Well, the beginning of the end. You can probably tell from the chapter something big is revealed here. Or you put it together from the last chapter. Either way, this is the main turning point for the story. The climax is building and everything is about to fall apart. After so long and over a million words, we have reached this point. Thank you all for sticking around this long. I wish I had updated earlier, but my betas disappeared a bit and took some time to reach them. They came back and did a good job, so the story is progressing. Now, let's get the comments out of the way so you all can enjoy the story. I hope everyone is safe during these times.

Anti-Mage 29: That poor boy. He did nothing wrong and the church is just overreacting.

harisutanto23: Slower updates now, but it's still going.

WeAreTheWord: My writing has improved a lot since way back then.

BlueJack22: He was a spy all along.

Aminadab Brulle: This chapter has a little explosive drama with some word play and investigation. Metaphorically, yes.

OpTIC FaZe: That is a possibility.

Anime-ted Life116: Yeah, once people realize he's hanging out with them or that he is two of their boyfriend, it's going to be tough. I added something special at the end of this one. A deleted scene. Yeah, I liked the Mikoto scene. She's not angry like many others, she's upset all the hard work she did was for nothing.

D. : We are about to see what happens when Jason is outed.

ElDragonZangetsu25: We don't talk about Kamisato here.

Mr. X: 1) Eris has a small part and Touma won't fall for her flirts. Probably. 2) That's possible, but the mistrust was also already there. Many people wanted to blame someone else for them not being level 5s. It just snowballs from there. Like riots. 3) I know how to revive Julunggul if I wanted to use the religious symbolism of the rainbow snake, but not sure I want to. She was perfect as she was. 4) Minor characters that may get another appearance.

xaxiel1572: Seems like a good process.

FireDusk: Sorry you had to wait so long.

Chris: Stiyl's job is to handle magicians. If the church openly attacks Jason or a diplomatic princess attacks a researcher of Academy City, it's going to cause a lot of problems publically. Sarcasm is in his blood. Touma is really good at reassuring people. Misaki needed a lot of pushing, but she's come a long way. Someone else should do the future spin off when I'm done. They can do all the lemons.

GunsAndMagic: Things will just keep getting worse.

Boomerman10: Probably not. Most of them would take character development.

Generation Zero: It was discussed in the story why it didn't just explode. It's only been like 2 days. Things like that take time. It will bubble over though. It's always easier to blame others than accept your own limitations. I can't do what they do, so why even bother? They took all the city's funds so we can't improve. It's easier to believe a beautiful lie than an ugly truth. Lies can only be maintained for so long. Right now, there are a lot of options for what Jason is doing with stuff, but yeah, it's suspicious.

I liked to focus on the less obvious negative effects of the list. It hurts people who think they worked hard to achieve their level and those that are shunned. Stiyl is really the perfect assassin. He will do any job regardless of his emotions. The big reveal is coming up. Now who will win?

M18 Hellcat: 1) She might get one role in helping quell the riots. 2) We might see her again. She's not a main character right now. 3) Season 7 will be held in America. I need Touma to meet the president.

Someoneluck: It wouldn't be like him to just show everything. They have to earn it. I'm going to use that scene in a later chapter.

WwEpsilonwW: It kind of is. The level 5s are kind of insane and they need someone to keep them grounded. In the show, Accelerator has Last Order, Mikoto has Kuroko, Shizuri has Shiage now, and Misaki has her clique/Touma.

FrodoFighter: I could write a paragraph responding, but I think all you want to do is read. The time you have been waiting for has arrived!

Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.

When Touma returned to his apartment, he was met with a flurry of questions from the eager Index and concerned Itsuwa. Having left them curious as to what they had found within Jason's apartment, he had a lot of explaining do before he could rest, something that wasn't helped by the oppressive aura of Leivinia Birdway who seemed to be glaring at him each time he so much as glanced at her.

The second half of the school celebrations were canceled, that much was due to the riots flooding the streets of Academy City. It freed up his Saturday, which he had planned on spending touring the various schools his companions attended. He had been planning to go to both Tokiwadai Middle School and High School. First and foremost to visit Mikoto and Misaki, and second to keep good on his word to all the girls in Tokiwadai High. Though that would force him to don the infamous Kami persona he hated so much.

He was also looking into paying Ruiko a visit, but the possibility of that was looking highly unlikely. So, what now? He wasn't sure if he would even go out tomorrow. The riots put a real damper on anything he thought about, and unless someone called him about Eve's plan, he was probably going to hole up in his room for the remainder of the day.

Oh, but how he wanted someone to call him and let him escape this current situation.

Sitting in front of Leivinia was always unsettling. She had a way of making him believe he did something wrong even without much credibility on the fact. The girl also exuded a persona of someone who wasn't going to take shit from anyone once you were in her crosshairs. Touma knew her fairly well, and he could sometimes judge whether or not he'd be able to weasel his way out of her domineering and uptight initiatives.

This was a time he couldn't.

So he spilled everything. What he, Accelerator, and Motoharu had stumbled upon. Why they went to Jason's apartment to begin with and what exactly they found there. For better or for worse, he told them everything. Leivinia listened as he talked, her expression neutral. Lessar's expression shifted from one of curiosity to an uncomfortable look. Itsuwa looked worried and Index simply looked confused.

"There could be a logical explanation," Itsuwa offered. "Eve attacked his residence after all."

"Why would Jason do that?" Index asked. "He was always so accommodating to us. He fed us, gave us shelter, kept me from getting lonely when you were running around, so why are we even considering him a bad guy?"

"Because he did all that to get close to Lover Boy here," Lessar explained. "Under Eve's orders no less, probably from the very beginning."

"We don't know that yet!" Touma protested. "Yes, it looks bad, but he could be doing his own research or even trying to figure out something to help us fight Eve!"

"Don't be naïve," Leivinia scoffed. "From what you told me, it is plain as day that he is a scheming rat with selfish intentions. Even if he's not working with Eve, he's using all of you. I didn't trust him the moment I saw him."

"To be fair, do you trust anyone?" Touma countered, a bit too aggressively than he had realized.

Lessar and Itsuwa stared at him with varying degrees of surprise.

Leivinia looked equally as shocked.

That emotion did not last long, as her shock turned to anger, noted by the cracking of her knuckles.

"Looks like you require a lesson in respect, boy..." Her voice went lower than one would expect of a girl her age and her visage betrayed her cutesy image with something much more sinister.

"Such misfortune."

That night, Touma woke up confused.

He couldn't understand why he woke up with a start. Nothing seemed out of place. There wasn't a storm outside so he wasn't roused by the sound of lightning, unless Mikoto was running around in the middle of the night again. He smirked at the thought, since it was normally him that did that or was the source of her electrical discharges throughout the night. It was ironic, really. It was the first time in a long while that he really tried to get some sleep, and all he does is keep thinking about his various late-night escapades.

The girls next to him were all sleeping soundly. Index was cuddled up against his side. Really, when she wasn't upset and biting at his head, she was pretty cute. Not that he'd say that since the last time he tried the flustered nun nearly bit his frontal lobe off. Touma winced at the phantom pains that lanced across the afflicted area.

Next to her was Kyoka, a name Touma still found it hard to call her by. 'Imouto' kept slipping out during conversation, and he often had to apologies for his slip-up. The two were obviously not the source of his sudden awakening.

On his other side was Leivinia. The cabal boss had her arms wrapped around his own and holding it against her body like a stuffed animal. Again, a cute sight to behold by any man but one he'd not admit to for his own personal wellbeing. On the other side of her was Itsuwa, sleeping peacefully and much like the rest, was undisturbed by his gentle shuffling. Her impressive chest rising up and down slowly as she slept.

Even with Julunggul gone, the girls usually alternated places. Except for Index, who always found her way next to him. Why she was so attached to him, he wasn't entirely sure. The only thing that came to mind was the time she found about his memory loss. It was a revelation that sparked a more compassionate side of her that he had only rarely seen before. The old Touma Kamijou was important to her and she believed part of him still remained inside his soul. Maybe it was the new company she had found herself in. Since the others arrived, she had been a lot less lonely. Last Order was one of her closest friends, Itsuwa helped take care of her, and even Lessar kept her from being bored most of the time.

Speaking of Lessar…

She really needs to fix her sleeping habits.

Lessar was unabashedly sprawled across the foot of the bed, gripping Touma's leg while her own sat on top of Birdway and Itsuwa. How she got there without kicking everyone awake he still had no idea. One night, he would have to stay awake and document how she actually does it. Much like one of those nature documentaries do when covering wild animals. She certainly has the sex drive of one. It was a process but they finally got her to wear a shirt while she slept. It was kind of hard to sleep when she tried to sneak into bed with just her underwear on. It set a bad example for Imouto, who thought she was supposed to do that and would regularly copy the sex fiend.

After dwelling on the girls occupying his bed and the possible reason for why he was awake at this ungodly hour, the dryness of his throat became known. Getting a drink of water or using the bathroom at night was always a challenge. Not only did he have to free himself from the constrictors in his bed. But if he woke them up, there would be hell to pay, even if it wasn't on purpose. Slowly, he slipped his arm out of Leivinia's grasp and then carefully, moving as slow as possible, managed to sit up and gently guide Index off him and onto the bed.

Somehow, after an excruciatingly slow process, he managed to get out of the bed. It was a talent of his that he took pride in and was able to do with great skill, whenever his rotten luck doesn't decide to screw it up for him that is.

Though, it poses the question as to it being normal to find oneself in a situation that requires such a particular skillset.

What has my life come to? … It's going to suck getting back in. Maybe I should just sleep on the couch.

He immediately dismissed the idea. The last time he tried Lessar took her chance to cuddle up to him solely by herself. Resulting in a rude awakening from Index and the other girls who were not too happy to see that.

Sighing, he closed the bedroom door behind him as quietly as he could. This way, he could turn on the kitchen light and not stumble around in the dark. It only had to happen once for him to stub his toe on a chair and he never made that mistake again. He poured himself a glass of cool water and sipped it thoughtfully. His thoughts then turned to Julunggul, without whom he would have never been able to live in such a fancy place.

Crunch.

The unannounced and sudden sound made the poor boy nearly choke on the water in his hand. Aside from himself, no-one should be awake at this hour. He didn't believe it'd be any of the girls he left behind in the bedroom since the sound came from the complete opposite direction. So who exactly was the source of that sudden sound? Immediately, he spun around to face the intruder, taking up a defensive stance. The moment he saw who it was, his eyes bulged out and his newly whetted throat dried up once again.

A blonde-haired girl wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt was munching on a bag of chips. Not any ordinary chips, but his chips. She was nonchalantly devouring a whole packet of his favorite brand. It was the one thing he ever splurged on and even then, only when they were on sale. He got them at most, once every month and Itsuwa had gotten him a bag since he'd been eyeing it up at the store when they went shopping. But now, that savory treat he longed to finish himself, was being eaten by a thief in pajama pants. He hadn't even had a single bite! There was no way she was unaware of the crime she had committed upon this poor boy's heart since she was all too aware of everything else around her. Even then, he pushed those thoughts back and focused on what actually carried more significance.

"E-Eve…" Touma choked out at last. "W-wha… why…?"

"These chips are pretty good." Eve replied, ignoring his questions.

Well, he tried to. But the blond-haired thief ground his heart further into the ground with her unabashed devouring of his chips.

"Give me that!" He grabbed the bag out of her hand and glanced inside. Unfortunately, all he found were the tiny crumbs of despair littering the bottom of the bag. Empty, much like the hope he now had of getting to eat his favorite chips. It didn't take long for his disappointment to be replaced with anger.

"Careful or you'll wake up the others," Eve giggled, stretching out on the couch and interrupting whatever he was about to say in the heat of the moment. Once more this thief not only robbed him of his chips but of his right to complain about this blatant thievery! "You don't mind if I spend the night, do you?"

"…What?"

Out of everything she could have said, that was the last thing he expected. There was no way she would honestly believe he would say yes, but again, her prior manipulation of his heartstrings proved how influential she could be.

"Y-You…" He spluttered, trying to form words that never came as Eve burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! You actually believed that."

Touma clenched his fists and took a deep breath. After enough interactions with Eve and discussions with others, it was determined she purposely kept up her wild and carefree attitude. By making random comments, it threw Touma off balance and made it harder to see through her misdirection. As much as he hated to admit, she didn't seem to outright lie, but everything had layers involved. Like the perfectly salted layers of chips she stole!

What she said wasn't direct and it took time to understand what she really meant. A lot of time was wasted trying to decipher her words. This might actually be part of her plan now that he thought about it.

"Give me one reason why I don't shout for the others and we take you in now," he said through clenched teeth. "After all the shit you put us through."

"I'll give you two," Eve offered and held up a single crumb lined finger. "First, even if the leader of the Dawn-Colored Sunlight, the Amakusa girl, the girl from New Light, Index, and the sister of the one known as Misaka-san joined forces with you now, you wouldn't be able to stop me. In fact, you'd definitely lose more than you'd ever hope to gain."

"How do I know you aren't here to attack us?" Touma asked, still suspicious.

"Hehehe." Eve stretched out on the couch. There was only amusement etched on her face. "My dear boy, if I wanted to hurt you all… I would have done so already."

Touma felt the weight of her words wash over him, causing his insides to tense up from instinct.

"The second reason…" Eve continued, holding up a second finger. "Is that if we waste time fighting, you'll lose another friend."

THAT grabbed Touma's attention immediately.

"What… what are you talking about?!"

"Your friends at the Church are going to assassinate one of your friends," Eve giggled. "The magician in charge is already in the city, tracking them as we speak."

"How do I know you aren't lying!?" Touma demanded. "You had to have had a part in the attack on Kanzaki. Regardless of what you say, how do I know you aren't trying to divide us so you can take advantage of the chaos? Everything that's happening in Academy City right now is your fault! People are rioting because of Eris!"

"Eris is pretty good at riling people up," Eve admitted. "She can turn the best of friends against each other in record time."

"So she is working with you!" Touma fumed. "Do you realize the trouble you caused? How many people are suffering because of you?"

"Because of me…?"

Eve sat up and her expression changed from amusement to irritation. Standing up, she walked towards him. Every instinct practically screamed at him to step back, but something stopped him. Pressure engulfed him and prevented him from moving even a muscle. It wasn't magical in nature, as his hand couldn't move either. Eve sauntered toward him, as if moving in slow motion, and her finger pressed against his chest. For a moment, Touma could have sworn she was about to shatter his ribs. Their eyes met and he realized what was causing this sensation.

Eve was angry, truly angry.

"Did I create your abilities?" She asked bitterly, her tone cold like ice. "Am I in charge of this city? Do I spend an exuberant amount of money researching these powers for my own personal gain?" The finger sunk a little more into his chest. It was beginning to hurt. "I didn't even create the list. No one under my command created it. We procured it and released it."

As quick as the pressure on Touma appeared, it vanished and he stumbled backwards.

Eve smiled and put her hands behind her head.

"Now, once I heard what that list did, it was the perfect opportunity to cause some headaches." Her tone became light again and she turned around to make her way back to the couch. "Eris assured me she could turn this city against itself in only a couple days. She's right on track."

"What are you gaining from getting all these unrelated people involved?" Touma demanded, anger bubbling up within him. "None of them know about you and magic, or your plans. They are innocent people trying to live their lives."

"I agree they are innocent," Eve agreed. "I won't deny that. Unrelated? That's debatable."

"Debatable? How?!"

"The one who runs this city hid the wing here." Eve explained. "He's quite intelligent and a pain in my butt. He monitors everything. However, there had to be a limit to what he could process, so he went for keywords. I started putting my name all over the city and getting some of the groups here to use it frequently. That was going to cause his spyware to go haywire for a bit. And now, the city and its security will have to deal with a riot on top of such."

Her laughter was not contagious to the boy.

"The best part? This riot was entirely the fault of the city. They lied to all those poor students and they can't even say it was because of their ignorance."

"You don't care at all about the people you hurt," Touma whispered. "The innocent students whose dreams you crushed."

"I crushed?" Eve stopped laughing. "I told you already. All of this was your city's fault. I simply took the information the city was hiding and passed it out so everyone could make an informed decision. If Eris stirred them up a bit, that was just because the anger and resentment was already there. I think Eris forgot to mention that the city's technological advancements are changing the list a bit…" She shrugged. "I'll have her tell everyone about it after we're done here. Help those poor unfortunate souls, abandoned by the city. Maybe some will come with me and I'll help them become strong."

Something clicked in his mind.

"This… this is how you get people to join you," Touma realized. "You help orchestrate events so people can meet their lowest point in life, then you swoop in and offer them salvation."

The smile on Eve's face lost all trace of childish innocence.

Honestly, Touma felt his blood run cold.

"That would mean I've been collecting heroes from all over history for this precise moment," Eve told him. "Why do you think that is?"

"Whatever I think it may be is probably going to be wrong." Touma deflected. "What I do know is that you didn't come here without reason. There's something you need me to do."

"Need is a strong word," Eve mused. "I'm just letting you know of a small… hiccup happening that you may care about. If it benefits me, that's just icing on the cake."

"I find it hard to believe you."

"You know I don't lie…"

"You don't lie outright, but you tell partial truths that can be interpreted in many ways and sows confusion. You can lie in the big picture, but you skate around it by telling small truths."

Eve paused at his words.

"Sounds like you've been lectured by the Cabal leader." She finally replied and sighed. "You were so much more adorable when you were innocent."

"You and your group forced me too." Touma crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed. "You said a friend of mine was in trouble. I'll listen only because of that. Try anything, and I'm yelling for the others. Even if you can escape, you'll waste a lot of energy and might slip up if the city catches you after the shit you pulled."

"Clever boy," Eve chuckled. "Fine. Let's see… Ah, the church believes one of your friends work for me and is sending an assassin to kill him."

Touma's eyes nearly bulged out.

"What?! How do you know?! Who?!"

"I thought you didn't believe me." Eve teased, her voice filled with amusement.

"I don't, but if one of my friends is in danger, I have to listen," Touma growled. He then pointed at her, his hand trembling slightly. "If you're lying, I won't let you off easy."

"Oooooh, scary." Eve held up her hands and pretended to quiver in fear.

"Tell me then." Touma pressed for an answer.

"Do I get something out of it?" Eve asked, her voice coy and mischievous as ever.

"You're the one who brought it up!"

"Might want to keep your voice down or you'll wake everyone else up."

"Enough of your games!" Touma spat out, though his voice was barely above a whisper. "The reason you brought this up was because you want us to deal with it so you can do something else while we're distracted. You always do this. There's no point in trying to play mind games with us. We know what you're like. You set someone up so the church will attack to cause conflicts between the city and the church, right?"

Eve looked impressed.

"So the Dawn Colored Sunlight leader really has been giving you some lessons? That puts a dent in my fun."

"It doesn't matter." Touma cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Just tell us who you set up."

"I didn't set up anyone." Eve chuckled. "He just let his position slip. Well, I was going to pull him out of my web soon enough. At least this way, the city won't let the church operate here anymore."

"So you can grab the wing while they are fighting each other, just like I said."

Eve smiled and Touma felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't her normal playful smile. It was the sly devious kind one would expect from an adult who just took everything from someone.

"Save your friend or stop me and let him die. Which will you choose?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Touma studied her for a moment. "Is this person really working for you or just someone you're using?"

"Clever," Eve chuckled. "I'm using him without him even knowing. He thinks he's using me." She slipped a piece of paper in his hands. Looking down, Touma saw a map with an area circled. "You'll find out everything here. I would hurry, or you might be too late."

"Any luck?" Bayloupe asked Accelerator, setting down a can of coffee on his desk.

"I'm piecing together the information and fixing what I can," Accelerator muttered. "Doesn't matter how good my computer is, if the information is destroyed, I can't recover it. I have to try to figure out how this all fits together with crucial information missing from the puzzle."

"You've been at this since you returned." Bayloupe pointed out, sitting down on his bed and watching him as he continued to dig through the data he had at hand. "You've barely left your room to eat. Aren't you tired?"

"No."

Eyes were rolled at his simple answer.

"Instead of asking useless questions, take a look at this." Accelerator finally said. He grabbed a piece of paper off his printer and passed it over to her. "This is the only document that has some weird runes. What do they mean and do they deal with magic?"

A frown graced her brow as Bayloupe eyed the document.

"Weird…" She spoke in a hushed tone, thoughts filling her head as she examined the paper. "These are old-fashioned runes, but they don't make any sense in this context. They're… messy. Like a doodle." She rubbed her chin. "Most I can say about this is that it deals with something like the cardinal directions. North, south, east, and west."

"That used a lot in magic?" Accelerator turned around in his chair.

"You'd be surprised by how simple things can be used in powerful spells," Bayloupe explained. "Directions and positions are incredibly important, much like the stars and position of the sun. These are one of the most basic foundations to a magician's abilities, and are often utilized in a plethora of spells."

Accelerator raised an eyebrow and Bayloupe realized she would have to go into much more detail.

"Right, let me explain." Bayloupe coughed, slightly embarrassed. "This is going to be oversimplified for you, but it should help. Western and Eastern culture are based on four primary elements. They have a fifth element, but to simplify things, we can ignore that for now. Western culture uses Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Eastern uses Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal. Each of the elements are accompanied by colors, positions, and guardians respectively."

Bayloupe spoke as she drew a chart on a whiteboard left by Last Order. Why it was here, they didn't know, but it came in handy now.

"Let's start with the eastern tradition, as they directly associate with directions. Fire is naturally associated with red, and holds the south position. Water is black and holds the north. Wood is blue and is in the east. While Metal is white and is the west."

"The colors seem mismatched," Accelerator interjected. "Why doesn't blue correlate to water?"

"That would be more aligned with Western Magic Tradition. As with many cultural aspects in life, the users and what surrounds it affects magic as well." A vertical line was drawn on the board to separate its two halves as Bayloupe drew another chart. "Like Eastern, fire is associated with red, but it's on the right. Water is blue and associated with the back-…"

"Acqua of the Back."

Suddenly the man's title and choice of magic became clear to Accelerator. Bayloupe chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, the members of God's Right Seat use those positions and elements." Bayloupe continued. "The guardian deity of each element is one of the four archangels. Air is yellow and marked as the front, while Earth is green and of the left. A magician can draw power using the symbolic relationship between the elements and its properties."

"So you think this diagram I found has something to do with magic which relates to directions?" Accelerator asked.

"Maybe… but it's weird." There was a pause. "There's a possibility that he was using this for reference, but on the other hand… he may have been seeing if he could've changed them."

"Changed?"

"I can't be sure, but I think he was replacing the directions with something less tangible." Bayloupe elaborated slowly, not sounding completely sure nor confident in her assessment. "Aspects or something. As I said, it seemed like it was some kind of doodle."

"If there's one thing I know about Kagere, he doesn't just doodle." Accelerator replied, looking up at the ceiling. "He has a purpose for this. It's something we don't know about but it's important enough for him to keep under lock and key. Tsk." He clicked his tongue impatiently.

Bayloupe had been right. After he got back from Jason's apartment, he immediately set to work trying to get through all the information they gathered. Since they couldn't contact him directly, these files were the next best thing to a footprint or clue of sorts. What really annoyed him was that the more he learned about magic, the more questions he had. It must have been something Bayloupe had to deal with when discussing their scientific abilities. They both had to deal with clashing theories they didn't fully understand.

"Sorry," Bayloupe apologized. "I would need a little more information about what he's trying to do before I can give you a decent answer. With how this diagram is set up, he could also have messed up on some design or maybe even tried to create a brand new spell."

"Yeah, that sounds like something he would do if it interested him." Accelerator mused.

A moment later he turned his attention back to the screen, looking to pry more clues out of the information he had at hand. Bayloupe was toying with her phone, at times flicking her gaze up at the albino and after a couple more minutes she couldn't help but frown. Her eyes studied the back of the boy's head, taking note of his posture and how obvious it was to her that the fatigue was getting to him. Accelerator was tired, but would never admit it. It wasn't good for him. She knew how long nights could impact people's health. Not that she stopped herself when those nights were required, but they should be done sparingly.

Of course, Accelerator wouldn't rest until he had something, so maybe she could help in her own way. Bayloupe didn't know enough about Jason's work and her expertise was limited to the few magic references they found, but there was something she picked up over the years. Get people thinking about stuff through questions and they might be able to make a connection.

"Hey, Accelerator?"

"Mmm?"

"The stability thing you mentioned earlier tonight, any luck with that? It seemed important to you."

Accelerator paused.

He realized he never went into details about that to Bayloupe. To the girl's credit, she didn't push the issue. Her knowledge of science side abilities was minimal at best. Accelerator would tell her anything really important she needed to know at the time and Bayloupe told him the same in relation to the magic side. It seemed like they needed to share more information. The problem was, he didn't really know much about what exactly this stability was referring too. There was no information available.

"Right," Accelerator muttered and turned to look at her. "I told you about how this information on the hidden computer was relating to us, right?"

"Floris gave me a run down, yes." Bayloupe confirmed.

"Seems that bastard Kagere was digging up information on us…"

Accelerator gave her the rundown. The suspicions they had about Jason relating to their transformations, the fact he was involved in several of them directly, and how he may have orchestrated their interactions and the other things surrounding back to them. To her credit, Bayloupe listened carefully, a small frown on her face as Accelerator went over everything they learned. This may have been a way for him to go over all the information himself, but it felt good to rant a bit.

"…and the more information I find on this damn computer, the more questions that arise! Magic symbols, information on us, and pages of useless information!"

Bayloupe remained quiet, which mildly annoyed Accelerator.

"You look like you have an idea," He spat out. "Let's hear it."

"You might not like it."

"No shit, but you're one of the few people I can actually count on to be honest and provide good information. Not to mention stomach a conversation with."

Bayloupe was rightfully caught off guard by his words, not having much time to read his facial expression whilst he said it as he quickly turned to face away from her prying eyes. His reaction caused her to lose track of her thoughts, and she coughed in a vain attempt to clear any awkward air between them.

"Remember when you fought Cain?" The question was simple and she saw the white-haired boy nod curtly. "Those black wings? They definitely did not seem stable. Was that the first time you used that power or have you accessed it before?"

"I used it before," Accelerator muttered. "A couple times actually. Once against that Saint and a couple times against Eve's puppets."

"Was Touma Kamijou involved in that?"

There was a pause.

"The second time."

"Were you more in control?"

"Not really… maybe a tiny bit? I still wanted to slaughter that bastard and wasn't thinking straight. It's brought upon by my rage, so during that time I'm not exactly in the best of mindsets to properly assess myself."

"And Misaka, Shokuhou, and even Mugino didn't activate their transformations until after meeting Kamijou. Though, Kagere was involved in providing drugs, technology, and information for them to surpass their limits." The girl sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I only saw your transformation honestly, but I heard about Shokuhou's. Again, I can't say they were really stable."

"If it helps, you could hardly consider me stable, especially months ago. I supposed I changed a bit since then."

"After you met him?"

Accelerator froze and made a fist. His face darkened and Bayloupe knew she hit a nerve. Though, she needed to know if they were to figure out exactly what Jason was up to.

"…Yes."

"And you're taking care of Last Order… for redemption?"

"Hah!" Accelerator let out a bark-like laugh. "As good of a word as any, not like I could ever achieve it. As if I could pay back for the shit I've done."

Bayloupe once again pulled up the piece of paper Accelerator had given her.

"I used that word because that's what this rune here means." Her finger tapped the top of the design, at the north tip.

"Huh?" Accelerator's scrawny hand immediately grabbed the paper and ripped it out of her hand. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at it, before realizing he didn't know runes and he never saw that one before. He handed it back and scowled. "What are the other ones?"

"Just runes with similar definitions," Bayloupe admitted. "At least on the North end."

"What about the others…?"

"There are a lot of runes and overlapping ones." Bayloupe pointed out the issues. "However, if I had to say, he's selecting runes for 'Protection' on the East side. That's the easiest one."

"And the other two directions?"

"They are a little more blurred, like he was changing directions." There was a pause. "The West side, I think the only good option is the rune for 'Hope.' The others seem to be building up to it."

"Hope?" Accelerator snorted. "What sappy bullshit is this?"

"Hopes and dreams are actually pretty important for magicians."

"Whatever, sunshine. The last one?"

"South side is more aggressive," Bayloupe continued. "He was using more offensive-oriented terminology. It looks like he finally decided on 'Vengeance.' That's actually not a bad place in regards to Redemption. Pretty smart…" She trailed off as she considered it.

"Okay, but what is he doing with this?" Accelerator demanded, getting annoyed he was being left in the dark.

"I don't know!" Bayloupe threw her hands into the air. "This is a great start for something, but there's no clue as to what. Normally, there would be something in the center of these directions. The main guide if you will. However…" She showed him the picture. "It's blank. There is literally nothing there. Not even a doodle."

"So it's incomplete?" Accelerator groaned. "No idea what it could be used for then?"

"I could give you thousands of possible ideas for what spells could be devised from this."

"Fuck."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

Things weren't going to end that easy though. Accelerator pulled the paper and glared at it, focusing all of his brain's processing power to consider every possibility.

What he came up with began to fill him with rage.

Jason had information about him and the other level 5s. That was not up for debate. Bayloupe had pointed out that the run representing the North was 'redemption', which described him to a degree. Not that he wanted to admit it. Assuming that the word did represent him, that left the other three directions. If he went with Jason describing the level 5s, there were three girls who should be part of this. The one for the South was obvious. Shizuri Mugino, the former fourth rate turned fifth rate, was someone who lived for vengeance and had a short fuse that rivaled his own.

'Protection' would describe the third rate, Mikoto Misaka. She was always going on about something about helping her friends. Much like the damn hero. The last one then would have to be with the new fourth rate, Misaki Shokuhou. Accelerator didn't know a lot about her before getting wrapped up with Eve's shit, but he heard a few snippets and began to piece things together. From what he knew, there was an incident where they parted ways and only recently reconnected. He never really understood that, as she seemed to be pretty open in what she wanted and would go after it.

Well, that didn't matter.

What did was the final piece that fit that design.

"What if there was something in the middle that magic couldn't affect." Accelerator asked Bayloupe.

Her eyes widened as it dawned on her and then she stared at the paper in her hands.

"It can't be…" Bayloupe's voice was ragged. "That should be impossible. His hand literally destroys mana. If you tried to use him in the middle of a spell like this, it would disrupt the entire circuit. Even if the spell did go off, the main points would be disrupted by at least partial mitigation. The magic would disperse into nothing before anything noticeable happened. Even if something did, the effects would be too small to be noticeable."

"Kagere has been working with the city in studying the damn hero's hand."

A pause met this comment.

"What…?"

The look of surprise in the silver-haired girl's eyes was evident.

"The city has managed to isolate a wavelength that interferes with our abilities from his hand, that bastard was in charge of it." Accelerator elaborated. "Theorize with this spell, if the hero was detached from his hand, what do you think this spell could be for?"

"That's… there's too many…" Bayloupe's head was throbbing at the thought, but she stared at the paper. Having to think with a sleep-deprived brain was taxing on the poor girl, who was supposed to be in bed hours ago. "Using people like you in its foundation? The Number One Ability User, Defeater of Saints and even Cain himself? This spell would be on a level that could easily rival Angel Class spells. It could wipe out a country if he uses this right. With you and the others in their transformed states that seem to defy logic? I can't guess on the sheer magnitude this spell could reach."

"Would it be an offensive spell or some other kind?" Accelerator pushed. "I need to know what that bastard's intentions could be."

"Ugh… I would say it's an attack spell with Touma Kamijou as the focal point," Bayloupe didn't want to say things straight like that, on the likely chance she was wrong. "Maybe it's a backup plan using your transformations. Something like this might actually be powerful enough to destroy Eve. Or maybe it could amplify something of the 'damn hero' to be used against her."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

The words were devoid of emotion.

They were followed by a lengthy silence.

"…No."

"Then tell me what you really think." The boy demanded.

Bayloupe let out a long sigh.

"I think he's creating a new branch of magic," the words were flowing out of mouth. "He's trying to establish a base for a new spell based on ability users. That's probably the reason why he's using level 5s. You four are supposed to be some of the strongest after all. When you design a new system of beliefs, the stronger the base, the stronger the magic you will be able to cast. Though, most systems of magic require a lot of followers who believe in it."

"Most students here don't believe in magic," Accelerator pointed out. "Could he develop a spell based on science?"

"That would make sense," Bayloupe agreed. "I still don't know why he's putting Touma Kamijou in the center. It seems like it would be a lot more work trying to get around the Imagine Breaker then putting someone else down. Though, if he needed someone to connect the four of you, I guess that made most sense."

Accelerator didn't like the fact that the hero was connecting him to the others.

"Next question, why would he be developing a new system?" The grumpy albino asked instead.

"There could be a ton of reasons for that." Bayloupe couldn't prevent a small chuckle escaping, even with the seriousness of the conversation. "Some of them want to create new spells that aren't supported by any existing systems, or just are far too large for the confines of smaller domains. Another reason is that they could try to take revenge on another system or belief. Others may want to attempt to ascend to the rank of a Magic God, which is a different beast in of itself. It goes on and on, I could be here all night listing them out."

"Become a god?" Accelerator scoffed loudly. "Seems like the exact opposite of what Eve and her group are planning."

"I don't think he's trying to do that," Bayloupe admitted, pointing to the void in the middle. "If he was, he would put himself there. Wouldn't make sense to put anyone else there for the purpose of becoming a magic god either. Why make someone stronger than you?"

"Maybe whatever spell this is has to deal with the hero's hand?" Accelerator muttered and crossed his arms in thought. "Could he be trying to separate it from him permanently…?"

"That seems like a reasonable guess." Bayloupe agreed.

"…but that would be stupid because he knows about those things."

Bayloupe paused.

"Wait? What things?"

Accelerator looked up and frowned.

"Did I not tell you about those things that hide behind his hand?" Accelerator concentrated. He thought he had, or was that just with the other level 5s?

"No?"

"Shit…"

Accelerator facepalmed and then went into an explanation of what he and the others had spoken of concerning the dragons that appeared when something removed or otherwise significantly damaged Touma's hand. This included the fact Jason had been deeply researching Touma's hand and the power of the Imagine Breaker. Bayloupe's mouth dropped when he explained them as best as he could. This was more shit he didn't truly understand. He did remember the first time against the Herald, where the dragon broke through his black wings.

"And you didn't think this was important enough to mention earlier?!" Bayloupe demanded, even more annoyed than Accelerator was.

Silence answered her question.

In all honesty, he should have told her. If he did, she could have researched it. It was an oversight on his part because he wasn't used to talking to people about things.

No apology was given, but his eyes looked at the floor in a bid of self-frustration and Bayloupe's annoyance softened.

"I don't know anything about those," she told him softly. "I can tell you know I could have done some research for you, so I'll drop the topic for now. Please, Accelerator. Tell me anything you find. We're on the same side and… have a connection the others don't know about. If you want me to keep something quiet, I will."

"I know," Accelerator mumbled, still not looking at her. "I'm just not used to it."

"So you think Kagere might want to remove the Imagine Breaker to realize these dragons?" Bayloupe wisely changed the topic before Accelerator clammed up to avoid any sort of embarrassment. "Do you know if he can control them?"

"Not a damn clue."

"Then we could have a problem," Bayloupe rubbed her chin in thought. "The last thing we would want is something like what you described to be free." A sigh escaped her. "I still want to believe he's using this spell as something to help us rather than against us. Maybe it's sealing those things since he knows about them."

"Are you going to pretend to be naïve again?"

"I just want to believe there's still some good in the world."

"Then follow the damn hero if you want that shit."

Accelerator stood up without any sort of warning.

"Where are you going?" Bayloupe asked, eyes narrowing.

"I'm going to find that bastard and knock him around until he tells me everything."

The shadow of a smirk graced the girl's lips.

"Want some help? I'm experienced with interrogation."

There was a moment of silence as Accelerator stared at her.

"I can't tell if you're fucking serious or trying to seduce me."

"Maybe it's both?"

"Get out of here, you witch." Accelerator may have scoffed, but his words didn't have the same irritation he used on others. "Now I have to find where that hell that bastard is."

"Hmm…" Bayloupe considered something. "The runes I set up as a net over Academy City to detect Eve, I set them to ignore his magical signature. I should be able to include him in it and find out where he's located. At the least, we can figure out where he's been and try to limit where we have to search. I doubt he forgot to set up defenses to hide his presence."

"Do it," Accelerator ordered. "I don't care if it's in the middle of the night."

"Not like anyone can stop you." Bayloupe pointed out, as she began to pull out her talismans and used Accelerator's table to start amending her spell structure. "Can't you go anywhere you want to?"

"I'm the emperor of wherever the fuck I am at the moment, so don't you forget it."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Except for Worst and her, none would be permitted to be so freely sarcastic with him. They'd be met with a few choice words, and possibly a trip through the nearest wall.

Bayloupe was lucky she wormed her way into his good graces, though that itself was something that gave him an uncomfortable feeling from within.

Impatience was something Accelerator knew all too well and he hated it. This time, crashing through a door and demanding that people see him wouldn't work in this situation. He had to wait for Bayloupe to finish. It was obvious she was working overtime to get it down and he heard her cuss multiple times under her breath in thinly-disguised frustration. The original magical system she set up wasn't made to go backwards, so she had her work cut out for her.

"DONE!" Bayloupe collapsed back in the chair, the frown creasing her brow finally relaxing. She grabbed a cloth and wiped herself off from the strain-induced sweat covering her face. "Hah, that was tough, but I did it."

"How will we know if he triggers it?" Accelerator asked, looking at the display she had on the table. A map of Academy City, procured from the nearby drawer was sitting underneath her talismans, each serving a specific purpose he wasn't aware of but he put his trust in for now.

Then, one of the runes began to glow bright yellow and a spot on the map began to glow.

"Does that answer your question?" Bayloupe asked smugly.

"Already?"

"He's not trying to hide himself and he's on the move." Bayloupe pointed out, showing how the light on the map was moving. "He's going somewhere in the dead of night, the question is why?" Her eyes suddenly widened when another glow activated. "Eve's responding!"

"What?!" Accelerator suddenly flared as the news raised him on his feet in response. "Is he heading toward her?"

"Yes…"

"Let's go."

Accelerator turned and marched out of his room. Bayloupe grabbed her jacket off the chair and followed. The rest of the apartment occupants were asleep and it wasn't like they were slamming doors and stomping their feet. They didn't turn on the lights either. All they stopped for was to grab their shoes and Bayloupe's weapon. Shutting the door behind them, they stood outside in the cool night air. Normally at dusk, the city was lit up with thousands of lights. But now, in the dead of night, one could look out upon the cityscape and merely see a few twinkles. Nothing but streetlights.

"How are we getting there?" Bayloupe asked, looking at her map. "It's a ways awa-…Eeeeee!"

The uncharacteristically girlish yelp left her as Accelerator suddenly scooped her up in his arms. Using his powers, it was as simple as lifting a feather. Bayloupe wrapped her arms around his neck in response while he carried her bridal style towards their destination.

"Like this." Accelerator's simple reply came back without any sort of embarrassment. Curt and unabashed like always.

Tornadoes whipped around his back as he lifted them up into the air effortlessly.

It crossed Bayloupe's mind that this would have been pretty romantic if the situation hadn't been so dire. She had to simply be satisfied with the current physical contact as she directed Accelerator after Jason and whatever Eve had planned.

"They must be asleep!" Touma called out to Leivinia and Lessar, as he hung up.

"Of all the times for Sparky to skip a late night walk!" Lessar huffed.

"It's the middle of the night and things have been complicated because of Eve's involvement," Touma shot back. "Of course she'd be asleep."

Touma, Lessar, and Leivinia were racing toward the area Eve had provided. None of them trusted her for a moment so they were forced to take precautions. Itsuwa stayed behind to watch Index and Kyoka. Sending all of them to a location given by an enemy was stupid and suicidal. Index was far too valuable to risk and Kyoka had no defenses against magic. Itsuwa was better at defensive fights compared to the offensive-oriented Lessar and Leivinia.

It made separating the group pretty simple.

Touma was trying to let Mikoto and Misaki know what was happening, but neither answered. That was a little worrisome, but as he told Lessar, it was the middle of the night. Not only that, with the Parameter List being revealed, they were no doubt stressed to no end. Even if Misaki acted like she was fine, Touma was sure things were getting to them too. They needed their rest. Still, this was something serious and if he couldn't contact them by phone, there wasn't any other way to reach them without wasting precious time.

"This is a trap," Leivinia said for the umpteenth time. "So stop your whining and be on high alert. Expect to be attacked the moment we draw near."

"That's too obvious for Eve," Lessar groaned. "She won't do something so cliché. Maybe it's not a trap and just a distraction while she does something else?"

Leivinia and Touma stared at her.

"What?" Lessar replied, tilting her head. "It's what I would do to piss people off. Make a big deal about something I'm setting up then everyone goes there and finds nothing while I'm on the other side of the city stealing something from under their noses."

"How often have you done that?" Touma asked.

"Mostly when Bayloupe hogs the snacks."

"I'm not sure who I'm more disappointed in," Leivinia sighed. "The fact your insight is always from something stupid or the fact for a moment I actually thought you might have some true insight."

"HEY!"

"Shut up," Leivinia told her sharply. "We're almost at the spot that bastard Jason Kagere is supposed to be."

"We don't know for sure it's him!" Touma protested.

"Are we going to have this discussion again?" Leivinia actually paused and turned around. "Listen up, you can be as naïve or in denial as you want with yourself, I don't care. When you're with me? When my life and or cabal are at risk? You man up and act like the person who stood against Adam in Australia. We don't need some pansy second-guessing everything. You know damn well it's him. The only thing up in the air is if he's working for Eve willingly or if Eve is using him without his knowledge."

That cut him off.

They had this conversation and as much as Touma wanted to argue, he couldn't. Everyone was under the impression now Jason had something to do with Eve and there were way too many coincidences for them to overlook. Even Touma was beginning to realize he couldn't argue it anymore. Something was going on between Jason and Eve and they had to figure out what it was.

Was Jason working on something to be used against Eve? Or was he doing something with Eve? If that was the case, was it done willingly or through force?

The answer to those questions had life and death hanging in the balance. Seeking them out when they were unprepared for the worst could spell disastrous consequences.

Lessar glanced over at him and frowned slightly, almost like she knew what he was thinking.

"Why not just punch him in the face and make him tell you everything?" The girl asked. "It worked wonders for the princess?"

"Might have to punch him twice depending on what he says." Touma muttered annoyed, earning a laugh from Lessar.

"Found your resolve then?" Leivinia questioned, studying him with her gaze.

"If Jason is doing something with Eve, I'll stop him."

The words left the spikey-haired boy's mouth before he had a chance to organize his thoughts. His tone was a lot more steadfast than he thought it would sound. Deep down, he knew that even if one of his friends was the traitor, he would have to do everything in his power to protect others. This was something ingrained in him, all the way down to his core. He would do what had to be done and he would do it without killing. There was always another way to solve a problem if people took the time to look.

Leivinia seemed satisfied with his response and the three of them made their way through Academy City, avoiding drawing attention. The location wasn't on the opposite side of the city, but it wasn't like it was right next to Touma's apartment. They had a bit of a run. This was no problem for Touma and Lessar, but Touma didn't know how athletic Leivinia was. His worries were put to rest when she kept up without the slightest sign of exhaustion. When they were about to reach the location Eve gave them, they stopped.

Well, Leivinia stopped and held out her hand.

"Okay, give me a second," she told them darkly. "I'm not going to be so foolhardy to just run into the enemy's territory blindly. Give me a moment to see if anything is set up."

"Wouldn't my hand just negate any kind of spells?" Touma wondered.

"Really depends on what the spell is and how it's set up," Lessar explained for him instead of Leivinia, who was setting up some things on the side of the road and prodding it with her Lotus Wand. "A normal magician would probably fail if they didn't understand your power. We know Eve understands the Imagine Breaker, so if something was set up, it would take into account your hand."

"Makes sense," Touma grudgingly agreed. "Adam knew everything about my hand but was surprised I knew about the pulse that Jason discovered… wait!" He realized something. "Adam didn't know I knew about it, so if Jason was working with them, then Adam should have known that!"

"Maybe?" Lessar shrugged and didn't look convinced. "Groups work together all the time and don't share everything. Maybe there's something they want from each other and outside that goal, they don't care."

Touma suddenly felt depressed. There had been a momentary surge of hope and it was dashed immediately.

"Looks like there's nothing set up to keep us in place," Leivinia declared. "But there's a magical signature further in that seems to be acting like a beacon. She's planning something with it, obviously."

"She wouldn't be Eve if she wasn't," Touma muttered sarcastically and Leivinia almost laughed.

Lessar opened her mouth to say something but froze.

Leivinia stopped too and the two girls peered into the distance over a shorter building. Touma saw them acting strangely and was about to ask them what they were doing when he saw it as well. It took him longer because he couldn't detect mana or Telesma, but something that lit up the night was completely obvious to everyone. One street over was suddenly lit up by an ominous orange glow, rather than the white city lights.

As Touma stared, the orange glow got brighter… until it erupted.

Flames rose higher and higher, far above the surrounding buildings. A great beast of flame rose up and seemed to be carrying a huge glowing cross of fire in its hand as it roared. The dark humanoid-like body surrounded by flames was attacking something as the cross was brought down in a vertical strike. Flames erupted and were thrown high into the air. This was a creature Touma had seen several times and had even fought before.

"Is that… Innocentius?" Touma gasped. "Why is Stiyl here?"

"The bigger question is, who is he fighting?" Lessar told him.

"Let's go and see then," Leivinia decided for them. "Hurry up, you slackers."

They entered an alley connecting them to the aforementioned street, at the end of which they saw exactly who the target of the flaming cross was.

Everything was set up to capture his target.

The red-headed intruder was standing on the roof of an old store building, waiting. His target was heading toward him, which was a godsend. From what he knew about the target, the boy was resourceful to an unnatural degree. It was similar to the way Eve worked, which only added fuel to the fire. His spy routine was nearly perfect and he had wormed his way into multiple groups to protect him. However, no matter how good someone is, they will always slip up. Just like his target did.

The Telesma remains found on Kaori were nearly identical to the Telesma remains found on Knight Leader and the target.

Stiyl looked up at the night sky and took a long drag on his cigarette. Due to the lights in the city, there weren't many stars in sight. He preferred the countryside. Seeing the countless stars in the night sky always relaxed him. Conversely, this city did little to put him at ease. The nature of this job didn't do him any favors either. He sighed and put out his cigarette. Things were about to get violent and the job he was tasked to carry out wasn't pleasant.

Killing.

As a Witch Hunter of Necessarius, that was his job when it was required.

It's not like he enjoyed this job. On the contrary, Stiyl actually enjoyed it when times were more peaceful. No violence, no killing, no one getting hurt, he wanted to experience those periods of time more often. Alas, he may have only been fourteen, something his tall visage crafted by illusion magic often put into question, but he understood the hidden world of magicians completely. The vast majority of the world didn't know magic existed, but magic had a profound impact on countless people. It was up to people like Stiyl to help ensure that magic didn't leak into the realm of the ignorant masses. A job that forced him and many others to take up a necessary evil to ensure such a peace was maintained.

The world would fall into chaos, that much was certain.

Magicians that abused magic existed, much like Eve and her group, but there were countless others. Any time you have a way for people to gain power, there are those who abuse it. Witch Hunters were what Stiyl's organization employed to handle these rogue mages. Now he was tasked to handle another mage. The only issue was the location. He understood full well what would happen if he was caught in Academy City, yet he still accepted the risk.

If he didn't do it, there wouldn't be anyone else capable of this.

He was good at his job because he understood the importance of what he did. That was more than many people could say about the parts of this profession they hated. Though, the things he did were often far more dangerous than the others in his position. One wrong move would lead to his death or worse. Magic was capable of things that would make people wish for the cold embrace of the afterlife.

The sound of air slowly being released from his nose was the only sound he emitted. His breathing was steady and the people clearing field was in place. The last thing he needed was for innocent people to get involved. Even in Academy City, where all the people were off in their own way. Seriously, what kind of governing body lets children act as police? His hand slowly entered the pocket of his black robe and grabbed the items within.

Movement was seen at the end of the street.

It was time.

His target had come into view.

Jason Kagere, the traitor and spy for Eve.

Stiyl didn't trust that boy, and never had since the moment he and the Imagine Breaker found him. Even after being captured and tortured, he was too calm. Then he got chummy with all those powerful science side ability users along with gaining sway within the city. Not only that, but he also showed up in England right when Carissa started her coup. To make things even more suspicious, Eve had shown up at the same time. Now, Stiyl could have chalked that up to bad luck with the Imagine Breaker…

Until Jason defeated Knight Leader.

No child should have been able to defeat that man. That man was a force to be reckoned with, even without the power of Curtana. At the time, Carissa had Curtana Original and was empowering him. The only people capable of defeating him was a Saint or a magician far beyond a normal practitioner of any form of the art. That would imply someone like Eve or one of her underlings had carried out the fight. When they studied Jason's purified arm, they detected divine Telesma that resembled what they saw in Rome.

That still wasn't enough proof to indisputably declare he was working with Eve.

It wasn't until a surprising individual shared her information.

Carissa actually provided the church with the situation involving Kaori Kanzaki.

Stiyl's hand clenched tightly. He and Kaori were friends and acquaintances, as close as possible given the circumstances and their respective positions. Both of them also deeply cared for Index. The fact that the traitor had targeted her was unforgivable. He even used God's Judgment against a Saint. In a way, that was the very definition of mocking God's grace. His power was used against someone whose body resembled His son's. That act alone was enough to make him a clear member of Eve's group. The evidence was only reinforced by the fact the Telesma on Kaori's body was almost identical to what Jason had on his arm in England.

There was no excuse now and Stiyl removed his hand from the pocket of his cloak.

A word barely above a whisper escaped his lips.

"Coercere."

Jason never had a chance. The boy was walking down the sidewalk holding a handheld device and waving it around. It must have been a scanner of some kind. It was distracting him and Stiyl had taken several measures to hide his mana. Even the people clearing field wouldn't have been detected he was expressly searching for it, and evidently, he wasn't. It didn't matter what he was looking for, since he was about to die.

Something flew from Stiyl's hand and dove straight for Jason, moving at an extremely high speed. The movement was visibly noticeable and caught Jason's attention. It may have been night time, but there were plenty of street lights to illuminate the area. The item was moving too fast though and he didn't have time to do anything but raise his head.

"Wha-…?!"

Jason couldn't speak as a string wrapped itself around his throat. Words were caught in his throat as the string continued to wrap around his torso, intersecting across his chest in an X pattern. An item was tied on each end. One side had a small silver dog that slammed into his chest once the X finished. It shattered into a cloud of dust that covered his body. The other end of the string had a small crystal that slammed into his forehead before shattering. It released a bright light that quickly drained him of all his strength. His legs gave way like jelly as he collapsed with a thud on the concrete.

Silver was used to weaken evil in most religions. Known as a symbol of purity, it was used in many rituals. When graced by the light of God, it shattered darkness and caused the nightmares to recede. The crystal that shattered on Jason's skull was to replicate the light of the sun clearing the world of darkness. A fitting end for a Shadow Manipulator. The reason the spell caused the crystal to break on his forehead was because that was where the Pride Mark was.

The church's light of judgment would temporarily disable the mark.

That meant he could be killed.

Stiyl didn't waste a moment. Every second of delay was a second that Jason could use to regain his footing and escape his spell. If he had even a moment to defend himself, this sneak attack will be all for naught. He jumped from the top of the building with his arms spread out as he fell toward the ground. His eyes met Jason's and hatred was clearly visible in them.

This wasn't the first time someone glared at him that way.

Flames erupted from his cloak before his feet met the ground and the fires cushioned the fall. They grew higher and higher as Stiyl walked toward Jason. The flames began to twist and form the familiar humanoid creature known as Innocentius. It was taller than the nearby buildings as Stiyl had planted many rune cards in the surrounding area. A great glowing cross formed in one of its outstretched hands. Roaring, it raised the cross and brought it down.

Jason barely managed to dodge as he pushed himself back. He still had a little mana available to him even if he couldn't use his shadow. Still unable to talk, a lot of spells were limited without incantations. It wasn't like he got away scot-free. When the cross hit the road, the asphalt and nearby concrete sidewalk melted into a bubbling pool with the 3000 degree Celsius fire. Flames also erupted from the point of impact and a good amount of it washed over Jason.

The sound and smell of bubbling burning flesh filled the air with the melted road.

If Jason's voice hadn't been bound, he probably would have screamed.

Stiyl raised a hand and Innocentius raised the cross once more. Blackened flesh covered Jason's arms and his face was twisted in pain. His entire body was bright red from just being in the vicinity of the flames. It would be impossible to dodge a second strike and any defenses he had were down. Stiyl always tried to never make his missions personal. Grudges and anger caused carelessness and carelessness led to death.

But no matter how hard he tried, preventing that satisfied grin from forming on his face was impossible.

The great burning cross crashed down a second time, and this time, it didn't miss.

There was no scream, no more smell of burning flesh, just the faint crackles of flames once the cross vanished. The flames were so hot, that when they directly touched Jason, the sheer heat disintegrated him into nothing. Even ashes were burned away at that temperature. There was nothing left of him as Innocentius slowly faded away. Stiyl began to walk forward to verify Jason was truly gone, when he heard someone say his name.

"Stiyl…"

He recognized the voice. It was so full of shock and bewilderment that the tone was a far cry from usual, but it was obvious who it was.

"…what have you done?"

Touma Kamijou stood at the entrance to an alleyway with Leivinia Birdway and Lessar next to him.

Shit.

Things had gone perfectly, but of course, it was when everything was going your way, that it was actually falling apart behind the scenes. No one was supposed to see him, but now he had to deal with that idiot. That wasn't actually a big deal, but he was with the leader of the Dawn-Colored Sunlight. She would be difficult to deal with. Lessar was annoying, but wasn't a serious threat.

Stiyl lit a cigarette and was about to give a short curt answer, when he heard the sound of wind.

The next instant, an antenna buzzed by him like a thrown spear, just exponentially faster. The cigarette was blown away as the metal ran through it, grazing his hand. It was expertly aimed. Stiyl frowned and looked up, before his heart sunk.

Slowly descending from the sky, was Accelerator, with tornado wings behind him. In his arms he was carrying Bayloupe. The expression on his face was strange. A combination of anger and insanity. Stiyl always had a hard time reading him. The problem was Accelerator was NOT someone he wanted to face. The boy was ruthless and his power was in a league of its own. He defeated a Saint and was able to be a threat to the second princess wielding Curtana Original. The only silver-lining was Accelerator was smart and would actually understand Stiyl's reasons for doing it, unlike the Imagine Breaker. He, on the other hand, was fueled by emotions.

However, the words that came from Accelerator crushed his hopes.

"Any last words before you die?"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Eve was laughing from her observation spot as she watched them all meet. A tear ran down her cheek as she laughed with unrestrained glee.

"Bonds are so weak. Nothing but trash. You so much as hint at something awry and everything plays out from there. Add a little bit of pressure, and even the best of friends could end a night with a murder. They will be at each other's throats in no time. The church and city will refuse to work together now, both blaming the other. Now the number of nuisances will decrease." She turned. "You ready for tomorrow, Cain?"

Out of the shadows stepped out the betrayer. Cain, the original vampire, looking just like he did before he faced Accelerator.

"I am ready at your command." Cain replied.

In his arms was an ornate urn.

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.

UrsaMJR: My, seems like the plot has finally started its rise to climax. Unlike our misfortunate Kamijou, who shall remain a virgin unless someone takes the initiative. Now that the bromance option was burned to a crisp, and Accel being bound by his new lady love, who shall step forth to take this from him!? Lessar most likely. What do you think Gov?

Gov: Well, it seems like things truly are coming to a head. I must agree with you, my friend, Lessar seems like the top pick for victor of the Toumabowl at this point. Considering Shiage and Accel have both entered (mostly) happy relationships, and Jason isn't around to capitalize on his, it appears that the fujoshis among us will be starved. Unless…?

UrsaMJR: Unless we band together and rewrite the story, boycott the big man and offer people the true ending.

Gov: So it seems. This old dog could certainly use a few reworks.

DB: The winner was already decided long before you two showed up. Also, for the readers who stick around for this, below you will find a special Deleted Scene. I originally put it in this chapter, but it broke up the seriousness.

Deleted Scene:

Turns out, someone had noticed Accelerator and Bayloupe taking off. One girl was looking out the window with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She had known those two were working on something important, but wasn't able to hear what. The reason she stayed up late was hoping she could catch them doing something juicy where she could get them in trouble. Seeing them take off was the moment she had been waiting for,

She flipped the light on with glee and rushed into her guardians' room.

"Tou-san and Bayloupe eloped!" Worst exclaimed.

Aiho and Kikyou looked up.

"What?" Aiho asked groggily. It had been a long day. When she saw the time her face immediately became annoyed. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Doesn't matter!" Worst brushed aside that pointless piece of information. "Tou-san and Bayloupe eloped in the middle of the night! Misaka saw them."

Both women looked at her.

"About time." Kikyou muttered, laying back down.

"They had the talk," Aiho added, imitating her. "Worry about it tomorrow."

Worst clicked her tongue angrily as she left their room. There goes her chance of getting those two in trouble. She debated waking Last Order and telling her, but decided it would be more fun in the morning to 'casually' bring it up during breakfast when everyone was awake and would be alert enough to understand her joke.

She collapsed onto her own bed and went to sleep, laughing quietly about the next day.