Trinity of Tokiwadai

by Engineer4Ever

Three very different girls. Each a powerful Esper in the miraculous city of superhumans, Academy City. Together these heroines and their friends explore the wonder and mystery of their City and its Dark Side as the Trinity of Tokiwadai.

91. Chapter 91

Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index

The Trinity of Tokiwadai

Chapter Ninety One: World War Three - Reconvergence in the North

---

After the madness that characterized his experiences in the recent English Civil War, Touma would have preferred to head home to Academy City and skip out on the brewing World War 3 that was sweeping over the world. However, with Index kidnapped by that asshole, Fiamma of the Right, that was not an option. Come hell or high water, no matter what he had to do, he had to rescue her. There simply was no other option.

That was why he currently found himself crammed into a single humvee with Lessar as they drove cross country over the Russo- Elizalina Alliance border towards the Russian military base that Fiamma of the Right had turned into his stronghold and where he was keeping Index hostage. Speaking of Lessar, she was a Magician who was a member of New Light, a magic organization based in and in service to the the United Kingdom which Touma had gotten to know during the events of the aforementioned civil war that he had found himself embroiled in during his recent visit to Great Britain. She was a middle school aged girl with blue eyes and long black hair, with yellow dye on both sides of her bangs that she complemented with a pink headband. She was dressed, as she almost always was, in her group's uniform consisting of a white undershirt with their N∴L∴ logo on it topped with a white jacket with red and blue sleeves also sporting the N∴L∴ logo; a miniskirt with the same color theme as her jacket; and a dragon-tail like magical tool, a spiritual item in the Magic Side's parlance, under her skirt.

In turn, their driver was a soldier that had been provided to them alongside the vehicle serving as their transport by the Elizalina Alliance in light of the country's agreement to fight with the Anglo-Academy City coalition against Fiamma of the Right. They would have traveled in a proper military convoy but they knew that Fiamma would attack them if they did, so they had decided to travel alone to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

"What's that?" Touma asked suddenly as he spotted several bursts of light in the sky some short distance nearby.

"Emergency flares." Their driver informed them. "Looks like someone nearby is in trouble and is asking for help. Someone desperate if they are just firing it out like that in a battlezone like this and giving away their position like that."

"Then we need to investigate." Touma insisted. "If someone needs it then we need to help them."

"It's not a good idea, Kamijou-sama." Lessar told him with a frown, arms crossed as she leaned back against the seat. "We can call for reinforcements to go investigate but we need to get to Fiamma's base and take him out ASAP."

"By the time that reinforcements get there, it might be too late for whoever is in trouble. We're the closest, we need to investigate now."

"And if it's a trap for us?" Lessar countered, her frown deepening.

"Maybe it is," Touma conceded. "But it could also be people who are really in need of help. We need to investigate, just in case that's the case."

"Argh! Do you know what's at stake in this fight with Fiamma, Kamijou-sama?" Lessar asked with a sigh of exasperation. "Don't you realize that the fate of the world is on the line?"

"I know." Touma said, slightly affronted. He knew he could be slow at times but he wasn't an idiot! He knew how important the fight with Fiamma was and how urgent it was to defeat him, but… "That doesn't change anything! If we abandon people in need of help just because we're in a rush and they die, then what's the point of saving the world?"

"The needs of the many outweigh the few?" Lessar suggested with a shrug.

"I cannot abide by that." Touma said with a firm, pleading look. "We're going to see if those flares are really someone in need."

Lessar groaned in resignation. "I knew they said you had a Hero Complex, Kamijou-sama, but I never thought it was this bad. Alright we'll do things your way. Driver!"

"I heard you." The driver said in surprisingly crisp Japanese as he turned the wheel of their humvee and hence the vehicle as a whole towards the direction of the flares. "I hope you've made the right choice, Kamijou-sama."

"Yeah, to be honest, I hope so too." Touma admitted, earning him an unimpressed look from Lessar that he ignored with more than ample practice. He received such looks often enough.

I should probably listen to them when they call me a fool more often but… If I did, I wouldn't be me.

---

"Where the hell did this storm come from?" Touma heard Lessar shout in alarm as after driving a few minutes towards the direction of the flares, they were suddenly surrounded by a massive storm.

Touma would have shared her surprise and to an extent he did. The storm had come out of nowhere but not entirely. Not when the storm was giving him a strange sense of deja vu. It reminded him of being stuck in a windstorm in a railyard back in Academy City when he had fought Accelerator, the Number 1 Esper.

It can't be, right? I mean, what's the chance he'd be here in Russia!? Touma thought disbelievingly even though his instincts were insistent that the impossible idea was indeed the case.

"Kamijou-sama, we need to turn back." The driver insisted, as the storm visibly worsened and turned into total white out conditions. "It isn't safe to go any further."

Touma seriously considered it. He might be willing to go out of his way to help anyone he could but he wasn't suicidal. Really! And heading into a white out blizzard was exactly that. Conditions which as he scanned the still intensifying storm around them, things were certainly deteriorating into. However, that wasn't really what caught his attention as he did so.

No, that honor went to the figure at the center of the blizzard. A figure that he recognized as a visibly distraught Accelerator with two pairs of black wings growing out of his shoulder blades. One pair were bird-like and were covered in feathers that seemed to suck in the very light around them; whilst the other pair were shaped like spiraling tornadoes of darkness.

"No, don't turn around. Stop instead!" Touma ordered.

"Here! In the middle of the storm!?" Lessar asked incredulously as the driver obeyed with a shake of his head.

"It's your funeral, kid." The driver said as the vehicle came to a stop.

"I'll take responsibility." Touma replied with a nod as he opened the door he was sitting next to and exited the humvee.

"Kamijou-sama, you fool!" Lessar shouted as she followed him out.

"No, just someone trying to do the right thing." Touma retorted. "And you don't need to follow me, Lessar."

"Hell yes, I do. I was ordered to shadow you until you reach Fiamma's fortress and there's no way I'll fail this mission even if my package is being an idiot!" Lessar retorted with an angry frown and slammed the door closed behind her. "If you're going to be a fool then I'll follow you, even into a bloody snowstorm, and try my best to keep you alive."

Touma turned towards the driver as he too exited the vehicle.

"My mission is to see you to the siege and like the little lady I'm not about to let you die before you get there if I can help it."

"Then follow me." Touma said with a nod as he turned towards the direction where he had glimpsed Accelerator, who he had lost sight of as the storm intensified, and began walking with determination as his two companions followed far more reluctantly.

They had barely trudged a few feet away from the humvee however when Touma's sixth sense screamed at him and he instinctively lunged forward. Ironically, he wasn't doing so to avoid the incoming projectile but to catch it. Mindful to keep his right hand and thus the power of his Imagine Breaker as far away from her as possible, he caught the Number 3 Esper, Saten Ruiko, as she tumbled through the air. Though perhaps calling how he stopped her flight as catching her was too generous. In truth, it was more like he just used his body as something for her to crash into and bleed off the kinetic energy that had sent her flying in the first place.

"Saten-san!" Touma asked, all his worries focused on the girl he'd just saved despite having been painfully knocked to the ground by the impact. "Are you alright? What the heck is going on here? Why are you and Accelerator even here? Wait, nevermind, forget that! Why did your boyfriend send you flying?"

Okay, maybe he wasn't as unaffected by the tumble as he thought. He usually wasn't that prone to rambling. Maybe he had hit his head as he landed or something. Or maybe the absurd coincidence of running into his acquaintances from back home all the way out here and in the midst of what looked like a lovers' tiff was short circuiting his brain.

"Accel…" The [AIM Sovereign] said haltingly and with visible difficulty. "Breakdown… Lost control… Emotions."

"Yeah, I can see that." Touma deadpanned as he carefully helped the girl to her unsteady feet, carefully keeping his right hand away from her and using it to wave Lessar over.

"Take care of her." He ordered, ignoring Lessar's protest as he turned to face the Number 1.

"Accelerator!" Touma shouted at the top of his lungs.

The albino must've heard him because in response the storm calmed somewhat as if the other boy was waiting for what Touma was going to say.

"Calm down, you sadistic freak!" Touma told the City's strongest Esper as he rubbed the wrist of his Imagine Breaker meaningfully. "You just sent your girlfriend flying damnit! She could've been very hurt! Are you trying to kill her!?"

"Shut up, you useless hero!" Accelerator shouted back as a portion of the storm he'd conjured parted to create a corridor of clear space between where he hovered in the air and where Touma stood. "Ruiko can take a rough landing or two. She's tough like that."

"And that means you can just toss her around like a ragdoll?" Touma accused, his eyes narrowed.

"You have no right to criticize me, you failure of a hero!" Accelerator shot back, seemingly obsessed with Touma being a hero for some unfathomable reason even as he began firing beams of beams of raw darkness at him from the inky blackness of his feathered wings and trying to use his tornado wings to smash him. All the while, he continued to rant nonsense. "You saved the Sisters but haven't done a damned thing to save Ruiko! Or Febrie and Janie! Or Last Order! I, Ruiko and her friends had to do that! So many people needed saving but you weren't there! How can you call yourself a hero!?"

"I never said I was a hero." Touma retorted as he calmly used the power of his right hand to negate every single attack that Accelerator sent his way. "I'm just someone who steps in to do what he thinks is right when I'm able. And I didn't know Saten-san or any of those people even needed help in the first place."

"You're a hero, you should have known! And if you're not a hero then you don't deserve to live! Everyone of you should just die! All those monsters who hurt all the people I love and those who stood by doing nothing to save them… They all deserve to just die!"

He's really stuck on the idea of me being some kind of hero, huh? Touma couldn't help but think even as seemingly realizing the futility of his attempts at a direct assault, Accelerator switched over to a more indirect approach by conjuring a tornado.

Now normally, if an effect was divorced enough from its supernatural source then Imagine Breaker was useless against it. However, since Accelerator was directly manipulating the winds of the twister, presumably to maximize its lethality, as he sent it hurtling at Touma, the deadly tornado was still within the scope of his mysterious power to effect. He thus just held his right hand in front of him like a shield, allowing Imagine Breaker to negate it and letting the wind harshly but harmlessly blow past him.

Of course, Accelerator expected that. He wasn't the Number 1 for nothing and it turned out that the tornado was just a distraction to allow the albino to use his tornado wings as hands to rip free a bunch of trees from the surrounding forest and start hurling them at Touma like javelins. Massive three storey tall javelins.

"What!? Do you think I'm all knowing or something!?" Touma asked incredulously even as he was saved from being crashed or impaled by the danger sense he'd developed after being dragged into innumerable Incidents within and without Academy City. A sixth sense that allowed him to keep just ahead of the Number 1's attempts to kill him via tree sized darts.

"You should be! You're a hero! It's your job to save the people in need!"

"I keep telling you that I'm not a hero! And even if I was, your expectations of a hero are unrealistic!"

"What's unrealistic is how a villain like me has to step up and do the hero's job and save people!" Accelerator countered as he upped the ante and, digging his wings into the ground, ripped a whole chunk of land out of the ground and lifted it above Touma before proceeding to drop it on top of him.

"Fukou da!" Touma cried out in a strange mix of fear and frustration as he turned to run. It was natural to feel fear, since he knew he'd never make it to safety in time. But despite that he also knew he wouldn't die here. Not from this. So his fear was tempered by that understanding and a frustration of somehow ending up in yet another life or death situation.

Seriously! How do I keep ending up in these kinds of things!? Touma thought with resignation even as his gut instinct that he'd be fine was proven correct when a tree that his sixth sense told him was in the grasp of Lessar's grabbing magic, at least that's about all he understood of what it did, slammed into him from the side and none too gently dragged him to safety whilst he carefully kept his right hand away from the tree and thus preventing Imagine Breaker from negating the magic saving his life.

It was only after barely escaping being squashed thanks to Lessar's help and badly bruising his ribs due to that sorry excuse for a save that Touma was finally able to continue his argument with the insane Number 1. "There is no such thing as villains and heroes, you psycho! All that matters is choosing to help those in need. Nothing else."

"If that's the case then why didn't you step up when my loved ones needed saving!?" Accelerator demanded almost petulantly as he dove at Touma, repeatedly stabbing his tornado wings forward like lances in a bid to impale him.

Negating them wasn't difficult for his Imagine Breaker but thanks to his injuries, Touma found it increasingly difficult to move his right hand into position to do so. Especially as Accelerator kept relentlessly increasing the tempo of his assault. Thankfully, he managed somehow. He really didn't want to know what being impaled by the spiraling black winds of the Number 1's wing felt like.

Despite that though, he still found the wherewithal to reply. "Like I said, I didn't even know they were in trouble!"

I have to keep trying to get through to him! Touma thought with determination. Beating up Accelerator, something that Touma had doubts of accomplishing anyway, alone would only be a temporary fix to this. Touma had enough experience with people like the Number 1, though it was really unfair to Accelerator to compare him to the Skill-Outs Touma dealt with on the regular even it their attitudes were eerily similar at times, to tell that if he didn't also get the albino to see past whatever nonsense was messing with his head, he was liable to come after him again once he recovered from this fight.

It was this determination that allowed Touma to refuse to retreat even as Accelerator began skirting the ground and sweeping his tornado wings to either side, using the winds it was made out of to hurl random bits of debris it picked up like bullets as he flew ever closer. Instead, he crossed his arms over his face to act as a makeshift shield and charged the Number 1 whilst trusting his danger sense to guide him in avoiding the really dangerous blows.

The albino was no fool though and clearly saw Touma's move as an attempt to get within range to punch him with his Imagine Breaker. Thus, he tried to hastily pull up but Touma was having none of it.

"Lessar!" Touma shouted, hoping his ally could figure out what he had in mind.

Much to his relief, she did. He thus found magic grabbing hold of the ground under his feet, which she promptly tossed skyward towards the climbing Accelerator. A move that startled the other boy enough for Touma to get close without even an attempt on the albino's part at evasion or counterattack and land a punch square across the Number 1's jaw with his right fist.

This painful contact with his Imagine Breaker was enough to negate Accelerator's powers and with the familiar sound of cracking glass, the Number 1's wings popped out of existence and he began falling to the ground below. Knowing that if he did nothing, it would only take the Esper a moment to recover, Touma leapt off his perch and grabbed a fistful of Acclerator's shirt with his left hand before he began repeatedly punching the Number 1 with his Imaginer Breaker.

"You know those people you wanted to save, Accelerator?" Touma asked rhetorically in between punches. "They're your loved ones! So saving them is your choice! So what are you going to do? Be a selfish asshole and walk away when your girlfriend and whoever else needs you? Or are you, not anyone else but you yourself, 'cos you're her boyfriend, gonna be a man and save her? That's the only real choice you have to make!"

By the time Touma had finished his little speech, both of them were just seconds away from smashing into the ground. But again the [Imagine Breaker] was unworried. He trusted his comrades.

A trust that was warranted as at the very last second, he and Accelerator were saved from a painful landing by Lessar grabbing hold of Accelerator's coat, or at least that's what he thought she'd grabbed hold of, with her magic and used her grip to slowly lower them to the ground. A process he helped along by keeping his right hand firmly pressed to Accelerator's face to prevent him from using his power and as far away from the Number 1's clothes as possible to prevent his power from negating Lessar's magic.

My Imagine Breaker is damned useful in a fight most of the time, but sometimes it just gets in the way. Touma thought with a tired sigh as they landed on the snowy ground with a soft thud.

"You're beat me again, Kamijou. I surrender." Accelerator said in a surprisingly gracious tone. "You can let go of me, I won't start trouble."

Touma was a trusting person by nature. He always tried to believe the best in people. However, he had become somewhat jaded after all the Incidents he'd been through so even as he decided to believe in the truthfulness of the Number 1, he did so cautiously. He was thus relieved that the albino didn't try to attack him the moment that he released him from Imagine Breaker's supernatural negating effect.

"And Kamijou?" The Esper said as Touma warily stepped away from the other boy, who instead of using the increased space to get to his feet instead seemed content to just lay there on his back. Or was he that drained by their fight and whatever he'd been through before it began that he couldn't?

"Yeah?" Touma asked, blinking in confusion at what else the Number 1 had to say.

"You're right. It is my job to save Ruiko. And I will do it. No matter what." Accelerator swore before his head lolled to the side and he fell unconscious.

Guess he was drained after all. Part of Touma thought distractedly even as he nodded in agreement with the other boy and felt a surge of relief that he had managed to get through to him.

He was just basking in his success when something slammed into his bruised ribs like a bullet and he suddenly felt like he was being subjected to a burst of Biri Biri's static bolts, only ten times worse and an effect that despite him slamming his right hand into his side, was not something that his Imagine Breaker could negate. This prompted him to glance down and to his shock, he found what looked like some kind of dart or bullet was lodged into his torso. A bullet that, as he traced its probable trajectory, he realized had come from the gun of a barely standing Saten-san.

"W-Why?" He managed to force out through the involuntary chattering of his teeth caused by what he realized must be the electroshock bullet he'd been shot with.

"I won't let you hurt Accel." The Number 3 said with narrow eyed determination despite how unsteady she looked on her feet or the gun that Touma's Elizalina escort and Lessar's trident-like weapon cum spiritual item had pointed at her.

Pulling out the pesky electroshock bullet and mentally cursing how getting electrocuted many, many times had given him the resistance to weather its effects as well as he had, Touma shot his allies a dark look.

"Put those away! Now!" He demanded.

Both Lessar and the soldier shot him incredulous looks but he nodded firmly and despite visible reluctance, they obeyed. Once they did, Touma took a big step away from the unconscious Accelerator and gestured at Saten-san. He needn't have bothered. The moment she didn't have weapons pointed at her, she'd holstered her gun and rushed past Touma to kneel beside her boyfriend, tenderly moving his head so it could use her lap as a cushion.

Touma squashed the irrational jealousy he felt at the Number 1 getting a lap pillow from a pretty girl by reminding himself that despite her fantastic, ahem, proportions, the Number 2 was still only twelve. With that out of the way, he was finally free to actually try to figure out what the heck was going on!

"Saten-san, mind telling me what's all this about?"

Without so much as taking her eyes away from her boyfriend, the Number 3 replied. "I was tricked into becoming the template for the Angels of Science by the General Superintendent and thanks to that, my connection to the physical Phase has been slowly weakening and I'm slowly becoming a living statue. Acting on some advice we received from a trusted source, Accel and I are heading to the Elizalina Alliance in search of a cure for my affliction."

The [Imagine Breaker] could honestly say he did not understand half, if that, of what the Level 5 was saying. She was using a lot of fancy words there and he had sadly never exactly been the sharpest tool in the shed. If her gasp was any indication, however, Lessar got it, which was something of a surprise since as a Magician and never even been to the City, she should have understood less of the context than he did!

"Y-You're-"

"A living idol for the City's Angels of Science." Saten-san confirmed with a nod in the shocked Lessar's direction and to Touma's utter confusion.

"That's-"

"Not important." Touma said, cutting Lessar off.

In response, she shot him a look of confusion that he ignored to turn to their driver.

"Driver-san, could you radio back to your base to send someone to pick these guys up?" The man nodded and began heading back to the humvee, presumably to do as Touma asked. Nodding at that, the [Imagine Breaker] turned back towards the couple. "Will you two be alright until help arrives from the Elizalina base?"

"You're working with the Alliance? That's convenient." Saten-san said suspiciously.

Touma just shrugged. When he'd first started getting involved in Incidents he'd been suspicious at all the coincidences he ran into too, but after a while and they stacked up, he'd learned to just run with it and not think too much about it.

"Anyways, like I said, will you two be alright on your own?"

"We'll be fine." Saten-san assured him, drawing her gun so quickly that he hadn't even seen her hand move. "You go help take down Fiamma of the Right."

"It's that obvious what I'm here to do, huh?"

"Yes, you always seem to be at the heart of any Incidents you're dragged into after all. It wasn't hard to guess." Saten-san said as she shrugged. "By the way, thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm just doing the right thing."

"And that, Kamijou-san, is what makes you, despite your protestations, a hero." Saten-san said with such earnestness that Touma almost believed her.

Almost but not quite, because in his heart of hearts though, he knew the truth. A truth that he believed in unshakably. There are no heroes. Only people with the resolve to do what is right no matter what.

---

In a higher plane of pure white emptiness, the mysterious feminine entity known as Babalon smiled as she watched the fight between Accelerator and the [Imagine Breaker].

"The new world's vanquisher of serpents is coming along nicely." She commented, her smile growing with satisfaction.

---

A day later, Accel and Ruiko found themselves in a Elizalina Alliance base along the country's border with Russia after having been escorted there by the reinforcements from his allies in the country that Kamijou had called to pick them up.

"I still don't understand why you had to kill that Sister!" Accel hissed accusingly to Ruiko as they were escorted into the room they had given to rest by their assigned Alliance handler, who was politely pretending to not hear their argument.

"Accel, I had no choice!" Ruiko shot back defiantly as she refused to look at him and instead chose to survey the nondescript room with a simple double bed, dresser and ensuite bathroom that they had been provided.

"There is always a choice, Ruiko!" Accel insisted. "And if a Sister can't be redeemed then what about me who slaughtered almost ten thousand of them?"

"Accel, it's not the same." Ruiko said as she turned to him with a frown. "She threatened Order-chan and all the earlier series Sisters. I couldn't risk her surviving and carrying out that threat. I will not tolerate any threats against our daughter and her sisters."

"If the brat and the other Sisters are in danger then we will save them. That doesn't mean we needed to kill that Sister." Accel growled.

"Life isn't a game, Accel!" Ruiko shot back, getting into his personal space and glaring up into his face. "Things are easier said than done!"

"We had to at least try!" Accel retorted, looking Ruiko firmly back in the eyes. "We've done so damn much already! Why can't we at least save someone right in front of us?"

"Sometimes it just isn't possible!" Ruiko countered as tears began to flow down her face. "If life was that easy, I wouldn't be on the verge of becoming a living statue!"

Accel was taken aback by seeing Ruiko like this. He had never seen Ruiko cry. Not even when she was half dead after a beating. He could thus be forgiven by stuttering in surprise as he replied. "Y-You're crying?"

"Of course I'm crying!" Ruiko shouted, sounding incredulous and shooting him a glare. "I'm about to be consigned to a fate worse than death! Then someone comes to threaten my daughter, how did you expect me to react!?"

In the face of a confession like that, what could Accel do but relent?

"Okay, I get it." He said with a frown. "I'm still not happy with you killing that Sister, but I can see why you did it."

"Thank you," Ruiko said with a sniffle as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief that she had pulled out of one of her pockets.

Accel nodded and shifted nervously, uncertain about how to proceed. Seeing this, Ruiko breathed a sigh and having tidied herself up a little, she offered him an encouraging smile and a lifeline.

"Now that we've got a chance to breathe, let's examine those documents that we recovered from those Powered Suits which attacked us on the train?"

Nodding eagerly at the offer, he quickly walked over to the room's dresser and pulled the parchments out of their bag of supplies they'd lugged all the way across the length of Russia.

"Here," he said as he laid the documents out for Ruiko to have a look. "Any idea what it is?"

Ruiko hummed thoughtfully for a moment as she leaned over the parchments before replying. "I'm not really an expert but if I'd take a guess, I think it's a document outlining how different magical systems can be made to work together."

"You know, I'm still skeptical that magic isn't just Gemstones not knowing the source of their abilities and mislabeling things." Accel said even as Ruiko shot him an amused smile, causing him to roll his eyes. "But I'll trust you on it."

Their handler failed to suppress the snort of amusement he made at that and Accel shot him a narrowed eyed questioning look. "What's so funny?"

The man put his hands up in a placating gesture as he replied. "Apologies, I did not mean offense. I was just amused that you trust your girlfriend implicitly."

"What's to be surprised about it?" Accel said with a shrug. "I trust her with my life and more."

Ruiko smiled so brilliantly and happily at his admission that Accel couldn't help but blush. Smirking in amusement at the reaction she'd gotten out of him, she turned towards their handler.

"From the way you were looking at them, you seem to have some idea what these documents are about. Would you be willing to share?"

"I'm a dabbler in magic so yes, I can." The soldier said with a nod. "And from what I can tell they seem to be a method to allow Roman Catholic spells to operate within a Russian Orthodox magical system."

Ruiko frowned at this revelation and looked ready to say something, however before she could, she suddenly froze up.

"Not again," Accel said with a worried and tired sigh as he walked over to his girlfriend and carefully picked her up before carrying her over to the room's bed where he proceeded to lay her down. After he was sure she was comfortable, he turned to their handler. "Is there anyone here that is more knowledgeable in magic who we can approach for help?"

That monster sent us here for a reason and I can't help but think that he foresaw us picking up those documents too. If that's the case then is magic the answer to curing Ruiko? It's worth giving it a try at least.

"If you want an expert in magic then you'd want Elizalina, our country's leader."

"Where is she? Can we arrange a meeting?" Accel asked the soldier.

"You'd just need to ask. If she's able, she'll come find you. She's approachable like that. But she's indisposed in a field hospital at the moment where she is recovering from overusing her magic to support our forces in the fight against the Russians."

"Damn," Accel cursed. "How long till she's well enough to see us?"

"Two or three hours at least." The soldier said with a shrug. "That's if she doesn't have other commitments she has to tend to when she gets up."

"Fine!" Accel sighed in frustration before he used his vector control to suffocate the trio of spies listening in from outside the door. "In the meantime, I'll secure the area. If Ruiko and I are spending any significant amount of time here, I'm going to do some cleaning. I'm not going to let my girlfriend spend the night in a place crawling with darkness."

---

Whilst Accelerator was cleaning house in the Elizalina Alliance base where he and Ruiko had ended up, Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou, renegade members of ITEM, had their own problems. Specifically, they were fleeing across the Russian border into the Elizalina Alliance from an Academy City Powered Suit when the car they were in was forced to turn off the road after the Suit opened fire on them.

"Shit! That damned thing isn't giving up." Shiage shouted in frustration as the automated Suit fired yet another grenade from the grenade launcher it was armed with, forcing him to swerve to the side to escape the projectile's explosive detonation.

"Don't complain." Takitsubo chided him as Shiage once more swerved to the side to evade yet another grenade shot their way. "Just focus on driving."

"Yeah, I get it!" Shiage shouted back as he gritted his teeth and made yet another sharp turn to avoid the latest grenade that was lobbed their way. A turn which in the confusion of the chaotic situation, he made in the wrong direction. "Shit!"

"Cliff." Takitsubo warned with her typical dispassion even as she braced herself as best as she was able for a crash.

"I see it!" Shiage shouted back as he desperately tried to avoid going off the cliff.

Sadly there simply was not enough space to do so and their car shot off the cliff before falling twenty feet before finally slamming back down onto the ground. If they were in a normal car, such a landing would've totaled it but thankfully the vehicle they were using was a souped up off road car and it took it in stride. Less fortunately, the Powered Suit pursuing them was just as well built and fearlessly followed them off the cliff, continuing its pursuit and firing a grenade down at them mid leap.

"Keep going." Takitsubo ordered even as Shiage was already putting the pedal to the metal and sending their car racing through the fence right in front of where they had landed and marked the border they were trying to cross. In so doing only barely managing to evade the latest blast aiming to take them out.

"We can't keep this up." Shiage said after a quick glance in the rearview mirror and saw the Suit was still doggedly pursuing her. "We're only barely keeping ahead of that piece of scrap metal and once we're out of fuel-"

"Then you just need to think of a creative way to take it out. You can do it." Takitsubo told him with full confidence in his abilities.

Her trust humbled him and warmed his heart but at the same time made him nervous because he had no idea how he would be able to get them out of this.

What do I have at hand that I can use against the Suit? Shiage thought as he began to think about what resources were available to him and Takitsubo to take on the Suit.

In a stroke of luck, the need for his brainstorming proved unnecessary as in a totally unexpected turn of events, a spiraling lance of wind suddenly shot down from the sky and impaled the Powered Suit, before exploding out within the machine, shredding it in a storm of cutting winds. Winds whose creator soon revealed itself to be, of all people, Accelerator as he floated down from the sky like some avenging angel from legend.

"You in the car, stop!" The most powerful Esper in the world demanded and Shiage promptly compiled. If he was struggling to come up with a way to defeat a Powered Suit, he had zero chance against Accelerator.

"Takitsubo, did you know he was here?" Shiage asked his companion as they both got out of their car, their hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

"No, I can't use my power at the moment." She replied with a shake of her head.

"You two?" Accelerator asked, looking at them in recognition. "What's two members of ITEM doing all the way here in the Elizalina Alliance? Are you dragging even more problems into my lap?"

"Not intentionally." Shiage said sincerely. "We didn't even know you were here, Accelerator-sama."

"Yeah? Well, why exactly are you here then?"

Shiage exchanged a quick look with Takitsubo and received a nod to proceed. Nodding back, he took a steadying breath and began explaining. All whilst hoping that what he had to say would satisfy the Number 1 and not prompt the infamously murderous Level 5 to kill him and Takitsubo.

"Well, you see, we're on the run from Mugino. She wants to force Takitsubou to overexert her ability to the point of potential death to hunt down her enemies and I'm standing in her way of that. And in addition to that, we for some reason, have Academy City as a whole after us now too."

"I see." Accelerator said with an annoyed frown and seemed to consider what to do with them even as Shiage broke out into a cold sweat as he waited in nervous anticipation of his decision. "Fine! You two follow me! Ruiko would chew me out if I turned away fellow City fugitives. She's a bleeding heart like that."

Finally putting down his hands, Shiage breathed a sigh of relief. Takitsubo however just snorted. "I'm sure she'd be happy to hear you call her that."

Accelerator snorted in turn. "Like she'd care. She's heard me call her worse. But you better not tell her. You don't want me to regret not throwing you to the dogs right now."

Takitsubo seemed inclined to retort but Shiage rushed over and quickly covered her mouth, silencing her and replied in her stead. "We won't make you regret saving us."

"You better not." Accelerator warned as he turned and began stalking off. "Follow me, I'll take you to the Elizalina base where we're shacked up for the moment."

Pushing Shiage's hands off her face, Takitsubo replied in a surprisingly cordial tone. "Thank you."

Shiage blinked in surprise at Takitsubo's seeming sudden heel turn, but hastily shook it off to offer his own thanks. "Thank you, Accelerator-sama."

"Save it! Just hurry up and follow me! I want to get back to Ruiko as soon as possible."

"We're coming." Shiage said with an amused grin as he and Takitsubo compiled with Accelerator's command and followed him to safety.

---

Safety which took the form of a hospital room in an Elizalina Alliance border base that had been set up for the unconscious Number 3, Saten Ruiko-sama, and Takitsubo. A room where the ruler of the Alliance, Elizalina, a frail blonde haired woman with slightly sunken eyes, in a gesture of incredible generosity had chosen to examine them personally with her magic. To be frank, he was still wrapping his head around its existence, but if it healed Takitsubou then he didn't care.

As the Magician completed her examination, she proceeded to inform them of her findings.

"Treating Takitsubo-san is simple." The exhausted looking blonde said as she took a seat in a chair with a tired sigh. "Her condition is the result of a build up of toxins in her body."

The Body Crystals she uses to boost her ability. Shiage thought with realization even as Elizalina-sama continued.

"Once it is removed, which I can do with my magic easily enough, and after a short period of recovery, she'll be fine."

"So you're saying that Takitsubo can be saved?" Shiage asked hopefully.

Elizalina-sama nodded.

With that confirmation, Shiage's heart was filled with happiness and he promptly turned to hug Takitsubo. A hug she happily returned as they both cried in joy at the news.

"And how about Ruiko?" Accelerator-sama asked, pulling Shiage out of his revelry. He didn't really want to but he knew full well that he needed to know what Elizalina-sama had to say about the [AIM Sovereign]'s condition. If it was negative… Then he needed to make plans for the event that the Number 1 went berserk as he was likely to.

"Saten-san's condition is unfortunately far more complicated." Elizalina-san said with a shake of her hand. "As it is, I barely understand what's happening to her. If I must make a diagnosis then I would say that she is undergoing some kind of metamorphosis."

"I see." Accelerator-sama said, sounding surprisingly unruffled despite the bad news and simply pulled out a set of parchments that he proceeded to present to the blonde ruler. "Then can you read this? Can it help Ruiko?"

The woman took the parchment and quickly glanced over it before replying. "It might. I see what looks like some spells here that might be of assistance to her condition. But it will take time to translate this, more time perhaps than your girlfriend has."

"I see." Accelerator-sama said with a sigh as he put away the parchments. "Then I'll find another way to save her. You focus on saving the ITEM girl."

Takitsubo gasped at the act of generosity and Shiage felt the same. He had never thought that the Number 1, who was infamous for being a cold hearted murderer, would be capable of such kindness.

"Do you have any clues on how to proceed?" Elizalina-san asked the albino Level 5, her tone full of concern.

"No, but I'll find one." Accelerator-sama said with confidence as he turned and left the room.

"He is surprisingly calm considering the news he received." Takitsubo commented with a frown as the door to the room closed behind the Number 1.

"He is simply beyond anger by this point." Saten-sama said suddenly, startling Shiage who had thought she was still unconscious.

"Saten-sama, are you alright?" Shiage asked as he turned to the Number 3.

"Do not worry about me." The [AIM Sovereign] said as she struggled to her feet, waving Shiage away as she moved to help her. "You should focus on your girlfriend, Hamazura-san. I'll deal with my boyfriend and my problems on my own."

"Are you sure?" Elizalina-sama asked, shooting the Level 5 a worried look.

Saten-sama just nodded. "I'm sure."

Not waiting for any more attempts by them to offer to assist her, she walked out of the room presumably in search of her boyfriend.

Whatever is ailing her, I hope she and Accelerator-sama do find a solution. Shiage thought as she watched the hospital room door close once again.

"Very well, with that resolved. Shall we begin your treatment, Takitsubo-san?" Elizalina-sama asked as she stood from her seat.

The question drove any concern for the two Level 5s out of Shiage's mind as he turned his full attention to Takitsubo and her condition.

"Yes, please!"

---

Accel was leaning against the wall in a corner just down from Ruiko's hospital room thinking about what he should do next when he heard its door open. Turning towards it, he saw Ruiko staggering her way out and stumbling towards him.

"Ruiko," Accel greeted her.

"Accel," Ruiko returned. "What's on your mind?"

He shot her an unimpressed look at her question. "What do you think? Of course, I'm thinking of a way to save you. What else could I be thinking of at a time like this?"

Before Ruiko could reply, there was a bright flash from outside that blinded them.

"That light came from the direction of the Russian border." Ruiko observed as Accel regained his sight and she hobbled her way out of the building.

In response, Accel rushed forward and without hesitation picked her up before proceeding to carry her out of the building.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Accel told her as she stepped out of the building so they could look in the direction where the light had come from. A move that gave them front row seats to see something floating in the sky which could only be called a fortress.

Said floating fortress was approximately 40 km across, and in the rough shape of a cross, with bridges extending in four directions from the castle-like center, with a right wing twice as long as the others. It was made out of pieces of churches and cathedrals across the world, and was a mix of historical and modern structures. Material that was still flying in from every possible direction as they joined the fortress, whose structure was still changing from moment to moment with its components shifting around.

And flying above the fortress like its guardian was a feminine looking Angel with breasts and other feminine features as well, though it possessed no obvious genitalia. It had pure white skin with golden lines adorning all over its body in an intricate pattern but mostly concentrated on its upper torso, forearms, upper legs, and lower ankles. Lines that met in the middle of the Angel's breasts into a kite-like shape, bearing the symbol of the cross. These golden lines were also present on peculiar flaps that were attached on Angel's arms, waist and head that emulated the appearance of trailing sleeves, coattails, and hair respectively. Like most of its body, the Angel's eyes were white and sported no visible iris and pupil. On top of its head was a blue halo, inside the ring of which was an inner circle where three arrow-shaped lines jutted out slightly beyond the outer ring in differing directions. It had eight wings which were made of crystallized water that took the appearance of jagged black ice crystals with only a vaguely wing-like shape.

Accel was still processing the sight when Ruiko's phone which had miraculously managed to survive the long and perilous journey across Russia suddenly began to ring. Turning to his girlfriend, he saw her check her Caller ID and her face flush in surprise.

He could feel her. He was a little surprised too. To prevent anyone from using her phone to track them, he'd removed the SIM card. So how was anyone calling them?

He was about to ask her who it was but Ruiko just raised a hand.

"I have to take this."

Accel frowned at what she said. Considering their situation, who in the world was important enough to demand she answer her call? Before he could press her to answer that, she cut him off.

"Whilst I take the call, you can find out what that's about. And before you do something stupid, they're allies." She said as she pointed skyward in the eastward direction.

Blinking in confusion, Accel turned towards where she was pointing and saw a small fleet of City transport planes paradropping a small army's worth of troops. It seemed like his wrecking of that City Powered Suit that was chasing that ITEM girl and her boytoy hadn't gone unnoticed. Though at least Ruiko was right, these guys were allies.

He recognized the half dozen humanoid mechs with squat heads and a large shoulder mounted radar array, armed with a particularly heavy battery of two heavy particle cannons paired with two medium autocannons, one of each set mounted on each arm, and a pair of backup medium particle cannons split between either side of the machine's torso. Based on what he remembered from the intel packets that Ruiko forced him to read, they were Maniple's Rifleman Mobile Weapons. Mechs that had been in development, repurposing and borrowing from other mecha projects along the way, since the Silent Party Incident where the need for an anti-air platform had been made clear.

Maniple? What is Maniple doing here? Why are they here? Accelerator thought with a frown.

But Accel's attention soon turned away from the soldiers and the Mobile Weapons parachuting to the ground nearby and instead focused on an advanced VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) jet that was coming in for a landing right in front of him and Ruiko in the open space in the Elizalina Alliance base they were currently in.

And who the hell could that be? Accel wondered as he watched the incoming VTOL approach warily. If they're with Maniple then they're allies like Ruiko said but who are they exactly?

He had barely finished thinking those questions when the door to the VTOL opened and out of the lowered stairs rushed out the twins and Last Order with Kiyama acting as a chaperone and that Frenda girl that the Trinity had newly hired acting as their bodyguard. A state of affairs that left Accel stunned.

In contrast, Ruiko, freshly done with her call, just smiled and warmly greeted the new arrivals.

"Hello Kaa-san, Frenda-chan, girls!"

---

"Hello Kaa-san, Frenda-chan, girls!" Ruiko greeted her mother, friend and daughters warmly as they hurriedly stepped down the boarding ramp of the VTOL that they had flown in on.

She would have been surprised to see them except for the fact that the interlocutor on the other side of the call she had just concluded had already informed her that they were on their way. Hence, there was nothing for it but to welcome them with as much cheer as she could muster in her unenviable situation.

Her warmth was wasted however as ignoring it entirely, Kaa-san practically ran to her side and grabbing hold of her arm, began dragging her towards the recently landed plane. "Save the pleasantries, Ruiko. Hurry onto the plane. I've set things up onboard for a treatment that should help with your condition."

"Hello, Mama, Papa~!" Ruiko's little girls chorused adorably in a display of etiquette that it seemed neither their father nor grandmother could manage, with Order-chan cutely adding in her standard Sister way, "Misaka Misaka greets."

Even Frenda-chan, now thankfully seemingly fully healed from the injuries she'd sustained during the Battle Royale Incident, managed a greeting. Looking lovely as always as she did so. "Hi, Saten-sama, Accelerator-sama."

I can understand Accel, but honestly must Kaa-san be such a harridan? She's setting such a bad example for my girls. Ruiko thought with a dismayed shake of her head as she nevertheless let her mother drag her into the VTOL, everyone else trailing behind them.

As if reading her mind, Janie-chan echoed Ruiko's thoughts. "Oba-chan, you didn't return Mama's greeting! That's rude."

"Now isn't the time for that, Janie-chan." Kaa-san insisted as they climbed into the interior of the jet and she hurried them into a rear compartment that on this model of plane was typically the cargo hold. "Getting your Mama treatment is more important."

"But your treatment method won't even work!" Febrie-chan countered with an angry pout.

"Maybe not," Kaa-san conceded as they entered the cargo hold which had been converted into a medical bay dominated by a Testament machine. A machine that Kaa-san immediately began to hook Ruiko up to. "But it's something that we should try anyway."

"It won't work?" Accel asked, seemingly finally getting over his confusion at the sudden arrival of Kaa-san, Frenda-chan and their daughters.

"The Network gives it a less than 10% chance of having any effect at all. Misaka Misaka informs her Papa disappointedly." Order-chan said with a shake of her head.

Frowning at that assessment, Accel turned to her. "Ruiko?"

"I have no idea." She told him honestly as she obliged her mother by lying down on the Testament machine's bed and putting on its bulky headset. "I have no idea what the principles of Kaa-san's supposed cure are, so I cannot assess its potential effectiveness."

"My treatment's principles are simple enough," Kaa-san began explaining as she finished securing the Testament's headset and began making final adjustments to the machine's parameters. "I am going to use the Testament to input a programme into Ruiko's mind and through it, her AIM body, that will help her forge a new anchor to the physical world so she won't get lost in her AIM field."

"That might work but-"

"It won't. Misaka Misaka insists." Order-chan cut in, sounding mightily frustrated. "Using the Testament to alter Mama's brainwaves to strengthen her connection to the physical world isn't enough. Misaka Misaka argues."

"Yeah! Mama's consciousness isn't even fully seated in her physical brain but spread throughout her AIM body! Altering it with the Testament is like a drop in the ocean for all the good it'll do!"

Janie-chan nodded in agreement to her twin before adding. "At best, it'll be a temporary fix. Any changes it makes would be quickly reverted or bypassed by Mama's greater consciousness just like how a normal brain makes new connections to bypass damaged neurons. And that's if it does anything at all."

Even though her daughters were essentially arguing that her mother's attempt to save her was futile, Ruiko couldn't help but smile with pride at how they were doing so. They were sounding so smart!

"I know all that! But we have to try!" Kaa-san confessed as she activated the Testament.

The desperation in her tone seemed to silence any further objections and the room at large. A silence that reigned for a full minute before it was broken at last by Accel.

"How long will this treatment take?"

"It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for a first treatment."

"First treatment?"

"Like the girls explained, even if it works, this treatment is at best temporary." Kaa-san said, sounding exhausted. Though after a sigh, she seemed to recover some of her energy and continued. "But if it does work, there should be significant improvement for as long as its effects last."

"And how long is that?" Frenda-chan asked, sounding as worried as Accel had been.

"However long it takes Ruiko's consciousness to bypass, suppress, or revert the changes. I will need to observe her response to this treatment before I can make any conclusions."

"In other words, you don't know, do you? Just how experimental is this 'treatment'?"

"It's as unprecedented as Ruiko's condition." Kaa-san snapped back in response to Accel's accusation.

"Frenda-chan, are they glaring at each other?" Ruiko asked into the silence that followed the previous heated exchange, curious despite herself and unable to see for herself thanks to her vision being obscured by the Testament headset.

"Yup." Her friend chirped, faux amusement only barely hiding her concern for Ruiko's condition.

"Thought so." Ruiko said with a giggle.

A laugh that she kept going on a slow burn for the few minutes it took for the Testament to finish running the cycle that Kaa-san had programmed into it. Usually such cycles, designed to implant information directly into or otherwise influence a subject's brain by sending out electrical signals directly into the organ, took longer. But at a guess, Kaa-san had designed the recently concluded cycle as something of an experiment to see if her approach to treating Ruiko's condition was even viable, hence its simplicity. She imagined if it yielded positive results, Kaa-san would design a more thorough cycle to put her through.

"Ruiko, did it work?" Kaa-san asked hopefully as the machine powered down.

"I'm sorry Kaa-san, but I'm afraid not." Ruiko told her mother apologetically as she removed the Testament helmet. "My connection to the physical Phase is no stronger than before."

"A-Are you sure?" Kaa-san asked, looking absolutely heartbroken.

"If Mama says it didn't then it didn't, Oba-chan." Frenda-chan said, stepping in between Ruiko and her mother, shooting her grandmother a cross look as she 'defended' her Mama.

"M-Maybe we need to try a-another cycle?"

"It won't help, Kaa-san." Ruiko said, shaking her head. "The twins were right. My physical brain's influence on my consciousness is too small. Manipulating it through the Testament doesn't have enough of an impact to make a difference to my condition."

"Saten-sama, are you sure?" Frenda-chan, asked her concern practically dripping from her every word.

"I'm su-" Ruiko began, only for her blonde friend to apologetically raise a hand to signal for silence whilst her other hand snapped to the earpiece she was wearing. Whatever she was hearing must've been quite concerning because it brought a nasty frown to the Norwegian's pretty face.

"What's up?" Accel asked, shooting Frenda-chan a suspicious look.

"That was Kurozuma-san." The blonde Dark Sider said as she lowered her hand from her earpiece. "He's commanding the Maniple troops we brought with us, and he just reported that the Elizalina base we're in just came under attack."

"By whom?" Ruiko asked, even as she had her suspicions. Frenda-chan was discreet about it but she didn't miss how she cast a glance in Order-chan's direction when she mentioned the attack.

"It looks like a group of strange Sisters." Frenda-chan said, confirming Ruiko's suspicion.

"I had hoped we'd seen the last of those Third Season Sisters." Ruiko said with a frown even as Accel just froze in horror.

"Third Season Sisters?" Kaa-san asked with a frown as she turned to the only Sister present. "Order-chan, who are they?"

Her eldest daughter squirmed uncomfortably at the question and in response, Ruiko's maternal instincts kicked in and she chose to shield her from her grandmother's inquisition by answering on Order-chan's behalf.

"They're a fresh batch of clones the City produced. Accel and I had the displeasure of running into one recently."

Her boyfriend shuddered at the reminder of the encounter and how it had ended with Ruiko having been forced to kill that particular clone. A response that had her swiftly moving to reassure him, "Accel, you won't have to fight any of these clones."

"Like hell I won't, I need to protect our fa-"

"Accel!" Ruiko cut him off. "A family protects each other and right now, I am protecting you by not forcing you to fight someone who you can't."

Hearing that, Accel shot her a look that was a curious mix of awe and disgruntlement at once. Unfazed, she just offered him a smile before turning to her friend and subordinate.

"Could I trouble you to take care of the Third Season clones, Frenda-chan?"

"I would honestly prefer to stay by your side and keep you safe till you're cured, Saten-sama, but if that's what you need me to do-"

Ruiko was touched enough by the dedication she was being offered that she blushed brilliantly and offered her friend a bright smile as she replied, "I'm sorry, Frenda-chan, but it is."

"Then leave the defense of the base to me." Frenda-chan assured her with a playful salute. "No one's getting past me."

"I know they won't." Ruiko agreed with a giggle, though she quickly smothered her amusement to add sincerely. "Thank you, Frenda-chan."

"Just doing my job, Saten-sama." Frenda-chan said, dismissing Ruiko's thanks with a wave. "Can you do one thing for me though?"

"What is it?"

"I dunno how you'll manage it but get yourself cured, okay?"

"I'll do everything I can to make that happen." Ruiko assured her.

Frenda-chan nodded at that with satisfaction before turning on her heel and hurrying off the VTOL to presumably join or lead the base's defense. No sooner had she left the room however when Elizalina, eponymous leader of the country they were currently in, entered it whilst looking harried.

"You need to flee this area immediately." The frail blonde haired woman with slightly sunken eyes said, looking at Accel in particular.

"Like hell we do," Accel said with a roll of his eyes. "We can take care of ourselves. Or didn't you see the small army that just came to reinfo-"

"It is not the City that you need to flee from." Elizalina said, cutting him off and pointing at the briefcase containing the parchments that they had recovered when they were attacked on the train and which Accel had made sure to keep close at all times since they had acquired it. "You must flee because those documents must never be allowed to fall into Fiamma of the Right's hands. If I am correct, its contents are a missing piece of the magic that he needs to complete his plans."

"That doesn't change anything." Accel shot back stubbornly. "If that asshole Fiamma comes for it then he'll have to get through me first and I'm no pushover."

At this, Elizalina and Accel began to argue but Ruiko ignored them or the other argument that had just broken out between Kaa-san and her daughters as her mother once more tried to insist on trying another round of her failed treatment and her girls tried to convince her that it wouldn't work. Instead, she looked into the Imaginary Number District.

She was nowhere near the City and her access to it should've been tenuous due to the distance from the physical anchor of the Phase, but distance in the physical world had little impact on other Phases. Plus since the Sisters had been scattered around the world, the AIM field that supported the Imaginary Number District had likewise reached global proportions, which made access all the way here in Elizalina far easier than it otherwise would be.

"Are you sure about this, Onee-sama?" Hyouka asked as they stood next to each other on top of the Phase's recreation of the Windowless Building and looked out into the distance in the direction that in the physical Phase would correspond with facing Fiamma of the Right's sky fortress.

Ruiko nodded resolutely. "For the sake of the world, we need to defeat Fiamma, and that means we need to get past the Angel he's summoned. That means we need your power, Hyouka."

"I know but if you use your power to allow me to manifest my Angel Mode in the physical Phase, you might…"

"It's worth the risk." Ruiko replied with a grim smile. "The General Superintendent has promised that he will take care of our family if the worst happens if I do this."

"And you trust him?"

"I trust him to do what is in his best interest, and defeating Fiamma is exactly that."

Hyouka simply frowned, clearly unconvinced. However, seemingly realizing she could not dissuade Ruiko, she just nodded in resigned acceptance.

"Thank you, Hyouka." Ruiko said before, without waiting for a reply, she pulled her mind away from the Imaginary Number District and returned its focus to the physical Phase where she proceeded to slip off the bed of the Testament machine and walked over to her daughters to pull them into a single tight hug.

"Order-chan, Janie-chan, Frenda-chan." She said, kissing her daughters' foreheads in turn as she said their names. "I love you."

Her girls melted at her affection but its sudden unsolicited demonstration had Kaa-san and Accel turning to look at her with suspicion.

"Ruiko, what are you doing?"

Ignoring the question, Ruiko just offered her mother as sweet a smile as she could manage. "Kaa-san, I love you."

Kaa-san's eyes widened with worry and she reached to grab her, but Ruiko had expected that and expertly pulled away from the hug with her own daughters and sidestepped Kaa-san's attempt. And as her mother stumbled past her, she walked over to Accel and pulled him into a passionate kiss. One full of all her love for her albino knight.

She would have liked to kiss him longer but she knew if she did, Kaa-san would recover and restrain her or someone else there would catch on to what she intended and otherwise stop her. So she pulled away far too soon for her liking.

It was sadly not her only regret.

I wish I could say farewell to Frenda-chan, Naru-chan, Mikoto-senpai, Kazari, my siblings, and my other family and friends too, but I can't…

"Ruiko, what the hell are you doing?"

Her answer to his worried question was to take a big step back and offer him a sad smile.

Simultaneously, in the Imaginary Number District, Ruiko finally turned away from peering eastward to look at her sister. "Hyouka, I'm ready. Are you?"

Her sister's frown deepened but she nevertheless nodded.

Back in the physical Phase, ignoring Accel and Kaa-san's pleas for her to stop, Ruiko activated her Angel Mode and transformed herself into a living Idol to provide Hyouka a template for a body in the physical Phase which she could use to do battle against Fiamma's Angel. A move that promptly caused her body to freeze and her mind to start to blank out as she was overwhelmed by a surge of AIM echoes, both those from whom she derived her emulated abilities and those of the innumerable Espers that contributed to the existence of the Imaginary Number District. And as she lost consciousness, whilst keeping an image of her family and friends in her mind's eye, she had one last thought…

I love you all!

---

Accel had known something was wrong the moment that Ruiko had suddenly hugged and kissed their daughters. She had always been an affectionate parent but not overly so and just up and kissing them and declaring her love for their girls was the epitome of that. His concern only spiked further when she suddenly expressed her love for mother. But then she was dodging the older woman's attempts to grab her and pulling him into a kiss.

They had shared kisses before. Some of them even got quite steamy. However, they all paled in comparison to this kiss. It was like Ruiko was pouring all her feelings for him into this one locking of lips. Could he be blamed for being lost in it for a moment?

He snapped out of it quickly though and as Ruiko stepped back, he immediately demanded answers. "Ruiko, what the hell are you doing?"

Instead of replying, his beautiful girlfriend just offered him a sad smile, causing his heart to sink as he realized that whatever she planned to do, it was going to be immensely stupid. As such, even though it was futile, Ruiko would not give him the time to stop her from doing whatever she intended, he nevertheless had to try and stop her.

"Ruiko, don't do it!" He screamed as Kiyama likewise shouted at her daughter to stop.

But neither of their voices swayed Ruiko from activating her Angel Mode by growing a pair of wings sporting rainbow colored feathers and a similarly prismatic halo, but becoming frozen a living statue.

Next to him, Ruiko's transformation caused the Elizalina woman to gasp in shock but Accel ignored her. He had no time for any woman except Ruiko at the moment. That was why he was startled when his daughters reacted to their mother's latest foolish move by rushing to her side.

"It's time to heal Mama!" Febrie-chan declared confidently as she stood to one side of Ruiko.

"Um." Janie-chan agreed with a nod as she stood on Ruiko's other side. "We'll save Mama like she saved us."

"Yup! Misaka Misaka says with a nod. Mama is always saving us, it's time for us to save her instead. Misaka Misaka reasons." Shortstuff said as she pulled out a pair of headbands from a pouch she had slung over her shoulders and handed them over to the twins.

"What do you three mean? What do you intend to do?" Kiyama questioned, her voice a mix of worry and hope.

Shortstuff offered her grandmother a reassuring smile and began to explain. "The Misaka Network has been researching magic lately in a bid to dissect what Index-san did during the invasion of Academy City in the hopes of possibly replicating it. Misaka Misaka confesses. And thanks to that we've realized that Index-san's spell simply focused on drawing Mama's consciousness out from the AIM diffusion field. Misaka Misaka elaborates. So that's what we're going to do too, but we're gonna make a more permanent connection for Mama to the physical Phase. Misaka Misaka explains."

"Unless you intend to use magic which according to what Ruiko told me, Espers like us can't, you'd need to be able to influence AIM to do that. Sisters like you aren't AIM manipulators and Janie-chan and Febrie-chan aren't direct manipulators either and even if they were, they aren't anywhere high Level enough to pull off what you've described."

"You're right Papa." Febrie nodded as she finished putting on the headband that her eldest sister had handed her. "But that's why Janie-chan and I will be temporarily linking up to the Misaka Network to boost our computational power and through that, our AIM manipulation powers."

"And how will you do that?" Accel asked, eyeing the headbands suspiciously.

"With these," Janie-chan said as she tapped her own headband. "Order-nee got the Council of Misakas to help make them based on the design of Papa's choker. They will give me and Febrie-chan a temporary connection to the Network."

"Kiyama, will this work?" Accel asked, shooting the scientist a questioning look.

"It might…" The perpetually exhausted looking woman said, trailing off in cautious hope.

"Alright, girls. Then let's give this a try."

"Yes, Papa~!" The trio chorused in that saccharine sweet way that always seemed to make Ruiko smile but make him want to groan in embarrassment. He was too tense to feel the latter at the moment though, instead taking a calming breath to ease his nerves.

Though that proved unnecessary as his anxiety was soon eased by the soothing melody created by his daughters as with Shortstuff acting as conductor, the three of them sung a familiar song that he had last heard when the Hero's nun used it to treat Ruiko during the Academy City invasion.

A song that prompted Elizalina, who for some reason was still there, to gasp. "T-This is impossible! This is magic! How are Espers performing magic and of such a high level without harm to themselves!?"

Accel knew this wasn't magic. He'd learned enough about magic to know the difference, but he didn't care enough to correct the Magician. All that he cared about was that this actually worked. And as this seemed to fit exactly what that damned monstrosity DRAGON said would cure Ruiko, he was feeling cautiously hopeful.

This better work!

---

When she had activated her Angel Model, Ruiko had known she would become lost in the sea of AIM fields that was her own AIM body and the greater Imaginary Number District. She had been prepared for that and the likelihood that her consciousness would be forever lost in that maelstrom, never to regain an awareness of herself ever again. In short, she had been prepared to die.

Thus she was shocked when she not only regained a sense of self but that it was accompanied by the sound of her three daughters' voices joining together in singing a wonderful song. With the music of the song still echoing all around her, Ruiko was still trying to process the shock that she had somehow cheated death again when her vision returned to her and her eyes opened on the Imaginary Numbers District and she gasped as she saw something in the shimmery copy of Academy City that most definitely should not be there.

"Janie-chan! Febrie-chan! What-How are you here?"

"We're here to save you, Mama!" Janie-chan said with an uncharacteristically brave nod from the more shy of the twins.

"Yup! We're going to cure Mama!" Febrie-chan added with her usual enthusiasm.

"What do you mean?" Ruiko asked, confused by the whole situation.

Grabbing her hands, the twins, ever obedient, dutifully explained.

"During the invasion of the City, according to the Misaka Network's analysis, Mama was temporarily cured by creating a temporary anchor to the physical world." Febrie-chan began.

"So to permanently cure Mama, we will just have to create an equally permanent anchor." Janie-chan finished.

"Alright, that makes sense I suppose." Ruiko allowed. "But how will we construct this anchor?"

If things were really as simple as the girls portrayed it then Ruiko would've cured herself long ago. The logic behind what they were proposing was sound but the implementation was where it fell apart. The fact of the matter was that Index-san had created the anchor that had helped stabilize her condition during the invasion using magic, and try as Ruiko might, she had been unable to duplicate the feat with the abilities and resources available to her.

"It's simple, Mama. We'll use love!" The twins said in the kind of perfect unison that if she didn't know better was something they practiced whenever she wasn't looking.

Ruiko just blinked in confusion and would've demanded they elaborate but her twin daughters had already moved to demonstrate what they meant and whilst still holding her hands with one of their own, began reaching out into the distance with their free hands. In response, a shimmering image of Accel appeared next to the three of them before quickly transforming into a bolt of fabric that seemed to stretch impossibly into the distance. A length of fabric that the twins promptly draped over Ruiko's body. And as it did, as her AIM field became entwined with Accel's, Ruiko felt a comforting weight settle over her body, helping to tie her to Accel and the physical Phase of the world that he inhabited.

T-This… I can replicate this! Ruiko thought, her eyes wide in amazement at the process that the twins had discovered. It wasn't quite the same as what Index-san's magic had created and it was far less efficient, with this one enmeshing of AIM fields only being a fraction of the stabilizing force of the magic forged anchor, but it functioned in the same way and that was all that really mattered. Besides, since Ruiko could replicate this method, she could easily recreate her anchor whenever it began to fray, unlike her absolute inability to recreate the magical equivalent.

"Mama, do you know what to do now?"

"Yes." Ruiko said with a shaky nod, still too surprised to manage any better. "Did the Misaka Network figure out how to do this?"

"They helped process the computations needed to make it possible." Janie-chan confessed, gesturing at the headbands that she and her twin wore in their hair that upon closer inspection Ruiko recognized as being similar devices to Accel's choker.

"But," Febrie-chan continued. "It was Janie-chan and I who came up with the idea."

"Thank you, Janie-chan, Febrie-chan." Ruiko said, offering her twins a grateful smile.

"Don't thank us yet, Mama." Janie-chan said with a shake of her head. "We have to finish the anchor and cure you first."

"Yes, you're right." Ruiko said, offering her middle daughter an amused smile as she began pulling on the AIM fields of her loved ones, causing them to coalesce around them in shimmering images. In a circle around them now stood almost ghostly projections of her three daughters, Frenda-chan, Naru-chan, Mikoto-senpai, Kazari, Kuroko-san, Hyouka, and her siblings. All of which the twins proceeded to transform into bolts of endless fabric that they draped over Ruiko's AIM body. And with each AIM field she found herself entwined with, Ruiko felt her connection to the physical Phase strengthen but it was still not enough. It was close but still not enough.

"More!" Janie-chan urged.

"Yes, more!" Febrie-chan agreed.

"Yes, we need more." Ruiko added with a nod.

And so the three of them reached out again, drawing in the AIM fields of her friends and causing images of Kurozuma-san, Konori-senpai, Shutaura-san, and her other friends to materialize around her.

This can work! This will work! I will be cured. Ruiko thought as her heart was filled with a growing confidence that she might not be doomed after all.

---

The flow of time, like all laws of physics, could flow differently in other Phases when compared to the physical Phase. Sometimes, those laws weren't even constant from one instant to the next within a single Phase. And thus despite time in the Imaginary Number District usually flowing normally, even though Ruiko and her twins took hours within said Phase working to forge her new anchor to the physical Phase, only a couple of minutes actually passed in the latter.

Thus precious little time had passed since she had assumed her Angel Mode and she unexpectedly once more regained awareness of the physical world. And the first thing she did was reach forward and pull her eldest daughter, who was standing in front of her conducting her sisters in singing the song that had saved her, into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Order-chan." Ruiko said, kissing the girl's forehead. "Thank you for helping your sisters save me by supporting them with the Misaka Network."

"I-It was nothing Mama. Misaka Misaka said bashfully as she hides her blush by pressing her face into Mama's bosom." Her eldest said as she did exactly what she described herself doing in her verbal tic. "I would do anything to save Mama. Misaka Misaka says honestly."

"I know and I can't thank you enough for that." Ruiko said, tightening her hug slightly to give her daughter an added affectionate squeeze.

Order-chan melted into her embrace at that and Ruiko smiled at that before turning to either side, kissing the twins' foreheads in turn too. "I know I told you already, Janie-chan, Febrie-chan, but thank you."

"Ruiko!" Kaa-san said as she raced over, put her hands on her chin and forced her to look her in the eyes. "A-Are you really cured? Did the girls really save you?"

"They did, Kaa-san. I'm cured." Ruiko told her with a confident nod.

"Ruiko, you're sure?" Accel asked from behind Kaa-san.

Popping her head out from behind her mother's back so she could properly see him, Ruiko offered him a smile she hoped conveyed her love for him before she nodded. He began to breathe a sigh of relief at that, but Ruiko was not done with him. Thus before he had even finished breathing in, she teleported in front of him and used the wings of her still active Angel Mode to pull him close and kiss him passionately. So passionately in fact that it put their earlier kiss to shame. This time she was in no rush after all.

Thus after what felt like a blissful eternity but was really only a couple of minutes, they finally pulled apart and she finally gave him the verbal assurance that he was looking for. "Yes, Accel, I'm cured now and I know how to stay cured."

"What does that mean?" Accel asked curiously. He wasn't the only one looking interested in an explanation. Kaa-san did too. Even Elizalina-sama who was still there for some reason seemed to share a desire to know more.

Sadly, they would have to wait to get the answers they were looking for. "I don't have time to explain."

With her AIM sense, she could sense Hyouka nearby and currently using a great deal of her power.

She must be fighting Fiamma's Angel.

Ruiko had faith in her sister of course, but this was an Angel! Even if they themselves were Angels as well, fighting such a powerful creature would never not be a dangerous endeavor.

I have to go help her.

"Ruiko, what do you mean? Why don't you have time?"

"Yeah, Ruiko, what's the rush?"

Ignoring Kaa-san and Accel, Ruiko turned to their hostess. "Would you be willing to continue hosting my family and help to keep them safe, Elizalina-sama?"

The Magician eyed Ruiko's Angelic appearance in a wary appraisal for a long moment before nodding.

Offering her a grateful smile for her generosity, Ruiko turned to her family.

"I need to go help Hyouka defeat Fiamma of the Right and save the world now." Ruiko said, only realizing how overdramatic that sounded after the words left her mouth.

Urgh! Since when have I started taking after Naru-chan? Ruiko thought with a mental grimace.

Not even noticing her faux pas, Kaa-san moved to object but before she could manage more than a disapproving noise, the girls cut her off.

"Go be a hero, Mama!"

"We'll cheer you on!"

"Mama go save the world already so I can brag about it to Fumiki-chan. Misaka Misaka teases."

Ruiko giggled at Order-chan's joke even as the twins rounded on her and began chiding her for being self-centered. Deciding to leave it to them to sort things out between themselves, Ruiko just shook her head at her daughters' behavior and turned to Accel.

"Take care of our family while I'm away, would you, Accel?"

"Leave it to me." He said with a nod, though not without a frown. Clearly unhappy to be asked to stay behind whilst she was rushing off into battle.

To be honest, she'd be more than happy for him to join her and Hyouka in fighting Fiamma's Angel. His own Angel Mode was more than powerful enough to allow him to pull his own weight. But if he did join them then there would be no one to protect their family if the enemy Angel got past them. And she wasn't about to let him go fight alongside Hyouka in her stead. She was her sister, supporting her in battle was her duty.

That said, all the reasoning in the world, no matter how justified, did not make it any easier to leave. Thus, before she lost her nerve, she teleported in front of Accel, and ignoring the intrusive thought that she would like a chance to kiss Frenda-chan too, she pulled him into one last kiss and before her boyfriend, or anyone else, could respond, she teleported away to join the fight raging in the Russian skies.

---

"Nrg~" Naru groaned as she tossed and tossed in her sleep until she finally awoke from her fitful sleep and her bright blue eyes fluttered open. The moment she did, her situational awareness kicked in and she shot up from the bed she had found herself in. Looking around, she was surprised to discover that she seemed to be in what appeared to be an old fashioned ship cabin that would not have been out of place in an old period movie.

"Where the heck am-Aiii!" The blonde yelped as she turned her head to see a zombie of all things in an outdated state of dress by her bedside.

Instincts when dealing with zombies kicked in and she hastily completed the required computations and converted her chakra into fire which she proceeded to have crawl along her digits as she got ready to thrust a flaming claw forward to incinerate the offending undead that had startled her. Before she could however, the slamming of the door to the cabin caught her attention and pulled her short.

"If you toss that fire, petite dame, and attack my crew, know that I'll throw you overboard!" A voice shouted from the door, prompting Naru to turn towards it to see a man entering the cabin.

He was a black haired man with a relatively unkempt beard and dressed in the same period clothes as the first zombie and was, most importantly, surrounded by undead. Not just a pair of similarly dressed and heavily armed zombies that stood behind him like bodyguards, but also a trio of tortured looking ghosts that orbited around him.

Dammit, I hate Necromancers! Naru groaned inwardly as she kept her fire roaring in her palm. "No attack here, no siree. Just warming myself up."

"Um, just to ask though, who are you? Where am I? And why am I here? Also, is this a kidnapping or not? Just to be sure."

It was an important question for a young fabulous lady like herself after all.

The unkempt man narrowed his eyes and replied in an aggressive tone. "You're on my ghost ship, fillette. One that's animated by my necromancy. According to the deal between Academy City and the Magic Side and various world nations, we've temporarily set aside our differences to take out Fiamma of the Right."

"The douchebag." Naru narrowed her eyes.

"Yes." The man nodded in agreement. "And as part of the deal, I've been tasked by my superiors to help Academy City ferry your arse to where Fiamma is holed up like the wastrel he is. I don't like it and frankly, fillette, I don't like you or your detestable city."

Wow! Thanks for the compliment, asshole. The Esper thought as she scowled at his words.

"Though I do have to give credit where it's due." He grunted and leaned back against the door of the cabin. "Setting that anomaly Zetsu on fire just before I got there to grab ya? Priceless. Caught it on my spyglass as I was coming in. Good work. For an Esper."

"Thanks?" Naru managed as she tilted her head at the tonal whiplash. One second the guy was saying how much he hated the City and her kind and the next he was complimenting her? Talk about bipolar! Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she asked. "Why did the City call you when they could have sent their own units for the lift?"

"Ha! It's obviously because they knew their grunts wouldn't make the cut, fillette. Or, if I was a more charitable sort, they just wanted insurance." He snorted while picking his teeth with a fingernail.

In that case, it's probably the latter. Naru grumbled in her head. "Still, thanks for picking me up before that blob could take me into the night for his nefarious plans while I was out of it."

Not wanting to play dungeon again?

Oh, hey Kurama. Awake now? And duh, last time was not fun.

I was already awake, just trying to figure out our new friend.

And the verdict is?

As a pirate Magician? Don't let him touch your booty.

…Boo! That was lame! Be ashamed of yourself! Naru replied with a grin as she felt a good deal of her tension and worry bleed away at the silly joke and light-hearted banter with her partner. Kurama really knew how to make her feel better.

The scraggly Magician regarded her with an odd look. "I'm surprised how polite you are, since you're from Academy City and all, I thought you'd be more of an arrogant harridan."

"Wh-Wha-!?" The blonde sputtered, shocked and aghast! She bit her tongue, keeping a tongue lashing insult from flying at her host. Instead, she coughed into her hand and said. "Sir, I am an ojou-sama, manners are chiseled into us. Why would I not be thankful to someone who aided me?"

"Hm," He grunted, regarding her with a pleased look. "Well, I am getting paid handsomely to ferry a dainty dame such as yourself, and that's the only reason you aren't in a hole somewhere."

"Again, you have my utmost gratitude." Naru smiled brightly, playing up her ojou-sama training. Who knew it would actually come in handy.

Yes, amazing what being polite and nice can get you.

Hush you, no sass right now.

The man rubbed his beard, pondering something as he eyed Naru and apparently coming away satisfied, offered her a grin. "Well, as a gentleman myself, I'll get those clothes of yours laundered. Won't do for a petite dame not looking her best, non?"

The Level 5 looked down at the dirty mess that her stylish outfit had been reduced to due to her fight with Kurama's siblings. Grimacing a little at how ragged her clothes were, she shifted to give her host a smile. "I will happily accept this offer, sir."

"Good." He snapped his fingers and a zombie shuffled in, carrying a pile of clothes. Clothes that once they were laid out on the bed, looked like authentic peasant attire from the Golden Age of Piracy, just like what the Necromancer and his zombies wore. Except they were women's clothes.

It consisted of a corset, a dark green apron, a lighter green dress and a white shirt collared shift.

A c-corset?! Naru thought as looked at the aforementioned garment with a blush that was a result of both embarrassment and indignation. Is he trying to tell me something?!

Well, to be fair, you are just above a pettanko.

What?! Naru roared at her partner. My breasts are perfectly normal for a girl my age! Shu-chan loves them like this and Arisa-chan loves to tease them, relentlessly! They told me they are as cute as I am!

Of course, these are the girls who love you, so… Kurama, the sower of chaos added with an amused lilt. Naru growled at him mentally.

At the same time, she shot the Necromancer with a skeptical look. "Um, are you implying something with the corset?"

"Fillette, what are you going on about?" He asked, blinking in confusion.

"A-Aren't corsets for, you know." Naru blushed, covering her small chest a little. Most of what she knew about corsets were from the porn she watched and in them, they existed almost entirely to be fetish gear.

"...You Japanese, honestly you fetishize everything!" The Frenchman said as he palmed his face, rubbing his eyes in annoyance before looking at her with mild ire. "No, a corset, fillette, does not just exist to enhance the bust of a woman. They are early braziers! And just like them, some do exactly what you think they do, but the vast majority do not! And never have! Their main purpose, like modern bras, are to provide support and stop a woman's breasts from swinging around uncomfortably. Honestly, for all that schooling Academy City is famous for, you don't even know that? Disgraceful!"

"Oh!" Naru blushed as Kurama guffawed in her mind.

You do remember you've worn dresses with bodices that use corsets as part of your modeling, right, Naru? Did those excessively 'enhance your bust' as our host so euphemistically put it?

I-I know that! I just, my mind went-!

To your lewd place, as per usual, you hyper horny bunny.

I'm not a horny bunny! Naru confessed, crying tears of embarrassment in her mind.

Tell that to your browser history.

The Necromancer shook his head and added. "You could just wear your bra if you think I would attempt to sexualize a young dame, but if you do then you won't get a chance to have it laundered and it will stink of blood and battle."

"And um, th-the panties?" She asked, noticing the complete lack of said undergarments or any equivalents.

"What about them? Women back when my ship sailed the seven seas didn't wear them, so I don't have any onboard. Hell, the only women's clothing I had are what was raised with the ship when I summoned it from the dark depths. You should be lucky I had anything feminine at all, much less something in your size. And the only reason I had 'em was because some young children were aboard when it sank."

"Thank you kindly then for the effort, sir." She said, begrudgingly accepting them. She paused and regarded the man. "Sir? Can I get your name? I'd rather not keep calling you sir and such. It would be rude."

"Ha! I'm humbled enough to be called a sir. Call me Davy."

"Well, thank you for the clothes once more, Captain Davy."

"Just get changed. The sooner you get out of those dirty clothes, the sooner we can get them laundered and you can stop stinking up my ship. To that end, I'll give you some privacy." He said, pushing himself away from the door frame, brushing a sleeve as he did and snapped his fingers. In response, the zombie in the room shambled out to join the rest of his guards and followed him as he departed. One of the undead closed the door as they left, leaving Naru by her lonesome.

Getting to her feet, she stripped out of her bloody and dirty clothes. She looked at her lacy panties, contemplating on keeping them with her or not.

Naru, there isn't a guaranteed chance you'd get clean clothes in the near future. Take the chance while you can. I doubt a ghost ship of all things is anywhere as fast as a plane, so you'll have the time to get them cleaned. It's bound to take us days to get to our destination. Are you really going to wear the same panties for that long?

Ugh, why do you have to be all rational, Kurama! Naru whined a little as she grabbed the waistband of her panties and pulled them down and tossed them into the dirty pile. I better not trip on this skirt.

---

As Naru stepped out of the cabin, she hiked up her skirt as she daintily stepped out and made her way on deck to find her Necromancer host. As she did, she held the neatly folded bundle of her dirty clothes under the arm that wasn't busy keeping her from tripping over her skirt, intent on taking Captain Davy up on his offer to launder her clothes.

As the aforementioned Necromancer spotted her, he let out a whistle, drawing her attention. "Looking good, fillette. You'd fit right in if you had less skin and were missing a pulse, ha! Though I'm shocked you put on the apron. It came with the set, but I never said that it was strictly necessary."

The Esper shrugged, "Hey, I felt like committing to the part. Besides~" She did a little spin to show off her new outfit whilst smiling prettily. "I can pull it off I think."

"You can indeed." The captain said with a nod and a chuckle. "Considering you came looking for me, did you need something?"

In response, she held out her bundle of dirty clothes. "Here we go, as agreed. Please clean them when possible, thank you."

The man nodded and a zombie shambled forward, taking the bundle. "They'll be cleaned by the morrow."

With a determined look on her face, Naru asked as she glanced around. "How can I be helpful around the ship? I'd rather not just sit around and be a pretty face, Captain Davy."

The Magician regarded her with a thoughtful hum for a moment before with a smirk dancing across his face, he finally replied. "Oh, I think I might have an idea or two of what you can do to help out, fillette."

---

Two days later, Captain Davy had indeed offered Naru her freshly laundered clothing back, but that was not all, as they were accompanied by another set of unfamiliar clothing.

"What's this?" Naru asked curiously as she examined the additional outfit she'd been presented with.

"A set of pirate clothing in your size that I had my zombies put together whilst you slept last night from the various sets of clothing available from around the ship." The Necromancer said with a causal shrug.

"Thank you! I can't wait to try it out!" Naru said with genuine enthusiasm.

Part of that was because she was looking forward to seeing what kind of pirate outfit Captain Davy had managed to get for her, but the bigger part of that feeling came from the fact that the Necromancer handing it to her meant that her attempt at endearing herself to him had been a success! An attempt that had not been easy at all! It had required her to spend all of the last two days doing all manner of chores around the ship.

First, she had taken over cooking her and the Necromancer's meals in the ship's galleys.

And I still don't know why in the world you decided to do the cooking? You're moderate at best in the kitchen. Kurama teased, despite already knowing the answer.

In as good a mood as she was, Naru was more than happy to play along. Uh, hello? Like Science I want zombies cooking for me! What if they drop a part of themselves into it? I'm not into rotten meat!

In fact, she'd been so worried about this that she ended up serving the meals too.

Oh, and wasn't that the funniest. Even the Necromancer agreed if how he chuckled and had to remind you that you're his guest, not a cabin girl was any indication.

Please don't remind me. Naru shot back with a sigh. I'm just glad that he bought my excuse that I was just trying to earn my keep. I loathed to see what he might think if I told him the truth.

I'm pretty sure he knows or at least has some idea that you don't trust him and his zombies. Kurama said with a shrug. You did make it quite obvious when you insisted on washing your own clothes.

By Science he did! I didn't just wash my clothes, I also washed all the other clothes that the Necromancer and his zombie crew had set aside for washing too. That should muddy the waters enough to throw off any suspicions he might have. Naru insisted. Besides, can you blame me for being uncomfortable letting an unfamiliar guy, even a zombie, wash my panties? What if they did perverted stuff with it?

Kurama just laughed. And what's your excuse for helping the zombies scrub the deck and otherwise keep the ship clean?

That I got bored and wanted something to do. I mean, what else can I do? Play games on my phone? I was never into mobile games so I don't have any installed and with no reception, much less mobile data coverage, it's not like I can download any now.

Tsk, tsk, you're just conjuring excuses now.

Oh, shut up, Kurama!

Unfazed, the demon fox just chuckled in amusement. An action that earned him a raspberry which just prompted him to laugh even harder.

Thanks to her ability to have mental conversations with her partner in a blink of an eye, Naru concluded her discussion with Kurama, or more accurately stopped listening to him laughing at her expense, before the Necromancer even noticed her distraction. Thus, he just continued the conversation and with an amused grin, "We are at least a day away from our destination. So if you want to try it out like you said, this is your chance."

"Gotcha, Captain! I'm going to change right away!" Naru said as she raced off to her cabin.

A few minutes later, Naru returned to the deck where the Necromancer was waiting whilst dressed up in a stereotypical pirate outfit consisting of a brown embossed corset with gold trim, a light yellow cold-shoulder gauze blouse, black pants, red bandana, gold trimmed dark brown leather boots and a matching tricorn hat

"I like the look. I really do." Naru said honestly as she did a small twirl to show off how she looked for Captain Davy. "But is it really appropriate for the Siberian weather?"

"You do recall that the climate aboard his ship is controlled by magic, correct? It'll be fine. Though if you intend to wear the outfit after you get off, you should probably at minimum throw on your coat."

"Right. Thanks for the reminder about the coat."

"Don't mention it." The Necromancer saved with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Go do whatever you want, fillette. I've got nothing else for you."

Naru nodded. "Thanks again, Captain Davy. It's almost lunchtime, so I think it's about time I started cooking. Anything you'd like me to make?"

"I don't suppose you know how to prepare a decent Steak Tartare?"

"Nope, sorry." Naru said with an apologetic shake of her head. "I can manage a decent regular steak though."

Superhuman senses allowing her to gauge how cooked the meat was helped a lot.

"Then let's have some steak for lunch then."

"Steak for lunch, noted. Okay, I'll start cooking right away!" Naru shouted as she turned around and excitedly sprinted towards the galley, eager to start cooking. All the while ignoring the amused laughter of the Necromancer and Kurama filling her ears.

So she was finding doing chores to be unexpectedly fun, sue her for being unorthodox like that!

---

Naru had to admit as the siege line surrounding Fiamma's stronghold came into view that it was truly a sight to behold. So captivating was the view of thousands of soldiers and war machines that Naru had stood at the bow of Captain Davy's ship captivated by the sight even as it came in for its final approach.

She was so distracted by the sight that despite having decided to change into something more presentable, either her own clothes or the peasant dress she'd gotten from the Necromancer when she first got on board his ship, Naru was instead still dressed in her new pirate cosplay. Though remembering the man's advice, she had at least thrown her coat over it to account for the frigid bite of the Russian cold as she prepared to disembark from her memorable trip flying on an authentic zombie crewed pirate ghost ship

"Captain Davy, I wish you and your crew a farewell. Thank you for the hospitality you showed me." She bowed her head and smiled at the man as the ship finally came to a stop.

He huffed, looking both amused and gruff. "No worries fillette. You pulled your weight, that's more than a captain can ask for in a guest."

Nodding once more, Naru offered him a salute that he returned before she picked up the small duffle bag the captain's zombies had managed to source for her to carry her clothes and jumped off the ship. Just as she was about to crash into the ground, she conjured a surge of wind that proceeded to catch her and gently landed her on the snowy ground.

The small demonstration of her powers pulled a merry laugh from her host for the past few days and when she looked up at him, he shouted down to her. "You were a pleasant guest indeed! You are welcome to return for another voyage anytime!"

Naru flashed him a smile and gave a wave in reply before she turned to look around for the camp of the City's forces so she could report her arrival. Not seeing it nearby, she decided to take a walk, since Captain Davy had been ordered to deliver her to the City forces, they couldn't be that far away. She was sure if she kept walking, she'd soon run into signs of where they were.

Though, it seemed that her decision was not appreciated by those that surrounded her. This was demonstrated by how as she walked about, the Magicians who seemed to occupy this section of the siege lines kept giving her all sorts of dirty looks. What grumps! Seriously, they had a Necromancer and his zombie pirates docked above them and she was getting more hostility?

Science, do Magicians really hate us this much?

It's not just the Magicians that are directing their ill intent at us. Take a look to your left.

Naru did so and found a group of soldiers, who from their uniforms were part of some French regiment. And lo and behold, they were giving her the evil eye too.

Gosh, we really do have a terrible reputation, don't we? Naru thought as she couldn't help but wilt at the negativity being directed her way.

Hello, of course the City does!Taking into account the way your boss and the Directors conduct foreign relations, what did you expect?

Naru could only send him a mental nod and continued to look for friendly faces in the sea of Magicians, Church agents and other foreign military personnel.

Naru brightened up greatly once she struck gold at seeing her Shu-chan. Her raven haired girlfriend was wearing her ubiquitous bodysuit as an undersuit that was peeking out of the thick sweater, snow pants and a long coat that she had thrown over it as the beauty barked out orders to her Black Crows. She was so breathtaking that Naru stood there in honest admiration of the Saint-Esper Hybrid's charm for a minor eternity. An idyll that was finally broken when the older girl turned her way and spotted her, her onyx eyes lighting up as they did, and quickly handing over command over to one of her higher ranked Crows, she began making her way towards her with a pair of Crows following after her.

And it was definitely Shu-chan in charge of the body she shared with Arisa-chan at the moment. Arisa-chan wasn't that aggressive in her body language. The songstress was a more gentle soul than Shu-chan, or Naru herself, and it showed in her mannerisms. Where Shu-chan was, for a lack of a better word, aggressive in almost everything they did. Arisa-chan was gentle. Both were alluring but at the moment it was Shu-chan being a mighty military leader that was making Naru hot and bothered and hoping that she didn't stain her breeches. As having not changed into her own clothes, she was currently going commando.

She can give me orders any time. She thought, ignoring the look of exasperation that Kurama was giving her in her mind.

Rushing up to her girlfriends, Naru threw herself at them. "Shu-chan! Arisa-chan!"

She giggled as she was caught in the wiry arms of her loves. "Naru, I'm glad to see you."

Yep, it was Shu-chan with her taciturn demeanor, but small and soft smile. A smile which grew larger a moment later in the sign that Arisa-chan had taken over. And the first thing the gentler of her girlfriends did was tighten their hug. It was also Arisa-chan which used strong, yet gentle fingers to take hold of Naru's chin and guide her into a peck on the lips.

"Hello, Naru-chan."

The Level 5 couldn't help but blush like the schoolgirl she was. Even as Shu-chan put her down and in her kuudere way, coughed and said. "It's good to see you here."

Glancing at the shared body, Naru could tell, with some amusement, from the mix of body languages going on display that both of her girlfriends were in control right now. Things always got interesting when Shu-chan and Arisa-chan shared control like this, especially when they disagreed on what they wanted to do.

A cough came from behind them, making the trio turn to see the grizzled face of Crow Two. "Perhaps we should continue this reunion at our camp?"

He emphasized this point by glancing at the unhappy faces of the surrounding French troops and Magicians.

Getting the message, the two nodded.

"Shu-chan, lead the way?" Naru asked as she straightened her posture, attempting to look more professional despite her pirate cosplay.

Arisa-chan however impulsively caught Naru's hand, pulling her along in a much more merry march than what Shu-chan would have done. Heck! They were practically skipping! It was thus in this rather extravagant way, which was more suited to a stroll on a date than in the middle of a siege camp, that they made their way towards the rest of Shu-chan's Black Crows and their camp.

As they walked, Shu-chan sighed in that despondent manner that only she seemed capable of and Arisa-chan and Naru often teased her for being her true power as a Saint. "I'm truly sorry we weren't there for you when you had to face Black Zetsu, Naru. Sadly, we were deployed here to besiege Fiamma's fortress. No matter how much I attempted to argue that we could have been of more use taking that bastard down, the Board refused to approve our redeployment."

The body slumped, looking more depressed as Arisa-chan held her hand tighter as she grumbled. "And if we knew that your transport would be an honest to Science ghost ship of all things, we would have insisted on sending a proper plane to pick you up. Honestly, you had to travel with a bunch of zombies! How ghastly!"

"Look, girls, your concern is lovely, but I was fine! Honest!" Naru reassured the pair, offering them a loving smile. "I was able to fight him off on my own just fine. Kurama was amazing out there too."

Besides, I doubt the Black Crows would have helped. If anything, they would have been more liabilities. While they were knock-offs of my siblings, our opponents were still bijū. Even Kage level shinobi could barely keep up with us, let alone frail paramilitary forces.

Yeah, but with their powers as a Saint? Shu-chan and Arisa-chan could have changed the tide I bet.

Kurama snorted audibly in her mind. Yes, maybe if they have mastered their Saintly powers. As they are now? They would still be a liability.

Naru could only reluctantly agree to that. She wanted to believe in her girlfriends, but belief could only carry one so far on the battlefield.

Continuing on as if she hadn't just had an entire separate conversation with her partner, Naru said. "Look, I understand why you weren't there when I was attacked. It's not like you can control where the City deployed you. Besides! No one expected the Shinobi to pull something like this."

"Plus, the trip on the ghost ship was actually quite nice." Naru added with a giggle and gestured to her pirate attire, making a small pose. "I even got a pretty cool cosplay out of the deal."

"Oh, that is rather fetching. It certainly makes me want to plunder your booty." Arisa-chan teased with a flirty wink that soon turned into a scandalized look, showing Shu-chan had taken the reins.

"Honestly, Arisa, can you flirt without taking things in a lewd direction? I think it personally looks lovely on her and very historically accurate as well. The boots look, ehem, rather fetching."

"Oho, did someone find something new they like?" Arisa-chan said with a teasing lilt to her voice. "Should I be worried about you bursting our monthly budget on new boots?"

"Like you did with all those new racy panties you bought for no reason?"

"Oh, there was a very good reason for it and you know it, Miss Exhibitionist."

The blonde couldn't help but giggle at her girlfriends teasing one another like that. Still, she preened at the praise given to her by her loved ones. They thought she looked fetching! Gyah!

Their conversation and walk to the Black Crows' camp was interrupted however when there was a sudden, massive burst of light from behind them. A light that prompted them to all immediately spin around as soon as it faded and join everyone all around the siege lines surrounding Fiamma's stronghold in watching in awe as the base began floating skyward and as what looked like whole chunks of churches and cathedrals seemed to fly or teleport in from all directions and merge with the military base to form what looked like some kind of massive, vaguely cross shaped flying fortress.

Watching the flying fortress form as it floated up into the sky, Arisa-chan let out a disappointed whine as she began to lament her situation. "If only I knew how to use my magic properly! If I did, I'm pretty sure I could do something that could stop or at least hinder this somehow."

"We can't think too much about 'what-ifs'," Naru offered to her girlfriend comfortingly even as she tossed her duffel at Crow Two and readied for battle by donning her Jager Demon Frame. "We just have to make do with what we have at hand."

"Naru-chan is right, Arisa." Shu-chan added.

"I know." The former idol conceded with a sigh before shooting Naru a worried look. "Be careful out there, Naru-chan. You see that?" She said, pointing skyward at a white humanoid shape with eight jagged crystals for wings that was floating next to the flying fortress like a guardian and continued when Naru nodded. "That's a manifestation of the Archangel Gabriel. It is super powerful, so you better be careful when fighting it. Shu and I want you back to do naughty things with us when all this is over."

Shu-chan blushed as she took over their body, but did not dispute Arisa-chan's statement, instead simply adding. "Stay safe, Naru-chan."

"You too, Shu-chan, Arisa-chan." Naru told her girlfriends sincerely before with a last longing look, Naru pushed aside her desire to stay by the side of the loves of her life and flew off to attack the cross shaped flying fortress.

There was a mad Magician to bring down.

---

It had been yet another long day of keeping Academy City safe from the Demon Tamer terrorists that seemed hellbent on threatening its safety for Mikoto, this despite the truce that the Board and General Superintendent had managed to establish with the Magic Side and other opponents on the other side of World War 3. According to Zero-san and Johannson-san, it seemed like the Atlus cabal that these terrorist Tamers belonged to were beating their own drum and refusing to toe the line the majority of the other organizations on the Magic Side had drawn. They weren't the only ones, but they were the ones who were doing so and attacking the City.

At least now that Kashiwagi-san is off their payroll they don't seem to have any more big guns. Mikoto thought to herself as she walked down a street as she made her way to the nearest bus stop to catch a bus back to her dorm after helping a group of no name freelance Dark Siders deal with a small remnant group of Demon Tamers.

They'd offered her a lift back in their transport but Mikoto had declined. She had quite a few things to think about at the moment and a walk to the bus stop and the subsequent bus ride home was a good way to give herself the time to do so.

The first thing on her mind was of course her Trinity teammates and how they were doing wherever they were in Russia. Mikoto hadn't realized it until Ruiko and Naru were gone but she had really gotten used to them being around. Without her murderous little kohai around, even though she was still as surrounded by people as always, Mikoto still couldn't help but feel strangely lonely.

I guess that's just a sign of how close we've become.

Speaking of getting close, this bout of working with Zero-san's Black Knights and Johannson-san's Giarraputo Social Welfare Agency girls had allowed Mikoto to get to know both of those outfits quite well too. Or at least the teams from both that she ended regularly working with, like Alice-san's elite team and Johansson-san's personal team. Thanks to that, Mikoto had come to understand that the Dark Side and its outfits weren't quite as black and white as she had thought when she'd first started tipping her toes into this side of the City.

Yes, it was a side of the City full of unsavory people and stuff that Mikoto would prefer to see burn but it was also full of good people. Like the Agency girls, who were stuck in terrible situations but still did their best to make the best of it. Or the Black Knights who were willing to sully themselves with the muck of the foulest parts of the Dark Side in a bid to make it better. Or even just people like Ishiwata Chikage-san who were professionals who did their jobs and as far as they were able, as the older woman had confessed to Mikoto during their chat after saving the Botanical Ethanol Fuel Plant, to avoid jobs that went against their moral compass. She had known this was the case and had even met some of them before now but actually working with them, and seeing firsthand that they were genuinely good people, really drove the point home.

But speaking of working with people, it's kinda strange that I've not worked with Maniple lately.

In the last day or so, she'd worked with everyone else involved in suppressing these Demon Tamer attacks except Maniple. Something that was frankly just odd.

Is it just a coincidence? Or is something up that I don't know about? Come to think of it, I haven't seen Kurozuma-san in a while either. And wasn't Frenda-san declared fit for duty already? Why haven't I seen her helping out? Something suspicious is going on…

Before she could ponder the matter too deeply, her attention was drawn towards a large crowd gathered in front of one of the massive TVs that dotted the City. Curious, she took a look at what had gotten the crowd's attention and watched as some kind of flying fortress straight out of some fantasy story rose into the sky on the TV. All the while, a breathless news anchor reported that it was apparently the creation of Fiamma of the Right and that it was currently hovering ominously in the Russian skies directly over his former stronghold, the structures of which he had used as the core of his latest creation.

What in the world!? How does something like that remain aloft!? Mikoto thought incredulously as she ran through some quick calculations in her head about how the crazy Magician's sky fortress might be able to float in the air like it did and came away with the conclusion that it should be impossible. Magic is bullshit if it can just ignore the law of physics like that!

Just as she reached the perhaps obvious conclusion, the news segment moved on by zooming in on a crystalline winged, white skinned humanoid figure that was seemingly, in the words of the anchor, escorting the fortress skyward.

A floating fortress guarded by an Angel in Russia and under the control of the last member of God's Right Seat? I'm sure that Naru and Ruiko are headed there right now if they aren't there already. Mikoto thought bitterly as she looked around her helplessly. And here I am stuck in Academy City, too far away to help them!

Shaking her head. Mikoto dismissed her annoyance.

Now's not the time to wallow in self-pity. Now's the time for action! She decided as she quickly pulled out her phone and pressed the speed dial for Kuroko.

The call connected on the first ring and even before Mikoto could so much as say a word, Kuroko was already speaking. "You're slow, Onee-sama. Kazari and I are already at the Experimental Airport in District 23 prepping a prototype suborbital plane we've 'borrowed' from the City's military. You need to get here ASAP. The window that Ylva-san opened up for us to take-off under the cover of scrambling additional reinforcements for their Russian operation will only last so long".

Well that explains why Maniple hasn't been helping out with the Demon Tamers lately. They're been deployed elsewhere and I'll bet my entire Gekota collection it's to support Ruiko or Naru. Just wish they'd tell me. They probably didn't because they thought it would distract me or something.

To be fair they were right to think that. If Mikoto had known one of her subordinate organizations had been mobilizing to go to Russia where her teammates were whilst she was stuck in the City, becoming distracted would be the least of her reactions. She's likely to have thrown a fit.

Which was why they probably intended to wait till the last minute to spring the news on me and rope me along for the ride. It would involve less drama. Mikoto reasoned. It certainly seems like the kind of sneaky thing Zero-san would do. But whatever the reason they were keeping it a secret isn't important, getting over there to Russia so I can back Ruiko and Naru up is!

With that thought in mind, Ruiko raced towards the nearest skyscraper and using her Electromastery, she shrouded herself in charged electromagnetic fields and used simple electromagnetism to pull her to its roof, intent on using similar techniques to race across the City's skyline to the airport.

At the same time, she chided her friends over the phone. "You girls are too fast! Couldn't you have called me ahead of time?"

Ignoring her accusation entirely, Kuroko instead commented on the pace that Mikoto was keeping. "Traveling like that will take too long, Onee-sama. Argh! Give me a second. I'll come and pick you up."

Mikoto wasn't even unnerved that her friends seemed to be able to keep track of her movements presumably courtesy of Kazari-san hacking the City's surveillance network. When one had Ruiko as a friend, you quickly got used to having a lot less privacy than you used to. Nor did she get upset at Kuroko calling her slow. After all, as one of the City's foremost Teleporters, almost everyone else, even most other Teleporters, were slow to her.

Taking the latter point into account, Mikoto was unfazed as Kuroko teleported in next to her just as Mikoto reached the roof of her first skyscraper and caught her. Instead, she just relaxed into her roommate's familiar hold.

"Thanks, Kuroko!"

"Don't mention it, Onee-sama." The Level 4 said with a shake of her head. "Let's just focus on going to that flying fortress that's all over the news and saving Naru-san and Ruiko-san."

"Agreed. Get us to the airport already."

Kuroko just nodded and teleported them away, setting them on the path to rescuing their friends. And as they set off, Mikoto's mind was consumed with one thought.

Naru, Ruiko, hang in there! We're coming!

---

Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!

And yet another huge chonka chapter done! Phew, that was nuts, but so worth it. We got so much done on this one, it's not even a joke. We changed up some of the Touma and Accel fight from Canon because… while Imagine Breaker is strong as fuck, Accel was tossing out impossible to dodge attacks. Touma's still human despite his honed instincts.

Nameless: Plus, I think having Lessar actually do something rather than just be a spectator makes things more interesting. As does the idea that Touma is capable of working with other people to overcome his weaknesses, even if he needs to do this with essentially no preparation (e.g. training with his ally, etc.) beforehand. I personally think this actually makes him seem more capable than if he could just defeat Accel all on his own.

On another note, like E4E said, this was a massive chapter and we're proud of that fact. Though, it does have a couple weaknesses as a result of it:

Firstly, Mikoto gets a lot less 'screen time' than Naru or Ruiko. Considering the monster of a previous chapter, we considered this fair. Besides, we needed to use Ruiko and Naru's POV (mainly the former hence why she has so many scenes) to set things up, so the differences in length is unavoidable.

Secondly, as you might've noticed. All that's left for this arc is its climactic fight. That means it will be the majority, if not the entirety, of the next chapter. This is a good and bad thing. The good thing is that it will allow us to expand it into something we hope will be truly epic. The bad thing is that there is a limit to how much padding we can add into a fight until things get ridiculous and/or repetitive. Hence, the next chapter will likely (we can't tell since as per writing of this AN, we have not started writing Chapter 92 yet) be relatively short, especially by the standards of this arc. Hopefully, you guys won't mind that.

E4E: Exactly, this was mostly to tie up some of the loose ends to the arc to get it all set for the finale of it. We got our main three guys doing their thing. And then we have our trio of heroines doing their thing too.

Nameless: Speaking of the three canonical heroes… Just want to note that we will not be telling Touma and Hamazura's stories for this arc because it'll end the same way as canon so there's no point. We covered places where they diverged from the canon path, if only in a minor way (particularly Hamazura), due to the changed circumstances of the TOTverse and either its significance for things going forward or it overlaps with our heroines' stories. But things have not changed enough to justify Touma and Hamazura's stories changing sufficiently for us to write it out.

Also Naru has proclaimed Pirates are better than Ninjas, the long debate is over lolz.

Nameless: I vote Samurai though. XP

You pleb! XD

You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!