novelSomething Far Removed from Magicians (2)
| ← Ch.104 | Ch.106 → |
He continued forward recklessly. He bit at the arm grabbing him, shoved his shoulders against the wall of people, and walked forward with people still clinging to him. He felt fingernails pierce his side and blood oozed out. He could smell the body odor of men who had been worked into a frenzy. The screaming exploding in his ear and the pressure of people pushing into him from every direction gradually ate away at his consciousness.
(Damn it... )
Kamijou's legs started to weaken.
He was losing the power to move forward.
(Damn it... !!)
Just when he felt like he was going to be swallowed up by a mass of disgust, the wall of people suddenly thinned out.
Now that the air was not made up of the exhalations of others, he breathed in the fresh oxygen deeply.
"A-are you all right!?" Itsuwa asked from nearby.
There was a drop of blood running down from her temple. Apparently, she hadn't been able to get through the mass of people unscathed either. She did have her spear in her bag, but she must not have wanted to swing it around here.
Kamijou started running out of the crowd of people while breathing heavily. His feet were wobbling and he felt a little shaky. He had to pay attention so he didn't bump into the stone walls on the sides of the small road.
"... I-Itsuwa. Where is the Palace of the Popes?"
"It's up ahead. That's its roof you can see over there.... We have to get through there next."
Kamijou slowly looked over in the direction Itsuwa was pointing.
What he saw there was a large riot that made the one they had just gotten through look like nothing in comparison.
Part 5
The path to the Palace of the Popes was impassable.
Kamijou and Itsuwa were in the small old town of Avignon that was surrounded by only 4 kilometers of castle wall, but they still couldn't reach a certain spot. The streets in the old town were small. They were only about 3 meters wide and were surrounded on either side by stone housing complexes towering up 15 meters high making it difficult to take detours. And to go ahead, they had to go through a solid wall of hundreds if not thousands of rioters. It was like trying to move from one end of a packed train to the other.
At this rate they would never make it to the Palace of the Popes.
They would be taken out here before they had a chance to destroy the C-Document.
"Not again..." Itsuwa said as she caught her breath and stared at the new group of rioters ahead of them.
Some of the rioting men with bloodshot eyes were pointing and yelling at them. Kamijou didn't know French, but they may have been yelling, "They're Japanese!", or "They're from Academy City!", or something similar.
Before they could move, Itsuwa grabbed Kamijou's arm and started running.
"This isn't going to work. Come on. This is just going to end in a stalemate!"
"Hey, what about the Palace of the Popes!?" Kamijou yelled as Itsuwa led him back the way they had come.
It looked like the men who had been glaring at Kamijou and Itsuwa started following them, but they got pulled back into the huge mass of rioters.
Itsuwa didn't like the situation any more than Kamijou.
"... That group of rioters was clearly the biggest one yet. We're not going to get through just by running!"
"So you're going to find another route? But..."
Kamijou started speaking, but he spotted some youths who were taking part in another riot ahead. The small path was completely blocked by a wall of people.
It wasn't too surprising. Kamijou and Itsuwa had just pushed through that group of rioters.
"Here too!?"
Itsuwa's voice sounded surprisingly pissed and she grabbed Kamijou's hand while running towards the housing complex making up the wall. They leaped into the stone building that almost looked like it was made out of a cliff.
They pushed the thick wooden door closed with their backs.
The sound and impact of the rioters going by on the other side pounded on the door. But it wasn't because someone was trying to destroy the door; it was just from the shoulders and arms of the rioters crammed into the road scraping against it.
Kamijou slid down to the ground while keeping his back on the door.
"... What do we do about this? At this rate, we'll never get to the Palace of the Popes."
"Making progress through these riots is difficult..." Itsuwa spoke in a quiet voice.
She lowered her bag to the ground and pulled out a few rods about 70 cm long. They came together into a single rod when she connected them using sockets that looked like gas valves. Lastly, Itsuwa connected a steel blade to the end.
It was a Western-style cross spear.
Kamijou thought it was called a Friuli Spear.
(Sigh... Well, I had thought a lot about this secret mission thing, but... )
As he was thinking, he saw something that made him choke.
He saw Itsuwa's cleavage that was visible due to the front of her blouse being tied closed in a makeshift fashion. Kamijou thought there were plenty of problems with how she was dressed, but she didn't seem to notice.
"What do we do now? I act so as to avoid the riots, so I don't actually have any plan or spells to use if I ever actually got caught in one."
"Y-yeah... We need to get to the Palace of the Popes in order to stop the riots and we need to stop the riots in order to get to the Palace of the Popes... Damn it. This is just going in circles."
And on top of all that, there was the fact that if the enemy felt any danger they would take the C-Document and return to the Vatican while Kamijou and Itsuwa were stuck here. If the C-Document was used there, it would be even more difficult to get it. And then these riots could last forever.
They had to act now, but they were stuck. It was quite a dilemma.
Each second that was wasted felt like tens if not hundreds of times longer.
But then...
Kamijou heard his cell phone ringing in his pocket.
It was from Tsuchimikado.
"Kami-yan, you okay!?"
"Where are you!? Are you caught up in the riots, too? Are you hurt!?"
"I'm en route to the building known as the Palace of the Popes. If the C-Document is really being used in France, it has to be there."
"The Palace of the Popes... ? So you're headed there, too?"
"?"
Kamijou continued before Tsuchimikado could respond.
"So my parachute didn't end up somewhere way off target. We really were aiming for Avignon."
"Well, yeah... Kami-yan, how do you know about the Palace of the Popes? I thought we jumped off the plane before I explained that."
"I met up with Itsuwa of the Amakusas here and she explained it to me. But the riots are so intense we can't reach the Palace. What about you?"
"It's about the same here. Well, a lot has happened. These waves of people are working too well at blocking the small roads of Avignon. There's no way we can get through like this."
And with that, they both understood the other's situation.
Tsuchimikado must have gotten caught up in the riots and was now hiding somewhere.
"Hey, Tsuchimikado. I'd like for us to meet up. Do you know a good place for that?"
"These riots are occurring all across the city. I'd rather not stay in one place for too long."
"Then what are we going to do? Wait for the riots to die down?"
"That would be a good plan if these were occurring naturally, but these are being caused by the C-Document. The Roman Catholic Church can make this last as long as they need, so things aren't going to change for the better with time."
"But is there anything else we can do!?"
"Yes, " Tsuchimikado readily responded."We need to change our way of thinking about this. If we can't get to the Palace of the Popes, we just have to solve the problem in a way where we don't have to go to there."
"... ?"
"Since you had that Amakusa person explain it to you, I'm sure you know why we're focusing on Avignon's Palace of the Popes, right?"
Kamijou thought about that for a second.
"Well, they can operate devices in the Vatican from there, right? That's why they can use the C-Document here."
"Right. So we just have to sever the magical pipeline connecting Avignon and the Papal State which is now the Vatican. If we do that, they shouldn't be able to use the C-Document anymore. It may be too difficult to get to the Palace, but we should be able to get to the pipeline."
"Oh, " Kamijou responded.
(Now that I think about it, that's true... )
"But surely the people using the C-Document in the Palace will notice if they can't use it anymore. Once that happens, they'll flee."
"True enough. I can't deny that. That's why our schedule is important. This will all rely on whether we can get to the Palace after we sever the pipeline."
Kamijou thought that Tsuchimikado's plan made sense.
He must have been gathering information on this well before they had gotten on the plane. And he must have continued to investigate while being chased by the rioters after they had gotten separated.
But Kamijou, an amateur, spotted a problem in the plan.
"Even if we know the C-Document is in the Palace of the Popes, we don't know who's using it. Couldn't they just hide within the crowd of rioters? We'd never find them then."
"..."
Tsuchimikado stayed silent for a moment before he started speaking.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Stopping the C-Document comes first."
Kamijou had a bad feeling about Tsuchimikado's words.
(He isn't going to use magic to find the enemy's location again, is he?)
Tsuchimikado Motoharu had a major handicap in that he injured himself whenever he used magic.
But Kamijou knew he would ignore that handicap and use magic if he had to. He had tracked down Oriana Thomson during the Daihaseisai even when he was covered in blood.
Whether he was aware of the unease Kamijou was feeling or not, Tsuchimikado continued speaking.
"Now we finally know what exactly needs to be done, Kami-yan."
Part 6
Kamijou and Itsuwa cut through the housing complex and went out through the back door.
"Itsuwa, are the other Amakusas not able to come yet?"
"S-sorry. I didn't think anything like this would happen. I contacted them earlier, but they'll be here by tomorrow morning at the earliest. If only we were in Japan where we could use the 'vortexes' of the transportation spell 'Miniature Pilgrimage'..."
The path they were on was devoid of rioters and it almost looked like they could have made it all the way to Palace of the Popes without incident.
But they had no idea when a crowd of rioters would block their path and it was better not to walk long distances. It seemed Tsuchimikado was right about changing their target to the closer pipeline.
"Th-this way."
Itsuwa was showing Kamijou the way while holding her spear.
He thought the "walls" on either side looked even taller than usual, and on closer inspection there were stone buildings built on top of the normal ones here. Because the buildings looked almost like fortifications and their walls were stained black making them look like some kind of bulwark, it was hard to tell what kind of buildings they were at first glance. The houses, shops, and churches all looked like fortresses on the outside.
"Um, I know where the place Tsuchimikado-san mentioned is... but is the pipeline connecting to the Vatican really there?"
"Don't ask me..." Kamijou muttered as he looked at his phone.
Tsuchimikado's voice sounded cheerful.
"Well, the method of reading leylines is pretty different between cultures, but I'm fairly sure about this."
Apparently, the point they were headed for was near Kamijou and Itsuwa. Since it was a fair distance from Tsuchimikado, he was leaving the severing of the pipeline to them.
"Hey, what does this pipeline look like? It doesn't stick up from the ground or anything, right?"
"A leyline is a current of power through the earth. The types of power and the directions it flows in can be quite different, though. It isn't uncommon for a power that is crucial to a certain sect to be completely meaningless to another. That's why the method of reading them is so different between cultures."
Kamijou tilted his head to the side in confusion at the voice coming from the speaker and Itsuwa explained that it was a bit like the use of ingredients in the foods of different cultures.
The black ham used in Western cooking was completely ignored in Japanese cooking (recent innovations notwithstanding). In a similar fashion, sensing and drawing out the needed type of power from all the different types was the key to using leylines.
As Itsuwa smoothly explained all this, Kamijou surmised that she may specialize in Amakusa-type leyline spells.
"Y'see, Kami-yan. There are no parts of the Earth that are necessarily better than other parts. It's us humans that put value on it like that."
"So an amateur like me wouldn't be able to tell it's there, huh."
"Anyway, a leyline important to the Roman Catholic Church is connecting Avignon and the Vatican. But it's a distorted line that was created by people destroying and rebuilding the terrain, " Tsuchimikado explained."Leylines are fairly easily moved. In fact, that's the whole idea behind feng shui."
"Sigh. I don't really get this whole leyline thing, but is it a line directly carved in the earth?"
"As I said, by destroying the terrain, you can alter the leyline. The trick to telling between good land and bad land in feng shui is based on where there are mountains, what direction rivers are flowing in, and things like that. And nowadays, filling in rivers and destroying mountains isn't that rare of an occurrence."
"Magicians that use the earth have to work to make sure that important magical points aren't destroyed like that, " Itsuwa added.
(... That sounds like a pain in the ass. )
"But you can also change the terrain in a calculated way. It's a bit like choosing which type of leyline you want to make stronger out of all the different types in the area. But if you screw up, balance can be lost and that can be disastrous. Because of that, it can only realistically be done as a huge project on a national level."
"So that's how the Roman Catholic Church's pipeline was made..."
"As I said, there are many different types of power flowing through the earth in many different directions. That's why it can be hard to find a specific line if you have no hint to go on." Tsuchimikado spoke smoothly."But if I know I'm looking for a line that connects the Palace of the Popes and the Vatican, I have some criteria to search with. It's like having a car navigation system leading you there. Anyway, if you can just destroy that pipeline, it would be a huge help. Um, Itsuwa, was it?"
"Y-yes!!"
"Just to make sure. You know the method and spell to destroy the pipeline, right?"
"U-um... I follow the Amakusa style, so I know all the standard spells of Shinto, Buddhism, and the Christianity..."
"That'll be enough. You take care of it as soon as you spot the pipeline."
Kamijou was merely confused by their exchange.
"Wait. Can't I just take out the leyline or pipeline or whatever with my right hand?"
He had a power known as Imagine Breaker.
He could destroy any supernatural power whether it was magical or psychic in nature.
But Tsuchimikado disagreed with Kamijou's view.
"I'm not so sure your Imagine Breaker can negate leylines, Kami-yan."
"Eh?" Kamijou looked shocked."But leylines are... um... magical... right? So..."
"Yes, but..." Tsuchimikado interrupted him."I just can't figure out what your right hand really is. You say it can negate any magic or psychic power. But take an occult power like a human's 'life force' for instance. You can't kill someone just by giving them a handshake, right?"
"Well, no..."
"I get the feeling there are some odd 'exceptions'. And leylines are most likely one of those exceptions. I highly doubt you can obliterate the entire Earth just by touching the ground."
But at the same time Misha Kreutzev avoided being touched by Kamijou's right hand and Kazakiri Hyouka was subconsciously afraid of it.
"..."
Kamijou silently stared at his right hand.
(Exceptions... ? How does that work?)
When he thought about it calmly, Kamijou realized that he didn't know any details about how his power worked. It may have been because he had lost his memories, but he may not have known before losing his memories either. At the very least, none of the "knowledge" left after he had lost his memories contained any hint he could find an answer in.
But right now severing that pipeline took precedence.
He pulled himself together and looked ahead.
Part 7
Kamijou and Itsuwa made their way to a small museum in Avignon.
It wasn't a large building solely used as a museum. Just like the housing complexes and stores, it used one portion of the fortress-like buildings towering above the roads on either side. There just wasn't enough room in the old town of Avignon that was surrounded by the castle walls and they had probably wanted to maintain a sense of unity in the scenery.
There was a sign in French on the main entrance, but the wooden door had a metal shutter down in front of it. The plate hanging from the knob most likely said "closed".
It was midday on a weekday.
"They must have closed early in fear of the riots, " Itsuwa said while looking up at the building.
Kamijou stared at the solid looking shutter and spoke.
"But Tsuchimikado said the invisible pipeline runs through this museum, right? We have to get in somehow. Is there some Amakusa lock-picking skill or-.. ?"
"Eyah!"
Kamijou was cut off by a cute yell.
The tip of Itsuwa's spear stuck into the gap between the shutter and the ground and she moved the spear according to the principle of leverage. The very gears that moved the shutter broke with a crunching sound.
Itsuwa ignored the security alarm that began ringing and lifted the shutter higher. Then she broke the wooden door using leverage as well.
She entered the building with a sleek expression on her face.
"C'mon, hurry."
"Um... Itsuwa-san?"
Kamijou stared at the short girl's face in shock.
His eyes seemed to be saying "And I thought you were just a normal girl...", but her expression didn't change. She must have been preparing to beat down any museum employees who might come to see what was going on.
As the security alarm continued to ring, Kamijou entered the building, too.
The lighting was fairly dim. In fact, it was almost completely dark inside. All of the windows were covered so the exhibits wouldn't receive any direct sunlight. With the normal fluorescent lights, it wouldn't have been a problem, but Kamijou was a bit unsure of his footing with only the faint light from the emergency exit sign.
"Tsuchimikado said it was..."
"I can tell where it is now that we're this close. It's this way."
Itsuwa continued deeper into the museum holding her spear in one hand.
Kamijou followed her and found nothing more than a normal floor. But looking at the arrangement of the glass showcases, the usual pattern was ignored here which left it oddly empty.
Itsuwa slowly circled around the oddly empty floor. She looked around for a bit and then nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes, it's here. I can feel a power manufactured by the Roman Catholic Church. It feels like a type of purified power that is used in the spells of some other sects. This is a leyline characteristic of a Western church society. They did an excellent job of concealing it; it's hard to sense until you're almost right next to it." She spoke while looking towards Kamijou."... Tsuchimikado-san isn't here yet, but I should take care of it before the enemy notices. I'm going to sever the pipeline, so please stand back."
"I don't see anything here, " Kamijou said as he stared at the floor next to Itsuwa."... And is severing a pipeline such an easy thing to do?"
"Well, completely severing a leyline requires a large number of people.
"Ah ha ha." Itsuwa laughed."But if we just need to make the line connecting the Palace of the Popes and the Vatican unusable, I can do it. Basically, I'm going to damage it which will cause its direction to be slightly shifted."
"I see..." Kamijou nodded even though he didn't really understand.
He didn't want to mess it up with Imagine Breaker, so he moved a bit away from Itsuwa.
The Amakusa girl put down her bag and rummaged around inside it. It seemed she was choosing the everyday items needed to use this spell.
Kamijou asked a question as he watched her.
"So the Amakusa Church uses things like that to create spells?"
"Y-yes. For this spell I need a camera, a slipper, a pamphlet, some mineral water, and white panties..."
As she took them out, Itsuwa screamed and hurriedly stuck them back in her bag. They were most likely the ones she had changed out of before.
Her face turned red and she stopped moving.
"Wh-what's wrong, Itsuwa?"
"... this spell."
Itsuwa spoke while still not moving.
"I need them to complete this spell..."
All hope left her face and she slowly took the panties back out from her bag. Itsuwa looked like she was about to cry, and Kamijou thought about turning around, but he couldn't get himself to move after she told him not to worry about it.
Itsuwa lined up the objects she had taken out of her bag on the floor. To Kamijou it just looked like a circle, but there must have been subtle rules about how to do it that she was following.
When she had finished arranging the objects, she spun her spear around in her hand so that the tip was pointed down.
"Here goes, " Itsuwa said as she stabbed down towards the floor with her spear.
It hit the very center of the circle.
There was no sound of blade hitting stone.
The tip of the spear disappeared into the floor like it was sinking into mud.
(Once Itsuwa severs the pipeline, the C-Document will stop working. In other words, the riots taking place here should calm down. )
The Amakusa girl mumbled something while her spear was stabbed into the floor.
The spear ever so slowly sank deeper into the floor.
(But then the people using the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes will realize they've failed. When they've determined that the situation is no longer in their favor, they may flee to the Vatican with the C-Document. )
She tapped the floor with her heel.
She also lightly but rhythmically tapped the handle of the spear with the pointer finger of the hand holding the spear.
(So this is a race against the clock. We need to rush to the Palace of the Popes once the riots settle down. We'll join up with Tsuchimikado and stop them before they can leave. )
The spear was now over halfway into the floor and the end of the handle only reached up as high as Itsuwa's chest.
She let go of the spear and adjusted her grip.
It was like she was turning a giant key.
Next, there was a noise.
But...
It wasn't a noise caused by Itsuwa's spear.
With a loud crash, the outer wall of the museum suddenly burst open from some kind of attack. It was aimed for Itsuwa and her spear that was sunk into the floor.
It looked like a giant blade being swung.
It was white.
It traveled in a straight line for Itsuwa.
When she noticed that, she altered her position without moving the spear so that she was behind it. The attack passed right by Itsuwa, but a piece of the destroyed wall... or rather, a piece of stone too big to reach your arms around, hit her spear dead on.
"Itsuwa!!"
The spear broke clean in half where it was hit.
Itsuwa was knocked back a fair distance while holding the broken spear.
After causing this destruction, the white attack fluctuated and disappeared like smoke.
"Damn it... !!"
Itsuwa held the two halves of her broken spear in her hands. She removed the broken piece from the attachments and threw it aside. She then kicked her bag up from the ground and grabbed a replacement rod from the bag in midair. She used that piece to remake her spear.
The second attack came shortly thereafter.
The "white blade" came bursting through the outer wall again.
The motion of the "white blade" as it moved from one wall to the other was rough like kid swinging a tree branch around. But this had overwhelming destructive force. The stone walls and floor crumbled, the glass showcases shattered, and the pieces scattered in every direction.
The sounds of destruction continued one after another.
Kamijou bent over and saw a fine powder falling down from the ceiling.
(Not good... This building isn't going to last... !!)
"Itsuwa!!" Kamijou yelled and moved his arms to tell her to run for the exit.
Meanwhile the "white blade" continued to fly around destroying the walls like a predator chasing its prey.
With each strike, it seemed to be getting closer and closer to its target.
Whoever was controlling it may have been getting a feel for how they were avoiding it.
Or perhaps the attacker was attacking from a distance and he or she was getting slowly closer.
Kamijou barely managed to avoid the blade as it fell like a guillotine. He leaped out of the way and out of the museum in what was almost a roll.
And then...
"My, my. It seems when attacking from a distance my accuracy drops."
The voice came from nearby.
Quite nearby. It was only a few dozen centimeters away from his face.
Kamijou was surprised as the man must have been waiting for him there.
The man in front of Kamijou's eyes swung his right arm without waiting for Kamijou to respond.
Something white appeared behind his arm as it moved.
Unlike the slow movement of the man's arm, the white object shot towards Kamijou's neck at the speed of a falling guillotine.
There was a loud roar as it flew through the air.
"Ohhhhhhh!?"
Kamijou immediately held up his right hand and the "white blade" hit it.
The "white blade" fell to pieces the very second it did. Literally. A white powder really did scatter around the area.
The fog-like curtain of powder fluctuated and gathered back together when the attacker moved his finger.
"Get back!!" Itsuwa yelled from behind Kamijou and he hurriedly put some distance between himself and the attacker.
Kamijou was finally able to focus on all of the attacker at once.
It was a man wearing green ceremonial clothes.
He was wearing green from head to toe.
He was a bit short for a white person as he was about Kamijou's height or maybe a little shorter. On the other hand, he looked about twice Kamijou's age. He was quite skinny so his ceremonial clothes were very loose fitting. His sunken cheeks gave him an odd sense of vitality.
Kamijou held out his right hand and asked the ceremonially-dressed attacker a question.
"... Are you from the Roman Catholic Church?"
"I am, but I would prefer it if you said I was from God's Right Seat."
Kamijou was at a loss for words at how carefree the man's response was.
God's Right Seat.
Another member of that group, Vento of the Front, had almost completely paralyzed Academy City single-handedly on September 30th.
If this man was on the same level as her...
"My name is Terra of the Left."
The white powder gathered in his hand took shape.
As before, it was the shape of a guillotine.
It was a board-shaped blade that looked like a 70 centimeter square that had had its bottom cut diagonally. The man held it by the ring that would normally have the supporting rope tied to it.
"It seems my turn is finally here. Since we of God's Right Seat cannot use normal magic, I had to leave the operation of the C-Document to another magician."
Terra smiled as he let the execution blade hang casually by his side.
"And so I was hoping you could help me kill some time. You're the first ones to get caught by my anti-leyline spell probe, so I hope you'll be good for some fun."
Part 8
Kamijou, Itsuwa, and Terra stood in front of the destroyed outer wall of the museum. The dust was lowering visibility, so they tried to wave it away.
Then Terra of the Left swung his right hand.
He swung it from left to right.
Matching that movement, the white guillotine moved. It was less like he was holding it and more like it was floating in the air while connected to his arm. The form of the guillotine that had been a meter across just a moment ago collapsed. It turned into a white tsunami that shot out in a horizontal line.
It roared through the air.
"Ohhhh!?"
Kamijou held up his right hand.
Whirling destruction followed the blade. The streets in the old town of Avignon were small. It gouged into the cliff-like buildings on side, blew away parked cars, and knocked entire buildings crooked.
There was now a clear distinction between the pristine old street to Kamijou's right and the pile of rubble to his left.
The white guillotine was very destructive and it would easily slice right through a person, but...
(I can deal with it using my right hand!!)
"Itsuwa!" Kamijou yelled, but he started running towards Terra without waiting for her to respond.
He would draw Terra's attack and Itsuwa would get in range to attack him. That was the best attack pattern for this situation.
And Terra seemed focused on Kamijou's right hand.
His sickly-looking eyes narrowed and he spoke in a voice that showed admiration.
"You should have been killed by that strike. I see. So this is Imagine Breaker.... I had heard that you beat down Vento of the Front."
Terra swung the guillotine while grinning.
He swung it from back to front.
Matching that movement, the white blade tapered off like a screw and shot in a pointed strike straight for Kamijou's chest.
"... !!"
Kamijou somehow managed to get his right hand up to hit it, but he was so focused on defense he was having trouble moving his feet quickly enough.
Whoosh.
Itsuwa ran by Kamijou's side holding her spear while crouching slightly.
"Hmph."
Terra's guillotine headed towards her.
A loud noise entered Kamijou's ears. Itsuwa had ducked under the white blade flying in a straight line. But she didn't stop moving there. She evaded the blade a second and third time, held up her Friuli Spear, and leaped for Terra's chest.
She pulled the spear back and powerfully stabbed it forwards.
Terra repelled the spear with a horizontal swing of the guillotine.
He then swung the guillotine horizontally in the opposite direction. This time he was aiming for Itsuwa.
It was something like a counter for that large blade.
"!!"
Itsuwa didn't try to stop the blade; she leapt forward diagonally and continued forward to avoid it. As she did so, she pulled the spear back to build up power and struck forward.
It may have been because she had to dodge the blade, but she lost her balance and there was a slight lag to her attack.
Terra used that time to swing the guillotine again.
It looked like Terra's white blade would reach Itsuwa before her spear reached him.
But there was a small glint of light next to Terra's face.
He then noticed lines of light crossing in front of his eyes and several straight lines of light spreading out like a spider web around him.
"Sorry about this..." Itsuwa spoke these words as a straining sound could be heard.
The sound of something being strained to its limit was coming from...
"The Seven Blades of the Seven Teachings!!"
Wires.
With the sound of the air being sliced, the wires rushed in towards Terra at an amazing speed. The superfine blades attacked at once from 7 different directions and were set to cut him at several places from his ankles to his heart.
Terra did not have time to avoid them.
Kamijou thought they might be moving faster than a bullet.
But...
"Precedence."
Terra's expression did not change.
He merely muttered that one word. The 7 wires headed for his body did not cut him to pieces; they merely coiled around him without even breaking the skin as if they were nothing but fishing line.
Itsuwa's expression turned to one of shock.
Terra lightly swung his right arm and the 7 wires wrapped around his skin ripped to pieces like they were a spider web.
"!!"
Itsuwa exhaled sharply and stabbed forward with her spear that had been pulled back.
The sharp tip stabbed towards Terra's shoulder at lightning speed.
"Precedence: Outer Wall – Lower, Human Body – Higher."
But then Terra muttered those words.
He disappeared into the wall behind him as if he was entering an invisible entrance.
"!?"
Itsuwa's spear struck the wall and a high-pitched sound rang out.
As the shock ran up her arm, Itsuwa grimaced.
And then...
"Precedence: Outer Wall – Lower, Movements of a Blade – Higher."
The white guillotine crashed through the wall and attacked horizontally towards Itsuwa's torso.
Itsuwa abandoned the idea of blocking it and practically fell to the ground avoiding the horizontal attack.
A few severed pieces of her hair floated in the air.
Meanwhile, Terra jumped out through the newly made hole in the wall.
He spotted Itsuwa shortly after her evasive action and casually swung the guillotine again.
As Itsuwa had her stomach pressed to the ground, she had no way of dodging it this time.
So Kamijou leaped over attempting to get between Itsuwa and Terra.
"Ooooaaahh!?"
He just barely managed to destroy the giant blade with his right hand as it swung down towards Itsuwa's neck.
The guillotine exploded and white dust scattered about the area.
Terra's expression did not change.
He did not seem worried in the slightest.
"Precedence: Outer Wall – Lower, Movements of a Blade – Higher."
Terra spoke the same words again and he casually thrust the now re-gathered white blade towards the side wall.
The guillotine swung across the outer wall like an arm knocking things off of a shelf.
The outer wall collapsed and dozens of stones the size of melons flew through the air.
"!!"
While Itsuwa tried stand up, Kamijou grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. Building materials crushed the area they were moments ago.
Instead of chasing after them, Terra leisurely walked over the rubble in their direction.
"I'd heard about the Imagine Breaker before, so I was anticipating quite a bit." Terra smiled while the white blade of unknown properties hung from his right hand."But from the looks of things, you're nothing much. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed, I wish I'd never seen this. You apparently won your battle with Vento, but that was merely caused by your destroying her 'Divine Punishment' and Academy City's using that 'fallen angel' with the 'pressure of the realm' to constrict her. If she were at full power, she would not have had any trouble with you."
(This is... )
Kamijou felt a chill down his spine as he realized something.
A man who was on the same level as Vento would not attack with just a blade.
(He's a part of God's Right Seat... !!)
Kamijou subconsciously gritted his teeth, but he doubted Terra was just going to wait for him to calm down.
"My my, what's wrong?" Terra smiled and lifted up the sinister guillotine."Surely you don't think you can defeat me by keeping your distance. At least allow me to enjoy this a little more. If this is all you've got, I don't even need to make any 'adjustments'."
"Kh!!"
Kamijou and Itsuwa dragged their heavy bodies forward and simultaneously attacked Terra.
Terra held the guillotine forward in his right hand and spoke.
"Precedence: Movements of a Spear – Lower, Air – Higher."
And with that, Itsuwa's motion suddenly stopped.
The tip of her blade that had been headed for Terra's throat was stopped as if it were obstructed by a wall of air.
As Kamijou saw this happening from side, he clenched his right fist and swung it at Terra's chest.
Terra was faster.
He casually swung his hand horizontally and the white blade followed suit. The giant blade evaded past Kamijou's right hand and lunged at his body.
(Oh, shi-!?)
He lacked the time to even finish the thought.
The blade's width was thicker than his thumb. He felt it press up against his skin and dig in. Pain exploded about him.
Kamijou's body doubled over from the force of the guillotine and he was launched into the side wall.
Shortly after he heard a loud thud, he heard a painful cracking noise from his body.
(... !?)
He was unable to speak. The force that was pinning his stomach and back had left him breathless.
"Gha... !?"
However, that was the extent of his injuries. Kamijou's was not sliced in two like the outer walls.
He punched the guillotine pushing him against the wall with a shaking fist. The giant blade burst into powder and Kamijou sat on the ground, attempting to gain control of his erratic breathing.
"..."
Terra stared with great interest at his destroyed guillotine. He took a step back and lightly moved his fingers, calling the powder to return to him.
(I'm... alive... ?) Kamijou thought as he rubbed his stomach that stung with dull pain. (That hit me, but I'm still alive... ?)
Terra's first surprise attack had easily broken through the outer wall of the museum. Kamijou had been hit by the same attack, so his body should be crushed or splattered.
Which meant...
(That and this one were different types... ?)
Kamijou moved his gaze from his stomach to Terra.
Terra still seemed uninterested as he stood in front of the destroyed museum.
(Does something amplify the destructive power? Is there some trick to the sword?)
There was one thing that stood out as suspicious.
Kamijou stared at Terra as the latter checked to make sure his guillotine was in working order after it had been negated.
"'Precedence... '" Itsuwa mumbled as she changed position to cover Kamijou as she pulled on her spear that simply refused to reach Terra.
She then noticed the powder stuck on the tip of her spear.
"... Flour?"
She thought for a moment and her body stiffened as shock appeared on her face
"Does that weapon function using the 'Flesh of God... ?'"
"Oh, so even an Asian can figure that out."
Itsuwa was nearly speechless as Terra attempted to provoke Itsuwa.
"During mass, wine is treated as the 'Blood of God' and the bread is treated as the 'Flesh of God'. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the event of mass is modeled after the execution of the 'Son of God' on the cross."
Itsuwa bit her lip upon Terra's words.
Kamijou had no way of knowing, but those words were quite destructive to someone knowledgeable in magic.
"When you calmly think about the fact that the 'Son of God' was crucified on the cross, you will realize that a normal human wouldn't normally be able to kill the 'Son of God'. That'd be quite a tall order even for me. At certain times in the scriptures, the 'order of precedence' is changed. For instance, in order for the 'Son of God' to take on all of humanity's 'original sin', the natural precedence had to be changed so that he could be killed by a normal human."
The guillotine started to crumble.
Despite the fact that Kamijou was raising his guard, Terra seemed to enjoying himself more and more.
"One of the secret ceremonies required to complete the story of the 'Son of God' is the alteration of the order of precedence. And it is that very spell that I use. It is called the 'Execution of Light'. The ability to freely alter the shape of the flour, which used as the medium, into an edged tool shape is like a byproduct of that. Do you understand now?"
This basically meant that if "Terra's body" was given precedence over the "wires", his body would remain unscathed. If the "blade made of flour" was given precedence over the "outer wall", the blade was able to destroy the walls with ease. If the "air" was given precedence over the "spear", Itsuwa's attack would stop in midair.
"Strength and weakness mean nothing before me. I can just alter the order of the two after all."
This was the power of God's Right Seat.
Vento of the Front wielded a power that dealt with God, "Divine Punishment", and had used it to paralyze Academy City.
This time it was the execution of the Son of God.
All magicians dealt with theories and laws Kamijou knew nothing about, but he had a feeling the ones God's Right Seat dealt with were something special.
"Hm, but what to do now? I may have revealed my trick, but that doesn't mean this is over. Don't tell me you thought it ended when you solved the mystery."
Kamijou strongly clenched his right fist at Terra's words.
He was right.
They knew how it worked, but they had no way of dealing with it.
That was why Terra had been able to reveal his secret to them while remaining confident.
"Perhaps I'll give you some time, " Terra said in a teasing way."Stretching out this battle doesn't harm me any. I'll give you 10 seconds. In that time, you can come up with a plan to defeat me or a plan to flee.... But don't be mistaken. I'm not saying any such plans actually exist, okay?"
Terra seemed to be enjoying himself more and more as he spoke.
"Fuck, " Kamijou cursed.
There wasn't that much space between them and Terra of the Left.
Kamijou grit his teeth and Terra seemed to be enjoying every single reaction Kamijou gave.
But then...
"Oh, how generous. I can come up with 3 different plans given 10 seconds."
Kamijou suddenly heard a male voice he knew well coming from outside his range of vision.
Before he got a chance to look over, a red bullet shot through the air. It was a burning orange piece of origami. The folded square scrap of paper flew towards Terra's face with enough force to crack concrete.
Terra merely followed it with his eyes.
"Precedence: Magic – Lower, Human Skin – Higher."
It struck. But just as the origami touched Terra's skin, it suddenly changed directions and struck the wall right next to Itsuwa. It was like a bullet ricocheting off of a metal wall.
Kamijou finally turned to look at the intruder.
A boy wearing blue sunglasses was standing there.
Because he had forced himself to use magic, he had a trail of blood coming from his lips.
"Tsuchimikado... !?"
Tsuchimikado gave a slight nod in response.
His gaze never left Terra.
"Don't tell me, " Terra smiled slightly as the guillotine hung from his right hand, "that was one of your plans."
"Unfortunately for you..." Tsuchimikado smiled, too. His attack seemed to have been a dud, but he didn't seem even slightly worried."I have you cornered now."
"... ?"
"And it'll be checkmate next. I've proved my theory to be correct."
What he pulled out as he said this was not a magical item.
It was shining black handgun.
The very same handgun he had shot Oyafune Monaka with.
"Do you really think you can defeat me with a toy like that?"
Tsuchimikado gave no response.
He gathered strength in the finger on the trigger.
Terra made no attempt to find cover; he merely stood and slowly spoke.
"Precedence: Bullet – Lower, Human Skin – Higher."
"Precedence: Bullet – Lower, Human Skin – Higher."
Tsuchimikado spoke in unison with Terra.
The sound of multiple gunshots rang out.
But the lead bullets ricocheted off of Terra's face and chest.
It was an overwhelmingly one-sided result.
But even so, a smile remained on Tsuchimikado's lips.
"I told you, Terra of the Left."
Tsuchimikado held the handgun in one hand and put his other hand in his pocket.
He pulled out a black piece of origami.
"I told it would be checkmate this time."
"..."
Terra of the Left was silent after hearing Tsuchimikado's words.
He then slowly turned towards Tsuchimikado and prepared his guillotine.
The streets were supposed to be full of rioters, but the area seemed oddly silent.
(Move... ) Kamijou thought.
For better or for worse, a major change was about to occur in his battle.
Kamijou was completely caught up in the confrontation between Tsuchimikado and Terra, so he hadn't notice Itsuwa drawing near. She whispered in his ear.
"(Um, we need to take advantage of Tsuchimikado's next action and flee. )"
"Eh?"
"(... He told us to in his instructions. He said stopping the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes is more important than defeating the enemy here. )"
Itsuwa was holding a piece of origami.
Tsuchimikado's instructions must have been written on it. Kamijou didn't know exactly when, but he must have thrown it to Itsuwa while talking with Terra.
Tsuchimikado and Terra each took a slow step towards each other.
And just when Kamijou thought they were going to strike, a noise erupted that was so loud he thought his eardrums were going to burst.
(... !?)
This was not the sound of magic.
It was the sound of the townscape of Avignon being destroyed by explosives.
Of course, neither Tsuchimikado nor Terra had caused it.
A third party was interfering.
Proof of this could be seen in how both of them clicked their tongues in annoyance and how each stepped back to put some distance between himself and the other.
Kamijou was surprised by this sudden occurrence and watched as the housing complexes towering above either side of the road began crumbling. This created a gray dust that obscured Kamijou's vision.
He could see the silhouettes of the source of the explosions on the other side.
But these were not human silhouettes.
"... What's going on? What the hell is going on!?" he mumbled.
The warped silhouettes on the other side of the gray curtain were moving.
Part 9
Academy City's unofficially formed armored unit began invading the old city of Avignon from outside its walls.
Their primary equipment was the HsPS-15, aka the "Large Weapon". It was a powered suit developed using all the best Academy City technology.
The powered suit was a new Academy City weapon that covered the body in armor that looked like a Western suit of armor. The joints were moved using electric power and the flesh-and-blood human inside was given mobility anywhere from twice normal to dozens of times normal.
They came in various standard sizes and levels of firepower, but the ones here were giant masses of metal 2. 5 meters tall.
The suits had blue and gray camouflage on them and the robot-like "armor" had two arms and two legs and the arms had 5 fingers each. However, if you asked someone whether the powered suits were "human-like", you would be told "no". The "head" area was huge. It may have been because the chest armor was so thick, but it looked like the suits had one of the drum-shaped security robots on their heads. There was no neck. The "head" was directly connected to the chest, but it could still rotate.
There was a great sound of something hard being crushed.
It was the sound of the armored legs stepping on the rubble as they advanced.
The stone paving and the ruins of the bricks had both survived for hundreds of years, but they were so easily crushed now.
The hands of the powered suits held special guns that had barrels so wide they looked misshapen.
The guns looked like large rifles made by forcibly shortening the barrel of a tank's main gun, but they were actually quite different. They were anti-barrier revolver shotguns.
The shells used in those guns were special. Inside a single shell were a few dozen bullets that would usually be classified as anti-materiel. Each shot could blow straight through a tank and at close range a few shots could force open the door to a nuclear shelter. Usually, the barrel wouldn't hold up to the explosive force of the gunpowder, but, by delicately controlling the type and arrangement of the gunpowder, the direction of the explosive force could be controlled so that the lowest possible amount of damage was given to the barrel and the greatest possible amount of destructive force was released.
The few dozen powered suits headed for the castle walls surrounding Avignon while holding this large weapon that had been developed for the purposes of breaking through the thick door of a shelter an enemy might be hiding inside.
"Commence invasion."
A mere two words.
As that voice spoke, the anti-barrier shotguns fired. Each time the pump-action-like slide was pulled the revolver cylinder turned.
In an instant, the stone walls that had restricted people's entrance and exit to and from the city for hundreds of years were blown away like they were made of paper.
The powered suits stepped over the rubble and entered the old city of Avignon.
The artificial legs moved much more smoothly than a real human's would have.
They found the youths of Avignon who had been rioting shortly before.
Those youths were not enveloped in pure fear or pure rage. This had been so sudden that they had been unable to sort out their feelings. This left them shaking in a whirlpool of mixed emotions.
On the other hand, the response of the powered suits was completely uniform.
They moved the wide barrels of their anti-barrier shotguns that had blown through the castle walls in a single shot and aimed them directly at the flesh-and-blood humans before them.
A voice gave a short report to its companions over the radio.
"Enemy forces spotted."
Part 10
Kamijou was dumbfounded when he saw the large number of powered suits blasting through walls as they walked through Avignon ignoring the complicated arrangement of small streets. One of the cliff-like buildings towering above was destroyed and he could see "them" on the other side of the rubble.
Those things should not be in the normal world.
No institution other than Academy City should have been able to develop powered suits of that level.
They had anti-barrier revolver shotguns in their hands.
They blasted through the buildings and cars in their paths and mercilessly turned their guns on the rioters that recklessly attempted to fight back.
The shotguns fired shells from those gun barrels that a human fist could easily fit inside.
People were easily mowed down as the shotguns fired.
But that most likely wasn't done with live ammunition. Kamijou didn't know how it worked, but it seemed the anti-barrier revolver shotguns could use different types of shells. Perhaps the types of shells were divided between the even and odd chambers in the revolving cylinder, and it rotated two chambers at a time. That way, it could be changed between odd mode and even mode.
They were shooting blanks.
But the shock wave from the great explosion this caused was enough to knock the oxygen from a person's lungs and knock them to the ground. When the first line of vigorous rioters was silenced, the second and third lines of approaching rioters paled and started running about in panic.
The powered suits didn't let them go.
The suits walked past the townspeople who were curled up shaking in the corners of the street and, if they showed any sign of resistance, the suits would mercilessly fire a blank in their direction knocking them back with a warhead of sound. While the rioters were rendered ineffective by this, the powered suits would connect their shotguns to a metal backpack-like part on their backs to automatically reload.
(... What's going on?)
The situation was so crazy Kamijou could do nothing but watch.
(Didn't Tsuchimikado say Academy City wasn't going to act? And now that they have... Why did it have to be like this!?)
Oyafune Monaka had said that the leaders of Academy City hadn't dared to deal with the problem in Avignon and were just going to let the chaos worsen.
Apparently the moment to act had come.
Now that the needed amount of damage had been done by the chaos, they were ending it all as if by flipping a switch.
Kamijou bit his lip.
The leaders of Academy City.
The Board of Directors.
And the one controlling them who was truly at the top of the science side.
"I see. So it's come to this." Terra said sounding amused.
And with those words, the atmosphere that was colored by shock was refocused on Terra.
Tsuchimikado held his handgun up as smoke came from the barrel and there was so much hostility coming from him that it felt like the hostility alone could pierce Terra.
"Well, the ones manipulating the C-Document in the Palace of the Popes are just normal magicians, so this really could end badly. I wish I could have gotten a bit more battlefield data for my precedence spell "Execution of Light", though. Oh, well."
As Terra spoke, he didn't look towards Kamijou or the others and walked seemingly aimlessly through one of the large holes in one the housing complexes opened by the powered suits.
"Wait!!" Tsuchimikado yelled, but he jumped to the side directly afterwards.
Before Kamijou could figure why, a huge blast that probably came from an attack by one of the powered suits came from within the housing complex.
Kamijou's tiny body was blown back in the blast.
The hole Terra had gone through was filled with flames.
"Ow... !?"
"A-are you all right!?"
Itsuwa frantically grabbed Kamijou's hand.
Kamijou grabbed her hand to get up and Tsuchimikado called out to him.
"Can you move, Kami-yan? We need to get to the Palace of the Popes!!"
"Those powered suits are from Academy City, right!? I thought they weren't going to move! This has gotten really damn complicated! Can we really just leave without stopping them!?"
"Going after Terra comes first!! And they're after the C-Document, too. All this chaos might die down once that spiritual item is destroyed!!"
"Damn it. Do they really plan on stopping all this chaos?" Kamijou muttered in annoyance.
In Avignon there were the rioters affected by the C-Document and the powered suits. Which side did he truly hate?
"C'mon, Kami-yan. That God's Right Seat member may still be taking us too lightly, but with things the way they are, they really are going to flee. This is our only chance to destroy the C-Document!!"
"Fuck, " Kamijou swore.
At that time, a number of powered suits stepped into the narrow road out of the now flame-filled hole Terra had left through.
It should be fellow Academy City people inside of them, but the barrels of the weapons were squarely aimed their way.
Apparently, they weren't taking the time to check what side everyone was on. They were just attacking everyone in the city of Avignon.
"... Kami-yan, let's split up here. Itsuwa was it? You and Kami-yan head towards the Palace together."
"Tsuchimikado?"
"It seems there are two problems here in Avignon. I thought we could just leave the powered suits alone for now, but that option is gone. Kami-yan, you chase down Terra and do something about the C-Document. I'll stop these Academy City idiots."
"But there's..."
Kamijou was going to finish that with "no way you can do that", but Tsuchimikado cut him off.
"They aren't complete enemies. Sure, I'll have to fight briefly, but I'll be looking for a chance to talk with them. And I'm better at this kind of tactic than you."
"... Damn it."
"Go, Kami-yan!!"
"Damn it!!"
Kamijou ran along the narrow road with Itsuwa as he yelled. Behind him he heard the sound of the powered suits operating and (Tsuchimikado must have done something) a repeated sound of ice shattering. Kamijou grit his teeth knowing that Tsuchimikado became covered in blood even when he used magic once, but he couldn't do anything about it now.
He ran through the narrow streets of the old city of Avignon.
The scent of gunpowder and smoke filled his nose.
He saw fleeing people and powered suits chasing them down.
(What the hell is going on!?)
This made the demonstrations and riots look like nothing. As Kamijou watched the overwhelming violence of military action, Kamijou thought the blood vessels in his head were going to burst.
Itsuwa knew the location of the Palace of the Popes from her earlier investigation of Avignon. He looked in the direction she indicated and saw a silhouette he guessed had to be it in the distance.
Between the lines 3
Stiyl Magnus left the Tower of London.
The weather in London was reasonable, but the sightseers were few and far between. Unlike other countries, there weren't large scale riots occurring in England, but there was still a sense of tension spreading throughout the city.
"God's Right Seat, huh... ?" Stiyl mumbled as he put a new cigarette between his lips.
According to Lidvia Lorenzetti, there were only 4 members and they each held the attributes of one of the four archangels.
"What do you think about what she said?" Agnese Sanctis spoke out of boredom as she exited the building next to him."Is any of it even true? I never heard about anything like that while I was with the Roman Catholic Church. It could just be a lie meant to disturb us."
"I can't deny that possibility, but everything said in the interrogation room is magically recorded. That's what you're writing on the parchment. If we reanalyze that, we should be able to figure out how accurate it is."
"Of course, we can't be 100% sure, " Stiyl added.
Stiyl thought as he spoke.
If Lidvia was telling the truth, "God's Right Seat" was both the name of a group within the depths of the Roman Catholic Church and, at the same time, was the name of their final objective.
(... The seat on the right side. It almost seems like a hint, but I'm not sure. I can't narrow it down enough yet. I guess I'll have to talk with them some more. )
Stiyl looked at Agnese's face.
"Maybe we should take a bit more of a break."
"No, I want to get this over with."
"I see, " Stiyl briefly responded.
They then went back into the dark Tower of London.
| ← Ch. 104 | Ch. 106 → |