Academy City was wrapped in rain that night.
Little light covered the roads that had significantly less traffic than normal. The same could be said for the buildings. As if every resident of the city was out for the night, the lights were either out or left on. The nighttime scenery seemed somehow left behind and lacking in uniformity.
A tremendous light filled one corner of the city.
With a roar, countless wings swept out from the center of the light. Those dozens of wings were as sharp as blades. Each individual one measured from 10 to 100 meters and they spread out high, high into the sky as if to defy heaven.
There were buildings in the area, but the wings showed no sign of caring.
They tore through the buildings like wet paper. The wings flapped leisurely while ripping apart those puny human constructions. They seemed to wordlessly proclaim that humans were not the masters of this world.
They looked like giant peacock feathers made of crystal.
"It can't be…"
Kamijou Touma blankly stared at the wings from the bridge.
He recognized this.
He recognized this extremely unscientific existence that he could see so far in the distance.
He had felt this same horrific presence when that existence naming itself Misha Kreutzev had appeared.
That existence had prepared a spell that would easily destroy all of humanity while almost killing a Saint on the side.
The name for that existence was…
"An angel!?"
Even as he spoke that word, his mind could not keep up with how insufficient his power was.
(G-give me a break! There's already enough going on!! What the hell is happening in this city tonight!?)
From the look on Vento's face, this was likely not something prepared by the Roman Catholic Church.
But what else could explain it?
Why did he need the word "angel" for something happening in Academy City?
Was a magical organization even more dangerous than the Roman Catholic Church or God's Right Seat lurking within the city?
Or…
Had the supposedly scientific Academy City brought this angel down into the human world?
Kamijou was left puzzling over the situation while the distant angel wings slowly moved.
Light flashed between two of the largest wings as if from some strange kind of electrical discharge.
And in the next instant, a destructive attack was let loose.
The grand flash of lightning produced flew outside of Academy City with the snake-like movements of a living creature. Kamijou followed the afterimage with his eyes. As if the ground had been packed full of explosives below the site the brilliant light struck, the forest, the ground, the trees, and the people were blown up into the sky. Academy City's exit should have been at about the point of the horizon, yet Kamijou clearly saw something rise and fall like a wave. That was how massive an amount of substance had been blown into the air.
After a few seconds, the sound of an explosion struck his body.
The sound alone was practically a shockwave. It held enough force to almost knock him over. The entire bridge creaked ominously just like when the angel had appeared. Kamijou realized it would be dangerous to stay where he was.
"…!!"
With Last Order, Vento, and those men in black, the day had been filled with problems, but this stood apart from all the others. If something like that moved about as it pleased, Academy City would be destroyed. And the damage might not remain within Academy City.
(But what about Last Order!?)
It was true he needed to protect her. That guy on the phone had said this bridge was their rendezvous point, but Last Order was nowhere to be found. Had she actually showed up here? Or had she run off when she saw Vento?
(Dammit!!)
Kamijou pulled out Last Order's phone and called one of the registered numbers.
It connected right away.
"Hey! I came to the bridge, but Last Order isn't here! Have you found-…"
"Are you a complete moron!? You aren't supposed to just believe me!!" shouted the other guy before Kamijou could finish. He continued speaking while Kamijou was completely taken aback. "I'll have that brat located soon. At the very least, you aren't gonna find her just by running randomly around the city. I'll take care of it, so you go home!!"
"…"
(Dammit.)
It pained him that he could not help.
"Sorry. Did you see that just now? An amazing light and dozens of wings appeared in one part of the city."
"Yeah, it fired something at the outer perimeter of the city."
"I need to stop that angel, so I really won't be able to help you."
"I don't care," was the carefree reply.
"Sorry," apologized Kamijou once more. "Don't die."
"You either."
Kamijou ended the call, put the phone in his pocket, and looked up.
That angel that had destroyed several buildings was vividly showing off its majestic form.