Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Necessarius Special Admission Test/Chapter 4

Synopsis
The Amakusa come out of the sewers that drain into the Thames. Here, they ponder on where to find Arlands Darkstreet, but with a little ingenuity, Saiji figures out. Using a computer found in modern cars, he searches on the Internet indications of Arland's presence and finds a company that is doing salvage work for sunken ships in the Strait of Dover. They doubt why the Dusk Waiting to Awaken would choose the Strait of Dover to summon R’lyeh instead of the Pacific as stated in the tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, but they have no time to ponder on this matter, as Arlands Darkstreet begins going to his destination. The Amakusa decide to climb onboard a passing cargo ship instead of using their paper boat magic as they are still in London and the Anglican Church still sees all. Here, Itsuwa questions the mindset of Arlands for wanting to summon R'lyeh, to which Saiji says that all magicians have differing motivations, some just want to have fun and they will do whatever they can to attain it.

In a helicopter, Arlands instruct his subordinates, Dodge, Vase, and Rotia to begin preparations as he is heading to the float where the salvage operation is occurring. Though they are worried about their pursuers, they are confident all is going according to plan. Arlands then instruct them to prepare the pawns who will read the Necronomicon for them. He arrives at the float and tosses the Necronomicon to Dodge and orders him to begin preparing with their pawns. He inquires about the glass that would reflect the light used there to make the float look like it was beyond Euclidean geometry just like the R’lyeh in the story. After meeting an unsuspecting worker from the float, he locks himself in a room, takes out a bottle of human blood and flesh, and begins writing symbols in the room.

The Amakusa arrive on the cold waters of Dover Strait using fireboats to attack the float while they use the other paper boats for transportation. After sighting the float explosions rock their progress, and here they discover that the magic cabal is trying to emulate the earthquakes found in the story that was a prelude to the raising of R’lyeh. After the ships arrive and exploded upon the float, they too reach the float, which was now in flames. After a while, the ground they tread upon resembled a pulsing blood vessel ran across the steel surface of the float. Moreover, Tsushima sees the strong lights used in the float in the otherwise dark night, giving the illusion where that the place has strange shapes that cannot be represented by Euclidean geometry. Here, they discover that they weren't trying to summon R'lyeh from the deaths but make it so that the float was R'lyeh itself. Itsuwa tells the rest of them to destroy the lights that allow this magic ritual to become reality. Suddenly however, something strokes her back, coming from the murky depths of the waters below her. Many tentacles have appeared, that of the Great Old One Cthulhu. Itsuwa collapsed and the tentacles vanish later as Saiji says that it was more of a mental presence than a physical one, though for now. With time of the essence Tsushima asks how to get Itsuwa back from the nightmare that the Great Old One Cthulhu is sending to her. Saiji says that though difficult, they need to analyze on how Cthulhu is sending its presence to Itsuwa and then send their own meaningless information to dilute it, allowing them to free Itsuwa. Suddenly a shadow passes over them, a giant mass silhouetted by the bright lights. The Amakusa were in danger into succumbing like Itsuwa if they focus on it.

Meanwhile, Arlands is in he room meditating, the mental efforts to keep the ritual he's doing taking a toll on him. Nevertheless, he is enjoying all the same. Suddenly, he is to the side and Itsuwa appears. Arlands try to inquire on how she managed to escape, to which Itsuwa says that since the evil gods of the Mythos gain their role and terror from the story they represent, then they can escape if they give out an ending for the gods. That is, the illusion that the "intruders", the Amakusa, were defeated and its conclusion drove Cthulhu away. To do this, they need only to mess with the method on how Arlands twisted the float. Arlands is amused, and then, after burdening with the ritual collapses down.

Itsuwa communicates with Saiji on how she is finished here. However, she notices something on the wall and felt a part of it with her hands. Using her spear she rips up the wallpaper and discovers symbols behind them, a communication spell. Itsuwa discovers that their aim wasn't the Cthulhu Mythos, they were just researching the margin of error that allows a spell to function even when it leaves the proper formula. Itsuwa realizes that they wanted to freely interfere with existing legends and myths and rearrange them as they wished. Itsuwa tells Saiji to leave right away to Stonehenge as the experimental data that was made on the float was sent there.

Meanwhile, Vase arrives at Stonehenge carrying a long sheet of parchment made up of human flesh with a mysterious young man. They discuss the fate of Arlands, who enjoyed himself till the very end. After reading the report written on the parchment, the two of them go to Stonehenge to being the Blank Paper spell.

New Characters

 * Vase
 * Dodge
 * Rotia (transmission only)