It had been a week since James and Accelerator joined the class. Surprisingly little had happened. Accelerator was actually quite normal, something Touma had not expected. He was quiet, and easily annoyed by Tsuchimikado's teasing, but so far the school and everything in it had yet to be destroyed.

James, on the other hand, fit in just fine with the idiots in the back corner, something that had caused Fukiyose much distress. The iron wall girl already had enough on her hands with 3 perverted idiots, so having the new kid join them right off the bat was pretty much the worst possible outcome.

"I'm so excited! Afterlove 4 comes out in only a few more days!" Aogami exclaimed with his fist in the air.

"I'm going for the little sister route! Not having it in Afterlove 3 was the worst decision the developers could have made! This is their chance to redeem themselves nya!" Tsuchimikado, as usual, made no attempt to hide himself being a sis-con.

"If you guys want, I can send you all the good scenes after I've finished speedrunning every route." James stated his own view on the matter.

"What?! Speedrunning?!" Aogami exclaimed, "But that ruins the entire game! Part of what makes it so erotic is the buildup! The emotional investment in the characters!"

"Bro, I'm just here for the hentai." James sounded far too proud saying that.

The game in question was Afterlove 4. As the title suggested, it was the fourth installment in the Afterlove franchise. You played as a recently-deceased person who just arrived in the afterlife, only to learn you had to go through an afterlife-highschool, where you would then try and get a date. The fourth installment was said to include 30+ girls, 60+ different routes, and 100+ H scenes, for both male and female. In short: It was the perfect game for the delta force. Far better than Afterlove 3, which Tsuchimikado despised for not having a little sister route. However:

"Ugh, I can't afford a new game. And even if I could, Index would bite my head off if she caught me playing that. And this one is said to have a dorm manager route too. Such misfortune…"

Touma's head was laying on his desk in disappointment. From both not being able to play the game, and the fact that Aogami was now going on a rant about how important emotional investment was in dating sims and how much he despised speedrunning, all thanks to James' comment.

"So Accel-san, what route are you going for nya?"

"I'm not playing your dumbass game."

"Ah, that makes sense. You would be afraid of a dating sim, seeing as getting a girl would be a challenge for you, nya!"

"If you think I'm falling for your textbook reverse psychology, you have less intelligence than a fucking dog."

Despite Tsuchimikado's best efforts, Accelerator would not budge. The only time he ever spoke was to insult Touma, usually when the spiky haired idiot said something along the lines of "no girl wants me." The Kami-yan disease was so strong, even Accelerator could see its effects on those around the boy.

Fukiyose had overheard their discussion, and punched all four boys of the delta squad, something Accelerator seemed to enjoy watching.

"Can you idiots pay attention for once in your lives? This is important!"

A little while back, an attack from High Priest had practically destroyed the entire school. While repairs had been completed on the building itself, said repairs were costly. Not to mention, all kinds of other things, such as school supplies and computers, were yet to be replenished. In hopes of speeding up the recovery process, the class was discussing possible fundraiser ideas.

Some of the suggested ideas were:

-A maid cafe

-A butler cafe

-A maid/butler cafe hybrid

-Sending Touma over to the school garden in hopes of infecting the upper-class girls with the Kami-yan disease so they could pay for it

-A car wash

-Letting people pay to try and fight Accelerator (This one was quickly struck down by the albino himself, who threatened to shove a chair up the ass of whoever suggested the idea)

So far, the butler cafe was winning. While a maid cafe would usually be more appealing, and a maid/butler cafe hybrid was the best theoretical idea, most of the girls in the class didn't like the idea of having to dress up as a maid. Tsuchimikado suggested they scrap the idea of a cafe altogether, and just have Touma go around as a butler, likely attracting half the girls in the city and saving money on cafe supplies. This got him a punch from both Fukiyose and Touma.

The butler cafe ultimately won the vote. But, since nobody could argue against the fact that maids were more popular, maid/butler cafe hybrid was decided on instead, much to the dismay of the girls in the class.

The actual planning didn't go much better. Tsuchimikado offered to ask his sister about borrowing some maid outfits from the maid school she went to, and the class agreed this was the best way to acquire maid outfits without spending too much money. Unfortunately, that was the only good idea. At some point, Aogami suggested they go all the way and do neko-maids, an idea the boys in the class liked. Then one of the girls said that if they had to do that, then the boys should have to put on dog ears and a tail. Both ideas got shut down, much to Aogami's dismay.

Once class had ended, Fukiyose had gone outside to get some fresh air. This disaster of fundraiser planning had given her a headache. She was not in a good mood. To get on her bad side right now would require some terrible luck.

So, of course…

"OOF!"

Fukiyose found herself on her back, with something heavy on top of her. Sure enough, a head of spiky hair had landed right on top of her large chest.

Touma stood back up and quickly attempted damage control.

"I'm sorry! That was an accident! I tripped over an empty can and-"

"Let me guess, 'such misfortune', right?"

"I mean...yeah…"

"Always blaming your misfortune. Can't even take responsibility for your own perverted impulses, huh?"

Fukiyose cracked her knuckles. Touma's "danger" alarm was going off. Fukiyose was no stranger to violence when somebody fucked up. But normally, she was able to show at least some restraint. Unfortunately, this was an already pissed off Fukiyose who now believed the idiot in front of her faked tripping just to grope her.

Touma was too slow. A series of punches and kicks had him on the ground groaning in seconds.

"such…misfortune…"

"You're still saying that? I guess you haven't had enough."

"No! Please! No more punishment for this poor Kamijou-san!"

Fukiyose cracked her knuckles. Touma wasn't sure he could handle another round of Fukiyose's fury.

But.

Suddenly,

"Oi!"

A voice rang out that got the attention of the small crowd watching the suffering Kamijou. A boy with white hair walked towards the two on his modernistic cane.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"This idiot thought it would be a good idea to grope my chest. I was just teaching him a le-"

"I wasn't talking to you."

A chill went up Touma's spine as he realized what the albino meant. Accelerator looked him dead in the eye.

"Wha…?"

"Don't get me wrong, I find it satisfying as hell watching her hit you idiots after you've said something stupid. But this? This just won't do. Letting her beat you up to this extent? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean 'letting her?' You think I want getting-"

"Don't fucking play dumb with me. I'm not like these other losers. I know exactly what you're capable of, you piece of shit. If you didn't want this happening, she wouldn't have a chance in hell."

"Kamijou-san is not a masochistic! I'm not getting beat up on purpose!"

Accelerator clicked his tounge.

"Is that so? Then I guess you've just stopped caring. In that case…"

His hand went up to his neck.

A smile appeared on his face.

It was a familiar smile.

It was a smile Touma had hoped to never see again.

"...Then I'll just destroy you now."

He flipped the switch.

The effect was immediate. The wind kicked up, as if someone was bending it around the two boys. Chills went up the spines of everyone in the area. It had been a week since the #1 has joined the school, but this was the first time he was using his powers.

Touma just barely managed to get back up in time. Accelerator retracted his modern cane, then kicked off the ground and launched towards the boy like a bullet. His white hand swung around like a claw towards Touma's head. If it did so much as graze the boy's skin, it would be an instant death.

Touma just barely managed to duck under that reaper's hand, before launching his right fist straight into Accelerator's stomach. He put all of his weight into the blow, sending the albino to the ground several meters away.

The crowd was in awe. The #1 was supposed to be impossible to touch, his reflection destroying the wrists of all those who tried. And yet that level 0 had sent him flying back with nothing but his fist. What had happened? The answer was simple: The #1 had made a fluke. There was no other explanation. The top ranked level 5 had made a mistake, and Touma had managed to land a punch.

But this was the first time that boy had gotten lucky in his entire life, and it was unlikely to happen again. Not to mention, the #1 was probably pissed off now that he had been hit. Put two and two together, and the outcome was obvious.

Kamijou Touma was about to die.

Except…

"Yes!"

The #1 was laughing. He had gotten up, and an almost inhuman laugh seemed to be flooding out all sound around him. Anyone passing might have thought the crowd had gathered to watch a hyena.

"Yes! There's the goddamn hero I remember! Where was all that spunk when she was fighting you, huh?! Cmon, you had me worried you were going soft!"

The wind gathered around that monster. It formed a point, looking like an upside-down tornado had enclosed the albino. The point shot up, before arching back down towards Touma. That drill of wind could tear through a human body like paper.

Touma quickly threw his right hand up. Imagine Breaker did its job, and the wind was dispersed with a sound like shattering glass.

But that half a second was all it took for the white monster to close the gap between them.

Instead of using his hands, this time he tried using his foot. Specifically, he used his right foot to tap the ground.

"Ugh!" Touma swerved to the right, just managing to avoid the rocks that assaulted the area his body had just occupied like a shotgun blast. Using the momentum from his dodge, he slammed his right fist into Accelerator's face, once again sending him to the ground.

"You don't have to do this Accelerator!"

The white monster stood back up, and took a moment to look around at the spectators. Sure enough, the crowd had a collective expression of utter shock. A grin appeared on his face.

He flicked the switch on his electrode, and rested his weight back on his cane.

"You're right. I have no reason to kill you right now. I just needed to make a point."

However, he continued to walk towards Touma anyways.

"That being said, you seem to have a hard time getting things through that dense skull of yours. So let me make this clear for you."

He grabbed Touma's collar.

"I am the strongest guy in this entire fucking city. Going against me once and managing to come out alive is a fucking miracle. You not only survived, but outright won three fucking times. So you have no right to be getting your ass handed to you by these third-strings. Do I make myself fucking clear?"

"y...yes…"

"Good."

Accelerator dropped the boy who looked like he was about to cry, before turning to Fukiyose.

"Keep doing your job and punching these morons when they step out of line. But if this one lets you beat him up to this extent again, let me know. I'll kill the bastard myself."

That was all he said before walking away from the crowd like nothing had happened.

Once Accelerator had left, the crowd quickly dispersed. Even Fukiyose had quickly left, likely unable to comprehend what she had seen herself.

Touma sat on the ground for several minutes, as he tried to calm his shaken breathing. Finally, he stood back up and started the wall back to his dorm. He was, to nobody's surprise, quite exhausted after what had transpired today

"I can't wait to get home," he foolishly muttered to himself under his breath. Why he would ever say that out loud when he knew his own luck, he wasn't quite sure himself. What he was sure about, however, was that he immediately regretted it.

"You may have to put that off for a bit."

"What do you want, Tsuchimikado?"

Touma had gotten pretty good at telling the difference between delta force idiot Tsuchimikado and double-agent serious Tsuchmikado. This was the latter, meaning Touma couldn't just brush him off.

"We gotta talk about something. Come with me."

Tsuchimikado led him to a nearby alley, away from the public eye.

There was another person at their destination.

He was tall, with red hair and a barcode tattoo under his eye.

"Stiyl."

"Imagine Breaker."

"So let me guess, another magician has broken into the city and is after Index, and now we have to stop them. Am I on the mark?"

"Not quite." This answer from Tsuchimikado was oddly nerve racking.

Something is wrong…

"You see," continued Stiyl, "This has gone beyond normal Necessarius protocol. In other words, we may actually have a problem."

Saying a tornado had gone through the place didn't even begin to cover it. It would have taken at least five of them, and maybe an earthquake on top.

It was a British vault of magical items. Keyword being "was." These magical items were of relatively lower value than those kept in places such as the Tower of London, but magical items were magical items, and were guarded as such. The vault itself was as big as a school gymnasium, with the walls being made entirely of brick. Unfortunately, that was the only part of it that still remained. The lights had been damaged, with only a few spots of light still shining in the otherwise pitch black room. Not a single artifact remained - they had all been utterly destroyed, with the floor being covered with bits and fragments of what were once magical items.

A lone figure slowly made their way through the carnage. She was an 18-year-old asian female, whose hair was tied back. She wore jeans that only covered one leg. A large sword was sheathed at her hip.

A voice rang out through the vault to welcome her.

"Kaori Kanzaki. Necessarius' prided saint. It's no surprise that they sent you."

The voice echoed throughout the large room. She could not pinpoint where it originated from.

"...?"

She had stepped on something.

Looking down, she realized it was a body. One of the guards. She kneeled down and checked the pulse.

Nothing.

Looking around, several more bodies were just barely visible in the dim lighting.

"Admiring my handiwork? Though, I suppose someone such as yourself, who takes pride in her ability to save others, wouldn't appreciate it all too much."

"Who are you?"

"Does that really matter to you? All you need to know is that I am someone who can kill you if necessary to complete my goal."

She continued through the vault at a slow pace, her hand on her sword. For a brief moment, she saw what looked like a sliver of metal reflecting the limited light.

But that brief moment was all she needed. Kanzaki was a saint, one of fewer than 20 in the world, and that meant she could move at supersonic speeds. She closed the gap almost instantly. She did not unsheath her sword, but instead attempted to strike with her scabbard. But…

"..."

Her target had moved as fast, or even faster, than she had. By the time she reached the place where she saw that reflection, it had vanished.

"So rash," the voice echoed once again. "Even just the scabbard could kill at that speed. You pack more force than you realize. If you have truly sworn off killing, you need to watch for these things."

Kanzaki did not give the satisfaction of an answer, but once more continued around the vault. Nothing seemed to be salvageable. The place was such a mess, it would be impossible to even figure out what was destroyed.

BANG!

A few feet away from her right, a shotgun was fired. Even with a saint's durability, a shotgun blast to the side would cripple her if the bullets hit.

Except they didn't. Before they hit their target, the bullets were destroyed mid-air by wires, which immediately went on to assault the shooter. The sound of the shotgun hitting the floor could be heard. Despite this, the wires had not actually hit anything - the shooter had dropped the shotgun and vanished faster than Kanzaki could attack.

He's sizing me up. Checking out my reaction times and fighting style.

Kanzaki was sent here to investigate the attacked vault and bring in the assailant. She was the predator, and he was the prey. But those roles had been flipped. He was the predator, watching from the darkness, waiting to strike.

Kanzaki dropped down and rolled to the side. A metal fist struck the floor where she had been standing, which had been transformed into a large crater on impact. That "predator" had jumped at her from behind.

She finally got a look at him.

He wore a black tank top, faded camouflage pants, and black boots. His right arm was metal. His bald head was heavily scarred, with the bottom half being covered by some kind of high tech breathing device. One of his eyes looked artificial.

And yet…

I recognize that man!

"...Bruce...Roberts?"

"Interesting. It seems I am still recognized. Not the expected reaction, but I suppose I can't complain."

"You...were dead…"

"So it would have seemed. I had been defeated, and my body was falling apart. In a desperate moment, I turned to something looked down upon. And that was when I made a discovery."

"Discovery?"

"Do you know what our greatest weakness is as saints? Ourselves. You should be familiar with this. We are capable of moving at supersonic speeds, and possess superhuman strength. But we are so strong our own bodies are incapable of handling it."

Kanzaki knew what he meant. She was, after all, a saint herself. The exterior of a saint was superhuman, but the interior was not. Using too much force would cause her to shred her internals with her own movements and actions.

"But," continued Bruce. "What if there was a way around that? A way to gain access to our full strength as saints without destroying our own body."

Kanzaki's eyes widened.

"You don't mean…?"

"Cybernetics. Augmentations. Reinforcements. The inside of my body has been altered to allow me to use the full extent of my power without destroying myself."

Cybernetics. Cutting edge science, and it had been fused with a saint of the magic side. This was the result. A monster of both magic and science. Someone that had gone beyond the limits of a saint. If he wanted, he could probably tear down a skyscraper with his bare fists.

"Why would you do that to yourself?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. I have surpassed the preconceived limits, increasing my power tremendously."

"Power isn't worth this."

Bruce's eyes narrowed

"Did you forget? We are magicians. We carve a magic name into our hearts. Our purpose. We will go to any lengths to achieve what we desire. No cost is too great for the power necessary to complete our goal. If you do not understand that, then you have failed as a magician."

Kanzaki did not intend to keep the conversation going. In an instant, wires assaulted Bruce. However…

"...?!"

Bruce had not done anything special. He did not flee into the darkness, or sidestep the attack. He simply twisted and maneuvered his body in a way that none of the wires hit.

Kanzaki dashed, once again trying to land a hit with her scabbard. Bruce sidestepped at the last second, and Kanzaki failed to adjust her movement before a fist slammed into her side, causing her to fly across the room. She adjusted her body midair and landed on her feet.

Bruce held out his hand. A sword appeared in his grasp. It was a one handed sword lacking a crossguard. The blade was wide, and slightly curved. Upon seeing this, Kanzaki dashed towards him, unsheathing her own sword.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The two swords clashed against each other. Bruce seemed to be casually swinging his sword, as if he was disinterested. Yet each hit had enough force to push Kanzaki back a considerable amount. Her back was nearing the wall. If their blades clashed only a few more times, she would be stuck.

"This is all the treasured saint of Necessarius has to offer? What a disappointment."

"Look again."

By the time Bruce noticed the wires wrapped around his sword, it was too late. With a quick motion from Kanzaki, his sword was thrown from his grasp and landed on the floor across the room. Kanzaki had her opening. She dashed forward at top speed, swinging her sword at her target. It was a risky decision - most would be instantly killed by this attack, and she had specifically sworn not to kill under any circumstances.

However….

CLANG!

He had simply held up his metal right hand. Kanzaki's blade landed directly in it, and it closed into a fist.

He caught it?!

Bruce pulled his arm back, forcing Kanzaki towards him. He raised his left arm, hand forming a fist, and slammed it right into the asian saint's face. Her body flew straight into the brick wall, leaving a crater, before falling to the floor.

"Stay down."

Her body ached all over, but she wasn't about to quit. She gathered her strength, and started to pick herself up. Bruce let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine then. (The Sight of the Old Ones Cause Madness to All)."

It was like a spike had pierced her head. A sharp pain scrambled her thoughts and blurred her vision. She collapsed, her hands clutching her head. She could barely focus, but she could see him kneel down next to her.

"Did you know that the monsters of Lovecraft were said to exist outside of human comprehension? Their physical bodies made no logical sense, and seemed to break every known law of the universe. As such, looking upon them would cause instant madness. This spell is far from perfected - it's more like an assault on the mind than it is true madness. But it has its uses. Now then…"

The man walked over to a pile of rubble, and pulled something out of it. Kanzaki couldn't make it out - her consciousness was completely scrambled. She saw him talk into some kind of earpiece, before vanishing. The pain immediately stopped. It didn't make much of a difference, however, as Kanzaki had already fallen unconscious.

"Several days ago, a vault containing magical items was broken into," explained Stiyl. "We believe something was stolen, but we can't be sure."

"How can you be unsure if something was stolen from your own vault?"

"The vault's contents were utterly destroyed," replied Tsuchimikado. "Trying to do a proper inventory check and figure out what went missing would take months."

"Maybe nothing was stolen, and the attacker's goal was just to destroy the vault's contents."

"The magic items in this vault were considered to be of relatively lower quality. Why someone would feel the need to steal anything from it, or destroy it for that matter, is unclear. Unfortunately, things only get worse from here."

"What do you mean by 'worse'?"

"Kanzaki was sent to investigate and confront the attacker," Stiyl responded. "It was a man named Bruce Roberts."

"Impossible. That man is dead." Touma almost jumped at the voice coming from his shoulder.

"Othinus?! Where did you-"

"I snuck into your coat pocket. I didn't feel like dealing with the beast today."

"If we can get back on topic," Stiyl said in an annoyed tone, "Bruce Roberts was one of less than twenty saints in the world. Well, I suppose the correct term would be 'is'. He was defeated in battle and presumed dead around a decade ago. There was absolutely nothing to suggest his survival before the attack on the vault."

"So, a magician comes back from the dead and destroys a vault full of magical items. Where do I come in?"

"That's the thing - we don't know. They have a Saint believed to be dead for a decade, and that is all the information we have on this group. No name, no motive, no goal - we have zero leads on this group. We don't even know why they attacked the vault in the first place."

"The biggest concern," cut in Tsuchimikado, "was the state of Bruce Roberts. To be blunt, he was a cyborg."

"A…cyborg…?"

"As I'm sure you've been told before, Saints possess superhuman traits. But that's only on the outside. On the inside, they're still human. Because of this, Saints have to heavily regulate their strength, or risk destroying their own body. It seems that Bruce is using cybernetics to reinforce his internal organs, allowing him to use much more power without risk to himself."

"That sounds….terrifying."

"A cyborg Saint is terrifying enough. What makes it scarier are the implications. To be blunt, this is an organization that is completely hidden, that has a Saint among their ranks, and has access to advanced cybernetics. Do you understand what that means?"

"They have access to both the science and magic sides?"

"Exactly. Organizations that try playing both sides have existed, but this is usually a cabal that makes use of modern technology or a group of scientists that try to look into the occult. They lean heavily towards one side, and can only try to incorporate elements of the other. But this is different. A science side group looking into the occult wouldn't have a saint, and a magic side group looking into science wouldn't have advanced cybernetics. This group, whatever it is, has its roots deep in both sides. Add on that we know nothing about this group - not even a goal or size - and we have a huge issue."

"Didn't Gremlin incorporate science into their group?" Asked Touma.

"To an extent," replied the fairy on his shoulder. "But that was mostly Bersi. We were still primarily magic side. This sounds like something much deeper than what we had."

"Fair enough. But what do you want me for?"

"We don't know. That's the problem. They may come after Index. They may come after you. They may even come after Othinus. We have no idea what their end goal is or what method they plan on using to reach said goal. The fact that they might come after something is enough of a reason to make sure it's protected."

"You know," said a new voice that actually made Touma jump, "You seem to be making a pretty big fuss over something you apparently don't know shit about."

Touma turned around, only to find an albino teenager leaning against the wall.

"When did you get here?!" Touma was still shaken over their recent encounter.

Accelerator pointed a thumb at Tsuchimikado.

"I know all that bastard's tricks. It was obvious he was off to discuss something serious. I was concerned it might be something related to the dark side that would require me to take action. Though, it seems like this doesn't involve me, so I'm out."

Accelerator started towards the exit of the Alley.

"Actually," said Tsuchimikado, "That may not be entirely true. We don't know what they're after, and that means anything is at a potential risk. And since we know they're involved in both sides, that means nothing on the science side is safe either."

Accelerator froze.

"You think they're gonna go after that kid?"

"There's nothing to suggest they won't. The Misaka network is nothing to scoff at - if they have the knowledge and means to use it, they could very well try."

Accelerator clicked his tounge.

"Fine then. I'll be in touch. But don't waste my time on anything I don't care about."

The boy left the alleyway, leaving Touma with the two magicians. Stiyl concluded their meeting.

"You know everything there is right now. Make sure Index stays safe. We both know what will happen if something happens to her."

"R-Right!" Touma did not want to feel the wrath of a bloodlusted Stiyl.

With that, the three left the alleyway and went their separate ways.

Touma sighed.

I wanted to enjoy my weekend, and now I have to look over my back constantly for a cyborg Saint. Such misfortune.

Authors note: I honestly don't have much confidence in this chapter. I feel like it went a bit too quickly, and I don't really feel like I did the best job with Kanzaki's fighting style. Of course, that may just be me. I'm one of those people that finds everything I write myself to be shit, even when it isn't. Then again, I suppose that's what reviews are for. Next chapter is gonna have some character interactions, meaning I now gotta go watch clips of certain characters to make sure I get them right.

There are a lot of things I have fully planned out for this story which I would love to write right now, such as tying up loose ends, having characters who are usually separate interact, among other things both heartwarming and Kamachi levels of suffering. To be blunt, I am planning on having some romance, but it will not be someone having a heartwarming confession while they're adorably flustered. There will be suffering involved. Fanfiction or not, this is still Toaru. Unfortunately, I have to actually get there first. I guess we can all look forward to that.