Chapter 5: The Earth Crystal.


Verse 1: Meetup.


At last, Cid and Styl landed near Academy City in a dense forest teeming with wildlife. Their meeting with the archbishop in England took only an hour, and the two were able to arrive at dawn. They left the Enterprise, doing their best to avoid stepping into the bushes and getting impaled by sticks and stones.
After finding a clearing, Cid reminded Styl of what Laura said to him earlier. "You know, the archbishop did tell you to not get the Imagine Breaker involved..."
"To HELL with the archbishop," Styl snapped. "That bitch tried to kill Index, erased her memories, and then she used goddamn MIND CONTROL on her! If I DON'T get Touma involved, then there's a possibility that the Grimoires inside her head could kill her!"

"I guess there's no stopping you," the engineer said. "Keep the kid safe. If you really are going up against the Acolytes, it's best to keep him alive long enough to fight." As he spoke, Cid handed to him a white card with holographic foil on it. The word 'Protect' was printed in glowing text on the holographic foil strip. "Cast it on him if he's in trouble. Got it?"
"What's this?" Styl asked.
"It's a Spell Card. If you destroy it, you'll learn the Spell written on the card," Cid explained. "Just so you know, Spells are forbidden by all major religions. For what reason, I have no idea." Cid opened the hatch to the Enterprise, but before he closed it he spoke once more before he left. "'White Magic' is what it's called. Make sure you put it to good use." Cid closed the doors to the airship. Shortly after the engines roared loudly, and the Enterprise began to ascend through the dense trees and flew away to an unknown destination.

Styl crushed the card, and the dust was absorbed into his skin. "So this is the power of the Spell," he said to himself. "So simple. Yet so effective."
This was what he was looking for. Something powerful enough to protect Index from Laura. He too wondered why this specific magic was banned by the church. Perhaps because it was considered too blasphemous. Then again, free will was also considered blasphemous by the church, and he couldn't give a rat's ass what they said. With the power of Spells, he might be able to bring down the false religion with the help of Touma and Index.
One question remains; how does he do it? For now, Styl had to track down Touma in his apartment. It was almost morning, so the pyromancer had better hurry up and find the kid. And that meant a long trek into Academy City proper. "I'm getting too old for this," he said to himself.


Verse 2: Allow us to introduce ourselves.


It was around 8:30 AM. Tsushimikado (Under the new moniker of Jack) rested in front of the apartment building where Touma resided. In the corner of his eye he spotted a red-haired cloaked figure with a cigarette in his mouth. "Been waiting for you, Styl."
"You know anything about 'White Magic?'" the pyromancer asked. "Our double agent gave me a white card with a Spell on it."
"A Spell huh? Which one did he give you?"
"Protect," he replied. It was a rather useful Spell that cast a protective barrier of light around it's target, reducing incoming physical forces by about half. Maybe even outright negating them if one was lucky enough. "Keep it on hand," Jack said. "You never know when it'll come in handy." Styl nodded, and climbed the steps to Touma's apartment.
"Has Ishmael informed you of when the operation starts?" Jack asked.
"No. I haven't seen him for quite some time."
"We're to meet at the Academy City Bank at 6:00 PM today. There, we find the Crystal of Earth. Our current plan is for me to open the front doors and let loose with Blizzara. You cast Protect on Ishmael and then he'll chuck in a couple bundles of TNT. Though this is subject to change."
"Blizzara? Haven't heard of that."
Jack grinned. This was a good opportunity to flex on his knowledge of spells, if Styl didn't mind. "It's a '-Ra' level ice Spell that I learned while practicing Black Magic with Accelerator. It can fill a whole room with ice, compared to a single target," the teen explained. "For something more focused, I use a base level Spell like Blizzard or Fire."

Jack knew that Styl wouldn't be interested in hearing the specifics of the plan, but he had a feeling Ishmael would. The teen respected his ability as a tactician, relying on his brains as well as his brawn to overcome obstacles. He's seen the guy in action a few times, so he knows he's good. Especially with that speed of his. But how would Touma fit into his plan? Well, that remained to be seen. His right hand should prove useful against any magic the Acolytes might cast, but against bullets, he'd be dead before he hit the ground.
That was one thing Jack feared about the Acolytes. They knew when and when not to use magic, not to mention they have perfect accuracy with a reaction time of zero milliseconds. So if they went up against a boy who could dispel magic, they could just shoot at him until he dies, just like what they did to Kanzaki.

Styl gave one single knock on Touma's apartment door. "Secret knock," he said to jack.
A boy's voice came from behind the door. "That you Styl?" Touma asked.
The pyromancer cleared his throat. "I brought someone here. It's regarding our meeting with Ishmael."
After a brief silence, Touma said "Uh... Okay. Come in."

Jack and Styl entered Touma's apartment to find him lying on his bed with barely any energy. With Index raiding the fridge, Kuroko out on the porch with the door open, and Mikoto fiddling with a radio on a coffee table, it was unlikely Touma got any rest at all. "Welcome to hell. Population: me," he said.
"You poor thing," Jack said with sarcasm. In the corner of his eye, the blonde teen noticed the radio Mikoto tinkered on had the front casing removed. He was unsure if she had the proper electrical knowledge to do anything with the internals. As far as he knew, she might fry the retro-styled appliance by accident.

"Stupid thing doesn't even work!" Mikoto exclaimed. "All I'm getting is static!"
"What are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Not so close! I'm trying to see if there's anything good to listen to, but all I'm getting is static!" First the network towers, then the cell towers, and now the Acolytes finally shut down all the radio broadcasts. Academy City was completely cut off from the outside world. Perhaps this is part of their plot to destroy the city. Make sure nobody gets out alive, or calls for help. "Don't bother," Jack said to Mikoto. "Everything's been destroyed. No internet, no service, no radio, and they're likely going to cut the power to the entire city. Isn't that right Styl?"

Styl sat down on Touma's bed, paying no mind to Jack. He took out a cigarette, only for the teen to stop him as he pointed to a 'No Smoking' sign on the wall that Index drew. "Aren't you like 14 or something?" Touma asked. The pyromancer returned his cigarette to his coat pocket.
"Depends. Do you mean Japanese 14 where I'm actually 35? Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about a man named Ishmael." Styl said.
"What about him?" Touma asked as he rose from his bed. "And how do you know about him anyways? Did he kidnap you too?"

Jack chuckled. He was informed of Ishmael's actions yesterday. As such, he suspected Touma might be a little 'off' after that. "We've actually known about him ever since the end of World War 3. Said his 'boss' wants him to look for people to hire." he explained.
"Is that so..." Touma said. He went to retrieve a sandwich from the fridge when he was about to ask his friend something. "Tsushimikado, how did you-"
Jack slammed the fridge shut and interrupted him. "Do not call me by that name," he said sternly. Everyone was silent. After allowing himself a moment to calm down, Jack took a deep breath and apologized. "Sorry. Just... call me Jack. Or Uriel. Whichever is not... that." he hung his head.

"Please excuse him," Styl said. "Jack here has gone through a, well, let's just say that name carries a lot of weight for him. Refer to him as Jack best not to ask why," he explained.
"I see." He sat down at the coffee table beside Mikoto as she was still fiddling with the radio. She cursed under her breath as she tried in vain to find a working station. "Shirai, don't you have Data on your phone or something?" she asked, frustrated at the retro-styled appliance.
"Sorry sissy, It's all used up." Kuroko rested on the rails of the porch as she stared endlessly into the streets below. "What're you looking at?" Jack asked. Kuroko made some room for him on the balcony. "Nothing. You can come join me if you want."
Jack closed the glass door behind him as to not be disturbed. "What's wrong?"
"Am I... like, a perverted creep?"
Jack nodded."Misaka has told me about your repeated attempts to force yourself on her, as well as your sick twisted fantasies you dream up. If that's not a sign you're a creep, I don't know what is." The teleporting Esper sighed. Jack could relate to relying on somebody, but not to the extent of obsessing over them. That wouldn't be a healthy relationship. He half expected Kuroko to be driven to tears, but to his surprise, she started chuckling. "I knew it," she said laughing. "Knew what?" After more hysterical laughter, she finally calmed down enough to start talking again.
"All the things I've done to her just make me cringe! It's hilarious."
"Oh?"
"Yeah... now that I'm looking back, I find it funny that I never really considered how..." she stopped.
"Yes?"
"I never thought about how uncomfortable it made Mikoto... being treated like that." Kuroko dropped her laughter. (Damn.) Jack thought. (I didn't think she'd talk about this.) "Have you ever apologized to her for that?" he asked.
"No," she said staring into the alleyway below them. "I'm always scared of what she would say to me if I did. Will she forgive me? Hate me more? Will she even speak to me again? I'm just... too scared to say 'sorry' even though I am."
"Sexual harassment is not to be taken lightly. It's possible that she keeps thinking about it every day. If you don't apologize soon, she might never forgive you when you do." the teen explained. It was also a crime, and if she doesn't make amends soon, she could end up in prison. They both knew this very well. One question Jack had was why on earth she would assault her best friend like that constantly. He would rather not ask. Kuroko probably wouldn't feel like talking about it anyways.

"Ishmael will be arriving soon. After this operation is over, I expect you to apologize to her. I also want you to promise never to harass her again. Okay?"
Kuroko nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow morning, I'll say I'm sorry to her after she wakes up."
"Alright. Just don't be a creep and watch her while she sleeps." Jack joked.
Shirai laughed. "Curses! Foiled again!"

Hours passed. And at 6:00 PM, there was a gentle knock on the door. It was Ishmael. The time has come for Touma to make up his mind whether he likes it or not.


Verse 3: Battle on the Big Bridge!


The afternoon sun shone brightly upon Gilgamesh's bright red armor, dazzling onlookers as he stood atop the roof of a small building. Very few people walked the streets in this neighborhood, which was a good thing. Chaos ensued across the rest of Academy City, and Gilgamesh wouldn't have it any other way. Scouting the streets below him, the knight said to himself "Where are you, Kamijou Touma..."
A female voice spoke from behind him. "What time are you supposed to meet him anyways? And is this a legitimate fencing match?" It was the police officer from before, fully recovered from the cold rain. "Don't make me taze you, bro."

"Enough with your dead jokes." Gilgamesh said. "I'll be honest, I've actually been hired to kill someone."
"WHAT?!"
"Calm yourself Emika. I am not conspiring for murder." the knight pulled out what seemed like a small radio. "My intent is to obstruct him. As I have shown you, my Excalipoor can barely be considered dangerous. I might not be able to kill the boy, but I will at least be able to slow his progress enough that my employers will not be bothered by him." Pressing down the small rubber button on the side of the radio, Gilgamesh whispered something into the mouthpiece. "I see the target." There he was. A teenager in a white shirt and black hair traveling with a nun, two middle school girls, a man who looked like an edgy cowboy, a cloaked figure, and another teenager with blonde spiky hair.

No doubt about it. This was Touma Kamijou. Gilgamesh asked into the radio "Tell me, what exactly are you trying to accomplish with obstructing his path?"
The other end hung up. "Odd." he remarked. This wouldn't be the first time the Acolytes were silent on what their plans were. There were many times Gilgamesh was suspicious of his employers who promised him strength, to the point that listing them all would simply be a waste of time.
"Tell me Emika, would a duel be legal if neither participant were harmed in any major way?"
"Don't ask me. I'm not a law expert."
"And yet you accompany me to ensure I don't do anything illegal. That knowledge would be very useful right about- and they're gone." He missed his chance for an ambush. Touma and the others walked right under him while he was talking to Emika. "Phooey."
"Anyway," Emika said as she took out her phone. "I have to be back at the station in my home town now. Don't cause any trouble, alright?" the officer opened the door back to the Cafe below them to get a coffee. "See ya. Oh!" she stopped to tell Gilgamesh something. "Remember that you're on Parole. Do not hurt that kid in your 'duel,' otherwise I'll have to arrest you."

The knight watched as Touma and the others walked away from the Cafe. How could he have been so foolish as to let them get away? (Hold on.) he thought to himself. (They must be on their way to the bridge. If I can intercept them with my Teleport Spell, I'll be able to take on Touma one on one!)
"Teleport." he said with a snap of his fingers. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by snow. Must have landed in Antarctica or someplace similar.
"*sigh* Teleport. Again." With a barely audible snap of his armored finger, he instantaneously appeared at a bridge of some sort. The exact one Touma was going to cross. "I need some more practice." Gilgamesh said to himself. All he had to do now was wait.

Ten minutes passed. Gilgamesh at last spotted a teen with spiky black hair wearing a white T-Shirt traveling with a group of other people. Like before, there was a Nun, two middle school girls, a black robed man, a teen with spiky blonde hair, and a a man who looked like an edgy cowboy. "This better not be another group like the one I saw." the knight said to himself. As soon as they got in range to make out who he was, Gilgamesh shouted to Touma at the top of his lungs. "KAMIJOU TOUMA!" he announced. The gunslinger readied his guns, and the rest stepped back behind him, murmuring to each other as they did.

Gilgamesh continued. "My name is Gilgamesh! I have come at the behest of the Acolytes Of The New God to impede your path!"
"An assassin. I knew it." the gunslinger said. He pulled the trigger on both of his Sawed-Offs and fired four shells at once. In less of the blink of an eye, Gilgamesh conjured a great shield to block the pellets. Not that he needed it of course. His thick armor provided more than enough protection from tiny projectiles. Noticing the bundle of dynamite on the gunslinger's belt, he said to him "I have no business with you, man of the undead. My quarrel is with Kamijou Touma."

Touma and the others flinched, except Ishmael. With a sinister grin, he said "What a gentleman you must be to use his last name first, like a proper Japanese speaking individual. Especially since nobody around here even speaks a lick of Japanese at all." That statement visibly confused the others. Gilgamesh drew his sword and pointed it skyward. "Enough chatter. My wish is to have an honorable duel with my target! I will not tolerate anyone else to interfere with this battle!"

Everyone talked amongst themselves, not really knowing what to do. Index shared a worried expression with Touma who told her to calm down, and Mikoto would silently glare at the knight and prepare to conjure a spark of electricity. Ishmael grinned. "You heard the man," he said looking at Touma, who was reluctant to fight. "Get to it, boy."
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Touma shouted. "I barely have anything to defend myself with!" Ishmael grabbed Touma by the collar and forcefully threw him onto the bridge where Gilgamesh stood. "Ow! What the hell!?"
"Good luck kid." Ishmael said with a thumbs up and a smug expression.

"QUAKE!" Slamming the palms of his hands into the ground, Gilgamesh cast his earth magic, and the earth started to rumble. Both ends of the bridge started to crack and came loose as it started to float into the air above. "Wall!" the knight cast a Spell to create a barrier surrounding the suspended bridge. There was no escape for Touma. His only option was to fight. "You foolish teenager!" Gilgamesh said as he lifted Touma up onto his feet. "I have heard many tales of your battles with sorcerers and magicians. You are a mighty foe indeed with your right hand," he pointed his Excalipoor at the boy's arm. "Now. SHOW ME THE TRUE FORM OF THE IMAGINE BREAKER!"

With a single swing of his sword, he cut into the boy's torso leaving a scar beneath the torn fabric. However, since this was Excalipoor, that was all it did. Aside from the scar, it barely did anything to Touma. It just passed through him without cutting anything besides the surface of his skin.
"How am I not dead?" Touma asked. Preparing to cast a Spell, Gilgamesh explained to him "Your proficiency for dealing with physical attacks is lackluster. I use Excalipoor to ensure I don't have an unfair advantage. But..." he finished charging his Spell. "Magic should be no problem for you. STONRA!"

The ground beneath Touma trembled, and shot countless stones into the air that came crashing down on him. Desperate, Touma raised his right hand towards the stones in an attempt to dispel them. It didn't work the way he wanted. Instead of disappearing, the stones were shrunk to a smaller size before they pelted the teen. The gravel-sized rocks crashed into his face, body, and arms leaving small bruises on him. "Why the hell didn't it work!" he shouted.
"There are many things you do not know about your gift, Kamijou Touma." Gilgamesh said. Gripping his sword handle, he started to chant.

(An Incantation?) Touma thought. "O mighty Kodesh Tanin, thy strength lieth within this youth's arm. I beseech thee, reveal to me your true form!" the knight said in another language. Wielding his sword in both hands, Gilgamesh performed a mighty swing with Excalipoor aiming for Touma's right hand. To his surprise, it actually did something. It cleaved his arm right off. "What?! It worked!?" he shouted. The boy fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Blood poured from the stump on his arm and pooled onto the pavement. But there was something else as well. A violet light emanated from the wound and grew brighter. It was then that the image of a mighty dragon formed above the boy. And as his hand reappeared on his arm, it spoke to him.

Not in English, nor in Japanese, but in Hebrew.

"Young boy chosen by the Beast of God. The time has come to awaken to the power of Kodesh Tanin. Holy Beast."

"Who... are you?"

"Let us form a pact. A promise to rid the world of evil, and restore God's righteous order."

"Please... Lend me your strength..."

"Thou art I. And I am Thou.

The Lord blesseth thee on thy journey, and keepeth thee safe from harm.

The light of the Father Crystal shineth upon thee, and becometh gracious to thee.

The Lord lifteth his countenance upon thee, and gift thee His strength.

With the authority of the Whispers of Angels, I pray for thee.

And so shall it be!"

Following a flash of violet light, Touma's wounds were healed, and his right arm shone a shade of brilliant purple, with his eyes glowing as well. Acting only on instinct, he raised his right hand into the air and spoke a single word. "Comet."
(This is it!) Gilgamesh thought to himself. (I have awakened his first Spell; Comet!) A glowing violet orb manifested in Touma's right hand. And as he clutched it in his hands, he hurled the comet at Gilgamesh. His armor did nothing to stop the Spell, and it sent the Knight flying towards the end of the suspended bridge. His red armor severely damaged, he applauded Touma, proud of his awakening to the power of the Spell.

"Do you now see the power dormant within you, Kamijou Touma?" he asked. "Do you now see why I yearn to do battle with you?"
Touma said nothing. He slowly approached Gilgamesh with a furious stare. "You are approaching me? Usually it's the other way around! Tell me, what is it you think you'll accomplish?" the knight asked.
"I can't beat the sh*t out of you with out coming closer." Touma replied. His voice seemed to echo, as if there was another person speaking as well.
"Well then... COME AS CLOSE AS YOU LIKE!"

The standoff was silent, yet the tension was deafening. Touma reeled back his left hand, and it too shone brightly. He threw a mighty haymaker towards Gilgamesh's face, and the knight attempted to block it with his shield. Yet it was not enough. Touma's fist punched right through the shield and shattered the knight's bright red helmet, revealing a pale grey face with a cold grimace. Gilgamesh was knocked to the ground with a blackened eye, and he laid on the ground in awe of the power coursing through Touma's veins. Touma didn't seem to feel a thing when he punched through the metal alloy. He didn't even know how he did it in the first place. "Tell me. What is this power that has laid dormant for so long?" asked Touma.
"I have only seen this power enough times to count on one hand. This! This is the power of Trance! You have become a Violet Wizard!"
Touma grinned. "So I'm a Wizard huh?" he lifted the knight off the ground with his right hand, and again raised his left. "Well then. Hogwarts sends their regards!" Before Touma could attack again, Gilgamesh kicked Touma away as he cast Cure.

"I see you have already learned your first Blue Spell. Goblin Punch is a very simple yet effective attack."
"So that's what that was. Let's see what other tricks I have up my sleeve!"
He held his right hand in front of himself, saying "Come on! Show me what you've got!" in a confident manner. Gilgamesh had a feeling the boy wasn't entirely himself right now. Perhaps a side-effect of Trance. (I should be cautious of what he's planning to do) the knight thought. (It's possible he could counter with Goblin Punch again if I attack) Then he had an idea. He hopped back a few feet, and quickly charged up another Spell. This time it would be a rather weak one, as he assumed a high level Spell would cause a very deadly counter-attack. "Gravel." The spell threw a few small pebbles at Touma. Instead of hitting him, the tiny rocks flew towards the teen's right hand and were simply absorbed into him. (Interesting...) Gilgamesh thought. In an instant, Touma countered with a Spell one tier higher, Stone.

The stone left a sizable dent on the knight's armor, but it was nothing to worry about. (I see. That's Runic...) After expending his energy, the light from Touma vanished, ending the trance. "Crap." Touma said. (An opening.) Wielding his sword, Gilgamesh cast Protect on himself, forming a protective barrier around his body. With another swing of his sword, he slashed at Touma's face to knock him back and prepare for another spell. "Break."

The teen felt himself becoming heavy. Simply moving became very difficult for him, and as he looked down, he saw why. He was slowly becoming stone.
"Sh*t." he said to himself. With Gilgamesh preparing to cast his strongest Earth Spell, the boy extended his right arm in the hopes that Imagine Breaker would do something. Anything. "C'mon, do your thing!" he shouted.
"It is too late! I, Gilgamesh, shall strike you down! STONEGA!" A boulder the size of a building started to form high above the bridge. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he intended to do with it. Touma figured he could do that 'Runic' thing again. But the Trance was over. He couldn't use magic anymore, right?
Time was running out. The petrification slowly spread through Touma's body, and the boulder was nearing completion. With no other options, the teen raised his right hand in the air, and in his mind, prayed that something would happen. (Please, do that thing again. Please!) His arm shone a bright purple again, and when the boulder was completed, it gravitated towards the light where it was absorbed into him.
(Yes!)

"Oh crap." Gilgamesh started to sweat profusely. Now the kid's probably gonna cast Quake or something like that.
"You're toast now." Touma said. Slamming his arm to the ground, the pavement started to shake. The rumbling grew even more violent as the bridge started to fall out of the sky, back to where it was. The two of them braced for impact. Suddenly, the two of them were raised into the air. They weren't flying, they both realized. They were falling towards the ground at high speed. Hopefully the concrete bridge that was in no way soft at all and would definitely 100 percent kill them would help to cushion the fall.

Who were they kidding? With logic like that, they were both gonna die.

The last thing Touma saw before the bridge landed was Ishmael's eyes glowing a dark red, inaudibly chanting something.

*CRASH!*

By some miracle, the bridge fell exactly where it was before, suffering only minor damage to the infrastructure and pillars that supported it. Say what you will about Academy City. The durability of their structures are second to none. Gilgamesh was rendered unconscious from the impact. He could just barely hear anything as Touma's friends rushed to his aid. He was sure he heard a dark raspy gravelly voice say something about an 'Atma Weapon' before he passed out fully. If this clash with Touma was anything to go by, then this kid would be a force to be reckoned with if he were stronger.

And that dragon that came from Touma. He knew it was the 'Imagine Breaker' as it was called by those outside the Acolytes, but was it really so powerful that it could give Trance to someone? When he aimed for the teen's arm, he expected the sword to do nothing at all. Usually it couldn't cut paper. It couldn't even kill a joke. But it seemed to react with Touma's arm.

Perhaps Excalipoor held secrets after all.


Verse 4: The aspiring storyteller.


About one or two days passed since Accelerator was gassed by that creep and forced to take his offer. The sleeping gas still hadn't left his system completely, but he wasn't complaining. It gave him a good excuse to sleep in until lunch. However Last Order had different plans for him, and no amount of overdosing on Asprin would relieve the headaches the kid gave him.
"Hey! Wake up, says Misaka Misaka as she jumps on your bed in a vain attempt to get you to notice her!"
"Fine..." Accelerator said begrudgingly. Using his powers to levitate his covers off himself, he suspended Last Order off his bed and gently put her back on the floor. It didn't help that she was jumping directly on his back, which could have gone horribly wrong had he not formed a barrier.

Pleased that the teen was awake, the girl asked him "How does that magic even work with your Vector powers anyway?" Accelerator slowly sat up.
"I don't know, it's magic. What do you expect? A long winded explanation that just wastes everybody's time?" he groaned.
"Oh! That reminds me, says Misaka Misaka as she leaves your-"
"Just stop with the third person talking already... Please..." the tired teen said with mild exasperation. Without saying anything else, Last Order rushed to her room down the hall and came back with a pencil and a stack of papers, each with a picture drawn with Crayola branded crayons, her favorite tools for making art. "I've finished that picture book I was working on!" she said as she proudly presented the makeshift book to Accelerator with a smile.

The white-haired teen took the book from her hands and carefully inspected it. The pages were held together with three staples to make it look like a proper book. There was even a neat cover. Even Accelerator had to admit it had a kind of charm to it. The cover was all red (which might have worn down an entire crayon) and it had a simple drawing depicting a knight wielding a sword and shield, with his shadow holding what looked like a blood soaked claymore. The book was titled 'The Legend of the Paladin.' "I almost forgot you got into writing." Accelerator said.
"C'mon, read it, read it!" the girl said with excitement. With a grin on his face, he humored Last Order and turned to the first page.

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Baron, there lived a Dark Knight named Cecil.

The king of Baron ordered him to commit evil crimes in his name. And he obeyed.

At first, he reveled in it. He came to enjoy the pain he was inflicting on others.

But then he came across a young girl in a village he burned down. Lost and confused, the girl followed Cecil around.

Eventually, Cecil grew attached to the girl, and slowly started to turn from his evil ways.

When the king's men came to capture the girl, Cecil struck them down.

For the first time in his life, his sword was used to protect someone rather than hurt them.

Casting aside his darkened sword and armor, Cecil climbed to the top of Mount Ordeals and underwent a trial to become a Paladin.

He defeated the darkness within him, and revealed his true nature to himself.

He gained beautiful wings and a golden crown as he was bathed in rays of light.

A voice said to him 'Your sins are forgiven'. Cecil could not believe it. Who could forgive the atrocities he committed?

'One day, you will lay down your life for those you love.' the voice said.

'And when that day comes, you will receive the greatest of rewards, and achieve the greatest of victories.'

And so, Cecil and the girl he called Rydia lived on a small farm, and lived in peace for the rest of their lives.

While few could ever forgive Cecil for his misdeeds, Cecil least of all, Rydia comforted him, saying that no matter how far he fell, no matter what he did...

She still loved him. For redemption is never impossible.

"Wow." Accelerator said. "It might be basic in it's execution, but, wow! This is good! At least in terms of content."
"Yay!" the girl exclaimed cheerfully. "I don't suck! Says Misaka Mi-" Accelerator interrupted her.
"Calm down kid, geez. I can't have you jumping up and down like currency fluctuation." The two of them left the bedroom and found Misaka Worst sitting at the bottom of the stairs, seemingly sulking. Accelerator simply ignored her and walked past, but Last Order sat down beside her and asked "What's wrong?"

"*sigh* No internet, no TV, no phone service, not even a radio. I'm bored." Last Order stood up and rushed over to the television set.
"But at least there's still power, says Misaka Misaka as she turns on..." She pressed the power button. No response. "Uh, as she tries to turn on the TV and realizes there's no power," she smiled as she shrugged.
"Dammit," cursed Worst. Accelerator opened the fridge to see the light wasn't turning on. The inside was still cold, thank god, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. The teen swiftly grabbed his iced coffee from inside the fridge. "Great. Power's out," he said to himself. "Hey Brat! Worst! Can you guys go downstairs and charge up the generator?"
"What's the magic word?" Last Order playfully asked.
"Do it or I'll rip out your liver."
"On it! You can count on the Bratwurst Brigade!" Last Order said as she zipped downstairs. Worst gave a sigh and slowly dragged her feet down the stairs.

The breaker room held a spare generator in case of blackouts. Since Last Order and Worst had powers relating to electricity, they were usually the ones to recharge it. It was a giant rechargeable lithium-ion battery, courtesy of Academy City's great technological prowess. Perfect for spare power, and it could even be used to live off the grid. However, due to a design flaw so terrible it had to be intentional, it was rendered useless when exposed to an Electro Magnetic Pulse, or EMP. Unlike other batteries, this one was practically designed not to store a charge when exposed to an EMP or any large electrical burst for that matter. The girls would have to be careful not to emit too much electrical energy, lest they fry the battery. Makes you wonder what the hell the city was planning.

The girl and the teen put their hands on the charging port of the generator and let loose with electricity. In nearly an instant, the battery was fully charged.
"So, uh, Worst?" Last Order said.
"What?" the teen took her hand off the charging port.
"Is there a reason why you're... um..." the girl hesitated to ask.
"C'mon, spit it out brat."
Irritated at Worst, Last Order asked "Why are you so, well, careless and rude? Asks Misaka Misaka wondering if something's bothering you."
Misaka wished she hadn't asked that question, but she wasn't going to get mad at her for it. "You already know why. I was created with the negative emotions of the MISAKA network. At least, that's what I tell myself."
"Go on..."
"Umm... Actually, I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Last Order respectfully nodded and said "Okay." The girl went back upstairs to the Kitchen while Misaka Worst stayed behind, sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs. She only told the girl half the truth about why she is the way she is. But that's only because she didn't know the other half.
She thought even if she wasn't made with negative emotions, it would still be in her nature to be a jerk. Did she choose this behavior of her own free will? Or was it simply destiny, as a few would call it, that she behaved this way.

"*sigh* Who am I? Really?"


Verse 5: Chucking dynamite around corners.


After about a day, Ishmael, Touma, and the others arrived at the entrance of the Academy City Bank. They were forced to go on foot since the buses weren't active anymore. Crashed cars and bloodied corpses littered the streets in front of it, and a large metal gate blocked access to the many alleyways which held people infected with ALC-60. They seemed dormant. Sleeping almost. Actually the whole area was rather calm, compared to the countless sectors they walked through containing what could only be described as savage monsters.
"Barrier's gone.
"What are we here for again?" a very exhausted Touma asked.
"How short is your memory, kid?" remarked Ishmael. "The boss said a crystal's being held here, and the Acolytes want it."
"How does that involve us?" the boy asked. In reality, it didn't. All they were doing was following whatever the heck he was doing, in turn following the nonsensical instructions of the 'boss' for seemingly no reason. Of course, Ishmael reminded Touma that he was the only one in the group that could dispel magic, and if the need arises, he would be the group's meat-shield. Touma thought that last part was unsettling, yet true.
"If you think I can handle this myself, think again. You can't kill what's dead, but you can still blast it to smithereens," Ismael said.

A few minutes later, Styl and Jack caught up to the group, with Index behind them. "Finally, what took you guys so long?" Mikoto asked.
Styl removed his hood to reveal a face covered in blood. "Infected. We got jumped by a whole pack. Don't worry, this isn't my blood."
"That's a normal thing to say," Jack joked. "I gotta give it to them, they put up a good fight. They're not dumb like your average zombie."
"I know right? It's like they use something that vaguely resembles a strategy." Kuroko added.
"Enough chatter. Here's the plan..." Ishmael grabbed a blueprint of the bank from his pocket and laid it on the pavement. Nobody wanted to ask where he got it from.

The gunslinger elaborated on what they should do. First, Ishmael would slowly open the doors from beside the frame, keeping him out of any cultist's line of sight. They tend to shoot the exact instant they see someone. Then after Ishmael lights a stick of dynamite, he would bounce it off the door and into the lobby to take out the cultists stationed there. Ishmael and Styl will then dive in from either side of the doorway and quickly blast away any cultists hiding at the sides. Styl would then cast Protect on Touma so he can dispel any magic the Acolytes throw at them. And with his newly acquired power, Touma would finish off any remaining cultists with help from Styl and Ishmael. Afterwards, the lobby should be safe enough for Index and the others to enter.

"Ready?" Ishmael asked Styl and Jack. They both nodded and answered "Ready."
Touma, Index, and the others gathered to the side of the building, away from the front doors. Ishmael and Styl slowly opened the two wooden doors being careful not to be in front of them. The gunslinger took out a tiny crystal ball from his pocket (which seemed to be bigger on the inside to everyone else) and slowly waved his hand over the glass. A picture was forming in the haze of the ball, and it began to clear. Sure enough, he got a live feed from the perspective of a cultist in the lobby, looking outside the doors ready to fire his tommy gun. Ishmael spotted two more cultists on either side of the doorway, readying their sawed-off shotguns. Swiping right on the glass, the crystal ball switched to the perspectives of two more cultists on the upper walkway. As he expected, there were a total of five cultists in the lobby, with guns and spells pointed at the entrance.

"Let's do this." Ishmael grabbed a bundle of TNT from his belt and prepared his flip-lighter.
"Won't they take cover? Or even throw it back?" Styl asked in a whisper.
"Don't worry. They won't see, or hear it." He lit the fuse and tossed it off the other door and into the bank lobby. By all accounts, they should be able to see the bright red noisy hissy thing that goes boom and react accordingly, but to everyone's surprise, they barely reacted at all. Heck, they seemed to ignore it altogether.

*BOOM!*

The dynamite exploded, killing two of the three cultists on the ground floor of the lobby. Touma was absolutely stupefied by what he saw. "Uh, hello? isn't working?" Ishmael then held two small flare guns in his hands and dove into the back as he opened fire on the remaining cultist, John Woo style. "I can tell you've watched too much Gun-Fu action movies," Styl commented as he followed.
"I've been doing this sh*t for well over a century. If anything, John Woo was ripping off me!" Ishmael said.
Styl extended his arm towards the remaining cultist and shouted "Fire!" flinging a fireball into the man's chest. Ishmael finished him off by impaling him with his bloodied pitchfork. "TOUMA! GET IN HERE!" Ishmael shouted as a cultist on the upper level cast a lightning spell at him. The gunslinger was struck in the leg by the bolt and his muscles became paralyzed, weakening them. "Dammit, I hate thunder."
Styl quickly cast his Protect Spell on Touma and shouted "You heard him, move!"

As soon as the magic barrier formed, Touma rushed into the bank lobby and was immediately shot by the cultist. Thanks to the barrier, he sustained only minor wounds enabling him to take the time to charge up a Comet. "Take this!" he said as he flung the orb towards the cultist upstairs. The robed man was knocked to the floor by the comet, allowing Ishmael to perform a high jump onto the upper floor and thrust his pitchfork into his chest. He still wasn't dead yet. The cultist reached into his robe and drew his Tommy gun, unloading the entire clip into Ishmael's torso. He did not bleed. Touma thought he was done for, but then he remembered Ishmael saying he can't really die. The gunslinger slashed at the cultist with his pitchfork to allow his blood to splatter onto him. Once the blood made contact with him, his wounds seemed to close like magic and he delivered the killing blow by stabbing the cultist in the face with his pitchfork. "Of all the Spells he could have cast, he chose Thunder," Ishmael said, annoyed. "I could've one-shot him."

The remaining cultist fled from the balcony to the stairs in an attempt to warn the others. If that happened, reinforcements would be on their way and wipe the floor with everyone. "Touma!" Styl shouted. "Cut him off!"
"Why me!?" the teen asked.
"'Cause you're closer, dipsh*t!" Ishmael scolded as he tossed Touma his spare Sawed-Off from the railing. Touma could scarcely believe what he was being told to do. Ishmael wanted him to kill someone. To take their life. To inflict death on another person. Something he's never done before. He stood there while everyone was yelling at him to get a move on, yet he remained frozen in place. Eventually, Styl lightly slapped Touma across the cheek and yelled "What are you waiting for!?"

He sprinted towards the back of the lobby behind the counters and bumped into the fleeing cultist. In a panic, he pointed the shotgun at the cultist and fired off one of the barrels. The cultist was knocked back in a bloody mess. He struggled to even stand from his wounds and seemed to whimper like a dog.
"Finish him," Ishmael said after he dropped down from the balcony. "The journey ahead will not be without bloodshed. The earlier you accept this, the further you will come to accomplishing your goal. I should know."

Index, Mikoto, and the others came rushing in through the lobby to find Touma pointing a gun at the remaining cultist. "Touma! What are you doing!?" the nun exclaimed with a hint of fear.
"Is that... a gun?" Mikoto asked.
"I never knew Kami had it in him..." Jack said to himself.

"Please... don't..." the cultist pleaded as blood poured from his wounds. Touma was silent. His expression was a mix of shock and anger. How the hell could this guy beg for mercy when he himself gave none to those he killed. Then his mind began to wander. He began to think of the other monstrosities he has witnessed. The torture Index endured over God knows how long with those mind wipes. Academy City's twisted experiments designed for sadistic pleasure. And even the Catholic's and Puritan's excuses to kill as many people as possible. The cultist's cowardice reminded the teen of all that is wrong with the world. All that he hates. Harming the innocent for pleasure, but begging for your life when you face judgement.

"Don't do it!" Index exclaimed.

*POW!*

The cultist's head exploded into a bloody paste, covering Touma in dark red liquid. His hands shook, but it wasn't out of fear. What he felt was rage.
Index and Kuroko gasped as they witnessed Touma take his first life. "Oh my God." Mikoto said. "Wh-Why? Why couldn't you spare-"
"Spare!?" Touma interrupted. "Spare this piece of sh*t? Spare the man who never listened to such pleas when it was probably him who killed all those people outside? I'm sick and tired of being the nice guy! Why should I have mercy when all that does is bring more death and destruction?" Then, a familiar voice boomed through the bank lobby. "How dishonorable." Everyone returned to the lobby to see Gilgamesh standing in the doorway with a policewoman by his side. "I wished to duel with you because I respected you. You were my idol. And here you are, bloodstained to your very heart. A warrior is fearsome in battle, yet even the mightiest warrior must not forget mercy. It was you who taught me that."
"Mercy!?" Touma approached the knight in red armor. "As if that FILTH deserved mercy!" he shouted ready to point the gun at Gilgamesh, his sanity starting to decline. The police woman drew out her taser and pointed it at Touma. "He's got a point kid. Even if they did commit a crime, it's not your right to be judge, jury, and executioner because you were angered. Mercy is important. Now drop the gun."
Touma threw the shotgun to the floor, almost cracking the floor tiles. "If it's not my right to bring the wicked to justice, then tell me officer. Whose goddamn right is it!?"

"God's," Index said. Touma turned around. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." she quoted.
"And yet your 'religion' if it can be called that, has no problem judging and being resentful of those they deem impure. That's so full of sh*t Index. Is that even in the bible?"
"I must admit, the bible was the only Grimoire I never read all the way through. Only the highest ranking priests of the Puritans are allowed to lay eyes upon it. Even so, it's teaching's are not to be ignored." Index explained. Well that made no sense. Touma could find a bible in bookstores and anyone could read that. She could mean that the bible made available is an incomplete version and that the real bible is a sacred artifact only the holiest of holy people can read. As if that was likely. Even worse is that almost every church member Touma met has either ignored any supposed teachings of the bible, or outright rejected them. Especially Index.

"I understand your sentiment for mercy officer, but in my experience, mercy is the biggest sin one can commit," Ishmael said. "Lives are endangered. The elite are empowered. And catastrophes occur with no warning or protection for the innocent. If Touma did not pull the trigger, our lives would have been put in more danger, and our mission would have been jeopardized. More Acolytes would have swarmed us and everyone here would likely be dead. Just like the people outside."
Emika looked saddened by what Ishmael said. "But... that doesn't-"
"It doesn't matter," Jack said. "Kami was right to blow the guy's brains out. We couldn't risk leaving him alive." Jack seemed to be one of the few that supported Touma's decision. The others being Ismael and Styl. Everyone else remained silent.

"Wait..." Gilgamesh said. He looked over to Ishmael and asked "Do you mean to say that those people outside were killed by the Acolytes of the New God?"
"How could you not know? You work for them."
"They never told my what they were doing! Unless... they kept it secret from me." At first, Touma didn't buy it. Why would the Acolytes hire an assassin, but not tell them why they needed him? Furthermore, if it was to ensure the assassin would not rebel against them, why didn't they hire someone who couldn't care less about their plans instead of a knight with a high moral code?
"When I joined the Acolytes, they claimed they were a minor religious group doing very important research in Academy City. They told me sending me was their only option due to the boy's tendency to dispel magic with his right hand. And with Kodesh Tanin providing some form of divine protection, killing him was out of the question. In truth, they only needed me to impede the boy's path for them to succeed at their research. Of course, as soon as I got here I immediately had suspicions about them. Yet like a fool, I ignored them. Blinded by the chance to duel with Kamijou Touma."
"Oh, they're doing research alright. They're creating a weapon capable of firing magically enhanced nukes," Ishmael explained.
"WHAT!?" Gilgamesh and Emika exclaimed. "So we're dealing with terrorists then," the officer said.
"I don't see how this concerns you. You're just a police officer. I doubt terrorism is within your jurisdiction."
"Even so, I cannot leave this unreported. We must warn someone. ANYONE. The IRS. FBI. CIA. KFC!"
"One of those is a restaurant, and none of those are in Japan." Mikoto pointed out.
"Sissy, we do have KFC here. We went there last week."
"ANYWAY!" Emika continued. "If we want to report this, the PSIA is our best bet."

Ishmael interrupted. "Not if they're all dead. This is no ordinary cult we're dealing with. We're looking at an organization hell bent on ending the world, and they won't leave any loose ends alive to stop them. You've seen what they've done to the entire city. Who's to say they also haven't done the same to the entire island of Japan? Not to mention they destroyed all forms of communication with the outside world. No amount of military squads or agents can stand a chance unless they have access to Spells."
"Enough talk," Touma said. "We're here for the Earth Crystal, remember?" He simply wanted to get this job over with. Reach the basement, clear the vault of any and all cultists, get the crystal out of whatever box it's in, and call it a day.


Verse 6: Lich, the Arch-Fiend of Earth.


The elevator ride lasted an eternity. Each and every second that passed was filled with more and more tedium. Even if the elevator was rather large (too large in fact,)the space was very cramped. That's not what bothered Touma. In the past, he told himself he fought for the sake of others, thinking nothing of his own desires. But was he? It might have started that way, but now that the city's gone to sh*t, maybe the reason he fought in the first place was because he was told to. The teen wasn't a mercenary. Not by a long shot. He was just a normal person. But thanks to his right hand, he eventually got caught up in corrupt sorcerers and religions that might as well be cults, just like the Acolytes. He's a macguffin. Everyone and their grandmother wants a piece of him thanks to his special power. "Don't beat yourself up about it kid," Styl said. "Once this is over, you'll never have to work for anyone again. I'll make sure of that."
"I don't know. Since Kodesh spoke to me on that bridge and granted me real magic, I'm not sure anyone will leave me alone again."
"Even so, there's no use complaining about it. Hell, you might even make a living off your new magic if you work as a mercenary. And with the Acolytes of the New God vying for world domination, the world will need your kind of power."
"I don't care for the world, and I especially don't care for my magic," Touma clenched his fist tight. "I never asked to be involved in this anyways."
Index then grabbed Touma's shirt and brought his head down to her level. "I bet you would've sang a different tune a year ago!" she said. "Even if you were forced into this situation when we first met, you didn't complain! You did everything in your power to save my life, even at the cost of your own memories!"
Touma did not respond.

At last the elevator finished it's descent, and opened to reveal a vault not containing cash, but a giant cave system with a monstrous crystal shining at the end, being the only source of light in the dank caverns. Various machinery and computers have been assembled around the gem to analyze it and eventually teleport it somewhere else. Most likely to their base of operations. One by one, everyone left the enormous elevator. Touma, Index, Mikoto, Kuroko, Jack, Styl, Ishmael, Emika, and Gilgamesh stood in awe of the distant crystal. Who knew something like this rested beneath Academy City? "That's the Crystal of Earth," Ishmael said to the others. "Stay back, and stay hidden. I'll handle these freaks myself." He reached into his satchel to pull out a translucent cloak, vanishing from sight immediately. Touma and the others crept closer and closer, being careful not to alert the cultists to their presence.

After finding cover behind a rock, they watched as a lone cultist was lifted into the air and impaled by seemingly nothing. Everyone at the station was immediately alerted to the presence of an intruder. "An Invis spell! Everyone on guard!" A blue robed cultist said.
One other Acolyte jokingly said "What, you've never been killed by oxygen before?" before spontaneously combusting and collapsing. The cultists fired their guns blindly into the air around them trying to find whatever was picking them off one by one. Eventually, Ishmael's cloak wore off and he was instantly shredded by their guns and magic. "So much for being undead," Touma whispered to himself.
"Now what are we gonna do?" Index whined. "If we don't get back soon, Sphinx is gonna starve! Wait, what's going on?"

Ishmael's body did not produce blood from his wounds. Even so, his flesh and bones melted to a black viscous liquid that seemed to move on it's own. It slithered like a snake searching for prey to devour, and devour it did when it climbed onto a cultist. He screamed in unimaginable agony as the liquid seemed to be absorbed into his body. Well, it would be more accurate to say his body was absorbed by the liquid instead. And when his screams and body died, the blackened mass grew a new form. Ishmael had returned. Immediately the gunslinger leapt high into the air and tossed a lit spray can into the crowd of cultists congregating their gunfire on Ishmael's position. The can hit the ground and detonated on impact covering all the Acolytes in flames and oil, sending them to scatter towards Touma in fear. "Styl! Touma! Get ready!" Ishmael shouted. Styl stepped out from cover and prepared to cast his Fira spell. Touma clenched his fist and threw a haymaker into the face of one of the cultists, causing them to trip over each other and give Styl time to finish casting. Fireballs erupted from the earth and crashed back down upon the cultists' heads, single-handedly wiping out the last of the Acolytes. "Nice work," Jack praised. "Now how are we getting this thing outta here? I doubt that thing could fit in the elevator."

Ishmael approached the Earth Crystal and beckoned for Touma and the others to follow. The crystal's tan luster illuminated the caverns once Touma drew near.
Everyone had gathered around the brilliant rock, and it shimmered more. "My strength... it finally returns."
"It talks!?" Mikoto shouted in surprise.
"I must thank you. The city which you call home has experimented on me since it's very founding. I may finally rest."
"Out of all the grimoires I've read, none have ever mentioned such a brilliant crystal," Index said.
The knight simply crossed his arms as he observed this phenomenon. "A talking stone. Surprisingly, that isn't the most outrageous thing I've come across on my travels," Gilgamesh turned to Emika. "What of you? Have you seen anything like this?"
The police officer chuckled and shook her head. "Not while sober I haven't."
"Do not dally for long. The Lich draws near." The Crystal's light dimmed with the darkened caves obscuring the figure looming over the group.
"Our mission is vital," the figure said. "You shall not interfere with our works." Touma and the others slowly turned behind them to be blinded with a burst of tan light. Towering over them was an oversized robed skeleton wielding what looked like a scepter. Touma had experience with magicians and sorcerers, but never expected to contend with supernatural creatures that weren't artificial constructs.

"I am Lich. Archfiend of Earth," the skeleton said. "And you are trespassing on holy ground."
"Should've known you'd show up. What do you want?" Ishmael asked the skeletal behemoth. The Lich pointed his scepter to the crystal.
"Touma Kamijou. Do not put your hand upon the crystal. Our Atma Weapon must be completed for our world to be reborn. We were to free the crystal from its binds and borrow it's power, yet Ishmael and his 'boss' insist it must be destroyed. Why!? It's power must have a vessel, lest the earth quake and the soil rot!"

Well, now Touma knew how they were gonna get the crystal out: they wouldn't. By placing his right hand on the crystal, Touma would shatter the crystal and presumably cause several natural disasters. Yet the crystal said it was experimented on since the city's founding, and now this guy says he will free him by doing more experiments on him. Is he even listening to what he's saying? Gilgamesh approached the Lich and drew his Excalipoor. "I see a fatal flaw in your logic. You say you wish to 'borrow' power from the crystal, yet it's energy is all but drained. You claim disaster will strike when it shatters, but let me ask you Lich. Will not the borrowing of power shatter the crystal in the process?"
The giant skeleton laughed. "Our goal is to revive the crystal, and with it, pave a way for a new world. Simply borrowing a small amount of energy will barely be lethal."
"Either way, the Acolytes of the New God have lost my trust. I will not let you use this crystal to fuel a weapon!" The knight pointed his weapon at the Lich and charged to attack the skeleton's legs, yet a swift kick was all it took to send him flying back. "You fool. You know not what forces you contend with!"
With his illuminated scepter raised high, the Lich thrust the shaft down into the stone and split the ground in two. "QUAKE!" he shouted, and the ground slowly started to part.

Index made an attempt to rush to Touma only to be stopped by Ishmael. "NO! Stay back! You need to be out of range! The same goes for Mikoto, Emika, and Jack!" The gunslinger picked up the three and delivered them over the fault line before it became too wide. "You know healing magic right?" he asked the nun as he jumped back over the crevice.
"No I don't! What make's you think I do!?"
Ishmael grinned as his eyes started to glow a blood red. "You're a nun, aren't you? And you've got all those grimoires in your head. Surely one of them has a basic Cure spell you can use!"
"What kind of logic is that? It makes no sense!"
"You're in luck. Logic or lack thereof is my specialty," he said with a grin. He then reached into a pocket inside his coat and tossed a round glass bottle to the nun and said "That should help with any injuries we have."

Ishmael turned to the Lich. "You've made a bad mistake, friend. Thanks to your little trick, we have ourselves a basic formation."
"You outnumber me, yet it it I who outmatches all your strength combined," the Lich raised his Scepter again and formed a large stone to fling at Ishmael.
He sent it flying towards the gunslinger only for Gilgamesh to leap in it's way with his shield. "Thanks. Didn't need it though," Ishmael said, confident in his ability to survive almost anything. After deflecting a few more boulders, Gilgamesh barked orders to everyone at the back. "Misaka! Throw your lightning at him while I provide cover! Kamijou! Redirect his spells! Emika open fire, and keep shooting even if it seems like nothing is happening!" The knight swung his Excalipoor into the skeleton's leg, which to his surprise chipped a fragment off the oddly clean bones. Eventually, a faint fracture formed along the Lich's leg, and the skeleton was brought to his knees for but a moment.

"The strongest man wielding the weakest sword. You remind me of a certain colleague. No matter. I shall strike thee all down!" In the blink of an eye, several spikes of steel appeared above the party's heads and began to fall. Heeding Gilgamesh's instructions, Touma raised his right hand and all the spikes flew towards him instead. They entered his hand which began to glow a bright purple, and when the teen flung the spell back, the spikes converged into a singular pillar that came crashing down upon the Lich's head, who staggered from the blow. "Gil, what was that spell just now?" Touma asked.
"Spikraga. It normally makes one bleed out, but for him it's just extra damage."
"What about his bones?" Styl asked. "I'm barely making a dent in them."
"A stone spell would normally do the trick. However..."

Then the skeletal giant raised his staff again. Several large boulders formed from the stones in the cave and collided hard into his body. Yet his wounds healed rather than worsened. Touma and the others briefly stopped their assault to process what happened.
"As you can see," Gilgamesh said. "That would happen with a normal Spell."
Jack then shouted across the chasm behind Gilgamesh. "Try casting gravel! It's too weak for him to heal from it!"
"Exactly what I was thinking. Gravel!"

Flowing from Excalipoor came a stream of gravel scraping against the Lich's bones, weakening them considerably. The fractures on his body opened wide, prompting Ishmael to utilize his jump boots to leap high into the air and crash down upon the fiend's head. His skull cracked, he fell, and his throbbing brain became exposed. Emika and Mikoto focused their attacks on the pink flesh along with Styl and Jack who cast dozens of spells on the weak spot. Ishmael once again leapt into the air. But for some reason, he didn't fall back down. It was not long before the skull closed itself shut and the Lich stood back up from the restless assault by the group.
"ENOUGH!" the skeleton shouted. With his sharpened claws he swiped at the party nearly knocking those at the front into the abyss below. "I am the guardian of this crystal chosen by God himself! Yet you would defy him to save your pathetic city? No more games. YOU PERISH NOW! GAIA RAGE!"

In one final attack, the giant thrust his staff into the earth and created a tremor large enough for everyone to be consumed by the earth's gaping maw, including the crystal and himself. Everyone save for the Lich lay motionless at the bottom of the chasm. The only ones left conscious were Touma and Index. They could find neither hide nor hair of the undead gunslinger. Was he still in the space above? Or was he crushed beneath the rubble? None could say.
Taking the opportunity to take out the biggest threats to the Acolytes, the Lich sharpened his claws. One by one, he snuffed the life out everyone present. First Gilgamesh, then Emika, then Mikoto. Kuroko, Jack, and Styl were also killed by the giant, leaving only the nun and the boy.

After impaling Touma with his claws, he threw the teen's lifeless body to the ground and approached Index. "You think you can save them?" he taunted. "Do you believe it is in your power to bring them back? Try as you might. They shall become fossils soon enough, and will serve me for eternity." With a cruel smile he knelt down to Index's size and taunted her further. "Go ahead. Cry for help. It makes no difference. Your God will never save you. Do you know why?"
Index tried to hide her tears from the fiend, yet it made no difference. "Why?" she asked.
"Because God had already forsaken his children long ago. Now it's your turn to join your comrades. The earth shall be your tomb."

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening! No way could this be happening! Index was going to die. She prayed her heart out to her God, yet found no answer. "Please. Bring them back," she cried. "Bring them back... God in heaven, please bring them back! Please I... I..."
Her prayers grew louder. More desperate. As they did, the nun began to tremble. She reflected on what Ishmael told her a while back. That the grimoires in her head might hold the answer. She looked through them mentally but found no answer. Ishmael was wrong wasn't he? But, then what's this book doing here? She has never read this before, yet now she knows its contents as if she just read them. Her mind shattered. Her body broken. Her agony reached further and further to it's limit. Her hands shook. Her legs quaked. Her mind faltered. She could only hear her constant screams. And then she heard the Earth Crystal speak to her.

"Give not into despair. The Whispers have heard your prayers. Call unto them, and they shall deliver thee from oblivion." The crystal then engulfed the girl in a blanket of light, and the Lich's claws shattered after an attempt to kill Index.
"What is this!? The crystal defies me!?" he shouted.
Then Index heard another voice in her head. One that was proud like a lion. It spoke in Hebrew, much like what happened with Touma.

"Poor creature. I pity you."

"Who are you?"

"I am simply an ally. That is all I must say."

"Please. Help us. Help me. I need you."

"Thou art I. And I am thou.
In the name of our lord, I grant thee strength. Not to destroy, but to save.
From the jaws
of death shall you and yours be delivered. No longer will the punishment of man impede you.
Let light course through your body, and let healing give comfort.
In the name of the Father Crystal, I pray for thee.
And so shall it be!"

Index's skin shone a brilliant white, and her robes changed into genuine gold. The nun ascended into the air and put her hands together in prayer. With a single inaudible chant, a brilliant light shone from her upon the bodies of her friends. She spoke. Her voice also echoed much like Touma's did on the bridge with Gilgamesh. "Live, I say to ye. LIVE! Your duty is not yet finished! I, Index Librorum Prohibitorum, shall give thee LIFE!"

One by one they rose. Touma and the others returned to life and consciousness to their amazement and disbelief. "We're alive? But how?" Emika asked.
Gilgamesh was the one to answer her question. "Trance, and a Limit Break on top of that? I never knew she was an Esper!"
"But I never had any psychic powers before. How can I be an Esper?"
The Lich interrupted. "So you are also like us. Chosen for greatness. No matter. I shall slay thee all again!" He raised his staff high above his head, the tip shining brighter than ever before. A mighty earthquake brewed once again, and Index and the others would surely perish.

And then a loud bang knocked the staff to the floor. The Lich looked up, and saw Ishmael falling at great speed towards him brandishing his rusted and bloodied pitchfork. When the spikes touched the skull, there were only tiny fractures at first. And then cracks. And then fissures. Ishmael struggled to keep the momentum of his fall high enough to pierce the giant skeleton. It seemed hopeless, yet he refused to give up. His body still pointed downward, and his boots never touched the ground. Finally, his eyes shone red and he spoke. "I never did learn to double jump with these boots. Now's as good a time as any."

Ishmael pushed his feet against the very air, and thrust himself through the Lich with his pitchfork, splitting the Archfiend of Earth in half down the middle.
The two halves sunk to the cold stony ground and began to glow. Then they turned to dust. Relieved that their mighty foe has fallen, the exhausted group settled upon the ground for rest. A rest they surely deserved given that they basically died. If it weren't for Index, everyone would still be dead. Of course, Ishmael is also to thank for dealing the killing blow to the Lich. But before anybody could celebrate, the Crystal of Earth shone again.

"He was worthy, you know. Worthy to guard me. Yet even the mighty can fall to evil."
"Well he certainly put up a fight. I'm pretty sure we died for a second. Why are we still alive?" Mikoto asked the crystal.
"And more importantly, who the hell was he?" Touma said.
The crystal decided now was the time to tell these brave warriors the tale he was destined to tell. "Very well," he said. "I shall start at the beginning." All Index could think was how Last Order would make some joke about getting a snack if she were here.
Kuroko it seems was on the same wavelength as the nun. "Damn," she said. "Better get the popcorn."

"Long before time had a name, God created this world. Using eight elemental crystals, he created the very fabric of our existence.

Earth. Domain of stone and steel.
Air. Domain of wind and lightning.
Fire. Domain of flame and energy.
Water. Domain of water and ice.

Magic. Domain of time and mind.
Technology. Domain of body and space.
Life. Domain of flora and fauna.
And finally, Light. Domain of God.

These eight elements brought peace and balance to His creation. But when the serpent appeared, two more crystals were created.
Death. Domain of sin and punishment.
and Dark. Domain of man.

These two were planned to be destroyed once Yeshua repaid the debt. But after he rose, the people he saved turned on him.
They hunted him down, and feasted on his flesh in an act of defiance to God.
Angered by this transgression against good, the Lord created a holy beast in the form of a dragon. Kodesh Tannin. He scoured the world and devoured any and all who were wicked and unclean.

After the angels begged for him to reconsider, he sealed the beast in heaven, and declared he would return either after man learned to obey, or after man destroyed himself. Whichever came first.
After that, he left our universe, ceasing to exist. He took one third of his angels with him, leaving the rest of the angels behind.
When he left, he entrusted his four archangels to bring peace to the world. As by that time, the concepts of magic and science were starting to be discovered.
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel then decreed that all humans on earth shall have a guardian angel assigned to them.
A select few would communicate with their angels using their mind. These people became known as Espers. And the angels would be known as Whispers for their dwindling power.

Once they came to know the Lord, the Espers would become Summoners, and awaken to the use of powerful Spells. With their might, they would unify the peoples of the earth under one church.

But the people of the earth did not want peace. They wanted war. So the churches hunted down and exterminated the Espers to once again declare war against God.
And just as before, Kodesh Tannin was unleashed unto the earth to slaughter the disobedient churches.
Then he erased that day from memory, to give humanity a clean start.
Kodesh Tannin then sealed himself away inside the right hand of a man in a distant land.

That man was your ancestor, Kamijou Touma."


Verse 7: The Warriors of Light.


Well that was certainly lengthy. At least Gilgamesh thought so, as did Emika. Yet the Crystal's story did not provide enough answers for Touma's question. They didn't have to wait long to get an answer. "The Lich was the angel assigned to me. At least, he was an angel. He joined the Acolytes of the New God not too long ago after hearing their promises for a new world, and became a demon."
"Promises which are empty," Ishmael said. "I'm not far off am I?"
"That is correct. Though only partially. They intend to destroy our world and create a new one made in their own flawed image. This 'New God' they revere shall bring pain and despair to the people of the earth. But you have the power to stop them. For your deeds I will grant you titles befitting of heroes, as well as the power to call forth Whispers."
"Titles?" Gilgamesh pondered. "You mean you can make us Espers!?"
"That's ridiculous!" barked Mikoto. "I'm already a Level 5 Esper! I even almost reached Level 6!" Gilgamesh motioned for her to stop. He would let the Crystal finish what he had to say before any interjection. "Continue," he said.

The Crystal shone again. "Touma. Lay your right hand upon me, and I will lend you my light." He had to be crazy, everyone thought. The Imagine Breaker would surely shatter the Earth Crystal. Who knows what would happen afterwards? "Be not afraid. I shall not perish, for I will reside inside your arm."
Intrigued by this revelation, Gilgamesh asked the Crystal of Earth one last question before Touma laid his hand on the Crystal's facet.
"If I may ask, why is it that Kodesh Tannin dispels most magics?"
"He is the holy dragon chosen by God to disperse the darkness within people's hearts. Young Touma, what you have faced until now was mere malice. Constructs of mankind's savage desires. That is how those who were once your enemies are now your allies. But the Acolytes use real magic. Spells given to man by God himself to bring peace to earth and give glory to the Lord. Your 'Imagine Breaker' as you call it will have little effect against their powers."
"So that's a few mysteries solved," Touma said to himself.
"But so many remain," Jack added.

Scratching his head, the blond teen asked a question of his own. "It's possible that all our experiences with magic up until now were just the tip of an even larger iceberg. Now that we're dealing with a cult that uses magic and guns, what chance do we have to stop that nuke? Assuming we even make it to where the Atma Weapon is."
"As it stands, few of you will survive an encounter with the Acolyte's armies. That is why I shall awaken you to the powers of true Espers, and give you titles worthy of combating the encroaching darkness. Kamijou Touma, rest your right hand upon my facet." Gilgamesh and the others watched as Touma placed the Imagine Breaker on the crystal. It did not vanish, nor did it shatter. Instead his right arm shone a brilliant purple with a divine energy flowing through his veins. "Touma, Index, Mikoto, and Kuroko. I knight you with the titles of Violet Mage, White Mage, Archer, and Rouge respectively." Touma was then gifted a toga of purple, enchanted with the element of Mind. Index received vestments of white and red, enchanted with the element of Light. Mikoto was blessed with cyan archer's attire, enchanted with the element of Lightning. And Kuroko was gifted green leather armor, enchanted with the element of Flora.

"Styl, Ishmael, Gilgamesh, and Emika. I knight you with the titles of Grey Mage, Dragoon, Knight, and Musketeer respectively."
Magnus received robes of grey and a pointed hat, enchanted with the element of Flame. Ishmael was offered dragon armor, enchanted with the element of Rot. He refused. In his own words, "What use does the dead have for more death? Your enchantment is useless." Gilgamesh was then offered a set of armor enchanted with the element of Stone. He asked if his current armor could be enchanted instead of replaced, and so it was. Emika was gifted a uniform of leather, enchanted with magic of no specific element.

"Finally, he who calls himself Jack. I knight you with the title of Black Mage. May your enemies tremble before you as you cast them down."
Jack was then blessed with a robe of dark blue and black with a pointed straw hat, enchanted with the element of Dark. "Thank you," he said.
"From this moment on, You will be known as the Warriors of Light. Receive this last blessing. It is Magicite, the essence of Angels. Use them to call forth the Whispers Titan and Odin. They will fight by your side." From the Crystal emerged two small raw gemstones. One was brownish in color, while the other was steel grey. Ishmael collected them, and then placed them inside a satchel. "Awfully generous of you," Ishmael said. "Titles like that are surely going to get us cool points. As for these things, how the hell do we use 'em?"
The Earth Crystal chuckled. "Have you ever played Pokemon?" he said to everyone's surprise. Touma and Gilgamesh especially.
"Didn't expect you to answer like that," Touma said with a light grin. "And how do you know anything about video games anyways?"
"Kid, I am a giant crystal of great power and knowledge, who existed long before the earth even formed. Did you really expect me to not be savvy to the achievements of humans throughout history?"

Then the faint sound of a helicopter caught the ears of Styl and Ishmael, who immediately used his jump boots to ascend to the top of the chasm in response.
"The time for talk has passed," Styl said.
"I know this one. 'The Lord's work must be done.' If that's the case, why don't you lead the way 'Joshua Graham?'" Jack retorted.
"I shall warp you to the lobby, out of sight from the Acolyte's guns. Now go Warriors of Light. Seek the Crystal of Air in the Sky Fortress. You must not let them bring this world to ruin!" A bright light enveloped the group and one by one, they vanished only to reappear at the bank lobby.

The warp was instantaneous. A rather jarring change of scenery that might make one sick from shock. Gilgamesh's experience of using the Exit spell left him unmoved by the sudden transport, a far cry from Touma and Jack who almost threw up onto the tile floor. At least he got to look at something other than the bleak stone walls of an underground cave system. Scanning his surroundings, the knight saw Ishmael at the entrance crouching by his crystal ball. "Is it an ambush?" he asked the undead gunslinger.
"It's a goddamn firing squad. They've got monsters too, and vicious ones at that." With a cold smile he turned to the knight and brought out the Titan magicite from his satchel. "I'm gonna have a hell of a time with this thing."


Chapter end.