Hello all It's been a long time. I wanted to release the new chapter when Index 3 Episode 1 aired but at that time I had written only 5k words then after that I wanted to release it on Halloween but yet again I thought maybe a bit more length is needed.But today is 8 November and today is the birthday of someone very special to me. So I just have to release it today! I will be releasing the new chapter of A Certain Lovestruck Goddess very very soon!
Now without any further delay, on to the comments.
LexArchangel: Your loonnng wait is over, here's a new one. (Sorry for delay really)
The crack shipping guy: Oh hello (Thor) (I think you changed your name recently on amino) Don't worry I know what you are feeling.
whwsms: Thanks
Guest: I'll check that part up.
BlueJack22: Umm... what can I say.. sorry? I know I should upload regularly but my schedule is busy (really).
linkjames24: Oh its the OTP author! Well actually in a dialogue, I miss period on purpose. It's my writing style. And as far as I know I don't think there is any rule with that?
Majin Othinus: Thanks man.
Okay I Don't own...A ... Certain... You know what. Sadly...So naturally it's a nonprofit story which I write because I felt like it!
"Okaaaay! I know with my luck and the current situation, I should have expected this. But seriously!?" The boy named Touma Kamijo groaned.
"Gbfghyfgh"
"Hey Index I know that you feel the same, but you are not understandable!" Touma spoke to the young nun who was equally displeased with the situation at hand.
"Seriously why are you making such a big deal about it? I don't see the problem in it" The girl beside them spoke
"You don't get it Misaka, you haven't rode one of them before!" Touma spoke again
"Hmm... Is it really that bad?" Misaka asked while pondering
"Yeah you wait and see" Touma threatened
Misaka tensed up listening that.
In front of them was a black plane that looked nothing like the usual private jets. It was one of the Academy City's supersonic jets. It had an astonishing speed of 7000 KMPH. It was by far one of the fastest planes on the planet.
Both Touma and Index had bad experience in that, so they were really tensed up much to the uneasiness of the unsuspecting Misaka. While she had been in it once, the flight barely lasted a minute back then.
"Ah Touma look, the door opened" Index pointed out as the door of the plane opened automatically.
"Hm.. let's go inside. From the looks of it, it is auto-piloting to a location" Misaka urged
They went inside and as Misaka suspected, there was no pilot there.
They sat down next to each other on a large seat which was more or less a sofa with Touma seated at the centre, Misaka and Index on either side of him.
Ofcourse Othinus was as always on his shoulder.
"You know, you really shouldn't have come" Touma said to Misaka
"I believe that I already told you that I am coming with you no matter what you say"
"But really, this battle will be dangerous. Who knows what we will find when we reach there" Touma spoke again
"Really Touma, you should learn to rely on other sometimes. Always trying to do everything on your own. If short-hair says she wants to help you, then why should you have any problems with it" Index spoke
"Yeah, it's exactly as silver-sister says. You shouldn't try to do everything by yourself everytime" Misaka said in an annoyed time as a tick mark appeared on her forehead.
"But still I doubt short-hair will be of much use, she doesn't know anything about the world beyond the city" Index spoke in an equally annoyed tone
"Is that so!?" Misaka glared at her.
At this point both of them were facing each other as they quarreled, with Touma in between.
"Calm down you two, we have a serious fight in front of us and you are quarreling amongst yourselves" Touma scolded them
"Fine, but just so you know she started it!" Misaka huffed
Although she didn't said it but she admitted one thing. That she knew in her heart was true. She wasn't much useful to Touma. It really pained her. During the time with the High-Priest she realised how powerless she was! The High-Priest didn't even acknowledge her existence even when she fired her railgun, it was caught as if it was a fly.
What was more that her life was used as a tool, so by threatening it Touma would be made angry. Never before had she felt that she was like a burden on him the whole time.
During that moment, he felt so far away. One she would never hope to reach, no matter how hard she tried. He was drifting away farther more farther away from her. As if he belonged to a different world and the gap between the world was beyond her limits and was expanding even further.
That's when she found the A.A.A she used it trying to reduce this gap even if it meant risking her life. And yet here she is still so far far away from 'his' world.
But No! Not this time, this time she will be by his side when he fights. This time she will close the gap between them. So that eventually, some day they can fight side by side.
"All the childish rants aside, I also feel that you should rely on others more" Othinus spoke after a long time "No as 'your' goddess, I command you to ask for help whenever possible, don't go on a reckless endeavour on your own"
"Yeah, yeah I will 'My Goddess'. Is it alright now?" Touma sighed
Othinus blushed a little on hearing that.
Index and Misaka smiled. Both of them wanted to be of some use to Touma, who had a habit of not involving others.
Back then when he had asked for their help to save Freyja. They were so happy that he finally asked, after they waited for so painfully long time. He had finally asked them to help boy who had naturally spoken those words did not know how those girls felt. It would have taken hours or even days for them to say everything they wanted to say.
Yes they were truly happy, they were happy that time. They are happy this time and they will be happy next time too. That's how much they wanted to help him.
As they were immersed in thoughts, the plane started taking off.
Touma and the others grimaced as the initial G's hit them.
It leaves a funny feeling in your stomach. It's like suddenly a lot of pressure is added on you and you are pressed against the seat.
What's more was that the acceleration was rapidly increasing.
"Okay hang in there. It will be better soon" Touma said in a reassuring tone
"This is not so good and it is worsening" Misaka said in a shaky tone "I don't feel so good"
"I don't see why you humans make such a fuss about every little thing" The completely unaffected goddess sitting calmly on Touma's shoulder spoke in a carefree manner.
"I should have expected this. A goddess like you won't be affected like us" Touma still spoke as if a heavy weight was pressed against his chest.
"Hmph obviously" Othinus showed some of her godly pride "You should praise me more often human"
"Hey by the way, I didn't get the way chance to ask before. But how is she alive and what's with her size? And more importantly, What's your relationship with her?, why is she sitting on your shoulder?" Misaka barraged Touma with questions as sweat drops started forming on his forehead.
"Huh normally I won't bother answering to a human like you. But since it concerns him, I'll answer. Listen well he is my understander, he understands me completely and I am that way too. The amount of time'we' have spent together drawfs all other human relationships. In short we both understand each other, we are 100% compatible" Othinus puffed her cheeks with pride along with a faint blush.
Misaka went silent and looked at Touma with ghastly expression.
"Touma you didn't say anything to deny what she said did you?" A dark aura appeared around Index as she was getting in her 'bite' mode.
"Not you too Index, I thought you knew how much she likes to tease others" Touma desperately tried to plead to avoid a bite attack.
They were able to normally talk now that the plane's acceleration was decreasing.
"A.. anyways, I would like to know something about where we are fighting and to whom we are fighting against" Misaka regained her usual thinking.
"As I told you before, we'll be fighting in London. As to who we are fighting, we are up against the Anglican Church and it's magical forces" Touma started
"Okaaay..magic!?..." Misaka tried to digest his words.
She had seen many bizzare phenomenon not related to science while she was with Touma. For example the High Priest, the bizzare phenomenon at the end of World War 3, the whole setting in Hawaii and many more. She had always questioned to herself what it was and was it that which was keeping 'him' far out of her reach?
"I know this is hard to believe, but esper powers are not the only powers on this planet. There is magic too. Outside Academy City there are magicians just like espers" Touma informed
"Ok keep going" Misaka urged
"Magic has a different set of rules than that of esper powers. I am not a very knowledgeable person on this subject but Index and Othinus here are like a walking encyclopaedia on the topic of magic" Touma continued
"Hmm..."
"There are different kinds of magicians at various levels of power just like espers. The highest level is that of a magic god. High-Priest was a magic god. And so was Othinus" Touma said
"He was a god huh?" Misaka flinched when she heard that. That monster had stopped her railgun like it was just a fly. He was truly unstoppable.
"But his powers were reduced, he wasn't using even a fraction of his power. He was just playing around with us. You can't even imagine how much power a magic god has. Even if you combine the powers of all normal magicians on this planet, it would still be nothing against what a magic god has" Touma subconsciously tightened his grip around his arm.
'He's actually that cautious about it. How much of a monster a magic god really is!?' While thinking that Misaka tensed up. Someone that had made him so uneasy, she couldn't or rather didn't want to imagine what sort of power it was, or what experience he had for him to react this way.
He had gotten uneasy because he knew what kind of power a Magic God possessed. Whereas Misaka got tensed up because she couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying power these Magic Gods had.
While she was thinking this Othinus slightly lowered her head, a action that didn't go unnoticed by her and Index.
While she wanted to dwell more into Othinus being a former Magic God and her relationship with Touma, she just couldn't find it in herself to speak any further at this moment. But she made sure to find out more about it in the future. Now she had another girl's history to look into. A somewhat similar thought process was going on in Index's mind.
After a while she spoke again. "So we just need to destroy the Anglican Church? How are we supposed to do that?"
"That's the question that I am not supposed to answer as I don't know myself" Touma scratched his cheek
"Huh? What does that mean?" Misaka looked puzzled
"The one we are or rather he is aiding in his battle will tell us. That person is not here with us right now, but I am sure he will be shortly" This time Othinus gave the reply.
"Okay, they who is this person exactly?" Misaka asked
"Your current General Superintendent Aliester Crowley, also a former member of the largest magic cabal The Golden Dawn" Index laid the last piece of information bare.
A middle aged woman watched as the plane took off. If one looked closely, he would see stars in her eyes.
At a place not too distant from the takeoff site, a girl with long blond hair and starry eyes smiled.
"Have a safe trip, I will join you shortly and continue to support you from the shadows. But I have a feeling that the time is near when I have to be right by your side to support you" Her smile widened "My Prince"
After some time the plane in which they were landed somewhere in a sort of desertefied area.
"Buhh... it's getting cold lately" Touma complained
"Where are we and what are we supposed to do now? It doesn't seem like we landed in London or somewhere near" Misaka said while checking her surroundings.
"Do you really think it will be a comfortable joy ride to the enemy stronghold without making any sort of detours?" Othinus sounded irritated
"I guess we must wait and..." Touma started
"Oh ho look whose here! The #3 brat" said a sarcastic voice
Every one turned towards the source of noise.
"You!" Misaka narrowed her eyes at the long brown haired girl in front of her.
In front of her was the #4 Lvl5 of Academy City, Mugino Shuzuri aka Meltdowner.
"Yo boss!" A familiar voice called Touma.
"Hamazura, I see you decided to tag along" Touma said on seeing the blonde haired teen.
Both boys greeted each other as being the only boys in their respective teams.
"Boss?" A short haired girl wearing a pink tracksuit standing beside Hamazura inquired.
"He is someone whom I refer to as teacher, don't ask why. And boss she is my girlfriend" Hamazura introduced her.
"Your girlfriend. I see" Touma's voice had a certain bitterness to it.
"Oh come on human sometimes I just can't bear you being so clueless!" Othinus rolled her eyes.
"Huh!? Othinus what are you talking about?" 'Clueless' Touma asked his goddess.
"Haaahh... nevermind" She said with irrigation
Hamazura and Takitsubo watched with amusement as the pair in front of them interacted.
"I see you have arrived, Hero" A new voice called out.
It was the voice that would strike terror in those who was in the same business as he was.
A white haired albino with Red Eyes.
"Tsk Accelerator" Mugino spat out
"Now now show me some respect or I would have to show you who is dominant here" Accelerator smirked as if he was amused.
Mugino had no choice. She knew that she was no match for him.
"Ok ok guys let's calm down shall we, Accelerator stop and Misaka don't argue with your teammate" Touma tried to dissolve the situation.
"Tsk you are no fun" Accelerator said in a bored tone.
"It's not like I was fighting or anything, she started it" Misaka said before coming back to where Touma was.
"Who the hell are you?" Mugino spat out while turning towards Touma. She was surprised that both the level 5's obeyed him so easily. Misaka was one thing but Accelerator? That guy actually listening to someone else! This was new!
'Either way he is not someone ordinary, I need to be on guard. Hmm... I think I have seen him somewhere before'
"Mugino! Sorry boss she doesn't know how to talk properly when the safety of her group is risked" Hamazura said
"Makes sense, anyone would be worried about their friends" Touma said reassuringly
Mugino wanted to speak more but decided not to right now.
"So all the ladies and gentlemen are here! Wow so many, I didn't expect to get this much support. I am so moved that I might cry" said a young feminine voice accompanied by a short girl with a bob cut, wearing a bikini and head covered with a hood.
"You are late Aliester. Speaking of that you should be the first person to arrive here. Hello Fran" Touma said
"Hello fake bunny grey" Fran replied
Touma sweat dropped. While getting confused looks of many around him.
"Don't get any wrong ideas, I am only here because my current objectives are in line with yours. As soon as it is complete, you and I will be enemies again" Accelerator glared at 'her'.
"Yeah I feel the same way" Hamazura added
"Feel free to think anything you want" Aliester raised his hands in air.
While Mugino and the others stayed silent.
"Wait! Nobody told that this Aliester person is a girl" Misaka suddenly spoke up.
"Complicated story, it'll take a while to explain" Touma scratched his cheek while smiling a little.
"Fran? So you are the one that had a hand laying waste to the city?" Mugino suddenly spoke up
"Um...Yes" Fran said rather timidly
"Hah no worries there. Either way I had some entertainment, aside from the heat it was pretty fun. And I liked how for once the master of this game had some loss" She said smirking while looking at Aliester.
'So this is Karasuma Fran. Then according to that broadcast that would mean he must be Kamijo Touma. Wait a minute wasn't he the one which was my target in that message' Mugino recalled 'Either way there is more to him than one can grasp with looking. Hamazura seems to know him perhaps I could ask him'
"I would like to hear more about her" Misaka said to Touma while pointing towards Fran.
"Like I said, this whole thing is a complicated story and.." Touma started
"And time is what we don't have. We need to board the plane quickly" Aliester said in an authoritative tone.
'She' pointed at a completely normal private jet that was there.
"What's the point of sitting in this super crappy plane after that supersonic plane ride?" Kinuhata spoke up for the first time.
"Nice question, I am glad someone asked. We will not be directly going to London. If we try, we'll be shot down before we even reach within 10 kms of the costal area. And moreover, they are more cautious about special piece of technology like Academy City's planes. So they will be turned into burning ash as soon as they are detected" Aliester explained
"So you are saying that normal planes will be lesser prioritised in surveillance and we would have a better chance?" Hamazura started putting 2 and 2 together.
"Correct the plan is that we land at the costal region of France and head towards London by boat. The Crowley's Hazards created by me should be keeping the Anglicans busy right now"
"Clever" Takitsubo passed a rare complement.
"Wait what Hazards?" Hamazura asked
"You'll see once you get there" With this Crowley walked away to the plane and the others followed.
"Hmm... It's pretty nice" Touma stated
The plane from inside was no less than a luxury airliner.
But most of the passengers didn't care about it much. Probably they were used to it because of their high status or were busy thinking about the future like Hamazura.
"So will now someone tell me what's going on? And how is the owner of Academy city a little girl?" Misaka inquired
"Oh ho! You travelled so far without even realising the situation. Talk about lame" Mugino mocked her
"Hey who are you calling little? As I see it I am much larger than you" Aliester folded her arms and smirked
"Whaaa!? Hey being small does mean they are bad!" Misaka reflexively folded her arms.
"Either way you both are pretty childish compared to me" Mugino entered the fray by putting one hand at the back of her head and standing like a model.
"Didn't anyone say childish?" Takitsubo muttered
"I have been defeated!"
"I have been defeated!"
Both Misaka and Aliester spoke out simultaneously.
"I feel good now that you know your place" Mugino grinned
"Gulp"
"Gulp"
While this was happening, 2 'gentlemen' kept staring as their heart beat gradually kept increasing.
"Owww! Othinus didn't I tell you not to bite my ear?" Touma yelled as the goddess sitting on his shoulder delivered her 'Divine Punishment'.
"Seriously human you are distracted too easily" Othinus said in a angry tone.
"Hamazura..."
"!?" Hamazura flinched as a dark aura started accumulating around his 'sweet' girlfriend.
"What were you staring at?"
"Nowhere..."
"All these morons are really eating my brain cells" Accelerator sighed
"As much as I would like to continue the debate, I would like to tell you the plan of action as we don't have much time before we land" Aliester interjected
With that everyone started listening to her.
Except...
"..." Kinuhata blankly started... 'Well it's better to just forget about it, there are other areas where I am at lead! Yes always think positive and you will make up for what you are lacking'
A similar state of mind was currently tormenting Karasuma Fran.
Around a central table 10 people were sitting on the sofas.
"I see so the new players are already informed the gist about magic" Aliester held a finger on 'her' chin.
"Like hell! This insufficiency in information is non tolerable" Mugino spat out
"I would also like to know more" Misaka demanded
"It's for your own good. Why do you think I filtered all magic related information from being coming in contact to the espers? It's not safe for your bodies. Science and magic are polar opposites, fusion of both results in disaster" Aliester clarified.
"Magic is just as much of a collection of specialized skills and knowledge as science is. The supernatural setting takes time and effort. It would be more efficient for you to refine the skills you have than to spend over ten years preparing something that would send you to a bloody grave the first time you used it." Index began
"Oh no!" Hamazura groaned
"What's the matter Hamazura?" Takitsubo asked
"I feel like it's gonna be another one of long lectures which I will understand nothing about"
"…As people with some scientific knowledge, you probably know this, but most of the internal organs cannot be consciously controlled. Forcing a change in them is what allows one to refine that normally unreachable energy. But the internal organs function automatically because the alternative is dangerous. It's the same reason that a in a government files are hidden by default. If someone without the proper knowledge were to mess with them, there is a danger of it coming back to bite them in the ass. In the past, that kind of thing seems to have been mistaken for divine punishment or a curse," Index said. "Once you have the magic power needed to use magic, you just have to manipulate that power into the form that matches your wishes. There are many different types of vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes, but they all still spin turbines using explosive power. …If you want to cross the ocean, you first need to think about what kind of vehicle you need, and you need to create the most suitable fuel by refining crude oil."
"Hah" *yawn... Hamazura led out a yawn but as everyone there stared at him, he refocused his attention.
"It is easier to write with your right hand because people have been writing with their right hands for ages and ages. The parent teaches the child, and the child teaches the grandchild. It keeps getting passed down like that. As many people have continued writing with their right hands, a method of neatly writing has naturally formed around that. …If people had started writing with their left feet from the beginning, then a culture of writing with the left foot would have been created."
"Hmm.." Mugino listened carefully
"But even so, the new application of magic power is not impossible. If you worked hard and mastered that path, you may even catch up to the right hand. But would that have any meaning? Maybe if you could not use your right hand, but when you can use your right hand, it's much more efficient to just use it. And the optimization of this age's culture is moving ahead in that way. And the situation changes even more depending on whether you are using a religious system in order to create the phenomenon you want or are trying to create a phenomenon within your faith in a religious system," Index said. "One can use magic just by sending magic power through one's own blood vessels and nerves and by creating symbols with one's gestures. However, when performing more precise ceremonies, specialized tools are often used. For example, when referencing a story involving a legendary spear, it is more efficient to actually swing around a spear.
Think of it as the difference between drawing a straight line with just a pen and drawing it with a straightedge."
Accelerator frowned. If he remembered correctly, he had listened to this before.
If he had known about Index's photographic memory, he would not have been this intrigued by this.
Index said that, but old-fashioned legendary items were not necessarily needed.
The shape and function were all that was needed, so a plastic umbrella or a clothesline pole could be used in place of the spear. But adding details decreased the odds of failure, so various additional things could be done, such as attaching a knife to the end of the plastic umbrella.
Things like that may end up looking like mysterious objects with no real meaning behind them to a normal person.
"Tell me more about those tools" Mugino inquired
"Those tools are known as spiritual items. With some exceptions, spiritual items are nothing more than tools. They are not something that is equipped to the oil refinery that is a magician. When a magician holds a spiritual item, the item becomes a part of the magician's body, and a portion of the magic power flowing through his blood vessels and veins is circulated through it. A staff that shoots fire will only function once that much is done. But power can also be provided remotely, and with certain spiritual items, the magic power will circulate within it for a bit after the magician lets go of it," Index explained. "These days, safety devices are incorporated into them, but in the past, the destruction of a spiritual item would sever that circulation and damage the magician. Symbolic weapons are the representative example of spiritual items. They are produced and consecrated by the user and no one else is allowed to touch them, but that is just out of fear that someone else interfering with it could cause the circulation to be incomplete."
"So basically a spiritual item can be anything? Right? It depends on what the caster considers as his spiritual item" Mugino asked
"Correct! You catch on quickly" Index looked impressed
Perhaps it was her experience with danger and her survival skills that she adapted to the situation quickly. But nonetheless she was quick at grasping the basics.
Hamazura on the other hand got bored quickly of verbal lectures. But when it came to actual situations, he was pretty good at finding out a way admist it by what little he had heard.
"So it can even be common household item that we might not suspect" Misaka pondered
"You are correct about that, a spiritual item can also change shapes and it is not necessarily only used for attack" Touma added
Mugino and Misaka looked interested, even Accelerator showed signs of some interest.
"Then tell me..." Mugino started but was interrupted.
"Sorry but our little informative session will come to a close now as our destination has arrived" Aliester informed all of them.
What would they call the bizzare sight in front of them? It would be certainly very difficult to find words for it.
But if someone was feeling lazy and uncreative, he would simply call it horrifying and ugly.
"Ehhhhh! What are those!?" Misaka screamed
"Behold they all are me. Aliester Crowleys that could exist if the choices they made were even a slight different from the original. The are the 'Crowley's Hazards'!" Aliester introduced them as they were his pride and joy.
"There seems to be no end to them, how many are there exactly!?" Kinuhata exclaimed as she looked around.
She could see them as far as her eyes could see.
"If the number calculated out by the former Tree Diagram and proven by theReading Thoth 78 is accurate, the number of options available to me and thenumber of branches to which those would lead are 1,083,092,867. In otherwords, that many Aleister Crowleys exist as those many possibilities" Crowley stated
"Huh... if you have that much support then why do you need us?" Mugino although spoke sarcastically, raised a genuine question.
"When you see the enemy, you will understand" Was the only reply Aliester gave.
"The enemy must be formidable" Takitsubo spoke up slowly.
"Indeed, Fran here will help us getting into London" Aliester gave a thumbs up and pointed towards the hoddie girl.
"Not that I am happy about it...But I need to see things through" She clenched her fists. "I have to do things right" She said in a shaky tone as if a lot of emotions were building up.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Touma smiling.
"That's good, then let us help you in that. Let's all make things right" He said with a smile that radiated conviction.
They all got on 2 different speedboats with Hamazura's group and Aliester together. Touma's group along with Fran and Accelerator together on another boat.
They were shielded by the bodies of countless Crowleys.
"This looks like a Fantasy world midieval war" Misaka said while looking around.
"I guess that's one way to put it" Touma sweat dropped.
Around them were 'monsters' of various shapes and sizes. Some were like dinosaurs, some were giant golems of concrete, some were sharp fanged beasts, some were giant sea creatures like octopuses, whales, sharks, etc.
"Still there is so much variety" The #3 Electromaster of Academy City said while checking out all those who were in view.
"That's true" The silver haired nun standing beside her supported her statement.
Touma smiled and looked at them. Those two had their differences but right now they were working together.
"Say Othinus, why haven't you spoken anything till now? You were quite the whole time in the plane too, is something wrong?" Touma asked his 'goddess' sitting on top of his shoulder.
"Don't trust him Human, he is always plotting something. A 'innocent' boy like you won't understand his tactics. And I will not tolerate you being manipulated for anyone's interest" Othinus declared with a overwhelming power in her words.
"..." Touma went silent hearing that "Thank you Othinus, it means a lot to me that you care about me so much"
"Obviously I would care about you, I mean you and I have gone through so much together. I..." Othinus blurted out while blushing.
"But!"
"How can I stand by when the fate of the entire world is at stake, if there is anything I can do that has a slightest chance of getting things in the right direction. Then I will unhesitatingly do it even if it means being manipulated by someone" Touma's voice was firm. A solid belief that cannot be shaken no matter what difficult situations you throw at him, he will still continue to walk on this path. This is what humans call being...
'A Hero. No matter what comes, he always stay true to his beliefs. No wonder I was defeated by his conviction. That is one of the reason I like you so much...Touma'
"Hmph! Very well then do as you desire. But remember this if he tries to use you in any way for his gains or does anything that harms you, he will face the wrath of 'The Goddess Of War'. The only thing in this world that I care about is you. And I can't stand when you suffer because of others" There was intense pressure behind her words and a lot of dangerous aura.
Kamijo could sense that she was serious. Even if she was in her 1% form, she could do something devastating that he didn't know about. After all she was 'The Goddess Of War' who had once thrown away her power and then regained it afterwards.
She had destroyed the world countless times on a whim and she had said it many times that the only thing that was binding her to this world was him. If something thing were to happen to him, what would she do to the world.
He did not want to imagine that. But right now...
"Don't worry I didn't say that I will get manipulated easily. Obviously I won't do as he desires or play in his hands" Touma said to lighten the mood.
"Hey what are you talking about in the back" Misaka called out while driving the boat.
"Touma we are closing in on the borders of the sea territory of England" The silver haired nun on the side of her also called out.
"Yeah right, We are coming"
He walked into the cockpit of the boat.
"Geez what were you talking about leaving us here like that?" Misaka slightly pouted
"Nothing, now then why did you call..." He did not get to complete the sentence.
Instantly the 'monster' which was moving about 30m right to them exploded into pieces.
He reflexively braced his hands for impact.
"Hey quiet time is over, they have started attacking" Aliester announced "Everyone brace yourself"
BANG! BAM! BAM! BANG!
Countless shots were coming from the direction where they were heading. The Crowley's Hazards were being mowed down like they were made of paper.
"Move let me drive, quickly!" Fran pushed Misaka aside and took control of the steering.
Beams of light were being showered on them. Each one exploded on contact and vapourised anything it hit.
Countless holes were being made on the unfortunate Crowleys.
It was a moonlit night.
But the explosions, fashes of light, and roaring fames hid both the stars in the sky and the full moon.
It was less than 40km from Calais, France, but nasty beams of light shot from the distant horizon and tore through the icy sea breeze. Fran was at the helm, but Kamijou had no idea what she was basing her lateral evasive actions on.
The boat was being gradually torn apart and the roof had just been blown of. If the line of fire had been just a few dozen centimeters lower, it would have torn of and vaporized his head before he could even raise his right hand.
It was like a freworks festival using live artillery, but this was not a childish show put on by the magic gunners controlling the extra-large spiritual items lined up on the coast.
In fact, they were well organised ones. Though the barrage wasn't done with exact aiming.
"Gwoahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
This did not come from beyond the horizon.
Kamijou ducked down when he heard the roar of carnivorous dinosaur erupt nearby.
There was a bloody monster of a man with countless swords and spears piercing his body.
There was an old woman riding a wooden broom with several holes that looked like human faces.
There was a beautiful winged young man with a lovely face and a rainbow halo.
"What the hell is this!?" Mugino's eyes widened with disbelief.
"This is!... I see so this is the difference between 'his' world and mine...Talk about unfairly huge" Misaka spoke
"Things sure got interesting pretty quickly" Accelerator grinned
Takitsubo was safety hidden in Hamazura's arms while Kinuhata watched the scene unfolding with shock.
"That's England?, that's not how I remember it used to be" Index clung to Touma's arm while speaking.
"So they can fire about 1 Million shots a minute over the entire Strait of Dover. Based on that, they're trying to crush everything with a barrage even if they aren't guided." Fran concluded
All were shocked and worried when they heard about their enemy's strength. Even Accelerator frowned a bit.
All except one.
"Hmm... this is boring, why are you humans make such a fuss over such measly fire, I know that for the others this is new but you have seen things of far greater magnitude than this one" Othinus said while looking at Touma.
"As expected of you, ofcourse you would be perfect fine in this environment" Touma said while crouching.
There was a giant grotesque dragon made of organs with several giant maws that resembled carnivorous plants.
There were hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and maybe even more of them. That bizarre army spread out with enough force to fill the dark sea and they pushed in from the French side to the English side. The Anglican Church's most secret of techniques gave them 1,000,000 shots per minute, but not even that could push them back. As the monsters in the front were crushed by the beams of light, more monsters pushed past them and continued ever closer to the United
Kingdom.
There strength was their numbers.
However the rate of advance was too slow.
Thick beams of light continued to tear through the group of Aleisters known as Crowley's Hazards, but they pushed back
with even greater force. That should have been a good thing for Kamijou and the others who were hiding among those monsters as they crossed the dark ocean to reach England, but the sight was enough to send a chill down their spines.
The vast sea was soaked red as if by a red teabag and fesh and bones could be seen foating here and there.
Viewed from space, the Earth may have looked like a bloody planet.
An ear-splittingly raw sound rang out.
The dragon made from countless organs and mouths had
split open its maws. And it released a thick beam of light at the shore where the bombardment was coming from.
The counterattack split the battlefeld along a straight line and erupted beyond the horizon. Something like a cumulonimbus cloud explosively grew on the surface.
The bombardment faded a bit but quickly regained the pace.
"Tsk they are well equipped with defensive magic" Aliester clicked 'her' tongue. "We need to go on a little detour, we are not getting anywhere at this rate"
With that she suddenly changed the direction of her boat. Some Crowleys followed her.
They began turning around and going to the area where the barrage was less intensified.
After some time, they reached a ideal position.
"They cannot pinpoint our location in this crowd, so they are at disadvantage" Index commented as they moved forwards towards the coastline.
"That's why I avoided using any spells that could give away our location. It is a hassle to deal with all those beams when they are directed straight at us" Aliester said in a bored tone.
"I see so..." Touma began
BAM!
Suddenly a shot hit her boat, making a hole in the hull.
"Hehe sometimes things just don't go your way..." Aliester sweat dropped
The water was rushing in so they all moved up on Touma's boat.
"Move it Fran!" Touma yelled
"I am trying my best! Just so you know dodging 1 Million shots is not child's play!" Fran yelled back
"I'll help with that" Aliester placed 'her' hand at Fran's shoulder and muttered something while closing 'her' eyes.
"I see, you tapped in the magic pattern. Now we can predict where the shot will be coming from. Nice thinking" Fran spoke to Aliester who didn't reply.
Apparently all 'her' attention was focused on the technique being used.
"Alright we are almost there" Misaka said with impatience.
BAM!
A powerful shot hit the boat and the occupants where thrown in the sea.
Thankfully, they were close to the shore so they swam their way there.
"This wasn't super what you would call a joy ride" Kinuhata spoke while she wringed her clothes.
"Be grateful you made it this far in one peice" Fran roared
"Yeah yeah, thank you for super not having our heads blown"
While Kinuhata and Fran quarreled, others assessed the surroundings.
"Wait, where is Touma?!" Index suddenly brought everyone's attention to the missing person.
"Oh no! Where did he go off too?" Misaka panicked
"Probably somewhere with much more conflict going on" Accelerator commented on Touma's ability to invite trouble.
Meanwhile on the shore a little far away.
"Hah hah, that was too close for comfort" Touma said while he panted
"I think we are separated from others" The goddess sitting on his shoulder commented.
But she didn't looked worried even by slightest degree. Infact it looked more like she was happy.
"We have to look for them quickly" Touma urged
"No need just move forward, we'll eventually meet up with them"
"But" Touma tried to reason with her.
"But nothing, we don't have time to waste" Othinus stated that but there was no sense of urgency in her voice.
Touma sighed. He had no choice but to go along with the plan.
They started moving into the mainland, however their walk was short lived.
"I did expect the battle to reach here so quickly" Touma said while watching the Knights of England fighting the Crowleys from a safe distance.
"Watch out behind you" Othinus yelled
Touma ducked and avoided a mass of rubble that had been thrown in his direction by a giant Crowley.
"Wait, I thought they were our allies. Why are they attacking us!?" A confused Touma spoke in an exasperated tone.
"Hm... It's as I thought. When Crowley copied himself, it wasn't perfect. These copies are just semi-intelligent. They can only perform to basic commands like attack this area or that building" Othinus explained
"So that means, we have to fight it as well? Such Misfortune" Touma sighed "Alright here goes" He yelled as he charged towards the giant.
He swung his right arm and...
and...
Nothing happened. His right arm made contact with the giant but nothing happened.
Touma blinked and looked at his hand still touching the giant...
"Move! Get down!" Othinus yelled
Touma swiftly evaded a fist swung by the giant and managed to get some distance between them.
"Why didn't my right hand work!? I thought it was made by magic"
"There are some ways to bypass or rather exploit the very selective nature of your right hand. It might be one of those"
"Okaaaaay but this puts us in a big disadvantage" Sweat was clearly visible on Touma's face.
The giant he was facing was 3 times the size of him plus his trump card the Imagine Breaker wasn't working, this wasn't good at all.
Suddenly the giant was engulfed in an explosion. And it fell to the ground.
The Knights and the forces of the church had spotted him.
'Crap I need to get away. I should avoid conflict as much as possible'
"Hey can you touch that stone golem?" Othinus pointed at a Crowley made entirely of stone which looked like a golem.
"Do you want us to get crushed!? Didn't you see, my Imagine Breaker doesn't work" Touma yelled
"Oh shut up! Just do as I say" Othinus urged
"Hah here goes nothing" Touma went straight to the golem and touched it.
Much to his surprise, a familiar sound of breaking glass was produced and the golem broke apart into peices.
"As I thought" Othinus smiled
"Okay... I am confused. How did that happen?"
"It's how your hand works. It erases any abnormalities in this world. However if they are physically possible, they are omitted. To put it simply the giant was spared because it's existence in this world was physically or rather biologically possible. However such was not the case with a monster made of stone, so it was destroyed" Othinus concluded
"I see so we just have to avoid some of the Crowleys. Wait...did I...just kill someone!?" Touma was horrified like he suddenly realised what horrible thing he had done.
"Oh come on! Don't make such foolish comments, you are my understander. Those were just temporary copies of a single person. They would have been destroyed anyways once the purpose was served. Honestly! Making a big deal out of every small thing" Othinus scolded
"I...see, so that didn't count as killing... Let's go"
A little further away from them the battle was much more intense.
"Tsk... Where did that Aliester brat run off to" Accelerator spat out while punching a frog Crowley making it explode to peices.
"Eww! Gross" Misaka spoke while she saw the sight.
"Totally that was super gross" Kinuhata supported
"Does this mean that he backstabbed us?" Mugino furiously asked while shooting through a giant terror bird.
"I don't think it's that, though I don't think it's completely not possible. But I think these things don't have brains of their own. So they are indiscriminately attacking everyone in this area unless given orders" Index concluded
"That might be the case, but we are still struck here!" Hamazura yelled while running from a giant dog. He went straight to his lifeline available at the current time. "Mugino!"
"Yeah yeah" She vaporized it with a beam
"Dammit! There is no end to these things" Misaka spoke while frying a bunch of Crowleys.
"Hey!" Fran called out from above "I suggest you come with me, at this rate you will be struck here forever"
"Where did you get that from!?" Misaka enquired
There was a medium sized hot air balloon with abduction written on it with pink coloured lights.
"This is so stupid" Hamazura spoke
"What happened Hamazura?" Takitsubo asked
"I suggest you turn off the lights, they will attract unnecessary attention" Index suggested
"Ofcourse, I am going to do that. Otherwise it's like a massive target is written on us in bold letters" Fran said
"Crap it's too overcrowded" Hamazura said while trying to adjust.
"Hey where do you think you are touching Hamazura?" Mugino growled
"Haaah! Sorry I didn't mean to touch you there" Hamazura defended himself.
"Hamazura..." Takitsubo stared at him with blank eyes.
"I am sorry dammit" Hamazura yelled
While he tried to clarify himself, someone thought of a amusement.
"Really! it's not that you can't. If you were gonna touch, you should have atleast told me thats all you wanted" Mugino spoke in an overly innocent tone.
"Hamazura!" The dark aura around Takitsubo intensified as her voice became a lot harder than usual.
"Seriously Mugino why do you have so much fun in mocking me?" Hamazura groaned
"Seriously you should be thankful for this offer, a lot guys would do anything to be in your place" Mugino chuckled
"Yeah she is right, you should be super grateful" Kinuhata added in a mocking tone.
This earned a sigh from Hamazura. Mugino and Kinuhata laughed at this.
"Perverts all of you" Misaka muttered
"Atleast I have something to touch here" Mugino spoke with a tone of superiority.
This lead to Misaka instinctively covering her hands around herself.
"Morons all of them. Why do I have to put up with the most annoying bunch" Accelerator muttered
"Hey you there! Why are you here?" A Knight asked on spotting the Spikey haired boy hiding behind the bushes.
'Crap I got found. Gotta Play it cool and this might be a free walk through'
"Sorry sir, I lost my way and then these weird monsters started attacking. So I had to hide" Touma tried to smooth talk out of the situation with the little English he knew. He was now thankful to all those hard times when he had to converse with English people to gey away or ask something. Thanks to that he had gained basic understanding of useful English.
"You shouldn't be out here, it is dangerous. You are really lucky that I found you. Come with me, I'll take you to a safe place" The Knight asked Touma to follow him.
"Thank you sir"
'Got him! Now I have to just follow to get deeper into the opponent's den'
Touma followed the Knight. Although it left a bad taste in his mouth that he was using this man's kindness to his advantage. But he currently had to use whatever means necessary to ensure everyone's safety.
"Wow, you have gotten a lot better at convincing people, seems like my being with me all the time has helped you" Othinus spoke while hiding in his muffler.
"I had to acquire this skill as the power of my right hand is very unreliable sometimes, but this is nowhere near your level" Touma chuckled
They were walking on empty streets, it looked like a ghost town.
"Alright get in" The Knight opened the door of a car and gestured Touma to get inside.
The Knight was driving with really high speed, the lack of people and vehicles on the roads really helped this.
"Is something the matter? Why are we in such a hurry?" Touma asked
"London is activation some type of quarantine protocol, I know it might be hard for normal people to understand but just think of it as sort of a barricade to stop advancement of monsters" The Knight informed
"Hmm...I see" Touma replied
The Knight went back to concentrate in driving while Touma was lost in thought.
"Seems like they are planting a magical barrier" Othinus whispered
"Yeah, one strong enough to hold out" Touma whispered back
'Well we won't know until we get there'
And as if listening to Touma's thoughts, Othinus nodded.
"Say how much time has passed since we were 'loaded' on this balloon?" Hamazura groaned
"About an hour" Takitsubo reported
"Then why do I feel like I have been here for ages? My feet are starting to go numb" Hamazura exasperated
"Stop complaining, atleast we have a safe ride. Got a problem, look down do you rather be in that warzone?" Fran spat out
"Oh? Do you not like the spot where you are? Do you not like my company?" Mugino asked in a disturbingly chilling voice.
"No! I mean yes, I absolutely love your companionship" Hamazura sweat-dropped
"There she goes flirting again" Misaka muttered
"Huh? Got a problem with that? I can do whatever I want" Mugino mocked
"Just give me a break already" Accelerator sighed
"Keep up that attitude and you will never get anyone in your life" Mugino grinned
"What!?" Misaka growled with a slight blush on her face either due to embarrassment or anger.
"Not only do you have a bad attitude but a bad personality too" Mugino further showered insults.
She was really enjoying the fellow level 5 esper who didn't exactly had a good history with her.
"Why you!?" Misaka started sparking a bit.
"Hey sorry to disturb your childish rants but something is happening down there" Accelerator informed while pointing downwards.
Everyone's attention got shifted to the pointed location.
Once could see a strong pillar of bright bluish white light being erected into the sky. As it reached a probably predetermined fixed height, it spilled a hemisphere in all 4 directions. Thus a large hemispherical dome of translucent bluish white light was created which covered the entire city London.
"What the heck is that?" Kinuhata muttered
"Some sort of magical barrier for the looks of it" Hamazura stated
"Doesn't matter, I'll smash right through it" Accelerator got ready to jump.
"No wait don't. Rules of magic are different from your science and it's not a normal barrier. It's the multi layered defensive barrier, many layers of magical fields are interwoven like a meshwork. It will not be destroyed by a single heavy blow. You aside I think even Touma might have problems with this one" Index informed
Accelerator clicked his tongue at this.
"If he touched it directly" Aliester added
"Wait when did you get here?" Misaka peered over the railing of the basket of the hot air balloon to see Aliester standing below by the side of a tree while watching the barrier with a amused look.
"However if he destroys the source of its power, it's another story" 'She' continued without paying any mind to Misaka's remarks.
"Uh huh but for that he has to go inside the barrier first" Fran pointed out
"Don't worry, he is already inside. And with the nature of his Telema, it won't be long before the barrier is destroyed" Aliester informed
"Tele.. what? Wait how do you know he is inside?" Misaka asked
"Tada! The No. 1 cheating husband caught in act device. It gives precise location of your spouse, the futuristic product that will be used by wives who have the doubt that their husbands are cheating on them. I have plans to launch it in market soon. What do you think isn't it a great invention that will shake the foundations of the market?" Aliester displayed a smartphone which displayed a red dot on the map. It displayed speed, altitude, direction, etc many parameters.
"Whhaa! Things like that exists? Why have you put such type of devices on him?" Misaka fumed
"What do you need one on him too? No problem, next time I'll give you one that also receives sound. That way you can catch him right in the act!" Aliester gave a thumbs up.
"It's just a regular tracking device, probably it is tracking his phone. Pretty primitive... can't even record sound" Accelerator said
"Ah you just had to ruin all the fun" Aliester pouted "Right now I am not in the Academy City and all my other spying methods are either destroyed or not available at the moment. But I have to be aware where the MVP's on my side are. Right?" Aliester winked at Accelerator
"Tsk" Accelerator took out his phone and switched it off.
"Hey! Not fair" Aliester pouted
"Just shut up" Accelerator growled
"So that means we just have to stay here and wait while boss does his work?" Hamazura asked for confirmation.
"Pretty much yes" Aliester nodded
"Geez Touma... Always managing to get yourself being caught in trouble" Index muttered
"Can't argue with that" Misaka snickered
"We are almost there" The Knight informed Touma
"So that is the barrier you were talking about?" Touma asked while glancing backwards
"Yeah, I know it's really hard for you to understand the situation but just leave this to us. The Knights of England will protect its citizens at all costs" The Knight assured
"Yeah thank you" Touma replied back
"Oh look we are here" The Knight stopped the vehicle and stepped out as one other Knight standing by the side of the road signalled him to stop.
Touma followed and stepped out as well. Now he was all in combat ready mode as his gut feeling was telling him that something will go wrong as the 'friendly' Knight chatted with the other Knight
"...Oh him? He was lost and got trapped admist the hazards, I rescued him and was going to get him to the shelter" The 'friendly' Knight said to the other one.
"Hmm... Really? But as far as I heard, the warning was issued 8 hours before the attack started and all citizens were evacuated and sent to shelters within an hour" Both Knights suddenly went silent "Who are you, What's your name and where do you live?" The other Knight slowly walked towards Touma.
"I..." Touma tried maintain composure but stammered.
'Crap! This is bad, I don't think I will be able to play 'innocent' and gain free ground from now on. Well it was gonna happen at some point of time'
"Seriously man! You pick up anyone without even asking where they are from..." He could not complete the sentence as Touma quickly charged at him this startled him creating an opening.
Touma used it to his advantage and jumped on one of his knee, using it as a stepping stair he jumped once moreand and placed a devastating knee right under the chin of the Knight. The impact was huge and the Knight flew backwards few meters before falling to the ground.
This was more than enough to knock him out for good.
"Damm you" The remaining Knight cursed as Touma quickly closed the gap in between them.
The Knight quickly drew his sword and swung at Touma while Touma swung his fist and him.
The blade of the sword and his fist made contact.
A sound of breaking glass was heard and the sword shattered like glass into a million pieces. His fist didn't stop there and made contact with the Knight's left cheek with full force. The Knight was thrown backwards and his head collided with the trunk of a tree.
Touma quickly rushed to the knocked out opponent and check his pulse.
He sighed with relief. He hadn't intended to hit his opponent that hard but the sudden anxiety and pressure made him do so.
"Impressive as always" Othinus complemented him.
"I accidentally put more power than required. Thankfully he is alright...I really don't like it, he got this result of his good nature" Touma spoke bitterly
"Caring for the enemy isn't what most people do. I certainly didn't bother to even look at the defeated foe. Mostly because they weren't left in recognisable shape...But you are different, different from all others. And like all other qualities of yours, I like this one too. As long as it doesn't risk your safety or doesn't get you hurt, I am ok with it" Othinus said while moving a bit closer to him.
"Ah... I see... Thanks for the compliment" Touma blushed a little while scratching his cheek.
"Hehe what's this? You're embarrassed, have you finally matured?" Othinus nudged his neck with her elbow.
"Naturally, I don't get to hear honest praises so often. Now that I think about it taking care of you and Index is a big thing itself. You both should thank me more" Touma closed his eyes and muttered "Othinus?"
"... Naturally you wouldn't get what I was trying to say. And here I was foolishly believing...No really seriously?..Will he not get it unless I directly spell it out to him and yet he understands me perfectly on any other topic other than this" Othinus muttered in a cold monotonous voice.
"Um? Are you okay?" Touma asked while sweating up. From previous experience he knew the current situation was not a favorable one.
"UH!" Othinus clenched her teeth
"What happeneeeeeeddddddd! AAAAHHHHH! OWWW!" Touma shrieked as Othinus bit his ear "SUCH MISFORTUNE!"
And that's it! NT 22 is out (haven't read it yet) Index 3 is out watching every episode as soon as it airs. Seriously they really rushed them! Don't you agree?This is DEVIL ADITYA hurriedly Signing Off...