A Certain Strange Addition

by Animan10

What would happen if Touma's actions during the Graviton Bombings were discovered by the rest of Mikoto's friends. Just how much more misfortune and craziness can the unlucky Kamijou get involved in when he is essentially dragged into Judgement? Judgement!Touma fanfic. Harem with ToumaxMikoto focus (obviously). English dub terminology.

69. Ancestry

Hey everyone, Animan10 here, back with another chapter of A Certain Strange Addition! Did you miss me? Before we get to the chapter, there are a few things I need to address.

First, this chapter is really long. Probably one of the longest I've written in a long time. And there is a good reason for that. If you've been reading this story for long, you know I determine the pacing of the story primarily on the anime adaptation. Nearly every chapter in this story has a corresponding anime episode, though certain parts are cut if they would just end up being redundant and I can't think of a way to adapt them in new, interesting ways that won't drastically change things I don't want changed, was was the case with the original Touma vs Stiyl fight. However, that's where the problem of adapting this chapter comes in. The next episode I would have adapted was mostly a lore dump, something I obviously couldn't change too much. Out of the entire adaptation of that chapter, about 10 paragraphs where my original work. Thus, it didn't feel right to release that, so I adapted the following episode in addition to the previous one in the same chapter. This unfortunately led to an additional problem of the opposite kind, in that this was the point I wanted to introduce a lot of my original work. In the end, this chapter ended up being three times as long as the average chapter, leading to the nearly two month development cycle. So yeah, this one is going to be a bit of a doozy.

Second, you may have notice that this story now has a cover image attached to it. If you did, you're probably wondering what that spiral pattern is all about. Don't worry too much about it, as it will be explained over the course of the story. Just keep an eye out for it.

Now, for our regularly scheduled special event, the review responses. Let's see what you've all had to say over the last two months.

Nemonobody001: Thank you!

Isokage: That dragon eye is just the start of what I have planned, just you wait. An original work or mine based on canon events, specifically Touma's red sclera during the Daihasei. Next chapter is the final chapter of the Necromancer Arc, after which is the first Index II Arc, the Orsela Aquinas Rescue Arc. I don't think Last Order would even think about having a swear jar. After all, she never has a problem with Accelerator's swearing since she knows he's just a big softy with a hard shell.

Rekuta: The dragon eye is an original creation by me, meant to set up future power developments I have planned for Touma. It was, however, inspired by the time Touma's right sclera turned red during the Daihasei.

5had0wHand: Hey, I like my references, especially the funny ones. I've never really thought too much about what kind of Nasuverse Servant Touma would be able to summon since Imagine Breaker would keep from from actually pulling it off. If I had to pick a compatible Class, I'd say Foreigner. At this point, the existence of Magic is only being explained to other people as a form of necessity. In Yomikawa's case, Esther spoke out about Magic right in front of her, so Touma had no choice but to explain everything he knew. I'd say Frenda would make for a fun pair with Touma. She can be sweet, but not as demeaning as Kunohata could be at times.

DuckBoi: Touma's got a new ability, one he's not totally aware of just yet, and those powers are only going to grow more powerful as time goes on. You'll be seeing a bit of that in this and the upcoming chapter. Glad you like my plot twists (sounds like I'm talking about a food dish when I say it like that). Like I said, I'm primarily an anime fan and including an arc that would just end up being redundant doesn't sit well me with me. Glad to see the sentiment is shared.

JoshPlater: You might want to rewatch to refresh your memory. Accelerator only had 13 episodes, with the big bad fight being in episode 13.

GunsAndMagic: Thank you! Happy you liked the fight!

Vein Bloodborne: Well, spoiler, the way the fight concludes isn't too different from canon. However, there will be some interesting lore twists during and after it. Just you wait.

comrade-elmo1: Well, that wasn't the feel I was going for when I wrote Touma and Accelerator's relationship, but it works. I'm just a really big fan of diametrically opposed opposites being best friends, Yuma and Astral of Yugioh Zexal being my favorite case of this. I like my comedic references. Can you blame me for the aurora borealis joke? The fight last chapter was definitely one of my stronger outings.

hadijahpatangari: While that is a pretty cleaver pun, I don't think it would translate very well. I am writing this in the context of the characters speaking mostly Japanese, so puns that work only in English aren't something I go for. However, someone saying something like "Touma unlocked the Yuri Route", that is a pun I would most definitely hop on to.

H17 (Guest): Thank you for the kind words.

Zatil Hidayah Spensa: Expect that combo to be a staple going forward. Accelerator is the ultimate gun, Touma is the ultimate bullet. Sorry for not including the Nectar Arc. Just didn't feel write adapting something that would just become redundant.

GENO BERSERK: It's certainly an interesting idea. I could also spin it so Kakine attacks Accelerator as a means of getting to Touma, so I still get the canon slaughter, only even more emotionally charged. I'll have to keep that in the vault.

17113020: That's certainly an interesting theory. And to add credice to it, Esper and technology fields are not what the members of STUDY specialize in, so while the things they've made are impressive on a basic level, they are nowhere near the level of the stuff directly funded by Acadmey City like the FIVE_OVER series of projects. As for where STUDY got its funds, STUDY itself also goes by the STUDY Corporation, a legitimate company that specializes in pharmaceuticals and was responsible for supplying Anti-Skill with a majority of their equipment for some time. This was a canon with the filler arc, and I use the term loosely, and was mentioned during my adaptation of the arc. I am actually on the fence regarding Aogami at the moment. On one hand, I can stick with my guns. On the other hand, I could easily and smoothly retcon it so that Aogami is a regular customer of Aihana. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

ccplays1: I've already established Aogami as the 6th ranked Level 5 way back during the Silent Party Arc, though that is subject to retcon after recent canon revealss.

PhantomDiamond: Glad you like the story. I've always been pretty tolerant of Index as a character, so its nice to see that my depiction has made you a bit more tolerant of her as well.

MarauderPrime12: Thank you!

Yuuji Akira: It warms my heart to know that my work is helping people through tough times. Seeing as you have not read nor watched the Accelerator spin-off, I think you'll be in for a big surprise going into this chapter. A big part of Accelerator's character is that he doesn't need a romantic partner, he needs a family. It's a big reason why in canon his has two moms in Yomikawa and Yoshikawa. That doesn't mean he won't develop a harem of his own later on, it's just not going to be too central to his character. And don't worry, I'm all for LGBTQ+ representation, but I'm a firm believer that that representation should be done with original characters, not forced on to preexisting characters in fan works as that feel disingenuous, like the writers are just trying to fill a quota. Watch that window! I can't have a reader die before this story!

Over 1800 reviews total, as well as about 1500 favorites and follows. Feels like only yesterday I reached 1000 each. Onward and upward I guess.

Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.

---

Chapter 69: Ancestry

As blood spilled from his stab wound, Hishigata tried desperately to keep going. Even as blood seeped through his fingers, he desperately reached to his little sister, just for the chance to touch her one last time before his inevitable end.

"Thank goodness she's safe." Hishigata said weakly as he caressed her face, smearing his blood on her cheek, "Hirumi is as pretty as ever, and most importantly, uninjured."

Moments later, Hishigata's strength gave out. He collapsed on the floor next to the capsule, alive, but barely so. As he collapsed, Hirumi opened her eyes. For a moment, she did not appear to react to anything, her eyes appropriately looking dull like those of a corpse. The dull look in her eyes made Esther anxious, as such a look was a calling card for bodies possessed by a pseudo-soul. However, Esther felt a spark of hope when Hirumi spoke.

"What are you doing here, Esther? Good morning!" Hirumi said with her usual spring in her step as she exited the capsule, "And how have you been?"

Esther remained silent, unsure if she could truly trust the way Hirumi was acting.

"What's the matter with you? You seem upset." Hirumi asked as she stepped forward, only to lose her footing and fall on her butt, "Ouchy! That really hurt! And why am I only dressed in underwear!?"

"Is that… No. It's just Taowu." Esther whispered to herself, "The real Hirumi is dead."

"Jeez. I guess this is better than being almost naked." Hirumi said as she pulled a stray towel over herself for cover, "How embarrassing."

Esther said nothing. She had nothing to say. After all, she had long since convinced herself that she was speaking to Taowu, not Hirumi.

"What gives? What's with that outfit you're wearing? You haven't started doing cosplay now, have you?" Hirumi asked, before noticing the blood-stained knife Esther was holding, "Hey… Esther… is that… blood?"

Turning around, Hirumi spotted her brother leaning against her capsule, desperately clinging to life.

"What happened?" Hirumi asked in confusion, shocked to see her brother on death's door.

"I see you're up and about, Hirumi." Hishigata said weakly, holding his wound closed, "At least the installation was completed. Now you'll be a…"

Hishigata never got to finish his sentence as he started to cough up the blood slowly filling his lungs. In that moment, all the pieces fell into place for Hirumi.

"Esther… why?" Hirumi demanded. "Why did you stab my brother!? How could you!?"

As if responding to her anger, the cables scattered about the room came to life and connected themselves to the ports in Hirumi's back. All the while, Hirumi herself was enveloped in a crimson glow.

"It's finally activated." Hishigata said triumphantly, despite his injuries, "My sister is about to become the first ever Level 6!"

---

Outside the school building, the last remnants of DA had been cornered by Anti-Skill. Even when being forced into the deepest depths of their last stronghold, DA refused to give in. Leading the charge to shut down DA once and for all, Yomikawa led her squad in the chase for the last remaining stragglers. However, that charge came to an abrupt halt when the chase led everyone to a strange hallway.

Creeping along the walls of the hallway was a strange matter nobody has ever seen before. I was pink like animal flesh, yet its structure looked to be a cross between plant and animal, forming vines held together by sinews. Most disturbing of all was the fact that the matter appeared to be alive, moving on its own like a pack of snakes.

"What are those?" a DA agent asked his comrades.

"Hishigata's lab is up ahead. It's probably a new bioweapon." the commanding agent deduced.

"This abomination is a bioweapon?" another agent asked, uncertain.

"Doesn't matter what it looks like!" the commanding agent barked as he and his men continued firing on Anti-Skill, "As long as it helps us bring about justice!"

"What are we dealing with here?" Itou inquired, bewildered.

"Whatever it is, we're blocked." Yomikawa lamented.

---

Within Hishigata's lab, Hirumi's supposed transformation into a Level 6 had taken an unsettling turn. The cable scattered about the room had become much more violent, so much so that staying within reach of them was essentially a death sentence. It was for this reason that Esther was making her escape by having Houtou carry her out through an upper route. Despite her grievances with the man and his current condition, Esther could not bring herself to let Hishigata die, especially when he still desperately clung to his belief that Hirumi was still alive. Thus, she made it a point to drag the dying scientist out with her.

Outside on the courtyard, Misaka 10046 found herself surrounded by dozens of wires, all under the influence of Hirumi's control. Try as she may, the meager power the Sister could employ could not hope to stand a chance against the wildly whipping wires. Misaka 10046 was certain she was doomed to be swallowed up by the wires' ravenous assault, only to be proven wrong when a certain duo appeared to save her yet again.

"How many more times are we going to have to save you today!?" Accelerator growled from the back of Touma's hoverboard.

With a swift swipe of his hand, Accelerator dispersed the wires attacking Misaka 10046, reducing them to scraps of metal and rubber. As he rode by, Touma picked up the Sister in a bridal carry, sweeping her off her feet to relative safety. Said safety was found on the roof of the one of the school buildings, which Touma managed to reach thanks Accelerator's help.

"We should be safe up here." Touma said as he set Misaka down.

Disembarking from the hoverboard, Accelerator looked over the edge of the building to see what exactly they were running from. The wires they had fended off appeared to transform into something else entirely. The same pink, fleshy material Anti-Skill and DA encountered inside the facility seemed to ooze out of the wires, enveloping them. The strange matter coalesced in the center of the courtyard and spread outward to cover the rest of the school, forming what looked to be a giant flower.

Inside the facility, Esther and Houtou ran frantically with the dying Hishigata in tow. With Hirumi rapidly growing in power and the mysterious matter enveloping every square meter of the building, Esther and Houtou needed to find shelter to catch their breath and attempt to save the mad scientist's life. Thankfully, the trio was able to locate a storage room with a mechanical door, one that should provide them with safety and security they needed to tend to Hishigata's wounds. Once they were safely inside and had locked the door, Esther immediately grabbed a clean towel she found stored in the room and applied pressure to slow down Hishigata's bleeding.

"I have to applaud you. You've really done it." Hishigata said weakly, not bothering to conserve his strength, "When credit is due it should be recognized. We had our fair share of disagreements, but thanks to you, our research was completed. If not for you, my Hirumi would have never gained the perfect body and perfect Ability."

"You're wrong!" Esther denied, "I already told you, that thing isn't Hirumi!"

"You really don't know when to quit." Hishigata said, almost sounding amused, "There's no way I'd confuse my sister for a complete stranger."

"You have to trust me! That's just Taowu in disguise!" the Necromancer reaffirmed.

"Not this again." Hishigata scoffed, "Not one bit of her DNA is different. I assure you, she's one hundred percent herself."

"I wanted to believe it too. I clung to the hope that she returned the same person. But I'm telling you, that's not the case!" Esther stood her ground.

Hishigata simply chuckled at the continued insistence.

"No matter how much Necromancy I perform, I can't resurrect someone from beyond the grave!" the Necromancer declared, "The only one capable of such a feat is God!"

"Seems the only way this argument is getting settled is asking her ourselves." the dying scientist said with a grin, much to Esther's concern.

Looking behind her, Esther saw a blob of the flesh that had consumed the building piercing through the rolling shutter door. Despite her efforts, it seemed hiding from the supposed Level 6 only bought Esther a few minutes.

"There's my sister." Hishigata cheered weakly.

Popping out from a hole in the fleshy wall came Hirumi, who didn't seem to care in the slightest about transforming into what could only be described as an eldritch abomination.

"There you are!" Hirumi greeted, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry to ask you this, but can you tell this stubborn woman that you're the real Hirumi?" Hishigata requested, still convinced it was his sister he was speaking too.

"Why don't you believe us, Esther?" Hirumi asked, looking straight at Esther with disapproving eyes, "You're the one acting weird. Why would you attack my brother like that?"

"Well, I…" Esther stumbled.

"And there you have it." Hishigata proclaimed proudly, "Are you convinced, or are you going to keep insisting that she's an imitation? Hirumi is more human than either one of you."

Patting himself a bit too hard on the back, Hishigata suddenly began coughing up blood, his constant talking exacerbating his wound.

"Hang on, brother!" Hirumi cried in concern, "You're bleeding badly! We need to take you to the hospital, now!"

"What? You mean this?" Hishigata asked, looking at his blood-soaked hand, "Actually, I'm probably done for. But that's alright. As long as you reach Level 6, then…"

"Brother…" Hirumi begged, tears welling in her eyes, "You can't die…"

Suddenly, Hirumi fell limp, much to Esther's confusion. A moment later, Hirumi lifted herself up, but started acting completely differently. She only had her left eye open, and its iris had changed from its usual greyish blue to a sickly yellow. As her eyes darted around the room and across the dying Hishigata, she spoke in a robotic manner, not dissimilar to how Houtou spoke.

"Checking body temperature. Gauging blood loss. No possibility of self-restoration. Estimated time of death 11:32." Hirumi rattled off.

"Hey, why are you talking like that?" Hishigata inquired.

"Given that life functions of subject for continued deception are expected to cease, termination of Hirumi Hishigata's memories shall commence." the girl who should have been Hirumi announced as she closed her eye.

"What?" Hishigata asked in horror, "Hirumi, what are you saying?"

"Hirumi Hishigata's memory reproduction has been terminated. My name is Taowu." the reanimated corpse introduced itself.

After all his insisting and babbling, Hishigata found himself completely speechless.

"Congratulations are in order, Esther." the pseudo-soul addressed the Rosenthal family head.

"What are you talking about?" Esther inquired.

"For 23 generations, over 400 years, the Rosenthal bloodline has been steadily studying and refining the art of Necromancy, and at last it's about to be perfected." Taowu explained.

All throughout the building, the mass of flesh that was Taowu's body was growing ever larger. From their spot on the roof, Touma, Accelerator, and Misaka 10046 could see the mass of flesh in the center of the courtyard grow taller and spread farther, going as far as to start creeping up the walls of the building. Within the building, DA and Anti-Skill continued to fight, with Anti-Skill doing double duty to defend students as they evacuated.

"Come and celebrate." Taowu cheered in monotone, "Sings songs of praise. Dance. Openly rejoice."

"What are you going on about, Hirumi?" Hishigata begged, still in denial, "I don't find this funny anymore."

"Taowu!" Esther shouted.

"Yes?" the pseudo-soul replied, stretching its main body to speak with Esther face-to-face.

"Why did you go astray?" Esther demanded.

"The results of my self diagnostic program concluded that all is going as intended." Taowu answered.

"How can you say that!? You didn't follow my orders!" Esther pushed forward.

"The wishes of the Rosenthal family as a whole too precedence." the pseudo-soul responded.

"A pseudo-soul does not have the authority to refuse commands their masters issue them." Houtou interrupted, noticing a flaw in how Taowu behaved in relation to other pseudo-souls.

"Maybe a lower class one such as yourself, but you and I are different." Taowu fired back with an almost smug smirk. "Achieving the Rosenthal's goal must take priority over everything else."

"Taowu, what exactly happened!?" Esther demanded.

"9.854878051 billion seconds have passed. That is when I was first activated, as well as the being that was connected to the pseudo-soul that comprises me." Taowu explained.

"Connected with you?" Esther whispered to herself.

"After allowing .32 seconds of hesitation, I permitted communication, and this being proclaimed himself adevil."

For reasons unknown, Taowu's voice carried much more power while saying that last phrase. The room quaked with those words and all the room's occupants had to cover their ears or risk going deaf.

"So you're telling me you are actively communicating with this devil?" Esther asked once the shaking had stopped.

"Yes." Taowu confirmed, "And most importantly, it taught me exactly what I needed to do to accomplish the Rosenthal family's wish."

"My sister's got a hell of a sense of humor, doesn't she?" Hishigata chuckled, still in denial, "Come on, we all know there's no such thing as devils."

As he tried to pick himself up off the floor, several of the lollipops Hishigata kept on him fell out of his lab coat pocket and on to the ground.

"There is." Taowu insisted, "You should be rejoicing, Esther. After all, I am finally making you family's desire into reality."

As Taowu slithered closer to Esther, it carelessly crushed the discarded lollipops under its weight. Seeing the image of his sister crush such a precious symbol of their familial bond left Hishigata utterly speechless. This heinous act towards something they held so close to their hearts was the final nail in the literal coffin for Hishigata.

"You do know, mistress, what the Rosenthal family wishes for?" Taowu asked, its face centimeters away from Esther's own face.

"For the creation of a perfect golem." Esther answered.

"Then it would appear as though you had not forgotten." Taowu replied almost jubilantly.

How could Esther possibly forget that dream? It was literally family tradition for every child born into the Rosenthal family to be taught that dream to the point of not being able to forget it. Ever since the family's inception, they had been searching for a way to create the perfect golem. When the founder, Obed, developed Necromancy, he was cast out of his homeland by those in power, charged with being a heretic. When the fourth head of the Rosenthal family, Isaac, encountered the Jiangshi spell in China, he incorporated it into Necromancy, creating the Rosenthal style. Later, the fifth head, Nathan, increased the potency of pseudo-souls, creating the Four Evil Spirits of the Numbers. But despite all that, the Rosenthal family were nowhere near its goal.

What they pursued was something that had never been done before. They wanted to create a golem with a perfect body and a perfect soul. A perfect being that could be described as a god.

"I don't believe you! All of this was decided years in advance!?" Esther demanded.

"This is exactly what the devil said. By repeatedly dying ten thousand times, the souls of men slowly begin to evolve, reaching Keter, the top of the Sephirothic Tree." Taowu explained, "Even pseudo-souls can reach this level. All that's needed is logging evidence of ten thousand deaths."

"How is that possible?" Esther asked in disbelief, "Are you also tampering with reincarnation?"

"I have those memories." the pseudo-soul elaborated, "The 10,031 deaths were converted into a formula and transferred into me. They then became appended to the Sephirothic Tree that comprises my pseudo-soul. Why aren't you celebrating? Sing songs of praise. Twirl and dance in honor of your victory. The four-hundred-year-old wish of the Rosenthal line is finally coming to fruition!"

"You have to stop tampering with death!" Esther demanded, on the verge of tears, "If I've learned anything, it's that Necromancy doesn't return what was taken from us! I lost a friend, and when I tried to bring her back, I just lost her all over again! No matter who much control I have over death, I wasn't able to save my friend! We have no place interfering with the deceased! This world has no need for devils or manufactured gods!"

For a moment, Taowu remained silent, as if contemplating Esther's perspective on the matter.

"I see." Taowu responded, "Then are you saying I should not carry out the directions I was given by this self-proclaimed devil?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Esther confirmed, a newfound determination radiating from her voice, "And since I still have Adonai rights, in the name of the head of the Rosenthals, you are to stop carrying out this devil's instructions, this instance!"

"… I acknowledge your request." Taowu conceded.

All throughout the building, Taowu's body grew silent. The writhing tentacles and appendages came to a standstill, giving those who had been fighting them off a moment to breath. Seeing that the reanimated corpse had followed her orders without any argument, Esther released a breath she had not realize she was holding and sheathed her dagger. It had appeared that everything was finally over.

"As if that was really going to change my mind." Taowu whispered into Esther's ear, its tone of voice once again shifting drastically.

The reanimated corpse's voice no longer had Hirumi's sweet and bubbly energy, nor Taowu's robotic and calculated meter. Instead, it's voice was completely manic, like that of a total sociopath.

Just as quickly as the mounds of flesh settled down, they immediately sprung to life once again. Esther, Houtou, and Hishigata quickly found themselves surrounded by dozens of copies of Hirumi, each one popping out of an orifice in the fleshy walls.

"I've come too far to stop now." The dozens of Hirumi's said in unison in Hirumi's voice, "I'm going to keep going until I attain our four-hundred-year-old wish."

Seeing as things had taking a seriously bad turn, Esther went for her dagger to attempt to us Emperor Shun's Blade to remove Taowu from Hirumi's body like she originally planned. However, she found herself unable to draw the blade from its sheath.

"Don't have what it takes to plunge that dagger into your friend, do you Esther?" the original Hirumi observed in its manic voice, "You're so simple, it's pathetic."

"What's the matter with you, Taowu?" Esther asked, confused as to why a pseudo-soul would act so erratically and dismissively.

"Ha! After nineteen generations, how could you people be this stupid?" the reanimated corpse scoff, opening its mouth and extending its tongue to present its shi xiong charm before quickly concealing it, "You really have no idea? Allow me to explain then. Taowu has my soul merged into its artificial soul."

"Then you're…" Esther whispered.

"When I was ill and on the verge of death, I used my son Nathan to transcribe myself on to Taowu before my soul could undergo any damage." the unknown soul explained.

"So you're saying…" Esther deduced.

"Finally catching on? Yes. You have the distinct honor of speaking to the fourth family head, Isaac Rosenthal!" Isaac introduced himself, much to Esther's horror, "And this devil who tempted Taowu happens to be me."

---

Centuries ago in China, a village lived in terror of a devil living among men. This devil would lure villagers in and kill them, only to have their corpses reanimated into his disgusting and horrifying jiangshi as part of his experiments. It didn't matter who you were or what you did, if you lived in the village, you were a target for this devil and his experiments. Anyone who tried to resist him and fight back quickly found themselves consumed by his legion of reanimated corpses, sure to be reanimated among them. They could only treat this devil well on the streets and pray that they did not become his next victim. For those who could not leave the village, this was their inescapable fate.

However, everything changed when a stranger, an outsider, arrived at the village. This stranger did not appear to be remarkable in any sense of the word, baring a face and attire that could be found among all common men. The only thing of note regarding him was the amulet he wore around his neck, a golden medal depicting a spiral with seven arms spiraling towards a center point. When the villagers asked him who he was, he simply said he was a guardian, but did not elaborate beyond that.

After entering the village, the stranger confronted the devil in his home, much to the shock of the villagers. As was the case with anyone else who confronted him, the devil unleashed his legion on the stranger. However, the stranger never came to harm. Gripping his amulet in his hand, a strange blew around him and all of the jiangshi who came close to him immediately fell to the ground, reduced to mere corpses at his feet. Before long, the devil's entire legion of jiangshi had been destroyed, leaving him at the mercy of the stranger.

Since that day, the devil never tormented the villagers again. Even after the stranger left, the devil refused to leave his home until the day he died, living in fear of the stranger that made him powerless.

---

"While I was hiding inside Taowu, I found my way into this girl, then found out about this lab's Coffin research." Isaac explained further, "It would prove helpful. When I learned about these clones and the memories of 10031 deaths they possessed, I was ecstatic. Sudden all the tools I required to craft a perfect body with a perfect soul were within my grasp."

"You're saying the reason everything turned out the way that it did was because you were pulled the strings from the shadows?" Esther deduced.

"You should be thankful. You had been falsely led into thinking you being used by these siblings when it was really the other way around." Isaac mused, laughing.

"Stop this already!" Esther begged, tears welling up in her eyes, "So many people have died! The sorrow you've caused is immeasurable! Stop using Necromancy for such a trivial goal!"

"A trivial goal?" Isaac parroted before attempting to crush Esther under one of his many appendages, "And just who the hell do you think you are!? A Necromancer spends their entire life hovering near death, touching it, and overturning the natural order!"

"I know what our legacy is." Esther declared, gritting her teeth.

"You claim that, but I don't think you're aware of how personally responsible you are! If you hadn't come to this city, this girl wouldn't have taken her own life!" Isaac taunted, "How exactly do you think those people died? Maybe it's because you spread death wherever you travel. That's the entire point of being a Necromancer."

"That's not true!" Esther denied adamantly,

"You were born a Rosenthal and this is just now occurring to you?" the centuries old soul mused maliciously, "You can't protect others."

"Then I was wrong." Esther realized, falling to her knees, "Everything I convinced myself of wasn't true."

"You're a failure to our family name." Isaac declared, "Now, sit back and watch as I fulfil our bloodline's ancient wish!"

Cupping his hands, Isaac generated a sphere of pure magical energy that quickly grew to engulf his main body. The sphere of energy would have consumed the emotionally broken Esther as well had it not been for Houtou's quick reaction to the changing scenario. As the sphere quickly continued to expand, Houtou fled with both Esther and Hishigata in her arms, complying with Esther's continued wish to preserve the scientist's life. However, despite her superhuman capabilities, Houtou couldn't hope to outrun the expanding sphere while confined to the building's walls and hallways. Thankfully, those walls and hallways became less of an issue with the arrival of a certain albino Esper.

"Master…" Esther said in awe upon seeing her chosen teacher blow a hole in a wall to make his entrance.

"Get moving." Accelerator ordered gruffly, prompting Houtou to quickly sprint down the new opened path.

---

"I am going to kill Touma when he gets home." Shizuri grumbled as she washed the dishes from the breakfast she and Index had just finished eating.

After Touma called home last night about being out late, Shizuri and Index took it upon themselves to get some salmon bento for dinner. She expected her brother to at least have come home in the dead of night and be there when morning came. But lo and behold, there was no trace of Touma ever being home since he called. This left Shizuri and Index to fend for themselves to cover breakfast, and Shizuri sick with anxiety about what was keeping Touma from home.

What if it was something dangerous? What if he had gotten killed dealing with something dangerous? What if it was some hussy of a girl, worse than even one of those princesses from Tokiwodai? If Touma wasn't already dead, he was certainly going to be once she got her hands on him. But for now, she would have to worry about trying to grill more information about Magic from Index.

"So, Index, have any idea about what you want to do today?" Shizuri asked as she finished up the dishes.

Despite directly addressing the nun-in-training, Shizuri did not get an immediate response. Looking up from her workstation in the kitchen, she saw Index staring at something that had completely taken command of her attention. However, it was not the television that enraptured her, but something outside, visible from the apartment's porch window. Curious as to what had Index so distracted by, Shizuri joined her on the porch, only to find herself completely baffled by what she saw.

Towering over everything around it was a massive Sephirothic Tree that sprung up in the middle of School District 16 just north of the apartment. It appeared to be made of out a sickly purple flesh and had a massive glowing orb lodged within each of its ten nodes. The presence of the tree seamed to suck the color from the surrounding area, making everything but itself within its massive area of effect appear greyscale. Seeing as the structure looked like something from a religious text, Shizuri could only come to a single conclusion regarding the phenomenon.

"Something religious, I take it?" Shizuri asked.

"It appears to be a Sephirothic Tree of life from Kabbalah, yes." Index answered.

"Is it Magic?"

"Based on the amounts of mana I'm sensing from it, absurdly so."

"Chances that Touma is involved with it?"

"Undoubtedly."

"We are investigating?"

"May as well."

---

Having escaped the inside of the building, Esther's group had rejoined Accelerator, Touma, and Misaka 10046 and was now getting an eyeful of the monstrosity Isaac had created. Naturally, no one was particularly pleased with the recent turn of events.

"Just my luck! The guy I want to beat up the most is hanging on by a thread!" Accelerator grumbled, seeing the half dead Hishigata lay on the ground, "How am I supposed to have any fun kicking the crap out of him now!?"

"Well, this is terrible." Touma sighed, before turning his attention towards the slumped over Esther, "So, what's our next move?"

"… I was wrong about everything." Esther said in a low voice.

"Excuse me?" Touma asked for clarification.

"I thought I knew what caused this string of misadventures, how I caused so much suffering by allowing Hirumi to learn about Necromancy." Esther lamented, tears falling from her eyes, "If I had realized that earlier, none of this would have happened. But I was mistaken. I was the fourth family head the entire time. Isaac is responsible for all of this because he sought to achieve the Rosenthal family wish to create the perfect golem. I was wrong from the very start. These events didn't start because of Hirumi's mistake or my losing control of Taowu. It was inevitable the moment I arrived at the laboratory. And we played right into Isaac's hands. Even when I thought I had discovered who I was as a Rosenthal, that was a lie. I was wrong about everything."

"… So in other words, you're backing out now." Accelerator scoffed in disappointment, "I remember when I was ready to kill you and you accepted death with your head raised. Now look at you."

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Touma reprimanded is friend.

"Don't care. If you want to pout, you can wait on the sidelines." Accelerator scoffed as he made his way towards the giant flesh tree, "As for me, I'm going to take this thing out."

"Hey Yuri, wait up!" Touma called out as he quickly paced to his best friend's side.

To say that Isaac's new body was grotesque would be an understatement. The magical matter had completely engulfed the school building, covering nearly every square meter of the facility in sickly violet flesh. All the while, Isaac's voice could be heard emanating from every part of the body.

"In terms of resources, this city is a goldmine." Issac mused, "Once my perfect golem reaches completion, there won't be anyone who can stand in my way. Not even that Guardian who interfered in my plans all those centuries ago would be able to stop me. Since I have infinite time and no shortage of materials to work with, let the experimentation begin. Just a bit longer. A little longer."

"You mean your goal all along was to become this thing?" Accelerator asked, finding the final result rather unimpressive.

"That is correct." Isaac responded.

Sprouting out from the side of the main body was an appendage that somewhat resembled a massive vine with an equally massive flower bud at the tip. Said flower bud promptly bloomed, revealing a replica of Hirumi's body, from which Isaac spoke through.

"I have obtained my bloodline's ultimate wish!" Isaac announced proudly, "The Rosenthals spent generations profaning life and bending the rules of death so that one day we could obtain the form of the god you see before you!"

"A god?" Touma whispered in astonishment.

"Huh?" Accelerator whispered himself, but he did so out of bafflement rather than astonishment.

"A being unlike anything that has ever existed, possessing a perfect soul and body!" Isaac continued to gloat, "This is a god! This is me!"

"That's ridiculous." Accelerator scoffed, "Go do this crap somewhere else."

"Who are you calling ridiculous? You people have been pursuing the same goal as me." Isaac pointed out, "Pushing for an individual who is not a deity to fulfil a celestial purpose, in your case, a Level 6. There's no difference between you people and myself."

"Now that's just plain reductive!" Touma called out, "Maybe a lot of the researchers are after that goal, but most of the students are just trying to go about their daily lives! And I'm sure I speak for every student in Academy City when I say we don't appreciate you using our lives and deaths as your playthings and test subjects!"

"If that's the case, I'm appreciative of the data those researchers gathered. It all proved to be helpful for me reaching my end goal." Isaac replied, "I searched all over the world for a single missing component, only to discover it resided here. This was the only place I was able to obtain the memories of 10031 deaths."

Upon hearing this bit of information, both high school boys audibly gasped. One gasped at the realization of the truth, the other because he knew how sensitive his friend was regarding the subject.

"Hey. What did you just say?" Accelerator growled.

"Yuri, easy." Touma insisted, placing his right hand on his friend's shoulder for safety.

"I was close to becoming a god, but there was an element missing." Isaac explained, a manic grin on his face, "I required ten thousand dying memories. That was the most important and difficult key to come by. All I can say is thank heaven for Academy City."

Hearing someone so joyous about the Sisters' deaths made Accelerator absolutely livid. If it was not for the fact that Touma was actively holding him back, he probably would have jumped up and killed the bastard right then and there. A death glare formed on his face unlike any he had made before, one that did not go unnoticed by Isaac.

"Hang on… You're the one! The person responsible for the 10031 dying memories!" Isaac said in realization, "Ah yes! Now I see! It is you! Did you know? After looking through those dead girls' final memories, they all feature you. a grizzly monster come to snuff them out of existence. Each and every one meticulously recorded the unique way you decided to cruelly and mercilessly butcher them. I'm impressed you managed to kill so many. That's too much even for me! I mean, to do something as gruesome as to murder a teenage girl over ten thousand times for your own benefit? Well, how am I not supposed to respect you!"

As Isaac began to laugh at the absurdity of Accelerator's kill count, the Level 5 had just about reached his breaking point. He was about to force Touma's hand off him and switch on his choker when a certain Level 0 reached his breaking point first.

"Shut the hell up!" Touma screamed, immediately eliciting silence from the mad Necromancer, "You don't know the first thing about Yuri! He never wanted to hurt anyone, but he was pushed into a corner and that damn project looked like a way out! It was only after the first death that he realized what he was expected to do, at which point he had no choice but to follow through! Even then, he looked for a way out, a way to spare them and put the killing to an end! Even now he's haunted by the guilt he feels for each of their deaths! Yuri is nothing like you! He's not a monster, and he's certainly not a devil like you!"

"Touma…" Yuri whispered, touched by his friend's words.

"… You really like to hear yourself talk, don't you?" Isaac snarked, utterly bored by Touma's speech.

"Said the devil Necromancer who just spent that last few minutes gloating about the disgusting pile of flesh he calls his artificial god!" Touma fired back, "All this supposed power and you couldn't be bothered to make this think look less disgusting!?"

That last comment really got under Isaac's skin. While he had a history of killing those who insulted his work in the past, he figured it was not worth the effort now that his perfect golem was finally in reach. However, something about the way Touma spoke to him really ticked him off. In that moment, Isaac wanted Touma gone.

"You know, I was going to let you go seeing as there's nothing you could possibly do to me." Isaac mused through gritted teeth, "But now I think I'll just kill you for pissing me off!"

Faster than most people could react, a snake-like appendage spouted from Isaac's body and lunged at Touma, ready to crush him in its massive jaws and swallow him whole. However, Touma was not most people. Sensing the killing intent in the attack, the Level 0 pushed the Level 5 back with his right hand, making sure his friend was out of range from the attack. Just before the tentacle reached him, with his right hand now free, Touma delivered a powerful right uppercut to the snake-like jaw. As soon as Imagine Breaker made contact, the sound of shattering glass rang out as the tentacle exploded, leaving not even a blood splatter behind. All the while, Isaac let out a blood curdling scream as he felt the unique sensation of having one of his limbs erased from existence.

"What the hell was that!?" Isaac screamed, throwing Touma a death glare.

Touma in turn threw a death glare of his own, one that made Isaac freeze in place. While the boy himself was rather unassuming, his eyes told a different story. His eyes showed a spirit and vigor that Isaac had only seen once before, one that he still feared to this day.

'Those eyes.' Isaac thought to himself in fear, 'He has those same eyes.'

---

It had been a day like any other. After dispatching the latest group of soldiers who tried to arrest him, Isaac was using the newly acquired corpses for his latest string of Necromancy experiments. The results so far have been promising. While his last batch of golems created from General Lee and his daughter were quick to start decomposing, this newest set of golems were much more well-preserved despite being mauled by his other golems.

"Yes, these are coming out much better." Isaac mused to himself, admiring his latest work, "Once I'm able to get the body perfectly preserved, I'll be one step closer to making the perfect golem."

"Is that all you need?" a stranger but in, pulling Isaac from his thoughts, "If you could be so kind as to explain your Magic and what you are trying to achieve? I am quite interested."

Turning towards the sound of new voice, Isaac found a rather unassuming man standing at his estate's front gate. The stranger wore the clothes of a commoner, his black hair worn in a plain fashion, a simple staff resting his left hand. The only think of note was the gold amulet hanging around his neck which depicted a spiral with seven arms twisting around a center point.

"Is that so?" Isaac asked skeptically, "I take it you are not from around here. Most of the locals find my creations rather repulsive, as much as I hate to admit it. You are the first to have a genuine interest in my work. Why is that?"

"Just a traveler who appreciates the work other Magicians do." the stranger chuckled, "I come from a line of Magicians myself, but I lack the skill to perform Magic on my own. Despite that, I have a fascination with the art, and enjoy learning about it from those outside of my family line. If it is not too much trouble, I would like to know what you are trying to achieve with your Magic."

Despite his suspicions of the man, Isaac couldn't help but grasp the opportunity to flaunt his magical prowess and superiority.

"Well, if you insist." Isaac giggled gleefully, "My family seek to create a golem with a perfect body and soul. Essentially, we aim to create an artificial god. My great grandfather created a means of creating a golem using a corpse, creating Necromancy. When I arrived in this country, I integrated elements from local magical techniques into my family's craft to create something truly unique."

"And how close are you to reaching that goal?" the stranger inquired.

"So close I can taste it!" Isaac declared, licking his lips, "I've nearly perfected the preservation of the bodies my golems use, but I still need a way to enhance their souls. I have theorized that grafting the memories of 10,000 deaths into my pseudo-souls, they would ascend to the highest level of existence. Unfortunately, I have no way of collect such memories, as souls lose their memories shortly after passing on."

"And you'd go to any lengths to pursue this goal?" the stranger asked.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do to see my family's wish become reality!" Isaac proclaimed proudly.

"Then I have no choice but to stop you." the stranger declared, much to Isaac's confusion.

"Excuse me?" Isaac asked, snapping out of his emotional high.

"Magic is a gift meant to be used to allow those without talent to stand on equal footing with those with talent." the stranger explained, his gaze hardening, "What your family is attempting to do crosses boundaries that Magic was never meant to cross. Not to mention your methods are less than tasteful."

"And who are you to decide the limits of what my family does with our gift?" Isaac asked, feeling crossed by this stranger's false interest.

"Just a Guardian looking to maintain the balance." the stranger replied, taking a stance with his staff.

Isaac looked into the stranger's eyes and found a fiery will behind them, a spirit so determined and unbreakable that he doubted anything would make the stranger back down. Even if this stranger would not be deterred, Isaac refused to let anyone stand in his way. Besides, this stranger's corpse would make for a fine golem.

"Well, Mister Guardian, I'd be happy to have you guard my estate from now on." Isaac mused, "Consume him!"

On Isaac's command, every reanimated corpse he had active on his estate sprang into action. Driven by their master's killing intent, the horde of reanimated corpses rushed at the Guardian with inhuman speed. Even as he was rushed down, the Guardian remained calm and focused, simply reaching for his amulet, and clasping it in his right hand.

As soon as he did so, an aurora of rainbow light bled from between his fingers. When the light washed over the horde of reanimated corpses, they all fell limply and silent, dropping to the floor like ragdolls. Isaac himself felt a strange sensation wash over him when the light shone on him. For reasons he did not understand, he could not feel his Magic. At the same time, his pockets felt lighter as the paper charms he kept on him were reduced to nothing.

Moments later, the strange light faded. All that was left of Isaac's magical creations were the corpses they used as bodies. Not a single trace of Magic could be found on the estate, a fact that left Isaac terrified and confused. How could a single man instantly destroy every trace of Magic Isaac owned? It defied all logic.

"Who are you!?" Isaac demanded, his voice quivering, "What did you do!?"

"I told you, I am a Guardian who protects the balance of power, and by using my family's sacred power to destroy all of your magical creations, I've done just that." the Guardian said as he took his leave.

"That's it!? You destroy my life's work and then just leave!?" Isaac screamed.

For a moment, the Guardian stopped in his tracks, standing just outside the Rosenthal Estate's front gate.

"Like you said, your art was something passed down your family line. I'm sure the research your family has done until now is still preserved somewhere in your home. Magic is a gift for all who lack talent, and I have no place denying someone the right to pursue it." the Guardian explain, turning to give Isaac one last glare, "But know this. Should you or anyone in your family try to breach the territory of the gods through your Magic again, the Kamijou Clan will step in to stop you, as I have."

His final warning delivered, the Kamijou Guardian took his leave. Isaac was left in his estate, alone with his thoughts, pondering the gravity of his warning and how he could continue his research without incurring another Guardian's wrath.

---

"You there, boy! What's your name!?" Isaac demanded, glaring at the Level 0.

"What does it matter to you?" Touma snarked.

"Answer the question, damn it!" Isaac roared, his anxiety bleeding through.

"… It's Kamijou. Touma Kamijou."

Isaac could hardly believe it. What were the chances that a descendant of the Kamijou Clan that interfered with his research all those years ago would being in Academy City as a student? Not only that, he also held within him the very same power that destroyed his creation centuries ago. While the form the power took was different, the sensation Isaac felt when he was subjected to it was undeniable. He didn't know what was more terrifying, the power to destroy his Magic, or the implications of that power existing within the boy when it was previously held in an amulet.

"No… not again…" Isaac cowered, "I won't let another Kamijou interfere with my goals again!"

Before Touma could ask what he meant by "another Kamijou", Isaac's replica body had retreated into the main body, leaving Touma and Accelerator to wonder what had come over him.

Looking behind them, the pair of high school boys found themselves joined by Esther, Houtou, Misaka 10046, and the fatally wounded Hishigata. Based on their expressions, it was apparent that they had caught a glimpse of Isaac's minor meltdown.

"What the hell was that?" Yuri asked his best friend, "I've never seen anyone so scared of you before."

"I wish I knew." Touma responded, staring at his right palm, "I've seen Magician's be surprised by Imagine Breaker, but I've never seen them downright terrified of it, let alone of me. I wasn't even trying to be scary. Do you have any idea, Esther?"

"Well, I have one idea, but's just a theory at best." Esther explained, "Those of the Rosenthal line were given a warning that dates back to our fifth family head, Nathan. He said that our craft must be kept secret until our goal of creating a perfect golem became reality. He warned us that if our cover was blown, we would incur the wrath of the Guardian, who would stop at nothing to keep us from that goal. It is said that this Guardian could destroy Magic was easily as a person could breathe. Supposedly, this Guardian destroyed an entire generation's worth of pseudo-soul charms just by standing near them. I believe that Guardian was one of your ancestor's, Kamijou, and Isaac fears you because he sees you as a new Guardian who will prevent him from creating the perfect golem."

Puzzled by this, Touma starred at his right hand even more intensely, contemplating the story Esther had recounted. Could his ancestor really have been some sort of Guardian who went around interfering with Magicians who abused their powers? And this power Esther described in her story, it sounded an awful lot like imagine Breaker, albeit a bit more powerful with a lot more range. Could there have been a connection? From what he had recorded in his journal, Touma had believed that Imagine Breaker was simply a part of him, a quirk unique to him in this world of Magic and Esper Abilities. Did Imagine Breaker have some deeper history he was not aware of? There was that one incident with the alchemist. Was that a part of it too? There were so many mysteries regarding Imagine Breaker and his own ancestry that it was starting to make Touma's head spin.

"Is there anything else about this Guardian in your story that could help us prove this theory?" Touma asked, aching for answers.

"Just that the previous Guardian sought to maintain some sort of power balance, and that the Rosenthal's wish to create an artificial god through a perfect golem threatened that balance." Esther explained, "Beyond that, there is nothing else to share. I'm sorry."

"It this is the Rosenthal family's wish given form, does that mean that this is the form of god that they spoke of? Asks Misaka, unable to stop trembling." Misaka 10046 asked.

"No it is not." Accelerator denied, "This is just some crappy, scum bucket, monster that's got nothing to do with the Rosenthals or anyone else."

Despite her master's words, Esther couldn't help but feel responsible. After all, Isaac only got to this point because Esther brought the Evil Spirits of the Numbers with her when she came to Academy city. Sure, all of this was orchestrated by Isaac, but he could only do so because Esther gave him the opportunity.

"Hey!" Accelerator called out, shaking Esther out of her thoughts, "Are you going to decide what you're going to do? It's your life, your decision, but if you plan on being a hero, don't get confused about what you want to save."

"Hero?" Esther parroted.

"Someone who isn't afraid to stretch out their hands and run as fast as they can to what they're trying to rescue." Accelerator clarified, "Question is, what do you want to save with your hands. If you don't know the answer, then you'll never end up reaching it."

Esther looked down at her hands, contemplating her master's words. What did she want? What was it she wanted to save?

When her eyes fell on her pinky finger, the answer became clear. She saw how dearly Hishigata held Hirumi to his heart, having demonstrated how willing he was to abandon his research if it meant he could protect her from Academy City's exploitive system. She remembered how she promised to help Hirumi if she was ever in any trouble, no matter what. While Hirumi was gone, her soul could not pass on, not while Isaac continued to puppet around her body for his perfect golem. That was Esther's answer, her wish. She wanted to save Hirumi, no matter what.

"Master, I have a favor to ask." Esther said firmly, "This devil who is tampering with life and death. If we are going to defeat it, then I'm going to need you to help me."

"Now you're talking." Accelerator smirked.

"Houtou, I need you to fight alongside me." Esther requested of her trusty pseudo-soul servant.

"As you order, Adonai." Houtou replied.

"You can count on me too. Where Yuri goes, I go." Touma added, "I can't be sure if your theory about my ancestry is true or not, but I know that I have the power to do something about this devil, so I'll do what I can."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's kick its ass!" Accelerator rallied.

"Yeah." Esther agreed, determined.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Touma nodded.

"Stay here and do whatever." Accelerator said to the fallen Hishigata as he led the charge, "Make penance for what you've done. I don't care."

As Accelerator marched on forward, leaving the injured Hishigata for dead, Touma couldn't help but pity the scientist. No matter how much of a cruel and sick bastard he was, the Level 0 couldn't bare to turn his back on someone who clearly needed help. Besides, he had at least one redeeming quality, his dedication to his little sister. In a way, he reminded Touma of his own sister, an individual twisted by Academy City's Dark Side, but not so twisted that he was incapable of compassion for his family. Really, there was only one thing Touma could do.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." Touma said as he approached Hishigata and pulled out his hoverboard.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Accelerator asked, baffled by his best friend's actions.

"I think I'm making sure he gets some medical attention." Touma replied, laying down his hoverboard on the ground and pulling Hishigata on top like it was a stretcher.

"Don't bother. I'm as good as dead anyway." Hishigata sighed, "I've lost too much blood already and with the size of the danger Esther used, I'd say most of my insides are torn up beyond repair."

"Don't you give up on me!" Touma screamed, "Your sister maybe dead, but that doesn't mean you have to die too! She wouldn't want her brother to die without putting up a fight! If you won't live for yourself, then live for her! Besides, I know a good doctor. As long as you're not dead by the time he sees you, you'll be fine."

"That doctor, huh?" Hishigata mused weakly, "Yeah, I guess he would work, assuming I'm still alive by the time you got me to the hospital."

"You and your bleeding heart." Yuri moaned, putting his face in his hand, "Just be sure to get back here quick so you can give this bastard a few of your right hooks."

"Will do." Touma nodded as he activated his hoverboard, lifting Hishigata off the ground.

With their goals determined, the two high school boys parted ways, with Touma taking Hishigata towards the edge of the facility.

"You're really that adamant about helping me, huh?" Hishigata asked weakly.

"It's just how I operate. I can't leave someone alone if they clearly need help." Touma explained, pushing the makeshift stretcher along.

"In that case, allow me to return the favor." Hishigata offered, "I have a couple of secret passages through the facility that will make getting to the exit much easier. I can guide you through them."

"Lead the way." Touma agreed.

---

To say that Anti-Skill was completely out of their depth was an understatement. Faced with the eldritch abomination that was Isaac Rosenthal's golem, Academy City's first line of defense was completely lost as to how to handle the situation. Having been given direct orders from Academy City's governing board to not engage, the most Anti-Skill could do was send in drones to observe and gather information one the strange phenomenon.

Among the Anti-Skill present, the only one who had even an inkling of an idea of what was going on was Captain Yomikawa, who had been previously informed of the existence of Magic from Touma Kamijou earlier that morning. Even then, it was merely conjecture based on the fact that the current phenomenon was unlike anything she had seen from Academy City before. She could not really say for sure what she was looking at. To quote Arthur C. Clarke, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. By the same token, the reverse was also true, magic was indistinguishable from any sufficiently advanced technology. It was especially problematic given her encounters with Hishigata's Coffins, which blurred the lines by integrating the normally diametrically opposed opposites. If only she had access to someone who was more knowledgeable on the subject of Magic.

"Captain Yomikawa, we have a problem." Takahashi reported, pulling her away from her thoughts.

"What is it?" Yomikawa asked.

"We caught two individuals, both young women, trying to sneak past our perimeter into the facility." Takahashi explained, "They've been adamant about being let through. The older of the two is starting to make threats, and the younger one in a nun's habit keeps babbling on about Magic. We have them in custody to get them evacuated, but they're resisting."

As soon as Takahashi mentioned a nun's habit and Magic, Yomikawa knew they had a lead.

"Let me see them." Yomikawa requested.

---

Shizuri was not in a good mood. When she and Index arrived at the location of the unknown magical phenomenon, they had been greeted by an Anti-Skill perimeter, most likely put in place to keep civilians out of harm's way. Normally, sneaking in wouldn't have been an issue for her, she had done plenty of stealth missions over the course of her career. However, the inclusion of the clumsy and frankly conspicuous Index made stealth practically impossible, leading to them getting caught by Anti-Skill and under their watch.

Normally, Shizuri would take the easy way out and just kill everyone who stood in her way. However, she was not about to break her promise to Touma and kill a bunch of people who were only doing their jobs and by no means were a threat. She would not kill anyone here, but that didn't mean she would be totally courteous to them either.

After a few minutes of waiting in the back of an Anti-Skill truck, Shizuri and Index were greeted by one Aiho Yomikawa.

"Hello there." Yomikawa greeted, "I've been told you two were trying to sneak into the facility. Care to tell me why? I'm not sure if you'd remember me, but we've met before. I'm Aiho Yomikawa."

"Hey, I remember you! You're the nice Anti-Skill lady that Touma always reports to!" the girl in the nun's habit remarked.

"That's right. I'm one of Kamijou's teachers at school, too." Yomikawa nodded, "Could you tell me your names? I don't think we've ever been properly introduced."

"I'm Index! It's nice to properly meet you!" Index beamed, "And this here is Shizuri! She's Touma's older sister!"

"Index, I can introduce myself." Shizuri fumed, looking rather annoyed.

"So you're the fabled older sister Komoe was telling me about?" Yomikawa mused.

"You know about me?" Shizuri flinched.

"Like I said, I work at your brother's school. I happen to be good friends with him and his homeroom teacher. She told me Kamijou had moved out of the student dorms to live with a family member who turned up in the city." Yomikawa explained, "Now that that's settled, could you tell me why you two were trying to sneak into a restricted area like this?"

Despite her clear reservations for engaging with Anti-Skill, Shizuri relented and spoke up.

"My brother never came home last night. He said he was helping deal with some sort of splinter cell organization within Anti-Skill." Shizuri explained, "When we saw this think crop up this morning, we figured Touma was somehow involved in it given how he constantly gets himself involved in dangerous, supernatural situations. So, we came to find him and get him out of whatever mess he got himself into."

"While that is admirable of you, we can't allow civilians to put themselves at risk and enter a restricted area." Yomikawa stressed, "Anti-Skill itself doesn't have clearance to enter the facility at the moment."

"We can handle it." Shizuri insisted, "I'll have you know I'm a Level 5. The number of things that can threaten me in this city can be counted on one hand."

"All the more reason for you to no enter that building." Yomikawa denied, "If you're an Esper, that means you're a student. As a teacher, I cannot in good conscience allow you to put your life in danger like that."

At this point, Shizuri was starting to feel a bit helpless. She wanted so desperately to help her brother, but she could not do so while under Anti-Skill custody. And while she could easily kill every here, she was dedicated to her promise to Touma to avoid killing where she could and killing Anti-Skill just doing their job was not going to be an excuse he accepted. Once again, her promise to her brother was making it much harder to protect him.

"However, that's not to say I can't allow you to help your brother in other ways." Yomikawa continued, catching Shizuri's attention, "The last time I spoke with your brother, he divulged some rather earthshattering secrets to me regarding the existence of Magic in this world. Are either of you aware of this secret?"

"Wait, Magic?" Itou asked, "Yomikawa, are you serious?"

"Very." Yomikawa nodded, "Last night, I encountered the reanimated corpse of Hasumi Hitokawa, the girl we found dead inside that massive weapon. Basically, Necromancy was used to revive her body and use it as the core of that weapon, granting it her Ability."

"This is crazy." Takahashi sighed.

"Which is exactly why everything we discuss regarding Magic stays off the books. If word gets out to the public, we'll have a whole lot of problems on a global scale." Yomikawa stressed, before turning her attention back to the two girls in the truck, "So, do either of you know anything?"

Shizuri couldn't help but feel a bit crossed by Yomikawa's revelation. Here Yomikawa was, a teacher, someone Touma would normally never interact with outside of a school setting, saying Touma revealed the secret of Magic to her, and yet he did not bother sharing the same secret with herself, his own sister. Not only that, but he also actively lied to her about the topic, making up stories to hide the truth. She had to coerce the information out of Index with food. Did he really not trust her enough to share this secret on his own terms? Granted, there was Yomikawa's implication that public knowledge of Magic could lead to society disarray, so that somewhat justified Touma's caution, but did he not trust her to keep that secret to herself? Shizuri didn't know what to think or how to feel.

Despite herself, Shizuri pushed those feelings down and focused on the problem at hand. She was all but certain that Touma was inside that building, and the only way she was going to be able to help him was through Anti-Skill. Touma was a good kid, almost too good a kid at times. He surely had an explanation for his behavior. For now, she would focus on helping Touma out of this situation however she could and confront him about it once she got the chance.

"I don't know too much about Magic personally, but Index has a literal library's worth of knowledge on the subject." Shizuri said.

"Can you tell us if this phenomenon is Magic or not?" Yomikawa asked.

"It is most definitely Magic. The amount of Mana collecting within the structure is astronomical, the densest I've ever felt." Index confirmed, "If I can get a closer look, I can do an analysis and give you a more in-depth answer."

"Will this drone feed do?" Takahashi asked, offering Index a tablet with a video feed from one of their drones.

Taking the tablet, Index gave it a hard look before giving her answer.

"It appears to be a golem, and a rather unconventional one at that." Index explained, "The spell being used to create and maintaining mostly pulls from Kabbalah, but it also has elements from the traditional Chinese Jiangshi spell."

"Okay, but what does that mean?" Yomikawa asked.

"It means the whole building is being engulfed by an artificial human. However, rather than having a body made from mud and clay, the golem is using a human corpse." Index answered.

"That thing's a human corpse!?" Itou yelled in astonishment.

"How did it get so big!?" Takahashi asked.

"That's where the Jiangshi spell comes into play." Index replied, "Jiangshi are also known as hopping vampires; reanimated corpses that travel by hopping around and kill the living to feed of their life energy. Seeing as the golem engulfing the building has Jiangshi elements integrated into it, it is reasonable to believe that it might have some of the abilities of Jiangshi, such as absorbing life energy and souls. Combine that with principles of Kabbalah, and the resulting golem could potentially ascend up the Sephirothic Tree by consuming souls and the memories of their mortal deaths."

"And what happens if the golem does reach the top of this tree?" Yomikawa inquired.

"The golem essentially becomes a god."

---

As the party of Accelerator, Esther, Houtou, and Misaka 10046 ventured deeper into the ruins of the facility, they came across a rather strange phenomenon. It wasn't so much strange in that it was supernatural, more because it completely contradicted previously established logic. Much to the party's confusion, they were meet with Touma carrying the still injured Hishigata on his hoverboard.

"How did you get ahead of us? Weren't you taking this bastard to get medical treatment?" Yuri asked his best friend.

"Don't look at me! Hishigata said he had some secret passages laid out through the entire facility, and they would get us out faster. I was just following his direct… Oh, I see the problem." Touma attempted to defend himself, only to realize his stumble midsentence.

"You sure are a stubborn one, passing up medical attention from probably the best doctor in human history." Accelerator scoffed at the downed Hishigata.

"Like Kamijou said, I have loads of supply routes hidden in this school for transferring materials for my experiments." Hishigata explained himself, lifting himself off the hoverboard, "Besides, I can't leave or die yet, not while the bastard who took Hirumi is free. Like I'll let him get away with it."

"Then don't waste your strength exerting yourself." Touma insisted, pushing Hishigata back down, "It's bad enough you tricked me into not taking to a hospital. I don't need you dying on me before you've done what you need to do."

"That thing… Is there a way that we can defeat it? Says Misaka, doubting we'd ever gain victory over an enemy this monstrous."

"There is. As long as I have Emperor Shun's Blade." Esther explained, pulling out her dagger, "This knife, it carries magic that can disrupt Taowu's pseudo-soul. Think of it as a poison, designed specifically for its spirit. I just have to bring it with contact Taowu's charm. But this is going to be far from easy. Now that her body is this grotesque, pinpointing the location of the charm will prove difficult."

"Don't overthink this." Accelerator scoffed, "I say we just explode it's entire body and call it a day."

"I'm sorry, Master, but that won't work." Esther said, shooting down the idea.

"Why the hell not?" Accelerator demanded,

"Even if we did blast it using your power, as long as the pseudo-soul charm remains intact, the body will just keep regenerating." Esther explained.

"Another kill the core deal, huh?" Touma mused to himself, "Well, at least there's only one charm to destroy this time, unlike with Innocentius in most cases."

"Excuse me?" Esther inquired.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry. Just talking to myself." Touma waved off this issue, "I've actually dealt with a similar situation a couple of times before. Alarmingly frequently in the last couple of months, actually."

"Seriously, the misadventures you get into when I'm not looking." Yuri sighed, shaking his head.

"Since it sounds like you all are on the same page regarding strategy, how about I lead you to where that monster is so you can get revenge for me and Hirumi?" Hishigata offered, "Kamijou, do me a favor and push the top button on the wall next to you."

Doing as he was requested, Touma was surprised to see an elevator open next to them, having believed it to be a simple wall beforehand.

"Hishigata." Esther whispered, recognizing the lengths he was going to for his sister's sake.

"No games. You better be showing us the way to its body." Accelerator warned as he and the rest of the party boarded the elevator.

"Look around you. That thing is assimilating the school. If we use my supply routes, we should be able to get close." Hishigata said reassuringly.

"But if you continue moving, then you'll…" Esther pointed out weakly.

"It's okay." Hishigata said weakly, "I'm going to die anyway. There was no way I was going to get to Heaven Canceller's hospital before a croaked, even if Kamijou got me out of the school as quickly as possible. But before that happens, I have to get her back, my precious Hirumi. If you're going to do this, then be quick. According to my research, its body has grown to such an immense size that it won't be long before the thing swells up and reaches it's perfect form."

"The turning-good-before-you-die cliché, huh?" Accelerator scoffed, "A little late to be atoning for your sins."

"I don't feel guilty for what happened." Hishigata laughed, "But Hirumi is mine, and I won't let even the devil take her away from me."

"The way you say that sounds rather incestuous." Touma cringed, "Hell, everything you've said regarding your sister sounds incestuous. What the hell kind or relationship do you two have?"

"Doesn't matter." Accelerator declared, "Evil or not, everyone's got that one thing they're not willing to budge on."

"Heh. See? He understands." Hishigata chuckled. blood dripping from the corner of his lip.

Once the party had reached their target floor, the rest of the journey was to be made on foot. Leading the charge was Hishigata, who guided the group through the halls of the building from his resting place on Touma's hoverboard, the owner of which was pushing along from behind. As they journeyed deeper into the depths of the school, the halls became further consumed by the golem's flesh. Soon enough, the path no longer looked like a school hallway. Instead, it resembled something more akin to a large intestine.

"It looks like It's gotten bigger, says Misaka, anxiously glancing around at her surroundings." Misaka 10046 observed as the party ventured forward.

"What, you scared?" Accelerator asked gruffly.

"Everything is fine, responds Misaka, concerned she is not successful in concealing her worry." the Sister replied, failing to hid her true emotions.

"This is a battle between villains." Accelerator declared, "Since you're not one, hang back and keep quiet."

Although his words were harsh, Misaka 10046 had observed enough of the Level 5 through the Misaka Network to realize he meant well. After to "hang back and keep quiet" meant that she herself would not come to blows, and thus she would be safe so long as he and everyone else was still able to fight. Reassured by Accelerator's words, Misaka 10046 picked up her pace and quickly caught up with the rest of the part.

---

While the ragtag group of misfits was scurrying through the massive golem, Isaac knew exactly what they were doing. As it was his body to control and manipulate, he could spawn literally eyes wherever he pleased and knew exactly where the party was at any given moment.

While he was displeased that his descendent was actively trying to interfere with his plans, Isaac was more concerned with the boy named Touma Kamijou. With that name and that power, it was apparent to Isaac that he was the descendent of the Guardian that interfered with his research all those centuries ago. He feared the strength of that power, or more precisely, he feared how weak the power currently was. While it was certainly potent, it was nowhere nearly as powerful as when he first encountered it, lacking the range and raw power it once exuded. That left Isaac with two possible theories: either the power had become severely weaker over the centuries, or Touma himself had yet to learn to tap into its true potential.

Fearing the second possibility, Isaac grew even more anxious of his body's slow rate of development. With the descendent of the Kamijou Guardian roaming his very body, Isaac needed some way to accelerate the development process of his perfect golem. Seeing as he was growing out of an Academy City research facility, he figured he may as well run a couple of experiments.

---

Within the lower levels of the school, the DA agents found themselves having a moment's rest now that Anti-Skill wasn't hounding them.

"I don't see any sign of Anti-Skill." one of the masked agents noted, "We must have driven them back."

"We have Hishigata's new weapon to thank for that." the captain of the squad mused, "Whatever it is, it's proven to be effective. Since we have a moment, let's regroup and keep moving on. Let's go!"

When the captain turned around to address the rest of his troops, he was horrified and confused to see the snakelike jaws of Hisigata's supposed bioweapon devouring half of his men. Shortly after, the second half of his squad was swallowed whole by another of the "bioweapon's" appendages.

"This doesn't make sense! We're on the same side!" the captain cried out as he was swallowed whole, failing to realize that something much greater was at play.

---

"Ah, yes! Now that's more like it!" Isaac cheered as he felt even more power flow through him, "Perfect! I can feel my evolution accelerating! This is what I needed to speed up the process! What if I was to assimilate all of them!?"

---

All throughout the school, DA agents dropped like flies as Isaac continued to devour them. On the upper levels, several appendages erupted from the floors and walls to consume the intruders trying to stop Isaac's plans, only to be held back by Accelerator's raw power and Touma's natural defense against them. Outside the school's walls, Anti-Skill got multiple distress calls from officers still within the school's boarders rounding up DA agents, only for those officers to get snuffed out by Isaac's appendages.

"What's going on?" Index asked, having heard the rather loud and distressed pleas for help.

Ignoring Index's question, Yomikawa grabbed her rifle and rushed out of the van, with Itou and Takahashi following shortly after, as well as several other Anti-Skill officers. Turning the corner, Yomikawa saw a pair of DA agents desperately trying to climb over a ruined wall while fighting off the golem's appendages. Yomikawa offered a hand to help them escape, but it was too little, too late, and the pair was quickly devoured. Looking further down the road, Yomikawa saw another squad of DA desperately fighting for their lives against the golem's tentacles.

"Let's go." Yomikawa ordered.

"Hold it! Our orders are to…" Takahashi cut in, only to be cut off by the sound of more lives being lost.

"I'm going anyway." Yomikawa said with determination, "We can't just let them get killed."

"I know, but…" Takahashi tried to argue.

"I'm a teacher first, and Anti-Skill second." Yomikawa declared as she charged in, "And abandoning people who need help isn't something I teach my students!"

His entire squad devoured, a lone DA agent fought desperately to stay alive. Before long, he ran out of ammo, leaving him with no other option but to run. He would have surely met the same fate has his colleagues had it not been for a well-timed RPG from Yomikawa destroying the tentacle chasing him.

"Hurry up and get out of there!" Yomikawa ordered.

"But you're with Anti-Skill!" the DA agent pointed on, high on adrenaline.

"Now's not the time to be fighting each other." the Anti-Skill captain argued, only to be caught off guard when another tentacle burst from the wall of the building and charge at her.

Thankfully, Itou had followed her lead and repeated the same tactic to save Yomikawa. However, they could relax just yet, as the remains of the destroyed tentacle sprung up to attack Itou, who was thankfully saved by the intervention of Takahashi.

"Then again, no one has ordered us not to save lives either." Takahashi quipped, "You're right. Let's do our jobs as teachers."

"Given your current predicament, I don't suppose you're against some help from an accelerated graduate." Shizuri mused as she and Index appeared on the scene.

"What are you doing here!? This is not a place for children!" Yomikawa screamed, only to be cut off when four tentacles burst from the building and charged at them all.

"SAHP. (Stop and hold position.)," Index chanted in Notarikon.

On her command, the four appendages halted their charge and froze in place, not moving a muscle. Now given four stationary targets, Shizuri fired four blasts of ambiguous electrons, instantly vaporizing them. The display of power and combat prowess left all the adults present speechless.

"So, are you going to keep staring, or are we going to waste these things?" Shizuri inquired, preparing another volley of ambiguous electrons.

---

Within the upper levels of the golem's body, Touma, Accelerator, Esther, and the rest of their party found themselves hounded on all sides by Isaac's limbs. With the combined strengths of Imagine Breaker, Academy City's first ranked, and Houtou's supernatural physicality, they were able to keep the tentacles at bay, but they would not be able to do so for long. Before long, replicas of the dozens of DA agents Isaac consumed sprung up from the ground, joining in on the struggle.

"Somehow, they resurrected." Houtou observed, "Do they have pseudo-souls."

"No, it's something else." Esther reported, "It doesn't appear that they are alive either, and yet they're still able to move."

"So zombies." Touma sighed sarcastically as he equipped his helmet and ODD, "Great. Just what we needed."

"It's power only a god could wield." Hishigata moaned weakly, "Makes you think that thing has already become one and we're too late to stop it."

Unimpressed, Accelerator easily mowed down several dozen zombies lumbering towards them. The rest of the party, however, had a less easy time putting them down. Misaka 10046 found herself quaking in her shoes as she feebly fought back with a crowbar, unable to do any real damage. Touma and Esther suffered from a similar problem, unable to fight back with the intent to kill against something that looked like a human. Esther in particular would have suffered a terrible fate had Accelerator not step in.

"You might want to turn away," Accelerator suggested as he crushed the skull of a zombie attack Esther, "All these guys were already killed once before. They're not people, just a couple of reanimated corpses."

"Master." Esther whispered in awe.

"This isn't the work a hero does. More like a job for a son-of-a-bitch villain." Accelerator declared before wiping out the last of the zombies with a sweep of his arm.

"No one could have imagined the word 'hero' coming out of the mouth of a villain like yourself." Hishigata mused. "it's almost like you know one, a bonified do-gooder."

"Who the hell do you think went out of his way to try and save your sorry ass?" Accelerator asked rhetorically as he lead the charge forward.

"Guess that makes sense." Hishigata chucked as Touma started pushing the makeshift stretcher along.

"Don't you start calling me a hero too." Touma sighed, having never cared for the title.

As the party ventured onward, Accelerator was starting to grow more impatient. On top of the fact that they've have been walking for a while and have yet to reach their destination, the party kept encountering more zombies, leaving him and Houtou to do all the work as they were the only ones among them who could bring themselves to harm the reanimated corpses.

"No matter how many we defeat, more of them keep popping up." Accelerator growled, "How much further until we reach this blob's main body?"

"Readings are saying it's close by," Esther reported, reading a charm, "but…"

"You're not taking into account it's growing larger and acquiring new powers every minute." Hishigata pointed out from his spot on Touma's hoverboard, "This thing's evolution is rapidly accelerating, and you're running out of time to defeat it."

As they continued to walk, Accelerator heard a faint buzzing from his chocker battery, a sure sign it was reaching the last of its charge.

"Great. Looks like I'm just about out of time as well." Accelerator sighed.

---

Special End Card Segment: Trivia Corner

Hey everyone! Still creatively bankrupt for new Animan Temple skits, so I decided to introduce a new Special End Card Segment: Trivia Corner, which is where I share with all of you the stuff that goes through my mind while writing this story, like the development process and references I made throughout the chapter. Once I'm able to get new ideas for Animan Temple, I will be doing these End Card Segments interchangeably, along with any other End Card Segments I pull out of my ass in the future.

With that out of the way, let's cover some trivia!

1) Touma's Dragon Eye in the previous chapter was inspired by the anime adaptation of Railgun's Daihasei Arc in Railgun T, in which his right eye's sclera became red after the dragons were released.

2) Isaac's line regarding Touma's eyes is a reference to Dragon Ball Z, specifically when Mecha Frieza first encountered Super Saiyan Trunks.

That's all for now! See you all in the finale of the Necromancer Arc!