Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Been getting my shit together as best I can whilst looking for work and sorting out some personal issues that were really messing me up.
Still working on some extra chapters but I feel like I've got some breathing room for this story at least so I'm posting this one since it's done. I'll also be doing an Author's Note by the end of this regarding my other fics.
Also, some of you might have noticed this, but due to several comments from people that have read further ahead in the series, I've decided to edit this chapter to, hopefully, better reflect how the fight with St. John's Pen would have gone with Itsuki present.
Getting back on track, last time Itsuki hinted that a certain Serial Skirt-Flipper might be developing STANDO POWAH! He then returned home to ease the suffering of the non-edible Kamijou by providing a certain parasite with sustenance just before her true caretakers returned to check her oral hygiene.
With that said, please enjoy!
Chapter 10: July 21st Part 3.
Saint John's Pen.
"Huh…Well I'll be damned…" Stiyl whistled, looking impressed despite himself as he leaned in for a closer look at the eerie black zodiac sign tattooed onto the back of Index's throat "Never would've thought to check there."
"Probably why they put it there to begin with." Itsuki opined from the kitchen, where he was rubbing iodine onto Kanzaki's fingers, Index having not appreciated her earlier, non-solicited examination "I mean, they knew they had to hide it but needed to ensure they could check on it from time to ensure the brat didn't slip her leash."
"While the analogy is apt, I'll thank you not to speak of Index like that." Kanzaki warned, the jean-wearing Saint's tone brooking no argument even as she thanked the blonde for his help.
"He doesn't mean anything by it." Touma assured the swordswoman, knowing all-too-well how aggravating Itsuki could be once he found a way to get under your skin "He tends to have trouble filtering his thoughts before he speaks."
"I just call it as I see it." Itsuki countered with a dismissive shrug, honestly not giving a shit what people thought of him "And speaking of seeing, what's the game plan now that you've confirmed she's cursed?"
"It's not so much a 'curse' as a seal." Kanzaki corrected "As for how we can remove it, I'm afraid we're at a loss. If it were Jujutsu or Onmyoudou I might have been able to do something, but I'm afraid I don't recognize that seal from anywhere."
"Put simply, both Kanzaki and I are combat types." Stiyl supplied with a sigh "Between the two of us we can take care of pretty much anything, but breaking seals is a bit outside our paygrade, especially when we don't even know what school of Magecraft it belongs to."
"So what, you can't do anything because using the wrong method to remove it could make the kid's head explode or something?" Itsuki wondered, TouM'a eyes widening in horror at the suggestion.
"If we're lucky that'd be all that would happen." Stiyl scoffed, waving a hand dismissively "Things can get real messy when you try mixing Schools of Magic. Best case scenario is nothing happens at all. Worst case…ever read Lovecraft?"
"Got it. Don't cross the Magical Streams or you'll awaken Cthulhu." Itsuki deadpanned, the two Level-0's shivering at the image of a giant tentacle monster wearing Index's habit rampaging through Academy City "So what, you gonna call in a few friends to help out?"
"That's just it, we don't know who we can go to with this." Kanzaki confessed with a grimace "The only way we could possibly identify the type of seal would be to have someone examine it, but the only people likely to know what it is would be high ranking members of Necessarius."
"Who naturally wouldn't be all to keen on helping you out." Itsuki filled in the dots, his expression grim as he held his chin "What about her old caretakers? Were any of them skilled at dealing with seals?"
"If they were we wouldn't even know where to find them." Stiyl confessed with a shrug, as he took a drag on his cigarette "Most of her old caretakers are either dead or left Necessarius for one reason or another."
"Her last caretaker was a skilled Alchemist who loved her like his own daughter." Kanzaki confessed, her features solemn as Index blinked in confusion "He became so obsessed with finding a 'cure' for her he wound up getting excommunicated & was forced into hiding."
"…Damn that's rough…" Itsuki grimaced while Touyma sent a look of pity towards the loli-nun, whose only reaction to Kanzaki's words was honest confusion, understandable given her circumstances "All that pain for a girl who doesn't even remember him…I don't think I'd have had the strength to do it."
"Believe me, you'd have done it if it was someone you cared about." Stiyl assured him with a grim, self-mocking smile "Though I will admit, each time we had to reset her memories it damn near broke me when she'd wake up and look me right in the eye like I was a total stranger."
And with that, the room fell into a depressive silence, even Index, who up until recently had fervently tried to refute her caretakers claims, unable to muster up any of her usual vitriol when faced with their troubled expressions, the very air in the apartment taking on the solemn nature of a mausoleum.
"Um…I don't mean to be presumptuous…" a timid voice called out, the occupants turning to regard the raised right hand of the seemingly forgotten Kamijou Touma as he pointed awkwardly to himself "But do you want me to try and remove it?"
"You?" Kanzaki repeated, blinking at the teen in confusion while Stiyl merely frowned, the redhead looking like he wanted to say something only to pause, his brow furrowing in thought "I was under the impression that you were ignorant of the existence of Magic until yesterday."
"Huh? Well, yeah I suppose. I didn't even know Magic existed until Index wound up on my balcony the other day." Touma confessed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment "But if this seal thing is powered by Magic, would dispersing the Magic deactivate it?"
"If it were simply a matter of dispersing the magic then the seal would have faded long ago due to index's lack of magical ability." Kanzaki countered "Most likely the Seal was placed by a highly competent sorcerer, one with the ability to empower seals for extended periods of time."
"So it's kind of like that 'Walking Church' thing Index used to have, right?" Touma suggested, the spiky-haired teen ignoring the glare from the nun in favour of pumping his fist at Kanzaki's slow nod "In that case, it should be possible for me to destroy it with my right hand."
"Don't ask, Kanzaki." Stiyl sighed, shaking his head at the swordswoman's confused expression "I don't know how or why but somehow that kid's right hand can negate magic. Managed to hold his own against Innocentius bare-handed and probably would've one-shot him if it weren't for the runes."
"That's…impressive." Kanzaki confessed, eyeing the suddenly embarrassed Kamijou with renewed interest "But then, if you possess such a useful ability, why are you classed as a Level-0?"
"Personally? I wager it's because whatever the hell power he has, it doesn't register as an Esper ability." Itsuki proposed with a smirk "So since the chuckle-fucks who designed the System can't quantify it, they just slap a big fat 'Zero' on his scorecard and call it a day."
"It's not that bad." Touma lied, bravely repressing the urge to cry at the unfairness of it all "At the very least I've got an instant win against pretty much anything that gets thrown at me, hell I managed to hold off a Graviton Explosion a few days ago…"
"Long story short, so long as it's supernatural in nature, Touma's Right hand can negate it." Itsuki grinned, slapping the urchin haired teen on the back "Of course, he's pretty much fucked if you come at him with a sword or a gun, but hey, nothing's perfect."
Kanzaki said nothing, the swordswoman eyeing the spiky-haired teen for a moment before turning her attention to Stiyl, the redhead sighing, years of working together allowing him to ascertain her thoughts even without a communication spell.
"I say we let the kid give it a shot." He conceded, titling his head towards Index "You saw the state her Walking Church is in. Hell I wouldn't have believed him if I hadn't seen him hold off Innocentius with his hare hand."
"And what if something goes wrong?" Kanzaki demanded, her tone wavering, clearly wanting to believe in the chance Touma presented, but at the same time unwilling to risk Index's life "What if destroying the seal makes things worse?"
"Worse than having to erase Index's memories every year?" Stiyl countered, his eyes boring into Kanzaki's as he rose to his feet "Worse than knowing that nothing we do matters because she won't remember any of it?"
"And if we do remove the seal, then what?" Kanzaki demanded, gripping her arm as she glanced down at her sword "I love Index, I truly do…but you know what my circumstances for joining Necessarius were."
"Yeah, I do." Stiyl assured her, reaching up to place a hand on her shoulder in support "And we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let's just focus on helping Index. We can deal with the repercussions later"
"…alright…" Kanzaki conceded, the swordswoman lowering her head in submission before turning her attention to the two Level-0's that were staring between the two in confusion "Can you assure me that removing the seal with your hand won't harm Index?"
"I…don't think it'll hurt her?" Touma wheedled, looking decidedly uncertain of himself as he glanced between his palm and Index "I mean, when it destroyed her habit her body was unhurt-OW!"
"You promised never to speak of it again, Pervert!" Index snarled, the loli-nun latching onto the ever-suffering Kamijou as she once again sought to deliver divine punishment in the form of devouring the urchin-head's skull.
"…So did you have to put up with this bullshit when she knew you?" Itsuki asked casually, earning an exasperated sigh from Kanzaki while Stiyl averted his gaze to peer out a window "You have my condolences."
One first-aid session later...
"Did we really have to put her to sleep?" Touma wondered, the concerned Kamijou sweat-dropping as he watched Kanzaki tend to the slumbering form of Index, the loli-nun's chest rising and falling as she lay upon Itsuki's bed.
"When it comes to removing curses or seals it's best to do it when the afflicted is sedated or in a relaxed state." Stiyl supplied "It keeps them from accidentally moving at the wrong moment and messing with the procedure."
"Besides, did you seriously expect her to hold still while you literally shoved your hand down her throat?" Itsuki teased from the side-lines "Seriously man with the amount of times she's tried to take a chunk out of you I wouldn't have agreed to do it unless she was sedated and muzzled."
Touma opted not to respond to his friend's baiting, lord knows Stiyl was already sending the blonde warning looks and truth be told he was actually kind of glad that there was a reduced risk of losing a finger to the Loli-nun's gaping maw.
'Seriously, I could feel her teeth reach the bone!' he whimpered, rubbing the still healing bite-marks from her last rampage on his arms tenderly until Kanzaki silently beckoned him over, looking over the slumbering nun in concern "Is she going to be alright?"
"She's merely sleeping." Kanzaki assured the teen "The brew I gave her is designed to induce a dreamless slumber, so there is no risk of her reacting." She regarded the boy sternly "I am placing a lot of faith in your ability, Kamijou-san…but if you give me any indication of impropriety…"
"Do I look like a paedophile to you?" Touma deadpanned, earning a snort from Itsuki and a cough from Stiyl "Seriously, I might be single but that doesn't mean I'm so desperate to get laid that I'd try to get my freak on with a child."
"Index is Fourteen." Stiyl supplied from the side-lines, only to scowl and avert his eyes in the face of Touma and Itsuki's disbelieving stares "Tch, quit stalling and get on with it will ya? The sooner you fail the sooner we can actually set about looking for someone to help."
'Asshole.' Touma scowled, waving off Kanzaki's apologetic sigh as he stepped towards the bed, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves as the swordswoman gently opened the slumbering Nun's mouth before carefully reaching in to brush the back of her throat with his fingers.
SHOOP DA WHOOP-!
"Hm?" Misaka wondered, the Railgun of Tokiwadai blinking in confusion as she gazed up at the sky along with the rest of the crowded street as a beam of light suddenly pierced through the sky "I didn't know there was a Lightshow planned for today."
"That's because there isn't, Onee-sama." Kuroko countered, the pigtailed teleporter scowling at the pillar of light as it faded away "Judging by the distance it seems to be coming from the other side of the city…I'd say near the Student Dorms."
'Isn't that were those two live?' Misaka wondered, the Level-5 biting her lip as she glanced down at her phone, part of her wanting to see if the pair, a certain urchin head in particular, were ok, but at the same time not wanting to give Kuroko the wrong idea by calling them.
'Plus we're already running late as it is.' She recalled, shivering as she eyed a nearby digital clock, knowing all-too-well what would happen if the Dorm Manager caught them sneaking back in after curfew. 'Seriously, how the hell does she manage to keep track of us without an Esper Ability?'
In the end, the Railgun opted to send a quick text to the pair, asking if they'd seen the lightshow going on and to call her back when they had a free moment, before promptly grabbing Kuroko by the hand and urging the girl to teleport them back to the dorm before they were locked out.
Meanwhile...
"Itsuki-san!" I dimly heard Kanzaki call out, her voice, echoing as if in an underwater tunnel, somehow managing to pierce the incessant ringing in my ears, allowing me to muster the strength to crack an eye open, only to find the swordswoman gazing down at me in concern "Can you hear me, are you alright?"
"Did anyone get the number of that bitch?" I demanded, hissing through clenched teeth as the fog of unconsciousness faded away only to be assaulted by every damn nerve in my body screaming their displeasure at whatever the hell I'd done to be rendered unconscious in the first place.
"Thank god." Kanzaki breathed, as she seemingly knelt in my doorway, though it took a few seconds for my concussed brain to realize she was not, in fact, pulling a Naruto and kneeling on the ceiling, but that whatever had knocked me out had apparently knocked me ass over tits doing so "Can you recall what happened?"
"If you mean do I remember your little friend going all Exorcist on our asses the second Touma shoved his fingers down her throat, then yes." I shot back, grimacing at the memory of the blank, soulless eyes that had leered out at us from the loli-nun's face.
Things had started out simple, if awkward enough, with Touma awkwardly feeling around inside the comatose nun's mouth for the sweet-spot (giggity). The next thing we knew the alarmed Kamijou had been hurled away from the nun like the Hand of God had literally reached down and swatted him aside, the tips of his fingers bleeding as if the nails had been torn off.
Before we could even begin to check on him, however, Index's body began freaking levitating off the bed Exorcist style, her emotionless green eyes glowing red with what must have been magic circles and then everything after that had been a blur of frantic movement and most of my shit being hurled across the room as what appeared to be a localized hurricane blasted me out the door.
"So yeah, about Index not being able to use Magic…" I snarked, glaring pointedly at the decidedly unnerved Kanzaki as I slowly pulled myself to my feet "Care to run that by me again? Because last thing I remember was her Firin' Her Lazar right at my face!"
"That was [Dragon's Breath], a spell that replicates the Legendary Breath Attack of the Dragon slain by Saint George." Kanzaki corrected, her expression conflicted "But that should be impossible! Index never displayed any magical ability the entire time we've known her! If her magic truly is this strong, why would they even bother assigning her caretakers?"
"If I were a betting man I'd say it was because they didn't want her using it." I proposed, popping my neck joints irritably "Think about it, what would be the point of shoving all those forbidden books into her head if she decided to turn around and use that knowledge against them?"
Really, I had to hand it to Bishop Laura or whoever the hell came up with this plan. Find someone with the ability to memorize your forbidden library of books, destroy the originals so that no-one else can use them, then erase the brat's memories while tying up her mana in a curse designed to ensure she stays dependent on her caretakers to survive.
How many lives had Index lived up till now? How many precious memories were lost all because a bunch of crusty old child-molesters decided they wanted their portable hard-drive to be able to walk around?
"If you two are quite done flirting out there we could use some back-up!" Stiyl bellowed from inside, the priest's words snapping Kanzaki and I out of our morbid thoughts, the swordswoman racing back into the apartment with me hot on her heels, arriving just in time to see the priest supporting Touma from behind.
"Fortis931." He intoned, his free hand scattering tens of thousands of cards bearing flame runes around my ruined apartment "Listen up kid, I'm not interested in your unproven theories. Even if it means erasing her memories, even if I have to walk over a city of corpses, I'm fine with that so long as she can live her life."
"And what kind of life can she have if she doesn't even remember it?" Touma spat back, clenching his teeth as he continued to fend off the blinding beam of energy that seemed to be blasting out of Index's face "You guys have been searching for your happy ending for ages, right? One where you don't have suffer the pain of stealing Index's memories, one where you can be together without losing anything?"
An unpleasant noise drew my attention to Touma's right hand, which he was struggling to support with his left, my eyes narrowing at the sight of several of his fingers bending at awkward angles, blood dripping between his joints as the beam continued to bear down on him unabated.
"You told me earlier you two swore to protect Index with your lives…does that not mean anything when the ones making her suffer are your damned superiors?!" Touma demanded through clenched teeth "This isn't some goddamn Fantasy Manga! You're not some worthless side characters just stalling for the Hero to swoop in and save the day! You're the heroes who swore to save Index, all you have to do is reach out your hands and help me!"
As if in response to his words, the intensity of the beam suddenly increased, Touma gasping in alarm as his pinkie finger suddenly snapped back at an unnatural angle, breaking the boy's concentration just long enough for the beam to force it's way past his defences, aimed right at his terrified face.
"THE WORLD!" I bellowed even as I heard Kanzaki begin to call out something from alongside me, the swordswoman slowly sinking into what was undoubtedly an Iai-Stance before freezing in place as the surroundings faded to grey, leaving only Touma and myself capable of moving.
"Sheesh, cutting it a bit close there, weren't you?" the ever-relieved Kamijou gasped, collapsing on his ass as he gripped his bleeding hand in an attempt to set his broken finger back into place "Where the hell have you been?"
"I got bitch-slapped through a house, what's your excuse?" I shot back, glancing around at my frankly trashed apartment with growing annoyance "Seriously…these assholes better have insurance to pay for all this…"
"I wouldn't count on it…" Touma sighed, grimacing as he popped his pinkie back into place with the ease of long, painful practice "Don't priests have to take a vow of poverty?"
"I don't think this particular priest got the memo." I snarked, eyeing Stiyl's decidedly gaudy silver adornments and earrings, not exactly the kind of thing you'd find on a standard man of the cloth "Clock's ticking Hero, you ready to go?"
Touma's POV...
"As I'll ever be…" Touma confirmed, the determined Kamijou rising to his feet as the sound of ticking clocks accelerated around him, bracing himself on the floor before lunging forwards the second the beam of light started moving again.
"Salvere000!" he heard Kanzaki call out, the swordswoman drawing her O-dachi in a fluid movement faster than the eye could see, the space between Touma & Index filling with monofilament wires that latched onto Index's feet, yanking the floating Nun off-balance and sending her toppling backwards, causing the beam to tear a jagged trench through the ceiling as it pierced into the night sky.
'Yeah, that's going to be hard to cover up…' Touma deadpanned, knowing with absolute certainty that at the very least Anti-Skill would be knocking on their doorstep any second now, only to blink as he spotted something odd 'Are those…feathers?'
Sure enough, what appeared to be dozens of feathers of light came floating down through the cracks Index's beam had carved through the roof like winter snow on a summer's eve. He was dimly aware of Kanzaki warning him not to touch them, but by that point he was too focused on reaching Index before she regained her footing.
'Just one more step!' he urged, pushing himself to clear the distance between them, only to pale as the possessed nun turned her head to regard him with those emotionless eyes, the pillar of light following their gaze as it descended from the sky like the sword of Damocles to crush the teen.
"Innocentius!" Stiyl bellowed, the giant of flame interposing itself between the oncoming attack and the awestruck Kamijou like a proverbial cross, protecting the terrified teen from the Dragon's Breath even as it chipped away at its own body "The hell are you waiting for? Move it, Esper!"
Touma didn't need to be told twice, the determined Kamijou lunging past the clash of the titans, his gaze locked firmly on Index's face as she continued to mutter monotonously to herself.
"Warning: Chapter 6, Verse 13. New enemy confirmed. Changing combat considerations. Beginning scan of the battlefield…done. Focusing on the destruction of the most difficult enemy: Kamijou Touma."
"Not on my watch!" Itsuki snapped, Touma's heart soaring with relief as he was once again enveloped in the alien stillness that was his friend's quite frankly broken ability, "You got five seconds Hero!" Itsuki reminded him even as the weight left his body "Make 'em count!"
"More than enough!" Touma declared, slamming his foot down to launch himself forward, using the absence of gravity caused by Itsuki's frankly broken ability to clear the distance between him and the now immobile Index, her emotionless gaze locked solely on the frozen form of Innocentius, her mouth frozen mid word.
'God…They say you're good and just.' He prayed internally, the heretofore agnostic Kamijou calling out to a higher power not for himself, but for the young girl who had arguably suffered an even worse fate 'If that's true…and this world truly operates according to your will…' he clenched his fist as he reared back his right arm 'then please, allow me to Shatter This Illusion!'
And with that, Kamijou Touma thrust out his right hand, a hand cursed with a power that had brought him untold suffering, a power that supposedly prevented him from being blessed by God, reaching out for Index with the desperation of one inches away from salvation.
Only for his eyes to widen in horror as her head, impossibly, turned to face him, her soulless emerald eyes seeming to peer into his soul in the split second before the Dragon's Breath enveloped his body.
Mikoto & Kuroko's Pimpin pad...
"What the hell is going on over there?" Misaka wondered, the Level-5 sweat dropping in confusion as the tranquillity of the night sky was once again shattered by a light-show, this time in the form of an explosion that could be seen all the way from her dorm-room at Tokiwadai "Is someone setting off fireworks or something?"
Time Resumes...
Stiyl blinked, the redhead looking on in confusion as the beam that had been boring into Innocentius seemingly vanished into thin air, along with a certain cocky Esper who last he recalled had been sprawled on the floor with Index hovering over him.
Well, Index was certainly there, however it was clearly apparent from the fact she was still restrained by Kaori's threads that the nun was still under the influence of whatever Security Spell Necessarius had placed her under.
There was no sign of Kamijou Touma.
"What the hell just happened?" the redhead demanded, turning his attention back to the equally confused Kaori, who despite her confusion hadn't relaxed her grip on the threads that were currently restraining her friend "Where'd the brats go?"
"I don't know." Kaaori countered, her tone clipped as she struggled to both maintain the restraints on Index without unduly injuring their friend, something she wouldn't have had to worry about if somebody hadn't gone and destroyed the Walking Church.
'Damned Espers fuck everything up.' Stiyl Growled, glaring petulantly as he reached for a cigarette, grimacing as he heard the tell-tale sound of sirens in the distance "Shit, that's all we need...Kaori, we're going to have to fall back for now-!"
He trailed off with a yelp, ducking down just in time to avoid being decapitated by what appeared to be a chunk of the outside corridor railing that was hurled into the ruined apartment from the gaping hole where the entrance used to be.
"Index!" Kaori exclaimed, the Saint's cry drawing Stiyl's attention back to their friend, only to breath a sigh of relief as the possessed nun simply vaporized the concrete projectile with a glance...only to be sent flying deeper into the apartment as a second chunk slammed into her midriff immediately after "What-?!"
"That's what I'd like to know!" a familiar voice spat, the Magicians whipping round to the gaping hole where the front door used to be to find a decidedly spooked Itsuki supporting an equally startled Touma, the spiky-haired teen looking decidedly singed as he gripped his mutilated right hand "I'd also like to add: THE FUCK?!"
"That's my line you moron!" Stiyl snapped, glaring at the blonde as he pushed himself off the floor, Innocentius turning to glare at the pair threateningly from over it's master's shoulder "What the hell were you thinking hurling something like that at Index! You could've killed her!"
"Blow it out your ass Judas Priest!" Itsuki snapped back, earning a look of surprise from the pair, as while the teen had always been a little rude, he'd never outright resorted to crass insults. It seemed whatever had happened in the split second he and Touma vanished had clearly unsettled him "In case you didn't notice, your little friend there has been trying to kill us since we started!"
"Warning...Warning..." Index called out mechanically from within the dust cloud, cutting of Stiyl's response as the group turned as one to stare into the cloud of dust as it cleared to reveal the possessed nun, her once pristine white robes now tattered and covered in dirt but otherwise perfectly fine aside from a small trail of blood that leaked from the side of her mouth.
"Warning: 2nd Temporal Anomaly detected..." Index proclaimed, her impassive gaze washing over all the assembled combatants like some impassive Machine God searching for a Sinner amongst the Flock "Countermeasures Successfully Deployed. Beginning scan of the battlefield…Error: unable to determine source."
'A Temporal Anomaly?' Stiyl repeated, the redhead frowning in confusion at his friend's words, only for his eyes to widen, whipping round to gape over his shoulder at Itsuki as the blonde continued to glare at Index while supporting Touma 'Wait...don't tell me that little brat can-!'
I must not fear...Fear is the Mind Killer...
"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." I hissed, glaring at the Loli-Nun hovering in the ruined remains of what had once been my dorm-room, torn between annoyance and pants-wetting terror, my heart racing so fast I'm surprised I didn't start letting off Hamon Ripples "Since when the hell did she learn how to control time?!"
"She's got an entire magical library in her head!" Touma reminded me with a grimace as he slowly and painfully set about fixing his busted fingers, the skin on the palm of his hands having seemingly been burnt away, leaving it bloody raw "Damn...that's going to leave a scar..."
"The fact you still have that hand is a miracle in and of itself." Kanzaki opined as she sidled up next to us with several rolls of bandages while Stiyl stepped between us and Index, Innocentius interposing itself between the nun and it's summoner like the big flaming roadblock it was "There are few things in this world that can survive such an assault from Dragon's Breath."
"Yeah well, I don't think I'll be going for the hat trick." Touma quipped, grimacing as Kaori did the best she could to treat his bleeding palm with what she had on hand "If Itsuki hadn't pulled me clear of the blast, I probably would've gone flying off the balcony."
"No probably about it." I growled as I glared at Index, shivering at the memory of the Nun's soulless eyes turning to look right at the airborne Kamijou as he lunged at her during the Time Stop, only the Lightspeed reaction time of The World allowing me to prevent my friend from being sent flying to his death after he was caught up in her Face Laser, only surviving being burnt to a crisp thanks to his Hand already being literally in her face "So, anyone got any ideas?"
"Was about to ask you that, actually." Stiyl confessed, the redhead's tone as mocking as his smirk as he glanced over his shoulder at us, a stark contrast to the sharp glint in his eyes as they bore into my own "Maybe you'd like to pull another weird Esper ability out of your ass?"
"I'd tell you to blow me, Padre, but we all know I'm outside your preferred age bracket." I shot back, earning a scoff from Touma and a long-suffering sigh from Kanzaki, opting to ignore the redhead's heated (ha) glare in favour of watching Index like a cornered hawk as I struggled to keep my inner mental-breakdown from showing on my face.
See, while I might have come off as a little blasé about my unexpected death and subsequent reincarnation, the truth of the matter is the whole incident was more than a little traumatising, I just wasn't able to properly process it all due to the afterlife apparently adhering to the [Tao of Prattchet], meaning all those pesky emotions that would've caused me to freak out were dulled if not absent until I slipped into my new body.
Needless to say, between the memories of my initial death and the subsequent attempt to void my new lease on life mere moments afterwards, it should probably come as no surprise that I'd become a little wary of putting myself into situations outside of my control, which is why I had truly come to appreciate The World's ability to Stop Time.
Sure there were arguably more impressive Stand Powers out there, even if you set aside broken monstrosities like [Gold Experience Requiem] or [Made in Heaven], but I didn't need to be a God Among Men to enjoy me new lease on life...hell, in all actuality having such a flashy power would've almost certainly guaranteed said lease expired before I got the chance to enjoy it.
See, as much as the people in charge of Academy City's propaganda tried to claim otherwise, the sad truth of the matter was that for those who lived here, Power was Everything. Those with Power lorded it over those who lacked it, whether it be Industry Moguls cornering the market by patenting the latest scientific advancements or combat-capable Espers abusing their power to pick on Skill-Outs and their weaker classmates.
With that in mind, setting aside the morally bankrupt Board of Directors, the ones who stood at the undisputed pinnacle of Academy City's Social Hierarchy were without question the seven Level 5 Espers who pulled double duty as both the City's 'Shining Stars' that all would-be Espers aspired to and its Ultimate Deterrents against any Outside threats.
No, seriously, as much as I liked to yank her chain, it didn't change the fact that, on a BAD day, Misaka Mikoto on her own could probably take out the combined forces of NATO with little more than her pocket change before they could even get within firing distance of the city. And she was only Rank 3, so even trying to imagine the kind of insanity the Top Ranker was capable of was enough to give me night terrors.
The problem with said fame, however, was that it meant the Level 5's were constantly in the spotlight, always being called upon to represent Academy City during official events or to handle any 'problems' that the Board of Directors couldn't resolve with their usual tactics. And while not all the Level 5's were public faces, that didn't stop people from trying to find out every little thing about them, be it their likes, dislikes and, most importantly, potential weaknesses.
Yeah, NO. Fuck That noise. I'd already died once and the auto-tuned powers that be saw fit to revive me in the body of an egotistical Twink with a Messiah Complex who got Truck-Kun'd into a position of power he canonically didn't deserve. A body, I remind you, that some psychopaths were willing to kill to obtain for reasons I prayed to Haruhi-sama were purely scientific.
So needless to say, I didn't really value my chances of survival should anyone aside from Touma and possibly Saten learning what I could do. Let the Level 5's have their fame and fortune, hell from what I'd heard the no. 7 actually revelled in it. I'll just be over here, casually making Space-Time my bitch to avoid having to pay for shit. Too young to buy beer my arse.
Where was I? Oh, right. Crisis of Faith (pun intended). With all that said and done, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I'd come to see Time Stop as my Trump Card, my guarantee that, no matter what horeshittery Touma dragged us into, I'd be able to get us out without anyone looking into things too closely by taking advantage of the World of Frozen Time that he was only aware of thanks to the bullshit properties of his Right Hand.
And yes, including the current situation, it was almost always Touma's fault that I'd have to resort to using The World, because as much as I admired his desire to help people, hell I actually owed my life to it, when it came to suicidal idiots incapable of minding their own business when people are in trouble, Kamijou Touma was second only to A Certain Sword Obsessed Eroge Protagonist.
But none of that really mattered in the end. After all, regardless of whatever Academy City threw at us, be it armed thugs, Tsundere Level 5's, Luddite Magicians or Horny Cyborg Rottweilers (no really, I wish that wasn't a thing), I was more than confident in my ability to haul both our asses out of the proverbial fire so long as I had the Power to Stop Time.
That confidence had been ruthlessly crushed in the face of the cold emotionless gaze of [Index Librorum Prohibitorum], the sanctity and security of my World of Frozen Time forever tarnished by her ability to just defy what, up until mere seconds ago, had been an unviable law of the universe with her Bullshit Magic Powers. Powers, I remind you, that she wasn't even aware she had.
"Anyone got any ideas?" Touma spoke up as he got to his feet, wincing as he clenched the fingers of his damaged hand tenderly to see if he could still move them "Because I think I hear sirens in the distance, meaning Anti-Skill are probably on their way."
"She doesn't seem to be able to handle multiple targets at the same time." Kanzaki proposed, her eyes narrowing as she moved into a ready stance while Stiyl continued to block them from the nun's view with Innocentius, perhaps if we rush her, we can buy a chance for Kamijou-san to get in close.
"Works for me..." I conceded, turning to look at Touma even as I directed The World to rip out another chunk of balcony from outside, the magicians' eyes widening as it seemingly hovered into the room on its own "You up for the old rope-a-dope?"
Play: Psi-Missing...
"Do I even have a choice?" Touma sighed, taking a breath to steady himself as he got into a runner's stance, eyes locked onto Index's own from over Innocentius' flaming shoulder as the flaming spirit lunged forward to intercept another burst of Dragon's Breath.
"Whatever you're planning, do it quick Esper!" Stiyl snapped, grimacing as Innocentius began to break down faster than before, Index having apparently altered the Dragon's Breath to account for the spirit's regeneration, the redhead cursing as the beam suddenly pierced through his summons like a hot knife through butter, only to be intercepted by the chunk of balcony "What-?"
"Shut up and help me brace this!" Itsuki snapped, the blonde shoving his shoulder against the debris that was all that stood between them all and becoming a scorched outline on the ground, Stiyl quickly following suit, shoving his back against the impromptu shield while Kanzaki used her wires to secure the debris to the walls "Anytime now Hero!"
Touma didn't reply, at least not verbally, the desperate Kamijou instead exploding forwards like he was trying to beat the Olympic record, his eyes never leaving Index's face even as she slowly turned to regard him, bringing the beam of death with her, only for it to to suddenly jerk upwards into the sky as her head was forcibly tilted back, almost as if something had grabbed her from behind.
"Warning: Unidentified Spiritual Entity Detected within proximity of Vessel!" Index intoned, and despite the lack of emotion in her tone, Touma swore he detected a sense of urgency in her words for the first time since this whole mess started "Initiating Counter-Measures-!"
"Initiate THIS!" Touma yelled, lunging forwards to tackle the nun to the ground, his hand passing under the magic circles that were generating the Dragon's Breath to grab her by the face with the the sound of shattering glass, the beam of light vanishing in an instant, allowing him to wrap his arms around her small frame before they slammed into the ground.
"…W-arni-ng…Wa-rni-ng…" Index stuttered brokenly, sending shivers of apprehension up Touma's spine as he gazed down at her, lying limply in his arms like a puppet whose strings had been cut "Final…Chapter, Verse…Zero…Collar has received fatal…damage…Regeneration…impossible…"
End Music...
'Well I'll be damned…' Stiyl marvelled, his cigarette falling from his lips in disbelief as he witnessed the apparent culmination of his and Kanzaki's lifelong dream come to fruition 'He actually did it…'
"Glad that's over with…" Itsuki sighed, drawing the priest's attention to the other Esper in the room, who was currently lying slumped against their impromptu barrier, the strength having gone out of his legs "I don't suppose either of you know a handy 'Fix this shit' spell? Because I'm pretty sure my insurance doesn't cover 'Acts of God'."
"If such a convenient spell existed we probably wouldn't need to be as secretive as we are." Stiyl scoffed, waving a hand to dismiss Innocentius now that the danger had passed "The very most we'd be able to do is alter a few memories here and there so you don't wind up having to pay through the nose for repairs."
"Yeah…might want to be careful who you try that on here…" Itsuki warned with a wry smirk "Lot of the local businesses tend to invest in anti-mind-control tech to avoid being screwed over. Even something as simple as a hidden camera could land you in hot water."
"I'll keep that in mind." Stiyl assured him with a grimace, wondering not for the first time what had possessed Index to come to such a troublesome city "So…care to explain what happened there?" he asked "I thought Espers could only have one ability?"
"That's actually a misconception." Itsuki corrected "It is possible for 'Multi-Skill' users to exist, but they're even rarer than the Level-5's so most people can go their entire lives without seeing one-" he paused, his lip curling as if he smelt something foul "Wait…do you smell gas-?"
"GET OUT OF THERE!" Kanzaki yelled, the desperation and suddenness of her cry drawing Itsuki and Stiyl's attention back to the wrecked apartment, where an equally startled Touma was gaping at the swordswoman while cradling Index in his arms as feathers descended on them from on-high like something out of a cheesy bible piece "DON'T LET THEM TOUCH YOU!"
"Shit-!" Stiyl cursed, the redhead whipping out his talismans at the sight of the danger descending on the clueless Kamijou through the hole in the ceiling, intent on protecting the unfortunate boy who, in perhaps the greatest of ironic twists, had performed a miracle he'd long thought impossible.
"No, wait-!" Itsuki yelped, the blonde having spotted the OTHER threat to the pair, namely the ruptured gas pipe in the rubble that was spewing it's contents into the room only to curse Stiyl unleashed a blast of flame at the deceptively harmless golden feathers that were scant inches away from touching his friend "Dammit! THE WOR-!"
As you can see, John's Pen Index isn't quite the pushover Itsuki was expecting. This will go along way to explaining his actions going forward, and actually ties into my plans better than my Original Chapter.
And with this, we near the end of the 'Index Saga'. What will happen to our feckless protagonists next? Will Touma even live to see the efforts of his labours? Will Itsuki be able to sue the Church for damages?
We'll just have to wait and see.
Also, as mentioned earlier, some of my older words will be undergoing editing or rewrites in the future. This does not currently include any of my old Naruto fics, with the exception of Bizarre Adventure.
If anyone is interested in adopting or continuing one of my old fics, let me know in a PM so people don't accuse you of theft.