"Looks like we won't be needed. The Roman Orthodox Church really kicked an iron plate this time."
From a corner of the arcade district, not far from where Alyssa had just walked away swaggering, several youths in knightly robes peeked out from the collapsed alley, wrecked by the plasma cannon's aftershock.
The leading knight rubbed his eyes.
What had he just witnessed? Terra of the Left—defeated?!
That was a member of God's Right Seat! Even though Terra of the Left's reputation in the magical world paled in comparison to Acqua of the Back, who possessed a Saint's physique and had fought on countless battlefields, and even more so to the leader of God's Right Seat, Fiamma of the Right—who bore the name of the Archangel Michael—he was still one of God's Right Seat!
The origins of God's Right Seat were already lost to history. It was said to have been established by successive Popes of the Roman Catholic Church as an advisory body, offering silent counsel. They possessed knowledge and power that even the Pope sometimes had to rely on, existing outside the normal ecclesiastical hierarchy.
But by now, somehow, God's Right Seat had overtaken the Pope himself as the real center of the Roman Orthodox Church.
Ordinary people had no idea, but as members of the British Royal Family's direct militant arm—one that engaged both magic and science sides—these knights were deeply shaken.
"Your Highness, the mission is complete. The attack is over..." The lead knight, still in disbelief, pressed the comm in his ear and reported in, trying to calm the turbulence within.
Who said the magic side had to use only magical communication? As a national enforcement unit, the Knight Faction was far more pragmatic than most magical organizations. As long as it worked, they used it—magic, science, both. After all, Britain (the Anglican Church, Necessarius) had decent relations with Academy City. They'd signed multiple agreements. Technology improves life—might as well use it.
There were Anglican churches within Academy City. By contrast, no other Christian denominations had any church presence there.
"It's over? What do you mean by that?"
On the other end of the line, the voice of the Second Princess Carissa—currently leading another squad of knights in a stealth mission right under Kihara Amata's nose—rose by three octaves.
"Give me details."
"The target is unharmed. The identity of the attacker has been confirmed, matching our intel: Terra of the Left, one of the Roman Orthodox Church's most secretive operatives, a member of God's Right Seat..." As he spoke, the knight solemnly surveyed the area.
Alyssa's plasma cannon, her lightning strikes, and Terra's 'Execution of Light' had left more than the arcade in ruins. The surrounding shops were flattened. Shockwaves and tremors had turned the outer districts into chaos.
Scorched earth from lightning, collapsed storefronts, cracked and sunken roads, cars overturned, streetlights and trees snapped in two. The city's underground sewers, ripped open by giant fissures, were flooding upward. Ruptured water pipes sprayed high-pressure jets, and sparks still flickered in the pooling water.
"Terra of the Left... As long as the target is safe, that's what matters. But you sound uncertain—what about casualties?"
"None."
"What?!"
Currently observing the Necessarius members (Stiyl Magnus, Tsuchimikado Motoharu) pursuing Oriana Thomson, Carissa was left baffled by her subordinate's cryptic tone, and her irritation rose. "Stop dithering like an old woman! Spit it out already!"
The knight didn't argue. Strength, fierceness, and decisiveness—those were Princess Carissa's trademarks, exactly what the Knight Faction respected. If it were the Third Princess leading them with so-called 'benevolence,' they considered that a recipe for national disaster.
He swallowed hard and tore his gaze away from the ruinous, giant-fist-like crater of the street. He quickly resumed his report:
"Your Highness, we never even had time to intervene. It was Prince Ferdinand's bodyguard. She suppressed Terra of the Left single-handedly. At present, after being driven underground, Terra's presence has completely vanished. Due to distance, we cannot yet determine if he is dead or has fled."
Over the comms, the knight added, "The guard accompanying the target appears to possess a 'Saint'-like physique, with powerful electrical control abilities."
"Electric control? You mean Academy City's fourth-ranked Level 5 esper, the 'Railgun'?"
"Gray hair, blue eyes—doesn't match the fourth-ranked's chestnut shoulder-length hair and brown eyes," the knight replied, mentally comparing the appearance to the dossier.
"...Return and regroup. Seems I was overthinking it. Of course Selene would have her precautions," Carissa muttered after a pause, then cut the call, clenching her fist. "A subordinate suspected to have the body of a 'Saint', as if conjured from thin air. I underestimated her. There's power she's still hiding."
"It's time I paid her a visit..."
As Carissa contemplated how to reframe her failed attempt at a 'timely rescue', a nearby knight's urgent voice interrupted her.
"Your Highness, we've got a situation!"
"Our team tracking Lidvia Lorenzetti has encountered trouble. The Roman Orthodox Church dispatched..." Noticing Carissa's furrowed brow, the knight cut to the point and swiped a tactical terminal to display a video.
"...It wasn't just Terra of the Left."
Zzzzt!
Boom boom boom!
Watching the middle-aged man on the screen massacre Academy City's defense forces like it was nothing, Carissa's expression changed instantly. She didn't hesitate.
"Withdraw!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
No matter how arrogant she might be, Carissa had no intention of engaging that man. Without her royal equipment, Curtana Original, and not being on British soil, she stood no chance.
Facing Terra of the Left was one thing—this was something else entirely.
...
Zzzzt zzzzt—
Not far from Carissa's position, in a ruined, abandoned building zone, yellow-orange shell casings littered the ground. Wreckage of armed robots lay strewn everywhere, and Hound Dog agents groaned from where they lay sprawled.
"Tch. Even the Brits are getting involved now."
"No need to offer support anymore. That Terra of the Left guy's dead."
"Useless bastard. Not only did he act without coordination and alert the enemy, he couldn't even capture a kid. Total trash. Good riddance."
A woman dressed in a striking, pure yellow long coat with a bold yellow cross on the chest—styled like a delinquent punk from the streets—gripped a bizarre execution hammer over a meter long, wrapped in barbed wire. She crushed the armored robot head beneath her with a heavy blow, frowning in distaste.
Her petite frame didn't match her heavily stylized eye makeup. Opening her mouth revealed a pierced tongue chained to a cross. Her ears, lips, nose, and even eyelids were lined with metal rings, causing her face to appear twisted and asymmetrical—like a member of a heavy metal band.
If makeup is meant to enhance beauty, then on her, it looked more like smearing mud on Buddha or attaching a mangy tail to a fine work of art.
"What? Terra of the Left... is dead?"
Before the burly man beside the woman could speak, Lidvia Lorenzetti, who had barely survived, struggled to her feet.
She looked even more pitiful than before. Having never been a fighter, she had been relentlessly hunted by Hound Dog. Her once smooth golden hair was charred in uneven chunks by explosions, and her pure white nun's habit was riddled with holes. Her exposed clothing was covered in bruises and welts from blunt force trauma, with some wounds so deep they were gouged open, bloody and mangled.
If not for the durability and defense spells etched into her nun's habit, which activated without chanting, and the timely arrival of reinforcements, she would have been riddled with bullets by now.
"Ah, he's dead. Terra of the Left's 'Raphael' angelic spell has disappeared."
The woman glanced at the well-known Vatican defector and unorthodox Christian standing nearby.
Lidvia opened her mouth but fell silent. As someone with high standing in the Roman Orthodox Church, she understood all too well what the disappearance of an angelic spell meant.
God's Right Seat was, at its core, a group formed to overcome 'Original Sin.' Through a special Roman Orthodox ritual, each member weakened their original sin to a certain level, bringing their constitution closer to that of angels—thus enabling the use of angelic spells.
But for a human to wield such angelic spells—essentially 'cheating'—there was a price. They could no longer use standard human magic (with the exception of Acqua of the Back, who possessed both a Saint's and Madonna's physique). These spells were, in essence, bound to their lives.
"What? Getting cold feet? One step into the dragon's lair that is Academy City, and a member of God's Right Seat goes down."
The woman curled her lips in a sinister grin. "If you're scared, go home. Forget that ridiculous plan of yours. If releasing the 'Croce of Pietro' were so easy, the Vatican would've acted long ago. Don't throw your life away."
The second part, at least, was sincere. A Roman Orthodox missionary who ministered to society's outcasts—it'd be a shame to lose someone like that here. But given her extreme appearance, even her friendly smile looked downright creepy.
"Enough. Vento of the Front, prepare to withdraw."
Noticing her colleague's taunting of the fallen, the man in casual clothes—stoic and silent like a marble statue—finally spoke.
"Oh? Acqua of the Back, you're not going to avenge Terra of the Left? As annoying as he was, he was still one of us. God's Right Seat just lost a member. Shouldn't we offer Academy City and science our... congratulations?"
Vento of the Front smirked as she tapped her barbed hammer rhythmically against her left palm.
"During the Daihasei Festival, Academy City is flooded with foreign visitors. Among them are many Christian believers. The population density is too high for large-scale action—we risk harming innocents. Terra's unauthorized move was already a serious breach of protocol."
Acqua of the Back remained expressionless. His voice was deep, his tone calm—almost cold.
"Besides, we've yet to receive word from Fiamma of the Right. A full-scale war between the Church and Academy City requires preparation. Terra acted on his own, impulsive and ignoring the bigger picture. He brought this on himself."
Among the remaining three members of God's Right Seat—excluding Fiamma of the Right—there was no real hierarchy, but it was clear that both Acqua of the Back and Vento of the Front held little affection for Terra. Their camaraderie was nearly nonexistent.
Though all were devout Christians, Acqua of the Back's approach was much broader compared to Terra's fanatical extremism.
To Terra, believers of other denominations and non-believers weren't even human. To him, lack of piety was sin. Acqua of the Back, however, would lend aid to those in need, bring blessings even while using violence to complete his tasks, and never engaged in senseless slaughter.
Had Terra still been alive, he'd likely have already gone on a massacre.
"Millions of tourists flooding into Academy City for the Daihasei Festival, huh? A perfect chance to round up all the heretics attending the science-side spectacle, and those traitors with wavering faith. Purify the world for the Lord."
That madman probably thought like that.
"Fine," Vento of the Front nodded, resting her barbed hammer on her shoulder, acknowledging Acqua of the Back's judgment.
Though arrogant and with the aura of a manic beauty who didn't even put the Pope in her eyes, she wasn't into senseless killing like Terra. She wasn't that extreme. Academy City—the symbol of science—wasn't going anywhere.
She also appreciated Acqua of the Back's way of discussing things rationally, allowing others to decide instead of barking orders.
"Still planning to go through with your plan?" Acqua of the Back asked, his tone ever calm.
"Yes..."
"Very well." He nodded. Seeing Lidvia still hesitant, he stepped forward and picked her up in a princess carry. "I'll take you somewhere safe. From here on, it's your path to choose."
"Wait, what about Oriana...?"
"Oriana Thomson, the freelance mercenary? No chance now."
Acqua of the Back shook his head. "She's surrounded by suppression units, Necessarius agents, and espers. If you want to save her, it'll require brute force. But Academy City has already caught on. Now is not the time for all-out conflict."
His Saint physique gave him strength and perception far beyond normal humans. He could feel it—more and more forces were closing in around Oriana.
"...."
In silence, he carried Lidvia and quickly moved toward the outer perimeter of Academy City. For someone of his caliber, there was no need to use the front gate.
Suddenly—
"OHHHHHHHHH————!"
"Let's hear it for Tokiwadai Middle School! Another victory!! Nagatenjouki Academy is close behind—truly worthy rivals!"
"Even without using any esper powers, Selene dominated the Balloon Hunter competition. Let's give a round of applause to all the contestants..."
Mid-leap, Acqua of the Back came to a halt. For once, his stoic face showed emotion.
"That is...."
He stared intently at the screen mounted on a nearby glass building, which followed the white-haired, red-eyed woman concluding her match. But it was the figure beside her, handing her water and a towel, that shocked him to his core.
"Villian!"
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