Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume16 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 8===

The Tower of London.

A prison for locking away prisoners.

Frank Judicial spoke.

“Defendant Narthex knew Coronzon was a great demon but still worshiped her wicked power and chose herself to take the path of depravity. Thus, I have decided she is a wicked magician deserving of death. But she will not receive an official execution. She will suffer an unexplained death in her cell.”

“No objection.”

Hamazura felt the sweat on his face dry up.

Every last drop of it.

“Wait…”

What was this?

When he looked up at Narthex holding her hands to her throat and kicking her small feet so wildly, he thought she was being strangled by her own chestnut hair wrapped around her neck like a scarf. He wondered why she was being killed by her own hair.

But that wasn’t what this was.

A closer look showed an indentation in the hair around her neck. Something as thick as a thumb was wrapped around her skinny neck. Firmly. Tightly. With an unpleasant straining sound. There was no scream. Because her trachea was being compressed.

The color of the young girl’s face changed.

First to a bluish shade, but that gradually grew darker.

She was being strangled.

Hamazura forgot all about his own pain.

“Wait!! What is that? Are you using some kind of invisible rope!? You have to stop! She’s going to die!!”

“She is not dying,” replied Noel offhandedly. While calmly looking up at dangling Narthex. “We are killing her. This is not an accidental death. It is an intentional killing. That is what an execution is. We manage magic law. There is no room for error.”

“Are you insane, you bitch!? This is just a lynching. You’re just forcing your own rules on her and labeling her as deserving of death! What kind of trial is this, goddammit!!!?”

He had hoped hitting them in the face with the volume of his voice would wake them up.

He didn’t know how long Narthex could ''last'' hanging like that.

It wasn’t an issue of how long until she died of asphyxiation.

If her neck broke, it would be over instantly.

So he wanted to get Narthex down from there right away even if it meant angering this lynch mob that held absolute power.

''And yet…

“We thank you, helper from a different world.”

Sheila spoke plainly.

Hamazura heard a smooth sound coming from his hands. The thumbscrew that had been crushing his thumbs like a vise had relaxed. The piece of metal not even 10cm across loosened and fell to the floor. It had caused so much pain and pushed the girl to this point, but the bones weren’t even broken.

Sheila was not being sarcastic.

He even sensed the kindness toward a hard worker in her voice.

“It was your pain, suffering, and the pity you inspired that allowed us to receive such a swift confession. Your weakness dragged out Narthex’s wicked nature. As weak, pathetic, and ignorant as you are, you can still be useful. There is no direct link between being powerless and being just. We thank you for your cooperation in swiftly exacting justice here.”

“What…the hell?” muttered Hamazura in a daze.

All expression vanished from his face.

He couldn’t breathe.

His throat was dry.

Tears spilled from his eyes for a different reason than before.



Why was he so weak?



If only he were one of Academy City’s seven Level 5s.



Or if only he had a ''special power'' in his right hand.



Then this wouldn’t have happened!!



“You mean…she did this for me?”

“Correct,” coolly confirmed Tsumoru.

Hamazura shouted back, trembling from the guilt he felt.

“So Narthex was forced to make an entirely meaningless confession…to end my pain, keep me from suffering, and keep me safe!!?”

“It was meaningful. Because it allows us to kill a wicked magician according to the just law. Whether she took the shortest route or took a lengthy detour, there was only one answer from the start. So the shortest route is preferable. And we could all pave the way to that death for her.”

Fourier described settings things up to kill someone like it was nothing.

Hamazura had never mattered to them.

It hadn’t mattered if he screamed from the torture or stoically endured it. It hadn’t mattered if he survived to the end or if he died before it was done.

If there were a hundred different options here, they had set it up from the start so that they all ended in Narthex’s death. Hamazura’s pain and suffering had only been one point along that path, so it had neither been the means nor the ends.

And a change came over Narthex.

Tears flowed from below the hanged girl’s eyelids.

Except they were black.

And they weren’t even a liquid.

They were a filthy black.

With a speck of red in the center.

They were blacker than soot built up in an engine muffler and they were more sinister than blood spilled on a murder scene. They were some kind of powder finer even than the pollen blowing from the forest into town in early spring. As the black and red powder flowed from Narthex’s eyes, it spilled down her young body.

[[Image:GT_Index_v16_BW6.jpg|thumb]]

Once it fell past her feet to the floor, it rapidly spread out.

It drew out an intricate pattern over a diameter of more than three meters. Hamazura didn’t understand the individual symbols and lines, but the term “magic circle” came to mind.

“We have finally found it. The remnants of Great Demon Coronzon – Sitra Achra,” said Fourier Judicial, spreading his arms.

The others spoke as well.

Frank and Noel and Tsumoru and Thomasia.

“It was not stored within Narthex’s body. It would be more accurate to say this young criminal secretly gathered the Sitra Achra that was spread across the world after the great demon’s death. While imprisoned by us.”

“She likely thought Coronzon could be returned to this world if her scattered remnants were regathered.”

“Less a possession and more a summoning. Sitra Achra… You have composed a spell that will turn any substance coated with this black powder into a tool for summoning Coronzon.”

“Were you ultimately planning to break down the wall between phases? Did you think no one could take away Coronzon’s life and presence as long as you created an environment in which she could be eternally re-summoned even if she was killed or destroyed? Ridiculous.”

It was running wild.

The young girl had said she had a trick up her sleeve.

Was this what she had meant?

She had prioritized a world with Coronzon over her own life.

And risked her life to do it.

Narthex may have thought this would happen to her sooner or later once she was brought to the Tower of London.

So she may have wanted to do something in the very end.

Do something for Coronzon who had raised her.

But.

Even that final wish was easily crushed.

“What does that look like to you, Hamazura Shiage?”

“…”

“Black soot is not an accurate description. You can see a red core in the grains less than a millimeter across, can’t you? They are essentially similar to tiny fish eggs. This is the Sitra Achra spreading endlessly as it awaits its wicked budding.”

“Angels and demons can reside in anything: weapons, charms, clothing, magic circles. Because they are a form of energy that can be contained in objects. Those black and red fish eggs are the result of a wicked plan to spread that concept to the entire world. All objects that come in contact with that black and red – an ordinary kitchen knife, a cutting board, a pencil, an eraser – will be remade into a spiritual item for summoning Coronzon until such things cover the entire planet. No, it will spread even beyond the planet.”

He didn’t care.

None of this mattered.

How could they so calmly discuss this kind of trivia when a young girl was kicking her legs as she was hanged!?

Narthex…was a villain.

No one could erase what she had done in Academy City.

She had to atone for that.

She had to suffer through it herself.

But she was also the kind of person who would agree to give a false confession after seeing a stranger like Hamazura hurt and tortured.

She was a broken and rotted tree, but a young bud had emerged at the base.

Was scoffing and crushing that bud underfoot really the just thing to do!?

Did it even matter if she was a villain to them?

Weren’t they just looking for someone they could get away with attacking?

They had their safe position, protected by the state, so they wouldn’t receive any criticism for any lies and violence on their part. Even as they laughed and attacked as a group!!!

“No…”

Hamazura forced out a scratchy voice.

The unjust would be ostracized. Continuing down the wrong path would only lead to more wounds. That was how the world worked. In a state similar to resignation, Hamazura grasped a vague view of the system of society. ''He was beginning to accept it''. But even so.

“I don’t want to see this kind of justice…”

Would no one save Narthex!? Those Eleven Court Officers were in this hell and there were plenty of guards and other officials, yet not even one of them thought to reach out a helping hand!?

He glared out through the bars of his cell with bloodshot eyes and the young guards looked away.

…Did they really think ''this'' was just?

This twisted act of enjoying the sight of a young girl being hanged?

If they thought it was wrong deep down, then why didn’t they do anything to stop it?

They had proclaimed their justice and hurt people so much before.

They had even taken lives.

But now they were going to turn around and say ''justice wasn’t there’s to uphold''!?

“You bet your life on this last resort and it is a spell that fully relies on another?”

“Did you think we Eleven Court Officers wouldn’t notice this?”

“We counted on this from the start. That is why, Narthex, we killed you ''here'' rather than in court. The Tower of London’s cells are more easily sealed up in a magical sense. Unconnected to the visible metal bars, each room has been fully sealed. Produce these black and red fish eggs all you like – not a one will leave this room. The foolish plan you bet your life on will be fully decontaminated within this room.”

“So this is the girl raised incorrectly by a great demon. We now know how twisted a life becomes when it is never given any true love. The child of a villain will too be a villain.”

“In a way, doesn’t raising a villain such as this prove that Coronzon was no more than a terrible parent?”

This was a first.

They weren’t in court.

So did they think they were no longer bound by their job and duty?

The Eleven Court Officers emitted a wave of emotion very unlike when they were focused on their job and duty.

They were in full off-duty mode.

There was delight.

There was mockery.

There was hatred.

There was scorn.

Even though they had said they had such things removed.

Or was this the result of having those things so thoroughly removed?

These were the emotions of the kind of human who could look up at a hanged girl and call it a job well done.

“–––––! ……!!”

No words left the hanged girl.

What was Narthex thinking now?

She had no way of letting anyone know.

She was being hanged.

Her voice couldn’t leave her.

She had been silenced.

Her complexion wasn’t right either. She couldn’t even produce facial expressions.

Also.

With the black and red grains spilling from her eyelids, the young girl wasn’t even able to shed tears in accordance with her emotions.

Strangled and unable to speak, her right hand left the invisible rope. It dangled down. Hamazura nearly let an indescribable emotion push him to scream, but then he noticed the index finger of her otherwise limp right hand was curved into a hook. That finger alone still carried the strength of her will. And the finger moved to rub along her thigh. It formed words. In Japanese. She was trying to communicate with Hamazura.

He didn’t care what it was.

Even if it was “this is your fault” or “why aren’t you helping me?” The words written there might express resentment or curses he struggled to face, but he swore he would accept whatever it was.

But that wasn’t what he read there.

Her finger wrote out the following message:



''I will bring mother to you, Hamazura.

''So can you pass a message on to her?



''The time I spent with her was the happiest in my life.



“Stop…” he said.

His voice rose to a shout.

“Stop already!! Narthex, Coronzon wouldn’t want this kind of self-sacrifice. A hell where the weak are tormented and forced to carry all the burdens of the world wasn’t her idea of a beautiful world!!”

The hanged girl smiled.

Her finger moved again. This was the desperate cry of a girl who couldn’t speak with her throat crushed. Hamazura strained his eyes to read it.

…''I shall verify the truth through sigillography. A seal is a means of protecting a secret and acts as the essence and heart of all magic. Falsehoods, begone. All mankind desires the faultless truth. Here, I use my own body to complete the seal that ensures the truth.

He didn’t understand.

More than that, this wasn’t even a message to him. It was likely only a portion of her self-sacrificial magic.

She hadn’t listened.

She was being hanged. Her neck in the invisible rope was bearing her full weight. She couldn’t have had much more time.

And.



There was a terribly ominous sound.

And that was that.



The last ounce of strength had left Narthex Coded Cathedral’s young body. Her body swayed slowly side to side like an old clock’s pendulum.

(What…)

Hamazura couldn’t even find his voice.

Nothing he said would mean a thing in the face of this overwhelming result.

(What was the point of risking your life like this? Did you think this would make Coronzon happy!? Coronzon hated her wicked nature and you wanted to bring her back to a cold world where she’s labeled a sister-killer!? There’s no way your mother would have wanted that! Narthex, why would you sacrifice your life for something so wrong!?)

She was a young girl.

She hadn’t even lived as long as Hamazura.

Hers was an immature life that hadn’t had a chance to spread her wings and sour through the larger world of her own will.

She never woke up in the morning to go to school, she never sought the credentials that would let her help people, she never went to see her favorite band live, she never worked a part-time job to save up for something she wanted to buy.

She never played and laughed with a friend and thought about the bright future ahead of her, while never doubting she would grow up, get the kind of job she wanted, and marry someone she loved.

She had never had a chance for any of those normal, natural, and ordinary things.

And yet.

This…''this'' had been her final hope?

If she was going to be killed either way, her idea of the ultimate happiness was to sacrifice herself to summon Coronzon again?

It was rotten.

Twisted.

Messed up.

Disgusting.

“…”

She didn’t care about herself anymore.

She had given up.

She made it look like she had made her own decision, but really she had had her own will stripped from her.

By those eleven.

They had ganged up on her.

Just like a worker being seated over to the window in order to pressure them into retiring.

This was not a trial meant to tell good from evil.

It had been fixed from the start.

''To force death onto Narthex as the final efforts of a villain.

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

Everything was silent.

Or it should have been.

But a shrill noise played endlessly in Hamazura’s head.

A nonexistent ringing in his ears.

What was this?

What was justice?

Had he played a part in this? Had he pressured Narthex by giving into the pain and putting on an unsightly show by pathetically shouting and rolling around? Had he forced her to confess something she didn’t believe…leading to her hanging?

“It is done.”

“It is finished.”

“Another job well done.”

“We must again thank our weak helper for assisting us in the swift execution of justice.”

They were saying something.

And wriggling along.

Those residents of a world Hamazura found so hard to believe in were speaking as a single mass.

Instead of sarcasm or mockery, they sounded truly relieved.

Intense anger burned within him, but what did that matter?

What could he change by yelling and lashing out now?

Coronzon was dead. Narthex was beyond saving too.

If the magic behind that black and red ''sandy stuff'' was really so easy to use, Narthex wouldn’t have bothered coming to Academy City in search of Kamijou Touma after his journey through hell with that preserved corpse called Anna something. She would only have had to prepare this stuff in secret.

Most likely, it was a risky form of magic.

Something she was only willing to use once she was being hanged and knew there was no hope for her.

As Narthex swayed side to side beyond the bars of her cell, there had to be more than just the external damage. She was probably ''broken'' deep inside as well.

So badly that escaping into death was the only way to bear it.

In addition to her death, she had been badly corrupted from within.

What could possibly be done for her at this point?

“It remains a mysterious death in a locked room.”

“Clean up the Sitra Achra. Do not leave a single grain.”

“We must eliminate all evidence that Great Demon Coronzon existed.”

“Just to be safe, leave Narthex Coded Cathedral hanging for ten more minutes. Stopping her heart is not enough. We will only begin the final disposal after her brain has been fully destroyed.”

“All that leaves is to incinerate Narthex’s unclean body. What an easy job this was.”

Hamazura heard something burn through and snap in his mind.

This time, he was actually calm to the very core – so deep down he didn’t know he had these depths within him.

…What kind of final hope was that?

…Narthex was supposed to win if she could break down the barrier between the phases and create a permanent environment where it was ''easier'' to summon Coronzon?

To hell with that, world.

Could it really be that the very goal she was working toward was a mistake?

None of this would bring happiness to Narthex.

And Coronzon wouldn’t want a never-ending ending where she was forever ''stuck'' resurrected as a sister-killer and then unable to die. That would just force Coronzon to forever suffer in her own impurity!

He wanted to see Coronzon again.

But not like this.

Narthex had been forcibly labeled a villain without anyone giving any thought to why she had committed the crime she had. And she was being given a horrific end befitting that label. But conforming to that framework would not bring happiness to mother or sister!!

The invisible outlines that had blurred and vanished into mental oblivion suddenly regathered and grew distinct in Hamazura’s head. He was certain of it. And he wouldn’t let it escape this time.

''Yes, that’s right.

''Hamazura Shiage knows what you are.

''He knows all about this thing that passes off grotesque death and destruction as a happy ending.

''SYSTEM.

The disquiet hovering over the world and society. Now that he knew what hurdle he had to clear, he could begin on the next step. He knew what needed to be done to put together a countermeasure and act on it.

I don’t care what you want.

I won’t let it happen that way. No matter what.

Narthex’s heart had stopped.

It wasn’t just going to restart now.

But her brain was still trying to remain active. Brain cells would become damaged only a few minutes after their oxygen supply is cut off, but there was still time there.

And the Eleven Court Officers had said they wouldn’t even overlook that.

They would keep her hanging until brain death had occurred and, after confirming resuscitation was impossible, they would incinerate her body and dump the ashes somewhere.

That.

That alone he couldn’t let happen.

Despite the extreme situation, the final moment was so very quiet.

And he took one step more.

He passed the limit.

“''I’ve had enough of you sadistic murderers wearing masks of justice''.”