The next event was 'Roll the Ball'.
Kamijou and his peers of the same age had already entered the arena. In this not so spacious compound, where the ground was covered with asphalt, both sides were lined up like they were in a cavalry war.
The rules were somewhat different from standard rules. When the gunshot to indicate the start of the match was fired, competitors would have to push 50 large balls—25 on the left side, and 25 on the right side—to the enemy's line. The winner would be the year group who pushed more than 25 balls past the opponent's line.
What was different from normal Roll the Ball was that participants from both sides would have to touch all the balls at least once. In other words, during this event, participants could use their powers to obstruct the opponent.
Like the other students, Kamijou placed his hand on a white team's ball that was 2 meters in diameter, as he smelled sweat and dust. Before the shot was fired, the atmosphere was tense. Although the nature of this match was similar to a game, the surrounding atmosphere made anyone feel serious.
But in this situation, Kamijou was worried about another thing.
He was thinking about the conversation he had with Stiyl and Tsuchimikado 20 minutes ago.
"Academy City is busy hosting ordinary tourists, so they had to neglect security?"
"Then a magician saw a loophole and decided to exploit it."
Kamijou's class was responsible for 3 large balls, and there were three groups: one for boys, one for girls, and one for both boys and girls. Kamijou was in the boys only group. From nearby, Himegami Aisa gave him a wordless stare, like she was trying to say something. But Kamijou, who was too busy thinking about the conversation, didn't notice her staring at him.
"But, what's the reason? Are these people here to kidnap Index? I won't sit back and watch if it really involves her!"
"Don't panic, Kamijou Touma. The enemy's target this time isn't her. To the enemy, if she gets involved, it'll only make things more difficult for them."
"Ah? What does that mean?"
"I'll explain this to you later, Kami-yan. Let's talk about the main issue, which is the main reason why the magicians snuck into Academy City."
"Everyone, get set," the loudspeakers in the campus blared.
Everyone was holding their breath, bending their bodies slightly over. Kamijou took a glimpse around. Tsuchimikado, who was wearing sunglasses, placed his hands on the ball like everyone else.
"Those magicians...? There's not just one?"
"Right now, we can confirm that there are at least two of them. Lidvia Lorenzetti of the Roman Catholic Church and the courier that she hired, Oriana Thomson from England. Both of them are women. There should be at least one person they're dealing with, but right now, it isn't clear. Rumors have it that the biggest suspect is Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy of the Russian Church, but we can't confirm it as of now."
"Courier? This deal, what's it all about?"
"Exactly what it says on the tin, Kami-yan. Those guys intend to trade some spiritual stuff that the Church passed down."
BAM!! The gunshot signaling the start of the match was fired.
Kamijou Touma, who was thinking about these things, was late by a second.
"Why here...isn't Academy City the least associated place with magic?"
"That's right nya. But that is the reason. Neither Anti-Skill or Judgment of Academy City can catch magicians from the magical world anyhow. Also, the Cross Army and Necessarius of the magical world cannot step into Academy City, which belongs to the science world. So now, this has become a situation where both sides are unable to take action."
"If it wasn't for Daihaseisai, the actions of Lidvia and everyone else would be limited due to the tight security. Only in this extremely busy period will Academy City loosen its guard. That's why they're able to act."
In order to keep chase with the large ball, Kamijou frantically ran forward.
The sound of footsteps and balls rolling continued to rumble the earth. Because the inside of the ball was just air, one wouldn't feel that it was too heavy, but rather the ball was so light like a balloon that it'd be affected by the wind, and would roll sideways if one didn't pay attention.
"Then can't you guys send in many Necessarius members like Stiyl to arrest them?"
"The reason why I can be here is because of the proper reason that 'I'm your friend, and I'm here personally to sightsee.' If the situation changes such that 'a group of Anglicans' is here, other magical organisations will use this opportunity to request that 'we want to come in.' Do you think that all these people are friendly to Academy City? There would definitely be people who would do some sabotaging. Do you think that these people will protect this place that's completely different from the magic world?"
"As the leader of the scientific world, Academy City's voice is a lot louder than any small and nameless magical group, nya. But at this moment, if they reject the proposal, larger groups will then request to go in. Thus, this situation with Lidvia and Oriana is rather sensitive, Kami-yan. In this troublesome situation, if we call in other comrades, Academy City will be swallowed in chaos. In order to limit the number of people who know of this issue, the only people allowed to get involved are 'magicians who are familiar with the people of Academy City.' There are few magicians with links to Academy City. So this time, we can only use a few elite troops to get in."
The large balls were moving even faster now. The one that Kamijou's group was pushing was the furthest in front. In other words, it had the highest likelihood of touching the enemy's ball first.
"??? Isn't Kanzaki Kaori another person who's familiar with us? Isn't she supposed to be some superhuman called a Saint? Isn't it better to have more people?"
"Kanzaki cannot be here, especially in this situation, because this spiritual item is rather special."
"Ah? What does that mean?"
"Kami-yan. Speaking about this spiritual weapon called the 'Stab Sword', its effects are—"
Because the ball was too big, Kamijou was unable to see ahead from his position. Hearing Aogami Pierce shout 'Incoming!' Kamijou gathered his consciousness.
"It's said that the sword can kill a Saint with one blow."
WATCH OUT! A shout came from behind.
Every student other than Kamijou ran away from the ball.
(Eh? Isn't there some more time before we touch the enemy's ball?)
Just when Kamijou was puzzled…
An impact came from behind.
"Ugh...WA!!"
From behind, the ball that belongs to the girls' group was rolling extremely fast, catching up with them and swallowing Kamijou. When the ball that belongs to the mixed group passed by, Fukiyose Seiri coldly said, "What on earth are you doing? Kamijou Touma?" while Himegami Aisa glanced at him, her expression seeming to say, "I was right, you were looking troubled."