ne.

That would not be a problem for anyone, but...

“No!!!!!!”

A sharp yell cut through the gentle downward-sloping atmosphere.

It came from Misaka Mikoto.

Part 14

In that instant, not even she fully knew why she had grabbed Kamijou’s arm.

She had felt it would be dangerous for him to take Nephthys or Niang-Niang’s slender hand.

She had felt he would truly leave for some place she would never be able to reach.

So she did not care how pathetic it was. She did not care if everyone treated her like a weed or stone on the side of the road, if her pride as Tokiwadai Middle School’s Ace was torn to shreds, or if Academy City’s #3 was entirely useless in the face of a “true conflict”.

Magic? Magic God?

She did not understand the words everyone else was using. She could not share in their meaning, she could not imagine what they were talking about, and she could not keep up. That fact was a powerful blow.

But she could put all of that off until later.

She could go through it all bit by bit based on what she did understand.

But that meant she could not allow this.

She could not allow Kamijou Touma to carelessly join forces with these Magic Gods.

Part 15

Misaka Mikoto clung to Kamijou Touma’s arm.

She glared at the temptresses like a normal girl.

Only then did the chocolate-colored Magic God give her a puzzled look for the first time.

The girl named Misaka Mikoto finally entered her field of vision.

And...

“That’s right.”

Nephthys laughed and shook her empty hand in amusement.

“The stars can be plucked from the sky so easily, but you humans feel such passion for such unimportant things.”

“...?”

What did she see in Mikoto and what assessment had she made? Not even Mikoto knew.

But it seemed what had almost amounted to a tackle had drawn the Magic God’s interest.

As if switching to a different set of rails, Nephthys and Niang-Niang stood up.

“I will give you one last piece of divine advice,” said the Magic God. “If you intend to defeat the High Priest with brute strength, then you need to carefully work out the process of his destruction. Make no mistake; that is not a simple difference in physical strength.”

“What?”

“He is a special being that rose to the level of a Buddha in a single life when that normally takes being reborn into countless lives. He is someone who left the proper path of destiny and skipped a level on his own. He can freely manipulate the intersection of the Six Paths, so it would be best not to assume the cause, the process, and the effect are lined up neatly in order.”

She said nothing more.

By the time Kamijou Touma finished blinking his eyes, the Magic Gods were already gone.

Part 16

Kamijou and Mikoto were short on time.

The High Priest had not yet located them. As long as they did not stand on the dirt that made up his turf, their location would not reach him.

But that was not a 100% guarantee.

After all...

“He only has to think about it in reverse.”

“In reverse?”

“How can we stay safe and not step on the ground? If he goes around crushing locations like that, he might eventually realize we’re on the water or on this ship. Once that happens, it’s all over. The chase will begin again.”

They had finally gained some time to think and the Magic Gods named Nephthys and Niang-Niang had given them some information on the High Priest.

If they could not make full use of this short time, they would never turn things around.

Like a fox hunt, they would only be tortured to death at the end of a long, long chase.

“First of all,” began Mikoto. “Do you think there’s any way for us to defeat that High Priest guy?”

“If we can’t, then we have to come up with a way of resolving this without defeating him.”

Kamijou pulled the acrobike’s recharging cable from the ship’s outlet and stored it in the battery pack like with a vacuum cleaner.

“We need to get to District 23.”

“Well, I suppose we won’t get anyone else involved when it’s just large launch sites and runways, but what do we do then!?”

“I have an idea.”

Part 17

“Ow...” someone groaned.

It was Kenzan from the group of college students.

His vision was still flashing in and out, so he shook his head to clear his mind. The area looked like the scene of some horrible disaster, but only two things mattered.

The liquid diamond and the middle school girl were gone.

The stolen P-phone was lying on the ground nearby.

The LCD’s protective glass was cracked, but it turned on when he hit the switch.

“Okay, it’s working. ...We can still chase her down. Good.”

The other boys were not far away. Okada was collapsed face-up on the road and Higata was crouched down near him.

“Hey.”

“A-ah! Oh, you’re okay? I think Okada’s in trouble. He’s conscious, but he can’t seem to get up. He hit his back pretty hard, so I think he might have broken something.”

“Shut up. More importantly, we’re going after the liquid diamond. C’mon.”

That should have been obvious, but Higata’s mouth hung open.

He froze up for a bit.

“No, wait. What are you saying? ‘More importantly’!?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry, but this isn’t the time. We need to do something about Okada. Um, we need to call an ambulance. Where’s my phone?”

“Ahh! Sorry, but I’m not letting you report this! If we’re stopped here, our six trillion yen’ll get away!!”

Higata heard a metallic sound, saw the handgun pulled from the back of Kenzan’s pants, and looked up.

When he saw the look in Kenzan’s eyes, he made a partial smile.

“You’re crazy. You’re completely insane.”

“Are you coming with me or are you going to rest in peace with your friend here? It’s your choice.”

“...”

Higata bit his lip, looked back and forth between Okada and Kenzan, and finally stood up in resignation.

Taking that as a sign Higata was coming with him, Kenzan moved the handgun away.

“That’s more like it.”

Part 18

The mummy known as the High Priest raised his head.

A giant glass case sat near the entrance of an arcade. He was pressed up against that crane game machine.

It was filled with strange, round characters that may have been modeled after the Arrowhead Comet that had been gathering attention during its closest approach to Earth.

He must have looked like an old man ignorant of the modern world who had dumped too much money into the game, because a male employee unlocked the door and handed the High Priest one of the strange round stuffed toys.

“You see, old man... Wait, that’s what I should call you, right? Ha ha. Or are you a mumm-...no, it couldn’t be.”

(I sense him.)

Kamijou Touma, his current target, had stepped on the dirt.

He was at a runway or launch site in District 23, but that was a far too obvious location.

It was clearly a trap.

But the High Priest laughed regardless.

It was the opposite.

A Buddhist priest as advanced as him saw no value in actions meant to build something up. The world was a fleeting thing, it was going to end eventually, and the path to virtue was to unhesitatingly cast aside everything. Rather than just seeing the world as fleeting, his heart saw elegance in the destruction itself. This was a unique aesthetic different from the original Buddhism of India.

This was no different.

Impermanence was exemplified by trampling over any and all plans with no plan of his own. Decline was inevitable because the will of god would destroy all the efforts of man. Gathering that which existed to build up one’s defenses could not stop the truth brought about by nothingness. The more they built up, the more the High Priest could shine.

So there was no need to think too much about it.

Even the greatest existence would return to nothingness.

He claimed to want peace of mind, but the High Priest’s actual vector was pointed elsewhere.

“Just to be clear, these things are worth less than a yen. That’s the magic of mass-production if you can believe it. Were you so desperate to get one because your grandchild begged for one? Sorry, but you can get them pretty cheap at any second-hand shop, so...what are you doing!?”

The employee gave a hysteric shout.

The High Priest had pushed the stuffed toy back into his hands.

“I no longer need it. You use it as you wish.”

“Use it? And why were you so worked up over getting it, then!?”

“Well,” said the mummy without looking back. “Unfortunately, I tend to lose interest in things once I get my hands on them.”

That was true of all things for him.

If that boy were to give in to him, the High Priest was sure to immediately behead him without a second thought.

It did not matter if the High Priest was aware he would or not.

Cycle Arts Collection 3

Rapid S

Difficulty: 5

Run horizontally across the edge a cliff with a slope of seventy to eighty degrees and slide down the cliff with both wheels pressed against the wall. It is possible thanks to the gyros, but if one of the wheels leaves the wall even slightly, you will lose the benefit of the gyros and immediately begin to fall.

Lunatic G

Difficulty: 4

A cycle art using the terrain. Build your speed on the ground, press the wheels against a wall running alongside you, and race across the wall for a few seconds. This uses centrifugal force, so terrain like an arch-shaped tunnel is necessary for the transfer. If you continue on up to the ceiling, it becomes the Universe which has a difficulty of 5.

Swing J

Difficulty: 2

Generally refers to a flight of over ten meters after jumping from a slope. It looks fancy, but it doesn’t require much skill from the performer because it relies on the terrain and the acrobike’s specs. Once the jump exceeds thirty meters, it becomes the Over Kp with a difficulty of 4. Add in a full backflip for the Moonsault with a difficulty of 5.

Between the Lines 3

Wish upon a star☆ Become a sponsor of the unmanned probe Parasatellite 01 and name an unknown jewel! This new campaign is underway!!

Our foundation is accepting sponsors of the unmanned probe Parasatellite 01 which will be launched by a mass driver to investigate the Arrowhead Comet.

The method is simple: either log onto our webpage or use a convenience store’s multi-copy machine or ticket vending machine.

One hundred yen per person!

The Arrowhead Comet is rumored to hold the possibility of being a seventh achondrite that does not fit the existing six types. If the samples taken by the Parasatellite 01 prove this theory...wow! The right to name the new jewel will be given to one of you sponsors!

The world’s astronomers are paying close attention because the achondrite could be the key to learning the secret of the solar system’s birth and the name of the seventh type is sure to spread far and wide as new ones are later discovered.

You can name it after your store, make it a wish for world peace, spread the name of your birthplace, give it your own name, or dedicate it to your lover.

Why not make a wonderful memory in this romantic month of December by entering for your chance to provide the name?