But if he didn’t do at least this much, he wouldn’t be able to face Xóchitl.
“First, there’s something I’d like your help with.”
The contract was formed.
In exchange for the girl’s life, Mitsuki Unabara plunged onward, down ever darker paths.
11
Sugitani stood there for a while, silent, his large handgun still pointed in front of him.
Accelerator was facedown on the floor.
He smelled the particular stench of gunpowder bursting.
The scent of blood mixed with it.
However.
It wasn’t his.
A hole had opened up in his chest—the victim was Sugitani, the one who should have had an absolute advantage.
“Wh…? How…?”
The man wobbled slightly.
He leaned back against a wall and slid to the floor as the strength drained out of him.
Mirroring his actions in reverse, Accelerator slowly rose.
It certainly didn’t seem like he’d lost his electrode’s assistance, but the remote-control device in Sugitani’s hand was definitely working. He shouldn’t have been able to use the electrode…
“You noticed the modifications in my crutch, didn’t you?” Accelerator growled. “All these legs for helping with independent walking, the motors, the sensors—they were all dummies. Its actual purpose is to jam the specific waves you were using to control my electrode.”
“What…?”
“If I used only regular interference waves, it would mess up the electromagnetic waves the Misaka network uses. That wouldn’t do me any good. So I waited for you bastards to use yours. Then, I did a rigorous analysis of the frequency, calculated the proper waves to jam only that frequency, and built it into my crutch.”
Yes: When the camper was under attack, Shiokishi’s people had been using their remote-control waves. Accelerator had taken advantage of that and acquired a sample of their specific wavelengths.
So now, their remote-control frequency would always meet with interference from the crutch and never make it to his electrode.
That meant Accelerator hadn’t lost his ability, he could walk on his own, and he could hold a proper conversation.
He took the gun from his pants belt and pointed it at Sugitani.
“This is how evil does things,” said the monster, sounding exasperated with the concept. “You, me—not one thing is different. And don’t get me wrong—I’m not a good guy. If you used the same method, that makes you a grand villain in your own right.”
Sugitani grinned a little.
A moment later, two triggers pulled back.
Two gunshots resounded.
Accelerator’s bullet thrust into Sugitani’s body, while Sugitani’s bullet was deflected.
“…What a bore.”
Accelerator flipped back his electrode switch and proceeded in farther.
“If you’re going to call yourself a good guy, you could at least try to play the part.”
Sugitani had lost consciousness and was just barely breathing.
This was Accelerator’s own brand of evil.
12
Kinuhata sat on the underground mall’s floor, breathing in the flame-heated air.
Stephanie lay nearby.
Hamazura and Takitsubo were apparently past the wall of flame, but it would be too much of a hassle to plunge through it and meet up with them. A better idea would be to get back aboveground first, then regroup.
Kinuhata rubbed her scraped-up cheek with a hand, then looked over to the assassin, who lay next to her.
“…I might be crazy strong, but you went a little too far there.”
“Well, I was fighting for Mr. Sunazara. This was me holding back, I think,” responded Stephanie from where she lay, coughing up blood as she spoke.
Tough woman, thought Kinuhata. “Anyway, you had that shotgun beforehand, but seriously, how the heck did you get a Hexawing attack helicopter to chase us? Do you have other allies?”
“…?”
There was an unnatural silence.
It gave Kinuhata a sinking feeling, so she insisted: “Seriously, how did you get a Hexawing helicopter to chase us?”
“What are you talking about?” answered Stephanie, somewhat taken aback. “If I could have gotten an attack helicopter in a city like this, I would have just outranged you from a distance.”
Kinuhata froze.
What was that all about, then?
There had definitely been a Hexawing chasing after the stolen car Hamazura was driving. The unmanned weapon was meant for Academy City airspace defense. It wasn’t easy to get your hands on.
The woman on the phone said she hadn’t been involved. The girl in the dress, too, said she wouldn’t be doing things the hard way if she could acquire something like that.
And if even Stephanie said she wasn’t connected…
Other people besides her are coming after us? For real? And it’s someone with enough authority to, like, order a Hexawing to sortie … ?
It happened just as she was thinking about it.
Ba-bam!!
The concrete walls around Kinuhata suddenly exploded.
Once they fell, a black-clad special forces team immediately closed in.
They weren’t for arresting Stephanie.
In fact, most of them broke off to capture Kinuhata instead.
“Hamazura!!” she yelled, now immobilized on the ground. “Get the heck out of here! They’re not after me! I think it’s you they want!!”
Yes.
Saiai Kinuhata was, to be sure, someone with a powerful ability and a unique position. But that meant she could guess how much value she had, and how many people would be after her.
The Hexawing from before didn’t match the conditions, which meant she could assume that when it went after the stolen car, the reason must have been a more unknown factor—Shiage Hamazura.
“…!!” Hamazura shouted something from past the flames, but Takitsubo pulled on his arm, urging him to flee.
He wavered for a few moments, then appeared to go along with Takitsubo. Kinuhata knew it was the right choice. She possessed useful value as combat personnel for Academy City. The chances they’d discard her while she was still usable were slim, and she intended to maneuver things so that wouldn’t happen.
After Hamazura and Takitsubo left, Kinuhata heard the clapping of feet from the mall’s entrance. She looked in that direction, still pinned to the ground. A girl in a dress approached.
She used an ability called Heart Measure, and with Item and School gone, she was supposedly one of the members of the new team assembled from the survivors.
The pair, officially allies on paper, glared at each other.
“What are you even doing?” Kinuhata grumbled.
“I didn’t understand the orders one bit, either. I can’t believe they’d put me on a job with leftovers of the Hound Dogs. I’d even listen to you if you could explain it.” The girl in the dress waved her off. “Did you know Aleister is putting together some sort of plan and executing it?”
Kinuhata frowned.
The girl in the dress ignored it. “Irregular factors like Touma Kamijou and Accelerator are apparently controllable enough to fit inside the scope of his Plan. That’s why he can keep his Plan centered, and even if they go out of control, he can take advantage of whatever happens to benefit his Plan in any number of ways,” she said. “I don’t know what the Plan entails, exactly. But anyway, Shiage Hamazura isn’t like them.”
There was a short silence.
The girl in the dress continued, “That Level Zero was a factor who was supposed to have been killed in the fight between the five units. Despite all that, he somehow managed to take down the fourth-ranked Level Five, Shizuri Mugino, by himself, and he’s still alive…Even Aleister couldn’t have perfectly predicted that, it seems.”
As the men held her to the ground, Kinuhata desperately thought about this.
Was w
hat this girl saying true?
“Shiage Hamazura, a Level Zero who should have had no power and no role. Now he’s trying to gain something on his own. Some new, real value that even Aleister doesn’t know about.”
And then the girl in the dress looked down at Kinuhata as if to provoke her.
Or perhaps, to try to get answers out of her.
“Apparently, depending on how things turn out, that could damage Aleister’s Plan even more than Touma Kamijou or Accelerator. That’s why he’s bringing Academy City’s full force to bear to erase him…What do you think? Do you really think he’s worth that much?”
He didn’t know what was going on.
But he kept on running anyway.
Shiage Hamazura and Rikou Takitsubo ran hand in hand through the city enveloped by the night. They came out of the underground mall, burst through the crowds, and jumped onto the roof of a freight train, which was still running despite the late hour. Hunkered down and panting atop the freight car, they went straight through the stations and charged swiftly through tunnels. But no matter how many deep breaths they took, the stamina they lost wouldn’t come back.
But their pursuers came anyway.
They didn’t seem like an average team. There were black shadows running alongside the fast-moving train. Before they knew it, their hunters jumped onto the train car roof, several of the figures inching closer to them. This wasn’t something a person could do with a little special training. These people were like urban legends at this point. If these guys ever saw the bogeyman, they’d probably punch him in the face. There was no way he could fight and win.
But Hamazura had one idea…Hard Taping. Are they wrapping their entire bodies in the same electrically extending cloth springs Komaba used?!
But the goddess of luck smiled on Hamazura and Takitsubo then. Just before the figures could catch up to them, the freight train decelerated, probably closing in on its destination. Supporting Takitsubo’s small form, Hamazura jumped off the train before it completely stopped. He nearly tumbled onto the gravel and bloodied himself, but he barely managed to keep his balance.
He had no idea what district this was, but he flung open a door set into the tunnel wall and flew in desperation down the narrow corridor. How far did he have to run? How long would he have to keep fleeing? None of the conditions were clear, which meant he couldn’t concoct any detailed plans. For now, in this moment, he ran with all his might. Ran through a marathon that went on forever, one he’d started without even knowing the course.
But Hamazura had support.
Takitsubo was at his side.
He’d been chased once before by the fourth-ranked Level Five, Shizuri Mugino. He’d been in a life-or-death situation then, and he’d had to fight on his own. But this time, he wasn’t alone. The most reliable friend he had was at his side. That meant he wasn’t as nervous as before. He would shake them somehow, and he even went so far as to consider how he would rescue the captive Kinuhata.
Unfortunately—
His support was suddenly on the verge of breaking.
Hamazura felt a tug at his sleeve. That’s what he’d thought anyway, but when he turned around, that wasn’t what had happened. The pink-tracksuited Takitsubo had nearly collapsed on the corridor’s floor, still grasping his hand.
“Hey, Takitsubo?”
He hastily tried to hold her up, but she was strangely heavy. It wasn’t the weight of a person who had strength left. It was a sensation like holding a big bag of mud, and it set all his hairs on end.
“Hama…zura…”
“What’s wrong? Hey, Takitsubo! What the hell’s wrong?!” he shouted in a fluster, but somewhere in his mind, he’d predicted this.
To begin with, Rikou Takitsubo had just gotten out of the hospital. She didn’t sound like she was feeling good when she called him from the private salon facility in District 3, either. And when they’d reunited there, Takitsubo had been unconscious.
She’d relapsed.
In her current condition, there was no way she could sprint for an extended period of time. Escape when her life was constantly in peril was an impossibility.
But the enemy wouldn’t wait. All this time, their unknown pursuers were getting closer.
“Takitsubo, can you stand?” Hamazura asked as she continued to sweat profusely, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.
In response, she looked into his eyes and said, “Get out of here, Hamazura.”
His heart and mind were nearly at their breaking point, and those words battered them even more.
“At this rate…we’ll both be captured. So you…escape on your own, please.”
Stop messing around, Hamazura thought. He grabbed the exhausted Takitsubo’s arm, looped it around his shoulder, then picked her up to carry her.
“Hamazura—”
“Stay quiet,” he hushed, interrupting her before she could say something more.
She might have been small, but with every ounce of strength gone, her weight might as well have been the ball on a prisoner’s chain.
So what? Hamazura demanded.
His eyes remained locked ahead.
Gritting his teeth, half dragging himself along, Shiage Hamazura stepped forward. He would never abandon Takitsubo.
He couldn’t leave her here. He would rescue her for sure. This senseless, crazy life of a fugitive on the run couldn’t go on forever. He’d turn things around. He’d pull her right out of this danger. That was all that was on his mind as he moved his feet, one in front of the other, ever onward.
But it didn’t last very long.
Though it wasn’t to the degree of Crystals destroying his body like Takitsubo, he wasn’t at his best, either. He’d already fought through numerous battles during the day and then ran several kilometers at full tilt. His stamina wouldn’t hold out. His muscles were screaming. His legs were shaking. He knew he could collapse to the floor at any moment. And meanwhile, several sets of footfalls were closing in from behind. He also heard the clacking noise of submachine gun parts.
They’d be caught at this rate.
If they were caught, they’d be killed.
At that thought, Hamazura tried to move even farther forward, but the strength at last left his legs. They tumbled awkwardly to the floor in an embrace. Hamazura got up and tried to get under Takitsubo’s body again. But he couldn’t lift her. This totally normal girl’s body felt as heavy as a barbell.
“Hamazura…,” rasped Takitsubo from next to him. “It’s okay, Hamazura. I’ll buy you time.”
“Shut the hell up!!” he exclaimed.
But his body wouldn’t move.
Hamazura half climbed over Takitsubo, meaning to shield her from the bullets. He knew they’d have an easy time piercing through a human body, but he didn’t hesitate.
Someone … he prayed, tears forming at the corners of his eyes… Please, do what I can’t. Swoop in heroically and save her life. I need a hero right now…
He knew nobody so convenient would show up. If someone like that existed, Shiage Hamazura wouldn’t be at rock bottom like this in the first place.
But he couldn’t help praying.
Rikou Takitsubo was the one thing he didn’t want to lose.
Footsteps approached. Their numbers increased. There was nothing he could do. He could tell several muzzles were now pointed at them. All he had in his hand was a single pistol. At this rate, he’d be riddled with holes as soon as he reached for it.
He was utterly cornered.
Miracles never happened.
And so it was that…
Shoo-pop!! Countless flashes of light struck out.
They knocked every one of the unknown pursuers down, instantly removing the threat.
He couldn’t figure out what had happened. All he knew was that some sort of ability, or something like it, had been used. By the time he thought that, more than ten of the pursuers were torn apart right before his eyes, their entrails strewn about. This part of
the corridor was stained with fresh blood. He didn’t know who had done it, but someone had actually saved them. That was what Hamazura had thought in his daze, still holding on to Rikou Takitsubo.
“Heh-heh-heh…”
It began to seep slowly into Hamazura from the outside, and eventually, as though remembering something forgotten, the relief made its way to his brain.
“Hey, we made it. I don’t know who just provided backup, but we survived…!!”
But then it happened.
“…Haaamazuraaaaa…”
One word.
That way of addressing him alone caused a terrible chill to wash down his back.
He knew that voice. And now that he thought about it, he knew the ability, too.
Meltdown. A form of electron-controlling ability, it could manipulate and launch electrons themselves rather than waves or particles. It was registered to the fourth-ranked Level Five, and its user, its user, its user…Shiage Hamazura had taken her down before.
But now she was coming closer.
Her.
The person who had come for Shiage Hamazura was no hero.
Clip-clap. Clip-clap. Footsteps rang out proudly, as if to boast of their own existence, and they were getting slowly closer. They stepped on the blood and organs of the torn corpses she’d personally torn to pieces, coming straight for them.
A familiar woman.
She had no right eye.
Her left arm was torn off.
A pale-blue light, like a welding arc, was pouring out of her hollow, dark-red eye socket. Her left arm was the same. An arm made of blinding light reached out of her shoulder as if to compensate for the arm that didn’t exist. It must have been considerably high-energy, because he even heard the sound of its electricity, like bugs getting fried in a trap lamp.
It was from her ability.
It was from the fourth-ranked Level Five.
Meltdown.
This wasn’t a cheap ability that just anyone could control. As far as Hamazura knew, only one person could use it.
A ragged voice escaped Shiage Hamazura’s mouth.
He squeezed out the name, not only his vocal cords but his entire body trembling. The words didn’t come out properly.
A Certain Magical Index, Vol. 19 Page 18