Chapter 2: The Witch-Hunter Moves Along With the Flames. Part 3

"I gotta say…" Kamijou looked up at the building and muttered.

The building could only have been described as strange. The building itself was rectangular and rather standard. However, there were four 12-story buildings on each corner of the junction, forming a "ta" . Additionally, the linked pathways were overhead, as if forming a suspended bridge above the road as they linked the buildings.

A building like that violates the Land Area Planning Adjustment Project, right? Kamijou looked up at the suspended corridors. Simply put, the jurisdiction of the sky was under the lands' owners. In other words, the space above the roads should have been public areas.

"Never mind. It's not important." Kamijou muttered and again stared at the Misawa Cram's Academy City branch.

Examining the building, it was implausible for people to associate it with the term "religious science" that was outside of normal understanding. It truly seemed like an ordinary cram school: there were students walking in and out on occasion. It was nothing abnormal.

"Anyways, our initial target is the 5th level of the South Building beside the restaurant. Apparently there's a secret room there." Stiyl said conversationally. The diagram was incinerated after Kamijou read it which possibly meant that Stiyl had memorized the entire map.

"A secret room?"

"Yeah. It should be some trick illusion or distortion that makes people ignorant of its existence. The building's interior is like a kid's toy block, there are many crevices." Stiyl stared at the building. "…I found 17 secret rooms just looking at the diagram. And the closest one is the one beside the restaurant on the South Building's 5th floor."

"…Ohh. But, it doesn't look like those booby-trapped ninja houses." Kamijou muttered.

"…Yeah, sure doesn't look like it." Stiyl responded viciously.

"Eh?"

Kamijou turned his head and found Stiyl staring at the building that seemed to penetrate the sky and earth. After a time, he shook his head and sighed. "Nothing. In fact, as an expert, I can't find any abnormalities… Nothing at all even analyzing as an expert."

Though Stiyl said it, he seemed stressed. The expression on his face was like that of a doctor who found something wrong on an X-ray but still could not identify the source of the illness.

"..."

It was suspicious, much too suspicious. Though he knew not what was going on, it was much too suspicious.

Stiyl had only said that he could not find anything. He had never said that the building was safe. Inside the building, there could have been numerous mines that they simply did not know about and perhaps there was truly nothing. They could confirm nothing and in essence were entering blind.

Rhetorically speaking, was it safe to enter a building that a magical expert could not vouch for?

"Of course we shouldn't." Stiyl answered concisely. "But entering is the only option, right? Our aim is to save people, not kill them. I'd be really grateful if I could just burn this building to the ground from out here." His words had to have been more than half serious.

"Hold on… What do you mean we can only go in? Are we going to go in through the front door? No tactics? Like no way to avoid being detected or beating the enemy safely?"

"What. Don't tell me you have some ideas?"

"…ACK! Are you kidding me!? Are you really going to charge like that? How is that any different from charging into a building occupied by terrorists?! Even if it's just a dumb trick, can't you just throw in bait!?"

"…Hm. Using a knife to carve the rune 'AnsuzGebo' can hide a person's presence."

"THEN DO IT! HURRY UP AND DO IT!"

"Listen to me!" He answered with an irritated tone. "Even if we get rid of our presence or become invisible, I'll leave a mana signal saying 'Stiyl Magnus just used magic.'"

"...What?"

"You have no concept of how mana works at all. Seems like I'll have to explain it to you." Stiyl sighed. "For example, what if there's a map that only has red colors on it?"

"…Psychologically, I think it's a bad omen."

"Shut up and don't butt in. The red color indicates Aureolus' magic in the entire building. What if I colored this map blue?"

"…I don't really understand but you'll basically be a walking transmitter, right?"

"That's kind of right, but it's more than that." Stiyl continued as Kamijou was about to ask why. "Your Imagine Breaker is like an eraser than removes the red color. If one's painting is being eating up, anyone would realize that something's wrong. I wouldn't be detected as long as I didn't use magic but your ability is always active."

"…Alright. So that means we're walking transmitters so there's no point in tactics and might as well enter a building filled with terrorists. Should we ring the doorbell first?"

"And that's why we need your power. If you don't want to be full of holes like a beehive, use your right hand and be a shield."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!? IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE USELESS THAT I HAVE TO DO THIS!"

"Ahahah. No need to be so nervous. It's just an alchemist's magic. Your right hand managed to block the Saint George's Dragon Breath. It should be able to handle it. And, it's useless to rely on me. I sent Innocentius to protect that child and right now I can only use a flame sword."

"WAAAAAAAHH!! YOU REALLY DON'T THINK THINGS THROUGH!!"

Kamijou watched the exit; the automatic doors were not abnormal.

Incidentally, Kamijou did not want to enter. It was to be expected. What person would want to invade a booby-trapped battlefield housing an expectant enemy? What was more, it was the central stronghold for a fanatical religion that none knew the truth about.

However, because of these things, they had to enter. If men trembled before the sight of such a place, how could they allow a girl to remain inside simply because she is called "Deep Blood"?

"Let's go." The magician Stiyl Magnus said. Without another word, Kamijou approached the automatic doors.

Upon entering through the class doors, they found the scene to be extremely normal. Much of the glass that built the hall brought in extra sunlight. The hall itself was extremely wide and approximately three stories high. Near the elevator, a non-renovated staircase was placed for the sake of emergency exits.

Perhaps as a result of being evening, it was break time for ordinary schools. The length of time should have been as long as an afternoon excursion and there were a modicum of student heading out to purchase dinners.

Kamijou and Stiyl were not attracting any real attention, possibly because the manager had not memorized every student's appearance. And, even if they were discovered to be outsiders, considering it was an entrance hall, others would have believed they were there to consolidate the administration process.

…Forget about me, does this guy even look like a student?

Kamijou sighed. Though one could call the man a teenager, he was still a priest that reeked of cologne, had hair dyed red, wore earrings and rings and was quite the ridiculous height.

Who he was aside, looking around, they could find nothing amiss. Those around them walked about seemed quite normal.

"Eh?"

Thus, the only abnormality was rather obvious.

Of the four elevators, between the two on the right, there was a human-shaped robot lying—or rather placed—there. Its limbs were severely twisted and it was like a pile of scrap metal that reminded one of serious traffic accidents.

In terms of type, it was similar to a suit of Western armor. However, the figure was as exceedingly modernistic as a fighter jet with an intrinsic design and a texture that reflected a silver light, dissimilar from ordinary metal plate. An 80 centimeter long bow was dropped nearby, presumably equipment for the machine.

On the object's right wrist was the word "Parsifal" that perhaps represented its name. At first glance, one could tell that the robot could not fulfill its original purpose. The supposed limbs were severely twisted while a slick tar-like black oil oozed from the dysfunctional limbs.

The rusty smell in the air caused Kamijou to frown.

What in the world is that?

First of all, where did this robot come from? The security robots and cleaning robots in Academy City look like large metal cylinders. Kamijou had never heard of such humanoid machines in Academy City that simultaneously lacked mobility.

Second of all, why did this thing break down? Though Kamijou knew not how functional the machine was originally, it was akin to the aftermath of a traffic collision. There would have been no need for such force, correct? What had occurred in that cram school's hall?

And, finally: …Why hasn't anyone noticed yet?"

The humans there ignored its very existence as if not even worth gossiping over. Rather than a sensation of deliberate ignorance, the machine was like a pebble on the road, unworthy of notice.

It was as if… the damaged robot had snuck into their daily life.

"What? There's nothing here. Anyways, either we find Himegami or crush Izzard. Hurry up." Stiyl said with ease.

"Ah… oh." Kamijou at last managed to tear his gaze from the machine because none beside him paid it any notice, giving him the impression he witnessed a phantom.

But… it was not a phantom. It truly existed before Kamijou's gaze.

"What? Are you interested by that thing? Oh well, that's true, it might be something rare for you." Stiyl had seemed to finally notice Kamijou's interest in the machine.

"We-Well yeah… eh. Hold on. Robots are something from the science side, right?" As Kamijou spoke, Stiyl proceeded to frown. "What are you talking about? That's just a corpse."

It was an indisputably shocking reply.

"What…?" Kamijou could not comprehend.

"A caster's incantations and a Heavenly Bow duplicate. This here should be one of the 13 Knights of the Roman Catholic Church. They're probably here to execute the heretic but it looks like they were crushed. Really. Knights were an English specialty and these guys that just love to copy ended up like this." Stiyl shook the cigarette in his mouth. "…Tch. Speaking of which, that man in formalin is too sneaky. There was already another church helping out and he still made us enter separately. Was he deliberately trying to make us fail…? It's true that the ones here to settle this mess are elites of the church and it'd be good if he could get even one of them killed…"

Stiyl continued to mutter angrily. Kamijou, however, unaware of the circumstances, ignored it.

Kamijou chose to clearly stare at the something lying on the floor. The limbs were twisted, it was a pile of scrap metal like the wreckage of a collision, the silvery metal body was crushed and reddish-black oil oozed out. The remains of a machine.

No.

What if it were not reddish-black oil but something less black and more red?

No.

What if they were not machinery but a human clad in armor?

"Why are you so surprised?" Stiyl said, as if it were a pedestrian sight. "This is a battlefield. What's so strange about seeing a corpse or two on the way?"

"…" Kamijou was speechless. He already knew. He should have known. It was a field of combat where humans killed humans. The enemy had already prepared traps for intruders like Kamijou and simply waited for them to enter. Even then, Kamijou and Stiyl had no intentions of negotiation with the vicious enemy.

Yes, they should have known. Even so, Kamijou could not overlook it.

"Damn it!"

Kamijou dashed toward the corpse. He did not know what he could have done, possibly bandage a few places, the amateur Kamijou knew not even the correct emergency procedurals. Not only was the armor severely damaged to the point of questionable life signs, Kamijou could not think of a way to extricate a person out of the twisted armor. Even so, without clear proof, the human being inside the metal may have been alive. If that were the case, it was possible to save the person if he acted quickly.

Kamijou spent a mere ten seconds to run from one end of the hall to the other. Because the fatality's face was completely encased by the helmet, Kamijou could not see the expression. He could only hear slight air flow through the gap in the block of metal that was a helmet.

He's still breathing!

As Kamijou felt relieved, he realized that he could not move the body carelessly and considered calling for an ambulance until he heard the sound of metal doors sliding apart.

A number of like-aged teenagers exited the elevator and failed to notice the flayed body. It was as if they saw a normal scene, just continuing to walk as they discussed trivialities like "the food in that restaurant is so expensive and so bad I got sick of it, how about we get something to eat from a convenience store."

"You guys—!" They should be saving the injured. Kamijou understood this fact and was unable to maintain his silence. He inadvertently attempted to grab the shoulder of a nearby student. "—WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HURRY UP AND CALL AN AMBUL—"

However, Kamijou stopped.

Kamijou's hand was forcefully dragged forward.

No.

Dragged was inadequate. The force he felt was like attempting to grab the driver's side door of a moving truck. The magnitude of the propulsion was completely different.

"WHA—!"

His arm was nearly dislocated. The true shock was that the student had not acted at all. Kamijou's hand on that shoulder felt like a balloon tied to a car. What was more, the person seemed completely ignorant Kamijou's roar let alone his hand.

Before them, Kamijou was like the twisted suit of armor.

"…What's going on?" Kamijou recalled the sensation his hand experienced. While he expected the texture of soft fabric clothing, his hand felt like it passed through extremely hard glue. Forget the student's shoulder, Kamijou could not reach the clothing.

"It's a boundary like the two sides of a coin. The students are on the 'front of the coin' and can't detect those of us on the 'back of the coin.' We, the intruders on the back, can't interfere with the people on the 'front' who are ignorant. Look." Stiyl spoke like he was chanting and raised a finger to point at a girl walking out of the elevator.

Kamijou's eyes followed the girl's back. She stepped into the blood but her shoes were not stained and left no bloody footprints. The pool of blood acted like one large sheet of hardened plastic.

"Hm." Stiyl carelessly pinched the chewed cigarette in his mouth and pressed the burning red tip to the plastic elevator button. Despite his action, the plastic button was not burnt, let alone melted. "I see. So, the entire building is a part of the 'front'? I guess that's right since this is suitable as a fortress against magic. Kamijou Touma, it would seem that with our power alone we may be unable to open a single door, even automatic ones. We're stuck."

"..." A boundary. If it were a supernatural power, even if a term alien to Kamijou, a resident of the science side, was this not an opportunity for Kamijou Touma to rise?

Kamijou clenched his fists tightly. Imagine Breaker. If a supernatural power came in contact with that right hand, it would have been negated, even a miracle of God. It was a unique power among unique powers.

Kamijou clenched his fist and raised it high into the air. He then proceeded to slam his fist forcefully against the floor, wanting to smash the boundary into pieces. Yes, he hammered it down but there was only a dull noise.

"WOAH! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"What are you doing?" Seeing Kamijou roll about on the floor, Stiyl, overwhelmed, sighed. "This's probably like my Innocentius. If we don't destroy the core of the magic, we can't break this boundary. And, most likely… the core is placed outside the boundary or the people inside would be locked in. Hmm. We've got some trouble now."

Kamijou seemed truly unaware of what to do. "…Damn it. So, what should we do? We've got an injured person here and we can't call a doctor or take him outside…"

"We don't have to do anything. He's dead."

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? CHECK HIS BREATHING! HE'S STILL ALIVE!"

"Yeah. He's definitely alive if we go by heartbeat. But, his fractured ribs punctured his lungs, his liver's crushed, his pulse is faint… he can't be saved in this situation. His name might as well be 'corpse.'" It was unknown whether Stiyl determined the facts through rune magic, but his words were as cold-hearted as a doctor declaring that a patient acquired a terminal illness.

"…!!!"

"What's with the expression? You knew from the start, right? Even if he's breathing, he can't be saved."

Suddenly, Kamijou lifted Stiyl up at his chest with both of his hands. He could not comprehend. Kamijou could not comprehend. How could the person before him remain so calm? How could he say such words in front of a dying person?

"MOVE ASIDE! THIS PERSON DOESN'T HAVE MUCH—!!"

Stiyl calmly pushed Kamijou aside. "We don't have much time. I'll let you cast, what you think is pity, on the dead. It's a priest's job to send the dead to heaven. You, amateur, step aside."

Kamijou, releasing his hands, finally noticed. Stiyl, whose back then faced Kamijou, stared at the knight who was borderline from death. Stiyl was…

He's… angry…?

It was difficult to imagine, given his typical mockery, but Kamijou was not mistaken. At that moment, Stiyl Magnus was not a magician while his back seemed to emanate static electricity, seemingly deflecting everything that came in contact. Yes. This was the back of Stiyl Magnus, the priest.

Stiyl did not enact some obscure, special ritual.

"…" He spoke unintelligible, at least to Kamijou, foreign words. The words came from the priest, not the magician. Kamijou did not know the significance of the action but the formerly immobile knight trembled and raised his right hand, stretching it out at Stiyl as if to catch something in the air.

"… …" The Knight spoke as well.

Stiyl nodded his head, Kamijou was as unknowing as always, and the knight's body seemed to relax, losing tension. It was like he had handed over what he had wanted to… with no worries left, he relaxed with relief.

The knight's hand dropped.

The metallic right hand landed on the floor, resounding like a knell.

"…" Still in his priestly persona, Stiyl Magnus drew the cross before his chest. At the point of death, there was no difference between an Anglican and a Roman Catholic. The last rites were still the last rights.

It was then that Kamijou finally realized.

It was a true battlefield.

"Let's go!"

He spoke once more as a magician rather than a priest. "It would seem we have one more reason to fight."