To Aru Majutsu No Index - Volume 16

To Aru Majutsu no Index Volume 16
Prologue: The Standing of a Leader. Stage in Roma.

A certain event is etched into the mind of the Roman Catholic Pope, . It occurred when he went and headed off to London to settle the problems between the Roman Catholics and the English Anglicans. It regarded a woman whose age is unspecified: Laura Stuart, the leader of the English Anglicans, which in turn is one of the three largest Catholic sects. This woman truly has the ability to manage a large group. Forget about hiding her true feelings and intentions, but once people even realise the real meaning hidden within the conversations, they would normally end up being unable to do anything except to continue along the conversation. Shes truly one that can slyly talk her way through. If ones not careful, one wouldnt even know what the conditions are for the agreement that hes signing. At that time, three secretaries of the Roman Catholics, whom accompanied the Pope, fainted midway through due to over-anxiety and were sent to the hospital as a result. But to the Pope, that isnt what left the deep impression on him the most. The location was the Lambeth Palace near the St. George Cathedral, where the Archbishop of the English Anglicans stays. At that time, the Pope was riding in a high-class car, and because the car stopped nearby because of a red traffic light, he opened the window and heard such voices from the Lambeth Palace. Its the start of September, yet there are so many Christmas greeting cards It will be too late once Christmas day arrives. We need to look through 250,000 Christmas greeting cards from all over England. It will be a lot of work. You make it sound like it doesnt involve you, Kanzaki. After this, whats next? Lets see. Oh yes, the schedule for December had been decided. At that time, the Archbishop will dress up as Santa Claus and visit 43 children welfare facilities. This is a part of social services, so please understand. Mn. A mini-skirt Santa costume that can make anyone nosebleed has already been prepared. EH!!!? ARENT YOU SAYING SOME WEIRD THINGS CONFIDENTLY OVERT WHILE NODDING YOUR HEAD AWAY!? No, to be honest, Im a little embarrassed, but this is for the followers of the English Anglicans, and Im rather prepared to take off one or two clothes.
YOURE TALKING ABOUT TAKING OFF ONE OR TWO CLOTHES PHYSICALLY, YOU PERVERT!! HA! ARE YOU SAYING THAT A MINI-SKIRT SANTA COSTUME THAT CAN MAKE PEOPLE TREMBLE WOULD MAKE ME A PERVERT!? Im not saying that, not with that meaning. Besides, as the Archbishop, theres a problem with revealing so much of your legs Humph, so you cant agree with a mini-skirt? Looks like I cant match up to you, a great sexy idol that works really hard at your service. So this is why this Kanzaki Kaori specially went all the way back to Japan and in order to repay that debt of gratitude by taking her coat off in front of that Imagine Breaker boy. Really, a sexy lady that stands right at the frontlines. SHUT UP, YOU AMATEUR!!! ACK!!? YOUVE BEEN TALKING NON-STOP EVER SINCE A MOMENT AGO BECAUSE I HAVENT BEEN SAYING ANYTHING!! IF YOU DIDNT SET THAT STRANGE CIRCLE AND SET UP SOME WEIRD SPELL, I WOULDNT OWE THAT WEIRD GRATITUDE AND GET TEASED BY TSUCHIMIKADO ALL THE TIME!! Kan, Kanzaki? Miss Kanzaki? About that, um, your tones been strange ever since the start I DONT WANT TO BE LECTURED BY YOU WHATSOEVER, YOU BIMBO!! AH!? I, I just heard some words that I cant ignorethen, Ill lecture you. OI, KANZAKI!! WHATS WITH USING THAT TONE WHEN YOURE TALKING TO THE LEADER OF THE ENGLISH ANGLICANS!? SHUT UP, YOU BIG AMATEUR I DECIDED, AFTER SEEING THAT BASTARD TSUCHIMIKADO LAUGHING PERVERSELY AT ME WHILE WE WERE AT THE SEASIDE HOUSE, I REALISED THAT THIS WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU, IDIOT WOMAN! IF NOT FOR THIS IDIOT WOMAN, I WOULDNT NEED TO SHOW ANY GRATITUDE, AND I WOULDNT NEED TO SHOW ANY MORE RESPECT TO THIS STUPID WOMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNN!!!!!!! AH, YAAAAAAAAHHHH!? St, SSTIYYLL!!! DONG KRRA CLANG PIANG, the casual sounds of things breaking and a seemingly happy wail could be heard from inside the Lambeth Palace.
Theres no need to mention that both of them completely fail in the traditional practices. Even after considering their identities and statuses, this was a conversation that should never, ever happen. In this secret Holy city called the Lambeth Palace, which should be a secret among secrets, its weird to hear magicians talk about this kind of thing. At first, the housewife that was walking down the street and carrying some children around looked surprised, then smiled and left. She didnt even care about where it came from. However, she only revealed a smile. The difference in age, and yet the similarity in power came from the dignity and glory of the belief. After tossing away these mindsets, all that awaits is an equal world. Being protected by the escorts and sitting on the back seat of the black sedan, the Pope could only stare at this scene in disbelief. He can never associate this woman in front of him as the woman who casually decides everything in a meeting. At the same time, one cant say that her actions defy the teachings of Christianity. Yes, the Father that protects all believers has said before to love your neighbours. Humans are their own brothers and sisters, and in front of God, everyone is equal. Isnt this what hes seeing now? Age and status, these things are harder to handle the more they accumulate. Its not just an equal treatment of everyone whos above her, nor raging at people who are of a lower status than her. If its Laura Stuart, no matter who the other party is, she would quarrel, reveal her ugly side, go crazy, and sometimes even cry. But in the end, she will definitely be laughing. This little afternoon quarrel made the Pope extremely envious. Thats the Archbishop of the English Anglicans. No matter whether its 10 years ago or 20 years ago ever since the Pope first landed on English soil, that womans age was already a mystery, and it sure gives the feeling that she will always be smiling like that. Surrounded by everyone, being together with everyone. The Pope, who is filled with these emotions, is walking down the streets of the Capital of Italy, Rome. After leaving the Vatican to do a short sermon at the Basilica di Sant'Agostino[1], hes now on the way back to his residence. It is about 1.5km away from the Vatican. If the Popes doing something in Rome, he would not choose to ride in a vehicle, but rather choose to walk back.
This of course isnt just because of health issues, but also because he likes the atmosphere in Rome. Most of all, he wants to have some point of interaction with the residents. Right now in his surroundings, there are tourists who are shocked, such that they forget to press the shutter. At the window of a building, theres a middle-aged woman whos earnestly praying to him. However, Its hard to say that this is a situation that would make anyone happy. The secretary standing beside him says in a volume that only the Pope can hear. Though on first glace he looks like a secretary, in reality, hes a security guard that belongs to a group of fighters. By changing his occupation, he has the privilege to be with the Pope even when they go to those places that no people with martial prowess can enter. The secretary continues on, As expected, walking is too risky. Though there are many guards around, one can't call this foolproof. You should have moved off in an armoured vehicle thats enhanced with defensive magic. I understand. All the people in Christianity are equal if you want to promote this, arent there other ways to achieve that aim? Like say doing a suitable amount of charity or going to visit some children care facilities or some health facilities. Will those not also increase the peoples view of you I said that I understand. The Popes mood is ruined, and he repeats himself with a harsher tone. The secretary shuts his mouth. The Pope sighs heavily. No matter how he tries to aim for equality, he feels that this situation cant be considered a success. Seeing the surrounding pedestrians and tourists looking at him with shock and awe is a whole different feeling from how Laura Stuart managed to integrate herself into that circle. At this moment, a dirty ball rolls out of a narrow alley. Its about 30cm in diameter and was made intended for children, made-up of a rubber material that looks like transparent plastic. This uneven surface material looks like it's made of a cheap good.
Without thinking, the Pope prepares to bend down and pick the ball up, but the secretary uses his hand to block him. The moment the Pope stops, a child appears, chasing after the ball. Shes probably a wandering child on the streets nearby, which is certainly rare. This approximately 10year-old child is wearing clothes that are dirtier than the ball. This time, the Pope pushes the secretarys hand aside and prepares to pick the ball up. But before he can do that, a sharp voice interrupts. Please stop. Looking further, the voice belongs to the girl. If you allow such luxurious clothes get dirtied, I dont know how you would be treated later. This icy tone echoes in the Popes ears, making him stop as if he was struck by lightning. During this time, the girl picks up the ball, carefully gets some distance away as if shes wary of a mob, and retreats back into the alley. The Pope cant do anything except stand at the spot, stunned. Love ones neighbours: no matter whether theyre brothers or sisters, all humans are equal before God. With these words appearing in his mind, the Pope really grits his teeth hard. This is really a problem He lets out these words without further hesitation, and the secretary beside him nods his head. Thats right; to the Pope, who controls 2 billion followers with a single hand, these words that lack etiquette are utterly presumptuous. Besides, this is Italy, the so-called base of the Roman Catholics since one wants to say that shes a believer, I hope that she would have the minimum etiquette and manners. The Pope can only sigh heavily with regards to the secretarys irrelevant words. In the end, when does he want this to happen? With regards to this distance, one can only feel cold in the heart.
References
1. Basilica di Sant'Agostino
Chapter 1: From Peace to Ruin on the Proceeding Path. Battle of Collapse.

Part 1
The fourth period this morning has been delayed due to a certain situation. It is already the last day of the school festival; the ordinary high school student, Kamijou Touma, and a few of his classmates ran out to the canteen and cafeteria. As they missed out on the time to buy anything, all the bread in the cafeteria are sold out, there are no empty seats in the canteen, and it looks like there won't be any empty seats until lunch break is over. Furthermore, even the meal ticket vending machines are similar to the cigarette vending machines at midnight: all the machines are lit up, indicating that they are all sold out. Quite unfortunate. And the only reason why all of this occurred is because Kamijou Touma simply said to the History teacher: Is that so? Then if Oda Nobunaga created the Oda Shogunate, what would Japan be like now?, causing everything to go off track. Having a strong sense of responsibility, Kamijou himself goes to the teachers office to complain to Komoe-sensei, whose mouth is stuffed with a 580-yen healthy soba set. Kamijou pleads, Then at least open the culinary classroom! I'll make a Kamijou set meal!! Just some leftovers, like some cold powder-like cheese or some ketchup will do!! However, the teacher can only force a smile as she gives him an unclear answer. On the other hand, the math teacher, Oyafune Suama, is eating a deluxe seafood donburi with sea urchin and roe on it, and the PE teacher, Yomikawa Aiho, is eating a large meat bun as the amount of calories that she burns is unrelated to the amount of rice that she intakes. All of these cause the office to be filled with such an aroma that it can infuriate anyone, and Kamijou can only leave the office before he lost his sanity. W, were only left with the fruit juice vending machines But thats not going to last us through the afternoon lessons. With Kamijou Touma leading the pack, the ones in a food crisis are the people in this group of students who are in this canteen & cafeteria search party. It includes Aogami Pierce; Tsuchimikado Motoharu; Himegami Aisa, who just so happened to have forgotten to make her own bento; and Fukiyose Seiri, who just so happened to find out that her online sources ran out of health food products; the number of boys and girls totalled to 21. And beside them, the bento group is relishing their meals as they stuff some seeminglydelicious-looking mini-hamburger steaks or dumplings into their mouths. This forces the group of empty-stomached students to make a decision. GET OUT!! WE'LL ESCAPE FROM SCHOOL AND HEAD FOR A CONVENIENCE STORE!! Though it's unknown who the shouter is.
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But as they recover, all the boys and girls in the canteen & cafeteria groups gather around in a circle to discuss their battle plan. At this moment, obviously, the one who can exert the most power is Fukiyose Seiri. If everyone runs out, well definitely be discovered by the teachers. Heres a plan thats more likely to succeed: well form an actual action group of 3 to 4 people and give everyones pocket money to them and ask them to buy it!! Then what about the rest? Upon seeing Himegami with a doubtful look, Kamijou raises his hand and replies, Gathering intel or whatsoever; theyre going to support stealthily. Anyway, we cant let the teachers know about this, so your help is required. Keep us in contact through the phone itll be pointless if the intels not the most updated. Alright, then well decide on the escape route now nya. Tsuchimikado pulls out a scrap piece of printing paper and immediately draws a detailed map of the school behind it. These are where the alarms targeting suspicious personnel are set up. These infrared detectors will only work at night, so we can ignore them Then, considering where the teachers office is located, were likely to be spotted once we pass the main entrance, since one can see the entire front side of the school from the office window. So we have to go through the back door. However, the uncles selling at these little stores in the canteen will also go through there, so if they meet them there, there're going to be lots of trouble nya. I see then the main point is the timing of us getting through the backdoor. Right, then lets designate the tasks!! Under Fukiyoses orders, the 21 rebels form several groups. Kamijou Touma, Aogami Pierce, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and Fukiyose Seiri are in charge of actual movement. Seems like their motor skills are highly rated because of all the random disturbances they cause. But is it really alright to leave this to that unfortunate Kamijou? No problem, that guy has the arduous duty of being bait. Kamijou uses his fist to cause his chattering classmates to become silent. After that, the group members gather in a circle and pull out their phones, setting the phones to simultaneous multi-receiving and contact mode, and also synchronizing their digital clocks to the second as well.
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ALL PERSONNEL, COMMENCE OPERATIONMission Start!! *Pa pa!* Fukiyose claps twice, and the members of this canteen & cafeteria group scatter all over the place like children of a spider. No matter how desperate Kamijou, Aogami Pierce, Tsuchimikado, and Fukiyose are, they have to beware of the low-level error of being scolded for running in the corridor, and they can only move forward by making it look like theyre just taking fast steps. This battle is a battle of time, After smiling while passing by several teachers, Fukiyose, whos quickly moving beside Kamijou, says. If were talking about a convenience store, noon would be the busiest time. If we get outside and find that that theres nothing on the shelves, itll be as pointless as catching water with a bamboo basket!! The four of them decide not to go to the shoe shelves, as if after theres a switch in indoor and outdoor shoes, the escape from school incident would be exposed. They dont have any outside shoes, but they havent gone and played on the field That sort of mistake would be extremely fatal. Thus, they only need to let their scattered comrades lend them their sports shoes, and using their indoor slippers to switch with the shoes. After that, they just need to pass through the outside path linking the school and the sports hall before changing into their sports shoes and charging outside. And then, they just need to come back from the backdoor again before someone found out. The quartet sees the metal fence. Theres no one around. Even the uncle at the canteen, who theyre worried about, is not around. Alright! Well get out like this!! Kamijou prepares to go over the fence and outside. At this moment. *Beepbeep* They hear the loud honking of a car horn. Looking around, its the disaster-senseiGorilla who's just now coming back from an outside restaurant.
The teacher in charge of student counseling is riding in an ordinary 4-door family ride, but its supposed to be made for humans. Letting that gorilla ride in it will only cause the car to look as crowded as a public phone-booth. Cheh!! I should have considered that the teachers cars can go in through the backdoor!! Fukiyoses rather regretful about the failure of her plan, but Kamijous thinking about a completely different thing. He just wants to shout out what hes thinking. THATS DESPICABLE!! HE CHOSE TO GO OUT FOR LUNCH AT THIS TIME!? THAT MUSCLEBOUND BEAST COUNSELING GORILLA OF A TEACHER JUST WENT OFF TO HAVE ONE HECK OF A MEAL WHILE LEAVING US FIGHTING FOR FOOD INSIDE THE CANTEEN!! F, foolish Kami-yan. Dont pick a fight with that kind of person! Whatll happen to everyones lunch if were caught here!!? Aogami Pierces shout causes Kamijou to calm down slightly. In order to escape from the clutches of the gorilla classroom-teaching-disaster-sensei, who has gotten out of his car and is quickly approaching, Kamijou immediately goes over the metal fence and gets outside. Fukiyose feels that something isnt right as she escapes through another path, and when Tsuchimikados about to be caught, he kicks Aogami Pierce down just as the latter was also climbing the fence, using Aogami Pierce as a sacrifice for his escape. In order to not let the efforts of their respected sacrifice go to waste, Kamijou and Tsuchimikado spend all their effort dashing on the road. Tsuchimikado takes a look behind as he continues to run, but gasps. THAT BASTARDLY GORILLA-SENSEI ACTUALLY ABANDONED AOGAMI PIERCE AND CAME RUNNING ALL THE WAY HERE NYAA!? ARE YOU KIDDING!? OI, TSUCHIMIKADO, SPLIT UP! WE CANT LET ALL OUR FORCES BE ANNIHILATED HERE!! Kamijou and Tsuchimikado nod their heads in agreement. In order to increase their chances of survival, both of them head off left and right at the cross-junction in completely different directions.
Part 2
A girl affiliated with the Amakusa-style Remix of Church, Itsuwa, is standing near Kamijous high school. Shes wearing a pink woolen shirt that looks as soft and fluffy as a sheep and a dark-coloured pair of pants Although this is the case, the pants look like it had been cut all over the place, and passing through the gaps, one might think that there is some transparent plastic underneath no clothand that bold revealing of the skin is part of the latest fashion trends in Academy City. In order to fit into this special city with students forming 80% of the population, she specially chose it before wearing it. If its a commercial business district, shell choose a Western attire. If its a busy street, shell choose a mini-skirt. This isnt just Itsuwas preference, but rather that of the Amakusa as a whole. Now why would Itsuwa be here in Academy City? Two days ago, the English Anglicans and the higher-ups of Academy City each received a letter containing similar contents. The one who sent these letters is one of the innermost council members of the Roman Catholics Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back. The letter indicates that he will personally arrive and crush Kamijou Touma to dust, and if they have any intention to stop him, they must be prepared to use all their power in short, its a letter of challenge. Of course, this may be a fake. But theres a little difference in sending the letter over to the English Anglicans and Academy City, as it seems that in order to increase the reliability, the English Anglicans received another thing. That thing was the corpse of Terra of the Left. "That thing" was carefully wrapped with the highest quality velvet, and placed inside a paulownia box with a wood fragrance before it was sent over. The patterns on the box look just like a box used for storing precious stones and jewels. Its unknown whether this is a mockery to the enemy, or respect. He had been thoroughly cut in half at the waist. His upper body did belong to a member of "Gods Right Seat". Itsuwa, who fought against Terra directly, was also summoned over to identify the body However, theres doubt there. There were two reasons.
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One, Terra was supposed to have been burned down to ashes by the weapons made by Academy City. However, from the corpse, one could tell that the cause of death was because of the cut through the waist. Two, if even those Academy City-made weapons couldnt finish Terra off, then what on earth is the strength of this "Acqua of the Backs" if he can execute Terra so easily? An instant kill. In this current situation, these are the only words that can describe this wound. Itsuwa is very clear on Terra of the Lefts strength after fighting against him. They used a lot of effort, and even the large number of troops sent in from Academy City barely managed to overrun this Terra of the Left of "Gods Right Seat", and his fatewas a cruel one, his body being forced apart. Also, theres another point of doubt. Up till now, from the way "Gods Right Seat" acted, they have never used any decent looking tactics, so why would they use such an ancient method of sending a challenge letter? And the material used for this challenge letter, Terra of the Left, why did he get killed by Acqua of the Back himself? As Acquas method was too unconventional, it caused a lot of guessing on the receiving side. Though the English Anglicans and Academy City feel that its a trap, they cant understand Acquas intentions. Anyway, if his target is Kamijou Touma, then they just have to crush him before he could do so this is what the receivers concluded. Thus, the English Anglicans sent the Amakusa-style Remix of Church over. Normally, all magical organisations are forbidden from taking action in Academy City. This is because theres a fine line between the Science side and Magic side that cant be crossed. However, they broke the agreement this time due to an exception. Itsuwa may not know the reason, but its likely that the Archbishop of the English Anglicans had made some sort of deal with the higher-ups of Academy City. To the English Anglicans, the Amakusa is just a small sub-branch of itself, and if the situation turns bad, it could just cut them off like a lizard dropping its tail and abandon them. However, its more likely that since the Amakusa have always been based in Japan that they have a geographical advantage. No matter what, right now, Itsuwa, who probably shouldnt be standing in Academy City, is.
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Maybe the worlds starting to break into the "Academy City - English Anglicans" alliance vs the "Roman Catholics - Russian Orthodox" alliance No matter what, this Acqua, whose powers greater than a large bomb, is not an enemy that they can beat by just following the rules. On the other hand, "the world will be in chaos if the line between the Science side and the Magic side is crossed" would be more insufficient than "Acqua attacking alone", and both Academy City and the English Anglicans agree on this. In other words, Acqua of the Back is an enemy with such a threat level. Because of this, as Kamijous bodyguard, Itsuwa also decides to fight. Itsuwa, who feels that she wants to meet Kamijou as soon as possible, is, at the same time still unable to sneak into schools while lessons are ongoing thanks to her constraints of common sense and conscience. Right now, shes waiting at a position where she can see Kamijous classroom clearly, intending to take action after Kamijous dismissed from class. (It wont do if I dont do my best.) Itsuwa clenches her little fist as she motivates herself. Actually, because of the C document incident from the previous time, Itsuwa wasnt strong enough and didnt manage to protect Kamijou till the end. In order to make up for this mistake, Itsuwa silently swears to herself to be a professional magician and to protect the good ordinary citizen Kamijou Touma and not let even a hair of his be scathed. The shoulder bag shes carrying has the separated parts of a Friulian spear, and shes checking the weight inside now. (That guy managed to fight back the two "Gods Right Seat" members, Vento of the Front and Terra of the Left, but Im certain that I can do something, so I've got to do my best.) Just as shes thinking this, in front of Itsuwa, someone familiar is running over. The same person as for mentioned, Kamijou Touma. Eh? Why? Itsuwas puzzled, and after confirming the time, she realises that no matter what the situation is now, its not dismissal time yet. But Kamijous expression is really abnormal while hes running on the streets, its like hes running away from pursuers. Maybe something happened. Feeling a little tense, the person who appears before Itsuwas eyes is
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For some reason, a long and weird gorilla-looking person is chasing after Kamijou, running past Itsuwas eyes. What should she say; that weird man has the look of a thug in those European and American games. Itsuwa remembers about Kamijou and then that thugs face appears in her mind, and then she reconfirms Kamijous expression. That kind of guyGorilla is definitely not an ordinary person. A guy thats able to cause this battle-hardened guy called Kamijou Touma to reveal such a frightened expression. His head will be torn off: Kamijous expression is basically complaining about this. Finally, she makes a conclusion. According to the report on the 30th of September, Acqua of the Back should be a male. (Didnt expect him to appear so soon!!) Itsuwa immediately assembles her weapon and quickly chases after the enemy.
Part 3
Due to health reasons, the disaster teacher in charge of life counseling had to retreat. Ha. After school, Kamijou, who finally managed to finish this great battle of lunch, sighs heavily as he walks out of the school gate after changing his shoes at the shoe shelves. Right now, Itsuwa, whos still blue with shock, is standing there. For some reason, she appeared at the noon break, and like a spirit, intercepted the life-counseling teacher (with a spear, no less). Seems like all of that was a misjudgment on her part. EH? Hes not Acqua of the Back? EHHH!? A SCHOOL TEACHER!?, and after which, Itsuwa collapsed into confusion. There were many questions Kamijou really wanted to ask Itsuwa, including Why are you here in Academy City?, but Itsuwa was rolling her eyes around in confusion as she tried to settle the gorilla-teacher problem, carrying his huge body and quickly heading to the hospital.
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And it all ended up like this. I, I really even if Im useless, theres got to be some limit Itsuwa, who came back from the hospital, is now sunk in a deep and bottomless-looking hole. To Kamijou, if he had been caught by that gorilla teacher, he would have been thrown onto the asphalt floor by ancient martial arts, and afterward, have gotten smothered with a sweaty pining move combo; this is undeniable. Thus, its hard to tell whether Itsuwa served her purpose or not. However, it seems that Itsuwa isnt down because of that. (Seems like its also not because she injured an ordinary person because, that gorilla had a legend going about that he managed to catch a falling boulder with both hands while in a rockfall zone. Thats not an ordinary person.) Anyway, no matter what, Kamijou decides to start by asking why Itsuwa, as a resident of the Magic side, is appearing in the main base of the Science sideAcademy City. Acqua of the Back. Do you still remember that name? Itsuwa trembles as she asks. Kamijous eyebrows move suspiciously. Yeah. I remember, hes one of the members of Gods Right Seatright? I met him once on the 30th of September. Yes, after Vento of the Front had been defeated in Academy City, it was Acqua who forced his way in. Besides being a member of Gods Right Seat, he has the capability of a Saint. Its impossible to imagine his battle prowess, and hes essentially different from all the enemies Kamijou has faced so far. Though Kamijou doesnt really want to go somewhere, he continues to walk towards a busy street, chatting with Itsuwa. Then, what about Acqua? Dont tell me he intends to do something strange in another country? N-not that, thats not it Itsuwa looks like she has trouble articulating. After she seemingly processed everything in her brain, she finally says, Acqua of the Backs target seems to be you. Ha?
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About that, both the English Anglicans and Academy City have gotten a challenge letter from Acqua. It was written that in these next few days, hell um come back to attack Kamijou Touma. So he told both sides to be wary, something like that. Itsuwa looks troubled, as she paused halfway through talking. Shes like those parents who purposely conceal the extremely sensitive issues from their children. His own life is being threatened by Acqua of Gods Right Seat Just how serious is this? This ordinary high school student called Kamijou Touma is unable to immediately understand. Gods Right Seat, huh? Kamijou ponders for a while. Vento of the Front once said that in order to kill me, the Pope had to prepare the relevant documents to let them attack Academy City. But they probably wouldnt mobilize such a powerful guy to attack me, an ordinary high school student. AH!? NONONO! This is because you helped so many people and managed to stop the Roman Catholics from carrying out their underground deeds! How could they still consider you to be an ordinary high school student after you have done so many things!? For some reason, Itsuwa has begun to shout. Though it isnt clear, Kamijou suitably concludes that most likely, she was sent here by the Amakusa to guard him. Although he was praised by her, the boy standing here really is just an ordinary high school student, and there really isnt anything about him thats praiseworthy. But Vento of the Front came here before its Acqua of the Back now? Right now, the English Librarys checking on his history. Including the other members of Gods Right Seat, there hasnt been any important information dug up on him so far. Well, they are secret members of a secret organization. Though there havent been any specific information, he obviously has the strength worthy of a member of Gods Right Seat and what seems to be the power of a Saint, so itd be great if we can get the Supreme Pontiff-samasPriestess assistance. This Supreme Pontiff-samaPriestess shes talking about should be Kanzaki Kaori. Shes one of the 20 Saints in the world, and managed to survive a fight against a real Archangel. This is truly one achievement she can brag about.
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Its true that with Kanzakis help, it can help the situation a lot more, but as a lot of things have happened in the past, theres a rift between Kanzaki and the Amakusa. Also, Stiyl once said that because Saints have such ridiculous powers, theyre not allowed to go about freely. But this doesnt mean were completely at our wits end, Itsuwa sounds like she wants to discard any unrest as she says. Gods Right Seat is an extremely powerful group of the Magic side. Truthfully, even if we fight against them all, we cant guarantee that we could even manage a draw against them. But, Vento of the Front and Terra of the Left we managed to fight them back. Why is that? Mm. We didnt analyze the details thoroughly, so we cant say that our current intel is correct, but both sides have a common point of having been interfered greatly by the Science side. Terra of the Left was forced to change his plans because of those driven armours and supersonic bombers, and as for Vento of the Front, it was that thing which looks like an Angel, right? Now that she mentions it, this is true. It was because of Academy Citys irregular counterattacks that managed to shake up the strongest magic group, Gods Right Seat. They didnt manage to perform on the perfect stage where they could utilize all of their strength, but instead performed on the stage of the Science side, which theyre not used to. Maybe this is the real reason why they managed to win. Then, to fight in Academy City where science is everywhere, there should be a huge significance. I, I feel that things arent that simple ? Seeing Itsuwa continue to mince her words, Kamijou feels puzzled. Itsuwa immediately waves her hands to get over it. An-anyway! Acqua of the Back will be attacking, so Ill protect you well. The English Anglicans gave us orders to protect you safely, publicly and privately, so please do not worry too much!! Though Itsuwa says this with energy, Kamijou does feel that these words are important. Wanting to verify whether he heard this wrongly, Kamijou confirms it again, Itsuwa, why are you here?
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Do I need to say it? Im here to be your bodyguard. Itsuwa clenches her small fist. Seeing her like this, Kamijou feels that every part of his body getting stiff. So he asks again. Itsuwa, why are you here? I said it before, Im here to be a bodyguard, to stick to you and protect you.
Part 4
The substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa-style Church, Tatemiya Saiji is hiding behind a building, his eyes leaving the pair of binoculars. Theyre now beside a little cinema. Nearby, theres a little lateral path, and at the entrance, theres a lottery shop that is conveniently and deliberately placed there to block the line of sight. This is supposedly a crowded place, yet unexpectedly, hardly anyone notices this place a really intriguing place. Showing a dirty look as he holds the binoculars with one hand, the narrow-eyed Tatemiya silently says, How boring. Regarding this comment, the big guy beside him, Ushibuka, is pretending to read a magazine while nodding his head in agreement. That Itsuwashes been talking about work all this time, not even going on the offense. Yeah, we finally gave her the perfect chance to get real close to Kamijou Touma, yet she hasnt done any self-revealing yet. Looks like shes forgotten about the greatest weapons on her body. Whats Itsuwas greatest weapon? The lanky teenager, Kouyagi, asks as he continues to pop popcorn into his mouth. Tatemiya rummages through a tossed-aside bag and pulls out something like a whiteboard used for a riddle contest. The black marker then starts to run on the whiteboard. After that, he writes the correct answer on the whiteboard and shows it to everyone. Yes, thats Itsuwas huge, hidden breasts!! Tatemiya widens his eyes as he says this.
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Besides Ushibuka and Kouyagi, a group of men, including the middle-aged man Isahaya and the already married Nomozaki, immediately gather at towards where Tatemiya is. On what basis do you make this hypothesis, Pope!? To actually say such a thing I wont agree to this kind of horse race-like prediction, you bastard!! The males all pent out steam from their nostrils, and Tatemiya again moves the black marker on the whiteboard. According to the great Itsuwa Massage battle, her sore shoulders index is 40. But considering Itsuwas muscle strength and activity level, and also her clothes, equipments, and everything else she has, even after totalling all these, itd be weird if her maximum sore shoulder index even reached 37. If so, this means A group of men swallow their saliva. Tatemiya seriously nods his head. He gathers all of his energy in his abdomen before declaring in a high-pitched voice: Yes, this sore shoulder index has only a difference of 3. This is the best evidence to show that Itsuwa has huge hidden breasts!! Because of this stunning truth thats written plainly on the whiteboard, Ushibuka and Kouyagi immediately faint. Isahaya, whos over 50 years old, seems like hes happy about seeing his own granddaughter grow up. On the other side, Nomozaki is, on one hand, muttering to himself that breasts should be a bit smaller, and on the other hand, he seems both regretful and disappointed. Standing slightly farther away, the blond female, Tsushima, looks like shes seeing a bunch of idiots, and sighs heavily. Stop talking about such useless things; keep your eyes on the one being guarded. Tatemiya and the other males get a dampener over them. With probing eyes, they stare at Tsushimas body, whose height is disproportionate to her bust size. Tsushima-sempais ambiguous, so she shouldnt say much. WHAT!? No matter what, at least tall people should have huge breasts, or short people with small breasts. Tsushima doesnt have a fixed character trait, thats why.
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Beside Tsushima, who is unable to say anything, Tatemiya pulls out a new whiteboard and uses the black marker on it. Sheesh, dont you guys know thisthe legend of Tsushimas beautiful legs!! Not knowing what the substitute Supreme Pontiff could say next, Tsushima kicks Tatemiya right between the legs to force him to shut up. The males seem uninterested in Tsushima, as they all choose to ignore this side and focus on Itsuwa. But is this really alright? That Itsuwa looks like shes going to continue with the wet napkins tactic. Its true that Itsuwas too passive. She wont be able to climb over the fence at this rate Isahaya, whos more than half a century old, says while gritting his teeth. At this moment, Tatemiya, with tears in his eyes, again snatches the right to lead the conversation. Yes, to allow Itsuwa to display her extra large oranges to the maximum, we cant let this continue. Eh? Extra large oranges!? I thought theyre at most as big as apples!! Beside Ushibuka, whos making a ruckus, Kouyagi asks, But Substitute Supreme Pontiff, its useless to discuss this further, right? Itsuwas really maturing too late. Humph, thats why I prepared a countermeasure. Tatemiya unveils an evil smile as he pulls out something from a pretty bag. A soccer ball? The wilderness sharpshooter Tatemiya Saiji will again propose a free kick match.
Part 5
Because of recent events during the past few days, Misaka Mikotos in a daze. Ever since she became aware of a certain thing regarding Kamijou Touma, she has always been like this. No matter how much she considers it, the problem wont settle. No matter how much
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time is lost, the problem wont settle. Its like asking someone to answer a question he cant answer: no matter how much the person thinks, hell continue to be stuck at the same spot. (As expected, that wasnt a bluff.) That certain thing. In other words, its a loss of memory. Its supposed to just be a sentence consisting of only a few words, yet it shakes Mikotos heart up. (But, since when?) She didnt feel that anything was amiss during the date on the 30th of September, and there wasnt any change during the Daihaseisai tournament. Did something happen on the 31st of August? Or was it that time when he interacted with the SISTERs and Accelerator? She cant make a correct judgement. If so, even though that boy looks like hes near to her to some people, therere a lot of things about him that she doesnt know about. (I know that this isnt something that can be solved by worrying about it.) Since when did he become like this? How much of his memory was lost? Does this affect his life? Did he let a doctor check up on this before? Is there really no way to treat this? And, How much of his memories with her were lost? (I could check it out with someone thats an expert in mental control, but) In Tokiwadai Middle School, besides Mikoto, theres another person whos also a level 5. In terms of mental control, shes at the top of Academy Cityin other words, shes the strongest ever in regards of her mental controlMental Out. Reading other peoples memories, changing other peoples personalities, carrying out conversations with people far away, destroying memories and willpower, revealing feelings and transplanting them No matter what kind of mental phenomenon it is, she can control them all. Like a Swiss knife, shes a multi-functional esperLevel 5. But Im not used to dealing with her
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She subconsciously says out loud. This means that Mikoto doesnt really want to deal with that esper. Unlike Mikoto, whom is unaffiliated to any sect, shes the queen of ojous, the leader of the largest sect in Tokiwadai Middle School. From this, its obvious that both of them are incompatible. If Mikotos to seek her to talk, itll end up with Mikoto being in her debt In the worst case scenario, she could do some unnecessary things to that idiot during the therapy. Accurately saying, the trust placed with her isnt so great that Mikotos willing to place her friend into that persons hands. So she shouldnt consider this. Anyway, Mikoto decides to chase away this existence of another esperLevel 5. (Even though I understand that idiots personal problems, yet asking me not to mind about it, its obvious that I cant do it. Im not the kind of person who wont care about other people.) Why didnt he go look for her? Should he continue to pretend that he doesnt know anything? Including these questions into the mix, Mikoto has no other choice but to grit her teeth. Furthermore, Kamijou Touma himself does not know that Mikoto is aware about this issue, and it looks like he doesnt wish for her to be. If she forcefully confronts him through that, theres a high likelihood that a lot of damage could be done to him. Now, what should she do? Is there anything she can do? (AH!! DAMN IT. WHY AM I BEING SO BOTHERED ABOUT THAT IDIOTS PROBLEMS!? IM GETTING ALL WORRIED AND GETTING MY BRAIN ALL AFFECTED, AND THIS MAKES ME EVEN MORE WORRIED! Maybe I should recollect my thoughts.) She wants to say that, but if she was really able to change feelings so easily, she wouldnt be so bothered. Thinking about all of these, Mikoto sighs heavily. At this moment, ? She just so happens to see a group of suspicious people beside a little cinema. A large man places a soccer ball on the ground. He has black hair thats as shiny as a beetle, and after nodding to the surrounding people, he does a little start up run before kicking the ball forcefully. The forcefully-kicked ball soars, spinning end over end, making a sharp arc. If it were a proper match, its most likely that this free kick would have passed over the defences wall and headed into the goal.
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What are they doing on the road? Mikotos eyes naturally move towards the destination of the soccer ball. At that moment, she freezes. *PAM!!* With a crisp sound, the side of Kamijou Toumas head collides heavily with the soccer ball. Possibly because of the impact from the soccer ball, Kamijous head sinks deeply into the valley of the chest of the girl whos walking beside him. Looks like the impact just now was rather great, but Kamijou is just buried into the girls chest for a while. The girl looks like she doesnt know what to do and blushes before rubbing on that part of the head that has been hit. This entire sequence of events just gives the wrong impression that Kamijous head is being forced in. Because of the sudden series of events, Mikoto is unable to say anything. At this moment, shouts of bravo! can be heard. Looking at where the voices are coming from, it seems like the guy who made that free kick and those young guys are happily giving high-fives to each other. *Pacha pacha* One can hear the sounds of sparks falling. After realising that this is due to the high voltage emitting from her body, Mikoto explodes. Theres someone here with all sorts of trouble STOP GIVING ME ALL SORTS OF TROUBLES, YOU BASTARDS!!! The long spears of thunderbolts continue to shoot out from Mikotos bangs. After noticing this, beetle-head and company immediately disperse, and in the next moment, vanish without a trace. Like a chameleon mixing into the crowd, they cannot be found by her. Mikoto is intrigued by that. Yet even after losing her target, her anger isnt kept in check. Besides, that mastermind, the hedgehog-head boy still has his head buried inside the girls chest, and even gives an Uuuu sound as if hes saying something. Its like a dazed and sleepy child grabbing a certain expanded part of a girl. That idiot HOW LONG MUST HE CONTINUE TO BE MESMERISED BY THE FEMALE ANATOMY!?!?!? Mikoto shouts and immediately dashes towards Kamijou, who, logically, should be the one punished.
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Part 6
Such a pitiful day. Kamijou Touma exhales heavily. After suddenly being hit in the head by a soccer ball, he was chased around by Mikotos lightning attacks. In order to fulfil her job, Itsuwa started to assemble her spear, and in order to stop her, Kamijou hugged her. But for some reason, Mikoto got angry again, so in attempt to avoid her electric attacks, he ran around Academy City. As for the running distance, with the level of activity, nobody would worry about him having too much fat and get sick. And right now, theres a new problem in front of him. Yes, this is the most problematic situation, Ah, Touma. Why is someone from the Amakusa here? The most dangerous checkpoint of today. The door to the dormitory is opened, and this sentence from Index is enough to make Kamijou sweat heavily. Index looks like shes ready to bite as she continues to grind her teeth. Kamijou is already terrified upon seeing just the fangs alone. On a side note, the calico cat with Index continues to circle around Itsuwa, and it seems to be smelling her as if asking the question Who is she? Who? Kamijou wipes away the sweat on his body as he says, No, its not that. This, that, err, how am I supposed to explain this? He stares at Itsuwas face while shes still blankly standing there. In other words, the Gods Right Seat KYAAH!! Kamijou suddenly lets out a ridiculous scream, scaring Itsuwa such that she cant make a sound. From behind, Kamijou holds Itsuwas neck with his wrist and quickly pulls her away from Index, silently going through a battle plan. (Miss Itsuwa!! Regarding that, can you please keep it a secret from Index!?) Wa, wa
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(Acquas target is only me; its alright as long as he doesnt target Index! So itll be bad if you say some unnecessary words and get Index involved in some dangerous situation, dont you think?) WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA!? (Itsuwa, do you hear me?) I, I hear it!! I, I, I, I hear it clearly!! For some reason, Itsuwas face is all red as she nods her head up and down. Is it making her feel discomfort? Kamijou lets off of the wrist on her neck. But after that, Itsuwas disappointed expression makes him all the more puzzled. At this moment, From who knows when, Index started to conceal all emotion, even temper, just muttering a never mind before turning around to watch the television again. This act makes people feel a lot less secure. This is to be expected, since its no longer on the level of this idiot, idiot! Touma, you idiot! It was the same as in the past when he saved his classmate, Himegami; he constantly feels that theres an unknown aura surfacing. Why is it like this? Why is Index angry? After Kamijou trembles for a while, he makes a decision and gets both knees on the ground, poking his head out and seating behind Index. That, I dont know whats going on, but can you please bite me before you explode? If you can use up a bit of that anger power, it at least feels that Kamijou-san can settle this before his skull gets bitten to bits. Not knowing what to do, Itsuwa continues to stare at the two that arent doing anything, and because of her sense of duty, she hasnt resigned from her job yet. After purposely looking away for a while, she looks at the calico cat that has confirmed the smell and is together with her. Oh, oh yes! Little kitten, do you want this present? Seemingly trying to break the deadlock, Itsuwa starts to look for something in her huge bag (Oh? She couldnt possibly know that Kamijous house has a cat for a pet, right?). She pulls out a high-class golden can that has the words Cats food association: a 3-star platinum rank. On seeing the can, the calico kitty immediately trembles before remaining at the same position. Its eyes widen, its back straightens, and even when Itsuwa opens the can and reaches over, the kitten gives the feeling of About that, Im just an ordinary cat can I really eat this level of food nya!?
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Sitting there upright, Kamijou notices that theres something in Itsuwas bag. Why does Itsuwas bag have meat and vegetables? Is this some secret spell required of the Amakusa? No, no, theres no need to fast, Itsuwa replies as she waves her hands in front of her. I passed by a supermarket before I came here. About that, if its just some simple dishes, I can still do them. No matter what, as a bodyguard, I cant just eat and drink here for free. Please entrust the housework and like to me; just order anything of me, if I can do it. At this moment, Kamijou doesnt understand what she said. After a few blank seconds, his mind finally processes what Itsuwa said. This time, he wordlessly turns towards Index. Wha, what, Touma? Why did the atmosphere in the house change? Just ask yourself that. Handing everything over to Kamijou-san, who exactly is the one who hasnt helped out one bit? Uu, mm, Im sorry, but? Ah! Are you intending to change the atmosphere forcefully with this!? Although Index sees through Kamijous intentions, once the flow of events has changed, its hard to revert it back. Kamijou naturally turns around and heads into the kitchen space. Then, its better for me to tell you where the wok is. Ah yes, thank you. Both of them exchange this conversation, and the white nun has been completely ignored, having thrown all sorts of questions like why did it become like this, and always like this, just what is he trying to do? into the dustbin. (But why would Itsuwa, a shrinking violet, have such enthusiasm!? How am I going to explain things that I dont understand? But at least I can thank Itsuwa first! Haha!! Its good to escape from Indexs demonic clutches without getting bitten. How great is this GGYYYAAAHHH!!!) Just as Kamijous delighting in the victory, he is forcefully bitten on the back of the head by Index, and is now rolling on the floor in pain. In the meantime, he knocks into the deluxe cat canned food and flips the contents out. What a waste!! Im tucking in! Eating it all now!! the calico kitten starts to indulge in the food.
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Itsuwa can only force a smile as she walks into the kitchen. To her, the scene now is a happy and jolly one, but for the main party involved, its as if he just came back from the gates of Hell. (Come to think of it) To be able to mix into the surroundings perfectly is one of the Amakusas ability. Kamijou looks at Itsuwa, who was accepted so naturally. As he was just bitten on the back of the head, the human teeth marks are still there. Kamijou lies on the floor like a corpse, and he can hear the sound of food being stir-fried. (The, the scene of a girl cooking.) Though its stupid, he still tears up. Eh? Why is Touma revealing a look of a sheep, as if he just saw a miracle? As Index says this, Kamijou seems like he had just gotten baptised by the light of grace emitted by a nun. But, hell feel mindful about seeing Itsuwa cook and yet not do anything at all. Might as well clean the room up. Kamijou ponders seriously. On the other hand, Index, who was biting on Kamijous head to relieve her stress, is attracted by the smell of the food like small fish being attracted by bait as she slowly creeps into the room. AH! Dont eat the food anytime you want to!! Even though you say it now, I cant take it anymore. Index immediately loses to her hungry stomach and starts to bother Itsuwa, whos cooking. Seeing Index like this, Kamijou Touma gets up, and then gets into a dashing position before getting over to Index, grabbing her waist with both hands before pulling her out of the kitchen. After that, without knowing where he learned it from, he habitually uses a professional judo throw to toss Index onto the bed, shouting as he throws her onto the bed, STOP DESTROYING A MANS DREAAAAAMMMMMM!!!! WAAH! Tou, Touma, whats going on!? Due to shock, Indexs eyes continue to twirl in confusion. Hearing her shout, the calico cat puts in some distance in irritation.
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Kamijou doesnt make a reply, and wordlessly grabs Indexs head with one hand, turning it towards the kitchen. LOOK, INDEX!! THIS SHOULD BE HOW YOU BEHAVE WHEN YOU LIVE IN SOMEONE ELSES HOUSE!! OWOWOWOWOW!? Why is Touma acting so weird today!? If Im to calm down and think, why is it always you whos over there eating and sleeping, and then watching the television!? FROM TODAY ONWARDS, YOURE GOING TO WORK! HURRY UP, GET A SPONGE AND CLEANING DETERGENT, AND CLEAN UP THE BATHROOM!!! Eh, but its about time for Magical-Powered Kanamin Integral to start, right? Good, HURRY UP AND GET TO WOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK!!! Why? While Index is still puzzled, she is thrown into the bathroom by Kamijou. Seeing someone serious like Itsuwa, it should allow her to change. Oh yeah, the ones who were with her in the past includes a pyromaniac-like priest with a cigarette stench and a multi-sided spy who continues to laugh slyly all year long, so compared to them, she can be considered normal, but upon thinking about it carefully, Itsuwa is still the most suited to be called an ordinary human. (Then, I should start cleaning up the room like a serious person.) Though Kamijou considered thisbut compared to Itsuwa, whos cooking for others, Kamijous just cleaning his own room, and these things cant be compared with. But no matter what, its better than not doing anything at all. After making this conclusion, Kamijou starts to tidy up the messed up living room by picking up all the magazines. At this moment. (?) Wha, whats with this traditional Japanese cuisine smell!? Suddenly, he can hear a girls shout, and after that, he hears the sound of plastic breaking. Kamijou panics and turns his head toward the veranda, and Itsuwa, whos in shock, stop moving her hands that were working on the meal. Appearing there is Tsuchimikado Maika in a maid outfit. It seems like she broke the except in case of a fire, please do not break this board which is meant to separate the rooms and the balcony board without any hesitation, and invaded here. DAMN IT!! I FINALLY MANAGED TO MAKE A SERIOUS TURNOVER, AND NOW I HAVE ANOTHER WEIRDO HERE!!
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Ignoring a really irritated Kamijou, Maika, who normally lacks changes of expression, looks extremely serious as she smells her way to the kitchen. I smell it, I smell it This miso soup you used dried scallop to hide the smell, and you added it after grounding it into powder, right? How, how did you know that!? Not even mum saw through that!! Itsuwa is shocked that the food expert saw through it. So the basics of cooking come from the mother! Besides Kamijou, theres a small plate that Itsuwa uses to hold a bit of the miso soup. After considering for a while, Itsuwa passes the plate over the girl in maid clothes. Maika receives the plate in a tea dance-like movement, and without any sound, places her lips near it. After drinking it, she pauses for a whileGUAAAHH!! Suddenly, her eyes widen as she shouts. Maikas shoulders continue to tremble as she says, This, this woman, shes good What? GUAAAHH!! HOW, HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE!! For some reason, Maika immediately goes 180 degrees and through the veranda, moving back into the neighbouring room. Through the open window, a conversation between siblings can be heard. Ah, oi!? Why are you throwing away todays cream stew nyaa!? Whats going to happen to my dinner!? SHUT UP, YOU AMATEUR!! SEEING SUCH AN OUTSTANDING DISH, THIS LEVEL OF THING ISNT GOING TO MATCH UP AGAINST THAT! YOU, YOU JUST WATCH, FROM NOW ON, ILL SHOW YOU WHAT A MISO SOUP IS REALLY LIKE!! EH!? I FEEL THAT CREAM STEW IS GOOD TOO, YOU KNOW!? Hearing the blonde, sunglasses-wearing agents moan about stew, Itsuwas shoulders tremble in fear. That, that, that guys voice just now, I seem to have heard it in Avignon before? Speaking of which, whos that kid?
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Im not so sure myself, but it seems like youve hurt the pride of that prospective maid, so she views you as a rivalKamijou pauses. Itsuwas a normal human; he feels that he shouldnt let her get used to those weirdoes antics. To Kamijou, hes just thinking about all of these. If he had a wish that God could grant, itd be that this girl wont become like those weirdoes.
Part 7
At one moment, Index and Itsuwa were engaged in a pretty dangerous situation, but once Index ate the food that Itsuwa made, this dangerous atmosphere disappeared without a trace, and now shes rolling on the floor, asking Itsuwa for the 8th bowl of rice. Itsuwas bothered by this, and as for the calico cat, its biting on the ball of wet napkins that Itsuwa made, playing around with it. (Hah Well, if it doesnt cause any huge problems, its all good.) If Indexs mood can improve because from this, would I have to prepare some meat, fish or sausages to placate Index? Though Kamijou thinks this way No, wait, if Index knows that Ive been hiding food, wont I get bitten the moment I reveal it? Kamijou readjusts his thoughts. Though its a good idea, it seems that carrying it out is still a lot more difficult. But since they have already eaten lunch, theres nothing else for them to do. He doesnt have any school assignments today, and Kamijou isnt one whod take the initiative to go and study, so whats left to do is to bathe and sleep. However, heres the problem. HOW IS IT THAT YOU CAN BREAK THE BATHTUB WITH JUST A SPONGE AND DETERGENT, INDEX!?! Ev, even if you say that, I only followed Toumas instructions and just went creak creak a few times!! Kamijou and Indexs shouts echo through the night street, and Itsuwa makes a forced smile. The reason why the trio are on the streets is simple: Kamijous bathtub (or more accurately, the water heater) is damaged and cant be used, so the trio are forced to move to a public bath. I WOULD BET THAT INDEX DIDNT FOLLOW WHAT KAMIJOU-SAN SAID TO SCRUB IT THOROUGHLY! COME TO THINK OF IT, WHY DOES THE SINK IN THE BATHTUB SMELL OF MELTED PLASTIC!? LET ME GUESS, INDEX, DID YOU POUR A LARGE AMOUNT OF DETERGENT INSIDE!!?
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Eh? Didnt you say that you can make things clean by just pouring detergent in? VERY GOOD! AN INCREDIBLE NATURAL AIRHEAD HAS APPEARED!! THANKS TO YOU, THE WATER HEATERS ALL BURNED UP, AND WE ALMOST HAD A FIRE ON OUR HANDS!!! Ah, ah haha. W, well, isnt it good to go out to a bathhouse and change a bit of the atmosphere? This isnt bad. Itsuwa uses her god-like interrupting skills to appease the atmosphere between Kamijou and Index. These creatures called humans can slowly calm down as long as someone does a little adjustment to a huge commotion. Unexpectedly, Academy City has quite a lot of bathhouses. From those kinds of old public bathhouses to some natural hot springs Oh yeah, whats here? It seems like a large spa with entertainment facilities. Speaking of which, why does Itsuwa have such detailed information about Academy City? Kamijou doesnt even know that Academy City has natural hot springs. And the guidebook-like thing that Itsuwas holding doesnt even look like the typical one Academy City releases, but a torn and tattered old notebook. (Eh, about that. Getting a good grasp of the surrounding geography is what a bodyguard should do.) Itsuwa says in a volume that Index cant hear. (Besides, Acquas from the magic side, so Im checking the pulse flow throughout this street, and if possible, checking his movements would be a lot easier.) Its good to be so enthusiastic about work, but before Acqua arrives, the guardsAnti-Skills wont come over under the charge of tight security. Regarding this, Kamijous a bit uncomfortable. Then, wheres that recreational bath? Mm it seems to be in the 22nd district. This is the 7th district, so in other words, its at the edge of Academy City. If youre talking about the 22nd district an underground street, huh.
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The place takes up only 2 square kilometres, and among all the school districts, it is the smallest in area. However, its developed underground about several hundred metres in depth, so it can be considered the one district that has the most scientific style. Hm, but the last bus just left. Itsuwa continues to flip through the old notebook, Its not that far. If we borrow a 3-seater motorbike, we can get there right away. Luckily, theres a bike rental shop here. Eh? Itsuwa knows how to ride a bike? Ma, well, basically, I still can. Cars, motorcycles, mini-boats ah, even though I cant pilot a plane, if its a helicopter, I still can From Itsuwas tone, it seems that she still feels incapable. Is not being able to pilot a plane really something worth being mindful about? Since were in Japan, the transport network is really good, so its not really necessary, butfor work, theres a need to go to the vast desert or grasslands or places like that. Seems like Itsuwa isnt boasting; on the contrary, it seems that shes being lectured as her voice gets softer and softer, being as loud as a mosquito buzz. However, it means that she doesnt just have any ordinary license in Japan, but rather, an international license. To Kamijou, who just finds that being able to ride a unicycle is impressive enough, Itsuwa is someone really worth respecting. Today, this ordinary girl called Itsuwa really has quite a few surprising sides, and Kamijou is slightly touched as they walk towards the motorbike rental shop near a student dormitory. In this Academy City thats full of students, the need to rent bikes is a lot higher than cars. Seeing the rent prices on the pricing board, Kamijou reveals a thunderstruck-like expression. Oh, oh yeah. Itsuwas not a student from the 7th district, so she cant enjoy any district premiums!! Eh, theres no need to worry; I have enough military funding. Although Itsuwa said that, to Kamijou, who has a housewife-like accounting ability, he would still choose a cheaper one if possible. This is the most basic way to go. In the end, they made use of a premium rate for those that missed the last ride and are unable to go home, and rented a 2-seater medium sized bike. They also paid extra to rent a side seat.
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The one driving the motorbike is Itsuwa, the one sitting behind is Kamijou, and Indexs sitting in the side car. Touma, I can sense some intention from this, you know? No, theres no such thing. How about you call this ladies first? The side cars the most comfortable, so Kamijou-san has no choice but to give you that seat. Kamijou tries to force an explanation, but Itsuwa, whos being hugged on the abdomen, feels her heart beating like crazy. Itsuwa tries to help Index put the helmet on her nun cap, and suddenly remembers something. She says, Come to think of which, is it really alright to leave the cat at home? No matter what, we cant bring animals to a bathhouse. Well, that cat would continue to move around in a circle, so there shouldnt be any problems. On a side note, that calico kitten is standing in front of the high-class scratchboard that Itsuwa brought back. Wh, what!? This thing has an attractive smell, but can I really scratch this thing without making anyone angry!?, considering all of this as it trembles. Of course, nobody notices it. Just like that, while Index finally understands the correct way to put on the helmet, Itsuwa starts the engine of the motorbike. Wow, the night Academy City sure is nice. No matter whether its the control or the engine sound, it makes me so relaxed. The road surface is rather good condition as well; I feel like I can speed up whenever ahh, if I had known, I might as well have challenged that famous thing from Academy City, that super electromagnetic motorcycle. Its said that the wheels and axles are held together by magnets, letting the donut-shaped wheel pass through the motor gas and run. Well, I dont really understand bikes, but outside technology cant even be compared to this. Also, I hope that you would drive safelySTUPID ITSUWA, YOURE REALLY, REALLY SPEEDING UP!!? Kamijou reflexively increases the strength of his grip on Itsuwas waist, but Itsuwa, really happy about this reaction, doesnt notice that she is speeding up. Kamijous dormitory is located in a corner of the 7th district, and the distance to the 22nd district can be covered by walking. The reason why Itsuwa would rent a motorbike is most likely because they can go home immediately, and if it takes a long time, their thoroughly-bathed bodies would be dry.
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Coming out of the 7th district and entering the 22nd district, Index, whos seated in the side car, widens her eyes. WAAHH! Touma, look, theres a jungle gym! A huge jungle gym!! The surface of the 22nd district is a lot different from the other districts. On the surface, there arent any buildings here, just a whole stretch of windmills. Furthermore, the windmills here are a whole lot different from the rest, as they arent just a replacement of electric cables. Like the metal frames in a building, there are parallel pillars linking both of them, and the 30-stories tall pile of the large number of windmills are placed there, arranged as a structure. This view resembles just what Index mentioned, a giant jungle gym. Itsuwa handles the handlebar, turning the bike towards the underground street entrance, saying, The 22nd district is extended downwards, so it cant rely on wind-generated electricity or solargenerated electricity. Also, the underground streets seem like they need a lot of electrical energy, so I heard that they have all sorts of energy generators all over Academy City. Having an unexpectedly large amount of knowledge, Itsuwa rides the motorbike through the rectangular door and down into the underground. The space in the underground 22nd district is a giant cylindrical area, and the entrance looks like its outside this 2 kilometre diameter area, continuing to extend down to the bottom, continuing to spiral down. Including the passage thats heading the other way, it looks like those signs used at a barber shop. In this gradually spiralling downwards tunnel, the orange light shines onto the ground. Seeing the infrastructure thats completely different from ordinary streets, Index raises her hands and cheers. Kamijou smells the exhaust gases released by the vehicles as he says to Itsuwa, These underground streets, they arent suited for Japan. Its scary when theres an earthquake, you know. Actually, no matter how strong the walls are, once theres an earthquake that can level the ground, the entire thing will be destroyed. The place here is really safe against earthquakes. Oh yeah, this huge spiral path is like a huge spring: it can absorb the impact when theres an earthquake. Havent you heard of this before? That is just some baseless rumour. Speaking of which, Itsuwa, why would you check up on things that dont appear on the blueprints, layouts, and arent real? Ah, ah haha, Itsuwa just lets out a forced laugh. However, wheres that entertainment bathhouse?
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Well, it seems to be on the 3rd level. Touma, whats this kaisou? Some sort of vegetable?[2] Not seaweed, level. The 22nd district is split into 10 underground levels, and were going to the third one right now. While saying this, they can see the third levela gate thats 90m underground. Itsuwa turns on the indicator, slowing down as she heads toward the door. Passing through the rectangular door, their vision suddenly widens. WAHH!! Index cant help but let out a shout. In contrast to the orange lights in the tunnel, the place here is a slightly blue space. In this place thats 2km in diameter, the ceiling has become a planetarium projection panel, passing through a camera to form a huge night sky. The other streets all use the same colour so it gives one the impression of moving into a starry sea. From the floor to the ceiling, passing through the planetarium screen and acting as the support to the underground street is the lobby. Speaking of which, this roof of the underground street is like the ceiling of a sports hall, supported by a large amount of metal frames, scattering the weight. However, this architecture alone doesnt seem able to support its own weight, so a lot more ways were used to support it. Index continues to sit in the side car as she looks around. Is this really the underground!? Theres even a flowing river and forest!! For the forest, they used an agriculture tower to grow them. Besides purifying the air, they also have an important role in providing a sense of serenity to humans. <!Snorca: since plants are incapable of offering sympathy or supportive gestures, I believe its more proper to say provides a sense of serenity than moral support. Please fix if Im wrong. -->And the water is one of the most important sources of electricity. It passes through the entire level, and each level uses this falling water power to generate electricity from water power. It sure feels like today's Itsuwa is playing the role of a guide girl on a tour bus in Academy City. Index tilts her head and asks, Itsuwa, why is there a need for so much electrical energy?
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Uh hmm most of the energy is used to pump air in. Absorbing oxygen in from the surface, removing the carbon dioxide accumulated below. This is a must. Also theres a need to pump rainwater and wastewater up. So considering all of that, theres a need to pump them all out. 40% of the electricity consumed in Academy City is put into these large air pumps. Regarding that, it seems that theyre using a real life bottlecap-like effect. As more than half of Academy Citys electricity is generated by wind, no matter how much energy they use, theres no need to worry about fuel consumption and environmental destruction. But in contrast to other countries, while people are voicing out about oil prices rising, creating a street that relies primarily on fossil fuels isnt realistic Additionally, while Academy City is limited in land space, those countries with wide acres of land dont even need to build any underground streets. (Well, if the research is successful, then other problems would crop up if we were to really market this.) The motorbike with a side wheel continues to move forward on this starry night. Kamijou, whos sitting in the back seat, points at the electrical decorations on the tower far away. Hm? Oi, Itsuwa, that entertainment bathhouse you talked about, is it over there? Ah, it looks that way. But that place sure seems busy recently. Eh, youre right. It seems to be ranked 3 among all bathhouses. Is this kind of information really needed in an escort battle against Acqua? Though Kamijous puzzled, Itsuwa doesnt mind. Is there a problem? No actually, in this famous place, I feel that I might meet someone familiar there.
Part 8
Misaka Mikoto stops, roughly seeing the huge building in front of her. This building that shoots through the floor of the 22nd district to the ceiling is the Super Resort Serene Springs. Basically speaking, this entire building is the hot spring. Every level has all sorts of different herbs, electrical power, sonic waves; all kinds of pools are available there. Even so, it still has space for a shopping district, like a karaoke centre, a bowling alley, etc.
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In contrast to the old context of bathhouses, calling this a bathhouse-styled relaxation zone would be more appropriate. The place is targeted (opening this in Academy City, where the majority are students, is also one of the reasons) at the 10+ year-old boys and girls, and so the design matches the age group. As this is an entertainment-based facility, theres of course a VIP pool. However, Mikoto isnt aiming for that. An out-of-bath Gekota strap If ones able to collect 10 collection cards with stamps on them, they can receive this gift. For this, Mikoto came all the way over to this Super Resort Serene Springs. If it wasnt because of this strap, she wouldnt have purposely broken the dormitory curfew and ran out, shaking off Shirai Kuroko, who tailed her, before coming all the way here. (Well, its alright to bring Kuroko alongbut if I were to tell her that I was coming here to bathe, shed cling onto me like a snake) This image appears in Mikotos mind, making her feel a chill up her spine. She shakes her head around to get rid of this terrifying idea and enters the building. Upon entering, what appears in front of her is the lobby there doesnt seem to be a reception point, as the payment areas are all at the entrance to each bath area. Theres a group of people fanning themselves, and there are also children playing around at the game corner, having gotten sick of the bath area. After passing through these crowds of people, Mikoto reaches the elevator. Now, where shall I collect these stamps She has passed through the ultrasonic bath area, and as an electromaster, she has no need to especially use those electrical bath pools. Through this elimination, all thats left is just some basic baths with a higher composition of herbs. Medicinal effects, though the way it is phrased makes one suspicious, its just a scientific method of analysing the composition of the water, and then adjusting the composition of the artificial pool to have the same effects. Cant you just say that you just added a bit of some bathing agents? Mikoto says such explicit words as she takes the elevator to the 8th level. At the entrance to the bathhouse, she pays some money, borrows a towel, quickly takes her clothes off in the changing area, wraps her body in the light-coloured bath towel, locks her items up, and finishes her preparation for this operation. (Its unexpectedly short.)
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The bottom of the bath towel just reaches near her thighs. Though Mikotos mindful about that, she still opens the door to the huge bathroom. One cant even sense the height of this tower. There are no windows, not a single one. In this 22nd district, even if there were windows, itd just be a wide space. But if this place was at least in a mountain, itd be okay, and in the middle of a city, setting up windows in a womans bathroom just to allow them to see the scenery is like committing suicide. The bathrooms setup is very similar to traditional ones. There are three bath pools, set according to the water temperature. The wall has an oil-painted Mount Fuji on it well, no such thing. Replacing it is a large magnetic particle colour screen. Its said that the selling point of this screen is that it allows the particles to change colours immediately and to, without the need for external light, be able to display all sorts of colours, but the price is exorbitantly high. Besides, an ordinary television screen that people use now isnt much of a problem, so besides a handful of artists and cinemas, there havent been many buyers; its somewhat a very tragic item. The screen looks like it also has a touchscreen function, as 2 to 3 children are chattering There really is, I'm saying that a white angel really appeared. No way thats possible. Really! They probably hid all the bad things! as they continue to draw on the screen. The females watching the night serial drama through a small window on the screen are also doing the same. Mikoto arrives at a row of shower taps and sits down in front of one of them, gently holds onto the tap with a sensor on it, and after a few seconds, the number 38C appears on the screen. Over here, the machine will use ones palm to detect body temperature before setting it at the most suitable temperature for the customer to shower. (If I want to get all the stamps, I might as well go into every bath for a few seconds and then go into the next one, and then repeat how about it? Hmm that doesnt really seem like the best way I should have risked it and asked Kuroko over to get 2 persons worth of stamps. No, thats not right!?) Mikoto considers all these as she bathes herself, and then uses hot water to wash away the soap bubbles. (Speaking of which, Ive only collected about half of the number required; still a long way to go for the bath Gekota.) In truth, Mikoto doesnt really like baths that are too hot, thus among the three bath compartments, she heads to the most kiddy-looking one. At this moment, Mikoto freezes. In front of her is the silver-haired, green-eyed nun who she has seen so many times before. AH, EHHH!? WHY ARE YOU HERE!?
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Mikoto cant help but shriek, but Index, whos soaking in the clear pool, places her index finger near her lips. Be quiet while youre in the bath! Now that she mentions it, this sure is the case. Mikoto shuts up and carefully steps into the bath pool. This time, Index says again, Dont put your towel inside the water! As a Japanese person, for Mikoto to unexpectedly be lectured by a foreigner regarding bathhouse etiquette, this really deflates her. Mikoto takes off her towel and lets the bath water rise to her shoulders. At this moment, she notices the double-eyelid girl beside Index, remembering clearly her special characteristic. No, she cant say that she knows that girl. Oh yeah, youre that girl who got hugged by that idiot because of some strange soccer ball, right!!? Now that Mikoto suddenly mentioned this, the girl with her eyes shut lets out a GUAAH!! shout and blushes, her hands waving about as she says No, its not that, nonono, I, I, I, I -I-I!!, trying to make a decent excuse but unable to say anything of the sort. On the other side, the foreign nun slightly opens her mouth, revealing her shiny fangs inside. But Mikoto doesnt hear anything of what the ordinary girl said. She stares at the girl whos waving her arms about, leaving her defenceless, making a hypothesis as she looks through the clear water. (Seems to be unexpectedly big) Considering that her only choice is to admit defeat willingly, Mikotos jaw drops. Although still hidden in the slightly-coloured water, if this ordinary girl stands up from the water, it would instantly bring Mikoto despair. The ordinary girl continues to chatter, softly yet quickly. Seeing her, Mikoto remembers, (Speaking of which, do these children know about that idiots issue?) Memory loss.
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Mikoto herself only just found out about this recently. Since when did he lose his memory? How did it happen? She doesnt know any of these specific details. Piecing two and two together, it seems that the idiot himself wanted to hide the fact about his memory loss Mikoto can only make this hypothesis. (These guystheydont know about his memory loss.) Mikoto sneakily looks at their expression. Of course, not being a mind reader means that even if she does this, she cant understand what theyre thinking. Mikoto lets her body soak in the water as she ponders. (Speaking of which, this is all because of that idiot, and Im just a complete stranger. No matter how much I think about it, there wont be any developments even though I understand, but Speak-speaking of which, why must I be so troubled by that idiot; if I feel that its troublesome, shouldnt I stop caring about it glup glup glup glup glup glup glup glup) AH, EHHH? SHORT-HAIRS SINKING INTO THE HOT WATER!!!? SHELL DROWN!!! WE NEED TO SAVE HER!!! ? Kamijou, coming out of the bath first, is standing in front of the vending machine. Hes wondering whether he should go for ice milk coffee or ice cream. At this moment, patapatapatapatapatapatapata, he hears footsteps and turns his head back. All he sees is a female doctor running out from the resuscitation room to the female pool. Of course, he doesnt know whats going on inside.
Part 9
After passing through a time of relaxation, the happy time of bathing is now over. Kamijou walks out of the relaxation bathing tower and is now standing at the main entrance of the building. He isnt here to smoke, but to get some night wind. I completely forgot that this is an underground street. After standing there for quite a while, there still hasnt been any wind. Realising this, Kamijou cant help but feel disappointed. Even so, he considers about something.
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A man from the deepest organisation within the Roman Catholics Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back, had sent a letter of challenge over There isnt anything critical yet, but even if he opens the box and peeks inside, there isnt anything special going on. (Is he just bluffing? No, its too early to conclude that.) At this moment, Itsuwa, who is fragrant after bathing, slowly approaches a frustrated Kamijou. Youll get cold if you stay in such a place. No, I need to get some blood to my head, so this should be good. Well, were using the motorbike to get back anyway. If we consider the time now, well definitely get colds. After being lectured by Itsuwa in such a conservative manner, Kamijou looks dejected. Seeing him like this, Itsuwa cant help but chuckle. How about a walk together? Youre the one who said that well get cold, Itsuwa!! Well get cold anyway, so I feel that its alright. Also, if you really want, why dont you go back into the baths again later? There are many baths for you to play around in, like a swimming pool. This really is a rather good wonderland, Kamijou thinks. To be honest, its lonely for a man to bathe by himself. Oh yeah, wheres Index? It seems like she said that she wanted to look around the food tasting area in the food space. If Kamijou asks Index whether she wants to go for a walk when Indexs like this, hell likely be bitten with her iron fangs the moment he says it. Since she wont leave the food tasting area, theres no need to worry about her getting lost, Kamijou makes an apt conclusion. (Besides, its better to ask Itsuwa all sorts of things regarding Acqua.) Acqua of the Back may arrive in Academy City, and besides, Kamijou did keep this a secret from Index. This time, Acquas target is Kamijou alone, so Kamijou wants to try his best to avoid getting Index involved in some dangerous situation.
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Therefore Kamijou and Itsuwa start to talk as they begin this night stroll. In this uniformly blue-ridden night scene, the street feels like the scales of a butterfly from a southern country, and yet it also looks like coral reefs submerged underwater. Maybe because their bodies are still hot from the baths, the scene in front doesnt look all that icy cold. Speaking of which, the Amakusa have moved from Japan to England, right? Mm, yes. So hows life in England? Mm Itsuwa ponders while she faces Kamijou. Even though we moved to London, weve been entrusted with the Japanese street area, so basically there isnt too much of a change. Our daily meals there are the same as in Japan. Eh? Is that so? Mm Itsuwa again reveals an ambiguous smile, and after pausing for a while, Actually, the Amakusa is a group that learns about all the surroundings and thinks of the most suitable ways to blend into the surroundings, so our reaction to arriving in a foreign land so suddenly isnt much different from ordinary people. In other words, Itsuwa and company chose to go to the Japanese street not because theyre bogged down by Japanese habits, but because they can only choose to go somewhere where even if theres a group of Japanese, they wont feel oppressed. The feeling one gets is like a mix of Eastern and Western cultures. The English Anglicans treat us rather well. Of course, its just an Amakusa feeling, but living in London is really interesting, Itsuwa says this with a smile, but things shouldnt be that simple. Because the English Anglicans cant head out to settle all problems due to political reasons, before they can finally mobilise, the Amakusa will act on their own, and once something goes wrong, theyll be abandoned like a lizards tail. Kamijou has seen things like this happen numerous times. Being under the umbrella of a large organisation, sometimes theyll be assigned work due to convenience.
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Is that so? But Kamijou swallows these thoughts and only gives a simple reply. Itsuwa isnt giving just a simple smile, but one can still tell that shes happy with how shes treated. Say, the Amakusa is originally like those ordinary sects that blend into the street culture anyway. Mm, besides, thats our goal. Youre right. Kamijou Touma reconfirms Itsuwas attire. Right now, she has a pink tanktop over her brightly-coloured sheep-like sweatshirt. Her dark trousers are like cloth wrapped on legs, and there are large gaps in between. A transparent vinyl is used to hold it together. So are the people in London dressed like that? Ah, um, right now, this get-up is chosen under the condition of settling the problem in Academy City. Does it really look indecent? Seeing Itsuwa sink into discomfort, Kamijou can only casually shake his head. This seems to calm her down quite a bit. Though its a bit harder to explain it in words, but, well, Ill choose a more mature look when Im in London. Well basically, I dont know the clothing brands in Academy City, but the designs over there do feel a bit stiff, right? Well, thats not really the case. The people over there dont just like domestic products; on the contrary, its dangerous to choose that Besides, even if there are people wearing the same things, the different characteristics and actions can thoroughly change a persons overall image, you know? Though Itsuwas trying her best to explain this, since her entire attire is based on feeling, its very hard to explain it in theory. Its like someone saying that hes teaching me how to ride a bike, but not teaching anything besides get on the bike, no explanation or whatsoever.
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Thus, Kamijous a bit mindful of Itsuwas image in London. At this moment, Kamijou remembers that beside Itsuwa, theres another familiar person among the Amakusa. Kanzaki Kaori. But isnt Kanzakis attire weird as well? EH!? WHATAREYOU SAYING STRANGE AS IN? Though her get-up does look adult-like, that should be classified as sexy, right? YOU, YOU SUDDENLY GAVE A SHOCKING COMMENT ABOUT THE SUPREME PONTIFF-SAMAPriestess!? THAT ISNT BECAUSE ITS OBSCENE, BUT RATHER THE SPELL COMPOSITION THAT REQUIRES ASYMMETRY!! IT WAS DELIBERATELY MADE LIKE THAT TO ALLOW THE BALANCE ON BOTH SIDES BE USED EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND NOT MEANT TO DELIBERATELY SHOW OFF THE CURVES ON HER BODY OR WHATSOEVER!! HA!? At this moment, Itsuwa finally reverts back to normal. Seeing the change in this late-blooming girl that has her two hands clenched and placed in front of her chest, Kamijou tries to pull her back, saying, Then, well, so to Itsuwa and the rest, it seems like coming to London was the best choice, right? ??? Well, were really happy to be living on the same land as the Supreme Pontiff-samaPriestess. The way Kamijou suddenly changed the topic caused Itsuwa to remain dazed for a while. Well, as the distance is too far, its a pity that I cant immediately see the person I want to see when the persons in Japan She continues to walk beside Kamijou, her vision slowly turning downwards, her mouth muttering. But, recently, things are alright. That, its like Vega and Altair[3] ? What now, Itsuwa? NO, NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!!!
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Kamijou stares at Itsuwa as he questions a blank Itsuwa, and Itsuwa blushes as she starts to wave her hands.
Part 10
With Tatemiya Saiji leading the pack, the Amakusa members are standing slightly far away from Kamijou and Itsuwas position. Theyre not gathered at one spot, but scattered all around with Kamijou at centre, looking around at the surrounding lanes, continuing to move around at a similar speed as Kamijou. And even so, they continue to blend with into the surroundings; its hard to tell who theyre protecting. If that happened, an observing VIP guard expert would be shocked by it. Besides, the Amakusas skills are a lot better than those experts, so theyre not likely to be found out. The Amakusa were commanded by the English Anglicans to carry out this mission, and with Tatemiya leading, the group of teenagers continue to move down the street (or pretending to be). Theyre lined up on a karaoke relaxation street, occasionally looking like theyre going into some shops and pretending to look into some shops, continuing to maintain their distance from Kamijou and Itsuwa as they move around. So what do you think, substitute Supreme Pontiff? Ushibuka asks. About Itsuwas abandon Index and have a night date battle? Im talking about Acqua of the Back. Ushibukas short and simple sentence makes Tatemiyas expression change. He slightly looks around for a while. Up till now, there hasnt been any signs of invasion, and Academy City hasnt received any similar reports, but, Well, we still cant believe it, huh? In this situation, theres a double meaning to not being able to believe it. Tatemiya reveals an evil smile. First, its that Academy Citys security itself has holes that the magic side can exploit, so it cant be trusted. The other one iswhy would the higher-ups of Academy City choose to hide this information? So, Ushibuka, which one do you believe? Well
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For just Kamijou Touma alone, the three sidesAcademy City, English Anglicans and Roman Catholicsare all racking their brains as they come up with plans. By itself, this scenario is already peculiar. Substitute Supreme Pontiff. Mm, I understand. To us Amakusa, just the name Kamijou Touma alone is worth protecting, because hes not just our saviour, but our comrade as well. But at this point, Tatemiya pauses. But whats Kamijou Touma to Academy City? Whats Kamijou Touma to the English Anglicans? Whats Kamijou Touma to Gods Right Seat of the Roman Catholics? Is he someone that such a huge thing like an organisation has to take action against? With Tatemiya as centrepoint, the small band of familiar people remains silent. Its not that they dont understand the answer. Its that even though they thought of it, theyre afraid to say it out loud. There are a few hypotheses we can make. Tatemiya finally says, But, that thing Kamijou Toumas value, are they all the same to these three organisations? We cant make any developments if we just consider this. It seems like theres a lot of hidden information that we dont know of. Substitute Supreme Pontiff If we really want to protect Kamijou Touma, we may have to investigate those things as well. We cant just be happy with forcing the attackers to retreat. We have to directly take down the guy that sent those attackers. Speaking so far, Tatemiya Saiji suddenly pauses. He feels constricted. The thing that vanished was a human. From who knows when, the only ones walking down this street were Tatemiya and company. Seems like he controlled the crowd flow through some means, and can even use a highly-skilled technique of blending into the surroundings like the Amakusa.
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Theres not even a need to say a single word. Tatemiya gives a few movement signals to discreetly give his orders, and the teenagers of the Amakusa quickly reach for their hidden weapons. Its a feeling of constriction. This feeling is like the huge columns of air whipped up when a subway train moves near a train station. Just like when a huge thing gets near, there will be shockwaves or something similar to that. Tatemiya looks over at the source of this constricting feeling. Whats over there is
Part 11
Kamijou and Itsuwa are slowly walking down an underground street thats completely covered in blue. Different from the other streets, the view here is specially tailored. A uniform night scene would bore one if they continued to look in the same place, but overall, it still looks pretty. At this moment, Itsuwa, whos walking on, suddenly says, He hasnt made a move yet, that Acqua. Maybe he got tangled in Academy Citys security. Hehe, there wont be such good fortune. As they have been very relaxed, they forgot all about it, but the pressing issue now is still Gods Right Seat. Though the Anti-Skills of Academy City arent idiots, they did let some magicians invade Academy City in some battles between magicians. Having seen all of these, Kamijou isnt going to just let them handle it allbesides, after the battle against Vento of the Front, Acqua himself invaded Academy City to bring her back. Though the Amakusas reinforcements are very reliable, once theres some political problem, they will definitely be cut off like a lizards tail, so their actions arent as limited. This is something that is to be expected, even without anyone saying it, because if the English Anglicans didnt care about all of these and were going to go all out just to beat Acqua, they would have immediately sent Kanzaki over. The moment the topic was changed, the entire blue atmosphere changed as well. Maybe its a coincidence or something, but the colour that signifies Acqua of the Back seems to be blue. Though the fact that Im not being attacked should be something to be happy about
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She doesnt know how to decide on this, as Itsuwas tone indicates that shes a bit nervous. While continuing to walk on this blue street, Kamijou ponders for a while, Maybe hes doing something secretly, maybe something happened. Up till now, the two members of Gods Right Seat who attackedVento of the Front and Terra of the Left both used completely different methods of attacking. One brashly came attacking right from the front, while the other let the world sink into chaos and make one huge detour to attack Academy City. He can only use those two as examples, so its hard to pin down the methods of Gods Right Seat. Besides, Vento and Terras actions were both too extreme, so its impossible to use them as reference. Anyway, we cant just let down our guard so easily Itsuwa again clenches her little fist. Including the substitute Supreme Pontiff, everyones working hard in ways that we cant see. No matter whos here, the fact that we will use all our strength to complete our mission wont change. Just treat this as what we do all the time; theres no need to be mindful about this. What you do all the time, huh? On hearing Itsuwas words, Kamijou forces a smile. Speaking of which, Im supposed to be targeted by this really huge group called Gods Right Seat, and yet Im forced to come to this relaxation facility because my heater got spoilt. I do feel bad about bothering other people No, its not that. I dont think that everyone feels that way, Itsuwa quickly waves her hands as she interrupts Kamijou. Even if we know that a strong enemys about to come, well be very fatigued mentally if we continue to remain alert. We have to properly rest up in order to be able to use all our strength at the critical moment: this is very important. Thus its very important for us to relax now. Trying to force oneself to live in ones own special rhythm isnt going to work. Its the same thing as putting freshwater fish in seawater. Its that kind of a thing, huh? Kamijou feels puzzled. Neither of them really planned on a path for their stroll. Index would definitely choose to join the fight if they were to talk about Acqua right in front of her, thus they decided to keep it a secret
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from her. They have already said what they wanted to say, and now theyve reached a place where they can see a river. Kamijous plan is to pass over using the metal bridge over the river, and make a round before heading back to where they came from through another path. Speaking of which, about the other Amakusa members, youre talking about Tatemiya and the rest? Mm, yes. They should be somewhere nearby, watching and protecting us. Itsuwa later says in a seemingly regretful tone, If the Supreme Pontiff-samaPriestess were here, her strength alone would be equivalent to 100 people. Were talking about Kanzaki here, right? She is really strong. Yes, yes! Because the Supreme Pontiff-samaPriestess is one of the Saints, and there are only 20 of them! No matter what, we only need the Supreme Pontiff-samaPriestess to finish them off in one hit! Hoho, is that so, Kamijou suitably replies to Itsuwa. Well, since she could fight against an Archangel like Power of God, she is truly strong, that Kanzaki. EHYAAHEH!? SHE FOUGHT AGAINST AN ARC, ARCHANGEL!? WHAT HAD HAPPENED!? Oh? This reaction shocks Kamijou. That was during the Angel Fall incident, so Itsuwa may not know. However, she seemed to have heard from Tsuchimikado that he intruded upon Kanzaki changing clothes but it seems like regarding this Angel Fall incident, Kamijou doesnt really remember much of it. Hmm Kamijou scratches his head. No matter whether its a Saint or an Angel, both are really strong. There are a lot of strong people out there in this world. This, well, it isnt really a critical evaluation Itsuwa looks like she hasnt recovered from the shock. No matter what, if we compare an Angel against a Saint, an Angel is still stronger. Really? Then does it means that Kanzaki cant beat an Angel no matter how much she tries?
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This, this is really a tough question its just that, in terms of raw power, an Angel is still stronger. The power that a Saint has is different in nature when compared to an Angel. Based on Itsuwas explanation, humans that are Saints are limited in how much power they can use. If they are to even barely try to surpass that limit, they may end up self-destructing. Among the scholars in the magic side, there are many different explanations regarding why can an Angel retain so much power and yet not go amok? Damn it, my head hurts now that were talking about studying; its the same no matter which side. Though Im just saying this generally, basically, that information can be trusted Seeing as Itsuwas shoulders sink as she sighs, it seems that shes really trying her best in every single aspect. Back to what were talking about, you said that Kanzaki couldnt help, but arent both Kanzaki and the Amakusa affiliated to the English Anglicans? They should arrive if you ask, right? ProbablyI guess. Though were together, a Saint is like a nukes existence, so it seems that they cant just allow her to act outside England. Besides, there are many things that the Amakusa cant say, so we cant just ask her like that well, regarding this, its still something of a taboo While talking about this, Kamijou and Itsuwa step onto the metal bridge. The entire length of the metal bridge is about 50m. Speaking of the size of the bridge, it isnt very big; considering that the river underneath is manmade, one would somehow lament about it. This is a lit part as well. The entire bridge is all blue. (Though I know I cant let down my guard, but, just the two of us WAAAAHHH) Whats wrong, Itsuwa? NO, NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!! ISNT THERE NOTHING GOING ON!!?
Itsuwa immediately raises her petite hands to rapidly swing them in front of her face, left and right.
That, that that that that, I just thought that there wasnt really anyone around; and its now just two of us. Its rare to see this place being decorated so nicely, it, its such a waste Kamijou starts to feel puzzled as both of them continue to walk on the metal bridge.
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Why did Itsuwa start to talk really fast and start smiling happily? Well, it should be because of the time now, right? Night time in Academy City is like this. The last trains and buses were deliberately set so early so that students wont go out to play till late. But then again, therell be guys who go out to play all the same. Though he said it, both of them immediately feel a sense of constriction. Its past 10 PM now, and the main forms of transport have all ceased. According to the timing, its nothing strange for the traffic flow to change as well. Besides, this is Academy City, where students make up 80% of the population. However, If its just past 10 PM, those groups of people who want to play should be playing outside as usual. (Oh, crap!?) Facing this unnatural scene without people, Kamijou feels a sense of ominous danger. He immediately decides to tell Itsuwa that the situation now is extremely dangerous. But he cant do it. Because he doesnt even have time to do it. I did warn you before, He hears a voice. From in front of them, coming from the silhouette of a person within the darkness shaped by the blue illumination, a stout mans voice can be heard. There were many paths in front of you that you could have chosen. They hear footsteps. But these footsteps dont sound human. Every time the person takes a step, *PAM...!!* the metal bridge below slightly tremors. One thing about the oppressive weight is that it can also be considered as a countdown to death. The blue darkness slowly lets out sounds of strange footsteps, as if telling the opponent his unwillingness.
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Itsuwa is dumbstruck by this sudden situation, revealing an expression that lacks tension, butKamijou immediately reacts. What happened to the contact with the main Amakusa forces? Shouldnt they be hiding somewhere in the darkness and protecting Kamijou and Itsuwa? If, after receiving my declaration, you had thought through it and felt that this choice is worth risking, Ill use all my strength to directly crush you. But the voice becomes a mocking one. But really, dont you have any better options? The darkness scatters away. Anyway, the only light source is the dim street light, and thus its not something that can chase away the strong light of the night sky. But even though the man is slowly approaching from within the darkness far away, just like this, it feels like the darkness is avoiding the man. Tea-coloured hair, a straight-lined face that looks as if it was chiseled from stone, a shirt that has blue as the base colour and is similar to a polo shirt. Though he looks muscular, its not the feeling that a bodybuilder gives, but rather, one of a soldier that has gone through many bloody and gory battles. Youre Its not an unfamiliar face. Once beforeon the 30th of September, Kamijou Touma met this man in Academy City. After he finally managed to use the Imagine Breaker to defeat Vento of the Front in an arduous battle, this brawny man came rushing in. Acqua of the Back. I should have introduced myself before. Gods Right Seat. And at the same time, he has the abilities of a Saint. Just as you declared? You mean I dont need to think up some special plan, Acqua simply says. I came here with a purpose, and thats to eradicate the mastermind behind all the unrest in the world.
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And you dare to say it, Kamijou silently curses. Vento of the Front had caused all the functions in the city to be paralysed. Terra of the Left started commotions all over the world. No matter what reasons they had, he shouldnt be treated by Gods Right Seat as a scapegoat. You dont have any intention to negotiate? Youre intending to kill me right from the start? Humph, we may have been too hasty. Acqua seems a bit bored as he measures up Kamijou. My wish is to eradicate the mastermind behind all the chaos in the world. What do you mean by chaos? You wont admit it anyway. Even if there is, youre the ones who started it!! Dont tell me youve forgotten about what all of your people did in Avignon!! Even that is because of that incident, theres also the reason of attacking the dangerous parties of Kamijou Touma and Academy City. While both sides are in a deadlock, Acqua doesnt waver in the slightest. This means that he never intended to hear Kamijou Touma out. All of those things happened because your body has some special thing. Therefore, I wont be taking your lifeas long as you hand that right hand over to me, cutting it off before me, Ill spare that pitiful mongrel life of yours. Truly a request that one cant respond to. Acqua probably made this request while knowing that he would be refused. What about the main Amakusa force At this moment, Itsuwa finally says something. This seems to indicate something, as Itsuwa looks around. Its useless. Acqua interrupts her action with just this sentence alone.
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What happened to my comrades? I didnt kill them, Acqua simply says. The ones I want to take down arent them, While saying this, Acqua slightly shifts his body. The distance between them is about 10m. From here, one can see that Acqua isnt holding anything like a weapon, and it doesnt look like hes hiding anything under his clothes. The polo shirt is supported by the muscular body, and it doesnt look like theres any space to hide any weapons. Even so, Kamijou and Itsuwa concentrate all their nerves, not even letting their sights off Acquas movements. This battle cant be avoided, and because they know this, they wouldnt recklessly attack, but would choose to fight back at the right time and deliver the decisive blow. But then, From the side. Gh!? Before Kamijou can swallow his breath, Acqua is already beside Itsuwa. He vanished: Acquas speed can only be seen as such. Sneaking into Itsuwas arms, Acqua swings his elbow to attack Itsuwas face from the side. Not even a single sound. But Kamijous vision finally catches up with Itsuwas body that was sent flying through the pedestrian walkway and onto the road. Kamiijou himself cant even breathe, yet even so, he tries to use all the remaining air in his lungs. Basically, he instinctively shouts, Itsuwa!? You still have the time to worry about others, do you? Acquas voice covers Kamijous shout. Finally, *BOOM!!* a sound reaches Kamijous ear. The sound came from within the shadow of Acqua dragging his feet. Like a huge tiger shark leaping out of the surface of the sea, a huge piece of metal comes out from within Acquas shadow. A 5m-long unknown object; in shape, it looks like a lance that a European knight uses, but thats wrong.
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Its like a huge umbrella created from a steel structure used to construct a building. Its a mace intended for killing. Im coming, my prey. DAMN!! Before Kamijou can get into the correct posture, Acquas muscles expand explosively. EVADE!! Before his mind can give an order, the huge mace comes slamming down from above. Its a miracle that hes still alive. Itsuwas bag, which came flying over, collides with Kamijous body, causing him to fall away in a direction completely opposite of what Acqua anticipated. Because of that, Kamijous able to keep his life. The approximately 5 meter-long metal mace misses its target and easily crushes Itsuwas bag to bits, afterwards landing on the floor like a guillotine blade. Its supposed to be a metal bridge reinforced with cement. But with this heavy and blunt sound, the entire metal bridge shakes about due to the impact. The screws that hold the metal bridge down break and make lots of noises. The blue lights used to light the place up lose their glow unnaturally. However, Kamijou doesnt have time to notice all of those. Like a meteor colliding with the sea, with Acquas mace as the centre, a large amount of concrete debris flies all over the place, and some of them hit Kamijous body. GGYYYYAAAAAHHH!!? Just the aftershock of this attack alone is enough to cause Kamijou to be unable to take a step forward. Just as Kamijou feels that his legs are both light and floating, his body has already flown back several metres. His back hits one of the metal frames supporting the bridge, finally causing his body to stop moving. Theres a *clack clack* sound. The small pieces of concrete fragments are falling onto the bridge like rain. Acqua places the mace that looks as heavy as a metal frame on his shoulder, moving forward to Kamijou, whos on the floor. Although its powder, it looks like a visible battle aura as it surrounds Acqua before being scattered away.
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At this moment, his eyes look off to the side. The person whos trying her best to even stand up is Itsuwa. Maybe she pulled it out before she threw the bag, but Itsuwa has already assembled the Friulian spear that could be dissembled anytime, the Cross tip of the Spear pointing at Acqua. But Itsuwa most likely took a lot of damage from that initial hit. Red liquids left on her lips, and the face that was hit is all red as well. Even so, right now, Itsuwa looks like she might as well go do some casual fishing. Acqua doesnt even smile. He just warns, You have an enemy that even an entire group couldnt take down, and against such an opponent, you think you have a chance of winning? Even if its meI have my own determination. Now, how much heavy emotion and realisations are put into this one sentence? In contrast, Acqua just replies, Is that so? Just that. (Oh no!!) Kamijou tries to force his aching body to get between Itsuwa and Acqua. But in stark contrast to his thoughts, his body cant move. During this time, Itsuwa and Acqua begin fighting at close range. Itsuwas movements are fast. However, Acquas fast to the point that hes basically disappearing. By the time he becomes aware, the huge metal mace had already sunk deeply into Itsuwas flank. After that, Acqua changes where hes facing, and using centrifugal force, he tosses Itsuwa to where Kamijou is. React, this thought doesnt even appear in Kamijous brain. With the metal maces weight and a persons weight, Kamijous completely sandwiched in between while his back is still against the metal frame. The air in the lungs is all forced out, and theres even a little smell of rusted metal in it. Several seconds later, the impacted body floats up from the ground, and afterwards, the impact would make one feel that the Earths gravity had
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been increased by numerous folds as it surrounds Kamijous body. Kamijou slowly falls onto the ground. Itsuwa, whos on top of him, doesnt react at all. Though Kamijou wants to push Itsuwa away, he cant do it. His vision is slowly becoming blurry, finally catching a glimpse of Acqua with much difficulty. (The differenceis too great) Whether it was Vento of the Front or Terra of the Left, at least he could see their actions. As long as he can react to their attacks and make the suitable counters, at least he can land a few hits on them. But what on earth is this guy Kamijou wonders. Acqua of the Back. Is this guy really a fellow human? This isnt a difference between humans and humans. Its just like an online RPG where youre fighting someone thats 100 levels higher. Its not that he made the attacks obsolete through some trick, but rather, fighting through pure ability, theres no way he can win. Your right hand, Acqua, slowly raising his mace, says. If you hand it over, Ill spare your life. Youmust bejoking Though he wants to stand up, his body cant muster any strength. Knowing that hes at his limit, Kamijou still doesnt give up. However, Really? If so, Ill let you understand the harsh reality even more.
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Part 12
(Ugh) Itsuwas consciousness had vanished for a while. Like water seeping into soil, she slowly regains her consciousness. The first thing she notices is a smell similar to rust, and then pain. While her brain realises these, the pain engulfs her body like a tsunami. Unexpectedly, the sight and hearing that one would normally rely on recovers last. The surrounding darkness. Being buried in the blue despair. Theres debris of asphalt and iron, the dust dancing above the metal bridge. Up until a moment ago, both of them were enjoying the night scene, but now it has become such a tragic sight. And right now, she finally recognises the feeling of the spear in her hand. Hm!? Itsuwa suddenly remembers this scenario and frantically tries to use her spear to support herself up. At this moment, she feels something warm flowing down her palm. Its a bit warm, and has a bit of a rusty smell that could make anyone sick. And this fresh red fluid is very obvious. Fresh blood. But Itsuwa herself didnt bleed that much, because if she bled that much, itd be hard for her to retain consciousness. Besides, this ink-like substance is different from any other fluid. Its definitely someones blood. Then whose blood is it? Itsuwa considers, but in the next moment, she immediately denies her consciousness. She knows without thinking about it. Its Kamijou Toumas blood.
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So youre awake. If one were calmly think this through, Acqua of the Back should be holding a weapon and behind her. Then move away from there. My one blow is too powerful, and if I freely exert all of my strength, the shockwaves will affect the surroundings. But Itsuwas consciousness isnt bothered by Acqua. Her shoulders tremble slightly and slowly, slowly turn behind her. What happened while Itsuwa was unconscious? Having lost all his strength and lying on the ground, Kamijous limbs and face are both bloodied red. He cant open his eyes, like an automatic door damaged and left in this half-open state. Its supposed to be such an intense pain that it could rip his body apart, but Kamijou still doesnt move at all. She cant even comprehend it. In terms of physical distance, theyre both just a bit away from each other, but even with that little distance, Itsuwa still cant tell. Ahah Itsuwas judgement is slowly turning into dust. This imminent threat called Acqua of the Back has vanished from her mind. Even against such a powerful foe, she doesnt care. She moves her hands that are dyed in other peoples blood, collecting the surrounding debris, taking out a wet handkerchief, and pulls out the wallet from a bloodied Kamijous pants pocket. The magic that the Amakusa Style Remix-of-Church uses doesnt require any strange spell or spiritual tool. The things used are basically everyday items. Itsuwas trying to find some unscientific leftovers from these everyday items, rearrange them in order to stop the bleeding, and cover the wounds in order to replenish his lifeforce. In order to do this, Itsuwas going to cast a healing spell. To this girl called Itsuwa, the problem and battle shes facing is all about whether she can save this boy. Actually, even while Itsuwas in a panic, shes still acting extremely fast.
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Itll be a moment before the recovery spell is activated. Dim glowing little balls dance around above Kamijous body. The green glow looks like fireflies, and these glowing lights look like they want to patch up the wounds as they enter them. However, A *BAM!!* sound can be heard. The recovery spell that Itsuwa used scatters away like sawdust, not even a single bit left behind as it scatters. The reason is obvious. Uuu, ah. Itsuwas consciousness wavers as she turns her sight from Kamijous face to his right hand. His right hand. The Imagine Breaker. No matter what supernatural power it is, this thing will negate the effects, whether good or bad. WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH!! Itsuwa cries out in despair, trying to rebuild the broken recovery spell, but its futile. The magic breaks the moment its activated, again breaking even though it is rebuilt. Whatever daily item she sees and can use, they continue to be used up no matter how much she tries. The moment she notices it, the materials used for the recovery magic are almost all used up. Thats enough, Facing Itsuwa, who didnt give up no matter how many times she tried, Acqua says such ruthless words. But Itsuwa cant even make a proper reply. Seeing Itsuwa not do anything besides shouting and crying about, Acqua doesnt say anything further. He silently and slowly lifts his foot before stepping on Itsuwas back while she lies on the ground.
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With a *BOOM!!* sound, Itsuwa stops letting out this cry of despair. With this violent sound being cut off, her strength is siphoned out of her limbs, and even her consciousness is about to cut off. Humph. Acqua doesnt even see Itsuwa collapse onto the ground as he raises the huge mace. That was his initial motive. His target is the unconscious Kamijous right hand. But Acqua is unable to successful swing his mace down. Its not that he relented. Itsuwa, whos covered in wounds and most likely has her insides damaged very severely, should have lost consciousness. However, she still uses her battered arms to raise her spear as she gingerly tries to stand up. Like a miracle, shes standing between Kamijou and Acqua. Guh ga WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH!!! Itsuwas shouts out sounding like shes shaking her insides up and squeezing out every single ounce of air. Right now, shes not even thinking about the odds of winning. From her bloodshot eyes, one can tell that she doesnt even have time to think about these. She doesnt want that person to die. She doesnt want that person to be taken away. She wants to stand up again. Shes just barely able to move because of that. Spitting out bubbles of blood, Itsuwa eyes shows a strong will that no one has ever seen before. Acqua looks bored as he sighs.
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He then slowly lets the muscles of the arm gripping onto the mace expand. The terrifying muscles. The mace which is supposedly only made of iron. The large grip that would make one wonder whether the mace would break. Acqua never treated Itsuwa as his enemy. He just wants to bury Itsuwa together with Kamijou in the next blow. Itsuwa bites her own lips. She cant even confirm all of these now. And besides, she has no idea how much of a difference there even is between her and Acqua. () Slowly, Itsuwa turns silent. Its not that she shut up. Right now, even her mind is all silent. Theres a mysterious blank in her heart. This may be some sort of realisation, or maybe she has given up. After she suddenly regains her thoughts, though the tip of her spear is shaking in an unstable manner, she charges towards Acqua head on. The one hit that a dead man lets out is simply a declaration of battle. Itsuwa lets the remaining ounce of strength gather at one spot. The abrupt silence will be broken, and will bring about the final outcome. Thanks, Itsuwa. What broke Itsuwas will wasnt Acquas blow. But the soft palm of a certain boy placed on her shoulder. Itsuwas petite body trembles because of this little action. Shes unable to turn back. The hand thats placed on her shoulder should be all battered. But what appears in Itsuwas mind is Kamijous smiling face.
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Thanks to your healing magic, I feel a bit better. That is impossible. His Imagine Breaker simply eradicates all forms of magic; Itsuwas recovery magic shouldnt have had any effect at all. In truth, the boys voice feels like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube: extremely soft and still trembling. One would feel that it could vanish at any moment. Even so, that boys words are full of warmth. Itsuwas body immediately softens gradually, but she also immediately realises what the boy is thinking and feels ominous about it. Why would he choose to stand up at this point? He cant even move a finger, so why must he force himself to stand up now? And also, theres meaning behind this hand thats stopping her from charging towards Acqua of the Back. Wai!! Itsuwa doesnt even have a chance to let her voice out. The boy exerts even more force on Itsuwas arm, and as if he wants to switch positions with her, he moves forward. Having moved her battered body and seeing Kamijous back while he faces Acqua, Itsuwa is unable to stop him. Maybe its because she doesnt know whether her lukewarm determination was shattered, but Itsuwas willpower, which had been supporting her body up until now, is all sucked out. WWWWWOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!! No matter how much the boy is unused to fighting, he should understand that he cant beat Acqua. That boys aim isnt to beat Acqua. Acqua of the Back, in the beginning, he did say that his target is just Kamijou Touma. He also said that he didnt kill the main Amakusa forces nearby. In other words, if this battle ends early, he wont cause too much damage to the surroundings. For example, This can be settled without Itsuwa, whos nearby, dying.
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ah!! Itsuwa can only see that back moving further and further away, her expression distorted. The transparent fluid continues to flow out of her eyes. No matter what Itsuwa shouts, Kamijou doesnt look back. Without looking back and running towards Acqua. Nice realisation, Acqua of the Back just says this one sentence. After that, in front of Itsuwa, he deals a horrendous blow. The giant more-than-5m metal mace is swung horizontally, piercing into the boys flank without mercy. The sound of this explosion would make one not expect that that thing was slammed into someones body, and the boy whos sandwiched between the metal bridge and the mace has his strength slowly sapped away. He cant even swing his decisively clenched fist at Acqua. This time, the boy finally loses consciousness as his body limps onto the giant metal mace. Its like a blanket on a pole. Acqua sees the boy like this, and he smiles. The smile seems like hes praising the one who lost. He recognises the courage shown by the boy as he stood up for the girl whos behind him. Im giving you one day. Acqua swings the mace with the unconscious boy on it. Itd be too cruel of me to take off your arm without numbing you. Lets consider this time for you to prepare a prosthetic. As long as you cut off the thing behind all this chaosyour right handand hand it over to us, Ill spare your mongrel life. After saying that, Acqua swings his mace without hesitation. As a member of Gods Right Seat, and also a Saint, it is a devastating strike released by a monster. The boys body hanging on the mace flies off the metal bridge at a cannon-like speed, through the handles, colliding several times with the dark and icy surface of the water several hundred metres away. As it was too fast, the boys body bounces 2 to 3 times before sinking beside a cruise boat, causing the river water to pop up like a water pillar.
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After a while, a huge explosion can be heard. Without confirming whether his target is dead, Acqua turns his back on Itsuwa. Finally, he says, Just one day.
Between the Lines 1

Whats the problem? So you cant sleep? Then let this ol grandpa tell you a story, okay? Grandpas story is long and boring, so you can sleep nicely soon. Alright, grandpa will tell you a story about an astrology group. Ah, yes, thats what it was called, but theres not much difference to what it does now. We were helping others like what brats like you are doing now. Basically, we were a Christian magic group that followed others, and after understanding the situation, wed use magic to settle it its that kind of an organisation. But there were a lot of people relying on us in the past. Im not bluffing; there were many people within the country who were looking for us. Afterwards, as we had too many people relying on us, we couldnt even stop at a single place. Us grandpas spent quite a few years slowly walking through the whole of Russia just to live. After that, well, this thing called problems, it can happen anywhere. Though I dont know whether its because its troublesome or because we cant help but interfere. No, no, no, Ill explain to you first, the Russian Orthodox is all made up of bad people. However, that idiot wanted to turn a part of the Russian Orthodox as one part of him. Thus, the grandpas were forced to run away from those battle groups that were pursuing us. Whats that idiots name? What would happen if grandpa got caught? I cant tell a brat like you all of that. Even if its twisted, were still a hidden part of the country. Though its easy for me to say this, they wont even let children off. This isnt something youd normally hear.
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Anyway, we were being pursued by the Russian Orthodox. We had monsters as our opponents, like what banshees and valkyrie and the likes, so how can we grandpas who were supposed to be helping out face them head on? We were completely outmatched. Therefore, us grandpas decided to leave the country. Luckily, they were the Russian Orthodox, and so in other words, it means that we only needed to run away from Russia. Its terrifying to wish for it, but no matter what, any human would do his utmost to grab onto this little ray of hope. However, our surroundings were the -50 degrees Celsius of human Hell. It was a tough time. How should I say it, it was no longer a world that could be described through physical pain. Our feet were starting to sink, and we continued to walk on. There were people as old as grandpa and brats that were younger than you, everyone was the same. At that time, you were still in your mothers womb, and I believe your mum got her shapeshifting ability because of that. Under this situation, the pursuers should act properly even though theyre the Russian Orthodox, right? But no, theyre real professional soldiers that were specially trained to move along in the eternal arctic terrain. They were like robots that were made into puppets, moving around in a rhythmic manner, and not only were they top-notch soldiers, their weapons were top notch as well. They had horses made of metal, and those were 8-legged horses, you know. Oh yes, they had a spiritual tool called the Sleipnir[4]. The difference in speed between the grandpas and the Russian Orthodox was apparent by first glance. We could see the border in the snowstorm, but everyone knew that our pursuers would catch up to us before we could reach there. It was right in front of us, and we couldnt reach out and grab it, but after looking back to see our pursuers, we didnt have any other thought except to give up. Compared to working hard in a futile way, its better to give up easily. But then again, we couldnt do it; the border that represented our hope was there, so how could we give up there?
Hm? Then what happened next? Of course we escaped. Otherwise, how could you be born? Grandpa coudlnt possibly be here telling this story to you. Youre saying that we did something? Really? Really? Seems like you dont understand how we escaped from the elites of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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Its simple. That man appeared in front of the grandpas. That person was William Orville.
References
2. Both level and seaweed are pronounced as kaisou (), a mistake on Indexs part. 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival 4. Ancient Norse reference here. Called 'the slipper' in Norse mythology.
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Chapter 2: The Men Who Stood Up From Defeat. Flere210.

Part 1
Frantic footsteps echo throughout the hospital in the night. This is the emergency resuscitation hospital on the 7th level in the 22nd district. The patient transport bed wheels let out *kacha-kacha* sounds, and numerous paramedics are surrounding the patients bed as they move on, the loud sounds outside can be heard inside. The paramedics who were busy pushing the patients bed leave the rest to the doctors and nurses. After that, the doctors and nurses all gather in the centralised treatment room before disappearing behind the large doors of the operation room. Finally managed to complete the operation. To be honest, I cant say whether he can still be considered safe, The young doctor says after seeing the patient's bed pushed out of the operation room and back into the centralised treatment room. Now that the visiting hours are over, the corridor of the hospital is rather quiet. But right now, there are many shadows walking in the dim corridor. A large crowd should be the correct term here. Males and females, young and old, a group of around 50 people. Some are leaning their backs against the walls, some are sitting on the sofas, but all of them are listening to what the doctor is saying. Some of them have tattered clothes, and some of them are bandaged all over. Furthermore, red blood spots can be seen on a majority of those wearing white. They're a group that call themselves the Amakusa, and as for what kind of organization they are, the doctor doesnt know. To be honest, this is a truly suspicious group. If a large group of people like Skill-Out were to come into the hospital, there would definitely be a large number of delinquents in the waiting room. Thus, the young doctor doesnt intend to pursue this further. Let me explain this for a while, so all ordinary folks should calm down. Now for the specifics: the patients entire body is covered in bruises from blunt trauma, and he has a slight concussion. He also showed signs of dislocation in his right shoulder and left foot. His insides are also a bit damaged from the impacts. In other words, you just can't determine his condition now, right? The black beetle-haired huge man carefully chose his words before asking. The doctor exhales deeply.
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It should be considered a miracle the worst case scenario would have been if oxygen were unable to flow into his brain well enough from being underwater for so long that was really dangerous. Fortunately, there wasnt too much harm from it, The young male doctor says as he looks through the digitalised injury report. However even with multiple witnesses, the reason that caused this is still unbelievable. The human body was blown away from the metal bridge several hundred meters, bounced off the lake a few times and finally sank into the water though I can't believe this, to be caught up in such a serious situation, it's amazing that he would dare to even take a walk outside. "We got let off the hook" Because of the dim lighting in the corridor, nobody knows who said that. Even though the young male doctor turns back to see where the sound came from, hes unable to find out. Theyre a strange group, as there should be a huge sense of being overwhelmed, yet not even a single one of them is standing out. Its like theyre called a scene of a crowd. Besides, they arent very striking, even if theyre a group of 50 people all bandaged up. Anyway, its not over yet. The only one that stands out is that beetle-haired man, asking as if hes confirming it. If we can say something to him, even if it's just a short sentence, we just want to say sorry to him. You, what are you saying!? Of course you must remain silent!? That, that, I don't know why you're apologizing, but now isnt the time. Hes sleeping soundly due to the anesthetic, and even without the anesthetic, his body doesn't look like it would allow him to wake up, so just let him rest. And the most important thing is, the young male doctor uses his chin to indicate the centralized treatment area. In order to be able to view the patients situation from the outside, there's a huge glass panel hanging on the wall, and from the corridor, one can see several patients sleeping over there. In there on a bed surrounded by numerous machines, the hedgehog-headed boy is sleeping. The beetle-headed man seems as if hes being pulled by the young doctor as he stares at the centralized treatment room. At that moment, dark clouds appear on his face. As if hanging onto the bed, or kneeling on the floor, a girl waits there. A girl in white nun habit using her own hands to wrap the victims hand tightly.
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It's Index. "That kid, according to my experience, I feel its best for her to be alone with him," The young doctor warns with an all hope is lost look. Even the beetle-headed man doesnt have the guts to walk into the room with both of them inside. He can only nod his head silently. After confirming everything, the young doctor walks away. The beetle-headed manTatemiya Saijitakes a step back from the centralized treatment room. He's extremely regretful that that he couldn't do anything for that boy. All the Amakusa recovery and healing spells that have been passed down from generation to generation wouldn't work, and they can only pray for his safety. However, even the right to pray for him is perhaps a problem as well. He said initially that he would protect that boy from Acqua well, but as how the wording went, he was completely kicked away. After being shown mercy even after facing such a devastating attack, Tatemiya Saiji could only lie on the floor and watch Acqua head toward his target. Besides, the guy that he wanted to protect actually fought to protect his Amakusa comrade how humiliating that was. Hes now wrapped in bandages and has band-aids taped everywhere. An ordinary person might not understand, but for someone who knows magic, a person can understand that the Amakusa have gotten even weaker in their techniques of blending into the surroundings. Right now, the Amakusa can be said to have lost completely. They lost to Acqua, and lost even further to Kamijou Touma. Damn it. Tatemiya unhappily clenches his teeth tightly. No matter how low-pitched that was, the enemy wont just wait around and do nothing. According to Itsuwa, Acqua of the Back will not attack Kamijou again if Kamijou Toumas right hand is cut off by tomorrow. Of course, whether its the right hand or attacking, they cant let him do whatever he wants. Tatemiya understands what he should do. In order to protect Kamijou Touma, no matter what, he has to stand up. How long are you going to kneel down there?
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Tatemiya asks. A place that has even less light than the dim corridor, and it can be said that all the darkness is gathered there. Over there, one can feel that there's a small animal trembling there in fear. Maybe one wont be able to understand it if the person doesnt take a closer look. But huddled at the edge of the sofa is Itsuwa. Her hands and legs are bandaged, and the right side of her face is pasted with a rectangular gauze. Compared to the physical damage, the mental damage inflicted on her should be several times heavier. I, I The voice is full of unrest, and there's a bit of swallowing sound made. Maybe its because she has been crying for a long time, since she's unable to control her diaphragm well. I, protect him I said that I would. Whether spear, or magic it was completely useless, not even but, he said it, he thanked me I couldnt protect him at all, couldnt even deal even the tiniest bit of damage on Acqua before he left but I was thanked A *pata pata* sound echoes throughout the corridor. This may be the sound of tears, or may be the blood dripping out of her tightly clenched fist. The the moment I heard that man say that, I wondered, if he had some really strong power. But I was wrong. That man, he cant rely on any defensive spell. Even when I tried to use any recovery spell, it didnt heal even a single wound, not even a scratch. He was just fighting by using his own flesh Itsuwa I, I just watched him be sent off to his death. It may seem really weird to see a teary and smiling face. How can someone like that continue to live on leisurely? Why hasnt divine judgement come down on one of us!? This is too strange. It should have been me on that hospital bed! That would have solved everything!! This one sentence is mixed in with all sorts of feelings. This is a conversation, yet muttering to oneself; its of regret, yet of anger; its of a defeated dog whimpering, yet a beast roaring. She cant even control her own emotions.
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Being forced by the circumstances, Itsuwa does not have much left to control her emotions. Tatemiya is very clear about this. He narrows his eyes, and forcefully takes a step forward at Itsuwa as if hes trying to rip the darkness apart. So you dont have any intention of standing up, no? So what the hell are you doing? Tatemiya said this calmly with a hand grabbing the front of Itsuwas shirt and pulls her out. Before anyone can say anything, Tatemiya uses some really amazing arm strength to raise her entire body up and slam her against the nearby wall. BAM!! The intense sound echoes throughout the corridor. The impact moves through Itsuwas back, causing her breathing to be erratic. However, Itsuwa doesnt make a resisting response, just staring at Tatemiya with teary pupils as if shes begging for oxygen. Mister, didnt you Though her voice is getting softer, Itsuwa continues to move her lips. Didnt Tatemiya-san lose as well? She probably realises that she shouldnt have said those at words. At this point of time, she shouldnt have said these words that would have angered Tatemiya. But she did say these words that will hurt Tatemiyas soul, for shes already unable to endure it mentally any further and is unwilling to do it any further. This girl called Itsuwa must have really wanted to protect that boy, but the reality defies this deepest desire of hers. All her desire got crushed by this overwhelming strength. Tatemiya doesnt force himself to understand Itsuwas feelings. It seems that only Itsuwa alone is allowed to understand those feelings. So in contrast, he said to the rest, So that guy stepped up to save such a woman? Hearing these words, Itsuwa widens her eyes for a while.
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As if she got pierced by something, even when Itsuwa didnt reveal a painful expression after being slammed into the wall, she revealed an indescribable painful look after Tatemiya said this. The saviour that you so cared about was treated like that right in front of you, his body all battered badly. Being like that in front of himyou arent planning to do anything? That guy really went all his way to risk his life for such a woman? If so, that guys sacrifice was in vain, really in vain. The outcome is obvious, didnt that idiot do something idiotic to save another idiot? Isnt that how it is? Itsuwas head feels hot. Her body being raised up in the air, Itsuwa lets out a beast-like shout as she clenches her fist, ready to punch Tatemiya. However, before the fist can hit Tatemiya, Tatemiya brings Itsuwa down from the wall and slams her to the floor. This time, the huge sound will make anyone mistake it for an earth tremor. Riding on Itsuwas body while shes having difficulty to breathe, Tatemiya glares at her and says, Listen, if you dont understand, Ill teach you. Deep, he just said it in a deep voice. Whether its Tatemiyas voice or his expression, anyone can see the rage in his heart. Acqua of the Back will definitely come back. Itsuwas body instantly jerks for a while. Trying to think about what he shouldnt be thinking, Tatemiya again confirms, Even if were to stay here and be upset, time will continue to shorten. Every second we waste, the chances of happiness will go down a notch! Can you allow this to happen? Theres still a possibility, no matter how small it is, it still exists, but ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT USELESS GUILT AND REGRET COST YOU THAT CHANCE!? ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT GUY GET HIS ARM CUT OFF WHEN HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW ANYTHING WHILE BEING ABANDONED!? IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT HIS SMILE, STAND UP, STOP THINKING ABOUT OTHERS AND CAUSE THE DEVASTATION OF OTHER PEOPLES LIVES!! Tatemiyas shout was almost becoming a roar. Facing Itsuwa, who still doesnt say anything, Tatemiya continues, If our help would come over now, we would have done that already. If Priestess-sama said that she will come over, we can leave that Saint to her. But things wont turn out ideally as we would hope. ListenAcqua of the Back will definitely come back. DO YOU WANT TO TURN
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THIS HOSPITAL INTO A BATTLEFIELD? JUST TO ESCAPE FROM THIS USELESS REALITY!!? Ta,temiya-san. EVEN IF WE DONT DO ANYTHING, ACQUA WILL STILL COME BACK!! EVEN IF WERE TO REQUEST FOR REINFORCEMENTS, THE ENGLISH ANGLICANS CANT JUST CHANGE THEIR STRATEGY AND SEND REINFORCEMENTS, SUCH A GOOD THING ISNT GOING TO HAPPEN!! THUS, WE, AS THE PEOPLE STILL MOVING, ARE THE ONLY ONES ABLE TO TAKE ACTION. WE, ARE THE ONLY ONES ABLE TO FIGHT ON!! FORGET ABOUT IT BEING A MASSACRE, IF WE DONT DO ANYTHING, WHOS GOING TO PROTECT HIM WHILE HES STILL NUMB AND ASLEEP!? DONT YOU UNDERSTAND ALL THESE!? Tatemiyas hand, which was grabbing onto Itsuwas chest, lets out a slight sound as the grip was too tight. Actually, the force he exerted on his hand is almost enough to destroy his hand. Also, Itsuwa knows that it isnt just one person being angry and embarrassed about being unable to protect Kamijou Touma well, but the reality is that everyone here was beaten easily. Even so, they said that theyre going to stand up again. Even after they knew the feeling of a defeated hound, they wouldnt continue to be depressed like this, but will stand up again. In order to protect something important. If so, (Iwant) You want to apologise to that guy? Tatemiya said as he stares at Itsuwas eyes. So do you want to let the guy you want to protect the most and got beaten up like that stand in the sunlight again? Itsuwa nods her head slightly. Though she seems to be saying something, its hard to make out what shes saying since shes crying.
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Then show me a fight. Prove to me that youre the best girl, let him feel that risking his life for this girl is worth it. Even if you want to apologise or even see his smiling face again, if hes dead, isnt it all worthless? If you dont want to regret before his tomb, you have to fight alongside us! Tatemiya lets go of the hand thats grabbing onto Itsuwa and slowly gets up. Looking around, he seems to be confirming something as he says, Among all of you, is there anyone whos going to say that he or she agrees with Itsuwa? Tatemiyas voice echoes throughout as if hes trying to break the regretful and weak atmosphere. If theres anyone, Ill make that person wake up. Nobody responded. But everyone has made their realisation. Its not like all their regret and fatigue is gone, but rather, their thirst for battle has overcome all other things. Tatemiya again looks at the people that amounts to about 50, all standing on the dim corridor of the hospital, and says, If theres no one, good. Next, we just have to fight on. None of the Amakusa-style Church members looked back. Leaving only the boy and a nun inside the centralised treatment room, the Amakusa will go back to where they belongthe battlefield in order to fight against this strong enemy. Really, the guy we wanted to save was right in front of us, yet none of us managed to reach out and save him. How could we have let this happen to him? Theres only one thing they have to do. Give the decision counterblow to the enemy and protect that boys life, thats all it is.
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Part 2
In the darkness of the night, Acqua of the Back is alone, silently standing down there. This is a natural park located far inside a corner of the 3rd level of the 22nd district. The reason hes here is simple, even if its a bit, he wants to get far away from the android development plant where science and technology is rampant. However, he should have noticed that all the forests here are products of scientific water and cultivation technology. Its too late though. (Speaking of which, this entire underground space was made for humans, huh?) Looking up, he can see the starry sky, but these are just images made from a planetarium and a screen. Anyone that understands magic by even the slightest bit will sense how it deviates from how it really works. Seems like theres not much money spent on maintenance, as the street lights scatter throughout the streets, letting out small rectangular lights. Acquas holding onto an ordinary phone. Hes talking to the Pope, however, his handphone is not turned on. The glow on the tip of the antenna is created due to magic. (Theres still the likelihood of us being eavesdropped. Besides, those elite English Anglican forces, the Amakusa are still here.) Even if he says this, its better than to use the phone so openly right in the middle of Academy City, the main stronghold of the science side. Speaking of which, its not about killing the target, but getting his right hand? I heard it from Vento before that Gods Right Seat wont change their goal. Thats a personal problem of Ventos character. In fact, we would change according to how the situation plans outbut Terra went overboard. Though Acqua killed a comrade in cold blood and sent his corpse to an enemy organisation, he doesnt feel even a sense of regret or guilt. Basically, whats special about that boy is gathered on that right hand of his, all the threats will be removed if we take it away. Were fussing all over an adolescent boy. Really, we arent such a carefree organisation. To me, what youre doing now is the better method. One can feel that the Pope is smiling on the other side of the phone.
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I did mention it to Vento before, butif he really intends on defying God, we have to kill him. However, I did hear that the boy isnt all familiar with God, so Im really against having to kill him all because of thisbut Vento ignored my view. I dont know what youre expecting from me, but Im no good man nor a philantropist. Acquas tone is somewhat flat. If it comes to the point where I have to kill him, Ill still do it. Right now, that time hasnt come yet, and once that time comes, Ill kill him, thats all it is. Among all these choices and timing, there maybe a possibility that Ill never need to kill him, ever, thats how the situation is. Theres no sense of false pretense in his tone. In this highest group of authority in this world that has only 4 members, the one who instantly killed his comrade, Terra of the Left, without any mercy was Acqua of the Back himself. If the hostile threat disappears because of the right hand, all these will come to an end. If that doesnt work, or if he refuses to give up his right handwhat comes next is very simple. Kill him. Theres no need for anything else to be said; Acqua will return everything back to dust. He has such strength and resolve. Acqua of the Back recognises this clearly, and his expression doesnt change at all. This is truly an intriguing situation. The Pope suddenly said. Gods Right Seat was set up as a negotiation tool for the Pope to enter the enemys stronghold, yet this Pope here can only watch from the Vatican. In Christianity, theres only one God. All miracles are managed by this one and only God, so no one will defy against this entity called God. Normally, everyone should be living happily together, and there shouldnt be anyone living in misery. However, the reality is a lot different.
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Its obvious when one looks through the history of humanity. The failure of the Crusades, the plague running rampant, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire . This isnt just an issue about individual happiness anymore; these events have nearly caused the entire continent of Europe to be annihilated. The Pope himself is not enough to handle all these. Actually, for Christianity that signifies that God is absolute, for the Pope, who represents all these, to find someone to talk about this, it is a sign of misfortune. Thus, Gods Right Seatwas born. Sometimes, they have power and knowledge that even the Pope has to rely on, they can be considered to be a special existence among this pyramid of the Christian society. Theyre different from the Cardinals, the administrators, the strategists etc. Basically, they dont exist in this pyramid in the first place, they would just give advice from behind the scenes. The number of members are always designated as 4, representing the 4 Archangels that are the most important among Angels. Just like this, the members of Gods Right Seat can be changed and replaced internally to keep it alive. But even with these unique circumstances, sometimes the Pope will rely on these secret discussions too often, causing Gods Right Seat to take the central role of the Roman Catholics. Regarding this, Acqua ponders for a while. However, he doesnt say anything specific. The next time I contact you will be when all this is over. As for whether the target will still be alive after that, Ill tell you later. At this moment, a loud sound covers Acquas voice. The reason is due to the air. Something flashed once in the darkness, its a small, dim light that an ordinary human is unable to distinguish. Acqua senses the danger behind it, tucks the handphone in with his shoulder and easily jumps over. The air forms a huge tornado, and the place where Acqua was standing is ripped up easily. Seeing this strange phenomenon, Acqua finally makes a hypothesis. (Scattering some strange particles into the air and then decomposing the contents, huh?)
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For people who are familiar with science, they would think of this nano-sized reflective metal codenamed mimosa. Theres no need for any circuits or power, a specific frequency is used to react to some very small particles. The theory behind this is like a wireless remote control, it can distinguish between animal and plant cells one by one. Acqua is wary against some magical hand that he cant distinguish. This time, the giant artificial planetarium screen changes abnormally, letting out a bee like noise and indicating a warning on the screen. 3rd level region-wide alert regarding absence of air. All residents are to evacuate to the desginated buildings. All families are to install the designated oxygen flasks. I repeat, 3rd level region-wide alert regarding absence of air. I see. Acqua gives a defiant smile. Seems like the opponent has scatter many offensive microbits to force me to be unable to escape. This is really bad. You think so? Acqua sounded as if hes reciting something. All the moisture in the air is his friend. With the moisture, he roughly has enough time to understand the movements of the mimosa and predict it. Over here, the bushes thatre on the side let out some crisp, ripping sounds. Looking inside, one can see that there are mobile armours moving between the trees, their armour reflecting moonlight. Slightly far away, one can hear a mechanical sound. Run on gasoline and electricity, some urban armoured vehicles seem to have been deployed. Even Acquas smile vanishes. So theyre here to check the battle strength? Then lets show them how a mercenary fights. Please try not to kill anyone. Im not sure, but it seems like theyre unmanned. I cant sense anything thats human-like from them, so they managed to get all the way here. At this moment, a new explosion can be heard. Acqua pulls out a 5m metal rod from his shadow.
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However, these things from Academy City are really good. He easily rests the heavy metal on his shoulder and says, Its nice for them to create a battlefield without any bloodshed, Im really grateful for that. Nice way to pass the time. As if in response to his voice, the enemy starts to take action. In a corner of the park, the numerous shadows around Acqua surround him. Numerous bullets are fired at him. The mimosa that cannot be identified with the naked eye comes attacking as well. But these arent going to beat Acqua. He avoids the bullets and blows the mimosa away. Even the bullets that use the power of the mimosa and deviated from normal trajectory are predicted by Acqua easily and countered. (Im not sure of how the science side works, but there got to be someone coordinating them from somewhere.) Acqua breaks through the barricade. The 5m-long lance-like metal rod hes holding onto pierces into the side of the armoured vehicles. Then ignoring the weight of the armoured vehicle, Acqua swings the metal rod, causing even more of these armoured vehicles to be crushed and blown up. This causes the movements of the mimosa to be restricted. Maybe some special spell is used as among the burning flames, Acqua walks through as if hes taking a stroll. (Then, Ill just have to rip through the mobile armours, check the insides and confirm them all one by one!!) Gods Right Seats Acqua of the Back started to take action. Sounds of explosion and destruction echoes throughout the place.
Part 3
Theres a 9-hour time difference between Japan and England. Right now, it should be midnight in Japan, but its evening in England. Due to the latitude, the sun sets in England even earlier, so the sky here is slightly violet. The Royal Academy of Arts.
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A famous and top-notch arts musuem in England. This place is one that develops the next generation group of artists, and holds activites similar to those of an arts school. And right now, one can hear the voice of a lecturer teaching. Standing on the brightly-lit stage is Sherry Cromwell. Then, well be discussing about heraldries today. She has godiva blond hair thats like a lion and chocolate-coloured skin. Her attire is a black Gothic Lolita dress thats scratched and tattered all over. As a renowned sculptor, shes known for only appreciating her own worksor thats what the students say about her. The heraldries are like those family crests, theyre not those so-called things that dont exist in real lifewell, its not like those heraldries dont exist, but well just ignore them for now. Laughter can be heard from the crowd of students. Seems like they just treated it as some sort of a joke, but the magician Sherry doesnt mind as she continues on, If were going to talk about heraldries, normally speaking, they are made of many different parts. However, today, Im going to talk about those shield-type heraldries. Sherry says in a bored manner. You people who only know how to paint on a canvas might find these to be unimportant, but this knowledge may help you when you are creating something that has a special significance in it. Of course, I understand that youre depressed, so just listening a bit will do. At this moment, a few knocking sounds can be heard at the door. Sherry, who was placing the shield-type heraldry on the podium, looks surprised as she stares at the door. Without even making the slightest bit of noise, the one who opened the door the slightest bit is the young clerk of this arts musuem. Shes a young clerk that just started work here last year, and she lowers her little head and says in a slightly apologetic manner. Wellsomeone from the British Library is looking for you Really? Sherry makes an appropriate reply. She then strokes the side of the heraldry with her index finger and ponders,
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Then, if you excuse me. Everyone please carry on with your self-studies. Sherry uses a perfunctory tone to instruct the students, then scratches her head as she walks out of the classroom. After arriving in the corridor, the petite clerk looks at Sherry with an embarrassed look. Im really sorry about that. No problem, that group of people like to do self-study. Creating something cant be done by just teaching, and those people that love to self-study have no such talent in the first place. Ha, haha The clerk laughs ambiguously. With an impatient tone, Sherry asks, So how did this person contact me? Mm, through the phone. Please receive it at the office. With the clerk leading, Sherry arrives in a small room. The telephone on the business desk is giving off a flickering light through the little light bulb on it. Is that it? Since it came from the British libraryit should be something related to art. I see. Sherry often get contacts from places like the British Museum and the St. George Cathedral, and the people around her seem to feel that theyre looking for her to do some artistic identification and restoration. The clerk nods to Sherry before returning to her place. After watching her leave, Sherry picks up the phone receiver with an impatient look. The voice that came from the other side belongs to a lazy-sounding woman. Ara ara. Is that Miss Sherry? So its you, Orsola. Really, cant you find any other experts? In contrast to a really irritated Sherry, the woman called Orsola smiles without any nerves. Well, the large garbage disposal occurs on Mondays and Fridays.
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I got it, I got it. Its useless to talk to you regarding all these, so hurry up and get straight to the point. Recently, Sherry has mastered a way to handle Orsola, so she continues to talk normally. Orsola says the following, From the remaining records of the English Library regarding past magic events, regarding Gods Right Seatwe did check up on Acqua of the Back, but I heard of those things before I got out to work. So, whats the results? The testimonies from the September 30th incident indicate that before he used the name Acqua, he seemed to have worked primarily in England, as there were many similar eyewitness reports. I heard you say that during lunch break. And some of them testified that he was a knight of England Ah? Sherrys eyebrows immediately twitch due to surprise. (As a Roman Catholic, this Acqua of the Back was actually an English knight?) In modern England, the title of knight is just a medal of commeration on the surface. Their background is unimportant; anybody that made any outstanding contributions to England can receive this title from the Queen. However, this title cant be inherited by children or any descendents. To put it in a straightforward manner, its similar to an outstanding civil award. However, theres a difference. In the dark side of England, theres still a large group known as the Knights of England. Theyll raise their sharp blades high for the Royal Family and the country, and anyone that threaten these will be seen as enemies. They will risk their lives to annihalateand like the samurais of the East, these Knights probably vanished into the river of history with the advent of firearms. And right now, this person acting on behalf of another sect was actually a foreign knight of England. If thats true, this may get troublesome. Academy City may come over to question the English Anglicans role in this because of Acqua of the Backs involvement. But from the records of Knights in Buckingham Palace, there isnt anyone with Acquas characteristics. Maybe that information was false.
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Most likely, hes a mercenary whos skilled in magic and got mistakenthis should be the case. But Orsola lets out a frustrated Ummm sound. Its true that there was no such person in the namelist, but Ah? For someone who is nominated to be knighted, there should be some shield heraldry that symbolises their family background, right? I checked with the heraldries manufacturers in the outskirts of London, and it seems like there was an unknown order for a shield heraldry for an unknown personand this heraldry seemed to be cancelled after it was made halfway. I see. Sherrys mouth curls up. The patterns of the heraldry should have the persons background, family history and identity carved on it as markings. If we check these, we can investigate the real identity of this Knight who doesnt exist in the records. So only the pictures of the patterns, right?... I suppose. Well, Ill use that thing called FAX to send it over to you like how I order that stuff the last time. Sherry turns to look at the fax machine, and just at this moment, a sheet of paper is being coughed out from the machine. The young female clerk that called her immediately moves towards the fax machine. Sherry receives a pile of 10+ pieces of paper from the female clerk and scatter them onto the table, using her index finger to run through the patterns and see what the patterns depict. Instead of saying that its a piece of art, this thing in front of her seem more like a blueprint for a machine. The black and white paper have all sorts of information like materials and colours written all over it. Maybe this makes the paper feel a lot more like a blueprint. There are two main colours, blue as base and green as decoration. The animals used area dragon and a unicorn, and the woman here is Selkie (a female ghost rumoured to be based in England)right? The shields divided into 4 parts, and there are 3 animals on it, this means Is there anything you got there? I just understood some basic things. After looking at the picture for a while, Sherry sighs as if she has given up.
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I dont know the specifics, but it seems like the owner of this heraldry really loves to make fun of others. Ha? The dragon, the unicorn and Selkie. The common point between these 3 are that they dont exist in real life. Also, the colours used for the heraldry is odd. The base colour is blue, and then for decoration, green was used when its supposed to be another base colour. This defies common logicits so explicit that anyone has no choice but to laugh at it. Seems like this person was unhappy about being chosen as a Knight. Sherrys fingers are like a phonograph, as she strokes the pictures and transfer the records on the pieces of paper to adult language. Most likely, he was warmly invited by the Royal Family, and wanted to reject this but didnt manage to succeed, so he accepted this grudgingly. If so.this person should have been an active fighter as a free man before he became a Knight. And these were all beneficial to Englandhes a mercenary and yet he was appointed as a Knight, this shows that hes a just person even on the dirty and bloody battlefield. An enemy without fault even in background, theres no one harder to handle than this kind of person. For confirmation, Sherry checked the time it was ordered from Orsola. Seems like it was about 10 years ago. Such an old thing that was cancelled and yet so well preserved by the manufacturer, this shows that Acqua was so well respected when he was working in England. Also, for those who contributed through magic, anyone thats to be given the title of a Knight under this category has to be an Englishman, so how about if I check on mercenary activities in England? So be it. Sherry uses her index finger to knock on the animal drawings. A dragon, unicorn, Selkie. These all appear in English legends, but it doesnt mean England, but rather that Great Britain that includes the 4 areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. ? Isnt the unicorn supposed to originate from Greek mythology? There was this legend of Elizabeth the First receiving the horn of a unicorn. Actually, its just an ordinary animal bone, Sherry muttered.
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Anyway, hes born in England, and was a mercenary that contributed greatly to Britainthat group of lone wolf mercenaries that arent affiliated to any magic guilds and seem primed to be nominated as Knights are suspicious here. And even when he was requested to do something, he couldnt refuse it completely, so this shows that he got some connections with the Royal Family. Check out every single bit of information on this person.
Part 4
With Tatemiya Saiji leading the 50-strong Amakusa main force, theyre now on an alley of the 22nd district. After that, Tatemiya, whos listening to a handphone hes holding onto, says to his fellow comrades. Acqua of the Back seem to be fighting with Academy Citys unmanned mobile armours in the natural park on the 3rd level. At this moment, everyone present feels nervous. The 3rd level was where Kamijou and Itsuwa were attacked. Theres no need to mention who has the victory. This monster called Acqua of the Back wont be beaten with just a large group of machines, everyone knows that. Ushibuka, whos near Tatemiya, looks at Tatemiya and asks, Should we go? No. Tatemiya closes the phone and shakes his head as he answers. Even if were to go now, the result is very obvious. Right now, we can only wait for the intel from the English Anglicans, be ready, come up with the best battle plan and deliver our best fight at the right timeafter this, itll be the decisive battle. We have to fight with all we got. Acqua of the Back managed to beat up the Amakusa comrades and even their saviour, Kamijou to this extent. But even if they do know where he is now, they can only endure. Tatemiyas heart is probably burning and raging now, but he chose to endure for this one shot of victory as he said Just wait. This isnt the right time. For us to prepare our best battle plan, we can only rely on Miss Orsola and the rest as they compile all the information, its alright even if theyre a bit late. So what we can do now is simpledo our best preparations. Tatemiya looks at his surroundings.
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The Amakusa members scattered all over are all armed with weapons like swords and spears. Normally, they would sacrifice the sharpness of their weapons for ease of carrying these weapons out secretly. However, now isnt the time to worry about this, so right now, theyre strengthing their weapons. Please wait for another 3 hours. At this moment, this voice can be heard. Tatemiya turns to look at the source of this voice, and over there is Itsuwa modifying her belt like a belay. Shes sitting on the floor as she strengthens her spearor more accurately, a full-on modification. Her spear is attached through many short rods, so no matter how strong it is, the strength will always be weaker. She used some fixative spray to spray the entire spear and then coat a layer of resin on it, and right now, shes using sandpaper to polish the surface of the grip. I have to adjust the shape until it feels straight, and I also need quite a bit of time to sharpen the blade such that its able to stab through a monsterbut leave it to me. Since I got attacked directly by that guy, I know what kind of guy he is Continuing to use the sandpaper to rub and adjust the exterior of the spear. After the small pile of resin is flattened, she applies another layer of fixative spray on it, continuing on for tens of times, hundreds of times. One can sense the killer intent in her heart as the sound of resin being scrubbed by sandpaper can be heard. This causes Tatemiyas back to go cold a bit; its just like an old cannibal granny sharpening her knife in the middle of the night. Once this idea popped up in his mind, Tatemiya thought: not, not good! Did I overdo it a bit? Seems like Ushibukas wondering that as well, as he slowly gets near Tatemiya and whispers to his ear. (What to do now! It feels like we got too much oil on Itsuwa! Its almost on a petrochemical plant-level fire!) (Ah, no way!? But you see, she looked so out of it at the hospital, so I just did that! All I wanted to do was to motivate her!?) (YOU IDIOT!! You didnt consider the outcome of it and torched her up!? Dont you know how we will be scared of a girl in love in the future!!?) (EH EH? MY RESPONSIBILITY!? THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!?) Tatemiya-san, and Ushibuka-san.
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Suddenly being called by Itsuwa, the two men are rooted to the spot in fear. Im alright, Im alrightso, can you allow me to focus, please? A blank expression compounded with a very flat tone. After Itsuwa said this, she continues to use the sandpaper to polish the spear in her hands to let her spear feel more comfortable in her hands, convenient to use, sharp and deadly. The shape of the spear is slowly forming. WWAAAHHHHHHH!!! Seeing Tatemiya and Ushibuka tremble, their comrades all sigh in helplessness. Itsuwa looks extremely violent today, so Tatemiya and company can only cast strengthening spells on their clothes and make sure that everyone has jotted down the terrain in a notebook and memorised it. Just as theyre doing this, Tatemiya and Ushibuka feel like praying for Acqua of the Backs safety, even though hes not here. [We know you have your reasons, but our Itsuwa here has switched to killing mode, so please protect yourself well.] (We cannot, cannot face an angry Itsuwa head on.) (Ye, yeah, I feel the same.) At this moment, Tatemiya Saijis phone rings. Ara ara, is that Tatemiya-san? Wah, Miss Orsola!! Your voices really healing me!! Seems like Tatemiya got hit really bad somewhere deep inside his heart, as it seems like hes about to cry.
But it seems like the person on the other side of the phone doesnt grasp the situation. Well, Im sorry. Seems like I called the wrong person. Then Ill PLEASE DONT HANG UP THE PHONE!! IF YOU HANG UP NOW THIS PLACE IS GOING TO BE TENSE AGAIN!!
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Having finally grasped the grain of hope, Tatemiya pays attention to Orsola. In order to allow everyone to hear the conversation, he chose the phone to be a non-handheld type and waits for Orsola to continue on. Im going to tell you the latest information regarding Acqua right now. This natural airhead and self-centred Orsola is now reporting in a rare serious tone. We found out Acqua of the Backs real name. His name is William Orville, a magic mercenary born in England, and he doesnt have any affiliation. Of course, when he was born, he wasnt a Roman Catholic, and there are records indicating that he was baptised in an English Anglican Church when he was young. As a mercenary, he was a lone wolf, and it seems like he specialises in taking down enemy strongholds. To think that he actually specialises in this. This doesnt just mean that hes specialises in taking down enemy bases, but rather, among all forms of combat, he specialises in taking down bases. But besides that, it doesnt mean that he doesnt excel in other forms of combat. If so, William Orville would have failed a long time ago, and cant possibly be standing here. Also, as a magician, William had a sorcery name. The name engraved on his chest is Flere210. Flereright? A Latin word normally forms half of the sorcery name, and the meaning of the word Flere is tears. They may not know the significance to this name, but William Orville most probably has a reason for engraving it on his chest. Also, to be able to engrave the name on his chest, it shows that he has overwhelming strength. A Saint. This one word that signifies this absolute difference against him echoes in Tatemiyas mind. So what were William Orvilles accomplishments as a mercenary? Hm, there was an aid to an Astrology group in Western Russia, an elimination of the Orleans Knights in Central France, an Englands 3rd Princess Rescue Mission near the Straits of DoverI cant finish if Im to name them all. This showed that he participated in a lot of battles, and kept winning. To be able to come back alive from so many battles, this is the best proof of Acqua of the Backs strength.
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Orsola rattles off the list of battles that Acqua took part in, and Tatemiya heard of some of these. No matter which ones they are, everyone knows how intense those battles were. Even if the entire Amakusas to gather, they might never be competent enough to handle this. Basically, these were Hell-like battlefields. One strong enemyno, hes our worst enemy. But William Orville isnt just someone who will settle any problem with just force. For instance, even in the medical facilities within the battlezones, he will impart knowledge of herbs to them to lower the mortality rate, taught poor and hungry villages how to cook Murdockhes pretty active even outside the battlefield. In some places, they even call him a Sage. These are really things that people can only do when they truly realise the reality on the battlefield. Some problems cant just be settled by sending large number of forces or donating, one has to truly experience the atmosphere of a battlefield to understand what the people really need, and thus they can understand that what they can do aresnt just in the short-term, but rather ways to improve their standard of living in the long run. Seems like Acqua of the Back isnt just a battle maniac. He has a robust body and a softer mentally, hes a wise beast. This is Tatemiyas impression of him right now. We didnt find anything that can be classified as a weakness. As a mercenary, he continued to use this attribute of being a Saint to continue to carry out explosive battles. So after he changed sects, he obtained the strength of a member of Gods Right Seat? Yes, all the legends during the mercenary era happened before William Orville was called Acqua of the Back. Right now, his power should be a lot stronger than that, and not just that, he has completely mastered a new form of fighting. Tatemiya again recognises how strong this opponent is, and hes likely even scarier than their Priestess-sama. (With this power, how did he control his powers?) On first glance, people like Kanzaki seem like they managed to control their powers naturally, but that isnt the case. If an ordinary magician like Tatemiya is to control that power, they will be completely destroyed by this power. And the power that Acqua wields is even stronger than that. (So we cant overcome him with magic, huh?)
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Originally, William was supposed to be an English Knight, but he disappeared a week before he was appointed, so the heraldry that was halfway done was kept in the makers house. And when he appeared again, he has become an enemy of England. What happened during this time is still a mystery, but they dont have time to wonder about this. We cant expect any weaknesses from him. But at least we can find out Acquas main fighting methods, right? Like what kinds of weapons he uses, what school of thoughts he came from. As for school of thought, it seems like he self-taught himself, and he calls it the Mercenary code. As for weapons, he uses a 5m long iron rod that looks like a Knights lance. These are things that Tatemiya know, having fought against Acqua of the Back first-hand before. Alsothe way he moves in battle is rather unique, not by running, but it seems like he glides on the floor. ? At this moment, Tatemiya cant think anymore. Its true that he didnt hear anything when he was approached, and now that Orsola mentioned it, that seemed to be the case. No matter what, the speed that Acqua of the Back moves clearly indicates that except for the moment he changes directions, it looks like hes vanishing. Seems like he used a water movement spell. The reason why horse carriages can slide on ice is because of a thin layer of water between the carriage wheels and the ice, right? This meansthat guy, before he was called Acqua of the Back, he knew how to use water spells Vento of the Front, Terra of the Left, Acqua of the Back. If they each represent the four Archangels, then Acqua represents the Power of God, his element is water, and during the last battle, he didnt use any water spells because with the abilities of the fighters here, there was no need to use them. (So what sort of plan should we use?) The intangiblesthe number of intangibles that far exceeds their imagination is too many, and Tatemiya cant help but laugh at this. At this moment. No matter who the enemy is, what we have to do hasnt changed
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Plainly. Without moving her lips, Itsuwa says this as she wields her enhanced spear. Youre right, Tatemiya-san The unspoken meaning behind Itsuwas words is Dont run away. Hearing these words, Tatemiyas hand thats holding onto the handphone trembles violently.
Part 5
Its 3am in the morning. On a metal bridge on the 3rd level of the 22nd district, Acqua of the Back is standing there casually. From the park till all the way here, he took down a total of 8 self-propelled mimosas, 17 armoured vehicles, 38 androids, all unmanned. Every time he takes down an enemy, he will move on to another point before destroying the enemythough he has been repeating this over and over again, he hasnt managed to find something like a human controller. Seems like the opponent isnt as tactless and dumb as he expected. Acqua doesnt even look at the artificial planetarium giant screen as he ponders to himself. (It would be very easy now if I had Ventos Divine Punishment) Even so, the enemy forces retreated after an hour of fighting. Maybe because its too one-sided that the higher-ups of Academy City feel that theyre just wasting their military resources. Acqua himself also feels this way, wondering how much money was spent to build what is now a pile of scrap metal. The huge amount of money needed to buy modern weapons will sometimes change a persons thoughts regarding money. Dont they have a better use for this money? Acqua thought. Unexpectedly though, they arent idiots. Acqua makes this assessment regarding this enemy that retreated at an appropriate time. Any professional will often have a sense of pride regarding their areas of specialities; these are things that can be explained in every industry. And for soldiers, its the most direct thing, force. There shouldnt be anyone able to endure and repress the feeling of being abused and killed. But there are leaders who can repress that anger, propose a logical reasoning that everyone can
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accept, analyse the situation well and quickly give orders to retreat, this kind of people exist in Academy City. But no matter how good the political skills the enemy commander has, no matter how strong the forces he has, the thing that Acqua wants to do hasnt changed. Destroy the Imagine Breaker. And to eradicate anything thats impeding him from taking action. (Then.) Acqua pulls out a pocket watch from his pocket and confirms the time. (So theres 19 hours till the Imagine Breaker deal, huh?) He covers the pocket watch and slips it into his trousers pocket. Acqua slightly moves his eyeballs at the side. So I can see the outcome now, right? Acqua says to the darkness. Theres still more than half a day till that time. Are you guys prepared for this? Footsteps can be heard from deep within the darkness. It isnt just a pair. The number of footsteps total about 50, and every one of them is of the English Anglican sect, the Amakusa style Remix of Church. The footsteps give a sense of unity, as if they just penetrated each gap between the metal frames. Male and females, young and old, theyre all wearing ordinary attire, but theyre wielding weapons like swords, spears, axes, bows, whips; and under the shine off the street lights, its rather unlucky. There are people wielding weapons that even the ex-mercenary Acqua dont know of, like the Japanese exclusive chain sickle (kusarigama), the jutte and even something like a metal flute. Standing in front is the current Substitute Supreme Pontiff of the Amakusa style Church, Tatemiya Saiji. The reason why Acqua knows his name is simple. During the battle just now, Acqua managed to sort out information that the Amakusa exchanged with each other. Being able to effectively gather information in the middle of a battlefield is something a mercenary must be skilled in.
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Well, you gave us a tough question that we couldnt decide on, and ended up not bothered by it at all, so we quickly settled it. Got to thank you for that. Tatemiyas holding a large wavy sword. Like a broadsword and two-handed sword, this is a huge two handed sword thats meant to cleave through the enemys defenses. A huge monster thats over 1.8m in length. But to Acqua, thats of a kid holding a wooden stick. An unreasonably tough question, huh? As if hes mocking, Acqua uses the inside of his feet to knock the ground a few times. Without a single sound, a large block of metal thats over 5m long leaps out from his shadow. Right now, youre against the 2 billion followers of the Roman Catholics, and you can escape with just the loss of a single arm. Is that a tough question at all? I thought it was a bargain. The real enemy isnt the Roman Catholics, but people like you who treat ordinary civilians as bait and manipulate when they continue to believe in God. Humph, so the deal broke down, huh? Is there anything else other than that? Not much difference to me, I wont be bothered by it. On the other hand, you should be worryingbecause you just gave up the one chance of you surviving. From his shadow, Acqua pulls out an extremely large rod, easily swinging it as if its a tennis racket to confirm the condition. He then says, Im afraid you forgot, so let me repeat this again. Im one of the Saints, And I have the power as a member of Gods Right Seat. If, after confirming all these, you people still feel that you have to risk your lives to protect that person, Ill wait for you. The possibilities that humans have, this dream-like thing, Ill look forward to it for a bit. Ill take on all your special moves that you exert with full force. Acqua, he, he has changed.
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Its not like he changed externally like he got Angelic wings on his back or some halo above his head. However, at this moment, one can feel that his aura had changed. And after that, Ill win. Acqua takes half a step forward. This isnt for movement, but to help him grip the metal rod better. This means that he has recognized Tatemiya and company as enemies, and will use all his strength to crush their realisations and resolve; a silent movement. This thing called winning, its not decided by good and evil, but winning and losing, and Ill prove that to you. What Im hoping for is for you to at least force me to use a trump card. If you cant even do this, I wont even call you weaklings, but fools But Acqua isnt able to finish his words. CLANG!! Her patience at her limits, Itsuwa completely ignores the fact that those two are still talking, and immediately carries out a blow meant to kill Acqua. Itsuwa wordlessly uses this Friulian Spear of hers to charge at Acqua at blinding speed, and with a spell icy night wind cast on the tip of the spearit explodes. BAM!! Flashes appear everywhere, and its not just Acqua alone getting hit, the neighbouring asphalt roads were mercilessly ripped up and crumbled. Theyre supposed to be comrades, but Tatemiya was shocked by this sudden attack as he turns his head around. It.. Itsuwasan? Showing a painful expression, Tatemiya said softly, but Itsuwa doesnt look back at all. One can see from her shoulders that shes extremely nervous. Seeing the dust flies about in the air, Itsuwa readies her spear and slackens her chin. The rod, being used like a grey window handle, pulled open to scatter the dust, and the unhurt Acqua appears inside. Shouldnt you listen to other peoples words till the end? If you have something to say, say it later. Forget about being afraid, Itsuwa actually said this as she took a step forward bravely.
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AFTER I BEAT YOU TO A PULP OVER AND OVER AGAIN!! IF YOUR JAW ISNT ALL BROKEN, ILL LET YOU TALK ALL YOU WANT!! Itsuwas plain expression seems to have some abnormal force gathered on her forehead. The huge shout feels like it can break even her cheeks. Hearing this, the Amakusa members can only hug their heads painfully and exchange looks with each other. (AHHH!! THAT ITSUWA, HAS SHE COMPLETELY LOST IT!!?) (BECAUSE YOU, SUPREME PONTIFF-SAMA SAID SOMETHING ABOUT PROVE THAT YOURE THE BEST GIRL IN THE HOSPITAL. WOULDNT THAT CAUSE ITSUWA TO GO ALL OUT!!?) (Youre really an idiot. Even if its God, a girl in love will still charge on.) In contrast to the males whore making a commotion, the females are so calm it makes others feel intrigued. Ignoring this, Itsuwa continues to glare angrily at Acqua. From who knows when, the focal point of the Amakusa has changed. Humph, you have guts, but can you back up your words with action? Let me enjoy this a bit. Dont worry, even if were reduced to a slice of meat, well LET YOU REGRET ALL YOU DID AFTER BEATING YOU TO MEAT PULP!! EH EH!! DO WE HAVE TO GO TO THIS EXTENT!? Ignoring the cries behind, Itsuwa again takes a step forward. The two of them are within attacking range, and ignoring Tatemiya Saiji, whos standing there blankly, a huge battle begins.
Part 6
On the metal bridge in the middle of the night, explosions can be heard. As a Saint, Acqua has tremendous power as compared to Itsuwa, an ordinary human, so there is a definite advantage in speed. Acqua moves at a speed thats like vanishing to a humans naked eye and attacks Itsuwa head on. He lets his muscles in his body expand instantly, and the large rod slams down towards Itsuwa like a guillotine. In terms of movement, Itsuwas slower by half a step, and finally manages to move her spear.
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Stabbing the spear into Acquas attacking trajectory, Itsuwa tries to block him attack. However, nothing can block this one hit from Acqua. However. Ugh!! With the sounds of rocks colliding with each other, Itsuwas spear receives Acquas rod. Normally, Itsuwas body would be crushed together with this Friulian Spear and blown away. This spear? Hehe, I made about 1,500 layers of resin on it. The two peoples weapons let out some squeaking sounds as they continue to bite into each other. Itsuwa smiles and says, The symbol behind this are the age rings of a tree, and the spell hidden within is the reproductivity that plants possessuntil the spell reaches the end of the world, as time passes on, the hardness will continue to increase. Ill let you see how much endurance it can gain after every second. Take this power of the scattered grass, Itsuwa declares. But there are other spells used as well Things from ancient times, in all sorts of civilizations, why are things like clothes created? I suppose that I dont have to tell you the significance behind this spell, right? Looking closely, one can see that a patch of clothing on Itsuwas abdomen is torn unnaturally, revealing the white skin underneath, it seems like the damage done to Itsuwa is transferred over there. To protect a persons bodythis is the most important significance. But then again, its just a spell to weaken the damage, it isnt one omnipotent spell that can negate all sorts of damage. During the last battle, Acqua didnt see such a thing, and right now, theyre using these spells without holding back. In other words, the Amakusa members are able to create such efficient spells on the fly. But what shocks Acqua isnt this. (She matched up well against my speed?)
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Acquas a Saint, his speed should be overwhelming, and not something that a human can follow. Normally, Itsuwa should be unable to even flick a finger before she gets crushed. But in reality, this isnt the case. Though shes slower by half a step, Itsuwa still managed to catch up to him in the end. Though she didnt have time to turn defense into attack, she still managed to defend herself well. Why? Being puzzled, Acqua quickly figures out the catch behind this. This group of approximately 50 Amakusa members has a certain rule when moving. Instead of just having a different formation to make battling a lot more effective, theres a unique rule behind this. If Itsuwas the focal point, the focal point will be moved somewhere else. If anyone wants to pursue the centre, the centre will be scattered into the crowd and disappear, and just when they prepare to ignore the centre, Itsuwa will again be the focal point. It feels like in the group, this thing called the focal point has continued to change. Gathering at the right time, and scattering at the right time. Like sand in an hourglass, each movement has a huge significance. (A spell that increases visual activity and mobility, huh?) Such a little trick This action feels like theyre familiar with fighting against Saints, and Acqua frowns uncomfortably. There are only about 20 people with this rare power of being a Saint, thus there are very few people whove actually seen a Saint in their entire lives. (Speaking of which, theres a Saint like me who exists among the Amakusa Style Remix of Church.) Because of this, they probably got used to matching up against the speed, arm strength, and reactions. And also, they have the brains of those that have experienced it first-hand, and thus they managed to come up with this spell to match up against Acquas movements. Acqua brings the rod behind his body, holding it properly again and sees Itsuwas expression. However, youre still too slow. Hm!? Acqua again closes in. Before the gust strikes, the rod has already struck Itsuwa. Itsuwa tries her hardest to block this hit, and her clothes automatically rip to avoid the magic impact. However, the next time is coming
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next. Itsuwa wants to swing her spear to knock this strike away, but that hit took a lot out of Itsuwa just at this moment, as Itsuwa is knocked backwards. Faster than even the initial strike, Acquas second hit was barely knocked off course by the old Isahaya, and at this moment, the lady Tsushima grabs Itsuwa by the neck and pulls her out. The 3rd strike that Acqua sends out directly hits where Itsuwa previously stands, crushing the asphalt without any mercy. The entire metal bridge shakes unstably. Even though they managed to avoid the direct hit, the large amount of debris hits Isahayas entire body, blowing him away. Acqua wants to continue pursuing Itsuwa, but at this moment, he notices something shiny thats mixed into the grey dust. Its like an infrared laser to allow people to see through smoke. This thin light comes from, Metal wires. And its not just one or two. Carefully noticing this, one can notice that with Itsuwa at centre, the 50 Amakusa members all have some extremely thin wires on their fingers. Each person is controlling 7 of these, and in total, this deadly spiderweb of 350 wires attack Acqua. Humph. Acqua doesnt even dodge it. The extremely fine maze wires ripping through the air, and instantaneously bind his entire body, together with extreme force exerted throughout the wire, are trying to rip and crush his entire body. Instead of killing him, it couldnt even stop him from moving forward for even a single second. Such a tremendous display of power, that is Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back. [You killed.] This little voice echoes within Acquas ears. [You killed me.]
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(I see, so this is the real purpose, huh!?) That moment Acqua grits his teeth, something like red mist rips on the wires. This red mist immediately expand like its immersed with this painting called the darkness, and soon, it engulfs Acquas entire body. The hidden spell within this is a Punishment of a Killer. Standing on the damaged bridge, Itsuwa muttered, and the red mist suddenly exploded from within. The Amakusa magic causes a huge expansion of this mist, and after creating an inescapable prison, it explodes within the mist. With this technique, no matter how fast the person is, they cant escape this. This is a spell that allows each wire to have symbolic features of being a persons lifeline, and then punish the person that destroyed these wires. This is an ancient thing, a spell that any religions has, no matter the culturein other words, no matter what kind of defensive spell it belongs, it cant block this Curses of the Fallen. The red mist box that surrounds Acqua expands twice or thrice, like a continuous bomb explosion in water. Each explosion triggers another chain of explosions. Each of the explosions continue to chain up, and from who knows when, the exterior of the red mist box became distorted as a bunch of grapes. Its impossible to do this with just a persons strength; this is something that the Amakusa uses the ultimate definition of being one entire unit. But Itsuwa and company sure dont look relaxed. BAM!! The sure-kill technique explodes from within, and expands out. This is an explosion thats larger than what the Amakusa prepared. A strong shockwave thats stronger than the explosion Amakusa used to kill, this shockwave easily rips through this red prison. The dust and steam mix together, making the entire place look like a grey screen. What comes from the other side of the screen is a mans rough voice. Then let me tell you my attributes. On the other side of the screen, a gigantic man shadow is swaying about.
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Theres something like a core supporting this vertical shadow. My attribute is the Power of God, who has the distinction of informing the Childs birth. I can use the spells related to the Divine Mother to a certain extentin other words, I can use the secret ritual of worship the Divine Mother. Only the words continue on, The Divine Mothers Worships special attribute isto weaken the punishment. Only the voice of Gods Right Seat, Acqua of the Back continues on. Occupying this entire world. The believers get saved, and also, punishing those who dont obey suitably, thats another attribute of the Power of God. With this special attribute of weakening this through the worship of the Divine Mother, its like helping a woman escape from a monastery, helping her take attendance, and continue to cheat on the watching eyes until the woman comes back. Silently, the figure moves. Ripping through this window thats formed by dust and steam, the human figure moves forward. Unlike the Son of God who was born as the Son of Man, God and the Holy Son, the Divine Mother was an ordinary child, but at the same time, she and God has a bond that cant be separated, its this rare existence. Using this logic, the Divine Mother has this attribute of being a middle person thats able to surpass anyones mercy and transfer the suffering of those severely punished to God. The voice echoes throughout the air. High and mighty, not even trying to hide. Then now, Ill tell you the conclusion. My attribute is the Divine Mothers Mercy that negates any punishment. Even if theyre strict and just final judgment, it can be overturned, and even direct whether a person is going to Heaven, or to Hell. No matter what kind of guilt one has, the punishment will be nullified. To me who has this attribute, your attacks are meaningless. I dont even need to move a finger to ignore this sin of killing. And for me whos able to even to negate Gods Sin, do you think you can use this ordinary spell to beat me? Explosions can be heard. The grey screen surrounding Acqua immediately gets blown away. Humph, you should have listened to me till the end.
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Acqua places the huge rod on his shoulder, looking extremely bored as he sighs. Over there, there isnt anyone else around. The 50 Amakusa fighters carefully used a diversion spell letting people detect human presence still at there while they escaping. Hes standing on the bridge, alone, but he reveals the kind of smile that a hunter will have when hes hunting his prey. Well, lets just say you just increased my fun in hunting you down.
Part 7
With Tatemiya Saiji leading, the Amakusa members moved to a small plaza 300m away from the metal bridge. When they casted a Punishment of a Killer, the moment they saw that spell break, they immediately used this high-speed escape spell to run away. But thats just a temporary effect. Acqua has such tremendous strength that for him to detect a human presence or magic flow is easy for him. Also, in this sealed underground space, the number of places they can hide are limitedalso, theres an absolute reason why the Amakusa cant run away. He managed to break through it in the end. What do we do, Substitute Supreme Pontiff? Ushibuka keeps the metal wires that are now cut into something like fluff as he waits for Tatemiya to give the next instruction. It would have been great if we could beat him using that just now. Seems like things arent that easy. Tatemiya wields the large wavy sword in his hand as he looks at the surroundings. Though the Amakusa showed that they can match up to Acquas mobility, its not some cheap thing, for if a group of about 50 people can continue to match up against a Saints movement speed, the Amakusa are worth even more than a Saint. Theres a limit to how much we can fool him. Itsuwa exhales heavily to adjust her breathing as she said this. Actually, the key behind that body strengthening spell is touching people on the back. The spell hidden within this is the recovery spell inserted from behind. They continue to change formations as they fight, the moment they move and cross each other, their comrades will pat each other on the back, recovering the body functions and immediately get stronger. Its not a spell that a person alone can do, its a group-exclusive movement spell that works for their
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comrades. Also, the effects will be even better with the fengshui effect of a pulse like a sleeping corner or rest point. With their comrades helping, the effect of the increase in mobility increases, allowing them to be able to match a Saints speed. However, the enemy has broken through this formation, causing the strengthening rhythm between the comrades to be broken, and them unable to catch up. A break in one place will affect the entire chain, finally causing the entire group to be slow. With this, theres no way they can beat Acqua of the Back. A Saint is such a monster. Seems like we can only use the origin. According to how the Son of God was executed, well start our counterattack with Itsuwa at centre. Dont feel regretful, make you resolve, and head on. Tatemiya looks around, and especially at Itsuwa, waiting for a response from everyone. At this moment, Itsuwa holds the Friulian Spear tightly with both hands as she nods her head. At this moment. A strong chilly atmosphere touches everyones skin, a gigantic presence ripping through the night and quickly approaching here. Theres no need to guess who this presence belongs to, theres no one else but Acqua. For the Amakusa, their favourite battleplan still remains. But even then, as thats their favourite, its not something that can be activated so easily. Well, lets get our positions ready first!! Tatemiya shouted, and the entire group of Amakusa members moves out like the waves. However, theyre not moving front, back, left, right, but down. They place their hands on the floor filled with small tiles, and after that, there appears a 1 square metre area wide helicopterentrance like thing. Whats waiting on the other side of the entrance is an underground space made of reinforced concrete. The place is filled with staircases and handlebars that are covered with moisture, and large, thick pipes intercrossing with each other. As if shes being held down by a large and loud machine, Itsuwa slips between the gap below. Only at this moment does she realises that this is a hydroelectric turbine power plant.
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This is another level below the level full of underground streets, the depth is about 10m tall, and the space is just appropriate to carry out all sorts of daily necessary activities. Tatemiya, Itsuwa and the rest slip through this small space as they set up wires and trap spells all over the place. Though they dont feel that they can beat Acqua, they just hope to delay him for a while. The real aim of the Amakusa is down below. Anyway, as long as Acqua goes down from the 3rd level to the 4th level thats full of traps, they will have enough time to prepare that favourite spell of theirs. Since you have prepared such a nice thing for me to see, I should give something back in response. Without knowing when, the deep voice of the man echoes throughout the dark underground space. The voice seems to have echoed a few times, so they cant tell where it comes from. As one with the attribute of Power of God, you should know what I can do. !? They dont even have time to respond. Suddenly, a huge pipe inside this huge space of cement breaks from within. Longer than 1m in diameter, 5cm thick, the super tube got ripped apart like paper, the debris that are as large as guitar picks scatter all over the place, causing orange sparks to fly all over the place. The highvelocity metal pieces that fly over collide with the cement, knocking about all over the place. Water is something that can change easy, you can even use it to make a bomb if you use it well. CLANG!! The pipes everywhere start to explode one after another. As if they were forced open by water and steam, the large amount of metal pieces end up being a rain of shotgun rounds. Itsuwa barely managed to react in time as she blocked a piece of metal thats aimed at her face with her spear, but she got tripped down due to the impact. Though shes extremely mindful about the destructive power, theres something that shes even more mindful of. Before the water pipe broke, she seemed to have seen some shiny word.
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The shiny word that appeared seems to be Laguz. This word thats like a marking is, Whata water rune? Extremely ordinary. As its too ordinary, it can be considered a very symbolic form of magic. This reactionseems like you learnt something about Gods Right Seat when I sent Terras corpse over, right? According to the English Anglican report, as the members of Gods Right Seat have bodies that are more akin to Angels, they have the ability to use unique spells and cannot use ordinary spells that an ordinary magic can use. This should be the case But is this really something shocking? Truly, Gods Right Seat cant use spells that ordinary humans use, but I do have the spell of the Divine Mothers worship, which releases me from these limitations, bonds, and constraints. Having two powers of being a Saint and Gods Right Seat at the same time. And he has completely mastered human and Angelic spells. Dont you put me, Acqua of the Back, on the same level as the other members of Gods Right Seat! (Ku!!) After that, another few pipes break, and the water turbines that are used to generate electricity explode as they attack here. The huge turbine swings about like a rotating blade, and on seeing it slowly come close, Itsuwa leaps past the metal handle and jumps down. She uses the spear to break through the door on the ground thats like a duct, and quickly gets outside. This is the bottom of the 3rd level, near the ceiling of the 4th level. In this space thats about 20m from the surface, the thing metal passages and stairs around are all intercrossed. Such a scene is like a dance stage, and below Itsuwa, its the street of the 4th levelnot really. Whats actually below her is that huge planetarium screen. A camera image of the surface that forms an artificial sky covers the entire screen, and the cloth used for the screen is supported by thin pillars and wires hanging in mid-air. But right now, Itsuwa has no time to notice these strange scenes. !! Wheres Acqua!! Over here.
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Just as Itsuwa feels that she heard Acquas voice, the giant wind pressure whips up. Itsuwa instinctively moves her spear once she sees where this wind pressure is coming from and prepares to take this heavy hit from the enemyjust as Itsuwa thought of this, her body got blown away about 15m away, together with the spear that shes using as defence. She can hear the sound of metal being ripped behind her. Itsuwa finally manages to endure the huge damage on her entire body and prepares to make her next move, but theres no place for her to place her footing. Without any ideas, Itsuwa can only let her body land on the giant screen. However, whats unexpected is that the screen doesnt rip, but supports Itsuwas weight. Seems like the screen was specially done to prevent anything that falls from ceiling, and has this special job of being a guardian. Not mindful about being unable to stand properly, Itsuwa wields her spear properly and looks in front. Acqua of the Back. Hes holding onto a huge rod thats of a different league from Itsuwas spear, and he jumps off the railing and lands on the screen. Then, the trial will end here. Readying the rod that hes carrying on the shoulder, Acqua calmly says. Since both sides are holding weapons, theres no reason not to attack each other. That seems to be the case. Itsuwa seem to respond as she points the Cross-shaped spear tip at Acqua, saying with a heavy tone. But Im not your only enemy. After that, the helicopter holes on part of the ceiling open up one by one. The Amakusa members all appear here, and each of them are injured, there are blood stains on their clothes, but none of them landed yet. 50 people in all, 100 eyeballs are capturing Acquas figure. In contrast, the monster doesnt even feel fear. No problem.
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Calmly. He didnt even take a single step, just letting his centre of gravity descend. Bring it on. The moment he said this, all the Amakusa members charge down at Acqua of the Back.
Part 8
From the front, Itsuwa charges at Acqua directly. Before Acqua, whos standing on the screen thats meant to show a sky, can respond to Itsuwas movements, some sword-wielding Amakusa youths start to attack him from the left, back and above. About 20 blades are aimed at Acquas body, and even if Acqua avoids these, there are 30 more blades left. For a normal human, this is something that he cant handle. But Acqua does it. The huge rod rips the air, and being in mid-air, Ushibuka and Kouyagi are blown away. The deliberately invoked shockwaves that ripple out strikes others, and ignoring the Amakusa members who have their formation all messed up, Acqua turns around and slams his rod straight down from behind. This entire chain of events is just like an explosion. With Acqua at the centre, the formation of the Amakusa was blown away, the members all sent flying back in all directions. !! Wanting to add on with another attack, Itsuwa suddenly realises something and stops her feet. At this moment, Acquas body is gliding as if hes skating on ice. As if hes aiming for the hole left in Itsuwas defence, Acqua raises his rod and aims at her from a diagonally high position, before swinging it down as if hes trying to crush her skull. This is a lightning bolt formed by iron. But this hit misses Itsuwa.
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Acqua feels that he missed his attack, and Itsuwa, who was supposed to be within striking distance, vanished. Looking closely, he finds that the light-coloured sweater that Itsuwa was wearing is hanging on the tip of the rod. Acqua turns his eyes to the front, and slightly far away from here, Itsuwas standing there. Its unknown what sort of spell she used; shes still wearing her clothes, and only the sweater was abandoned. Acqua easily swings the rod and tosses the cloth on it over. So you used this as a scapegoat, huh? But Im unlucky, theres not many things to use as a scapegoat. Itsuwa readies her spear as she said silently. Please dont make me do something too embarrassing. Before both of them can finish, they clash again. Acquas rod looks like it can cut through the floor easily. But in contrast to before, Itsuwa and her spear are enhanced, all these efforts are meant for her to be able to match up against a Saints movements. One hit, two hits, three hits, though shes slower than Acqua by half a step, Itsuwa at least manages to deflect all his attacks at least. Nice movements. Acqua raises the rod in his hand quickly as he honestly praises his enemy. But even though youre doing well, your movements are slowly getting slower. Ke!! The difference between the two is slowly widening, and once this difference widens to a certain extent, Itsuwa will definitely be unable to block Acquas attacks and will be reduced to a pile of meat. In order to support Itsuwa, Tsushima, Isahaya and many other Amakusa members attack Acqua from all angles, but got blocked by the protective wall formed by the rod when Acqua swung his rod at a terrifying speed. Fighting against Itsuwa and yet still managing to easily hold the surrounding Amakusa members down, once he seizes any chances, the rune word will shine and appear, and the high-pressure compressed water will be reflected over. While theyre continuing on with their ferocious attacks, Tatemiya and Itsuwa exchange glances. (Is that thing ready yet!?)
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(No time left, do it!!) IT!! In order to readjust their current situation, Tatemiya tried to call Itsuwa, but at this moment, Acqua comes attacking with another strike. Thought Tatemiya managed to instinctively block the strike with his large wavy sword, the impact causes Tatemiya to bounce on the huge screen twice or thrice. Next. Seeing Itsuwa breathlessness, Acqua raises his rod. How long more can you last? Let me enjoy it. With these words, Acquas muscles instantly expand. Its impossible to get away from his striking distance. The giant rod clashes with Itsuwas spear. Though she managed to avoid a direct hit, this is already Itsuwas limit. Every time the two weapons collide, like some missing gear parts, Itsuwas speed will drop at an obvious rate. Theres no room for any counterattack. Theres no way to completely block the shockwaves caused by Acquas hits, as the shockwaves hit the screen that they are standing on. Maybe the screen is reinforced with some special bulletproof fibre, but it still got ripped easily like stockings. This Hell that continues to sap strength is like a marathon. But in this marathon, the runners back is slowly against a large blender that can grind humans into meat sauce. She will die if she stops. Even so, forcing her body to continue running will only cause her death once she reaches her limits. The blade and the blunt weapon continue to clash against each other. Humph!! Acqua inhales, wanting to grip the rod even hard and exert even more strength, but at this moment, Itsuwa takes action.
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Shes not heading forward, but rather, it seems like shes directly running away from Acquas frontal attacks, instantly moving backwards. Dodging it by a few centimetres, almost negligible. If its someone with Saint-like mobility, like Acqua, this distance can be nullified in an instant. However, to Itsuwa, its something that determines her life and death. After forcing herself to jump back, she loses her balance, and looks like she can fall anytime. Itsuwa has no way to carry on with the next action. Whether its dodging, or blocking. Humph. Acqua again adjusts his breathing, preparing to deal the final blow by stabbing the rod forward. The air is ripped, and Acquas speed is like a supersonic jet. GAKUN!! But his movements seems to be restricted by something, as he suddenly stopped. Wha Acqua looks at his legs in surprise. His high movement speed is maintained by a certain type of spell, theres a thin layer of water membrane between his soles and the floor, and like how a skater skates in an ice forum, the same principle is used to allow his body to glide. But this spell got destroyed without him knowing. Itsuwa of the Amakusa definitely doesnt any strength to reverse Acquas spell and destroy it. Up till now, she hasnt done anything like a ritual. However, The moment he notices it, Acqua finds that theres something shiny mixed in it, and it comes from the soles of Acquas feet. There are inexplicable waves that are obstructing Acquas spell. Itsuwa wasnt able to take Acquas attacks directly, and the remaining shockwaves formed caused the screen that theyre standing on the rip. And the look of this ripped screen forms some sort of a position. Whats amazing is that this position affects Acquas movement spell as well.
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This isnt coincidental. The Amakusa Style Remix of Church wont use any special spells or spiritual tools when they use magic. They will use all sorts of daily items, reclaim the magical element hidden within them, arrange and develop all sorts of spells. And most important, Even if its for an instant, Acqua definitely reveals a gap. Seeing Acqua like this, Itsuwa, whos standing in front of him, reveals a slight smile. Without mercy, Itsuwa raises her spear at Acqua, whos in front of her, and charges forward. After waiting for so long, this moment has finally come, a hit thats like lightning. A straight line attack that rips the air, Acqua does a dodging motion for the first time. Ugh!! Acqua doesnt dodge to the front, back, left or right, instead choosing to jump. Its alright even if its on the unstable screen, as Acqua is able to jump about 5m after just one jump. Hes now standing on one of the pillar thats hanging the screen. TATEMIYA-SAN, EVERYONE!! Even so, Itsuwa doesnt change her position. She lowers her body, ready to use the Friulian Cross-tip spear and points it at Acqua. NOWS THE TIME TO USE OUR FAVOURITE!! Itsuwa shouted, her entire body full of strength. The Amakusa members around respond to that call; some are near Itsuwa, some are slightly far away, but the formation they have now clearly emphasizes that Itsuwa is the centre this time. Balancing on the thin pillar, Acquas looking for a suitable place to land, but at this moment, what he can sense below his eyes are all the willpower and magical power thats gathered on Itsuwas body. This is some sort of foreboding, the first wave of something big thats going to happen. (So its coming!)
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Before Acqua can say this, Itsuwa took action. A huge explosion can be heard. The moment Acqua realises that this is the sound of a human stepping on the screen, Itsuwa is ripping the night sky apart like some sort of a rocket or spacecraft. Due to this huge power, some pillars that are hanging off the giant screen are bent. In Itsuwas hands that are coming near is a small piece of cloth thats like a wet handkerchief. She uses this to hold the handle. A tube spear!? As the friction between the spear and the palms is reduced, the piercing speed and power of the spear has increased many times. But Itsuwas aim is different. TAKE THIS!! She uses all her strength to send this strike. If she doesnt do anything to protect her palms, her palms will most likely vanish first while the magic is transferred. SAINT DESTROYER!! The spear in Itsuwas hands explode. Its not a metaphor, nor is it a comparison, but rather, Itsuwas spear really becomes lightning. This sharp strike that flies in a straight line hits Acqua right in the abdomen, and without mercy, the blueish white purple electricity passes through his body, spurting out from behind, ripping the darkness of the night apart. This huge friction causes the cloth thats used to hold the spear to let out black smoke. With this explosion, a lightning Cross appears from Acquas back, and new explosions continue to occur everywhere. ! Acqua wanted to say that some valuable and hidden spell was activated. The spell that Itsuwano, all the Amakusa Style Remix of Church members let out, the Saint Destroyer. As a Saints body is similar to the Son of God, based on the Idol Theory, Saints are able to have similar abilities to the Son of God.
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On the other hand, its possible to seal this power that they call the Stigma that a Saint has; by destroying what makes these Saints similar to the Son of God, in terms of specific body features through human means. A Saint who loses this balance doesnt just lose the power so easily. They cant even control their power, and may end up going rampant. In the past, The Amakusa Style Remix of Church lost a Saint. As she was a gentle Saint, she was afraid that her tremendous power will hurt people around her, and chose to leave her home. In order to allow her to endure that tremendous power, the Amakusa members made a vow. One day, they want to be able to bear this tremendous power with her. The next time, they must reach her back, grab her hand and tell her its alright. They must be that strong. And what they worked so hard on is the Saint Destroyer. In order to let her, a Saint, stand beside them, they have to correctly understand what kind of existence she is. Then, they must climb past that wall, and then they must step up to whatever she feels may be a threat. Based on this theory, the Saint Destroyer was born. A real one. A successful spell that the Amakusa Style Remix of Church managed to create. A special spell that exists to beat a Saint. (As the magic went rampant inside his body, the time it takes to solidify is about 30 seconds.) In theory, this is a spell that only works on Saints and has no offensive effect on other ordinary magicians. Because of this special attribute, there cant possibly be an Saint that will specially come over to be lab mice. Thus in a certain sense, its a decisive moment right now. But the feeling that Itsuwa gets from her hands is that they succeeded. She uses her to estimate this effective time. (Using this time that we have left, lets cause the just an ordinary person Acqua be completely powerless!!)
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However, Not a bad spell. This time, Itsuwas expression is frozen. The Friulian spear that was converted into lightning changed back into its original shape from who knows when. Itsuwa didnt give any commands, so this means that an external force forced the spell to be reversed and negated. Acquas left hand is on his hip. Hes not pressing against any wound, but at the place where his skin nearly got touched, he managed to use his hand to grab the tip of Itsuwas spear. Most likely, before Itsuwas spear turned into lightning, Acqua forcefully grabbed the tip of the Friulian spear; and the reason why those special sparks will appear is likely before he did something to it before it fired, causing the effect to leak out slightly from the tip of the spear. If I were just a Saint, I would most likely have been finished off. Acquas lips curl in a distorted manner. This isnt a mocking smile, but rather a delighted smile that shows that he has met a strong enemy. But thats too bad. His left hand grabbing onto the spear, Acqua slowly moves his right hand. A 5m+ rod thats completely made of iron. BUT JUST AS IM A SAINT, IM A MEMBER OF GODS RIGHT SEAT!! The explosion occurs within the plaza where no one is on. Itsuwa doesnt even have time to use her clothes as a scapegoat. The moment Itsuwa noticed that her body made all these noises, her breathing has stopped. This vertical hit that comes from above cause her to fall through the bulletproof fibre screen thats ripped apart, falling about 20m down. KYYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
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As she falls, she can see several layers of defensive barrier spells opened, and they likely belong to the Amakusa members. Itsuwa herself is also using one, trying her best to slow her falling speed. However, these spells were all broken through, and Itsuwas body lands hard on the asphalt floor. The grey dust dance about in the air. Battered pretty badly, Itsuwas buried in the asphalt, and the only part she can move is the head. She looks up at the sky, and sees that on the screen, with a sound of waves hitting a rock, a large amount of water spurt out from the crack within the rock. The several tons of water form a giant hand or a dragons jaw. In front of this overwhelming strength, the Amakusa members scatter, and one can hear many cries of agony. Among them, a shadow gently descends down like a feather. How boring. You gathered so many people, and this is the best plan you can come up with? Its Acqua of the Back. He stands beside Itsuwa, whos basically completely defeated, and says silently. As for the conditions I was willing to give, you still have a few options. Many streams of water continue to flow down the planetarium video screen, and there are mechanical warning sounds. But Acqua is unfazed, he would just beat all the enemies in front of him. He casually says to Itsuwa, Ill let you decide, do you want to hand that boys right hand over? Or do you want to be the patterns on the ground here? Itsuwa doesnt reply. But she made her response. She grabs a piece of debris of the asphalt road and forces her battered body. This bloodied Itsuwa still wants to stand up. If so, looks like I have no choice. Acqua said silently as he raises his gigantic rod. Since you wished for death, Ill let you disappear in all this commotion. The front tip of the rod is pointed at Itsuwas head.
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DONG!! Such an explosion can be heard. A waterfall comes from the other side of the ripped screen, devastating the water on the 4th level in response to Acquas call and becoming 20m long. Its just like something that just grew out of the floor; a huge hammer that looks like a cable car joint changes into a beast that prone on the floor, looking for its prey. Itsuwa doesnt close her eyes. Thus, shes able to sense it till the end. She senses that Aquas hand stopped. Suddenly, the entire place is filled with killing aura of an unknown nature. The source of this killing intent isnt from Acqua, nor is it from the Amakusa members around them like Tatemiya and Ushibuka, and it cant possibly be a thoroughly injured Itsuwa. The distance and direction are unknown, but there really is killing intent. Acqua stops his hand and notices that his target is moving from one place to another. This something that forced someone like Acqua to divert his attention is closing in. I see. Acqua of the Back muttered softly, and then reveals a smile. Itsuwa saw this expression from close range before, this is an expression that he will only reveal when he faces a strong opponent. But this time, he isnt looking at Itsuwa, but rather a look thats a lot deeper than the previous one by many times is engraved on his face. The block of water moving along the 4th level is dissolved, and the water that loses its magical form becomes a tsunami that attacks the banks on both sides. Acqua releases the strength from his shoulder and carries the huge rod on his shoulder. And only once, does he look at Itsuwas face and says. Seems like you got a life back. Thank your master. BAM!! This explosion echoes throughout. The moment Itsuwa thought of this, Acqua of the Back has already disappeared. As he was too fast, the naked eye cant catch up. Itsuwa blankly slumps on where she is, just looking at the front where theres no one.
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She survived. The iron, asphalt, anything, everything around got crushed like an explosion in the air. The surroundings is just a pile of wasteland, with a large amount of water washing them away. In this pitiful situation, Itsuwa isnt happy even though she survived. In this situation, she cant tell whether they were completely defeated. Acquas words continue to echo in her mind. Thankyour, master? Itsuwa turns her head and looks around. Though she turned to where Acqua was standing at, theres nothing there. Like Acqua, who vanished, whats over there is just an endless black night.
Part 9
About 200m away from where Itsuwa landed. On the riverside, theres a little observation post. With the dispel bystander spell, theres no one here except for 2 Saints standing on the icy facilities. One of them is Acqua of the Back. And the other is Seems like you took care of my comrades quite a bit. A slim and tall body, snowy white skin, black hair thats extends to the waist even after she ties it. Her clothing is a T-shirt, with a rough material jacket that has the right sleeve ripped up. And the left side of the jeans below is ripped off, revealing the entire thigh. However, despite such a unique get-up, theres something thats even more eye-catching than them. A sword thats attached to her belt. The 2m long katana, the Seven Heavens Seven Swords. Speaking of which, there was a Saint in the East that goes by killing everyone with just one strike. A Saint that belongs to any country or association isnt allowed to anyhow go anywhere. Even though this Saint is taking some risks, she still chose to stand in front of Acqua. He grips his rod.
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The meaning behind this is basically that he doesnt need to bully the weak and can enjoy all the pleasures of battle. I heard that the Amakusa Saint seem to hate fighting. So you have any intentions of fighting against me? Thats right. She says, I have that kind of personality, but it seems like Im a lot more immature that I thought I would be. Kanzaki Kaori says, But seeing them get beaten one by one, that wont do. That wont do at all, I bear that kind of a sorcery name. Wrath was one of the original seven sins, I was supposedly taught that way. The Saint that was called Priestess-sama feels like shes blowing all the darkness of the night and the rubble away. Shes just standing there. Stop worrying about someone. I wont let their efforts go to waste, thats just enough. For that innocent boy that got violently abused without any reason. For the group of comrades that stood up to help that boy, and yet were trampled by this overwhelming power. She looks like shes about to break the hilt of the sword as she grips onto it. The eyes of the two Saints are colliding. With this signal. Among the less than 20 monsters in the world, the battle between 2 of these monsters in the world begins here.
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Between the Lines 2

The Knights of Orleans. Frances largest magical society, and the name of the association that brought this boy despair. This association was originally a volunteer association attracted by Saint Joans deeds, and unlike the combat strength that everyone recognises, this group supports Saint Joan from the shadows. Also, at first, they were not some enhanced special magic group, they were just people who wanted to save France, regarding of their identity, their status, and (rare at that time) there were nobility and peasants, all sorts of people standing side-by-side, laughing together, it should be that kind of an association. But in year 1431, 30th of May, something major happened that altered their course. Joan of Arc, who was captured by the English, was burned under the sin of being a heretic. From that day on, the Knights of Orleans became another abnormal association that exists to avenge Joan. The revenge on the English that killed Joan was to be expected, and also other French soldiers, nobility, those that didnt save her, those French citizens that didnt do anything to bring Joans body back, the association treated them as their targets for revenge (strictly speaking, they intended it but did not manage to do it, its not like theyre an organisation that will consider whether its appropriate). And the number of people targeted for revenge increased. Even if it was the largest magic association in France, if it wanted to declare war on these people, the chances of them winning was still slim. However, they themselves didnt know that. The Knights of Orleans had a hope. Saint Joan wasnt naturally born with any special ability. When she was 13, she heard a special voice, and after which, her powers started to bloom. The Orleans Knight were always looking for this Oracle of Joan. Unlike Joan, who wanted to protect people, these Knights did this only in the name of revenge. To those who only whisper and pray for a miracle, God wont lend them a hand, so why didnt the members of the organisation notice that? Of course, the Knights of Orleans became an association that looks for mysteries, making them even more involved in magic. A few hundred years had passed, and the members of the Knights of Orleans have switched for several generations. They wanted to create someone that had Joans powers, and the experiment that cans possibly succeed was still continuing.
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A boy and a girl were involved in this experiment. The girl designated as the essence of the Oracle of Joan could be said to be forcefully taken away. The boy wanted to resist, and he thought of all sorts of ways, using his entire strength to fight onand failed. Right now, the boy had lost the girl beside her. The dying boy last heard the words of the girl: I trust you. But the boy didnt even have any strength left to stand up. For if he had that strength, he would have used it a long time ago. The boy lay alone silently on the dirty ground. So are you going to continue lying down here and give up on everything? He heard a voice. A strong man who called himself a mercenary. Seemed like he came all the way to France to stop the Knights of Orleans. Over here, he met a boy and a girl, and he did a diversionary attack in order to allow the girl to escapebut the boy in the centre of the battle was too weak, causing the girl to be taken away in the end. I dont know what to do as well. The boy lay on the ground, muttering to himself. If he stretched his hand out, he would be able to reach the sword encased in the scabbard. Its a French fencing sword thats modified for military use, one that the boy could easily use due to its lightness. And at the moment, the boys thoroughly wounded arm felt like it was afraid of touching hot water, all cowardly and not wanting to touch the sword scabbard. Im not some special guy, not some person that can guarantee that everything will be fine as long as Im around!! I cant win, the enemys the largest magic association in France! Youre asking me to fight against people like that!!? So are you going to abandon her? Because you couldnt, you stood up, right? Now how long are you going to lie down there?
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The boy didnt respond. He couldnt respond. He moved the beaten and battered body that was covered in mud and wounds, and finally managed to lift his upper body, but this was already his limit. In addition to his physical strength, his mental strength got quite exhausted a bit. The mercenary didnt mind. Theres no time for you to be stuck in this worthless despair. No matter how many times the boy tried, the mercenary didnt have any intentions of helping him, instead reaching his hand out to the sword that was kept in the scabbard. The enemys strong. If they carried their plan out for their goals, you and I know that girls future. Then, dont you just need to think of only one thing? At this moment, the mercenary deliberately paused. Even in that situation of despair, she still said I trust you. Right? The time in the boys body froze. Only the words of the mercenary continued. So what are you planning to do? Are you going to stand up and protect that foolish girls dream? Or are you going to give her more despair by teaching that foolish girl what reality is? The mercenary grabbed the scabbard and brought the hilt in front of the boys nose just as he was lying down on the ground for who knows how long. Decide, which one will you choose? There was no need to be worry. There was no need to ponder at all. The problems in front were a lot, and all the possible risks were as many as the stars, but these were unimportant. Only the people who took action had the right to worry and ponder about this. The boy stood up. Ignoring the immense trauma, he grabbed the hilt of the sword that the mercenary reached over, removed the lock on the weapon and pulled it out.
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Nice choice. The mercenary smiled. The boys expression changed. He stood beside the mercenary, the same position, and walked into the dark exit together with his comradewhile continuing to look at the secret base with the enemies he must beat and the girl he must save. Lets go. The boy said silently. The time to be afraid is over. The enemy was the largest magic association in France, the Knights of Orleans. The largest professional fighting association in France continued to act in revenge, and the counterattack of their opponents began.
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Chapter 3: The Duel to the Death between Entirely Different Monsters. Saint VS Saint.
Part 1
Has everyone heard of the sound of the Earth breaking? This noise has already surpassed the level of explosions and sonicbooms, its no longer within acceptable human range; its the worlds cry of agony. Every single aftermath of this cry disappear into storms or gusts of winds that rips the tree branches on the street, causing the concrete on the 4th level to tremor and bend the metal handrails like sugar. Kanzaki Kaori and Acqua of the Back. On the streets that are filled with a scientific atmosphere, the two Saints clash against each other. This is everything thats happening on the observatory in the middle of the night. HHHHHHAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! Kanzaki lets out a loud battle cry as she uses a godspeed sword drawing technique. Using the idea of manipulating other teachings to counter a specific religion and cause damage to the opponent, even the Angels in a monotheistic religion can be sliced in half. This is Kanzakis killer move. If Christian spells dont work, then shell use Buddhist spells. If Buddhist spells dont work, then shell use Shinto spells. If Shinto spells dont work, then shell use Christian spells. Using such a method to mask the weaknesses of other religions, a one and only spell thats full of destructive power. In other words, Single Flash (Yuisen). No matter how many people there are, nobody should be able to survive that. However, it gets blocked by Acquas huge rod, and after a few hits, Kanzaki is clear that Acqua may know of as many spells as Kanzaki, or even more. Hes not just a member of Gods Right Seat, hes even able to cast ordinary magic spells. In order to bypass this, Kanzaki switched over from Buddhism to Shintoism, but Acqua immediately changes his defensive stance. The huge amount of magic between them continue to change, and in this supersonic physical battle, another dimension to this battle is currently underway, a mental battle called reading the moves.
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Physics and magic. Body and spirit. Chaos and calm. The weapons continue to clash with each other, causing sparks to fly all over the place. Seeing this battle between the Saints, there is a huge catch to this battle. Normally speaking, one doesnt need any talent to master magic. Magic was originally something that exists to let people without any abilities create miracles like someone with abilities. But can anyone say this after seeing this battle between these special existences called Saints? So exciting. Just for this one person, you people sent in your entire group of fighters and firepower, Im really impressed . That boy, even I, as an enemy, has to be impressed with him. Acqua waves his 5m long block of metal as easily as if hes waving a tree twig, saying. But be ready. Since you want to be my enemy on this battlefield, theres only the outcome of being taken down by me!! A new explosion can be heard. Once Kanzaki felt the surface of the black stream behind her start to move, an approximately 20m column of water has already risen. Like a huge jointed hammer, it sweeps past the ceiling of the underground street at a terrifying pace before slamming down at Kanzaki. For Kanzaki, whos already having a hard time fighting with Acqua, shell die if she cant handle this well. However, The sound of things being cut can be heard. One can see that around Kanzaki, whos fighting in this death match, theres something shining. The moment Acqua noticed this, the 7 strikes hit the huge water hammer created by Acqua of the Back and cause it to return to the stream. The Nanasen created by the steel wires. Ill feel really belittled if you think that this is my full power. Kanzaki moves her lips, and the 7 strikes seem like theyre correcting Kanzakis sword trajectory as they assault Acqua from all angles.
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Acqua quickly increases his attacking rate. Using his rod to block it, turning his head around to avoid it, in front of Acqua, who continued to manipulate the sword and the wiressuddenly, a strong red flame surrounds him. Eh? The steel wires scattered in the air become a 3 dimensional magic array. The moment Acqua realises this, the strong red lotus flames swallow his entire body up. After that, its a second explosion, then a third explosion, finished off with a blade slash basked in moonlight. The sounds of continuous attacks cant be heard. As it was too fast, even the sounds have become uncountable. The loud noises that were delayed for a few seconds feels like a giant fist thats ready to rip the air apart. But Acquas not there. Moving away from the front where Kanzakis looking from, Acqua flew to the concrete floor10m in front. Theres a cut on his face. Maybe he was cut by the steel wires, and its really a small cut. However, this is a rare wound that he got despite the huge number of people he fought against. The red fluid flows down Acquas face, and he says silently. As expected of a member of the Amakusa, what you people do is basically the same. He uses his index finger to wipe away the blood left behind, and then presses the fingertip on the side of the rod, writing something thats of an unknown meaning. But theres actually such a huge difference when its a Saint doing this. This thing called talent is really cruel. Throughout history, magic was always the saviour for people without any talent. However, this thing is meaningless in front of Saints who are God-blessed. Facing this speech by the opponent, Kanzaki temporarily turns silent.
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If its according to the battle results, maybe what he said is true. Without Kanzaki, the current Amakusa couldnt even scratch him. However, I hope that you can correct your words. Kanzaki sheathes the sword in her hand, lowers her centre of gravity and prepares to draw her sword again. Its true that they cant use Yuisen, but the basics of swordmanship, steel wires, spells are all passed down from my Amakusa ancestors. What created all these isnt this small thing called talent, but the result of their history. The Amakusas my school, my teachers are my comrades. Thus, I wont agree with those humiliating words of yours. The hand on the sword grip tightens. Besides, you understand what kind of power you have, yet you attacked an ordinary high school student without any mercy. You have no right to look down on others like that. But these words can end up being used to bite Kanzaki in the back. For a certain motive, she hacked a certain boy before. These words may be punishment to herself as well. "...To get angry over something like that, that's immature." Using his own blood, Acqua drew some patterns on the rod and got his rod ready as he said this. 10m. To a Saint, this can't be even considered a distance. This scene of confrontation between these two is a bit like a traditional Japanese drama, and yet it feels a bit like an American cowboy film. "The infantry accidentally met the tank while he was scouting...this is a battlefield, there can't possibly be any sure-fire strategy, some escape route or safe zone, let alone any gentleman's rule. These things don't exist at all. Purposely making all the conditions exactly the same, making the chances of winning be equal for everyone; such a thing can only be called a sport.These are talents, firepower. Anyone can expect the outcome when an infantry that's not suitably armed meets a tank. The tank will fire without any mercy, and the infantry will end up as dust on the battlefield. Dont tell me your battlefield is different? This is just your reasoning.
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But the ones walking into this territory are you people. Acqua doesnt even mock them, just saying this calmly. No, regarding that boy, I wonder which certain master pulled him up? No warning at all. Without any warning, Kanzaki took action. With a speed that can make any professional magician feel that this is a mirage, Kanzaki gets into Acquas arms, and maybe the sheath touches the concrete floor as sparks follow Kanzakis cuts, but before the sparks chases up, the Shichiten Shichitou has already start to hack Acqua. The high quality metallic sound can be heard. The two monsters called Kanzaki and Acqua clash with each other, and both these people stare at each other. Even after you knew all these, you still treated him as someone who merely got involved in this! WHY DID YOU STILL USE THE POWER OF THE SAINT TO ATTACK HIM!? A voice that no one heard of before, one roar that reveals all his emotion. Just because Kanzaki and Acqua are both Saints. Or rather, a Saint bears the hurtful experience of hurting others. THERE ARE ONLY 20 OF US ON THIS PLANET, AND EVEN NORMAL MAGICIANS WILL BE FEARFUL OF THIS EXISTENCE. YOU STILL CONTINUED TO CARRY OUT VIOLENT ACTS WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE CONSEQUENCES , YOU BASTARD!! This thing called a reason to fight, what can you do even when you understand it? In contrast to Kanzaki, Acqua still remains as calm as ever. Anyone who has confidence in his actions has no need to find excuses for the path he has chosen, for their will is shown in their actions. However, for those with a prepared script, how much of this is real? Between these two colliding forces, the superficial magic continues to let off small explosions. The blood words written on the rod explodes, and using this opportunity, both Saints choose to increase their distance.
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A slightly backing off Kanzaki and Acqua, whos still holding onto the huge rod and not moving at all. What supports a strong opponents core may be a huge belief. However, Kanzaki Kaori doesnt see it at all. Let me see, Saint of the Far East. The atmosphere that surrounds Acquas body expands about twice. Its not just words; its as if the weight and pressure of the entire rod that hes holding onto has increased numerous fold. I dont want just words, I want to see your belief through that blade of yours, show it to me wordlessly. After that, the Saints clash again. At a speed that nobody can catch up to, with a power that nobody can interfere with.
Part 2
Kamijou Touma's eyelids move slightly. This tiny movement is so small that nobody knows that he did this unconsciously. It's almost a spastic movement; as slowly, slowly, his eyes force open a small slit. Even so, his vision isn't going to recover within a few seconds, and he can't even grasp the distance. After a while, he realises that he's facing the ceiling of a hospital. (...I...) Kamijou doesn't know what this place is, or maybe he was here before, but his brain isn't able to process this. Compared to the scene that's depicted in front of his eyes, the disinfectant alcohol was registered a lot faster. (...Wha...t's...with...me...) He can feel some things stuck on his chest and abdomen, seems like some electrodes were attached to him for information collection. Though the lights in the room are turned off, Kamijou can feel a person's presence. There's a little heavy weight besides the blanket. Kamijou rolls his eyes over there and sees that it's Index, who's sitting on the chair, sprawled all over the bed as she sleeps.Though her expression is covered by her long hair, it seems that she was really worried all the while before she slept.
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This made Kamijou's heart ache. "..." His lifeless hand that's on the bed finally regains some strength. As if responding to his brain that's regaining conscious, the blood starts to circulate throughout his body. Acqua of the Back. Itsuwa. The Amakusa. They must have continued to battle after Kamijou lost consciousness when he was thrown off the bridge, and he really hopes to do the same. Of course, the probablity of 'the Amakusa won, and there's no need to battle' isn't 0, but not to disrespect them, Kamijou can't really conjure such an image in his mind. Acqua of the Back is a true monster, and though Kamijou understands that he, an ordinary high school student shouldn't be enemies with such a monster, it's better to have numbers. Acqua views the power in Kamijou's right hand as a dangerous existence. Then if it's viewed the other way, if Kamijou uses it, it may cause a drastic change in the situation. As long as it's this right hand, even a miracle from God can be destroyed. After confirming the existence of his right hand, Kamijou nods his head to himself. He again looks at Index, who's sprawled on the bed as she continues to sleep. This girl must have been really worried about him. (...Sorry Index, I'll continue to apologise profusely after this...) However, (So, let me do what I need to do.)
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Part 3
BAM!! Such an explosion can be heard throughout the night in Academy City. This isn't a storm created by fire, but a storm created by water. The large amount of water that's being manipulated b Acqua's magic passes through the ceiling and forms a large hammer; however, Kanzaki mercilessly uses her steel wires to slice it into pieces. The machinery-shaped several-ton block of water instantly disperses as steam, and they're again manipulated by Acqua, forming into diamond-like things. Acqua doesn't just control a 'hammer'. The entire 2km diameter stretch of the 4th level can be said to be completely controlled by Acqua. All the water from the artificial streams are all siphoned out, every single drop floating in the air, and the water become extremely fine strings as they're scattered all over the school, forming a complicated and strange magic array. The water forms different arrays, and continues to interchange, change shapes and form all sorts of arrays to protect Acqua. Multiple attacks come at Kanzaki. Ice spears 30m long fly over. Water whips are attacking Kanzaki all over. The huge ball-shaped blocks of ice are intercrossed with each other. Among these gaps, Acqua himself slips in front of Kanzaki. Using a tactic to increase the chances of the opponent dying, multiple spells that can be considered killer spells are merged together. According to Acquas prediction, 70 seconds later, Kanzakis movement will be too slow and will be hit by a fatal blow. Hm!! But even after she managed to surpass the expectation, Kanzaki still counterattacked. In response to an ever-changing water magic array, Kanzaki controls her 7 steel wires and extends them out, immediately create all sorts of barriers. After understanding that shes completely in a disadvantageous situation, Kanzakis steel wires continue to rip the water lines, getting into the water streams to distort them, causing Acquas magic to fail or using his own attacks back at him.
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This is already electronic warfare, a high-tech battle triggered by magic. The water and steel wires continue to corrode each other, breaking through the gaps, hiding in deep places, fighting for the supremacy of this limited world. The world gets engulfed by numerous beams of light. The water that Acqua uses to form magic arrays and the steel wires of Kanzaki that are breaking them. Acqua, who has completely controlled this underground city, and Kanzaki, whos creating the only space here. While using their minds to carry out this magnificent duel of magic, both of them continue to use martial arts to fight. No matter which side it is, its a level where no magician can reach, and right now, these two of this level are engaging in a really intense battle. Numerous explosions can be heard. Kanzaki and Acqua's bodies have become mist in the air. The steel objects continue to be swung in numerous directions, missing each other, clashing with each other. (He knows how to use Divine Mother's Worship...) Kanzaki grits her teeth as she controls her sword, the steel wires and the spells. It isn;t just because of pain that she's showing such an expression. Acqua did say that he's distorting the strict rules for Christian spells, but Divine Mother Worship isn't originally meant for this purpose. It was something that was meant to give the Fallen a chance to revive. For example, a criminal, or perhaps people who have strayed from the right path, a tragedy that even God will give up on. However, for these people. the Divine Mother will shed tears for them, smile at them in their dreams and give them the key to miracles. Humanity could then stand up, and then pray what's within their hearts, thus activating the spell. Thus, it can be said that the effect will be different according to the person who activates it, and it's some unrelated to the worship of the 'Son of God'. But this is wrong, the real nature of the Divine Mother Worship is to prevent the tragedies form by the gaps within the network formed by the Churches and the clergymen. The Divine Mother doesnt exist for the Christian society to be disrupted. Men will kneel down and pray for the safety of their families, friends, companions, she just exists for this.
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Divine Mother Worship. The highest class Saint ever in history for her act in fulfilling the greatest task in Christian History by giving birth to the Son of God. In order to allow people to rest, the Divine Mother got the blessings of the Angel and bore the Son of God, and managed to walk down the path of trials and tribulations with her husband. The result of her people worshipping her is the Divine Mother Worship. And right now. (Such a thought!!) An ordinary Divine Mother Worship spell alone is already hard to understand It's hard to understand the Divine Mother Worship spell already, and there are completely false reports like idols and tools that can trigger miracles. Thus, one can use this point to discover the fakes, but Acqua isn't like those evil people, he's really using the miracles to execute violence. "Really impressive." Acqua's voice can be heard through the sound created by the katana and the rod colliding with each other. "2km diameter, this 5000 ton array, and you managed to endure it through your own strength." But Acqua continues, "--That body, is it at its limit like what I'm seeing?" "Eh?" These words make Kanzaki's movements pause for a while, and Acqua's attacks become even more ferocious. Kanzaki looks she's about to pull away instantly, but she quickly bounces back and swings her sword. The amount of force Kanzaki uses when she uses 'Yuisen' is one that an ordinary person can't handle, and she's basically forcing this strength. Thus, in this condition, it's not suited for longterm battling, and Kanzaki's 'Yuisen' are sword techniques that are used only when necessary and when there's a sure kill. But it's impossible to get a one-hit kill on Acqua.
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Acqua, who has power equivalent or more than Kanzaki as a Saint, also has the special attribute as a member of 'God's Right Seat', causing his body to be strengthened completely. In this world that Kanzaki just so happened to step into, Acqua is standing there casually as he smiles. Like an Angels existence, Kanzaki bites her teeth. The power that Acqua masters is the Power of God. (That time, Misha Kruezhev didnt really appear completely) Speaking of which, Kanzaki did have a battle with a monster called an Archangel. (But, its strange, I can feel something even higher than that from Acqua!?) Acquas sending consecutive hits at Kanzaki, making her wonder whether her opponent really has the same capacity of being a Saint like her. But even if its not complete, the feeling that Acqua gives can completely match up against the Saint. However, this is unimaginable. If he really has that much power, an ordinary human would have self-destructed. HA!! Kanzaki hears Acquas breathing. A moment later, she surrounded by a sensational feeling. The feeling is felt when Acqua stopped his ferocious attacks, storing his strength and ready to send the next hit, his one full-powered hit is coming over. The large rod swings over from the head, and Kanzaki turns her sword horizontally to block this hit. The moment she receives this, the huge impact passes from the sword to her wrists, body, and finally the bottom of her feet, all at one go. The soles of her boots sink quite a few centimetres down the ground. Its supposed to be a hard tiled floor, but the floor got trampled down like mud. Even if her head wasnt hit, such an impact would have made people feel like they have a concussion. But she still endured it. And Acqua, who used his entire weight and strength to attack, will definitely reveal an opening.
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WOOOOOHHH!! Kanzaki lets out a shout as she draws her Shichiten Shichitou. A perfect timing, a perfect chance, this is the one hit to revival. But its useless. Acqua uses his rod to block the attack, and only the heavy metal sound and impact causes the force within the sword to be scattered. This is the reality. "It's been 3 years since I last fought another Saint. This can really be a good sport." But on close look, Acqua has a smile that doesn't have any feelings in it. "But let's end this. I came here to work, and don't have that much time to enjoy this 'sport'." "Wha!?" Kanzaki is unable to make the perfect response, and can only swing her sword forcefully, letting out a stronger hit. But Acqua has already vanished right before her eyes. Kanzaki doesn't sense Acqua's existence through her sight, but through presence. He's in the air, having jumped up to a place about 20m above. That's not a height an ordinary person can do, the leaping ability is like a rocket. Acqua, who has become a dot in the sky, has the satellite of the 'Power of God' behind him, the Moon. Strictly speaking, that's not the case. It's just a display in the sky that's formed by the planetarium image display. Acqua does a half turn at a place near the ceiling and steps onto the artificial ceiling. "Ugh!!" Kanzaki wants to immediately close that distance, but the damage she took just now, coupled with all the burden on her body, caused her body to pause for a few seconds. Having stopped moving, Kanzaki feels a cold presence coming at all from all over. This is a life and death boundary that only fighters can feel. This huge wave continues to flow through the entire battlefield, and there's some special 'tendency' that doesn't exist. And as for Acqua, who's above her. "--The Divine Mother shall remove all evil."
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In response to Acqua's low voice, the moon behind him lets out an explosion-like glow. However, the planetarium screen is currently being wrecked due to overload, and there are sparks flying all over the place, like some unknown countdown causing things to explode. The real moon is definitely unable to shine in here, but there somehow is some layer of intensive protection coming from the real moon. An ordinary magician is definitely unable to do this, but Acqua managed to forcefully do this through the spell Divine Mother Worship. (This is...!!) Kanzaki clearly knows that the rod surrounded by a blueish-white glow has a large amount of energy in it. "Sometimes, depicting this power called the Truth of God, LET YOUR MERCY RISE TO THE HEAVENS!!" The moment Acqua roared, he stamps onto the ceiling and quickly descends down. Having suffered quite a lot of damage, the fake sky is completely destroyed thanks to this hit, as the blue silhouette becomes pitch darkness again. A vertical drop. A giant rod thats swung down. What was released wasnt a strike, stab, shot, explosion, break, split, or crushing blow. Its just an ordinary pressure. The sudden charge in from above that has destructive power able to destroy everything, giving an impression that an asteroids about to crash into Earth.
At this moment, all the sounds in the world vanish. Even the sound of the Earth breaking is gone. With Acqua, who released this killed blow, at centre, everything within 100m radius on the floor of the 4th level of Academy Citys 22nd District starts to collapse. The falling impact causes the steel and concrete floor to collapse into dust and create a huge hole. Even when the hardness is of those used in safety shelters. The ground within this 100m collapse, falling all the way down to the 5th level.
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The boom and the tremors and the dust explode all over the place. The destructive sound continues to echo throughout the place. The water streams and the water turbine generator are cut off, and the water flows down like a waterfall. Among this rubble, Kanzaki Kaori has fallen inside. The attack itself was blocked using the Shichiten Shichitou, but the ground below her feet is unable to stand this impact. Having endured such a large pressure and fallen more than 20m, Kanzakis lying on the pile of concrete as she looks up. Shes thoroughly covered in wounds, and even though that one hit from Acqua wasnt a direct hit, the weight corrodes her body through the weapon. Being stuck between that extra-large rod and the artificial ground, no matter whether its the wrists, legs or body, Kanzaki has reddishblack liquid gushing out of her body. Even this one of less than 20 Saints is now in such a pitiful state. If shes to endure the same attack again, the outcome will only be death. However, Biting her teeth hard, Kanzaki Kaori doesnt have any look of fear or shock on her face. What she has is only anger. This is the 5th level below, maybe Kanzaki just so happened to land on a plaza, but the miraculous thing is that there arent any innocent victims who lost their lives because of this. However, this is just a theory. If this is a residential area, or if there was anyone walking around on the plaza; the thought itself makes Kanzakis back chilly. Though Academy City seem to have done some things to counter this emergency, this place is different from the 4th level, there isnt the bare minimum of a dispel bystander spell. Theyre definitely both Saints. Theyre definitely among those 20 people blessed with power. Why, why must they clash swords over such a stupid thing?
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Acqua Kanzaki finally manages to lift her thoroughly wounded upper body, grabs the Shichiten Shichitou that has fallen among the rubble tight, and said this in a lifeless voice. In contrast, standing on a thoroughly devastated 5th level, Acqua says, Wheres the Imagine Breaker? He easily carries the rod that has such destructive power on his shoulder. Or are you saying that if Im to destroy every level, one by one, Ill meet him? AAACCCCQQQQUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Giving an impression that shes shaking off the fresh blood on her, Kanzaki abruptedly stands up. The Shichiten Shichitou in both hands is swaying left and right unstably. Maybe she gripped the sword too tightly, as several broken fragments falls off her fingernails. Red blood continues to flow through the gaps between the fingers, as Kanzakis insides are severely damaged since she wasnt able to endure the impact thoroughly. Through the mouth that shes trying her hardest to breathe from, blobs of blood are spurted out. Even so, Kanzakis eyes arent showing any signs of weaknesses. And as long this expression doesnt change, she will continue to swing the sword in her hands. Maybe shes trying to encourage herself, as Kanzaki uses her hand to press against her damaged respiratory system and gives a hoarse roar, sending a strike that Acqua blocks with his rod. The sound of metal clashingfollowed by several metallic clashes, instantly causing the surrounding air to explode. A loud exploding sound can be heard. The weapons of the Saints collide with each other again. Kanzaki Kaori swings the Shichiten Shichitou at an extremely high velocity, and the 7 steel wires move about as if theyre trying to block the spaces formed by the attack. Once she can create some time, shell sheath her sword again and use another quick-draw technique at an extremely fast speed. Shell then use the steel wires to draw out a 3-D magic array or to help her move about, using the rhythm of steel colliding with steel to let out fire or ice spells. She continues to use such ambush tactics.
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In contrast, Acqua uses his rod to block Kanzakis sword and absorbs the moonlight that represents the element of Power of God, making hithe offensive power of his rod a lot stronger. Also, he uses the special attribute of Divine Mother Worship that nullifies any punishment to surpass the limit of a member of Gods Right Seat cant use ordinary magic. He continues to use supersonic attacks as he let out spells like vacuum blades and rocks at Kanzaki from all angles. Sparks scatter between these two. What appears around Kanzaki and Acqua is like a miniature starry sky. Ack, ack!? But the result is obvious. In the sky where Kanzaki is in, blobs of blood continue to flow as shes at her limit, and one can tell that she got hit quite a bit even though shes trying her best not to show it. The speed of her sword swing has obviously gone down, and shes already having an image of despair in her mind, thinking that she wont be able to match Acquas speed and will be dealt the killer blow. For herself, whos already struggling to match up to his speed, its impossible to make a comeback and deal a decisive counterattack. She has to keep some moves, and only then does she have a chance to make a comeback. And as for Kanzaki, who has used up all her trumps, this opportunity wont come anytime now. Theres no situation even tougher than being unable to use a trump. However, [I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!] What appeared in her mind were the words she heard when she first met 'him' in Academy City. Thinking about this, the strength returns back to Kanzaki. Her power's back. THOSE THINGS DON'T MATTER! ARE YOU PROTECTING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE POWER!? The boy who stood in front of the Saint with only a fist, all because of Index. [IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, RIGHT? THAT ISN'T HOW IT IS, RIGHT? THAT'S COMPLETELY WRONG, ISNT' IT? YOU ACQUIRED POWER JUST BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO PROTECT, RIGHT!?]
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Though she doesn't feel that what the boy said is the most wonderful thing in the world. This thing called 'thinking', there are many people, and thus, there are many ways to this. Among them, nobody can conclude that he's standing right at the top. However, After recognising the great power of a Saint and 'God's Right Seat', and using this power to attack ordinary citizens, anyone can tell that the boy doesn't have a chance of winning in the first place. He's definitely an ordinary person, but that boy's act in enduring Acqua's attack to protect Itsuwa definitely can't lose to those who think that they're 'God-chosen' and act all high and mighty. Kanzaki Kaori continues to swing her sword, thinking about this as she bites her teeth hard. The 'reason' she saw from the boy's action. The 'belief' he showed when he risked his life.
She won't let that scumbag who has such talent yet is being so 'selfish' get away.
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Part 4
Even though the bandages wrapped on them are ripped, and the blood continues to seep out from their bodies, the 50 members of the Amakusa-style Remix of Church aren't member about it. From the edge of the huge hole in the 4th level, they're just standing there blankly as they watch the battle between the Saints on the 5th level. Sounds of explosions, strong gusts of wind, shockwaves and aftershocks, just seeing these alone is impressive; but considering the huge amount of rubble on the side, it's amazing that no one else got involved in this. Even though they're all humans, as this has already surpassed their speed and impact, and when even the huge maze of magic arrays are being blown away, they can only continue to look at these two monsters. Shouts can be heard, metal can be heard clashing against each other, storms causing the steam in the air to be blown away, forming what looks like a vestige of engine clouds after a plane flies past. There will be many flashes after every attack, and no matter which spell it is, if any of the Amakusa members are to be hit by it, they'll be reduced to dust. Anyway, these extremely powerful spells are being used all over the place. From far away, one may feel that it's a galaxy clashing with another galaxy. With this clash, numerous stars explode, the space gets distorted, everything gets swallowed by darkness, and a new light appears again, giving an impression that it's chasing the darkness away. And so, what do the two people standing in this galaxy represent? One of them is Kanzaki Kaori. She was their former leader, and right now, she's giving them love through ways that they can't see, a real Saint among those 20 of them. The Priestess-sama of the Amakusa is currently battling. Most likely, she's here to protect that ordinary boy whom Acqua has targeted, and to protect her Amakusa comrades who were attacked by Acqua for protecting that boy. However, "..." They hear the sound. The sound came from the bloodied Friulian spear that fell off Itsuwa's hands. In order to take on that Acqua and help that boy, Itsuwa tried her best to strengthen her spear, but right now, all her hard work is like the gravel on the road, just scattered on the floor. It's not just Itsuwa alone.
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Like Itsuwa, there are some other people who dropped their weapons onto the ground. Some lost strength in their knees, using their hands to support their bodies on the wall. And no matter who it is, everyone's showing the same expression.
It's a powerless look that overcomes everything else.
What exactly are they doing? Itsuwa wonders.
Kanzaki Kaori is fighting for her comrades, but the more she does this, the more Itsuwa feels that whatever she and her comrades did is being denied. No matter how hard they tried, she and her comrades can't possibly escape from a Saint. 'She' is guarding here with those seemingly pitying eyes of hers, and once this place becomes dangerous, she'll step up and proceed to carry out such a high level battle. She does not even recognise what her own companions did. No matter where they go, what they did is only playtime to her. Facing this harsh reality, Itsuwa feels her heart crumble. At the same time, in contrast to the gentleness that Kanzaki Kaori displayed, what they can considered but couldn't do is so minute. This hurts Itsuwa and the rest, but they can't do anything, they're too weak. They can only continue to watch this battle that they can't interfere with, and can only watch as their strength and motivation waters away, bit by bit. If that boy is here, he wouldn't bother about these. Just the fact that the 'comrade' Kanzaki Kaori is here is enough; if he sees her injured, he'll immediately rush into the midst of the battlefield without a second thought. This is another definition of strength. But right now, the Amakusa can't even display such strength.
The battle between the Saints continue. Due to the tremendous power, even if they're weren't hit directly, the hearts of anyone just watching the battle here will crumble bit by bit.
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Between the Lines 3

The request for help was heard. But nobody could do anything. Its not like they got any serious injury on them, it's not like they're far away from their goal, and it's not like they don't have any transport to get over. The reason why they were not helping was because of their own stand and the political problem. The one who sent out this S.O.S is the British Royal Family's specialised long distance carriage. In truth, this carriage originally should have a perfect protection net, in a magical sense. From when the carriage was made, someone quipped that even if this planet's to be cut in half, it's unlikely for this carriage to release an S.O.S signal. This carriage should already strengthened to such an extent, and it's already far stronger than that special nun robe 'Walking Church'. This is a combination of all the techniques and history of this large magical country called Great Britain; forming this 'Moving Iron Wall', the name for this Royal Family carriage. No attacker can probably get away with it. But an S.O.S. could be heard from that carriage. This thing cant possibly happen in ordinary situations. And the meaning behind this was simple. This was a deal that arose due to political reasons. The 3rd Princess of England became that abandoned Chess piece. Along the Straits of Dover, the Knights can only listen silently to that anguish plea for help. Everyone can only grit their teeth and grip their fists, as if their palms are going to bleed. The Knights of Rounds were meant to prevent the 3 factions and 4 cultures of England from breaking up, and theyre willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect those from the Royal Family. The men of the Knights of Rounds who are in planning were often stuck in such harsh conditions. Thus, they were able to guess the situation. The people who abducted the 3rd princess of England was the Spanish Astrological Sect. Among the Roman Catholics, theyre one of the few major factions. Ever since Queen Elizabeth I buried their Invincible Fleet, there has been quite some history between the Spanish and English magic sects.
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The reason why the English Royal Family would completely ignore this was because they hope to use this chance to launch an attack on the Spanish Astrological Sect. Because of the spread of Christianity during the Age of Discovery, most of the old cultures in South America were still controlled by the Spanish Astrological Sect. England wanted to take this influence of South America back from the Roman Catholics and the Spanish Astrological Sect and expand. And the 3rd Princess of England doesnt really have any huge power. In comparison to a continent, she became a sacrifice. It was the Knights job to protect the Princess. Even if there werent any cries for rescue, its natural for them to be near the Princess. Besides, its impossible for them to ignore this plea for help in front of them. However, Only now, only in this instant, do the Knights of Rounds have to become stone. France had declared that they would settle this magic battle near the Straits of Dover and requested England not to worry. In truth, the hidden meaning behind it is that before the battle reaches English soil, they wouldnt take action. William Orville walked out of a tent in this camp of the Knights of Rounds. There was a light that continued to shine opposite the Straits of Dover. That wasnt a light from a lighthouse, the light that came from French territory was the aftermath of the magic attacks launched by the Spanish Astrological Sect. Are you going? A voice came from behind him. William turns around, and standing over there was the leader of the Knights of Rounds, the Knight Leader. Unlike Acqua, he exuded elegance, and this was because of his upbringing. And because he continued to serve those with the Royal blood, he had to understand all the workings and rituals in the castles and palaces. William Orville however is merely a mercenary who worked for whoever paid him money. A Knight Leader who will risk his life for his own country, normally, these two people were as incompatible as water and fire. But in reality, both of them would go out and drink when they were free, and the Knight Leader tried many times to tempt William to join the Knights of Rounds, but William always refused.
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But every time, after a battle on any certain place on Earth, he would naturally come back to England just to have a drink. These two were completely different people, whether in terms of status, position, battle methods, way of living; but incredibly, these two identify each other well. Thus, the Knight Leader knew what William was thinking as he said nothing and walked out of the tent. As people who protect the country, you people have things that cant be said, and being the shield of the countrys people, this would be seen as the intention of the country. Seems like we cant just casually barge into French Territory and do whatever we want to the Spanish Astrological Sect, right? William sets the large rod on his shoulder and said silently, But Im different, Im just a mercenary. Even if Im to go overboard in my actions, it would be completely irrelevant to what England thinks, and wont represent England at all. Do you think Ill let you go alone? The Grand Master opens his lips. Even if youre a mercenary, I cant just leave it to you alone. With that damned luck of yours, you cant possibly die, but from the Princess standpoint, how can I allow a nameless mercenary to protect her? Even if shes only 14, shes almost at a suitable age to marry. Itll be a countrys crisis if shes to be taken away by someone who's possibly of ill reputation. Are you listening to me? Acqua said impatiently. He realised that all these objections that the Grand Master raised were just some flimsy made-up excuses. And to the Knight Leader himself, this was just nothing more than a joke. Those two only exchanged looks, to the state where even their breathing was in sync. They had such great chemistry. Youre saying that the Knights of Rounds that supports England cant do anything in this situation? The Knight Leader said, and then pulled out something like a pure gold medal from his chest. This is the proof of his bloodline; the patterns on the shield-shaped medal had his family crest.
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Its his identification medal. The Knight Leader looked a bit lonely as he stared at the medal, and finally released his hand. Without even looking at the identification medal that dropped onto the floor, the Knight Leader gazed into Acquas eyes seriously. Ill lose my right as a Knight, so let me go as well. The distress signals still being released, this means that the 3rd Princess is still alive. I see, as expected of what you would do. William Orville knew of his determination, and slightly revealed a smile. Like the Knight Leader, he knew all these. They were drinking partners, and they were extremely clear of what each others like. And because they understood these, Acqua was a comrade that he could rely on to cover his back. The Knight Leader looked uneasy as he saw the flickering light, prompting William. Hurry up, even if we dont do anything, the carriages defensive capabilities should be functionalsince this is something that the Royal Familys taking part in directly, we cant hope for the defenses to continue on. Got to get there fast. Youre right. William wholeheartedly agreed, and the next moment, his fist slammed hard into the Knight Leaders abdomen. With a heavy sound, the Knight Leader had a look of disbelief as he stared at Williams face. Whatare you doing? Nope, I cant let you go. You should understand that. William kept his fist back, and the Knight Leader lost support as he fell onto the floor. Even so, the Knight Leader, who had underwent rigorous training, didnt lose consciousness completely. But William didnt look at the Knight Leader for even one bit, only saying, I used my identity as a mercenary to allow myself to move about freely on all the battlefields in the world, but I cant enter the English Castle or Palace. Only you can do that. WIlliam If you really want to protect the 3rd Princess, you got to look ahead at the future, not just now. With such a ploy to fight for the throne, seems like the same thing will happen on the 3rd
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Princess again. At that time, its better to have someone accompany her. Protect her well, Knight Leader, not just the 3rd Princess, but also the Royal Family who gone so corrupted. This is not something I can do as a mercenary, this is something that only you as a Knight can do. WIIILLLLIIIIAAAAMMMM OOORRRVVVIIIILLLEEE!!! Abandoning the Knight Leader who was shouting on the floor, William headed towards the battlefield. The Knight Leader once heard of a sorcery name. It belonged to a mercenary. Flere 210. The time for me to proclaim my name has arrived, my name"The one who changes the reason of tears"!! Smack down in the middle of England and France. Is William Orville, who could manipulate water spells, and was breaking past the country boundary.
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Chapter 4: Who is Protected by Whom? Leader is All Members.

Part 1
Misaka Mikoto was trudging through the late night town. In order to get a Gekota strap, she had gone through the trouble of taking a bath in a bathhouse in the 22nd school ward, but as is typical, she had encountered a dangerous event involving a "no oxygen alert" or some such. After that ordeal, while taking a break inside the building, she realizes that it's already late at night. She's feeling completely chilled and even the meaning behind taking the bath seems to have disappeared. "Aw, darnit... In the end I guess I'll end up using the bath back at the dorm anyway," she thought, but for some reason, the entrance to the 22nd school ward has been sealed. Currently, the event surrounding that "no oxygen alert" seemed to have been settled and the seal on the entrances to the building itself had been lifted. It seems that because of some system malfunction, the middle aged man in charge of the gate is frantically scratching his head. Normally Mikoto would've voiced a complaint, but behind the middle aged man a loud sound of a large number of feet pacing impatiently back and forth can be heard, angry roars and reprimands flying past each other. The man's complexion seems to pale with each one. In this situation, making a complaint as a customer would be pitiful, Misaka thought, and gave up on grinding her teeth. (Hum, I wonder what happened) Looking at it like this, Mikoto is an owner of troublesome disposition evenly balanced by that of a certain boy. She wondered a bit about the fuss that had been at his side, however. "Nyowah!?" Suddenly with a crackle, something like static electricity flashes from the bangs on Mikoto's forehead. It's somewhat rare for her ability to run wild, even to a slight degree. Mikoto puts on a civil smile and lowers her head before the startled middle aged man and retreats from there. This is a characteristic peculiar to Academy City perhaps, as not being able to control your own power by yourself is something that's unexpectedly embarrassing. During this time, she gets the urge to poke her head into some trouble. If she were, at this time, to meet a magician, they might suspect that this was "clearing out the people", the effects of techniques that exert influence over peoples' senses affecting the techniques for controlling one's own power.
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(But what was that just earlier?) Inclining her head, she decides that for now, there's nothing she can do to get to the surface until the gates start working. She looks at an information map of the 22nd school district, and decides to head over to a highly rated hotel in the 7th layer. (I wonder if I can do a drop-in check-in at this hour... Even so, I'm worried about the dorm manager. I probably should call Kuroko and have her teleport me out of here.) While thinking this, she descends off the spiraling staircase into the 7th layer. Suddenly, from the darkness ahead, someone's figure appeared. The figure was clearly not walking normally. More than unusual, it looked shaky and suspicious. A degenerate? Mikoto narrows her eyebrows, but as the figure appears below a street light her face is stunned by surprise. It was Kamijou Touma. "Wai-, what're you doing!?" Mikoto hurriedly rushes up to him. Normally she wouldn't show this reaction. She knows that this boy normally loiters around town during night, to Mikoto it's an undesirable but inseparable relationship. Even though they often butt heads and fight, worrying is rare. However, Mikoto now faces a situation that forces them out of their normal behaviour patterns. This is because Kamijou Touma is in an abnormal condition. His face is pale as if he had been immersed in a sea of ice. The bandages wrapped all over his body have slid off due to moving too much. Some of them are even dyed red. The clothing he's wearing is also strange. It's not the student clothes she's used to seeing, but rather it looks like the surgical gown of a hospital patient. "Misaka...?" Kamijou says this as he barely keeps his posture by leaning against the pillar of a street light. There are electrodes taped to his cheek and arm, the cords even being dragging along the ground after him. Were they forcibly pulled loose? Looking at his eyes Mikoto's shock is renewed. It isn't noticeable unless you look close, but Kamijou's pupils are dilated the wrong way. His eyes aren't focused. It's like he's gazing at scenery through foggy glass. From Kamijou's own expression it looks as though he doesn't realize it himself, or as if he can't afford to pay a trivial thing like that any mind as he braces himself. "..."
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Kamijou's lips moved a little, but Mikoto's ear couldn't pick up what he saying. However, he separated himself from the street light with a slow movement and began walking again. He attempts to pass Mikoto by but at that moment his knees give in. As he's about to fall to the ground, Mikoto frantically supports him. "Idiot! You, what's up with those injuries!? Those electrode cords... don't tell me you ran away from some hospital!?" "I have to... go." Because of their close distance she can finally hear Kamijou's voice. "They are, probably, still fighting. That's why, I have to go..." Just from hearing some fragmented words Mikoto can tell his entire body is shaking. She had a vague sense that this boy has been involved with countless incidents that she knows nothing of, but she had believed that these were something like extensions of brawls. In the past, once, he had defeated the strongest esper in Academy City, but she had thought that this would be a oncein-a-lifetime accomplishment. Who could have predicted that he would be on the brink of life and death like countless times? At the same time, if this is so, then there's something else Mikoto can accept. (... Memory loss) If he is always fighting battles that shave off the edges of his life span like this, there's no way his body will come out unscathed every time. Is the cause of the memory loss a mental shock, or the result of a structural problem in the brain? Mikoto doesn't know. However, whatever the reason for the memory loss, it's come within the realm of plausibility. Kamijou Touma's body has been battered to that extent. I need to stop him, Mikoto thought. This boy that's dragging his body that looks like it's dying, experiencing something enough to take his memories away, and still trying to face some unknown crisis. "...?" Kamijou looks perplexedly at his own arm that's being held fast by Mikoto. His face shows that he cannot grasp why Mikoto doesn't budge. It shows that he sincerely believes that nobody would help him or even raise their voice for him as long as he keeps all things that could potentially worry others a secret. This small thing angers her. From the bottom of her heart.
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"Why... won't you say anything?" Mikoto realizes she had murmured that aloud. Knowing she cannot take them back, she can't stop the words. "'I want you to help me,' or, 'Lend me your power...' No, not even something concrete like that. Just something simple like 'I'm afraid,' or 'I'm worried,' at least say something like that!" "Misaka,... what're you say-..." "I know." Mikoto says it to cut off his attempts to even now keep on deceiving, no, to keep Mikoto from getting entangled. "I know that you've lost your memories!" At that instant, Kamijou's shoulders made a big movement. Big, as if she was seeing tremors that would decide his life. Seeing the bewildered Kamijou, Mikoto also feels a huge shock. So what. Mikoto has once in the past, really had her life saved by this boy. Not only her alone, but together with 10000 girls that she should protect, as well. At that time, he appeared before Mikoto who was trying, all alone, to take on the strongest level 5 of Academy City. He appeared in a way that trampled all over Mikoto's heart, who had planned to burden everything on herself and die. His method certainly was a way of doing things that didn't have a shred of delicacy, a dirty method that even invaded her privacy. However, Misaka Mikoto and her "Sisters" had been saved that way. She won't deny Kamijou Touma that one method. It's would be fine should even this boy be saved by that way of doing things. That's why Mikoto says it. "I know there's something big you're holding inside by yourself, but is that really something you need to carry by yourself? Getting beat up like this, even losing all the memories inside your head, what reason is there that you need to keep fighting all by yourself?" Kamijou listens to these words. The fact that he was keeping quiet encouraged Mikoto to press further. "I too can fight" As if challenging head on, slamming her will straight ahead. The things she couldn't say until now, just naturally burst out from her mouth.
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"I too can be of use to you!" This isn't because she has the position as the third Level 5 of Academy City. It's not based on a small perspective like that. Even if she were to lose her power at this very instant and become just a level 0, Mikoto can swear that she would tell him the exact same thing. "There's no reason for you to keep getting hurt by yourself! So tell me, Where are you going now, who are you trying to fight!? I will fight today. I'll put you at ease." "Mi- saka..." "The feelings people go through waiting for you, have a taste of it at least once! Lay down on the hospital bed and try knowing the feeling of a person who can't do anything but watch from a safe distance! It was the same when you saved the Sisters. You told me to ask you for help, then you alone go to challenge Academy City's strongest Level 5. Why won't your own ideologies apply to yourself as well? Why are you the only one not asking for help!?" While yelling, Mikoto gazes at Kamijou's face. Somehow there is astonishment. However, that's not because something he doesn't know has been thrust before him. It's surprise that things he had been hiding have been exposed. This means he still has his memories of Accelerator and the Sisters. At this Mikoto feels relieved, but on the other hand she's also disgusted at her own selfishness of mixing her feelings into this dire situation. In this state where she should be worrying about Kamijou's well being, she instead acted to wipe away her own anxieties. Kamijou Touma doesn't notice, or if he did, he let it slide. "A-anyway! Let's go! To the hospital! Even if I tell it to you with words, you still won't listen so I won't let you go until we're at the hospital!!" Mikoto, while still holding Kamijou's arm with one hand, pulls out her mobile phone with her other and opens a map to start looking for the hospital. "... I see" Kamijou had been dumbfounded for a while, but eventually starts to slowly move his lips. It could also be seen as a smile. "You found out, eh?" Even when he's about to collapse, Kamijou's body houses a strange power. Mikoto judges it to be the most dangerous situation. That's why her hand won't let go of Kamijou's arm. "But you're wrong," Kamijou speaks as if seal to any further attempt of Mikoto to speak.
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"Since I don't have my memories, I don't know the specifics." Kamijou Touma's core hasn't been broken. "I can't remember anything from my past self, but I can't picture the feelings I had when I faced down the end. But, getting beat up or keeping on fighting until I lose my memories, there's no reason for me to keep getting hurt by myself." That he has lost his memories has been discovered. That in itself should be a big deal. But the foundation that is Kamijou Touma, is not found there. "Probably, I don't think I kept risking my life to the point where I lost my memories." Mikoto's facial expression stopped. That conclusion is the real foundation that Kamijou Touma holds. Because of that, the boy hid the fact of his memory loss. That someone was at fault, if he hadn't moved it wouldn't have come to this, saying something boring like that to keep someone from getting hurt. A past that he can no longer recall. "Though I can't remember the events from before, even so it is because of them I'm able to stand here. The 'me' from the past still motivates the 'me' that can't remember anything today. What he left behind isn't in the 'head', but in the 'heart'. So, it doesn't matter if I can't remember, I still understand what I need to do" Kamijou Touma probably holds a vague "something" that even he can't grasp as a source of pride. Because of his beliefs, he doesn't have regrets. If he were to meet his past self, he would be able to say "Thank you," with a smile and without hesitation. This boy believes this without doubt. "Sorry Misaka. You hurry back." She realized her hand had let go. Kamijou Touma's arm moved with abnormally strong force. "I'm going. It's not something I can entrust to others. It's not like there's a compulsion that I be the one to do it... Just, I'm going. In the end it doesn't change anything. If a cogwheel slides out of place and I lose my memories, it doesn't change what I should do.Kamijou Touma isn't the kind of person that lets something small like losing a bit of memories stop him." ." The boy shows his back to Mikoto and begins walking anew. If she had thought of following that unreliable walking figure, she surely could have done so. (what do I do...) However, Mikoto didn't move. The back is just there. If you reach your hand it will reach.
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(He didn't say I was wrong. I need to get him to a hospital right away. There's even the option that I go with him together to his battlefield... But, I know he isn't lying. Probably, in this situation, the fact that he's standing on his own legs has a special meaning to it.) During this time, Kamijou moves. During the time that Mikoto was worrying, Kamijou moves. (But, something like that, I can't stop. Right now seeing him off has to be the right answer. Holding both hands, praying to God that he will come back in one piece is the most correct thing to do. All other options, whatever they are, are pointless. He definitely isn't wishing for anything like that...) The unreliable back is getting further away. There's no time. Even though she had to stop him, Mikoto doesn't move. (What do I do? I can't come to terms with it at all) Probably, in all that Kamijou Touma said, there isn't a single lie. He simply let his true feelings be known. Even so, because he wants to, he decided on fighting. If you need a reason, it would be because that opinion needs to be respected. She understands this. Even an idiot would have to understand this. But she can't accept it. No matter what, she can't. (.... I see.) In an unknowing amount of time, She moved her hand to her own chest. The girl called Misaka Mikoto had realized something. It wasn't anything that had to do with reason or logic or dignity or appearances or shame or reputation, it was just a part of her very own heart, evidently the nucleus of the human Misaka Mikoto herself. The wretched, unsightly, selfish, unreasonable - and yet despite all this, honest and frank and "human". The name of this feeling, Mikoto doesn't know. What kind it is sorted under, she doesn't realize yet. However, today, this day, this time, this moment, Misaka Mikoto knows. Inside her sleeps an enormous feeling that can easily shake her being. A feeling that can easily destroy any control that one of the seven Level 5's of Academy City have over their inner selves as part of their "personal reality".
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Kamijou Touma's back disappears in the darkness. Misaka Mikoto couldn't stop him in the end. The reason was not because her spirit had been beaten because of his actions. It was because part of the emotion she had realized pressed against her chest in such a manner that she couldn't move a single finger.
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Part 2
Acqua of the Back's rod is ringing. It's not like it's some special special nor some some spiritual tool, it's just purely human effort. The moment Kanzaki uses this special spell called 'Yuisen', her power will momentarily increase. But against Acqua, she doesn't know when she'll reach her limit. With this, the difference between the two increase, and finally--she reached her limit. An explosion. As Kanzaki used her Shichiten Shichitou to receive the rod, her whole body was sent flying backwards. "GGYYYYAAAA!!!!?" Having battled continuously, Kanzaki's body looked like its about to crush the hill of rubble as it flew away for a hundred metres without bouncing back. Her body became a cannonball as it destroys every single hill of rubble and turns every single scrap of concrete into dust. "Is this the end, Saint of the Far East?" The feeling hidden within Acqua's words is disappointment. But after being buried inside the rubble, Kanzaki is unable to even move her body, let alone respond to him. The strength she has now isn't even half of the amount that shot up her blood. (...Is there anything...) No such things as petty tricks or tactics. How should she battle with that man when there's such a disparity in 'power'? (...What's the real form of...that power...?) Kanzaki spits out some blood as she wonders. Having used all the power in this body of a Saint to use this spell called Yuisen, Kanzaki understands that a Saints attributes far exceeds what a human can do. Yuisen was originally created as a one-strike sword technique. If she doesnt do it like this, she may end up destroying her own body. But Acqua broke through this impossible possibility front up.
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Thus, he could pull the distance between himself and Kanzaki. (I dont haveenough power to exert magicon Yuisen.) This spell wont just increase movement, it also prevents the muscles from exceeding what humans can endure and get destroyed, making sure that while the speed drastically increases, the entire body balance wont be lost. This is a crystallisation of all sorts of spells. If one wants to go even further than that or add in something else, the balance between all these spells will be broken down. Using the current pieces and piecing them together like a jigsaw puzzle, its impossible to add a new piece in. This is the limit of a Saint who mainly uses close-ranged combat. Maybe Acqua has some body defense spell thats even more refined than this. Though Kanzaki thought of a few possibilities herself, no matter what, she failed. As expected, therell be a problem if she powers up to his level. If she uses a similar power to that of Acquas. If anyone tries to use the power that Acqua used, at that moment, an ordinary persons body would have eroded, whether physically or magically. (Acquaspower is) Normally, the power give to a Saint cant be used entirely. Since theyre people who have similar body characteristics with the Son of God, Saints are those who are said to have inherited his power; even if its just a part of it, in the end, its not something that a human can grasp. They have a part of that power, but trying to grasp a part of that part of power is already tough for a Saint. This is the real identity of a Saint. No matter how they build this up, there will be a divide that they cant surpass. If one has to describe it, itll be like finally getting hold of a power only for it to scatter like fog. Thus, theres a limit to using the power created through the Idol Theory with their own willpower. However, this isnt completely bad. If Saints can use such power at 100%, the high pressure will cause the Saints body to self-destruct. This is more of a self-defense instinct than magic, since when they were babies, they controlled that power while they didnt know anything about magic. However,
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(Acqua, he doesnt have the limit of being...a Saint?That powerhas it already overcome whata human can already control?) Needless to say, besides being a Saint, Acqua has the power of Gods Right Seat. The reason for him to be called Acqua of the Back is because he had the element of the Archangel Power of God. Normally, one would think that its just a natural addition of power, but in reality, this increased power doubles the burden on him. Yes. Whats amazing is that Acqua has already controlled 200% of that power and still hasnt going amok, his facial expression not changing at all. (Thats impossible. This isnt something that can be excused through a word like quality or genius. These two incompatible elements of a Saint and Gods Right Seat are both in the same body. This is already impossible on its own) This term called talent, its a forceful yet acceptable one. But this is different. Since Kanzakis within this level, she understands. Talent, ability, these terms arent such convenient things in reality. (Is there anything) Kanzaki hears a small sound. Its the sound of Acqua of the Back standing in front of Kanzaki. (Saint, and Gods Right Seat) Seeing this strong opponent in front of her, Kanzaki ponders. (Why must these two powers coexist in such a place!) Ugh!! Before Acqua could step forward, Kanzaki, who was lying on the floor, rolls to the side. And forcefully picks up the Shichiten Shichitou thats on the floor. At the same time, Acqua swings the rod thats over 5m in length and delivers a huge strike as it appears that hes taking out the rubble and the floor.
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Originally used for a sudden strike, Kanzakis sword can only turn attack into defense. The rod and sword clash with each other, letting out an intense metallic sound. Before the rod presses down on her, Kanzaki looked like shes about to be blown away, but she stabs her sword into the ground to reduce the impact. However, she fell about 10m behind before finally stopping. So are you going to fight on? Sounding impressed, Acqua said. But this is of an attitude of looking down from above. What chances of making a comeback? It doesnt exist anymore. As long as you think about the number of special moves that you have and possibly can, you can understand the outcome. If you want to pray, maybe a miracle will happen, but relying on those things isnt going to destroy such a rare breed of people called Saints. "...A rare number of them, huh?" Battered and tattered, Kanzaki muttered. With a tone that's from deep within her heart. "This isn't a power gotten through your own effort, but forcefully through birth. You got such a thing since birth, do you feel satisfied with that?" "So what if you said that?" Acqua has no intention of responding at all. "I should have said it before. Among those mutters of beliefs, how many of them are real?" Kanzaki and Acqua fly off at the same time. Both of them clash from the front, and sparks fly due to metal clashing with each other. "The reason you would be so angry is because of that, right? Having such an overwhelming difference in strength when compared to those Amakusa members who are only ordinary humans, they actually got involved in a battle between Saints. All because of these, right?" "...!!" "But this is the battlefield. Natural differences in ability, the attributes of the weapons in one's hands, the number of fighters. The rules of the battlefield is to continue fighting head on even
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after knowing the differences in depth. If you're complaining that you hate to get involved, then you shouldn't be standing 'here' in the first place, and scram earlier." The situation between these two can't even be called neck-to-neck. Losing to Acqua's pressure, Kanzaki's body continues to fall back. "Letting those without power fight; there's no need for that no matter how you look at it." Seeing Kanzaki about to collapse, Acqua says, "Blades clashing with each other, it's alright as long as it's a soldier." This can be said to be one of Acqua's beliefs. In contrast to the other members of 'God's Right Seat', this man said before that he just wants to crush the boy's right hand. Not an Angel, but the Divine Mother--these are truly fragments of what a person with 'Divine Mother's Mercy' thinks. To be honest, Kanzaki herself thought of the same thing. In such a cruel place called the battlefield, and no matter whether one's trained or not, a person's fighting prowess can't be measured. No matter how well armed a person is, anyone that wants to die will die. If they hate this, they can only let Kanzaki, a Saint destroy all the risks and let them fight on a certainly safe battlefield. There's no other way. Even if we only consider the battle ability on both sides, there's still a worry for an ambush. But the real battlefield is different, there will be some nightmarish mishaps in perfect scenarios, and to grasp control of everything and prevent all these from happening is impossible. Kanzaki blamed this on her own immaturity. As her own power is insufficient, she couldn't control that ever-changing battle scenario, causing her important comrades to get hurt. She thought of this 'at that time', and as the Supreme Pontiff, she couldn't endure this fact and left the Amakusa. However, (This is...) Kanzaki Kaori places herself in Acqua of the Back's shoes and bites her teeth hard. (Such an arrogant way of thinking.)
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The Amakusa magicians died because they were too weak. If they all had power similar to that of a Saint, they won't die. Is that true? Such a thing is impossible. Then what about that boy? That boy fought with everyone, won together with everyone, laughed together with everyone. What is he? In the end, she wasn't able to say anything like fighting together. This isn't because Kanzaki Kaori doesn't trust the Amakusa-style Remix of Church's ability. It's neither character nor spirit, but ability. Because of that, Kanzaki was unable to entrust herself to anyone. This way, she wouldn't be bogged down by her companion nor be burdened by unnecessary losses. Is the Amakusa-style Remix of Church really that weak? Who's really the weak one? Even if she barely managed to win in such a pitiful state, what can she get? Even if things develop the way everyone hopes, even if the world moves in a positive direction, in the ultimate end, can she bring those people along when they didn't become her strength? They'll definitely be left behind. In this surrounding atmosphere that's feel of smiles and laughter, only one person will be on the sidelines. A Saint. One that is born with abilities that no others have--continuing to use the special privilege of being 'a chosen person'. How foolish, how arrogant must she continue to be like this? "I am truly...a big idiot." Kanzaki Kaori said out such words. All the things that she did till now was actually a subconscious form of violence. In other words, things are like that. Acqua of the Back, 'God's Right Seat', Kanzaki Kaori's like them. 'The Special One' manages everything, and the 'others' just need to shut up and obey, this is for your own good, there's no need to do anything meaningless, don't use too many limited resources, everyone just need to smile, no need to do anything lese, just shut up and obey. Without knowing it, Kanzaki made such a request to her comrades. "--"
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Kanzaki rubs her bloodied lips a bit and readies her Shichiten Shichitou. What she should do. (I've already understood.) In the real sense, the one option she could choose to save her 'companions'. The one option that can really recognise her 'companions' without a single one of them being lost in the spotlight. (I understood it completely!) The one definite enemy, the mistake that Acqua of the Back made, the one choice she should choose to correct this error. The mystery in solving Acqua of the Back's power, the one way to resist that overwhelming power. (I completely understood it!!) Once a problem is solved, the remaining problems will unravel one by one. The Shichiten Shichitou in her hands lets out a sound, and this is Kanzaki Kaori's last ounce of strength. She believe she is right, and will not regret use this power that she believes in. The enemy is Acqua of the Back, who uses the power of a Saint and 'God's Right Seat'. In the face of the strongest enemy ever, Kanzaki Kaori makes her final move.
Part 3
As the two Saints battle it out 30m above the 5th level, at the volcanic crater-shaped opening on the 4th level, the Amakusa members are staring blankly at the battle. At this moment, they clearly heard a voice. "Give" It's the voice of a real Saint, one of only 20 in the world. "...Please give me." The voice of the original former Supreme Pontiff that led them. "LEND ME POWER! LEND ME YOUR POWER!!"
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Kanzaki Kaori's voice. At first, Tatemiya, Itsuwa, and the rest, they didn't understand what she said. No matter how good their brains processed it, they couldn't believe that this was directed at them. But truly, Kanzaki said these words to Tatemiya and the rest. It's that Kanzaki Kaori who they thought they'll never catch up to in their entire lives, it's that Kanzaki Kaori who they thought was different from them ever since she was born, it's that Kanzaki Kaori who said that she didn't want to hurt her companions and left them. Right now, she's asking for help. Now that she's facing an enemy she can't beat, she's asking for help. "AH" At this moment, some people can feel their bodies trembling. And some others feel tears welled up in their eyes. This means that Kanzaki Kaori's words and action is such a touching thing. They finally got recognised by that Supreme Pontiff. They're no longer her baggage, but companions who are able to stand beside her and fight alongside her. This has never happened before. Why must things develop to such an extent for Kanzaki Kaori to finally ask the Amakusa-style Remix of Church for help? The reason is simple. Even if it's Kanzaki Kaori, there are also enemies that she can't beat. Even so, she has a reason to why she has to stand in front of that enemy. Also, The one hope left available for them to beat this tough enemy. These extremely ordinary Amakusa members like Tatemiya and Itsuwa.
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"" At this moment, at this instant, nobody's willing a waste another second. The people who were so weak that they dropped their weapons picked up their weapons, one by one. Nobody rejected her request. All of them are bandaged up, and there are some with blood seeping through the bandages; some of them have their bandages broken, but all these don't matter anymore. Even if each one of them and their comrades are facing an opponent they can't handle on their own, even if it's that 'monster' who caused that Kanzaki Kaori to get involved in such a hard battle, even if they're going to stand up in front of him again, nobody will be afraid. Their hearts are filled with with delight, to be able to be the Supreme Pontiff's strength, to fight alongside that person again, such a thing is able to cause them to forget about all their pain in delight. Some of them let out a battlecry of motivation, some of them shed tears as they look like the happiest people on Earth, and some silently bask in this happiness. The people leaning on the walls finally use their own feet to stand up, their substitute Supreme Pontiff Tatemiya Saiji finally feeling that the heavy responsibility on his shoulders are lifted as he sighs. Lets go. As the substitute leader of the Amakusa-style Remix of Church, Tatemiya Saiji gives his last instructions. But it seems this isnt enough, so he uses all his feelings, and again, GO!! TO WHERE THE AMAKUSA SHOULD GO!! With that shout, the Amakusa members jumped in, one after another, towards the battlefield. They know how weak they are, But even so, it doesnt waver the reason they fight. Thus, the Amakusa-style Remix of Church can unite to fight against this tough foe. With that one leader they recognise, to fight alongside that woman.
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Part 4
(What?) Acqua of the Back is unable to understand the rationality behind Kanzakis action. In a battle between Saints, anyone can guess the outcome when ordinary magicians are involved. And normally, Kanzaki hated this, thus the reason why she brought Acqua of the Back away from the battlefield, and even prepared a special battlefield like this. However, WOOOOHHH!! Some of them raise their swords and rush over, some raise their spears high. The dead-looking people suddenly gather around, forming a formation around a battered Kanzaki like theyre protecting her. To Acqua, this is just a wall made of candy. He readies his rod and warns. And you asked the weak for helpare you willing to risk other peoples lives to save yours? Do you really think so? Kanzaki Kaori grips the Shichiten Shichitou with both of her bloodied hands as she said this. A smile appears on her face. Truly, as there were a lot of my comrades who got injured, I was afraid of such a thing, so I once thought of leaving the Amakusa-style Remix of Church. But at this point, Kanzaki pauses forcefully. It wasnt their weakness that triggered those tragedies. It was me, who thought that they were weak, who didnt believe in their abilities that caused these tragedies. Deep down, I looked down on them, not willing to leave my back to them. Just like that, I put a strength I should have aside, continuing to fight even though I was immature, and ending up revealing such a large hole in front of the enemy! Such arrogance, this prideful thought of Ill protect you all, I WAS THE ONE WHO CAUSED ALL THESE!!
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She found her own weakness, but those who continue to move forward will get stronger and mature. A new strength slowly seeps into Kanzaki Kaoris battered body.
Thus I overcame it. I believe in them, I want to leave my back to them, to utilise our ability to the maximum. I want to get back my Amakusa-style Church!! Were all leaders of each other, everyones our friend!! THERES NO NEED FOR A HIGHER-UP LIKE A SAINT!! (What?) Truly, Kanzaki Kaori has now gotten back a power that she didnt believe in before. Thats her core. The emotional core that those who absolutely believe in their own actions have, a strong core. However, the fact that there isnt much of a winning chance still remains. Even if she added 50 people, its just a gathering of birds to Acqua, theres no problem at all. Right now, he has no need to use his full force to face the Amakusa. In the battle with Kanzaki, theyll be blown away by whatever shockwaves like the background. (So youre going to create a group psychology? Thats just a misconception.) A baseless hope is just wishful thinking. Strength fills up Acquas body. DO YOU THINK SUCH A THING CAN SURPASS ME!! As if hes sweeping all the useless things aside, Acqua forcefully swings his rod. Kanzaki Kaori doesnt look afraid at all as she dashes into the range of the rod. The Shichiten Shichitou and the rod clash, but in order to reduce the impact, numerous Amakusa members immediately cast a defensive spell. No matter how much emotional support they have, the difference in strength between these two sides wont change. But even so, even at this point, Kanzaki continues to clash with Acqua. As a Saint is born with similar body attributes as the Son of God, many people would follow the Idol Theory and accept a part of the Power of God. According to the information, Kanzaki and the Amakusa should have been separated from each other for quite a few years.
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But they didnt need to communicate verbally, just clearing this blank period instantly. But even if its that kind of a Saint, that power cant be used indiscriminately like you. And yet you have power that exceeds even a normal Saint. Why is that? The clash between those two is just an illusion. Acqua immediately counterattacks, and the formation that includes Kanzaki and the Amakusa members immediately waver. Even so, the Amakusa-style Remix of Church continued to fight on. The answer is simple, its because of Divine Mother Worship!! Yes, thinking about it carefully, Acqua didnt hide it at all. He did proclaim it before. Hes one that uses the power of the Divine Mother. But Acqua of the Back should originally control the power of the Archangel Power of God. In contrast to the merciful Divine Mother, the Power of God was an existence that blazed Sodom and Gomorrah down, continued to remain active for the final Judgment when the world will be destroyed, and there are even more legends of direct attacks. So why must he avoid using such an attack thats easy to understand, and go about in a roundabout way to use the Divine Mothers power? Your body attribute isnt just that of the Power of God, right? Besides the Power of God, a part of it is similar to the Divine Mother, so you could get the Divine Mothers power!! The Son of God and the Divine Mother have a mother and son relationship. There isnt anything too strange if they have similar things between them. Also, the Divine Mother isnt just No 2 behind the Son of God in Christianity, even if shes placed in front of other Saints, she exists because she managed to bear the Son of God, so she does have a tremendous power. And there are many who praise the Divine Mother through the Divine Mother Worship, a Divine Mother whos treats everyone equally mercifully, unlike the strict and just Son of God who rules the world. This even gives the higher ups of the Roman Catholics a dangerous feeling that wouldnt the Divine Mother Worship become independent on its own? The Saint and the Divine Mother. If theres anyone who has both of these attributes, That person is Acqua of the Back.
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Most likely, this was an ability he was born with, and after becoming a member of Gods Right Seat, his ability blossomed further. How tremendous is the power bounded to his body? You have both of these existences overlapped within you when you were born. So just on the basic power of a Saint alone, Ill lose to you. Normally, Gods Right Seat members are different from humans. Theyre aimed at the position of Kamiue. So thus, theyre not aimed at just being an ordinary Saint. As Kanzaki herself is an ordinary Saint, its hard for her to imagine that. But if some people have a certain power thats higher than that of a Saint or an Angel, maybe they have some element of being able to stabilize once they surpass a limit, like a plane stablising after flying at a high velocity. Its an existence thats even further from a Saint. A high and stable limit. Acqua has the elements of a Saint and the Divine Mother, so unlike the Saints who are stable when they move at low speed, he continues to maintain a highly stable state. Thus, he can control the tremendous power that would have gotten out of control. However, However, you do have a weakness. Kanzaki said. Yes, in contrast to a slow flying plane, its a lot riskier and difficult to fly a plane thats flying at several times the speed of sound, anyone can understand that. You have a downside that weaker than I, no, all the Saints in the world have when theres a spell meant to take on a Saint! At this moment, Kanzaki pauses. Not facing Acqua, but at her companions. In other words, Saint Destroyer!!
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No matter what attack, you deflected it with your rod or directly avoided it. Its only during that attack that you used a magical mean to do a real defense. In other words, thats our chance of winning!! If it were an ordinary human, trying to master a Saints power completely is difficult. Trying to use both the powers of Gods Right Seat and a Saint is impossible, and this is what Kanzaki, an actual Saint, understands. At first, Kanzaki wondered if there was a special spell that could completely defend these two things perfectly. Though she didnt manage to find an answer, this is to be expected. Because that thing doesnt exist in the first place. The Saint Destroyer was never tested before, and there werent any other practical existences. So Acqua, you cant imagine what will happen to you after you take that, right!! The reason why Acqua would defend against the Saint Destroyer with all he got was because after taking the hit, he wont just lose some part of his power or unable to use his power for several seconds. The Saint Destroyer forcefully destroys anyone with a body similar to that of the Son of God, robbing the internal power and causing the Saint to be unable to move. Normally, you would return to normal after several seconds, but for you Acqua, who has both the attributes of a Saint and the Divine Mother, what the outcome will be will be obviousACQUA WILL SELFDESTRUCT!! The spell he casted uses the delicate naturally-born-with attribute of a Saint being superior to a human. In other words, this isnt something that can be done through human means. Normally, a God-like technique will cause everything to destruct if the equilibrium will be destroyed. Like an engine that can run up to 1000km/h, as theres such a powerful force, it needs delicate care. Thus, Acqua used his full power to defend against it. Being seen through, Acqua doesn't say anything. But his expression changed. A smile.
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This is different from the arrogant smile. He, who could be considered perfect, has only that particular weakness. And right now, that weakness is spotted, yet this man called Acqua reveals a mighty smile. The fact that his weakness is spotted doesn't cause him to panic. A battle isn't something like this. Facing Acqua's continuous attacks that are becoming even more vicious, Kanzaki barely manages to block them all with her Shichiten Shichitou before exhaling a bit. She adjusts her sword a bit, intending to use the impact of the shockwaves formed by the sword. These impacts aren't aimed at Acqua, but aimed at destroying the buildings behind him. In the midst of the rubble, there's something buried within it. It's a rusted spiky metal wire. (...I see, so that's your aim, huh...?) The moment Acqua looks up, the numerous gold needles so happens to form a circle. After that, Kanzaki uses her wires and Nanasen to give a definition of pain to the pile of rubble, as if she's carving something on it. Finally, what appears is a huge Cross, a sharp iron picket, and a crown of roses. In other words, "The symbols of the crucifixion of the 'Son of God'!" Since he inherited a part of a Saint's power, he should inherit the weaknesses as well. Even so, if this is enough to beat a Saint, nobody would need to work so hard. Honestly, to 'an ordinary Saint' like Kanzaki, it won't do much effect to her. However, Acqua of the Back is a 'special Saint'. Compared to the mere 20 Saints in the entire world, he has an even rarer attribute. He has both the power of a Saint and the Divine Mother at the same time. At the same time when he has this tremendous power, he has to balance these two powers. This is why Kanzaki Kaori would choose the symbol of 'execution'. The 'execution' spell may seem unrelated to the Divine Mother, but in this situation, not so. Yes,
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For the Divine Mother is assumed as the largest point of suspicion in Christian History. !!" At this moment, Kanzaki senses something that exceeds physical concepts floating up around Acqua. This is a change that even a 'normal Saint' can be clear about. In other words, Acqua, he, "Is wavering." Kanzaki says with complete belief. With Acqua at centre, what exists are the power of the Saint and the Divine Mother. Both of them are affected by the outside environment, and there's an intense fight inside his body, even letting out an ugly cry. If it's now, they can do it. Thus, Kanzaki Kaori shouted from deep within her heart. The Lance of Longinus. "ALL'S READY!! THOSE WIELDING THE SPEAR, NOW'S THE TIME FOR EXECUTION!" "!!" Wielding the key to the 'Saint Destroyer', on hearing Kanzaki's words, Itsuwa immediately pulls out a wet handkerchief and wraps it around her Friulian Spear and gets into a ready position. "...Interesting." But before that could happen, Acqua took action. "The Amakusa-style Church, huh? This name is worthy of being craved on my chest!!" At the same time he said this, Acqua jumps 20m up into the air-- no, he broke through that volcanic crater-like opening that connects the 4th and 5th level, jumping up about at least twice the height of the previous one. Though there are tens, hundreds of steel wires dancing about in the air, these can't stop Acqua's movements. The volcanic crater-like hole lets out a giant Moon-like glow from the streets.
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His back facing this artificial Moon, Acqua readies his rod. "--The Divine Mother shall remove all evil." A while back, that meteor-like destructive power slammed onto the Earth and defeated Kanzaki in one hit, and even if Kanzaki's at her best condition, she won't be able to endure it. Besides, the jump this time is twice the height of the previous one, and the entire Amakusa definitely won't be able to take this hit. The entire 5th level may end up getting destroyed. "Sometimes, depicting this power called the Truth of God, LET YOUR MERCY RISE TO THE HEAVENS!!" A huge velocity, and a falling Acqua. The rod that's basking in moonlight drags a blueish-white tail behind it. (Is it over!?) The defensive array are formed by numerous steel wires, and Kanzaki herself wants to protect that pile of metal through magic. But this isn't enough, this one hit from Acqua mercilessly aims at the floor. Having taken one hit from it, Kanzaki knows that if she takes another of that hit, she'll definitely die. And not only Kanzaki, it's likely that even the Amakusa members around her will be dead. (The last grain of hope...!!) Beside Kanzaki, who's clenching her teeth, Itsuwa raises her spear over her head. However, the spell Saint Destroyer wont be completed in time. (Cant give up) Kanzaki Kaori reaches out for the Shichiten Shichitou. Having turned into the avatar of destruction, Acqua continues to fall. Looking up, Kanzaki glares at him as she stamps hard onto the plaza, pulls out the sword and places it at a streamlined position. This isnt a stand meant for her to counterattack. Its all to defend. Collecting all the symbols throughout history, forming this spell at the last second, turning Kanzaki Kaori into a shield. (HOW CAN I GIVE UP LIKE THIS!!) Acqua of the Back uses all his strength to rush to the ground.
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Light scatter all over the place. Kanzaki Kaoris eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, all her senses are slowly disappearing.
Part 5
Destruction. Such a simple term, yet impossible to understand. Her five senses are gone, what's left is only white. Maybe the sound of rubble blown away, or maybe the impact that blows everywhere, or maybe the dust flying about, or maybe the smell of rust, or anything that got destroyed, none of them registered in her head. A real destruction, pure destruction, is it real at a level where 'there's nothing'? (...) Seems like her whitened senses will need some time to recover. And Kanzaki knows. Though it's bit by bit, she knows for sure that her senses are recovering. The fact that she's not losing her senses but recovering them means... (What's going, on...?) The one attack that Acqua of the Back used should have caused absolute destruction. Including Kanzaki, all the Amakusa members shouldn't be left alive. However, the situation now seems like Acqua's spell got destroyed, like nothing got destroyed. (Van, ish...? The spell, magic, vanished?) Kanzaki slowly looks up. No matter good or evil, strong or weak, this act erases them all. She can only think of the one person able to do such a crazy thing. "Im, possible..." Her senses are back.
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Her words reach her ears; as if they waited for this opportunity, all her senses returned to her. Even if she met a nightmare with Acqua's attacks, what really happened was that 'nothing happened'. It's the same scene as before, and the one person standing in the middle is, Kamijou Touma. Having taken Acqua's magic attack directly from the front, the boy continues to stand there as he grips the rod like he's about to crush it. Truthfully, if that attack Acqua of the Back used was just pure physical power, Kamijou's right hand would have been crushed to dust already. But it was a magical attack, and no matter what kind of supernatural power it is, that boy's right hand can eliminate all of it. Acqua's attack was eliminated because most of it was magic. The boy's right hand neutralised that attack without any mercy. "WHA...!!" "---..." Facing a shocked Acqua, the bloodied Kamijou, but his words didn't reach Acqua's ears. After which, Kamijou slowly falls as if he got hit by the rod, not because he used up all his strength, but because he sealed up Acqua. "Ugh!!" Seeing this, Kanzaki took action. With just Kamijou alone, it's likely that one sweep from Acqua's rod would have sent him flying. But the moment Acqua got shocked, Kanzaki uses this opportunity, abandons her Shichiten Shichitou and forcefully grabs Acqua's giant rod and shoulder. "YOU BASTARD!!" Acqua seems to shout something, but those two weren't listening. Thoroughly battered, Kamijou and Kanzaki both look at the same direction. In other words, Itsuwa of the Amakusa-style Church. They're looking at Itsuwa the ordinary magician. "Leave the rest to me..."
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Itsuwa uses a handkerchief to wrap the handle of the spear, and the other Amakusa members get ready to prepare it. "I WILL DEFINITELY HIT HIM!!" With this roar, Itsuwa explodes. Her petite body surrounded by numerous spells, Itsuwa accelerates and rushes at Acqua. Acqua tries to dodge her attack. But his own power as a Saint was sealed by Kanzaki, whos also a Saint. Trying to shake her off and use a Gods Right Seats spell, he got negated by Kamijous right hand. Oh. He cant move for a few seconds. But with this, its no problem. OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!! At this moment, Acqua lets out a howl. Its not because of fear. He knew he couldnt avoid it, and yet, with an unwavering will, turns around and faces a charging Itsuwa. The moment he took that step forward, he lets out a warcry to raise his battle spirit. Saint Destroyer. Itsuwas spear scatters, forming a lightning bolt. This spell that surpasses physical laws controls the entire space and attacks Acqua. The air and sounds of the vibrations explode. The lightning strikes Acquas abdomen, flying out from the back, and this time, it really pierces through his entire body. As Acqua was hit directly, Kamijou and Kanzaki unconsciously let go. Crosses of light appears behind Acquas back, different from the colour of the fireworks, and extend out to both left and right before exploding. However, the middle point of these Crosses looks like they pierce and intersect at some point, causing Acqua to fly back with the impact.
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Having been hit by the Saint Destroyer, Acquas body bounces off the concrete a few times, and the giant rod leaves his hands. Acqua ends up in the artificial lake on the 5th level. It seemed like he was a cannonball that was shot into the water as his body vanishes completely inside the water, causing a new change at that moment. The havoc of magic. Acqua of the Back self-destructed. The elements of the Saint and the Divine Mother reacted to the Saint Destroyer attack, starting to fight each other and causing a chain reaction that the Saint Destroyer shouldnt be able to do within his body. The lake in the darkness of the night gets surrounded by something like a flash of daylight. Kamijou and the rest can only see white, and their ears can only hear the sound of a large amount of water being boiled, an uncomfortable sound. The moment Kanzaki Kaori opens her eyes, Acqua doesnt exist anymore. However, the water in the artificial lake got boiled off, and the surroundings a mess, as the pillars of steam that are as big as the surface area of the lake collide with the huge pillars and ceiling before scattering all over the place. Its like a huge 1000 year-old tree thats full of energy, showing how explosive Acquas explosion was.
Between the Lines 4

10 years ago, on that manless barge. William Orville's stroking the face that got punched. The one that punched him was the Grand Master. In the middle of these two silent men, not knowing what to do, was the 3rd Princess of England, marked with the seal of inaptness. And because of that seal, there wasn't any problems even after she left the castle for so long. "That was for tricking me and going off on your own." The Grand Master cracked his knuckles and showed William a look that he won't show to the social world as he walked to him. "It's not over yet, I still haven't given you one for leaving England. So let me confirm this. I'm not mistaken, am I right? Are you really planning to leave England?" "Yes, I want to get out."
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The moment William made the response, the Grand Master's fist again sinks deeply into William's face, sending him flying backwards. The intense sound of flesh clashing against each other caused the 3rd Princess to be so scared that she lets out a small whimper and covered her face with both hands. However, the one who was hit, William, didn't look bothered by it. "...You, are you drunk?" "If I were really drunk, I would have smashed you with a wine bottle." The Grand Master put down the backpack he was carrying and rummages through it, looking for something. "Here's a good bottle of wine from Scotland, there's no drop of caramel inside, it's a classic that's brewed from the colour of the wine barrel. Well, looks like Ill just ignore it. Youre going off today, so let me beat you down to death before that. So what on earth were you angry about in the first place? William asked. At this moment, the Grand Master stopped what he was doing. After a while, he said. You really cant shake off the habit of being a mercenary. Dont you know what it means by being unable to climb further? Seems like you dont. I spent so much effort and finally managed to join us as a Knightyet you wasted that good intention. Are you planning to be like some great artist, to only get recognised several hundred years after your death? Do you really want such a life? Your actions arent any different from those kinds of people. I dont really know anything about art, and I know nothing about those artists lifestyles. So whats your goal? Since you rejected my offer so adamantly, you must have some sort of reason. Nothing really special. William Orville answered with a cold tone. I said it before, a Knight and a mercenary are different. Though the Knights in this country have great authority, there are still problems that they cant solve. Its the same for me as a mercenary. Though I have freedom, its really hard for me to get the trust of other people or organisation.
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You. No matter which side it is, there are flaws everywhere. After todays turmoil, you should understand. The larger an organisation, the more things it cant control, so theres a need for someone to observe from outside an organisation, and this person cant be a special existence. Societys like a machinery made of many gears, everyone continues to affect each other, rotating in reverse. This fact cant be forgotten. Williams right. Knowing his character, the Grand Master remained silent. Seeing his old friend like this, William smiled. So why would the Royal Family be so willing to use such a forceful method to increase their territory? Im mindful of the reason behind this. Englands a country made up of the Royal Family, the Knights of England and the English Anglicans. The Royal Family is very easily influenced by the English Anglicans, so please consider it some more. Hearing these words, the leader of the English Anglicans appeared in the Grand Masters mind. The Archbishop, Laura Stuart. The one woman standing on the pinnacle, both the Grand Master and the Archbishop are standing on the same position. However, she continued to make the Grand Master uncomfortable. Shes that kind of a woman. William continued, The problems not just within England. The Roman Catholics, the Russian Orthodox, and Academy City, their actions are getting unpredictable. The entire worlds stupidly moving along, and in this situation, this thing called an organisation will go out of control easily. So you wont consider being a member of the Knights of England and be a firm foundation for this country? Have you even thought of it? Do you think that this can solve all the problems? Todays case is the best example. Ill choose to protect this country from the outside, so youll protect it from the inside. With this, our choices will be a lot wider. Even if one side goes out of control, the other side can stop him. Looks like its pointless to continue talking like this. The Grand Master looked lonely as he said. As if he wanted to chase this loneliness away, he passed the bottle of Scottish wine to William. This is a farewell gift. Lord Chamberlain said this is his prized work this year. Such a high-class. Isnt it a pity for me to drink it alone?
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Then find some companions on the way and share this with them. Seeing like Grand Master look like hes squabbling, William could only sigh. No matter where they go, these two peoples status of a Knight and a mercenary wont change. William thought, its really amazing that we can be that close for so long. Oh yes, I should have a heraldry thats being made by a craftsman outside London. Help me cancel the order. If it remains, the obsession will remain as well. These were the final parting words that the mercenary said. No special action or ritual; if the Grand Master looked like an aristocrat that has territory, William looked like an unrestrained mercenary. After a mercenary left, the Grand Master muttered to himself. How could you leave it behind. The 3rd Princess stared at the Grand Masters face, but it seemed that the Grand Master himself didnt realised that he let out a voice. How could you throw it away like that, you scoundrel.
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Epilogue: The Guide to even more Mayhem. True Target is......

Kamijou Touma wakes up on the hospital bed. This is already the familiar hospital room that he's so aquianted with, and it seems like he was moved over to the 7th District hospital where that Frog-faced doctor works. Maybe it's because he got involved in all sorts of situations, but every time he was specially sent to this hospital room, Kamijou keeps wondering whether he has become a really bothersome person. This makes him feel really embarrassed. "Ah, you're awake?" The one who said this is Itsuwa, who's sitting on the visitor chair. Kamijou wants to sit up, but his body is unable to move as he wants. It's not just because he's severely injured, but there's also another abnormal sense of fatigue as he can't use any strength at all. It seems like his entire body is all tired with the fatigue accumulated onto him. While Kamijou's feeling bothered by this uncomfortable feeling, beside him, Itsuwa at least feels relieved and relaxes her shoulders before saying, "No, it's normal for you to be unable to move. You left the hospital on your own when you needed to rest, and you managed to blindside that Acqua." From what Itsuwa said, Kamijou knows that at least Acqua retreated. And no matter whether civilian or Amakusa, there weren't any deaths on both sides. However, there's no sense of realism on Kamijou's side. Truthfully, Kamijou didn't really remember much of what happened after he left the hospital. It felt like he met Mikoto on the way, but that somehow was like a dream. Speaking of which, Kamijou intended to hide his memory loss right from the beginning. Thus, even when he said something like 'I don't remember that' or 'what did I forget?', he would let it pass with an ambiguous smile. "...But, that, that was amazing. That Acqua, he's a member of 'God's Right Seat' and a Saint; we managed to beat him...what can I say, isn't this some sort of historic moment or something?" "WHA, WHAT IS THE ONE WHO CONTRIBUTED THE MOST SAYING!? AND THE FACT THAT WE BEAT THAT GUY CAN BE CONSIDERED. THAT AND OUR SIDE GOT ZERO CASUALITY! ISNT THIS LIKE SANTA MAKING A SOMMERSAULT AND DROPPING PRESENTS LIKE HES BLEEDING
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For some reason, Itsuwa suddenly blushed tremendously as she places her hands on her huge chest. It seems like winning against that Acqua isnt merely finishing a mission. Since the magic side isnt so familiar with Kamijou, this is what they can only conclude. On a side note, the key that dealt the killer blow was Itsuwas Saint Destroyer. However, it seems like Itsuwa doesnt realise that for herself. Maybe shes a natural airhead, or maybe shes just trying to be humble, but thats a crime. From Acquas point of view, this is not something that can be passed off so easily. Ahspeaking of which, whats todays date? Is, is my attendance alright!? DAMN IT, LOOKS LIKE I GOT TO CONFIRM THIS QUITE A BIT!! WHY AM I GETTING INVOLVED IN ALL SORTS OF SITUATIONS!!? Ah, no, you cant. You cant get out of the bed now! Kamijou tried to sit up, only for Itsuwa to force him back by putting her hands down on his shoulders and push him down. In the end, both their faces get close to each other, the distance is about 5cm. Shocked, Itsuwas blushing face shows itself in front of Kamijou, and Kamijou feels that theres a wall of air between them, but even so, the option to pull away doesnt appear in his mind. At this moment. Toumas still Touma. Looking over at where the deep voice came from, one can see Index standing there blankly, rooted to the spot. And even though she showed her expression perfectly, whats beside her is a broken vase. In this God-given premonition that something bad is about to happen, Kamijou says nervously, Ah, WAH!? HOLD ON, MISS INDEX!! I KNOW THAT YOU CANT SAY ANYTHING DUE TO SHOCK! ARENT YOU COMPLETELY GIVING UP ON THIS EXISTENCE CALLED MR KAMIJOU AND OTHER HUMANS!!? Up till just now, the one sitting here was me. It became like this the moment I leftspeaking of which, why havent you apologised to me over leaving the hospital on your own Ah, ya, yeah! I agree with that! You were so beaten up and yet you ran over to where Acqua was; that was too rash of you! What will happen if something bad happened to you!? ACQUA!? THAT ACQUA YOURE TALKING ABOUT IS OF GODS RIGHT SEAT, RIGHT!? YOU FACED SUCH A POWERFUL FOE WITHOUT CONSULTING THIS INDEX FOR HELP!! WHATS GOING ON, TOUMA!!!!
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EEEEHHHHH!!!! OI, ITSUWA, WHEN DID YOU SWITCH OVER TO HER SIDE!!!?? IS THIS THE AMAKUSAS STRENGTH IN SWITCHING ENVIRONMENTS!!? In the long corridors of the hospital, Kanzaki Kaori is standing outside the room where a conversation is underway. She too had come to visit a certain patient, but it seems she completely missed the chance to make an entrance (It could be said that Itsuwa was a step ahead of her) and now shes flustered about what to do next. What should I do? According to the schedule, I have to return to London by tomorrow. This is the only chance, but who would have thought Itsuwa and that child would be here? Nee-chinif you keep being so indecisive, the little time you have left is going to run out, yknow. Because of this sudden voice coming from behind her, Kanzaki instinctively jerks. Turning around, she sees that the speaker is the blond-haired, sunglasses-wearing teenager, Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Tsuchimikado gently puts his hand on the side of his mouth and speaks with a bemused smile, Finally, after so much effort, youve managed to find time in your busy schedule to come to Japan, yet now because of Index and that Amakusa you are unable to even utter a word of thanks? I, I understand that! But, how do I put iteven considering private conversation already has me extremely embarrassed, and now with Itsuwa and that child present, its Ill just wait a bit longer Then, that fallen angel costume, did you remember to bring it along? WhWhat? WhWhy would I bring such a thing!! That sort of thing is even harder to get through customs than my Seven Heavens Seven Swords!! And even if I were to go through with such a stupid plan and wear it, it would only be in a 1-on-1 situation! I would never go in looking like that when Itsuwa and that child are inside! The photographic memory of that child, do you also understand how terrifying that power is!? That kind of situation makes one scared just to think about it. Kanzaki shakes her head vigorously trying remove such thoughts from her mind, but it seems Tsuchimikado predicted this sort of response, and nods his head wisely, For this determined yet shy Nee-chinhmph!! Today I prepared an improved erotic fallen angel costume!! Tell me what part of this costume can be considered improved!?!?
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Eh? What are you talking about? Look, the amount of cleavage exposed here, and the transparency of the skirt here With all the strength in her arms, Kanzaki pins the arms of Tsuchimikado together, who was about to stretch out the costume as to better display it to her. Even though his arms are being gripped by the strength of a Saint, Tsuchimikado wears a smile on his face. Then what is your plan? Nee-chin, you better quickly explain to me what youre going to do. Are you just going to rely on a normal smile and that slightly flushed face of yours to express your thanks? Think about it properly, foolish Nee-chin! This situation is already at the point where retreat is not an option! Dont think that with such simple tactics you are able to be forgiven! Even though Tsuchimikado is wearing sunglasses, the light in his eyes still shine through. The normally cool, collected, calm Kanzaki has evaporated in front of his stare. Kanzaki takes a step back, talking frantically, Then what do you suggest I do? Even if it means I owe you more, as long as its something I am capable of doing I shall put all my effort into it! Rubbing while youre holding it: you should be able to do that right? ??? Hold, hold what? This innocent idiot! Okay, another question. Nee-chin, what do those exist for? Those characteristics of mammalsthat is to say, those breasts of yourswhat do they exist for, tell me!! AAt the very least, they are not for rubbing and holding objects between them! The stuff Tsuchimikado is trying to tell Kanzaki makes no sense to her, and she shows a confused expression. Faced with an innocent Kanzaki who cant understand the true meaning of his words, Tsuchimikado is at a loss for words. But really, Nee-chin, is it okay for you to walk in so carefree? WhaWhat? That girl, if it was that Itsuwa, with such an outfit as the erotic fallen angel costume, she would have worn it without second thoughts! ??? ThiThis sort of outfit!? She wouldnt dare!!! The two engage in meaningless whispers. With a devilish smile on his face, Tsuchimikado says,
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Why are you so sure? Sure, Itsuwa is not as mature, but its because of that that she can do this sort of outrageous thing. Even though that wet napkin plan of hers failed multiple times, you can tell that she is putting a lot of effort into winning Kami-yans heart. The Itsuwa who has failed several times, if she was able to obtain something that would improve on what she is lacking, something that would give her an advantagethat is to say, something like this erotic fallen angel costume, in that instant, I wonder how high her attack power will become? ThaThat is impossible! This sort of situation would never befall someone belonging to my Amakusa! Now that I think about it, with Itsuwas measurements, holding and rubbing it wouldnt be a problem for her ??? As I was saying, what exactly are we supposed to be holding?! Faced with Kanzakis innocence, Tsuchimikado is unable to think of anything to say, and its beginning to give him a headache. It seems a change in tactics is necessary. In the end, I see Nee-chin is that type of personfleeing because shes too embarrassed have you no gratitude for Kami-yan at all? Its not like that! Its just all this talk of erotic fallen angel costumes is going way too far! I just want to use normal methods to thank him! Itsuwa wouldnt mind, would she? This is because the feelings of gratitude she has towards Kami-yan are stronger than yours. To tell you the truth, even with just the normal fallen angel costume, Itsuwas level would rise quite a bit. If she wears the improved erotic fallen angel costume do you know what this new gap would mean? WhaWhat, what would it mean? It means, Nee-chin, you have lost to Itsuwa as a woman. Eh?! Sigh, I wonder if the Amakusa are really okay This woman, she only has high self-esteem; she doesnt have any idea about the meaning of lowering ones self. With this sort of person, how are they supposed to guide the lost lambs? Nee-chin, could it be that as soon as you are faced with a challenge, you will only care about yourself and leave everyone behind? ThiThis sort of harsh language, just for an erotic fallen angel costume, is it really necessary to go so far?
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Even though shes certain of her position, because of Tsuchimikados words, Kanzakis heart begins to sway. She doesnt know if its because of any feelings towards Kamijou, and before long, Kanzakis mind is utterly disoriented. NNo! This is all a part of Tsuchimikados plan! Erotic fallen angel costume, how could that sort of object be used to judge a woman!? Wait, that isnt the point! Its not a question of being a woman, its what method I should use to express my thanksbut even if I dont use the erotic fallen angel costumeI cannot think of any methods at all! Aah! I cannot be so weak! I! This is Tsuchimikados trap! No, but, uwacalm! I have to calm down first before I think this through! Hm? Nee-chin? Faced with a Kanzaki absorbed in her own thoughts, Tsuchimikado is a bit worried. Never mind if she heard Tsuchimikado or not, but Kanzakis multiple facial expressions slowly disappear to be replaced by an expression of serenity as Kanzaki sits down in the corridor. With exaggeratedly slow movements, Kanzaki, seemingly from nowhere, takes out twenty or so tiles and raises them. GNRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! From above the center of the tiles, Kanzakis fist comes crashing down. It isnt a question of whether the tiles were intact anymore, as for Kanzakis fist is already buried in the floor. As the sound of breaking tiles echoes along the corridor, Kanzaki speaks to Tsuchimikado in an exceedingly cold voice, Its alright; Ive thought it through. On the other hand, Tsuchimikado, faced with the erratic behaviour of this Pope, cant help but feel a bit uneasy. Crap, I was only teasing her at the start, but maybe I went a little overboard? As sweat trickles down Tsuchimikados face, Kanzaki slowly stretches out her hand, her fingers straight as a pencil, as if she was doing a Karate chop. The overall feeling is as if Kanzaki is preparing to crush Tsuchimikados skull with a karate chop. Kanzaki says, Tsuchimikado? YYes? I am prepared. Bring it over here.
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About 10 minutes later. After punching the devilishly grinning Tsuchimikado in the face, taking a huge step forward as a woman, leveling up in a different sense than what she intended, the Pontiff of the Amakusa Catholics, Kanzaki Kaori, storms into a certain room in the hospital. Afterwards, to preserve the reputation of the female Pope, it doesnt matter what happens to the world, even if the world is thrown into chaos. However, one thing is certain. Kamijou Touma, regarding that third angelic shadow that differs from Misha Kreuzhev and Kazakiri Hyouka, he will most certainly feel fear upon seeing it from today onwards.
A contact with the Anglican Church. With several documents, the war negotiator and his contact are discussing several options for a surrender plan. Implicitly, they are selecting the most desired outcomes for themselves. Before he even listens for half a minute, the Pope cuts the communication. Curses! He is enraged. Acquas defeat has double implications. For one thing, it is a major blow to their fighting strength, and for another, the enemy has acquired superior fighting strength. (In the first place, how the hell could Acqua have been beaten?) Kamijyo Touma. The owner of a unique power. It didnt seem like he was the reason why Acqua fell. Yet many people spontaneously gathered just to protect him. Simply, this circle of friends is his strength. The Pope quietly thinks. Certainly, that boy is a strong opponent. As hes thinking with an expression of seriousness, the sound of footsteps reaches his ears. Were you hoping for Acquas defeat? That guy has grown fairly well. Well, surely as a result any end to a just cause for criticism cant be concluded. Ha.the great Roman Catholic Church
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erasing any trace of it stirring up trouble in the world.anyone whos a culprit would be swiftly eliminated. Footsteps reverberate throughout St Pietros Basilica in the Vatican. On seeing its owner, a mortified expression surfaces on the Popes face. Fiamma of the Right..Dont tell me.you have come out from the [interior].. Thats a grim face you have there. The person who spoke to the pope is a single young man. Fiamma regards the Popes dejected face. A leaders nature is such that he can openly speak in the midst of crisis. Your response has been unsatisfactory in that sense. Your caliber can thus be entirely seen from this. What are you going to do? The Pope carefully inquires. Vento of the Front is in the midst of recuperation, Terra of the Left is dead and it is unknown if Acqua of the Back is alive or not. If circumstances require, given the current state of Gods Right Seat, the Pope would be able to wrest authority from Fiamma in one fell stroke. In the past, Fiamma had been an annoying existence as the center of Gods Right Seat. To the extent that even amongst the powerful figures of Gods Right Seat, final authority rested with him. Ventos surprise attack on Academy City, Terras mass operation with which he revealed himself to the world, and now, utilizing Acquas crushing power.all this ended in failure. From here on what will you do? For the cessation of activities by the headquarters of the Science Side, Academy City a plan to crush it is needed. The Popes tone is dark. Certainly he acknowledges Academy Citys pre-eminence; to the point that he depends on Gods Right Seats instruction. Thats why if hes alone, generally speaking, even if he were to involve his followers, he could not muster a siege that is anywhere near enough. To the contrary of the Popes expectations, Fiamma replied in a light-hearted manner Firstly, we must destroy England. What?
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Ignoring the Popes doubts, Fiamma continues speaking, I dont know. Presently, as a result of our continuing our key alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church, all Europe with the exception of England is in our grasp. By gathering many nations, we can starve England to nothing. Men, materiel, finances: the flow of all this can be cut off. Thats the foundation of an island nation. Unable to flee, their power will diminish as the months go by. I dont understand the significance of this. The Pope has no comprehension of Fiammas words, so he gives up trying. Instead, he asks directly. Isnt theres a pipeline between Academy City and England? However, if England were to come under attack, it would deal severe damage to Academy I believe. Given what a huge hostage England is, Academy City would be unable to continue the war beneath that calm facade of theirs. For the sake of helping our ally becomes the pretext. Conversely if the attack were to fall on Academy City first, Englands actions would be halted. The Anglican Church is one of the three main denominations of Christianity. The meaning of that is significant. Going to war with Roman Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy; the last two of the three great denominations would be unthinkable. With Englands rise in strength and Academy City - the entirety of the Science Side - its main ally having been reduced to impotence, England could walk away without a scratch. Not like that, not like that at all Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Fiamma simply interrupts. Academy City is not within my sights. At this, the Pope stops breathing. He does not fully grasp what Fiamma of the Right is saying. Fiamma simply continues, [That] is in England. We must have [That] at all costs. Be that as it may, our compatriots have meekly offered [That] up I feel. Thats why there is need to consider causing a major uproar. In order to get that [That] in our hands, the Roman Catholic Church must increase its application of colossal force to its operations. What are you saying.?
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Nn? I do not wish to answer that. Besides, this action is not necessarily out of line with your wishes. With [That] in hand, Academy City, maybe even the Science Side, will be shattered utterly. What.? The Pope, who still has no idea whats going on, asks. What is [That]? Aah.. Fiamma simply opens his mouth. The words that come out are .. Gatan! A sound echoes throughout. Its the sound of the great columns of St Pietros Basilica colliding into one another at the back of the staggering Pope. Fool. The Pope barely manages to gasp. Are you really of Christianity? Fiamma easily counters. What do you think? Curses!! Its enough that the Pope of all people has been my temporary friend and ally. Its been most effective. Fiamma's words are like mocking, but the Pope completely ignores him.
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He has no time to think about this. Vento of the Front, Terra of the Left, and Acqua of the Back, each of these people have their own unique thoughts and philosophies. But even so, they still continued to act as members of this Christian group called 'God's Right Seat'. Getting the power of the Angels, becoming 'La Persona superiore a Dio' and saving humanity directly. Though this thinking is rather arrogant, and that it's defiance to God, one can understand it from the human way. But this person is different from them. This Fiamma of the Right is decisively different from them. Fiamma said that he wants to isolate Britain through the power of the 'Roman Catholics and Russian Orthodox'. However, no matter what anyone says, it's obvious that Britain won't remain silent over this. If they're to force Britain into that situation, Britain will definitely resist with all they got. In that case, the whole of Europe will become a battlefield, and this will no longer be similar to sending one or two people into Academy City-- it's an all out war. "You bastard...do you think that I'll allow you to do that?" He definitely will not allow this person to do that. The Pope has already realised that a war that must not be started is about to start...but he can still prevent it now. "What do you intend to do?" Seeing the Pope's face, Fiamma slowly shakes his head. "So what do you alone intend to do against thy great me of 'God's Right Seat'?" "You're just unable to defend yourself, that's all." "You really think so? Even if it's just the people with special 'elements', they're just three people. The locations of the 'Front', 'Left' and 'Back' can be replaced anytime as long as this great me lives. "How can I allow you to do that?" The Pope's tone is very deep. "Fiamma of the Right, remain silent for now, or perhaps, forever." An explosion can be heard.
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The thirteen-sided object surrounding Fiamma form a restraining spell, and this not only restrains Fiamma's actions physically, it separates his flesh and soul, causing him to be stuck in a 'woundless bind' forever while being in a hollow state. "After Judas' betrayal, he hanged himself due to the immense guilt. He felt the darkest, coldest, deepest, and most painful feeling; no matter where he looked, he couldn't see any sign of hope. Remember this is the real thing that you're going to experience forever." Fiamma can no longer hear anything, but the Pope's mouth is still moving. "From now on, you'll be bound for about 40 years. Slowly taste the 'loneliness created by oneself' that Judas experienced, and correct that immature soul of yours." Inside the thirteen-sided object, Fiamma, who was standing there in shock, slightly twitches his lips. This should be the final resistance that he's making with all his strength. "Give up, no matter what, I'm the Pope. The power I'm using now is the Holy power of 2 billion followers and has passed through 2,000 years of history. It's not something that can be destroyed by just one or two people. To add on, this St. Peter Basilica is the largest and highest stronghold of the old power. Combined with the power of the Vatican, these things can be said to be powerful spiritual tools that can increase the Pope's strength. "Humph." At this moment, Fiamma moves his mouth. The Pope lets out a shocked expression. This isn't something that someone being bound will do. Fiamma says in a natural tone. "What a pity...just 2 billion followers, just 2,000 years of history. At this moment, everything disappeared. The Pope barely manages to see that thing that appeared on Fiamma's right shoulder together with a strong light with his two eyes. The next moment, his entire vision got surrounded by white, and then a destructive storm destroys the surroundings. Like a tornado, the storm explodes. One third of the St Peter's Basilica got destroyed from the inside.
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The magic arrays supporting this large structure got cut off one by one, and the other related facilities protecting this Vatican City gets damaged one after another. The defensive arrays that were meant to protect the land got damaged greatly, and the large amount of magic loses all sense of purpose, creating chaos and causing the surrounding scene to be distorted. The Pope's body got sent flying over a 100m away before landing onto the stone floor of the parade. He stares at the half-destroyed St. Peter's Basilica with a shocked expression. The most important stronghold in the world, the largest, biggest Church of Christianity in the world is now devastated like it was made of paper. This overly pitiful scene causes the Pope to forget the pain caused by his own wounds. In the middle of all this destruction stands Fiamma of the Right. He's casually walking towards the plaza. There's a strange thing near his right shoulder. Different from the two arms that he originally had, like a wing that wasn't developed properly, there's a huge ugly hand with five fingers on it, blocks of light that are distorted in shape. It was told in Greek Legend that Athena hacked her way out of the forehead of the main god, Zeus, and climbed out of the wound. Right now, the scene in front of the Pope is similar to that legend, both are really unbelievable. "How boring, it got destroyed just like this." Fiamma stares at his right hand and the thing that grew out of his shoulder as if hes checking a cars engine, and then clicks his tongue. The Pope leans on a stone fragment, and says as if hes moaning, Thatarmdont tell me, that power is Thats right, my right hand can be said to be the symbol of miracles. Fiamma says as he continues to slowly move through the rubble. The Son of God could just use His right hand to treat the illnesses of the sick and revive the dead. It was the Right hand that was used to draw the Cross; it was also the Right hand that was used to scatter the Holy water that was used for baptism. Also, it was said that the Right hand of the one who is like God (Michael) is the strongest weapon in history, having buried a large number of Fallen Angels, and even the one who challenged the Light (Lucifer) was slain by him. It was such an overwhelming power.
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The Right. The red man who signifies burning just continued to explain. To the Pope, whos supposed to be the greatest among the Roman Catholic. Ugh However, the Holy Right has such incredible power that its not something a human can completely control. The Holy water that an ordinary follower scatter or the Cross that they draw, well, its that kind of a thing. However, theyre just like chips of the power that those in Legends use, thats all, do you understand? Even if its a Saint or Gods Right Seat, all the basics are still of the human body. Understand this, Pope-sama, this great me is just an ordinary human. Such a troublesome thing. Fiamma said to the Pope in a bored tone. This man who actually used power that far exceeds an ordinary human can yet look down on himself and call himself a human. In other words, this great me can use the miracle of the Right hand well, but is unable to completely use its power. Using such power under this situation, isnt it such a trivial thing? Its like recording something with a black and white television set. The huge hand thats emitting an unknown presence sways behind Fiamma. He licks his slender fingers and says, Hey, I say. Didnt you want this? The Cathedral thats built by humans, this mystic that was built together piece by piece without a bit of pretence, the entire St Peters Basilica was destroyed by Fiamma of the Right. The Holy Right that signifies all sorts of miracles will destroy all sorts of evil arts. The power of the Right sent the lord of devils into Hell and ensured that he will be bound there for a thousand years. If I can completely master the Right hand of this power, dont you want to know whats inside it? (Dont tell me) If its the report, the Pope has read it before. The unknown abnormal power that a certain boy from Academy City possesses. That right hand that can destroy all sorts of magic and mystics.
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If its this great me, I can master it. Fiamma laughs and places his right hand horizontally. As if responding to his command, the third arm that split in the air moves along as well. If its this one like God, it can definitely master it. However, I need to do some preparations first. Of course, even if hes to gather all the materials, he still cant create the spell. As expected, the thing thats required to control this overwhelming power properly far exceeds all human expertise. And the Pope knows of a treasure trove of knowledge that gathered all sorts of magic books, a certain crystallisation of knowledge. Most likely, Fiamma managed to guess from the Popes expression what he was thinking. Fiammas smile is a lot more radiant now. The Index. Those guys from England really prepared quite a nice thing for me. Thus. Thats why he wants to attack Britain. Not looking for the person herself who stopped by in Academy City, but to direct her to Britain. How can Ilet you get away? The Pope stutters as he tries to continue on. Forcefully moving his bloody body, the Pope finally manages to stand up. If he follows the instructions of Gods Right Seat, becomes a member of them, and heads on toward 'La Persona superiore a Dio', then maybe he could save even more followers. The Pope doesnt want to head toward that for his own power and standing, he doesnt want to use those innocent sheep as stepping stones to become Pope. Thus, the Pope stood up. Behind him are the fates of 2 billion followers. This really delights me. Placing his right hand horizontally, Fiamma laughs.
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Even though its an overwhelming victory, your overwhelming stupidity made me feel that this is fun. The next moment, an explosion sounded off. The interaction between both of them cant even be considered a clash. The Pope was just suppressed with such overwhelming strength that his body was sent flying. The plaza of the St. Peters Cathedral is so severely damaged that only rubble remains. The aftershocks of the explosion caused the surrounding structures to collapse, causing the already heavily damaged Cathedral to incur even more damage. A part of the perimeter wall surrounding this city state called the Vatican has crumbled, and the Pope was blown away. After this commotion, the Vatican soldiers who firmly believe that such a place will not be threatened hastily rush over. At first, they just blankly stare at Fiamma, and its likely that they cant imagine that any ordinary human can cause such devastation. A few of them, finally regaining their senses and remembering their duty, charge forward, but the next moment, they become pieces of flesh dancing in the air. With this, the dominator has been decided. Hm? Fiamma stares at the other side of the thoroughly destroyed wall of the Vatican. Thats strange, the damage is too small. That shockwave just now should have levelled several hundred metres of Roman streets outside to rubble. However, only the interior of the Vatican was damaged, the outside wasnt. So you bore it all on yourself? Such an impressive bastard. Fiamma snorts and faces the St. Peters Basilica that has basically collapsed completely. Forget about the lowest of the soldiers, even the Cardinal Bishops and other important people dont dare to say anything now. The thoroughly bloodied Pope lies outside. Fiamma had no intention of hiding this commotion, having caused the surroundings to look like one huge catastrophe created by a terrorist attack. He can hear the siren of an ambulance from somewhere. Originally he thought that someone was killed somewhere, but on second look, the ambulance is heading towards him.
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Even if hes to look around, there arent any collapsed houses. Even though the flying debris broke some glass off the windows, there doesnt seem to be any casualties. Just as the Pope was about to smile, he realises that inside a small alley between the houses, a dirty-looking girl is looking at him. Its dangerous over here. Even though he wants to say this, he cant say it out properly. Maybe its because his consciousness is about to waver, as the girl seemed to be shouting something at the Pope. Shes not holding any bandages or antiseptics or the like, but to the Pope who doesnt like to overly rely on the power of Science, maybe one should be grateful to this girls actions. No matter what, hes rather grateful to be able to receive even such a little goodwill after taking great malice. Wow, thats quite a ruckus. He hears a new voice. The Pope lifts his head up, and the one appearing there is a female completely clothed in yellow. Vento of the Front. The Pope who had his honour wounded just to save the lost sheep, and that little thought just now, does he still hate to be voted by the people? The Pope-sama who won through an election. England. His presence is slowly fading, but the Pope still tries to open his mouth. As if hes continuing to throw up blobs of blood, he says, Fiammas target is Englands Dont use a commanding tone on me. Vento sticks her tongue out and easily cuts his words. But since everyones goal is to kill that bastard, Ill just close one eye. At this moment, Vento purposely pauses.
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Its that dirty girl. Right now, shes glaring at Vento with extreme hostility. Nice hostility you have there. Vento snarls. And your luck is rather good, if I had my original weapon, you would have died here. The siren of the ambulance is closing in After that, Vento doesnt say anything more and disappears into the alley between the houses. London, Little Venice. The one with the highest authority within the English Anglicans, Archbishop Laura Stuart is lying on a boat. The boat is floating on an artificial sluice formed by numerous canals. From the name Venice, one can more or less tell that it was based on the city of water, Venice However, there are some things that are different. This is because the surrounding scenery is different from Venice, and that this isnt some floating city, just a pier with three canals gathered at it. Venice has an artificial magic effect that allows for heavier use of the terrain, and it is fully duplicated here, but very few people know about this. Itll be great if it were a rowboat Laura looks rather bored as she said this, and peeks towards the back of the boat. Even though theres a man who looks like a boatman, theres a mini-engine behind. Report. The boatman brings in a topic related to work. I finally managed to leave St. George Cathedral, and yet this boatman doesnt know the mood and wants to talk about work. Laura curls her lips unhappily. There seemed to be interior fighting within the Roman Catholics, and the Pope got involved as well. Right now, its unknown whether hes alive or dead. We have confirmed that he was sent to the hospital, but we cant make a hasty conclusion yet. The boatman starts to make hypotheses based on the insider reports from Rome and the magical flow, and collates them together to explain this inside war further.
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From the vast amount of magic detected, the original damage should have been numerous times, no even more than that, butplease give me a moment to calculate this, there might be a mistake. Even if you do your calculations again, it wont change. There was an ordinary street behind the Pope, right? If so, the outcome is extremely obvious. Sleeping on the boat, Laura flips her body around to a position where she cant see the boatman. While doing this, she mutters, Such a kind man. What significance, what thoughts does this sentence hold; the boatman is unable to tell. Laura Stuarts real age is different from her outer appearance. The things that she experienced are already different from ordinary people in nature. Thus, because of that, the boatman is unable to understand what Laura is thinking. Then, arent you smiling right now, you foolish kind man. But in the end, the boatman can only guess what he sees, Theres a tinge of loneliness in Laura Stuarts voice.
In a corner of Academy City, there is a windowless building. It has such hardness that even a nuclear weapon cant destroy it, and all this is prepared for just a human. The General Director of Academy City, Aleister. The human floating upside down in the huge glass container reveals a smile. What he sees is a rectangular screen that is directly shown in the air. The sources of information are from the hover cables. A unique network made of nanomachines thats scattered throughout Academy City. The screen that normally display information is now only showing gray mosaics, and this is because the giant explosion caused by Acqua of the Back forced the hover cables network to collapse within an hour. Even if they are to create hover cables with the most advanced nanotechnology, the motherboard length is only about 70nm, so its natural that they will be destroyed once theres a storm or impact.
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The interference that happens within an area will spread to the other places through network broadcast, creating a huge burden to the entire network. It will take a few hours to repair it, and to Aleister, this should be something major like his hand being cut off. However, all he shows is a smile. As expected, I need to think of a way to settle that problem However, he looks delighted, for he has just remembered what he had to do. The machines surrounding Aleister are analysing the information collected before the hover cables were disabled, and processing out the useful information from the information that are full of interference. The gray screen starts to regain colour, and immediately display itself as a report. The content of the report is the analysis of the power possessed by a certain boys right hand. All sorts of chemical formulas are jumping all over the place, from the brain processing capability thats calculated from the amount of oxygen taken in and the amount of carbon dioxide taken out, to the power of his right hand thats calculated from the AIM dispersal field thats scattered all over Academy City. Out and out, this is a world filled with just science. Aleister uses his eyes to track the words on the screen, and his smile becomes even deeper. An adult, and yet a child; a man, and yet a woman; a Saint, and yet a sinner, in front of this human that has all these attributes, the report is as follows. In order to deny the reference point of the non-ethical phenomenon, stability rating remained at 3. Confirmed the rotation number of the core The item called Imagine Breaker has a 98% chance of affecting the plan. Putting the number 1 of Academy City together, the main cogs for the main plan is under way.
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To Aru Majutsu No Index - Volume 16

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To Aru Majutsu No Index - Volume 16

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To Aru Majutsu no Index Volume 16

Prologue: The Standing of a Leader. Stage in Roma.