Reincarnation Paradise

"Perfect memory ability, that's exactly what it is..." Kanzaki Kaori explained Index's situation to Touma Kamijou. The more he listened, the more he felt something was off. Although he was just a high school student, he found the idea of a brain overloaded with memories a bit far-fetched.

"Are you kidding? I'm Index's friend; I won't let you hurt her again. Besides, if you know all this, why don't you explain it to her? Why not—"

"Shut up, an outsider. Don't act like you know everything. You've known Index for less than 48 hours."

Kanzaki Kaori was angered by Touma's words. She bent her long, beautiful leg and kicked Touma in the face. With a bang, saliva flew as Touma was kicked dizzy. In reality, Kanzaki had been holding back; otherwise, this kick could have sent Touma's head flying.

Holding her sheathed sword, "Seven Heavens and Seven Earths," Kanzaki began beating Touma, yelling something as she did. She was venting her frustration at being unable to help Index, but poor Touma bore the brunt.

"Hey, you over there."

The sudden voice made Kanzaki stop her actions. Touma was already beaten into a pulp.

A man and a woman approached from a distance. The man had a cigarette in his mouth, and the girl beside him held a military flashlight. Seeing the smoking man, Kanzaki instinctively gripped her sword tighter and whispered to Touma:

"Run, don't ask why, just escape quickly. The person coming is different from me. If he's your enemy, he won't hold back."

Kanzaki's side profile faced Touma, who was confused. He had just been beaten to a pulp by her, and now she seemed to be protecting him. Could he have been beaten into a hallucination?

The man and woman drew closer.

"First time working together. Need my help?" the girl asked.

"If you don't want to die, stay at least 300 meters away," the man replied.

"Then I'll just watch."

The girl walked away, spinning the flashlight in her hand.

The newcomers were Su Xiao and Awaki Musujime. They had intended to find a vehicle, but there weren't many in Academy City. Neither knew the public transport system well, so they arrived late.

"Who are you?" Kanzaki no longer cared about Touma. After initial contact, she realized Touma meant no harm. In contrast, the faint red aura around Su Xiao indicates he is a dangerous person who has killed many.

"..." Su Xiao remained silent. Aleister's orders were to drive Kanzaki out of Academy City or kill her. According to the original story, she wouldn't leave until Index's situation was resolved.

Su Xiao suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of Touma, squatting down. Kanzaki was about to act but realized Su Xiao's target seemed to be her, not Touma.

"Who are you..." Touma was almost unconscious.

"You don't need to know for now."

Su Xiao picked up Touma and tossed him to Awaki Musujime. Although Touma was the main character and killing him would yield great rewards, any contractor familiar with the "Index" world wouldn't target him. Touma's combat power at the point of death was enough to kill any contractor in this derived world, including Su Xiao.

Dealing with a protagonist whose risks outweighed the benefits, Su Xiao chose minimal contact. If not for this mission, he wouldn't have approached him.

"Take him away."

As Su Xiao spoke, Touma disappeared and reappeared beside Awaki Musujime. The mission required bringing Touma to a safe place; Aleister valued Touma highly.

"Where to?" Awaki poked the unconscious Touma with her flashlight. He weakly raised his arm, signaling to wait.

"Anywhere you want, as long as he doesn't die. You could even throw him in a public toilet for all I care."

Su Xiao stretched, sensing Kanzaki wouldn't be easy to deal with.

"Wait, you can't take him."

After initial contact, Kanzaki realized Touma was a good person. As for the newcomers, the girl didn't smell strongly of blood, but the man nearby had a faint metallic scent, indicating he had likely killed someone recently.

Indeed, Su Xiao had slit Mugino Shizuri's throat an hour ago, so the blood scent was expected.

"As a courtesy and by request, I'll give you three options: kill me, die here, or leave Academy City. Of course, these are my positions. You can choose none of them."

Su Xiao's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, Dragon Flash.

"I choose to defeat you and then save someone important."

"Then you choose to kill me. Don't say, 'Defeat me.' I won't be defeated before I die."

Su Xiao drew Dragon Flash. Seeing this, Kanzaki bent her body, ready for battle.

Touma struggled to stand 300 meters away just as they were about to fight.

"You're with that guy, right? Stop him. We don't need to fight each other..."

Touma looked at Awaki Musujime, who tilted her head, seemingly contemplating something. She was thinking about where to teleport Touma for fun. A girls' bathroom? A sewer? A satellite tower? Awaki had a naughty side.

"Hey, you... bandage girl? Stop your companion."

As soon as Touma spoke, a vein appeared on Awaki's forehead. She had tolerated being called "bandage girl" by Su Xiao, knowing she couldn't beat him. But now, even this weakling dared to call her that.

"Spiky head, do you misunderstand something? You don't naively think that man is helping you, do you?"

Awaki sneered, continuing:

"Stop him? Are you joking? That guy is a monster. I don't want to die, so I won't interfere or try to stop him. That would be suicidal. Do you want to get me killed?"

Awaki swung her flashlight, hitting Touma's head.

Bang!

A drop of blood flew, and Touma collapsed, unconscious. Su Xiao, ready to fight Kanzaki, noticed but didn't intervene. Awaki's maximum teleportation distance was 800 meters, so he might return even if she teleported Touma away. Knocking him out was a good choice.

Noticing Su Xiao's gaze, Awaki forced a smile.

"I thought this would better control the target."

"Yes, if he wakes up, hit him again. As long as he doesn't die, it's fine if he becomes brain-damaged."

"No problem."

Awaki wiped the blood off her flashlight, revealing two sharp little white teeth as she smiled.

"Is a life-or-death battle necessary?"

Kanzaki's fighting spirit seemed weak, making Su Xiao frown. It wasn't that she had no fighting spirit; it was that her thoughts seemed naive.

Index's importance to the magic side was undeniable. Such an important person running to the science side, thinking they could retrieve her without force, was naive.

The Anglican Church sending Kanzaki indicated their negotiations with the science side had failed, forcing them to send their "nuclear weapon" level combat power, Kanzaki, a Saint.

Qinggang Ying's energy surged along Dragon Flash. Su Xiao held the sword, pointing it diagonally at the ground, his muscles gradually tensing.

The situation had escalated to the point where words were unnecessary. Su Xiao joined Aleister's faction, providing Aleister with a direct combat force and eliminating the need for more complex methods to keep Index, also known as the "Forbidden Text Catalog." Using force was more straightforward.

As long as the "Forbidden Text Catalog" was kept, Su Xiao could carry out some extreme tasks in Academy City, with Aleister turning a blind eye. This unspoken agreement was already in place.