A Certain Infinite Possibility

by Darkbetrayer

An ancient organization has emerged from hiding in order to bring the world into darkness. Will Touma be able to stop them or will his actions make everything worse. Will Touma finally develop the harem he deserves? Magic and Science will collide in ways no one thought possible. Touma X Harem (Maybe, he is really dense.)

86. S4 Plight of the Level 5s: Part 2

After talking with a friend, I actually changed a lot of things in this chapter, which is why it took so long to get out. I was over halfway done when I decided some things weren't working out. Everything is back on track now, so we should be seeing the fights pick up a little bit. A lot of people were interested in Misaki vs Arthur, so they should enjoy this chapter. I'm working hard to make every fight unique in its own way. Sadly, this is a more serious part of the story, so we have to wait a bit until we get back to the humorous slice of life parts. The big news is Index NT 17 is almost completely translated. Like normal, I don't talk about it in specifics to avoid spoilers and give everyone plenty of time to read it. Now, it is time to move on to the comments.

Whwsms: I don't know if Shiage's Touma Punch could beat the power of the Kami-yan disease Touma possesses. I think Mugino will lean toward Touma, but might respect Shiage a little more.

DARKPHANTOM13: When you mentioned that, I know you saw exactly what I was planning. Shiage is pretty good at making stuff up on the fly. We will have to see what he can find.

Brosephg: You never mess with Accelerator's loli. Even in the light novels, people found that out the hard way. Never be normal, normal means you gave up trying to be yourself. It was your fault this chapter was delayed.

naruhinasakufan1: I wonder if Cain can be beaten. We only saw a fraction of his power so far. Black wings still have a limit to their power. He struggled against a Saint/God's Right Seat, and a vampire with endless mana should be tougher. Oda was actually mentioned in an earlier chapter, I'm surprised no one mentioned that. Everyone you mentioned in your skirt will probably happen.

General Ironox: You're partially right and Shiage vs Oda should be a good fight.

UCCMaster: The thing is, only Touma knows about Deep Blood. None of his friends know about Himegami's unique gift. It's a recurring theme in this story. People keep information from each other and it comes back to bite them all.

GameCguru: The chase will be Shiage running away screaming "don't hurt me" and Oda destroying everything around him obviously. If Himegami just shows up out of the blue, it's kind of lazy writing.

Guest: While esper is more commonly used in translated works, the original names were called abilities and ability users. This way, when someone says power, they usually are more attuned to the magic side or a person outside of Academy City referencing the student's abilities.

Handsomistic1: He's just jealous he doesn't have a loli. Actually, Eve knows about their 'shift' though she calls it something else. Speaking of tying stuff together, I wonder if people will see the reason I inserted a short arc of complete craziness earlier. Eh, Kakine has an important job, and Jason's not doing anything. He's spending time with his girlfriend while everyone else does actual work. What a slacker.

Hilem: About time, I get deeply distraught if you don't immediately read my story. Haha, just kidding. Everyone has conflicting priorities. Accelerator's fight is one of my favorite because of how he reacts and he always has to fight powerful people or the fights end instantly. We still have one more fight to see part one of before we see how the other's react.

Salishious: The vectors of aging? I have never heard that. It's such a weird concept. You might have to be able to control a level above vectors to do that. Someone has the ability to heal his brain, but he never asked. Besides, if he's fully healed, he loses his one weakness. Kami definitely needs an Alpha female, someone who will tell him when he's stupid and smack him around. She also needs to keep his harem in line, like Touma's mom does to his dad. "Inside Touma?" Careful how your word things. Those two girls you mentioned will defiantly get more screen time, but we have to settle fights and Australia first. Touma would have to find someone to say who the previous hosts where.

wildarms13: There's more than one way to fight without mental abilities or physical attacks. Oda was mentioned in an earlier chapter, beginning of season three. I'm going to do all the level 5 fights now, and then once that's concluded we move back to Touma. It limits the amount of things people need to remember.

FrodoFighter: Cain vs Accelerator is my favorite fight of the level 5s. You don't see Accelerator being out classed often. I don't know, just inserting Himegami into the fight would seem kind of lazy. Touma almost found out, but Cain dodged it in their last encounter. Simple but effective is Oda's motto. Why try to show off with flashy attacks? Of course, Oda can make Shiage his apprentice and keep showing up during the story to train him and give advice hahaha. For the Touma Punch to be effective, Rikou has to not be living her life correctly. She's actually one of the nicer people of ITEM, so I doubt she will ever get punched by Touma. Hope you like the Misaki vs Arthur fight and it lives up to your expectations.

Destati69: If he survives, he definitely gets it.

Generation Zero: Gunha fights are always hilarious, but we will have to wait and see what tricks Eve uses to fight GUTS! We don't talk about Bleach anymore with that rushed ending. They could have done so much but they slacked off to finish it. This chapter does have the new fights you wished for. Aleister will at least say something at some point, but Fiamma is after the level 5 fights.

Agent Nine: I thought I made that obvious? The plan was for that to happen, but get killed anyways.

Jujudude: Yuna has become too popular for me to sideline her. She will have to reappear again. I think Accelerator would lean toward Bayloupe. Estelle doesn't quite have those feelings for him, at least, not yet.

Kami: NEVER! He will die in a pit of fire and brimstone as his soul slowly writhes in pain. His harem will then be absorbed by Touma's. Eh, he might show up at some point, not sure when though.

Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly. Magic Gods own all so they can do what they want.

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Misaki was running through every response available to her in her mind.

Before her stood a magician who called himself Arthur Pendragon, or more specifically, King Arthur. King Arthur was the man who pulled a legendary sword from a stone to become king of Britain and formed the Knights of the Round Table. She actually didn't believe this man was the true King Arthur, she wasn't even sure if there WAS a real King Arthur. Historians had been arguing about if he actually existed for decades. However, with magic being real and the age old saying all myths have some shred of truth to them, she couldn't rule the possibility out. Being part of Eve's group added another layer of difficulty for her. Arthur had to be a powerful magician or Eve wouldn't have sent him after her. Eve also knew Misaki's ability, which was probably more dangerous than Arthur being a powerful magician. Misaki had taken over knights and many other magicians before, but they didn't know her ability at first. She had no doubt he knew exactly what she was capable of and that meant he had to be prepared to avoid her mental manipulation.

But he doesn't know their abilities. Misaki's eyes darted to the three other girls.

This was the primary reason for even considering trying to face Arthur in combat. Two of the girls had abilities that could be used for attacking, while the other girl's ability could be used for support. This still might not be enough. Eve's power was great enough to stand against four level 5s, an army, and the Anglican Church's magicians. Juliet may not have that level of power, but she could still face a group of us by herself. I only met Cain once and he left a strong impression. From what Misaka and Touma said about him, I definitely don't want to face him alone. This guy is most likely around Juliet's level. It could still be a problem though, since I have no idea what his powers are. I'm walking into this fight blind. Misaki absolutely hated improvising. She would rather have detailed plans worked out for all possible situations. Even when they had to rush Touma out of her dorm the one time she snuck him in, she always had a plan to get him out, regardless if it had to be rushed.

The problem was, even with the girls' abilities being a surprise, Misaki didn't hold much hope in a victory from a straight on fight. Her first priority was to establish an escape route. It was very likely they would have to flee in hopes they can get out of the area and set up some sort of plan, but there was a problem preventing her from acting. Arthur had been waiting for them, so he knew they would be here, and Misaki had no idea how long he had to prepare. At the very least, he used one of those people clearing fields the magic side liked to use to keep civilians out of the way. This was both good and bad for her. He wasn't going to use unrelated people as human shields, but Misaki's mental ability wouldn't be able to gather assistance. Strength in numbers was one of her primary strategies. Moving back to the topic of preparation, Misaki had no idea if there were any other members of the Fallen nearby. For all she knew, they stepped into a trap and, any second, they could be struck by magic. None of them could sense spells, they had to actually witness them, and Misaki knew some spells couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

"You seem to be suspicious of me," Arthur commented and broke into her thoughts. "I do not blame you after what Eve and Juliet have put you through. Perhaps I could put some of your worries to rest?"

"I'm trying to understand why you are standing there so calmly," Misaki replied evenly. Her eyes darted to the other girls again, who were standing and waiting. Misaki's ability was still in effect and they would only react to protect her and themselves. "I'm sure you understand, from my position, I would believe you set up traps in anticipation of my arrival. No offense."

"None taken my lady," Arthur replied respectfully. "If I was in your place, I would believe the exact same thing. I know anything I say will still convey doubt to you, but there are no other traps here. The only magic I prepared were a people clearing field, so we may talk without interruption, and a spell to interrupt your cellphone signal, so you can't receive or send any messages. I do have a few of my knights waiting in the back though, should we reach an impasse in our discussion."

"I appreciate the warning and understanding," Misaki replied diplomatically, but it was all an act. He didn't seem to be lying to her, so she changed from suspicion to bewilderment. Why is he telling me all this? If I know he has men hiding in the back, I would take precautions against a surprise attack. She debated with herself to use her ability to count their numbers, but that could cause a breakdown in the civility between them.

"You look like you want to say something more," Arthur pointed out. "You might as well speak your mind now, as we do not have much time."

"Why would you tell me you have support in hiding?" Misaki couldn't resist asking. To her, telling an enemy your plans was an idiotic move. He could have summoned them during their fight and overwhelmed her with a surprise attack. "In fact, why would you not just attack me outright as soon as I arrived? It seems like talking to me like this is only you giving my information to use against your forces." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. There's something going on here. Is he even trying to win, or is there something else? To her surprise, Arthur smiled.

"I am a king," he stated simply. "And thus, I have a modicum amount of class. I am not a battle crazed maniac nor do I like undignified tactics, like assassinations. I have a strict code of honor." Misaki didn't know how close to the truth she was, but he had expected this and knew the perfect answer to give.

"Yet here you are trying to kill a poor, innocent, little girl," Misaki replied curtly.

"It is not an enjoyable task," Arthur admitted gloomily. "One which, I would rather have avoided. However, Lady Eve's orders are absolute. Killing a beautiful and intelligent young woman such as yourself will only leave a sour taste in my mouth. Thus, I plan to perform this act in the noblest way possible." Misaki blinked.

"Are… are you coming on to me?" she asked in shock. "I'm sorry to disappoint you," she put a hand delicately on her chest, "this queen already has a king. No one else could ever meet my expectations."

"I did hear about that," Arthur said with a nod. "But no, perhaps in another place and time such a thing might be a possibility."

"Well then," Misaki said and she managed to calm herself mentally. "Thank you for the compliment."

"While our time is limited," Arthur continued. "Would you care to join me for some tea? We can discuss the terms of your surrender in a most civilized fashion."

"Oh?" Misaki asked and raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever suggesting I was planning to surrender. There is still the possibility you are lying to me about your support and are afraid to face me directly." There was only a small chance this was true, but Misaki wanted to cover her bases.

"Perhaps you could use your ability to discover how many men I possess," suggested Arthur.

"If you insist," Misaki replied with an insincere smile. She raised her remote and clicked the button. He's not lying. As she concentrated, more and more minds were revealed to her. She counted eleven total, but something was off. Six of them don't seem to be shielded and I can read their minds. The other five have a magical resistance like the knights in England. Could his backup have different levels of skill? She skimmed the mind of one of the unshielded men and her mouth fell open. The unshielded men are not real, they were made by Eve, but their minds are exactly like a human. The only memories the man had were waking up in front of Eve and Arthur, and then told he was to follow Arthur's every command. So Eve made puppets for him to boost his numbers, while the shielded ones must be actual knights. I'll avoid breaking into their minds right now in case it's a trap. She was about to stop scanning the area when she detected something else.

There was one more shielded mind in the administrative building of the train station. The man was further away than the others, so she almost missed him. What's this feeling? When she made contact with the last man's mind, a shiver ran down her back. She couldn't understand why. The man's mind was shielded as strongly, if not more so, as Princess Carissa's was in England. Misaki doubted she would be able to break into the man's mind, even if she poured all her concentration into it. In fact, she shouldn't have even felt anything from the link to cause her to shiver. Sometimes she might see a memory that disgusted or unnerved her, but in this case she saw nothing. "I see you weren't lying about your men."

"Twelve total," Arthur told her. This confirmed her count. "More than enough to bring victory should the situation call for it." He gave her a brief nod. "So would you like some tea before you surrender?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Misaki informed him. "My friends would be deeply disappointed if I was to pass on. I appreciate your offer, but I must decline. Perhaps we can meet under more pleasant circumstances." The first person who she knew would miss her was Touma. He would be devastated if anything happened to her. Of course any of his friends would make him feel that way. It was one of the best things about him, but she was also frustrated he didn't treat her more special than the others. Funnily enough, Misaki actually thought Mikoto might also be sad if she died. They might not consider each other friends, but they hung out more than they use to and it was obvious they were something. "I will take my leave."

"I'm sorry," Arthur apologized. "But I can't let you go. That is one thing Lady Eve was very specific about. You have to die here today. I want to make this as painless as possible for you. If you wish, I can deliver the final blow myself."

"I would rather you turn around and leave. Now, if you don't mind, I'm late in meeting my other friends. Misaka and Touma will start wondering where I am. I tend to be quite punctual." This was a bluff, as neither of them knew where she was, but there was a chance Arthur didn't know that.

"I'm afraid your friends won't notice your disappearance," Arthur informed her and his face turned dark for a moment. It was only a flicker, but Misaki caught it easily.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked slowly. Something was nagging her in the back of her mind and she found herself tensing up. His answer is not going to be pleasant.

"Did you believe you were the only target Lady Eve gave us?" Misaki's eyes went wide.

"Y-you can't be serious," Misaki answered and her throat went dry.

"Lady Eve summoned us to take care of many in this city who have become a hindrance to her plan," Arthur continued. "Many of your friends have already become targets."

"Like who?" Misaki asked. Her grip tightened on the remote in her hand and she was trembling slightly. She wasn't scared, she was getting angry. Her subconscious must have leaked into her thoughts, because the girls next to her started to twitch in place.

"Let's see," Arthur replied and he rubbed his chin. "The other level fives you have been traveling with are priority targets. The ones code named Accelerator, Railgun, and Meltdowner."

"I figured that much," Misaki whispered, slightly irritated. If I'm being targeted and he said others are too, it makes sense for the level fives to be attacked. "Who else?"

"Juliet has her own targets she wants to take care of," Arthur continued. "Vengeance is such a petty emotion. I would never lower myself to something so uncouth. Of course, she can't go after them until she kills her target."

"Eve assigned her to Misaka," Misaki asked him. "Didn't she?"

"Very astute. Yes, she did. The reward for her success was to go after the Railgun's friends."

"So they are fighting right now?" Misaki asked to clarify.

"Yes."

I think I understand the entire situation now, Misaki thought. Eve is separating us in order to take us down. She learned that fighting us in groups was not working. This man is one of her elite fighters and designed to defeat me. We certainly have found ourselves in a predicament. Wait, he never mentioned… She looked at Arthur closely. "What happened to Touma?"

"The owner of the Imagine Breaker?"

"Yes."

"I believe Eve had taken a personal interest in him."

"What?! Explain yourself!" Misaki didn't mean to sound so impatient and the corners of Arthur's lips twitched. He knew he had gotten to her. With diplomacy, the smallest slip of the tongue could be a costly mistake.

"Do not worry my lady," Arthur reassured her. "Lady Eve is not planning to kill him. She has been impressed with his loyalty and determination that he has displayed every time they meet. She deeply respects him." Misaki raised an eyebrow. She agreed with Arthur's claim about Touma's attributes, but she was suspicious of Eve's motives. "When his friends have been dealt with, he will have no ties left to Academy City. She plans to take him away before we leave, kind of like a souvenir."

"There's no way he will ever agree to that!" Misaki burst out furiously. "He would never go with someone who hurt his friends!"

"I believe Eve wishes to turn him into one of her playthings," Arthur continued and shook his head. "Eve just wants another male in her harem. I swear, she already has like two doz-." He never finished that sentence.

"Eve will never have him," Misaki hissed. Her eyes had widened slightly in surprise, before they narrowed and her face contorted. Her entire body was quivering with rage. Arthur's words shocked her, but the shock was quickly replaced by other emotions. She had never felt this angry, this upset, this much hatred. She could understand a girl liking Touma, there wasn't much she could do about that, but to play with his feelings and hurt him emotionally that badly was something she would not tolerate or forgive. After everything he went through to help people and then losing all his memories, the last thing he needed was Eve to destroy his life with his friends. She raised her remote and clicked the button before she realized it.

Misaki brought the full force of her level 5 power on a single individual.

Misaki had always been careful when she used her power. She may have originally used it for the most frivolous of purposes, like having people clean up her messes, fetch her belongings, or forget if she said or did something unladylike, but she never purposely tried to harm someone. If she went overboard, people's minds could be permanently damaged because of the change in body chemicals and electrical signals. Misaki always used careful precision when manipulating people, one of the reasons she used her remote. The only time in recent memory she could think of when she actually lost control was against Lust. She had started deleting memories without careful planning. This was almost exactly the same situation. Arthur indicated Eve was going to make Touma suffer and that was something she would not let stand.

She was about to completely wipe Arthur's mind and leave him a blank slate, at least until she calmed down.

Things did not go as plan.

Misaki knew her ability did not work and the only visible sign she actually used her ability was Arthur twitched slightly. She knew she sent the signals to his brain, but it was like her ability slipped off of the walls of his mind. His mind was solid, yet she couldn't grasp it. It was like his mind was a rock and her ability was water. All she could do was move against his mind and flow around it. I think his mind is even stronger than Princess Carissa's. She was partially relieved though her attack failed. She would never be able to look Touma in the eye again if she accidently permanently ruined someone's mind. He would never want her to do that. The issue was, if Arthur can block her mental assaults, she was at a severe disadvantage.

"I see the information on you was not exaggerated," Arthur complimented her. "You assault on my mind was one of the most impressive feats I have seen in ages. For one so young, your skills are first class."

"Thank you," Misaki replied coolly. She still hadn't forgiven him for his early remarks, but she calmed down enough for her to realize it was Eve's fault, not his. He actually seems like a gentleman. The type the other girls at Tokiwadai always express interest in meeting. "I apologize for my rudeness, but your words were rather sour to me."

"I understand completely," Arthur nodded. "Lady Eve does not always present a good first impression."

"How is your mind so well shielded?" Misaki asked. "I only saw something similar to the second princess when she wielded Curtana."

"All royalty understand the importance of keeping secrets," Arthur stated simply. "I'm sure even you have things in your past and knowledge at your disposal that could be devastating in the wrong hands." Misaki nodded. "Those of us who know of magic realize that having no defenses against it put ourselves and our country at risk. Over the years, we have perfected the art of protecting our minds. The current English royal line no doubt has their own rituals and spells."

"That makes sense," Misaki admitted. I feel like the pleasantries are about over. One of us has to make our move soon. She clicked her remote indiscreetly and realized the backup Arthur had kept back had surrounded them. They were still far enough away they were not an immediate threat, but it meant her escape route was cut off. I fell for his smooth talk and flattery. He was never going to give me the opportunity to find a way out. She mentally kicked herself and begun to design a plan using the men she could easily control and the other girls. "You pretended to be civil, but you are surrounding us as we speak."

"Our conversation has gone on longer than planned," Arthur explained. "And we are nowhere near an agreement for your surrender. I'm afraid we may have to move to less civil means. Prepare yourself." He took a couple steps back and the sound of footsteps echoed all around them. Men in full armor appeared from behind buildings and walls and walked slowly toward the girls. Misaki's eyes darted around and she counted eleven. "I present to you my knights. They will carry out this task. All of them understand the necessity of this and are willing to stain their hands for the greater good."

So he's not bringing out the powerful guy in the back. He's underestimating me, so this gives me a chance. She already sent the commands to the girls and then began to scan the knights. She could take over six of them quickly, but the others would take time as she tried to bypass their magical defenses. Each one of the knights wielded a sword and shield, emblazoned with a red dragon holding onto a cross. It must have been a religious symbol for them. "I guess we all have to act like savages once in a while." Her eyes darted to one of the knights. He had drawn his blade and charged. "Work your magic ladies." She connected all their minds and acted as a control tower for the girls. Now they could share thoughts and actions perfectly.

The wall near the ticket counter burst as a stream of water forcefully twisted the pipe out. The water didn't spray everywhere and instead formed a current, like a thick rope, and flew at the knight. The knight was by no means a small man, but the force of the water spout knocked him backwards. The girl with short brown hair moved her hand and the water flew back towards her, before circling around the girls, about a meter off the ground. She was a hydro hand user, or an individual who could manipulate water. She could actually manipulate most liquids, as long as the main component was water. She couldn't manipulate oil for example. The liquid she had at her disposal was limited as the water pressure to the pipe was cut off when the city's detection apparatus discovered the leak. There was enough to be a threat though and she was Misaki's primary attacker. A jet of water could easily tear through steel.

The knights were not deterred and two charged at them from different directions. The water whipped around at one of them and knocked him to the side and quickly circled around Misaki toward the other. It wasn't fast enough to completely stop the second knight though. The water only disrupted his movement when it collided into his right side. He blocked it with his shield and lost balance for a moment. The girl with short black hair and glasses moved the instant the water stream made contact. She reached up and grabbed the man's left arm. He was about to hit her with his shield, but she pushed him and he found himself flying backwards through the air. It was like the girl had super strength, but that was not her ability.

The black haired girl's ability was gravity manipulation. She could increase or decrease the gravitational force on an object by several times, either causing something to crumple under its own weight or get knocked away with a single push. There was a limit on how much she could alter the gravitational force, as she was only a level 3, and she was also limited to what she could touch. Her power was more than enough to affect a single person. With the knight's weight drastically decreased, but not his size, she could knock him away simply by pushing him. His body became like a heavy balloon ball. A second after flying into the air, his weight returned when the gravitational force reset to normal. He fell down a couple feet and crashed into the ground.

Queen, the girl with lilac colored hair in curls thought. Behind us. Having all of their thoughts linked, Misaki could instantly tell when one of them was in trouble. There was the added bonus of not having to talk, which kept all of their plans hidden from Arthur and his knights. It also helped to have someone who could see the future. That was this girl's ability. She had level 3 precognition. While unable to tell exactly what events lead up to a certain action, she was skilled with predicting events a few moments earlier than they occurred. If she predicted an attack was coming their way, Misaki instantly believed it. She turned and clicked her remote. The knight that had been moving toward them stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Got him, Misaki thought triumphantly. She flicked her wrist and concentrated on the other knights. Her priority wasn't to take control of all of them, only the six newest creations by Eve. She made the mistake of making them too human. The reason Misaki didn't try to take them all was five of them had different shielding and her concentration would have to be focused on them one at a time. The six knights she did manage to control surrounded her and the other girls, while facing the rest of Arthur's knights. "Looks like the numbers are on my side now?" she told him.

"It does seem that way," Arthur acknowledged. He didn't seem worried at all and leaned up against a concreate pillar. Misaki noticed this and immediately raised her guard.

"What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.

"It wouldn't be right for me to tell you," Arthur answered. "Because you already have that knowledge." He tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Those men should have a memory of what you are about to face."

What is he planning? Misaki thought. How could this be a trap? Even if they had really dangerous memories, it's not like they can force them into my mind. She knew she shouldn't follow the advice of an enemy, but she couldn't see a downside to doing so, nor could she restrain her curiosity. I'm really a selfish girl. She clicked her remote and dove through the short memories the puppets had until she came to their point of creation. She focused on the point where Eve and Arthur were talking. It appeared as if he was leaving a building while Eve was floating above him on a boat.

"Do you truly wish for me to fight without honor and outnumber her?" Arthur asked. He was looking up at Eve and was surrounded by eleven of the knights. Six of them, the ones Misaki assumed to be Eve's creation, were on one side while five others stood next to Arthur. The twelfth knight was nowhere to be found.

"She has become a threat and needs to be dealt with," Eve responded and looked down at him. "You have the strongest mental resistance acquired through years of dedicated training and generations of magic. You are the most obvious choice. There is a chance she will have people of her own, so we are simply planning ahead. I give you permission to conduct the fight as you see fit, but you need to fulfill the objective."

"I could have handled it with them," Arthur replied and gestured to the five knights. "Their minds are strong and I can empower them."

"You would be able to conquer this entire city if you felt inclined," Eve laughed. "Excalibur is a relic that rivals Curtana."

"And if the situation requires it," Arthur finished, while he grabbed the sword on his hip. "I will release it."

Misaki's eyes widened as she snapped back to the present. She understood the danger immediately. Any item capable of generating power anywhere near Curtana would easily overwhelm her. The only option available to her now was to prevent Arthur from drawing his sword. She mentally willed the knights to go all out in their attack against him. Her eyes darted to the calm, yet slightly smug, look on Arthur's face, before the knights she controlled charged. Why doesn't he look nervous or even surprised? I took over half of his force. She couldn't understand what he was thinking, but she was determined to not let him draw that blade. What happened next, she barely comprehended. Arthur stood up straight, looked at the knights rushing at him, and uttered a single word.

"Stop."

He didn't yell or even raise his voices. He said the single simple word calmly, no louder than his earlier conversation with Misaki, but his tone radiated authority. It wasn't a plea, a suggestion, or a request. It was an order and the power behind it implied the command was one that had to be followed. The order rippled through the knights, Misaki, and the girls. The knights instantly froze and Misaki realized something that made her heart skip a beat.

I can't move! Her body was frozen, but it wasn't like the fight with Cain. She wasn't scared, it was just her body would not listen to her. She willed her companions to move, but they seemed to be stuck in the same state. She couldn't even talk. What is going on?

"I told Lady Eve I did not need her creations," Arthur sighed. He walked up to the nearest one and shook his head. "You took control of them too easily and nothing happened, even though she gifted them with a little Telesma." Misaki was slightly confused at his wording. "With that, my first objective is done." His eyes darted to each one of the six knights in turn. "You are dismissed." They simultaneously bowed and dissolved into a pile of paper, before disappearing completely. He shook his head one last time and looked over at Misaki. He took a couple steps toward her. "You may speak."

"What did you do?" Misaki asked breathlessly. She was able to form words now. I didn't even see him use magic.

"I thought you, who held the title of Queen, would understand." Arthur turned away from her and looked out into the distance. "In a patriarchal or monarchal society, there is always a ruler. The ruler is responsible, not only for themselves, but for the people and their country. Every decision they make can affect countless lives. The citizens' way of life is held in the palm of our hands. With this responsibility, our very words become law. This is my magic. I call it, The King's Decree. People are forced to obey my commands. It is both my burden and responsibility to use this power wisely."

"This isn't a mental control, is it?" Misaki wanted to confirm.

"You can't rationalize magic with science," Arthur told her. "But in a sense, no. I don't warp people's minds. Their very essence, their soul, will bow to my magic. Watch." He turned to the girl's next to Misaki. "Sleep." The three girls collapsed.

"Stop it!" Misaki demanded.

"Fear not," Arthur reassured her and snapped his fingers. Two of the knights walked over and picked up the three girls. "They are not part of this fight and I have no desire to spill innocent blood. They will be set aside and woken up after our fight has been concluded."

"So you are going to try to kill me while I'm helpless?" Misaki asked. "How is that noble?" She still couldn't move her body and most of ability required the use of her remotes. The only option available to her at this time was to appeal to Arthur's code of conduct. Unlike the other people she met from Eve's group, he actually seemed to be unhappy with caring out dirty works. The other's just seemed frustrated they had to do something. I need him to let me move, even if it's just a little bit. My final resort is to breach the defenses of the other knights and run while he's distracted. I'm glad I decided to participate in gym class again. Everything is going to have to be timed perfectly so I can get out of range of his King's Decree.

"I will give you a death fit for nobility," Arthur said and turned back around to face her. He walked up, until he was right in front of her, and bent over slightly so he was at eye level. "Again, I am sorry it had to end this way." He reached up and brushed a strange of blonde hair out of Misaki's eyes. "It is a shame to end the life of such a beautiful and talented young lady."

"Don't touch me," Misaki hissed. Her words were so sharp, that Arthur dropped his hand immediately and stood up straight. "Only one man may touch me like that and it's not going to be you." She might have been okay with the touch in a normal situation, but his words made it feel to her like he was flirting in order to keep her distracted. She was used to guys adoring her, but this man already told her Eve was planning to use Touma as a plaything, and she was not going to play along with someone like him.

"I see," Arthur sighed. He turned to the three remaining knights. "Prepare the execution block." He turned his back to Misaki and walked about ten paces out. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked out into the distance again, while his knights carried out their orders.

"That's… wait, what do you mean execution block?" Misaki was stunned at the sudden declaration from Arthur, but he didn't answer her question. Instead, two of the three remaining knights grabbed her arms from either side and lifted her up. "Hey, let me go!" She wanted to struggle, but her body was still frozen.

"Gently," Arthur said to them. "She still deserves our respect." Misaki was carried toward an open area in the train station. The third knight was already there and had set down a wooden block with a half cylindrical grove in it, like for someone to put their neck on. The knight then put a mesh basket in front of it, which caused Misaki's eyes to widen in horror when she realized what he was going to do.

"You were serious?!" she cried. "What sort of barbaric practice is this?!" She tried to struggle again, but she still couldn't move.

"Barbaric?" Arthur asked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Hardly. Throughout history it has been common to remove the corrupt rulers of country through violent means. Execution has been implemented as a symbol to show the fall of the old regime and the rise of the new for centuries. Britain and France have used it countless times. It not only acts as punishment, but also a fresh start for the citizens."

"What do you mean by corrupt?" Misaki demanded. "I haven't done anything to warrant this."

"You stood against us in our quest for reparations for our suffering," Arthur explained. "That alone is enough, but you can hardly call yourself pure. I have heard interesting stories about your tendency to use your powers frivolously on others. A ruler should treat their subjects with respect, not force. Can you honestly tell me you don't use your gift on others frivolously?"

Misaki was silent for a moment. She had to admit he had a point about the way she used to use her ability, not about using her ability against Eve. Misaki had acquired her ability early on and for most of her school life. Some girls had their memories modified more often that she could remember. They forgot embarrassing situations, were persuaded to do things for her without expecting a favor in return, and admired her without question. "It's true," she agreed. "I can't say I was a good person in the past, but I have changed. I don't use my ability as much on others anymore and I've been working to improve myself. My prince changed me." She paused and glared at him. "But you can hardly consider yourself good either. You are working for an organization trying to bring a force of darkness into the world and killing anyone who gets in your way."

"A king must sometimes make difficult decisions for the greater good," Arthur mumbled and turned away. It was obvious he didn't want to kill her, but he was required to. Misaki understood this method was being used because he considered it more of a sign of respect over just stabbing her. However, Misaki was not going to take this lying down. She still had one option left for her to try. If she couldn't move, she would have to use her ability without the benefits of her remotes.

This is a dangerous decision, Misaki thought, but she ran out of other options. This was not a choice to be taken lightly. Not only could she accidently cause permanent damage to the other person's mind, she could actually hurt herself. Her ability manipulated electrical and chemical signals in the brain, which meant she could affect herself if she lost control of her power. She used remotes to focus her ability on specific commands. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. She focused on the two knights controlling her and started trying to manipulate their minds, while navigating around their magical defenses. For some reason, she thought she heard some kind of song, but she figured she was imagining it and focused on the task at hand. She wasn't getting anywhere fast enough and the two knights forced her on the hard concreate ground. She was kneeling in front of the block of wood and one of the knights pressed her down on it.

"It's time," Arthur muttered and held out his hand. The third knight handed him a decorative sword and Arthur swung it in the air to test the balance. This sword looked sharp, but it didn't appear to have been used for extended combat. The blade was too thin and the hilt was encrusted with a large ruby. It was a ceremonial blade and he was treating it as such. "Do you have any last words?"

Misaki did not answer. She was too focused on trying to break into the minds of the knights. She actually started to affect one and then something happened. There was a slight buzzing in her mind and she felt weird. It was like a trickle of water ran down her back, but instead was in her mind. The knight didn't seem to notice her touch, so she concentrated harder. The desire to break free and warn the others, especially Touma, was the reason for her determination. Almost there. She could feel herself being held down on the block of wood, but she couldn't spare a moment to worry about what was about to happen.

"Silence," Arthur commented. "I respect that. Many people would beg for their life or try to bargain their way out. You get to know a lot about people when they are on the brink of death." Misaki still didn't respond, but she was beginning to panic. Time was running out for her. Arthur gave her one last look and stepped to her side. He raised the sword with both hands and took careful aim at her neck. "May you find solace in the afterlife." This time, Misaki looked up.

She had not made it.

She needed a little more time.

Arthur brought down the blade swiftly and his aim was true.

Blood soaked the surrounding area and her head fell into the basket.

Arthur turned around, a look of displeasure on his face. He flicked the sword to the right and most of the blood flew off. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blade completely clean. It sparkled slightly in the light and he appeared satisfied. He passed the blade to the third knight, who took it gingerly. "That was unpleasant. The way Lady Eve talked about her I expected something more. I didn't even need to fuse my knights with extra Telesma. I suppose if I had drawn my sword, they would have easily overwhelmed her anyways." He was talking more to himself than the knights. "Clean up the mess and then we may leave. I want to check up on Juliet to make sure she did not go overboard…"

He ducked and spun around.

Arthur may have become a king, but he endured training to rival most knights. It was not only for self-defense purposes, but also so he could lead his troops from the front line. With his honed battle instinct, surprise attacks would not work on him. He spun around under the blade aimed at his back, reached up with his right hand, palm open, and hit the chest of the enemy striking at him. Arthur was far stronger than a normal human and he heard armor crack. His eyes widened when he saw who had attacked him. One of his knights was flying backwards from the force of Arthur's blow. The knight crashed into a concrete pillar with a loud bang that echoed across the station. However, he stood back up a moment later. Knights were tough and Arthur knew a blow that weak would not stop them, but those knights did not pose a threat to him. He had always been stronger than them and he also had more of the Telesma Eve blessed them with at his disposal.

"What are you doing!?" he demanded. "Have you lost your mind?!" The other knight stood next to him and he also had his sword drawn. Arthur's gaze hardened. "Traitors or…" He trailed off as his eyes moved down to the headless girl's corpse. "Could she have used her mental ability to transfer her consciousness to them? I did not realize she had that power." He blinked. "No, this is all false." He reached out in front him and clapped his hands. A gust of wind formed from the impact and blew through the station. The head and body of Misaki shimmered and vanished, but the two knights stood firm. Then the empty area behind them shimmered and Misaki appeared, but she was not alone. Two girls stood next to her. "Why did you interfere?"

"We were stationed here to stop your group if you decided to act," the first girl said. She had blonde hair and white skin. She was wearing a red and white jacket, with spats under her blue miniskirt. The most unusual part of her outfit was the pair of small dragon wings on her back. In her right hand she held a pole with a hand shaped end. It was a Steel Glove, identical to Lessar's. "So it makes perfect sense to rescue someone who opposes you. Besides, she was part of the group who saved our country. We owe her."

"Are you okay?" the second girl asked Misaki. "I hoped my, hehe, magic was able to reach you in time." This girl had short brown hair that was forced up with a headband, accentuating her forehead, and was slightly shorter than Mikoto. She had a red and white lacrosse uniform-like set made up of a shirt, miniskirt, and spats. She was also holding a Steel Glove in her left hand, but the tips of her fingers had dragon like claws on them. Misaki knew the first girl, Floris a little better than the second girl, Lancis. Misaki had only met Lancis once before leaving England because Lessar wanted to introduce her to their group.

"I am, thanks to you," Misaki replied to Lancis. "I would be dead if you and Floris didn't save me. How did you do that?" From her point of view, she had been helpless, but Arthur didn't take advantage of it. He actually stood several paces back and further to her left than he should have been to hit her. He swung his blade through the air and it hit the ground, which cracked it. He then turned around and flicked his sword, like there had been water on it. Misaki did notice he was talking to himself, but she didn't bother to listen. Something miraculous had happened and she used the time she had been brought. She actually managed to break the magical defenses around the mind of the first knight. It took a different signal order to modify them than a normal person. Once she understood what to do, it only took seconds to apply it to the second knight. She finished just in time because she was yanked back by her saviors, Floris and Lancis. What surprised Misaki the most was she could move. His magic was lifted. Maybe because he was distracted, but why?

"Norse-Base Magic," Arthur answered instead of Lancis. "Seiðr I believe it was called. You use a type of song to cause one to see an illusion, much like a siren. I suppose that is why it's primarily used by female magicians. Normally, such a trick would not work on me, but I did not see the point of putting up a defense against magical illusions, when I was facing a science side mental manipulator." His eyes narrowed and his voice grew stonier. "I can assure you, I will not make that mistake again." The third knight moved in front of him and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the station from their left. The two that had taken the other girls away had returned.

"We didn't think it would," Floris countered. "Our objective was to save her." She pointed to Misaki. "And we succeeded."

"Should we retreat?" Lancis asked. "He still has several knights with him."

"That won't be an issue," Misaki reassured her mildly. She was feeling a lot better now that she could move and knew she could take over the knights. "Let's see how you like being outnumbered." Being able to move, she could use her remote, which was a lot less strenuous than without. Misaki smiled and clicked it. The three remaining knights stood up straight for a moment, before marching over and standing in a line next to the other two. "I think now would be a good time for you to surrender."

"Interesting," Arthur said, but didn't look like he had any plans of giving up. Surprisingly, he only looked amused. "I wonder if you can truly maintain your control." Before Misaki could answer, Arthur gripped the hilt of the sword at his hip.

"AH!" Misaki cried and her vision blurred. Her head started throbbing, like her brain was beating against the inside of her skull.

"Shokuhou?" Lancis asked and grabbed Misaki to keep her standing. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Misaki admitted. Her voice came out softer because of the pain. Her vision returned, but her headache was not subsiding. In fact, it was getting worse and spreading to the rest of her body. Lancis and Floris look okay, but why am I affected? Her eyes widened slightly when she realized the knights in front of her had grabbed their heads. Oh no, he's trying to break my control. Instead of giving them only a simple command, like protect her, she had kept the link open to be able to direct them easier. Now she was focusing on stopping their minds from returning due to Arthur's magic. It was difficult with how bad her head was pounding, but she managed to keep them under her control. "He was trying to free his men, but I stopped him."

Interesting, Arthur thought, his eyes focused on her. I infused my men with Telesma from my sword, but they still couldn't break free. Her mental control and discipline are astounding. Though, I can't understand why she almost collapsed. Maybe her power causes mental strain. If so, this fight can't last much longer for her.

"Let's press on while we have the advan...," Floris started to say, but stopped. She reached into her pocket and touched a piece of paper. She frowned and shook her head. "We are a little preoccupied."

"It's not just one person," Lancis added. They were obviously talking to someone Misaki couldn't see or hear. "Eve's forces are over the entire city. There are not enough of us! We need-…"

"Silence!" Arthur commanded and both of the girls could not continue talking. Even Misaki found out she couldn't talk from the power of his King's Decree. "Involving others in our fight would be disrespectful."

It's his magic, Misaki relayed mentally to Floris and Lancis. He called it King's Decree and we are forced to obey him. I don't suppose either of you know how to stop it?

Not until we can identify exactly how he can project his will onto us, Floris responded. It was lucky Arthur's silence command only implied verbal communication. Misaki could still use her remotes to communicate telepathically. If you can use his knights against him as a distraction, we should stand a chance. Lancis isn't very combat oriented. When she channels her life force into mana, she gets overwhelmed by a tickle sensation which slows her reflexes.

Hey, I can still fight. Lancis was full of indignation, but she was also concern for Misaki. Are you really okay? Your thoughts are so weak.

It's been a long day, Misaki answered, not wanting to let the others know how sick she was. But we need to act now. With a single word, he can render us-..." She was interrupted as Arthur confirmed her prediction.

"Kneel!" The knights, Misaki, Floris, and Lancis were forced to take a knee in front of Arthur. Their bodies had moved before they could even process his command. Once again, Misaka found herself helpless before his King's Decree. "No matter how many of you there are, it will end the same way. I do not like to take lives unnecessarily so, unless you two get in my way again, I will only kill the science side girl. My forces and I will then leave and you two will once again be able to move. It's rather generous given the situation, wouldn't you agree?"

"Bite me," Floris spat out. It looked like they were able to talk again.

Perhaps he can only give one order at a time, Misaki thought. Her eyes followed Arthur, who was walking away from them to where the ceremonial sword had fallen when Misaki took the knight over. It appeared that Arthur was not going to use the sword on his hip to deliver the final blow. This gave Misaki a few moments to collect her thoughts, but she wasn't optimistic. She had made a mistake. She thought with Floris and Lancis, along with the elite knights, they would stand a chance against Arthur's power. A miracle like last time does not occur twice. She knew she would need to find a way out of this. Floris and Lancis were muttering under their breath, so she assumed they were trying something too. The only think lucky about their situation was Misaki still had links with them and the knights. Move, she willed at the knights. Use the power I know you guys have to break his control. She saw them struggle briefly, but were still unable to rise.

Then something happened.

Misaki felt something. It was a weird and unknown feeling, as if she knew something, but had no basis in facts to back the knowledge up with. It resembled her ability, but was different in a key way. As long as she was linked, she always knew what the person was thinking. She also could tell when the signals she sent at magicians with a shielded mind were blocked. This feeling wasn't something relating to the mind, but it still related to the individual. A picture flashed in Misaki's mind, but it wasn't a memory, it was more like a movie of a small flame. Wrapped around it was a golden thread that seemed to be choking it. The flame flickered against the thread, but couldn't break it. Misaki had no idea what this was, but instinct told her not to ignore it. Instead, she focused her concentration on it, like an arrow, and imagined cutting it. The thread snapped and the flame grew brighter. The image vanished and Misaki breathed a sigh of relief, before her head virtually exploded in pain. She muffled her cry, but started panting heavily.

Arthur had begun to walk toward them, sword in hand, when he encountered an unexpected surprise.

"How?!" he gasped. For once, he showed actual surprise. All five of the knights, who should have been under his magic, had stood up and charged at him. "Halt!" he yelled, but it didn't work. Arthur was forced to dodge the swords from his former comrades and duck under a shield being forced at his head. He regained his composure and hit two of them in the chests with open palms, sending them flying back. He ducked under the sword of the third and grabbed the knight's arm. Arthur spun around on the heel of his foot and used the knight to knock the last two away, before letting go and sending the knight flying. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Misaki, Floris, and Lancis. "What did you do? My orders are not mental. They are bound to the individual's very being, their will itself! It should be impossible to break!"

"I'm not sure myself," Misaki admitted. While they talked, she used her nearly discovered technique to free herself and then Floris and Lancis.

"I can move," Floris gasped and stood up.

"I felt her do something to me too," Lancis added, as she glanced at Misaki. Floris nodded in agreement. Both of them had felt Misaki's ability do more than just touch their minds. It was as if she broke the chains binding them to Arthur's words and gave them strength. They knew she couldn't use magic and, not understanding science abilities, could not accurately gauge what happened.

"A false queen actually managed to break my King's Decree," Arthur mumbled. "That really makes my blood boil." He did not understand what Misaki did and the girls appeared to be unable to explain it either.

"To be fair," Misaki said, as she brushed her hair back out of her face. "I never asked them to call me that. It was too much of a pain to stop, so I just let them. It grew on me." She smiled. "Now, men," she addressed the knights. "Please take him down for me." All the knights Arthur knocked away stood up and began to approach him. "I have to say, having backup is a really nice thing to have."

"Indeed," Arthur agreed and then he smiled. Misaki's eyes widened when she realized who he meant.

"Shoot," she muttered. "I forgot about him."

"All according to plan," Arthur laughed and raised his hand. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the station again, a moment before a man appeared. He was in full knight armor like the others, but his armor didn't look as new. It wasn't as shiny and had dents and scratches all over it, but that added to his appearance. This wasn't someone in ceremonial armor, but armor that had seen countless number of battles. The aura the man held was that of a veteran forged in the heat of combat. He was larger than the others and moved with a sense of purpose the rest did not possess. As a demonstration of his strength, he moved at speeds several times faster than a normal human and, with a single swing of his blade, sent three of Misaki's knights flying.

"Who is that?" Misaki asked when she noticed Floris's and Lancis's mouths were agape. They didn't answer her question, Arthur did it for them.

"It seems I must rely on you once again, Lancelot."

---

"Itsuwa?" Index called out from the living room in Touma's dorm.

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes Index," Itsuwa replied kindly. "I'm almost finished." She was standing in Touma's kitchen wearing an apron and trying to finish cooking before Index starved to death.

"I'm happy to hear that," Index said with a nod. "But that wasn't what I wanted to ask. I wanted to know why you set up a barrier around Touma's room."

"Well," Itsuwa replied slowly, as she thought of a reasonable answer. "Kamijou-kun is going to be late, so I'm here to make sure you get enough to eat. The problem is, I'm a magician and we know Eve's forces are hiding out in the city. By putting up the barrier, I can conceal my presence until he returns. Mana can't be detected through the barrier, so if they try to watch you, they will continue to believe no magicians are here. When Kamijou-kun returns, his hand will break the barrier and everything will return to normal."

"Do you know when Touma will be back?" Itsuwa actually fidgeted at this question and was glad she and Index were in different rooms.

"I'm sorry," Itsuwa apologized. "I really don't. I was only asked if I could stay here and help out for a short time." She started to put the food onto plates and carry them to the table. At the smell of food, Index appeared in a blur of speed and sat down. Itsuwa piled Index's plate high, but she only gave herself a modest amount. She wasn't that hungry. Itsuwa knew what was happening, but her job was to keep Index safe. I want to help, but we all have a role to play in this mission.

"He's off doing something dangerous again," Index said and looked right at Itsuwa for confirmation. The seriousness of the conversation was intensified by Index preferring to talk instead of eating the food in front of her. "Isn't he?"

"From what I understand, all the church needs is for him to break a magical seal," Itsuwa answered and tried to sound reassuringly. "Depending on how far he has to travel to reach it, would depend on how long it takes for him to return. I don't have the details."

"I see," Index said softly. She started digging into the food. "He will return. He always returns." Itsuwa smiled and glanced out the window without touching her food. There was a downside to the barrier she placed. While it would prevent any other magician from detecting her presence, she couldn't detect any magicians outside the barrier. In other words, she was blind. She didn't want to use this barrier, but it was the only one she had time to set up.

I hope nothing happens.

---

I can't believe I did that.

Mikoto moved slowly and mechanically toward where Kuroko laid unconscious. It shouldn't have taken Mikoto very long to reach her, but her mind was in a daze. She was having trouble processing what she did. I killed someone. Even though it was in self-defense and to protect Kuroko, this wasn't something that weighed easily on her mind. To protect her friends, she actually had threatened people before, but she never planned to follow through with them. Electricity was a powerful and dangerous force, so Mikoto always took precautions to try to avoid permanently hurting anyone. She knew how much force a normal person could take and would make adjustments accordingly. Even so, Juliet was not someone she could have taken it easy on. Juliet had been about to kill her and Kuroko, yet nothing Mikoto did was able to stop her, until she took the step off the deep end.

Don't think about it, Mikoto told herself. I need to get Kuroko to a doctor first. She took a couple more steps and was overwhelmed with nausea. She stumbled and had to grab a light pole to steady herself. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she wiped them away with her sleeve. I killed someone… She finally reached Kuroko and knelt down next to her. Mikoto felt Kuroko's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's alive! Thank god!" She shook Kuroko slightly. "Kuroko… please get up. Kuroko!" Kuroko stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. Did Juliet's magic not end? What do I do now? Would a doctor be able to help? Did Kagere-san really get capture? I could find Index or Lessar and see if they can help. Yea, that might be the best choice. For now, let's get Kuroko out of here. Maybe Touma…

Her eyes widen and she froze when she thought of him. What am I going to tell him? What am I going to tell the others? I can't keep this quiet. She shivered at the thought of what others would say about her, though someone like Accelerator wouldn't think much of it. Even if it was in self-defense, many of her friends would be shocked and alarmed. Would Kagere-san forgive me? Mikoto especially cared about what Touma would think. He had always fought people far stronger than him and many tried to kill him, yet he managed to defeat them, but not kill them. After he beat them, they changed their ways and became better people. Why couldn't I do that? He's so far ahead of me. I'm so weak. Maybe I'm not good enough to stand by him. She tried to push the thought of Touma's pained and shock expression out her mind for now and grabbed Kuroko's arm. Mikoto lifted her up and moved Kuroko's arm over her shoulders. She stood up and balanced most of Kuroko's weight on her body. She started to head towards Touma's dorm, when she heard it.

It was the sound of metal pushing against metal.

Mikoto's eyes widened in horror as she slowly turned around.

She didn't see anything at first, so she thought she might have imagined the noise or the wind blew a precariously placed piece of metal. You're too jumpy. Calm down. She breathed a sigh of relief, turned back around, and continued walking. She stopped when she heard the noise again. This time, she was sure she did not imagine it. Mikoto turned around and scanned the area. The slightest bit of movement caught her eye. In the giant ball of metal and concrete she ripped up from the ground, something was emerging from a small crack on the side, about one meter above the ground. A black liquid was slowly seeping out of it and onto the ground. It wasn't completely a liquid, but it was close. Mikoto took a step back in disgust. Is that her blood? I think I'm going to throw up. She covered her mouth with her hand.

After the liquid stopped pouting out of the crack, Mikoto actually wished it had been blood.

The puddle of the black liquid started to rise into the air and slowly formed the shape of a human. The black outline than transformed into a familiar young girl. Mikoto found herself frozen in shock as Juliet reformed. Juliet brushed her long brown hair off her shoulders and stretched her arms into the air above her. She rubbed her neck for a moment, before her eyes moved onto Mikoto. Juliet smiled, but Mikoto felt shivers down her back at the sight of it. The smile was not friendly, it was a victory smile. "That was rather impressive," Juliet complimented. She started walking toward Mikoto and Mikoto responded by taking several steps backwards. "But you know I don't have a real body. A physical attack like that isn't going to do anything to me."

"This can't be real," Mikoto mumbled to herself, but Juliet heard her.

"I can assure you this is quite real," Juliet laughed. "I can taste victory. Hand the slut over peacefully and I will make both your deaths quick and painless. Resist, and I'll make sure you both suffer." She smiled innocently and Mikoto immediately saw a resemblance to Eve.

She's insane, Mikoto thought. I know she obsessed over Kagere-san, but to actually do this? I can't beat her. She looked around for anything that might be able to help her out of this situation. There's nothing around here capable of stopping her. Without a viable plan and an injured Kuroko, Mikoto realized she wasn't going to win if she stood her ground and continued to fight. Bracing herself for what she was about to try, she took a deep breath. This would normally be unthinkable for her, but she had to think of Kuroko's safety first. She magnetized herself and jumped.

She jump up onto the building behind her, turned around, and fled.

"Coward!" Juliet roared, when she realized what Mikoto was doing. "Get back here!" She turned back into a pure shadow and flew off after Mikoto.

"No way!" Mikoto called back over her shoulder. She was actually conflicted about the situation. For one, she was relieved she didn't actually kill anyone, but now she was scared for her and Kuroko's lives. I have to lose her, but how. She's faster than me. Even though Mikoto was propelling herself with magnetism, there was a limit to how fast she could move her body. If she pulled herself too fast from building to building, she would have to stop quicker or risk smashing into the wall. Also, if she was moving too fast and had to make a sudden stop, she could break the bones in her body. Like when someone drives a car, you can travel at speeds far greater than a human body could move but, in a crash, it's the force of the sudden stop that kills. The same principle applied with sudden turns. Her body couldn't handle the sudden change in directional forces.

Juliet was under no such limitations.

She did not have a solid body, only a false shadow form. Physical force changes did not effect a creation of magic like a normal person. She flew through the air after Mikoto, who was forced to jump from building to building while carrying an unconscious Kuroko. When Juliet was close enough, she struck out with a shadow blade, but Mikoto manage to jump to the right to avoid it. A fine meter long grove appeared in the wall of the building. Human flesh and bone would not be able to stop Juliet's attacks and Mikoto gulped. She wasn't sure how wide Juliet's people clearing field was, but it wasn't like Mikoto could move in a straight line while dodging Juliet's attacks. She had to keep heading in one direction, but in more of a zigzag pattern. Juliet appeared to be getting annoyed at her antics.

"You really are an evil person," Juliet called out. "Once we leave this area, how many innocent people are you going to be willing to sacrifice to get away from me? I tried to avoid getting them involved, but you are leaving me no choice."

"Shut up!" Mikoto yelled back. "I'm not getting anyone involved. It's you who would be the one to get them involved!" Though her words were tough, she hesitated for a fraction of a second on her next leap.

That delay cost her.

"Got you!" Juliet yelled triumphantly. She swung a shadow arm and hit Mikoto in the side.

"Gah!" Mikoto coughed, as all the wind was knocked out of her. She tightened her grip on Kuroko and they fell together. Regaining her composure, Mikoto managed to magnetize herself and pulled them to a building, rather than hitting the ground. Mikoto slid down the side of the wall and landed on her feet. The pain in her side doubled as the force ran up her body and she stumbled to her knees. She propped Kuroko into a sitting position against the wall and stood up. She still hasn't woken up. Does she have a concussion from knocking herself out, or is this Juliet's magic. Mikoto turned around and started walking toward the middle of the street.

"You have nowhere to run," Juliet told Mikoto. She landed several meters in front of Mikoto and smiled. She had taken her human form again. "You're lucky Eve told me not to kill you immediately and to make sure you suffered, or you would be dead already."

"Wait," Mikoto said and her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? Why would Eve want you to torture me?" She's been taking it easy on me?

"Oops," Juliet said and tried to giggle, but it was obvious to Mikoto she didn't mean to say that and was trying to play it off as a joke. "I said too much." Juliet looked Mikoto up and down. "But I suppose it's time to finish this. If I go after the slut, you might try to run away."

"I would never abandon my friends," Mikoto hissed through clenched teeth.

"Then you die here," Juliet said and raised a hand. "I can't say I enjoy taking your life, but it's something I have to do." Mikoto glimpsed the one last thread of humanity and reason Juliet still had, as her arm turned into darkness. Mikoto responded by shooting a bolt of lightning at Juliet from her hand, but it was deflected as Juliet swung her arm. Juliet's attack didn't stop there and Mikoto raised both of her arms to block the attack. The force of the blow lifted her into the air and sent her flying several meters backwards.

"AHH!" Mikoto yelled out in pain. Her arms were on fire and she landed on her back, hitting her head. Her vision blurred and her body screamed in agony. She forced herself to stay conscious, knowing if she blacked out for even a second, she would be killed. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, but Juliet was already standing over her. She reached down and grabbed Mikoto by the hair, Mikoto cried out in pain again before Juliet threw her with inhuman strength. Mikoto flew a couple meters back, but she magnetized herself and landed feet first on the wall of a building. She pushed off and flew at Juliet, creating a large discharge of electricity around her. She drew back her fist and aimed at Juliet's face. Juliet only smiled as Mikoto's fist made contract with her cheek. Juliet's body completely turned into shadow and Mikoto passed right through her.

"Heh," Juliet snorted. "That's not going to work." The top half of her shadow form had broken apart from the electricity, but it reformed almost instantly.

"Try this then," Mikoto yelled and shot a bolt of electricity into Juliet's back.

"Ah!" Juliet cried for a moment as her shadow form flickered. She was still able to reform though. "Those electric shocks are really annoying you know. It's not like they are going to work against me."

"Damn it," Mikoto muttered. Direct attacks don't work, surprise attacks don't work, physical attacks don't work, and my electricity barely has any noticeable effect. I can't escape, she's faster than me, and Kuroko's life is in my hands. What should I do? What can I do? Mikoto faced the dilemma, but Juliet wasn't taking it easier on her.

"Quit spacing out," Juliet snapped and swung her shadow arm at Mikoto. Mikoto barely snapped out of her stupor in time and rolled backwards to dodge. Juliet swung her arm back at her and Mikoto magnetized herself, forcing her body to fly toward a metal pole to avoid it. A large chunk of the ground was ripped out by Juliet's attack. A grin appeared on her face. She knew she had Mikoto cornered. "What's wrong? Are you getting tired?"

"Not at all," Mikoto replied harshly, but that was a lie. She unleashed several large attacks early on and had run a fair distance to try to get away, plus she had been hit a couple times. She was tired, sore, and mentally exhausted. She gathered a large amount of electricity around her and prepared to unleash it. "I'm just sick of you talking." Juliet's grin slipped off her face.

"Fine then," she hissed. "I'm getting tired of our little game too." Her arm twisted from a long shadow into a hooked blade. Mikoto gulped as she looked at the scythe like shadow blade that use to be Juliet's arm. "I'll make this quick." She bent her knees and charged at Mikoto. Mikoto unleashed a torrent of electricity at Juliet, but all Juliet did was sweep her blade vertically in front of her to cut through Mikoto's attack. Juliet flew up into the air above Mikoto and brought her blade horizontally downwards at Mikoto's neck. Mikoto used magnetism to twist the pole she was holding and threw it at Juliet. She was forced to cut the pole, but that second delay allowed Mikoto to dive out of the way. A large groove followed the sound of scrapping concrete.

That was close, Mikoto thought and shivered slightly at the thought of what would happen if she had been hit by that. She started to magnetize herself away from Juliet, but she was too slow. Juliet's other arm extended and wrapped around Mikoto's throat. "Ack!" Mikoto choked as Juliet started to crush her windpipe.

"Got you," Juliet said triumphantly. "I wanted to kill the slut over there first," he gesture to the unconscious Kuroko, "but it takes too long to corner you like this. Instead, how about you imagine how I slowly cut her apart as punishment for her adultery?"

"Kek," was the only noise Mikoto could make. Everything was getting blurry and she was losing consciousness. She scratched at the shadow with her hand, but that did nothing. She was trying to generate enough electricity to break apart Juliet's arm, but was having trouble concentrating with the lack of oxygen. Am I going to die here? I couldn't stop her. Kuroko, Touma, everyone, I'm sorry. A tear rolled down her face as she imagined her friends being killed or captured. No, Mikoto, you can't give up. He would never give up! She started sparking up even more and Juliet's arm began to ripple.

"A last ditch effort?" Juliet asked. "At least you are a fighter until the end." She increased the pressure, but the electricity around Mikoto didn't end. She felt the shadow began to loosen slightly and she had to concentrate harder. "Why won't you die!?" Juliet was getting impatient. "Stop struggling. No one is going to save y-."

The sound of gun fire interrupted her.

"What!?" Juliet explained as her body was peppered by bullets from two different directions. "Ouch, who dares to…? Ouch! Will you stop!?" She was distracted for a brief moment and that was all Mikoto needed. Juliet's concentration on her grip waned slightly and the electricity destabilized her arm. Mikoto fell back down to the ground and gasped for air. Both of them turned to see who had attack Juliet and their mouths fell open.

Two girls moved into plane sight holding modified rifles and wearing goggles, but otherwise looked exactly like Mikoto.

"What?!" Juliet gasped. "How are there more of you? What's happening? No one told me about this." She grabbed her head in frustration as she tried to process what was happening. She should be an only child and she can't have more than one ability. Could they be an illusion or some sort of robot? Clones? That might be a possibility. Does Eve want me to kill them all? Why do they use guns? Hundreds of questions flashed in her mind before she shook her head. "Do you two have a death wish?"

"Misaka does not wish to die Misaka 19090 replies evenly. However, letting onee-sama die would be worse than risking Misaka's life."

"We felt onee-sama's ability from our location and decided to see what was happening Misaka 13577 adds. The Moderator warned us something was happening, but lost connection shortly afterwards."

"Run you two!" Mikoto cried suddenly, as she regained her voice. It still sounded hoarse, but was loud enough for them to hear. "She's not an opponent you can face. She can't be hurt with bullets."

"Bullets did seem ineffective, Misaka 19090 agrees." She nodded her head and started sparking up. "Electricity did have some effect Misaka noted."

"She reformed after all my attacks," Mikoto called back desperately. "You need to get out of here!"

"People who interrupt me should be punished," Juliet yelled out and both of her arms extended. Mikoto scrambled backwards and to her feet, but Juliet ignored her. Mikoto was not a threat to her without backup, so Juliet was venting her anger on the Sisters. They both managed to dodge the initial attack and continued to fire their rifles at her. Even though there were no obvious signs of damage, the bullets did not reflect back at them, so there was a chance they were doing at least a little damage, even if it was just an annoyance. "Will you stop that? It doesn't work and it's a bother!" She ripped the bent light pole Mikoto had used earlier and threw it at one of them, but the distance was great enough to be dodged easily.

Misaka 19090 and 13577 had a big advantage, even if their levels were far lower than Mikoto's. They could wordlessly communicate with each other, so when Juliet turned her attention to one of them, the other could attack from her blind spots. The attacks didn't do much, but Juliet kept turning around in anger. To Mikoto, it was as if Juliet was beginning to get carried away by her emotions instead of calmly taking one of them out at a time. However, the ammo the Sisters were using was sure to run out soon and then they would lose their ability to act as a distraction. As soon as Mikoto thought that, she heard a click of empty cartridges from Misaka 13577's gun. She looked down at her gun, threw it to the side, and fired a bolt of electricity. This had absolutely no visible effect, but Juliet turned to her and smiled.

"I guess you want to be first," Juliet hissed and her entire body became a shadow again. She rose into the air and formed a circle. The circle began to spin faster and faster. Both of the Sister's eyes widened at this, because they didn't expect Juliet to be able to convert her entire body into darkness. They had only seen her transform her arms. Ten tendrils shot out of the circle and grabbed anything they could reach, light poles, benches, checks of concrete, and a car. The sound of metal tearing and concrete being broken was heard as Juliet picked up all the objects. She threw all the items at the two Sisters. They were lucky they had military training and acquired the reflexes to dodge the debris, or they would have been crushed. The issue was now Misaka 13577 was cut off from the others while Misaka 19090's retreat route was blocked. Juliet must have planned this because she immediately flew at Misaka 19090, who glanced around and realized her predicament.

"NOOO!" Mikoto yelled and, in desperation, called down a bolt of lightning, which struck Juliet directly before she could reach Misaka 19090. An explosion of light and dust blocked everyone's lines of sight. "Are you two okay?!" she called out. "Get away from her while you still can!"

"Misaka is okay, Misaka 19090 confirms."

"Misaka is also fine, Misaka 13577 adds." They ran out of the smoke next to Mikoto and turned to face the dust cloud where Juliet had disappeared. "Do you think she's dead?"

"No," Mikoto answered and shook her head. "That attack would stun her at best." Her eyes darted over to Kuroko. Mikoto only realized now that the two Sisters had slowly been leading Juliet away from Kuroko to prevent her getting caught up in the fight. They had moved so naturally, Mikoto didn't even notice. Their skills really are amazing. "We need to get Kuroko out of here, she was hit by Juliet's magic, and then we need to find-." Her words were cut when she saw movement fly out of the cloud of dust. Two long shadow strands wrapped around Misaka 13577 and 19090, pinning their arms to their sides, and then lifted them up into the air.

"AHHHH!" they yelled.

"You two have been a nuisance for far too long," Juliet said angrily, as she walked out of the dust. Both of her arms had transformed into shadow. "It's time to die."

"Wait!" Mikoto yelled. "It's me you want, leave my sisters alone!"

"Sisters huh?' Juliet asked and a devious gleam appeared in her eyes. "I wonder how much you care for them" She wrapped both of them up together in one arm, so her left arm was free. It retracted and reformed into her normal looking arm.

"Whatever you are planning, stop!"

"Don't worry about us Misaka 13577 pleads. Take your friend and leave."

"We will be-," Misaka 19090 started to say but Juliet increased the pressure of her grip on them. "AH!"

"Be quiet," Juliet snapped at them before turning back to Mikoto. "I thought of something Eve would be proud of. I'm going to give you a choice for a game I thought of."

"What kind of choice?" Mikoto asked slowly. Dread welded up within her and she knew this wasn't going to be a normal friendly game.

"I have to kill you," Juliet told her. "Eve was crystal clear about that. I also want to kill that slut over there." She jabbed her finger in Kuroko's direction. "I wasn't planning to hurt anyone else. At least, until these two decided to attack me." She glanced up at them. "They actually shot at me, with a gun! What kind of crazed individuals carry automatic guns in the middle of a city?" Mikoto didn't say anything to this. She had told them many times they shouldn't carry guns. "So I think I should teach them that if they shoot at someone, they should be prepared to be killed in response." Mikoto's eyes widened and her throat went dry. "This is where you come in."

"How?" Goosebumps appeared on Mikoto's arms.

"I'm giving you a choice," Juliet explained and tightened the grip on the Sisters. They made an involuntary gasp. "Your sisters or the slut. I'm going to kill the one you choose before I kill you." Her smile widened and her expression became slightly insane. "You get the honor of deciding which one dies before you."

"You evil bitch!" Mikoto yelled. "I'm not going to pick who lives and dies!" She sparked up, but ultimately knew it was pointless.

"No, no, no." Juliet shook her head and wagged a finger at her. "You are all going to die. You just get to pick which one goes first. After you die, I'm going to kill the last person. You won't have to see them. You only have to see the person you choose die. Imagine the look in their eyes and the betrayal on their face when you select them." Juliet put a hand on her cheek. "It sends shivers down my spine."

"You're insane," Mikoto gasped and took a step backwards. She couldn't believe someone would use people's lives as part of a game. Was she really a caring person once?

"Sitting in an infinite void for years does that," Juliet agreed. "But time is a ticking. Maybe if I torture these two some more, you might make up your mind faster." She increased the pressure and both Sister's gasped, unable to cry out.

"STOP IT!" Mikoto yelled wildly.

"No," Juliet replied mildly. The Sisters were obviously having trouble breathing. Their faces were turning red and slightly purple. They would not last long with Juliet's strength. "You better hurry up. It looks like they are suffocating."

"Quit it!" Mikoto yelled again and fired a blinding blue-white discharge of electricity at Juliet's arm. The bolt was more concentrated because Mikoto was trying to sever Juliet's hold on the Sisters. Juliet flicked her other arm into a shadow and knocked the electricity away. "You have no idea what they have been through. Stop hurting them!"

"Whatever they went through," Juliet refuted. "Would not be nearly as bad as my past. Hurry up and decide or do you enjoy watching these girls suffer?" Mikoto's face turned red as anger overtook her. She charged at Juliet wildly and electricity flowing all around her. Juliet shook her head at Mikoto's desperation and swung her arm. It knocked the layer of electricity away and hit Mikoto in the stomach. Mikoto felt her body lift into the air, as all her breath left her body. She couldn't breath and her vision blurred again. Juliet's attack didn't stop there, but continued to wrap around Mikoto until she was completely bound. The shadow covered her eyes and she couldn't see.

"Why are you doing this?" Mikoto asked. She couldn't see Juliet, but knew she was there.

"I don't have all the details," Juliet admitted. "But Eve drilled it into us about the importance of this step. I gave up trying to understand her plans, but you know how they end up. The results are unquestionable, just like in England. Now, this is your last chance. Make your choice, or I break one of your sister's necks.

"How could I make that choice?" Mikoto mumbled through clenched teeth. She started sparking up, but realized something. I could free myself from Juliet's hold on me, her shadow breaks with enough force, but would that help? I could save myself, but not my Sisters or Kuroko. That's not an option. Juliet could easily kill one of them before I could save any of them. I also do not have the power to defeat her. My attacks do nothing, I don't have any other ideas, and no one's coming to help. Mikoto felt helpless, just like the time against Accelerator. There was nothing she could think of to stop Juliet. Her eyes began to water at the thought of losing the others. She didn't care about her own life nearly as much as theirs. Her chest hurt, not only from the pain of Juliet's attacks, but her dilemma. She hated this feeling of helplessness and she wanted to vomit. It's over.

She was going to die.

The Sisters were going to die.

Kuroko was going to die.

Her friends would find her body and cry.

Anger welled up within her. Mikoto wasn't going to die like this. If she died, she was going to go down fighting to her last breath. At the very least, she was going to save the others. She would not play Juliet's game. Think Mikoto, as long as I am bound here, Juliet will think I am trying to debate this impossible choice. I have to think of an idea quickly or she might kill one of them out of boredom. She couldn't think of anything, no matter how hard she tried and started to panic. Calm down. Panicking won't help. Touma always kept a cool head when he fought someone stronger than him. She took several deep breaths and forced her mind to settle down. She was blind and couldn't see, but she could still feel electromagnetic signals. She could feel both of the Sister's electric signals from their abilities. Electromasters usually converted, subconsciously, their brainwaves into electric signals as part of their AIM field.

It was never this clear before. Mikoto was confused at how easily she could feel their signals. Is it because I'm blind my other senses are heightened? She didn't consider the fact that only a short while ago, she had been in Touma's body and had absolutely no access to any electronic signals. She had felt blind then and, when they finally switched back, had been overwhelmed by the thousands of electromagnetic signals the city generated. She had to avoid focusing on them in order to avoid losing track of everything around her. Now, being in such close proximity to them and having extraordinary awareness to their signals, Mikoto could feel them. She didn't know why she did it, but she focused on it. With no other option available to her, she was desperate. The waves got clearer and clearer until she practically could understand everything about it. She embraced the information.

Her mind was suddenly overloaded.

She witness memories or people and places she had never seen. It was as if she was looking through the eyes of someone else. She experienced tastes and sounds she had never actually tasted or heard before. Moments later, she heard thousands of whispers in her head, as if a number of people were talking. She couldn't quite make out the words, but she thought she heard her name countless times. She didn't understand what was happening, but then she felt resistance, like someone was trying to block her. Mikoto didn't understand why, but she felt like she had to keep moving forward. The resistance felt like a type of electrical lock she was used to seeing around the city, and she managed to bypass the blockage without much effort.

What came next nearly overwhelmed her.

It felt like her mind had been set to overdrive. Every thought, every calculation she made, was now as easy as breathing. She no longer felt afraid, she felt like she could do anything. I'm coming to save you, Mikoto thought as her mind turned toward Kuroko and the Sisters. Anger rose up deep within her again as she thought about how Juliet was treating their lives like a game. Something else besides anger started to churn in her mind and body. It was dark and hate filled. Her mind was so preoccupied with the new knowledge, she couldn't contain her emotions. This might have been similar to what Juliet experienced when she lost her body. Hatred, fear, anger, and the desire for revenge overshadowed all other rational thoughts. Only one clear thought passed through Mikoto's mind.

Juliet must pay.

"She stopped struggling," Juliet mumbled. Her eyes never left Mikoto. "She's not even trying to escape. Did she give up?" Eve is not going to be happy. Nothing like an evolution took place, no matter how much I mentally struck her. She frowned and looked up at the Sisters. They stopped moving too. Weird. I was slowly suffocating them, but they shouldn't have croaked yet. "Well, I guess this game is over. I'll just kill you…" Juliet's words died off as she felt something. It was so slight, she almost missed it. A ripple ran through her arm. Did I imagine that? She shrugged and was about to crush Mikoto, when she felt it again. "Okay, I know I felt that," Juliet said with shiver. It felt weird, because it definitely wasn't her doing, but it still affected her. "What's going-."

Boom!

Her shadow arm wrapped around Mikoto was blown away by a surge of electricity. The force of the explosion actually pushed Juliet back and she shut her eyes. Her arm regenerated and she forced opened her eyes in time to see Mikoto's next attack. An enormous torrent of energy struck Juliet and sent her flying backwards. Her hold on the Sister's broke apart and they fell to the ground. Juliet's human body was completely disrupted from the last attack and it took a second for her to reform. She was sitting on the ground in a daze, her body still reeling from the attack. I actually felt that. She stood up and focused on Mikoto. Her eyes widened when she saw her. Is this what Eve meant by evolution?

Mikoto's hair was swept back, with a few fringes gathering together to form two horn-like structures on her head. The sclera of her eyes darkened and the pupils began to glow with a bright blue-white light. The most obvious change however was the sudden appearance of two blue-white ribbon-like objects with diamond shaped sections attached to them that hug around Mikoto's arms. Juliet could feel the energy from where she stood and immediately recognized the ribbons as pure compressed energy. The glowing ribbons however, did not overshadow the black electricity forming around her. In fact, the light was making the electricity seem even more ominous. Juliet frowned and stood up. She looked at her hand and saw it was shaking slightly. That last attack, it wasn't a normal science ability. It was something more. It was like she forcefully made her own version of twisted Telesma. Wow, so this is an evolution? She saw a mass of clouds begin to cover the sky above the city and lightning flashed high above them. The two sisters who fell to the ground were not moving, so Juliet could focus only on Mikoto.

"So," Juliet said conversationally. "What are you going to try next?" She sounded more confident than she felt. She had no idea what Mikoto was capable of now. Mikoto stared at her for a moment, the black electricity crackled around her. Juliet was able to register Mikoto's eyes and realized something important. Those eyes… they are like Cain when he loses control. They are the eyes of a beast. Oh shit!

Mikoto raised her hand and one of the ribbons wrapped around it like a coil. She uttered a single word.

"Disappear."

An enormous column of lightning flew down from the sky and struck Juliet.

---

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.

Pierce: Looks like Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san have been able to manifest the power of the Kami-yan disease within them.

Motoharu: Kami-yan is the light in the dark to them, so of course they will be focused on them.

Kazari: But what's with that transformation from Misaka-san? What did she do?

Jason: Manifestation of Kami-yan disease. It gave her power.

Frenda: So these transformations are based on Kamijou?

Pierce: Everything is based on him. All girls attracted to him grow in power. Look at Saten-san, she leveled up in England to help him.

Kazari: There was more to it that that…

Frenda: So that's why Accelerator has those wings too?

Motoharu: Yep, though his transformation is different. It's a combination of being a lolicon and having guy love for Kami-yan.

Kazari: Come on guys, this can't be true. Jason, tell them.

Jason: So this thesis you two are working on for college about the effects of Kami-yan disease in a controlled environment, it sounds like you have a good start.

Motoharu: We have been collecting data since we discovered it. Any good research requires years of research.

Kazari: Do you guys put this much effort in your normal school work?

Guys: Nope.

Ruiko: Hey, why are you all sitting in a dark room? What are you watching?

Pierce: Speak of which, looks like we have a prime example right here.

Ruiko: Huh?

Kazari: Run Saten-san!

A side note some people might be interested in. I have had a lot of people asking me if I planned to do anything special for the holidays. I actually do have a Christmas Omake chapter in the works. It will be a little more humorous than these last few fighting chapters. Touma's going to have a very interesting Christmas with the number of girls he's been flirting with in this story.