A Certain Magical Index - Volume 16 by Kazuma Kamachi

Author:Kazuma Kamachi [Kamachi, Kazuma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

7

The current members of the Amakusa, centered around Tatemiya Saiji, had moved to a small plaza about three hundred meters from the bridge. They had acted alongside the spell they had placed on Acqua, Punishment for Murderers; they’d put the spell together beforehand so that they could quickly flee if it was broken.

Someone with his skill would surely sense their presence and flow of magic power. There were only so many places in this underground city to hide, and the Amakusa had a good reason they couldn’t flee anyway.

“He broke it, as we thought. What now, Vicar?” asked Ushibuka, collecting the wires, cut apart like strands of cotton.

“…Would have been nice if it got him, but things won’t be so easy.”

Tatemiya, flamberge still in hand, looked around. The Amakusa had displayed enough physical ability to keep up with Acqua of the Back, but it wasn’t actually that convenient a thing. Besides, if all fifty of them could move with the same speed as a Saint at all times, they’d be more treasured than the Saints were.

“Deception will only get us so far,” Itsuwa huffed, trying to catch her breath.

The physical enhancement spell had actually been keyed by touching someone’s back. The hidden ritual was “physical recovery by touching the back.” While fighting, they constantly changed their formation, touching one another’s backs when moving or crossing. It restored their physical abilities and enhanced them temporarily. The spell couldn’t be used alone; as it benefited allies, it was unique to groups. In addition, when in an area with suitable “lines” for geomantic sleeping places and rest places, the effects were amplified.

They’d successfully kept up even with the Saint by heightening their allies’ physical abilities over and over, but they couldn’t completely repel the enemy’s attacks. And if the formation itself was thrown into disarray, they wouldn’t be able to strengthen one another.

This wasn’t enough to defeat Acqua of the Back.

That was the kind of monster a Saint was.

“Which means we’re going to have to use our trump card. We’ll counterattack starting with Itsuwa, with her spear, following the form of the Son of God’s execution. No holding back. Be ready for this.”

Tatemiya looked around, particularly at Itsuwa, for confirmation.

Her Friuli spear still in both hands, the young woman nodded slightly.

That was when it happened.

A chill crawled over the skin of everyone there. Some sort of giant presence was tearing through the dark, swiftly approaching them. They could feel it. No need to ask who it was—who could it have been but Acqua?

The Amakusa still had its “trump card” plan. But because it was their big move, they couldn’t use it right off the bat.

“Damn. Form up!!” shouted Tatemiya.

The Amakusa members moved like a wave. Not forward, backward, left, or right—but below. They got their hands into the artificial, tiled ground and wrenched open a one-meter-square section of tile as though it were a hatch. Underneath the surface waited a space of steel and concrete.

A damp metal staircase and railing, and thick, crisscrossing pipes.

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