Fictions Mentioned:


Episode 15


OP Song:

Adele - Skyfall (Lyric Video)


Insert Song: Start

Heavy Rain Soundtrack - Main Theme (HD)


The Test of the Witches.

It was a set or collection of events that Touma Kamijou, when he was eleven years old, had undergone and experienced in the best and worst ways possible. There were tremendous and tumultuous challenges. Like an RPG, Touma Kamijou assumes a designated role not without purpose, travelling from world to world, from time to time, across the Multiverse, not confined to merely one single cosmos (multiverse), as if he were like an original character or a self-insert travelling from one fictional setting to the next based on the author's discretion.

Yes, the author.

Featherine Augustus Aurora.

The Woman that Touma Kamijou is now staring at once again. The nightmares come back to haunt him in more ways than one as memory by memory flows back in an act of divine vengeance.

No visible change was happening. And yet, it was clear as day that Touma Kamijou, when staring into the Woman that made his entire life at that point a living HELL, was remembering a few memories along the way.

Snapshots if one will...


Test Cycle: 349AO22O66

Test of the Witches: Star Wars

A young Touma Kamijou, wearing a broad sash tied around the waist with a belt and tall brown boots, was standing just outside of the entrance of the Jedi Temple. It was a very large complex building that was the headquarters of an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization that bears the name of "Jedi".

Why was he here?

Why indeed?

Because Touma Kamijou knew what was about to happen as he sees something from the distance. He sees the march of a thousand clone troopers of what was perhaps the once glorious army carrying blue markings on their helmets and armor, armed with the finest of rifles and carbines that could fire bluish beams of focused energy. The sound of their boots was heard as they begin to trek up the stairs of the temple. It was a very silent walk. The atmosphere was eerie.

He knew. He knew what was about to happen next. That was why he simply chooses to stand by and halt their path. He knew what was about to happen and what was probably about to happen soon throughout the galaxy. He knew the history. He knew what awaits those inside the temple.

There were whispers that were crawling into the back of his mind as he thought to himself.

Why was he even interfering in this historical moment?

Several reasons. But those didn't matter to be thought of now as Kamijou had a glimpse of the person who was leading these men, men who have now become unwilling puppets and slaves to a hellish cause coated with apparently good intentions. Or so would this black-hooded figure who was leading them wanted to think.

They were getting closer and Kamijou was simply waiting for them to arrive. Finally, they were at the top of the steps and they noticed him as they stop in their tracks. They see Touma Kamijou, simply standing there and with eyes so determined you would think they belonged more to an adult instead of a youngling like him.

"...Touma?" the black hooded figure uttered softly in confusion. He didn't sense this boy anywhere as there appeared to be no Force signature coming from him. It was almost as if he was devoid of such a thing. He didn't think that he'd stumble upon him at this very night.

As expected, the armored troopers in blue were drawing out their weapons on the boy and didn't hesitate to open fire at what they considered to be a Jedi youngling. However, Kamijou had a surprise of his own as he would draw out a metal hilt and turn it on. Beams of pure blue would fly straight at him as he begins to deflect them one by one. Every block was carried out as Kamijou was flowing gracefully, aiming his saber from the left and the right as he picked out the least likely places where the clones wouldn't be killed, injuring them but never killing them. Some of them were falling down the stairs as their voices screamed in pain, but they were never killed.

Meanwhile, the black hooded figure watched in a mixture of awe and confusion as he sees a mere youngling fending off many of his clone troopers, picking them off one by one without killing them as he deflected their blaster bolts one by one towards the joints and legs.

Parrying them both left and right non-stop, he manages to take down several clones who tried to make their way into the temple. Kamijou knew that this was only buying the younglings and the Jedi inside a bit more time to prepare for what was coming. He already failed in this timeline. But damn it all to hell if he didn't do something to stop this madness!

The black hooded figure—Anakin Skywalker, having had enough of watching as the youngling was becoming an interloper in his plans to save his wife from certain death, would have no choice but to strike him down. He ignited his own lightsaber and took several steps forward. Kamijou noticed as he begins to deflect the blaster bolts from him and turn them to Anakin whereas the latter flawlessly deflects them with an agile speed. Once he was near, Anakin raised his blade and tries to decapitate Kamijou, only for the latter to parry it with sheer strength unheard of.

Now, Touma Kamijou couldn't wield the Force, meaning that he was no Jedi. But he was more adept in lightsaber combat than anyone, almost rivaling that of the late General Grievous who isn't a Force user himself.

And so, the two clashed their blades while Kamijou was also focused on dealing with the 501st clones that were trying to pick up off, parrying their blaster bolts while at the same time dealing with Anakin.

"Out of my way, Touma!" Anakin barked harshly and desperately, his eyes now hinting pale yellow instead of the natural clear blue that he was known for.

"No," Kamijou simply said, his black orbs determined and true, as he was blocking every harsh strike and parried them with grace and agility. Without Force powers, he can only use lightsaber combat techniques to deal with the threat that was once a friend but is now turned foe because out of sheer desperation.

He knew that he needed to find a way to hold back this Dark Jedi, now newly christened as Darth Vader, and forcefully focus Anakin on him, buying enough time for the Jedi inside. He twisted his blade and thrust, jumped high and low from several directions in the style of a little grandmaster. He thrust, slashed, and blocked as two blue lightsabers clashed. He also noticed the growing number of clones nearby who were trying to pick him off.

Of course, he noticed it as he parried each blue beam fired from their weapons and send them back to the clones, hitting them in places where they were most likely not to die.

How was he doing this?

Years...Centuries of practice...

This wasn't the first time he wielded a lightsaber. And it wasn't certainly the last.

This timeline was a failure. Kamijou had failed this timeline.

But Touma Kamijou refused to even back down and let the clones become unwilling participators in a genocide. He refused to let this Chosen One who was fighting him with no amount of holding back whatsoever. He refused this history. He refused. He refused...

There will be no casualties on this night. On this night, Touma Kamijou makes his stand and refused to back down.

And the sound of clashing blue colors was heard in droves...


Test Cycle: PC-9801/0986666

Test of the Witches: Corpse Party

Where was he again this time?

It would have to be one Ever After Party that he had the numbing pleasure of knowing. Walking through the dark dead-end halls of the abandoned elementary school, he contemplated the history of what had taken place in this twisted realm.

Back in the early 50s, the nurse of the school suddenly went missing and was presumed dead. The next month, there were four serial kidnappings committed by a teacher. In the 1970s, the three children were found dead and the teacher was found crazed and insane and was sent to an asylum. He later escaped and committed suicide in the school's basement. The whereabouts of the fourth child, Sachiko Shinozaki, was not disclosed to the public due to obvious reasons. That's still not the end of it though. Because several years afterwards, the principal of Heavenly Host suddenly went mad and suddenly jumped from the school's rooftop and killed himself.

But Kamijou knew that there was more to this story than meets the eye. A malevolent force resides in this place. And it would have to be the girl dyed in red—Sachiko Shinozaki.

He walks and smells the foul odor of dead bodies littered and strewn about at every corner you could think of. Some of the doors and all of the windows were mysteriously sealed shut. Whenever he tried to break open a window, nothing seems to work. He tried to use his right hand once, but then the broken glass suddenly reformed itself from the pieces. None of this was ever a good sign and Kamijou was careful not to let his guard down. You can never really tell just what twisted surprises the master in this place has in store for those who enter this realm. Unfortunately for Kamijou, he happens to be a fan favorite.

At this point, he needed to find the students that he had met before. The key to this incident always lay on those people. At least nine of them. Eight students and one teacher. And he had gotten to know them through the many years of being stuck in this particular loop.

The odds of someone suddenly passing by a group of people sent into this place of horror because of some sort of occult ritual that they were doing. That may as well be asking for trouble. And yet, Kamijou had gotten used to this by now. All he needed to focus on was finding the students or whoever survivor he can find.

There were justified feelings that he held for the nine individuals and for those that ended up on this terrible battlefield. One wrong step and you could trigger a landmine that could kill you and make you live the rest of your days with your very own death. That would be quite the worse way to go indeed.

On a battlefield, there was no exception or discrimination for those that step into it, whether the person was innocent or guilty, veterans or amateurs, all of them are in danger of losing their lives. That is what a battlefield truly is. And that was something that Touma Kamijou, an experienced soldier and war veteran, had to learn by natural trade.

He turn from another corridor and found a familiar face that made Touma Kamijou look exasperated if anything instead of being terrified for the sake of shock value cliches.

"Grrr..."

A low growl. That was all the warning he had before a sledgehammer fell down on his head. The sledgehammer would aim for his skull, bashing it and leaving Kamijou with a bleeding headache and dying with his last breath. Or so it should have been. Instead, a sound of broken glass rang out. The steel tip of the sledgehammer that had been stained by the blood of countless victims suddenly broke into multiple fragments and disappeared.

"...Really?" Kamijou simply said in a deadpanned tone and expression of 'I'm getting way too old for this shit', not really impressed with Sachiko's puppet—Yoshikazu Yanagihori. He only glared at the now zombified man with black hair and red bloodshot eyes, wearing a worker's flannel outfit. His entire clothes have small drips of stains. Almost as if he had been outside during a rain or something. Raindrops usually do not have red as their color though. However, what made this man stand out was not his menacing appearance but the strange, sickening aura he has. Unlike the many countless opponents that Touma Kamijou had been used to fighting before, all of which have some sort of goals that they wanted to achieve, this one was made only to kill and kill and kill and kill, radiating death and malice and pure evil. Like a puppet with strings attached.

But where was the puppet master?

"Sachiko, I know that you're watching this. Why don't you come out and face me instead of your puppet doing your dirty work?" Kamijou asked, looking unamused and simply glared at the figure responsible for the blood of so many. Oh yes, he knew just how many people this bastard had killed. And he was just sick of it.

"Hehehehehehehehe."

The sound of childish laughter echoed throughout the hallway.

"What fun would that be, onii-chan? I simply just wanted to play with you through my toys, that's all!"

"Then I suppose that you and your toys need a time-out," Kamijou said grimly.

"Graaaaaaaaauuggghh...! Gruaaaaaaarrgh!"

The bloodthirsty monster let out a strange, gurgled sound.

But first, a question.

How did Kamijou survive such a fatal surprise attack?

There are two answers to that.

Precognition.

It was a once unconscious, but now conscious instinctual skill born from his numerous fights throughout the endless hells that he had gone through. From the slight shift in the air to something insignificant like a bad feeling to an outright prediction of an immediate event that concerns him specifically. He'd call this upgrade: Imagine-Sense. All those small to large fleeting things gave Touma Kamijou the extremely needed warning signs and directions he needed to react within the split second that separated life and death.

And, of course...there was the right hand that negated the supernatural.

Imagine Breaker.

He had moved that greatest weapon he has in reflex and it made contact with the blunt tip of the sledgehammer just an inch before the sledgehammer made contact with its initial target. Of course, if it was an ordinary sledgehammer then his right arm would have been split into two halves but that doesn't seem to be the case. Regardless, Kamijou Touma has survived the initial contact with this enemy. Something only a few in this place could do. And besides, something about the contact between his weapon and Kamijou's right hand had stirred an unexpected reaction from the giant man.

Kamijou sighed heavily. "Alright, Yoshikazu, time to set you free once again."

The giant threw his pointless sledgehammer aside and drew upon a bloodied knife from his pocket. Touma Kamijou raised and clenched his right hand violently. The entire darkness of this school seems to grind to a halt. It was as if it has realized that instead of facing a powerless, fearful prey, it was facing a predator with the darkness itself as the prey. The unexpected and inconceivable clash between the giant monster and the not-so-normal eleven-year-old boy begins.

And that same eleven-year-old won the duel so easily that people wouldn't even dream to think it was possible.

Of course, that didn't stop a girl dyed in red from clapping her hands and smiling bloodlustfully down at him.


Test Cycle: ΩWNT102014

Test of the Witches: A Certain Magical Index

Where was he again this time?

He was sitting on the white bench and contemplating what he is experiencing, noting the fact that he ended up in an older body than his usual eleven-year-old self. He had grown used to blankly wondering what had happened to him. It was similar to being punched, kicked, slashed, torn apart, hanged on the gallows, and other painful experiences so many times that his entire face felt warm and he could not distinguish the individual injuries. He had been beaten to that extent. His heart had been torn to pieces and threatened to scatter every which way. His instincts led him to desperately gather the pieces of his heart, but his own outline had thinned so much that he could not even remember how many pieces he needed to gather.

Even so, an external stimulus caused Kamijou's index finger to move. It was forcibly made to move just like when someone reflexively held a hand up to block a bright light from their eyes. He was in a park filled with gentle sunlight. He sat on a white bench and it seemed he had been sleeping while leaning against the back of the bench. He wanted to wonder how long he had been asleep there, but he doubted the question had much meaning. It was possible this place had been created the instant he had woken up.

This place was likely a cruel construction put together by a Magic God...that's what she called herself who was watching somewhere above, someone who apparently knew him well enough. Actually, the number of times he tends to remember and forget things regarding this Magic God was starting to vex him a bit. What was it that the Doctor once told him about this? An out-of-sync timestream tends to do that and make you forget things that you weren't supposed to know. At least not yet. It was a pain to deal with remembering and forgetting things in tandem.

"…llis."

He heard the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He can tell and understand that it was English. And he can clearly make out a name.

"Wait up, Ellis!"

Kamijou was curious. Just who were these people that were passing by? A headache-inducing déjà vu was being felt once again as he put a right hand to his temple and tried to massage it, showing a grimace expression. Ah, he can tell that this was his future alright. A possible but not likely one. The headache was proof enough and he seem to hear static as if it were a television losing its broadcasting signal.

Kamijou stared curiously as the boy and girl ran off.

And then he heard another voice. It was spoken in Italian. He could tell the voice was happy. He turned toward it and found a young girl and a young couple sitting on a plastic picnic sheet laid out on the green grass. They would occasionally pull sandwiches out of a wicker basket and happily eat them. Their expressions said the happiness came more from the situation than the flavor of the sandwiches. The young girl had brown hair formed into thin braids.

And yet another unfamiliar face who was making him have a headache.

Really, this had been happening whenever something from his personal future is being brought up so Kamijou had simply grown used to it.

A few faces pass and once again, Touma Kamijou would meet the Magic God who created this place...this Hell.

"Reject it."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow as he looks at a young woman leaning on the bench who spoke with a tone that seemed malicious and familiar. She had long, wavy blond hair and a revealing outfit. Traces of a witch-like design are present, such as the cape and a wide-brimmed hat with a pointed tip.

He sighed. This was no Witch, he thought in reference to the Woman who was orchestrating these events and manipulating the pawn's perceptions. Even if Kamijou manages to convince this Magic God that she had gotten the wrong person, she probably wouldn't have believed him. And it would all be because of that Woman who was the Creator Witch - the Witch of Theatergoing, Drama, and Spectating.

That title was completely on the nose since this drama is apparently starting again. Kamijou might as well be the critic that is forced to be subjected to reviewing the contents of the author herself and correct them with editing if needed.

And speaking of which, he didn't know what to make of what this Magic God was saying.

Reject it? Reject what? He just got here and already he was being given something that he lacks no context on.

The Magic God leaned in from behind the bench, pressed against him, brought her cheek in close, and almost lightly bit his earlobe as she whispered to him.

Kamijou said nothing. He had no rebuttal to give because he just didn't care enough because he lacks context. He was just tired and needed a little rest.

"Destroying the world is easy. Either kill me or destroy the lance I use to control my power. I doubt a human can accomplish either, but it is at least worth trying. You will fail in either one and you will be unable to take everything from me, but you might create a bit of static. That would be enough to shatter this makeshift world created with an incomplete phase. You would be able to eliminate one of the worlds you believe to be so hideously distorted."

Lance? Killing her? Worlds?

Whatever this unknown future was, Kamijou can already figure out the gist of it somewhat. A conflict that seemed eternal may have taken place in this world between this Magic God and himself. And just mere conjecture of the little memories that he had, this seemed to have lasted for a long time.

No need for him to guess about a lance because the Magic God was materializing it herself with her hand. He just didn't know what to call it because he doesn't know the name of the spear.

A golden spear with a ribbon-like design intertwining with each other at the end of the handle and below the blade. The tip of the lance was not a sharply pointed blade like on a knife. It was a wide blade as if a double-edged sword had been forcibly attached. Its broad blade also has a design that somewhat looks like a branch with leaves on it.

And then, the Magic God was embracing Kamijou's shoulders from behind. And she was also holding the lance.

"Hurry," quietly urged the Magic God. Her long hair gave off a sweet aroma. "It is wrong to twist the world toward bliss. It is right to return it to normal. That is what you said and you are probably right. So show it with your actions. Test out your own idea of justice. Do it. I said this before." As she and Kamijou both watched this world of happiness, the Magic God whispered in the young man's ear. "The world does not really need you. Even without you specifically, their dangers were avoided. The number of deaths, people's groups of friends, the amount of people's assets, and the headlines on the news may change a bit, but the world does not stop. People's lives, jobs, and romances continue on."

Kamijou was silent and didn't utter a word. Although his black orbs were just narrowed like a snake.

"You saved them in one way. I saved them in another. That is all. In this world, I stood up to those unreasonable incidents in your place. This is not an issue of good and evil. There is no use in arguing who was right. It is an issue of the options available and the actual results produced. Those two factors differ greatly between us. And that affects people's lives, finances, love lives, and a lot more."

Just like before, Kamijou had no context as to what she was talking about.

"Just what is it you're trying to say?" Kamijou asked, just wanting to get to the point as he stood up and made the Magic God a bit surprised. Kamijou really had enough of this Magic God's bullshit as he called it.

He was walking a few meters away before turning back to face the Magic God.

"Test my own idea of justice? The world doesn't really need me? Who the bloody hell cares?!" he shouted with the tired voice of an old man leaking from this spiky-haired boy, making the Magic God blink for a moment, surprised and disturbed by what she is seeing.

"I don't really have any idea what's going on here, but I can tell that this world that you created is perfect. In fact, it's a little too perfect for my liking. All of those happy smiles that I'm seeing, are they even real?"

"They are as real as they come," the Magic God said with a smile that was so subtle that Kamijou can just tell what lay inside. It was a serpent's trap and he was the prey. "All of their tragedies, all of their sufferings, I simply did away with. These are all of the people that you had or could have saved, Kamijou Touma. Alas, you couldn't save them all. Did you forget? I am known as a god. I can save people in ways you cannot."

"Oh please, don't give me that bullshit about being a god," Kamijou said with an unimpressed tone, narrowing his eyes which made the Magic God silent. "Sure, you can do all of these fancy schmancy tricks. Sure, you can do whatever the hell you want with me or the entire universe for that matter. You could even control life and death itself for all I care. In the end, that wouldn't be what a god is. You're just a woman with too much power in your hands."

"Hmmm. Now isn't that just hypocritical of you, Kamijou Touma," the Magic God looked amused at him. "You claim that I am no god, and yet, are you not trying to act like one every single time you try to save people and spread your ideals of a smile?"

Kamijou begins to retort back.

"But it isn't about recognition. I never asked for recognition. I never claimed to be a god. If people want to forget me after saving them and get on with their lives, then that's honestly fine with me. Yes, I'm just a human being who may be way in over his head every single time I try to step in without any context of what the situation is. Yes, I couldn't save everyone that I knew and I damn well knew it. I damn well knew that so much that it hurts. But you know what, that's just fine. That's okay. Because that only means that I still have a conscience worth keeping intact after the endless hells that I've been put through time and time again and all I can do sometimes is see people die without me having to do a damn thing about it."

Kamijou raised his right hand and gestured towards the entire surrounding area full of smiles.

"Look. Look around you. Again. Clearly this time. You claim to save them all, but I don't think you really did. Not really. Yeah, you save their lives, but that doesn't mean much when you stripped them of every single experience and individuality that made them themselves in the first place. Their hopes and dreams were built on sweat and tears and personal effort. The life that they had may have had or lead may no longer be the same as it was now that you changed their entire life experiences and become entirely different individuals. They would no longer be the same people who held the same unique relationships that make them them. I should know that far more than anyone."

Because it was true. Touma Kamijou's destiny had changed. For good or for ill, he did not know. Regardless, he has new experiences that derailed his entire story that was based on several factors that are far too long to list out. He may or may no longer meet the people that he may knew in a future that would never come to pass.

"Because here's the thing. There is no such thing as a perfect world. If the world was perfect, there would be no more tears, no more challenges, no more ideas, no more dreams, no more hopes, no more aspirations, and no more tests of character that can realize and make one better than they truly were. Instead, a perfect world is eternally stagnant as if time itself would not move and budge. People wouldn't even care enough to improve their lives further by building better ideas or inventions or whatever it is that comes from the creative artistic mind of the individual. If people are always happy, then that isn't happiness. Happiness isn't something that can just be bought on a silver platter. Happiness needs to be earned and respected. It needs to have space to grow like the green blades of grass and the wildflowers of the fields. And this...This thing that you've been doing, this isn't going forward, and neither is it going backward, it's just stuck in one single spot and wouldn't budge an inch unless you say so."

Kamijou simply steps forward and faces the Magic God in the face. The Magic God didn't know why but she felt that this man that she was seeing, the young man that she had tortured for so very long, wasn't the same man that she knew. It was like someone else had replaced the young man and someone is taking this young man's place. The eyes were a dead giveaway.

This wasn't the Touma Kamijou that this Magic God knew. There was just no way. His eyes were just so old, so worn-out, so tired, and war-weary. This was not like the eyes of one desperate to find a way home. This was one that literally had nothing left to lose and awaited the next inevitable cycle of despair.

"The only thing I see here is no more than a dictator with power worth salt who just gets to decide whose happy and whose sad, whose suffering and whose not. But here's the thing. What makes it an absolute guarantee that you wouldn't reverse all of this for the sake of your own happiness once you got rid of me?"

And that was the true question indeed.

A person with so much unlimited power on their hands. The dangers of such a thing were not lost in Kamijou's mind. Even he himself could not be trusted with that kind of power and was simply content with what he had been given.

"At this point, this isn't about saving. Not even close. Because this isn't saving. This is enslavement. So take this damn perfect world that you've created...and shove it."

And Kamijou, already saying more than enough, walked away, leaving the Magic God shook to the core as she looks at the back of the young man...no, not young man, not even close.

But it wouldn't have mattered as the Magic God wouldn't remember any of this as an Author from afar would smile and laugh from her high throne and simply clap her hands and praise the young man who stood up to a god.


Test Cycle: M-H/1983EJ

Test of the Witches: Higurashi When They Cry

Where was he now?

The final end at long last. The last stand as the curtains now bows down to the true victor. The day when the Eternal June would finally stop looping back and move forward.

The rain had already ceased and the cicadas were crying. The Club would soon be all gathered together once more in the deep forest. Rika Furude, Hanyu Furude, Satoko Hojo, Mion Sonozaki, Shion Sonozaki, Keiichi Maebara, and Rena Ryugu. But only Hanyu at this time was face to face once more with the blonde woman wearing a black beret, a black cape over a military uniform, and a black skirt, carrying the gun, Miyo Takano.

The enemy is cornered, sweating all over even after the rain had left the atmosphere rather humid. There was nowhere to run now.

"Don't say a word," Takano said, pointing the gun straight at Hanyu, her most hated of enemies. Hanyu simply looked at her calmly as if she didn't see a dangerous weapon pointed right at her. Nevertheless, Hanyu never said a word. Takano had wondered on whether or not she should take this girl hostage. In fact, she realized that she had only one bullet left and she had to make it count. And she didn't know how long she can keep running.

"Hanyuuu! Where are you? Damn, she really is lost," Keiichi was screaming out for Hanyu's name as he trek through the forest. He looked annoyed and concerned that he can't find her.

"Ah, there she is! Hanyu-san!" Satoko pointed at Hanyu with a smile, seeing her from where she was standing.

"Hanyu, where have you...Ah...!" Rika made a surprised expression because she just found out that Hanyu wasn't alone. In fact, she was seeing Takano making a subtle smile.

"...I really am...unlucky to the end...Or maybe you could call this luck...At the end of it all, I managed to get some vengeance," Takano raised her left hand that was holding the gun and smiled, pointing it at every single one of the club members that was now in her line of sight. "Everyone, do you know what this is? It's a gun. Don't you dare move. ...Hee hee hee, the tables have turned now."

"...Damn it, why now..." Mion made a trepid expression.

"Mion-chan, if you don't want anyone else to get shot, step forward," Takano requested.

"...No, don't do it, Mii-chan," Rena asked, worried for her friend.

"...That's right, Onee! Don't listen to her!" Shion asked, worried for her sister.

But Mion stepped forward quietly. She was courageous and the proof lay within her actions, looking unafraid of the deadly weapon that was now aimed at her. It certainly proves her status as the leader of the Club.

"Thanks to you, I've been ruined. Some scary men in the mountain want me dead. ...They won't forgive me. ...But I can't just go out like that. ...At the very least, I want some revenge. ...Hee hee hee."

"...Huh," Keiichi looked unimpressed. "I know you only have one bullet in that gun...!"

"That's right," Takano confirmed. "But that one bullet could kill Mion-chan, couldn't it?"

"...T-Takano!" Rika said, her expression looking conflicted. "Are you going to shoot Mion?"

"Don't move," Takano aimed the gun at Rika. "If you do, I really might just fire this gun. Hee hee."

"Everyone, don't any of you move..." Mion ordered. "Just stay behind me."

"...How courageous," Takano said with mocking praise. "Is this some spirit of self-sacrifice? Rather be shot yourself than letting your friends be shot?"

Mion simply made an amused smile. "...Well, it's not that easy to kill someone with just one shot. Of course, it depends on where you hit though..."

"...I'm surprised," Takano said with a subtle smile. "...How can you be so brave...? You want me to shoot you for all the others? Just so you know, if you think that I'll hesitate to shoot because they'll rush over here once they hear of it, you're sadly mistaken. Hee hee."

"...Then go ahead and shoot me," Mion goaded with an amused smirk. "But after you do, my friends will rip you to pieces."

"...Hahahaha," Takano laughed. "Let them try. They say you dig two holes when you curse another. Going down along with the great commander who made the Okonogi surrender wouldn't be so bad."

But Mion's face turned serious. "Go ahead and shoot me. But make sure that its me you hit. If you shoot anyone else, I'll put you through Hell!"

"...Oh my, I'm shaking. Hee hee hee," Takano took the threat with jest.

"Onee...Takano-san is serious...She is going to shoot you," Shion cautioned, her expression born out of concern and anger.

"...Uh, somehow, we'll have to buy some time. Someone from the Bloodhounds will come by for sure..." Satoko said, trying to think positively in this dire situation.

"Yes, I'm sure they will. But I'll shoot before I lose my chance. Let's see, where should I hit her? I'm not good at this, so forgive me for that being able to aim that well. Hee hee hee!" Takano was waving the gun in her hand.

"...Mii, you aren't...serious, are you...?" Rika turned to her friend, concerned for her well-being.

"Don't anyone move. I'm the leader of this club," Mion said seriously before smiling. "If I can protect you all, I'll be satisfied with that! ...If I don't make it, haha, set up a shrine in my locket, and pray for me there! ...You'll be taking over my position, Kei-chan. Help him out, okay?"

Mion Shinozaki was prepared to die for the sake of her friends. That was the situation that everyone is now facing. Everyone is right to be concerned as all of them couldn't believe what Mion was saying. The enemy is now cornered with nowhere to go. And the enemy won't accept negotiations any further. Mion understood that. She doesn't want anyone else to be killed. That was why she chose to be a shield for her friends. ...That was an easy decision for her. Because none of her friends would end up getting hurt. If she ends up just getting injured, that would be a stroke of luck, as far as she's concerned. Even if she doesn't make it, she thinks that it is far better than seeing any of her friends die.

And that's why Takano will shoot. ...Even though she understands Mion's noble intentions painfully well... it's too visceral for her to accept, ...so she'll shoot. She will pull the trigger! With all the absurdities of the human world riding on that bullet, she will shoot her...!

"..You all play games, right? ...Have you ever played Old Maid?" Takano asked.

"...No," Mion replied. "We play Old Bachelor though."

"Heh..." Takano smirked. "They use the same rules. The human world is just like a game of Old Maid. Everyone's trying to foist the old maid onto someone else. It's a game that seeks not to determine the winner, but a single loser, the sacrifice. ...You see, I pick joker. But there's nobody else to pass the card to. That's why I'll shoot you, as my revenge. ...Fitting for this irrational world of man, isn't it?"

But then...oh so suddenly...someone decided to barge in and reign in on her parade.

"But you do have someone...to pass..."

Takano and everyone else was in shock as they look to the left. There was someone who was limping towards them and smiling, holding his right wounded arm. His clothes were all battered. From head to the body, he was bleeding as drops of blood fell to the ground.

"After all..."

The young eleven-year-old boy, Touma Kamijou, begins to step into the center stage like a dramatic actor signaling his cue to shine.

"I'm the ace in the hole," he said with a confident smirk while his eyes were bearing marks of purple, showing that he had been punched rather violently and roughly.

"...Touma!" Rika uttered in shock, seeing the man she loved grievously wounded, looking as if he were like a corpse. The rest of the Club wasn't doing any better as they see the young boy that they knew almost looked like he was beaten to death, with a tone of horror settling in.

"...You!" Takano muttered softly, immediately aiming her gun at the boy who was more of a threat than everyone else in the Club.

But Touma Kamijou didn't fear the weapon that was aimed at his head. Instead, he continued walking and walking until he eventually reach Rika's side and the others. He smiled as he finally reach his preferred spot, somewhere nearby his woman's side, the woman he held dear in his heart, the woman that he had fought for, the woman with the appearance of an eleven-year-old and at a mental age minimum of a hundred to a thousand years, and now the woman with a horrified expression on her face as she sees the bloodied Touma Kamijou still walking solemnly in spite of the pain.

"Sorry I'm late, Rika, everyone," Kamijou said with a reassuring painful smile. "I had a few things to take care of before coming here."

And then, he turned straight toward Takano who was still aiming the gun at the boy. The boy however turn serious and simply said.

"...It's over, Takano. No one else...dies. Not here, not now," Kamijou said with a bold confident tone.

"...Who...Who do you think you are...?!" Takano roared, conflicted.

"...Nobody, just a kid that wants to break your messed up illusion and set you free," Kamijou said with a smile.

Takano tried to aim at Kamijou and pull the trigger. But...why was she hesitating? This was merely a child. Why was he...?

"...Nothing can be gained from all of this. Accept the ace in the hole," Kamijou raises both of his hands downward. "If you want to shoot, then shoot."

But no matter how hard Takano tried, she hesitated. She didn't know why but she was hesitant about this young man whose eyes were telling her different types of stories summarized into one.

His eyes seemed to be saying: Go ahead and try. Because no matter what, I will stop you. That's a promise.

And so, as if by a miracle, Takano slowly lowered her gun and dropped it to the ground. And she eventually dropped down to her knees as she continued to stare at the young bruised eleven-year-old who only smiled at her with kindness.

And just like that...it was over...

However...

To the shock and horror, Touma Kamijou passed out unconcious. And he could not hear the sound of the voices that were crying out to him. And Rika was the closest to grabbing him.

"...Touma! Touma! Don't leave me, please! Touma!"

And Touma Kamijou can finally rest easy...

It was truly and finally over...

He had won...

He isn't going to die now...

He just needed to rest a bit...

And the next time he woke up, he was now lying on a hospital bed...


Now...

"...Why did you summon me here, my Lady?"

In the present time, Touma Kamijou, showing a grimace and trepid expression, was respectfully addressing Featherine Augustus Aurora who looked quite amused as if the plaything was now speaking without the need to unwind the lever.

"Straight to the point as ever, Miracle Worker? An admirable quality for a character of your prestige that hasn't changed one bit," Aurora smiled delightfully as she uttered one of his more favored titles called as such among the higher races. While doing so, she giggled with a playful delight which sets Kamijou on edge and had the urge to sweatdrop. There would also be the urge to run for the hills, but then, that would be stupid as there was really no place he can actually go to where he can get away from this Woman.

"You didn't just call me here because of a casual conversation that I've had with my friends relating to you. That isn't something you would do unless you have a very good reason," Kamijou said, amazed at how calmly he said that when he was completely terrified of this individual that was standing there.

"You are quite right," Aurora said with a smile. "I called you here because I wanted you to bear witness to something that I feel that you could find to be an important hint for your story."

"A hint?" Kamijou looked suspicious.

"Come," Aurora waved her shakujou in a gesture. "If you were to please follow me."

Kamijou simply obeyed, tucking both hands into his pockets as he followed the Witch as they trek through the city of books.


Insert Song: End


ED Song:

Terminator Salvation - Break The Silence (Soundtrack)


Main Companion Protagonists:

Touma Kamijou - VA: Atsushi Abe

Main Love Interests:

Rika Kamijou (née Furude) - VA: Yukari Tamura

New Characters:

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader - A: Hayden Christensen

Sachiko Shinozaki - VA: Ikue Ōtani

Yoshikazu Yanagihori - VA: Daisuke Matsuo

Miyo Takano - VA: Miki Itō