BZZZZ!
BOOOOM—!
Shrill screeches and thunderous explosions echoed across the sky. In that instant, the clouds seemed to ignite. Orange firelight spilled through the windows, casting a glow over Kamijou Touma's face inside the brightly lit office.
At the mahogany desk, Selene calmly capped her fountain pen. Rather than rushing for a response, she picked up the teacup from the tray, took a sip, and turned to glance at the tempestuous nighttime skyline outside the top floor of the Board's administrative tower.
None of the incoming missiles carried nuclear warheads.
That much Selene could confirm. She sensed no radioactive traces of enriched plutonium-239 or uranium-235—materials used in nuclear-grade weapons.
Even if they had, it wouldn't have mattered.
Selene now had more than enough ways to deal with them—whether by tossing them into Imaginary Space, warping them to Siberia or even Moscow, manipulating strong nuclear forces to interrupt the chain reaction, disintegrating them at the molecular level… or even chomping them down herself like a snack, if it came to that.
The Russian Orthodox Church hadn't gone mad enough to launch nukes. They hadn't fully burned their bridges—yet.
Perhaps the proud magicians found nuclear weapons too blasphemous, too much a mockery of the Almighty Father's authority. Or maybe level-headed figures in the federal government had desperately intervened to prevent this kind of aggressive provocation.
This wasn't a modern, conventional campaign orchestrated by the federal government, Selene mused. Rather, the magical strategy of the Orthodox Church had taken the lead. The Slavic army's massive arsenal had been relegated to mere support for a handful of elite magical combatants.
Furrowing her brow slightly, Selene set her teacup down. Her fingers idly traced circles around the warm, white-glazed porcelain...
What was the name of the current de facto leader of the Russian Orthodox Church again? Ah—Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy.
Ambitious, egotistical, willing to sacrifice anything for his goals—he viewed subordinates as pawns and believed his personal success to be synonymous with the prosperity of Russia and its Church.
Selene didn't know him personally, but she didn't need to. Aleister's database contained detailed annotations on prominent figures within the magic world—including Nikolai's threat level.
Threat Level: Low.
Aleister might have been holed up in his "Windowless Building," but his intelligence network was top-tier. While certain sect secrets eluded him, compiling a list of notable magic-side mid-to-high-level figures? Child's play.
Just as Selene was about to delve further, her peripheral vision caught the subtle shift in Kamijou Touma's expression.
"Oh? Have you made up your mind?"
Sensing the resolve in his gaze, Selene turned fully to face him. Her crimson diamond pupils locked onto his.
"Selene... thank you for patiently explaining so much. And thank you for ensuring Komoe-sensei and the others were taken care of. For helping evacuate my parents and family."
After a moment, Kamijou raised his head and met her eyes directly.
Selene's long, silver-white hair—softly waved—was elegantly gathered with a blue ribbon. Loose strands flowed down like waterfalls, framing her pale cheeks. Atop them glimmered two crimson eyes with golden, diamond-shaped crosses in the pupils, framed by long, dark lashes that swept outward in perfect arcs—inhuman and chilling at first glance, yet strangely captivating.
"I don't understand your high-minded talk about power, politics, or interests. I'm just an ordinary student who wants a peaceful life."
"But—don't underestimate me, Selene." Kamijou raised his clenched right fist to his chest.
"I may not have your strength, Selene, nor your immense responsibilities... but if I just stand by and do nothing while my friends are in trouble, then what good is my conscience?"
"We're friends. Academy City is my home—my family, my friends, my teachers and classmates are all here. And now the Roman Orthodox Church wants to destroy and enslave it. If the Roman Orthodox Church claims to rule and manage two billion believers across the globe—then I'll just have to shatter all two billion of them!"
Kamijou Touma declared earnestly, "Let me fight, Selene. Don't shoulder this alone."
Hearing that classic hot-blooded declaration—exactly what she wanted to hear—Selene remained composed, sipping her tea calmly.
"This is war," she said. "It's not like the magic-side or science-side skirmishes you've experienced before. To put it bluntly, those were just child's play."
"A world war means people die—a lot of people. And one of the Roman Orthodox Church's biggest reasons for attacking Academy City is you. Their leader wants to capture you. You might die."
"Capture me? Over this?"
Kamijou paused, scratching his head. "So that's why you kept me in Academy City... Is it because of this hand?" He raised his right hand and said with determined nonchalance, "Then I have even more reason not to run away. I should take responsibility for the mess I caused!"
"So you're sure you want to go to the front lines?"
"I'm sure!"
"..."
Stepping forward to tower over him, Selene gave a faint smile. "Then get ready to depart."
"Huh?!"
Still mentally preparing his impassioned speech, Kamijou was stunned. He'd been ready to argue all day.
According to what he and Index, Stiyl Magnus, and Tsuchimikado Motoharu had deduced, Selene had restricted his travel to prevent the Roman Orthodox Church from gaining access to Imagine Breaker.
They'd speculated on all kinds of reasons—like how Imagine Breaker could nullify both magic and esper abilities, making it far too dangerous if captured.
"You can't stop someone who's asking to die."
Selene, unusually, made a joke. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Besides, you had a second plan in case I refused, right? Something like sneaking over the wall with your Anglican buddies?"
Caught red-handed, Kamijou blushed. "Come on, Selene. 'Asking to die'? That's a bit harsh."
"Then prepare yourself. If you're going, it'll be to the main front. All the Level 5 espers are already there, confronting the Roman Orthodox Church's Crusade fleet."
Cutting the banter short, Selene laid things out plainly: "Since your life is part of this equation, I won't sugarcoat it—Fiamma of the Right will definitely come for you. Instead of letting them turn Academy City into a battlefield, we'll take the fight to their territory."
"Simply put, I'm using you as bait to draw their fire—while I go storm their stronghold in Rome. Got it? And even if you wanted to back out now, it's already too late."
"Fine by me! I'll be the bait. As long as I can help and end this damned war faster, I'll do whatever it takes."
Kamijou thumped his chest in earnest. Whether out of naivety or pure-hearted resolve, he truly considered Selene a friend—completely unbothered by the fact she was using him as a decoy.
"Then off you go," Selene nodded, a flash of blue data streams flickering in her eyes.
"Everything's arranged. You'll be boarding the HsB-02 supersonic stealth bomber. An escort is waiting outside. Go."
As she sat back down and massaged her temples, she waved him off.
"I'll get it done, Director Selene!"
Being able to help Selene and Academy City with his own strength made Kamijou Touma genuinely happy. He even offered Selene a clumsy salute before quickly turning and stepping out the office door.
"Oh, by the way—what's the destination?" he asked, pausing with one foot out the door.
"The Strait of Malacca."
Creak—
As the office fell silent once again, Selene narrowed her crimson eyes, seemingly deep in thought. After a brief pause, she let out a soft chuckle.
Most of what he said had been genuine—eight parts truth, two parts bluff.
Hot-blooded protagonists like him? Selene didn't dislike them one bit. In fact, the more of them, the better!
People like her, on the other hand, were best kept to a minimum.
With someone like Kamijou, there was no need to make him an enemy. Maintain just the right level of friendship, assign him a clear stance, and point him at a common enemy who threatens his friends and loved ones.
You wouldn't even need to manipulate him. He'd volunteer for the mission himself.
Unless you're some apocalyptic dark god.
Luckily, the Index world was unique—especially from Selene's perspective. Not only did she have no desire to destroy it, but she genuinely wanted to make it a better place (i.e., eliminating Magic Gods). As for introducing the rule of the Sacred Selene Empire? She hadn't considered that.
From this angle, there was no direct conflict between Selene and Kamijou Touma. On the contrary—he was a very handy weapon in her arsenal.
Even if she were acting as the ruler of the Sacred Selene Empire, her attitude toward hot-blooded protagonists would remain unchanged.
At her level, such types popping up from conscripted colonies across multiple worlds made ideal soldiers.
She'd provide them with a relatively fair path to advancement, a stable order for their development, protection for their families (as long as they became imperial citizens, paid taxes, and didn't break the law), and access to unparalleled living resources.
Fight for me, swear loyalty to me—is that so unreasonable?
If, after being raised from birth in a world under unified governance, you still became some saintly figure who couldn't distinguish friend from foe... then clearly, you weren't cut out to be a soldier. You'd grow old and die in your hometown as a peacemaker—not starve, but forgotten.
That, Selene considered mercy.
And if someone like that still caused trouble or made inappropriate remarks? Then off with their head. Simple. Thankfully, such individuals were exceedingly rare throughout the empire.
She shook her head, causing her silky silver hair to sway gently, and resumed handling her duties as the head of the scientific side.
Tired? Not in the slightest. She'd been managing imperial affairs for years—it was second nature. The only reason she often dumped tasks on Sebas was her chronic laziness.
Currently, Sebas had been sent to Vienna to protect her foster father, Brauchitsch, so Selene had to handle matters herself.
Scanning the documents at lightning speed, she swiftly processed reports and proposals from global subordinate institutions.
"Hmm?"
"Informants in St. Petersburg report being approached by someone from within the Russian Orthodox Church—someone of high rank..."
Selene muttered softly as she reviewed the feed.
On the holographic display stood a tall white woman, estimated age 25–30, fair-skinned and blonde, wearing the traditional red nun garb of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"Vasilisa, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church's magical combat force 'Annihilatus.'"
Selene quickly pulled up her complete dossier. This woman had long opposed Bishop Nikolai's radical policies and disapproved of aligning with the Roman Orthodox Church.
Selene's eyes soon landed on another name—Sasha Kreutzev: listed as missing.
Sasha had been an extremely close subordinate of Vasilisa. When Bishop Nikolai laid hands on Sasha and captured her, Vasilisa chose to betray the Church and side with her.
Nikolai, in his quest for promotion to Archbishop, had imprisoned the former Archbishop, Krans R. Tsarskiy, and steered the Russian Orthodox Church toward Fiamma of the Right.
Now Vasilisa sought Academy City's assistance to rescue Archbishop Krans. In exchange, the Russian Orthodox Church would immediately declare a ceasefire, compensate Academy City for all damages, and formally declare war on the Roman Orthodox Church.
"After I'm done raiding their base, I'll swing by."
Selene rose again and pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window. Sparse firelight filtered through the gaps in the clouds above her, gradually dimming until it was swallowed entirely by the black of night.
Night vision wasn't an issue. Selene could already see the massive formation of HsB-02 supersonic stealth bombers taking off from District 23.
They were airborne—so it was her turn to move.
Fiamma of the Right now had everything he needed—except for the knowledge of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum and the power of Imagine Breaker.
If he wanted to wield the full might of the Holy Right, to overcome its usage limitations and fully unleash its strength, he'd have to follow Kamijou Touma's trail.
As for the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, Selene had her own way to sneak her onto the same plane with Kamijou.
With a temptation like that, given Fiamma's current arrogance and hubris, there was no doubt he'd come. Even if he suspected an ambush by Academy City, he wouldn't care—he hadn't been properly humbled yet, and had full, blind faith in his own power. Caution was not his forte.
Selene stood quietly on the balcony of the tower, the night wind gently ruffling her hair.
"The Vatican, just as I expected, has its eyes on Father Brauchitsch… In that case, I won't be holding back either. I'll send a little gift in honor of my surname."
A bloodthirsty smile tugged at the corners of Selene's mouth.
Ferdinand certainly wouldn't inherit the Sacred Selene Empire—he neither had the qualifications nor the ability. But leaving behind a European Habsburg Empire within the Index universe, as a sister's gift to her little brother? That wasn't too much to ask.
After all, hadn't the longest-lasting and most legitimate rule of the Italian Peninsula—since the fall of the Roman Empire—belonged to the Habsburgs…?
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