Chapter 25: It has begun

Lidvia Lorenzetti.

One of the people, along with Oriana Thomson, who was given the task of activating the Croce di Pietro inside Academy City, believed that by gaining control of the city, they would have the entire science side of the world in their grasp.

The light of the sun in the sky had almost completely faded away. It was 6:28 PM.

The Croce di Pietro requires a specific date for its activation; for example, the only date the Croce di Pietro can be activated in the Vatican is June 29, while it can only be activated to take over Academy City on September 19. Once in the area, the spellcaster has to know its details, features, and characteristics so the spellcaster can choose the most effective constellation out of the 88 constellations for the area. Finally, the artifact requires a proper location or observatory where the starlight can be seen, to which the cross acts like an antenna that gathers the starlight of the constellation which is ideal for the activation of the artifact.

The cross absorbs the light and uses the link with the constellations, which acts like a magic circle to activate. The incantation: "Let the sky be the ceiling, and let this place be a safe haven for the living. Please grant me protection, O twelve Apostles," is also required to stabilize the cross before it gathers starlight.

The Croce di Pietro was not in Oriana's hands but in Lidvia's...

"Now we've set everything with the little Imouto" Kamijou Touma looked up. As he gazed at the evening sky and at the first star that had just begun to shine, "We have to stop Lidvia from activating the Croce before it is too late"

Tsuchimikado remained silent, his hand on his cheek. "Saying it is easier than doing it, Kami-yan," he said as he withdrew his hand and glanced at the kneeling Oriana. "I think you know what I want to know, right?"

"..."

"The Croce di Pietro's effects will activate in a moment. It's already too late to stop us."

She spoke. But It wasn't Oriana, as the foreign woman's mouth remained shut the whole time. instead, it was the voice of Lidiva through the letters imprinted directly on Oriana's retinas.

"The Croce di Pietro will alter Academy City into a form that will be convenient for the Roman Catholic Church. Hence, it matters not how wounded any of you are. Whatever the case may be, all of Academy City, including where you're standing, will soon be twisted around."

"So you're just gonna get rid of everyone who stands in your way?!" Kamijou shouted in spite of himself.

Lidvia remained unruffled.

"I believe you're misunderstanding something. I simply said we will treat your wounds with kindness and mend them. As long as it is for the utmost benefit of the Roman Catholic Church, of course."

"What?" said Kamijou, frowning.

"...You don't need to listen to her, Kamijou Touma," warned Stiyl. "She's trying to use the Croce di Pietro, which means Lidvia and the spiritual item have to be nearby. Your right hand can destroy any spiritual item's function. We just have to figure out where she—"

"She's playing games with you guys," interrupted Misaka, "What is the potential range of that Croce?, Asks Misaka"

The clone drew everyone's attention as she approached Oriana, her hand clutching Touma's jacket, using it to hide her body.

"...You're the abnormal clone, right? Why do you think I would answer your question—"

"Because you've already won, right? According to Misaka's calculations, you have just 1 minute and 20 seconds for your toy to activate, explains Misaka"

"..." " Lidvia fell quiet for a moment, "The Croce di Pietro created the Roman Papal States, and at their height, they spanned four hundred square kilometers—"

"And Academy City is approximately two hundred square kilometers. Naturally, even if it was activated outside the city limits, calculations would reveal that it could easily cover its entirety..." Misaka interrupted once again, her gaze on Tsuchimikado. "You know what Misaka means by that, Says Misaka as she expects the fashion boy to realize the whole game."

"Lidvia, along with the Croce di Pietro, is not currently in Academy City. She was using Oriana just as a decoy to keep us focused inside the city... all along..."

"It also makes sense. As you explained to me before, one of the Croce di Pietro's requirements to activate is a clear view of the stars. There is so much light pollution inside the city that it's nearly impossible to Spot a single star. So logically, she would choose an open area outside... explains Misaka"

The nun's voice continued.

"Good thing you realized the whole plan, but unfortunately, it's too late."

(Damn it, you...!!)

Kamijou clenched his teeth, but no concrete countermeasures came to mind.

"It is unfortunate that Oriana was defeated as a result, but I believe the Croce di Pietro will overwrite even that to be more convenient. In the end, her defeat is nothing but a trivial matter, one that can be repeated as many times as needed. Once the Croce di Pietro has placed all of Academy City under our control from the outside, our stances will be reversed, and everything will have gone according to plan."

Kamijou stood there in a daze, simply listening to Lidvia's voice. She was still speaking flatly. That made Kamijou feel like she was denying everything they'd done so far even more than she already was.

"Shit! What are we supposed to do, then?!" shouted Kamijou. But it wasn't going to make any difference in their current situation.

He clawed at his scalp in a desperate frenzy, struggling to devise a solution, but it was all in vain. Even if they pinpointed Lidvia's location, there wasn't a chance in hell they could reach her in time.

At that moment, he heard lively chatter...

"Did you take care of our team's private bank account? asks Misaka as she curious"

"Yeah, Nya~ Don't worry about it. Now we don't have to worry about taking the payment of our future missions in cash."

"Good. We have to tell Aisa about it when we visit her—"

Kamijo watched in confusion as both Misaka and Tsuchimikado chatted as if the whole Academy City wasn't on the brink of disaster.

"W-What's going on with you two? Why are you so calm? We have less than a minute before the Croce activates!"

His voice was just as ragged as his body now. He didn't understand.

"He didn't realize yet did he... says Misaka"

"It seems so nya~"

As Misaka and Tsuchimikado exchanged a knowing glance, Kamijo's confusion deepened. He had no idea what they were hinting at.

"Hey, Kami-yan," said Tsuchimikado, "you should check your phone. See if you've received any messages or notifications."

Kamijo's brow furrowed in puzzlement, but he reached for his phone, which had been silent throughout the entire ordeal. He unlocked the device and, with a swipe, checked his notifications.

Then it hit him.

Forty seconds until everything was over.

Lidvia wasted away even this final moment with her talking. "No matter what method you care to use, I believe it is impossible for you to reach me where I am now." Her tone was polite, as though she was bowing to them as she spoke. "Allow me to say one last thing: It is over. I will re-create this world into a better one, and that includes all of you."

"Heh."

Kamijou laughed as though he'd just had an idea.

"You're right. It's all over."

Twenty seconds left.

"Ah, damn it. So much for me in one day."

He was looking at something—but not the stars in the sky shining down on them.

"Nothing would happen even if I stayed in my warm dorn from the start..."

He was just looking at his empty cell phone screen on his hand, shining.

"Don't you agree, Lidvia?"

Five seconds left.

As he watched the screen, he said one last thing.

"Done for, even though I completely destroyed your stupid illusion."

Before Lidvia could make a noise of confusion…

An intense light appeared from the ground, for a moment banishing all the night's darkness.

It was every decorative light in Academy City—from lightbulbs to neon signs, laser art, spotlights, and everything else.

District 23 didn't have much to do with the Daihaseisai, but even here, a row of decorative illumination began to shine like a Christmas tree around the civilian international airport. From somewhere far away, a bright, cheerful melody floated to them. It was a song filled with electronic tones, the sort that might play at a children's theme park.

"It's now exactly six thirty PM."

Kamijou Touma kept his eyes fixed on the cell phone screen. The simplified digital pamphlet showed a timetable of the festival's nighttime entertainment.

"Didn't you know the night parade was starting now?"

"Wha…?"

A whirlpool of light covered all of Academy City.

The next thing he knew, all those shining stars in the night sky were gone, blotted out by the lights from the ground. Just like how not many stars were visible in the middle of a big city. The 

utterly weak starlight melted into the stronger lights.

Lidvia's entire plan had been completely destroyed by a stroke of bad luck.

"Well, Misaka will take her leave now, says Misaka"

Misaka turned around, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. Her role there was finished, and there was something she had to take care of.

"You're leaving already?" Tsuchimikado asked, turning around to face the back of the departing Misaka, a hint of worry behind his sunglasses.

"Misaka is planning to visit Aisa now. Even if visitors are not allowed in such time, Misaka will wait there till morning, explains Misaka as she disappears into the shadows"

Tsuchimikado stood in silence, with nothing more to say, though Kanzaki seemed to have something to add.

"You're letting her go alone just like that?" she asked.

"Oriana is with us here, and she doesn't know what Lidvia looks like, so for now, there shouldn't be a problem letting her go alone," Tsuchimikado said as he kept watching Misaka until she disappeared from his sight. "Let's just hope she would give up on her revenge once she sees Aisa fine..."

Part 2:

Fourteen hours later…

Lidvia Lorenzetti was eight thousand meters in the sky above Japan.

She was inside a personal jet aircraft. Black leather sofas lined the interior walls. A large table sat in the middle, bolted down to the floor. It was set up for a party. There were lamps near the walls and a small chandelier light fixture on the ceiling. The furnishings featured polished black wood and luxurious rugs. It was like a floating hotel. A large cross wrapped in white fabric stood against the sofa next to her.

The craft was quite small compared to the big passenger airliners at international airports. Perhaps they were unusual in Japan. On the other hand, countries like the U.S. and Russia had many times the land as Japan, so long-distance flights were common in those places. In Russia, for example, it could take over two weeks to span the nation on a train.

Lidvia quietly sighed. She had just failed to demonstrate the Lord's authority. She had just been bowed by a heap of science.

For all intents and purposes, Lidvia was now running backward. However long she waited for more chances to repeat the same attack while keeping the Croce di Pietro out of enemy hands, they now knew where the belvederes needed to use the spiritual item were located. It couldn't be used if the night sky couldn't be seen. If they constructed simple buildings right on top of the belvederes, it would be much harder to use the cross in or around Academy City. Plus, as though it wouldn't already be difficult enough, her precious strength—the sinner Oriana Thomson—had been captured.

"Ufu-fu." Nevertheless, she laughed at it. "How pitiful…Ah, how pitiful you are, Oriana Thomson. Fu…fu-fu. You must be saved, sinner lost and taken prisoner by them, you must be saved by my hands…"

Lidvia Lorenzetti twisted the misfortune and adversity around her, transforming it into a driving force to spur herself forward.

"First comes dealing with the aftermath within the Roman Catholic Church. Then comes drawing up a plan to recover Oriana, and finally a second attack against Academy City! Ha-ha! The walls are high!! And how sweet they are!!"

She could tell the pilot in the cockpit jumped a little, startled at her creepy monologue. But even his attitude of suspicion converted into a burning fighting spirit within her. 

And then it happened.

"Ah, hello? May I have your attention please?"

Suddenly, she heard a woman's voice.

Lidvia's shoulders jumped in surprise. There were no flight attendants here. It was a private jet. She could hear the sounds of panic coming from the opened cockpit hatch. The pilot didn't 

seem to know anything. 

But Lidvia did.

She knew this voice.

"I am Lola Stuart, archbishop of the Anglican Church. I shan't allow any cold plays of ignorance, yes? Little Miss Lidvia!"

The voice was amused.

She had a much more important nickname than Mardi Gras. Any modern religious history book couldn't be written without speaking of her. The rumors went that she was a monster who held at least as much influence as the queen herself.

Lidvia sucked in her breath—both in terror and joy.

For her, such strong enemies were the most captivating of lambs.

"…Why this private jet?"

"Hm-hm-hmm! You seem to have transferred its ownership and are trying to land now in France instead of Italy on purpose. Did you think me naive enough to fool with such a parlor trick? I had a little subordinate stuck right to the wall of the plane at the time."

"…"

Something was on the outside of the plane—likely a spiritual item of some sort. Still, she couldn't very well remove it now. It would be impossible to cling to the wall of a craft flying at supersonic speed. Besides, just opening the door would create a difference in air pressure, and all the air inside would go rushing out into the wild blue yonder.

Had she found this plane through the efforts of only the Anglican Church?

If she had, she would have instigated something when she first brought the Croce di Pietro to Japan. But she hadn't, which probably meant she'd figured out which plane it was only after Lidvia landed.

Which meant there was only one possibility.

(Academy City cooperated with her…)

Whatever the case, her situation was hopeless.

If she'd placed a communication spiritual item on the outside, then the United Kingdom knew where this plane was at all times. Lidvia could land right now and change airports, but there would easily be people waiting for her when she got there.

In spite of that, though, she let out a laugh.

"…Unamiable as always, I should say," came back Lola. "You cackle ever louder the more cornered you become. Can you not possibly do something about that personality of yours?"

"It's the same as long-distance swimming or diving. The farther the distance, the more pain it gives—and the more happiness you feel when you overcome it all."

"Your ascetic practice has earned you delight, you filthy freaking masochist. Or, no. You say you delight in making difficulty bow before you, so does that make you a sadist? Speaking of naive. Are you going to drag those feelings to Academy City and attack it again?"

"…" Lidvia fell quiet for a moment at Lola's exasperated tone. "I have a debt to pay Academy City."

"I wonder, But well speaking of debt—" The communication spell fell meaningfully silent for a moment, and Then there was a huge explosion, "—There is a friend of mine who wants to pay Her debt back to you"

It came from the cockpit.

(What?)

A mischievous giggle escaped Lola. "Heh-heh!"

The door leading to the cockpit swung open wide. Lidvia's eyes widened as a long-haired girl with flowing white locks appeared, locking gazes with her.

A violent gust of wind rushed through the private jet, causing everything not nailed down to rattle and be swept outwards. The front mirror of the cockpit had been shattered, allowing the wild air to surge in.

Lidvia's eyes locked on the source of the ominous blood she could see. The cockpit was awash in crimson, with blood dripping from the girl's body. Lidvia knew all too well from whence that blood came. The entire cockpit felt like it was sinking in a pool of red, and the pilot was nowhere to be seen. His lifeless form had likely been swept away by the fierce external wind.

The sky eight thousand meters above sea level only intensified the darkness of the night. No clouds, a brightly shining moon. How did the abnormal reach her? That was puzzling Lidvia thought at the moment.

(Grhghh, ahh…!! I can't breathe…!!)

When the private jet's cockpit mirror shattered due to the explosion, it created an opening to the exterior, where the cabin was directly exposed to the frigid and low-oxygen conditions of the 

high-altitude atmosphere.

Lidvia kept sucking in the super-high-altitude air, but she couldn't feel any oxygen being absorbed into her body.

In the instant of sheer surprise and terror, Lidvia's face contorted with horror. Lidvia was once again met with Lola's mocking voice. 

"Ha-ha! Lidvia, I do admit it's a darn shame to lose that power you have. You could have just abandoned your Roman teachings and licked my feet. I would have spared you."

Before Lidvia could utter a response, an intense electric spark surged through the entire jet, and the deafening alarms blared, warning that the plane had dangerously altered its course.

The private jet was now plummeting at supersonic speed, showing no signs of slowing down.

"…!! I will not allow it!!" Lidvia's voice struggled as she gasped for the limited oxygen available.

Desperation compelled her to spread her arms, ready to invoke a spell. But before the incantation could form, a gunshot echoed throughout the rapidly descending private jet, and Lidvia clutched her bleeding stomach, her face twisted in terror.

Smoke wafted from the barrel of the gun held firmly in Misaka's hand, which was aimed directly at Lidvia. Slowly lowering her arm, devoid of any trace of mercy in her eyes, Misaka fixed a cold gaze on the gasping Lidvia sprawled on the cabin floor.

"Death is scary, don't you think?" Misaka finally spoke. "Misaka is sure that's what Aisa thought when you guys attacked her... But good thing she is fine now, but Misaka could not say the same for you," she explained with a chilling detachment.

"Y…You..." Lidvia's consciousness was slipping away, shrouded in a haze of pain, blood loss, and oxygen deprivation. She didn't have the strength left for coherent thoughts.

There were still 500 feet until the impending impact, and numerous sections of the jet had already started to disintegrate from the incredible speed.

"Before you die, Misaka would like to tell a joke..."

"…? Wha—"

"There is an old Japanese proverb that says, if you are out of ammo, you become the ammo."

There was no time for Lidvia to comprehend what Misaka had said.

In the next instant...

The supersonic private jet made a catastrophic impact on the ground of one of the many uninhabited islands of Japan. The collision was a violent one, shattering the aircraft into countless pieces.

A deafening explosion echoed through the night, the flames licking the wreckage and sending plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky. Metal shards, glass fragments, and debris were strewn across the desolate landscape. The land itself seemed to shake from the incredible force of the impact as if protesting the intrusion of the fallen jet.

Amidst the blazing tongues of fire and the wreckage-strewn landscape, a solitary figure emerged. her form illuminated by the hellish glow of the fires that raged around her. 

"Oh my, that was quite the spectacle to witness,"

"Thanks for your assistance, Lola. If it weren't for your guidance, Misaka might not have located Lidvia's whereabouts, says Misaka gratefully"

The fiery aura that had surrounded Misaka began to subside, her skin slowly regenerating as her injuries healed. Her long white hair shimmered in the moonlight, trailing behind her like a silken banner.

"Don't mention it, dear. We're on the same team, after all. I'm always here to lend a hand when you need it,"

"Thanks again"

"But the fact that you were willing to steal a warplane from Academy City, control it to trace her down, and then jump mid-air to land on Lidvia's private jet...That was really cool!!"

"Thanks. Well, now Misaka has to head back home. Let's talk later, Lola."

"Sure thing. Stay safe, Misaka."

As Lola's voice trailed off, Misaka shifted her gaze toward the endless sea, a vast expanse of water stretching out before her. She was approximately 300 km away from the nearest inhabited land and about 450 km from Academy City.

With determination in her eyes, she mused, "Well, it's a good chance to see if Misaka can run on water."

///////////

Meanwhile somewhere in England, while Misaka was trying to find her way back home, Lola was reclined on one of the plush couches in her private room within the walls of the Anglican Church. A mischievous smile played on her lips.

"Now the game has truly begun. How will the Roman Catholic Church react to Lidvia's death? Most likely, they'll secure an alliance with the Russian Church and wage war against Academy City. That has been their plan all along. And what about Aleister... My, my, this is going to be so much fun~" She couldn't contain her excitement.

With a burst of energy, she sprang to her feet and began to dance around the room, her laughter echoing through the chamber. Lola sang with glee, "Either way, my poor Ichi-chan will bear the brunt of this war. But it's all for her sake. I need her to mature quickly, hee-hee~"

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(A/N): And welcome to the new arc.

The next chapter will be wild so keep looking forward.

That was for today, see ya!!