Part 4
There was once a project known as the Dark May Project.
It had been carried out by a research institution affiliated with some of the darkest parts of Academy City. The thought patterns of Accelerator, Academy City's most powerful Level 5, had been analyzed and a portion of them had been implanted in other espers to raise their level of power.
There had been few successes.
Even fewer had managed to survive to the present day.
And yet…
"Y'know…"
"You super annoy me, so please do not speak to me."
Two girls walked through Academy City in the evening during the preparations for the Ichihanaransai. They were both survivors of that nightmarish project, and they were both Level 4s that manipulated the nitrogen in the air.
One was Kinuhata Saiai.
She was a girl of about 12 who wore a fluffy knit dress. Her hair was brown and in a bob. Her power was known as Offense Armor and was specialized for defense. She covered her body in armor made of nitrogen concentrated a few centimeters thick which allowed her to automatically defend against any attacks coming her way. She could easily handle a direct hit from a sniper rifle.
The other was Kuroyoru Umidori.
She was a girl of about 12 who wore a punk-style tank top and pants of black leather as well as a white coat hanging from its hood on her head. She had long black hair, but the strands hanging down by her ears were dyed yellow. Her power was known as Bomber Lance and was specialized for offense. She could produce nitrogen spears several meters long from the palms of her hands. However, she was a cyborg as well as an esper, so she could add as many mechanical arms as she liked to increase the number of spears she could produce.
They were both members of Academy City's dark side.
Those girls had a villainous side to them that prevented them from purely being considered victims.
And this was why they saw no reason to try to get along simply because they had both been involved in the same project.
In fact, the atmosphere between them was so strained it seemed they would take a fallen glass as a sign to begin grabbing for each other's throat.
Kuroyoru twisted her lips in a sneer.
"I may not be the best person to bring this up, but what are you doing? I just can't get a grasp on your position here. If you just want to protect Fremea Seivelun, wouldn't it be easier to just kill me and bury me somewhere?"
"I will make sure to super kill you if I get the chance. Unlike Hamazura, I have no intention of super getting along with you, so don't worry."
"Speaking of Hamazura, what is with him? You're taking me somewhere on his orders, right? Why don't you just ignore him? We both had that monster's thought patterns implanted in us, so I don't see why you wouldn't hesitate to refuse any orders someone gives you."
"That only applies to you since you had that monster's offensive side super implanted into you. I was specialized on the defensive side, so I have super no idea what you're talking about. And it isn't like Hamazura ordered me to do this. But I guess it would be super hard for you to imagine since you've never known anything outside of vertical relationships."
"Where are we headed anyway?" asked Kuroyoru suspiciously.
That caused Kinuhata Saiai to smile.
However, this expression had none of the kindness or sympathy one generally associated with a smile. Perhaps the best description of it is a "dark joy".
And so she gave her response.
"It is super the same place as Fremea Seivelun was sent to."
"What?"
"Tah dah!! The most frightening super dentist in District 7, aka the Hero's Cave!!"
A slight commotion was then heard.
It was the sound of Kuroyoru trying to take a few steps back and Kinuhata grabbing her collar to stop her.
Kinuhata Saiai poured everything she had into her smile.
"There is super no use in trying to hide it. Hamazura is super sensitive to even the slightest change in his comrades. We know that you have been super avoiding chewing with your back teeth."
"Comrades!? What do you mean comrades!?"
"Oh, don't worry. That super bothers me as much as it does you. Anyway, I have super intentionally brought you to the dentist that is known as the most skilled and is the most feared by the neighborhood children."
"…!!"
"Oh? Is Kuroyoru Umidori-chan, the great representative of the Freshmen, super afraid of the dentist? Are you the kind of crybaby that actually raises her hand when the dentist super tells you to raise your hand if it hurts?"
"I-I…!! I am a cyborg!! If there is any defect in my body parts, I swap them out for manmade parts!! So there is no need to inefficiently carve away at my teeth!! I just have to get completely new ones, so this is completely pointless!!"
"Yes, yes. Now super get in there. I super have your insurance card, so don't worry about that."
"…Give it a fucking rest. If you keep looking down on me, I won't just rip out a tooth. I'll tear your entire body to pieces!"
Kuroyoru Umidori let out a small breath and tried to emit a nitrogen spear from her palm that could sever even a steel plate. But…
"?"
"Super nothing is coming out, is it?"
"Wh-what!? What is going on!?"
"Heh. Your power is super reliant on your mechanical arms, right? Well, it seems Hamazura super stuck a bit of gum in the ports inside your cyborg parts to prevent proper contact from being made. Without your arms, you super cannot use your power. Hah hah hah! Now you are a super harmless normal person."
"I can't just let that go!! What the hell have you been doing to me while I'm asleep!? And isn't sticking some foreign object in my body a lot more dangerous than a cavity!?"
"Haahhhh hah hah! Super what are you saying? Academy City's dark side operates on a survival of the fittest policy. And so let's super get to the dentist already, temporary Level 0. Resistance is futile, so super give up."
Tears really could be seen in Kuroyoru's eyes as Kinuhata Saiai dragged her in through the door of the dentist's office.
Part 5
The windowless building.
The castle of Aleister, Academy City's board chairman.
It seemed the woman known as Fräulein Kreutune was imprisoned there. Also, Gremlin was trying to acquire her to carry out some objective of theirs while Ollerus's group was prepared to do anything to stop them.
The windowless building was known for being strong, but would it be able to stand up to the likes of those powerful magicians?
It was not being in a known, defended location that mattered for Fräulein Kreutune. It would likely be best for her if no one knew where she was. That was what Kamijou and Thor had to do.
It was simple enough to say.
But…
What that meant was…
"The two of us need to open the way into Academy City's most impregnable fortress and sneak in. And we need to do it before any of the others can do so," said Thor as he sipped on his coffee that had begun to cool. "This is the best option. Gremlin under Othinus's command is of course working to get their hands on Fräulein Kreutune as well. And they know they need to do something about the windowless building to do so. However, they will not rely on tricks. If they decide they need to destroy that building no matter what, they will use unadulterated violence to tear it down."
"…"
"To acquire Fräulein Kreutune, Gremlin will try to smash that building that not even a nuke can destroy. Meanwhile, Ollerus simply has to ensure Gremlin cannot get their hands on her. It is entirely possible they will not even bother entering the building. They might opt to use some curse to kill her from outside."
"I thought she couldn't be killed?"
"So history says. But just because normal methods don't work doesn't mean monsters on Ollerus's level can't pull it off. I don't know what system Fräulein Kreutune uses to survive, but they might be able to calculate out a way to kill her if they know. It is best to think that she currently has two blades held at her throat."
On one side was Gremlin who might very well have the firepower needed to destroy a building that could withstand a nuke.
On the other side was Ollerus's group that might very well have the magic ability needed to kill that woman who was so durable the church had given up trying to execute her.
Both sides were made up of veritable monsters.
Both sides held ridiculous levels of power.
But…
At the same time…
"Can we really pull this off?"
"What do you mean?"
"Get into the windowless building. It's supposed to be impregnable, right? Can we really do anything about it?"
"Who knows. I do know that, true to its name, it has no windows or any other type of entrance or exit. Every one of its walls is strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack, and all forms of infrastructure are independently circulated inside the building. When someone or something is needed inside, a teleportation esper is used, but we have to keep in mind your Achilles heel."
"So…"
"In the end, it's a manmade system. And humans have even landed on the surface of the moon. I have an idea. All that is left is for us to make up our minds? What will you do?"
"…"
"Just to be clear, I am not your ally. It should be obvious, but I have my own reasons for doing this. So don't worry yourself over pointless doubts about whether I will betray you. I will betray you in the end. And yet I am still asking for your help. …You can just abandon me when you feel you no longer need me. That way we will be even." Thor shook his paper cup so that the black liquid inside became a small whirlpool. "And no matter what anyone is planning, Fräulein Kreutune herself has done nothing wrong. That alone is clear. It was wrong for her to be forced through the tortures of the witch hunt or to be sealed in a dark room with no exit just because someone else did not like who she was. Don't you agree? Just as I will work towards my own ends, you can betray me as soon as we have safely secured Fräulein Kreutune. Simple, isn't it?"
"…"
"Don't fall silent. Just tell me yes or no," said Thor with a thin smile. "Are you in or not?"
Part 6
Gremlin led by the Magic God Othinus and the group of monsters led by Ollerus had entered Academy City.
They were both after Fräulein Kreutune, the woman imprisoned in the impregnable windowless building.
Gremlin was the group that had caused such a great disturbance in Baggage City and they wanted Fräulein Kreutune "because she was durable". So what exactly would happen to her in their hands?
However, she would not necessarily meet a good end if everything was left to Ollerus's group either as they only wanted to put a stop to Gremlin's conspiracy.
Those two groups would make their move shortly.
They had no time.
"…"
Kamijou wracked his brains based on the limited information he had.
Who would be the best ally in this situation?
It was unlikely Ollerus, Thor, or even Academy City which had been hiding any information on Fräulein Kreutune were disclosing everything about their true motives and objectives. Kamijou was trying to use the information he had received from each party to somehow determine what the actual truth of the situation was that cut a straight line through all the plotting.
And he came to his conclusion.
"…I can't."
"You can't what?"
"I have nothing to substantiate the information you've given me. If Fräulein Kreutune really is imprisoned in the windowless building, that is certainly a problem, but you have given me nothing to prove that she is even there."
"…"
"Also, I just can't bring myself to believe you would betray Gremlin to rescue Fräulein Kreutune. Why would you? If you're part of the group, you must have similar goals. Plus, if you betrayed an organization like that, you could easily meet a horrible fate. So why would you go behind Gremlin's back to speak with me?"
"…"
"I agree with you that Ollerus is not a wholly good person. But is that any reason to see you as my ally? How am I supposed to come to that conclusion? It seems more reasonable to assume everything about Fräulein Kreutune and the attack on the windowless building was a lie and you're trying to lead me to take some actions for some secret plan that—"
"Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
As if to cut Kamijou off, Thor brushed up his bangs with a hand and let out a quiet but very long sigh.
Kamijou frowned and Thor began to speak.
"I do see why you would be suspicious of something like that after what happened in Hawaii and Baggage City. I even feel some sympathy and compassion. But…" He finished off the rest of his now-cold coffee and crushed the paper cup in his hand. "My enemy certainly has become pathetic."
It happened directly after that.
In an instant, Kamijou Touma's vision blurred.
It was only when a ripple of intense pain spread across his face starting at his nose that Kamijou realized that Thor had casually tossed aside the paper cup, grabbed Kamijou's hair, and slammed his face into the plastic table.
He had a feeling he heard a muffled noise slightly afterwards.
He could hear screams coming from the students gathered at the no smoking tables for a pre-dinner break.
But Thor paid them no heed.
He stood up from his seat while still holding Kamijou's hair. He then spun around as if twisting his hips to throw the other boy while he was still bewildered by the sudden pain.
Kamijou rolled across the floor, slamming through two or three identically designed tables as he did so.
The students that had been sitting at those tables let out shouts and frantically moved away. The boys and girls far enough away to feel safe initially clicked their tongues at the drinks that almost splashed on them, but their throats grew dry when they saw Thor's face.
As they had never seen anything more than street fights, that was not too surprising.
The violence Thor wielded went beyond the level of a mere murderer.
"Well, if you're going to be so negative about everything, I'll just go do it on my own."
"Gah…Gh…hh…!?"
"Also…"
Whatever those around him may have thought, Thor felt he was still showing quite a bit of calm in his expression as he ignored the onlookers and slowly approached Kamijou.
"Lies? Secret plans? I don't care about any of that. A girl named Fräulein Kreutune is being imprisoned. That should be enough for you to go save her. What does it matter if there is more to the story or if someone else has some other goal!? If there is a girl closed up in some dark room being treated cruelly, that should be enough for you to go save her! I thought that was who the 'wonderful enemy' I had imagined was! Was I wrong!?"
Before Kamijou could recover from the shock and stand up, Thor kicked him in the gut. Kamijou's breath burst from his mouth, but Thor jammed his toes into his gut a second and third time.
No one tried to stop him.
And no one tried to flee either. If someone headed for the exit, they might irritate Thor and receive similar treatment. That was why no one there wanted to be first.
"Yes, you may have been used for other people's plans in Hawaii and Baggage City. So what? What does that have to do with Fräulein Kreutune who is suffering now? Are your pathetic experiences enough of a reason to abandon her with a smile on your face!? If you truly think so, there's no hope for you. The only reason you have just barely managed to get by in a world of experts for this long is that you have always been acting on a desire to rescue someone even if you did not always succeed in the end. If you lose that, your fist becomes nothing more than a tool for your own selfish desires!! Don't you understand that!?"
The next kick sounded muffled.
This time, Thor's toes had not reached Kamijou's gut. Just before they did, Kamijou had blocked it with both hands.
"…Shut up," said Kamijou Touma with a voice that seemed to come up from the depths of the earth. "How can someone from Gremlin, the ones behind all this, say all that while looking down on me? Not even Leivinia Birdway's plan was this bad. If Gremlin hadn't been going on rampages all over the place, none of this would be happening in the first place! The incident in Hawaii would never have happened, the incident in Baggage City would never have happened, and this incident regarding Fräulein Kreutune would not be happening!!"
"Were you even listening…?"
Thor lightly lifted up his right foot that had been blocked. It looked like he was just trying to remove it from Kamijou's grasp, but instead of going in for another kick, he stomped the foot down on Kamijou's upraised side.
The sound of the impact rang out.
"Gh…bh!? Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!?"
"I'm going behind Gremlin's back to put a stop to Othinus and the other's rampage!! The infighting in Hawaii? The destruction of Baggage City? Do you really think everyone in Gremlin supported those things!?"
"Gah…Gfh…"
"I was wondering what Othinus was doing in secret while leaving me out of the loop, and it turned out she was pathetically working at tormenting the weak. Listen up. I have no grand plan. I just crush those I don't like. And that's why I have betrayed Gremlin!!"
Thor swung his right leg back and kicked Kamijou in the gut with a similar motion to kicking a soccer ball as hard as one could.
Kamijou rolled a few meters to the side and Thor asked him a question.
"You've acted all full of yourself, but what do you have now? You keep denying other people's opinions and suspecting them, but what does that leave you with? …I don't know if you've gotten drunk on tragedy or if you're just pretending to be clever, but you are not shining in the slightest right now. You were better when you were being tricked by everyone around you but were still reaching your hand out to help any crying girl you saw."
"How many people do you think were in danger in Hawaii? Or in Baggage City?" muttered Kamijou.
He grabbed the edge of a collapsed table and slowly stood up.
"I don't know either. More people than I could count were caught up in those incidents. A single decision by me could have increased or decreased that number!! And this isn't just a number we're talking about. These are lives of living human beings! What's wrong with wanting to be cautious about that kind of thing!?"
"But is your hesitation really so that you can make the best decision?"
A sound like a spark rang out.
Some kind of bluish-white beam of light came from the Lightning God Thor's fingertips.
This was what his name referred to.
This was the scorching lightning that was similar to an electric arc and could slice through thick steel.
"If it's really just that you're afraid of choosing…"
Thor spoke.
"If it's really just that you're afraid of having to deal with the consequences of your decision."
Thor took a step closer.
"If that is your reason for abandoning someone, then you are a true villain."
It came in a horizontal strike.
The bluish-white beam of light grew to about the size of a sword and mercilessly flew towards Kamijou's neck. The beam explosively expanded. The scattered light melted a toppled table like it was cheese and set some burger wrappers on fire.
But…
That electric arc that could slice through a metal plate over 10 cm thick like it was the paper of a goldfish scoop did not decapitate Kamijou Touma.
This was thanks to his right hand.
Kamijou Touma's Imagine Breaker blew away the light blade that Thor had used.
"You're taking me too lightly," Kamijou said clearly while breathing heavily. "I never had any kind of overarching plan either!!"
Just as it looked like another bluish-white beam of light would appear from Thor's fingertips, Kamijou dashed over and grabbed his right wrist. The blade that could slice through steel disappeared before it could fully form.
Kamijou did not wait.
While Thor was distracted by the vanished blade, Kamijou slammed his knee into his gut.
"Gh…gah!!"
"All I hear is you shouting out whatever crap you like. What I don't like is when I do what I want and someone else uses it to their own ends in some completely different place!!"
With his bent knee still digging into Thor's gut, Kamijou swung his head forward and slammed it into Thor's head.
A dull noise rang out.
"I would stop a fight. Or I would save a crying girl. That was enough for me, but everyone else wouldn't stop carrying on and would eventually lead it to some completely different conclusion!! If 1 plus 1 equaled 2, there wouldn't be a problem. The problem is that it somehow ends up equaling negative 5 or negative 10!! Will this really end up saving Fräulein Kreutune!? Well!? Will it!?"
When he saw that the magician was unsteady on his feet, Kamijou let go of his right wrist and swung his own clenched fist toward the magician's nose.
But Thor blocked it with his left arm.
At the same time, Thor tried to use a leg to sweep Kamijou's feet out from under him. Instead, Kamijou stomped down on the lightning god's foot.
"I'm sick of trying to save someone and only causing more suffering as a result!! That's why I want to be properly prepared before taking action! Why don't you understand that!?"
"Now you've said it…" muttered Thor.
He grabbed Kamijou's collar with both hands.
He lifted Kamijou's entire body up.
Kamijou's feet left the floor.
"Is that why you end up never taking action at all? Because they don't have some grand title? Because you don't know them? Because you don't recognize them? Because you've never met them? …You're wrong, Kamijou Touma. You just gave your own answer. You just showed what stage you're having trouble with. Just realize it already, you dumb bastard!!"
He slammed Kamijou's back to the ground.
In all seriousness, Kamijou's breathing stopped for an instant.
And then Thor's fist fell down upon Kamijou's face two or three times.
Kamijou did not even know how many blows he had received before he managed to twist his body and just barely avoid Thor's next blow.
After that, the situation grew utterly confused.
They were both trying to get on top so they could keep the other from moving, but even that simple goal grew uncertain partway through. They would punch, be punched, and then punch again. As the exchange of blows continued, all their complex thoughts were torn from their minds.
It was unclear what exactly caused it, but Kamijou and Thor both suddenly stopped their scuffle. The right third of Kamijou's vision was blurred. He had no idea how Thor had fared, but he was a member of Gremlin. He surely could have used several pieces of magic that would blow away the entire fast food restaurant. He must have had a reason for not doing so.
As he breathed heavily, Thor asked his question once more.
"So do you want to help her or not?"
"If she really is suffering," replied Kamijou while ignoring the people watching on from a distance. "But if you are trying to use me for your own ends like Leivinia Birdway and Kihara Kagun, prepare yourself. I will rescue Fräulein Kreutune even if I have to crush your plan."
Hearing that, Thor gave a thin smile.
"Do as you wish."
"?"
"I am taking action tonight. You choose whatever you think the best option is to save Fräulein Kreutune. It doesn't matter to me if that is to help me or oppose me. …As long as you end up saving Fräulein Kreutune in the end, I don't care what your methods are."
Thor placed his hand atop a table that was still standing and wrote something on a paper napkin using a bluish-white beam of light. He showed Kamijou the writing burned into the napkin before tossing it aside. The paper napkin caught fire around the writing and burned away, leaving no trace of the information written there.
He turned his back on Kamijou and spoke softly.
"I will be there. You should be able to use that information to your advantage whether you plan to help me or oppose me."