'The Great Demon Coronzon, who should have been singularly focused on Imagine Breaker, has instead actively turned her attention to me. What exactly is going on?' Yuuya's mind raced, his terrifying calculation speed instantly breaking down the complex geopolitical situation.
He had previously assumed that Archbishop Laura Stuart's choice to manipulate him into being Index's guardian was merely out of idle curiosity about his anomalous identity, or perhaps just a tactical whim, since Imagine Breaker was also currently residing in the city and could be utilized at any time.
Yuuya knew the true history of Laura Stuart perfectly. He knew her ultimate purpose: she simply wanted to locate and permanently eliminate Aleister Crowley to complete a century-old summoning contract and gain true, unbridled freedom in the physical world.
Coronzon was originally summoned by MacGregor Mathers, one of the three founders of the legendary Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, specifically to curse and assassinate Aleister Crowley. However, before the demonic contract could be fulfilled, Mathers was defeated by Aleister in a magical duel. Because the summoner was defeated, Coronzon was unable to break free from the contract's absolute binding force.
If Coronzon didn't personally kill Aleister to fulfill the contract's terms, the Great Demon would remain permanently bound. Originally, Coronzon wanted to hijack Aleister's physical body as a medium to manifest, pretending to be Aiwass—the Holy Guardian Angel summoned by Aleister. But Aleister saw right through the demonic deception.
While being pursued by the furious Aleister, Coronzon had no choice but to forcefully possess Aleister's own blood relative—the original Laura Stuart—using her as a fleshy medium to escape his wrath and hide within the English Puritan Church.
The Magic Side generally believed that the legendary, evil Magician Aleister Crowley had been assassinated by Puritan hitmen long ago. But Coronzon, bound by the unfulfilled contract, knew for a fact that Edward Alexander Crowley was still alive out there somewhere, though she didn't know exactly where he was hiding.
The sudden, miraculous rise of Academy City—a fortress of pure science—coupled with rumors of Imagine Breaker's appearance there, had finally aroused her suspicion.
Since Imagine Breaker's former historical master was none other than Aleister, Coronzon knew that as long as she got closer to the new wielder of the right hand, she would definitely be able to find clues about Aleister's whereabouts and finally eliminate him.
'But now, Imagine Breaker and World Rejecter have both appeared in Academy City at the exact same time, and both are anomalies classified as the Divine Right,' Yuuya realized. 'It might be considered a coincidence for one ultimate right hand to be in Academy City. But it's an absolute certainty that Aleister is operating here if both ultimate hands are present.'
'Therefore, Coronzon is now absolutely certain that Edward Alexander Crowley is hiding in Academy City. And she clearly calculated that the newly emerged World Rejecter is more likely to catch Edward off guard than his own pet project, which is why she used Index to turn her terrifying gaze directly onto me...'
While Yuuya processed these apocalyptic revelations, Kanzaki and Stiyl stood frozen in shock near the ruined doorway, staring at him in absolute, terrified disbelief.
The casual, brutal physical attack that had effortlessly shattered a mass of Angelic power was far more terrifying and conceptually unsolvable than a Magician who actively wielded Telesma.
It was now an absolute, undeniable certainty that Takahashi Yuuya's raw combat power was significantly stronger than Kanzaki's. At the very least, Kanzaki knew she could not cleanly cut through the raw power of an Angel without fully activating her Stigmata and burning her own lifespan—and even then, it would be a desperate struggle.
Moreover, judging from Yuuya's relaxed posture and steady breathing, he hadn't even exerted much effort to crush the miracle.
"Tsk. This timeline is getting more and more interesting by the minute," Yuuya muttered.
He looked down at Index's peaceful, sleeping face with a faint, genuine smile. He gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to his futon, placing her down softly like a sleeping princess.
"This horrific ordeal is finally over. Get a good night's sleep, Index."
Yuuya gently patted Index's silver hair, then turned his sharp gaze back to Kanzaki and Stiyl, who were still standing in a daze.
"Now that the absolute truth is out in the open... what are your plans next? Are you two still rigidly determined to follow orders and drag Index back to your abusive Church?"
As he spoke, he casually manifested a sleek, black handgun via Imperial Privilege, weighing it in his hand with a somewhat dark, amused expression.
"This..." Kanzaki was completely at a loss for words.
From finally confirming the horrific lie that Index's memory had been forcibly erased by a magical Collar, to witnessing Index involuntarily channel Angelic power as a weapon, to watching Takahashi Yuuya resolve the apocalyptic crisis at lightning speed... she hadn't even had time to properly process her own grief and horror.
Her gaze drifted to the futon, revealing the deep worry and anxiety in her eyes.
"How is that child?"
She could disregard everything else right now—the politics, the threat of Yuuya's power, her own failures. Her biggest, overwhelming concern was still Index's safety. She was terrified that channeling Telesma through a frail human body might have caused serious, irreversible neurological damage, or side effects like drastically shortening Index's lifespan.
"With my intervention, the problem has been perfectly resolved," Yuuya said, tucking the handgun away and putting his hands in his pockets. His eyes gradually narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "I have already banished all the hidden magical threats within Index to a new Phase, so there is absolutely no need to worry about the Automatic Secretary taking over again."
"And for the record... I will not be handing this child over to you," Yuuya declared firmly. "If your Church still wants her, tell your scheming Archbishop to come here and face me in person."
Kanzaki sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. She had absolutely no moral right to argue with him.
Stiyl looked deeply distressed, his face twisted as if someone had forced a mouthful of toxic sludge down his throat. "I... I understand. I will report these developments to Archbishop Laura. But I honestly don't know what decision the Archbishop will make regarding this."
"I know. After all, you're just an aggressive, fire-breathing guard dog for the Puritans, only responsible for blindly biting whoever they point at. Now... please get the hell out of my apartment, you filthy, foul-smelling Magician." Yuuya looked at Stiyl exactly as if he were looking at a squashed dung beetle, and casually snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Stiyl was instantaneously teleported out the window. A second later, a panicked scream echoed through the night air as he plummeted toward the alley below.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
Kanzaki's head whipped around, completely caught off guard. "Stiyl!"
"Don't worry, Saint. He won't die from a three-story fall," Yuuya said calmly. "A few broken bones will build character."
Kanzaki looked helplessly at Yuuya, but there was nothing she could do. After all, Stiyl had aggressively provoked and attacked him first yesterday, so it was completely understandable that Yuuya was targeting Stiyl now. She had no right to blame him for his hostility, nor did she have the right to raise her blade against the person who had just literally saved Index from a living hell.
She felt extremely guilty and profoundly remorseful towards Index. If she had just been a little more confident in her own intuition two years ago, and thought things through more critically instead of blindly trusting the Archbishop, she wouldn't have let Index suffer the agonizing pain of separation twice.
"Thank you so much, young man," Kanzaki said softly, looking at Yuuya with a very complicated, deeply grateful expression. She bowed respectfully. "If there is ever anything I can do for you in the future to repay this debt, I will absolutely not refuse."
"Oh? There is actually a place where I could use your unique skills. Hey, this really is perfect," Yuuya said, a cheerful, predatory smile appearing on his face upon hearing her offer.
Kanzaki looked at Yuuya, standing straight and waiting for him to state his terms.
"I want to truly test my full power in combat, but I haven't been able to find an opponent capable of surviving that in Academy City. So, could you please use your full power as a Saint to fight me in a serious duel, Kanzaki?" Yuuya asked with a bright smile.
A Platinum-level Treasure Chest theoretically corresponded to a Level 6 Esper or an absolute, world-class magical artifact. He was intensely curious to see exactly what kind of game-breaking Platinum treasure Kanzaki was currently holding.
"Is... is that all?" Kanzaki was stunned for a moment, expecting a far more sinister or political demand. Her expression then turned serious and stern. "Young man, martial force is not a toy for casual fighting and violence. Every single time you draw your sword, you must have a valid, righteous reason. You should only draw your sword to save others, or to eradicate true evil. I am deeply sorry, but I cannot turn my blade against a friend who just saved my precious companion."
"Fighting me is a perfectly valid reason. Just consider it Kanzaki Kaori's honorable way of repaying her life debt to me," Yuuya grinned smoothly, spinning his words. "Besides, how about looking at it this way: I am merely curious to test my absolute limits. This isn't about fighting fiercely to the death; it's simply a sparring match so I can better understand my own terrifying abilities, which will in turn allow me to better protect Index and others in the future."
'You're basically a modern-day samurai relic who doesn't even know how to use the internet,' Yuuya thought smugly. 'There's absolutely no way you can out-talk me when it comes to twisting grand, righteous principles.'
"This..." Kanzaki was immediately at a loss for words, reluctantly admitting that his logic made a twisted sort of martial sense.
...
Across the ocean. London, England.
Deep within the subterranean catacombs of Lambeth Palace.
"I finally found the lingering aura of Edward Alexander Crowley... Heh. The anomaly known as Takahashi Yuuya has your distinct magical traces lingering on him. I truly didn't expect you to actually be hiding inside Academy City all this time. Edward, oh Edward... I have been furiously searching for you for an entire century."
The beautiful blonde girl kneeling devoutly before the pristine marble statue of Jesus spoke in a sweet, angelic voice. As she looked up, her cascading golden hair parted slightly, revealing an ancient, terrifyingly devilish face underneath her skin—a visage as vast and radiant as the starry sky itself.
.....
.....
.....
Give me powerstones.
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