Chapter 4: The Deadly Seven. Part 1

The two faced each other in the faded and expansive area.

"..."

Kamijou ignored the weakly breathing Himegami Aisa because of a lack of time. She had expended all of her energy and had even risked her life to stop him. Thus, if he truly wanted to be considerate, it was imperative that he quickly stop the alchemist in front of him.

The distance was ten meters. Facing a man who could turn words into reality, it was a distance long enough to cause despair.

"..."

Kamijou still stepped forward. There was no reason to stop walking and no reason to turn back. Rather fighting be his only option, it was what Kamijou wanted to do.

"..."

There was no need for words or signals. The battle between the esper and alchemist began. The goal was simple: defeat him.

"Phew!"

Kamijou exhaled slightly and explosively charged at Aureolus. The alchemist simply took out one of his needles and stabbed his neck.

A distance of only ten meters was closable in four steps. Four steps was all Kamijou needed.

"Suffocate."

The moment he took his first step, he lost all momentum. His neck felt like it was tied by steel wires and automatically bent down. Feeling like he was just poisoned, Kamijou used his right hand to grab the throat. This was the same method he had used to retake his stolen memories and return Himegami her life after being ordered to die.

But this time, Kamijou did not regain his breathing. It felt like something deep in his throat was obstructing his breathing.

Calm down! Calm down! Kamijou released his right hand from his neck and heard his throat release a strange noise. What did he order? Use a rope to tie the neck? No, wait! It was more ambiguous... he told me to suffocate!

Kamijou proceeded to stuff one of his fingers into his mouth as if trying to forcibly vomit something he had eaten. As the finger reached deep into his throat, with the urge to vomit came a PAH! He heard the sound of shattering glass and could breathe once more.

The entire event lasted a mere five seconds. But, against Aureolus, who could turn any sentence into a weapon, they were five seconds of toying. Aureolus once again stabbed his neck and nonchalantly extricated it.

"Be electrocuted."

The moment he finished speaking, blue-white sparks surrounded Kamijou from all directions. Before Kamijou's body could even freeze, the electric vortex burned the air and rushed for Kamijou.

"...!"

Kamijou raised his hand. It was a response he had not planned but the lone right hand still took the role of a lightning rod, absorbing the electricity. The sparks that interacted with the hand trembled like a snake that devoured poison, and then silently vanished.

I can dispel it...

For Kamijou, excitement surpassed tension as his heart began to race. His opponent, however, narrowed his eyes and stabbed his neck once more.

"Be strangled and be crushed."

For a moment, the floor rippled like the surface of water and numerous ropes flew about, painfully choking Kamijou's neck. At the same time, a rusted car fell down from the twisting ceiling.

I can dispel it!

Kamijou simply waved his right hand and the tied ropes broke like soaked paper bags while the rusted car morphed into a coarse, sugar-like powder, disappearing into the air. Aureolus removed the needle like he was scratching off a poisonous bug.

I can dispel it! That should be enough! My right hand dispels this guy's attacks! If he attacks verbally, it means there'll be an attack. It's nothing if I deal with it calmly!

As Aureolus was the type to state his commands, it meant his attacks were predictable. It was like a card game that tested human responses. Like if one heard the word "electrocuted," he could guess what attack it would become. It took less than a second to predict the attack. In normal brawling, there was no second of reprieve. Boxers had 0.3 seconds before a punch landed and, though each attack was terrifyingly powerful, the speed of Aureolus' commands was like that of ordinary punches.

With such things in mind, the fear of not knowing what attack will come was gone, like the worry of a delinquent bringing a knife to children's fights. Aureolus noted Kamijou's reason for confidence and frowned.

"I see. Truly, that right hand can dispel my Ars Magna Imbued Gold without exception." The alchemist was still confident, causing the boy some puzzlement. "However, that would mean that the negation effect won't occur as long as it doesn't touch your right hand, hm?"

Kamijou's body went numb.

"Form a pistol in my hand. Load with magic bullets. Application is firing. One will suffice." The alchemist seemed rather excited as he stabbed his neck.

As Aureolus gently waved his hand, a sword appeared. At first impression, it was a Western sword that a fairy tale prince would use, but was slightly different. Where the hilt should have been was a pirate's musket pistol. It was a sort of gun with a strange projectile.

The attack approaching, Kamijou tensed.

"Begin to fire at a speed that surpasses human motion recognition."

Seemingly desiring to rip apart the air, he swung the Western sword horizontally, which came with the sound of exploding gunpowder. The next instant, Kamijou felt something barely brush past his face and, after that, blue-white bullets struck the wall behind him and exploded.

"...!"

It was actually none to extravagant: the musket's trigger was pulled. However, how could the human eye see a magic bullet that ripped through the very air? Kamijou had raised his hand but did not react. The destructiveness of bullets was easier to understand, making him more nervous than esper powers or magic normally would.

The speed was completely different from that of the fake Aureolus' Limen Magna. It was irrelevant to magic or esper powers. A magic bullet could not be endured by human flesh, becoming a sort of killing blow.

Aureolus revealed a satisfied expression and removed the needle.

"Mass produce the previous process. Simulation firing with ten Hidden Rifle Imperceptible Rifles."

With those words, ten muskets appeared in his hands, five in each in a metallic fan-like array. If those guns were fired, Kamijou Touma would inevitably fail to avoid or dodge.

I've got to... run!

Kamijou had decided to run before the firing. Though he knew it was a pointless struggle, he actively tried to flee. Then, he realized that behind Kamijou, at his feet, Himegami was still barely breathing. Even further behind, Stiyl was immobile.

"IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU STOPPING!?" yelled Stiyl with shock.

"Preparations complete. Ten hidden rifles: fire simultaneously."

With his command, ten blazing, blue-white bullets struck Kamijou. Kamijou's body was covered with what felt like fists wearing brass knuckles. The word "fire" failed to describe the speed. The high-speed sniping was untraceable while even editing a recording of it.

"Ugh... argh...!"

Luckily, the magic bullets were not fatal. Hit all over by the old-style bullets, blood spilled everywhere. He was shot back, bounced off the floor like a rubber ball and finally stopped once he had crashed into something, specifically Stiyl's body. In the end, the distance had widened by seven meters. Though he was in so much pain he thought his bones were broken, he could still move. Of course, this was not luck. The alchemist had already warned that he would not kill him so easily.

Apparently happy with the outcome, Aureolus raised a hand at Kamijou.

"...Tch. What kind of joke was that? It's almost like you can actually distort reality with your words." Before Aureolus could speak, Stiyl cut in, causing him to divert his attention that way.

"Hmph. Ars Magna is the pinnacle of alchemy. It might be hard to obtain, but, if I continue to pursue it, naturally it will become obtainable."

"That's not possible! Though Ars Magna's theory is complete, the incantation is way too long. It can't be completed with one or two hundred years! The incantation can't be shortened and passing it on becomes a telephone game of error in the ritual!" said Stiyl while giving Kamijou a look.

Kamijou nodded with understanding. Since Aureolus' method of attack was to turn his words into reality, they just needed to divert his attention and safely take away his intention to attack.

Stiyl continued to distract Aureolus while giving Kamijou hints. While I'm buying time for you, think of some ways to counter this!!

"This is actually a trifle." Aureolus, ignorant of it all, continued. "Hmph. It's true I couldn't complete the ritual in one or two hundred years. But that's just one person chanting it, right? From father to son, son to grandson, such a method would result in error like a game of telephone... that's the logic, but there's no need to pass it down, right?"

"...What?" Stiyl frowned slightly

Then, Index dejectedly spoke. "It's the Gregorian Chant. By manipulating 2,000 people to make them chant simultaneously, the chant will complete at least 2000 times faster. A ritual that takes 400 years would be completed in less than 7 days."

Rather than passed down, it was chanted at once. Kamijou stared at her face. At first, he thought she had derived it from the 103,000 grimoires but he realized that, in a world where no one had managed to complete Ars Magna, there was no book to reference. She had deduced it from the current information.

"In fact, I thought there would be a multiplication effect in the spell that would cause it to drastically increase. But, I only managed to increase it by 120 fold, so it was overall unsuccessful."

Kamijou gathered his thoughts that were slipping away and examined his surroundings. He could still move his body and he was seven meters from Aureolus, not too far. If he could dodge his attack, he could attack him.

"120 fold... you finished it in only half a day?" Stiyl spoke with extreme seriousness. "But this is the home of espers. If these people used the Gregorian Chant with their bodies, they'd explode and die!"

Kamijou looked around but found nothing usable as a weapon. He rummaged through I pocked and felt something hard and cold but nothing suitable as a weapon.

Two shots. If Kamijou could dodge two of Aureolus' commands, he could close the distance.

"Haven't you noticed?" Aureolus titled his head. "Can't I just repair spoiled goods like a collapsed building?"

For a moment, Kamijou stopped to stare at Aureolus.

"Ah, didn't I tell you? Today wasn't the first time those students died." He said carelessly.

"YOU BASTARD!" Kamijou's mind blurred from the anger.

"It's true. I'm not stupid enough to ignore my own sins... Yes, I brought failure upon myself. Even so, I still believed there was someone I needed to save. In the end, I ended up with this unexpected outcome." Aureolus removed a needle and tossed it aside like drawn poison.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Kamijou had stood before Aureolus had given the order.

Kamijou grabbed the object in his pocket as Aureolus prepared to give the next command to kill the standing Kamijou.

Before he could speak, the boy threw the phone at Aureolus.

"...?" For a moment, he was truly stunned, which Kamijou utilized to begin his run.

A cell phone could not defeat an Alchemist, but it was a distraction to buy time and close the distance. Predictably, it was distracting.

"Abort the throw. Turn it into a pointlessly thrown pebble!"

In that short time, Kamijou approached, fully capable of defending against Aureolus' next command. There was chance to turn it around!

"Bring a pistol into my hand. Used for shooting. Finish according to preparations!"

On the other hand, if Kamijou failed to evade, it was over.

Aureolus fired ten musket-swords. SLASH! The empty weapons dropped onto the floor, sounding like a secret code as the weapons reappeared in the alchemist's hands.

Kamijou's face twitched tensely as Aureolus was about to say the crucial word.

"INNOCENTIUS!" Stiyl's roar interrupted.

Stunned, the boy turned to Stiyl. That's impossible, right? Isn't that thing summoned with the runes all over the dorm? Besides, Innocentius was stationed in the student dorm to protect Index.

It was apparently a hoax, a hoax meant to slightly extend Kamijou's lifespan.

Aureolus' burning, cannon-like eyes glared at Stiyl.

"Float into the sky, Father from London." Aureolus said it quietly, as if preparing for an execution.

Once he had finished, Stiyl's body floated into the air like gravity was forgotten everywhere below the ceiling. Kamijou automatically stopped. Imagine Breaker was capable of negating the command but, a simpleton would have known they were much too far away.

"YOU IDIOT! IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO BEAT AUREOLUS! THAT GUY'S WEAKNESS IS THE NEEDLE! YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT MEDICAL STUFF!" growled Stiyl to have the frozen Kamijou move.

Aureolus glowered at Stiyl with razor sharp eyes. "Explode from the inside, rune magician."

With a mysterious and uncomfortable noise, as commanded, the rune magician had expanded like a balloon and then exploded. Blood, flesh, bones and internal organs splattered the area. Flesh and blood stained the ceiling, making a large oval shape. The entire room, covered in the human body, was like one large museum created from the magician's flesh.

"...!"

The truly terrifying thing was the fact that the blood vessels were intact, the heart undamaged. Like the map of a train, the visible heart pumped blood through the long blood vessels into the internal organs and back into the heart.

He was alive. Even like that, Stiyl Magnus was alive.

Pala pala...

Rune cards scattered like sakura petals from possibly the magician's pockets.

Thump! Index, who was sitting blankly on the table, had fainted at the cruel image.

"Da-Damn it!"

Kamijou hurriedly tried to think of a way to prevent the horrifying situation from paralyzing him and tried to hold back the voice wanting to cry out. Stiyl had never asked Kamijou to save him. He knew this would become the result but still told Kamijou the important words. It was imperative that Kamijou thoroughly analyzed the enormous clue.

YOU IDIOT! IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO BEAT AUREOLUS! THAT GUY'S WEAKNESS IS THE NEEDLE! YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT MEDICAL STUFF!

Kamijou began to decipher his words.

Needles... medical stuff?

Aureolus had repeatedly used needles to stab his neck. Stabbing needles into his own neck... was that the reference? Academy City used various drugs as a part of the esper development program which meant it had vast pharmaceutical and medicinal knowledge unknown to the outside world. Like remember English words during a vocabulary test, Kamijou's mind pieced together its understanding of acupuncture.

From the standpoint of regulating breathing through Asian medicine and factors, acupuncture therapy's purpose was the stimulation of the nerves to reduce pain or control internal organ functions. In a time period lacking anesthesia, it was an important part of treatment that was like magic.

But... what about it? Kamijou tilted his head and continued to analyze.

The fact that modern operations abandoned acupuncture meant that it was ineffective in humans and did not have truly desired effects on the mind and body like anesthetics. The most it could accomplish was stimulate endorphin secretion to feel happier and more excited, and relieve some anxiety.

Anxiety?

"Change the contents. Stop shooting the hidden rifle. Use the bayonet to eliminate the intruders."

Kamijou stood idly by as he forgot to run forward. With Aureolus' words, he recovered. The muskets' bayonets in the alchemist's hands aimed at Kamijou were spinning, signs of death.

Despite the imminent danger, Kamijou's suspicions were not ignorable. With one suspicion came a chain reaction creating more suspicions.

That's right. It's too weird.

In Himegami and Stiyl's case the alchemist had said "die" and "explode" to kill them. If he could truly do anything, was it not simpler to command that Kamijou lose the ability in his right hand?

That's right! Something's not right!

If he could do anything, why did he need vampires and Deep Blood? If he could create anything, could he not create vampires with his own power?

That's right. There's something wrong with this!

Also, if Aureolus Izzard could do anything he desired, why did Index ignore him?

What if Aureolus Izzard's ultimate Ars Magna did not alter reality through his words but through his thought?

"Do-Don't tell me... I see..."

It was no wonder Stiyl had told him that it was a simple matter for Kamijou to defeat the alchemist. Because Aureolus understood the powers of Stiyl, Index and Himegami, they could not defeat him. But, Kamijou was an exception. Having met for the first time today, Aureolus had no grasp on the stranger's strength.

IMPOSSIBLE! HIMEGAMI AISA'S DEATH WAS ALREADY DECIDED! DOES YOUR RIGHT HAND POSSESS SOME SORT OF HOLY VATICAN SECRET ART!?

Anxious was certainly nervous at the time. For an omnipotent being to have anxiety in his heart...

"I understand. So it's like that." Kamijou muttered lightly. It was unimpressive and even simple after understanding the truth.

"Hmph. It seems the source of your confidence is that mysterious right hand of yours." Aureolus calmly stared at the spacey Kamijou, stabbing his neck with another needle. "If that's the case, I'll start by cutting off your right hand. Hidden rifle: rotate-fire your blade!"

Soundless, Aureolus swung his right hand, sending the bayonet spinning at Kamijou with the terrifying speed of an electric fan. He himself barely saw the trajectory of the blade and what actually flew over.

One moment, the musket-sword rested in the alchemist's hand.

One moment, it had severed Kamijou's arm and stabbed into the back wall.

It felt like a hot knife had sliced through butter as Kamijou's right arm was sliced neatly down his shoulder.

His right arm rotated in midair. It was painless and heatless. Kamijou stared absentmindedly at his detached arm.

My right hand's been sliced off?

Kamijou stared at the spinning arm.

An omnipotent person who can crush my heart heard with a single sentence...

His mind had not been distorted from pain or fear as his thoughts reached the ultimate question.

...chose to slice off my right hand?

He combined his suspicions to formulate his answer.

He's definitely someone who can do what he wants...

Eventually, fresh blood gushed out of severed joint.

But can't do anything to the power of my right hand?

He still felt no pain and no heat.

He could only slice off my right arm to take away Imagine Breaker?

The arm spun in the air until it hit something hard, dropping to the floor.

Eventually, he found the answer from the various suspicions. He knew what he had to do and the rest was simply.

Kamijou heard his mind flip a switch.