Hello internet. Sorry this one took so long, much longer than it should have. I've been really busy lately, and when I wasn't busy I was distracted with other things, most recently Xenoblade Chronicles 3. That ending and song made me feel lots of stuff, just like with the previous two titles. That game is a lot like Breath of the Wild in one very specific way: you can play it as a standalone, but it becomes exponentially more enjoyable when you can spot the callbacks to the previous games.
IS6A6E: Sorry this one took so long. Character interactions are always fun to write. Are you reading my mind? That's exactly what I have had planned since before I first conceived of the Door.
Nemonobody001: Thanks for the encouragement.
Isokage: Yeah, Kuroko is fun. Interactions that can end explosively are always fun to write. And to answer your question: POYO!
counterbloxpro19: Thanks...
Kazuma014: Thank you for being understanding.
Justsomeguy (Guest): Thank you for being understanding. Glad to know my story is good enough to warrant a read.
0 Jordinio 0: Always happy to alleviate boredom. Unfortunately, no Shirai fanservice this time around. I've never had a problem with fanservice so long as it doesn't interfere with the current mood of a scene, but the rest of the current arc is going to be moving pretty fast paced going forward, so no ample time for lighthearted, comedic fanservice. Personal anecdote, this is why I was never bothered by the sleepwalking scene in Xenoblade Chronicles 2: because the scenes immediately before and after were both lighthearted and fluffy.
syafielone1359: Lore is getting deeper, so I hope you'll stick around for when I finally get around to the reveals.
dev1148: Huh, I don't recall ever planning to have Accelerator join Judgement, especially since it wouldn't be in character for him. As for the encounter with Awaki, that's still happening, though it's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it.
ahsoei: I wanted to get the Science Side characters involved in Magic Side events for a long time. This just seemed to be the perfect opportunity.
collierfolkesroman: ...Thank you...
Zatil Hidayah Spensa: Had to mix things up somehow. Otherwise, this story would just be a straight retelling.
MarauderPrime12: Glad you liked it!
DuckBoi: Hope you enjoy what I have in store for Index II and Railgun T, especially with original stuff I throw in. And yes, I will be covering the events of the Endymion movie. I'm especially excited to covered it as I have slowly been building Touma's reputation as a miracle worker, which is sure to put him at even greater odds with Shutaura.
Kurt930: I do have plans for them to meet. I just haven't hashed out the exact details yet.
Sarcasm Sage 626: Had to get the big shake-ups eventually. And if it means further character development and interacts, even better! Adding Kuroko is sure to add a lot of shake-ups to the Orsola Arc, as you'll see in this chapter. I've had the story with the Door planned for a long time. It won't see a final payoff for a while, but not so long that we'll be in NT territory.
GunsAndMagic: Thank you for putting up with my inconsistent upload schedule.
Daemon of Wrath: Glad you're sticking around for the ride. While I don't have anything concrete planned for the events of NT, most of OT is pretty much locked in. There are plans for Frenda to live, but how it pans out will be saved for when I get around to writing that arc. Same goes for the events of the Daihasei. As for other ships, their will still be the occasional tease here and there as I am quite fond of the other pairings as well, but Mikoto will be the only one Touma dates in a serious sense. If you know a bit about Japanese culture, you'll know they take relationships very seriously, like, a couple cannot be properly considered dating unless they go through a very specific confession ritual. I will be applying the same sort of logic here, when the time comes. Thanks for all the support.
SuddenBetrayal: You're concerns are totally understandable, so I'd like to put you at ease as best I can here. As you said, Touma's greatest strength is his ability to understand other and form connections. But another strength, as I see it, is his willingness to help others suffering, especially those whom he has a personal connection to. Because of the nature of this story, Touma's network of friends is considerably larger than in canon, and the individual connects between those friends are also substantially stronger. My rational here is, as someone naturally driven to protect others, especially those close to him, Touma would be willing to take on such a power and responsibility if it means he can better protect those he cares about. At least, that's my interpretation of Touma's character. In regards to the confrontation with Shizuri, the rational there was while she retreated from Touma's life, it was for the purpose of making Academy City safer for him, as opposed to Saten retreating from her brother's life for the purely selfish reason of becoming an Esper. That, and making Shizuri angry in general is a bad idea.
5had0wHand: Kuroko's inclusion is defiantly going to shake things up a bit. And the next interactions with Shizuri is going to be bother terrifying and hilarious come the end of the arc, just you wait.
brianhu1: I mean, that part would stand even if they weren't in Judgement.
fencer29: Hence why he pawned the job off on them. Avoiding whatever misfortune he can is how he's survived this long.
Nightfang123: That ship is mostly included for comedic reasons, but it's still fun to write.
Carayen: Trust me, that arc is going to be a fun one. The Daihasei is when most of the core relationships have been established and where the real shake-ups start happening.
Guest (1): Glad you are enjoying the story!
Mugetsu700: Thank you!
counterbloxpro19: Sorry to keep you waiting!
Mixmaster226: Thank you for giving the story a chance. I hear your advice, I'm just not going to use it since I'm in kinda deep and can't really spin an in-story reason to change the terminology like when I switched for "sorcerer" to "magician".
And that's all of them. Thanks for being patient with me. You all know the drill from here.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 73: Everyone is After Something
As midnight drew near, the allied forces from the Church of the Cross and Academy City gathered around Parallel Sweets Park. The numerous Roman Orthodox nuns were arming themselves with spears and other magical weapons while Agnese reviewed the plan with those outside of her sect of the church.
"We've established that the Amakusa forces are based within Parallel Sweets Park." Agnese reported, "However, we have been unable to locate Orsola, nor the Book of the Law."
"Do you think she's been..?" Touma asked, not daring to finish the sentence.
Agnese shook her head, "The Amakusa's objectives will be to determine how to decipher the Book of the Law. As long as that is what they are after, Orsola will be completely safe."
"Ok." Touma nodded, his nerves slightly more at ease. The safety of the innocent yet ditzy nun is the utmost important.
"This is the plan." the Roman Orthodox nun continued, "We of the Roman Orthodox Church will distract the main Amakusa force by charging them head on. Meanwhile, you will all sweep the park and search for Orsola and the Book of the Law. If you find either of them, take them into custody until I can arrive to secure them."
"Looks like I made the right call to bring you along, Pigtails." Touma mused, "With your Teleportation, you'll be able to sweep through the park faster than anyone else."
"This seems almost too easy. What's the catch?" Kuroko asked, scrutinizing the relatively simple plan.
"The catch is the Amakusa's Miniature Pilgrimage." Index answered for her. Her face lost all trace of nervousness and any kind of expression while fully absorbed in her work. "Unless we destroy the vortex, there is still a chance that they can use it to escape with Orsola. Unfortunately, we can't affect the vortex itself until it opens at about midnight."
The sight of such Index was miles away from the usual glutinous girl that had a more appropriate expression for her age that caught Kuroko and Touma off guard.
"On top of that, the window in which we can interfere with it is less than ideal." Agnese added, "About five minutes, correct."
Index nodded.
"If five minutes have passed and you have yet to secure Orsola nor the Book of the Law, get out as quickly as possible." Agnese continued, "After we have neutralized the Amakusa forces, we will personally search the park if need be."
"Finding a nun and a Grimoire and destroying a vortex within five minutes? Sounds like we're going to be on a pretty tight schedule." Stiyl noted, snuffing out his latest cigarette under foot.
With the plan finalized, Agnese called her forces to arms. One of the nuns among her forces approached her with a long metal scepter tipped with what resembled a wilted lotus flower. This was her personal weapon, the Lotus Wand.
"What they have done is unforgivable." Agnese growled, turning to face the four outsiders aligned with her forces in this conflict, "The Church of the Cross's influence spread because its original purpose was to help people in need. To turn that idea around like this. The use of force for personal gain is not the way of the Church."
As the alliance made their final preparations, the man in the brown ten-gallon hat watched on from a distance, awaiting what would become of the upcoming battle.
Half an hour before midnight approached, the group of Touma, Kuroko, Index, and Stiyl approached the fence of Parallel Sweets Park, ready to jump it. However, Touma had something he needed to get off his chest before the operation officially started.
"Can we really do this?" Touma asked.
"Do what?" Stiyl replied.
"The plan." the Level 0 clarified, "Do you really think we can do everything we need to in the time we have?"
"It will be a close call, that's for sure." Stiyl admitted.
"Don't worry, you have me along for the mission." Kuroko cut in, "I'll be able to cover much more ground thanks to my Teleportation, so finding Orsola and that grimoire should be too difficult, even with our tight timeline."
"There is one more thing." The flame magician added, "There's something I kept secret from out sister friends. Kanzaki is supposed to be in England, but she seems to have vanished."
Stunned at the revelation, Touma felt his throat go dry, "Kanzaki is missing too?"
"Helping her former subordinates, or rather her former colleagues." Stiyl continued, "It's possible that the Amakusa are planning to cause critical damage. If that is the case, their saint might just come calling. So no, I'm not at all certain we can accomplish all that we are supposed to."
"If that's the case, Orsola should be our top priority during this mission." Touma declared his original intention, "She's perishable, the grimoire isn't. If she's safe with us, the grimoire is useless. I'd say that makes for a pretty clear cut case."
"You aren't as dumb as you look." Stiyl mused, puffing at his cigarette, "That plan should work as well as any other."
"Jeez, you really can't be bothered to give Kamijou a straightforward compliment, can you?" Kuroko sniffed distastefully at the scent of smoke before giving her agreement, "Still, I agree that prioritizing Orsola is our best course of action."
"Same here." Index fully agreed with a knowing smile, "I've also decided that I'm coming into the park as well, whether you like it or not, Touma. There's already so few of us as is. We all need to stick together to do this."
Touma chuckled, "Alright, you've convinced me. Just make sure you stay close to me, Pigtails, or Stiyl at all times… and thanks, you guys."
Suddenly, a massive explosion could be heard coming from the front gate of the park. Taking it as a clear sign that the Roman Orthodox nuns have started their diversion, Touma and his group jumped the fence, with Kuroko using her Teleportation to get ahead.
Teleporting across the park, Kuroko was able to get a good look at how the Amakusa and Roman Orthodox fought. Most of the combat was not anything too noteworthy, consisting mostly of archaic weapons like swords and spears. There was of course some Magic involved, but seeing as the Amakusa specialized in concealing their practices, Kuroko couldn't make out anything particularly stand-out about how their spells were performed.
The only really noticeable Magic on display was that of two Roman Orthodox nuns. One of them had a massive wooden wheel as a weapon which she smashed on the ground to launch hundreds of bits of wooden shrapnel at her opponents before reforming the wheel and repeating the process. The other nun, who was noticeably shorter and more timid, seemed to command a set of bags like they were attack drones.
'Although, given the context, I suppose the more appropriate term would be "familiars".' Kuroko thought to herself as she continued her sweep of the park.
As she continued her search for Orsola and the Book of the Law, Kuroko couldn't help but notice just how occupied the park was. Despite the massive battle happening at the front gate, there were still a considerable amount of Amakusa troops patrolling the interior. The Teleporter even had a couple of close calls where she teleported into the line of sight of an enemy, only to teleport away before they really got a chance to notice her.
"This is bad." Kuroko said to herself as she teleported onto a rooftop spire, "Three minutes in and there's still a lot of ground to cover. I hope the others are having better luck than I am, but somehow I doubt it."
Suddenly, Kuroko heard a massive explosion from deeper within the park. Looking towards the source, she saw a massive dust cloud, as if something had caused an entire concrete building to violently fragment. Teleporting to the scene as quickly as she could, Kuroko was both relieved and concerned by what she saw.
On one hand, she was relieved that Touma had managed to locate Orsola and had her in custody. On the other hand; he, Index, and Stiyl were currently in combat with an Amakusa Magician. A particularly proficient one at that. Despite appearing to be only wielding a flamberge, the Amakusa Magician was able to create powerful slashes that reached far beyond what the blade reasonably should be capable of, as well as quickly step out of range of incoming attacks at speeds that should be physically impossible for a human being. However, there appeared to be one fatal flaw in that defensive technique, and that was that the caster needed to be aware of the possibility of the attack they wanted to defend against.
When she saw Touma charge at the Amakusa Magician and Stiyl aiming his fire sword at Touma's back, Kuroko knew she had an opening. The Amakusa was solely focused on Stiyl's attack, seeing Touma as not a real threat. However, he was thrown off guard when Touma threw his right hand behind him and negate Stiyl's attack. In that moment of hesitation from seeing such an unknown phenomenon for the first time, the Amakusa Magician was met with a dropkick to the face, courtesy of Kuroko teleporting on to the scene. When the Amakusa hit the ground, he was knocked out cold by the Teleporter's surprise attack.
"Shirai!" Touma cried in surprise, "Where did you come from?"
"Just happened to be passing by when making my sweep and thought you might need the help." Kuroko replied, nonchalantly flipping her hair, "I'm surprised you managed to find Orsola before me. By all odds, I should have found her first. Honestly, I can't tell if your luck really is rotten at times."
"Let's leave my luck out of this please." Touma sighed, not wanting to think too much about his rotten luck.
With Orsola recovered, the alliance between the English Puritans, the Roman Orthodox, and the Kamijou Factor was victorious.
The remaining Amakusa were quickly dispatched and captured. The Amakusa Magician — whom Touma, Stiyl, and Kuroko were fighting — happened to be the leader Saiji Tatemiya and was put under extra security with a series of glyphs provided by Stiyl. One wrong move and boom. With everything quieting down, the members of the so-called Kamijou Faction stood guard over Tatemiya while the Agnese Forces finished cleaning up. Although, with the Amakusa leader locked up tight alongside his followers, there wasn't much for Touma and Kuroko to do aside from sitting on the side and taking a breather.
"That was a close one." Index gasped as she approached her friends, "Are you two okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Nah. Not really." Touma replied, only to be surprised Index pounced on him and started tugging on his shirt.
"Are you sure? You're absolutely fine? No injuries?"
Kuroko giggled at the nun-in-training's worried state, "Kamijou has survived much worse, Index. I'm sure he'll survive an altercation that barely lasted five minutes."
Index let out a relieved sigh, "Okay, that's good to hear. You know why? Because now I can chomp on your head as punishment for your stupidity!"
"Oh no." Kuroko squeaked out, now aware of what was to come.
Before Touma knew it, Index had clamped her jaws onto his head, leaving him crying in pain, begging her to let go. Kuroko tried to help as best as she could, but with Touma using his own hands to try and pry Index off himself, teleportation was out of the question. Eventually, after several apologizes from Touma regarding his stupid decisions in the proceeding fight, Index finally let go, resting her chin gently on Touma's head and hugging him from behind.
"Fine, I'm done." Index said, relenting, "You're still an idiot though for making me so worried. Reckless too."
"Yes. I know." Touma agreed, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the nun-in-training any further.
Kuroko let out an exhausted sigh, "We really need to find a less painful way for you to vent your anger regarding Kamijou's decisions. Though I will agree, a lot of his plans can be pretty boneheaded and reckless at times."
"Whose side are you on!?" Touma asked indignantly.
"Sure is quiet around here." Index noted as she picked her chin up off of Touma's head, disregarding Touma's displeased question, "Hard to believe there was a massive battle happening just a little while ago, huh?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah." Touma agreed.
"I caught a glimpse of the fighting while I was scouting around earlier. These nuns don't mess around." Kuroko added.
"Excuse me!" Tatemiya yelled out suddenly, "Hate to interrupt your little chat, can you please take these sigils off me? I can't leave Orsola undefended like this! I have to do something!"
"What do you mean, 'leave Orsola undefended'?" Kuroko inquired.
"Guess I shouldn't be surprised you don't have a clue. You are an outsider from Academy City." Tatemiya mused.
Touma got out of his seat and raised his voice to speak, "What do you mean? Is Orsola in some kind of danger?"
"Don't listen to him, Touma, Kuroko!" Index reprimanded, "This man is someone who uses words as weapons. He's trying to confuse you."
"She's gonna die! Do you hear me!? They're going to kill her!" The Amakusa Magician shouted, immediately earning the trio's attention, "Listen to me! You cannot hand her over to the Catholic nuns who came with you tonight! The Roman Orthodox Church wants to see her captured and killed!"
"You and your people are the ones who kidnaped her, along with stealing the Book of the Law!" Touma pointed out the flaw in his words.
"Zero for two. The Amakusa didn't steal the Book of the Law." Tatemiya clarified gravely, like a courier of bad news, "You have heard the consequences, right? The day the powers of that grimoire are used, the Church of the Cross comes to an end. The Amakusa go to great lengths to keep ourselves hidden, so why would an organization like ourselves want to use such a conspicuous power. It's like a spy leaving a signature behind. The Roman Catholics, on the other hand, don't have to worry about something like that, and as the largest sect of the Church of the Cross, they would be the most fearful of the Book of the Law and want to insure that it can never be used. Church authorities have given secret orders to have Orsola Aquinas eliminated. She found out that she was being targeted, so she sought out the Amakusa for our help and protection. You get it yet? The Book of the Law was never stolen; it's just an alibi."
"Interesting story. But why should we take your word for it?" Kuroko glared.
"And I thought you Academy City kids were supposed to be smart." Tatemiya sighed in annoyance.
"If you're right, if everything you've said is actually true, there's still one thing that doesn't add up. Why did she run from you?" Touma pointed out.
Tatemiya could only chuckle in exasperation, vexed by how little faith they and had in the Amakusa..
"Because she's like you." the Amakusa Magician answered.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Touma demanded.
"She was skeptical." Tatemiya clarified, "Right up until the very end, she believed she was only helping for our own selfish reasons. She thought we would demand that she decode the book for us as payment for our services."
"Oh yeah? Then why were you helping her?" Touma inquired.
Tatemiya's response was one that Touma was all too familiar with.
"Because she needed help. It's that simple, but apparently hard to believe."
Touma asked, baffled, "That's your reason? Really?"
"We always think of the priestess. She may have left us for now, but she still is and forever will be our guide. We will continue to follow her." the Amakusa Magician explained, "As long as we continue to do so, we will not stray from the path of right. We will not do harm or be mistaken in our use of force."
"And by 'priestess', you mean Kanzaki, don't you?" Touma deduced.
"Yes, that's correct." Tatemiya confirmed, his face contorted in pain as bitterness flowed through his next words, "She was our leader, but to our sorrow, we let her down. Our deaths, our weakness, saddened the priestess and she saw no choice but to abandon us. However, we have never stopped hoping that she would one day return to her rightful place. We follow the priestess. That is why we offered our help to Orsola when she sought it."
Off in the distance, a woman's blood-curdling wail could be heard. It was a voice that Touma and Kuroko had grown quite familiar with during their stroll through the suburbs outside of Academy City.
"No way — Orsola!" Kuroko paled at unknowingly having a hand in throwing Orsola to the wolves.
"Did you tell her? Did you let her know that you were going to hand her over to the Roman Orthodox Church?" Tatemiya questioned, "You told her you weren't a Catholic, right? You did, and because of that, she thought she could trust you."
"Damn it!" Touma said through gritted teeth as he broke out in a run.
"Kamijou!" Kuroko cried out, very familiar with how Touma tended to not look before he leaped to help someone.
"Don't be hasty!" Tatemiya reprimanded, stopping Touma in his tracks, "I won't pretend the situation isn't serious, but even the Catholic Church won't kill her here and now."
"What are you getting at?" Touma asked, suddenly intrigued.
"We understand each other. I think we both finally believe the other wasn't trying to take advantage of or harm Orsola." Tatemiya replied, "I want a promise. I want you to swear that you will get her back from the Catholic Church and take her somewhere she will be safe. Somewhere where neither they nor we will be able to reach her."
"So that's why she wanted to go to Academy City." Kuroko deduced, "As the heart of the Science Side, it's the one place on Earth that no Magic Side organization can freely operate within."
Before Touma or anyone else from the Academy City trio could make that promise, they were interrupted by the arrival of two Roman Orthodox nuns, both of which Kuroko recognized. One was a tall, young woman with short blond hair and a short skirt. She carried with her massive wooden wheel. This was Sister Lucia, a devout Roman Catholic with a could exterior. The second was notably shorter, about Index's height, with long blond hair tied in twin tail braids. In contrast to her partner, the shorter nun's black robe was noticeably loose on her due to her small frame. Hanging from her belt were four bags of coins that jingled as she walked. This was Sister Angelene, an equally devout Roman Catholic with a noticeably timid demeanor.
Lucia spoke up, "We are here to take charge of the heretics' leader. You will hand him over to us at once. Unless you are enemies of the church."
Not waiting for a proper response from the Academy City trio, Lucia was already advancing towards the helpless Tatemiya.
"Hey, just a second!" Touma interrupted, cutting off the nuns' path.
"Yes, what is it?" Lucia asked coldly.
"I was wondering, please just tell Orsola goodbye for us." Touma requested politely.
"I am afraid that won't be possible." Lucia replied without skipping a beat, "I'm afraid I must decline."
"That loud scream a minute ago. It was her. It was Orsola, wasn't it!" Touma accused, "Where's Agnese? I should speak to her."
Letting his desire to help Orsola get the better of him, Touma physically pushed his way past Lucia, placing his left hand on her shoulder to gently move her aside. The moment he did so, Lucia's gaze shifted from cold and professional to burning in fury. As Touma walked past her, the nun turned to face him and lifted her wheel over her head. It was a maneuver that Kuroko immediately recognized from her scouting, and one that Index recognized from her literal library's worth of magical knowledge.
"Behind you!" Index cried out in warning.
Had it not been for Kuroko's timely intervention, Touma would have found himself with a face full of wooden shards and splinters. Once she saw Lucia wind up her attack, Kuroko teleported next to her and grabbed the wheel before teleporting away with it, preventing it from hitting the ground and exploding into splinters.
"That was close." Kuroko sighed in relief.
"What the hell was that!?" Touma demanded of the nun who just tried to attack him with his back turned.
"Sis-Sister Lucia!" Angelene called out, full of nerves, "We were told to limit our contact with the outsiders! Maybe we should go!"
"You will be quiet, Sister Angelene!" Lucia demanded, immediately making her partner clam up, "Heathens! How dare you lay a hand on me! Not only that, you sully my weapon with your filth! Festering! Unclean! Evil! Nothing is worse than the touch of a heathen! I could say that the Amakusa man resisted and in the process he ended up killing all of you! It will be simple enough! And it will silence the rest of the Amakusa!"
The trio from Academy City could barely believe what they were hearing. Even if their knowledge of religion was limited at best, Touma and Kuroko could tell that the way Lucia spoke was unbecoming of a nun. She sounded less like a devout Catholic and more like a deranged cultist. The fact that she could speak so easily about killing someone and pinning the blame on someone else was telling enough that there was something not quite right about her.
"Sister Angelene, do it now! I will deal with the Academy City filth who stole my weapon!" Lucia ordered her partner.
"R-right!" Angelene complied, pulling out the four bags of coins from her belt and throwing them into the air, "I call you, Matthew the Apostle, publican, holy enemy of magicians and humble servant!"
In response to her words, the four bags of coins started to glow the colors of the four western elements; red, yellow, green and blue; and sprouted wings, almost like miniature angels. The four bags immediately charged at Index, colliding with the ground and her feet and kicking up a dust cloud. Index tried to get away, but she tripped when one of the bags wrapped around her ankle under the cover of the dust cloud.
Touma cried out for his fallen friend, "Index!"
"Return my weapon to me at once, heathen!" Lucia demanded, charging at Kuroko.
"Right, like I'm going to return a weapon to someone actively trying to kill me and my friends." Kuroko snarked as she teleported out of Lucia's reach and behind her.
"Why, you little!" Lucia called out in rage.
Turning on her heels, Lucia tried to charge at Kuroko again, only to be cut off when one of Angelene pegged her in the head.
"What are you doing, sister!?" Lucia demanded, "Be careful!"
"It wasn't me! I swear!" The timid nun insisted, unsured of what happened.
"CTRTTOPAO. (The remaining three, gather at one spot and stick together.)," Index chanted in Notarikon.
In response to her chant, the three remaining coin bags flew at Angelene, the small nun left flinching in fear of her own weapons being turned against her. However, rather than attacking her, the bags collided with one another in a spot directly in front of her before losing their glow and falling to the ground.
"Come on! If you don't pay attention to what's around you, you'll be that much easier to defeat in battle!" Index reprimanded, sounding almost disgusted with how easily she took control of Angelene's spell.
"Was that Spell Intercept!?" Lucia asked in disbelief.
Before anyone could attempt another attack, a loud whistle rang throughout the amusement park.
"They sounded the retreat signal?" Lucia noted, recognizing the whistle.
Taking in their current position, Lucia knew trying to finish this skirmish would not end well for them. Not only where they outnumbered, but both her and Angelene had been disarmed in one form or another. Index has demonstrated that she could use Spell Intercept, and Kuroko's Teleportation would make sure her weapon was out of reach. It was almost as if God Himself was guiding them with the timely retreat signal.
"It's time to leave, Sister Angelene!" Lucia ordered as she ran for the exit, abandoning the wheel.
"R-right! Coming!" Angelene called out as she followed her partner.
"Hey! Come back here!" Touma demanded.
"Don't bother." Tatemiya cut in, stopping Touma in his tracks, "If you give chase, you'll just be outnumbered when they rejoin the rest of their troops. You get it now, right? This is now they act when they think no one is watching! This is the true face of the Roman Orthodox Church!"
The Academy City trio could hardly believe what they had just witnessed. All this time they were duped into helping the wrong side. As he watched the two battle nuns retreat, Touma could not help but grit his teeth in frustration at the misfortune he and his friends helped make possible.
No Special End Card Segment this time. The chapter took way too long to come out and it would have taken longer if I tried to create one while creatively bankrupt.
Hope to see you all for the next chapter, whenever that comes out.