Within the lower levels of the Underground Mall, a young man hasten his steps in the dark, recalling of recent events that continue to occupy his mind―Kazakiri Hyouka. Her tearful words echo throughout his mind, only to be blown away by the lone sound of his footsteps. He has left him, but certainly, this Kamijou Touma will not allow for such an ending, as he continues to run into the darkness.
While running, a column collapses in front of him, and filling the tunnel with dust. Touma hears laughing, and beyond the barrier that the collapsed column has made, appears the form of Sherry Cromwell. Seeing this, Touma becomes alert, concerned about Ellis, but is told by Sherry that she has made Ellis go ahead, and assumes that it either found its target or has already killed it, making Touma livid. Sherry says that he should stay with her and be her opponent, as the girl has gotten passed her somehow. Sherry is impressed on how Touma can destroy her Ellis, to which Touma asks what she is thinking. Touma reminds Sherry of the need for balance between the magic and science sides, and asks why she is willing to destroy it.
She smiles, and says to Touma that when espers use magic, their body will be destroyed, and asks how anyone could figure that out. She tells that it's because someone tried to, around twenty years ago. She relates to Touma that there was a movement to combine magic and science, started by one of their Church's factions. Apparently, they were trying to give birth to a new type of caster that possessed both esper and magic powers, of course, this is a foregone conclusion. Finally, she tells of her friend, Ellis, an esper brought from Academy City. She tells of her teaching him spells, and ending up self-destructing. Soon after, the Knights of England came to destroy the facility, and to save her, Ellis sacrificed himself, and was killed by them. With a shout, Sherry Cromwell tells Touma that magic and science side cannot co-exist―they two factions in their own worlds. She says that if they do not make a clear boundary between them, then the same mistake will be repeated again. Touma says that she is not making sense, pointing out that if she wanted to protect the factions from each other, then why is she starting a war. However, Touma then realizes that Sherry may not intend to start a war in the first place, pointing out that if she really wanted to the factions to protect themselves from each other, she just needs to find a situation that the factions feel like a war is about to begin. This angers Sherry, and with a swing of her magic chalk, creates several magic circles in the tunnel. The circles begin to glow red, and the earth begins to shake, with Touma believing that she intends to destroy the tunnel. Slowly, the tunnel, its walls, ceilings, and columns, begin to crumble through her magic. Touma does not know how he could escape this, however, he recalls on what Index told him, regarding the standing position of the magician during their spell. Touma moves his eyes near Sherry, and sees a magic circle there, with a distinctly different magic circle upon it, an octagram, glowing red on the ground. Touma realizes that the seals on the walls and ceiling will be used to bury him alive, which means that Sherry does not need to have a seal on the ground, unless it is used to protect her. As the walls crumble, Touma run towards Sherry, and then jumps with his right hand held forward. Touma dispels the circle, much to Sherry's horror. Predictably, the ceiling above her collapse, and she is nearly crushed if not for her quick use of her magic chalk. After flinching, she realizes that Touma coming towards her, and is punched for all her trouble, actually managing to make a considerable crater upon a column due to the impact of her head.
The tunnel stops collapsing, and Touma calms down. Sherry remains conscious, but is pretty banged up. She still goes on about wanting to create a war, create a reason for it. She tries to walk away, ignoring the fact that Touma could easily beat her down to stop her, as she talks about how Academy City and the Church is leaving their guard down, having Touma possess the Index Librorum Prohibitorum as an example. She says that it would be the same thing again back with her and Ellis, and then was still about small factions, who knows what would happen in such a large scale. Touma derides her, asking what Hyouka and Index has done to her anyway, telling her that wars start when she points a weapon at someone. Sherry tells Touma that he does understand. She states that she wants to slaughter all magicians and espers, but she also doesn't want magicians and espers fighting each other―a queer contradiction. With a clear sense of suffering and despair drawn upon her countenance, she says that her mind was in conflict from the beginning, and tells Touma that she has more than one conviction, as many as there are stars in the sky. Touma asks why she didn't realize it, that Sherry only wanted no to lose her dear friend. He asks if she saw in her eyes that Index did not want to be with him, and asks if they looked like they were about to fight unless they were isolated in their own separate worlds, and ask Sherry to not take his dear friend away from him either. Sherry breaks down at this moment, and in tears cries out her magic name―Intimus115. With a swing of her chalk, a magic circle appears next to Touma, but he manages to dodge it in time as the wall collapses into plumes of smoke. However, there are slashes in the darkness, and Sherry Cromwell, with her magic chalk cuts her way through the smoke, and the teary-eyed Sherry appears, preparing to kill Touma. At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Touma clenches his fist, and knew of Sherry's true emotion, when she said that she had convictions as many as there are stars, he knew that she wanted someone to stop her. And upon the air their arms raised, and in unison, his fist and her weapon, touched, destroying it, and the familiar sound chimed as a result. Yet it did not end, for their fists slipped from each other, and there, Kamijou Touma landed a firm punch on her.
Back at the top, the golem slowly rips out the affected leg that Index used a pin on, and moves closer to Index. She realizes that the long distance manipulation has been whiched to automaton mode, rendering her unique ability. Index looks up to her doom, as the golem roars fill the air. Sherry down on the floor and in tears, calls out the name of Ellis, stating that she could not reach it. There, she loses consciousness before Touma, but at the price of having Ellis move automatically. With little time to spare, Touma leaves Sherry behind in the darkness of that tunnel, with the names of Hyouka and Index in his head.
Back at the top, as Index looks up to the golem forming a fist and attempt to punch her. With tears in her eyes, Index whispers the name Touma before a sickening sound is heard. Index flinches, but her tear-ridden eyes opened up after some delay, realizing she is not dead. And there she sees her friend, Kazakiri Hyouka, kick the golem down to the ground. Index is naturally surprised, at which points she notices the large gaping hole in her leg, though which strangely does not affect her, as well as the fact tha it reformed itself, as if by magic. Index is shocked, but is told by Hyouka to run as the golem stands up to its feet once again. There is a hole upon its chest, which Hyouka made a little while ago, but with roar, it starts sucking up things like a vacuum, and eventually reforming the damaged part of its body. Index notes that the golem has gone berserk and that it must be losing its regeneration ability. Holding for dear life, Index tells Hyouka that they should run away. However, Hyouka tells her that she should hurry and run away first, as she needs to stop that monster. Index reasons that there is no way she could beat a monster like that, and she'll surely die. Hyouka says that Index need not worry, she turns her head and with a breaking voice, tells Index that she too is no human. She apologizes to Index for not telling her all this time, while the golem prepares to punch her. However, she manages to turn around in time, and block the attack with her inhuman strength. However, it is but only a moment, as the pressure is too much for even her body to bear. Lines appear upon her smooth skin, as the power of the golem begins to overwhelm her, and she is slowly pushed back. With a scream, Hyouka however, manages to get a second wind, and pushes back the golem with her strength. She turns to look at Index for a moment, still in a state of confusion. Recalling the happy times she spent with the girl and the boy, and regrets that she cannot go back there again.
However, while holding the golem's fist, she did not take into account that the golem had another free one, and there, it begins to lift it up into the air preparing to attack her. Even then, she does not yield, and will protect Index, because she is her friend. At that moment, footsteps can be heard from the distance, and the same time, the golem swings its arm with its fists towards Hyouka. At that moment, two people shout her name, and a girl and a boy. And at that moment, Kamijou Touma steps into the battlefield with his fists clenched. It seems that it was a for a brief moment, but Touma and Hyouka's eyes meet, as if time stood still just for them. Here, Touma says that he will show her now, that there's still hope in the world she lives in. And there, with a swing of his arms, his fist makes contact with the golem, and familiar sound is stroke.
The golem crumbles down, and the energy it expended to swing its fist disappears as if it never really existed. Seeing this, Hyouka closes her eyes and smiles at the end of the turmoil, and of the wonderful illusion that veiled her eyes. Dark smoke fills the air in that lonesome place.
It is evening, and the Sky has donned its yellow evening dress. Touma and Index looks upon the remnants of their former enemy, until they hear a familiar voice. It is Mikoto, who have missed out on all the epic battle that had been fought over a single friend in need. She comments on how Touma is always leaving the messes and making trouble. Index ignores her, as she goes to the pile of rubble that what was once a golem, looking for something or perhaps someone. With Mikoto alone and standing so close to Touma, she begins to turn red, and asks meekly on what's the matter. Before Touma could answer, or even notice Mikoto, a certain teleporter arrives. She runs towards her Oneesama after seeing the giant mess there, and asks her if she was the one responsible for "that". Mikoto then notices what she meant and tries to tell Kuroko that she is wrong. Of course though, Kuroko does not stop to hear what she has to stay, grabbing her arms, telling her that they should run away before Judgment or Anti-Skill will come after her, and looks at Touma evilly, before teleporting away in spite of Mikoto's remonstrations. All the while, Touma has no comment on the matter.
Touma then notices something up in something up in some scaffolding, and makes his way there. Kazakiri Hyouka, still clinging on the pictures she made with the white nun, is in nears, as she talks to Touma about how she has known from the very beginning what happens when a monster's true nature is revealed. She tells him that she could not do anything about being a monster, but since a person who called her a friend was in danger, she needed to save her. She stands up as the wind billows through, and sways her brown hair. She turns around, with her face shadowed in sadness. She asks Touma why she must lose the thing that she holds dear, why she must be afraid, despite the fact that she just wanted her friend safe from her, all the while burying her face in the comfort and warmth of that boy's chest.
She cries as she leans on him, and tries to justify her actions, that she wanted to be with her friend forever, and knew that she could become good friends with her. Then she says that it was impossible, she could not just stand by and allow her to get killed, at the cost of Index not hating or not being afraid of her. She keeps on crying, and trying to justify what she has done was a necessity, in spite of the fact that now Index may hate or even be afraid of her. Touma was silent for the entire time during Hyouka's self-depacration and justification, however, he finally speaks. He tells her that if she is in pain or is sad, then she is not a monster. He tells her that she is indeed human, and that her illusion isn't over yet. They turn around and see Index, looking for them, and as she sees them, tears well up in her eyes. Hyouka is unbelieving of this, as Index tries to approach them, pouting but teary-eyed. Perhaps not learning her lesson, Hyouka is still unbelieving of the fact that Index is looking at her like a friend. Touma tells that maybe indeed her composition is a bit different from humans, and that she may be able to do thing other people can't, but that doesn't change the fact that she is Index's friend. And at that moment, Index jumps into Hyouka's arms, with Sphynx in tow.
Back in the red room where the General Superintendent of Academy City floats upside down in his glass tube, Tsuchimakado Motoharu asks him if he is happy now that he is now closer to holding the key that can control the Imaginary Number District. He tells the man that he is a monster, an ironic comparison throughout the events that just have happened. To gives the Imaginary Number District consciousness and allow it to materialize into something like "that", adds to back-up his claim, and Motoharu claims him to be insane. He asks him what he is thinking, but stops for a moment. Here, he realizes what Aleister is planning: the Imaginary Number District is an aggregation of power that exists in a separate dimension from humans; and that an organism born from that aggregation is an angel. Here, he adds up that if the inhabitants of that world, such as Kazakiri Hyouka, were known as angels, then the world that they lived in would be known as Heaven. Fearful, Motoharu demands to know if he is trying to create an Artificial Heaven. Aleister answers vaguely, telling him off as if the words angel and heaven meant anything to him. Motoharu does not buy it, pointing out that there is no one who would know more than him, General Superintendent Aleister Crowley―the magician. Motoharu tells him that since this time's incident, the world has slowly began to tremble. He calls him out on how he lured Sherry Cromwell into Academy City, and had her defeated. Motoharu walks away, telling that he has no idea what Aleister is thinking, but tells him that he must prepare himself when he is taking advantage of the Imagine Breaker, for when he faces him with such beliefs, then his right hand will consume his illusions alive. Aleister Crowley, the man in the glass tube, contemplates this for a moment, and then closes his eyes, saying that the illusions he had were destroyed a long time ago.
Perhaps fittingly, Touma ends up in the lap of Heaven Canceller, not as a patient needing intensive care, but as a regular hospital acquaintance bragging about not getting injured this time. As Touma talks happily about he has somehow manage to escape the events that have happened unscathed, two fists hit his head. It is of Tsukuyomi Komoe and Himegami Aisa. The former berates him about how he loves causing trouble for others, and is concerned on how Touma is in Anti-Skill custody. The latter speaks softly on how she warned him about Kazakiri Hyouka, and tells him that him going all out when it comes to women needs to be fixed. Touma finally speaks up, and tells the frog-faced doctor that the woman behind him scare him, and asks if he could stay in the hospital with no visitors, before being pummeled again by the two.
In the waiting room, two friends sit next to each other, waiting on another beloved friend of theirs. Hyouka comments on Index's ruined skirt, and asks if she is not going to fix it. Index pulls it up innocently, much to Hyouka's embarrassment, and asks if it is weird, to which Hyouka agrees that it is. She comments discreetly on how it was "weird" to begin with, and that it might even be even weirder now. Index realizes what Hyouka is implying but completely forgets that as Hyouka's form becomes interrupted, like white noise. Rubbing her eyes if what she has seen is true, Index tries to asks Hyouka, but is stopped by Hyouka. She tells her that she is a lump of the powers of all the espers n Academy City, and that she cannot change the fact that she is an unstable entity. Index asks if it's because of Touma's right hand, though she denies this, telling Index that if his power truly affected her, then she would've been gone already. She then tells Index that Touma's power, cannot be wholly explained by esper powers alone. Hyouka then stands up and begins walking away, telling Index that she needs to go back now. Index is obviously worried, and as Hyouka's form begins to scatter, she tells a tearful Index not to worry, for she will be all right. She is a person who is formed from the powers of many people, and tells Index that even if she disappeared, it does not mean she died, it only means that Index will not be able to see her. Index, crying, asks if they will be able to see each other again. She has gone, but her voice echoes in the afternoon sun, and tells that white nune, Of course!"
Back in a certain high school, Aogami tries to convince Aisa to act out one of his fetishes, magician girl moe, and uses Magical Powered Kanamin as an example. Aisa does so, but uses her own magic wand instead. Komoe opens the door, and the homeroom begins, with the students scrambling to get back to their seats. However, she notices that Tsuchimikado Motoharu is not with them. Meanwhile, on the outside, Motoharu is talking to someone on his mobilephone, saying that he has started his job already.
The winds pass by and moves the curtains of a certain hospital, where a certain white haired boy, wearing a collar, is sleeping soundly, while a girl by the name of Last Order is beside his bed sleeping as well. Yoshikawa Kikyou is there, as well as Yomikawa Aiho, the latter asking the former to confirm if they are the ones that she will be taking care of, to which Kikyou says yes. Then, the slinding doors are opened, and they turned to look the Frog-faced doctor, smiling at them.
Meanwhile, in the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School, several girls are using the advance shower stalls of the school, one of which is Misaka Mikoto. Suddenly, she hears the overly dramatic calling of her kouhai, Shirai Kuroko, dropping her ribbon into her stall, trying to pick it up, she suddenly notices Kuroko invading her personal space. A large thud is heard, as Mikoto screams Kuroko's name.
The sun is high, the sky is blue, and the clouds are white and rolling upon the far-off mountains, all is right in that white city called Academy City.
But the world still stirs restlessly. Many miles away in a secluded place, Stiyl Magnus listens to the instructions of a long haired blond woman. She tells him that there has been a situation and that the Index Librorum Prohibitorum is needed, and also tells Stiyl to bring alone her keeper. Hearing this, Stiyl accepts her order, telling her that he and Kanzaki Kaori will be leaving for Japan immediately. Putting down her tea, the woman says that they cannot contact Kaori. Stiyl asks what she means, referring her as the Archbishop of the Anglican Church. She does not answer him, but tells him that she is wearing something different for a change, and that he shan't address her by his formal title, but by her name―Laura Stuart.
Back in Academy City, students are busy for the Daihasei Festival, making signs and other paraphernalia. Touma, somehow, is not part of this duty, and tries to take a bite out of his left over sandwich. Suddenly, he notices something that is not a futon hanging upon a balustrade. It is Index (with Sphynx), and she is not happy. Touma calls out her name, to which she looks up and says that he forgot the fridge was empty, shocking Touma. Index then calls out on him eating something delicious all by himself. Touma tries to calm Index down, saying that the sandwich is a leftover from lunch, however, an even angrier Index says that Touma is the only one who had lunch. Touma turns blue, and as a blimp moves along the blue sky. Index screams she is hungry several times, and then she and Sphynx bites him―"Such misfortune!"
Rating: 8/10
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