Hello everyone! After Mikoto and Touma's eventful date in the previous chapter, it's now time to get into the events of NT13!

Aminadab Brulle: Yeah, that's pretty much why I wanted to write those scenes, so I'm glad you liked them. I was indeed heavily inspired by "A Certain Holiday Season," and I'm looking forward to writing about the Christmas gift exchange between Mikoto and her sisters.

Rekuta: It would've been nice to get a throwback to that sparring match in canon. And yes, in my version of NT13, Mikoto will have the opportunity to be more forthcoming to her friends about what is happening in the city. Kuroko will probably get a better impression of how strong Magic Gods are. And Saten is indeed a strong Level 0.

limitededition118: Yes, that would've been funny, but Touma had some restraint there.

dragonghoul9707: Shokuhou and Dolly's potential involvement in Christmas will be interesting. Touma is doing somewhat better in school thanks to Mikoto's help, but it might not be enough. The events of NT13 will be interesting to write, it was a very fun and action-packed volume, and had lots of good KaMikoto moments.

MarauderPrime12: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter.

xellos540: It was a difficult talk with Saten, but she took the news pretty well. Your idea of uniquely decorating different necklaces with different combinations of patterns is a very good one. I would like to incorporate something like that. The Sisters are indeed developing nicely, and the swimsuit catalogue is a fun idea that they probably won't be able to use. Misaka 10089 actually appears in GT4 and has a very foul mouth. Yes, Rensa fought against Touma at the Learning Core in NT7. This is a different aquarium scene to the one that happened at the end of Railgun's Daihasei arc. I'm not totally sure if Dolly knows who Mikoto is, but she knows that she has been in two bodies, so I figured she might know she's a clone, but maybe not who the Original was. It would've taken a while to get all the way to a hotel. Shokuhou does suffer a bit more here, it is sad for her that there isn't another Touma. It would be interesting if Dolly also fell for Touma, but maybe she's immune for now, since Touma hasn't saved her. Mikoto knows from my version of NT11's ending that Shokuhou likes Touma, but she doesn't know what happened between them the previous summer. Mikoto doesn't figure out about the memory problem just yet, but she's starting to notice something is weird. Their sparring match at the end did end up being kind of like foreplay.

The following morning, on December 3, Mikoto and Kuroko were leaving their dorm. It was the day of Academy City's Anti-Crime Orientation event, where students would roleplay as police officers, criminals, and hostages. Fulfilling one's role would allow a student to receive certain rewards from their school.

Both Mikoto and Kuroko had been assigned to play cops. However, Mikoto was planning to go to Touma's school to play her role. Kuroko said to her in a frustrated tone, "Onee-sama, you really should just stay in the School Garden and perform your assigned duties seriously."

Mikoto sighed and told her friend, "Come on Kuroko, we're explicitly allowed to go to other schools! Touma was assigned to be a criminal, so I can't pass up the chance to capture him!" And since normal classes had been suspended for this city-wide event, she would be able to spend some more time with him while he was under her "custody."

Kuroko also sighed in exasperation, questioning, "Haven't you spent plenty of time with Kamijou-san lately? You went on that shopping trip to the Dianoid, and you went on that very long date yesterday. I was honestly surprised that you came back home instead of spending the night with him."

Mikoto quickly retorted, "Well, that shopping trip got interrupted by St. Germain." But she did understand where her friend was coming from. She placed a hand on Kuroko's shoulder and added, "Don't worry, I'll see you again later today, okay? I'm sure you'll do great and capture lots of criminals!"

Kuroko crossed her arms and pouted in response, eventually replying, "Fine, I suppose it's your choice. I'll see you later, onee-sama."

Mikoto patted the other girl's shoulder a couple of times, and said with a smile, "Bye, Kuroko." The two girls then began heading in different directions, Kuroko towards Tokiwadai, and Mikoto towards her boyfriend's high school.

As Mikoto headed towards the bus stop near her dorm, she soon saw Shokuhou appear in front of her, not as a controlled person, but in the flesh. Shokuhou smirked and greeted her in a lively tone, "Good morning, Misaka-san!"

Mikoto narrowed her eyes and replied back, "Good morning, Shokuhou. What are you doing here?" Shokuhou lived in the other Tokiwadai dorm, within the School Garden, so Mikoto guessed that she was likely only here because she wanted to talk directly with Mikoto.

Shokuhou cheekily replied, "My my, someone's in a suspicious mood. Well, you might be interested to know that I have also been given the cop ability. And just like you, I'm considering going to a certain other school."

Of course, Mikoto immediately knew that she was not-so-subtly alluding to Touma's school. The girl gritted her teeth and thought, "Damn it , is she really messing with me like this?" She replied in an annoyed tone, "Are you serious right now?"

Shokuhou winked and placed a finger against her cheek, saying, "If you really don't want me to go, how about a little game, like paper sumo wrestling? Whoever wins gets to go to Kamijou-san's school." She was amused as she wondered if she could goad Mikoto into losing her chance to go there.

Mikoto crossed her arms and quickly refused the other girl's proposal, "No, I'm going to go to his school." She then pointed towards Shokuhou and continued, "You can go wherever you want for the event, but if you try anything with Touma, we're going to have problems."

Shokuhou frowned, thinking to herself, "Oh well, my bluff ability didn't work." After seeing Mikoto and Touma on a date just the previous day, she didn't really want to go to the boy's school if Mikoto was also going there to be with him. So she conceded, "Fine, suit yourself, I'll stay out of your hair." She was reluctant to just leave it at that, so she went for one more jab, "But Misaka-san, it's not healthy to have so much paranoia. Perhaps your trust ability in him is low, if you're so scared of him being around another girl."

Mikoto rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I trust Touma completely. It's you who I don't trust as much."

Shokuhou shrugged her shoulders and said with a grin, "Whatever you say."

At this point, Mikoto was just about ready to leave, but she then realized something. She looked at the other girl and somewhat awkwardly asked, "So, how's Dolly doing?"

Shokuhou was a little startled by the sudden change of topic, but it made sense that Mikoto would want to follow up after having met Dolly the previous day. She answered, "She is doing well. She always loves going to the aquarium, and she had a lot of fun yesterday." She was still a little anxious about Dolly knowing about Mikoto and the other Sisters, but that was something she would have to get used to.

For the first time in this conversation, Mikoto smiled, and replied, "That's good." She then nervously rubbed her head and said, "Hey, so I want to get Dolly a Christmas present. If I give it to you, could you send it to her?"

Shokuhou's eyes widened at this request. But she quickly composed herself, putting a hand on her hip and replying, "Oh, you want me to be your delivery girl? Fine, I'll do it, but just because it's for Dolly. Are you getting presents for your other sisters too?"

Mikoto grinned and proudly answered, "Yep, all 9972 of them!"

Her quick reply actually impressed Shokuhou quite a bit. She walked up to Mikoto and placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders. She squeezed them a little too tightly and said in a teasing tone, "You're quite the hardworking and doting Big Sister, aren't you?"

Mikoto winced at the intentional discomfort coming from Shokuhou's grip. She grabbed onto the other girl's wrists and removed those arms from her shoulders. Mikoto then proceeded to visibly brush down her shoulders, replying, "Well, they all deserve it, that's for sure."

The girl then walked past Shokuhou, beginning to head once again towards the bus station. She raised one hand and waved behind her, saying, "See you around, Shokuhou."

Shokuhou watched her leave, and then let out a groan, muttering, "Misaka-san is still as insufferable as ever." She started making her way towards Tokiwadai, not really looking forward to the event.

Touma was indeed assigned to be a criminal. His teacher, Komoe-sensei, had told him that he needed to put on an amazing performance to get as many extra credit points as possible, though that wouldn't be enough on its own to avoid extra lessons during the winter break.

As a result, Touma wasn't wearing his usual uniform. Instead, he was wearing skin-colored tights, briefs, and a trench coat. He, Aogami, and Tsuchimikado had been aggressively pursued by Fukiyose, who had been armed with several sasumatas. In an attempt to escape her wrath, Touma had fled through the open window on the third floor. He'd then climbed the drain spout up to the fourth floor, but when he tried to open that window, he had found to his dismay that it was locked. Realizing his predicament, he exclaimed, "Damn it, now Fukiyose's army is going to hit me from below!"

Meanwhile, Mikoto was approaching his school. She was very glad that Shokuhou had decided to back down, since dealing with her would have been annoying. Once she got within sight of the building, she felt a little embarrassed about cutting across the schoolyard to the main entrance, so she walked along the edge.

When she got close enough to the building and happened to glance upwards, she saw a bizarre sight. She saw her boyfriend clinging onto a fourth-floor window, while wearing a trench coat, briefs, and tights.

The girl's mind went blank for a moment, having no idea how to react to the scene. She struggled to figure out a reasonable explanation for what she was seeing, but quickly gave up on that. Instead, she shouted, "Touma, what the hell are you doing?"

Touma's entire body froze as he heard his girlfriend's voice from under him. He quickly realized how bad his position looked, since he had been peering into a window while dressed in a perverted way. And now, she was using her magnetism to rapidly climb up the wall towards him. With the window still being locked, there was seemingly no escape.

But at that moment, someone miraculously unlocked and opened the window. It was Kumokawa Seria, who pulled him inside and into an empty classroom. Touma was very grateful, and said, "Thank you, senpai!"

Kumokawa grinned at him and replied, "You're welcome. It seems you've been through quite the ordeal."

Touma nodded, "You can say that again." After a pause, he casually asked, "By the way, what role were you given?"

The girl gave him a devious grin, answering, "Hmm, a hostage, I think. You're a criminal, right? Looks like you've upped your score by capturing me!"

However, Touma wasn't sure if this was a good outcome, since the role of criminal had been forced upon him as punishment. He didn't have much time to ponder this, however, since his girlfriend was already at the window. Kumokawa had locked it, but Mikoto was easily able to unlock it using her ability, and soon jumped down into the classroom.

Mikoto then immediately marched over, pulled Touma's hands behind his back, and said with a triumphant smirk, "Ha! I got you, you perverted criminal!"

Touma slumped down and lamented, "To think that I was defeated, not by Fukiyose's army, but by my very own girlfriend, invading from another school!" He definitely hadn't expected her to come to his school, but he should've known that the competitive Mikoto would take every opportunity to get a win over him in such an event.

Kumokawa looked over at the couple with a frown. She had been hoping to get some praise for rescuing Touma, but now he was completely engrossed in flirting with Mikoto.

Suddenly, they all heard footsteps stomping outside the classroom. Touma's eyes widened in fear, and he muttered, "Crap, it's Fukiyose!" He tensed up, expecting the crowd to pour into the classroom soon. Meanwhile, Mikoto quickly pulled him into a tight hug from behind, wanting to stake her claim on him against any rival police officers.

But fortunately for both of them, the footsteps went past the door, and soon faded away. Touma relaxed in Mikoto's arms, enjoying leaning against her soft chest. He sighed in relief and said, "Well, I guess you're not the worst person I could be arrested by, Biri-Biri."

Mikoto smirked and replied, "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm still taking you into custody with me." She released him from the hug, but then linked elbows with him and dragged him out of the classroom.

Kumokawa looked on with a frown, finding herself becoming annoyed at Mikoto. Her only consolation was that it wasn't Shokuhou who had come and captured Touma instead.

While heading down the hallway, the couple passed by the shoe lockers. Touma requested, "Hey Mikoto, can I quickly check my locker?" He didn't know exactly what his girlfriend was planning to do with him, but he wanted to check for any messages, which sometimes were delivered into lockers.

Mikoto raised an eyebrow at this but shrugged, "Sure, go ahead." She wasn't sure if there was any urgent need to do this, but she was fine waiting a bit.

The boy smiled at her and said, "Thanks." When he put in the combination for his locker and opened it, he saw an envelope, which was made of high quality greenish-brown paper. Touma picked it up and quickly examined the front and back of the envelope, with Mikoto peering over his shoulder.

Mikoto had a bad feeling about exactly what that letter was, and her boyfriend soon confirmed her fears when he hesitantly muttered, "I think this is a love letter." If this had been before he'd started dating Mikoto, Touma would have jumped in excitement at receiving a love letter and a confession from a girl. But he had already received a heartfelt confession from Mikoto, so the letter just made him confused about who the sender could be.

The girl had a dumbfounded look on her face, and exclaimed, "What? No way!"

Touma carefully opened up the envelope, and pulled out a delicate and beautiful piece of paper, with elegant handwriting over it. The boy had a bit of trouble reading the refined writing style, but he said out loud the words he could understand, "I am...waiting...on the rooftop?"

Mikoto narrowed her eyes and said, "Hold on, doesn't everyone at this school know that you're dating me? What kind of girl would write a love letter for a guy who's already taken?"

The boy knew that she had a point. He looked at the bottom of the letter for the name of the girl, but instead he read out, "H-high...something. It starts with 'high,' so maybe it's a school name, and the girl is from another school? And if she's from a sheltered all-girl's school, that would explain the old-fashioned handwriting." That could possibly also explain why she didn't know he was dating Mikoto, but who could he have interacted with at another school?

Mikoto gently took the paper and read it herself, muttering, "Who would sign a letter with the name of their school?" The main text of the letter wasn't much more than what Touma had already read out. However, when she looked at the bottom, she explained, "Touma, the signature says 'High Priest.'"

Touma wasn't sure what to make of this. He scratched his head and replied, "High Priest? Is that some sort of codename? Maybe she likes pretending to be a magical girl?" He briefly thought of his classmate, Himegami Aisa, but she knew that he was happily dating Mikoto.

The girl put her hands on her hips and declared, "Okay, I'm coming with you to the rooftop to see who this girl is! But before that, please, please change back into normal clothes!"

The boy blushed as he was reminded of his unfortunate outfit. Fortunately, he had actually worn the skintight tights over his usual school uniform and layers of cotton, so he was able to simply take them off.

Once he was appropriately dressed, Touma and Mikoto headed for the rooftop to meet with the person who had sent him the letter.

Once the two of them climbed up the stairs, they opened the door and walked out to the rooftop, feeling the wind blowing through their hair. But rather than a blushing schoolgirl, the person waiting for Touma was an old man that looked more like a mummy, and who wore a purple robe and used a gold sword as a staff. He immediately gave Touma a wry smile and said, "Hello, did you read my letter, Kamijou Touma?"

Touma found himself speechless at the situation for a moment. But soon, he let out a sardonic chuckle and said, "Ha! Of course it was something like this! Mikoto was right, it didn't make sense at all! So you're probably a magician after Index, so hurry up and attack so I can destroy your illusion and get this over with."

Mikoto looked over at her boyfriend with a deadpan look and muttered, "You really are too used to these sorts of things, aren't you?" Nevertheless, she kind of felt the same way, and was kind of glad that they didn't have to deal with the awkward situation of breaking some girl's heart.

The old man, meanwhile, addressed Touma, "Now now, not so fast. Why would you exchange blows with me before you even know who I am? Wasn't recklessly challenging a god of magic what got you thrown into the abyss with Othinus?"

Touma's eyes widened in shock as he repeated, "God...of magic?" Those words immediately brought traumatic images to his mind.

The old man replied, "Precisely. I am one of the true Magic Gods. You can call me the High Priest, just as I signed the letter." He said this very casually, and unlike St. Germain, didn't make any particular effort to demonstrate that he was a Magic God.

The boy had already become very scared, and he impulsively shouted, "There's no way I'm going through billions of hells with you, or fighting against the entire world while running through Denmark's blizzards!"

The High Priest calmly reacted, "Yes, that wouldn't be much of a reward. But perhaps Nephthys or Niang-Niang would have been better for dealing with a teenage boy."

Both Touma and Mikoto fearfully gulped at this nonchalant comment. Not only was this mummy a Magic God, but there were at least two others like him?

The mummy known as the High Priest cackled, "Good, it's not surprising that humans would take some time to understand. If you're trying to reason based on past events, don't bother. What happened with St. Germain is completely different, you should abandon any illusions that I am merely a fake pretending to be a Magic God."

Touma remained speechless, so although she was starting to feel fearful about the situation, Mikoto asked, "What do you want, High Priest?"

The High Priest replied, "You are wondering why I'm here? For this, the St. Germain situation is slightly applicable. He chose Aihana Etsu to wield that shield." He looked directly at Touma and continued, "So, understander of Othinus, what do you think a Magic God would be trying to choose?"

Touma took a good look at the High Priest. He looked pretty much like a corpse, and it was surreal to see him move and talk like a living person. This wasn't the first time Touma had met someone with a body that seemed to surpass normal human limits, but this still felt different from all those previous cases. But in any case, this wasn't enough to determine whether the High Priest really was a Magic God. The boy didn't want to believe that there could be multiple beings at Othinus's former level, but he knew that was just his own wishful thinking.

Not having received an answer to his previous question, the High Priest then said, "Hmm, since you don't seem to be grasping what I'm saying, how about this: How would you define this world?"

Touma flinched at this, so the old man continued, "No need to be so defensive. I'm not going to quibble about the world being recreated by Othinus after your fight with her. I mean your impression of the world. What comes to mind when you hear that word?"

Although the meaning of that word could extend to the entire planet, or even the whole universe, Touma mainly thought about his world in terms of the people he knew.

Meanwhile, Mikoto narrowed her eyes at the High Priest. It was clear that he was focusing on Touma and ignoring her presence. She didn't particularly like this, but it made sense, since Touma was the one who was involved in all those Magic Side incidents.

The High Priest guessed that he was thinking along those lines, so he then asked, "Don't you find it odd, how many world-shaking events you have been involved in, including a literal world-shattering one? It's almost as if you stand in the center of the world."

Touma reacted in a dumbfounded tone, "What?"

The High Priest continued, "The world is a fragile thing, and the six or seven billion people on it don't support it equally. Imagine Breaker is a truly thick pillar for the world, but why did that mysterious reference and repair point for it end up inside an individual's right hand? Personally, I think that makes the chosen boy even more unique than the power itself."

The boy looked down at his right hand. He had sometimes questioned Imagine Breaker's presence, but he hadn't really seriously thought about why it was specifically in him. But after thinking for a bit, Touma replied, "That's nonsense. It's true that the world may look fragile to people like Magic Gods, since it's something you can remake as many times as you like. But me being the central pillar? That's ridiculous, the world will continue on just fine when I die."

The High Priest chuckled, "How naive. Do you really believe that all people are equal while already living in a very unequal country? But anyway, you have ended up at the center, not necessarily because of your own actions, but because some people set it up that way. People who can destroy the world with a single finger."

Touma's eyes widened as he immediately understood what the old man was implying. The Magic Gods, of which there were apparently multiple, had set up Imagine Breaker within his right arm?

The High Priest then pointed to himself and declared, "You've finally caught on, huh? I'm referring to us, the true Gremlin."

Mikoto repeated, in a confused tone, "True Gremlin? You mean the GREMLIN terrorist organization was just a fake?" She found it hard to believe that the organization set up by Othinus, herself a Magic God, was just a ruse.

The old man continued in a nonchalant tone, "Gremlin isn't a group that mixes science with magic, and it isn't a group of Norse magicians led by Othinus. We're the true Magic Gods, who have no interest in ruling the world or in exterminating those who oppose us. After all, we can already create anything we need. Well, we are weakened at the moment due to certain circumstances, but speaking from our normal situation, since we have everything, there's no reason for us to fight."

Touma recalled how Othinus had become a Magic God and fought against humanity in an effort to return to her original world. But did the High Priest and the others also have such motivations? If not, there was no need for them to enter a conflict with humans, since humans could never hope to damage them. But then what did the Magic Gods want to do here?

The High Priest, seemingly testing the boy, said, "We Magic Gods have everything, including the power to destroy the world and recreate it from scratch. And any attack on us from anything besides another Magic God is immaterial."

The boy thought for a moment before musing, "Then your problem is…"

The High Priest nodded, "Yes, that leaves a potential struggle between Magic Gods over the same one world. If there was only one god, there would be no problem, but that is not how it turned out."

Touma then summarized, "So you have too much power between you?" It made sense. Even in that perfect world, if there had been other gods besides Othinus, they each would have tried to impose their own ideas of happiness, and thus would have come into conflict as a result.

The old man laughed, "That's a good way of putting it. We have too much power, so we created Gremlin as a reconciliation council." He paused for a moment before asking, "Kamijou Touma, do you believe in destiny?"

The boy repeated, "Destiny?"

The High Priest continued, "There is such a thing as unavoidable destiny, powerful rails that cannot be overcome by individual actions. But that is just the result of an unseen clash between the opinions of Magic Gods. Of course, we have no intention of harming any specific person, but our actions constantly affect the world, which can be a huge problem. Though if we're talking about destiny, then you might be the sole exception, since your Imagine Breaker levels out the vague powers of the Magic Gods, keeping you in constant misfortune. But anyway, we are only interested in the others within Gremlin."

Touma then asked, "So then why are you speaking with me, if you aren't interested in the outside world?"

The High Priest replied, "You could say we want a way to contain our tremendous power. Even the gods are said to have tools like scales or a compass to judge if they are doing the right thing. No matter how we Magic Gods try to decide what to do with the one and only world, whether peacefully talking it out or exchanging blows, even we don't fully know the consequences. But what if we could provide a definite focus with a singular set of values? Kamijou Touma, you may be that tool for us."

The boy was starting to understand what the High Priest was getting at, but this understanding caused him to tense up and become very anxious.

Mikoto glared at the High Priest and exclaimed, "Hold on, why would Touma want to be your tool?"

The old man replied while still looking at the boy, "You were the one who stopped World War 3, and you saved Othinus by reaching an understanding with her. So just like in that case, you could use conversation to reach a conclusion with beings like us. No matter what we Magic Gods do, or even if we do nothing, it's enough to greatly distort the current age. That's why we want a canary in the coal mine, someone who can tell if we're inadvertently trampling anyone under our feet, and who can make sure that everyone is equally happy. After all, Imagine Breaker, as the wish of all magicians, was drawn to you because of your true nature. The name Kamijou Touma, the One who Purifies Gods and Slays Demons, belongs to you, not to the power in your right hand."

Touma skeptically asked, "But why would you be worried about us humans?"

The High Priest answered, "We're not, not really. We just want to bring about our own version of happiness. This is just a slight concern." He saw that the boy still had a questioning expression on his face, so he continued, "Of course, we're not asking you to do it for free. If we leave the scoring to you, we could make life much easier for you and those close to you. And you can ensure that, unlike with the past world-shaking incidents you have been involved in, people won't be lost or injured along the way. By controlling the Magic Gods' distortions, you will indirectly be able to mimic being one yourself. The world and its billions of people will be under your influence, and you'll be able to eliminate any tragedy before it occurs, and create a world where everyone is happy and fulfilled."

The boy thought about the potential ramifications of this offer. Othinus herself had already done so much, but Touma was being offered the assistance of every single Magic God. His wishes would be set in motion, with no costs or side effects. He had seen the smiles of the unsaved in Othinus's perfect world, and if he accepted this offer, he could nip any potential incident in the bud.

The High Priest reached out his hand and said, "Now, become our scorer and obtain the altar of the Magic Gods, Kamijou Touma."

Mikoto had narrowed her eyes at the High Priest while he'd been describing his proposal, thinking to herself, "What a ridiculous idea." She now looked over at her boyfriend, who seemed to have been lost in thought. The girl was about to reach out her hand and say something to him, but Touma spoke up first.

He looked at the High Priest directly in the eye and immediately answered, "No. What you're suggesting is exactly the same as Othinus's happy world. It may look perfect at first glance, but it's really a reign of terror that forces your values on everyone else. And your entire suggestion is based on the notion that people will naturally fight each other if you leave them be. But most people wouldn't do that without something kicking it off. Are you going to monitor everyone at every instant and crush them if they do anything remotely suspicious? That will only cause new conflicts!"

Mikoto was momentarily stunned at how fervently he was rejecting the High Priest's proposal, but she soon smiled and thought, "Looks like I did get through to him back in Denmark." After all, he had used pretty much the same argument she had when she'd learned about Othinus's perfect world.

The High Priest didn't seem too surprised, and said in an amused tone, "Are you really saying people are essentially good after everything you've seen? But that is exactly why I want you as our scorer. Perhaps it is exactly because you don't want the role that you are perfect for it. And this won't change the end result."

Touma raised an eyebrow and asked, "You think I'll change my mind?"

The old man responded, "Yes, sooner or later you will. But will it be before or after you lose something? After rejecting our offer, you'll eventually want to resolve the next incident. So will you fight as you normally do and create needless damage, or will you reach for the cheat codes and end it with no one hurt? In the end, you will resolve the incident, but how many will die along the way? I am baffled that you're not taking my hand. Why would you intentionally choose the path of death rather than one to a happy future?"

Touma already knew this, but despite the dizzying temptation, he would not let himself be deceived. Like both Will and Mikoto had told him, there were inherent problems even in that perfect world. The High Priest may have been right just in terms of the number of lives, but the cost was the quality of those lives. People would be turned into puppets, and it would be like shoving everyone into a prison and claiming to have created a society without starvation, poverty, or inequality.

That might be ideal for a person looking down on humanity from above, and if the situation continued for a few centuries, those people may not question it anymore and see it as normal. They might be satisfied in that twisted environment and think themselves happy.

But Touma did not want to turn Mikoto, Index, Othinus, and everyone else into puppets who were forced to be happy. He didn't need a wish or a prayer to protect what was important to him. Thus, the boy declared, "High Priest, I won't go with you, no matter how much power you give me. I can't allow that future. And if you're willing to give out that much power to anyone as long as they agree to be your scorer, I can't just ignore that either! You said I could end any disaster before it happened, but you look exactly like such a disaster to me, if you're willing to lend out enough power to rule the world!"

The High priest tilted his head, producing a cracking sound, and mused in a truly baffled tone, "Hmm, this is certainly a problem. I already told you that it is a matter of if you accept before or after losing something." At that moment, giant amounts of mud and dirt flew up from beyond the rooftop fence behind him. They soon formed into two large arms, and the High Priest tapped his golden sword against the rooftop floor, declaring, "I truly can't understand why you would choose to wait until after you lost something."

Both Touma and Mikoto tensed up, instinctively knowing that something was coming. But it was already too late, as one of the arms swung down and towards one half of the school building.

Mikoto sprung into action immediately in an attempt to save the people inside. She started using her magnetism to manipulate the various metal structures within the building, in an attempt to cushion the blow. However, she sensed with her radar that there were no people in that side of the school, so she cancelled her efforts, and that half of the building was quickly demolished.

The High Priest looked down while standing on the edge of the broken rooftop, muttering, "No blood...Oh, I see, that orientation thing is going on."

Touma thought, "Oh, they must have all gone to the other side of the building." If it were a normal day of classes, the students could've been crushed in their seats, even with his girlfriend's most fervent efforts.

But the High Priest then crushed that small hope, "It doesn't matter, I can just swing down the other arm and destroy the second half of the building." Of course, he had intentionally set up this situation to shake Touma's resolve, and he then continued, "Do you honestly think you can save them all? If you want to try, you can reach an understanding after losing them. If you had taken my hand earlier, this tragedy could've been avoided."

With those words, the second arm swung down. Touma glanced over and gave a quick nod to Mikoto, and then charged towards his opponent, yelling, "High Priiiieeeest!"

He didn't clench his right fist towards the mummy's face. Instead, he hit the High Priest with his shoulder and threw them both past the broken metal fence and off the four-story rooftop.

Mikoto had known that her boyfriend had been about to do something crazy. So she just sighed in exasperation and jumped off the rooftop herself, using her magnetism on the building to control her movement. Her main aim was to catch Touma before he hit the ground.

Touma had tried grabbing onto the High Priest's body, but the old man had slipped from his grasp, leaving the boy to fall down on his own. Fortunately, Mikoto was able to catch him. She princess carried him while gently landing on the ground.

The boy blushed a little, but smiled at his girlfriend and said, "Thanks, Biri-Biri. I knew I could count on you!"

Mikoto rolled her eyes as he got out of her arms and stood up, scolding him, "You idiot, at least give me a better warning!"

Touma just nervously laughed and rubbed his head, but the two of them then looked over to where the High Priest had fallen. The old man stood up, seeming to have broken his neck, since his head was turned horizontally. But to the couple's shock, he started laughing maniacally while twisting his head back into place, saying, "It's been far too long since I felt something like this. Perhaps I should thank 'him' for weakening me and thus allowing me to experience this refreshing feeling."

Mikoto and Touma deduced how hopeless fighting against the High Priest was, if he enjoyed being damaged for the first time in a while. Touma grabbed onto his girlfriend's hand and began dragging her away from the school, shouting back, "High Priest, over here!" Since the High Priest was only after him, his first goal was to get the Magic God away from the school, and then he hoped he and Mikoto would be able to figure out a way to proceed from there.

The High priest quickly gave chase, shouting about playing along with the game and about Touma becoming his scorer sooner or later. The couple ran to the school parking lot, and Touma found the acrobike that his teacher had ordered for the class. He had been forced to read the documentation on how to ride it and perform various cycle tricks, so he hoped this would allow them to flee from the High Priest.

The boy broke the lock by stomping on it, and proceeded to sit on the bike, exclaiming, "Get on the back, Mikoto!"

The girl did as he said, sitting with her legs draped to the side and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's stomach. She asked, "Do you have a plan, Touma?"

Touma shrugged and answered, "For now, let's just get away from him." He immediately started pedaling, and used a certain cycle trick to accelerate the bike to a tremendous speed, out of the parking lot and towards the school's main gate.

With that, the chase between the High Priest and the couple began in earnest.