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.)

89. S4 Plight of the Level 5s: Part 4

The holidays are over and we all trudge back to our boring and meaningless lives. It's a new year and nothing has changed, but now is the time to rejoice. I bring to you a new chapter! This one is actual story instead of the plot of last chapter. Some people mentioned it was a good break from the seriousness of the current arc and I have to agree. This chapter will finish part two of all the fights and then the fights should be finished in 2-3 more chapters before moving back to our favorite unlucky hero who is out in the horrible Outback about to siege one of the most powerful villains in this story. So much stuff is going on and I'm looking forward to when it's done and we move back to more humorous situations, like the raffle. I also hope everyone had a good holiday, whatever they may be. Now, onward to comments.

anand891996: What? Of course it wasn't. Why would I make fun of one of my favorite holiday stories? Eve likes to break the forth wall a lot. She's an attention hog so we can't give her too much attention or she won't leave.

Brosephg: I had been debating on actually showing Mugino more near the end, but the omake had already gotten too long, so I made it a little vaguer. I think that worked out better, as it leaves more to the imagination.

general ironox: I was bouncing ideas off several of my friends and one of them suggested the Pocky Game, it worked out perfectly.

Salishious: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had the toughest time writing it because I was laughing too much. I had to do it in chunks and then quickly switch to something else for a moment. The most innocent questions are usually the funniest. Simple things we take for granted can be funny when mentioned out loud.

Yakutsu Zaishiro: Not really enough time to make a good New Year's omake. The best female in Touma's harem? That's tough. Each one is good in their own way. He likes the older mature girls, but he sometimes needs a strong alpha female to kick him in the right direction.

Whwsms: Sometimes, leaving things to the imagination is the best. You don't get limited to my ideas.

Guest: If I'm still writing next year, I might do another one. I also have an idea for a Halloween one, but it's kind of cliché right now, but I have tons of time. Yuna met Touma once before when he was taking Index to the buffet. Eve's around Mikoto's age and height, but she can change her appearance with magic, so it's not set. This will become apparent later. NO! No one mentioned the joke! I even set up the title for that very reason! I was so disappointed. For the blackout scene, I purposely made it so people didn't know who was here, minus a few obvious ones.

reality deviant: Thanks.

Guest: I probably won't make Pierce the number 6 until it's canon. Motoharu might do some stuff, but he does everything behind the scenes.

Handsomistic1: One, no. Two, random number generator liked them. Three, porn is always funny. Four, use your imagination. Five, which version was that? When he's female and attracts girls? Six, nah, she was there, but didn't stand out.

Generation Zero: Eve vs Noukan is going to be one of the most insane fights for me to write. Nothing is off the table, except maybe magic god world exploding moves. I'm planning to read up some scenes with the AAA to get the movement and fight tactics down before I get there.

Salishious: Huh, Index might actually do something like that. Eve can teach her and Last Order all sorts of funny things… hmm. That might be kind of fun and then watch Accelerator and Touma trying to track them down. It was a Christmas present for Touma. Shizuri, the Future Savior of Christmas, has acquired a new title.

FrodoFighter: Touma had to clothes swap with someone. There was a possibly he would wear a girl's Santa suit, but the random dice roller picked for me. Jason's cleanup was perfectly normal. You are the second person to note Eve's fourth wall breaking. Do not fear, it's one of my favorite Christmas stories here. Pierce might chase them if they run away too. But he and Eve fit perfectly together. Shame it's an omake and not canon in the story. Keep their underwear? Pssh, of course not. They just didn't tell the others. If Touma said himself, he would be lying for the dare and have to suffer a punishment game. Magic infused clothes won't work for Touma. We need scientifically engineered ones for him.

wildarms13: It was fun to write a humorous chapter after all the seriousness.

321jaz: Slice of life stuff is always really fun to write.

MightyImpulse: Shizuri does not get embarrassed. She substitutes destruction for embarrassment.

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.

---

"This is why I don't like getting involved!" Shiage cried as he ran down the empty street and ducked down an alley. "I never wanted to be dragged into this!"

Shiage Hamazura was being chased by an enemy magician who was capable of going toe to toe with not only one of the level 5s, but a level 4 as well. Shiage even hit him with a truck full of explosives and this guy, who called himself the legendary Oda Nobunaga, walked out of it unscathed. In fact, he had even looked amused. After giving his name, he gave Shiage thirty seconds to set up a plan to fight this monster who seemed to be able to attack from long distances simply by swinging his sword. Shiage only had a handheld pistol on him and, after Oda was able to take Meltdowner blasts from Shizuri, he did not think firing his peashooter would amount to anything. His only option was to bide time until he could think of a way to lose Oda.

"Come on," Shiage muttered and fumbled around on his phone until he pulled up a map of the city. "There has to be something." Using GPS, he zoomed in on his location and examined the surrounding buildings. "Apartments, office building, restaurant, game store, come on, where are all the useful buildings?" He heard the sound of a car exploding and he started to sweat even more. He's closing in on me, but is purposely giving away his location. How is he even tracking me? I'm disappearing between buildings. Shiage did not understand magic at all, but Saiai and Frenda had given him a short overview. It was like Academy City's abilities, but they had more variety. It would not be unusual for them to have some type of tracking magic. Since there was no one around them, Oda must have used magic to keep civilians out of the action. Shiage started running again and zoomed out the map on his phone to see the next couple blocks over. Something caught his eye and for the first time, he grinned.

There was an Anti-Skill building nearby.

Perfect, Shiage thought. He hoped there might be some adults there able to help him, but even if that wasn't the case because of Oda's magic, he was still optimistic. Anti-Skill areas usually had extra weaponry, ammo, and supplies so their personnel could be equipped anywhere in the city. It was only a small branch office, so Shiage doubted they had any heavy vehicles, but they might have some stronger weapons than his handgun. He reached the end of the alleyway, looked around to make sure Oda wasn't there, and bolted down the side of the street. He ran about three hundred meters when he crossed another street. A movement caught his eye to the left and he turned his head just in time. Oh crap!

Oda was standing down the side street and had raised his blade.

Shiage instinctively ducked and rolled, a second before a deep grove appeared in the ground right where he had been standing a second before. He would have lost his legs if he hadn't dived forward. "How am I supposed to entertain you if you don't give me any time to prepare!?" Shiage yelled out desperately as he ran full speed down the road before Oda walked out of the side street.

"I'm teaching you to think on your feet," Oda's voice replied and it sounded slightly amused.

Bastard, Shiage thought. He's enjoying this. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Oda walking out into the open. Shiage knew Oda was not limited in the range of his strikes, so being out in the open was suicidal. He turned sharply to his right and barged into an open office building. The lights were still on, but it was deserted, like the rest of the area. There was a back door, but if he left through there, it would be obvious where he went. Shiage couldn't trust that hiding would be any better if Oda could track him. He saw stairs leading upstairs and an idea formed in his mind. He ran over to the back door and pushed it open slightly, before he ran up the stairs and looked around. There were a lot of office cubicles, but he glanced past them. He was staring at the windows and he sighed in relief when he saw they could be opened from the inside. He ran toward them and looked outside. One was overlooking the street he had come from, but the ones to his right were only a few feet away from another building.

"This is stupid," Shiage muttered to himself as he opened the window as far as it would go. "I should have gone out the back." He slipped out the window and stood on the ledge of the building. He had to close the window behind him to make it look like he had not been there. A small breeze rustled his clothes and he took a deep breath to steady himself. The ledge on the other building was only a few feet away, but too far to just step over. He braced himself for what would happen if he failed and jumped. Shiage landed on the other edge with a soft thud and he gripped widely at the smooth concrete edges to stabilize himself. He swayed backwards for a moment, but managed to keep himself up right. He reached a shaking hand into his pocket and pulled out a lock pick. It took a moment to run it along the window's edge, but he heard the soft click and the window opened. He slipped into the new building and closed the window carefully behind him.

It was another office building, but Shiage didn't care. He moved quickly and silently through the cubicles and down the stairs. He opened an emergency exit that led into an alley and he looked out. The area was deserted and he left the building. His goal was still to get to the Anti-Skill office. Oda most likely saw Shiage enter the building and followed him. Shiage did not know exactly how Oda was tracking him, but people tended to believe things their eyes saw. Since Oda saw him enter that building, Oda probably would follow him without using his tracking magic. If everything went according to Shiage's plan, Oda would go out the back door to follow Shiage's trail. Once the trail ran cold, Oda would use his magic to locate Shiage again, but this would give him time. How much, he did not know. Shiage managed to arrive at the Anti-Skill building without seeing Oda again, and then he received a most welcome surprise.

The building was unlocked.

They must have gotten up and left right in the middle of work, Shiage thought. Finally, a piece of good news. He wasn't as unlucky as other people and good things would happen to him from time to time. He entered the Anti-Skill building and looked around. He was standing in a waiting room, but there was nothing usable there, so he walked past the front desk and into the back area. This is where he struck gold. Rows of assault rifles, submachine guns, and a couple grenade launchers were laid out before him. He reached for one and stopped. This guy was able to stop Mugino's attack head on, so I can't expect these to work. He also survived an explosion, though it wasn't confined. I wonder what else they have. He walked over to another storage room, adjacent to this one, and his mouth fell open.

There was a sizable explosive stockpile.

This is what I'm talking about, Shiage thought as he looked around. Some people might have found it strange for a police organization to have so many explosives at their disposal, but they actually had a reason. First, a large part of Academy City was underground, which meant if there was a terrorist attack or a rogue ability user started to wreak havoc, there was the risk of cave-ins. Explosions were used to clear out tunnels if needed. They also were used against fortifications, both deliberate and accidental, such as heavy metal doors that normal tools could not break down. They weren't used a lot, but there had been rumors they had been used recently against some intruders who entered Academy City illegally. Most of them were set up to be remotely detonated, so Shiage wouldn't have to find ways to set them off manually like he did earlier. He would just have to arm them once they were in place.

Will this be enough though? Shiage thought to himself. He had tried using explosives once, improvised explosives, but explosives nonetheless. These might be a little more effective, but they would have to be set up right to maximize their effectiveness. I need something more. He made a mental note of what was at his disposal and moved toward the next room. He skipped over the first aid supplies and entered the garage. There was one armored vehicle, but Shiage only planned to use that as an escape option if he got out of his predicament alive. There was not a lot of time left, since it was only a matter of when before Oda found him. Shiage could not afford to half-ass his plan or he would die. There was one more room attached to the garage and Shiage walked through the door. He felt a grin form on his face.

A powered suit was sitting in the charger and, by the green light, it was fully charged.

Shiage rubbed his hands together as the plan formed in his mind. He went to work and hoped he could finish before Oda arrived.

---

"I can't believe I fell for that."

Oda turned around and walked back toward the building he had just come out off. He had seen the boy, Shiage, dash into the building. It was actually a wise strategy, since Oda could only cut things he could see. Though, if he wanted too, he could cut the building in half. But where would the fun in that be? Oda had entered the building and looked around. The back door was still opened slightly and Oda shook his head. Seriously, at least try to cover your tracks. I though the boy was more clever than that. He exited the building and looked around. There was no sign of Shiage and Oda frowned. He figured Shiage would run away from him and started walking in that direction for a little bit before it dawned on him.

He must have exited a different way.

Oda walked back into the office building and looked around. There was still a possibility Shiage was hiding in the building. Hiding is foolish, but he may be out of options. I think I have overestimated him. Oda touched the left shoulder of his armor with his right hand and a small rune began to glow on the back of his right glove. Oda smiled as he began his search for Shiage. Like most of the Fallen under Eve and Adam, he did not base his magic on religion. Cain was the only one who actually based his magic on that, but even he derived from it. Hunter's Presence was one such power, as it was based on the predator prey relationship. Arthur's magic was based on lore and legend around folktales, while Juliet's was based on Shakespearean era drama.

The glowing rune was called Algiz, which looked like a Y but with a third prong in the middle sticking upwards, and it was the rune of Protection and Opportunity. Having the rune engraved into his armor was the key to his tracking spell. Armor was originally designed to protect the body from enemies. Over the years, full metal body armor had been designed to be more ceremonial once nations moved away from swords and bows. Even so, bullet proof armor was still used by military and police worldwide, so the primary purpose had not change. For armor to function as intended, it must be worn. Armor on a display stand in the corner of a room would not protect anyone from harm. Oda used this trait of armor combined with another aspect. Algiz also represents success through endeavor in a search, quest, or other enterprise.

In other words, his tracking magic would find anyone capable of wearing the armor.

Even though Oda's armor was crafted to fit his body size, it was still armor made for a human. Thus, the spell would only find other humans. If he used his magic on armor for a horse, more commonly called barding, he would be able to locate any horses nearby. The downside was he could not tell who the person detected was. This spell was originally designed to find and root out stealth attacks. He had been tracking Shiage through magic, but stopped when he caught sight of him. That boy couldn't know how I was tracking him, so did he figure it out? Even if they know about magic, to actively discern how magic works is impressive. He concentrated and found two groups of people. One group held three people, which must have been his primary target and her friends, and the second group consisted of only a single person. There he is. Huh, he didn't get very far. He must be planning something.

Oda grinned. This is what he expected from the boy. A normal person would have kept running after witnessing his might, but then would only be hunted down like a wounded animal. A true warrior would resist until the bitter end and Oda respected those types of people. The strong would always be defeated by the next generation of strength, such was the fate of those born for battle. He walked toward the location Shiage's presence was coming from. His footsteps echoed heavily across the deserted street. He hated using people clearing fields because the silence unnerved him. In a battle, when you heard the sound of fighting, you knew what to expect. When there was only silence, you had no idea if an enemy force was preparing to launch a surprise attack. This time, I know he is preparing some kind of last ditch attack. He stopped for a moment outside the building and turned off his tracking magic. It took too much concentration to keep it going and simultaneously use his offensive weapon magic.

"Shiage Hamazura!" Oda yelled out loudly. "Are you going to hide inside like a coward or come out and fight like a man?!" There was no response, but Oda did not expect one. Only a fool would have come out to face him directly. He drew one of his swords and walked forward. The front door was unlocked and he encountered no resistance. The entrance area was deserted and he continued through the back door. The next room had rows of advanced firearms and Oda made sure to note two of the submachine guns had been removed because of the empty spaces. There was still no sign of Shiage, and Oda moved to the next room. This room was empty, but there were disturbed signs of dust that something had been moved. This is my first real clue that he is planning something. Oda left the room and entered a garage. There was only one vehicle there, but it caused him to frown. He couldn't be this predictable, could he? He checked the back of the vehicle for explosives, but there were none. Slightly confused, Oda scratched his head. What is the boy planning? This is pretty exciting. My blood is boiling more than against my primary target. He saw another door leading out of the garage and Oda headed in that direction.

The doorway exploded in gunfire the second he opened it.

Oda wasn't too concerned about normal machine gun bullets. His armor was enchanted with magic and he could barely feel them hitting his skin. He did, however, cover part of his face with one arm so he could see what was shooting him. The bullets were peppering his face too much to get a clear view. He finally made out a metal suit in roughly the shape of a person. It was one of those power armor suits he had heard Academy City developed. In a way, Oda could appreciate it, because it acted as a suite of armor and allowed the user to wield several larger weapons. It may have been considered technology, but the fact remained people still used some type of armor and weapons. It was obvious to Oda what Shiage had done. He found a powered suit to use against Oda since he couldn't face him directly. I can't really find fault in that logic because of his experience in magic, but he doesn't understand how insignificant one of those suits are. He sighed and sliced his sword downwards.

One of the powered suit's arms fell off and clattered to the ground. The weapon in the other arm stopped firing. Oda lowered his arm and got a better look at the suite. It looked like a heavier suit of western style full body armor and both arms had been carrying submachine guns, but now one of them was lying on the ground several meters away. Oda shook his head. "I might have overestimated you. If this is the best you can do, it ends here."

"You magicians cheat!" Shiage's voice came out of the powered suit. "Seriously, being able to block bullets with your skin and armor? Then you guys can use tons of different powers, that is total bullshit!"

"Armor was designed to protect," Oda replied with a shrug. "Using magic only strengthens that function. Besides, how can you say I cheat when your companion shoots beams of light that disintegrate everything in its path?"

"Her ability is cheating too!"

"Heh," Oda laughed slightly. "Regardless of the era, you always hear people complain about the strength of others. They were born stronger, faster, or smarter so I can't catch up to them. I will let you in on a secret. The strong don't always survive on the battlefield. A stray arrow, a hidden blade, or a random horse could lead to your death. Strength only gives you a slightly better chance to live. Luck is a key part in this."

"I can't say I'm lucky," Shiage admitted. "But I'm luckier than someone else I know." The powered suit raised its other arm and aimed the last gun. "I have someone to get back to, so I can't die here." He started firing again and the bullets peppered Oda.

"I understand that," Oda said with a nod. "We all carry something to return too, but everyone can't be so lucky." He slashed his blade again and the other arm separated from the powered suit. Oda then realized something he should have noticed earlier. The powered suit was like armor, it was supposed to cover the human body. This included all the human appendages, including the arms. When he had cut off the powered suit's arms, there had not been any human arms beneath them. Oda sliced his sword horizontally and the powered suit was cut in half at the waist. The top half of the powered suit fell off and hit the ground with a loud clang. If Shiage had been in the suit, he could have been cut in half too. "What is this!?" Oda demanded.

"I was planning to drive the power suit," Shiage's voice came out of the helm. "But I realized being out in the open was suicidal. These suits can be controlled remotely, though the functions were limited and the controls are complicated. I only managed to figure out how to move the arms and fire."

"Did you think this was going to be enough to stop me!?"

"I didn't think it would," admitted Shiage. "So I set something else up. Take a look around the base of the walls." Oda complied and glanced around the room. There were boxes of supplies and maintenance kits for the powered suit, but then he noticed what Shiage had set up.

The walls were lined with explosives.

"You were so focused on the powered suit," Shiage explained. "You didn't notice the real trap. In this confined space, the force should be a lot greater than before."

"You ingenious bastard," Oda snarled, but he was slightly impressed.

"Goodbye," Shiage said, as the explosives started to go off all around Oda.

---

Shiage's plan had worked better than he thought it would. Since a direct assault was out of the question, he did not pilot the suit himself. Instead, he found the remote controls used to test the operating system and structural integrity of the suit. It had been really complicated, but he had experience with driving all sorts of vehicles and managed to learn the basic controls. Once he had that, he grabbed the explosives and set them up along the walls of the room. Then he also hid some explosives in the previous room with the vehicle. He guessed correctly Oda would be wary of explosives in vehicles, so Shiage placed them behind other things along the walls. They were out of sight, but close by so Oda would not be able to escape. He grabbed the remote viewer and left out the emergency exit. The most dangerous part was staying close enough that Oda would still think he was in the building.

It seemed to work and Shiage was carefully monitoring the view from the powered suit's camera. He had two devices in his possession, one was the detonator for the explosives and the other was the remote viewer, with a two way communicator and basic remote functions built in. As soon as Oda entered the doorway to the powered suit, Shiage started running away to avoid getting caught in the explosion or the soon to be flying debris. He exchanged brief dialogue with Oda before Shiage hit the button on the detonator with a soft click.

A chain of explosions went off in the distance. The ground under Shiage shook and he stumbled slightly. He saw dust flying the air as the building he had left begun to collapse. All the electronics, equipment, and the other vehicle started to explode from either being crushed by steel or be being engulfed in other explosions. Flames erupted fifty meters into the air and pieces of debris started flying in every direction. Nearby buildings' windows began to shatter as pieces of shrapnel peppered the walls and large chunks of debris fell into the street. A couple pieces of metal chunks landed to close for comfort, which caused Shiage to retreat further away. Smoke rose high into the sky and Shiage was sure Anti-Skill would be flooding into the area after seeing that. He panted and looked down at the remote viewer, which only returned static. He didn't expect the camera to still be in once piece. Shiage tossed the viewer on the ground and leaned up against a wall of a building. He had to take a couple deep breaths to calm himself down. His phone beeped and he glanced down at the message from Saiai.

What the hell did you do? Anyway, you super need to get your ass back to us. Mugino has a plan. We are at the same location we started at.

Shiage grinned for a moment at the thought of Saiai's stunned disbelieving look when he told her he had taken out Oda. Maybe she will finally give me some respect. He was just beginning to message her back when he stopped. He wasn't sure why he looked up, but something told him too. An occasional explosion would go off, but the rain of debris had stopped. Then he heard it, the sound of metal screeching against metal. Shiage thought for a moment debris might have been sliding down other pieces, and then his hope was dashed.

Giant flaming chunks of metal and debris flew out of the burning wreckage of the former Anti-Skill building. Out of the fire, a single person stepped out into the street. Shiage could not believe his eyes. Oda had been completely surrounded by explosions and had a building collapse on him. There was no logical way he should have survived or, at the very least, remained unscathed enough to walk out. Shiage was not going to see how hurt Oda was and sent a short message back to Saiai.

I'm on my way back, and that guy is going to be pissed.

---

While Shiage was desperately trying to survive against Oda, Saiai had found Rikou and brought her over to Shizuri. Saiai was a little bruised, but otherwise unhurt. She waited impatiently as Shizuri got a full detailed explanation on what Rikou and Shiage did with the explosive truck. Saiai was actually slightly impressed Shiage had come up with something so sneaky on the spot. I bet he is super regretting it now that he is the one being targeted. She snickered slightly and then turned back to Rikou and Shizuri. They were now talking in low voices. "Am I going to know what you two are planning or am I super going to be kept out of the loop?" Shizuri glanced at her thoughtfully for a moment before answering.

"I suppose I can tell you," Shizuri said reluctantly. "The reason I haven't told you about this is because it's personal in nature and does not involve ITEM. Now it seems like they are going to overlap."

"Then why does she know?" Saiai asked and pointed to Rikou.

"Because of her ability," Shizuri answered and Rikou nodded.

"Care to elaborate?" Saiai asked in a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"Remember when Mental Out went through her transformation in England?" Shizuri asked and Saiai nodded.

"Her power was overloaded with Telesma because of her link to their knight's mind," Saiai said. "The transformation I thought was caused by unusual reactions to the Telesma."

"That's only partially right," Shizuri replied and crossed her arms. "I went to see Kamijou's friend after the announcement of the rank changes. He's involved a lot more in the city than we realized. He actually has access to the level 5 research information, including mine." Saiai's eyes went wide. "So Takitsubo and I paid him a visit. We found out some interesting information on how they decide ranks, since it's not based on raw power. He also had access to more stable drugs than what was being passed around underground. Instead of the drugs actually permanently boosting my power, it forcefully caused my ability to grow slightly out of control to break the ceiling cap on my ability."

"Huh?"

"It's how they rank us," Shizuri elaborated, slightly impatiently. "They base us on how high our potential is with our ability. It turns out when Mental Out did that transformation, her maximum potential increased, hence the rank change. What I did was take drugs to cause my ability to overload, which would force my ability to collide against the ceiling of my potential. Normally, this would cause an ability to run out of control and kill the user, just like what happened to several idiots who took the drug illegally. Mine was a control dose but Takitsubo's ability was the key to success."

"How?" Saiai asked and turned to Rikou. She didn't say anything and Shizuri continued.

"When my ability overloads, my AIM field will start running out of control as a sign. Takitsubo can use her ability to take over my AIM field and redirect it back toward me, which would cause me to forcefully burst through my max potential." She crossed her arms and looked angry for a moment, so Saiai didn't press for answers until Shizuri was ready to continue. "Everything was working fine, until Kakine showed up. That bastard almost ruined everything. I wasn't supposed to use my ability when I was unstable, but he forced me too. If it wasn't for Kamijou's timely arrival, we would have succumbed to Kakine's magic. During the fight, my ability hit the overload point and Takitsubo managed to forcefully cause my ability to grow. I told you about our fight, but I didn't mention the specifics about why I struggled."

"If it grew," Saiai mumbled thoughtfully and then she stared at Shizuri in shock. "Did you experience a transformation? Like Mental Out?"

"I did," Shizuri confirmed. "But I don't remember most of it. It was like I was in a haze during the process. Takitsubo saw more of it." They looked at Rikou.

"…It was definitely a transformation," Rikou admitted slowly. "But it wasn't like Mental Out's. It seemed to resemble your ability, especially in color. It was green like your normal attacks instead of blue threads."

"Even so," Shizuri continued. "It was incomplete, but it was a step in the right direction."

"So what does this have to do with our current situation?" Saiai asked, still in the dark. "That guy was only playing around with us. If your ability grew because of that transformation, it's not doing anything against…" Her voice trailed off under Shizuri's glare. "Did you super hear what he called himself?" she said, as she changed the topic. "Oda Nobunaga. There's no way he could be the real one."

"It doesn't matter if he is real or fake," Shizuri growled. "He is strong, we can't deny that. These magicians under Eve are equivalent to level 5s, or possibly even stronger. Even if my ability grew, it's not enough to defeat him. That bastard actually managed to cut my Meltdowner with a fucking sword! The fact is he is after me and probably chased after Hamazura just to piss me off more. I will not stand for this humiliation. There is one option left at my disposal to turn that bastard into ashes. Takitsubo will use her ability to take control of my AIM field and forcefully overload it instead of using drugs."

"Huh?!" Saiai exclaimed and even Rikou turned to Shizuri in shock. "Mental Out used a drug originally and you said you did too. Can it super be done without it?"

"That's what we are about to find out," Shizuri said. She turned to Rikou. "I'm leaving it up to you."

"…I don't know," Rikou said and this surprised Shizuri and Saiai. Rikou was not the type to stand up to Shizuri. "I have not tried this on you without you being overloaded by a drug. It may take some time to get it right. If I try to force it without preparation, the shock may cause severe injury or even death."

"Understood," Shizuri said. "Get to work. Kinuhata," she turned to Saiai, "scout out the area and see if you can find out where Hamazura lured him. If you can't find him in five minutes, report back." Saiai nodded and moved out. Saiai run off in the direction Shiage had gone, but after running down two streets she had to stop. Unlike Oda's fight with Shizuri and her, there was not a lot collateral damage everywhere. She finally noticed one mark in the ground and ran over to it. She looked around, but the trail ran cold.

"Damn it Hamazura," Saiai muttered. "Can't you do anything right? Leaving a trail only your group can see is the first thing you super should have learned." She threw up her hands into the air and kicked the ground. He could be in another district by now. She still had time and examined the street. She glanced to her right and noticed a door was partially opened. She carefully went through it, checked for traps, and examined her surroundings again. The back door was open and she left through it. The trail went cold again and she lost all signs of them. She punched a light pole and bent it with the force. I can't track him like this. I need Takitsubo. Getting her help was not an option at the moment and Saiai continued looking around for a little while longer, before she headed back to the others. "Trail ran cold," Saiai reported. She blinked and looked between Shizuri and Rikou. It doesn't look like it is going super well.

Shizuri was sitting on a piece of rubble and was grimacing.

"Hamazura doesn't have an ability," Shizuri panted slightly. "So it's not like we should expect a fight."

"Is this going to work?" Saiai asked.

"…It's difficult," Rikou admitted. "But through trial and error, I believe I know what to do. Again Mugino, this is really risky."

"I don't care!" Shizuri snapped harshly before controlling herself. "We don't stand a chance against him and he could kill us at any time. I went after this power for a reason. If this isn't a time to use it, there will never be one." She took a deep breath. "Okay, we don't know exactly how long this will take, but we can't trust I'll be in a position to chase after Hamazura. Judging by the fact neither of them have returned yet, we should assume the chase is still on. Kinuhata, message Hamazura and see if he can bring our target back here." Saiai nodded and pulled out her phone.

The ground beneath them shook as they heard the sounds of several explosions and the roar of a building collapsing.

"…What was that?" Rikou asked and turned. She concentrated her focus and saw Shiage's level 0 AIM field. "He's alive, but I do not have the ability to see Oda Nobunaga."

"Message him now!" Shizuri ordered Saiai. "Their fight appears to have reached the climax."

"On it," Saiai said and sent a message. She received a reply a moment later. "He's coming and whatever that explosion was, Hamazura caused it. He's still being chased."

"Perfect," Shizuri mused with a sadistic grin. "No matter what happens, do not interrupt us. Takitsubo, unleash my power." Rikou opened her mouth and Shizuri glared at her. "Now!" Rikou nodded and unleashed the full power of her ability on Shizuri. She manipulated and forced Shizuri's AIM field back into her. "AHHHHHH!"

Shizuri had involuntary yelled as the waves of excruciating pain washed over her. The pain was even worse than the first time. Maybe because her AIM field was not being overloaded with drugs, the stress was more directly on Shizuri for Rikou to control the AIM field enough to reverse the flow. Shizuri fell to the ground on all fours as she lost control of her muscles. It was like thousands of needles were stabbing her entire body and she could only taste blood. A small amount trickled out of her mouth. She could move, she couldn't think, and it was almost impossible to breath. She stayed in this vulnerable position for only a short time, but it felt like centuries to her. Her mind was breaking, her body was breaking, and her will to live was fading. Everything was turning black. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She could only wait for the pain to end or have the sweet embrace of death claim her. I won't die here!

Woah, Saiai thought. She had never see Shizuri in the process of transforming, but she was glad she wasn't in Shizuri's spot. The pain on Shizuri's face was frightening. Saiai almost interfered, but Shizuri's words echoed in her mind not to get involved. All she could do was wait. Minutes passed and the air was thick with tension. Saiai caught movement down the street and she glanced up. Shiage had just run into the street, looked around, and made a beeline straight at them. Saiai moved forward to intercept him so that he would not disturb Shizuri and Rikou.

"I dropped a building on him and he walked out of the pile of rubble like it was nothing," Shiage told her and stopped to gasp for air. "He has the ability to track me, so he should be here any minute."

"You dropped a building on him?" Saiai repeated, slightly impressed.

"I found an Anti-Skill building and borrowed some explosives," Shiage explained quickly. "As long as they don't trace the destruction of their base to me, it will be fine." He caught his breath and stood up a straight. "Why is Mugino on the ground?"

"She and Takitsubo are doing something dangerous to fight him," Saiai explained. "If you disturb them, they super might mess up." Saiai then did something unexpected. She slapped Shiage on the back. "You did a good job. First distracting him and then leading him away from us. Kamijou must be rubbing off on you."

"Why do you always compare me to him?" Shiage explained and rubbed his sore back. Saiai didn't always control her strength.

"To make you work harder," Saiai replied with a grin. "Anyway, if they don't finish in time and he arrives, it's up to us to stall." Shiage nodded, but was not feeling optimistic. They turned toward the direction Shiage came from and waited. It was only around a minute longer when Oda walked out into the street and toward them. Shiage pulled out his pistol and Saiai made a fist. Now that he was closer, Shiage managed to get a good look at Oda. The armor was still intact, but it had several scorch marks on it and his clothes were blackened around the edges. Even his hair looked slightly singed, but he was in way too good of condition after what he went through.

"That was a surprise," Oda said as he approached. "You managed to surprise me not once, but twice." He drew out both of his swords. "There won't be a third time though." Shiage gulped and knew he was in trouble. Being out in the open against Oda's attack put them at a disadvantage.

"How does it feel to be whooped by a level 0?" Saiai asked mockingly. "He doesn't even have an ability."

"There are many kinds of strengths in this world," Oda answered evenly. "He put up more of a fight than you did." Saiai scowled, but Shiage didn't have the opportunity to gloat. A bright green glow from behind him caused everyone to turn toward Shizuri. She had stood up and caused their mouths to fall open in shock.

Shizuri had managed to transform.

Her body was radiating a bright green glow, which made her look radioactive. The ground around her was bubbling and Rikou was retreating away from her to avoid being burned. Shizuri's hair was flouting in the air as if defying gravity. Her eyes were glowing green, but much darker than the green glow of her body. Shizuri took a step forward and four orbs appeared right behind her. They each stretched out into diamond shape petals, which then formed into an X-shape. The green glow intensified and seemed to grow solid on her hands and move up her arms like it was a liquid. Her hand, wrists, and lower arms were now pure green. She kept walking forward and left a trail of footsteps in the melted asphalt. Her dark green eyes, closer to black, moved toward Shiage and then to Saiai.

"Move."

It only took one word. One word full of strength, anger, irritation, and more that caused both of them to retreat to the sides and then back toward Rikou. When they were out of the way, she turned her eyes toward Oda. He was looking at her with interest, as he took in her new appearance. "Interesting," he called out. "Is this your trump card?" Shizuri did not reply and continued to walk slowly toward him.

"What happened!?" Shiage asked breathlessly to Rikou.

"You actually managed!?" Saiai asked.

"…It was tougher than I thought," Rikou admitted. "She collapsed on the ground and I thought I might have killed her, but she managed to endure. Her AIM field is erupting like its running wild, but there's actually a method to its movements."

"I super see the resemblance to Mental Out's," Saiai nodded. "But this seems more like Mugino. Raw power rather than refine connections."

"You saw this before?" Shiage asked them, but neither would answer.

Meanwhile, Shizuri was only about thirty meters away from Oda. She stared at him for a moment and several orbs appeared around her. "Even with your transformation," Oda told her. "If you continue to use the same attacks, I'll just cut through them. Can't you show me something new?" Regardless of his words, he never lowered his blades.

"The last person who saw this form was blown into chunks of flesh," Shizuri answered. She looked down and flexed her fingers. "This one even seems more complete. Maybe it's because I had unlocked it once before or maybe it's because I did not use drugs." She moved her eyes back to Oda. "It doesn't matter. You are going to die here." Her mind was actually somewhat clear compared to the first time. Calculations for her ability seemed to be as easy as breathing.

"You regained your confidence I see," Oda pointed out. "But did you ever stop to think of what Lady Eve's plans are? I was only assigned to take you down. Others are going after your friends. Even if you somehow managed to defeat me, you would lose in the long run."

"Oh?" Shizuri asked. She was interested in who Eve considered her friends. "Who might those be?"

"The ones the city calls level 5," Oda explained. "They will all die tonight. Then I believe Eve is going after the Imagine Breaker personally. She said she was going after someone else, but we all know better."

"I see." A smile slowly appeared on her face. If that's the case." Without warning a huge green blast fired from one of the orbs. It was several times larger in diameter than her previous ones. Oda was ready and moved his blade at supersonic speed to cut through the energy. Once again, the beam split in half to either side of Oda, but something else transpired that made him halt for a moment. While he could still cut the energy, the force of the beam was still moving forward and he couldn't part it as easily. The deep ditch in the concrete caused by the attack split less than a meter in front of him and barely parted around him.

If he had been a fraction of a second slower, he would have lost his arms.

She's either stronger or can concentrate more, Oda thought. This must be the evolution Eve was talking about. If that's the case, I don't have to hold back anymore. "You finally appear to be a worthy opponent!" Oda called out excitedly to her. He also didn't have to keep taunting her anymore.

Shizuri didn't reply. She didn't care about his praise. Her mind was flooded with several emotions, some familiar, some not. When Rikou had taken over her AIM field, she had been unable to sense anything else except pain. The smallest cognitive thought was almost impossible, but she could still mentally recall random memories. The taunts of Oda, Accelerator, and Teitoku echoed in her mind. They were stronger than her and they looked down at her. This was not something she would stand for. Anger had begun to slightly cloud the pain. She was not inferior to them. She was a level 5 and had one of the most destructive abilities in Academy City. Her power should terrify everyone around her. The faces of those who scorned her disappeared and another replaced them.

It was Touma Kamijou.

He had been scared of her at the start, but he still treated her like a normal person. Even after their fight, he was willing to keep in contact with her. With his strength and being friends with Accelerator, Touma could ignore her if he wanted too. Not only did Touma treat her like a person, he still treated her like a girl, not a monster. Plenty of guys treated her like a girl before they knew who she was. After she showed off her ability, they ran away and never sought her out again. Touma did not. He would still get embarrassed when she teased him and he would turn red if he saw her in revealing clothes. To him, she was a high school girl who just happened to develop an ability. He had even saved her against Teitoku. She hated to be in anyone's debt. Something occurred to her and when it did, she felt power well up from within.

She not only wanted to do it for herself.

She wanted to show her power off to him.

Shizuri realized then she could not face the same type of people Touma, and by extension Accelerator, Mikoto, and Misaki, could. Her ability had stagnated. This was her test and she would not fail. After this was over, she could find him and confess to try to get rid of these feelings. Even if she had to drag him with her, she would get this off her chest so she could concentrate on her work and life. Her mind seemed to open and she felt control over this new strength. The pain diminished and she stood up. Unlike before, this wasn't like a dream state. Shizuri knew what was happening. The reason she told the others to get out of the way was her senses were so heightened, if one of them moved near her, she might have fired at them instinctively. Shizuri actually could not actively feel the transformation, only the raw power. Power that threatened to consume her if she let down her guard. The power that would allow her to have her revenge against the man that mocked her.

Her vengeance was focused solely on the obstacle in front of her and she spread her arms open.

Easily fifty orbs appeared in front of her like a wall.

Oda grinned in response. He was looking forward to the fight.

---

Misaki was desperately trying to think of a response to the problem at hand.

Before her stood Lancelot, the most famous knight in history. He was the strongest knight under King Arthur and the most prominent member of the Knights of the Round Table. Misaki had no way of knowing if this man was the real Lancelot, but she knew a magician bearing his name would have similar powers. Misaki also vaguely recalled Lancelot meeting a tragic end, but she could not remember the specifics. The biggest issue for her was the mental fortifications on Lancelot's mind. It was a league above the other knights and almost as strong as Arthur's own mind. She had five knights under her control, and both Floris and Lancis were free from Arthur's King Decree, but she didn't feel optimistic.

Can either of you tell me anything about Lancelot? Misaki asked her companions telepathically. The knights do not have much information on his powers. All I can recall was he was the strongest knight under Arthur and met a tragic end.

Even before he met Arthur, Floris explained. Lancelot was a legend. Known by many as only the White Knight, he could fight ten soldiers at once and come out unscathed. Some say he even slayed a dragon. After becoming part of the Round Table, Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere, fell for him. They had an affair and Lancelot was banished. This began a bloody a civil war that led to Arthur's death. Lancelot ended up as a priest before his health deteriorated and he passed on.

He slept with Arthur's wife? Misaki asked in shock. That did sound slightly familiar once Floris mentioned it. Why did Arthur bring him if he did?

Most likely because of the bond they all shared, Lancis answered. Even after the betrayal, Arthur personally went to find Lancelot. The knights and Arthur had a bond that some said could transcend death. The betrayal shook this trust to the core, but it was all part of a plot derived from another to remove Arthur from power.

As for his magic, Floris added. Assume he has the same powers as the other knights, but to an even greater degree. As for why Lancelot is here, this might be Arthur's magic to summon the knights from death with their bond. Why he summoned only one, I don't know. Death is not easy to overcome and it might be taxing on him to do so.

That makes as much sense as most magic I encountered, Misaki sighed.

I don't know if this piece of information will matter, Lancis said. But Lancelot was one of the few people who actually saw the Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail?

It was the goblet the Son of God used during the Last Supper, Floris explained. Supposedly, anyone who drank from it could achieve immortality, but gazing on it could cure people from disease and madness.

If he didn't drink from it, Lancis added. He would still be human.

Thanks for the information, Misaki told them. The five knights she had control of moved in front of them. Even if Lancelot was physically stronger than them, the knights could take a lot more punishment than the girls could. Arthur had taken on his calm exterior after the initial shock of Misaki breaking his King's Decree. It was apparent he had absolute confidence in himself and Lancelot. If they truly were born from the legends, they had fought countless battles together. Misaki knew a hastily formed plan would not work, but there were limits to what they could do. The good news was Floris and Lancis shared their magic with Misaki, so even if she didn't know the specifics on how they used it, she knew what results they could achieve. Ideas were brewing in Misaki's mind as her eyes fell onto Lancelot. He was wearing a helmet, so she could not see his face.

"Are they really that powerful?" Lancelot asked and turned toward Arthur. "One of them can manipulate minds, yes, but is this necessary?"

"The non-magician, Misaki Shokuhou, managed to break my King's Decree," Arthur responded. "Would that be enough information to answer your question?"

"Yes," Lancelot agreed and then was silent for a moment. "It has been awhile, but you have changed."

"How so?"

"Fighting children is not honorable."

"I don't find it tasteful either," Arthur admitted. "But this is a necessary evil that must be done."

"I see." Lancelot turned toward the girls and Misaki frowned.

Neither of them really wants to fight, that is obvious. Can I use this to our advantage? Misaki had not been able to take over Lancelot's mind before, but she might have a chance now. The unknown power she still wielded that freed them from Arthur's magic was still at the tip of her fingers. With it, she might have a chance. But would that be a wise choice? Trying to forcefully take over Lancelot might fortify his resolve to take them out. He seems honorable, but I have to entertain the thought this has to be a ruse. Misaki was still on her guard until an opening revealed itself.

We have to take him out now, Floris informed her. If they work together, we won't stand a chance. Misaki reluctantly agreed, but didn't make a move. If you won't, we will. Their minds were all connected, so Floris didn't have to say anything to Lancis. Lancis hit the ground with the end of her Steel Glove and broke the floor. Pieces of tile and concrete flew into the air, along with a small cloud of dust. Floris swung her Steel Glove through the cloud and the dust was grabbed unnaturally. It was like the dust converged into the hand-like end of the glove. Floris took a step and swung her glove again between the knights in front of the girls. The orb of dust flew like a baseball for the few seconds it took to reach Lancelot. Right before it hit him, the dust exploded.

"Got him!" Floris said triumphantly. "It's a lot easier to coordinate when you don't have to talk."

"Umm," Lancis interrupted her nervously. "Floris, take another look." Floris turned back and stared as the dust disappeared. Lancelot had not moved and appeared completely uninjured.

"They do like their surprise attacks," Arthur commented mildly.

"Indeed," Lancelot agreed. In a single fluid motion, he stepped forward and simultaneously brought his sword blade down. Floris jumped back while Misaki willed three knights forward to block the strike with their shields. For the first time, Misaki got a clear look at Lancelot's blade. It shimmered like the surface of a lake and, when it moved, it left a light blue trail, as if it had been glowing. All three of the knights' shields were cut in half and the force of the blow threw them backwards, but they slowed the blade down enough for Floris to retreat.

"Thanks for the save," Floris panted.

"Did you honestly believe it would be that easy?" Misaki asked sarcastically. "But now we have proof of his physical attributes."

We shouldn't enter his range, Lancis suggested. The knights you have controlled are not as strong as Lancelot, but they are a lot closer than us three. They nodded. Floris and I can support them with magic. Hehe. She didn't mean to giggle, but Lancis always felt a tickle sensation when she channeled mana. We can cause some intoxication that might slow Lancelot's movements slightly. We also have a sealing item, but that would require us to wrap wires around his ankle. Right now, I don't think that's a possibility.

Any idea why he isn't attacking us? Floris asked.

No, Misaki admitted and her eyes fell onto Lancelot. He had his sword held at his side and a shield on the other. He was watching them, but didn't seem to be planning to immediately attack. But I have two theories. Neither of them really wants to kill us, but Eve is making them. They still have a code of honor. Diplomacy might actually be a viable action if that is indeed the case. Two, and this is unlikely, they are purposely drawing this fight out. They could have ended the fight much sooner, but they chose not to. Something he said earlier bothered me. Arthur had said a few things earlier that she had been pondering the significance of.

"I told Lady Eve I did not need her creations. You took control of them too easily and nothing happened, even though she gifted them with a little Telesma."

This confused Misaki the first time Arthur said this, but she couldn't shake it from her head. I took them over and Eve gifted them with Telesma. He sounded disappointed that nothing happened. What could he have been expecting? Her eyes widened. Floris and Lancis probably don't know, but the last time I took over knights who had Telesma I entered that transformation state. Could it be that image in my mind was based on my connection with Telesma? This confused her and also caused a shiver down her spine. Eve would probably know about that transformation. Not much escaped her in England. The question is, why? What could she gain from me getting stronger? She was alarmed someone had a plan forming she could not predict.

Shokuhou, Floris's harsh voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Incoming!

Lancelot had grown impatient and moved forward. Instead of controlling the knights directly, Misaki had them use their own training to fight and only linked their minds together for maximum cooperation. All five had moved at one and surrounded Lancelot. Lancis started singing softly and was trying to intoxicate Lancelot to slow down his reflexes. Full on illusions were not expected to work anymore now that Arthur knew about them. Floris picked up a piece of broken concrete and prepared to throw it when she had the chance. She could not survive a direct confrontation and stayed behind the wall of knights. They were all working in perfect harmony by using Misaki's mental link.

But they were fighting a legend.

Lancelot spun around and deflected two blades effortlessly and used his shield to block a third. He then used the shield to bash the knight in the head and knocked him down. Lancelot then brought his blade down toward the fourth one, but missed as the knight jumped back. The wind pressure alone blew the tiles on the ground into pieces. The fifth knight moved to the side and allowed Floris to throw the concrete debris at the back of Lancelot's head. Lancelot raised his shield, while turning, and knocked the heavy object away like it had been a balloon. He swung his blade in a full circle and created a shockwave that blew them all backwards. Only Misaki and Lancis were able to remain on their feet, as they were further away, but even they felt their hair and clothes get swept back.

They were no match for a Lancelot, a man who led the most powerful order of knights.

I'm out of options, Misaki thought, as she watched Floris and the knights stand up. Lancelot was only using basic attack and defense maneuvers, but was completely overpowering them. It was obvious to Misaki he was not going all out and that was the only reason they were still standing. The only option left for them was Misaki to use her powers on Lancelot. They could not outrun him, so retreating was not an option. Misaki raised her remote and brought her ability down on Lancelot, right when the other knights attacked. The plan was to divide Lancelot's attention into multiple encounters. Misaki's mental assault, the knights' physical attacks, Floris's surprise attacks, and Lancis's intoxication song all bore down upon him.

It wasn't working.

Misaki still found Lancelot's mind shielded like an armored vault. The signals from her ability where not reaching his mind. It wasn't the same type of shielding like Arthur's, whose mind was like a slippery rock and her signals washed around it. There's not a single hole in his defense, Misaki thought. His martial skills haven't dulled either. She needed to think of a plan, but nothing was coming to her. Against overwhelming power, simple plans were not working. This is so frustrating! Misaki was use to preparing for every possible situation. Being in this position, with her back against the wall, was killing her. She hated being beneath others and it frustrated her. Do you feel good about bullying a couple girls?!

Not really, but we have our reasons.

Huh? Misaki was momentarily confused. She did not mean to send her thoughts telepathically to Lancelot, but she did it unconsciously in anger. While Lancelot's memories and thoughts were sealed, he could still ear her voice and he could consciously talk back to her. You can hear me? Why would you even talk to me?

I was debating if you would realize you could message me, Lancelot replied. I noticed you probed my mind, but I could hardly talk to you without knowing if you would be able to speak to me. I'm deliberately holding back my blows so we may talk, but you can't let Arthur know we are speaking. Misaki didn't know, but Arthur was allowing Lancelot to show off his power. Since Misaki was able to free her and the other girls from his King's Decree, the evolution Eve spoke of should not be far behind. Misaki needed to be pushed to her limits, so Lancelot would slowly increase the power of his strikes until she had no choice but to grow or perish.

You didn't answer my second question, Misaki pointed out.

I'm sure you have figured it out already, Lancelot said. Neither of us want to be here or do this dirty deed.

Then why do this? Misaki asked. You have a choice.

Life isn't always that easy, Lancelot answered. We both owe Lady Eve more than you could possibly imagine. He parried a blow and kicked one of the knights back several meters.

So because you owe her, Misaki asked incredulously. That gives you the right to throw your morals and honor out the window? She's obviously using you!

Yes and no. She has always been forthright with us when we joined the Fallen. Before we joined, she told us there would be times we would have to perform deeds that would be unpleasant to say the least, and this is one of them. Arthur and I have been together for a long time and encountered Eve long before the Fallen were actually created. She helped us under a disguise early on in our life, but we sought her out when we found ourselves in our darkest hour.

You don't think she helped you, knowing you would seek her out?

It's possible, but we did it to ourselves.

How did she help you and what disguise did she use?

Lady Eve has used many names throughout history, Lancelot explained and suddenly Misaki had access to several memories that were not hers. She saw a woman tending to an injured man and the sound of a baby crying. Misaki soon realized the memories were from the baby and the baby was being picked up. Misaki saw smooth and slender female arms wrap lovingly around the baby as a woman pick it up. The baby stopped crying and the other woman tending the man spoke up. "Please, take our son. Raise him to be a noble knight and protect him like we could not." The baby's eyes moved up to the face of the woman as she nodded. When Misaki saw who it was, she had to force herself to keep a neutral expression, or Arthur would discover their secret.

It was Eve.

It wasn't the Eve Misaki knew. She was older and had a more maternal aura. Her hair was brown and the smile on her lips was meant to reassure, not mock. She took the baby away and the memory faded. Another memory appeared and this time it revolved around a young man, probably in his early twenties, based on a reflection in a shield. The man had dark blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing armor and fighting against ten knights at once. A woman with brown hair was helping him, but the man did most of the work. Misaki noticed the woman was not striking down many of the enemies, but every one of her strikes was deliberate and accurate. When all the men fell, the memory flashed forward to a cemetery. The young man lifted a metal slab with a word written beneath it. When he leaned in close, a single name was written on it.

Lancelot.

Why are you showing me this? Misaki asked confused. It's almost like Eve raised you.

She did, Lancelot confirmed and Misaki almost had a heart attack. The Eve she knew was young, carefree, and mischievous with the goal of killing God. The notion she would actually raise a child was absurd. Misaki remembered Ruiko and Touma telling her that the memories of Eve would transfer over time, so she actually wasn't surprised by the change in appearance. Magic could even account for the modifications. At the time, no one knew she was called Eve. She was a powerful magician whose magic surpassed the minds of humans. She lived in a small kingdom far away from them, but she was revered as someone near God. Now that I know her, I don't think she cared for the title, but no one ever knew. The most common name given to her was the Lady of the Lake.

You have got to be kidding me! This nearly blew Misaki's mind. The Lady in the Lake was famous in legends. She plays a pivotal role in many stories, including giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and guiding Lancelot. Actually, this might make a lot of sense, she thought to herself. Saten-san probably said it the best. Myths and legends are usually based loosely on facts. If Eve existed back then, stories of her power would be sure to arise. Over the years, they would only become legends. This raises more questions than it answers. Was Eve raising Lancelot as her servant?

Your thoughts are leaking through, Lancelot pointed out and Misaki gathered her composure. And no, she did not raise me to be her servant. In fact, I'm not necessarily loyal to her. I'm only loyal to Arthur, even if I respect and admire her for raising me. You mentioned Arthur and I seemed to be honorable. Eve was the one who instilled the code and honor of the knight into me from such a young age. When I wanted to seek adventure and find a king to follow, she suggested Arthur Pendragon. His attack speed increased slightly and the knights Misaki was controlling were being overwhelmed.

But didn't you have an affair with the queen? Misaki asked. Everything she was hearing sounded wrong to her. Eve was not someone who would do something for nothing. This had to be involved in her elaborate plan somehow. Maybe she wanted the fall of Camelot and used Lancelot to unwittingly do it. What if she planned that? At her words, she felt sadness well up from within him.

That was my greatest mistake, Lancelot admitted. I fell for her beauty and forsook all my training. Arthur was not only my king, but a dear friend. I betrayed our bond and have suffered for it.

What do you mean? Misaki asked and curiosity got the better of her. They would not be able to keep the charade up and Arthur would get suspicious soon. Floris and Lancis were already trying to question her on her plan, but she told them to keep attacking as she tried something. Does this have to do with why only you were summoned and not all the Knights of the Round Table?

When the Knights of the Round Table were created, Lancelot explained. We all took an oath of loyalty to Arthur and Camelot. It bound us together by magic. When I broke the oath, I was cursed. My soul could not find rest and was doomed to suffer. Arthur gave me another chance to fulfill my oath. If I helped him perform this most unsavory task, he would consider my betrayal forgiven. He did not want to do it, but Eve was persistent this task had to be done.

Why?

I do not know.

Then how do you know if Eve really needs to do this? Misaki questioned and pushed her advantage.

She has told us the truth so far, Lancelot answered flatly. Everything she has done, minus a few jokes and some teasing, had been on point. You encountered her in England, so you should be able to understand her a little. She enjoys games, but not undue suffering. Actually, even Adam doesn't like suffering either, but he believes death is the best relief from pain. Eve would never demand a death unless it was absolutely necessary. She's not one to avoid longer plans just because they are more complicated to avoid those deaths. I have known her for a long time and no matter how many times she changes, her core stays the same.

But after everything she's done, Misaki protested. How can you defend her? She started a war in England, nearly got all my friends killed multiple times, and now she wants to kill us because we defended ourselves from her actions and messed with her plans. How can a knight defend such evil acts?

If you divide the world into only good and evil, Lancelot said simply. Everyone who does not share your morals becomes evil. I was once like you, but I did something part of me believed was right and it ended in disaster. One of blows was faster than normal and two of Misaki's knights were blown back thirty meters and barely managed to stagger to their feet. Do you know why we joined the Fallen? What we all have in common?

You hate God?

Not quite, Lancelot corrected her gentle. Betrayal. We were all betrayed by those we trusted. My love betrayed me and blamed me for the fall of our lands. Arthur was killed by his son who wanted to be king. Misaki mentally gasped. Eve and Adam had it worse than us though. They were betrayed by the only other being they knew and their creator. They were children in the Garden of Eden and broke the one rule given to them. Kids will always test the boundaries of their world, it's what makes them human. Imagine that your young child broke a rule and you kicked them out of the house into the cold dark world.

I can't really comment on that, Misaki admitted. I don't study religion deeply. Most of what I know people in the church have told me. She did remember her feelings the first time she heard that God kicked them out of the Garden of Eden for eating a fruit and she thought he was over reacting. She did not know enough about the Bible to know the reasoning behind it. Lancelot's explanation made it seem worse. I still can't agree with getting revenge though.

Try to imagine this scenario then, Lancelot prodded. Take the person you trusted most in the world, with everything you have, your very being, and then imagine them betraying you. Imagine them being the one who strikes you down or casts you aside, and then you might begin to understand what we went through.

He wouldn't! Misaki protested.

Imagine it.

Misaki tried to, but it was hard. It went against everything she believed in. While she did this, Lancelot knocked three of her knights unconscious and the two standing were not going to last long. Floris was striking with everything she had, but nothing was working. Time was running out. She knew Touma would never betray her and he would go out of his way to make sure she was safe. It took all her imagination to try to picture Touma betraying her. Misaki thought about her being in trouble and Touma knew about it, but decided not to go after her. A pain shot through her chest and it was like someone was squeezing her heart. It hurt so badly and she had to fight back the sadness and loneliness welling up within her. She only imagined the scenario and it hurt her so much, if it actually happened, she might not have been able to live with it. I see your point, but still, revenge doesn't help anyone.

Many of us understood we can never truly get revenge on those who betrayed us, Lancelot continued. The ones to truly obsess over revenge would be Cain and Adam. The rest of us have our own reasons for helping.

I can understand why Cain is focused on revenge, Misaki agreed. But why would Adam be more so than Eve?

Adam was the first human created. God was the only intelligent being around him and the rest were animals. Eve was then created from Adam's rib by God while he slept. When Eve persuaded Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit, they both were punished. Adam felt more betrayal than Eve did because God punished him for what God's creation tempted him to do. He doesn't hate Eve though, but I believe he thinks God made her on purpose to cause him to break the law. He has trust issues. Eve, on the other hand, loves people. She loves our creativity and ingenuity.

That makes sense, but why are the rest of you helping them? Do you feel you owe them after they helped you during your original life?

No, Lancelot replied sternly. We joined them because we believe what they are doing has to be done.

You believe God has to be killed? Misaki could not contain her surprise. Out of all the fallen, Lancelot seemed the most clear headed and the one she felt she could reason with.

I believe he needs to be dethroned, Lancelot stated. God did a great thing when he created our world. We do not know where he came from or how he gained the knowledge, but he was the greatest being to have existed. But now, he paused. His time is over. Our world is decaying from within. Betrayal is rampant, deaths are growing, and people are striving toward power they should not wield. Imagine a king ruling over a kingdom but allows slavery, prostitution, and rape. Should they still be allowed to sit on a throne?

That's an opinion, Misaki countered. But why does God need to die for that to happen?

For the change to happen in the core of the world, Lancelot explained. The one who created it needs to be removed. We are unable to touch it as long as God sits on his throne. He will not leave on his own, so we must reach him. Eve even said, if there was a way to remove God without his death, she could not find one. Once God is destroyed, we can change the foundation of this world. If we do not, the world will always revert back eventually.

Why? The question sounded simple, but Misaki was surprised at how simple his answer was.

Arthur and I do not want others to go through what we did.

It all suddenly made sense to Misaki. The Fallen were not being controlled by Eve and Adam, they were only a rallying point. Each of them was a unique individual who had their own reasons for joining. It was just like the researchers in Academy City. Some joined for fame, others to learn, and many to further their own goals. History has also shown that people who join groups don't always agree on all details, but they work together to achieve an end result. Arthur and Lancelot were willing to get their hands dirty in killing her if it meant others could live without experiencing what they did. She understood that and once she even thought that way.

How noble, Misaki replied after a moment. But I'm sorry to tell you this, both of you are idiotic.

Huh? Lancelot was actually so surprised, his next strike missed the knight he had been aiming at. Floris took the moment to strike him in the side with her enhanced strength from using the Steel Glove. The blow didn't do much, but Arthur raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what happened, but his gaze turned toward Misaki.

Wanting to keep other people from being hurt is a noble goal, Misaki explained. I respect that, but there are two problems with that.

Such as?

First, people grow from adversity. When I was young, I was betrayed too. People wanted to use me for my power and they manipulated me. Others were jealous of me and tried to kill me because of the attention I received. One day, I was planning to erase my mind and end it all. Then I met my prince, the one you all keep calling the Imagine Breaker. He has a proper name you know. He saved me, fought for me, but never took a life. Someone with a similar ability to mine tried to kill me, but he stopped her and even saved her in the end. Various things happened and we lost touch for a while, but I changed. I grew, I matured, and I actually cared about others.

Second, Misaki continued. There is no excuse for murder. If you can't find the solution to save everyone without killing, you are not looking hard enough. Just because Eve said there isn't a way, doesn't mean there isn't. If you give up looking, then you will never find it. My prince would scour the ends of the earth for a way and if he failed, he would do it again. The word 'give up' is not something he understands. As a knight, shouldn't that be what you strive to be?

He may be a stronger man than me then, Lancelot conceded. I was an adulterer and now I'm willing to kill a young girl to protect my king and friend from staining his hands. He swung his blade and the last of Misaki's knight had collapsed trying to block the blow. Only Floris and Lancis stood before Misaki and Lancelot. Arthur watched them, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Misaki's mind worked overtime and she felt the beginning of a plan begin to form. Floris and Lancis swept at Lancelot from both sides, but he jumped backwards to avoid them. With a single swipe of his blade, a gust of wind lifted them both into the air and they flew backwards over ten meters. Misaki had to cover her fact from the wind and she took a step backwards. Misaki blinked and looked forward. No one was between her and Lancelot.

She was all alone.

Lancelot took a step forward and Misaki knew it was now or never.

You don't have to do this, she told him and took a step back to give herself another second of precious time. Lancelot was walking toward her equally as slow. I know your reasons are noble, but they are misguided. You said he was your friend, so why are you letting him dirty himself with this act?

My oath is to him, Lancelot replied. I will do this deed as repentance for my past mistakes.

Then as his friend, Misaki continued. If he is doing something wrong, you should stop him. Your oath is to him, so you are responsible for making sure he does what is right. Lancelot's footstep faltered for a moment and Misaki pressed her advantage. The most important person in my life would never allow one of his friends to do something they would regret like this. He would personally knock some sense into them if they tried. The fact is you know what Arthur is doing is wrong, even if you managed to rationalize the deed. You are supposed to be a knight, so ACT LIKE ONE! Save your friend from making a mistake that will haunt him forever! She felt something pulse in her head as she become more forceful.

You are suggesting I betray him again, Lancelot said slowly and stopped a meter in front of her.

No, Misaki corrected him. I'm asking you to fulfill your oath to him differently. He believes he has to do this, but you and I both know he doesn't. You can find a different way without deaths. Protect him by showing that he is going down the wrong path. Lancelot stiffened as Misaki's words reverberated through him. Believe that you can find away and never give up. Hope for a better future is something we can all agree we want. Hope gives us a reason to continue to live.

"Lancelot!" Arthur called out. He obviously saw Lancelot hesitate. "I know this is not how we normally do things, but it has to be done. End it swiftly." Lancelot turned around to face Arthur for a brief moment. He wore a helmet, so Arthur could not see his face, but he saw Arthur's expression clearly. His eyes were clouded and his face tense. The hand not holding the hilt of his sheathed sword was clenched tightly at his side. His knuckles had turned white and that wall all Lancelot saw before turning back to Misaki. Lancelot gazed at her face. Instead of uncertainty, her eyes were clear. There was fear, yes, but she had strength in her conviction. Lancelot was not use to doubt, but he felt it well up from inside his chest.

He raised his blade and Misaki's eyes widened.

Arthur did not watch and turned away. There was a bad taste in his mouth as he imagined Lancelot's sword cutting Misaki. He tried to give her a proper execution, but she would not cooperate. He waited to hear the sound of steel against flesh, but it never came. Instead, he heard the clank of metal against the ground. Arthur turned around on the spot and stared. "What are you doing?" Lancelot was down on one knee with his sword held out in front of Misaki on the palms of his hands. "Are you betraying me again?!"

"No," Lancelot answered. His voice was steeled with resolve. "I am showing her the respect she deserved for clearing my mind."

"Damn it," Arthur muttered angrily. "She took him over. How is that possible?"

"No," Lancelot said again. He turned around and held is sword at his side. "She made me realized what had been gnawing at my very being. This is wrong, you know it too. We must stop before we go past the point of no return."

"You think I like doing this?!" Arthur demanded. "As a king, we must sometimes put the needs of the many before the needs of the few. I don't relish making this decision, but I have to."

"Our goal is not worth sacrificing what we believe in," Lancelot retorted. "If you truly believed this was right, you wouldn't have hesitated so much. Now, I'm going to stand before you as a friend, not a knight. I'm going to stop you for the purpose of saving you."

"How dare you," Arthur growled and he drew his sword. The blade was pure snow white and the hilt was made of gold. "You think you can stand up against Excalibur. This is the sword that chose the king and was modeled after the Sword of God." The force of drawing the blade caused the ground around him to explode and the air whipped at Lancelot and Misaki. Lancelot stood before the blow, so Misaki barely felt it, but she did feel the pressure around her increase. It was like gravity had increased and it hurt to breath.

Is this the power of Excalibur? Misaki asked.

No, this is just the presence. It normally is sealed when sheathed. I cannot defeat him in direct combat. He is too powerful. Both of our swords were crafted by Eve's otherworldly technique, but his is in a league above mine. The only option is for you to break the shield around his mind while I stall his blade. We can force him to retreat then.

I couldn't even break into yours, Misaki pointed out. How could I break into his?

I believe you can become more power if you link your mind into one who wields Telesma? Lancelot questioned. Arthur mentioned he wanted to see what happened to you when exposed to it.

That's true, Misaki confirmed. She wasn't going to give him any other information, as even a fragment of information could be a weapon in Eve's hand. Misaki now truly believed the Telesma she received from the other knights must have allowed her to break Arthur's King Decree. The image she saw must have been the Telesma giving her hallucinations. The issue was Eve knew about this and seemed to be purposely trying to get Misaki to transform. Misaki finally had proof of her theory and she had to warn the others. Did you have an idea?

Link into my mind, Lancelot told her. I will use all my power along with the Telesma in Arondight. It should be vastly more powerful than what you received before. That should give you the boost to break Arthur's defenses.

There are risks, but I don't see any other option. Let's do it. The walls around Lancelot's mind fell and Misaki took control. For a moment, nothing happened. Misaki actually thought it failed, when her entire body started to burn. Her vision blurred, but she could see through Lancelot's eyes. His gaze was fixed on Arthur and she felt him channeling all the Telesma he could from his sword into his body. It was hard to breath and she couldn't hear anything. The pain pulsed and threatened to knock her unconscious, but she kept herself up out of sheer willpower. Not only was she fighting for her own life, she was fighting to return to Touma's side, along with warning him and the others about Eve's goal. In fact, she considered many of the people around him her friends now, including Mikoto, though Misaki would never publically admit that.

"So that's what Eve was talking about," Arthur gasped and then grew passive. "An impressive sight indeed." Lancelot turned his head briefly to see what Arthur was talking about and he froze.

Misaki was too focused on keeping herself conscious that she did not notice the transformation and only saw it through Lancelot's eyes. Her blonde hair was nearly all sliver, with only a few streaks of her original color left. The stars in her eyes were such a dark blue, they were almost black. Above her head, there were three small black triangles, moving in a circular orbit, like a small halo. One of them was changing from black to silver. A white liquid appeared around her neck and started to spread down over her body and covered her with a skintight plastic substance. Her clothes must have been crushed under it and her curves were highlighted more than ever. From her back, hundreds of dark blue strings were flickering around in all directions and they grew lighter and lighter the further they were away from her body until they disappeared. Several of the larger and brighter ones begun to curve and twist around each other in elegant patterns, before two fairylike wings appeared on her back.

Are you still there? Lancelot asked. Your touch feels different.

I am, Misaki replied and her voice seemed to echo in his mind, like it was coming from far away. This is the first time I saw this transformation for myself, but we can't focus on it. We need to defeat Arthur.

"I have to admit I did not expect something so beautiful," Arthur complimented. His eyes followed the curves of the white substance covering Misaki like a skinsuit to the blue wings laced with crossing blue threads. "It's as if the queen of the fey has appeared. It is an honor, but I am saddened we have to meet under these circumstances." He held up his sword. "I regret it has to come to this my friend."

"I am too," Lancelot replied, as he also raised his sword.

I promise to help you save him, Misaki told Lancelot telepathically. You remind me a lot of my prince. Arthur and Lancelot looked at each other for one last moment, and then they charged.

The area around them exploded as the two legends clashed.

---

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.

Oh, a small author note down here. The Misaki Shokuhou fight went into a completely different direction then I had originally planned. I was planning more awesome sword slashing, shield bashing fun, not a mental conversation about different perspectives. When I actually started to write this, it changed. I think this actually works better because Misaki is mental over physical, so her fights should be too. I think it worked out well and set the stage for the final clash.

Frenda: Go Mugino, kick his ass!

Kazari: Phew, I was worried there for Shokuhou-san. She was in a tight spot there for a moment.

Pierce: But the power of Kami-yan disease deeply ingrained into her allowed her to share his morals to convert Lancelot.

Ruiko: What did Mugino mean by drag Touma somewhere?

Motoharu: She meant into the bed room.

Jason: Finally, someone's going to turn him into a man. It's been over a million words and it hasn't happened… ouch. Sorry Kazari.

Frenda: Mugino! You know I…

Pierce: Yes?

Frenda: Stop grinning like an idiot!

Ruiko: I don't think she would do that. She might try to ask for a date though.

Kazari: You need to go first. As soon as you get back, ask.

*Door slams from behind them*

Motoharu: Kami-yan?! Welcome! Pull up a seat.

Ruiko: Touma, why are you here?!

Touma: Lessar is growing impatient and used the time off to develop a terrifying technique.

Frenda: Huh?

Touma: She can remove every piece of someone's clothes instantly. It's a madhouse over there.

Pierce: WHY ARE YOU NOT THERE THEN?!