A/N:

And here we are.

Quicker than last time, that's for sure.

I don't have much to say here, so please enjoy what I have created for you.

Of course, don't forget...

[ I Do Not Own The Awesomeness That Is 'A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX' ]

AND

[ I Certainly Do Not Own The Well Written Treasure Trove Of A Qaint Little Fanfic That Is Called 'OF LINES THAT CAN BE FOUND IN BETWEEN' by NeoShadows ]

…

…

…

Silence.

A complete silence settled over them like a heavy blanket.

Ten minutes had passed, but it might have even been longer.

That was how it felt as they just despondently stared at the screen which was now black, not that anyone was even in the right frame of mind to be cognizant of such things. Could they be blamed? Could their minds really be blamed for failing to come together after what they had just seen?

Fiamma's cruel smirk.

The flash of his holy sword.

The disturbing sound of flesh being cut.

And, the spray of blood.

So much blood.

That was all it took for something to break.

Something holding on by a thread had snapped completely while fully knowing it was about to do so. That was the worst thing, to know that the peace would soon go away, but still be forced to silently wait for that peace to be ripped from a desperate embrace. That was what truly shackled them to despair's poisonous grip. It was a harsh voice whispering the cruel nothings they wanted to ignore but heard clearly all the same. Like: Did you really think things would go any other way? You know it only gets worse from here, right? Why are you acting so surprised for? You should be used to this by now, yes?

Those questions were beaten into their minds like the violent tempo of a drum.

And then.

"Why?"

That voice came.

Barely above a whisper, an older woman threw her own question into the mix.

Yes, It was Kamijiou Shiina.

"Why... is it... always...?"

It was in fact so softly spoken that it would have been missed if the room wasn't as dead silent as it was now. Thus, the person the question was for should have had no excuse in not hearing it.

However still, the Voice remained silent.

That was the wrong answer.

Shiina's head shot up with a fiery look in her eye. There was nowhere and no one to meet that gaze, yet she settled for that single monitor all the same. Then, she asked—no, demanded it.

"Why...? Why must my son be in this situation...? Why must he be the one who has to deal with this all by his lonesome...?"

Shiina was not just talking about fighting Fiamma.

She was likely not even talking about World War Three. Instead, she referred to it all. Everything; every single last memory where they witnessed without distortion the misfortune no one had seen. Her lips trembled, and her expression had such fluctuating emotion that it was hard to tell just what was truly being reflected through those brown eyes of hers.

"Please... tell me...?"

That woman no longer looked like the gentle and serene mother that looked on with a smile, that would look their way with biting worry. None of that was present now. Her expression was twisted in anguish. Her fists clenched, and she slammed one of them into the ground where she still sat, defeated on the floor.

Her voice continued to carry.

"He never tells us anything. He doesn't tell us what he gets up to. Nothing. Even before he lost his memories, we would call and ask how things were doing, and he would always give us the same response, but he said it in such a way that didn't leave any room for doubt. He said he was having fun. He said that there was nothing that was going wrong."

A shaky laugh escaped her, however it hardly sounded like she was amused.

"A-And we believed him. We actually sat there all this time, believing our son was living a completely normal life. We convinced ourselves that we had done him a favor suggesting he go there because of what happened. That it wasn't anything bad, or because of anything he did wrong, but because he would have a good time." Her breath hitched, but then her voice rose several octaves. "We saw him off with a smile...! We smiled and waved as we sent him someplace where he would inevitably be hurt again and again!"

She slammed down again.

"It's not fair to blame Academy City, I get that. But still... why? Why is this happening...? Why does my son have to be in a position to face these kinds of things?! Why is he the one fighting as if he's the only one?! Why in a city that boasts so many technological advancements is my precious child not safe from all these people who wish him harm?! It shouldn't be allowed! Not when it should be the job of those older to protect him! H-He's sixteen for crying out oud...! He shouldn't have to do any of this! None of this should be on him...!"

Her cries rang throughout the room, full of indignation and heartache. But then, she suddenly wilted, as if she were a marionette whose strings had been cut. Slowly, she breathed out, a smile appearing there, yet it was far from happy.

"B-But I can't say that, can I...?"

A bitter laugh escaped her, sounding as dry as the tear stains that reddened her face.

"Not when... not when I know it was his decision each and every time. Not when I know if given the chance of helping or running away, it isn't a choice, not for him. We raised him like that. He forgot it, yes, but he somehow was still able to pick it up again. And maybe that is another way he has been unlucky, that he once again became the type of boy that's unable to ignore another's suffering. B-But, but..."

Her body shook, and it soon became apparent that she was indeed crying again. The tears fell from her eyes, and a look of pure heartbreak flashed over her.

"If he's just going to continue to be hurt like this... Touma... if you're just going to keep undergoing pain unimaginable... I wished you would just stop. I know it's selfish, but I don't know what else to do to keep you safe. Please run. Run away from all of it. I know it would hurt you just as much. You've made that clear by now. But please, my beautiful child, you really will die at this rate. Even if you want everyone to smile, please choose to safeguard the smiles that will disappear if yours is no longer there...!"

It was unclear who exactly Shiina was trying to reach with her words, because the one person who needed to hear them the most was not present, a fact that was cruelly sinking into them by the moment as they were forced to listen to her heartbreaking pleas, yet unsure and at a loss on how to respond.

Yes.

No one brought forth an answer in that room that seemed to swell up with that mother's grief, who just continued to sob as if there was a deep rot in her chest that she couldn't expel. All they could do was take in that depressing scene with what it was and match it with their own versions of grief.

However, not everyone had chosen abundant despair like that mother.

One had to look no further than the man next to her to find proof of something much much darker.

"You..."

Touya muttered something, barely distinct, fists violently trembling.

He had not been shocked to despondency like his wife. The emotion clouding his eyes was much too lively, unrecognizably so. It was an emotion that caused his nails to brush up against something wet and it was only mutely that he became aware that it was his own blood. He didn't focus on that though. Unlike the mother's gaze which had fallen to the floor, his eyes had looked upward before being clenched tight. However, with his teeth grit and mouth marred into a frown, that face approached a state not thought to be possible on a man such as he.

Hate.

The person he was imagining caused fiery hate to course through him. It was not aimed at Touma for being so arrogant and selfish that he thought he could stop a war with a single fist. It was also not aimed at the Voice for being the cruel person to show it to them simply because she could. Those two might have been justified in their own ways, but they weren't applicable in this case.

(Definitely...)

Rather, it was the person who had sadistically watched on as he lopped his son's arm off.

(I'll definitely make you pay, bastard!)

It was that person who was the root of all evil in Touya's eyes, and the growl that came from his throat emphasized every bit of that, even if it was unlike the father in every way. But, it was only concerning his son that he would ever be pushed that far.

And then there was everyone else.

Some of their reactions were more subtle, but the dissatisfaction was obviously present. Displeasure, irritation, fury—it was all present and more.

It was in the way Accelerator's expression scowled as he stared at Fiamma, even after having shielded Last Order's eyes from the sight of the messy dismemberment. It was in the way that Mugino's eyes flashed with a contemptible snarl, a borrowing rage that would have her treating even the most minor of inconveniences with a swift and bloody end.

The signs continued in others too.

Birdway's furious eyes gleaming with scorn, promising punishment the second—no, the instant she tracked down that Russian bastard. In Lessar's haunted look that spoke of anger, guilt, sadness, and worthlessness. In Kaibi's shocked gaze, one that was not denying or disbelieving, but one that had seen it all before and then some, yet had still not gotten any easier. Tsuchimikado's shaky exhale, riddled with pain, anger, and sadness.

"Goddammit..."

And Mikoto too.

That curse left her mouth as she wiped her eyes with a sleeve, revealing the tracks of tears that had been appearing without end, forming an agonized expression. This wasn't the first time she had seen this—his brushes with mortality. That time, she had been there to witness it, a front row seat even. She saw the exact moment when his muscle fibers were eradicated into miniscule fleshy junks, all while knowing it was her out of control power that had been the cause, all while knowing that if she had been stronger, he wouldn't have needed to bleed for her sake—as he always seems to do for her, for everyone. If she was even the slightest bit more competent, he wouldn't have needed to grit his teeth and endure something as traumatic as that.

(And I... and I...)

And just what had she done during that time? What had happened in that aftermath when his arm had literally been ripped from his shoulder?

She was comforted by him—not the other way around.

He prioritized her mental state over any residual pain or trauma that might have been afflicting him. She even made a joke about his regeneration. She thought it was fine. She thought that by not bringing it up she was doing him a favor. But that was a lie. The truth was that she was just too scared to say anything. He had gone through the excruciating pain of losing an arm for her sake, and she was content with letting it be swept under the rug like it never happened, all because she didn't have the strength to bring it up. Because she was immature—because she wasn't brave enough, she pursued healing her own mind from that incident instead of giving a damn about his.

(And now...! Not even a month later, he—!)

Mikoto choked back the sob that nearly became a whimper, unable to continue, not knowing how to continue.

That was what all of them were feeling.

They didn't know what to do.

It wasn't fair, just like Shiina said. It wasn't fair Kamijou had to keep putting himself through incident after incident because he felt he was the one who should step up. Wasn't there a limit? How many injuries would he suffer before enough was enough and he finally entered a state that couldn't be taken back—before he finally, well and truly, died. That word that continued to grow more and more real as the memories continued, just how long would it be until such a thing actually happened? Why wasn't he choosing to be more selfish? Why was it so foreign for him to value his life? Why didn't he accept the love and affection of those who would be the happiest in the world if he were only to realize he was worthy of it? The value of a human life—just what was he seeing that the rest of them weren't, that would cause him to do all of this, again and again without cease.

If only they knew.

They so desperately wanted to know, definitively, to be given a clue so they could understand in a way that would allow them to help, to actually do something.

"..."

It was around this time that it happened.

The mood in the room was melancholic.

They wanted to continue the memory, to see if Kamijou was going to be okay, in a way that was more tangible than the foreknowledge that he was alive and well in the present. They wanted to watch Stiyl continue to save Index, and Mikoto as she continued her struggle to rescue that boy in her own way.

But how could they?

They were stuck. They were well and truly stuck. Their feelings had been dragged around, kicked, strangled, and it took everything within them to even lift their gazes from the floor, much less onto that monitor where they knew they would be walking straight back into the horror that made their knees feel like jelly.

—

A/N: The following excerpts of italicized speech are not my own writing, but rather NeoShadow's creative genius, an author of a fanfiction called 'Of Lines That Can Be Found In Between'

—

"Why does there have to be some carefully thought-out reward for saving anyone?"

The Voice suddenly spoke.

.

. .

. . .

Huh?

They all froze, looking up in surprise.

—

[ PLAY MUSIC ]

Sword Art Online – Unlasting

—

"You don't earn points for rescuing a person from a burning building. You don't score bonus exp for saving the life of someone who was drowning in a lake you were passing by. There isn't a hidden achievement in answering the cry of someone who's suffering a horrible situation all on their own. The amount of blood I've lost? The number of broken bones I've suffered? The things I've lost? Why the hell should such things amount to anything in return?! What kind of person keeps score of such useless stats?!"

"V-Voice-san, what are you—?"

Arisa froze, eyes going wide.

She wasn't the only one.

There was no reason.

There was no reason they should have known just by the words. It could have been anyone. There was certainly no hint that could be gleamed by that clearly feminine voice they had been used to hearing. Thus, nothing should have come of it. In fact, it would have been weird if there were. However, they still heard it. Even if it was ridiculous, and even if they were latching onto something that just wasn't realistic, they still heard it.

"T-Touma?"

Shiina's eyes, which had been despondent, suddenly gained a faint gleam.

That mother heard her son clearly in those words—she had that thought without reservation.

"I fought hard. I was hurt badly. I nearly died. I saved so many. Surely, even I deserved something? But then, I saw it. That smile—it was so beautiful. The face of someone's world being saved couldn't possibly be brought down into the realm of boring numbers. It could not be given a numerical value to be so easily altered by logic. Its value could only ever be described as truly priceless. To ask for anything in return? To demand a prize? To selfishly expect a gift to match the value of all my suffering? It would be no different than sullying the beautiful memory of those smiles."

"Son, no—that's not it!"

Touya raised his voice now, because hearing those words, hearing those words that were clearly his words, struck something so deep within that father.

"You're allowed to want more! You're supposed to want more! No one would blame you! Not a single one of those who love you would care, not if you finally received the fruits of your efforts. Your happiness would become their happiness! It's okay son! You can still—"

But Touya's words did not reach their intended recipient, nor could they.

"If someone's in trouble, you're supposed to save them. It's not about doing it to be paid back for your efforts. But because you came upon someone who was crying as they were suffering a terrible situation. Being able to get them back on their feet, saving their life, protecting their smile, and giving them an opportunity to feel happy and safe. Shouldn't it be enough that you can smile? So, how could I ever demand anything more than you being able to return home with those you love?"

.

. .

. . .

They fell silent.

In the end, nothing they could have said would have made a difference, not when that boy wasn't even here, not when what they had just heard was nothing more than the spoken words and feelings of a boy who had experienced enough of his own despair that his ways could not be so easily changed.

"Voice-san, that...?" Arisa asked again, her question clear.

She had to be clear.

"I'm sorry."

They sagged, not in relief, but something almost infinitely more unsatisfying, simply because that reply told them all that they needed to know. That really had been Kamijou, even if now they wished it wasn't so.

"Those were his words, and even though it was in poor taste for me to do that to you, I felt it necessary all the same. The when and where doesn't matter. That would be a whole other story to tell, and one that could branch off into infinite possibilities, and we won't be going there beyond what I see fit to use to help mold into the necessary parts."

"…The necessary parts for what?" Accelerator asked brusquely, curious despite himself.

"Saving him from breaking of course."

Their breaths caught, and they looked frantic all of sudden.

"Perhaps it was a bit cruel of me to say that out of the blue—but it doesn't change the fact that it is true. That is the entire purpose behind your presence here. I wish for you to understand that boy, but also, if in the likelihood that you fail connect with him, you'll need to be able to deal with the aftermath. It is entirely possible that he might break if he continues to fight for others without a thought for himself. However, if he were ever to stop, that might prove to be even more dangerous."

They blinked in shock.

What did that mean?

"H-How does that make sense? Why would him stopping be bad for him?" Lessar asked, but she was already growing nervous for some reason.

That feeling wasn't without reason, and that was shared by more than just her.

Othinus frowned, not in confusion, but understanding, as did Misaki.

"Because by his life slowing down to the point where risking it no longer becomes necessary, he will start to realize all the things he had experienced. Every fight, every injury, every bad choice, every regret, every sensation, every betrayal, every failed opportunity, every lie, every truth—all of it. That boy with only a few months of memories will finally be in a position to sort through it all, and believe me when I say, that will be his undoing."

Their mouths grew dry.

"But when that day comes... when that day comes, he'll need saving."

Her voice suddenly became soft.

"That is your role. Please save him, as he saved you. The people who like him, the people who love him, even the people who tolerate him. Please save Kamijou Touma. He went through so much strife. It would be truly unfair for him to unravel into nothingness after all his hard work."

They tried to process all of that.

Kamijou would break, regardless of whether or not he stopped fighting. It might not happen. It was definitely possible that the person who had gone through those hells wasn't the type of person to crumble to pieces when finally reflecting. So, they really shouldn't have anything to worry about. Kamijou was strong. They knew that. He might disagree with that assessment and say he was just a normal person, but they knew normal people didn't approach his level of strength, and they weren't referring to how hard he could hit, nor the power binded to that right fist.

Kamijou was strong, so he wouldn't lose to his own memories.

But.

Some of them wore anxious faces.

What if he did? Would Kamijou Touma really fall apart either way? They had no way of knowing. The only way they'd know for sure is that they wanted to reach an ending with him, regardless of how it might turn out. And they knew what type of ending they wanted to see for that boy. It was such a fierce desire within their hearts that it was almost enough to make them shake with intensity.

The Voice had already said it.

…

…

…

"Please save him."

…

…

…

And that was the spark.

Their unconscious thoughts began to fester, and in that silence created The Voice's request, one by one, their expressions began to brighten. The longing stayed, as that would continue regardless of what happened. They also wouldn't stop being sad over what they had just heard, and what they had just seen. It was still true that there was a boy out there that would rather be hurt than be the one to hurt. It was still true that there existed such a person out there that felt one person's smile was more precious than his own life, and that it was selfish to want to see it. The sadness caused by that wouldn't disappear so easily.

However, something surely grew in its place.

Shiina shakily stood up, accepting the solid hand of her husband. What she wanted more than anything else at that moment was obvious. And because she wanted it, she requested.

"Voice-san, please show us the rest of Touma-san's memories."

They were nodding their heads.

In order to save the boy who only knew how to save others, they needed to keep going. It would be hard, and they would surely see even more distressing things, but that didn't change what lay at the end of this journey. That didn't change who was waiting for his happy ending, regardless of whether or not he knew it.

So, they asked the memory to continue.

"I'd be happy to."

And with a voice that suggested that she could not stop smiling, there was a response.

—

[ SCENE START ]

—

Part 3
[ REDACTED ]

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—

Part 4
[ REDACTED ]

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—

Part 5

—

In the underground portion of St. George's Cathedral, Index's attacks were relentless.

She had immediately seen through the fact that Stiyl Magnus had made the three flame giants into a single set in order to create a Trinity construction that would lower the burden. In order to destroy that construction, she had focused her attacks on a single Innocentius.

By having three Innocentii, Stiyl's burden was lessened, but they had now been reduced to two, so they lost stability and he was forced to bear the full brunt of the burden once more.

However, he could not stop fighting.

He did not have time to rest.

Index's fierce attacks making full use of the 103,000 grimoires did not give him a chance.

Different types of objects coiled about.

There was the glow of the magic circles in her emotionless eyes, the red wings growing from her limp back that seemed to have lost its core, and the numerous Western swords created from collections of something like particles of light that floated around her. They all functioned to thoroughly annihilate her enemy and their current target was Stiyl Magnus.

Even before Kamijou, there was still the issue that had him sent to Russia in the first place—Index. But that wasn't who they were seeing now.

John's Pen mode.

That was the name that belonged to the powers that usually lay dormant inside that girl, longing for the release they were seeing now. It made the chipper gluttonous nun they knew seem like a completely different person, like the distorted feedback one sometimes hears when listening to a pleasant melody.

That cruel echo was fighting Stiyl.

That alone caused them to become tense.

But that was nothing compared to the face Index was making as she was forced to watch all of this for the first time.

(Without a clue... completely ignorant to the trouble I caused... I woke up and immediately started looking for Touma. I didn't even thank them. I didn't even thank Stiyl...)

That feeling was almost enough to crush her right then and there, but she shook it off.

(No.)

Stiyl told her not to apologize. He didn't want to hear anything until it was all said and done. Her eyes burned fiercely, and despite how much she wanted to, she did not look away. She couldn't look away until she had seen all there was to see and then some. It was only then did she have the right to speak the words of gratitude she was holding in.

For now, however...

Her lips moved, hands clenched over her heart.

"You can do it... Stiyl."

.

. .

. . .

"...?"

And that boy stiffened, having definitely heard that chiming whisper of assurance.

"Kh…!"

Even then, the red blood wings were swung about again and again and the long narrow swords made of particles of light stabbed in from various angles. The swords were not held in Index's hands. They floated about her. Stiyl was reminded of the sword held by the harvest god Freyr that would automatically fight and automatically kill the enemy.

(Angel wings and the harvest god's sword…! She's matching my combination of Christianity and Norse mythology!)

As the battle raged on in front of them all, they wondered...

How much of that girl's choices right now were her own, the grimoires, or even Fiamma's manipulating hand?

Within Norse mythology, there was no legend in which that sword lost. Even in the final battle of Ragnarok, Freyr only lost because he had left the sword with someone else before the war began, so a means of defeating that sword was not recorded anywhere.

Even Odin and Thor were defeated along with their weapons, but that sword alone was undefeated.

Odin and Thor—defeated.

Othinus found herself grinning.

The irony was not lost on her.

(Myself... and that battle crazed maniac. It would not be a lie to say we were both soundly defeated at that time. Me, for allowing these human emotions to fester in my heart, and then of course Thor, who despite his best efforts, failed in preventing me from getting saved by him. Yes, you have created quite an extensive record, Understander...)

Innocentius alone was not going to be enough.

The giants would be quickly worn down and would be annihilated without being able to recover.

If that happened, who would stop Index?

How would he save her?

Thinking that, Stiyl unhesitatingly created a flame sword and put himself between Index and the Innocentii.

—Stop Index.

—Save her.

It was not one or the other. Those two were not mutually exclusive.

To Stiyl, stopping her and saving her was the same thing. Preventing her from destroying things needlessly would save her from taxing the body that Fiamma was manipulating. However, the method of doing so wouldn't be killing her. Despite being the person who had killed for Necessarius, who had burned others without a shred of mercy, wasn't going to choose the same here. He couldn't. He wanted to save her, and he wanted—no, needed to figure out a way to do so.

That was what they were seeing as they saw Stiyl try his best.

And Index felt her eyes prickle with tears.

In a time when she had lost her sense of self and that thing took over, she wasn't alone. In a place where there was darkness all around her and not a friend in sight, she had allies, people who were fighting in her corner, because they wanted her to be normal again.

Watching this should have been biting, like a cold wind.

It should have made her despair, that so many people were getting hurt on her behalf.

Yet.

Why?

What right, in this horrible situation she was causing, did she have to feel such warmness? Index, who shouldn't feel this way, found comfort in a flame that had been protecting her when no one was watching—and it continued to do so.

Because there were two of the flame giants, they could not gain time to recover.

Index's rush of attacks gave them no chance to do so and they lost momentum.

In that case, he needed to use other means of fighting to make up for that.

If he could buy them time to recover, he could complete a rotation.

He let fly multiple slashes of the flame sword and the blood wings and giant's arms swung around. Stiyl felt even more pressure inside his body and he sweated profusely. His flame sword was not perfect. At times he received Index's attack on it and it was sliced apart. At those times, he twisted his body at the last second and just barely managed to continue fighting.

But he was up against John's Pen mode that had been created to annihilate anyone who was trying to steal the 103,000 grimoires whether it was a single person or an entire cabal. The mere fact that Stiyl Magnus was managing to deal with her on his own was abnormal.

It was abnormal.

But just from the look on Stiyl's face, it suggested he didn't give a damn about normalcy. Just because it was strange, surreal, or unrealistic, didn't mean anything when he refused to give up in spite of what logic should dictate his chances at.

But, was that really all it was?

"..."

Kumokawa brewed in silence.

(He does have a point. Would Fiamma, the presumed orchestrator of her defenses at the moment, really have left such meager settings so that a single magician with an aptitude for fire could hold her back... or is there something else going on?)

Just saying that Stiyl had grown was not enough to explain it.

Index was clearly in bad form.

(The burden from the remote control spiritual item is holding her back.)

While managing to singlehandedly cut through the 103,000 grimoires, Stiyl did not overestimate his own abilities.

(That unnecessary interruption into her consciousness is lowering her accuracy and speed. If she was the same as she was when she fought that right hand, this kind of trick wouldn't work.)

But he was not thankful.

If that burden were not there, she would not be suffering.

—That burden.

It was too easy to imagine him referring to Kamijou by saying such a thing, considering his prior bouts of irritation towards the boy. However, at the same time, they doubted it. After all, no matter what Stiyl said about him, Kamijou had still been the one to free Index from the endless repeat of having her memory wiped. She had been freed from the tearful goodbyes that had been a cruel reminder and constant on Stiyl's psyche. It might be true that those two don't get along, but Kamijou had still given him that gift.

They believed in that above all else.

Which is why...

(Stiyl won't lose here...!)

Kanzaki believed in that as well.

Stiyl stepped forward.

There was an instant of an opening.

If he detonated the flame sword there, he could knock her unconscious. Even if she was a great magical existence, her body was still that of a delicate girl. If she was hit by the shockwave, she should no longer be able to function. And then he could place the additional rune card on her in order to mentally bind her.

Then it would be over.

Uiharu watched with rapt attention.

She hoped things would progress that smoothly. It didn't matter if she didn't personally know these two. Whether she wanted to or not, she had been a part of their journey the very second she arrived in this odd place and time at the Voice's behest. So, of course she was rooting for people fighting to protect those they cared for.

(You can do it, Stiyl-san! Index-san!)

And yet Stiyl's mind caught at the last second.

Even if he was doing this to protect her…

Even if he had been forced into this battle against his will by the remote control spiritual item…

He had hurt her quite a bit up until then.

Could Stiyl Magnus's magic name allow him to hurt her any more than that?

They remembered it.

…

…

…

"Fortis931, I prove why my name is the strongest here!"

…

…

…

That magic name.

As the boy had such crippling doubt, they wondered what the source of that promise was? That 'strongest'; was that the strength to eradicate sin like the witch hunter he was? Or, was it something gentler, like the strength to protect? His creed, which he carved into his very soul—did it stem from his ability to fight, or his desperation not to lose those he cared for?

They weren't sure, but they did know one thing.

Stiyl, fervently, no, incorrigibly protected one and only one person.

"Stiyl..."

And Index, she was both touched and torn by the concern.

He shouldn't have thought that.

He had used up time that he shouldn't have.

And…

"Chapter 32, Verse 44. Preparing for a counterattack," said the ruthless voice of the girl he was supposed to protect.

Kanzaki looked on with a face of regret.

(Even if you're capable, even if I know you have the strength to protect her... I... should have been there fighting there with you...)

She didn't curse her decision to save those who could not be saved when she was needed. She wouldn't ever feel that saving others was a wasted effort. She just wished she could do more. She wished she didn't have to leave the fighting to the people who didn't want to fight no matter what. More than anything, she wished she could have assisted her friend who so desperately didn't want to hurt the person he cared for.

—

Between the lines 6

—

Stealing an Academy City tank had been simple.

Mikoto was at the top when it came to espers who manipulated electricity. Despite the tank running mainly on a diesel engine, most of it ran through electronics. As someone who could directly hack without using cables, that weapon had been no match for Mikoto.

There were powered suits and the like that used chemical springs that moved using chemicals and were protected by armor that thoroughly repelled all electromagnetic waves as a defense against electricity espers, but that tank had not seemed to have anything like that equipped on it.

She had stopped the engine from a distance, unlocked the hatch, and kicked out those aboard.

They had tried to report the incident, but Mikoto had interfered with their radio transmission as well. She had done the same for the photographing from UAVs and the radar that was monitoring the situation. She had separated the tank from the war front, so no one would notice.

"You sure have grown, Mikoto-chan."

"Mama?"

"You sure have grown, Mikoto-chan."

"You said it again?!"

Mikoto freaked out and rightfully so, as her mother's eyes seemed to glaze over while looking at the screen. Misuzu, for her part, really couldn't be blamed. The woman simply did know how to react to her daughter's growing experience when it came to what definitely equated to militaristic subterfuge.

However, the others reacted to the girl's newfound efficiency with raised eyebrows of their own.

Shirai was even nodding slowly.

"Well, Onee-sama has always been talented at covering her tracks... a-although it's never quite been to the point where it was up against another country's military... at least I think so?" In the end, the underclassman of that Level Five couldn't actually be sure, as she knew for a fact that there were plenty of times that Mikoto took off to a plethora of places she had no idea and would likely never hear about.

"Y-You're not helping my reputation Kuroko! Mama, come back us! You're losing the light in your eyes!"

"Hmm. Tanks move surprisingly quickly," muttered Mikoto from within the tank that the Sister was operating.

"Modern tanks possess the output needed to run without issue on highways, but it is only Academy City technology that allows this one to move at 150 kph on a snowy path like this, says Misaka giving an arbitrary report."

"Well, these masses of iron cost 7 billion each, so they need to be at least this useful."

"Original, they are made of composite materials, corrects Misaka. The main guns of recent tanks can fire at about Mach 4.5, says Misaka as she idly adds on to her previous report. That is a greater output than your Railgun, onee-sama."

The factoids had Lessar whistling appreciatively, glancing Mikoto's way.

She wasn't the only one.

For those who weren't up to date with the weaponry of a military power like Russia, hearing that the artillery of ground units had already surpassed the destructive attack of that Level 5—well, it was quite the impressive feat. And if they were being honest, a little concerning. Then again, they already knew Russia was capable of some terrifying things, not only because of Fiamma's ongoing purifying crusade, but also for the reason Mikoto was stealing a tank right now in the first place.

They had a nuke capable of destroying all life over a significantly large radius, and she was the only one that could put a stop to it.

"It isn't all about the speed, you know?"

She only went by that name because it symbolized her electric powers. Her pride was not condensed into that one attack. In fact, she found her true worth in hitting her enemy with multiple attacks from multiple angles.

"Hold on," Accelerator suddenly spoke up, now looking the topic of conversation's way. "You were the one who came up with that name?"

"Yeah... why?" Mikoto answered hesitantly, a bit put off by the boy's sudden interest, however that quickly changed into a festering irritation as the boy didn't respond to her at all, instead just choosing to look at her with an emotion that she barely recognized.

"You...! Why are you looking at me like I'm some kind of sad being?! Stop it!"

No, Accelerator genuinely felt sorry for her.

The fact that she actually came up with that extremely on the nose nickname herself, instead of it being derived for her by those researching her ability made him want to scrunch up his face in secondhand embarrassment. He himself would never want to be accused of having thought of the name 'Accelerator'.

"..."

He suddenly scratched his head roughly.

(Dammit. It was chosen for me, but it still makes me sound like I'm some child who's delusional...!)

"Tch, this is your damn fault, third-rate."

"What? Okay! What is going on?! Someone please tell me!"

Meltdowns aside, they looked back to the screen, just in time to hear the words spoken next.

(…And that's why that idiot especially gets on my nerves by negating my attacks no matter what I throw at him.)

"Misaka apologizes for interrupting you while you mumble to yourself, but…"

"Nyahh!?"

Dramatic coughing ensued.

"Yeah, because that's the reason he bothered you. It had nothing to do with the fact that you're such a tomboy that you thought something as simple as your first crush was some kind of biological attack actively trying to kill you."

"H-Huh!?" Mikoto sputtered out, blushing up to her ears.

"I didn't say anything."

"It appears the independent unit preparing the Nu-AD1967 nuclear warheads has spotted us, reports Misaka."

Heading there as quickly as possible may have backfired. The unit may have seen the snow tossed up by the treads through a night vision scope.

Something was fired from the distance.

Almost immediately, the expressions of those watching changed.

"T-That can't be..."

Komoe had a sudden and very realistic fear.

The only thing in Mikoto's mind was the nuclear warheads, so a chill ran down her spine, but it seemed that was not what it was. The missile was too small and there were too many of them.

"They appear to be surface-to-surface missiles used for bombings, reports Misaka. There are 30 to 40 of them."

"Nyah ha."

"You appear to becoming more cat-like, so how about it? asks Misaka suggesting a course of action."

Their tense forms relaxed slightly.

Completely ignoring the girl's sudden inclination for animal roleplay, the resounding sighs of relief breathed out all at once by those in attendance, were very well-deserved. When they saw missiles in the sky, their hearts felt like they had been dropped to their stomachs, instantly assuming the worst right along with Mikoto.

Komoe let out a breath she had been holding in.

"Oh thank goodness. For a second I really thought... haha. Those are just regular missiles flying straight towards them." Komoe performed a very slow blink as she realized what she said, the gears in her brain turning. "Wait, that's still very bad! Misaka-san, Imouto-san! you need to get out there!"

"Mikoto..." Misuzu muttered imploringly under her breath, eyes not leaving the screen.

The adults' concern for the girl was warranted, but they needn't have been so afraid.

"Of course."

Mikoto reached for the hatch above her head.

She opened the circular hatch that was like a small manhole and raised her upper body out.

"This is my area of expertise, so leave it to me!"

As she yelled, sparks flew from her bangs.

She did not fire a lightning spear. She sent an enormous amount of electromagnetic waves to the area ahead of her. She was interfering with the radar that the missiles used to search for the enemy while heading through the air at twice the speed of sound.

The missiles immediately lost their target and dropped down in odd directions.

Numerous explosions rang out and a shockwave struck Mikoto's cheek like a slap even though she was not directly hit. She ignored it and stared ahead.

"Wow..." Itsuwa breathed out mutely.

She had to remind herself of this girl's strength.

Just like that.

Just like that, an attack that would have made any flesh and blood human weak in the knees had been obliterated in an instant. After all, it wasn't a girl those cone shaped explosives were homing onto, but rather millions of volts of highly condensed electricity in human form.

It was truly the worst possible match up to throw highly advanced technology at a girl who could control it as if it were a mere toy. There was a reason she had the ability known as Electromaster, making her hardly a helpless damsel. If she was, she would never have come to this country filled to the brim with bloodshed just to save a single boy.

"Full speed ahead! If we fall back, it'll just give them time to prepare the next barrage! Let's take care of this all at once!"

"M-Misa…"

"?"

"Misa…Severe….kami…obstruction of the signal…sakami…the network…sakamisaka…cut off…kamisa….attempting to restore….kamisaka…"

(What's happening?)

Fukiyose eyes were wide.

An unintended side effect had just shown itself.

"Wah wah wah! What's with you!? Hah? You just now realized you have a vulnerability to jamming with a large output by an esper with the same type of power?"

The Sister was trembling in the driver seat as if in a trance and Mikoto hurriedly stopped sending out the jamming electromagnetic waves.

"Heh…The mass produced models really cannot stand up to the Original, says Misaka as she reassesses her own position with some self derision."

A small girl raised her hand meekly.

"M-Me too, says Misaka Misaka, suddenly feeling a bit bashful. Being next to Onee-sama like this, I can feel your current quite clearly. That goes for all the other models actually, Misaka Misaka further explains, ashamed by the difference in power..."

Mikoto was flabbergasted.

Even Accelerator looked at the younger Misaka in clear surprise.

However, before they could say anything...

"Hehe, at least, that's what I used to think, back when I was by myself, Misaka says with a smile. Now, it's like there's a warm blanket wrapped around Misaka, and it's even more cozy since three of Misaka's sister are here with her!" Last Order abruptly looked from Mikoto and them to Accelerator with wide eyes. "Ah, and Misaka didn't forget about you either. Since your abilities use the network, Misaka can feel you as well!"

Last Order's words, which were initially thought to be an indication of inferiority, turned out to be something completely different, so much so that even as the girl finished with that big smile of hers, they were still left gaping in clear surprise.

"Last Order..."

"Sister..."

Unlike Imouto's slightest quirk of her lips, Mikoto's smile was wobbly, and seemed unsure whether to rush up to the girl and hug her or just bask in the moment. Misuzu didn't have nearly the same amount of self-control however, as the little girl suddenly squealed in happiness as she was being embraced by the older parent, who was already whispering sweet words into her ears. However, Worst, lips in a tight line, looked away from this scene with clear discomfort.

And all the while...

"..."

Accelerator's body was trembling.

Last Order had been through her own version of hell.

She had to watch—no, experience as if it was happening to her—the very sensations each of the clones felt right up until the moment he had murdered them in hopelessly cruel ways. She had no right to act the way she did, constantly smiling, always cheerful. It just didn't make sense. And more than that, she certainly didn't have the right to want to get close to him, the root cause of her suffering—all of their suffering.

But, she had.

Despite having every reason not to, she had.

Last Order hadn't given up on Accelerator.

(I don't deserve this, but...)

A single traitorous hand landed on that girl's head and began to rub it in slow circles, and he desperately tried to maintain eye contact with the wide-eyed look he got as a result.

(Not doing anything right now would be worse.)

Whether it was the voice of that guy in his head, or maybe it was his own sense of right and wrong that he was fully convinced he couldn't trust, Accelerator, for once, didn't doubt himself at that moment.

Of course, ending the jamming meant the enemy's bombings would begin anew.

"Let's just charge in!" Mikoto yelled. "Once we get close enough, they won't be able to carry out large scale bombings in fear of getting caught in the blast themselves!"

The diesel engine let out a roar as if in response. They were only 2 kilometers away from where the surface-to-surface missiles were being fired.

The independent unit seemed to have given up on the bombings, but they had brought out a tank unit that had been hidden behind a hill. Even if they were prepared to be hit a few times, they would be completely blown away if dozens of tanks focused their fire on them.

"By Misaka's estimations, we will be hit by the blasts 20 times before we can travel 500 meters, says Misa—"

"Then we'll finish this before that!"

A black shadow squirmed around Mikoto's tank.

What came next wasn't a surprise, not with how many of them knew of it, but despite that, they couldn't deny how incredible strange of an application it was being paired with an ability that manipulated electricity.

It was large.

That was what Fukiyose couldn't help but think as her brows shot up.

No.

It was a large amount of iron sand that had been sleeping below the snow. She thoroughly gathered it from approximately 200 meters around her and brought it together using magnetism.

It must have looked like a wall to her enemies.

That wall of despair was like a giant tsunami about to strike the land.

That was the #3 Level 5.

She was not just a cannon.

There were only two people she knew who she could not handle even with skillful application of her power. Those two were the espers who stood at the extremes. One at the extreme of justice and one at the extreme of evil.

"..."

"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face," Mikoto grumbled.

There was obvious mirth in the white haired boy's reply.

"Why should I? I'm the extreme of evil," he said with extra emphasis.

Mikoto's ears burned in embarrassment. It was clear to her that he found it amusing to be backhandedly complimented in such a way, especially because of how dramatically it was worded. Also, in the midst of all of this, she was unaware of just what kind of expression was on her face.

"Heh. Careful, if you keep glaring at me like that third rate, I'll go tell Mr. Extreme of Justice on you—hahaha!"

"Erk! S-Shut up...!"

"Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

As she yelled, the huge mass of iron sand passed by overhead and crashed into the enemy forces ahead. Like an undulating tsunami or like a living snake, that mountain of iron sand swept across while vibrating at high speed. The independent Russian unit was unable to deal with it.

Of course they weren't.

No matter how many times they shot it, the swirling iron sand did not slow down in the slightest.

Arisa gulped, and she wasn't the only one.

As they witnessed the sheer magnitude of that looming black mass, they couldn't help but feel bad for the attack that was about to collide with the Russian soldiers. Even when considering the unfairness of having a being such as angel already killing Academy City and French troops in mass, a Level 5 was still in a class by itself.

(This fight doesn't seem even remotely fair...)

That was what Arisa continued to think.

The tank being controlled by the Sister leisurely drove into the center of the confused enemy lines. Mikoto pulled herself out of the hatch completely and looked forward.

There was a large truck-like vehicle in the very center of the enemy lines. It had over 20 tires and it was larger than a train car. It had a long tube loaded on the back. That object that was standing up vertically on hydraulic cylinders was most likely the missile loaded with a Nu-AD1967.

"That's it," Fukiyose breathed out.

"Hm." Himegami nodded mutely in response, her eyes not leaving the construct.

They were all looking at it with various degrees of anticipation.

That agent of death would be the cause of so much wanton destruction if it were to be allowed to run its course. It was extremely fortunate that Mikoto and Imouto had caught wind of it so quickly, or they might have actually been too late to—

Without fail, a majority of their eyes suddenly bulged as they locked onto something extremely concerning.

"Wait, it's already active?!" Amazora shouted out in alarm.

As if to speed up the situation, there were flames firing from the back of it.

Mikoto jumped from the tank that was skidding to the side atop the snow.

(Whether that's an ICBM or a strategic nuclear warhead with the outer shell swapped out, it is still electronically controlled. A lighting spear will make it useless.)

She did not use her Railgun because she wanted to avoid letting the nuclear materials leak out. Only destroying the control circuits was the safest course of action.

Just as the arm holding the missile in place was about to let go, Mikoto focused on her bangs while in midair.

As bluish-white sparks shot out, she yelled with every last bit of strength she had left.

INSERT PICTURE

"…I'll blow you away!"

—

[ CHAPTER 10 ]
Completion of the Final Spell's Preliminary Preparations. Rebirth_the...

Part 1

—

Right as they were on the proverbial edge with tension, the screen faded to black, and they blinked disbelievingly for a moment. What? "You cannot be serious!"

Aogami threw his hands to his head in exasperation.

"I've had it up to here with these dramatic as hell POV shifts! What is this, a goddamn feature film?" His anger soon died however, and he took on a more thoughtful tone, cupping his chin. "Hm, but I have to admit it's been delivered pretty well all things considered. I wonder if that's coincidence or because of the Voice's interference. And while I'm on the subject, how are we seeing the events surrounding the Railgun in the first place if this is supposed to be Kamijou's memories?" "Haha! No comment~!" Aogami wasn't the only one to grumble about that.
"Still, the least she could do was show us what happened after an attack that a literal nuclear bomb was on the other end of..." Musujime muttered with not-so-subtle disdain.
Regardless of the ill-timing however, it was something they would all have to deal with. Thus, they kept their eyes on the screen, curious as to what this tale would show them next.

Sasha Kreutzev ran through the Star of Bethlehem.

The Star of Bethlehem was a temple on a scale never seen before in the history of the Christian Church. However, the inside was wrapped in silence to a terrifying extent. She had not seen a single warrior priest. She felt as if a deep part of Fiamma of the Right was carved into that dark silence. On a fundamental level, that man did not trust in what were known as comrades. That was why he had made that structure.

Fiamma's attack had caused her to split up with the boy who was apparently a student from Academy City.

They weren't sure what they were expecting when they were thrown right back to that floating city, but it certainly wasn't Kamijou's separated ally—Sasha Kreutzev. And also, to perhaps a lesser degree, they didn't expect the girl to have realized Kamijou's identity.

How did she find out he was an Academy City student?

"..."

Misaki cast a sideways glance towards Lessar.

She should really go help him out, but she had been made aware of how little a chance she had against Fiamma back in the Elizalina Alliance. That man was a monster. He had almost surpassed the laws of magic.

However, things were different if Fiamma of the Right was not the only opponent.

(My personal opinion: This temple and the altered night sky are deeply related to Project Bethlehem and it is highly likely that Fiamma is magically linked to the Star of Bethlehem in order to control it.)

They blinked multiple times in quick succession, eyes round.

"..."

Intellectually, they understood that fooling around in a situation like this was beyond inappropriate, especially when things were getting so serious, not to mention they had no certainty that Kamijou was even okay after his chilling brush with mortality. Even so, they couldn't help it.

"She..."

Kinuhata nearly tripped over her words.

"She super talks like that in her mind as well?! …Hamazura why are you staring at me?"

"W-What? No reason..."

"It's obvious what you're thinking, and no! I don't say super in my head!"

"Ahaa! So you admit that you say it at all...! Wait, are you allowed to do that...? Isn't that like, acknowledging the part of you that's sick? Are you seconds away from a meltdown, Kinuhata?!"

"It's not mental illness you bastard! Stop treating my desire for individuality as some kind of super incurable sickness! And I can say whatever I damn well please...! I don't get on your case for your lust for Takitsubo!"

"Yes, you do! You do it all the time! And if lust is suddenly a sickness then humanity has been fucked for generations, now hasn't it?!"

Those two squabbled for a while longer, even though those who were forced to listen lost track of the main argument pretty early on.

While keeping a cautious eye on her surroundings, Sasha ran down the passageway at high speed.

(A supplementary explanation: Even if I cannot stand up to Fiamma, I may be able to get an indirect attack in via the Star of Bethlehem.)

At any rate, she had to hurry.

She did not know the details of who that boy was, but it had not seemed like he knew much about magic. In that case he was someone who should be protected by the Russian Orthodox Church that was supposed to inspect and eliminate the occult. Just by the fact that she was using that amateur to buy her some time against that monster, she felt the need to voluntarily punish herself.

Their eyes immediately softened.

Sasha had no reason to think that way, not when Kamijou was nothing but stranger to her. Well, he was a bit more than that since he had groped her in various places, but that made it even more shocking that she felt the need to safeguard his life.

It was without a doubt surprising.

"K-Kami-yan, you son of a bitch. How can you be such a playboy that the loli with the torture tools wants to rescue you as well...?" Aogami said while dramatically blowing his nose, sobbing like a mess.

"Damn right," Tsuchimikado added, just as dramatic, much to Fukiyose's growing annoyance. "It's gotta be that dumb-looking face of his. Even Serious-san here, her suspicion turned to pity at record speeds...! The Kami-yan charm is off the charts as always."

But ignoring those idiots for a moment...

(Sasha-san... thank you...)

For Shiina, just those words of worry for enough. If her son could gain even one more ally in these horrid circumstances he had been thrust into, then she would take it, even more so when the girl in front of her, despite being younger, was taking it so seriously.

"..."

The woman bit her lip, however.

In truth, such sentiments were only a temporary reprieve from her anxiety. What had her worried most of all was her son's injury, that she still did not have a clue what had happened directly after it. She could only hope from the bottom of her heart that he was okay.

(But where exactly am I supposed attack!? The Star of Bethlehem is a large-scale temple with a radius of over 40 kilometers. It could take quite a bit of time just to find a point to target!)

As Sasha grew impatient, an odd voice came from behind a pillar.

"Tah dah! Tah dah! Tah dahhh!"

"Godammit," Birdway immediately said.

That voice, and the exuberant energy to boot, instantly caused recognition to appear in the majority of them. That was followed by shock, confusion, and some relief. Thus, they were already looking at the girl they were surely hearing—most of them anyway.

Yes.

Birdway was not subtle at all as she audibly clicked her tongue, fighting the urge to groan.

It only caused the giggle that erupted next to her to be more annoying.

"!?"

Sasha's body stiffened like a surprised cat's and she pulled an L-shaped crowbar from the belt at her waist. However, the end of the mass of steel did not strike the speaker when she swung it like a Japanese iai strike.

There was a steel glove.

A spiritual item that was made of mechanical parts combined to look a bit like an arm struck the crowbar modified for torture and sparks flew through the air.

Holding the steel glove was a girl wearing what looked like a lacrosse uniform with a jacket over it. From the back of her miniskirt, an artificial tail could be seen swaying back and forth.

"Do-Do-Doooooooo! That's right everyone. Your very lovable Lessar has come back at halftime to save the day!

Lessar proudly proclaimed as such with her hands on her hips.

"Couldn't you have just... I dunno... suffered an accident off screen or something?" Birdway muttered, not even trying to hide her continued annoyance that Lessar was once again making an appearance.

"No. I would have never forgiven myself for being so useless."

"Huh?"

Birdway tossed a surprised look the girl's way, who had just said something so serious all of a sudden. In response, Lessar could only laugh, although it was a far cry from her normal behavior.

It looked pained.

"Ahh. I'm glad I managed to use my steel glove to grab onto the outer wall of the Star of Bethlehem when it started rising. I tried to construct a communications line with Bayloupe and the others who are on the surface, but this fortress's protection is tougher than I expected, so I couldn't open a hole to get through. Right now, I'm trying to force as much of the technology in this fortress into my head as I can for the sake of the UK. I was doing it as I searched for that important boy who I lost track of."

The black-haired girl did not seem to mind having been attacked by the crowbar.

Kaibi looked on with a flat expression.

"Well, I suppose that answers how she got on that tall-ass floating island..."

Also, no one seemed to mind being attacked by blunt objects—that seemed to be the travelling theme lately. They actually did put some decent thought into why that was, before realizing it was hardly the time or the place. What was more important was Lessar's sudden presence, now in tandem with Sasha's.

Sogiita looked thoughtful.

"Are they going to team up maybe? They do say opposites attract. The girl who wants Kamijou-san to touch her, and the girl who was touched by Kamijou-san."

.

. .

. . .

Eh?

They rounded on Sogiita so quickly and with such speed that one would have thought they were slapped. And that might not have been too far off since they were open mouthed with a multitude of faces very red.

Did, Sogiita Gunha, clump of guts and obliviousness, just...?

Mikoto opened her mouth, but only after swallowing. "Sogiita-san, you—"

"That was a joke."

Sogiita cut her off, blinking at no one in particular, but then immediately scratching his head in awkwardly.

"Ahaha... as I thought, I'm not too good at things like this. Was it too out of character for me? I don't even know why that girl wants Kamijou-san to touch her in the first place, aha."

He pointed at Lessar, who was honestly just as confused as the rest of them. They really didn't know how to take that. On the one hand, it looked like the boy was just trying to emulate the humor he might have been hearing, but they actually thought he was serious for a second.

Should they be glad, or worried...?

"Are you from the Russian Orthodox Church? You seemed troubled, so I came over to explain the payment plan to you. I recommend the stopover course. It's quite cheap right now."

"…?"

Sasha looked confused and the black-haired girl skillfully moved her tail to point in a certain direction. She pointed to the bottom of the temple where a great number of square containers were hanging down.

Their eyes naturally dipped to the very same.

"They're something like emergency escape devices. They're kind of like a mix between a bus and a parachute. It seemed like the Russian Orthodox magicians might try to resist Fiamma to stop his plan from being completed, but then he would just throw them out, so I led them here before that could happen. Heh heh."

They silently marveled at that.

The fact that Lessar had been focusing on trying to get the Russian magicians to escape, even if doing so wouldn't benefit her in any perceivable way? It surprised them. This was especially the case for those who knew about what Lessar got up to during British Halloween. From back then and right now, her behavior was quite the turn around.

As they watched her, both the one on the screen and the one not, they had to wonder if there was a reason for the change...

Lessar was smiling either way, oblivious to those thoughts.

On a completely different note, there was something even more important to another girl in attendance.

(Emergency... escape?)

Mikoto felt relief flood through her body, enough for her to feel dizzy. However, that soon changed to mortification. At that time, when she reached out a hand to him—could he have just refused because he had another method available to him? Her face burned while looking back at the actions of that day.

"I-I must have looked like an idiot..."

Unfortunately, or maybe not, no one heard the Voice's soft mutter.

"(Not quite, child...)"

"…My first question: What do you mean by payment plan?"

"Oh, I'm not really going to be taking money. Everything I do is for the sake of the UK. I'll help you out here if you swear to help us out if the UK is ever in trouble later," said the black-haired girl with a huge grin on her face.

With the tail stretching from within her miniskirt, she gave the impression of a demon, but the different details were sweet and cute. She was like a mischievous little demon.

Sasha wondered what the girl intended to make her do with that verbal promise.

Lessar giggled, her hands cupping her cheeks.

"Stawwwpppp, calling me a demon~!"

Uiharu could only sweatdrop.

"Lessar-san, I'm fairly certain she was insulting you though..."

However, Sasha did not especially care about the UK, so she didn't ask.

"My first response: Make sure everyone who wishes to leave the warfront escapes. A supplementary explanation: I do not intend to leave yet. I must at least get one strike back at Fiamma of the Right."

"Eh heh heh. Understood. Don't forget that I will have you repay for this favor later either officially or unofficially."

With a loud clunk, the containers suspended from the bottom of the temple flew out into the night sky. The flames of war were blazing on the surface, but there was no need to worry about that. They were professional Russian Orthodox magicians.

The black-haired girl lightly waved her tail.

"So how do you plan to strike back at Fiamma?"

"My second response: I feel no need to answer your question."

"You kind of piss me off. Would you like some gum?"

"Well damn, that didn't take long at all." Aogami commented, throwing his hands up in the air,. However, his eyes, despite being closed, took on a mischievous look all of a sudden. "Are we about to see a foreign loli catfight! Oh yes please!"

Fukiyose's head fell into her hands.

"Please stop with your delusions."

Sasha's face darkened behind her bangs.

"…My third response: I do not understand why people put that mass of synthetic compounds into their mouths."

"Ever since the manna in the New Testament, Christians have always been reputed to love sweet things."

Sasha...

And gum...?

They couldn't help but think that combination held importance somehow, like they had just seen a memory regarding the exact same question that was just posed. It was vague but... Oh.

Touya remembered.

(Didn't Touma...? Ah, no, I guess he didn't. That was Misha...)

He smiled at the irony.

Sasha ignored the black-haired girl following her and ran further into the Star of Bethlehem. She did not have a complete grasp of the construction of the temple, but she had an idea where the device she was headed for was.

She was headed for the device that connected Fiamma of the Right to the temple.

Assuming the Star of Bethlehem functioned on the idea of a "temple" from Christian-based magic both old and modern and both Eastern and Western, then the number, colors, and arrangement of the parts constructing the temple should be the same regardless of its size.

Basically, he had gathered the best materials from all across the world and increased the scale by quite a bit, but he was still using the same basic recipe. In that case, there was no need to be fooled by its showiness or size. The knowledge within the magician known as Sasha Kreutzev was enough.

As Sasha was explaining all this, their minds wandered.

A thought suddenly occurred to them, and it brought them both surging relief, and crippling terror. If Sasha and Lessar continued the way they were going—specifically, towards where they thought the device was located, wouldn't it be a given that they would run into those two as they were fighting?

And if that was the case...

Whatever they thought was anyone's guess.

Something changed on-screen, confirming their worst fears.

Suddenly, Sasha stopped running. She was not at some important part of the temple her knowledge told her about. Sasha was looking out a window. Through it, she could see a dark night sky spreading out and another building.

The building's walls and ceiling had been mostly destroyed, so she could see inside it from where she stood.

Fiamma of the Right had swung a giant sword that blotted out the night sky beyond it.

And Sasha saw the right arm of the boy facing Fiamma being cleanly severed at the shoulder.

They all winced without fail.

"Fuck..." Aogami cursed, bristling in both disgust and no small amount of anger towards what he was seeing, again.

"Kh..."

Misaki grit her teeth, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. Next to her, Mitsuari was more or less the same, however the unmistakable look of fury in her eyes was especially prevalent.

It was no better seeing it for a second time, or a third time for Lessar. In fact, the girl's face, which had been cheery before, was now a delicate shade of white. She hugged her shoulder with her other arm and just held it there, staring at the screen blankly.

It was a cruel reminder of everything they had been dreading.

But they were forced to face it now.

—

Part 2

[ REDACTED ]

—

—

Part 3

—

Kamijou Touma's right arm spun through the air with a line of blood drawn behind it. That narrow red line made loops creating a strange form of art.

Fiamma of the Right lightly held out his hand.

It grabbed Kamijou's right arm as if absorbing it.

They could have slumped in despair again, crying out for a help that wasn't going to come. But they didn't. Instead, those in the room chose a different reaction to what they were watching this time.

Their eyes narrowed into slits.

That right arm was known as Imagine Breaker.

That unique right hand could negate any unexplainable supernatural power be it scientific or magical.

"I have it…"

Fiamma's lips twisted in delight.

With a sound like a water balloon bursting, the severed right hand burst to pieces and the blood, flesh, bone, blood vessels, and nerves all neatly disassembled and spread out.

The amount of blood was dizzying.

Bile rose within their stomachs, and they felt the urge to turn away. But that was nothing compared to the feeling that rose even higher than that. It was white hot, and it threatened to push to the surface with such vehement intensity. It was anger, cold unrelenting anger. They felt that as they glared hatefully at the person who performed such cruelty with a smile on his face.

Fukiyose flinched yet had trouble resisting the urge to grind her teeth in dismay.

"Bastard..." Tsuchimikado uttered.

Even Komoe was glaring, boring into the man who seemed to get such vindicative glee out of the horrific thing he had just done.

Despite their anger however, they couldn't keep it for long, not when their worry transcended the energy needed to maintain their rage. They couldn't help but cast looks towards Kamijou as he writhed in the clear agony.

How many of them in that room could say they knew what it felt like to have a limb ripped from their body? How many of them could say they knew was it was like to watch their own blood flow out of their bodies, almost endlessly?

"The world environment has been prepared using the Star of Bethlehem and the right hand to act as a medium has been severed. The power that resides within me cannot show off 100% of its power except by way of your right hand. Imagine Breaker must be a type of purification tool the holy right hand naturally possesses, but to me it is no more than a mouse eating away at food stores. However, taking that unneeded ability into my power as one of the original pieces ends its role. …With this, my right hand is complete. If I wield the power that should originally have been within me at its full output, the salvation of all will be complete. After all, my arm possesses the power to save the entire world. People may refer to that as being The One Above God, but… I do not particularly care about that. I do not intend to match or exceed him. I only intend to gather all the power I have now and to save the world with it."

Shirai looked close to horrified.

And the rest of them watched with similar expressions.

What could be done now that Fiamma had everything he needed to enact his plan? Kamijou was wounded and bleeding out, his life very much in danger, a fact that twisted their hearts terribly, especially because they could do nothing but watch as it happened. Yes. All they could do was watch.

That was all that was left for them.

All the parts were absorbed into the third arm stretching from Fiamma of the Right's right shoulder.

He was in anguish.

Normally, his face did not lose its composure, but his eyebrows twisted in displeasure just slightly.

The flesh and blood that had been put together was perfect, but the power of Imagine Breaker treated Fiamma of the Right as a special case and started to eat away at his very core.

Mugino scowled.

Honestly, she wanted Fiamma to be even more in pain. Just like the few times Kamijou had experienced it, she too knew what it felt like to have your entire arm be blown out of its skin and bones. A phantom sensation suddenly rocketed her body and she shuddered in remembrance.

She bit her lip.

(Yeah, a feeling fucking like that.)

It was why she was less than pleased with what the man had done, and hope he suffered for it. Unfortunately, she might not get to see that.

Kamijou would be in far too much pain to even—

(Wait... what?)

Mugino's breathing suddenly slowed, noticing one particular detail, a detail someone who had gone through the same thing noticed before anyone else.

However, it was worth mentioning that he did not immediately lose his power.

In other words, the power sleeping within Fiamma was constantly creating such great power that Imagine Breaker's effects were not enough to negate it.

(All this could not have been carried out with clever tricks, so it seems luck and true skill were on my side. And if it did not have this level of output, it would not be known as the power that the Son of God should wield.)

Agnese cursed.

Any hope that Imagine Breaker would work even when removed was lost then and there. It actually was working, and it was causing Fiamma continued discomfort, but it wasn't strong enough to match the power of that hideous looking arm of his.

(And to top it all off, he has the gall to say he'll save the world...)

Agnese and the religious believers like her were sickened.

Fiamma of the Right's body shook.

Not only his heart constricted and retracted. Centered around his third arm, his entire body did as well. It was a reaction to the power stored at his center travelling to his right arm of flesh and blood.

A great change occurred as if to prove that the power to change the world had descended.

However, this change was not in Fiamma's body.

It was in the planet that received him.

The heavens greatly opened up.

At that moment, something had quite noticeably shifted.

"W-What the...?"

Musujime could only stare with wide eyes, and the others present in the room were no different.

They thought they had seen the apex of what Fiamma planned to do when his floating city rose to the skies, or even when his angel had been created, but no, things did not just stop there. Thus, they could do naught but look on in both terror and awe at the sight that awaited them.

That clear otherworldly and artificially arranged night sky of red, blue, yellow, and green split open. Like an old stocking ripping, large cracks appeared in places and they spread soundlessly.

On the other side was a golden light.

It was just like a legend. It was just like the world seen in religious art. That lowering curtain of light looked like a scene of the heavens and the earth being connected. Someone who did not know the circumstances would likely have mistaken it for an angel above the clouds about to spill out. In reality, God and the angels were not at a physical height. They were on the other side of some invisible phase like infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. However, that mistaken impression may not have been too far off in a way. That golden light was a massive amount of Telesma.

They remembered that explanation.

It had been given to them by Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki during Angel Fall. Nonetheless, that realization was incredibly fleeting as their attention was completely transfixed on what was happening on screen. It didn't matter that the man making use of it was trying to further his own maddened delusion—it was still a plane of existence that normal people would usually never get to see. In fact, if this continued, what more would they see?

They were both excited and terrified to find out.

(Is the peak of what a human can do with magic?) Accelerator wondered.

Fiamma had not called in an angel.

It may have been more accurate to say he had called in the world where angels were.

Fiamma of the Right had not pitifully knocked on the door again and again and then waited for the heavy door to open. He had only transformed the place at which he stood into an appropriate place.

When a certain Christian holy woman was forcibly thrown into a brothel, that brothel had turned into a shining place for sermons. It was the same as that.

When a different holy woman was thrown into a cold and dirty prison while injured, the entire space had overflowed with the shining power of the angels making it like a pure spring and the woman's injuries were kindly healed. It was the same as that.

Little by little, they were beginning to understand the depths of Fiamma's plan, and it terrified them knowing that it wasn't as far out of reach as one might think. He was getting closer to a realm where no one—certainly not that right hand—would be able to touch him anymore. Once things reached a certain point, they found it increasingly unlikely that anything would be able to touch him.

Misuzu opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.

(This... can't be real, can it? Even Kamijou-san, he... there's no way he...)

As things were looking right now, he and everyone else would surely die.

(It has been dyed by heaven.)

The area around the proper ones would be dyed in the proper manner.

Fiamma of the Right's lips twisted in pleasure upon confirming that truth.

(Once I rearrange the depths of the earth, all the gears will have been readjusted and the devices will have been set to keep them running smoothly. Then this world will once again be moving as it should be.)

That meant that he no longer needed the boy who had lost his right arm.

"No...!"

Shinna's expression immediately twisted in desperation, that shout shooting out of her mouth before she could even consciously realize that it was her who done so.

And just like hers, their hearts dropped to the pit of their stomachs. Those words were the very last ones they wanted to hear, and it was even worse knowing just how merciless Fiamma would be in carrying it out. To a man who had been gathering tools for his plan up until now, he would certainly see no qualms in getting rid of a faulty one.

They grit their teeth.

Was this it?

Could they really do nothing but watch as that boy was hurt, again?

That mass of flesh that had been nothing more than an adapter to keep that right arm in the world needed to be quickly disposed of.

(I will save this world. You are no longer necessary to do that.)

Fiamma thrust his third arm that now clearly had a physical form toward the boy who still had great amounts of blood gushing from his shoulder.

At that moment.

It was at that moment that they realized something terribly wrong.

"..."

Arisa paused, and she felt a chill slither down her spine.

She wasn't the only one to notice, as one by one, they seemed to realize something that should not be, or something that couldn't be. And one by one, they stared at the cause, that which was the injured and bleeding form of Kamijou Touma who had been dealt such a crippling blow. That should have definitely been the case.

And yet, they were all rooted in place by a feeling that was no exaggeration.

And it would not be a lie to say it was terribly nostalgic.

"You should be honored, you mass of flesh. You managed to carry out your purpose in life."

That would settle it.

His third arm was no longer incomplete and it no longer continued to shake awkwardly.

The destruction he could carry out was different from the destruction that could be created by the 103,000 grimoires.

He held the power to save the world.

He held the power at the core of a legend.

He was known as The One Above God.

If it was necessary, he could easily smash the no longer needed adaptor with an overwhelming explosion of light that could turn an entire planet to dust.

It would have been odd if he could not.

Kaibi was the one who thought it, and as she did, she noticeably trembled, even going as far as to take a step back as a cold sweat began to break out all over her body.

(He's... not screaming...)

The girl pointed out the wrongness that they had all begun to feel, something that surely had something to do with it, and they were quick to fall in line with that oddity. It didn't matter that they truthfully wanted nothing more than to hear Kamijou's voice free of pain, but the simple fact was that it didn't make sense that he wasn't doing such.

That was around the time Fiamma's devastating blow landed.

But.

—

[ PLAY MUSIC ]

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a OST: Main Theme | EPIC VERSION

—

"…?"

In that instant, what Fiamma of the Right felt first was not anger or fear. It was doubt.

There was not a scratch on the boy who should have been turned to ash.

In fact, the great swirl of light Fiamma had fired had split in two right in front of the boy and scattered to either side of him. Yet that attack had held such power that it could blow away a planet or recreate any of the legends in Christianity.

It was almost like…

It was almost like it had been blown away by an invisible right hand stretching from the wound on the boy's shoulder.

Their eyes went round, as round as they could go.

Why had Kamijou not been screaming in pain as his arm was cleaved from his body? Why was the power still working despite having been forcibly melded to Fiamma's own? And why, why in the very back of their minds, did they already seem to know the answer, as if a phantom sense was telling them?

The Voice's next words only confirmed it, and they were a far cry from excited or cheery—instead, they held a significant amount of finality, and they found that worse.

"It's here."

"What…?" Fiamma of the Right said still not having grasped what had happened.

He could not stop the words spilling from his own mouth. They grew and grew like a snowball rolling down a slope.

"I took your right hand. So why do you still have that power!?"

No response came.

The boy merely hung his head down while his cheek was wet with his own blood.

An invisible power gathered.

It gathered in that right arm that should not exist. It gathered beyond that wound.

Imagine Breaker was a power that negated the supernatural—that was what Kamijou Touma had told them time and time again. However, there was a part of his ability that even he seemed to know frighteningly little of. It was a power—no, a being that seemed completely separate from what Imagine Breaker was capable of, perfectly content in doing its own thing, as if it was somehow sentient.

They had seen it twice already.

And now...

Accelerator found himself biting the back of his teeth as he struggled to calm the irrational behavior of his heart.

(This is... not funny...)

He had always wondered.

He had always wondered what would have happened if he and that hero were to go all out, and he always wondered if he would survive everything going all out would entail. But seeing it once again, in this form, no, in no form, he already knew the answer to that question. This wasn't something you fought. This wasn't something you even wanted to think about fighting. Had this been the type of power he wanted to obtain by killing the sisters?

The realization disgusted him.

What could he call this feeling coursing through him if not fear?

If that was the feeling people would feel if they looked at him...

"..."

He wanted nothing to do with power like that.

(…)

Fiamma moved only his eyeballs to look at what was growing from his own right shoulder.

He had indeed taken in that boy's right hand and that hand that he had made his own flesh and blood still possessed Imagine Breaker, the unique power to negate all supernatural powers.

Then what was the power gathering inside the enemy before Fiamma's eyes?

(Something…)

Fiamma felt his lips quickly drying up. He had finally acquired the right arm of Imagine Breaker. He had made all sorts of major preparations in order to obtain that strange right hand that acted as the final key. As long as he had his own power and that boy's right arm that had been disassembled and reorganized into a spiritual item, he could save the entire world. He had obtained something with that much value and yet…

He was inferior.

He was overshadowed.

The great swirl of power compressing toward that boy's shoulder felt so threatening that it seemed to suck the color out of everything Fiamma had obtained.

It was an unbelievable pressure caused by an even more unbelievable phenomenon.

That pressure bore down on the room.

"This... isn't the same as last time..." A nervous chuckle escaped Sogiita.

He felt like his insides were being squeezed. The guts he praised so fervently were being twisted against his will, and the terrifying being lurking within that boy's hand was the cause. For the first time in his life, even despite the other two instances of witnessing this same existence, Sogiita felt the urge to run away.

(Something invisible…)

Fiamma of the Right looked back at the boy's face.

He was still hanging his head down so his expression could not be seen.

It seemed that not just Imagine Breaker resided in that boy's body. Just the ability to negate supernatural powers was not enough to shake Fiamma's heart that greatly and to put him on his guard to that extent. Even then, he felt a painful illusion on his skin. He felt a deeply resounding shock in the bottom of his gut like large fireworks were going off nearby. That shock was similar to an invisible wall.

(Something is there!)

Uiharu swallowed, now aware that her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

She couldn't think.

Unlike the last few times, there wasn't anything physical to denote that something was there. Being the girl that she was, she couldn't sense something as unrealistic as bloodlust, nor did she have a power that allowed her to ascertain the auras of others. She just knew something was wrong. It was the same feeling one felt when you were left alone with your thoughts in dead silence. Even if you knew you were safe, and even if you knew it was unlikely for danger to befall you, your mind wouldn't give you that same ease.

That was likely what Fiamma thought.

That was what she thought as she stared at something she could not see but knew was there.

"…"

The boy, Kamijou Touma, slowly raised his head.

It was not some great action. There was no great speed to it. There was no special regularity to it.

He merely raised his head.

That was all.

Some of them flinched involuntarily.

"T-Touma...?" Index called out to her precious person with tentative concern, yet unable to keep the tremble from affecting her voice.

"..."

Meanwhile, Othinus watched carefully, eyes narrowed in what looked to be intrigue.

Fiamma of the Right felt the muscles from his shoulder to the back of his neck stiffening.

It was coming.

He did not know what, but something he needed to be cautious of was coming.

They paled.

Some of them began to breathe faster, harsher, as if the very air seemed hellbent on choking them.

What would they see if this continued?

They asked themselves that question as they trembled. It was the very same one they had asked regarding Fiamma, but now the tables had been completely reversed. Because now it was no longer the holy emergence of divine beings descending from the heavens that they awaited, but rather the complete opposite. Whatever it was, whatever was inside that boy's right hand, couldn't be described as anything other than demonic.

So what would it be...? In the face of that dragon's maw last time, and the several beasts of mythos that sprayed out that last last time, what would they see now?

Amazora's teeth clattered. Last Order's shaky hands found refuge in the larger ones belonging to the boy next to her. Itsuwa hugged her shivering trembling body. Misaki tried to quell a fear that she hated herself for feeling. Takitsubo lost her balance and nearly would have been sent tumbling over if Hamazura's already shaky gait hadn't somehow caught her. Tsuchimikado's face felt thick with sweat as he stood rooted in place. Agnese's face turned blue as her mind forgot how to breathe.

Whatever it was, would they be ready?

When the fear was already this powerful, would they be able to withstand even—

And…

Kamijou Touma used his own power to crush that invisible something.

—

[ PLAY MUSIC ]

Emotional Section - Self Denial

—

.

. .

. . .

Wh...at?

Their eyes widened as far as they could go.

Right then and there, their hearts missed a beat, and everyone looked like they had been struck.

A different power appeared above that great power that had gathered around Kamijou's shoulder. That other power seemed to open up a large mouth and swallow up the first power. As if this giant mouth was chewing, the air around the shoulder shook looked like sugar water.

That great power was smashed in an instant.

"...You," muttered Kamijou as his lips moved. "I don't know who you are."

Kamijou spoke.

He was not talking to himself.

He was not talking to Fiamma.

If anything, it sounded like he was talking to...

Their attention had been grabbed in an instant, drawn by the boy's words, who despite the hushed tone, were simply deafening to their strained ears. The words flowed through that room that had reached such a still silence that even those who were just so subtly breathing felt it was thunderous to their own ears, much less the rocketing echoes of their abhorrently loud hearts.

His words were not especially loud.

And yet they still stabbed into the depths of Fiamma's ears. His heart uncontrollably went on such high guard that he felt like overlooking a single twitch of a finger or blink of an eye could have a major effect on the outcome of the battle.

"And I don't know what you're trying to do."

Kamijou was not looking at Fiamma of the Right, the possessor of the greatest power even among God's Right Seat.

Fiamma did not know what he was speaking to.

"But…"

That may have been something only Kamijou Touma could understand.

At any rate, he continued to speak.

"…You stay silent. I'll take care of this."

Their eyes bulged.

It wasn't just because that boy had given such an authoritative command to a creature that should not exist in this world, nor did it have any right to be spoken to as if it was lesser than anyone. That wasn't what caused them to gape in immense surprise.

It was the sight that came along with it.

"..."

Hokaze's shaky hand came to her mouth.

Fiamma heard a damp noise and the next thing he knew, a right arm had already extended from Kamijou Touma's shoulder. He had eaten away such a massive power and then grown a new part of his body.

(He…threw it away…?)

Fiamma tried to mutter those words, but he realized afterwards that he had not said them out loud.

Their eyes still blinked uncomprehendingly at what had just happened—the shimmering bestial existence that was denied by what they could only guess was Kamijou's sheer force of will, the very familiar emergence of a new right arm to replace the lost one, and finally, the very significance of that boy doing such a thing at all.

Accelerator felt the hairs on his arm stand up, and it wasn't fear this time.

Mugino was the same.

Kaibi too.

Rikuri.

Agnese.

Musujime.

Kinuhata.

Kumokawa.

Mitsuari.

Worst.

Birdway.

They could be said to be a group of people that knew how the world worked to a significantly realistic degree, and they each had the wounds to prove it, mental, or physical. These inflictions had left lasting scars on each and every one of them, teaching them lessons they would never soon forget. It was something so integral to the darkness they were familiar with, that rejecting that one particular thing would not only be foolish, but suicidal as well.

If you wanted to survive, you needed power.

Power made it so no one wanted to touch you. Power made it so protecting others was easy. Power gave peace of mind where there was no peace. It was a holy relic that had been used since time immemorial to maintain the structure of one's life, and it would continue to do so. So, it was only natural to accept power, to strive to gain more of it, and to crush those before you before they use said power against you.

Kamijou just spat on that belief.

He had access to a power that clearly had an effect on Fiamma. No one would blame him for using something that was intrinsically his to command. But, he didn't see it that way. He threw it all away. Power for power's sake? That phrase that caused a certain boy to engage in bloody genocide for his own means? As they watched, and they truly did watch as there was no looking away, they saw it in those blue orbs.

Power like that was nothing more than the trivial want of a weak heart.

His throat dried and a feeling like something was clinging there remained.

(He gave up all that power to get Imagine Breaker back…?)

He looked up to the boy's right arm that he had taken for himself.

Even then, Fiamma had the Imagine Breaker arm inside his body after having disassembled it. However, he could tell the shining power was gradually fading from the flesh and blood he had acquired. It was such a unique power that two of it could not exist within the same world. The scene made Fiamma think that such a rule must exist. And that rule might also have been that the true power could only reside within the right arm if it was attached to the boy known as Kamijou Touma.

(Just...)

Mikoto willed her thoughts to come to fruition, even if she wasn't even remotely close to calm.

(Just what is Imagine Breaker, really?)

There was no answer to that question.

He could not allow himself to lose it.

He did not miss the power of Imagine Breaker in and of itself. In fact, he had been planning to eventually eliminate the functionality of the arm he had taken into this body. It did nothing but interfere with the power within Fiamma's body. However, if the right arm itself continued to rapidly deteriorate, it may continue on to the point of losing its ability to receive Fiamma's power. That would be a problem for his goal.

"…I've finally begun to figure this out," said Kamijou.

"Figure what out?"

"I thought your plan seemed incredibly over the top. You created this Star of Bethlehem, you started World War III, you created an alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, and you did so much more.

All eyes were on Kamijou.

The boy who had willingly renounced his trump card, the same person who still wanted to understand, rather than just lash out. A more violent person would have used their violence until there was nothing more to use it on. A wiser person would have tried to bluff Fiamma so that there was no need to fight. Kamijou chose both and neither. He used violence but he did not throw away the power of talking it out. He chose to harm another, but he did not lose himself in the means and cross that line.

Even if it...

Something in Worst's stomach squirmed.

(Why... didn't you kill him?)

Even if it would have been much easier to do so.

Kamijou stopped breathing for an instant.

The next words he spoke were in the form of a question to Fiamma.

"Why did the Star of Bethlehem have to be this huge? This is a ceremonial space in order for you to safely and surely carry out your magic, but if you truly were the strongest existence out there, would there have been any reason for you to tear pieces from churches and temples from around the world and gather them together?"

Kamijou spoke as if he were checking items off of a list one by one.

"Why did you start World War III? You said it was to gather the necessary items from around the world and to make the enemy you must defeat clear. However, it can be explained in a different way. Your power automatically regulates the strength of your arm's power matching it to the level of difficulty of your enemy. In other words, the stronger the enemy that stands before you, the stronger the power you can draw out. …But why did you have to forcibly draw out such great power?"

And each of the things on that list accurately scraped away at Fiamma making what was inside clear.

They listened attentively, however something clawed at the back of their mind.

Fiamma's power automatically regulated the strength needed to defeat his foe.

So, what did that say about Kamijou, who had been bisected at the shoulder by a sword of light but had failed to kill him? What did it say about the powers lurking within his arm that Fiamma's perfectly completed weapon had failed to ascertain? And the answer to that, if there even was one, was simple, if not infinitely more confusing.

Fiamma's holy right, just like Academy City, had failed to properly measure the boy with black spiky hair.

Kamijou's voice drew them back.

"And why did you make an alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church? Why did you want military strength to the point of contacting another denomination beyond the Roman Catholic Church and its 2 billion followers? If you were truly invincible and you could truly defeat any and all enemies, you would have had no need to prepare subordinates."

Kamijou Touma continued to speak those words that were fatal to Fiamma of the Right.

"In other words…you were afraid, weren't you?"

Kamijou glared straight at Fiamma as he spoke those words.

"You didn't know if your body truly held enough power to save the world."

The declaration caught them off guard.

He... was afraid?

Agnese looked like she couldn't believe it.

Most of them were of a similar mindset. They couldn't match that man's actions, all that he had done so far, as someone who was afraid, someone who, according to Kamijou, doubted his own power to the point where all those preparations were necessary...

But.

Stiyl's brows twitched, and he wasn't the only one who thought back to a very particular time.

…

…

…

"HEY ALCHEMIST, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU! HONESTLY, DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU WERE GOING TO WIN? DID YOU REALLY EXPECT TO DEFEAT IMAGINE BREAKER WITH AN ATTACK AS PATHETIC AS THAT ONE!?"

…

…

…

They swallowed their doubt that was slowly being eaten away and looked back to the screen to see what Fiamma—

An explosion of light shot out.

The sharp claws of Fiamma of the Right's third arm stretched out and a tremendous attack was fired from the tips toward Kamijou Touma.

But Kamijou was not blown to pieces.

The right palm he held out in front of himself pressed against that storm of light. He twisted his wrist so that the vector of the attack was forced diagonally to the back.

He was completely unscathed.

That could be said to be a result fitting of the power that could kill any and all illusions.

(Whoa...)

Saten's heart beat a little faster at the sheer speed and power behind that exchange, as well as the steel in Kamijou's gaze.

More than that, however, they all saw it. A part of Fiamma's armor thought to be impenetrable had just been chipped. That crack had revealed the existence of imperfection, and despite his hasty attempts to silence the person who had accused its legitimacy, that person had not allowed him to do so.

Kamijou would not allow him to hide behind falsities.

There was an illusion that clearly needed shattering.

And his words did not stop.

When you thought about it, it was obvious.

It was completely natural that Fiamma of the Right did not have any proof of it.

After all…

"The world has never ended," said Kamijou. "I don't know about the legends of ancient times, but at the very least, I have never heard any modern stories of the world being on the verge of being destroyed just like in the legends."

They continued to marvel over that.

The truth was the world had ended—or, it had come perhaps the closest it's ever been to ending. However, such a thing did not end up coming to pass. Despite the very real attempt that was made during that time, the world continued to prosper. Viewpoints were modified, history was changed, and reality had been bended to the whim of another, but a true end had never been reached.

If no such disaster had ever occurred, then it wasn't possible for a similarly terrifying power to rise up to meet it.

That was the argument of an amateur who was clenching his fists to stop a world war.

His words searched for an opening through which to cut into the impregnable Fiamma.

"And if you have never prevented a threat that could end the world, you have never been blessed with a chance to draw out power great enough to save the world. It's the same as how my Imagine Breaker doesn't look like it has any power unless I'm surrounded by espers or magicians."

Without a power to negate, Imagine Breaker was useless.

So, without a world for that Holy Right to save...

In other words, the reason that Fiamma of the Right had put together all sorts of smaller plans to create the overblown plan he was carrying out, was actually quite simple.

"Someone who has never saved the world has no way of knowing if they have the power to save the world."

And with that, the crux of it was laid bare.

"…"

Fiamma of the Right remained silent for a bit.

Finally, his shoulders started to shake.

The man who ruled over red, the right, fire, and Michael was laughing quietly.

"…So what?" were the words that leaked from his mouth.

Something like an unknown form of malice overflowed from the mouth of the man who had caused disturbances across the world and who completely grasped the flow of those disturbances in his hands.

With just that, Kamijou was proven correct.

Their gazes hardened.

Touya was among them.

He didn't like how Kamijou was toeing the line between life and death by provoking this man, yet he couldn't fully condemn the boy either, not when he was so damn proud of him for not backing down even in the face of such a terrifying enemy.

(Be careful son...)

He still gave that warning, however.

"That does not apply only to me. If you live on this planet and have continued to survive without dying, then you have not experienced destruction on a legendary scale. Are you trying to say you have the right to blame me? Are you saying you have experienced the power needed to save the world?"

"Of course I have," Kamijou Touma replied instantly.

That response shattered Fiamma's expectations.

"Huh?"

Shutaura's brow furrowed.

Out of all the ways those in the room expected Kamijou to answer such a leading and pretentious question, they did not expect the one they got. Despite all that they had seen and heard so far, they definitely did not expect him to affirm it, and not only that, but to say so with such undeniable certainty.

But.

In some place, at some time, the Voice smiled.

"It wasn't on the level of all humanity living on this planet and it may have looked insignificant when viewed from a satellite or something else looking down on the planet, but I have saved it. It may be insignificant or whatever, but I have seen the instant at which one person's 'world' is saved."

One by one, their eyes widened.

And their breaths hitched as they realized.

Yes.

He had been wrapped up in incidents time after time. He had desperately clenched his fist because he did not want to see the people he knew covered in blood before his eyes. He was constantly being taken to the hospital, his right arm had been severed, and his memoires cut out partway, so he could not even remember it all.

He had gotten almost nothing in return. He was aware that it was not enough to make it worth it. If he had been stronger, he may have been able to solve things in a smarter way. If he had been cleverer, he might have been able to obtain more.

But that was why he knew he had obtained something.

…

…

…

"If that's what you think, have you ever reached out your hand to someone who was asking for help? … If you can't answer, then you're the same. Fucking ridiculous. Who's going to help someone who refuses to help people themselves? Who wants to be around someone who assumes they should be happy and never thinks about the happiness of others!?"

…

…

…

The words from that day pierced Hamazura's soul once again.

Kamijou Touma knew that the things he had desperately grabbed with his clumsy hands were not worthless. If Fiamma had not been trapped within the giant concept of "the world" and he had reached his hand out to the people before him, he would not have had to be afraid of feeling a power great enough to save the world. Even without his overblown plan, without his large scale temple, without his special nature, and without his strange right arm, he would not have felt doubts about it.

But he had not done that.

That was why he could not see it at all.

"Someone who says he will save the world cannot protect the world."

It was obvious.

If Kamijou had acted based on that idea, he would have lost everything.

Below the golden heavens, Kamijou Touma spoke to that isolated man who had never obtained anything and who had never even stretched out his hand.

"Our world is not so weak that it needs to be saved by a bastard like that."

.

. .

. . .

Despite it.

Despite it all, they were struck still.

The boy who had saved just one person, and had repeatedly done so.

The man who had tried to save the world without having ever saved anyone.

It was obvious which one of the two would succeed.

The world was far too big. One couldn't save such a huge place. They would surely be blinded by the wait of that goal. They would lose out on the things that mattered most of all. Salvation would then be a matter of the lesser evil, because by saving some, others would have to be abandoned. By saving all, one would have to be sacrificed. And as Fiamma planned to carry out, by saving the world, the world would have to perish first.

It was unfeasible.

You could not protect a person across the world from getting killed. Human beings weren't that efficient. If they were, they would lose the basic components that made them human in the first place. That was why it wasn't possible to save everyone. But Kamijou hadn't done that, had he? Kamijou saved one person. Then, he did it again. And again. And after that, he saved another. And another and another and another and another. Kamijou saved so many people through the individuals moments he had continuously built up. Despite acknowledging that he wasn't strong enough, he still acted. Despite admitting he could have asked for more, he still didn't. That was why he knew for sure what kind of world(s) he had saved.

.

. .

. . .

And.

That was why.

That was why they knew more than anyone else...

"Oh... Kamijou-san..." Komoe was crying, but they were far from tragic.

The others, they weren't far off, looking at the screen with mixed emotions.

Aogami and Tsuchimikado were chuckling to themselves, but did not say a word of complaint, nor did they look it. Fukiyose's cheeks were tinted a rosy red, and she failed to relinquish her right to wear her own glowing smile. Himegami's mouth twitched several times, before succumbing to the exact same fate as her friend. Musujime was trapped between all this goodwill, looking at the spiky haired boy on the monitor with a sigh of exasperation.

Accelerator was grumbling something mean about Kamijou, surely, yet he did not look displeased. Last Order was grinning ear to ear, overcome with joy and the one beheld on the monitor was the likely cause. Worst's expression was frozen in perpetual indecision, to enjoy the selfish pride of what she had just heard, or to retch at how even in spite of it, the speaker hadn't coveted a thing that he could enjoy, not by her standards anyway.

Agnese made to open her mouth, but she closed it when even she did not know what to say, silently mewling as her heartbeat began to increase sporadically. Orsola did not even realize she was smiling, nor did she notice it was to the point where it showed her teeth. Itsuwa's eyes were moist with tears, as well as another emotion that burned just as, if not significantly hotter. Kanzaki shared a warm and cheery look with Stiyl, who against his better judgement sighed in acknowledgement, before they both looked right back to the boy on the screen. Birdway stared mutely with her head cocked to the side, yet a small smile tugging at her lips, not mischievous, not sardonic, but content. Lessar nodded happily, tail swishing side to side, and also, feeling more relieved than anyone else.

Misuzu failed to suppress the urge to wrap her daughter in a one-armed embrace, and despite the girl's surprise and immediate embarrassment, she let it happen. Shirai felt a genuine smile on her face. Uiharu felt tranquil as she stood by her friends, which included Saten, smiling ear to ear. Imouto was nodding at what she was seeing, what she was hearing. Mitsuari and Misaki shared a look, before both helplessly sighing, all smiles as well.

Hamazura puffed out his chest in pride, or something close to it, before Kinuhata smacked him, and it was then her that found herself lost in something, staring at the screen; not quite pride, but something else, something deeper. All the while, Takitsubo leaned into her boyfriend's chest, smiling warmly and nodding in affirmation. Mugino, for all the indifference she had shown in the scene leading up to this point, felt her face reddening as she looked at the screen—no, the boy with a gaze that had surely found something worthwhile, even when not single person would be satisfied with the same.

Kaibi huffed and fanned her face, which she was hiding from the cheekily grinning older sister, Rikuri. Amazora had stars in her eyes, looking from her sisters to the screen, pointing, bouncing up and down. Sogiita grinned fiercely, crossing his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling an exuberant amount of energy from nowhere. Shutaura watched everyone with a cool eye, looked back at the screen, and her expression looked to be contemplating something, however, she made up her mind on whatever it was when she saw Arisa's beaming face looking at the screen. Index and Othinus shared a knowing glance, before cracking into smiles themselves as well, nearly giggling.

They were all moved by those words.

By the actions behind them.

It was because the one who had spoken them, and the one who had done them, was someone who had saved them time and time again.

It was because that boy was their hero.

There was nothing else to it.

—

Between the lines 7

—

Mikoto stared straight ahead.

The night sky had started emitting a strange golden light, but she had no time to worry about that odd weather. If there was anyone who could think about that kind of thing when they were on the verge of a nuclear explosion occurring or not, that person deserved to be in the Guinness Book of Records.

"…"

The flames spewing from the bottom of the ballistic missile with the Nu-AD1967 had disappeared. The large missile could not stay vertical for long with the arm about to let go of it, so it slowly but surely tilted. After reaching a certain point, it fell over toward the ground like a tree felled by a lumberjack.

The missile could no longer be fired.

She had done it.

They had been worried, leaving Mikoto who looked to be in such a tight spot, but such worry turned out to be completely unnecessary it seemed, as the girl had it handled. Regardless of whether it was a nuclear weapon capable of mass destruction, the Level 5 Misaka Mikoto was her own type of weapon who had an intrinsic advantage over all things electrical. Perhaps from very beginning, the Russians didn't stand a chance.

Misaki hummed.

(As always, that girl's attack dog ability is off the charts. Just give her a whiff and she instantly goes barking...)

But even though she thought all that, it was all in jest. Even she understood the significance of Mikoto's role—how many lives, that boy they cherished included, she had just saved as a result. They might not get along all the time, but despite their frequent quarrels, she could still respect the her.

"Why are you smiling at me? I-It's actually kinda creepy. Cut it out."

Misaki's brow twitched.

(Nevermind, this girl is as irksome as ever!)

Mikoto sighed slightly and then looked around.

Black smoke was rising from the tanks and armored vehicles of the independent unit. They had been sliced cleanly apart by the friction of the iron sand that was vibrating at high speed and could stand up to the assault rifles and handguns the unit had been armed with. Given the destruction, it was odd that no one had died.

Odd, yes.

Purposefully, no.

Mikoto, despite being in a place where taking a life was as common as breathing, refused to engage in the same behavior. She had spat on the directive that said that you had to kill people during war. Her reason for doing might not be noble, and it might not be selfless at all, but the truth of the matter was likely she didn't want the act of killing on her conscience.

But that feeling...

Misuzu smiled tiredly.

(I still can't believe my daughter jumped into a warzone and never told me, but...)

If more people felt that way, if more people were repulsed by the act of coming to blows in such an irreparable way, the concept called war might have never gained the traction that made it necessary in the first place.

(I could not be prouder of her.)

"Hm?" Mikoto met her gaze with a raise of an eyebrow.

"…Well, I guess that's that," Mikoto said arbitrarily before looking for the Sister.

The Sister poked just her head out of the hatch of the tank sitting in the middle of the enemy lines.

"You managed to singlehandedly defeat a company of troops 200 strong. Seeing that, it seems to be giving Misaka a complex, says Misaka as she feels a bit downhearted."

"What are you saying? Your strength is on a scale close to 10,000 when you're all together. And you have your powers, your network, and you even have Academy City's cutting edge tactics inputted into you. These guys are nothing compared to you."

All too suddenly, Mikoto found her mother's eyes gleaming, and she immediately had a bad feeling.

"M-Mama, wait a second, don't—!"

Her head was unceremoniously wrapped in a tight embrace before she could stop it. She tried to struggle but it was useless. Despite having the power of a military's most powerful artillery cannon, it didn't make her strong enough to face off against the person who brought her into this world.

"Look at you, acting like such a good big sister! What's a mom to do when her daughters are so cuuuutee!"

"Y—(gasp)—Y-You're crushing me...! S-Someone help!"

"Glomp, Misaka as she glomps you."

"That wasn't an excuse to join in, and don't just do it with zero expression on your face either! P-Please hel—"

"Oohhh! Misaka wants to join in too! Says Misaka Misaka as she bounds over and adds herself into the mix, not wanting to be left out of the fun!"

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyy?!"

Mikoto, Misuzu, Imouto, and Last Order eventually fell over in various yelps and giggles.

The Sister mumbled something about wanting that much individuality, but then her eyebrows twitched and she put her hand to her headset.

"What? Are you intercepting another Russian military transmission?"

"…They seem to be confused over being unable to contact the man who seems to be behind this, Nikolai Tolstoy, reports Misaka with a serious expression."

"You always have the same expression. So this guy ended up destroying himself? Or maybe an Academy City unit did it."

They didn't like the sound of that.

They honestly didn't care what happened to the type of bastard who would be willing to drop a nuke on everyone's heads at the drop of a hat, but if it would save the remaining forces from doing anything stupid, they wanted him to act in order to make the right decision.

And for now, they just hoped the others would do the same.

They would be very displeased if they didn't.

"The details are unknown, but the unit seems split on whether to continue the mission or not, adds Misaka."

"There's another unit? But if the boss character was taken out already…"

"It seems they have decided to continue, concludes Misaka."

"Ugh!"

Clear displeasure won out—Mitsuari's scowl being just one of many.

"Ah, dammit! Why are they so fired up over this!?" Sparks flew in all directions from Mikoto. "Okay! Where's the next unit!? Don't tell me they can fire Nu-AD1967s from multiple places at once!"

"From the contents of the transmission, it seems they cannot do that, says Misaka denying that possibility. The remaining independent unit has only 10 commissioned officers that can fight directly. It seems that Nu-AD1967 collapsed there is the only one they are able to use, says Misaka while listening to the transmission."

Even if they had multiple warheads or missiles, it seemed there were a few processes that had to be carried out before firing such as the arrangement of related vehicles and regulating the electrical foundation for controlling it. Mikoto had just previously defeated the people with the skills needed to do that. The commissioned officers remaining could not set up a missile or transport a warhead.

They took a moment to let that sink in.

"Oh, well that's good." Aogami said, relieved.

Their expressions showed they agreed.

"But that missile fell over, so they can't use it, right?"

"They have not realized that fact, so they are attempting to forcibly send out the signal to fire it remotely, says Misaka in shock."

Mikoto blinked.

"Huh?"

That came from Kinuhata, whose eyes suddenly widened in utmost shock. Of course, just like everyone else, this was followed by her hands shooting out crazily with an expression of full blow panic.

"W-Wait, isn't that like, super bad?!"

"AOGAMI!"

Fukiyose's bellow had the boy instantly up in arms.

"What?! I'm sorry okay! I spoke too soon!"

"That means…"

"Even if they send the signal out over the emergency remote, the missile will not fire, but the warhead may detonate here, says Misaka expressing her own prediction."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Mikoto frantically looked over at the collapsed missile.

"We'll die! If that happens, we'll definitely die! You said they were sending out a remote signal, right!? So if I use my power to jam the signal…!"

"It is an optical transmission that uses infrared, so your electromagnetic jamming will not work, warns Misaka."

"Gwahh! C'mon! What is it, a TV remote!?"

Things were not looking good.

"S-Shutaura-san! What are they going to do!?"

"I don't know, and will you calm down and stop shaking me?! She's still alive so obviously nothing happened!"

Shutaura snapped in such a way to Arisa's frantic behavior to which the girl immediately gave a sheepish apology. That being said, the black-haired girl still looked at the screen with a furrowed brow. Confirmed safety or not, an impending nuclear explosion was still nerve wracking. She was on edge just like everyone else, wondering how it would be dealt with.

Mikoto doubted the radioactivity would leak out so easily, but she timidly headed around the nuclear missile examining it. The missile itself was over 20 meters long.

"Maybe the circuits for receiving the transmission shorted out from my lightning spear…"

"The main circuitry is protected within thick lead and reinforced glass, reports Misaka. And ICBMs are made so they will not have errors even while cutting through cumulonimbus clouds, so they are made to be resistant to high voltage electrical currents, says Misaka announcing the obvious. The missile likely stopped before because the system in the launch vehicle was fried."

"If it uses infrared, then there must be a sensor to detect it. We should be able to block the signal by covering it in cloth!"

"Will we make it in time? wonders Misaka with a sigh. Do your best. Sigh. But when will I get to see him?"

"You sure are calm!"

Now was really not the time to be worrying about personal relationships—a great many of them had that thought, and those in the room expressed their clear concern for the girls' situation as they did so.

In particular, Saten peeked at Imouto's face with a wry smile.

"You sisters are really all over the place nowadays, huh?"

"Indeed. But Misaka likes that about her sisters and herself. Plus, that Misaka in particular frequently uploads images of Penguins onto the network. Hehe. Penguins."

Everyone just stared.

They almost didn't hear Worst.

"Agh! Don't remind me about that! It's this Misaka who has to constantly purge them from her memory banks!"

—

[ CHAPTER 11 ]
In the Shining Golden Sky. Star_of_Bethlehem.

Part 1
[ REDACTED ]

—

—

Part 2
[ REDACTED ]

—

—

Part 3

—

There was no real reason for it.

His right arm simply had a special power within it.

Imagine there was a nuclear missile about to be fired before your eyes and you held the control key in your hand and the firing control panel was right in front of you.

Was it unnatural to put the key in and try to stop it from firing? Wouldn't it be more unnatural to say things like "I'm not a specialist, so I don't understand it" or "I'm not a soldier or a police officer, so I have no obligation to risk my life" and stand there without doing anything? Wouldn't it be more unnatural to not do it because you had no reason to do it?

Someone who would do that would not be human.

They would be nothing more than a toy that had run out of drive.

No reason was needed to fight. In fact, not doing anything in a great crisis would bring guilt. And he had the necessary things in the necessary amounts. Instead of trying to stretch his hand out toward a place he could never reach, he instead continued making slow preparations for a long period of time like creating stairs out of wooden boxes.

It was for the sake of a single success.

It was for the sake of a victory that required no reason.

He felt that boy was the same. They both possessed right arms that had special abilities even if they had different properties. That was why he continued to fight using the power of that right arm. He had no doubts over the reason behind that process. After all, he had no need to think about it. In fact, he had no reason to come to a stop.

That was why he fought in the same way.

That was how it should have been.

And yet…

"That's..." someone murmured.

Their widened eyes had soon morphed to that of frowns.

It was not the words they were hearing themselves that shocked them, but rather the speaker. It was because they recognized the speaker from the moment that very deliberate tone of voice entered into their ears, telling a story that for all intents and purposes had meaning to what they were watching, and quite possibly what they would be watching. However, they weren't sure they wanted to keep listening. Would you listen to the words of someone you hated and despised? Would you want to keep listening as those very words might make you hate them less?

It was that type of feeling as Fiamma of the Right told his story.

It was vague, yet clear.

But more than anything, it was familiar.

A right hand that was different from everyone else's.

One that had the power to grasp something if they just chose to reach out.

By reaching out, simply doing something, anything—that was the only prerequisite needed. Not staying still and worrying about the future, but taking a decisive step forward. And for them, doing that something, anything, was obvious. It might be true that there was never a reason to act, but just as strongly, there also was never a reason to not act. The latter eventually won out. At some point, that choice became so obvious that it was as if it was the only one in the end, like laughing at something funny, rolling your eyes at something exasperating, or something even more instinctual, jerking your hand away from something hot. At some point, you were just supposed to do certain things.

Staying still?

Doing nothing?

Why?

A right hand that would move forward regardless of the obstacles in their way.

That was what they just heard from that voice.

.

. .

. . .

Just...

Just why did it all have to be so uncannily similar?

They scowled as they couldn't help but have this fleeting thought.

The scene continued regardless of their discontent.

A great high-pitched noise rang throughout the Star of Bethlehem.

It was the sound of Kamijou Touma's right hand repelling the flow coming from Fiamma of the Right's third arm.

Kamijou's Imagine Breaker could not negate a power all at once if it was too great. He used that fact to his advantage to press against the side of Fiamma's approaching attack pushing it like a train changing tracks, making it slip, and causing that overwhelming attack's trajectory to veer off.

"..."

They watched Kamijou fight, still finding it a bit mollifying.

That right hand, and the arm connected to it, had been mercilessly removed from its owner. It had been coveted, ruthlessly stolen, but not only that. It had been compressed into an ugly mass of flesh and then consumed by an arm which was proclaimed as more holy. It had disappeared, vanished, dissimilated to nothingness.

But that arm was now back.

As if nothing had happened in the first place, a working limb was now operating with no signs of its previous harm. And perhaps just as stupefying, there was no sign of that ungodly power that had leaked into this world from who knows where.

Fiamma wondered why.

His right arm altered the strength of the power it presented to match the strength of the enemy he must defeat. And Fiamma had determined his enemy was World War III. In other words, it was a great calamity that could destroy an entire planet contaminating the surrounding area of space with a large amount of debris. By bringing together the Star of Bethlehem, Misha Kreutzev, and the flesh-and-blood right arm that acted as a container for Imagine Breaker, he should have succeeded in drawing out the proper ability. Fiamma should possess the power to single-handedly claim victory over that large war that was a mix of science and magic.

It was like the power to destroy all of humanity on the face of the earth. He was trying to use that for the sake of salvation, but it would have been possible for him to bring an end to human history if he used it in a certain way.

However…

"…Why were you able to stop that?" Fiamma muttered.

He couldn't understand.

He couldn't understand why his plan had failed.

No, rather, he could not accept the way his plan had failed.

Accelerator huffed.

(Yeah, well welcome to the damn club...)

He adjusted his grip on the remote control spiritual item.

The golden light in the heavens focused together and rained down straight for Kamijou Touma matching the movement of Fiamma's third arm.

"Is it that great an ability? It is merely the power to negate the supernatural! It is merely the power to grab and twist a power it cannot completely negate! …I should be able to sink an entire continent into the ocean with a single wave of my right arm. I should be able to dry up all the water in the oceans with a single strike! You were nothing more than an adapter connected to that right arm until the designated time. You were nothing more than a potato shoot that is to be returned to the earth after the potato is collected!"

Fiamma was livid.

With his temper flared, his arrogance grew even more pronounced, and it made watching him even more unbearable. Thus, a majority couldn't refrain from the hardened glares that were sent into the evil man that was behind so much blood and violence.

"I can't take much more of this guy..."

Shirai's expression was hardly the picture of calm as she was amongst the ones glaring.

Guided by the 103,000 grimoires, the power of salvation bared its fangs.

The golden rain fell.

It fell on about half of the surface of the Star of Bethlehem. The mass of stone structures crumbled bit by bit and large cracks ran through even the floor Kamijou and Fiamma stood upon. The pressure sent ferocious winds flying in every direction and it caused such fierce destruction that even Fiamma brought his third arm up to protect his face.

However, Kamijou Touma did not go down.

His right arm was pointed straight up. He had forcibly repelled the first strike and it had exploded out like a liquid having something dropped into it. The after effects of that struck the downpour and distorted the trajectories of the beams of light.

The sight was enough to cause them to still.

Had he always been able to do that?

They couldn't help but wonder this.

Kumokawa had to suppress the sudden shiver that assailed her spine, even as she was deep in thought, hand on her chin. She was wondering if there might have been some residual power from that creature—no, those creatures from before.

"Could it have given him an upgrade?" she muttered.

Why?

That boy's right arm should not have held such great ability.

A single attack from Fiamma should have destroyed all of humanity. He should have been able to deal with even Vento of the Front or Acqua of the Back with a single wave of his right arm.

"Do you still not understand?" Kamijou Touma asked from within that ruined room that had lost even its ceiling due to the bombardment from the heavens.

His voice was low and heavy.

"You said that right arm changes its ability based on the strength of your enemy. The stronger your enemy, the more strength it draws out. And to draw out the arm's power to the maximum, you had to cause World War III to increase the people's malice. You needed to complete your preparations to make the form of the enemy you must defeat clear."

So what?

World War III was continuing even then. Tragedy created more tragedy and the spiraling malice would spread out to every corner of that planet. Fiamma's holy power would increase in response to that ugly sight and he would purify the entire world once his preparations were complete.

Yes, that was how they understood it as well.

Fiamma's point, however pessimistic, was still accurate. Thus, they wondered what Kamijou's intentions were in bringing this up again. No, at this point, they wondered just what they were missing that the boy must see so clearly to the point where he could continue to fight without hesitation.

They didn't have to wait long to find out.

"But that brings in another possibility," Kamijou spun his right arm around as if to check on his shoulder.

The joint made a cracking noise as he did so.

It was such an innocuous movement.

Yet.

Kaibi's teeth grit with intensity, and with it, a flush of embarrassment that was more surprising than anything.

(I... I just flinched...!)

Knowing what resided in that arm still made her rather nervous.

"What if everyone's hearts were not filled with malice to the extent you thought they were? Then you would not be able to draw out as much power as you expected."

Fiamma's eyebrows moved ever so slightly.

Their reaction was more or less the same.

Was... that really true?

It was hard to imagine, and they need only look below that floating island they were standing on to find clear evidence that Fiamma had indeed been successful in causing the chaos that his right arm needed to gain power. In fact, they saw the man already looking towards the edge himself, clearly thinking the same.

He stared past the broken wall and down at the distant surface of the earth. The golden light was shining down, but he could not see deep down at the surface. The dust and evaporated particles may have gathered together creating a screen. It was like the world was covered in a smokescreen emitted by the minds of the people killing each other in that war.

"…You're making an incorrect assumption."

Fiamma of the Right shook his third arm.

He tightly gripped the remote control spiritual item that supported him with a vast amount of knowledge.

Clear hatred resided in his eyes.

"This world is twisted. It can no longer be controlled. The four great elements that make up its core would have been utterly destroyed had I not corrected them. Remaining resources, opposing races, religious differences, lack of food, warring countries, destroyed borders, and everything else becomes intertwined creating a situation where each problem cannot be resolved in turn."

Their faces twisted.

"…"

"You're saying I was not able to gather up as much malice as I assumed? Don't make me laugh. That is nothing more than nonsense coming from someone who does not understand what malice is! That great war is continuing even now and it is making everyone honest! Nation, race, religion, gender, language, money, bloodline, talent, and all the other small thorns in people's hearts are starting to be brought out into the world! …Do you really want to believe that the depths of human hearts are that pure? What part of a human heart could be pure with the things they have done!?"

.

. .

. . .

Fiamma was left seething at the end of his tirade, and as much as they wanted to refute it, they couldn't.

"It's true that human hearts are not something to be viewed from the outside. Human nature may be something dripping with darkness. There may even be malice sleeping within me without my knowledge and I simply do not wish to believe it is there."

Kamijou's words sounded so terribly sad as he acknowledged that.

Yes—they couldn't refute it.

They couldn't refute what wasn't wrong. Saying that it was would be the same as spitting on every tragedy someone suffered because of the actions of the cruel. Saying that human hearts were only pure was the same thing as saying there were no such thing as victims, no such thing as suffering, and no such thing as crying, wishing for a better life, or any of the other desperate pleas that go unanswered now and in the past. To be human is to be malicious, as it is certainly truer to say that humanity is based on their faults, more than their altruism. If humanity had such a blinding propensity to do good, the act of praising others at all wouldn't be necessary, because it wouldn't be such a glowing act of morality if everyone did it.

So the world was malice.

It was darkness.

That wasn't wrong.

But.

Kamijou did not stop speaking there.

"But that is not all there is to human nature."

"What…?"

They were nodding.

Excitedly and warmly, they were already nodding their heads.

Shirai hummed.

Itsuwa was quick to smile.

Komoe eagerly bobbed her head.

Rikuri lofted a lazy grin.

Sogiita's lips tugged upward, exposing his canines.

"How can you say that there is only one aspect to what is inside people? How can you claim that there is dark malice within the depths of our hearts and that there is nothing else there?"

There was a deep darkness spreading throughout people's hearts that nothing could be done about. Humans did not only think about making connections with others. They also possessed a nature that led them to distance themselves from others under many different pretexts such as protecting themselves, ensuring their own safety, and monopolizing things. Hurting others and rejecting others were completely natural actions to take.

They understood that.

Without pretexts for acting, it was likely that humans would not feel the desire to do anything. There was a reason communism didn't—and couldn't—work. People did not want to be reduced to mere slaves of society, never able to earn more than what had been predetermined. Thus, selfishness, envy, greed, pride—those run rampant. It wasn't anything new. The world was always like that. It would continue to be like that. As long as there was ample justification, humans would enact any measure, no matter how twisted.

"..."

Accelerator frowned.

And sometimes, that justification didn't even have to be anything much.

However, there was also an even greater light sleeping within them at the same time. There was a virtue that people were normally too embarrassed to mention out loud. There was a justice that one did not feel the need to show off. Those things surely existed. They may not be visible, but they were definitely there.

It would be odd if they were not.

If there was truly nothing more than malice that led people to kill others, then humanity would have fought itself to destruction long ago. The fact that everyone was still living to that day and that history had continued on showed that the desire to connect with others was stronger than the desire to destroy others.

Humanity wasn't just malice.

Mikoto didn't believe that for a second.

If that was all her rotten species was capable of, then some idiot wouldn't have prevented a girl he barely even knew from walking to her death. He wouldn't have saved her sisters from becoming disposable toys, and he certainly wouldn't have leapt to rescue her friend and mother based on some verbal promise to someone who had tried to kill him.

Takitsubo didn't believe it either.

If it was true, then the person who her team treated the most poorly wouldn't have risked his life to save her, would have chosen to kill the one after his life rather than forgiving her, and better yet, would have abandoned them all the first chance he got like he had every right to do.

And finally, neither did Last Order.

If malice was the default for this world, she would have been completely ignored by the person who her sisters had died to again and again, and she certainly wouldn't have been saved by that same person, and looked after by him as if he was a member of her family, giving her the chance to live a life that Tree Diagram would have never approved of.

Just malice?

There was no way that was true.

"I did not need a reason." Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist anew. "It was not that I was strong. You merely failed on your own. Even with no reason, humans will fight for those that are important to them. Even with no special power, they will still fight because they wish to protect them. I was saved by that power."

Kamijou didn't reach out his hand to others because of a special power.

He believed that reaching out your hand in the first place was that power.

"..."

Hamazura felt an urge.

"H-Hamazura?"

Takitsubo squeaked in surprise as she was so suddenly embraced, but despite the confusion, the boy did not show his face to her.

"S-Sorry, I just felt like I wanted to hug you all of a sudden. I... just... I'm really glad you're here."

It was the same for him. Someone without powers. Someone who used to complain instead of doing anything. He too had managed to protect what he cared for.

"With no reason?" Fiamma looked at Kamijou with an expression like he was seeing something he could not believe. "That is the conclusion that only fits for us. Imagine that a nuclear missile is about to be fired. We hold the control key and the control panel stands before us. It is true that we need no reason to put in the key and try to stop the launch. However, those who do not hold the key cannot stop the missile."

"You don't need the key." Kamijou's rebuttal came without even a second's delay. "You can stick wires into the keyhole. You can open up the control panel and mess with the computer cables. You can even shoot at the missile itself just before it launches. Having the key or not only matters for one of many means of resolving it. There is absolutely no reason to stand by and watch the missile launch. …Anyone can fight. As long as you have something you wish to risk your life to protect even if it makes the entire world your enemy, you can fight."

.

. .

. . .

One by one, surprise etched on their faces.

However, a great many of them had faces that told of something beyond the surprise of hearing that boy's usual refusal to leave things up to option one or two. Yes, it wasn't the beginning of his words—it was the end that startled them.

Mikoto.

Birdway.

Index.

Kanzaki.

Agnese.

Accelerator.

Lessar.

Orsola.

Stiyl.

Itsuwa.

And finally—Othinus.

Especially, Othinus.

Her one eye imperceptibly widened.

Her reaction was perhaps the most glaring, even if no one saw her. But, even if there was no one looking at her, she still reacted to those final words of his. With her head dipped down, hidden by the length of her witch hat, her heart thundered incessantly, sounding increasingly loud to her own ears.

…

…

…

"As long as you have something you wish to risk your life to protect even if it makes the entire world your enemy, you can fight."

…

…

…

The words came out, and she was unable to hide the fluster in them.

"T-That's not fair, human."

"What an idiot," Fiamma muttered.

He realized anew that Kamijou Touma was a being with a mentality fundamentally different from his own.

"I'll be taking Index back," Kamijou Touma announced as he took a large step forward. "And not just that. The fighting between the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church, the conflict between science and magic, and the fighting between countries across the world in World War III will all end here."

It was the type of bold statement that approached arrogance.

It was also incredibly and completely naive, idealistic, and unfeasible.

Still though.

"Do you really think you can do that?"

As if in response to Kamijou's step forward, Fiamma of the Right spread his third arm out wide.

That surefire arm increased in destructive force in response to human malice.

"Do you really think that you can have a complete victory without losing anything in such a large scale conflict!? Things like World War III are nothing more than the preliminary preparations. With the Star of Bethlehem in the heavens, the purification on the earth has already begun. Are you saying you can still bring about an easy victory!?"

Rationally, there was no way the answer to that could be anything other than a negative.

Kamijou was just one person. Along with that, stopping the man across from him now wouldn't stop the fighting. Such a thing did not happen in actual war. People killed each other out of fear they were going to get killed.

And yet.

"I can."

One side was the hidden leader of the largest Christian denomination thoroughly reinforced by the sky temple known as the Star of Bethlehem, the world's malice brought to the surface by World War III, the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires, the nature of God's Right Seat, and that special severed right arm.

On the other side was a high school boy who had no special characteristics beyond a special right arm.

However, he had no reason to hesitate.

As such, Kamijou charged forward.

"Unlike you, I believe in the strength of humanity."

And yet.

Why did the sharp glint in his eye not waver in the slightest?

At that time, a strange shadow showed itself as if piercing through the coastline of Barcelona.

It was a strange golden shape, something like a giant arm and something like a giant snake. The hand stretched up into the air, halfway opened its fingers, and towered high into the sky without grabbing anything.

Everyone there fearfully watched it.

That area was relatively removed from the fires of the great war that was occurring. The area was not in a state of alert.

"...Huh?"

Like many of them, Mitsuari stared.

And also like many of them, she had to blink numerous times just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. It was because perhaps even more so than the angel that looked like an eerie mannequin, more so than Fiamma's third arm which could have been mistaken as a demon's gnarled appendage, and even more so than the creatures within that spiky haired boy's right arm that were both there and somehow not there—this time, they were truly and utterly floored.

It also served as a last straw.

"A-Are you serious right now?!"

"M-Musujime-chan?!"

Musujime was incredulous.

"What is it with all these weird ass hands?! I mean, really! I've had it up to here! Heeerre! Is there anyone else that I'm missing?! Someone hiding in the woodwork with a special hand, limb, or deformed appendage—anything at all really—that they're proud of!? Because apparently now's the time to show'em all off!"

The girl huffed and puffed as she was slowly losing it.

Othinus could actually think of one more person that fit the category, not that she would mention him in this case—even if she wasn't quite possibly the most hated in the room, maybe even more so than Fiamma, who only continued to be fanning his own notoriety.

But back to Musujime's sarcastic but not quite rhetorical question, someone actually did have the courage to raise their hand, which was actually pretty impressive considering who it was.

"Three seconds," Musujime snarled out, glaring at the boy. "You have three seconds to consider if what joke you're about to make is worth your life, you incorrigible pervert."

Aogami wisely put his hand down.

While a great number of civilians watched on, a change occurred in the golden arm.

The golden arm explosively expanded from the ground up to the fingertips. In an instant, the shape of the palm crumbled and was transformed like a giant balloon.

The sound of the distorted sphere reaching its limit could be heard.

"—."

When they looked back at the screen to see what was happening, they could safely say that it hadn't made them any less confused, not even when the scene abruptly shifted and showed them the exact same thing.

And…

At that time, at the end of the 100 meter arm shooting up from the surface of the Sea of Japan, the palm lost its basic shape and turned into a distorted sphere and it clenched tightly into a fist as if attempting to crush itself.

Immediately afterwards, it burst.

At the same time, the giant 100 meter arm broke to pieces and a tremendous shockwave spread in all directions.

The calamity that appeared in the world was outputted in the form of high waves. It was as if a giant space station had struck the ocean's surface. A wall of seawater over 30 meters high spread out evenly in a circle.

The aircraft carriers, escort ships, amphibious assault ships, battleships, cruisers, and all the other various Academy City and Russian ships made of steel that were lined up and fighting were completely swallowed up.

.

. .

. . .

They watched, completely slack jawed, barely even noticing they were horrified.

They no longer knew what was happening.

Things had taken a turn for the worse incredibly quickly. But they needn't have said anything at all. Actually, the spectators found their words completely stolen from them as the people on screen experiencing the ludicrous sight firsthand said exactly what they were all thinking.

What—

What is—

"What is going on…?" cried out a navigation officer from an Academy City cooperative institution as he saw the giant approaching disaster.

He was not even sure if he should take refuge within the ship or to put on a life jacket and jump into the ocean.

"This goes beyond a war! What is happening to the world!?"

At that time, a golden arm exploded in a similar fashion even on the war front in Eastern Europe.

However, that one did not cause waves.

Radiating from the center of the exploding arm were thunder clouds lowering down to the surface. The dark masses of water vapor explosively spread along the surface of the earth while an odd noise reverberated throughout the area. It was the sound of sparks. It was the sound of voltages exceeding a hundred million. Those overwhelmingly high voltage currents blew apart the people absorbed by the dark clouds and fried all electronic equipment on the weapons.

"You're kidding…" blankly muttered a man from Academy City who was hiding behind some rocks as the dark clouds approached.

The scope of the disaster was simply too great. The thunder clouds expanded to the left and right for kilometers, so there was no way of avoiding it even if he started to run. And his body would be torn to pieces within a few seconds of being absorbed by the clouds.

The man was a soldier—a flesh and blood soldier.

Their expressions were just as blank, although some were caught in a perpetual grimace.

There were a number of things they expected to see, and more than that, there was a number of things they felt like they would definitely see if the Voice—or this memory as a whole—was showing them how the world was perceiving World War Three, or more specifically the horrors being introduced by Fiamma interfering with the very world's heavenly bodies. A few of them even assumed that they were about to see the ugly side of this point in history, with the casualties just continuing to pile up from there. After all, wasn't that exactly what Fiamma wanted, what he seemed all too sure would ensue even without his help?

Despite that, what happened next still happened.

Faced with that ridiculous situation, only a thin smile appeared on the man's face and then someone grabbed his ankles. It came from underneath a destroyed Russian armored vehicle. He lost his balance and was pulled underneath.

Immediately afterwards, the dark clouds shot past him.

An ominous sound like a train's power source shorting out continued repeatedly. Just being underneath that vehicle did not leave the man unscathed. A portion of the current travelled through the surface and then mercilessly through the man's entire body.

However, he did not die.

The groaning Academy City man finally realized something.

"You…" the man muttered while looking at the female Russian soldier who had dragged him under the vehicle. "You know we're enemies, right? To you, I'm the detestable invader."

"Wh...at?" Kaibi gasped.

Next to her, Rikuri looked equally shocked.

Amazora's eyes were wide.

All their breaths caught, surprise overtaking them.

"An invader who went out of his way to stop the Kremlin Report, you mean? And this is no longer any time to be worrying about the war. The line of command is all but destroyed. There are also all sorts of unconfirmed reports of similar things occurring all over the world," the female soldier practically spat out those words as she stared at the electrified snow that had been blown up into the air as an aftereffect of that purple electricity. "I'm fighting this war to protect my family. I'm not going to let the world end or humanity to be annihilated after everything I've done!"

"She... saved him..." Hokaze breathed out, or rather, she affirmed it, as if she could barely believe it herself.

It was nothing more than a simple act of kindness.

However, it was the stage it had been done on that truly shook them. Where they were, on that battlefield littered with wreckage and blood, it would only be natural to shoot first and ask questions later. It would only be natural to worry about one person and one person only—yourself. There was no room for doubting whether your enemy was truly evil, or to even entertain the notion of saving them from something that you would be better off curling in a ball and hiding from. You had no proof that your efforts would be rewarded at all. You had no proof of knowing that what you were doing wouldn't turn out to be a mistake in the end. You didn't even have proof that the person you tried to protect had even half as much of a heart that you were willing to display.

Showing kindness in war was beyond stupid—it was suicidal.

Even so, what they had seen hadn't changed.

Suddenly, they heard the cracking sound of water rapidly freezing.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous noise exploded out.

Some kind of giant ring had appeared on a portion of the ground they could see from underneath the vehicle. The giant ring was made of a substance similar to pure gold, it had a radius of over 100 meters, and its width was greater than that of a two-lane road. It was stabbing diagonally into the ground.

The female Russian soldier thought it looked like an angel's halo.

However, that was not the only change.

Along the area of effect from the thunder clouds that had run across the ground, giant rings, long arcing parts with tapered ends that were similar to ribs, river-like curving bundles of cloth, and other objects were being forced into that world tearing up the ground and blowing away forests. It looked like someone had turned over a giant toy box. The flood of giant constructions spread in every direction and every object was of incredible size.

Those from Academy City looked at it with no shortage of trepidation, but in the end, it was an accumulation of the crazy, lacking in all understanding, inconceivable category called magic that they had seen time and time again and failed to fully parse through because their years of education didn't allow them to.

However, those from that magical side knew all too well what they were looking at.

Telesma.

Unrestrained, undiluted, completely raw telesma.

This was a result of Fiamma's brief assimilation with Imagine Breaker. This was a result of him calling the heavenly realm to his feet. This was a result of that golden light raining down from the sky—which had been all too eager to take up form because of the malice that which gave it structure.

Agnese felt a headache come on as she watched.

The Academy City man forced words out of his dry throat.

"…What the hell is going on?"

"How should I know?" bluntly replied the Russian soldier. "The one bit of luck is that this was just a plain. If something like this happened in an urban area, the buildings would all have been destroyed."

"And…"

A rumbling and vibrating exploded out.

The thunder clouds had passed by, but the danger was not over.

There was no rule saying there could only be one golden arm.

As long as those giant arms continued to come up from the ground, the dangers would keep coming.

"Here comes another one. What do we do!?" asked the Academy City man.

The Russian woman moved her fingers along an anti-tank rocket launcher.

"Isn't it obvious? We end this before it can explode! Help me, Academy City. We need your firepower!"

"Dammit. And I'm already busy stopping the Kremlin Report!"

"The objective is the same. Whether it's occult or a bacterial wall, we need to destroy every single thing that is going to cause unnecessary deaths!"

The words came to them at that moment.

…

…

…

"Our world is not so weak that it needs to be saved by a bastard like that."

…

…

…

That was what he had said.

And because he had said that, they couldn't help but smile.

They smiled because that boy who was fighting his hardest to stop all of this, who had sweat and bled to make sure that dream could become reality, turned out to be right. His words couldn't have been truer. Even in a place where you were allowed to be malicious and cruel, there would be those who refused. It was because the world wasn't as weak as Fiamma thought, and that there were actually people out there who decided to embody what it meant to be a good person instead. It was because those people were fully capable by themselves that Fiamma didn't have any idea what he was talking about.

The world wasn't so weak.

Saten repeated that to herself as she continued to watch, feeling a fire lighting in her heart.

At that time, a golden arm about to explode was sliced off at about halfway and sank into the Strait of Dover.

The civilians, the soldiers, and everyone else were dumbfounded.

Amid them all, the girl who had brought that golden arm to its demise spun her single staff around.

She was a girl of about 12.

They gawked.

She smirked.

It didn't take them very long at all to realize who the girl was.

"Hey, Mark! You've been slacking off on maintaining my symbolic weapon, haven't you? Thanks to that, I'm only getting 80% output!"

"Boss, the production and consecration of a symbolic weapon is supposed to be done by the weapon's user, are they not?"

"Tch. But what is going on? I never thought I would end up having to help out to save the world."

"Given the situation, it seems Fiamma of the Right's plan is to purify the surface of the earth. He seems to be disseminating pure Telesma to cause a change in the foundation in order to save the world. He must be thinking that changing the foundation will change all of the structures on top of it," Mark explained. "However, the mere amount is an issue. Spreading that much Telesma around will cause quite a bit of destruction. And on top of that, unlike the magic power refined within people's bodies, Telesma has an elemental color from the beginning. This causes phenomena of or derived of the element to occur."

"So it's like the flood of Noah's Ark. The passing cleanliness is no different from a disaster to us ugly humans."

The blonde girl who had been referred to as "boss" put on an evil smile that was unbefitting of her age.

And yet there was enough intensity in it that it made one think that there was no expression that better fit her lovely face.

They considered the man's words.

It really was Fiamma's doing that caused this chaos they were seeing all over the world—and that was not a mere exaggeration. The telesma was affecting the world on a grand stage.

However, beyond that...

Kanzaki sighed into one hand, giving someone a pointed look.

"Why am I not surprised you were involved in this? Actually, how do you already know more than we did?"

She was staring at Leivinia Birdway.

"Is it really so hard to believe I'm just more competent than you lot? Not all of us have worthless meat-sacs for our nutrients to go to instead of our brains."

"You..."

An argument seemed like it would break out between the cabal boss and the saint, but an unlikely comment came into the mix—more specifically, from a skeptical boy who hadn't yet learned how to keep his mouth shut despite numerous occasions proving the strategy wise.

"Lovely...?" Hamazura practically spat out, looking at the screen. "What the hell is lovely about that monster of a little girl?"

His comment, while spoken softly enough, wasn't quite so soft that it evaded the ears of the little monster in question, and that was proven the second she turned to him, eyes flashing in a way that proved her to be about as demonic as the boy's perception of her was.

"Did you say something, shit-stain?"

He paled considerably, instantly changing his tune. "A-Absolutely not ma'am!"

Hamazura turned to the other way.

Takitsubo glared between the two balefully.

Kinuhata made a whipping sound behind them.

Mugino huffed, unamused.

"And we ugly humans are labeled as ugly because we do not know when to give up."

A distant explosion pounded on the girl's ears.

It was coming from the horizon. Not even that girl could eliminate all of the golden arms. The ocean where no people or ships were had low priority, so explosions like that continued intermittently.

Along the affected area of the disaster, objects like giant angel halos and bones appeared one after another.

They exhaled, far from pleased.

Things had long since turned into the makings of a horror film.

"…I see. He's made sure to see this through. He has prepared the resources to be used in the revival after everything has been washed away. That's a huge pile of materials more valuable and convenient than gold, platinum, or tungsten."

"Well, it is possible to create objects such as clothing and weapons from Telesma, from an angel's body…but as someone who uses human magic, the scale leaves me utterly shocked."

"But it is meaningless," said the blonde girl quietly. "It may be true that having enough resources to satisfy every single person on the planet would resolve most conflict. Each individual will resolve things still as an individual. However, that is not enough. If people are given resources, they will use those resources to expand the range of what they control. People have already built rockets and taken control of the moon's surface, so we will not stop there. We will use the deuterium on the moon and aim for Mars. That is why increasing or decreasing the amount of resources will not stop conflict. It will only change the scope of the conflict."

It was a little hard to follow along, and they couldn't get over the fact that it was Birdway of all people who was telling them all of this in what sounded to be a completely bored tone. Nonetheless, they were listening and slowly beginning to see her point.

But...

(How powerful is telesma to just be able to create things like that...?) Kaibi wondered.

"Also, a material equal to the weapons and shields of the angels cannot be dealt with using human techniques. They cannot be scratched even when using lasers or diamonds and I doubt human magic can do anything to an angel's body. This is not what I would call resources. It is nothing but a pile of giant trash."

"Well, our ultimate objective is to seize control of the entire world be it the magic side or the science side. Ruling a world that has been wiped clean and is filled with useless toy blocks sounds boring. Let's go get busy with some philanthropic work."

They felt like they had just heard something extremely concerning come from that small girl's mouth and a few of them who were less than familiar with the girl even wanted to stare at her incredulously, however—

Their eyes suddenly darted to the screen.

Numerous golden arms burst up from the ground and the ocean.

The girl paid them no heed.

She rested the staff she had been spinning around on her shoulder and unhesitatingly stepped forward.

She used a megaphone a man in formal dress handed her and spoke to the entire battlefield.

"Whether you're British, French, from Academy City, or Russian, listen up! All soldiers that can do so need to support us with your infrared aiming information transmitters! When you receive target coordinate information, provide backup fire with everything you have! Now, the time has come for a bombardment of the people, by the people, and for the people! Let's make this flashy, baby!"

Some British soldiers who were too shocked to stand opened their mouths to speak despite not being able to control what they were saying.

"Wh-wha-what…? Who…are you people…?"

Silence.

The room had descended into complete silence, and it should have been uncomfortable for all of them with no exceptions. However, Birdway didn't seem to get the memo as she was broadly smiling, darting out her hands in a grandiose manner.

"I don't know why you all are staring at me with such awe in your gazes. Did you expect anything else? Leading the ignorant masses is child's play for a leader of a powerful organization."

She even preened, puffing her chest out.

"You got the child part right."

Until she froze in place.

"W-Wait, I didn't mean to—"

"You! Do we need to have another lesson, BOYYYY!"

"Aiiiiiiiii! I'm sorry!"

Hamazura really needed to stop opening his mouth.

With her back to them and with many men in formal clothing surrounding her, the girl spoke.

She brought the megaphone to her mouth and spoke as if singing.

"We are a magic cabal. We are the Dawn-Colored Sunlight."

"I-Is that the name of your group, Birdway-san?"

Uiharu had asked that to the blonde girl, who was still teeming with energy after Hamazura's inability to remain quiet, so it was with an alternating glare that Birdway met her eyes, and still in a bad mood, she huffed before nodding, however it wasn't any less frosty than the petulant reaction she was wearing before.

"Yes, and please never call it a group again. We are an organization."

"R-Right, of course."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Y-...You have a cool name?"

"..."

Birdway sighed and looked away.

(Even though she's younger than meeee! I'm so anti-sociaaaaaaal!)

Uiharu felt like crying.

At that time, Sasha Kreutzev pulled many different tools from the belt at her waist while standing within the Star of Bethlehem that floated above Russia. She scraped an L-shaped crowbar along the floor to draw a gigantic magic circle.

Lessar was hurriedly preparing the escape containers.

There were many metal container-like objects with large parachutes on them hanging down from the bottom of the fortress. Lessar was preparing them for use.

Aaaaaannddd they were back with Lessar and Sasha.

It looked like they were hard at work doing stuff, which was a little confusing since last they had seen them was the disconcerting sight of them witnessing Kamijou's arm being severed. It wasn't so much irritation that they were now doing something completely different, but just a little bit doubt pricked them.

Was what they were doing so important that they couldn't help Kamijou when he needed it?

"..."

Himegami frowned slightly.

In addition to those two girls, over 200 Russian Orthodox magicians that had been cast aside by Fiamma were there. They had to be allowed to escape to the surface before Fiamma disposed of them.

And even if Fiamma was defeated, they still needed a means of escape.

They were over 10,000 meters up in the air after all.

"Eh?"

A startled noise escaped Himegami's lips.

She immediately wanted to take back her words, as Lessar was not just doing nothing, nor was she only thinking about herself. She was working to save the people that Fiamma had already all but abandoned. It definitely didn't surprise her that he would make such a choice, but it certainly caught Himegami off guard that Lessar had chosen to do the opposite.

"Wait! I don't know what you're trying to do, but the 'last bus' is about to leave!"

"My first response: I am not here because I wish to be. A supplementary explanation: I truly wish to get away from here as quickly as I can." Sasha's hands manipulating her tools did not stop as she spoke. "My personal opinion: However, I also am resistant to fleeing without doing anything. The only one actually opposing Fiamma right now is that boy. As a professional magician, I must at least support him even if it is useless resistance."

"How!?"

INSERT PICTURE

"My second response: Fiamma used my body to call in Gabriel and to change a section of the sky into the environment he wished for. …As such, I may have become a major factor that can drive a wedge into Fiamma's plan."

Her reply too—just as Lessar's—caught them all a little by surprise.

Thus, they widened their eyes.

She did not know how much of an effect she could produce.

At the very least, it was impossible for Sasha Kreutzev's actions alone to bring Fiamma's huge plan to a standstill.

However, she still had to do it.

Sasha's gaze did not waver as it lay hidden behind her bangs.

"Sasha-san..."

Shiina's expression, upon seeing such earnest desire to help her son, softened to the point where it looked like she just might be brought to tears. The young girl, normally so emotionless and blunt, didn't have a reason or justification to help someone who she had just met, but that clearly wasn't going to stop her from lending aid.

Shiina saw that clearly in Sasha's unyielding expression as she continued to work.

(Thank you. Thank you so much, Sasha-san.)

Lessar scratched at her hair.

"Ahh, dammit! Then I'll help you finish this as quickly as possible!"

"?"

"I too was thinking about sticking around to the very last possible second. That boy seems like he will be beneficial to England, so I'll help you out just to kill some time."

Lessar's addition made them grin.

"Real subtle there, girl. Your altruism astounds me," Kumokawa snarked, flipping her hair back at the same time.

The girl in question just impishly giggled in response, hand to her mouth. "Don't get snippy with me, Senpai-san. Is it so wrong to know exactly what you want? Everything is best served with a clear reward offered at the end, no?"

"..." Kumokawa just stared at her, a single brow raised, although it just barely twitched.

She was right of course, but did she have to look so damn proud of herself?

"My third response: You do not need to go that far…"

"Either way, our escape plan has been temporarily stopped since you have decided to do this."

Lessar used her thumb to point behind herself.

The Russian Orthodox magicians were getting out of their escape containers and approaching.

The sight did not bode well at all.

There had to be only one reason that those magicians would leave the definitive safety of their escape capsules to enclose around Lessar and Sasha, and those in the room felt frustration to no end that despite Fiamma's lackadaisical leadership, their devotion was still first and foremost to their country. And as such, it only made sense for them to—

Ah?

Those thoughts, which they had all began to have in unison, just as collectively ceased.

They were approaching to help spread the complex magic circle Sasha was trying to draw.

Sasha was shocked, but Lessar grinned in her direction and spoke.

"Now this flow will not change until we get some kind of result, so let's fight back against Fiamma's plan."

"They're... helping..."

Himegami muttered that to herself, not even realizing that Fukiyose was nodding beside her, just as flummoxed. And it wasn't just her. They were all staring wide-eyed at the scene to some degree. Even Tsuchimikado was giving the sight an appraising look, noticeably surprised, as indicated by the way his brows heightened above his shades.

They had assumed those men would enact Fiamma's will for the world's purge that he so desperately wanted. They couldn't have been more wrong.

In the end, not a single thing Fiamma had said about the world was true. He had claimed with such certainty that there was malice in everyone's hearts—that when the chips were down, a man would choose to tear out the throat of another just because he could. That hadn't happened. They had, and were, watching definitive proof of it. Even now, people were more than willing to show off how good they were.

Fiamma had lost, plain and simple.

He just didn't realize it yet.

At that time, a group of girls dressed in mainly black nun's habits were travelling across a snowy plain of Russia at high speed.

Their clothes looked like those of the Roman Catholic Church, but they were currently not affiliated with that church.

They were the former Agnese Forces.

"That's..."

Agnese's eyes widened imperceptibly at the sudden shift, even more so at the familiarity of just who was involved. Given how widescale the conflict was spanning to be, she maybe should have guessed her role would have been displayed, and yet an equally large part of her told her that it wouldn't.

"Hee hee~."

The Voice laughed, causing the girl to look surprised.

"Did you think your role was any less meaningful, child? I'm sure a great many of those who survived that battle thanks to you would beg to differ~."

"I..."

Agnese stewed on that.

Everyone else continued to look on curiously, at her and at the screen.

Those 200 nuns were headed for a place where both Academy City and Russian soldiers were collapsed.

Fighting did not necessarily mean to kill one's enemies.

They had their own way of fighting.

"Sister Agnese, we have spotted people needing to be rescued. It is impossible to get them all out of the effective range of the explosions. As planned, shelters need to be built at points calculated from the distribution map of those needing to be rescued!"

"Listen up, Sister Angelene. The shelters use the theory of the swaddling clothes and manger of the Son of God! Order each of the nuns skilled in the use of Divine Mother-style Ex Voto to set up shelters!"

"The large rescue helicopters are on standby 3000 meters back! Have them transport the heavily wounded out before the next explosion!"

"Get the lightly wounded to one of the shelters! We do not have time to transport them all out!"

It was...

It was quite the sight.

They didn't know how else to describe as they watched.

Yes, they—

It all happened in no time at all.

What they were referring to as shelters were nothing more than tent-like objects made of a wooden framework and a large white cloth. However, they were still not objects that could be constructed in a dozen or so seconds. To those watching on who had no idea what was going on, it may have looked like the shelters were spring-loaded toys that automatically expanded.

Collapsed soldiers who were unable to move were taken one after another to the shelters created in the middle of the battlefield.

They just stared in muted amazement.

They couldn't help it.

Hundreds of girls around the age of those in the room were doing rescue efforts with an urgency that put official personnel to shame. While everyone was fighting their own individual battles for their own individual things they felt could not be abandoned, like was said, a similar battle was occurring right now—a battle for salvation.

And as for the person leading them...

"Ara, you are so amazing, Sister Agnese!"

"S-Stop that. Let go of me you dimwitted nun!"

Agnese had to forcibly pry Orsola off her when she was so suddenly embraced. However, given the size difference between the two, it was most definitely an uphill battle. Thus, the redhaired girl was left scowling with tint of a blush on her cheeks as she let it happen.

Surprisingly, both the Academy City and Russian soldiers were treated in this way.

They were all humans who held the same feelings toward that one situation.

If they had all realized that earlier, such a showy war may not have occurred in the first place.

Their hearts stirred.

There was no evil. There were only people in need of rescue. That was the only distinction that mattered, and the only one that was necessary for those girls to act in the first place. If there was anything more, it was that they were incredibly good people, people who felt that it was atrocious that an abundance of death needed to be required just because it was on a stage called war.

They were moved—this scene having them trapped, unable to look away.

"…Who are you?"

Those words were squeezed out by a man who had been controlling an Academy City powered suit.

He asked his questions even as he had bandages wrapped around his body.

"Whose side are you on…?"

"..."

Right.

They should have expected a question like that.

In a situation like this, wouldn't anyone have wanted to know whose side such a capable force belonged to? It was because, to them, a person had to be on a side, and that meant another had to be an enemy. And from there, those on different sides just had to kill each other. That was just how it all worked.

But.

Agnese was already shaking her head, fueled by the same feelings she felt back then.

"We did not come all this way to discuss that," responded a girl in a black nun's habit. "If I must respond, I will say that our only goal is to reduce the number of injuries in this war as much as possible."

"…"

"Wow..."

Uiharu was stunned, and she showed this with shining eyes, looking at Agnese like she was some kind of hero. No—there was no 'some kind'. In this horrid situation, saving the lives of others instead of prioritizing oneself was by its very definition heroic.

Others felt the same.

They nodded at the girl's altruistic beautiful words.

And as Kanzaki looked at that girl, the one who used to be an enemy of Necessarius, who used to be the quickest of them all in inciting the need for violence and bloodshed, she felt a shiver, even if she shouldn't have.

…

…

…

"Next time, if Agnese asks me for help, I would help her. She was coincidentally the bad guy this time. Being a bad guy once doesn't mean she'll be a bad guy forever."

…

…

…

"Haha..."

Kanzaki dipped her head and smiled, seeing a scene only she could see, and hearing a conversation only she could hear. It warmed her heart, and at the same time, made all of what she did feel worthwhile. After all, those words she heard that day affirmed all that her magic name was, and he seemed to have known that even without being told, as if it wasn't ever something he needed to question.

"It really is funny how you know so much of the hearts of other people."

Then, that black-haired woman felt a little mischievous.

(Except for the obvious of course, Kamijou-san~.)

The nun was using medicines made of plants rather than the usual antibiotics and the soldier was at a loss for words. As if to fill that silence, a communication reached the shelter of wood and cloth.

The soldier could not see any kind of equipment.

A male voice came from what looked like a card that was stuck to one of the shelter's pillars.

"Really now. I knew Fiamma loved to keep things clean, but I never thought he would try to clean things on such a large scale."

"So this really is part of Fiamma's purification plan?"

"It would be best to assume it is. He's destroying the status quo and producing the materials needed to recreate it all. …However, new materials that no human can destroy and therefore cannot be manufactured by anyone are nothing more than giant pieces of garbage."

Who...?

A majority tilted their heads in confusion.

They did not know who was speaking to Agnese.

A sharp yet heavy vibration shook the snowy plain.

Immediately afterwards, a golden arm protruded up from the ground nearby.

Their faces instantly twisted in worry.

So many injured people were present, and more than that, the people trying so desperately to give them aid. Out of all the places this gruesome phenomenon could have sprouted up, this was by far the worst possible.

"Um, Agnese-san, will you—?" Hokaze's voice, tinged with worry, was sent to the girl, but it was halted with a raise of the nun's hand, and a smile.

"Relax," she said, eyes dancing with a slight amount of amusement. "Someone who cannot stand people not being saved came with us."

The Academy City man lying in a bed grimaced in pain and sat up. A Russian soldier in the bed next to him did the same.

"Dammit, hand me my gun," the man said with a groan as he stretched one hand out toward a nun. "I can't let this end without fighting back. I don't know who's doing this, but you're clearly good people since you've helped us out. I'll give you enough of an opening to escape."

However, there was no need for the Academy City or Russian soldiers to make a suicide attack on the arm.

They were not even given the time to do so.

Almost an instant later, a single long sword severed the golden arm at its base.

From the soldiers, it was definitely a kind act, but it was indeed not necessary. After all, given Agnese's words, and of course that very familiar sword, it did not take much for them to realize just who had come.

Index's eyes lit up, the name on the cusp of her throat.

A majestic form could be seen through a gap in the cloth forming the simple tent-like shelter.

The Asian girl wielding a katana over 2 meters long was strange, but it was even stranger that she had been able to slice apart that golden arm in a single strike.

The golden arm was over 100 meters long and thick enough to match. Even if that 2 meter sword had a tremendously sharp blade, it should not have been able to sever that golden arm simply due to its thickness.

And yet…

"Basically, it's the same concept as opening a slit in a plastic bag," said a female voice from the card-shaped communication device on the pillar. "You create a small wound on the target and then let the weight of the target force the slit wider. It is a required skill in the many legends of dragons and other beasts being sliced through with a sword that is clearly smaller than the beast."

"Kaori!"

Index finished her exuberant shout, and thus, it was not just her that was sending awed and amazed looks Kanzaki Kaori's way. However, to that woman's serious disposition at times, she was hardly prepared for such attention, and blushed to the tips of her ears.

The Academy City man was in shock and his body was covered in light from an old form of illumination called a torch that a nun wearing black was holding. A circle of light as if from a flashlight crept across his body. He thought she was checking for injuries, but something was odd. Even after the circle of light passed over parts of his body, his body's surface glowed palely.

It was as if his body was being supported from without.

"Whether you plan to live on or block the way before a powerful enemy, you must first be able to move your body."

"..."

Agnese's words reverberated throughout the room, said with such an expression that told them that she was taking her job very seriously. They couldn't have known. Most of those in the room couldn't have known that this was once the very same girl who had cruelly labeled others as heretics and demanded their swift deaths.

But those that did know could not have been more moved to amazement.

Orsola was one such person, but it wasn't surprise she was feeling.

If anything, it could be called pride.

"...It's annoying the way you're smiling at me right now. Please cease that at once."

As he received medical treatment, the Academy City man recalled the situation outside of the shelter.

He tried to remember as accurately as possible where the still functioning tanks and powered suits were.

Before long, the man had completed his preparations to head out to attack.

This time, his enemy was not the Russian army.

Fukiyose was wide eyed.

"Kamijou... was right..."

She breathed that out, looking incredibly happy.

Little by little, changes were being made.

And little by little, Fiamma was losing to the one enemy he had never expected to one.

At that time, two swords severed giant gold arms growing from the surface.

One was a sword of light extending from a shard of the British blade Curtana Second.

The other was the French blade Durendal.

Using those blades were the representatives of each country, Second Princess Carissa and the Femme Fatale. Their wounds from the Archangel Misha Kreutzev had not been healed, but there was no sign of weakness in their actions.

The fact that these two were still fighting despite just finishing battling the fearsome foe they were engaged with before, was nothing short of inspiring. Even now, they were slaying the telesma infused arms with gusto.

So naturally, Sogiita's eyes shined.

"A-Amazing! Up close and personal like this, I can feel both of those Onee-san's gu—!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Stop, don't finish that sentence Sogiita-chan! Think of the children!"

"Huh?"

Sogiita was confused, however that wasn't case for a collection of them. Fukiyose's palm covered her entire face, one that seemed to be burning. She looked a bit exasperated, and this might have led to why she shot a withering glare at the blue-haired boy next to her.

To which he instantly began to pale.

"T-This isn't my fault!"

"I don't believe you."

While Aogami got punished for a crime that he may or may have committed, a few of them who were also a tad bit embarrassed by Sogiita's words were mutedly aware of how odd it was that The Voice was the first one to cut him off.

Was she always so considerate?

"First an angel and now the symbol of the right arm. That bastard is obsessed with Telesma, isn't he?" said Carissa in a disinterested manner as she swung her sword of light. "Move the Mobile Fortress Glastonbury from Deployment B to Deployment C. Check how it's doing. A malfunction here would be a real pain in the ass."

"…If you removed the altitude limitation on Glastonbury, you could probably reach Fiamma's temple a lot faster."

The Femme Fatale looked up into the sky. 10,000 meters up above her was the fortress known as the Star of Bethlehem.

"If it was that easy, we wouldn't be going to all this trouble. Glastonbury was developed to conquer areas along the surface. It is not meant to be used in high altitude battles in the sky."

Carissa turned back toward Glastonbury.

They hummed thoughtfully.

While they didn't know exactly what the woman was talking about, they had to guess it was referring to the militaristic looking fortress behind her. And it would be a lie to say some of them hadn't thought such a majestic creation could have been integral in helping Kamijou. But sadly, that was a moot point considering it relied on the woman named Carissa even having the foreknowledge that the boy was risking his life even as they spoke.

However, ignoring all that, it seemed the structure wasn't even capable of ascending that high.

"The Star of Bethlehem, hm? I'm surprised the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were willing to disclose that information."

"They were both used. All this means is that neither of them are so beyond saving that they would just stand by and allow a plan like this to happen."

The Femme Fatale lightly swung her sword around by moving only her wrist and began to think.

(Come to think of it, my little sister's country is in this area, isn't it?)

She then arbitrarily punctuated her thoughts with a "hm".

(If I get her to owe me a favor, it could lead to France's benefit.)

(Hey, sister. I would rather one of the representatives of Western Europe did not plot to take things from a smaller country. It's childish.)

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

They all froze simultaneously, as a voice so suddenly entered in conjuction with that woman's own thoughts.

(Oh, Eliza. It's polite to knock before entering.)

(You are within range of my bombardment spell.)

(If you were truly that skilled, I do not think the French government would have recognized your secession.)

(That area was originally intended to be a battlefield on which to fight Fiamma, so my soldiers have set up all sorts of dangerous things. In the end, Fiamma invaded and stole Sasha Kreutzev before we were able to use it, but my bombardment spell can still reach that point.)

(Are you hoping to get me to owe you a favor?)

(Don't you think it is more natural for a small country to take things from a representative of Western Europe?)

Sparks flew between those sisters.

.

. .

. . .

What?

They stared blankly at the woman called Femme Fatale who for all intents and purposes was having a conversation with someone in her head. But even so, just what kind of conversation were they witnessing right now, especially with the likeness of an ability like telepathy? Was it a kind of magic as well?

Mikoto sighed.

(I'm just going to ignore it. Like everything I've seen in these memories, at a certain point, I just have to—)

And then Carissa seemed to receive a transmission. However, it was not from a magical means of communication. In response to an electronic tone, the second princess pulled a radio out from her cleavage.

Mikoto's right eye twitched all of a sudden.

(Again! She did it again!)

The Femme Fatale looked at Carissa like she was looking at indecent lingerie.

"…I've asked you this many, many, many times before, but is it really necessary to store that there?"

"Shut up. What are you, my mother? …Unfortunately, this dress has nothing remotely like pockets. I hope you have enough sense to tell whether it is better to do this or clip it to my panties."

Aogami opened his mouth, but in a show of surprising intellectual prowess one would have thought to be unthinkable when it came to someone like him, he wisely decided to think about the words his brain was telling him to say, and... not say them.

But...

"Huh? Komoe-sensei, why are you holding that girl's flashlight in a threatening manner like that?"

It was just as the boy said. Komoe had Musujime's flashlight, poised for a swing, maybe even upside the head of the blue-haired boy, but with said boy boring into her now with stare that approached considerable dubiousness...

Komoe flinched.

"O-Oh this? I was just, huh... Yes. I think I was about to hit you Aogami-chan. Hm, how odd."

"Y-You came right out and admitted it?!"

Carissa spoke into the radio and seemed to be talking with someone in London.

"I see, I see. So that's it. In other words, the techniques and knowledge of the Anglican Church are needed in addition to those of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in order to bring down the Star of Bethlehem."

The second princes gave multiple quick nods.

"In that case, tell this to the head of the Anglican Church: If you do not immediately disclose the necessary information, Second Princess Carissa of the Royal Family and of military matters will shove Curtana up your ass."

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

.

. .

. . .

There was a brief silence at that, and it was only broken by a clear-cut whistle from the white-haired boy smirking off to the side. However, he abruptly stopped when a high-pitched giggling could be heard from beside him.

"Hehe! Up your ass! Misaka finds it funny because it's such a naughty word, says Misaka Misaka as she holds her hands to her mouth, enjoying the beautiful princess's daring remarks."

Or so said Last Order as she continued to giggle without a care in the world, almost oblivious of the words that had just left her mouth.

"Hey brat, what did you just—!?"

"Accelerator!"

Accelerator, who had been looking at the girl in surprise, suddenly had to turn to the sight of Mikoto who was furiously glaring at him in disapproval. And then next to her, the damn mother was also looking at him with trace amounts of disappointment.

"Accelerator-san..."

(Okay, what the fuck is going on?!)

He gritted his teeth with fury. "Stop fucking looking at me like that, I didn't—!"

"Up your ass! Up your ass! Up your ass! Misaka Misaka continues to chant!"

(God-fucking-dammit!)

Having said what she needed to say, Carissa cut off the transmission.

"It seems the preparations to bring it down are underway. However, just waiting for that to happen will only let the damage increase."

"So you are saying there is only one thing we must do?"

The two women once more held their legendary-class swords at the ready.

A number of golden arms appeared from the ground as if surrounding them.

Standing back to back, they spoke.

"There is a way to obstruct Fiamma's plan without directly attacking the Star of Bethlehem."

"…And that is to destroy every single golden arm that appears on the surface, right?"

Multiple cutting strikes flew and the surrounding arms were destroyed in an instant.

The knights, Necessarius, and the French magicians followed suit.

Their invasion began.

To anyone else, such tasks would have been extraordinarily difficult, however each and every one of them watching had the feeling that if it were these two, they would be completely capable of doing such a thing.

After all, weren't those women also monsters?

Everyone had a role to play, more so than they ever thought possible.

Itsuwa smiled despite it all. Maybe she found the mood extremely infectious.

(Fiamma, you didn't expect them, any of them, to fight back, did you?)

At that time, a thin Western sword made of something like particles of light mercilessly pierced through Stiyl Magnus's shoulder and into his chest as he stood within St. George's Cathedral in England. The sword was the sword of the harvest god Freyr. It was a spiritual item that moved automatically and surely stabbed into its opponent's vitals. It cut through Stiyl's collarbone and ripped through thick arteries and organs.

The expression on the girl named Index's face remained frozen.

Stiyl's movements stopped.

Time seemed to freeze as their faces drained of all color.

They tried to reconcile with the sight they were seeing before them, but they failed to do so. It was far too sudden, far too random. For it to happen completely and without warning like that, they wanted to cry out, to say something, but the words didn't come, not immediately. It was as if even the silence was test, and the moment someone broke it, what they were seeing before them really would be their reality for sure.

"..."

Rikuri was watching, far from unsettled though.

(That's a neat trick...)

She was one of the first to notice.

And in that time, multiple attacks continued on.

Another two swords stabbed into Stiyl's back and waist and blood red wings swung down as if to finish him off. The attacks were simply overwhelming. The repeated attacks crushed human flesh while also causing fatal damage to the life force that was the source of magic power.

Through it all, Stiyl's body did not move.

Each attack arrived, and their faces became paler and paler amidst the violence that happened so suddenly, violence on a much higher degree than the shower of blood they had witnessed when Kamijou lost his arm.

Horror gripped them, horror and confusion.

"S-Stiyl...?"

Index, wearing a face that was wrought with the worst kind of emotions, let out a trembling voice, looking towards the boy who was safe and sound in the room with her. And everyone else's reactions were much of the same. Itsuwa, Agnese, Komoe—they all looked at Stiyl in uncomprehending shock, unable to match the bloody sight with the person who was still living and breathing beside them.

However, Kanzaki was not among these people. While initially startled, a different revelation washed over her, and she looked at Stiyl in a knowing manner.

It was just in time for him to let out a pointed sigh, gesturing at the screen.

"What the hell are you all looking at me like that for...? Look."

However, Index's expressionless face tilted ever so slightly to the side in confusion.

The multiple blades and wings had definitely slid into Stiyl's body. However, there was no other change. It had been too smooth. No blood was shed and no flesh was crushed. The human body was not cut apart as easily as a spoon dipping into yogurt.

.

. .

. . .

What?

For a moment they didn't understand, but just as quickly, several such things started to become increasingly apparent as they strained their eyes, this time with a gaze that was looking for the oddities mentioned.

"Wait... a minute..."

Misaki was among the group who was far from pleased at having seen such a visually jarring sight, but now the girl was narrowing her eyes as some belated epiphany entered her head.

Her conclusion came too late.

By the time she realized it was a magical trick, the next move had already been taken.

"It is a mirage. It's a common method," said a voice behind her.

She then noticed something odd in the area of her spine.

Immediately afterwards, an explosive noise as if from a strike of lightning exploded out. Stiyl had activated the restraining rune card he had put on her.

Index's backbone creaked as it bent like a bow.

Eyes widened and their jaws dropped without fail at the sudden reversal, one they had not expected.

"A-A mirage...?" Index muttered weakly.

She should have had been the least surprised, being one of the few who should have been able to recognize that illusion magic was being used, but that was the furthest thing from her mind when Stiyl had looked so fatally injured.

No, it wasn't just that.

It was that he had been cruelly torn into by none other than her.

But now all she felt was relief—and even more so at the prospect that she could feel relief.

(Thank god... I... I really thought I...)

"Warning: Chapter 47, Verse 80. Restraining effect on mind and body due to a psychological effect has been confirmed. It is affecting mental functions. Leading the restraining effect to a dummy area and putting priority on maintaining ability to analyze spells."

The rune on the laminated card started to fade like a poster that had been left in the sun for long periods of time. The important "staining" of the rune was being removed. Of course, once that coloration disappeared, its effects would disappear too. It would not last long.

Anxiety gripped their hearts.

(Is this still not enough...?)

Just like the rest, Shutaura watched in muted shock as what she thought to be the deal breaking move seemed to slowly abate, as if it was nothing more than a paltry attempt of restraining, like binding someone in tape, or even gluing two pieces of paper together and expecting it to hold.

(…She may have been weakened by the interruption from the remote control spiritual item, but she is still the library of 103,000 grimoires. I did not think that this would be enough to seal her.)

What he had managed to do was buy some time.

At a fundamental level, Stiyl Magnus could not defeat Index.

However…

"I do not mind." With a small smile on his face, Stiyl pulled a new rune card from his pocket. "If that annoying boy can finish things in this time, we win."

.

. .

. . .

"Stiyl..."

Kanzaki gave him a sort of-playful look, and despite his best efforts, he was the first to avert his gaze from it.

It was bad enough that everyone saw him struggling in an unsightly way, that girl especially, but for some reason, them seeing the moment where he had allowed a trickle of honesty to come forth when he thought no one was watching was perhaps even worse.

"Annoying ass Voice..." he muttered, eyes glaring at the floor.

Had he looked up, he would have seen the wry and exasperated smiles looking at him, as well as the grateful smile of a certain silver-haired girl.

He then heard a footstep.

Stiyl looked over to find Laura Stuart smiling.

She was lightly swinging around something in her hand.

At first Stiyl thought it was the remote control spiritual item and his eyes opened wide in shock, but that was not what it was.

Laura was holding a card-shaped communications spiritual item.

"Here's your reward," she said.

Their brows cocked in confusion.

She brought that communications spiritual item that was connected to the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church close to her lips.

"Well, it seems the quota has been met, so I will aid in the retrieval of the grimoire library as well."

"Oh so now she's super deciding to help out? What the hell was she waiting for?" Kinuhata griped.

She wasn't the only one put off by the odd behavior of the blonde woman.

A similar chord ran through all of them, that being their intense dislike for her, mainly from the very moment she had treated Index's condition as nothing more than an opportunity to gain better control of her. Whatever her true intentions, it made her no better than Fiamma.

Just who was she?

And so the three major Christian denominations, the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church, finally joined forces.

They had a single objective.

Fiamma of the Right's castle known as the Star of Bethlehem would be robbed of its power in order to stop any more atrocities from occurring.

They began to move in order to tear off the chains that were binding the world.

They had seen everything building up to it, but even so, they couldn't help but stare in amazement.

It was just as a single high school boy said would happen. He said the world wasn't so weak to be saved by a bastard who thought only he could save it. That boy was convinced the world didn't need such an illusionary figure, that it was fully capable of saving itself, as long as it steadily wished to hold on to the smiles of the people living in it. That was the conclusion someone that had continuously created salvation for countless people decided even as he shed blood.

The world banded together to fight for that.

.

. .

. . .

"..."

It was only Othinus that knew of the dark side behind such a positive desire to work together, to triumph over an evil everyone had convinced themselves was such.

(But even then...)

A faint smile tugged at her lips.

Even at the moment where everyone turned their backs on her, united under a single unifying desire to kill the cause of all the world's anti-sentiment, he did something no one would look back and praise him for. He still chose to save her, and that choice hadn't benefited anyone but her. He gifted that to her in spite of the wounds she gave him.

Who did that?

She had already searched her memories once upon a time, but the question still came back to her.

(Was there anyone like that?)

In those worlds long—long passed, was there anyone who she could say cast aside everything for her and only her sake? She couldn't remember. She either couldn't remember because there was no such person, or it was because no memory was strong enough for her to recall it. But that memory, that memory where that boy travelled with her, not out of goodwill, or because the rulebook said he had to, but because he wanted to be with her, because he wanted to be with the girl named Othinus...

"..."

Her head thundered in her chest, and she had to wonder how it could be contained in her small form.

Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right wielded their respective arms.

Multiple shockwaves shook the area, and the magical aftereffects turned into a flood of light that scattered about. Besides the direct clashes, light flashed intermittently around them and blood red beams of light were fired in multiple directions. It was an attack using the 103,000 grimoires.

Everyone gulped.

This battle continued.

It would be rude to call this the true fight, because that would be insulting all the people who staked their lives on something they wished to protect, an individual thing they held dear to them, but, they could call this battle the one that which might decide the others. And thus it was vastly important.

Fiamma, who was the wielder of the Holy Right, who created the spark, and the one who fanned the flames.

And the one he was facing, the one who stood up despite no one asking him to, Kamijou, the simple high school boy with an uncanny ability, who couldn't just leave things as they were, who took the fight to Fiamma, who spoke out that the world did not need to be saved, and the one who advocated for a world that was stronger than he, Fiamma, or anyone knew.

However, their clashes were not equal.

Bit by bit with each collision, power left Fiamma's third arm as if a sharp beak were pecking at soft flesh. Fiamma's arm had gained special flesh via various ceremonies, but it was clearly becoming battered and crushed.

Kamijou's power was not anything special.

The source of the power supporting Fiamma of the Right was breaking.

Imagine Breaker, through whatever true ability it possessed, was pushing that monstrous arm back.

They were able to ascertain such.

Fiamma wondered why.

His third arm was supposed to produce tremendous power, but its output was falling bit by bit. Cracks were running through the Star of Bethlehem that he had constructed from the important parts of churches and cathedrals from all across the world. It was also losing its natural glow. The earth was supposed to change in the same way as the golden heavens, but even after so much time, it had not been conquered. In fact, something like small bits of contamination were appearing here and there in the golden heavens. Something was wrong. It was the same as how a single gear ceasing to move could obstruct the movement of all sorts of mechanisms.

Nothing was going as he wanted.

At that rate, he would no longer be able to catch up.

Fiamma was trying to release more power than was being supplied to him which effectively weakened him.

Mikoto and Misaki—their expressions hardened.

They were clearly thinking this was just that man's 'just dessertss.

Nothing was going as he wanted because Fiamma's basic premise on human nature was flawed.

That gear fighting against the machine? That was Kamijou. But it wasn't just him. There were many gears like that. Somewhere, anywhere, there were more people fighting to save and protect than there were to kill. The enemy that Fiamma needed to defeat no longer existed because the victims themselves had already banished thoughts of evil from their hearts. They were not giving into despair. They were not striking out in hate and maliciousness.

They were unifying together.

And to that—

Fiamma's one and only reaction to that was—

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Fiamma yelled and swung his third arm even stronger and faster.

However, he himself realized there was a contradiction in that action. His arm was supposed to be almighty. If he swung it, it would hit, so he had no need for speed. If he hit, the target would be destroyed, so he had no need for destructive power. And yet Fiamma was now relying on simple arm strength. That was proof that the essence that should reside within his arm had been shaken.

Accelerator watched.

It was the same.

That night in the switchyard, his almighty strongest suddenly wasn't so strong. It lost, incredibly so, to someone far weaker than him, and he had to fight harder than he'd ever done in his entire life. So as he watched, the white-haired boy's eyes danced.

(Time to get a taste of that weakest you bastard. Careful though...) A grin split his face. (It fucking hurts.)

There was a low vibration.

The entirety of the Star of Bethlehem shook. However, it had not been caused by the battle between Kamijou and Fiamma. The vibration had been completely independent of them. The fortress itself was headed for destruction.

The speakers within the fortress activated on their own.

Fiamma did not know it, but the voice that came through belonged to a girl named Lessar.

"The Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Russian Orthodox churches have begun to release the joint spells on the Star of Bethlehem! Um…Sasha Kreutzev of the Russian Orthodox Church and I have embedded a relay point for the releasing spell and are now getting aboard the escape containers. There are no more containers! You need to hurry!"

The girl's words reverberated through them, shocking them still.

And in particular...

"Wh—"

Mikoto felt like her breath had been stolen from her.

"What?!"

Why did he refuse her if there were no more escape pods? She couldn't figure out the answer to this now burning question, and it filled her with such a crippling amount of dread that it now felt like her heart weighed in gold.

Once more, an irregularity Fiamma of the Right had not even considered was damaging his plan.

That irregularity was known as virtue.

"It's over, Fiamma," Kamijou said quietly as he brought his right fist up at the ready. "Your right arm that is at the center of your plan is losing power and your ceremonial grounds you call the Star of Bethlehem is no longer usable. And most importantly, if you truly wanted to save the world, you would be rejoicing at the fact that the virtue within people's hearts is winning out over the malice. …The fact that you cannot do that shows that your illusion has already failed."

Someone who truly wanted to save the world would not be dissatisfied that someone else did it for them. Someone who truly cared about the happiness of those around them would not care if they were not the one to be recognized for it.

…

…

…

"Everyone's safe, so there's no problem. Who cares who did the saving?"

…

…

…

Yes.

Uiharu, recalling the words that boy had said to Mikoto after the Graviton Bombings, couldn't help but smile.

After all, a person like that was someone she could admire to the utmost degree.

"True," Fiamma said with a slight laugh. "I am at the disadvantage here. Now that the power at my base is weakening, my plan cannot be continued. The purification on the earth is grinding to a halt. …Even if I swung my right arm now while it is rapidly losing power, it is unlikely I could take those on the earth down with me. If everything stays the way it is, it will all fall apart in this indefinite state."

"…"

"Yes, if everything stays the way it is."

Fiamma's words were ominous.

They couldn't help but glower.

"What does he plan to do now?" Itsuwa whispered anxiously.

Immediately afterwards, the golden heavens above their heads wavered. Shading appeared in the glowing heavens. All at once, a mass of light headed for the Star of Bethlehem. Masses of energy appeared one after another in rapid succession and focused on the inside of the Star of Bethlehem.

Kamijou's expression changed and Fiamma lightly swung around the remote control spiritual item.

Kanzaki instantly grimaced.

"Even more telesma?! But where did he get from? The virtue should have won out over the malice, so—"

"Just so you know, I did not use this. This is the result you all brought upon yourselves."

"What…?"

"I did not obtain anyone else's help. Time was simply on my side," Fiamma said.

He had not opened the gate of heaven. He was simply such a holy existence that the world around him changed to become like heaven.

The change had continued with time and it had now passed a certain line.

"It was originally supposed to change bit by bit in stages, but this 'virtue' continually prevented that from happening. As a result, an unnatural distortion was created between the heavens and the earth similar to power being stored up within a bent continental plate."

Even then, a massive amount of power was flowing into the Star of Bethlehem. If that exceeded the limit of what the fortress could hold, it would no longer be able to hold back the amount left over.

"As a result, the heavens are filled with Telesma while the earth is not. That massive power will now rain down like the flowing of an electric current. …Simply put, the earth will be filled with light. It is via a different route than I had intended, but the result will be the same. The change is still continuing in this world."

That couldn't be.

The virtue, which was supposed to diminish the heavenly forces raging upon the earth, was instead accelerating it?

With nowhere to go, that almighty power waiting for the malice of humanity steadily built up in one place, and continued to stockpile as no such negative emotions were present.

The virtue was a shape that was not supposed to fit into the hole that only needed malice.

But nonetheless, it was being forcibly pushed into that wooden block.

(My god...!)

Agnese's eyes widened.

"Do you understand what is going to happen?" Kamijou said while grinding his teeth. "That's a huge mass of the same energy that makes up an angel's body. If that falls down to the earth, a ridiculously huge explosion will spread across the surface before any kind of change can take place! It was the same with Misha during Angel Fall. If power that massive is allowed to rage without being controlled, it could easily destroy all of human civilization!"

"Yes, it is unfortunate, but only for you. Given the amount of power, at least the entire continent of Eurasia will be enveloped by the light."

Fiamma's gaze still held power.

That was the first time Kamijou had seen the concept of refusing to give up show itself in such an evil way.

They were left shock still.

They didn't know how to react to such a insane plan wanting nothing but destruction. Was his goal even salvation anymore? Was it not just spite at this point? How could the destruction that would be caused be any else?

"Even if a bit of virtue showed itself amid this war, overwhelming destruction will blot it out from above. Wielding virtue is no use. You cannot stop tragedy that way and the despair that comes over you upon realizing that turns your malice into something much deeper and heavier than it was before."

To despair, and then to be saved by hope.

That was undoubtedly a good thing.

But...

"This guy is a total bastard..." Musujime snarled.

But what would happen if that hope was taken away. What would happen if people were to be brought to despair a second time? They understood it that way as they watched Fiamma's gleeful expression in severe distaste.

And the mass of highly concentrated malice that was created by giving up gave a large stimulus to the power within Fiamma. It was much greater than before. It was much stronger than what Fiamma had simulated it would be. He stood at the top of every living thing on that planet and he could wield that power to change the world in any way he saw fit.

"Overly powerful divine punishment can easily destroy the unions between people. It is the same as the bonds between people being broken with the destruction of the Tower of Babel. And in response to the malice created in that, I can once more draw on a tremendous power."

"…Fiamma…"

"It is too late to save the world in your way," Fiamma said with a smile on his face as he saw Kamijou clenching his fist tighter than ever before.

That smile was an expression of calm created by his newly guaranteed supply of tremendous power.

"Now, victory is mine."

"..."

Was it truly no good? Was the scale of this fight truly too big for a normal high school boy to handle alone?

They thought that in the back of their minds, some of them.

But there were still people with dauntless faith, even if it was of a different kind.

Stiyl crossed his arms.

(Come on you annoying boy, I know you solved this incident that all of us were working ourselves ragged just to buy you time...!)

—

Between the lines 8

—

After sticking some cloth into the slight depression that was like a small window on the side of the Nu-AD1967 warhead, Mikoto finally sighed.

"…Pant pant. Now the warhead has finally been neutralized. If they end up having an ultrasonic remote control, we could be in trouble though."

"From the confusion over the transmissions, it seems they do not have another plan, reports Misaka. They seem to be panicking over the fact that nothing is happening, says Misaka adding on some emotional information."

"Whew..."

Misuzu exhaled deeply, a hand over her chest.

They had been extremely worried over the fact that the detonation of a nuclear bomb had been left primarily up in the air, but those worries vanished swiftly as the scene in front of them progressed with no more delay.

And consequently, their expressions brightened considerably.

"Misaka-san, now that I think of it, why didn't you tell us you disarmed a nuclear bomb?!" Saten exclaimed, nervous exitement aplenty.

"Um...?" Mikoto could only laugh sheepishly. "It... didn't come up?"

Uiharu jumped in with a chiding tone. "Yes, Saten-san. And even thought it was an amazing feat, I don't think that's a casual enough thing to go and start bragging about."

Mikoto nodded, goodnatured.

"Yes, exactly as Uiharu says. It's just was never something that I would feel comfortable suddenly talking about."

(Besides...)

Her heart quickened slightly, just barely above her notice.

(That guy never brags about any of the things he does, so...)

"Do you think they'll come up with another plan?"

"With the active unit gone, it seems they will switch over to fleeing, predicts Misaka. They do not have the remaining strength needed to carry a warhead of this size, so they will likely abandon the nuclear weapon, says Misaka as she listens to the communications."

"But just leaving them be could come back to bite us in the ass."

"A different faction of the Russian military seems to have come to that same conclusion. Special forces have surrounded those officers, says Misaka as she intercepts different communications. They will be stopping them with a special suppression strategy once they leave the building, reports Misaka."

"The special forces must not be heading into the building themselves because they don't want the officers to feel cornered enough to detonate the nuclear bomb. That isn't something that can be promptly detonated in a vehicle or something."

Well that was a bit of a surprise.

"It's good to know at least some of those military guys has some damn sense shared between them," Musujime commented impartially, yet was secretly relieved by the way things turned out. The very last thing she wanted was for things to end on such a depressing note.

They all shared that sentiment.

Even if the country of Russia turned out to be backer behind Fiamma this time, it was a relief to know that not all of them wanted resort to nuclear warfare, and emphasizing this opposing view, had been quick to try to surpress the would be extremists. And it was with extraoridanarily good timing too, since nuclear fallout had been loking more and more realistic.

Yet another example of the world not conforming into the convenient little category known as malice.

It made them smile.

Mikoto pushed away the cloth and then pressed against the end of the shovel the Sister threw to her. It had been mounted on the body of a tank. Mikoto manipulated magnetism to smash the reinforced glass over the optical receiver.

"Then we just have to destroy the warhead's connectors."

After destroying the three points that connected to the computer, Mikoto turned back toward the Sister.

"Okay, all done. Now this warhead can't be used. Of course, that would change if someone put it in a different outer shell."

"The warhead alone weighs 2 tons, so it cannot be moved without a crane, predicts Misaka."

"Just in case, we should tell either the Russian authorities or Academy City about this spot."

Saten heaved a shaky breath.

"Wow, Misaka-san. I wouldn't even know what to do in a situation like that. You sisters are really the perfect girls for the job. Between the two of you, isn't it impossible not to arrive at an answer to whatever problem you're facing?"

"Huh? Ah, well..." Suddenly looking awkward, Mikoto scratched her cheek.

Imouto stepped in for her, hands on her hips.

"Of course, Onee-sama is highly intelligent as the City's Level 5. And with all of the sisters serving as relay points, there is nothing we can't solve, Misaka articulates aptly as she shows off the power of love between siblings."

"H-Hey you! Don't say weird things!"

Saten blinked, and then—

"Oh my gosh, that is so adorable! The little sister is totally bragging that her older sibling is the coolest!"

The black-haired girl continued to gush with stars in her eyes, Mikoto was very much embarrassed, Misuzu nearly passed out from all the squealing she did, and Worst suffered through it all with all the positive emotions tearing her stomach in two.

For the moment, the problems surrounding the nuclear weapon had been resolved.

That was when things truly began.

Misaka Mikoto had not come to Russia to do something like that. She had come to meet up with that spiky-haired boy and punch him.

Yes, Mikoto had reminded them all.

She still had to—

Wait.

What did she just say?

"..."

One by one, everyone in the room looked at the girl intently.

Mikoto's hand shot up.

"I-I wasn't actually going to do it! I didn't! I-I didn't do it!"

"Hm..."

Misaki looked at the girl with a dubious expression.

"I don't know, Misaka-san. What is that cautionary tale that is often told? Ah yes, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Simply put, your honesty ability is quite lacking for situations such as these, is it not?" Misaki explained, batting her eyelashes at the girl suggestively.

Mikoto was miffed, and it was mainly because she couldn't refute the words.

She was aware she didn't exactly have the best track record for non-violent encounters when it came to that boy.

She spun around looking at her surroundings.

"You have the means of using all sorts of weapons installed in you, right?"

"If necessary, Misaka can also use the Misaka Network to acquire additional information, says Misaka as she discusses with the other Misakas how she should negotiate her part-time job wages."

"You can't get paid until you're in high school, so you're working for free."

"…Aren't you getting your priorities backwards?"

The banter was silly enough to almost make them forget that one of them was a mass-produced clone who had been given the ability to speak and think by code. Nonetheless, it made them happy to see the girl acting so normal and carefree, even in a situation like this. It wasn't even that long ago when they had the heartbreaking words stating that an irreplaceable human shouldn't be risking his life for a factory-made automaton that could be made at the press of a button.

But that was no longer the case.

…

…

…

"—There's only one of you in the world, moron! It's so simple, and yet you don't get it!"

…

…

…

That "human" had had some words to say about that.

And now this was the result, and saying they were relieved was an understatement.

That mother especially.

(I don't have any right to call myself the mother of that child, not when I lived in blissfull ignorance of her suffering, but that will have to change. No, it will change.)

Misuzu promised that to herself.

.

. .

. . .

Meanwhile, Accelerator's lips curved into a slight grimace.

…

…

…

"—Dammit, after ten thousand times, this is getting really fucking old. I was hoping to kill some time, but no. There's just no having a conversation with any of you."

…

…

…

He had killed those silent girls by the dozen, and now, those of them that had survived couldn't shut up at times. Their personalities had changed that much. He couldn't help but think that all of them could have had that same opportunity if he had spared them, if he had come to his senses sooner, if he actually talked to them seriously.

He...

He really wished he did.

Mikoto pointed in a certain direction ignoring the Sister's mumbled words.

"I don't know if they were going to use it as a weapon or as a means of transportation, but there is a VTOL craft over there. Can't we use that to fly up to that fortress in the heavens?"

(That aircraft...)

Mikoto bit her lip.

The moment she had been dreading was approaching. Questions piled on. For what reason had she been refused? Had Fiamma not been defeated? Was that why he couldn't leave yet? If so, why didn't he ask for her help? Or... Or maybe he felt like he couldn't. Maybe he felt like it was on the shoulders of him and him alone.

He was always doing that.

But now...

"..."

That terrified her more than anything else.

—

[ CHAPTER 12 ]
Final Battle at the Arctic Ocean. Last_Fight.

Part 1
[ REDACTED ]

—

Part 2

—

A tremendous shock shook the Star of Bethlehem.

The golden light had exploded.

"What…?"

But a great disaster did not assault the earth as Fiamma of the Right had expected. Nor was the earth dyed gold like the heavens. The great amount of Telesma that was fired down from the Star of Bethlehem was obstructed by something.

So suddenly.

They were rooted still.

Fiamma's plan was dangerously close to coming to fruition regardless of everyone's collective goodwill fighting against the malice, for the goodwill was making the container only meant for malice pile up like an overfilled bucket. That was the countermeasure Fiamma had once his heavenly domain had been reached, and in doing so would cause energy like no other to tear into the world with far more ferocity than the eerie golden arms causing havoc.

That was what surely awaited them.

But.

Eyes widened.

"What... happened...?" Fukiyose asked.

No answered her.

No one had the answer.

They watched with bated breath.

"That should have reached the necessary output! That should have created the amount of destruction on the earth needed to complete the conditions for my strategy effectively supporting my victory! What happened…!?"

The tragedy he wished for had not occurred.

Instead of recognizing the increase in malice, the tragedy had been held in check which had wiped the dark parts from the people's hearts.

It may have been nothing more than a temporary excited feverishness similar to the global unity felt only during a sports festival.

But even if it was only for a moment, the people of the earth felt that they were all the world needed.

They felt that anyone offering salvation while looking down on them should just fuck off.

"There's no way..."

Shutaura wanted to shake her head in disbelief.

The world had been set to turn over on its side and spill. The match had been lit, and it was just a matter of time before the fuse burnt away until nothing but the ignition remained. That was what was fated to happen, or at least, that was what Fiamma's plan depended on. So, it should have been impossible for it to be altered by anything else, especially not by something as incalculable and unfeasible as enough people wishing for it hard enough. Reality couldn't be changed that easily.

But.

Shutaura was proof of that very same thing happening, wasn't she?

She was proof that a single wish could collide with the rigid laws of casualty and create something beautiful.

It could create...

"A miracle..." Arisa whispered for her, eyes going round, yet smiling all the same.

"Is that enough for you?"

Kamijou Touma stepped forward with his fist still clenched.

He took one, two, three steps.

"It's time for you to give it a rest with this illusion of yours."

Anger.

They found that in the boy's expression.

But more than that, it was overwhelming finality.

This boy, a mere child on the lowest rungs of society, declared that the man before him needed to cease playing out his fantasy, as if the magical constructs sprouting left and right all this time were nothing more than that—the overactive imagination of someone that doesn't have a clear grip on reality.

Give it a rest, he said.

So, despite themselves, those in the room felt their mouths click shut, and they stared.

"..."

Misaki was among them, and her heart thumped wildly.

He suddenly charged forward.

He did not need any tricks. He just approached in a straight line from the front. In response, Fiamma of the Right used everything he had to swing around the third arm that was the symbol of his power. The tremendous power contained within it was too great for Imagine Breaker to negate. If Kamijou failed to turn aside its trajectory, he could pulverize the boy's entire right arm. That may have been what Fiamma was thinking as he tried to eliminate the obstacle before his eyes using brute force.

It was at that moment.

It was such a familiar scene; one they had seen time and time again.

That boy would clench his fist and move forward. That was all that would happen. Sometimes even a breeze could knock him down because of the injuries he would have. And if he was shot, he would surely die. If buildings collapsed on top of him, he would definitely be crushed. If an esper or magician hurdled their power at him, there was no reason why he shouldn't be obliterated outright.

But.

"He won't..." Index said softly.

Othinus nodded next to her.

It was because at that moment, everyone in that room stopped worrying about whether or not Kamijou would win. More than anything else, they realized at this point in time he could not lose. After all, they had seen it enough times for it to be true.

However, Kamijou did not stop.

The instant the attacking third arm struck his right fist head on, that oddly shaped arm that was Fiamma's greatest weapon was blown away.

Fresh blood and flesh flew through the air.

He had finally managed to have his third arm incarnated, but it now lost its physical shell and trembled painfully in midair.

Fiamma had proven wrong again and again.

He had looked down on the world and everyone in it. He had spat on the ideal that saving just one person was worth doing. Fiamma did not believe Kamijou's method of salvation had any real merit.

That was why his power failed.

And that was why—

"What!?"

Intense pain must have assaulted him like an avalanche because the skin of his face became greatly distorted as he cried out.

Kamijou's power had not been increased.

Imagine Breaker was nothing more than Imagine Breaker.

Fiamma's third arm that responded to malice had been weakened to the point that it could be destroyed by even Imagine Breaker. Small pieces of virtue had spread like ripples until they had filled the entire surface of the earth effectively breaking the core that supported Fiamma's power.

The power that made Fiamma of the Right special no longer existed.

(Ah...)

Orsola felt a shiver.

Behind Imagine Breaker and behind that boy, they felt something was there, but it was not the eerie creature from before.

It was the souls refusing to give into Fiamma.

That was what they felt like they were seeing as Kamijou continued his charge.

Fiamma wanted to bring about salvation to something as vague as 'the world'? That was unnecessary. It was not so useless that it needed to be guided around by such an arrogant god. It wasn't so pitiful that it could only look on and despair when in the presence of a greater power. And Fiamma's arm no longer working was the proof. It was the proof that from the weakest flesh and blood soldier to the most influential royal figure, and even that boy—they were all more than strong enough to deal a solid blow in retaliation to Fiamma's malice.

So, behind that spiky-haired boy, it felt like those souls were shaking their heads.

There was no way the world they all happily lived in needed to be saved from someone who had brought it to the brink of destruction in the first place. The world, quite simply, refused to give Fiamma the satisfaction.

It was doubtful whether he could use his direct attacks with his third arm or his evasion using instantaneous horizontal movement over kilometers.

Given that, he had no way of stopping Kamijou Touma's advance.

"Tch!"

Fiamma held out Index's remote control spiritual item. He was trying to use the knowledge of the 103,000 grimoires to intercept Kamijou. His defenses must have been weakened by the loss of his special power because a terrible headache stabbed into him, but he ignored it and continued searching through the knowledge. The light in his eyes said that he would kill the enemy before his eyes no matter what.

But then Fiamma heard a voice.

It was the voice of the grimoire library that he was supposed to be contacting magically.

(Warning: Chapter 88, Verse 1. An abnormality has occurred to the main body as it carries out the search. Due to receiving too great an external stimulus, operation efficiency has been significantly impeded.)

Their eyes widened unequivocally, but just as quickly, they softened, giving birth to a plethora of smiling faces.

"…!?"

Index Librorum Prohibitorum's main body should have been safely stored in St. George's Cathedral. If an external stimulus had caused an error, an Anglican magician must have done something.

They did not need to be told who was responsible for that.

Kanzaki's eyes danced.

(Stiyl, you did it...)

And then, completely ignoring the looks of praise sent his way, Stiyl's expression too changed. He was grinning madly, looking at the face of the person who had caused Index so much pain. He looked at the face of the person just as he realized his plan was crumbling before his very eyes.

(That's right you bastard. We got you.)

His final means of attack had been cut off.

That was the difference between the two of them.

That was the decisive difference between the one who continually refined his power as the one who would stand above all others, and the one who got help from others and continually struggled in an attempt to stand up to the one who stood above all others.

A mere high school student clenched his right fist and ran toward the king who controlled the world.

He headed deeply and sharply up to that throne where no one else had ever been allowed to get near.

"..."

Komoe's heart fluttered in apprehension.

One of them struggled in an unsightly way just for the chance to save a mere fraction of someone's world. One of them struggled to destroy the world just to save it into nothingness. It could not be said who had the right answer, and it might be hypocritical to declare one side as such.

But.

Their eyes shimmered all the same, recalling the words that they had heard at this memory's beginning.

…

…

…

"But the one I should be bowing my head down to for that…isn't Fiamma."

…

…

…

Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, that boy had already decided what he wanted to do, and no one would stop him from doing so.

That was when Kamijou's footing suddenly sank.

Breaths hitched.

The Star of Bethlehem was weakening.

With the power supply from Fiamma of the Right cut off, it had naturally begun to collapse.

In the very, very end the thing that had stopped Kamijou Touma's legs from advancing was…

(Misfortune.)

At that critical moment, he faltered.

"Touma..."

"Touma-san..."

The boy's parents were both terrified. They were scared out of their minds that their son had to stand on such a dangerous battlefield. But underneath all of that, they could not be prouder to call themselves the parents of the one called Kamijou Touma.

So.

"He won't lose...!"

Those parents when shock still as such a shout reverberated.

Who it was from was unclear, but it was enough for them to steel themselves.

That was right. He wouldn't lose. It was a fact. Just like how the world was not so weak that it needed to be saved by an ignorant king, Kamijou too was the same. That boy was not so weak where mere misfortune would prevent him from clenching his right fist.

Fiamma's lips twisted up eerily.

He once more focused on the remote control spiritual item in his hand.

(I just need 5 to 10 seconds. In that time, I can forcibly rearrange the configuration of the grimoire library! I don't care if the high burden burns away the 103,000 grimoires. I just need to wash away the enemy before me!)

"Oh…"

But Kamijou Touma's advance did not stop there.

The boy yelled out and charged even further forward.

"Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

With a great noise, Kamijou jumped from the footing that was even then about to crumble away.

He jumped to cross over the cracks separating the two of them.

He headed forward toward Fiamma like an arrow.

Misfortune was definitely a plague on that boy's soul, but as far as Kamijou Touma was concerned, it was just another illusion waiting to be shattered.

—Their eyes continued to rise higher and higher.

And then Fiamma knew.

He knew essentially what kind of existence the enemy before him was.

(Fuck that…)

Index's remote control spiritual item would not make it in time.

That enemy would not give him the time needed for that.

(I am trying to create various phenomena using the miracles and blessings of the Son of God to their fullest and this bastard doesn't care!? He has the power to just walk straight over all the vague things such as fortune and misfortune on his own!)

It wasn't a power.

It was most definitely a curse.

But straight from that boy's own mouth, it was a curse he had been blessed with.

—Their breathing molded together.

"If you don't think even a single person can be saved without using your method…"

Words flowed from the bottom of Kamijou Touma's gut.

Instead of fighting against his fierce emotions, he put all of his strength into his right fist.

"…then I first need to destroy that illusion of yours!"

A great noise exploded out.

INSERT PICTURE

They gulped.

"Damn Kamijou-san..." Sogiita muttered to himself.

It was so loud that they could feel it echo through the screen, like it was a thunderous roar on par with the fearsome crack of sniper rifle, or even the devastating demolition of a lightning bolt soaring downwards from the heavens.

And at the same time, several of them instinctively winced in pain.

Birdway.

Agnese.

Kanzaki.

Accelerator.

Rikuri.

Amazora.

Mitsuari.

Shutaura.

Stiyl.

Hamazura.

They all felt it.

It should have been impossible, but a phantom pain lingered. Just now, it was as if they felt a fraction of the blow Fiamma had received, and memories of a past battle made it all the more immersive.

Kamijou's fist slammed into Fiamma's face that had never once received an attack from anyone and Kamijou's powerful enemy was knocked to the ground with no loss in momentum.

The remains of the third arm that were trying to cling to that world finally completely disappeared as if melting into the air.

At the same time, the remote control spiritual item he had used to control Index fell from his hand.

The enemy had fallen.

The enemy, who had sparked the third world war, and had gleefully watched each of the opponents scramble to kill each other, had fallen. And the one who had won? The one who clenched his fist and defeated him?

It was the normal high school boy, who was fighting only because he wanted to.

They grinned happily.

(After all the havoc Fiamma caused, I must say... that was very satisfying... very...)

Kanzaki, amongst those who knew just how staggering that boy's right cross was, looked a bit feverish as she looked at Kamijou's form, arm still outstretched. It was the kind of intent stare that she didn't realize she was giving until her face heated up even more, and she very quickly looked away, yet still cast furtive glances back.

A lot of them in the room shared that sentiment.

Weirdly enough, Rikuri started blushing and giggling out of nowhere.

"Hm~. Yes, that boy has quite the love tap." With her arms somewhat folded in front of her chest, yet with her long slender fingers tapping her chin thoughtfully, she seemed to be caught in her own little world, smiling widely all the same.

Of course, Kaibi looked at her sister in disgust.

(That guy really did do something to my sister!)

"It's true after all! Onii-chan is a Mega-Onii-chan!)

(And goddammit, he did it to both of them!)

Kamijou might not be prepared for that dark hearted tsundere's protective streak when this was all over.

—

Part 3

—

Fiamma of the Right losing his third arm had a major effect on his fortress, the Star of Bethlehem. Frequent large tremors stirred up unease even more than before. The fortress had been continually ascending, but it now stopped where it was. The source of power allowing that much mass to float was disappearing. At that rate, it would eventually start to fall. If he did not escape before then, there would be no saving him.

Their relief had been incredibly short lived.

Even if a devastating blow had been dealt to Fiamma, and even if his third arm was now just as shattered as his illusionary concept of salvation, and even if the grimoire library known as Index no longer heeded his beck and call—there was still the danger of the deteriorating floating island.

Shirai furiously rubbed at her knuckles with her thumb, and she spoke haltingly, looking at the girl next to her.

"Onee-sama, Kamijou-san... you do end up meeting with him, right...?"

The question was for clarity above all else.

"Yes..." Mikoto answered, no, whispered.

She should have been happy at the response she heard, completely placated even. After all, her Onee-sama was someone who was very capable in a multitude of different ways. It was then all but certain that there was no way anything else could go wrong now that the great evil had been vanquished, with the world pushing forward so that justice could prevail.

So why?

Shirai stared.

(Onee-sama, why do you look so terrified right now?)

Shirai could not get over the feeling that something bad was going to happen yet still.

While collapsed on the ground, Fiamma looked at his own hand.

The remote control spiritual item was gone.

The shock of the punch had knocked it from his hand. The spiritual item had fallen through the cracks on the floor. It was probably still within the fortress, but Fiamma had no idea where.

If he only had that, he could fight back with normal magic.

Fiamma thought that, but he had no strength left in his arms or legs. Now that he had lost his third arm, Fiamma was no different from a normal human. A light concussion was enough to inhibit his movements.

There was a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that the great Fiamma of the Right, instigator of this entire ordeal, had been reduced to this, someone who was now just as powerless as any normal human being. He was now the very the same 'mongrel' and 'mass of flesh' that he had demeaned Kamijou as.

Misaki scoffed.

(This paltry humiliation-ability is the very least you deserve. Had I known the pain you caused my prince, I would have tracked you down already and made your mind a vegetable.)

It was only belated that she flinched at thoughts she just had, her head darting downward in shame. With a frown, she amended her thoughts.

(Well, I... I suppose nightmares could do instead, horrific ones...)

It wasn't any better, yet it proved how grounded she was in her belief that Fiamma was both evil and irredeemable. All of them for that matter, held the belief that Fiamma was one such person, someone who was a villain with no room for doubt.

"All of you seem pretty certain, but I wonder if things will play out as you think?"

The words made them pause, but the Voice only laughed.

It was as if she knew something they didn't.

He heard a voice in his dim consciousness.

It was coming from the speakers set up in various parts of the Star of Bethlehem.

"We had no time, so…um, Sasha-san was it?...anyway, she and I have already escaped using the containers. You need to hurry, too. The Star of Bethlehem has started to fall. The fortress itself is starting to wear down in places, so the number of usable containers is limited."

It was then.

A terrifying feeling suddenly crawled up their spines, one by one.

Through the broken floor, he could see the bottommost floor of the fortress. After a few wire mesh floors, there was nothing but the sky below. The escape containers were hanging down below, but most of them were unusable. Some of the containers themselves had been crushed and some of the lowering hook portions had been destroyed preventing them from functioning.

There was probably only one usable container.

—

[ PLAY MUSIC ]

Dearly Beloved 2017 [Piano Tutorial] (Synthesia) / Kyle Landry + MIDI

—

This feeling caused them to freeze, and fear like never before stabbed into them.

This fear possessed them, and at its root was a vast darkness, greater than when that angel appeared, when Kamijou was thrown right into Fiamma's clutches, and even when that boy lost his arm, subsequently giving birth to that juggernaut of illusionary bestial intent. But they were not scared that there would be a fight for the last container. It wasn't the thought of a confrontation, where Fiamma, weak as he was, would somehow manage to overpower the boy and secure his survival at the expense of Kamijou.

No.

It was something else, something far more terrifying.

(Kamijou-san...?)

Denying, doubting, rejecting, Komoe took an unsteady step back.

And that usable container that was unreliably shaking was a small one only about the size of a phone booth. It was not a large container that could carry over 50 people at a time. Only one person would be able to fit inside it. Having lost his third arm making him a mere human, Fiamma could not lower himself down from such a great height under his own strength.

Kamijou Touma and Fiamma of the Right.

Which one would get in the container and which one would be destroyed along with the fortress?

The answer was so obvious he did not even need to think about it.

(…So this is it.)

That was Fiamma's only thought.

They swallowed heavily; mouths dry.

Fiamma thought for sure he knew what would happen. He was thinking he had no room for doubt, and it was most likely for the very same reason that he had concocted his horrific plan in the first place, because he believed above all else in the ugliness of the human heart. He believed with certainty that when given the opportunity, anyone would choose to preserve their own life, even at the expense of another.

But that was wrong.

Or rather, there existed a very good reason as to why that didn't apply here.

"T-Touma-kun?" Arisa croaked.

That girl knew, as did a majority of them indicated by their faces as they lost color. Yes, they all knew, but Fiamma didn't. The man wasn't yet aware of a simple fact about the boy known as Kamijou Touma.

If every person living in that world would reject salvation, he no longer cared. He had followed the path he had chosen for himself and he was fine with simply continuing on to his own destruction.

Strength slowly left his entire body and he closed his eyes.

And then someone grabbed his collar.

"Hey, let's go."

It was Kamijou Touma.

He forced Fiamma up with his bloody body and then started walking, dragging Fiamma's limp body along with him.

Their hearts dropped.

It fell to the very bottom of their chests—no, it fell to their proverbial stomachs, twisted in agony, each sharp pain making them want to scream out and gasp in wretched ways, and then it proceeded to shatter into a billion tiny fragments.

Kaibi shook her head, and she did so with frightening speed. She couldn't believe, or rather, she didn't want to believe what she was looking at.

(He can't...! There's just no way...! That guy, he... he started a war! He killed countless lives in the process! He was going to wipe everyone off the face of the Earth! Even that boy wouldn't... there's just... wha...?)

She denied it.

Kabi denied its credulity, because common sense dictated she do so. But she was lying to herself. The truth was, she already knew what Kamijou was planning to do, as well as just how sincere he was. She had known during that past summer, when this very same boy saw fit to prioritize the safety of a little girl who had tried to kill him over his own life.

"Onii...chan...?"

And that was why it must have hit Amazora the hardest to see him do it again.

"…What are you…doing…?"

"We don't have time. The Star of Bethlehem has started to fall. If we don't escape, we'll get wrapped up in its destruction."

"Do you not understand the situation?" Fiamma said while completely at Kamijou's mercy.

"Ah... Ahhh..."

He did.

He understood the situation better than anyone else. He understood the situation so well in fact, that he was considering it from all angles, regardless of the triviality of doing so. Because in the process of trying to understand, one needs to empathize.

They were wrong.

Kamijou wasn't special because he was honest.

He was special because he would always be emphasizing, even when he shouldn't.

"Ahhh... Ahhhhhhhhh..."

Dejected mutters and broken sobs broke out.

Mitsuari's shoulders shook.

Misaki's body heaved.

Index quivered like a leaf; eyes glossy.

Mikoto didn't notice the tears until they burned her cheeks.

He used his chin to point in the direction Kamijou was headed.

"The escape containers are unusable. Only a single personal one is in a state where it might be functional. It's either me or you. Only one of us will be saved."

"So it seems." Kamijou sighed and then continued speaking. "So you need to escape. At any rate, we don't have time, so let's hurry."

"…"

This time, Fiamma was simply left speechless and he stared at Kamijou's face.

…

…

…

"Ahh… True despair never stays within your expectations, does it?"

…

…

…

The dam broke, right as they recalled the words of a very detestable person.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

But all of a sudden, Mugino's roar echoed through the room.

"Mugino, stop, you'll just—!"

Hamazura tried to stop her, for a reason even he did not know.

"No, shut the fuck up! Are you kidding me?! Did this really happen? There's no way. What kind of bullshit are you showing us, Voice! Being a meddlesome hero is one thing! Being kind to others despite not getting anything out of it is one thing! What the fuck is this!? People don't act this way! Not towards those responsible for the deaths of thousands, maybe millions! People like me! Even that guy... even if its him... he wouldn't... there's no way he would!"

Her frantic shout carried, as if the louder it was, the truer it made it.

But.

"If you still believe that after all you've seen, then you haven't learned a damn thing."

Cold.

A beat passed as there was a response, and those in the room had to try to figure out who had spoken for a moment, because it just couldn't be the one who they instantly attributed the voice to.

But their minds weren't playing tricks on them.

"And if that is what you truly believe, then you won't be prepared for the precipice I've been building towards this whole time."

Her voice sounded like it was shaking, but not with anger, rage, or fury, but instead... disappointment. But no matter what it sounded like, it shouldn't have bothered Mugino. No matter what, there was no reason for it to make her feel anything other than annoyance or irritation.

So...

Mugino stared at the screen, wide eyed.

(That guy wouldn't, right?)

Why did it feel like she had been kicked in the stomach?

And there was also someone else...

"Kamijou... you..."

Fukiyose thought she was familiar with the person named Kamijou Touma.

Being his classmate, close acquaintance, and dare she say friend, she would have thought she would have been able to understand the boy to a significant degree. But as she stared at him now, she realized she didn't know the first thing about him. Despite watching so many memories, having his heart and soul exposed to them without a shred of mercy and privacy, hearing him offer justification after justification—despite all of that...

"I... I don't..."

Fukiyose didn't understand.

They didn't understand.

They were still no closer to solving the ridiculously complicated puzzle known as Kamijou Touma.

As he did so, Kamijou dragged Fiamma down to the bottommost floor and headed for the escape container.

Kamijou was serious.

There was no reason to make a bluff in that situation. If he simply abandoned Fiamma, the man behind it all, and got in the escape container, Kamijou would survive. He would become known as a hero by everyone. No one would criticize him for leaving Fiamma to die. In fact, most people would likely praise him for finishing off the man who had caused all that tragedy.

That was definitely the truth.

There was no such thing as badmouthing the hero who had marched up to the demon king's castle, fought the endless hordes, and then finally after a long bloody battle, pierced the villain's heart in a shower of blood.

In that situation, the ends most certainly justified the means.

So...

So then...

And yet…

Why would he say those words in that situation?

Why.

Why...

Why?

Why...?

Why...!?

Why?!

Why!?

Why would he choose to save the enemy? Why would he be willing to lay down his own life for the sake of someone who was definitely evil? Why was it that his heart tortured him to the point where he had to show this kind of mercy to someone so underserving of it?

And why...

"Touma-san—!"

"Touma, you...!"

Why did the parents of that child weep despite knowing from the very beginning what his choice would be? For what reason could there be for tears if their minds knew exactly what would happen?

But that was just it.

Shiina and Touya may have known in their minds, but their hearts weren't even close to being that prepared.

None of their hearts were.

No matter how many times he thought through it, Fiamma could not figure out the answer. And while he still had no answer, they arrived at the escape container. Kamijou very carefully reached his hand out for the container door. The container was not destroyed by his right hand's power.

Kamijou opened the door and put Fiamma inside the container without any hesitation.

It was not normal.

"..."

It wasn't.

It wasn't normal.

It wasn't normal to them—the people made to watch. It wasn't normal to others who didn't know Kamijou but would see his actions and openly gape. It wouldn't even normal for the entire world, who in their fear of things they could not understand, would not praise Kamijou for this kindness, but denounce him for his treachery.

No one would understand, because it wasn't normal.

"Touma..."

Index had a fresh set of tears.

"Human... again, no... even before, you..."

Beside her, Othinus was struggling as well.

But Kamijou didn't care.

Because it was normal for that boy, he did it.

That was all that mattered.

Fiamma tried to slip out of the container, but his body was too badly damaged to move.

Fiamma shook his head without even thinking.

He himself did not understand what he was trying to deny.

"…Is this really okay?"

"Is what?"

"I am a person who does not understand just how vast the world is."

"I see," said Kamijou with a slight smile.

Until the end, Fiamma did not understand why he was smiling.

...Ah.

They blinked, and something wet trailed down their eyes.

At the same time, something fell into place.

There was a look in Kamijou's eyes, an unmistakable shimmer that couldn't be ignored, not right now, not in this crucial moment. It was in these eyes that they were able to grasp something concrete. It shouldn't have been so. It was vague, hazy, and there was nothing direct about it at all, but even so, they all felt it.

More than anything else, they had a feeling they were correct.

Uiharu blinked through blurry vision.

"Kamijou-san... were those words... did you?"

"Then go find out on your own from now on."

Kamijou locked the container door from the outside. Immediately afterwards, the container slid down a short rail and was thrown out into the sky.

For a bit, Kamijou watched the container grow smaller as it fell.

Finally, he lifted up his gaze as if he were shaking it free of the container.

The final container had been ejected.

There was no longer any safe way of escaping from the fortress.

And with that, it was settled.

Kamijou tossed his only lifeline away, giving it wholeheartedly to someone who did not deserve it. He gave his chance at safety to someone who had been willing to descend the world into extinction. There was no excuse for doing such a thing. There was no logical reason that could be given that would merit performing an action like that. At least, there shouldn't have been.

Kamijou managed to find one.

Kamijou would have saved Fiamma regardless of what he said, but it was the fact that he actually did say something that mattered. It wasn't the deal breaker; instead, it was only something like bonus points, but it still made him smile, as if he had just found all was right in the world.

…

…

…

"I am a person who does not understand just how vast the world is."

…

…

…

There was no doubt.

Just by saying those words, Fiamma had saved Kamijou Touma.

It was stupid, intelligible, idiotic, and incredibly naïve, but it was only that boy that would honestly feel as though he was just given something truly precious. It was because those words affirmed his choice, even though he was already planning to make it. It was having the teacher praise you for an answer you already knew for certain that you got right. It was the kind of self-satisfaction that people wanted to keep to themselves, because they could smile to themselves when they were alone just recalling it.

…

…

…

"If someone's in trouble, you're supposed to save them. It's not about doing it to be paid back for your efforts. But because you came upon someone who was crying as they were suffering a terrible situation. Being able to get them back on their feet, saving their life, protecting their smile, and giving them an opportunity to feel happy and safe. Shouldn't it be enough that you can smile? So, how could I ever demand anything more than you being able to return home with those you love?"

…

…

…

—You're supposed to save people.

That's what Kamijou had said, and he believed it. He said that there wasn't a price you could put on someone's smile and you certainly couldn't place one on someone's life. So saving one person was enough. Even if they didn't deserve it, putting someone on the path to being someone better than they were yesterday was worth it. It was worth any sacrifice he could make. He would do it in a heartbeat.

He did do it in a heartbeat.

"Goddammit Kami-yan..."

Aogami slammed a fist down onto his thigh, weeping despite himself.

Even Tsuchimikado with his arms crossed held taut against his chest was fighting against something that struggled to break free. He didn't allow that to happen, but he did let something out, and it sounded irritated, even disappointed. "Kami-yan. Why are you always like this...?"

Musujime just stared at the screen, wide eyed.

She was too shocked to say anything.

Komoe had long given up on fighting the tears, and instead let them fall. And...

And Fukiyose and Himegami were already huddled together, doing the same.

Suddenly, he heard a great roar. The direction of the raging wind changed. Kamijou instinctually covered his face with his hands and then spotted a single fighter. It was a type of aircraft called a VTOL craft that could rise vertically and come to a stop in midair like a helicopter.

Everyone, without fail, widened their eyes.

In fact, they thought they were seeing things for a moment.

But—

He recognized the person sitting in the cockpit.

It was…

They thought the same thing all at once.

(Thank goodness...)

Shiina breathed a sigh of relief.

Her emotions were at their upheaval, but she still sent an overjoyed look that girl's way, the girl who had fulfilled her promise to protect her son. There was nothing but gratitude in that gaze, however, it wasn't received.

That's when Shiina began to feel like something was wrong.

"Mikoto-chan...?"

The girl with the tea-colored hair, the girl who should have been satisfied with what she had been able to accomplish, didn't look anything of the sort. In fact, her face was completely ashen. Her skin was deathly pale, and she was shaking too. And it was at that moment that Shiina remembered the words given to her, and they came at the worst possible timing.

…

…

…

"Shiina-san... you're wrong. I... wasn't able to help your son. Not in the way I wanted to."

…

…

…

"..."

Dread began to seep into the very depths of Shiina's being.

—

Part 4

—

"More to the right! A little more! Get closer!" While leaning forward from the back seat, Misaka Mikoto was shouting at the Sister holding the stick.

Finally.

She had finally made it there.

She had made it to the same time and same space as that idiot!

They were witnessing the fruits of Mikoto's efforts. It had taken a while, and she had to go through her own battles to get there, but she finally made it.

"You did it Misaka-san, you... Misaka-san?"

Hokaze stopped talking.

One by one, everyone started to look at the girl, the one who was so clearly trembling.

"Original, that grin is creepy, points out Misaka."

"Bfh!? N-no it isn't! Your judgment has become skewed due to you being the comparison!" Mikoto frantically pulled on her cheeks to check on her face. "Aahhh! What is going on!? It was floating up just a bit ago, so why is that fortress starting to fall!?"

"Misaka apologizes for interrupting you as you heat up, Original, but your voice cannot reach him if we do not open the cockpit canopy, points out Misaka."

"How!? Which button do I press!?"

A byplay they would have found amusing, especially since it was coming from Kamijou's rescuers, was strangely not so, as the one who should have felt the most pride at her achievement was doing anything but.

They could not grasp it.

Why did Mikoto look so pained right now?

Misaki and Mitsuari exchanged worried glances.

There was a knot forming at the pit of their stomachs, and they didn't like what that might mean.

Just as she asked that, Mikoto had a sudden twinge of doubt.

They were over 10,000 meters up in the sky. The air would be below -50 degrees, the atmospheric pressure would be quite low, and there would be little oxygen. Was it really okay to just open the canopy?

If she did not open it, she could not reach him. But the conditions would not let her open it.

While Mikoto was overcome by that terrible dilemma, the Sister expressionlessly strained her ears.

"…There is something off with the roar of the engine, reports Misaka."

"?"

"It is the conduction pattern of -7 degrees and 1 atmosphere, says Misaka after completing the definite calculations. How is unclear, but it appears the area outside is being maintained as a similar environment to the surface despite being at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, says Misaka as she reports her conclusion."

Fiamma's magic, they instantly surmised.

The magic that allowed human beings like Kamijou, Lessar, Sasha, and even Fiamma to travel amidst the floating city without care and without respiratory issues, was seemingly still in effect. The air pressure that should have been freezing cold, and certainly inhabitable to have a conversation in, was not so. And perhaps more impressively, Imouto had been able to recognize this change.

"In other words…"

"It appears there would be no problem with opening the canopy, communicates Misaka."

Immediately afterwards, the canopy opened straight up like a rugby ball splitting in half vertically. It seemed the Sister had pressed the proper button.

As the Sister had said, Mikoto had no problem breathing. The air was cold, but it was not dozens of degrees below zero.

The Sister slowly moved the VTOL craft by tilting it slightly. Instead of pointing the nose toward the fortress, the craft approached vertically. In other words, the edge of the right main wing slowly approached.

Just a few more meters.

Or was it a few hundred centimeters?

She was so close.

The girl, the one who tried unbelievably hard to get to this point, was so close.

Everyone watched this with anticipation, unaware of the foreign feeling that slowly began to creep into their hearts.

Because the fortress was trembling unstably, the precise distance was irregularly changing.

However, she was remarkably closer than when she was hesitating in Academy City.

"This is the very limit…landing may be difficult, says Misaka as she grips the stick," said the Sister.

The fighter was completely frozen in midair.

It was just a bit away from reaching the fortress.

"The VTOL is meant to be used to slowly land, explains Misaka. If we forcibly land on this fortress that is moving up and down quite a bit, there is a risk of crashing the bottom of the body into the surface, says Misaka as she voices her concern."

"What about a larger spot? This fortress is huge. If we head farther up, surely we can find a space even larger than a pasture."

"As the trembling of the fortress would remain the same, there is no avoiding the risk of crashing no matter where we try to land, says Misaka giving a negative opinion. And even if we did manage to land on the fortress, we would have no way of escaping if the fighter were to lose its flight capabilities, says Misaka as she frowns."

Their expressions, now tinged with uncertainty, began to properly frown.

How would Kamijou escape with them if they couldn't land?

(Don't tell me he's going to jump like some super action-sequence...) Kinuhata wondered in jest, although was unable to steady her frantically beating heart.

"Then forget landing." With the canopy still open, Mikoto reached for the buckle of her belt. "Keep our balance as much as you can! I'll go directly out on the main wing and pull that idiot up!"

Someone wasn't having that.

"Excuse me young lady!? Put your seatbelt back on this instant!"

"Mama?!"

Misuzu naturally exploded at the sudden action, and felt as if her heart stopped beating. But with Mikoto's immediate retort, the woman's hands shot up, and it was clear her face was wracked with nerves.

"I-I'm sorry, but can you really blame me considering what you're doing right now?! This is all crazy! I know you're strong but what if you fall off?! I have a legitimate right to be freaked out! I'm obviously panicking if you couldn't tell!"

Regardless of that mother's concern however, the scene continued.

Mikoto got up out of her seat and crawled out onto the main wing.

Perhaps because she was attaching her feet to the wing with magnetism, she was less afraid than she had expected.

She slowly advanced along the wing.

She was closing in on the spiky-haired boy.

Ba-Dump.

Ba-Dump.

Ba-Dump.

They only belatedly realized that sound was their hearts as they were tense with equal parts hope... and fear.

Hokaze's hands clasped together instinctively.

(C'mon, reach him…)

A great tremor ran through the fortress.

It lowered in altitude.

The sense of stability from before was gone.

It was as if invisible strings holding up the fortress were snapping one by one. The shaking increased Mikoto's anxiety.

(Reach him!)

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Like a drum one hears just before the climax, their hearts too felt like they were unknowingly walking into a situation they wouldn't be prepared for. Each second that passed by felt agonizing, and for some inexplicable reason, it wasn't because of the long-winded suspense of it, but rather something else.

At that moment, Kamijou's face came into view.

And at that moment, it told them all they needed to know.

The VTOL craft with Mikoto stuck to its main wing shook as it slowly approached the fortress.

That was when her eyes met with that idiot's.

That spiky-haired boy seemed to be utterly perplexed at seeing that escape method appearing before him out of the blue. Deep down Mikoto wanted to say "What were you even planning to do, you idiot?", but she did not have time to get after him about that. She would lecture him to death later.

"Dammit..." a girl cursed.

It was the same girl who was desperately trying to reach out her hands to save a boy, so they didn't need to turn away to figure out who. They also didn't need a name for the growing horror rising in their chest as they had a feeling they knew what that curse had meant.

Mugino blinked.

(Wait...)

Even so, they didn't want to believe it.

Mikoto made it all the way out to the end of the wing and stretched her arms out as far as they would go.

Would she reach him? Or would she not?

Her fingertips made it to the point where they were on the verge of reaching.

But then the boy did something she had never expected.

He shook his head.

For the umpteenth time the memory began, reality seemed to come to a screeching halt.

Why.

Why was he doing that...? Why was he shaking his head...? Why did it look like he was refusing his true final lifeline...? Why did that boy give off the impression that he was rejecting a way for him to escape safe and sound?... Why was he wearing that expression, one that clearly implied that he wouldn't be going with the girls who were trying so hard to save him...?

They questioned him.

They questioned him even while shaking their heads trying to reject the possibility coming to their minds.

(You, why didn't...)

And the girl left in the dark just the same, was Mikoto.

She didn't want to see what happened next, yet she couldn't look away. She wanted to know. She wanted to know the reason that foolish boy refused her outstretched hand with that look on his face.

And then his hand, which he should have been holding out, stopped moving.

(Wha—!?)

Just as Mikoto's eyes opened wide in surprise, the boy's lips moved slightly.

She could not hear what he was saying.

However, she could tell what it was from the movement of his lips.

"I still have something I need to do."

Something he had to do.

"Kh...!"

Agnese bit her lip with intensity.

He still had something he had to do on a slab of land that was hurdling towards the ground at untold speeds. No. They couldn't accept that answer. More than anything else that they'd seen, they could not and would not accept what they were seeing. The ending unfolding right before their very eyes was unacceptable.

So it was only natural what proceeded.

"Touma, please accept her hand!" Shiina shouted.

"Dammit son, what are you doing?!" Touya raged, brokenly so.

"You... why are you..." Shirai mumbled.

"No, no no no, don't do this..." Misaki pleaded, shaking her head from side to side.

"Why must you always go so far, you stubborn boy?!" Shutaura cried.

"What could possibly be left but escaping with your life, Touma-kun?!" Arisa breathed out a second later.

One by one, they screamed in complete and utter confoundment.

Another great tremor ran through the fortress. The fortress moved toward the earth much more and with much less stability than before. It was like a large ball rolling down a hill picking up enough speed that it could no longer be stopped. She had to retrieve that idiot from there. If things advanced more than that, she would no longer be able to reach him. Mikoto came to that conclusion mostly with her intuition.

But then the VTOL craft suddenly moved. It shook as if it were leaving the fortress.

"Wait! What are you doing!?"

"The trembling of the fortress has passed beyond a certain point, reports Misaka. If we remain close to it, there is a danger of crashing into it."

The window behind a boy's salvation was rapidly closing, one that he willingly rejected because there was still a goal in his mind he needed to accomplish. They couldn't even begin to imagine what it was, who it was for, or even why it needed to be done in the first place, and yet...

Those eyes...

Those were the eyes of someone who had not yet saved everyone.

And...

(Touma... why would you do that, even, even after all it took to get to this point?)

Index knew exactly who those eyes intended to save.

And it shook her.

"…!"

While still stuck to the trembling wing, Mikoto held out her hand and manipulated magnetism.

She didn't care if she had to force him.

She would magnetically grab his school uniform's buttons, his belt buckle, or whatever she could and pull that boy out of that fortress.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

A final chance. It was the last one available. Mikoto put her namesake on the line, her power as a Level 5. It should have been enough. That superhuman should have had the power to drag a mere high school boy wherever, however, she wanted.

But.

Eyes widened in complete shock.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

In dead silence, they could only watch as—

That was what she planned to do, but the magnetic thread connecting her and that boy suddenly snapped.

"Eh…?"

Mikoto stared blankly because she did not understand what had happened.

But immediately afterwards, she figured it out.

That boy had a mysterious power that could negate all of Mikoto's abilities.

He had severed his final lifeline.

He had lost his final chance.

Even though she had the power to take on a tank and even though she had the power to stop the firing of a nuclear missile, it was not enough to save that one boy.

He wouldn't have allowed that, not if it meant he could escape at the expense of unknown responsibilities. Thus, they were forced to watch Kamijou make another sacrifice he wasn't selfish enough as a person to leave to someone else, because he didn't place his own worth in the same boat as those around him.

That was the reason, wasn't it?

After all...

He was the type of person to fight for the most trivial of rewards—a smile.

That was what they thought as what they had dreaded came to pass.

Mugino felt her eyes sting, and she didn't dare take a swipe at them to confirm it. She did, however, allow that soft mutter to escape her lips.

"How can someone like you even exist, Kamijou Touma..."

The VTOL craft distanced itself from the fortress that continued to unstably fall. The Sister greatly shook the fighter and Mikoto fell into the cockpit from the wing. She then closed the canopy. Immediately afterwards, the blessings of the mysterious field surrounding the fortress disappeared.

The reason was simple.

They had gotten that far away from the fortress.

And they had left behind that boy who had said he still had something he needed to do.

Misaka Mikoto's cries were the only things that remained behind.

.

. .

. . .

They were deeply saddened.

It wasn't just at the fact that Kamijou felt that he had yet another responsibility to undertake, despite no one ever asking him to go so far—no, there was another reason as well. It lay in the whimpers that were the first to escape from the one who had unequivocally failed to save the person she wanted to save.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Mikoto was crying like a child.

Her cheeks were red, her lips were trembling, and tears were falling down her face like a torrent. It was heavily reminiscent to the tears she shed on that bridge, after nearly killing that boy. And now, it was because she couldn't succeed in preventing him from getting hurt again. It was because unlike what he had done for her, she hadn't managed to reach him. She imagined that it was her fault. That was surely the thought process of the girl who was bawling, apologizing, and wiping at her eyes with fervor.

"What do you have to be sorry for, Mikoto?"

Her mother instantly embraced her, taking her head into her arms, her chest, her warmth, just as she had done when she was little.

"You tried really hard. We all saw that. This wasn't because you didn't try hard enough. This wasn't because you didn't do enough. You did do enough. You came for him. You were worried about Kamijou-san and you ran headfirst into that warzone because the thought of him being in danger terrified you. Isn't that right? Isn't that what had you fighting your hardest Mikoto-chan?"

Weakly, the girl nodded into her chest.

"Then I could not be more proud. You did such a good job. Even if you might be blaming yourself, you still showed up even when no one asked you to. I know that. We all know that. And, I'm sure Kamijou-san knows that as well. Do you think he doesn't? I know you don't think that he refused you because he didn't trust you..."

"I-I don't..."

"Yeah. Kamijou-san is good boy. He'll be good husband too so make sure to give me lots of grandbabies."

"Mama..."

"Yes Mikoto?"

"You just ruined the moment."

"But was any of what I said wrong though?"

Mikoto instantly pushed her away with a red face, tears still staining her cheeks.

"You're awful..."

But she was smiling.

It was small, but she was smiling.

That was enough for that mother.

—

Part 5

—

(…I still have something I need to do.)

The VTOL craft flew away.

That fighter may have been his final means of escape.

But Kamijou turned his back on it.

It was not over yet.

If the structure named the Star of Bethlehem that had a radius of over 40 kilometers were allowed to free fall down, he had no idea how much damage would be done to the heavenly body known as the earth. As long as he had not done something about that, the war would not be over.

"For that...?"

Tears in her eyes, Mitsuari asked this.

"Even though you've already done more than anyone could have asked of you? You have to keep going? H-Haven't you done enough? Why must it..." She chocked back a sob. "Why must it always be you who sacrifices himself for the sake others, for the sake of people who haven't done a thing for you!"

But she couldn't say that, could she?

Not when it was by virtue of that very same self-sacrificing spirit that led them to meet in the first place.

And that just made it hurt all the more.

(And…)

Kamijou looked around in search of a certain object. It was the remote control spiritual item that could externally control Index. After the final strike, it had fallen somewhere through a crack in the floor. He had to find it and destroy it.

The fortress trembled below his feet.

The shaking agitated his unease like an elevator moving at a fixed speed suddenly stopping.

The fortress would not last much longer.

(This is all my fault...)

Index's expression all but distorted.

Kamijou was here because of her. He couldn't in good faith leave the Star of Bethlehem because he had been trying to save her. Kamijou wasn't the type of person to abandon millions to the fate of being killed in the looming crash, but that still didn't change the fact that Index was still a pressing weight on Kamijou's soul.

He wanted to save as many people as possible, and it saddened her greatly to know that he placed himself at the very bottom of that list.

Just as Kamijou was reminded of that fact, he heard a girl's voice.

He heard a voice on that fortress that no one else was supposed to be on.

"Touma."

It was the voice he had wanted to hear for so long.

They stiffened, eyes widening.

(Is that...?)

Fukiyose looked taken aback.

The remote control spiritual item had left Fiamma's hand, but it must have still been functioning. The girl's consciousness was no longer being held in anyone's hands and it was drifting about in the area of the spiritual item.

"Touma."

The girl's transparent body appeared as if floating up from the air. Ignoring gravity, she looked at Kamijou while still upside down.

It was Index.

It was the girl Kamijou took off at once to save.

They looked on in wonder.

"Ah..." And then Index made a noise as she looked at the screen, and her expression displayed something like profound understanding as her brows parted. "So, it wasn't a dream..."

The conversation she had had in the back of her memory really had happened that day.

"Why didn't you escape?" she said.

"Because none of this is over yet."

After responding, Kamijou continued further into the Star of Bethlehem. He was not searching randomly. The girl's existence was calling him toward the spiritual item he was searching for.

"Not only do I have to deal with your spiritual item, but I have to deal with this fortress itself."

After saying that, Kamijou's expression suddenly grew cloudy.

The gloomy expression took them by surprise.

There was one thing that had not been resolved in the fight with Fiamma of the Right.

"…I'm sorry."

That was the issue of his lost memories.

That was the issue of whether it had truly been right of him to continue to hide that fact from her.

Ah.

Their faces showed they understood, and they watched mutely because of it.

He had not wanted to hurt Index. He had wanted to be the Kamijou Touma that she had trusted. But hadn't that truly just been Kamijou himself not wanting to see Index's shocked face? Hadn't he just been afraid that she would leave him?

Now that the fight with Fiamma was over, he understood.

If he truly felt it had been for her sake, he would overcome it.

He would overcome the painful things, the difficult things, and everything else.

He could not be afraid of where he stood.

"Touma..."

Hands over her mouth, Index's eyes threatened to spill over with tears.

"I've done something terrible to you. I've been fooling you this whole time. I'll tell you everything now. I have no proof that I'll make it back from the Star of Bethlehem, so I'll tell you while I can."

His words shot through them like an arrow.

It proved, right then and there, that he had accepted that he might die on that floating fortress. More than that, he was prepared to say the things he thought he might not get another chance to say. And Kamijou was in this situation because he had enough humanity to try to save the person who had tried to forsake it.

"..."

Kumokawa didn't know she was trembling until her hair fell in front of her face and gave her no other choice to realize. Abruptly, she hugged herself to try to keep calm. It would have worked if her face wasn't as pale as it was.

A lot of them looked the same.

It shouldn't have been surprising.

Death would naturally be a risk in a situation like this.

But.

They gulped.

Death had always hung around Kamijou Touma, and he had never once accepted that.

The fact that he was doing so now terrified them.

Kamijou hung his head down just a bit.

But then he lifted his head up once more with determination.

"I…"

He would tell her.

He felt that opening his mouth for that purpose took more courage than anything he had ever done before.

"..."

Had that boy ever lacked the decisiveness to make a choice like the one before him now?

"I…"

"..."

Had that boy ever looked so distraught when looking into the eyes of someone he cared for?

This was what he had been hiding for so long.

"..."

Had that boy, ever, felt what he was feeling now?

His memory loss.

He opened his mouth to tell that truth.

" "

As he moved his mouth and spoke, Kamijou had one thought.

(It's been so long.)

At that moment.

A change went over the screen.

One by one, chromatic blurs assaulted their eyes, and one by one, they saw them. It was the memories between a boy and girl. Some they recognized. Some, they didn't. Some they remembered feeling sad over. Some they remembered looking at with exasperation. But they proved one thing. They served as the validation behind the two people known as Index and Kamijou.

But since a boy had one crushing thought, they saw it as clear as day.

He had lied to her for so long.

He had manipulated her feelings so she wouldn't feel distressed.

He had gotten rid of her grief through the easiest possible method: he took away her chance to feel any grief at all. He tried to drown his doubts over the one who came before by living his best self. He was happy no one knew, because then no one could hold it against him if he wasn't who they thought. He wanted to live, so he was okay with letting the other guy fade away.

Kamijou had done all these things, and just by looking at his face it was clear he found that unforgiveable.

And yet...

And despite that...

And even though he thought he was the worst kind person for making that choice for himself...

"It's fine," Index said as if interrupting him. "That…doesn't matter anymore. As long as the usual you returns from this, nothing else matters."

"…"

He fell silent for just a bit.

He strongly felt that he could not allow himself to become dependent on that kindness.

"I will come back."

However, being strict with oneself and being pessimistic were two different things.

He would definitely return alive.

.

. .

. . .

"..."

They watched in silence.

And that moment, Kamijou Touma was saved.

He was saved by the girl who had fallen on his balcony in need of help.

That's what they thought of at that moment.

(Oh Touma...)

Shiina looked at the pure relief on her son's face, and she felt the urge to cry. Her son had been toiling with this problem ever since the day he woke up, and no one knew. No one could know. Not really. He had no one to talk to.

But now, it was different.

And now, with those new feelings in his heart, Kamijou vowed to live up to the person who saved him.

To make sure of that, Kamijou Touma made the following promise.

"I won't just do this through the spiritual item. Once I return, I will make sure to bow down to you in person."

Kamijou looked over at a panel on a nearby pillar. It was a communications device with a microphone so one could speak through the speakers set up in various places across the Star of Bethlehem. He could not read the Russian writing, but he could understand the numbers written next to it.

"Tell the Anglican Church that the frequency is 50.9 megahertz. That will connect to these speakers. I have no idea how much damage will be done if a mass this large just falls straight down. We have to lower its speed in stages and get it to fall somewhere safe. I'm the only one onboard, so I need advice on what to do."

He was saying all that...

He was saying stuff like that in such a calm voice but, if he did that, he would definitely...

Fear shot through them.

No. They couldn't. They couldn't say it. Because if they said it, even if it was not the boy's current fate, it would come true. These memories would make it true. Kamijou would suffer an even greater misfortune than they thought possible. They had been shown that when they saw the hells no one had known about.

Kamijou had lied to them before.

That boy had omitted and hidden his suffering before.

So now?

They were absolutely terrified of a boy who take on any horror if it meant saving someone.

"I can't," said the girl in a troubled voice. "I can't return to my body of my own will."

"Yeah," Kamijou replied readily.

He was staring at an annoying tube-shaped spiritual item lying on the floor.

"That's why I'll be sending you back ahead of me."

He stretched out his right hand and grabbed the small tube-shaped spiritual item.

That was all it took.

The spiritual item crumbled and lost its power to bind that girl. Her transparent body disappeared as if an eraser had rubbed up against it.

"..."

Just like that, she was gone.

"Ah..."

Itsuwa's voice let out, and it was close to coming out in wretched sobs.

Kamijou's form looked incredibly lonely, more so than ever before.

He was now truly alone.

The Star of Bethlehem continued to fall. Its speed was gradually rising. Once it passed a certain point, there would be no preventing it from striking the surface of the earth at close to free fall.

That large mass with a radius of greater than 40 kilometers would directly strike the earth.

If that happened, the 21st century earth would prove that a meteorite strike could bring about an ice age. Some historians may rejoice at that, but for most people it would be nothing but a tragedy.

The final battle began.

What hung in the balance was the fate of the planet.

But Kamijou's downtrodden look only lasted a moment.

The boy's resolve shimmered brightly.

They hoped at least.

They would not forgive the boy if he didn't keep his promise.

—

Part 6

—

"According to the information given by the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, the Star of Bethlehem floats in the sky using 20 large ascent spiritual items. Fiamma losing his power has started a chain reaction that is lowering the Star of Bethlehem's output. At the current rate, it should completely lose all of its lift in an hour at which point it will be in a complete free fall toward the surface."

Stiyl Magnus's voice was coming from the speakers placed in various places around the fortress. He had been left with the role of guarding Index, but that role was over now that the remote control spiritual item had been destroyed.

Stiyl's presence amongst so many nuns in uniform relieved them. It meant that the organization of Necessarius could take the reins instead of Kamijou, who should have no place on the battlefield.

But they were wrong, and they felt no surprise by that fact.

"But by destroying specific ones out of those 20 large ascent spiritual items, we can control the orientation and travel direction of the Star of Bethlehem. And your right hand is perfect for the job."

"What are the specific points I have to destroy?"

"No..." Komoe murmured forlornly.

Even if they knew, and even if they weren't surprised, his voice, filled with static, affirmed all of what made them fearful.

"Just a second. I just got the diagram. It just shows the expected layout, so the actual thing may be different. If you notice anything out of place, tell me."

Kamijou followed Stiyl's instructions and travelled using the fortress's monorail and then his own two feet when that did not suffice. He had no time left. If he failed, it would affect 6 billion lives.

Their hearts were heavy.

Stiyl's role was not to appear before Kamijou with the forces of the church and take over the heavy lifting. No, he would just be giving Kamijou the information so he could handle it himself. In the end, it was still up to that boy, and six billion lives were the stakes that were being placed upon his shoulders. That pressure must have been unbearable. It should have caused the boy to throw in the towel, but they knew that wasn't going to happen. They had seen him endure greater odds.

But that reassurance was not a good one.

It just meant Kamijou was used to pain.

(Kamijou-san...)

Saten felt a deep sadness at that, and while hugging one arm, she did the only thing she could, pray that Kamijou would succeed and come home safely.

"I'll tell you the specific locations orally, but you need to destroy numbers 3, 9, and 13 in the south. That will change the Star of Bethlehem's trajectory. You'll be heading for the edge of the Arctic Ocean. By lowering the speed down to the very end and landing on the water, the shock should be done away with to a certain extent. Given the altitude and the mass, that is the only way to avoid doing serious damage to the global environment."

"Won't the speed of descent increase if we lower the number of large ascent spiritual items?"

"They have the same power source. The fewer of them there are, the more output each individual one will have. Of course, there is a limit to what a single one can do, but you don't need to worry about that with the total power as weakened as it is. In fact, getting rid of a few of them might temporarily increase the output."

"Could dropping it in the ocean cause a tsunami?"

"The cities along the Arctic coast have been given evacuation orders. It's almost sickening how cooperative and helpful the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church have been. Otherwise, we would have had to realize there was a minimum level of unavoidable damages."

.

. .

. . .

They were trying to follow the fast-paced conversation.

They were able to gather the gist, however.

In order to make sure there were zero casualties, the floating island needed to be veered straight towards the coast of the Arctic Ocean, and in order to do so, Kamijou needed to hastily destroy various apparatuses that were keeping the Star of Bethlehem afloat. Only then could the worst case scenario be avoided.

And despite the strain of their relationship, they were glad Stiyl was walking him through this. It would have been nearly impossible for the boy to accomplish this with just his own knowledge.

But.

Landing the island in the water was fine, but what did that say about the boy who would have to be on it while that happened?

"What happens to Touma-kun when it crashes into the water?!" Arisa asked fearfully, the question on everyone's mind. She aksed it to herself, and to the others paling in fear beside her, and even to The Voice.

But there was no answer.

As they spoke, Kamijou arrived at the #3 spiritual item.

It was like a factory.

A giant facility larger than a school's grounds was divided into different lined up spaces that had dozens of thick pipes running through them. There were metal stairways and passageways coiling about the area. Kamijou caught occasional glimpses of green particles of light that he thought might be what kept the giant fortress in the air.

Kamijou slammed his fist against a nearby pipe.

That was all it took. Countless cracks ran through the pipe, the rectangular stone building tilted, and plenty of flashy explosions occurred within. Kamijou got away so as not to get caught up in it all and ran toward the #9 spiritual item.

Good.

They nodded, relieved that it was working.

But the impending clash with the surface weighed heavily on their hearts.

(Kamijou-san, be careful...)

Uiharu prayed nothing bad would happen to the boy.

"…I never thought I would end up fighting alongside you in the very, very end," said Stiyl. "It didn't have to be me. We got bits and pieces of a report from that girl when she finally woke up. Her consciousness was in the Star of Bethlehem. Couldn't you have resolved this by relying on her knowledge?"

Index's... knowledge?

They froze.

The moment that idea was planted, they instantly jumped on it, their brains whirring a mile a minute. Couldn't he have done that? This Star of Bethlehem was a magical boon, was it not? Wouldn't Index have known the inner workings of it, as well as—

But the boy's next sentence stopped them in their tracks.

"You have to be kidding me. Do you really think I could let Index suffer like that for even a minute longer?"

.

. .

. . .

"Ah..."

Kumokawa was speechless, and she, like many others, felt a tinge of guilt.

They had clearly gotten ahead of themselves.

"..."

Despite the situation, Index smiled, eyes glossy.

"I see. It isn't my style to be indebted to someone like you, but just this once, I'll allow it."

"If you truly think that, then could you send a recovery team out near where I'm expected to land? I'd rather not have to wait in that freezing water."

"I'll make sure something is done about that," Stiyl responded quietly. "If the work on bringing the fortress down in stages is going well, you should survive the landing."

Unease drifted in and grabbed at their hearts.

They didn't like it. They didn't like the casualness of Kamijou's voice. For once, they didn't like that familiar bountiful positivity. They didn't like how accommodating Stiyl was being. They didn't like how his voice lowered as if he was discussing something serious. They didn't like how he refused to bite at the boy as he usually does. They didn't like any of it.

It felt like...

It almost felt like...

As they spoke, Kamijou was still desperately running through the Star of Bethlehem.

He was almost at the #9 spiritual item.

Kamijou felt that it was going to work out somehow. Everything about the great war that had started from a conflict with the Roman Catholic Church had been horrible, but it would all work out in the end. He would make sure it did. Kamijou focused on nothing but running ever forward while believing that to be true.

"Please, let him make it," Orsola whispered to herself, hands clasped in prayer.

"..."

Agnese didn't join her, but she was murmuring something soft and incoherent while touching the rosary around her neck.

And then…

"What is that…?" said a panicked voice over the speakers.

Kamijou listened while continuing to run.

"This is odd. There is some kind of huge…Telesma? Why is that there…?"

The screen suddenly shifted to that of the open sky.

There was something there.

"No..." someone said.

They froze.

They froze because they had every right to freeze. Every ounce of their cells screamed, and they desperately hoped they were hallucinating, but there was no mistaking it. There was no trace of illusion in the sight before them.

Reeling, their eyes grew wide.

Most of them paled.

And...

"Tch! Fuck off...!" Accelerator cursed.

Kamijou had a very bad feeling about what that meant.

But he could not stop. As Kamijou continued heading for the #9 spiritual item, Stiyl spoke.

"Why is Misha Kreutzev rising now!?"

Things weren't over, not by a longshot.

—

Part 7

—

At that time, the archangel that had cooperated with Fiamma of the Right once more regained her body in that wintery land of Russia.

The fluctuation in the four great elements had been fixed by Fiamma. She was no longer Misha, a mix of Michael and Gabriel. She was now a genuine archangel. It was not wrong to say that her goal had been accomplished to a certain extent by that.

"What?" Hamazura let out in muted shock.

They could barely stomach the news.

What they saw before wasn't the real deal? If that angel was now functioning at full capacity, when its incomplete form managed to put holes in mountains and even those country leaders through such hell, what chance does Kamijou, or anyone, stand against it now?

But it was not enough.

It was not perfect.

Her goal was to return her existence to its rightful position. Now that she had started to go off track, she could see nothing but that goal and was giving no thought to how much damage would be done in the process of carrying it out. She simply wished to return. For that reason and that reason alone, the archangel started to move once more.

They recalled what had been said during the Angel Fall incident:

—The angel had only one command to itself, and that was to return to heaven.

That goal would be carried out with extreme prejudice. They had already seen the lengths it had gone to the first time, so this time surely wasn't going to be any different, especially now that it had all of it's power.

What could be done now?

(All that remains is to just run away, right?) Saten thought, shivering despite herself.

The massive amount of Telesma that was scattered around the area gathered in one spot.

The archangel had been torn apart once by the power of the scientific monsters, but that had not harmed her essence. If you swung your fist down at the water, it would burst apart in a splash, but the actual amount of water would not lessen. It was the same as that.

Scientific monsters...?

They caught that briefly, but they kept watching.

Accelerator scoffed but was somewhat pleased.

But it was not enough.

It was not perfect.

Because her actions had been obstructed once before, the archangel wished for an increased amount of practical power. The archangel knew well what the material needed for that was. She ruled over water. Russia in winter was covered in snow, but even melting all of that would not be enough.

But it was not enough.

It was not perfect.

Amazora blinked.

(She... said that already...)

But it was not enough.

It was not perfect.

But…hwsr…it was not enough.

It…zvdf…was not…zdfb…perfect.

Bu…ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

(I don't like this...)

Hokaze's body was wrought with tension.

Pure unease washed over them like a tidal wave as the angel began to act irregularly, in a way that wasn't pleasant to witness in the slightest.

That's right.

She needed to be extra sure when it came to the overwhelming power needed to turn around the situation.

It had to be a large amount of ice that had special signs and symbols.

For example, the special ice that existed at the planet's pole.

Pole...?

They were confused but only for a moment.

"Wait, pole like the north and south pole? Is Russia...?!" Kinuhata conjectured, trailing off.

"Indeed, Misaka responds. There are Russian landmarks no greater than 1000 kilometers from the North pole, Misaka continues to explain for those unaware."

Imouto's knowledge reached them, and it wasn't a good thing.

What was that creature going to do with all that ice?

"What is going on…?" moaned a nun of about 20 within St. George's Cathedral of London.

She was the one monitoring the flow of magical power within Russia.

"Misha Kreutzev has begun to move north at high speed! At the same time, the ice at the North Pole has begun to rapidly melt! I have detected a powerful line of Telesma between the two! A mutual interference between them is clearly being created!"

"Is she making a new power? …No, she might be replenishing her physical body," Stiyl muttered while frowning.

When he thought about it, if that angel instantaneously melted the ice in the Arctic Ocean, it would create a phenomenon similar to a large scale tsunami for the areas around the Arctic Ocean. And if the situation continued to its extreme, an absurd phreatic explosion covering an area with a radius of 1000 kilometers could occur.

They paled.

"Santa NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ignoring Amazora's shout for a moment, this was a huge issue.

(Dammit.)

Kumokawa felt like cursing.

(Can things get any worse over there? Just how many world threatening catastrophes was happening in Russia at the time?!)

Also, it would not just be that simple. Misha Kreutzev was already brutal, so how much would her power increase if were she to absorb enough water and ice to destroy the Arctic Ocean? Now that Fiamma had been defeated, what was that archangel after? It was possible she had no real goal. He had no idea what was going on, but what it would lead to in the end was clear.

They could not withstand it.

To begin with, he doubted the materials of the physical world would be enough to support the full capacity of an angel created by God. Even the Misha Kreutzev from Angel Fall had been in imperfect manifestation. If Misha tried to force out an output greater than the hypothesized amount, the physical body she was made of would explode emitting a massive amount of Telesma.

It would be like a planet exploding at the North Pole.

At the very least, all life would be annihilated on the northern half of the globe. It was possible that it would cause a major error in the planet's orbital trajectory that would cause it to leave the solar system.

Russia was a hydra.

Cut off one head, and three more would grow in its place. The problems were beginning to become endless.

Their mouths felt dry.

And in hearing it, it even caused some to go weak in the knees.

"This is... This is..."

It was crazy.

Those were the words Kaibi could not say as she was stunned into a state of shock.

Things have long since trespassed into the realm of absurdity. Angels had conjured up into existence. The gates of heaven had been knocked on and eldritch arm-like abominations rampaged through the earth. Telesma was being consumed by forces that did not even approach human understanding. And at the center of it all...?

Magic.

Why? Why was it only magic that seemed to terrify them to their core? It had been the same in those words that were shifting and fluctuating. That one eyed goddess had used magic, the peak of magic, and it made them shiver, just like now. They wanted to know what the connection was that gave it such profound terror.

But they knew why.

Most of those in the room lacked the means to understand magic.

It did not need to be said why that made them so afraid.

(But how are we supposed to stop her?)

Stiyl looked over at the whiteboard that had magnets automatically moving across it.

(It's unclear whether we could hold back the former Misha even if we fought as a group. A conflict with an archangel wounded like that would only increase our damages.)

But if they did nothing, things would definitely head toward a destructive conclusion.

And then…

"…Hey, what are you doing?" muttered Stiyl without thinking.

What?

They blinked in confusion.

But that lasted only a second.

There was a change in the Star of Bethlehem's trajectory despite it having been continuing on quite well before. It had started to move along a route clearly different from the one Stiyl and the others had planned. He thought it had to be a malfunction in the fortress, but according the data being monitored, no such problem was occurring.

Kamijou Touma had clearly done something to the large ascent spiritual items to purposefully send the fortress off of its safe route.

He had done so in order to stop Misha Kreutzev as she headed for the Arctic Ocean.

.

. .

. . .

"..."

They stood there, shock still, disbelievingly.

"W-Why is he...?" Shirai spoke for all of them, muttering in shock, but the words died in her throat.

The scene continued on without them, regardless of their states.

The speed of descent increased.

Kamijou Touma ran with everything he had within that fortress.

At the shore of the Arctic Ocean, at that threshold between land and sea, Kamijou had forcibly destroyed the large ascent spiritual items in order to distort the fortress's trajectory of descent. He focused on nothing but running in order to oppose the archangel.

They feverishly shook their heads, as if denying reality.

—No.

—Stop.

—What are you doing?

Those words came to the forefront of their minds, waiting to be voiced, but they didn't come out. They just continued to stare. They didn't know what was about to happen, but they had a very good feeling that they wouldn't like it.

There was something odd on the surface of the earth.

Some kind of small form was approaching at high speed.

Kamijou saw the white snow torn up along the path of whoever it was that was soaring along at low altitude with tremendous speed. The snow was not simply being blown away. All the snow within a few hundred meters…no, within a few kilometers of "her" was being absorbed.

A thick, long line was being drawn along that white land as the archangel approached. No one could stop her from advancing. There seemed to be human forms firing light that appeared to be magic, but the archangel paid them no heed. She merely passed through and the professional magicians were blown away.

Humans could not fight that thing.

It was above the denomination of man. It was a being greater. If a creature like that appeared, the safest thing to do would be to run away and hope that you and your loved ones could live a life where you would never have to see it.

So why—?

Why was it—?!

Their eyes burned as they were forced to come to grips with just what Kamijou intended to do.

He...

(He intends to fight it, doesn't he...?)

Kinuhata was fully aware of how her heart ached terribly at that thought, as now she wasn't so ignorant to be unaware of the reason why.

She shook her head now too.

She too didn't want that boy, Kamijou, to die.

The archangel passed the shore and made it to the Arctic Ocean.

At the same time, the Star of Bethlehem fell straight down from above.

.

. .

. . .

Despite themselves, their jaws dropped.

It was quite the impressive sight.

Kamijou was using Fiamma's arial base as a guiding missile of destruction, and he planned to smack Misha right out of the air with it, his own safety be damned.

"..."

Stiyl, halfway to a smirk and a grimace, sighed.

Mugino, Accelerator, and Rikuri all let out a laugh, each conveying their feelings on the matter, even if there was quite a bitter sensation to it.

(You crazy son of a bitch,) they thought.

With a great roar, the archangel and the giant fortress fell into the ocean. Inside the sinking fortress, Kamijou used everything he had to head further and further down. Unable to stand up to the great pressure, walls and pillars within the fortress started to break one after another. The freezing seawater flowed in, but Kamijou paid it no heed. He focused on nothing but heading lower…heading deeper. The fortress fell below sea level.

There was no longer any illumination.

There was a single point of light in the vast darkness.

The peaceful light was blue and deep. It was reminiscent of moonlight.

Their terror spiked.

He was going to drown.

They had initially had that worry, but it was soon washed away.

It was... an odd kind of atmosphere, because... just like that, the distance between human and angel had lessened. Kamijou Touma stood on its level for the first time, and to the shock of everyone watching, including a white-haired boy as he widened his eyes, something even more crazy happened.

Yet it was a very familiar scene.

Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist with all of his strength. His opponent had noticed him. The light in their eyes clashed within the darkness before the real clash. The mere human boy who was overflowing with a tremendous killer intent continued forward without stopping to the very end.

"Kamijou..." someone, or all of them, whispered.

They said it in worry.

They said it in prayer.

They said it with pride.

They said it in hope.

A lot had happened on his way there.

It had all started at the point where he had lost his memories. He had continued forward after lying to a certain girl in order to not sadden her. He had fought an alchemist to rescue a girl who had special blood. He had fought the strongest monster in order to rescue the #3 Level 5 and her Sisters. A fight to the death had unfolded with a traitor of a classmate in a beach hut. A lot had happened on August 31st. He had stood up to a real golem in order to save his friend who was an aggregation of AIM diffusion fields. He had picked a fight with the largest denomination of the Christian Church in order to save a nun who claimed to have deciphered the Book of the Law. There had been an incident related to an underclassman of the girl from Tokiwadai Middle School. During the Daihaseisai, he had protected Academy City from the threat of the Croce di Pietro while it had gotten the coordinating committee member and his other classmates wrapped up in it all. In Chioggia of Italy, he had assaulted an ice fleet in order to save a girl who had once been his enemy. On September 30th, he had clashed with a woman from God's Right Seat in order to save his friend who had been completely changed. He had enjoyed delicious sukiyaki with his classmates and then had fought Skill-Out in order to save the mother of the girl from Tokiwadai Middle School. In Avignon of France, he had fought God's Right Seat over the C-Document. With the help of the Amakusa Church, he had fought a powerful Saint in Academy City's underground district. In London, he had stopped the coup d'etat led by the second princess.

Their eyes, without shame, grew round.

It was all there.

Everything.

And it was so much.

The images flashed in their heads one by one, and they couldn't help but be in awe of them. Some they knew, some they didn't, but either way, it made them freeze. That boy had not just stopped at saving one or two people. His words to Fiamma carried the weight of someone who knew what they were talking about, and seeing it once again revealed to them proved just how right that was.

Kamijou had seen the point in which the world was saved.

It was because he had been there each time it had happened.

Kaibi gulped, and she felt the urge to take a step back. It was all she could do to prevent herself from losing her balance right then and there. The achievements that boy had picked up were dizzying.

"You..."

And this was all the same boy who had run away from those girls at that time.

Kabi gulped, and her cheeks stiffened.

But it was also the same boy who had saved her and her sisters.

And now…

(It's been so long.)

Not all of the things that had happened along the way had been enjoyable.

He had hurt others and been hurt by others again and again and again. It was all a cycle of those two things.

But Kamijou Touma was still able to run.

He knew those actions had saved quite a few people.

INSERT PICTURE

And so he was able to head straight forward to face his greatest enemy yet, an archangel.

(Kamijou...)

Their faces softened.

He didn't deny that his efforts had saved people. He didn't deny the suffering he had undergone in order to save people. He accepted all of it.

That was why...

(It's true that this world may be destroyed one day. Even planets have a lifespan and I know it will be swallowed up by the expanding sun even before that is reached. And the odds of all life being wiped from the face of the earth before even that happens may be rather high.)

Kamijou thought as he charged forward with his clenched fist.

(But it does not have to have such a tragic end. There's nothing wrong with fighting to stop this.)

They listened.

They were forced to listen, but they found themselves not being able to stop listening.

There was nothing wrong with fighting. If it was for something that mattered, what could stop you? They felt like that's what the boy was saying. They'd certainly heard it enough times for that message to get through their heads.

"..."

That was certainly the case with that white-haired boy.

He stared at the high school boy who was in a league of his own.

With a great crash, the two forms clashed at the middle point.

At the same time, the giant Star of Bethlehem was crushed and destroyed as it had received the brunt of the shock from the fall.

And…

The screen turned white.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

With bated breath, their expressions were hopeful, but their thoughts were fearful.

On October 30th…

Academy City and the Anglican Church.

The Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Third World War that had started from the conflict between those two allied forces came to an end.

At the end of the war, the aftermath of the Star of Bethlehem's fall into the Arctic Ocean had been examined.

"..."

With these flayed nerves, they waited.

The water had done some damage to the cities on the shore, but no one had died.

The shock from landing in the water had utterly destroyed the fortress itself.

The Archangel Misha Kreutzev had been headed for the Arctic Ocean, but no sign remained of her. It was assumed that the power supporting her existence had disappeared and she had returned to a different phase upon becoming mere energy. The melting of the ice in that area of the ocean had been confirmed to have stopped.

"..."

It felt like their hearts were in their throats, but they still waited.

They needed to see it.

It needed to be confirmed.

There were no signs of survivors in that area of the ocean.

Search teams from an alliance of the three major Christian denominations had been dispatched, but no survivors had been found in that 2 degree seawater.

Kamijou Touma ended up welcoming a second "death".

—Only for that news to come flying at them like a ton of bricks.

"T-That can't be, he..." Shirai trailed off, unable to finish the sentence because of just how powerfully her blood was pumping in her mind.

Their faces were as white as a sheet, and their blood ran cold. Confusion gave way to shock, and from shock, terror, and then, back to confusion. They couldn't rationalize it. They couldn't rationalize what they had just heard from what they knew.

Kamijou couldn't be dead.

He wasn't.

He wasn't...

Everyone waited for the scene to cut right back to Kamijou, showing that he was perfectly okay.

Shiina put her hands together over her mouth.

(Oh Touma, where did you go...?)

.

. .

. . .

"..."

Birdway said nothing as she continued to watch.

—

[ Epilogue ]
Silence and the End of the Boy. Silent_to_Small_Fire.

—

"That bastard…" Stiyl Magnus said in almost a groan within St. George's Cathedral of London.

He had received the report that the Star of Bethlehem had fallen and Misha Kreutzev had been crushed from above. But no matter how great a mass it was, he doubted a true angel would lose simply to great pressure. At the time of the crash, that right hand had likely been used to fight that monster.

When he thought about it, hadn't that boy chosen that kind of method ever since he had first met him?

In order to save the girl named Index, hadn't he unhesitatingly stepped forward tearing off all the chains even if it meant receiving a shock great enough to erase one's memories.

Stiyl's lips set in a firm line.

Only now did he know that that was exactly what happened, and that boy had fooled all of them into thinking that nothing had gone wrong, and he continued to live his life as if he didn't just lose a vital part of himself after that incident. He kept on going, struggled during each consecutive fight, and never asked for anything despite how much he had continued to help Index as well as Necessarius.

…

…

…

"... Being able to get them back on their feet, saving their life, protecting their smile, and giving them an opportunity to feel happy and safe. Shouldn't it be enough that you can smile? So, how could I ever demand anything more than you being able to return home with those you love?"

…

…

…

Stiyl exhaled slightly, and it might have sounded like a grumble.

(Really does sound just like him, the bastard...)

A gloomy atmosphere was created in that cathedral separate from the great celebration of victory. Business-like reports continued to come in reporting that Misha Kreutzev had disappeared and that the four great elements had been reset to their proper positions.

Stiyl heard a slight noise.

He turned around and saw Index limply coming his way. Her small hands were leaning on a stone pillar and her footing was unstable as she looked over at the whiteboard.

"Where's Touma?"

They felt sick.

When faced with the limitless optimism of that expression, they felt sick to the point where they wanted to look away. There was the girl who had just made a promise with someone she deeply cared for, and she was just waiting to see that promise fulfilled.

But that could still happen.

Couldn't it?

(Ape...) Shirai thought, somewhat affectionately, eyes tracking the screen intently.

She wanted to catch sight of that spiky hair.

No one could answer that question.

Right after Index had awoken within the cathedral, she had been unable to get up out of the bed, but she had still managed to inform Stiyl of the frequency that would connect to the Star of Bethlehem. She had not been told of anything that had happened after that. The other priests and nuns may not have been able to tell her the truth as she made her way there. And now she had finally made it to that room. She had made it to that room where all the outcomes were known and where only a gloomy atmosphere remained.

She looked around once more looking at the faces of everyone there and asked her question again.

"Where's Touma?"

It was crushing.

It was crushing because they were also asking themselves the very same question, and hoping to whatever god was out there they weren't about to get worse news than they had already received. They didn't think they would manage having their hearts yanked and tugged around more than they already were.

Kamijou was definitely alive, they were sure of that.

But the fact that a lot of them in that room couldn't place him after World War Three concluded filled their hearts with no shortage of dread.

Fukiyose gasped shakily, if only to choke back what would have been a wretched sob.

(Please tell me you're okay, Kamijou. If you're not, I'll...)

Fiamma of the Right opened the metal door from the inside using a trembling hand.

Due to the damage eating into his entire body, he could not stand up. He practically fell out of the escape container.

He was on top of a small mountain.

The Star of Bethlehem that he had created was nowhere to be seen. The color of the heavens had returned to normal. The sound of bombardments that had continued unceasingly before was now gone. Everything was silent and white. As he looked at the Russian scenery outside the escape container, Fiamma received a vague answer.

It was all over.

White hot anger surged through them before they could even think to feel otherwise.

"You...!"

The father was trembling.

It was indeed over.

Yes, it was over, but it was only over because Fiamma was stopped by the last person who should have felt responsible to do so. It was all over because that boy, his own son, had felt that the only way to save everyone was to sink to the bottom of the ocean, because the only other option would have had him forsake someone. All he had to do was forsake someone, and this could have been prevented. All he had to do was choose to let the person who caused all of this atone with his life.

But he didn't.

Kamijou Touma didn't do that.

He...

His son...

"Where's my son you bastard?! Where's the person who just saved your life?!" Touya yelled, letting his rage burn.

Those in the room weren't so different, and so no one stopped the anger surging through.

"Why?!" Touya continued." "Why did my son have to risk his life to save someone as rotten as you?! You coward! You were lucky and you know it! T-That," the man's voice broke, and the anger shifted as his eyes grew glossy, burning with tears. "That there was someone like my son, who cared enough about your wellbeing to make that choice for you. You're lucky... anyone else would have let you be killed..."

"Honey..."

Shiina reached for her husband.

No one rebuked the man for the harsh words, even as they began to die out with the overwhelming sadness that was dripping off of them.

.

. .

. . .

"..."

All the while, Othinus felt like she had been struck, and her fist curled to just above her chest and squeezed tightly, shaking slightly as she held it there. Those words, they felt like they were for her as well, as they should be, because the man wasn't wrong.

(Yes, I was lucky indeed...)

Othinus looked up back to the screen, not before thinking one last thing.

—That anyone else would have let her die.

Fiamma did not know what would become of the world. At that time, he had indeed chosen the best option. Since he had been repelled, the world must have been continuing to slide down that hill. He could not hazard a guess how far it would fall or if it would digress onto a different route in the process of falling.

That boy had suggested that the world would live on.

That had not just been an overly simplistic view that did not apply to reality. That boy had stuck to it with everything he had even to the point of handing his sole means of escape to another.

Then go find out on your own from now on.

Those final words were annoyingly stuck in his head.

Despite themselves, their anger flickered, as if the flames were hesitant.

Kamijou had saved this person.

He had saved this person, not because he needed to, not because someone else expected it from him, but because he wanted to himself. Despite Fiamma not being deserving of salvation, that boy had still chosen to do so.

How could they reject that...?

Rejecting his choice also meant spitting on the sacrifice he made, the pain he no doubt fully expected to feel.

They couldn't do that.

"..."

Touya grimaced.

The anger now felt disgusting in his mouth.

Due to that, Fiamma now lay atop the ground instead of just becoming buried below the snow despite no longer having a goal. Of course, his path from then on would be a dangerous one. The man who had created turmoil in the world and caused a war would be pursued. He could not get help from the Roman Catholic Church or the Russian Orthodox Church. God's Right Seat no longer existed. He had lost Index's remote control spiritual item. Even with a special power residing in his arm, Fiamma would eventually run out of breath if he continued to fight an inexhaustible supply of enemies while in his restricted state. In that world of the victors, Fiamma would be treated as the one remaining blot.

A life on the run would likely wear down his body.

He doubted he would be able to find what that boy had suggested while stuck in a life like that.

Hamazura grit his teeth.

That defeatist mentality pissed him off a little.

Hamazura had been saved by Kamijou's words, but it was only after finding the strength to see them through himself that he managed to grasp anything. Nothing would have happened if he just continued to be a piece of shit complaining that nothing ever went his way.

(Don't discount those words so easily, you prick. It won't just come to you. You have to work for it...)

.

. .

. . .

Those eyes belonging to those in the room, they told the same story.

They were dissatisfied that Fiamma would give up before he even took a step forward.

But Fiamma wasn't done.

"…"

But for some reason Fiamma did not simply abandon the chance left to him by another at the risk of that person's life. At that time, that boy had clearly seen something Fiamma could not. He hesitated to abandon that while he did not know what it was.

He would decide what came next after heading forward.

Despite having lost everything, that thought brought strength back to Fiamma of the Right's body and he staggered to his feet where he took his first step.

Their eyes widened.

Fiamma was the evil being who had threatened to save the world but purging it. He had hideously proclaimed that he would be the one to offer salvation as he looked from up high and laughed as it all burned to the ground. That was the man they thought for sure he was as he ripped off Kamijou's arm.

But...

"Ah..." Komoe gasped, and her eyes burned.

Kumokawa laughed weakly. "You crazy boy..."

Kamijou had seen something and didn't want to let go of it. He didn't want to abandon it, and he most certainly didn't want to let it die just so he could live. And now, they were all seeing the proof.

Kamijou's words had affected him.

Touya and Shiina each let out a shaky breath. Touya smiled, resigned.

"You saw this, son, didn't you?"

And then…

Suddenly, Fiamma of the Right's right arm was severed at the shoulder.

They blinked uncomprehendingly.

They could do nothing but stare as blood spewed like a waterfall, as a limb flew through the air in a very familiar arc, and then finally, as they heard the bloodcurdling scream that had already filled their ears once already in this memory.

But their minds still blanked.

He had been utterly unable to detect the activation of the magic for the strike or the preliminary signs of that activation. The attack fired at Fiamma from behind had mercilessly carved his body apart. His right arm was the symbol of his power. Having lost that arm, Fiamma screamed while scattering red blood across the white snow.

He held the wound with his other hand and turned around.

It was only then.

They processed what had happened and what was the precursor for it happening. Fiamma was attacked—no; he was ambushed, in a truly merciless way, to the point where their brains finally caught up, and they paled at the wretched sight before them, that being the red-haired man bleeding out and screaming in the snow, the same man Kamijou had just saved.

"W-What...?"

Saten looked panicked, dreadfully so.

They all did.

Even those like Accelerator, Mugino, and Birdway looked surprised.

What was going on?

A strange magician was there.

He had waist-long pale silver hair. He had a graceful face with an expression on it that's identity could not even be guessed. In the freezing cold, he was wearing only a green surgical gown. He had an odd atmosphere that made him seem both male and female, both adult and child, and both saint and sinner.

No.

That wasn't possible.

"—!"

They stopped breathing, each and every one of them.

They knew this person.

Some of them not personally, but they knew this person.

Fiamma knew.

Fiamma of the Right knew that magician.

But…

"…Aleister Crowley…?"

In their shock, they only belatedly realized that Fiamma just called Aleister a magician, but that was not even close to being what was on the forefront of their minds. They still were reeling over the sudden presence of someone they had thought to be attached to one single location and nowhere else, that being a place where a select few had entry—the Windowless Building.

They could not get over the fact that such a person was walking about as if it was natural.

And...

That he had just sliced off Fiamma's arm.

Stiyl looked disgruntled.

Tsuchimikado's brow furrowed.

Accelerator clicked his tongue.

They all surely were thinking the same thing.

(Just what are you planning?)

"As expected, I seem to be accurately recognized while outside my 'container'. I use life support devices to mechanically create my life force which is the basis of magic power. That has allowed me to slip past all sorts of probes, but I suppose it should be obvious that I do not receive that divine protection while in this state."

"You're…I see…but there is an inconsistency in that theory. It does not explain why you are here."

"There is nothing strange about that." The magician who should by all rights be inside the windowless building in the center of Academy City responded as if that should be obvious. "The woman named Anna Sprengel was said to have carried out the role of the Secret Chief and of a point of contact and to have helped in the foundation of the Golden cabal, but in the end, it was said to be dubious whether she even truly existed. …I too functioned as the point of contact for Aiwass who is one of the theories of the Secret Chief. To be honest, I do not think that is the exaggerated and much too serious role in charge of things like giving permission for the foundation of all the magic cabals in the world. In fact, I do not think there is any need to get permission for such a thing. But, well, I am the same type of existence as Anna was said to be. As such, it should not be too surprising to think that I have surpassed the realm of only being expressible as 0 or 1."

Their throats felt dry.

With his words, spoken in such an unfeeling yet at the same time chipper tone that they hadn't ever fully gotten used to hearing, he had confirmed their thoughts, but he had brought forth a plethora of other questions along with them, seemingly innumerous in number.

They were still trying to maintain a sense of calm in the shocking presence of this man, so understanding what he was saying was surely unrealistic, but that man—no, Aleister Crowley, the Board Chairman of Academy City, didn't give them an instant of reprieve.

Even then, Aleister Crowley still existed in the center of Academy City.

But at the same time, Aleister Crowley existed before Fiamma.

Multiple versions of him such as a clone did not exist.

It was just that the single one of him existed in multiple locations.

It was a phenomenon that destroyed the basic concept of counting, but that was just what the domain at the top was like. The Sephirot used various words and numbers to create an explanation of the spiritual world, but organizations above a certain level could not be explained using words, so they were intentionally omitted.

Did someone who entered that domain reach one of those upper organizations or did reaching one of those upper organizations cause one's domain to transform into that domain?

At any rate, Crowley was in a different dimension.

He was in a higher place than Fiamma who had declared he held the power needed to save all of humanity while he was still an existence that could be counted with that world's numbers.

.

. .

. . .

What?

Just like their eyes before, they questioned their ears this time.

They just heard something extraordinary.

(Something like that... isn't that quantum physics...? Teleportation, but having surpassed the need to require the Esperin Drug? Or does he possess the powers of an Esper...?)

Misaki was just as flummoxed.

Just who was the person called Aleister?

They all were asking themselves that.

Was he the magician with the last name Crowley, as it was just revealed? Was he the chairman of Academy City? Which one was it? Was it both? If so, why? For what need would there be in having dual identities?

"…Why?" Fiamma muttered. "I could not do it. I should have had the power needed to save this world just like the Son of God. And yet I could not do it."

"It was not an issue of the type or amount of power. It was nothing more than an issue of how you used it," Aleister Crowley said in disinterested voice. "My theory is that the age of Christian spells came to an end upon the completion of the Book of the Law. I actually think you did quite well. And that includes your objective of becoming The One Above God. If instead of the Aeon of Osiris…that is, the laws under the control of solely the Christian Church, you had formatted it in the Aeon of Horus that lies beyond it, you may have had your eye on a position similar to mine."

They were listening, because listening was all they could do.

"..."

For one, Saten had no idea what he was talking about.

"Aeon of Horus...?" she rasped out.

Here this mystery man was, the leader of her home, casually sharing a conversation with a person who threatened to destroy said home and everyone else—the topic of their discussion being on how he could have succeeded in causing even more destruction if he tried things differently.

Saten was shaking her head, despite the headache ailing it, but that pain she could understand at least. Either way, she had to ask.

"Misaka-san, Uiharu, Shirai? Do you guys...?"

"...No." Shirai was the only one to answer after several seconds. "I don't."

"Right..."

Saten nodded, not looking satisfied in the slightest though.

He was the one who created supernatural powers with science.

He was the one who constructed an angel by gathering those powers.

Fiamma of the Right, the one who ruled over Michael, understood what that meant. Creating an angel was not the same thing as simply creating a new type of living creature. They were the symbols of the elements that made up the world. For a human to create one of those, it meant that the system at the base of that world was being artificially interfered with.

Gears created by human hands were being inserted into the mechanisms created by God. It was like remaking a music box into a time bomb.

It was the idea of affirming the occult and then trying to use precise equipment on it.

In an older time, just thinking of those things would get one sent to the gallows.

"..."

They were silent.

In any case though, it was certainly a topic that did not have an easy answer.

Angels?

How could humans even begin to comprehend such a thing, let alone create them artificially or even summon them via religious means? And to point, who would have entertained such notions if they were brought up?

"…Is Aiwass that attractive an existence?" Fiamma asked. "An angel that cannot be explained by the Bible or theology is also the symbol of an element that is inside this world created by God and also outside of the hands of God. It is the beginning of the destruction of the fate established by God. …You did not want the Book of the Law. You wanted the strange angel that granted you the Book of the Law."

Aleister did not confirm or deny that.

Things got even more confusing.

(That's the second time... what does the Book of the Law have to do with this...?) Orsola questioned with a frown.

And also...

Who was Aiwass?

"..."

Accelerator's eyes sharpened.

"Well, I was not originally supposed to appear at this stage," said the magician who was said to be the worst in the history of magic. "Even if you do not understand the values of things, you saw a bit too deeply into that right hand. You caught a glimpse of what is inside of it, when it would have been best for you to only have recognized it as a mere right hand that can negate supernatural powers. I simply cannot let this go. I was reluctant, but I had to make an appearance."

"Of what is inside…?"

They froze.

This man, this shady man who they now knew definitively by two identities, was speaking very curiously, almost as if implying that he knows the answer to a question they had been agonizing over since they first saw the shimmer of a mythical creature appear out of that right arm.

Shutaura swallowed heavily.

Just how much does Aleister know?

Just how much does he know of that boy?

"And on top of that, it ended like this. He has now left my grasp. Thanks to that, I will have to take a bit of a 'detour'. …I see. So a being such as myself may still be able to feel common anger."

Aleister's words resonated.

Left his grasp...?

They did not like the sound of that.

It sounded like the man knew exactly what happened to the boy, but by his own admission there wasn't anything he could immediately do. Questions surged regarding this and there was no end, their curiosity and worry growing by the second.

Where in the hell was Kamijou?

Birdway preened a bit amidst it all.

(So I managed to piss in his cereal, huh? Good.)

"…"

Fiamma's eyebrows moved ever so slightly.

He was recalling whatever it was that had flowed out from within when he had severed that boy's right arm.

"What was that?"

They couldn't help but abruptly perk up, anxiously listening in.

Was Aleister really going to tell them?

"I'm sure you know," he responded as if spitting out the words. "Other than the fact that the format you were basing it on was much too old, what you were trying to do is very similar to my plan. They are both the idea to change the world by preparing a temple filled with strange power, drawing out the power of the right arm within that temple, and readjusting the thickness of the phase itself with that power. How is Academy City different from a small world that has sealed a certain type of power? You just need to look at your own actions from a different viewpoint. Just by doing that, you should be able to understand the true nature of that power. …If you had succeeded in doing that, you may have reached our goal before I did."

That was why Aleister had come there.

"W-Wait... what does..."

It wasn't clear who said that, but it was filled with confusion and uncertainty all the same. They felt like they had just heard something extremely telling, but they were unable to make heads or tails of it.

But in that, something did come to mind.

Why did Aleister Crowley create Academy City?

"Those parchments. They were incomplete as they were gathered by the Russian Orthodox Church, but it would be a problem if they were analysed by an anti-magician organization such as the Anglican Church. I sent out a rather showy unit this time, but, well, all that matters is that they were recovered in the end. …But that alone is not enough. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

Fiamma was in the way. Aleister had come to utterly destroy even the slightest chance of his own plan being calculated out from the incomplete incident Fiamma had caused. As such, Fiamma would not even be allowed to be taken into custody by a magical organization. At that time, Fiamma came as close to the truth of the world as he ever had.

He was going to be killed?

Just like that?

"..."

That shouldn't have bothered them. They should be glad because that was what should have happened from the very beginning. Fiamma should not have been saved. No one in their right mind would. But, someone had. Someone actually went to the effort to save the villain who had caused countless deaths.

So it felt wrong.

They didn't want to see the man cut down, not without even finding what Kamijou had prompted him to find.

It felt unfair.

—Huh?

.

. .

. . .

With that line of thought, an epiphany was reached.

"...Oh," Uiharu muttered mutely.

She was smiling.

That was how Kamijou felt.

Even if the person was his enemy, he felt that it was too unfair for them to die before they could find the same type of salvation that had lit up so many people's worlds. It was a feeling that was way too kind, and Uiharu genuinely felt that warmth in her body right now.

(Is that how you see everyone, Kamijou-san?)

"I see." He only had one arm, but Fiamma of the Right slowly shook his head. "…But that no longer matters."

Oddly enough, his expression lacked the strange passion it had held up until then.

It was as if some kind of evil spirit had left him.

"When I see you, I can feel the futility of what I did. Most likely, I had that same look on my face. And someone who can truly save the world would not have that expression on his face. ...At that time and in that place, he stood in a position where no one could overtake him."

Now they really didn't want him to die.

Fiamma could not lie in his own head. He was truly not the same person. Some might call it unrealistic or too fast, but that was the human heart. It wasn't a machine that could be inputted with parameters. Kamijou sacrificing himself right in front of him was enough to cause the change.

Thus, a shiver ran down their spines as the man rejected all that he once was.

He felt like he had come to a bit of an understanding as to what he had lacked.

As he thought that, Fiamma purposefully removed his left hand that was pressing against his wound to prevent blood loss. At the same time, a small explosive noise exploded out. The blood spewing out showed the outlines of a large invisible arm. It was his third arm. He could no longer control that power with his own will, but now he could fight.

Kamijou spurred him to act.

The mere high schooler who had stood up against that holy right had influenced him to do something he would have never done.

"I believe this to be futile."

Aleister Crowley did not seem to make any real preparations for a fight. He stretched out the fingers of one hand and slowly grabbed something invisible. Fiamma perceived something odd while the man made that pantomime-like motion. He thought he saw a staff seep out there where nothing should be. No, it indeed did not exist in the real world. And yet he saw an illusion even to the point of seeing the color silver due to unclassified information sources such as feeling a presence or an atmosphere.

It was the Blasting Rod.

That staff was from the legends of an ancient magician who Crowley, the man known as the ultimate villain, truly respected as his master.

"Oh, okay, just pulled something out nowhere, sure..."

Aogami wasn't even surprised at this point.

He no longer had the mental faculties to question the logic of what he was continuing to witness, so he just began to adopt a very worldly mindset. He would just accept it as it was. If he didn't, he might get a migraine, or worse, an aneurism.

"It is not an issue of whether it is futile or not," Fiamma said quietly.

Most likely, Aleister would not understand even if he tried for 100 years.

If the feeling of truly wanting to save someone took precedence, it would be strange if something like the odds of winning did not end up being secondary.

Then go find out on your own from now on.

Someone had unhesitatingly answered in that way to an enemy who said he did not understand just how vast the world was. That person had to know a lot more than Fiamma. He had to know all sorts of things that were not recorded in any grimoire original. Fiamma was not even sure if he had come to understand even a fragment of that, but that was why he had the following thought.

He could not allow it to be trampled on.

Their eyes widened.

"(So I'm not the one you changed, huh? Heh, makes me a little jealous...)"

Othinus revealed a small smile as she murmured that within Index's habit.

Even if he had to face a true monster, he could not allow the world that boy had risked his life to save to be trampled on any more.

It was obvious at first glance who won and who lost.

Two forms clashed and one of them fell from a slope of the mountain.

Silence returned to the snowy plains of Russia.

"..."

The person who was going to lose had lost. The person who was going to win had won. Yet. They still felt the sadness of how it ended. Was it his feelings that caused them to think this way, or was it inherently their own?

They did not have the answer.

The victor glanced down the slope and spoke as his body dissolved into the air.

"…You tried to explain that right hand, Imagine Breaker…and even The One Who Purifies God using only something at the level of Christianity. That was your mistake."

And their questions regarding Imagine Breaker's origin did not cease.

And there was a smiling figure in distant London.

"We have a reaction! It was only for 700 seconds, but this wavelength is unmistakable. It belongs to the magician Aleister Crowley!"

Inside St. George's Cathedral, Archbishop Laura Stuart's lips twisted up creating a smile as she received that Anglican nun's report.

"Why the hell does that news have her so ecstatic...?" Mitsuari muttered dubiously.

Much the same as Mitsuari who was taken aback by the sudden shift of point of view, everyone also looked at the blonde woman curiously, the very same person who had shown a clear lack of concern towards Index who was being manipulated by Fiamma. In fact, a great many of them recalled that it was the higher ups of the Anglican Church who had embedded the rule of having her memory wiped in the first place.

With this in mind, they continued to watch.

That man was supposed to be dead.

That magician was supposed to have been killed by Anglican assassins.

He had been officially reported to have died over 60 years before, but a Crowley-specific post still existed in order to deal with magic cabals claiming to be his successor or the theorized survival of the man himself. And now a spiritual item set to search for him individually had produced an unexpected result.

They took that information with significant interest, and no shortage of confoundment as well.

For those of them that resided in Academy City, it was still hard to process the fact that their chairman, the person who created the Esperin Drug and built their very home, was this highly infamous figure on the other side of the world, the magic side.

(Anglican Assassins killing him, magical items specifically suited to find traces of the man, and it all allegedly being sixty years prior...? Just how old is the chairman? This is getting weird...)

Kinuhata was trying and failing to make sense of it.

Although for Laura Stuart, the result was "unexpected" in the same way that the theory as to the origin of the universe existed but no way of proving it had been found.

The search spell that used farsightedness was mostly useless because even the general outlines in the images that rose up were blurred. The target appeared to be speaking with someone, but neither figure's details could be seen.

Even so, Laura was convinced with just that small bit of information.

The look of his face had changed quite a bit.

And on top of that, he had to have been obstructing anyone from recognizing him up until then by some means.

But…

(…So he really is alive.)

She used the words "really is" because she had not believed that he had ceased to exist.

Luara Stuart knew Aleister Crowley.

That much was obvious to them, just like it was obvious that the woman in question was hardly a dainty and innocent believer in the lord like how her orderly appearance might suggest. But just because they knew that much, it still didn't tell them just how she knew Aleister Crowley. To invoke such an energetic, borderline fanatical reaction, they couldn't help but wonder what the nature of their relationship was.

(Those eyes...)

Misaki's brow furrowed.

She did know one thing at least.

She didn't like those eyes who talked about that man who was confirmed alive.

It was true that the ones who had gained the most from World War III were the victors in Academy City. From then on, the relationship between the magic side and the science side would unavoidably tilt heavily in the direction of the science side. The power of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church had been weakened, and while the Anglican Church had been victorious, it was nothing more than one of the three major powers of the Christian Church. On the other hand, Academy City was the single major organization at the top of the science side. Just due to the simple distribution of power, Academy City would clearly outdo them in how much power over the world they gained with their victory.

But it would not end there.

If the identity of Academy City's board chairman was as Laura suspected, she had the right to destroy Crowley. And traditionally, the assets of the target of a witch hunt would be seized by the church.

In other words, they still had a chance to completely absorb Academy City and the science side.

It was a declaration of war in all but name.

You could call her crazy or even tyrannical, but it wouldn't be a lie to say that all leaders show those characteristics to some degree, most competent ones anyway. It was only natural that someone who had an entire organization to run, and even more than that, a denomination of a religion to maintain—someone like that would definitely be looking to expand their side's power and influence.

Academy City was just the juiciest target.

But even though most of them understood that, it didn't make it any less alarming.

"She can't be serious, can she?" Arisa breathed out, barely above a whisper.

Shutaura's facial muscles didn't move. "She looks plenty serious to me."

And as for those who were directly under that woman...

"Archbishop..." Kanzaki uttered in a low voice, and in toed the line between warning and reproach.

Stiyl simply scowled, making his displeasure obvious.

(As usual, the morals of this damn woman are fleeting and nonexistent...)

Of course, even if her suspicions were correct, she doubted he would obediently go along with it all. She could not deny the possibility that a fourth great war would occur. However, that did not matter. As long as she had a chance, as long as she had the beginning of a means to bring the entire world into her hands, it did not matter at all.

The royal family had feared that, whether Academy City or the Roman Catholic Church won World War III, England would be walking down the path to being weakened. The second princess and the others had started a coup d'etat because of that.

Laura Stuart's response to that was the following: If so, then you just need to take everything the victors have for yourself.

They shuddered, unable to suppress it.

This was a lust for power perhaps even greater than Fiamma's, that Russian general, and even the vain religious bishop who wanted to usurp the position of pope. But to go as far as to bring up mention of a fourth war? Whatever this woman's intentions were, her true intentions, did she want them realized so badly that she didn't care if another bloody catastrophe like this occurred?

(For there to be even another conflict of this magnitude, or worse...?)

Misuzu swallowed, heavily.

She didn't want to imagine it.

What was worse, is that they all didn't see such hesitance in that woman's eyes.

The right to execute the magician Aleister Crowley and to take charge of his dangerous assets belonged to the anti-magician organization of the Anglican Church.

If the Roman Catholic Church had won, the Christian world would have expanded decisively and the magic side would have ruled the world. As such, it would have been harder for her to create an excuse as just one denomination of the Christian Church. At the very least, she would not have been able to seize things using the Inquisition.

That was what Academy City had been for.

And now things had conveniently ended up heading down a pleasant path.

"…Now then. Things are only just starting to get interesting, Board Chairman Aleister."

Aleister—or rather, Aleister Crowley, and Laura Stuart.

They were each at the top of their own individual worlds.

Thus, they had to wonder.

Just how much of what has happened so far has coincided with their plans?

"Heh heh," came a small laugh on top of a building in Academy City.

The existence known as Aiwass laughed while looking down at its hands. It was clearly enjoying itself. Accelerator's interference in Last Order's consciousness had drastically reduced the power securing Aiwass's existence. Soon, Aiwass would temporarily withdraw from the "surface". Even so, Aiwass was cheerful.

"Serves you right, you fucking bastard," Accelerator immediately cursed without restraint.

The boy glared heatedly at the man—no, the being that seemed to get so much enjoyment in watching those below him squirm. It was thus extremely cathartic to know that he had managed to fuck up that creep's day, even if he wasn't looking nearly as despondent as he might have hoped.

Everyone else however, hardly reacted in the same way.

"What the hell is that...?" Mikoto asked with no small amount of trepidation in her voice.

They were all staring at Aiwass in shock and confusion, mostly shock. After all, his appearance looked so very close to the being who Kamijou had just punched out in the bottom of the Arctic ocean—halo, glowing body, and all, not to mention looking overall creepy.

It was only natural they had questions.

Accelerator didn't look like he wanted to poison his mouth talking about someone he clearly disliked, so someone else chipped in instead, but as usual, that person's explanations made zero sense, that or it was a purposeful decision on her part to be as confusing as possible.

"That..." The Voice emphasized the word, and one might have thought she was pointing. "...is the angel sitting on Aleister's shoulder, who should by all means be helping him, but only does so on his own whims. I would call him a guardian angel, but it would be incredibly ironic for me to do so."

They blinked.

"Hey, if your brains can't handle that, you definitely can't handle what he actually is. For the sake of simplicity, just classify him as a being like her."

Her?

They were about to ask the obvious question, but it turned out they didn't need to.

"…You look like you're enjoying yourself."

That voice belonged to a girl.

Index's eyes widened.

Everyone else recognized her just the same.

It was the ally who had helped Kamijou...

She was Kazakiri Hyouka.

The gaze behind her glasses had a sharp light in it that was rare for her usually frightened self.

"I am happy," Aiwass said in response as it lightly spread out its hands. "Or rather, I am rejoicing that the pleasant time looks like it will last even longer. Aleister is in a little too much of a hurry. It will all be over in no time at all with methods like that. It is like having someone hit a domino from the side before you have managed to line up very many of them. If I am to enjoy this situation, it is best if I temporarily head down to a deeper place. Livestock must be fattened up before they are eaten."

"That is what you are doing this for?"

"Indeed. Regardless of whether I had appeared or not, that control tower would not have lasted long. There was a lack of strength in the lining up of the dominos. As such, I gave him the hint he needed to provide the needed strength. …And he did well. That method was less eliminating me and more of a transference to a different domain, but, well, that was enough to be an excellent job."

Did it have value or interest?

That was the criterion on which that existence acted and it was an existence that could easily destroy the planet were it to decide the planet were unnecessary.

"That... thing, is odd..." Takitsubo muttered, her brow furrowing.

"You won't hear any complaint from me," Hamazura replied, with a face that said he had seen enough weird stuff recently that he was just purposely trying not to react.

Odd.

That was what many of them would say about Aiwass, even if it might be an understatement. He wasn't at all what they thought another Angel would be like. Yet, that girl beside him was also an angel as well, wasn't she? Nonetheless, they could see what the Voice meant by Aiwass being the opposite of what a guardian angel should be.

Meanwhile, Accelerator scowled at the man's words that clearly pertained to him.

"I think you should learn more about humans."

"?"

"It is odd for you to not know in the first place. Our physical bodies are supported by their power. Enough possibility sleeps within them to give us form. It goes without saying that humans are incredibly strong beings. …If you take them lightly, you may find yourself stabbed through the chest before long."

Index most notably reacted.

She was the one who knew Hyouka the best and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback by the steely gaze and voice she heard from her friend.

"What are you saying?" responded Aiwass without holding back a sense of exaltation even while receiving Kazakiri's gaze. "If those fragile humans could actually do that…wouldn't that be a truly interesting case?"

"..."

.

. .

. . .

In the back of their minds, they wondered if Aiwass knew of Kamijou's existence. If he did, then he would know that even angels would have their skin crawl when dealing with that right hand. But of course, no one knew that the girl on the screen was in the same boat, no one except Index.

Misaka Mikoto arrived at the coast.

However, it was a very different place from a beach on the Sea of Japan. It was a small fishing harbor, but she did not know if it was active at that time of year. After all, the surface of the ocean was covered in white ice. It was drift ice.

A pit formed at the base of their stomachs.

They knew what the girl was doing.

With trepidation on their visages, they watched.

Due to the VTOL craft running low on fuel, it had been necessary to land.

They had boarded a high speed freight train, but they had still been decisively late.

They had pushed on and pushed on and pushed on in the direction the flying fortress had gone and they had finally ended up at that fishing harbor.

Perhaps due to the evacuation order just before the fortress had crashed, there was no one else around. The roads were covered in ice possibly because the cold had frozen the moisture after the tsunami had hit.

She could not find the slightest thing that would act as a clue to that boy's whereabouts.

Where was Kamijou Touma?

The air was tense as they asked themselves that question.

It was true that Kamijou had surely survived this experience—they definitely knew that. But still, did that also mean he was miraculously saved and was afforded no shortage of comfort for his deed in stopping Fiamma? Did that mean no harm came to him afterwards? That's what was bothering them when Kamijou went down with that floating island. Because even knowing that he was still alive, did that automatically mean his suffering stopped?

Shiina's and Touya's breaths were clipped, eyes on the screen.

Komoe had to halt a shaky hand by clasping the side of her pink blouse.

Misuzu hoped to whatever god was out there that whatever came from this, she woudn't have to see a distraught expression on her daughter's face.

All of then, they all really hoped such bad ending wasn't in store for them.

Mikoto looked around the area as if she was at a complete loss as to what to do, but she finally picked up a large stick. She stretched the stick down from the concrete bank and stirred up the ocean water that was wrapped in ice like a soda from a café.

Some kind of small mass of plastic got caught on the end of the stick.

"What is that?" asked the Sister from the side.

Mikoto did not respond.

Their breaths caught.

It was a common item that could have belonged to anyone, and even beyond that, it could have simply been litter. But the heavy sensation of dread that pooled around their beings didn't give them such peace of mind, not when they placed the item exactly where it belonged in their head.

—Specifically, to the boy who had been carrying it on his person this whole time.

She recognized it.

It was a Gekota strap that had been torn off at the string by some great force.

It was the item that the two of them had acquired on September 30th.

"N-No..." Himegami breathed out in gasp, her face crumbling slightly.

What did it mean for that to have been separated from Kamijou's clothes? If he had hit the water that hard, to the point where that fell off of him, then why wasn't he nearby? He couldn't be at the bottom of the ocean, but just the thought of him frantically swimming somewhere in that near freezing water was enough to stab their hearts.

Where was he?

Where was Kamijou Touma?

"Touma," Index whispered. "Where did you go?"

"..."

Othinus pursed her lips.

—

Proclamation of Armistice.

—

Battered and bruised.

His right hand had been cut off.

Exposed to the cold snowstorm that was like blades, being unable to move even a finger. At this rate, he would be buried under the snow.

Fiamma...?

Eyes widened.

They marveled at the unexpected re-showing of the man—no, the soon to be corpse. His fate was clear to see, even if they didn't want to. Bleeding out like that in the frozen weather, he surely had minutes, maybe even seconds before he passed.

For what reason were they seeing him again?

However, something suddenly drew their eyes and ears.

At that moment,

Snowy footsteps could be heard. Thinking about this as he faced the sky, he saw a human shape. Instead of saying that they walked near, it was more like they both had appeared at the same time, an unnatural way of appearing.

An enigmatic duo.

"...!"

Their appearance had startled them, to the point where they were suddenly very attentive as to what was going on. Not a single one of them wasn't curious as to why these two strangers were approaching Fiamma of the Right And, how they even knew where to find the man.

That was the case for all but one of them, however.

Othinus' eyes flickered in what looked to be rage.

One of them was a blond woman. She had goggles on her forehead, a thick material dark-colored jacket and an apron used for work. It looked crude, but on closer inspection, it was rather tasteful, and it gave off the feeling of an English maid.

The other person was a blond man. His aquamarine thin shirt was accompanied by a camel-colored lambskin vest.

Though it's not good to talk bad about others, both of them were wearing clothes that seemed ill suited for moving through the harsh snowstorm. Not only that, the duo's expressions had not changed.

"Who are...?" Mikoto asked the question they were all wondering amidst their nerves. But she could tell just by looking.

These two were not normal people.

They should have no need to be nervous, as considering Fiamma's injuries, it was nothing but good news that he was found so he could receive medical attention, even if most of them were still warring over whether he deserved it. Incidentally, however, the last person who appeared before him had been anything but kind.

Would these two be the same?

Their hackles rose as the scene continued.

INSERT PICTURE

The woman spoke first,

"At least he looks like he's breathing."

"It's purely because of his ability. There was no need to hold back then,"

The man replied, and then looked at the face of the man on the ground.

"Now then, I'm sure you do not want this to end without getting back at him. At the very least, we're about at our limit. ...We will give you a place to live and ensure your safety for now. In exchange, we want you to tell us what you saw and heard. We may able to read between the lines of the Aeon of Osiris you are from to see Crowley's Aeon of Horus which comes after."

"Wh, who...?"

He,

Fiamma of the Right, asked in a hoarse voice.

They wanted to know the same.

It was only natural after the arrival of two strangers that instantly started speaking as if they knew everything there was to know about what just occurred, and then some. Thus, with their curiosity fiercely set ablaze, they continued to regard the two suspiciously.

"Ollerus."

After that, the answer was simple.

His words conveyed the entire message.

"I am a pathetic magician who once should have become a Magic God, but had that position stolen by One-Eyed Othinus."

—

[ SCENE END ]

—

.

. .

. . .

The words shot through them without mercy.

It would have been stranger if they did not.

"..."

It wasn't because of the name the man introduced himself as—Ollerus. No. That name meant nothing to most of them. They would even go as far as to say that it went in one ear and out the other without a second thought. The cause lay in the far more pressing concern that rose to the forefront of their subconscious, the second name the man gave, and the one they swore was uttered with some degree of loathing. Nevertheless, when they had heard that particular moniker leave the lips of the man with the pale blond hair, they felt like the world had truly frozen still.

After all, it was the name of someone they knew of, only for the simple reason that they would not ever find themselves forgetting.

"O...thinus...?"

Saten's voice came out as no more than a hesitant croak, as if just by saying the name it would somehow summon her, that monster. And the girl didn't think it was a coincidence either—that by some chance there was another person that held the name Othinus, a different person than who that man was talking about. He had definitely said that she only had one eye. Thus, it could only be that eye-patch wearing blonde girl with the pointed witch hat.

There was no mistaking it.

The same magic goddess who murdered Kamijou, and kept doing so in the most horrifically cruel ways, even up until the point where that boy's mind nearly shattered underneath the strain of it all, and even when he almost committed suicide to end it all for good. Every single one of their memories of that woman involved a boy they loved suffering in some way. His haunting screams that ran his throat dry in those loops of suffering were still in their minds, they felt like they would persist for an eternity were it possible.

So.

"What..." Misaki could barely contain the pure unadulterated venom that dripped into her voice. "What does that vile witch have to do with this?"

She could have said more. She could have called her more, but she wanted an answer to her question more than anything else, and a cooler head would make that happen, regardless of her feelings.

Oh, but it was quite the challenge.

They all felt that way.

Mikoto's breaths were shallow as nothing but scorn was plastered over her face.

Fukiyose bit her lip in frustration.

Even Orsola's brow furrowed.

Because more than the fear, the terror, and the sympathy for the tortured soul who had to endure against that person, there was another emotion simmering below the surface once they heard that name after so long. It was uncontrollable fury—and it was a hell of a lot stronger than what they had felt towards Fiamma.

As horrible as that man's actions were, he did what he did because he believed he was saving the world. His plans, just like his mind, were filled with delusions, yes, but in that, he felt like every sin he committed was a necessary sacrifice to serve a greater purpose. Even if that purpose was killing millions, Fiamma's actions were based on a devotion to his religion. Behind it all, there was still consistent logic and a methodical approach to his madness, even if they would never find themselves shaking his hand and saying they agreed with him.

But her?

Othinus did all that she did for no other reason than she could. She wanted the Imagine Breaker from Kamijou, just like Fiamma had, but her approach to coveting it was far more insidious. She created worlds on a whim with her power and sent Kamijou floundering through them because she wanted for him to think he had a chance in succeeding. She thought the best way to break that nigh indomitable spirit was to pull the rug out from under him again and again. From there, she tortured not just his body, but his mind as well. What they watched that boy go through in those... loops of suffering... it went beyond the meager expression of 'hurting'. It violated all they knew of the sanctity of human life.

So why?

Why was someone like that being mentioned now? Why did they have to be reminded of that horrible monster who posed as a girl? Why couldn't someone as inhumane as that, as evil as that, as ammoral as that, be dead and forgotten like the fate that unfolded after the UN Coalition Forces finally caught up with her and executed the witch?

The dead should stay dead, and if anyone deserved to die most, it was most definitely her.

"Hm..."

The Voice hummed, even amidst the swirling fury and rage giving way to hate.

"You want to know why? It should be obvious, no? But perhaps I should explain. That boy survives this encounter. He gets involved in more incidents, suffers more injuries, gains more allies, and even more enemies, but then he appears on her radar. And I know I do not need to remind you of what happened after that."

They bristled but said nothing.

"But don't you remember what that boy said when all that suffering he went through in those worlds was said and done? Don't you remember that declaration he made?"

Confusingly, they blinked.

They searched their memories, reaching in deeper and deeper until a shimmer of something revealed itself, coming to the forefront of their thoughts with such sudden precision and accuracy that it wouldn't have been strange if they didn't accuse The Voice in having a hand in it. But when they found it, such a petty squabble was the furthest from their minds.

—Not when their faces had turned completely ashen.

What had Kamijou said when he had returned from those nightmares incarnate...?

What was the one thing he had unhesitantly declared...?

…

…

…

"Then I will save you. Even if it means fighting the entire world!"

…

…

…

But the Voice didn't give them an ounce of reprieve.

That was evident in her next words, to which she truly delivered the crushing blow.

"And just to stir things up a little more, why don't I 'reveal', hehe, our final guest."

There was no warning, there was no time-out so that they could prepare themselves, and there were most definitely no more explanations that would help deal with the information they suddenly had no choice but to both grapple with and accept.

POOF...!

Because that very familiar cloud of pink smoke appeared.

Hearts dancing in both apprehension and anticipation, they looked intently at the smoke as a humanoid shape was revealed. The smoke persisted, but after several seconds it wafted into the air leaving no trace of its existence. However, that could not be said for the person that was left in its wake, and when all their eyes settled on that person, time and space came to a screeching halt.

And then, a sigh.

"I must say, I've never particularly cared for your flair for theatrics... nameless being."

"Don't be like that Othi-chan, I'm only setting the stage. And to do so, I ripped off the band-aid—heehee."

With a body that stood just a little taller than the silver-haired girl who stood next to her with a pensive frown, Othinus could only sigh, forming a brittle expression as she took the full brunt of everyone's gazes.

Suffice it to say, the looming conversation looked quite formidable.

…

…

…

[ NEXT SCENE ]

"I was already saved the moment you said that to me."

…

…

…

A/N:

Oh boy, you're mad.

Like you're really mad. Maybe a little excited, but mostly mad—hey! Put the letter opener down dammit! Let's talk about this, be civil. Humans thrive on diplomacy, so let's make our forefathers proud. O-Oh? Preaching is just making you angrier? F-Fair point. Let's move on.

It's time.

The big one.

The big boy pants.

The Big mac.

The moby dick.

The actual dick—sorry forget that one.

The next memory will be the reason I started this fanfiction, because I initially planned to jump straight into it after Infinite Hells. Man, its been a long time since the beginning. I remember when I first started this fic, after writing a draft of my SAO reaction fic at school and thinking, hey, maybe I should do this with Toaru instead. It was ass at first. Hot ass (that's means it was bad btw), but slowly but surely, I'd like to think I've reached a nice bar of mediocrity, if I may be so bold. If anything, as long as this isn't a crack reaction fic, I've already succeeded, and that's saying something about most reaction fics out there. May you rest in peace and someday rise again Wattpad.

Anyway, this next bit is important.

After this chapter, WWIII part 2, I'm going to double down on Alex's story, and try to finish the first arc that I have planned. Then, I'm hopping on Rio's lonely shoulders. Or is it the lonely shoulders of just the ladies of RWBY? Anyway, in the midst of all of that, I will have four college classes to suffer through. So believe me when I say it will be slow going getting those goals completed and then and only then coming back to do "VS the World". Now I know you're pissed that I'm not working on this next, but I really want to save RWBY from becoming a—excuse my language—cluster fuck like it is in the anime. Wait, I'm not dissing the plot my RWBY fans! I'm just dissing the fact that so many good people had to die and turn evil. And beyond RWBY, I really want Alex to shit on the world of Orario with style and flair.

During school, I'll be writing. I always do. Even if I have buttloads of homework, I still set aside time each day, but like I said, it will be slow going coming back to this fic especially.

I hope you all understand.

Oh.

I realized that a certain author's note never got added to the end of Part 1 of this memory, and it was detailing the reason as to why I [ REDACTED ] some of those scenes.

They were scenes about Hamazura and Accelerator, and also some scenes about Vasilisa, and some other people that really didn't need to be mentioned, which I understand is a completely selfish decision on my part. But for Hamazura and Accelerator, I have justification.

Think about it.

How disrespectful would it be to both you AND Hamazura & Accelerator for me to throw their scenes in here when the reactors know next to nothing about their battles until now? Take Accelerator's angel wings scene. That scene was built up by the fact that Last Order was constantly being energetic around him, annoying him, until now, her sickness, which worried him, among other scenes of course. That scene where he hugged her VALIDATED his feelings of seeing her as a precious existence. How could I spit on that by mixing it with everyone's ignorant and shallow reactions? Hamazura's declaration to save the person who tried to kill him, too. How could I disrespect his journey?

Maybe, when I suck Kamijou for all he's worth (which will honestly take a while), I'll showcase the other heroes, even if it doesn't fit with the lore of why the Voice brought everyone together. We'll see. That's still pretty far off.
And let me bring something else up as well.
I likely won't have a flame spurring me to keep going with this story after I do Kamijou vs the World. So help me. There is a wall I need to overcome to keep on doing scenes, and the wall is a glaring one. The future volumes. I need to do either one of two things. Either I choose a volume as the END POINT, and then make every event in volumes after that point reacting to the future (which I've never really liked for some reason, can't really place why). OR, the series' most recent novels, even when their ongoing, can be my END, and I can use my bullshit author powers to make it so things always connect. So.
Thoughts?

But beyond all that crazy stuff, I hope you enjoyed.

Please review if it pleases you. It definitely pleases me.

And have a wonderful day.
-EPSILON