white sky through the hatch. Even then, a few bombers were flying through the sky at over 7000 kph and dropping a large number of parachutes. Hey. If those had been large bunker-destroying bombs instead of supplies, what do you think we couldve done? ... An unpleasant silence spread throughout the tank. That was what the true role of the supersonic bombers was supposed to be and it was probably the simplest way of silencing Antseka and the others. Why had Academy City gone out of their way to carry out such a roundabout strategy? Antseka looked up into the sky out of annoyance and spat out a few words. So this is their humane way of using their weapons? Theyre mocking us. Part 4 Kamijou and Lessar had entered the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. Kamijou had thought its border would be heavily guarded because of the war, but they were able to more or less head right through. Unlike island nations like Japan or the UK, the land borders between countries are fairly easy to get through. Yeah, but that was still too easy. Given the circumstances, it wouldnt have surprised me if someone had tried to shoot us. They dont have the spare resources to do something like that. And you passed over quite a few borders to get into Russia in the first place, right? Well, I made it here by hitchhiking with various people, so I dont really know the exact route I took. ...Hmm. You may not have realized it because you didnt understand the language, but you might have had quite the adventure, Lessar muttered. They were in some sort of plaza and a number of people were walking about. It looked more like there were people of multiple races there rather than just one specific race. Kamijou wasnt sure about the specifics, but it sounded like different people were speaking different languages. The Elizalina Alliance is made from small areas splitting off from Russia because they disagreed with how Russia was doing things, right? Technically, its a collection of countries that did that, said Lessar correcting him. This is a landlocked area, so any one country that splits off will then be surrounded by Russian land in every direction, so they would need permission from the Russian government to gain personnel and goods. To free themselves from that indirect control, it seems the Elizalina Alliance gathered together a few smaller countries to create a route heading outside of Russia that connects to Eastern Europe. Thanks to that, Russia has alienated the Elizalina Alliance the most of all the other independent nations. Because of that, the Elizalina Alliance was quite narrow and stretched from east to west. It was about 300 km long. The odds of just running into the person you were searching for were quite low. Anyway, we need to find Sasha before Fiamma does, Kamijou said urging himself on. But how do we go about searching for her? First, we need to rent a room at an inn to use as a base. Yeah, we might not find her in one day with such a wide area to search in. Of course, well only be renting one room because we need to preserve what money we have. If you want to add any kind of indecent meaning into it, feel free. Is that just what your basic thought patterns are set to or something!? You dont like the inn idea? So youre suggesting outside!? B-but that could be a problem. I have no issues with the basic idea of doing it outdoors, but its just so cold here. ...Okay, I get it. We need to have a serious discussion. Kamijou grabbed Lessar, dragged her into an alley, and gave her a serious 15 minute lecture. Lessar was mentally exhausted when she returned to the plaza with the boy. So how are we going to search for her? Sasha is a magician, so we might be able to find her if we look for traces of anything mystical. I-I think I know a simpler way. ? Kamijou looked confused at Lessars response, but he noticed something odd soon thereafter. Four or five men were hiding amid the crowd of people walking by and they were watching Kamijou and Lessar closely. They were wearing dark green military uniforms, but the uniforms made them show up even more in the white snow. Theyre the border guards, said Lessar simply. As you just said: it was too easy. They arent idiots. They arent in a situation where they are even able to get camouflage that matches the environment, but they are still trying to defend their country. Wh-what do we do? Thats simple enough. We ask them. Kamijou looked confused, but Lessar explained further. Fiamma used the Russian army to search for Sasha Kreutzevs whereabouts, right? That means some of them must have headed along the border to search. Even if they didnt find the Sasha, the Russian armys actions must have been noticed by the Elizalina forces, right? And now the leader of the entire war is going to be sneaking into the Elizalina Alliance. Thats information we can use to negotiate with them. Part 5 Two forces glared at each other on the battlefield that was the Strait of Dover between England and France. An unknown semitransparent substance covered the ocean surface and tens, hundreds, and even thousands of swords crossed above it. It had gone beyond the scale of a mere battle. It had reached a point where it was clearly a war. France had more when it came down to pure numbers, but England was the one pushing forward. Kanzaki Kaoris presence was quite valuable. Her power as one of the worlds fewer than 20 Saints allowed her to knock back a large number of magicians with a single strike. The Amakusa Church members around her would at times support her and at times use her as a decoy to accurately strike from a different direction. This made them much more successful than their mere numbers would suggest. Hoo...!! The scabbard of Kanzakis sword destroyed a large portion of the semitransparent land at their feet. Girls wearing black nuns habits jumped up on the smashed pieces that were flying up and attacked the French magicians from above. They were the nuns of the former Agnese Forces. That force with Agnese Sanctis at its center was battling in a similar fashion to the Amakusas. They also were able to work more effectively because of their intimate knowledge of how those from the Roman Catholic Church fought. But even all that was not enough to repel the French forces. They had no magician in an extremely special position like a Saint. Instead their strength was augmented by a large number of weapons and spiritual items they gained from the Roman Catholic Church that had over 2 billion followers. While some were the stereotypical types used by a single person like staffs or cups, quite a few odd tank-like spiritual items could be seen. Those had giant swords instead of gun barrels and armor that looked like parts off of a suit of armor. Seeing that, Second Princess Carissa spoke sounding bored. This is still a test run. Id say theyre trying to scout out how much power we have. She was still not holding any kind of weapon. Carissa was guarded by a large number of knights and she had an elegant and solid feel to her. She turned to Knight Leader who was at her side. Now then. I wonder where Frances main force lies. Im pretty sure Im seeing knight related magic mixed in with the Roman Catholic based magicians. But that knight related magic is still at a level where it can be explained within the category of the Christian Church, so... Christian-style French knights would probably be Charlemagnic, dont you think? Or maybe that mastermind of a holy woman whos doing nothing but yawning in Versailles went crying to the remnants of the Orleans Knights despite how it would make her look. ...Id rather you did not underestimate me like that, said a voice suddenly from an unknown source. Carissas eyebrows moved ever so slightly. My pride is not so cheap that I would leave them behind simply for self defense. In fact, Im rather resentful that all that was resolved by a British mercenary, said the voice. Oh? You seem to be a little drowsy still, so why dont you go wash your face? You may never leave Versailles, but that was all caused by your slow reaction. Just like this time. You cannot do anything either, said the brains of Versailles quietly. We know that Curtana Original was destroyed and that the Second is with Queen Elizard. In other words, you have no real power right now. And as long as you are outside the borders of the United Kingdom, the knights surrounding you do not have all that much power either. I am aware that you love war, but are you aware that you are merely in the way? You fool, Carissa muttered. Immediately afterwards, the knights around the second princess received a large amount of power from Curtana. They received the power from Curtana Second. Elizard must have sent out some sort of order. However, that was not enough to explain it. Curtanas effects were supposed to only work within the borders of the United Kingdom. Surely you know that I was planning to head out to Europe in order to destroy all opposing forces if I had succeeded in my coup detat using Curtana Original. You dont mean...? How do you think I intended to do that? Did you think I was just going to complain about my inability to use Curtanas power outside of the UK? A loud noise resounded from about 10 kilometers behind Carissa. Something was floating up there. It was a ridiculously huge construction. The mysterious structure could perhaps be referred to as a square bubble created from a random assortment of dozens of cubes made of heavy stone. The object did not seem to use any sort of normal construction technology. It looked both like an artificial castle and like a giant piece of quarried stone that was now floating in midair. That is the Mobile Fortress Glastonbury, said Carissa. The surroundings of the fortress are forcibly designated as within the United Kingdom, so it allows Curtanas usable area to be rapidly expanded. Dont you think this large scale spiritual item is just perfect for making an invasion regardless of what your opponent thinks? The situation turned around. Having gained power, the knights drew their swords to protect Carissa. This is not a war of attrition for the sake of defense. A slow change occurred across the knights spread out to defend Carissa. They went from passive to active. The princess of military matters announced what that meant. This is a clean-up battle for the sake of making an attack. Part 6 Kamijou and Lessar walked along the plaza while surrounded by numerous large men. Kamijou did not like being taken somewhere by military looking men who he didnt speak the same language as. As he nervously walked along, Lessar spoke to him sounding bored. Its okay. The Elizalina Alliance should want any information on Fiamma they can get. They want that information badly, so Im sure they wont throw us into a detention facility or anything. In fact, this Alliance doesnt even have any dangerous facilities like that. ...Really? Having expectations like that completely overturned is the usual pattern of Kamijou-sans misfortune, you know? What do we do if theyre leading us to some room with chairs that have restraints on them? Fine, fine. If that happens, Ill apologize by putting on a babydoll, crawling on all fours, and waving my ass. ...Hm, that actually sounds pretty nice. How I about I do it now? It looks like you need more lecturing, Lessar-kun. It might bother others here, so how about we head over to that alley? The instant Kamijou grabbed the girl and started to leave the circle of people, shouts in Russian erupted around him. A few of the large men reached for their holstered pistols. Wah!! Okay, okay. Damn, this just doesnt feel like a warm welcome! I was joking. I dont intend to give that kind of service to the other people around here. I doubt that would benefit the UK any. Ill be a good girl for now, but when we get to our hotel room, Ill put on the babydoll and we can go from there. As they argued back and forth, one of the men escorting them muttered something sounding exceedingly displeased. It was in Russian so Kamijou couldnt understand him, but Lessar translated it for him. He asked if we saved a mother and her daughters who were being transported in a truck in Russia. It seems one daughter is a 2 year old baby and the other is a 10 year old girl. ...? We did help with that convoy of trucks and armored carriages, but...how many people were on those things? I dont specifically remember anyone like that. The large man spat out a few more words in response to Kamijous puzzled expression. Lessar frowned and then shrugged before looking in Kamijous direction. He says they were his sister and her daughters. For the man to know about that, the people in the trucks must have made it safely to a nearby town and made contact by phone or something. It was possible the man felt indebted to them and that was the sole reason he wasnt pointing his handgun at them. Kamijou and Lessar were brought to a rectangular building made of stone that was located near the plaza. It was probably originally a building on the grounds of a church, but it was now being used as a military facility. The paper documents were far too cluttered for it to be called an office and the steel desks were not in uniform locations. A map of the area was stuck on a whiteboard on the wall. Magnets of different colors indicated the locations of Elizalina Alliance and Russian tanks and other troops. One of the colors vastly outnumbered the other. A blonde woman was waiting there. She was very thin. In fact, she was so thin that you would be worried for her health more than aroused if she were wearing a swimsuit. Her slightly sunken eyes turned in their direction and she smiled thinly. She spoke in Japanese. So you say Fiamma of the Right is headed here? Lessar gave a whistle. Kamijou thought the woman must be an acquaintance of Lessars, but it seemed that wasnt so. Thats the woman the Elizalina Alliance is named after. Shes the holy woman who had the different countries break away and join together, Lessar said. So you say Fiamma of the Right is headed here? Elizalina repeated. To meet with people who had illegally entered the country, the name Fiamma of the Right must have been ominous indeed to the Elizalina Alliance. That wasnt too surprising though because he was the man who had pulled the trigger causing World War III. If it hadnt been for that, it was unlikely the Russian army would have started invading them. We heard him say it himself in the Russian army base near the border, so Im pretty sure he is. After explaining that, Kamijou realized something. ...Wait a second. Elizalina-san, do you know exactly who Fiamma of the Right is? Essentially, he was asking her if she knew about the magic side and of the depths of the Roman Catholic Church. Elizalina responded while barely moving her lips. I may not be very skilled, but I am a magician. Even if she wasnt, she was still able to respond so quickly just from the partial reports from her subordinates. She determined how valuable we were and immediately had us brought to her, the center of the country. Just from that, it was clear she knew of magic, added Lessar. It seemed she knew of the legends of Elizalinas achievements. On the surface, she lay down the foundation for the various countries to be independent both politically and economically, but she also secretly pushed back the Russian Orthodox magicians who were attempting to damage the Alliance by occult means. If we got into a serious fight, even I may get my ass kicked. Oh, it was nothing that amazing. I merely made a few suggestions and helped a bit. It was nothing at all compared to my sister in France. Elizalina brushed Lessars words aside. It seemed she did not like having others speak highly of her. She quickly moved back to the real matter at hand. Fiamma of the Right is an important figure when it comes to this war...no, to the invasion of this country. If we can use this opportunity to defeat him, the threat to the peoples lives will lessen by quite a bit. Kamijou agreed with that much, but the rest was different. On the other hand, I do not think that I can defeat Fiamma of the Right. It is an issue of his ability as a magician. Even if we gathered up everyone in this country, we would not be able to defeat him. Elizalina looked troubled as she said that. Even she did not want to just overlook that opportunity. With Fiamma seeming to be within their grasp, they wanted to take action to escape from their crisis as quickly as possible. She was probably only able to prevent herself from doing that because she was a skilled politician. It may look like an opportunity at first glance, but it could actually bring on even more danger. The most important thing for us is the lives of the countrys people. If it would only cause those lives to be lost in vain, we must avoid a fight with Fiamma. So youre just going to let him do whatever he wants? asked Lessar. Elizalina shook her head. No, she immediately responded. My subordinates have informed me of the situation. The target of the Russians - and therefore Fiammassearch is Sasha Kreutzev. We know where she is. She is very close by. In fact, I could summon her here at any time. Now that you know that, can you figure out how I plan to defeat Fiamma while protecting the lives of the people? ...Youre going to take us and Sasha outside of the Alliance and into Russia where well carry out some kind of anti-Fiamma strategy? Correct, Elizalina nodded. You can think of me as a cold person if you like, but that is just how delicate a situation this is. A single careless decision could end up killing a great number of unrelated people. No, Kamijou smiled. We were actually planning to use you all to find Sasha. Im just glad you arent locking us up. The scale may be different, but it seems you too have people you must protect. Everyone does, Kamijou responded calmly. Because it took me so long to realize it, Im in danger of losing her, but I may still be able to make it in time. In any case, they had to meet up with Sasha Kreutzev, lure Fiamma to them after leaving the Elizalina Alliance, and then defeat him. They still had the chance of creating a situation where they had more of an advantage than Fiamma, but as time went by, that chance was slipping away. And as that slipped away, so did the odds of rescuing Index. Having worked out the situation in his own mind, Kamijou asked Elizalina a question. What exactly are we going to do? Come here. ...I cannot guarantee our victory because of the suddenness of the situation, though. As she spoke, Elizalina headed toward the whiteboard in the corner of the room. And then... Thats true. Youre much too late if youre still strategizing at this stage, said a sudden male voice. Kamijou recognized the voice. It was a voice he would never forget. It was Fiamma of the Rights voice. The voice was coming from the window. Kamijou hurriedly turned around at the same time as Lessar and Elizalina moved. Lessar stuck a bar magnet on the end of a retractable baton and Elizalina took a piece of semitransparent blue cellophane that was likely a sweets wrapper and stuck it on the side of a glass full of water. It only took a few seconds. They were likely quickly creating spiritual items. Immediately afterwards, fire and water shot forth. With the roar of the air being split, the two forms of attacks rushed towards the window like an avalanche. The glass shattered, but the voice did not stop. This is just a greeting, said Fiammas voice. A small doll made of kneaded flour was floating outside the window. Things have yet to truly begin. Immediately afterwards, a vibration passed through Kamijou Toumas brain. His vision shook for an instant and he thought his face had been punched by something heavy. When he finally realized he had fallen to the ground at some point, he also realized what it was that had hit him in the face. It was a piece of rubble even smaller than a baseball. About half of the ceiling had collapsed bringing down rubble. In the opening, he saw something like a wall of orange light. Kamijou was one of the closest ones to the scene, but he did not know that a giant sword 30 or 40 kilometers long had been swung down. After all, the base of the sword, was so far away it was almost disappearing off the horizon. A sizzling sound could be heard coming from the sword. It wiggled back and forth and then slowly lifted up much like an axe being pulled out of a large tree. With something this big, aiming can be a pain, Fiamma said cheerfully. Kamijou trembled as the giant sword that could split a mountain range in two was once more casually lifted up. It lifted up almost completely vertically. And then Fiammas sword swung down all at once. The air shook. It was almost directly above them. He had corrected his aim and dropped the giant sword down from directly above. The Elizalina Alliance city was sliced in a straight line and the stone building Kamijou and the others were in took the brunt of the blow causing it to be almost completely smashed to smithereens. A cloud formed. The difference in air pressure created by the slicing of the atmosphere created something similar to a contrail. That strike had affected the weather. And then... Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Kamijou Touma yelled out and stuck his right palm straight up. He could hear an unpleasant creaking noise coming from within his bones. But that boys seemingly ordinary arm managed to receive that strike that could slice the map in two. (Did I...stop it?) As it was her first time seeing Imagine Breaker, Elizalina looked shocked and Lessar seemed to find it hard to accept despite having seen the power before. However, he didnt have time to explain every little thing. Kamijou wasnt even sure none of his bones had been broken. Then... Oh, and I thought you might have learned something during British Halloween, said a voice from very nearby. It was Fiamma of the Right. Kamijou immediately recognized the red figure that jumped in right in front of him. There was a disconnect between the person who activated the magic and the place the magic had been activated in. It was similar to Second Princess Carissa when she used both Curtana Original and the bunker clusters. It seemed he was drawing their focus with the large scale attack so he could send his true attack at their unguarded side. ...!? Kamijou immediately held up his right hand, but he had only just destroyed the giant orange sword. A numb throbbing pain was still running through his arm which slowed his reaction speed. With a calm expression, Fiamma used that short time to stretch his own hand out towards Kamijou. Kamijou had no idea what effects that mysterious hand held. Kh!! Elizalina cut in between them. The front of her body was glowing slightly. She must have activated some kind of magic. She was a magician who had been continually using her power below the surface while allowing multiple countries to split off from the larger country of Russia. Kamijou assumed those experiences allowed her to freely use some amazing spells. But Fiamma ignored her. Kamijou and Elizalina were mercilessly blown away a few meters. His breathing briefly stopped. Fiamma started to add in another mysterious attack, but then his movements stopped. The reason was his right arm. What looked like a mysterious third arm appeared from his shoulder. Kamijou had been saved by Elizalinas skill. If it hadnt been for her, his body would have been split in two horizontally. I see, Fiamma said as if he were impressed as he tapped at his shoulder with his left hand. That is a rather tough wall to break through easily. At that point, the two large men who had been staying at Elizalinas side jumped forward. Bellagi!! Longhe!! Stay back!! Elizalina yelled out while still collapsed on the ground, but they did not stop. And Fiamma did not hold back. However, it is not so tough I cannot break through it. Dont underestimate me. All sound disappeared. Immediately after Fiamma swung his third arm, Bellagi and Longhe were blown away to the side. The distance between them did not matter. Bellagi may have been in range of the third arm, but Longhe had clearly not been. And yet he was knocked away just the same. They were knocked away through the hole of rubble that the initial strike had created in the building. Kamijou forced his injured body to stand. Fiamma!! Youre the main dish. I need to make some preparations before eating you. The attackers gaze turned in the direction of Elizalina. Once again a mysterious pale light began to be emitted from the surface of her body. However, the previous exchange had made it clear just how much of a difference there was between their powers. Her defensive spell had been breached. If Fiamma went all out, it was possible Elizalina would be killed. (I have my right hand...) Kamijou gritted his teeth while focusing on his arm that still had some pain remaining in it. (But can I really block every single attack!? Can I really rescue Index while doing nothing but defending and receiving attacks!?) Fiamma paid no heed to Kamijou and the others surprise and hesitation. He made another careless action. !! But Fiammas right arm did not manage to grab and rip out Elizalinas throat. It was thanks to Lessar. The small girl cut in between them while holding something like a spear. It was the steel glove, a magical weapon that had four finger-like blades on it. Lessar forcefully swung it down like a guillotine. Youre in the way. The action was less like a backhand blow and more like the action of someone brushing away a spider web. Even so, the steel glove was smashed to pieces. Lessars small frame shot away like a bullet. Just before she struck the wall, Bellagi stretched out his arms having just reentered the building. He just barely managed to catch Lessar. In that instant Lessar had risked her life for, Elizalina stood up to a crouched position while making complex motions with her fingers. A glow that flickered irregularly appeared at the tips of her fingers. When Fiamma saw it, he laughed. Youre trying to construct a spell using the right arm against me? Immediately afterwards a beam of light shot forth from Fiammas right arm. Fiammas action was not even in the same dimension as showing off his ability. It was more like he was crushing an annoying insect flying in front of his face. Whatever Elizalina did would only destroy her body further. Earlier she had said that the full force of the Elizalina Alliance could not defeat Fiamma of the Right. That was why she wanted to carry out an interception outside of the Alliance in order to defeat him. So by the very fact that Fiamma was standing there, Elizalinas fate may have been sealed. But that was not what happened. The loud sound of competing powers rang out. It was the sound of Fiammas beam striking Kamijous right hand. Kamijou had jumped in front of Elizalina and blocked Fiammas attack, but the beam scattered in every direction as if it were escaping Kamijous hand instead of disappearing instantly. That was nothing more than an after effect different from what Fiamma had wanted. However, a loud noise drowned out all other noises. The after effects of the beam that were sent to the sides blew the remains of the rooms walls away and continued on into the plaza. They travelled diagonally upwards, so they did not hit any of the people in the plaza, but the stone buildings there had their roofs blown off. Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right, two people who had special right arms, glared at each other. Lets do this. You know why Im fighting. What? Fiamma said while looking slightly confused. He looked over at Kamijous right shoulder. I told you that you were the main dish. Are you going to force me to do this first? !! Lessar had been blown away to the edge of the wall, but she took action. She picked up the pieces of iron that remained of her steel glove and threw them like bullets. She was not aiming for Fiamma. She knew that wouldnt work from the strike before. The objects Lessar threw hit Kamijou in the side. His stiffened body bent in as he was knocked to the side. Immediately afterwards, Fiammas right arm fell down like a guillotine. The floor melted. It was clear what would happen to a human body that received that attack. ...G-ghah...!? Kamijou rolled along, broke through the remnants of a wall, and out into the plaza. Fiamma slowly walked over while Kamijou writhed atop the snow. He did not even look over at Elizalina who seemed to have been his first target. She must have been more of an annoying insect he needed to crush than an important target for his strategy. Fiamma of the Right had two important targets. The first was Kamijou Toumas right arm. The second was Sasha Kreutzev. (...Not good. Hes just doing whatever he wants with no real resistance. We cant fight him while protecting Sasha with things like this.) The one bit of luck in the situation was the fact that Fiamma had not found Sasha yet. According to Elizalina, she was very close by, but they had more options as long as Fiamma had not found her yet. As Kamijou was thinking, Fiamma suddenly started to speak. Did you know that modern magician that was established at the end of the 19th century fundamentally hates working in groups? Even a genius group starting with Golden had an internal split caused by personality issues. The Roman Catholic Church worked at the goal of creating group fighting techniques with its doctrine at the core, but...well, you know how things are, right? Magicians value the individual. That is why the subjective targets known as magic names are still valued highly today and why the secret organization known as Gods Right Seat was born. What are you trying to say? In other words... Fiamma lifted his right hand up so it was horizontal. He was standing in the middle of the plaza, but he paid the people in the area no heed. Those people were so trapped by their fear that they could not even run away, but he made no attempt to conceal the idea of magic while speaking to Kamijou. Lets say there is someone about to be killed before your eyes. And then hundreds if not thousands of innocent people will be killed in an invasion. If you were a powerful magician, do you think you would continue to hide and do nothing just because you were important to the enemys plan? !? Kamijous body stiffened. He had seen an angel in the crowd of people. It was actually a figure wearing red. The figures body was bound by black belts and was wearing red innerwear and a cloak. It was possible some magic was at work in order to prevent that figure from standing out in the plaza. The figure was Sasha Kreutzev. Upon seeing her, Kamijou forgot the situation they were in and felt erroneous relief. She was the archangel who had held a Saint like Kanzaki Kaori in check while also constructing the Sweep spell that would kill 6 billion people. The thought of receiving help from someone that powerful was certainly reassuring. But then he realized something. The person he was seeing was not the archangel Misha Kreutzev that Kamijou Touma knew. She was nothing more than the Russian Orthodox magician Sasha Kreutzev. She tried to do something. She was a professional Russian Orthodox magician, so her skills were most likely top notch. However... Today is my lucky day. Fiamma flicked something with his finger. Whatever it was weaved between the people in the crowd towards Sasha at the speed of an arrow and knocked her backwards at the same speed. I thought this would be a little harder. I never expected to get both of you so easily. Fiamma must have been confident that his strike had completely sealed Sashas movements because he did not head after her. He looked back over to Kamijou instead. ... Kamijou stared back silently. He didnt know very much about magical battles. However, he knew that the only thing that had a chance against Fiammas right arm was his own Imagine Breaker. It was no time to debate whether he should do it or not. If he didnt charge in there, Fiamma would just kill a large number of people before his eyes. It was one on one. There was no one else and nothing else he could rely on. And then Fiamma of the Right made an odd movement. He unconcernedly swung his head to the side. Immediately afterwards, something like a scratch appeared across his cheek. A strange crack ran across the wall of the building behind him. It seemed the people in the plaza had no idea what had just happened. The unreal scene before their eyes had paralyzed their ability to determine what was going on. ... However, Kamijou gulped slightly because of his limited knowledge of magic. Fiamma had evaded an attack. Kamijou was surprised by the sudden attack itself, but he was even more surprised by how Fiamma had reacted to it. What a nostalgic face, Fiamma of the Right said. Kamijou turned around. He saw the color yellow. Standing there was a woman with piercings all over her face and heavy makeup around her eyes. Her appearance was intentionally made to bring disgust out from others. Her clothes seemed to be based on something a woman from the middle ages would wear, but it did not give an old fashioned impression due to its showy yellows. It looked more like some kind of showy punk fashion. Kamijou Touma knew who she was. On September 30th, she had used a spell that used divine punishment to almost completely cease all functionality within Academy City. As a member of Gods Right Seat, she had showed Kamijou a conflict that crossed a certain line. He heard a jangling noise. She had a piercing on her tongue with a thin chain connected to it. The chain extended down to about her waist where a transparent cross that seemed to be made of ice was connected to the end. The cross alone was different from what Kamijou remembered. She was Vento of the Front. The first person to make Fiamma of the Right evade was a magician who was supposed to be from the same organization as him. I have no duty to support that kid or that Russian Orthodox nun, but Ive had enough of seeing you mess around with the Roman Catholic Church. I heard you can no longer use your special Divine Punishment. Do you really think thats enough to stop me? With a roar, something invisible swirled up. Two members of Gods Right Seat, two magicians of a different dimension altogether who stood at the top of a church with 2 billion followers, clashed. Part 7 Accelerator leaned on his modern cane and looked around the area. The darker side of Academy City had placed the recovery of the pieces of parchment he had found on the freight train at the same level as pursuing him, so it was possible they were not just superstitious scribbles. Accelerator did not believe in the occult, but they may have had something written on them about scientific technology that would be valuable even in modern times. (...Although, I suppose thats just me trying to make sense of this logically.) Accelerator breathed in deeply. Due to an exceedingly subjective feeling, he found the parchments to be odd. That feeling was one of pressure in the center of his chest. It was similar to what he felt when Unabara Mitsuki was nearby. Accelerator recalled that boys powers being referred to as if they were not simply esper powers (of course that could very well just be a bluff to keep what his esper power as a secret), so he wondered if there was any connection. He was interested in where the pieces of parchment were supposed to have been delivered. Accelerator couldnt tell what kind of information was written on the parchments, so he concluded it would be fastest to get that information out of the person who was meant to receive them. Of course, the destination might have just been a relay point meaning the person receiving them there wouldnt know what their ultimate objective was, but then he would just have to go relay point by relay point until he made it to a person who knew how the parchments were to be used. He needed to find out if they held a clue to saving Last Order who not even the cutting edge technology of Academy City could save. Accelerator was prepared to even directly attack a military base if it came to it, but then... Tch. They were already attacked. A burnt smell permeated the area. The area had likely originally been a Russian Air Force base. The white plain had been cut off by asphalt for kilometers and fence barricades surrounded the area. Inside were numerous runways and large bunker-like buildings made of special concrete. Accelerator could not see anyone there. The fence had been torn away, the thick concrete walls had been blown away, and fighters with flames spewing from them were scattered along the runways like toys. Ammunition must still have been detonating from the fires because explosions occasionally resounded like fireworks from the ruins of the buildings despite no voices being heard. Accelerator had no way of knowing if someone who knew how the parchments were to be used had been there or if it had just been a relay point so they could be transported by air. (...Academy City.) However, it had not been the normal Academy City forces that were taking on the Russian army publicly. The means made it clear that an underground organization from the world of evil had snuck into Russia for the attack. He couldnt find a single empty cartridge. There were cracks running through the walls, but the shells that had broken through the walls had all been recovered. Academy City liked to avoid having its technology leak out, but that was on a whole new level. If they just wanted to take control of the base, they would not have needed the underground organization. The regular forces could have easily invaded the base. That meant they had most likely been after the pieces of parchment that were in Accelerators pocket. Forces had been sent to recover the parchments themselves while a different force had been sent to the air force base they were headed for. Accelerator might be able to find a survivor if he carefully searched through the base, but he was sure everyone related to the parchments had either been killed or captured. There was no hint there. His last vague lifeline had been cut, but Accelerators head was full of questions instead of impatience. (...Are these parchments really that valuable?) If so, what were they used for? Were they really something Academy City wanted to get their hands on no matter what? And could they be of any help in healing Last Order? (That motherfucker Aiwass told me to go to Russia. Was that related to this? Aiwass did say there was a key in a different set of laws than Academy City...) He thought about it, but couldnt come up with an answer. He ended that train of thought and moved to thinking about what he should do next. (The trail leading to what these pieces of parchment are via Russian means was cut off here, so I guess my next route will have to be with Academy Citys underground organization. If theyre interfering, they must understand how valuable they are.) As he did not know exactly who had the necessary information, there was a danger of extended fighting. With the limited battery power for his electrode, that was not a good thing for Accelerator, but he didnt really care. He would continue crushing his targets even if he had to crawl across the snow to do it. His thoughts were exceedingly hostile. He then recalled the weight of Last Orders unconscious form and gave a bitter smile. Shit... He had been trying to hide it up until then. No matter how bloody a world he lived in, he had wanted to keep her from seeing it. (...I cant keep myself in check anymore.) Had he not spoken that last line out loud because he had not wanted Last Order to hear it? Or had it been because of the bit of unease that had passed through him? At any rate, he could not stop there. Academy City had many large supersonic airplanes. They could fly through the air at over 7000 kph, so they could reach the other side of the globe in only 2 hours. If the people who attacked that base used one of them, he would no longer be able to pursue them. If he was going to get a surprise attack in, he would have to hurry up and find them. He had no time to hesitate. But Accelerator stopped moving when he was about to turn around. There were a number of figures standing there. The air force base was a wide and flat area primarily made up of runways. There wasnt much space for people to hide, but about 10 figures had appeared surrounding Accelerator at some point. No, it wasnt just 10. There were around 20 men and women who were all wearing identical clothing. Accelerator frowned at the fact that they seemed to be wearing some kind of old religious habits as opposed to military uniforms that were collections of cutting edge technology. He felt the same pressure as from Unabara or the parchments. One of them spoke in Russian. Are you with Academy City? What about you? Are you the ones who attacked this base? So you dont deny it. The man lowered his center of gravity. Accelerator took it as a sign that he was preparing for a fight to the death. I dont have time, Accelerator said while reaching up for the switch at his neck and putting away his retractable cane. Ill be keeping this short, okay? Part 8 Fiamma of the Right. Vento of the Front. The confrontation between those two monsters did not involve them suddenly jumping up to the roof of a tall building and having a high speed battle that normal eyes could not keep track of. As they glared at each other, they silently moved horizontally. They did so slowly and smoothly. While maintaining the same distance between them, they seemed to move side by side as they moved to the center of the snowy plaza. There were no easy-to-understand explosions or beams of light. Even so, the people were frozen in fear due to Fiammas previous attack. The mass of people naturally distanced itself from around Vento and Fiamma like water overflowing from a bathtub as a giant sank down into it. Kamijou could not move. It would be better if he helped. Between Elizalina, Lessar, and Sasha Kreutzev, he knew who he should rescue. However, he could not move. His mental state was similar to someone trying to rescue someone next to a bomb that could go off at any time. His focus was naturally stolen by the bomb. He heard a slight noise. He thought a gust of wind had blown and next thing he knew Vento was holding something like a hammer wrapped in barbed wire in her right hand. The hammer was about a meter long and its end struck the ground. Fiammas eyebrows moved slightly. How very odd. What is? Gods Right Seat cannot use normal magic. We can only use spells that have been extremely regulated for our use. You hold the Divine Punishment spell that paralyzed Academy City, but the spiritual item that supports its activation was shattered on September 30th. And yet... Is it really that surprising that I can create mystical phenomena like this? said Vento as she rested the heavy hammer on her shoulder. Thats right. It may be easy to forget given the ridiculous feats they could perform, but Fiamma and Vento were human. They could not perform supernatural phenomena that ignored the laws of physics without using something. There had to be laws behind Vento pulling the hammer out of nothingness. In other words... (Vento just used magic...?) Kamijous face paled as he recalled the magic she had used to knock almost every resident of Academy City unconscious. However, Fiamma did not seem too surprised. Well, that still means you havent succeeded in restoring your Divine Punishment. And even if you had, you cannot defeat me using that methodology. I never thought of using that against someone like you who was completely warped even in your way of thinking about malice and hostility. Then what do you think you can do? Currently, you cannot wield the perfected version of your power as Michael. True. Thats what I want Sasha Kreutzev and Imagine Breaker for. That right arm has to have limits on its use, said Vento interrupting his casual speech. ... Fiamma stopped speaking, but Ventos voice continued. Because you played around with those small fries, it has already begun to disintegrate into the air. There is a theory behind the superhuman powers magicians use and members of Gods Right Seat cannot just use spells other than the special ones that have been adjusted for our use. Once your stock runs out, you are nothing more than a regular human. A smile leaked out. However, it was not on Ventos face. Fiammas lips curved up slightly. Dont tell me... An eerie pressure was emitted into the air around him. He spoke as he slowly moved the fingers on his right arm. ...you thought you could make up for the difference between us with just that. No. The handle of the hammer resting on Ventos shoulder floated up slightly. It was only a few centimeters. Were only just now getting to the truly interesting stuff, she announced along with that slight movement. Immediately afterwards, Fiamma of the Right was knocked straight back. Kamijou was a few dozen meters away, but not even he could grasp what had happened. The event had not been unusual due to its speed. It was the scale. All of a sudden, a giant structure had split through the snowy earth in the center of the plaza. The object that came up diagonally was a sailing vessel made of transparent ice. It was about 40 meters long, but not all of the ship could be seen. That 40 meter figure only applied to the part visible at that time. A cannon made of ice on the side of the ship aimed towards Fiamma. Instead of the flames of gunpowder, ice powder shot out along with an explosive noise. That attack of ice was the antithesis of the flames that the name Fiamma referred to and it was not merely a cannonball that was fired. It was a transparent anchor. The 2 or 3 meter mass struck Fiammas body and knocked him a few kilometers away. After a few moments, the noise of the impact belatedly resounded throughout the plaza. Ignoring the uproar occurring around her, Vento spoke. Did you know that Biagio Busoni commanded the Queen of the Adriatic and the Queens Fleet that protected it at Chioggia? Kamijou wasnt sure if there was a reason behind it or if she just liked doing it, but Vento was spinning the giant hammer around in one hand as she spoke. Her voice was almost at a whisper, but it was likely being sent to Fiammas ears via magical means. That was one of the Ten Holy Spirit Spells and I was the one that readjusted it to the point that it could be used. I cant control the entirety of the Queen of the Adriatic, but I have the affinity to control one portion of that great fleet. Kamijou heard a jangling noise. It was coming from Ventos tongue. Oh, and one more thing. A thin chain like one that would be used for a necklace stretched down from her tongue. On its end hung a cross. It was transparent as if it were made of ice. The decorative cross looked somehow similar to an anchor. There are quite a few stories in the Christian Church of storms in the sea being calmed to protect a ship. For example, there was the one with the Son of God and the one with Saint Nicholas. The element I rule is the wind or the air, but storms on the sea are a mix of the wind and the water. Using those stories, I am able to partially interfere with the water. ...Unlike the exclusivity of your fire, I can create complex and great effects like that. There was an explosive noise. It was the sound of the giant ice anchor exploding a few kilometers away while it was caught on Fiamma. It was not just an explosion caused by gunpowder. Hundreds of meter-long ice stakes were created in the explosion. The tips of the ice stakes were sharper than a steel spear and thousands upon thousands of them continued to explode outwards in every direction. The ground was gouged out and a large amount of snow and black soil was blown into the air. It was fortunate that the surrounding area was wilderness. With those numbers and that destructive force, even an underground shelter would have been turned to Swiss cheese. The people in the plaza did not understand what was going on. However, it seemed they were easily susceptible to the hostility and killing intent packed into the mountain of ice blades that had suddenly appeared. Some of them even folded their hands and desperately prayed. It was impossible to tell what had become of Fiamma from there. Even if they headed closer and investigated, it might be hard to tell. That was how much destructive force had been sent his way. Vento of the Front indeed possessed the extraordinary power of Gods Right Seat. If you had put together a strategy focusing solely on killing me, the result may have been a bit different, but you could not have defended against that strike with that right arm of yours disintegrating into the air like that, she said with her tongue sticking out as if she were ridiculing him. You wasted too much ammo, you fool. ...Although, I suppose Im wasting my breath here. Oh, really? Id say Im much more careful with my possession than you give me credit for, said a voice of unknown origin cutting Vento off. Immediately afterwards, the loud sound of the distant mountain of ice blades being blown to pieces from within was heard. It went beyond the level of an eruption. The overwhelming force did not even allow the remnants to rain back down to the ground. The shattered pieces were swept away in the wind. The shattered ice flew in every direction in clumps a few meters long. One of those directions was towards the plaza Kamijou and the others were in. It was like a bombardment of shells. Multiple buildings were crushed and the people in the plaza lay on the ground covering their heads with their hands. Screams and shouts could be heard in response to the unreasonable disaster. As Vento looked at the area a few kilometers away, her eyebrows twisted in confusion. A beam of light shot out. It came from such a distance that Kamijou and the others couldnt see the details, but Kamijou knew that it had come from an arm. It had come from the third arm that had newly appeared from Fiammas shoulder. It seems I cannot avoid having it disintegrate into the air, but I have succeeded in fixing it in that state. Something flashed. It was a reflection from the light of the beam his third arm had fired. The reflection could be seen on something in Fiammas right hand. Its details could not be seen from that distance either, but Kamijou could guess that it was Indexs remote control spiritual item. That device allowed Fiamma to freely pull out any information he wanted from the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires. To put it bluntly, I no longer have any limits. Vento did not stay silent. Explosive noises sounded from the cannons on the nearby ship. A second and third anchor cut through the air heading for Fiamma. That ridiculous barrage had been what had sent Fiamma flying a few kilometers away just a bit earlier. However, Fiamma did not even attempt to evade. He merely swung his right arm lightly. I do not need destructive force. That was all. The sound of one of the anchors shattering split through the air. The one anchor was destroyed in midair and the other impaled into the ground in a spot it should not have hit. This caused an explosion a few dozen meters across to occur. The scene looked like some kind of joke. Pieces of the scenery like mountains and rivers were blown away. If I touch my enemy, its over, so I dont need to put any effort into destroying them. Tch!! Vento hurriedly held up her hammer and muttered something under her breath. She may have had some other trump card. Kamijou did not know very much about magic, but it felt like she was moving as if making a figure out of a string in her hands at high speed. But... I do not need speed. A cold voice cut her off. Forcefully. Exceedingly overwhelming. If I swing, I hit my enemy, so I dont need to put any effort into hitting them. Kamijou did not know what happened. The next thing he knew, Fiamma, who was supposed to be a few kilometers away, was situated right under Ventos chin and her body was blown away an instant later. Fiammas movements did not end there. The chain attached to Ventos tongue trailed behind her as she flew backwards. Fiamma casually grabbed it in midair. The action was as carefree as someone grabbing a scrap of paper being blown in the wind. Ventos body was still flying backwards. Of course, the thin chain could not support Ventos weight. With a tearing noise, the piercing holding the chain in was torn from Ventos tongue. She did not even have time to let out a scream. The woman wearing all yellow continued flying back a few dozen meters. She struck the center of the ice ship that had appeared in the center of the plaza. The giant piece of art that symbolized a bombardment was broken in half horizontally from her impact. Finally, Vento let out a scream. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Quit exaggerating. Its not like your whole tongue was ripped out. It was just a little tear. And the ice ships defensive spell only started to disappear when you hit it, so you just barely managed to receive the benefit of that. As Fiamma boredly watched Vento lying on the ground a few dozen meters away screaming, he lightly tossed up the chain he had ripped out. He swung the third arm sticking out from his right shoulder and the clear cross shattered. The remnants of the broken ice ship collapsed into the plaza and the surrounding villagers frantically moved out of the way. Of course, Fiamma did not look over in that direction at all. Vento tried to stand up as red stains dripped down onto the white snow below her. Gbh!? What...!? Its quite simple. What I possess is not the right arm itself but the power that should reside in the right arm. The right is used in most Christian rituals. Archangel Michael cut down the leader of the fallen angels with his right hand, the Son of God healed the sick with his right hand, the Bible was written with the right hand, and, well, there are many others. In other words, I can freely use a great number of Christian supernatural phenomena. You can figure out the rest. Youre not so incompetent you cant do that. Ridiculous... That right arm is.... Thats right. Its incomplete. Normally, I wouldnt be showing it off like this. However, that isnt something you should be excited about. Gods Right Seat is...no, the entire world is in an ambiguous state like that. ...? During Angel Fall, it seems the angel that appeared in an imperfect form named itself Misha. That alone, Fiamma said in a melancholic way. Mikhail is another name for Michael. It is not a name fitting for Gabriel. And yet that archangel gave its name, the name that states its role created by God, as Misha. Do you understand how important that fact is? Fiamma continued on. Vento of the Front bears wind, yellow, and Uriel while Terra of the Left bears earth, green, and Raphael, but that is slightly off. Normally, wind goes with Raphael and earth goes with Uriel. Ventos face held an expression that looked like her heart had stopped. Her expression seemed to be saying that the mental damage of having the pillar of her heart toppled was greater than the physical damage to her tongue. No one realizes it. Fiammas words alone resounded through the area. No one realizes it and yet the world continues on. Magic is activated. Did you know that all four of the major elements have begun to distort slightly? This world is in much more of a crisis than you realize. Someone has to do something about it. You...dont mean...Vento shook her head as she spoke what she had no proof of. Angel Fall left that much of an after effect? Quite the opposite. It was because that distortion to the great laws existed that an opening existed that allowed such a ridiculous spell to be activated in the first place. ...Do you understand now? Thats enough then, right? With a smile on his face, Fiamma swung his third arm. It was an exceedingly primitive motion. There was a space of a few dozen meters between them, but that meant nothing to his ridiculous power. But Kamijou charged in from the side towards Fiamma before he could finish the action. I do not need to... Fiammas response was actually quite simple. ...turn around. He changed the trajectory of his arm. As if it were fulfilling its natural role, Kamijous body was knocked away. It was a primitive strike like swinging a wooden rod, but that was why there could be no doubts about it. Pain ran through Kamijous organs and even his backbone. But it was odd. That strike had shattered that giant anchor and destroyed the ship itself in a single strike, so it should have smashed a human body to pieces. Perhaps its given role had been automatically selected to emit the perfect amount of power to knock away Kamijou Touma. Fiamma was not like a Saint that pushed through with power and speed. Using a battle in an RPG as an example... What if there was a ridiculous command of defeat among the usual commands of fight, defend, magic, and item. Most likely, Fiamma would respond in the same way to Kanzaki or Acqua and he would defeat them just the same. It didnt matter if his speed or strength were inferior. His exceedingly overwhelming power ignored any actions taken by his opponent and simply crushed them. It was like pushing a giant wall along to flatten a sand hill made by a child. He could not win in a direct fight. But then, he could not fall back either. If Kamijou did not do anything, Fiamma would finish off Vento. He might not let Lessar and Elizalina live either. He would take Sasha Kreutzev and leave. And most importantly, Fiamma held Indexs remote control spiritual item. ... Kamijous lip must have split because he could taste blood. Ignoring that, he stood up once more. He tightly clenched his fist. Youre a wonderful person, Fiamma said glancing over to Kamijou while clearly keeping Vento in range. How many people have you stood up for so far? How many incidents have you resolved by swinging that fist of yours? You truly are a wonderful person. But the most wonderful thing of all is how you have been provoked by others into heading into peril yourself and, in the end, you have accumulated all of the fruits and rewards of your actions for yourself. What are you trying to say? Are you sure that your actions are truly right? Fiamma slowly moved his arm. His third arm. It was an exceedingly irregular object that could not be described with just magic or with just science. There is no fundamental difference between my actions that you are so angry about and the actions you yourself have taken. I am wielding my right arm to resolve my own problem while you wield your right arm to resolve the problems that occur around you. We both do it by shattering something that someone worked desperately to obtain. There is no difference in our methods. And I am sure. ...I know that my actions will bring about absolute good. ...Are you just telling me to ignore the fact that Index is suffering for that? Kamijou responded without hesitation. Fuck that. Youre saying that using the people of the Roman Catholic Church for your own convenience and backing the coup detat in England with pressure from France is for absolute good? Is there something wrong with your head? So youre saying you would be doing good by stopping me? This isnt an issue of good. ... Index is suffering. How many people do you think are crying because of this fucking war you started? Is it so strange to want to stand up against that? Is it so wrong to want to fight for a girl who cant even open her eyes? At the very least, Im not going to listen to the complaints of some bastard who delights in the suffering of others. But... Truly wonderful. Fiamma held his right hand out towards Kamijou while smiling. A small tube-shaped device lay within that hand. It was Indexs remote control spiritual item. Kamijous expression changed and Fiamma grinned widely as he spoke. Is that really something you can say before a nun you have been continually lying to? Kamijous shoulders gave a slight twitch. (It couldnt be...) At times, I am connected to her consciousness through this remote control spiritual item. The information I see and hear is passed on to her at those times. (He...) Now then. Can you say the same thing in this situation? There is no problem with being wrong. But if you truly believe what you said, then why did you continue to put on that shameless act before her? (Hes realized it...?) A chill ran down his back. It was not a feeling regarding the danger he himself was in. It was the feeling of the invisible pillar supporting a certain girl slowly crumbling away. Meanwhile, Fiamma lightly touched his temple with one of his normal fingers and smiled. You are the only one that can fully understand what you are hiding. She is the only one that can judge how she feels about those things. You seem to have been protecting her from it for your own satisfaction, but I look forward to seeing whether she judges that to have been a good thing or not. He swung his third arm. Kamijou was frozen in place due to Fiammas words, so he could not react. However, he was not aiming for Kamijou. Fiammas strike hit Sasha Kreutzev who was still collapsed in the plaza. One for now. The next thing Kamijou knew, Fiammas third arm was holding the small girl. He had completely ignored the distance between them. The arm had shot out like a whip and wrapped back up like a chameleons tongue. !? Fiamma!! Kamijou yelled having come back to his senses. Id like to get the second now too, but there is a problem of compatibility, Fiamma responded in such a carefree way that it sounded like he was about to start whistling. I want to completely seal the angel medium to transport it, but your right hands special effect would get in the way of that. It would be difficult to transport both of you at the same time. Fiamma turned his back on Kamijou while holding Sasha like a bag entangled in a branch. Dont let yourself die too easily. Kamijou ignored Fiammas words and charged for him. But Fiamma did not even turn around. I need that right hand of yours, after all. There was an explosive wind and Fiamma was gone by the time Kamijou could negate it with his right hand. With the danger gone, commotion returned to the plaza. Kamijou alone stayed motionless amid the scenery that had once more begun to move. Fiammas words echoed within his head. I look forward to seeing whether she judges that to have been a good thing or not. Part 9 Hamazura Shiage wandered around on the snow. He had originally been in a building, but he hadnt been able to stay still. He wasnt headed anywhere in particular. He merely headed back and forth on the snow trying to do something about the pressure that had built up in his gut. He was in a small village. The village only had about 50 log houses. People who did not live there werent able to distinguish between the private houses and the stores. In fact, all the buildings seemed to be both. It seems theyre at the limit of what they can do for that girl, said a tall man speaking to Hamazura. He was the man who had brought Hamazura and Takitsubo to the village in exchange for the fuel inside the stolen car. His name seemed to be Digurv. These are the effects of a drug from Academy City where technology is 20 or 30 years removed from here. Theres no way a small clinic like this is going to know how to treat her and it seems there is a good chance doing the wrong thing would make her condition even worse. I know, Hamazura said shaking his head with an anxious expression. Even so, she hadnt had a chance to sleep on a proper bed until now. Please. You just need to stabilize her a bit. I dont want to see her suffering. We can do that, but what are you planning to do in the long run? Hamazura remained silent to Digurvs question. Takitsubo had said there may be some secret reason behind Academy Citys invasion of Russia and that if he could grasp whatever that was and get in a position where he could influence the outcome of the war, he may be able to negotiate on an even standing with the large organization of Academy City. He had no choice but to search for it. He had to head alone for the center of the world war before Takitsubo Rikou was absolutely done for. That huge wall of a task before him was making him feel depressed, so Hamazura changed the subject. He looked around the area. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. Yes, they do. It seems a nearby village was attacked by the Russian army, but they were apparently saved by an Asian boy while en route to the concentration camp. More people fled here than normally live here. That may have been why they were so low on supplies. ...Is your generator doing okay? For now. We were supposed to get periodic shipments of supplies and fuel, but the route has been cut off by the Russian troops stationed on the roads. To be honest, if you hadnt come by there, we would have been in a really bad situation. That was a problem that would not have existed if the war between Academy City and Russia had not occurred. Sorry... This is our fault. For an instant a ridiculous delusion passed through the back of Hamazuras mind. What if that large scale war had started because he and Takitsubo had fled to Russia? He knew quite well that the two of them were nowhere near that valuable, but he couldnt remove that last little thorn of doubt. But Digurv shook his head. No, it isnt. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I understand. ? This village was being targeted by the Russian army since before World War III began. We are quite near the border with the Elizalina Alliance. This is an excellent location to build a base for invading, so we have been faced with the threat of losing this land many times. And it isnt just on the level of land speculation. They have even scattered landmines from transport planes on the pretext of preventing an invasion from the Alliance. Russia may have equipment to locate the landmines and collect them, but we do not. Hamazura had difficulty imagining such a thing happening. After all, it would be unthinkable for the government to do something like that in Japan. Dont worry about it. We treat them like point stickers. Mines are sort of similar. We can recover them and hand them over to an NGO in exchange for food and supplies. It may be safer to detonate them there, but it seems they want more obvious results from helping bring peace. Digurv pointed towards a small building on the edge of the village. That was where the landmines were put after they had been dug up from the ground and their fuse pins had been fixed. ...Does Russia really want to invade the Elizalina Alliance that badly? What exactly are they after there? Who knows. It may not be a definite threat and the Russian government is just afraid of the country being split apart even further. At the very least, I dont think the Alliance is any military threat to Russia. I just dont think they have enough military force to go to war. Even though he lived so nearby, he didnt know everything about that country. And Digurv seemed to be speaking as if he had been told this by someone else. He was a civilian. It wasnt easy for him to get any more information than what was shown on the news. That was when Hamazura heard the sound of someone walking on the snow. Digurv turned in the direction of the noise and then immediately shoved Hamazura down onto the snow. Hamazura didnt even have time to cry out in protest. Digurv pulled on Hamazuras clothes and frantically jumped behind a building. What? Did something happen? Its a Russian soldier, Digurv responded in a purposefully quiet voice as he held his index finger up to his lips. With an expression of shock, Hamazura slowly peeked out from behind the wall. Sure enough, he saw a man in his 20s who was wearing a military uniform and standing on the snow. Digurvs expression turned even more serious. We do have anti-intruder sensors set up around the village. Did one of them fail? ...Hey. You said the Russian army is after this villages land, right? However, something odd happened before Hamazura got an answer to his question. The Russian soldier who had been walking along sluggishly suddenly collapsed onto the snow. Hamazura and Digurv exchanged glances, but the Russian soldier showed no sign of moving. After watching him for a full 30 seconds, they slowly headed out from behind the building. Even after they made it right up next to the soldier, he did not attack. When they flipped the face-down soldier onto his back, they noticed his face had turned blue and purple in places. He has frostbite, said Digurv. The soldier looked up at Hamazura and Digurv with his almost closed eyes and muttered something in Russian. Hearing that, Digurv looked over at Hamazura. He asked us to help him. He said he was carrying something to a nearby air force base, but the base was attacked by Academy City before he got there. It seems the cold was too much for him without his outdoor gear. ...We certainly have gotten a lot of visitors today. Hamazuras face seemed to twitch when he heard the term Academy City, but he couldnt stay focused solely on that. ...What do we do? Do we save him? Hes a bit like an uninvited guest. Dont ask that question with that look in your eyes. Its clear hes asking for help, Digurv said as he helped the frostbitten soldier up and let him lean on his shoulder. Hamazura helped support the man as well and was shocked at how cold his skin was. Hey, Digurv. Is this really okay for you all? As much as Id like to be coldhearted, abandoning him wouldnt change anything. They were headed for the small clinic where Takitsubo was resting. Hamazura didnt know exactly how frostbite was treated, but he guessed that taking him before a heater or a fireplace would do him a lot of good. (...He was carrying something, hm?) If Academy City had attacked for a reason other than the official reason for the war... In other words, if they had attacked because they were targeting whatever it was that was being brought to the air force base, that something might work as a means of negotiating with Academy City. And an Academy City force had attacked the air force base that something was supposed to be headed for. Didnt that mean it was possible it hadnt made it to the units hands yet? Hamazura glanced over at the side of the Russian soldiers face. He doubted an amateur high school student like himself would be able to get any information from a professional soldier who regularly trained and who had experience in real battle. However, he may have a chance with the man in such a weakened state. After calculating that much out, Hamazura spoke. ...God dammit. I wouldnt be able to look Takitsubo in the eye if I did that. ? Digurv looked puzzled, but Hamazura said nothing more. There was more than one way. There had to be some other opportunity he could use to negotiate with Academy City that did not involve using the misfortune of others. (For now, I just have to get him somewhere warm.) However, something rushed out of the clinic just as they were about to open the door. It was a girl of about 10. She must have been one of the people who had been rescued from the trucks instead of one of the residents of the village. Hamazura was usually able to distinguish them based on the style of their clothes. She spoke for quite a bit upon seeing Digurv. She seemed to be passing on some kind of message and Digurv frowned. Her words might not have been getting across to him very well because she was so worked up about something. However, Digurvs expression finally changed once he seemed to figure out what she was saying. He left the frostbitten soldier to Hamazura and rushed into the clinic. Hamazura had no idea what was going on, but he entered the clinic with the soldier. He was nervous. After all, the girl had come rushing out of the clinic Takitsubo Rikou was resting in. Something may have happened. He had a bad feeling. However, his expectations were wrong. The reality was much worse. Whats going on!? Did something happen!? Hamazura yelled out in Japanese as he lowered the Russian soldier to the floor next to the electric heater near the entrance. Digurv had been speaking quickly, but he finally turned around towards Hamazura. He was moving around like someone preparing to skip town. ...Privateers. What? Its the term for a military system from the middle ages. Governments would authorize pirates to attack ships from enemy nations in order to both cause financial problems for the other country as well as benefit from the valuables brought back to their own country. Meanwhile, the pirates would be protected by that government. It seems some pirates were even given the title of a knight. What about it? The Russian army is still using privateers to this day, Digurv said with bloodshot eyes and with tension and sweat on his face. There are blank units within the army. They have no official members. The privateers are often paid to attack enemy forces. There has always been a need for missions to cut off enemy supply lines and indirectly lessen the enemys military forces, but the attack missions targeting lightly equipped people were not popular and it started spreading needless dissatisfaction. From what I have heard, this led to a dedicated unit being formed. It seems they are used for the more dirty missions. I dont really know how much of this is true though. Digurv continued speaking. They are a group of people who want to act violently and who have military experience centered around Western Europe. Ive heard that they recruit over the internet. Apparently, its pretty popular because they can make quite a bit of money in a short period of time and they are not bound by military regulations. On top of that, they are given Russias best equipment and sent out on some of the dirtier missions. If it comes down to it, the unit can be immediately done away with even in the paperwork. Any soldiers that caused some problems will be recorded as having been thrown into a detention facility and the actual soldiers will have gone back to their own countries. That way, missions that would bring criticism from the international community can be carried out smoothly. Youre kidding... Are you saying that thugs like that are headed here? Hamazura looked over at the Russian soldier in front of the electric heater. W-wait. We have a member of the Russian army here. They wouldnt just destroy the entire village, right? Theyd at least check the place out first, right? These are privateers. They dont care about any of that, Digurv said shaking his head. Even the Russian soldier gave what sounded like a moan at hearing the term privateer. Weve already had a few attacks from privateers, Digurv said in almost a whisper. He had already said that the Russian army was after the land the village was on in order to create a base from which to invade the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. And he had said that they had scattered landmines from transport planes. However, we have always managed to detect their approach and run away before they can actually attack. They destroy all the buildings and steal everything of value, but we managed to divide things up to leave decoys. That left us with enough left over to rebuild with. Th-then, we just have to... ...The situation is different now. Because of World War III, the Russian army has given the privateers new equipment. We cant get away this time. We cant escape on foot from the armored vehicles they are using and we do not have the firepower needed to resist them. Youve gotta be kidding... Digurv had said they didnt have the fuel needed to run the generator. It was possible that also meant they could not use any vehicles to escape on. They couldnt use their usual pattern. What would happen then? A distance out from here, we have steel towers that can detect someones approach using magnetism. One has been blown away. It was most likely the privateers. Theyve gotten close, so we dont have time. They dont care about war treaties, so they wont capture or restrain us when they break in. Theyll just kill us. Hamazura looked over at the wall of the clinic. There was an assault rifle leaning up against the wall. It had wooden pieces on it. He wasnt sure of the technical name, but he thought it was an AK-something-or-other. He had been surprised to see it when he had first brought Takitsubo into the clinic, but it seemed they were more ubiquitous in that area than fire extinguishers. But he couldnt. He couldnt defeat the privateers by running around holding that thing. They knew of the situation, so they would be taking preparations to slaughter everyone in the village. There was no way he could fight. He had used handguns a fair bit in the back alleys in Japan, but he had never even touched a gun that big. They were probably used in a completely different way. What do we do...? Is there anywhere we can flee to!? Thats what were trying to figure out now. Part 10 Accelerator thought quietly while at the remains of the Russian air force base that had been attacked by an underground organization from Academy City. He looked at the dozen or so men and women who were surrounding him. They were an odd bunch. He didnt think they were just Russian soldiers. They were wearing dark religious habits and they held special decorative swords, spears, staffs, axes, and other similar objects. Normally, he wouldnt have thought those were very logical weapons to choose. They seemed to be an era or two behind, but they blended into the Russian battlefield that was the remains of the base that was spewing flames and smoke. He felt the same pressure from them that he did from Unabara. There was something about them. But that wasnt his top priority. He held a girl known as Last Order. She was unconscious and lying limply in his arm. Because he was holding her in one arm, he might damage Last Order if he used his reflection over his entire body. He had to focus on how he used his power. He walked on his own two legs. To make sure he did not hurt Last Order, he intentionally lowered his defenses. ... Accelerator thought for a second and frowned. Then he took action. He focused his vector transformation power in his right hand for the purpose of attacking. With a tremendous noise, he altered the vectors for his leg strength to shoot forward like a thrown spear. He headed for the man closest to him. He stuck his right hand forward. He just barely brushed the man, but the man flew over 10 meters before landing. The man yelled out a word as he flew backwards. Vodyanoy!! It was most likely a codename. The group faltered at the sight of the sudden damage to their companion, but they started moving shortly thereafter. The woman standing diagonally back in Accelerators blind spotprobably the Vodyanoy the man had mentionedmade an odd motion with her fingers. Immediately afterwards, the snow around her melted and turned into a spear of water that flew towards Accelerator. The mysterious attack was not from a bullet or a bomb. A normal person would have been too surprised to react and simply been skewered. However, Accelerator was not bothered by it. He himself was a mass of the mysterious. He held up his right hand, the sole area his reflection was activated on. The water spear was smashed to pieces. The water turned to a rainbow of light that flowed diagonally back from his right hand. It acted as a wall of pressure that knocked away 4 of 5 of Vodyanoys comrades. Accelerator had blocked the attack, but he frowned. He couldnt figure it out. If his reflection had succeeded, the water spear should have head straight back at Vodyanoy and pierced her arm. Instead, it had gone astray and had disintegrated into a rainbow of light. It had been an odd phenomenon. It hadnt been something like steam created from water or ice. Accelerator had caused the reflection but he didnt understand the process by which it had turned to light. (...What...?) It felt like having something you had grabbed with the tips of your fingers slipping away. When he reflected teleportation powers, a strange phenomenon occurred in the 3 dimensional world, but this had felt entirely different. However, he did not have time to think about it. Vodyanoy seemed confused, too. As if to check what had happened, she created the exact same water spear once more. She watched him carefully as the attack hit as if looking for a way through his defenses. This was convenient for Accelerator. He held his palm forward and the water spear turned to rainbow-colored light once more. However, something was different from the previous time. One portion of the rainbow-colored light almost scratched Last Orders cheek. ...You need to be careful. A tremendous noise rang out. It was the sound of Accelerator lightly stepping on the ground and causing a huge tsunami of snow to rise up. It swallowed up Vodyanoy and the others. Unlike a normal tsunami, it had overwhelming speed. It was faster than Vodyanoy and the others and the wall of snow knocked the attackers unconscious. Yeah, the right hand just doesnt suit me. Checking that he had taken care of all the enemies, Accelerator flipped the electrodes switch and thought for a bit. What had that water spear been? The grasp of its vectors had been completely different from the scientific powers developed in Academy City. Different vectors. Different laws. Accelerator was reminded of the pieces of parchment he had found in the freight train. They had asked him if he had attacked the base and if he was with Academy City. That meant they were likely with Russia and not Academy Citys underworld. They may know something about the parchment. They might even know what the pieces of parchment were used for. There was a chance that would lead to a means of saving Last Order from the critical situation she was in. (What a pain in the ass...) It seemed he had to speak with the attackers he had knocked unconscious. He had to make sure he didnt inadvertently kill them. Suddenly, Accelerator stopped moving and looked up. One of Academy Citys supersonic bombers was flying through the sky. That alone was fairly common due to the war. However, the bomber dropped something above the ruins of the base. It wasnt a parachute. It was something equipped with glider wings that looked like a complex hang glider. He could see a human figure. He didnt think any further than that. It was an enemy. He clicked his tongue once as he came to that conclusion. Immediately afterwards, Accelerator hit the switch on his electrode and kicked some pebbles at his feet. With an explosive noise, the glider was shot down. However, the figure did not fall down and strike the ground. He saw some purple electricity sparking. The figures speed lowered in stages as it fell and finally landed softly on the ground. (...The person detonated the air?) Accelerator gave that guess as to what the figure had done, but it didnt surprise him. After all, he himself had once jumped out of a bomber over the French city of Avignon without a parachute. What he was interested in was the power the figure had used. Electricity. And it was a power Accelerator was quite familiar with. Who are you? The figure was dressed in white battle clothing that matched the snowy plain. The figure had special goggles that covered its entire face like a mask. He couldnt tell where the figures eyes or nose were. The flat mask had nothing on it but 8 small lenses placed in a circle like the face of an analog clock. The figures clothing had no gaps in it and could have hidden all sorts of things within. As such, he couldnt be sure at first glance, but the figure appeared to be a girl of about high school age. An odd nervousness ran through Accelerator. The white skin of her ear that could be seen sticking out from the mask and the swaying of the brown shoulder-length hair gave Accelerator a very bad feeling. Thats right. He had a feeling that she looked a lot like the small girl he held in his arms. Who are you!? The white figure did not remove her mask. He could not see her expression. The lenses arranged like a clock face moved slightly and she responded. Would it be enough to tell you Misaka is from the Third Season? Accelerator thought his breathing had completely stopped. However, the girl who had referred to herself as Misaka continued. Hi there. Misaka has come to kill you, #1. Misaka doesnt really care about what happens with this war. No orders like that were input into her. Misakas goal is nothing more than killing the #1. That is the reasonthe sole reasonMisaka was taken from the cultivation device. Between the lines 2 She tried to look into it, but it wasnt really something she could just look into. (...Well, I suppose that should be obvious.) Misaka Mikoto looked away from the PDA and sighed. She had been trying to take classified information from the Bank, but the situation was different from usual. The security had been tightened quite a bit. The fact that they were at war was cropping up in places she hadnt expected at all. That was just how valuable the information she was trying to get at was. If the details of a mission were leaked out, a lot of peoples lives would be at risk. But she had managed to get some information. She had been able to get a few things that werent related to the war. During the large-scale sports festival known as the Daihaseisai, Misaka Mikoto had watched Kamijou Toumas school compete. In other words, she knew the name of his school. She had checked the attendance records for the school and he hadnt been there since the day he had called her from London. When she checked the records further, she found out he had missed quite a few days even before that. He was definitely going to have to take supplementary lessons. It seemed very odd to her. Normally, there would have been some signs of him struggling in an attempt to prevent that from happening. It was just too weird that he hadnt been there a single time since that day. That boy might really not be in Academy City. If what he had said on the phone was true, he might not even be in Japan. England was a good distance from Russia where the heart of the war was, but that was no proof that he wouldnt get caught up in the war. After all, the war was on a worldwide scale. Safe places were the exception. Academy City may have seemed peaceful, but that was because the ballistic missiles were being intercepted. Trying to find a safe place may have been hopeless. (...What do I do? Do I try to go deeper for information because I know hes in a certain level of danger?) Mikoto seriously started thinking about that, but then she gave a deep breath. She could tell her blood was rushing to her head. Even if she was going to attempt to hack in, she would certainly fail in that mental state. She decided to take a break and rest her head before trying again. Mikoto switched the PDA over to the 1seg television. Most of what was airing was news about the war. A lot of normal programming had been interrupted. Some variety programs were airing, but there was something awkward about them. They were avoiding the use of words that were related to war or would remind people of war. Nothing showing would help her rest. Mikoto started thinking it would be better to switch over to the browser and watch an internet show, but then her index finger operating the touchscreen froze. The announcer on the news program was explaining the situation in the snowy Russia. There was no text saying it was a live broadcast, so the footage must have been taken a bit ago. Someone could just barely be seen at the edge of the screen. Who was that spiky haired boy who had a Gekota strap hanging out of his pants pocket? Volume 20, 3: The Stand-Off Against the Wall of Doubt. Great_Complex. Volume 20, Chapter 3: The Stand-Off Against the Wall of Doubt. Great_Complex. Part 1 The foreign unit of mercenaries known as privateers began their invasion. Hamazura Shiage and the others could do nothing about it. As expected, the privateers showed no sign of worrying about the injured Russian soldier. They were putting everything into the invasion. This way. Digurv led them into the basement of the clinic. It seemed the space was originally used for storing cheeses and smoked meats. Of course, it did not have the durability one would expect of a shelter. It could not defend against attacks, so its only purpose was to keep the enemy from finding them. The frostbitten Russian soldier seemed able to move a bit after having warmed up next to the electric heater. They gave him some preserved cheese to help him recover his strength, but his expression looked like sorrow itself. He seemed more bothered by having been abandoned by the army than by his physical condition. Hamazura embraced Takitsubos limp form. He had never expected things to turn out that way. He had thought the back alleys of Academy City were bad, but they were not the only hell. In each place, a different mouth of darkness opened to swallow them whole. Hamazura and Takitsubo had thought they were desperately running from the darkness, but it turned out somewhere other than here was not necessarily a paradise. Low vibrations resounded from the ceiling. They didnt sound like explosions. It was similar to a car engine, but the vibrations were too loud. What is that? Treads? They may have come in tanks, responded Digurv. There arent many. Two Id guess. They dont care about the theories followed by a normal army. They probably havent brought any infantry with them. ...But tanks on their own are more than enough of a threat. As the low vibrations brought him fear, Hamazura also had a question. We know we dont have any, but for all they know, we could have people hiding in or behind buildings with anti-tank rockets, right? Wouldnt they normally destroy the main pieces of cover from a distance before charging in? They arent a normal army. They only want to rampage around and they were just given the latest equipment, so normal military theory means nothing to them. It may leave some openings, but they are more brutal than some more mechanical soldiers. Its best if we arent found. A terrible splintering sound could be heard from overhead. The two of them stopped talking. The sounds of a building being demolished continued. Instead of blowing it away with a shell, they were using the thickly armored vehicle itself to plow into the building. It certainly did not seem like the proper way of doing things. (...Theyre playing around.) Hamazura gritted his teeth while embracing Takitsubo. (Theyre waiting for us to not be able to withstand the fear and come running out. That way they can carefully aim and shoot us while were in a panic.) The privateers enjoyed the act of killing more than achieving the objective of their mission. Tearfully surrendering would be of no use. There would be no point in begging them to let Takitsubo live. They would just shoot both of them in the forehead. Intense anger boiled up from the bottom of his gut, but there was nothing he could do. Jumping out before the privateers would just be playing into their hands. Digurv must have been feeling even more anger than Hamazura. It was Digurv and the others who had so much riding on that land. Seeing it all mercilessly destroyed half for fun must have doubled his anger. Digurv managed to endure it both so he personally would survive and so Hamazura and the others hiding there would not get wrapped up in it all. Hamazura knew for sure he shouldnt take any careless actions. But the danger did not leave after only that. The ceiling suddenly collapsed and the armored vehicle fell down like an avalanche. Most likely, the privateers hadnt meant to do that. They had run through the clinic without realizing it had a basement and had fallen through the floor. However, that was not something Hamazura and the others could endure. A large number of wooden boards came tumbling down and Hamazura and Digurv desperately rolled out of the way. The sharp edges of the broken boards pierced into the plaster wall. The armored vehicle had a gun turret on the top. The turret did not move. The sudden fall down into the basement had bent the end of the gun. Run!! Digurv yelled. A metal door on the front of the vehicle started to open. Hamazura dragged Takitsubo along. He handed her to Digurv who had made it up to the surface. That was when the door on the vehicle fully opened. Hamazura managed to climb out along with the frostbitten Russian soldier at almost the exact moment rifle bullets began spraying around at random. The clinic was pretty much gone. Its roof and walls were missing. It was nothing more than a pile of rubble. They had managed to avoid getting shot by the rifle bullets by getting to the surface. However, they did not have time to relax. Digurv spoke with a pale face. If we stay up here, well be killed. The other privateers in the area might find us and its all over once the ones from the armored vehicle climb out. We need to find some other shelter before they catch up to us!! Something nearby exploded. Hamazura and Digurv were knocked in different directions. There was something wrong with Hamazuras eardrums. From his position on the ground, Hamazura could see Digurv. It seemed the man had taken less damage than him. Digurv was holding Takitsubo and he looked over at Hamazura for an instant, but he was then forced to run off somewhere. He was likely fleeing towards some other basement. (...Fuck. I dont know where that basement is!! He damn well better not let Takitsubo die!!) Hamazura slowly stood up. He was almost completely in a state of panic. The frostbitten soldier must have gone somewhere, because he didnt see him anywhere. He smelled smoke. The smells of food, cigarettes, and other signs of human life were gone. They had been completely blown away. He knelt down behind some rubble and looked around the area. Already, almost half of the log houses had collapsed and he could clearly see the tracks of treads in the white snow. They did not seem to belong to the armored vehicle from before. (A weapon. Is there any kind of weapon I can get...?) He couldnt overcome that crisis with just the handgun in his pocket. For better or for worse, there was a machine gun emplacement only 10 meters away. A rather large machine gun was placed in a half circle of sandbags. Surely it was not there to shoot down an attack helicopter. It was possible it was there to merely look like it could do so in an attempt to prevent any from passing by overhead. Of course, Hamazura did not know how to operate a machine gun. He would just end shooting wildly unable to deal with the recoil. But it was better than nothing. Hamazura was so nervous that he was afraid his raised heart rate would tear his heart apart as he dashed out from behind the rubble and onto the white snow. He was almost falling more than he was running, but he managed to make it to the gun emplacement surrounded by sandbags. It had only been 10 meters, but it had seemed a path through hell to Hamazura. The machine gun was fixed in place on 3 legs. The joints were made to rotate and the ends of the legs were completely fixed in a square piece of concrete with stakes. It couldnt be taken out without some tools. Fuck!! Hamazura swore as he pulled out his handgun. He could still hear explosions in the area, so he guessed that a few gunshots would go unnoticed. Just as he thought that, an armored vehicle with treads came out from behind a different building. It was about 20 meters away. It had a rotating gun turret with barrels lined up in parallel on both sides. It also had a plate-like antenna. It may have been more of an anti-aircraft gun than a tank. It had those large machine guns instead of something to shoot explosives like a tank. They really werent doing things the normal way. That vehicle was not meant to be on the front lines chasing enemies on the surface. But a flesh-and-blood human would still be turned to mincemeat if they were hit by those guns. Hamazura was so shocked he thought he was going to bite his tongue, but it seemed they hadnt noticed him. They were after another target. It was a woman in her 30s who was desperately running away while holding a young baby in her arms. A girl of about 10 was running just a bit behind her. The woman holding the babys expression was twisted in fear, exhaustion, and humiliation. Hamazura couldnt tell who she was, but he managed to pull some information from the back of his mind. She was most likely one of the people who had come to the village after having been rescued from the trucks. Her clothes were subtly different from Digurv and the others. The anti-aircraft gun adjusted slightly to aim at their backs. If even one shot hit them, they would be damaged so badly it would be hard to know how to bury them. Hamazuras arms jumped up. The next thing he knew, he was holding the machine gun set in the emplacement. He didnt have time to aim carefully. He pulled the trigger. The thing was supposed to be set in the ground, but a shock still ran through his right shoulder as if it had been hit by some kind of power tool. The immense shock blurred his vision. Even so, Hamazura gritted his teeth and continued to pull the trigger. Sparks flew from the anti-aircraft guns armor. Assuming one managed to hit it, the large machine gun did have the destructive power needed to damage a small aircraft. The force of his barrage must have altered the rotation angle of the gun turret by just a little bit. When the large guns started firing, the bullets flew by the woman and the girl instead of hitting them in the back. Run!! Hamazura yelled over the gunfire despite the fact that they likely didnt understand Japanese. The anti-aircraft gun did not leave it at that. Using a large motor, the gun turret rotated. They seemed pissed that he had ruined their fun. The barrels looked like a golf ball could easily fit inside and they were now pointed toward the gun emplacement Hamazura was in. Oh, shit! Hamazura immediately let go of the machine gun and hid. The spray of bullets began immediately afterwards. The sandbags burst one after another and the soil packed inside was blown away. The large machine gun was torn to pieces. At that rate, he was going to lose his wall in a few dozen seconds. But leaving the wall in the middle of that storm of bullets could very well make his body explode. Hamazura was unable to move, but the anti-aircraft gun ceased firing. (Did it jam...?) Hamazura thoughts moved in a positive direction, but that wasnt it. Those privateers did not follow proper military theory like normal soldiers did. They were doing this for fun. They put aside the guns and fired a surface-to-air missile instead. With a trail of white smoke, the explosive flew toward the half-destroyed gun emplacement. God dammit!! Hamazura frantically jumped to the side away from the gun emplacement he had been using as a shield. An explosion occurred immediately afterwards. His sense of hearing was blown away. His body floated in the air from the intense blast. After landing on the snow, he looked around the area. He just so happened to be behind a building. He was pretty sure he was 10 meters away from the gun emplacement. That was not due to his own ability. That was just how great the blast had been. His legs trembled in fear. There was something wrong with those privateers. Hamazura had lived a life in the back alleys of Academy City that most would not praise him for, yet the privateers aberrant morals were enough to scare even him. There was something wrong with someone who crossed national borders to get to a battlefield just to satisfy their desire to kill. As Hamazura realized this bit by bit, he was unable to move. He then heard a noise. !? He just about to panic and pull the trigger of his handgun without thinking of the consequences, but he realized who it was before he did. It was Digurv holding Takitsubo. He must have gotten there through a different route of hiding behind rubble. Digurv had not abandoned the unconscious girl. Hamazuras spirit had been about to break, but seeing Takitsubos sleeping face just barely managed to support him. Are you okay? We could really do without any more sick or injured. Hey, I thought you had run off to another shelter? I was running around trying to stay out of sight of the privateers and this is where I ended up. That must mean the privateers had them surrounded and were tightening the circle. Hamazuras mouth felt incredibly dry due to his tension. He was about ready to put a handful of snow into his mouth, but he had another question. What about some other shelter? The entrance to the other one is nearby, but the privateers are wandering around near it. They dont seem to have found it yet, but they may figure out theres one there if I get close. Shit, Hamazura muttered. The noise of engines was surprisingly quiet. The anti-aircraft gun from before was probably the only thing running. The armored vehicle had fallen through the floor of the clinic and couldnt be used anymore. The few privateers that had come from it just so happened to be blocking their way to the other shelter. What were they doing? They were checking everything including the attic and the curtains. Theyre even looking under childrens beds in an attempt to find any stash of money or valuables. They also seemed mad that they couldnt find their targets. Theyre all just itching to kill their enemy. ...So they dont intend to let us get away. And they dont seem like the type that would respond to an appeal to their compassion. The privateers ended up sealing up the entrance to the shelter. There was no longer a safe place they could run to. It was possible no such place had existed in the first place. Hamazura looked down at Takitsubos unconscious face. Her forehead was damp with a sickly sweat and her bangs were sticking there. When he kindly fixed her hair, he realized that his fingertips had stopped trembling. He could not let her die there. He did not want to let people who had worried for her die either. He didnt want to be defeated without being able to do anything. Hed had enough of that in the back alleys of Academy City. Hadnt Hamazura Shiage decided to escape all that? He was angry at the unreasonable violence. Why did Takitsubos life have to be targeted? Why did the people who had worried for her despite not knowing her have to be attacked for such a ridiculous reason? It was time to fight back. If it was a battle where both sides lives were on the line, Hamazura had the right to bite back. ...Can you hold on to Takitsubo for just a little longer? Wh-what are you going to do? Digurv may have noticed the change in Hamazuras expression and general atmosphere. Hamazura looked back at Takitsubos face once more as Digurv held her. Ive had enough of their shit. Im gonna blow that thing to pieces. Just so you know, we dont have any RPGs. That thing may have thinner armor than a tank, but an AK isnt enough to get through!! Theyre like point stickers, right? Digurv looked confused at Hamazuras odd remark and Hamazura repeated himself in a more understandable way. You said you had collected all the landmines youve dug up in one place so you can hand them over to an NGO, right? Part 2 He rushed from the base. Accelerator ran across the snow. He was not chasing anything and he was not sprinting towards a specific location. He was running away. Academy Citys #1 Level 5 was running away while holding Last Order. He honestly found her terrifying. More so than Kihara Amata. More so than Kakine Teitoku. More so than Aiwass. More so than that boy. The enemy chasing after Accelerator was overwhelmingly terrifying because she threatened to destroy the pillar supporting his values. He heard the sound of electricity sparking from behind him. It was on a smaller scale than a Railgun from #3. However, it was on a decidedly greater scale than the standard Sister. He heard what sounded like a popping balloon. It was the sound of an iron nail about 2 cm long being fired at just over the speed of sound. Its power was on the level of a handgun bullet. The iron nail had been fired from behind Accelerator and it accurately pierced into his left arm halfway between the elbow and shoulder. It wasnt that he hadnt been able to reflect it. He hadnt been sure if he should reflect it. No, what he couldnt decide was if it was okay to kill the attacker by reflecting it. He may have been able to alter the angle so it only injured her, but he could not deny the fact that he might end up reflecting it and killing her due to a mistake or slipping back into old habits. When he thought about that possibility, he could not act. Strength left his arm. The small girl it was supposed to be supporting flew through the air. The warmth of the girl who was supporting Accelerators mentality was swept away by the freezing cold that seemed to split through the snowy plain. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? His scream reverberated throughout the area. Last Orders body landed in the deep snow. Accelerator could not even reach his arm out towards her. He lost his balance and disturbed the white snow as he almost completely collapsed. He almost felt like laughter was going to overflow from the bottom of his gut. Accelerator had a rule he had imposed on himself. In the past he had killed a large number of clones for his own experiment. That was why he had decided that, no matter what happened, he would never again hurt the clones known as the Sisters and Last Order. To accomplish that, Accelerator had taken part in many bloody battles. Kihara Amata, Kakine Teitoku, and Shiokishi of the board of directors. His body and mind had been worn down during his fights against various monsters. He had lost to Aiwass. That was why he had fled to that land of snow. His efforts had hardly been perfect, but he had felt that he had done an okay job of protecting the lives and lifestyles of Last Order and the Sisters. He had believed that he had done what was necessary for that. But of all things, Academy City had put together a plan that seemed to be pinpointed to break exactly that. This plan took his desire to protect them even if it meant making an enemy of the entire world and used it as a tool for fighting against him. (Theyre fucking insane...) He needed to protect Last Order. He needed to defeat the Sister assassin. If he protected the one or let the other live, Accelerator would be breaking that rule he had risked his life to protect. (The Third Season? They created more of them just to create this situation!? They did it just to stimulate my trauma and break my mind!? Academy City is fucking insane. Now that I can see those bastards from the outside, its even more obvious. There is something fundamentally fucked up about that city!!) He could not accomplish any kind of normal thought pattern. That was proof that the attackers mere existence had shaken Accelerators mentality. It may have been true that a mental strategy would be more effective against someone who had the power to reflect a nuclear attack. Oh, dear. Do you think youre protecting Misaka? No one asked you to do that. In fact, its rather arrogant of you to think thats enough to make up for killing over 10,000 people. Those words stabbed into him. The tone of her voice was the same, but the feelings packed into them were overwhelmingly different. You should just bring yourself to ruin already. If you just break your rule and fight all out, surely you could kill Misaka, said the voice coming from behind the mask with the lenses arranged like the face of an analog clock. There was no fear in the voice. She may have been sure that he absolutely could not attack back. She was about 10 meters away. It looks like Misakas countermeasure for your electrode may have been unnecessary. Electricity sparked from the bangs visible at the edge of the mask. She may have been attempting to jam the signal with her electrical powers. Or perhaps she was directly interfering with the Misaka Network. After thinking that far, a question floated up in Accelerators chest. Last Order was a special clone that held control over all the orders to the Sisters connected to the Misaka Network. If that attacker was one of them, Last Order should be able to seal her movements with a single order. The higher ups had to know that Accelerator had brought Last Order with him. Would they still send a Sister who could have her control stolen at any time as an assassin? That meant... (Its a disguise!!) Accelerator stopped running once he came to that conclusion. The snow was blown away and the earth below shattered and flew towards the attacker with overwhelming speed. It was like a shotgun fired using natural objects. In response, the attacker merely lay down. However, it was a smooth motion of just lowering her hips. She easily evaded the uppercut-like strike that had mainly been aimed at her face and upper body. However, the fragments of earth caught on her mask and blew it away into the air. Her face was now exposed. This time Accelerator fell down on top of the white snow. He had not been hit by some strange attack. He just felt an intense resistance to accepting the face below that mask. Its no use, said the attacker without even a smile on the face that would be the one Last Order could have when she became the same age as high schoolers. You use the Misakas network for your calculations. Misaka is part of the Third Season, so she can monitor the activities of the Misaka Network and read what your next attack will be. Itll take quite something to fatally wound this Misaka. Do you really have room to hold back? If youre gonna do this, you need to be intent on killing Misaka. Cmon, if you understand, come kill her. Of course, you cant do that. If you did, all your work up to now would have been for naught. Then could you shut up and let Misaka kick your ass? Gya ha ha ha!! She was a fake. She was using special makeup. She was using some kind of esper power. Accelerator stood up thinking those things, but... Help me. Misaka is scared. ...!! Hearing the girls tone of voice, the monster froze. As blood dripped from his left arm where the iron nail had pierced it, Accelerator could not even swing up his fist for self defense. By the way... The attacker brought her hand up to her neck. He saw a thin scar there that would be easy to overlook if he were not paying attention. Misaka has sheets and selectors installed in her. Even if Last Order sends a signal to stop Misaka, its set up to automatically reject the signal as long as an approval code is not sent from the board of directors. You cant stop Misaka even if you pathetically rely on that little girl. ... The answer thrust before him was quite simple. It was kill or be killed. However, that did not apply only to Accelerator. If it did, he would just give up and let her finish him off. The problem was the fact that Last Order was wrapped up in the assassination. It was not the same as destroying some lowly thug. Nor was it a situation where giving up his own life would solve everything. Neither way would save them. Accelerator was prepared to point a gun at his own head if it meant keeping another Sister from dying. He could not kill them. Even if it meant making an enemy of the entire world and even if it meant he would have to fight countless monsters from the bloody darkness of the world, he would never, ever bring pain or fear to the girls who held that face. He didnt think that his bloody self would make them smile, but he wanted to at least protect the smiles they had for themselves. And yet both winning and losing would create a dilemma for a Sister in his current situation. Having gone through that experiment, Accelerator knew that Academy City was 100% serious if they said they would kill the Sisters. He knew they would not hold back and fail to go through with it or anything like that. But... This was... Accelerator knew that he would likely completely lose it if either of the Sisters died. ...The Third Season, Accelerator muttered. If theyve started that and created you, then replacements can be made for the other Sisters at any time. Im sure theyve made that decision both from a cost and ethics standpoint. They have. And the command tower of Last Order is no exception. Academy City was carrying out some kind of experiment. He knew that Aiwass was involved in that plan and that the Sisters and their network were being used for it. But the board of directors wants to maintain control of the Misaka Network at all times, so Im guessing the major decision to redo the Network wasnt made until Last Order went missing. Everything wouldve been fine if you hadnt needlessly taken her away and now its come back to bite you in the ass. Basically, that meant she was there to kill Last Order not to retrieve her. If they were remaking the Misaka Network and its command tower, the old numbers were no longer needed. In fact, having two command towers might actually harm the network. That was why Academy City was taking the initiative and having Last Order killed. Yet she had done nothing wrong. It was all for an unnecessary reason that was just for someone elses convenience. Whatre you gonna do? the attacker smiled. It was a wicked and emotional smile that did not match his impression of the Sisters. If you dont want to kill any Sisters, you have no choice but to let Misaka do you in here. But Misaka will attack Last Order once shes killed you. Even if you stop her by force, Misaka will still die. Gya ha ha ha ha!! Either way, your mind is done for. Misakall make sure to play with you until your personality is completely shattered, so lets have some fun!! Those words of despair marked the beginning of the battle to utterly destroy the pillar supporting Accelerators heart that he had worked so hard to build up. Part 3 A Russian navy submarine had circumvented the intense battlefield of the Sea of Japan by heading through the Pacific Ocean. It was currently near Indonesia. It was not making preparations to fire ballistic missiles at Academy City from an unexpected place. Russia was already firing missiles from all sorts of angles, but they were all being accurately shot down. Most were being intercepted outside the atmosphere, but some were being blown away by a mysterious beam 5 seconds after launching. Given the known history of missile development, it was a completely impossible feat. The interception systems humanity had put together were a concentration of many different technologies, but they still did not have perfect accuracy. The fundamental theory for dealing with ballistic missiles was to take political action to prevent them from being fired in the first place. The submarine was near Indonesia to carry out the countermeasure the higher ups had come up with. The submarines goal was to cut off their supply line. Academy City was part of Japan which was an island nation. Unlike Russia, its resources were scarce. The Russians hadnt thought the war would go on that long, but that meant the strategy of cutting off Academy Citys overseas resources was an effective one. They couldnt wield that seemingly all powerful technology forever. The day they ran out of stamina would mark their death. That was what the higher ups had thought. To make sure that not a single transport ship made it through, over 20 submarines had been prepared. But... Nothings showing up, someone muttered as no ship appeared no longer how long they waited. The channel they were in was like a highway with ships headed to places all over the world instead of just to Japan. They had actually seen ships heading to many different countries. But not a single transport ship headed to Japan had shown up. Maybe they were using a different route and maybe their ships were disguised as ones heading to different countries. They thought of various possibilities, but they couldnt find the answer. All they knew was that Academy City could not continue functioning without a large number of transport ships coming and going. A transmission came in from one of the other submarines in the fleet. Both amateurs and soldiers got bored with nothing to do. Not finding a single target was extra irritating when shut inside a submarine. Are they really using ships? Ive heard theyre using some amazing aircraft back home. I doubt they can bring in every sort of material including items for daily living with only those monsters. Dont let the impact of their tech lead you astray. None of that changes the fact that sea routes are the most popular for bringing in large amounts of goods. But we havent seen a single transport ship headed for Academy City. Weve even carried out a few pirate-like forced inspections, but that turned up nothing. Where are they? They arent on the sea or in the air. They arent heading underneath the sea, are they? Couldnt be. Submarines can only be so big for their noise to not be detected. They cant be used for large scale transports. ...What do we do? That was a pretty close guess, said the young communications officer in an Academy City submarine. They were slipping past one of the Russian submarines at a distance of only a few meters. Most of their cargo was supplies for Academy City. The Russians conversation had hit on the truth. The only thing off was the size. While the Russian sub was only 100 meters long the Academy City one was easily 5 times that. Academy City was not on a coast, but a few of the organizations that worked with it had prepared that secret weapon based on the technological information Academy City supplied them with. When the sub entered Japanese waters, smaller subs would meet up with it and take the materials to the port. The navigator sitting near the communications officer responded to the young man. They havent detected us with their radar or sonar, so officially we dont exist. Normally a submarine that large would be quite noticeable by the propeller noise alone. The sound of the water being disturbed would be detected. That didnt happen because that submarine did not have a propeller. Instead, the surface of the sub detected the movements of the ocean currents and used water jets to propel itself so that the noise would be blend in with the currents. The noise of the sub itself was impossible to completely eliminate, but the water jets interfered with it so that enemy sonar would not detect anything unusual. If we used our ultrasonic weapons, we could make it look like propeller trouble instead of an attack. Just to be sure, the surface of the sub was made difficult to detect which even prevented the sub from being detected by magnetism. Even so, if it rose above a certain depth, it could still be detected, but that also meant that the odds of detection approached zero when it was below that depth. Our orders are not to sink the enemy, the navigator said as if confirming that with himself. We just need to carry out our mission. The greatest victory for us is to guarantee safety. Part 4 The landmines were stored at the edge of the village. As the fear-inducing sound of the anti-aircraft guns engine continued, Hamazura darted out from behind the rubble. He continued along the snow while hiding behind bits of cover that were just barely maintaining their form as buildings. He was heading for a small hut. The wooden building was so small a minivan would not even fit inside of it. He opened the simple door that was reminiscent of the door to a bathroom stall and saw objects carelessly piled up as if they were magazines. They were pentagonal metal plates that looked a bit like a home base from baseball. In addition to those items that were tied up with string were cylinders about the size of soda cans. So this is it... Hamazura said in almost a groan. According to Digurv, the home base-like ones were anti-tank mines. Hamazura grabbed one of the tied-together bundles with both hands and placed it atop the snow. It was the kind of action one would not expect someone who knew what the mines were capable of would be able to do. He untied the bundle and grabbed the edge of one of the home-base like objects. There was a small triangular part sticking out at each corner of the pentagon. They were most likely the fuse that detected weight. When he flipped it over, he saw that the center was sunken in slightly and a branch a few centimeters long was stuck in horizontally. It was pressing on a pin-like object. The branch was not a part of the mine. It had been hastily installed by the villagers after digging up the mine. Digurv had said the mine worked the same as a grenade. If he pulled out the branch and put it on the ground, it would be ready to go. After that, a rhinoceros beetle climbing on it would set it off. There may have been tools for operating the pin after setting it up. He wanted to take as many of them as possible, but the mines were heavy. He could only carry 2 or 3 at a time. If he had 4 or 5 of them, he wouldnt be able to run properly. He was already at a serious disadvantage, so he didnt want to add on any more handicaps. (...I guess Im limited to 2.) Suddenly, the wall of a house relatively close to the hut was blown away. It was due to the giant bullets of the anti-aircraft gun. Digurv had said that only two vehicles had come to the village and the first armored vehicle had already fallen down into the basement shelter. If he could just destroy that anti-aircraft gun, the threat would be gone for the time being. Hamazura drew back from the loud sound of the barrage and then left the hut carrying the landmines. Next, he had to get near the anti-aircraft gun. There was also the means of setting up the landmine in a place the vehicle was likely to pass through, but Hamazura had no proof it would actually pass through any one area. As he also had a limited number of them and he couldnt exactly head out into the open and set up the landmine, that simply didnt seem like a good strategy. To ensure he took it out, it would be fastest to get close to the anti-aircraft gun and throw a landmine at it. He had asked Digurv to be sure, and they could indeed be used like grenades. Nevertheless... (Getting close enough to it is a damn high hurdle to get over.) After all, his opponent had high caliber machine guns that could blow away buildings as well as people. If they noticed him, it was over and he was going to be charging right in making it easier for them to notice him. He didnt really think it sounded like the best idea he had ever had. But succeeding in that plan was the only way to save everyone in the village. If he failed, even Takitsubo would be killed. What was the point of having escaped Academy City if that happened? He wouldn''t be able to bring her back to life even if he found something to negotiate with. (I have to do it!!) Hamazura ran along the side of the crumbled rubble. The anti-aircraft gun was searching for a target while crushing buildings for fun. The place the villagers were hiding in might be discovered before long. Hamazura ran along an area where the collapsing roof and walls were just barely staying up. The sound and vibration from the treads squeezed at his heart. The mass of steel passed by on the other side of a broken window. Hamazura glanced outside the window while pressing his back up against the wall that seemed like it was about to collapse. It was close. It was about 5 meters away. He reached for the small branch on the back of the anti-tank mine. If he pulled it out, the mines functionality would return. Even a slight shock would set it off. It would definitely go off if he threw it. He took one deep breath. And then stopped. He pulled out the branch on the back of the mine and removed his back from the wall. He leaned out the broken window. The anti-aircraft gun seemed to have noticed him. But between the time it would take for the large gun turret to rotate and the time it would take for a human arm to swing, Hamazura had the clear advantage. He threw the explosive and hid behind the wall. The mine struck the side of the gun turret and then detonated. A loud roar shook Hamazuras brain. A landmine was different from a hand grenade. Mines were bombs that were meant to be placed on the ground. They could be made so the energy from the limited amount of explosive was focused up rather than in every direction. The anti-tank mine Hamazura had thrown was made in that way. As the mine had spun through the air, it had hit the gun turret with its bottom side. The shock had set the explosive off, but the blast had gone in the wrong direction. The anti-aircraft gun was not blown away. Hamazura saw the turret rotating towards him. That was when he heard another odd noise. It was the sound of a building wall collapsing due to the blast that had gone in the wrong direction. It was the wall of a small church across from the house Hamazura was hiding in. It was the villages only stone building and it had been on the verge of collapse even before the blast. The steeple with a bell inside crumbled and fell in the direction of the anti-aircraft gun. The privateers inside had noticed it. However, the steeple swung down like a hammer before they could get away. The vehicle was a mass of thick steel, so that was not enough to destroy it, but the great weight was enough to completely seal its movements. The gun turret with the machine guns on it could not rotate either. ... Hamazura remained silent for a bit. The various emotions that had been boiling up in his chest did not come out. He pulled his head inside the window and looked around at the destroyed house. It wasnt just a set. People lived in that room. He grabbed a bottle of vodka that was still intact from some shelves that had fallen over. He left the building and stood before the anti-aircraft gun. A proper tank would have light machine guns installed on it to take care of approaching infantry, but that anti-aircraft gun was not intended to be brought into enemy lines, so it did not have anything of the sort. It could no longer hurt Hamazura. He brought his mouth close to the small ventilation opening for bringing oxygen into the thickly armored vehicle. ...It sure is cold today. He was speaking in Japanese, but he didnt particularly care. It wasnt his job to have them understand him. Its nice weather for cooking some meat. When he struck the roof of the vehicle with the bottle of vodka, one of the privateers frantically popped out of the metal hatch. Hamazura aimed his small handgun towards the hatch. There was no hesitation in his aim. Part 5 Kamijou Touma ran about the half-destroyed plaza. The result of the encounter had been terrible. Three professional magicians, Lessar, Elizalina, and Vento of the Front, had been defeated, Sasha Kreutzev had been taken away by Fiamma, and only the scars of the battle remained. Currently, Kamijou was treating the injured magicians. However, he did not have the proper knowledge to do so. He was mainly following their instructions. Vento... If youre trying to thank me, theres no need, she said with her tongue sticking out despite the fact that she could barely move otherwise. I didnt like Fiammas way of doing things. Thats all. I couldnt allow him to have free reign over the Roman Catholic Church any longer. My actions just so happened to be to your advantage. ... Her voice was filled with hate, but Kamijou felt somehow relieved. Not everyone in the Roman Catholic Church agreed with Fiamma. There were people in that organization who would object to his methods. Learning that anew relieved his burden much more than he had expected. Elizalina spoke while lying on the ground unmoving. I did not expect for Fiamma to be able to use the knowledge from the 103,000 grimoires. Index does not completely cover spells for Gods Right seat. Im betting Fiamma is using her to fill in some gaps to raise efficiency. Do you know where Fiamma of the Right went? It would probably be best to take Elizalina away on an ambulance, but she refused to. She may have been feeling guilty since the people had been exposed to magic during the fight against Fiamma. She may have wanted to avoid leaving the scene at such a difficult time. Only Elizalina herself knew for sure. ...He probably headed for a certain base across the border, Kamijou responded to Elizalinas question after thinking for a bit. He was already making some preparations there and he went as far as evicting the people living in the area. My guess is that hes taking Sasha there to do something. It still was not clear what it was that Fiamma intended to do. However, the preliminary preparations had already caused so much damage and it was possible that World War III itself could be considered part of his preparations. It was possible what Fiamma was going to do from then on would cause damage on an even greater scale. Whatever it was, they could not sit idly by and let him do it. Ill do something, Kamijou said to Elizalina after thinking a bit more. Ill do something about him. I need to save Index. You all stay here. Whatever it is Fiamma is doing could very well end up reaching this place again. Just when Kamijou was about to head out, someone grabbed his arm. It was Lessar whose injuries had been relatively light compared to the other two. She didnt say anything, but Kamijou could tell she wasnt going to let go of his arm if he didnt let her come with him. Kamijou hesitated for an instant, but finally nodded. Lessar let go and stood next to Kamijou. We dont have time. We need to get some help from the Elizalina Alliance. We can borrow a car to get us close to the base. Theyre enemy nations. Wouldnt that put us at even more risk? The Elizalina Alliance is a collection of countries that split off from Russia in recent years. They use almost the exact same type of cars as Russia, so we should be fine as long as we can get through an area of the border with light security. ... Kamijou hesitated. ...Is it really okay to get them involved in this? ? As I said before, theyre enemy nations. Getting help is fine, but if Russia finds out, they could be killed. Is it really okay to ask for help in this situation? That isnt for us to decide, Lessar unhesitatingly said. At first, it may have seemed like she was just saying that, but she was just that accustomed to life or death situations. The ones whose lives are on the line should decide that. At the very least, they should decide what they do with their own lives. If they refuse, we can just find some other way. ... But Kamijou remained silent once more. Lessar then put her index finger to her temple and spoke in an annoyed fashion. In the end, I think its the same. What is? Whatever Fiamma says, people should choose how to live their own lives. ...Maybe. And even if you have been hiding something, you havent been frozen in that state. You have still continued to move forward, right? And as a result, you have saved quite a few people and even stopped the coup detat in the UK. Honestly, I think thats a life you should be proud of. Perhaps it had not been wrong to hide the fact that he had lost his memories. Perhaps it had not merely been selfish of him to do so to protect Indexs smile. That was true. Kamijou had resolved plenty of incidents and saved plenty of peoples lives. Most likely, those were admirable things. There were quite a few people he had met after losing his memories. To those people, it did not matter if he had those older memories or not. The lack of those memories did not change the fact that he had fought for them. But... Even so, muttered Kamijou as every word seemed to stab into his own chest. Even so, Im not sure its up to me to decide whether the actions Ive taken were really for Indexs sake. Part 6 The ocean surface in the Strait of Dover had been solidified and British and French magicians clashed atop it. The battle was almost a free for all, but the British forces were starting to rally together around the knights who were borrowing the power of Curtana Original via the mobile fortress Glastonbury. However, humans tended to push back harder when others pushed against them. The French magicians were not about to simply fall back upon seeing the values and conditions. The harder they were pushed against, the more ghastly an expression they held as they used various attack spells. A few of the British knights fell back a bit. It was a just a tiny bit and they were doing it to reevaluate the distance between them. Second Princess Carissa interpreted it as weakness and casually took a step forward from the front line. Oh, no. At this rate, those French bastards are going to capture me and then gang rape me to death. ...!!!??? With that, the British knights could not give up. It felt like their bodies were at the limit as they swung their swords, but they just barely managed to keep Carissa from being swallowed up by the mass of French forces. Carissa put her hands on her hips. Really, you shouldnt hold back on the battlefield. You should have been fighting that hard from the beginning. At that point, Knight Leader finally used a communications spiritual item to contact Windsor Castle. Thats right. Connect me to Queen Elizard! Hurry!! I need to get permission to spank Lady Carissa!! Hey, stop that!! Knowing mother, shes likely to focus all of Curtana Seconds power on you solely for that purpose!! As they yelled at each other while fighting over the communications spiritual item, the larger battle continued. As many swords and spells crossed, Carissa glanced at the French magicians and spoke. Hmph. They have no individuality, she practically spat out. There are plenty of people with legitimate strength, but theyre lacking any kind of deciding blow. Are they trying to say that modern military force is solely in organizations? They cant stand up to us with our Saint and our knights. An explosive noise rang out. It came from above Carissas head. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky directly for the second princess. However, she remained unscathed. The knights around her must have had a means prepared because they all swung their swords above her head and blew the lightning away. In the end, the Holy Woman of Versailles can only work from a distance, Carissa said sounding rather uninterested. Its clear that you fundamentally cannot leave the palace. It isnt that there is a seal on the palace preventing you from leaving. Instead, your body cannot live without the magical environment inside the palace. You have just been readjusted to that extent down to the internal organ level by the foolish leaders of France that are afraid of you. Her words were most likely reaching the ears of the Holy Woman of Versailles in her distant palace. No response came. Carissa continued regardless. And you cannot finish someone off so easily with spells that give you the needed range. Assume a magician has a power of 100. If the magician used all of his power for attack, his attack power would be 100. However, spells that extended the magicians range also lowered his attack power proportionally. There existed spells that could apply damage to any spot in the universe completely ignoring the physical distance, but the Holy Woman of Versailless spells did not have that characteristic. She only had the stereotypical spells that lost power the farther away they were used. And on top of that, the knights gaining power from Curtana Second had superhuman abilities. They were not a force that could be dealt with using weakened magic. Now then, Carissa said to the Holy Woman of Versailles who was most likely viewing the battle from afar. I think its time to get serious. You can just sit there helplessly watching us land. Part 7 The sound of crackling electricity exploded across the snow. The Third Season. That project had been carried out to kill Accelerator who could no longer be controlled and Last Order and the other Sisters that could no longer be used due to the effects of Aiwass. It was a series different from the 20,000 + set of Sisters. And then the attacker gave her name. Misaka supposes you could refer to her as Misaka Worst. She likely knew that she was a being that should not have been born and no one especially wanted. She played with the 2 cm steel nails in her hand. At times, a nail would be fired at over the speed of sound along with the sound of a bursting balloon. But... (From the amount of electricity shes using, that isnt a practical railgun.) As the situation had him cornered, Accelerator forced his head out of its chaos to analyze the situation. (The same method is used in the magnetic sniper rifles some snipers use. Instead of Flemings left-hand rule, it more simply uses an electromagnet to fire a steel bullet.) Accelerator was still not using his reflection. Instead, he was altering the vectors of his leg strength to take quick bursts of speed and escape Misaka Worsts aim. The situation as a whole and his need to protect Last Order meant he could not avoid the fight altogether. But he wanted to avoid finishing off Misaka Worst if possible. Even if she had been created in a plan other than the one that had created the 20,000 + set of Sisters, even if she was a part of the Third Season that had been activated to kill Accelerator and the others, he still utterly opposed the idea of letting a clone of the same series die. It was rather cruel, but Accelerator thought about what he would do if it were Kihara Amata or Kakine Teitoku that stood before them. If it were those fuckers, he would not hesitate. He would rip them to shreds in order to protect Last Order. Accelerator was not a philanthropist. If it brought him towards his goal, he did not mind killing his enemy. However, that was why he couldnt let himself carry out that set of rules when it came to the enemy before him there. Of course, Misaka Worst had realized that. She knew Accelerator was hesitating and she was using that in her strategy. After all, that was what she had been born to do. You should be careful, she said with an expression on her face that was clearly different from what one would see on the Sisters faces. It was a grin filled with spite. I dont have the output of the Original, but Misaka can still manage 200,000,000 volts. Thats around Level 4. An explosive noise rang out and Misaka Worsts body disappeared. She had used an extremely high voltage current to detonate the air and had used the momentum to fly up into the air. It was the same method she had used to land safely from the transport plane. Accelerator realized it too late. One more shot, said a voice directly above him. And then a 2 cm nail flew down towards him. Accelerator jumped to the side, but he lost his balance partway through and fell down on the snow. There was a dark red wound on his calf. That time, the nail remained in his body. Run from Misaka more, said Misaka Worst as she landed back on the snow. She scraped the steel nails together in her hand. She was purposefully making that painful noise in order to torment her target just a little more. You killed more than 10,000 Misakas, right? Her words stabbed into him. Her words held a completely different meaning from the words of some complete stranger. Accelerator could reflect a nuclear attack, but the slight vibration of the air that was her voice destroyed him from the inside. So run. Pathetically beg for your life. You arent a normal person who gets a normal death. You wont have made up for what youve done unless you at least have your human rights trampled on 10,000 times. Just so you know, thats the bare minimum. If you add in the interest, three times that wont be enough. The skin of Misaka Worsts face was twisted from within. The delicate features of that feminine face became distorted like a plastic doll in a fire. It was caused by hatred. It was not just simple anger. Such an extreme smile spread across her face that it looked like the frames of her face would never return to normal. (...Dont be led astray.) Accelerator suppressed the pain spreading from his arm and leg and desperately thought. (She isnt one of them. She isnt one of the ones created directly for the experiment. Shes just a fake who is literally borrowing their face and body. I dont need to pay attention to every little thing she says.) An unknown feeling gathered in the center of his forehead. Should he bring his reflection across his entire body? Should he reflect Misaka Worsts voice? He was weighing his options. But... Misaka is the same. It was just one sentence, but those 6 syllables were enough to keep Accelerator from making his decision. Misaka was created in order to kill you. Misaka didnt particularly want to be born, but she was forced to do so. In order to cut off the signals from Last Order, her skin was cut open and a bunch of strange sheets and selectors were embedded within. If it werent for you, none of that would have happened. If you hadnt made that decision, Misaka would never have been born. And even if she had been, it would not have been in that way that cut off all chance for a future. It hurts. Help. By the time Misaka learned those words, she was already in a situation where she could not say them. That is why Misaka has the right to blame you. That is why she has a reason to kill you. She spoke each word like a twisted killer showing off her murder weapons. While all the Misakas are individuals, they are also one large Misaka connected by the network. This is not a thought pattern unique to this Misaka. It is a portion of the large Misaka over the network. Accelerator heard a dull noise and his vision blurred. It took a bit of time for him to realize that Misaka Worst had detonated the air for quick movement and kicked him in the face. Why do you think none of the other Misakas including Last Order ever blamed you? Didnt you find it to be odd? You killed them and killed them until you had killed more than 10,000 of them yet they dont seem to hold any hatred towards you. The reason for that is quite simple. It is not because the Misakas are noble and perfect or because they are pure and proper princesses. ...Nor is it because they did not feel any resentment toward you. They merely could not show it on the surface because their means of processing human-like emotions are incomplete. They are unable to comprehend or express their emotions. That was her aim. She was trying to corner Accelerator. Therefore, he didnt have to pay attention to what she said. It was all a calculated ploy, so he didnt have to take it seriously. But... Accelerator just could not ignore the hatred coming from Misaka Worst...and possibly all of the Sisters. Even if it was a part of her plan, it still bothered him. What if Last Orders smile was not there because she had forgiven him? What if her personality that had been quickly constructed by the Testament was just not mature enough to properly recognize negative emotions such as hatred or fear? Would she really forgive him so easily after what he had done? Those fears shook Accelerator. Drops of red blood scattered across the white snow. A line of red seemed to trail the path of Accelerators body. Misaka Worst wiped the red liquid off of the tip of her shoe onto the snow. Gya ha ha!! The Misakas are getting more human-like bit by bit! As they do, they can do more and more human-like things!! But being more human-like is not always a good thing! Before long, all those Misakas will become aware of their hatred. They will begin to realize they have a legitimate right to revenge!! Your atonement youve been getting so caught up in does nothing more than satisfy yourself!! It does nothing to reduce the Misakas hatred!! At some point, all the Misakas connected to the network will be after your life based on their human-like resentment!! Will you let them succeed and give up your life or will you have them fail and kill all of the Misakas? Either way, the convenient future youve imagined will not come to pass!! The tips of her shoes flew towards him again and again. Each time, blood spewed from various parts of Accelerator. He could avoid her attacks if he tried. He could strike back if he tried. However, Accelerator was not even able to try. The movements of his heart that let him try would not come forth. Something was beginning to break within his heart. It wasnt just due to the external damage. The anger burning in opposition to that was great enough that he thought something was going to break. And once that something broke, there would be no fixing it. If that something broke, he could easily transform into a monster even greater than when he was taking part in the experiment. If you want to soak in that sentimental delusion of yours and deny Misakas words, thats fine. But what Misaka is saying is already being proven to you. This Misaka, Misaka Worst, has had the secretion patterns of the substances in her brain intentionally adjusted so that she can easily display the negative emotions that the other Misakas cannot. Misaka can easily read the negative emotions from the giant network. As such, she has proven that the other Misakas do have hatred and that they simply cannot express it. ...And that applies to all Misakas including Last Order!! Misaka Worsts foot stopped just as she was about to bring it down on his face. She was looking at something. Last Order was collapsed on the snow a bit away. The effects of Aiwasss appearance had put the young girl in a state where she could barely maintain consciousness. As she lay on the snow, she slowly stretched out an arm in Accelerators direction. She seemed to want to somehow protect his trampled and bloody form. Last Order paid no heed to the realistic values such as whether she could actually reach him or not. It seemed she was attempting to seal the attackers movements using some sort of power, but there was no change in Misaka Worst. It seemed she had some sort of countermeasure towards that and Last Order may not have even had the strength needed to function as the command tower. Sweat dripped from the small girls face. It was clear something bad was going on within her. ... Misaka Worst stopped moving just slightly. And then an even more twisted smile spread across her face. Thats right. Misaka should take care of that defective unit first. That sounds like it would be more effective. A very bad feeling swelled up from within the depths of the heart of Academy Citys #1. When the Misakas are renewed under the Third Season, the redeployment and expansion of the network will bring about greater performance and faster progress. Misaka Worst scraped together the 2 cm steel nails in her hand once more. Last Order, the old generation command tower, is no longer needed. In fact, her existence is nothing more than a hindrance to all the Misakas who will be deployed from now on. It seemed almost like a cannibalistic situation, but if the Sisters were thought of as single existence ruled by the large network, then what she said made sense using normal human thought patterns. Humans thought of convenient things. That isnt the real you. There is wonderful talent hidden within you. To draw it out, you need to become the real you. Abandon the old you. Normal humans used that type of convenient idea when it came to mental concepts. But the Sisters were a giant network made up of multiple bodies. The idea of abandoning the old you could be taken quite literally with them. (...Ah.) The desire to stop their spontaneous progress and have them remain exactly the same was nothing but his ego. It was much like a parents desire for their child to always remain a child. It was nothing more than robbing them of their freedom. (...So thats what it is.) He could not resolve that situation without anyone dying. He only had two options. Would he kill Misaka Worst in order to protect Last Order? Or would he just watch as Last Order was killed in order to avoid killing a Sister? After he had been pierced by steel nails, kicked all over, and stomped on, Misaka Worsts target had finally changed to Last Order. Accelerator finally realized what he had to do. He had no choice but to give up. An explosive noise rang out. It was the sound of Misaka Worsts body flying up into the air just as she had been about to stomp on Accelerators face and send a steel nail towards Last Order. She flew through a large arc and finally landed over 10 meters away Thats right. That was what happened when Academy Citys #1 got serious. Whether it was a 200,000,000 volt electric current, a nail flying at over the speed of sound, or one of the Sisters, those tiny threats couldnt do anything to him. Gah!? Misaka Worst gasped before standing back up and confirming her targets location. Accelerator had lost his central core and he looked like a mirage. Normally, that would have meant that she had succeeded in weakening him and a once in a lifetime chance had arrived. However... ...!! Misaka Worst gave a short breath and used magnetism to shoot a nail. The nail flew accurately towards Accelerators forehead at over the speed of sound. Accelerator did not evade it. He did not swing his head to the side or even shut his eyes. Even so, not a millimeter of his skin was torn and not a drop of his blood was shed. He had reflected it. The nail flew back and accurately stabbed into Misaka Worsts arm. There was no hesitation in Accelerators actions. Misaka Worst fell to the ground and pulled out another nail. This time she aimed for Last Order. She stretched out her arm and attempted to destroy the core of the network that handled Accelerators calculations. The mirage-like Accelerator moved precisely. He altered the vectors for his leg strength to instantaneously approach and then mercilessly swung his fist down on Misaka Worsts outstretched arm. It broke. Her arm still held the nails as he put strength into breaking it. She screamed and detonated the air with a high voltage current in order to move back. However, Accelerator grabbed her leg and slammed her down onto the snow. A great vibration spread through the area like at a fireworks show. Misaka Worst coughed as he swung his fist down again. The sounds of flesh being struck, bones creaking, and blood splattering continued. It seemed Misaka Worst had a means of interfering with Accelerators electrode, but he did not give her the chance to use it. The continuous pain prevented her from concentrating long enough to use her power. As he did this, Accelerator felt something inside him collapsing. He hadnt been walking on a path that brought much admiration, but he still felt himself utterly losing the way of life that he had shoddily built for himself. Even if he made an enemy of the entire world or had to crawl through that bloody world as he fought terrible monsters, he had sworn that he would protect the girls who held that face. He could feel that collapsing. No, that wasnt it. It wasnt collapsing. It wasnt disappearing into nothingness. It was worse than that. He could tell that he was transforming into a monster much more fearsome than he had been before he met Last Order while he was taking part in the experiment. Ha ha ha. The next thing he knew, Misaka Worst was no longer moving. ...It hurts...Misaka...is... She was just barely managing to breath and her body was split open in places. Her arm was bent at an odd angle. Her well-featured face was swollen. One of the girls that he had sworn to protect with his life was barely breathing. Help Misaka. Someone... Accelerator was aware of that. As he knelt down on the snow, he knew that his hands were stained with blood. Gya ha ha ha ha ha!! Gyyaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Only his dry laugh filled the area. It was over. He could no longer move. What were the people in Academy City doing? He couldnt deal with them. He couldnt deal with a world that prospered from their power. He felt a darkness hidden behind all the peace, all the fortune, and every smile in the world. Just as the huge smiles in TV commercials were created to build up huge fortunes, he could no longer believe that the light that he had looked up to was actually good. It would likely not end there. Even if the #1s heart remained unbroken there, a second and third plan would be carried out. Different Sisters might appear, clones made to look exactly like that brat could appear, Yomikawa and Yoshikawa could be used, and completely unrelated towns and cities could be utterly destroyed. In any case, he was at his limit. In the future, his enemy would surely give him even greater pain. He couldnt withstand that. He didnt want to take that on. It would probably be easier if he just broke then. The darkness created by Academy City was not normal. He then heard a noise. Even after being so utterly beaten, Misaka Worst was squirming in the red-stained snow. Misaka Worst had previously said that she had a way of using her power to stop Accelerator from using the Misaka Network for his calculations. In the previous barrage, she had not had a chance to use it. She may have been trying to use it as a counterattack. While still smiling, Accelerator shook his head. He did not know why he did so. However, he did not want to move any more than that. He didnt care anymore. His heart hurt so much that everything he had been holding inside it up to that point had disappeared. With the inside of his heart in the state it was, Accelerator did not care if he just died there. But Academy City had done something beyond what Accelerator had been expecting. He heard a small noise. It was the sound of the selectors embedded within Misaka Worsts body rupturing. ...Ha? Whatever happened from then on, the damage to his mind was at its upper limit. There was no greater pain than what he was in. Misaka Worsts harassment of mental attacks was supposed to be over. Because he had thought that, his thoughts were completely washed away for an instant. All of the waves of emotion completely leveled off. And immediately afterwards, every emotion a human could possess exploded within his head. Kha ha ha!? Ga ha ha ha!! Gyaaahh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! It was such a great shock that his vision ceased to function properly. He could no longer distinguish between colors and a small bit of red started to expand and cover everything. Something burst from Misaka Worsts neck and the back of her head. A large amount of blood flowed out. Amid it all, the girl smiled as she lay on the ground. It was as if the negative emotions had solidified the skin of her face in that smile. It was like the invisible finger of spite was pulling at her skin from within her face. Misaka Worsts mouth moved. She spoke in a cracking voice. ...This...is...your...fault. He thought he was going to vomit. Gfh!! Ga hagfh!! Gbah gha ha ha gya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! The Academy City bastards had designed Misaka Worsts body so that she would definitely end Accelerators life no matter what the result of the battle was. She had been made so that Accelerators mind would be ripped to shreds even if he used his overwhelming power to only half-kill her. Up to that point, he had thought they were thinking that weakening him via his trauma and killing him was fine, but he would also be mentally destroyed by the fact that he had killed a Sister even if she lost. However, he had been wrong. They hadnt been that kind. It wasnt an issue of whether he won or not. They had a means of finishing off Accelerator whether he won, lost, tied, fled, reconciled, or brought the situation to any other conclusion. That was the purpose of the girl known as Misaka Worst. The word collapse came to mind. From a mental standpoint, Academy Citys #1 could be thought of as truly dead. Accelerators heart had been almost completely broken. He had lost the strength needed to act as a human. He did not want to live in such a rotten world and he did not think he could change a world that rotten. The world was done for. It wasnt at a level where a human could do anything about it. If it would take him from that world, it might be better to just sink down into that snow. Misaka Worsts body squirmed around. She was not in control of those movements. She was probably in shock due to loss of blood. That was the result the rotten people from Academy City had brought about. The worst possible result was playing out before Accelerators eyes. Fuck thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!! He finally yelled out and headed over to the dying Misaka Worst. His power was vector transformation. He mainly used the power for attack, but that wasnt all it could be used for. He could read the direction of the flow of blood and electrical signals within a persons body to check on their condition. If he went even deeper, he could use it to perform a certain level of treatment and first aid. Fuck that, fuck that, fuck that!! Accelerators eyes were bloodshot. He had a new goal. It was a tiny bit of defiance. This was all a plan by those Academy City fuckers... Someone is sipping a drink in a warm room and smiling as this brat dies no matter how I struggle and my mind is torn to pieces. Every single bit of this is part of their plan... His emotions boiled up. Those emotions were the driving force needed for him to act as a human. Then Ill destroy that plan of theirs!! If this brat has to die for their plan to succeed, then Ill save her with my own hands and make it fail!! Ill show you, you pieces of shit!! Ill smash those relaxed expressions from your faces!! Overwhelming anger and clear determination resided in Accelerators eyes. You god damn fucking pieces of shit!! You rotten fuckers look down on me thinking my powers can only be used to kill!! Ill show you right now!! Just like when I saved that brat from Amais virus back then, Ill show you that I have the power to proteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccctttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!! Part 8 Her dimmed vision never cut out completely. Eventually, Misaka Worst realized that meant she was still alive. Selectors had been embedded in her body in order to reject signals from Last Order. She had detonated them of her own will. The explosions had been exceedingly small ones, but many fragments were sent deep into her body. Normally, there would have been no way to save her. It would have been impossible even if she underwent surgery in a hospital that had the latest equipment. There was even less that could be done for her on that snowy plain with nothing at all around. She was a disposable unit. Even if she had won there, no other use for her had been thought of. She was a unit that had been expected to die before the proper network of the Third Season had been constructed. And yet... (...?) Time passed, but she never died. She continued to be in that vague condition of life. She was able to guess that she would be back to having stable vitals before long. Had she survived? Had Academy Citys plan failed? Had Academy Citys #1 Level 5 been able to overcome a global level of malice? She was made to easily pick up negative emotions from the network, but what had happened was difficult for her to pick up. However, the reality was that Misaka Worst had survived a situation where she was supposed to have died no matter what. And it had happened by the hands of a third party. She remained silent for a bit. As she was created to take in only negative emotions, that silence was out of bewilderment but also somehow comfortable. But... Gya ha. She heard an unpleasant noise. It sounded like whatever it was she was finally bringing inside was shattering. Gya ha ha. Thats it. Its over. Kah ha ha ha ha ha ha. The wave of that voice was not stable. It wavered between high pitched and low pitched, loud and quiet. The sound gave her a much greater sense of danger than even the sound of leaking gas. Misaka Worst slowly turned her head. And what she saw was... Ehya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! I cant hold back!! That brats smile isnt enough to stop it!! Gya ha! Gya ha ha ha ha!! Ill destroy it all! Ill blow it all away!! Ill kill those who rejoiced at creating this and those who have gained happiness from its benefits! Every single one!! Every single fucking one!! Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! An explosive wind exploded out. Misaka Worst assumed Academy Citys #1 had lost himself in his anger and was blasting his power in all directions. But that wasnt it. There were black wings. Those wings seemed to be a manifestation of every kind of despair. The pair of wings intertwined with each other and tore at each other as if they were both attempting to crush the other. It was probably an external representation of the movements within his heart. A scream surged from Accelerators throat. The air trembled and the excess energy caused the white Russian land to creak and groan under stress. A spider web of cracks raced along the ground with Accelerators feet in the center. Misaka Worst could not tell how far the cracks stretched. That scene may have been something from the end of the world. What Misaka Worst had been starting to hold inside a bit before may have not been wrong. That same warm thing may have been flowing through Academy Citys #1 Level 5 as well. However, it had been shattered. She may have pulled some sort of trigger. As Misaka Worst finally began to realize that, she started to tremble uncontrollably. Part 9 The anti-aircraft gun attacking the village had been stopped. The infantry spread around the area were the ones who had been aboard the armored vehicle that was stuck in the basement of the clinic. They had not been equipped for a genuine battle. They may have been more trained as soldiers, but the village had more people armed with assault rifles. After all, those rifles were more ubiquitous there than fire extinguishers. With the gun barrels pointed at each other, both sides stopped moving. However, the privateers armored vehicle and anti-aircraft gun had been destroyed. That fact had uplifted the villagers spirits keeping the intense fear they would normally be feeling away. It didnt take long for a disturbance to spread through the privateers when they saw the villagers resolutely staying in place without taking even a step back. If either side snapped and a firefight broke out, both sides would be taken out. The privateers had come to the battlefield with the idea that it would be like a murder tour, so they had never thought it would turn out like that. It didnt take long for their spirits to break and their hands to rise into the air. Since they assumed they would be saved if they did that, they may not have understood the enormity of what they had been doing. ...We performed body checks and then threw them into the shelter thats still usable, Digurv reported to Hamazura. Hamazura was having his various scrapes disinfected. I see. Honestly, I kind of want to break their legs and feed them to wild dogs and some people are suggesting we do just that. If you, the person who blew away the anti-aircraft gun, hadnt requested we spare them, they probably wouldnt have listened. ... Hamazura thought for a bit about the weight of the handgun in his pocket. In the end, Hamazura had not been able to shoot the soldiers who had exited the immovable anti-aircraft gun. No matter how horrible they were, he hadnt been able to pull the trigger. If they had been about to take his life in that instant, he would probably have fired. He wouldnt have had time to think about it in that situation. However, he had been given time to think about it then. He had been given time to think about the fact that they were human, too. At any rate, the danger was gone at least temporarily. He wanted to bring an end to his brutal thought patterns. Most of the buildings had been turned to rubble, but even so the people would be happier. The fact that they had not shot the surrendering privateers would surely become a large strength for that village one day. That was how Hamazura wanted to think about it. And yet... Come here!! This is bad! This is even worse than the previous ones!! someone yelled in Russian. Hamazura could not understand the person, but it didnt sound like it could be anything good. He ran over along with Digurv to find a large number of people gathered in one of the intact buildings. They werent just escaping the cold. Something like an old fashioned television was inside. It was displaying green points of light. Its an old radar, explained Digurv. It detects reflections from reactions with metal and displays them. The closer to the center, the closer to the village. Objects next to the ground wont show up on here. What are those 3 points? Theyre large objects. They may be greater than 30 meters. They dont seem to be fighters, so that means... What? Helicopters. Digurvs expression visibly changed from the tension saying that word brought him. Theyre attack helicopters made to bomb the surface. We dont know the specific type, but theyre rather large. If all 3 are attack helicopters, then we cant deal with them with only what we have in the village. This isnt something you can deal with by grabbing a landmine. The village had AK assault rifles, but those would not hit a helicopter. Attack helicopters had thinner armor compared to a tank or an anti-aircraft gun, but they moved around much faster. Even handheld surface to air missiles had to be fired from behind them or they could be avoided. And if their enemy could move quickly, that also meant that it would be difficult to escape. They would be caught almost instantly even if they did have cars to escape in. They wouldnt be able to withstand the missiles and machine gun fire being sent down from the sky. ...Is this more privateers? Probably. If it were a normal operation, they wouldnt be coming with just one type of weapon like that. The usual theory is to bring together different types of weapons or different branches of the army to cover each others weaknesses, but those types of theories mean nothing to the privateers. Most likely, the second wave was being sent in because the other vehicles had not returned. However, their tenacity did not come from the usual source. Instead of coming out of revenge for their fallen comrades, they were attacking fiercely in order to rid themselves of the shame of a defeat. We cant use any basements anymore. The previous attack did a lot of damage. If a missile is fired from above, wed just be buried alive, Digurv said to Hamazura as he spread out a map. He had already explained the basic plan to the others in Russian. There is a forest to the south of the village. The branches and leaves obstruct the view from the sky. We have no choice but to flee into the forest and spread out as much as possible. Before they realize that, the helicopters will likely primarily aim for the village. Digurvs instruction to spread out as much as possible bothered Hamazura. Most likely, the helicopters had sensors that could detect heat sources and magnetism. If they bunched together in the forest, the pilot would know there was a group of people there. If they instead spread out, their chances of surviving went up because they might be mistaken for a larger animal traveling through the forest. However, that was not the true reason. In reality, spreading out ensured that fewer people would die at one time if the helicopters fired randomly into the forest. (...We cant keep the casualties down to zero.) Everyone there understood that fact. But they were all too scared to put it to words. Hamazura couldnt accept that. He cut off Digurvs explanation and spoke. ...We might be able to win using an anti-aircraft gun. What, so you want to send up a barrage of bullets to shoot them down? But this isnt a Russian military facility. We dont have any weapons like that just lying arou!! Digurv trailed off and gulped. He had realized it. He had recalled that the vehicle Hamazura had previously taken out was a mobile anti-aircraft gun on treads. Hamazura brushed away the map that had been brought out in preparation to flee and then spoke to Digurv. Do you have any construction equipment? Like a digger or something!? If we can just get that rubble off of the anti-aircraft gun, we can do something about this!! But... So youre saying we should do nothing and let them kill us!? Other than getting the anti-aircraft gun moving, the plan stays the same. The others will still go hide in the southern forest. Itll just be getting them away from the battlefield this way! Having more plans is better, right!? And even if I fail and they manage to blow away the anti-aircraft gun Im on, they might even leave satisfied with the fact that they took out an enemy that put up a fight!! Its a lot better than doing nothing, right!? Digurv ran toward the exit of the building. Hamazura followed him. It seemed they had a digger used to dig up snow when it accumulated up to a few meters and sealed off traffic. Hamazura had used construction equipment like that before when stealing ATMs in Academy City. He removed the rubble from atop the anti-aircraft gun. The treads were not damaged. However, one of the two large machine guns had been badly bent. If they fired with it like that, they would clearly damage themselves. But Hamazura and the others did not have the specialized knowledge needed to remove that gun. As a stopgap measure, they removed all the ammunition from the damaged gun. That way, only the properly functioning gun would be able to fire. That lowers the accuracy by quite a bit, said Digurv. Why do you think they put two guns pointing in the same direction? Because they almost never hit. Guns made for anti-aircraft purposes almost never use a single gun. With this kind of weapon, they usually prepare dozens of the same vehicle to cover a portion of the sky and have a few bullets hit and shoot down the target. Im not complaining, said Hamazura cutting him off. Of course we dont have an ideal weapon. All I need is a slight chance. Im not just going to stare up into the sky waiting to be killed. As long as I have a chance to do something with my own strength, thats enough. Do you even know how to operate this thing? The part dealing with the treads is basically the same as the digger, right? A bitter smile appeared on Digurvs face as he watched Hamazura climb up on top of the battered vehicle. Antiaircraft guns are not made to be operated by one person. What? Someone to move the vehicle, someone to aim the guns and fire, and someone to keep track of the surroundings and command the others...At the very least, three people are needed. To operate it at normal specs, five are needed. Hamazura stopped moving. If he were to do it alone, he would have to stop the other two jobs to do any one of them. There may not have been much point in trying to evade an attack helicopter that could freely fly through the sky, but moving as he fought would improve his chances of surviving over just firing from a single position. So let me go with you, Digurv added. Ill go talk to the others from the village. With two or three of them, we can actually get that anti-aircraft gun going. Im more worried about everyone who hears about it asking to help fight then no one volunteering. W-wait a second, Hamazura said in shock. He felt a different type of tension from the one when he was just heading to the battlefield alone. Is that really okay? As you said before, theres no guarantee well win. Its a lot more likely that this half-broken anti-aircraft gun will be taken out by the three attack helicopters. Hey, someone suddenly called out in Japanese. Hamazura and Digurv turned around and then looked puzzled. It was the frostbitten soldier who had called out to them. Let me help you. I was stationed at an air force base, but I was trained in using these anti-aircraft weapons before I was transferred there. Youll have a better chance of winning with an actual soldier helping, right? ...Wh-what? But the privateers are part of the Russian army, right? Hamazura asked a bit suspiciously. However, the Russian spat out some words in response. Those pieces of shit are not part of the Russian army. ... You all saved me when no one would have blamed you for abandoning me and they tried to kill you like you were worms. ...Ive had enough. Fuck being a soldier. I dont care if they come after me for this. I can just defect to the Elizalina Alliance if I have to. Repaying my debt is more important. Ill use these skills of mine to help those who saved my life. ...I see. Digurvs shoulders relaxed and he smiled. It seems you feared getting us wrapped up in this more than you thought. I dont want to let someone with that expression die. Ill fight fair and square for that reason. ...And if were going to bet on this chance, it would be better if you werent alone. Ive had enough of the privateers way of doing things, too. Hearing that, Hamazura silently lowered his head. He silently reflected on how reassuring it was to fight together. He then turned back towards the anti-aircraft gun. It was the weapon Hamazura had won from the enemy. It was the final chance to save the girl who was more important to him than his own life and to save the people who had been worried about that girl. He couldnt let them lose. Hamazura Shiage strongly reaffirmed that inside his own head. The foreign mercenaries that were on a murder tour would be there before long in their attack helicopters. Part 10 Something in Accelerators heart shattered. The black wings on his back, the symbol of "Evil", kept growing. It would come to a halt soon, like a dying flame with its fuel spent, for his heart, the source of his negative emotions, had lost its core. Just at that moment, a convoy driving past appeared in his line of sight. There were several large vehicles moving along in the snow. Judging from the level of technology of those vehicles, they didn''t appear to originate from Academy City, but he couldn''t rule out the possibility that it might be Academy City''s forces disguised as Russia''s. If he was his normal self, he would have observed intently, considering the possibility that they might be from the dark side. But the current Accelerator, his will lost, couldn''t be bothered. He wouldn''t have cared even if he was shot. However, the empty shell that was once his heart, shook. All because of the face of one person, whom he chanced upon in one of the vehicles. It was the face of the guy who had defeated him back in Academy Citys train switchyard - the one who stopped the "Experiment", permanently froze the Level 6 Shift project, and saved 10,000 Sisters. He would step up to help those in need whenever he could. No matter how despairing any situation was, he would still reach his hand out to those who had nowhere left to go. That was the kind of guy he was. He should still be in Academy City. Why is he in Russia? And that Hero, who was completely different to the apathetic #1 of Academy City, the one who could lift people out of their pits of despair, How could he pass by without realizing Last Order''s pain, who was so close to him? Unknowingly, Accelerator let out a mighty roar, and directed the vectors of a large boulder buried under the snow to the end of the vehicle. Like a balloon, the end burst open, and the convoy stopped. He knew how unreasonable he was, to ask that person to do something which he had given up. Even so... Arent you the Hero who saved the Sisters? The one who saved almost 10,000 lives by himself? That person jumped out from the vehicle. He seemed to have noticed Accelerator''s black wings. If you are, please save that brats life!! Why must she, who has done nothing wrong, be the only one to suffer so much!? WHYYY?! His black wings grew even larger with that roar. He knew he was wrong to begin with. And yet, he could no longer restrain his power. Not even Last Order''s smile, the symbol of all things good and pure, could stop him. The battle against Academy City''s #1, a monster who has surpassed his limits from his insurmountable anger, had begun. Between the Lines 3 Misaka Mikoto was serious about searching through Academy Citys data. She had seen that boy on the edge of a video from Russia on the news. He truly wasnt in Japan. And he was walking around nonchalantly in the most dangerous place in that war. There was something there. Without Mikoto knowing, that boy may have been once more fighting some great evil with his clenched right fist. Focusing on the screen of the PDA, she gathered a few pieces of information. She had a bad feeling. She recalled the time when she had desperately attempted to gain any information she could on the experiment involving the Sisters. She read what it said on the screen. Concerning Imagine Breaker being spotted in Russia and in the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. Imagine Breaker referred to that spiky haired boy. She had a vague recollection of him referring to his power that way. Mikoto scrolled down. There were a few maps with remarks written next to them. A couple of arrows were drawn on the maps. They probably referred to the movements of the Academy City forces or to the path taken by that boy. According to the directive from the chairman of the board of directors, Imagine Breaker will be dealt with differently than the normal method. It seemed the normal method referred to the method of suppressing a force that was attempting to leak information on Academy Citys psychic powers development technology to an external organization. It was a very strict method that could even give the approval to have people shot. However, it seemed that method did not apply to that boy. Mikoto almost felt relieved. But she realized she was being na?ve. In the Sisters incident, she had seen much more than she would have liked exactly how dark the underside of Academy City could get. Imagine Breaker is an esper who has great value even among every esper in Academy City. Keeping that value in mind, try to retrieve him while doing your very best to keep him alive. However, if it becomes clear that Imagine Breaker has sided with an organization other than Academy City, promptly attack him and retrieve him within the same life support system as used for the #2. Your secondary objective should be to keep this chaos from growing any further. Currently, it has been confirmed that Imagine Breaker is travelling with someone from an external organization. If this person is merely being used as a temporary guide, then the issue does not need to be dealt with, but carry out your secondary objective if it becomes clear that it is more than that. We have the approval of the chairman, so there will be no problem. At your level of authority, you cannot view the details, but the chairmans plan will continue. ... Misaka Mikoto remained silent for a bit. She was surprised, but she had also half expected something like that. On the PDA, she could see detailed plans on how to attack that boy. It had the personnel and equipment for the unit to parachute down and a mission schedule. Of course, the military airplane was waiting in District 23, the district that focused on air and space technology. Mikoto turned off the PDA and headed for District 23. That boy had once risked his life and stood up to Academy Citys great darkness in order to stop the massacre of the Sisters in the Level 6 Shift project. That boy may not have accurately imagined just how terrifying a thing he was standing up to, but the fact that he had crossed that dangerous bridge for Mikoto and for her younger sisters remained. She was greatly indebted to that boy. As Mikoto ran, she decided that it was about time she repaid him for that at least a little bit. Volume 20, 4: Now is the Time to Strike Back. Heroes_Congregate. Volume 20, Chapter 4: Now is the Time to Strike Back. Heroes_Congregate. Part 1 The three attack helicopters supplied by the Russian army flew across the white landscape. The large helicopters flew at 300 kph and were loaded with a large amount of ammunition. The sound of their rotors was deafening. Helicopters gave the image of making a great din as they flew through the sky, but the military ones were ingeniously constructed so they flew almost silently. These were different from that ideal design. They were quite different from the American military ones that were small, fast, and quiet. The mere fact that each one required 3 people to pilot it showed that they were not the usual type of helicopter. The kings of the skies felt no need to hide. In exchange, they could load as much ammunition as possible and damage the enemy as much as possible. That was the point of those helicopters. Dogfights that required both speed and mobility would be completely left to the fighters like the Migs and Sukhois, so battles against other helicopters were not even taken into account with their design. Instead, they were designed to utterly destroy targets on the ground. After all, those attack helicopters belonged to the army instead of the air force. Nice. This layout isnt bad, muttered one of the privateer pilots. They did not have common nationality, religion, race, gender, or age. Even their favorite genres of music were interestingly mixed. They only had one thing in common. They wanted to kill people and they wanted to do so in a one-sided way. This is a prototype developed by one of the large armies hovering between being 1st or 2nd in the world. I love it. In a side scrolling shooter, this would be the players craft. This isnt just a test run for the craft itself, said another pilot in a transmission from one of the other attack helicopters in the formation. This is a strategy test to see whether a large craft can realistically be used for something like this. The theory this operation is based on might not even work. ...If the actual Russian army were doing this, they would be using the basic pattern of using smaller helicopters and fighters. There could be some disadvantages to this. Particularly, our larger width will make us easier to attack from the ground. That doesnt matter. We just have to take them out before they take us out. We just have to fire a missile from long range before we even get in range of their weapons. Thats what the larger helicopters are for. Just like in a side scrolling shooter, we just have to fire like crazy without worrying about how much ammo we have left. As they spoke, they were getting closer to the target point. It was a small village that seemed to be full of nothing but rubble. It seemed the armored vehicle and anti-aircraft gun that had gone in first had met resistance and been taken out. However, they didnt particularly care. It didnt matter if the other privateers had been captured or killed. They were just looking forward to their own battle that was about to begin. The pilot tightly gripped the stick (that unnecessary strength in his grip made it clear he was self taught) and yelled out excitedly while listening to the sound of the rotors. Ah ha ha!! Lets kill them!! Kill them all!! Part 2 A low growl escaped Accelerators throat. A line of large vehicles was stopped a few dozen meters away. The back of one of the vehicles had been destroyed. The door at the front of the vehicle opened and a boy got out onto the snow. It was the boy who had once singlehandedly stopped the experiment that called for the killing of the 20,000 Sisters. Accelerator understood that his rage towards the boy was nothing more than an outburst of anger. His words had no legitimacy or consistency. Anyone watching on would certainly see Accelerator as the one in the wrong. But if the hero that had stopped that ridiculous experiment were to die for such a ridiculous reason, if the existence Accelerator held up so highly within him as holding tragedy in check were to disappear so easily... Then the world would probably really and truly come to an end. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! He screamed. The black wings on Accelerators back spread out explosively. They stretched to greater than 100 meters all at once and he swung them down towards that Level 0 boys head as grand weapons. With a great noise, that strike that held the power to split a skyscraper in half vertically came down. And yet the targeted boy was not turned to a pile of meat. It was due to his right hand. He raised that arm above his head scattering the pitch black darkness. ... Accelerators lips twisted slightly. What was he thinking deep in his heart now that the boy had not died in the first strike? Accelerator himself was not entirely sure and he swung the black wings again. This time it was a horizontal strike. That strike seemed like it would slice apart every object in the world at chest level and it flew mercilessly towards that Level 0 boy. The boy once more repelled it with his right hand. But the situation was not the same. The boy who had negated the black wings wobbled to the side as if being pushed by a force. Accelerator knew. That boy had a secret that allowed him to negate even Academy Citys #1 Level 5 power with a touch. However, he could not do anything about an attack that blew away everything in a fixed area like a large and strong wind or plasma. Perhaps the boy could not negate an attack that exceeded a certain level of destructive power, perhaps he could not negate a power that affected a large area, or perhaps he did not possess the ability to negate secondary physical phenomena that were caused by a power. Accelerator did not know what the true answer was, but he still knew he could beat down that Level 0 boy even if he didnt understand the reason or workings behind it. In other words... (Ill smash him to pieces with overwhelming force not giving him a chance to fight back!!) He could feel a dull pain deep in his head. It felt like his right brain and left brain were being split apart and something was bursting out from within. It was not a normal feeling. He wasnt even sure it was part of his powers as Academy Citys #1 Level 5. He didnt know what was going to happen. He might even just disintegrate away. (So what?) Accelerator gritted his teeth. Right there in that place, he had to muster all his strength and truly go all out as he fought. A wind roared. One of the wings turned into dozens of sharp stakes and flew forcefully towards the Level 0 boy who was running towards Accelerator. Instead of aiming for that small target from many different angles, the attack was more like a carpet bombing of an entire area that the boy happened to be in. A shock wave exploded out. White snow and black dirt exploded up greater than 10 meters into the air obstructing Accelerators vision. He could tell huge cracks had appeared in various places on the ground. Distant seismographs had likely detected that shaking. The boy who had been in the center of the blast could not be fine. Even with the ability to negate powers with his right hand, he wouldnt have been able to intercept every single attack. He had certainly been damaged. There was no way the Level 0 boy could have saved himself. And the shock waves created by even one of the dozens of stakes held enough destructive force to smash a human body to pieces. It had to be over. With that victory, Accelerator had lost some form of hope. And yet... A figure shakily stood before Accelerator. That Level 0 boy stood on the other side of the dust of white snow and black dirt. Of course, he was not unscathed. The boys clothes were covered in dirt, red blood was leaking from his temple, and his center of gravity seemed to be tilted to the side. Even so, the boy stood. He stood on his two legs that would not fall. Ha ha ha... Accelerator laughed weakly. He didnt understand. That attack was not something the boy should have been able to handle with just his right hand. However, Accelerator clearly laughed. He seemed to be enjoying it. He seemed to enjoy the fact that the theory behind his supposedly undefeatable attack had been overturned. To him it looked like the image of the unstoppable rails of fate being easily overcome. Ha ha ha ha ha!! Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Accelerator laughed as he gathered even greater power into his black wings. An even worse noise started to come from the inside of his skull. The Level 0 boy clenched his fist and ran toward Accelerator. This time, they were not testing the waters. The true clash began. Part 3 Theyre on their way, Digurv muttered with his head sticking out of the top hatch of the anti-aircraft gun and binoculars in one hand. Hamazura was in the front of the anti-aircraft gun sitting in the seat that allowed him to control the treads and move the vehicle around. He had nothing else to do. Piloting the vehicle was similar to operating a piece of construction equipment like a digger, but he didnt have the specialized skills needed to operate the radar and aim the guns at the targets. Hamazura peered out a horizontal slit made of reinforced glass and asked Digurv a question while looking at the snowy plain outside. Are they attack helicopters as you thought? Yes, three of them, Digurv responded without looking over at Hamazura. Theyre of a type Ive never seen before. Theyre quite large. This mission might be doubling as a test of a prototype. Russia has a history of focusing on developing large helicopters, the frostbitten Russian soldier added. It seemed his name was Glickin. It seems the worlds largest transport helicopter has about the same loading capacity as a C-130 transport plane. Only Russia would try to build a helicopter like that ignoring the practicality of it. Hamazura could tell his face was paling as he listened to Glickins words. If the helicopters are that large, that means they have a lot of ammunition and bombs packed inside, doesnt it? His traced his fingers along the unrefined levers of the controls. He was trying to calm himself by checking on the existence of their own weapon, but it didnt help at all. Are we really gonna be okay against a cutting edge prototype? Dammit. A busted anti-aircraft gun isnt enough to take on something like that. No, we might actually have a chance because of that, Digurv said refuting Hamazuras words. ? Its possible theyre letting those rogue privateers carry out the test rather than the actual army because they dont have too much faith in those prototypes. If those attack helicopters had been well tested and proven in actual battle, then we would have almost no chance of winning. Either way, our lives are on the line though. Here they come. Digurvs quick comment created great tension within the vehicle. ...Theyre most likely the type of helicopter that focuses on high speed hit & away tactics. They cant make tight turns, so they fly through the battlefield in a straight line and then make a large U-turn before returning. In other words, this is like a gunfight in a Western. The only way to win is to exchange bullets as they pass. The sound of the large rotors resounded throughout the area. Even through the small slit in front of Hamazura, three shadows could be seen in the white sky. At their current speed, they would pass by overhead in no time at all. Basically, they could not let those helicopters get by them. If they couldnt stop them, they would kill all of the villagers who were fleeing. Begin!! As Digurv yelled, Hamazura grabbed the lever to control the treads and Glickin reached for the equipment to rotate the gun turret. The battle began. When the attack helicopters were 300 meters away, the anti-aircraft gun opened fire. While the space between shots was a bit greater than with a normal machine gun, the sound of each shot was deep and low-pitched like a drum. The attack helicopters were flying in a formation where each one was the corner of a triangle, but they scattered upon hearing that noise. As they did, an orange spark flew from the surface of one of them. A bullet had hit it. However, it was not shot down. Do they have thick armor to go along with their larger size!? Hamazura, turn around! Missiles are going to be pouring down like rain!! Hearing Digurvs shout, Hamazura forcefully backed up the vehicle. The steel treads bit into the ground throwing snow about as they forced the heavy vehicle along. Treads gave the impression of being slow, but they were in a military vehicle. From the display on the speedometer, it seemed it was set to reach speeds of up to 70 kph. But the attack helicopters darting through the sky were much, much faster. Heh heh heh. Meanwhile, the pilot of one of the attack helicopters tightened his grip on the stick and licked his lips in excitement. He could blow that anti-aircraft gun to pieces with either a machine gun or missiles. He would leave the airspace, make a large U-turn, and then lower his altitude to gain the speed needed to aim for the target. Idiots! If you survived, you should have just pretended to be dead!! That might have raised your odds of surviving a little!! With its attack having failed, the anti-aircraft gun seemed to be desperately trying to flee. However, nothing would work as cover with all the sensors the attack helicopter had. The pilot raised the safety cover on the top of the stick with his thumb and pressed the red button that fired a missile. A small missile with white smoke trailing behind it shot towards the anti-aircraft gun. It was already too late for them to attempt to evade. The treaded vehicle simply didnt have the speed needed to do so. It seemed they were trying to flee into a forest of tall conifer trees, but it was too late to hide. The missile had already been fired. Ah ha!! Blow them to pieces!! yelled the pilot, but things did not turn out as he wanted. The vehicle had hidden behind the branches of the tall conifer trees. The missile struck the tops of the trees that were spread out like a roof over the anti-aircraft gun. Flames and a shock wave spread out, but the anti-aircraft gun was unharmed even with its thinner armor compared to a tank. The trees were blown to pieces by the missile and the pieces rained down over the area. And... Learn the purpose behind an opening, you pieces of shit!! Glickin!! In response to Hamazuras yell, Glickin operated the lever controlling the gun turret. A surface-to-air missile equipped on the side of the machine guns fired off into the sky. It flew up toward the sky that had previously been obstructed by the trees. However, the missile flew through the opening created by the attack from the helicopter. !? The pilots throat dried, but the missile did not fly towards him. Instead, it struck one of the other helicopters that was flying alongside and preparing for a second wave. An explosion and black smoke stained the Russian sky. The attack helicopter became an orange mass and crashed into the white snow-covered ground creating an even bigger explosion. However, the pilot felt no sorrow over his fellow privateers being shot down. He only felt anger towards his business being given a bad name. Lets make it rain, he said into the radio contacting the other remaining helicopter. The trees obstruct our missiles, so lets turn them to Swiss cheese with a shower of machine gun fire!! The two helicopters moved away from each other. They U-turned and headed at high speed toward the forest where the anti-aircraft gun was hiding. They started firing from two different directions at the same time. The anti-aircraft gun hurriedly hid itself among the trees, but the same trick would not keep working. The attack helicopters sensors detected a large metal object and they could tear through the trees like paper with their 30 mm Gatling guns. Their cover would not work that time. But then the pilot looked at the radar again. Ah!? the pilot exclaimed in puzzlement. The radar display was odd. He was confused for a second, but he still accurately operated the stick. He opened fire on the ground with the Gatling gun. Matching the movement of the helicopter, a straight line of bullets raced along the white ground. A number of thick trees splintered to pieces and large holes were opened up in the mass of metal hidden there. It wasnt just a few holes. They continued along one after another like from a giant sewing machine. An explosion spread out within the forest. He had utterly destroyed his target...or so he thought. The pilots expression was not one of joy. Hey, whats going on? The pilots expression was one of disturbance and irritation as he spoke to the other privateers. Why did the number of objects on the radar grow!? It didnt feel like I actually hit something!! If there was only one anti-aircraft gun in the forest, that phenomenon was impossible. And then a transmission came in answering his question. Look, its a car! To avoid being targeted, they hid all the vehicles from the village around the forest!! We targeted the wrong metal object detected by the!? The transmission cut out. Orange sparks flew. The other attack helicopters armor had been penetrated. The helicopter had been hit by an attack form the anti-aircraft gun and it exploded in midair. ... The remaining pilot had the option of returning to the base, but he did not choose to do so. One reason for that was the blood rushing to his head. But the bigger reason was the fact that the spray of machine gun fire before had mown down most of the trees in the forest. The anti-aircraft gun could no longer hide. Even if they tried to hide among the other vehicles, it would not lead him astray when he could see the thing by sight. You. Are. Dead. The pilot withdrew to a distance where the anti-aircraft gun could not reach him and then made a large U-turn. He would end this in the next run. Without any cover, the anti-aircraft gun finally had no way of avoiding the attack from above. Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Ill turn you to Swiss cheese!! Part 4 British and French magicians were fighting atop the solidified ocean surface in the Strait of Dover. The British forces were advancing due to Second Princess Carissa and the knights heading to the front lines. The knights were especially helpful as they were receiving power from Curtana Second using the mobile fortress Glastonbury. Knight Leader was using his spell that allowed him to nullify the power of any weapon he was aware of. Ignoring the usual national border, the knights were wielding their swords freely. They were pushing back the French magicians, but Knight Leaders expression was not a positive one. ...I suppose it just goes with the job to fear that a string of easy wins is just the enemys preparation for a hidden weapon. Given who were up against, that isnt exactly unlikely. ... Knight Leader remained silent after hearing Carissas response. Common sense wouldnt cut it against their opponent. The tactician on the French side was known as either the brains or the Holy Woman and she had a strange disposition characteristic of France. She was a Femme Fatale. Joan of Arc. Marie Antoinette. Women whose mere presence greatly affected the history of the country whether she herself was good or evil appeared in France again and again. This tactician was yet another example. She was too valuable to just execute and too fearsome to just be set free. As such, she had been imprisoned below Versailles by the French government. With her as their opponent, it may have been odd that the normal theories were working. Or perhaps they were already being affected by her Femme Fatale atmosphere by the mere fact that they thought there was something else there. The normal method will not work on them, said Carissa almost off hand. If they think of themselves as cornered, there is a danger they will start acting violently in a way that would be impossible using normal military actions. Do you know what we must do to prevent that? ? We conquer this battlefield without even giving them time to be thrown into disorder. We fight so hard that the enemy is pushed past fear and into dumbfounded amazement. I would rather you did not underestimate us, said a voice of unknown origin. It was the Holy Woman who acted as the brains commanding the French magicians from afar. But Carissa smiled. Its true that you might be able to turn this battle around if you showed up directly, Carissa said while being protected by a large number of knights. But you cant leave Versailles no matter what. Those pitiful long distance attacks arent enough to take out my knights. No matter how smart you may be, it doesnt change how strong the soldiers on the battlefield are. Using your strength well and pulling that strength above the limit are two very different things. The second princess smiled, but there was a tinge of disinterest in her tone of voice. Our goal is not France. We dont have time to deal with you, so just open up a path for us without bringing on unnecessary damage. Youre supposed to be the brains, right? Dont tell me you cant even figure out what the best course of action is here. Heh heh, the Femme Fatale laughed. You know I am a person who uses her head, so why did you never think of this possibility? What? Carissa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Knight Leader who was standing next to her was blown away by a huge impact. !? Carissa did not even have time to be surprised. A woman had suddenly flown over. She was wearing a splendid dress mostly made of loose white cloth. However, in contrast to the dress, her skin was unhealthily pale and her eyes were sunken in. She was holding a sword, but it did not suit her. It was a similar image to a youth who spent all his time reading books in a corner of the library swinging a baseball bat around. She was... ...Having me take action is actually the best plan for France. The showy Western sword that was mostly red and gold turned in Carissas direction. Knight Leader reacted first. To zero!! That statement should have nullified all attack power of the weapon the Femme Fatale held. It should have become even more harmless than a sponge. However... How na?ve, the Femme Fatale stated quietly. The histories of England and France are actually surprisingly intertwined. In fact, the British King William I was originally a French noble. As she did not take any immediate action, she may have been certain of her victory. ...Your spell does not work on weapons related to the Royal Family, correct? Ah...!? Seeing Knight Leaders surprise, the Femme Fatale swung her Western sword. Its speed exceeded that of sound. It was most likely a special sword that used spells unique to France similar to Curtana. Carissa had no means of defending herself. The knights were borrowing power from Curtana Second, but Queen Elizard held the sword itself. Carissa was not receiving the benefits of the sword and even if the knights threw themselves in front of Carissa to protect her, the Femme Fatales sword would slice straight through that shield and continue on to slice through Carissa. And then... A high pitched clang rang out. The blade in Second Princess Carissas hand competed with the supposedly unstoppable strike. She was supposed to have lost Curtana Original at the end of the coup detat. Curtana Second was with Elizard, so Carissa should not have had any power. Durendal, hm? Carissa said. Her body had not been sliced in two. She was completely unscathed. Carissa alone was smiling as their swords were locked together at close range. How? muttered the Femme Fatale. Carissa was holding a silver piece of metal only a few centimeters long. A sword of light was protruding from it. Given the power of the weapon the Femme Fatale held, that should not have been possible. She held the sword of France. It was the destructive power of France itself. To compete with that, it had to be Curtana, but... Youre the one that said the histories of England and France are surprisingly intertwined. What? Its the same idea that your king, Charlemagne, had. He put a fragment of a holy spear in the hilt of his sword to give it sacred power and value, right? You dont mean...? The Femme Fatale looked back at the small piece of metal. Thats a fragment of Curtana Second!? When I fought my mother, Curtana Original and Curtana Second clashed. This is a byproduct of that. ...But I never expected it to display this much power just by being in the hands of a member of the Royal Family. Just destroying it isnt enough. I truly hate this sword because of all these loopholes and secret tricks. ...I hate it enough to start a coup detat over it. An explosion of magical power was created between Carissa and the Femme Fatale. They both fell back a bit and held their swords up again. Having me take action is actually the greatest secret plan for England. Part 5 Accelerator made a simple move. The black wings behind him both swung downwards. Except, that this time his target wasnt the Level 0 teen thats running towards him, But towards the empty white land in front of him. The sound of an explosion rang out. With the massive destructive power, large amounts of earth got swept up, and formed into a 15m high and 300m wide tsunami made of earth. The entire vista got covered by it, and it struck as if to swallow the tiny lad. He should be dead with this attack. Even if he was wearing military-use power armor, his body of flesh and blood would be crushed along with the synthetic materials of the body armor. Even so. Pacha!!* The Level 0 charged right into the soaring earth. His body got pummeled by massive amounts of rocks, but none were fatal attacks. ... Accelerator was shocked at first, but soon figured out his tactics from the situation. From previous reports about Academy Citys #3, Railgun, who Accelerator had faced off against before, in the rumors associated with the Railgun, there was one saying that an unknown Level 0 existed that could match against the Railgun using only his right hand. This raised many questions. For example, even if a right hand that could negate any ability exists, how could the one using it match his opponents timing? A railgun attack was over three times the speed of sound, and lightning strikes were even faster. Even with a method of defending himself, to be able to time it right was extremely difficult. Even missing the timing by only an instant would probably result in death. In that situation, how could the scenario "Every single attack is negated easily" happen? From the situation now, Accelerator could make a rough estimate. In other words, Precognition.[1] For example, when the Railgun used her ability, she would give off weak magnetic fields and electromagnetic waves that would make the metal items around her resonate. Because of the eventual large explosion, the Railgun herself probably wouldnt notice these tiny vibrations like an earthquakes precursor. To see the invisible magnetic force, spread iron sand onto it to make it visible to the naked eye, just like an elementary school experiment. So, because of these An Involuntary Movements, there would be hints to when the Railgun would attack. Of course, that was not all. That was not the only kind. Even though her ability was more common compared to Accelerators ability, she was still the #3 esper of Academy City, and shouldnt be blocked that easily. There were probably other reasons as well. For example, the lightning strike. If it was only high voltage electricity flow, by extending his right hand the lightning would be attracted onto it, with the right hand acting like a lightning rod. Also, the iron-sand sword. Apart from the sword in her hand, the iron sand around her would also change shape due to the magnetic force. In other words, a visible magnetic path would be formed that could be used to predict where the strike would end up. Depending on the situation, he could even negate the sword without coming in contact with it just by touching the iron sand around him. Sometimes the path to victory would change. Was it using the most powerful ability one possessed, or the aftermath from that ability? According to different tactics used, the path to victory changed along with it. What was most important wasnt whether there was a chance to victory, but to never rely on only one form, and look at the problem from many different viewpoints. Above all, look for the best method to resolve the current situation. Even against the same kind of espers, the same kind of tactics might not be suited to be used. Even if it was just lightning strikes, depending on how it was used, different tactics may have to be taken. Because of this, battle tactics were always changing. By depending on the defense from the ability to negate any ability to avoid being killed instantly, to buy time and use it for maximum gain. By experiencing the impacts on ones own body and using that data as the basis to find the best way to get out of the situation alive. Just having brains wasnt enough. Just having the power wasnt enough. Only by combining the two it was possible to barely succeed. In the situation where death was only a hair''s-breadth away, having the courage to keep his body and thoughts moving probably helped a lot as well. But, The Level 0 probably didnt realize it himself. How to use his ability in its fullest potential, using the aftermath as a basis, and then change tactics to fight according to the situation. He was probably just combining those with his reflex. As for the Railgun making everything made of metal vibrate around her, he probably didnt take note of it explicitly but took it in using his peripheral vision, and processed it deep inside him. So, success was not guaranteed. On the other hand, if he actively tried to take note of these things it was more likely to fail. But, Just taking Accelerators attack and surviving was exceptional in terms of battle ability. Even if anyone else had this power in their right hand, how many could get the same results? Taking only the supernatural abilities into account, he definitely couldnt be called strong. Even if taken everything into account he might still only be at a weak level. But because that was so, This teenager knew the meaning of fighting with all his strength if he wanted to live. Uwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhh!!!!!!!! The roar of the two overlapped. The Level 0 charged in to where his fist could reach his opponent. Accelerator raised one of his black wings. The two attacks flew past each other, and the Level 0s attack hit only an instant earlier. Accelerators face got blown backwards, and he lost his balance. The black wings path got diverted slightly, and missed the Level 0 by millimeters. A shockwave erupted. With the raging wind, not just the Level 0, even Accelerator got blown several dozens of meters away. Both of them got up from the snow-covered ground, clenched their fists, and charged right at each other. From inside Accelerators heart, something black surged out. It was not directed towards the Level 0, but towards something more indistinct. The hatred and anger towards this illogical and unreasonable world burst out in the form of words. Why!! Why didnt anyone save that brat!! Arent you a hero! The hero that stopped that Experiment with only one fist!! Then go save her! If you can do what no one else can, then you can definitely save that brat!! Accompanying the roar, an even larger power surged through the black wings. At the same time, something that was crumbling in his heart started to fall to pieces. He could no longer stop. Even the action of remembering Last Orders smile could no longer stop the violence. Its ridiculous that a villain who was no better than a piece of shit like me was guarding her!! No matter how you think about it something must have been wrong!! How could I possibly be a hero!! No matter what, I can only choose the blood-stained path!! Why do I have to do all these things!! If a hero like you had shown up earlier, then something like this mix-up of position wouldnt have happened!! That brat would not had to have suffered as much this way!! While the two exchanged blows between fist and wings, the Level 0 probably didnt know why it had turned out this way either. Accelerator himself probably didnt know what he wanted to say; it was just air passing through his lips, no one else should be able to understand him. Instantly, both of them went silent. They moved their gaze towards the small girl collapsed on the ground. Then, The black wings swelled up even more than before. The pair of wings split into over a hundred, and attacked the Level 0 from all angles. At the same time where the sound of explosions and shockwaves ran rampant, the ground started to tremble dully. (He should be dead now... its impossible for him not to be.) Accelerator thought. It was impossible for that not to be the case. Even so, Why... Accelerator let out a sound that was almost like a groan. In the end it turned into a mighty roar. Why couldnt a hero like you just die?! If you die, then everything can finally break apaaaaaaaaaaart!!!!!!!!!!!! He heard the reply. Right in front of him, the teenager that clenched the blood-covered fist spoke: ... things like heroes are unnecessary. Footsteps rang out on the snow. Fist and wings collided. The air shook, many attacks impacted, and blood flew out. Does a Level 0 like me really seem that incredible?! Hero? Villain? Stop kidding around! Cant you save someone if youre not standing at that spot?! In front of your eyes are people that dont wish to cry that are crying! In front of your eyes are people that can only clench their teeth while struggling and cant even say the words please save me! Is that not enough!! Just step up already!! You dont need special positions or reasons!! With these, you can step up and be a shield for them!! After letting out those words, the Level 0 became stronger. Those words werent just directed at Accelerator. His words also slashed away at his own uncertainty. I dont know what youre trying to protect, nor do I know what you have been hurt by. But, if you want to protect that child then do so with your chest held high!! Here and now, be proud in knowing that you are protecting her!! This is your life right? Then decide for yourself!! If you want to protect everything with your hands then do so, if you want to abandon everything then do so. But, what do you yourself want to do right now?! Can you really be satisfied giving your most important thing to someone else that you dont really understand?! Explosions erupted. The black wings flew erratically. Snow and earth flew up high into the air. But the Level 0 did not fall down. Facing the massive attack that looked like it would swallow him, he protected his vital points and advanced forward. Thump. Accelerator felt a chill down his spine. Until today, Accelerator thought the most frightening thing about Level 0s was their resourcefulness when facing high-leveled espers. Charging in head on and then taking advantage of the small thing the powerful esper missed to deal the decisive blow there. That was the most terrifying. Yes. With the resolve that refused to give up no matter what happened, the enemy that charged towards him right now was the most terrifying existence. The strongest esper of Academy City finally noticed this. And as proof: (That last attack...) Accelerator gulped. (Even the weakest of those attacks hold destructive power that isnt possibly something a human body can handle, right?!!) Those things didnt matter. The source of his terror was not those superfluous theories. What was most important right now was the most terrifying enemy closing in. At this time, Accelerator remembered something. Before, in the cargo holding area fighting the Sisters during the Experiment, the same kind of clash had happened. Wasnt the most terrifying thing about that teenager being that he never gave up, and stood with his own two feet under circumstances where that could not possibly happen? Just choose already... The Level 0, just like back then in the blood-covered cargo holding area, charged towards the Academy Citys strongest esper. Do you want to keep protecting with your hands? Or do you want to give it all to someone else and run away? Or do you want me to give you a hand in choosing!! That fist, Clenched to the point where it couldnt get any tighter. Whether it be pride or whatever, for whatever can make you hold your chest up high, just choose already!! A roar exploded out. The sound of the Level 0s fist struck surely onto Accelerators face. After stepping onto the path of Evil, the power gained after many coincidences, the black wings do not work against that teenager. No, Actually, The thought of that it is necessary to step onto the path of Evil, was that only a shackle? No matter what, what he had to protect at any cost was Last Orders smile. This had nothing to do with where she was located. If someone truly wanted to protect her, it didnt matter if he himself was Good or Evil, he didnt even have to surpass people like Kakine. The kind of person whose shadow he had been chasing all this time was probably an existence like this. It was not because of Good or Evil. And it was because Accelerator didnt consider this, that the pure Evil Accelerator could not reach him. If that was the case... Accelerator thought even as he fell backwards. The fantasy that had occupied his heart for all this time had shattered. And so, Lessar, the magician travelling with Kamijou Touma, watched their battle from afar. Observing from the angle of magic, the black wings of the mysterious attacker were like an embodiment of terror. But even more frightening was Kamijou Touma who could suppress even those wings. (Just then...) Lessar was going over what she had just witnessed once again in her mind. (That guy... caught one of the black wings that split into more than a hundred branches and twisted it...?) That boys right hand seemed to have the effect of negating any supernatural power. But, because of limits there were cases where massive powers that couldnt be negated completely ended up only blocked by the right hand. From what she had seen, Fiammas special giant sword had taken a while before it was erased completely. Normally speaking, being unable to negate something completely... should be a disadvantage for him. But, Just now, that teenager used that flaw to deliberately grab a black wing he couldnt negate completely. Then twist the wing to make the attacker lose his balance, and create a small safe area when he was surrounded completely by the black wings. Negation and disruption. Matching his opponents strength, and using his ability for the maximum benefit. Had this cruel war provided an opportunity to greatly enhance that teenagers power? But, (With only that... is it really possible to have gotten out of that situation...?) Even if he could use his right hand to hold onto the massive power, just that it was not enough to handle the problem. Even if Lessar had the same power, it would impossible for her to get out of that kind of situation no matter what. If that was the case, What exactly just happened? Was there really no logic to this? Or was it... Part 6 Accelerators vision flickered in and out. In his vision, the world was on its side and he could see Last Order. She was still buried in the cold snow. Accelerator finally frowned at that fact and then noticed that someone was crouching down over the girl. When he entered Russia, that may have been enough to pull the trigger of murder within him, but at that time he could not move. Crouching next to Last Order was a spiky haired boy. He was staring at the small unconscious girls face, but he finally moved his right hand toward her forehead. It was a similar action to checking to see if she had a fever. From that alone, something happened. A high-pitched noise similar to something solid being shattered echoed throughout the vast white land of Russia. Accelerator did not understand what that meant. His consciousness sank into darkness once more. When he next came to, Accelerator was inside a vehicle. It was not a civilian car. There was no interior meant for people to ride in or even any windows. Most likely, he was in the back of a truck. The unrefined metal floor and walls raised his caution. He thought that an underground organization from Academy City might have captured him. But he quickly remembered the convoy made up of various vehicles that spiky haired boy had been riding in. Accelerator might be inside one of them. There were no vibrations. The truck was stopped. They may have reached their destination before Accelerator came to. Last Order was lying by his side. The unhealthy sweat that had previously been flowing from her body was gone for some reason. That spiky haired boys right hand might have had some sort of effect when he had touched her before Accelerator had lost consciousness. However, he was pretty sure that effect was only temporary. He could use his vector transformation ability to accurately read the disturbances in a humans brain waves. When he used that power to check Last Orders body, he could tell the root of the problem had not been fixed. Even if she was stable then, it would eventually return. But the fact that his time limit had been extended remained. Accelerator did not know what to make of the situation. He felt the pieces of parchment next to him. He found a small memo left next to Last Orders small body. Given the timing, it was most likely from that spiky haired boy. He grabbed the scrap of paper and it said: Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Just before Accelerator had left Academy city, Aiwass had told him to remember that term. There could be a connection. The boys memo might have been pointing toward the key to saving Last Order. Suddenly, the back door of the stopped truck was opened from the outside. Light flowed inside. The large blond-haired blue-eyed man who had opened the door spoke to Accelerator. Welcome to the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. I dont know how much we can do, but how about we work together to come up with a way to heal that girl? Accelerator did not respond. He merely squeezed the memo in his hands and hung his head in front of Last Order. He almost looked like a white angel lifting up a prayer. And a being that surpassed humanity smiled silently in a distant city of science. It was known as Aiwass. A normal human may have been covered in a cold sweat. That was the nuance the smile held. The being spoke with that smile on its face that no one else knew the true meaning behind. His right hand truly is interesting. It was rather unclear whether being deemed interesting by Aiwass was a good thing for a human who wished to live a proper life. Aiwass did not possess any thought patterns that cared about the life of a mere human. That existence only took actions that followed its own interest. Perhaps I should have gone to meet him before he left the city. Part 7 The forest they had been using for cover was gone. One attack helicopter remained. They could no longer fool the attacker in the sky. It was truly 1 on 1. If they didnt bring it down then, the privateer attack helicopter would slaughter the fleeing villagers. Among them was Takitsubo Rikou who could not move on her own. Hamazura and the others had to win. And yet... Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Everyone within the confined area of the anti-aircraft gun yelled. Even Hamazura and Digurv who were not actually touching the trigger raised their voices. The attack helicopter approached. A line of bullets raced along the ground. The attack helicopter was going all out and it was quite fast. They couldnt hit it with the machine gun. They had a missile lock, but firing it would likely be useless. Normally, surface-to-air missiles were fired from behind a fleeing aircraft. The odds of hitting an object flying in at high speed were low. The surprise attack using the trees as cover had only worked because the enemy had been late in evading because they were sure that no counterattack was coming. The missile was of no use when the enemy was on full guard. Glickin had said it was like a gunfight in a Western. Their bullets would cross and the one that hit the other first would win. That was what Hamazura thought. But the attack helicopter had the clear advantage. (Shit...!!) Hamazura desperately operated the treads to move the vehicle away from the approaching line of bullets. But he wasnt going to make it. The helicopter subtly adjusted its path so it was aimed straight for the anti-aircraft gun again. It was over. Hamazura yelled out Takitsubos name and a noise that felt like it was squeezing his heart exploded out. It was the sound of thick metal panels being penetrated. His consciousness wavered. His breathing literally stopped. However, Hamazura did not die. The sound that had slammed into his ear drums had not been the sound of the anti-aircraft gun being blown away. The ominous noise had come from the attack helicopter flying through the sky. It was the sound of a 3.5 meter sword skewering the helicopter horizontally. The letters on the side that said Ascalon seemed burned into his eyes. ...Hah? Hamazura let out that stupid-sounding voice in response to the ridiculous scene. Even though his life had been saved, part of him did not want to accept what he had just seen. Meanwhile, an even more unreasonable reality unfolded before his eyes. Someone had jumped on top of the attack helicopter flying 20 meters up in the sky. Yes. Someone had jumped up from the white ground. It was a large man wearing blue clothing. He was holding the grip of the large sword that had stabbed into the helicopter. He then swung the sword around. That king of the sky was thrown about like a toy hammer. Obeying gravity, the large man landed in the center of the snowy field. At the same time, the large sword slammed into the ground. The attack helicopter exploded and orange flames scattered about the area. Stealing the enemys weapon and continuing to fight in order to protect the people from unspeakable cruelty and to stop the shedding of unnecessary tears is most admirable, a low male voice said from within the flames. He was speaking in fluent English and even Hamazura could just barely manage to pick out a word or two he understood. Immediately afterwards, the flames were blown out from within. A mass of water perhaps created from melted snow floated about the man. It was an unnatural sight like seeing a drink spilled in zero gravity. I do not know the details of the situation, but I, Acqua of the Back, will be presumptuous enough to lend you my help. Various feelings crossed paths and the chance meetings of the protagonists created even further stories. The time to fight back had begun. As long as they continued to run forward without losing sight of their goals within that large and intense war, that world that continued to bring smiles to peoples faces would not be so easily destroyed. Notes 1. The full the translation of this ability''s name is Premonition Perception. While the more concise word Precognition is used throughout these translations, this ability is different from what one normally expects of precognition. Volume 20, War Report Volume 20, War Report In a hospital in Rome, a single room was covered in an odd atmosphere. It was peaceful. It seemed like the image of the person sleeping there filled every corner of the room. The man lying on the bed was the Roman pope. That old man who should have been enshrined in a cathedral deep within the Vatican was wearing a surgical gown and had tubes sticking into his mouth and nose. A young priest shook his head as he entered the hospital room. He may have been praying somewhere in his heart. Praying that the legendary old man lying there would get up even after he had fallen victim to the chaos spreading throughout the world. ...No one can stop Fiammas tyranny, the young priest said as if he were squeezing out the words. The Cardinals who have seen his power are either overcome with fear or are following him hoping it will be to their advantage. And of all things, some have come forward saying a new pope needs to be selected in the middle of this war. A great magical battle is occurring between England and France. Most likely, Fiamma is backing France. ...No, it isnt just in that one place. This war is spreading throughout the world exactly as Fiamma wants. No response came back to the young priest. That fact was enough to almost make the priest collapse. However, the situation did not end there. A nun burst in to the hospital room breathing heavily. E-emergency!! We are in the presence of the pope!! rebuked the young priest and the nun cowered a bit. However, her face remained pale and her mouth flapped open and closed like a fish out of water. The people of Rome are saying they are fed up with supporting this war!! They have begun to gather together into a large group! They may be headed for the Vatican!! Officially, World War III was between Russia and Academy City, but the people were vaguely aware that Academy City and England were allies and that Russia and the Roman Catholic Church were supporting each other. A few units of the Italian army had actually been deployed to help with the war. The Cardinals who governed the Roman Catholic Church had been charmed by Fiammas power. They were no longer of any use. The normal citizens who were acting out of proper indignation may have held the power that would actually change history. But... ...We need to stop them. Father? Historically, a few revolutions of the people have succeeded, but those only succeeded because careful preparations were made beforehand! A sudden riot like this will not change history!! At this rate, they will merely end up being slaughtered by the Roman Catholic battle units!! Th-then, what do we do!? They are thinking seriously about the future of the Roman Catholic Church. That is why we must hold them in check before this becomes a true riot. We cant let them die. The young priest and the nun hurriedly left the hospital room, but the priest stopped at the exit. He looked back at the Roman pope who was lying on the bed and some words leaked from his mouth. If you could only show your face and give a few words to the people... That alone may be enough to wipe away everyones worries... The young priest shook his head as if to shake away that impossibility. He then headed for the area of Rome where the riot was beginning in order to realistically solve the problem. The hospital room returned to its peaceful atmosphere. And then the impossible happened. The Roman popes fingertips moved. It was just a slight twitch, but the popes eyelids then opened as if that had been a trigger. He pulled the tubes from his mouth and nose, sat up in the bed, and looked around. It was not the luxurious clothes of the pope, but a simple religious habit was hanging on the wall. The pope grabbed the remote control on the side table and turned on the TV. As he listened to the news, he removed his surgical gown and changed into the habit. The news informed him of the tragedy in the world. A mother was shown grieving over the unreasonable violence. The announcers words continued adding to the unease. A girl was shown praying. The report said her father had been missing ever since an explosion occurred near their house. Someone was crying and asking why the war had happened. The pope remained silent for a bit. Before taking his next action, he opened a magical communication line directly within his head. Hi, you dandy gentleman. Do you still have your position as the Roman pope? Vasilisa. During some talks he had gone through with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch, in order to strengthen their cooperative relationship, he had secretly exchanged means to communicate with her. It seems the Cardinals are trying to choose a new pope. Im sure I have already lost my authority. My words are not enough to stop this war. And yet you still stood back up. Knowing that is more than enough. What are you doing now? Hmm? A loud noise was transmitted along with her voice and the pope scratched at his head. He frowned. That had clearly been an explosion. And it hadnt been just one or two. Multiple explosions had come in quick succession. He heard cries of anger along with them. Vasilisa was likely having a magical battle with someone while she spoke with him. Do you wanna know whats going on? Im in the middle of making a group of rebellious subordinates cry. Ah ha ha. This perverted woman magician named Skogsfru has snot pouring down her face. Youre the type that is moved to tears by hearing that brothers and sisters are fighting, right? Vasilisas tone of voice did not change. From that alone, the pope could tell just how one sided that battle was. ...Go easy on them. They are your subordinates, right? I thought youd say that, Vasilisa said while giggling in a way that made it difficult to tell how serious she was. But how are you supposed to put an end to this war when youre so bad at this kind of thing? I just do what must be done, the pope replied simply. I do what must be done not as the pope in charge of two billion followers but as a single follower of the Roman Catholic Church. I promised that mercenary that if the church turned majorly in the wrong direction that I would stop it from the inside. After saying that, the Roman pope continued speaking under his breath. I contacted Gods Right Seat in order to more efficiently save the people, but it seems the Lord still has plenty more trials for me. The pope opened the window of the hospital room and unhesitatingly jumped out. A new fight began for that old man. Fiamma of the Right had returned to the base within Russia. Dont be so scared, Nikolai, Fiamma said while walking. You started this war, responded the voice of a man in the prime of his life from the book-shaped communications spiritual item. Technically, I only suggested that you go to war. You all are the ones that officially pulled the trigger, right? You suggested we go to war because Russia would not be in a good position after a war between the magic side and the science side, but look how it has turned out! Have you not heard what Academy Citys forces including their unmanned weapons are doing!? Thats why I told you not to be so scared. If the situation continues like this, we will both lose our strongholds. Dont tell me you dont understand what that means. If you do not have a plan, were done. Once were rid of you, we will deal with this war we started in our own way. And we will find the method that will bring about the least damage. How pessimistic. And you were secretly preparing for war behind the Patriarchs back, so the Russian Orthodox Church would be after you too in that situation. Fiammas shoulders shook slightly with laughter. Heres a question for you: What if I had a hidden weapon that could turn this all around in an instant? Did you get a nuclear weapon or something? Sorry, but Russia has plenty of those, Nikolai said quickly. There was scorn in his voice. From the test firing of ballistic missiles, we already know we cant reach Academy City or any organizations working with them. Switching out the warhead is meaningless if it wont hit. With their perfect interception, a nuclear weapon wont stop them. Archangel Gabriel. !? Nikolai stopped speaking upon hearing the two words Fiamma whispered. Although you might know her better as Misha Kreutzev. You have her? I have the nun to act as the medium. What if I were to shape that base medium into the archangel and use it as my pawn? Just so you know, I can send it out at any time. Now then. Is the state of the war youre so worried about really something that cannot be dealt with? Nikolai Tolstoy was the type of person who would attempt to profit from any conflict that cropped up and he immediately began his overly optimistic calculations. Fiamma heard excited speaking over the communications spiritual item, but he wasnt really listening. Ignoring the book-shaped spiritual item, Fiamma muttered under his breath. (Of course, my true goal in obtaining that is something else. The fact that I am of Michael but I can make the power of Gabriel my own shows that detestable ambiguity of the elements.) His thoughts cut off there and Fiamma then loudly spoke as if giving an announcement to the entire world. Now, it is time for the fun of Project Bethlehem. ...What? Ekalielya A. Pronskaya , the Russian Air Force pilot fighting above the Sea of Japan, frowned. The words of the man aboard one of Academy Citys large fighters were coming over the communications device in her helmet. Like I said: the Kremlin Report. They were both flying around in cutting edge masses of metal, but the enemy soldier seemed a bit exasperated. Its the most important manual for the defense of Russia. If youre in the army, Im sure youve at least heard of it. ... She had heard that name before. But it was not something that she had the official authority to view. It was something like a legend that had spread throughout the military. She didnt even know if it actually existed. Ekalielya was not surprised that the enemy knew of the Kremlin Report. She was surprised they knew of the (supposedly) unrecorded rumors of it. Do you know what it contains? Do I need to answer that? A bacterial wall. The Academy City pilot suddenly changed the subject. That was how Ekalielya interpreted it, but she was wrong. There was a connection. Its a killer virus that is spread through the air. It enters the blood vessels through the respiratory organs and the skin. On top of that, it can break down oil content. Not only does it kill animals, but it can also eat holes in the filters of the masks and ducts to defend against bacteriological weapons. Once its released, it cant be dealt with using the normal methods. What are you trying to say? The Kremlin Report is a defense manual for the nuclear firing facilities. If a military force invades the country and it seems the nuclear facilities will be taken, a bacterial wall will be distributed near the facilities in order to eliminate the people there without damaging the facilities. That is what the Kremlin Report is for. ... Of course, no evacuation warning will be sent to the Russian soldiers working at the facilities or the civilians living in the area. The manual gives top priority to safely securing the facilities. No effective vaccine for the bacterial wall has been created. It is even highly resistant to heat treatment. There was a report that extremely high concentrations of ozone could be used to annihilate the bacteria, but...its obvious what would happen to the infected people if that method was used. Ekalielyas hand gripping the stick started to tremble slightly. If that were true, the meaning of the war had changed. Academy City was not fighting to make the people of Russia suffer. The leaders of the Russian army had started the war. Academy City was fighting to prevent the Russian army from continuing in that fashion and ending up going ahead with a plan that would bring suffering to the Russian people they were supposed to be protecting. She felt the core of her heart starting to break. But Ekalielya shook her head. Thats right. It was possible that story was just propaganda being used to rid her of her fighting spirit. Those are just the words of the enemy. Like I can trust you! Youre using military force to enter my country and aim your weapons at the people there!! Im not going to overlook your invasion because of some baseless story!! I thought youd say that, the Academy City pilot said cheerfully. So I prepared this. She heard a slight noise. The meters and gauges on modern fighters were displayed on digital monitors. One of the small LCD monitors suddenly changed what it was displaying. A communications port had been forcibly released and information was being forced into it. But that was not what shocked Ekalielya. She felt as if her heart would stop when she saw the numbers and text displayed on the screen. What do you think? asked the Academy City pilot. Are your superiors really trying to protect the Russian people? Second Princess Carissa also mentioned the Kremlin Report. Carissa and the Femme Fatale were so close to each other that their noses were almost touching. As they pressed their swords together, they moved their heads even further forward than the blades. The sword of light created from the fragment of Curtana Second and Durendal the sword of France. As those two legendary weapons clashed, they exchanged words. ...What? As the brains, you should be able to determine whether what I am saying is true or not given the situation and level of technology in Russia as well as the degree to which Academy City has invaded. Or are you going to go the boring old route of insisting to see the Kremlin Report with your own eyes before youll believe me? A great amount of power exploded between the two blades. They both moved back about 10 meters. The Femme Fatale spoke quietly while holding up Durendal. No matter what type of justification you have, you still plan to use France as a stepping stone to interfere in Russia. And France is achieving growth from the protection of the Roman Catholic Church, so we cannot simply ignore their orders. Even if this Kremlin Report is real, it is no reason for me to hold back my blade. Are you serious? You started a coup detat and planned to conquer the people of Europe in order to protect the people of your country. I had deemed that necessary, yes. Carissa did not deny it. Instead of making convenient excuses, she readily admitted to her own unsightly mistake. But I have no intention of killing anyone whose death is not necessary for the protection of my people. Not a single one. ... What connection is there between the protection of the French people and the suffering of the Russian people by the activation of the Kremlin Report? Well... The protection of the Roman Catholic Church? Is that really what you yourself wanted? Are they truly protecting you? Arent you even now bringing a crisis to your own people by starting this unneeded war due to pressure from the Roman Catholic Church? The Femme Fatale fell silent. Carissa silently held up the fragment of Curtana Second and the sword of light it created. France is the only country in Europe that can make a genuine magical attack on England. Everyone knows that this isnt the Roman Catholic Churchs war. Its Fiammas war. ...If it werent for this skirmish we would be headed to Russia. Even now, we could still avoid the worst case scenario. She did not hesitate. She couldnt allow herself to. So what will you do? I had determined that France was my archenemy. Are you really this disappointing an existence? Academy Citys 23rd district was a collection of air and space technology and many different types of aircraft were on standby there. Normally, most of them were passenger planes used to transport personnel and goods, but it was currently dyed with the colors of the military. A large number of fighters, bombers, and transport planes were lined up and maintenance staff members were running around between them. There was one specific bomber among them. It was an HsB-02 supersonic bomber. It was over 80 meters long. With its maximum speed of over 7000 kph, it could transcend the limits within the atmosphere of the earth. It was a bomber, but it was not filled with explosives. Its bay was almost empty, but those who knew of its contents felt a chill down their backs. Something much more fearsome than a mere bomb was loaded within. Hm hm hmmmn, hummed a female voice. Along with that voice that seemed to be enjoying itself, a few sparks could be heard. There was a single seat inside and someone was sitting in it. It was a girl who had lost her left arm and whose right eye had been crushed. The edge of her yellow coat was burned black and a bluish white arm of light was sticking out of it. Countless pieces of medical equipment were lined up next to the chair and a number of tubes and cords were stuck to the girls body. Mugino Shizuri. Academy Citys #4 Level 5. Meltdowner. The reason it had been decided that she would be sent to the war front in Russia was quite simple. ...Lets have some fuuun, Haaamazuraaa. Meanwhile, another Level 5 boarded a different bomber. W-wahh!? Wh-whats going on!? yelled the pilot. A group of men wearing black clothes were supposed to have boarded the bomber. They were a special unit that was going to parachute down into Russia. The units orders were to confirm the actions of a Level 0 known as Imagine Breaker and to quickly attack and knock him unconscious if he were confirmed to have joined an enemy group. They were not espers. The bomber was supposed to hold a group of professionals who were armed with the latest weaponry and who could take out their target with superhuman movements. So why were they all unconscious in that large space? And who was that middle school-aged girl standing amid them with sparks crackling from her. Hi. Im gonna be hitching a ride. ...!? Danger signals fired within the pilots mind. He tried to run out of the bomber and yell to inform others of the danger. But sparks flew before he could. A high voltage current regulated to not leave any after effects forcibly constricted the pilots muscles so he could not move even a finger. Gah...!? Sorry about that. Im pretty pissed off, so I cant guarantee that Ill hold back next time, the girl, Misaka Mikoto, informed the pilot as he almost seemed to be hyperventilating. Take me to Russia. Itd be great if you would just do your job as you were originally supposed to. So what will you do? said Aiwass somewhere in Academy City. Aiwass was not human. And across from it was another being that was not human. ... She was a girl with long black hair that had a little bit of brown mixed in, cowering eyes covered by glasses, and a nice body. That was what she looked like, but she was actually an aggregation of AIM diffusion fields. She was Kazakiri Hyouka. As she faced Aiwass, her gaze did not hold its usual unease. It was only a bit, but there was a core of fighting spirit there. Aiwass spoke to her. A being similar to you has been confirmed to be in Russia. The being is known as the Archangel Gabriel. No, as she is still incomplete, I suppose I should call her Misha Kreutzev. At any rate, that is not an existence that can be dealt with by humanitys current level of technology and military power. Once it begins, tragedy will come to every person in that land. So you are telling me to fight? That is also a very interesting option. But then there is no reason that you must choose that option. ... So you have begun to think of a concrete plan. But you need not worry if you choose to do it. We tend to prefer this city that is filled with AIM diffusion fields, but by using the Sisters spread around the world as intermediaries and by applying directionality to the AIM diffusion fields, a belt-shaped AIM diffusion field area can be stretched from Academy City to the depths of Russia. Does that... Kazakiri hesitated and then started again. Does that mean a virus will be sent to those peoples heads again? If it is necessary, responded Aiwass simply. However, it will not be. It may be hard to understand with Last Order away, but your goal will most likely be in sync with what the Sisters want. Each individual unit may cooperate without an overriding order sent out from the command tower. ... So what will you do? What will you do? Nothing. It did not take even a second for the being to respond. I only carry out actions that will bring about interesting things. The actions within Russia seem a bit interesting, but I find no value or interest in actually fighting there. That was Aiwass. Even if humanity was to go extinct and the world was to disappear, Aiwasss expression would not change. Which was more terrifying, someone who piled subtle plan on top of subtle plan to carry out a large plan or someone who held the power to destroy the world with a single fingertip but only acted on a whim or out of interest? I suppose I will go, said Kazakiri after thinking for a while. But on one condition. Am I really the one you should be telling that to? I am not the one who has come up with this overblown plan. Please do not touch my friends. As long as they do not prove to be interesting, I wont. ...If you do, I will become your enemy even if it means mutual destruction. You are much too na?ve if you think you can threaten me, said Aiwass with a slight smile. That kind of statement could very well spark my interest. Above the Sea of Japan, the pilot of the Academy City supersonic fighter gave a worried cry for the first time since the battle began. !? Evade!! Circle around noooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! ? Ekalielya of the opposing Russian Air Force frowned, but figured out what was going on immediately afterwards. Something large shot by between the two planes. An explosive noise and a shock wave sliced through the air shortly thereafter. Ekalielyas state of the art fighter was shaken like it was a leaf. If she hadnt been in such a maneuverable and stable Russian fighter, she would have stalled and crashed. She could see that even the over 80 meter long Academy City fighter had been affected. What...was that!? It had come from the direction of Academy City. It was probably something they had developed. Given the situation, it was probably some cutting edge aircraft. However, Ekalielya could not believe what she had seen with her own eyes. What she had just seen had clearly ignored all common knowledge of aviation. It was beyond the idea of a UFO. A UFO was usually thought of as being a metal aircraft made with unknown technology or a mystery that was still on a level where humans could more or less accept it. It was a type of craft that a living being was controlling from the inside. But what she had seen was different. What Ekalielya had seen for a split second as it flew past was... An...angel...? she muttered. What was that? Dammit, dont ask me. Im just as surprised as you are. They had no way of knowing, but it was a being known as Fuse Kazakiri. But this time, she was not being controlled by a third party. Her eyes held her own will. As she flew through the sky, something extended from her right hand. It was a sword. It gave her a mass of destructive power that did not suit her normal self. It was as if her fighting spirit was displaying itself externally. Fuse Kazakiri flew through the Russian sky faster than anything else. With her simple desire to protect her friends, events were developing towards a direct clash between angels. Yes. Science and magic. The fight would be between two angels created by those completely different methods. Kamijou Touma headed for the center of that battlefield. He sat within one of the vehicles in the convoy from the Elizalina Alliance. One of the trucks had been sent elsewhere with Accelerator and Last Order inside, but the rest were headed to Fiammas base. Kamijou had found pieces of parchment in Accelerators pocket. He hadnt touched them more than that because they may have been magical items, but he left Indexs name instead. He left the name of the girl who would be able to tell him what the parchments meant. ...Thats right, he said with a small smile. The fight against Academy Citys #1 had been unexpected, but he had gained something from it. What am I worrying about? Like I have any right to say any self-important things to Accelerator. Lessar looked over at Kamijou from the seat next to him. While still staring forward, he smiled with enough force that it looked like he was about to punch away who he had been up to then. Whats all this about reasons and justifications? I dont need any of that!! Am I not allowed to stand up to fight without a logical motive!? Index is suffering. She cant show me her usual smile. Ill fight with just that!! Thats enough! Im not thinking up any excuses!! Im not gonna spend any more time worrying and worrying about finding a logical reason!! There was an unknown core to his voice. It was the same as when he had unhesitatingly stood up to the new queen who held Curtana Original during the coup detat in London. Would everything really be resolved if I just left everything to Fiamma!? Why does it matter if I have a guilty conscious regarding Index!? Whatever that bastard says, it wont change my desire to save her!! No matter how much self-important shit he says, it wont stop me!! It was back. The driving force that gave that boy strength was back to its normal place. Im not protecting her because thats the right thing to do!! Im not saving her because it says to in the rule book and I therefore have no choice!! Im doing it because I want to!! So theres no reason for me to stop!! Theres no need to argue about whether its right or not and theres no need to search for material to use in that argument!! After yelling all that out, Kamijou fell silent. Finally, he continued in a quiet voice. Its true that Im a horrible person. Im a terrible person who continued to deceive Index. The way I lived my life, I may not be able to proudly say I protected her. Kamijou Touma gathered strength in his right fist and stared forward as he spoke. But the one I should be bowing my head down to for that...isnt Fiamma. St. Georges Cathedral in London had become an important invisible fortress for the war. A large number of magicians were rushing around working to deal with the invasion from France and indirectly working to help with the situation after the large war was over, but there was one person among them all who was removed from that overall flow. He was Stiyl Magnus. He was a battle member of Necessarius, but he did not head for the battlefield. He had no real interest in the war. Stiyl was in the cathedral as a guard for the girl who was sleeping on a bed in the large room. She was Index, a nun who held 103,000 grimoires in her brain. That had happened well before the appearance of that boy with the strange right hand. And so... Hell no, the magician said strongly while staring ahead and holding a cigarette in his mouth. A woman with long blonde hair stood a few meters away. Her hair was so long it seemed to be about 2.5 times longer than she was tall. She was Laura Stuart. She was the Archbishop of the Anglican Church and the leader of Necessarius. She had enough authority that Stiyl would normally have been forbidden to speak to her on an even level. But Stiyls expression was stern. His gaze seemed to be that of one staring at his enemy. On the other hand, Laura showed no sign of warning him about his impoliteness as she just stood there smiling. Oh, but I only came here to bring a gift to my cute subordinate who is suffering so much. I brought some fruit. ...There were two remote control spiritual items for her. Fiamma stole the one for the Royal Family, but the Anglican one was untouched. And its pretty damn clear who has it, Stiyl said in a low, quiet voice. To prevent Fiamma from misusing the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires, youre trying to cut in with the Anglican device, arent you? Currently, Fiammas has the stronger connection because it was activated first. Thats why you want to mess with her body in order to change the priority. Oh, what an excellent idea. I hadnt thought of that. How about we try it? I said, hell no!! Shes already suffering from the great load. Who knows what could happen to her if you put an even greater load on her!! Hm. Even if your delusional ideas are true, Laura said speaking down to Stiyl, I am the head of the church. I have plenty of people I can use. How long do you really think you can last? If it comes to that... Stiyl spat his cigarette out onto the floor of the solemn cathedral. He suddenly held a number of rune cards in his hand. ...then I just have to destroy the person at the top. I see, I see. Thats quite something. Laura Stuart shrugged and pulled a spiritual item that fit in her palm out of the fruit basket she held. Stiyls expression twisted in anger and Laura continued speaking. But will things just wait around for you to do so? What? Stiyl didnt even have time to ask again. Someone slowly got up from the bed behind him. It was Index Librorum Prohibitorum. She was the girl that Stiyl Magnus wished to protect more than anything else in the world. But she was acting oddly. Index looked around once with her eyes that were as emotionless as camera lenses and then moved her small lips to speak. ...Warning... Kshhh...Chapter 4...kshhh....Verse 8. Confirming connection...with remote...user. Kshhh...Approving disclosure of information... Cutting off transmission....of information...while in operation.... Beginning automatic elimination...of dangerous element... With an odd noise, various lights danced around Index. In no time at all, they began drawing complex magic circles. An even greater load was put on the small girls battered body. What will you do, Stiyl? Lauras cheerful voice echoed throughout the cathedral adding further pressure to Stiyl. She played with historys worst spiritual item in her hands. Ill give you a chance, so do something about this. If you cant, Ill do something about it. This is... Stiyl clenched his teeth. This is the job I have always been doing!! Hearing his yell, the girl with the machine-like eyes turned her head toward the flame magician. ...Enemy confirmed. Now analyzing...the enemys spells and...construction a corresponding local weapon... Volume 20, Afterword Volume 20, Afterword To those who have continued reading from Volume 1: welcome back. To those who bought the 22 books all at once: welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. The war between science and magic is finally here! Previously, it was a war within a single country, but this time the scale of the fight has been increased even further. Kamijou Touma, Accelerator, and Hamazura Shiage are looking at a single war from their different viewpoints. And the world is full of other people who are less recognized but who are also risking their lives in the fight. I changed the construction of the story a bit from the usual focus on a single protagonist to show that stories of dangerous fights can be found anywhere you look during a war on a worldwide scale. As the story came to its end, the hearts of all the people slowly started to come together in a single direction. That flow will not be exterminated. In a large fight, do not make excuses and do not stray from your path. That is most likely the most important thing needed for all the protagonists to have victory in the large flow that is a war. Whether they succeed or not, watching over their actions is quite moving. I give my thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and my editors Miki-san and Fujiwara-san. Things have gotten even more complicated in this story. With science, magic, good, and evil all mixing together, Im guessing it was difficult to decide what overall direction to take the illustrations in. I am truly thankful that they have gone along with my ridiculous requests every single time. And I give my thanks to the readers. To be honest, I doubt I would have been allowed to write a story like this in the very first volume. I truly thank you for supporting this environment that lets me do whatever I want. Now it is time to close the pages for now while praying that the pages of the next book will be opened. And I lay my pen down for now. How many protagonists are there going to be? -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 21, War Report Volume 21, War Report World War III had finally begun. On a thin LCD TV, a female reporter holding a microphone and with a solemn expression on her face could be seen in the landscape of blowing snow and black smoke. It has been 11 days since the war began. Even now on October 30th, there is no sign of the war weakening here near the border with the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations!! Wah! Was that an Academy City bomber!? As the Japanese government has repeatedly denied any intention to join in the war, Academy City must be carrying out this incident alone. Not only the civilians were panicked. A female Russian air force pilot gritted her teeth in the battle above the Sea of Japan. What do they mean theyre only putting in the minimum effort needed for a defensive line? This is enough firepower to turn all of Russia into a sea of flames 10 times over!! This is Kameyama Ryuuta from Academy City. Ill shoot you down gently, so dont worry, young lady. You cant escape lasers that fly at the speed of light. The spiky haired boy named Kamijou Touma and the magician girl named Lessar walked through the white land of Russia that was at the center of that war. Its Fiamma again. Hes started a war against Academy City from behind the Roman Catholic - Russian Orthodox alliance. Fiamma is a man of the magic side through and through, so I doubt his only goal is to gain control of the army. The timing of him obtaining the remote control spiritual item that gives him access to Index Librorum Prohibitorums 103,000 grimoires is also troubling. Either way, theres only one thing I need to do: punch Fiamma and save Index. At the same time, Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou drove through an area near the border of Russia and the Elizalina Alliance in a stolen car. Either way, we cant do this without that citys tech. Defeating that city will not work as our goal. Hamazura, we need to find something to negotiate with in this war. Find a bottleneck in this fight between Academy City and Russia where you can affect the outcome with what you do. If you search there... Inside a freight train rushing along a track running horizontally across Eurasia, Accelerator crouched down holding Last Order who had mostly lost consciousness. The appearance of the supernatural being known as Aiwass had put a great strain on the Misaka Network which had damaged the small girl. After defeating a group of powered suits that had attacked the train, Accelerator recalled Aiwasss words upon checking the contents of a trunk the attackers had tried to steal. Pieces of parchment, hm? Will they actually lead to a way to save this brat? To crush Fiammas plan, Kamijou and Lessar came to the Elizalina Alliance in order to guard Sasha Kreutzev, the nun needed for that plan. However, Fiamma showed up and easily defeated the magicians known as Elizalina and Vento of the Front who happened to be there. He then stole Sasha and spoke to Kamijou as he left. I look forward to seeing how the girl of the 103,000 grimoires chooses to punish you now that she knows everything. When Takitsubos condition worsened, Hamazura was led to a town near the border of the Elizalina Alliance by a man named Digurv so that he could use the clinic. But that village was suddenly attacked by foreign privateers hired by the Russian army. What do we do? No matter how far we run, its all over once they fire on us from the sky. Well all be killed!! We use the anti-aircraft gun. If we use the vehicle they left behind, we can fight back against the attack helicopters!! Accelerator and Last Order headed to a snowy plain near the remains of the Russian air force base where the parchment was supposed to be delivered. There, they were attacked by Academy City. The attacker was called Misaka Worst. She was a clone created in the Third Season project. They must be disposed of. The unusable old series must all be killed. The Misakas of the new series will create a new network. In a forest near the village, Hamazura sat dumbfounded within the half-destroyed anti-aircraft gun. The attack helicopter that had been flying through the air had been pierced through the side by a giant sword. A strong mercenary pulled the sword out of the exploding remains of the helicopter. I, Acqua of the Back, will be presumptuous enough to lend you my help. On a road from the Russian border to a town, Lessar gulped as she watched the battle between Kamijou Touma and Accelerator. Accelerators black wings divided countless times and attacked simultaneously from various angles. Kamijou used the fact that he could not use his right hand to negate all of them to instead grab the black wing and forcibly twist it. But... (Is that really enough to explain it?) The defeated Accelerator woke up within the Elizalina Alliance to find himself in the back of a truck. A small memo had been left next to Last Order who lay next to him. Written there in messy handwriting was... Index Librorum Prohibitorum... And the war continued to involve more and more people as it spontaneously continued on. Bewilderment colored the transmissions between the two fighter pilots battling above the Sea of Japan. The Kremlin Report...? Its a manual for defending the nuclear launch facilities using a bacterial wall. A killer virus kills only the people and leaves the facility undamaged. It seems the Russian military is already discussing using it since they feel as if they are losing. And no evacuation warning will be sent to the people living nearby. The Roman pope who was sleeping within a hospital in Italys capital slowly awoke. As he opened the window in the hospital room and prepared to leave through it, he magically communicated with the Russian Orthodox magician known as Vasilisa. Im sure I have already lost my authority. My words are not enough to stop this war. And yet you still stood back up. That means you are still worth using. Two supersonic bombers were preparing to leave from runways in Academy Citys 23rd district. One of them held Academy Citys #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri. She had lost an arm and an eye and she was not hunting Russian soldiers. ...Lets have some fuuun, Haaamazuraaa. The other bomber held the #3 Level 5, Misaka Mikoto. She had defeated the team meant to board the bomber and retrieve Kamijou Touma. Im pretty pissed off, so take me to Russia if you dont want to get hurt. In a base near the Russian border, Fiamma of the Right was magically communicating with the Russian Orthodox bishop named Nikolai Tolstoy. Academy Citys military power including their unmanned weapons is overwhelming. We started this war on your suggestion, so surely you know how this will end for you if things continue this way!! You neednt be in such a rush. If I told you I had Archangel Gabriel, would you keep spewing that nonsense? (...Of course, Im not using that for such a boring reason.) An angel created by another system of laws, an aggregation of Academy Citys AIM diffusion fields named Kazakiri Hyouka, grew wings from her back and flew across the Sea of Japan. She had only one reason: to rescue her friends. Please do not touch my friends. ...If you do, I will become your enemy even if it means mutual destruction. Inside St. Georges Cathedral in Englands capital, the magician named Stiyl Magnus trembled in anger. Before his eyes, a small figure got up using unnatural movements. She was Index, the girl who held 103,000 grimoires memorized within her brain. ...Enemy confirmed. Now analyzing...the enemys spells and...construction a corresponding local weapon... Fiamma of the Right was using the war to gain everything he needed. Kamijou Touma muttered a few words as he headed for Fiammas base. Its true that Im a terrible person who continued to deceive Index. But the one I should be bowing my head down to for that isnt Fiamma of the Right. Volume 21, 5: The Complex Game Board that is a Battlefield. Enter_Project. Volume 21, Chapter 5: The Complex Game Board that is a Battlefield. Enter_Project. Part 1 A line of trucks was stopped at a town that was covered with pure white snow. A spiky haired boy named Kamijou Touma sat within one of those trucks. The inside of the vehicle was filled with the smell of meat and sauce. The magician girl named Lessar sitting next to him was fishing through the paper bag from a worldwide fast food chain. It seemed the war had not had an effect on the distribution of goods needed for the restaurant. Kamijou threw a nugget covered in red sauce into his mouth. I never thought Id end up tasting this familiar flavor here in Russia. Dont they at least have a borscht burger they only sell in Russia or something? Having the same flavor all across the globe is actually pretty convenient. Its especially useful when you dont really like the local food, responded Lessar as she found the fries she had been looking for. However, Kamijou was not an international salaryman who went on overseas business trips a lot. He would rather give Russian food a try. But he also knew that they were not in a position where they could just leisurely enjoy their food. Lessar dipped the tip of a French fry into the red sauce Kamijou had while she spoke with a serious expression. We managed to get this far by mixing in with wartime group travelers and brokers smuggling people out of the country, but this is as far as we can go in the trucks. The Russian military base Fiamma is in is about 40 kilometers away. Just like when we got in before, well sneak in using the underground train used for taking in materiel. ...But were coming from a different direction this time, right? I didnt see this city last time. If we entered through the exact same route, theyd find us right away. We restrained a Russian Orthodox magician at the station over there, remember? Lessar must have felt one French fry wasnt enough because she then stuffed 4 or 5 more into her mouth like a Gatling gun of fries. From the slight accent in their speech, Im pretty sure magicians living in this city were used at that station. That means its possible another track is prepared either here or nearby. Really? Yes. Secret bases are usually customized to be more easily used by the ones that work there. Its simple enough to fill it with labyrinths and traps, but you cant work quickly if it takes 2 or 3 hours to get through it all each time. As someone who has secretly set up and worked in bases in the UK, I know what Im talking about. Hmm, said Kamijou as he ate his last nugget. What do we do about the people who came in the trucks on Elizalinas orders? They were just there to play their part allowing us to pretend to be brokers smuggling people out of the country. They have a bit of military experience, but they cant stand up to top class Russian forces and certainly cant do anything against professional Russian Orthodox magicians. Now that weve made it this far, their role is over. They just have to pretend to have some customers and return to the Elizalina Alliance. Complex feelings swirled within Kamijous chest. He wasnt sure if that made him more uneasy or relieved. His opponent was Fiamma of the Right, a top class monster even within the magic side. He had no guarantee that he could win. Kamijou was just a high school student, so he wanted as much help as he could get. However, he had a hard time thinking of anyone who could take on that monster. He didnt want to just use the people fighting alongside him as shields. But then that applied to Lessar, too. Kamijou glanced over at Lessars face. She was stuffing salt-covered fries into her mouth. Mhat ih iht? (What is it?) Nothing. Kamijou responded to Lessars puzzled expression before he changed the subject. So whats with these brokers? Oh, are you not familiar with them? I would think they would have a good connection to Japan, Lessar responded lightly after swallowing her fries. In countries with land borders, illegally crossing the border can be as easy as crossing a fence at night. And during a war, a seemingly unending stream of people will want to leave the country because of all the explosions and such. ...Are there really that many people flowing into the Elizalina Alliance? And the opposite too, Lessar said. Whether Russia wins or Academy City wins, even an amateur can tell that it will be over before long. No one wants to belong to a losing country. In that way, fleeing the country is a gamble. Where you stand after the war can have a major effect on the rest of your life. If you misread things, you could end up being branded with the stigma of a losing country after fleeing the country, so you need to be careful. ...It seems some people go back and forth between two different countries countless times. Its like theyre restlessly waiting for the music to end in a game of musical chairs. ... Kamijou didnt like the sound of that. The people moving from one country to another were not doing it because someone else was forcing them. They were doing so of their own free will in order to gain happiness. But it was all based in unease and fear. Normally, they would have no need to abandon their homes and birthplaces. It may be the same for everyone. Of their own free will, people were mistakenly throwing out precious things that they normally would not have needed to abandon. That may have been what that large war was as a whole. Lets just get this over with, Lessar said in a cheerful tone as she stuck her arm in the fast food bag and dug around. Fiamma is pulling the strings of this war. Taking that bastard out is the fastest way to end this war and bring peace to the world. And if the UK can grab up a bunch of war reparations money, itll be a perfect ending. ...Yeah. Kamijou didnt know what the war reparations thing was about, but he agreed with Lessar. Whatever was going on, what Kamijou had to do remained the same. I need to go punch Fiamma and save Index. Now that thats decided, I need to build up my nutrition with this triple!! Hey, can you even eat that vaulting box-like burger without taking it apart? He didnt think there was any way it would fit in Lessars small mouth. Dont worry. I take pride in my ability to fit things so large in my mouth that it surprises everyone around me. And I dont mind if you imagine that scene in an indecent way. After saying something incomprehensible as usual, Lessar bit into the three-layer hamburger. The large piece of food bent into a wide V-shape with Lessars mouth in the middle. Immediately afterwards, the mass of ground beef shot out of the opposite side of the burger than Lessar was biting into. The juicy hamburger landed on Kamijous school uniform. ... There was a short silence. Kamijou looked between his clothes and Lessars face with a look of regret on his face. And then Lessar spoke up. Th-this is my chance!! Ill pay for it with my body!! Why are there stars shining in your eyes as you lick your lips!? You havent changed your ways at all!! Part 2 The explosions continued without ceasing. Both the sky and land in Russia was white. In a place about 25 kilometers north of the border with the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations an unhealthy-looking black smoke disrupted that pure white landscape. Atop the snow stood tanks and other armored vehicles that looked like empty cans that had been crushed between gears. Chunks of concrete that had once been used in the walls and ceilings of buildings were also scattered about. The black smoke blotting out the white was coming from that wreckage. Hamazura Shiage felt that it smelled of death. But that wreckage was not from the vehicles that had attacked the village Hamazura and the others had been in. It was the privateers base. The fortress had been fortified with the latest Russian equipment, but it looked like it had been sucked into a whirlwind of destruction. Of course, Hamazura and the others could not do something like that. The privateers had attacked the village twice, but those attacks had not been carried out by all of their forces. The number on standby at the base had actually been greater. The amount there was easily more than 5...no, 10 times as many. A certain number were needed just to keep the base running effectively. Then who had done it? The answer to that question was displayed through the binoculars before Hamazuras eyes. Blue clothes. A giant sword. A large man who had called himself a mercenary. Before that battle had begun, the man had exchanged a few words with them after taking out an attack helicopter, but Hamazura had not understood any of it. With terms like Saint and magician, Hamazura felt as if the man were from some completely different culture. There wasnt much he knew about the situation. He knew the large man was named Acqua, he knew the man possessed some kind of power that was not an esper power, and he knew that the man was their ally and was thus going to assault the privateers base. It all seemed like some kind of joke. But... (...Are you fucking kidding me? I dont know how hes doing it, but Im not even sure our Level 5s would be able to carry this out so one-sidedly.) With each swing of his sword, a large amount of snow melted creating a few dozen tons of water that assaulted the tanks and other armored vehicles. The countless rockets fired from the helicopters were all intercepted by twice as many ice spears. A sphere of water vapor in the middle of the enemy lines exploded out and broke through the thick reinforced concrete fortress like a typhoon blowing through a plastic umbrella. A supernatural phenomenon. A natural disaster. As it ignored gravity and floated hundreds of meters up in the air, that was exactly what the attacking great mass of water was. It was like becoming the prey of a giant snake. The privateers who had been so into the deadly fight before had chills going down their spines at the sight of such a one-sided massacre. What is that...? muttered Digurv who was inside the same anti-aircraft gun. Is that one the espers they say are being developed in Academy City? Hamazura knew it was not. But the battle ended before he had a chance to say as much. No, it hadnt even been a battle. Destruction, elimination, and subjugation were all better words for the 20 minute fight. ...That is taken care of, but only for now I suppose. Even a rotten country can easily gain more people to do its bidding, said the blue mercenary with no intonation in his voice while he rested his giant sword on his shoulder. Hamazura had no idea when he had appeared. Hamazura had been watching him through the binoculars until just a second before. The mercenary was not even slightly out of breath. It made it seem absolutely ridiculous that he had been in a life or death battle just before. (What the hell is going on?) Hamazura opened the upper hatch and climbed out. He grimaced at the cold that seemed to cut into him and the smell of smoke that was many times stronger outside. The large man wearing blue gripped a giant sword in his hand. The sword was more than 3 meters long and probably weighed a few hundred kilograms. It was clearly too big for a human to carry in one hand. Let me ask again: What are you? Hamazura asked as he stood there dumbfounded. I am Acqua of the Back, a rogue mercenary. It seemed the man had intended to answer the question with that response, but it did not resolve any of the questions Hamazura had. He still did not know how the man gained his strength that exceeded the limits of the human body, where the mans loyalties lay, and whose side he was on. (An esper...?) Hamazura was reminded of what Digurv had said before. Hamazura had lived in Academy City up to that point, so he naturally put any mysterious phenomena in that category. However, this was different. Even then, spheres of water floated as if in zero gravity around the large man. They were the ones that had protected him from the heat, flames, and shockwave of the attack helicopters exploding. An esper could not use two different powers. (Is he controlling the water in his body to raise his strength? No, the human body is weak to internal pressure. Doing that would just cause his blood vessels and cells to burst, so that doesnt explain it. But then...) After thinking through it that far, Hamazura felt like he was being thrown back into the whirling chaos once more. Could it be that there was something else out there that allowed one to overcome the normal laws of physics besides the psychic powers of Academy City? Hamazura, called a voice from within the anti-aircraft gun. It was the Russian soldier named Glickin who had fought alongside them. He looked at Hamazura with a face stiffened with tension. This is bad... The radio is picking up some kind of signal. Its encrypted, so I dont know what it contains, but its getting stronger. So whatever it is, its getting closer, said Digurv who was also within the anti-aircraft gun. Is it reinforcements for the privateers? Wait, Hamazura said cutting them off. He knew who it was that was sending the radio transmissions. He could see something on the white horizon with his binoculars. Over 30 tanks were headed in their direction. The technology used was fundamentally different from the technology in the vehicle Hamazura stood on. The general design and even the materials used in the armor were in a completely different league. And the military force was not solely comprised of tanks. Almost hiding behind the tanks that were in the lead, Hamazura could see numerous soldiers wearing what looked like suits of armor made of composite materials. The armored vehicles that did not have any weapons on them were likely power trucks that supplied electrical power for the various high-tech weapons. Flying above them all were 30 cm long objects that looked like simple radio controlled airplanes. They seemed to be reconnaissance UAVs, but some of them had small tubes installed on the wings. They were likely small grenades with tail fins like on darts to help them soar. That way those UAVs could easily carry out small bombings. They were unlike the privateers from before. It wasnt just one type of weapon. Many different types of soldiers and weapons were in the formation in order to make up for each others weaknesses. There was no sense of having fun visible in their equipment. There was no opening that could be taken advantage of, so Hamazura and the others had no way of winning. Hamazura gulped and then spoke. Its not the privateers... What? Digurv frowned and Hamazura clarified. Thats an Academy City force. Hamazura had spotted soldiers lined up behind the tanks. The suits of armor made of composite materials they wore were Academy City powered suits. Hamazura didnt know the specific type of tank he was seeing, but he knew that only Academy City could bring about something like that. (...It looks like thats the official force. They dont seem connected to the darker side of things like we were.) Of course, it was possible people from the citys darkness were using the normal Academy City equipment, but Hamazura rejected that possibility based more on his sense of smell than knowledge. People in the darkness like Hamazura would not move about that openly. And even if they did, they would leave behind a certain smell. It seems theyre coming to occupy this area, said Acqua in a flat voice as he rested his giant sword on his shoulder. Should I destroy them? ...No. I dont know if its what youre after, but from the standpoint of protecting the village, it would be better if we didnt resist, Hamazura said shaking his head. I dont know who exactly you are, but I can tell youre a true monster. And enough of one that I cant figure out how youre doing that stuff despite myself having lived in Academy City. However, you cant just continue protecting one place, right? It would be better to just let Academy City set up camp here. Once they occupy the area, theyll protect it for months. Theyll take care of any more privateers that get sent in. Lashing out now would not help that village. ... Acqua nodded slightly. He seemed to have accepted Hamazuras view. But, said Digurv. Werent you being chased by Academy City, Hamazura? Hamazura froze at hearing that question. But it only lasted a few seconds. ...We have no other choice. They werent as bad as the privateers, but Academy Citys forces were not your normal army. Hamazura knew that because he had fled from them. But they would still be effective as a means of keeping the Russians and especially the privateers from attacking. That village was a comfortable place. The people there had all worried about Takitsubos condition despite her having suddenly showed up. However, Hamazura couldnt let Takitsubo and himself get captured by Academy City. That couldnt happen until he had found something to negotiate with. So he had no choice but to flee. Hamazura had to flee from the village he had risked his life to protect. I doubt they know Im here, but theres a good chance theyll figure it out when they use their complex sensors to search the area. I doubt theyve brought any students out here, but if they do have Psychometer, theyll figure it out right away. So dont hide any information. Tell them everything that happened here. Dont do anything that would make the soldiers suspicious. If you help them, theyll protect you. Hamazura gathered his thoughts together and spoke to Digurv about a basic plan. Of course, the Academy City forces are not allies of justice or anything like that. Theyre nothing more than a different military force from Russia. But you can use them and make them your allies. Just sell them the information on me and you can get their help. Youve gotta be kidding, Digurv said quietly in a voice that was shaking with anger. Do you really think we would abandon someone who fought for us just for our own convenience? Then what are you going to do? Who knows when the privateers will be replaced. It could be tomorrow or it could be in a week. It could be a few hundred of them and it could be a few thousand of them. Are you saying you can fight all of them on your own? That clearly isnt realistic. But... I have no intention of having my life cut short and Im not going to force your hand. I will live on and I will run as far away as I need to in order to do so. Hamazura stretched out his hand and lightly tapped the armor of the damaged anti-aircraft gun. So believe in me just this once. Dont give up. What we hold within ourselves is not something cheap enough to just abandon because of a war. Hamazura thought he heard someone say sorry from within the anti-aircraft gun. He thought he heard it, but he acted as if he hadnt because that was not a situation in which Digurv or Glickin should be apologizing. He then looked over towards Acqua of the Back. I forgot to say something. What? Thanks. If you hadnt shown up, the villagers, the girl Ive fallen for, and I would have been killed. ...Ill return the favor someday. He didnt have time to wait for the man to respond. The Academy City force would soon occupy that village and seal off the traffic network. He had to retrieve Takitsubo from the village and get out of there before that happened. Hamazura left Acqua and brought the anti-aircraft gun near the village where he got out of the steel vehicle and ran along the snow. The villagers were not in the destroyed buildings. They had evacuated to the forest to the south. Hamazura hurried in that direction. It felt like an invisible pressure was pushing him on from behind. He tripped and fell multiple times on the way, but he still headed as quickly as he could to the forest. When he arrived, he heard many stifled breaths. He caught glimpses of people hiding behind the trees. They were the villagers. When they realized the person rushing in was Hamazura, they rushed out. Someone yelled something in Russian and a mother with a small child came over toward him. She was holding Takitsubo Rikous limp form in her arms. Are you okay, Takitsubo? Hamazura, Im glad youre safe. Sorry. Everythings gotten to be a real pain in the ass again. He explained the situation to Takitsubo who frowned and slowly moved her lips as sweat dripped down her face. ...The Elizalina Alliance. What? Russia is being invaded by Academy City. At this rate, we will not be able to escape the Academy City bases and their patrols. But Academy City will lose any pretext on which to invade if we leave the country. It was true that the border with the Elizalina Alliance was supposed to be nearby. It was a land border, so its defenses wouldnt be too strict. They had no choice but to attempt to get through. They would use the national border to avoid Academy Citys pursuit and then reenter Russia to search for something to negotiate with. Now that they had a plan, they couldnt just wait around. Carrying Takitsubo because she could not walk very well on her own, Hamazura headed back out along the snow. It was probably a few kilometers...no, a few dozen kilometers to the border. That was when a short old man from the village tossed something silver and shining toward Hamazura. He hurriedly caught it and realized it was a car key. The old man said something in Russian with a smile and Takitsubo translated. He says this is the key to a blue four wheel drive car parked outside the village. No, I cant do that, Hamazura said hesitantly. Academy City is probably after us. If I took this, it would mean you all helped us escape. I dont know if theyll protect you if they knew that. The old man said something else in Russian. He says to just start the engine without the key so it looks like we stole it, Takitsubo said. Just so you know, they could be listening to this conversation with a high power microphone or a Telepath. But then, he was up against military vehicles and powered suits. He couldnt exactly escape from them on foot while carrying someone else. He returned the key to the old man, but he decided to take him up on his offer and steal the car. Hamazura headed from the forest to the village and many different people watched him leave. A small girl tried to grab at his clothes, but her mother stopped her. It was the mother who had been chased by the anti-aircraft gun. Adjusting Takitsubos position on his back, Hamazura muttered while hurrying forward as if to shake off the gaze of the villagers. ...Im pathetic. In the end, my best option is to give up after only half helping them. Its okay, Hamazura, Takitsubo responded while bringing her mouth up to his ear. Even now, youre fighting to protect me. So you arent pathetic. Hamazura continued to run as if pushed on by those words. His current destination was the Elizalina Alliance. In order to escape the heavily armed pursuers from Academy City, he first needed to get to that escape car. Part 3 It was a small room made of stone. It may have originally been a fortress or something along those lines. The sight of that building that was a few hundred years old still being used without any preservation work may have seemed odd to someone from Japan where buildings were usually made of wood due to the frequent earthquakes. The fluorescent lights, the air conditioner, and other everyday items that had been installed later created a sense of the present day that oddly stood out. The Elizalina Alliance was a new nation that had been created only a few years before. Because World War III suddenly occurred before they could construct modern military bases, it seemed they had brought radars and other military equipment into already existing buildings so they could be used as makeshift military facilities. That old fortress was one of them. Most of the people moving from door to door were men and women wearing dirty camouflage. Amid all this was Accelerator. He had lost to a Level 0 boy on the snowy plains of Russia, but he had been brought to the Elizalina Alliance when he lost consciousness after the battle. It seemed that Level 0 boy had arranged to have the Alliance soldiers take care of him. My battery is...not bad now, Accelerator said as he reached up for the electrode at his neck. The battery had been worn down in his repeated battles, but he had gotten a chance to recharge it in a resting area. The voltage, amperage, and shape of the plug had been different from in Japan, so he hadnt been able to just use the device he had. He had managed to charge the battery by taking apart a local adapter and modifying the inside. Now that Accelerator had his usual battery power back, he spread the few dozen pieces of parchment out on a wooden table. They were the ones that the Russian army had been using that freight train to transport. The parchment had occult-like patterns, cursive spells, and other things that looked like they were from a horror movie. He could tell each diagram had been handwritten with an ink that was sticky like wax, but it was all amazingly accurate for having been done with such an analog method. The words seemed to essentially be cursive Latin, but small notes in Russian were added in here and there. He didnt know what it all meant. In fact, he wasnt even sure if it had any meaning at all. But Accelerators impression upon looking more closely at the pieces of parchment was... (Its almost like some kind of manual. I can tell it shows sequential images as if illustrating some sort of process, but...) A white man who seemed to be wearing a pile of camouflage was staring at the parchment with a somehow meek expression. The soldiers skin looked even whiter under the fluorescent lights that seemed out of place in the few hundred years old stone building that could be referred to as ruins without exaggeration. Do you understand this? Accelerator asked in Russian. The soldiers shoulders jumped at being addressed. It was not simple fear. The man seemed surprised that Accelerator was speaking in Russian. His gaze passed over Accelerator from the top of his head to his feet. ...Youre Japanese, right? The white-haired, red-eyed monster lightly stared back at the soldier and responded to the question with a question of his own. What race do I look like to you? The soldier must have seen a dangerous irritation in those red eyes because he did not digress any further. To make absolutely sure, Accelerator asked his question again as he carefully pointed towards the parchment. Do you understand this? No... The soldier shook his head. It looks like a list of magic conversion requirements, though. I think its saying what to replace and with what in order to activate a Roman Catholic spell under Russian Orthodox standards. I dont know what kind of spell its talking about, though. ... Accelerator looked puzzled, but the soldier paled and shook his head. He seemed to be saying not to expect anything more from him. A number of male and female soldiers were rushing around. Accelerator and the soldier were the only ones staying put. The soldier continued speaking. Dont look at me like that. Unlike Lady Elizalina, I dont know too much about this kind of thing. As her bodyguard, Ive caught glimpses of it here and there, but Ive never been taught the basics. If I could chant a spell and have flames shoot from my palm...well, I wouldnt be carrying around these grenades, would I? The man seemed to mistakenly think that Accelerator was upset over not getting a clear answer, but he was frowning for a different reason. What had that white soldier been saying? Magic? Spells? A list of conversion requirements? Roman Catholic? Russian Orthodox? Activating spells? This kind of thing? Caught glimpses of it? Taught the basics? Chanting a spell and having flames shoot from his palm? The soldier had been saying those things as if they were common knowledge, but they were all beyond Accelerators scope of understanding. It wasnt just some lie he was making up. Nor was he talking about something spiritual or religious. That soldier was listing off those strange terms as if they were techniques that could actually be used in reality. That was clear from the way he had said them. There had been nothing different in his manner of speech from someone discussing the timing with which to pour wine into a pot in order to bring out the flavor of a meat. Accelerator didnt understand. But if there existed something that couldnt even be understood by the #1 monster of Academy City, that crystallization of scientific technology, then it might very well be the key to dealing with Last Orders seemingly unsolvable problem. Aiwass had told him to go to Russia. And that Level 0 boy had left him that memo saying Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Those keys were all connected. ...Who is this Elizalina? Shes a magician...no, a sorcerer. Apparently, thats what you call a magic user who focuses more on raising the next generation than on herself. If the Anglican Church knew, it seems they would send some fearsome hunting dogs after her. Lady Elizalina was the driving force behind readjusting the religious base of the Alliance and successfully training and producing magicians who can actually fight. Well, its still not enough to directly take on one of the three major denominations like the Russian Orthodox Church, but its at least enough to construct a defensive line to reflect distant curses. Thats the bare minimum towards being able to call ourselves a nation that has a mature cultural history from a spiritual standpoint. Accelerator was thinking that the man would be easier to understand if he were speaking in a programming language. They had passed the point where a mere difference in culture was enough to explain it. Anyway, can this Elizalina decipher these parchments? If she can speak, the soldier said with a sigh. But shes on a bed in a field hospital right now. Tch. I was brought here without my consent and then my last hope of getting an explanation is moaning in pain in a hospital room. Is that girl okay? asked the soldier talking about Last Order. The girl who appeared to be around 10 was lying atop a sofa at the wall of the same room. Last Orders limp body did not stir. She was completely unconscious. Recalling how no presence of a human could be felt from her, Accelerator felt a coldness from her stillness. Does she look okay? I fled the country holding her in my arms because of this. Then you really shouldnt move her now, said the white soldier as he looked between Accelerator and Last Orders faces. If youre going to be moving around from now in, it would be bad to be carrying her around with you, right? It may not be much compared to Academy City technology, but it might be better for her to stay in our hospital. Just having a bed can make a huge difference. ...I have no intention of staying for long or getting into a fight. It would be best if this ended up being my ultimate destination and everything could be resolved here so that brat was back to her horribly cheerful self. Accelerator scratched at his head and then asked a question as if he had just remembered something. Is there anyone other than Elizalina who can decipher the parchments? ...Our magicians were trained on the assumption that they would only be used in battles here, so they dont have much traditional knowledge. Deciphering something like that would be difficult for anyone other than Lady Elizalina. That meant he had no choice but to wait for the injured woman to come to. He could always leave the Alliance and search for some other lead, but the white soldier was right. Last Orders condition was unpredictable. She wasnt in a state where he could be dragging her all over the place with no clear goal. (...Even if I am gaining something from it, I never thought the day would come when I would be clearing my schedule for someone else.) When is this sleeping beauty of yours going to wake up? If things go well, in a few more hours. The general anesthesia should be worn off by then. ...But she just got out of surgery. Just reading the text will be the limit for her. Shes supposed to be getting complete bed rest, so even that would preferably be avoided. I see. What about the girl? If you want a bed for her, you should ask for one sooner rather than later. You headed across Eurasia, so you should know. Were in a war here. Theres no guarantee that there will always be an open bed. ...Its true that carrying her around while fighting is rather stupid. Given her condition, it may very well be better to throw her in a hospital. But... Suddenly, Accelerator pulled a handgun out from his belt and shot out the legs of a different nearby soldier. The white soldier was unable to react to the sudden action by the person he had just been speaking with. Meanwhile, Accelerator shot out the legs of two or three more men and women within the room. They were spies, Accelerator said languidly. If Im gonna leave that brat somewhere, I need to make sure its a nice clean environment. Accelerator lightly kicked the first man he had shot who had collapsed unmoving to the floor. A tiny microphone similar to what a performer would use fell from his clothes and it was connected by a cable to a medium for recording and transmitting. The actions of the Elizalina forces were being monitored by the Russians. Or perhaps, they were using advice and false information to lead the Alliance astray. The white soldier hurriedly checked the pockets of the others Accelerator had injured. Similar devices were found hidden on them. The range of those transmitters is low. Most likely another spy has a real transmitter outside. Of course, hell be on the run after noticing this commotion. Or perhaps hell take suicidal action for Russia. Accelerator used his cane to head for the exit to the room. Ill pay for my stay by making a sweep. I dont have time to go over the entire 300 km stretch of the Alliance, but Ill exterminate all of the vermin near this plaza. And Ill give you all a lecture on finding this kind of vermin. You can do the rest on your own. How did you know? There are two different kinds of spies. The first are the ones using the power of a large organization like the KGB or the CIA. The second are those who have no name for themselves and belong to no organization but end up taking on jobs that cause international problems when left with public records. These are clearly the latter. Thats beyond the level that a Japanese teenager should be able to detect. Not necessarily. If you watch for small characteristics and actions, they stand out from everyone else allowing you to naturally find them, Accelerator responded off hand. The white soldier shuddered at how casually the boy spoke about it. This place you stand in is not the only hell. If you ask me, this level of darkness is still rather bland. It soon became clear whether that was a bluff or not. That monster who did nothing but exterminate the darkness amid cutting edge technology and great evil was now working to prepare that area for Last Orders stay. Part 4 A girls voice flowed smoothly within St. Georges Cathedral in London. Chapter 8, Verse 25. Beginning elimination of the person obstructing the remote viewing. Analyzing the structure of the enemys spell. The noise as if from a scratched record was now gone. And with a great wind, red wings grew from the back of the girl in the white nuns habit. Their color resembled blood more than fire. As complex magic circles flickered within her pupils, she slowly moved her head around viewing her surroundings. She was Index. Seeing that her manner had completely changed, Stiyl Magnus frowned slightly. He would burn enemy magicians to ashes without his expression changing even slightly, but those slight wrinkles appeared on his face because he could not completely suppress the pain within him. M T W O T F F T O. (One of the five great elements from which the world is constructed.) I I G O I I O F. (The great flame of the beginning.) Even so, Stiyl did not fail to take action. He had been entrusted with her life. He pulled out a single rune card. I I B O L A I I A O E. (It is a light of blessing that raises life and a light of judgement that punishes evil.) I I M H A I I B O D. (It is overflowing with calm blessings and with freezing misfortune that destroys cold darkness.) I I N F I I M S. (Its name is fire and its role is the sword.) I C R M M B G P!! (Be manifested and become the power that eats into my body!!) No, it was not just a single card. There were cards stuck to seemingly every single spot in the room. It was to such an extent that it seemed odd that no one had noticed them up to that point. Flames swirled. A mass of exploding flame exceeding 3 meters in height appeared. It was in the form of a person. The mass of flames that burned at 3000 degrees Celsius was named Innocentius. Indexs head moved slightly to ascertain her target. Immediately afterwards, a great noise exploded out and Innocentius had already been blown away. The girl had swung the red wings growing from her back. With that alone, the giant god of flames was instantaneously ripped apart despite being supported by thousands of cards. It did not even have the chance to carry out its automatic regeneration. The burden received by Innocentius reversed the flow of energy and burned the cards black making them useless. That was the power of the grimoire library Index Librorum Prohibitorum. By freely wielding the 103,000 grimoires, she became the strongest defense mechanism for protecting that treasure trove of knowledge from those who would usurp it. However, Stiyl did not have time to calmly analyze all that. When Innocentius was blown away, it scattered in all directions and the explosive wind bared its fangs towards Innocentiuss user. ...!? He was knocked straight to the wall. With that great shock to his back, even his breathing stopped. The girl with magic circles hidden in her eyes calmly watched on. Chapter 10, Verse 3. Effects of the current spell confirmed. Extending the power and range in order to end the life functions of the enemy element has been determined to be the most effective method. Multiple red wings stretched out all at once. The wings had grown large enough that they grazed the ceiling of the cathedral as they rushed towards Stiyl like a closing bear trap. He had no time to think of a spell. Stiyl forced his body to move despite having been weakened from the previous blow. He rolled along the floor. The multiple wings soared down. There was nothing beyond luck to explain how he was not hit. But the floor of St. Georges Cathedral broke with a loud crumbling noise. The stone footing, Stiyl Magnus, and everything else there were swallowed up by the earth. He didnt have time to think about bracing for his landing. The taste of blood mixed in with his breaths. Stiyl had landed face up and it took a few seconds for him to finally realize where he had landed. He was in the underground spiritual item vault. Indexs strike had damaged the very foundation at the base of the construction of the cathedral. (...Ghah. Dammit. There are tons of defensive walls prepared here. She just caused a part of the anti-magician headquarters to collapse!!) She was the defense mechanism developed to prevent her tremendous techniques and knowledge from entering the hands of global magic cabals. Thinking you could take her on 10,000 to 1 was still being na?ve. Taking her on 1 to 1 was just plain stupid. Fighting her when she was in Johns Pen mode was like trying to hold back an entire war. Before, the Saint known as Kanzaki Kaori and the Imagine Breaker known as Kamijou Touma had been there. But this time was different. He could not rely on those kinds of irregulars. He heard a noise coming from directly above him. As he stared up from his face-up position, he saw a small girl looking down over the edge of the crumbled hole. Her lips moved. Chapter 11, Verse 2. An effective level of destructive power has been confirmed. A shower of repeated attacks that do not give the enemy time to recover has been determined to be the best strategy. The grimoire library jumped down without hesitation from that cliff-like height. Stiyl rolled to the side with all his strength. Immediately afterwards, Indexs feet mercilessly crushed the spot he had been in a moment before. Part 5 He stomped on the accelerator so hard he thought it would break. Hamazura Shiage desperately made slight adjustments of the wheel of the four wheel drive car to ensure he did not lose control on the snow. The car had studded tires that were not allowed inside Japan, but the snow was piled up so high that the car still skidded to the side. Why was he continuing to drive despite that danger? The answer was reflected in the rearview mirror. Fuck!! I cant even get a chance to pull away from them!! Hamazura yelled while gritting his teeth. Academy City powered suits were closing in on him from 50 meters behind the car. Those monstrous mechanical suits were approaching at high speed in a team of 5 that looked like the protagonist team to a super sentai show. They slid along as if on skates, jumped in a way that resembled a triple jump, and otherwise accurately pursued Hamazura and Takitsubo. The two of them had not been able to safely escape the surrounding forces. The enemy forces had enough leeway to send five troops after a single car. Hamazura had taken them lightly. But even so, he hadnt been foolish enough to just take them on. He would have been killed in an instant in a fight with even one of those things. Against five of them, he would be killed in a fifth of an instant. Hamazura didnt know if that was a good way of expressing it, but he couldnt come up with a better term. Takitsubo spoke to him from the passenger seat where she had her seatbelt properly buckled. She had a map on her lap. Hamazura, theyre getting closer bit by bit. I know that!! Dammit. Theyre all chasing after us like theyre ice skating or something!! The exhibition of that kind of unreserved tech didnt bring about more weird urban legends, did it!? The border of the Elizalina Alliance is about 500 meters away. Can we make it? He didnt have time to respond. He had barely been keeping the car under control up to that point and it had finally started to skid to the side. Hamazura frantically spun the wheel in an attempt to recover, but the car swerved off the road that had no fence or guardrail and straight into a forest. He couldnt hit the brake. If he didnt continue to step on the gas, the powered suits would catch up. As the scenery changed, the speed at which he seemed to experience things suddenly increased. Trees thicker than telephone poles slipped past both sides of the car at terrifying speeds. (500 meters...) The powered suits did not care. Despite cutting through the forest at about the same speed as Hamazura and Takitsubo, they unhesitatingly approached as if they were running atop a safe roller coaster track. They didnt just head along the snow-covered ground. They would occasionally take daring shortcuts by kicking off of the branches or trunks of the thick trees. It wasnt just their strength that was being increased by the machine. The suits sensors to take in information and the processors that heightened their thought and decision-making processes were above anything Hamazura had ever seen before. They may have had electrodes attached that directly influenced the workings of their brains. (500 meters!!) The car floated up in to the air. The forest was not flat like the asphalt road. A slight rise in the ground acted as a jump that sent the four wheel drive car souring into the air. Oh, shi!? The tires touched down again before he could finish swearing. The car skidded much more than it had before. He frantically operated the wheel, but the car turned 90 degrees to the side in no time at all. But luck was on Hamazuras side. At that same time, the car slid out of the forest and back onto a snowy plain. The border with the Elizalina Alliance was ahead. A 2 meter chain-link fence with barbed wire was set up between the countries, but Hamazura just ignored it. If he tried to regain control, it would just lead to losing time. (We just need to slide on through!!) They plowed through the fence while still facing to the side. The powered suits thick fingertips just barely missed them. The car was wrapped up in the chain-link fence and the driver side window shattered loudly. The car continued on into the Elizalina Alliance. The remains of the fence must have been chewing at the front wheels because an odd noise reverberated up. Shortly thereafter, Hamazura completely lost control of the car. The car spun around three times and finally came to a stop pointed towards the Russian border. They had escaped. They were only about 20 meters into the Elizalina Alliance, but they were inside it nonetheless. The powered suits...or more accurately, Academy Citys forces, were officially at war with Russia so they could not enter the Elizalina Alliance. But... Youre kidding... Hamazura moaned from the driver seat. The powered suits that were supposed to be unable to touch them relentlessly walked forward. He doubted they had not noticed the border. They knew it was there, but they were ignoring it. One of the machines hands was gripping something. It was a much too large revolver. A can of coffee could easily fit inside the barrel. It probably fired grenades or something like that. If it was actually a shotgun, Hamazura couldnt even imagine how much destructive force it would hold. Either way, the car had no bulletproofing, so it would become a ball of fire after a single shot. The barrel unhesitatingly pointed their way. No voice called out a threat or a warning. Hamazuras gaze moved to the doorknob on the driver side door, but the remains of the fence were wrapped around the door preventing him from opening it even if he tried. (I forgot.) Hamazura thought to himself while staring blankly into that barrel that looked like a tunnel to death. He was not playing a sport. It was not a card game. It was a real battle. If the weak or the loser yelled out about a violation of the rules, no one would come to fix the problem. With all the time he had spent running around in back alleys, he should have known that well. He didnt even notice how dry his throat was. The powered suits thick finger that was on the trigger of the giant revolver moved. And then Hamazura heard what sounded like a firework being fired. It was not the explosive noise of the firework blooming into a large flower. It was the sound made when the firework was fired up into the sky from the ground. He frowned. He didnt have time to figure out which direction the noise had come from. Immediately afterwards, a line of flames erupted along the border including where the powered suits were. The scene looked like some kind of joke. It was not a usual explosion where the flames spread in every direction. The flames spread out unnaturally like a line had been drawn with oil. The flames were 10 meters high and they stretched for four or five hundred meters. The windshield shattered. They were a fair distance away, but the intense light and heat were blown against Hamazura and Takitsubos faces. He could feel the car that was stopped atop the snow sliding a few centimeters back due to the shockwave. What? Hamazura made sure his throat still worked and then spoke to Takitsubo who was in the passenger seat. Napalm...? From the sound just before...it seems it was a rocket with a liquid explosive inside. Takitsubos breathing sounded faint. But she was still alive. Hamazura didnt know what had happened or who had done it, but he decided they should at least get out of the now-useless car and hide within the Elizalina Alliance. But then a loud noise exploded out. It was the sound of metal being crushed. Someone was standing atop the hood of the car. Hamazura couldnt believe it, but it was almost like the person had fallen from the sky and landed there. From the driver seat he could only see slender legs. As he could see the persons heels, the person must have been staring at the wall of flames from the liquid explosive. A number of powered suits squirmed within the flames. Even in that much fire, the powered suits were still functioning properly. They looked at the person standing on top of the hood...and then took a step back. Hamazura had seen them stop moving for an instant before they took that step. It was as if they had received orders over their radios. The powered suits continued through to the other side of the flames and left. It seemed the person standing on the hood had saved Hamazura and Takitsubo. Who was this person? That question was resolved quickly. The person whose heels were pointed their way used one of those heels to lightly scrape at the edge of the broken windshield. At least, that was all it looked like the person had done. Immediately afterwards, the cars roof that the heel had scraped against bent and separated from the rest of the car. With a tremendous noise, Hamazuras view greatly opened up all at once. The person standing before him was a monster with white hair and red eyes. Hamazura Shiage recognized him. That monster was... Accelerator...!? Tch. Dont bring in more fucking problems while Im trying to find spies that are already here, the monster said sounding irritated to the bottom of his heart. Tell me absolutely everything. Part 6 Fine then, a blonde-haired blue-eyed woman said in Japanese within a field hospital that was really just an old stone fortress that medical equipment had been brought into. The woman sitting up in a bed had bandages wrapped around her. However, her body did not look as if it would be fine even without them. Her skin was more pale than it was white, she had large shadows under her eyes, and she was so slim that the lines of her bones could be seen. She looked like she might turn into quite a beauty if she were fed chankonabe for half a year straight. She was Elizalina, the women for whom the alliance was named. With a melancholy attitude, she held her head in her slim hands. If I have a chance to use recovery magic, I would really rather use it on myself first, though. Oh, sorry. There is no need to lower your head to me. Its just that I was forced into emergency surgery by my aide despite having said I did not need to rest. It seemed she had taken damage, but that she was going to help Takitsubo. Hamazura was truly thankful, but he was also confused. What was recovery magic? At first, he thought she must have gotten the Japanese word for what she was trying to say wrong, but she clearly seemed to know more Japanese than an idiot like him. That meant she had said what she meant, but...what did she mean? He looked over toward Accelerator who only clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. Hamazura had heard from him that the Elizalina Alliance might have some kind of special medical techniques that did not even exist in Academy City. It wasnt clear if they would be able to alleviate Takitsubos symptoms, but he had decided it was worth looking into and had headed for the field hospital carrying Takitsubo. (Recovery? She said recovery magic, right? Like in RPGs? Or is it some medical term? Recovery makes sense in that context, but how does magic fit in?) Hamazuras head was full of questions, but Elizalina had spoken about it so readily and smoothly that he didnt voice his questions. It was a method that worked for swindlers, too. Just by rattling off words without giving the other person a word in edgewise could leave them thinking there was some level of sense behind it. Elizalina ignored Hamazura and turned her head in a different direction. She was looking at Takitsubo who was just barely managing to sit in a small chair and at a girl who appeared to be around 10 who was lying in a bed. She had been referred to with the extremely odd name of Last Order, and Hamazura wondered if it was some kind of esper name. I have come to the following conclusion. From atop her bed, Elizalina pointed to Takitsubo and then Last Order as she spoke. I can probably manage with that girl in the track suit, but that smaller girl will be more difficult. ... Accelerators eyebrows twitched slightly as he leaned up against the wall. It seemed Last Order had been brought there by the #1. Hearing Elizalinas calm or perhaps cruel statement, Hamazuras eyes widened in surprise. Ah...eh? What do you mean when you say you can manage? Is the word magic not enough for you to understand? Hah? Is the word magic not enough for you to understand? Elizalina repeated herself. It seemed she was not going to let things continue without some kind of reaction from him, so Hamazura just nodded. What was all this about magic? Lets set aside the issue of whether it actually exists or not, she said casually avoiding the core of the issue. Im sure you know that witches and the like have carried out occult rituals since ancient times. Whether those rituals have any real effects or not, there was a time when that kind of thing was believed in and those rituals were carried out using certain processes. What? You mean those hook-nosed old women stirring giant pots? Those rituals used certain types of medicinal plants that are similar to what are known as narcotics today and toxins taken from certain animals. ??? Wait a second. What does this have to do with whats wrong with Takitsubo? Takitsubo''s illness was caused by the Body Crystal created by Academy Citys scientific technology. Hamazura didnt think a clue to healing her lay in strange occult curses. Leaving aside the issue of whether those things were mere illusions or if they truly had effects that overcame physical phenomena, Elizalina said, methods of safely carrying out those rituals using toxins were passed down orally when those rituals were prevalent. For instance, there was a method of training ones body to resist the toxins by taking in the toxin bit by bit in order to get used to it. And there was also a method to remove the toxin collected within ones body. What...but, whatre you...? Suddenly Hamazura almost stood up from his chair. You mean you can heal her!? Elizalina held out a hand to try to calm him down. Yes. The girl in the track suit and the smaller girl have different illnesses. The smaller girl is having the toxin constantly poured into her body, so it will be replaced even if I were to remove it now. But the girl in the track suit should be okay once I remove the toxin collected in her body. It will not completely heal her, but she should be much better off than she is now. Elizalina must have been referring to the Body Crystal. It was true that removing the Body Crystal from Takitsubos body would improve her condition by quite a bit even if it did not completely heal her. Hamazura wasnt sure how much the hospital could do about Academy Citys Body Crystal, but methods of healing that seemed fake would sometimes actually have a scientific basis behind them that could be used as the basis of a new medical technique. ...I see. Hope seeped into Hamazura bit by bit. Without thinking, he embraced Takitsubo who was sitting next to him. I see!! Isnt that great, Takitsubo!? Its not quite what we planned, but coming to Russia really was the right decision! Hamazura, I cant breathe. Sorry! But I...I...!! Takitsubo kept saying she was having trouble breathing from his tight embrace, but she brushed her cheek on his back when she saw the tears welling up in his eyes. ... Meanwhile, Academy Citys strongest Level 5 silently folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. He hadnt found a way to save Last Order there. If the same thing had happened just a few hours before, he would likely have felt an intense impatience and fear burning inside him. He might have settled for hopeless struggling in an attempt to remove Last Orders pain even an instant sooner. Something seemed to be changing within him bit by bit. It was like iron changing to steel by being intensely heated and then rapidly cooled. (...Yelling out and stomping around isnt going to help the situation. At any rate, I know I dont have much time. I cant waste time on a dead end. If I use more time than I gain from this stopgap measure, Ill be cornered in the end.) Having made that quick decision, Accelerator pulled the pieces of parchment from his pocket. You can go with that plan for healing them, but answer my question first. Can you read this? If I spent time on it, I might be able to. Elizalina nodded slightly. The strings of characters on the surface are nothing more than a help for deciphering it. From what I can see, it looks to be in a Russian Orthodox format, so I could likely solve it. However, it would take time. Do you still wish to leave this with me? No. Accelerator lightly lifted his hand with the parchments in it as if taking them back. I just needed to know that it could be solved. You focus on healing those two. Ah... Hamazura opened his mouth to speak after listening to all that, but he couldnt come up with anything to say. Accelerator gave a scornful laugh. Hamazura felt that the other boy might have felt as if Hamazuras own joy at Takitsubo being able to be saved was like rubbing salt in the wound because the girl with him could not. I dont have much time. Ill be going. Accelerator headed for the door with his cane and Elizalina asked him a question while Hamazura was still at a loss for words. Do you think youve found a lead? If I havent, Ill go look for one. Accelerator left the hospital room and called over a soldier who was walking down the hall. That hospital was not a peaceful medical facility. It was just a fortress being used for military purposes that had medical equipment brought in. It was more of a military facility than a medical one. Where are the spies I caught? Th-theyre being interrogated, but it isnt going well. We arent experts at getting people to talk and the Russian spies were divided into small cells for each job, so they may not know any more information than they needed to. I see, Accelerator replied bluntly to the withering soldier. Where are you headed? If you want to watch on, I can show you the way. No. Accelerator waved the man away with a hand. Im going to follow up on a better source of information. The soldier frowned, but Accelerator had no reason to explain further. Leaving the soldier behind, he walked along the long hallway to a different hospital room from the one Elizalina was in. He opened the door without knocking. Inside was someone who it was surprising was not restrained. He might really have been influenced by that Level 0. ...Misaka Worst, Accelerator muttered and the high school-aged girl sitting on the bed glared back at him with contempt. She was a special clone created in the project known as the Third Season based on the cells from the #3 Level 5. The girl was wearing a white battle outfit, but her right arm was wrapped in a cast and hanging from a strap. In their battle, Accelerator had broken that arm after he had snapped. She also had a large amount of gauze stuck from behind her ears to the back of her neck. They were enemies. It would not be surprising if either of them stabbed a blade into the others heart without a word of warning. What do you want? Misaka Worst moved her skin just a few millimeters and created an expression that would make anyone uncomfortable. She seemed to be prepared anew. Even if you saved Misaka back then, her only value is for information. But unfortunately for you, Misaka does not have the ability to just tell you everything. It should be clear what would happen if she did. Although, Misaka supposes you have pretty good taste if youre going to destroy her anew right after healing her. Work together with me. For what? Why? How? I found a few Russian listening devices. The spies will be giving all sorts of information and I want you to sort through that information. With your knowledge, you might be able to find a clue. Whats your basis for thinking this? The timing of your attack. Accelerator lightly waved the rolled up parchments. It was right when I was about to ask that Vodyanoy person about the details of these parchments. The timing of your arrival seemed intentional. You may not know the details yourself, but you were probably used in order to prevent me from finding some clue. If we compare the information you have and the information from the Russian spies, we might find something. No, not that. Whats your basis for thinking Misaka will work with you? Misaka Worst grinned. Her words intentionally brought the possibility of danger on herself. Perhaps someone who viewed the world through spiteful eyes did not hesitate even when it meant bringing injury to herself. But Accelerator responded without any change in expression. The Third Season is not going to be the winner in this. Im sure you arent stupid enough to think it is. ... It seems Academy City wants to use the Misaka Network to do something. A problem occurred with that network, so they needed to set up a new network. That is why you were sent to kill that brat and me. ...But guess what. I dont know if tens of thousands of clones are supposed to be created for the Third Season, but the fate of you and the new network will be the same. Youll either be used up for someones profit or you wont be able to carry out your purpose and another network will be set up in your place. Either way, its a dead end. This is about the values of people who applaud the deaths of 20,000 people as a success. Im sure you know that you wont be used in any good way. And youre saying Misaka should work with you because of that? Misaka Worst laughed scornfully. Are you going to join hands with someone who is in the middle of all that evil? You were made to pick up the negative emotions such as spite and hatred from the network, right? And? Does that fucking dark brain of yours really possess anything as admirable as devotion until death to your masters who see you as expendable? Ive heard that brat saying she wasnt going to let even one more clone die. Even if thats so, Misaka doesnt think that obeying you will resolve that issue. In fact, joining with you would only shorten her lifespan. I see. Then its time to make a deal. Hah? The Dark May Project. You dont mean...? That project attempted to use my method of controlling my power to strengthen other espers personal realities. It seems they had a certain level of success, but it didnt lead them to a Level 5. The only way to make you irreplaceable is for you to gain an ability that the other Sisters do not have. Whatll you do? If you analyze how I fight, you might be able to find a way out. ... There were a few seconds of silence. That time was not taken up by her thinking. She did not mind losing her life. The way she had spoken before made that clear. What would make up her mind was whether it sounded fun or not. Was doing it really worth turning her back on the large organization of Academy City? In other words, she was testing the flavor. She rolled a mass of spite around in her mouth seeing if the taste of it was appropriate for her or not. And then she smiled. Misaka Worst once again began acting out of spite as she had been created to do. Ah, ha. ...That is very much like this Misaka. That may be more effective than bringing out an expression of suffering on that lovely command towers face and appealing to your good will and philanthropy. I will find a clue to getting rid of that brats illness. I will find a route for you other than to just be used up. That is why I will fight Academy City. I will outsmart them. Our interests are aligned, so quit complaining and get to work. But yknow... Misaka Worst stood up from the bed and lightly waved her right arm from the elbow because it was in a cast. Misaka was modified solely to kill Academy Citys #1, so she never thought the day would come when she would be forcing a smile after having all that done to her. That kind of spiteful comment was a special characteristic of hers because she was made to easily display the negative emotions from the network. Even if it wasnt intentional, it still rubbed Accelerator the wrong way. It especially affected him because it had likely been designed to do just that. Accelerator stared at Misaka Worsts cast and muttered a few words while barely moving his mouth. ...Sorry. That was my mistake because I went along with their manipulation. For an instant, Misaka Worsts spite-covered face turned to a blank expression. It was the expression of someone whose thoughts had ground to a halt. Bah hyah. And then Misaka Worst rolled back onto the bed she had just stood up from. Ah hya hya hya hya!! What was that!? What was thaaaat!? Misakas body was prepared and especially tuned to be sent to the battlefield!! You need to at least be a target of hate standing at the very peak of evil! If you show her that meek expression, her whole reason for existing starts to slip away!! Hya hya hya hya hya!! ...Fuck being a villain, Accelerator spat out as Misaka Worst held her stomach and kicked her legs around. I wasnt able to ensure the safety of a single kid while being a master villain. I no longer have any reason to stay fixated on that. Neither that Level 0 nor the monster known as Aiwass had been fixated on being either good or evil. When fighting against an opponent like that, simply choosing a side was not enough. Misaka Worst had tears in her eyes and she asked a question in an oddly satisfied voice. Where is a monster that was so utterly stained supposed to go after leaving the field of darkness? Dont ask me. Thats what Im going to look for now, Accelerator responded sounding annoyed. Both you and I are monsters purposefully set to be filled with evil by Academy City. I dont think that is enough to just abdicate all responsibility for what Ive done and nor do I want it to be. They made the preparations and we went along with it. By heading along the path of evil, we cant oppose them. Thats just continuing right along the track theyve laid out for us. ... So lets make them cry this time. Lets truly fight back. Ive had enough of being manipulated by them. I dont care if I end up doing things that arent like me for this. Accelerator then gently stretched out the hand that was not holding his cane. It was like he was asking for a handshake from a war buddy who had watched his back. Please. In that instant, Misaka Worst sank into silence as if time had stopped. But it only lasted a few seconds. As if she couldnt hold back her true self, Misaka Worst once again began holding her stomach and kicking her legs around atop the bed with tears in her eyes. Hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya!! Are you an idiot? Are you an iiiidiot!? Oh, wow! Look at that stupid serious look!! Ah hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya hya!! As Misaka Worst rolled around on the bed, she laughed so hard that she seriously thought her diaphragm was going to break. But she finally rolled up in a ball and then sat up all at once. She tightly gripped the outstretched hand. A nice sentimental-feeling sound like a glove catching a baseball rang throughout the hospital room. For someone as filled with spite as her, grasping someones hand like that must have taken quite a bit of resolution. But Misaka Worst had overcome it. That handshake between enemies who had once tried to take each others life was proof of that. Misaka Worst stood up with their hands still clasped like a lady being escorted. She grinned with a mischievous smile and spoke to the person who had once been her archenemy. This is the first time for Misaka to grasp someones hand like this, but it is for you too, isnt it? ...No, Accelerator muttered quietly averting his gaze a bit. Ive done it quite a few times with a horrible brat who looks an awful lot like you. Reminded of the touch of a certain girl from the feel of that hand, he once again set his resolve. That was not the end. He would hold that girls hand once more. He would make sure of it. Volume 21, 6: The True Darkness Unfolds. Up_the_Castle. Volume 21, Chapter 6: The True Darkness Unfolds. Up_the_Castle. Part 1 There was nothing around him. The area was just a snowy plain in the first place, but the area around Fiammas base had been thoroughly rid of any kind of cover. There were no manmade constructions or even any trees. On that gently-sloping plain, anyone approaching would be quickly spotted and missiles were prepared to fire on them. Just past the effective range of that wall of firepower, Kamijou Touma looked along the ground that was buried in white snow. There was a large hole. The land had originally looked like a low hill, but the opening to a cave about 2 meters across opened up on the side of the slope. The cave did not head straight. It continued down. So it is here, he muttered half in shock. Are there just secret bases all over the place or something? What are you talking about? Japans Academy City is the same. It wouldnt surprise me to see a lake split open and a giant robot to come out in that city, Lessar responded offhand as she passed by Kamijou and headed down into the cave. The cave was covered by snow on all sides and it was not dark. Bare light bulbs were hanging from the walls at set intervals. As they headed deeper in, the size of the tunnel grew bit by bit. After walking 50 meters, they came to a station for a freight train. But No ones here. The train isnt here either. At first they had assumed people might be hiding and lying in wait, but they really could not sense any presences within the station, so they entered. It was a different station from the one they had snuck into before, but it was constructed similarly. The main differences were the lack of the train and the lack of even a single wooden box to be loaded onto a train. The area was lit by a number of light bulbs and it had a weird out-of-place feeling like a house where the residents left and forgot to turn off the lights. Kamijou crouched down next to the metal rails and pressed his ear to the cold metal. There are no vibrations. I dont smell any diesel exhaust either. It doesnt seem like one is running anywhere nearby. Its possible Fiammas base has already gotten its last shipment of supplies. But that means Kamijou and Lessar exchanged unhappy glances. They were about 40 kilometers from Fiammas base. If they couldnt sneak aboard a freight train, they had no choice but to walk through the snow cave. Even if it was asphalt below their feet, that distance was far enough that they could be considered stranded. Lessar adjusted the steel glove on her shoulder. Okay, Ive got it. I have a suggestion. Th-thats right. Youre a professional magician. Do you have an alternative plan? It would just be too pathetic if we used up all of our energy here and ran into Fiamma with our calves hurting. Carry me. Say that again and Ill kick your ass. As he regretted getting his hopes up, Kamijou looked down the long, long rail. They really seemed to have no choice but to walk. In order to force some motivation into himself, he made himself think positively by remembering that it was better than getting blown away by the howitzers defending on the surface. Lets go, Lessar. Or are you going to wait here? Okay, okay. But make sure to remember that your Lessar bravely stayed with you without giving a single complaint. Lessar lined up next to Kamijou, but for some reason she flipped the steel glove upside down, balanced it, and straddled the handle like it was a witchs broomstick. The four blades moved almost like fingers and moved her forward. Kamijou looked at her like he had spotted a traitor. Lessar, what is that? What do you mean? My steel glove can be used like this, too. Its a little annoying how it makes everything ride up down there, though. Bayloupe rode around in the London subway tunnels like this, soah! Stop, stop!! It wont work for you! Your right hand will break it to pieces, so just resist and walk on your own!! Kamijou and Lessar struggled for a bit, but it did not last long. However, that was not because Imagine Breaker destroyed the steel glove. What was destroyed was the path ahead of them. With an explosive noise, the snow ceiling collapsed. It happened about 100 meters ahead of them. The thick white ceiling had likely been supported magically, but it suddenly fell straight down like a giant shutter. In an instant, the passage was blocked off. And it did not end there. Explosive noises that felt like they would make their eardrums burst continued on and on. It was like the feet of an approaching giant were destroying the ceiling of the passageway. At that rate, they would be caught up in the collapse and buried alive. Oh, shit!! We need to get back to the entrance!! You dont have to tell me that!! Kamijou made a right about-face and ran with everything he had. As he did, the passageway and the rail vibrated and the avalanche from the snow ceiling approached threatening to swallow them up. It was like they were being chased by a monstrous maw. What!? Did my right hand end up negating the magic supporting the snow!? This might be a wonderful attraction presented to us by Fiamma. It may have been a bad idea to try the same trick twice!! The heavy vibrations continued. Kamijou and Lessar ran as quickly as they could. Perhaps due to the approaching cave-in, small balls of ice blew into the air like dust and passed Kamijou and Lessar. They were going to be caught. As soon as he thought that, Kamijou made it out of the cave. Next to him, Lessar fell down onto the snow unable to bring an end to her momentum. The only question was whether it was a coincidence that he could see her panties from that angle. (D-did we make it?) Kamijou put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath and then reached a hand out toward Lessar who was lying face up in the snow. But he froze in the middle of that action. He had realized that the cave-in had not been caused by his right hand negating the magic supporting the snow or by Fiamma blowing up the passageway to prevent them from getting in. Dammit Kamijou muttered as he heard what sounded like a high-pitched whistle. The actual cause of the cave-in had been Its an Academy City bombardment!! He grabbed Lessar from the ground and practically swung her around as he put her and himself against the slope of the hill that had held the opening to the cave. Immediately afterwards, something flashed in the sky that was covered in white snow clouds. It wasnt just one of whatever it was. There were at least 50 of them. The high-pitched whistle-like sound was the sound of hunks of metal slicing through the air at faster than the speed of sound. The hunks of metal were falling shells. The shells were 15 cm in diameter and about 70 cm long. They were launched up about 500 meters with the power of gunpowder and then accurately guided to their targets with movements of their tails where they would then explode. Kamijou didnt have time to think about where they would fall. They were not aimed at specific smaller targets. Their bombardment was simply meant to blow away the base itself and all the sensors set up in the area. The light and noise seemed to overload their senses as Kamijou and Lessar trembled. The light was painful and the noise was like a shockwave. Because of the overwhelmingly bright white flashes, Kamijou couldnt tell if he had his eyes open or closed. Even though the two of them were pressed against the slope of the hill, he could feel Lessar slipping from his grasp. No. Kamijou was lying on top of her and he was the one being blown into the air. That state lasted for over 30 seconds. Or perhaps it all only lasted an instant, but the afterimage burned into his senses remained for that long. Lessar His voice was oddly hoarse. He could feel a throbbing pain in his temples like when one stared at a fluorescent light for too long. He didnt have time to tend to his injured body. Kamijou heard the sound of heavy treads. The sickly smell of exhaust mixed in with the scenery. (An Academy City tank unit!!) Ignoring the loss of body heat, Kamijou sank down into the deep snow to hide. He had smuggled himself into Russia and he would certainly be captured if he was spotted there. To save Index, he couldnt allow himself to be captured. The sound of treads and smell of exhaust were not coming from just one type of vehicle. Most likely, small airborne tanks designed to be dropped from transport planes and bombers were in the front and special vehicles armed with longer range missiles and rockets followed. There were also a lot of transport trucks packed with over 20 powered suits each. The unarmed 8-wheel trucks were likely power trucks that supplied electricity for the powered suits and UAVs. The ones with a large number of antennae might be control vehicles for the unmanned weapons deployed in the area. A scattered bombardment began from the base in opposition. It was the Russian armys counter attack. But Kamijou was uneasy. Academy Citys first wave had likely greatly reduced Russias general force, but if a single one of the explosives being fired landed near Kamijou and Lessar, they would be blown to pieces. (This is our chance!!) Lessar said to Kamijou after sinking down into the snow on the slope along with Kamijou. Kamijous eyes widened because he wasnt quite sure what Lessar meant. (How is this our chance!? The Russians have started firing, too. This is turning into a tank battle!!) (And we can use that turmoil to sneak into Fiammas base.) Lessar was staring at the powered suits that had gotten off the trucks and were beginning to enter the battle. (Why do you think the Russian army has gone on the defensive like this? Its because Fiamma does not want to move. Either he doesnt want anyone to know hes hiding here or hes carrying out some kind of magical work. At any rate, we can head to the base above ground like this. Now that the underground route has been sealed, this is our only chance.) The battle between Academy City and the Russian army began. Even though it was a few dozen kilometers away, once the base had gotten within range of the weapons, the battle seemed almost over. Normally, a defensive line would be a little farther out. Either Academy City had already taken out the troops of the defensive line or the supersonic bombers had forced the defensive line to quickly fall back. It was true they might be able to get inside the facility during all that chaos. (What exactly are we supposed to do? Even if theyre fighting each other, well still be spotted and shot if we just head to the base like this.) (We steal a powered suit.) Lessar grabbed her steel glove in both hands. (Those things dont use complicated controls or anything, right? If it just moves matching the movements of your arms and legs, even we can operate them despite not having any training.) (You make that sound easy, but those things are on a level where you need a 30 mm Gatling guns to just barely manage against one of them. My right hand wont be any help against them. How are we going to take one out?) (Ill be doing that part.) Lessar entered a stance like a carnivore with her special weapon in hand. (I dont know if theyre aware of how important that base is, but that equipment isnt enough to win against Fiamma. For some reason, Fiamma doesnt want to move right now, but he will come out if the base seriously starts losing. If we dont get in there before that happens, theyll all be killed.) (Lessar!!) (If youre going to praise me, Id prefer you did it while petting my head in bed.) Lessar ignored Kamijous voice trying to restrain her and she silently began to take action. She seemed to be aiming for a powered suit that was passing nearby with its back to them, but the machine held a giant shotgun in its hands. It was the anti-shelter weapon Kamijou had seen in Avignon. Just one shot from that would put a human in a state where they couldnt even have a proper funeral. It was as if Lessar were trying to kill a large carnivore with a primitive spear or club. Those kinds of traditional skills may exist, but it still looked incredibly dangerous when he was actually seeing it. (Dammit.) Kamijou muttered under his breath while still sunken down in the snow. He had a worry beyond Lessar. (There should be magicians as well as the Russian military at Fiammas base. When we snuck in before, there were almost 200 Russian Orthodox magicians in that large room with Fiamma. If they came out, they might be able to overturn Academy Citys advantage. Yet theres no sign of them. Are they actually out here and I just cant tell theyre there or have they still not come out? If they havent, why not? I doubt Fiamma would allow that base to fall. Is there any reason to preserve that base in a way that is practically inviting the Academy City forces in?) He hadnt been speaking because he expected an answer. He was merely getting his thoughts in order with words. And yet Hm? That should be obvious. Its to invite in the person who possesses that important right arm. In other words, you. He got a response. Kamijou looked around for the source of the voice in shock. The voice had not come from any direction around him. It had come from within Kamijous clothes. I may have helped start this war, but it would be a problem if I lost that right arm due to a random shell. It would also be a problem if some people decided to kill you just because they know you are important to my plan. To recover you quickly, I purposefully left a hole open. Kamijou frantically reached inside his jacket and found a small doll made of kneaded flour. As soon as Kamijou grabbed it with his right hand, it crumbled and was swept away by the cold wind. Kamijou had run into Fiamma in the Elizalina Alliance. It had ended in a tie, but Sasha Kreutzev had been taken and the others were fairly beat up, so it had really been mostly a loss for them. At that time, he had felt Fiamma had left a little too easily. Fiamma wanted Kamijous right arm and had overwhelmed them in battle. Yet he had overlooked Kamijou simply because it was inefficient to carry both Sasha and his right arm at the same time. Fiamma of the Right had surely had a plan worked out at that time. And of course, that cruel message he had left with Kamijou had not been simply out of cruelty. He had made sure Kamijou would come find him. And if Kamijou was searching for him, he could always attack the boy. Attack him accurately and precisely. (Shit!!) Kamijou heard the high-pitched whistle-like sound many times over. He immediately looked up, but it was already too late. A great vibration reverberated through the white earth. It came from below his feet. Part 2 Sellick G. Kirnov let out a groan. He wondered where he was. He was in a dark room. Sellicks body was bound to a chair in the center of the room. A rectangular frame of light was a short distance away in front of him. It was probably a door. Light was leaking through the gap around it. That was the only source of light. As there were no windows or lights, he could only see everything around him in silhouette. A scent that reminded him of iron or possibly blood seemed to put pressure on his chest. Sellick had a bad feeling of what was to come. He had an idea where he was. Lets keep this short, said a voice. He then heard a slight sound from in front of him. It was the sound of someone placing a wooden chair on the floor and then sitting down in it. With the minimal lighting, Sellick could only see a single red eye staring at him. You can be honest or you can lie. I dont care. You can even remain silent. After all, we can see into your head solely from your reaction to my questions. Think of it like an advanced lie detector. Thisll all be over soon. A bluish-white flash filled Sellicks vision for an instant. He thought it had been a camera flash, but he was wrong. It was actually a spark from a high-voltage current. It had come from a girl who stood behind the person with the red eyes. The one with the red eyes pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. She can manipulate electricity. Thats the kind of esper she is. You know what an esper is, right? Im sure they at least broadcast the Daihaseisai hereAnd Im sure you would know in your line of business. Sweat started pouring from Sellicks face. The figure with the red eyes ignored that and continued. I want to know why someone like you would infiltrate a place like this. Oh, like I said, you dont have to respond. The brat behind me is measuring all the electrical signals within your brain. Oh, yes. Itll go like this. Ill ask my question: What did you come to the Elizalina Alliance to find out? Then youll respond: I was looking for something important on the orders of my superiors. And thatll be enough. Then well just use the level of affirmation or denial in your head regarding what youve said as a key for the brat behind me to search through your memories. The method of searching lacks delicacy, but dont worry about it. Sellick had received plenty of training on not speaking. He had also received training on seeming to give a confession and really providing false information. But what was he supposed to do to stop them if they were going to search through his head whether he played along or denied them? Sellick G Kirnovs idea was to not go along with their process. If the enemy could just read his mind unconditionally, they would have taken the information they needed while he was unconscious. They were going out of their way to ask those questions because it was necessary. Therefore, he might be able to defend the information by not going along with the process they used to gain information. He now had a spirit of resistance. He had found a way to fight back. As if the red eyed person had read Sellicks mind despite him not having said a word, he pointed his index finger at Sellicks face. No, he was technically pointing it behind Sellick. (What?) Because he was bound to the chair, he couldnt see behind him very well even when he turned his head. He could just barely catch glimpses of something on the edge of his vision. He then heard a kind of creaking noise. It was similar to something being tightly bound by thin strings, but it had a heavier and more ominous ring to it. It was barbed wire. The smell of iron or possibly blood once more slipped in through Sellicks nose and into his lungs. At the same time, he figured out what the object behind him was. Multiple strings of barbed wire hung down from metal fixtures on the ceiling. A large hunk of meat was wrapped in the barbed wire and held on by the sharp metal spikes. He couldnt tell what kind of meat it was. The hunk of meat was dark red as if the outer skin had been ripped off. He could see scraps of clothing stuck on the hunk of meat in places. Yes. It was as if a humans head, arms, and legs had been severed, all the skin had been torn off, and then hung there wrapped in barbed wire. !!!??? Sellick G. Kirnov felt as if he had lost control of his breathing. When he looked again, he could tell there was more barbed wire hanging down. They did not have any meat on them. Instead, seven pieces of meat that had been torn apart were lying down below. The barbed wire must not have been able to withstand the weight. Adding together the one hanging and the ones on the floor, there were 8. Sellick remembered that number. That was how many people there had been in his team. All of the hunks of meat had dark red scraps of clothing stuck on them. They were quite discolored, but he remembered them, too. They were from the clothes they had all been wearing. The monster whose red eyes were the only thing visible in that dimly lit room quietly spoke. They all refused to cooperate despite knowing that having the brat behind me read their minds would be fastest. It kind of pissed me off and I can get a tad violent when Im upset. Sellick heard an odd noise from below his feet. It was caused by the leg of the chair tapping on the floor due to his trembling. Ignoring the noise, the red eyed figure gave a smile that looked like a rip along his face and leaned in close to Sellicks face. We dont have any more hostages, so please dont upset me. Accelerator and Misaka Worst opened the door and left. The room they had been in was not a gloomy torture room. It was actually a storage area for meat. It seemed there werent actually any torture areas in the Elizalina Alliance. Boring. That was way too easy, said Misaka Worst. He may not have been the best, but he was still a Russian spy who had undergone anti-torture training. Misaka thought he would have some resistance to physical violence. Swindling techniques havent changed in a long time. You just dont give them a chance to think things through properly. They wouldnt have been able to get that spy to talk just by punching and kicking him. Even actually taking out a knife and skinning him alive may not have worked. That was why it had been necessary to make that bluff. Even a veteran Russian spy would not know how to deal with an Academy City esper. As he did not know, he would build up a logical strategy of how to fight that unknown existence. That was when they applied a shock from a different direction. To do so, they had chopped some beef up into blocks, stuck scraps of clothing on it, and hung it up in barbed wire. That had pushed the spys already shaken mind over the limit. He had panicked. Whether it was a soldier or a spy, they were not strong in the face of pain because their sense of pain was dulled. It was because they had built up their mind to withstand the pain. That also meant that one could drop them down to having the stamina of a crying child by disturbing that mental basis. Both soldiers and civilians were the same type of living being at the core. Accelerator leaned up against the wall. Misaka Worst spoke to him in a tone that seemed to be mocking him. Keh keh. How kind of you. Ahn? Misaka had your fighting patterns inputted in to her to a certain extent. That was the first time youve dealt with an opponent without using violence, wasnt it? Of course, Misaka only means professional opponents who made themselves your enemy, not civilians like Last Order. Theres no point in doing something thats ineffective and Im not in the mood to play around with human flesh, spat out Accelerator in response. Or are you saying that wasnt stimulating enough for you? No, Misaka loves tricking people. And seeing a proud professional with tears and snot running down his face due to nonexistent fear is just the best! Kya ha A smile that looked like a crushed fruit appeared on Misaka Worsts face. Accelerator clicked his tongue. What do you think of what that crybaby said? There were all sorts of odd parts. The Russian army was going to use this war to start bombings and a serious invasion into the Elizalina Alliance which theyve wanted for some time, right? Its odd that they would send spies in at all given that. Normally, they would withdraw the spies before the bombings. Although thats only if they arent expendable. Keh keh. The spies who were scheduled to withdraw were hurriedly ordered to remain behind a few hours ago. And then additional spies were sent to join them here. Wow. Thats almost the exact same time you and Misaka entered the country. That was one way of looking at it. In that case, the spies must have been quite uneasy. They wanted to leave the Elizalina Alliance before the bombings, but their target had entered the most dangerous place. To carry out their objective, the spies had to follow Accelerator. But But that spy fell for our trick too easily in that case. It was less like he had never had the chance to fight an esper before and more like he had never even thought of the possibility of fighting an esper. Maybe the spies were after you and Misaka but they werent told the details of their targets for security reasons. Then they could have the details explained over their radios later, Misaka Worst commented offhand. So what was that spys mission? To photograph the insides of the Elizalina Alliance military facilities. He had a small camera to do it with. What for? So any secret documents could be taken out of the facilities and then to a designated point before the bombings. Apparently, someone on the other side of a monitor was going to give him more specific instructions. As he spoke Accelerators expression turned to one of puzzlement. The only documents he had were those pieces of parchment. Were they really that important to the Russian army? At any rate, Accelerator said as he removed his back from the wall and put his weight on his cane, we can meet the people who want those parchments if we go to that designated point. In other words, we can meet with people who know how to decipher them. That might lead to the key to saving Last Order who was still unconscious. As such, he had to go. Whether it was selfish or not, he would even attack a military facility in order to get those people to tell him what those parchments meant. Misaka thinks various parts of her body are getting hard from such a selfish development Shut up. The designated point to bring the parchments is a Russian military base near the border. Im going to attack it. You can do whatever the hell you want. Misaka will of course be going to the place where more blood will be spilled. But what are you going to do about Last Order? What would happen if I left her with you? Misaka would probably get bored and do unspeakable things to her. Accelerator thought about punching Misaka Worst as she cackled, but his vision suddenly started to shake. No. It wasnt Accelerators vision that was shaking. It was Part 3 Deep in a military base near the border between Russia and the Elizalina Alliance, Fiamma of the Right was communicating over a book-shaped spiritual item. He was speaking to one of the leaders of the Roman Orthodox Church, Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy. Now this has finally gotten interesting. Fiamma sat on a plain chair and spoke towards the spiritual item that was placed atop a table. To be honest, even if you did cooperate with me, Russias results in this war are not worth complimenting even out of flattery. Its a pain, but I suppose I need to readjust the score myself. I dont care what you say. Nikolais speech was stiff. Just dont hold back. You said you had Sasha Kreutzev, so send out that weapon now!! Dont forget that Russias forces are being destroyed as we speak!! The preparations are complete. Ill be starting soon, but then you will not be able to tell whats going on once again. That will be the true war in which Academy City will lose its control over the situation. I dont care what happens as long as I can accomplish my goal. If it functions as a shortcut, I will continue to aid you. The Patriarch, hm? Do you really want to reach that position so badly? The Roman pope I know never looked too happy. Dont assume the top of Rome is the same as the top of Russia. Is it really that great? Its even better. The tone of Nikolai Tolstoys voice lowered as he slowly asked a question. Where are you right now? Why do you want to know? You arent in that base. Your presence has disappeared from those coordinates. Ha ha, Fiamma, who was supposed to be in the depths of that base, laughed as he responded. Youll know soon enoughwhether you want to or not. It may have been simple enough to witness the event, but very few people understood what it meant. Probably the first to notice it was a man from a citizens group in Florence. He had come to the front of an old church with his companions in order to protect the historical building. A world war may have been going on, but the flames of war were not burning too brightly in Italy. There was just a tense atmosphere within the cities. No one knew when something would incite a large scale riot. The occasional vibrations were rumored to be caused by people taking advantage of the chaos to set fire to buildings and to town gas lines. That middle aged man thought that was what he was feeling then. But he suddenly realized that the vibration that time was different. It was not coming from somewhere outside the city. It was coming from within. In fact, it was coming from within the church he stood in front of. ? The middle aged man slowly turned around. He had a very bad feeling. He heard a creaking noise. The historical steeple that could be called the core of the church he was supposed to be protecting was breaking in two. The construction floated up ignoring gravity and taking with it the giant bell that would ring out throughout the city on the hour. Why had it broken? Why was it floating? He felt his common sense shattering within him. And At that time, the giant steeple of Frances Mont Saint-Michel was torn off. At that time, a number of pillars were pulled from Italys Basilica of St. Mary. At that time, a grand pipe organ flew out of Indias St. Joseph Church. The Roman Catholic Church held over 2 billion followers and it had constructed many churches, monasteries, and convents all over the world over its long history. Each building had its own individuality produced by the different styles, designs, lands, time periods, and cultures with which or in which they had been constructed. Any especially important items had been taken from those churches, monasteries, and convents. All of the objects flew toward one spot as if being sucked in by a magnet. They flew toward Russia. They flew toward the cold base in which Fiamma of the Right waited. Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of those crystallizations of each culture amassed in one place and intertwined together complexly. It was not like a jigsaw puzzle that was created from the outset to fit together. It was like trying to make ones own small gears for a broken watch by forcing together parts to create something those parts had not been made for. The giant mountain of constructions did not remain within the 10 kilometer base. It expanded beyond that. And the change did not stop there. It continued A roar resounded beneath Kamijous feet. When he realized that, he was already floating in the air. Or so it seemed. He was not really floating. The snowy earth that Kamijou had been standing on had lifted up as if the ground had greatly collapsed. Underneath the ground there was the subway track that the Academy City bombardment had crushed. It may have been moving around in response to some change in Fiammas base. For an instant, Kamijou did not feel gravity. Immediately afterwards, the place he was standing on rose up like a cliff. Lessar who had been about to surprise attack a nearby powered suit turned around in shock. He tried to reach out her hand, but she was just too far. Lessar was left down at the bottom of the cliff. What!? Kamijou could not remain standing due to the incredible shaking. He saw the Academy City tanks and powered suits that had been lifted up like him falling off the edge of the cliff. They were flying. The ground Kamijou stood on and the base Fiamma was inside were flying. The facility and weapons of the Russian military base in the center fell down along with the snow. After rising about 10 meters, the last bit of resistance disappeared. The speed suddenly rose and Kamijou was surrounded in fog. An odd pressure seemed to press his body to the ground, but he didnt have time to be confused. His eyes widened in surprise and suddenly the fog disappeared. He could see the blue sky. The scenery wrapped in white snow clouds was nowhere to be seen. The freezing air hurt his throat and his lungs could not take in air very well. Kamijou knew what all that meant. (Wereabove the clouds!?) An explosive noise pounded in Kamijous ears. The supersonic bombers that had looked like tiny specks in the sky before now looked quite large. They seemed to be taking panicked evasive maneuvers in response to the sudden situation. That was not the only noise. There was also a low rumbling that sounded like stone gears turning. Kamijou was standing on what looked like a giant bridge made of stone. He could see a large mass a few dozen kilometers down the bridge. He could see it clearly because there was nothing in the sky to obstruct his view like the horizon or buildings, but the vastness of the structure also helped. From that castle-like center, long, long bridges stretched out in four directions. The lengths of the bridges were not equal. One of them was twice as long as the others. Assuming the direction the fortress was travelling was the front, Kamijou was on the back bridge and the oddly long bridge was the right one. The walls, doors, steeples, and other similar items from churches of different cultures and time periods had been forcibly gathered together and had been turned into that complex shape. In addition to those structures with hundreds of years of history were more modern items such as metal frames, metal pipes, and light fixtures. Those items might have been in the base already. Overall, it was an odd fusion that resembled somewhere from an old church. Were they growing or were they destroying each other? He didnt know the meaning of the sight before his eyes and then a voice came to his ears from somewhere. Perhaps speakers were set up in various places on that flying castle. Unlike with the flour doll from before, there was some static mixed in. I was not preparing some large spiritual item or facility. It was Fiamma of the Right. His voice sounded somehow cheerful. He might have been satisfied at having imprisoned his target of Imagine Breaker in the sky. I was preparing the space needed to put this together. After all, everything else I needed was waiting for me all over the world. I only need to spend my own savings. For the construction, I needed a work area that was like a sterilized room. A large amount of expenses, time, and workers were needed for that consecration. Even then, the mysterious fortress was growing before Kamijous eyes. It was almost like a blast of wind made of stone. The amount of materials is not a problem. Whats important is constructing the self-expansion cycle. Once that cycle is complete, it can expand as needed without any more materials. The stone blast of wind shot past the spot Kamijou was on. He had been standing atop a stone bridge before, but all of a sudden he was inside an old building. He was a few dozen kilometers from Fiammas base. The fortress must have already expanded that much. Are you sure it wasnt a mistake to let me on? Kamijou asked. Quite the opposite. Your right arm is absolutely necessary to carry out my goal. Fiamma chuckled. I suppose I should welcome you to my castle, the Star of Bethlehem. The Star of Bethlehem. Since Fiamma had brought it up, that name must have held deep religious and magical meaning. From the way he spoke, his manipulation of the Roman Catholic Church, his kidnappings of Index and Sasha, his starting of World War III, his attempt to steal Kamijous right arm, and all his other actions were connected. That included sending that fortress up 3000 meters into the sky above the clouds. It had a radius of a few dozen kilometers. It was an overwhelmingly incomprehensible sight like seeing Academy City itself floating in the sky. Of course, an object of any size or material could float if it had devices attached that gave it the lift necessary. It was the same as how a balloon would float regardless of if it was big or small. That was science. As such, it was nonsense to make a huge deal out of a large object floating. But despite that kind of theory or reasoning, had a manmade object that large ever been made to float in the sky so with such stability in the history of mankind? It was a historical first. It was the same as the invention of ships, the invention of cars, and the invention of airplanes. A chance had been born with the destructive force needed to definitively twist the range of what humans could control. Such a great sense of the foreign wrapped around Kamijous body that he was forced to think that. It may be true that great things could be accomplished with that, but he was also assaulted by a great unease because of the negative things that could also be accomplished with it. However, that did not break Kamijous spirit. He did not stay focused on that. All he had to do was defeat Fiamma and destroy Indexs remote control spiritual item. Being trapped in that ridiculously huge fortress threatened to make him lose his nerve, but he calmed himself and focused on the fact that he had more hope left than if he had been left behind on the ground. Kamijou took a short breath and then finally stood up. It seemed odd that he did not have any kind of altitude sickness after being thrown that high into the sky. He had a slight pain around his temples, but he had no deep urge to vomit, difficulty breathing, or narrowing of vision. He decided that moving around would not be a problem. (The air pressure and temperature are the same as on the surface? Is there some kind of weird barrier erected around the fortress?) When he thought about it, he recalled that the clouds had split apart oddly when the fortress had cut through themat least he thought they had. It was possible that they were being protected by some kind of field in the shape of a sphere squished in at the top and bottom. He had no idea exactly how much magical effort something like that took. However, he knew it would take a great amount of resources and effort just like causing that fortress to float would. The power of the large organization that had 2 billion followers was symbolized and displayed in that. (Fiamma went out of his way to prepare this ridiculously huge facility. I dont know what his final goal is, but this Star of Bethlehem must be necessary to accomplish it.) As he thought, Kamijou looked down at his right hand. He pressed the palm against a random wall and a crack of orange light appeared. An area of about a meter around his hand crumbled. However, some kind of power caused the fragments to float in place rather than to fall. They then moved back to their original place. There was most likely a core somewhere. (In that case, I can apply damage to Fiamma by destroying that. While Im searching for him, Ill destroy everything of importance I come across. Theres no reason to just leave alone the things that the enemy can use.) Just as he decided on that plan, Kamijou heard a loud noise. There were windows in the stone room, but the glass all shattered. Kamijou plugged his ears and looked outside to see numerous fighters flying through the blue sky. They were Academy City fighters. Those crystallizations of cutting edge science soared about in the Russian sky. Fiamma must have also detected the fighters because a voice spoke out that seemed to be suppressing various emotions. It was like someone who had water thrown on them right when they were getting worked up. Sasha Kreutzev, the medium for the angel. The remote control spiritual item for the 103,000 grimoires. The ceremonial site, the Star of Bethlehem. And finally, your right arm that is most appropriate for wielding my power. I have everything I need, so I would rather the side characters would leave. Kamijou had a bad feeling about what was to come. However, he did not know where Fiamma was in the large fortress, so he had no way of stopping Fiammas words. And then Fiamma of the Right spoke quietly. Head out, Archangel Gabriel. Blow them all away. The world turned to night. As if everything had been instantaneously painted over with black, the sky turned to a night sky. Youre kidding That magic was so great that it gave one control of the positional relationships of the earth, the moon, and the sun. Kamijou could only stare in blank amazement upon seeing that. It wasnt that he didnt understand the phenomenon he was seeing. Kamijou Toumas eyes were opened wide to the limit and he was trembling because he did know. He had seen that before. It was an angels spell. That supernatural phenomenon was the build up to the even greater spell known as Sweep that interfered with the movements of heavenly bodies, built up ones own power, and was enough to destroy the entire human race without moving a single fingertip. That was a true angels spell. As such, it was clear what the being using it should be called. Kamijous face was paler than the night sky as he heard Fiamma continue to speak. Fiamma sounded like he was enjoying himself. He sounded like a soldier showing off a weapon he had heavily practiced with. No, I suppose I should refer to you as Misha Kreutzev here. Immediately afterwards, some sort of blue point of light became visible in the pitch black night sky. If one stared at it close enough, one might have seen the form of a person. However, it was so far away that it just looked like a small point of light. But then Sound disappeared. A giant wing-like object stretched from the blue point of light cutting horizontally across the entire visible portion of the heavens. With a bit of a delay, an explosive noise pounded at Kamijous ears. A few dozen of the unmanned fighters sweeping across the Russian sky were blown to pieces. The fighters that showed life-like movements must have been the ones with actual pilots. A few of those had their main wings severed and Kamijou could see the pilots frantically attempting to escape with their parachutes. The destruction did not end there. That blue point of light had swung that giant wing solely to blow away that formation of unmanned fighters. However, the giant wing disintegrated partway through breaking it in half. The severed half flew on and created a gigantic explosion near the horizon where it landed. An enormous mass of dirt flew up into the air. An entire mountain had been blown away. Well, Angel Fall was an accidental spell. With a summoning method based on and derived from that, stability is a bit of a problem. It wasnt normal. The difference in numbers had been overturned in an instant. That was an angel. An angel was a being that held overwhelming power. But doesnt this make things pretty interesting? The science side has been showing off all sorts of secret weapons, so isnt it about time the magic side got serious? And Fiamma smiled within the fortress. (The Star of Bethlehem is still incomplete. I had to hurry its rise because of Academy Citys ground forces, but now that Misha Kreutzev is on the move, my victory will not be shaken.) Yes. There was something he lacked. Those parchments. The spiritual item Fiamma had obtained gave him free access to the 103,000 grimoires held within Index, but that was not enough. Truly esoteric knowledge related to things such as angels and Gods Right Seat was not held within her. Those parchments were needed to make up for that. Once he had his path to that knowledge, Fiamma of the Rights plan would be fulfilled by sending it into a feedback within the Star of Bethlehem. Now then, Fiamma of the Right said calmly. How about you go retrieve them, Misha Kreutzev? Just because your opponents are weak is no reason to hold back. Go retrieve them with your full power. [edit] Between the Lines 4 Misaka Mikoto also witnessed that change. She was riding on an Academy City HsB-02 supersonic bomber. Of course, she was not taking part in a military operation on the orders of a superior. What she was doing was almostno, it was a hijacking. The special forces that had been intended to ride in that bomber had been left behind in a District 23 hangar. Perhaps due to the special characteristics of a bomber, the aircraft was over 80 meters long, but its only window was in the cockpit in the front. It was a coincidence that Mikoto had been in the cockpit. It was just because that was the only place with a proper seat. Mikoto showed the pilot the screen of her handheld device. Anyway, get close to here and then Ill parachute down on my own. After that, you can do whatever you want. The screen showed a still image from a recorded news program. A reporter was saying something with a snowy plain in the background and an Asian boy who seemed to be a civilian was visible at the edge of the screen. Letters at the bottom of the screen displayed the city where the footage had been taken. That cute tyrant was ordering him to go there. D-do you know how much risk youre taking on by doing this? Doing this? Mikoto frowned. Doesnt what Ive already done give you some idea about what I can do? I had no problem with taking on group of professional assassins. This isnt an issue with how risky it is. If one side is putting all their efforts into killing a normal high school student and the other side is putting all her efforts into saving that normal high school student, which side do you want to be on? Which side could you proudly say you were on? The pilot fell silent upon being asked those questions. Mikoto did not think that she was a good person. Nor did she think all the other people she could see were masses of good will. The incident involving the Sisters and Accelerator had taught her how dark an environment Academy City was and how merciless humans could be. But at the same time, she knew that not every person in the world was that dark. There was that boy who had held out his right hand to save Mikoto and the others from that hellish experiment. There were the Sisters who had stood up in response to Mikotos call. While there was unavoidable darkness and desire within peoples hearts, there was a small but strong light there as well. That was why the pilot had fallen silent. That was also why he was unable to laugh scornfully at her while drenched in the darkness of that underground organization. (Ahh. This kind of talk just isnt my thing. I think he infected me or something.) Mikoto scratched at her head. (This is all that idiots fault! As soon as I find him, Im punching him!! Strategy meeting complete!!) Suddenly, something huge quickly moved up from below the white clouds. The supersonic bomber she was on was quite large at over 80 meters long, but this other object made it look like a tiny bug in comparison. The giant construction had to be dozens of kilometers long. It was like an entire city was floating there. The sight simply seemed to ignore any scientific sense (even the sense of Academy City that seemed fairly ridiculous to begin with). The object had a completely unreasonable design. It was just a giant mass that seemed to have been created by taking stone buildings from different ages and cultures and then clumping them together like masses of clay. Even then, it was changing form from moment to moment like gears or like a living being. (What is that?) Mikoto pressed herself up against the reinforced glass and stared at the mass. Making an object that big float in the sky was probably something worth a Guinness world record. She couldnt spot any wings or rocket engines, but it had to be gaining lift somehow. Perhaps it was actually hollow and the inside was similar to a hot-air balloon or a blimp. (Why is it squirming around like that? Is it a collection of stand-alone robots?) However, what truly surprised Mikoto was not the giant mass itself. Something like a stone bridge extended out on the edge of the mass and she thought she saw the familiar face of a certain spiky haired boy. (Youre kidding!!) When Mikoto frantically tried to make sure, the supersonic bombers intense speed had already taken them past that point. The location of the window was limited, so she couldnt just turn her head to keep looking. That unexpected scene had brought Mikotos thoughts to a halt, but the pilot did not wait around. A steeple sticking out from the side of the mass was going to strike the body of the supersonic bomber. He frantically operated the stick and the inertia suddenly gave Mikoto an experience similar to zero gravity as she was not strapped in. It only lasted a few seconds, but her body had definitely floated in the air. She fell back into her seat, but she didnt have time to complain. The changes did not stop. When they moved back above the clouds, the blue sky without any sign of weather suddenly changed to dark night as if someone had flipped a light switch. With that giant construction there as well, the scene just looked like a joke to her. There was a light in the darkness. It glowed like the moon in the dark sky. But it wasnt the moon. It was a human-like silhouette floating in the sky ignoring gravity. It was so far away, she couldnt tell what its face looked like. However, she could say one thing for sure: it was not a normal human. This was because it had what looked like wings growing from its back. Those mysterious wings looked like crystals and like a peacock tail. The shorter ones were less than a meter long and the longer ones were over 100 meters long. The figure had a few dozen of those wings of unequal length. Mikoto didnt have time to question it. The figure swung one of those wings. It was rather large at 100 meters, but that still was not enough to match the scale of the sky. Currently, the supersonic bomber was flying in an area farther away than that. And yet the body of the HsB-02 that was made of the latest nonmetal materials was suddenly sliced in two. The strike sliced the cockpit front to back. No, that single strike sliced through the entire 80 meter length of the bomber. Oh, you have got to be kidding!! Mikoto felt the chill of the high altitude air stab into her. In the next instant, she was thrown out of the plane and into the air 3000 meters up. She couldnt even cry out. At the edge of her vision, she could see the pilot spinning but wearing a parachute. He would probably be fine, but she couldnt count on him. He had no duty to save her after all. However, Mikoto felt more anger at having been taken away from the giant structure than she did fear of the height from which she was falling. Her small body was even then plowing through the clouds as it headed for the ground. She could clearly feel the thing she thought she had finally grabbed slipping from her fingers. Of course, she couldnt change that if she just fell to her death. (Kh!! Wh-what do I do!?) Mikoto changed her focus and looked down toward the ground. She didnt even have 1000 meters left until she landed. She then spotted a mass of metal much farther down than her. It was an attack helicopter. She didnt know if it was from Academy City or Russian, but she could use it. Mikoto could manipulate magnetism. She was not going to use it to cling to the attack helicopter. At that height and that speed, her flesh-and-blood body would be crushed the instant she made contact. She had to only use a bit of the magnetism she could so she didnt completely cling to it. Her body shot past the attack helicopter. She didnt completely cling to it, but there was a clear force lifting Mikotos body toward the attack helicopter. That force acted as a cushion to softly lower her downward speed. As Mikoto headed down toward the white snowy plains, she strengthened that force bit by bit in a carefully regulated manner so as not to crush her body from the shock of deceleration but to still prevent herself from being killed upon landing. If someone had been watching from nearby, it may have looked like she was lowering herself down on an invisible rope. Mikoto planted her feet atop the snow and completely cut off the magnetic force. Now then She was in the middle of a battlefield. Here and there on that plain with almost no manmade objects she could see tanks and other armored vehicles from both Academy City and the Russian army. It might have been obvious, but the Russian weapons were the ones being destroyed. Mikoto smelled the unpleasant odor of fuel being burned and looked above her. Even using her powerful magnetism, jumping up 3000 meters into the air was impossible. How am I supposed to get up above the clouds? Mikoto muttered and then heard the sound of someone stepping in the snow behind her. From the magnetic state, she could tell there was a human form about 10 meters behind her. She sharply turned around and Youre Mikoto froze. The other persons expression did not change. A girl stood there holding a rifle called a Kalashnikov that was made of both wood and metal instead of an Academy City F2000R. Misakas serial number is #10777, kindly explains Misaka to the Original who is at a loss for words. Were you at an organization in Russia that was working with Academy City!? The battle for the evacuation there is complete, so Misaka was given the rest of the time to spend on her private business, announces Misaka in a vacation-y mood with a dangerous rifle in one hand. Private business? Mikoto repeated in shock. #10777 pointed up into the sky. Are you here on private business as well? says Misaka asking for confirmation. Well, it certainly isnt an official job or anything. Volume 21, 7: An Angel Massacring from the Heavens. MISHA_the_Angel_GABRIEL”. Volume 21, Chapter 7: An Angel Massacring from the Heavens. MISHA_the_Angel_GABRIEL. [edit] Part 1 A giant vibration shook the field hospital within the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. At that time, Hamazura Shiage was watching Elizalina treating Takitsubo Rikou. Takitsubo was lying on an emergency stretcher and was wearing a clear oxygen mask. Instead of an oxygen tank at the other end of the tube, it was connected to something like incense made of various dried and crushed plants. According to Elizalina, that would remove the Body Crystal from Takitsubos body, but... Suddenly, a large earthquake shook the building. Takitsubos body fell from the stretcher onto the ground. What the hell!? Takitsubo!! Hamazura yelled out and started to run over to her, but Elizalina stopped him with a hand. Elizalina used her abnormally thin fingers to remove the mask from Takitsubo. This is not a problem. The treatment is already complete. The toxin within her body has been removed. ... She had said it so easily that it didnt feel real to Hamazura. The issue of the Body Crystal had been such an impediment to Hamazura and Takitsubo and yet it had been dealt with so easily? Elizalina then spoke again as if adding a remark. But this only removed the undigested toxin. The portions of her body that have already been eaten into werent replaced. She should recover a bit, but she isnt fully healed. A different method of healing will need to be found for the after effects of the drug, Elizalina said as she put out the small flames causing the smoldering incense. Forcing her status up will only give her a greater relapse. Ive never been too fond of the performance of science. Someone threw open the door. Accelerator entered the room. Hey, have you seen whats going on outside!? What the fuck is it!? Its Fiamma. I never thought he would shake the four elements themselves... Elizalina frowned and disappeared through the door. The field hospital had originally been an old fortress. There were no windows, so they could not see outside from there. Hamazura was curious, but he had to focus on Takitsubo. In order to return her to the stretcher, Hamazura held her in his arms. He then noticed something was different. The feeling of lifting a bag filled with dirt was gone. She was lighter. This was because Takitsubo was making sure to adjust her weight. Her will had returned to every corner of her body. Hamazura felt that more than anything symbolized what a large change had occurred within her. Hamazura...? Its okay, Hamazura said as he was overcome with relief. Hamazura continued speaking as Takitsubo actually wrapped her own small arms around him. Ill explain everything later, but Ill tell you this for now: its okay now. You arent completely healed yet and it will probably take Academy Citys help to completely cure all of the after effects, but the Body Crystal will not make your health deteriorate any more. The risk to your life is gone. So its okay. ...From now on, its our turn to take them on. The body heat he felt from Takitsubo was that of a normal girl. She didnt have the unnaturally high temperature like that of someone with a cold. After just feeling that sensation for a bit, Hamazura finally pulled himself away from her. She could now stand up under her own power. Takitsubo sat on the stretcher and Hamazura spoke to her again. Ill go call a nurse. Do you need some water? If youre hungry, I could get you some fruit. Hamazura, what are we going to do now? If were really going to take on Academy City, we cant just stay here. We managed to escape the Academy City pursuers by entering the Elizalina Alliance. Whats left is heading back to Russia and searching for something to negotiate with. Hamazura stopped speaking for a second. He looked Takitsubo in the eye as he continued. But we dont have to do that together. Youve just gotten over your illness. You can just wait here and... Hamazura, Takitsubo said cutting him off. Would you wake up if I kissed you or would I have to slap you? Saying something like that just makes me want to leave you here even more. Hamazura roughly stroked Takitsubos head and looked over toward the door. I need to find some assistance. But I dont really like stealing a car from someone who saved you. And then Hamazura saw some scattered documents out of the corner of his eye. They were in a field hospital, but it was really just a military facility that had medical equipment in it. It seemed some of the military related equipment and documents still remained. What caught his eye was a pile of fax paper. Hamazura could not read Russian, but he recognized the photo given along with the text. It was Digurvs village. ...Its a request to be taken into the Alliance and the issues related to doing so, said Takitsubo who had read the Russian report from behind Hamazura. Hamazura frowned. So the village Digurv and the others live in wants to join the Elizalina Alliance? The village was located almost right next to the border of the Elizalina Alliance and the Russian army had been trying to take the land. They had harassed the village by scattering land mines and had even sent privateers in to attack. Escaping that violence from Russia by becoming a part of the Elizalina Alliance was not too surprising a desire. However, the people of the Alliance had not taken in the village despite their suffering just outside the border. That likely had to do with the issues mentioned in the report. It doesnt seem there are any issues with the village or the people living in it. What do you mean? There is a nuclear missile silo from the cold war era near the village. Because of what it was, it was hidden in a forest away from the base. Hamazura listened in shock to what Takitsubo was saying. She flipped through the report. The silo itself has been untouched for decades and the missiles were removed, so its just an old abandoned facility. However, there is a concern that Russia will determine that the Elizalina Alliance has obtained the technology of Russias nuclear launching facilities if they were to take the village and that area into the Alliance. God dammit, Hamazura spat out. The nuclear silo didnt belong to Digurv and the others. The Russian army had made the facility long ago, but now it was taking away the villagers freedom and putting them under the threat of landmines and privateers. It may truly have been a good thing that those Academy City forces had arrived because the villagers might have been massacred otherwise. The Kremlin Report...? However, the unfairness did not end there. Takitsubo reached for a different report. ...This is bad, Hamazura. Whats that report? Those diagrams look like data on the areas weather. Its the values for wind direction, temperature, and humidity. I think the data is being used to predict the spread of bacteria. ...Bacteria? Hamazuras shoulders stiffened at that word. Takitsubo looked down at the fax paper on which the Kremlin Report was printed. This was sent by the Russian army. The original Kremlin Report and supplemental documents were faxed together. In order to justify the actions theyre taking within their own country, theyre making this performance of a warning. It was actually only sent out a few hours ago so no major evacuation could be carried out even upon seeing it. Most likely, it was sent to the Elizalina Alliance as a threat. Its basically saying youre next. Whats this about bacteria? What does this have to do with Digurv and the others!? It seems the Russian army has made an official announcement of the Kremlin Report which is a defense manual for the nuclear launch facilities. The plan is to disseminate a bacteriological weapon in order to recover nuclear launch facilities that have been occupied or that are about to be occupied. This is... Is that being used on the nuclear silo near Digurvs village!? Thats their own country. Is the Russian army planning to indiscriminately spread a bacteriological weapon!? He felt a bit dizzy. However, given the location of the nuclear silo and the Academy City forces protecting Digurvs village, that area could very well become a target of the Kremlin Report. Didnt you say that silo hadnt been used in decades? And there are no missiles there, right? It still possesses the functionality to launch and missiles can be brought in from outside. Russias experimental missile defense network they put up in recent years is focused on the national borders, so a launch from a silo within the country was not taken into consideration. ...So they cant defend against a missile launched from that silo? The heads of the Russian army who created the defense network would know better than anyone the threat of a ballistic missile getting through. They would probably do anything to stop that from happening. Dammit... At that rate, a killer virus would be disseminated near the nuclear silo in the name of protecting the Russian people. If that happened, Digurv and the other villagers would be caught up in it. That virus was bad enough that it was referred to as a weapon. Hamazura did not even want to imagine what kind of mortality rate it had. When is it scheduled to be disseminated? I dont know. I just know that the wind direction means that the bacteriological weapon is unlikely to reach the Elizalina Alliance. And if that danger came up, that Elizalina person would likely give an evacuation order to the people here. They didnt know when it would be disseminated. The operation might have been in progress right that very instant. If Hamazura and anyone else took action to stop it, they could easily end up just getting caught up in it. But... Takitsubo, will you wait here? Are you planning to use the military technology of the bacterial wall used in the Kremlin Report to negotiate with Academy City? But that has no special meaning to Academy Cit No, not that. I cant just leave Digurv and the others to die. I know its nothing more than a risk for us, but I cant abandon them. I mean, this is just wrong!! I havent exactly walked down a proper path in my life. Ive made a lot of people suffer through violence. But this is well above that level. Stopping it isnt whats strange. Its strange that its happening in the first place!! How can everyone head down paths like this with serious faces!? ... Takitsubo Rikou stared at Hamazuras face for a bit. Finally, she nodded. Understood. Ill go, too. Takitsubo? I didnt get to talk with anyone in that village, but I remember what they did for me. I want to fight for them, too. Youd better not regret this. The same goes for you, Hamazura. They both nodded and then headed for the exit of the hospital room. They knew that wasnt what they should be doing at that time. They had yet to find anything to negotiate with and they could easily lose their lives simply by heading into the war torn Russia and getting involved in a fight they had nothing to do with. Making an unnecessary detour amid all that, would only shorten their lives. Hamazura Shiage checked over all that in his mind. But his mind was still made up. He had a debt to repay. [edit] Part 2 A scream rang out. It was not a human scream. The howl was more foreign. It slipped into human hearts with no resistance and shook up the emotions within. One wanted to reject it more than the sound of fingernails on the blackboard, but one also felt an intense feeling of guilt at rejecting it. The incomprehensible cry was difficult to accept and difficult to reject. The voice easily exceeded the limits of human vocal cords as it resounded throughout that nighttime battlefield that looked as if it had been covered in ink. An angel. Gabriel. Misha Kreutzev. Stop, Kamijou said without meaning to. Something floated in the vast battlefield like a single light in the darkness. It was a bluish-white light. A human-like silhouette stayed oddly still at 3000 meters up in the air. Wings grew from the silhouettes back. They were ice wings that looked like crystals. Their lengths were uneven. Some were only a few dozen centimeters while others were longer than 100 meters. Each of those uneven wings moved independently and ominous sparks flew when they struck each other. Kamijou knew that all of those wings held the destructive power to sever a mountain just by touching it. As they struck each other, the wings stored up just a tiny bit of power. But that was enough. Stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp!!!!! A mere humans voice was meaningless. The wings swung. A storm of destruction and slicing was born. The Academy City fighters and supersonic bombers that were made of the latest technology were sliced apart. A few of the ice wings intentionally came apart and became hundreds and thousands of blade-like fragments which rained down on the tanks spread out on the surface. A great shockwave was created and even the Star of Bethlehem shook slightly despite being so high up in the air. Kamijou looked down from a broken window, but he couldnt see what was happening on the surface because of the thick cloud cover. There were a few openings here or there, but he couldnt grasp the situation just from that. A large amount of snow had been blown into the air creating a further curtain obstructing his view. Dammit... Directly below the distant archangel, a hole with a radius of a few dozen meters had opened in the thick cloud cover. When the great number of fragments had been fired down, they had blown away the clouds in that area. Pilots could be seen escaping the sliced up fighters in parachutes. The archangel paid them no heed. It did not aim its ice wings in their direction. However, that was not due to mercy or kindness. Gabriel swung a wing toward another bomber and the gust of wind created by the pylon-like wing swinging through the air was enough to crush the parachutes and rid them of all lift. If they had a spare parachute, they might be fine, but if they didnt, they had no way of avoiding death. The word war did not fully cover it. It was divine punishment. Kamijou gulped at the thought of that word. (It isnt just the Star of Bethlehem. Fiamma, you bastard, did you kidnap Sasha in order to add that archangel to the power at your command!?) Dammit!! That was no time to freeze up. Kamijou rushed through that stone room and ran on through the Star of Bethlehem. It seemed Fiamma was giving that angel orders. However, he would have used it sooner if he had been able to use it at any time. There may have been a connection with the rise of the Star of Bethlehem. If there was some kind of key object that was moving the archangel, he might be able to destroy that. And even if there wasnt, he might be able to stop Gabriel by defeating Fiamma himself. Of course, Kamijou did not know much about the magic side. But... (That doesnt matter.) As he heard numerous explosions even then, Kamijou gritted his teeth while he ran. (Ill just destroy everything of importance until that angel stops moving!!) After running through a few rooms, the sky was before him. He was on a wide stone bridge, but it had no railings on either side. The intense winds and shockwaves from explosions threatened to blow Kamijous body to the side. The dark sky gave him the same kind of bottomless unease as the ocean at night. However, he couldnt just stop. Even Academy Citys elite troops could do nothing against that monster. At that rate, they would just get defeated as a demonstration. Even if he couldnt fight it directly, Kamijou was the only one who had a chance of stopping that angel indirectly. He ran across the 100 meter long bridge and opened the door to the room on the other side. A complex structure that looked like a pipe organ was spread out on one wall. It may have been a magical item or it may have just been one of the decorative items used to construct the Star of Bethlehem. And even if it had some magical purpose, it might have had nothing to do with the angel. The way to check was simple enough. He just had to touch it with his right hand and see if it was destroyed. Kamijou stepped further into the room with that idea in mind, but... ...!? His breath caught in his throat. It came directly from the side. A person had been hiding behind the pews lined up in the room like it was a chapel. That person had suddenly tackled him from the side. The two of them collapsed to the floor. Kamijou was having trouble breathing from the impact and his body reflexively tried to suck in air, but he forced down that urge in order to hold his breath and roll along the floor. When collapsed like that, the battle could be decided by who ended up on top. It seemed his attacker was thinking the same thing because the person tried to continue to roll and stay on top. But the attackers body struck one of the pews. Now that they had stopped, Kamijou got up on his attackers stomach to keep the person on the ground. To be in that place, the attacker must have been a Roman Catholic or Russian Orthodox elite. Kamijou was just about to swing his fist down, but... Huh...? He froze in place. He recognized the face. Long wavy blonde hair covered up the persons eyes. She wore restraint-like black belts and clothes that were really just innerwear made of a sheer red material. She was younger than Kamijou. The belt at her waist held instruments of torture that were tools such as hammers and saws modified for use on the human body. While he did recognize her, she was not an acquaintance of his. After all, when he had first seen her, she had been switched out. For an instant he mixed up her name, but then he muttered the attackers proper name. Sasha Kreutzev...? [edit] Part 3 Elizalina walked quickly through the gloomy field hospital. It was really an old fortress being used as a military facility, so it did not have many windows. Before peering out a small window, she had an uncomfortable feeling and when she actually did look out, her lips moved almost on their own in response to what she witnessed. How can this be...? Night spread out before her. Floating in the completely starless night was a giant fortress made of churches, monasteries, and convents from across the world. And like a moon shining in that odd night was something bluish-white. It was a human silhouette with giant wings. It was an angel. Even if a magician used a portion of one in the form of Telesma, that magician never really thought of the possibility of actually seeing one. She didnt know what Fiamma was thinking, but the danger was even greater than if an asteroid were on a collision course. It was like bringing about a global ice age in order to defeat an enemy who was pointing a blade at you. ... Accelerator was leaning against the wall and looking in the direction of Elizalina. He had been drawn to the area by the window as well. His focus was not on Elizalinas back but on the window past her. The mysterious being known as Aiwass had told him to go to Russia. The parchments he had found there seemed to have been intended to be delivered to that fortress that had floated up into the sky from the Russian military base near the border. That angel-like thing had appeared from that fortress and it was making large-scale attacks on the elite Academy City forces. Thats right. An angel. (...Its almost exactly like the mysterious core of the issue that brat and I were forced into dealing with.) On September 30th, Accelerator had seen giant wings of light dancing during his fight with Kihara Amata. It seemed their appearance had been related to Last Order. And Aiwass had appeared based on those giant dancing wings of light that were apparently called Fuse Kazakiri. If the angel that had appeared in the Russian sky was the same thing and that giant fortress was a means of bringing about and controlling the angel... (Its possible that technology could also be used to control the movements of an angel and send it away. This could be the way to save that brat from the angel or whatever thats making her suffer!!) Elizalina suddenly turned around toward him. Run away, she said. What? Hurry!! If you do not leave this place now, they will come here!! They who!? And why are they after me!? They yelled at each other and Elizalina cooled her head first. She worked at keeping her voice calm. The person who started this war is likely in that castle. If he can freely control that angel, then even Academy City is in a hopeless situation. If they truly grasp the threat, they may consider using nuclear warheads. But... But what? That castle is incomplete. Elizalina glanced over toward the window. The parchments you have prove that. If they are important enough that Fiamma wanted to bring them to himself even if he had to use the army to do it, then he will have all of the pieces he needs once he gets them. Accelerators focus turned to the parchments in his pocket that he did not know the point of. They were important enough to have transported in secret... Whatever he is going to use them for, if they are necessary for Fiammas plan, he will use everything he has to retrieve that final piece. ...And that may include that angel, Elizalina said quietly. Fiamma currently has almost complete control over Indexs 103,000 grimoires, but from past examples, it seems possible that deeper information regarding angels or Gods Right Seat is not recorded there. Those parchments may be needed to plug the hole made by some missing information. When put together with the 103,000 grimoires, he can make a bridge of knowledge taking him to his ultimate goal. Index...? A faint dangerous light appeared in Accelerators eyes. Aiwass had told him to remember the term Index Librorum Prohibitorum and the Level 0 who had defeated Academy Citys strongest Level 5 had left a note saying the same. Yet another connection had been made with the dark side of the world and with some unknown set of laws that Accelerator did not know the details of but still apparently had some deep connection to Accelerator and Last Order. (That fucking Level 0. How far ahead of me on this path is he...?) Not knowing what Accelerator was thinking about, Elizalina continued. So you are in danger. Due to the spies that had unfortunately made it into my base, they must have received word of this. Even if you hand over the parchments, you could easily still be captured in an attempt to find out where they ended up. Hand them over? Accelerator muttered. Those might be the last key to freeing that brat from this angel or whatever kind of fucking fairy tale creature it is. Im not going to hand them over now. Then you need to hurry. To be honest, the Alliance will not be able to protect you if Fiamma and the Russian army go all out. If you do not intend to face defeat here, you should hide yourself for now even if you intend to fight back. As if provoked by Elizalinas words, Accelerator moved his gaze elsewhere. Misaka WORST responded to his gaze. Sure thing. Misaka will go retrieve Last Order. She waved her hand and cheerfully headed for the hospital room. But she would like a weapon. Even an old gun would be fine. But this rifle is supposed to have a pretty strong recoil, so it would just be a burden with a broken arm. But then just a handgun might not have enough power. Now, this is a problem. Maybe its just because the image of the AK is so strong, but do you have a nice version of this submachine gun? ? Without even looking at Elizalina who was frowning, Misaka WORST opened the door to Last Orders hospital room. You are a person that was kind enough to save Misaka. You probably just want to flee while letting the Russians see you have the parchments so the soldiers will leave the Alliance. Ee hee hee. Elizalina looked surprised, but Misaka WORST entered the hospital room before she could ask for details. Instead, she turned toward Accelerator. He was gritting his teeth. (...That bitch. Thats quite a personality she has. She doesnt think about anything other than pissing me off, does she?) I-is what she was saying true? Thats just too reckless!! As he waved a hand as if driving Elizalina away, Accelerator muttered a few words in a tone that made it sound like he really didnt want to say them. ...Its a bonus job, god dammit. [edit] Part 4 There was a night sky when it should not have been night, the Star of Bethlehem floated in the sky, and an incomplete archangel had been dragged down by artificial means. William Orwell, the mercenary who had once been called Acqua of the Back, silently stared up at that warped world. After crushing the privateer base, he had headed for Fiammas fortress, but he had not made it and was standing in the middle of a snowy plain. Fiamma of the Right had made it that far. Using Telesma to accomplish ones goal was not a rare thing in magic. It was done in old times, recent times, western styles, and eastern styles. However, using that huge an amount was different. That situation was not normal. It was true that it was theoretically possible using the proper methods, but it was still astounding that power that could massacre every single human on earth could be used so easily. But then, an archangel was an archangel. That was the existence that had announced the conception of the Son of God, that received great awe at being deeply related to the beginning of the Christian Church, and was feared as the one that carried out punishments on evil cities. Even a Saint or a member of Gods Right Seat could not win in a straight fight against an opponent like that. In fact, it was unclear if that archangel could be defeated if every single power of humanity were to work together. To put it bluntly, that archangel alone held the power to end World War III. It wasnt an issue of winning or losing. The war would be ended by being thrown into a situation where the war could not continue due to every force in the war being slaughtered. (I see. So that is why Fiamma has grown so arrogant.) William Orwell gave his frank assessment. And even then, his will did not even know how to waver. (But have you forgotten what I rule over as a member of Gods Right Seat?) [edit] Part 5 Cardinal Pietro Yogdis moved from the center of a church in the Vatican to a window. He could not see the situation in Russia from there and he would receive reports from his subordinates who were monitoring it magically. Yet the old man still moved toward the window. He could not help but do so because he had felt the pressure of incredible power. It was a torrent of divine power. It was an archangel. It was Gabriel. Ohh... A sound of admiration leaked from the Cardinals throat. He was surrounded by priests and bishops. Some slowly crossed themselves and others recited verses of the New Testament. They were constantly being watched over by their great Father, but it was rare to be given a chance to feel the strength of that existence. For those pious men, it was a scene where one could shed tears without being ashamed. But... Pietro Yogdis held different feelings from the others. He did not know the details of the plan being carried out by the man behind it all. Nor had he cooperated with him. But he understood what Fiamma of the Right was doing. And if the things he would carry out would work in Pietro Yogdiss favor, he did not care what they were. In other words, he just wanted a chance to steal the position of pope. He just so happened to have the same type of ideas as a certain Russian Orthodox bishop. (I was a little worried when I saw the records of what the Academy City forces were doing in Russia, but now our victory is more or less confirmed! The papal conclave is beginning as I expected. I will be the one who guides the world as the next pope!!) Signs of coming riots could be seen all over Italy, but the Cardinal did not care. The sudden change from day to night must have caused quite a bit of chaos. It was the same as how the existence of Halleys Comet had created society-wide unease. However, it did not matter. Roman Catholic agents were hidden among the people to ensure that the rioting did not exceed a certain level and even if it did exceed that level, there was something more important. He had to solidify his own position first. As such, he would send Roman Catholic forces to silence people if need be. Then, there would be no problem. The damages would stay within acceptable bounds and the bodies would be cleaned up along with the rubble. And then Pietro Yogdis would be in the worlds closest position to the Lord. But... Cardinal Pietro Yogdis!! Suddenly, a warrior priest who looked out of place in that church rushed in. Its an emergency!! The papal conclave will be temporarily postponed! We will strengthen the defenses, so you need to get down to safety!! ... His irritation grew slightly. He lowered his gaze from the heavens down to the earth. His view of the city of Rome was blocked by thick walls, but he could hear some kind of uproar. It was a riot. It seemed the people who should have just been rioting in Rome had flowed into the Vatican. Apparently, the Roman Catholic agents hidden among the people just were not enough to stop it. The papal conclave will continue as planned. B-but...!! Have a Roman Catholic unit suppress them. A mob can be silenced with a baptism of blood. The flow of events here must not be overturned. I cant do that!! If we give that order, it will be starting a competition!! We can defend against that group, but we cannot aim for them!! What? Pietro Yogdiss expression clouded over. He could not understand the mans response. With the pope gone, Cardinals like him should have had the greatest authority. Any order he gave should have been absolute. But the warrior priest was not obeying him. The priest expressed the reason why. Its the pope... He seemed to be squeezing out the words and yet his tone of voice made it sound like he had been waiting for it to happen somewhere in his heart. The pope calmed the rioting people with a few short words!! He is headed here now! We have no way of stopping him!! What the pope had done in the city of Rome had not been anything special. He had called out to the people, approached, spoke, and given them time to slowly calm down. That was all. Normally, someone who had done that would likely have been ganged up on by the 50,000-strong riot. His words could have even caused a catastrophic explosion. And yet he stood before that special wartime group mentality that had an odd heat to it and that both saw fighting as the norm and deemed those who stood in their way to be evil. His words had returned the humanity to all of them. He had not shaken their feelings by any magic means and he had not read some speech calculated to affect their group mentality. The words of a single old man had merely spread throughout the area and then guns and blades were lowered one by one. Of course, the world was not constructed on a simple balance between good and evil. There were Roman Catholic agents hidden within the people who had fanned the flames of the riot in the direction they wanted. They did not want a chaotic riot to spread, but they deemed the people being silently drawn in by the power of the pope to be even more dangerous. That was why they had tried use a single gunshot to overturn the situation they deemed unfavorable. By applying another stimulus to the calmed crowed, they hoped to bring things back even stronger than before. In a time like that, a simple gunshot was much more effective at creating a large panic than some unknown bit of magic. The Roman Catholic Church had standardized spells that used their great group that numbered up to 2 billion, but they chose a single gunshot for that reason. And yet... (No...) The professional assassins were unable to reach into their pockets. No one was able to aim for and shoot the pope who had calmed the people by saying he would resolve everything. Fear was at the root of it. A lead-like weight at the bottom of their guts stopped even the fingers of true assassins. Those assassins had continued fighting despite their fear countless times, but there was something odd there they had never experienced before. (The small flow of events this man has created must not be stopped...!!) And the popes advance began. A large number of people including obvious assassins and not-so-obvious assassins blocked his path. However, the pope said nothing. He made no motions. He merely advanced. With just that, the people created a path for him. Some dropped weapons and spiritual items and a few even made tearful repentances. People started following behind the old man. They were not being ruled by feverish hearts that were full of swirling emotions. They merely walked quietly behind him. The warrior priests who guarded the main gate into the Vatican crossed themselves upon seeing the popes return. A voice prayed that his visit would change things for the better. The old man continued forward. Each step was a mans resistance to the great monster that was a world war. He was fighting to test his worth as a human by using weapons of reason and philanthropy rather than swords and guns. ...No... Pietro Yogdis shook his head as he saw the old man enter the church. His expression was that of a child about to burst into tears. No!!!!! I-I...I will be the next pope!! It has already been decided!! You are nothing but a ghost! There is nothing left for you to do!! K-kill him. It was his fault that the Roman Catholic Church fell into such chaos!! Once I am pope, I promise you I will make you much, much wealthier than you are now!! So kill hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! ... What are you doing!? Warrior priests, what do you think you were given spears for!? Strike your enemy!! Skewer the ignorant masses that follow him, too!! You must!! This is the only way for me to heal this world!! Do not worry. The solemn voice of an old man instantly silenced Pietro Yogdis from his rage. If you are going to carry out the papal conclave, I have no intention of stopping you. If you wish for me to take responsibility for the chaos in the church, I will willingly head for gallows. I am no longer the pope. I have come here to stop this war as a single believer named Matthai Reese. What...? St. Peters Basilica was half destroyed by Fiamma, but below it is a great library filled with a vast amount of knowledge that Englands Index Librorum Prohibitorum was once guided to. I wish to view what is kept there. A strategy to oppose Fiammas temple may be sleeping there. Matthai Reese then stepped forward. Pietro Yogdis moved back like he was a magnet being affected by an approaching magnet with the same pole pointed toward him. But he soon hit a wall. The old man further approached the Cardinal who was shaking his head. He would be killed. That was what he naturally assumed. After what had happened, that was the obvious result. Matthai Reese had no weapon or spiritual item in his hands, but that did not console him even slightly. He knew how skilled the other man was at magic. Without using those things, he could give a single order that would cause the people, the warrior priests, and the bishops to all lose their senses and tear Pietro Yogdis to pieces. In the end, he had no true allies. And yet... Matthai Reese placed a hand on Pietro Yogdiss shoulder. That was all. It was a gentle action. The man who had cast aside his title of pope then spoke to the man who had tried to steal it. You did a fine job of ruling over two billion followers during these tough times. It was clearly your abilities that allowed everyone here to live on while I slept. As you said, I was an incompetent leader. If it had just been me, the damages would likely have been greater and more widespread. He was smiling. It was not an act meant to deceive or a twisted smile filled with irony or scorn. The simple believer known as Matthai Reese blessed Pietro Yogdiss advancement from the bottom of his heart. Call me once the papal conclave begins. Ill vote for you. You took the full brunt of all the pain and made countless extreme decisions to protect everyones lives, so you have what it takes. I may not be able to do much, but I will help you advance on that path. After saying that, Matthai Reese quickly turned around. This is a fight to make sure you survive, so make sure not to die before this war is over. Matthai Reese had abandoned his title of pope, but Pietro Yogdis saw everything he desired in that strong back. Pietro Yogdis had been putting all his efforts into his own fortune, so he was unable to watch that old man head off for a new battlefield where he would fight for those who believed. Instead, he broke down crying. [edit] Part 6 Sasha Kreutzev...? Kamijou Touma muttered while sitting on top of her. He couldnt gather his thoughts. The archangel being called Misha Kreutzev was even then flying through the artificial night sky and crushing the Academy City forces. And yet Sasha Kreutzev was before his eyes. The blonde girl with her slender body bound in that restraint-like outfit looked slightly puzzled. My first question: Why do you know my name? Where do I start...? Umm, I actually met you at the end of August, but it was technically Misha Kreutzev that I met, so I have never directly spoken with you. Anyway, I heard from Kanzaki and Tsuchimikado that the pre-switched out body belonged to someone named Sasha Kreutzev. ... Before he finished speaking, Sasha twisted her body to roll and shook Kamijou off of her. Kamijou yelled out and suspicious eyes stared at him from behind long bangs. My first response: I have decided that I will not get a proper explanation out of you. A supplementary explanation: I have concluded that the odds of you being an enemy are exceedingly high as you are aboard the Star of Bethlehem. You are probably a member of the personnel come to capture me after I fled from the ceremony room. She pulled a saw and an L-shaped crowbar from the belt at her waist. Kamijous face paled. Wah!! Is this just how you act whether youre Misha or Sasha!? And what is that angel, anyway!? Is it actually unrelated to you!? Kamijou was speaking mostly out of panic, but Sasha fell silent. She took a few steps back in the same way a cautious animal would. (...It does not change the fact that he is suspicious, but he seems to know something about my condition.) What stood out to her was the mention of the end of August. At around that time, an odd condition had come over Sasha. When she drew near spiritual items or the magic power of others, she felt a pressure in her chest. According to the Russian Orthodox analysts, it was a response to having a large archangel-class power put inside her body. Sasha glanced down at her torture saw. (I could make him talk here, but I cant figure out if he is merely an idiot or if he is intentionally making himself sound like he doesnt know what he is talking about. There may be a shorter way to getting the answer I want than just asking him.) As Sasha silently came up with that plan, Kamijou asked her a question. Do you know who Fiamma of the Right is? Hes the one who captured you in the Elizalina Alliance and brought you here. ...? Im sure hes doing something. Kamijou looked over toward the door of the stone room. If he wasnt, that monster would not have appeared. Fiamma referred to you as the medium for the angel or something like that. Ill be blunt. Did he use you to call in that angel? Summoning an angel. If you called it that, it might sound kind of stupid. However, Kamijou knew just how fearsome a being like that was. He had seen it magically during the Angel Fall incident at the end of August and scientifically with Fuse Kazakiri on September 30th. What Fiamma was doing was a threat of that level. And at the same time, Kamijou knew that an angel was not something so easily controlled. There had to be some sort of foundation. With Misha Kreutzev it had been the magic circle of Angel Fall and with Fuse Kazakiri it had been the AIM diffusion fields. And if it was supported by some kind of large-scale preparations, it would no longer be able to function in that world if he eliminated those preparations. He knew the key to stopping it. It was Sasha Kreutzev. If the appearance of the astounding angel had started with her, she may have come into contact with some kind of important spiritual item. Assuming there was something like that, Sasha might know what he had to destroy in order to stop the angel. Listen. Anything you know is fine. I need to know where the magicdo you call it a ceremony in this case?anyway, the place on the Star of Bethlehem where the actions to call in the angel were carried out. And I need to know the process as well. Dont worry, I dont need anything detailed. I just want to know what tools were used and in what way. Of course, Kamijou did not have a good understanding of magic. However, his right hand could negate and destroy any phenomena or items related to supernatural powers whether he understood them or not. If he just destroyed everything Sasha mentioned, he might be able to destroy Misha. Of course, Sasha was still suspicious of Kamijou. However, she could feel the vibrations from the archangel flying around and sending large-scale attacks toward the Academy City forces in the sky and on the ground. As what they wanted seemed to be the same, Sasha started speaking. ...My second response: When I awoke, the ceremony was already complete. That may have been why I was able to escape. A few Russian Orthodox magicians are here in addition to the leader, so I normally would have been unable to escape. However, I rushed out of the ceremony room right when they were relaxing over having gotten past one of their major difficulties. Thats fine. Did you see anything in the ceremony room before you fled? Kamijou doubted Fiamma would leave an opening like that and he also wasnt sure if you could really flee from him as he could fill in a gap of a few kilometers in an instant, but he didnt mention either thought. Perhaps Fiamma had determined that there was nowhere to escape to while trapped on that sky fortress. Sasha seemed not to have noticed Kamijous thoughts and she continued. My third response: The ceremony room was in the Christian style. It was oddly made with an especial focus on the great element of fire... Other than when using one to its extreme as an attack, ceremonies usually gain an effect by using all four great elements together, but that man known as Fiammas ceremony room was exceedingly uniform in that one color... Her explanation continued. However, Kamijou suddenly looked down at his right hand. There might be another way. Fiamma had used Sasha to call out that archangel. This time, the pure archangel was exposed externally rather than residing within Sasha like it had during Angel Fall. But if Misha had been called out using Sasha, then the odds were good that the same set of rules would apply. Sasha was necessary to stabilize the existence of the archangel. If so, Sasha and Misha might be connected like someone having an out-of-body experience. If that were the case, Kamijou could use Imagine Breaker. By touching Sasha, he might be able to directly damage Misha. After all, it seemed angels were giant masses of magical power. (...Even now, Misha Kreutzev is doing all sorts of damage to the area. Academy City forces, Russian forces, and maybe even surrounding villages are being damaged.) Kamijou opened and closed his right hand as if seeing how it was doing. (So I need to try everything I can. Were the only ones that can do anything right now!!) A supplementary explanation: The ceremony room is on the rightmost end of the Star of Bethlehem from the perspective of the direction it is travelling in. Most likely, that location is used to signify the Archangel Michael who symbolizes fire. It is a very thorough method, but the angel flying around the battlefield is Gabriel. Gabriel signifies water which seems quite odd to me asHyawan!? Suddenly, Sashas back stiffened and she let out an odd shout. It was because Kamijou had stretched out his arm and touched her cheek. Not noticing that Sasha had begun to tremble, Kamijou then touched her head, her shoulders, her sides, her stomach, her thighs, and so on. ...No. Not here either. Or here. Or here. Dammit, theres no change in Misha. Is this method not going to work? I guess Ill test her back as well just to be sure. And whats with this crazy outfit...? ... As Kamijou muttered to himself, Sasha silently swung around her L-shaped crowbar. As if she were striking him with the back of a sword, she got a nice clean hit with the horizontal strike. The corner that bent at a right angle struck Kamijou in the temple. ...My second question: Do you possess the same soul as Vasilisa? Gyabh!? What? Cough! Whats a Vasilisa!? Kamijou vaguely shouted as he rolled around on the floor with his arms and legs twitching. Sasha swung down the corner of the crowbar twice more, but she must have decided that beating him beyond repair would not get her anywhere because she put the instrument of torture back in her belt while blushing profusely. My fourth response: This Fiamma persons ceremony room was quite high class, but the spiritual items used were quite popular ones. I do not believe that he could control an existence on the level of an angel with what I saw. It was possible the special item was Sasha herself and tools with normal functionality were all that was needed to draw out her functionality. However...A supplementary explanation: There was a single spiritual item I had never seen before. A spiritual item!? Kamijou repeated. It may have had to do with Indexs remote control spiritual item. My fifth response: Specifically, it was a staff. No, the symbolic weapon of fire is the rod or the staff, so that in itself is not surprising. So what made it stand out to you? A supplementary explanation: Normally a staff being used as the symbolic weapon of fire is made from a red-colored main body with a bar magnet on the end. However, this staff had something else there. ? A further supplementary explanation: It was a cylinder about the size to hold in ones hand with many different thin rings on its side. It was reminiscent of a dial padlock. It was placed at the center of the ceremony room. ... Kamijou knew that spiritual item. It was Indexs remote control spiritual item. Kamijou initially assumed Fiamma must have used the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires to summon Misha Kreutzev, but then he noticed something odd about Sashas explanation. Fiamma had controlled Index by operating the spiritual item in his hand. He should just been able to get the information he needed that way. Why had he gone out of his way to use it as a part of the staff? Kamijou thought for a bit and then spoke. Is he controlling Misha Kreutzev by using the spiritual items ability to control someone remotely? [edit] Part 7 So things are finally turning around, muttered Russian Orthodox Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy within a Moscow palace. He was holding a communications spiritual item in the form of a book. It was connected with Fiamma of the Right. The appearance of Misha Kreutzev has been confirmed even here. I cannot believe that you can keep all that Telesma in one place. Of course, it is not a problem as it can be used to fight in this war. Hurry up and have Misha Kreutzev crush the Academy City forces. Nikolai had a great number of maps and documents spread out on the table before him. The vast majority of their forces are unmanned units using AI and remote controls. Start by destroying this command location. Top priority goes to destroying the EU war front pressing in towards Moscow from Eastern Europe. Once that is over, eliminate the aerial forces passing over the Arctic Ocean. I will send you the maps and movements of the troops. Once you see them Heh heh. At that time, Nikolai clearly heard Fiamma laughing. You have the incomplete archangel of water in your grasp and that is all you can think of? What are you saying? Now I can see why you only made it up to bishop. There are many irrational things in this world, but that seems to be correct. The position of Patriarch does not suit you. The church would certainly begin to fall apart. What are you saying, Fiamma!? Nikolai yelled back after being jabbed straight in his complex. However, there was no change. Fiamma of the Rights laughter did not stop. Hey, Nikolai. Did you think I of all people was using what I had at my disposal for the sake of Russia? Of course I wasnt. If anything, it was the opposite. You bastard... I use what I have at my disposal for my own goals. Buying time is difficult, Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy. And a role like that does suit you. Now you can just fight Academy City on your own and be destroyed on your own. Heh. Nikolais emotions exploded. However, the primary emotion was not rage. It was joy at seeing that what he had prepared for just such a moment had not gone to waste. Are you an idiot, Fiamma!? You have made a fundamental mistake! Did you forget that your floating fortress was created with Russian Orthodox spells!? ... The 200 magicians I sent to you were all acting as my pawns. Did you think I would not add in any tricks? With a single order from me, that fortress will immediately fall apart and the countless parts will rain down on the surface. While members of Gods Right Seat could use special magic normal people could not, they could not use the spells that normal magicians could. That was one of the reasons Fiamma had asked for help from Russian Orthodox magicians. In other words, normal spells were necessary for the construction of that fortress. And the same applied to the removal of the traps Nikolai had made sure were mixed in with the construction spells. What will you do, Fiamma? Nikolai asked in a teasing manner. That man continued to rise in position by taking advantage of any situation, so he was used to that kind of strategy. I dont know what you want to use that fortress for, but it must be a necessary part of your plan since you took such meticulous care in getting it up there. Can you really let it be destroyed? Nikolai knew he had won. He had the absolute advantage. If you go along with what we in Russia want, that fortress will not be destroyed. Im just saying that things have an order of priority, Fiamma. Russia comes first. If you have time left over after that, then you can carry out your own plan. Of course, thats only if it does not cause Russia any trouble. Ha ha, Fiamma laughed quietly. Nikolai frowned. That wasnt what he had expected. That had not been a laugh of desperation. Fiamma had uttered the type of laugh that one gave after hearing a bad joke. In other words, it had been a sarcastic laugh. If that was the only plan you could come up with, then you arent even fit for the position of bishop. Immediately afterwards, a sound like some kind of fiber being ripped apart filled Nikolais ears. He had a bad feeling. The magical lines needed to disassemble the fortresss construction spells were being severed. A mere member of Gods Right Seat cannot use normal spells. While thats true, it doesnt add up, does it? After all, why do you think I attacked England in order to gain the remote control spiritual item for the 103,000 grimoires? You dont mean...? His throat went dry. He could feel the advantage he thought he had slipping from his hand like a lively fish. Of the four great elements, I rule over fire, but it does not end there. I have determined that each of the four great elements is at the farthest point in its directions but also has the other elements within it. I have gathered everything I need to use magic. You can use it...? You can use magic other than your power as a member of Gods Right Seat!? While all that did have to be detached in order to become the One Above God, its basically an issue of using the right thing at the right time. If you divide things up appropriately, it is not impossible to store up knowledge as a human. And once it is all complete, the sacred light will naturally wipe away the human knowledge like the puny darkness it is. Fiamma continued speaking in order to finish off the shallow bishop. In other words, my request for magicians was a means of gaining knowledge of the techniques for the necessary spells and to make you Russians lower your guard. ...So unfortunately for you, your role ends here. The lifeline you tried to cling to has just been destroyed. Ill take care of the 200 magicians, so dont worry about that. Just accept defeat. The connection ended. It had been severed from the other side. Nikolai felt as if he could clearly see the difference in value between himself and Fiamma. One was the head of Gods Right Seat, an organization that could influence the fate of the world. The other was just one of many disposable bishops. Nikolai Tolstoy thought about that for a bit. And then he completely exploded with rage. He threw the book-shaped communications spiritual item onto the table and grabbed a cell phone. The phone had a chip for encrypted communications used by high-level government officials. As he operated the phone, he gave an order to a subordinate. Bring out the reserves. That word held dreadful meaning. Nikolai ignored how much of a dilemma that order would put Russia into as he yelled. Blow that fortress away!! Now!! [edit] Part 8 Index and Stiyls battle continued within St. Georges Cathedral. However, the battle was not an equal one. There was no way a mere magician like Stiyl could be a good match for the grimoire library who could freely use 103,000 grimoires. Chapter 13, Verse 9. Maintaining my reach with projectiles. The red wings on Indexs back burst off. The dancing red lights that were like sprays of blood flew towards Stiyl like lasers. It wasnt just one or two shots. Dozens of attacks came from countless angles at the same time. ...!! Stiyl was not immediately killed due to the blessing of the area he was in. Because the floor on the first floor had collapsed, Stiyl had fallen into the underground spiritual item vault. He immediately grabbed a spiritual item and passed magic power through it which activated it. The block-shaped stone named Hrungnirs Stone glowed bluish-white and successfully repelled four of the red lights Index had fired. The remaining ones flooded in and destroyed the bluish-white light and the spiritual item itself. Stiyl barely managed to evade the killer beams of light by twisting his body. (From what I can see, the control of her physical body is being carried out by her brain. The remote control spiritual item is only used to send out the necessary signals to her body which input the necessary parameters for her movement. In that case, Indexs movements should stop if I knock her unconscious.) He hated having to put more of a burden on her, but he had no choice. Stiyl checked on the rune cards in his pocket. They werent all flame ones. With a focus on people clearing fields, he had cards that created other effects. Depending on the arrangement, he could create many different effects and some of those effects involved mentally binding a specific person. He had been postponing using it because he couldnt calculate the risk to her without knowing how the remote control spiritual item worked, but he could not put it off any longer. He needed to quickly incapacitate Index and mentally bind her. The problem was... (How am I supposed to get close to her with these constant attacks!?) At that very moment, a great noise resounded throughout the area. It was the sound of the door to the underground spiritual item vault being thrown open and a number of nuns rushing in. Stiyl, well cover you!! Make your preparations!! Stop!! Stiyl yelled out, but it was too late. Chapter 8, Verse 43. Refinement of magic power detected. Those holding the power within them are recognized as enemies. Commencing elimination of their actions. Sparks flew from Indexs forehead. Immediately afterwards, a huge fan-shaped shockwave shot out. The nuns were protected by spiritual items to a certain extent, but they were completely blown away. The door to the underground spiritual item vault was destroyed and Indexs enemies were pushed away as if by a bulldozer. (The primary battle members have gone to the Strait of Dover or overseas. Most of the people still here deal with transmissions and communications. Theyll all be defeated at this rate!!) Index looked around the area. She looked at the walls and the ceiling...and she detected the magic power beyond them. Chapter 8, Verse 47. Beginning elimination of all elements likely to help the enemy. She fired thick beams again and again. They mercilessly pierced straight through the walls and ceiling that were protected magically and destroyed the magical constructions within St. Georges Cathedral. (This is bad. At this rate, the large scale spiritual items supporting those on the front lines could be damaged!!) At that time, Stiyl saw someone standing at the edge of the destroyed portion of the ceiling. It was Laura Stuart, the Archbishop at the top of the Anglican Church. (Is she here to help...?) Stiyl had a slight hope, but he realized he was wrong immediately afterwards. She lightly waved her hand showing something off. (Thats her remote control spiritual item!!) Of course she was not there to help. What she was wordlessly expression was rather simple: If you dont do something soon, Ill use this. Stiyl gritted his teeth. He had a pretty good idea what would happen to Index if the burden of the remote control spiritual item being used were added on top the burden she already had. He pulled a rune card from his pocket and forced magic power through it. A flame sword appeared. As if drawn in by it, Index turned her gaze in his direction. Chapter 20, Verse 6. Top priority target reset. Reanalysis of the highly dangerous element complete. After waiting for his opponents focus to be drawn to him, Stiyl ran for the underground spiritual item vaults exit. Staying there would increase the damage done. He had to start by bringing her to a more suitable battlefield. Stiyl heard the girls merciless voice from behind him. Preparations complete. Commencing attack. [edit] Between the Lines 5 Misaka Mikoto looked above while standing atop a snowy plain. It seemed the giant fortress that spiky-haired boy was on was rising even further. She had come all the way to Russia, but she now had no way to meet up with him. (...Ahh!! I cant just be left out after coming this far!! I need to think of a way to get up there!!) It seemed clear to her that the spiky-haired boy was at the center of that giant disturbance known as World War III. Part of her was amazed at the difference in the scale of the things that idiot was involved in, but she would drag him down to a safe place before lecturing him. The Sister next to her then spoke up. What is that frog strap sticking out of your jackets pocket? asks Misaka brimming with curiosity. Ahn? Its Gekota. I got it from a cell phone campaign I dragged that idiot to on September 30th. ...With #10032s necklace and that strap, it really seems like the Academy City group has an advantage, says Misaka hinting at her need to reformulate her strategy. Long distance is tough. Um, strategy? Mikoto blinked repeatedly, but the Sister holding a Russian assault rifle like it was a stuffed animal did not explain further. She instead looked up toward the fortress. It seems you want to somehow assist him, says Misaka as she suggests a topic of discussion. ...Well, I do, but the problem is how to get up there. It looks like its up to about 5000 meters now. I just cant get that high with my magnetism. Would it be possible to prepare a number of relay points in the air and then raise your altitude in steps? asks Misaka putting forth a random idea. How? Mikoto asked and the Sister looked around the area. She then pointed toward a half-destroyed Russian short-range missile launcher vehicle. First fire that missile. Id die, Mikoto responded immediately. But a normal military helicopter probably wouldnt get me all the way up there. They arent airtight and it looks like that fortress is still rising. If Im really going to go, I guess Ill need an airplane. (...This could be my big chance to blast away my long distance handicap by gallantly appearing just when his situation seems impossible, says Misaka as she chuckles and begins leaking horrible delusions into the network.) Hey, I can hear everything youre saying, said Misaka in exasperation, but the Sisters head suddenly shot up. She started to focus on her headset radio. Misaka has intercepted a Russian transmission, reports Misaka. The encryption is different from the usual one for their vehicles. Someone named Nikolai Tolstoy is mentioned quite a few times, but this is probably a transmission from an independent unit, conjectures Misaka. ? It seems a large scale attack from the surface is going to be carried out against the floating fortress in the sky, says Misaka summarizing the contents. Hmm. That isnt good. That sounds like that idiot could get wrapped up in it. She honestly did not care what happened to the strange fortress, but she didnt want an acquaintance to be blown up along with it. Finding a way to reach the fortress was important, but she had to stop the attack on it from the surface first. So what kind of weapon are they going to be using? They were at least firing short-range surface-to-air missiles before, but I doubt those would do anything to that thing. Nu-AD1967. What is that? That is the American name for it, says Misaka continuing her explanation. It seems it is called an Opasnosti here, says Misaka as she listens carefully to the transmission. But what is it? It is a former Soviet Union strategic nuclear warhead, reports Misaka. Volume 21, 8: Their Many-Sided Counterattack. Combination. Volume 21, Chapter 8: Their Many-Sided Counterattack. Combination. [edit] Part 1 Misha Kreutzev. The shape of the angels body was not unusual. It looked just like the body of a 20-something year old woman. Unmistakably this was Gabriel, the only angel in Christian lore said to have female attributes. But when you looked closer, you could see that she was not human. The entire surface of her body was covered by slippery cloth of an unknown material, her face had no eyes or nostrils, only shapes that superficially resembled such parts created from the ridges and depressions across the surface of the cloth. The cloth spread out around the back of her head in a way as to resemble hair. There was no noticeable difference between the skin and the clothing, the two seemingly blended into one. Scattered across the white surface of the cloth were shapes formed by what seemed to be gold leaf, and golden safety pins. The overall colour of her attire was more grey than white, but a bluish glow radiated outwards from her entire body, not unlike the glow of a computer screen. Wings of ice. About a hundred of them. The sizes ranged from a few dozen metres to well over one hundred metres in length. They resembled nothing less than countless gigantic swords of ice piercing through the sky. The beauty of the crystalline wings was similar to the beauty precious gems like diamonds held for humans. But. Throughout the frozen landscape of Russia, all the Academy City troops who beheld the sight of the archangel were not mesmerized by its beauty. For they knew the horror of that shape. No, rather, they had been forced to learn firsthand the horror that was the Power of God. BOOM! Flapping those countless wings of ice, Misha flew down at the snowy landscape. The angels movements were simple and direct: fly straight down towards the closely packed armour divisions of Academy City, and as she crashes into the ground like a meteor, pound the ground around her with hundreds of wings of ice. With this crude but efficient method of attack that resembled nothing more than a giant stamp descending on the land, Misha crushed the Academy City troops, who had effortlessly defeated the mighty Russian army, like a bunch of ants. UWAAAA!!!! RETREAT! WERE TOO CLOSE!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!! The surviving tanks retreated furiously, turned their turrets to aim at the angel, and fired. The sound of the cannon fire felt as though it would shake up ones inner organs into a mess, and multiple armour piercing explosive rounds rent the air as they flew towards their target. Misha didnt even bother to turn. The wings that were like towers of steel flapped once, faster than the speed of sound. With this one supersonic flap, the air was compressed into a wall of wind that knocked the tank rounds away as if they were nothing. Misha did not continue the attack, for she did not adhere to battle tactics concerning victory or defeat. anhwrREPEATnxdp Whoosh! Before the deflected tank rounds exploded, Misha was already 1000 metres above the ground again. With the current situation the troops were in, they would not survive another assault. The surviving troops were scattered around the perimeter of the giant crater that formed from Mishas first attack. Misha chose her target. And just like before, Misha dived towards the ground at horrifying speeds. nipsergREPEATnsig sbrgREPEATsmntph nithgREPEATgbsvrfl Just like that, Misha continued to literally stamp the Academy City troops out of existence. Misha had no concept of friend or foe and as such, even the Russian tanks and troops milling around on the surface were crushed into oblivion. It was a scene of total destruction. A crewman emerged from the crushed hull of an Academy City tank, only to come face to face with a Russian soldier who was almost fainting from exhaustion. However neither pointed their gun at each other. The Russian soldier just stared up at the sky, dazed, and the Academy City trooper completely understood what was going through the Russian soldiers mind. This was not a war anymore. The term war was just one of the many aspects of human life. This was a true apocalypse. In front of an apocalyptic event such as this, humans were powerless. hbsugneznzfREPEATsboisnegrgrer This was what the angel was speaking. The human ear could not hear it, nor could their minds understand it. The sound was just like if ones throat had been pierced with a knife. As the troops looked skywards, the angel of destruction would come crashing down. Mishas movements did not change, not even her attack patterns. It seemed as though, to the angel, all this was just a boring chore to be done as fast as possible. The soldiers staring up at the angel knew that when Mishas face turned towards them, death would come to them in an instant as she crashed down on top of them like a falling star. Were next. They would think. To survive up till now was already a miracle. Our luck must have been used up already. ... The tank crewman sat resignedly on the ground, and gave a faint smile of defeat. The expression of the Russian soldier was identical. The next instant the angel came crashing down. Mercilessly. Its goal, to kill all life on the frozen tundra. BOOM! The sound of the explosion echoed across the land. However, this sound was not caused by Misha impacting against the ground, but was caused by a person colliding with the Archangel. The Russian and the Academy City crewman could not understand what was happening. They hadnt even registered the fact that they were still alive. The one fighting the archangel was a..... girl? A blonde girl clothed in a fiery red dress, wielding a shining sword of light in her right hand. 3000 meters above in the sky, far beyond the habitat of humans, this girl flew around like a rocket, fighting the archangel. For the first time, Misha changed her course. She headed for the ground, slowing down. This time, there was no gigantic explosion and no crater formed. Misha bounced once, twice, three times on the ground, before stopping herself by thrusting her countless wings into the ground around her. Around her, the remnants of the two armies struggled frantically to run away. What was this? What happened? Even though the Academy City troops were moving again, before Misha could have time to ponder these questions, the woman in red who had assaulted Misha in the sky landed close to where the tanks were. She did not have a parachute. Rather, she just floated down towards the ground, as if on invisible wings. Wha-what? The tank crewman sat on his buttocks, shivering in fear as the woman in red landed behind him. However she paid him no heed. Focusing only on the archangel, she casually swung around her sword of light. Focusing only on that horrible figure whom the soldier didnt want to look at for even one second. Sigh, even though they said the ''Power of God'' was summoned, this being is no different from your run of the mill monster... I wanted to meet a real angel and ask them about some of heavens secrets, but it looks like this.... thing wont be able to understand even simple language... The woman said disdainfully. And then... Youre supposed to be a princess, is it that hard to remember some manners?....now that I think back on it, I got tricked by you into coming to this wasteland, so I really dont have to take responsibility for whatever antics you pull. Wh-when did they come and where did they come from? After hearing this second voice, the tank crewman turned his head, and saw a pale faced woman dressed in white. And she was not alone. Now that I think about it, for the conflict to erupt now just signifies how serious the situation has become. As expected, the enemy has prepared a trump card on the same level as, no, superior to Curtana... This time it was a mans voice, a very tall man dressed in a western suit standing in front of several thousand people. It was hard to believe that they were there, for the surroundings had nowhere near enough cover to have hidden all those people... For the man in the suit, now should not be the ideal time to be listening to the back and forth insults of the woman in red and the pale-faced girl, but still, he traded opinions with them. Is your Thororms Formula ineffective against it? The bad news is, it seems the gap between us is too big. And those ice wings may not even be weapons, but just an extension of its body. What is Necessarius doing? Why dont they send over that Saint? For her, aiding the wounded for both the Academy City and the Russian troops would be her highest priority. For her, fighting is just another method of saving people, and in this situation, finding another way to stop this war would be more important. Hearing Knight Leaders words, Carissa bit her lip. The Maiden of Versailles raised her eyebrows. For the Puritans, this would be normal, wouldnt it? Ignoring the glare of the Second Princess Carissa, the Maiden of Versailles continued. Up till now the Puritans have killed too many people... I know that even without you telling me... Carissa snapped back. Hmph, in the end well just have to think of a way to bring this thing down. Vroom! Once again, the sword of light slashed the air. Facing the pale-faced girl carrying that over-ornamented sword, Carissa spoke. Come on, you Frenchie, lets go. Hmph, ever since I channelled all of Frances power into Durendal, Ive been dying to use it on that thing. An unearthly noise echoed across the land, as Misha started to pull her wings of ice out of the ground. Carissa pointed her sword of light at the angel, and spoke in a commanding voice. Come, you beast. Ill show you that I too, wield the power of an archangel!! [edit] Part 2 The second princess of England, Carissa. The holy maiden of France, the Maiden of Versailles. Their battle plan was simple. Charge at Misha Kreutzev and initiate a full on frontal attack. BOOM! The sound of the explosion was slower than the movement of the two on the battlefield. In reality the sound wasnt an explosion at all, but a supersonic boom caused by the two womens charge. The two of them swept towards Misha Kreutzev in a pincer attack formation. Like a giant pair of scissors, they aimed for her head. All eyes were on the two as they rushed at the archangel, burying their swords into the mass of frozen wings. In an instant, Misha came impossibly close to the verge of death, as the twos blades cleaved through her countless wings like lawn-mowers cutting through grass. Then, Mishas hands moved outwards. Like the movement of subway doors closing, she curled her fingers into fists. A very simple movement. A moment earlier Curtana and Durendal had been cutting through the frozen wings of death, and now they could not even scratch the palm of the Archangels hands. The two blades had been stopped completely. Misha slowly turned, and her eyeless sockets seemed to stare at Carissa. BOOM! Another explosion, this time from Carissa and the Maiden of Versailles releasing explosive energy from their swords to escape from Mishas grasp. Although they did not fall over, they skidded back a large distance from the force of their explosions, their hands still numb from it. hboirgFIRSTnbugbPRIORITYvoraghv Her head moving slightly, Misha garbled in her indecipherable speech. She turned towards Carissa. nriosgnATTACKiorseorg Misha raised her palm. Something happened. WHOOSH!! Something flew past Carissas face, and the mountain behind her was vaporized. She could not react at all. Misha realized this, and readjusted her aim, moving her palm a little bit. GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU BARBARIAN! The instant before the shot was fired, the Maiden of Versailles moved at supersonic speeds. Circling around from the back of Misha, she kicked out at Carissa from the sides, knocking her away to safety. For most people such a humiliating treatment would have had the two engage in fierce battle, but for those two, this would be considered an act of kindness. The two girls got out of the way just as Misha fired that thing from her hand. Snow and dirt flew everywhere, but the two were unharmed. What is that? I cant see it at all... The Power of God is a messenger angel. She must be good at manipulating information. She must be obscuring our sixth senses of premonition and intuition. It seems like we can only rely on our 5 normal senses for this fight... hbwioraATTACKnbsitbgEFFECTIVEorargwerge. Thats no good, it seems like shes got a loose tongue now. Its your fault for allowing her to become so cocky you barbarian. CRACK! The wings of ice on Mishas back began to expand. The two girls were filled with a sense of foreboding. It seemed to be similar to the attack Misha fired from her palms, the purpose of the wings most likely was to disrupt ones sixth sense. The two were at a disadvantage. If they were to launch an attack without the capability to read the movements of the enemy, they would be cut down for sure. But at the same time, they were unable to react to the enemys attacks and were completely defenseless. Just as the two prepared themselves for the inevitable, the wings of ice moved. Over one hundred wings moved in unison towards the pair at over supersonic speeds. -!! RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!! Innumerable sparks flew. The situation was just like being fired at by a Gatling gun shooting at 6000 rounds per minute. The girls faces were pale as they dodged the countless projectiles. Even though their physical capabilities were far beyond normal humans, without their sixth sense, the chances of dodging such a barrage for an extended period of time were nil. Even if a chance was to appear for them to launch a counterattack, they did not have the energy left to mount an assault. Dodging Mishas attack was eating through their stamina. This was an completely unfavourable situation for them; they could not find an opening at all. What are you doing you barbarian?! Didnt you say Curtana had the power of an archangel just like the enemy? That''s just on paper! Its not a problem of power but a problem of technique and knowledge. If you havent noticed, Im not an archangel! I can''t compete with a real archangel! What about your Durendal? Just relying on the power of the artifact is not enough! Remember, our goal is the impossible dream of taking down an archangel! SCREECH! The sound of something scraping together. That depression in Mishas face where her mouth should be moved ever so slightly. bhrovINCREASEgbATTACKeoiwvpghSPEEDrug This bastard! She still has energy left-!! Carissa wore an expression of shock, as Mishas movements far exceeded her calculations. Over a hundred wings of ice, directed not at her and the Maiden, but rather, at the surviving Russian and Academy City soldiers. That bastard! As fast as she could, the second princess of England moved at supersonic speeds, putting herself between the archangel and the surviving troops. To save the lives of innocent people from the wrath of an archangel, she put her life on the line. Misha Kreutzev struck without mercy, for this was the moment she had been waiting for. The entire landscape shuddered with the impact. Carissa clenched her teeth, blood coming out from her mouth. She could hear the sound of bones breaking. Even though she used Curtana Second to take the brunt of the attack, the force of the wings pressing her into the ground made her fear for her life. She thought that she would be squished to death, intestines spilling out all over the place. However the scariest part wasnt that. In the bleeding palm of Carissas hand, the shard of Curtana Second had shattered under the immense pressure. bndgCONFIRMEDeworiEFFECTIVE Misha coldly spoke. Once again, hundreds of frozen wings crashed down. This time, Carissa did not have the sword of light in her hands. Even the shard of Curtana Second from which the blade was formed had gone. This time, even the sound vanished. Everyone watched speechless. The Maiden of Versailles and her French forces, the English forces led by Knight Leader, plus the Russians and Academy City troops for whom magic was not even a confirmed existence yet. All stopped their motions. However, this reaction was not towards the destructive power of Misha Kreutzev. ....yes, my sword is created by using the power of the Curtana Second shard to borrow the power of Englands warriors. If the shard is broken, this power vanishes. The voice of the girl in red echoed across the land. The voice of the second princess of England, who governed all military affairs. However, who said one was only limited to possessing one shard of Curtana Second?! VROOM! The blade of light reignited. Or more correctly, blades of light, for Carissa was wielding dual swords of light now. Around her waist, ten more shards were tied in a belt. As a princess who gambled the fate of her own country in this war, I shall not go down so easily! hdtrnDAMAGEbgurgCONFIRMEDhtr With a high pitched noise, Misha repositioned all of her ice wings at once. bauoCONTINUEgrlnATTACKjjyhbasedfvgCERTAINtgseagtrrhgsDESTRUCTIONyr Carissa smiled coldly. Even though she was horribly injured, her legs shaking, her smile would not go away. Next to her, the Maiden called out. How long do you think we have to hold out for? Behind them, the soldiers were in retreat. No matter if they were Russian or from Academy City, with the aid of the British and French troops, they quickly made their escape from the battlefield. Survivors were rescued from crushed vehicles, and the injured were placed on those that could still move. We have to hold until they reach someplace safe. If even the other side of the earth is not safe, then we hold until then. Youre remarkably calm. Heh, I dont know about that. Once again, the two women engaged the archangel in combat. Both Carissa and the Maiden were not without injuries. Faced against the supersonic wings of the angel, and stripped of their sixth sense, even as they dodged fatal blows, their bodies steadily collected minor wounds. They were injured more by shards of broken ice than by the direct blow of one of the massive wings. As it was, it was impossible for them to have come out unharmed. The two of them had already used up most of their energy and their movements were visibly slower. If the battle dragged on, they were sure to receive a fatal blow in the end. However, even if they wanted to commit suicide, the girls did not venture directly in front of Misha. Instead, they pulled back a small distance away for a breather. Now.... From between her breasts, Carissa took out a small communications device. I still value my life, so I think it is time for Plan B. ....Could you not hide stuff in that sort of place? As another member of the same sex I think you have very serious problems. Ignoring her, Carissa spoke into the device. All missile squads are to be on standby, ready to launch the surface-to-air missiles. Behind a hill some 5 kilometres away, various trucks with missile launchers and radar arrays mounted on them were congregated. The most important were the trucks with mounts containing 20 cylindrical missile launchers. The attack was not a scenery-destroying launch of one or two missiles. Each missile truck fired their payload of 20 missiles. Their jet trails leaving white streaks in the air, over one hundred missiles soared into the sky. At first, Misha did not even turn her head to observe the launch. Most likely she did not regard them as a threat. But very soon she realized the circumstances. These missiles were SAMs, surface-to-air missiles. That is, they were not targeted at Misha who was on the ground, but rather, the giant aerial target that was the Star of Bethlehem. Although I dont know if you understand our language, let me say a word. Carissa flourished her sword, a wicked smile on her face. Are you sure you should be lazing around here? Defending that place, shouldnt that be your highest priority? bruzeroiutgLOSSraoijcng Aw, dont be mad. Faced with the killing intent radiating from the angel, Carissa spoke casually. After all, wasnt this the tactic you used just before? BOOM! The sound of an explosion. The archangel had aimed a small explosion at the ground. Carissa and the Maiden of Versailles instantly were on guard, leaping back to put distance between themselves and Misha. There was not enough time for them to get back in formation. Misha Kreutzev looked up at the sky, and with one flap flew up into the air. Like a rocket she flew towards the Star of Bethlehem to intercept the SAMs. The Maiden of Versailles lowered Durendal, looking at the scene. I dont think that level of bombardment will be able to down the flying fortress. Even if it only knocks it off course, that is enough. Angels are angels, they have to follow their orders. They judge and move according to their orders. It is easy to guess that the angels highest priority is to guard that flying fortress vital to her masters plan. As Carissa spoke, she wavered unsteadily on her feet. Hmph, it seems the price I paid was higher than I expected Because of her fight with such an unnatural being such as an archangel, and the strain of having to maintain the power output of Curtana Second, her body was at its limits. However, she could not retreat here. War was not such a simple thing, and the second princess of England in charge of military affairs knew this well. SAMs are also a resource of the country, we dont have an unlimited supply of them. We cant expect to occupy her forever. Take the chance now to retreat the injured. After ordering her subordinates with the communications device, Carissa fell into deep thought. That damn monster... She coughed up the blood that was starting to coagulate in her throat. The sword of light that the second princess of England held was a national treasure that held immense power. However, it was still a man-made item holding man-made power. Compared with the power of a true archangel it was nothing. How will we deal with that thing... I see no way how it can be defeated by mere humans... [edit] Part 3 Tremors could be felt throughout the entirety of the floating fortress Star of Bethlehem. Kamijou Touma, who was currently on the Star of Bethlehem, dared not imagine what was happening on the ground to cause such powerful tremors that could be felt even here. "...it''s still rising huh.." Kamijou said, looking out the windows as he ran through the stone corridors. It was hard to grasp how high they were by looking at the empty sky, but by looking at the clouds and the distance they were from the Star of Bethlehem Touma saw that it was continuing to ascend into the night sky. "My first response: The original Star of Bethlehem was a celestial body witnessed by a prophet. By observing it, the prophet predicted that the Son of God shall be born under its light." "So this is an artificial star? Somehow this gives me a bad feeling. Let''s just hope this thing doesn''t fly into outer space, nor turn into a giant asteroid and usher in a new Ice Age..." In front of him, the corridors groaned as they constantly shifted shape and form. However the changes did not have a feeling of random suddenness like an explosion. It was more of the feeling of a star settling and cooling down after birth. The total size of the structure was approximately 40 kilometres across. Touma guessed that they were towards the rear of the structure. The "ceremonial altar" that Sasha mentioned was at the very end of the right wing of the fortress. Since Fiamma''s objective was there, he must be somewhere there in person. To stop the Archangel Misha Kreutzev, they had to head towards the "ceremonial altar", but the distance was too big for a high school boy to easily get across. ".... Sasha must have run here to me all the way from that altar....." Putting aside the possibility of Sasha having a superhuman movement speed, there must be some sort of high-speed transportation mechanism inside the Star of Bethlehem. "My second response: From a human perspective, to have to go all the way back there after I purposely escaped from that place, I don''t like the idea...." "Then... Sasha, you could just stay here and wait." "My third response: If it was possible this wouldn''t be so hard..." "You''ve got a point.... we have no way of getting out of here without a parachute. If I beat up Fiamma before I address this problem......" Touma said, as he walked with Sasha towards the center of the fortress. "This fortress is several tens of kilometers across, plus it is the enemy''s territory. We''ll just be wasting our strength if we aimlessly run around." "My fourth response: I don''t think I have enough stamina for that. As for transport, there''s some here." Finally, they found a transport train. Touma was not sure if it was really for transporting objects, as there was only one carriage. Even though it was a train, it seemed more like a car on rails. Obviously it was not a magical object. Sasha got on and looked back at Touma. "My first question: Are you not getting on?" "No, I''m coming on..... Why would there be a train in this sort of place....?" "My fifth response: I have difficulty answering that as well...." Thinking back, in Fiamma''s base, it looked as though work had been done on it, there were support shafts and the like everywhere. It probably was built with combination in mind. ".... Lessar said before, there are around 200 magicians in the Russian Orthodox Church... to guarantee the effective operation of the facilities, they had to preserve the existing jobs" Touma got on the train. Although Sasha and Touma both had no idea how to operate the train, after they inputted their desired destination, the machine automatically went to work. It was just like operating an elevator. The rail car lurched violently and began to move. Soon the roof above Touma and Sasha''s heads disappeared and they were given a vista of the sky. The sky was pitch black, an empty void without a single star. "The Star of Bethlehem...." Sasha whispered, staring up at the eerie scene. "My first personal opinion: The star that heralded the coming of the Son of God. Fiamma of the Right is exposing it through artificial means, huh." Even though the cloud cover below them was very thick, there were gaps everywhere, through which tiny pinpricks of light could be seen. Those were not nightlights, and Touma guessed they were gunfire or perhaps fires. He had seen a similar scene once on the television. A satellite was sending images of fires in the Amazon forest. Touma ground his teeth in anger. Suddenly, one of the red glows near the surface started getting closer, and Touma could see vapour trails behind it. As the object got closer Touma could see it was a cylindrical shape. "Surface-to-air missiles....??!!" There wasn''t just one or two. 50, no, 100 missiles flew through the air at them. It must have been a counterattack. A few of the missiles streaked towards Touma and Sasha. At this rate they would be receiving a direct hit. Even if the missile missed them, the track the car was running on would almost certainly be destroyed, perhaps even the rock underneath them, and Touma and Sasha would fall to their deaths. Even if they wanted to take evasive maneuvers now, it was impossible. Inside the narrow confines of the car carriage, there was nowhere to run. BOOOM! The windows of the carriage shattered, and a violent wind swept throughout the carriage. Even with his hands over his ears Touma felt stabbing pain in his eardrums. Then he noticed. This was not the effects of being hit by a missile. If they had been hit, the carriage would have been a smouldering wreck now, and there would have been no way for Touma and Sasha to survive. Something had stopped the missiles. Touma saw the culprit. Inside the carriage, with temperatures dropping below freezing point, Touma stopped breathing. Their saviour was none other than the archangel, Misha Kreutzev. The monster with giant wings of ice flew along the carriage at the same speed. Touma did not care anymore about those exploding missiles in the distance. Extreme fear had gripped his mind. The archangel continuously flapped its wings, intercepting the innumerable amount of state of the art missiles. "......" Inspecting her from close range, she was a remarkable creature indeed. When looking at her from afar, Touma only thought of her as A winged being with the outline of a human. From close range, she resembled and yet did not resemble Sasha at the same time. Touma estimated her to be about two metres tall. Going by Kanzaki''s description, Power of God resembled a female angel. However, her expressionless face reminded Touma of an unfinished mannequin. That featureless face of hers with only depressions and rises in the cloth covering her entire body gave Touma an unnerving feeling just by looking at it. It wasn''t to say that it didn''t look feminine. Certainly it was more feminine than masculine. It was hard to tell the skin and clothing apart. A smooth white fabric wrapped around the contours of her body. Everywhere across the cloth were fastened golden safety pins. The entire body was composed entirely only of two colours, white and gold. However because of the silvery white glow emitted from the angel''s body, overall she looked more silverish in colour. Her hair was composed purely of the white fabric fanning out behind her head. There were lotus motifs on the top, and Touma guessed it had some religious significance. Bobbing above her head was a small halo composed of water. Touma did not know how or why, but it seemed the halo rotated faster or slower in accordance with the angel''s behaviour. Touma wondered what Sasha, a devout Christian, felt as she looked at the angel. Touma and the angel''s "eyes" met. Her face was only a collection of indents, and there was nothing you could really call "eyeballs". However Touma felt a cold, uneasy feeling down his back as he stared at the depressions where her eyes should be. Misha Kreutzev tilted her head slightly. Suddenly, the wings behind her back tensed, and Touma could tell that she was going to attack the train any time now. "....this is bad....!?" Fiamma had said that Touma''s right hand and Misha''s body were both vital to his plans. However, Misha Kreutzev may not know. She focused her gaze on Touma''s right hand. The right hand that could banish any supernatural power. To her, you could say that she was attracted to it because it was her greatest enemy. Misha Kreutzev raised her wings. SCREEAAAK! An earsplitting sound of stone on stone. Or that was what Touma, who''s heart was still in his throat, had thought. However that was not the case. The noise was not that of Misha Kreutzev attacking Kamijou Touma. You could say it was the opposite. The noise was that of someone coming in from the side at horrific speeds, kicking Misha Kreutzev out of the way. "M-my second question: What just happened?" Sasha stuttered in fear and confusion. It was impossible for there to be an existence which could attack and harm an archangel. However, just as preposterous was that they were 5000 meters up in the air. It was impossible for most magicians to reach this high in the air. However Kamijou Touma knew of one existence which could do both these things. Capable of defeating even "Saints", and the only one capable of countering the magic of Misha Kreutzev. An existence created by science. Created by the concentration of AIM fields. Emitting violet lightning, tens of wings emitting from her back. "Kazakiri Hyouka....!" Touma yelled into the ferocious winds whipping the air around the carriage. "....that person, why is she here...?!" Touma did not think she could hear. However, for an instant, her eyes looked at Touma, and Touma could see a faint expression on her face. Then she was dashing off towards Misha with a battle spirit that Touma had never seen before. On the 30th of September, when Kazakiri became an angel for the first time, she had been controlled by someone else. However in the moment their eyes met just then, Touma felt something was different about her. Even though her hair was shining gold, a halo was around her head and purple wings of lightning sprouted from her back, Touma saw that she was "human". She was unquestionably the Kazakiri Hyouka that Touma knew. To stop Misha''s advances, the teenage girl placed herself between the archangel and the carriage. Ahead of them, Touma could see the next entrance into the interior of the Star of Bethlehem. But just as they were about to reenter the fortress. Touma could see that Misha had recovered from the blow, and was preparing to counterattack. Kazakiri responded, and one of her feathers transformed into a bizarre sword of light. Touma did not know what happened next, for they were plunged into darkness as the carriage entered the tunnel. However the next instant a massive shockwave rent the air, and the carriage, along with its passengers, were blown into the air. "Dammit!" Even though he rushed to the back of the carriage, Touma still couldn''t see what was going on outside. "...What is going on?!....." Huge explosions and pressure waves rocked them thrice more. It seemed they hadn''t finished fighting yet. Touma did not know why that soft-spoken girl, formed by the concentration of AIM fields in Academy City, was there, or how she knew how to fight. There was just one thing to do. Not just for Index, but to protect her friends as well, Kamijou Touma had to bring down Misha Kreutzev as fast as possible. [edit] Part 4 Kazakiri Hyouka. For her, with those supernatural wings erupting from her back, this was actually her first time in the air. At first she doubted her wings could even allow her to fly. However it was not a problem now. She did not need to learn how to use her powers. It was as if those wings of hers, emitting purple lightning, gained the power of levitation just by her wishing it. Protect my friends. The Kazakiri who had come there with this intention, did not find that girl. However she found another existence similar to hers. An existence currently trying to kill Kazakiris former saviour. 5000 meters up in the air, Kazakiri glared at her enemy. That being similar to her. The being at once so different to humans, yet resembled a member of the female gender. The being from which countless wings of ice sprouted, and a halo around her head. A being filled with unimaginable power, one which could easily wipe out humankind. Faced with her foe, Kazakiri thought these thoughts. Then another thought popped into her head. Just like an angel. Whether this thought was aimed at her opponent or at herself, Kazakiri did not know either. Perhaps all that could be used to describe the existence could be used to describe herself, and vice versa. Kazakiri slowly realized this. What was the opponent thinking? Had it thought of something? Had she found something deep within herself? The two creatures in the air finally began to move once again. In her hand, Kazakiri held a sword which contained the same power in it as her wings. Facing her, the unarmed angel raised its right hand, and grasped a blade of ice from midair. No signal was required. They moved in unison and met in a mighty collision. BOOM!!! An omni-directional blast wave expanded from the colliding angels. The air was almost like a solid wall, spreading out great distances. Even the gigantic floating fortress shook with the impact. A large number of its buildings were flattened, but the debris did not fall to earth. Rather, it floated in the air as if it was weightless, before being sucked back towards the superstructure of the fortress. No time to pay heed to such minor details however. The battle continued. As their swords clashed, the two monsters wings flew towards each other, seemingly alive, and crashed together. At supersonic speeds, countless blades attacked both combatants from all sorts of angles. However, victory was not determined in that instant, for both of the monsters were attacking in similar fashion. Wings of ice shattered into millions of pieces, and wings of purple lightning blew apart into particles as they traded blows. The remnants of these broken wings dispersed rapidly from the pair, filling the air with shining particles of ice and lightning. The effect was rather like the shower of feathers left after a flock of birds take flight. While striking out with countless wings, the Archangel of Water raised her blade of ice, lashing out at Kazakiris head. Kazakiri parried the blow and prepared for a new assault. The face of her foe was expressionless. Like a puppet, its eyes, nose and mouth were not discernible from the rest of the face save for shallow depressions and bumps. It was almost as if the enemy was wearing a mask. The depression that Kazakiri guessed was a mouth twitched, and Kazakiri could hear a voice. It was not a voice speaking in any human language, and probably was inaudible to humans as a whole. She couldnt understand every word, but Kazakiri could get a general idea of what the opponent was saying. bhbo...return...hrobp The voice carried a tone of emotion. If she could feel the emotion, then she could somewhat decipher the otherworldly language. Revert. frPlace. Correct. Alignment. ujj. Heaven. Original. Position. It was a bit garbled. The outline of the body of the angel of ice shuddered slightly. Because she too did not have a body of flesh and blood, Kazakiri was able to see the composition of the shell of the other angel. ...Opposing powers...forcibly put in one container? Kazakiri could see fire. Fire that was as incompatible with water as oil. Two different powers were contained inside the angel. At this rate, the angel which could be considered somewhat beautiful, would not be able to maintain her physical form. A container could not contain two powers at once. At first glance it would seem that Kazakiri, who was formed from the AIM fields of various espers with different powers, was being hypocritical. However when it came down to it, the AIM fields that maintain Kazakiris existence were much more similar in comparison to the two contained in the angel of ice. The speaking angel emitted an aura of anger. Return. Must. Plan. Go. Right. Use. Advantage. Contact. Plan. Help. ..... Even if it''s for this that you are willing to harm my friends, I will stop you with all my power! Harm. Ignore. Priority. Return. Correct. Position. Must. Obstruct. Evil. Intention. Judge. All. A massive surge of power radiated from the angel of ice. With even greater force, the blade of ice swung down once again, colliding with the sword of Kazakiri, and both angels were forced back from the impact. Misha waved the sword over her head. At this time. Misha suddenly turned her head from Kazakiri, her attention elsewhere. Capture. She spoke. The archangel who was oblivious to all but her goals spoke. Necessary. Report. Lamb-skin. Found. [edit] Part 5 Holding Last Order in his arms, Accelerator sat down in the truck parked in the snow. He rode shotgun, as Misaka WORST jumped into the driver seat. Where to? Sneaking around would just be a waste of time. If we want to get this over with as fast as possible, we should head straight for the middle of the fighting. I understand~ Misaka WORST said, inserting the car key that she had obtained from Elizalina. It seems the car was an automatic, as Misaka WORST was easily able to control it with one hand. In the unnatural pitch black of the night, the headlights of the car sliced a path of light through the shroud of darkness. In no time they had already left the little town behind, and were on the open tundra. It should take us roughly... 5 minutes before we cross the border.... Now that I think about it, for us to charge recklessly into the battlefront which was even visible from back there...even with science on our side there is a limit to how much we can do. Hanging in the middle of the night sky was the giant fortress. It was just far too big. Like a cloud, it covered the whole sky, stretching from one corner of the sky to the other. Even more spectacular, at the back of the flying fortress, a supernatural glow was emitting from the battle between the two angels. As their wings clashed, the shockwaves spread throughout the sky, and could be felt even from this distance. The residue from their battle painted the black sky with unnatural colours of blue and purple. Eh?! As if he was going down into an ocean trench, Accelerator felt a tremendous pressure on his chest. There was definitely something wrong with the colour of the night sky. As his chest was weighed down by this pressure, Accelerator turned towards Misaka WORST. Hey... you sure you really dont know what the heck that thing is? As it is formed from the Misaka Network, you should be able to glean some information about it... Which angel are you talking about? The one with wings of ice? Or the one with wings of lightning? .... Either one is fine, even if its information from Academy City, I doubt the information is restricted to only the confines of science... ..... If he put it that way, it seemed Last Order was heavily involved with those beings flying in the air. Accelerator would not rest until he had saved Last Order. It seems that the reason for Last Orders current deteriorating health was due to the angels existence. In which case, to save Last Order, Accelerator just had to go up to the fortress and destroy the angels. But how? Aiwasss power was overwhelming. Even in Dark Wing mode, at his current level, Accelerator was not able to even make a move before he was crushed. Even though he was called a villain he could not even save one little girl. Then... what could he do? How would he shelter her, and protect her smile from this cruel, barbaric world? The lamb-skin parchment tucked away in his coat was emitting a hateful aura. The arcane symbols scrawled upon it, were they of the same caliber as the Angel created on the 30th of September, or was it even more potent? If Accelerator could not analyze the situation, then he would just have to ignore safety procedures prior to combat and charge in with no knowledge of the enemys abilities. This would be a huge gamble. In the past, such a move that would have threatened Last Orders life would be a definite no-go for Accelerator. But now, this route was the only way to save Last Orders life. It was like walking in pitch blackness on a narrow path, where both sides of the pathway led only to bottomless pits, with no idea where you were going. At this time. The two monsters battling in the air suddenly sped downwards towards the ground in a spiral of death. If a religious man had seen this scene, it would have undoubtedly been worthy of becoming a legend to be told for countless generations to come. However, Accelerator was not moved to tears by such a scene. For however he looked at them, it seemed the two angels were catapulting straight for the car he was in. To be more precise, one of the angels was flying at him, and the other was in hot pursuit. ...could it be, they are attracted to this parchment? As this realization dawned on him, a malicious grin broke across Accelerators face. It seemed that the Russian Orthodox Church, which had started all this ruckus, needed the lamb-skin procedure to complete whatever infernal plans they had. That was what Elizalina had said. Misaka WORST, who was clenching on to the steering wheel, was not as calm. Hey! What should we do, what should we do? This situation is worse than running into a Category 5 hurricane! The difference between a natural disaster and a man-made disaster is simple. Accelerator rolled down the window, ignoring the freezing winds which could cut like knives. Who cares if there are enemies to be slain. We are very lucky that the targets are right in front of us. Saves us the trouble of going to them. As he spoke, Accelerator leaned his upper body out the window Ill leave Last Order to you. Try to avoid being killed before I finish this. My, my, this is really troublesome, to be entrusted with a task by others.. Misaka hates this type of situation the most. People who are worthy to be used like this are lucky. They get to crack boring jokes, and have a chance of not being killed. Hmph, Misaka does indeed like that part. There was no time left to waste on idle gossip. The two monsters were almost upon them. Accelerator switched on the electrode in his neck. Controlling the vectors of the wind, Accelerator formed four tornados from his back, like wings, and leapt out the window. He didnt touch the ground. Rather, he rocketed up into the air towards the two battling monsters. A third monster had entered the fray. [edit] Part 6 Darkness spread out ignoring the time of day as it were a solar eclipse. And on top of that, a great number of unnatural points of light glittered in the sky ignoring the constellations as if it were a poorly made planetarium. However, very few people were glad to see that scene that could be described as ominous or mystical. Even then, various explosions and vibrations resounded. Amid all that, Glickin walked through a snowy forest. He was the Russian soldier who had operated the anti-aircraft gun along with Hamazura and Digurv in order to protect the village from the privateer attack. As Academy City forces had occupied the area, the danger of more attacks from the Russians had lessened. They had constructed temporary buildings so the villagers were not going to freeze to death in the blizzard because their mostly wooden houses had been destroyed. ... But Glickin could not partake in that blessing. He was a former member of the Russian army and the air force base he had been stationed at had been attacked by Academy City. The equipment and methods used in that attack had been completely different, so he felt the people sending aid to the villagers and the ruthless killers were different people and units. One side was official and the other side was unofficial. However, he still could not forgive them. It was not anger that ruled his heart. It was all rooted in fear. (Theres no place for me here in Russia now that Ive fought against the privateers. Maybe it would be best if I headed to the Elizalina Alliance as quickly as I can.) Despite thinking that, Glickin was not walking through that snowy forest in order to leave the village. Even if he were to head to the Elizalina Alliance, it didnt feel right to him to do so without saying farewell to the villagers who saved him. So why was Glickin wandering around in that place? (How far did that kid go...?) There was a lost child. There were children in the village and kids tended to go off to play after extreme tension like that of the privateer attack was over. Having the danger gone may have raised their spirits unnecessarily high. Even the adults were in a mood similar to after a round of drinking. But then a girl of about 10 had disappeared. The other children playing with her hadnt seen where she went. They just said she was suddenly gone. The unnatural night sky put adults like Glickin on guard (even if they knew being on guard would not do any good). However, the missing girl was still a child. She was still at the age where she believed in Santa Claus. It was possible she wandered off while watching that night sky that she felt had some kind of hope in it. However, the Russian winter was harsh. There was the cold of course, but she could also easily run into a carnivore that was woken up from its hibernation by the bombings and bombardments. And on top of all that, Glickin had heard that landmines were spread around the area. It was not an environment where a child could safely play. It seemed the girls mother had tried to help in the search, but everyone had stopped her. The childs life was important, but having the cold or the landmines take two victims would be even worse. As such, Glickin and a few others had looked around the village. There werent very many of them, so Glickin was the only one there. He had walked about 3 kilometers from the village, but he had still seen no sign of the girl. He started to wonder if a small child could walk that far through snow piled that deep. A child could likely do it if she was dead set on doing so, but if she were just heading out to play, her motivation would normally wane after coming that far and she would head back to the village. Perhaps he should head back. Just when Glickin started to think that, he saw a figure moving beyond the blizzard of snow. But it was large. !? He immediately hid behind a tree thinking he had spotted a bear or something. However, that was not what it was. A wild bear would not be wearing a white combat uniform meant to be used in intense cold. From the design, Glickin could tell it was a Russian army uniform, but he had never worn anything that high class. (...An unofficial special unit!? Is that the unit called Eastern Death!?) That unit mainly used sniping and explosives to assassinate important people from other countries and start wars between countries that were inconvenient to Russia. During the cold war, there had been an urban legend that merely writing that name on paper was enough for the unit to come assassinate you. Even in the middle of a war, they were not a group one would run into for no reason. By the time they were wearing those uniforms and walking around, a tragedy was sure to follow. Why were they there? And why had they gotten out of their vehicle and begun to walk on foot. Glickin thought of Digurv and the others village that had been targeted in order to create a front line base and the Academy City forces that had set up there. Glickin had been stationed inside an air force base, so he had no chance of winning in a fight against an elite unit. He could only see one there, but there should be at least a few of them there if they were carrying out some kind of military operation. He needed to get away from there as quickly as possible and return to the village. He didnt like to rely on them, but the Academy City forces could do something about that special unit. They were not a force that used great military power. Instead, they were experts at using a few people in secret to throw the enemy forces into chaos. If their location and the timing of their attack were known, they could be forced back. Glickin took a step away from the tree he was hiding behind. But he was not able to take a second step. The figure on the other side of the blizzard suddenly froze. Glickin knew he was in trouble. He felt a great pressure. It was a gaze. Because there were no other people around, that piercing gaze accurately found Glickin. ... Despite the fair distance between them, each of them read the silence of the other. Immediately afterwards, the man from the special unit put the stock of his assault rifle to his shoulder and mercilessly aimed the barrel toward Glickin. Shit!! Glickin forced down the fear squeezing at his heart and turned around. Rifle bullets struck the trunk of the tree he had been hiding behind before and tree bark flew off lightly scraping Glickins cheek. He had been lucky to not be directly hit, but he had no time to reflect on that good fortune. Glickin merely ran through the snowy forest. He did not think he had any way of winning. He would not be saved just by escaping from the single soldier following him from behind. (Hes likely contacted someone on his radio.) Glickin thought as he frantically moved his legs that were about to cramp up in fear. (I dont know how many of them there are, but I cant escape if Im surrounded!!) The snow at Glickins feet was blown away by rifle bullets. He continued running while almost falling over until he finally tripped up over his own feet and fell on top of the snow. He had no time to stand back up. Even then, the enemy was approaching from behind. The closer that enemy got, the more Glickins odds of death shot up. He tried to force his snow-covered body up, but another obstacle was now in his way. It was not the enemy. It was the girl who he had gone out to look for. She must have come that way upon hearing the loud noises in the snowy forest. It was the worst possible turn of events for Glickin. He had almost no chance of getting away on his own and having to take the child with him would drag that down to zero chance. However, he still couldnt leave the child behind. The man from the special unit had fired without checking who he was. He was eliminating all witnesses. It would not matter if that witness were a civilian or a child. Dammit!! Glickin picked up the child and continued to run, but his feet sank deeper into the snow than he had expected due to the weight of the child. He lost his balance and fell onto the snow once more. The special unit soldier approached. From that range, Glickin could clearly see the mans finger moving on the trigger of the assault rifle. A gunshot resounded throughout the snowy forest. Glickin clenched his eyes shut, but he felt no pain. When he cautiously reopened his eyes, he saw the special unit soldier collapsed on the ground. A mass of snow weighing close to 10 kilograms had suddenly fallen down on top of him from a tree branch. Of course, that had not been some stupid natural phenomenon. The gunshot had not been from the assault rifle in the soldiers hand. A third party had fired from somewhere at the tree branch near the soldier. Firing at that large stationary target was much easier than firing at the small moving target of the soldier. Are you okay!? a voice yelled out. It was speaking in Japanese which was rare in those parts. The gunshots continued. The snow on the ground near the special unit soldier scattered as he tried to get up. The tough soldier could be seen raising his hands to surrender. Glickin, tie him up!! That only worked as a surprise attack. I cant deal with someone like that in a serious firefight!! Glickin recognized the voice. He looked over in the direction it was coming from and saw Hamazura Shiage running over from between the trees. He held a handgun in his hand. He seemed irritated that Glickin wasnt moving and he went over and bound the special unit soldiers hands with wire himself. ...Why...? Glickin muttered in shock, but then he remembered the situation. He let go of the girl he had been holding. No, it doesnt matter. Anyway, we need to get out of here. That man you just tied up is a member of a Russian special unit. Those gunshots and his lack of response over the radio will bring his comrades here. We need to get out of here before were surrounded. I have business with them. ? Glickin frowned and a girl approached from behind Hamazura. Glickin thought he remembered that her name was Takitsubo. She had been very ill before, but now she seemed better. Hamazura looked over toward Takitsubo and she took the little girls hand. Takitsubo then took her away naturally. It was as if Hamazura was about to mention something he didnt want the girl to hear. Its the Kremlin Report. What? There is an old abandoned nuclear missile silo near the village. The leaders of the Russian army are thinking that Academy City may be trying to take that facility, so they are going to disseminate a bacteriological weapon in the area. A manual for this type of situation already existed beforehand. ...God dammit, Glickin said in almost a groan. Normally, he would not have immediately believed something like that, but the unofficial special unit that had tried to kill him was an ominous sign. So that special unit has brought in some terrible virus!? We might not be able to make it in time even if we have the people in the village evacuate now!! No. Takitsubo read the report in Russian, but it seems the dissemination of the bacteriological weapon has to be done in stages. The report on the expected damages had data on the wind direction, the temperature, and the humidity. It seems the humidity, the amount of moisture in the air, is very important for it to spread and theres a good chance it will turn to diamond dust in this cold. Then... But if they regulate the temperature and humidity using a large amount of steam, it will spread almost explosively. Thats why they intend to disseminate particles of highly preservative gel upwind of their target. The gel is made so it does not freeze even in this cold. With the temperature and humidity in the corresponding area regulated at the optimum level, the bacteriological weapon is released. Once it enters someones body, the virus is preserved by the infected persons body temperature and moisture. So if we can stop the dissemination of the preservative gel in the first stage, we might be able to do something about it... The report mentioned a steam dispenser. Its the device theyre using to send the particles of gel in to the air. I think its something like a special humidifier. Anyway, we need to somehow destroy that device before theyou called them a special unit?before they can carry out that part of the plan. Somehow. It was easy enough to say, but that meant fighting and defeating that special unit. If their enemy was moving in a group, they couldnt just carry out a surprise attack with just the two of them. ...What do we do? Should we call in the Academy City forces in the village? We dont have time. And if they detect any major movements, the special unit may expedite the dissemination schedule. The general location of the steam dispenser can be calculated from the terrain and weather data plus the direction of the wind, but I dont actually know the precise location. If that unit is already taking action, we might not make it in time even now. And... Hamazura trailed off. Glickin slightly turned his head in response to that silence. Sorry... Its fine. But we should take action before the remaining soldiers become suspicious. Glickin, can you drive? Take this key. Theres a four wheel drive car hidden 300 meters west of here. Take that girl and head back to the village. But then youll...!! Part of that unit might be wandering around, so we cant just leave that kid here. Having her walk back is dangerous too and taking her to the battlefield is out of the question. You need to escort her. Take that tied up soldier, too. Hamazura then pulled out his cell phone. Lets exchange phone numbers. Theres nothing around here, but theres a signal here due to the relay antennas. Ill contact you once I find the steam dispenser. At that point, I can still stop the dissemination even if they notice Academy City taking action, so you need to do everything you can to convince the Academy City soldiers to transport everyone in that village. Do the same if I dont contact you within half an hour. Pay attention to the direction of the wind. It may not be much of a consolation once the bacteriological weapon has been disseminated, but its better than moving without taking anything into account. I would rather have everyone flee right away, but it would be pointless if they all fled in the direction of the steam dispenser. Do you understand? ... Do you understand, Glickin!? If something happens to me and you do nothing, everyone in the village could be infected!! ... I doubt everyone in the Russian army wants to use this bacteriological weapon! Thats why they sent in a unit that carries out heartless missions for the first dissemination!! If this gets the proper results, the other soldiers will be less reluctant to carry out their missions and this same thing will start happening all across Russia!! We have to keep that from happening. I dont want the Academy City soldiers, the villagers, or anyone else to be sacrificed. So do you understand, Glickin!? Yes, I understand!! God dammit, Ill protect those villagers no matter what it takes. So you better not die!! Hamazura and Glickin exchanged cell phone numbers and lightly tapped their palms together as if hitting the plastic phones together. They said nothing more. Takitsubo concluded that the discussion was over, so she came back with the little girl. Glickin grabbed the girls hand and carried the bound soldier over his shoulder as he headed in the direction of the hidden car. Hamazura put his cell phone in his pocket and spoke to Takitsubo. Lets go. Hamazura. From the weather and terrain data in the report, the area about 500 meters north of here seems most suspicious, Takitsubo said smoothly perhaps because she had been in charge of reconnaissance in ITEM. It had nothing to do with her power, but she had polished her skills for getting a direction from the available data. There is a small mountain of less than 100 meters there. The wind blowing from there heads toward the nuclear silo and the village. It wont be on the summit. They want to get this over with as quickly as possible, so theyll have quickly set up the steam dispenser as close to the base of the mountain as they could get away with. Hamazura walked over to the place where the soldier had lay collapsed just a bit before and picked up his assault rifle and magazines. It had a completely different weight and overall feel than the handgun. He doubted he could use it properly, but a handgun didnt feel very reliable. Hamazuras movement stopped for an instant at the chill of the murderous weapon. But he then moved his gaze up as if shaking his eyes free of the weapon, hung the rifle from its shoulder strap, and headed for the northern mountain. Hamazura. Lets finish this quickly. Ive had enough of this war. Yeah, and I dont like this eclipse. Why couldnt it be a nice aurora or something? [edit] Part 7 Accelerator was like a blast wave from an explosion, blowing away the snow from the ground, he charged towards the two angels. In the moment before their weapons were about to clash, Accelerator considered which entity he should get rid of first. However he came to the conclusion that since both of them were winged monsters, there was no point in aiding either side, and he leapt between the two, using his Reflection ability to attack the angels by redirecting their own blows at themselves. BOOM!! The sound of explosions rang throughout the air. Against the doll-like angel of ice, Reflection was largely ineffective. Even though he used Reflection, the wings of ice were like soft candy, as they were bent out of shape, they were sent flying towards the forests, sending up ice and dirt as they went along. The angle of reflection was too small. If Accelerator continued to forcibly reflect the attacks, his body would be injured too. However, Accelerators expression did not change, for the wings of the glasses-wearing angel were fully deflected by his Reflection. The angel had an almost human-like expression of surprise, and in this instant Accelerator took away the vectors from the angels attack. Gathering the vectors, Accelerator launched a merciless strike straight at the chest of the glasses-wearing angel. The sound vanished. The seemingly weightless flying angel was knocked back 300 meters. Like a crashing airplane, she tumbled towards the ground in an almost comical fashion. The reason Accelerator attacked her first was very simple. His powers worked on this angel, not so much on the other angel. Logically he should try to take out the more difficult opponent first. For this, he would have to incapacitate the easier opponent first to fully concentrate on the harder one. You?! The glasses wearing angel, using powers that Accelerator could understand, spoke. She spoke in Japanese, as fluently as Aiwass had. You controlled the wings formed by congregated AIM fields? Hmph, Im surprised a monster like you has the capacity to think and ask questions. Accelerator unzipped his jacket, and took out the lamb-skin parchment, waving it at the AIM angel. You were attracted here by this thing right? ...... The science angel frowned in puzzlement. At that moment, the air around them became full with killing intent. This supernatural killing intent was emitting from the angel of ice, whose wings had been shattered by Accelerators Reflection. The snow around her for 500 meters vanished, melted to reform those majestic wings of ice. With an ear-splitting sound, the mass of water shot up towards the body of the angel. In an instant, those wings became weapons of destruction. Oi, you annoying creature, wanna introduce yourself? Accelerator zipped up his jacket, and turned to face the archangel, as if he was on the side of the AIM angel. Um... You stand behind. Accelerator commanded in a bored tone. I have no interest in a creation of Academy City. To save that brat I have to deal with that thing over there. From the earlier clash Accelerator had analyzed his opponents. Although both angels were monsters, they were not on the same level as Aiwass. Reflection and Vector Control worked perfectly upon the angel of science. As for the angel who had unknown origins, from the way it was being knocked around by the AIM angel, it was also a far cry from Aiwass in terms of power. For, Accelerator could not even begin to think of a way to defeat Aiwass. (Hmph, Ive won.) Though this was a slightly ridiculous way of judging the situation, Accelerator was confident in his victory. However at that instant. ....hubjsaioklwnwtplwmbgfaomgffASIKSWWTQPNGpiuanbgkllwqqjdl.... The archangel began a chant. Something was leaking out. Not only was the chant in a soft thin voice, hard to hear, but it was impossible to discern what language the archangel was chanting in. ....serghATTACKhyAREAhgoinDETERMINED.... Accelerators ears started to hurt. He felt like he was stuck in a spinning kaleidoscope. INCANTATIONgreCASTING.....COMPLETEfrh. (I know. I know this language), Accelerator thought. As he raised his head to look at the archangel, all her wings were spread out across the unnatural night sky. Like a radio tower, it seemed as though she was broadcasting signals of some kind into the sky. And then, Mishas voice was loud and clear. Command, Sweep-Cast initialized. The night sky was filled with flashing lights. There was no time to be amazed at the spectacle, however. Within a radius of 2 kilometers, tens of millions of fiery meteors of destruction rained down. This was a perfect "Heaven''s Judgement", one that Accelerator''s Vector Control could not hope to emulate. "Wha-what?!" Accelerator was unable to respond. To dodge or to try and take the attack head on? Before Accelerator could fully consider his options, the maelstrom of destruction was already upon him. Accelerator could no longer tell the sky from the ground. In the moment that he was hit by the attack, his body was flung ferociously around like a rag doll. Although Accelerator was able to lessen the damage with his Vector Control, he still tasted blood. Snow, dirt and sand were all tossed up by the attack, filling Accelerator''s vision with a blur of white. "This..... this is....?!" As Accelerator was hurled towards the ground, he gasped for breath, but no sound came out. His throat was blocked. Using Vector Control, Accelerator cleared the congealed blood from his throat, and was finally able to breathe. ("Fuck.....!! What the fuck was that?!) The massive amounts of snow and dirt tossed up by the attack filled the entire sky. In this panorama of white, there was only one other colour. A glow of blue, radiating from the archangel of destruction. "....." Once again, the sky started flashing, and Accelerator was filled with foreboding. For the onslaught he had been through was just the initial "shot" of the attack. The archangel relentlessly pounded Accelerator with the fiery rain for another ten "shots". ("You''re fucking kidding me....") His body hurting all over, Accelerator struggled to stand up. He could not die here. He still had something to do. He would fight until he died or the monster was crushed. ("It doesn''t matter if I have to destroy it. Just a reason to defeat it will be enough for me!") BOOM!! Once more, the sound of explosions filled the air. Controlling the vectors at his feet, Accelerator sped towards the monster who was surrounded by a blue aura. Once again, the archangel''s emotionless voice rang out. "SECONDkoWAVE. ATTACKwagerPREPARATIONwsINITIALIZING. 30 SECONDS UNTIL SECOND WAVE OF SWEEP." At the same time. BOOM!! Giant explosions rent the air above Russia. It was the first shot of Sweep. "......she went overboard." Fiamma muttered to himself, 7000 meters above the land in the flying fortress Star of Bethlehem. He could feel the explosions from here. He was slightly annoyed that Misha had dragged the Star of Bethlehem into the line of fire. The spell formation of Sweep was formed higher up than the Star of Bethlehem. Thus, even if the Power of God cast a restricted Sweep, it would destroy part of the flying fortress. Judging by the colour of the sky, the second wave of Sweep would start in 30 seconds. The damage done to the Star of Bethlehem would be even greater. However, Fiamma wasn''t too concerned. However Fiamma of the Right''s expression did not change. It was almost as if he wanted to pull a face but couldn''t do it. Besides, the Star of Bethlehem had a certain level of self-regeneration. The debris of the segments hit by the Sweep would float around in space for a while before returning to the fortress. Fiamma of the Right used the Power of God to augment his 5 senses. "So it''s like this, huh..." He spoke in a bored voice. "So this is my enemy. Would the outcome of the battle change because of the appearance of the archangel? Don''t say you won''t imitate me." Although his interest was piqued by the appearance of the angel created by Academy City, its appearance did not change anything. As for the person fighting alongside the science angel, it seemed he was one of the top ability users of the science side. Even if he joined in the fight, they would not be able to defeat Misha Kreutzev. The power of Sweep was enormous. At this rate, even the monsters of science were going to start crying for mercy soon. It was certain that with the casting of the second and third waves of Sweep, the monsters would be annihilated. For they could not dodge, nor defend against Sweep. There was no need to end the conflict with one single strike. Just wearing them down slowly and then annihilating them was enough. That was the brutality in which the Roman Catholics were well versed. Just as waves wore down even the toughest of rocks, Misha would relentlessly grind the enemy into the ground. "If the enemy is only at this level," Fiamma stroked his staff with his fingers. "Then no one will be able to stop me..." In his hand, the remote used to control Index had now become an artifact for him to control the great archangel. "Oh, my Sweep is going to destroy this world huh?" Fiamma heard the "voice" in his mind. He recognized the "voice". "...long time no see. Acqua of the Back, do you still desire a position within God''s Right Seat? Or have you reverted to your mercenary ways?" "Anything is fine, as long as it''s to stop you." "Hmph, and how will you do that?" Twirling his staff, Fiamma spoke with an air of contempt. "In this situation that I have created, placing the 6 billion people of the world at the mercy of the ravages of war, how will you be able to save them?" "..." "You are a symbol of war. Using violence to bring peace. Fighting unknown dangers in conflicts around the world. Spreading the use of force throughout the world. A person like you is the best type of chess piece. Come on, everyone eagerly waits to hear how you shall use violence to solve the problem." Chess pieces that had served their purpose were no longer needed. "Why has this conflict started? It''s not like you don''t know that I started it. However, I did not fire a shot. It''s because that I have judged and made a decision, that I ask you how you are going to save everyone." "So, this is the reason for the archangel swinging an iron fist down on the populace?" "You want to stop me? In the end, you still resort to force. Your side has no more tricks up their sleeve, how will you stop me? The outcome is already decided on the Academy City''s side who is reinforced by the angel. You, who entered that place on the 30th of September to rescue Vento should know that." Fiamma laughed. "The existence of the science angel warps the fabric of this world, and has huge negative influences on magic. Vento being dragged into conflict with it is proof. That thing will not fight by your side. If you try to use force, both sides will just engage in combat till the death." "..." "Besides, Misha Kreutzev surpasses you all. Even if she is not perfect, she is still the real thing, a Christian Archangel. In a full on war, the only victor is me." This was the reasoning Fiamma had come to. "You are strong, but you are just a pawn in this game. Now, no matter how much force you try to use, you cannot stop Misha. I give you leave to try, but it is better for you to just stay on the sidelines and watch." "Oh?" Acqua laughed, and Fiamma lost his smirk. "Then I shall show you a way to stop her without force." In an instant, Misha Kreutzev''s power was cut by a third. The form of an angel was basically a mass of energy, they had no physical body. More accurately, their bodies were not composed of physical matter. Fiamma, who was linked to Misha, was suddenly dealt a blow through his 5 senses. "You!..What did you do....No! This is...?!" "Have you forgotten? I am Acqua of the Back. A member of the most secretive Roman Catholic organization, God''s Right Seat. I hold the position of the back, and am associated with the colour ''Blue'' and the moon. I also wield the power of one of the four Archangels, Power of God." "You!....Did you, in your own body....?!!" "For Christians, releasing and sealing "Telesma" is a basic among basics. Also, my body is the strongest "link" to the Power of God, being "Acqua of the Back" of God''s Right Seat. Therefore, if I forcefully took out the water affinity Telesma within myself, I would not want to think of what would happen to the Power of God from whom such power stems." "...." It was impossible to imagine that such a plan could have been thought up by a sane man. To forcefully contain the power of an archangel within a mortal body was pure foolishness, even for magicians; for the human body would certainly explode from trying to contain such power. However... "It is not ''impossible''." Acqua''s voice shattered the silence. "Right now, the Russian nun you are using, she is doing a similar thing to what I am proposing." "You are insane! Sasha is only able to perform such acts because of the Telesma remaining in her body from the events of Angel Fall! Besides, to forcefully suppress Misha Kreutzev requires you to take in far more Telesma!! You don''t have that sort of ability." "Hmph, don''t talk like that.... What others can do, I can do too." So it has come to this, Fiamma thought. He should have known. As a member of God''s Right Seat, it was stupid for Fiamma to have tried to apply normal reasoning to Acqua. "Then.... show me!" Fiamma shouted out the challenge. "That I shall." "You know right? This stupid plan of yours will destroy your combat ability. You are just destroying yourself by trying this." In the frozen tundra of Russia, there stood a man. He was far away from the border between Russia and Elizalina, and a distance away from the flying fortress. It was a perfect location to perform his spell. The man thrust his sword which was larger than his body into the ground to support the weight of his own massive frame. Around him, the air warped, and condensed into the same consistency as treacle. This air flowed in a spiral towards the man. A tremendous amount of energy flowed towards him. Under the dark blue sky and the shining full moon, Acqua absorbed the Power of God. "UUUUWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA????!!!!!" Power flowed into him from every pore on his body. This amount of energy could not be tolerated by a human''s body. Just like how a fan could only suck in a predetermined amount of air. If you forcefully tried to take in more than your limit, the consequences would be dire. Blood started pouring out from his legs and chest. It felt as though the muscles on his back and neck were on fire. Blood vessels throughout his body were bursting, and his nervous system was going into overload. The man could feel the tendons and ligaments throughout his body snapping one by one. His legs were shaking, as his once powerful body was on the brink of collapse. However, he did not fall. The sword stuck in the ground, and the willpower in his chest. By relying on those two things, the man was determined to stay standing. The destruction was not limited to just his physical body. His magical power was slowly burned out of him. The man was a "Saint", and a member of God''s Right Seat. Those two traits of his gave him tremendous power, surpassing that of other magicians. However, now the source of his body was being torn apart and he was losing his magical prowess. His body screamed at him to stop this madness, but a man will not stop until he achieves his goal. Only by absorbing the Telesma of Misha Kreutzev in his body, could he weaken the enemy. To lessen the chance of the Telesma meant to save people being used to take human lives. That was all he wanted. As long as he could ensure that, the man would be able to clench his teeth and battle with the overwhelming tide of Telesma. And then.... BOOM!!! Accelerator''s attack hit Misha Kreutzev dead on. Because of this interruption, the spell formation of Sweep collapsed. Accelerator and the angel of science charged towards Misha Kreutzev. To destroy it. To prevent the battlefield from turning into a wasteland. And then... Fiamma of the right smiled. The amount of Telesma Acqua of the Back had absorbed was only about 50% of that of the Power of God. As he had foreseen, it was not enough to stop Misha Kreutzev. "Even 50% is enough to attain victory." Fiamma sighed in a bored voice. "Saint, God''s Right Seat, both are gone. This is over now. You gave your life in vain." "KILL!" He commanded. It was over. Misha Kreutzev would destroy the angel of science and the ability user from Academy City, and proceed to exterminate the remaining forces of Academy city. No one would be able to stop Fiamma''s plans, as long as Misha was there, the Star of Bethlehem would not fall, even if 50,000 nuclear warheads were launched simultaneously at it. That was what should have happened. But, nothing happened. Misha Kreutzev, who had received the order to "Kill", was not moving. Fiamma felt rage overwhelming him. His plan was supposed to be perfect, yet at this time, someone had thrown a wrench into his schemes. "That bastard...." Fiamma of the Right noticed. There was one more person, currently not on the battlefield, an existence who wielded the supreme power. "THAT BASTAAAARRRDD!!!!!" [edit] Part 8 At the same time. Kamijou Touma was at the very furthest corner on the right of the Star of Bethlehem, at the ceremonial altar where Sasha had been used as a medium to summon Misha Kreutzev. Apparently Fiamma had fixed Index''s remote to the end of his staff, allowing him to control Misha. Therefore, to stop Misha''s rampage of destruction, he had to destroy the staff, and in order to destroy the staff, he would have to confront Fiamma in a battle. However, there was more. Touma searched for a quicker and more certain way to stop Misha. "....Misha Kreutzev appeared after the Star of Bethlehem." Touma said aloud. It wasn''t certain if he was explaining his thoughts to Sasha, or just speaking out loud to himself. "If he was able to summon the power of an archangel, why didn''t he summon it earlier? Even if he did not start the third world war and turn his potential enemies on each other, with the power of an archangel behind him, he would probably still have been able to defeat us all at once. Then, why didn''t Fiamma summon Misha until after the Star of Bethlehem appeared?" This could only mean one thing. Touma finally came to this conclusion. "The Star of Bethlehem is needed to summon the Archangel Misha Kreutzev and anchor her to this plane! That is why Fiamma only summoned it after the fortress flew into the sky; not because he didn''t feel like it, but because he COULDN''T summon it beforehand even if he wanted to!" If that was true, things become much simpler. On the Star of Bethlehem, there must be an object that anchors Misha''s existence to this plane. I''ll just have to use my right hand to destroy this ''object''--!!" Touma grabbed one of the thin poles surrounding the ceremonial grounds. About 3 centimetres in diameter, there were several tens of these poles, some of which contained a black liquid, others containing a white liquid. Just as Sasha said, the white and black poles were paired together around the entrance of the ceremonial grounds, almost as if they were drawing in mysterious ''energy'' into the grounds from outside. Since there was so many of them, Touma guessed that those poles must be involved in a complex process maintaining the existence of Misha. Then, all he had to do was break the poles. CRACK! The transparent containers were smashed. White and black liquid splashed onto the ground, forming marble-like shapes. It felt as if something started to tremble. Although Touma could not see it, he could feel that an existence was trembling to its core. At that time. Acqua of the Back had taken away half of Misha''s power. Kamijou Touma had broken the pillars anchoring her existence to this plane. And now, Misha Kreutzev was on the receiving end of the ferocious attacks of Academy City''s strongest esper and the angel of science.... The archangel''s cry echoed throughout the Russian night. It was a sound the brain of a human could not comprehend, but one could tell it was different from a simple scream. The cry contained unfathomable emotions. Misha''s body, already straining to maintain a humanoid shape, simply collapsed, returning to a state of pure energy. An immense amount of energy. A bomb. Accelerator, who was the closest to Misha at the time, ignored the rapidly diminishing power of his electrode, and flew towards the archangel at full power. "...who gives a shit what just happened, this isn''t the problem at the moment!" The power to rush ahead towards the glowing mass of energy. The strength that Accelerator had lacked from the moment he escaped from Academy City and arrived in Russia. The strength that boy had planted in him after their confrontation, finally blazed up within Accelerator''s chest, and exploded. "AAH!~ Fuck, I admit it! I want to protect her! I don''t want to lose her!! I don''t even want to think about the possibility of losing her!! I will face anything in order to protect this dream of mine!!!!" Accelerator would not be able to suppress that enormous energy just with Reflection. Facing the angel of science, whom he has not yet determined to be friend or foe, Accelerator yelled with all his might. "STOP THAT THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Did he make it in time? Was there still time to act? The mass of energy exploded. A pure white sphere of light exploded outwards, consuming everything in its path. Even if one closed their eyes, they would still have been blinded by that tremendous light. The pitch black night became a ceiling of pure brilliant white. Everything within a radius of several tens of kilometers should have become ash. This was not a simple explosion, but one of a Special Energy. It would not have been weird for some crazy side effects to be produced. There was a very high chance that the explosion could have turned the surroundings into an uninhabitable wasteland. However, as the explosion expanded outwards, it started to warp unnaturally. The angel of science threw the gargantuan energy inside it at Accelerator, who manipulated the vectors inside that energy into a transparent shield and threw it around the ball of energy. Like a shell, it encased the explosion which had already expanded to 300 meters. Inside the shell, the energy from the explosion built up as the expanding light was trapped, unable to unleash its wrath on the land. It seemed impossible, but the light and sound intensified even more. But Accelerator did not give up, and mustered all his strength, strengthening the barrier around the giant orb of light. For several seconds, the mass of energy was contained inside the shell. And then... Acqua of the Back, after confirming the dispersion of the mass of Telesma, slowly let go of his giant sword. His entire body was soaked in blood. His strength had vanished from his body. Finally, he collapsed to the ground, his great sword still impaled in the ground. Acqua had a slight smile on his face. He had achieved his goal. He had dispersed some of the archangel''s Telesma, and given Fiamma''s foes a fighting chance. Even though Fiamma wielded immense power, he was too overconfident, and would underestimate the power of the factions that had allied to fight against him. Just like Acqua himself used to be, he mused. Acqua''s internal systems were a mess, and the last traces of magic had been burned out of him. He estimated that he himself would not live for much longer. Well, at least he would be dragging the archangel along with him. He had done enough. His goal had not been to live to see Fiamma fall. He had already prepared something special, that would allow everyone to get one step closer towards Fiamma, high in the sky. So as long as everyone could be happy in the future, Acqua had achieved his goal. Even if he could not be a part of that future, a mercenary like him would not be needed anyway. "Dammit!!!" Acqua heard someone shout, and saw a young Asian man approach him through the snow. If Acqua''s memory served him right, he was the boy who had defended that village. "What happened here? These wounds, they don''t look like gunshot wounds... What happened, dammit?!! Hey guys, I don''t know any emergency medical procedures, can you guys do something?" A man and a girl rushed towards either side of Acqua, carrying what seemed to be bandages. Acqua''s expression did not change, for he knew what condition his body was in. "There''s no need for that...." Tasting blood in his mouth, Acqua continued. "You can''t save me. This is a battlefield, and medical supplies are very limited. Save them for someone who will benefit from them. Don''t waste them on me." "Stop fussing!" "Though I cannot tell you the details, just then I confronted the one who instigated all this conflict. At the very least I managed to deliver a surprise attack on him, but he could well retaliate. It''s too dangerous to stay here. You people should leave now." "I told you to stop fussing! I can''t just leave you here to die!" "I have already achieved my goal. From now on I will just be dead weight." "...but what about the person who is waiting for you at home?" Shiage''s pained voice stopped Acqua in his tracks. "You''ve managed to survive in these situations for such a long time. That time you saved me and my friends, it didn''t seem like anything special to you, as that was the path you walked. So a guy like you will never be alone." "Even if you don''t think about it, there are several people relying on you. What will happen to them?" This was a power that did not exist in Acqua''s heart. Every word, every sentence, was like a needle stabbing into Acqua''s body. Acqua''s body, sliding down the path towards death, was pinned down by these words. Shiage''s words dragged Acqua back from the verge of death. "To die for the sake of the world, to die to protect others, who would accept such stupid excuses?!! They are unacceptable! The reason you fight is not to let those waiting for you to not be able to do anything other than cry!!" His thoughts were cloudy because of the lack of blood, but inside Acqua''s mind, several images floated forward. Knight Leader, the elders from the astrology department, and the people he had saved in his past. And. The third princess of England. "Stand up, hero!" Ignoring the fact that Acqua was in a state of near death, Shiage grabbed him and pulled him up. "STAAAANDD UPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He roared with all his might. That sound was directed at Acqua, who was still lying in the snow. Acqua could hear his heart beat. He was still alive. It was not over. He could still move. "UWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAHHHHHH!!!!!" With a cough that racked his body, and sent more blood spewing out of his mouth, Acqua stood up once more. His powers as a Saint had gone. His power as a member of God''s Right Seat had also been lost. His body had been ravaged. He was now a normal human. Clenching his teeth, Acqua pulled out the last vestiges of magical energy hidden within him. It was only enough to keep him standing and prevent more blood from coming out of his wounds. He had not much strength left, not nearly enough to wield his giant sword. However that was not important. A real hero was definitely not one who gave up. He was one, who upon hearing the support of the people, would get back up, no matter how many times he had fallen to his knees. [edit] Part 9 I see. Fiamma of the Right reached for the staff. The staff had Indexs remote control spiritual item on the top in order to control the archangel. It seemed Gabriel had headed for the surface having detected the parchments, but had failed to retrieve them. Those parchments contained information necessary for Fiammas Project Bethlehem. But it was not a problem. Fiamma and Gabriels senses were linked and Gabriels abilities of perception were quite different from those of a human. Even if the parchments had been in the targets pocket, the archangel could obtain the magical information recorded on them. He had the necessary knowledge. Fiamma had extremely deep knowledge of Michael and he had filled in the gaps with knowledge obtained from the 103,000 grimoires. There was something Fiamma had lacked. He had lacked the symbols of the archangels other than Michael. In other words, the symbols of the other members of Gods Right Seat. (As long as I have the unconfirmed information gathered from all across Russia and the Russian Orthodox Churchs top secret inferences into the spells of each angel, it wont be a problem.) He no longer needed the staff. Fiamma removed Indexs remote control spiritual item from the top. I see, I see, I see. He spun the staff around. Fuck you, you piece of shit, Fiamma said with a grin on his face. He snapped the staff in half. He tossed the wreckage to the side and then brought his right hand forward. He knew the general location. Holding his palm in that direction, he muttered something under his breath. Sound disappeared. A huge beam of light shot out. It smashed and melted straight through the wall of the Star of Bethlehem, blew through many different buildings, and headed in a straight line for his target. There was no resistance. It would have been a problem if there had been. That right hand must have deflected it. An odd noise could be heard from around Fiammas right shoulder. The partially-disintegrated Third Arm was beginning to detach. However, that was no major impediment to Fiamma now that his knowledge was reinforced with the 103,000 grimoires. He took one step forward. With just that, Fiammas body moved 5 kilometers forward. It didnt matter that the floor was missing between the two locations and it was just open air. As long as he had an open horizontal path, he could move anywhere. He arrived in a room. It was the ceremony room in which Sasha Kreutzevs body had been used in order to call in the archangel. In the previous blast, over half the room had been destroyed and most of the interior had fallen down to the lower level as if it had been forcibly dragged down. That boy stood alone in the ceremony room. Fiamma caught a glimpse of something red through the hole to the lower level. It was possible that someone had been gotten caught up in the destruction and had fallen down. You are quite a troublesome boy, Fiamma said. He played with Indexs remote control spiritual item in one hand. Thanks to you, I have to carry out the ceremony before Academy City or England can interfere. As such, its about time I took your right hand. ...Do you really think itll go that easily? Misha is gone. Im not really sure why things have gone so well, but we humans won against an archangel. The scales have clearly tipped in our favor. Oh, dont worry, said Fiamma as he pointed up toward the heavens. The physical walls and ceiling had been blown to pieces by his earlier attack. This allowed the unnatural night sky to be visible past the crumbled building materials. That was when that spiky haired boy realized something. Archangel Misha Kreutzev had been defeated, but the state of the sky had not changed. The angels role ended once the sky had been turned to this night sky I wanted, Fiamma said as he greatly stretched out his Third Arm. I mentioned that the symbols of Uriel and Raphael were out of alignment earlier. And I also mentioned that the name Misha Kreutzev was not suitable for Gabriel as it is derived from Michael. The spiky haired boy seemed to be on guard, but it was too late. By the time Fiamma was finished speaking, it was already too late. Using Gabriel to remove all the stars from the sky and leaving the Star of Bethlehem as the only thing floating in the incomplete heavens that are filled with Telesma was establishing the large flow of power needed for the ceremony to reset the four elements. ...You stopped the magic circle covering the surface of the sky that Misha caused during Angel Fall and the Croce di Pietro that used the arrangement of the stars as seen from the earths surface, so Im sure I do not need to explain just how much important magical meaning there is in controlling the screen known as the heavens. The prophets believed that a certain star would appear in the night sky to mark the birth of the Son of God. I suppose you could say I am carrying out a large-scale spell that uses that legendary truth. Well, Ive also affected the flow of power on the surface by moderately destroying churches and cathedrals all across the world. The heavens and the earth. Three and four. He had completely monopolized those important numbers in Christian culture. What...? Why did you do all this...? You didnt really think this would all be over after I merely got the Star of Bethlehem into the sky, did you? said Fiamma mockingly. This is just the means. My goal is much higher. The Star of Bethlehem, World War III, and the remote control spiritual item for the 103,000 grimoires were all just preparations. But thats not all. The most important part is this right arm. It all resides here. Fiamma spoke cheerfully. All Im saying is that I could not carry out the ceremony I wish to without setting the stage like this. And the completion of the first stage comes with a nice benefit. An odd sound rang out. A starry sky spread out. First yellow, then red, followed by blue, and lastly green. On Fiammas signal, the oddly colored stars spread out across the dark night sky like veils being drawn. The Star of Bethlehem was a huge planetarium. Did you know? The stars were colors that would be absolutely impossible in nature. A complete amateur who knew almost nothing of magic should not have been able to analyze what they meant, but he understood in a very deep part of his existence. He understood that he was seeing the transparent true world. He understood that he was feeling the four elements having been returned to their proper places. Fire, water, wind, earth. Each of those four elements carries the leading edge of its type of power, but at the same time, using one element has a broader effect on the three other elements. That is why all large-scale ceremonies except practical battle ones use one of each symbolic weapon as opposed to just the symbolic weapon of the primary element. That is true even in fire ceremonies. In other words, my fire has always held the requirements needed to control all four elements. By controlling all four, I should gain a vast amount of power. ...But that is all if the distortion in the lineup of the worlds elements did not exist. Fiamma continued speaking. Proper power cannot be perfectly used except for in a proper world. Something invisible exploded out from Fiamma. It was killer intent. The pressure was so overwhelming that Kamijou felt a sensation on his skin like it was being torn. ... But that was no reason to step back. The man before his eyes was holding Indexs remote control spiritual item. To destroy it, he had to crush the source of that pressure. Kamijou naturally clenched his right fist. His focus was naturally drawn toward Fiammas right shoulder. It wriggled. The Third Arm wriggled. Something vast resided within that power that was supposed to be suffering as it disintegrated. Now I will show you what proper power is. Volume 21, Afterword Volume 21, Afterword To those who have continued reading from Volume 1: welcome back. To those who bought the 23 books all at once: welcome. This is Kamachi Kazuma. Its been split in two!! ...Youre probably wondering what that was all of a sudden, but this book was split in two. Originally, this was to be the halfway point of A Certain Magical Index Volume 21 and there would be just as many pages following this part, but my great editor gave me the sage advice that the book would be a bit too thick that way, so it was split in two on short notice. This afterword was put together fairly quickly, too. Because it was split down the middle, this volume ended up prominently featuring that girl who appeared in Volume 4. A lot of different characters stood up to her in succession and I am quite moved that the people of this series world have come so far. One person is heading for the resolution of his problem, one has yet to find the clue to solve his problem, and one has been thrown into an even more chaotic hell. The protagonists have been dropped into very different situations, but I think you will enjoy what happens regarding them in the next volume. I give my thanks to my illustrator Haimura-san and my editor Miki-san. I think the intensification of the war made my illustration requests that much more difficult. I am very thankful that they stuck with me this time, too. And I give my thanks to the readers. 23 books is quite a lot and its all thanks to you that Ive come this far. It is time to close the pages for now while praying that the pages of the next book will be opened. And I lay my pen down for now. But Misha is not the only archangel in the world of this series. -Kamachi Kazuma Volume 22, War Report Volume 22, War Report Fiamma of the Rights plan had finally truly begun. He started by gathering the parts he needed from Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals from across the world in order to construct the fortress he needed for his ceremony. Kamijou Touma was scooped up by the rising fortress and heard his archenemys voice. I suppose I should welcome you to my castle, the Star of Bethlehem. That fortress was not the only threat. Fiamma had a further trump card. Head out, Archangel Gabriel. Blow them all away. Hamazura Shiage made it to a field hospital in the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations where the magician Elizalina succeeded in removing as many as possible of the negative effects of the Body Crystal eating into Takitsubo Rikous body. However, Hamazura and Takitsubo read the Kremlin Report document that was sent to the Alliance and learned of the Russian militarys preparations to carry out a special mission. It was a manual for the defense of the nuclear launching facilities using a bacteriological weapon. The planned area for that heartless operation was near the village where Digurv and the others lived. I didnt get to talk with anyone in that village, but I remember what they did for me. I want to fight for them, too. Accelerator was also staying in the Elizalina Alliance, but even with Elizalinas detox techniques, Last Order could not be saved. To save her, he had to decipher the parchments. As Accelerator thought that, he had received a warning from Elizalina. Run away!! If you do not leave this place now, they will come here. If they seriously invade, we cannot stop them! They are after the parchments you have!! The power of an archangel attacked Russia. However, Misha Kreutzev was not the only being there that could be referred to as an angel. There had been one more. Kazakiri Hyouka, the being created scientifically with AIM diffusion fields, had faced the water angel. ...If you are going to hurt my precious friends for that, then I will use all the power at my disposal to stop you. In a different place, a different battle was unfolding. In the Vatican, Matthai Reese, a man who had cast off his position as the pope and had decided to fight as a mere follower of the Christian Church, confronted Cardinal Pietro Yogdis. This is a fight to make sure you survive, so make sure not to die before this war is over. In a Russian palace, Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy had been cast from the plan, so his body trembled in rage. Bring out the reserves. Blow that fortress away!! Now!! And Misaka Mikoto, who had arrived in Russia, learned of an independent Russian units movements from a Sister. Nu-AD1967. They are preparing a former Soviet Union strategic nuclear warhead, reports Misaka explaining the contents of the transmission. Different battles occurred in different places. They did not know it, but many different people gathered together to defeat the Archangel Misha Kreutzev. Accelerator cut between Misha and Kazakiri. Acqua of the Back used their common command over water in order to forcibly strip the archangels power by guiding the Telesma making up Mishas body into his own body. Kamijou Touma destroyed the ceremony room on the Star of Bethlehem in order to damage the archangel. As a result... ...Do you really think itll go that easily? Misha is gone. Im not really sure why things have gone so well, but we humans won against an archangel. The scales have clearly tipped in our favor. But it was not over. Even if he had lost the huge power of the archangel, Fiamma was not mentally shaken in the slightest as he faced off against Kamijou on the Star of Bethlehem. Misha Kreutzevs role ended once the sky had been turned to this night sky I wanted. The first stage is over, but that comes with a nice benefit for me. Two right arms were about to clash. Fiamma of the Right merely spoke. Proper power cannot be perfectly used except for in a proper world. Now I will show you what proper power is. Volume 22, 9: The time when a huge distortion has been corrected. Broken_Right_Hand. Volume 22, Chapter 9: The time when a huge distortion has been corrected. Broken_Right_Hand. [edit] Part 1 Mugino Shizuri. The Number Four Level 5. She was a true monster that could freely use the power known as Meltdowner. And she was also Hamazuras archenemy who he had twice defeated in the past. As she had appeared before him after he had fled from Japans Academy City all the way to Russia, she could be called without exaggeration historys most fearsome hunting dog. From what Hamazura knew, she had lost one of her arms. The sleeve of her yellow coat was oddly baggy. It was possible that only the portion past the wrist was made to look human and there was something like a robot arm within the sleeve. Hee hee. There were no words. As Mugino cast her eyes down, her shoulders moved up and down in an ominous almost mechanical way. Heh heh heh. Kah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!! ...!! When Mugino lifted her head, her tongue was sticking out. A small case lay on top of that damp piece of red meat. It was a small rectangular case similar to a box of mechanical pencil lead. A white powder was contained within. Hamazura was quite familiar with the substance. It was Body Crystal. It was the substance that had made Takitsubo Rikou suffer. The drug(?) purposefully forced an espers power out of control. Hamazura and Takitsubo were even then wandering through Russia in order to battle its side effects and Mugino Shizuri had appeared with the root source of it all. Hamazura completely forgot about the boundaries of Level 0 and Level 5. He started to wonder where Takitsubo was. Was she okay? Had someone done something horrible to her? As Hamazuras head boiled, he spat out some words. Are you still trying to make Takitsubo use that stupid shit!? And for no rational reason!! Just to make us suffer even a little longer!!!! Mugino sneered at his outburst. She moved her mouth. However, no response came. This was because she had not moved her mouth in order to speak. Mugino Shizuri broke the Body Crystal case between her teeth. Hamazuras eyes trembled as if he were watching something he truly could not believe. A crunching sound continued. It was coming from Muginos mouth. It was the sound of her chewing on the sharp fragments of the case after having shattered it. Of course, the human mouth was not that tough. Muginos mouth had to be filled with the taste of blood. And yet that monsters face had nothing but a smile stuck to it. ...Takitsubo? Why do I have to care about someone as insignificant as that? Mugino muttered as the sound of fibers tearing could be heard from within her mouth. She was filling up with something. A strange cycle began within the girls body. Body Crystal... It purposefully forces an espers power out of control. Some researcher from something or other Rescue said it was the path to Level 6. Given that she ignored the hopeless response from Tree Diagram and used resonance and Telepaths in a vain struggle to make it work, there must be something more to Body Crystal, but I dont need to think about it that deeply. Hamazura Shiage had been mistaken. He had been mistaken about how serious the fact that he had twice defeated the Number Four Level 5 was. And he had been mistaken about just how far the strong would go to eliminate a Level 0 once that Level 0 had put himself up on the stage of the strong. Hey, Hamazura. If the Number Four Level 5s power is forced out of control, how far do you think the damage will spread? White beams of light that were much too dreadful shot out. It wasnt just a few of them. With the girl named Mugino Shizuri at the center, tens of thousands of beams of light shot out in every direction. [edit] Part 2 Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right stood atop the Star of Bethlehem. A burning killer intent was emitted from Fiamma in all directions. A strange power gathered around the Third Arm that was a symbol of that power. It was such an overwhelming power that even Kamijou could sense it despite not knowing the details behind the structure of magic. Kamijou had no choice but to face that opponent alone. The magician Lessar was not on the Star of Bethlehem and even Sasha Kreutzev who had been with him just moments before had been swallowed up by the cracks in the floor Fiamma had broken causing her to fall to the lower levels of the fortress. There was no one he could rely on. However, he was not overpowered. Kamijou tightly clenched his right fist as he faced the enemy before his eyes. Fiamma rolled a spiritual item in his hand. It was the item controlling Index remotely allowing him to gain the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires. It was so close Kamijou felt that he could reach it if he just stretched out his hand. However, the wall of power known as Fiamma would make that much more difficult in reality. Kamijou knew it was a problem that he could not solve by just charging in randomly. As Kamijou slowly approached, Fiamma laughed. It was a cruel laugh. And yet it was the laugh of one who believed that he held no evil in his own actions. The Star of Bethlehem has risen and I have used Gabriel to control the heavenly bodies. The four elements have been returned to their rightful positions. The noise of something slicing through the air could be heard. Fiamma had lightly swung his Third Arm and it glowed palely. The preparations are complete. I suppose its about time I took that right arm of yours. If I wield the power fixed within me while using your arm as a medium, Project Bethlehem will be complete. ...Do you want victory for the Roman Catholic Church that badly? Kamijou poured more power into his right fist. But Fiamma shook his head. The Roman Catholic Church does not matter. Well, Id be lying if I said I wasnt thinking of Christian society in a broader sense, but at the core, my actions are for myself, Fiamma responded without a moment of silence. Also, I am not the cause of this war. That was not a speech that had been prepared beforehand. It was not something he was reciting from memory. Those core thoughts completely permeated the man known as Fiamma. That was why there was not the slightest pause as he spoke. It may be true that I pulled the trigger, but the spiral of anger, resentment, jealousy, and other negative emotions at the base of this war is nothing more than what had already taken root in people all over the world. If not, the flames of war would not have spread in such a short time no matter how violently I had tried to stir up war. Fiammas words flowed between them. I am an indulgence. ... As long as they are able to claim they did something because they were ordered to and not because they truly wanted to, people can let out what lies inside them no matter how inhuman it may be. That is just how ugly the creatures known as humans are. Are you trying to say everything youve done is justified because of that? I dont think thats true, but I dont have to, Fiamma said. I had two purposes in starting World War III. The first was to gather all the materials I needed on the pretext of them being necessary for the war. The second was as a ceremony to draw out the enemy I must defeat. A light flickered between weak and strong like the pulse of a living creature. It came from the Third Arm that was the symbol of what made him special. Even if you possess a sword with which to slay the lord of the demons, you cannot swing down that sword if the incarnation of evil does not stand before you. Immediately afterwards, a slicing attack came. It was a horizontal strike. Distance did not matter. It did not even fit within the room in the first place. The giant something pierced through the walls as it appeared. The instant it was swung, the entire room was sliced apart and the Star of Bethlehem itself had a large piece cut off. A loud roar resounded after a short delay. There was a flicker as if from purple electricity. Kamijous right hand could not fully negate it. If he had attempted to receive the attack, he would have been blown away as if he were being washed away by a great current. He would have flown a few thousand meters and may have even been slammed to the ground. But... Hohh. Fiamma smiled. Kamijou Touma stood within that destroyed room. The boy had realized that he would not be able to negate such a huge attack, so he had used an uppercut-like strike from below the horizontal attack. As a result, the trajectory of Fiammas attack had been slightly moved upwards causing it to pass by over Kamijous head. In other words... So youve learned how to turn aside an attack rather than to simply negate it, said Fiamma as if he was impressed. No one there was able to predict the next attack that came. Kamijou could not and Fiamma could not. No one else would have been able to either. Something twinkled in the heavens spread out above the broken ceiling. It was a white light. Immediately after Kamijous mind interpreted it that way, a giant pure-white pillar of light poured down in a straight line and enveloped Fiamma. A sound like oil poured on a hot wok reached Kamijous ears an instant later. Wha!? There was an explosion. A brilliant light as if from welding made Kamijou cover his eyes with his hands. It was so bright he started to get a headache and then he felt his feet float up off the ground. Immediately afterwards, he was knocked back a few meters. That was nothing more than an aftereffect. There was such heat that the air exploded and the shockwave that created was enough to blow away a human body. But... An Academy City optical weapon, hm? That refreshingly cool voice came from within the explosive beam of light. Despite supposedly receiving that mysterious attack, Fiammas manner of speech did not change in the slightest. If I remember correctly, their officially announced number of satellites is four, but from this, it seems I was right in assuming there was something very off about the distribution map of their space forces. Most likely, smaller satellites and space ships are being deployed from a large central station. The pure-white light that had shot down from overhead had looked like it had come straight down on Fiammas shoulder. However, it had not. In reality, the Third Arm growing from his shoulder was lifted straight up as if it were a giant parasol. It did not allow the falling light to encroach on his position. Fiamma then casually swung his right arm. That was all. And yet the air shook greatly. The white light was blown away by his Third Arm like eraser scraps being flicked away with a finger. That was all. With that, that tremendous light that had been wielded with such fury vanished. Kamijous vision was average, so he could not see what was occurring outside the atmosphere, but he knew. Fiamma, the man who stood before his eyes, had shot down the satellite with that simple motion. Its nothing to be surprised about. Fiamma of the Right swayed his Third Arm back and forth. In fact, Im rather embarrassed that I had to show off my right arm in such an incomplete state. You... Did you forget what I announced back in the Elizalina Alliance? My right arm responds to the need, matches to the level of trials and tribulations, and uses the most suitable output. Whether it is an optical weapon or whatever else, nothing can stand up to me. (This isnt normal.) It was beyond playing rock-paper-scissors against someone who got to choose after you had shown your hand. Simply put, Fiamma was almighty. Whether you used rock, paper, or scissors, Fiamma would just use win. It did not matter what shape his fingers made. At the point that he made the challenge, he had already won. That was why Fiamma did not need the things that were usually necessary. Speed. Toughness. Intelligence. Physical strength. Space between him and his opponent. Numbers. A weapon. Fiamma could bring an end to the fight by merely holding out his hand, so he did not need any of the usual cards that would lead to a tiny victory when used together. He needed to do only one thing to win. He would swing his right hand and it was all over. That was all there was to it. It seemed he had been limited in the number of times he could use it before, but he had overcome that by compensating with the knowledge he received from Index. Now, Fiamma could win as many times as he wanted. His victories were only personal victories, so they may have been different from political victories. That was why he had needed the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, but in the current situation, Fiamma simply had too much of an advantage. How was Kamijou supposed to fight an opponent like that? Standing on the same stage as someone and having a definite means of defeating them were two different things. But you should be proud, said Fiamma cheerfully with his much too strange-looking right arm. He was not enjoying fighting Kamijou. He was merely enjoying obtaining the item he wanted. As expected of the right arm I had my eyes on. It seems my right arm cannot decide what level of output to use against that fist. A horizontal attack came. Of course, Kamijous right arm could not receive it. Fiammas arm was not that simple. Kamijou stuck his right hand forward. At the point where he was on the border of touching Fiammas Third Arm, he twisted the trajectory of his hand so that his palm slid along Fiammas arm and then forced his own body to skid to the side. A tremendous tension ate into his entire body and it felt like it was shortening his lifespan. However, Kamijous right hand was clearly not normal either by the mere fact that he was able to challenge Fiammas right arm. ...!! Even after doing all that, Kamijou was unable to counterattack Fiamma. Fiammas body had already disappeared. Fiamma could not move up or down, but he could travel any distance if it was perfectly level. He had fallen back 3000 meters at once and was now standing atop a different building on the Star of Bethlehem. At the same time, he fired his next attack. The remote control spiritual item in Fiammas hand fired a beam of light. Warning: Chapter 22, Verse 1. Seven seconds until the complete activation of the spell named Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani. A blood red beam of light surged out. The pillar of light was fired from the magic circle that had appeared before Fiamma and it headed straight for Kamijou who stood in the distance ahead of him. An odd feeling ran up Kamijous spine. He had no memory of it, but an intense feeling of rejection came from something like instinct. ...!? He immediately held out his right hand and an intense pressure that felt like it would break his fingers met it. He could not blow the entire thing away. (Hes...!!) Kamijou gritted his teeth. (Hes not just relying on his right arm!? With all that, does he really not see it as anything more than awkward and incomplete!?) And then... As a pure spell, it really does have its disadvantages. The voice came from directly behind him, but he did not have the leeway needed to turn around. Fiamma was already there. The Third Arm was holding a giant sword made of light. He swung the sword horizontally aiming for Kamijous neck. Kamijous Imagine Breaker could not deal with simultaneous attacks from multiple directions. It was difficult to negate both at once and those attacks were on a level where even one of them would be enough to crush him. But Kamijou did not have any leeway in his options. The blood red beam of light was even then about to crush his body and the sword was accurately closing in to decapitate him from behind. Ooooohhhhhhhhh!! Kamijou yelled and turned his body while keeping his right hand in front of him. Keeping his right hand in the center, he moved his legs so he was at a 90 degree angle with the Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani beam. And then he removed his right hand from the beam of light. He altered the location of his right hand so it was just barely grazing the beam rather than receiving it straight on. Immediately afterwards, the red beams trajectory was forcefully distorted. It was similar to purposefully missing the center of a bowling pin with the ball in order to knock it to the side. With the beams route changed, it flowed diagonally behind Kamijou. It headed straight for Fiamma who was trying to decapitate him. (Ye) Kamijou turned around when he heard the explosive noise, but his eyes opened wide before he could check on the result. Fiamma of the Right ignored the approaching red beam of light and swung his Third Arm horizontally. The sword of light blew away the red beam in one strike and continued to slice through the air toward Kamijou. He did not have time to bring up his right hand. Nor did he have time to use his feet to evade. !! As if he were sweeping his own feet out from under him, Kamijou unhesitatingly threw himself to the floor. The large sword passed above him immediately afterwards. He could tell that it sliced straight through the wall of the fortress. An explosive noise struck Kamijous body like a shockwave. Fiamma smiled thinly. With the sword still held out, he played with the remote control spiritual item in his hand. Consecutive long distance attacks lose accuracy. I confirmed that in the Elizalina Alliance. An unnatural red light palely glowed from the remote control spiritual item. Warning: Chapter 29, Verse 33. Seven seconds until complete activation of the Scarlet Stone of Pexjarva. (Wha!?) In shock, Kamijou pressed the bottom of his shoes against the ground in order to stand up and move to his next course of action. Immediately afterwards, an intense pain crawled up from his toes, to his ankle, his shin, and his knee. The pain was similar to that of having the joints forcibly moved. Something invisible seemed to move along the floor and crawl into his body through his leg. Kh...Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! Kamijou struck his clenched fist against his own thigh. The intense pain being transmitted from his foot suddenly disappeared. Kamijou was kneeling on one knee, but Fiamma did not stop there. Warning: Chapter 35, Verse 18. Five seconds until complete activation of Sulfur Rain will Scorch the Earth. Orange arrow-like objects that held a scorching heat rained down. It was not just a few. Almost 50 arrows appeared from near the ceiling and fell down toward Kamijou like a hanging ceiling. (Hes using both his abilities as a member of Gods Right Seat and his knowledge from Index one after another...!?) Kamijou gritted his teeth and swung his right arm while still collapsed on the ground. A few of the arrows turned to orange sparks and were blown away into something like spray. The minute particles were struck by the other arrows that were still targeting him which caused meaningless explosions in midair. Even then, not all of them had been taken out. Orange arrows pierced into the floor right next to the boy and the stone shattered. The sharp fragments struck Kamijous body as he moved backwards and then stood up on his feet. Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right. They glared at each other through a white smokescreen. Not good. This was no time for a rehearsal, but I need to be aware of the errors between the theory and reality. It would be almost rude if I was in this state when the enemy I must defeat was dragged out. The room and the fortress itself had been sliced in two, so there was a cliff into the sky just in front of Kamijou. On the other side of the rift making up the cliff, he could see white clouds and the great land of Russia. One wrong step would send him tumbling off to his death at an altitude of 10,000 meters, but neither Kamijou nor Fiamma took their eyes off the other. The movements of Fiammas limbs were not as fast as Kanzakis or Acquas. They moved at the speed of a normal person like Kamijou and yet he could smash a mountain and split the earth. That sense of unbalance was very strange. Kamijou Touma was well aware of how fearsome an opponent he was up against, but his lips still moved. The enemy you must defeat? Yes. Im not after anything ridiculous. I dont want world domination or the extinction of mankind or anything along those lines. In fact, you could say that I am in the position farthest away from that kind of transformation. After all, my goal is to have what should be flowing as it should be. There was a clear disparity between that statement and the things he had said before. However, what he said next made the danger in what he said quite clear. This world is distorted. That blunt statement was enough to express the chill within Fiamma. With the misalignment of the four great elements and the dripping mass of negativity that is fueling World War III at the base, everything is distorted. There is not just one or two causes. All sorts of problems are spewing forth. It is as if the world itself is deteriorating. God is said to have created a perfect system and to have laid out all the gears to turn in the proper way, so why has everything become distorted so easily? ...The answer is simple. A few of the gears have reached their limit. So he would return them to normal. It was a simple goal to put in words. But when one thought about how many sacrifices Fiamma had forced on other people, it seemed doubtful the process he was using was a good one. It is necessary to switch out the gears and in some places, it is necessary to install new mechanisms. I suppose its similar to how the internal wiring needs to be worked on a little bit when repairing an old house. And bringing all the ill will to the surface with World War III could be said to be nothing more than removing dust clogging things up. Fiamma spoke as if what he was saying was not important at all. After washing away all the dirt on the gears, Christian model lubricant will be reapplied so that they will regain their light movements. I suppose thats a good enough metaphor for it all. I think my method is fairly discreet when compared to Noahs ark. ...and even after washing the world with a great flood, the ill will stuck there remained in the world afterwards. ...Lubricant? Kamijou muttered as he glared at Fiamma. Are you saying youre going to use some kind magic that rearranges peoples hearts to your convenience like the Croce di Pietro during the Daihaseisai? Its nothing that complex. Ill show you. That would be the best way to get it across. Oh, if I just swing my perfect arm just once, it will show you more than you ever wanted to know just how much of a gap there is between our abilities. Now then, I wonder how frightened humanity will have to get before they will realize the truth. When will they realize that what I am doing is the same as the legends of divine punishment in which lightning strikes those who break the norm, so they will get to see the moment at which I save everyone in the world as long as they obey. And when will they realize that the moment the Star of Bethlehem shines in the night sky, a new age will have begun. In the end, was Fiamma of the Right really a follower of the Christian Church? Or did he feel that human hands fixing the distorted gears that God had created would be the ultimate blasphemy? But that was not what caught Kamijous attention. You say youre going to save everyone in the world? Fiamma would cover the entire world in only the blessings that fit into the limits of what he could imagine. He saw no value in anything else. In a way, a world like that would be a utopia. The earth would be a planet where everything but blessings had been annihilated. Have you truly looked around at every single part of the world? Have you seen how many people there are smiling? I see. You hold an interesting view. Fiamma grinned. But lets think about that after Ive saved the world. Immediately afterwards, the giant sword soared from directly below to directly above. It passed up under Kamijous right armpit and headed right toward his shoulder. He had no time to evade or even to turn aside the strike. With an unbelievably soft noise, Kamijou Toumas right arm was severed at the shoulder. [edit] Part 3 Accelerator had succeeded in defeating the water angel. He was breathing erratically. Despite manipulating the vectors, his legs were trembling from exhaustion as he stood atop the snow. He had surely had some success. The water angels explosion had been contained to a minimum. Normally, everything would have been annihilated to the point of not even leaving dust behind for hundreds of kilometers, but he had managed to protect the land of Russia and the people who lived there. And yet Accelerator thought his heart was going to stop. A car was stopped in front of him as if it had struck a wall of snow. It was the car Misaka WORST had been driving and that Last Order had been within. It was clearly not in good shape. The front was greatly dented in and the windshield was shattered. All the trees in the area had been knocked over in the same direction. It was the aftereffect of Accelerators battle. Last Order and Misaka WORST had been hit full on by that shockwave. ... Accelerator bent over and almost sank into the snow. He no longer knew what he had been fighting for. Misaka WORST and Last Order were lying limply within the car. They had clearly taken serious damage. Especially Last Order. She had already been pressured from within due to the effect of Aiwasss appearance and now external damage had been added on top of that. He was afraid to even imagine how dangerous a situation her body was in. Could he do anything? He still did not know how to use the parchments. The war had been endlessly harsh. Amid all the fighting, Last Order and Misaka WORST had become quite battered. Would Last Orders body last until he could find a clue that would lead him to a way to resolve it all? ...You might be able to do something, said a voice. It was a frail female voice. You also have someone you want to rescue with your own hands, right? I am technically not human, but I understand how humans think. Accelerator felt cornered and so his eyes held more hostility than necessary. When he turned around, he found the scientific angel there. Her body was oddly transparent. I may be able to entrust my goal to someone like you. I have expended too much. My existence will not disappear, but it will be difficult for me to appear in the physical world for a while. What are you saying? What do you mean I might be able to do something!? September 30th. Accelerators eyes opened wide at that date spoken by the scientific angel. That was the day Last Order had been abducted by Kihara Amata. To Accelerator, that date held more meaning to his life than any other. My friend named Index...removed the virus from that girls head by singing her a special song. And then she mentioned Index. That was the keyword that both Aiwass and that Level 0 had mentioned. He could no longer ignore what she was saying. Accelerators focus turned toward the scientific angel as if it were being sucked in toward her. Yet the scientific angels silhouette was losing focus as if she were the flame of a candle that was about to go out. ...The contents of the song...are within my head...because I was linked...with the virus. The original was...meant to...deal...with me, so...it may not work...for that monster...that is derived from me...but if you...change the...para...meters of...the song... (Song? Is it some methodology about stimulating the senses in order to control someones mental state? If I directly operate on the brain like when I dealt with Amais virus...) She was disappearing. It was too late. There was not time for her to explain about the song in detail. ...Dont...worry... The scientific angel placed her finger on her temple. Her fingertip had almost completely disappeared. That girl...was the one healed...by the...song...so it has been...recorded within...her head... Her timid smile blurred. As for...the parame...ters, you kno- She disappeared. She was no longer visible. He could no longer hear her voice. ... Accelerator hit the switch for his electrode and checked on the surrounding vectors. The AIM diffusion fields filling the area similarly to in Academy City were completely gone. That scientific angel had disappeared...or rather had been forcibly returned to Academy City. He thought for a bit. He called out toward the driver seat of wrecked car. He called out toward Misaka WORST. ...Are you alive? Unfortunately. Misaka thought for a bit about just comfortably pretending to be dead. The girl raised her head and then moved out onto the snow with a surprisingly nimble motion. Accelerator showed no real sign that he cared. Then you heard all that. The data on the song used to eliminate the virus from Last Order still remains within her memories, responded Misaka WORST in an offhand kind of way. It seems that data might be useful in healing her if you could extract it. Wow, so Academy Citys Number One can steal peoples memories by reading the vectors of the electrical signals in their brain. Amazing. ...My vector manipulation power can only detect the presence or absence of an electrical signal. In other words, I can only extract a string of zeroes and ones. I have no way of knowing what memory that belongs to, so I cant replay the memories or anything. Can anyone hear the music on a CD in their head just by looking at the surface of the CD? Its the same as that. Then whatll you do? Ill use your power, responded Accelerator immediately. Youre from the Sisters series as well, so you should be able to directly access the huge information source of the Misaka Network. Last Order is the highest unit. A Misaka who has nothing but normal access privileges cant look into the control towers head. If I could do that, I could have manipulated Last Order into attacking you. You dont need to access this brat here. She has a habit of sharing her memories with the other Sisters to make a backup. In other words, theres a good chance you can access the data on the song as long as you can access the other Sisters through the network. How careless of her. If you matched the timing with which the control tower made contact with the backup, you would have a chance to embed malicious data within the control tower. Yeah, but it seems that carelessness is normally referred to as trust, spat out Accelerator. And thanks to that, we just barely have a means out of this. Keh keh. But even if you get the song, you cant use it as is. Where are you planning on obtaining the parameters for altering it? I know where. Accelerator reached for his pocket. The parchments were there. They could not be explained by science. But couldnt the same thing be said of that monster in Academy City named Aiwass? Even if the being was based on AIM diffusion fields, could it really be called scientific? When he thought of the being as existing outside a certain set of rules, it suddenly made sense how Accelerator was so easily defeated despite supposedly being the Number One. In that case... I may be able to find the parameters by looking in these. If I put together Academy City and the other type of techniques that exists outside of it, it may lead to a way to resolve this. [edit] Part 4 Mugino Shizuri exploded. White light shot out in all directions with her at the center. The overwhelming flood of light wiped away the supernatural phenomena of the eerie night sky that ignored the time of day and the strange points of light glowing in 4 different colors. In the same way the lights of a city made the stars disappear, Mugino Shizuris power showed itself in Russia as a symbol of the negative side of science. The raging beams of light finally focused together into one spot. It was a single arm. It was a construction almost 20 meters long. Hamazura looked up at it and almost felt a sense of majesty from it, but the arm of light then swung down above him like a collapsing building. ...!!!??? He frantically jumped to the side. The Meltdowner arm did not just melt through the thick snow. It melted the earth below the snow as well. An explosive noise rang out. Hamazuras large body was blown over 10 meters away. He tried to yell out in fear, but his mouth refused to move. He realized he was losing moisture. As he forced his stuck throat to move and sucked in air, Hamazura thought. He had not been directly hit. If he had, he would have been blown to pieces. (A phreatic explosion...!!) He felt a stinging pain over his entire upper body and his entire backbone creaked, but he did not have time to complain about the pain. The next strike was coming. One small piece of luck amid all the misfortune was that Mugino could not aim carefully after sending herself out of control. However, the misfortune greatly outweighed the luck. He could no longer see Mugino Shizuri. Her beam arm had come undone and she was firing tens of thousands of beams in every direction again. However, it was not just for an instant. Like a saber from a robot anime, she was perpetually firing the beams. The girls silhouette was blotted out. The intense dancing light burned afterimages into Hamazuras vision preventing him from seeing anything else. The swirl of beams of light gave him a sharp headache and he merely lay on the ground. Muginos attack could fuse steel instantly, so it was nothing short of a miracle that Hamazuras body was not sliced in two. He could not approach her. Approaching would bring him nothing but death. In all of their battles up to that point, Muginos Meltdowner had been overwhelming. After all, she could freely fire beams that could pierce through any cover and straight through her opponents body. Letting her hear the slightest breath would bring death. That was how fearsome an opponent she was. But this was different. It was very different. It was now the same as a blast furnace or the sun. He could no longer hold his breath and approach from a blind spot or use a mental opening to get an attack in. He had no chance left. The light was simply too great. Just by approaching, the human body would suffer a fatal wound. Needless to say, touching her was out of the question. And... ...Haamazuraa... Amid the explosive din, he could still hear that cracking voice. He could tell the voice was getting closer. Yes, it was getting closer. Even while Mugino Shizuri exploded like that, she was slowly approaching. That blasting furnace that could burn away a human body just by approaching was walking toward him like death incarnate. That was Body Crystal. That was Meltdowner. The power had been devilishly powerful to begin with and it had now been given an even more destructive effects with a drug(?). Having become hell on earth, Mugino Shizuri fully represented all that. ...I have abandoned everything, said a nightmarish voice. The tone of voice alone squeezed that tiny boys heart. I knew what would happen if I used Body Crystal, but I made sure to abandon it all, Hamazura. It cost me everything to be standing here now, so it isnt right for you to be unscathed, is it? ...Dont tell me you thought you could leave this place without abandoning anything...! Was she even human? That was what Hamazura honestly thought. Not a single fragment remained of the vague idea of opposing powerful espers he had held during his Skill Out days. They were insane. They just lived in too different a world. They were supposed to have been racing toward a cliff in a game of chicken, but Mugino Shizuri had flapped the wings on her back to fly beyond the edge of the cliff. Even using a machine against a monster like that would just lead him straight to the bottom of the cliff. He couldnt win. There was no way. He was on his hands and knees atop the snow and he could not move. It would not mean anything to that monster if he pulled the trigger of his assault rifle and shot every bullet he had. There was no opening. There was no blind spot. How was he supposed to hurt a Level 5 who was perpetually firing deadly attacks 360 degrees around her? ...Hamazura... Death called his name. Death approached him. Hamazura. Turning his back would mean nothing. Any distance he could make on foot through that snow would mean nothing if Mugino just focused on her attack a little. And if he hid behind a tree, she would just blow straight through the trunk. Even if he ran, he would be killed. But standing to oppose her would just shorten his life. In that case... (What the hell am I supposed to do...!!!???) Haamazuraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! She yelled. The whiteness that had blotted out his vision suddenly disappeared. No. The attack being fired in all directions collected in one place. It collected in one place in order to pierce through Hamazura Shiage. It was solely to open a giant hole in the body of her target. Trying to run away was useless. That deadly attack would pierce through any type of cover. (Im dead....!?) Hamazuras breathing stopped yet his arms still shot up. Without checking whether the safety was on or not, he aimed the barrel of the assault rifle at Mugino. In the off chance that it would increase Takitsubo Rikous odds of survival by 1% or even 0.1%, Hamazura started to pull the trigger. And then Mugino Shizuris yell spread out explosively. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Suddenly, all light disappeared. Mugino Shizuris body fell down into the snow. Hah...? Hamazura could not understand the scene before his eyes. He had not yet pulled the trigger. No third party had suddenly appeared and attacked Mugino. No one had done anything and yet Mugino had lost all power and collapsed like a marionette thats strings had been cut. Hamazura was not in a position where he could wonder what had happened. (Was I...saved...?) That was all he could think. And then he realized something. Mugino Shizuris body was trembling as she sank into the snow. Her face that had been stripped of its special makeup was sweating much more than one would expect in the freezing cold of Russia. Her complexion looked like that of someone with a high fever. Hamazura knew what was happening. He had seen a similar condition on the girl who had been with him the entire time. It was the Body Crystal. It had originally been developed to purposefully send an espers power out of control. In extremely rare cases that state would strengthen an espers power, so it was supplied to espers like Takitsubo, but it was not something an esper with no aptitude for it should take. Mugino Shizuri did not have the special characteristics needed. Takitsubo had the disposition for it, but the Body Crystal still gradually ate into her body. It was obvious how much damage would be done to someone who did not have the disposition like Mugino if they used it anyway. Mugino Shizuri had gone that far. Her powers as the Number Four were not enough. In order to defeat Hamazura Shiage who had defeated her twice, she did not care what happened to her body. That was what Mugino had been thinking when she used the Body Crystal. (...So it was all she could do to keep standing.) It was not something a Level 0 like Hamazura could understand. If there was something that could strengthen ones powers so easily and with no risk, no one would be working so hard. Why...? Something squirmed about in the snow. That was what the once leader of ITEM had been reduced to. Why, goddammit!! Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit!!!! The Body Crystal...Where did the Body Crystal go? Just a bit more...just 10 more seconds and it would have all been over!! ... Hamazura knew the situation and his hands trembled. The barrel of his assault rifle shook unreliably. He could feel that Mugino was wide open as she struggled within the snow. He could kill her. If he killed her there, Takitsubo and he would no longer be targeted. His finger on the trigger cramped up. But... Was it really okay to kill her? Who was it who had regretted the fight with Mugino Shizuri just before he came to Russia? Hamazura looked down at Mugino again. She had been the most glamorous of the girls that made up ITEM. Her taste in clothing had not been bad. Her limbs were long and slender and all of her movements had held a certain elegance. Hamazura had been nothing but a subordinate, so he had never learned of her personal history, but he guessed that she was some kind of rich girl. And yet... Hamazuraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Dont fucking look down on me! You alone...You alone I will kill with my own hands no matter what!! It all fell apart there. It all fell apart when you shot me in that ethanol plant!! If I dont crush you, the anger in my head will not go away!! Mugino was incredibly battered. She had lost an arm and an eye. She had horrible burns on her face. And that was only on the outside. Hamazura had no way of knowing what was going on inside her. Were her organs really in the correct places? Did she even have all her organs? Did she have anything else stuck in there with her organs? He did not even know the answers to those questions. What had happened to her while he wasnt looking? It was not normal for her to have gotten back up after those injuries each time. He could not even imagine what kind of grotesque technology had been put inside her to support that abnormality. And it all led to the Body Crystal. She was a shadow of her former self. Her body lacked its core. It felt like just poking at her with your finger would result in your finger sinking into her skin like it was rotten jelly. It was odd that she had been standing before. She was a tool that the darkness of Academy City had completely used up. "...Why did I turn into such a horrible monster?" Wasnt that what Mugino Shizuri had said in District 23? When he had heard her say that, what was it he had thought? When he had fled Academy City, hadnt he felt like saying goodbye to all the back alley fights? Mugino... If he killed her there, would anything really change? Hadnt he come to Russia because he was sick of all the bloodshed caused by the darkness of Academy City? Muginoooooooooooooooooo!! The next thing he knew, he was rushing over to her. He had thrown the assault rifle aside. He did not need it. Mugino had been such a powerful wall blocking his way, but no more attacks would be coming from her. She could do nothing but tremble in the snow. Hamazura approached Mugino, crouched down, wrapped his arms around her back, and helped her stand up. They naturally ended up in a position similar to an embrace and his hands felt both a soft feminine sensation and an odd rough hard feeling. At first Hamazura assumed she had something hidden in her coat, but he realized that wasnt so. There was something in her body. Muginos expression did not change. To her it may have been so normal that she saw no need to discuss it. She looked at Hamazuras shocked face and moved her trembling lips. ...What are you...doing...? Ive had enough, Hamazura said spitting out his true feelings. Why do we have to fight like this!? Even the fight between ITEM and SCHOOL that led to all this was a problem that the adults in Academy City should have settled!! Their desires created that citys darkness. Why do we have to do all this to clean up after them!? ... You, Takitsubo, Kinuhata, and even Frenda got along so well!! I dont know too much about the times when the four of you were together, but Im sure you were all watching out for each other since long before I started working under ITEM!! Why? Why did it have to end up like this!? It isnt just because your short temper led to you killing Frenda. If the higher ups of Academy City truly held even that conflict in their hands, then wasnt ITEM set up to lose to SCHOOL regardless of how the small battles turned out!? Werent we cornered and forced to fight each other to the death!? The higher ups who manipulated peoples fates like they were gods may have predicted that very conversation. They may have been relaxing in some dark room and laughing at the words he was saying. Hey, if you want to see me be pathetic, Ill let you as many times as you want. Ill bow down to you as long as it takes, Ill lick your shoes until youre satisfied, and Ill set fire to my bankbook with a lighter. If that kind of thing will stop this fighting, Ill do anything. As he spewed out what he truly felt deep in his heart, Hamazura slowly became aware of who his true enemy was. It was not a monster like Mugino. It was the people who had turned a girl into that monster. He was not going to let anyone say it was society or the environment she lived in. A calamity on that level did not occur naturally. That was just how much of nightmare she was. But what if there was someone who had rearranged the surroundings of the delinquents and espers in the back alleys in order to create that tragedy for their own benefit? Would that person not be an even greater mass of evil than a mere monster? So lets stop this. There was no reason to fight. If they continued to take each others lives, the only ones who would gain from it were the VIPs who polished their claws in an unreachable place. Why did that war of washing away blood with blood have to continue just so those people could increase the number of jewels and paintings they owned? Why did a single girl have to be turned into a monster and why did he have to call her a monster and point a gun at her? That was why Hamazura said what he did. Hamazura finally completely broke free of the mental chains binding him to the great darkness within Academy City and he spoke like a completely normal human being. Lets stop killing. For a while, Mugino Shizuri remained silent. Her sworn enemy was practically embracing her and she would normally have been able to kill her target instantly without moving a finger at that range, but that Level 5 monster leaned on that Level 0 boy. Finally, she opened her mouth. She shook her head. ...What are you saying, Hamazura...? She seemed to be squeezing out her words. She sounded like her heart had been shattered and she was now exposing what had been within. You chose Takitsubo, right? You shot me twice in order to save her. How can you now say youre going to save me...? Yes... Hamazura nodded and his voice sounded like a groan. Yes!! I chose Takitsubo! I swore I would risk my life to protect her!! That hasnt changed!! I cant change my decision now and choose you!! That hasnt changed. I abandoned you to protect Takitsubo!! Hamazura had said he would do any pathetic thing as long as it would stop the fighting. He understood the gravity of the violence he had wielded. When Mugino realized that, the edges of her lips loosened so subtly that it would have been easy to miss. Her body was incredibly beaten up. She had not just lost an eye and an arm. Her insides were so messed up that the eye and the arm were no real problem. She had undergone the strange medical treatments of Academy City and the Body Crystal had wreaked its havoc all through her body. Mugino thought back on her tragic state and then muttered a few words. ...You selfish bastard. I know. Im probably the worst person in Academy City. I killed Frenda. I tore ITEM apart. I tried to take Takitsubos life and not just once. How do you plan to save someone who has done all that? Im not saying youll get off easy. And neither will I. ...? So you need to apologize to Kinuhata, bow down to Takitsubo, and go crying to Frendas grave in order to beg for forgiveness. Once you do that... Hamazura trailed off there. That Level 0 delinquent used his insufficient intellect to search for the proper words. Once you do that, we will become ITEM once more. We will!! She made no objections. Mugino Shizuris thoughts completely stopped before she could. In that silence, only Hamazuras words continued. And until then, I will protect you! I will risk my life in order for you, Takitsubo, and Kinuhata to return to ITEM!! So stand up, Mugino. Please, stand up on your own two legs just once more!! Break the twisted mental chains known as your pride that Academy City created!! You, a Level 0, are saying youll protect me, a Level 5...? Mugino Shizuri grinned. It was the same smile as when she, Kinuhata Saiai, Frenda, and Takitsubo Rikou had held their strategy meetings in that family restaurant. What a joke. Dont look down on me like that. She brushed aside Hamazuras hand and slowly stood atop the snow. Her body wobbled. She held out a hand to stop Hamazura who was desperately trying to support her and used her chin to point toward the creepy night sky made up of points of four different colors. An Academy City supersonic bomber was passing by overhead. Three masses rained down in a straight line along the path of the bomber. A horrible sound hurt Hamazuras ears. It was coming from the radio the Russian soldier had dropped. Someone was jamming it so that not even the smallest piece of the inhuman things about to occur would leak out. Hamazura felt a terribly unpleasant feeling like he was touching some terrible slime. He detected the same smell as when he had faced off against the privateers. Despite it having been an Academy City weapon, the impression he got was the exact opposite from the monstrous aircraft that had repelled the Russian special unit. This one was not the kind type of opponent that had destroyed the steam dispenser. This one was definitely there to kill him. That was its only objective. Hamazuras instincts told him that much. Mugino started muttering as she stared up at the creepy night sky. ...It seems I was always expendable. They have concluded that the trash I am broke down before it had destroyed everything. Their secondary plan is coming down. What will you do, Hamazura? Didnt I already tell you? Hamazura picked up the assault rifle he had cast aside before. I said I would risk my life so that everyone would return to ITEM. ...Heh. Youve got guts, Mugino muttered under her breath so that it did not reach Hamazura. Meanwhile, Hamazura looked around the area. There would be a bit of a time lag before the Academy City assassins completed their descent. In that time, he had to find Takitsubo who he had lost track of during the avalanche. Once he did, he had to come up with a plan to fight back against the Academy City assassins who were heading down to attack them from the night sky. He did not have much time. A darkness that was enough to replace Mugino Shizuri approached as if to swallow up Hamazura and the others. [edit] Part 5 In the underground portion of St. Georges Cathedral, Indexs attacks were relentless. She had immediately seen through the fact that Stiyl Magnus had made the three flame giants into a single set in order to create a Trinity construction that would lower the burden. In order to destroy that construction, she had focused her attacks on a single Innocentius. By having three Innocentii, Stiyls burden was lessened, but they had now been reduced to two, so they lost stability and he was forced to bear the full brunt of the burden once more. However, he could not stop fighting. He did not have time to rest. Indexs fierce attacks making full use of the 103,000 grimoires did not give him a chance. Different types of objects coiled about. There was the glow of the magic circles in her emotionless eyes, the red wings growing from her limp back that seemed to have lost its core, and the numerous western swords created from collections of something like particles of light that floated around her. They all functioned to thoroughly annihilate her enemy and their current target was Stiyl Magnus. Kh...!! Even then, the red blood wings were swung about again and again and the long narrow swords made of particles of light stabbed in from various angles. The swords were not held in Indexs hands. They floated about her. Stiyl was reminded of the sword held by the harvest god Freyr that would automatically fight and automatically kill the enemy. (Angel wings and the harvest gods sword...!! Shes matching my combination of Christianity and Norse mythology!!) Within Norse mythology, there was no legend in which that sword lost. Even in the final battle of Ragnarok, Freyr only lost because he had left the sword with someone else before the war began, so a means of defeating that sword was not recorded anywhere. Even Odin and Thor were defeated along with their weapons, but that sword alone was undefeated. Innocentius alone was not going to be enough. The giants would be quickly worn down and would be annihilated without being able to recover. If that happened, who would stop Index? How would he save her? Thinking that, Stiyl unhesitatingly created a flame sword and put himself between Index and the Innocentii. Because there were two of the flame giants, they could not gain time to recover. Indexs rush of attacks gave them no chance to do so and they lost momentum. In that case, he needed to use other means of fighting to make up for that. If he could buy them time to recover, he could complete a rotation. He let fly multiple slashes of the flame sword and the blood wings and giants arms swung around. Stiyl felt even more pressure inside his body and he sweated profusely. His flame sword was not perfect. At times he received Indexs attack on it and it was sliced apart. At those times, he twisted his body at the last second and just barely managed to continue fighting. But he was up against Johns Pen mode that had been created to annihilate anyone who was trying to steal the 103,000 grimoires whether it was a single person or an entire cabal. The mere fact that Stiyl Magnus was managing to deal with her on his own was abnormal. Just saying that Stiyl had grown was not enough to explain it. Index was clearly in bad form. (The burden from the remote control spiritual item is holding her back.) While managing to singlehandedly cut through the 103,000 grimoires, Stiyl did not overestimate his own abilities. (That unnecessary interruption into her consciousness is lowering her accuracy and speed. If she was the same as she was when she fought that right hand, this kind of trick wouldnt work.) But he was not thankful. If that burden were not there, she would not be suffering. Stiyl stepped forward. There was an instant of an opening. If he detonated the flame sword there, he could knock her unconscious. Even if she was a great magical existence, her body was still that of a delicate girl. If she was hit by the shockwave, she should no longer be able to function. And then he could place the additional rune card on her in order to mentally bind her. Then it would be over. And yet Stiyls mind caught at the last second. Even if he was doing this to protect her... Even if he had been forced into this battle against his will by the remote control spiritual item... He had hurt her quite a bit up until then. Could Stiyl Magnuss magic name allow him to hurt her any more than that? He shouldnt have thought that. He had used up time that he shouldnt have. And... Chapter 32, Verse 44. Preparing for a counterattack, said the ruthless voice of the girl he was supposed to protect. [edit] Between the lines 6 Stealing an Academy City tank had been simple. Mikoto was at the top when it came to espers who manipulated electricity. Despite the tank running mainly on a diesel engine, most of it ran through electronics. As someone who could directly hack without using cables, that weapon had been no match for Mikoto. There were powered suits and the like that used chemical springs that moved using chemicals and were protected by armor that thoroughly repelled all electromagnetic waves as a defense against electricity espers, but that tank had not seemed to have anything like that equipped on it. She had stopped the engine from a distance, unlocked the hatch, and kicked out those aboard. They had tried to report the incident, but Mikoto had interfered with their radio transmission as well. She had done the same for the photographing from UAVs and the radar that was monitoring the situation. She had separated the tank from the war front, so no one would notice. Hmm. Tanks move surprisingly quickly, muttered Mikoto from within the tank that the Sister was operating. Modern tanks possess the output needed to run without issue on highways, but it is only Academy City technology that allows this one to move at 150 kph on a snowy path like this, says Misaka giving an arbitrary report. Well, these masses of iron cost 7 billion each, so they need to be at least this useful. Original, they are made of composite materials, corrects Misaka. The main guns of recent tanks can fire at about Mach 4.5, says Misaka as she idly adds on to her previous report. That is a greater output than your Railgun, onee-sama. It isnt all about the speed, you know? She only went by that name because it symbolized her electric powers. Her pride was not condensed into that one attack. In fact, she found her true worth in hitting her enemy with multiple attacks from multiple angles. (...And thats why that idiot especially gets on my nerves by negating my attacks no matter what I throw at him.) Misaka apologizes for interrupting you while you mumble to yourself, but... Nyahh!? It appears the independent unit preparing the Nu-AD1967 nuclear warheads has spotted us, reports Misaka. Heading there as quickly as possible may have backfired. The unit may have seen the snow tossed up by the treads through a night vision scope. Something was fired from the distance. The only thing in Mikotos mind was the nuclear warheads, so a chill ran down her spine, but it seemed that was not what it was. The missile was too small and there were too many of them. They appear to be surface-to-surface missiles used for bombings, reports Misaka. There are 30 to 40 of them. Nyah ha. You appear to becoming more cat-like, so how about it? asks Misaka suggesting a course of action. Of course. Mikoto reached for the hatch above her head. She opened the circular hatch that was like a small manhole and raised her upper body out. This is my area of expertise, so leave it to me!! As she yelled, sparks flew from her bangs. She did not fire a lightning spear. She sent an enormous amount of electromagnetic waves to the area ahead of her. She was interfering with the radar that the missiles used to search for the enemy while heading through the air at twice the speed of sound. The missiles immediately lost their target and dropped down in odd directions. Numerous explosions rang out and a shockwave struck Mikotos cheek like a slap even though she was not directly hit. She ignored it and stared ahead. Full speed ahead!! If we fall back, itll just give them time to prepare the next barrage! Lets take care of this all at once!! M-Misa... ? Misa...Severe....kami...obstruction of the signal...sakami...the network...sakamisaka...cut off...kamisa....attempting to restore....kamisaka... Wah wah wah!! Whats with you!? Hah? You just now realized you have a vulnerability to jamming with a large output by an esper with the same type of power? The Sister was trembling in the driver seat as if in a trance and Mikoto hurriedly stopped sending out the jamming electromagnetic waves. Heh...The mass produced models really cannot stand up to the Original, says Misaka as she reassesses her own position with some self derision. Of course, ending the jamming meant the enemys bombings would begin anew. Lets just charge in!! Mikoto yelled. Once we get close enough, they wont be able to carry out large scale bombings in fear of getting caught in the blast themselves!! The diesel engine let out a roar as if in response. They were only 2 kilometers away from where the surface-to-surface missiles were being fired. The independent unit seemed to have given up on the bombings, but they had brought out a tank unit that had been hidden behind a hill. Even if they were prepared to be hit a few times, they would be completely blown away if dozens of tanks focused their fire on them. By Misakas estimations, we will be hit by the blasts 20 times before we can travel 500 meters, says Misa Then well finish this before that!! A black shadow squirmed around Mikotos tank. No. It was a large amount of iron sand that had been sleeping below the snow. She thoroughly gathered it from approximately 200 meters around her and brought it together using magnetism. It must have looked like a wall to her enemies. That wall of despair was like a giant tsunami about to strike the land. That was the Number Three Level 5. She was not just a cannon. There were only two people she knew who she could not handle even with skillful application of her power. Those two were the espers who stood at the extremes. One at the extreme of justice and one at the extreme of evil. Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! As she yelled, the huge mass of iron sand passed by overhead and crashed into the enemy forces ahead. Like an undulating tsunami or like a living snake, that mountain of iron sand swept across while vibrating at high speed. The independent Russian unit was unable to deal with it. Of course they werent. No matter how many times they shot it, the swirling iron sand did not slow down in the slightest. The tank being controlled by the Sister leisurely drove into the center of the confused enemy lines. Mikoto pulled herself out of the hatch completely and looked forward. There was a large truck-like vehicle in the very center of the enemy lines. It had over 20 tires and it was larger than a train car. It had a long tube loaded on the back. That object that was standing up vertically on hydraulic cylinders was most likely the missile loaded with a Nu-AD1967. As if to speed up the situation, there were flames firing from the back of it. Mikoto jumped from the tank that was skidding to the side atop the snow. (Whether thats an ICBM or a strategic nuclear warhead with the outer shell swapped out, it is still electronically controlled. A lighting spear will make it useless.) She did not use her Railgun because she wanted to avoid letting the nuclear materials leak out. Only destroying the control circuits was the safest course of action. Just as the arm holding the missile in place was about to let go, Mikoto focused on her bangs while in midair. As bluish-white sparks shot out, she yelled with every last bit of strength she had left. ...Ill blow you away!! Volume 22, 10: Completion of the Final Spell’s Preliminary Preparations. Rebirth_the... Volume 22, Chapter 10: Completion of the Final Spells Preliminary Preparations. Rebirth_the... Part 1 Sasha Kreutzev ran through the Star of Bethlehem. The Star of Bethlehem was a temple on a scale never seen before in the history of the Christian Church. However, the inside was wrapped in silence to terrifying extent. She had not seen a single warrior priest. She felt as if a deep part of Fiamma of the Right was carved into that dark silence. On a fundamental level, that man did not trust in what were known as comrades. That was why he had made that structure. Fiammas attack had caused her to split up with the boy who was apparently a student from Academy City. She should really go help him out, but she had been made aware of how little a chance she had against Fiamma back in the Elizalina Alliance. That man was a monster. He had almost surpassed the laws of magic. However, things were different if Fiamma of the Right was not the only opponent. (My personal opinion: This temple and the altered night sky are deeply related to Project Bethlehem and it is highly likely that Fiamma is magically linked to the Star of Bethlehem in order to control it.) While keeping a cautious eye on her surroundings, Sasha ran down the passageway at high speed. (A supplementary explanation: Even if I cannot stand up to Fiamma, I may be able to get an indirect attack in via the Star of Bethlehem.) At any rate, she had to hurry. She did not know the details of who that boy was, but it had not seemed like he knew much about magic. In that case he was someone who should be protected by the Russian Orthodox Church that was supposed to inspect and eliminate the occult. Just by the fact that she was using that amateur to buy her some time against that monster, she felt the need to voluntarily punish herself. (But where exactly am I supposed attack!? The Star of Bethlehem is a large-scale temple with a radius of over 40 kilometers. It could take quite a bit of time just to find a point to target!!) As Sasha grew impatient, an odd voice came from behind a pillar. Tah dah! Tah dah! Tah dahhh!! !? Sashas body stiffened like a surprised cats and she pulled an L-shaped crowbar from the belt at her waist. However, the end of the mass of steel did not strike the speaker when she swung it like a Japanese Iai strike. There was a steel glove. A spiritual item that was made of mechanical parts combined to look a bit like an arm struck the crowbar modified for torture and sparks flew through the air. Holding the steel glove was a girl wearing what looked like a lacrosse uniform with a jacket over it. From the back of her miniskirt, an artificial tail could be seen swaying back and forth. Ahh. Im glad I managed to use my steel glove to grab onto the outer wall of the Star of Bethlehem when it started rising. I tried to construct a communications line with Bayloupe and the others who are on the surface, but this fortresss protection is tougher than I expected, so I couldnt open a hole to get through. Right now, Im trying to force as much of the technology in this fortress into my head as I can for the sake of the UK. I was doing it as I searched for that important boy who I lost track of. The black-haired girl did not seem to mind having been attacked by the crowbar. Are you from the Russian Orthodox Church? You seemed troubled, so I came over to explain the payment plan to you. I recommend the stopover course. Its quite cheap right now. ? Sasha looked confused and the black-haired girl skillfully moved her tail to point in a certain direction. She pointed to the bottom of the temple where a great number of square containers were hanging down. Theyre something like emergency escape devices. Theyre kind of like a mix between a bus and a parachute. It seemed like the Russian Orthodox magicians might try to resist Fiamma to stop his plan from being completed, but then he would just throw them out, so I led them here before that could happen. Heh heh. My first question: What do you mean by payment plan? Oh, Im not really going to be taking money. Everything I do is for the sake of the UK. Ill help you out here if you swear to help us out if the UK is ever in trouble later, said the black-haired girl with a huge grin on her face. With the tail stretching from within her miniskirt, she gave the impression of a demon, but the different details were sweet and cute. She was like a mischievous little demon. Sasha wondered what the girl intended to make her do with that verbal promise. However, Sasha did not especially care about the UK, so she didnt ask. My first response: Make sure everyone who wishes to leave the warfront escapes. A supplementary explanation: I do not intend to leave yet. I must at least get one strike back at Fiamma of the Right. Eh heh heh. Understood. Dont forget that I will have you repay for this favor later either officially or unofficially. With a loud clunk, the containers suspended from the bottom of the temple flew out into the night sky. The flames of war were blazing on the surface, but there was no need to worry about that. They were professional Russian Orthodox magicians. The black-haired girl lightly waved her tail. So how do you plan to strike back at Fiamma? My second response: I feel no need to answer your question. You kind of piss me off. Would you like some gum? Sashas face darkened behind her bangs. My third response: I do not understand why people put that mass of synthetic compounds into their mouths. Ever since the manna in the New Testament, Christians have always been reputed to love sweet things. Sasha ignored the black-haired girl following her and ran further into the Star of Bethlehem. She did not have a complete grasp of the construction of the temple, but she had an idea where the device she was headed for was. She was headed for the device that connected Fiamma of the Right to the temple. Assuming the Star of Bethlehem functioned on the idea of a temple from Christian-based magic both old and modern and both eastern and western, then the number, colors, and arrangement of the parts constructing the temple should be the same regardless of its size. Basically, he had gathered the best materials from all across the world and increased the scale by quite a bit, but he was still using the same basic recipe. In that case, there was no need to be fooled by its showiness or size. The knowledge within the magician known as Sasha Kreutzev was enough. Suddenly, Sasha stopped running. She was not at some important part of the temple her knowledge told her about. Sasha was looking out a window. Through it, she could see a dark night sky spreading out and another building. The buildings walls and ceiling had been mostly destroyed, so she could see inside it from where she stood. Fiamma of the Right had swung a giant sword that blotted out the night sky beyond it. And Sasha saw the right arm of the boy facing Fiamma being cleanly severed at the shoulder. Part 2 Vasilisa, the woman who led the special Russian Orthodox unit known as Annihilatus arrived at Moscow. Crimson stains deepened the red of her religious habit. The drawn-back edges of her lips had a similarly-colored liquid on them. However, not all of that was her own blood. Vasilisa also had red stains underneath her fingernails on both hands and she used those hands to throw open the main doors to a large palace. A number of assassins immediately attacked her, but she paid them no heed. She paid no heed to their strength or to the fact that they had once been her allies. She blew them all away. Old cannibal woman of the one-legged house sang a young girls voice. Along with Vasilisas voice, an old woman wearing torn shadows wielded great power within the palace. A giant mass of flames exploded and the professional magicians were thrown about on the floor and they let out cries and shouts. When she reached the depths of the temple, a deep male voice came from in front of her. So youve come. The voice sounded annoyed. A middle aged man stood there wearing an expensive bishop-class outfit. Youve fallen in love with that cannibalistic monster, you damn witch. And you have that unaging body from going to the ends of crushing the occult. Id rather you called me a fairy tale heroine, Bishop Nikolai. I am a national idol, you know? Shut up. Youre just the ruins of a girl from a fairy tale who obtained happiness by burning her mother and sister to death. Vasilisa ignored him. She glanced over and the monstrous shadow moved in response. It charged straight for Nikolai. Nikolai opened his mouth to speak while watching the witch approach. Cannibal witches are quite famous. They are just that strong. Russia has quite a bit of folklore regarding them, but they almost always fall into one of two patterns. Either the human is eaten by the witch or the witch lets the human go. The humans almost never win. With a great noise, the cannibal witch exploded. By the way, there is an exceptional way to kill even a cannibal witch. At the same time, something swirled around Nikolai. It was a clear liquid. However, it was not a normal liquid. When it appeared, holes started burning in the carpet decorating the floor. In one story containing a cannibal witch, the witch is in charge of two fountains. One contains the Water of Life that gives one eternal life. The other contains the Water of Death that ends ones life. The knights asked the witch to lead them to the Water of Life and they managed to monopolize the Water of Life by pushing the witch into the Water of Death. The cannibal witch was sucked into the clear liquid and then disappeared. Nikolai then snapped his fingers. The water headed for Vasilisa like a tsunami and submerged her up to the head. That was an exceedingly rare victory at the hands of a human. A cruel scene was spread out before Nikolai. The left half of Vasilisas body was completely gone. Her arm was nothing but bone, her feminine silhouette had crumbled from her chest to her stomach, and the psychedelically colored insides were about to spill out. And Vasilisa was continuing to come apart. In less than a minute, she would likely not a have a single hair left on her head. This war is Russias war. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch, personally signed this national policy into being, said Nikolai as if he were spitting out the words. I dont know what youre thinking, but surely you know what it means to try to stop it. But then the bishop frowned. Something was wrong. Expressions of pain or fear did not appear on Vasilisas face even after half of her body had been disintegrated. She still had that smile that left one wondering what she was thinking. And then her lips moved despite the fact that she should have already lost her lungs. Oh, dear. Signatures that are obtained through tricks are usually considered to be invalid. The instant Nikolai took a step back, Vasilisas wounds swelled up. With an odd noise, the portions that had been disintegrated burst from the areas they had been disintegrated from. The document related to the war used the military command format instead of the Russian Orthodox command format. And the Patriarch is not used to giving orders over the network. I wonder if it is possible that someone had him electronically sign a random dummy document on a tablet and then attached the handwriting data to a more dangerous document? Not that I hate pure children or anything. Despite having been produced in such a strange way, the new parts of her body were young and full of life. The skin looked soft, water resistant, and like that of someone in their early teens. It looked just like the skin of a fairy tale heroine. And the only person who could have used a trick like that would be the person appointed to be the pipeline between the church and the military. Thats you, Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy. You are certainly the most suspicious, but I wonder what you were after. Was it the position of Patriarch? So were you thinking of having him assassinated during all the turmoil? How? Nikolai stared at that oddly white and shining skin as if he couldnt believe it. My Water of Death was perfect!! I created that spiritual item from materials I had found and sent to me from the backcountry!! It was purposefully made to deal with your witch!! Youre the Vasilisa who is under the care of that witch, so there should have been no way for you to defend against the Water of Death!! Nikolai, Nikolai. Did you forget what you yourself said? Vasilisa had parts of her skin that looked different from others like she was a reptile that had shed only half its skin. She shook her head with a smile on her face. You said the cannibal witch was in charge of both the Water of Life and the Water of Death. You dont mean Of course I do. The core of that story was the item to obtain eternal life. The means of killing the witch was nothing more than a small tool to give it a happy ending. My body is not something as ridiculous as immortal, but we dont need to argue over which item is more important and which is stronger, do we? That meant the card Nikolai held could not kill Vasilisa. He possessed other excellent pieces of equipment besides the Water of Death, but she would continue toward him even if he tore her to pieces with them. And Vasilisa was not the type of magician that would allow Nikolai to flee. Old cannibal woman of the one-legged house. As that fairy tale heroine approached him with a smile, her lovely singing voice resounded throughout the palace. Please lend your strength to this honest and powerless girl. Lend me your overwhelming witchs power so that I can smash this dishonest and ugly adult to pieces and have a happy ending. Part 3 Kamijou Toumas right arm spun through the air with a line of blood drawn behind it. That narrow red line made loops creating a strange form of art. Fiamma of the Right lightly held out his hand. It grabbed Kamijous right arm as if absorbing it. That right arm was known as Imagine Breaker. That unique right hand could negate any unexplainable supernatural power be it scientific or magical. I have it Fiammas lips twisted in delight. With a sound like a water balloon bursting, the severed right hand burst to pieces and the blood, flesh, bone, blood vessels, and nerves all neatly disassembled and spread out. The world environment has been prepared using the Star of Bethlehem and the right hand to act as a medium has been severed. The power that resides within me cannot show off 100% of its power except by way of your right hand. Imagine Breaker must be a type of purification tool the holy right hand naturally possesses, but to me it is no more than a mouse eating away at food stores. However, taking that unneeded ability into my power as one of the original pieces ends its role. With this, my right hand is complete. If I wield the power that should originally have been within me at its full output, the salvation of all will be complete. After all, my arm possesses the power to save the entire world. People may refer to that as being The One Above God, but I do not particularly care about that. I do not intend to match or exceed him. I only intend to gather all the power I have now and to save the world with it. All the parts were absorbed into the Third Arm stretching from Fiamma of the Rights right shoulder. He was in anguish. Normally, his face did not lose its composure, but his eyebrows twisted in displeasure just slightly. The flesh and blood that had been put together was perfect, but the power of Imagine Breaker treated Fiamma of the Right as a special case and started to eat away at his very core. However, it was worth mentioning that he did not immediately lose his power. In other words, the power sleeping within Fiamma was constantly creating such great power that Imagine Breakers effects were not enough to negate it. (All this could not have been carried out with clever tricks, so it seems luck and true skill were on my side. And if it did not have this level of output, it would not be known as the power that the Son of God should wield.) Fiamma of the Rights body shook. Not only his heart constricted and retracted. Centered around his Third Arm, his entire body did as well. It was a reaction to the power stored at his center travelling to his right arm of flesh and blood. A great change occurred as if to prove that the power to change the world had descended. However, this change was not in Fiammas body. It was in the planet that received him. The heavens greatly opened up. That clear otherworldly and artificially arranged night sky of red, blue, yellow, and green split open. Like an old stocking ripping, large cracks appeared in places and they spread soundlessly. On the other side was a golden light. It was just like a legend. It was just like the world seen in religious art. That lowering curtain of light looked like a scene of the heavens and the earth being connected. Someone who did not know the circumstances would likely have mistaken it for an angel above the clouds about to spill out. In reality, god and the angels were not at a physical height. They were on the other side of some invisible phase like infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. However, that mistaken impression may not have been too far off in a way. That golden light was a massive amount of Telesma. Fiamma had not called in an angel. It may have been more accurate to say he had called in the world where angels were. Fiamma of the Right had not pitifully knocked on the door again and again and then waited for the heavy door to open. He had only transformed the place at which he stood into an appropriate place. When a certain Christian holy woman was forcibly thrown into a brothel, that brothel had turned into a shining place for sermons. It was the same as that. When a different holy woman was thrown into a cold and dirty prison while injured, the entire space had overflowed with the shining power of the angels making it like a pure spring and the womans injuries were kindly healed. It was the same as that. (It has been dyed by heaven.) The area around the proper ones would be dyed in the proper manner. Fiamma of the Rights lips twisted in pleasure upon confirming that truth. (Once I rearrange the depths of the earth, all the gears will have been readjusted and the devices will have been set to keep them running smoothly. Then this world will once again be moving as it should be.) That meant that he no longer needed the boy who had lost his right arm. That mass of flesh that had been nothing more than an adapter to keep that right arm in the world needed to be quickly disposed of. (I will save this world. You are no longer necessary to do that.) Fiamma thrust his Third Arm that now clearly had a physical form toward the boy who still had great amounts of blood gushing from his shoulder. You should be honored, you mass of flesh. You managed to carry out your purpose in life. That would settle it. His Third Arm was no longer incomplete and it no longer continued to shake awkwardly. The destruction he could carry out was different from the destruction that could be created by the 103,000 grimoires. He held the power to save the world. He held the power at the core of a legend. He was known as The One Above God. If it was necessary, he could easily smash the no longer needed adaptor with an overwhelming explosion of light that could turn an entire planet to dust. It would have been odd if he could not. ? In that instant, what Fiamma of the Right felt first was not anger or fear. It was doubt. There was not a scratch on the boy who should have been turned to ash. In fact, the great swirl of light Fiamma had fired had split in two right in front of the boy and scattered to either side of him. Yet that attack had held such power that it could blow away a planet or recreate any of the legends in Christianity. It was almost like It was almost like it had been blown away by an invisible right hand stretching from the wound on the boys shoulder. What? Fiamma of the Right said still not having grasped what had happened. He could not stop the words spilling from his own mouth. They grew and grew like a snowball rolling down a slope. I took your right hand. So why do you still have that power!? No response came. The boy merely hung his head down while his cheek was wet with his own blood. An invisible power gathered. It gathered in that right arm that should not exist. It gathered beyond that wound. () Fiamma moved only his eyeballs to look at what was growing from his own right shoulder. He had indeed taken in that boys right hand and that hand that he had made his own flesh and blood still possessed Imagine Breaker, the unique power to negate all supernatural powers. Then what was the power gathering inside the enemy before Fiammas eyes? (Something) Fiamma felt his lips quickly drying up. He had finally acquired the right arm of Imagine Breaker. He had made all sorts of major preparations in order to obtain that strange right hand that acted as the final key. As long as he had his own power and that boys right arm that had been disassembled and reorganized into a spiritual item, he could save the entire world. He had obtained something with that much value and yet He was inferior. He was overshadowed. The great swirl of power compressing toward that boys shoulder felt so threatening that it seemed to suck the color out of everything Fiamma had obtained. (Something invisible) Fiamma of the Right looked back at the boys face. He was still hanging his head down so his expression could not be seen. It seemed that not just Imagine Breaker resided in that boys body. Just the ability to negate supernatural powers was not enough to shake Fiammas heart that greatly and to put him on his guard to that extent. Even then, he felt a painful illusion on his skin. He felt a deeply resounding shock in the bottom of his gut like large fireworks were going off nearby. That shock was similar to an invisible wall. (Something is there!!) The boy, Kamijou Touma, slowly raised his head. It was not some great action. There was no great speed to it. There was no special regularity to it. He merely raised his head. That was all. Fiamma of the Right felt the muscles from his shoulder to the back of his neck stiffening. It was coming. He did not know what, but something he needed to be cautious of was coming. And Kamijou Touma used his own power to crush that invisible something. A different power appeared above that great power that had gathered around Kamijous shoulder. That other power seemed to open up a large mouth and swallow up the first power. As if this giant mouth was chewing, the air around the shoulder shook looked like sugar water. That great power was smashed in an instant. ...You, muttered Kamijou as his lips moved. I dont know who you are. His words were not especially loud. And yet they still stabbed into the depths of Fiammas ears. His heart uncontrollably went on such high guard that he felt like overlooking a single twitch of a finger or blink of an eye could have a major effect on the outcome of the battle. And I dont know what youre trying to do. Kamijou was not looking at Fiamma of the Right, the possessor of the greatest power even among Gods Right Seat. Fiamma did not know what he was speaking to. But That may have been something only Kamijou Touma could understand. At any rate, he continued to speak. You stay silent. Ill take care of this. Fiamma heard a damp noise and the next thing he knew, a right arm had already extended from Kamijou Toumas shoulder. He had eaten away such a massive power and then grown a new part of his body. (Hethrew it away?) Fiamma tried to mutter those words, but he realized afterwards that he had not said them out loud. His throat dried and a feeling like something was clinging there remained. (He gave up all that power to get Imagine Breaker back?) He looked up to the boys right arm that he had taken for himself. Even then, Fiamma had the Imagine Breaker arm inside his body after having disassembled it. However, he could tell the shining power was gradually fading from the flesh and blood he had acquired. It was such a unique power that two of it could not exist within the same world. The scene made Fiamma think that such a rule must exist. And that rule might also have been that the true power could only reside within the right arm if it was attached to the boy known as Kamijou Touma. He could not allow himself to lose it. He did not miss the power of Imagine Breaker in and of itself. In fact, he had been planning to eventually eliminate the functionality of the arm he had taken into this body. It did nothing but interfere with the power within Fiammas body. However, if the right arm itself continued to rapidly deteriorate, it may continue on to the point of losing its ability to receive Fiammas power. That would be a problem for his goal. Ive finally begun to figure this out, said Kamijou. Figure what out? I thought your plan seemed incredibly over the top. You created this Star of Bethlehem, you started World War III, you created an alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, and you did so much more. Kamijou stopped breathing for an instant. The next words he spoke were in the form of a question to Fiamma. Why did the Star of Bethlehem have to be this huge? This is a ceremonial space in order for you to safely and surely carry out your magic, but if you truly were the strongest existence out there, would there have been any reason for you to tear pieces from churches and temples from around the world and gather them together? Kamijou spoke as if he were checking items off of a list one by one. Why did you start World War III? You said it was to gather the necessary items from around the world and to make the enemy you must defeat clear. However, it can be explained in a different way. Your power automatically regulates the strength of your arms power matching it to the level of difficulty of your enemy. In other words, the stronger the enemy that stands before you, the stronger the power you can draw out. But why did you have to forcibly draw out such great power? And each of the things on that list accurately scraped away at Fiamma making what was inside clear. And why did you make an alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church? Why did you want military strength to the point of contacting another denomination beyond the Roman Catholic Church and its 2 billion followers? If you were truly invincible and you could truly defeat any and all enemies, you would have had no need to prepare subordinates. Kamijou Touma continued to speak those words that were fatal to Fiamma of the Right. In other wordsyou were afraid, werent you? Kamijou glared straight at Fiamma as he spoke those words. You didnt know if your body truly held enough power to save the world. An explosion of light shot out. The sharp claws of Fiamma of the Rights Third Arm stretched out and a tremendous attack was fired from the tips toward Kamijou Touma. But Kamijou was not blown to pieces. The right palm he held out in front of himself pressed against that storm of light. He twisted his wrist so that the vector of the attack was forced diagonally to the back. He was completely unscathed. That could be said to be a result fitting of the power that could kill any and all illusions. And his words did not stop. When you thought about it, it was obvious. It was completely natural that Fiamma of the Right did not have any proof of it. After all The world has never ended, said Kamijou. I dont know about the legends of ancient times, but at the very least, I have never heard any modern stories of the world being on the verge of being destroyed just like in the legends. His words searched for an opening through which to cut into the impregnable Fiamma. And if you have never prevented a threat that could end the world, you have never been blessed with a chance to draw out power great enough to save the world. Its the same as how my Imagine Breaker doesnt look like it has any power unless Im surrounded by espers or magicians. In other words, the reason that Fiamma of the Right had put together all sorts of smaller plans to create the overblown plan he was carrying out, was actually quite simple. Someone who has never saved the world has no way of knowing if they have the power to save the world. Fiamma of the Right remained silent for a bit. Finally, his shoulders started to shake. The man who ruled over red, the right, fire, and Michael was laughing quietly. So what? were the words that leaked from his mouth. Something like an unknown form of malice overflowed from the mouth of the man who had caused disturbances across the world and who completely grasped the flow of those disturbances in his hands. That does not apply only to me. If you live on this planet and have continued to survive without dying, then you have not experienced destruction on a legendary scale. Are you trying to say you have the right to blame me? Are you saying you have experienced the power needed to save the world? Of course I have, Kamijou Touma replied instantly. That response shattered Fiammas expectations. It wasnt on the level of all humanity living on this planet and it may have looked insignificant when viewed from a satellite or something else looking down on the planet, but I have saved it. It may be insignificant or whatever, but I have seen the instant at which one persons world is saved. Yes. He had been wrapped up in incidents time after time. He had desperately clenched his fist because he did not want to see the people he knew covered in blood before his eyes. He was constantly being taken to the hospital, his right arm had been severed, and his memoires cut out partway, so he could not even remember it all. He had gotten almost nothing in return. He was aware that it was not enough to make it worth it. If he had been stronger, he may have been able to solve things in a smarter way. If he had been cleverer, he might have been able to obtain more. But that was why he knew he had obtained something. Kamijou Touma knew that the things he had desperately grabbed with his clumsy hands were not worthless. If Fiamma had not been trapped within the giant concept of the world and he had reached his hand out to the people before him, he would not have had to be afraid of feeling a power great enough to save the world. Even without his overblown plan, without his large scale temple, without his special nature, and without his strange right arm, he would not have felt doubts about it. But he had not done that. That was why he could not see it at all. Someone who says he will save the world cannot protect the world. It was obvious. If Kamijou had acted based on that idea, he would have lost everything. Below the golden heavens, Kamijou Touma spoke to that isolated man who had never obtained anything and who had never even stretched out his hand. Our world is not so weak that it needs to be saved by a bastard like that. [edit] Between the lines 7 Mikoto stared straight ahead. The night sky had started emitting a strange golden light, but she had no time to worry about that odd weather. If there was anyone who could think about that kind of thing when they were on the verge of a nuclear explosion occurring or not, that person deserved to be in the Guinness Book of Records. The flames spewing from the bottom of the ballistic missile with the Nu-AD1967 had disappeared. The large missile could not stay vertical for long with the arm about to let go of it, so it slowly but surely tilted. After reaching a certain point, it fell over toward the ground like a tree felled by a lumberjack. The missile could no longer be fired. Mikoto sighed slightly and then looked around. Black smoke was rising from the tanks and armored vehicles of the independent unit. They had been sliced cleanly apart by the friction of the iron sand that was vibrating at high speed and could stand up to the assault rifles and handguns the unit had been armed with. Given the destruction, it was odd that no one had died. Well, I guess thats that, Mikoto said arbitrarily before looking for the Sister. The Sister poked just her head out of the hatch of the tank sitting in the middle of the enemy lines. You managed to singlehandedly defeat a company of troops 200 strong. Seeing that, it seems to be giving Misaka a complex, says Misaka as she feels a bit downhearted. What are you saying? Your strength is on a scale close to 10,000 when youre all together. And you have your powers, your network, and you even have Academy Citys cutting edge tactics inputted into you. These guys are nothing compared to you. The Sister mumbled something about wanting that much individuality, but then her eyebrows twitched and she put her hand to her headset. What? Are you intercepting another Russian military transmission? They seem to be confused over being unable to contact the man who seems to be behind this, Nikolai Tolstoy, reports Misaka with a serious expression. You always have the same expression. So this guy ended up destroying himself? Or maybe an Academy City unit did it. The details are unknown, but the unit seems split on whether to continue the mission or not, adds Misaka. Theres another unit? But if the boss character was taken out already It seems they have decided to continue, concludes Misaka. Ah, dammit! Why are they so fired up over this!? Sparks flew in all directions from Mikoto. Okay! Wheres the next unit!? Dont tell me they can fire Nu-AD1967s from multiple places at once!! From the contents of the transmission, it seems they cannot do that, says Misaka denying that possibility. The remaining independent unit has only 10 commissioned officers that can fight directly. It seems that Nu-AD1967 collapsed there is the only one they are able to use, says Misaka while listening to the transmission. Even if they had multiple warheads or missiles, it seemed there were a few processes that had to be carried out before firing such as the arrangement of related vehicles and regulating the electrical foundation for controlling it. Mikoto had just previously defeated the people with the skills needed to do that. The commissioned officers remaining could not set up a missile or transport a warhead. But that missile fell over, so they cant use it, right? They have not realized that fact, so they are attempting to forcibly send out the signal to fire it remotely, says Misaka in shock. Mikoto blinked. That means Even if they send the signal out over the emergency remote, the missile will not fire, but the warhead may detonate here, says Misaka expressing her own prediction. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!! Mikoto frantically looked over at the collapsed missile. Well die! If that happens, well definitely die!! You said they were sending out a remote signal, right!? So if I use my power to jam the signal!! It is an optical transmission that uses infrared, so your electromagnetic jamming will not work, warns Misaka. Gwahh!! Cmon! What is it, a TV remote!? Mikoto doubted the radioactivity would leak out so easily, but she timidly headed around the nuclear missile examining it. The missile itself was over 20 meters long. Maybe the circuits for receiving the transmission shorted out from my lightning spear The main circuitry is protected within thick lead and reinforced glass, reports Misaka. And ICBMs are made so they will not have errors even while cutting through cumulonimbus clouds, so they are made to be resistant to high voltage electrical currents, says Misaka announcing the obvious. The missile likely stopped before because the system in the launch vehicle was fried. If it uses infrared, then there must be a sensor to detect it. We should be able to block the signal by covering it in cloth! Will we make it in time? wonders Misaka with a sigh. Do your best. Sigh. But when will I get to see him? You sure are calm!! Volume 22, 11: In the Shining Golden Sky. Star_of_Bethlehem. Volume 22, Chapter 11: In the Shining Golden Sky. Star_of_Bethlehem. Part 1 An intense pressure assaulted Accelerators chest. His breathing stopped. He did not know how it worked, but a portion of the night sky had split open greatly and a great amount of golden light was overflowing from it. Given the refractive index of sunlight and the atmosphere, the heavens were filled with a color that should have been impossible upon the earth. That light expelled all sense of night from the world. The fortress monopolizing the heavens was even more clearly visible than when it had been dyed in the colors of night before. The night sky from before had been strange enough given the time. That eerie night sky had seemed like it had been pasted there by human hands and the layout of the stars had been impossible from an astronomical point of view. But... That golden sky was beyond even that. It seemed like it would be wrong to even attempt to explain it astronomically. One could only imagine that scientists across the world would just give up saying that there was no way common knowledge could explain it even though it was before their eyes. Everything had gone insane. It wasnt just the fact that the scene ignored all the basic scientific laws. It was the fact that no one was hiding the phenomenon. It was completely insane that it was just spread out before the entire world like that. Accelerator was used to the darkness of Academy City where it was natural for all sorts of incidents and the esper powers that had caused them to be covered up using cutting edge technology, so that sight seemed completely ridiculous to him. In that second, in that instant, what was known as the world may have completely changed. But... (...What do I care?) With that one thought, Accelerator cast aside that great change. He seemed to be grabbing at his own chest with his slender hand as he breathed heavily. Even then, Last Orders life was in danger. If he did not get rid of the cause as soon as possible, it would go beyond the point of no return. He knew it was selfish. But even so he did not care about a change that encompassed the entire world. If anyone would say that was self-centered and evil, that strongest monster of Academy City was prepared to fight every single one of them. No matter who he had to make an enemy of and no matter what he had to lose, there was something he had to accomplish. He had to rescue the girl known as Last Order from every part of that unreasonable world. Accelerator once more had a reason to live. Misaka WORST. Have you gotten the data on the song used to remove Kihara Amatas virus? It is in a rather shallow portion of the Misaka Network. It seems the single large will of the network had noticed something wrong with the song. The calculation ability of each Sister was reorganized and used in parallel to continually attempt to analyze it. Thanks to that, this newcomer Misaka was able to acquire the data without having to dive too deeply into the network. Misaka has finished downloading it, Misaka WORST said while pointing toward her own temple with a mischievous smile on her face. Give me the data, Accelerator said without thanking her. At least say something. A pointlessly vast knowledge is the reward of intellectual work, yknow? Although its kind of like a drink after working overtime. She sighed and then pulled a mobile device from a pocket of her white battle outfit. Misaka has the song, but she cannot express it with her specs. It has less to do with how you have to move your throat and more to do with the manner of breathing and how you make it reverberate within your body not being normal. It would be faster to output it by sending electrical signals to a speaker. Would you like the score, artificial voice data, or the sound amplitude graph? Give me all of them. Only a lowly thug holds back. Having good manners with small things like that wont get you any praise, but acting tough and then failing is a waste of your achievements. You really are an unpleasant person through and through, but it is more comfortable that way. With a slight noise of static, a change suddenly occurred on the mobile device. A few files were added. Accelerator took the mobile device and operated the screen with his fingertips. Misaka WORST peered at the small screen from the side. But just this song isnt enough, right? You have to replace the exclusive parameters or whatever. How are you going to do that? Ill manage somehow, replied Accelerator as he shook the mobile device around to drive the girl away as her head was blocking his view. He then pulled out the pile of parchments. Written with a sticky black ink were eerie and strange spells or magic circles. Misaka WORST frowned upon seeing the cryptic contents of the parchments. They simply seemed unfitting for the crystallization of Academy Citys cutting edge science that Last Order was. ...Are you mocking Misaka? Im glad to see you can express your emotions so abundantly, but Id rather the other dolls didnt learn from you. Quit talking like youre a parent. So this clearly occult demon summoning text is hiding the parameter you need? Are you going to become a shady spiritual expert after studying for twenty minutes and then call a goats head from a pentagram to grant your wish? No. By the way, Misaka WORST said without listening to him and with clear ill will covering her words. Last Orders problem was caused by something within Academy City, right? So why was the manual to fixing that problem plopped down in front of you in such a far off place? You just happened to go to Russia and yet you just happened to run into an adaptable means of fixing this? Its like a video game where hints are kindly prepared along the route you progress along. You just need to gather the gun to fight the zombies, the heros sword to defeat the demon king, and the memos from researchers and sages and youve got it all. Do you really think things would be that simple in this harsh real world? ...I said that isnt fucking it. Oh, should you really be pressing a gun between Misakas eyes, you parent? This Misaka would like to be treated the same as the other Misakas. Accelerator had stuck the handheld device and the parchments under the arm with his cane and was pressing a mass of metal just below Misaka WORSTs forehead. To be that annoyed but to have not yet pulled the trigger would have been unthinkable for the old him. After all that had happened to that monster, he had softened a little. Whether youre talking about high-level security encryption on computers or encrypted plans from da Vincis time, it all comes down to math. The number of digits is a bit different, but the root of it all remains the same. The code put on cell phones for privacy can be broken by repeating the same simple calculation over and over again. People only think of it as safe because the numbers are so huge that it would take too long to do it that way. The actual method of encoding isnt all that complex. So? So I dealt with it using math. I broke apart all the information into 1s and 0s and then put it together like a puzzle in my head. Under normal thinking, I should have been able to solve it that way. At the very least, I should have at least gotten a clue to how its encoded. ...Lets just ignore that the numbers are so large that it would take hundreds of years. Misaka senses the kind of misfortune and frustration that she loves so much in how you said should have. I cant solve the puzzle, Accelerator readily admitted. Im missing a piece, so I cant use just math. I can manage up to a certain point, but something is definitely off. Its like Im trying to calculate Pi and an error occurs at the 100th digit every time. Theres some other kind of laws mixed in. Unless I can fill in the missing piece, I cant correct for this error. The further I continue the calculations, the greater the error spreads until Ive lost sight of what Im trying to find. So whatever these parchments are, you cant get the parameters you need? I cant do this with math, but I have to solve it somehow, so Ive brought together every single bit of knowledge I have. I do have the Number One brain in Academy City after all. Im not particularly proud of it, but I have a lot packed in here. And so I started doing a self-search through every part of my head pulling out every kind of information and just pulling it out and pulling it out and pulling it out. His words alone continued. Misaka WORST should know what he meant. His calculative and linguistic abilities were being supplemented by the almost 10,000 Sisters. In other words, his original intellectual specs were simply that great. And then I suddenly realized it. Realized what? I already have things I cant understand inputted within me. ... I first thought of the previous battle between the water angel and the scientific angel, but that wasnt the right answer. Before that, well before that, I understood it with my own body. Accelerator spoke as if he had realized something. Yes. Speaking of his own loss would have been unthinkable for the person he had once been. But now his priorities had changed. If he could protect a small life in exchange for his pride, he would unhesitatingly cast it aside. I was unable to reflect an unknown attack. It just went straight through my defenses and cut my body in two. I couldnt come up with a single way of dealing with it. I was utterly defeated at that time. He now had enough leeway to smile. He pushed on his own back and took another step forward. But it wasnt that the attack did not have vectors. Im sure I had those unknown laws inputted into my body from Aiwass back then. Thinking back on it, that had been what had happened. Aiwass had not just erased his powers like that Level 0. The being had not worked around his powers like Kihara Amata or Kakine Teitoku. Aiwass had used a completely straightforward attack and its vectors had directly struck Accelerator. In that case, that information should have been transferred to Accelerator. A hint had been within his own head from the beginning. The answer was within him. Aiwass had said to go to Russia, but it had not said the solution needed to save Last Order would be simply laid out before him. All that monster had presented to him was the key to the vault. He mustnt write it off as unknown. He mustnt just throw it into the black box. He needed to establish nonexistent vector axes that could deal with what seemed off. He needed to think of math dealing with things such as imaginary numbers that did not actually exist in the real world but that could be explained using purely mathematical calculations. He had to calculate what the values were from the vectors before his eyes in order to determine what laws were used to create them. He could not figure it all out just from Aiwass. Aiwass was a nonstandard monster. A fragment of an asteroid altered by tremendous heat was nothing more than a rock in and of itself. However, using high level formulas on it could become a key to guessing at the spread of the universe from the big bang. Of course, he may not be able to grasp a perfect picture of it, but he could put together an inference that was exceedingly close to the truth. The big bang at the start of the universe had yet to be proven to be a giant explosion. All that had been done was using giant ring-shaped particle accelerators to recreate and confirm the physical phenomena theorized to have happened after the explosion. Physicists used that to continually bring the original explosion as close as possible to reality in their minds as they filled in the details bit by bit. He just had to do the same thing. The skill to focus and control the vectors of forces and alter them into attacks was nothing more than an added value. Most likely, the core of the reason he existed slept in what he was doing there. When he had naturally been given his esper name, he had surely understood it on an instinctual level, but Accelerator once more became strongly aware of that reason. By mixing in nonexistent math similar to imaginary numbers into the contents of the parchments and inputting just one line of a unique physical formula, it rises to the surface. But that isnt whats important. Once I have solved the puzzle using the rules I put together myself, the mysterious Aiwass vectors in my head have been cut down to an inference exceedingly close to reality on the same level as the big bang theory. In other words, Accelerator paused for a second, I have the parameters needed to save this brat. Now is the time to turn this around. He turned toward the small girl who was even then suffering for some absurd reason. He turned toward the true battlefield where he must fight. On September 30th when he had confronted Kihara Amata who led the Hound Dog unit, the doctor known as Heaven Canceller had said rather unfunny things that had hit him where it had hurt, but now Accelerator felt he could step into that same field again with pride. Accelerator now understood the value of fighting to protect a life and of putting effort into securing that life. Not all fights involved physical conflict. Taking from others was not the only way to win. Up until then, he had sworn to stand at the peak of villainy in order to protect those important to him from the unreasonable darkness. He continued having fights to the death with bastards a lot like him in the bloody back alleys. Each time he had lost a lot in exchange for his victory which led to him being swallowed up by the darkness even further. However, this fight was different. He no longer needed to remain a villain!! ...Heh. Accelerator hung his head down and contemplated what that meant for an instant. He contemplated it deeply. When he raised his head once more, the trembling that had been in his eyes as he wandered about Russia was gone. Lets get started, was his short comment. He did not need to make any especially showy actions. He just had to close his eyes and bring out the answer he had come to in his head in the form of his voice. That would end it. That would end it all. The massive formula was outputted into the world in the form of song data. Misaka WORST may have been surprised as she watched from the side, but it was nothing special. In the past, Accelerator had eliminated Amai Aos virus using his own power. This was merely in a different form, so there was no reason he shouldnt be able to do it. He had everything he needed. All he had to do was keep it in the best condition through to the end and produce the desired results like he was a machine. That was how it was supposed to go. However, the mechanism that was supposed to move slowly got caught somewhere. It was a slight but ominous vibration like the omen of a train disastrously derailing. (The golden sky...!?) Mysterious vectors like Aiwasss were pressing down on him from above. (I see. It isnt too surprising that something like that would interfere with this a bit.) Static ran through TVs or radios when they were near power lines with high voltage currents running through them. It was the same as that. He immediately determined that and made slight adjustments to his equations. He was reminded of a ball rolling down a slope. At the bottom of slope was a cliff. If he continued to adjust his equations, he would cross a decisive line. Whatever he analyzed, Accelerator was an existence living within the normal physical laws. He himself would not be immersed just by knowing of the mysterious laws. He would cross that line. He would be swallowed up by the mysterious laws. Accelerator knew that, but he did not stop. He continued on. He shot down the slope in a straight line. He could already see the edge of the cliff. Accelerator saw that deep hole as a gate. He unhesitatingly headed forward and leapt into the bottomless darkness. He crossed that line in an instant. Immediately afterwards, a change occurred. ...!!!??? With a cracking noise, something within his body let out a cry. The blood vessels on the back of his hand swelled up oddly. He became strongly aware that he had thick blood pipelines running from his fingertips to his shoulders. As soon as he noticed that, something tore. His skin ripped from the inside and a dark-red liquid squirted out. Had he realized it? By breathing in a way impossible for a normal person and using vibrations from his entire body rather than just his throat, he had let out an extremely special voice. With that voice, he was refining his life force into magic power, putting together a spell, and outputting it into the real world. In other words, he was using true magic. Espers could not use magic. If they forcibly used it, what awaited them was an enormous rejection reaction. The damage did not remain in just one place. The flows of the arteries, veins, and nerves running through his entire body like spider webs gave him a strange pulse and pain while bringing their presence to the front of his mind. He was made strongly aware of the expansion and contraction of his organs as well as their locations. More sweat flowed from his body in an instant than if he were to enter a sauna. That clear and unpleasant liquid mixed with something red. Accelerator thought small scale explosions were occurring in various places across his body. That prediction was not wrong. But he continued because he had no reason to stop there. Ohhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! A wild yet solemn voice similar to a primitive aborigine dancing song spread throughout the white land. His entire body was soaked in blood and countless wounds were being expanded from within, but there was not even the slightest shaking in his voice. That was the strength of his will. He wanted to save a certain small girl. With that feeling alone, he overcame the very real pain and carried out his high-level mental work without the slightest error. There were stories from the age when the Christian Church was still persecuted by the Romans saying that many believers would occasionally witness the form of angels while they were being gruesomely tortured. There was a rather dreamless view saying that it was an illusion created from the excretion of excess chemicals in the brain in order to escape the excruciating pain. After all, the appearance of the angel was just too convenient. If angels actually existed and that powerful being was on their side, why had the Romans not been slaughtered there? That view may have been accurate in some cases. But what if those believers who were in that extreme mental state had subconsciously carried out the mental work needed to delicately carry out a complex and powerful spell that allowed them to temporarily control Telesma in order to perform a high level summoning? Wasnt that another explanation that had some dreams left in it? Couldnt it be explained as those believers responding with wordless words and briefly calling in a real angel via some quick spell? Yes. Accelerator prayed. He prayed wholeheartedly. He wished for nothing else. He paid no heed even to his own pain. Academy Citys strongest monster did nothing but continually pray so that he could protect the one who was more important to him than his own life. That white angel had been thrown down to the depths of the earth by a great amount of evil. He had crawled back up seeking light, but his wings had been broken by a different monster. But would anyone think that he was fallen by looking at his bloody face? Or would they think that his shining light would not be clouded even if he fell to the depths of hell? It was the same as with the many believers who had been looked down on, thrown into cells, or thrown into brothels, and yet those unsightly and filthy places had been completely transformed into shining places of faith. His soul was not so stained that he did not have a place to stand. Sinners would face their sins, risk their lives and work to make up for their sins, and wash away that darkness. It was not a mere performance. It was not something another could force one to do. The world was not so cold as to not save those who truly searched within their hearts, continually fought to change their ways, and tried to break from their destiny. Among the important historical figures of the Christian Church, there were those who had originally brought suffering to the Christians as Romans. Those people had regretted what they had done for the rest of their lives, but had headed down a path of hardships but also salvation as they continually fought to make up for their sins as much as they possibly could. What was Accelerator at that time? Was he a good person or a villain? Was he a human or a monster? Was he of science or of magic? If you had asked him, he would unhesitatingly have answered as follows: Isnt that obvious? No other word can describe me other than me. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! By walking down that bloody path, Accelerator had broken every single chain binding him. There was nothing left limiting him. He could head forward as far as he needed to. To save Last Orders small life, he did nothing but head down the path he believed in. He became covered in blood. He continued to sing. And... Part 2 Where had Takitsubo Rikou gone? The battle with Mugino was over and additional attackers had been seen coming down from a bomber, so Hamazura Shiage needed to meet back up with Takitsubo as quickly as possible. Even if he was going to come up with a plan, he did not want to do so while they were separated. Dammit!! Where is she!? Takitsubo! Where are you!? As he loudly called out her name, Hamazura grabbed a thick branch. An avalanche had torn up the snow-covered base of the mountain. He had lost track of Takitsubo around the time of his battle with Mugino. The fact that no response came after he searched around the area and called her name meant that it was possible she was buried beneath the snow. Despite working in that freezing land, Hamazura worked up a sweat and his throat dried up. Hamazura took a drink from a bottle of carbonated water. The water was still water because it had been within his jacket. If it had been lying on the ground, it would have quickly frozen. Meanwhile, Mugino Shizuri disinterestedly watched Hamazura panicking from a slight distance. Hey!! You help search too, Mugino!! I cant find Takitsubo! I cant even take a guess where she might be!! So help me! I need as much help as I can get!! Why do I have to do that? What do I do? What do I do? The burden of the Body Crystal may have been lessened, but shes still far from being fully recovered. We cant just leave her out here in the cold. We need to get her warm. Takitsubos weak. Shes a weak girl. Its all the Body Crystals fault that shes like that... ... Academy Citys Number Four Level 5, Mugino Shizuri, struck with Meltdowner. With an explosive noise, a mass of snow right next to Hamazura evaporated in a straight line. There was such power to it that it caused a phreatic explosion sending Hamazuras body flying into the air. Mugino shook her head. O-oh, no. I feel dizzy. This might be the result of the Body Crystal...of the Bo-dy Cry-stal. Theres a lot going on with my bodys drive, but...no, I think I might just pitifully pass out. What are you doing, Muginoooooo!? Dont you know that the weak bunny that is Takitsubo could be buried anywhere around heeeeeerrrrrrrrre!? Hamazura yelled out in a girly falsetto while lying on the ground. ...What a pain. Fine, Ill help you dig her out. Keeeee!! You need to make a clear distinction between jokes and serious statements!! I cant deal with this. I really do need someone who is completely harmless!! Mugino then pointed behind Hamazura with an unbelievably unmotivated expression. Shes silently approaching. Waahh!? Hamazura yelled out upon seeing the ghost girl Takitsubo Rikou quietly drawing near. But that meant they were all there. Hamazura checked on the situation now that all three of them were gathered. He looked up at the golden sky. He could tell the Academy City attackers heading down amid that psychedelic scenery were about to land a bit away. Their clothing did not match the white snowy plain. They were wearing black battle outfits. They looked like the kind of outfit that would be supplied to urban special forces. They had nothing that looked like a gun. ... Mugino Shizuri had fired her Meltdowner just a moment ago, but it could not be used in real battle anymore. She would be able to fire 2 or 3 shots, but that would be the limit for her body that had been ravaged by the Body Crystal. She could possibly manage against a stationary target, but it was unclear if she could hit enemies irregularly running around at high speed. It would be difficult indeed to take out those attackers when she had so few shots left. Takitsubo Rikou would not be any help. The negative effects of the Body Crystal had been alleviated to a certain extent, but she had not undergone any fundamental treatment. And even if she was at full strength, she was more suited for logistical support. His image of her was not that of someone who was skilled at close quarters combat much less someone who could blow away an enemy with a powerful esper ability. The attackers knew that. That was why they had parachuted down from the bomber in clear view. Otherwise, they would have been more cautious in their approach. Hamazura charged into the forest of conifer trees. A few dozen meters ahead, he saw a figure approaching slowly but surely across the snow. Hamazura held his breath and stared. It was not a normal soldier. The attacker was wearing completely black clothes and a gold and white flat mask covered his face. The strange mask seemed to stretch up over twice as high as the attackers face. There were no holes for the eyes or mouth. It seemed patterns could be drawn with various man-made lights covering the mask like LED decorations for a cell phone. Hamazura did not know what it meant, but a faint LED would occasionally be emitted. From the stature, the cheekbones, and the other parts of the head the mask did not cover, it seemed the attacker was a man. ... Just staring at the enemy would not change things in Hamazuras favor. He checked on his surroundings and on the weapons he could use. As Mugino and Takitsubo would be of no use, it would not be a good idea to fight alongside them. He had made them retreat into a nearby cave. Hamazura had to fight the attackers, but he also had to distance them from that cave. He held the assault rifle in his hands and turned off the unrefined safety with his thumb. (...Did they sacrifice armor for lighter movements?) Hamazura stared between the trees at the attacker in the strange mask from a few dozen meters away. The attackers outfit looked too thin to have bulletproof plates embedded in it. However, given the situation, it was best to assume it had some ridiculous technology that gave some kind of ridiculous effect. (A special fiber could stop a bullet, but would the shock of the impact get through? In that case, a 7.62 mm bullet would do it. The Anti-Skill protectors look like they would be better than that just based on thickness alone. It looks like he can move quickly in that, but I might be able to do something if I do it before he notices me.) Suddenly, the attackers head turned in his direction. The attacker was not holding anything like a gun, but if his strength was reinforced with springs that expanded and contracted with electrical signals like the ones used in Hard Taping, he would be able to tear a human body in two with his bare hands. Hamazura was out of time. His hands shot up and he pulled the trigger with the barrel pointed toward the attacker. A shock hit his right shoulder like it had been punched. The first shot struck a tree trunk partway there. The second shot travelled straight for the attacker. A high pitched noise and sparks exploded out. The rifle bullet did not pierce the attacker. An exceedingly lifelike-looking wing suddenly stretched out from the middle of the flat gold and white mask. It acted as a shield to cover that slim body. Wha!? Hamazura thought his breathing had stopped, but it was not simply due to seeing that organic wing. Familiar words appeared in light on the mask covering the attackers face. Equ.DarkMatter. That was the esper name of Academy Citys Number Two Level 5 who had confronted Mugino Shizuri. Hamazura heard a creaking noise. The attacker was preparing to charge in toward him. Ooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Hamazura shouted as he continuously fired on full auto. The sound of metal being scraped apart repeatedly rang out. The cartridges being spat out were striking each other in midair adding a sound like small bells to the gunfire. However, that scraping noise was not because the attackers body was being blown to pieces. It was the sound of the multiple white wings that had flowed out of the large flat mask knocking every single bullet to the ground. Hamazura could not reach him. Immediately after despair filled Hamazuras chest, the attacker moved. With a roar, the many wings flapped and filled the dozens of meters between them. Hamazura did not have time to avoid it. They flew straight toward him like bullets. A dull creaking noise came from within Hamazuras upper body. Gaaahhh!? The mere fact that he could cry out showed that he had gotten off easy. His body flew a few meters through the air and collapsed atop the snow. He felt a hard root in his back. After just that one attack, he could taste blood in his mouth. Hamazura heard the sound of something slicing through the wind. Multiple wings stretched from the attackers gold and white mask and were released around the entire area like whips. Hamazura rolled across the ground while stifling the yell that was stuck in his throat. The conifer trees making up the forest were smoothly sliced through. The ground nearby was torn up and thick trees fell over around Hamazura who continued to roll. The white wings and the mask were made of the same substance. They spread unnaturally like a sugar sculpture stretched in heat. No... Hamazura muttered. He had never seen Kakine Teitoku actually use his power, but from what he could tell, there was something off. This isnt Dark Matter or any other esper power...? The attacker did not respond. Instead, the attacker slowly turned the multiple white wings toward Hamazura. !? Hamazura frantically tried to get up and head back to get some distance, but another attack came from behind. There was more than one attacker. By the time Hamazura realized that, it was too late. The trunk of the tree behind him was sliced apart as multiple white wings attacked from behind. He was fortunate that he was struck by the tree trunk instead of the white wings. However, that was still like being struck like a hammer, so Hamazura was knocked away. That time, he was not able to cry out. As he lay on the white snow, Hamazura realized that there were red stains around him. He was in such pain that it took him a little longer to realize that was because he was bleeding. Lying on the ground, he moved only his eyes to look around. He could see three of them. He had no idea when the final one had shown up. Psychic powers are similar to fire, said one of the attackers. They were all wearing the same type of mask, so Hamazura could not tell which one was speaking. Fire is a great power that only humans can control, but just swinging fire around brings you no further than a cavemans torch. Civilized man uses fire to temper iron. It is the same as that. (I see.) Level 5 powers like Mugino Shizuris Meltdowner and Kakine Teitokus Dark Matter produced effects that exceeded the normal physical laws. In that case, what new materials could be manufactured using those powers? Could they perhaps create brand new materials that ignored everything derived from the elementary particles, atoms, and molecules extending from the big bang? Just like how carbon nanotubes were different from mere masses of carbon. Just like how semiconductors that carried out high speed calculations were different from mere masses of glass. Just like how steel that had a high level heat treatment applied was different from mere soft iron. A new substance created using an energy source that did not exist in that world would possess properties that did not exist in that world. It was to the point where one could mock a true Level 5 as nothing but a caveman with a torch. ...You certainly seem calm, spat out Hamazura. Did you give Mugino the Body Crystal because you wanted to treat that Number Four fire as a weapon and use her like a flamethrower filled with naphtha? And when that didnt work out, you came to collect her before the coals went out? What do you plan to do next? Are you going to hook her up to a medical device and turn her into a blast furnace for creating new materials? If that were the case, Hamazura was not needed for their project. Academy City had been pursuing him from the start, so a Level 0 like him would just be killed. The masked attackers drew closer from three different directions. He could likely not defeat them with just an assault rifle. Even the Level 5 the materials were created from had the power to single-handedly take on an entire military unit. Hamazura would not be able to defeat even one of the attackers even if he had a tank or a howitzer. That was if he attacked them straight on. However, Hamazura Shiage had not stood before them in order to be killed. Hey, he said while still on the ground with no strength in his arms or legs. Because I rolled all over the place like that, what was in my pocket is gone. It may have fallen out somewhere. The attackers paid his comment no heed. They would quickly kill the two rebels and retrieve Mugino Shizuri. That was all that was on the attackers minds as one stepped forward and felt something hard crunch under his foot. It was a clear shard. It appeared to be the remnants of a broken glass container. Damn. And that was my last hope, Hamazura said as if he were giving up on something. I finally thought I had something I could use to negotiate with Academy City and then this happens. An ominous feeling swelled up within the attackers. Hamazura continued to speak to the attackers who supposedly had the absolute advantage. That was a package of the bacterial wall the Russian special unit was trying to disseminate. Id rather you hadnt stepped on that right before my eyes. The atmosphere instantaneously froze. The attackers from the dark side of Academy City had been given the specs of the bacterial wall used in the Kremlin Report. It was a type of virus that spread through the air and had a higher than 80% death rate for those infected. It had an extremely high resistance to heat, so boiling would have no effect. As such, toxic high density ozone was needed to sterilize it. Also worth mentioning was the fact that the virus had the ability to break down oils meaning it could eat through the filters in protective masks, vehicles, and other constructions. It was stored without any moisture to prevent it from becoming active, but once it left the package and came in contact with the moisture in the air, there was no way of stopping it. There was even a risk of infection if you were entirely covered in special masks and suits!! Shit!! Panic came over the attackers for the first time. They knew it was pointless, but they tried to get away from the broken glass container. And then Hamazura Shiage quickly swung his arms holding the assault rifle. Just kidding, you idiots. Thats a bottle of carbonated water. !? By the time the attackers realized it, it was too late. Hamazura stood up on his knees and forced his body forward. He stuck the rifle between the white wings and forced its aim toward the attackers waist. He did not have time to hesitate. He pulled the trigger. With a sharp gun shot, the attacker collapsed onto the ground like roughly opening and closing a door. The attacker was protected by the white wings. If he had been shot from anywhere else, it was clear what would have happened. You bastard!! The attackers had never expected one of their own to be taken out. The other two frantically flapped their white wings. At that rate, Hamazura would be sliced to pieces. The thick tree trunks would not act as cover from those white wings. However, the body of a man using the same technology lay at his feet. Hamazura moved to the side and leapt behind the white wings that were still coming from the dead body. The white wings that seemed to slice through anything were obstructed and repelled by wings made of the same substance. Hamazura kicked the body changing the angle of the neck...or rather, the angle of the wings coming from the mask. The white wings flew down like guillotines toward the attackers. They both had the same type of weapon. That meant they were able to block the white wings, too. Multiple white wings grew from the masks as the attackers used everything they had to block the attack. Yes, they used everything they had. They had no room to spare. That was when Hamazura aimed his assault rifle like he was sticking it out from under his arm. A scream rang out. Along with the short burst of bullets, red liquid scattered about and the second attacker collapsed atop the snow. However, that was the limit. The third attacker counterattacked. Multiple white wings squirmed about and tore into the ground below Hamazuras feet rather than at the boy himself. He lost his balance making him unable to aim his assault rifle. He was completely powerless. The attacker first made sure he himself was safe and then unhesitatingly headed forward. He grabbed Hamazuras neck with one hand and moved that half of his body forward in order to push the boys back against the trunk of a tree that had barely managed to survive during that battle. Gah!? A shock ran through Hamazuras body, his breathing stopped, and the grip of the assault rifle slipped from his hands. His legs dangled above the ground. The attacker said nothing and spread the white wings wide. There was no mercy in his actions. ...Arent you forgetting something important? However, Hamazura smiled. He spoke as he smiled. Even if her bodys balance is off due to the Body Crystal, Mugino Shizuri is the Number Four. She can still fire two or three shots. ... As the attacker held Hamazura up with a single arm, the face of the mask moved a bit. Youre bluffing. The same trick will not work on me twice. Mugino Shizuris level of performance can be seen in the fact that she lost to the likes of you. I see. Thats too bad. Hamazuras arms went limp. He made one last comment as his limbs dangled down. I guess youll just get shot through while still feeling triumphant in your victory. A brilliant beam of light shot out. By the time the attacker perceived it, it was already over. The attacker was sticking the right side of his body forward to grasp Hamazuras throat with his right arm. That arm was blown off at the shoulder...or so Hamazura thought. In reality, the mans shoulder and right chest were torn off along with it. There was a giant cavity eating all the way into just below his neck. Hamazura fell to the ground with a thud. The torn off arm was still stuck to his neck. What...? The attackers gaze turned in shock toward the source of the beam of light. Two girls stood there a few hundred meters away. One girl was limp and wearing a yellow coat and the other was wearing a pink track suit. The girl in the yellow coat was leaning on the girl in the track suits shoulder. Mugino Shizuris balance was off due to the Body Crystal, so she was not able to aim carefully. Even if she had 2 or 3 shots to spare, they would not hit. So... (It was Takitsubo Rikou... That Number Four relied on someone else to correct her aim...?) The attacker did not realize that he was not speaking those words out loud. (No, its not just that. Even the bacterial wall bluff...was nothing more than preparation for this. If I had known Mugino Shizuri was aiming for me, I could have easily dealt with it... Thats why he made me think that any showy possibilities were nothing more than bluffs...That way, I would let my guard down and give them a chance to slowly aim at me...) With 2 or 3 shots, all of the attackers could have been taken out as long as all of the shots would hit. If even one shot was evaded, it was over. No, the white wings coming from the mask most likely could deflect those weakened Meltdowner attacks. (So...) Hamazuras defeat of the two attackers with the assault rifle had been nothing more than good luck on top of their strategy. His role had been to keep the attackers still, buy some time, and allow Mugino to finish them off. The wounded Number Four had not been able to fight the way things had been. That was why Hamazura had changed the situation to one where the wounded girl could fight. The attackers had completely fallen for their trick. God...dammit... The attackers horribly wounded body wobbled to the side and collapsed onto the snow. Even so, he moved the mask. With his last strength, he tried to take Hamazura down with him. But then he felt something hard press up against the side of his head next to the mask. It was the barrel of an assault rifle. How could...this happen...? The attacker finally started to regret it. The attackers primary objective had been to kill the two rebelling against Academy City, Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou. However, their opponent had been a Level 0, so they had taken him lightly and had neglected to do a proper analysis of his strength. So this is...Hamazura Shiage... No, youve got that wrong, said the boy who was aiming his assault rifle down while standing on wobbly legs. This is ITEM. Make sure to remember that while you burn in hell. Part 3 There was no real reason for it. His right arm simply had a special power within it. Imagine there was a nuclear missile about to be fired before your eyes and you held the control key in your hand and the firing control panel was right in front of you. Was it unnatural to put the key in and try to stop it from firing? Wouldnt it be more unnatural to say things like Im not a specialist, so I dont understand it or Im not a soldier or a police officer, so I have no obligation to risk my life and stand there without doing anything? Wouldnt it be more unnatural to not do it because you had no reason to do it? Someone who would do that would not be human. They would be nothing more than a toy that had run out of drive. No reason was needed to fight. In fact, not doing anything in a great crisis would bring guilt. And he had the necessary things in the necessary amounts. Instead of trying to stretch his hand out toward a place he could never reach, he instead continued making slow preparations for a long period of time like creating stairs out of wooden boxes. It was for the sake of a single success. It was for the sake of a victory that required no reason. He felt that boy was the same. They both possessed right arms that had special abilities even if they had different properties. That was why he continued to fight using the power of that right arm. He had no doubts over the reason behind that process. After all, he had no need to think about it. In fact, he had no reason to come to a stop. That was why he fought in the same way. That was how it should have been. And yet... A great high-pitched noise rang throughout the Star of Bethlehem. It was the sound of Kamijou Toumas right hand repelling the flow coming from Fiamma of the Rights Third Arm. Kamijous Imagine Breaker could not negate a power all at once if it was too great. He used that fact to his advantage to press against the side of Fiammas approaching attack pushing it like a train changing tracks, making it slip, and causing that overwhelming attacks trajectory to veer off. Fiamma wondered why. His right arm altered the strength of the power it presented to match the strength of the enemy he must defeat. And Fiamma had determined his enemy was World War III. In other words, it was a great calamity that could destroy an entire planet contaminating the surrounding area of space with a large amount of debris. By bringing together the Star of Bethlehem, Misha Kreutzev, and the flesh-and-blood right arm that acted as a container for Imagine Breaker, he should have succeeded in drawing out the proper ability. Fiamma should possess the power to single-handedly claim victory over that large war that was a mix of science and magic. It was like the power to destroy all of humanity on the face of the earth. He was trying to use that for the sake of salvation, but it would have been possible for him to bring an end to human history if he used it in a certain way. However... ...Why were you able to stop that? Fiamma muttered. He adjusted his grip on the remote control spiritual item. The golden light in the heavens focused together and rained down straight for Kamijou Touma matching the movement of Fiammas Third Arm. Is it that great an ability? It is merely the power to negate the supernatural!! It is merely the power to grab and twist a power it cannot completely negate!! ...I should be able to sink an entire continent into the ocean with a single wave of my right arm. I should be able to dry up all the water in the oceans with a single strike!! You were nothing more than an adapter connected to that right arm until the designated time. You were nothing more than a potato shoot that is to be returned to the earth after the potato is collected!! Guided by the 103,000 grimoires, the power of salvation bared its fangs. The golden rain fell. It fell on about half of the surface of the Star of Bethlehem. The mass of stone structures crumbled bit by bit and large cracks ran through even the floor Kamijou and Fiamma stood upon. The pressure sent ferocious winds flying in every direction and it caused such fierce destruction that even Fiamma brought his Third Arm up to protect his face. However, Kamijou Touma did not go down. His right arm was pointed straight up. He had forcibly repelled the first strike and it has exploded out like a liquid having something dropped into it. The after effects of that struck the downpour and distorted the trajectories of the beams of light. Why? That boys right arm should not have held such great ability. A single attack from Fiamma should have destroyed all of humanity. He should have been able to deal with even Vento of the Front or Acqua of the Back with a single wave of his right arm. Do you still not understand? Kamijou Touma asked from within that ruined room that had lost even its ceiling due to the bombardment from the heavens. His voice was low and heavy. You said that right arm changes its ability based on the strength of your enemy. The stronger your enemy, the more strength it draws out. And to draw out the arms power to the maximum, you had to cause World War III to increase the peoples malice. You needed to complete your preparations to make the form of the enemy you must defeat clear. So what? World War III was continuing even then. Tragedy created more tragedy and the spiraling malice would spread out to every corner of that planet. Fiammas holy power would increase in response to that ugly sight and he would purify the entire world once his preparations were complete. But that brings in another possibility, Kamijou spun his right arm around as if to check on his shoulder. The joint made a cracking noise as he did so. What if everyones hearts were not filled with malice to the extent you thought they were? Then you would not be able to draw out as much power as you expected. Fiammas eyebrows moved ever so slightly. He stared past the broken wall and down at the distant surface of the earth. The golden light was shining down, but he could not see deep down at the surface. The dust and evaporated particles may have gathered together creating a screen. It was like the world was covered in a smokescreen emitted by the minds of the people killing each other in that war. ...Youre making an incorrect assumption. Fiamma of the Right shook his Third Arm. He tightly gripped the remote control spiritual item that supported him with a vast amount of knowledge. Clear hatred resided in his eyes. This world is twisted. It can no longer be controlled. The four great elements that make up its core would have been utterly destroyed had I not corrected them. Remaining resources, opposing races, religious differences, lack of food, warring countries, destroyed borders, and everything else becomes intertwined creating a situation where each problem cannot be resolved in turn. ... Youre saying I was not able to gather up as much malice as I assumed? Dont make me laugh. That is nothing more than nonsense coming from someone who does not understand what malice is!! That great war is continuing even now and it is making everyone honest!! Nation, race, religion, gender, language, money, bloodline, talent, and all the other small thorns in peoples hearts are starting to be brought out into the world!! ...Do you really want to believe that the depths of human hearts are that pure? What part of a human heart could be pure with the things they have done!? Its true that human hearts are not something to be viewed from the outside. Human nature may be something dripping with darkness. There may even be malice sleeping within me without my knowledge and I simply do not wish to believe it is there. Kamijou did not stop speaking there. But that is not all there is to human nature. What...? How can you say that there is only one aspect to what is inside people? How can you claim that there is dark malice within the depths of our hearts and that there is nothing else there? There was a deep darkness spreading throughout peoples hearts that nothing could be done about. Humans did not only think about making connections with others. They also possessed a nature that led them to distance themselves from others under many different pretexts such as protecting themselves, ensuring their own safety, and monopolizing things. Hurting others and rejecting others were completely natural actions to take. However, there was also an even greater light sleeping within them at the same time. There was a virtue that people were normally too embarrassed to mention out loud. There was a justice that one did not feel the need to show off. Those things surely existed. They may not be visible, but they were definitely there. It would be odd if they were not. If there was truly nothing more than malice that led people to kill others, then humanity would have fought itself to destruction long ago. The fact that everyone was still living to that day and that history had continued on showed that the desire to connect with others was stronger than the desire to destroy others. I did not need a reason. Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist anew. It was not that I was strong. You merely failed on your own. Even with no reason, humans will fight for those that are important to them. Even with no special power, they will still fight because they wish to protect them. I was saved by that power. With no reason? Fiamma looked at Kamijou with an expression like he was seeing something he could not believe. That is the conclusion that only fits for us. Imagine that a nuclear missile is about to be fired. We hold the control key and the control panel stands before us. It is true that we need no reason to put in the key and try to stop the launch. However, those who do not hold the key cannot stop the missile. You dont need the key. Kamijous rebuttal came without even a seconds delay. You can stick wires into the keyhole. You can open up the control panel and mess with the computer cables. You can even shoot at the missile itself just before it launches. Having the key or not only matters for one of many means of resolving it. There is absolutely no reason to stand by and watch the missile launch. ...Anyone can fight. As long as you have something you wish to risk your life to protect even if it makes the entire world your enemy, you can fight. What an idiot, Fiamma muttered. He realized anew that Kamijou Touma was a being with a mentality fundamentally different from his own. Ill be taking Index back, Kamijou Touma announced as he took a large step forward. And not just that. The fighting between the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church, the conflict between science and magic, and the fighting between countries across the world in World War III will all end here. Do you really think you can do that? As if in response to Kamijous step forward, Fiamma of the Right spread his Third Arm out wide. That surefire arm increased in destructive force in response to human malice. Do you really think that you can have a complete victory without losing anything in such a large scale conflict!? Things like World War III are nothing more than the preliminary preparations. With the Star of Bethlehem in the heavens, the purification on the earth has already begun. Are you saying you can still bring about an easy victory!? I can. One side was the hidden leader of the largest Christian denomination thoroughly reinforced by the sky temple known as the Star of Bethlehem, the worlds malice brought to the surface by World War III, the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires, the nature of Gods Right Seat, and that special severed right arm. On the other side was a high school boy who had no special characteristics beyond a special right arm. However, he had no reason to hesitate. As such, Kamijou charged forward. Unlike you, I believe in the strength of humanity. At that time, a strange shadow showed itself as if piercing through the coastline of Barcelona. It was a strange golden shape something like a giant arm and something like a giant snake. The hand stretched up into the air, halfway opened its fingers, and towered high into the sky without grabbing anything. Everyone there fearfully watched it. That area was relatively removed from the fires of the great war that was occurring. The area was not in a state of alert. While a great number of civilians watched on, a change occurred in the golden arm. The golden arm explosively expanded from the ground up to the fingertips. In an instant, the shape of the palm crumbled and was transformed like a giant balloon. The sound of the distorted sphere reaching its limit could be heard. And... At that time, at the end of the 100 meter arm shooting up from the surface of the Sea of Japan, the palm lost its basic shape and turned into a distorted sphere and it clenched tightly into a fist as if attempting to crush itself. Immediately afterwards, it burst. At the same time, the giant 100 meter arm broke to pieces and a tremendous shockwave spread in all directions. The calamity that appeared in the world was outputted in the form of high waves. It was as if a giant space station had struck the oceans surface. A wall of seawater over 30 meters high spread out evenly in a circle. The aircraft carriers, escort ships, amphibious assault ships, battleships, cruisers, and all the other various Academy City and Russian ships made of steel that were lined up and fighting were completely swallowed up. What is going on...? cried out a navigation officer from an Academy City cooperative institution as he saw the giant approaching disaster. He was not even sure if he should take refuge within the ship or to put on a life jacket and jump into the ocean. This goes beyond a war! What is happening to the world!? At that time, a golden arm exploded in a similar fashion even on the war front in Eastern Europe. However, that one did not cause waves. Radiating from the center of the exploding arm were thunder clouds lowering down to the surface. The dark masses of water vapor explosively spread along the surface of the earth while an odd noise reverberated throughout the area. It was the sound of sparks. It was the sound of voltages exceeding a hundred million. Those overwhelmingly high voltage currents blew apart the people absorbed by the dark clouds and fried all electronic equipment on the weapons. Youre kidding... blankly muttered a man from Academy City who was hiding behind some rocks as the dark clouds approached. The scope of the disaster was simply too great. The thunder clouds expanded to the left and right for kilometers, so there was no way of avoiding it even if he started to run. And his body would be torn to pieces within a few seconds of being absorbed by the clouds. Faced with that ridiculous situation, only a thin smile appeared on the mans face and then someone grabbed his ankles. It came from underneath a destroyed Russian armored vehicle. He lost his balance and was pulled underneath. Immediately afterwards, the dark clouds shot past him. An ominous sound like a trains power source shorting out continued repeatedly. Just being underneath that vehicle did not leave the man unscathed. A portion of the current travelled through the surface and then mercilessly through the mans entire body. However, he did not die. The groaning Academy City man finally realized something. You... the man muttered while looking at the female Russian soldier who had dragged him under the vehicle. You know were enemies, right? To you, Im the detestable invader. An invader who went out of his way to stop the Kremlin Report, you mean? And this is no longer any time to be worrying about the war. The line of command is all but destroyed. There are also all sorts of unconfirmed reports of similar things occurring all over the world, the female soldier practically spat out those words as she stared at the electrified snow that had been blown up into the air as an aftereffect of that purple electricity. Im fighting this war to protect my family. Im not going to let the world end or humanity to be annihilated after everything Ive done!! Suddenly, they heard the cracking sound of water rapidly freezing. Immediately afterwards, a tremendous noise exploded out. Some kind of giant ring had appeared on a portion of the ground they could see from underneath the vehicle. The giant ring was made of a substance similar to pure gold, it had a radius of over 100 meters, and its width was greater than that of a two-lane road. It was stabbing diagonally into the ground. The female Russian soldier thought it looked like an angels halo. However, that was not the only change. Along the area of effect from the thunder clouds that had run across the ground, giant rings, long arcing parts with tapered ends that were similar to ribs, river-like curving bundles of cloth, and other objects were being forced into that world tearing up the ground and blowing away forests. It looked like someone had turned over a giant toy box. The flood of giant constructions spread in every direction and every object was of incredible size. The Academy City man forced words out of his dry throat. ...What the hell is going on? How should I know? bluntly replied the Russian soldier. The one bit of luck is that this was just a plain. If something like this happened in an urban area, the buildings would all have been destroyed. And... A rumbling and vibrating exploded out. The thunder clouds had passed by, but the danger was not over. There was no rule saying there could only be one golden arm. As long as those giant arms continued to come up from the ground, the dangers would keep coming. Here comes another one. What do we do!? asked the Academy City man. The Russian woman moved her fingers along an anti-tank rocket launcher. Isnt it obvious? We end this before it can explode!! Help me, Academy City. We need your firepower!! Dammit. And Im already busy stopping the Kremlin Report!! The objective is the same. Whether its occult or a bacterial wall, we need to destroy every single thing that is going to cause unnecessary deaths!! At that time, a golden arm about to explode was sliced off at about halfway and sank into the Strait of Dover. The civilians, the soldiers, and everyone else were dumbfounded. Amid them all, the girl who had brought that golden arm to its demise spun her single staff around. She was a girl of about 12. Hey, Mark!! Youve been slacking off on maintaining my Symbolic Weapon, havent you? Thanks to that, Im only getting 80% output!! Boss, the production and consecration of a Symbolic Weapon is supposed to be done by the weapons user, are they not? Tch. But what is going on? I never thought I would end up having to help out to save the world. Given the situation, it seems Fiamma of the Rights plan is to purify the surface of the earth. He seems to be disseminating pure Telesma to cause a change in the foundation in order to save the world. He must be thinking that changing the foundation will change all of the structures on top of it, Mark explained. However, the mere amount is an issue. Spreading that much Telesma around will cause quite a bit of destruction. And on top of that, unlike the magic power refined within peoples bodies, Telesma has an elemental color from the beginning. This causes phenomena of or derived of the element to occur. So its like the flood of Noahs Ark. The passing cleanliness is no different from a disaster to us ugly humans. The blonde girl who had been referred to as boss put on an evil smile that was unbefitting of her age. And yet there was enough intensity in it that it made one think that there was no expression that better fit her lovely face. And we ugly humans are labeled as ugly because we do not know when to give up. A distant explosion pounded on the girls ears. It was coming from the horizon. Not even that girl could eliminate all of the golden arms. The ocean where no people or ships were had low priority, so explosions like that continued intermittently. Along the affected area of the disaster, objects like giant angel halos and bones appeared one after another. ...I see. Hes made sure to see this through. He has prepared the resources to be used in the revival after everything has been washed away. Thats a huge pile of materials more valuable and convenient than gold, platinum, or tungsten. Well, it is possible to create objects such as clothing and weapons from Telesma, from an angels body...but as someone who uses human magic, the scale leaves me utterly shocked. But it is meaningless, said the blonde girl quietly. It may be true that having enough resources to satisfy every single person on the planet would resolve most conflict. Each individual will resolve things still as an individual. However, that is not enough. If people are given resources, they will use those resources to expand the range of what they control. People have already built rockets and taken control of the moons surface, so we will not stop there. We will use the deuterium on the moon and aim for Mars. That is why increasing or decreasing the amount of resources will not stop conflict. It will only change the scope of the conflict. Also, a material equal to the weapons and shields of the angels cannot be dealt with using human techniques. They cannot be scratched even when using lasers or diamonds and I doubt human magic can do anything to an angels body. This is not what I would call resources. It is nothing but a pile of giant trash. Well, our ultimate objective is to seize control of the entire world be it the magic side or the science side. Ruling a world that has been wiped clean and is filled with useless toy blocks sounds boring. Lets go get busy with some philanthropic work. Numerous golden arms burst up from the ground and the ocean. The girl paid them no heed. She rested the staff she had been spinning around on her shoulder and unhesitatingly stepped forward. She used a megaphone a man in formal dress handed her and spoke to the entire battlefield. Whether youre British, French, from Academy City, or Russian, listen up!! All soldiers that can do so need to support us with your infrared aiming information transmitters! When you receive target coordinate information, provide backup fire with everything you have!! Now, the time has come for a bombardment of the people, by the people, and for the people!! Lets make this flashy, baby!! Some British soldiers who were too shocked to stand opened their mouths to speak despite not being able to control what they were saying. Wh-wha-what...? Who...are you people...? The girl did not turn around in response. With her back to them and with many men in formal clothing surrounding her, the girl spoke. She brought the megaphone to her mouth and spoke as if singing. We are a magic cabal. We are the Dawn-Colored Sunlight. At that time, Acqua of the Back stood upon a white snowy plain. He was watching an oddly-shaped shadow break through the snow on the ground and show itself. It no longer had anything to do with Academy City, the Russian army, science, or magic. Everyone was working together to charge at the golden arm. They wielded their weapons to destroy the source of the calamity before it could cause another large scale explosion. They were fighting to ensure the damage did not spread further. They were fighting to protect those important to them. (...You are a fool, Fiamma.) Acqua smiled faintly. That mans expression almost never changed, but at that time he did smile if just a bit. (It is not you or me who will save this world. No matter what you destroy and no matter what you bless, you cannot win over the people. For the people who live in the world, protecting that world is the obvious choice.) In that case, the time had come for him to wield his power as one of those people. Acqua was no longer a Saint. Nor was he a member of Gods Right Seat. He did not have the physical strength to swing up his own greatest weapon of Ascalon and the amount of magic power he could refine was only on the level of an average magician. But what did that matter? Acqua was not fighting because he was a Saint or because he was a member of Gods Right Seat. He did not feel that he had lived a praiseworthy life, but unfortunately, he had a lingering attachment to that world at least to the extent of being able to think of someone he wished to protect. At that time... Oh, there he is. I finally found him, quietly said an old man as he removed binoculars from his eyes. A youth next to the old man spoke to him in exasperation. Is this really okay? Youve returned to Russia of all places. Theres a rumor that the old name of the Astrological Surgery Brigade is still recorded on the black list here. Shut up. Theres nothing wrong with me using all the spiritual items I have stockpiled for my own use. And when you heard that William Orwell was headed to Russia, you headed after him without reporting it. Well, Ill admit that I lost my cool. I still owe him from the time with the Orleans Knights. Not returning that favor would leave a bad taste in my mouth. The youth held a French sword called a colichemarde that had been derived from a sports tool. Next to him stood a woman who possessed the qualities of a spell called the Oracle of dArc. Those three were not alone. Many people were gathered there. Many people had been saved along the path that mercenary walked. So hows the mercenary doing? Hes doing mercenary work like usual. But somethings odd. I didnt take him as someone who would toy with something like this. Are you worried? Of course not. The old man sighed and then lightly swung the Japanese sword resting on his shoulder. It was Raikiri.[1] That modern mass produced spiritual item was based on anecdotes of strikes from heaven being intercepted. As if in response to that, hundreds of figures behind the old man held their own individual weapons at the ready. Someone that lovely deserves our assistance. But, said a young man, I dont think this kind of makeshift solution will be able bring an end to these disasters occurring one after another on a global scale. I know. Thats what the former Astrological Surgery Brigade is for. People who freely move across the world have a network allowing them to do so. The lines set up by those obstinate people who thoughtlessly take root and protect a single place can be freely brought together. ? Well, a senile old man like me can at least tie together the thin, thin threads. The truly tricky part will be done by more suitable people. ...At the very root, they are not idiots. After saying that, the old man lightly swung Raikiri. What free spirits like us must do is simple. Do you know what that is, young man? It is not to think about anything too difficult, the young man smiled and swung his colichemarde in a similar manner, and take up our swords if there is someone we must protect, right? Lets go. Those two words were enough. They become a unified strength and charged into the battlefield. At that time, Vasilisa, the head of Annihilatus, strongly kicked a female magician who had once been her subordinate causing the woman to fly into a set of double doors like a shell destroying the locked door. Vasilisa was within a palace in Moscow. The tremendous noise that destruction made caused the shoulders of the person confined within the room to tremble. He was a boy of about 15. He was so slender that he had a linear beauty greater than even a true woman like Vasilisa. He was so slender that it looked like he would end up in eternal sleep after three days of being out on his own. The majestic outfit of the Patriarch made him look like a small child who had put on his fathers suit. Vasilisa spat the blood that had gathered in her mouth onto the floor and smiled. Hello, our great leader. It seems you were treated quite carefully to have been thrown into such a luxurious birdcage. The positions of the fairy tale boy and heroine have been completely reversed, but Ive come to rescue you from the evil kings castle. ...I did not think that anyone remained who would call me Patriarch. I had no power. No matter how much I yelled, no one would lay down their weapons. Everyone used the signature I was tricked into providing as an indulgence and refused to listen to my words attempting to repeal that decision. Youre cute, so Ill forgive you, interrupted Vasilisa in a completely joking manner. And there is still something for you to do. It is something only the Patriarch can do. ? Vasilisa was devoted to only Sasha Kreutzev, but her heart almost wavered at how lovely that confused look on the Patriarchs small face was. The criteria on which she chose where her allegiances lay were quite simple. She put her hand up to her face to make sure she did not have a nosebleed. (...Cmon, stop that. Ive already lost a lot of blood, so I just dont have enough left right now.) Do you see that? Vasilisa suppressed her writhing heart and pointed toward the window. Even from that distance, the fortress floating in the golden heavens was visible. That was just how vast its scale and altitude were. It was the fortress of Gods Right Seats Fiamma of the Right. It had been named the Star of Bethlehem from the remaining fragmentary records. That fortress was created by gathering the necessary parts from Christian churches and cathedrals across the world. However, each construction has its own ceremony. Just gathering them all in one place would not be enough to neatly fuse them all together. What are you trying to say? There is a spell for connecting them, Vasilisa said while waving her finger a bit. Fiamma used both the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. In other words, he used spells from both churches to their fullest in his plan to construct that fortress. In other words... If we analyze it, we can break its joints. Most likely, the Russian Orthodox spells were supplied to him by Nikolai Tolstoy, but no documents to that end were found in his palace. However, we do not need to give up there. Do you understand what Im saying? Of course, the spells used would be ones that were top secret even in the Russian Orthodox Church. Vasilisa did not think that Fiamma would use an easily analyzed spell as the key for his fortress. However... Oh, I see, said the Patriarch moving his thin lips and lightly rubbing his chin. The Phenomena Control and Reduction Reproduction Facility is nearby. In order to find the conditions needed for the occurrence of ghostly and spiritual phenomena, a 1/1 scale diorama facility is created where all sorts of experiments are performed... If we remove the limiter, it can be applied to the Russian Orthodox magic used by humans. And if we succeed in the simulation, we can calculate out what spells Fiamma used. So youre telling me to remove that limiter. I wonder if you can do it. Even with the old cannibal woman of the one-legged house with you, your safety is not guaranteed. Vasilisa tried to rub the Patriarchs head, but he moved his head to the side to avoid her hand and headed for the exit to the room. Unaware that his actions had excited her even more, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church asked her a question. But the Star of Bethlehems joints use Roman Catholic magic as well as Russian Orthodox magic. We may only be able to weaken it. ...Dont worry about that. Despite being a quite stubborn, a certain oddly well connected and strange old man has helped us tie together those thin, thin threads. ? Bringing the wrinkled old woman phantom with her, Vasilisa headed along after the Patriarch. What Im saying is that group is not as rotten as everyone thinks they are. At that time, an old man named Matthai Reese who had abandoned his position as the Roman Catholic Pope headed down underground below a half-destroyed Vatican cathedral. His objective was to analyze the spells Fiamma had used in his plan. Such a large scale plan could not be done solely with the spells for those in Gods Right Seat. The central spells may have been from there, but it was highly possible that existing Roman Catholic magic had been used to fill in the gaps. Hi there, you dandy gentleman. How are things going there? said someone via a magical communication. Hmph. Am I really the person you want to speak with? I am no longer the pope. I am speaking with the person who I believe to be the leader of the Roman Catholic Church both in name and in reality. And I do not think Pietro Yogdis would work well together with our cute Patriarch. Ill take that to mean you succeeded in getting an audience with the Patriarch. And I have finished selecting the main books I need. I am just about ready to construct a circle for a super long distance spell that will interfere with the Star of Bethlehem in the Russian sky. Oh, how convenient. It seems the Vatican does indeed have plenty of trump cards lying in wait. I could do anything I wanted if my position was given that much of a budget. How much credibility is there in the theory that the changes on the earth will cease once power is taken from the Star of Bethlehem? I am still receiving reports from all over the place of golden arms producing disasters. Hmm? It should be fine. The changes on the earth are occurring in response to the changes in the heavens. If we stop the changes in the heavens, the changes on the earth should stop, too. I hope youre right. If everyone ends up being sacrificed despite having stopped Fiamma, it will all have been for naught. By the way, is the Roman Catholic Church really okay with this? What do you mean? Fiamma of the Right is in conflict with our interests. However, it is true that he is still brining great benefit to the Roman Catholic Church. If you destroy that foundation, there is no guarantee that the Roman Catholic Church will be able to prosper as it has in the past. I do not mind. ...There is no point in possessing a power that cannot protect everyone. If it will save the people, I will stop Fiamma even if it strips the Roman Catholic Church of power. Hes sinfully cute. ...What are you talking about? Our leader. I wonder if you had a time when you looked like that. I had a disposition that made me beloved by many, but I was never referred to in that way. I was chosen to be the pope after all, so I probably give off an image of a solemn father. Oh, it looks like our cute fatherly image has taken offense at that. But hes so cute!! I just want to hug him!! ...Actually, isnt it the fairy tale heroines that are most often referred to in that way? Matthai Reese said half out of exasperation as he looked over the massive amount of data that was sleeping underground. He was in a library filled with large bookshelves. The small girl known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum had once been invited there. If he knew what spells Fiamma had used, they may be able to fight back. They may be able to stop that huge war. However, that also meant... We are helping bring about our own defeat, arent we? said a young priest following Matthai Reese. It is not a defeat, Matthai Reese corrected with a strength that stopped even others from doubting. Even in this, we are fighting for victory. That victory will gain us nothing. If you truly think that, you would not be helping me. The young priest fell silent for a bit. Only the sound of flipping pages could be heard. ...Can we redo it all once more? We can, was Matthai Reeses short response. There was a small smile on the old mans face. We definitely can. Suddenly, Matthai Reese started to frown. Immediately afterwards, a stabbing headache spread from his temples to the inside of his skull. He was in a vault of knowledge pure enough that Index Librorum Prohibitorum was invited into it. Even for the former pope, viewing that knowledge for a long period of time brought a deep negative effect on his body and mind. We can still do it, Matthai Reese said while holding a hand out to drive back the young priest who was attempting to see if he was okay. We can still fight. In order to open up the path to a hope-filled tomorrow, we cannot stop here. However, it was true that he was worried. The secret ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church and the wisdom of the Russian Orthodox Church. If they used the techniques used in the Star of Bethlehem against it, they would be able to severely damage it. However, it was not clear if they could actually bring it down. After all... (Those are not the only techniques being used...) He had received word that Fiamma of the Right had stolen the remote control spiritual item for Index Librorum Prohibitorum. That meant that the Star of Bethlehem might not only be using Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox techniques. The final key was... The Anglican Archbishop, hm? Hey, hey. Do you want to play a game of rock-paper-scissors to see who has to speak with that trickster of a woman? At that time, Sasha Kreutzev pulled many different tools from the belt at her waist while standing within the Star of Bethlehem that floated above Russia. She scraped an L-shaped crowbar along the floor to draw a gigantic magic circle. Lessar was hurriedly preparing the escape containers. There were many metal container-like objects with large parachutes on them hanging down from the bottom of the fortress. Lessar was preparing them for use. In addition to those two girls, over 200 Russian Orthodox magicians that had been cast aside by Fiamma were there. They had to be allowed to escape to the surface before Fiamma disposed of them. And even if Fiamma was defeated, they still needed a means of escape. They were over 10,000 meters up in the air after all. Wait! I dont know what youre trying to do, but the last bus is about to leave!! My first response: I am not here because I wish to be. A supplementary explanation: I truly wish to get away from here as quickly as I can. Sashas hands manipulating her tools did not stop as she spoke. My personal opinion: However, I also am resistant to fleeing without doing anything. The only one actually opposing Fiamma right now is that boy. As a professional magician, I must at least support him even if it is useless resistance. How!? My second response: Fiamma used my body to call in Gabriel and to change a section of the sky into the environment he wished for. ...As such, I may have become a major factor that can drive a wedge into Fiammas plan. She did not know how much of an effect she could produce. At the very least, it was impossible for Sasha Kreutzevs actions alone to bring Fiammas huge plan to a standstill. However, she still had to do it. Sashas gaze did not waver as it lay hidden behind her bangs. Lessar scratched at her hair. Ahh, dammit!! Then Ill help you finish this as quickly as possible!! ? I too was thinking about sticking around to the very last possible second. That boy seems like he will be beneficial to England, so Ill help you out just to kill some time. My third response: You do not need to go that far... Either way, our escape plan has been temporarily stopped since you have decided to do this. Lessar used her thumb to point behind herself. The Russian Orthodox magicians were getting out of their escape containers and approaching. They were approaching to help spread the complex magic circle Sasha was trying to draw. Sasha was shocked, but Lessar grinned in her direction and spoke. Now this flow will not change until we get some kind of result, so lets fight back against Fiammas plan. At that time, a group of girls dressed in mainly black nun habits were travelling across a snowy plain of Russia at high speed. Their clothes looked like those of the Roman Catholic Church, but they were currently not affiliated with that church. They were the former Agnese Force. Those 200 nuns were headed for a place where both Academy City and Russian soldiers were collapsed. Fighting did not necessarily mean to kill ones enemies. They had their own way of fighting. Sister Agnese, we have spotted people needing to be rescued. It is impossible to get them all out of the effective range of the explosions. As planned, shelters need to be built at points calculated from the distribution map of those needing to be rescued!! Listen up, Sister Angelene. The shelters use the theory of the swaddling clothes and manger of the Son of God! Order each of the nuns skilled in the use of Divine Mother-style Ex Voto to set up shelters!! The large rescue helicopters are on standby 3000 meters back! Have them transport the heavily wounded out before the next explosion!! Get the lightly wounded to one of the shelters! We do not have time to transport them all out!! It all happened in no time at all. What they were referring to as shelters were nothing more than tent-like objects made of a wooden framework and a large white cloth. However, they were still not objects that could be constructed in a dozen or so seconds. To those watching on who had no idea what was going on, it may have looked like the shelters were spring-loaded toys that automatically expanded. Collapsed soldiers who were unable to move were taken one after another to the shelters created in the middle of the battlefield. Surprisingly, both the Academy City and Russian soldiers were treated in this way. They were all humans who held the same feelings toward that one situation. If they had all realized that earlier, such a showy war may not have occurred in the first place. ...Who are you? Those words were squeezed out by a man who had been controlling an Academy City powered suit. He asked his questions even as he had bandages wrapped around his body. Whose side are you on...? We did not come all this way to discuss that, responded a girl in a black nuns habit. If I must respond, I will say that our only goal is to reduce the number of injuries in this war as much as possible. ... The nun was using medicines made of plants rather than the usual antibiotics and the soldier was at a loss for words. As if to fill that silence, a communication reached the shelter of wood and cloth. The soldier could not see any kind of equipment. A male voice came from what looked like a card that was stuck to one of the shelters pillars. Really now. I knew Fiamma loved to keep things clean, but I never thought he would try to clean things on such a large scale. So this really is part of Fiammas purification plan? It would be best to assume it is. Hes destroying the status quo and producing the materials needed to recreate it all. ...However, new materials that no human can destroy and therefore cannot be manufactured by anyone are nothing more than giant pieces of garbage. A sharp yet heavy vibration shook the snowy plain. Immediately afterwards, a golden arm protruded up from the ground nearby. The Academy City man lying in a bed grimaced in pain and sat up. A Russian soldier in the bed next to him did the same. Dammit, hand me my gun, the man said with a groan as he stretched one hand out toward a nun. I cant let this end without fighting back. I dont know whos doing this, but youre clearly good people since youve helped us out. Ill give you enough of an opening to escape. However, there was no need for the Academy City or Russian soldiers to make a suicide attack on the arm. They were not even given the time to do so. Almost an instant later, a single long sword severed the golden arm at its base. A majestic form could be seen through a gap in the cloth forming the simple tent-like shelter. The Asian girl wielding a katana over 2 meters long was strange, but it was even stranger that she had been able to slice apart that golden arm in a single strike. The golden arm was over 100 meters long and thick enough to match. Even if that 2 meter sword had a tremendously sharp blade, it should not have been able to sever that golden arm simply due to its thickness. And yet... Basically, its the same concept as opening a slit in a plastic bag, said a female voice from the card-shaped communication device on the pillar. You create a small wound on the target and then let the weight of the target force the slit wider. It is a required skill in the many legends of dragons and other beasts being sliced through with a sword that is clearly smaller than the beast. The Academy City man was in shock and his body was covered in light from an old form of illumination called a torch that a nun wearing black was holding. A circle of light as if from a flashlight crept across his body. He thought she was checking for injuries, but something was odd. Even after the circle of light passed over parts of his body, his bodys surface glowed palely. It was as if his body was being supported from without. Whether you plan to live on or block the way before a powerful enemy, you must first be able to move your body. As he received medical treatment, the Academy City man recalled the situation outside of the shelter. He tried to remember as accurately as possible where the still functioning tanks and powered suits were. Before long, the man had completed his preparations to head out to attack. This time, his enemy was not the Russian army. At that time, two swords severed giant gold arms growing from the surface. One was a sword of light extending from a shard of the British blade Curtana Second. The other was the French blade Durendal. Using those blades were the representatives of each country, Second Princess Carissa and the Femme Fatale. Their wounds from the Archangel Misha Kreutzev had not been healed, but there was no sign of weakness in their actions. First an angel and now the symbol of the right arm. That bastard is obsessed with Telesma, isnt he? said Carissa in a disinterested manner as she swung her sword of light. Move the Mobile Fortress Glastonbury from Deployment B to Deployment C. Check how its doing. A malfunction here would be a real pain in the ass. ...If you removed the altitude limitation on Glastonbury, you could probably reach Fiammas temple a lot faster. The Femme Fatale looked up into the sky. 10,000 meters up above her was the fortress known as the Star of Bethlehem. If it was that easy, we wouldnt be going to all this trouble. Glastonbury was developed to conquer areas along the surface. It is not meant to be used in high altitude battles in the sky. Carissa turned back toward Glastonbury. The Star of Bethlehem, hm? Im surprised the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were willing to disclose that information. They were both used. All this means is that neither of them are so beyond saving that they would just stand by and allow a plan like this to happen. The Femme Fatale lightly swung her sword around by moving only her wrist and began to think. (Come to think of it, my little sisters country is in this area, isnt it?) She then arbitrarily punctuated her thoughts with a hm. (If I get her to owe me a favor, it could lead to Frances benefit.) (Hey, sister. I would rather one of the representatives of Western Europe did not plot to take things from a smaller country. Its childish.) (Oh, Eliza. Its polite to knock before entering.) (You are within range of my bombardment spell.) (If you were truly that skilled, I do not think the French government would have recognized your secession.) (That area was originally intended to be a battlefield on which to fight Fiamma, so my soldiers have set up all sorts of dangerous things. In the end, Fiamma invaded and stole Sasha Kreutzev before we were able to use it, but my bombardment spell can still reach that point.) (Are you hoping to get me to owe you a favor?) (Dont you think it is more natural for a small country to take things from a representative of Western Europe?) Sparks flew between those sisters. And then Carissa seemed to receive a transmission. However, it was not from a magical means of communication. In response to an electronic tone, the second princess pulled a radio out from her cleavage. The Femme Fatale looked at Carissa like she was looking at indecent lingerie. ...Ive asked you this many, many, many times before, but is it really necessary to store that there? Shut up. What are you, my mother? ...Unfortunately, this dress has nothing remotely like pockets. I hope you have enough sense to tell whether it is better to do this or clip it to my panties. Carissa spoke into the radio and seemed to be talking with someone in London. I see, I see. So thats it. In other words, the techniques and knowledge of the Anglican Church are needed in addition to those of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in order to bring down the Star of Bethlehem. The second princes gave multiple quick nods. In that case, tell this to the head of the Anglican Church: If you do not immediately disclose the necessary information, Second Princess Carissa of the Royal Family and of military matters will shove Curtana up your ass. Having said what she needed to say, Carissa cut off the transmission. It seems the preparations to bring it down are underway. However, just waiting for that to happen will only let the damage increase. So you are saying there is only one thing we must do? The two women once more held their legendary-class swords at the ready. A number of golden arms appeared from the ground as if surrounding them. Standing back to back, they spoke. There is a way to obstruct Fiammas plan without directly attacking the Star of Bethlehem. ...And that is to destroy every single golden arm that appears on the surface, right? Multiple cutting strikes flew and the surrounding arms were destroyed in an instant. The knights, Necessarius, and the French magicians followed suit. Their invasion began. At that time, a thin Western sword made of something like particles of light mercilessly pierced through Stiyl Magnuss shoulder and into his chest as he stood within St. Georges Cathedral in England. The sword was the sword of the harvest god Freyr. It was a spiritual item that moved automatically and surely stabbed into its opponents vitals. It cut through Stiyls collarbone and ripped through thick arteries and organs. The expression on the girl named Indexs face remained frozen. Stiyls movements stopped. And in that time, multiple attacks continued on. Another two swords stabbed into Stiyls back and waist and blood red wings swung down as if to finish him off. The attacks were simply overwhelming. The repeated attacks crushed human flesh while also causing fatal damage to the life force that was the source of magic power. However, Indexs expressionless face tilted ever so slightly to the side in confusion. The multiple blades and wings had definitely slid into Stiyls body. However, there was no other change. It had been too smooth. No blood was shed and no flesh was crushed. The human body was not cut apart as easily as a spoon dipping into yogurt. Her conclusion came too late. By the time she realized it was a magical trick, the next move had already been taken. It is a mirage. Its a common method, said a voice behind her. She then noticed something odd in the area of her spine. Immediately afterwards, an explosive noise as if from a strike of lightning exploded out. Stiyl had activated the restraining rune card he had put on her. Indexs backbone creaked as it bent like a bow. Warning: Chapter 47, Verse 80. Restraining effect on mind and body due to a psychological effect has been confirmed. It is affecting mental functions. Leading the restraining effect to a dummy area and putting priority on maintaining ability to analyze spells. The rune on the laminated card started to fade like a poster that had been left in the sun for long periods of time. The important staining of the rune was being removed. Of course, once that coloration disappeared, its effects would disappear too. It would not last long. (...She may have been weakened by the interruption from the remote control spiritual item, but she is still the library of 103,000 grimoires. I did not think that this would be enough to seal her.) What he had managed to do was buy some time. At a fundamental level, Stiyl Magnus could not defeat Index. However... I do not mind. With a small smile on his face, Stiyl pulled a new rune card from his pocket. If that annoying boy can finish things in this time, we win. He then heard a footstep. Stiyl looked over to find Laura Stuart smiling. She was lightly swinging around something in her hand. At first Stiyl thought it was the remote control spiritual item and his eyes opened wide in shock, but that was not what it was. Laura was holding a card-shaped communications spiritual item. Heres your reward, she said. She brought that communications spiritual item that was connected to the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church close to her lips. Well, it seems the quota has been met, so I will aid in the retrieval of the grimoire library as well. And so the three major Christian denominations, the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church, finally joined forces. They had a single objective. Fiamma of the Rights castle known as the Star of Bethlehem would be robbed of its power in order to stop any more atrocities from occurring. They began to move in order to tear off the chains that were binding the world. Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right wielded their respective arms. Multiple shockwaves shook the area, and the magical aftereffects turned into a flood of light that scattered about. Besides the direct clashes, light flashed intermittently around them and blood red beams of light were fired in multiple directions. It was an attack using the 103,000 grimoires. However, their clashes were not equal. Bit by bit with each collision, power left Fiammas Third Arm as if a sharp beak were pecking at soft flesh. Fiammas arm had gained special flesh via various ceremonies, but it was clearly becoming battered and crushed. Kamijous power was not anything special. The source of the power supporting Fiamma of the Right was breaking. Fiamma wondered why. His Third Arm was supposed to produce tremendous power, but its output was falling bit by bit. Cracks were running through the Star of Bethlehem that he had constructed from the important parts of churches and cathedrals from all across the world. It was also losing its natural glow. The earth was supposed to change in the same way as the golden heavens, but even after so much time, it had not been conquered. In fact, something like small bits of contamination were appearing here and there in the golden heavens. Something was wrong. It was the same as how a single gear ceasing to move could obstruct the movement of all sorts of mechanisms. Nothing was going as he wanted. At that rate, he would no longer be able to catch up. Fiamma was trying to release more power than was being supplied to him which effectively weakened him. Ooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Fiamma yelled and swung his Third Arm even stronger and faster. However, he himself realized there was a contradiction in that action. His arm was supposed to be almighty. If he swung it, it would hit, so he had no need for speed. If he hit, the target would be destroyed, so he had no need for destructive power. And yet Fiamma was now relying on simple arm strength. That was proof that the essence that should reside within his arm had been shaken. There was a low vibration. The entirety of the Star of Bethlehem shook. However, it had not been caused by the battle between Kamijou and Fiamma. The vibration had been completely independent of them. The fortress itself was headed for destruction. The speakers within the fortress activated on their own. Fiamma did not know it, but the voice that came through belonged to a girl named Lessar. The Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Russian Orthodox churches have begun to release the joint spells on the Star of Bethlehem! Um...Sasha Kreutzev of the Russian Orthodox Church and I have embedded a relay point for the releasing spell and are now getting aboard the escape containers. There are no more containers! You need to hurry!! Once more, an irregularity Fiamma of the Right had not even considered was damaging his plan. That irregularity was known as virtue. Its over, Fiamma, Kamijou said quietly as he brought his right fist up at the ready. Your right arm that is at the center of your plan is losing power and your ceremonial grounds you call the Star of Bethlehem is no longer usable. And most importantly, if you truly wanted to save the world, you would be rejoicing at the fact that the virtue within peoples hearts is winning out over the malice. ...The fact that you cannot do that shows that your illusion has already failed. True, Fiamma said with a slight laugh. I am at the disadvantage here. Now that the power at my base is weakening, my plan cannot be continued. The purification on the earth is grinding to a halt. ...Even if I swung my right arm now while it is rapidly losing power, it is unlikely I could take those on the earth down with me. If everything stays the way it is, it will all fall apart in this indefinite state. ... Yes, if everything stays the way it is. Fiammas words were ominous. Immediately afterwards, the golden heavens above their heads wavered. Shading appeared in the glowing heavens. All at once, a mass of light headed for the Star of Bethlehem. Masses of energy appeared one after another in rapid succession and focused on the inside of the Star of Bethlehem. Kamijous expression changed and Fiamma lightly swung around the remote control spiritual item. Just so you know, I did not use this. This is the result you all brought upon yourselves. What...? I did not obtain anyone elses help. Time was simply on my side, Fiamma said. He had not opened the gate of heaven. He was simply such a holy existence that the world around him changed to become like heaven. The change had continued with time and it had now passed a certain line. It was originally supposed to change bit by bit in stages, but this virtue continually prevented that from happening. As a result, an unnatural distortion was created between the heavens and the earth similar to power being stored up within a bent continental plate. Even then, a massive amount of power was flowing into the Star of Bethlehem. If that exceeded the limit of what the fortress could hold, it would no longer be able to hold back the amount left over. As a result, the heavens are filled with Telesma while the earth is not. That massive power will now rain down like the flowing of an electric current. ...Simply put, the earth will be filled with light. It is via a different route than I had intended, but the result will be the same. The change is still continuing in this world. Do you understand what is going to happen? Kamijou said while grinding his teeth. Thats a huge mass of the same energy that makes up an angels body. If that falls down to the earth, a ridiculously huge explosion will spread across the surface before any kind of change can take place!! It was the same with Misha during Angel Fall. If power that massive is allowed to rage without being controlled, it could easily destroy all of human civilization!! Yes, it is unfortunate, but only for you. Given the amount of power, at least the entire continent of Eurasia will be enveloped by the light. Fiammas gaze still held power. That was the first time Kamijou had seen the concept of refusing to give up show itself in such an evil way. Even if a bit of virtue showed itself amid this war, overwhelming destruction will blot it out from above. Wielding virtue is no use. You cannot stop tragedy that way and the despair that comes over you upon realizing that turns your malice into something much deeper and heavier than it was before. And the mass of highly concentrated malice that was created by giving up gave a large stimulus to the power within Fiamma. It was much greater than before. It was much stronger than what Fiamma had simulated it would be. He stood at the top of every living thing on that planet and he could wield that power to change the world in any way he saw fit. Overly powerful divine punishment can easily destroy the unions between people. It is the same as the bonds between people being broken with the destruction of the Tower of Babel. And in response to the malice created in that, I can once more draw on a tremendous power. ...Fiamma... It is too late to save the world in your way, Fiamma said with a smile on his face as he saw Kamijou clenching his fist tighter than ever before. That smile was an expression of calm created by his newly guaranteed supply of tremendous power. Now, victory is mine. Between the lines 8 After sticking some cloth into the slight depression that was like a small window on the side of the Nu-AD1967 warhead, Mikoto finally sighed. ...Pant pant. Now the warhead has finally been neutralized. If they end up having an ultrasonic remote control, we could be in trouble though. From the confusion over the transmissions, it seems they do not have another plan, reports Misaka. They seem to be panicking over the fact that nothing is happening, says Mikoto adding on some emotional information. Do you think theyll come up with another plan? With the active unit gone, it seems they will switch over to fleeing, predicts Misaka. They do not have the remaining strength needed to carry a warhead of this size, so they will likely abandon the nuclear weapon, says Misaka as she listens to the communications. But just leaving them be could come back to bite us in the ass. A different faction of the Russian military seems to have come to that same conclusion. Special forces have surrounded those officers, says Misaka as she intercepts different communications. They will be stopping them with a special suppression strategy once they leave the building, reports Misaka. The special forces must not be heading into the building themselves because they dont want the officers to feel cornered enough to detonate the nuclear bomb. That isnt something that can be promptly detonated in a vehicle or something. Mikoto pushed away the cloth and then pressed against the end of the shovel the Sister threw to her. It had been mounted on the body of a tank. Mikoto manipulated magnetism to smash the reinforced glass over the optical receiver. Then we just have to destroy the warheads connectors. After destroying the three points that connected to the computer, Mikoto turned back toward the Sister. Okay, all done. Now this warhead cant be used. Of course, that would change if someone put it in a different outer shell. The warhead alone weighs 2 tons, so it cannot be moved without a crane, predicts Misaka. Just in case, we should tell either the Russian authorities or Academy City about this spot. For the moment, the problems surrounding the nuclear weapon had been resolved. That was when things truly began. Misaka Mikoto had not come to Russia to do something like that. She had come to meet up with that spiky-haired boy and punch him. She spun around looking at her surroundings. You have the means of using all sorts of weapons installed in you, right? If necessary, Misaka can also use the Misaka Network to acquire additional information, says Misaka as she discusses with the other Misakas how she should negotiate her part-time job wages. You cant get paid until youre in high school, so youre working for free. ...Arent you getting your priorities backwards? Mikoto pointed in a certain direction ignoring the Sisters mumbled words. I dont know if they were going to use it as a weapon or as a means of transportation, but there is a VTOL craft over there. Cant we use that to fly up to that fortress in the heavens? Notes 1. Raikiri means Lightning Cutte Volume 22, 12: Final Battle at the Arctic Ocean. Last_Fight. Volume 22, Chapter 12: Final Battle at the Arctic Ocean. Last_Fight. Part 1 The white snowy plain was wrapped in silence. Accelerators song had ended. The end of the cane supporting his body slipped. Accelerators entire body was covered in red blood as he fell from his knees. That white hell would not allow its color to be changed, so he alone was dyed in the colors of his wounds and pain. His throat had exceeded its limit and his raspy breaths made it sound like his throat had been scraped over with a filed. He must have been injured internally as well because a red liquid occasionally flowed out with his breaths. He could not sing any longer. The tubes within his body had something sticky filling them up. However, Accelerators dark red-stained lips loosened a bit. (Thats right.) He did not need to sing any longer. After all... ...Are you okay?...says Misaka as Misaka asks a question. His vision was hazy, but he heard that small voice. Those words came from the girl whose voice he had wanted to hear for quite some time. That sentence had been spoken by the girl who just before could not maintain consciousness and whose life could not be guaranteed. Her voice was quiet, but Accelerator could tell she had retained her core. Her existence was a trembling one that could disappear at any time and was frighteningly unreliable, but now a pillar that would not disappear had been set up at its center. Last Order had been stabilized. She would no longer suffer at the hands of unreasonable violence. Accelerator reflected deeply upon that truth. The next thing he knew, he was moving. The Level 5 who had once been called Academy Citys strongest monster stretched out his trembling hands and embraced Last Orders small body that was still limp and without strength. He embraced her tightly. He embraced her so as to never let her go again. ...Thank goodness... Those words leaked from his mouth. His voice was trembling and not just because the inside of his body had been torn to shreds. Dammit. Thank goodness. Thank goodness...!! One would not have thought that it was in Accelerators nature to speak those words. However, what exactly was Accelerators nature? Perhaps this was who he truly was. Perhaps before all the tragedy and before Academy Citys darkness swallowed up that young Level 5, his nature had been that of a child that commonly smiled and commonly cried. Even after being overwhelmingly dyed in evil, that had remained unchanged within Accelerator. It had remained. Perhaps that was what Yoshikawa Kikyou and Yomikawa Aiho had seen and decided that the society of adults needed to protect. As Last Order had only been conscious intermittently for quite a while, she did not know the details of the situation. But that did not matter. As Accelerator embraced her, Last Order brought her small hands around to his back where she gently stroked him. She was accepting him. Most likely, it was the same as when she had first spotted what remained within him. ... Accelerator thought as he made sure of that warmth he had finally regained. It was true that the world was cold, harsh, and too filled with malice to do anything about. However, there was also salvation there. If you just stretched out your own hand...if you simply gritted your teeth and continued forward, there was definitely a light that would await you after you struggled and struggled and struggled. The world was not so hopeless that it even robbed you of that ray of light. Misaka apologizes for interrupting this emotional reunion, Misaka WORST said with thorns of warning in her tone, but it doesnt look like this god damn war is going to have a happy ending to it. Accelerator felt something was wrong before he even turned his head to check on his surroundings. He had an unpleasant feeling like something cold was piercing into him through all the skin on his body. No, perhaps it was the opposite of that. It may have been that the trembling within his body was flowing out through his skin. It did not matter which it was. At any rate, it was not coming from his usual 5 senses. It felt like his bodys sensors and the calculative circuits in his brain were malfunctioning because he was forcibly taking in information he was not supposed to be able to take in. He could feel an immense pressure coming from above. It felt like an incredibly concentrated form of what was emitted by Unabara Mitsuki, the water angel, and those parchments. Accelerator looked up into the heavens while still embracing Last Order. A giant fortress was floating there. The golden light filling the sky was being swallowed up by the fortress. Accelerator thought he could feel the pressure of that immense power that was concentrating in one spot. He could feel where it was aimed. That mass of unknown power was being aimed at the earth. He had no idea what meaning that fortress had. He did not understand what effect sending that power to the earth would have. However... ...I doubt anything good would come of firing that. It was possible whoever was firing it was not after simple destruction. Perhaps it could produce some kind of special effect. Even so, the result would be the same. If power that great was sent down to the earth, how far would the damage spread? And if he assumed it was something other than a purely scientific energy due to the feeling in his skin, Accelerator could not reflect it. If it made it through, everyone would die. Accelerator, Misaka WORST, Last Order...everyone. ...Fuck that. Immediately after he muttered those words, there was a sound like an explosion and wings that were black like ink erupted from Accelerators back. Those black wings were the symbol of his anger. That tremendous power was full of mysteries. He doubted it was created simply with the help of the Misaka Network and he had no idea if Last Order could forcibly shut it down. Whenever those wings had appeared, Accelerator had been in a state where he had pretty much completely lost his mental balance. They appeared when he simply wished to kill the enemy before his eyes even if it meant casting aside everything he believed in. The killer intent erupting from his chest had trampled over the world in the form of those black wings. That was the kind of power it was. It was as if the wings had been squeezed from his body by the pressure from the fortress in the heavens. It was just like when he had confronted Aiwass. However... ...Misaka WORST. Accelerators words were as quiet as a whisper. I am going to stop that. Can you protect that brat? From the Russians? Or from Academy City? From everything. Misaka WORST sighed at that ridiculous order. Making an enemy of both sides was essentially the same as telling her to fight every single force taking part in World War III. However, she pulled a metal nail out of her pocket with a malice-filled smile on her face. Well, Misaka was going to bring them to tears anyway, so this does not change what she must do. And if we can analyze the information from the song within Last Order and the Misaka Network, we might be blessed with a chance to obtain technology that Academy City does not have. Last Order may have felt uneasy at the confusing situation that was developing around her. Her small hands grabbed onto Accelerators clothes. Where are you going? says Misaka as Misaka asks a question. Her eyes wavered as she looked up from within his arms. Most likely, she understood what Accelerator was about to do. And because she understood, she was trying to stop him. Youre not going anywhere, right? says Misaka as Misaka checks to be sure. Dont worry. Itll all be over soon. Accelerator did not say that he would be back or that he would be returning. The monster with the black wings gently removed the small hands from his clothes one finger at a time. It was as if he were shaking off the final bonds that kept him anchored to the surface. No, said Last Order in a small voice. I want to always be with you, says Misaka as Misaka begs you. ...Yes. Accelerator admitted it. In the very, very end, he responded with a childlike smile on his face. I wanted to always be with you, too. With a sound like cracks spreading across ice, the monsters wings changed color. The ink-like pitch black changed to a snow-like pure white. Starting from the base and spreading to the tips, the outer color and the inner essence all changed in an instant. Just above his head, a small ring of the same color appeared. That was his transformation. With that mental change, he became a source that spewed forth a unique power into the real world. Accelerator put his hands on Last Orders small shoulders, lightly pushed, and floated up into the sky due to the recoil like an astronaut in zero gravity. Last Orders small hands stretched up into the sky toward Accelerator. But she could not reach him. Accelerator was already floating a few meters up. Convinced that he had done the right thing, Accelerator flapped his white wings. His 100 meter wings used more than just the power of the wind. They also converted some more unknown energy into lift. He emitted no force down at the earth, but he still shot up like a bullet. In an instant, Accelerator reached a point 3000 meters up and scattered the thick clouds that were hanging in the sky. At the same time, the fortress in the heavens made its move. The mass of golden power that was being taken in from above and stored underneath was mercilessly thrown downwards. Accelerator could feel the pressure on his cheek as a stinging numbness. Just like his white wings, that power truly was not a normal power. Most likely, his reflection would not work on it. It would just pierce straight through like when he had been defeated by Aiwass. But so what? Accelerator moved his white wings even more and his speed of ascent shot up. With no tricks up his sleeve, he headed straight for the falling golden mass. There was a slight smile on his lips. (I see.) Accelerator finally realized it. (So this is what a fight to protect something is like.) Immediately afterwards, the two massive powers clashed at an altitude of 8000 meters. Part 2 A tremendous shock shook the Star of Bethlehem. The golden light had exploded. What...? But a great disaster did not assault the earth as Fiamma of the Right had expected. Nor was the earth dyed gold like the heavens. The great amount of Telesma that was fired down from the Star of Bethlehem was obstructed by something. That should have reached the necessary output!! That should have created the amount of destruction on the earth needed to complete the conditions for my strategy effectively supporting my victory!! What happened...!? The tragedy he wished for had not occurred. Instead of recognizing the increase in malice, the tragedy had been held in check which had wiped the dark parts from the peoples hearts. It may have been nothing more than a temporary excited feverishness similar to the global unity felt only during a sports festival. But even if it was only for a moment, the people of the earth felt that they were all the world needed. They felt that anyone offering salvation while looking down on them should just fuck off. Is that enough for you? Kamijou Touma stepped forward with his fist still clenched. He took one, two, three steps. Its time for you to give it a rest with this illusion of yours. He suddenly charged forward. He did not need any tricks. He just approached in a straight line from the front. In response, Fiamma of the Right used everything he had to swing around the Third Arm that was the symbol of his power. The tremendous power contained within it was too great for Imagine Breaker to negate. If Kamijou failed to turn aside its trajectory, he could pulverize the boys entire right arm. That may have been what Fiamma was thinking as he tried to eliminate the obstacle before his eyes using brute force. However, Kamijou did not stop. The instant the attacking Third Arm struck his right fist head on, that oddly shaped arm that was Fiammas greatest weapon was blown away. Fresh blood and flesh flew through the air. He had finally managed to have his Third Arm incarnated, but it now lost its physical shell and trembled painfully in midair. What!? Intense pain must have assaulted him like an avalanche because the skin of his face became greatly distorted as he cried out. Kamijous power had not been increased. Imagine Breaker was nothing more than Imagine Breaker. Fiammas Third Arm that responded to malice had been weakened to the point that it could be destroyed by even Imagine Breaker. Small pieces of virtue had spread like ripples until they had filled the entire surface of the earth effectively breaking the core that supported Fiammas power. The power that made Fiamma of the Right special no longer existed. It was doubtful whether he could use his direct attacks with his Third Arm or his evasion using instantaneous horizontal movement over kilometers. Given that, he had no way of stopping Kamijou Toumas advance. Tch!! Fiamma held out Indexs remote control spiritual item. He was trying to use the knowledge of the 130,000 grimoires to intercept Kamijou. His defenses must have been weakened by the loss of his special power because a terrible headache stabbed into him, but he ignored it and continued searching through the knowledge. The light in his eyes said that he would kill the enemy before his eyes no matter what. But then Fiamma heard a voice. It was the voice of the grimoire library that he was supposed to be contacting magically. (Warning: Chapter 88, Verse 1. An abnormality has occurred to the main body as it carries out the search. Due to receiving too great an external stimulus, operation efficiency has been significantly impeded.) ...!? Index Librorum Prohibitorums main body should have been safely stored in St. Johns Cathedral. If an external stimulus had caused an error, an Anglican magician must have done something. His final means of attack had been cut off. That was the difference between the two of them. That was the decisive difference between the one who continually refined his power as the one who would stand above all others, and the one who got help from others and continually struggled in an attempt to stand up to the one who stood above all others. A mere high school student clenched his right fist and ran toward the king who controlled the world. He headed deeply and sharply up to that throne where no one else had ever been allowed to get near. That was when Kamijous footing suddenly sank. The Star of Bethlehem was weakening. With the power supply from Fiamma of the Right cut off, it had naturally begun to collapse. In the very, very end the thing that had stopped Kamijou Toumas legs from advancing was... (Misfortune.) Fiammas lips twisted up eerily. He once more focused on the remote control spiritual item in his hand. (I just need 5 to 10 seconds. In that time, I can forcibly rearrange the configuration of the grimoire library!! I dont care if the high burden burns away the 103,000 grimoires. I just need to wash away the enemy before me!!) Oh... But Kamijou Toumas advance did not stop there. The boy yelled out and charged even further forward. Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! With a great noise, Kamijou jumped from the footing that was even then about to crumble away. He jumped to cross over the cracks separating the two of them. He headed forward toward Fiamma like an arrow. And then Fiamma knew. He knew essentially what kind of existence the enemy before him was. (Fuck that...) Indexs remote control spiritual item would not make it in time. That enemy would not give him the time needed for that. (I am trying to create various phenomena using the miracles and blessings of the Son of God to their fullest and this bastard doesnt care!? He has the power to just walk straight over all the vague things such as fortune and misfortune on his own!!) If you dont think even a single person can be saved without using your method... Words flowed from the bottom of Kamijou Toumas gut. Instead of fighting against his fierce emotions, he put all of his strength into his right fist. ...then I first need to destroy that illusion of yours!! A great noise exploded out. Kamijous fist slammed into Fiammas face that had never once received an attack from anyone and Kamijous powerful enemy was knocked to the ground with no loss in momentum. The remains of the Third Arm that were trying to cling to that world finally completely disappeared as if melting into the air. At the same time, the remote control spiritual item he had used to control Index fell from his hand. Part 3 Fiamma of the Right losing his Third Arm had a major effect on his fortress, the Star of Bethlehem. Frequent large tremors stirred up unease even more than before. The fortress had been continually ascending, but it now stopped where it was. The source of power allowing that much mass to float was disappearing. At that rate, it would eventually start to fall. If he did not escape before then, there would be no saving him. While collapsed on the ground, Fiamma looked at his own hand. The remote control spiritual item was gone. The shock of the punch had knocked it from his hand. The spiritual item had fallen through the cracks on the floor. It was probably still within the fortress, but Fiamma had no idea where. If he only had that, he could fight back with normal magic. Fiamma thought that, but he had no strength left in his arms or legs. Now that he had lost his Third Arm, Fiamma was no different from a normal human. A light concussion was enough to inhibit his movements. He heard a voice in his dim consciousness. It was coming from the speakers set up in various parts of the Star of Bethlehem. We had no time, so...um, Sasha-san was it?...anyway, she and I have already escaped using the containers. You need to hurry, too. The Star of Bethlehem has started to fall. The fortress itself is starting to wear down in places, so the number of usable containers is limited. Through the broken floor, he could see the bottommost floor of the fortress. After a few wire mesh floors, there was nothing but the sky below. The escape containers were hanging down below, but most of them were unusable. Some of the containers themselves had been crushed and some of the lowering hook portions had been destroyed preventing them from functioning. There was probably only one usable container. And that usable container that was unreliably shaking was a small one only about the size of a phone booth. It was not a large container that could carry over 50 people at a time. Only one person would be able to fit inside it. Having lost his Third Arm making him a mere human, Fiamma could not lower himself down from such a great height under his own strength. Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right. Which one would get in the container and which one would be destroyed along with the fortress? The answer was so obvious he did not even need to think about it. (...So this is it.) That was Fiammas only thought. If every person living in that world would reject salvation, he no longer cared. He had followed the path he had chosen for himself and he was fine with simply continuing on to his own destruction. Strength slowly left his entire body and he closed his eyes. And then someone grabbed his collar. Hey, lets go. It was Kamijou Touma. He forced Fiamma up with his bloody body and then started walking dragging Fiammas limp body along with him. ...What are you...doing...? We dont have time. The Star of Bethlehem has started to fall. If we dont escape, well get wrapped up in its destruction. Do you not understand the situation? Fiamma said while completely at Kamijous mercy. He used his chin to point in the direction Kamijou was headed. The escape containers are unusable. Only a single personal one is in a state where it might be functional. Its either me or you. Only one of us will be saved. So it seems. Kamijou sighed and then continued speaking. So you need to escape. At any rate, we dont have time, so lets hurry. ... This time, Fiamma was simply left speechless and he stared at Kamijous face. As he did so, Kamijou dragged Fiamma down to the bottommost floor and headed for the escape container. Kamijou was serious. There was no reason to make a bluff in that situation. If he simply abandoned Fiamma, the man behind it all, and got in the escape container, Kamijou would survive. He would become known as a hero by everyone. No one would criticize him for leaving Fiamma to die. In fact, most people would likely praise him for finishing off the man who had caused all that tragedy. And yet... Why would he say those words in that situation? No matter how many times he thought through it, Fiamma could not figure out the answer. And while he still had no answer, they arrived at the escape container. Kamijou very carefully reached his hand out for the container door. The container was not destroyed by his right hands power. Kamijou opened the door and put Fiamma inside the container without any hesitation. It was not normal. Fiamma tried to slip out of the container, but his body was too badly damaged to move. Fiamma shook his head without even thinking. He himself did not understand what he was trying to deny. ...Is this really okay? Is what? I am a person who does not understand just how vast the world is. I see, said Kamijou with a slight smile. Until the end, Fiamma did not understand why he was smiling. Then go find out on your own from now on. Kamijou locked the container door from the outside. Immediately afterwards, the container slid down a short rail and was thrown out into the sky. For a bit, Kamijou watched the container grow smaller as it fell. Finally, he lifted up his gaze as if he were shaking it free of the container. The final container had been ejected. There was no longer any safe way of escaping from the fortress. Suddenly, he heard a great roar. The direction of the raging wind changed. Kamijou instinctually covered his face with his hands and then spotted a single fighter. It was a type of aircraft called a VTOL craft that could rise vertically and come to a stop in midair like a helicopter. He recognized the person sitting in the cockpit. It was... Part 4 More to the right!! A little more!! Get closer!! While leaning forward from the back seat, Misaka Mikoto was shouting at the Sister holding the stick. Finally. She had finally made it there. She had made it to the same time and same space as that idiot!! Original, that grin is creepy, points out Misaka. Bfh!? N-no it isnt!! Your judgement has become skewed due to you being the comparison!! Mikoto frantically pulled on her cheeks to check on her face. Aahhh!! What is going on!? It was floating up just a bit ago, so why is that fortress starting to fall!? Misaka apologizes for interrupting you as you heat up, Original, but your voice cannot reach him if we do not open the cockpit canopy, points out Misaka. How!? Which button do I press!? Just as she asked that, Mikoto had a sudden twinge of doubt. They were over 10,000 meters up in the sky. The air would be below -50 degrees, the atmospheric pressure would be quite low, and there would be little oxygen. Was it really okay to just open the canopy? If she did not open it, she could not reach him. But the conditions would not let her open it. While Mikoto was overcome by that terrible dilemma, the Sister expressionlessly strained her ears. ...There is something off with the roar of the engine, reports Misaka. ? It is the conduction pattern of -7 degrees and 1 atmosphere, says Misaka after completing the definite calculations. How is unclear, but it appears the area outside is being maintained as a similar environment to the surface despite being at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, says Misaka as she reports her conclusion. In other words... It appears there would be no problem with opening the canopy, communicates Misaka. Immediately afterwards, the canopy opened straight up like a rugby ball splitting in half vertically. It seemed the Sister had pressed the proper button. As the Sister had said, Mikoto had no problem breathing. The air was cold, but it was not dozens of degrees below zero. The Sister slowly moved the VTOL craft by tilting it slightly. Instead of pointing the nose toward the fortress, the craft approached vertically. In other words, the edge of the right main wing slowly approached. Just a few more meters. Or was it a few hundred centimeters? Because the fortress was trembling unstably, the precise distance was irregularly changing. However, she was remarkably closer than when she was hesitating in Academy City. This is the very limit...landing may be difficult, says Misaka as she grips the stick, said the Sister. The fighter was completely frozen in midair. It was just a bit away from reaching the fortress. The VTOL is meant to be used to slowly land, explains Misaka. If we forcibly land on this fortress that is moving up and down quite a bit, there is a risk of crashing the bottom of the body into the surface, says Misaka as she voices her concern. What about a larger spot? This fortress is huge. If we head farther up, surely we can find a space even larger than a pasture. As the trembling of the fortress would remain the same, there is no avoiding the risk of crashing no matter where we try to land, says Misaka giving a negative opinion. And even if we did manage to land on the fortress, we would have no way of escaping if the fighter were to lose its flight capabilities, says Misaka as she frowns. Then forget landing. With the canopy still open, Mikoto reached for the buckle of her belt. Keep our balance as much as you can! Ill go directly out on the main wing and pull that idiot up!! Mikoto got up out of her seat and crawled out onto the main wing. Perhaps because she was attaching her feet to the wing with magnetism, she was less afraid than she had expected. She slowly advanced along the wing. She was closing in on the spiky-haired boy. (Cmon, reach him...) A great tremor ran through the fortress. It lowered in altitude. The sense of stability from before was gone. It was as if invisible strings holding up the fortress were snapping one by one. The shaking increased Mikotos anxiety. (Reach him!!) The VTOL craft with Mikoto stuck to its main wing shook as it slowly approached the fortress. That was when her eyes met with that idiots. That spiky-haired boy seemed to be utterly perplexed at seeing that escape method appearing before him out of the blue. Deep down Mikoto wanted to say What were you even planning to do, you idiot?, but she did not have time to get after him about that. She would lecture him to death later. Mikoto made it all the way out to the end of the wing and stretched her arms out as far as they would go. Would she reach him? Or would she not? Her fingertips made it to the point where they were on the verge of reaching. But then the boy did something she had never expected. He shook his head. And then his hand, which he should have been holding out, stopped moving. (Wha!?) Just as Mikotos eyes opened wide in surprise, the boys lips moved slightly. She could not hear what he was saying. However, she could tell what it was from the movement of his lips. I still have something I need to do. Another great tremor ran through the fortress. The fortress moved toward the earth much more and with much less stability than before. It was like a large ball rolling down a hill picking up enough speed that it could no longer be stopped. She had to retrieve that idiot from there. If things advanced more than that, she would no longer be able to reach him. Mikoto came to that conclusion mostly with her intuition. But then the VTOL craft suddenly moved. It shook as if it were leaving the fortress. Wait!! What are you doing!? The trembling of the fortress has passed beyond a certain point, reports Misaka. If we remain close to it, there is a danger of crashing into it. ...!! While still stuck to the trembling wing, Mikoto held out her hand and manipulated magnetism. She didnt care if she had to force him. She would magnetically grab his school uniforms buttons, his belt buckle, or whatever she could and pull that boy out of that fortress. That was what she planned to do, but the magnetic thread connecting her and that boy suddenly snapped. Eh...? Mikoto stared blankly because she did not understand what had happened. But immediately afterwards, she figured it out. That boy had a mysterious power that could negate all of Mikotos abilities. He had severed his final lifeline. He had lost his final chance. Even though she had the power to take on a tank and even though she had the power to stop the firing of a nuclear missile, it was not enough to save that one boy. The VTOL craft distanced itself from the fortress that continued to unstably fall. The Sister greatly shook the fighter and Mikoto fell into the cockpit from the wing. She then closed the canopy. Immediately afterwards, the blessings of the mysterious field surrounding the fortress disappeared. The reason was simple. They had gotten that far away from the fortress. And they had left behind that boy who had said he still had something he needed to do. Misaka Mikotos cries were the only things that remained behind. Part 5 (...I still have something I need to do.) The VTOL craft flew away. That fighter may have been his final means of escape. But Kamijou turned his back on it. It was not over yet. If the structure named the Star of Bethlehem that had a radius of over 40 kilometers were allowed to free fall down, he had no idea how much damage would be done to the heavenly body known as the earth. As long as he had not done something about that, the war would not be over. (And...) Kamijou looked around in search of a certain object. It was the remote control spiritual item that could externally control Index. After the final strike, it had fallen somewhere through a crack in the floor. He had to find it and destroy it. The fortress trembled below his feet. The shaking agitated his unease like an elevator moving at a fixed speed suddenly stopping. The fortress would not last much longer. Just as Kamijou was reminded of that fact, he heard a girls voice. He heard a voice on that fortress that no one else was supposed to be on. Touma. It was the voice he had wanted to hear for so long. The remote control spiritual item had left Fiammas hand, but it must have still been functioning. The girls consciousness was no longer being held in anyones hands and it was drifting about in the area of the spiritual item. Touma. The girls transparent body appeared as if floating up from the air. Ignoring gravity, she looked at Kamijou while still upside down. Why didnt you escape? she said. Because none of this is over yet. After responding, Kamijou continued further into the Star of Bethlehem. He was not searching randomly. The girls existence was calling him toward the spiritual item he was searching for. Not only do I have to deal with your spiritual item, but I have to deal with this fortress itself. After saying that, Kamijous expression suddenly grew cloudy. There was one thing that had not been resolved in the fight with Fiamma of the Right. ...Im sorry. That was the issue of his lost memories. That was the issue of whether it had truly been right of him to continue to hide that fact from her. He had not wanted to hurt Index. He had wanted to be the Kamijou Touma that she had trusted. But hadnt that truly just been Kamijou himself not wanting to see Indexs shocked face? Hadnt he just been afraid that she would leave him? Now that the fight with Fiamma was over, he understood. If he truly felt it had been for her sake, he would overcome it. He would overcome the painful things, the difficult things, and everything else. He could not be afraid of where he stood. Ive done something terrible to you. Ive been fooling you this whole time. Ill tell you everything now. I have no proof that Ill make it back from the Star of Bethlehem, so Ill tell you while I can. Kamijou hung his head down just a bit. But then he lifted his head up once more with determination. I... He would tell her. He felt that opening his mouth for that purpose took more courage than anything he had ever done before. I... This was what he had been hiding for so long. His memory loss. He opened his mouth to tell that truth. As he moved his mouth and spoke, Kamijou had one thought. (Its been so long.) Its fine, Index said as if interrupting him. That...doesnt matter anymore. As long as the usual you returns from this, nothing else matters. ... He fell silent for just a bit. He strongly felt that he could not allow himself to become dependent on that kindness. I will come back. However, being strict with oneself and being pessimistic were two different things. He would definitely return alive. To make sure of that, Kamijou Touma made the following promise. I wont just do this through the spiritual item. Once I return, I will make sure to bow down to you in person. Kamijou looked over at a panel on a nearby pillar. It was a communications device with a microphone so one could speak through the speakers set up in various places across the Star of Bethlehem. He could not read the Russian writing, but he could understand the numbers written next to it. Tell the Anglican Church that the frequency is 50.9 megahertz. That will connect to these speakers. I have no idea how much damage will be done if a mass this large just falls straight down. We have to lower its speed in stages and get it to fall somewhere safe. Im the only one onboard, so I need advice on what to do. I cant, said the girl in a troubled voice. I cant return to my body of my own will. Yeah, Kamijou replied readily. He was staring at an annoying tube-shaped spiritual item lying on the floor. Thats why Ill be sending you back ahead of me. He stretched out his right hand and grabbed the small tube-shaped spiritual item. That was all it took. The spiritual item crumbled and lost its power to bind that girl. Her transparent body disappeared as if an eraser had rubbed up against it. He was now truly alone. The Star of Bethlehem continued to fall. Its speed was gradually rising. Once it passed a certain point, there would be no preventing it from striking the surface of the earth at close to free fall. That large mass with a radius of greater than 40 kilometers would directly strike the earth. If that happened, the 21st century earth would prove that a meteorite strike could bring about an ice age. Some historians may rejoice at that, but for most people it would be nothing but a tragedy. The final battle began. What hung in the balance was the fate of the planet. Part 6 According to the information given by the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, the Star of Bethlehem floats in the sky using 20 large ascent spiritual items. Fiamma losing his power has started a chain reaction that is lowering the Star of Bethlehems output. At the current rate, it should completely lose all of its lift in an hour at which point it will be in a complete free fall toward the surface. Stiyl Magnuss voice was coming from the speakers placed in various places around the fortress. He had been left with the role of guarding Index, but that role was over now that the remote control spiritual item had been destroyed. But by destroying specific ones out of those 20 large ascent spiritual items, we can control the orientation and travel direction of the Star of Bethlehem. And your right hand is perfect for the job. What are the specific points I have to destroy? Just a second. I just got the diagram. It just shows the expected layout, so the actual thing may be different. If you notice anything out of place, tell me. Kamijou followed Stiyls instructions and travelled using the fortresss monorail and then his own two feet when that did not suffice. He had no time left. If he failed, it would affect 6 billion lives. Ill tell you the specific locations orally, but you need to destroy numbers 3, 9, and 13 in the south. That will change the Star of Bethlehems trajectory. Youll be heading for the edge of the Arctic Ocean. By lowering the speed down to the very end and landing on the water, the shock should be done away with to a certain extent. Given the altitude and the mass, that is the only way to avoid doing serious damage to the global environment. Wont the speed of descent increase if we lower the number of large ascent spiritual items? They have the same power source. The fewer of them there are, the more output each individual one will have. Of course, there is a limit to what a single one can do, but you dont need to worry about that with the total power as weakened as it is. In fact, getting rid of a few of them might temporarily increase the output. Could dropping it in the ocean cause a tsunami? The cities along the Arctic coast have been given evacuation orders. Its almost sickening how cooperative and helpful the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church have been. Otherwise, we would have had to realize there was a minimum level of unavoidable damages. As they spoke, Kamijou arrived at the #3 spiritual item. It was like a factory. A giant facility larger than a schools grounds was divided into different lined up spaces that had dozens of thick pipes running through them. There were metal stairways and passageways coiling about the area. Kamijou caught occasional glimpses of green particles of light that he thought might be what kept the giant fortress in the air. Kamijou slammed his fist against a nearby pipe. That was all it took. Countless cracks ran through the pipe, the rectangular stone building tilted, and plenty of flashy explosions occurred within. Kamijou got away so as not to get caught up in it all and ran toward the #9 spiritual item. ...I never thought I would end up fighting alongside you in the very, very end, said Stiyl. It didnt have to be me. We got bits and pieces of a report from that girl when she finally woke up. Her consciousness was in the Star of Bethlehem. Couldnt you have resolved this by relying on her knowledge? You have to be kidding me. Do you really think I could let Index suffer like that for even a minute longer? I see. It isnt my style to be indebted to someone like you, but just this once, Ill allow it. If you truly think that, then could you send a recovery team out near where Im expected to land? Id rather not have to wait in that freezing water. Ill make sure something is done about that, Stiyl responded quietly. If the work on bringing the fortress down in stages is going well, you should survive the landing. As they spoke, Kamijou was still desperately running through the Star of Bethlehem. He was almost at the #9 spiritual item. Kamijou felt that it was going to work out somehow. Everything about the great war that had started from a conflict with the Roman Catholic Church had been horrible, but it would all work out in the end. He would make sure it did. Kamijou focused on nothing but running ever forward while believing that to be true. And then... What is that...? said a panicked voice over the speakers. Kamijou listened while continuing to run. This is odd. There is some kind of huge...Telesma? Why is that there...? Kamijou had a very bad feeling about what that meant. But he could not stop. As Kamijou continued heading for the #9 spiritual item, Stiyl spoke. Why is Misha Kreutzev rising now!? Part 7 At that time, the archangel that had cooperated with Fiamma of the Right once more regained her body in that wintery land of Russia. The fluctuation in the four great elements had been fixed by Fiamma. She was no longer Misha, a mix of Michael and Gabriel. She was now a genuine archangel. It was not wrong to say that her goal had been accomplished to a certain extent by that. But it was not enough. It was not perfect. Her goal was to return her existence to its rightful position. Now that she had started to go off track, she could see nothing but that goal and was giving no thought to how much damage would be done in the process of carrying it out. She simply wished to return. For that reason and that reason alone, the archangel started to move once more. The massive amount of Telesma that was scattered around the area gathered in one spot. The archangel had been torn apart once by the power of the scientific monsters, but that had not harmed her essence. If you swung your fist down at the water, it would burst apart in a splash, but the actual amount of water would not lessen. It was the same as that. But it was not enough. It was not perfect. Because her actions had been obstructed once before, the archangel wished for an increased amount of practical power. The archangel knew well what the material needed for that was. She ruled over water. Russia in winter was covered in snow, but even melting all of that would not be enough. But it was not enough. It was not perfect. But it was not enough. It was not perfect. But...hwsr...it was not enough. It...zvdf...was not...zdfb...perfect. Bu...ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Thats right. She needed to be extra sure when it came to the overwhelming power needed to turn around the situation. It had to be a large amount of ice that had special signs and symbols. For example, the special ice that existed at the planets pole. What is going on...? moaned a nun of about 20 within St. Georges Cathedral of London. She was the one monitoring the flow of magical power within Russia. Misha Kreutzev has begun to move north at high speed!! At the same time, the ice at the North Pole has begun to rapidly melt!! I have detected a powerful line of Telesma between the two! A mutual interference between them is clearly being created!! Is she making a new power? ...No, she might be replenishing her physical body, Stiyl muttered while frowning. When he thought about it, if that angel instantaneously melted the ice in the Arctic Ocean, it would create a phenomenon similar to a large scale tsunami for the areas around the Arctic Ocean. And if the situation continued to its extreme, an absurd phreatic explosion covering an area with a radius of 1000 kilometers could occur. Also, it would not just be that simple. Misha Kreutzev was already brutal, so how much would her power increase if were she to absorb enough water and ice to destroy the Arctic Ocean? Now that Fiamma had been defeated, what was that archangel after? It was possible she had no real goal. He had no idea what was going on, but what it would lead to in the end was clear. They could not withstand it. To begin with, he doubted the materials of the physical world would be enough to support the full capacity of an angel created by god. Even the Misha Kreutzev from Angel Fall had been in imperfect manifestation. If Misha tried to force out an output greater than the hypothesized amount, the physical body she was made of would explode emitting a massive amount of Telesma. It would be like a planet exploding at the North Pole. At the very least, all life would be annihilated on the northern half of the globe. It was possible that it would cause a major error in the planets orbital trajectory that would cause it to leave the solar system. (But how are we supposed to stop her?) Stiyl looked over at the whiteboard that had magnets automatically moving across it. (Its unclear whether we could hold back the former Misha even if we fought as a group. A conflict with an archangel wounded like that would only increase our damages.) But if they did nothing, things would definitely head toward a destructive conclusion. And then... ...Hey, what are you doing? muttered Stiyl without thinking. There was a change in the Star of Bethlehems trajectory despite it having been continuing on quite well before. It had started to move along a route clearly different from the one Stiyl and the others had planned. He thought it had to be a malfunction in the fortress, but according the data being monitored, no such problem was occurring. Kamijou Touma had clearly done something to the large ascent spiritual items to purposefully send the fortress off of its safe route. He had done so in order to stop Misha Kreutzev as she headed for the Arctic Ocean. The speed of descent increased. Kamijou Touma ran with everything he had within that fortress. At the shore of the Arctic Ocean, at that threshold between land and sea, Kamijou had forcibly destroyed the large ascent spiritual items in order to distort the fortresss trajectory of descent. He focused on nothing but running in order to oppose the archangel. There was something odd on the surface of the earth. Some kind of small form was approaching at high speed. Kamijou saw the white snow torn up along the path of whoever it was that was soaring along at low altitude with tremendous speed. The snow was not simply being blown away. All the snow within a few hundred meters...no, within a few kilometers of her was being absorbed. A thick, long line was being drawn along that white land as the archangel approached. No one could stop her from advancing. There seemed to be human forms firing light that appeared to be magic, but the archangel paid them no heed. She merely passed through and the professional magicians were blown away. The archangel passed the shore and made it to the Arctic Ocean. At the same time, the Star of Bethlehem fell straight down from above. With a great roar, the archangel and the giant fortress fell into the ocean. Inside the sinking fortress, Kamijou used everything he had to head further and further down. Unable to stand up to the great pressure, walls and pillars within the fortress started to break one after another. The freezing seawater flowed in, but Kamijou paid it no heed. He focused on nothing but heading lower...heading deeper. The fortress fell below sea level. There was no longer any illumination. There was a single point of light in the vast darkness. The peaceful light was blue and deep. It was reminiscent of moonlight. Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist with all of his strength. His opponent had noticed him. The light in their eyes clashed within the darkness before the real clash. The mere human boy who was overflowing with a tremendous killer intent continued forward without stopping to the very end. A lot had happened on his way there. It had all started at the point where he had lost his memories. He had continued forward after lying to a certain girl in order to not sadden her. He had fought an alchemist to rescue a girl who had special blood. He had fought the strongest monster in order to rescue the Number Three Level 5 and her Sisters. A fight to the death had unfolded with a traitor of a classmate in a beach hut. A lot had happened on August 31st. He had stood up to a real golem in order to save his friend who was an aggregation of AIM diffusion fields. He had picked a fight with the largest denomination of the Christian Church in order to save a nun who claimed to have deciphered the Book of the Law. There had been an incident related to an underclassman of the girl from Tokiwadai Middle School. During the Daihaseisai, he had protected Academy City from the threat of the Croce di Pietro while it had gotten the coordinating committee member and his other classmates wrapped up in it all. In Chioggia of Italy, he had assaulted an ice fleet in order to save a girl who had once been his enemy. On September 30th, he had clashed with a woman from Gods Right Seat in order to save his friend who had been completely changed. He had enjoyed delicious sukiyaki with his classmates and then had fought Skill Out in order to save the mother of the girl from Tokiwadai Middle School. In Avignon of France, he had fought Gods Right Seat over the C-Document. With the help of the Amakusa Church, he had fought a powerful Saint in Academy Citys underground district. In London, he had stopped the coup detat led by the second princess. And now... (Its been so long.) Not all of the things that had happened along the way had been enjoyable. He had hurt others and been hurt by others again and again and again. It was all a cycle of those two things. But Kamijou Touma was still able to run. He knew those actions had saved quite a few people. And so he was able to head straight forward to face his greatest enemy yet, an archangel. (Its true that this world may be destroyed one day. Even planets have a lifespan and I know it will be swallowed up by the expanding sun even before that is reached. And the odds of all life being wiped from the face of the earth before even that happens may be rather high.) Kamijou thought as he charged forward with his clenched fist. (But it does not have to have such a tragic end. Theres nothing wrong with fighting to stop this.) With a great crash, the two forms clashed at the middle point. At the same time, the giant Star of Bethlehem was crushed and destroyed as it had received the brunt of the shock from the fall. And... On October 30th... Academy City and the Anglican Church. The Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Third World War that had started from the conflict between those two allied forces came to an end. At the end of the war, the aftermath of the Star of Bethlehems fall into the Arctic Ocean had been examined. The water had done some damage to the cities on the shore, but no one had died. The shock from landing in the water had utterly destroyed the fortress itself. The Archangel Misha Kreutzev had been headed for the Arctic Ocean, but no sign remained of her. It was assumed that the power supporting her existence had disappeared and she had returned to a different phase upon becoming mere energy. The melting of the ice in that area of the ocean had been confirmed to have stopped. There were no signs of survivors in that area of the ocean. Search teams from an alliance of the three major Christian denominations had been dispatched, but no survivors had been found in that 2 degree seawater. Kamijou Touma ended up welcoming a second death. Volume 22, Epilogue: Silence and the End of the Boy. Silent_to_Small_Fire. Volume 22, Epilogue: Silence and the End of the Boy. Silent_to_Small_Fire. That bastard... Stiyl Magnus said in almost a groan within St. Georges Cathedral of London. He had received the report that the Star of Bethlehem had fallen and Misha Kreutzev had been crushed from above. But no matter how great a mass it was, he doubted a true angel would lose simply to great pressure. At the time of the crash, that right hand had likely been used to fight that monster. When he thought about it, hadnt that boy chosen that kind of method ever since he had first met him? In order to save the girl named Index, hadnt he unhesitatingly stepped forward tearing off all the chains even if it meant receiving a shock great enough to erase ones memories. A gloomy atmosphere was created in that cathedral separate from the great celebration of victory. Business-like reports continued to come in reporting that Misha Kreutzev had disappeared and that the four great elements had been reset to their proper positions. Stiyl heard a slight noise. He turned around and saw Index limply coming his way. Her small hands were leaning on a stone pillar and her footing was unstable as she looked over at the whiteboard. Wheres Touma? No one could answer that question. Right after Index had awoken within the cathedral, she had been unable to get up out of the bed, but she had still managed to inform Stiyl of the frequency that would connect to the Star of Bethlehem. She had not been told of anything that had happened after that. The other priests and nuns may not have been able to tell her the truth as she made her way there. And now she had finally made it to that room. She had made it to that room where all the outcomes were known and where only a gloomy atmosphere remained. She looked around once more looking at the faces of everyone there and asked her question again. Wheres Touma? They needed a means of escape. Hamazura Shiage dug into the snow with a thick branch. Just before he had been attacked by Mugino Shizuri, the Russian special unit had been bombed by a super large Academy City fighter. The steam dispenser and the other major equipment for the bacterial wall had been utterly blown away and the unit had been neutralized a bit away, but the truck they had been trying to use to escape should have just been buried underneath the snow during the avalanche. In the end, he had found nothing. The dissemination of the bacteriological weapon and his battle against the Number Four were over. The Academy City unit that used weapons that were not of that world tempered using Dark Matter had been defeated. At first glance, it may have seemed like an amazing result that seemed to overturn his label of Level 0. However, Hamazura and Takitsubo had originally been searching for something they could use to negotiate with the higher ups of Academy City. They had merely ended up heading down side roads rather than heading along their intended path. They had not found anything to negotiate with. If they stayed there, they would be killed. They had to leave as quickly as possible. As Hamazura single-mindedly dug into the snow, Takitsubo and Mugino were doing the same thing with similar thick branches nearby. Mugino was Academy Citys Number Four Level 5, but due to the Body Crystal and the previous battle, she did not seem to be in a state where she could use Meltdowner any time soon. Takitsubo readjusted her scarf that was starting to come undone and then looked over at Hamazura. Hamazura, what are we going to do now? Are we going to recover one of the masks that attack unit used and try to negotiate using it? Well gather up what we can, but I doubt thatll be enough. Im not sure they would even send what could be their Achilles heel into the middle of enemy lines. For the deep darkness of that city, something like that would still be within acceptable limits. We can use my blood as our insurance, said Mugino joining in the conversation while moving the thick branch. It contains the DNA map of the Number Four. If we make three chips with my blood on them and each take one, we may be able to increase our chances of holding them in check while were split up. ...God damn it. But Hamazura averted his gaze from them. His hands digging into the snow stopped. Takitsubo and Mugino thought he was looking at something far off in the distance, so they turned their heads to see what it was. That was when they heard multiple footsteps kicking about the snow. The next thing they knew, a half circle of men was surrounding them at a distance of about 10 meters. It was an Academy City assassination unit dressed all in white from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their feet. The men wore masks and goggles so not even the shapes of their faces were visible. They held carbines equipped with silencers. They had likely been monitoring Hamazura and the others to make sure they were doubly and triply prepared. Compared to the parts of the darks side of Academy City that had an especially large amount of power such as Mugino Shizuri or the previous masked men, those attackers were organized rather simply. That unit was aware of exactly how exhausted Hamazura and the others were, so they had sent in the most suitable force. Their time was up. When he realized that, Hamazuras heart started to break even more than the weary body it should have been within. It made him jealous of Takitsubo and Mugino who were still glaring at their enemies with a fighting spirit in their eyes. No, those two girls likely understood. Takitsubo Rikou and Mugino Shizuri had carried out an important role to the darkness of Academy City, so they were worth using. It may not be the same as before, but there was still the possibility that they would just be recovered. However, Hamazura was different. It was odd that he had been standing atop the stage at all. Even if the higher ups had chosen the option to not kill them and recover them instead, that only applied to Takitsubo and Mugino. Hamazura alone would be shot to death right then and there like a piece of trash. That was why those two were showing an intention to fight. He was glad. But at the same time, he felt a bit of relief somewhere within himself. If he played his cards right, he could keep the sacrifices down to a minimum. They had not found anything to use to negotiate with the higher ups due to his own ineptitude. That was why he absolutely had to prevent any more damage from being done. Hamazura now had a clear goal in his mind. ...Honestly, youve made a lot of trouble for me. A new figure appeared approaching Hamazura and the others from among the 10 men surrounding them. It was a woman wearing an elegant suit tinged the color of chocolate. However, she had a full face helmet on her head ruining the atmosphere the suit created. Her behavior had a well-bred feeling to it which made her stand out in that environment. Although I suppose its a testament to the strength of our security that it was contained at this level. Who are you? Your partner, the woman in the helmet and suit responded immediately. You may know me best for my focus on passing orders along. Whats the phrase you have a habit of using. Its always like this with you. After that response, Mugino and Takitsubo exchanged glances. Of course, what had happened would not be overlooked just because a common acquaintance was there. The world was not that kind. The woman in the helmet and suit continued. Im sure you have a pretty good idea how things are going to be divided up from here on out. ... Mugino Shizuri and Takitsubo Rikou will be immediately recovered. As for Hamazura Shiage, that is where things get a bit tricky...well, he just doesnt fit the same conditions. There is a relationship there that could give him value as a hostage for Takitsubo, but Takitsubo Rikou does not have much in the way of physical ability, so mental restraints are not really necessary. We can just isolate her in a concrete room to do research on her. If we need to force her to do something, imbedding tiny balloons in her brain and then repeatedly applying pressure and relaxation to the cerebral cortex by remote control will suffice. Wait, Hamazura said as if cutting her off. Research? On Takitsubo? Dont you mean Mugino? Im sure at least those two have realized it. Realized what? When you defeated the unit with the masks tempered using Kakine Teitokus Dark Matter, Mugino Shizuri used Meltdowner. But Takitsubo did not simply guide her using words. Her AIM Stalker interferes with AIM diffusion fields. She used that and it had an effect on Mugino Shizuris Personal Reality and partially forced her aim into alignment. ...Or perhaps it would be better to say she temporarily rewrote it with corrected information. (You dont mean...) He had heard that Takitsubo had tried to do that in order to fight Kakine Teitoku. And Mugino Shizuri had possessed some Body Crystal. No. But Mugino readily negated that idea when she saw Hamazuras expression. Takitsubo did not use Body Crystal. Or rather, we did not do that because we had planned to. If she had an established way of interfering with a Level 5, her role in ITEM would have been different. ...After all, she would be able to strengthen espers or send them out of control at will if she could do that. The woman in the helmet and suit shrugged and added on to Muginos comment. The project to make Takitsubo the Eighth was originally separate from Body Crystal. We had a result from Tree Diagrams simulation, but the realistic conditions were too severe, so we could not achieve it. That was when we turned our attention to Body Crystal that just barely had similar effects. ...Although all the simulations using it had hopeless results. ...And yet you still continued to mess with Takitsubos body. That was because the possibilities were just too valuable. After all, if she continued to evolve and become the Eighth, her AIM diffusion field would be able to be used as an intermediary to freely control other espers Personal Realities. Im sure youre not so stupid as to not understand what that means. If she could actually do that... Personal Realities were the source from which all psychic powers and phenomena were brought into the real world. If they could be controlled, it would mean more than just increasing or decreasing an espers level. Simply put, Hamazura Shiage could be given the power of Railgun and Mugino Shizuri could be brought down to being a Level 0. Controlling them would give one the ability to switch out powers and modify the system at will. Dual Skills would enter the field of reality. In that way, reason and skill could be ignored and ridiculous results could be created. She would be able to give someone any power she wanted at any time she wanted and she would be able to rob someone of any power she wanted at any place she wanted. If she wanted to, she could increase the number of Level 5s or she could strip any opposing esper, even the Number One known as Accelerator, of their Personal Realities and then kill them while they were defenseless. That went even beyond becoming the Queen of Academy City. There was only one word that accurately referred to that kind of existence. Takitsubo Rikou alone could carry out every function that Academy City does, said the woman in the helmet and suit giving her response. No, if she could instantly create whatever power at whatever level she wished and discard that power at any time if it was no longer necessary, she would be able to produce espers even better than Academy City can. She was a person with an overwhelming value. She even overturned the idea that there were only seven Level 5s. From the beginning, Takitsubo had a rare potential, but getting her to bloom has been difficult. We dug into the research of the taboo-committing Kihara family and pulled out the Body Crystal despite knowing the risks, but the stimulus was not enough to produce the results we wished for. ...But now the path to the Eighth has been opened. It is all thanks to your lovely relationship and this cruel war. As far as Hamazura knew, the only time Takitsubo had seriously tried to interfere with another espers AIM diffusion field was when the Number Two Kakine Teitoku had been about to kill Hamazura. Had the higher ups of Academy City seen that and decided to let them go free in order to provide a chance for her to bloom? And Takitsubo had acquired a small key. Even if it was difficult then, she would reach the position of the Eighth if the research continued. Even without using Body Crystal, she could become that fearsome monster that could completely hold all of Academy Citys espers in her hands. She could do that alone. She could do it with just her one power. She truly held the ability to equal or surpass all functions of the esper production institution of Academy City. If that city was Academy City, she could be an Academy Individual. But that was not what surprised Hamazura Shiage the most. The impact of the concept of the Eighth was overshadowed by something the woman in the helmet and suit had said that Hamazura could not overlook. It was something that no esper of Academy City, even a drop out like him, could accept. ...From the beginning, Takitsubo had a rare potential? Hamazura said in a trembling voice to make sure. In other words, you knew before she took part in the Curriculum? No matter how much people work or how much they study, the ones who will succeed will succeed and the ones who will fail will fail? That response was more frightening than hell. Of course, Academy City had the System Scan. Various methods were used to check on the aptitude of an esper. It checked what Level they were at, what type of power they had, and whether they would grow easily or not. However, that was supposed to just be a rough estimate. The students known as Level 0s and Level 1s believed that they could grow if they worked hard. That was why they were able to work hard. They believed it would all pay off eventually. They believed they would bloom eventually. That was all they wished for. And yet... Were the people who worked hard and grew from a Level 0 to a Level 3 merely people who were established from the beginning to be able to reach Level 3? Were the potentials sleeping within individual people all determined before they started studying and before they even entered the schools? Was the myth of gaining more skill by working hard just a means of manipulating the people who were at their set upper limits? In that case, was there any hope for the people who were determined to be Level 0s from the moment they were born? ...Come to think of it, I did find it odd, said Mugino Shizuri as if she had recalled something. I caught a glimpse of a project involving the Number Three once. She was tricked when she was a little kid in order to provide her DNA map. That map was used to mass produce military cellular clones. ...But when you think about it rationally, the time period does not make sense. Im pretty sure that the Number Three took time to work up from Level 1 to Level 5. In other words, at the point when she provided her DNA map, she was not yet a Level 5. The idea of military clones was shocking, but Hamazura did not think it would be impossible given Academy Citys technology. In other words, did the researchers know from the beginning that she would become a Level 5, so they got ahold of her DNA map ahead of time? In response, the woman in the suit gave a heavy breath within her helmet. Well, there are some problems with the Parameter List. For instance, the DNA patent and the living resource of a Level 5 are very valuable, but quite a bit of money is needed to obtain them. However, with a Level 1 who possesses the possibility of becoming a Level 5 in the future, those things can be obtained much more cheaply. When a fragment of the list is leaked, problems occur where blood is shed in secret due to people trying to get rich quick off of it. ... But if you look at everything together, I think it works out as a positive thing. Putting together complex Curriculums for people who arent going to grow is just a waste of time, money, and resources. By distributing what would have been wasted with a focus on the useful espers, it is all much more effective in the end. You...bitch...!! It was Mugino who yelled out, not Hamazura. Takitsubo tried to hold back the enraged girl. Seeing that, the woman in the helmet and suit let out a cheerful voice. That reaction is quite unlike you. After all that fighting, have you begun to empathize with the feelings of the weak? Shut up!! Mugino yelled with anger in her single eye. So youre saying Hamazura has fallen this far because you people just gave up on him!? Takitsubo and I headed down this path on our own. Our journeys and the environments that led us there were complex and I dont think our trajectory can be corrected just by solving a single problem. But Hamazura was only pushed down this path because he had no power! You people decided that he didnt on your own and held back on his Curriculum!! Its true he may not have become a Level 5. He may have stopped somewhere along the way. But if you had actually given him an equal chance, he would have had the possibility to grow even if just a little!! If...If that had happened...!! Hamazura Shiage may not have joined Skill Out. It may not have been necessary for him to be swallowed up by the even deeper darkness of ITEM. He may have been able to live a normal school life rather than being forced to flee from Academy City. He may have gotten that boring but happy life that no one else there had been able to obtain. Its fine, Hamazura said to Mugino while shaking his head. He was glad that she had remembered how to become enraged properly. We are ITEM. I do not regret that, so its fine. Mugino averted her gaze as if she could not stand it. Hamazura changed the subject while unaware what expression was on his face. More importantly, you said something that caught my attention. He confirmed the conditions in his head. You mentioned the Parameter List, so Im guessing there is an actual file. Its existence could send every student living in Academy City down to the depths of despair and helplessness. I dont know what your higher ups are trying to do, but I doubt they want to risk having the city stop functioning. In other words, we still have something we can negotiate with. You may have some uncertain information, but are you saying you have a chance to obtain the real thing? The system is set up so a student like you would not be able to get his hands on it. And more importantly... The metallic clattering of multiple guns was heard. The men in white battle outfits surrounding Hamazura and the others had aimed their guns. Did you forget? At the very least, this is the end for you. Mugino could not use Meltdowner. Takitsubos AIM Stalker had no effect on anyone other than espers. Hamazura could not singlehandedly take out a team of ten battle professionals. And... Arent you the one forgetting something? ? You may have lost sight of this because you live in such a filthy world, but this is not Academy City. We are not standing atop such a cruel stage. I am a mere Level 0. I do not have any kind of special power that would allow me to survive such a major conflict on my own. ... The woman in the helmet and the suit must have decided there was no point in listening to him any further because she raised her arm slightly. That was all it took. The men in white battle outfits surrounding Hamazura and the others pulled the triggers of their carbines in unison. Sharp piercing gunshots resounded in that white plain. The color red scattered about seeming to distort the pure white of the scenery. Hamazura did not shut his eyes. There was no reason for him to. Wha? That voice of surprise came from the woman in the helmet and suit. Hamazura was the one who was supposed to collapse after the gunshots, but he did not. Nor did Takitsubo or Mugino. It was a few of the 10 men surrounding them. At the same time, a group of about 30 men and women armed with assault rifles came from behind trees and rising hills creating an even larger ring around the men surrounding Hamazura and the two girls. They were Russian, but they did not seem to be proper soldiers. Their clothes were civilian ones, their rifles were covered in scratches, and they had an odd sense of livelihood. Are you alive, Hamazura!? Digurv shouted out in Japanese. Glickin, who was next to him also holding a rifle, clicked his tongue and spoke. We told you to escape, but in the end you came back. You alone we cant abandon!! So are they with the special unit that was setting up the steam dispenser!? ...Thats not quite it, but thanks. You saved our lives. Hamazura took a slow breath and relaxed his body. While he had been talking with the woman in the helmet and suit, he had caught a glimpse of them in the scenery. Afterwards, all he had to do was draw out the conversation until they could finish getting in place. ...Why? The woman seemed to truly be feeling nothing but doubt. In the war, Academy City was so easily pushing back the Russian army. How could we be stuck in predicament like this so easily...? Academy City had such an advantage during the war because the troops moved cooperatively on a large scale and looked after each other. ...An independent unit running around on it like you isnt going to have that same invincibility. Hamazura forced a smile out of his cheek muscles that had been completely stiff up to that point. Isnt that right? If every single person was invincible, Takitsubo and I would never have been able to escape Academy City in the first place. Do you think youve won? the woman in the helmet and the suit said with a sneer. She did not seem to care about her collapsed colleagues. The system that has been monitoring you all up until now is still active. Reinforcements will be here soon. The end result will be the same. Probably...but thats why well be ending this before that happens. After saying that, Hamazura spoke to the people from the village. Digurv, Glickin, you tie up the men in the white battle outfits. Watch over them to make sure they dont make any odd movements. He then turned toward ITEM. Mugino, you restrain Takitsubo. Im about to do something thats going to provoke her a bit. What are you...? The woman in the helmet and suit started to say something, but Hamazura did not give her a response. Instead of words, he pulled out his handgun and suddenly shot her in the right elbow and right knee. Two dry gunshots rang out and the womans screams continued afterwards. Hamazuras expression did not change. He grabbed the collar of her suit with both hands and dragged her along the snow. ...There is a slight cave about 100 meters ahead. Well finish this there. His voice was completely flat and free of emotion. An Academy City pursuit unit will be here soon. I need to get our means of negotiation before then, so Ill do whatever it takes to make that happen. Im after the Parameter List. You can output it on paper or give me a password so I can access the data on the network, I dont care which. Just tell me everything you know. Ill make sure to go far enough that youll be telling me before you realize it. E-ee! Humans really are scary. Hamazura brought his mouth up next to the helmet and spoke in a quiet voice so Takitsubo and Mugino could not hear. His voice was completely flat. As long as they can make the excuse that they are doing something to protect those they care about, they can do any kind of cruel thing. Thats how I see it anyway. Ill be showing you just how cruel humans can be. Accelerator was collapsed atop a hill. Neither Last Order nor Misaka WORST was there. Only the white snow stretched on seemingly forever around him. At an altitude of 8000 meters, he had been struck by the mass of strange energy fired by the fortress, but not even he really understood what had happened after that. The white wings had disappeared from his back. At the very least, he understood that he was alive like that because the great destruction had been stopped at the last second. He heard a loud noise. It was a large transport helicopter with two rotors. As Accelerator lay on the ground looking up into the air, the giant mass of metal slowly lowered nearby. The sliding door opened and people got out. They were more like a disaster relief team than soldiers. They were wearing baggy spacesuit-like protective suits and he could see them lowering down a stretcher with belts on it. They were recovering him. Accelerator recalled when he had defeated Kihara Amata on September 30th. It was the same as then. A large conflict had invited in great turmoil. In exchange for taking care of the problem, he would be handed over to the dark side of Academy City where he would have to carry out dirty jobs. In the end, no matter how much he fought it, no matter how far he fled, even if he left Academy City, and even if he escaped Japan altogether, he could not escape that giant cycle. He had vaguely sensed it before. The environment and conditions surrounding the Sisters and Last Order were much more severe even than those for himself. He doubted they could have a proper life without the backing of Academy City. His limp body was lifted up and put on top of the stretcher. Then a number of thick belts were wrapped around him. Accelerators body was stored aboard the large helicopter as if they were transporting a tool...no, a weapon. He did not resist. With quite a bit of shaking, the transport helicopter left the ground. Accelerator muttered blankly while still strapped in by the belts. Where are those brats? With a different unit, was the short response. Hm, Accelerator let out a short breath. Then promise me this. Do not send out any more orders to use that brat or the Sisters as a shield. Freeze the Third Season project. Whether it involves killing them or creating them, dont play with even one more of their lives for your own convenience. ... Free all the others who are in similar circumstances to mine. I wont let you force dirty jobs in this world of darkness on anyone else by using anyone or anything as a shield. If I see even a single example, I will bare my fangs in your direction. No matter how many times it takes, I will crush you all as often as you carry out these atrocities. It seems you do not understand anything. Do you really think youre in any position to negotiate? Youre the one that does not understand anything. With just that one statement, the researcher in the protective suit must have detected some kind of danger because he immediately moved his hand to the side of Accelerators neck. His esper ability had to use substitute calculations from the Misaka Network. The researcher was trying to check on the switch to the electrode that accessed the network. But Accelerator had used that mentality against the man. The instant the researchers fingertips pressed against the switch, Accelerator swung his head to the side while still strapped in by the belts. As a result, the finger held against the switch ended up sliding the switch to maximum. His power returned. The black belts binding his body were blown away in an instant. The man in the protective suit was blown to the helicopters wall and deep cracks ran across the reinforced glass in the window on that wall. The fellow researchers around him stood up in a panic, but it was too late. This is not a negotiation, a suggestion, a deal, an entreaty, an agreement, a compromise, or a capitulation. Accelerators arm touched the wall of the transport helicopter. The metal wall of that military craft was destroyed as easily as tearing through paper. A great amount of cold air blew inside, but the men in the protective suits did not care about that. Terror over not knowing when the helicopter would be brought down swept throughout the helicopter. Amid that, the king of monsters who reigned atop awed fear gave a proclamation. Its my triumphant return, you fuckers. As he used a single finger to play with the helicopters bare minimum of aerodynamic balance, a smile seemed to split across Accelerators face. I think Ill start by saving that brat and Misaka WORST. Fiamma of the Right opened the metal door from the inside using a trembling hand. Due to the damage eating into his entire body, he could not stand up. He practically fell out of the escape container. He was on top of a small mountain. The Star of Bethlehem that he had created was nowhere to be seen. The color of the heavens had returned to normal. The sound of bombardments that had continued unceasingly before was now gone. Everything was silent and white. As he looked at the Russian scenery outside the escape container, Fiamma received a vague answer. It was all over. Fiamma did not know what would become of the world. At that time, he had indeed chosen the best option. Since he had been repelled, the world must have been continuing to slide down that hill. He could not hazard a guess how far it would fall or if it would digress onto a different route in the process of falling. That boy had suggested that the world would live on. That had not just been on overly simplistic view that did not apply to reality. That boy had stuck to it with everything he had even to the point of handing his sole means of escape to another. Then go find out on your own from now on. Those final words were annoyingly stuck in his head. Due to that, Fiamma now lay atop the ground instead of just becoming buried below the snow despite no longer having a goal. Of course, his path from then on would be a dangerous one. The man who had created turmoil in the world and caused a war would be pursued. He could not get help from the Roman Catholic Church or the Russian Orthodox Church. Gods Right Seat no longer existed. He had lost Indexs remote control spiritual item. Even with a special power residing in his arm, Fiamma would eventually run out of breath if he continued to fight an inexhaustible supply of enemies while in his restricted state. In that world of the victors, Fiamma would be treated as the one remaining blot. A life on the run would likely wear down his body. He doubted he would be able to find what that boy had suggested while stuck in a life like that. ... But for some reason Fiamma did not simply abandon the chance left to him by another at the risk of that persons life. At that time, that boy had clearly seen something Fiamma could not. He hesitated to abandon that while he did not know what it was. He would decide what came next after heading forward. Despite having lost everything, that thought brought strength back to Fiamma of the Rights body and he staggered to his feet where he took his first step. And then... Suddenly, Fiamma of the Rights right arm was severed at the shoulder. He had been utterly unable to detect the activation of the magic for the strike or the preliminary signs of that activation. The attack fired at Fiamma from behind had mercilessly carved his body apart. His right arm was the symbol of his power. Having lost that arm, Fiamma screamed while scattering red blood across the white snow. He held the wound with his other hand and turned around. A strange magician was there. He had waist-long pale silver hair. He had a graceful face with an expression on it thats identity could not even be guessed. In the freezing cold, he was wearing only a green surgical gown. He had an odd atmosphere that made him seem both male and female, both adult and child, and both saint and sinner. Fiamma knew. Fiamma of the Right knew that magician. But... ...Aleister Crowley...? As expected, I seem to be accurately recognized while outside my container. I use life support devices to mechanically create my life force which is the basis of magic power. That has allowed me to slip past all sorts of probes, but I suppose it should be obvious that I do not receive that divine protection while in this state. Youre...I see...but there is an inconsistency in that theory. It does not explain why you are here. There is nothing strange about that. The magician who should by all rights be inside the windowless building in the center of Academy City responded as if that should be obvious. The woman named Anna Sprengel was said to have carried out the role of the Secret Chief and of a point of contact and to have helped in the foundation of the Golden cabal, but in the end, it was said to be dubious whether she even truly existed. ...I too functioned as the point of contact for Aiwass who is one of the theories of the Secret Chief. To be honest, I do not think that is the exaggerated and much too serious role in charge of things like giving permission for the foundation of all the magic cabals in the world. In fact, I do not think there is any need to get permission for such a thing. But, well, I am the same type of existence as Anna was said to be. As such, it should not be too surprising to think that I have surpassed the realm of only being expressible as 0 or 1. Even then, Aleister Crowley still existed in the center of Academy City. But at the same time, Aleister Crowley existed before Fiamma. Multiple versions of him such as a clone did not exist. It was just that the single one of him existed in multiple locations. It was a phenomenon that destroyed the basic concept of counting, but that was just what the domain at the top was like. The Sephirot used various words and numbers to create an explanation of the spiritual world, but organizations above a certain level could not be explained using words, so they were intentionally omitted. Did someone who entered that domain reach one of those upper organizations or did reaching one of those upper organizations cause ones domain to transform into that domain? At any rate, Crowley was in a different dimension. He was in a higher place than Fiamma who had declared he held the power needed to save all of humanity while he was still an existence that could be counted with that worlds numbers. ...Why? Fiamma muttered. I could not do it. I should have had the power needed to save this world just like the Son of God. And yet I could not do it. It was not an issue of the type or amount of power. It was nothing more than an issue of how you used it, Aleister Crowley said in disinterested voice. My theory is that the age of Christian spells came to an end upon the completion of the Book of the Law. I actually think you did quite well. And that includes your objective of becoming The One Above God. If instead of the Aeon of Osiris...that is, the laws under the control of solely the Christian Church, you had formatted it in the Aeon of Horus that lies beyond it, you may have had your eye on a position similar to mine. He was the one who created supernatural powers with science. He was the one who constructed an angel by gathering those powers. Fiamma of the Right, the one who ruled over Michael, understood what that meant. Creating an angel was not the same thing as simply creating a new type of living creature. They were the symbols of the elements that made up the world. For a human to create one of those, it meant that the system at the base of that world was being artificially interfered with. Gears created by human hands were being inserted into the mechanisms created by god. It was like remaking a music box into a time bomb. It was the idea of affirming the occult and then trying to use precise equipment on it. In an older time, just thinking of those things would get one sent to the gallows. ...Is Aiwass that attractive an existence? Fiamma asked. An angel that cannot be explained by the Bible or theology is also the symbol of an element that is inside this world created by god and also outside of the hands of god. It is the beginning of the destruction of the fate established by god. ...You did not want the Book of the Law. You wanted the strange angel that granted you the Book of the Law. Aleister did not confirm or deny that. Well, I was not originally supposed to appear at this stage, said the magician who was said to be the worst in the history of magic. Even if you do not understand the values of things, you saw a bit too deeply into that right hand. You caught a glimpse of what is inside of it, when it would have been best for you to only have recognized it as a mere right hand that can negate supernatural powers. I simply cannot let this go. I was reluctant, but I had to make an appearance. Of what is inside...? And on top of that, it ended like this. He has now left my grasp. Thanks to that, I will have to take a bit of a detour. ...I see. So a being such as myself may still be able to feel common anger. ... Fiammas eyebrows moved ever so slightly. He was recalling whatever it was that had flowed out from within when he had severed that boys right arm. What was that? Im sure you know, he responded as if spitting out the words. Other than the fact that the format you were basing it on was much too old, what you were trying to do is very similar to my plan. They are both the idea to change the world by preparing a temple filled with strange power, drawing out the power of the right arm within that temple, and readjusting the thickness of the phase itself with that power. How is Academy City different from a small world that has sealed a certain type of power? You just need to look at your own actions from a different viewpoint. Just by doing that, you should be able to understand the true nature of that power. ...If you had succeeded in doing that, you may have reached our goal before I did. That was why Aleister had come there. Those parchments. They were incomplete as they were gathered by the Russian Orthodox Church, but it would be a problem if they were analysed by an anti-magician organization such as the Anglican Church. I sent out a rather showy unit this time, but, well, all that matters is that they were recovered in the end. ...But that alone is not enough. Do you understand what I am trying to say? Fiamma was in the way. Aleister had come to utterly destroy even the slightest chance of his own plan being calculated out from the incomplete incident Fiamma had caused. As such, Fiamma would not even be allowed to be taken into custody by a magical organization. At that time, Fiamma came as close to the truth of the world as he ever had. I see. He only had one arm, but Fiamma of the Right slowly shook his head. ...But that no longer matters. Oddly enough, his expression lacked the strange passion it had held up until then. It was as if some kind of evil spirit had left him. When I see you, I can feel the futility of what I did. Most likely, I had that same look on my face. And someone who can truly save the world would not have that expression on his face....At that time and in that place, he stood in a position where no one could overtake him. He felt like he had come to a bit of an understanding as to what he had lacked. As he thought that, Fiamma purposefully removed his left hand that was pressing against his wound to prevent blood loss. At the same time, a small explosive noise exploded out. The blood spewing out showed the outlines of a large invisible arm. It was his Third Arm. He could no longer control that power with his own will, but now he could fight. I believe this to be futile. Aleister Crowley did not seem to make any real preparations for a fight. He stretched out the fingers of one hand and slowly grabbed something invisible. Fiamma perceived something odd while the man made that pantomime-like motion. He thought he saw a staff seep out there where nothing should be. No, it indeed did not exist in the real world. And yet he saw an illusion even to the point of seeing the color silver due to unclassified information sources such as feeling a presence or an atmosphere. It was the Blasting Rod. That staff was from the legends of an ancient magician who Crowley, the man known as the ultimate villain, truly respected as his master. It is not an issue of whether it is futile or not, Fiamma said quietly. Most likely, Aleister would not understand even if he tried for 100 years. If the feeling of truly wanting to save someone took precedence, it would be strange if something like the odds of winning did not end up being secondary. Then go find out on your own from now on. Someone had unhesitatingly answered in that way to an enemy who said he did not understand just how vast the world was. That person had to know a lot more than Fiamma. He had to know all sorts of things that were not recorded in any grimoire original. Fiamma was not even sure if he had come to understand even a fragment of that, but that was why he had the following thought. He could not allow it to be trampled on. Even if he had to face a true monster, he could not allow the world that boy had risked his life to save to be trampled on any more. It was obvious at first glance who won and who lost. Two forms clashed and one of them fell from a slope of the mountain. Silence returned to the snowy plains of Russia. The victor glanced down the slope and spoke as his body dissolved into the air. ...You tried to explain that right hand, Imagine Breaker...and even The One Who Purifies God using only something at the level of Christianity. That was your mistake. And there was a smiling figure in distant London. We have a reaction!! It was only for 700 seconds, but this wavelength is unmistakable. It belongs to the magician Aleister Crowley!! Inside St. Georges Cathedral, Archbishop Laura Stuarts lips twisted up creating a smile as she received that Anglican nuns report. That man was supposed to be dead. That magician was supposed to have been killed by Anglican assassins. He had been officially reported to have died over 60 years before, but a Crowley-specific post still existed in order to deal with magic cabals claiming to be his successor or the theorized survival of the man himself. And now a spiritual item set to search for him individually had produced an unexpected result. Although for Laura Stuart, the result was unexpected in the same way that the theory as to the origin of the universe existed but no way of proving it had been found. The search spell that used farsightedness was mostly useless because even the general outlines in the images that rose up were blurred. The target appeared to be speaking with someone, but neither figures details could be seen. Even so, Laura was convinced with just that small bit of information. The look of his face had changed quite a bit. And on top of that, he had to have been obstructing anyone from recognizing him up until then by some means. But... (...So he really is alive.) She used the words really is because she had not believed that he had ceased to exist. It was true that the ones who had gained the most from World War III were the victors in Academy City. From then on, the relationship between the Magic side and the Science side would unavoidably tilt heavily in the direction of the Science side. The power of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church had been weakened, and while the Anglican Church had been victorious, it was nothing more than one of the three major powers of the Christian Church. On the other hand, Academy City was the single major organization at the top of the Science side. Just due to the simple distribution of power, Academy City would clearly outdo them in how much power over the world they gained with their victory. But it would not end there. If the identity of Academy Citys Board Chairman was as Laura suspected, she had the right to destroy Crowley. And traditionally, the assets of the target of a witch hunt would be seized by the church. In other words, they still had a chance to completely absorb Academy City and the Science side. Of course, even if her suspicions were correct, she doubted he would obediently go along with it all. She could not deny the possibility that a fourth great war would occur. However, that did not matter. As long as she had a chance, as long as she had the beginning of a means to bring the entire world into her hands, it did not matter at all. The royal family had feared that, whether Academy City or the Roman Catholic Church won World War III, England would be walking down the path to being weakened. The second princess and the others had started a coup detat because of that. Laura Stuarts response to that was the following: If so, then you just need to take everything the victors have for yourself. The right to execute the magician Aleister Crowley and to take charge of his dangerous assets belonged to the anti-magician organization of the Anglican Church. If the Roman Catholic Church had won, the Christian world would have expanded decisively and the Magic side would have ruled the world. As such, it would have been harder for her to create an excuse as just one denomination of the Christian Church. At the very least, she would not have been able to seize things using the Inquisition. That was what Academy City had been for. And now things had conveniently ended up heading down a pleasant path. ...Now then. Things are only just starting to get interesting, Board Chairman Aleister. Heh heh, came a small laugh on top of a building in Academy City. The existence known as Aiwass laughed while looking down at its hands. It was clearly enjoying itself. Accelerators interference in Last Orders consciousness had drastically reduced the power securing Aiwasss existence. Soon, Aiwass would temporarily withdraw from the surface. Even so, Aiwass was cheerful. ...You look like youre enjoying yourself. That voice belonged to a girl. She was Kazakiri Hyouka. The gaze behind her glasses had a sharp light in it that was rare for her usually frightened self. I am happy, Aiwass said in response as it lightly spread out its hands. Or rather, I am rejoicing that the pleasant time looks like it will last even longer. Aleister is in a little too much of a hurry. It will all be over in no time at all with methods like that. It is like having someone hit a domino from the side before you have managed to line up very many of them. If I am to enjoy this situation, it is best if I temporarily head down to a deeper place. Livestock must be fattened up before they are eaten. That is what you are doing this for? Indeed. Regardless of whether I had appeared or not, that control tower would not have lasted long. There was a lack of strength in the lining up of the dominos. As such, I gave him the hint he needed to provide the needed strength. ...And he did well. That method was less eliminating me and more of a transference to a different domain, but, well, that was enough to be an excellent job. Did it have value or interest? That was the criterion on which that existence acted and it was an existence that could easily destroy the planet were it to decide the planet were unnecessary. I think you should learn more about humans. ? It is odd for you to not know in the first place. Our physical bodies are supported by their power. Enough possibility sleeps within them to give us form. It goes without saying that humans are incredibly strong beings. ...If you take them lightly, you may find yourself stabbed through the chest before long. What are you saying? responded Aiwass without holding back a sense of exaltation even while receiving Kazakiris gaze. If those fragile humans could actually do that...wouldnt that be a truly interesting case? Misaka Mikoto arrived at the coast. However, it was a very different place from a beach on the Sea of Japan. It was a small fishing harbor, but she did not know if it was active at that time of year. After all, the surface of the ocean was covered in white ice. It was drift ice. Due to the VTOL craft running low on fuel, it had been necessary to land. They had boarded a high speed freight train, but they had still been decisively late. They had pushed on and pushed on and pushed on in the direction the flying fortress had gone and they had finally ended up at that fishing harbor. Perhaps due to the evacuation order just before the fortress had crashed, there was no one else around. The roads were covered in ice possibly because the cold had frozen the moisture after the tsunami had hit. She could not find the slightest thing that would act as a clue to that boys whereabouts. Mikoto looked around the area as if she was at a complete loss as to what to do, but she finally picked up a large stick. She stretched the stick down from the concrete bank and stirred up the ocean water that was wrapped in ice like a soda from a caf. Some kind of small mass of plastic got caught on the end of the stick. What is that? asked the Sister from the side. Mikoto did not respond. She recognised it. It was a Gekota strap that had been torn off at the string by some great force. It was the item that the two of them had acquired on September 30th. Volume 22, Proclamation of Armistice. Volume 22, Proclamation of Armistice. We can''t let this meaningless war continue. Our side has clearly examined the conditions proposed by Academy City, and we will continue to discuss this. We''ll negotiate about the details, but we can assure that Russia will not end up disadvantaged. In the past, we ignored the advice of the public, followed the suggestions of a few people and were unable to undo our choice. As for how tragic the situation was, I suppose everyone knows it better than I do. Regarding this historical error, we can''t make any excuses. At least what I can do is to end all these abnormal situations as soon as possible, and let the world regain the peace that it should have had. Before all of these end, we shall be punished. So before that, please give me some time. A minority may be unhappy with this result, and may feel that putting down our arms isn''t what we should do. However, I want everyone to calm down and think: what were we fighting for? If it''s to fight for our family, our friends, our lovers, all the people that are important to us, this is the time, the moment to get all of ''these''. Continuing to fight will only cause you to lose ''these''. The thing that made us recognise this were the actions of everyone on the battlefield. Facing the supernatural disaster near the end of the war, we chose a ''correct'' move that was way above us, helping everyone, enemies and allies, without any difference. I believe that we can accept this ending. From now on, I declare that all fighting will cease. I hope for everyone to agree with this decision, and will be recorded for a future peaceful world to see. 30th, October Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Klaus R. Shiarutsky Battered and bruised. His right hand had been cut off. Exposed to the cold snowstorm that was like blades, being unable to move even a finger. At this rate, he would be buried under the snow. At that moment, Snowy footsteps could be heard. Thinking about this as he faced the sky, he saw a human shape. Instead of saying that they walked near, it was more like they both had appeared at the same time, an unnatural way of appearing. An enigmatic duo. One of them was a blond woman. She had goggles on her forehead, a thick material dark-coloured jacket and an apron used for work. It looked crude, but on closer inspection, it was rather tasteful, and it gave off the feeling of an English maid. The other person was a blond man. His aquamarine thin shirt was accompanied by a camel-coloured lambskin vest. Though it''s not good to talk bad about others, both of them were wearing clothes that seemed ill suited for moving through the harsh snowstorm. Not only that, the duo''s expressions had not changed. The woman spoke first, "At least he looks like he''s breathing." "It''s purely because of his ability. There was no need to hold back then," The man replied, and then looked at the face of the man on the ground. "Now then, I''m sure you do not want this to end without getting back at him. At the very least, we''re about at our limit.....We will give you a place to live and ensure your safety for now. In exchange, we want you to tell us what you saw and heard. We may able to read between the lines of the Aeon of Osiris you are from to see Crowley''s Aeon of Horus which comes after." "Wh, who...?" He, Fiamma of the Right, asked in a hoarse voice. "Ollerus." After that, the answer was simple. His words conveyed the entire message. "I am a pathetic magician who once should have become a Magic God, but had that position stolen by One-Eyed Othinus." Volume 22, Afterword Volume 22, Afterword To readers who have followed this series book by book, long time no see. To readers who bought all twenty-four books at once, nice to meet you. Im Kamachi Kazuma. This time, its Volume 22. So now the "Gods Right Seat" arc has finally concluded... Starting back in Volume 11 with Vento of the Front, no matter what, this is an arc that has spanned ten novels. This is a good opportunity to talk about the three main characters. About Kamijou Touma: Hes a "relative" character at all times. If there are no magicians or espers who possess supernatural abilities around him, the ability to "negate" them cant be shown. Its the same when ideals clash with ideals; most of the time, you aren''t taking the initiative but rather reacting to your opponent. If Toumas opponent were a normal person who has an unshakable resolve, Touma will probably suffer defeat. Also, against that kind of opponent, "there is no reason to clash". Now, if the Hamazura Shiage who has grown somewhat defeated Kamijou in a normal fight, there will probably be a balance between the three main characters. That would be very interesting; what do all of you think? In this volume, there are probably many readers who feel that Kamijou isnt quite like how he is in previous volumes. Though, compared with character growth, the main reason is probably more due to his opponent being too abnormal. If we look at it as "The ability which can restrain a strong power is more powerful", then Kamijou Toumas position has risen. Originally, hes an undefined character. If he finds that his cat has gotten lost, hell do all he can to try and find it. If there''s a threat to the world, he''ll also use all his strength to stop it from happening. Even though he acts in a serious manner, as the nature of the event changes, the direction that hes serious towards also changes. Kamijou is then such a magical character. Also, in this series, there have been several characters that can be called "Kamijous opponent". These are all characters that were made by taking some aspect of the character Kamijou Touma as a base, but with some changes added. In other words, Kamijou himself has many sides to him to begin with. The impression that the world of "Toaru Majutsu no Index" gives is that there are no overarching plot or characters that specifically pertain to it. Some are just picking various characters as the main protagonist and then telling the stories around them (this is especially true for SS2). Though every protagonist has a story that makes them shine for one moment, Kamijou Touma gives the feeling that for him, from the battlefield with shells flying past to having a Chinese hotpot cook-off, he would be a suitable character regardless of the situation... but thats not saying that he has many talents. Having a "so-called main character" who knows nothing but still charges ahead would probably make this story easier to write. If he is forcibly made into a "specialist of a certain area", then when it comes to problems outside his specialty, there would be deeper questions to worry about. About Accelerator: From another perspective, Accelerator who''s been written as a "dark hero" has traces of a Saint in him. He has the kind of feeling that a person who has committed a great sin but then stepped onto the difficult road to redemption in order to redeem themselves gives off. As proof of surpassing his trials, his wings have completely changed colors... Ive wanted to try writing a scene like this for a long time now. From the bottom of his heart, what Accelerator wants is not a lover but a family. In spite of knowing nothing about what a family is, he''s still been able to act as a parent for Last Order (though its unknown whether as a father or a mother), although there are some contradictions with how he acts as a child around Yomikawa and Yoshikawa (most prominently, the scene in Volume 15 where Yomikawa takes the gun out of his hands). While being a symbol of his past, the title of a "Villain" had also given him a good reason to run away. In this Volume 22 where he surpasses being chained down by "Good" and "Evil", he undoubtedly will now head towards the direction of a "family". About Hamazura Shiage: In this war, regardless of it involving Kamijou Touma or Accelerator, both of them have been dragged into something beyond common sense. So, this character has the job of making the readers feel the atmosphere of "war". Needless to say, what''s been entangling him are his grades at schooli.e., being branded as a "Powerless Person (Level 0)"- though after seeing the results of the schools teachings and the system scans, being called by the upper levels of Academy City as "the typical child whose future has been misled by adults" would not be wrong. He''s personally shattered the chains that were holding his heart down, and, at the same time, has saved his companion who''s being weighed down by the chains of being an elite "Level 5". Despite the fact that were talking about the Hamazura Faction thats not on the Science side or the Magic side, the topics coming up are getting close to the core of everything. The so-called "specifically made potential espers who can rise to Level 5"... "Dark Matter" is a special exception, so it cant be verified, but no matter if its Accelerator or the "Railgun", apart from being simply biological resources from the industrial point of view, they''re simply "delicious", no? The seventh Level 5 who appears in SS2 should be fairly powerful, but why is he only the seventh? Regarding this kind of question, from this point of view, the answer should be more obvious... At first glance, the fifth seems to have little value, but when used in disciplines such as sports and medicine, there''d be great benefits. ...And, though this is only in jest, in terms of relationships and all related matters, I feel that Hamazura has made the most progress. In this type of situation, the only main character who can answer questions like But havent you already chosen ]insert person here[? is probably him. A certain spiky-haired boy somewhere else seems to have gotten into this problem as well. Thank you to Haimura-sensei, who''s in charge of illustrations, and Miki-sensei, who''s in charge of printing. Because its the conclusion of the "Gods Right Seat" arc, there are many large-scale scenes, and the illustrations have probably gotten harder to draw. To have listened to some of my more troublesome requests, many thanks. Finally, thank you to all you readers out there. For the "Gods Right Seat" arc to have a story this grand, your help and support plays a crucial role. To have supported my impulsive settings and developments, I am very grateful. Then, we will conclude here this time. Hope you''ll flip open this book next time as well. Ill sign off here. Next time: The world that has been saved!! Kamachi Kazuma.