The battle was over.
Kamijou thought that maybe it was because the Amakusa were in a mess over losing Tatemiya, their leader. No fighting could be heard from afar, and the tension in the air was gone; these signs told Kamijou that the battle was over. As they hadn't met up with Agnese, they didn't know the situation, but it seemed like the Roman Catholics had won; otherwise, during that intense battle, more Amakusa members would have arrived as reinforcements.
He was worried about both the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa, concerned about the number of casualties suffered. Regarding this, Stiyl's reply was, "There's no deaths on both sides. Right now, the Roman Catholics are tying up the Amakusa members." Actually, he was able to transmit messages through cigarette smoke, so that was why he could be so confident about it. There seemed to be some meaning in the smoke patterns, but of course Kamijou was unable to understand it completely.
Slightly farther away, Tatemiya Saiji was sitting on the floor. There were rune cards on his hands, legs, chest, back, and forehead. These represented some really terrifying magic, and once he moved, his entire body would be set ablaze.
Right now, Stiyl was bringing Orsola to meet Agnese, so there was only Kamijou, Index, and Tatemiya.
"Touma, Touma! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?"
Index looked pale as she frantically took off Kamijou's clothes.
"Sto… stop it! Index! I'm not hurt anywhere… wah! Idi… idiot! Don't touch that!"
"Then you better check yourself well! Is there anywhere where you're hurt or feverish?"
Index cried out with tears in her eyes. Kamijou finally realized how worried she was, but he didn't know what to say in response, so he could only follow Index's orders and check his body.
"Um, there's some pain on my waist, but it's not so bad that I can't walk."
"Really? Are you really alright?"
"Yeah. To be honest, I'm already used to these sort of things. Fighting against espers in the alleys is rather dangerous. Also, during this summer, I've fought against a few magicians."
"Um… that's good…"
Index looks liked she was going to either smile or cry. Kamijou felt awkward and couldn't resist looking away.
"…So, now I can bite on Touma's head to my heart's content."
"WHAT!?"
When those terrifying words were heard, the beast-like girl leapt towards Kamijou's head.
"Wo— Ahhhhhhhhh! Wait a minute! Index! Is this what a girl will do when she's worried about whether another person is injured? You're creating a new wound in the process— KYAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Of course I must bite! You made me so worried! Who do you think you are!? Touma! Don't tell me you intended to beat a magician holding a large sword with a single fist? Are you crazy? Why didn't you use that weapon at your feet? And why did you still charge on when the enemy was saying that he would spare the amateur when he surrenders! What is our Touma doing?"
"Wait, wait! Wait a sec! Index-san! You're going to kill me if you continue biting me like this! It hurts! I understand! Everything is Kamijou Touma's fault, please don't bite with such force…!"
"Anyway… anyway… Touma, did you really think of all the possibilities? Do you really know how long it takes for the Amakusa to set up an anti-flame spell? Wouldn't you be cut in half if it completes before you can even imagine?"
"Why would I think that much? Actually, I thought that Stiyl would finish me off at the same time, it's just that he never did! I'm not even aware of what an anti-flame defense spell— KYAAAA! It hurts! I'm sorry! I'm wrong! Index-sama!"
Kamijou continued to scream an awful cry that he had never made even on the brink of death. After a while, Index finally let go, feeling satisfied.
"…Humph, stupid Touma, always up to crazy business."
Index gently said, letting her chin rest on Kamijou's hair.
To Index, who was tired from biting on Kamijou's head, this wasn't any different from sprawling on the table. But Kamijou's heart was now beating twice as fast. Besides being able to feel the girl's chin on his head, Kamijou felt her long silver hair stroking his face, giving off a sweet aroma. And more importantly, Index was hugging Kamijou from the front, so her chest was only about 2 cm from his nose. Now that Index's chest, which he hardly noticed, was right in front of him, Kamijou realized that there was a slight protrusion from it.
Wha… what's with these different types of attacks? Ah, I understand! Next, she'll realize that I'm looking at her chest, and continue to bite my head!
Kamijou became wary deep inside. However, Index unexpectedly let go of Kamijou without a single word.
She looked at the sky, as if she was opening her ears and listening to something.
"It's so quiet. It's hard to imagine that so many people were fighting just now."
"Yeah."
Kamijou casually agreed. Right now, silence would only give off a sense of tranquility. There was nobody swinging weapons around, nobody shouting about, no breakage that could be heard.
"Oi."
At that moment, Tatemiya Saiji, who was sitting far away from them, called out to Kamijou. He sounded anxious. Before Kamijou even started to turn around, Index had already raised her two hands and was standing in front of him, using herself as his shield.
Tatemiya stared at the duo,
"Bastard, can you help me remove these? I know you won't, but I'm just asking. I can't just leave her alone."
"What?"
Kamijou frowned. After thinking about it for a while, he realized that the "her" Tatemiya was referring to was Orsola Aquinas.
"Are you an idiot? How can I just let the most dangerous person go…"
"You're the idiot! Let me ask you something: do you really intend to hand her over to the Roman Catholic Church? You know what will happen if she goes back, don't you?"
"What?"
Kamijou was speechless.
"No, Touma."
Index was rather calm, and said,
"This person only uses words as a weapon; you must definitely not listen to him! Think: is there any benefit for the enemy to say the truth?"
"She'll be killed."
Tatemiya's words drowned out Index's.
"Listen well, I'll tell you what's going on. Don't hand her over to the Roman Catholic Church; they're intending to kill her."
"You're trying to tell me that you guys are Orsola's friends, and are trying to help her escape? Don't joke with me; there's no such stupid thing! You're the guys that snatched Orsola away! Not only that, you're the ones who stole The Book of the Law! In order to get its contents, you guys launched an all-out attack, kidnapped her, and now you have the guts to say that you're the good guys? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
As he was overly angry, Kamijou shouted until his throat was hoarse, as if he was about to damage it.
But Tatemiya didn't mind.
"We didn't steal The Book of the Law."
"Eh?"
"Think about it. Why would we steal The Book of the Law? The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian sect in the world with more than two billion believers. Would we fight against such a large group for merely The Book of the Law?"
"You can't take him seriously, Touma!"
Being anxious, Index's body went stiff, as she said with determination,
"We know that the Amakusa have become weak after losing their Priestess, so you're trying to use the mystical and powerful magic recorded in The Book of the Law to make up for the loss in power, right?"
"But what reason do we have to add on to our power?"
Tatemiya smiled.
The sweat flowing down his face revealed his anxiety to settle this as soon as possible.
Kamijou suspiciously asked,
"If your power isn't enough, wouldn't you guys lose out to other factions?"
"That'll be on the premise that others would attack us. The question is, how many times have the Amakusa been harmed in history? Don't tell me that you didn't think that we have countermeasures? Outsiders don't even know where our main base is. Also, on the special teleportation magic 'thumbnail tour' that Ino Tadataka was most proud of, there're still many 'portals' out there that nobody but us knows of."
"Ah…"
Kamijou felt that Tatemiya's words were starting to shake him up.
That was right. Among the many teleportation "portals", there were only twenty-three that they knew of.
"How is the enemy going to attack our main base when we're the only ones who know where it is?"
That was true, Kamijou thought.
The objective of that battle had been to save Orsola before the special teleportation magic activated. And the reason why they had to do this was that nobody knew where their main base was. Once the Amakusa escaped, Orsola's whereabouts would sink to the depths of the oceans.
In other words, nobody could attack their main base.
If so, was there any reason for them to defend themselves?
"So that means…"
The Amakusa were searching for The Book of the Law to defend themselves... by increasing their military strength?
Or…
"Hey, let me ask you something… What kind of grimoire is The Book of the Law?"
Since Tatemiya asked this, Kamijou, an outsider, could only look at Index. Index then proceeded to explain reluctantly.
"The Book of the Law is a grimoire written in a special code. The code itself is rather complicated... it can be said to be of a completely different language. In the past, the only one who everyone agreed could accurately decipher this book was the author, Edward Alexander, whose other name is Crowley. The author once said that the most important concept of The Book of the Law is 'to desire, and it'll be thy magic.' As for the other details, no one knows."
Index continued on,
"The Book of the Law records details that Aiwass elaborates on. It's still a mystery as to what Aiwass is. Some say that it's Crowley's guardian angel; some say that it's a criminal. As for the details, some believe that it teaches humans how to use angelic spells; and as the spells are too powerful, it's said that once The Book of the Law is opened, the Christian age will end, and a new era will begin."
"Here's the problem."
Tatemiya smiled as if there was some hidden meaning behind it.
"This is the crux. The power of The Book of the Law is really frightening. If humans can really use the angelic spells, I'm afraid that the Christian age will end within a day. When many people have power that far exceeds the Pope's, the power pyramid that the Church so carefully built will crumble."
Tatemiya paused, and then continued,
"But not everyone wants this power."
"Why? Although I'm not a magician, and it's unrelated to me, to you magicians, wouldn't getting stronger magic mean getting a higher standing?"
"What's the point of having a higher standing? To be honest, we have no intention of getting that power. No, I'll say that any normal Christian wouldn't want that power."
"But, didn't the Roman Catholic Church protect The Book of the Law in order to get its power?"
Kamijou was confused now. However, Index seemed to have understood what Tatemiya's trying to say, and couldn't help but look down.
"The answer is simple."
To the boy's naïve question, Tatemiya silently laughed, and answered,
"The Roman Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian sect, right at the top of the world. Do you think they'd wish for 'the Christian age to end from now on'?"
"Ah…"
Kamijou finally understood it.
In this age, a person with a higher status wouldn't want changes to happen; this was even more so for the people at the top.
"The Roman Catholic Church never wanted to have The Book of the Law as a weapon. They want to conquer the world, and not destroy it." Kamijou and Index remained silent.
The night seemed to get even darker.
"So, they decided to secretly eliminate Orsola Aquinas, the only one who has a chance of getting that power. But Orsola seems to have realized this, and tried her best to get to a place where the Roman Catholic Church has no stronghold in: Japan. Ironically, she arrived at the same time as when The Book of the Law was shipped here. After arriving in Japan, she tried her best to meet up with the local Christian group, which is us, the Amakusa. Finally, we agreed to help her."
Tatemiya sighed heavily, and said,
"The Book of the Law being stolen was just a bluff by the Roman Catholic Church? How can we steal it? They did this to come up with some connection between Orsola's disappearance and The Book of the Law. When the two disappear, everyone will agree that the kidnappers' objective is to decipher The Book of the Law. But if she were the only one who disappeared, some would think of other possibilities like 'She's running away from the Roman Catholic Church to save herself.'"
Good and evil, attack and defend, abduct and rescue…
Everything was reversed in Kamijou's view.
"Now, can you people say that the Roman Catholics are the good guys? Are you able to confidently say that Orsola Aquinas will be fine the moment she's handed over to them? Don't you have a single trace of suspicion?"
"…"
"If you're still unconvinced, tell me what you're basing your beliefs on. Otherwise, face that suspicion in your heart seriously! Think about it; anyone can understand who the enemy is now!"
Hearing Tatemiya Saiji's growls, Kamijou breathed deeply, and closed his eyes.
He sorted through every single piece of information in his head, and thought through every argument.
He thought carefully.
Which was saying the truth: the Roman Catholics or the Amakusa?
Was there anything amiss?
"No, I still can't trust you."
"…Why?"
"If what you said is true,"
Kamijou slowly said,
"Why did Orsola run away from you guys? The first time I met her, she was walking all the way to Academy City. At that time, Stiyl said that there had been a huge skirmish between the Roman Catholics and the Amakusa, and Orsola had run away from both sides' control during the chaos. If what you said is true, why did she run away?"
He continued,
"Your words may be false. Even if what you say is true, the enemy of the enemy doesn't mean they're my friend. So, right now, you must tell me: why did Orsola run away from you guys?"
If the Amakusa were really Orsola's friends, why had she run?
Hearing Kamijou voice his argument, Tatemiya just smiled slightly.
It was weak, as if he had given up on life.
"You're all the same."
"What same?"
"She's the same as you right now. She approached us first… but in the end, she was still unable to trust us completely. She must be thinking, 'These people have no reason to save me and go against the world's largest religious sect, the Roman Catholic Church. They must be thinking that we'll use the key to reading The Book of the Law as payment.'"
Kamijou remained silent.
Tatemiya seemed to be looking at Kamijou, and yet seemed to be looking at something far away.
"That's ridiculous. Why do we need The Book of the Law?"
"Then, why did you save Orsola?"
Kamijou cautiously asked.
Tatemiya replied without hesitation,
"Do we need a reason?"
He then continued,
"There's no reason from the beginning. This is how the Amakusa does things, especially for our generation. You're asking why our Priestess is able to be our leader at such a young age? In order to fulfill a child's wish, she dared to go against an evil dragon that can swallow a mountain. In order to fulfill the dying leader's wish, she was willing to protect a small village against thousands of enemies. Along the way, we were walking in her shadow. Although the time in which she led us was short, to us, it's eternal."
The way Tatemiya said this, it was like he was reminiscing the old days.
And it was like he was praising his family members.
"Because of her, we're able to walk onto the path of righteousness; we're not being led astray, and we don't abuse our power. While it's easy to just say it, she taught this through action. She used her actions to show that humans can be strong and benevolent, that doing this isn't difficult."
For quite some time, everyone remained silent.
Finally, Tatemiya broke the silence by gnashing his teeth.
"…But we ruined her life."
"What?"
"It's our deaths and immaturity that hurt the Priestess. Everyone around her died, and only she was alive. She thinks that it's all her responsibility... What a joke! Fighting alongside her on the battlefield is our wish, being beaten on the battlefield is our incompetence, and we have to be responsible for all of it. But in the end, after this outcome, she willingly left her home despite it not being her fault."
Tatemiya sounded bitter, as if there was a knife poking through his face.
There was touching emotions flowing from this resentful speech that was barely squeezing from his throat.
"Our immaturity robbed her of her home, so we need to give her back a home. In this home, we'll fight to prevent anyone from getting hurt or pained or losing their smile. In this home, we can unite everyone's strength to protect just one person's happiness and not be swayed. So when Orsola Aquinas came to us for help, we agreed. A group that'll do this willingly is a suitable home for her."
In other words, they were a group that wouldn't fight for power or profit. They fought for themselves, without desiring any benefits.
But it was hard for anyone to understand their motives, so Orsola misunderstood all that.
Of course, Tatemiya's words didn't seem to be true yet.
Kamijou really wanted to trust him, but there wasn't any proof. To trust him, he had to have proof to verify it. Kamijou gnashed his teeth. Which side was saying the truth? Which side was saying a lie? Kamijou tried to compute this in his head.
Right at that moment, there was a loud scream from afar.
No, a "scream" simply wasn't enough to describe it.
A blood-curdling cry, a screech, a wail. If one were to describe it, it could barely be called a "lady's scream". But Kamijou wasn't certain that that was the scream of a human. It sounded like a sharp scratch on a piece of glass or a blackboard that made people feel weird when they heard it. But in the voice, there was a shocking amount of human emotions mixed in. Fear, rejection, despair, and pain; a large number of emotions began to pour out like a sponge saturated with mud water being squeezed.
Index looked at Kamijou, but Kamijou didn't look back.
"Or… sola?"
"Let me confirm something with you guys… did you tell her that you're handing her over to the Roman Catholic Church? I believe she trusts you, and not the Roman Catholics?"
"…"
This reminded Kamijou of his conversation with Orsola a while back.
"May I confirm it again. You're here to help on request from the Anglican Church, right?"
―Why had Orsola Aquinas asked that question so carefully?
"Yeah."
―Why had she look relieved upon hearing his words?
"In other words, you're here on the Anglican Church's instructions, and not the Roman Catholic Church's, right?"
―She had even tried to confirm it again.
"Eh… it's not really that formal. Ah, let me clarify first, I can't help you do anything for the Anglican Church, since I'm a resident of Academy City."
―A seemingly meaningless reply had seemed to make her feel relieved.
"I… see."
―How many thoughts were involved in that sentence?
Up until now, she had always trusted Kamijou Touma.
She had always thought that Kamijou Touma was someone that could be relied on.
"…Damn it."
Kamijou gnashed his teeth, and turned to look at the direction of that cry's origin.
Come to think of it, when Kamijou had first met her, he should have risked his life to bring her back to Academy City. She'd have been a lot safer if he had done that.
"What the hell, what on earth is going on?"
"Don't panic, it's not a cry she'd make before she dies. There are rules in the Roman Catholic Church that they can't kill Orsola Aquinas here; I can attest to that."
"What?"
"In other words, we can still save her as long as we move quickly. But she'll be in danger if we continue to dilly-dally. The situation is really urgent. It doesn't matter if you don't trust me; leave our grudges aside! Right now, the most important thing is to ensure Orsola's safety! Even if we are still enemies!"
Tatemiya shouted frantically, indicating that they couldn't delay any longer.
"But you must promise me, bring Orsola Aquinas back from the Roman Catholics! Bring her somewhere where the Roman Catholic Church can't find her!"
Tatemiya looked serious.
That even made Kamijou feel uncertain.
At that moment…
Footsteps could be heard. Kamijou turned to look at where these footsteps were coming from. Two nuns wearing black robes came from the darkness. They were most likely Roman Catholics. One of them was tall, while the other was short. The tall one was carrying a large carriage wheel that was much larger than a round table, while the short one had four leather bags hanging on her waist belt. The bags were rattling around, and they seemed to be filled with coins or something like that. The bags were about as large as softballs, and if coins were put in them, each would probably be as heavy as the ball used in a shot put.
The taller nun took out an old leather-covered notebook, and flipped open its contents, checking it. She then nodded, and walked towards Kamijou. It seemed like there was a photo of him inside.
"You're the assistant that's not affiliated with us, right? Please hand over the leader of the heretics to us. The enemy of God is… him, right?"
Before the tall nun finished speaking, the shorter nun walked towards Tatemiya, who was covered with rune cards.
The four bags on her waists started to rattle continuously.
"Ah, wait a moment."
Kamijou shouted, but the short girl didn't seem to hear. She was about to pull Tatemiya, but froze, and didn't do so. She then circled around Tatemiya a few times, examining the rune cards covering him.
And the tall nun's eyes were now staring at Kamijou.
"Is there a problem?"
"Before you leave, I'd like to see Orsola."
"I'm sorry, but we cannot grant your request. Although Orsola is safe right now, it's not completely safe when the enemy's power isn't clear. In this situation, we'll have to follow the regulations and think of her safety. We'll send a letter of invitation to you when she returns to Rome."
A perfect, flawless answer.
This made Kamijou even more suspicious.
"No, I can't comply with that. What was that scream all about? That was Orsola screaming, right? You said that she's protected right now, so why would a person being protected let out that kind of scream? Anyway, I want to have one last look, just one, and say a few words. There shouldn't be a problem, right? We won't meet in quite a while, so let me do this as a final farewell, okay?"
"But according to the regulations…"
"Come on! Do you have to be so fussy about the regulations? Where's Agnese? I'll ask her directly."
Kamijou placed his hand on her shoulder, and pushed her aside.
"…"
The tall nun looked down, like she was helpless against a guy who caused people to worry all the time. She grabbed the large wheel on her back, and placed it in front of her like a shield.
Suddenly, Index looked worried—
"No! Touma—!!"
Before the girl's shout finished, *BAM!*, the carriage wheel exploded.
"…!"
In an instant, Kamijou didn't understand what happened. Several thousand pieces of shrapnel flew towards him at an alarming velocity like a shotgun. Sensing this, he used his arms to protect his head and chest. Then, numerous pieces of shrapnel hit his arms, legs, and stomach. Just when he felt pain, his feet left the ground. Ping Piang! He was knocked back about five to six meters.
Index let out a short scream.
From the corner of his eye, Kamijou saw Tatemiya desperately trying to stand up, but the flames of the runes burned up several strands of hair on his head, causing him to not dare to act rashly. He grimaced in pain like a dog being yanked by the chain on its neck.
The shorter nun seemed to panic. She looked at the taller nun, and said,
"Sis-Sister Lucia! Is… is… is this really alright? Didn't Sister Agnese say that we have to avoid conflicts against our guests?"
"Shut up, Sister Angelene! Damn, this is why I proposed to not allow the outsiders to act on their own, and we should chase them away quickly! All the blame will have to go to that Agnese, giving such a naïve order to leave them alone. Now she's really given me quite a fix…"
Having been given a glare from the taller nun, the short nun didn't dare to talk back. The tall nun then muttered to herself, trying to calm herself down.
Her expression changed. Although the change was rather abstract, he could feel it. The tall nun stared at Kamijou, her two eyes reminding him of hot, melting butter.
Kamijou was surprised. He couldn't believe that she was one of the nuns who had given him bread and soup at the camp.
"If this guy wasn't suspicious about that scream, this'd be so much simpler… Damn it, what have I done wrong? I've been touched on the shoulder by a non-believer! Sister Angelene! Quick! Get me some soap- no, some sanitizer! This is too much! Damn it! Tell me the next time you want to talk to me! I have to wear the mud-blocking apron!"
The tall nun was beginning to look flushed.
Her head was swaying about, but her tone was abnormally monotonous.
"Irritating things just come along one after another! This is unbearable. I'll set it up such that it looks like you guys were killed by the Amakusa. Hm, this should be the easiest way to go. After that, I'll kill them off; that'll be perfect." The tall nun looked like she was standing on a stage and saying lines from a flawed script.
Hearing such a terrifying thing, Kamijou was unable to reply.
As the shrapnel were just numerous pieces of wood and not sharp knives, the wounds were rather shallow.
But those pieces of shrapnel that had gotten under his skin suddenly vibrated.
"KWA-AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Kamijou screamed. Pieces of shrapnel popped out of his flesh like an axe being pulled out from a tree trunk. The shrapnel, now stained with blood, returned to the nun's hand like they were being pulled away with a magnet. They came together like a jigsaw puzzle being pieced together, forming back to the carriage wheel.
"Touma!"
Index cried, and frantically tried to get back to him, but the tall nun turned and glared at her, shouting,
"Sister Angelene!"
"Ah, yes!"
The petite nun uttered, hurriedly pulled off the four bags of coins on her waist, and threw them above herself. The bags suddenly gave off a loud sound like a large piece of cloth being slapped onto a wall. Also, each bag sprouted six sharp wings like those of a swallow. The four bags radiated different colors: red, blue, yellow, green.
"Viene. Una persona dodici apostli. Lo schiavo basso che rovina rovina un mago mentre e quelli che raccolgono. (Come out, one of the twelve apostles, tax collector and lowly servant of the eradicating magician.)"
The petite nun raised both her hands high, as if she was hugging the sky.
In an instant, *Shua!*, the green coin bag flew past Index like a bullet, and slammed at her feet. It splits the ground like a sturdy root, and created a rattling sound.
"Damn it… ah?"
Index was about to retreat, but she tripped. Looking closely, the rope seal of the coin bag that had slammed onto the ground unraveled itself, and tied Index's legs. Just when Index was looking at her feet, the remaining three coin bags flew up into the air and out of her range of vision.
Kamijou went pale instantly.
No…! If those things hit her!
The coin bags were likely heavier than the metal balls used in a shot put competition. Index, whose legs were tied up, would definitely be unable to escape, and she couldn't possibly block the attack with her hands.
"Damn it! INDEX!"
Kamijou shouted, and attempted to get back to Index. Luckily, the coin bag that was tied to Index's feet must be controlled by magic. It would release itself the moment Kamijou hit it with his right fist.
At that moment…
"You should worry about yourself, and try thinking about how to make yourself die a not-so-painful death."
Looking around, the tall nun carrying the large carriage wheel was floating above him. The center of the wheel was aimed at Kamijou like the barrel of a gun as he stumbled on his way.
—!?
Kamijou trembled until his throat went dry. Punching the wheel with his right hand, and the wheel exploding; no matter how anyone looked at it, the former would definitely be slower.
"O non-believer, have you heard of 'The Legend of the Wheel'?"
The tall nun laughed madly, like she was intoxicated,
"Since ancient times, many Saints were martyred or executed stupidly by those in power. In this history full of torture and executions, the shadow of a wheel can be seen."
Kamijou didn't want to listen to her nonsense, but the wheel in front of him was restricting his movements. During this time, the three coin bags may be plummeting towards Index from several meters above.
"These wheels have several nails or blades that can slice and dice Saints up. But in many legends, the wheel mysteriously explodes the moment it touches a Saint, like St. George who subdued a dragon or St. Catherine of Alexandria. Notably, when St. Catherine was executed, the shrapnel of the exploded wheel even killed the four thousand people who were there watching her execution. The significance of this 'Wheel Legend' is…"
The tall nun said this rather slowly, which made Kamijou even more panicky. The three coin bags that were aimed at Index would come flying down at the speed of a cannonball, and smash her head apart.
Seeing Kamijou so nervous that he was sweating, the tall nun couldn't help but smirk from behind the wheel.
"The innocent are not punished, and the guilty are... Realize this now, non-believer; your end has come. Stupid Sister Orsola will be executed once the special 'procedures' are complete, but killing you guys won't be such a hassle."
"Peh…"
Kamijou's thoughts were occupied on Index who was all tied up, wondering what he could do to save her. At that moment, the wheel in front of him started to crack. As if time had slowed down, with the central axis of the wheel as the vertex, the wheel started to split into six equal pieces like a pizza, and rapidly expanded outwards.
"Woo… OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Kamijou clenched his right fist, and roared. But it was too late, he couldn't make it. Before Kamijou's fist was raised, the wheel in the tall nun's hand had already given off a loud sound.
*BAM!*, the wheel flew sideways.
Of course, this wasn't what the tall nun wanted, neither was it the doing of the boy's right fist.
It was the coin bags.
The red six-winged coin bag that was originally aimed at Index's head slammed into the executioner wheel with a stunning speed. The impact caused the wheel to fly out of the tall nun's hand, and after bouncing several times on the ground, it rolled into the darkness. The bag was also damaged, as coins of different sizes flew out of the bag. It was unknown which country they were from, though.
The tall nun who had lost her weapon frantically landed from above Kamijou's head, and pulled distance from him. She then glared at the petite nun.
"Sister Angelene! You—!!"
"No… It's not me…"
The tall nun growled like a wild animal while the petite nun, now pale with fright, frantically explained.
"C T R T T O P A O (The remaining three, gather at one spot, and stick together)."
At that moment, Index's clear voice rang out…
The next moment…
*PA!*, the sound of metal bending echoed through the air. The rope seal of the green coin bag that was tying up Index's feet unraveled. Together with the blue and yellow bags, the green bag went flying towards the petite girl at a terrifying speed.
The three bags collided two centimeters in front of Angelene's nose, and stopped. The giant pressure caused several hundred pieces of coins to coagulate into one large lump of metal. *Dong!*, it landed near the petite nun's feet.
The petite nun gave a stiff yet mysterious smile as she landed on her butt.
"The bags of gold represent Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles. He once beat two fire dragons using just the cross and prayer. Infusing Telesma into the coin bags can change them into aerial weapons that will automatically lock on to enemies."
Index calmly gave her cruel evaluation.
"But the method is too crude. The chant is too long, and it's not really a secret code. You don't care about your surroundings as you focus too much on casting it, so you'll get stopped easily."
Kamijou was completely unaware of what was going on. Index should have been unable to use magic. It was unknown how she was able to hijack the petite girl's spell and control it.
"…Using the enemy's spell through a self-destruct or wrong direction?"
The tall nun looked around her, smacked her mouth, and readied herself. Losing her weapon didn't dampen her fighting spirit. She slowly drew a cross in front of her chest.
At that moment, a sharp whistle sound came from afar.
*TWEET—!*, it was like the cry of a bird.
The tall nun heard this, and angrily turned to look at the night sky.
"It's a retreat order! Sister Angelene!"
"Ah… eh…? But… but we… haven't beaten the enemy yet…"
"We'll talk after we retreat. It seems that the remnants of the Amakusa are being released by the Anglican. Working on our own will affect the entire team's operations, and even Orsola's delivery. To us, that's a much more serious problem."
The tall nun ran into the darkness, and the petite nun followed suit.
"Now you understand?"
Tatemiya Saiji looked at the night sky, and reluctantly said,
"This is what the Roman Catholic Church, the world's largest Christian sect, does beneath the surface."