With the Daihaseisai underway, Academy City is full of activity.
Using that opportunity, a trade for "Stab Sword", a spiritual weapon capable of killing Saints in one blow, is taking place.
The name of the courier is Oriana Thomson.
And I just happened to stumble across someone who seems to be her...
UTW & Mazui Presents
Toaru Majutsu no Index
yubi de hajiku koin mitsumeta
I watched the coin as I flicked it from my finger
omote nara go ura wa stay
Heads means go, tails means stay
mazu kotae wo kikasete
But first, let me hear your answer
douka oshiete kuremasen ka
"Could you please tell me?"
tenshi wa misadameru egao no mama
The angels kept their smiles while judging us
mayoe sono te wo hiku mono nado inai
Lose your path! No one will hold your hand along the way
kami ga kudasu sono kotae wa fukou datta
The answer God gave was unfortunate
sou sore koso kami kara no okurimono
Yes, that is what God's gift is
norikoetara miete kuru sa dakara ima sugu
You'll see once you overcome it, so for now...
No buts!
Route Disturb Trace Sealer
Hello, Kami-yan.
I'm at the spot where Oriana may make the trade—
Tsuchimikado...
I just shook hands with someone, and my Imagine Breaker destroyed something.
I don't know what I destroyed, but she doesn't seem to be a student...
Is she carrying anything big?
Yeah, she's carrying what looks to be a display board.
Where are you right now, Kami-yan?
I'm following her at the moment.
I'll send you my GPS coordinates, so use that to find me.
She noticed me!
Who is it, Kami-yan?
Uh... she's that blonde woman wearing work clothes.
Those two sure are pros.
I agreed not to use my magic while in town, but I can't underestimate them.
Looks like her path has changed now.
Did she change her mind?
A bus terminal?
It's a maintenance area for automatic buses.
A trap?!
Get down, Kami-yan!
Your turn to shine.
Quit screwing around!
Actually, I think this is some pretty awesome team play.
Assigning specific roles allows us to understand and act better.
Why you...
Like I said, go do your part!
And I said give me a break!
Stiyl, set up your rune cards here and stay on standby.
I'll handle the courier.
Got it.
So, what will you do, Kami-yan?
It'd be safer for you to just stay here.
I...
Yeah, it'll be safer to just stay here.
For my safety, not yours.
These are just decoys to buy time!
She'll escape if you try to take them all out!
I got it already!
There she is!
Kami-yan, I'm counting on you.
Counting on me for what?
The "Route Disturb", Oriana Thomson, huh?
Damn it!
S-Sorry!
Are you okay?
Oh no, it's my fault.
This spell is "All-Direction Rational Formation".
We'll use this to discover Oriana's current location.
Isn't it bad for you to use magic?
That's why I'll need some help.
Convey the wind; not the air, but your will here.
"Convey the wind; not the air, but your will here"... right?
Stiyl!
Kami-yan!
Hit Stiyl's body!
What was that?!
It felt like an anti-tracking defense spell...
Nope, there aren't any traces of that.
It would appear that she cast an automatic counterattack spell that responds to Stiyl's unique magical profile.
What the hell?
Does that mean Stiyl can't use magic against Oriana anymore?
Damn, that's a pretty annoying trick she put together.
Analyzing my vitality from a single piece of flesh...
Not only did she reverse calculate with ease, but she even counterattacked...
Route Disturb lives up to her reputation.
Route Disturb?
That's Oriana Thomson's magician name.
Though, I seem to remember seeing this inhuman "auto-processing" method before.
But it can't be...
There's no way she'd have it...
No, Stiyl.
I'm thinking the same thing.
Seriously?
But if that's true, she's not just a magician, but a sorcerer, too!
What are you talking about?
And what does she have?
By compacting magical knowledge into a container,
the knowledge itself will result in a type of magical formation regardless of the container's will.
An original grimoire copy.
But for her to create a grimoire specifically for the situation...
That's just...
It may be an original, but it's still a rough copy.
It only has limited effects, and will self-destruct quickly.
I guess you could call it a "Shorthand."
So what do we do about it?
We'll start with destroying the automatic counterattack spell so that Stiyl can use magic again.
While we do that, there's a possibility she'll escape beyond our search range...
I don't think she'd take the time to set up a counterattack spell if she knew she could escape so easily.
Stiyl.
Use some magic. I don't care what kind.
"Divining Circle Formation."
This is a magical formation that has yet to be used and does not require the use of one's mana.
It responds to the energy of a magical counterattack spell and calculates the direction and distance of the spell's origin.
Now, then...
Hey, Tsuchimikado!
If we use that once again, Stiyl will—
"Once" again?
Where did you get that idea?
We're going to do this as many times as it takes to discover the location of the Shorthand.
Why you...
Kami-yan.
Let me remind you of something you seem to have forgotten.
This is a battle with lives on the line.
Countries, or even the world could collapse, depending on the outcome.
Let's do this.
But you'll—
You lack resolve, Kamijou Touma.
If it can put an end to this, then it's worth the trouble.
In return, find the location of the counterattack spell no matter what!
Okay!
I'll also make sure Index can carry on living like she has in Academy City.
I'm sure you'd request that as well, right?
Kamijou Touma.
It annoys me that you're here right now.
Why aren't you with her?
If she becomes unhappy as a result of this,
it'll all be your fault!
I wanted to change into this and surprise Touma, too...
But he just ran off somewhere...
You don't have to be so sad, Sister-chan...
I'm sure Kamijou-chan had a good reason...
That Kamijou Touma!
Disappearing right when I take my eyes off him, sheesh...
Sensei!
Fukiyose-chan!
What are you doing outside school?
If she's just a little dizzy, we can use a stimulus like spice powder to bring her to.
N-No...
It's fine! It's fine, Fukiyose-chan!
Really?
Touma...
Where could Touma have gone?
There it is!
The "Divining Circle Formation" is responding.
Hey, Kami-yan!
Could you get me a map?
Don't you have that GPS map on your cellphone?
Then that would put this around—
Tsuchimikado!
Why do we have go this far?!
Why did Stiyl have to injure himself?
Kami-yan.
He's a professional magician.
He at least has some level of resistance against magical attacks.
Tsuchimikado, you...
The "Divining Circle Formation" responds to incoming magic attacks and shows me its direction and distance.
Did you think I could break out something so convenient without using magic?
If I were able to use magic more effectively, Stiyl wouldn't have ended up like this.
I know that, and you can curse me all you want for it.
But I'm still going to find the Shorthand and destroy it, no matter what.
And I will definitely capture Oriana and crush this Stab Sword transaction with my own hands.
Kami-yan, the map.
Show me what's 302 meters northwest of here.
The Shorthand should be there.
O-Okay...
This is...
A middle school?!
10 minutes until the Middle School Ball-Toss Contest
At the competition grounds?
It's just about to start...
The spectators and press are already there.
We can't be sneaky now.
What do we do then?!
We can't just leave it there!
We'll have to slip in as contestants.
Are you serious?
We're high schoolers!
There's no way we can sneak into a middle school competition...
Damn it!
That counterattack spell may endanger other people too.
Huh?
Do you know what the most basic magic ritual in the world is?
Touch.
There's a possibility that an ordinary person may activate the counterattack spell just by touching it.
If that happens, it'll be very dangerous for them due to their lack of magical resistance.
Anyway, Kami-yan...
We have to deal with the counterattack spell before we have casualties to deal with!
Got it!
And with that...
Kami-yan!
Excuse me!
We're in the contest that's about to start, but do we have to participate looking like this...?
There are cameras too...
Wow, guys.
Don't you have spare PE clothes?
Oh right, we do!
They're in the clubroom though...
Well, hurry up and go change then.
It's the rules, so just let me check your IDs first.
Tsuchimikado—
Yep, yep.
Why didn't you wipe your hand before using it?!
Ah, whatever. Just go.
They won't let you join if you're late.
Thank you!
Hey!
Are we really going to sneak in looking like this?
Don't worry, they must have spare clothes in the infirmary.
The next contest will be the Ball Toss between 200 students from Minamizawa Middle School and 20 students from Tokiwadai Middle School.
You can smell the dread from their side.
My, how filthy.
What the heck is this?
What the hell are you doing there?! Huh?!
What, Tokiwadai Middle School?!
They're full of powerful espers!
Yeah.
Well, just watch out for flying balls, Kami-yan.
Okay...
Assuming the Shorthand was cast here somewhere, where would it be?
I think those baskets are the most suspicious.
Since they're likely to have been borrowed from somewhere else,
she may have cast it on one of them before they were brought in.
I'm going to check out each of those poles.
Your turn will come once we find the Shorthand.
Daihaseisai Administration Station
On your marks...
Get set...
Start!
Woah.
Don't hesitate!
Let's get in there, Kami-yan!
O-Okay!
Tsuchimikado!
Not this one.
Next one!
Kami-yan! This isn't it either!
Watch out!
Kami-yan!
Use my back!
Quick, get away!
Come on...
Do you seriously...
...want me to take the punishment that badly?!
Sheesh...
You were in danger, so I had no choice.
Misaka!
Wait, Misaka!
Wh-What is it?
Listen Misaka, I'll tell you everything later...
But just get away from there!
What are you talking about now?
And why are you here in the first place?
Explain that firs—
Out of the way!
Misaka.
Just be quiet and come here.
It's dangerous there!
A-Are you an idiot?
I'll be perfectly fine even without you coming to save me...
And what do you mean, "tell me"?
Like I said, I'll tell you later!
It's dangerous there!
I don't want you to get hurt!
Even so...
You don't have to worry about me so much over a little contest like this...
Geez, saying weird things like that out of the blue...
Don't surprise me like that...
Wh-What?
Like I said...
Don't move.
Uh... um...
Oh no...
Crap, could you not be feeling well, Misaka?
Maybe you have a fever—
I'm not sick or anything!
Tsuchimikado!
It's this pole!
Nogi Middle School Equipment
...never mind.
Kamijou Touma!
What do you think you're doing here?
I ran here to see what the fuss was, and I find you here?
Anyway, I'm calling an end to this match!
Fukiyose!
Wh-What?
Kami-yan, touch Fukiyose!
She's not a magician!
Her body won't be able to take any more!
Fukiyose, are you okay?
Fukiyose!
I get it now, Oriana Thomson.
If this is how you're going to do things...
If you're going to drag innocent people into this...
And feel absolutely nothing as you watch it all happen...
Then I will take that damn illusion of yours...
...and completely destroy it with this fist of mine!
karamatta unmei mo kaete ikeru kara
Because I can change even entwined fates
subete wa kono te no naka ni aru
Everything is in my hand
dare ni mo makenai chikara ga koko ni nai nara
If I do not have an undefeatable power
imagine nante kowashite shimaeba ii
I'll simply destroy the illusion
harimeguru system back up install wa OK
The backup installation of the extended system is OK
kami sae mo shirienai fiirudo ga hiraku
And the field even God does not know of expands
juuman no deeta mo isshun no mirakuru sae
For the hundred thousand pieces of data
and instantaneous miracles
suisoku fukanou na ikiteru katachi dakara
Are unpredictable living bodies
In a magic world exciting time and space there's no limit
In a magic world, there's no limit to exciting time and space
dareka wo mamoreru chikara ga hoshii
I want the power to protect someone
karamatta unmei mo kaete ikeru kara
Because I can change even entwined fates
subete wa kono te no naka ni aru
Everything is in my hand
Next Episode Preview
Fukiyose collapsed.
And as for Stiyl and Tsuchimikado...
If the cause of this conflict is the Stab Sword...
Then I will destroy it, without fail!
Next time: Shorthand.
When science and magic cross, the story begins.