Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Endymion Chapter1 (section)

===Part 7===

Kamijou Touma’s Imagine Breaker was limited to his right hand, but it could negate any magic or psychic power. This of course meant it functioned as the natural enemy of those who wielded such supernatural powers, but his level of danger changed greatly depending on if it was his first fight with someone or a subsequent one.

Simply put, once the enemy knew about his ability, they could build up a strategy around it.

“First, I will not enter the striking range of your fist.” Stiyl took a step backwards. “And I will repeat attacks that cause definite damage to wear you down bit by bit.”

He swung his flame sword and caused it to explode to send shockwaves scattering.

Naturally, the damage done was greater the closer one was to the center of the explosion. Using the attack at a distance like that would lessen its destructive power and make it difficult to use effectively.

But he did not care.

He would wear Kamijou down little by little until he could no longer fight.

“Tch. So you had rune cards hidden around the turbine from the beginning!?”

“If I did not, this would not have been a very effective trap. The first wave keeps the target in place while I move quickly to the scene. Then, I would have finished off the target while their movements were dulled.”

Kamijou guessed Stiyl must have put a lot of thought into the placement of the runes. The spot Stiyl currently stood in and the routes he would move along would have meaning.

If Kamijou tried to simply charge toward him, something like a barricade might appear to block his path.

“Fighting on a stage you prepared ahead of time simply puts me at the disadvantage.”

“Then what will you do?”

“Run away,” he replied immediately.

Kamijou Touma then turned tail and ran as quickly as he could.

It may have looked foolish at first, but it was a decent choice for a battle against Stiyl. The magician’s magic was most effective on a field on which a large number of rune cards had been set up, so if he left that prepared field, Stiyl could no longer use his full power. That alone was not enough to defeat Stiyl, but it would give him the opening he would need for an attack.

However…

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have thought of that when setting up this trap?”

Kamijou heard the roar of flames consuming oxygen as a pillar of fire shot up to block his path. He frantically stopped as that pillar took the form of a giant human.

This was Innocentius.

This spell had the greatest destructive power out of all of Stiyl Magnus’s spells. On a field supplied with rune cards, that mass of 3000 degree flames could immediately regenerate and attack no matter how many times it was destroyed.

Kamijou Touma’s right hand could destroy it, but it would simply regenerate as soon as he did. If Innocentius stopped him here, Stiyl could freely move to attack.

But…

“Isn’t it a bit early to be using your greatest technique?”

“?”

“After all.” Kamijou Touma grinned. “If you don’t place it in between us, I can negate all the other magic you use as I run straight for you.”

What Kamijou had been afraid of was that Stiyl could always use that “greatest technique”.

But now that it was already being used, he could find a way around it.

After all…

“I’ve never heard anything about you being able to use more than Innocentius at a time. …You haven’t made any advances since the last time I saw you, have you?”

“!?”

Stiyl frantically tried to give further instructions, but it was too late.

Kamijou turned around 180 degrees and immediately ran straight for Stiyl. Innocentius pursued Kamijou from behind, but it was not fast enough to move in between him and Stiyl. No matter what traps might lie between them, Kamijou could negate them all with his right hand as long as they were not Innocentius class. The red-haired priest detonated his flame sword again and again to hold the boy back, but the distant shockwaves were not enough to completely stop Kamijou.

And…

By the time Kamijou was in range of the full effects of the flame sword’s shockwaves, his right hand could reach the priest. He threw his fist towards the flame sword swinging towards him and negated the magic.

And that meant…

[[Image:INDEX_Endymion_034.png|thumb]]

Kamijou’s foot slammed powerfully down right up in front of Stiyl.

He poured his full weight into his tightly clenched right fist. In the follow through of the strike on the flame sword, his fist flew forcefully for the tall priest’s jaw.

But then…

The great noise and impact that Stiyl had been expecting did not come.

“…Why did you stop?”

“Is there really any reason for us to be fighting?” replied Kamijou immediately.

The fist that had stopped right in front of Stiyl’s face moved once more and lightly tapped Stiyl on the jaw.