Another fun chapter to write, especially near the end. There is an important note at the end of this chapter. I figure though I'll start off though by answering a couple questions from people who commented.
*********TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED*********
We apologize for this interruption for an important announcement:
Are you not happy with your life? Do you feel you are doing horrible things and need someone to save you? Have you hurt a lot of people? Now we have the solution.
Presenting: The Touma Punch
The Touma Punch cures all ailments including but not limited to, psychopathic tendencies, misguided justice, desire to sacrifice others, outside religious influence, and for those who are just not living their life correctly.
The Touma Punch: improving your life one bruise at a time.
Side effects may include: bruising, pain, broken nose, lost teeth, unexplainable attraction to Touma, and development of your own harem with anger issues if someone touches your girls.
*********TRANSMISSION ENDED*********
Hopefully I answered everyone's important questions but I'm sure you are tired of my talking. Anyway, back to the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters.
Damn he's fast, Kaori thought as she swung her blade at the man, only to find it sailing through the air. The man in front of her grinned and swung his dagger at her. She leaned back to avoid it by inches while slicing downwards, but once again the man virtually disappeared in front of her.
Kaori and Stiyl had met near Touma's dorm to share all the information they had discovered. So far everything had been quiet, but both of them sensed something was wrong that morning. Kaori realized she should have tailed Index when she left the dorm, but Index was adamant about being left alone with her friend. So Kaori could not do much except spend the day looking for any magicians who entered the city. The problem was a carnival entered the city the same day and it was full of magicians from Russia performing, so there was a lot of magic in the air. However, while she was discussing options with Stiyl, they felt two larger sources of mana from opposite directions heading directly towards Touma's dorm.
"You feel that?" she asked.
"Yea," he replied looking behind him. "They seem to be heading this way. We should split up and stop them before they get too far in the city. Knowing these types, they will probably try to use civilians as shields." Kaori nodded and they both dashed away from the dorm to handle the magicians.
Kaori was surprised when she arrived at a deserted street except for a single elderly man standing in the middle looking directly at her and shaking his head. He had grey hair slicked back and a monocle. So it's him. She met him last week on the beach when fighting Wrath. Kaori walked toward him pulling out her blade. "Leave," she said. "I don't want to be forced to hurt you."
"Sadly," Greed said but his grin said otherwise. "I can't leave until the Imagine Breaker boy comes with me."
"That is not going to happen," Kaori said seriously. "I won't let you pass."
"Then violence is the only option," Greed said. He pulled out a dagger a couple inches long. The blade was glowing with an eerie green light. Kaori had a bad feeling when she saw the blade.
I don't know what is special about it but I sense a lot of mana in it. I can't allow myself to get hit by it. She lunged forward and covered the distance between them instantly. As she swung the blade at him, he vanished from her sight. She ducked and the dagger swung over her head. She turned around while at the same time swinging her blade upwards. Greed glided backwards effortlessly as her blade missed him by millimeters.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "I thought a Saint would be tougher. Maybe I can actually finish you off quickly." He twirled the blade in his hand, leaned forward, and swiped the blade at Kaori's neck.
She moved her blade in front of the dagger and blocked the strike. She then spun around as seven wires extended from her sword and started to wrap around him. Greed however managed to take what looked like a single step but moved thirty feet away from her. Wires fell on the ground where he stood. His dagger cut through them like they were paper. "What is that blade?"
"You like it?" he asked looking at it. "It is nice isn't it? I took them from some Aztec magician years ago. Anything cut by it can't be repaired. Wires, buildings, people, none of it can be healed. It's quite convenient for me and my speed. Since it is small, it is easy to use and limits collateral damage. I always hated ruining nice things people were wearing."
Kaori couldn't do much but just stare at him. He's insane? His strength isn't much but his speed exceeds mine. The dagger however is the problem, I need to destroy it.
Stiyl was not faring much better. He had run to meet the magician coming from the other direction and found a red haired female on a deserted street. Stiyl could feel the magician's mana covering the entire area. She was not trying to hide it at all. He looked at her and pulled out several rune cards. In his other hand he summoned his 3000 degree Celsius flame sword and lunged at her. Hey laughter echoed through the street as a wall of fire erupted in front of her. Stiyl's sword cut through the wall and it parted like curtains. He had to immediately duck as a ball of fire flew right where his head was. He threw his sword at her while moving back, to put distance between them, and simultaneously throwing rune cards in several directions. The female's feet exploded in flames and she sidestepped his sword.
"Your flame reminds me a lot of mine," she said laughing at him. "Though, you have to invoke my wrath long before you get to experience it with your body."
"I don't often get to meet another fire magician," Stiyl replied casually lighting a cigarette. "I assume you are Wrath who fought Kanzaki before?"
"Oh, the b$*$^ mentioned me," Wrath said as her eyes narrowed. "I am pissed she didn't decide to greet me. I would have loved to finish her off. I didn't realize a Saint was so weak."
Stiyl narrowed his eyes at her. She considers Kanzaki weak? That doesn't make sense. He realized her words had to possible outcomes. One, Kanzaki did not display her true power or, two, this female was incredibly powerful. "I'm sure she had her reasons."
The women laughed harder than ever. "If it wasn't for the little electric brat, I would have killed her. Oh, but don't think you will get off easy either." She circled her hand above her head and several fire arrows flew out in different directions and incinerated Stiyl's rune cards. "I wouldn't want to make it too easy for you to summon your pet. Let's have some fun first."
Stiyl frowned. She knows about Innocentius and her fire magic is quite impressive. But something feels off. It's like she wants to keep me occupied. Wait…that's it." Even after he realized her plans, he couldn't notify Kaori or Touma about it. He better keep Index safe or else.
"So do you have any idea how we can sneak out of the city," Touma asked Jason. "Security is always really tight."
"Let's just blast our way through," suggested Accelerator. "It's not like they can stop us."
"Then we will waste a lot of time and energy fighting," Mikoto said. "We need to rescue them as fast as possible."
"We might not have to," Jason said turning his head and looking into the distance. "I feel a lot of mana nearby. A magician is fighting someone. They might not have gotten too far."
"Quick, lead the way," Touma said. Jason nodded and everyone chased after him. Touma kept his eyes glued on Jason. When they found out Kazari had been kidnapped, Jason changed immediately. He felt the same murderous aura he was use to seeing on the old Accelerator. He was not use to seeing this on Jason. Jason was usually aloof and joked around constantly but serious when dealing with research experiments. This was the first time Touma had seen him truly angry. It actually worried him a little bit as the thought crossed his mind Jason might be capable of killing. However, he trusted Jason to make the right call when the situation called for it.
They ran out of the carnival and ended up in a deserted street with only a single boy standing there in a dirty modified white uniform. He turned around when he saw them running toward him. "Hey did you guys see…?" he started to ask then his eyes widened in recognition. "Wow, it's the first, third, and fifth. Hey, it's you." He added as he noticed Touma. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Sogiita Gunha," Misaki said in surprised as she recognized him.
"Have you seen two young girls around here?" Touma asked ignoring their introduction. "One of them is in a nun outfit."
"Sorry no," he said. "I was chasing a purse snatcher when I met a couple of girls. Suddenly two strange people showed up and kidnapped him. Even with my guts, they still manage to get away."
"Was one of them wearing a flower headband?" Jason asked seriously. Sogiita nodded. "Shit," Jason spat. "We missed them."
"Were they friends of yours?" Sogiita asked concerned. Jason nodded again. "Okay," Sogiita announced. "I will help you find and rescue them. A hero can't leave an innocent person in trouble."
"Great," Accelerator sighed. "Another idiotic hero. Well, he is a level 5 and should be of some use. It looks like he fought someone from that group." He indicated the damage around the street.
"Yea," Sogiita said. "He had some weird gravity ability. It was tough but with my guts I still chased him off. A woman took the two girls away though."
"So they left the city then most likely," Mikoto said turning to Touma and Jason. "What now?"
Touma opened his mouth to respond when a girl suddenly appeared above him and dropped kick him in the head. He fell forward and landed on the ground. Everyone else turned to stare at Kuroko as she stood over him. "You ape!" she snarled. "How dare you defile onee-sama…?" Her rant was cut short as Mikoto shocked her with several bolts of electricity.
"Kuroko," Mikoto said over Kuroko's smoking body. "We don't have time for this. Uiharu-san and Saten-san were kidnapped along with friends of Touma and Accelerator. The kidnappers left the city and said our friends will be killed if we don't travel to Rome." Normally this story would half to be followed up with a lot of questions but Kuroko looked into Mikoto's eyes and saw the seriousness and urgency of the situation.
"Ok," Kuroko said immediately. She would not doubt Mikoto. "What do we need to do?"
"Sheesh," Accelerator spat out. "Now it's turning into a field trip for brats. Someone come up with a bright idea to get out of the city or I am going to destroy everything until I find a f#$^ing plane."
"Just find a pilot," Misaki said. "And I'll convince him to fly us."
"We really need a slightly less noticeable plan," Touma said sighing. He had to do something soon or Accelerator really would destroy everything in his way to save Last Order. "Jason, you normally have some idea what to do." He watched Jason think about it for a moment.
"Getting a bunch of level 5s out of the city on a mission not sanctioned by the city," Jason muttered. "I might know someone who can help."
"Call him then," Touma said looking at him. "We don't have much time." Jason nodded and pulled out his phone.
"Hey Osamu," Jason said talking to someone Touma didn't know. "I have an emergency and need to leave the city with some other people secretly. I'll explain everything later but I need the faster plane available to go to Italy." There was silence. "I know, but it's an emergency. There are a lot of circumstances too since it involved the other side." Silence again. "If that idiot tries to cause a fuss, tell him I will release his folder marked CP-0847 from his computer. Even if he tries to erase it I can still access it. The best thing he could hope for is getting kicked out of the city." More silence but then Jason smiled. "Thanks, I owe you a lot. How long?" Jason hung up after the answer.
"So what's happening?" Touma asked as everyone else watched Jason.
"We have 45 minutes to get to the district 23," he said. "He got us a fast jet and will take us directly to Rome."
"Who on earth do you know?" Kuroko asked shocked.
'Who cares," Accelerator said. "He got us a plane. Now I can go there and kill those b#$&#%."
"An old friend," Jason said as he texted someone. "He helps me out a lot. If you need to get anything you better hurry. We leave regardless if everyone shows up or not. I'm having someone drop off some supplies."
Touma nodded and turned to everyone. He really didn't want to put them all in danger, but he knew this was going to be their only chance and he also knew he could not do this alone. He looked at everyone and Mikoto nodded to him indicating his resolve, Misaki smiled reassuringly at him, Accelerator started making his way to the airport, Sogiita hit his chest showing he was ready, Kuroko was looking between Mikoto and Touma, and Jason was busy with his phone. "I can't thank you all for helping," Touma said to them. "But I don't want to put anyone in danger. So if you want to stay I understand." Everyone just stared at him and shook their heads. I knew it. They all made their way to the airport together.
No one paid them any attention as they all boarded a bus, but something weird happened after they got off. They decided, based on advice from Misaki, to get off a stop early so if anyone was watching them it wouldn't be obvious they were heading to the airport. They agreed even though Accelerator grumbled about it being too slow. When they got to the airport, the side gate was unlocked and they snuck in. It was quiet with the occasional hum of a car engine in the background.
"That's the plane over there," Jason said pointing. "It's not the fastest the city has, but it should get us to Rome in a couple hours."
Touma looked around, "It's really quiet and I don't see anyone…Ouch." Mikoto had smacked him in the back of the head.
"Don't say that out loud," she hissed. "It's a jinx."
"Don't be silly…" he started to say but the several spot lights from nearby towers shined right on them. Before any of them could say anything, a large number of armored Anti-Skill personnel rushed out of hiding and surrounded them about 50 feet away. They had a row of riot shields and all of them were heavily armed with high powered weapons. Several members in power suits followed shortly behind them. Many of them were pointing their weapons at them in between the shields. Touma looked around and a lot of the Anti-Skill members didn't seem to be truly happy with aiming their guns at everyone in his group. "Jason," he asked out of the corner of his mouth. "What's going on?"
"His contact obviously betrayed him," Accelerator said reaching for his choker. "Give me 30 seconds to deal with this."
"I'm sure I can convince them all to leave without violence," Misaki said reaching into her purse.
"Wait," Touma said and they both looked at him. "One of them is coming forward."
One man walked forward through the circle perimeter and headed straight toward them. He didn't have a high powered gun but a pistol was strapped to his waist. He still had full body armor, but he had a gold symbol on his chest. Touma guessed this guy was the commanding officer of the group. He appeared nervous, but who could blame him? Standing in front of several level 5s, with all the rumors surrounding them, was probably not the easiest task for anyone except Touma. When he was about ten feet from them he stopped and called out, "Which one of you is Jason Kagere?"
Jason stepped forward. "Stand down captain," he said sternly. "You know my rank and we need to get on that flight."
"I can't do that," he said shaking his head. "Your rank has been suspended." Jason raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Accelerator was about to say something but Touma waved him quiet. He felt this guy had something else to do besides just tell them to leave. The captain pulled out a communicator and set it to speaker. "We are to detain you until you speak with our superior."
"Who the hell is your…" Jason said sounding irritated but then a voice came through the device.
"I'm sure we can skip the name calling Jason," a voice said from the line and Jason froze looking at the communicator with a mix of disgust and apprehension. "You do not have much time and I have a few things discuss with you." Touma never heard a voice like it. He had no idea who could be on the other end and he couldn't make out any clues from the voice. The voice sounded male and female, young and old. It sent a shiver down his spine but also made him feel at peace. He never heard a voice like it. He looked around and everyone else had similar looks of surprise and interest at who was on the line. Except for, surprisingly, Accelerator, he looked like he wanted to smash something.
"There is only one reason for you to contact me at this time," Jason replied coldly. "You know we want to leave the city."
"Exactly," the voice said. "I can't let the level 5s leave with you. If you want, you can go by yourself, but leave the others. Should you try to take them, I will have no choice but to shoot down the plane." Kuroko and Mikoto gasped but everyone else had a grim look on their faces.
"I don't think so," Jason said and Touma heard a little more of the old mocking tone he was use to with Jason. Out of the corner of his eyes everyone else seemed to calm down slightly too. "You would not shoot down a plane full of high level ability users. You would lose too much material, plus other assets. You just want to talk to me about something, what is it?"
There was a brief silence from the other side. "When you return, you will come see me and we will discuss a couple of important topics. You may go. Captain…"
"Yes, sir?" the man asked.
"His rank is restored. You and your people are dismissed."
"Understood," he replied. He turned around walked back to the Anti-Skill members and they started to disburse after a quick order.
"Who was that?" Mikoto asked Jason.
"The biggest a$$&^%* in Academy City," Jason replied grimly.
"You can't stop joking around even when our friends are kidnapped," Kuroko fumed at him.
"Brat," Accelerator said and Kuroko looked at him. "That WAS the biggest a$$&^%* in the city." Kuroko opened her mouth to say something to him but Mikoto silenced her.
"I don't know who it was," she whispered to Kuroko, "But they both agreed so he probably is. Just drop it for now till we save them." Kuroko nodded.
"That took a lot of guts to stand up to whoever that was," Sogiita said. "Their voice was not natural."
"This is going to sound stupid," Misaki said. "But was that person a human?" Everyone looked at Accelerator and Jason.
"Debatable," they said together.
Conversations died out as everyone walked forward to the plane. They saw a pilot waving down to them from the cockpit. Everyone entered the plane, Accelerator led them in, except for Touma who grabbed Jason's sleeve and whispered, "I need to talk to you real fast." Jason nodded and stayed back. "Who was that?" Jason frowned but looked him in the eye.
"He's technically my boss," Jason replied. "Though he is the worst type of person in existence and should be avoided at all cost. He wasn't serious about shooting us down though, I called his bluff."
"What could…" Touma asked but he was interrupted.
"Excuse me," a female voice said from besides them and they both jumped. Touma looked at a girl with straight dirty blonde hair holding a silver suitcase out to Jason. "I brought everything you requested."
"Thanks Kat," he said. She bowed slightly turned away from them took two steps and just disappeared. Touma stared at the spot for a moment. It didn't look like teleportation, he was use to that with Kuroko, but she just simply disappeared and was nowhere nearby.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"The only other member of LOCK-DOWN," Jason said as he turned to the plane. "Her ability is Stealth Field, which really just means she can't be detected by anything. Sight, sound, infer red, etc, she is our information gather when needed. Her nickname is Kat but she won't answer to anything except that. I forgot her full name anyways."
"HURRY THE F&%^ UP!" Accelerator roared from the plane. Touma and Jason jumped and ran into the plane.
The plane may not have been huge but there were enough seats for everyone to sit down and strap in with a few extra seats open. They took off without any problems and saw Academy City disappear into the distance. When the plane leveled off they were able to walk around a bit. Kuroko dragged Mikoto into the back area to learn about what was happening in more detail. Sogiita said something about "resting his guts," and was taking a short nap. He was the only one who actually fought one of the members of the organization today. Accelerator and Jason moved to the front of the plane to discuss something. Touma just sat next to the window staring out across the clouds worrying about his friends. Please be alright. Ruiko, Uiharu, Last Order, Index, we are coming to save you. He felt someone occupy the seat next to him and saw Misaki staring at him with concern in her eyes.
"Are you ok?" she asked hesitantly. Touma looked at her and tried to smile but he wasn't able to do it. She could tell how scared he was at losing his friends and she placed her hand on his. She knew what it was like to lose a friend when they were so close. She remembered the pain when she almost lost Touma long ago and swore to herself she would not let him go through the same pain. "We are all going to help you and bring our friends back," she told him. She saw his eyes soften and he managed a small smile.
"Thanks Misaki," he said his voice beginning to have the warmth she was used to associating with him. "That means a lot to me. Thank you for helping us."
"I'll do anything for you Touma," she said. She decided now was not the time to cause his mind to worry about unnecessary things and decided not to lean in for a kiss. Instead, she gripped his hand tightly for a second and stood up to go talk with Kuroko and Mikoto.
Touma stood up and looked at Misaki's retreating back. She really is special. Not a lot of people would run off and help me save people they barely knew. In fact, he looked around at his friends and saw the same look of determination in all of them. Even Sogiita, who was sleeping, but his brow was narrowed in concentration. I really am lucky to have so many amazing friends. He saw Mikoto watching him from behind Kuroko and Misaki who were arguing about something. She winked at him, but he could tell she was worried about their friends too. He turned around and walked up to Accelerator and Jason who were checking out a couple of guns.
WAIT…THOSE ARE GUNS?!
He approached them slowly and saw they were indeed guns, but only the handheld variety. They both looked at him when he approached. "Jason," he asked. "Why do you have those?"
Jason looked at him in disbelief. "We are going to siege the enemy's stronghold AFTER they invited us. Do you think they are just going to let us walk in and free our friends? You know as well as I do it is a trap."
"Use your brain once in awhile," Accelerator snapped holding up a gun examining it. "Don't be so dense. Hmm, I like this one. It's got a good sight and packs a punch." He slipped it into his waist band.
Jason pocketed a small metal case and pulled out some cards showing them to Touma. "I made these rune cards before in case of emergencies. They let me channel simple spells without having to make seals out of what I find around me. I'm taking all precautions. Besides I am fully authorized to use weapons and I found out Accelerator is too, so nothing wrong here. Now why don't you go and give our troops a pep talk as a morale booster." Jason added the last part while giving him a slap on the back.
Touma shook his head. "I'm not good at those sorts of things," he said. He walked away from them. No matter how desperate he was, he wasn't going to use a gun. Now that he thought about it, Jason was part of Anti-Skill along with Judgment. While Judgment was not permitted to use guns, Anti-Skill was, so Jason was probably perfectly use to using one. I have never seen him with one before though. I hope he won't go overboard trying to save Kazari. His phone started to ring and he answered it before he even looked at who was calling him. "Hello?"
"Kami-yan," Motoharu's voice came through perfectly clear. "How could you leave without even checking up on the people you know from the magic side already in the city?"
"What, Tsuchimikado?" coughed Touma. "How did you know we left?"
"You know what my profession is," he replied cheerfully then got serious. "Anyway I figured we couldn't get you to stop. Kanzaki and Stiyl are upset they got duped. Turns out two of those sin guys locked them in fights and they couldn't come to help you. After the sins captured your friends they retreated. Kanzaki and Stiyl are going to meet you in Rome. When you get there, stay at the airport. If you start wondering around you could fall into the sins' trap. We believe we know where their base of operations is. Stiyl will give you the full explanation when they meet you."
Touma groaned and remembered Motoharu was a professional double agent. However, the fact the sins were able to fight Stiyl and Kanzaki to a standstill, so they couldn't come back to help him, was an indicator how powerful this organization was. "Thanks for letting me know," he said. "Keep me updated with any new information."
"No problems Kami-yan," he said. "Take care and try not to pick up to many Italian babes when the fighting is over."
"You…!" Touma said but Motoharu hung up first. How can he think about that when people are in danger? He sat down in a chair and looked out the window thinking while trying to keep himself calm.
Mikoto was in the back of the plane trying to bring Kuroko up to speed and answer her thousands of questions. It didn't help that for some reason Misaki joined them and got into an argument with Kuroko after she called Touma an ape. Mikoto saw Touma looking a little depressed and she tried to cheer him up by making him believe everything was ok by winking at him. She then tried to get Kuroko and Misaki to stop arguing right before they were going to have to work together, but it didn't work. She sighed. Guess they can work it out themselves.
She noticed Touma was talking to Jason and Accelerator for a bit then answered a phone call. Afterwards, he looked slightly drained and a little irritated. He threw himself into a seat near the window and stared outside. Mikoto briefly thought of going over there to cheer him up, but she could tell he needed a minute to himself to think. She really wanted to talk to him, but instead, she turned away to Jason who was waving at her to come over. She shrugged and walked up to him. "What?"
"I have something for you," Jason said rummaging around in his suitcase. He eventually pulled out a small choker that looked a lot like's Accelerator.
"What is that?" Mikoto asked cautiously. She didn't think Jason was into anything really weird based on what Kazari told her. Why would he choose now to do this?
"This isn't going to bring up pleasant memories," Jason said seriously looking at her and her doubt on his intentions flooded away instantly. "This is the remainder of the Exterior Project that has come into my possession."
For a second, all thought left Mikoto as she remembered what happened when the Exterior experiment affected her. She turned into a monster bent only on destruction and almost killed Touma and Sogiita. She did not remember a lot of the details during her transformation but in the end, Touma manage to save her. The Exterior Project purpose was to try to forcefully turn her into a level 6 while destroying Academy City at the same time. She would have died when the transformation was completed if not for Touma. "W-why do you have that?" she asked stunned and angry. "You know what will happen and how many people could die."
Jason nodded. "That is the reason I refused to join any experiments trying to create a level 6, but I manage to steal some information from them. This choker is designed to allow you to temporary access the Misaka Network, though it will only work for you. And before you say anything, I do know about Accelerator's level 6 experiment. If you use this choker, you will be able to access part of the power you had when they forced you to transform."
"You can't be serious," Mikoto told him. She was getting even angrier and couldn't believe what she was hearing. I knew he worked for the curriculum development but how could he have this information about those horrible experiments and talk about it normally. She looked up directly at his face but saw in his eyes something she believed she saw occasionally in Accelerator's eyes. Regret…
"I know what you are probably thinking," he said slowly. "I did modify it though. It will only let you access the power for one to two minutes then forcefully disconnect you. The downside is you probably won't be able to move, let alone fight after your access is severed."
"Why would you do this and why now?" Mikoto asked as she found herself having to know the answer. The fact he added a safety switch told her Jason must have been thinking of her safety.
"I don't want anyone to die," he said his voice shaking very slightly. "I can't… never mind. As to why I'm giving this to you now is because we are walking into the enemy's stronghold. I'm preparing all my trump cards I have at my disposal. I would prefer you not to use it as it couldn't be tested on anything or anyone else. It is a last resort for you. So I decided you would, no should, be the only one with the choice on if it should be activated."
Mikoto looked at him and looked at the choker. She reached out a hand and took it. "I'll hold onto it and if I decide I have to, I'll use it."
"Only advice I have for you is, remember why you're fighting," Jason said and walked away.
After thinking about all possibilities Touma got up and walked over to Accelerator, who was pretending to be asleep. Touma knew he was pretending by the way his finger kept twitching as if he was thinking about something really unpleasant. "You ready to save them?"
"Don't ask stupid questions hero," he said without opening his eyes. "I'm just going to kill those b#$%&^$ for tricking me and taking Last Order." Touma sat next to him and Accelerator opened one eye but didn't say anything. "I've been meaning to ask you this for awhile," Accelerator said after a minute of silence. "What is the nun girl to you?"
Touma looked at him because he didn't expect Accelerator to care. "She's family to me and I promised to protect her. She might have even had a tougher childhood then either of us." Accelerator raised an eyebrow but decided not to argue with him. "Anyway, I was the first friend she had when she came to Academy City because she was connected to the magic side. Anyway, certain things happened and I really can't give you more details but she is incredibly important to me."
"Sounds about right for a f$%&*$ hero," Accelerator muttered.
"So why do you care so much about Last Order?" Touma asked."I know she lives with you because she has nowhere else to go, but why are you risking everything to save her? I never did hear how you two met. The first time I met her you were trying to rescue her too. I mean, I'm stupid enough to dash into anything, but you seem to avoid going out of your way for others."
"You make it sound like I'm a monster."
"That's not what I meant," Touma said quickly shaking his head. "I know you are a good guy but…"
"I know what you meant," Accelerator sighed. He didn't want to hero to continue and say something really stupid. "Fine," he huffed. "The reason I'm going to save her is because she saved me."
"What really?" Touma asked. "From who?"
"She saved me from myself."
A couple hours later, they landed in Italy. Because of the time difference between Japan and Italy, it was around noon. However, if the weather was any indication on what this trip was going to be like, they were not in for a good time. The rain was coming down in sheets and the storm was supposed to last all day. They exited the plane and entered the main building in the airport. It was really crowded and Touma started looking for Stiyl and Kanzaki. They found them sitting in the main lobby off to the side waiting.
"About time you got here," Stiyl said. "We have been waiting for over thirty minutes."
"How did you beat us?" Touma asked. 'We left really quickly."
"You underestimate us," he replied smirking slightly. "Don't doubt the power of our magic."
"So where is their base?" Mikoto asked.
He turned and looked at her closely then his eyes moved to each of the other members of Touma's group. "You brought more people then I was told."
"Things happened and we picked up more people," Touma said dismissively. "But she's right. Where are they?"
"It's not a good place to talk about it yet," Kanzaki said softly and Touma looked at her. "We have been making preparations and have transportation to bring us there."
"Then let's go already," Accelerator said. "We are wasting too much time with this useless talking."
"I agree," Stiyl said standing up and leading everyone to a large city bus waiting outside of the airport. Everyone filed in and Touma was the last one to enter. The driver was an elderly man who gave him a wink as he entered. Touma recognized him as a member of the Amakusa. He sat down as the bus started to move and asked Kanzaki.
"Are the Amakusa here too?"
"Yes," she nodded. "They are forming a protective perimeter around the target. This weather is keeping a lot of people away but we still have to take certain measures to make sure the battle does not leak out and involve normal people."
"So where is their base?" Misaki asked. "Since you didn't tell us in the airport, I assume it is in a pretty well known place."
"We located the source of their activities in the Roman Coliseum," Stiyl said glancing at her.
"What?" asked Mikoto in shock. "That is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome. How could they operate there without anyone noticing?"
"You are new to magic," Stiyl said shaking his head slightly in frustration. "Hiding in plain sight is one of the most basic skills for us." Mikoto glared at him for a moment. She never really liked him ever since she met him.
"Magic?" Kuroko whispered but no one answered her.
"Wow the coliseum," Sogiita said making a fist. "One of the most well known places where men gathered to show off their guts. I can't wait to see it."
"We aren't going there for a vacation," snapped Accelerator. He was still in a very irritable mood.
"Anyway," Stiyl continued. "You all may not know this being from the science side, except for those two." He pointed to Touma and Jason. "Due to the tensions between the magic and science side, this operation is completely unauthorized. If we get into trouble, there is no back up. You are all on your own. If you fail, our side will most likely move in full force to take these guys out. This means you won't be able to rescue your friends."
"Are you threatening us?" Accelerator asked angrily standing up slightly.
"No," Stiyl said looking at him without the slightest trace of fear. "I am simply telling you what is going to happen."
Touma stood up between him and Accelerator. "Thanks for the warning," he said. "But we won't fail." He shot a look at Accelerator who sat down. We can't be fighting between ourselves now.
"That reminds me," Stiyl said standing up and grabbing Touma's collar. "Where were you and why did you let Index get captured?!" He said the last part in a snarl.
"You think I tried to let them take her," Touma said grabbing his wrists and forcing Stiyl to let him go. "I want to save her as much as you do."
"Besides," Accelerator snapped. "It was my fault for falling for such an obvious trick. I was looking after her when they kidnapped her." Everyone from Academy City looked at Accelerator because they were not use to him admitting he failed at something. Stiyl looked like he was about to say something but Kanzaki put his hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
Kuroko leaned next to Mikoto and whispered. "I don't trust the red haired guy. He seems really suspicious and I don't doubt he might kill someone."
"I don't like him much either," Mikoto whispered back. "But from what Touma told me, he is a professional in dealing with these types so he is going to be useful. Kanzaki is really strong too and she is a lot more likeable."
Touma sat down and sighed. The day started off so well for him and then it turned into this. Tensions were high and everyone could snap in a moment's notice. I believe in them though. We will rescue everyone and go home. He saw Misaki sit next to him but didn't say anything. She also had a determined look on her face. He knew there wasn't really anything to say at this time. However, he thought to himself, I won't let anyone die.
They arrived a short distance from the coliseum. The weather seemed to be getting slightly better because the rain stopped, but an eerie thick fog started to form all around the city. They couldn't see very far. The bus stopped and everyone exited and they walked towards the coliseum. Touma looked around but could not see through the thick fog. He was aware of how eerily quiet it was. He could understand the lack of people because the Amakusa were keeping them away, but there was no sound of any machines or animals. The only sounds were their footsteps as they walked forward.
"So what's the plan?" Touma asked Stiyl.
"They obviously know we are coming," he said lighting a cigarette. "So I figure we just walk in and beat the crap out of them."
"Excellent," Accelerator said grinning evilly. "I like simple and efficient plans. Sneaking around is beneath me."
"We are going to show them no matter what traps they set up," Sogiita said throwing out his fist. "With guts we can overcome them all."
"You two are so uncivilized," Misaki sighed.
"Are all guys idiots?" Kuroko asked bewildered.
Touma opened his mouth to say something but Mikoto threw a hand over it. "They are Kuroko," she said. "It's in their genes." All the girls laughed and even Kanzaki gave a grudging smile. Even with the tension of the upcoming battle, everyone was still able to joke around.
Touma thought one person was being uncharacteristically quiet. He turned to Jason and said, "Don't worry we will save them."
"I know," Jason said. "I'm just worried about the sheer amount of magic coming from the coliseum. Stiyl and Kanzaki appear to have noticed it too."
"We just have to beat everyone in there and bring our friends with us," Touma said. "Just a normal day for me." Jason smirked and Touma saw the normal face of his friend again.
"If you kids are done acting stupid," Stiyl said sighing. "Let's go. The longer we stay out in the open the more opportunities they have to attack."
They moved quickly through the open field to the coliseum. Most of the entrances had gates but the main entrance was suspiciously open. Stiyl didn't hesitate for a second and walked right through it with Kanzaki right behind him. Everyone else followed since they all knew the organization knew they were coming. They walked down a dark tunnel and emerged into the main ring. For some reason the main ring seemed to be repaired. Touma thought he remembered reading the center area was mostly destroyed and you could see the areas were prisoners below the ring were kept. But as they walked out, it seemed to be completely repaired. The coliseum was empty except for them and a lone figure access from them.
"Umm," Mikoto said looking around. "Where did Stiyl and Kanzaki go?" Everyone gave a quick look around but found out she was right. They were gone.
"Damn it," Touma said. "They are trying to separate us."
"They should be able to handle themselves," Accelerator said shrugging. "Let's focus on that guy and force him to give us answers."
"Well he seems to be walking right towards us," Misaki pointed out while pulling out her remote. "One way or another he will answer our questions.
The single figured was walking toward them. If Touma could describe him in one word it would be, jester. To him, the guy looked just like a medieval jester you would see around royalty to act as entertainment. He wore a red and yellow suit with black stripes. His head gear had several spikes coming from it with a bell on each end. There were also bells on his shoes and wrists. Every step he took toward them was accompanied by bells. His face was covered by a gold mask with the face of a sad man. He approached them, put his right hand across his chest, and bowed to them. "Welcome," he said. His voice seemed oddly normal from behind the mask with just a hint of amusement. "To the headquarters of The Fallen. We hope you find it to your liking."
"Where are Stiyl and Kanzaki?" Mikoto asked angrily.
"The magicians?" the jester asked ironically. "They simple entered the coliseum in a space parallel to ours."
"What?" Mikoto asked.
"It's spatial magic to allow several different spaces to exist in the same location," Jason explained. "They tend to get created between dimensions. Most likely that is how they operated here without notice. Each pocket dimension exists as a model of the original location. I believe there is a limit to how big they can get before they fall apart."
"What kind of things can they do with magic?" Kuroko asked shocked as she looked at him. Mikoto had given her a brief rundown and the two people they met in Italy mentioned magic too. Magic can't be real? But what if it's like our abilities except developed a different way?
"A very simplified explanation," the jester said nodding. "But correct in essentials. You see, they are currently being occupied because my masters are interested in fighting you all."
"By masters," Touma said. "You mean the other guys with the sin marks." He held up his arm displaying the mark of sloth.
"Exactly," the jester appeared satisfied at his response. "As you are here to rescue your friends," he raised both arms out to his side. "There is a simple game you must participate in." The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed across the arena. Every looked and saw seven archways slowly form around the arena as the stones separated smoothly like water. The entranceways were glowing white and nothing could be seen behind them. "Each of these doors will go to one of the sins personal spaces and the seventh one, since sloth is already dead, will lead to our leader."
"Tell me why I should play your game and not just torture you until you tell me what I want to know?" Accelerator roared at him.
"Because your friends are behind four of the seven doors," the jester explained. "If you don't go through them all, you may miss some of them."
"Tell us which doors they are in," Sogiita demanded.
"I don't know," the jester said shaking his head and causing the bells to ring more.
"Allow me," Misaki said pointing her remote at the jester. He froze in place. "He actually doesn't know. I guess it was a safety precaution." Her eyes widened. "How…?"
"What is it Misaki?" Touma asked worried.
"This guy doesn't know anything else besides what he told us," she explained shocked. "All of our questions were predicted by some guy called The Herald."
"He predicted which questions we would ask?" Mikoto said surprised.
"It doesn't matter," Accelerator said. "We simply go through each door, kick their ass, and rescue the hostages. Whoever gets the leader, crush him extra for me."
Touma looked at everyone and saw their determination. "I guess we really don't have a choice. Everyone has to take one doorway. Be careful everyone. Let's all make it back."
"Heh," Accelerator sneered. "You need to work on your morale building speeches."
"I agree," Jason said. "You didn't even tell us to beat them."
"As long as you reach deep within yourself," Sogiita said loudly fire in his eyes. "You can draw the power from your guts and defeat all the villains who stand before you! Show off your splendor and guts to those villains who use cowardly tactics! OVERCOME EVERYTHING WITH GUTS!"
"What an idiot," Kuroko sighed.
"At least that was a speech," Mikoto said. She elbowed Touma in the side. "You need to give speeches like that."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Touma replied to them all dejected.
"I still liked your speech," Misaki said patting him on the shoulder.
Everyone took their positions in front of a doorway and, simultaneously with a look of determination, took a step in.
Stiyl and Kanzaki had found themselves in the middle of the arena surrounded by humanoid like golems made of stone. There were several hundred just in the middle of the coliseum, but the stands were also full of them. They were all moving toward the two magicians. Kazari had instinctively cut several down but they just kept regenerating and coming toward them.
"Looks like this might take some time," Kaori said to Stiyl as her wires cut several more into pieces.
"Seems they will infinitely regenerate unless we take them all down," Stiyl said examining the flow of mana in the air. "I'll need you to cover me while I place these." He pulled out a stack of rune cards. "This way we can take them all out at once."
Kaori nodded. "Do you think they will be alright?" She was obviously referring to Touma and his friends.
"Probably," Stiyl said throwing several rune cards into position as Kaori cut down the stone golems. "The boy is with them and he usually somehow pulls through."
Kaori turned away while slashing several more golems down in front of her. She didn't want Stiyl to see her smile. He may not show it, but he was obviously worried about Touma. Please be alright Kamijou. I still need to repay you for everything you have done for me.
Accelerator found himself walking down a short hallway that led back to the center of the coliseum. What the hell, I know I walked in a straight line. He looked around and realized this coliseum was slightly different. In the stands appeared to be some modern appliances like a bed, some dressers, and a table. He took a couple more steps into the center of the arena.
"About time you got here," a familiar voice said and Accelerator turned to see the punk from before watching him. The punk was sitting on a pile of what looked like human skulls. He noticed Accelerator looking at them and smiled. "I see you like my trophies," he said laughing slightly. "Don't worry, when I kill you, your skull will be an excellent addition."
"You think I would be intimidated over a pile of bones," Accelerator said throwing his head back and laughing. "Now tell me where she is and I'll make your death quick and painless."
"You seem to think highly of yourself," the punk said. "I look forward to wipe that grin from your face. The girl is over there unharmed for now." He pointed to a stone alter where Last Order was laying on it unconscious. It was surrounded by a faint blue dome of light. "You can't get her out of there though until one of us dies, that is the rule for the barrier."
"Sounds easy enough," Accelerator said cracking his knuckles. "You just have to die."
"My name is Pride, and I look forward to crushing you and bask in your look of despair." He jumped down and joined Accelerator in the ring.
Jason walked through his hallway and entered the arena. He looked around and saw huge piles of all sorts of things imaginable. Cars, beds, chests of assorted goods, stands of weapons, and anything else one could desire were arranged all over the stands surrounding the arena. Wow, someone's a collector. A faint buzzing sound echoed through his mind. Yes, I know it's a trap, but still, some of this stuff is amazing.
"Well well," a familiar voice said. "Jason, your interest in exotic goods hasn't changed even after all these years."
Jason froze, he recognized that voice. Damn it, it can't be. Why is he still alive? Jason turned slowly and looked at the monocle man with slick grey hair. "How are you still alive you b#&$^#."
"I go by Greed now," he said with a slight smirk. "But is this how you greet someone you haven't seen in five years?"
"You were supposed to be dead," Jason growled between clenched teeth. I saw his body personally. More buzzing. Stop doubting me, he WAS dead. "Where is she?"
"So sorry," he said shrugging but his face showed he wasn't sorry at all. "She is with Gluttony. Oh interesting piece of information for you. Gluttony's former name was Dr. Ricane, someone I believe you know."
"I'm going to slaughter you again!" Jason yelled in anger as his shadow erupted around him and formed several arms each holding a large black blade. Even though they were just shadows, they looked incredibly sharp. Jason knew that name. The doctor helped him learn about his shadow and was an expert in spatial displacement. Why is he helping them?
"Is this how you treat your old mentor?" Greed said sadly shaking his head. "Without me, you wouldn't even know magic existed."
Mikoto walked through her hallway and found herself back in the arena. I hate magic, I was sure I walked in a straight line. This arena was full of the remains of a lot of destroyed furniture, cars, and what could have been a small building. Some of the wreckages were torn into pieces and a lot of it was burnt black. The smell of charcoal was strong and it made her sneeze. She had a really bad feeling about who was here.
"Hahaha," a loud crackling laugh echoed through the coliseum. Mikoto saw Wrath walking down the steps from the upper levels of the arena. "It's time to finish what we started. You are so lucky. You survived against me not once, but twice. There will be no third time."
"Where are my friends Wrath?" Mikoto yelled at her.
"I don't see why that matters since you are going to die," Wrath said. "But since you asked, I might as well tell you. One of your friends is there." She pointed to a stone alter were Ruiko was laying unconscious surrounded by a faint blue dome of light. "The barrier will only go down when one of us dies. So after I kill you, I'm going to kill your friend. Now you know what you are fighting for." She threw back her head and laughed again.
Electricity started to crackle around Mikoto as she felt anger engulf her. How dare she threaten Saten? I'm going to stop her. 'You lost twice before," Mikoto called back. "Same situation, same outcome."
Wrath's face twisted from amusement to anger as she jumped into the arena. "There's no one to come in and rescue you this time brat," she hissed. "You are all alone."
Misaki walked through her hallway and found herself in another arena. At least I didn't have far to go. She could tell this arena was different because the stands were full of masked individuals, both male and female but none of them were moving. A stroke of worry crossed her mind thinking she was going to have to fight all these people. Her ability could target a lot of people at once, but, if their minds were shielded, she would be at a disadvantage.
"Sigh," a sultry female voice said. "Out of all the possibilities, I got stuck with a girl whose nutrients must have gone to her chest instead of her brain. I wish I got one of those attractive guys." Misaki turned to see a very attractive woman with long wavy black hair and a bright red dress in the stands. She was sitting on a throne like golden chair supported by six of the masked individuals. A flash of irritation went through her mind as she looked at the women in front of her.
"Jealousy is not very attractive," Misaki replied smiling insincerely crossing her arms under her chest. 'In fact it is known to cause wrinkles, but I see you found that out the hard way obaa-san."
Both Misaki and the women glared at each other and sparks came out of both their eyes. Then the women smiled at Misaki. "I'm sure you will change your attitude dear," she said. "After all, you are about to find out why I am called Lust."
"I can't wait," Misaki said dryly.
Kuroko walked through her hallway and found herself in another arena. She looked around and was surprised at all the ordinary stuff she found. Whoever is here must like clothes. There were a lot of wardrobes in the stands along with a lot of tables, beds, and mirrors. She walked towards the center of the arena carefully because she did not see anyone.
"Kuroko?"
Kuroko turned around instantly and saw Mikoto walking into the arena from a different doorway. "Onee-sama," she asked. "Why are you here?"
"I don't know where here is," Mikoto replied. "I just found myself here. I thought we would all go to different areas."
"I did too," Kuroko thought out loud. "It could be possible two of them are here."
"You are wrong," a female voice said form the stands. Kuroko and Mikoto turned to look at a cloaked figured gliding down the stairs in the stands. "I am Envy and I am more than capable of taking you both down together."
"As if," Mikoto said.
"Together we are invincible!" Kuroko yelled puffing out her chest.
Envy laughed at Kuroko. "But bonds are so easily broken girl."
Sogiita dashed through the hallway and entered his arena. He looked around to see who was in here. It's up to a hero to stop the villains. I need to move fast to save the hostages. This arena seemed to be divided into two parts. Half of it was full of scientific equipment, monitors, scanners, tables, and more but Sogiita had no idea what most of it did. He was not the most technologically advanced person. The other half seemed to be full of food storage devices, vending machines, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, and cupboards. "Hello!" he called out. "Come out and fight me like a man!"
"There's no need to shout," someone said causing him to look at the source of the voice. The bald top scientist with white hair in the stands looked over a laptop at Sogiita. He was sitting in a chair with a large wrapper pile next to him. Most of the wrappers seemed to be assorted junk food. His feet were propped up on a small table in front of him.
"It's you," Sogiita said. "I'm going to show you my guts are stronger than your brand of villainy."
"I have to admit," the scientist said. "Your gemstone ability is quite impressive. Shame you can't explain how it works. It would save us researchers a lot of time on experiments."
"Where did you put the hostages?" Sogiita asked.
"Ah," he said. "One's over there," he pointed to a stone alter where the black haired girl with a flower band was laying unconscious surrounded by a faint blue dome of light. "Really," he sighed. "It's such a pain to watch over them. I would give her to you if I could, but I can't."
"Why?" Sogiita asked.
"Cause the barrier will only fade if one of us dies," he answered while opening a bag of chips. "Since you are going to die, there is no real point of giving her to you."
"I'm going to show you how powerful guts are," Sogiita said as he took up his favorite karate position.
Before anyone asks where Touma is, read below:
Each of the next chapters will have one of the sin fights. The reason is these fights need to be resolved first before we get to Touma's fight. You might have guessed he is going to meet the leader by process of elimination.
Because all the fights happen simultaneously, it doesn't matter which one goes first as a chapter. I also feel these fights will be better as one continuous fight instead of breaking them up. I have all the fights planned out but not written yet. If a fight isn't very long, I might combine it in the same chapter as another shorter fight. But I feel most of the fights will be worthy of their own chapter.
Now, I am leaving a choice up to you, the readers. I will be looking at comments and messages to see if a majority of people want to see a certain fight first. If so, I will try to accommodate. If no one cares, I'll just choose.
Accelerator vs Pride (Best fight)
Jason vs Greed (Plot fight)
Mikoto vs Wrath (Round 3)
Misaki vs Lust (Catfight)
Kuroko vs Envy (Weird fight)
Sogiita vs Gluttony (Guts fight)
Even if you do not care about the order of the fights, feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or idea. I love reading them.