Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 16

Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 16 was first published on June 10, 2008. It continues Touma's struggle against the God's Right Seat, and finally features an opponent that he can't even stand against. Unique to this novel is the presentation of its main antagonist Acqua of the Back's backstory in the sections known as "Between the lines."

Publisher's Summary
Acqua of the Back of the dark side of the Roman Catholic Church, "God's Right Seat", has finally made his move. With the powers of a Saint and the special gift granted to members of the "God's Right Seat" in his possession, the strongest and worst enemy of Kamijou Touma's "right hand" aims to infiltrate Acadmy City.

With Acqua a clear threat to Kamijou Touma's life, the Anglican Church puts Touma under the watchful guard of the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church's Itsuwa. Because of this, Itsuwa stays overnight with Touma, and with her outstanding culinary skill drags along the freeloader nun Index into their stay. And, from Kamijou Touma's eyes flows a trickle of tears...

However, at that brief moment of rest comes their strongest and greatest opponent...!

Chapters

 * Prologue: 指導者としての立ち位置　Stage_in_Roma.
 * Chapter 1: 平穏から破滅へ続く道筋　Battle_of_Collapse.
 * Chapter 2: 敗北から立ち上がる者達　Flere210.
 * Chapter 3: 桁の違う怪物同士の死闘　Saint_VS_Saint.
 * Chapter 4: 誰が誰を守り守られるか　Leader_is_All_Members.
 * Epilogue: さらなる騒乱への案内人　True_Target_is••••••

Summary
The pope is recalling the meeting he had with arcbishop Laura as he walks down Rome. After their meeting, Laura and Kanzaki discuss their plan on christmas to visit orphanages around London. Laura proposes wearing sexy santa costume but Kanzaki tries to talk her out of it since she's supposed to be the head of English church. Laura asks Kanzaki if she needs to show more skin like Kanzaki and when is she going to show some skin to Imagine Breaker. Kanzaki snaps and starts chasing after Laura. Back on Rome, he sees street kids playing ball and one of them accidently bumps the ball to him. Before pope could pick up the ball his guard stops him, and a child asks him not to pick up the ball because she don't want to get in trouble for bothering someone so important. Pope says that this is a problem and Guard agrees saying that for someone to talk to him like that is not tolerable. Pope sighs and wonders why there's so much distance between him and people.

Touma and his class is thinking of how to get the rest of the school by without lunch (due to extended class thanks to Touma asking a stupid question). When the class was released, there was no food left to be sold. They decide to send Touma, Aogami, Tsuchimikado and Fukiyose to nearby convenience store to grab supplies. Just as the four gets out of the school via rear entrance, they're caught by the school counselor (aka Gorilla) who was on the way back from eating lunch outside. Before they split Aogami is taken down and he starts chasing after Touma.

Itsuwa and the Amakusa were sent to Academy City to protect Touma after receiving a letter from Aqua. Aqua sent Terra's body to Necessarius along with a note saying that he's going after Touma. While waiting near school Itsuwa sees Gorilla chasing down Touma and mistaking Gorilla for Aqua, she attacks him. After finding out that Gorilla works at school, Itsuwa carries him off to a hospital.

The two meet up after school and Itsuwa explains the situation to Touma. Aqua is a saint just like Kanzaki and has power of God's Right Seat as well, but she promises him that the Amakusa will protect him no matter what. Tatemiya and rest of amakusas are watching the two from a distance and they're irritated that Itsuwa haven't made any moves on Touma. Tatemiya takes out a soccer ball, kicks it, hits Touma on his head and it lands on Itsuwa's breast. Misaka, who was thinking about what to do after finding out that Touma has lost his memory, happened to be there at the scene when it happens. She explodes and chases down the two. Touma grabs Itsuwa and run away before she could strike back Misaka.

Once they're home Index demands an explanation why Itsuwa is here. Touma asks Itsuwa to keep this a secret and she starts cooking saying that this is the least she could do while staying, which leads him to force Index to start working in the house by cleaning the bathtub and she unintentionally breaks it. They go out to one of the bath houses in 22nd district underground on a motorcycle with Itsuwa as the driver. Misaka is at the bath house collecting points for each bath she goes into in order to get Gekota strap and runs into Index and Itsuwa in one of the baths there. She wonders if they know about Touma's memory loss but before long she passes out after being in so many baths.

Touma and Itsuwa decide to go for a walk while waiting for Index to finish up going around the free food tryouts. They talk about life in London and how Kanzaki dresses weird (to which Itsuwa answers that Kanzaki needs to dress like that for spell she uses), etc. Tatemiya and gang are watching them from afar talking about why each faction cares so much for Touma and that they might need to find out what he's really worth to them. Then they realize that there's no one around them, that someone used a spell to cast away others. The two reach the bridge and notice that there's no one else around as well, and Aqua appears before them. Aqua says he's warned them and if this is the choice they made it is rather pathetic. He's already taken care of Amakusa, and tells Touma he won't take his life if he leaves his right hand there.

Aqua starts attacking Touma and Itsuwa without waiting for an answer. Aqua elbows Itsuwa out of the way and strikes with his huge mace which sends Touma away with just a shock wave resulting from his swing. Itsuwa takes her spear out and confronts Aqua but before they could react Aqua strikes the two with one huge swing. Aqua asks for Touma's right hand again but he refuses, and to this Aqua says that he'll show what reality is like. When Itsuwa came to she sees Touma laying next to her covered in blood. She panics and starts using a healing spell on him, which none of it works due to the effects of Imagine Breaker. Aqua strikes her but she stands up and gets in the way between him and Touma. Aqua swings his mace to kill Touma along with Itsuwa, but Touma gets up, thanks her and runs toward him. Aqua grins and pummels Touma alone, says that he'll wait one more day and swings him off the bridge. Touma skips on the water a couple times before landing.

Touma is hospitalized and Index is sitting right next to Touma's bed, holding his hand. Amakusas are gathered in the hallway near his room and Itsuwa looks devastated after what happened, not being able to protect him. The doctor tell them that it's a miracle that Touma's still alive and he won't wake up for a while. After hearing that Tatemiya looks over to the corner where Itsuwa is and tell her to stop moping around because Aqua is coming for Touma and proves that she was worth risking his life for. Itsuwa as well as the rest of Amakusas start preparing for upcoming showdown.

Aqua is talking to the pope via magical cell phone at the corner of 22nd district. He is attacked by unmanned machines sent by Academy City and he starts a warm up before upcoming battle. Meanwhile Amakusas moved to nearby park to reinforce their weapons so they can put up a fight this time. They plan to get as much buffs as possible while Aqua is busy playing with droids. They're a little creeped out by Itsuwa tending to her spear in silence. Back in England Sherry and Orsola finds out about Aqua's origin and that he was to be knighted in England even though he was not very happy with it. Orsola contacts Tatemiya and tell him about it. The droids sent by Academy City start retreating seeing that they don't stand a chance against Aqua. He's standing on top of pile of scrap when Amakusas show up. He tells them there's still time, and asks if they really understand the risk of going up against someone who is a saint as well as a member of God's Right Seat. Itsuwa attacks before Aqua could finish talking and tell him she'll listen to his talk after she's done stabbing and slicing. To Aqua's surprise, Amakusas are actually keeping up with his speed using spell to cover each other. They use huge spell guilt and sin to attack, but Aqua comes out without a scratch. He explains that his power as God's Right Seat grants him the power of holy mother which repels and neutralize all sin against him, but they've already disappeared before he could finish.

Amakusas are trying to heal up before they can initiate the spell they've created against saints, but Aqua finds them and attacks with a water spell; Power of the virgin releases him from all sins, so it allows him to cast regular spells as well. Amakusas start getting pushed back and began losing sight of him, but they manage to stop his movement and release their ultimate spell, saint killer. It shoots out huge lightning that uses saint's own energy to attack, but once again Aqua survives by grabbing the spear and canceling the spell before it could reach him. They use every defensive spell they have, but they're blown away by Aqua's huge mace and gush of water. Instead of finishing them off Aqua leaves the field to face Kanzaki who decided to join the fight.

The two enter their own world. The spells and attacks Kanzaki is using is similar to that of Amakusas, and Aqua says that a talent could be so cruel. She responds that he has no right to denounce them especially when he's abusing his power against the weak. To this he says there's no mercy in battlefield and they're the ones who entered it, even if they're ordinary people or didn't even know it. Kanzaki asks why Aqua had to face Touma and attack him with power of a saint. Aqua ends the conversation saying "we've talked long enough, now show me your resolve."

Touma wakes up in the hospital and sees Index sleeping on the chair beside him. He gets up thinking he'll apologize to her after this, but for now he needs to do what he must. Kanzaki and Aqua are still fighting and she's disdained that he's using power of the virgin for such tyranny. At the same time she remembers fighting against Misha, incarnation of an angel, and wonders if a human being is really capable of housing such power. Aqua notices that she's almost at her limit as a saint and tell her it's been a good workout, but he's not here to play a sport. He unleashes a spell using his mace creeating huge explosion and crushes Kanzaki.

Misaka is on her way home after being released from one of the building in 22nd district. The area was shut off due to emergency oxygen leak and the warning was just lifted, but now the entrance was shut off due to some unknown reason. She heads to nearby hotel to spend the night and runs into Touma who just sneaked out from hospital. She's shocked to see him in this state, covered in bandages and not even being able recognize her until she spoke to him. Misaka tries to stop him but he mumbles to himself saying he has to go because they must be still fighting right now. She asks him why won't he ask for her help and tells him that she knows about his memory loss. During the process she finds out that he still remembers about her and her sisters and she feels relieved to know but at the same time hates herself for being selfish. Misaka tries to take Touma back to hospital but he tells her that he didn't fight till he lost his memory so that he could wine about it. He's doing this not because he has to but he wants to; He doesn't want to blame others for not acting and wants to keep moving on, even if he did lose his memory as a result. Misaka can't agree with him at all but she lets him go anyway not because of his words, but because she realizes her feelings for him.

Amakusas are watching the battle between Kanzaki and Aqua, and as they watch they feel more and more powerless, thinking there's no way to match up against them. Kanzaki managed to get up from that blow and keeps on fighting, but it's obvious that Aqua's got upper hand in this battle. She noticed that Aqua has almost no limit to how much power he could wield. Aqua asks her if she had enough beating, and if she's still angry about him taking down Amakusas and Touma. He says that there is no place for the weak in battlefield, so the weak doesn't need to fight, only the true soldiers should cross blades to protect the weak. With this Kanzaki realizes she was as arrogant as Aqua. She brushed off Amakusas thinking they're weaker than her, that they need to be under her care at all time. For the first time she asks Amakusas to help her fight Aqua. At first Amakusas couldn't understand the fact that she's calling for help, but they run to her in an instant to stand by her side, because this is what they've wanted to do for their entire life, to aid Kanzaki. Aqua couldn't understand it either, a saint asking the weak for help. He scoffs at Kanzaki saying if she values her life that much, but to this she replies she's only hurt them by leaving them because she was looking down on them as well. Now she will gain her place back and believe in them instead of blaming them.

As the Amakusas gather around Kanzaki, she also noticed Aqua's weakness. The reason he could fight on for so long was because of power of the virgin. It gives him almost infinite energy to fight even outside of human boundary, but since he's a saint as well if saint killer can strike him it'll be the end for him because of his unlimited supply. This is the reason he actually blocked that attack instead of taking a hit from it. Kanzaki and Amakusas prepare the field by creating imitations of execution of son of god, which disrupts the power within Aqua. It wasn't enough to stop him, however, and he uses the spell that almost took Kanzaki out. If they take one more hit from that it'll be over for them, and they're not ready to use saint killer yet. Silence falls after huge flash of light, but Touma has caught Aqua's mace before the impact and canceled the spell and not only that Touma tries to hold onto Aqua's mace. Aqua is caught by surprise, and with that instant Kanzaki moves in to hold him in place. Before Aqua could react, Itsuwa and Amakusas have completed saint killer to strike him; spear of lightning struck through Aqua, sending him all the way across to the man made lake underground and finally causing an huge explosion. After Kanzaki opened her eyes, Aqua was gone and whole lake has evaporated.

Touma wakes up in the hospital above ground, in the room he usually ends up. He tries to get up but Itsuwa, who was sitting right by him ask him to stay put. Their faces get close and it's as if time froze up until they find Index standing by the door. Index says she leaves for a seconds and Touma's already getting his hands on another girl. Before he could apologize, Index switches places with Itsuwa to pounce. Kanzaki's standing in front of Touma's room along with Tsuchimikado. He says to her that this is the only chance to pay her debt back to Touma and the only way she can do this is by wearing a fallen angel maid costume. Kanzaki in state of confusion tell Tsuchimikado to bring the costume and ten minutes later she enters Touma's room.

The pope has got the report that Aqua was defeated. He ponders how could anyone best Aqua, and what to do about Touma. To pope's surprise Fianmma comes up to him, and tell him now that most of Europe's on their side, they'll take on England next. Pope asks him how would that damage Academy City but Fianmma says Academy City isn't the target. Fianmma wants to get his hand on something in England, and for that he needs to cause an ruckus to make things easier. The pope tries to stop Fianmma from this madness but his spell has no effect on Fianmma. He attacks the pope, destroying 1/3 of St. Pietro with it. Pope managed to block his attack from doing damage to the city and lays in the rubble when the child from earlier come up to him to stay alive. Vent also gives a visit to the pope, and he tells her Fianmma's going after England. Vent says no one gives her an order, but she's going to kill him nevertheless.

In England, Laura received a report saying that the pope was attacked and it's unknown whether he's still alive or not. Back in Academy City, Aleister's looking at some kind of data, and he smiles saying this problem must be dealt with. On the screen it says; Imagine Breaker's effect on plan 98%, it's power is active just as planned, and will be used for the central focus of main plan along with Accelerator.

credit: bob4000 and Tsunade666 from AS