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I actually got to a part 5…..
I have no idea what to even say to that. As you probably have a look at all of the parts I was spewing some kind of words like '4 parts' and stuff. *Sigh*. I feel that I'm so full of crap and treating you guys badly. Some people want arcs to end and some want them to go longer. However I don't think that some of you guys are complaining. Mind you though from all the hating that Index got a few months ago on the To Aru Majutsu wiki site, I have a feeling that everyone will hate the Index arc.
Well too bad. She's a part of the story (a large part) so she has to be included. The first heroine as it were. Mind you though, as time has gone on, how many heroines have there been? And practically all of them are in the Kamijou Faction in one way or another, either through connections or via actual links. So I guess the only question that remains is whether or not they are a part of the Kamijou Harem?
Otherwise, that's just a ramble that I had. And so the story moves back the Hamazura. For a bit of trivia, I wrote this like a month after the last part so I hope that I have maintained my standard. But in the end, all you guys can do is read.
Thanks for everyone that has stuck with this story through thick and thin, I'll try and make sure that each and everyone one of you feels that each story is a decent length. As such, I'll try and include everyone that only got a few parts. Fukiyose, Mikoto (although I think that is a bit unnecessary), Accelerator and Stiyl. Kanzaki as well as I think (and so do a few of you) that I didn't do her arc as well as I should have. Sorry.
And for questions, look at then reviews for them and here are the answers:
Fallere: Kamachi say that Touma has evolved in terms of fighting however the problem here is the characters themselves. In the phased worlds, Touma was only fighting OTHINUS. Each death that he had was due to Othinus so through fighting her, he became the only person that could create a way to defeat her. This however only applies to Othinus. Touma can't determines how everyone else fights as he was only fighting Othinus so having Touma struggle against your average opponent doesn't really contradict that I feel. Also, if Touma one hit KO everyone what would be the point of a challenge for him? I hope that answers your question.
Claro y Volcan: Thanks and I mean that Hamazura doesn't know defeated Accelerator.
wfkiwi: Thanks very much and yes, I am in the process of drafting a Birdway and have somewhat ideas swarming in my head for the others as well.
As well as thanking my beta reader, PokeRescue18, the only thing left for you, the reader, is read. So I shall use my Marionette powers to do so!
Mr Question Mark
The phone rang and Muro Narahiko pressed his ear so hard to it that where Hamazura Shiage was, he seriously thought that he was going to press it into his head. Every time that either he or Matsura Chisaki averted their gaze from his direction he did his best in order to get closer and closer to them, the plastic tarps helping him to a large degree in order to provide some cover and a way to make sure that he was not seen. This in turn was a task that was quick and simple due to the small number of explosions that had rocked the bottom floors for the last few minutes.
Of course it was a double-edged sword, should he lose sight of one of the espers in front of him, it would be difficult to tell where they were unless they entered his field of vision again. And that could either be when they were standing right now or when they had managed to stab him in the back from behind. That fear went through his head however just as soon as it appeared, he forced it down. There was only one reason why he had come this far.
The phone number that Muro had called seemed to finally be answered and it seemed that he was about to leap out of skin in happiness. He smiled to himself and spoke into the phone.
"Boss! We have a problem! Y-Yanagimoto's fucked up!" he shouted into the phone. There was a small silence and the fact that Hamazura could hear the voice on the other end from where he leaned against one of the poles told him that the phone had been put on speakerphone. The voice that came out was scratchy however Hamazura could tell that it was not from some kind of scrambler or the like; the person's voice was usually that scratchy.
"What do mean? Don't you have the LV-Drop?" came the voice on the other end using a term that Hamazura was not familiar with.
Muro looked towards Matsura and she gave a shake of her head. Muro looked stunned. "Where the hell is it then?" he practically yelled at her.
However she seemed unfazed by the aspect that she had just been yelled at. Instead she gave a causal shrug of her shoulders and leaned back on of the poles in the area that the two of them were in.
Muro made a sound with his mouth however turned back to the phone and awaited the answer that was going to come from it.
"That….is somewhat troublesome." Said the voice. "He does know the location of our base and some of our most important secrets. Are you sure that Yanagimoto's gone over the edge as it were?" the voice on the other end asked.
There was an explosion in the distance however it seemed that this one was more powerful than the others and the whole building shook. Muro let out a surprised yell and Matsura fell back from where she was leaning against pole and fell back on the ground with a yell.
Surprised, Hamazura gripped the pole that he was leaning on with hand and held his breath as to not bring any attention towards himself. However that was not the case. The shock of the blast had somehow managed to push the pole out of alignment or the shock had done something to the pole itself but the result was the same.
Hamazura fell along with the pole that was leaning on and the tarp fell with him to the ground with a loud clang. Muro looked at the source of the sound with a surprised look and Hamazura gave a look back towards him which was practically the same.
The building stopped shaking and the two of the continued to stare at each other. And it was hardly a few seconds after the stare down that the both of them understood the situation in front of them.
"S-Shit! It's Hamazura!" shouted Muro as he practically dived behind some of the tarps, Matsura unknown in regards to her actions. Hamazura quickly got up and tried to find the closest cover, hiding behind the tarp that was so discoloured that it provided the perfect cover, holding the gun that he had used in the battle against Iriye in his hands.
He had no time to spend hiding in the corner. However he could not simply go ahead and attack indiscriminately. He already knew the abilities of his opponents in front of him. There was no telling what they would do should if he were to attack in the way that he planned to. So all he had to do was what he usually did.
Come up with a way to counter espers that were clearly more advanced in terms of their ability to use their powers. He had plenty of experience of using such tactics. Hamazura moved his foot and tried to get the pole that had been knocked over towards him, successful in doing so.
He pulled the pole towards him and a thought entered his mind.
The explosions had stopped. So just what exactly had happened?
A few minutes before…..
The magenta haired boy approached one of the metal poles that were used in construction, picking it up and chucking it towards Kamijou. He held out a hand in front of him and spoke.
"Yanagimoto Tadahisa. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya." He said to Kamijou.
And without hesitation the space that occupied the pipe was replaced with the flames and sound of an explosion.
Kamijou Touma had no idea what to do in response to the attack. It had been so sudden and forceful that there was only one thing that he thought he could in order to counter the attack that had just occurred.
On instinct, he thrust up his right hand and held it in front of his face. He squinted his eyes as the bright light entered his eyes and he felt something hit his palm. It was continuous however he felt no pain. Kamijou opened one eye and noticed the path of flames that he was creating using only his right hand, separating with only him in the middle. He looked in front of him and noticed that the flames were separating from each other where his right hand was.
It was almost as if…..
Kamijou Touma smiled to himself. After all, what kind of metal bar exploded in mid-air? What exactly was he thinking it would be? There was only one thing that it could have been in this City that made espers as if it was nothing.
The flames died down almost as soon as they had started and Kamijou heard a voice from beyond the smoke that was rising from where he was.
"Cheh. Always the same. Same same same." Said the boy that was known to Kamijou Touma as Yanagimoto Tadahisa spoke.
"What's the same?" asked Kamijou as he stepped forward from beyond the flames that were rising from the lobby of the Visitor's Hotel in District 3. He held his right hand in a fist and looked up at Yanagimoto who stood on the second floor of the lobby.
He held his mouth open in a gape, clearly shocked at the scene in front of him. Kamijou returned the look with one of his own, determination shining in his eyes as he stepped forward and ran towards the boy that was in front of him.
He went up the stairs that led to the second floor of the lobby yet the two of them were still on the ground floor, clear from where Index, Otohime and Fremea had gone. Yanagimoto took a step back however looked at the staircase that Kamijou was ascending.
"W-What's the same?" he asked as he slowly got over his shock. "Simple! You all die in the end!" he shouted as he leaped forward and pressed a hand on one of the railings of the staircase that Kamijou was climbing up.
It glowed a strange light. Kamijou could not use his right hand in order to touch the railing, he was not close enough to do that as the rail that Yanagimoto had touched was on Kamijou's left side. However that was not what he needed to do.
After all, that infamous Imagine Breaker that belonged to Kamijou Touma only negated powers. And that was all that Kamijou Touma ever needed. That and that will to clench his right hand to brush aside anything that came away to achieve one goal.
He manoeuvred his hand so that he held it in front of the railing and him while he continued running. The railing exploded with the same bright light from before and Yanagimoto had already maintained a safe distance away from the 'bomb' that he had created, grinning as the wind from the blast ruffled his hair from where he had fallen in the lobby.
Yet that was not the end. There were more footsteps that came from the centre of the blast and Yanagimoto backed away from the source of the blast as he saw something come from it. That spiky haired boy wearing that blue sleeved shirt headed straight towards him without a scratch on him.
W-What the hell was this guy? Who had he managed to avoid all of those blasts? Although he tried to think of a way, a power that allowed one to do so, he could not and that was what frightened Yanagimoto the most. Anything he didn't understand he dealt with. There was no point keeping something that did not fit around. That was the nature behind his power. Yet this person in front of him had pushed past of all that.
"What the fuck are you?!" yelled Yanagimoto as that boy headed straight for him, stepping down one foot and pulling his fist down where it slammed into Yanagimoto's face. His head collided with the floor and bounced off, stars in his vision.
He did not understand the person in front of him however he took notice of the area around him. This place was perfect was his power. He reached out his hand and touched the nearest construction pole that was near him. It glowed as soon as he touched it and the boy that had hit him looked at him with a surprised expression.
"What? Did you think that this was over? This is one fight you won't win!" The pole started to glow and Yanagimoto knew the consequences of the application of his power towards the pole. Yet there was also something sticking out in the back of his mind. Should the person in front of him be affected in the same way then he had found a potential weakness. Mind you though, that only applied to a situation where he was not going all out. And that did not apply to the situation right now.
Yanagimoto grinned however what the boy on top of him did was very simple. Grabbing the collar of the boy that he was on top of, the spiky haired boy grunted as he threw Yanagimoto away from the pole as far as he could before turning his own back towards the pole that was on the ground in the lobby of the Visitor's Hotel.
Yanagimoto tumbled on the ground and looked at the scene in front of him? He had been saved? What was the boy thinking? There was no way that he should have time to kick or defend the explosion in any possible way-
The pole exploded and a bright light came in front of Yanagimoto Tadahisa however what was more surprising was the red and orange colours that swarmed around the boy. He looked at them and it seemed an eternity before the obvious object that they were entered into his mind.
They were flames. Flames went around him as if someone had placed a gigantic barrier over the pole that had exploded. Yanagimoto looked forward and looked at where the barrier was, almost gaping at the scene in front of him.
The shirt fluttered in the wind and he could not see the expression of the boy that was in front of him. But even if he could he would not be interested at all. After all, that boy was separating the flames as easily as if he was cutting butter. They split at his hand before dying away and the smoke rose from the source of the explosion. And, as if it was a simple action, as if that boy had done nothing out of the ordinary, that boy turned around.
Yanagimoto stood up and glared at the spiky haired boy that was in front of him. "The hell is your power?" he yelled at him. "What kind of power can disperse a Level 4's Synchrotron?!" he asked.
That was the reason as to why Yanagimoto's power was perfect was the battlefield that he was standing in. Among most metals, it was aluminium that was used in many different materials; cutlery, foil….and even construction equipment, the perfect material for his Synchrotron.
The various poles that were to be used for the renovations to the hotel were everywhere, and all it would take for Yanagimoto to blow this place to hell and back was merely to collect of all of them under the building and use his power. Yet even though he could do that without so much as a strain there was someone in front of him that was his natural enemy. Did he have some kind of power that reversed the gravitons that he accelerated? Was he applying mass towards those particles so that they were no longer gravitons?
Yanagimoto clenched his hand and looked at that spiky haired boy. "Answer me!" he shouted.
The boy did not, at least not immediately. It seemed that he was either thinking about whether to answer the question however he did.
"Synchrotron? Level 4? What kind of thinking do you have? With you MINUS bastards, it's always power, power, power. Even though you try and absorb the thinking of A Certain Unknown Level 0, why is it that you try and rip away that power from others that have tried to hang onto it with their entire hearts? So my power does not matter. And all I need to do is beat you down until that thought gets into your thick skull."
The spiky haired boy moved forward and Yanagimoto responded by leaping to the side and picking up one of the poles that was on the ground that he could see through the lobby windows despite the darkness. He reached and felt the pole in his fingers, applying his power and using it to his advantage.
And the way that he did that was not by throwing the pole towards that spiky haired boy however by allowing it to stay close to him. Yanagimoto grinned to himself. He had finally found a weakness in that bastard in front of him. And that was something that he planned to use to his fullest extreme.
The spiky haired boy's eyes went wide as he looked at the enemy in front of him, increasing his pace so that he would make it in time. That enemy in front of him had shown that he was willing to commit suicide should he accomplish a 'victory'. It did not matter if he lived to see it however if he was sure of it, he was going to grasp it with both of his hands.
Kamijou Touma had stated that he was not going to let Yanagimoto Tadahisa win. So he leaped forward and went into a dive, just managing to touch the pole with the tip of his right hand, negating the power that was rolling through it. It stopped glowing and Kamijou breathed a sigh of relief.
Only to receive a blow to the head where he was bandaged. The effects of the battle with the other Level 0 before had shaken him up enough and receiving more blows to the head where he had been injured days before was not something that was going to be good for the wound that had developed there.
Yanagimoto stopped kicking and reached for the pole that was on the ground, picking it up and standing up in a quick moment. He swung it like a golf club towards the side of the boy that was on the ground, feeling the blow connect and the boy on the ground cough up saliva.
Yanagimoto breathed heavily and he laughed. "Hahahaha! So I was right? Fuck, you're a dumb bastard. You run towards me to beat me to a pulp yet you try and not make me get hurt. Hahaha! If I know that THEN I CAN USE THAT NAIVETY AGAINST YOU!" Yanagimoto beat down that spiky haired boy that was trying to get up before stepping back, using his power and fuelling it through the pole before throwing it towards the boy.
With the current position that he was in, there was no way that he could use the esper power that he had used in order to block the attacks that he had done so beforehand. And it was with that thinking that Yanagimoto wasted no time in detonating the pole that he had thrown. The explosion rocked him and Yanagimoto's magenta coloured hair whipped against his face violently and Yanagimoto breathed as if he had been supressing some kind of inner anger.
"I told you that it ended the same way. You all die in the end." He said before he turned his back on the scene of flames and destruction, clumping together the poles that were near him into a pile. The reason why he had come down here in the first place was simple. Even if Hamazura had managed to defeat those idiots upstairs there was no way that he would be able to avoid a blast made up of all the aluminium poles that had been used in construction.
There was a gasping sound from behind Yanagimoto and he slowly turned his head, finding the scene in front of him to be something that he had not expected. That spiky haired boy was standing up, using the staircase rail that was near him for support as he looked at the boy. There was a drop of blood that was running from his forehead and that boy spat out some spit that had a red colour mixed in with it.
Yanagimoto shuddered at the sight however felt something else rising within him. There was no other way that he could explain it. It was joy. Pure joy. No matter how many times this guy went down he would stand back up. It was like those games where he could beat someone to a point and simply press 'restart'. No matter what would happen this guy would step up. However that was not the joy that Yanagimoto Tadahisa felt.
It was the joy of breaking someone like that that gave him joy. He looked behind him and noticed that he had managed to gather around 10 poles and placed then in near proximity of each other. That was enough. With his power and the ability that he had that would be the equivalent of a hell load of C4.
"You're really something you know that? But this is the end. E-Everyone's game has an ending." Yanagimoto stumbled on the words that were coming out of his mouth. What if his power didn't work? What if the boy merely got up again? No, that wasn't what he was afraid of.
What if this boy had a greater power than he did?
Of the people that Yanagimoto knew for sure it was only the 7 Level 5s that had that position. Yet here was someone that had managed to push him back without even trying. What would happen if he was defeated? What would-
Yanagimoto shook his head. There was no way that he was going to chicken out. He had a way to defeat this guy. And if Yanagimoto attacked a part of that boy to a large extent then the internal damage would be beyond repair. His body wouldn't be found until the morning.
Yanagimoto knelt down and touched the poles on the ground before standing up. That boy was going to come and protect him. That much was obvious. And it was that tactic that he had used before that would allow victory.
The poles, all stacked up on each other, glowed in the same colour as the others had and that spiky haired boy ran forward despite his injuries. He did not say anything, merely focusing upon his own goal. He stretched out his hand as he ran past Yanagimoto with his palm outstretched. There was something off about it however Yanagimoto did not care. As long as he managed to push this guy down into the blast and use his body to protect himself, that much was fine.
He reached out for that outstretched arm and grabbed it however noticed something. It was the left. He had used his left hand instead of the right that he had used before. But why change hands now? Was it his power? But then why had he only used his r-
Yanagimoto never finished the thought as he felt something crash into his solar plexus, making him keel. Again, something hit him in the face and then he was pushed back however not backwards but down onto the bottom floor of the lobby, being thrown over the balcony.
He screamed as he fell. Even though it was a short drop, being unprepared for it was what made it so terrifying. Yanagimoto landed on his arm at a strange angle and heard something crack, screaming in pain as he held his arm. Then, something landed right next to him, pushing his head down onto the floor in a violent motion.
However there was a subtle technique behind it. Not only did it stun the opponent but…
It also allowed him to get his head down as that spiky haired boy held up his right hand to protect that enemy that would not do the same in his situation. Yanagimoto tried to look up and attack however the pain in his arm was too intense and his head dropped to floor.
A sudden light filled his vision and he saw those same flames bend around Yanagimoto as if he had been saved by some heavenly being. The blast was greater this time and Yanagimoto could tell through the shaking that he could feel even from here. And then they stopped. And everything was quiet.
Yanagimoto clenched his eyes however did not move as he awaited the next attack. But it did not come. Instead he felt something come and support his arm as well as hearing the soft sound of a phone dialling. Yanagimoto opened his eyes to see that same spiky haired boy lifting him up as gently as he could and put him against a wall where it was clear of any construction poles.
The right wall of the second floor of the lobby was nothing but a pile of rubble and Yanagimoto looked up at the boy. The call connected and that spiky haired boy spoke into it, asking for an ambulance of all things. He stated that injury that Yanagimoto had and nodded as he heard the ETA. And then he hung up the phone and bent down, supporting Yanagimoto as gently as he could.
He tried his best to make sure that he did not injure him too much and leaned his head on the wall where Yanagimoto lay and looked at the boy. He did not return the look before merely turning away and heading straight back towards the place that he had left; the battlefield.
"What the hell …..do you think that you're doing?" asked Yanagimoto. "I tried ….. to kill you. I tried to hurt Hamazura. Why are you simply…letting me off easy?" he asked.
Kamijou turned and frowned. "Are you complaining?" he asked. Yanagimoto was left speechless however Kamijou merely walked forward, heading up the stairs that he had climbed when he had lunged for Yanagimoto the first time.
"In the end, now that our fight is over, why should I harm you?" he asked. Yanagimoto blinked, feeling the pain that was running through his body however he noticed that it was not as extreme as he thought it would be. That boy had called the ambulance. And they would be here soon. However if that boy had hurt Yanagimoto some more, he would not be blamed. That was what Yanagimoto Tadahisa would do.
"You have…. every reason." Replied Yanagimoto. "Revenge…..the right of the victor….." Yanagimoto didn't continue however he knew that the message had gotten across. The boy had stopped half way up the stairs before looking back at Yanagimoto.
"What are you talking about? I have no right to hurt you just for something stupid like that. You just stay there. The ambulance will be here soon." Kamijou Touma simply left without saying anything else and Yanagimoto felt that something should be said. Perhaps a cry of defiance, the fact that the boy in front of him was so different to himself or a curse to attest to that very fact. Or perhaps trying to destroy the peace that the boy thought was ahead of him. Instead…..
"They're on the 30th floor." He said. Kamijou Touma turned before nodding and heading back up the stairs at a faster pace. Yanagimoto watched him go and watched the outside of the Visitor's Hotel.
These ambulances always took so long. And was that some of their guys out in front. Come to think of how exactly had that spiky haired boy even entered? What the fuck was up with their security?
Yanagimoto Tadahisa had that pointless thought. And it was perhaps the fact that he had that thought that meant that he had changed, even to a small extent.
Hamazura Shiage had once done battle with the #4. He had once done battle with a FIVE_Over. However he was not going to let that get to his head. He was a Level 0. That fact was not going to change in the space of the next few minutes. However he did have that advantage.
He knew exactly what the powers of the people in front of him were. Muro Narahiko and Matsura Chisaki. He knew them, their abilities and their levels.
And that just told him that he had to be careful.
He had not simply charged into a battle with the #4. He had known her for a short time and that had allowed him to understand her personality, something that allowed him that advantage in defeating her.
That was something that he was going to use once again.
Hamazura held the pole that he had brought closer to him in his hands, firing the gun that he held in the direction of where he knew that Muro was. He looked around for Matsura however did not see her and used that chance in order to attack.
He stood up and went around the tarps that covered part of the floor that he was on, bringing to pole up to his neck, putting the gun inside of his pants and he slowly controlled his breathing. This was the vital moment.
"Shit!" he called out at the top of his lungs. "Why is it now that I have to be empty?!" He of course was not however that was not the point of the lie that he told. It was to bring the people that were coming closer. They had to let down their guard. And a gun without any bullets was the perfect thing for that.
Hamazura used the pole that he had and clanged against the pole that was still standing near him. The sound echoed and he leaned against the pole that he was on, continually looking and the place where he had once been, awaiting him opponent.
And sure enough they came. With a strong leap, almost like a predator, a figure burst from the tarp that covered where he had once been, the plastic ripping as a result.
Muro Narahiko went wide eyed as he realised that Hamazura was not there however that was not the end of the attack. Hamazura leaped from where he was and brought up the pole that he had acquired, aiming for one place where he attack would be most effective.
With Muro still hovering in the air after jumping into the tarp, Hamazura slammed the pole into his kneecap. Muro let out a short cry of pain and Hamazura followed the blow with one to the face. Still in mid-air, Muro was thrown back as if he had been hit by a lariat and landed on his back, seeing Hamazura and reaching for his leg with a swipe.
Like when he had met Accelerator, Muro's fingernails had lengthened and grown, making it possible for him to strike Hamazura.
Muro Narahiko. A Level 2 Keratin Stone. An ability that allowed one to strengthen the keratin inside their body and use it to do all sorts of things, one of the most popular being the strengthening of one's outer skin in order to have greater resistance to attacks. However Muro had taken a different path to his power. He had 'polished' his 'stone' to the extent that he had made a 'blade' however at his level Hamazura doubted that it extended to all parts of his body that held keratin.
If that was the case, he would not be a Level 2. After all, keratin was the key structural component of nail, hair and the outer layer of human skin. He basically had an abundant supply but he had only chosen to refine one part.
Thus as Muro aimed for Hamazura's leg with his Keratin Stone Hamazura knew what to do. In a quick motion he lowered the pole so that it would meet the 'blade' mid-way and it had the effect that he thought it would.
There was a *CLANG* sound and Muro let out another scream that was louder than the one that he had let out when Hamazura had hit him. The 'blade' had collided with the metal pole and although that in itself was not significant the fact that any residual shock would be transferred down the blade was what made the attack significant.
Should it have been a normal sword, nothing would have been the problem, it would have only affected the hands to a minimum extent. But since Muro was using an extension of his body, it had an enhanced effect.
It was almost as if he had swung his own arm into a metal pole. The shock and speed that he had done so coursed through his body and Muro glared at Hamazura before using his other hand in order to strike. Yet Hamazura was not done.
He jerked the pole up so that Muro, who was on the ground still, was hit in the chin and his other arm flailed in the air as it did so, leaving Hamazura the chance to take his next move. However what he did was not attack but rather move back behind the tarps in the moment of pain for Muro.
He snuck behind them and slowly moved himself so that he was on the opposite side of where Muro had initially been attacked by him, moving ever so silently that he tried to make sure that he knew exactly where everyone was with their breathing.
Muro let out other pained gasps and Hamazura peeked out from where he was, the tarps surrounding the area being a practical labyrinth to any construction worker that was not there. He saw the flash of grey and knew that Matsura had come out from her place of hiding to assist the companion. Although he was not sure if she would the fact that she did meant that Hamazura had something that he could use.
He heard the pained gasps of Muro to watch out for Hamazura however he had already taken action. He pointed the gun at Matsura's back where he was and fired. The bullet entered her shoulder and came out from the other side and in hate she glared around only to have Hamazura slam the pole into her face causing her to fall onto the ground right next to Muro. She gasped in pain however struck the ground with a hand in the form of a fist.
It hit the ground and as she did so, Hamazura felt a pain in the back of his leg causing him to stumble. Normally, one would have turned at the feeling of someone striking from behind however he did not. After all, he knew the power that Matsura Chisaki had gained during the Power Curriculum Program.
Kinetic Reassignment. A Level 3. The ability to move kinetic force created by one's attack to another location. Any movement created kinetic energy however what if one could relocate that energy to another place? What would happen? Namely the fact that the 'location' that had been chosen to take the brunt of the blow would be the place where all of the kinetic energy would be received.
And so when Matsura had punched the ground, she had focused and redirected the kinetic energy towards where Hamazura was however the pain from the gunshot must have thrown off her calculations.
Yet Hamazura had still stumbled and those that had fallen had taken the opportunity to attack. Muro stood up as fast as he could despite the injury in his kneecap and swung his hand that had the lengthened fingernails at him as he stumbled. Hamazura however was quicker. He thrust up the pole in order to intercept the blow and Muro froze as he saw the technique that had thrown him off before.
Hamazura Shiage wasted no time. He stepped forward and used the gun in his other hand not to fire but to beat Muro across the face. He stumbled and tripped over the fallen Matsura and Hamazura grabbed one of the plastic tarps throwing it over the two of them before going behind another tarp.
He had studied the files that he had gotten from Accelerator. And he had noticed something. While MINUS had attacked numerous people they were the ones that started the attack. They were the ones that decided the battlefield and they were the ones that started.
Once they decided to attack they never let up. It was similar to someone weaker taking on someone that was stronger by deciding the battlefield and using the familiarity of it to their advantage. However there was something else that Hamazura had thought of.
What if someone were to take control of the battlefield? What if they were to use the rules of MINUS against them? They may have decided the battlefield however they did not decide the fight. And what Hamazura was doing was no different to what numerous sides on a war did to the side that outnumbered them.
Guerrilla warfare. Attacking and then hiding in intervals that the enemy did not know of. Wearing them down psychologically. The repeat attacks of Hamazura had aimed towards this goal. By hiding when he could have beaten them he was making them revaluate their opponent. Re-think their options and overthink them. And that would be their mistake.
There was a groan from where Hamazura knew they were.
"Jesus! What the hell?! HAMAZURA!" shouted Muro from where he was. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?! Don't think you'll get away from this!" he shouted. Hamazura didn't anything, only looked through the tarps to see that Muro had his back towards him while Matsura had managed to get up and was looking at her surroundings while holding her bleeding shoulder.
Matsura was the one to make the first suggestion. She pointed in a certain direction and moved that way while Muro took the opposite route. In the end, Hamazura knew who he was going after. While Matsura's arm had been injured that meant that her pain had to be factored into the calculations that she had make. In turn that meant that the one who was more dangerous at the current moment….
Hamazura took after Muro through the tarps, tarps that Muro was dealing with by slicing them with his fingernails. Hamazura gritted his teeth. The more of the floor that was open to the line of sight then the more vulnerable he was to attacks. But Hamazura had a gun and a pole as his weapons.
And the element of surprise. Hamazura turned in order to make sure that there was no sign of Matsura before making his move. He rose the pole into the air above him before letting it fall towards the back of Muro's head. He stumbled and fell forward, throwing his arm out in surprise, something that cut straight through Hamazura's jumper and sliced his arm. Blood flowed out however it was not a lot nor did Hamazura care.
He kneed Muro in the chest, surprised that he was still standing after that blow to the head. Muro coughed and clutched his chest before falling back, clutching it and holding his hand in front of him, fingernails outstretched. Hamazura bent down before leaping from the ground with frightening speed and used the pole to smash into Muro's hand.
Muro noticed this action and threw his hand back at the last second before throwing it forward, fingers pressed together like his hand was a knife. Hamazura ducked, using his experience from previous fights inside the back alleys of Academy City to execute his dodge.
The hand sailed over Hamazura's head and Hamazura took the opportunity to get the pole and smash it into the kneecap of Muro again. He screamed out however was not done. He grabbed at one of the tarps that had been cut by him earlier and threw it towards Hamazura. He merely swatted it out of the way however the size of the tarp made it difficult to do in one action and that was when Muro took action.
He leaped forward and used both of his hands in a slicing action similar to a cross. Hamazura did not give up. He had worked hard for this, this one thing that MINUS was going to take away from him. And like hell he was going to let it slip through his fingers just when he had already reached this point.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he yelled and, with the tarp still hanging over him, slammed his shoulder into Muro's face as he jumped to meet Muro mid-way.
Level 0 met Level 2 and Muro stumbled before managing to get in a blow. Similar to Hamazura he too had taken advantage of the bad situation, slicing his hand towards Hamazura's face as he got close. Hamazura leaned back at the last minute and it was that fault that meant that he was sliced across the face, blood entering his eyes but the positive was that the plastic tarp had all been sliced off in the process and slid off Hamazura.
Hamazura wiped the blood off his face however it was clear who was worse off. Muro spat out the blood that had gathered at his mouth and limped backwards.
"What the fuck? How can you stand up for yourself and then not want to help other people do it?!" yelled Muro towards Hamazura.
Hamazura gripped the pole inside his hand tighter and spat out what he had to say. "Stand up for others? What the fuck?! How can you say that when you want to destroy what I've worked so hard to get? You actually think that I'm going to help a bastard like you?!"
Muro pointed at him with a disgusted expression. "And it is that thinking that has meant that we suffer! Others, others, others! Why are we not included in that?! Why are we the ones that have to fight in order to get strong when no–one else will?!"
"You think that that's the problem?!" declared Hamazura. "The world does not revolve around you, you self-righteous bastard! Everyone has their own problems and they all solve them in their own way! So why does everyone else that you hate so much have to suffer because of your problem?!"
That was right. Hamazura felt an anger rise up in him and he understood that anger. He was angry at the people in front of him that had tried to hurt those that he fought hard to protect. He was angry that they were put in danger once again because of him. But most of all…..
He was angry because they were exactly like him. Muro Narahiko was someone that had wanted everyone to help him with no one getting help in return. He was someone that felt that he was better because he had power and was trying to acquire a goal while thinking that everyone who got in the way of that was a villain. He was someone…..just like Hamazura had been.
Yet Hamazura had moved off that path because of the words of someone. But he was not Kamijou Touma. Inspiring words did not come to his mind. Yet Hamazura knew something. The person in front of him was someone that he was once. Someone that he would punch in the face for being again. So all he had to do was yell at his own former weakness.
"If it's all about you, then where does that leave everyone else? Your comrades?! Those that you treasure?! Instead of fighting your own weakness and trying to find strength, do it so you can understand what true happiness is! I did it you bastard! So understand your fauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuults!" Hamazura leaped forward with that pole in his hand and swung it at Muro's head and he blocked it with an arm as he winced in pain.
Yet he still managed to stay standing. And he smiled. "Comrades?! What the shit? Why should I worry about them!? YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DO THAT!" he yelled and Hamazura felt a chill behind him. With all of the ruckus that they had caused it was clear what someone would do if they were on the side of Muro.
Hamazura did not waste any time looking to see if Matsura Chisaki was there. Instead he ducked, avoiding the possible blow to the back of the head that was going to receive. Sure enough, he felt something whiz past his head and that was it. It was unlikely that Matsura could maintain the force in the air for long so as long as she had a 'location' to direct force inside of her head then that was where the kinetic energy would end up. No exceptions.
Hamazura realised the disadvantage that he was at. Although he had trained up to at least the level of an athlete during his days in Skill-Out there was always going to be situations where things went to the shits. And this was one of them.
And so Hamazura Shiage moved fast. He twisted his body, bringing out the gun that he held and fired it at Matsura however missed as he saw that Matsura had hidden behind one of the tarps that Hamazura himself had used as cover. But that was not at all. As Hamazura had stepped back, he had manoeuvred the pole that was in his other hand and shoved it under his arm, the step back allowing the end to forcibly push into the unsuspecting Muro. He lost his balance and Hamazura moved to his right, the opposite direction that Matsura had moved and tried to find a tarp that was close that had not been sliced by Muro and like, Matsura, he found one with ease.
"You bitch!" said Muro's voice from wherever it was. "You think that you can just fuck around with MINUS?"
Hamazura heard small steps towards him and the ripping of the tarps that were placed around him. It was clear what was happening, Muro was advancing and taking out any cover that he had available to him. That suited Hamazura just fine. It simply meant that he knew when he would be coming towards him.
Hamazura held the gun in his hand and the pole in the other, leaning against the pole that he had his back up against and closing his eyes as he focused on listening on where Muro was. He was at least 10 metres from where he was however the tarps around him were something that Muro wanted to make sure that Hamazura was not hiding behind any of them and took care as he cut them. Taking note of where Muro was going to move next…
The space at least 10 centimetres from where Hamazura had his own head burst open and a pale coloured shape appeared from it however Hamazura kept calm. The hand went down the tarp, ripping it beyond recognition and Muro stuck his head to make sure that no one was there…..
Only to look straight at Hamazura who was pointing a hand gun straight down towards his hand.
"Hey Keratin Stone. If I rip off every one of your nails then is your power useless?" He pulled the trigger and Muro roared in pain before collapsing backwards holding his hand that one could see the fluorescent lights of the roof with despite the darkness of the night.
Hamazura looked at the boy and heard the opening of the door in the distance. Had Matsura finally decided to take it out of here? Muro however had not heard it, still yelling in pain. Hamazura felt that this was enough. Surely he had had enough. There was nothing left to do now except…..
Hamazura held up the pole with his right hand. In a way it felt like the baton that he had used against that Level 0 back at the Dangai University database centre. And he was beating the person that had once held such a baton. So many parallels could be drawn from just the one situation that Hamazura felt it inside him that he had to take out Muro quickly.
Had this been what he was like? Had this been what he had fought for? Everything had changed since then. In any regard there was only one thing left to d-
Hamazura felt a pain near his temple, something that threw him off completely as he swung the pole down towards Muro's head. It redirected and smashed into his side and Muro screamed with pain, the pain in his hand the one more obvious. Hamazura turned around however did not see anything. And then froze. It did not have to be behind him. As long as one had the 'location' then the attack could come from anywhere. If that was the case!
Hamazura tried to bend down however the pole struck the side of his face where Muro had cut him, throwing him to the ground and he felt blow after blow connect with all parts of his body.
"Bwahahahaha!" laughed Matsura Chisaki as she was triumphant. "This is what it feels like Hamazura! Know your place as a Level 0! Was the #4 this easy to beat?" Matsura let another strike and Hamazura felt the blow resound in his head where it hit him. "That's just too bad though!" she said. "I was looking forward to working with you!"
"Stop!" shouted a voice however it was not Hamazura's. Muro shouted out from where he lay and he shakily stood up. It was amazing that he had managed to do so however he was likely about to collapse, his face pale and eyes wavering in colour. Hamazura Shiage had done that much damage after all. Muro approached Hamazura slowly as he reached for his collar and held up his other hand, Matsura stepping back with an evil look in her bespectacled eyes.
His fingernails slowly got longer and Hamazura watched as he could do nothing. "Two against one right?" he said. "You have no right to complain, fucking Level 0. This was your own battlefield to walk on."
"Absolutely right." Said Matsura Chisaki from where she stood. "It was your decision to fight us despite knowing the odds. You should be lucky that it was two against one. If I was in your position, I would not have come. You decided to take on two to one. Man Muro, what is the boss going to say?" she asked. "He's probably still on the line, wherever your phone is."
Muro spat out the next words. "If that's the case then you listen here MINUS. I don't care what you want with Hamazura Shiage. I don't care if he's a Level 0 or defeated Meltdowner. I'm going to take him out. So understand your worth Level 0. This is what you mean to us."
In the end, Hamazura knew that what he had done was right. Even though the battle had ended up like this, he had done the right thing. He had fought for those that deserved his protection. He wasted a waste. Of course he had failed but in the end, that was his own fault, not because he was a Level 0.
And Hamazura Shiage had regret. He knew that he was leaving behind something that he was not going to get back. There was nothing he could do to apologise to Fremea, Mugino, Kinuhata and…..
Takitsubo Rikou. A Level 4. She had wanted to protect him and he wanted to do the same. And he had managed to do so. From Mugino, from Academy City, from WWIII. The one person that had showed him his worth. And that was something that he was going to lose to this….person. Ironic that he had killed the old version of himself, only to have that version kill him back. He smiled to himself.
He had too many regrets. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to end it here! If-if only he had one more chance! A way to turn things around!
He started to move his hand however Muro was faster and thrust his hand towards Hamazura's neck, those fingernails, the ability Keratin Stone heading straight for his neck.
Hamazura closed his eyes and then opened them. Nothing had happened. Nothing had pierced his neck, nothing had caused him to cough and splutter to death. In fact, nothing had happened. Had Muro stopped. If so, why? Why had he changed his mind at the last minute?
Muro's face was in front of him and his eyes were wide. Matsura Chisaki's face was the same and it looked as though they had both forgotten that Hamazura Shiage was there at all. They were both looking towards Hamazura….no behind him…..behind the pole that Muro had pushed him towards. Hamazura noticed that an arm had been placed right next to his face and reached out to grab Muro's hand, something that was hanging stupidly in the grip of the person behind Hamazura. Those fingernails had not pierced that hand.
And then Hamazura noticed something. They had not pierced that right hand.
"Level 0s are worth nothing? Well then…" A voice entered Hamazura's head and he felt himself having a big grin despite the injuries that he had gotten from Matsura. What regret were left? None to be sure. After all, Hamazura was not going to die. The only thing that was going to be killed…
"Hamazura and I will have to prove you wrong."
….were those fucked up illusions that revealed themselves in the darkness of the 30th floor of the Visitor's Hotel in District 13.
Hamazura Shiage used the timing to his advantage. He quickly head butted Muro in the face who stumbled back and Hamazura followed it up with an uppercut to the chin. Muro fell back and his head hit one of the poles that had been standing. He did not get up; his body limp as he had taken too much damage. That much was evident.
His hand had a hole in it and although it was not obvious he had a pole smashed against his kneecap and taken all sorts of other types of damage. He had used up all of his remaining energy just to stand up and it was obvious that he was not going to do so anytime soon.
Matsura looked on in shock at both Hamazura Shiage and the boy appeared in order to save him, walking from behind the ripped tarp that he was behind and stepping out so that he looked straight at the boy on the ground.
Matsura Chisaki knew him. It was the guy that had been with Hamazura, had been the guy that saw her panties. But what was he doing here? Had he followed Hamazura? By following his conversation, he was a Level 0 too but what he had done to Muro's power was nothing that a normal Level 0 could do. But more importantly….
What was his role in the battlefield?
Hamazura wiped his hand and had a look at Kamijou Touma. "Jesus." He said. "What the hell happened to you?"
He noted the number of bruises on his hand, the black marks that covered his face and the speck of blood that was rolling down his face from the bandage that covered his head. Although he was wearing different clothes that Hamazura had seen the day before, the fact remained that he was also in worse shape.
"Some guys downstairs." Came the quick reply. "But what about you?" he asked.
Hamazura pointed at the fallen Muro, and then at the glasses wearing, big breasted Matsura.
"I….see." said Kamijou Touma. "You're the one that was at the café." Kamijou looked at her and Matsura returned the look with one of pure hatred.
"And what of it? You think that you can stop MINUS by yourself!? You're just a Level 0! Although Hamazura has defeated Meltdowner, just what do you think that you can do?! Just what power do you think that you have you Level 0?" responded Matsura, noticing something on the floor in her peripheral vision.
Kamijou said nothing however clenched his right fist. Instead it was Hamazura who spoke, holding a pole that he had picked up from the ground and holding it in his left hand. He swung it in his hand. "Well boss? What do you say we finish this?" he asked.
B-Boss?! Questioned Matsura. If Hamazura himself, the one that had defeated the #4…respected this guy to the extent of calling him boss?!
Just who exactly was this guy?!
The other boy merely held up his right fist, his own back pressing against Hamazura's. "Sure…but make sure that everyone gets back. No one is going to die today."
Hamazura was silent as he stepped forward, getting ready. Both Level 0s were ready….and so was the Level 3.
Matsura Chisaki leaped through the air and grabbed the gun that Hamazura had dropped when she had attacked him. She swung it towards the direction that Hamazura and Kamijou were in and fired however the quick movement meant that she did not get a proper aim. The bullet sailed between the two's heads, a miracle that it did as such.
Both boys leaped to their own respective sides and hid behind the poles and tarps that provided cover. Hamazura checked his body for the gun however found that it was not there and swore, looking over at Kamijou.
"Boss! Her ability is Kinetic Reassignment!"
"What the hell is that?!" questioned Kamijou as he tried looking over to where Matsura was only to hear a gunshot and the sound of a bullet ricocheting with the metal that was near his head. He put his head back where it belonged and Hamazura answered his question as he moved towards Muro's unconscious body.
"She has the ability to transfer the energy that she holds towards a certain area! She can basically punch you whenever she gets the chance!" he shouted. Kamijou nodded and looked at how the tarps linked together as best he could. However there was not much in the ways of obvious path, the only one being the one that he had gone down when he had entered the floor, the one that had been created by Muro.
Still, Kamijou did not have a great idea of what Matsura's power was. And although he did not need to have a good look, some things were better experienced rather than explained. Like a Magical Powered Kanamin 's 8th major arc storyline. Kamijou would never forget how mentally exhausted he had been after both watching it and hearing Index explain it with no knowledge of science.
Seriously though, Kamijou knew he had to edge closer. He stuck his hand out on the side that Matsura was not firing on and received no response, Kamijou taking that chance to move down the tarps and try to understand where Matsura was. She was not making any sound whatsoever and that made it difficult for Kamijou to determine her location.
Hamazura was doing the same on his side as the two of them tried to get closer to where Matsura was. Yet…..
"I can see you you bastards!" shouted Matsura as Kamijou suddenly felt a blow towards his left side. He turned in shock however found that nothing was there before feeling the same blow towards his chest, winding him.
He fell to one knee and tried to regain his breath, looking around frantically for the attacker however he could not see them.
Is…..is she directing the attacks indiscriminately? Thought Kamijou however dismissed the thought. Doing so and managing to land two attacks perfectly meant that she was somewhere where she could see Kamijou. Kamijou clenched his teeth and frantically foiled out of the way as he realised what that meant.
Almost immediately after a bang sound pierced the air and a part of the floor where Kamijou was previously was chipped off as a bullet pierced right through it. Kamijou looked at where the bullet had come from and turned in that direction, seeing the colour of grey among the tarps. He ran towards that direction and followed the shape that had appeared, only stopping in time to feel something collide with his side, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the side.
Something entered his vision and he saw Matsura pointing a gun straight at his face, the other hand that was empty clenched into a tight fist. She punched the air, a seemingly pointless action however Kamijou felt the blow enter his stomach and he curled up in pain.
"One down. That was too easy." She said however stopped as something entered her vision towards the right. She could not move in time as Hamazura Shiage roared and swung the pole towards her. Yet she did not bother to move. She merely stood there and received the blow, stumbling a tiny bit as it smashed against her head however that was not the end of the strike.
Hamazura's head also moved due to the blow, hit in the same place where Matsura had been and he clenched his head before swinging the pole again towards Matsura's stomach. She received the blow again and spat out saliva in response yet Hamazura was also the one that was affected again, the space where his head was distorting and causing him to stumble.
"What….the fuck?" declared Hamazura as he looked at her.
She smiled and wiped some saliva from her mouth. "You might know my power but that's it. You don't know how I apply it. As long as it's kinetic energy, I can manipulate it. Basically, as long as a set a 'location', no matter even if there is pain, any physical attack will be lessened and the brunt of it will be directed towards you!"
Kamijou looked at Hamazura and took in everything that she said. Hamazura's eyes met his own and Kamijou smiled. This situation had a sort of precedent. Although Kamijou had lost all his memories prior to July 28th he had still managed to do a lot in that short time. And one battle was against Agnese Sanctis, a girl who used her Lotus Wand to direct spatial attacks. And that was exactly what was happening here. Although there was always the case that Matsura was different than Agnese in the sense that any physical attack would also harm others, Kamijou knew that it had its limits. It was not Accelerator's ability to control vectors as she had received damage itself and Kamijou probably thought that if she was shot, the pain would probably be too extreme to let her calculate, the same principle applying to the shock of surprise attacks.
Hamazura looked at Kamijou and knew that he knew something that he did not. However that was enough. Even if it was to be bait and a distraction, Hamazura would use this chance in order to fully support Kamijou Touma.
"So you think that any attack will not work on you? How about this?!" shouted Hamazura as he threw the pole towards the outstretched hand of Matsura's. The blow connected and Hamazura felt that exact same pain being applied to his head, something that shook him up a bit and Matsura looked at Hamazura with a glare that showed her hatred towards him. She was about to move however….
"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kamijou Touma let out that roar and Matsura looked over at him, smiling that he had lost his element of surprise. In the end, all that was left was to-
The punch connected and Matsura was physically blown back by the blow. It was unlike she had ever experienced. It was a blow that she had not directed part of the kinetic force away from. This was what a real punch felt like. She gasped in pain and pressed a hand towards her cheek, looking in shock at the boy in front of her, not understanding what had just happened.
She slowly stood up and Hamazura walked forward however Kamijou stopped him. He simply held out a hand and stepped forward.
"I…..have no doubt that you will be able to defeat her." He said to him as Matsura slowly stood up. "But there's no point when I can do it too. I know this is selfish of me….but will you let me help you protect those that you want to protect as well?"
Hamazura looked at the boy in front of him. He did not need to ask. There was reason for him to say no however that boy had asked. It was not only because of the ability in that right hand that he asked that question. To Hamazura, it was more like that boy would have asked that question whether or not he had that ability in his hand or not. And in turn, that meant that there was only one thing that Hamazura could say in response.
He looked down at Matsura Chisaki who had slowly began to stand up and said one thing.
Kamijou Touma raced forward and Matsura took action. She punched the air, moving the kinetic energy that was behind the blow towards the 'location' that she had set. However at the same time, Kamijou Touma rose his right hand and rose it towards his head, just in time to intercept the force that she had transported.
It disappeared in the air and Matsura twitched as the boy continued to run forward with that clenched fist. What the hell was this guy? How was he managing to take on her attacks and simply walk forward as if nothing had happened? What the nature of his power?
"What the hell are you doing to my power?!" she demanded as she tried a different tactic. She grabbed the nearest weapon that she could find; one of the poles that had been left on the ground after it had fallen in the battle that had occurred on the floor there. She swung it towards the boy and he held up his right arm in order to meet it mid-way and at that same moment, Matsura Chisaki moved the kinetic force that was behind the blow, aiming for the same spot that she had determined was the most effective place for her power.
Kamijou Touma's head jerked to the right as she redirected the force and Matsura went in for another blow however Kamijou had already taken his next action. Having grabbed the pole with his right hand, he pulled it away from Matsura and stepped forward throwing forward his fist. Matsura noticed that it was both his right hand and her fears disappeared in front of her. She focused on her power, ready to re-direct the power….
And that left fist stopped right in front of her face. She blinked however realised what was going on. While she was focusing on the hand that she could use her power against, what exactly was happening with the hand that had rendered her power useless?
She did not react in time to the feint that Kamijou had done, having dropped the pole and smashing the fist into the face of his opponent. She fell back into the tarps, knocking a large amount of them to the ground and scrambled to her feet as she assumed a battle stance. Just what exactly was this guy? To block kinetic energy while it was being formed…..just what exactly was this?! She reached for the nearest pole that she had dropped and held it in front of her towards the advancing boy.
Kamijou Touma stepped through the hole in the tarps. However he did not simply attack like she thought he would. Hamazura had not followed the two of them so that told her a number of things. One, that he had truly taken that much damage during the fight with them. However that was not the most frightening thing.
It told her that Hamazura Shiage, the person that had broken the line between Level 0 and Level 5, had complete trust in this person towards accomplishing their goal. And that was what frightened her the most.
"What exactly are you even doing here?" declared Matsura as she yelled at the boy. "What is Hamazura to you?! Why are you fighting?!"
The boy stopped in front of her however did not let down his guard. "…..Why? What do you mean why? Isn't it obvious?! When it comes between taking away the hopes and dreams of someone and helping them hold onto those dreams, there's only path to take!" he yelled back at her. "What did Hamazura do to you? No…..in fact what has everyone person that has been targeted by MINUS done to you?! I've seen exactly what you guys have done, the lengths you have gone to to make sure that one person gets out of your way. So what was it all for? Can you truly say that you have gained strength by harming those that were happy the way they were? Can you truly say you are strong because you managed to topple the pillar of strength that they have built?!"
"How can you say that? Who are you to say that? What do you know of the life of me, Matsura Chisaki?! What do you know of the pain that has brought me down on this path?! A path that I chose of my own free will?!" Matsura yelled back at him.
"And how much pain are you trying to cause Hamazura Shiage on his path?! You're right, I don't know the pain that you have on this path of yours. However I can truly see that the life that you are living is one that will only cause you more pain. Are you simply looking for someone in order to thrown your pointless rage at?! If that is the case, then the one you should be angry at is yourself! Your failure to see the obvious! The failure to see that there is a way out of the rotten path that you have in front of you!" Kamijou Touma let the words flow out of his mouth. Just like Hamazura he had seen this before. Just like Hamazura, he realised that the person in front of him, was someone that he had already faced during the Skill-Out Uprising.
"What?! You think that this is a path where one can simply change rails like a train!? Life isn't as easy going as you believe it is! People die! People lose and people fall victim to the easiest of things that cause their life to change forever! What exactly do you think that Matsura Chisaki had to face in order to make her choose this path?!" Matsura responded.
"You chose it yourself! Don't make it like something else did it for you! You chose that path that you are on! No one else did that! It was your idea to harm others! It was your plan to harm Hamazura and those that he loved! How can you say that someone else did that for you! I don't know what factors led Matsura Chisaki towards the path that she was on….."
Kamijou Touma took one step forward. That was the path he had taken. That was the path that he had made of his own will. It was not because of the right hand that he held that he took the path that he was on but rather he walked that path with a right hand that housed a special power. And that choice was one that he made himself.
"But if you think that this path of yours is so hard to stray from…."
He took another step forward and that was when Matsura Chisaki attacked. She swung down the pole that she had in her hand and used all of her will in order to direct an attack towards Kamijou's bandaged head so that we would fall. He had to fall! He had to!
The blow hit Kamijou in the back of the head like she had calculated however he did not stumble. He did not even move backwards or wince in pain. He merely took another step forward before throwing back his right hand.
"Then I, Kamijou Touma, will rip apart that path and reveal one that is free of those illusions that you hold!"
He took another step and Matsura Chisaki's face was thrown back, her glasses shattering as she did so before falling to the floor where she lay. However there was something about her that was different.
Almost as she had realised the joke that the path that she had taken was, the smile on her face was perhaps that light in the darkness that she had managed to attain.
In the end though, Matsura Chisaki had been right about one thing. The entire battle from start to finish had been heard by a silent observer. A shout had entered their ears and then there was silence and that told them one thing.
Hamazura Shiage had failed. There was no getting him towards MINUS now. It was a lost cause. Yet there was something else that stuck out to the person with the scratchy voice at the end of that day.
"…Kamijou Touma….." Although that person had no idea who that was, he intrigued the owner of the voice on the end of the phone. When it came to battles, the biggest advantage was not knowing what one was going to get into. Basically, if one walked into a room with a blindfold on and told that there was a 'force' in there, what would that mean? If one did not know something, that increased the psychological impact of it.
Yet Kamijou Touma, someone with no connections towards MINUS in anyway, had entered that battlefield. So who was he? And what was he like?
In the end, it could be said that the thought of that one boy on the end of the voice meant that Kamijou had the ultimate victory. Ina a way, no one would be hunting down others that Kamijou Touma knew.
Almost as if by the hand of God, Kamijou Touma became the target himself. But the only thing about it…..was that he didn't know it.
Students who disobeyed the teacher had to be punished. Hamazura was already out of the 'class'. That meant that the troublesome child was the one who was supposed to be disciplined.
"This really is too much for a Lieutenant General." [1]
"I-I really don't care about that sort of stuff anyways!" shouted Hamazura Shiage. He had only heard about what had happened from Kamijou after the incident had ended. One moment he had been in District 3, still shaken from all the blows that he had taken and the next he had been in the hospital room with bandages over parts of his body.
The doctors had told him that he had taken quite a beating and that being a Level 0 was no excuse to go out and get beaten like that. Of course, it had not been intentional however Hamazura had felt inside of him that after Kamijou Touma had taken over….everything would have been alright.
Of course Hamazura had done most of the fighting on the 30th floor so it was completely alright for him to have a rest after that sort of thing.
"So are you saying that if a bunny girl came in here to nurse you back to health, you would refuse?!" shouted Kamijou Touma back at him. While Hamazura was on the bed in bandages, Kamijou lacked them, the doctors not bothering to tell him that he was being too reckless due to his somewhat minor injuries compared to Hamazura.
Kamijou had informed him of everything. How he had got there, what he had done and his role. Especially about Fremea. Of course Hamazura had freaked out about Fremea having a role in such however Kamijou had said that she had been in the hands of people that he trusted.
According to him, after the ambulance had finally arrived, everyone had been taken out of the floor and the Visitor's Hotel owners were really pissed about the criminal organisation that had used their hotel in Academy City as a place to 'blow some shit up' the media statement had basically said. Kamijou had carried Hamazura down all of the floors where they had met a worried Fremea however everything was fine after it. He had been moved to a certain hospital in District 7 where he was now and talking with Kamijou who had fought by his side.
"Wh-What the hell are you saying?!" shouted Hamazura however pictured the scene in his head. Takitsubo Rikou walking in….."Hamazura-chan…are you alright?" A cute tilting of the head to add some flavouring and her body bent over in such a way that her clea-
"Cr-crap! Hamazura! Your nose! That looks really serious!" shouted Kamijou as he frantically got some tissues and applied them to Hamazura's nose. Hamazura did the same and looked awfully embarrassed. He tried desperately to change the subject by pointing at Kamijou.
"So….*sniff*….you didn't get any lasting injuries?" specifically Hamazura pointed towards the now unbandaged head that Kamijou had and he nodded.
"Yep. Only a few bruises however they'll disappear soon. Nothing left after a while. The same with you though. Just that with MINUS and everything, you might want to lay low for a bit. Nothing happened with Accelerator beforehand though, so I have no idea if anything will happen."
MINUS. The core of the issue. Hamazura did not know who they were however he had managed to do everything by himself and end the incident. Yet that did not mean that everything was over after that.
"Hey…boss. That information you gave to Accelerator? I want in." he said with a serious look in his eyes.
Kamijou said nothing as he leaned back in the visitor's chair that he was in and looked at then ceiling while he nodded. "Yeah. I can understand that." He leaned forward again. "But-"
The door of his room opened and a small girl of around 8 entered before running up to Hamazura's bed and tackling it with full force. Hamazura grunted as his leg was grabbed and he tried to shake off the little monster however it was difficult.
"F-Fremea!" shouted Hamazura. "What the hell are you-" He stopped in mid-sentence. What the hell had she been doing? She had gone to the battlefield after getting Kamijou with no thought for herself. She had entered that hell herself. So this response was one that was alright. In the end, wasn't this what he was trying to protect the entire time?
He smiled and patted the head of the little girl. "Nyah!" she said in protest. "Essentially, just what were you thinking Hamazura?" she shouted at him.
"That's what I should be saying!" yelled Hamazura back at her. "Just how dangerous did you think things would be?!"
"Hah! Essentially, I can take care of myself!" she said as she pointed to herself.
Hamazura looked at Kamijou who didn't say anything, before standing up and walking to the door, leaving the two of them alone. Hamazura was about to call out to him however he indicated that he would be back and sure enough he was, leading along a small girl with a hair that was almost purple and was wearing an orange dress with and a nun that he had seen before wearing a habit that only she would wear, in her arms a small calico cat.
Kamijou led the two of them inside and they looked at Hamazura. He didn't need to know what was happening or who they were. The very fact that they had been led in by Kamijou told him one thing.
"Thank you." He said to them from the bottom of his heart. "You helped protect Fremea. Thank you."
Both of the girls merely blinked before looking at Kamijou who looked away with a somewhat scared expression on his face that Hamazura noticed. Yet both of the girls smiled at Hamazura and the one wearing the orange dress knelt down and patted Fremea's head.
"Well, everyone is fine now right? Make sure to keep an eye on that Hamazura right Fremea-chan?" said the girl with a sparkle in her eyes. Fremea nodded.
"And make sure that he doesn't get into trouble!" said the nun as she held up her chest with a smile. "With Touma that's impossible however you can make sure he doesn't do down such a path!"
Fremea laughed at the nun, ignoring the "Oi" from Kamijou. Fremea looked up at Kamijou and opened her mouth to say something however she never got it, Kamijou interrupting her before she could say anything.
"You don't need to say anything. Hamazura fought for you and you fought for him." He waved a hand as he walked out of the room and the two of them could not see the expression on his face as he spoke his next words.
"The 'replacement' is done for today. Make it worth it Hamazura." He said before exiting the room, the other girls following him and the room was left in silence. Hamazura turned to Fremea.
"Say Fremea. Thanks. For worrying about me." Fremea nodded and put her head on Hamazura's blanket with a smile on her face before she rose her head, worry in her eyes.
"N-Nyah! Essentially, we forgot to thank him! How could you forget something so important Hamazura!?" she said however Hamazura merely let out a laugh and looked at Fremea who looked back at him in wonder.
"He did it of his own free will. He doesn't need thanks. In the end….." Hamazura patted Fremea's head. "As long as we have our smiles he will continue to walk forward. And it's always good to know that there is someone that we can count of when we need it."
Kamijou Touma's role was complete. In the end, he did not need anything else more than the fact that everyone was safe in the end. After the incident was over, all connections were gone and the people involved would go their separate ways. Hamazura Shiage and Kamijou Touma had their own peace. And it was the fact that they had managed to struggle successfully to maintain it that meant that everything was over.
Yet both Fremea Seivelun and Hamazura Shiage knew that it was alright. Kamijou Touma was a boy that would become anyone's ally. He was always stand up in front of someone who was hurting. He did not hold a grudge against people that he had fought before. And most of all…
He did not need a reason to save someone. And that was what made him the perfect person that one could rely on. And that was something that Fremea had done. Despite the darkness, the hell that one person would face and endure…
Kamijou Touma would fight for that person. Hamazura Shiage had managed to protect the smiles of those around him. Kamijou Touma had allowed him to do that. He had provided the helping hand for the one victory that Hamazura was sure he was going to have.
And that ending had been reached. There was nothing left for Kamijou now. It was his time to move on. Walk forward in the world that he called his own and Hamazura had to do the same.
"Yeah…." Said Fremea as she sat on Hamazura's bed with her head on the blanket.
A sound from the door opening made the two of them look towards the door however there was not a happy scene in front of them.
Takitsubo Rikou in her pink tracksuit looked as though she had popped a gasket as she looked at Fremea Seivelun.
"This brat!" she said as she lunged forward, using a professional judo move (who knows where she had got it from though) to throw Fremea off the bed and onto the spot.
"This is my spot!" she shouted towards her.
"Nyah! Essentially I take that as a challenge!" said the 8 year old girl and Hamazura sweatdropped as there was a sigh from the open door.
"Seriously though. What do you think you were super doing after District 13?" asked Kinuhata Saiai as she walked in, wearing a short knit dress.
"Indeed Hamazura. Please enlighten us. We'll all dying to know." Said another voice, Mugino Shizuri's, held a tone that revealed her displeasure at the thought that he had not asked for her help in whatever endeavour he had taken a part in. "After all, it's not like you were put in the hospital from your injuries or anything like that." She emphasised certain words and Hamazura felt a cold sweat roll down his neck. She put her hands on her hips and revealed her canines as she smiled, wearing those causal clothes that she had at the Ichihanaransai.
How was he going to explain this situation?!
"Hamazura." Said Takitsubo from where she was. "Seriously though. We were all worried about you." Takitsubo looked down at the ground. Hamazura let out a smile. How could he let Takitsubo be like that? It was the boyfriend's role to make sure that his girlfriend was happy!
"Don't worry Takitsubo." He said reassuringly. "I wasn't going to leave you."
Takitsubo looked at him with a sparkle in those eyes of hers as she titled her head. Hamazura froze as she did so.
"So are you saying that if a bunny girl came in here to nurse you back to health, you would refuse?!"
"Hamazura-chan…..are you alright?"
Shitshitshitshitshit! Don't think about it! Don't think about it!
A cute tilting of the head for flavouring. Now all that was needed was the angle of the body for the cleav-
Blood spurted from Hamazura's nose leaving everyone in a state of shock. And the one to break the silence was-
"Hamazura has entered super pervert mode!"
"What the hell do you think that you're doing in a hospital Haaaaaaaamazuraaaaaaaaaaaaa?!"
"Essentially, what's going on!?"
Only Takitsubo Rikou didn't understand what had happened however pit in something that voiced her opinion.
"It's good that it's happening in a hospital. The doctors can patch you up right away."
That's what you're thinking about?! Blurted Hamazura mentally. But still, this was what had had worked hard to achieve and maintain. But there was something that had been the catalyst for that thought that he had. It was not Takitsubo or her cute poses that he had seen (mentally). It was-
"Huh." Kamijou Touma said as he walked through the hospital's last floor. "Somehow I have this really large feeling of foreboding ahead of me." That frog faced doctor had wanted him to stay for some reason that was unclear to him. Still he shook it off and looked towards Index and Otohime that were to his left.
"Thanks you guys. You really helped back there." He said. "I'm glad that I could count on you."
Index blushed. "I-It's fine! Even though Otohime and Fremea were doing all of the hiding, everything was fine."
Otohime nodded. "Although we were seriously thinking about going outside with all of those explosions, we did what you said Onii-chan!" She put a hand on her chest to reveal her supremacy in the situation.
Kamijou let out a chuckle. "But still, you guys had a major role this time. Thanks for taking it seriously. I don't know how things would have gone without you."
Index and Otohime were silent as they looked at him. Although he was the one that was thanking them, who was thanking Kamijou Touma? Who was the one that acknowledged the selfless actions that Kamijou had undertaken? Who was the one that was thanking him?
"Touma….." said Index as she hung her head. Kamijou looked at her as did Otohime, wanting her to express what the both of them were thinking. Kamijou looked at the two of them and, as he did not know what they were thinking, simply came up with his own deduction.
"I know I know. You're probably really hungry after all of that! So in thanks, this Kamijou-san, will go all out and-! Huh? Um…..Index-san?"
Index had her head low like before and was physically trembling. Otohime's face had a dark aura around it, something that was not really shown around her. In fact, when was the last time that she had actually gotten angry?! What was going on here?!
"Hang on you guys! This is clearly a misunderstanding! Can't we talk about it like adUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS?!" Kamijou let out that yell as Index pounced. As she was right next to him there was no time for him to evade in time.
Index's teeth sank into his head and even Otohime joined in, tackling Kamijou to the floor with a move that she had used at the beach side resort, putting all of her body weight on his own and cramping his body inwards.
"Touma/Onii-chan you idiot!" said Index within bites and Otohime and she clamped on as tight as she could as Kamijou tried to pull them both off however the way that his body was cramped made it extremely difficult to do so.
"Yes OK! This is Kamijou-san's fault! Please forgive me!" he shouted. "Damn it! And I even thought that this was something that I could avoid! Otohime, why are you even joining i-OW! Don't squeeze tighter! And this rate I really will be made to sit a wheelchaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Kamijou yelled out that protest and the various people that were being wheeled in looked on in surprise, while the nurses passed by as if nothing serious had happened. They were used to this sort of thing after all. And soon would be….
"Why do I have to put up with this?! Wait Index! YOUR TEETH ARE NEARING MY EYE! DON'T BITE DO-GYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SUCH MISFORTUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
There it was.
The boy yelled and the nurses gave a nod in approval at the phrase before addressing the other patients who watched the boy that was struggling on the ground. Shouldn't they address him, they were probably thinking however no one came to his aid.
With Index grabbing his head and Otohime pinning him to the ground, it was unclear whether it was the girls that needed protection in the end. Yet somehow, the nurses felt that this was not something that they should stop. Although Kamijou wanted to admit it or not, this was his 'normal', the peace that he had managed to attain with his own hands. Although the fact that domestic violence was a part of that was just his own misfortune was a point that probably needed addressing. Probably.
Footsteps entered Kamijou's vision on the ground and Otohime, who was grabbing Kamijou's stomach, and Index, who was left significant bite marks around Kamijou's head, looked up. That frog faced doctor looked down with his hands in the pockets of his coat with a raised eyebrow.
"I was wondering how exactly the piece of wood from the Cram School didn't enter your cranium fully. I guess we know the reason." He said. To an extent, the reason that he was even here today was because of the fact that he had managed to build up resistance towards such an attack. It truly was amazing how that boy managed to pull through.
"WHAT KIND OF SILVER LINING IS THAT?!" demanded the boy. "I'd rather not be made to do anything like this ever! Get off me you two!" however although Kamijou tried to fight to avoid more injury, he looked over at that frog faced doctor. "Say, why did you even want me to stay here anyway? I-I'm not going to have some kind of side effect from being bitten too much am I?!"
The frog faced doctor raised an eyebrow. "Just what kind of side effect would there be? No anyway, I need your help with something. It regards one of the patients in this hospital of mine."
Kamijou blinked and the two girls that were on top of him looked at the doctor as well. Not only had the question confused them, but how exactly was Kamijou Touma supposed to help said person? What could he do that the doctor could not?
The doctor simply gave a smile and responded mysteriously. "Yes. I'm sure if it's you, then an understanding of the wonders of life can be achieved."
The tree's branches swayed in the mind and the girl stood beneath one of the branches of the tree. She looked up with her arms outstretched as she looked at the creature that was on the branch that she was below.
"What are you doing? asks Misaka as she wishes you would come down soon."
[1] In terms of ranking, a Lieutenant General in Japanese army terms is someone who is just under the General, the highest rank for officers. In a sense, MINUS is sort of like a 'force' of their own. However then, similar to Fiamma of the Right, the General of MINUS is still unknown for a while. We'll just have to see how that goes from now on.
And while one ends, another begins. This story focus was mainly highlighting the differences of Hamazura and Kamijou, at least that was what I was aiming for. If you look closely, they both defeated 4 members of MINUS although they used their different methods. So I guess there is the difference there. I think so though. Either that or I can't count.
Perhaps some of you are now glad that Hamazura's arc ended and the 'next' one has started however whatever. I have no idea if I did Hamazura right. Although I didn't really like him originally, like Accelerator he sort of grew on me. But then again, so did every character.
Still regardless I hope that everyone is satisfied with Hamazura and the way that I approached his arc. His 'guerrilla' warfare tactics are something that fit his personality, if he wanted to he wouldn't go out and directly attack someone. However that is just the way that I interpret his character. But in the end there was that happy ending for him in the fact that Index and Otohime managed to protect Fremea.
And about that, I feel that that action of theirs was something that is slowly turning Otohime into a 'Kamijou' character. Index is already like that, like Kamijou she places others before herself and tries her hardest to make sure that everyone can reach that ending. Thus although Index might be a bit (well I say a bit) violent towards Kamijou, when one considers the fact that she would be willing to help, then there's nothing that one can do about that.
But this arc was about Hamazura and how he interacts with Kamijou. In the end, that is what this series is about, the actions of a 'character' and how they react to the 'normal' of Kamijou Touma. Just who is he? What should we do about his help? Why is he helping? Those questions are ones that are at the heart of the series, especially those that have not met him and for those that have it's more like, "So that's what it's like", a reinforcement of what they already know.
Because in the end, even Kamachi has noted in the afterward of Volume 22 that Kamijou Touma is a character that is good despite the situation. He just fits. And it's the other character's situations that Kamijou can just jump into. In that sense I suppose that these stories are kind of alright, but then again I have to say that.
But even so, somehow I managed to out bunnies girls in a hospital. Don't question it. Just read.
Anyway. I don't really have anything else to say apart from this except well thanks to everyone that has supported this series and to my beta reader, PokeRescue18 for his contribution.
And as always,
Review if you please
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.
…..Sisters? What happens now?
Mr Question Mark


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I Can't Decide Whether to Get 450cc or 550cc... - Jacksonville, FL
I had my consultation last week and can honestly say I loved it. I had a great experience, doctor was great she took the time to explain everything to me. All my questions were answered before I even asked them. She did measurements and said I was over the recommended length for a breast lift. I do not want a breast life, she explained that's fine I would have to go bigger (400cc-550cc) in... READ MORE
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Tim Lattie is a comic book artist, residing in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. Always drawing at an early age, Tim set out to become a professional artist, attending New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Tim's first published work was Return to Point Pleasant, released in 2008 for publisher Ape Entertainment. Since then, Tim has published multiple books for Ape and IDW, including Creeple People, providing pencils, inks, and colors. His latest project is his own all-original creation, Night Stars, which he is self-publishing and is available in the store on this site.


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